Seen Around

I have been busy doing an inventory of my Dad's HUGE Fontani Nativity.

I have cases and cases of palm trees, animals and people. And maybe 40 buildings....Maybe more.

I will be returning to work next Tuesday part time. Yippeee (NOT) . While I was off, I realized that I don't really like it there...Took me 5 years....

I will wait 6 months to see, if I change my mind and maybe look within the same company, different department.

In the meantime, I will share things I've seen around!

 This character is on the side of a building on St-Denis street.

He makes me smile!

 I love old water tanks on top of buildings.

They are a dying breed in Montreal.

 There is a lot of street art in my neighborhood.

Isn't this fish gorgeous?

This doll scared me and reminded me of that crazy 

character played by Kristen Wiig

Ewwwww!

When I saw this ceramic pizza shoe votive holder,

I wondered who was the person who dreamt this up!

Is that crazy or what?

Last but not least...I went to a big thrift last week and there was nothing good....

except this Pyrex bowl that had already been snatched up by a woman.

I hid to take the picture!

Have a great Sunday night!

Herb Garden

I love gardening but I am quite lazy....

But I miss my veggie garden. A LOT.

So I bought some herbs and sowed some.

And this is the result

Chives, rosemary, kale, thyme, parsley, bell peppers, sage....

And this is arugula.

Since those pics were taken, I sowed some lettuce and yellow bush beans...

we will see what comes out of this impromptu veggie/herb garden

In the mean time...

stay well my friends!

TCB (Taking Care of Business)

I procrastinate....Usually because I am afraid to fail (stupid, eh?)

6 or 7 years ago we bought 2 folding lawn chairs, you know the kind, every body had some in the 60's and 70's.

 Of course I forgot to take the REAL before picture, with all the old 

webbing!

 See how worn it is in the middle.

I was afraid it would rip out every time I would sit in it.

I had bought some new webbing from Ebay quite a long time ago to 

repair the chairs, but it was sitting in a cupboard waiting for me to stop 

procrastinating...

Well today I did!

It took me a couple of hours and guess what?

 I was scared for nothing!

It was real easy!

 Nice and sturdy!

And I have some leftover to redo the other chair!

I am so proud of myself!

The Magic Tree

We had so much to sort through with my Dad's passing....

The one hundred face cloths, the dozen stainless steel bowls, the plastic crates, the outdated lamp shades...

And more! like that crazy Fontanini nativity scene with hundreds of figurines and animals.....but we are not there yet!

I am just talking about day to day stuff, plates and bowls, cutlery...

I am just clarifying because I get a lot of flack from people (my Dad's friends, relatives etc...) that I should not throw away treasures....Yet they don't want any.....

First of all I did not throw away any national treasures...At one point you just don't know what to do with 30 glasses...

We did countless trips to the thrift shops...and eventually Dan said I am sick of going to the thrift shop, the gas spending , our time etc...

So I decided to just leave things by the tree, the tree in front of my Dad's apartment.

I left an ironing board, stainless steels bowls, lamp shades, floor sweepers, terracota pots, plastic crates....

 Yes that is the tree...

 It is the only tree on my side of the street...

and it is magic....because every time you leave something next to it,

It will magically disappear.

People in the Plateau are such scavengers it is crazy cool...

I am one! So proud!

I prefer to leave objects by the tree so people will take them, then to throw them away in the garbage!

Nighty Night!

  

Who Knew?

Growing up, my Dad was puttering in our small backyard every chance he got.

He worked 12-14 hours a day very often. He would go to his workshop on Saturdays...So garden time was Sundays.

I was young and eager to learn. I learned about the differences in plants, the bulbs, annuals versus perenials.

Dad would often find that I was all thumbs, but I loved hanging out in the yard planting bulbs and drinking tea.

When we bought the house in the burbs, I mostly planted plants I loved from my childhood. Lillies, irises, delphiniums, lupines and rosa rugosa.

Let's face it I bit off way more I could chew...eventually my yard was like a jungle and even if I worked on it
I felt overwhelmed....

