Today the weather was like a glorious summers day. NO SNOW! Just hot, humid weather. If our pool was open you could have gone swimming. The flowers are all blooming and our new Magnolia tree was transplanted at just the right time. It had time to settle and it even decided to bloom this year. It is such a beautiful time of year to remember our Mom (we are thinking about you). I ran around the yard today and took a few pics after the chemical emissions scare was lifted. I battened down the hatches and waited it out until the evacuation standby was given the all clear. The mishap was around the Clarkson Go station so we were within danger range of the chemical effluent and smoke plume that was released into the air.

Today Tom ventured down to Windsor to look for lawn furniture and he came home with a Beauty! It is the set Nick took pictures of from HBC. Thanks Eileen… you have impeccable taste. Yeah… Tonight we will assemble it and have Caesars by the pond.

Last night was nice and balmy so for a pre-Mother’s Day treat, Laura tended to our first ever campfire with our new landscaping. It was nice sitting around the fire pit with the sounds of bubbling water and night creatures all around us.

Today we had Irene out to join us for a mid day luncheon feast of fresh fruits, home made breads, and a baked casserole. To top it all off Laura brought out her scratch Strawberry Angelfood Cake with whipped cream topping. Jaclyn tried repeatedly to call Martha and finally got her chance to wish her and Grandma a warm and happy Mother’s Day. See continue link for a few snapshots.
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On April 21st our little Pride died. He was 12 years old and he basicly died of old age as his organs just failed him. He began to get weaker and weaker and was not eating or drinking. The vet kept a very positive outlook on his illness but I could tell that he was in a downward spiral. We all knew that he was near the end and we were able to say goodbye and prepare for the final loss. He did not suffer and I held him on my lap that entire evening. He literally just fell asleep. Nick had taken the boys to an Icedogs game and he died while they were away.
I have included a picture of Pride sitting in the sun. I bathed and brushed him the day before he died. My intuition I guess. This was my way of saying goodbye. I discovered something the other day that I found to be very interesting. Pride died on the same day that we adopted him.

Sorry Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe next Year.
The Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 6 of a second-round NHL playoff series Tuesday night. “Boo Hoo!”

Nick took pictures at The Bay today for you. This is a very good set if you are interested and the price is very reasonable. check out the pictures that I have posted. I also ran outside tonight to take a snapeshot of my new birthday set of lawn furniture from Costco.

Brian started at Longo’s grocery store as a customer service “go-for”. He was so excited to start his first job. He will bag groceries, accompany the customer to their car and load the groceries into their cars for them. He can keep any tips. He helped someone load heavy concrete urns, bags of triple mix and a 50lb rock into her car and was rewarded with a toonie. He still has to perfect gathering the carts in the parking lot without smashing into people or cars. He got new black pants and black shoes and Longo golf shirts to do the job.

The Youth Council of Chatham Kent ran a photo contest this month with categories in pride, history, environment and people. I submitted three pictures that I took with the Nikon and today they called! I got two firsts and a third. The prizes consist of a coffee table book that they will be featured in plus $200. Yahoo!

Earth Day was a huge success. The weather cooperated nicely and the ground was not too wet. We were able to pick up 8 bags of trash from Mud Creek. The students saw a muskrat, a garter snake, a red winged blackbird, a robin’s nest with 3 blue eggs and identified the call of the cardinal. All around it was a teachable moment.

This afternoon and evening we are experiencing the thunderstorms, winds and RAIN that the GTO got on Sunday. It was so heavy you could not drive in it. Our pond is so full, one side had a slight spill over, (not that bad). At least this gives us an idea where to build up the slope. The satellite keeps re-adjusting its signal and the APC surge protector on the computer activates.
Hope everybody has plans to “Pitch In” tomorrow for Earth Day. I have all the Grade 3’s heading down to Mud Creek for a community clean up. Pray for clearer weather than today!
Remember Every Day Is Earth Day.