The heat is on!

Someone must have left the furnace on outside...we reached highs of 27-30C/80-86F early in the week. The a/c in the unit does work, but I'd rather not use it unless I truly need too. As a result I've spent more time outside in the shade this week.

I spent Sunday afternoon (finally) cleaning up the outside living area. I started by removing the sheets off the couches and washing those, moved onto sweeping the tile floor and washing it, and then wiping down the furniture. After hanging the sheets on the line to dry, it was time to relax and read in the shade.

On Monday, I headed out early to pick up a couple of gallons of water; after dropping that off at the unit, I went in the other direction and treated myself to breakfast at McDonald's before stopping at the CVS. I had brought travel sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner with me, and I was running low. Back at the unit, I went out to sit in the sun to read. At least I read for part of the time, as there were lots of people walking past, and almost every one stopped for a quick chat. 

It wasn't long before the heat was ramped up and I moved into the shade in the outdoor living room. Lunch was eaten at the dining table, and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and chatting with a couple of visitors. Then it was off to Happy Hour to visit with more of the crew. I headed home shortly before six, made a bit of dinner and watched the sun drop in the sky. It really cools off nicely in the evenings, and with the screen door and the fan running, it felt quite comfortable inside the unit.

Tuesday morning's sunrise.

Three of us went thrifting on Tuesday, with a stop at two of the stores, and then to a grocery outlet, Green Trees. I came home with four more t-shirts. One is for my daughter, and one I bought for later in the week. The park fence needs painting/staining, and I had agreed to help out. At Green Trees, I picked up a small container of ice cream, a box of Rice-a-roni, a cup of mashed potatoes, and a couple of dish scrubbers. One of the other ladies mentioned she uses the potato flakes as a thickener for gravy and I think it would work well for thickening stir fry sauce. I'll give it a try, for certain.

That evening was the potluck supper, which was well attended. The food was varied and very good! There were various salads, spaghetti, chili, sweet and sour meatballs, green bean casserole, ham, chicken wings, Chinese fried rice, and so much more. For dessert, there were mini cupcakes, a cheesecake with cherry topping, Black Forest cake, sweet cornbread, and my brownies. Amazingly there wasn't a lot of food left after everyone had eaten.

I had vacuumed on Tuesday, but the floors needed washing too, so that was on my list for Wednesday. With the warm-up in the afternoons, I decided I'd do a bit of cooking in the morning including a sausage/rice casserole and some taco meat. While the casserole was baking, I had my breakfast and let the rest of the dishes soak. When the food was tucked away in the fridge, I washed the floors and went outside to read and enjoy the sunshine.

After lunch, eaten outdoors, I went to Canasta. We played three on three, and my team won both games! I think I'm finally figuring out the strategy, just don't ask me to count cards. They go so fast I haven't got a clue. :) By the time we finished the games, it was just fifteen minutes prior to Happy Hour. 

I stayed up late that evening, watching curling (Alberta men's) and hockey (Edmonton vs. Chicago) and it was near midnight before I fell asleep. My landlady had texted to ask if they could come by to wash the fence in preparation for painting at 8'ish the next morning. Imagine my chagrin when I woke up, hearing her voice outside, at 8:30 a.m.! 

The was a pancake breakfast (I hadn't planned to go) and once that was complete, the park got very busy as the volunteer painters started their work. I did not paint, but did assist the preparations for lunch for the workers in the clubhouse. Then it was back to my unit to clean up the patio, as the mud tracked from the fence area had dried up so I could sweep and mop.

By this point, the crews were ending their work for the day, as the temperature was rising quickly. I had my lunch, then spent the afternoon watching curling. The men's events are on for the Alberta and Manitoba provincials. I'm not as invested in these but will watch when I have time.

Friday morning, I joined a crew a few doors down and helped with the painting. One person was rolling paint on the fence boards, her husband was coming behind and brushing the paint to even it out, and I used a paint brush to reach the bottoms of the boards and in between the boards. They there longer than I was, but I put in over an hour before we finished our portion. Others were further down the park, and more still at the front end. There are few areas that haven't been done just yet, but the rest will have the second coats complete in the next few days.

We stopped for a water break in the shade and the two of them went back to work. I would have but there wasn't really much for me to do. Instead, I cleaned up and went to help with lunch...except that was pretty much ready to go too! These are a talented group of people and everyone pitches in, one way or another.

After lunch, another renter and I drove out to Imperial Date Gardens near Bard, California. We were both looking for fresh dates. I picked up a small container, while she bought a large box. I'll need to eat mine before I leave, she'll take hers back to B.C. later in March.

Today, I'm off early in the morning with one of the residents to go garage sale'ing. I have no intention of buying a garage...nor anything else for that matter, but it's very nice to see different area of Yuma.

I'll end this post with photos from my daughter of the aftermath of this week's snow fall.

