Good time in the city, back to the yardwork at home

I had a good trip to the city, a lovely visit with my son, his roommate B, grand-dog Sage, and three of B's five kitties. (The other two would have nothing to do with me). One of the cats, Kota, decided he was my cat. At one point, he even jumped out of B's lap to come running to me as I came through the door. He also liked to spend time with me in my room though could be coaxed out by shaking a bag of treats. That also brought three others to the door. :) Yes, Kota is a black and white cat who looks a bit like Saku.

B and I went shopping on Monday morning to Costco as I needed some dry goods for home, and we picked up meat for their freezer. They should be set for a couple of months. We made a stop at Pet Valu for B to pick up cat litter, and then Home Depot, where I picked up C's Christmas gift. I'd promised to purchase a snow blower last year for him, but couldn't get him to tell me which one he would like. So this year, I said to heck with it and bought a Toro. It has good/decent reviews and as it was the last one available at the store the price was right. I'm sure they were clearing it out for the new models. The Farmers Almanac is forecasting a cold and snowy winter ahead. 

B suggested we go for lunch at Boston Pizza, which was right beside Home Depot. We had a really nice chat, while I've known her for a number of years, I haven't really sat down and talked with her. 

When we arrived back at the house, C was out on the deck and he helped unload the vehicle. Then I was off to the hairdresser to get my hair cut. What a relief! It's been getting shaggy and I am not talented enough to cut my own. (Looking at you, Patsy). My final stop was Walmart where I purchased C's birthday gift. B had shared that he really wanted a wok. While I will be back in the city in October, I figured he could use it now. 

In fact, within an hour of arriving back at the house, he had the wok seasoned, meat marinating in the fridge and the rice cooking in the rice cooker. He watches a lot of cooking shows, one of which has two chefs that have worked in Michelin star restaurants. These guys are fun to watch, because they can put together an amazing meal together in short order with pretty much anything. He has learned, and I had no idea, that after cooking the rice is spread out on a cookie sheet and allowed to dry. I've always just put the pot in the fridge and left it over night....and I used Minute Rice, not long grain. :) 

I didn't get to enjoy the meal, as I left mid-morning Tuesday to return home. The day was hot, by 11 a.m. it was 27C/80F and I didn't want to drive in the heat of the day. It reached a high of 32C/90F but with the humidity felt even hotter. D and Eli came out to help me unload the vehicle and other than watering plants I stayed indoors until the tree guy arrived. We had the evergreen removed, as well as the two cedars against the house, and several branches removed that were hanging over the power line. D has been concerned about those, as she has experienced an ice storm here a few years ago. In less than an hour the guys had done their work, cleaned up the majority of the debris (there are dry needles from the cedars left for me), and had everything loaded in the trailer for removal to the dump. They even took the seven bags of garden waste that I've gathered up over the summer.

This is area in front of the tent gazebo. The path leads to the front yard. It gets a fair amount of sun in the afternoon but the only thing growing there (besides the old evergreen) is weeds. D is planning to put up poles to hold a line. It can be used as a clothes line but also can be used to hold various apparatus for Eli to play on. That's a next year project.

The two cedars, the tall one and a globe cedar were too close to the house. Debris from the taller one was collecting in the gutters as well. 

Wednesday was hot, though slightly cooler than Tuesday as we got some rain. I spent the first part of the day outside cleaning up debris from the cedars. That's the second bag up against the foundation. I want to move out those rocks and will allow the day lilies to fill in much of the area. 

D ran some errands in the morning and she and Eli went to the library in the afternoon. Before they left for the library, they followed me to the car dealership where I left my SUV for the installation of a front and rear dashcam. They were back from the library a half hour or so, and the dealership called to say the car was ready to go. I was able to sync my phone to the camera but have no clue how it works. I guess I'll have to read the manual. :p

Thursday was a quiet day, and Friday was much busier. We went into the next door town where I picked up a small laptop as a back-up for my current machine. We also made a stop at the book store, where D picked up four more books of a series for Eli using one of my old gift cards. She's been reading the first two books to him, and he's gotten in to the series. There are dragon masters!

At lunchtime we headed to the library for their free BBQ, where Eli and I shared a hotdog. 

There was a presentation on fire safety inside the library, and outside, children were allowed to climb into the truck, and push the buttons for the sirens. He enjoyed that, a lot!

Next up we went next door to City Hall for the "Escape Room". D had booked it for the three of us. We had a rocky start, as we didn't clue on the clues in the audio recording we listened to upon entering the room. However, the staff gave us a hint and we started working our way through. It took a couple more helpful hints before we "made our escape". In fact, we weren't locked in and could have left at any time. While we had 30 minutes, we finished in just over 20 minutes. I think Eli enjoyed it, and though I have no idea how D figured out some of the clues, it was a nice way to spend time with my family.

We had quite high winds on Friday as well, and our poor tomato plants were blown over several times. One of the containers landed on a container of peppers. I had to stake the peppers and tie them up before D and I moved the tomatoes to another spot in the yard. Even then, we found the containers blown over more than once. I'm not certain how much damage was done to the branches, time will tell.

Today, with the cooler weather we're planning to put a pork loin in to the slow cooker for pulled pork. D will bake buns, and we're also going to cook up sausage rounds to make breakfast sandwiches for the freezer. If, and I do mean if, we are feeling especially productive, we may make perogies. Or at least I'll cook the potatoes so we can make them later this weekend or early next week. 

