Garden Tour and Other Stuff

The last of the lilies to bloom. They're so pretty! And poppies, sweetpeas, hydrangeas, nasturtiums, globe thistles, and more.

The Virginia Creeper has started to turn red ... a sure indicator that summer is nearing its end ... bah humbug.

The fungus growing on the birch tree stump in the middle of the yard has grown another layer. Fascinating, I think (scroll down to see the photo near the bottom of this post).

And don't you think the bit of stump that we use as a plant stand on the deck looks like one of the characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas?! I love it! The photo is at the bottom of this post.

To tell you the truth, our garden has been quite badly neglected this year, we've been so focused on house painting and other things.

This week I also got to see Wicked, by the way! I really enjoyed it. I had read the book several years ago, long before it was ever made into a Broadway musical. I still recommend the book.

I also just finished reading "The Help" and I look forward to seeing the movie. Good book. Probably pretty stereotypical characters for the most part but an interesting and stunningly awful part of history.

I'm satisfied that Luke and I got some quality time together before he has to leave. We ran a few errands one day to get him some back-to-school basics and enjoyed talking and laughing while we drove from place to place. I need that bit of depth with my kids from time to time. We didn't get to see Harry Potter together as planned. Oh, well.

And I lost about a day and a half being sick ... as in sick to my stomach for no apparent reason ... meaning not likely something I consumed nor a flu. It was just like that time about a month ago where I was so sick. This time, at least, I recognized it before I lost it and just stayed still. Eventually it passed without me losing it but it was a bit of a battle and it took me several more hours of sleep and some additional rest before I felt able to function again. And then there was a bit of exhaustion. It's been a busy time.

Garden Tour and Other Stuff

The Ex

A break from painting. Kevin and I went to the Ex Saturday night with Kelly and Chantelle. We hadn't been for a long time and a lot has changed. Doukhobor bread was still there, though. And spudnuts. New to me was "taco in a bag". Kind of good. Lots of people.

Lots of crazy people. We didn't go on any rides but enjoyed walking around the midway. Lineups were really long for some of the rides.

We checked out the exhibits and the marketplace. The Shamwow and slap-chop guy wasn't there oddly enough. We tried out the vibrating exercise machine, the excerise ball/bike combo thing, and the electric back massager, which is a very popular item at the Ex. We tried on hats, admired purses, and Chantelle tested the amazing pillows, she being a bit of a pillow connoisseur.

We laughed at the hypnotist ... or moreso at the people who were hypnotized. We marveled at the guy who got shot out of a cannon. There were no photos allowed of the art and craft displays so I can't show you any photos of some of the beautiful quilts that were on display. We enjoyed the "History of the Exhibition" display. Lash La Rue! Ha!

The fireworks were pretty. And we had such a laugh at this abandoned and wrecked stuffed duck. The Ex isn't for everyone, you know.

And then we spent a substantial amount of time in traffic trying to escape the Ex. I can't believe the powers that be make it such a nightmare. There's surely a better way to manage traffic than that. Between Kelly's driving prowess and Kevin's knowledge of back lanes, we got out quicker than we would have otherwise.

The Ex

House Painting - Not For The Timid

We've been busy. Mostly with this house painting business. Scaffolding, ladders, steep roof pitches, cutting in, rolling, trim, cleaning brushes, rollers, and trays. We won't be doing this again. Next time we'll hire professionals. Crazy. I don't expect we'll get the whole house painted this year. If we can get the back (which is the most time consuming and complex) done and the sides (one side left), we'll be happy. Today even I was painting up on the roof and I must say I was moving VERY carefully and VERY slowly. I'm not sure I would have been comfortable up there before I lost the feeling in my feet and I certainly was a little uncertain now. Still, I'm pleased with myself that I was able to get up there and help a little. Kevin is crazy. He crawls around up there fearlessly. Luke, like his Mom, is not quite so comfortable making like a monkey.

Luke leaves for Kentucky early Tuesday morning. Sad me.

House Painting - Not For The Timid

A Little Freshening Up

There's no stopping now. We started painting the house. We. Haha. Okay, NOT "we". Kevin and Luke started painting the house. First the prep work, of course, with a power washer and the orbital sander. And then testing paint colours.

We wanted pretty much the same butter yellow we had before but it's not easy to match. What we've settled on is a more yellow butter. You can see the difference in the photo of the back of our eyebrowless house. It looks like it had chemo, too. Anyway, you can see that the back of the house is more yellowish. I hope Luke can get a lot of painting done in this last week at home.

I've been playing a mere supporting role. Resident meal maker, house cleaner, grocery shopper, paint-picker-upper, clothes washer, drink deliverer.

And here's a garden tour. I'm so happy to have sweetpeas. They're not yet abundant and, alarmingly, the fist blooms - the deep pink ones - didn'd have any scent! I was SO disappointed because, for me, the scent is the whole purpose of sweetpeas, never mind that they're also very pretty. I'm happy, though, that the other colours are scented.

At one time I counted FIVE bees on a single globe thistle flower at one time! It's always very popular with the bees, as is the ligularia (the tall spiky yellow flowers from a previous post).

Note the weeds among my strawberries. I have no shame.

A Little Freshening Up

Pinterest! Not Just Fun. Useful, Too!

