A quiet week for me, not so in Minneapolis

 It was a slow start to the week, and much appreciated after last week's schedule. I did go thrift shopping with my friend L on Monday and Tuesday. We didn't spend a lot of money, but we had a good visit and a lot of fun looking. My favorite find of the two days were several tiles - two of the smaller ones already have the cork backing and I may just use the others as is until I get home. I know I have cork in my craft stash there. They make great coffee coasters and these are pretty to boot. The larger tile, I want to add a hanger to and will hang on the wall in my bathroom.

The steamer trunk (Wednesday's photo) was at the Humane Society's thrift store. Originally marked at $400, it has been reduced to $350. I certainly don't have the space and although very interesting it did not come home with me. Frankly, I would much prefer to see it in a museum where it could be appreciated by many people. One of the volunteers said these items are often purchased to be used as clothing storage for babies. This particular was in great shape, all the drawers worked and the hanging rod was solid. Sadly, there were no stickers to indicate where it had been. If only it could tell its story. 

I started the painting project on Wednesday morning, along with three others. We started our prep using wire brushes to clean off some chipping paint. I thought the exterior west wall would be the worst as it is most exposed to the weather, and it needed quite a bit of work. However, the east wall was even worse as the lowest level of concrete blocks had not been primed the last time it was painted, and only had, what appeared to be, one coat of paint. The paint on those blocks peeled off in large pieces. We made a plan to prime on Thursday and paint on Friday, though if we had enough volunteers we could start painting the interior on Thursday.

After coffee hour, I went home and changed clothes, then back to the pool area to start the priming. Only one other person showed up and she cleared rocks away from the walls so I get down on the ground to prime the lower blocks. When she finished she left to get cleaned as D volunteers at the Hospice thrift store Thursday afternoons. I continued to work on the painting until noon, finishing the two rows of lower blocks and the top block on one wall, and partially on a second. This way we can roll the paint on the remainder of the wall.

We managed to finish the primer coat on the exterior walls on Friday morning and got started on the interior. J did a bit of repair to a few of the blocks, while the rest of us painted. The repairs need to be left for at least 24 hours. So I decided we'd take a break over the weekend and plan to be back at it Monday.  The fact that the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (women's curling) started Friday evening may have had something to do with it too.

This next few paragraphs are a change from my normal blog post. But it is something I feel strongly about. I don't expect all of my readers to agree with my comments but it is something I feel the need to address.

The news this week that a five year old child was used by ICE in Minneapolis to entrap his father horrified me, and the fact they have detained the child as well as the father is even worse. 

Reports indicate the child was being driven home from school, was removed from the vehicle by ICE, taken to door of a home and told to knock and ask for his father, using him as bait to lure his family outside. The family currently has an asylum claim and no deportation orders. Both the father and the child were detained and whisked away to Texas. While there is a suggestion that the child would have been left alone, reports indicate his mother was in the home and the school was also able to take him to safety.

Some of you may be asking why I care - the father was apparently in the United States illegally, however it is one thing to arrest someone for a crime, it is quite another to take an innocent child. The trauma the little boy has experienced should never have happened and will, most likely, have long term impacts on his mental, physical and emotional health. As a grandmother I cannot fathom how anyone could support this situation.

But that's not the only reason I care. I care because the lack of humanity and disregard for the rule of law displayed in the case and so many other incidents across the country is extremely disturbing. The number of these events is rising exponentially, with ICE officers acting as judge, jury and even executioner on occasion. For a country who has enshrined the right to due process in its Constitution, that right is being ignored and eroded. It's easy to say that it doesn't matter because it doesn't affect us personally. However, I fear it is only a matter of time before the current administration turns their focus to other marginalized groups, people of colour, LGBTQIA2S+, neuro-divergent people, and the disabled.

Thus I feel, even as a Canadian, I need to speak up. My words will not change anything, but at least I can demonstrate my support for those who are in the line of fire. I will not forget Liam Conego Ramos and the other innocents who have been targeted by the men in masks who are willing to break the law every day they go out on the streets. 

For now, I look to Mother Nature to provide some calm at the end of the day. I am reminded She is constant in our lives, while I have hope one day, there will be an end to the madness.

Back in town

The painting in the basement is complete...at least for now. As I mentioned in my last post, I've decided to hold off painting my bedroom until later this spring or maybe in the fall. I'm glad I did the bathroom first, because it was a small project and, I suspect had I not, that job would have been held over. The foyer, stairwell, and the rec room including the alcove were a lot of work. There were lots of holes in the walls, several cracks, etc. that needed to be filled and sanded before I could even start thinking about painting. It is clear, that the walls were not floated when they did this reno and a lot of it was DIY. If my son ever wins the lottery, I'd recommend he tear it all out and start fresh. But for now, the area looks lighter and cleaner. I've done what I can.

