Our weather takes a turn and I head to the city

What a difference a few days make! The heat of the weekend cooled quickly and by this weekend, we're expecting temperatures overnight closer to freezing. It started raining on Wednesday and kept that up through Thursday.

I did get my bedding plants into the containers on Monday. D has had to shelter them in the front porch and shed as a result of the colder weather. I knew if I didn't plant them before leaving, there would be no planting for me as my son does not want any containers to worry about. Fair enough, it is his house and...he did leave me some weeding to do. :)

Eli had a dental appointment in the NTO on Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. We all left at the same time, around 7:30 that morning, going in different directions. The photo I posted on Wednesday was a little over a half hour from home, and Connie was the first on to be correct in suggesting it was bridge work underway. I had been talking (handsfree, of course) with my brother and had mentioned the long line of vehicles I kept meeting...very unusual for that highway. When I saw the construction, it all made sense as the construction crew had us down to one lane, each side taking turns. They didn't keep us long, just long enough for several vehicles to come through and then it was our turn.

Speaking of my brother, he was on his way to Saskatoon to visit our cousin B, who had a stroke several weeks ago. B spent 27 days in hospital and will be needing physical therapy for some time. Apparently, his right side is most affected, but he has returned to work, albeit with assistance. His son is working with him to do the physical labour and the driving, while his wife manages the retail store, and B spends his time talking to customers. They are hoping to sell the business soon, but it is a particular niche that I think will be difficult for someone else to take over. He and my brother had a good visit with another friend from our hometown.

D, Eli, and I had gone to a couple of garage sales on the weekend, and I had found a brand new wallet in purple, my favorite colour, for $5! I'd transferred everything over to the new wallet, and realized I had a number of gift cards to various retail outlets here in the city. So I decided that Wednesday, I'd go spend these, or at least some of them. As it turns out this was harder than I thought, as one of the businesses no longer exists, and two of the others had more money on the cards that I expected. What a problem to have, right?

My first stop was at Dutch growers, a local gift and garden center. I was looking for one item in particular, a new rain gauge as the one I had was somehow misplaced. It should have been in the shed but I couldn't find it. As I later told the cashier, the store intimidates me. It is built along the line of an Ikea where you are expected to follow the arrows as you make your way around the store. Do you want to know what happens if you back track? If you do, as I did, then someone comes out of nowhere to ask you what your are looking for. Seriously, I hadn't seen anyone that appeared to be working there, until I started walking against the arrows. In any event, she directed me to the rain gauges, though I didn't entirely follow her directions, stopping to take a photo just inside the greenhouse. It clearly wasn't real, but it was definitely a wow! After payment there was still a few dollars left on the card, and I still have another one to use.

My next stop was Chapters/Indigo, for which I had two gift cards. Like the garden center, these were Christmas gifts, most likely from my brother and his family, so clearly I've had them for awhile.  I found books for D, Eli, and I that I will pack in my carry-on for our flight to Halifax. I came nowhere close to spending what I had available, so have promised D a trip to the NTO Cole's bookstore, the next time we are there. 

Eli came home from school on Tuesday, with a spider plant for his mom for Mother's Day. (I didn't ask why it didn't come home last week). One of my gift cards was for Michaels, and I found a macrame hanger to hold it, high enough to keep it away from the cats. I was so pleased that my gift card matched it's price, until I got to the counter and learned it was on sale. So I still have a few dollars to spend there. Oh, and hooray for me, I did not buy any yarn...though I was tempted.

The next stop was M&M Meat Shops, which are now called M&M Food Market. That's how old the gift card was. It was a gift to my son from a co-worker, and he'd given it to me. I picked up his favorite beef burgers, and a Chicken Pad Thai casserole. That used up the card, and I paid another $10. We had the casserole for supper that evening, C didn't like it, I did, so the leftovers were my lunch for the next two days. 

My last stop was at Tim Hortons, where I did not use the gift card, but instead added another $50 to the card for our trip. It will come in handy at the airports, where I won't have to fumble with cash. I do use my debit card, but I can hand this to my daughter and ask her to place the order. Now, that's thinking ahead, right?

Before I headed home, I stopped at the mall and was able to get a walk-in haircut. She relieved me of more hair than I intended, but it will grow out quickly. No gift cards, but I did stop at the Dollar store for a basket for my bathroom items. That reminds me, have I mentioned that C's friend B will be moving into the house in the next month or so? She'll be moving into the basement, and I had mentioned moving my bed out of the bedroom and into the alcove. However, she and C have decided my bedroom will be the guest room (I may very well be the only guest). 

I've spent some time clearing out the bathroom of my items, and storing them in the closet. The basket I bought holds my shower items, as well as my toothbrush and toothpaste. I simply grab the basket on my way to the bathroom in the morning and tuck it back in the closet when I'm done. This clear out was a good thing, as I was able to donate a number of items, and toss some broken/empty items that were still sitting there. I also cleared off the bookshelves of my books and puzzles, and these went into the closet under the stairs in my room. 

Since it rained on Thursday, I used the time to do a good cleaning of the rest of the basement and stairs, vacuuming rugs, wiping down baseboards and shelves. A table that I used for puzzles was folded down and tucked away in the storage room off the furnace/equipment area. Saku's cat litter remains in the main room and will stay where it is until we take him home to town. B has five cats and plans to put the cat boxes (10 of the, I believe) in the former laundry room area. I can understand not wanting to keep that many boxes in the main room. 