One last note: today would have been my Dad's 115th birthday. He always wanted to reach 100, but left us a few weeks after his 98th birthday. He'll be in my heart and mind today, as always.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Back to routine

I'm interupting the vacation posts, to get back to my regular routine. It's been just over a week since I arrived home, and it already feels much longer than that. We had decent weather for most of the week, then the snow fell on Thursday and as of this morning, we're back in the deep freeze. According to the weather network, it is currently -25C (-13F), with a wind chill of -37C (-35F). I can assure you it feels very cold out there, as I just returned from filling the bird feeder. 

Initially when I returned, the birds weren't coming to the feeder. Perhaps they had given up on me since my son didn't fill it while I was away. But by mid-week they were back in full force, along with the squirrels. There is also evidence the hare has been finding food under the feeder too.

On Thursday, the Hungarian partridges were back - all eight of them. I was happy to see they've made it through the winter thus far. I smile everytime I see them parading through the yard. As you can see they found some shelter under the bird bath and hunkered down for most of the afternoon.

The hare paid a visit on Friday evening. I was having a green salad for dinner, while it had its greens from the spruce tree as well. 

The groceries needed restocking - I did that early in the week, ran an errand for my daughter, and dropped in at the Dollar store. On Wednesday before stitch and chat I stopped at Costco to pick up cat food for D and paper towels and Mr. Clean for me. There were only two of us at the stitch and chat. We caught up on Christmas (we didn't meet the week between Christmas and New Years), my vacation, and other happenings in her life as well. 

I worked on a counted cross stitch project I'm making for D and Eli. It was a kit I found at Value Village and it's coming along nicely. At home, I use two lamps for lighting, but the library's overhead fluorescent lighting was perfect. I've been trying to do an hour or two a day, as I'd like to finish it before March...but it's more likely going to be May.

Curling is back after a short break, with the provincial women and men's events happening across the country. The winners of these events will be the provinces (and territories) respresentatives at the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Brier (I can't recall who is the title sponsor as it has changed several times). I'm annoyed with our telcomm here in Saskatchewan as they are only televising one draw a day. I can watch the other two draws on You-tube. I'm starting to think that streaming services may be a better option than cable television.

And of course, I've been catching up with housework. As I predicted, the vacuum that I parked in the closet before I left did not move (I didn't expect it would). While C is pretty neat - there were no big messes to deal with - even with one cat the cat hair builds up. I'm pretty sure I picked up another cat based on the amount of fur in the canister.

Speaking of cats, while I was away, D found a young kitten (about 9 months old) living in her garage. We're not entirely sure how long she was in there, but she had a bit of frost bite on the pads of her feet, but none on her ears or tip of her tail. D posted on the local lost and found and town FB pages but no one came forward to claim her. She then contacted the shelter in the nearby town (none in her community) and learned there are 70 cats currently awaiting placement and they couldn't take another in at this time. As a result, she now has a third cat. Lady Spencer (a nod to Princess Diana), has joined the family. She's been checked out by the vet, given meds to rid her of worms and ear mites, and been spayed. I suspect that she may have gone into heat and rather than doing what was best for her, the family she lived with simply tossed her outdoors. Their loss. She's settling in well, with Sheldon and Stanley, and is even starting to rule the roost. Stanley gets annoyed and jumps up somewhere, where she can't reach him, while Sheldon mostly tolerates the pesky kitten.

I'll get to meet her next week, as I'm heading out to visit for a couple of days. Eli doesn't have school either Monday or Tuesday, (teacher's conference or PD days or whatever they call it these days), so I'm sure we'll have lots of fun.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone. 

Busy, and a little dizzy

 It's Friday so that means the Worlds women's curling starts today.  I'm both happy and sad, as this will be the last event until next fall, but will be cheering for our Canadian team (Einarson).  Only the Canadian games will be televised, but World Curling has their own Youtube so I'll catch other games there.  

It's been a busy and full week up until now and am looking forward to some downtime as I plop my butt on the couch to watch.  On the past weekend, one of the arms on my glasses fell off.  Thankfully I have second pair that are primarily meant for computer work so I wasn't totally lost without them.  I assumed I'd lost a screw and called the optometrist's office to confirm I could come in and have the glasses repaired on Tuesday.  Since I was going out I decided I'd do my weekly grocery shop then too.

When I arrived at the business, I was asked to put a medical mask over top the mask I was wearing and filled out a slip with my name, time of visit, and contact information (for contact tracing, if necessary). The technician took one look at the frames and told me it wasn't simply a screw missing.  (Insert jokes here). Since I bought the glasses several years ago, she didn't think they had any of the same in stock, but suggested she would check with other locations and call me back.  

I puttered off to do my grocery shopping and back home to put things away.  She called later in the afternoon to let me know there were none available across Canada. My options were to wait until I have my next appointment on May 25 to get new frames and lenses or to purchase new frames that these lenses could be ground down to fit into.  While I am due for my check-up and may end up with a new prescription, I wasn't about to wait as the computer glasses aren't good for distances.  I asked her to check for two or three options that the lenses would fit into and made arrangements to visit the next morning to decide. 

