I took this photo Friday morning I think.  As you can see my lilacs are very overgrown, but I'll wait until they're done blooming to trim them.  What the photo doesn't show is all the wood scattered around.  Both the fort and shed are works in progress.

We took Jack to Elk Island National Park on Saturday and had a long walk there.  He did well and didn't bitch or moan about the walk.  Progress.  He even had a good time and thought the frog was cool.

The next photo is for Mr. Pudding who always so kindly posts photos of Northern England.  This is northern Alberta, or at least a small part of it.  You can see the beaver lodge in the photo.  Every single slough in the Park has at least one, but sometimes three or four, beaver lodges.  The place was originally called Beaver Hills.  

We had a good walk and survived another Saturday with Jack.  He doesn't stop talking or asking questions, which in theory sounds so good.  He curious.  Yes, he's curious, but it's also very intense and mentally draining.  It feels like teaching someone for twelve hours straight, which I suppose it is.

Yesterday he visited his mom.  She has no vehicle, and her sister was sick, so my hubby picked her up and dropped her and Jack off at the swimming pool.  Apparently she forgot to bring her bankcard, so she couldn't feed Jack.  Hubby picked them up at the pool and dropped her off at her apartment, and took Jack out for lunch.  Not sure how they got into the pool without money, but maybe she has a low income pass.  I don't know how she thinks she can take care of him.

Today she's pissy because she wants him for overnights again and all of the guardians have said no.  She's sleeping on a mattress, on the floor of her apartment, her one bedroom apartment.  Hubby said the place is filthy and messy, with the scent of cat pee heavy in the air.  

When the fire broke out at her old apartment, Gracie was sleeping, at 1:30 in the afternoon.  She went back to sleep because apparently, the fire alarms often went off.  But then a lot of fire trucks with sirens showed up, and then someone was banging on her door, and a fire fighter had to go into her bedroom to wake her up and get her out of the apartment.  That's what concerns me, and the rest of us.  I don't know why she couldn't wake up, but usually it's drugs and alcohol for her.  Jack is not safe with her, still.  I doubt he ever will be.

Jack will be saddled with her for the rest of her life.  We'll have to teach him that you can love toxic people, but you don't have to let them drag you down too.  Took me many years to learn that one.