Friday was quiet - I finished some additional cleaning in the basement, washed bath mats, re-installed some baseboard in the main room, and sorted through the last basket of stuff. In the basket I found a sweater I had started crocheting a few years ago. Better still, the pattern was with the start. However, I remember why I gave up, as the yarn is a dense yarn with black and white flecks, so I cannot "see" but have to feel for each stitch as I move along. I found another project as well, a lap blanket, that I started about the same time. Guess which one I've decided to finish first? If you guessed the latter, you'd be right. Will the sweater ever be finished? ...only time will tell.

The weather is not expected to improve much through the next few days. High temps of 12-13C/54-56F, and overnights will be cool, though slightly above freezing. I foresee spending mornings indoors, afternoons out in the garage or backyard (once it dries a bit), and evenings watching baseball and hockey. If the weather doesn't cooperate, I can always play around in Ancestry too.

Have a great week ahead everyone! I hope it's warmer wherever you are.

More fun in the sun

Goodness, I've been here for over two weeks already! The weather has been quite cool in the early morning, as low as 2C/36F one day, but generally around 6-7C/42-44F. Have I mentioned the furnace in this unit doesn't function? I do have two small electric heaters and when I wake up, I turn both on and climb back into bed for a bit. Usually I talk with my daughter, check the weather and the news before I get dressed for the day. A half hour usually is enough to warm it enough to be comfortable. 

I had planned to go to Art in the Park at the Gateway Park on Sunday but didn't realize the buses didn't run on Sundays. :( I almost wished I hadn't stayed home to watch curling on Saturday...almost. The entrance fee was a mere $1, with vendors and artists showcasing their work. I'm disappointed I missed it. On Monday, however, I planned to do nothing...and as I said to someone at Happy Hour, I think I got half of it done. 

L & S and I went out thrifting again on Tuesday (Senior's day). This time we went to Goodwill (I misspoke last post) and the Humane Society thrift store. I wanted a sweater for the cooler times of the day and lucked out. I found a pullover, as well as a pair of capris, and a new nightgown with pockets! At the Humane Society, I got a book and 1000 piece puzzle for just $1.50. I'll leave these latter items behind when I head home. 

L had suggested we go for lunch at the Black Bear Diner (Yuma Palms mall for any who are familiar). The food and the company was great! The portions were large and delicious. I had a crispy chicken wrap with a side salad, taking half the wrap home for dinner that evening. But S's Cobb salad was the star - it was so large that she ate about a 1/3 of it and took the rest home in two boxes for dinner for her and her husband. If you ever in Yuma, I highly recommend this restaurant. In addition to the great food, the prices were reasonable, and the service was good.

On Tuesday evening, I ran out outside to attempt to capture the full moon. It's definitely not a great photo!

I made up for a quiet Monday, when I did some shopping on Wednesday. First, I walked down to the water store to pick up a couple of one gallon jugs of drinking water. On my return, I washed the floors in the park model before walking to Walmart for some groceries. The backpack, I picked up in Bismarck in November, fits the water jugs perfectly. I had run out of some basics, milk, butter, and cheese and needed a few other items. Everything fit well in the bag and it makes it much easier to carry. It is a bit odd to get groceries in plastic bags, and lots of them, as the cashiers rarely put more than a few items in each. I'm using the bags as garbage bags - I may switch to self check-out to reduce the number of bags I use.

Wednesday afternoon was Canasta. Don't ask me how, but my partner and I won the game. It was a long game, nearly 90 minutes, partially because I don't understand the strategy and we likely could have won sooner, had I not messed up. I've learned that they are playing with a hybrid of rules, as each player brought something different to the game.

The Grand Slam of Curling event is being live streamed, as I discovered, so Thursday morning started off with a game while I enjoyed my breakfast. after that was over, I decided to try to find the canal walking paths , but was stymied to find a road closure that I wasn't certain I should go around. Apparently, I should have as that would have been the quickest route. In any event, I gave up and decided to treat myself to an iced coffee and a sausage McMuffin at McDonald's (another further 15 minute walk). 

My landlady, C, came over for a visit in the afternoon. Just to prove I'm multi-talented, I was able to chat with her, keep an eye on a curling game, and crochet. No, no I couldn't - as it turned out I'd made a mistake with the pattern. :) During dinner, I watched another match and started the dish cloth over again.

I glanced up at one point and saw this incredible sunset. It was cloudy for part of the day, and the colours were simply amazing.

Friday, the park's social club was holding their annual garage sale. I donated the dish cloths I'd made as I figure I'm benefiting from the activities provided while I'm here. Several of us met around 10 in the morning to organize the items for the sale. Ranging from furniture, to kitchen items, to blankets, sheets and pillow, to golf balls and golf clubs, a range of games and books, both men and women's clothing, and soooo much more. There is something for everyone (except small children).

The rest of the day was spent watching the Grand Slam of Curling, though I did take a break for Happy Hour. I'm working on the new puzzle as well, and started yet another dish cloth. Didn't like the pattern of the one I started the day prior. 

Today, I won't be attending the garage sale - I haven't room to bring things back. I'm told the early birds will start showing up about 7 a.m. (sale starts at 8). I'm hoping to avoid the traffic, and instead, I'll try fit in a walk between curling games, and enjoy the sunshine.

Have a great week ahead, everyone! 