Then I went back to staining the casings around the bedroom and living room windows.  Not my bedroom windows, the crew was able to use the old ones.  No, these would the spare room bedrooms and those windows were replaced in 2010.  Yeah, I've procrastinated for a long time.  I finished the first coat but have held off on the second because climbing the step ladder has ensured I discovered muscles I'd forgotten I had.  Wednesday was a very sore day!

Regardless of the aches and pains I had an appointment that morning to get the snow tires changed out on my car. Just for fun, Mother Nature pranked me by sending down snow for about 15 minutes that morning, big fat flakes of it.  It didn't last though. On Friday we reached a high of 26C (79F), and it's 20C (68F) today at just after noon. 

From the tire shop I walked over to the mall and the optometrist's office.  They had three pairs ready for me to look at.  The first my lenses would have popped right in, but they were a funky green color and I didn't like the way they looked on - just too dark.  The second pair was perfect, but I tried the third on just in to be sure.  Nope, it was the second pair.  They're similar to my original pair, just slightly smaller.  Even better they were less expensive.  I had a wait of about 50 minutes before the glasses would be ready so I walked the mall instead of walking home.  It's about a 20 minute walk to the mall, so I'd have had to turn around and come back anyway. By the time my glasses were ready and properly fitted, the car was ready too.  Perfect timing!

I spent the rest of Wednesday and Thursday on housework.  The entire house was vacuumed, more floors were washed and the bathrooms were scrubbed.  During my breaks (and there were several) I caught up on some more programs I missed in the last couple of weeks.  It was also a day of phone calls, I had a good chat with my friend S, my brother R, and several calls from my daughter.  While I chatting with R I was in the sun room watching the birds feed.  There were at least a dozen birds feeding at one point, until another visitor showed up. 

She/he stood and stared at me for several minutes and only turned around to leave when I went to the door.  What a pretty cat, and based on the quality of it's coat, it's well taken care of...except for being allowed to roam.

Before I settled in to watch curling, I got a pasta salad and a mac & cheese casserole ready.  Later I grilled burgers for dinner to go along with the salad.  The mac & cheese will get eaten along with leftover sausage from Thursday night today.  It's one of my son's favorite meals - I never have to worry about leftovers!

This morning I was up at with the cat alarm (5:45 a.m.).  With the daylight showing up earlier, even with the bedroom curtains drawn, Sasha believes that breakfast should come early.  That's okay, it's nice to get my day off to an early start.  I fed the birds, put away clean dishes, caught up on the news and had a cup of tea before D called for her morning chat.  When we were done, I decided to enjoy my second cup of tea in the sunroom.  Easily distracted, I moved the furniture and cat beds, vacuumed and dusted the room, replaced a couple of the striped towels that were dirty, replaced the furniture and cat beds and sat down to a cold cup of tea.  

The towels are now whizzing around the washing machine, I've watched one draw, and waiting for the second to start.  There are few things I need to do (on the computer) beforehand, so I'll take my lunch and laptop to the sunroom after I post this.  

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Christmas past

 It was a quiet day here on Christmas Day, with just my son and I and the two cats.  My brother had stopped by on Christmas Eve to drop off a few gifts, and we ordered in pizza for dinner that evening. I was being entirely lazy and planned that we'd eat leftovers on Christmas Day.  We did; my son had pizza and I ate the remainder of a pasta bake we'd had earlier in the week. I didn't even do the dishes, they sat in the sink until this morning.  As I said, lazy!

I started the morning, as always, woken by the yells of a hungry cat. At 20.5 years of age, Sasha has no patience when waiting for his meals.  And he's spoiled too.  After feeding the cats, I made a cup of tea and sat in the living room, with just the glow of the Christmas lights from the tree.  

This is a something I've done for years.  I can even recall being a teenager, and getting up in the quiet of the morning to sit by myself in the living room.  Usually Dad would be awake too, but busy with lighting the oil burners that heated our farm house, bringing in water, and starting the coffee for Mom.  

It was a little more difficult to do when my children were young as they were up at the crack of o'dark. We always spent Christmas at my Mom and Dad's, and she had a rule no gifts could be opened before we'd had breakfast.  Breakfast didn't come before her coffee either!  Since it was her birthday and her house, her rules. As the children got older there was definitely more quiet time for the adults first thing in the morning.

Similarly, yesterday my son was up about noon'ish.  Once the pot of coffee was made we opened our gifts from R's family.  My gift is perfect, a pair of cleats to attach to my boots or shoes, so I can walk this winter with less concern of falling.  We've got snow in the forecast for today so I'll likely wait a day or two before testing them out. 

I spent the day knitting, watching a movie (Fried Green Tomatoes) and three games of junior hockey, and I joined a zoom call with my older brother M and his family.  My first time using zoom and it went very well. I probably should have waited until later, though, as most of M's stepsons and grandchildren weren't interested in our conversation.  The youngest boy A and I had a chat, as he's currently living in Vietnam, and I was quite interested to hear how he ended up there.  I think, had M's wife D been on the call as well, it might have been easier but she was busy making a meal for the two of them.

I also had several calls from my daughter and video-chatted with Eli at least twice.  I know she was feeling quite lonely being on her own.  Next year will be different, I'm sure.