The first is looking out the front door at the city sidewalk, and the second photo is out back, showing the snow that she's piled up from the driveway.

I almost feel sorry that I'm not there to help with the shovelling. Note I said, almost.

I must teach her to take her cellphone photos on landscape! 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

A little work, some rest, and friendly encounters

 How can it be that it is already mid-February? We're definitely on the downward slide towards spring. Winter, however, won't let go for awhile yet. We had a couple of really cold days this week, and more cold is expected by mid-week next week.

Certain days this week have been busy, others have not. I did absolutely nothing on Monday beyond putter on the computer, stitch and catch up on a few television programs. The following day was much busier (and colder!). Had I been paying attention, I likely would have done my grocery shopping on Monday, as Tuesday was windy and cold. But I wanted to go out anyway on Tuesday, as I had plans to meet a friend for lunch. She and I worked together, in fact did our training together (1997), though worked in different offices. We became good friends when the two locations were merged about five years before we retired. We had a lovely visit, catching up on kids, grandkids, and our activities. 

After our lunch I headed to C's apartment to help her with some paperwork related to her mom's estate. That was dealt with in short order, and we had a good visit. She's arranged for a storage unit, and will be moving items from her mom's condo this weekend. These are items she plans to sell at some point, but isn't ready to do so yet. Her oldest son, will be helping with the move.

Wednesday was stitch and chat - there were three of us again. I, R, and myself. We learned that R is 87, and I would tell you she seems much younger. She was telling us of the various activities she does: quilting group on one day of the week, knitting group on Tuesday at another library in the city, now the one we attend, and she's looking for more. She has been crocheting slippers for women's shelters and wants to do something different - she mentioned knitting toys for kids. I mentioned I'd made a duck for Eli one Easter, and a Rudolph reindeer for myself this past Christmas. She asked if I would mind sharing the patterns - since I got them from Pinterest, I e-mailed her the links when I got home. (She's replied and mentioned how excited she is to start a new project).

I finally got around to starting my decluttering on Thursday. Up first were the lower kitchen cabinets. I got my work-out for the day, crawling around on the floor, emptying the cabinets, vacuuming and wiping down the shelves and deciding what would stay and what would be donated or tossed. I've rearranged a few things as well - let's see if I remember where. Actually, it should be fine because like items are now stored together. (I do have far too many Christmas tins - I kept them for now.)

Friday was another quiet day - my son was home from work. He took the day off after two days of first aid training. Since he likes to sleep in, I tend to keep things quiet and enjoy my relaxation as well. I'll get up and feed Saku and then head back to bed for an hour or so. Later in the morning, I managed to get about half the upper cabinets cleaned and decluttered. I learned that I hadn't left room in the lowers for a couple of items, so did a bit more rearranging and everything fits! The biggest "mess" was the spice cupboard - I wish I had drawer space for them, but instead I have a narrow three shelf cabinet to the side and above the stove. The spices are now sorted by those used in regular meal cooking and those for baking, while bouillion and gelatin were tucked up on the third shelf in a small container as I use them less frequently. By this point I was done and decided the rest of the cabinets, including the pantry cabinet (five shelves) can wait until tomorrow or Sunday...or later in the week.

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts draw started Friday evening, at 8 p.m. Our Saskatchewan team lost, after one bad end when they gave up four points. They fought hard but the other team played too well for them to overcome the deficit. They weren't the feature game, that was between the young Alberta team and the current Canadian champions. At one point, mid-game, the Albertans lead 5-2, but the champs came back and won. There are two draws today, one at 3 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. 

Ancestry has kept me busy too - no really interesting stories in this last batch of relatives. My cross-stitching is nearing completion - though I have a lot of backstitching to do, and I've started the first sleeve of Eli's sweater. It would go must faster if I picked it up more frequently. 

I'll end with a few photos taken in the past day or so of the birds at the feeder in the back yard. The Hungarian partridges have been back too, but I haven't captured them as they are very skittish and fly off when I come close to the sun room windows.

There are three grackles hanging aound. They tend to bully the smaller birds, so I when I notice them, I tend to chase them off.

There are a bazillion (that's my official count and I'm sticking to it), of these sparrows.

The purple finch is back too - I haven't seen them in months. 

You'll notice that we're gray and overcast here. That's the part of winter I dislike the most. Hopefully the sun will re-appear as it gets colder next week. 

Have a good week ahead everyone!

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!

Gratitude, cleaning and catching up

First, I must thank you all for your kind words of support and condolences on Sasha's passing.  It seems that most of us have lost a fur baby at some time or another and understand how painful it is to lose a special member of the family.  I've received a card from the vet clinic with some paw-prints they made for me.  At some point, I'll frame a photo of Sasha to include at least one of those prints.