A surprise addition, finishes, and a birthday

My son called me on Saturday evening, while I was in Bismarck. That may not sound unusual but he doesn't often call, so I knew something was up. It took a bit of conversation before he told me that since I'd been away (three days) he'd adopted a dog! He has been talking about it since he bought the house last year, and I had hoped he'd wait until the fence was re-built in the back yard this spring. When I arrived at the house on Sunday, and went upstairs, I met my "granddog" Sage.

She is a mixed breed (unknown), about a year old and was found as a stray. I would tell you, based on her behaviour, she was obviously living in a house at some point. Though she did have a couple of wetting accidents the first two days, it was more a result of us not recognizing the signs - she goes to the front door and sits. She has no problems holding it overnight and according to C, she prefers deeper snow to do her business on their walks.

Sage rarely barks, loves to play, and thinks she is a lap dog. At about 55 pounds, I'd tell you she's a bit big for that. Thus far, she has not met Saku (the cat), who is currently enjoying the peace and quiet of the basement. Saku seems only mildly interested when Sage is noisily playing upstairs. I sent a text to my son at work on Tuesday telling him I think he got himself an elephant! Once Sage is crate trained, Saku will be given the run of the house once more. C figures that will take a few weeks. I'm not entirely sure how Saku will react to the dog, but I suspect he'll avoid Sage as much as possible. I should mention, Sage was tested at the humane society and showed little to no aggression towards other dogs and cats.

Before I forget, the photo on Wednesday was the result of the trip to Bismarck. I dropped the stuff at the bottom of the stairs when I arrived home on Sunday. Tuesday, I re-packed the shopping into other bags and one box, leaving the suitcase and backpack in Regina. I'll be using those for my next trip in about 4 weeks.

I got away from the city just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday. It was a cold day (-18C/0F) with high winds around (50 kph/35 mph), and there was drifting snow. When the sun rose, there were sundogs too. 

Thankfully my drive is only about 90 minutes, so I was home by 9:30. D helped me unload the car, and unpack everything before she left for a meeting at the school. I was happy to stay indoors where it was warm and comfortable.

It warmed up slightly overnight so I headed out to do a bit of grocery shopping while D took Eli to school. He's only going half days this week as he's been having trouble regulating his emotions. The school district's psychologist spent time observing him earlier in the week, and with D's input, the school has come up with a plan to keep him safe in school and learning. She really does have a wonderful team and they acknowledge that Eli is very bright but struggles with the social aspects of the classroom.

Thursday was my daughter's 42nd 43rd birthday. She wanted only one thing - to go for dinner at a recently re-opened restaurant in town. We went early, about 4:30 p.m. as Eli had a planned activity in the evening at a local church. The restaurant serves Filipino and Canadian food; D and I shared a bowl of Bihon Guisado (vermicelli noodles, veg) with chicken and a plate of mixed spring rolls (veg and pork). The portions were large so we took half of the food home for another meal. Everything was so delicious! We'll definitely be back.

While on my trip I had crocheted a scarf, leaving the Christmas ornaments to be finished when I arrived home. It was nice to spend my afternoons watching curling and crocheting. I finished the two gnomes and moved onto the baubles for my brother and his wife. Another blogger had shared photos of her handmade ornaments a couple of weeks ago and this was just the idea I needed. I've got another pair of mitts on the needles, to match the scarf. I couldn't find a pattern of crocheted mitts that I liked, so these will be knitted.

Today, I'm planning to do a bit of Christmas baking, more knitting, and will watch the Canadian Seniors' Curling Championships. Our provincial men's team is into the playoffs; the provincial women's team missed the cut. D and Eli are planning to go skating at the old rink today. 

Sunday, it appears we have another snow storm heading our way with a possibility of 10-15 cms. (4-6 inches) of snow. That will be a stay indoors kind of day, except when we are out to clear the sidewalks and the parking spaces beside the garage. I'm actually quite happy to have a quiet ending to the week.

P.S. Saku and Sage met for the first time on Friday evening. Saku hissed and Sage was clearly afraid of the cat - C said it was funny to watch. He'll continue to keep them separated for the time being.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Time flies by

Another week has ticked by, and I'll be back to the city in just over two weeks. I've definitely gotten into a routine/rhythm here with Eli and his mom. She is always up early and I tend to follow here between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. After my first cup of tea and a bit of time on the computer, I get dressed, make my second cup of tea and head outdoors with Stanley, the cat. He gets tucked into the catio, while I sit in my chair to drink my tea - both of us listening to the birds around us. I'll putter around, watering containers, deadheading the lilies and other flowers, and picking lettuce or herbs. Often my brother will call while I'm outdoors and we'll chat for 15 or 20 minutes. After an hour, the cat and I will head back indoors where he goes for the first of his many daily naps, and I do a bit of housework before I head to my bedroom to watch television or read, knit or crochet, or update my spreadsheets or work on Ancestry. It's a wonderful way to start my day.

On Sunday, Eli and I went to the park so his mom could have an afternoon nap. The photos on Wednesday are his descent from the tree and the highest point he reached. He would have gone higher but G'ma was terrified he'd fall. There were only a few children at the park, all much younger than he, so we stayed for only 45 minutes. I pushed him on the swing, he ran through the spray pad, and slid backwards down the slide. Crazy kid.

