A trip to the city, more rain, and the continuing saga

After Eli went to school on Monday morning, D and I did a bit of packing for a short trip to the city. A small suitcase for clothing and toiletries, a backpack for swim gear for the three of us, a cooler for a Costco run, and D's bag for meds, electronics, and other sundry items. We were only there overnight. 

I went out to load the car while they went to equine therapy that afternoon, as well as to clear out any garbage and vacuum up the floors and the back seat. When they returned we stopped for Eli's supper at Tim Horton's (he loves their grilled cheese and bacon sandwich) and a cold drink for me. The trip is about an hour and half and we were in Regina by about six, stopping at a Burger King for D and I, before heading to the hotel. 

After dinner we went to the pool - I enjoyed the hot tub! D sat with me for a bit, and then went to keep an eye on Eli who was using the water slide. We later made a run up to my son's for a visit. Sage (the pup) was thrilled to see us, and after a bit of jumping and occasional bark, settled down. Eli and his uncle had quite the conversation, while Kota (one of the cats) cuddled up next to the kid. D and C's g/f visited on the front deck. 

Back at the hotel we all stayed up until 12:30 a.m. when Eli and I went to sleep. D said she did not sleep at all, and we were all up at 4:30 a.m. Eli's EEG was scheduled for 10 a.m. and they wanted him tired. D was given instructions that he should have no more than 4 hours of sleep. We were all tired, but he seemed to be less so than the two of us. After showers and baths, I took down our bags to the car and found that the breakfast room was set up so we headed down for a leisurely meal. We still had some time before we needed to be at the hospital, so wandered over to Dollarama and Walmart.

I dropped the two of them at 9:15 a.m. which turned out to be fortuitous, Based on the letter D recevied, the directions had them finding that the admitting desk at that area of the hospital was closed due to staffing shortgages. By the time they made their way to the main doors and back to this building, they didn't have a very long wait. Unfortunately Eli wasn't able to fall asleep during the test and we won't know until the pediatric neurologist looks at the film whether the test was successful or not in determining if he has had any further seizure activity.

Meanwhile I made a run to Costco, returning with an empty wallet about 90 minutes later. I parked in a nearby Shopper's Drug Mart lot until D texted to say they were ready. From there, we skedaddled for home. There were things to unload and unpack, and Eli had a Big Brother, Big Sister event after the school day was over. Noah, his big brother, is graduating this year and will be off to University in the fall. The two of them have created quite a bond over the two years, meeting most every Wednesday for lunch at Eli's school. D took photos of the two of the together and plans to gift Noah a framed photo to take with him. 

I went to Knit and Natter, and I suspect due to the inclement weather, and was the only one in attendance. Since I was finished the mittens I decided to start on a small project for a friend. L is undergoing cancer treatment, and is a big fan of chickens. I figured she needs an emotional support chicken. The crocheting was pretty much finished before I left that evening, and I finished it up on Thursday morning, adding the comb and beak, and added the safety eyes and stuffing. I'm not entirely sure I like it, and may use a different pattern to make a second one. 

Thursday marked the final swimming lesson for Eli for this session in the NTO. He'll continue in July at the local pool. Since there was little I could do outside, I went along. We dropped by Value Village with some donations and did a wander in the store. I found a couple of pieces of outdoor decor, a cake of yarn, two "basement" towels, and two brand new bras.

After a quick meal at Burger King (Eli's choice) we stopped at the Bookworm, a used book store. They had moved locations last fall, and this was our first time in the new spot. They still have mounds of books and of course, I came home with a couple. I dropped D and Eli at the pool, and headed over to Walmart to pick up some fruit and veg. It was a productive afternoon.

On the home front, we have battled the weather all week, with rain every day except Monday. AND thank goodness for that as we were away. I'm also grateful that the hail that hit the city happened Tuesday evening and we avoided it here. However, with more rain on Wednesday the basement continued to let in rain. We now have two fans blowing constantly to help it dry and lay down towels on various areas in the laundry/furnace room as needed. These are spun in the washer and then dried several times a day. D generally gets up once in the middle of the night to use the wet vac, replace the towels, and empty the two humidifiers. If I'm awake before her in the morning, I've been taking a turn. The ground is so saturated that the water is looking for anywhere to go. And of course, there is more rain in the forecast!

The rain guards arrived on Friday morning and I got them installed. Not perfectly, as there isn't a smooth or straight surface to watch them to. The recommended option was to screw them to the house but the base is concrete and the house is stucco. So I used window caulking....lots and lots of it. Not pretty but the seal is tight.

Despite all the rain, my plants continue to grow, along with the weeds. I can manage in the raised beds as I can reach from all sides, but the garden itself is far too wet. In the flower beds, things are starting to show blooms; lamium, dead nettle, poppies, and columbine. I had picked up a sunflower last week, and got it planted as well. It sure brightens up the flower bed!

Update on the fence situation - LND is dragging this out longer by insisting he ask his mother's husband (an accountant by trade in the city) to contact some of his customers to get quotes as a favour. When I pointed out that any contractor would likely be charging for mileage and thus increase the cost, he snapped back that he had his furnace, water heater, and drywalling his basement this way. I didn't bother to respond, but will text him again this weekend and I plan to set a firm deadline. If he hasn't got additional quotes by the end of June, I will go ahead with or without his contribution. I won't tell him that part of it, but will insinuate that I'll send him a bill at the end of the process. 

We're expecting a warmer day today and I'm hoping to spend a good part of it outdoors. There is, of course, much weeding to be done, the potatoes need to be hilled, and I want to replace the gate latch on the front gate. I may also have picked up a few more plants (just three) on Friday, and those need to go in a container as well. If it's decent enough I need to do some caulking on the window panes out front. That needs to be done before I can get to the painting...and that won't happen until the weather stays nice for a bit. Wish me luck!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Winter has arrived!

