It’s that time again…

…time for a puppy update!!!!

Since I couldn’t be there, Paisley took these awesome pictures.

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Does it get any cuter than this?????

It’s that time of the years when the girls invade Mom’s house again for the week.

Though I can’t really call them munchkins any more. Miss Rowan is 13 and taller than me already, and Miss Paisley got her driver’s license last month, and turns 18 at the end of the year! I suppose they are now the Madamoiselles!

This is the first years I haven’t been close enough to partake in the fun, and it feels weird.

Not only have they gotten to play with the puppies (more details on that tomorrow), on a daily basis, they’ve already ice-dyed t-shirts without me!

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The week was pretty much just a t-shirt dyeing factory from the looks of it. They did a new one almost every day.

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Pretty darn fabulous!

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As you read this, they are either on their way here, or already here. While it’s not exactly on their way home, they are taking a detour to make it so. I don’t know how long they will stay, but we’ll make the most of it!

This house has brought all kinds of new discoveries for the cats.

For Burton, apparently one is the microwave. We’ve always had a microwave. But apparently this one is better placed for his viewing pleasure. He now has an obsession with watching food go round and round every time I turn it on.

Cats are weird, man!

As you can imagine, there still hasn’t been a tonne of time for stitching. But the other afternoon, Burton not so subtly insisted I get my butt in the studio and do some sewing.

One must always obey Lord Burton, so I used it as an opportunity to get the August flower blocks out of the way. This month’s block gave me another chance to practice my quarter square triangles, and I’m definitely seeing an improvement.

They are a little fussy to make, but not too bad. And once they were together, the rest of the blocks went together pretty smoothly.

This pair fit in quite nicely with the rest of the garden so far.

There’s only two blocks left to make – but the pattern won’t be released until mid-September, so my next sewing session will have to focus on something else. Hopefully it’s sooner, rather than later.

I mentioned last week that Rupert has taken over the cat tree in one of the big front windows.

I used to wake up every morning with him tucked up behind my legs… but no more. Morning is prime birding time! As soon as dawn breaks, Rupert is on duty on the tree.

So, as planned I went out and got a big hook to hang a feeder out front for him.

I won’t get to landscaping the front yard until next spring, so the pole looks kind of silly just plunked there with nothing around it but whacked weeds (which I have to whack WEEKLY… I can’t wait to turn that to garden!).

And, as you can see, the pole holds two feeders. I had the wooden feeder sitting empty, but my other cage feeder is out back just outside the catio (Burton likes it when the finches come by). So while I was buying the paint for the studio, I grabbed another feeder.

A little camp kettle! Isn’t it cute? Rupert’s been loving it! In fact, he’s barely been in the bed all week.

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And though I’m supposed to be sticking to a budget, a couple other things jumped in the cart while I was there…

This cute little watermelon cushion was just $2!!!! I can’t make something for that! The rocker has become Dave’s spot on the sun porch. He likes to come out with me every now and again and enjoy a cigar there as the sun goes down.

And this little guy was more than $2, but he was too cute. He just followed me home… I swear.

I don’t have a plant for him yet, but I think he’s pretty happy to be here! Next grocery day, I’ll probably pick up something green and leafy at the grocery store.

It’s the little things that make me smile. What’s making you smile today?

For any of you that have done renovations with your significant other, you know there are always things you both want to do differently than the other person.

Almost since we put the offer in on the house, we’ve been “debating” on how to paint the place. Dave wanted to paint the entire place white… just like his Mom’s condo, and his Grandma’s house. Every. Single. Room.

And I admit… it’s clean, and bright. But I’m a girl who needs COLOUR.

And while I’m pretty willing to just go with the flow… after living in “contractor beige” hell for the last eight years, this was not something I was willing to compromise on. Dave did make me promise not to go too crazy (no eye-bleeding yellow, or Barney purple). Most of the main floor will be varying, but complimentary, shades of green and the kitchen will be yellow. (I have a thing for yellow kitchens)

But, of course, the first room to paint is actually HIS room. His studio. For some reason, I kept envisioning it in light aqua. I don’t know why…

Anyway, I mentioned this to him, and he said “What is aqua?”

I explained it was blue-green, and I was thinking a shade a little lighter than the 1955 corvette model he bought me when we first started dating

“But I thought we were doing everything green?” he says.

We went back and forth for a while on how I am NOT doing the whole house in one colour, and how he just has to trust me… I’m good with colour and it won’t look like a fun-house when we are done. Eventually he gave up, but I never really got the go ahead on that aqua.

So, the next time we went to the hardware store, I dragged him over to the paint chips, and started pulling out all their “aqua” options.