Monday was his second to last day camp session. It was pajama day, and I assumed they'd stay indoors but that wasn't the case as they were out on the playground when his mom picked him up.  I stayed behind to do a bit of housework that is easier to do when they are out of the house, ran a couple of errands, and enjoyed the quiet. I spent most of the afternoon working on Ancestry, and was excited to find information on my maternal grandmother's youngest sister (she was 5 years younger than my mom), and her family. 

Tuesday was just a regular day with nothing to write about while Wednesday was Eli's last day camp session. I drove them as I wanted to pick up some inexpensive containers for overwintering the geraniums and ivies. There are lilies too growing into the lawn, so I want to dig those out and take them to the city for my son's yard. Shhh...don't tell him. I'm not supposed to plant anything there but it will help improve the appearance of the back yard and hopefully choke out some weeds!

My sweet peas have finally bloomed. They were supposed to be a mix of colours but for the most part are red and dark pink. Oh, they bring back lovely memories of my mom and her humongous gardens. She always had a row of sweet peas. I plan to put them in the ground earlier next year and hopefully have blooms by July.

This week I pulled the peas as they were dying back. I found a few pods of dried up peas. I've kept them and we'll try planting them next spring. I don't know if they will be viable but it is worth a try.

There is a story about these geraniums. D had attempted to over winter two plants from last year, along with a pair of ivies that I had brought from the old house. One of the geraniums died, and the second did well, until we planted it in the outdoor container this spring. It seemed to die back, I'm suspecting from shock, but we kept it because there was a bit of green. I bought the white geranium and added it to the same container. It took several weeks but the red ones have made a comeback! We're going to try to overwinter these again. 

Thursday was quiet, with D and Eli heading to the pool in the afternoon. I finished off the last of the mittens and got them in the mail on Friday. I've started working on a crocheted lapghan, but will pick up the knitting needles again, as I want to make more mittens for Eli's school. 

The smoke from the forest fires rolled in again, so outdoor time is limited. By the time I came indoors that morning, my throat was sore. When D and Eli decided to go to the pool that afternoon, I stayed behind at the house and took a short nap. The Riders played that evening, and I wanted to stay awake through the entire game - I only made it throught the 3rd quarter of the Thursday night game. :)

Another photo of the tiger lilies in the side yard. These plants get very little direct sun, so they are nearly 4 1/2 feet tall. The blooms are just incredible and this photo doesn't do them justice.

Today, I've nothing much on the agenda - more sitting in the back yard with the cat in the early morning. It should be cool enough to get some weeding done too. Baseball and football to watch, while I work on my crocheting. And, of course, having more time with my grandson. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Wreaking havoc

The photos of the three hares on Wednesday where taken from my front driveway, across the street to the neighbour's yard. He had a large spruce tree removed last year, and hasn't dealt with the lawn as yet. Kim, I haven't seen a hare roll in the dirt before either, and was lucky to be at the right place at the right time. Initially I was taking the photo because the one hare has still not turned entirely brown. In the last of the series, the neighbour had come out of the front door with his daughter (she's learning to drive). None of the hares bolted, but the one did pay attention. When I called across the street, "did you get some new pets", he responded, "did you want some". My answer was no thanks!

It's been a very busy week, starting with grocery shopping on Monday, several errands, including a visit to Value Village* on Tuesday, and some packing and clearing of spaces upstairs ahead of the contractors arriving Wednesday afternoon to start the demolition process. I also heard from the landscaper, and the quote was much less than I had thought it might be. I asked him to hold off until the flooring guys are finished. At the rate demolition has occurred, I thought perhaps they'd be finished by mid to end of next week.

And then, like most construction projects, things ground to a halt. The flooring, which was expected to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday, did not. It did come in on Friday, but the contractor advised he didn't have time to deliver that day, so I'm expecting it on Monday with work to begin again on Tuesday.  In the meantime, my living room looks like this:

The two spare bedrooms are also stripped, however my bedroom hasn't been touched. We decided it will be left until the flooring in one or both of the spare rooms is complete, then the furniture can be moved out to provide more space for the guys to work. 

They did, however, get the new baseboards installed in the front foyer, the kitchen, and the bathrooms. I've left the original vinyl - it's very good quality and as my mom would say, "hides the dirt". I'm sure the next owners will want to replace it at some point. I said to Carter, one of the workers - I have to leave something for them to do. :)

Saku and I spent Thursday in the sunroom, and with limited distractions, I finished the toddler sweater. I've also been working on the flower afghan and have half of it sewn together, and the edges completed on about half of the remaining flowers. At this rate, I might even finish it while the construction is on-going. The cat and I will spend mornings in the sunroom, and then afternoons in the craft room downstairs. We're expecting July temperatures next week, (28-29C/82-84F) each day. As it is constructed of metal and glass, the sunroom gets far too hot on those days to be tolerable in the afternoons.  

Friday, I vaccumed the entire main floor to get up bits and pieces of the leveling compound and dried pieces of drywall mud, as well as cat hair. I used my vacuum hose in the open cold air returns and found mounds of the latter. I told my son C, before the house is listed I'll have to have the ducts cleaned. It's been a couple of years so it's definitely time. 

We had a lovely rain on Friday; my gauge registered nearly a 1/2 inch. Yay, no watering required. My onion sets are up, as is the lettuce, and my tomatoes seem to have sprouted a couple more inches in the last week. The cucumber has several blooms on it but remains rather squat. I've pinched the bottom ones off of it, hoping to encourage it to stretch out to reach the trellis. The perennial is doing well too, with the hostas starting to emerge, and the plants already tall. My bleeding heart is blooming. The other annual containers look good too. I do love this time of year.

