Tag: summer

Heat In the City

Last week in Toronto the heat was blanketing us from the sky and frying us on the pavement. It was almost unbearable. But our city does provide ways to cope and Peter and I took advantage of them. We hope you did too!

On the first hot day we went to an air-conditioned public building. There are many of them in Toronto: theatres, libraries, museums, arcades, galleries and more. We chose the Rogers Centre. To be honest, we didn’t know it had AC and we took sunscreen, hats and big water bottles in preparation for a hot afternoon with the Blue Jays.

When we arrived, the roof was closed. We thought that at least we could avoid the direct sun and we’d just have to suffer through recirculating stuffy air and human odors. Not pleasant but maybe OK for a few innings. But when we walked in, the entire place was cool! Who knew? We spent a lovely afternoon cheering for the Jays even though they were losing, and enjoying the perfect temperature. We stayed for the entire game.

On the second hot day, we voted for Lake Ontario. We took a cruise along the harbour and through the islands. A buffet lunch was served inside, with all the windows open to let in the cool breeze. The decks provided scenic views and a wind that was actually chilly. It was such a relief.

Torontonians are very lucky to have this natural cooling feature so close by. Even if there is no cruise available, there are beaches with lots of shade trees and places to walk along the shore cooling your feet. You might even find an ice cream shack if you look closely. And swimming is an option for the brave-hearted.

On the last day of the big heat wave, we were running out of supplies. So we went to an air-conditioned bank. Then we went to our local Canadian No Frills which is so cold I usually take a sweater. Next we visited a drug store, also air-conditioned. Finally we went to the comfortably cool LCBO and bought some Bud Zero, delicious on a hot summer day.

I was all set to go home but Peter had one more stop in mind – Sunnyland. Now I know that Sunnyland, a small fruit and veggie store, is not air-conditioned. But it is Peter’s happy place. How could I say no? We walked the extra blocks and stepped inside. While Peter was shopping I looked for a cool place to wait. First I tried climbing into the fridge holding the dairy products. But it was a tight fit. Then I had a better idea. I rushed over to the vegetable stands and leaned under the water pipes that were misting the produce. Ah – heaven! By the time Peter was ready to leave, I was drenched. It was perfect.

Today, Canada Day, is not supposed to be so hot. Enjoy the day as we celebrate our great country of many climates.

Sue

The Swing Rises

Readers may remember one of my first posts, back in 2019, called My Life As a Swinger. Peter and I had recently bought a new back yard swing in bright red. We invited an unsuspecting son and his family to have dinner and, by the way, help us assemble the swing. It took 4 university-educated adults an entire day to figure it out.

For years the swing was my summer happy place, where I devoured novels, figured out new blog topics, and snoozed through lazy afternoons. Grandchildren spent many hours rocking back and forth, and telling each other stories. Party guests rushed past the bar and straight to the back yard to get the prime seats – on the swing.

So it was pretty sad when, late last summer, the fabric holding the seat cushions gave way to old age, and dumped two guests on the patio. Nobody was hurt but, without the piece holding the cushions, the swing was useless. I checked on Amazon and it seemed that the part would be pretty easy to replace. So we packed away the cushions and gave up on the seat for the winter.

A couple of weeks ago, when it stopped snowing, I decided it was time to research a replacement part for the swing. Lowe’s, the hardware store where we had purchased the original, had gone out of business. So I looked for the company that made it; Garden Treasures. I was directed online to another website called Sun Swings, operating out of Nevada, USA.

Yes the part was available. It was called a “sling,” and it came in 5 models and 18 sizes, with a warning: “Be absolutely sure to order the correct size, as replacement slings must fit exactly, including cutouts for bolts and various other hardware.” There was even an installation video with a woman wearing a gas mask as she wielded a blow torch. Furthermore the cost for this apparatus was $262.00 US dollars and it had to be delivered to a US address. We almost gave up.

Maybe we could manage with just some extra chairs and footstools. But our back yard wouldn’t be the same without the beloved swing. We thought again. Lowe’s had been sold to Rona. Would Rona know anything about our swing and how to fix it? As if by magic, the mailman arrived, (these days that IS magic) and delivered a Rona sales brochure. And there, on page 7 was Our Swing – the exact one!! And it was on sale for only $400 Canadian dollars!

We tore off our pajamas and rushed to Rona. We found our swing, set up as a floor model. As we stared in amazement, a salesman offered to search through the warehouse to see if he could find a boxed one. We sat contentedly on the floor model, swinging and cheering while he looked. It seemed that Lowe’s had sold off their excess inventory to Rona and, hidden in the very back of the warehouse, there it was.

For only $400 Canadian we bought a whole new swing. The correct sling was already attached to the seat part, along with an extra frame and set of cushions for whatever next disaster we had. This seemed like a very good deal to me. Peter may not have agreed, as he spent a long couple of hours organizing the hardware, figuring out which screws and bolts we needed, finding the right tools and assembling it on his aging knees. But he did it all by himself and we didn’t have to call in the family.

Finally it was assembled. We celebrated with a few swings back and forth, thinking that summer has arrived in our back yard!

So dear readers, the swing is now available for use. Send in your reservation early.

Sue