For those who did not see my edited post - my Black Friday shopping trip is happening this upcoming week, not last. I'm not sure why I had the dates mixed up, but thankfully reader Cheryl let me know in the comments. So I wasn't a week early waiting for the bus in the Walmart parking lot. :) 

The wordless Wednesday photo was taken on Sunday evening after the first snowfall. The sky was much brighter than my phone camera captured. Winter storm warnings were issued as well, and we were expecting up to 15-20 cms (6-8 in) of snow overnight Monday into Tuesday. I'm not sure if it was the winds, but we were fortunate and the storm skirted us. While we got a bit of freezing rain, by morning the temperatures were at or slightly above freezing. As a result, the streets were wet not icy. In the meantime, my son got a pile of snow in the city.

We walked, again, this week at the community center. On Monday, the hockey team were exercising, and the cardiac center was also open. As a result the track was busier than we've seen thus far. After walking, we went to the local Canadian Tire to pick up another shovel - we only have one. With the expected snow, a second one would come in handy.

Wednesday was cold, about -8C (18F) with the windchill sitting around -20C (-4F). Though we'd had some snow overnight, most of the accumulation was the result of the wind blowing from the west. D shovelled out the walkways before we hopped in the SUV for the short drive to the school. Good thing, as the drifts at the end of the alley were quite deep and her little car would have had a time getting through the drifts. By late afternoon, the city had plows out cleared most of the streets and at the alley entrances. Of course, then it started to snow again.

I spent much of the morning working on the gingerbread ornaments, crocheting the edging and adding a small amount of stuffing. There was curling to watch so I was definitely in my happy place. Meanwhile, D was working on her Cricuit creating cards for the Elf on the Shelf. I am so grateful this fad didn't exist when my kids were young. So far, the Elf has been found in various places, hanging from a lamp, a garland strant, in the bathroom, and more recently, in a jar. One cannot touch the elf; the jar meant he could go to the dentist's appointment Eli had on Thursday.

That appointment was to remove the spacer that was put in to keep his teeth from shifting when he lost a tooth before the next one was ready. Did I ever tell you how his first appliance went missing? A child, that would be Eli, removed it and flushed it down the toilet. As can be imagined his mom freaked out because it cost $300 to replace. He sent me a message asking if I'd pay for it. :) Of course, I told him I would. His tooth finally erupted but the trip was for naught, as it had not erupted enough for the dentist to remove the spacer. 

While they were away, I ran out to the grocery stores. More items than I had intended made their way into the cart. In my defence, when grocery items are sale here, it's best to buy. Again, I found some items at prices that were more reminiscent of pre-Covid pricing. Others, not so much but necessary purchases. After putting things away, I went out the cleared the sidewalks out to the front of the house. Our next door neighbour was kind enough to use their snowblower to clear the front side walk last night.

D and I spent Friday morning winterizing a few of the windows and starting our Christmas baking. The bathroom window, as well as the small window at the top of the stairs are definitely leaking cold air. We used a kit we bought at the dollar store and it seems to help. D made a shortbread base for her homemade Twix bars (I call this a caramel toffee bar), and I made a batch of shortbread after lunch. My taste test of my cookies told me I haven't forgotten how to make them. :)

While the cookies baked, I watched curling and worked on finishing off the gingerbread men. When both cookies and the ornaments were finished I pulled out the pattern for Christmas gnomes. The first one is on the hook. These will be for my nephew and niece, though if I like them well enough, I may make two more for my brother and SIL. The nice thing about these is, I can customize them for each person.

Today, D and I will do a little more decorating, more baking, and I'll watch curling and crochet when I can. The snow is supposed to start this evening, and get heavier overnight. Perhaps as much as 12-20cm (4.75 - 7.75 inches) my mid-day on Sunday. I've got my fingers crossed it will be the lesser amount. It is also going to colder. That's winter in Saskatchewan for you.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Christmas preparations, shopping, and oh snow!

For those wondering, the wordless Wednesday was an experiment. D and Eli have been trying various experiments over the last week. This one started with three glasses with water and two empty. They added food coloring to the water, and then placed folded paper towels in the glasses. D explained to Eli how plants get water from the soil around it, seeking out water from a distance through their root system. Interestingly, while they started with different water levels in the three glasses, all five ended up with similar amounts through the transfer. We also wondered how the colours would blend (they did, but not as we expected). The experiment continues as she is using the project to explain evaporation too. 

Another week in the rear view mirror and with it, winter is drawing closer. We did have a few snow flakes on the weekend but nothing stuck. The day time temperatures are staying above the freezing mark, which is appreciated at this time of year. We haven't seen a lot of the sun either, and the "dark" hours being earlier in the evening and extend into the morning. I heard my daughter asking Google how many days until the winter solstice. She really finds the dreary days difficult.

As a result, we've started the winter/Christmas decorating. There are ornaments like icicles, snow flakes, even snow men that can be put out now and remain out until spring. We put up the tree on Sunday, fluffed out the branches, but didn't start to decorate it for a few days to allow it to settle. This tree holds only ornaments that D had - my ornaments remain in a tub as they don't match her silver and blue theme. We've talked about a second tree, but I don't know where we'd put it. I don't need/want a small tree in my bedroom, as the cats use my dresser for watching out the windows. The big tree is currently in the office with the French door, allowing it to be seen from the living room but out of reach of interested kitty paws!

Wednesday was voting day for the municipal elections. We dropped Eli off at school, and drove over to the community center to vote. It was a short walk upstairs to the walking track where we spent a half hour walking with a few regulars. This is the third or fourth time we've walked and I'm starting to recognize some individuals. The hockey team was exercising on part of the track today, so we would walk one way as far as we could without interrupting their work-out, and then turn and walk the other direction. A couple of the other walkers weren't as cautious and walked along the edge of the track. Some of the exercises had the young men jumping over low pieces of equipment on one leg or from side to side...we didn't want to chance being bumped if someone lost their footing. Besides, they smelled funky! They were clearly putting effort into their work-out.

