Sunroom Pics

So if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know I've been spending a lot of time in the sunroom. I love it out here but held off until now because the plastic was still covering the screen windows due to the cold, rainy weather we've been having. Then on the hot days, the room heated up so fast it was unbearable.

Well, a few days ago I decided enough was enough. With it being the 3rd week of July already, if the plastic didn't come 0ff now, we may as well leave it up since it's only 7 wks til Labour Day. Yes, already!


This is what I see when I look out the patio door in the dining room. And yes, the sunroom is also used as a storage room.
The black thing on the table is my laptop because that's where I work.

The boys took down the plastic and now I have an extra room to play...er...write in. So much more light and fresh air than in the garage/rec centre. A lot more dust, too but we won't worry about that. I can clean off my laptop just as well as the next person.



If I look up from my laptop and look left, this is what I see in the southeast direction.



So here I am, kidless until Saturday. I'm posting pics of where I am and what I see so you can spend the week with me. I'm in my 'writing cave' this week but it's about the most unlikeliest cave environment ever. Like I said, lots of light, very breezy but comfortably so, trees filled with chattering birds, barn swallows teaching their babies how to fly, and the occasional baler or farm tractor out on the road or field. I even got buzzed by a crop duster the other day. Didn't like that.

This is the view if I look more to the left which is in a northeasterly direction. Behind the flowers are a row of mugo pines which divide the patio from the driveway.

Okay, enough procrastinating. I have a manuscrip to crit and a suspense novel, Silent Keeper, to write...

...now see - hubby's off work today and he knows I'm working but I just caught a movement at the corner of my eye and there's these hands waving above the mugo pines and yup, Nelson's just appeared, grinning, and hands still waving, as he heads south toward the front of the house. And here I thought I was kidless this week...

Pretty, But it Must Go

So there I was yesterday, preparing Chap 1 of Silent Keeper for emailing to my critique partner when the little guy runs in and shouts, ‘Dad’s taking down the fence by the garden!”

“What? Why?”

“He wants to get the Kubota in there!” Slam.

Ever the reporter, I grabbed my camera and rushed outside. I knew what he was doing – he was clearing the ridiculous amount of big yellow … weeds that took over our garden this year when we didn’t use it.

Since I’ve been concentrating on writing, I let Nelson and the boys take care of the outside work including the garden and…well...

These pics show Nelson tackling the yellow…stuff. I’m not sure what the weed is but I can find out if anyone wants to know. Anyway at one point, Nelson got off the Kubota and started looking digging around.

He finally emerged with one of the tractor seat stool. Isn't it amazing what you can find growing in a garden these days? Actually, I bought 2 of these stools at an auction for 2 bucks a piece years ago. The ‘fitted’ seats are very comfy.

Now that he's got the weeds cleared off, Nelson will rototill it. Then, the little guy and I are going to start hauling compost from the huge pile that's been sitting out back for about 5 yrs. Water drains through the garden soil so fast, we're hoping the compost will slow it down enough to benefit the plants. So by the time next spring rolls around, the garden will be ready to try again.

Has your garden or lawn ever looked like this? Have you needed equipment 'bigger' than an lawnmower or rototiller to clear it out? What was the end result?


Update:
My efriend, Katherine commented that she thought the yellow stuff might be canola - LOL - This is the view from my living room and porch windows. It's the view I see whenever I open my door and step outside. The view is 104 acres of canola growing on the organic land we rent out to a friend. And yes, people do pay money for canola (used to be called rape or rapeseed). It's an important oilseed sold around the world. I'm not sure in other parts of Canada or the US, but here on the prairies, canola oil outsells any other vegetable oil on the market for cooking and baking purposes.

Thank you Kay, for letting me brag on the qualities of this important prairie grain. And I have to admit, I actually thought it was canola as I passed the fence on a daily basis. But when I watched Nelson cut it down, I saw that instead of the leaves beeing like a large radish, they were fine and silky like dill. But that's an awful good guess, Kay.

Actually, I have a new book (so many books I even ordered one twice) that I'll give away to the first person who correctly guesses what the yellow stuff is.

Photos on a close up of the yellow stuff and a photo on the book giveaway will be up soon.

You have until the end of July (July 31st) to guess.

Update: I have a winner - Lynne over on my eHarlequin blog guessed wild mustard and she's absolutely correct.

It's Never Dull Here

It's Saturday morning and I'm hosting Vince Mooney over on the Chicks blog today. Awesome post about emotionally rewarding your reader. Is that really the secret to Nora Roberts' success?

