August 18, 2013 932am

We are on the way to church with Michael and Maryjane. They are taking their own car cos they have their big doggy who takes up the whole back seat. It's so awesome to be here with our friends. We have a new ability hnow that Willem and Michael have retired, they can hang out together while MJ and I hang out.

 

I'm so blessed to have her for a friend. I'm so lessed to have such a patient husband. I'm so blessed to have a temple recommentd. It's a very fragile thing, just one slip up and you can lose your recommend.

Aug. 15, 2013, 3 pm five soap batches total

I made two more batches of soap today. Tea tree and woodland. I put green food colouring into the woodland, but it turned brownish pink. Guess there is blue in the green, which turned pink. So that means I now have five five-pound batches of soap. Vanilla, Lavender, Rose, Tea tree, Woodland

 

The Rose contains olive and vegetable oils as well as some coconut oil and food colouring water, lye

The lavender contains lavender buds and oatmeal, vegetable shortening and coconut oil, colour, w, l

The vanilla contains vegetable shortening and coconut oil, water, lye

The Tea tree contains some green tea leaves, vegetable shortening and coconut oil, water, lye

The woodland contains vegetable shortening, coconut oil and food colouring, water, lye

Aug. 15, 2013, 4:30 pm dump

I went to the dump while I was waiting for the lye and oils to cool. I found a juicer, a toaster oven and a cover for it to protect the cupboard above it, a stainless steel wok with a lid and a curtain the same colour as the living room drapes.

 

There were a million people there shopping. I saw Ankaret, Jennifer, Shirley and Gloria. It sure is a nice spot to visit, I must say.

 

There isn't anything too important in the metal pile, so I'm not missing picking from it! No lovely porch swings or anything!

 

I made a couple of videos while I was there, too.

Aug. 15, 2013 5:45pm

I'm kinda missing travelling. Being with Willem is nice, but I miss meeting up with all my YouTube friends. It's been 4.5 months. L LOL.

 

I'm lying in the hammock in Sumac Hill. The branches are all much farther above me than they were last year. I wonder if that's because of the water, or if it has just been growing this much every year. Perhaps all the rain.

 

It's so nice to lie in my hammock again. There have been so many bugs I've not been able to lie down much at all!

 

Willem got worn out today, first helping me with my planting, then helping Rolene move.

Aug. 14, 2013 2 pm perennials, D.s

We had a busy day today. I had the stress test in the morning. My heart attack was five years ago now. I went for nine minutes and got my heart rate up to 152, but it didn't stay up there, it kept dropping back down, I'm in such great shape! Round is a shape! LOL.

 

Willem had a chiropractor appointment in the meantime. He came back and heard Dr. LeGrande's assessment. Pretty interesting doctor.

 

We came home afterwards. Willem helped me to plant a lot of perennial daylilies that I'd not been able to get done yesterday, I was so exhausted and in a lot of pain by the time I came inside. So they are all in now, but there aren't 20 of them. I paid for 20, but only got 17, so they said I could come back and get the missing ones.

 

So I went to the clinic for my TB test to be read, then we went to the perennial place. We chose four more with lovely flowers on them, but some weren't labelled.

 

We went over to Peggy and Tony's. They were babysitting the most darling grandchildren! We visited with them, had a meal and hung around afterwards till after dark. I was late going to bed, but got up at the usual time. Not a good plan!

 

August 18. 4:25 pm

My laptop is going to die.

 

425pm

Ash meadow lane

I think I'd like to lie down with a paper and pen, a notebook and pen and just write. I love to write in a journal. We're staying at Maryjane and Michael's. We went to church with them this morning. I like their little branch. It's a nice group of people.

 

I liked the lessons and the talks.

 

My laptop is about to die, but if I had an extension cord I could use it from this hammock longer. It's a lovely hot dy today. It's a nice spot out here with chairs and a table and the two hammocks. They have really been using it since I put the hammocks up here. I'm so glad! It's in ash trees that could be dying, judging by the amount of dead brnhes on the tree at the moment. The ash borer is getting them.

 

When my laptop dies I'm going to go get my iPod and lie here reading the scriptures with it. I haven't been stuying them much at home. I' glad we study the at church. I have to vaccuu out my cd player in the car so I can play Preach my Gospel again. It's such a great book. I wonder if there is an app for it.. That would be good to have if there is.

 

There is nothing like bbeing outside in the shade on a warm day. In the sun on a cooler day is good, but today it's 29C, I think. I'm glad we're here.

 

Mjs friend is over for a few minutes. I'm a bit worried about these straps holding me up properly in the hammock. I'm very aware of the huge aount of weight ive been carrying around with me everywhere.

Putting 70lbs in a bad and then removing two cups of it whenever I lose a pound would be a great idea.

 

I did some yoga yesterday. It felt good to stretch. I'm trying to do the knee thigh stretch. I never knew that my hip joints awere so low on my hips. I always measured my hips at the largest part of my hips, so to find the joint is at thebottom of the hips is kinda strange. Where the dent is in your skin. So strange.

 

So the joints are pretty seized up. I'm trying to loosen the up so I can sit crosslegged on the floor.

 

Bucket list goal is to make a grass basket with the African women in a village on the ground. I 'll have to be able to sit on the ground to do that!

 

I'd like to bring my violin out here and play in the woods. It's kind of an oasis of trees in the fields.

 

The meadowhawks are the dragonflies that are flying around now.

 

I guess I'll go plug my laptop in inside and bring out the violin and the iPod and make a video.

 

Aug. 15, 2013 10 am Daylilies

Willem helped me with the 4 new daylilies this morning. He brought them out of the car for me and put them by the holes I'd dug earlier this morning. I filled the holes with water, divided two clumps with his help and he put them in the holes and covered them up for me, the bending is the hardest part for me.

 

I am so pleased with the lovely flowers we have blooming on the daylilies now. They are quite beautiful!

 

Aug. 15, 2013 518 pm In the hammock by the pond

It's been pretty buggy in this hammock all summer, likely bedcause the Joe pye plants aare so enormous!

 

The frog with no skin on one leg is still doing well, not seeming to notice that he hasn't got any skin on one of his legs. Poor thing! We were going to put him down, but didn't, so he is still doing fine several days later. He was under the dock when we got on it and walked out and dove into the water.

 

I didn't swim for the past couple of days. I will swim later, I guess. I'd like to have a hammock in the sunshine, but so far that's not happening. I need two posts to hold it up!

 

We went to Rolene's and helped her move, making a long line to pass boxes to the truck. Gerald did the packing. He's amazing! He got all but the smallest bit of stuff into the truck.

 

I love the drive over there. I nearly ran out of gas. It cost $57 to fill it up. Lots of money.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Maryjane is here visiting. I got up and went for a bike ride. I sat by the bee balm and filmed a hummingbird on the flowers. I also discovered that I can zoom in to take a photo with my iPod! Yippee.

 

I broke up the broken windows and put the glass in a pail. I sat by the entrance to Perennials and played my violin a little, Not Hillside perennials, not sloped perennials, not downhill perennials. Ah, perennial slope! Good. Willem told me the name of it cos I forgot!

 

It was really mellow sitting there playing and enjoying the beautiful colours! Maryjane wanted to paint her gourd. She'd started it yesterday and had painted it with a pink wash, but then decided to paint it white with pink flowers and a heart on it.

 

I cut a piece of fabric for a door for the tipi, took one of the tipi poles off and nailed the fabric onto the board. It was rather difficult to set it up, but it did work pretty well.

 

I sat in the kitchen and worked on the gourd weaving I'd started. I added cedar bark, then bulrushes then more cedar bark. It turned out very nicely! Good job Nancy!

 

We went to the pond and swam, then went to the village for my pre missionary physical appointment. Willem printed out the forms for me so I could take them along and have them filled out by the doctor.

 

I dropped MJ off at the corner. She shopped at the thrift store and then went to a garage sale at the Catholic Church hall.

 

I had a two hour long appointment. I saw the placement doctor in training. She worked hard at filling out all the forms. She discussed my cholesterol with me and showed me the numbers. They want me on anti cholesterol medication and ramipril to keep me from having another heart attack because I am now at very high risk, since I've had one before. I thought that for Willem, so he won't be left alone, I will take some of it. I worry more about me being left alone!

