#231 - Labradoodle and Rosie's

At ten past seven, the sound of “Knock on Wood” screamed out of my phone and jostled us both awake.

“Who’s got problems?” the singer asked. “We’ve got problems!” they answered. And we both agreed. It was too early to be up on a holiday weekend. Hadn’t we just gone to bed a few minutes ago?

But as the song from Casablanca died out, we got out of bed and did our best to regain consciousness. The traffic app was predicting an easy drive of about forty minutes to my sister’s work in Niagara. We had time to stop for tea and a breakfast sandwich at Tim Hortons along the way. We jumped in the car, excited to visit the greenhouse my sister works at and looking forward to buying all the plant annuals for the year.

But as I was ready to make the turn to acquire the much-needed caffeine and sustenance, my sister called and asked if we could make it earlier, because she had arrived at work early.

Draats!

So straight onto the highway it was with an empty belly and an unstimulated brain.

The traffic was good all the way to the greenhouse. And all things considered, we were there half an hour earlier than expected, which I am sure my sister appreciated.

The three of us did the tour, my sister driving an electric cart and towing a small plant trailer behind her. We had a good chat as we wandered up and down the aisles. We stopped and grabbed any plants that caught our eye. Robyn and I usually get all our begonias from there because they do well in our baskets and in the yard. And they bloom all summer long and often into the frosty nights of fall. But we got other plants, whose names I’ll never remember, as well as some Dahlias for me. I like the geometric look of their blooms.

After loading up the car, we invited my sister to join us for breakfast, but she declined. That left us wandering around Port Dalhousie and finding a bustling breakfast spot called Rosie’s.

Walking in a lineup of three other couples greeted us. The place wasn’t very large, but every seat was taken. More people arrived as we waited for a table. We opted for a bar seat because Robyn needed to eat soon for diabetic reasons, and we didn’t care if we had a booth or a seat in the kitchen.

Yes, we are that easygoing.

I got what they called an Irish Benedict. Hollandaise and poached eggs over a corned beef hash and a coffee. Robyn did the “Heavy Weight,” three eggs and three pieces of meat with toast and her usual diet coke. People used to give her a funny look whenever she ordered a coke for breakfast. No one does anymore.

The service was reasonable considering how busy it was, and we both enjoyed having a Sunday breakfast at a new spot.

Then it was back on to the highway which was significantly busier with plenty of traffic. The Toronto bound traffic was thankfully less of a parking lot than the Niagara bound side. Glad we came early or we would have been stuck in that mess.

On the ride back we noted that we needed more potting soil and probably some more garden soil as well. It would have been nice to stop at our local Home Depot to pick some up, but the car was latterly overflowing with plants.

To come back this way after unloading would mean getting into that Niagara bound mess. And I wasn’t prepared to do that today. So, as we got off the highway and headed home, we made plans to hit the landscaping store we liked in Burlington that didn’t require us to take the highway again.

Yes, we left one place with a car full of plants to drop them off and go get more plants and soil.

We put together a selection of extra plants we would need and brought them to our friends who lived along the route to the landscaping store. We arrived unannounced, and they were in the process of re-coating their driveway with sealant. Hot work on a day like today. The temperature was sitting about twenty-eight degrees Celsius according to my car’s external thermometer.

There wasn’t much time for chitchat though as they needed to finish the driveway and we needed to get to planting.

The landscaping place is always a great place to visit. You never know what they will have this year. I was looking for a miniature tree to go in the backyard, and Robyn needed a few more plants to finish off the containers. I struck out on the tree, but Robyn got to check off her list. We paid and then joined the car line where they loaded up the seven bags of soil.

A stop at Walmart to grab some drinks and a few items seemed like a good idea as it was on the way home. We needed another railing planter box to replace one that had fallen to the ground and cracked. Amazingly, they had the same one we bought years ago.

Then it was finally back home to unload the groceries and soil. Robyn mention how tired she was and said she might go take a nap. I said she should, as she was feeling a bit under the weather. Allergies maybe? But knowing my wife as I do, she went and planted all the backyard planters with flowers before letting herself finally take a break.

While she napped, I stayed outside on the back deck and roasted in the heat. I don’t mind heat if I am at home. Put me in a suit and make me go to a wedding in this heat and I’ll be a completely different person. I was wary of overdoing things, so I read my book and then planted a few things. Grabbed a drink and read, then planted again. I did this on repeat, never letting myself get to overwhelmed. It’s how I prefer to work. I was able to get quite a bit planted as well as cleaning up the area a little. And I got to read a fair bit as well at the same time. And I went through about three Dr. Pepper Zeros as it was hotter than Hades.

My neighbour’s have come home with a puppy today. It seems well behaved and content to quietly follow them around. It’s less rambunctious than most puppies I’ve ever seen. I think it is some kind of poodle mix, possibly a labradoodle.

My neighbours are really nice and seem like smart people, so my usual concern of being attacked by swarms of flies, which happens anytime someone owns a dog nearby, won’t disrupt my enjoyment of my backyard deck.

I grabbed a much-needed shower and rested a bit on the bed with Robyn. She has her one-hour job she now does to help a man with Parkinsons each day. She likes the idea of being useful and helping others. It’s a new adventure for her as she has never worked in this field before, but as the animation industry slowly dies, we are all looking for a parachute to cushion our fall.

After she returned from her duties, we watched a few show and at about eleven PM we both looked at each other and silently acknowledged how tired we were and that it was time for bed.

There would plenty of time to sleep in tomorrow as we hadn’t plans with anyone. The only thing on the agenda was to plant the rest of the flowers in the front of the house. A job usually performed by Robyn and the kids.

I went to bed with the satisfaction of someone who had done a good day’s work and was both exhausted mentally and physically.

I guess that’s all there was today.

Until tomorrow.