Keeping close to home

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a good week ahead everyone!

The rest of the week

Thanks for the comments on my last post.  Losing Jeff as quickly as we did was a huge shock but I realize that time will temper my feelings. C and I met for dinner on Friday; she and N were able to visit with him just hours before he passed away.  Hearing about their visit was somewhat comforting as he knew they were there.  His family was there too, he was not alone. 

The rest of the week has been rather slow. I did a bit of sorting in the store room downstairs and found a few more items that can be given away to family or donated.  One of the items is this coffee pot for larger gatherings.  It was my mom's* and I brought it home when we cleared out the house in 2007.  Dad had moved to the nursing home after mom's death, and we sold the house a year later.  I always thought I'd use it sometime, but it's been sitting gathering dust in the basement since then.  My brother may take it and add it to his collection. :)  

I also found three glass vases which I'll donate to Value Village or the Salvation Army thrift store.  I've started a pile in the living room of these items and plan to work my way through the rest of the house looking for other items to clear out.  

Since I was away last weekend, I was behind on several television programs I regularly watch. These were PVR'ed so I spent a good amount of time planted in front of the television with my knitting.  I'm close to finishing the baby blanket for my cousin's newest grandchild (due in April).  There is curling on again this weekend, both the women's provincials and the junior curling championships.  I've had one game streaming on the laptop while the other plays on the television since the times overlap.  This is a great time of year for me to get my projects done.

Our weather has improved quite nicely, with temperatures close to the freezing mark.  In the middle of January?  I'll take it!  I went out on Wednesday to the stitch and chat, there were only three of us there that day.  Two of the regulars are in Arizona, one had an MRI scheduled and a fourth was at bridge.  It was so noisy in the room, the fan set so high that it was difficult to hear one another.  We've asked if they can turn down the fan but apparently it has something with the work that's being done on the roof.  If it is that bad next week I'm going to ask if there is another room we could use that might be quieter. 

We had a power outage on Saturday for nearly 2 1/2 hours.  I was glad the outside temperature was decent as the house was just beginning to feel chilly when the power came back on.  The outage line indicated the crews had found ice build up on the transmission lines, which needed to be removed.  I'm not surprised as my evergreen in front was covered in frost on Friday. 

I did learn something this week too.  D called to say she'd left Eli in the living room while she watched television in her bedroom.  She came downstairs to find he'd gotten into her makeup bag and drawn on the wall with her mascara!  After a bit of research we learned that baby wipes will remove makeup from painted walls.  She happens to still have some wipes (as do I).  She also learned to put the make-up bag where the kid won't find it.  I learned that lesson years ago.  

Just heard the news that Kobe Bryant was killed this morning in a helicopter crash.  I'm not a basketball fan but do know who he is.  Sad news for his family, friends and former teammates.  

On that note, I'm off to watch more curling...about 7 hours of it.

*I recall mom had this coffee pot when I was teenager so it's probably 45 years old. Crazy!