 

We went to town after I picked up MJ. We stopped partway to town and checked to see if they had anymore of those long flowing dresses that are thin and lovely. We found stuff we liked. I was glad she wasn't referred to as my daughter again! Then I took her to see the quilt show but they charged admission, so instead we went to get my glasses straightened as I had stepped on them at the pond yesterday. Then I dropped her off at an antique store and went to the bank.

 

I went to subway and bought a dozen chocolate chip cookies, then picked up MJ. Jillians dad and stepmom run the antique shop.

 

August 6, 2013 Tuesday 12:15 pm

We are down at the pond. Willem has been working on the shoveling and I have been doing the raking. We have moved everything out of the tipi so we could add some soil in there. It seems to be clay which gets slippery when it's wet. We have all of this pit run gravel that we can use instead, so we are doing just that.

 

We can still put that piece of Albany cloth on top of it so we don't get sand on our feet, but this is going to do just fine!

 

I put all the chairs outside around the porch swing so it is a nice little gathering place circle. I have been playing my violin a bit, filming a bit and now journaling a bit, too.

 

Willem swam, but it was too cold for me today. I'll have to put on my wetsuit I guess. It'll warm up later this afternoon, I suspect, at least if the sun comes out. The clouds have come over now, so the sun will have to wait.

 

I would like to find my pottery glaze ingredients. They are all together in a box, but I'm not sure just where they are at the moment. I think I asked Abe to bring them inside, but I don't know if that happened or not.

 

Maryjane is on her way here. She's probably got errands to do before she can leave home, so she probably won't be here till this evening. We'll stay here anyway.

 

Willem did up all the receipts to send in for our insurance to pay for. I hope it all worked out well. I am ready for a chunk of money to pay off what I've given to Abe so he could have this wonderful summer in SF. Thousands of dollars to do this! Geepers! It sure has put us into a lean situation.

 

It's looking like it might rain in a little while. I should probably do some more on the tipi floor so we can put some of this stuff back inside.

August 10, 2013, Saturday

I set my iPod alarm for 4:45am. I got right up and woke up Maryjane so she could leave on time to get the car back to the rental place.

 

I stayed up for awhile, doing videos uploading and answering wonderful video comments. Around 7am I went back to bed. I needed the sleep I guess cos I snuggled up with Willem to warm up and didn't wake up till 10;30! Now that is very late for me! I love getting up early and experiencing the sunrise and the mist floting over the pond. It's so relaxing and wonderful.

 

I put the bucket of broken glass in the car and the garbage in the woodshed, then headed of to the

 

Idump. I had a good time there, finding a mosquito catcher. I've got to look it up online and see what it is missing so I can get it working. These are very expensive machines.

 

I went over to Mera to the market. That was nice. I enjoyed sitting at the table visiting with Sandy and wynn. Suelynn had brought a scarf for me in exchange for the one that she has of mine, the beige one that is two sewn togetether to be a poncho of sorts.

 

I paid my 2013 membership, $30, and bought a schoolhouse mug for $10 as the price has dropped. I am so glad to have the mug. I do love Mera! I went inside and visited with Lise and Florence. They are selling their woven cloths and rugs inside. So pretty. I think I will try doing a summer and winter pattern. Lise wrote a pattern that is just lovely. I like it so much! Perhaps she will tell me the tieup and the threading. I wouldn't blame her if she couldn't believe she didn't ask permission from everyone before using theirsdoesn't, though.

 

Wille came over to the market just s I was about to go home and get my gourd basket to show Ankaret. We traded some of the soap inside for cheesecake and brownies from Sally. She's going to send them home with her family who are up from Atwood to visit.

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Someone was packing up the lanterns in the shed to take over to Rosie for a party she is having tonight. I couldn't believe she didn't ask permission before using them. Mine with the green candle wax in it from her last borrowing. Maryjane helped me to fix that, though. I've got to let go of this.

 

I went back to the dump and found a few books and two teapots for my pergola. The back half of it doesn't have any teapots.

 

Willem helped me dig holes for posts along the edge of the driveway at the edge of the flowers. He started oving wood into the woodshed, so I carried on planting posts on my own. I made the hole digger narrower so it wouldn't make such huge holes. I'll have to take the hammock in front of the sunroom off the posts and make smaller posts for it. I'll put short teacup posts into those spots instead.

 

We went to the pond for a swim. I re-wove the seat of the porch swing from the dump. It is so much better now. Now we can sit on it nicely.

 

Meanwhile Willem pulled out weeds, grass, Joe pye and thistles from the Ostrich fern patch beside the parking spot.

 

We went for a swim. It was a very good swim. I swam laps on my side. We came back up and I heated up the leftovers from Maryjane's visit. We ate in the kitchen as I was cold.

 

I did some work on my laptop. Willem read Harry Potter and played Shostakovich prelude and fugue #9. It's very pretty!

 

We went to bed about 10:30. It had been a long and busy day.

 

At the pond again

I brought down the cushions for the porch swing that's beside Jopi tipi. Willem is cutting down some of the towering Joe pye weed which is growing in the ostrich ferns.

 

I put together my little screen tent so I could work on the privacy fence, but I think it should go across the road instead of along it. I am not ready to work on it yet, either. I am tired out now. It's a quiet day for me today. Just puttering around. The kayak has blown to the other side of the pond. I think I should get into it on that side and then paddle it back over here.

 

The sun came out. My goodness does it feel hot on my hands and wrists. I have this little roof over the swing bench. I really liked having the campfire this morning. It's completely different down here now.

 

This morning I watched a phoebe sitting on the posts at the end of the willow blind. He swooped down on the pond and ate bugs on it. Five times. What a nice thing to watch.

 

I want to put together a hammock to hang in the tipi where I can lie down without all the bugs bugging me. I didn't bring down the new hammock by the sunroom, sunroom corner. I brought out the one we have been standing on when we get out of the pond with wet feet and have to be hiding from the bugs.

 

The water truck makes a lot of noise when he fills up.

 

I heard a sound like a peacock. It could have been anything, I guess.

 

This morning the sun was on Canary meadow (need a sign) and on the sides of the trees. Now the sun is on the backs of the trees and silver on the top of the sumacs clustered about on sumac hill.

 

 

 

The kayak keeps blowing from one side of the pond to the other.

 

It's so amazing here. I used to have to drive a long way to find a place where I could sit and enjoy nature when we lived in town fifteen years ago. This is so much better!

 

I should try making some trails. Perhaps ill cut another trail through the alders to the stream today. I like to have a place to walk to.

July 28, 2013 9:03 am

I feel quite groggy today. I took a muscle relaxant last night around 10:30 to loosen up my leg and took one of the strong pain pills that don't work so well. I had a good sleep, but had to turn over a lot because of the pain in my SI joint.

 

I took extra ibuprophen today; I wanted to be able to go to church in case Esther came, and so I wouldn't have so much pain as I did yesterday when we came to town. I also have along my walker.

 

It rained last night. It's a nice calm day. It's cloudier here on the way through the great divide than it was at home. Low clouds.

 

I should go for a walk to loosen up my body.

 

Lately I have been very aware of our aging. Willem has retired. I' not ready to get old and decay away.

 

I heard a really good neuroscience talk on ideas in the afternoon the other day on CBC. I want to hear it gin. I had to get out of the car before it was over so I didn't hear it all. I forget where I was, though, except near the next closest dump.

 

July 27, 2013 2 pm fiber roads at Mera

I was glad to find that there were tons more shelters at the farmers market today. It was really quite lovely. There is a group called Fiber Roads. Lots of alpaca people were there. Ankaret was also there, with a display of her baskets, various types she's made.

 

Before I left home I had planned to take along materials and make a basket. But then since nothing had been soaked for it, I changed my mind and took soap and fleece to felt them. So I sat near Ankaret as she made a cedar hat for awhile, then she left. I felted my soaps till they were all done and explained Ankaret's natural material baskets display. I would like to make a small bulrush basket with a lid on it like the one she made. It's a lovely design she made. It may be pairing.

 

Also a beautiful shawl woven by the girl that weaves silk, had a lovely open diamond pattern in it. I will look it up on the Davison book.

July 27, 2013 307pm

9:30 am

Willem finished helping me work on the daylilies. I got ready and went to the dump, to the etal pile. I was thrilled to find a porch swing! I found the frame before I found the seat and was glad to find that they were both there. I didn't find the prings, though.

 

I used a comforter and a mattress cover to protect the roof of my car. Someone offered a hand and helped me load it onto the roof.

