More wind, curling, and knitting too

On Sunday, my phone buzzed with an alert about a wind advisory for Yuma, with high winds expected to last from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. the next day. I decided to make a trip to the grocery store on Monday morning. I'm glad I did, as the winds definitely picked up. My landlady had sent over several clamps that I used to hold the sheets on the outside furniture. This time around, I didn't find as much blown about the outdoor area. I spent the day in the house working on a jigsaw puzzle, reading, and watching television while listening the wind blow outside.

Tuesday was housework day. I've realized this is a habit from living with my son. His EDO's fall on Mondays, and I tended to wait until Tuesday to do a lot of housework (even on the weeks he wasn't home). I did laundry, vacuumed and washed floors, and scrubbed the bathtub. The clothes dried quickly as it was still quite breezy. Mid-afternoon I went out to the front to sit in the sun and read before walking over to Happy Hour. 

The Saskatchewan provincial curling playdowns started on Tuesday as well, and I was able to catch three of the draws (slept through the first one). Until recently, the men and women have had separate events, but this year, the two competitions are being held at the same time. Two men's draws a day and two women's. I set my alarm, just in case, so I'd be awake by 7 a.m. on Wednesday for the first game of the day. 

I had a couple of hours between the first and second draw so I went for a walk down to the Walmart Supercenter (the photo above is from that walk). It took me about 40 minutes to walk there. I'd run out of cotton yarn and figured it would be the closest place to find it. On the way back, I stopped at Albertson's (similar to Safeway in Canada) and picked up a few sale items, peppers, cucumber and bagels. I had planned to catch the bus back, but it passed by just as I left the store and the next one wasn't for an hour. So I walked back, stopping at Burger King for lunch - the thought of an original chicken sandwich was too tempting. :)

Back at the unit, I unloaded my bag and tuned into the curling. This game started well, but turned into a blow-out for the one team - I dozed off on the couch and woke up an hour later! I guess the fresh air from the morning, and the sunshine streaming in the windows put me to sleep. The third game started about 3 p.m. and again, it was turning into a rout by mid-game so I wandered over to visit the folks at Happy Hour. I did get asked why I hadn't made it to canasta that afternoon. 

Thursday was coffee hour at the clubhouse. I left the curling game before it ended; another lop-sided affair and joined several others for a chat. There were a few announcements: a potluck supper on February 4th, a pancake breakfast on the 6th, and the Heritage potluck on the 22nd. I've signed up for the two potlucks with "dessert" as my offering for the first and Scottish shortbread for the second. Since I don't have, nor need a full pantry, I think I'll pick up a brownie cake mix, and try to time it so I take it out of the oven shortly before the dinner. Who doesn't like chocolate after all? For the Heritage event, I've already bought sugar, butter, and flour and plan to use some of that up before hand. I get a craving for something sweet once in awhile too!

I was awake by 6:30 a.m. on Friday, and turned the heaters on in the unit. It was a mere 4C/39F outside and just 13C/55F inside. Just a little chilly. I went back to bed until 7 before heading to the living room to watch the curling. With the little heater it had warmed up to 17C/63F, and felt quite comfortable. 

While watching, I continued working on a knitted hanging dish towel that I had started on Thursday. It is meant to be a gift, along with a couple of dish cloths. It still needs to be blocked, and I will need to find/pick up a button for the tab. I'll check the thrift stores for buttons and pins, as I certainly didn't bring any with me. This is the yarn I picked up at Walmart, as I've finished the yarn I brought with me. Pretty soon, I'll have to start working on the cross stitch, though it is harder to do when I'm watching curling. I have to pay attention. :)

Later in the morning, I made a batch of shortbread dough and put in the fridge to chill. In addition, I cut up the last two corn tortillas to make chips for nachos. I didn't have the lime, but I baked them with a brush of oil and salt - they turned out delicious. When the shortbread was baked, I couldn't resist, and had three cookies with a tea. Yum! The rest were tucked into a container, because I could have eaten several more.

I was able to get about 30 minutes outdoors in the sun too, reading for part of it, and chatting with my daughter. Then it was time for game 3 of the day - I watched until mid-way through the game, went to Happy Hour for 45 minutes or so and returned home in time to watch the end. The playoff picture for the women was settled Friday evening, while the men had one final game on Saturday morning.

I'll be watching the final round robin game, and then have plans to go to an event at the Civic Center with a couple of the residents. It is Health fair from the sounds of it, and it could be very interesting. I'll let you know next week. :) Playoff curling will keep me entertained as well and I should have enough viewing time to finish a couple of dishcloths. If the wind isn't blowing (it wasn't on Friday), I must get out and sweep up the sand on the outdoor patio. 

Whatever your plans may be, have a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead!