Another Tuesday has rolled around. So yesterday I checked my calendar to see what exciting things Peter and I have been doing over the past week that I could tell you about. And possibly make you smile.
We have our grand dog Venus here all week as her parents put their house up for sale: cleaning carpets, staging furniture and having showings. So far there have been no offers. Venus follows me around, from kitchen to bathroom to laundry room, hinting that she wants to play ball outside. I throw the ball and she, a senior in dog years, catches it and then lies down for a nap.
Venus naps while I wait…
Meanwhile the house next door has been finished and gone on the real estate market for 5 million dollars. (Well it does have a car elevator, you know). There have been no showings that we have seen, but more important than that; there has been No Open House! How unfair is that for neighbours like us who have been watching this jagged structure grow into a behemoth for over 3 years? Now we don’t even get to see inside??
The house next door.. by appointment only.
The curling season began this past week and only 3 of my team members showed up. The 4th one had Covid. We sweated and struggled our way up and back on the ice for 6 ends, and lost by one point. My fitness classes also began and the new teacher is a tyrant. “Don’t walk, run! Jumping Jacks – Faster! Weights: only wimps use the 2-pound ones! No time to waste! Do you really Need a water break?”
The gardening season has come to an end and the only produce Peter brings me now are green tomatoes, bok choy with holey leaves from insect attacks, and squash with large mouthfuls missing. The begonias and geraniums have been bitten by frosty nights and the leaves are turning brown.
Green tomatoes and frost-bitten leaves
I had a dentist appointment for a rather large cavity, beginning with a painful anesthetic needle. Then I had to order a new mouth guard for grinding teeth. I had a doctor’s appointment to renew prescriptions. Her patient before me had a big issue and I waited quite a while, without the novel I was reading, which I had left in the car.
In the news: hurricanes and floods batter the winter holiday destination of Americans. The politics of our neighbours to the south continue to be surreal: Trump slurring his words, dancing on stage for 39 minutes, calling his opponent a cat lady, while she can’t seem to get an edge with the black population. Meanwhile, in our own country, several of Trudeau’s MP’s are anxious to dump him for… whom?
Was this a good week, all things considered? Honestly, when I look back at my week, and compare my situation to other places in the world, problems and issues pale in comparison. So I’m going to step outside, take in a breath of fresh fall air, have a look at the gorgeous trees. And smile! I hope you can do the same.
Sue
Seventy In the City 
Venus looks like she’s easy to look after in spite of her size. The house next door is an expensive, ugly box that probably isn’t that imaginative inside so don’t feel bad that you can’t see it. At this time of year there won’t be a lot of interest so they’ll eventually have to hold an open house.
At least Peter got tomatoes during the summer. Gary only managed to grow a few Tiny Tims and just bought a bunch of real ones at the store. I have to do something with them before they go bad as there are only so many you can put in salads. I hope that you’re enjoying this surprise Indian Summer we’ve been having.
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Well, at least life is seldom boring for an explorer/adventurer, is it, Sue. Perhaps a laugh:
I’ve been fishing this fine week…
Story alert: each spring, I buy 10 feeder fish at Big Al’s to stock my garden pool. Cherry-picking not allowed. Feeder goldfish fish are destined as piranha food, so I feel good about a rescue, and sometimes the boys will scoop up the prettiest for me. Not this time. Just one big hurried scoop and a mound of writhing souls. Admittedly, I do not usually overwinter them, and often they fall asleep for good in a hard winter. Well, all my Big Al’s fish died in a week from ick, a very contagious disease, a first such loss.
I decided to try again, but made my way to Petsmart this time, and lined up behind a young couple meticulously choosing 20 small goldfish by colour and markings as we chatted and the girl on staff gently hunted down approved picks. I told the story of my sick feeder fish. When my turn came, the girl said she could not sell any for feeders. I assured her they were keepers.
The new guys and girls did well all summer. Because of the caring Petsmart policy, I decided to set up my big aquarium and house them inside – it is a big job, but all systems work and it was ready and pleasing to look at. I captured five last week. When it turned cold, the rest dived and hid and would not come up to eat. But today I got Whitenose (the only named one) who slithered into a potted papyrus to escape my net.
So now there are six happy, forgiving and friendly goldfish shimmering in the “conservatory” among the overwintering jungle of plants.
I know for sure there is at least one more at large…
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