More rain is expected today, along with thunderstorms starting sometime this afternoon. In the meantime, it's relatively nice, 14C (57F) and overcast. Since I've little housework to do, I'm planning to head down to the pond for a walk. I drove past the other day and saw no baby geese. I do hope someone hasn't tampered with nests, as they have in the past. Other than that, I've nothing much planned for the next two days. There will be Blue Jays baseball to watch, along with some PVR'ed television. I'll continue to work on the afghan and likely start my cardigan. Pretty boring, but with the chaos of construction, I'm okay with that.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

*more yarn was purchased, enough for a crocheted cardigan! I paid less than $10 for the 12 skeins.

A lesson learned

As you saw, we had more snow this week. It was very pretty Monday morning when I went out to feed the birds (when I took the photo), but it's April! Time for the snow to take off, eh? It was cool for part of the week, but the warm'ish weather is supposed to arrive AND stay this weekend. I'll believe it when I see it.

I learned an expensive lesson this week with a traffic ticket. I haven't gotten a ticket in close to 40 years, and it was my fault. I failed to come to a complete stop before I made a right turn on a red light. I know I did slow down, as I drive a standard and had shifted down but I had to agree with the officer that I hadn't stopped. Knowing I deserved the ticket - he just happened to be there and immediately pulled me over - I was shocked when he told me the ticket was for $230! You can bet I'll be stopping at every red light and doing the count to three thing I learned in driver training, fifty years ago. In fact, later that day I did just that and the vehicle behind blared their horn at me for stopping that long. Hey, I don't want another ticket.

I was heading out to Costco to pick up some items for my daughter. They need police officers in the store to direct traffic. It was stupidly busy - my pet peeve is the folks who stop their carts adjacent to one another to chat so that no one else can get by them. Even with the conjection, I knew what I needed, and was in and out of the store in less than 30 minutes. I use the self-checkout because the line is almost always shorter and I have fewer items than most in the lines.

Wednesday was stitch and chat. We had a nice group, with a new member and a returning member. S is from India and is visiting her son here in the city for a few months. She was working on a crocheted blanket but was very interested in my flowers, so I helped her with the pattern - though I did tell I'd bring a written copy next week. Our other S, has returned from her winter in Arizona. Along with R, I, and myself, we all had a good afternoon visiting and working on our projects.

I was excited on Thursday afternoon to see the juncos are back! It means spring is definitely on its way. I like them too because they clean up the seeds the chickadees, sparrows, and finches drop from the feeder. My friendly Hungarian partridges also enjoy the overflow.

I captured a photo of the pair that seem to be spending a good deal in the back yard. They were huddled together (it was cold that day) and sitting in the sun.

No photo of the visitors, but it appears I have a pair of rabbits roaming through the yard too. This isn't the only evidence they leave behind. I did see one across the street, and it is mostly brown.

The curling has been very good this week, though our Canadian team had their ups and downs. They will be playing today in a must-win game. If they lose, they'll be going home. Last night's game against Niklas Edin was probably one of their best. Speaking of Niklas, he had a shot this week that has never been attempted in competition. I've linked the video here if you'd like to see it for yourself. While curlers do put rotation (in-turns or out-turns) on their rocks, this was a spinner that I don't believe anyone truly knew how it would react. There is already discssion that this may change the progression of the game. Already, one of our Canadian curlers, Mike McEwen has posted video of his attempt at the same shot...and he made it. However, Niklas did try the spinner again in the game against Canada last night and it didn't work as well as the team had hoped.

Beyond that, it's been a generally quiet week. Besides watching curling and baseball, I've been working on the flower afghan/blanket. I've pretty much run out of the yarn I've been using to create the flowers so now I'm putting the larger flowers together. I laid them out on my queen bed to get an idea of the size. It's not quite as big as I'd like but I'll put a row together this week of four or five of the flowers to get a measurement. I need to block the pieces first and that will take some time. 

I don't really celebrate Easter so we won't be having a big meal. The weather is supposed to really improve, so I plan to pull some burgers from the freezer and will use the grill for the first time this season. Today I'l make potato salad to go with the burgers. The only Easter bunny will be the rabbit that has been spotted across the street and it won't be bringing chocolate. 

Have a great weekend everyone. Enjoy your Easter, however you spend the time. 

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.

Nearing the end

There is a reason that weather is a constant topic in this province. We often use the old saying, "if you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes". I wish I could say the cold that blew in on Tuesday moved on that quickly but we were stuck with the wind through the following day as well. I have to tell you, waking up to -36C with a windchill of -48C does not make me happy. I've said it before, (and I'll likely say it again), I wish I could go back in time and tell my ancestors to re-think their choice of location to settle. Of course, I probably wouldn't be here if they had.

Knowing cold weather was heading our way, I went out on Monday, in the relatively warmer -20C (-4F) to get a few groceries, some cat food, and look for a few more Christmas gifts. I spent more on the groceries than I had planned, but I was able to take advantage of some "sale" prices so stocked up on ground pork, ground beef, frozen French fries and vegetables, as well as the always needed toilet paper. The cat's cupboard has at least three weeks of wet food too, though I went with a different brand than Saku is used too as the price on his Fancy Feast has increased again. Hopefully he doesn't turn his nose up at this brand or it will be more expensive in the long run. (A few days in and he seems to like it...of course, with a cat that can change as quickly as the weather.)

