112/365 Lunch

It was a hot one today. Temps hit 24C but I am sure it was much warmer on this south facing deck. Spent the morning on the yard again and enjoyed our first lunch on the deck this year. The snow is almost completely gone and the pool tarp will be off soon. 

 111/365 Bird Bath

Another afternoon in the back yard cleaning up, trimming and cleaning out the bird bath. The birds have returned. 

 110/365 Soon!

We were out in the yard for a few hours yesterday and will be for more today. Expect lots of yard photos. 

 109/365 Flour

Jesse turned the mixmaster on high right after adding flour. It went everywhere and was pretty funny.

 108/365 Finished

We gave Lucy this lego set for Christmas. Every time she comes over she works on it a bit....then Emma takes a bit of it apart and Lucy works on it some more. Today it is officially finished and Lucy is feeling pretty good about that. It will now take its place on the large window ledge in the basement with her other lego sets adding to her village - playground, candy store and now hospital with an elevator and helicopter with landing pad. 

I love lego! So good for the mind. 

107/365 Pease Lily (Spathiphyllum)

I was about 15 years old (almost 55 years ago) when my sister Tanis, who was very, very sick with cancer, asked me to buy a Christmas present for Mom. My Mom was her 24/7 caregiver for a few years thru her treatments and it was a very difficult time. Tanis wanted to have something special for Mom for Christmas but she was pretty much bedridden. She handed me some cash and I headed down to The Bay to find something and all I could really find in budget was this small Peace Lily.  Tanis was happy and my Mom very touched Christmas morning. Mom nurtured that plant and it grew to be a beautiful large plant that faithfully bloomed and I suppose served as a memory of the daughter she lost. That plant moved with Mom across Canada to Victoria and over the next 50 years, each of us surviving 6 siblings enjoyed pieces of it from time to time. I could never keep mine alive but I sure admired Mom's when visiting her in Victoria. 

This fall my brother arrived at our new home here in Oakbank with another piece of the original plant. This is probably a piece of a piece if a piece of the original bought in the basement of The Bay. I was nervous at first because I have killed a couple of these. However, I am no longer homeschooling 4 kids or working and I have time. Time to water it with filtered water and to carefully feed it. Time to figure out I need to keep it away from the heating vent or the cold window and protect it from my penchant to overwater. I am trying. 

And this week it bloomed! 

 106/365 Oreo Cookies

How do you eat your Oreo cookies??

 105/365 New Planter

Excited to get this new planter filled with tomatoes, herbs and a few other vegetables. 

 104/365  How can this be?

Yesterday I was back there in a sweater raking up leaves and cleaning out flower pots. This too shall pass.  

 103/365 Artist in the Making

 102/365 French Toast

Jesse made french toast for the gang for supper tonight. He said he felt like breakfast for supper so french toast it was. He cracked open 7 eggs and not one shell got in there. He was so proud! Me too! 

 101/365 Superfood

I am making home made yogurt with superfood probiotic L Gasseri today (and other probiotics to help it along). It will percolate in the cooker on "proof" ~ 100 F for 36 hours. It needs that long to really grow and do its thing. 

 100/365 Bowling

While the rest of the fam are watching the Artemis crew return to Earth! 

And here we are on the 100th day of 2026. 

 99/365 Painting

 98/365 Just Do It

Colonoscopy today. If you are over 60 it would be wise to make this an every five year event. :) Not a big deal. Snapped this with my iPhone just before they wheeled me away. Almost posted a snow photo (2 inches last night) but this was much more creative and I am rather done with snow!! 

 97/365 Cedar Waxwing

There is an ornamental cherry tree just outside my office window. It was covered in dried berries until the cedar waxwings arrived - about 300 of them - and ate all the berries. 

 96/365 Robin

Spring is here despite a little snow yesterday.

 95/365 Happy Easter! 

 94/365 Solid Potato Salad

Lucy has been wowing us with her gymnastics moves - she is soooo flexible. So Grandpa had to show them this 1944 video performed by the Ross sisters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oMSKJHPzxc

By the time they left our house Lucy had her back walkover down pat! 

 93/365 Waiting for our Robin to return

Last year we watched her raise four babies. Spring is such a wonderful time of year. 

Today is Good Friday because our Saviour went to the cross for us. He suffered for us. he paid a debt we could never pay for us. That is Good! 

