Happy Monday. Our dry, sunny, warm weather continues so George and I headed out early for our walk on the moors. Few dog walkers about and certainly none I knew so after nearly an hour and George slowing down I drove us home. Later in the morning I drove to Debbie the groomer’s home to visit her mother while she was out working. We had a lovely 2 hour chat about all sorts until I sensed she was tiring so I brought George home. I have been gardening and watering a few pots but sadly still no sign of planted beans sprouting. I did go back to the display of plants for sale in the next village but what few had been there must have been sold. At some point tomorrow I will buy another packet from a store and try one last time.

Time to bring washing in that dried outside, then prepare an evening meal. I hope everyone is well.

Jackie 🥰

😀 Annie turned two years old yesterday. I gave her a new heavy chewing toy. Later we went to the pharmacy where they always have a dog cookie for her at the drive through. It wasn't until later that I realized that if I'd planned better I could have taken her to the bank drive through and Taco Time where they give biscuits to dogs.

😍 Barbie

Hello. We received 5+ inches of rain yesterday and overnight. My rain gauge is 5” and it was full to the brim. Also overnight I woke up to a dripping sound. It seemed to be in a wall of my bedroom. I couldn’t go back to sleep. I was awake worrying about it for about 3 hours. 👀

Also the sump pump started to run regularly. What a night. Sleep was elusive.

I checked the basement for water when I got up and luckily I didn’t find any. I washed some clothes, went outside to check on the water discharge from the sump pump and got yesterday’s mail. It was really damp!

I called my handyman to get the contact info for a guy who did a little roof fix for me once. He gave it to me and I called. A very nice person who listened to me describe what was going on. And he drove by this afternoon and called me later. He is sure he knows what needs to be fixed and his most experienced guy will come and fix it in the next week or so. The owner has had a hip replacement and stays off of very tall roofs. They are also going to give me an estimate for replacing the roof. It is 19 years old. We will see what happens. They are pricing the higher grade hail resistant shingles.

So interesting right? Ha-ha

Barbie, happy belated birthday to Annie. The treats sound like a good gift.

Jackie, your time at the coffee shop sounds quite interesting. I would love to do that. Take care. I love that the wild flowers were taking over. 🙃 Mor particularly great as it caused you more work

Be safe everyone. Hoping for warmer days with sunshine again. I am sure we will but it seems like we lost spring.

Lin 🙋🏼‍♀️

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Hello, another chilly, windy day but only partly cloudy. It is sunny now. I received a call today and the roofing company is working on another project just a few miles from me and they said they would try to slip away and come over here with a tall ladder to see exactly what needs to be fixed. I would be thrilled if they could finish it tomorrow. Who know what they will find.

Jackie, asphalt shingles must be much less durable than your roofing materials. They sell different types of shingles, some are 15 year shingles, some 20, some 25. At least that’s how they did it in the old days. My shingles are grade 3 and were sold as a 25 year shingles I am requesting a bid for grade 4 shingles which can withstand larger hail. The current ones may have a bit of useful life left. They will also let me know what they think about that.

Some days we don’t get to many chores. And I think that’s okay. I planted a few more beans this afternoon. That was enjoyable.

I did a number of Zoom exercise classes and spoke with a friend about fund raising for a church repair project. I think the contractor is expected in early June.

Wishing everyone good days.

Lin 🙋🏼‍♀️

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😀 Since my day includes more than two hours of riding my exercise bike and more than two hours walking with dogs or alone or with a friend and going to a meeting on Zoom for more than an hour, there's not much time for working in the yard. Today I washed another section of the fence (two down and nine to go) and pulled five gallons of weeds. I've noticed that Annie has more times of being calm and mellow along with her crazed puppy behavior. Bessie who was the quiet dog has now started to bark at people walking by. She learned that from Annie.

😀 Lin, glad you got your immediate roof problem fixed. I hope you get as good a job on your roof as we got on ours.

😀 Jackie, your planting sounds great. My sunflower seeds are starting to sprout as are the poppies but no sign yet of the pumpkins or the nasturtiums. It has been less than two weeks since I planted them My fields of iris look beautiful.

😍 Barbie

Hi, still cold here. It was about 64 in my house this morning but I am still trying to not switch on the furnace again. I wore 2 sweatshirts indoors today which helped. And the exercise classes kept me warm.

On and off rain is expected each day over the long weekend.

I have some organizing to do for several short classes I signed up for—online of course. One is 5 classes with 1 per day and the other is a one day class with 4 sessions.

Shouldn’t take too long to print and organize the materials into binders.

I also want to start sorting through my supplies to decide on my Christmas/Holiday card for this year. It takes me forever to design the card and pick out paper and ink colors. I hope to just use things I have as the price of most supplies is already going up. One company that I purchase much of my paper just announced a price increase which will be in place next week.

A number of small companies are going out of business. I didn’t even look at what they had left to sell on deep discount. Some large companies are having their usual Memorial weekend sales. I may find later on that it was foolish not to be more prepared as items may become scarce as well as quite expensive.

Jackie, I cannot believe the longevity of your house roofs. Amazing. Our homes are not built to last that long. At least not without repeated major renovations and repairs but it is more likely the homes are bulldozed and replaced.

Barbie, a 5 gallon container of weeds is a lot of work! I hope the rest of your seeds sprout soon.

Now I am pining for nasturtiums! 🤭

Be safe all.