 

I also found two swimming pool ladders which I think will work well for the docks in the pond. Plus I could some extra poles for the tempo!

 

July 24, 2013 weeding, campfire, Willem

We didn't get up till about 8:30, even though I wanted to get up really early. It had cooled off incredibly. I made an update video and set some of yesterday's videos to upload.

 

Willem had agreed to mow the lawn, so he got to work on that. I had a lot of pain in my back, probably from lugging the boards across the pond and nailing them onto the other dock yesterday while we were swimming.

 

I used my walker and pushed it out and weeded the grass that was in the lovely new daylily flower beside the hostas in bloom in the end stump bench garden of thyme and blueberries.

 

Willem worked on mowing the perennial slope. It's quite a lot of work to mow it. I usually have to stop a few times in the process to recover from the effort. He asked me about where the plants were and such. I was so glad to show him where to mow.

 

I heard our neighbour with his tractor and went over to ask him if he'd agree to grading the new pond entrance. Al phoned from T to say that it was so wet in there that not to let anyone in there to grade it or anything. It's rock hard at the moment, but okay.

 

So they will leave the caterpillar bulldozer there for awhile and then grade it in a couple of weeks when they find it has really dried. He said it was six hours of work so far. That's about $700 before tax. Eeek. But it's so good to have it smoothed out.

 

I sat looking at Doris, the mannequin from the dump, the wire woman. She really needed to be inside the garden bed, not on the outside of it. So I untied her raincoat belt and moved her inside the garden bed so she is inside of the windows and can appear to be looking out. I videoed that and then took the videos when Selene and I found her and put them all together.

 

I went inside to check on the videos from yesterday and to keep uploading the next one. Willem helped me to move the swing over beside the house. After a rest from mowing and a read of harry potter, we had lunch on the porch and went back out to pull the weeds, mostly grass that is in-between the plants flowering long the pathway into the house.

 

Willem worked along the edge and I worked on the other side of that bed in the Perennial slope. I trimmed off the branches of the spruce and of the hop hornbeam and of the elm that were extending so far onto our pathway. I sat on the ground and pulled the grass out. It was great to get rid of so much of it and make the bed look nice. I have to work on the other beds some more, but we did a lot of good work out there.

 

We were ready for a swim and to work on Willem's blind. He wants to be private as he swims so has an idea about how to do this.

 

So we took the roll of fabric down to the pond, along with the roofing nails he bought yesterday on the way to Ottawa. He had to walk around the pond to get the hammer off the dock where I'd worked on it yesterday.

 

He was busy digging a post hole, so I thought I'd build a little campfire. I needed some dead alders, so got some from the edge of the alder berm. I couldn't light the fire because of the wind, no matter what I did. I had brought my saw down yesterday, so took it over to the berm to make a little pathway into the alders.

 

It was easy to cut the well bent alders. There were a few bent and a large bird's nest in them. I wasn't sure what kind of bird had made it. I'll have to look it up in my bird nests book later.

 

Willem had me help him with getting the post into the hole and holding it while he filled it up.

Afterwards, I helped nail the cloth in place as he held it. It was hard to make the top tight and straight. He sure has a long, ugly privacy fence now! But it makes him happy. I will plant willow on both sides of it, paint it and also build a natural fence out of alders.

 

I was able to get the fire going, then go for a swim with Willem. He is very pleased with his privacy fence now.

 

I made a crockpot dinner which wasn't cooked yet, so I moved it to the pressure cooker and videoed making this Indonesian dish with the spices Lily brought over as time she came.

 

He practiced the piano while I worked on my videos. We didn't get to bed till about midnight again.

July 23, 2013 privacy fence, Erin’s in ottawa

Willem wanted a privacy fence, so stood looking to see where he wanted it from. He decided on putting a post behind the tipi.

 

He wated to buy himself an electronic autoharp. I dove us into Ottawa so he could go to Steve's music on Rideau. There is construction, so it was hard to get near the store. I let him off and drove round the block. I want in and bought a tiny tuning screw for my violin where it had lost one.

 

Willem was waiting for me by Domino's Pizza Pizza and walked with me through the path and up the stairs to my car.

 

Then we went back to Bank Street to find the Ottawa Folklore Center, which may have had the autoharps. Willem went over there while I went to the Starbucks across the road where I have spent many days relaxing online while waiting for him to finish work.

 

They didn't have any there, so we got back on the expressway and headed over to Kanata to go to the grocery store for some salad. Afterwards, we went over to E's. We visited with little L and Chris and E till James and Nick came. We had a very nice time with everyone. It was Willem's birthday party, plus his retirement.

 

We got home about 10pm, after he had been reading harry potter to me in the car on the way.

Monday, 2:16pm July 15, 2013 Clauedette Hart

Merrickville, Ontario. I just stopped by to see Claudette who makes gourds. She's an amazing woman. She makes all sorts of fabulous things, from holes in caved, painted gourds, to woven tops on gourd bodies, to painted ones, to bowl bottoms with much decoration above, woven. She uses clothesline, rolled paper, twine, yarn and anything else to weave up the walls above the gourd. She used a stool disk for a bottom of a basket. She dyes fabric, the gourds, uses pattern paper glued on the sides, painted, waxed afterwards.

 

She adds things like door hinges to open the doors to the king within, a dragon curling around the top, knights on either side. She makes spring drums hanging upside down from the sock shaped gourd.

 

It was amazing to visit with her. Everything she touches is fantanstic. She's got her garage as a gourd workshop. A place to sit and work away at her creations. I don't have a place to sit to work at the moment. I'll have to work on that. Oh, my kitchen table perhaps!

 

She puts grommets in the gourd, sews with imitation rawhide, uses all sorts of materials, paper, metal, buttons, all sorts of things. She has Marianne Barnes' books. I'm glad I went over to meet her. I'm glad I went there and got so inspired. Merrickville is such an inspiring little town. It's just filled with artsy folks. I would retire here if we didn't have our own place already! If I ever had to move to 'town', I would like this one. I'm not sure if there's a grocery store here, though. Tons of gift artsy shops, though, lots like Westport, but better.

July 11, 2013, Thursday in Ottawa

9:03am

I went for a nice walk this morning down to the bridge. I walked at a rather fast clip, my repellant working against most of the mosquitoes. They have signs up this morning about loose sand on the shoulders. They are going to put down some sand and cover it with spray of tar or something. The shoulders are quite easy to ruin at the moment if you step on the edge of them. I should be there asking them to improve my pathway down to the tipi. It's too steep for me now.

 

Anyway, I walked along making a video as I went, checking on the tamarack trees's growth. It's a cool morning today, not hot like it's been for awhile. Not humid either. Much nicer, indeed.

 

I decided by the time I got back that I'd be doing better if I went to Ottawa and spent the day being available to my kids. Willem was ready to go, so we headed out. I did pick up my violin and my laptop before we headed out.

 

It was a nice cool drive this morning. There's nice breeze and it's cooled off so nicely. I dropped Willem off at 8:30 am.

 

I went over to Ben's and there was Daniel coming out of the house. So I gave him and his bike a ride over to work. I sat in the passenger side of the car in the shade on the side of the road afterwards, played my violin and wrote in my journal. I couldn't get my phone to work, to charge or anything. Finally after removing the battery twice, it started to work.

 

I played Black Jack, a jig, on it for awhile, then when Daniel came out to go work from home at Ben's, I let him drive, since he's got his licence now, anyway. He didn't mind, so I played while we drove. DJGJ, Home on the range, Somewhere over the rainbow, Red River Valley and Mari's wedding. He thought my playing has improved a lot! Woo Hoo!

 

We are at Ben's. Tas is working from home upstairs and Daniel and I are at the kitchen counter bar. It's nice here with them. I like being around them! Cool beans! I'm eating Ben's mangos! J

 

I'm so glad he has a good job and is doing so well. I'm glad they have their own home and it's large enough for the boys to come stay here or work here. Daniel has his own place now, though.

 

 

June 27, 2013 4 pm town, transplanting cranesbill, pond

I went to town, full of ideas, but just went to Giant Tiger for salad and some snacks for Willem to eat at the temple tomorrow. I had a harder time moving now that I'd been sitting. I was glad to have my car back, though.

 

I was going to do the rounds, get some dead plants and soil, get some free straps and lumber plastic wrap, go to the bank, but I didn't feel like walking, so just came home.

