Bitter cold and just plain bitter, better days ahead

Warning: there is a bit of a rant ahead. This freaking winter weather is driving me batty. It was stupid cold for several days this week, with -30C (-22F) and windchills closer to -40C/F in the early mornings. Day time highs were 10 degrees warmer but to add insult to injury, we had snow and wind as well. Thankfully, not a lot of snow, but with the wind it tends to blow in on certain parts of the driveway and sidewalks. 

Oh, that reminds me. Recall the city by-law that requires residents to clear their sidewalks within 48 hours of a snowfall or risk a fine of $300 to be added to their property taxes?  Recently, there were two individuals in the local news regarding this by-law. The first, a handicapped individual who was charged $482 for the clean-up of his sidewalks (he lives on a corner lot), when the volunteer from the Snow Angel group didn't clean the sidewalks to the width required. As with the second individual this was due in part to the city plows pushing snow from the streets onto the sidewalk. After some back and forth with the city, that fee has been cancelled. As the homeowner stated, he can't afford to pay to have his sidewalks cleared and he certainly can't afford to pay the additonal fees...especially as the city expects it to be paid with 90 days.

The second individual happens to be a former co-worker of mine. He lives on a crescent and the City plows that cleared the crescent pushed the snow onto the side walks and driveways. When he called the city to complain, a by-law officer came by and gave him a warning to clear it himself. He went to the local television news station and suddenly large equipment showed up in his crescent and took all the snow and ice build up, pushed it into the center of the crescent and then trucked it out. 

Our City Manager has now come out and said that some "logic and empathy" should be applied to the policy. One councillor has suggested the by-law needs to be reviewed. I concur, especially when the cause of the problem is often the city plows. They've done the same on my side of the street, but so far no one has complained as most of us have cleared a wide enough path. Even though I long for spring, these troughs (with snow piles on either side) will be ponds in warm weather and skating rinks in the cold. That's when I get out and shovel the snow they've piled up onto the street again. Not supposed to do that either. Too bad, so sad as my dad used to say.

Needless to say I stayed indoors as much as posible this week, with quick trips out to the bird feeder and the mailbox, and one afternoon trip to pick up some groceries, I've accomplished that goal. Basically, I've spent my week puttering around the house in between curling draws, knitting and cross-stitching while the games are on, working on Ancestry, and cursing the weather the rest of the time. I didn't even go out to Stitch and Chat on Wednesday because it was so miserably cold.

Anyway, enough of that whining. We're supposed to get a break from the cold this weekend, and I've got plans to head out to my daughter's later next week. Someone is turning 6 on Thursday! Here's a cute photo my daughter sent me - they had a dress-up day for Valentine's Day at school. Lots of exchanging of Valentines and candy too. Do you see he's lost his first tooth? Exciting times, and let me tell you, I'm glad I'm not the tooth fairy - inflation has caused the price of teeth to go up. At least according to my daughter.

The Scotties Women's curling will come to an end this Sunday. It's been a great week of curling with some really incredible shots (and some stinkers too). Our Sask. women didn't have a great week. They couldn't seem to find their draw and hit weights and the skip wasn't able to put the broom in the right place. Sadly, they won only two of their eight games. Maybe next year. Last night's games were very exciting and since TSN is re-airing the broadcast this morning, I've got it on while I read blogs and work on Ancestry.

I'll leave you with a photo of a very special backyard visitor. The squirrels have broken the cage I used to hang the suet, so had placed it on top of the feeder. Something (probably a squirrel or larger bird) had knocked it to the ground. I had seen a larger bird on the fence and hustled to get my camera. The photo was taken about 8 a.m. and it was overcast so the quality isn't the best, but what you see here is a Northern Flicker, a woodpecker.

