Saturday, 28 September 2024

Preparation and the final countdown

First off, the Wednesday photo was a shot of the city crew in the process of replacing the sidewalk across the street. There are 5 workers (one behind the two standing), two with shovels, the hidden one cutting up the sidewalk to the condo, and the two guys standing there. I assume one of the standing guys was the driver of the truck...the other a supervisor?

It was a busy week leading up to today. I like to think I'm prepared for travelling, but there are other things that needed to be done before I leave the house this afternoon. 

We had cool weather through the weekend and into Monday, but it did warm up enough on Sunday afternoon enough for my son to clean out the eavestroughs on the house. As he pulled out the gunk, he dropped it below onto the front deck and the back patio. I followed along behind with a broom and dust pan and garbage bag. Most of the accumulation was at the ends of the eavestrough, especially at the downspout. In fact, he asked for his toilet auger to clear the downspouts! I'm thinking it has been awhile since the job was done. I brought the hose and he ran water through each eavestrough so we could confirm the water was flowing well. (And yes, I'm aware he bought this place last November and this is the first time he's cleaned the gutters.)

Seemingly overnight., the trees across the street have turned yellow


On Thursday I picked up a few grocery items for my son, and for the cat too. We were running low on wet cat food, and I bought eggs, some sandwich meat, and a loaf of bread for C. Breakfast for dinner is something C will make for himself, as well as grilled sandwiches. He actually is quite adept at cooking, but tends to do that when he has more time. I remember the days of coming home from work and being tired and not wanting to cook a big meal.

I also got the weeding finished in the backyard! With the rain we received, the ground was easier to turn with the pitchfork. It was tiring work, even so, and I'm glad to have it done for a couple of weeks. I'm certain some will come back though the area I'd finished early in the month has stayed mostly clear, just a few weeds that needed to be removed. The hard part are the tree roots - those suckers go far and deep. I've run into a couple that will require me to dig down as far as I can and then use an axe to remove as much of the stump as possible. That will be left until I return from my trip.



That pile of brick and blocks by the wall were dug up as I cleared the weeds. You'll note I never posted a before picture...take my word for it was bad. The soil in pretty much the entire backyard was dug up and turned over.

The other big news this week is the neighbour next door with the big dogs is planning to build a fence this weekend. He came over to talk to C, one evening, and discussed his plans. Those plans changed slightly but he let us know, and I'm looking forward to knowing the two dogs are contained. They are large dogs, and clearly not well trained. The couple bring them out on leashes, but if I happen to be in the back they lunge towards me, and the wife, especially, doesn't seem to have great control. She manages, but I suspect the dogs could get away from her if they really wanted to. We had planned to put up a fence anyway but were waiting until next spring. Now, it should be complete by the end of the weekend. Fingers crossed, though I won't be here to see it.

Packing is done, with the last few items tossed in the bag this morning. That includes the phone charger because, if you were with me last March, it caused some issues when I forgot mine at home. Amazon did come through, but barely. I was asked in an early post about concerns of Covid on the ship. It's a possibility, as it is on an airplane, in a mall, at a concert, or anywhere that people congregate in large groups. I prepare as best I can, wearing an N95 mask on my flights, washing my hands frequently, and avoiding touching my face. I take cold/flu meds with me just in case as well as a couple of testing kits. The bigger issue on many ships is Norovirus which spreads due to improper washing of one's hands (or lack thereof), transfer through shared use of serving utensils in the buffet, and door handles and stairwell banisters. It frustrates me to see people enter the buffet and bypass both the sinks and hand sanitizers that are provided. While I do use the buffet, I tend to take my meal outside the open air tables, even on cooler mornings, and I only rarely take an elevator to avoid the hordes who fill them. Better, that I use the stairs and the reason that I book a cabin on a floor about midway between the upper and lower decks. Hey, I don't want to climb eight to ten flights of stairs unless I absolutely have to! I've been cruising since 2011 and I've yet to contract any illness, knock wood. There is a medical facility onboard too, that I hope never to use.

