Slow down

After last week's busy-ness, this week has been a whole lot less so. I ventured out on Monday morning to pick up fresh fruit and veg, as well as a few sale items at our local grocery stores. My other reason for going out was to pick up potting soil for this year's planting. One of the cats, Stanley was very interested in the dirt, and kept a watchful eye on me as I seeded tomatoes (beefsteak), peppers, basil, and pansies. The latter are seeds I harvested from the plant last fall. Chances are they won't sprout but I figured it was worth a try. I learned my lesson last year and have reduced the number of wee pots. If you recall we were over run with tomatoes last fall. Our peppers didn't do as well so I've added a few more. 

The weather forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday was calling for heavy snow - up to 22 cms (8.6 inches). D has decided there will be no more shovelling this winter. This is Easter break and Eli is home from school, and thus, in theory we can wait until it melts. She ran out to do a few errands ahead of the supposed storm. In the end, it missed us entirely, and areas near Saskatoon and further north took the brunt of it. places saw about 18 cm (7 inches). We had less than a centimeter, and by lunchtime it was melting; walkways were clear as were the car windshields. 

The cat in the photo on Wednesday is the baby, Spencer. D found her in her garage in January 2025 during a terrible cold snap. D tried to find her owner through FB, and checked with local vets and the rescue in the NTO (next town over). No one came forward to claim her, and the rescue advised their waiting list to take in a stray cat was about 4 months. I was in Yuma at the time, and when D called to tell me about her, I said, I guess that means we have another cat. We certainly weren't going to euthanize her. D taught her the trick of standing on her hind end to ask for "uppies". Just like a toddler she asks for attention several times a day. However, she is terrified of men especially, and most any stranger. It took her awhile to warm up to me when I visited, but now she loves to nap on my bed...though my cat Saku isn't a fan. As for treats, she really doesn't need any. :p

Knit and Natter was held on Wednesday evening. There were only three of us there, but we had a nice evening. Both M and L were crocheting, while I continued on my knitting. I managed to get a lot done and should finish the panel this week. I'd hoped to have it done before this post but procrastination got in my way. 

As I've said it has been a quiet week. Some spare time was used to work on the Ancestry website updating information. My focus is on more current information rather than previous generations. I don't have access to anything outside of Canada (except newspapers) because the cost is prohibitive. But I feel that current and future generations would be interested in the materials and info I've found. That was the case this week when I received messages from two individuals who were interested in specific relationships. I was able to, at least, partially answer there questions.As an aside, this photo shows how I am using the external keyboard to access the letters s and w and the @ symbol.

I had thought that curling was done for the season but discovered the first Rock League event. It is being streamed on CBC sports on YouTube. The format is quite different with teams split between men's fours, women's fours and mixed doubles. The teams aren't specific to any one country and the members of the four person teams aren't static. That is to say that someone is generally a skip may be playing one of the other three positions. Scoring is different too and I haven't quite figured it out yet. 

Besides curling and knitting, I've no plans for the weekend. The weather is supposed to be lovely so we should see more melting. Spring is on her way! 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Transitions

It was a busy start to the week, but has settled down as we're coming up on the weekend. Monday had me finishing up my packing and helping with a few household chores.

We had our flu vaccination booked for Tuesday morning . I was pleased to learn that we could get the Covid vaccine at the same time. That's definitely a benefit of a small town pharmacy. Im pretty certain in the city we would have been asked to make a second appointment. I dropped D and Eli back at the house with hugs for them and a quick cuddle with Saku. Then it was an uneventful drive to the city.

After dropping off my backpack and a couple of bags I headed for the mall. My first stop was Magicuts for a haircut! Much needed. The thrift store was next where I found an apron. There are regular potluck meals and coffee hours at the park. I recognize I tend to spill or splash water on myself.. Hopefully this will help keep my clothes a little cleaner. My final stop was the bank for some US cash. 

I had a good visit with my son and his roommate B in the evening. We ordered in pizza for dinner; a pepperoni pizza with red onion and charred corn. If you've never tried corn on a pizza do try it, it was so good as the sweetness of the corn offset the spicy pepperoni.

I slept in on Wednesday  until 7 a.m. It felt wonderful.  That morning I met with my friends, K and J to go over my potential driving route. They've made the drive south a number of times and were able to give me some pointers.

