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Frost already? Time to get the yard work done!

October 19, 2008 by Tricia

Early this morning (6 a.m.) I was awoken by the sound of my dog retching in her crate. She must have eaten something that upset her stomach the day before, poor thing. I got her out and comforted her and after a while I could tell that she was feeling better so I took her outside to do her business.

Let me tell you, I was extremely surprised when I emerged outside to see that the car was covered in frost! I knew it was going to be cool last night, but I didn’t think we’d get frost! At that moment I knew that I was going to have to do some yard work today in order to prepare the garden for winter.

We have a number of tropical plants that needed to be brought in. Passion flower vines, another vine that I haven’t identified (might be a trumpet vine), and of course the cannas all needed to be brought inside. I also had three orchids, a Thanksgiving cactus and a Christmas cactus in the enclosed front porch and they all needed to come indoors as well.

As I was scurrying around outside gathering up all of the plants that need to be overwintered indoors I noticed that the lawn had a good covering of fallen leaves so once I was done putting the plants indoors I set out to find our rake.

Our rake is broken! The wooden handle was snapped off near the base of the rake. I guess I could duct tape it back together as a quick fix, but we might as well get another rake. So once I came inside I started looking online for a rake. I’ve decided that I want to get a Pivot Leaf rake as it’s an ergonomic design so it will be easier on my back when I’m raking.

This type of rake isn’t the cheapest on the market, but as I said if it helps keep my back from aching when I’m raking it will be well worth it. Now if I can just find one that’s on sale I’ll have it made.

I guess over the next week or so Chris and I will be outside doing a lot of yard work. It looks like winter is going to come early this year if that frost on the car is any indication!

Is it starting to get cool in your area too? Did you get your Fall yard work done yet or are you going to have to scramble to get it done too?





Filed Under: Canada, Gardening, Home and Garden, Home and Lifestyle, Items to Try, Shopping, Toronto Tagged With: back, broken_rake, Christmas_cactus, cool, cool_weather, ergonomic, frost, garden, indoors, online, orchid, overwinter, passion_flowers, pivot_leaf_rake, price, rake, sale, Shopping, sore_back, Thanksgiving_cactus, tropical_plants, vines, weather, yard_work

Election Night in Canada

October 14, 2008 by Tricia

Well it’s election night here in Canada.

Chris and I are watching some of the early returns to see which party is in the lead. It was a tight race between the Liberals and Conservatives at first, but as the count moves west it seems the Conservatives are taking the lead.

I found that deciding who to vote for was very hard this time round. I’m sure many Canadians feel the same way. I believe the last three governments have been formed with a minority, which of course means, to me at least, that the majority of the voting population isn’t happy with the choices we have for leaders and political parties (and their agendas).

I’m pretty sure that this election will turn out yet another minority government.

The leader of the NDP party, Jack Layton, is the MP for my area. In the last returns that I saw for my voting region it looked like the Liberal leader was in the lead, but leaders of Federal political parties rarely lose their seats so Layton will probably win for this area, but judging from results coming in nationwide, the NDP will be in third or fourth place overall.

Note that in the rare instances that I discuss politics on this blog I never mention which party I’ve voted for. I keep my feelings about my political affiliation private in part because I come from a very political family and as a result I know how volatile politics can be. I don’t want that for my blog.

I will say that I want a leader that stands by the political agenda that he (she) set in their political campaign. Not one who says one thing and then changes their mind a week after they’ve been elected. That’s happened far too often in the last decade or so!

Anyway … this isn’t a political blog. I just wanted my readers in other countries to know what’s going on here in Canada this evening.

I still find it funny that we Canadians can hold a whole election – campaign and all in just 37 days, while it takes our US counterparts close to two years to reach election day. I don’t know how you guys do it. A month of political advertisements on TV, flyers on my porch and campaigners calling and knocking on the door day after day is enough!

Filed Under: Canada, Politics, Toronto Tagged With: Canada, Conservative, election, Election_night, Federal_election, Federal_parites, Harper, Jack_layton, Liberal, Ontario, political_parties, Politics, Stephen_Harper, Toronto

Nothing on TV tonight but election debates

October 2, 2008 by Tricia

Wow … there’s no shows on TV tonight after nine because of the Federal election debates. I say debates because I’m in Canada and most of our channels are being taken up by the American Presidential debates AND our Canadian Federal election debates.