 

At the intersection near his house, I picked up Ryan and took him back into town as he wasn't having any luck hitchhiking on this hot humid day. It wasn't as hot and as humid as it had been yesterday.

 

By the time I got back home, it was too late to go over to Susan's for a spinning lesson. So I lay in my hammock in Cedar Cove, under the mosquito screen for awhile.

 

I painted the lettering of the sign for the Husker Red digitalis plant and stuck it in the ground. I shouldn't have painted the lettering, though.

 

I dug up all the little cranesbill plants under the big willow bush. They just don't grow under there at all. I took them down to the pond and planted them where the Joe pye isn't growing. I marked the areas where they are planted with short stakes around the two areas.

 

The bugs were after me, so I went swimming in the pond. After a few laps and transplanting some of the willow sticks that are hopelessly underwater, I got back out and rototilled the garden. I threw the rocks into the pond and the grass clumps and other plants and weeds into the marsh meadow.

 

The black flies were getting me, so I hurried around the pond to the entrance and got back in. I heard the veery today like I did yesterday. I also heard the indigo bunting. A robin dashed across the pond and into the trees on cedar hillside. I was surprised at how fast they can fly into the dense foliage without knowing for sure what is in there. I had no idea they did that. They must see a long way ahead of themselves so they can do that without crashing into anything.

 

I was waiting for Willem to come home and swim in the pond with me, but he didn't realize I was down there. So I was in the pond for a couple of hours, relaxing, twisting, investigating frogs and swimming laps.

 

 

 

June 27, 2013 9:10 pm Wove on Ankaret’s fence

We are listening to Alida sing at the pub. She's so good. She's got a new guitar. It's an electric acoustic guitar. It's really nice making a good sound.

 

I have had a good day. I couldn't find my teeth this morning, but I wanted to go to Ankaret's to help her weave her willow fence. I walked all the way there without my walker or my sticks. |When my leg/SI joint started to hurt I stood straight for a moment. I was amazed that I walked the whole way without getting too tired or in too much pain to go on! I knew that I could always stop and hitchhike the rest of the way there. But I arrived before I needed to do that!

 

Ankaret had been weaving on the fence already, but had stopped for breakfast when I arrived at 8:35am. We got to work after some strawberries and juice. She's been using three kinds of willow. White and buff peeled and some Mera willow are what she's used so far. Shes left some gaps with crossed willow uprights. She has made some straight weave, some twinning and it was up high enough I could stand up.

 

She uses three willow sticks at a time, adding one after every other upright. I did about six inches or more on the fence, then Linda came with some unpeeled cedar bark. We wove it in the top and the bottom of the open spaces. It was not long enough to go very far. I like it when the cedar bark is peeled apart instead of on the inner bark.

 

I loved weaving on the fence. It was wonderful to be there working with Ankaret. I am so grateful for all she has taught me about weaving baskets with natural materials. She's such an amazing person. She'd asked the fiber arts group to come help her if they wanted to. I was glad I had the ability to get there, even though my car was in the shop.

 

At about 12:30, I was given a ride home and could show off my hothouse tipi garden. It sure is growing fast! I'm so pleased that it is just shooting up with this moist air and the heat. I am glad I also labelled the motherwort cos I could show it to their granddaughter who is learning about edible plants. They showed me Wood sorel. It looks just like clover, but it's not. It's edible and has a nice flavour they said.

 

Thursday, June 20, 2013 all day

Willem and I were invited over to E's for Father's day dinner, so I went into town with him. I dropped him off at work, then went over to Ben's. I ran over his hose and broke the end off it! Good grief. So I went in and turned off the water from inside. I also cleaned out the liter box as it smelled.

 

I went over to Future shop and to Wal-Mart to buy a handsfree device for my phone. It is an old variety and has a big hole, so it needed a different kind of end. I found one for $10 which I bought, but it didn't work, or the hole in my phone doesn't work, so I took it back. The first time I went in without my walker, but the second time I needed it.

 

I went looking for a place to sit and flick card my fleece. I finally landed upon the Billings Bridge park on the Rideau River. I sat in the shade and carded the burdocks out of the alpaca fibers I bought from Jen. I don't think I'll buy fleece with burdocks in it again. I hadn't realized I had chosen alpaca today instead of sheep wool. I need to work with wool to practice spinning for the sheep to shawl on July 6^th at the museum.

 

One person thought I was combing my dog hair for making a sweater. Another realized what I was doing. I was quite by myself. It was nice to be amid people but to be alone in the shade nearby.

 

Afterwards I sat next to the river and played the violin. A couple of people came over to listen to me. Embarassing, eh. I saw a family of wood ducks on the river. She has a sideways white teardrop marking on her eye. All the babies looked like her, grey and white. Lovely family!

 

I picked up Willem and we headed over to E's for dinner with her family and K. We had a very nice time on the back deck. Little Liam is a darling!

 

We drove K back to her new home, then went to listen to Al sing in the pub she used to work in. It was nice to be there with them again. I love hanging around when she sings!

 

We didn't get home until about midnight, but at least it wasn't a temple Friday tomorrow!

Sunday, June 23, 2013 8:36am

I came along early to church today as Willem was preparing to do clerk work. I've been playing Oh My Father and I Need Thee Every Hour on the violin. It sounds like a song now. That's good. I am glad I'm improving.

 

It is very overcast and foggy today. Gona be a hot one they say. We have a broadcast meeting this evening. I think I was supposed to bring something for it, but I didn't. Calendaring problem again!

 

I put the chairs up for church today, but I didn't hook them together. I always unhook them, so it's done the way I like it! Hehehe

 

Church was nice. We left after Willem did his clerk work. We went for a swim in the pond, had some lunch and headed back to the chapel for a missionary broadcast. It was very inspiring. I've been stalling with giving copies of the Book of Mormon out to my friends. Now I have the courage to do it, I think.

 

It was hot outside, but not too bad in the house with the doors and windows closed all day. We slept with the window open, though.

Monday, June 24, 2013 7:22 pm

I have had a lovely day. I got up not knowing what I should do today, but I knew I should take the Book of Mormon over to D. I was afraid to do it, but did it anyway. It worked out wonderfully. He has such a sweet innocent face. I hope he and D. read it!

 

Afterwards, not sure how to best use my day, and knowing Ankaret would like to weave some cedar into her fence, I went over and asked her if she'd like to go peel some cedar bark. Sure enough, she thought it was a good idea. She'd been working on her fence again and has planted more bushes in front of it.

 

It was a hot day today, 33C is what it got up to in the end. We filled a basket with cedar rolls. I was surprised at how quickly we were able to do it. I was so amazed, in fact, that I went back after taking her home and peeled cedar bark for another two hours.

 

The worker was taking away logs near us, so I moved my car out of the way. I'm grateful that the owner, John, is happy to let us peel bark. It came off so readily today. At least on some logs. We found a good set of logs to peel it from. I think all together we peeled four or five whole 8' cedar logs.

 

I was very hot and weak from the sun and humidity and the temperature. I came home and just sat in my chair for awhile to recooperate.

 

I had a message from a friend saying they'd had Ankylosing Spondilosis for the past 25 years. Oh my goodness. You'd never know it to talk to her. So that's one example of a woman who has it.

 

Then I found my swimming dress, switched the laundry and mended the arm seam on my little mending sewing machine.

 

I came down to the pond, took the seven rolls of cedar I'd peeled over the past few days to the car, then walked into the water. It was nice and warm. I swam in the top couple of feet of water and didn't need a wetsuit, just my swimming dress. I did a few leisurely laps. It was very pleasant to be in the warm water. I'm so glad we have this pond now.

 

I got out to lay in my hammock, but it ripped away from the ties. I took it down and was going to bring the other one over to replace it, but went back in the pond, instead.

 

I sat in it and peeled more willow that I've had soaking in it for the past month and more that has been in it for a year. I peeled seven more strips, but they were rather decomposing as I worked and the fibers were flaying away.

 

I swam around the edge of the pond, checking out the three big huge bullfrogs that have grown from the large tadpoles I brought home from that pond near Kingston. They are doing so well here! They are huge and quite content.

 

I got cold, even though the pond was 86F, so I came up to the house and showered, then lay in the hammock in the pergola and watched a pair of wasps go into the spout of a sealed closed hanging flowery teapot. Neither of them came out.

