Saturday 31 October 2020

Happy Halloween!

Okay, what happened to October? Can you believe it is Halloween already? I was looking back at my posts and thinking this month has literally flown by like some witch on a broom.  I suspect a lot of that is due to our household feeling ill for a portion of itbut even so it seems to have almost passed me by.

Speaking of health issues, I have an update on C's problems. He was able to get into the dentist's office on the 26th.  She did a full set of x-rays and determined he has/had a jaw infection. There was still a bit of infection left below one of his molars.  After some discussion he has decided to have a root canal and is booked for the procedure on November 5.  She explained the reason for the severe pain was the nerve dying...it is now dead so she expects he won't feel much when she does the work.  

This week has been pretty humdrum.  It's been cold in the mornings, so I didn't feel like going outside to walk.  I did manage to get steps in by walking in the house - I've got a circuit figured out on the main floor that takes me on a loop down and back up the stairs.  Two laps is a minute so 60 laps gives me the 30 minutes of activity I want to reach.  

But Wednesday, when the temperature was sitting around the freezing mark I decided I was being a wimp and headed out for my regular walk.  I quickly realized that the streets were a bit dicey where the rain on Tuesday had frozen overnight.  The pathways were better but even so, I did the slip and slide (no falling) more than few times before I decided to stick to the grass as much as possible.  I walked along the creek, and sure as heck, didn't I put my foot in a gopher hole and fall flat on my face.  It knocked my toque off my head and initially I thought no other damage was done.  Nothing serious, but when I fell I put my hands out to break my fall.  My hands slid on the ground - good thing, but I jarred my arms and the upper arm muscles were quite sore later in the day and into the next. That pretty much firmed up my decision to walk indoors instead.  


There were still a few ducks on the creek, as well as this group feeding in the back of this house.  I've seen them there before and assume that the people are putting out feed for the birds.

As I came around the corner to the pond, I noticed this sign.  Actually there were several of them at either end.  I have to wonder at people who would want to test the theory.


Rebel alert!  This was the only bird I saw on the pond at all.  There were a few birds flying over - perhaps they are more obedient. :)

Housework took up a fair amount of time too, as well as finishing Eli's mitts and starting a sweater shrug for L.  I decided the poncho dress pattern, while cute, would need to be modified too much.  I wanted something a little more simple, but still cute.  I also did a bit on my cross stitch Christmas bow.  I did my weekly shop on Thursday and I may have stopped at the dollar store for a few more craft items.  Between the craft items and the yarn, I've got enough projects to keep me busy for months, maybe even a year or more. 

I did order the last of my Christmas gifts for my son.  He enjoys spending time at his computer, not only playing on-line games but he uses it to watch programs and documentaries.  I found a gaming chair on sale and had it delivered directly to the house.  It's "hidden" in my craft room because I know he never goes in that room.  With the exception of the shrug for my niece, a couple of gift cards for my niece and nephew, and some baking for friends, I'm finished!  This is definitely the earliest I've ever been this far ahead.  

My goal is to go out of the house no more than once every week to 10 days.  We are definitely seeing an uptick in Covid cases here.  While the numbers are low compared to other areas of Canada, since I don't really need to go out, I'm going to stay close to home.  Our local news outlets have been reporting on various potential exposures at local businesses, and thus far I've not been at any of them on those dates and times.  I'll still go visit D and Eli every 4-6 weeks; their small community hasn't had a case (yet), and she is also sticking close to home. The closest larger community, about 20 minutes away, had several cases so she's avoiding it as much as possible. My son's area of work has limited contact with other people.  

D and Eli will be here tomorrow. She is seeing a doctor on Monday for a first visit so needs to see him in person.  We'll celebrate C's birthday a week late on Sunday and I'll order in combo meal from a local pizza restaurant.  Eli was quite concerned that C didn't have a birthday cake when he talked to him last weekend so depending on when they arrive, I'll bake a small cake with or without his mix-a, mixing.  He'll definitely help with the decorating - I know I have some sprinkles in the cupboard. Just what every 33 year old male wants on his birthday cake, right?  :)

Today, I'm finishing up a bit of housework, clean sheets for the bed, cleaning the bathrooms, and watching some curling.  The weather isn't nice, we had a wind advisory overnight into the morning, and though it has calmed down it's cool and cloudy.  Good day to just hang out, working on some stitching project and watching the live streams.  This evening I expect we'll have a few little ghosts and goblins visit. I've got the goodies out in the garage and bought a pair of blood spattered gloves (fake, obviously) to wear when I hand it out.  The cats are going to hate it with the doorbell going off. I do watch but the kids are faster than I am.  

