A new project, time with friends.

I'm interrupting the cruise posts for my regular weekly round-up of the week's activities. Things started out quietly and got busier throughout the week. Other than unpacking, doing laundry and a bit of housework, I did very little over the weekend and into Monday.

On Tuesday, I went out to the garage and tackled a project that I've been pondering for awhile. The former renter of the garage had built a partial wall and a work bench that made it difficult to get a second vehicle into the garage. When I was driving the Corolla, I could wiggle my way into the spot (using S turns), but with the Equinox it was going to be more difficult. So I had decided to remove part of the wall. I started by removing the plywood walls and the work bench. I should note the bench was over 4 feet tall, so useless for much more than storage.

The goal is to remove the open section to allow more room to maneuver the vehicle into place. Well, I discovered that this wall was built to last as the sill plate is anchored into the concrete. I've neither the tools nor the knowledge to overcome this problem so I turned to the internet. I've found a journeyman carpenter who has agreed to do the work for me later this month. In the meantime I have a pile of scrap lumber (not shown) to carry out of the garage. I also need to find someone to haul away the old garage door opener. There's always something that needs to be done.

Wednesday was a busy day, as I did a bit of grocery shopping in the morning, attended Stitch and Chat in the afternoon, and went to dinner with the book club ladies. There were three of us at the library, and next week there will just be two as C is heading for California at the end of the month and will be busy packing. Book club was fun, with six of us in attendance. I haven't met with the group in months, so there was lots of catching up to do. We even discussed the book, "The Nanny" by Gilly MacMillan. It was my choice, and it seemed every one who read it enjoyed the book. 

I took the day off on Thursday and caught up on various programs, NCIS, NCIS:Origins, and FBI. As well, curling and the MLB games kept me entertained. Saku was quite content to keep me pinned to the couch. :) I did stir long enough to make meals and do dishes.

Friday was a chilly morning, just -2C/28F when I took garbage out to the bin. Good thing I had no plans to work outside that morning. Instead, I did some housework and watching curling. That evening, I met my friends K and J for dinner before attending a comedy event at the Center of the Arts. Our tickets were free, provided by financial advisors we use. We took along a few items for the food bank donations as well. Our meals were good, but the service was incredibly slow and we had to go to the counter, as no one came to the table to take our payments. I'm not sure I'd return to that particular restaurant again. The comedians were funny, without straying into very many controversial subjects. The funniest moment (for me at least) was when Erica Sigurdson told the story of getting her husband to hang a medicine cabinet in their bathroom. After he'd delayed the project, she took matters into her own hands, texting him at work about how to do certain things (though she wasn't actually doing those things). He returned from work and got the job done. 

It was late when I arrived home and by the time I had settled down, it was nearly midnight. Saku woke me just after 6, but I managed to ignore him until my daughter called shortly after 7. Although I meant to get up after our call, I dozed off and slept until 10:30! So my day is a little off-kilter. I've just finished breakfast while watching curling. There is football and baseball later today as well. I guess you all know what I'll be doing today. :) Time to pull out the knitting needles and keep working on the mittens.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Progress report

Aruba will have to wait - it's been a busy week and though I've managed to sit down and read blogs (in fact, that's been a great way to take a break), writing much of anything has been a task I've not felt up to even thinking about.

Monday, we headed into the city about 8:30 in the morning, for Eli's appointment with the pediatric optometrist. (I called her a opthamologist in my last post - I was wrong). We headed to C's house first to pick up a few items from the garage and house. He managed to sleep through our short visit. And if he didn't, he managed to stay in his room. Next up was a stop at Costco for a few needed bulk items and a few wants too. Staples is across the road where we managed to find a printer. I have one at C's, but didn't want to bring it back and forth with me. 

While D and Eli were at the optometrist's office, I slipped into the Dollar Store next door. I found a couple of pairs of gardening gloves, including a pair just for Eli, some flower seeds, and a package of a variety of screws. The day was sunny, but windy, and I spent the last 15 minutes of so sitting in the car with a breeze cooling me from the open windows. 

We stopped at a nearby Dairy Queen for lunch, before heading home. The wind was even worse than it had been earlier and I later learned we had gusts of 50-60 kms per hour (31-37mph). It was crossing the highway, and I found myself struggling to keep the car from blowing to the right. By the time we reached town, my right hand was cramped and sore. 

The local plumber dropped by after we got home and installed the new control panel for the hot water heater. Hooray for hot water from the tap! I had been boiling the kettle for washing dishes, and while it works, it wasn't nearly as convenient. 