Later I did more research on my family trees in Ancestry while looking through various photo albums. Mom had eight photo albums, and my grandmother (Nan) one as well.  The latter album has disintegrated over the years and the writing under the photos has faded. 

This is one of the photos I shared on FB with various cousins.  It was taken in December, 1954 in my Nan and Grandpa's home. I originally found it loose in Nan's album but later noted that it should have been in Mom's as she had a notation that read "Dad (head), E and A." The photo bomber is my grandfather, E is my dad, and A is my aunt - she was married to my mom's brother B.  Dad and Mom were married on November 26, 1954, so this photo was taken just weeks after they married.  

One of today's tasks will be to sort through the loose photos to see if I can find the appropriate places in the albums.  I'll also try to decipher and re-write the information in Nan's album.  Note to myself - printed photos should include details of names and dates. It sure makes it easier for those who come later.  

I've started my eighth scarf, this one crocheted, and there are three junior hockey games today as well.  There are some chores that need to be accomplished first though, so I'd better get moving.

Take care everyone and stay well!

Keeping up, making plans, and simple joys

Here we are at the beginning of July, with six months until this nightmare that we call 2020 is over.  It is times like this, I wish I could see into the future and know that so much of what made this year so difficult is in the rear view mirror.  Since I can't, I'll keep muddling along doing what I need to do.

I can't say I got much done for the first half of the week.  We had rain in the forecast though it didn't materialize but was overcast and cool until noon on Wednesday.  As a result, I stayed indoors for much of the time, though looking back I ought to have at least gone for a walk!  Instead I vacuumed, did laundry, washed floors, washed dishes, and cleaned cat litter. 

C was off work on Wednesday for Canada Day.  I had full intentions of sleeping in that morning, but Sasha had other ideas. Who am I kidding, that is every day of the week. I'm not sure I even bother thinking I might get a sleep-in.  However when your cat is 20 years old, as Sasha is, you tend to grumble but be grateful he's still around.  

He does enjoy a good sunpuddle!  I'm sure it feels good on those old bones.

Thursday I woke to overcast skies...again, feeling very defeated as the forecast had been for sun.  It was warm though with a promise of heat to come later in the day.  After chatting with my daughter, I made a quick trip to the grocery store for some veg and fruit, and a bit of meat on sale.  Back at home, the sun had made it's appearance so after putting groceries away, I headed outdoors.  Those darn weeds have loved all the rain.  I pulled another grocery bag full from around the lower deck and shed.  The grass needed mowing, so that got taken care of as well.  

Once that was finished, I pulled up a chair, grabbed a cold container of water, and my book and settled in to relax and enjoy the sun and heat.  Oh, oh, the neighbour kitty-corner to me has a new toy.  I'm not sure if it is a generator or a power washer but it's noisy!  I gave up after 20 minutes or so, as I couldn't concentrate on my book.  But I have the front patio, so I simply moved around there.  Then the neighbour on the corner decided to vacuum his car while playing loud music. He has a small car so it didn't take long so I stuck it out until he was finished.  After an hour or so I'd had enough sun and headed indoors.  

Friday, I had big plans to do a deep clean of the sunroom.  I knew I needed to start early as the temperature was forecast to reach 29C (84F).  Even so, it was nearly 9 a.m. before I had finished my breakfast, chatted with D, and a few chores and got out there.  This photo was taken earlier in the spring, after I'd done a decent amount of cleaning, but not what I had planned for today.

I took the towels I use to cover the chairs and tossed these in the washer. The cushions that the towels protect have gotten stained over the years from cats and people spills. Sasha tends to eat his supper out there in the nicer weather, on one of the chairs, to keep him away from Saku.  Although Saku no longer eats Sasha's food (or not often) it's easier to have them feed in separate spaces.  Add in a a few coffee and other drink spills and the cushions needed a good scrub.  I took these out to the deck along with my Little Green machine and got busy.  I was able to get most of the cushions clean with a single good scrubbing, but there were two that needed a second go.  I left the cushions out on the deck to dry in the sun and I was happy with the results.  

Meanwhile I hauled out the two rugs that cover much of the floor and put them side by each on the lower deck.  I had originally thought I'd use the carpet cleaner on these but realized it would be a pain to haul the big machine upstairs.  Instead I gave the rugs a good brushing with a broom, then took a clean sprayer, filled it with a citrus smelling cleanser, attached it to the hose and soaked the rugs really well. I left these to dry in the sun as well.

Later when the rugs were dry, and I had vacuumed the sunroom, I moved everything back inside.  I rearranged the furniture, so that there is easy access to the coffee table and end tables.  The curtains are all closed because by the time I finished it was like an oven in there.  In fact, it was so warm I'd put both cats in the house while I finished up.  

I spent my time outdoors while the cushions and rugs were drying, either on the deck or out on the front patio.  Lunch was eaten al fresco at the patio table, with Spotify playing country music in the background.  I do so love days like this!  I finally got around to reading a magazine I bought two weeks ago, and did a home manicure outside as well.  Nail polish dries quickly in this heat. :)

The front flower bed is starting to come to bloom. It's in the shade most of the time with one corner getting a bit of sun in later afternoon.  I grabbed my camera and captured several photos, a number of which I'll share here.

This is a white Jacob's ladder.  It's a hardy perennial and does well in my mostly shade garden.