 

Willem came home, so we headed back down to the pond. I journaled while he swam some laps. The reflections of green on the pond in his ripples on his first lap over was so lovely. I didn't take a photo, though.

 

Friday, June 21, 2013 9am

I was pretty tired when I got up and had a hard time waking up completely, but I knew it was the muscle relaxant that was working on my behalf. I wanted to go for a walk while my body was moving well.

 

So I gathered my iPod, laptop, violin and zoomy camera and headed down to the bridge. I didn't bring either a walker or canes. I didn't hurt so I thought I'd be fine. Dancing last night probably did a good job on my back as well!

 

I arrived at Sedge Meadow tipi and left everything on the roadside, eased my body down the steep roadside, crossed the ditch and walked carefully on the boards to the tipi entrance at the back where my screen tent was lying on the hammock.

 

Water has puddled along the pathway, so I imagine it's too wet to walk with socks and crocks to the screened bench swing. It faces the sun, so sitting in it to play the violin wouldn't be a happy experience.

 

I returned to the road, gathered up my belongings, walked to the bridge and climbed over the guard wires. It's hard to do that with my bone fused together at the sacroiliac joint.

Friday, June 21, 2013 Sumac Hill hammock

I'm finally in my hammock on Sumac Hill. It's lovely out here. The sun is shining through the whorls of lined up leaves of the sumac trees overhead. They just don't grow like this. What a miracle that they have grown like this and that I can now appreciate them and lie in a hammock tied to them with a screen hanging down above me, keeping me free from the mosquitoes.

 

A pair of swallows, perhaps barn swallows, are swooping across the pond, diving down with their bottom beaks open to have a drink, swoping up to catch another of their 1000 daily allotment.

 

Many birds are singing overhead and in the surrounding trees. The wrens are in the alders. A flycatcher just came to join me here in the sumacs…for only a moment. Others are in the trees which I haven't taken the time to listen to yet.

 

I am invisible to the birds here in this little screened hammock tent. I am so glad I brought it down the other day as one of the many things on my to do list.

 

I just got this white sloth strap from the Jopi Tipi to use to hold up the screen overhead.

 

There are tall dock plants, at least that's what I think they are. They are quite tall with lots of seeds on them. I have my shovel down here from working at transplanting the evening primrose the other day. They didn't wilt, in spite of the sunshine yesterday and the day before.

 

I checked on the tamarack tree babies and the forsythia sticks I pushed into the ground around Sedge Meadow tipi a few months ago. Some have leaves on them! Two of them, I think. I took photos of them. Several of the tamaracks have put on a few inches of new growth at the top! How exciting! It won't be long before the tipi is hidden from view from the road! Yippee!

 

 

 

June 18, 2013 7:16 pm

Willem and I drove home and are now at the pond. We have discovered the grass is in head, ready for pollination and to go to seed. So we have been harvesting all the seed heads and removing them to the car to take away from here.

 

A bluebird is in the alders, singing in his whispering song, over the beautiful reflection on the pond. We haven't been up to the house yet, but have just arrived here from Ottawa. Ben offered or us to stay over at their home to keep from having to drive the long way to and from home.

 

But I love being here. It's so wonderful, so large and spacious and all ours! Even paid for! I feel very grateful for all we have. There's much privacy here, much wildlife, many birds and so much foliage that I have invested my time and energy into.

 

I love the wild plants as well as the lovely cultivated sort of other plants. Willem is in the water now. It's such a perfect place.

 

As I have sat on the porch at Ben's with the neighbour's porch no more than ten feet away, I feel so very much different about where I live. So many people, even with their lovely homes, still don't have anything like this in town. This is the cottage, or the tipi, I guess. So perfect.

 

I think I'll go kayaking while Willem swims.

June 18, 2013 1:56 pm morning pages

Well, I'm just going to journal whatever comes into my mind, but o course my mind works lots faster than my fingers on the keyboard.

 

Dropping off Ben made me remember my days as a travel writer. Willem's not too keen on me doing it anymore now.

 

Today he is putting in his papers for his retirement. He had a physical yesterday and got the all healthy thumbs up, so he's retiring in August sometime. Gona be a new life. Gona be quite interesting!

June 17, 2013 7 am Monday

I spent some time this morning filming and doing a little bit of email. I had a nice talk with Virginia, too. I had a nice sleep, too. A nice sleep is important!

 

It was sunny at sunrise but clouded up again and rained a bit before I left for Ottawa.

 

On the way, I recalled my friend Darlene and where she said she lived, so I drove over there. She was dropping in for five minutes, so our paths crossed for a moment.

 

I told her about Gospel Library which will make it easier and quicker to write a talk, as you don't have to look up the scriptures, but can click on the links after finding them in the topical guide.

 

She's so back to the earth, but super tidy and organized! Lovely gardens, living right on the large lake on the river, hand well pump, such a nice little house. I would love to live in a small house like that!

 

I think the reason I eat while I'm driving is from boredom. I think that's what happens with me. I like listening to the news, or to the cd player, but inevitably I eat when I drive. I think that's where I gain all that extra weight!

Saturday, June 15, 2013 Toronto temple

I'd had a hard time falling asleep, so hadn't had enough sleep by the time we got up to be at the temple for the 6:30 prayer meeting.

 

I was assigned as initiatory coordinator for the whole shift. I spent a lot of time at the desk as well as working with the patrons. It was a busy Saturday. I enjoyed it a lot. I liked helping the new workers as they learned their parts and got the hang of things.

 

For the afternoon session, I was again initiatory coordinator, but this time I had enough workers that I was able to sit and rest at the desk.

 

We had brought our food again. This time I had pulled pork, which I had to pull myself. That wasn't very easy with the plastic cutlery. We also brought Tupperware containers for our food. I forgot to leave some of them in my locker for next time.

 

MJ came to the temple in the afternoon. Michael wasn't well she'd come alone. She went on a session while I worked in the locker room. There are many patrons who speak Spanish or mandarin. I'm surprised. I think there are two mandarin wards in Toronto now.

 

Fern had be a patron where I was able to experience things differently and feel the love of each of the sisters, especially Maryjane. How wonderful that she and I can work together in the temple. It's so nice!

 

We left around 6:20, bought some samaras and headed home. Because we had missed seeing Alida on her birthday, we went to the pub where she works. She waited on us and we gave her the clock that shines the time onto the ceiling and two samaras. They always got samaras when we'd come home from the temple. There was a rocking band at the pub, so willem and I danced up a storm. It was very nice! We got home before midnight.

Friday, June 14, 2013

We drove to the Toronto Temple and arrived there around 2pm. I drove all the way, taking 7 to the 401. It wasn't any slower than taking 32 through Tweed.

 

I had been concerned about not being very spiritual, so made sure we listened to Preach my Gospel on the way in. I was driving, both ways, actually, to give Willem a chance to rest. I didn't get a chance to journal, so was getting further and further behind.

 

We arrived early at the temple. Willem used the stake center to change from his traveling clothes into his Sunday best. I spent some time in the temple in quiet prayer. It was what I needed to invoke the Spirit to be with me. So I began my shift on a spiritual note.

 

I was initiatory coordinator again. I liked that job. I also worked in a session with Willem. That was so nice. We were there with old friends from Ottawa. I hear that the montreal temple is going to go through extensive renovations and be closed for some time, so the members will be attending Toronto. That will be nice to see people I know from long ago!

 

We returned to our accommodations with B. who rents out a room to us for $20 a night, at about 10pm. We st in the living room and visited with her for about an hour beore we ent to bed. I didn't have time to journal but was able to upload the videos of the day today. I too a very nice photo of the Toronto temple with the moon and dark sy behind it, or maybe a tree over the spire.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Today I am going back to Ottawa with Willem again. Ben and T are flying to Atlanta for her work and then to see Mom on Friday and Saturday.

 

Vi and Bo are looking for a hectare sized farm to buy in Germany. They have done amazing things with the yard where they live now. So many perennials and bushes. They do such beautiful landscaping. Their business is going well so they don't have to go to the office very often. They may hire Manuel to run the farm.

 

D now has his G2 drivers licence so he can buy a moped when he is in China to explore the countryside, instead of staying in the city all the time. He has a very polite Korean friend who bows when he speaks to me. Andre works with Daniel at his new job. Daniel hired him, he says. He is working on a project which he thinks will do very well.