On Tuesday, Eli had a dental appointment in the next town over. He has been wearing an appliance to keep two of his teeth apart. A few days prior before I moved, he had flushed it down the toilet. He had let me know, it was a big mistake and he needed money to pay for it. His mother had clearly had a serious chat with him. After the appointment, his mom dropped him off at school, then came home to wait for the plumber who was to install the new dishwasher and two new sump pumps. 

We spent our day putting together Eli's new bed and partially completing her bed. At one point we had to run out to Canadian Tire to buy a drill to finish the work on Eli's bed. I don't recall if I went over to the old house to start cleaning that day, but do know I spent several hours there on Wednesday. I managed to get all of the appliances scrubbed clean and do a couple of loads of laundry.

Just as I finished throwing the last load in the washer, D called to say that the appliance repair guy had fixed the washer at the new house. If you recall, it would wash but not drain. We had bailed the machine out that morning. It turns out a sensor on the lid had broken/malfunctioned so it was an easy, if not inexpensive fix. 

We had snow overnight Wednesday and woke to covered lawns, though the streets and sidewalks were clear. D was tired and sore from the bed building, and I was ready for a break too, so we agreed to take the day off. She took Eli to school while I went grocery shopping.  Once the groceries were put away we spent the day doing a little more unpacking, and a lot of television watching (and for me, blog reading). 

There was more snow overnight on Thursday, this time covering the streets and sidewalks. We dropped Eli off at school and run a few errands before heading to the old house. We took several boxes with us, and gathered up the last of the items that had not been packed/ready for the movers. We filled the back seat and trunk of my car, D held a box on her lap before returning home. It took a good part of the morning to finish sorting through the boxes and putting things where they belong. D was doing laundry too, washing and drying some new sheets and bedding for Eli, new sheets for her bed too, and all of the rest of their bedding. She and I put the trundle together for Eli's bed. I made dinner that evening while she kept an eye on the laundry, and put toys away in Eli's room. After dinner, we made up their beds. As you can see in the photo, Eli entertained himself. :)

Friday was also the day that the tree company was scheduled to remove the Lombardy poplars in my son's yard. I spoke with him briefly after work and had him send me a picture. I'm pleased to see how much more light we'll have in the backyard as a result of the removal.

Today, I'm planning to spend some time at the old house cleaning. I'm not sure what D will do, as I'm pretty certain Eli will not be happy hanging out in an empty house. The morning has started out cold (-6C/21F) but it is supposed to warm up nicely (10C/50F). I'm sure they will make their way to the park this afternoon. By then, I'm certain I'll be ready for a nap. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

I can see clearly now

 Monday was a day - by 6:30 p.m. I could have gone to bed and slept until morning I'm sure. I managed to prop my eyelids open until 9, and slept through until 5 a.m.  Yes, I was tired. 

I started the morning off by clearing out the rest of the bedroom in preparation for the window replacement crew.  The contractor said I didn't need to strip the bed, just cover it in plastic but I figured it was a good day to wash all the bedding.  I did cover the mattress and it's pad with plastic while the rest went into the washer.  

I took the stool Sasha uses to climb onto the bed along with the pillows into the spare room where the cats would spend the day.  It's currently used for some storage and Eli's toys, and with only one chair in there I figured Sasha and Saku would want more options for sleeping.  A cat litter box, kibble and their water fountain was moved in there as well.  They had everything they needed for the day.  I thought Saku would be a pest, trying to get out the door but he didn't, it was Sasha who hollered every so often.

Before the crew arrived I got the kitchen floor washed but decided to leave the front hall until after they'd left as I figured they would be in and out....they were.  I even had all the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away before they got here.  They arrived just after 9:30 a.m. and were gone shortly after 3 p.m.

Here's a few photos from the main event - the replacement of the bay window in the living room.

One of the crew worked inside removing the moldings around the window and inner sections of the frames.  The other two were outside doing what they were doing.  I have brick on the exterior and I know at one point, one of them mentioned removing parging.

The center window is gone!  They took it out in three pieces - one of the crew said it was easier when taking them out.  They were careful and no windows were broken.

I was pleased to find out there was no sign of water damage or mold in the old window frame.  We'd had an ice dam a few years ago, but apparently my son had gotten to it quickly enough (I was away on a cruise).

And here's the new one as they started installing it.  It looks like it was cold out there, but it really wasn't that bad. It nearly 8C (46F) when they arrived and by noon they were working without their heavier jackets.  I had the heat turned down a bit because there was no point in heating the outside but I only heard the furnace cut in once during the process.

