CANADIAN REGION: What are you doing in June 2018

Good luck! Can't wait to hear how your flowers fared. I have three pink peony plants. I love their blooms; so pretty.

Waiting for the results. . .

sanderson wrote:  Waiting for the results. . .

+1

Just returned from the Peony Show and my one white peony was able to get a yellow Fourth Place ribbon out of ten entries.  I am so happy.

We will have to return  this evening to collect the ribbon and the peony instead of tomorrow so we will be out again in about three hours time.

My friend Diane won a first, a second and a couple of thirds, with blooms that she thought were up to her standard of last year. 

After I have had a rest I will go out into my garden and sift a bag of my compost for her garden.  I know she will appreciate it.  She mostly grows flowers in pots, so the compost will be good for them.

Okay, so I got a little carried away

sanderson wrote:

Okay, so I got a little carried away

I think you are right there, sanderson, but I do appreciate it.

 Congratulations on the ribbon! That is awesome! And your friend must be equally pleased. So glad she insisted you enter yours  

  I had a hard time finding anything that Sanders didn't already post, so ditto on Sanders' post too  - Congrats again!

BlackjackWidow wrote: Congratulations on the ribbon! That is awesome! And your friend must be equally pleased. So glad she insisted you enter yours  

  I had a hard time finding anything that Sanders didn't already post, so ditto on Sanders' post too   - Congrats again!

You done good, WjW seeing as Sanderson got in before you.  I know that you must have spent several minutes collecting the three emoticons so It is appreciated.

By the time that we had travelled the length of our small town three times there and back, plus all the viewing and talking with people and it being such a hot day we were both tired out and today we will  be in our respective homes just taking it easy.

Congrats, Kelejan!  That is awesome!  (None of can one-up sanderson...just re-imagine her emoji laden post!)

I have a 3 year old peony, I love it.  Deep rosy pink.

Nicely done KJ and well deserved. 

I know I said I was going to have a lazy day but I did spend some time clearing the back deck that was cluttered with all sorts of bags containing leaves, twigs, grass, containers both good ones and ones that needed ditching, dried leaves, dust and cobwebs clinging everywhere.  Made me feel good.

A rather rusty shelving unit was also cleaned up and I will get a spray can of "Rustoleom"?  in maybe a bright red.

That was followed by 15 minutes sifting more compost to keep me going with potting jobs.

Tomorrow if it does not rain, lawn mowing, weeding the strawberry bed and watering - If raining, shopping for the rust paint and getting that job done under cover. 

In many ways I am happy not to garden all year as it makes my appreciate what gardening I can get to do.

Been out this morning and now too hot to mow the grass so I am going on to the west side of my home, pick the Canterbury Bells that are hiding away so that I can enjoy them inside, then begin tackling some of the ivy that has designs on strangling the house.

I may mow the grass that's in the shade when the sun drops behind the mountain.
Then some watering to do.

I appreciate the fact that we don’t have the ability to garden year-round, too.  It gives me a mental and physical break.  Allows me to re-set.  Think and dream about my options.  And not feel guilty about “not doing anything” because it is zero degrees !

Nice rain here at the moment. Glad you had a productive day, Kelejan !  And have alternative plans!

Scorpio, it never quite turns out as planned, even on going out into the garden today.

I have just finished the watering; picked some strawberries for my dessert tonight, to go with the rhubarb and yogurt; picked the Canterbury Bells, but did not touch the ivy at the side of the house because I needed to weed out all the other plants first so that I could get to the ivy.  It is just past five o'clock here and still too hot.

The job I did was chop up all that green growth and added it to my compost heap mixed in with the partly composted stuff from my tumbler which is a little too damp.
The compost heap already has as pile of leaves from last fall so that will even out the greens and browns and the wet and dry stuff.

Later on I will take Guthrie for his evening walk and water my friend's flower pots. The grass cutting will have to take its chance on the rain tomorrow;  by the end of the month the growth will slow done.

Our local weather forecast has  a bright yellow strip at the top of the page warning us that we are to expect severe thunderstorms with the prospect of 25mm of rain per hour and hailstones etc.

I mowed the grass yesterday but I had better get out and do something in the garden before I are locked indoors for the next four days.

