The Tree must not only Survive but Thrive
Our house is built around a very old birch tree. My husband has been coming here for close to 70 years and he believes the tree has always been the size it is now. Probably not, but to a young boy, a tree looks rather large especially when it is such an integral part of your childhood summer home. When we did the renovations on the house 13 years ago, we were worried about the tree. We were digging around the house to put in a foundation and were afraid we might have disturbed the roots and thus cause the tree to suffer and not be able to get enough nutrients. So far so good. We have a wonderful tree man who comes periodically to check on it. I become concerned when a large branch dies, which is what happened this summer, but he is not concerned. He says the tree is surviving and, in fact, thriving. It is such a part of the house that we could not imagine it not being here so we try to take very good care of it. This week it was trimmed and the dead branch removed. The squirrels are not being kind to it as they are eating the bark and in some places all the way to the branch itself. This can cause the branch to die so now we can’t have bird feeders in the tree. The bird feeders encourage the squirrels and we want to discourage them. We will find another place for the bird feeders away from the tree and the porch. I draw the line at any other form of discouragement. We need the tree to be here for many years to come.
Miss Q too
Not only did the tree get a trim but Miss Q and I both did too. Miss Q was so fluffy you couldn’t see her eyes or any shape of her at all. Her coat is very wiry and it grows quite quickly. About every three months she needs a trim. She feels so much better and acts quite happy after her visit to the beauty parlor. When her hair is long you can’t really see that she has the distinct coloring of a blue and tan. Along with Miss Q, I also got a trim this week after letting my hair grow quite long. It is back to normal as am I. I was also able to go to the dentist again after a year of not being able to go. A precautionary move suggested after my stent was put in. All is good now so I was able to get back to my routine. It is good to take care of yourself, your home and your pets and your trees. You will all not only survive but thrive too.
Unexpected but pleasant surprise
Such fun to have surprise visitors. We have been lucky enough to have a couple of friends trek their way north from South Carolina this summer and they made the effort to come and see us in North Hatley. We are so pleased to welcome friends from our other home as we are in the reverse. Our friend Woody has heard about North Hatley from us for many years as well as from some other Baltimore friends who live here. He decided it was time to find out what all the fuss was about and we are so glad he did. We took a wonderful boat ride out and around the lake on a gorgeous August afternoon. We certainly are not experiencing the usual cool nights that often happen in August. This year it has been very warm. All the families seem to have disappeared and someone reminded me that school starts this week. Where or where did the summer go? Oh, that’s right, I don’t have to go back to school/work. Love being retired.
A good week of walking
I am two miles away from my 100 miles for the month so am taking the day off. In fact, I have taken a couple of days off this week and I believe that is a good thing. I started to feel some stress in my lower back and decided that a rest might be in order. It quickly disappeared with a rest day. The type of walking that I am doing now has much more intensity than what I used to do. I walk faster and include a number of good hills and am going two miles farther every day. I used to do a 3 1/2 mile walk every day with an occasional 4 1/2 mile walk on weekends. Now I do 5 1/2 every day with some 7 and 8 mile walks on weekends. That is quite a bit more. However, I really like the walks and enjoy the longer distances. Well, if you are out there, why not just keep going?
This picture was taken on Friday. The air was clear, crisp and the sky just about as blue as I have ever seen it to be. The reflection in the lake made this a beautiful blue and green scene. This why we thrive here in the Eastern Townships. My mother and I ran into a gentleman at our favourite vegetable stand who said he grew up here but had moved to Chicago. His comment was that he had never seen clouds and sky like what you find in the townships. I believe he is right. Big sky for sure.
Smoked Salmon with Maple Syrup
I had this hors d’oeuvres while traveling a week ago and am now looking for the perfect recipe. The salmon was smoked and flavored with maple syrup to give it a gentle sweetness. It was served cold on endive. It was delicious.
I did find this one recipe on-line and think I will try it. You could give it a try and let me know what you think. Again, this was served chilled.
This past week, John and I lost a very dear friend. He had a stroke in July and a second stroke a week ago and died this past Tuesday. Yesterday we celebrated his life with over 400 of his friends and family in the chapel of “his” school. He and I were closely associated with the school for many years. We will survive but for a little while we won’t thrive without him. He gave so much of himself to others that I can only hope to honour him by trying to carry on being just a wee bit like he was. May you rest in peace Brad and know that you are missed very much.