I've started working on Christmas ornaments for Eli's teacher, teacher's aides, principal, and counselor. There are six ornaments needed this year, and I decided to make crocheted gingerbread ornaments. I found a couple of patterns, tried one - didn't like it, so used the second one. It can be made a single or double layered ornament and I chose to do the double layer. I changed the pattern slightly to include the white edging, added safety eyes and a bit of stuffing, and enlarged the little bow. Of course, I learned a bit with the first one and Eli has asked to keep this one, so I'll continue to tweak the pattern and finishing as I go along. 

Once those are complete, I'm planning to make trolls for my niece and nephew. What my brother and his wife will get is still to be determined. The more I look through possibilities in Pinterest, the more suggestions I get so I know I'll find something.

Grocery day was Thursday, which normally means sticker shock here in our small town. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the sale price on many of the items was as low as I find in the city. I tend to buy our groceries based on what is on sale, with a few basics thrown in. But even the basics seemed to be a bit lower than I remember from this summer. I know it won't last, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

We dropped Eli at school on Friday and went to the walking track. We walked for just over 35 minutes before heading home. My right knee has been giving me grief, and while I'm sure the walking is good for me, it does irritate my knee. My daughter has issues with her hip flexors and needed to stretch when we got to the house. Clearly, we both need to keep moving!

That afternoon we got a call from the delivery company - they were on the way with our new fridge and stove. We had about 15 minutes to clear out the old appliances before they arrived. After removing the doors from the old fridge and taking off the back door it was removed from the kitchen and the new one was brought in. Switching out the two stoves was much easier! Then it was time to return all of the food items into the fridge. The old fridge was a side by side, while the new one has French door fridge on top and the freezer on the bottom. The new freezer had just enough capacity to hold what was in the side freezer, however the new fridge capacity is much larger than the old one. D baked that afternoon to try out the new convection oven - it also doubles as an air fryer, though we'd have to buy a special pan. D has a double air fryer so I don't think we'll bother. She also set up the app on her phone as both appliances are WiFi enabled. I won't bother...

I spent some time crocheting and have the bodies of three more gingerbread stitched. Once I've got all of the pieces made, I'll put them together and do the finishing. There is football today and tomorrow to watch so I hope to have them all done by the end of the weekend.

Though I hadn't planned to return to the city until mid-week, my plans have changed as we're getting snow and rain in the next few days. (5 cms./2 inches expected today). I'm scheduled to take the bus trip to Bismarck for Black Friday shopping on Thursday. And no, that isn't the trip I hinted a month ago. This will be my first winter driving in the SUV and I'll admit, I'm a little nervous. Monday seems to be the best option. Since I'll be away, there won't be a post next Saturday. CORRECTION: Thanks to Cheryl for reminding me that Black Friday isn't until Nov 29th. I would have been 10 days early for the trip. Plans have changed!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

The present and the past

The much awaited warm-up didn't happen on Tuesday. By then, the forecast had been pushed out to Saturday. We did see a slight warm-up throughout the week but the dratted wind kept it feeling much colder. I did go out on Wednesday and Thursday, first to pick up a few groceries and Stitch and Chat, and the following day to attend Mahjong.

My time at home was productive and enjoyable as there was lots of curling to follow. First the finals of the men's event in Lloydminster, then on Wednesday the Sask. Provincial Women's began, and a Grand Slam event began airing games on Thursday. In fact, both Thursday and Friday had six games I could potentially have watched. 

I had other things to do too; first up to clear out the documents and correspondence I no longer need from 2023 and prior. All of the items for my former house were shredded - this include the original purchase and mortgage documents and invoices for every repair and renovation project from 2010-2023 and utility bills for the last year. I told C that since I no longer need those folders, I've filed the documentation for his property in the box.

To prepare for my Caribbean cruise in March, just 7 weeks away, I printed off a few more documents. Since I originally booked my flights, Air Canada has changed the departure times more than once. (not the dates thankfully). After last year's delays due to thunderstorms in Florida, I've chosen to fly in three days prior to the cruise. I'll arrive late the first day, because getting anywhere from here is always a full day affair and have two full days to rest, relax and/or explore before I board the ship. The cost of the airfare with the extra two nights of hotel was actually less than flying in the day prior to the cruise too. I read somewhere it will be school break. This time I'm flying with Air Canada, not WestJet, with only one stop in Toronto both going and returning so, fingers crossed, this will be a less stressful trip.

While I was at Walmart on Wednesday, I came across a heavily discounted bag of yarn (about 40% of original cost). I couldn't pass it up as I've been wanting to make a pair of slippers. I made up watching the curling that evening, and another Thursday morning while (though the ends haven't been sewn in yet. They are lovely and soft, and I have a lot of yarn left, so I may make another pair, this time a sock slipper style. 

Another activity that can be done while watching curling is updating information in Ancestry. Recently Newspapers.com added a significant number of archived newspapers opening up more and new information. In addition, data from the 1931 Canadian census has been added over time. I knew that some of my maternal grandfather's family had returned to Ontario after giving up their homesteads here in Saskatchewan but I had hit a brick wall previously due to the lack of information. With the added newspapers, I was thrilled to find the obituaries of my great-aunt Bess and her husband. Her obituary also provided the name of their eldest daughter's husband. Previously, I knew from her siblings' obituaries that Phyllis had passed away sometime after 2013 but only had her spouse's last name. Bess's obit provided that one piece that broke that brick wall. Not only did I find Phyllis' obit learning she had two sons from a previous marriage, but I was able to find information on her second husband. He was also previously married, and though I can't find a lot of personal information, I did learn that he was a well known comic book artist in the 1940's. He was also the artist for a newspaper comic strip, Dizzy Don, that appeared in the comic book series. If you are interested, there is currently a copy of Dizzy Don Comics #3 Howard Pub 1947 Canadian Edition available on E-Bay listed for $800USD. Other versions have prices between $200-$1600 USD. I certainly can't claim to be related to this fellow, but I found the story interesting. It's unusual though, that I cannot find anything about his antecedents. Just another brick wall to keep me looking.

