The temperature finally dropped enough that I was willing to head out for a hour or two with my camera.  I walked over the the Ornamental Gardens at the Experimental Farm.  Today was the day for day lilies.  Who knew?  While I was there I started talking to three of the "Friends of the Farm" volunteer gardeners.  They were so good and so generous with their information.  Apparently, the three volunteer on Wednesdays in the lily garden area.  Wisely they are wearing sunglasses, hats and lots of sunscreen.  What a wonderful way to get outdoors and garden. Here are some of the day lilies photos that I took.  I did learn that the lilies with mottled leaves have either had rain or a sprinkler on them or bugs.  I thought they looked terrific because they were so different.  Gardners love to ... 07/18/2012

Your house is for sale and you leave for work each morning.  What should you be asking yourself before you leave for the day?   Why do so many people hate cats and dogs?  Well they don’t but they do hate smells, dander and hair.  Change the cat litter, vacuum the hair.   Maybe send the pets on a vacation.  Every realtor and every house shopper has experienced the unbelievable stench of cat litter left unattended; don’t let that be at your house.    Oops.  You have a dog but have never bothered to vacuum up the hair.  Yuck! What is so hard about making the bed?   Make it.  Pull up the duvet.  This will make the rooms bigger and more presentable.   You cannot believe I would suggest this but have you peaked into your teenager’s bedroom.  Ugh and Arg!!!! Why is every day garbage day?  Empt... 07/16/2012

We have moved a lot.  A LOT!  Over time, in each of our new neighbourhoods, we have met the neighbours.  Some became friends and some stayed strangers.  In our current immediate neighbourhood, we have met and become very friendly with almost all of those who live close.   One of our very favourite people was Dom Herrick.  Yesterday, after a brief illness of only a few weeks, he passed.  We are going to miss him.  In particular, my husband and Dom have been gardening partners in Dom's yard for the past several years.  The photo is one I took in late June of this year while the 'boys' were out playing in the yard.  See they even started to look alike with Dom kneeling and Georges holding the bucket.  They went to hockey games together and generally like each others company.   It is hard t... 07/12/2012

I went out with my camera this morning, looking for more flowers.  One of my neighours waylaid me with an offer to go shopping with her at a local strip mall, Hampton Court.  There is a fabulous pet shop there called Critter Jungle  (1405 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7L6  (613) 729-7354).  I had my camera and asked if I could take a few photos of the birds.  I hope you like the photo of the two Zebra Finches.  Some of the blur in the photo is from the cage bars.   I looked up additional information about these birds on Wikipedia.  Their life span can be 8 - 10 years in captivity.  It would be VERY lonely if you only had one.  They are very cute, curious and very perky.  Both came to the edge of the cage and stayed until the flash scared them.     It is the male that decided to sit in ... 07/12/2012

We wanted to take my niece out for burgers and Vera's was going to be closest to her hotel.  I love Vera burgers.  The company is located in Vancouver and has several outlets but only one outside of Vancouver and that is here in Ottawa.  It is located in a meat market, The Butchery, in Bells Corner.  Now, what an excellent partnership - a burger place inside a meat market!!! Vera's hours are the same as The Butchery so we knew we had to pick her up and then get in with enough time for the meat to cook and us to eat before 6:00.  Whew - we made it out to Bells Corner in rush hour traffic with time to spare.  Vera's is in the corner of the shop and has only three tables and a counter along the window and a wall.  You go to the cooking counter, fill in the order form so that your burger (... 07/11/2012

We are constantly being asked by clients, customers and people on the street "So how's the market?"  Of course, they mean the real estate market but wouldn't you like to surprise them with one of the following comments:   Caterpillar stocks inched up a bit. Paper was stationary. Fluorescent tubing was dimmed in light trading. Knives were up sharply. Cows steered into a bull market. Pencils lost a few points. Hiking equipment was trailing. Elevators rose, while escalators continued their slow decline. Light switches were off. Mining equipment hit rock bottom. Shipping lines stayed at an even keel. The market for raisins dried up and Coca Cola fizzled. Balloon prices were inflated. And Home sales went through the roof!!!!  Photo credit:  Balloons at Friendly's  07/10/2012

