Monday, August 6, 2007

Well, the long weekend has come and gone with a feverish blur. My, time flies when your on vacation!!! Some highlights from last week...... Meet Sonny..... he is our 18 year old cat. We picked him from a litter of 2 orange cats and 2 calico's. That was in 1989.... the year Stephanie started school. She has just completed her 5th year at university. He is a gentle and kind old boy, who has lost his hearing due to age about 2 years ago. Sonny has this funny way about him. He picks a favorite spot to sleep and then adopts it as his "official" sleeping spot for a month or so, at a time. He has chosen wicker baskets, the downstairs bathroom sink, the wall unit in the living room, Scott's dresser, my pillow, my bookcase...etc. His summer favor place, which has been a reoccurring spot... is the driveway, or on the roof of the car. This summer, his new spot is under the car. We have to do a "under the car" check, every time we go out. Well, on Thursday, I didn't check well enough, because I backed right over Sonny's foot. Well, not over it, I think I squished it, enough for him to give a yell... and I stopped, and pulled forward (after a 3 second delay in which my mind went into shock, and I couldn't even figure out what to do...go forward or backwards). Anyway, I put the car in drive, crepted ahead a bit, and he darted out from underneath the car.... oh my. He limped at break neck speed around the house, up the cat ramp to the deck (which we built for him a couple of years ago... ) and when I finally caught up with him, he was pretty mad. After 2 days of aspirin, rest, pampering and Sardines with stinky oil (his favorite treat), he is absolutely fine and back under the car!!!! Not even a limp!!! You would think he would make the connection that that wouldn't be such a great place to lay. Or, maybe he is smarter than we think...he probably knows that we are going to be so paranoid about him being under there that he knows he is perfectly safe now....

The same day...... while being eaten up with guilt...thinking I have maimed this poor gentle soul, I was taking solice in my garden. I started watering the side garden (which I call my "spare" garden.... I put things there temporarily, until I can give them away). I was planning in my mind... what to put where, who to give this too, and so on, when a blinding stab in my armpit sent waves of hot piercing fire down my body... from pit to elbow, and from pit to ribs... I screamed and dropped the hose... and didn't even know what hit me.... Terry came around the corner and batted off a hornet that had stung me just at the front of my armpit, and must have hit a nerve (he was obviously paying attention in biology class) and the pain went all the way down my side. I was sure I had at least 2o stings down my ribs.... Oh, Ann, I can only imagine how bad your sting under your eye was.... That was quite a shock. So my day was over, as far as I was concerned. I slept with a pack of ice under my pit, all evening!!! It still hurt the next day. Terry found a swarm of hornets living under the siding on the house. Problem has not been solved yet, so I won't be watering there anymore...til its solved.

While I was away in Ontario, the gardens decided to grow like crazy. The tomatoes got completely out of control. You know, when the parents leave and the kids party the entire time your gone.... my tomatoes decided to try this little game. I spent two days after coming home... trimming, harvesting and so on.

The scarlett runners produce huge beans, about 8 inches long. We don't eat these, although some people do. I harvest the seeds for the next year, so if anyone would like some seeds, let me know. These beans are so fun to grow, they grow as tall as you want them to. The hummingbirds love the little orange flowers, and I have morning glories just starting to peak their flowers up though the leaves to fill in the lack of color at the bottom of the beans.
Scott had a birthday on August 1. Supper was easy.... KFC. The once a year I buy it, and why not.... it was so hot that day, who felt like cooking. But we did have chocolate brownies and chocolate ice cream for dessert. We bought Scott his very own Tilley. He has been using Terry's for the summer, and a Tilley is something you will own for life, so he might as well have his own. Its great for camping too, and I think he will continue to camp in the future. Michelle made his birthday a "Senators" theme. They came pretty close to the Stanley Cup, so he now is totally decked out for next season when they win!!!

Michelle took advantage of a perfect day off, to read Harry Potter, again. Much more relaxed this time, since she now knows the ending!

That has been our week and weekend. Little highlights.... making 16 bottles of Raspberry Jam, (oh and picking all the raspberries from my friends bushes). ..... caddying two games of golf (Terry played and I caddied), as well as a day trip to Bargain Harley's.... Church.... & learning how to graft the toe of a sock...(sort of)

Great news, too, Stephanie got offered a winter (during school job) with the NBCC, working 10 hours a week. Just enough to suppliment her meager school allowance, and enough to keep in touch with the council for the winter, in hopes of a summer job next year too....


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

um Donna? I'd like some scarlett runner beans please. :) Love to read your blogs keep up the great job.
Kelly

ancient one said...

I might take you up on some of those beans also. My vine never makes the flowers and beans until October and then the frost hits it.

I'm so sorry you got hit by that/those hornets. Ice is what I did too. My face hurt for so long.
~ann

Unknown said...

Sonny's gorgeous. He looks very sweet.