Take care everyone, stay well and safe.  Have a good week ahead!




Wednesday 28 October 2020

Wordy Wednesday - down the rabbit hole

 I'll preface this by saying, feel free to laugh at me.  I do (laugh at myself) so you won't hurt my feelings.  I have to admit that I seem to have developed an addiction to Facebook videos.  Blame it on the cat blogs and live stream curling for the first dip of the toe into that world.  But, I've discovered there are far more and these days it's all about DIY Christmas decorations.  It's a rabbit hole!  I'm totally amazed at the creativity of these people and in my own small way have tried to emulate.  The local dollar stores are getting in more craft items, ornaments, and other items.  My craft room has seen many additions in the last couple of weeks.

These photos are the items I've completed in the last week.


This is a gift for Eli's other Grandma.  I send her photos every year with her Christmas card, but this year I thought I'd frame one of them for her.

I purchased an inexpensive wooden picture frame at Michaels.  The scrapbook was on sale for 33 cents a sheet (so of course, I bought several sheets - different patterns).  The little cars are actually buttons that I bought in a large package from Michaels a few years ago.

I used Modge Podge to glue the paper to the frame and for the sealing (it dries clear).  I didn't do a perfect job with cutting the paper, as you can tell by the photo, but looking at it across the room, it looks fine.  I cut the little plastic piece off the back of the button and hot glued the to cover the more visible seams.  

Next up, is this little snowman made from small styrofoam balls purchased from the dollar store.  The balls were white, but patterned, so I painted them white so they appeared more solid.  Using the paints I'd picked up at the thrift store to paint the eyes, mouth, buttons, and nose.  D has promised me a bit of homemade play dough, colored orange when she next visits.  I want something that is 3-D; I'll just repaint the nose part white and hot glue a dried play dough nose in its place. 

The ribbon I had from another project a few years ago.  The arms are pieces of a pipe cleaner from a Halloween pack of items from the dollar store. I cut it up and twisted a small piece onto the larger ones and poked the arms into the styrofam ball.  

The hat took me a bit of thinking. I used the cardboard from a toilet paper roll, cutting three pieces, two circles and a small length that I rolled up for the main part of the hat. I painted everything black, and hot glued the pieces together.  The beads are from a pick that I used when D and I made the spoons.  The whole thing is hot glued to the top of the snowman's head.  I did need to cut a small piece off the bottom of the snowman so he would stand on his own.  I told D I want to make a few more of different sizes so I'll be looking for styrofoam balls.  This was a really fun project.

Last, but certainly not least are these ornaments. There are three in the photo, but I actually made four. I plan to give one to my SIL, two will likely be added to gifts for friends, and the last I'll keep for myself.


I started with four small artist's canvases from the dollar store but I used the backside for these.  I did paint the canvases black on the full canvas side, and just the top half of this side.  The little trees were from the dollar store as were the ribbons.  I found the snow at Canadian tire when I went to pick up bird seed.

First, I painted the frames with a mix of red paint and red glitter glue (on sale at Walmart). I used some painter's tape to keep from making a mess on the canvas.  After that dried, I decided to paint the canvas with the black paint and used the painter's tape to keep the paint off the lower portion.  

While these were drying I decorated one of the little trees using pieces of a garland that I found at the dollar tree and a button from another package I'd gotten at Michaels several years.  The little piece on the back of the button actually slid right over the top of the tree and is held with a bit of glue.

I painted the star in the sky and glued a piece of the snow onto the frame before adding the trees. I didn't care for the way the base of the trees looked so used a bit of snow to cover...it almost looks like they are in a snow bank.  The bow and the ribbon (also purchased at the dollar store are hot glued to the frame.  

