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To get the small bag of dog food we like (which is just 2.2 Kg) you have to pay half the price of the large bag (which is 9.9 Kg). That’s nuts, for half the price you get less than 1/4 of the amount of food? Insanity. Doesn’t help I spent nearly $150.00 on dog food, and the various types of treats we use throughout the week. My bill today was nearly $500.00 bucks. Insanity. Mind you I did also pick up my wife’s birthday present which consists of six different cheeses, and some freshly baked French baguettes. It’s not very romantic but it’s something I know she likes, and can enjoy for several weeks (the cheeses more so than the bread). My kids won’t dig into it, and beyond the gruyere, neither will I. So not a self serving gift, but something thoughtful at least.

I also picked up a few other things I know that she likes for lunches over the next few days. If we can get through today, tomorrow and Saturday then the rest of the month will ease up quite considerably. Clear sailing from here until summer break from the look of things. Or, perhaps not clear sailing, but not the total cluster this week has the potential to be with so much going on, how about that? Sounds more reasonable. Have to set our expectations appropriately!

Toilet paper has gotten really expensive eh? I saw some packages going for thirty dollars or more. Yikes. Looks like running a hose from the tap might be in some of our futures if this keeps up. We’ll be stripping trees of leaves and then bark. We will be a haggard, and ornery bunch by then, believe you me.

If my count is correct then today is Thursday June 5th, 2025. I heard an interesting fact that as of June 2nd we were officially closer to the year 2050, than the year 2000. Holy-moly! That’s wild. I still think of fifteen years ago as being some point in the mid 90’s. I don’t know why, I just do. Ha.

Years ago we were gifted some poppies by my MIL which we planted in the front garden, right in the centre because they were big, red, and beautiful. And then a few years ago I noticed this strange black sludge appear on some of the leaves. It spread to the flowers, and the stems, and across to all of the leaves, and then it withered and died in a puddle, and never returned. It was too late into the season to be from a late frost. It wasn’t from lack of water, or nutrients in the soil. I have no idea what did it. Last year our Peonies turned black and died shortly after developing flower buds which never opened. But, it has returned this year, better than several years previous. How odd.

I’m still sad about the poppies though. They added not only additional height, but a pop of colour, and a different textured leaf too. We are very green and purple here. Not much red, orange, yellow, blue to speak of. I also liked that they opened fairly quickly but lasted a while when in bloom too. We do have roses in the fall, and Day Lillie’s, and actual Lillie’s but those are late summer blooms. The Dahlias will present colour well into October, early November if I don’t chop them down when cleaning up the yard in preparation for winter, and the falling leaves.

So I guess we do have some variations in colours, but not right this second is what I am griping about. I also need to do a few hours of weeding, but lack the motivation to do so. Perhaps on Sunday once this week is done I will venture outside in the morning and pull up weeds for an hour or two.

Hard to believe we have made it to June. Half way through the year! My oh my. School comes to a close soon and the kids will move up a grade each. They’re not so little anymore. I can still recall events from when I was in grade six. I think I remember stuff from before that, but I can no longer tell if those memories are real, misremembered, or manufactured due to repetitive dreams. Funny feeling that. Not knowing for sure if memories you think you know are even real. Ha. So odd.

Lots going on around here this week. Stay in touch. Ciao Bella!

Windows are all shut today in order to lower our exposure to the northern Ontario, and Manitoba wild fires that are currently ablaze. The sunset was something else with all of those extraneous gases in the air. Lots of pinks, reds, and oranges last night. A slight stink of acetone in the air from the VOC’s breaking down after prolonged exposure to UV rays and/or atmosphere. I forget what combination causes it. We learned all about it last year when Ontario, and New York state we’re just covered in a thick layer of dense smoke. Those haunting orange glowing vistas are going to become common place now I fear. Good luck to our lungs I guess!

In other news it is Tuesday. We walked to school today. The dog was more subdued on the school grounds because of it. Not that he gets hyper when doing drop off, but he certainly sat more chilled out by my feet than usual.bthe walk home with just the two of us was more pleasant. Not trying to race the clock. Didn’t have the kids racing ahead to wind him up. Could stroll slowly and let him sniff & pee to his heart’s content. A big bonus was the fact that it isn’t too hot in the mornings yet. Late afternoon is one thing, but we still have single digit early morning temperatures. For how much longer is anybody’s guess.