After a quiet weekend, watching curling, catching up with television programs (I'm not done with these yet), and adjusting to the new normal without Sasha,  I needed to get moving on Monday.  The grocery shopping was taken care of and I stopped by the dollar stores to pick up a few more craft items in the morning. (I've told myself I'm done for this year.  There are enough projects to work on to keep me busy for a long time yet. Ha, we'll see how long that lasts!)  I spent the afternoon cleaning bathrooms and catching up on more television.

This week I finished another scarf and have pair of mittens almost complete for Eli. I need to pick the next skeins of yarn for another scarf to crochet when I need a break from knitting.  My right index finger gives me grief when I always knitting.

In the craft room I finished this glass snowman.  I've been picking up the pieces over the last few weeks.  One of the bowls came from the dollar store but the other two I found a Value Village along with the snowman and rocking horse.  Silly me, I didn't dry fit the pieces together so the middle one had to be placed upside down because the rocking horse was too high. As a result the middle bowl doesn't have the fake snow and another ornament.  I've used a piece of ribbon for the scarf but may knit something up at some point.  The little toque came off a plastic dollar store ornament.  This will be a piece that sits in the kitchen window so little fingers won't be able to reach it. Or I may literally be picking up the pieces again.

I spent a little time with this small crochet project.  I spotted the pattern for the peppermint candy coasters on Pinterest and couldn't resist.  A very easy project and it used up some yarn. 

However, housework was top of the agenda for a good part of the week.  I brought the stepladder in from the garage and cleaned off the top of kitchen cabinets.  Another blogger had shared her use of newsprint to cover the top of the cabinets to trap the dust (and in my case, cat hair). It definitely works but I learned I'll need to replace the paper more frequently.  The paper felt gritty and the cat hair flew.  While I was up and down the ladder I cleaned the blades of the ceiling fan as well.  Another spot I need to clean more often. Then I noticed that there were several grease spots on the ceiling stippling above the stove.  Out came the cleaning supplies and I took care of those as well.  It must have been a hot pan to splash that high.

I think I picked up a couple of small kittens in cat hair vacuuming the basement and upstairs.  I guess I'll see in a week whether one cat loses as much fur as two did. When I was cleaning the cat litter on Wednesday morning I realized it has been 21 years since there has only been one cat using the boxes.  Sasha joined us in July and Silver in October, 2000.  I won't go into detail as to the difference in output from then until now. :p

I've started another clearing out of cabinets and cupboards where things hide and get forgotten.  There is box to be delivered to the thrift store, but I'm going to wait until I've sorted through more of the craft room.  There are items in there too, that I won't use in my lifetime so it will be better to let it go for someone else to put to use than store it indefinitely.

The snow started falling on Wednesday evening.  It continued to snow on Thursday, Remembrance Day.  My son was off work, so it was quiet day.  He slept, I caught up on more television and watched curling.  I didn't (bother to) get out to shovel until Friday morning. The driveway had a layer of ice crystals under the snow that I hope will disappear in a few days as we are forecast for a few days of above freezing temperatures this week.  And more snow to follow.  I suspect winter is here to stay.

Every morning, when I talk with my daughter, she always asks me what my plans are for the day.  My answer is always the same, other than watching curling at some point, I'll just putter.  Some things will get done and others will get put off to another day. I need to pack away the fall decor and start pulling out things for Christmas.  D and Eli are putting up their tree today, but I'll likely wait until later in the week. Somehow when the snow falls, I feel the need to add sparkly things to my home.

Have a good week ahead everyone, take care and stay well!

Warming up to January

I started the week off with more shovelling, as we'd had snow over the day on Sunday (after I'd been out to shovel).  There wasn't a lot of snow out there but with the vehicle traffic pulling into my driveway to turn around there was some snow pack that I wanted to chip away at.  It was chilly out there -14C (7F) but I was well bundled and warmed up even more as I worked. 

Tuesday we had more snow...sigh I'm so over winter already and it will be months yet before this white turning gray stuff disappears.  I didn't bother to shovel in the morning because we'd had less than a centimeter.  I had errands to run, a parcel to mail off to D, groceries to pick-up at Safeway and Walmart, cat litter at Pet Valu and an order for a new microwave bulb at Canadian Tire.  I'd also ordered new Rubbermaid tubs at CT but they cancelled that part of my order, so I ended up having to turn around and go back to Walmart to get them. It meant going into the store, and though they are supposed to be limited to 25% capacity the parking lot and store were very busy.  I kept my visit short!

Back at home, I was putting away groceries when I looked out to the back yard.  I had a visitor to the bird feeder, and thought I went into the sun room and tapped on the window, it wasn't paying me any mind.  I'm pretty sure the birds got their fair share before it arrived.

I fill the feeder every morning, both inside where the squirrel is feeding from, and I put a pile on top of the feeder. The birds clean the stuff off the top very quickly!