After lunch I went to Stitch and Chat. It was nice to see a few regulars as well as three or four new(er) attendees.  The latter thought I was new to the group...no, just rarely there. While we had a break due to the pandemic, I started attending the group six years ago.

I went out to get a few groceries on Thursday; some items i prefer including whole wheat bread, bananas, and old cheddar cheese. I also picked up a few items they were low on. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, working on Ancestry, and hanging out with  Kota, the cat. He looks a bit like my Saku but is quite a bit rounder.

I mistakenly made a trip to Costco on Friday morning.  Dumb idea...the lineup to the cashiers extended through the store. I took my time and found a relatively short line on my way out. While standing there a clerk asked if I would like to pre-checkout. Sure, as all I had to do at the till was show my membership card and make the payment.  

This week I've been watching the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners in the MLB playoffs. If you had asked me on Tuesday how the Jays would fare I wouldn't have had high hopes but watching the team rally and win both games in Seattle had me much more hopeful. Tonight they lost in the 8th inning when a relief pitcher gave up a grand slam. Game over! They will be back in Toronto on Sunday in a must win game.

Our Saskatchewan Roughriders played Friday night as well. Since they've clinched a playoff berth they weren't playing several of their starters. The game was a close one which they lost by a single point. Penalties likely cost them the gane as there would have been enough time left on the clock to make a play for the win. 

Today we are off to an appliance outlet to pick out a new refrigerator.  When we moved into the house in November 2023 I had called in a repairman as the freezer fan was making a loud noise. He checked it for a blockage and said it was failing. Parts were impossible to get and he said it could last for awhile. This week it started intermittingly making a very loud noise so it is time to get a new one.

I'll leave you with a photo of my son and his dog Sage. Miss Mooch is hoping there might be a crumb or two leftover.  (There wasn't).

Have a great week ahead everyone!

We're home!

We arrived back in Regina late on July 2, spent the night at my son's and then drove back to town the following day. I plan to post updates of our trip, and have the first blog almost ready to post - so be prepared to take a trip back in time. :) 

Yesterday, I dealt with the "math" related to the trip and paid off the credit card. It was easier to use my credit card for the majority of the expenditures and then split the cost between us when we returned. We did very well with the costs related to our accommodations, averaging about $225 a night. With the exception of one hotel, all had a continental breakfast available, so saved us on one meal a day. We didn't skimp on meals out, frequently having lunch at sit-down restaurants, though we usually brought something back to the hotel for evenings. 

Our rental vehicle was a 2024 Toyota Camry hybrid. I've never driven a hybrid or electric vehicle before and was very impressed with the fuel efficiency. In total we (I) drove about 1400 kms/880 miles.  I wouldn't want to drive this particular vehicle again though as the front end seemed so low to the ground in comparison to my SUV! Fuel prices ranged between $1.43 to $1.45 a litre, so the savings from the hybrid were appreciated. 

More on the rests of the trip in near future.

Things have been busy since we arrived home, unpacking, laundry, along with some yardwork. It is amazing how much things have grown in ten days or so. The tomatoes aren't yet flowering but the plants that were about 5-6 inches tall are now close to 18 inches in height. I guess some rain and heat will do that to them. 

I need to weed the flower and garden beds. The peas have flowered and are producing pods, though I think they'll need to be watered regularly to ensure we get a good harvest from them. The poor wee carrots and onions are up but almost overwhelmed by the weeds. The latter need to go, and I'll thin the vegetables this weekend. The lettuce that Eli planted at school is also doing well and we should be able to start using it soon. 

The peonies need to be trimmed too, as they seem to be close to finishing flowering, lots of spent flowers! I'm sorry we missed most of it. However the salvia is blooming and the holly hocks won't be far behind. My containers of annuals are doing exceptionally well too.

I was pleased to see how well the clover and grass is doing in the city. (No photo). There are areas that need to be re-seeded especially near the high spots by the neighbour's fence - I suspect the rains were washed to lower areas. And the weeds are doing well too. My son should be able to start mowing back there in another few weeks, and that will hopefully keep the weeds from going to seed. If/when I get this yard tidied up, I may head into the city for a few days to do a bit more work there.

