Out For Breakfast ...

We decided to go out for breakfast ...
after taking Daigen to school ...
Ian chose to take his motor bike out for a ride ...
there wasn't enough room in one vehicle for all of us ...
He was really upset about it ... NOT ... he was in his glory ... !!
 I was also given my Mother's Day gift ... !!!

A new Sun Hat for the garden ...
new gloves ... Butterfly ... and seeds to be planted ...
I love it all ... Thank You ... !!!!

While we were waiting for Daigen ... to be finished at school ...
we were shown some of his artwork ...
that he had done this morning ...
apparently he was "The Giggler" ... when his foot was painted for the picture ...
The ladybug magnet with his picture is for his school locker ...

Going home to play in the yard ... warm enough to bring out the wading pool ... !!!

It's "My Quad" ...

Nixon was not impressed that Daigen ...
had taken his battery operated quad ... yelling "My Quad" ...
it was so cute ... watching Nixon chasing after him ...
not letting go of the wheel barrow ...

Nixon is only 16 months old ...
and boy can he ride his quad ...
using his pointer finger to push the button ...
we were cracking up when he started to drive the quad standing up ...
and then the next time we looked he was standing on the seat ... driving  ... !!!!

Daigen was happy playing with the sand in the driveway ...
he started to write his name ...
and then he also printed his last name ...
using upper case and lower case letters ...
had to be quick getting a picture ...
because as soon as it was printed ...
he wiped the slate clean ...

Having a great time with the kids ... !!!

Elk Grazing ...

Always delighted when I see elk in the field ...
this morning there were only two ...
It'll be nice to see their new shiny coats ...
once they shed there winter cover...

 

The sun broke thru the clouds ...

it was like a sign for them to get moving ...

watching one of them jump over the fence ...

then look back at me ...

almost like she was saying ...

 ha ha ... I made it ... now you can't get me ... 

we're out of here ... !!!

And So It Continues ... Work ...

I was frustrated with walking on the side hill on a portion of the garden ...
started to pick away at the dirt and rake it to the other side ...
trying to get a little bit of a level spot ...
realized that there was just too much dirt ...
and it would eventually erode away ...

So I hopped on the tractor ...
and picked up a load of bricks that we have had stored for years ...
and started to make a small retaining wall to hold the dirt ...
stales in place  ... have my line ...
digging and levelling the bricks ...
was an all day job ... sitting down for my breaks ... gazing at the mountains ...
still have some work to do ... rebar is in order to secure it ...

While I was working at the garden ...
Mike started tearing down the old log railings on the deck ...
it was a big job ... and messy ... with the rotted wood ...
just to get the front of the house done ...
It will be so nice to have new ... no maintenance railings in place ...
as well as new vinyl covering on the deck ...

It will be a happy day ...
 when all our big jobs are completed for this spring ... !!!

Mother's Day ...

 

A special day to celebrate ...

for all moms ...

Mike and I enjoyed a lovely ...
 Mother's Day buffet dinner with mom and Johanna ...
Flowers are always a welcomed gift at this time of year ...

Mom & I are going to the theatre ... in the afternoon ...
to watch a High School production of ...
"Fiddler on the Roof"
(a few of the Bisset Singers will be performing)

Have a Happy Mother's Day ... !!!!

Heat Up The Pool ...

 

Spent the morning ... yesterday ...

pumping in the rest of the water ... from the tank reservoir ...

tested it ...

added the Shock Treatment ...

and the pool is ready to be heated up ...

so we can go for a swim ...

in the crystal clear water ... !!!

Fire up the boiler ... !!!!

Filling The Pool ...

 

After a few days of using the hose ...

to add water to the pool ... it was not amounting to very much ...

it needs about 33,000 litres (7260 gallons) of water ...

Mike decided that we should have a water truck ...

come out and fill it ...

It took two truckloads of 3000 gallons (13638 litres) ...

to almost fill it ...

The rest will be added from a tank we had the old pool water stored in ...

and top it up using the well water ...

Hope to have it up and running today ... !!!

Todays Tasks Done ...

Mike finished making the rest of the grids ...
for the garden ...
they are all in place now ...
Let the planting continue ... !!!!
I was also on dandelion duty ...
removing a few of the weeds from the lawn ...
with this warm weather ...
they are popping up all over the place .... !!!

Mike also worked on the lawn equipment ...
to get them ready to work on the yard ...
3 lawn mowers ...
one for thatching ... one for mowing ... and one for the lawn sweeper ...
the lawn sweeper was given to us from Nathan ...
as he no longer had use for it ...
Mike was trying it out on the lawn ...
it seemed to do a really good job ...
no more raking needed ... !!!