I've run out of suet, so will pick some up sometime this week. My cousin suggested a mesh onion bag to hold it and it just happens I bought onions in my groceries this week. I'll rig up the bag and hang it on the tree that holds the bird feeder. Hopefully the squirrels will leave it alone.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Winter of my discontent

Have I mentioned recently how much I dislike winter? It's only mid-December and I'm already tired of shovelling snow, bundling up in a parka, mitts, and toque just to take out the garbage, chapped lips and dry hands...  Well, you get the picture. We had a couple of reasonable winter days, meaning overcast, not too cold, and no snow.  However, on Wednesday, a Colorado low moved in from the southeast, and another storm came from the northwest. Here in the city we didn't get as much as other areas did, but there was another 3 inches on the ground when I got out of bed Thursday morning. I had shovelled the inch or so that accumulated by Wednesday afternoon when I returned home after the stitch and chat.

Alright whine over...nothing I can do (yet) or anyone else can do to keep this from happening. I did enjoy our stitch and chat this week; S has returned from Arizona and the lady (Io) I've been meeting with, while she was away was there too. Poor S, she arrived back in Regina the day that the windchill hit -48C. Things haven't improved much, as her car wouldn't start, the picture on her television has gone wonky, and some forms she had sent into to a provincial department were rejected because her cover page said 16 pages, and there were 17 attached because one page was duplicated. You'd think someone on the receiving end would be able to remove the duplicate, but apparently not, and she has to resubmit the documents.

She brought along a couple of knitting pattern books she no longer needs/wants and gave them to me. The patterns are lovely, meant for older children (8-16) and adults. I'm sure I'll be able to use them as Eli keeps growing. Funny that! S also brought a piece of knitting (a UFO) that was tucked away in her closet in Arizona. She had lost the pattern, but we were able to identify it as the moss stitch and with a Google search had the pattern figured out. Io was was finishing sewing buttons on kitchen towels, and then brought out her embroidery. She's making a set of tea towels that are likely to be gifted to her granddaughter.

I had my crocheting with me. I pulled a couple of balls of yarn from the stash and started working on a lap blanket. I'm not a fan of the colors but I need to use up the stash and they do look bright and cheerful together. 

The sugar cookies and red velvet mini-cupcakes were iced and decorated early one morning. Two of the sugar cookies broke as I was working on them, so they and a cupcake were that morning's breakfast. Breakfast of champions? Probably not. :) On the weekend, I had finished the peppermint sandwich cookies. They're tasty, but not nearly as good as my sugar cookies. I'm not sure what I did differently but man, oh man, are they good. 

I've finally caught up on my updates on Ancestry this week. I was thinking I might cancel my Newspapers.com subscription but received notice that they've added a number of additional newspapers from Scotland. I'm hoping I might find mention of some of my ancestors, though it is much like looking for a needle in a haystack with the last name of Stewart. Recently, I picked up a book "Online Genealogy", which I've skimmed and I think may help me identify other sources for searching. At the moment, my hopes are pinned on DNA testing. My adult children purchased the kit for me as a Christmas gift, and it arrived a couple of weeks ago. I've mailed it off and received an e-mail this week that it has arrived at the lab. Results are expected with 6-8 weeks. I'm hoping against hope that this information might be the key to finding the links to origins of various family members.

The other (and much more exciting) thing I worked on this week was preparing for my January cruise. My travel agent L and I had a chat Thursday morning and went through her checklist of things for me to remember and consider. She is truly amazing and is so detailed oriented. L was concerned about my airline e-tickets as they have my first name and only my initial for the second name. This doesn't match my passport which has both full names. We went through the list of things to be saved to my phone and items I need or want to have in printed form as well. I was a bit ahead of her on that as I had the printouts and had updated the electronic documents before our call. 