I was kept busy, sort of, with housework.  But I did head outdoors just after lunch to shovel the driveway...again.  The snow that feel on Tuesday blew around and had drifted across the driveway, and the path out to the back yard also needed clearing.  

Once my chores were complete (or at least postponed until Thursday), I settled in on the couch to knit and to watch a few episodes of Animal Cops and North Woods Law, on a channel I'm getting in free preview. I worked on my 9th scarf with just one more ball of yarn to wrap up this project.  I need to weave in the ends and wash the scarves; once those tasks are completed, I'll deliver them downtown. 

Whoohoo, no shovelling was necessary on Thursday.  I was out early to take the garbage bin out to the street and feed the birds, and although it was cold -17C (1F), there was absolutely no wind.  I briefly considered going for a walk, but the sun wasn't yet up and it was cloudy so I wimped out and went back indoors.

More housework was completed, I tackled the fridge and got it cleaned out, scrubbed and reorganized.  I make a drive over to the local Michael's store to pick up an on-line order.  Glancing over at the Walmart I could see the parking lot was packed...glad I didn't need anything!

The rest of the day involved knitting, a bit of crocheting, lots of junior hockey (Go Canada go!), and simply relaxing.  AND wonder of all wonders, I managed to stay awake until midnight.  2020 is well and gone.  I don't think any of us will miss it. While only the date has changed I know I feel a sense of relief.

New Year's Day, Sasha had me up early to get breakfast for the cats, and I stayed awake long enough to chat with D at 7:30. Then I rolled over in the bed and slept until after 10, when Eli called to video chat. The rest of the day was quiet, with football, crocheting and knitting. 

Saturday was anything but quiet, I had hauled the bins and boxes into the living room the night before, and it was time to undecorate Christmas.  I did leave out a few items, the snowmen and clear snow flake ornaments have been allowed to hang out.  Otherwise the living room looks barren. 

Once that chore was complete, I decided to test out my ice grippers and go out for a walk. I probably didn't need the grippers except when walking across the street of our crescent, it's sheer ice under the snow.

Although I've been walking indoors most days, I definitely noticed the difference walking in boots in the snow and I sure felt it too!  There a few people out walking, a couple cross country skiing, and evidence of many dogs.  I'll leave that to your imagination.

I did find a few rabbits too.

I laughed at the bunnies in the raised garden bed.  I wonder if there are some plants to nibble on? 

They blend in pretty well in the snow but their ears give them away. 

Over at the pond, the ice has been cleared for a hockey and skating rink.  No one was out this morning, but the temperatures were above freezing this afternoon so I suspect it was in use then.  

Back at home, I set a batch of dough to rise, before sitting down to watch hockey.  Four games today! There was an upset in the first game but the next too have gone as expected.  Our Canadian team is on the ice now and leading 2-0.  I'm certain they'll be in the semi-finals on Monday.

Later, when the buns were in the oven, I started a batch of chili for dinner. I worked on a jigsaw puzzle between periods, and worked on my final scarf when the games were on.  My Fitbit tells me I walked over 8 kms (5 miles) today. I'm pretty sure I'll sleep well tonight.

We're forecast for another warm day tomorrow with a high of 5C (41F). There was melting today, so tomorrow I'll head out with the ice chipper to make sure the driveway and front walks are clear since it's below freezing tonight. Most of my neighbours were doing that today...I was busy.

Take care everyone, stay well, and have a good week.

The rest of the week

 Things got a whole lot quieter around here after D and Eli left for home on Wednesday.  C had helped clear up the toys so there wasn't a lot to do as far as tidying.  Instead I focused on cleaning: bathrooms were scrubbed down, the kitchen counters were cleared and the floor washed, the front hall rug was lifted, the floor under it swept and washed, and today's chores will include vacuuming both my bedroom and the living room.

I finished watching The Queen's Gambit and an animated The Grinch on Netflix.  If you have an opportunity to watch the first, it is a very interesting story of a young girl who arrives at an orphanage as a young girl.  We'd started watching the second program when I was at D's in early December, and watched a bit more when they were here so I finished it on my own.  It was fun!  Last night I watched a documentary on the disappearance of Shanaan Watts and her children.  I recall the story from the news; the documentary was a compilation of police cam videos, interviews, text messages, and videos from Shanaan's Facebook page. Sadly, her husband Chris Watts wanted a new life and there was no place for her or their children.  It was a sad story, but I found it interesting how the police worked the case.

While watching television, I've been knitting and crocheting. I've finished three scarves, with a fourth near completion.  It's a great way to use up scrap yarn and I enjoy using different pattern.  By the way, the photo is upside down and my photo editor would not allow me to rotate it properly.  Weird!  (By the way, Olga, you were correct about the toques, one was inside out. Sometimes I'm not the brightest bulb.)

