A LAZY summer day

I lied!!!!!    Oh I had BIG plans yesterday. I was going to finish the customer quilt, I was going to cut out a bag, I was going to sew some blocks. And did I accomplish any of that????   I DID NOT!!!!!

It has been so hot and so humid that even I was getting tired of it. Remember me wishing for a cool night to sleep - well the last couple have been great. So when I went out for a walk with the girls and I saw how nice it was, I was faced with a dilemma.

The studio?????

The gazebo??????

 Have to say the GAZEBO won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    I grabbed a book and I was set for the day!!!!!!

My view from the gazebo. 

I moved around the back yard to keep in the shade. There was a slight breeze which made the wind chimes tinkle ever so slightly, the pond was running and I was entertained by .....................

The resident rabbit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   (see just over the railing - I am not in the gazebo now)

And the birds - they were NOT happy whenever I moved!!!!

The cardinals and the gold finches were EVERYWHERE. Whizzing past me and making a mess!!!!!    

Anyway - we had pizza for dinner because I did NOT want to go to the grocery store, and I stayed out until almost 9 PM when I couldn't read any more!!!!    Had a number of cat naps, curled up with Sammy on the hammock at one point, got my quilt out because it was getting COOL!!!!!    What a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You see when I walk through the back yard to walk the dogs, I reflect on this great space that we are NOT using enough. So I made good use of it yesterday. M's friend, Berke even commented that he had NEVER seen me just relaxing. Oh OH - that is NOT good.

Unfortunately I can't spend the entire day outside today, but I might be able to sneak in an hour or two. Problem is, I picked up a GREAT book and it is calling me. I got 2/3 read yesterday and well - I have things that HAVE to get done.


Since this is MY blog - I thought I would document some more of my visit back home in Saskatchewan. I have become interested in genealogy (which I don't have time to deal with right now) but stuff is coming out of the wood work. While I was home, I tried to get as much information as I could. We visited my great grand parents homestead. No one lives there now - has been years since anyone lived here, but a very typical homestead. Glad my parents are still around that they could share this with me. Otherwise it would just have been another old homestead.

The hen house!

|Where the house stood (as best as we could figure out). The old log house burned down  a long time ago  (I do have the date in my paperwork). My great uncle was living in the house at the time. Got the application for the land title as well. 

What is left of the OUTHOUSE!!!!   Hmmmm - a one seater!

We had to drive across a freshly plowed field to get there. A TAD bumpy to say the least. Now I know why farm vehicles never seem to last. They sure take a beating. 

The grave site of my great grand parents, grand parents and two great uncles (on my mom's side)

An ORIGINAL letter written by my great grand mother in 1908 to her mother in Ireland. Amazing!!!!!!

At some point, I have to sit down and make heads and tails of all this information. I got lots from my mom and she received it from a cousin of hers. Turns out her cousin lives not far from me. So I wrote him a letter because I could not find his phone number. He called me, but we haven't hooked up in person yet. And then one of my cousins was able to locate another cousin in Great Britain through FaceBook. The world is pretty small. It is exciting and the more I know where these family members fit into the tree, the more fun it becomes. Now to find the time to do this.

I am going to have to RETIRE so I can stop doing stuff for others and just focus on stuff for me!!!!!!!!!!!



Then when I was back home, we spent a LOT of time geocaching. My parents enjoy it so it gives us something to keep us entertained while I am home.

Here is my Dad sitting on a bench at one of the cache sites

The view from the bench. Pretty cool!!!!!

This tree is located is the country school yard where I went to school from Grade 1 - 5. And in the tree is a GEOCACHE. Yes my parents didn't even realize it, but someone planted some caches VERY CLOSE to their house. Now that I got them started again - they are back at it. Driving all over getting caches!!!!!!

A number of years ago, M and I were in Saskatchewan and our goal that year was to take as many pictures of BIG road side attractions. This was one of the items we were on the search for. It was NOT in the town that it said it was. But as we were driving down the highway - there it was.

Bison

 Now we questioned why this bison was stuck way out in the middle of nowhere. Well it turns out that there is a geocache there, as well as an earthcache. So we stopped this year and guess what - this marker marks a stone that is called a buffalo rubbing stone. They used these stones to remove their fur coat after the winter.

Buffalo rubbing stone

So that cleared up a several year old mystery. Yes - there was a sign there, but I didn't remember why the bison was there!!!!


Now here is a bizarre and "unsafe" road situation that is quite common out west. The major highways in Saskatchewan are divided - just like here. But there are NO interchanges and how could there be - these highways go right through farm country and farmers need to get their equipment from one side of the road to the other. So there are PLENTY of cross overs. So if you want to get to the field/road on the left hand side of the divided highway, you go in the left lane (yes CAROL - people SLOW down in the passing lane out west!!!!) - signal and slow down as you turn into the road BETWEEN the divided highway. Then when it is safe - you can CROSS the other side of the divided highway.

I am sitting on the road BETWEEN the divided highway waiting to cross the two lanes of on coming traffic. 

Don't forget the speed limit on this highway is 110 K!!!!!     Now it all works because while there is traffic on these highways, it is NOTHING compared to what we see on the 401. But VERY bizarre.


Oh - while searching through my pictures, I found some more pictures of flooded roads.

This is significant secondary highway

See the damns on the sides??????

And this road?????    ACK?????   I was freaked out - thank goodness my 80 year Dad was driving!!!!!!

The road to the "small" town where I grew up. 

See how strong the Saskatchewan women are ??????    That is a full sized bale that lady has over her head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well that is it for today. I have a couple more pictures (and they are quilt related) that I will share with you tomorrow.

Now I must go and get some phone calls made, e-mail written and some sewing.


Have a great day -



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!