In between the fun stuff was the normal housework. I did NOT do much shovelling of snow this week. With the windchills still near -40C/F, I cleared the sidewalks and left the driveway for less cold days. Just to demonstrate how volatile the weather is the forecast for next Tuesday is 0C/32F.  I'll believe it when I see it, but I'll definitely welcome it, if this holds true.

We reached -17C Friday afternoon with windchill around -23C. It felt practically balmy out there when I went out to shovel the driveway. I hadn't done when it was so cold so I was clearing the accumulation over the past week or so. I moved my car out of the garage when I finished, and that turned out to be a slightly expensive decision, as I tapped the fence with my side mirror and the darn thing (plastic) broke. I was able to tape it up for now, but will need to make an appointment with an auto body shop to get it replaced soon.

Have a great week ahead everyone, stay warm and dry!

Christmas, curling, and cold

Being a bit of a number nerd, I did the calculation on items that I can purchase here in Canada as compared to the US prices (after conversion to Cdn dollars). Overall I saved nearly 40% on those purchases. Some items were definitely worth it - like the Skechers slip-ons and Christmas pj's for Eli. Others, not so much - I could have picked up the sweatpants for Eli's for (slightly) less here in Regina since they were on sale here too.

I also picked up some items that we just don't have here - Dot's Pretzels (not as good as I was assured they'd be), Dolly Parton cake mixes, and specialty flavours of Oreos. The amount I saved in Canadian dollars offset almost half the cost of the trip. Had I stayed home, I might have saved money, but I wouldn't have completed my shopping in such a short period of time and probably run all over town looking for the "perfect" gift. On this trip, I had to make my decisions quickly - do dithering allowed.

The rest of the week has been fairly quiet. I did a little grocery shopping on Tuesday in order to pick up some needed items and a few sale items. The furnace guy dropped by later that day to check out the furnace as I've been hearing a whine occasionally when it starts up. Yes, we had the home inspector check it, but he didn't mention the whine and the furnace is 22 years old. Of course it didn't whine when he was here, though he knew that it would like be the inducer motor. He did a couple of tests and everything is working well though did say when it starts getting very loud, we'll want to replace it. The part is about $1000, but a new furnace is about $6K so I'll ensure my son knows to keep an ear out.

I also finished off the six cocoa cups for teacher's gifts for Eli. (Photo of the two was posted on Wednesday). I've started a couple of small ornaments for my nephew and niece to go along with their gift cards. Last year I gave them little snowman ornaments and they couldn't stop talking about them. Perhaps this can become a annual tradition and when they are on their own, they'll have a start of decorations for their trees.

Wednesday was stitch and chat. I puttered around the house in the morning, doing a bit of laundry, dishes, reading blogs, and working on the Christmas letter. My travel agent called before lunch and we chatted about her trip to Portugal, my bus tour, and my upcoming March 2024 cruise. Final payment is due next week, so we took care of that. She's keeping an eye out for airfare for my August 2024 cruise as well though prices at the moment are quite high. I'm hoping for a price drop though that's probably wishful thinking.

On Thursday I had planned to visit the nearby community center to meet some local women and try to learn Mahjong. However, I woke with a cough and a drippy nose. I decided that I'd best stay home and after some Buckley's and a sinus and cold Tylenol, I felt well enough to get some more cleaning done, got my Christmas cards written and ready for the mail, as well as some crocheting. I cannot locate my safety eyes in my craft room boxes, so ordered more as I'll need them to finish off the ornaments. In the afternoon I discovered another curling event on You-tube. It was only the second draw, so I should be able to amuse myself for the rest of the week.

I was feeling quite a bit better on Friday morning, so I masked up and went to the mall to mail my Christmas cards and a parcel for D & Eli. A stop at Safeway was on the agenda too, where I picked up some ingredients for Christmas baking. At home between curling games, I mixed up a pan of gingerbread cake. I also finished Chilly, the penguin I started making for a friend back in October (before the packing began in earnest). He's a little crooked and not perfect but I think he turned out pretty cute.

My son is learning all about the trials of home ownership. On Friday, the light in the main bathroom started to fail. It's an enclosed LED vanity light fixture with no way to replace the lights, thus a new fixture is needed. I checked on-line at our local outlets and none had the appropriate size in stock, except one and the reviews for it were abysmal. I ended up ordering from Amazon, so he'll have to remember to take his cellphone to the bathroom for light in the morning, as it won't be in until December 9th (at the earliest). I'll convince my brother to help us install it. I'd done an install on a light in the old house a few years and it worked fine but this one is quite a big bigger and heavier.

Today, getting my little tree decorated, gifts wrapped, and more crocheting is on the agenda. And, of course, more curling to watch.

Oh, and the best thing to happen this week is: I found my tea canister. I have absolutely no idea why I packed it as I did. The darn thing was tucked in among toilet paper rolls in the original product packaging. I mean, it was a safe place for it, but I don't remember putting it there and I never would have thought to look for it, I just happened upon it when I was getting more paper for the loo.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone!

Making plans, some finishes, and sunshine too!

I keep a calendar on the my kitchen counter and make notes of things to be done, check off those that are done, and to keep track of appointments and the like. I've realized that if I didn't, I couldn't write my blog. Or rather, I'd have to write about different things unrelated to my daily life because I'd never remember what I did most days.

Of course some events are more memorable than others. For one, I still want to sell this house and am hoping to have it listed by fall. I had the contractor that I used last year for the basement renos at the house on Monday to give me a quote on doing flooring and baseboards, as well as couple of minor changes/repairs. The quote came in on Thursday and is slightly more than I hoped but still very reasonable. I picked up samples of the flooring yesterday and will be making a choice in the next day or so.

My friend C picked me up in her new-to-her truck on Tuesday morning and we headed to the thrift stores. The duck from the photo on Wednesday was one of my purchases. When I was hesitant about the price, C reminded me it was senior's Tuesday, with a 30% discount; sold! It will find its way out into the front flower bed among the hostas in a couple of weeks. I also found a jacket for Eli that he won't be able to wear for a couple of years, but it was in such good condition, and at only $3.69 (after discount), I couldn't resist. 

