Just A Swingin'

As promised, pictures of Iain's swing-building. In the first photo, you can see the disassembled bits of the old swing off to the side. It was originally built by my dad back in the 70's, but the supports had rotted to the point where Iain couldn't repair them anymore. He used the metal components to make the new one, which is sturdy as the rock of Gibraltar due to the usual Fullerton over-engineering (he calls it that, not me - I like it just fine!). It was sad to lose the old one, but its day was truly done. Iain hopes to finish the work this weekend, but because it is mostly pressure-treated wood, we won't paint it until next year.

Eye Wear

My deep-end friend Wendy had a post the other day about her visit to her eye doctor, and since I work for optometrists I took a keen interest! For one thing, I noted that eye exams are much costlier in the city (our guys charge $85). The glasses sound slightly pricier as well, though it is hard to be sure when you don't know the exact type of lenses.

What interested me most was Dave's comment about intraocular lenses as a fix for presbyopia; so I talked to one of my bosses to get his take on them. He says this is mainly being done in the States right now, and the lens is much like a bifocal contact lens - concentric rings, with both powers present in the lens. Based on that, I think I'll be waiting for a better fix; I have tried the bifocal contacts and absolutely hate them. Bad vision all the time was my experience. I'll wait for a better lens. Meanwhile, there are lots of funky glasses to wear!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Iain has been giving me a VERY hard time about not blogging lately, but I've just been having SO MUCH FUN puttering around the house on my week off! No, I'm not kidding. Seriously.

Here is a small pictorial tour of the last three weeks:

These are pictures of the well-developed mammatus clouds we saw on July 26.

We expected a devil of a storm, but just about everything went around us.

My new first-cousin-twice-removed, Taylor, new sister of Hope and daughter of Steph and Steve. She's 4 days old here - what a cutie!

Iain in fine form at the horseshoe tourney.

I have to admit to not taking many pictures the week of our holidays, especially since Iain started building the new two-seater swing, and got it half done! I WILL take a pic this weekend so you can admire his handiwork.

Our snowball bush

And I had to run outside and snap this photo just now, of our hydrangea. Only its second year in the back yard, and it is doing so well! Much better than our rose bushes, which I must have screwed up somehow...lots of green, no blooms :(

What am I?

I left my wildflower identification book at the cottage, and I forgot I'd taken these pictures there. Now, if I could show these to Irene G., she'd know what it is (and if she didn't, Iain says she'd make it up), but maybe someone else can tell me? Anyway, just posting them because (a) I haven't been taking time to post, lately, and it's something I like to do, and (2) I thought they were pretty!

Not only ripped off at the pumps...

Iain receives a newsletter/commentary from a BMO financial advisor, Frank Lambros. His latest missive, entitled "Uh Oh… The Price Is Still Wrong" points out that although the Canadian dollar has averaged a value of $.988 US over the last year, the price gap on goods between here and south of the 49th is still huge, averaging 18% (!!!!??)

Here' s his list:

So where is the extra cash going? I would assume straight into the pockets of the retaillers, but I wish I knew.

Whither has thou gone, nice weather?

As of tomorrow, Iain and I have 19 years of married life behind us. Strange how a lifetime flies by. So many memories, and changes. I think I want 19 more.
We're at the cottage, which we often are for our anniversary, and the weather is not cooperating as much as I'd like. It has been rainy and cold by turns. Yesterday seemed a good day to go for a drive, and we took a tour to Pembroke, where I haven't visited for years. For fun, we took some sideroads, and discovered that our map was sadly out-of-date, though we did find our way after a bit. This occasioned the purchase of a new map at the Canadian Tire.
New maps show all the roads, but they don't make very clear how good/bad they are. We ended up on Dore Bay Road, which devolved into a bush track. At the top of one very rocky and washed out hill, we paused to turn back. Fortunately a nice local man (and his truckful of camo-clad companions) happened along at just that moment. They knew the road, and we followed them to the end, where they sent us on in the right direction. We took some more interesting roads on the way home. Wildlife spotted: Marsh Hawk - and that's about it, except for numerous dogs, cattle, and a couple of domesticated turkeys out for a stroll. Some evidence of unseen wildlife: large logs with bark stripped by beavers (felled during the ice storm in April, they were obviously found food for the beavers).
Today is shaping up to be warm and mostly sunny, so we will be staying put.

Victoria Day Weekend...right....

We've had some cold Victoria Days in my life, but this is the first one where I remember snow actually accumulating on the ground! We drove home this morning through a virtual blizzard. It was when we saw these big flakes that we decided it was time to move out. Poor little hummingbirds!

And on the subject of "Why can't we all just get along?"...

Go here for a lovely presentation on how to do it!

Political Prayer

I got an email today from a friend who would like me to go to the Ontario Legislature's site to voice my opinion, as a Christian, on Dalton McGuinty's plan to remove the saying of the Lord's Prayer before legislature. I probably should do it, but I don't think my opinion is the one she would expect me to have, because I don't think they should be doing prayers before the house, and my reason is biblically based. In Matthew chapter 6 verse 5, Jesus tells his followers to not pray in public for show, but to do so privately. He didn't have much time for hypocrites, and this situation looks like politicians trying to look good with their constituents, not real concern for their need for God's guidance.

Hard at work

In his spare time, Iain is working away at the spare bedroom, which is becoming our dressing room.
He's securing the spacers for the drawers, in these pictures.
The backyard is alive with birds these days, mostly grackles, redwing blackbirds and mourning doves. The occasional squirrel visits as well.
Stitches is usually in one of the windows in the morning, watching them, but this afternoon she is relaxing in her favourite chair.