Yesterday I slipped down to my ND post office box to pick up a Sony eReader I'm test driving. I could have had it mailed to my home address but it would've taken another 2 wks by the time it crossed the border and I only have it until the end of Sept. My first obsevation is that the screen isn't backlit so I need supplemental lighting to read in the dark. Or if there is a light, I can't find it so someone please tell me how to find it.

Nick comes back from camp tomorrow which means a week with both boys home before they head off again. It was nice with just the little guy this past week. He used earphones when on the computer and I went to write in the Rec Centre when he wanted to play the Wii in the living room.

Funny thing happened overnight. Nelson said the power went off at some point and when it came back, some of it stayed off. So we have 90% of the outlets working. However, the water pump isn't working in the basement and in the kitchen we have no stove or microwave, yet the fridge is fine. The kitchen is in the original portion of the house and for some outlets, the top part works but not the bottom. They seem to be hooked up to 2 different breakers which is really weird. The power bar in the dining room which has Nelson's laptop, the answering machine, TV, stereo, etc is not working but the computer in the opposite corner is fine. The outlet where we charge our cell phones is a bust. We have a booster there which boosts the signal otherwise our phones would deplete over the course of a day while it searched for a signal. Already today, my cell has run out of power. :( Thank goodness Nelson is off work today so he can figure out how to fix this power problem.

So, how's your weekend so far? Going like you planned? Wanted?

Snow in July?

Actually, it's a very heavy frost. Look at the van!

I've haven't had the heart to go look at my patio flowers since hubby took this photo yesterday morning. Yes, I know the date says it's the 15th but Nelson was up early for work and still kinda dozey. :)

The days have been hovering around 18C/68F but this frost is totally ridiculous.

Early July Happenings

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Here in Montmartre, SK the sky was cloudy and drizzly but it didn't dampen the spirits of those coming to attend the 100 year celebrations.

I stayed home. Since we've only been living here 10 yrs, we don't have ourselves invested into the history of the Rural Municipality (RM) as much as the long-standing citizens. So the boys went, but I stayed to get some plotting done.

Today after church, however, I stopped in to take a few pics of the new replica of the Eiffel Tower. There's rumours going around that it will be taken down because of the threat of kids climbing on it. I wonder if the RM's insurance rates will skyrocket because of the structure. We'll have to see.

Anyway, there's been a change at home as I'll be dropping off both boys at camp on Monday which leaves me kidless for the week. Yay!

I'm also participating with eHarlequin's JunoWriMo Challenge. My goal is to write 3,000 words a day starting Tues once the kids are at camp. I'll let you know how I do.

So, how do you like writing in the summer? No problem? Or would you rather be enjoying the summer?

Happy Birthday, America

To all my American friends, I'd like to wish the best birthday ever!

Imagine, 233 yrs ago today, you fought for Independence against England - and won!

From my point of view on this side of our long-standing border, the American people have grown strong in body, mind and spirit. And I'm very glad to call so many of you my friends and relatives. *waving to Judy

Happy Birthday, America. May God keep your nation strong.

It's Canada Day!

I'm sure there are parades happening all over the country today and I hope for dry skies for all the firework shows.

But here in Montmartre, SK the parade happens on Saturday when the Rural Municipality we live in celebrates its centennial year. Called 'Paris of the Prairies', a 28 foot replica of the Eiffel Tower has been installed downtown. Plus, an 8 foot replica beside the highway draws attention to the local electronics store. Here's a photo of the 3 foot version available for homeowners. And yes, they're all made of metal.

In case you're wondering why Paris and the Eiffel Tower - Montmartre, Saskatchewan is paired with Montmartre, a community in Paris. I did a web search and found this tidbit on Montmartre, France:

The area where Renoir, French Cancan and Van Gogh (among others) all came of age...
Still a little village in the big city, Montmartre borders the Red Light district (Pigalle) to the south, and the less than tourist-friendly Saint-Ouen neighborhood to the north. Therefore caution is needed when making hotel arrangements.

Well now, isn't that an interesting tidbit for a romance writer, eh.

No matter how you celebrate today (in Canada) or on the 4th of July (in the US), thank God for giving our forefathers the wisdom to create these great democratic countries where we can celebrate, or not, as we wish.

So, whatcha gonna do to celebrate? Huh?

After reading Captain Hook's comment, I realize I meant to say, 'What are you doing to celebrate either national day?'