Chuckles and Chortles

And here we are again with another new week ahead of us! Happy Monday, my friends. What is up with all of you? What is going on? Share in the comments below and tell me all about it.

I finished weeding (what a job!) and I started planting (yippee!). Last week we visited some garden centers and picked up a few plants (perennials and annuals) along with soil and mulch. Talk about being thrilled! I got all my new babies into the ground and when there's sufficient growth, and when I see flowers blooming, I'll share some photos with you. And speaking of photos, I'll try to remember to snap one of the bee and butterfly house we put up. No tenants yet but we've had some interest. Below that housing, we're going to lay out some tiles and place planters full of flowering plants on them. Not only will these little critters have a place to live, there will be lots of food below available. We intend to be really great landlords.

So... It used to be blissfully quiet here. Then our neighbours got a dog. I'm not sure what kind it is but it's one of the small ones. Cute as a button. But annoyingly loud. On and off throughout the day, it barks incessantly. Sometimes it's on the back balcony early in the morning and it barks and barks and barks at everything and everyone. Sometimes it's outside in front of the house and it barks and barks and barks at everything and everyone. When I was working in the front flower bed last week, it was outside barking and barking and barking at me. I completely ignored it in hopes that it would quiet down but it wouldn't. It didn't stop until I finished my work and left.

To say that this non-stop noise is less than pleasant is an understatement. We're not even at peace in our home anymore. We have a semi-detached home (we share a wall with these neighbours), so when it barks in the house at any time (sometimes very early in the morning or very late at night), we can hear it. In addition, our security cameras caught their young daughter sneaking into our front flower bed and cutting tulips. Not the end of the world, really, and I would happily allow the child to cut a flower or two...if she asked. But the way she does it is not right. Anyhow, we're trying to decide how we'll handle all this. I think we should talk with our neighbours and try to resolve things, particularly the noisy dog. Any suggestions?

While you think about all the great advice you're going to give me, here are some funny images to start the week off on the right note. Enjoy...and have a wonderful day!

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy new week, blogging friends! How was your weekend? How are you doing? What are you up to? What are you reading, watching and listening to? What are you eating and drinking? Have you gone anywhere? Done anything? Seen or talked to anyone? Started something new? What's keeping you busy? What's taking up your time? Inquiring minds want to know! Share in the comments.

Friday we spent the day in our hometown of Montreal. We had lunch there and visited Ikea, which we hadn't been to since way before the pandemic. It was fun walking through the store and seeing the showrooms. We only bought some candles and some lightbulbs because I'm not about to re-clutter a de-cluttered house! Now it's going to be more about necessity than wanting something.

And yes, I'm done with the cleaning and de-cluttering! I couldn't be happier. We have a lot of boxes filled with items for donation to be dropped off. The house is more airy and easier to clean. I could probably eliminate more things but it's time to start focusing on the outdoors, so I'll get back to further de-cluttering later in the year when it gets cold again.

Speaking of the outdoors, we visited a garden center last week and my heart skipped a few beats! I WAS SO EXCITED to be there. I wanted to buy dozens of plants but didn't. Until I get rid of the weeds and properly prepare the flower beds, I can't plant anything. Quite an incentive to get out in the garden this week and clean everything up. Then off to the garden centers I go to stock up!

In an earlier post, I mentioned that we were searching for a waterproof camera to take out and about with us, and one that we can take selfies with. Well, we finally did pick one up and we took it for a test run last week on one of our walks by the water. Here's a photo of us trying to figure it out while being blinded by the sun! The quality for the price we paid is quite good. Can't wait to take images on our cycling adventures and day trips! I hope to share some with you.


Well, enough blah, blah, blah... Let's get to the funny images. Enjoy them and have an amazing week!

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy Monday, everyone, and happy May, as well! A new month is upon us and I couldn't be happier. This is the month when the garden centers will be stocked and ready to go. They have perennials, annuals, trees and vegetables...and we've got flower beds and a tree-less lot to fill! The perfect union. Can't wait to start planting. But before the fun stuff begins, the not so fun part of gardening needs to be tackled. There is a lot of weeding that needs to get done and I hope to tackle that some time this week if the weather co-operates.