These took me most of a morning to finish due to the drying time and my dithering over how they should look.  I did have to re-do the stars in the sky, as I wasn't happy with the first attempts.  Good thing black paint covers well! Looking at them I can see I few minor tweaks are needed to improve the look.  

If I were to estimate the cost for all of the projects, I'd say I spent about $20 on materials.  But I still have bows, garlands, ribbons, paint, paper, styrofoam balls, pipecleaners, buttons, etc. galore for future projects. I guess I'll need to watch more videos!

Next up - I've got some wooden coasters that Eli will decorate the next time he's here.  I have to get some knitting and crocheting done.

Take care and stay well everyone!

Saturday 24 October 2020

Say it isn't S"no"w

*Warning - long post, sorry!


 Yes, it happened though I took no photos to prove it.  We had a skiff of snow on Monday overnight into Tuesday.  I was out at my daughter's and they got a lot more than we did.  The snow in the city has melted but it is still quite cold, well below normal temps.

I didn't get out to D's until Sunday. My son was feeling pretty awful on Saturday so I stuck around just in case.  About 11 p.m. I called our 811 Healthline for advice. He was in severe pain, but I didn't want to take him to the ER unless it was necessary.  After that call, I may never go see a doctor again.  First the nurse and then the doctor she referred us to, spoke with C and I for about 20 minutes or more each.  Unlike the doctor he saw on Thursday, this doc asked a lot of questions to get an idea of what was happening.  He suggested the antibiotic might not have been strong enough, but thought an anti-inflammatory like Aleve or Advil would help with the pain. He also prescribed a nasal spray that I picked up at the pharmacy the next day.  After we hung up, C took an Aleve, went to bed and slept for ten hours!  

Since then, his pain has lessened though not completely dissipated. He's sleeping better but having a tough time eating because of discomfort.  He has an appointment to see the dentist in a few days and I'm hopeful that she'll be able to determine what is going on.  Fingers crossed.

I got away just around lunch time on Saturday, and by 2 p.m. I was hugging my little guy.  As I came through the door, he told he'd missed me.  Awww, he's so darn sweet.  D and I spent some time tidying the house, while Eli played (and made a mess behind us, lol).  When bedtime came, he decided he wanted to sleep with G'ma in his big bed.  It's a single, and sleeping with a wiggling 3 year old is something I haven't done in a long time.  But he did go to sleep fairly easily and I only got kicked in the back a few times in the night...though the little stinker is a blanket hog.  Before he went to sleep, he told me "I love you being here G'ma."  He's sure good at pulling the heart strings!

He normally sleeps with his mom, and that's a battle she's not willing to fight at this point.  As a single mom myself, I didn't get her to sleep in her own bed until she was six and C was a baby.  She would go to sleep in her own bed, but sometime during the night would climb into my bed.  This started about the time she was a year old, and she'd climb over the bars of the crib, slide down, and pitter pat her way into my room.  My dad and I took her crib apart and built her a toddler bed, because I worried she'd fall and hurt herself.  On the other hand C always was an easy sleeper...still is!  

On Monday, we did some more housecleaning, before heading out for a walk in the afternoon.  It was still cool at -2C (28F), but walking in the sun felt nice.  Back at the house, we filled several bags with leaves before heading back indoors.  D has been having issues with her old stove, it was in the house when we bought it, and it's definitely past it's prime.  She and I were talking about it, and she texted a friend in town when she ran out to do some errands.  A little later I got a message that F's husband was on the way to the house to pick up the old stove as D had bought a new one that he would help pick up and deliver.  The stove is only a 24" so I moved it out, to clean behind it - surprisingly not bad at all, before D and L showed up.  Within the hour, the new stove was in place and dinner was started.  The old stove had gotten to the point, it was either off or on high heat so it was definitely time for a new one. 

Tuesday we woke up to cold and flakes of snow in the air.  I spent the morning finishing up a pair of mittens for Eli.  He was busy watching "Y" tube and eating his mom out of house and home.  Some days his appetite is incredible for such a small child.  French toast, a peanut butter wrap, and two kiwis were devoured in no time. Oh, and D kept Eli home this week again, as he had a bit of a cough.  The school would likely have called to have her pick him up anyway, and I got more time with him.  