 92/365 Lucy  ~ Sweet, caring, compassionate and feisty all wrapped up in our creative, blue eyed redhead. I now have an updated portrait for the dining room wall of love. 

 91/365 Easter Tree

Emma decorated and undecorated our easter Tree several times today....

 90/365 Amazon

I really do appreciate Amazon. It is super convenient when needing an item, to find it on my computer and then have that item on my doorstep a day or two later. Does it make me shop more? Probably. It is particularly convenient since moving to a rural location. Our trips into the city are efficiently planned. 

At the same time, I acknowledging the valid concerns others have about Amazons corporate practices - treatment of employees etc.  I would much rather support a local business, and I do when I can.

While the criticisms regarding labor and market dominance are important conversations to have, the practicality and efficiency of Amazon cannot be denied. I like to think I balance the convenience and ease with a conscious effort to support local shops when possible. 

That said...there is a little excitement when the Amazon driver pulls into my driveway. It reminds me of Mr. Telerico delivering our vegetables every Wednesday am when I was a little girl. My eyes got pretty big when he pulled that wad of bills out of his pocket. Or the milkman giving us a little piece of dry ice so we could put it in water and watch it smoke up. Home delivery was very common. My Mom didn't have a car or drive and she had nine mouths to feed so when Tomboy delivered, it was very much appreciated. Remember the Eaton's catalogue and those big blue trucks? 

On another note, it is the last day of March and it is snowing. No blizzard thankfully. 

And I really like that my office in our new house gets to watch the house build across the street and all the kids heading to the school bus....and the park....and the Amazon van arriving.

 89/365 Norah

 88/365 Post Banana Split Laughs

 87/365 Eva

 86/365 Diving Board

Trying to be patient here but surely waiting for the day all this snow is gone! I have to remind myself that it is still March and she came in like a lamb. 

 85/365 Isla

We had such a good visit. I miss this little one so much. But I now have an updated photo for the dining room wall. 

 84/365 New Paints

Look what my family bought me for my birthday. Along with a stack of beautiful water colour paper. 

I played with these paints most of today :) 

 83/365 Heading Home

So thankful these little people are such great travellers. Jesse really likes to sit with grandma. :) 

 82/365 Hot Tub

How many cousins can you get into one hot tub?

 81/365 Norah is Baptized! 

So blessed and thankful we could all be here for this very special day. 

 80/365 Games

We played all sorts of card games and group interactive games that all ages could be part of. Jesse had a blast playing foosball on Team Aunt Allison. 

 79/365 Pool Fun

Five days after arrival the hot temps arrived and we spent a whole lot of time in the pool.  Isla loves the water. Such freedom for her. Here she is showing me her ballet moves. :) 

 78/365 The Ft Worth Zoo

Another five hour day with a ton of people but so much to see. 

 77/365 Perot Museum

We spent 5 hours there and I have about 30 photos of all the fun and learning. 

 76/376 Rope Course Class

Photo courtesy of Eva since that is Grandma at the end. 

I finished! 

 75/365 Grandma's birthday

It was a royal celebration! 

 74/365 Norah's Bd

It was very exciting to all be together to celebrate Norah's 14th birthday. 

 73/365 Feeding the Crowd

The real fun starts after the kitchen is stocked. We were both extremely tired shopping for 14 on 5 hrs sleep and a lot of  excitement. 

 72/365 Up and On Our Way

Nine of us are on our way to see the cousins in Texas for 10 days. 

 71/365 Bird Bath

Hoping to be able to clean this out, fill it with fresh water and listen to those birds soon. 

 70/365 Diving Board

Nine weeks! I hope to be diving off this board in 9 weeks! Maybe 10, but aiming for nine.

 69/365 Close One

Our days occasionally start with a poached egg on toast and a game of cribbage.... I lost. His crib, I led a six and he had a six. 

 68/365 Light

 67/365 Pilgrim Girl

I have photographed the four oldest grand girls in this Pilgrim outfit brought home from a trip to Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

 66/365 Church History

Reading in the streams of sunlight. 

 65/365 First Rise

One of those happy moments in life when the first rise happens so beautifully (even when you snuck in some bran to the whole wheat part) and then you get to punch it down and start creating buns and loaves and whatever your heart desires. sigh.....

 64/365 Elephant

Our dear friend Ken brought this back from Africa. Ken has gone home to be with the Lord. We miss him but are thankful for this little remembrance that sits on the living room shelf.