I made a call to the airline and confirmed my full name is in their system, but the tickets will show only my first name and initial. To be certain, I asked the agent several times, and she confirmed it will not be an issue at the counter. My next call was to the hotel to confirm my reservation. I booked through Airmiles, a third party booking system, and wanted to be certain there was no hiccup. Several years ago, I had used Airmiles to book a New York hotel, only to learn on arrival that they had no reservation for me. I had to pay $400 room for the night. On returning home I contacted Airmiles and eventually learned that the booking had been made for February instead of September! They reimbursed me for the cost of the room, but I'll never book again without following up directly with the hotel to confirm.

I pulled out the suitcase and carry-on bag, and went through my summer and "cruise" clothes. Yes, I have certain items I only wear when I'm cruising. I'm hard on my everyday clothing, so I keep some nicer pieces for my trips. This is a 14 day cruise, with an added travel day at the beginning - I always fly in a day ahead, in case there are delays. I've learned to pack enough clothing for 7 days, along with a few nicer items for evening wear, not including the travel day clothing. The ship has a DIY laundromat that I'll use on a sea day. We have eight sea days and four ports and full day transiting the canal. I do enjoy sea days! One port that was initially on the itinerary, Nicaragua, was cancelled - no reason given, but I hadn't planned to get off the ship there anyway. It would been a long bus ride to the nearest city and none of the posted excursions looked particularly worth the travel time and money to me.

Friday, I ran out to pick up a few groceries to get us through the next few days, and more cat food and bird seed. The birds and the squirrels have been inhaling the seed and at least one rabbit is enjoying the feed too. He/she leaves behind evidence of their visit. It was out in the front yard the other day - looks pretty healthy doesn't it?

No curling streaming this week, though there is an event in Japan that I'll be keeping my eye on for the scores. I'm planning to relax this weekend, watch some sports, catch up on PVR'ed television, and continue crocheting the lap blanket. I better not have to shovel any more snow! Shouldn't have to, as the weather forecast is for more cold weather. I'll end this post as I started...I hate winter!

Have a good week ahead everyone.

What's happening?

 First off, just a few words about my wordless Wednesday.  Last year Jackie, from In the land of the Living Skies II, shared that she had knit up several scarves for donation. (I think it was last year...or maybe the year before). In any event, she inspired me to get off my duff and use some of my extra stash of yarn to make up scarves that I donated to a warming center here in Regina. This year I started a little earlier, but still didn't make any more than I had last year. There are nine scarves and four headbands. The latter are made of double strands so they ought to be nice and warm. I typically don't follow a pattern, I just knit until I run out of yarn or until I reach a length I think is reasonable. It was a good way to use up some of the stash and as Patty said, to keep my hands busy.

I washed and dried them on Tuesday to get rid of as much cat hair as possible. After folding they were placed in a bag and the bag tied up. It was my plan to drop them off the same day, but with the slightly warmer weather we got, came snow! I did make a trip to the closest grocery store for a few items, but turned around and came directly home. I put things away, had a bite to eat and then I was back outside to shovel the snow that fallen. Two to three inches maybe? It took about 45 minutes to clear the driveway and sidewalks. 

We had more snow overnight into Wednesday, so I cleared the driveway again of the 1/2 inch or so that had accumulated. I had forgotten my grocery list the day prior, so headed out to Walmart to pick up the last few items. It was bitterly cold -28C (-18F) but I decided to make a fast trip to the Dollar store as well. I did pick up a couple of things, but nothing particularly exciting.

The excitement for the day though, was hearing from my brother R, that sister-in-law P tested positive for Covid. Later in the day, he let me know that their daughter L tested positive as well. L had a couple of friends out around New Years, had driven her friends home the next day, and the following day both friends tested positive. L had been testing every day since and had always had a negative test. It was only when P started showing symptoms that L's test came positive as well. R had been at work when he got the call so he immediately called his boss and headed home to isolate for a few days. P has planned to isolate at the lake house, but as R said, if he tests positive in the next day or so, she may as well come home. (Update: L tested negative this morning, has completed her quarantine of 5 days, and returned to work today. P is still isolating at the lake house...I think she's enjoying the quiet time.)

