Getting Back to Things

Although the Victoria Day long weekend has just past, we both remember when Queen Victoria's birthday was celebrated on the day, May 24th. So, since this is being posted on the 24th, happy 198th birthday to our former longest reigning monarch. 

Coronation of Queen Victoria

As you might have suspected from the lack of blog posts, we have been laying pretty low since we returned to Edmonton. We left the heat of the desert to come back to a cool and dreary spring in Alberta. My sister had been bugging me to spend some time with her in Calgary so I dropped the dogs off at camp and spent the middle parts of two weeks with her while Sandy enjoyed the peace and quiet at home.  My sister, Patty, is a horse person, so the first week I was there I went to two of her horse training classes. Who knew riding a horse properly is so intricate?! I was impressed with those riders and horses, and really impressed with my sister doing everything necessary to catch her horse, get her into the trailer, get to the venue, saddle up, warm up (yup, even the horse does her stretches!!),  work through the lesson, then get the horse back to her pasture. I was exhausted by the end of the class and all I did was cuddle the resident cat!

Patty has Foxy do her warm up stretches.

My sister also takes care of our dad's old horse, Misty. Misty is in her thirties (we will respect her request not to divulge her exact age) and up until just a couple of years ago, Patty was still taking her on back country rides in the foothills and mountains west of Calgary. Now, though, Misty is enjoying her retirement.  When Pat goes to pick up Foxy to take her to class or the back country, Misty still comes running full blast to the fence, demanding her treat. 

Misty wants her treat ... right now!

While in Calgary, Patty and I did a number of errands and chores that she had been saving up for me to help her with. In exchange, she sewed some new bed covers for the the dogs. I got stuck with my usual sewing assistant's tasks:  pin placement and removal and seam pressing. Right at my skill level! I did, however, get to iron on little paw print appliqués for the finishing touches on the dog beds.

Benny and Rockie approve their new beds covers

Patty's pussy willow and boots decoration we hung on her front door

Back in Edmonton, I have been doing more baking.  Sandy kept harassing me to make her a batch of scones. The last batch I made down south were a complete flop, so fearing I had lost my touch, I had been avoiding that recipe and even tried a batch of lemon rice krispie squares instead. Sandy wasn't too keen on those (enough with the lemon!) but I thought they were okay. I then tried to side track her with her other favourite, banana loaf. My sister and I found silicone mini loaf pans when we were out and about so they needed a trying out. I luckily guessed the right amount of time to bake the mini loaves and that appeased the scone monster temporarily. Finally, I relented (or Sandy threatened sufficiently) and gave the scones a whirl. Same recipe, same process, but this time that batch turned out perfect. Lucky me, happy Sandy, unfortunate scones as they had a rather short existence. My most recent baking adventure? Granola bars. Best recipe I have ever tried means I had to put some in the freezer or they would be disappearing around here way too fast!

Almond and blueberry granola bars, lemon rice krispie squares,
raisin scones, and mini banana loaves

After a number weeks of cool, overcast, windy, dreary weather with only a few half days of sun and warm, the long weekend was beautiful.  We finally quit pouting about the weather and got out on our bikes.  One of the benefits of being retired is that we can make any weekend as long as we want, and stretched this one out to five days.  We cycled Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday.  And being good residents of prairie Canada, we planted our garden on Monday. For our international friends, planting before the May long weekend means flirting with potential overnight freezing temperatures and the loss of one's gardening labours.   Sandy put in some veggies while Rockie and I put in my usual pansies and marigolds. I am nothing if not predictable!

Sandy preps the garden

Kate and Rockie get the plants in

Knowing that a nasty rain and wind storm was forecast for Wednesday, the 24th, Tuesday we headed out for a long ride of 80km. We loaded the bikes into the van and drove to the east side of the city to enjoy the rural roads there that take one through gently rolling hills and passed lots of fields and ponds. It was hot and sunny, nearly perfect except for the head wind that started half way out.  Not to worry, at least we would have a tail wind back. Oh, to be so lucky! As we were having our snack break at our turn around point, the wind also decided to turn around. We had a cross head wind most of the way back, which certainly pointed out the fitness we had lost since leaving California. 

Watching the clouds during our snack break

At one point on the ride, I thought I was seeing things as one of the tar strips on the road seemed to be moving. Then I realized I was okay, it was just a garter snake. Apparently, it was warming up on the road and making its way back to the ditch just as we came along. I called out, "Snake" as there is no cycling hand signal to indicate that hazard, and had to swerve a bit to my left to avoid it. As I passed it, it startled and kind of reared up a bit and started slithering backward. This was not a smart decision by the snake as by doing that, Sandy couldn't avoid it and  rode right over it.  She figures it would have had some explaining to do, when it got back to its friends, as to why it all of a sudden had an hour glass figure!

The countryside east of Edmonton.

Sandy is busy searching out some new rides for us to do this summer. We have joined the Edmonton Bicycle Touring Club to meet more riders and find new local routes. As the summer progresses, we look forward to getting lots of kilometers on our bikes.  In the meantime, Sandy is two weeks into working on her birthday present, a 1000 piece puzzle of a Canadian flag comprised of white and red carnations in the background and red roses in the maple leaf. It is turning into her Canada 150 project, hopefully it will be done by July 1 and we will get our dining table back soon!

In the meantime, the dogs are fine. They loved their time at the kennel (aka "camp") when I went to Calgary. They enjoy unlimited barking privileges the whole time they are there, no wonder they love it. I have been taking them to the Edmonton Humane Society off leash park since we got back. Ben loves it, especially getting treats from all the humans who don't seem to be able to resist those dark eyes of his. Rockie mainly works then fence line looking for rodents to dig after. To each their own! Ben surprised everyone when he want to the park Sunday with a brand new hair cut. They hardly believed it was him until he started working the crowd in his usual fashion.  

Ben, before and after his haircut

Rockie takes in some sunbeams