I know you've seen this before. It's the quilt top I completed last week on my "quilt vacation".

What I want to share, though, is how I've been shopping for backing fabric ... from home. It's not an exact science, of course, but it does give me some ideas to work with. Besides, the fabric photos are beautiful to look at and there are some I've "pinned" on this board that I'm actually less interested in as backing fabric and more for the front of another quilt in the same colour family using some of the leftover fabrics from this one. So much beautiful fabric ... so little time!

I've been using Pinterest to keep track of my favourite fabric options. I use it for keeping track of all kinds of quilting information. When I see a photo of a quilt I admire or fabric I like or a book I might want to read someday or a recipe I might want to make or ... or anything for that matter ... I pin it so I can easily find it later. It beats the heck out of bookmarks because it's visual. If you're not familiar with Pinterest, check out my board of possible backing fabric for this quilt.

Check out my Extreme Cuteness Board for some images that will surely warm your heart. And for some giggles and deep thoughts, check out my Gotta Laugh Gotta Think Board.

Pinterest! Not Just Fun. Useful, Too!

I Think We're Getting a Roundabout!

That's what this looks like, doesn't it? I think it's a great idea for this residential intersection at MacPherson and 9th. Over the past 20+ years that we've lived here, I can't begin to count the number of times we hear screeching tires and, sometimes, crunching metal ... all at this intersection. People speed down 9th to avoid 8th street and get to the freeway. People speed down MacPherson off the freeway via 8th to to access a rather large residential area. It's always been an accident waiting to happen, so to speak.

Over the years it's gone from an uncontrolled intersection to a yield sign going one direction. Then recently, they put a stop sign but not where the yield sign had been ... they put it for the other direction, which, of course makes it still a dangerous intersection. And now this. This is the best option yet, I think, though it's quite incredible to see how many drivers are going around the wrong side of the roundabout. Maybe when it stops looking like a road construction project, people will get it.

I Think We're Getting a Roundabout!

The Early Detection and Prevention of Lymphedema

I'm very glad to see more research being done on lymphedema. In our cancer care system, at least, there's very little attention paid to it (in my experience) and yet I know and hear of massage therapists who specialize in lymphatic massage say they can usually prevent the condition from developing if they are able to work with someone at risk within a few weeks of their surgery and/or radiation treatments. Because of the loss of quality of life (and interference with employment, too, for example) and the medical costs of dealing with what can be irreversible, you would think our health systems would put a little more emphasis on including early detection and prevention as part of breast cancer treatment protocols.

With that in mind, I am really glad to see this report.

Please follow the link to download the report on lymphedema.

LATESTBreastCancer Blog: The Breast Cancer News Update: July 28:

"Lymphedema is a painful arm swelling caused by lymphatic fluid accumulation. It is most commonly associated with axillary lymph node dissection, but can be caused by any treatment which damages the lymphatic system. It is universally recognized that early detection and treatment yields the best results.

Yesterday, an expert panel convened by the Avon Foundation for Women, the Lymphatic Research Foundation and the National Lymphatic Network issued a white paper on lymphedema detection and care. Both the white paper and a PR Newswire press release may be found on the axillary lymph node dissection page of our website.

Typically, lymphedema is not detected until discomfort is present or swelling is visible. The white paper reviews the recent research and recommends pre-treatment baseline measurement and continuous monitoring post-treatment to detect lymphedema before visible swelling and discomfort. This is a novel recommendation. For example, the National Cancer Institute publishes a comprehensive summary of lymphedema (link), but the only preventative measure suggested is notifying your doctor if you notice signs of lymphedema such as discomfort and swelling.

In addition to early detection, the benefits of physical therapy, weight bearing exercise the compression sleeves are also discussed in the paper.

Breast cancer patients facing surgery or radiation may want to print the white paper and/or press release and discuss baseline measurements, post-treatment monitoring, exercise, compression sleeves and other lymphedema prevention techniques with their doctors. With proper monitoring, lymphedema may be detected and treated before obvious symptoms appear."

The Early Detection and Prevention of Lymphedema

High Fiber Intake Lowers Breast Cancer Risk

High Fiber Intake Lowers Breast Cancer Risk:

"Women who want to lower their risk of developing breast cancer should seriously consider increasing their intake of dietary fiber. A study reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that those who consumed the most fiber had an 11% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who ate the least.

The authors stressed that according to their findings, it appears that a high dietary fiber intake is linked to better overall health, which possibly lowers breast cancer risk, rather than just the fiber itself lowering risk.

Approximately 1 in every 8 women in the USA develops breast cancer, and between 20% and 25% of them die from the disease."

Fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and pulses are all good sources of fibre as are whole grains and brown rice.

Read more at the above link.

High Fiber Intake Lowers Breast Cancer Risk

Guess Who Came Home?!

Luke, of course! And almost immediately there were a bunch of friends congregated at our house. Ahhhhh ... Love the sound of our kids and their friends in the house!

Luke is home for 2 weeks before he has to head back to Louisville, Kentucky for university. His Junior A lacrosse team in Victoria, the Shamrocks, got bumped out of the playoffs. He's going to give our house a fresh coat of paint while he's home - a paying job. We're sticking with the same butter yellow. We still like it.

Guess Who Came Home?!