The stupid cold weather continued into Thursday - it was -36C (-33F). It had "warmed up" to -34C (-29F) by the time I went out to feed the birds around 9 a.m. We're expecting slightly warmer weather over the next four days. I will get those scarves to the warming center soon.

Since I had no plans to leave the house, I set up a batch of dough for buns. We have leftover chili from the night before so dinner was figured out early in the day. While the dough was rising, I caught up on blog reading and then turned to Ancestry. When I signed in for the first time after the new year, I found a couple of messages.

One was from a young woman seeking information about my maternal grandmother's family. Unfortunately I wasn't able to give her much assistance. My grandparents married in 1899, moved from Quebec to Saskatchewan in 1904. My Dad had mentioned that his mother went back east (Ontario) to visit family members - however, I was just 8 years old when she passed away so did not hear the stories first hand. This contact indicated both her mother and grandmother were adopted, and her grandmother was a niece of my grandmother's. 

The second was from a gentleman, someone my mother would call a shirt tail relative. To be honest I haven't quite worked out where he fits in on the family tree. But his family and my father's families are entwined through several marriages. He indicated that I had incorrect information for one of the daughter's of my great grandfather's brother's. I guess that makes her a niece of my great grandfather. To correct the error (I'd copied from other trees), I had to delete a large branch of the family, and then add in the correct information. This is what can happen when cousins have daughters who have the identical name and are born within months of one another. I've been working my way through that branch. I've been able to identify some additional information that Doug did not have so have shared that with him in an e-mail. It was kind of him to reach to me, it's the least I can do.

On Friday, the temperatures started to improve, though the wind was still freaking cold. -28C/-18F with windchill of -44C (-47F). You can bet I didn't stay outside for long when I fed the birds. It appears the hares have found a way under the new gate and are bunking down in the back yard, along with the Hungarian partridges. The latter are scraping at the snow and getting down to the frozen grass below. Too bad they won't do the same on the driveway. Especially since, with the warmer weather came another dump of snow. 

I went out to the garbage bin mid-afternoon and spent another hour clearing the driveway and sidewalks of the snow. I don't think that much fell, but the blowing snow blew in nearly 6 inches at my garage door. It always seems to pile up there. 

I've been puttering in the craft room in between chores and playing on the computer. I repaired a couple of items that got damaged over Christmas and finished a set of coasters. I had picked up the cork pieces on my day trip in November in one of the small towns we've visited. I've never seen them in the craft stores here in the city. I used scrap book paper and modge podge to finish them off. I think I'll tie them in a ribbon and they'll make a nice small gift for some one. (I made the crocheted peppermint candies for myself). I'm currently working on a new wreath for summer - it's made of clothespins and will be painted to look (somewhat) like a sunflower. I'll share a photo when it is finished...assuming it looks decent. :)

Today, I needed to run out to do an errand for D, and pick up bird seed. With this cold weather they're going to eat me out of house and home. I shovelled the path to the back yard (I didn't get that far yesterday), as well as cleared the driveway of the snow that had blown in overnight. The pile on the east side of the driveway is a good four feet tall now! Again, with the wind it was freaking cold out there. 

The snow plows were out on the main roads nearby when I went out. They're moving the snow into the center of the road, so that what is normally a two lane street is now a 1 1/2 lane street. The piles are almost up to the roof of my car so it makes for some fun driving as one nears corners especially. They will eventually have the snow removed by trucks and taken to a snow dump. Meanwhile the wind is doing a lovely job of polishing the remaining snow on the road into ice. Have I mentioned recently how much I hate winter?

When D called this morning, she told me she'd had an e-mail from the school that there was a confirmed case of Covid in the pre-K class. She had kept Eli home this week because of the rising number of cases, and intends to keep him home this week as well. He has a couple of appointments that she doesn't want him to miss. He is missing his friends so she is arranging a Zoom playdate with a friend K for later this week. Her family is currently in quarantine as most of the family members have Covid, thankfully most with relatively mild cases.

