Ahhh Summer, a time of family and friends (especially this year!)
Many of you have asked if our maples were affected by the Gypsy Moth. Mother Nature seemed to have a plan for our maples which was both good and bad. The warm temperatures in March decreased our sap production (the bad) but it also started leaf growth early (the good). By the time the hungry Gypsy Moth arrived, the leaves were more advanced and Gypsy Moths prefer tender new leaves so they moved on. They also prefer other tree species over maple so we are very fortunate to have minimal damage. The rain this summer has been welcomed as well nourishing our very dry sugar bush.
The highlight of my summer is enjoying my Great Granddaughter, Audrey, every Wednesday while Madeline (Mom) at The English Pie Shop bakes her savoury pies and sausage rolls ready for the Almonte Farmers Market on Saturdays. Of course Audrey is the cutest, smartest baby ever, and she loves to “talk” (I have no idea where that trait surfaced from!)
Our strawberry jam strawberries have been frozen ready for the transformation this fall. A big thanks to the McGregor family at McGregor’s Produce in Braeside for growing superb fruit!
As most families we like to celebrate success but we have had our happiest failure. Brenda is a Puppy Walker for Canadian Guide Dogs and Phoenix was her first puppy to raise. Due to Covid, the Training Center was closed and of course there were many interruptions and delays. Instead of being with Brenda for 12 months, Phoenix was here for over two years. We like to think that because of all the lovin’ Phoenix received from family and Team Awesome, she decided to come home and make the Deugo family her forever home. It has been a very happy reunion!!
In August, I look forward to a great reunion of my fellow Registered Nurse graduates from the Ottawa Civic Hospital of 1971. Wow – these women made a difference in their families, communities and in their professional careers. A very impressive group of fun loving, dedicated ladies. Even though I pursued nursing for only a few years I feel the training I received was the best I could have had for a lifetime in my family businesses. The lasting life lessons
of our training was an amazing work ethic, an eye for detail, precise reporting, people skills, confidentiality and most importantly a great sense of fun and joking to lighten the load of heavy responsibility. I can’t believe they trusted me with the lives of patients at the tender age of 18-21!
Shirley
