Not Everyone Has Leaves

The snow is gone and most of the trees have leaves, still waiting on the oaks.

It has been a long winter, Pat's birthday was the 21st of May and he rode his bike on a snowbank in the tree/fence line near our house.  Yesterday on CBC Regina they were talking about frozen water mains.  About 3 times times more than the usual and  occurring much later in the year.  Enough about weather although I am waiting for a good thunderstorm.
As I sit composing this post I am in the veranda with the windows open.  A gentle breeze rustling the leaves in the trembling aspen.  It couldn't be a more perfect day from where I am sitting.

My brother and his wife were here for the long weekend in May.  It was their first trip to this part of the country, we had a great time showing them the sights. 

Yes snow along the edge of the valley.

And yet in our ravine the crocuses were pretty much done.  You can see all the seed heads in this photo.

The last time we were in Saskatoon Pat bought his much thought about fat tire bike.

He loves it and it is actually a great bike for here.  He is all over the place on it, claiming he goes places his other bike would never go.

As I look at this photo I wonder where I could pose my sewing machine ( not a new one).

Somehow I don't think it would quite the same kind of photo unless perhaps Pat would take it on his bike to this spot.  I will have think about this.

Bruce has a large pile of oats that he has been drying.  A breakfast buffet of the best kind.  The deer and elk have worn a path to their oats .

It also creates a fantastic opportunity for photos, they are predictably there most mornings 

 Is there any lip smacking going on with the hunters in the crowd?

On another morning ride Pat startled a duck off her nest and took me back later for a photo or two.

When we went in the evening to take the photos she was no where in sight.  The first photo is the nest as it was, the second I carefully moved the grass aside with the stick you see on the left so we could get a better picture of the eggs.  We pushed grasses back into place when we left.  Hopefully mama was only away from the nest for a short time.  We are going to try and remember to check on it later.

The kitchen is done!

It is hard to see in this photo but there is a stainless steel edge along the front edge of the counter which we think is a nice detail. 

This kitchen is so much more in so many ways than the kitchen at 213.  I love it.

I cooked for five people, most with big appetites in a small inefficient kitchen and now I cook for two in a roomy efficient kitchen with a pantry that most would die for.  I'm sure there are many cooks who have experienced a similar irony.

That should be it for this month.  We are travelling for most of the month of June.  

I will have photos of Scotland and Iceland to share when we are back.

Photo credits to Pat for the whole post except the kitchen shot.

The Qu'apelle in the morning light.