Speaking of bulbs, my oven light has burned out.  I had to Google how to replace the bulb, but the cover has been on there so long it won't easily turn.  A job for my son to do. Hopefully he'll be able to wrestle it off. If not, I'll have to learn to live without the light until I decide to replace the entire stove...not for a while yet.  Since I was in the oven anyway, it seemed a good time to give it a clean so I've been letting the baking soda and vinegar work away at it while I write this post.  A little scraper (for use on a glass top stove) and some elbow grease and the latest spills will be cleaned up.

Earlier this week, I received some information on my maternal grandmother's side of the family from my cousin Ken.  He's sparked enough of an interest in me that I've decided to join Ancestry, at least for six months to complete some research of my own. In the materials he sent me was this photo.

William John and Mary are my great great grandparents, my great grandfather, William Francis, is pictured to the furthest right of the back row. I never knew him as he passed long before I was born but my first name is Frances, as I was named after my grandmother Mary Frances. Obviously she was named after her grandmother too. 

Nan (as we called her) had at least eleven siblings, and I'd only met two of them.  Her family were Latter Day Saints and I'm particularly interested in determining whether they lived in the United States at some point.  My limited research thus far, has not revealed any clues to how they came to this faith.  I have been able to trace back to 1775 to my sixth great grandfather but beyond his birth in Ireland, there is no additional information.  I certainly hope someday to make the trip to Ireland to look into the Jordan family history as well as my father's family.  

Well, I'm sure that was of little interest to my readers (as was most of this post) so I'll end this with one final response to a comment.  John, you're absolutely correct there were a lot of presents under the tree - most of which were for Eli.  In fact, my daughter and I had words over it, as I think she over did her gifts for him.  When you add in my gifts (two), Santa's gift (underwear), Uncle C's gift, G'ma D's gift, and her friend M's two gifts, I think he was feeling a little overwhelmed.  He just quit opening them and played with what he had.

Take care everyone, stay well and however you choose to celebrate (or not) have a Merry Christmas!

The countdown continues - 13 days to go

The weather was perfect for my drive to and from my daughter's home.  Just below freezing, the highways were clear of snow and there were periods of sunshine.  I thought about stopping to take a few photos but, to be honest, there isn't much to see besides fields, some trees, and a few small communities.  I noticed that the house I took photos of last summer has now lost its front wall entirely.  I guess the owners are simply allowing it to disintegrate naturally.

Visiting with Eli and D was good, although she's having a bit of time with it being winter.  She's definitely not a fan of cold weather and it affects her mood.  I think turning 39 was a bit of a downer too. She ran out on Saturday morning to do a bit of shopping by herself, while Eli and I tidied up the upstairs.  I vacuumed her bedroom, cleaned the bathroom, and together we picked up his toys in his room so I could vacuum that as well.  

I did convince her to go with us to the park on Saturday afternoon it had warmed up some - Eli and I had fun! He does enjoy the slide, the swing, and just running about.

That evening we ordered in Chinese food from a local restaurant.  It was an order for two - it could have fed four easily I'm sure.  D was able to stretch the fried rice the next day by adding some additional vegetables and some leftover chicken she had.  Eli decided he particularly enjoyed the "pink" sauce (cherry) and we caught him putting his fingers in the container and licking it off.  Stinker!

Eli and I played hide and seek a couple of times during the visit too.  He makes me laugh because he always hides in the bathtub.  There are two, one upstairs, one down.  If I don't find him quickly enough, think nanoseconds, he starts hollering "G'ma where are you?"  When it is my turn to hide, he'll give me those same nanoseconds, before he's coming to look.  I'm sure he'll get better at it the older he gets but for now, it's pretty funny. 

Before I left on Sunday, Eli and I went outside to play in the yard.  We found a big piece of ice that had developed from the vent in the bathroom.  He wanted so badly to bring it into the house but I convinced him it would be happier outside.  We did shatter it into some pieces and his mom was okay with us bringing in a small piece or two to show him how it would melt.  We cuddled on the couch (all three of us) and watched a bit of the animated Grinch movie before I left for home. We'll watch the rest when they come here for Christmas.  When I arrived home that afternoon, I was ready for a short nap, maybe 20 minutes or so.  

I brought home D's gifts to Eli - she's spoiling him rotten - those got wrapped and tucked away on Monday.  I did some vacuuming upstairs and used the Green machine to spot clean the living room furniture. I also put together this sign for my front hall. 

The frame was one I had tucked away after the glass was broken.  I used a sheet of scrapbook paper as the focal point, but it was a bit smaller than the inside of the frame and it was too thin to fit nicely. I had some foam board that I'd used for a cross stitching backer last year and had enough to make a piece to fit in the frame.  The edges of the board needed to be covered though and I used a partial sheet of scrapbook paper to do that. It's the thin red line (it's actually plaid) that you can see around the Holly & Jolly.  To dress it up a little bit more, I added the bow, greens and berries.  