Once it was mostly in place, I had to laugh because this fellow was gently kicking it in.  That's some precise tool. :)  After that, there was a whole lot of measuring and leveling that went on before they were satisfied.  They used spray foam insulation to close in all the gaps - I shouldn't have to worry about air leaks. 

Here's the new window after installation. The only issue they had was the old moldings were too narrow. While two of the crew sat and ate their lunch on the patio, the third ran to the store for wider moldings. I'll have to stain these at some point.  The fellow did offer to have me stain them first before he put them up, but I wanted it done.  

Here's an exterior shot.  I wish I'd taken a before photo but this one from 2013 will have to do. It was taken shortly before the the front patio was put in.  And obviously before I had put in many of the perennials in the front flower bed.  Wow, it looks barren!

I didn't take any photos of the bedroom windows replacement as I would have been in their way.  Suffice to say they look good.  I was very pleased with the work that was done.  The only thing they didn't do particularly well was clean up after themselves. In their defense I did tell them I would be cleaning the where they had been working after they left.  One of the crew did sweep part of the living room floor but they left sawdust and some pieces of plastic and wood chips on the driveway and patio.  When they were gone, I pulled out the vacuum and cleaned up both the living room and bedroom, wiped down the television stand and end tables, washed the front hallway floor, and then went out and swept up the driveway and patio.  

Question for you, I think I'll paint the framing around the screen door - any suggestions as to what color I should consider?  I want to stay away from the dark brown it is now but I don't think I want to go with white.  The siding is a pale yellow or cream, which might work or maybe I'll go bold and go with one of the colors in the brick.  I'd love to paint the screen door as well but the thought of removing it and rehanging it sounds like a lot of work. Hmmm....maybe I can convince my little brother to lend me a hand.

Isn't that the way when something new is brought into the mix?  Everything else starts looking shabby and needing a refresh.  Well, at least for now the windows are clean and shiny!

Catching up

First off, a word of thanks to all who have sent e-mails or left messages of condolences on the passing of my cousin Deb.  Your words of comfort are appreciated.  

Another busy week is nearly in the books - it just amazes me sometimes how quickly the time passes.  The last year I worked seemed to drag, in just over 2 months I'll have been off work for a full year.  

After a full day on Monday, I spent Tuesday doing the chores I normally would have done the previous day along with my regular chores in order to get the house ready for another showing.  We're had no feedback on that visit.  The following I headed out to visit D and Eli.  His father J is visiting as well, and while I was there I took some photos of the three of them.  I prefer candid versus posed shots and had ample opportunity to capture some fun photos.  

We went, first, to the indoor playground.  There is so much to do there, toys to play with equipment to play on, and that morning a music program.  Eli was less than cooperative for the music portion, but had fun none-the-less.  He's holding a piece of foam to his mother's face so she can look through it too.

I've chosen not to share photos with his parent's faces clearly shown.  I know D wouldn't mind, but I'm not sure J would agree.  

 He and J built several towers of the foam pieces, and as I would have expected, after each tower was built, Eli knocked them down.  This time it was the dinosaur who did it! 

The playground is located in an old school that was closed several years ago.  The community has done a wonderful job of converting it to commercial and non-profit space.  There is an art gallery, a thrift shop, the indoor playground, and more.  J obtained permission from the staff to play the piano in the old gym while he's there so that's where we went next.

After a bit of music, the two of them ran around the gym running off some energy.  It's clear Eli is really enjoying his time with his dad.

J flew him around like an airplane, and the laughter from Eli was a joy to hear.

After a brief stop at home for a quick bite of lunch we played some more out in the yard before Eli demanded that we go to the "pawk".  We had the whole place to ourselves, it was a bit cool and windy, but that didn't stop the little guy from having fun.  

This is one of my favorite photos from the day.  His dad was pushing him on the swing and he was giggling so happily.  

It was a fun morning, despite the fact that J is not one of my favorite people.  However, the visit is going well and most importantly Eli is truly enjoying the time with both of his parents.  J has completed a number of minor repairs in the house, and D has been able to get housework done while J entertains his son.  Fingers crossed the good times continue.

My friend K picked me up for lunch on Thursday.  We drove out to a restaurant in a small bedroom community as she had a coupon we could use.  We each had a burger, a beverage, and shared an order of fries, for $20.  Definitely a good bargain!  We had a wonderful conversation, talking about travel plans, discussed the failure of the house to sell, and many more topics.  We never run out of things to talk about and it was after 2 when she dropped me off at home.  There was a showing that morning as well, and again no feedback. 