The snow had stopped by noon, and I wasn't planning to leave until later in the afternoon. But it started coming down fairly heavily by 2 p.m. so I decided to make tracks.  The visibility was pretty poor when I left town, but got better as I travelled.  There was quite a bit of snow on the highway for about 50 kms. (30 miles) and at one point, I was in a line of vehicles following a sanding truck.  It slowed us down to 50 kpm, but it didn't appear to be doing any sanding.  Finally the driver pulled over to let us by.  Beyond that point the highway was clear all the way to the city and the snow had stopped.  There was some moisture on the pavement that got tossed up by the vehicles I met, but thankfully my windshield wiper fluid was full.  

I was tired when I got home, that first drive in snow is always a little worrisome - even with snow tires.  I spent the evening catching up with some PVR'ed programming and just relaxing.

Wednesday was a busy day, mostly catching up on a bit of housework.  I also got downstairs and cleaned out the old freezer.  There was very little left in it, and I was able to transfer it to the fridge freezer, except for a few items that had been in there far too long. I've been wanting to empty it for some time and just never got around to it.  The reason is two-fold, first I hope to someday downsize and don't expect there will be room for a deep freeze.  Second, it's an old energy inefficient appliance.  Talking to D I realized I bought it about 38 years ago, when she was just a baby.

There is a story to tell about that freezer.  I was living in Northern Saskatchewan at the time, in a small village.  The last winter we lived there, there were seventeen people living there, including D and I.  That February there was a provincial election and the nearest polling station was 50 miles away on snow covered gravel roads.  I called the provincial elections office to complain about the distance I'd have to travel with a small baby.  After some back and forth, they informed me that if I could find someone to be the Deputy returning officer, a secretary, and a place to have the polling station they would send the ballots and ballot box to me.  So I talked to my next door neighbour, who had actually been a DRO previously, I agreed to be the secretary, and offered my home as the polling station.  I can't recall the number of people who voted, but there were individuals who crossed the lake from the nearby First Nations village to vote.  I think most of them just wanted to see the baby, but I recall we had a good turn-out.  With the money I was paid for my services and the use of my home, I bought the deep freeze.  Sears Canada shipped it to me by bus and it was delivered directly to my home by a couple of my co-workers.  It's moved many times since then!

The rest of the day was spent puttering around, though I did get out later in the afternoon to push the bit of snow off the driveway.  There wasn't more than a half-inch but it wasn't melting even though the street was clear.  We're expecting more this week before the temperatures rise to more normal temperatures next week. 

Thursday was shopping day, I picked up groceries and a few craft items, another Christmas gift, and photos I had printed at Walmart.  I stopped at Peavey Mart for bird seed but they were out.  Even with the outing, I was feeling a bit of cabin fever, so although it was a bit chilly -6C (21F) and chillier still with the windchill, I headed out for a walk on Friday morning. Here are a few photos from the walk.


The creek is freezing over, with a few open areas. I was actually surprised to find the ducks still there.  Perhaps the lower water level makes it easier for them to find something to feed on.


As I turned to walk the pathway by the pond, I found some snow that hasn't yet melted. It looks pretty cold doesn't it, even with the sun?


There were several geese, a few ducks, and a mound of gulls. 




I'm thinking the water had to be pretty darn chilly. I guess they are making a stop over on their way south. Next week is supposed to be a bit nicer so perhaps they'll stay a little longer.


This is a bit fuzzy but I was trying to focus on the ice. It's pretty thick in this spot of the pond. Yikes!

Today, I'm off to get my flu shot, then to vote in the Sask. provincial election.  I'll probably stop somewhere to look for bird seed, though I don't expect I'll find the sunflower seed pieces I'm looking for.  But the container is empty and the birds and squirrel are hungry. I've started another pair of mittens for Eli that I'll finish this afternoon and perhaps a couple of crafts or two. A bit of football is probably in order too.

Take care everyone and have a good week ahead!