 

Al loves her new job at a different pub. She has excellent hours, lots of customers and loves her coworkers and bosses. She's also quite happy with where she lives. She has written more songs. They are commentaries on society generally. She has a bass player who has his training in recording, so they will be cutting a cd soon.

 

A is in San Francisco working in my sister's lab, doing research on genetics. He's not being paid, nor displacing another volunteer, which are the guidelines for a non American to volunteer in the states. He's loving San Francisco. He's staying in Berkley's at his uncle's house and gets a ride to BART every morning from his uncle. My sister goes horseback riding every morning, so isn't there at that time, I don't think.

 

Ti is happy working in the kitchen in the hospital nearby. They had a wonderful party or their friends and coworkers a few weeks ago on their lovely property. She's so organized and does such a wonderful job. Everyone loves her as she's the life of every situation and a wonderful mother to everyone around her.

 

Ka has been teaching herself through homeschool for many years and is always learning new things which she imparts to Tisch. She's so mature and so smart. It's neat to see how she has grown into a wonderful woman!

 

G is happy with his job and his position of seniority. He's so helpful to us, always wanting to ease our burdens and do whatever he can for us and for his family. He's a thinker, contemplating things that are said. He adores his wife. They are go good together. They have us over after church on many weekends.

 

E is happily married and has a sweet son L who is now in junior kindergarden. She works at the hospital. They have a nice house. She's very organized and a good mom. We don't see them often, only for fathers day and birthday get togethers.

 

N is running his own company now, organizing conventions. He's in Ottawa, too.

 

K is working as a radiologist now. She has a new fellow in her life who is very nice. They are a good couple.

 

L is a goalie in soccer. He plays very well and is a good member of his team. He's growing up so fast. I think he's a preteen now.

 

 

 

June 17, 2013 5:28 pm Monday

I came into Ottawa today to let Daniel do some driving before taking his test. It was nice to just hang out while he drove around here and there, did some errands, stopped at his apartment, stopped at the market, stopped at Ben's, subway, Tim Horton's and finally the driving place.

He passed his test, so now has the next level in the graduated licence. There are four levels before you are a full driver, each with a year in-between, I think, as well as limitations at each level. I think they are: 365, G1, G2, G. So he's now at the G2 level. I like riding with him. He's confident, but not cocky, which is so important in driving; especially while driving MY car.

 

I have so many friends and acquaintances whose children smashed up or totalled their cars, that there is no way I was going to let my kids ever do that to mine. So none had their licences when they left home. All three boys have taken drivers' ed. I'm not sure I Virginia took it. Alida hasn't. Anyway, there is no way I was going to let my children drive my cars till they could pay for their own insurance. My job as taxi driver is a nice one, I get to spend time with my kids! J

 

June 12, 2013 1:25 pm

I am in Sunrise hillside hammock. I drove up and down the lane after the grader went by, trying to pack the road down again so it wouldn't be easily eroded tomorrow or this afternoon later when it rains.

 

I have been drinking motherwort tea today, as I seem short of breath, easily exhausted when I do anything at all. I thought that would be good for my heart.

 

I went over to Mera and dug up some thyme, or ripped it up, I guess. I am going to put some nice new soil in the cracks and plant it in the patio stones, if possible. I hope it works well. But it's sunny out and only when it's raining do all plants not wilt when transplanted.

 

Here on sunrise hillside I like looking at the plants that are growing here on the hilltop. I have an entrance pathway of hostas over to the hammock here. I suppose I should take better care of this spot. There are many plants here, but not in groups as they should be. Perhaps I should move them around so they are in clusters and not just haphazardly here. I can do that when the sun is lower in the sky too, not in the heat of the day. The hydrangeas are looking quite lovely, too. I see a few baby elm trees, too. Not a good spot during the Dutch elm wipe out we are now experiencing! I'd rather have some birch saplings here. I'm not sure how to recognize birch saplings, though. I'll have to do some research, I guess, study a birch stand and the saplings that grow beside the parent trees.

 

The elm which used to shade me here has a lot of thinning going on now. No bugs today. Yippee!

June 12, 2013 7:45 am

I am at the bridge, my feet up on the cement wall, glad to be here on this new sunny day. The rain has lasted for a long time. But I am quite content to be here listening to the sounds of the stream and to see the vibrating of the alder as the water rushes around it. I have become more prepared as time has gone on. I have my walker, my violin, my laptop including the cord and the cord to my iPod, my iPod, black plastic garbage bags to cover the chair, the iPod swivl and my little blue Fuji camera for close-ups as it does do wonderful still photos.

 

I couldn't find my regular zoomy blue camera this morning. I vlogged about it on a short video update from the stream and also filmed the stream at the culvert. I wanted to go to the pond, but thought I should get a bit of exercise, walking to the bridge instead.

 

Dr. Moore, cardiologist said it's more important to walk briskly for 30 minutes a day than to be in skinny. It's also easier. So walking is a good idea. I guess I haven't done any of it or any swimming for awhile because it has been so wet outside. Gee, what have I been doing for the past few days, anyway? I'll have to go figure that out and update my journal for Sunday afternoon after the MRI and yesterday when I went to town.

 

I realized that there is an indigo bunting that lives at the culverts. I knew that years ago, before we had a pond or anywhere to sit around there. I will have to film him. That will be quite nice.

 

This stream is very high right now. It has swallowed the bottom leaves of the overhanging alder branches. The grass is also six inches deep in water. The water is clear rusty brown today. I love that it's always clear, no matter what colour it is.

 

I am going to practice my violin again this morning. Willem taught me a song a month ago or more, but I can't' remember how it goes now. My bow strings get very loose when it's too damp and humid outside.

 

The pileated woodpecker is relaxing in his hole with his face out. He or she does that often. I guess it's the she. The he has a lot of red on his face at his beak.

 

I don't want to walk to my chair swing screened tent because the water is so high. I will certainly get quite soaked if I do.

 

I see some birds over there, though. Enticing, I do admit.

 

The little tamaracks we have planted look quite good, the ones I could see from the road, anyway.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 in town

I went to town for Willem's stress test, then went to see if the purple bouncing bet flowers were findable. I knew where they were located, generally, across from a factory by the traintracks, but it was raining and wet, so finding them wasn't an easy task. The bouncing bet, or soapwort leaves didn't show up against the grass readily, so I didn't have much luck figuring out where they were, or even which ones they were.

 

So I scratched that off my mental list and went into town. I felt like going to the flea market, but squashed the idea, in the hopes of not spending money I didn't have. It worked. I didn't spend any money today! Good work, Nancy!

 

Instead I drove over to Alida's apartment and found a parking spot on the road alongside her building. My iPod picked up her wifi and since I am allowed to use it, I have the password already in it, too.

 

I sat and read facebook entries. So nice to read what everyone is doing. I love that. I also read some mail. I didn't have the time to wait for the internet to open so I could respond at youtube, so I just read wonderful comments. They inspire me, congratulate me, compliment me. They give me a reason to film more things in my life. I do love sharing my life. It is really a life of ease, compared to so many who have to work at jobs they don't like in cities that are noisy that they find no joy in being in.

 

I saw Matt going over to Alida's to take her shopping.

 

I phoned Lori and asked about the tax form my mom needed the accountant to have. She will drop it off. She's taking care of so many things down there for me. Mom has become a part of her faily, too. How wonderful for Mom, and for me! It's nice not to feel guildty about being there! It's so much better this year with Erika and all that mom thinks about ahead of time to do with Eirka, play dough, showing her bugs, blowing bubbles, so much to do together. It's really giving Mom a good life down there! I have a hard time sleeping if it is over 64F in our room. Opening the window brings in all of that dampness which is also very difficult for me to take. I like sleeping with the dehumidifier by the bed so I can turn it on if it gets too damp for me. Georgia would be way too humid for me and way too hot.

 

Alida got in the car and visited with me for a few minutes, sharing what she was buying for a birthday. I'm so glad she has good friends, a good job and is enjoying her life. I heard an interview with Joni Mitchell. It was quite an interesting look into her aversion to fame and to people that pursue the famous. She retreated to the BC wilderness to hide away from all of that. Society is rather crazy for famous musicians.

 

I was also sitting there trying to remember why I was in town anyway. I had my little iPod to do list which I made on Monday. It reminded me of looking for pallets. I drove past the pool, saw that it was 12:09 and that I could have gone swimming, but I didn't feel up to it today.

 

So I went looking for pallets. Then I came home.