He looked at the first one and said “But that’s green!” and I was reminded that he is, in fact, colourblind. It’s something I don’t think about much, but every once in a while we come across a situation like this. I told him it’s actually got a slight blue tint to it, but yes, it was more-or-less green. I showed him a few more that leaned a little more toward blue. “No, those are all blue. I don’t want blue” he said.

“So you want the green aqua one?” I asked.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

I showed him a few more options that were truly green (light olive, etc) and he insisted they were mostly “grey”

So green aqua it was! I win!!!

It’s “Filtered Forest” actually. And I will admit, unless it’s up beside a true green, its blue tint is not as apparent. It’s really a little minty.

I had the whole weekend by myself to paint away. Dave’s Grandma was back in the hospital (she’s home and better now), so he was down helping his Mom out.

I know some people hate it, but I actually love painting. I wouldn’t want to do it every day, but it’s definitely my favourite part of renovations.

I cranked up the radio and brushed and rolled until the wall were covered.

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What a transformation from when we first started.

The room isn’t done yet, of course. This is just the first coat. And we still need to put in some flooring, and of course trim (which will be white), but painting makes it feel like we are closing in on the finish line!

Bonus pictures: You remember that nicotine coated ceiling and fan? Well it’s all fresh and WHITE now! Hurray!

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With a little help from Rupert, I’ve been stitching away every night on Cherry Blossom Wrapture.

And I’m very pleased with our progress so far.

I have two needles of the required size, so I’m building both sides out, more or less at the same time. I add a pair of logs to one side, then turn it around and add a pair to the other side. This just helps my brain envision the finished size better than working one side at a time.

I’m also sticking with the flower lace pattern for both the burgundy and green logs. The pattern gives you the options of a different pattern you can alternate, but I just really prefer the flower pattern. It’s going to look even better blocked out.

If I can continue at this pace, I’m well on track to finish by my self-imposed deadline of mid-September.

I told you that we are are a pretty tight budget. Any money that’s not going to bills is going to our renovations.

Well, I’m afraid I may have had a little slip…

In my defense… it’s Dave’s fault. Dave doesn’t Facebook. I do. He asked me to go on Facebook Marketplace and see if anyone was selling a laundry/utility sink for a good price. This house doesn’t have one – the laundry drains right into a pipe. But the lack of a utility sink is a bit of a pain when you’re in the middle of a renovation… there’s only so much you can clean in a kitchen sink.

Anyway… their were no sinks that tickled his fancy… but I’m sure many of you know the rabbithole FB Marketplace can be…

I was mostly just scrolling and dreaming about all the garden decor and patio furniture I want and can’t afford… but then I came across a post for Butterfly Bushes. You know I had to leave my beautiful Miss Molly behind at the townhouse…

Generally, Butterfly Bushes sell for between $30 and $40 around here. So I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw $10 in the price bar.

I clicked on the picture, thinking it might be one of those posts where they are selling several plants and they are $10 and up… and the Butterfly Bushes would be much more.

But nope… Butterfly Bushes…. $10. At a new nursery not too far from the house!

I figured they had to be small. That was okay. I don’t mind starting small if it saves a few dollars. And I’ve been missing Miss Molly quite a bit. Right now is prime Butterfly season. One of the neighbours here has a pretty pink one in her backyard, but I can only see it when I’m putting garbage in my garbage can. I needed one in MY yard!!!

I told Dave I was breaking budget on payday. I promised not to go crazy… but I HAD to check this place out!

Friday, after getting groceries, I headed out. Turns out, it’s not quite a new nursery. They’ve been in business since 2009, but they were solely wholesalers. But as you all know, COVID hit at a terrible time for nurseries. In April 2020, many of the nurseries around us were offering up plants for free, just so they wouldn’t end up in the garbage. When summer rolled around, some of them opened to the public for the first time, just to get rid of some stock.

Apparently this nursery did the same. I wish I had more money to spend, because I could have spent HOURS there. In the end, I stuck to Butterfly bushes, and came home with three.

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• Royal Red – Which isn’t really red at all but a slightly darker magenta than my old Miss Molly.
• White Profusion – I didn’t even know these came in white. I’ve only ever seen them in shades of pink and purple. This one has a noticeable scent, which is light and a little bit spicy.
• Black Knight – I had to have this one, not just for the Monty Python reference, but because I have a thing for deep, dark purple flowers.

Can you believe it??? Three bushes for less than what I paid for Miss Molly. And remember I thought they would be small? They aren’t. They are the same size Miss Molly was when I first bought her. I was doing a happy dance all the way home. (Well, a happy drive!)