Below the Jacob's ladder (I love it's leaves) is this pink flower, which name I cannot recall.  I checked my garden book and I must not have kept the tag, as I only describe it as pinks.  I've got a few of these in the front bed and they are doing beautifully, lots of flowers and beginning to grow over the edging. 

Next up is a white bellflower.  To the left is bergenia, another pink to it's right, with a hosta and fern behind it.  This is the first bloom of the bellflower this year, and since it self seeds I expect to see a whole lot more this summer.  (I've been letting them seed and grow as they like but I'll probably thin them out in the fall).

These are the blooms on my spirea bush.  It's the first perennial I planted when we moved in here, ten years ago.  It never grows more than two to three feet tall, because the bunnies chew off most of it in the spring and fall.  Apparently it tastes good.  I don't mind as it seems to do well regardless, blooming every year.

The fuchsia isn't actually in the flower bed but in a hanging container above.  This is the first year I haven't bought a mature plant, but rather created my own container with fuchsia and purple and white bacopa.  I'm so pleased with how beautiful the basket looks, and especially how well the fuchsia are doing.

Another container that is doing well is in the back yard.  It gets lots of sun!

This container has calibrocha, with white, and blue and white variegated bacopa. I'm especially smitten with the latter.

Aren't they pretty?  I love the clusters of flowers!

Lastly in my "leftover" flower bed against the fence is this lobelia.  It's sharing space with a couple of impatience, and a couple of stocks.  There might even another lobelia in the bed, a blue if memory serves. This bed gets morning sun, and then is in the shade the rest of the day.  These little white flowers pop out and make me smile.

In the evening we had several thunderstorms roll through the area.  C and I sat in the sunroom for nearly 90 minutes watching the sky for the strikes and listening to the thunder roll.  It is one of my favorite things to do in the summer.  We got about a half inch of rain too, so I didn't need to water the containers on Saturday morning.  Our time was well spent; besides the storm watching we chatted about various things, memories from his childhood, things happening at his workplace (my former workplace), and what comes next for us.  Because of our discussion, we've decided we'll stay put for now. I'll continue to do the necessary improvements to the house over the next four or five years, and then we'll look at moving.  He's happy here, as am I, and it makes sense to wait for house prices to come back a bit.  I'll have to figure something out for the winter months - I may even consider a part-time job just to get me out of the house. Otherwise I tend to get cabin fever.  It is different in other seasons because being outdoors makes me feel good.  Yes, I can go out in the winter, but I'd rather not when it's so cold.

Saturday morning I woke to the sun and a noisy old cat who wanted his breakfast.  It was lovely 17C (63F) so I took my coffee to the sunroom.  We were forecast to reach 30C (86F) so I knew I'd have to shut up the room later in the day.  Best enjoy it while I can.  By mid-morning it was too warm for me, so I ventured inside while the cats stayed put, at least briefly.  When I saw both in the house splayed out on the kitchen linoleum, I knew it was time to shut the door between the two rooms.

I can't say I did much that day, just puttered around the house.  I did go out to deadhead the containers, hung a couple of pictures and a mirror in the house, did dishes, and washed the kitchen floor.  Mostly I played on the computer and watched television I'd PVR'ed in the last few days. 

I also had a couple of video chats with this handsome boy! Check out his haircut.  I might be a wee bit biased, but I think he's adorable.  He's always been afraid of a haircut, so his mom talked to him for several days in advance about what would happen.  When it was all said and done he told her, "haircuts aren't scary."  It probably helped that she bribed him with a treat from Tim Horton's after the cut. :)

Today we're expecting a bit of a cool down, so I'll try to be outside as much as possible. There is a possibility of thunderstorms in the morning, but for now it's clear and sunny.  I wandered out early to check the containers but with the exception of the tomatoes, the rest didn't need watering.  From my vantage point in the sunroom, I can feel a slight breeze, hear the birds singing their morning songs, and I see the neighbour's apple tree shows the promise of fruit to come.  The cats have been fed and are both now fast asleep.  There is nothing pressing that needs to be done, so I think I may just read and relax for much of the day.

Take care and stay well everyone!  Have a great day.

Weekly wrap-up

I generally try to get this post done by Monday evening, early Tuesday but I made a trip out to visit my daughter D and my absolutely amazing grandson Eli so I'm a little late. (Yes, I'm a little biased and totally smitten with that child...and he knows it!)

Last week I did a little thrift store shopping, first at Salvation Army and then Value Village.  I picked a few pieces of needed clothing, a pair of capris, a pair of shorts, and a t-shirt at my first stop.  For some reason, ever pair of capris I own have developed tears in them.  I guess I should be so surprised as they were used when I bought then in the first place.  So while I'll mend them for everyday use, I don't feel the old ones are good enough for going out to dinner or even shopping.  For the three pieces I paid only $11 plus tax.  

At Value Village, I found a rain coat for $8.50.  The brand name is Alpinetek and while I searched using Google, I couldn't find a similar one in new condition I did locate a used one for $15.  So I think I did well with this price.  It will come in very handy this fall I'm sure, but I was also thinking since it is lightweight, but lined, it will make a great jacket for my British Isles tour in June 2020.