I guess we’ll probably watch some of the Canadian election debates. I mean there’s not much else on!

At this moment were just watching old sitcom reruns on a US channel. The really strange thing is that we’re seeing purely American commercials … I’m not used to that. Most of the US station we watch somehow mix Canadian commercials or I guess North America wide commercials into their programs. Strange to see commercials for NC health insurance when I’m in Ontario!

Are you watching either of the election debates (Canada or US)?

I usually don’t watch them as I don’t feel I get that much out of them or well .. I guess the truth is I’m usually even more disappointed by the opponents that pleased with them by the end of the debate.

Filed Under: Canada, Items to Try, Politics, Television Tagged With: Canadian_election, commercials, debate, debates, election, federal_debate, Television, TV, US, US_election

Seductive rose

September 14, 2008 by Tricia

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I can’t help it … when I take a macro photo of a roses petals that looks like this I think of it as Rose P0rn. Honestly, it’s pictures like this one that get me through our long cold Canadian winters.

Breath of Life rose petals - Macro
Breath of Life rose petals - Macro

This rose is called “Breath of Life” and it’s a climbing Hybrid Tea. I think it’s one of my prettiest roses, at least when I have camera in hand as I don’t think I’ve ever taken a bad picture of this rose.

I’ll look forward to looking at this picture in January or February when it’s below zero, snowing and the wind is howling outside the house. It will make me think if summer and remind me that warm days will soon return.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. GTS participants remember to check in at As the Garden Grows each week so that we’ll know you made a new post!

Filed Under: Canada, Gardening, Green Thumb Sunday, Photography, Recreation, Tricia's Garden Tagged With: breathoflife, camera, canadian, climber, Climbing, cold, flowers, greenthumbsunday, GTS, hybrid, macro, petals, picture, pretty, rose, roses, snow, winds, winter

Win a trip to the World of Coke Museum in Atlanta with iCoke

September 10, 2008 by Tricia

If you are a Canadian resident and you enjoy drinking Coca Cola products I have a contest for you that might be right up your alley.

How would you like to Win a trip with iCoke.ca ? Ok, maybe you want to know what the prizes are first?

You could win a trip for four to Atlanta Georgia – where John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886. If you win your airfare to Atlanta will be paid for as well as 3 days, 4 nights hotel accommodation, plus 2-day Coke Museum passes for four and to top it all off you’ll also get $1000 US cash to spend as you please.

Secondary prizes that you could be eligible to win include Best Buy and Cineplex Odeon gift certificates.

The contest is in celebration of John Pemberton and his lasting invention! I honestly didn’t know that Coca-Cola was invented in 1886! I thought it was invented in the 1920’s. 122 years – isn’t that something?

Ok, so as I said you must be a Canadian resident to enter the contest. Plus, you’ll need to register at iCoke.ca in order to enter the contest.

The contest started August 31, 2008, and it ends at 11:59:00 a.m. EDT, October 31, 2008. During this time period you can enter up to five times a day if I read the rules correctly. So you can amass quite a few entries!

Of course you need to have 500 Coke coins per entry.

What are Coke coins? Well .. you earn them buy submitting the special alphanumeric pin code that you can find beneath the cap on 591 ml and 2L Coca Cola product bottles or on special promotional materials like iCoke contest cards. Usually each pin code is worth 500 coke coins, but for a limited time you can earn 1000 Coke coins on specially marked 591 ml Coca Cola product bottles. So when you’re out shopping watch for those specially marked 591 ml bottles as the pin numbers will be worth two contest entries if you choose to use them in that way!

I entered the contest last night and I plan on making more entries. Why not? I’ve never been to Atlanta and I think visiting the World of Coke Museum would be kind of cool.

Are you going to enter?

Filed Under: Canada, Contest, Cool stuff, Entertainment, Home and Lifestyle, Recreation Tagged With: 1886, accommodation, airfare, Atlanta, Canada, canadadry, canadian, cash, celebration, Cineplex, CocaCola, code, Coke, cokemuseum, Contest, cool, daypass, drinking, entry, Georgia, gingerale, hotel, iCoke, invented, invention, JohnPemberton, Money, museum, October, Odeon, passes, pin, Product, resident, Shopping, sprite, trip, win

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