Lin 🙋🏼‍♀️

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😀 This morning I put labels on some of my fancy iris so when it's time to thin them, I'll know what color they are. Two of my neighbours asked for iris when I thin them out in September so I want to be able to share the colours they want. I'll thin more than just those but the others will be for me and it won't matter what colour they are when I put them somewhere else in my yard.

😀 Chicken soup is simmering on the stove—-chicken bought at Costco yesterday and veggies and broth were part of my curbside pickup at QFC this morning. This pot will make about a dozen meals for me. I'll freeze it Mason jars.

😀 Lunch is a pbj with Adams natural peanut butter, apricot jam, and Dave's Killer bread with a few grape tomatoes on the side. Yum.

😀 I've been watching Svalbard videos on YouTube— a simple life.

🎵 Barbie

Hello, a day of Zoom classes, a long long telephone call with a friend, church service and I did water my lettuce and the bean seed that I planted that has not sprouted yet.

Tomorrow I need to do some laundry, bake sweet potatoes, and may cook some quinoa.

Jackie, yes, I was told that nightshades are unhealthy for people with certain allergies and those with arthritis. I don’t know if it is true but I did give up white potatoes and switched to my beloved purple sweet potatoes. No more fresh tomatoes for me but I do use some sauces with tomatoes in them and once in a while some canned tomatoes or tomato paste. I will have a potato chip once in a while but not often.

I used to live on baked potatoes. What a change!

Barbie that is very considerate of you to label your Iris so people can choose their colors when you thin them later on. I was always happy just to get some rhizomes. 🙌🏻🙌🏻

Well, nothing much of interest.

Be safe.

Lin 🙋🏼‍♀️

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Welcome home Sandy. A lovely photo! 😍

It is a Bank holiday in England too. We used to call it Whitsun after Whit Sunday but Christian breaks seem to get cancelled and now it is a Spring bank holiday! Cold and showery weather has arrived so no gardening, just a relaxing day because I decided the indoor projects can wait. I prepared a tasty pesto chicken dish and watched another gardening programme about designs to combat climate change, although little sign of that today!

Lin, I do remember the purple sweet potatoes when I lived in Toronto but here we only seem to get the slightly orange ones. I was going to look into growing my own but the slips, as they call the starter sections, are rare. I only eat wholewheat pasta and brown rice that are less starchy but sometimes do crave potatoes roasted in beef dripping. As you say, what a change!

Midnight has crept up on me so time for bed. 🥱😴

Jackie

Hello! It has been chilly and also periods of drizzle. Later this week it is suppose to warm up. Everyone seems to be looking forward to more summer like weather.

Today I did get to the bank to discuss a CD that matured over the weekend. I decided I would not renew it at this paint. I had the money moved to my savings account and I can use some for a new roof or other unexpected expenses. Now I don’t have to be concerned with penalties for early withdrawal.

I also stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up a few things. I was surprised that the store wasn’t at all busy.

Sandy, glad you got some sleep. Wonderful. Happy party planning.

Hello Jackie and Barbie.

Off to my Tuesday evening online class.

Lin 🙋🏼‍♀️

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After a cool, windy start yesterday when I took George for a long walk on the moors, it brightened up so I decided the jungle that had grown overnight needed to be cut back. All that rain on Tuesday had everything sitting up! I worked for most of the day, then, just before sunset, lit a fire in the incinerator.

So far today my plans keep changing because when I returned home from an early trip to the supermarket I found a car recovery vehicle across our parking area because a camper van in my neighbours’ space had broken down. Apparently the visitors were about to drive to the coast but the engine had died! I had planned to walk George then arrange to visit Sheila who had a migraine so wanted me to take her to the local shop. I took George on to the moors to begin Plan A but when we returned they told me they were now waiting for a flatbed truck that would block our exit so my car is now garaged to keep it out of the way. No idea when it might arrive so I updated Sheila with Plan B which was to drive over once visitors and vehicles are gone but she now thinks that after taking a couple of painkillers she can drive herself to the shop! I’ve finally enjoyed a fresh brew of coffee!

That lemon tea is very appropriate Lin for my early morning hot water and slice of lemon. I’ve also ordered the Turmeric in tablet form and am expecting miracles! 😄😗

Wow Sandy, it really is all go for you!

I gather Magpie Murders is one of a trilogy Barbie so lots more reading for you to enjoy.

It is warm and muggy today so my jungle is steaming but I will continue to cut back some of the wayward branches.

Happy Thursday. Stay safe.
Jackie

👓️👀 Yesterday was my regular visit to the eye doctor (last time was two years ago). I had to work at not being stressed because eye doctors have been predicting cataract surgery in " a few years" since 2003 and right now I have no idea how to handle needing a ride and needing someone to watch Annie. It turned out fine. The weather cooled off so Annie was safe in the car in the parking lot midday. The eye doctor was great and said that it would still be " a few years" before I'd need cataract surgery. She gave me a new prescription for glasses and said that part of my troubles seeing had to do with some clouding of my current lenses. I looked at all the frames and decided that the decision fatigue was too much and ordered a new pair of glasses with frames identical to the ones I have now. Maybe next year, I'll pick out something wild and crazy. The whole adventure cost about $400 which was fine with me.

😀 Sandy, anyone would be tired with the schedule you keep.

😀 Lin, I don't eat enough lettuce to want to grow it, but my walking friend grows lettuce in a raised bed just outside her kitchen door to the yard and raves about popping out to pick lettuce for her salad. Good luck with your roof and hope that there are no expensive surprises.

😀 Jackie, I don't go out often but it would make me crazy if my drive were blocked and I couldn't go.

😍 Barbie