Yesterday was a glorious spring day and it would have been the ideal time to do that, but yours truly chose to neglect chores and go out and enjoy life instead! I spent the day in Vaudreuil (a small city in Quebec about 40 minutes from here) with a very old friend that I hadn't seen in years; way before the pandemic. We've known each other since we were about three and even our moms were friends. Despite how long it had been since we'd gotten together, it was like we'd just seen each other the day before. That's the beauty of these types of friendships. You pick up right where you left off. We had an amazing time together and it was fun catching up, especially about our kids that are all grown up now. I am so grateful for all these lovely souls in my life.

Are you watching anything captivating or reading anything interesting. Believe it or not, I'm still trying to make it through "The Stand" by Stephen King. I'm more than halfway through but there are still so many pages left to read. Sometimes I feel like calling it quits but I am determined to finish this! As for what we're watching, we're enjoying the final season of Ozark on Netflix. Talk about intensity and being on edge with the final episodes. I'm so curious to see how this will end. It's been a really good series. How about you? What are you up to these days?

That's it for now, blogging pals. I wish you all a great week and an amazing month ahead! And I hope the images below make you chuckle and chortle. Enjoy!

Chuckles and Chortles

Hey, blogging pals, how are you all doing? Happy new week to everyone. What have you been up to lately? What's going on? I hope you are all doing well. We're fine and we're keeping busy. I slowed down a little last week with the spring cleaning because it caught up with me. I tackled some smaller projects and packed up a few more things for donation. There isn't that much left to do, so I'm very satisfied with where I'm at. Just a little more to go and I can wrap all this up.

I'll be spending more time working on the outdoors very soon, which I'm really looking forward to. I noticed that the garden centers around town are stocking up. I can't wait to go visit and pick up perennials for our empty flower beds. We need some colour! We also need trees on our property, which there are none of. Our plan is to add at least two this year; maybe even three. We'll see how it goes. I also have a bee and butterfly house that I picked up that needs to be installed somewhere. Not sure where but we'll figure it out.

Saturday evening we got together with my bestie and her husband for dinner at their place. They live about an hour away in Quebec. The drive goes quickly because most of it is on the highway. Because the roads were very quiet, our trip was that much more pleasant. We hadn't met up at their home in over two years. What a joy it was to be able to finally do that. We had an amazing time. They are such a great couple. Before we went to their place, we stopped off at the bookstore for about an hour...my favourite place to be! All in all, a fabulous day. We didn't get home until 1:30 AM! We're not used to being out that late, so you can imagine how tired we were the next day. Our cats, who are also not used to us being gone for so long, met us at the door when we got home...with looks of disapproval, no less! What kind of cat parents were we gallivanting around at all hours of the night? Ah, cats...

That’s it for now. Enjoy all the funny images and have a wonderful week ahead!

Chuckles & Chortles

Happy new week, blogging friends! How is everyone doing? What have you been up to? Anything interesting going on? What are you reading or watching? Share below in the comments! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and for those who celebrated, I hope you enjoyed a nice Easter.

Last week was another very busy and productive one for me! I finished cleaning and de-cluttering more of the house. I'm about 75% done at this point and very pleased with the results. We have gotten rid of a lot of things and I couldn't be happier. The most amazing man in the world has been a tremendous help, especially with moving around heavier items. There are only two rooms left to tackle and then we’ll deliver all the boxed items for donation at the local thrift shops. The few pieces of furniture we didn’t need anymore were listed on Kijiji for free and one of them has been picked up. Another has been inquired about, so that should be going soon, as well.

I tell you; it is so liberating to be chipping away at things we don’t need. The house seems more airy and easier to clean! We went out for coffee a couple of evenings ago and we discussed what we’d like to do next in terms of our living arrangements. And we both agreed that it would be great at some point in the future to sell this house and find one that is much smaller. We joked that it would be our final stop before the old age home! Ideally, we’d love to move to Ottawa at some point. Maybe not directly in the city since it’s so expensive but on the outskirts. We’ll look into it and if we can make it happen, we will.

And that’s all for now, everyone! I hope you are all keeping well. Enjoy all the funny stuff below and have an amazing week ahead!