Piper and Oliver - the Neighbourhood Yorkies Oops.  My credibility is in danger as I recently wrote about eradicating cats from my yard.  Okay, cats may not be better than kids but dogs are.  Here is a list of reasons that I recently received from another dog person.  Remember, dogs (and maybe cats) are better than kids because they:  (1) eat less, (2) don't ask for money all the time, (3) are easier to train, (4) normally come when called, (5) never ask to drive the car, (6) don't smoke or drink, (7) don't want to wear your clothes, (8) don't have to have you buy them the latest ipod-pad-touch-phone, (9) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and (10) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children ...   Finally, for everyone who thinks they can sit in Hoover’s corner of the couc... 07/08/2012

There are a few cats in my neighbourhood who are allowed to roam freely.  One of the by-products of these free range cats it that they like to mark or spray ‘their’ territory and that includes my backyard.  When the sun heats up the sprayed area, the smell is way beyond pleasant.    I like to sit outside and enjoy the summer and there are days when this is not possible because of the cat smell. I have been doing a search on what can be done to first get rid of the smell and, second, get rid of the cats.  This week we started to dump the morning coffee grounds in the smelly area.  That will, I hope reduce the smell.  Perfume sellers often have a jar of coffee beans for customers to inhale between smelling different perfumes.   Who knows, this may work and costs nothing.  We bought somet... 07/03/2012

Today is Canada's Birthday.  Happy Canada Day!   This is the day people scour their wardrobes to find red and white clothes, have a flag painted on their forehead, go out to see fireworks, eat picnic food and generally give thanks that we live in a wonderful country.   This week, at my volunteer job, I asked a couple of people if they could sing our national anthem all the way through.  We had a slight word change a few years ago and people now stumble and hum the new section and then join in for a rousing conclusion.  I had the words available and my first 'victem' was in her late 70s.  She had a beautiful voice, not shy to sing and made it all the way through.   The second person, like me, learned the anthem in French and English and jumped from one language to the other during the a... 06/30/2012

Late last night I saw a television commercial for Hellmann's mayonnaise.   The tag line had to do with eating a sandwich made with Hellmann's was the difference between eating a sandwich or savouring it.   That made me think about first time homeowners. A quick trip to a big box store and all the basic for the first house could be covered.   To me that is the sandwich without the zip, the flavour and the zing.   Go out and get some 'mayonnaise' something that gives the home your taste - photos, art, flowers, painted walls.  The list is endless and limited only by the landlord, the maxed out credit card and the generosity of friends and relatives.   Adding your personal touches is the difference between occupying a space and living in it.   Photo credit: cropped from a photo on www.hell... 06/28/2012

Meet Liz.  She is a trained and certified  Aesthetician at The Spa in Bells Corner.  I have been going to The Spa at Bells Corner for several years.  Liz has been my aesthetician for so many years that she knows my stories, has listened to my real estate rants and, in the past year, has been providing my husband with foot treatments.  If you send family then that is a HIGH recommendation.  I am here to say that so few people are allowed to touch His Nibs' SACRED FEET.  Liz is young, energetic, has an infectious laugh, has made me laugh and cry at the same time, pays attention to detail and leaves my feet feeling like a million dollars.  She is prompt and always on time.  She remembers my stories between appointments and I have remembered hers.  I got to hear about the baby shower for h... 06/26/2012

On Sunday I met Nancy and her dogs. We were all at the Experimental Farm enjoying a beautiful morning.   She called me over to a big Butternut tree to show me a cicada that had just molted.  It was amazing.  She found the hard shell on the ground and picked it up to show me.  Apparently she was walking by the tree when the light green of the wings caught her eye.  Now, I love meeting new people and Nancy was very interesting.  She is a biologist with the Federal Government (explains why she knew so much about bugs- wait is that a double entendre?).  In fact, she works in the same department I left but in a building of well over 1,000 people it is not a surprise that we never met.  She has the two most endearing shelter dogs.  Sally lives a few blocks from my house.  She said she and her... 06/25/2012

