Saturday's Daily Thread

[russian blue]

Wow, I haven't started one of these in a while!

It's just after 7am here in Toronto and technically I should be sleeping in but I have too much lined up for today. In Canada, we had our first long weekend of the summer last weekend (Victoria Day Weekend), yet the 4 day work week felt like a full 5 days with many people catching up. I'm just glad that I survived!

My probationary period for this job ends on June 15 and I hope I make it that far. Send some positive vibes my way, ok?

I also went and had my hair cut and coloured on Friday night. I was trying to grow my hair longer, but I gave up and told the stylist just to cut it all off!

My hair is fine and straight, so if I try to grow it out it really becomes a nuisance. I guess I will have short hair forever because I hate messing with it.

Rob is at work till noon today, but once he returns we will be scraping some old paint off our front stairs and doing some gardening. I don't have a clue when it comes to gardening, so owning a house with a large back yard is a challenge every season. I was able to register for a free landscape audit that is offered every year by my town. They are trying to get people to choose drought resistant plants and grasses that will put less strain on water consumption each summer. The audit is June 12th, so I hope I can get some pointers on how to turn my yard into a gardener's paradise!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[sammie5]

Good morning! I'm getting ready for work. Or will be soon. My work week is Tuesday - Saturday, so I usually miss the long weekends.

That landscape audit sounds like a great idea. I have to get into the garden this weekend too, I moved a lot of stuff around about a month ago, but things need weeding and cutting back. I have a friend who is a garden designer, and she did a very extensive plan for me, all perennial beds around the house. Now, some sections are in their third year, and looking pretty wonderful.

And this weekend, my family (brother, sister, their spouses and kids) are celebrating my dad's 80th birthday. I think I need to shop for something new to wear.

 

[Anne]

We've just came back home from visiting both my grandfathers. One is 93 and the other is 76 and they were both thrilled to see the kids.
A nice warm day over here - summer is pretty much here but it's not too hot yet.
Kass, I had no idea Canada has a water shortage problem. Don't you get enough rain around these parts of Canada?

 

[sammie5]

Canada does not have a water shortage problem. And judgeng by the past few weeks, we won't need to water at all in Southern Ontario. Ever. It's rained pretty much every day for weeks now.

However, we do get a bit of summer that is hot and dry, usually. The problem is not a water shortage, as much as the municipalities trying to conserve on water in their treatment systems. We water the garden with water from the same source as our household water, and they are trying to cut down on overuse of city treated water.

I bought a rain barrel last year, and should have it installed any day now. Then I won't use tap water for the garden, unless we have had no rain for weeks.

 

[dawnofsierra]

Well, while everyone is having Sat. morning, it still feels like my Fri. night. I've not long since gotten out of the shower after arriving home from working the night shift. In a little while I'll go to bed to try to get a little sleep so I can get up and do this again for Sat. night. Sierra misses me when I'm gone, and I do so dislike leaving her for these long night shifts. We had even extra special playtime when I got home. She must have had extra pent up energy because she ran wild all over the house like a streak of lightening!

It's already a beautiful day, warm and sunny! A another great thing is the local blueberries are at the produce stand now.

I've about eaten all that I got yesterday, so I'm going to get some more on the way to work! Hope everyone has a great Saturday!

 

[hissy]

Well the sun is up now, and I am waiting for the vet to open so I can call and get Starlight seen. I have been up all night with him/her. I still can't see to sex it, because of the mess of matts on this poor cat. Poor baby, he is a few feet away in the cage and I can smell him from here. I did call that number Tania found for me to see if it was their cat, but all I got was an answering machine.

 

[cazx01]

ive just got home from shopping...i love shopping!! and i also had my hair highlighted again for party tonight, so now im just gonna relax till later.

 

[squirtle]

Russian Blue, I am sending some good vibes your way that you make it past the probationary period, but I am sure you don't need them

I am not sure what I am doing today. Last night we went for a nice walk on the beach, it was a beautiful night.

I do need to get Dori's nails cut and need to clean her ears. Well, I guess that's my day

 

[momofmany]

Russian Blue - I found a gardening book that was specific to the area I live in. Native plants do so much better in their native climate and are a lot easier to take care of! I have 10 acres and love gardens, but could never keep up with all the work needed to take care of non-native species. I love to garden but there's a limit to the work I'll do for them!

I'm going to build a drop-trap for our Humane Society this weekend. There is a colony in the town north of here with an allusive matriarch. She's escaped trapping for 3 years now, just had another litter, and we're bound and determined to make it her last. The drop trap is our last hope, as the Havahearts aren't working.

Happy Memorial Day and Victoria day everyone!

 

[russian blue]

Originally Posted by Anne

Kass, I had no idea Canada has a water shortage problem. Don't you get enough rain around these parts of Canada?

To add to what Sammie5 said, there is also a problem in the Toronto region with the excess use of pesticides to gain that 'perfect green front lawn'. So many municipalities are encouraging home owners to cut back on both water and pesticides and go back to a more environmentally, ecosensitive and natural approach to gardening.

Two weekends ago, I also attended a free workshop on wildflower and native grass gardening at a wildflower farm near me. It was really interesting and I learned a lot about planting native species that will grow more successfully in our region. It seems that most gardens today, are using plants are are European based and therefore must be over fertilized and artificially grown because they are being planted here in North America, which has the totally wrong climate and soil conditions for them. If your interested, you can read more here, Wildflower Farm

I hope that in 5 years and after following the advice from the above seminar, I will have a drough resistant, natural and native grass based backyard. No more pesticides or overwatered lawns for me.