We have a transformer put on our power line pile yesterday morning. With the power left on at that. Incredible. I was heading out to cut my grass and saw two Hydro One vehicles. A big boom truck and a support vehicle. In all it was only about an hour for them to disconnect the street light, remove it, uncover some wires, make several disconnections, Mark and drill holes, add in the lag bolts, light up the new transformer, run the grounding wire, and reassemble it all, and add the switches and then pack up and go.

I stood and watched one guy do 95% of the work from the Cherry picker at the top of the boom arm, while five other dudes chirped him, and called out reminders about placements of bolt holes, and taping up lines once finished. I got my lawn done without too much of a delay. Not only that but they cleaned up after themselves fairly well, so I didn’t get any debris shit at my legs when passing over the work area with my mower. Thanks!

I didn’t take any photos because I was trying to be in the moment while fascinated by what they were doing, and how it was done.

The temperature is cooler than they were calling for due to the volume of smoke hanging over a large portion of Ontario. It was supposed to reach into the thirties, and now it looks like we might hover around 23°C for the next couple weeks. One day up and over that, and a few down below. But mild for June. Soon enough the grass stops being green and we get drought conditions, and a low water table.

Although not everybody was able to be in attendance (a few are pre-deceased,) we gathered in a mass to say good bye to great Grandma Pike. At 97 years of age she made a terrific run at making it to 100! So close. She did have a great turn out for her visitation, service, and the food in the lounge. It was kept mostly just family for the internment though. Uncle Fred’s ashes went in with GP to rest in peace. It was a somber event, but with brief fits of laughter. We played her out with the Jeopardy theme song, since she loved that, and Wheel of Fortune so much. A good giggle.

I was a pall bearer, which is a first for me. I have known death, but never had to carry a casket before. It was a closed casket so no need to look inside this go around. Thankfully.

This weekend held two funeral/end of life services for my wife whom went to a friend’s celebration of life event yesterday morning, and we have 97 year old great Grandma Suzie Pike’s service today. Visitation, service, wake, and burial are all chained together today. Dressed in our best to show our respect.

Hope you have a peaceful Sunday, with a lie in, and a quick hot breakfast you didn’t have to make yourselves. Ciao Bella!

I am still weary right down to the bones after last weekend’s trip out west to visit family, and get a sense of my father’s condition. We did manage to have a serious sit down discussion with all six of us and iron out a few very important details between us. That alone made the trip worthwhile, I believe. But I was also able to get my kids to see their cousins, and uncles, and my folks a few times over the four days we were there. The BC liquid sunshine made itself scarce for the most part, which was a nice surprise. However, after all the flights, time change, and late nights, and worrying I am now in need of a full days worth of catch up sleep. I feel exhausted when I go to bed, and when I wake up. Could be a few more days of this until I can regulate my body a bit better. We had many late nights this week as well, so I’m not much further ahead on the sleep front. This week coming us going to be insane. Two birthdays, a prom, a tournament, a recital, and tomorrow there is a funeral to kick off the week. I am now worried this tournament is going to last all day, and not be over by 1:00 pm. Ugh.

Dishes, and laundry as well as the lawn, and airing out my daughter’s taekwondo sparring gear, because lets face it, it was getting pretty ripe sealed up fresh in her bag in between uses. I have, what i believe to be anyway, finalized the funeral pamphlet we’ve created for great Grandma. We went through and edited the questions on the crossword puzzle to make it easier to understand. I enlarged the numbers to make the spots easier to find, and we added several new photos to the back to highlight grandma a bit better. She wasn’t always a senior citizen, she had a life before the fall, such as it were.

I was even able to run a few errands this morning before walking the dog, and running into an errant coyote eating a gopher down on the farm. See image attached. I had to pull over when driving, so he’d gotten out of quality photo range unfortunately.

Hard to see it from here but the coyote was about the same size as my German Shephard Lab mix. Had a bit fat rodent hanging from his mouth. My dog was oblivious of course. That was until we got out of the car, he caught a whiff, and fled back to the car without a second thought.

Now that last weekend’s traveling has gotten out of our system, and we are somewhat aligned with the usual schedule, I can get back to doing my normal activities around the house, and yard. I tackled the lawns and such shortly after my return Tuesday morning. Even went so far as to vacuum and clean the floors. I should schedule some time to wash all of the blinds, and light fixtures again, because they are just caked in dust. Yuck. Which reminds me, I probably need to swap out the furnace filters, and vacuum out the air vents at some point soon. I’d like to try to vacuum out the dryer vent too, as that usually has a good bit of fluff stuck in it.