I decided to go back to the Ornamental Gardens to see if there were any peonies left.  I saw a couple of late bloomers but not the glorious array from two weeks ago.  Still, I had my camera and time so I walked around taking photos and talking to people   Of course, I only had my macro lens on the camera so thought I was limited in what I could photograph.  Well, apparently, there are limits but not many (I am really proud of the portrait of Justin and of the helicopter).   Justin had a remote control helicopter and was learning to fly it in an open area of of the Experimental Farm.  Of course I had to stop and talk to him.  What a wonderful young man.  Makes you proud of the next generation.  Here is what I learned about Justin.   He is an apprentice electrician who comes from Cape Bre... 06/24/2012

We had an opportunity to move our central air conditioner this past week.  It had conked out and the choice was a new fan motor (about $500) or a new unit (over $3,000).  The unit was between 15 - 20 years old but the cost of the fan motor was so attractive.  However, the HVAC company owner determined that there was sufficient space at the side of the house to relocate the unit:  closer to the furnace room and off the backyard patio.  The first thing we thought was if this would be any issue with the neighbours.  I talked to the neighbours.   They have no windows at the side of their home that would face the new location.  If anything, the wife said that she would be fine with a little white noise to help drown out any other street noises at night.  Whew!!!! Air conditioners and pool p... 06/16/2012

  I got a phone call yesterday telling me that Hoover (my Westie) and I had won a basket of dog goods from a draw at the groomer's shop.  Having a Westie means that you get to know your dog's groomer very well.  Chantal Raby has been grooming my dogs for the past several years and she is wonderful. Hoover is so relaxed with her that he falls asleep during the process.  That alone is a high recommendation.  I think you can tell from the photo that Chantal also is good with Airedales. They almost look stupid happy.   Chantal owns DAWN OF A NEW DAY.  She and the other groomers do amazing work on both cats and dogs. The shop is very large so there is space for dogs to stroll around, drying areas an big wash tubs.   The last time I took Hoover in for grooming, he was the 5th or 6th Westie f... 06/10/2012

Beat the Ottawa Summer Heat It’s the time of year again when we start thinking of turning on the air conditioning to beat the Ottawa summer heat.  There are a number of things we can do to avoid turning on the air-conditioning for just a few more days until the real heat sets in. We can check the caulking and weather-stripping for any air gaps that potentially let in moisture. Ensure the attic and exterior walls are insulated properly. Use drapes and blinds to keep out that hot sun during the warmest part of the day. Having the windows closed keeps out that humidity that comes along with the blazing hot summer sun. In the cooler evenings, open up windows and blinds to let in that evening breeze. If you own your property take a look at how your trees can help.  By planting trees on the s... 05/16/2012

Some people have an idea of the neighbourhood where they want to live.   The fact is they may never have walked the streets of the neighbourhood and so won't know how people are keeping their yards, what are the traffic patterns, is there a flight path over the house and many many other things that a Buyer will only know if he or she steps out of the car and goes for a few walks in the neighbourhood. Last week I spent about three hours walking around my neighbourhood.  Of course, I had my camera and took about 350 photos.  I also got a chance to talk to people who were coming out of their homes.  I asked very politely if I could step on their property and take some close up photos of their flowers.  It is amazing what you will learn about the neighbourhood if you stop and "smell the ros... 05/15/2012

Before I was a Mom - I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday. Before I was a Mom - I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night. Before I was a Mom - I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep. Before I was a Mom - I never held a slee... 05/12/2012

I went for a walk along Wellington Avenue and stopped in a Isobel's just to smell the baking and live vicariously. Oh yes, I also managed to have my camera and thought I would take a few photos so you can see what I saw.   Two days before Mother's Day and the cookies and cupcakes are flying off the shelves.  Yum. Yum  05/11/2012

  Every homeowner hopes that, when his home goes on the market, there will be a long queu of buyers who are just waiting to buy the house.  Now, this does happen but not as often as Buyers think.  So, if you are considering selling your home make sure that it is sale ready BEFORE the buyers show up.   Do all of your home repairs, decluttering and staging - then put the sign in the lawn.  Don't let someone in to see you home just because he or she has heard the gossip that you are selling.   He is going to offer you less than if you are sale ready.  Of course, if these early birds come cheque in hand and give you an unheard of amount for your neighbourhood - run, do not walk to the bank.  After all, the first buyers are the most keen buyers.   Bit by bit, as a home lingers on the market... 05/05/2012