Tag: summer

R & R

by annemariedemyen, posted in life

Dan and I had a productive day yesterday so today it is all rest and relaxation.  Dan left to go golfing at 6 am so it is just Kat and I.  We are going for a walk and then spending the day hanging out in the yard.  It is supposed to be a sunny 31 degrees above (celsius) so should be a perfect day for doing next to nothing.

Yesterday we got our new boulder, Bob.    Bob is not terribly huge but he got as far as the corner of the front lawn and he is not moving. He will however get a shower the next time I water out front. 
The pool is up and almost full.
We found the ladybug planter I bought Dan a couple of years ago, cleaned it up and set it out.
We went to Uncle Wiener’s Discount Store (that is a real place 🙄) and bought privacy screen to install along the inside of our front chain link fence. It was not fun to install, with about a dozen cedars growing up to the fence, but we got it done. It does a pretty good job of providing privacy. From the street side, you really cannot see into the yard. ☺️

I also got a bit more yard clean-up done and washed down the patio set (again) so we are pretty much ready to spend some time enjoying our yard.

Have a great day and keep safe🌞

Pool Day

by annemariedemyen, posted in family

Dan is on days off so he has made it his mission today to set up our above ground pool.

Since we became grandparents sixteen years ago, our yard has evolved to accomodate ‘the kids’. The major summer staple has become the Grandpa pool.

We started off with a wading pool for Genie and Rory. Even with a little spot for the kiddies to splash, we had plenty of room on our large patio for the barbecue and patio set.
The first Grandpa ‘monster pool’. It was only an 8′ inflatable but to our still tiny tots, it was massive.
When we switched things up to a ten foot pool, we had to move it to the other side of the yard.
A couple of years ago, Grandpa decided to replace the ten foot pool with a fourteen foot one. Since there wasn’t enough room in the side yard to accomodate it, it moved back to the patio.
…. Which meant moving our dining area to the side yard.
But when you get a beautiful day in May and Grandpa hasn’t set up your pool yet, you just make do with Kat’s pool. 😂

Wishing all a lovely summer day today!

Friday Flowers

by annemariedemyen, posted in nature

It has been cold and rainy all week but we are turning a corner today. It is still overcast but at least I have a few more flowers to share. Next week, with sunshine and warm weather, our yard should be blooming beautiful. With luck it will be nice enough on Dan’s next days off to get the monster pool up for the summer.

The petunias are starting to come around.
The zucchinis are blooming – in the cucumber planter 🤦
My coral geranium is recovering nicely since I moved it to a better location in the yard.
Both of my Mother’s Day hanging planters continue to thrive. It must be the love that brought them🤗
The flowers in my front yard planter are starting to bloom
Probably my oldest perennial. I moved it this year to make room for Dan’s new Bleeding Heart. I am so glad it survived!

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend! 💐

A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood

by annemariedemyen, posted in nature

It is an absolutely perfect day out today – warm, dry and no wind. I am trying to get lots of yard work done because it is supposed to be rainy and windy all weekend.

Try would be the operative word. It is so nice out that I have been distracted by neighbours who are also outside trying to get their yard work done. I had a nice long chat with Faye next door and then Kim and her son Kingston, who live next door to Faye.

Time to head out and try again. I want to finish cleaning out the cedars before I take Kat to visit the ducks at the storm channel across the street.

I love retirement!

Back to work

by annemariedemyen, posted in retirement, Uncategorized

I have received notice that I am scheduled to return to work on June 8th. Since I am retiring on July 24th, I could easily refuse. There is no benefit for me to return, other than a few weeks pay, which we could survive without. There are several reasons not to return – most, but not all, health related. The dust, the air conditioning and the stress in my office all aggravate my asthma and that is something I do not need, on top of my other respiratory issues right now, particularly considering the current Corona virus situation.

Be that as it may, I have agreed to return to work until my official retirement date. I have been with this company for almost sixteen years. I have a lot of time and effort invested in it. I have built up a number of client and supplier relationships that I do not wish to see the company lose. As much as I know things will ultimately be done differently when I retire, I want to make sure someone is ready to take over where I leave off.

In the meantime I have two weeks left to enjoy my pre-retirement break. Today I am cleaning our patio set and getting it ready for resting and relaxing once I do retire for real!