Winter, Spring and Summer

 

 

 

Our Maritime winter started very slowly.  We had lots of rain but really no snow to speak of.  The end of January came and I flew home to visit my mom who had fallen and was in the hospital.  I expected to be gone for 2 or 3 weeks but that turned into 2 months.  The Ontario winter wasn't too bad but it was something altogether different back home in Nova Scotia.  Michael was faced with ice, ice and more ice.  He lost count of the number of times the driveway was sanded.
 

Spring was really slow coming with our nights in the single digit right through June.  It was so bad in the spring that we were buying blueberries as food for the robins who couldn't break through the ground in search of worms and bugs.  We thought we would never feel the heat of summer.  Slowly it started to get warmer. The apple trees blossomed, grass turned green, daisies grew in the meadow, daffodils pushed through the ground and turned their beautiful yellow faces toward the sun, lupins came up by the old rock and wild roses bloomed everywhere on the property.

We love the little red squirrels that come to the feeders.  They provide entertainment for the dogs who try to catch them and cost us a small fortune in sunflower seeds that we put out for the birds.  We had a couple set up home in the barn last fall and that was okay.  They didn't do any damage that we can see except for the mess from all the pinecones they brought in for the winter.  However, when momma brought her babies into our attic and we listened to gnawing and racing around we knew something had to be done.  After finding their entrance we set up a live trap baited with peanut butter.  You can imagine how excited we were when we caught our first one.  We were told to take it 20 km away from the house so off on a road trip we went to let the squirrel go.  In all we trapped and moved 5 peanut butter covered squirrels.  Finally the house was quiet and after 5 days we sealed up their entrance.

We had a visitor to our window boxes....a baby hummingbird.  The little thing was very tiny and seemed to still be learning how to use its wings.  There was an adult male dive bombing it so I sat on the deck for quite a while to try to keep it safe.  I am so glad I took the time to get my camera and take these pictures.  He has found the feeder now and has not returned to the planter.





     

 

 

Finally, the downstairs hall is finished except for baseboards and the stairs.  The drywall, mudding and sanding, and mudding and sanding, and mudding and sanding went on all winter.  Dust was everywhere and as soon as I cleaned it up there was more sanding and more cleaning.  I knew it would be a messy job but that still didn't prepare me for the reality of it.  Oh well, it is done now, the hardwood floor is down and everything looks great.  I just need to hang pictures and tweet some little things.  The before and after pictures show the dramatic change we made.  This really is our home, very comfortable and suits us very well.

 

 

 

Yesterday was a beautiful day so before dinner I took the dogs and a glass of wine down to the ocean.  This is such a beautiful property with amazing views out to the ocean.  There was a breeze that kept the bugs away and it was warm without being too hot.....just one of those perfect days you want to hold on to.

 

 

As I sat there, I was remembering another day quite like this one when I was down here with my Bose speaker, Ipod, my Kindle and a glass of wine.  I was thoroughly enjoying myself, reading a good book, sipping a great wine and listening to Japanese flute music...yes, I love Japanese flute music.  A good friend introduced me to it many years ago and it is still one of my favorite types of music.  Well, you know when you can feel someone looking at you...I had that feeling and looked up to see a seal bobbing in the ocean staring at me.  Being naturally curious, I suspect that it was intrigued with the music and came to investigate...perhaps another fan of flute music.  It was a very special moment.  Enough of that story and back to yesterday.  I love watching the gulls and cormorants and am always on the lookout for the seals.  The tides still fascinate me and I expect they always will.  The shoreline changes constantly throughout the day and it is something I never tire of looking at.  I watched the sea mist come in from the open ocean and I felt the air cool down dramatically.  I hated to leave but my wine was gone, I was getting cold and the dogs were getting hungry for dinner. There is always another day to wander back down and enjoy it all over again.