Keeping it Real

So, it has been quite a while since I last posted anything on my blog.  I try to post when I have something unique or fun to share.  Even though I do have some newsworthy events to talk about, I must admit that I had been in kind of a funk and did not feel like writing.   I suppose it was due to the stress of COVID, the anxiety about having to wait for the second dose of the vaccine, and watching my US friends and family getting back to “normal”  months ahead of me.  But finally – the end is in sight!  We are now fully-vaccinated, the restrictions are loosening up, and we are able to visit with people in person.   

April 24th was a momentous day!  We reached the magic number of 1095 days (= 3 years) of time physically present in Canada.  That is the threshold needed in order to apply for Canadian citizenship.  One of the silver linings of not being able to travel during COVID was that we met that goal sooner, rather than later.  I am trying to be patient because the application process can take as long as one year to be completed, but I have already (in my mind) started planning the big bash to celebrate.

April was also the beginning of another season of collective gardening.  This year I am in a different garden, so I met a whole new group of people.  It is a much smaller space than the previous location, but I am impressed at how well the space is utilized. I brought home harvests of lettuce, garlic scapes, rhubarb, sorrel (a citrus-flavoured green), radishes, and lots of herbs within the first few weeks.  Today's harvest was loads of garlic, kale, onions, swiss chard, lettuce, and more herbs.  In addition to raspberry bushes, this garden has a sour cherry tree, gooseberry bushes, grapevines, and one struggling little blueberry bush!  I am not sure I have ever had gooseberries before but they are very tasty.  We also have strawberry plants that are producing some lovely berries!

 

In May, I attended the annual free flower give-away in our neighborhood.  I got some lovely purple salvias and orange zinnias. Apparently, this white salvia snuck into the mix.   I also bought pansies, petunias, and begonias.  Between all the free cuttings from friends and the things I have purchased, my balcony is brimming with plants.  It is my morning "happy place," where I drink my coffee and enjoy all the wonderful colors.  

I bought some veggies to support a fundraiser at my synagogue and then remembered that I have no safe place to grow them.  Oops!  Since Dave is now on a first-name basis with Brad the squirrel, he (Brad) and all his squirrel buddies seem to think my deck belongs to them. Multiple digging attempts led me to try cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, and skewers inserted into pots - to no avail.  But – persistence triumphs!  And having a handy carpenter husband comes in super helpful!  Thanks to Dave's skills, I now have an awesome squirrel-proof veggie corner on my deck.  The door has a handle up top and a latch on the bottom, and all three sides are barricaded with wire, thanks to a donation from our friends Chris and Marie.  It keeps those pesky rascals out!  Now my jalapenos, ghost peppers, sweet bell pepper, basil, sorrel, rosemary, and lettuce are thriving!  Well, there was a minor setback of an aphid and ant invasion of the sorrel.  Ugh. There is always something!  I finally got rid of them using a spray bottle with alcohol in it. 

June 2nd was our 36^th wedding anniversary!  We celebrated by getting take-out food from our favorite falafel place and had a picnic at the Parc des Rapides. If you have been to visit us in Montreal, we have probably taken you here! It is one of my favorite parcs, situated along the St. Lawrence River.  Sometimes we even get to watch surfers riding the rapids.  

Later in June, we finally got a chance to take Gibby out for a quick get-away!  We headed to Ottawa and stopped at an area we had never been to before, called The Glebe.  It was a charming neighbourhood, with beautiful older houses, nestled along a bustling commercial area of shops, restaurants, ice cream parlors, and churches.  We had our first restaurant (terrace) dining experience in, what felt like "forever," at a brightly-coloured Mexican cantina called Feleena's.  The owner was quite friendly and when he learned we were from Texas, he insisted that we give him our opinion of a new margarita pie recipe that his chef was testing out.  I did not dare tell him that I have never met a margarita pie I did NOT like - hahaha!  Needless to say, this one did not disappoint.  

From there we headed to a spot called Hog's Back Falls.  This is the site where the Rideau River diverts from the man-made channel of the Rideau Canal, which winds its way through Ottawa.  The dam was proposed by Colonel John By in 1827.  After multiple floods destroyed the stone dam, construction was switched to a timber crib dam with a control weir.

  This 202 km (126 mile) waterway has 47 locks in 24 stations and was used extensively to carry settlers and supplies into the growing settlements until the middle of the 19th century.  Today, recreational boating keeps the system busier than ever.  We witnessed 2 boats going through one of the sets of locks while we were there.  

We spent the night one block from the Ottawa River, right along the edge of La Baie Park, in Gatineau, Quebec.  We had a lovely stroll along the river that evening, after disentangling ourselves from our religiously-zealous camping neighbours' attempt to convert us.  

This brings us to the end of June.  Spoiler alert ***** We did have a quick trip to Texas, but that will be the next blog post...along with whatever our next Gibby adventure will be.  

Stay tuned and stay safe!