My son is dropping me off at the airport this afternoon for my first flight to Calgary. I have almost 3 hours layover there before the flight to Seattle. Without delays I should be at my hotel by 9:30 p.m. local time. I've pre-arranged transportation to the port from the pier, and should be picked up about 8:45 a.m. the next morning. I've been warned that traffic is quite congested due to the time of day, as well as on-going construction. Boarding won't start until 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. - I might be a bit early, or maybe I'll be just on time. :) A few of us on the FB group have arranged to meet in one of the main dining rooms for lunch. It will be nice to meet some fellow passengers, at least two that are also sailing solo. Plus it ensures we avoid that darned buffet that is absolute zoo on the first day. 

Assuming I'll be able to access free WiFi at the various ports, I may post a few phone photos. Regular posts will begin again in a couple of weeks. 

Take care everyone!




Saturday, 21 September 2024

Wacky weather, travel prep, watching sports

Wednesday's photos were take on Tuesday afternoon. It was a lovely day, we reached a high of 26C/79F. As you've seen we are just starting to see the leaves changing colour. Early that evening, we started receiving watches and warnings for thunderstorms on our phones. AND oh boy, did we get storms! I stood outside for awhile and listened to the thunder in the distance, but quickly went inside when the rain started. At times, it was very heavy, to the point the eavestroughs were overflowing. The storm moved past us later in the evening but more followed through the night and into the early morning.


In the morning, I went out to check the back yard. It wouldn't take much effort to pull up the weeds after all the rain (about an inch by 9 a.m.), but the back yard is a mud pit. Although I have rubber boots, I can imagine I'd get mired in the mud. So indoor day it was!

I had been out Tuesday morning and cleaned up more weeds...I'm getting there but there is still work to do. The worst part is the tree roots I've encountered. I've asked my son to help with this task on the weekend, as we need to use an axe to complete the task. It's clear that the weed barrier that the former owners had put down was meant to conceal the mess underneath. Once I've cleaned it up as much as possible, I'm considering having it roto-tilled later this fall, and then covering it in black plastic until spring. Ultimately, I have plans to have it regraded (to keep water away from the foundation), to seed half of it with microclover, and lay down gravel for parking. My son will be replacing the old fence in the spring too. 

I did some prep this week for my cruise. I tried on items that I consider "cruise" clothes, some no longer fit, and I know darn well I won't be losing weight before or during the cruise. I also sorted out my regular clothing and decided on those items. I realized after I'd layed everything out, I had a colour theme going: mostly blue for daytime, mostly pink and black for evenings. I've limited myself to about 6 days of clothing, as I have access to a diy laundry, as well as the ship's laundry. Since I've reached the "elite" level, the latter is free to me. There are very few perks left at this level, but laundry is definitely a nice one to have. However, the downside is on a full ship, it can take up to 72 hours for the return of one's laundry.

It appears this cruise won't be completely full. Last week I received an e-mail offering an opportunity to bid for an upgrade. I decided to send in a lower than minimum bid for an obstructed balcony. This just means that the lifeboats on the side of the ship obstruct a portion of the view. This week, I got a counter offer for a standard balcony for the original minimum bid and the offer was in Canadian dollars. I decided to go for it, and after the bid was accepted, I moved down the floor a few cabins from my inside. I'll be on the starboard side on our way south - meaning there will be sunsets from my balcony!

Out of curiousity I priced out the current cost of the cabin, if I were to purchase today. Funnily, the only one available on the deck I've chosen was the one next door. Overall, my cost savings is about $200 in comparison to today's prices. Speaking of money, I went into the bank to pick up US dollars. My goodness, the exchange rate is ridiculous. I don't intend on spending a whole lot of money on this trip, an occasional drink in the evening, maybe a t-shirt, and of course, some sort of souvenier to bring back for Eli. :) I do have a USD account that I can use while I'm there as well, if needed.

For a few days this week the city has been cutting and removing a portion of sidewalk across the street. I'm not sure why they only work on it for an hour or so at a time. On Thursday morning, they were working as the rain fell excavating the sidewalk. There was rain in the forecast until today, and I'm sure they don't work weekends, so I expect it will be next week before the concrete is poured.


Clearly, I wasn't spending time outdoors. I sat down to watch the Blue Jays game that afternoon, then lay down with the cat and after 3 innings, I found myself watching eyelid theatre (thanks for that expression, Anne!) I woke just as the announcer commented that the Jays won their game. 

