Cicada Has Been Singing Its Summer Song

 I heard the cicada/tree toad sing its summer song on August 1st for the first time this summer!

That song is a gentle reminder of the very hot days of summer with only 8 weeks left before the first frost will be upon us & the fall air will be inhaled without the mosquitoes.

It is very hot & dry right now on the northeast coast of New Brunswick in Miramichi Bay but threats of thunderstorms are coming our way to allow the vegetation to finally get a drink from Mother Nature.

We've been working on getting the asphalt laneway coated with pails upon pails of the coating mixture.

Bill has done most of the job himself, I did some cutting in around the garage doors & steps before I could not do anymore in the heat & my shoulder bursitis was flaring up. Bill really is unstoppable & focused on just getting it done.

This was done last weekend & we never noticed how much the asphalt had faded since 2017!!

Bill measured it all out & the amount needed was seven large pails so he purchased eight!

This is what eight pails cover... so he purchased six more & began again this weekend!

Bill started early in the morning to get ahead of the heat of the day.

Even watering the asphalt first before rolling was giving seam to the air as the sun was so intense.

The black coating makes it hot too, look at how much the colour had faded!!

This coating is supposed to be good for 17 years...we'll see after being part of the BP Shingle class action on the 50 yr shingles that lifted in 6, it leaves me skeptical.

Bill has been getting ready for winter with all our wood too. The Almanac has not said much for Atlantic Canada but last year's winter was easy on us!

He was listening to his NASCAR channel whilst working.

Huge undertaking & still two more pails are needed to finish this job. Thank will make 16 pails, twice the amount that they said with their measurements!!

It does look very nice though!!

We've been getting lovely blueberries from our Duke blueberry bushes from Scott's in Fredericton.

They are very tasty & I'm so happy the bears have not found them too!!

The Summer Mystery is now over & I put a new spin on my quilt with the center block as the instruction was to have it a plain 6" square. I just didn't look right with all the other blocks having some sort of design to them.

I'm going to add a border to the quilt then send it off to the longarm for quilting.

This is a free pattern online from Laundry Basket Quilt Shop.

This is the other mystery wallhanging that I was doing at the same time & it too is now finished & has gone to the longarm to be quilted. I want to put it on the front porch at Halloween.

This is a free pattern QAL at The Fat Quarter Shop.

I also played with a sew along with Laura-Lynn of the Mom & Pop Quilt Shop, it's a table runner from a jelly roll! I was auditioning the block placement on the counter with leftover strips.

Here it is back from the longarm, I wanted daisies floating through it & was so pleased with how it looked now to put a binding on it. I'm thinking red!

The back has a farmhouse feel to it & I like it because it has a nautical feel to it in the red/white/blue, so summery with the daisies going through it!

Very summery!

And now some building news...

The apartment unit that we constructed in 2018 had a large lounge that was not being used & with the living shortage in our area we chose to make a one-bedroom apartment from it. 

Apartments are much needed & a great choice for those that do not want the maintenance of a house & property.

Our units are always full with a waiting list & phone calls of inquiries about renting one of our apartments.

This is the kitchen area, I'll take photos when the IKEA cabinets are installed. What a job for Bill to get all the kitchen units together, it took 5 different IKEA stores because of the shortage of their shipments!!

This is the living room area with a 6ft patio door, the hallway to the bedroom & bathroom.

I'm in the kitchen looking down the hall to the bathroom. The door with the window will be changed out to a fire-rated solid door.

Bill & I were going over the colours to be painted next week. Then the floors can be installed & the nasty drywall dust will not be tracked into the hallway anymore!

The bedroom has a large closet & a large window, so there will be no shortage of light in this apartment.

These windows were designed for the lounge, not the apartment units so this unit is different than the other seven units in the building.

With paint, doors, & floors this is going to be a gorgeous apartment!

The wall will be tiled in subway tile & there's a small closet at the end.

All units have heat for the winter & air conditioning for the summer & we've made it that they pay one amount for rent which includes their heat/cooling, and electricity, WIFI & the laundry room is free to use the washer/dryer, there's an outdoor clothesline for those that prefer to hang their laundry too!

This brings back memories of when I lived here in my little Carroll Cottage. 

All patio doors face a fire lane that is to be kept clear so the view is on that is not looking at parked vehicles. The gavel helps with the drainage to keep the mosquitoes at bay but I don't think it helps, there are so many mosquitoes this time of year!

Time has been moving quickly & soon our youngest son & his girlfriend will be moving here as they purchased a beautiful house in Chatham/Miramichi. The possession date is Sept 1st, 2022, just weeks away! I'm over the moon having those two moving here, it has been so long since the family has lived close by.