I found one item for a Christmas gift for my daughter,  but totally failed in finding Christmas pajamas for Eli. It has become a tradition that G'ma has new pj's for Christmas Eve. Speaking of Eli, he got to have a visit with Santa on Sunday at a local craft fair. I have my own thoughts on what the little stinker was thinking in this photo...and I think Santa needs to learn how to smile. 

With Wednesday's cold so brutal, I had a text from one of the stitching ladies saying she wouldn't be there that day. I thought that was a great idea, so I stayed home too and did a little more Christmas baking. Patty, it was my day for baking mishaps. I mixed together a batch of chocolate cookie dough to make sandwich cookies. The recipe called for two squares of chocolate - I thought that was too little so added four and it wasn't until they were baked that I realized the recipe was calling for 2 ounces of chocolate and not two squares of the baking chocolate. So my chocolate cookies came out a little pale - they taste fine, and they'll taste even better with the peppermint and crushed candy cane icing. The mishaps didn't end there: while the cookie dough was chilling in the fridge, I decided to make a pan of toffee squares (shortbread base, toffee center, chocolate coating). I had the shortbread base in the oven, when I went to open the sweetened condensed milk for the toffee when I realized the can had a bulge in it. I took it over the garbage can, popped the top and discovered it had spoiled. I quickly flipped through my recipes for a topping. Thankfully, the base hadn't fully cooked, so I was able to make butter tart squares. Not exactly what I'd planned but the squares turned out just fine in the end.

Other than another batch of shortbread and a pan of Rice Krispie squares, I'm finished with the baking. But I do need to set an afternoon aside to decorate the sugar cookies and finish the sandwich cookies. True story: Eli doesn't care for home baked cookies and cake. I say, I haven't met a kid who doesn't like Rice Krispie squares...and I plan to add M&M's to the mix. I guess we'll find out on Christmas Eve, whether I'm right.

On the knitting/crocheting front, I finished Eli's mitts on Sunday and packed the set (mitts and toque) and the angels for his teachers and mailed them off to D on Monday. I'd made the cups of cocoa ornaments to add to the gifts for my brother and SIL, and decided I needed to make something for the niece and nephew too. I found this cute pattern for snowmen, so made a pair for them. The pattern for the nose just didn't work for me, so I fiddled around and made something I could live with. I know the carrots aren't truly orange but I didn't have the proper colored yarn and used what I had. I should have used finer yarn for the mouth, but again, I used what I had. They're like anything else I make, I can always see the mistakes and think of ways how I ought to have done things after they're finished.

There is a scarf using some of the thrift store yarn on the needles, and I hope to get another bag of donations ready to drop off next week. AND Eli's sweater continues to languish in the basket waiting to be picked up again. I've put the two fronts and back on the needles so it's just a matter of finishing the bodice but for some reason I keep procrastinating. 

Curling started on Sunday, but I had difficulty streaming it on my laptop. I contacted the network and got a very unhelpful response. The days of telling me to clear my history, shut down the browser and re-open it, are long past. I'd already done everything before I reached out and I told them so in a reply. Funny, I didn't get any further response. The streaming got better as the week went along but I was very annoyed when the connection cut out at the end of a very exciting game and I missed the last two shots of the draw. (Okay, I get that exciting isn't what most people would call it). 

Then on Thursday, when the play-offs were starting at the Everest Canadian Seniors, the Grand Slam of Curling's Masters event was televised. So I switched to watching that, though I'll try to catch the finals of the Seniors today.

I did run out between draws on Thursday and managed to find pj's for Eli, a pair of slippers for my SIL, and a couple of small items for my adult children from Santa. So, with the exception of the gift cards for niece and nephew, I'm done shopping this year. Friday morning, I pulled out all the wrapping paper, bags and tags and got everything wrapped or tucked into the bags. Except for the Santa gifts (which are set aside in the craft room closet) everything is under or beside the tree. I've used more bags this year than ever before - it's far easier than wrapping and I'm lazy.

Well, not entirely, as I needed to shovel once again on Friday. There wasn't a whole lot of snow but the sidewalk needed clearing.  Our city has enacted a bylaw that requires city sidewalks be cleared without 48 hours of snowfall. I'm about 36 hours late but it was too darned cold earlier in the week. It annoys me the city rarely clears residential streets but has a much higher standard for residents. 

This weekend will be spent doing what I enjoy most. Watching curling, knitting, and doing little else. I'll catch up on housework next week. Oh and that ever changing weather. I woke to -14C (7F) and we're forecast to reach -9C (16F) this afternoon. As long as it's not windy, the temperature will feel almost balmy. :) 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

P.S. The neighbour's house just down the street is all lit up for Christmas.

Did I say quiet?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When life gets exciting - or not

While Halloween was a bit anti-climatic here, someone had a lot of fun! D sent this photo of Eli. The kids were able to wear costumes to school. She sent the little bags she'd made up as gifts for his classmates. Later that evening she and Eli made the rounds of four or five blocks close to their home. Of course, he made out like a bandit. At home they sorted the candy, and about half of it was donated. In years past, she's taken it to the Food Bank, but this year a family she knows had sick kids who weren't able to go out, so she dropped off the bag of candy with them. In exchange for the candy he gave up, he finds a new toy in his bucket the next morning. I'd never heard of this idea until she started doing it with Eli - it's called the Switch Witch. This year it was a pair of Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters dressed in Halloween garb, that she'd picked up last year on sale and stashed until now.