On a happier note, I'm home with no plans to leave the house until Tuesday when the weather improves. There are several curling games on today, with the women's provincial tournaments being run in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. I've got the first of a pair of mittens on the needles, a cup of tea beside me, and dinner is prepped and in the fridge.

Have a great week ahead, stay warm, stay safe, and be well.

Keeping close to home

 

On Monday morning, when I headed out to feed the birds I took the camera with me.

It was a bit foggy out there and the trees were covered in hoar frost or perhaps rime ice.  The latter is formed when the fog droplets rapidly freeze. However, I can't tell the two apart so I'll leave it to others to decide.

Whatever it is, I think it almost looks like leaves on the branches.  So pretty and later, the crystals fall and sparkle as the day warms up.

I made a couple of trips out of the house this week, first on Tuesday to Costco and Peavey Mart, and on Wednesday to the Dollarama and Walmart for my groceries.  I follow the Costco West fan blog - the author is in British Columbia, and sends out an e-mail each week of the items on sale (and often other things that he finds interesting) at the warehouse.  I went through the post and noted there were several items I wanted.  Overall I saved about $15 on the five items I purchased so well worth the trip.  

We had some snow overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday.  Once the groceries were put away I went out to clear the driveway and sidewalks, as the temperatures were dropping throughout the day.  I woke to -7C (19F); by 6 p.m. the temperature was -17C (1F) with a windchill of -29C (-20F).  We were heading into a cold snap for the next week and I wanted it done.

The cold weather is always a good time to stay indoors and work on my crocheting and the family trees.  I've been working on my dad's side of the family.  There was an exciting bit of information - I thought - when I found that many trees indicate my 3X great grandmother Maria Claudia Stoney was the daughter of Captain Jack (John) Stoney of Beaufort, South Carolina.  However, I've come to the conclusion that this is not correct, as all of the on-line information suggests the Stoney's had only two sons who survived to maturity...no daughters.  So I've run into a dead end on her side as well. 

I started another blanket with a pattern that was "quick and easy".  Well, it didn't work that way for me. I started and tore it back three or four times before I gave up.  The way I read the instructions the edge of the blanket grew on one side and decreased on the other, but the author mentioned you continued the rows until it was a square so....I just decided it wasn't what I wanted.  I found another pattern that is easy and definitely is quick to make up.  After that I'll use the remainder of the ball of wool from the last blanket to make up a little sweater - I went to toss out the paper wrap and noticed the pattern on the back of it. 

My baby brother R turned 59 this week. I sent him a text that morning with a gif of a birthday cake covered in lighted candles. Of course I realize, I'll probably get a reminder later this year that I'm older than he is.  When I was a child I remember thinking that 60 was ancient, but now that I'm past that age I know it isn't. :)

We're into the truly cold weather today. When I went out to feed the birds this morning, the temperature was -33C (-27F) with a wind chill of -44F (-47F).  Even though I knew I wouldn't be out there very long, I bundled up well with a heavy coat, toque, two pairs of mitts, and my boots.  This is the cold when the snow squeaks when you walk on it.  It's a sunny day though and I can hear the birds calling to each other in the spruce tree out front.  I'm grateful for my comfortable, warm home and quite happy to have the ability to stay indoors.

Have a good week ahead everyone!

Weather woes

I started this post earlier in the week, but deleted it because it was just words about nothing.  The entire week has pretty much revolved around the weather.

Monday - cold
Tuesday - a little warmer, snow and blowing snow
Wednesday - getting colder, blustery with windchill near -30C. 
Thursday - colder still, by 8 p.m. it was -27C, adding in the windchill it was closer to -35C.  
Friday - freaking ridiculously cold in the morning -31C when I woke up, I don't even want to think about the windchill.  It "warmed" up through the day to -21C by evening.  
Saturday - warmer still, about -17C in the morning and -12C by mid afternoon.  More snow! 