I also picked up a couple of bags, one of Little People for Eli and one of sewing notions for myself.  In my bag I got a couple of measuring tapes, three stitch rippers, three transfer rollers (not sure the technical name for those), several packages of snaps, a few buttons, some thread, sewing machine needles and best of all a container of pins.  All for $3.99 which was the original cost of the container of pins.  So I did pretty well there too!

Thursday I had a couple of appointments, the first at 8:30 a.m. for my annual mammogram. No problems, I didn't expect there would be be, but as both my father and his sister had breast cancer I go every year.  We had a showing at 9 a.m. so I took the cats with me.  I learned that Saku does not like travelling at highway speeds.  OMG, did he howl! It was almost frightening as you'd think he was being tortured.  Thankfully it wasn't too warm at that time of day, so I left the sunroof and the rear windows cracked.  I was in and out fairly quickly and then headed in the direction of home, though I drove through the city rather than around it.  Saku hollered some but not nearly as much as he had.

Later that day I had a nail appointment and when I arrived home I realized I had dropped or misplaced my house and mail keys.  I called the screening center and the mall where I'd had my appointments but no one had turned in any keys that day.  The woman on the phone at the screening center insisted I'd find them between the seats of my car.  So Friday morning, I pulled the car out of the garage and spent a good 45 minutes cleaning the car out, vacuuming and wiping down the inside of the doors, the dash, and the center console.  No keys.

Later that day I had to run out on an errand and when I returned, as I stepped out of the car...I stepped on those missing keys.  The only thing I can think of, is that I'd dropped them on the driveway and when I pulled the car out of the garage to clean it, I parked over top of the keys. 

Friday night was dinner with friends, while Saturday and Sunday were focused on house work and crafts.  I finished crocheting the edging on the blanket that D's friend M made for Eli.  I hadn't noticed until I washed and blocked it (I used my bed for that as I had no other space large enough), that the pattern was so different.  This was made for a single bed, mine is a queen so it's quite big.

Not that Eli is yet sleeping in a single bed, he still prefers to crawl in with his mother from his toddler bed.  Since D did the same thing until she was nearly 6 years old I'm not surprised. Neither I nor she wake up when the kid climbs into the bed.  It took several months of bribery to convince her to sleep all night in her own bed.  I suspect Eli will put her to the test as well.  Isn't that what every mom wants for their adult children, that their offspring will test them, as they had tested their parent themselves?  Or maybe that's just me.

We had another showing on Sunday, so the morning was spent cleaning and tidying.  I did start another knitting project but I'm fighting with it so won't show you until it is complete...sigh, if it ever is.  I did get a pair of shorts cut out from some stash material for Eli, but haven't done any sewing yet.  Monday I was on the road shortly after 8 a.m., stopping on my way out of the city for a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich.  The traffic was light all the way out, and the construction was finally complete, so it was only a 90 minute drive.  

We got a lot done while I was there, lots of weeding in the flower beds, along the fence line, her little gardens (she has three pumpkins starting but little else), while Eli ran around and played.  While his mom took the recycling to the depot, I took him in the stroller and walked to the nearby park.  The splash pad was open and he had a blast, running between it and the other playground equipment.  I had no problem reaching 10K steps that day!  Later that afternoon, when we'd got more yardwork done, D and I sat in the shade while Eli played in his pool, on his mini trampoline and his sand box.  He is such a good kid.  Oh, I forgot to mention, when I arrived, he told his mom, "ma-ma came!".  She had been telling him for the last couple of days I was coming to visit.  He was almost as excited to see me as I was to see him.

Here he is playing peek a boo with G'ma.  I had used the sheet on the couch as my bedding last night. 

This morning we spent some time reorganizing her kitchen cabinets before I headed back into the city.  I'm proud of her, she's really come a long way in the nine months she has been living in her own home, both emotionally and financially.  She is taking pride in her home, and especially in her little boy, and making a good life for the two of them.  

This evening we've had quite the thunder storm roll through, even a little hail.  I'm going to go spend some time relaxing in the sun room.  I'm a little weird that way, as nothing makes me feel more at peace than the sound of rain on the roof and the rumble of thunder in the distance. 

Have a great week everyone!

One step forward, two steps back

These days I'm often reminded of Robert Burns' "The best laid schemes of o'mice an' men/Gang aft a-gley".  Or in more current lingo, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.  The plans I've made over the past number of years are tantalizingly close but oh so far away.  

Obviously the house hasn't sold yet.  All of my plans are predicate on that happening.  On Thursday my hopes were high.  Actually, let me back up a bit.  On Monday there was a showing, and while that was happening, I had a call from my agent with two more requests for showings on Tuesday; one at 3 p.m. and one at 3:45 p.m.  Of course, I agreed to both.

So on Tuesday the cats and I went for a drive, and about the time I thought the second showing would be done, I drove past the house.  The agent and his clients were still there so I parked down the block until they left.  Later my agent contacted me to say that group hadn't been able to get into the house.  The prior agent had locked both the deadbolts and the door knobs/handles.  They still wanted to see the house and asked for a showing on Thursdays.

I've never used anything but the deadbolt and wasn't even provided with the keys by the previous owner.  So, now there is tape covering those locks to ensure it never happens again.

In any event, the showing on Thursday seemed to go well.  This time, I only parked down the block and read a book.  They arrived shortly before 3 p.m. and were in the house/yard for at least 35 minutes.  I even drove by at one point because I thought I'd missed them leaving.  I sent an e-mail to my agent to let him know that I'd like feedback and to confirm that I'm prepared to look at any offers that come in.