Tuesday was November 1st which meant it was time to pull the fridge and stove out to clean behind them. I try to do them at least twice a year, November and April - I can't say I do them more frequently than that. The area behind the fridge was pretty good, a bit of dried up cat kibble and some cat hair; standard in this house. The stove was a little worse for wear with more cat hair and a dead French fry or two, and of course spills down the side. I scrubbed the appliances and washed the floors before pushing them back in place for another 6 months or more. The kitchen floor was swept and scrubbed too. Since these tasks took less time than expected, I did some extra deep cleaning in the master bathroom. My ensuite has what my kids and I affectionally call the coffin shower. It's narrow and tiled floor to ceiling and while I clean it regularly, I find the floor tiles tend to get cloudy. So down on my hands and knees with a scrub brush and a Mr. Clean eraser I went, looking so much better when I finished.

On Wednesday morning, I watched Canada smash Japan in the first curling draw of the day before heading out to Staples to pick up a new ink cartridge for my printer. Backing up for a second, I'd forgotten my phone charger at D's and was using an older cable. It doesn't charge as quickly so I left the phone at home in the charger. When I drove to where the store used to be it wasn't there. It's obviously been awhile....I had to drive back home to check to see where they had moved. I ran that errand and came home, checked my phone and discovered a Public service alert, a text from my brother, and two missed calls from D.

Apparently, there had been a shooting in her small town; one man was dead and the two suspects were on the run. I tried calling D back and the calls were immediately dropped - so I sent her a message. She called me immediately and informed me it happened at a motel across town from her, the community had been asked to stay home and keep an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious. She had moved her car from the parking pad into the garage in case the suspects were looking for a car to steal. Eli was at school and they were basically on lockdown. By end of the school day, the suspects hadn't yet been located, but danger to the public was considered low as the police believed the shooting was targeted and not random. 

It seems that no place is immune from people who have no or little conscience. I doubt we'll ever know the motive (drug deal gone bad is the thought my brother and I share), but a family lost a member and another family will learn the pain of knowing one of their own took the life of another. Another no win situation.

I did get to stitch and chat that afternoon. There were three of us this week, S, D and I. S is leaving Monday for Arizona, and D wasn't certain she'd attend next week. S gave me the phone number of one of the other ladies who wasn't available this week - she had Covid last week and still isn't feeling well. If she isn't able to make it, neither D nor I will attend. I did tell D if she wants to meet, I can pick her up as she lives close by and I know she normally walks to the library unless it is cold.

Speaking of, we've got rain and snow to start this weekend. According to the forecast we could have as much as 30 cm. (almost 12 inches) of snow over the next week. Temperatures have been dropping and on Thursday we didn't even make it above freezing.  Winter is definitely here and likely to stay, though we can expect a few days of better weather before the end of the month. I've been feeding the birds regularly, and earlier this week I looked out to see them enjoying the bird bath. It had filled up with the snow, and it melted. Don't they look like they're having fun?

Those of you who remarked on the wordless Wednesday, it is indeed a Christmas critter. A Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer to be exact. 

I had time the play with the yarn while I watched the Pan Continental curling championships. Two Canadian teams, one men, one women, are in the event to secure our spot for the World events in 2023. The men didn't have to work too hard because their World curling event will be held in Canada so we have a guaranteed spot. No matter, they lost their first game to the U.S. team and then went on to win the remainder of their games. The women secured their berth early in the event is well with five wins in a row before losing to the U.S. team.

Both teams are in the play-offs this weekend, and I'll watch when I can. I've made plans to meet a friend on this afternoon to check out a craft sale, and catch up. It's been over a year since I met her for coffee so we're long overdue! After that, I plan to hunker down at home and avoid the bad weather as much as I can. There is a scarf on the knitting needles, and a mitten started too. Eli's sweater is still in the basket awaiting attention - in other words, between curling, football, and baseball, I have lots to keep me amused.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Short and sweet

This will be a short post as it was a very quiet first half of the week, and I'm off to visit my daughter and grandson for the weekend. It's also been very cool with temperatures near freezing most nights. I turned the furnace on for one cycle on this morning - it was a mere 18C/64F inside this morning. It strikes me that I'd be quite comfortable with that temperature outdoors but inside it feels very cool. 

Grocery shopping was accomplished on Monday and I met with the stitch and chat group on Wednesday. We were up to six of us, including P who joined last week. There were a variety of items being worked on, including counted cross stitch, knitting, crocheting and embroidery. This last project looked like a lot of fun. B brought it with her and she and S worked on it together. They were stitching French knots for eyes, and running stitch for mouths on felt teeth. A tooth is then blanket stitched onto a small pillow case with an opening at the top for the insertion of a lost tooth for the tooth fairy to retrieve. These are being made for a craft sale in the snowbird community in Arizona where they both have homes. At least two of the group will be heading south in a few weeks. 

I've been working on another scarf but took a short break from that to make my little goblin. (My son says it looks like a snowman dressed up for Halloween). I need to find a piece of black felt to make a little jack-o-lantern face for the little basket. It was a fun little project, but I always forget how much time it takes to put together all the small pieces. The crocheting itself is quick and generally easy.  I don't think I have enough white wool to make the little girl goblin (she has a pony tail with the bow). It definitely helped use up a bit of scrap yarn.

