Torrential Rain...Finally

   Last month was the driest July on record here in Southern Ontario but yesterday made up for the drought in spades. We had 33 mm which wasn't a record but very close to it. My pool is filled up to the top of the skimmer and we are due for some more in the next couple of days. Today more of the same although not the quantity we saw yesterday. There was the almightiest clap of thunder outside my window just now but I saw the flash of lightning so not a direct hit.

   I did manage to get a bit of gardening done between showers today - cut the back grass, trimmed border edges and cleared a bunch of day lilies. The grass is still very brown but should improve in a day or two.

   In the kitchen. Since it is considerably cooler today, I got a loaf in the bread machine and made a batch of sugar cookies. Now I am  all stocked up for visitors, should they show up at my door. I haven't spoken to anyone since Friday afternoon!

Digging For Dinner

     I dug up two potato plants this afternoon and each had one potato. Rather a meager haul but enough for my evening meal. I have decided to just dig them up as I need them, I don't eat potatoes very often but tonight I will make a potato salad.

My hibiscus has produced two blooms simultaneously and there's another bud almost ready to open. This hasn't happened before - usually I only get one bloom at a time. Must have been feeding it better this summer!

Up and Working

   The pool guys (different guys today) came with the new pump not long after I got home from tennis. In fact I had time for a quick dip before they arrived. They had it installed and working lickety split and so one less worry plus the water is still in good shape.

   

    The new pump allows for programming the speed and I have it set to run more slowly overnight. Two advantages to that - with the old pump I switched it off every evening and on again in the morning which was a pain. But now I will just let it chug away. Also the slower rate should use less power, supposed to pay for itself over time. We shall see!

Stops and Starts

   The pool is still blue (not the dreaded green) and the grandkids came and churned up the water to distribute yesterday's doze of shock. I don't think I will put in any more as it does tend to cause an imbalance of chemicals. The pool guys will be here tomorrow to install the new pump. I am going with a "variable speed" pump which is a bit more expensive but (supposedly) uses less power, so long term savings. We shall see!

   I opened a can of paint this afternoon to do some touch-up jobs, but the family arrived just as I was about to start. Once they were gone (5-ish, Judy spent half-an-hour looking for her car keys) the notion had left me so I will postpone until tomorrow.