 

At home I worked on linking my pond videos together. I linked and numbered over 200 of them together. Some are linked out of order, but it's so hard to figure out, I just left them that way. I think I'm up to April with them now. I have only 10 more videos to upload to be caught up, so I can sort out the pond videos when they're all up.

 

Willem came home and we had Ben's amazing shish kabobs. He made some hamburger ones that are amazing, too. We also had some of my fiddlehead chicken stew. There's a lot of broth left so I will use that to make another stew after this one is done.

 

He read Harry Potter, the next book, to me. I wonder what it was that Dumbledore had said to Harry's aunt that convinced her to take Harry in.

June 5, 2013 12:30pm Afternoon in Ottawa

Daniel and I went out to lunch for a Hintonburger. We had a nice visit. It was interesting hearing more about his sojourn in Shenzhen, which is in south China near Hong Kong. I have the wrong place in my weather for him. Shenyang is quite far north, which is much colder, he said.

 

It's good to see him again. He's doing very well with his career. He was sought after by Fire Engine Red, then by this company he's with now. It's a very small company with big visions. He is quite pleased with his choice. He plans to live in China again later.

 

He had some videos on his phone yet to upload. I'm glad he made a few videos. I hope he uploads them so I can watch them!

May 31, 2013 6 am

I didn't get up for the sunrise, I was too tored after staying out late for Alida's playing last evening. I hooked up the hose to the squirter and watered the garden in the glass tipi. I wanted the beans to be watered properly even though the soaker hoses doesn't get that area very well. Everything seems to be up, xcept some of the beans.

basil

Peas

Swiss chard

Spinach

Beans, radishes,

Carrots

Beets

cucumbers

Zucchini squash

 

We left at 9:15 for the temple.

alyssum

It's nice to have a garden in the tipi! I feel I have more control over it now than I did with the ones outside.

I also watered the blueberry bushes. I uploaded the video, then went down to the pond where I sat in the child's tent

 

put my towel on top of it to provide me with some shade in there. It's a very hot sunny day today.

 

I turned off the water before I was finished at the garden.

 

While playing my violin at the pond, I watched the birds. Tere were a pair of tree swallows on the posts of the willow blind fence going back and forth to the aphid pods on the ground under the sumac and heading with them over to the birdhouse where they are nesting.

I also liked the little chickadees entering the other birdhouse regularly. Only saw a couple of frogs at the pond

May 31, 2013 1:41 pm

We are in traffic on the way to Toronto. It's very difficult traffic. Willem's driving now.

 

We stopped at Wal-Mart for him to change. I bought six more of those little children's promo tents. I figure they won't last long and they'll never show up again, so I thought I'd better buy them now! So I did. I also bought some shampoo and cream rinse as well as a hairbrush. My hair was in an awful state after swimming at the pool then at the pond without shampooing it yet. I guess I'll take a shower at the temple.

 

I got really dizzy at Wal-Mart, so sat right down on some air conditioners. I put my head between my knees but the dizziness didn't go away. I had a few employees talk to me; ask me if I were going to be okay. The dizziness was still going on, so I saw willem eventually and he checked out for me while I went to sit down. Another lovely lady brought me some ice water.

 

Willem bought us some hotdogs, footlongs that were awesome. I felt better after eating that. I'd not eaten well today, a recees cups, a bag of cheetoes and orange and a bottle of 5-hour energy. I feel better now, but have a bit of a headache. The lady said it was the heat, but I'd not been in the heat at all, I'd been in the car with the A|C on and then in the store.

 

Perhaps I messed up my blood sugar a lot. I was surprised when I didn't feel any better when I sat back up in the store.

 

Willem took over driving after that. The traffic is a nightmare here in this area at the exit to the 400. Sure isn't anything like going to Palmyra temple. I drove on the way here while Willem slept. He's driving now while the traffic is especially bad.

May 28, 2013 7:30am

I piled ten long wooden stakes from the roadside work last year, the shovel and my violin back up onto the walker, put the plastic bag away and headed off when I heard the door of Willem's car shut. I thought about the turtles that would son lay their eggs in the gravel underfoot. And the three turtles I know live in the pond somewhere down in the murky bottom.

 

I walked along the highway watching the foliage in the ditch alongside the road, scanning for the few tamarack trees we had missed in pulling up trees the other day. Willem drove up, so I had him pull over so I could kiss him goodbye and so I could get a plastic grocery bag from him for the tamarack seedlings I was going to transplant to the Sedge meadow around the tipi.

 

It was nice to see my sweetheart. He's such a darling. I'm so blessed that he loves me so much. He's so full of love. He was leaving an hour earlier than usual but didn't think he'd get home any earlier, as it was going to be much heavier traffic at this time of the morning. He was one of the only cars on the road for quite awhile. The vehicles at this time of day were cars, as they had a long way to commute. Later it will only be pickup trucks that venture past, going to work in the smaller towns closer to us.

 

I dug around and pulled up five tamarack trees. A couple or three of them had pinky-thick trunks, but the others had smaller ones, darning needle sized, even.

 

I put them in my bag and walked slowly up the road allowance looking for more of them. Deciding I had gotten them all, I came back up to the walker on the paved shoulder and moved on toward sedge meadow tipi.

 

At the path down into the roadside, where it is over a foot steeper, I tossed down the stakes, the shovel and donned my boots that I'd kept there yesterday as I left to go back up to the house. I carried my laptop and violin over to the hammock in the back entrance to the tipi and returned to plant the tamaracks. I dug slices into the wet black oil and pushed them each in, then pushed a meter long wooden stake into the ground beside it and hammered it in with the back of my shovel. I replaced a couple of tiny thin markers with stakes and added stakes to tamaracks that I'd discovered yesterday when I clipped all the grass away fro the little trees.

 

I planted three along the edge and just inside Snowshoe labyrinth and a couple on the north or the road side of the tipi and another couple on the other side, hoping that in years to come they will grow up and create lots of privacy for my little tipi area, as well as nesting sites for the birds and animals.

 

I washed my hands off on the tall grasses, which were covered with dew; a good clean washing so much water droplets gave!

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 28, 2013 6:29 am

I got up at 6 when the sunrise filled the room with light and the horizon with yellow. Time to go take photos. But of course, I had many things to do before actually leaving. I had to get dressed, go to the bathroom, pack up my laptop with my iPod cord, get my little iPod holder that hangs around my neck, take my shovel and the walker, get my violin, pack those things onto and in my walker, and finally head over to the car trail down to the pond.

 

The mist was fog rising off the pond, wafting across it like a many skirted angel. I gathered up some stakes and added them to my walker, but not until I'd pulled my large plastic bag out of my violin case and spread it on the seat of the walker, sat and watched and listened and filmed.

 

A pair of chickadees took turns with the birdhouse they had selected to the right of the hillside berm. They were removing a white item each time they left the nest, baby bird scats, or egg shells? Baby chickadees! How sweet. They had selected a birdhouse whose hole was too low for my standards, almost at the bottom of the birdhouse. It's one with antlers. The house.

 

The house on the tree to the west of the pond in the ferns has a pair of tree swallows nesting in it. So lovely! Just wonderful that such a small act, putting up birdhouses as soon as the pond was dug, has given us such great blessings. Birds eat bugs. Especially the tree swallows. They will eat the mosquitoes, 1000 a day, I recall.

 

I saw a frog emerge from the pond, ripples in his wake as he rested near the tadpoles, which may provide him with sustenance for many days hence. The fog moving was lovely. It was so nice to be able to sit and have this singular, spiritual experience with this wonderful planet, the garden I call home!

May 27, 2013 9:44 am

It's time to lie down in the hammock in the tipi. The blackflies don't like being inside. I really don't like it either, but I really needed to lay down and rest my weary body.

 

I sat by Ben's bridge for awhile and noted how the bridge just goes onto a tiny island now. It's so peaceful over there, and shady under the alders, too. I'm so blessed.

 

I used my long handled foot clippers to remove all the grasses growing around each of the tamarack trees Willem and I planted a couple of years ago. I wonder if it was last spring. It may have been. I'm glad I put the stakes in to mark them, the little thin wood ones which I replaced with the road stakes last month. I tossed out the thin ones, to be picked up from the roadside ditch later. I was surprised at how many of them were still growing. They'd put on a few inches of growth last year, too. Two of them had died. It took awhile to figure out where the tamarack sticks were, as they were quite little.