I did a grocery run on Tuesday, mostly items for Christmas and a few things that we were low on.  I did a pick up at Walmart, and again, though I'd indicated I'd bring my own bags I ended up with several more plastic bags.  Just for fun I looked up the instructions to make a rug - this one a braided rug - I just need another 100 bags or so.  

Our Co-op store had sale on meat, and I was able to pick up ground pork for $2.99/lb, as well as sausages  and pork chops on sale.  The family pack of ground pork was split in five portions; I made taco meat with one portion and the rest went in the freezer.

I picked up C's gift to his sister for Christmas, a new charger for her I-phone, and stopped in at Staples for a black ink cartridge for my printer.  Apparently ink cartridges are in short supply.  There were none at the store nearby so I ended driving to the other store in the north end of the city to get what I needed.  What a ridiculous price these are - I paid more than half what I paid for the printer in the first place!  But it was needed as I have some printing to do.

Wednesday was a housework day, all the boring stuff like laundry, more vacuuming (basement), washing floors, and dusting.  In the evening, finished off a toque for D and started one for myself. 

I finished mine on Thursday morning - that's it on the left.  Both of these were made using the same pattern, hers with a slightly larger hook  (which Eli misplaced when I was at their house) and 9 more stitches.  I did modify hers to enlarge it so that it will fit over the bun she wears in her hair all the time. I got that far before I left on Sunday.  For some reason, unknown to me, the stitch pattern is different with mine looking almost vertical and hers horizontal.  I've started a third toque for Eli, modifying it again with fewer stitches and a size smaller crochet hook.  

I had to run to the grocery store on Thursday, to pick up some fresh vegetables and milk that I hadn't thought to put on the order earlier in the week.  I also mailed off a few Christmas cards.  Once at home I finished my toque, finished Eli's mitts and started on his toque.  It's such an easy pattern, just a circle of single crochets really, that I finished it early Friday monring.

What to do next? I have to keep my hands busy, right?  I have small amounts of the yarn I used for Eli's sweater, toque and mitts, so I started a scarf. This won't be for him, but rather for donation.  Another blogger, Jackie recently mentioned she had made several scarves this year and delivered them in secret to a local care home. I've decided to follow her lead and use up some of the leftover bits of yarn I have to make a few scarves between now and Christmas.  I'll deliver them after Christmas to a local charity that assists the homeless.  Thanks for the inspiration Jackie!

I did put down my needles/crochet hook on Friday to do a little more crafting.  I'd purchased these signs at the local dollar store (so in Canadian money that $1.25). I wanted the frames that the paper covered up.  The paper came off easily but the staples that held the paper and twine hanger were a little more stubborn, but I got it done.

I used some wood stain to finish the frames, and painted some small boards, I'd picked up on clearance at Walmart several weeks ago, white.  In the end I wasn't happy with the way these looked so I ended up adding scrapbook paper for the background.  The ornaments were also dollar store purchases, and I used a couple of small wooden blocks to raise them off the surface for a 3-D effect.

They are now hanging on the wall behind the television in the living room.  I'm pleased with the results but if I were to make them again (and I might), I'd use a flat canvas for the backing and glue the paper to it first before affixing the backing to the frame.  Live and learn.  

Today I slept later than normal, with my alarm clock cat Sasha yelling in my face at 7:15 a.m. After feeding them, I went back to bed and talked to my daughter on the phone for a half hour or so before starting my day.  There are two pans of buns rising on top of the stove, while a pot of chili is working away in the slow cooker.  I plan to watch some football, some PVR'ed programs, and knit for a good part of the rest of the day.  

One last thing before I sign off for the week.  The header above was taken one evening earlier this week.  My brother and I were on the phone when he said, you have to go outside and see the sunset.  We hung up, I grabbed the camera, and went to the end of the driveway. He was right!

Take care everyone, stay well and have a good week ahead.

Plodding along

I'm almost back to normal after this cold, but of course, now my son is feeling under the weather. By mid-week he was experiencing significant pain on the side of his face when he sat for more than an hour or lay down.  As a result he wasn't getting much sleep.  He was able to arrange an appointment on Thursday afternoon to see a doctor.  After a cursory examination the doctor suggested he has an infection but not an ear infection and he was given antibiotics.  He did get some sleep that night and was feeling some better on Friday morning, not well enough to go to work though.  He has next week off, so will have the time to recover.

C had slept through Thanksgiving dinner on Monday and through the entire night.  He's not a big fan of leftovers so I ate pork roast, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy for a few meals.  But even I couldn't finish the entire roast so I've frozen it and plan to repurpose it into a casserole or something for later. Any ideas?

