Sunshine and heat…
Where I live it often seems we go from the dull, chilly days of Spring with occasional bursts of colour and warmth, suddenly into days and weekends filled with sunshine and heat. We watch our weather forecasts zealously, waiting for the promise of 20+C days. And when they arrive, we willingly dive headfirst into summertime activities. We use the “May 24” weekend as our guide. We don’t plant before that time; don’t count on the good weather lasting before that time; and pray that the May 24 weekend is the perfect weather for camping, barbecuing, visiting with friends, and planting our flower beds. So? Well, it’s the weekend BEFORE the May 24th long weekend and it is warm and sunny and exactly the weather for working outside. I was so excited to head to the garden centres this morning! Unfortunately, we are still under a stay at home order, (extended now until June 2nd). Luckily garden centres are open, and even though I went a week early, the selection of plants was sparse. Oh how I miss the garden centres where I used to live (although to be honest, they could be in exactly the same shape as here). I was so excited to start putting my mark on these gardens and found myself with very little choice. I managed to get enough to fill some of my planters and I’ll figure the rest out as I go. It still filled that need to play in the dirt!
In the meantime, I concentrated on the rest of the yard this week. My mower decided it wasn’t interested after the move, so I had to head out and find a new one. Wow! Everything is so expensive! I already own a very good trimmer. Unfortunately I also own a house without an outside outlet near the yard. So off I went to get a cordless trimmer - thank goodness for sales and for curbside pickup. I have to be honest, I’m tired of not wandering through the stores and picking exactly what I want, as opposed to online shopping where I have to hope the picture and description are right for me. I’ve spent a number of years building up my collection of outdoor tools. I bought as items came on sale and made do during those times when money was tight. In fact, one of my favourite “tools” is the kneeling cushion my son made for me when he was young. It’s just thick foam pieces held together with tape but it’s perfect for me and still helps my knees all these years later. When you have something that works for you AND is made by your child’s hands, use it. The feeling it gives you as you pull it out each time is love!
Yesterday was my first visit to the local dump. Apparently you need a pass, which I don’t have (but I’ve sent my request!) but if you’re lucky like me, you get a full tour. Dumps are interesting and I think you should learn about the one for your community. I used to live up North (pretty far up North) and the dump in that community was an area to pick up treasures that someone else had dropped off. Just because one person didn’t need an item did not mean that it would not be loved by someone else. Back to my current dump - no scavenging so the idea of “sharing” or extending the life of belongings doesn’t work here. However, there is lots of recycling. In fact, most of the area is used for recycling different materials. There was a garbage section but it was by far not the focus. There is composting and a whole separate area for brush and the prices were quite reasonable. I’ll be able to take my yard bags all Spring, Summer, and Fall for free and since it’s only three minutes away, it’s perfect.
Back to the backyard, looking much tidier after the removal of the yard waste. It’s still fairly large and empty; it’s a blank slate ready to be drawn upon. I have a friend who has an amazing garden and tantalizes with the pictures she shares. I keep hers in the back of my mind as I look upon my own. I know that putting in my pool will cut down on the area available to me but that’s okay. I honestly cannot wait for that pool. (And don’t forget all that is involved in your yard endeavours - if you’re building something, digging for a fence, even putting in an above ground pool, check with your municipality. You may have permits to purchase and you’ll definitely want to find out about any underground utilities. In Ontario, we have one website where we go to fill out the information about our plans. All the appropriate utility companies are made aware and do their surveys. It’s the law and you wouldn’t want to take any chances that you hit a line of some sort.) I know I want a reading area and some pathways through a cutting garden. I have always wanted a cutting garden and now I have the space. I’ll take my time and research so that it’s a success. If I plan to be here for years, it doesn’t have to be perfect for my first summer. In fact, as I’ve mentioned numerous times and will continue to do so, plans change. Circumstances change. Sometimes what is perfect today is not what you need or want tomorrow. So I guess it’s how you look at the world each and every day.
My dining area is something that is turning out to be perfect for my first summer here. I bought some solar lights to string in the trees that encase the area. (There is nothing like the scene of a person on a ladder, working by herself, trying to get the perfect height for the lights and the solar panel and getting caught in the trees!! I’m sure I have neighbours who wonder who is the crazy lady who bought the yellow house!)
I’ll have to take a better picture, now that the yard has been cleaned up but I’ll share what I took the other night. When the lights come on, it becomes otherworldly - the soft dark, the lights twinkling, and the dining table set just apart from the house. It’s like a special space away from the reality of dishes and kitchen clean up and I cannot wait to welcome friends and family again - to enjoy the sound of laughter and voices and to see the smiles as I look around the table.
Cleaning up the yard.
Outside dining….