Speaking of articles of clothing for Eli, I picked up the sweater at the tailors on the weekend. She did a nice job (though pricey) of inserting the zipper. Meanwhile I finished the oversized sweater for my daughter. Here's a tale of two sweaters:

Eli's sweater was made with yarn purchased on sale at Michaels. I paid about $6/skein and used 5 skeins for the sweater and toque, the zipper was $8, and the tailor cost me $27. Grand total $65. The ladies at stitch and chat on Wednesday informed me they would teach me how to put in a zipper on my own next time. That is, of course, should there be a next time.

D's sweater was made with thrift store yarn which cost me about $15 in total. Since I didn't have enough of one color, I did a sort of color block pattern. The blue and wine are on the front panels as well as the sleeves, while the teal is the back and fills in the rest of front and sleeves. 

I modified the pattern somewhat, adding to the length, adding pockets and a belt at my daughter's request. I also did the trim in double crochet rows, as I knew I didn't have sufficient yarn to create the ribbing effect (see bottom of the sweater and the cuffs).  This was the first time I used crochet stitches rather than knitting for ribbing, and while I liked the effect on the bottom, I wasn't happy with the sleeves. They were made top-down. If I were to use this pattern again, I'd make the cuffs separately and stitch them to the sleeves instead. (The photo to the right is what yarn was leftover when I finished. That's pretty good use of stash yarn!)

I'm continuing to work...slowly...on the African flowers afghan. Twenty of the flowers have been blocked (of thirty), I've added green single crochet to the outside of some of the blocked pieces, and started the process of stitching five flowers in a row. Besides blocking this is the slowest and most tedious part of the process. When I'm not in the mood, I've been working on the knitted toddler sweater. One more sleeve to complete and then I'll put it together.

Our weather has been great this week with temperatures in the mid-20's Celsius (72-77F). I'm itching to get out in the yard but will leave the raking for another week for the pollinators. The trees in the back yard are just beginning to leaf out. I've been avoiding the garden centers, so far, but I'm not sure how much longer I can resist. I do remind myself, that I'll be dragging plants in and out of the garage if I start buying now.

I did manage to finish a project that should have been completed months ago. On Thursday morning I headed down to the basement, finished sanding the door frames and got them painted. The closet paint was touched up as well. I did not, and will not, paint the baseboards. Unless one gets down on the floor and looks at them closely, no one will know. How would I know, you ask? Well, I lived in this house for nearly 10 years before I realized the baseboards on the main floor had never been painted. I did paint them before I listed the house in 2019 and the thought of crawling around on the floor to paint just doesn't appeal to me. Hence, I'll have the contractor do the painting when he installs the new ones on the main floor.

Yesterday, I did a few errands, a bit of housework, and met with a landscaper. I've been having issues with drainage in the back yard for some time, and this year, have noticed some significant heaving of the lower deck and the shed. I had already planned to replace the sod, including where the other shed once stood. If you want to read the story of the potting shed removal, you can read it here). My goal is to make the back yard look as big as it can possibly be, since the sun room and decks take up a good portion of it. It was a sticking point for potential buyers the last time I had the house listed. As I said to the landscaper, they forget they have the use of the sun room for 7 months of the year, while the back yard is only available for about 4 months. Enough of my ranting....

I've not much planned for today, though there are several sports programs to watch so I know I'll be parked on the couch for a good part of the day. The final curling event of the season is finishing up this weekend. There is baseball and hockey too. I guess I'd best get moving now, and get a walk in before I laze about for the rest of the day. The sun is shining, it's a lovely 9C (48F) and I need the exercise.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone.

Spring baseball

Life sure has a way of throwing curve balls. This week was no exception. It all started on Monday morning, when my kitchen faucets gave up the ghost. I had noticed some water on the floor when washing dishes the night prior, and after mopping it up had put a bucket under the sink. Everything seemed dry in the morning, but when I turned on the faucet I could hear and see dripping coming from the connection where the faucet is attached to the plumbing lines. I'd been putting up with a slow drip from the drinking water faucet and decided it was time to replace the entire set. The house was built back in 1987, and I'm pretty certain these are the originals.

I did some research on the websites of various hardware stores (including big box stores) nearby. It was astounding to me to find that the big box stores keep nothing in stock - at one there were only two faucets available, and both were ridiculously priced and far too large for my current set-up. The local hardware store is a little further away, but appeared to have multiple items in stock. Off I went, photos in hand, to see what I could find. I was in and out in about 20 minutes with the appropriate replacements. The service was great AND they gave me the contractors' pricing which saved me about 10% overall. They still weren't cheap. I contacted the plumber we used last year during the basement renovations and he was able to fit me in that day (after a cancellation), and by mid-afternoon I had a new set of faucets that function properly. One thing I notice is they are much lighter weight than the old ones so likely won't last 30 plus years but I won't be here then.

I did my grocery shopping that morning too, as the fridge was looking pretty bare. The pocketbook took a hit as a result, but I did get most everything on sale. I am starting to see prices drop with some products to a more reasonable level. An 18 pack of eggs was $4.99 and I got a head of lettuce for $1.99 at the Co-op store. Walmart was over $5 for the eggs and $3.97 for lettuce. I'm so fortunate that I live within a 10 minute drive of five grocery stores (includes Walmart). I check my grocery list against the Flipp (flyers) app, and can price-check between stores as well. 

Wednesday brought another problem. The darned water heater's pilot light had again gone out. This was the third time I've requested service in about 6-8 weeks. Of course, the only time they could give me was between 1-5 p.m., which meant I had to miss out on my Stitch and Chat. The tech showed up about 1:30 and left at 2:57 p.m. I know, because I checked the clock! When he arrived I told him this was the third call, and although he was able to re-light the pilot light easily, I asked him to explain why it was happening. He suggested some part needed to be replaced (don't ask me - coupler something or other I think he said). He told me it shouldn't take long to replace and he would have expected the last guy to do it. I said, there was no way he had, he'd only been here for about 10 minutes and took longer to do his paperwork than to do what he did with the water heater. Just to be certain the tech called the previous tech and confirmed that no, he hadn't changed out this piece.  The current tech's optimism at the length of time required to make the replacement was way off! This water heater was installed in Dec. 2006, and apparently they were made differently than they are now which made replacing the part tricky. At one point, it sounded as if he was rebuilding the darn thing.