This morning I'm on a mission to find my mom's mitten pattern. I seem to have misplaced the physical book so I'll try to find the/a digital pattern. She had made notes in the margins that I found helpful so I'm annoyed with myself for losing it. I've been through the ottomans where I keep supplies and pattern books several times already so it's time to look for it on-line.

There is curling on the television too - an event being held in Fredericton, New Brunswick. There were sixteen women's and sixteen men's teams entered and it's a single knock-out event. In other words, if you lose a game, you're out of the tournament. As a result it's a short event and will be complete by Sunday afternoon. With three draws today I'll be doing house work and packing for my short trip in between games. I have a stack of paperwork for D, some items that were left behind when they were here last, a project or two to work on while I'm there, and of course, my clothes and personal items that need to be made ready. I'll also take my laptop so I'll be able to watch the curling. 

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll likely post again when I return from my visit. 

It was a good week - welcome to spring!

Back to regular programming. It has been an incredibly busy week and it seemed that Friday arrived before I even blinked. Before I get into the rest of the happenings, I'll mention that our Saskatchewan team came up one rock short and finished the Brier with a bronze medal, as they did last year.  They did us proud, and I know they'll be back to Brier again as they're still a young team.  The winner of the event was the Alberta team, skipped by Brendan Bottcher.  They've been the final four years in a row, and finally won the big game.  They'll be great ambassadors for Canada at the World's in a few weeks.

I finally Since there was no curling to watch, I got a bit of spring cleaning done.  It started with cabinets in the bathrooms.  Although I clean the rest of the bathrooms regularly the drawers and under the sink don't get cleared out very often.  My daughter called as I was doing the main bathroom - since some of the items were hers I was able to sort through and toss some old stuff.  I'm going to look for some peel and stick tiles as the linoleum that was put down 30 odd years ago when the house was built is beginning to pull up.  Note to self: Add to the to-do list.

In the kitchen I pulled out the fridge and stove to clean the sides and behind them.  Generally I do this job around November 1 and April 1, but I didn't think it got done in the fall, so was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.  Still picked up a small kitten of cat hair behind the fridge but none behind the stove.  The spills down the side of the stove were bad enough!  I'm not sure how that happens as the stove is a tight fit between the cupboards; I have to hold my mouth just right in order to put it back in place.  

On Tuesday morning, I'd cleared out the pantry shelves and two lazy Susans of the contents, cleaned the shelves and replaced everything back in order.  I did an inventory of the lazy Susans because things tend to get lost in there.  Only two items had fallen off.  To reach these I have to lay on the floor, put my head and upper body in the cupboard, and stretch out my arm in order to reach the back of the cupboard.  I hate cleaning those cupboards.

As you already know, Tuesday afternoon was spent in line-up waiting for my vaccine.  Other than a little tenderness on Wednesday I had no reaction at all.  I feel for those (thinking of you Connie) who have bad reactions.  I wonder if one vaccine is more likely to cause a reaction than another? 

I did get out walking twice this week, once on Monday and again on Wednesday.  I heard the geese fly over the house in the morning so had to check out the pond.  They're back!  We do have some geese that stay over winter as there is a bit of open water on the man made lake but I'm pretty certain these are returning from the south.

We had such beautiful weather much of the week.  The nights were cool, below freezing but the daytime temperatures were well above it most days.  Best of all we had lots of sunshine, which meant I could open up the sun room for the cats.  The rabbit seemed to be enjoying it too, as it gave itself a bath in the sun.

The creek, and of course the pond, are still frozen over but the snow is melting quickly.

I chuckled at these two napping on the ice.  Close to mirror images of each other.

The mixed doubles curling started on Thursday and will run through to next Thursday.  It's a much different game than the regular four person team curling.  For starters, there are rocks set up at the beginning of the end (not thrown) and each duo throws a total of five rocks.  The first and fifth rock are thrown by the woman, the rest by the man on the team.  Rocks cannot be taken out of play before the third rock of the ten is played, until that point, the rocks that are thrown will be a freeze or a draw.  It means a LOT of rocks are in play so there can be big scores.  Also, there are only 8 ends versus 10 in the men's and women's games.  I quite enjoy watching because the strategy is quite different and I appreciate the fast pace of the game.  This is also an Olympic sport (now) and Canada has to win their place in another event even though we won the gold medal in the last winter Olympics.

While I'm watching curling I worked on a couple of projects; a vest for myself and a cardigan for Eli. The vest I completed late on Friday.  It's made of a chunky yarn so far too warm to wear at the moment. I wanted something I could wear in the house when I feel a little chilled plus it helps use up some of the yarn stash I've built up over the last couple of years.  I still have some left that I can use to make a scarf.  The cardigan for Eli isn't moving as quickly, I should have the back finished today.  

Spring/summer came early on Friday when it reached a high of 19C (66F).  There were records broken all over the province.  It won't last but, boy oh boy, it was fantastic even for a single day. Unfortunately my backyard seems to be flooding again this year likely because the ground beneath is still frozen solid.  

This morning I had several visitors to the front yard. They all seemed happy to pose for a photo or two.  There were four in total - but I couldn't get a shot of all of them together.  

Note how much brown in showing on this one.  

This one is still pretty white, and also smaller than the other one.  It's nibbling on my spruce tree. I can't imagine it tastes that great.

More curling today and I need to run out to pick up some fresh vegetables and a few other items.  That sums up the day ahead for me.  

Take care everyone, have a great week ahead. Happy Spring!!