Friday 16 October 2020

Plodding along

I'm almost back to normal after this cold, but of course, now my son is feeling under the weather. By mid-week he was experiencing significant pain on the side of his face when he sat for more than an hour or lay down.  As a result he wasn't getting much sleep.  He was able to arrange an appointment on Thursday afternoon to see a doctor.  After a cursory examination the doctor suggested he has an infection but not an ear infection and he was given antibiotics.  He did get some sleep that night and was feeling some better on Friday morning, not well enough to go to work though.  He has next week off, so will have the time to recover.

C had slept through Thanksgiving dinner on Monday and through the entire night.  He's not a big fan of leftovers so I ate pork roast, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy for a few meals.  But even I couldn't finish the entire roast so I've frozen it and plan to repurpose it into a casserole or something for later. Any ideas?

I spent much of Thanksgiving Day indulging in things that I enjoy. Live curling events were available on both Youtube and Facebook, so I watched four games in total.  There would have been at least one more had the Alberta team (Koe) won their quarter final game as they are providing the live stream of all of their games.  The other three games were out of Ontario, semi-finals and finals for the men's teams and the women's final. Neither of the teams I had anticipated would win did...shows you how much I know.  The Ontario rules required the players to wear masks on ice.  If you're not familiar with the game, a player throws a rock, another player (or two) sweeps that rock while the skip calls out directions.  It is a physically demanding game, even if my description doesn't do it justice...maybe google it if you're interested.  The announcer mentioned that the players are getting accustomed to it, and one suggestion was to have one or more extra masks available.  Apparently it is the moisture that accumulates that makes it feel like it is difficult to breath at times.  Good tip for anyone who has to wear one for an extended period of time.  

While watching the curling and later in the evening, I continued knitting Eli's toque and did a bit of cross-stitching.  I actually frogged back the toque one more time (on Saturday) and I'm finally happy with the way it is working out.  I'm sure I'll have it ready to wear by the time I head out there this weekend.  I'm planning to take his sweater with me too, it still needs to be sewn together, a collar and buttons added but that will give me a project to work on while I'm there.

Tuesday finally brought back a more normal level of energy.  I stripped the bed, gathered up the towels from the bathrooms, grabbed the laundry basket and four loads later I had everything washed, dried and put away.  While the machines were doing their work, I set to tidying up the house.  When I'm not feeling well, a lot of stuff tends to get set down and not put in their proper place.  Just clearing off the surfaces and giving them a wipe down makes such a difference!

I had time between loads to get out for a walk.  It was a cool morning, just 6C (43F) with a cool breeze.  I fought the wind on my way out and when I turned to come home it felt good to have it at my back.  There were no ducks remaining at the creek, no cormorants at the pond, but still lots of geese.  I stopped at one point to suggest they might want to start heading south because there is cold weather coming this week, with precipitation that might turn into that dreaded four letter word.  They didn't listen.

My energy level continued through Wednesday; I got the entire house vacuumed and went for a walk.  It was quite cold, 2C (36F) but with the windchill feeling more like -4C (25F).  I came home rosy cheeked but had bundled up with a toque, gloves and a warm jacket. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.

Thursday morning, I baked some buns and made chili for dinner. I'm a wimp and it was far too cold to go walking early in the day. It hadn't warmed up much in the afternoon either, so I did my walk in the basement while listening to a podcast.  You won't be seeing any photos because there is nothing interesting down there. :) The cold weather is definitely here!  I just hope it doesn't stay, and we get a few more days of warmer weather.  I noticed, even at nearly 11 a.m. the frost on the neighbour's roof hadn't yet burned off.  Later in the day I even saw a few of the white flakes floating through the air out the front window.  I'm so not ready for that!

I'm planning to head out to visit Eli and D tomorrow for a couple of days, so will wrap this post up today.  We had a heavy frost last night, temperatures dropped to -10C (14F).  I went out to feed the birds after breakfast - there wasn't a speck of seeds left in the feeder.   A little later I drove over to Kal Tire to have my tires re-torqued, stopped to get gas at Co-op and then picked up a few groceries at Safeway.  That's my "outing" for the week!  

Just one photo this week. D sent the picture to me yesterday.  Eli's first pre-K craft!  I particularly love the placement of the one eye. :)


Have a great weekend everyone, take care and stay well.