I spent much of Thanksgiving Day indulging in things that I enjoy. Live curling events were available on both Youtube and Facebook, so I watched four games in total.  There would have been at least one more had the Alberta team (Koe) won their quarter final game as they are providing the live stream of all of their games.  The other three games were out of Ontario, semi-finals and finals for the men's teams and the women's final. Neither of the teams I had anticipated would win did...shows you how much I know.  The Ontario rules required the players to wear masks on ice.  If you're not familiar with the game, a player throws a rock, another player (or two) sweeps that rock while the skip calls out directions.  It is a physically demanding game, even if my description doesn't do it justice...maybe google it if you're interested.  The announcer mentioned that the players are getting accustomed to it, and one suggestion was to have one or more extra masks available.  Apparently it is the moisture that accumulates that makes it feel like it is difficult to breath at times.  Good tip for anyone who has to wear one for an extended period of time.  

While watching the curling and later in the evening, I continued knitting Eli's toque and did a bit of cross-stitching.  I actually frogged back the toque one more time (on Saturday) and I'm finally happy with the way it is working out.  I'm sure I'll have it ready to wear by the time I head out there this weekend.  I'm planning to take his sweater with me too, it still needs to be sewn together, a collar and buttons added but that will give me a project to work on while I'm there.

Tuesday finally brought back a more normal level of energy.  I stripped the bed, gathered up the towels from the bathrooms, grabbed the laundry basket and four loads later I had everything washed, dried and put away.  While the machines were doing their work, I set to tidying up the house.  When I'm not feeling well, a lot of stuff tends to get set down and not put in their proper place.  Just clearing off the surfaces and giving them a wipe down makes such a difference!

I had time between loads to get out for a walk.  It was a cool morning, just 6C (43F) with a cool breeze.  I fought the wind on my way out and when I turned to come home it felt good to have it at my back.  There were no ducks remaining at the creek, no cormorants at the pond, but still lots of geese.  I stopped at one point to suggest they might want to start heading south because there is cold weather coming this week, with precipitation that might turn into that dreaded four letter word.  They didn't listen.

My energy level continued through Wednesday; I got the entire house vacuumed and went for a walk.  It was quite cold, 2C (36F) but with the windchill feeling more like -4C (25F).  I came home rosy cheeked but had bundled up with a toque, gloves and a warm jacket. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.

Thursday morning, I baked some buns and made chili for dinner. I'm a wimp and it was far too cold to go walking early in the day. It hadn't warmed up much in the afternoon either, so I did my walk in the basement while listening to a podcast.  You won't be seeing any photos because there is nothing interesting down there. :) The cold weather is definitely here!  I just hope it doesn't stay, and we get a few more days of warmer weather.  I noticed, even at nearly 11 a.m. the frost on the neighbour's roof hadn't yet burned off.  Later in the day I even saw a few of the white flakes floating through the air out the front window.  I'm so not ready for that!

I'm planning to head out to visit Eli and D tomorrow for a couple of days, so will wrap this post up today.  We had a heavy frost last night, temperatures dropped to -10C (14F).  I went out to feed the birds after breakfast - there wasn't a speck of seeds left in the feeder.   A little later I drove over to Kal Tire to have my tires re-torqued, stopped to get gas at Co-op and then picked up a few groceries at Safeway.  That's my "outing" for the week!  

Just one photo this week. D sent the picture to me yesterday.  Eli's first pre-K craft!  I particularly love the placement of the one eye. :)

Have a great weekend everyone, take care and stay well.

A mostly relaxing week

My week started out with a visit from my favorite (and only) grandson.  D and Eli drove in on Sunday and headed back home Monday afternoon.  She had a doctor's appointment planned and as it turned out this little guy needed to see the doctor too.  He had gotten a bug bite sometime on the weekend and it had gotten infected. I suspect a little boy might have scratched it with dirty fingers.  D called the 811 health line for assistance but they didn't feel he needed to see the doctor; G'ma did not agree because his arm was swollen, hot to the touch and quite red.  D was able to get an appointment for him on Monday morning, and we used anti-allergy meds and Polysporin ahead of the visit.  The doctor provided a prescription for antibiotics and it has cleared up nicely.

Apparently it didn't hurt, or at least it didn't slow Eli down any.  We spent some time at the nearby park, walked down to the pond to see the geese and ducks, he played in the yard, drove the G'ma car to Tim Hortons, hung out in the basement with Uncle C, and gave Sasha gentle hugs.  He found my level with a laser light and he and Saku played chase the dot.  Maybe someday Saku will learn to tolerate the kid.

After they left for home on Monday, I puttered around and did a bit of tidying.  D called when they got home; they had followed a storm on their drive and it had hit their town quite hard.  There were tree branches down all over, a large one in front of her house and another one in front of the neighbour's.  But her friend F fared worse, as a tree had toppled and landed on the roof of their home.  The power lines were affected too, so they were without power for several hours.  I'm grateful there wasn't any more damage but it was bad enough.