The middle son & his wife have just moved into their new three-bedroom home on 10 acres of property in Alberta. Their photos are beautiful & we can't wait to fly out to see their home!

So many changes are happening at one time & they are all good ones! 

Thank you for stopping in for a visit & do stop in again, I'll be posting more photos of all the changes going on!

Stay safe - stay healthy.

Cynthia

 

Savouring Summery Sunny Days

 Wow, summer has been in full force this month!

I'm so happy that I live next to the water, it feels like I live in a resort...location, location, location. lol

These days are to be savoured as once winter moves in, this oasis turns to the arctic tundra, savouring summer right now! And so are the gardens!

The lavender bush in the Anniversary Garden is very plentiful this year!

I've already cut most of the lavender out & tied & hung it in the basement by my wool storage. Moths do not like lavender & now the basement smells heavenly.

The Annabelle hydrangeas have bloomed too! We have so much clover in our grass & we leave the mower deck a little high to keep it there for the many bees that help our garden.

The lilies have bloomed too! There is always something happening in the garden. Heather, my gardening girlfriend has taught me well. I knew nothing about the outdoor gardens till she helped guide me in the right direction. Needless to say, her garden is stunning & ever-changing to their needs & new plants are being added.

The Lamb's Ear is everywhere, that is a thriving plant here in the garden!

 

Next to the stone is Wooly Moss, Heather brought some to us a few years ago & it has taken off & no weeds are growing in that area!

The mosquitoes are horrid right now!! It looks so beautiful outside & as soon as you step out, game over they are swarming you! We have to wipe the dogs down before bringing them in from outside.

The tree on the left will be taken down this summer as it is dying & getting thinner every month. 

It will open a clear drive down to the water once removed.

The purple clematis is thriving this year in the heat & humidity too!

By watching the water you can see if it is windy by seeing how calm it is on the water, and seeing the white caps gently rolling into the shore, nice summer breeze today.

Delphiniums have such a vibrant colour, these beauties are outside of Bill's shop in the wrap-around garden.

 

Summer blooms are so beautiful!

Summer Sewing

I saw this quilt kit fishing & so wanted to do it!

Northcott fabric called Gone Fishing! Northcott is a Canadian fabric company.

Great Lake fishing/fish are throughout the quilt.

Here it is all quilted & bound. I'm so pleased with how it turned out!

This is a free pattern/tutorial of The Summer Mystery Quilt 2022 with Laundry Basket Quilts.

Next Wednesday is the last block mystery to fill the five blue areas.

Each block finishes at 6" and there are 81 to make for this quilt! There's a light at the end of the tunnel with just 5 more to do!!

I'm also doing the Mystery Boo Crew Wallhanging with the Fat Quarter Club & plan to hang it on the front porch. My backdrop wall is a flannel back quilt that I made many years ago & Bill hung it securely with claps on Namama's cabinet.

Timing is everything & the mysteries are done next Wednesday, just in time as Donald & his girlfriend are coming for visit & are arriving Thursday night. Timing is everything, as is location. lol

It's summer & I love working with Redwork, these were Liz's & she wanted me to have them & finish them for her. I'm thinking of a churn dash frame in different reds, they are big & I do want to keep them together...I'll look at them again with fresh eyes later. I did finish the embroidery!

I entered my PJs into the Napan Agricultural Fair, I had help from Rexton on the fabric selection for comfort. It is a batik that I got at Edge Squared Quilting during one of Bev's many sales.

I called them my Cottage PJs. It's a 3pc set of bottoms, top, and jacket & was so much fun designing it with this fabric with a border design on each selvage. 

Rexton move!

Are you hearing me, little girl?!

Yes, Rexie I'm talking to you!

No, I don't want to see your tummy!

I know you can hear me you are alert!

Grooming on my PJs, really?!

You're wearing the cotton collar I crocheted for you, stop scratching at it!

Toe jam cleaning?! She is now eight & I could not imagine not having her hold my days up, she has such a personality.

And this is what holds me up some days!

I'll show you the PJs after the fair has ended in mid-August.

She loves to lounge around at this resort. She has taken to walking by Bridget & Baxter & slapping them in the face to get a rise out of them!

This is the Boston terrier's chair at the bay window to look outside, she has taken their spot too!

I read that the Manx cat is more dog than cat & she has proven that true!

You can find this sleeping beauty charging her batteries on the sun porch most days.

She too is savouring summer, enjoying the lazy hazy days of summer.

I hope you too are enjoying the sunny weather & have a shaded spot to enjoy it in.

Thank you for the visit, I hope you could feel the summer breeze here! Come back again to see what we are up to!

Cynthia xXx