It's a good thing I did my shopping early in the week and perhaps even missing the Stitch and Chat was a good thing as my son tested positive for Covid on Thursday morning. He had been feeling off for a couple of days, but had gone to work both Wednesday and Thursday. The positive result was almost immediate and the lines were bold. He's off work until next Tuesday, and I'll stay at home too. I tested last night, and so far I am negative. 

Our weather made a big upswing this week, with temperatures staying above the freezing mark, even over night a couple of nights. There was/is snow in the forecast for the weekend and it has cooled off a bit, but the snow has rapidly melted. I have a small pond in my back yard. There was a welcome visitor in the back yard this week too. 

I haven't seen any others, yet, but the wee nuthatch is back, and the sparrows, chickadees, and juncos continue to eat heartily at the feeder. 

We had snow overnight into Friday, but just a skiff or so on the ground. It was melting when I went out to feed the birds and my small pond was closer to a small lake. It's frozen over this morning but we're supposed to reach 7C (45F) this afternoon. I moved a bit of snow from the larger pile in the back yard with the hope that it will disappear faster.

Today is more Grand Slam curling - there are three draws today, tiebreakers, quarter-finals and semi-finals. The women's and men's finals will be held separately tomorrow. This is the second to last event for this year that will be televised. The final Grand Slam is being held here in the city at the beginning of May. I've bought tickets in the past, but this year I'm planning to watch from home.

I'm continuing to work on my flowers (just two more to complete before I start blocking). I got Eli's sweater blocked and picked up a zipper - I need to get a real tailor to put it in for me. In the meantime I made a toque to go with it. When I'm bored with the flowers I do a few stitches on the small cross stitch project. I've made a mistake early on, but I doubt anyone but I will ever know it so I'm soldiering on.

If I'm not watching curling, I've been watching baseball. The Blue Jays broke the Tampa Rays win streak last night in an exciting game. I checked on the game in between ends so missed some of the excitement but did catch enough to enjoy the win.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone!

Perseverance

Yes, it's extremely icy here on my street and will be until the melting truly gets underway. A funny, not so funny thing happened; the city sent a grader down the street on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m.! It scraped a bit of ice off the street piling it along the sidewalks and in front of driveways. I was not happy at the time of day they chose to do the work, nor the mess they left behind. Someone on the street must have some connection to City Hall, as another grader was out clearing the area in front of driveways on Thursday. Once the melting happens we'll have a bit of a lake though I don't think it will be as bad as the first year we lived in the house. That year, the water in the ruts was about 5 inches deep. I sent a photo to the city of my boots as I stood in the ruts to complain about the problem the ruts caused smaller vehicles. Eventually, enough of us must have complained because the street was cleared. 

It hasn't been a terribly busy week, just the usual housework, a bit of grocery shopping, an errand for D, and lots and lots and lots of curling. The weather hasn't been particularly good, quite cold for this time of year, along with wind to make it worse. Snow was forecast for overnight Friday and will continue until sometime this evening. It's hard to tell how much snow we got last night as the wind continues to blow and cause drifting. Neither C nor I have anywhere we need to be this weekend, so the clearing up from the storm can wait until tomorrow. The photo is the view from my bedroom window this morning. Out the front door is even worse.

My UFO project is coming along and I've made a decision as to what to do with them. Originally it was going to be a baby blanket, but I like the colors so I think I'm going to try to make a full sized blanket. Since I'm using thrift store yarn, it may take some time to actually finish it. 

It clashes with the rug, but you get the idea. The hope is to create these flowers, and then use green yarn to create the background and connect the flowers. One thought is to create squares from these hexagons....some thought will be needed to do that. I do notice as I'm looking at the photo I like the bottom and side row, not so happy with the inners.  That's primarily the way I've laid them out, and I suspect it will be easier once the flowers are put together. I'm also adding another series with yellow as the centers. I know I'm running low of pink, and I'll be down to a couple of skeins of variegated purple after this batch of petals are complete. 

The curling has been good, but not great this week. There have been flashes of brilliance and just plain flashes. (A flash is when a rock passes by it's intended target and rolls out of the rings.) For the most part, the teams expected to be on top are, and history was made when the Nunavut team won their very first game in Brier history. Since their skip actually lives in the vicinity of this year's Brier contest (he's an import to the team), the arena went nuts with the victory. Fun to see! I'm hopeful now that we're into the playoffs the level of curling will improve.

I'll have almost an entire week off (curling) between the Brier and the beginning of the Women's World Curling. The goal is to continue to work on de-cluttering with three areas to focus on; the linen closet, my clothes closet and dresser, and the craft room. I'm realistic enough to know it's unlikely more than one or two of these areas will get done. The craft room is going to take some time. I did manage this week to get the boxes of items from the kitchen and Christmas into the trunk of the car. These will be dropped off at the thrift store next week sometime. 

The other thing on the to-do list this week was to plant some seeds for my containers. I saved marigold, petunia, tomato, and pepper seeds last fall. The seeds haven't yet germinated, but I'm hopeful I'll have some luck with a few of them. I've ordered a grow light that I'm hoping will improve the results. If you recall, I did have a bit of luck with my marigolds last year, with one plant growing to a height of over 3 feet tall. I made sure I saved some of those seeds.

A few more photos from the backyard this week including a grackle,a redbreasted nuthatch, and a blue jay. My brother R says he's had the latter at the farm over winter but I hadn't seen any since last fall.

There were three jays visiting, but I wasn't able to capture more than one. They quickly flew off when I stepped into the sunroom.