Wednesday 14 October 2020

Bath night, popcorn, and an old tin tub

 Anne from Cooking and All That Jazz had a post last week in which she shared a baby photo and a memory from her childhood.  She asked if her readers would post as well so she could get to know us better.  I'm answering that post, and sending it out to the rest of you - perhaps you'll share a similar post with your readers (which includes me!).

Since I have my maternal grandmother's and my mother's photo albums I figured I should be able to find a couple of old photos.  I found three that I will share with you.


This is the earliest photo I could find.  I suspect this was my older brother M's bicycle and my dad is giving me a ride. If my memory serves, that bike became mine when I was about 8 or 9. 

In this photo I'm probably 20 months old or so.  My sister K was born before I turned 18 months.  We shared a crib, and later a bed until I was about 10 years old.  My older brother left home then, and a bedroom opened up for me.


This last photo is the one that evoked the happiest memories for me.  My sister and I are having our Saturday night bath in the tin tub on top of the kitchen table.

I grew up on a farm without running water.  We had a well for drinking water, and we collected rain water or melted snow that was kept in a large barrel in the porch. There was a slough down the road too, that provided water in the spring and fall.  We'd take the tractor with a barrel on a stoneboat behind it, and Dad would pump the water into the barrel. We always said, if we wanted running water we ran and got it.

There was always a canning pot of water on the stove or the oil burner that heated the kitchen. The hot water was added to the cold for washing hair, doing dishes and having baths.  Bathing the entire family was a bit of an ordeal.  

First, hot and cold water were mixed in the tub and the small children were bathed. There was a photo, that I haven't been able to find, that has the three of us in the tub.  (My younger brother R was born 17 months after K - my mom had 3 children under the age of 3!).  Then more clean water was added and my older brother M had his bath - in the privacy of the room that held the toilet*.  As we got older we moved to the bathroom as well, with the least dirtiest child going first, and the dirtiest getting the most water.  By this time, M had left home.

But the best thing about Saturday night was not the bath, but popcorn! For a lot of Canadians, Saturday night was "Hockey Night in Canada".  My older and my dad always watched the games.  M cheered for the Montreal Canadiens, while Dad cheered for the underdog.  At that time, the Canadiens were a power house in the league and Dad always said they'd won too often. I don't recall there being any real arguments but they definitely were on different sides.

When we were done our baths and wearing clean pajamas, Mom would make a big batch of buttered popcorn on top of the stove.  We'd take our cereal bowls of popcorn into the living room and sit with Dad and M.  I recall how good that popcorn tasted and what a treat it was to stay up late - though I suspect it wasn't as late as I think it was.

We got running water when I was 17.  Dad had dugout put in, and had the water piped into the house.  Our drinking water still came from the well. My cousins often talk about using the hand pump to get drinking water.  I didn't think it was such a big deal but then they never had to carry the pails of water into the house.

When I left home, I moved up north and while there was a bathhouse, it was closed in the winter.  So the tin tub was pressed into use again.  Like my parents I melted snow in a canning pot on top of an oil burner.  I'm not sure what happened to the tub when I left a couple years later - I assume I gave it back to Mom and Dad. 

What a lot of memories a single photo brought back!  Hope you enjoyed reading them.  

Take care and stay well!


The toilet was a 5 gallon pail inserted in a larger pail with a toilet seat on top.  Chemicals were added to keep it from smelling bad. It got dumped in the outhouse every morning or more often if it filled up. That was the job I hated the most, thankfully Dad did it most of the time.

Saturday 10 October 2020

Mixed and muddled

Ugh...it wasn't the start to the week that I hoped it would be.  D and Eli went home on Saturday and I started to feel ill that evening, just a tickle in my throat. Sunday, my throat got more painful as the day went on and my head started feeling stuffed up.  By Monday morning, I was feeling absolutely horrid I spent most of the day in bed.  By the end of the day I'd used up a half bottle of Buckleys cough medicine (yuck), a box and a half of tissues, several lozenges, a scoop or two of Vaporub, two envelopes of Neocitron, and two tabs of Tylenol extra strength cold and flu meds (one day, one night).  I was pretty much throwing everything I had at it, with the hope I'd get over it quickly.  I woke a couple of times through the night, to take more cough medicine and to blow my nose.  By morning, I wasn't as fuzzy headed but had that darn barking cough.  