On a vastly different note, we had more snow on Sunday into Monday, about 6-8 cms/2-3 in. I DON'T want to shovel snow again. Yes, I know I got away with not shovelling for two months. Still, it's time for spring...though we're more likely to see fool's spring and second winter before the real thing arrives. I'm envious of all of you, who are seeing snow drops and daffodils beginning to pop up in your gardens and neighbourhoods. Wednesday's photo showed the aftermath.

Monday, I finished the touch-ups and cleaned up the paint supplies, and vacuumed the basement. I did have another oops...this time I accidently hit the switch and turned off the furnace when I replaced the switch cover. It got pretty chilly, though my son didn't notice upstairs. He wasn't happy with me when I told him I thought there might be something wrong with the furnace and we discovered it was just my boo-boo. Oh well, it warmed up quickly and he'll know to check the switch should it ever happen again.

Laundry and running errands was the agenda for Tuesday. I dropped off some donations at the thrift store and got 5 balls of yarn for less than $6. These will be used to make more mittens for Eli's school this fall. I was happy to see my favorite cashier back in the store. She's been off work for several months due to a cancer diagnosis. I wasn't able to chat with her as she was busy with other customers, but I overheard her say, she's worked at the store for 20 years! She's definitely a good ambassador for the store.

Wednesday was mammogram day. I got lucky that there were a couple of cancellations and I was able to get an appointment in just a couple of weeks. Way back, over a year ago, I'd booked an appointment in the city for December. This was pre-purchase of the house in town, and I totally forgot about it. When they called to remind me, I tried to reschedule for March, and they had nothing available until August! I try to attend every year, as we have a family history of breast cancer. I've offered to have them remove the damn things since I don't use them anyway, but the medical professionals won't take me up on this.

I had a bit of a wait at the Breast Screening clinic, but the test took no time at all, and the x-ray operator was as gentle as possible as well as efficient. From there, I was able to visit with my friends L and K. We try to get together every few months to catch up. K introduced me to L, many years ago, as she is a travel agent and has been a friend as well. We talked about our various travels this winter, and upcoming trips. K and her partner J are the ones who drove me from Phoenix to Yuma, and will be off on a trip to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland mid-May for about five weeks or so. In fact, they'll likely be back in Halifax when D, Eli, and I are there in June! L has a trip planned in June, too. She'll be off to Spain for a week or 10 days at the invitation of Spain's tourism board. She and her family spent a week or so in Alberta in February in the Banff and Lake Louise area too. It's likely their last family trip, as their daughter is now 18 and will be starting university (nursing program) in the fall. Thinking back, I met L when her daughter was still around kindergarten age. 

Throughout the week, I had an opportunity to watch some of the women's worlds curling. I did not watch those games that were aired in the middle of the night. Sadly, TSN did not replay those games Curling Canada only provided the highlights on You-tube. However, I was also able to watch mixed doubles curling (also You-tube) which is underway in PEI. (I hope you've enjoyed watching some in person, Marie!)

While watching, I got some addition cross-stitching done. At this rate, I may finish this piece in time for Christmas!

This is from a kit I picked up at the thrift store. Cross-stitch kits are pricey. This would have been at least $40 when originally purchased. I picked it up for $3.99 plus taxes.

This is the front of the package. The kit came with all the materials needed to complete the project, including the felt for the backing. I'll have to pull out the sewing machine, once the stitching is complete to finish it. That will be the hardest part for me. 

If you recall I had an eye appointment a couple of weeks ago. The lens finally arrived on Friday at the north store but missed the pickup for the lab. The dispensary asked if I would mind delivering them myself, and they would put a rush replacing my old lenses in my glasses. I agreed as I wanted the new corrective lenses.

There was freezing rain in the forecast for Saturday morning, and I decided I'd like to get to my daughter's on Friday. I packed up the vehicle with my bags and things I'd picked up for D and Eli, picked up the lenses and delivered them to the lab at the east store. I spent the next couple of hours walking; first to Tim's for lunch, back to mall, around the mall, to the car, back to the mall, to the Dollar store, to the car, back to the mall. (I had parked a good distance from the mall on purpose, wanting to get some steps in.) I arrived back in the mall about 10 minutes ahead of schedule and took a break on a bench while I waited. 