Today I'll be watching first two games of the Brier playoffs, and crocheting. The first draw starts at noon, so I'm catching up on blogs, e-mail, and PVR'ed television. That, and watching the snow swirl around out the front window!

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

A start and a finish, and ready to go

 After the not-so-stellar end of 2022, I'm certainly hopeful that 2023 will be a better year. Starting it off with a trip to the heat of Central America and Mexico is a definitely a positive. We haven't had any more dumps of snow for the last few days and I'll take that too. 

I've spent my time cleaning the house, working on my crochet and cross stitch, finalizing some spreadsheets for 2022, revising a document for my kids that I update each time I travel, and finishing packing my suitcase and carryon. The document I revise has instructions should anything happen to me while I'm away, with important numbers and other information. I have a theory - nothing will happen, if the information is available. 

I've made a list of chores and reminders for my son too. He's likely to manage to do the dishes before I get home, but I suspect the vacuum will remain parked in the closet for the next couple of weeks. He also has a bad habit of ordering in, so I made a list of food items in the freezer and pantry that he can make for himself. He did tell me he is planning to cook more...we'll see.

My stash blanket is finished. It's not meant to large, just enough to cover me when I'm feeling chilled. It used up four balls of various yarn I had from other projects. I used a simple stitch pattern called lemon peel or griddle stitch and it worked up quickly. I finished off the edging with single crochet stitches. It will never win any prizes for looks but it does what I need it to do.

The counted cross stitch is a kit I picked up at Value Village on my last visit. (I know I have several I got earlier this year but this one will be perfect for D & Eli). I need good lighting to stitch so only work on it in the afternoon. I have a lamp set up behind the couch that helps - my living room window faces north so I don't have a lot of natural light. It's difficult to see in the photo but it's a piggy relaxing in a bathtub, with the starts of yellow rubber duck as well. Eventually it will have a list of rules for the bathroom. I use the magnifying glass with the pattern - trying to focus switching back and forth from the stitching to the pattern, even with tri-focal lenses, is slower than it used to be. 

When the cross stitching is complete, I'll do the backstitching and that will provide definition to the piece. 

I've managed to keep my suitcase well under the weight requirements - more room to bring back a few items on my return. Plus, I've learned that visiting countries with high humidity adds weight. The carry-on will have the last few items added just before the cab arrives to pick me up....at 3:45 a.m. I probably won't sleep; not to worry, I'm one of those people who can sleep on a plane. I certainly want to sleep in!

It happened to me once. I don't know if I set the alarm incorrectly or if I rolled over and shut it off. In any event, the cab driver called my phone and woke me up when I didn't come out of the house. I asked him to wait a few minutes, tossed on my clothes, splashed some water on my face, grabbed my bags and ran out to the car. I made my flight in plenty of time, since I'm always there well in advance but I never want to do that again!

I'm off to do the lengthy list of chores I've created to keep myself busy for the rest of the day. Otherwise I'll be bouncing off the walls. I'm home again on Jan 20th, and back to posting within a few days of that. 

Take care everyone!

Preparing for Christmas

D and I took Eli downtown for the street fair last Saturday evening. Our first stop was City Hall where the mayor said a few words, the wreath was lit up, and Santa made a quick visit to hand out candy canes. 

The was a choir too, singing Christmas carols and a small but appreciative crowd. We wandered down the street towards the street hockey. The local Junior A hockey team were out in their jerseys playing a pick-up game against some young kids. Everyone was having a lot of fun.

But before we reached the hockey, we came across a Nativity scene one of the local churches had set up. Two of Eli's friends were dressed up, one as an angel, the other as a shepherd. He was happy to see them, but was even more excited to see the young sheep. He tried to entice them to eat the straw he held out, but they were more intent on the stuff on the ground. No matter, they still got close enough that he was able to give them a pat or two.

We stopped too, at a fire pit that was set up by the firefighters in the street to warm our hands. Then we went to watch the street hockey, and the ball they were using as a puck bounced right near us. I gave the ball to Eli and told him to toss it back on the rink. He seemed to enjoy that, and chased the next couple of balls that came our way.

Although the stores were open, neither D nor I felt like shopping. Instead we headed for the bakery to pick up some treats to have at home. Eli had his regular chocolate dip donut, while D and I chose the gingerbread donuts. I ate half of it when we got back to the house, and oh my, was it good! 

After another restless night, I headed for home just after breakfast. Traffic was light, as I had hoped, and the roads were clear. After I had things put away, I lay down on the couch for a rest and watched a bit of NFL football before the Grey Cup. The championship game was a good one, neither team dominated, and the final outcome wasn't sure until the last 45 seconds of game. The team I was cheering for won...that's always makes a game more enjoyable too.

The rest of my week has been relatively busy (notice I did not say quiet). I got the Christmas decorations up from the basement and set up the tree. I also spent some time in my craft room, sorting and reorganizing. I sent a photo to my daughter saying, "I'm not allowed to buy any more yarn." I have a variety of yarns, with multiple skeins of each, as well as a container that has odds and ends of one or less skeins. It's going to take some time to use it all up.  

I did get a bag of scarves and mitts dropped off at a local charity. There are a half dozen or so scarves and a few toques and mitts ready to go but I'll take those over when I finish a few more. There was a quick trip to Value Village too where I found a jigsaw puzzle with a winter scene on it. AND I didn't buy any more yarn. :)

At stitch and chat I worked on the angels, finishing the third and starting the fourth. There were just two of us again this week. I'm guessing the one lady won't attend again until her friend returns from Arizona. I would like to see more people there but I know it isn't well attended. I'm thinking I might check out a couple other groups that meet on other days and maybe some of those participants would like to join us as well. I do enjoy the chats and it really helps me focus on my project - no distractions from the television or housework that I know needs doing at home.

When I left the stitch and chat, I stopped at the Superstore to pick up some items for Christmas baking. It's time to get going on some of the friend and family favorites.  First up is a Dundee cake and shortbread. The cake is for a friend K, with shortbread for her partner J. I know they're leaving mid-December on a trip so I want to get this to them to enjoy before they get away. The rest of the shortbread won't last until Christmas here as it is one of my son's favorites. 