I kept up the regimen for the day, more cough medicine, the Tylenol for the sinus pain, and Neocitron before I went to bed at night.  Because I felt like I'd been penned up for a week, I went out for a short walk.  The fresh air was definitely good for me, though I was pretty much exhausted by the time I got home.  The rest of the day was spent mostly relaxing though I did get started on these little ghosts for Eli.


D asked me if I could find a pattern to make "pooping" ghosts.  I thought I'd have to adapt this pattern, but quickly realized that leaving the bottom open would leave enough room for her to stuff a mini chocolate bar into it.  They are having a mostly at-home Halloween this year.  They'll decorate the house, he'll wear his costume (a pirate), and she'll hide candy for him to find.  Her friend F has invited them to join her family for a special Halloween dinner, and D and Eli will stop at the neighbour's on either side to trick or treat.  Some Halloween cartoons will likely be watched as well.  Eli is young enough to not realize this isn't the norm and I know he'll enjoy himself.  The little stinker has already found the box of treats - he definitely knows what those are about.

I slept much better on Tuesday night, so woke Wednesday feeling much better.  Still a little congested but not feeling the need to dose myself up.  But damn did my muscles hurt from coughing.  Guess I need to work on that core a bit more.

It was a beautiful morning for a walk.  Since I hadn't taken my camera with me for the last few days I grabbed it on my way out the door.  I'm glad I did. 


As I snapped this photo, the jack rabbit on the left came bounding into the shot.  I wish I'd been a tenth of a second later but I laughed as I saw it flash on the screen.


There were hundreds of geese on the pond today.  Just a solitary duck on the creek, and one cormorant. My brother R says most should be heading south my mid-October.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but this new blogger is sure a nuisance when it comes to placing photos where I'd like them to be. It used to be I could drag and drop them in place but that no longer seems to work.  And then there are the darned changes in the size of the font.  I don't know how many times I've had to correct it through this post.

I took these photos intentionally to print and use in a frame with openings for four photos that is hanging in the main bathroom.  The current photos are from my last few cruises and I think I'd rather have something else to look at - there won't be any cruising in the near future.

The next photo is my very favorite of the day. We don't have a lot of red in our fall colors since we don't have any/many maples. This grape vine provides it instead.


By Thursday I was feeling much better, although still coughing, my head felt clear.  I don't know if it was the cold, or the amount of meds but the day before I'd caught myself putting the clean cat bowls in the fridge instead of the cupboard where they belong.  When I tried to start knitting a toque for Eli I had to tear it out three times as I kept making mistakes.  On Friday I looked at it again and realized it still wasn't right so I've started again with an easier pattern.

With my head cold seeming to be at bay, I did get out of the house on Friday, to pick up cat food, bird seed, and a few groceries. I went early when the stores were quiet and was home and putting things away in just over an hour.  The weather was cool, but with a forecast of 24C (75F) for Saturday I decided to leave the containers of flowers just one more day. We're going to get colder temperatures next week so I guess, whether I like it or not it's time to pull them up and put away the patio furniture.

Today I still woke up congested but am feeling better through out the day.  It's a windy and sunny day here with the temperature forecast having been revised to a degree or two cooler. I got out in the morning and finished clearing up the flower containers as well as putting away the last of the garden ornaments and patio furniture.  I will admit it made me feel a bit sad.  Everything looks so barren and lacking in color except for a few trees that are hanging onto their leaves (and the blue sky).

I probably should mention I'm certain this isn't Covid - I haven't had a fever or any body aches, just the congestion, coughing and sneezing.  Nor have I have I felt short of breath, well, except after a coughing fit.  But nothing abnormal from having a cold.  In any event I'll be glad to be over it.  

This is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. I won't call it a long weekend, because since I've retired, every weekend is long. :)  I'm cooking a pork loin roast for dinner on Sunday, as it will just be my son and I, as D and Eli will be on their own.  They were here just over a week ago so it makes no sense to have them travel again.  I'll visit there next weekend and spend a couple of days with them.  

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers.  To all, take care and stay well.