Now that our Lilacs are spent I can cut some of the low lying branches back. No blooms to save now. Weather should be decent over the next week so I can air out the house when I work outside. Lots to do around here now that summer is on its way. Clean, clean, clean.

I can begin the school work purge soon too. Best to do that closer to recycling day as the kids get sad when they see old assignments going out to the curb. Can’t keep everything! I’m not a hoarder.

The great thing about June (we are so close after all) at my kid’s school is that for the last four weeks of term they have as many Spirit days, and activity days as they can legally cram into the month. Costumes and get-ups, theme days, outdoor play days, splash pad visits, and movie nights. It’s the best time to be in elementary school if you ask me. We’ll, all except the sweltering heat found in a three floor school from 1918 with windows that don’t open all that much, nor does the school have AC. The kids come out at the end of day soaked to the skin in sweat. Cherry red cheeks, sweat soaked clothes, and wet hair plastered to their very hot heads. I feel bad for them about that. My oldest is on the ground floor which is partially sunken into the ground, but my youngest is trapped up on the third floor where it gets so hot, and sticky, and smelly from all that lingering sweat from unwashed pre-teen bodies from the classrooms surrounding hers. Ugh. Gross.

But the first of many theme days is upon us. I did not see that many participants on our way in this morning. I do believe that the rain, and grey gloom might have curtailed some people’s desire to dress in beach wear today. A bit chilly for a sun dress, or board shorts, and Hawaiian shirts. Although this time next week temperatures will soar up into the thirties, so maybe enjoy the coolness while it lasts.

Our Lilacs took the very four days we were gone to bloom, and either away for the whole year. Nice. Didn’t even really get to smell them, nor enjoy them visually. Makes sense, my wife’s birthday is just around the corner, so no wonder ours have all died off. Cool, cool, cool, cool.

So yeah, Great Grandma Pike passed away last Thursday very early in the morning. My eldest was still gearing up for the last three stage performances, and a cast party, and then our four day bender in BC with my side of the family. So we opted not to tell them until our return. I had them booked off school for Tuesday, due to our red eye flight late Monday night, so we told them then, and they cried. Then slept for four hours and woke up ok. The funeral is this Sunday afternoon. GP lived to be almost 97.5 years old. Very nearly made 100. High score! Way to go Scoop Pike!

While I realize her passing is sad, she went into a home with worsened dementia after suffering a COVID infection at the hands of her three day workers from the farm, all of them contributed by not wearing masks, going out when told not to, and bringing germs back into the home of a house bound 94 year old woman. So we mourned her loss when the flood gates on her dementia opened post infection, and she no longer recognized us, or knew where or when she was living. We’ve had several years to come to terms with her worsening mobility, and cognitive capabilities. It was, as they say, only a matter of time. She went peacefully in her sleep, or so I’m told.

She will be buried at the family plot at the Locust Hill cemetery next to her long departed husband Jack, her son Gordon (died at age 12), and her other son Frederick Pike whom passed in February of 2024 of multiple cancers. Thinking of you all. Ciao Bella!

At best it is a crap shoot (pun intended) because the changes in cabin pressure, and the stress I feel about traveling with the kids, packing, parking, flying, getting to our gates, boarding passes, documentation, eating, restroom stop planning, and so much more all does a real number on my guts. And I’m not a fan. Also, the allure of traveling quickly evaporates once you realize you aren’t flying first class, or being chauffeured around in limousines, and have no personal chef, not Nanny to carefully watch over your young grade school aged children.

Luxury travel only applies to the mega rich, or those traveling without children, or their families. Regardless of how the stress makes my body react, we had a wonderful time getting my side of the family together for the first time in nine years. Some family members were meeting for the first time, and briefly at that. Some is better than none!

I took a much needed four hour long nap yesterday, plus an extra hour somewhere in between. I was still able to get to bed around eleven pm, and wake up (mostly) with my alarms. My youngest refused to nap after our 7:11 am landed flight yesterday, and she crashed out hard at 8:00 pm. Did not want to wake up this morning. I don’t blame her. If I didn’t desperately need to pee, I would not have gotten up either!

Now we are back home, settling back into our routines, and I have work to do. I can foresee being interrupted a whole bunch throughout the day today by my innards disagreeing with me on every single choice I make. No matter, life continues on .

I feel awful but we are home safe at last. After all the interruptions, delays, and such we were only an additional seven minutes late total. Not bad at all. Felt much, much worse during the whole process. I am exhausted. So tired I feel physically ill. All this over a three hour time difference. Yikes.