From the indoors looking out...I really need to clear off the sills.  
Sunday - temp remains around -12C, more freaking snow!**

I did get out a few times this week, getting groceries, going for coffee once, to stitch and chat, and to dinner with C.  Shovelling snow took me outside three times (thus far), and I've fed the birds every day as well.  Other than that, it's been a lot of sheltering indoors, working on a few knitting projects.  Eli's sweater needs to be sewn together and the neck edge completed.  I've currently got another baby blanket on the needles, and started crocheting an infinity scarf.  Keeping busy and warm has been the order of the day!

I've been watching the Continental Cup of Curling event since Thursday.  Sadly, our Canadian team hasn't fared any better than we have with the weather. There are still a few matches to be decided but if I were a betting person I'd be saying Europe will win the cup this year.  It still makes for entertaining watching...at least for me.

Have a great week everyone.  We're back into the deep freeze after Monday. Hope the weather is better where you are.   

**At least we're not getting the freezing rain that others are experiencing in Ontario.  I may not like the snow and cold, but I'll take it over freezing rain any day.

Some whining and a bit of gratitude

If you are hearing whining in the distance, it's just me.  We had more snow, followed by the cold, more snow, and more cold.  This is November, dammit not January or February!  Apparently Mother Nature doesn't care what I think.  Wednesday morning was the worst as I awoke to -21C (-6F) with windchills approaching -30C.  I had thought I'd shovel the driveway but it was still so cold when I went out to feed the birds, I decided to head back indoors and have a shower instead.  

We had more snow on Tuesday afternoon, and I had shovelled before my son got home from work.  There must have been 2-3 inches of the fluffy stuff at that time.  It continued to snow lightly, so there was maybe a 1/2 inch or so left on the driveway that I cleared up on Wednesday before I went to the weekly stitch and chat at the library.  

Friday was a reasonably decent weather day, but that brought snow on Saturday.  I shovelled twice that day to try to keep the driveway clear.  By evening it had stopped but there was a cold wind so we've got a couple of days of freezing to get through before things improve.  Ok, enough whining!  I grateful to have a warm and comfortable home where I can shelter from the weather.

This week, I went through the items I've purchased (or made) for Christmas gifts and finalized my list.  I was very happy to realize I'm almost done.  Just a couple of gift cards; one for my nephew K and one for L, my esthetician.  I'll pick those up later this month, K's when I fill up at the gas station and L's at the grocery store.  When I added up the total, I was even more excited to realize I've stayed within my budget and it will all be paid for in advance of Christmas.  I don't need Christmas cards or wrapping paper as I have lots of that left over from last year.  (I know it seems early but as most of you know, I dislike crowds with a passion, so shopping around Christmas time is a non-starter for me).  

I also started the list of Christmas baking ideas.  I'm sure it will change over time but there are a few things I generally make every year.  Shortbread and mini cheesecakes are definitely on that list and I was fortunate to find butter and cream cheese on sale at Costco a few weeks ago. Since I have more time to spend on these activities I'm thinking I may try my hand at more finicky type baking.  Nanaimo bars, perhaps?

C and I postponed our regular Friday night dinner to Saturday, after we went to see the movie Midway.  The movie was incredible: the special effects amazing and the story was told without a lot of gore (which is sort of suprising given the topic).  While the impact on Pearl Harbor is well-known and I visited there several years ago, I must admit I didn't know anything about Midway.  The US navy had fewer men, fewer ships, and fewer aircraft, than the Japanese.  Through the efforts of the code-breakers and the belief of their results by the man in charge, they were able to surprise the Japanese at Midway and secure the Pacific.  The sheer bravery of those young (and some old) men to fly into the face of the guns on the aircraft carriers, while being chased through the skies by the Japanese war planes.  I'm sure there were at least a few on both sides shot down by friendly fire.  The movie was a spectacle, real life must have been excruciating.  While this movie focused on the one battle in the one war, I'm grateful to all those who served to ensure our security and freedom.