There are a couple of curling events happening as well, so Thursday evening and most of Friday were spent watching live curling from Okotoks, while keeping an eye on the scores from the other event. The Blue Jays (baseball) had a late afternoon game, and the Riders (football) played in the evening. It's really hard to get much done! I did some knitting and finished another mitten, and when my son came home from work, he helped me remove and replace the dryer hose. The old one had been taped a bazillion times but clearly was leaking as I was constantly cleaning up lint particles. Oh, and I baked a cake in the morning - from a box - I was really lazy!

Today, there will be more curling, more baseball, more football to watch. Besides reading blogs while I watch I'm planning to get more knitting done.  It's also going to be the coolest day we've had for some time, with a high of 15C(59F). I woke to an outside temperature of a mere 7C(45F) this morning. The house has been cooling off at night (17F/62F), so I may have to bake something to warm it up slightly. The forecast is for more normal temperatures through the rest of the week, and it is just too early to turn on the furnace.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone!

Saturday, 14 September 2024

Thinking ahead

The Wednesday photo is a piece of lamium that I brought from the town garden. I'd found it growing as a volunteer in one of the containers - not sure how that happened but there it was. It had three or four leaves on it when I tucked into a container to bring to the city and it is doing well in that raised flower bed. It spreads quickly and I'm hopeful that with more mulch cover, it and the ajuga (bugleweed) that I planted in the spring, the plants will overwinter and fill in that bed over time.

We had a visitor to the front yard a couple of times this week. It appears quite small, so I'm assuming it is one from this years crop. The trees have been full of grackles too, which happens every year as they migrate further south. I'm not feeding the birds this year but they are clearly finding something to eat. The leaves aren't yet changing colour but it won't be long.

It's been a mostly normal week around, some yard work, some housework, some shopping, some knitting and crocheting. Nothing terribly exciting but routine can be a good thing. 

I did get out to stitch and chat on Wednesday. There were four of us there and it was terrific to catch up with everyong. I met my friends K and L at a coffee shop on Friday morning.  L and her family spent two-three weeks vacationing in Europe this summer. They had planned to attend the Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, but of course, that was cancelled because of the serious bomb threats. But they had a wonderful time visiting Italy, Greece and Austria regardless.

I'm starting to think about my cruise (just over 2 weeks away) and went through my toiletries to ensure I had what I needed. The only thing I was missing was conditioner - which is odd because I had shampoo. The ship supplies all-in-one shampoo/conditioner in the shower, but I don't care for it and always bring my own. Sometimes I just grab whatever is at the hotel the night pre-cruise as it is usually better than the cruise companies version. I think I'll be doing that in the future as the small bottle I purchased at Walmart, (of all places) was priced at $3.67!!! Or I'll pick up some dollar store bottles and fill from my home supplies. Either way, I won't be paying for travel sized products like that again.

Something I wasn't certain about was clothing for this cruise. We'll be at sea for six days and I anticipate the temperatures will be cooler than when we visit the ports. Information I located on-line suggest daytime temps around 60-65F while at sea with light winds, and about 10 degrees warmed while in the ports. I'll keep to my summer clothing for the most part, capris and tees for daytime wear, jeans for cooler days, a sweater/hoodie, a lightweight rain jacket...just in case, and of course some nicer outfits for evenings. Oh, and a bathing suit for the hot tubs. I avoid the ones by the pools as some people tend to park themselves in there all day. I know there are two in a quiet area that few people find. 

Today, I'm expecting a quiet day at home. I'll likely get out to do more weeding in the backyard at some point. We've had a wee bit of rain, so the ground, though still hard, has loosened up a bit making it easier to dig out the roots. There is football and baseball, and possibly even curling to watch. 

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

Saturday, 7 September 2024

Proud moment in an otherwise normal week

Before I blather on about my week, I thought I'd share this photo of my handsome grandson. Tuesday marked back to school for Eli, now entering Grade 2! How the heck did that happen?

The sign seems to suggest he is 75 years old, but I'm guessing my old eyes aren't seeing the . because he's actually 7 1/2 years old. 

He's not looking happy in the photo because the wasps have settled under the front steps; he's worried he might get stung. My daughter and I have discussed how to get rid of them.

He had a wonderful first day back and was happy to see more of his friends on the playground. 

Back here in the city, I spent a the weekend mornings in the yard. The front flower bed has been weeded, the hedge clipped, and the side and back patio cleared of weeds as well. I started the process in the backyard of cutting down small trees that have grown a ridiculous amount over the two months I was a away. We could have a forest back there if I left them be. Hmmm...maybe that's an idea. The neighbours to the north were away over the weekend, so I was able to trim the hedge on their side as well. I used the rake and broom to clean up the trimmings as well as clear out leaves that weren't cleaned up last fall. 