I was back in the car and on my way by 2:20 p.m. and arrived at home just around 4 p.m. D, Eli, and I unpacked the car and put everything I'd brought away. At that point I was done, so sat while D made dinner. She and I watched Blue Jays pre-season baseball, before she took Eli up to bed about 7:30 p.m. I stayed up watching the Women's World Curling qualifier between Canada and Scotland. The Canadian team (Homan) prevailed and went on to win the semi-final overnight. They will be in the final (at 3 a.m. ET) in a repeat of last year's final against Switzerland. The Homan team won the title last year, and I'm hopeful they'll do the same this year.

We've got a couple of things to do here today, mostly tidying and cleaning up living areas. D has an errand she needs to run this afternoon too. But otherwise I plan to continue doing as little as possible. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Painting continues and future travel plans

More painting happened this week. A couple of days in, I was thinking it would never end. The first coat was finished in the basement area by mid-day Tuesday. It could have been sooner, but I took a break Monday afternoon...to plan a trip.

D, Eli, and I had been talking for a few months about travelling to Nova Scotia this summer. Eli is old enough now, at 8 years old, to remember most of the trip. We had meant to book for 8 days, 7 nights, but somehow I managed to book flights for 9 days, 8 nights. Probably a good thing as our days will be full! We'll be staying in Halifax for a couple of days, then travel to Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg before spending another night in Halifax. From there, we're off to Baddeck, with a couple of stops along the way. From Baddeck we'll travel to Sydney for one night. A one night stop in Antigonish, will have us back in Halifax on Canada Day, before we fly home the next day. There are museums, parks, gardens, and historical sites to visit. The day of our flights home, we've nothing planned, and we have late flight. We'll have time to pack and some playtime at a park before we drop off our rental car at the airport. 

Eli will miss a couple of days of school, but it is the end of the school year so won't be missing much. D has been working with him on his phonics for his French language and discovered this week, he is ahead of his classmates! Sadly, there was an issue with his in-class teacher and he hasn't been able attend class for a couple of months. He is working with a resource teacher (one-on-one) on his other subjects, but it has been left to D to provide the French language skills he needs. She attended French Immersion from kindergarten to Grade 12, and has her Education degree. As a result, she's well able to help Eli with his school work.

We're all looking forward to the trip. I did a road trip to the Maritimes with friends back in 2016. This will be different travelling experience. I suspect, though, like that trip, I'll be doing the majority of the driving. I do like feeling in control. :)

The photos on Wednesday is the work I completed on Tuesday. The first coat of paint was on the walls, and I was tired. I had taken part of the morning off to go thrifting. I found a couple of pretty decorative cushions and a 2 cup glass measuring cup ...with the markings on it. So many times the thrift store measuring cups have had the markings missing - I don't know if they were washed off, or if they were simply so poorly made. My daughter measures things using a coffee cup; I'm not that talented. But my best buy was a pair of brand new blue jeans (still had the waist tag on them) for under $7. 

The painting party continued over the next few days. I did have an accident on Wednesday morning. There is/was a water fountain for the cat and I managed to knock it over and when I got back from the bathroom where I had taken it to dump, I found I'd also managed to tip over the paint can. There is now a large splotch in the carpet. I cleaned up as much as I could, and will use a carpet cleaner later to see if I can any more of it out. If not, the carpet is ancient, there is a cat and a dog in the house, so at some point I'm sure my son will want to replace it. 

By Thursday afternoon, I had finished the second coat throughout the basement. I noted, as it dried, a few spots that needed to be touched up but decided I needed an afternoon off. Since I'm on nobody's schedule but my own, I chose to do just that. After a much needed shower, I went out to do a wee bit of shopping. I can't say I found anything special, but came home with a pair of pillows and bath mats. 

Friday morning, I made a few touch ups before I tackled the stairwell. There were some holes to patch that needed to be left to dry before sanding. I was able to continue painting other areas, though, while that happened. I'm not able to reach the full height of the walls at the top of the stairs, so will send my son up the ladder on the weekend. He's over 6 feet tall, about a foot taller than I am and should be able to do the edging along the ceiling.

By midday, I decided to call it quits. Can you tell I'm getting tired of painting? Oh, I'll power through and get the rest of the foyer and stairwell painted, but my bedroom is going to wait until my next visit. I plan clean the basement next week, and then I'll start packing the car to go back out to my daughter's. 

Instead, I spent much of the afternoon watching television and cross-stitching. Guess what I did, for part of it? Not painting, not stitching, but snow shovelling! We got about an inch of snow over a 24 hour period. While we could drive through it, the snow had piled up in front of the garage. My son likes to park in the garage over the weekend, while I like to have my car available (we have a narrow driveway). It only took 15-20 minutes, but it is the first time I've had a shovel in my hands since December. 