If you've been reading my blog for a long time, you may recall that each of the properties my daughter and son purchased has had lilies growing in the yard. Lilies were my mom's favorite flowers (along with red carnations), and mom collected and grew many Asiatic lilies in her flower beds at home. Finding lilies has always been a sign that we're in the right place. When C and I visited the property he later purchased, we noticed three struggling lilies in the front flower bed. Last summer they were nowhere to be found, but this spring they reappeared. I had moved the rocks in the bed, and I suspect this may have created the needed microclimate, with the rocks heating up in the sun. All this to say, that the first bloom opened the day that we arrived back in the city. I had no idea the colour and it was pleasant surprise to find a white lily.

We'll be hanging around the house this weekend, as the town is expected 60 (!) baseball teams to attend a tournament here. I plan to spend a good amount of time out in the yard, D has a list of chores to complete as well, and Eli...he's happy to be home and have access to all the fun stuff here. 

And our newest addition to the household is my cat Saku, who was living in the city at my son's. However, the new roommate came with five cats, and we figured it would be easier to acclimate him to two others here. He did well on the trip home, occasionally reminding us he was in his crate in the back seat. He has seen Stanley and Spencer through the glass doors, and hissed a couple of times but otherwise ignored them. We won't be introducing them in person for awhile yet. The other two seem curious but aren't upset about the newbie. He's my lap cat and cuddle buddy, and I'm happy to have him with me again.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Heating up!

 Summer has arrived! We've had temps ranging from 25C(77F) to 31C(88F) over the week. That may not seem overly warm/hot for most of you, but as we've been experiencing much cooler temps, the difference is truly noticeable.

I've spent time outdoors, early mornings with my tea, and later, tackling the weeds. We've had a lot of dew in the morning so it is often too wet, at least for me, to get down in the dirt. The garden is starting to look quite tidy or at least half of it. The asparagus is quite overgrown and the strawberries make a thick carpet, hiding some of the weeds. The photo on Wednesday was half of the pickings from earlier in the week. It's a small patch and I expect there will never be enough to do any canning/freezing, but they sure are delicious fresh out of the garden.

The large flower bed, on the other hand, is a jungle of weeds and plants. A number of the weeds are tangled among the rock surrounding the bed and impossible to remove. I've decided to cut back the alyssum (already started), and will dig it and the lilies (we have plenty) this fall. I'll harvest the poppy seeds and allow the lamium and the oxalis to do it's thing. We'll have to move as many rocks as possible - I'm thinking we'll roll them away temporarily - to get at the weeds. 

The peonies are still blooming, though I'm having to remove spent blooms every day. The containers are doing well, with the exception of one of the tall ones. For some reason it wasn't draining and the petunias I had planted in it were drowned by the excess rain. Poor things! The cherry tomato plant is doing very well, and seems to dry out quickly; apparently they are very thirsty.

Eli had twice a day swimming lessons, and day camp on Tuesday and Thursday as well. I drove them in on Tuesday, and while Eli had fun at camp, D and I went shopping. We went to Value Village first, where I found bath sheets, several brand new tea towels and dish clothes and a blanket for less than $15. D found several pieces of clothing for Eli and three bags of "real" Lego. In total we spent around $50 with my senior discount. Our next stop was Sport Chek as D needed a new pair of walking shoes, and found these and two pairs of shoes for Eli for school this fall (indoor and outdoor). She still has an employee discount as she is off on sick leave. I won't tell you what she spent, certainly more than I would have but with her discount, the cost was nearly half of what she would have paid at regular pricing. 

A trip to Dollarama and then to Walmart finished off the shopping for a few items she wanted and a few groceries we needed. It was time to pick up Eli at his day camp. They had taken the children to a nearby beach where the kids played on the playground equipment. With no lifejackets they weren't able to go in the water. That was okay, as Eli was in the pool before day camp and again in the evening.

We also had the contractor out on Monday and a half day on Tuesday. He replaced the screen door on the front porch with a proper door with a venting window. He also replaced and installed door knob kits and dead bolts on the door between the porch and living room, and the side door as well. He and his helper also did some caulking where the gate latch had damaged the exterior stucco, repaired the latch itself, installed a hook in the basement ceiling (after beefing up the joists) for a sensory swing, and repaired the door sill at the back door. He'll be back later this summer to retrofit the garage door opening to put in a header for a roll-up door. I don't think we were ever told that the current garage door is so bent it won't open. D will want to park the car in the garage in the winter, so the work is needed.

