You Know It's Spring When...

- The last bit of ice has melted from the lake. - The annoying, but non-biting bugs have come out from where they have been hiding to fly in your mouth, eyes and nose when walking or biking. - Your son strips off his clothes and plays in the sprinkler. Note: Again, the upside down photo. Why, Blogspot, do you do this? And I really miss a decent photo editing software. Painting is not my forte.

Thank you, Canada, for having a birthday

It was Canada's 145th birthday on Sunday, which means it was a long weekend for us.
And Mother Nature treated us well - blue skies and hot temperatures the whole weekend long. Saturday was soccer and on the way home we stopped at a garage sale and then did an inpromtu beach visit. The boys went in in their shorts while I stayed out taking pictures. We had to pull out guy out of the lake not because he was done climbing on rocks or jumping off the dock, but rather because his teeth were blue and his lips were chattering.

Saturday night there was a walk after bath and campfire were my guy discovered he liked our cooked marshmallows, particularly when they were wrapped in a graham crackers and chocolate.
Sunday there was a Canada Day party, but E.'s favourite part was not the hot dogs or cake - he didn't eat either - but the bouncy castle that had a slide at the end. As I was standing at the ladder ensuring he and the other little kids didn't get squished by the bigger ones - and the pillars that came knocked the children, big and old, over - I didn't see him go down the slide, but Jamie says he had a blast.
Sunday night, E experienced his first firework display in our frontyard and he loved it.

Monday included two trips into the lake in front of our house and backyard fun.
E. wasn't the only one Tuesday morning that wished the weekend was still here. I hope your Canada Day was fantastic, and Happy Independence Day to our American neighbours.

Take That Labour Day

I haven’t been in school for more than a decade but Labour Day weekend still seems like summer’s last hurrah.

I still get that feeling that summer disappears the moment night closes over on Labour Day, and when I wake up that Tuesday morning fall will have arrived.

To shake off the notion that summer is over, my husband, son and I floated out on the lake on our air mattress, soaked in the sun’s still-strong rays and enjoyed a lengthy swim.

Labour Day is here and gone, but the Day family is still enjoying summer.

Good to Have Dreams

People often ask us if we plan to stay at our house by the lake.

Our answer is always the same: If we find the house/property of our dreams we will leave our current location of our dreams.
The property of our dreams is a hobby farm. I have the picture of the property in my mind.

It’s a Victorian farmhouse that you get to by cruising down a maple-and-oak-lined driveway.

When you get to the house, there is lots of open space with shaded spots. There are lilac bushes, more maples and an English-country garden or two.

The yard is lined by the old-style post fence.

Walking further along the property, it turns to meadow, which has a stream cutting through it, then a forested area. Of course there are areas for the animals, and we would have a melange of them - chickens, sheep, cows, goats, pigs, cats, dogs. There may be a horse, but it would have to be my brother’s as I am not a horse fan.

We would also have crops and a good-sized vegetable garden to feed ourselves and sell the extras. I also see maple syrup and a Christmas tree farm.

As I don’t want to live too far away from my family, this dream may have to stay just that unless we strike it rich or some rich relative we don’t know about dies and leaves us her fortune.

Good to Have Dreams

People often ask us if we plan to stay at our house by the lake.

Our answer is always the same: If we find the house/property of our dreams we will leave our current location of our dreams.
The property of our dreams is a hobby farm. I have the picture of the property in my mind.

It’s a Victorian farmhouse that you get to by cruising down a maple-and-oak-lined driveway.

When you get to the house, there is lots of open space with shaded spots. There are lilac bushes, more maples and an English-country garden or two.

The yard is lined by the old-style post fence.

Walking further along the property, it turns to meadow, which has a stream cutting through it, then a forested area. Of course there are areas for the animals, and we would have a melange of them - chickens, sheep, cows, goats, pigs, cats, dogs. There may be a horse, but it would have to be my brother’s as I am not a horse fan.

We would also have crops and a good-sized vegetable garden to feed ourselves and sell the extras. I also see maple syrup and a Christmas tree farm.

As I don’t want to live too far away from my family, this dream may have to stay just that unless we strike it rich or some rich relative we don’t know about dies and leaves us her fortune.

Enjoying the View

I never tire of the above view.

We have lived in this spot since 2001 and the water is as calming and beautiful to me as ever.

I love getting up in the morning, opening the curtains and seeing what the lake has in store - beautiful sunrises of reds, oranges and blues; water that changes colour from Caribbean blue to icy blue; and assorted birds floating by.

The City Mouse Vs the Country Mouse

Why?

Why is the question most people ask when they find out I drive at least a hour to get to work.

Loving my job helps. As does leaving early enough that I avoid the highway in the morning (that pleasure is saved for the afternoon commute). But the main reason for living so far away is the feeling of peace that begins as soon as I leave the city limits and head north.

By the time I pull onto our quiet street, the pressures of the day have evaporated; my shoulders unclench, my foot eases off the gas and my eyes start scanning for the beauty that is all around me.

I have had porcupines, skunks, raccoons and deer cross my path. I have seen a trio of turkey vultures enjoy a meal, watched as a male wild turkey show off and noticed an osprey fly over ahead with a fish still gasping for breath in its talons.

I have seen a red fox hunt a mouse and catch it, and kept pace as another walked down the road with a dead rabbit in its mouth. I have snorkeled with fish and dove out of the way as a hawk skimmed the surface of the water where I was swimming. I have followed minks and fed chickadees out of my hand. I am sure I saw a wolf once.

Why do I live so far from work? Why doesn’t everyone?