 

[kiwideus]

I got to sleep all through the night last night, Peedoodle slept with me the whole entire night

No biting of feet! Yay! I gave him extra kisses and loves to say thank you. That being said, I had an awesome dream, dreaming of some hunk with a six pack...ooh my my. No idea who he was but he was nice!

Just went out to breakfast with Jake, our usual haunt was clsoed for a family wedding (it is a family run restaurant with the best breakfast) and so we went to the one next to the farmers market and enjoyed it but would prefer to eat at the local place. Oh well.

Have a good day everyone!

 

[lorie d.]

Originally Posted by Anne
Kass, I had no idea Canada has a water shortage problem. Don't you get enough rain around these parts of Canada?

I have more than enough rain to share!
Now let's see...it's been overcast and rainy almost every weekend since Easter. It's been overcast and rainy for the last two weeks, it rained hard during the night and it's still raining this morning. The weather forecast for the next 7 days doesn't look any better either.

So if anyone needs rain just let me know and I'll be more than willing to send you some!

 

[katl8e]

I'm taking a little break. It's only 9:45 and we've done the WalMart run. In addition to groceries, we now have a big new grill, with shelves and an ash catcher. Now Pearl won't be able to scatter ashes all over the place! I got those flotation swimsuits for the twins. Sam OK'd them, as their swim vests were too cumbersome, for easy movement.

Except for mopping the floor, my bathroom is now clean and one freshly-bleached litter box is drying in the sun. As soon as its dry and refilled, the other one goes out. I think that I'll let Bill clean the kitchen.

Vacuuming can wait until Monday morning - I'd just have to do it again, anyway. My parents don't mind pet hair but my sofa is beginning to resemble a polar bear. The family room sofa needs a good dose of Febreeze, too. Its Ike's bed and he's a bit funky. I may get ambitious and bathe the dogs, too. Maybe, I should put them in the bed of the pickup and run it through the car wash

Judging from what I spent, at WalMart, you'd think that I was feeding an army, rather than two elderly and two middle-aged people. The menu for Monday's barbeque is: two slabs of pork ribs, potato salad, baked beans and corn on the cob. My dad is bringing cake and ice cream. He offered to buy the ribs but Bill and I would never allow that.

Have a good weekend.

 

[wellingtoncats]

Well it's the big morning(a bit past 5AM here) of our cat show! Wish us luck that we have no disasters. I should be off here getting dressed, because we've gotta be there in 30 minutes and I've got cats to do....

I'll be back on this evening,
Cya guys.

 

[sammie5]

Kass, thanks for that link to the wildflower farm. I love wildflowers, and was really pleased to see that many of my perennials are on their list of native plants. And that place is not too far from me, and even closer to my cousin, who lives in north Etobicoke. I may have to take a run up there next time I visit her.

 

[shell]

Good Afternoon Folks (even though I just got outta bed, it feels like morning yet to me!

)!

I came back home to Fairbury yesterday & spent the night shooting the breeze with my folks. The girls are not too thrilled about being here & Echo has decided to stay upstairs for the time being. Tiki on the other hand has been the investigator & has been teasing the heck outta the dog. Bud is one ticked off "little" boy! Wow...he doesnt' like the girls at all & apparently doesn't remember them after 7 months.

My day is one of relaxation & rest! I don't plan on doing much at all, though I do plan on visiting the rest of my family....so I guess that I means I do have to get dressed today!

Have a great day everyone!

 

[valanhb]

Just catching up on the day's posts. I was up at the rifle range for Team Practice for most of the day. I'm just SO happy that I got to make something go *bang* again! I haven't shot in about 5 years and didn't really realize how much I missed it. (I shoot or did shoot competitive target high power rifle. No critters are harmed in my sport.

) I didn't do too badly for not having shot in 5 years and switching to a different type of rifle.

More than likely I'll be coaching our top Infantry Trophy Team at Nationals again, since I would have to beat the top two guys on the team to make the firing squad and I don't think I have enough time to practice to do that! But that's OK too, I got some good practice in coaching today as well and while it isn't as much fun as going *bang* it is as important or more important really to have a solid coach behind the team.

Tomorrow I go back up to the range, which is a wonderful place to spend most of the weekend. It is up in the mountains, and just beautiful. There is a Match tomorrow which I'm being Statistical Officer for.

Hope everyone is enjoying their (long, in the US at least) weekend.

And Kass, I don't think you have to worry about that probationary period.

You've already proven yourself invaluable to them!

 

[shell]

So much for relaxation & rest for me! This evening has been one of taking cover for tornadoes!

I packed the girls & we're off to the basement in less than 2 minutes. Luckily, the storms have now passed but we had to go downstairs 3 different times in about 4 hours. They weren't too happy about it at first, but towards the end they were more mad about me waking them up from their cat nap!

Lets hope tomorrow will be better!

 

[abby7625]

I helped my boyfriends mom and her husband move today. Of course my boyfriend and his workaholic drill sgt ways have worn me out. I have things hurting that I didnt know I had till now. After not sleeping last nite due to back and hip pain--not sure whats up with that its made for a long day.