A bit of work, a birthday surprise, and being lazy

Another week done and I'm less than a week away from returning to my home with D and Eli. I'm especially looking forward to seeing them both. Though I'll admit, Eli is the main attraction. :)

We had, what is likely, the last warm day of fall on Monday. We reached a high of 23C/73F and I took advantage of the warm day to continue clearing out the garage. I'd scheduled the carpenter for this weekend and wanted to ensure he didn't need to deal with debris from my efforts. Some of the lumber was good enough to re-use so I separated it and stacked it near the alley, putting a free sign on it. 

The rest went in a debris pile I'd started when I was cleaning up the back yard. Before I get away this week, I'll arrange for it to be hauled to the dump. 

Tuesday, I awoke to a chilly morning, and it didn't warm up to more than 2C/35F.  I had some errands to run, so bundled up and headed out. I stopped at a couple of grocery stores and then went to Value Village. I needed to return the two skirts I bought just before my trip as they didn't fit. There are no refunds at VV, just exchanges. I found a Corning Ware casserole dish and a table lamp. The total after my returns had VV owing me 53 cents, so I had to buy something else. :) I grabbed a hand towel to wrap the casserole dish and walked out having paid $1.67. 

I texted S on Wednesday morning to confirm that she was planning to attend knitting group that afternoon. I spent the morning doing housework, and then ran to Walmart for a couple of things, before heading to the library. As I was making my way down one of the main aisles, I heard someone call my name. It was a fellow, I'd worked with for many years, and his wife. He retired a few years before I did, so I think it has been about 8 years since I'd seen him last. His wife was eager to go shopping, so after an introduction, she left us to chat. I couldn't stay long as I was meeting S, but we managed to catch up on the major topics, kids and grandkids. :)

Thursday afternoon, my son's friend B arrived with her birthday gifts for him. She went all out, because as she says it, he has managed to avoid any type of celebration for the past 7 years. She brought, something to snack on, something to drink, something to wear, and something to use. The latter included a new computer desk and chair! She insisted she bought everything on sale and refused my offer to help with the cost. She also brought a banner and a card. C's response on arriving home was muted - at first he thought I'd done it, but I pointed out the card. He didn't say much to me but then he never does. At least I know he texted B and thanked her.

I had a lazy day on Friday morning, woke with a bit of a headache, and after my call with D, slept a couple more hours. There was curling* to watch, so Saku and curled up on the bed to watch. It was after 3 p.m. when I got up, took a shower and dressed! That's the ultimate lazy. I met friends for dinner at 6 p.m. and enjoyed a nice evening visiting with them. My dinner of fish and chips was delicious too.

As usual, this weekend will see me watching more television, football, and probably baseball too (if the latter doesn't interfere with the curling). Today, the contractor will be here to remove the sill plate and the remaining stud wall. Since Sunday looks like a decent weather day with a high of 17C(63F), I'll likely spend some time cleaning up any sawdust/debris, and give my son a hand with the front lawn. It needs a last of the season mow, and there are leaves to be cleaned up on the edges of the sidewalk and driveway.

*With all the blue rocks in the rings, and only two rocks still to come (one red, one blue), it would be easy to assume that blue would have had a big score. They did not, scoring only one, even though they had four rocks in the rings on their last shot. I didn't see what happened, but it was obvious the skip messed up big time! (This is the only photo I've taken this week..and it's not a good one.)