Then today happened.  Today was the day that the gas line move was scheduled.  The workers from Sask Energy started arriving about 8 or 8:30 this morning and continued to do so throughout the morning.  At one point I think there eight guys out there, each for a different purpose.  One guy was the paper work dude or at least he wandered around with a clipboard and kept checking a list of some sort and making notes.  There was one guy breaking up the sidewalk and couple with wheelbarrows moving out the concrete, and one handling the water hose.  There was a Hydrovac truck out front blocking the driveway, and later another truck showed up with some other piece of equipment.  It was full house, that's for sure. 


(I didn't feel I could take many photos as the process unfolded, because I'm sure the guys wouldn't have appreciated being in the shots.  So I waited until they all were standing around having coffee to grab a couple shots.) 

This is the hole they dug to get to the original gas line.  It's the yellow line to the bottom left.  The other line is the one Sask Tel dug in a week or so ago for the InfiNet.  What Sask Energy was doing was diverting the line to the right and then running it about a foot out from the sun room, which puts the new line where the side walk runs.  I was told that it isn't a problem to re-pour the sidewalk.  

When they finished up just after noon, I went outside to take a look and talk to the guy who seemed to be in charge.  I asked when they would be repairing the side walk and replacing the sod they'd removed in the back.  I was told they would not, he said they'd put down crusher dust and it wouldn't settle (really?) and that was all they obligated to do.  Not happy with that I went out and took some additional photos and called into their head office.

It turns out their office is closed between noon and 1 p.m. so I left a message.  The individual who called me back was the same guy I spoke with this morning so after a few minutes of listening to his nonsense (a safety issue, not required to do anything more, blah, blah, blah), I asked to be called back by someone higher up on the food chain.  

A
About 3 p.m. I had a call from another person who gave me basically the same spiel.  I explained to him that the lawn was trashed, the sod that was removed where the hole was dug was not replaced (as SaskTel did last week), and the cut line was poorly done and had I know they weren't going to replace the pavement I would have insisted it all be removed.  He asked me to send photos, which I did.  He later replied saying:
- yes the grass is trampled, I would expect with a little time and some water it will bounce back.
- please understand, Sasktel needs a lot less space to do their work then we do. Yes, maybe they could have put the sod back on top.
- they certainly could have cut the cement straighter. I've sent the picture to our Construction Dept and asked them to comment back to me.




I'm so angry....perhaps the lawn that was merely disturbed will but how on earth is grass that isn't there is going to come back AND there was no offer to replace the sod that was removed.  I'm waiting to see what the response will be regarding the cut line.  Depending on that response I will likely contact the provincial ministry in charge of Sask Energy by e-mail and post something to their Facebook page.  Sometimes a bit of noise, squeaky wheel and all that, might get some attention.  In the meantime I've contacted the landscaper that did the work out front for me to get a quote regarding the costs associated with replacing the sidewalk and the sod.  It's a small job so he may not be interested in doing it but I'll deal with that later.




Around dinner time my agent got back to me with feedback from the Thursday showing.  It was mixed, they've seen 5 houses so far and liked mine the best, but wanted to see more before making a decision.  On the negative side, they could smell the cats and noted the carpet in the basement and bedroom needs replacing.  I agree with them, the carpet needs replacing, and is likely the source of some of the cat odor, so I'm not replacing it since the cats will be living here until we sell.  I responded to my agent advising that I am prepared to get a quote as to the cost of replacing the carpet with a similar quality product but I won't cover the cost of installation.  It is an offer I'd make to any potential buyer, to provide a check for that amount upon completion of the sale so that they can decide whether to put in carpet or some other flooring.  I won't cover the cost of installation because I won't get the benefit and it may be they can find someone to do the work for less.  I think that's a fair offer.

In the meantime I've decided to get the rugs professionally cleaned as I suspect my carpet cleaner isn't up the task.  Plus I'll buy some Kilz paint that blocks and seals odors and paint the drywall in the area where the cat litter boxes live.  More work for me but if it means getting a sale or not, I'm more than willing to do it.  

And so the saga continues!  Tomorrow I'm taking a break from all of this and going to see Rocketman at the theater with friends.  Now that's a plan I can go along with.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Another bump or two in the road

I'm beginning to think that selling the house isn't a good idea.  There is nothing that can't be rectified but I think I'm at the point where my commitment has waned and I'm ready to move on.  I know, I know, it's only been a couple of weeks and I need to be patient.  Not my strong suit!

This week we got the report back from the energy company and learned my sun room has a gas line running under it.  In the time since I purchased the house there have a been a couple of homes that were destroyed due to a gas line explosion so now all houses that are listed for sale must get a clear report.  (I guess it doesn't matter if you're living it...it's only a safety hazard when selling.)  So the following morning a technician came out and verified where the line is - the sunroom is 16X16 feet and the gas line is about 18 inches in from the far corner.  For that, the sidewalk has to be cut and the line moved at a cost of $900.  I don't know whether they'll repair the sidewalk or if that will be my responsibility, but I'll also have a whole in the lawn that will need to be filled in and new sod laid. Thankfully I was prepared for a bit of unexpected issues and had some money aside for this sort of thing.  However, the line move won't happen until June 14.  Again, is it really that big of safety issue?  