We made it to the pool once this week on Wednesday and she and I also got the basement set up again for Eli's play zone. Stanley, the cat also got his very own Catio as he likes to be outdoors. Now, when we try to catch him to bring him back indoors, it's much easier. He still argues, but I've been taking him out in the morning when I have my cup of tea and letting him hang out with me. Eli, decided to try it out too. :)

D took Eli to his day camp on Thursday while I stayed home (out of the heat, as I'd been out weeding and cutting back the peonies for most of the morning). Eli was a tired boy when they arrived home, so he missed out on his evening swim lesson and was asleep in no time. 

Friday, we awoke to a thunderstorm and rain. It didn't last long but remained cloudy until about 9. D and Eli headed to his swim lesson, while I went to pick up a few groceries. The heat and humity was high, the mosquitos and dragonflies were out in force (go dragonflies), so Eli and I spent the remainder of the morning indoors, while his mom went to get her hair cut and coloured. She wasn't happy with the cut at all, as she'd asked to have it cut to shoulder blade length, but the hairdresser took about two inches more.  She won't be able to put her hair in a pony tail for a few weeks but will try pig tails to keep the hair off her neck. It's a true shame as she paid a crazy amount of money for the cut and colour, and while the latter is lovely, the former is not.

I finished two books this week. The first was James Clavell's "King Rat", a story of POW's in Manila during World War II. It was definitely something different, and somewhat disturbing. The second book was "NYPD RED3" by James Patterson. It took me awhile to get into the book and I can't say it was my favorite book of his. I do like mysteries and this had some of that, but I felt there was some unnecessary incidents and the explanation at the end wasn't entirely satisfying.

 

Today we're expecting more stormy weather, but I think we'll head over to the park later this morning where he can play with friends. We live just under two blocks away. I'll get some more weeding done, and there is baseball and football to watch. I've also started a third book and there are mittens to be knitted. I'm certainly never bored, as I have lots to do.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Did I say quiet?

Thank you to all who sent good wishes to my brother R. I'm happy to report he finally tested negative on Wednesday of this week - that's 9 days from his first positive test. He started feeling better on Monday and continued to improve throughout the week. Remember when I said a 1/4 mile walk was a short one for him. On Tuesday, he and Cola (the dog) went walking for an hour.

The cold stuck with us until Wednesday as well, and as it warmed up we had more snow. Not a lot, but enough to cover the driveway and add to the accumulation on the ground. It's a good thing it is warming up slightly as the Grey Cup is being held here this weekend. (It's the Canadian football league's Super Bowl, but less glitzy). Our team is out contention this year - and were since about July! -  and as a result there are a whole lot of folks attempting to offload their tickets to the game. I suspect it will be a poorly attended game, without local support. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers did win their division and it's about a 8 hour drive so that may help with attendance...time will tell. The other team in the game are the Toronto Argonauts which doesn't attract a large amount of fans because they have two other professional sports teams to cheer for.

This first half of the week was pretty quiet, some housework and more crocheting. I finished off this little gnome on Monday. D reminded me she wanted angels for gifts for Eli's teacher and aides, as well as the principal. That meant a trip to the store on Tuesday to pick up some white yarn as I had used the last of it on my reindeer. (I didn't have a lot). So now I have a large ball of it, to make the angels and maybe a snowman or two.

Then on Wednesday I had a call from D. I managed to get her through that day's crisis, however it spilled over into Thursday. By mid-morning I had packed up a few days clothing and other sundry items and was on the highway on the way to her home. I won't get into details, but she hadn't slept for over 36 hours and exhaustion was clouding her thoughts. I spent much of the day cleaning and tidying, while Eli played and she tried to rest. She wasn't able to sleep much - just too overtired - so when dinner was finished she headed up to bed while Eli and I settled in on the couch to watch Home Alone 2. This series is his favorite and this is the second or is the third time we've watched together.

She did get a reasonable amount of sleep over night, thankfully, while I slept with the wiggle worm. There were more stories with spooky endings. I'd start them off and he would finish them. This child and his imagination. On Friday we headed into the next town to deal with the situation that had caused her such grief. It took awhile but I'm pleased to say it ended well and I'm proud of her because she's taken a step forward that seemed so far away not so long ago.

We did a bit of shopping too, stopping at the Dollar store and Walmart. Eli wasn't in a mood for it, so we stopped for lunch between stores and let him play at the McDonalds. I don't blame him, he'd had to sit and wait for quite awhile during D's meeting. While at Walmart we checked for children's Buckley's cough syrup - there was none on the shelf. The clerk told me she'd gotten 18 bottles that morning, and they were already gone by noon.