 

A pair of tail pounding phoebes just flew into the tipi. One flew through it, the other came in and immediately turned around after sitting to look at me for a moment. I wonder if they are neting in here. Could be! How special is that! I have my iPod camera handy, just in case they come back.

 

I put some of the dead trees that had slid off the side of the tipi back on to cover up the fabric. The sun is shining through them, making lovely forest shadows on the side of the white fabric. It looks like I'm in the woods from here! One day the tamaracks will create a privacy forest around it! Can't wait!

 

It's so neat to work towards things, to create spaces, to tend and cultivate my gardens. The marsh marigolds I dug up and planted around the tipi are still growing, much bigger than before, even. I clipped the grasses around them. I should put down landscaping fabric to give them a bit of an advantage.

 

I'm glad to see some of my basketry willow is also growing, shoots that I didn't know were here are doing well. I'll let them grow a bit till they have an inch thick trunk and then I'll start cutting them back all the time. Well, I'm already cutting them back and replanting the grown parts.

 

It's so peaceful in here. There are some blackflies with me, but they aren't bothering me much. I wear my long socks, long skirt and long sleeved tops to make sure there is less of me exposed. I love the temperature. It's about 10 or 12 out here now, I think. I like it cooler cos I don't have to take off layers and get exposed to the bugs!

 

I should probably take myself over to the cedar post place and harvest more bark. There isn't much coming in over there that has been cut during bug season when the bark is easy to remove.

 

I love to write. I was thinking lately of writing for the local paper again if they'll have me. I like to do photo journalism, feature articles. I was asked on Saturday about that, why I stopped writing. I do love to describe the things around me, the way the grass bends at the top and bounces and waves in the wind.

 

Here comes the pileated woodpecker. But it's chirping for a long time. Is that the flicker then? I forget. I think the woodpecker chirps when he flies, and a bit when he's at his hole. Someone just drove slowly past. I wonder if someone will stop to pick up my wheely walker chair. They had better not!

 

I hear a nearby duck call, I think. I love hammocks. They are the best way to lie down and to be comfortable! They don't make my back hurt like lying in my bed does.

 

I even have a makeshift outhouse down here. I have a little routine with it, keeping it clean and tidy, too. It's important to have such amenities if you are going to be happy in a place.

 

I sometimes feel sorry for the neighbour whose property line my tipi is near. They are not home much, so I'm not concerned about it, but when I come down and play my violin at 5:30 am, It did occur to me that I just might be being a royl pain in the butt to them! J He's the one that asked me what 'we're going to do about that tipi'. I didn't know what he meant. So he said it was an eyesore. I was dumbfounded. Finally I responded, "Well, it's on our property!" That was the end of that conversation. J

 

 

Another day in the Palmyra temple today

May 16, 2013

Thursday, Palmyra NY

I had a very nice sleep on Jean's couch. It's sunny and I think it's warm outside today. I am so glad that I am still here and can attend the temple again this morning. J)))). This afternoon I'll go see my friend's shop and perhaps go walking in the sacred grove, then I'll go back to the temple for the evening.

 

I am going to see if I can print out the ordinance pages from familysearch.org so I can do some of their work.

 

Willem and I have been asked to meet with the Toronto temple president, so hopefully we can do that on Saturday or on Friday evening.

 

I am so grateful for my temple recommend. I have watched my mind and the things that bug me, or my sins yesterday. I have to learn to make new neural pathways so I don't react the same way as I have been. I really did a lot of judging yesterday. Not a good thing! I'm so glad I saw it and was able to repent of it before it got lodged in my soul. I need to be filled with light, not darkness! J

 

I read something about the law of consecration in a conference talk. It was about how much better it is to go work with 20 people on a service project than to work alone, at times. We need that fellowship. It was interesting how important that fellowship is.

 

I am heading over to the sacred grove now to walk and play my violin before people show up to be there. Gotta be in the 9:30 session, too! J

I’ve done what Thou commanded me

May 15, 2013, Wednesday 11pm

 

I thought it would be interesting to see what I would say at the end of the day to the Lord if I were going to report what I'd done which He had commanded me to do.

 

I read the scriptures as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I forgave the imperfect people around me as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I repented for judging people as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I attended the temple today as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I took and did work for my own family file as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I studied Thy doctrine as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I cultivated cheerfulness where there wasn't a smile as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I attuned my heart to the spirit to be taught from on high as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I wrote in my journal as Thou hast commanded me to do.

Because I prepared a garden in the tipi the other day as Thou hast commanded me to do, Willem was able to plant the soaked beet seeds.

I loaned some money as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I paid attention in the sessions as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I searched my heart as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I leaned myself towards understanding the mysteries of Thy kingdom as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I shared my food as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I prayed sincerely as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I did the temple work for those people whose names I reserved, quickly, as Thou hast commanded me to do.

I am recording my spiritual experiences and they hand in my life by writing in my journal as Thou hast commanded me to do.

May 15, 2013, 7am at Jean’s in Fishers, NY

I wondered how much I am willing to sacrifice for the gospel. What are the things that I am not willing to give up for the Savior to follow Him? What am I attached to? What are the sins that I hold onto?

 

I love having my scriptures as well as all the manuals and general conference reports on my iPod. It is a wonderful thing to do a search on there and come up with all sorts of things I'd not be able to lug around to search through.

 

My favourite scripture is D&C 88:45. The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory in the midst of the power of God.

 

Well, it's one of them. I love the imagery of that one! I also love D&C 88:40:

"For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence, wisdom receiveth wisdom, truth embraceth truth, virtue loveth virtue, light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things.

"He comprehendeth all things and all things are before Him, and all things are round about him and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things re by him and of hi, even God, forever and ever."

"D&C 88:63 is wonderful, too. There is a scripture like it in the New Testament, too.

"Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you, seek me diligently and ye shall find me, ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you.

"64. Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you.

"65. And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation."

And it goes on

"66. Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is Sprit; my spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.

"67. And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things."

In Matt. 6:22 it says "The light is the body of the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

"23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

I don't like being filled with darkness, of any amount. I do have less of it than I did before, as the light is showing up the darkness and I'm able to repent of it as I find it. I don't suppose I really see much of it. I mean there is more darkness in me than the Lord has opened my eyes to seeing at the moment. Baby steps, thank heavens!

I listen to conference tapes and ponder the teachings of the Law of the Gospel contained therein, but I don't read the scriptures so often. I've heard that conference talks are as scripture, so I focus on them. There are many scriptures that I love. As I read that one above, vs 67, I feel that I should pray that I may be filled with light, that I can see the darkness and root it out of myself through repentance, that I might comprehend all things. It's a tall order, but it would be so good for me to be rid of my pockets of darkness. The light causes so much joy.

 

The Lord's sacrifice for me was so great. I cannot comprehend even the smallest bit of what he suffered for me. When I am not filled with joy, that is painful. Such a minor suffering in comparison. I am so grateful that He has taken my sins upon Him that I may be clean. Repentance is such a wonderful blessing. Weaknesses certainly do make me humble! Some of them do. Others that I haven't worked on don't make me humble at all yet. One day.

 

I can't wait to go back and spend the day learning in the temple again today.

Monday 7:30 am

May 13, 2013

 

I decided to go to Palmyra to the temple today. I wasn't sure partway if I should go to Maryjane's tonight and then to the Toronto temple tomorrow in Brampton. I decided I'd go to Palmyra to the temple today, then to Jean's overnight and back to the temple all day tomorrow.

I thought I needed a spiritual boost, which was correct. I was late for the 11 am session, but arrived around 11:30 for the initiatory session. Afterwards I sat in the celestial room soaking in the abundance of the bright spirit.

It was good to get back on track and see where my life was deviating from the Lord's path.

Monday, May 13, 2013

7:38pm

I'm at Jean's near Rochester. We have had a great time this afternoon. We went digging ferns…I played the violin while she dug. We went shopping for some clothes for me to wear to the temple tomorrow as this one is sort of dirty.

 

We went to KFC for dinner and ordered what I thought was a bucket of chicken, It ended up being enough for ten! So I guess there are lots of leftovers now! I'll have to take them to the temple for everyone tomorrow!

 

I feel so comfortable here at Jean's. She's much like me. She's a collector and her house has lots of neat things, quite full, actually. I feel so at home in a cluttered place! It's so much nicer than a clean and tidy place where there's nothing to look at and ponder.