Saturday 3 October 2020

October comes in with a bang

October has arrived bringing cool temperatures but thankfully, so far, no hard frosts.  The water in the bird bath did have a bit of ice in it this morning, though.  I still have a few containers of flowers out and I expect I'll pull them today or tomorrow.  A FB memory popped up on Sept 29th that showed we had a bit of a snow shower last year (melting as it hit the ground).  I'm grateful there isn't any snow in our forecast yet.

In advance of the changing weather, I had my tires changed over on Tuesday.  When I called for the appointment, I was told that bringing it in before the end of September would garner me a $25 discount.  Woohoo...of course, what they didn't tell me is they've raised the prices so the difference was minimal.  Oh well, it's done and I learned that both sets of tires still have at least 50-60% tread left.  As little as I drive these days I'll probably not have to buy new tires for a long time yet.

I walked to and from the tire shop - it's only a 15 to 20 minute walk from the house and had my camera with me.  The geese continue to gather at the pond and this day I spotted what appears to be one-legged goose. 


Here's another angle, if it was holding up a leg (which I've seen them do, especially when it is cold), I couldn't tell.  It apparently doesn't affect its ability to feed...that's one fat goose!


I've not seen the Godwit at the pond before.  I just think these little birds are so interesting. The cormorants are there occasionally still but the ducks are gone except for a few remaining at the creek.  

It was cool, just 3C (37F) when I woke on Wednesday, and not much warmer when I went for my walk.  But the day was sunny, I bundled up and wore a pair of mini-gloves and was fine.

The ducks and Godwits were busily feeding in the sun.  I'm thinking the water must be pretty chilly!

D and Eli arrived on Thursday morning and after some additional breakfast - that kid can eat!, we headed out for a walk. 

I don't recall the cormorants having this much white on them.  I wonder, do they change color like our bunnies?  Time for some research.
 

Eli was showing off his Marshall finger puppet.  If you've no small children in your life, you won't be familiar with the Paw Patrol, a group of pups that turn into heroes rescuing people and animals from all sorts of trouble.  Marshall is the loveable clumsy pup who (obviously) is in charge of the fire truck. My friend K gave me a set for him, and he absolutely loves them.  On our way home we stopped at the park and he enjoyed running up and down the hill, and playing on the equipment.

Thursday night was a long one for all of us.  Eli started showing signs of an ear infection - covering his ears with his hands, rubbing his face and lots of whining. He was awake off and on all night - at one point he asked to cuddle with G'ma but he continued to sleep fitfully.  Thankfully D had an appointment with her G.P. on Friday morning so was able to get a prescription for antibiotics. The pharmacy was backed up but she was able to pick up the meds about 2:30 p.m.  We gave him a dose immediately...much against his wishes.  By 4 p.m. he was fast asleep on the couch, slept through dinner, and woke about 7:30 p.m. happy and hungry.

I kept him up with me, while his mom went to bed about 8.  At 10 p.m., I tucked him into bed with her and except for a bathroom run about midnight, and a request for a drink of milk at 3 a.m., he slept well. His nose is running like a faucet - the meds seem to be working. D has a sinus cold as well so she was happy for the sleep.  They headed home early this morning and I expect they'll spend the next few days resting.  He won't be attending pre-K until he gets over this cold/infection.  

Yesterday D and I did a bit of crafting - I'd seen a video on FB and decided it would be a fun and easy project for the two of us to work on.  I picked up ten spoons and several bottles of paint at the thrift store, and the bows and berries at the dollar store.  D brought me some white paint as I couldn't find any.  While Eli was sleeping we finished the painting and this morning I added the bow and berries to one.  D took her spoons home (with bows) to finish off at home.  She plans to add these to jars of brownie mix as Christmas gifts for the teachers at pre-K.  I'm not sure what I'll do with mine but I did think they were cute so I'm sure I'll find a place to display them.

Today, I'll spend some time tidying up, putting toys away, washing sheets and other laundry, and just generally setting things to right. It should be warm enough for a walk this afternoon too. And I won't be surprised if there is nap at some point too.  We're forecast for a lovely day tomorrow so I'll hold off on the yard work until then.  

Take care everyone, stay well, and happy October!