Random Comments on the Week

  On Wednesday a neighbour fired up his lawnmower, signaling to the rest of us that it was time to get busy in the yard. Just over two weeks from the last snow melting away and the lawn needs mowing!
I started with the weed eater, chopping away at the fringes and then switched to planting onion sets between the rows of strawberry plants I salvaged from a sea of grass and weeds last fall.

The local deer consider anything in our yard their's to nibble as they please. After seeing how callously they destroyed my carefully planted and nourished tulip bed I did a search for 'plants that deer don't like' and onions was one of them. I don't know how well they will work because when I paused to look up from my labours there was a very pregnant doe watching my efforts from ten feet away.
I think she was making a list of what to eat in which order.

This corner of our yard is the maternity waiting room

I will be learning a lot about container gardening this year, all done on the sundecks. Fortunately this house has two of them. I even built this thing to give me more room for pots.

Note the tub on the lower right with the few tulips I was able to rescue.

Zoe the watch cat has no influence over the deer

On a slightly different topic the motor home has come out of hibernation. It now has two new deep cycle batteries and the yucchy anti-freeze has been flushed from the lines.Windows have been opened and floors washed. We are expecting friends from northern Alberta next week and the motor home will be a guest cottage on wheels while they are here.

Thursday we drove 150 km (95 miles) north to Salmon Arm to meet my brothers and sister-in-law for lunch. The weather was perfect for a scenic drive along the lakes.It was great to see my family but I couldn't help noting that we have reached the age when medical concerns are the main topic of conversation. Except of course for politics, the economy and  few jokes.

Eg: A woman in labour suddenly starts shouting, "Shouldn't. wouldn't, couldn't, won't, can't, didn't!"
"Don't worry." said the doctor. They 're just contractions." 

I did get a good picture of everybody but was cautioned by my oldest brother not to put it on the internet. I learned at a young age that doing things he told me not to do always drew consequences - so no picture.

It's been strange to spend this winter in the north and we have missed our friends but like the hummingbirds and the swallows the southern sojourners are returning. I see them standing around in the stores looking rumpled and slightly unfocused as they begin adjusting to their summer life. Welcome back!