Another task completed from the job list ... 

Pool & Garden ...

I spent most of the morning ...
inside the pool ... in the cold water ...
smoothing out the wrinkles in the liner ...
grateful to have a wet suit waders ...
Mike finished up the railing and installed ...
the inlet skimmer and outlet ...
Pool is completed now ...
other than filling it with water ... !!!
Another big job done ... !!!

 

I also spent time in the garden ...

laying the landscape fabric between the raised beds ...

need to pick up a few more ground staples ...

to finish the area ...

Thought I would pack down moms garden stand ...

along with a few of the shells ...

and dads little guy he had made for their pond ...

It was a great day ... 

getting close to the end of ...

the to do list ... !!!

A New Liner ...

Today was the day to remove the old liner ...
that became brittle without water in it ...
Mike cleaned our the bottom of the pool ... smoothed out the sand ... and placed
a new protective liner on the bottom ... to help with heat loss as well ...

We decided that we would insulate the walls as well ...
and place a Styrofoam cove along the bottom edge ... instead of the sand ...
for a smooth transition from the bottom up the wall for the liner ...

Started to secure the liner in place along the ridge ...
with 3ft long press - on above ground copings ...
one section at a time ...
Once we were finished ...
the hose was place inside ... to let the water trickle in ...
until the bottom was covered ...
We will smooth out the wrinkles in the liner ...
before filling it up completely ...

We sure could have gone for a dip today ...
it was 34 degrees in the backyard ... !!!!

Our 40th Anniversary ...

May 5, 2013

We enjoyed a relaxing day at home ...
then went to ...
The Old Bauernhaus ...
for a lovely dinner ...

We had a dinner for two ...
appetizers ... salads ... Schnitzel and Apple Strudel with Homemade Ice Cream ...
for dessert ...

Our gifts to each other ...

 

Before going out for dinner ...

we went into town ...

bought a few more plants and tools for the garden ...

We then rounded off the evening ...

by going to the Casino ...

It was a great night ...

coming home with money in our pockets ...

A Happy Anniversary ... !!!

On Cinco de Mayo ...

Sat. May 4, 2013

New gloves to get the job done ...
spent the morning ...
planting the fruit trees ...
metal stakes were put into the ground ...
to place the guide wire around the little trees ...
for stability against the winds ...

Mike was so sweet ...
I think he wants to get this garden finished ...
once and for all ...
He dug the trench to run the waterline ...
down from the house to the garden ...
My job was to clear out the large rocks ...
shovel the bedding sand on the bottom ... roll our the pipe  ...
then cover the pipe with the sand ...
before Mike back filled the trench ...
I am so thrilled to finally have water right down at the garden ...
instead of dragging the hose all the time ...
only took about 30 yrs ...

I was delighted ...
 to see that Mike had put up ...
 my hummingbird feeders as well ...
A perfect addition to my garden ... !!!
Thank you so much Mike ...
 for everything you did yesterday ... !!!

Today is our 40th Wedding Anniversary ... !!
taking the day off ...
going out for dinner ... !!!!

Adding Colour ...

Adding a little colour to the garden ...
flowering strawberry plants ...
Marigolds and Walla Walla onions planted ...
for insect control ...

Spending time at the Greenhouse nursery ...
learning and deciding what trees to put in the fenced area ...
 A variety of apples and plums ...
will be planted tomorrow ... !!!

Just so excited ... !!!

Planting Started ...

It was a beautiful day ... (I know it's a little early) ...
to finally get these seedlings into the ground ...
I figured that I was going to lose them either from being ...
 in the container too long ... or from a chance of frost ...
Beets ...broccoli ... carrots ... parsley... spinach ...
I'll keep a close eye on them and see how they do ...
(at least they will not be eaten by critters)

 

While I was planting ...

Mike repaired and put the composts bins inside the fenced area ...

Couldn't resist putting this little gnome ... into the garden ...

keeping a watchful over the plants ...

this little guy used to be in mom & dads garden ...

Gate Finished ...

Mike picked up the hardware needed to finish building the gate ...

 

These tomatoe seedling plants were given to me ...

ready to be transplanted from the 6-pack tray ...

into individual containers ....

It's still a little early for these plants to be planted outdoors ...

so they will be kept in the house until such time as it is warm enough ...

to put them into the garden ...

Almost Done ...

 

Today Mike started ...

fabricating the gate for the garden ...

frame built ... wire mesh stapled on ... corner brackets placed ... hinges fastened ...

We took the gate down to the garden ...

and set it in the opening ...

a few minor adjustments and it is a perfect fit ...

All it needs now is a latch and handle ...

Another productive day ... !!!