A thunderstorm followed by 4 days of rain? Will any of your plants be in danger from the hail?

sanderson wrote:A thunderstorm followed by 4 days of rain?  Will any of your plants be in danger from the hail?

I haven't too many plants this year to have to worry about them, most of my garden  I am working to get under control of the overgrowth and weeds  that I did not do much of last year.

Just now returned from 1 1/2 hours clearing the ivy and other growth from the western side of my home which is out of sight and out of my mind.  I am feeling much better about it having also spent a similar amount of time a couple of day ago.  It does  mean that bears will be able to come down that side of the house unless I put a barrier there which I will get round to sometime.

The sky is clouding over and the first few spots of rain are falling.  Everything is cleared away and it a good reason to stop working and enjoy a quiet afternoon.

I have a beautiful vase of just picked Canterbury Bells, Delphiniums and fern to look at and enjoy.

Tomorrow I will have to make the effort to catch a bus and go and vote whether or not I want our small city of 7,500 people to borrow $32,000,000 to upgrade the Recreation Complex.

Kelejan wrote:I have a beautiful vase of just picked Canterbury Bells, Delphiniums and fern to look at and enjoy.

Beautiful!

Tomorrow I will have to make the effort to catch a bus and go and vote whether or not I want our small city of 7,500 people to borrow $32,000,000 to upgrade the Recreation Complex.

$4,267 per person! Will the "upgrades" really improve the lives of the citizens?

sanderson wrote:

Tomorrow I will have to make the effort to catch a bus and go and vote whether or not I want our small city of 7,500 people to borrow $32,000,000 to upgrade the Recreation Complex.

$4,267 per person!  Will the "upgrades" really improve the lives of the citizens?

It is interesting what one can do with figures. The original survey showing the plans said that 62% voted yes and 38 voted No.
What they did not say at the time was that 16% of residents returned the survey.
That means, in round figures, that 10% of the population voted yes and 6% voted No.
In other words, the majority of our populations did not take an interest, and will no doubt grumble when their taxes increase.

I voted this morning, and from the people pouring in it seemed to me it was the people who wanted the upgrade that were voting.  It it passes, we will be paying for it for 25 years.  As a single occupant of a house, one is treated the same a family.  I pay the same for water, sewage, land tax and everything else , but that is the price I am willing to pay because I like living in my house. I do get a seniors discount but one does not have to be poor to receive that.

Results of our Referendaum re Upgrades:

Voters in Area I have defeated the Complex Referendum expansion. Vote Passes in Castlegar and Area J.
Castlegar:     Yes — 1367 (57%),         N0 — 1032 (43%)
Area J:          Yes —  492 (57%),         No —   377 (43%)
Area I:          Yes —  200 (29%),         No —   498 (71%)

The Referendum was lost due to71% No vote in Area I.  All three areas had to vote a yes majority.                Total vote was 2059 Yes and 1907 No.

Turnout very similar to any political voting patterns.  The majority do not care.

Lovely day today although a little too hot for my liking to do too much physical work so waited for late afternoon and early evening to mow the roadside lawn, do some watering and then watered my friends pots. 

Bought  "Gorilla" look-a-like and it used a bit to carry grass ect. to the upper compost pile. I think it is going to be very useful. I feel my wheelbarrow will be taking a back seat perhaps?

No matter what ergonomic design a wheel barrow is, you still have to lift the handles. A pull-along seems like it would be easier on the ole osteopenia.

sanderson wrote:No matter what ergonomic design a wheel barrow is, you still have to lift the handles.  A pull-along seems like it would be easier on the ole osteopenia.  

You are right plus the wheelbarrow I have been using the legs are too long so it  catches the ground. especially if I am wheeling downhill. That is because I am small and have matching arms.
 
With wagon the contents are supported by the ground.  Level ground it is easy to pull, going uphill is a little harder but still easier than the wheelbarrow. I should be able to get more work done for less effort.

July 1st Canada Day is approaching. The weather for that day here in Canada's capital is forecast to be sunny with some cloud but a high temperature of 97F. With the humidity it will feel like 115F. This is crazy. Mrs TD and I will not be joining in the Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill (9 miles by car from our house). Instead, we will enjoy our air conditioning and watch the events on TV.