More snow, cold, and my oopsie mistake

Oh no, more snow. We had another 22 cms.(8.6 inches) on Sunday from the overnight hours to around 9 p.m. that evening. D and I went out and shovelled twice, the first several centimeters were wet and heavy, and the second less heavy but more of it. We certainly got our workouts and steps in that day. Wednesday's photo of the abominable snowman (me) and the photos of the back yard were taken when we finished our second round.

Monday, I drove Eli to school in the morning, as there was no hope of D's small car making it out of the backyard. She had gotten up at 6 a.m. and cleared snow that had blown in overnight. After she came in for a short break, we both went back out and cleared off our vehicles, as well as around and between the two. She's made a decision not to leave her car out of garage the next time a storm is in the forecast.

We saw one city plow in the morning, and it was doing the main streets (not ours). D had an appointment at the bank that morning, and since there was no possibility of parking, I dropped her off and went home to do some housework. We had been planning to go into Walmart (the next town over) in the afternoon but the highways were in bad condition so that was a no-go. We did stop at the grocery store for some basic items, bread, milk, and fruit after I picked her up. 

The afternoon had us in the kitchen doing a bit more Christmas baking. D finished off the pinwheel cookies and made a batch of peanut butter cookies, while I made thumbprint cookies. She made caramel for my gingerbread cake (baked a couple of days ago) and added the chocolate layer to the toffee bars. We still want to make a bit of candy, perhaps peanut brittle or peppermint bark. 

We were both grateful to wake on Tuesday morning to find that both the street and back alley were cleared during the night. (I heard nothing). The machine had left a ridge across the back, so D and I were out about 6:30 a.m. to remove it before it hardened. The temperature was about -9C (16F), but we knew that it would get colder throughout the day. 

When we went to drop off some donations at the thrift store (and do a bit of shopping) it was -19C (-2F) and the wind was blowing. We both picked up a few pieces clothing, books, I also got a yarn caddy, and Eli got a toy keyboard. Total spend was $13. No item was more than $2. It amazes me every time we visit.

D and I got more baking dealt with on Wednesday, she baked two kinds of butter tarts, one with maple bacon, the other with raisins. In the meantime I cut up the gingerbread cake and the toffee bars. Those went into tins and out to the porch which is currently another freezer. D will make up containers of goodies for Eli's teachers, and I'll take a container when I head back to the city at the end of the month for my brother and his family.

Though quite cold, the afternoon was spent in the next town over. We needed some groceries, D needed to stop at the Service Canada office, and I wanted a card table to put downstairs so I can work on a jigsaw puzzle. We were in a bit of rush and we both forgot a few things...one of which was the card table. 

Thursday was the coldest day - we woke to -33C(-27F) but with no wind, I surprisingly didn't find it that cold when I went out with the garbage and recycling. D had an appointment at the school when she dropped Eli off at school. I stayed home and managed to wrap most of my Christmas gifts. This year the presents won't go under the tree until Christmas Eve so there will be no temptation for our guy to peek and poke.

Later I started another batch of shortbread and did something very foolish. I don't know what I was thinking, but I popped the butter in the microwave to soften BUT it was in a metal bowl. As can be expected, the microwave is now dead. I can't blame any particular distraction for my "oopsie mistake". 

In the afternoon I started a present for my daughter's friend M.  Apparently she's always wanted a homemade gnome. I have lots of Christmas yarn and spent some time perusing Pinterest and found a great pattern for a larger gnome. I continued to work on it Friday and by end of day, I had the body (including nose) and hat completed. I started the shoes but by that point, my eyes were starting to cross, and it was time to put the hook down. On a positive note, I learned a new stitch, the crab stitch. It's a reverse single crochet and took some getting used to to wrap around the 66 stitches on the edge of the hat. 

Otherwise Friday was pretty quiet - we did go to Canadian Tire to buy a new microwave. Funny story, my daughter was re-heating pizza for Eli at supper time and tried to open the microwave mid way through. It wouldn't open and it took the two of us a minute or two to figure out there is an automatic lock button that needed to be pressed to release the door. Unlike the old microwave this one senses when the food is hot and beeps so she thought her time was up.

Today, I'll keep working on the gnome (shoes/arms/legs), watch some curling*, and do some research on my next trip. Oh, that reminds me, I haven't shared this information yet. I'm flying out to Phoenix on New Year's Eve, to spend two months in Yuma...hooray, away from the snow and cold! 

This has been in the works since last February when I reached out to the landlord about the availability of a one bedroom park model in a small community within the city of Yuma. Long story short, the price was ideal, the property was available as last winter's tenants didn't want to plan that far ahead. I did! 

Friends of mine are in Apache Junction, and will pick me up at the airport and deliver me to Yuma on January 1.  When I advised my landlord, she offered the hide-a-bed in the unit to my friends for a couple of days and when asked, declined any additional payment. I think I've hit the jackpot! 

For my readers, I'm sure you'll all be happy to know you'll soon not hear whining about how cold it is, or how much snow I've had to shovel. It's my first time spending this much time away from home in one stretch - I did a month back in 2015 on Vancouver Island (practicing for retirement - though that didn't happen as I expected). If all goes well, I may make this an annual experience, at least for a few years.

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

*Jackie, in case Harvey isn't aware, the RBC Dominion Western Showdown is being aired on You-tube. There are some local Saskatchewan teams as well as some of the big names. Gushue got beat by a lesser known team out of British Columbia on Friday!