Friday was a relatively quiet day....I was ready for one.  I did do a little more Christmas shopping.  I'll have to check my list but I believe I'm down to my nephew and I'll pick up a gift card one of these days.  I was thinking I might start wrapping next week to get it done and put away.  I went out for dinner with my friend C.  She is doing a little better but having a tough time at the moment facing some "firsts" in this new chapter of her life.  Not only is she doing all of the fall cleanup in the yard (which is very large), but she's planning to go south at the end of this week to their timeshare.  She's left her return open so if it is too much for her and she decides to return early she can.  

It was my turn to get yard work done on Saturday, but not until after an early morning showing.  The e-mails I got said they were only in the house for two minutes, but based on lights on/off and closet and bedroom doors opened/closed, I suspect they were in the house much longer than that.  However, I've resigned myself to the conclusion that the house isn't going to sell during this listing.  I've done some serious thinking and decided that I'll find another agent later in October before I consider listing again.  As nice as Curtis is, I don't believe he's given the showing agents good information about the property and its condition.  Thus, we've had a lot of people through but not the sort of folks that would truly interested.  

Saturday was a triple header football day, so it meant the yard work had to get done in between the showing and the first game.  I put away all the decorative garden items, solar lights, and the front patio furniture.  I also pulled all the tender annuals, impatience, coleus, ivy, and bacopa because the forecast was for frost and snow overnight.  Yes, you read that right....snow.  That four letter word!  I've left out some geraniums and mums because they're reasonably hardy and should provide a little colour until mid-October.  Unless, of course, this first snowfall ends up hanging around.  I cut back some of the perennials but left most because I know the rabbits will be looking for a food source and they'll do the work for me. 

This morning, I woke up to a cloudy, wet day but thus far no snow, thankfully.  I'll definitely be spending the day indoors - I have several television programs I've PVR'd to watch, a knitting project started, and I'm planning to make stew for dinner.  Fingers crossed, no one wants to see the house because I'm not in the mood for it.  

Have a great day everyone!

P.S.  The Riders won!  We've clinched a spot in the playoffs. 

Up and down and all around

It's already Thursday!  What happened to this week?  I'm trying to recall but it obviously couldn't have been very special.  It's been a whirlwind of continual housecleaning - it never seems to end because I never know when I'll get a call for a showing.  Tuesday we had a showing at lunch time, so the morning was spent making sure the house was tidy.  Odds and ends were tucked away, the good towels were set out, the bed spreads smoothed out to eliminate the kitty foot prints and I even ironed the pillow cases.  I cleaned the cat litter (done at least daily) and before I left the house I put the lids on the tubs.  The cats and I piled into the car and went for a drive.  Saku wasn't thrilled to get into the carrier and both sang a bit when we left but they soon settled down.  We were only out of the house for a half hour so it wasn't too long.  I had hoped these might be the ones but...no.  We got feedback from the realtor, the house showed well (hence I can assume no discernible cat smell) but the deck on the back of the house was too big making the yard too small.  

Yesterday I got out of the house for much of day, doing grocery shopping, meeting a friend for coffee, attending to my nail appointment, and buying a few more annuals for the yard. I went to a few different garden centers to find impatience as I've decided the front flower bed needs a bit of color.  Walmart and Rona were a bust - everything looked nearly dead (frost advisory on Sunday and Monday nights) but Superstore surprisingly had really nice product.  It must have come in early that week.  Home Depot was my last stop and I picked up a couple of sweet potato vine to put in my front containers.  I like the look of a trailing plant in a tall container.

The weather is crazy, we had the frost advisories both Sunday and Monday night but by Wednesday afternoon it was 31C (88F) and the air conditioner was running.  Another old saying, if you don't like the weather in Saskatchewan, wait 15 minutes.  We sure could use some rain but there is none in the forecast.  Today I mowed and watered the back bit of lawn and gave it a real good soaking.  SaskTel was here this week to trench in the conduit for the InfiNet line and dug up a chunk of it so it needs some repairs.  I've got some grass seed that I'll put out after Sask Energy shows up on July 14 to move the gas line...before that it will just look a bit of a mess.