Here in my new garden, I am still learning to know what every thing is, which plant needs what, how to trim the vines and clematis.

 The fountains are quite the new thing for me.

This cute one was called the cat's fountain by Dad.

Actually my cats are kinda scared of it...lol

But a lot of birds drop by everyday.

 I need to clean the pump every week or it gets full of debris...

 The pump died for the bigger one....I bought a new one....

And there is a piece missing!

All the components are waiting patiently....

and the mosquitoes!!!

Where I lived, since I was near the water we had millions of mosquitoes...

Dad kept telling me there were no mosquitoes in Montreal...

WRONG!!! I am full of bites!

I ordered some mosquito dunks to help with the problem...

I'll keep you posted!

Have a great night :)

My Favorite Store

Did I mention I love my new neighborhood ?

That I feel alive more so than the last 5 years? I love the neighborhood life, the cafés, the bistros and the little one of a kind shops...

Speaking of which, I am head over heels about  this adorable shop that is just one block away from my house.

 I present to you the Lambert Gratton General Store.

Located on the corner of De Bullion street and Duluth, it opened in June 2015.

 Every item in this delightful space is curated with love and care.

Here you can find amazing local products, handmade soaps,

mustards, sauces, soft drinks, cards...

all made in Quebec!

 And a beautiful selection of vintage items,

all reasonably priced.

 Check out all the glassware!

I am sure you could find a missing piece for your set.

 The artisan spruce beer and root beer are my personal faves!

 They also have a delightful selection of Pyrex.

Aren't these beautiful displays?

 A nice selection of tools for the gardener.

 And even some fab vintage lawn chairs....

My latest find? those adorable kitschy S&P shakers..

Just because....

So folks if you are planning a Montreal visit, be sure to visit 

Magasin General Lambert Gratton and like them on Facebook

@www.lambertgratton.ca

See you there!

Moving Day follow up

After I wrote about my unbelievable find ...AKA the Safe T Cone

I went to the convenience store to validate my lottery tickets....

And get the new ticket I HAD to buy since I found the amazing blowmold ice cream cone!

I took the opportunity to visit other garbage piles....

And I saw this big green Tupperware from the 70's (I think) and I just had to save it from the dump!

I opened it and it was full of flour! Oh my!

I grabbed it and snuck in the car port and dumped the content in the garbage...

 I am sure I will get a lot of use out of this one!

I was appalled to see all the waste from moving day.

I saw a lot of unopened food stuff such as pasta and rice.

A lot of clothes and empty bottles.

But on the selfish side...I can't wait for next year to see what people left!

Happy Canada Day!!!

To all my Canadian readers from coast to coast I wish you a wonderful Canada day!

Here in Quebec July 1st is MOVING DAY. Leases are usually 12 months and start on July 1st.

Which means that it is treasure day for a trash picker as myself....It is true that I try to limit the stuff I bring home because, let's face it my home is very well stocked, not to mention my Dad's apartment!

Today, returning from a fast trip to the corner grocer, I took the opportunity to visit the different piles of trash on my street....

Boy was I in for a MAJOR find! This is something I have been yearning for for several years....

And it was waiting for me lying on its side on top of a box of empty bottles....

 A safe T blowmold ice cream cone!!!

OMG! I ran home as fast as I could holding it tight just

like a little girl squealing with delight!

I will be purchasing a lottery ticket this afternoon!

 I got new sandals, half off with free delivery....

See how well my toes compliment the sandals?

And they are comfy! BONUS!

 I had to call a company to clean my roof drain, I have a flat roof.

See the dark space in the middle of the picture?

I was informed that hole was home to rats....

RATS! EEEEEWWWWW!

The exterminator is coming Monday morning!

Earlier today while vacuuming we blew out a circuit but we can't reset it...

Oh well, I'll try to have an electrician early next week...

And no week is complete without a condescending email from the executor.

The good news is that I am choosing not to let it ruin my day and that I should be rid of her

by the end of September.

Another good news is that I have found the joy of blogging again!

Be safe, be well

and 

Keep on thrifting!