It reminds me that I really have little to complain about.  Now I'm off to watch the finals of the curling, and the CFL playoff games.  Eight hours of sports isn't for everyone but I'm a happy girl.

Have a great week everyone!

Winter woes

Environment Canada has finally lifted the severe cold warnings for our area of the province.  However, temperatures are still a good 10 degrees Celsius lower than normal...which means it is still cold.  Today we're getting more snow so after the recycling truck comes by I'll head out to clear the driveway.

But for all my whining and complaining, I know it could be far worse.  The eastern provinces have had cold, snow, and then freezing rain.  The western most province, and the island have been hit by snow, up to 30 cms. in places.  I have a university friend who moved to Victoria, on the island, a year or so ago.  On Facebook she commented one evening, she might not make it home because of accidents and downed trees.  She did, but it took more than 3 times the normal driving time.  

Meantime, I simply stay indoors as much as possible - not having to work definitely makes that easier.  On Friday, though, I did get up and drive my son to work.  He drives a Chev Cobalt, whose designers were not up on winter weather.  The battery is in the trunk, while the engine is in the front of the car.  While he parks in our garage, and plugs the car in when he parks in the lot next to the office, the battery eventually freezes.  He had gotten on Thursday after work, in order to make it home, but as the forecast was for even colder temps I decided I'd save him the worry.  If I weren't I suspect he'd have taken a taxi to and from work, as the nearest bus stop is several blocks away.  He's looking into purchasing a charging block or a battery blanket with the hopes this won't happen again soon.

According to our latest forecast, we may be seeing more normal winter temperatures about 10 days out, but the worst of it is over.  Fingers crossed!

D and Eli were here overnight on Wednesday and headed back to Melville mid-day on Thursday.  I can't say I didn't worry as they were travelling in very cold temperatures, but they made it safely both ways.  

He and I had fun, while his mom had her medical appointments.  His favorite things to do are watching Paw Patrol (paw paw), eating, and playing tickle with G'ma.  Oh, and getting "guck" (stuck).  If he's trying to climb on a chair, or the bed, or the cat tree, he'll holler guck for help.  Yes, this little boy definitely rules his world.  

Eat, oh my gosh, can he eat!  Just Thursday morning alone, he had a slice of toast with peanut butter, half an orange  and a handful of dried cranberries, a Bear Paw cookaw (cookie), and for lunch a hot dog, a half of green peas, and half an apple.  He's definitely a growing boy.

I've yet to completely clean up after the visit because this weekend I spent a fair amount of time, watching curling events.  Three provinces were holding their men's Tankards, here in Saskatchewan, and also Manitoba and Alberta.  Unfortunately, for me, the timing often overlapped so at times, I was streaming one event on my laptop, while the other was on the television.  Both my son and my brother thought that was rather humorous.  

While I'm sitting, I've been knitting a lot. I've now finished 6 dishcloths, Eli's sweater is currently being blocked in preparation for assembly, and I knit up a quick hat to go with it last night.  However, I choose a pattern that was knit flat, and after I sewed the back seam this morning, I didn't like it.  So that hat has been pulled apart and the ball of yarn is ready to be cast back on to be knit in the round.  I'm sure it would have been fine but I wasn't happy with it, and I have lots of time.

My de-cluttering has come to a stall as well. In fact, I'm feeling rather lazy today.  I guess I'm ready for a bit of down time, and since nothing is pressing I can get away with it.  Tomorrow is another day!

The photo I'm sharing is obviously not mine, but from my pilot friend N.  He took the photo from 39000 feet above Regina a few days ago.  It looks cold even from that height.

I hope all of you are staying warm, dry and safe throughout this miserable stretch of winter.  Time for me to head out with the snow shovel...again!

Friday Funny - or maybe not!