I tackled a few more household chores when we arrived home, while D headed out to pick up the groceries and check for the mail. She's awaiting her "Moe bucks" check as I've received mine. These are the bribes prosperity pay-outs that our provincial government is providing just ahead of Christmas, instead of reducing or eliminating the increases of 16.8% and 4% to our natural gas and electricity rates respectively. Can you tell I'm not impressed? Over the long run, the rate hikes will cost households more than the benefit of a $500 one-time payment. 

It was a restless night Friday night, as Eli is coming down with another cold. He and I were in the same bed, but at some point Sheldon (the cat) joined us, and the two of them pushed me out of bed. I went downstairs and slept on the couch but was wakened by the sound of coughing. I could hear D talking to Eli, so I grabbed the cough medicine and a spoon. He settled down soon after that, and was in his mother's bed, so I climbed back into his and slept well until early in the morning. Sheldon kept me company.

Today I've sent D upstairs to get a bit more sleep, while Eli and I are snuggled up on the couch to watch some cartoons (him) and work on Ancestry (me). I've got a couple more household chores I want to do today and I'll work on the angels too. One more was finished yesterday. I do plan to head home tomorrow and will leave shortly after breakfast. I suspect the traffic will be heavier as the day goes on as people head to the city for the Grey Cup.

Remind me to never suggest that things in my life are quiet...

Gratitude, cleaning and catching up

First, I must thank you all for your kind words of support and condolences on Sasha's passing.  It seems that most of us have lost a fur baby at some time or another and understand how painful it is to lose a special member of the family.  I've received a card from the vet clinic with some paw-prints they made for me.  At some point, I'll frame a photo of Sasha to include at least one of those prints.

After a quiet weekend, watching curling, catching up with television programs (I'm not done with these yet), and adjusting to the new normal without Sasha,  I needed to get moving on Monday.  The grocery shopping was taken care of and I stopped by the dollar stores to pick up a few more craft items in the morning. (I've told myself I'm done for this year.  There are enough projects to work on to keep me busy for a long time yet. Ha, we'll see how long that lasts!)  I spent the afternoon cleaning bathrooms and catching up on more television.

This week I finished another scarf and have pair of mittens almost complete for Eli. I need to pick the next skeins of yarn for another scarf to crochet when I need a break from knitting.  My right index finger gives me grief when I always knitting.

In the craft room I finished this glass snowman.  I've been picking up the pieces over the last few weeks.  One of the bowls came from the dollar store but the other two I found a Value Village along with the snowman and rocking horse.  Silly me, I didn't dry fit the pieces together so the middle one had to be placed upside down because the rocking horse was too high. As a result the middle bowl doesn't have the fake snow and another ornament.  I've used a piece of ribbon for the scarf but may knit something up at some point.  The little toque came off a plastic dollar store ornament.  This will be a piece that sits in the kitchen window so little fingers won't be able to reach it. Or I may literally be picking up the pieces again.

I spent a little time with this small crochet project.  I spotted the pattern for the peppermint candy coasters on Pinterest and couldn't resist.  A very easy project and it used up some yarn. 

However, housework was top of the agenda for a good part of the week.  I brought the stepladder in from the garage and cleaned off the top of kitchen cabinets.  Another blogger had shared her use of newsprint to cover the top of the cabinets to trap the dust (and in my case, cat hair). It definitely works but I learned I'll need to replace the paper more frequently.  The paper felt gritty and the cat hair flew.  While I was up and down the ladder I cleaned the blades of the ceiling fan as well.  Another spot I need to clean more often. Then I noticed that there were several grease spots on the ceiling stippling above the stove.  Out came the cleaning supplies and I took care of those as well.  It must have been a hot pan to splash that high.

I think I picked up a couple of small kittens in cat hair vacuuming the basement and upstairs.  I guess I'll see in a week whether one cat loses as much fur as two did. When I was cleaning the cat litter on Wednesday morning I realized it has been 21 years since there has only been one cat using the boxes.  Sasha joined us in July and Silver in October, 2000.  I won't go into detail as to the difference in output from then until now. :p

I've started another clearing out of cabinets and cupboards where things hide and get forgotten.  There is box to be delivered to the thrift store, but I'm going to wait until I've sorted through more of the craft room.  There are items in there too, that I won't use in my lifetime so it will be better to let it go for someone else to put to use than store it indefinitely.