I was able to watch some curling too, though I'd forgotten until later in the week. It isn't being televised, rather I have to remember to pull it up on the laptop. While watching a draw, I was able to finish the last of the angels, and continue working on a pair of mittens I'd started a week or so ago. The angels need halos - which weren't part of the pattern, the ends need to be weaved in, and hangers attached. I'll get those done this weekend and send them off to D in the mail soon.

Our weather turned on Friday, with temperatures above freezing. Sadly, the wind was a-blowing so it didn't seem all that nice outside. There was a fair amount of melting, which I appreciate. More snow is forecast for Sunday and Monday so I expect I'll be shovelling again in a couple of days. Sigh...

Time to post this and head for the kitchen. I think I'll bake sugar cookies today for decorating later, and maybe an almond biscotti. I know the kitchen floor needs scrubbing so I may as well make more of a mess now before I pull out the mop and pail. The semi-finals of the curling start at 11 a.m. so I'd best get busy.  Have a great week ahead everyone!

P.S. The photo from Wednesday was taken by my son when I was out of town. He heard them out his bedroom window and managed to sneak into the sunroom to get the photo. 

Staying warm while winter lingers

 Monday was a vacation for my son, so it was a quiet day. I puttered around the house, finishing painting in C's bedroom in the basement and got a few chores done in the afternoon. It warmed up enough in the sunroom that I was able to get out and sit with my tea and read. This latest book was "the last time i saw Paris", by Lynn Sheene. "May 1940. Fleeing a glamorous Manhattan life built on lies, Claire Harris arrives in Paris with a romantic vision of starting anew." Of course, this was the start of German invasion on France and things don't go as she had hoped. The story tells the tale of survival despite the odds. I very much enjoyed it.

I was able to finish the cotton bag I started last week while watching curling. It's about the size of a beach bag. There is enough yarn left over to make a few dishcloths as well -3 are complete with one more on the hook.

Tuesday was a very busy day. I started with my grocery shopping, and once home with those put away, I gathered up my laptop and headed for my niece and nephew's home across the city. Both needed to file their income tax returns and I offered to assist. After some false starts we had the program loaded and the returns completed. Both did very well, entering the information into the program with a few hints and suggestions (even I learned a couple of things) and then our visit turned to travel.  My niece L is heading to Europe in May with several friends. One of her classmates lives in Prague - which will their first stop. Then it is onto Berlin, Rome, Paris, and finally London. They'll only be there for two weeks so it is going to be a full and busy trip.

Since I had my laptop with me, I was able to pull up the photos I took in Paris on our TransAtlantic cruise in the spring of 2014. We only had a few hours in Paris; our ship had docked at Le Havre, and the bus ride was three hours each way, so I didn't see much but shared with her some of the highlights. It certainly brought back a lot of happy memories. 

From there I headed over to the salon to get a haircut. I haven't been since June 2020 so was due! The hairdresser took off about 2 inches and cleaned up the bangs that I've been trimming myself. She didn't even give me a hard time about how uneven the bangs were...though I would not have blamed her if she had. 

It started snowing about 4 p.m., but it didn't last long and melted on the pavement pretty quickly. When I drove past the pond where the geese and ducks congregate, I noticed it was frozen over again. Those poor birds. Speaking of birds, I had some unusual visitors to the back yard in the last week or so.

I was surprised to see the crow at the feeder. It was certainly enjoying the suet.

The second visitor(s) were a pair of magpies (second one was on a higher branch). I've seen them in the park before but never this close to the house.

When I went out to feed the birds on Wednesday morning, I startled a pair of Prairie chickens on the deck. They crowded themselves into a corner before they turned and flew up to the roof of the house. When I came in, I happened out the front window and spotted them again. This one was heading for the back yard again. I always put a bit of feed on the ground for them and I suspect they were heading for breakfast.

Later that morning I headed out to get some bird seed that I'd forgotten the day before. Then I headed over to Value Village to look for a sheet for my son's bed. I noticed the bottom sheet he had was looking worse for wear when he moved upstairs. I found a flat sheet, not fitted, that would work for just $6. At home I washed and dried it and remade the bed for him. It was a pretty quiet afternoon; I caught up on some PVR'd television while knitting, but roused myself enough to make a batch of banana bread. 

We had more snow, interspersed with rain on Thursday and Friday. I stuck close to home, did some knitting and caught up on PVR'd television programs with a few household chores thrown in for good measure. A fellow from the local utility company showed up both days to do some marking in the back yard. He informed me that Sask Power will be doing some trenching in the neighbourhood for new lines sometime next week. I hope they do a better job of filling in than the other utility companies did two years ago. I know I still have some work to do in the backyard after removing the shed but I don't want to have to do more work because of theirs. 

I did run out on Friday morning to Michaels. On FB, I belong to a crocheting group and someone posted yarn was on sale. Eli has basically grown out of the last heavier weight sweater that I made him. He was just two when I knit this one, and it was a size four. The newest one will be a size eight and hopefully will fit for a few years. It's a hoodie with a zipper and I've never put a zipper in a sweater so this will be a learning opportunity (and challenge) for me. This time I'm using a solid green - the last sweater I ought to have done a better job of matching the pattern in the yard. I realized that when I got to the sleeves.

Today I'm continuing the pattern of watching PVR'd television and knitting. It's a dreary day, overcast, cool, with light rain falling. It should hopefully melt the snow, at least until the snow starts falling again tonight. :( The forecast suggests warmer weather isn't in the forecast for another week.  I had planned to spend my days in the sunroom with Saku while the construction crew is here but I suspect we'll in my bedroom for the mornings. I haven't heard from Jason so assume they'll be here Monday morning. If there is enough sun in the morning, we should be able to move out to the sunroom later in the day.  

Have a good week ahead everyone! Stay warm and dry.