I got them in the ground right away. No pictures, but I put the white one just outside the catio. As it gets bigger, it will provide some much need shade inside the catio, and it’s close enough to the sunporch that I should be able to enjoy the scent.

The other two I planted on either end of the line of lilies I put along the side fence. Each has at least one bloom spike, and I probably won’t get too much more from them this year… but next year… oh next year is going to be just grand!

The garden plants are starting to recover from the move and being stuck in pots so long. But not suprisingly there’s not many flowers.

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The Frans Hals and Stella D’Oro day lilies have managed to put up a few blooms.

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The pink Speedwell (left) has put up one tiny little bloom spike, and the phsyostegia (right) is starting to bloom. I was only able to get a couple stems of this one out of the ground, but it should multiply nicely next year

My potted Hibiscus is very happy, and is giving me a big, golden bloom almost every other day. It didn’t fare well over the winter inside, and I thought I might have lost it – but it’s recovered beautifully.

The sedum is starting to turn pink, a sure sign that fall isn’t too far away.

And the neighbours on one side have a morning glory that’s grown up over the fence. I’m not usually out in the mornings to see it in bloom, but the other day I was up and out early and was treated to quite a show.

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I love how the flowers almost seem to glow from within.

The old owners didn’t have much in the yard but some shrubs. There is this Spirea by the front porch. The flowers are pretty, but I really got to get in and clean the weeds and stuff out around it. I’m not 100% sure I’m going to keep it, but she can stay for now.

On the other side of the front of the house, there’s also a large holly bush. The berries are just starting to turn red. I really want to keep this one, but it’s so overgrown and out of control right now. I really need to hack it back and I’m not sure how it will survive if I do.

But those are all decisions for later down the road. There’s lots on my plate to keep me too busy to worry much about the yard beyond keeping it tidy.

… I did get this picture from old neighbour Krista the other day.

The unit we lived in is still empty, so she and other old neighbour Blake (he lived in the unit beside us and we often gardened together – I miss him already) went in the yard and raided my old blackberry bushes. I knew it would be a good harvest this year!

The kale and peppers on the plate are from Blake’s garden. Like me, he had his back, front and side yards full of gardens.

Next year my dear yard… next year!

Can you believe it’s been almost a month since the big move? I can’t. Time really does fly.

I’m happy to say (and you can probably tell from the pictures I’ve posted) that the cats have adapted beautifully to the new house.

Burton, as we expected, was the most chill about the whole thing. After about a day, and he realized he wasn’t going to be put back in the carrier, he dedicated himself to exploring every inch of his new space. And compared to the townhouse, this place has A LOT of inches. And of course, he was absolutely THRILLED when he discovered he could go outside without a harness, and whenever he wanted.

Though the days have mostly been crazy hot – so more often than not, he’s chilling under the stairs from the porch, or on the porch itself. But as soon as the sun starts to set, he’s out in the yard chasing bugs. I usually have to go out around 10 with a flashlight (there’s no lights in the yard yet and this town is DARK at night!) to bring him in.

Relic was the one we were most worried about. How would he adapt from being completely free range to having his territory confined.

It took him a touch longer than brave Burt, but he’s doing just fine. Every once in a while, I’ll see him pull at the catio fence. He knows there’s a whole world beyond it, but mostly he’s fine as long as he can at least get outside.

Like Burton, he’s quite pleased about the cat door.

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The pair of them are in and out all day long. Though if you’re standing near the door, and Relic is on the other side of it, he’ll still meow, expecting you to open it for him.

Now, I know you’re all wondering about Rupert.

He still spends 80% of the day in the bed. Which is pretty much what he did at the townhouse. But like Burton, he’s explored every inch of the house – usually at night when we’ve been sleeping. He does, however, still come down after dinner to sit with me until bed time.

He won’t come out to the catio unless I bring him… but it took him a long time to warm up to coming outside at the townhouse too. (And he’d get mad and want back in if you shut the door on him).

But when I do bring him out, after a minute to get over the indignity of being carried against his will, he settles right in and loves it just like the other two.

He does, however, LOVE the big windows this house has. Dave put the cat tree right in front of one of the living room windows, and if I can’t find Rupert in bed, 9 times out of 10, he’s hanging out on the tree, watching the weird new world outside the window. I’ve got to get a tall Shepherd’s hook so I can hang a bird feeder out there for him.

It’s hard to get decent pictures, because you aren’t allowed near him when he’s on the tree.

I managed to snap this one when I was outside working on the front yard.

I just love these boys!