The snow started falling on Wednesday evening.  It continued to snow on Thursday, Remembrance Day.  My son was off work, so it was quiet day.  He slept, I caught up on more television and watched curling.  I didn't (bother to) get out to shovel until Friday morning. The driveway had a layer of ice crystals under the snow that I hope will disappear in a few days as we are forecast for a few days of above freezing temperatures this week.  And more snow to follow.  I suspect winter is here to stay.

Every morning, when I talk with my daughter, she always asks me what my plans are for the day.  My answer is always the same, other than watching curling at some point, I'll just putter.  Some things will get done and others will get put off to another day. I need to pack away the fall decor and start pulling out things for Christmas.  D and Eli are putting up their tree today, but I'll likely wait until later in the week. Somehow when the snow falls, I feel the need to add sparkly things to my home.

Have a good week ahead everyone, take care and stay well!

Ups and downs and turn-around

 Well, this week sure had it's share of disappointments  but eventually things turned around.  On Sunday it was announced that the World Curling broadcasts would be postponed (and later cancelled) as four cases of Covid-19 were detected in the broadcast crews. Initially it was only going to be for a day or so, but as additional cases were detected, up to seven on Tuesday, there was another announcement that no further games would be aired until Friday afternoon. As it turned they were able to get back to the arena by Friday morning and all of the draws, not only those with Canada as a participant, were aired. 

In the meantime, Curling Canada provided updates on Twitter of the Canadian games and I was able to catch the live scoring on the World Curling website but it was a poor substitute.  But, I do understand the need to keep the athletes, officials, and all of the broadcast crew safe. I should note that the broadcast crews stay in a separate hotel and except for the camera crew, who maintain an appropriate distance, there is no physical interaction between the players and on-ice crew with the broadcasters. All interviews are done virtually and it seems to be working as no athlete or official has been infected. Since the return to television, the camera crew hasn't been permitted on-ice so we're getting some different looks. All good!

So, with no curling for much of the week, I thought I'd tackle some bigger projects; spend my time decluttering in the house, working in the yard and setting up containers for planting in a few weeks.  But also on Sunday, as I was putting down the bowl of cat food for Saku, I twisted and popped something in my left hip.  The pain radiated through the muscles down my leg and into my lower back.  It actually took my breath away it hurt so bad.  I spent the next 24 hours in significant pain, using Advil as an anti-inflammatory and extra strength Voltaren for the muscle pain. Monday was a write-off, as I was in a fog most of the day and I couldn't concentrate on anything.  That evening I laid down on the bed on my stomach and did a few stretching exercises.  One of them, what I would call a frog kick (if you've done the breast stroke in swimming you'll know what I mean), resulted in another pop and the pain immediately went from a 8 to a 4 out of 10.  What a relief!

I did get my grocery shopping done on Tuesday but getting in and out of the car was quite painful. Each day the muscle pain was reduced and I was able to do a bit of housework on Wednesday including laundry, sweeping and vacuuming.  

By Thursday, I was feeling some better.  The afternoon was lovely with a temperature of 16C (61F) so after lunch I headed outdoors.  No point in just sitting around and I figured I'd just stop doing something if it hurt.  An hour later I had: the back lawn raked and debris picked up, cleaned and filled the bird bath,  swept the front patio and used my grabber to pick up pine cones, and got the front flower bed tidied.  There are few green shoots starting to show but I can't recall what it is.  I'll have to find my garden book and check my diagram.

By Friday, just in time for the re-start of the curling, my hip/back was almost back to normal.  Getting up and moving from a sitting position, especially if I've sat for an extended time does cause some discomfort but I can live with that! It just means I must get up between ends and walk a little bit.  Canada was in the first draw of the day and won their game handily.  They've had an up and down week too, and needed a win by Switzerland in the afternoon to make the play-offs. Switzerland started off by scoring two points in the first end and continued to run over their competition. So Canada is in the playoffs and have a spot in the Olympics.  Phew!

Some other good news to share, my daughter was able to book an appointment for her vaccination as she was eligible as of Tuesday.  She was able to book on-line before the site crashed temporarily.  Today, she got a call from a friend who works at the local hospital - they had some extra doses so she headed down to the clinic and was able to get her first vaccine!  My son is eligible as of today, but there are no appointments available in the city and the local pharmacies are only providing wait lists. Hopefully later this week.