We got heat all weekend and into Tuesday (30C/86F most days). As a result, I was back indoors before lunch and mostly stayed there for the rest of the day. I did run out on Sunday to pick up more Round-up for the backyard weeds and later spent an hour or so in the shade reading.

By Tuesday, my right arm was aching from the all of the digging and pulling so I decided to take the day off. My first stop was at Canadian Tire (hardware store) for a garden fork. It should help loosen the weeds more than my little hand trowel, and make pulling easier. Value Village and the Salvation Army store followed - it was Senior's Day. I found a couple of new tops, a pullover sweater, two James Patterson books, and a set of small glass bowls with lids. All for $25 - I do like a bargain.

I've spent the afternoons watching football, baseball, reading, and crocheting. I'm working on a lap afghan but I expect I'll run out of the yarn I'm working with before it is finished. Of course, it is some remnants from my stash so I don't have more of the same. I cleared out the closet and moved the stash into the cubby under the stairs. I'm certain I have enough of similar colours that I'll likely make it longer and try to create a gradient effect. If I like it, I'll take a photo later.

Wednesday was knitting group - the first I've been too since ... I don't remember when! I know it's been months. Two other ladies were there and they sounded happy to see me. We had a nice visit and I got a good start on another mitten.

I'd spent a couple of hours that morning working on the weeds in the back yard. The garden fork is helping loosen the dirt but our clay soil is like concrete in many places. We had a bit of rain overnight so that helped a wee bit. After filling two large garbage bags with waste I was done for the day and desperately needed a shower.

We woke to a cold morning on Thursday - a mere 1C(34F). I decided I'd wait until later in the day to do more weeding, and took the opportunity to have a relaxed start to the morning. Mid-morning I did my grocery shopping for the week, mostly sale items and more fresh veg and fruit, and started dinner when I got home. Since the house is cool, I decided on a pasta bake. I like that I can put it together early in the day, and wait until my son gets home to put it in the oven. Housework took up most of the afternoon. 

Friday morning was a little warmer, 7C/45F but felt chilly. I put off heading in the yard and started a batch of dough instead. I used the rise time to catch up on the budget update. After a few months, I am seeing a huge increase in grocery costs when in town versus the city. When I return at the end of October, I'll take advantage of the lower prices here - maybe that will ease the pain of the costs in a rural area.

Oh, curling started on Friday too. I was able to stream a couple of draws in the morning. Between curling, baseball, and football, I'll never lack for something to watch for the next while.

Today, I'll have to shelve the curling in the morning as we're expecting a high of 31C (88F) this afternoon because I need to get more weeding done. With that said, I'm off to get a cup of tea and head outdoors.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Thursday, 5 September 2024

Tasty Thursday



I don't expect this will be repeated very often, but I tried a new-to-me (with substitutions) recipe and thought I would take a moment to share.

One evening in the past week, I was craving baked beans and wieners, grabbed a can from the pantry and opened it to discover in my haste, I'd gotten a can of red kidney beans.  I put the can in the fridge while I got the right can and had my dinner. Don't judge me, it was hot that evening and I wanted something I could heat up in the microwave.

I knew I didn't want to make chili - my go-to recipe for kidney beans, so searched Allrecipes.com for something else. What I found was a kidney bean salad made similarly to a potato salad. I figured why not give it a try.

The orginal recipe was double what I needed/wanted and I was missing a few original ingredients. No matter, I made do with what was in the fridge. The measurements below are half of the original recipe.

1 can (15 oz.) of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 hard boiled egg (I used two)
1 stalk celery (I used cucumber for crunch instead)
1/2 onion chopped (I substitued 2 green onions)
1 tablespoon of sweet green relish (I had none)
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip*)
Salt and pepper to taste

I also added some tomato for colour because I figured they would go well with the kidney beans. It is a very versatile recipe as one could add whatever veg is available or preferred. 

*Since Miracle Whip contains sugar I figured it would make up for the sweet relish.

The photo is today's lunch. Lots of protein with the beans and cheese and lots of yummy vegetables. I read somewhere that eating veg with dip is easier for digestion. Who am I to argue?