The same morning, the realtors caravan came through with seven agents in attendance.  In the words of my realtor, "Nice floor plan, some thought the yard was small but some liked the sun room.  Consensus on price was it's a touch high. Everyone said they could smell the cats."  This latter point seems to be consistent theme, so I went out and bought two new cat boxes (I use Rubbermaid tubs) and new litter.  This morning, I emptied the old tubs, swept, vacuumed, and washed the floor, sprayed the wall behind, and put in the new boxes.  I've been cleaning the tubs everyday, sometimes twice a day (which maybe isn't enough?), and will continue to do so.  There is a diffuser in the room as well.  When we have a showing I'll put the lids on the tubs and hopefully, fingers crossed that will be enough to keep their noses happy.  

We did have a showing last evening.  I've not gotten any feedback from the visit and certainly no offer has come in.  I suspect a decision will need to be made next week, do I lower the price in order to get a sale or do I stick to my original price and take the house off the market in three months (when the contract ends) and wait until next year.  My heart and my head are arguing over this decision.  There are pros and cons to both alternatives and while I'm practical enough to realize this, I'm ready to move on.

Again, back to being patient.  What is meant to be will happen, not necessarily according to my timing.

In the meantime I'm learning to be patient with my camera as the birds are flocking to my yard.  I guess the word is out the feeder is available.  I'll end this post with a few favorites photos from this afternoon.

My brother told me to put a rock in the center of the bird bath because the smaller birds couldn't reach the water when it wasn't completely full.  I'm pleased to see them using it now.  

Have a great weekend everyone!

Making headway

Finally, we're getting some weather that is near normal temps for this time of the year.  In fact, I was able to open up the sun room on Tuesday afternoon!  The outside temp was -10C (14F), but with the sun the ambient temp inside the sun room was just above the freezing mark.    

I had two very happy cats!  Sasha especially loves to spend time out there with the sun on his fur warming his old bones.  

The room needs a good cleaning, since it's been sitting all winter but I'm not nearly as enamoured about spending time out there just yet. The floor is cold, and I don't curl up quite as well as a cat. :)  The cleaning can wait for a couple of weeks yet.

The curling continues this week with the men's Brier, being held in Brandon Manitoba. That's given me lots of time to work on my crocheting and knitting projects.  I've finished the table runner, though I plan to add a backing to it so it's currently sitting on my sewing table.  I did however, finish this:

This is the cat bed I mentioned.  It took one skein of Bernat blanket yarn, and because it is such a bulky yarn it made up very quickly.  I had thought I would knit it, but this pattern (crochet) was so simple, I went with it instead. I did end up ripping it back because the center wouldn't lay flat.  I realized I'd added an extra stitch (or two or three) at some point that was messing me up but once I figured that out, it was done in just a few hours.  I like those kind of projects!

I have enough yarn to make a second but will leave it for now, as Sasha never uses a cat bed.  Saku will though and within minutes of my setting it on the floor, he was curled up in it.  Later, that evening, he even took a nap in it.  So while it seems a little small to me, it's apparently "purrfect" for him. 

You would think with all the projects I've been working on, I'd be close to using up the yarn stash.  You might think that but you'd be wrong.  I had no idea how much yarn I had packed away.  It will be some time before I get through it all!    

I wasn't certain what to start on next, so I went to the bin and pulled out a couple of balls of yarn.  After a search on the internet I found a pattern using that specific yarn and only needing two balls.  What I'm making is a scarf/shawl with a lacy pattern.  It's a bit fussy so will take some patience and some time.  Pictures will come later when I have a bit more completed.

On Wednesday I made a run out to our new Costco store.  It opened in late November and is a bit of a drive further out of the city, where it used to be a few short blocks from home.  I didn't go often, but I will likely go even less now.  But they had a few items on sale, that I wanted to pick up including pull-up diapers for Eli, chicken breasts, and flour.  As is the case with Costco, I ended up buying other items, hot dog buns and hot dogs, and I forgot to buy flour.  Oh well, I'd made two dozen buns and a batch of muffins on Monday, so I really don't need the flour just yet.

Not much else happening here.  My purging of household items has slowed, though not completely, as I keep identifying items that I no long need or want.  The decision then is, whether I keep for one of my adult children or if it goes in the donate bin or the trash.  I'm really enjoying this because as the items are leaving, the house is getting easier to keep clean.  Go figure!

Retirement has also brought on a couple of other welcome changes.  I'm sleeping far better than I was before.  I used to wake up two or three times a night, and on occasion lay awake for sometime; now most often I sleep for a solid eight hours.  It's wonderful!  Today I even slept through C leaving for work - normally I would have heard the garage door open and close. 

I'm always eating much more healthily.  I have time to plan and cook evening meals (I think I probably had time but I was too lazy) and when I'm on my own I actually take the time to make something and sit down at the table to eat and enjoy it.  Add in the extra activity of working around the house and I've actually lost 8 pounds.  The difference wouldn't be noticeable to anyone but me, but I can feel the difference in how my clothing fits.  (Not enough that I need to rid myself of any more clothing.)

Basically, things are chugging along here.  That's a good thing.

Have a great weekend everyone!