Tuesday I wanted to get my housework out of the way in the morning so I could spend some time outside in the afternoon.  The darn phone just wouldn't stop ringing so eventually I started ignoring it.  I missed a call from my friend S but I'll catch up with her later.  She is visiting with her daughter and new grandbaby, a sweet little girl, and calls when everyone else is napping.  

I still managed to take care of most everything I wanted to get done, three loads of laundry, bathrooms, cat litter, and washing floors by shortly after 1 p.m. I stopped then to have a bite to eat, before heading out to the backyard.  I mowed and did some weeding before sitting with my book and my water for an hour or so.  I got a treat when C came home, as he was craving pizza so ordered dinner for both of us.  I had planned to cook, but that waited until Wednesday morning.

Although I had intended to wait until later in the week, Wednesday was shopping day.  D had asked me to pick up a prescription for her and since I was going out for that reason, it made sense to get the rest of the shopping done.  However, when I got to the drug store I learned her prescription wouldn't be available until later in the day.  Oh well, I figured I may as well finish the shopping.  Pet Valu was first on the list for the cat litter and then Safeway for a few groceries.  I headed home and just as I was finishing putting them away, the drug store called to say the prescription was ready.  So back I went to the store where I completed the pick up and mailed them out to D.

At home, I sauteed some ground beef, split it into two portions and made taco meat with one portion, and a sort of hamburger stew with the second.  We had those meals later in the week as there was leftover pizza from the night before to use up.  While I was doing my little bit of cooking I chatted with my brother R.  He's off work on a week's vacation but it ain't no holiday.  Between working on the house in town (he and his wife bought her mother's house from the estate), driving his wife to and from work, and the farm yard chores he's been busy.  However, he did get approval to take a couple of days to visit the Grasslands National Park with his daughter.  (This was later shortened to one night - she who must be obeyed had a list of things to be done before the week end.)

The rest of the day was spent puttering.  I finished clipping the lower branches of the evergreen in the front yard and filled the bin again!  In back, I added some more soil and grass seed, and watered the lawn.  I've only a few small spots left as it is finally filling in.  I noticed that the weeds are starting to get big again...but I left those for another day.  It's a never ending battle.

I awoke to another sunny day on Thursday.  I think back to last summer, I was so busy trying to keep the house show room perfect that I don't recall having much time to just enjoy the weather and time outdoors.  I'm definitely making up for it this year!  There wasn't much on my own to-do list for the day, so a walk was in order.  A couple of my favorite photos from that day:

Is there anything cuter than baby animals?  Mama duck was staying nearby to keep an eye out while they fed.  The pink/purple spots you see are the thistle flowers, out of focus of course, since I wanted to capture the little ones.

Arriving home, I read out on the front patio for awhile before deciding it was a good day to tackle the garage.  If you recall, I'd spent some time in there last week cleaning the floors.  Today, I tackled the clutter, reorganized boxes, recycling, tools, brooms, paint supplies, and so forth.  I wiped down the shelving units, and swept the floor again, getting under shelving, and work bench.  Then, just for fun I washed it again (I'm joking, it wasn't that much fun).  It looks so much better out there and should last a week or two.  I need to take some electronics for recycling and a few boxes of items to the thrift store - I'm not sure if the latter is accepting donations at this time.

Friday started off cloudy but the sky cleared and it got hot (for me).  I spent the morning sewing masks, one each for me, D and Eli, and another for J, Eli's father.  He'll be flying in to Regina on August 19 and staying for week.  D will pick him up at the airport (and drop him off).  I know he has to wear a mask on the flight, but I suspect that's a disposable.  D hasn't tried to get Eli to wear a mask but they are recommended for children over 2 years old.  I believe, if he sees his daddy wear one, Eli will be more compliant.  I guess we'll see.  

I enjoyed my lunch on patio and read for awhile before heading over to Canadian Tire to pick up a couple of plastic containers that were on sale.  I want to reorganize my sewing room and these will be handy for material, patterns and other supplies.  I also stopped by the Dollar store to get three folding cubes.  I've filled these with yarn and need a few more! 

Saturday, the morning started with a light rain, and I woke up with a stiff neck and accompanying headache.  I assume I slept funny - I recall being awake several times during the night unable to get comfortable.  I made a pot of coffee and took a couple of Tylenol, but after talking to my daughter about 7:30 I gave up and went back to bed.  She woke me at 11:15 - I'm not sure how long I might have slept if she hadn't called.I spent the rest of the day not doing much of anything.  I watched some television I'd PVR'ed, crocheted, watched some curling, crocheted, made dinner, watched more curling, did more crocheting.  Even so, I was ready for bed once the final curling draw was over.  

Today, I've got a few things in mind but for the moment, I'm reading blogs, drinking coffee, and enjoying the morning.  It's a good day!

Take care and stay well!

Keeping up, making plans, and simple joys

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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