There are three draws today of curling, Canada is currently on the ice with Sweden.  A win and they make the semi-finals, a loss and they are out.  The two teams have played each other a few times in the past couple of weeks and the games are always tight. I'm not making any kind of prediction.

Since I didn't get out walking this week, I'll share a photo of my cat Saku.  I was able to open the sunroom in the afternoons.  Thursday, it was quite warm out there - I had one of the windows open and the fan running.  The photo was taken after he'd had his supper. I'm not sure if he's simply cooling off his belly or if he ate too much!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Easter interruptus

Happy Easter! 

I woke to snow this morning, not a sight I'd hoped to see again this spring.  It's pretty much gone but the temp is still -5C so there is still a possibility of more later today.

I was planning Easter dinner for this evening, with my daughter, J, Eli, and my son C.  However, D called this morning to say that she and J were suffering some tummy troubles (I'll spare you the details) so dinner has been postponed to Easter Monday.

I have the day off tomorrow, and the roast will hold over in the fridge so it isn't a problem.  In addition, the Pinty's Grand Slam curling is on television today, semi-finals were completed this morning with the men's and women's finals to be aired this afternoon and evening respectively.  I won't be bored. ;)

As I sit here, I'm listening to the birds in the everygreen tree in the front yard.  It's unfortunate, but the kestral hawk is back so I suspect we won't have many song birds again this summer.  It doesn't seem to bother the blackbirds or grackles though. 

Saku is relaxing on the cat tree watching out the window.  I suspect he misses the birds as much as I do.

Oh well, tomorrow will be a better day.  It will be much warmer, 12C is the forecast high so the cats will get out to the sun room again.  I'll have my little grandson here for a visit, and it's an extra day off!

Have a Happy Easter everyone!

Weekend Wrap-up

First off, still no grandchild.  When I talked to D earlier today, she mentioned she cleaned the b/f's house today.  Perhaps she is finally nesting.  It would be nice if she'd show up here and clean up her room.  (Sheesh, she's 35 years old and I'm still nagging her to clean her room).

She wasn't the only one who was bit by the cleaning bug.  I got some of my housework done on Friday, but Saturday was a write-off.  I lazed around, reading, playing on the computer, and watching television for most of the day.  This morning, though I woke up after a great night's sleep, and got busy.

By lunchtime, I had washed the kitchen, front foyer, and bathroom floors, vacuumed the living room and hallway, scrubbed down the bathroom fixtures, wiped down the kitchen cabinet doors, folded the laundry, dusted, gathered up the garbage and took it out to the bin, and cleared out the television cabinet.  Phew...it makes me tired just to list it all.  

I even ventured into the baby's room and did a quick tidy in there.  I organized the closet, put away boxes of diapers, picked up some paper and bags from the shower, and got the bassinet set up.  D is planning to have the baby sleep in her room for the first while so had picked up a second-hand bassinet.  I'm not sure where she plans to have him sleep as her room is a disaster and I'll be damned if I'm going to clean it up for her.

Okay, enough crankiness.

No photos but we seem to have a cat living in our backyard.  We're not sure if he lives nearby and just visits, or if he's living under the deck.  My son spotted him a day or so ago and pointed him out to me today.  He/she (since we haven't gotten that close) is a long haired gray and white cat, very skittish, and quite large...but that might be the fur.  We put out some dry food for him just in case.  I called the Humane Society to see if they would trap him.  They won't, as they don't deal with cats "running at large".  They told me if we can trap him in a shed or the garage they will come pick him/her up.  We'll keep an eye out and move the food closer to one of the sheds.  Hopefully he's just visiting and has a home to go to, but based on what we've seen I doubt it.

I had wondered that I haven't seen any bunnies in the yard for awhile.  It makes me wonder how long the cat has been around.  Or maybe they've found somewhere else to hang out.

Thankfully it hasn't been very cold, though was cooler today than it has been for awhile.  We got a skiff of snow, just enough to cover the driveway.  With the sunshine it is pretty much gone again.

I've been watching the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian Women's curling most of the weekend.  Tonight is the final; the skip of the Manitoba team is from Saskatchewan so, of course, I'm rooting for them.  My brother called, he and his children are cheering for Ontario because they have Deadpool on their sweaters.  I had to ask what that was....  

Just as well I'm watching curling and not the Oscars.  I wouldn't have a clue what was going on. 

Have a great week everyone!