Today I had company, D and Eli came this morning about 10 a.m. We went for walk along the local pond, where Eli pointed out the the doose and the duck.  (the letter d seems to be easier for him to say than other letters)  Later we had lunch together, went shopping at the local Salvation Army store for summer clothing (great deal, kids clothes 50% off), and then they headed to her friend L for the rest of the day.  They'll be back tomorrow as D has lunch plans and I'll watch Eli.  He's so much fun but boy can he make a mess in nanoseconds.  Even though I took him outside to eat his frozen yogurt I still found drips on the floor in the kitchen.

Sunday we'll have another open house, and I'm not entirely looking forward to it.  The cats and I will need to spend just over two hours in the car, with the a/c running continuously as our temps will continue to be near 30C (85F).  I have reduced the price based on the prices of houses that have sold in the neighbourhood recently and am hopeful the right buyer/buyers show up for this open house.  My son C and I went out looking at condo open houses last weekend and found one he really, really liked.  Unfortunately he does need my help to afford it so that has to wait until this house sells as I don't have the cash to split the down payment.  It is a really nice unit but if it sells there are currently two others in the same compound that are listed.  If it is meant to be, it will happen.

No new photos to share so I'll post a photo my brother sent to me this morning.  It was taken from his breakfast table on the verandah looking out towards the valley.  Nice view though I wouldn't the work to keep up the yard and house!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Catching my breath

What happened to the weekend?  Heck, what happened to the past week?  It has been a busy one for sure.  

I spent the entire work week* in the classroom with four students.  It was first time I taught this particular course.  Usually I train what I consider "soft skills" courses, this was quite technical.  While I generally knew most of the material some of it was not familiar.  I tried to keep ahead of the class but there was one section where I think we all ended up quite confused. Hopefully they never run into that particular situation or their supervisors and coaches are able to assist.  What I heard most often was my stories of real life situations were beneficial in understanding the technical information.  I guess the last 20 plus years weren't entirely wasted. J/k.

As a result of spending time in the classroom, I only managed to do the bare minimum of my regular workload.  On one break I came back to my desk to find 37 e-mails!  Almost all were items that needed to be actioned.  I did my best but I suspect that I'll be busy this coming week catching up.  I'm okay with that as it means the week will fly by!

This weekend, I've been kept busy doing housework, grocery shopping, playing with the grandson and what was that other thing again?  Oh yeah, watching curling!  The Pinty's Grand Slam was held this weekend, as were the Junior Canadian curling events.  Yesterday, there were three draws for the Slam event, and two for the Juniors.  Today there are a total of four draws, all finals.  While not everyone's idea of great television viewing, I quite enjoy.

Speaking of my grandson, Eli, he continues to grow and change.  He's beginning to vocalize more and more.  He says dada, mom mom, ma-ma - D insists that's me, kitty, and cookie.  At least that's what they sound like, and I think he even means them sometimes.  If you ask him where's the kitty, he actually looks at one of the cats.  Eli now has 5 teeth with a 6th on the way and enjoys his food very much.  No more baby food - except for arrowroot cookies though I like those too.  He's also off formula and onto regular homogenized cow's milk.  Much cheaper for mom.  That would be Gma's homemade soup on his face...it's a favorite of both of ours.

Eli still isn't walking on his own, though will walk holding someone's hands.  He quite enjoys walk circuits from the living room to the bedrooms, and back to the living room.  And he still loves to bounce, whether it is on my knee, in his bouncer or on the small trampoline he got for Christmas from his mother.  Yes, a trampoline!  I think he's still too small for it and he generally to sit on his bum but he can hold the bar and bounce for a few seconds at a time.  You'd think if he can do that he could walk ...but I don't want to be in a hurry for that to happen.

This is a lousy photo, as the lighting is awful however I think it is sooo cute!

I had the sun-room door open so the cats could get out there as we're having some decent weather at the moment.  Eli shut the door and we could hear him giggling.  We found him playing with Sheldon who is batting at Eli's hand.  Lots of fun!

This evening I drive the little rug rat over to his Dad's for the night, and I'll pick him up tomorrow after work.  J had asked if he could have him last night...his mother contacted D about 5:30 p.m. yesterday.  I flat out said, no because I had other plans.  I absolutely refuse to jump when this guy says jump....he tried to find someone else willing to pick Eli up from my house but could not. I suspect his friends feel the same way.  This may seem unfair to J, but in my mind some advance notice is both appropriate and expected.  

I miss the little man when he's away but I do enjoy the relative quiet.  On that note I'm off to watch the rest of the men's final at the Grand Slam.  Have a great week everyone!

*I'm unofficially working four day weeks - Fridays are earned days off, vacation or some other form of leave where needed - for the rest of my 10.5 months of work!