Later today, I'll continue the painting up on the landing and the stairwell. I'm using latex paint, and as it dries quickly, I'll try to get the second coat on in the afternoon. Then I can clean everything up and put my supplies away!

Meanwhile I'm watching the women's world curling from Korea. Canada is playing Scotland this morning and at the moment the game is tied up. I've got my tea and bagel with peanut butter to enjoy along with the curling. Go Canada go!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Coming home, work to be done

Over all the trip home from Yuma was probably one of my better travel day(s). Although the Desert Bus wasn't a bus, but a 9 passenger van, there were no lengthy delays, no lost shoes or passport, and there was even an empty seat between me and another woman on the flight from Phoenix to Calgary. And I got about a 90 minute sleep on that first flight. From the time I left the hotel in the morning until I arrived at C's that night, was only 12 hours. That is a short travel day for me, as getting here from anywhere is always a lengthy process.

I spent the weekend unpacking, cuddling the cat, doing a bit of cleaning (my son had vacuumed the basement!), cuddling the cat, watching curling, and cuddling the cat. C and I took Sage, the dog, for a walk too, and she is much better mannered wearing a harness rather than just a collar. Sage does not like other dogs however, and C needs to restrain her. He's looking into obedience classes for this spring. I think it will be good for both of them.

I did some shopping on Tuesday morning. I will be here in the city for a few weeks, with my goal of painting the basement. The bedroom is pink and the main room is a blue that makes it feel very dark. My first stop was Home Depot for paint and supplies, and home again to drop these items off. I had more shopping to do and didn't want to leave the paint in the car, as it was -7C (19F). There followed stops at Value Village, Salvation Army thrift store, Costco and Dollarama. My best deal of the day were two kitchen chairs at S.A. for $20. We've been using fold-up chairs at both houses and I'll leave this with my son. I'll keep looking for other chairs for our house in town. The Costco run was made for my daughter and I purchased everything but the chocolate chips she wanted. At $26.99 for a 2.4 kg/5.3 lb. bag, I thought the price was outrageous - according to my daughter it is not. So I'll have to make a stop before I leave the city - it's on the way out anyway.

BTW, the photo on Wednesday was a vehicle parked at the Salvation Army thrift store. I'm assuming that the individual didn't want to park further ahead as the parking lot has ice on it. In any event, I found it amusing.

On Wednesday, I had a meeting with my financial advisor to discuss moving some funds around. She is expecting in May, but works with a team. Some of the transactions will happen now, but there is one that is pending for October. It will be diarized, but I'll be in touch too, to ensure it happens when I need it too. 

I got started on the basement prep that morning too (after the curling game!). The previous owners clearly liked to hang things on the walls as there were holes even where there were no hangers. I'd decided that painting will start in the small bathroom, so cleared the room out before patching the one wall (not pictured). By the time I finished patching all the holes and a couple of cracks in the main room, it was time for more curling. 

I had an appointment with the optometrist early Thursday morning and walked out of his office a whole lot lighter (in the wallet) than I went in. Progressive lenses are not inexpensive! I had been noticing a difference in my left eye primarily and this was confirmed by the doc. My cataracts, he says, continue not to be an issue. Frankly, I'm not even aware of them, though it seems to me the last time he only mentioned one and now there are two.

I got the bathroom painted on Friday morning with a pint of "oops" paint. You know I have a hard time passing up a bargain, and at $3 for the paint, I thought it would work well with the flooring. There are a few small spots that need touch up, and I'll do that this morning, before putting everything away. 

I did some sanding (and some vacuuming) in the main room as well. Watching curling took up the afternoon before I met friends for dinner. We'd last been together in October, so there was a lot to catch up on. It was a good time, with good food, good friends, and lots of laughter. Back at home, I watched curling - it was late night, hence the late posting of this blog. 

Today, I'll wash walls in the main room before I start painting. This is a large room, with three areas: a hallway/foyer at the base of the stairs, the open living area, and an alcove where I believe they had their television. There isn't a whole lot of furniture, mostly cat stuff and a chair and table that I use for jigsaw puzzles. As a result, I won't be rushing to get it done. The paint is not a oops paint, but a slightly green toned off white. Since the room is the blue that was in the bathroom, this colour should really lighten it up.

More curling today too, a match this afternoon and another this evening, the semi-final and final will air tomorrow. I've been working on my cross stitching while I watch. My bedroom was a former sewing room of one of the previous owners. The overhead florescent lights provide good lighting for this project and my old eyes. And on that note, I'll finish this post...

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Painting, a birthday, and more windy weather

I think I'm going to need a vacation when I get home from this vacation. It has been another full week of fun and a bit of work.

Our garage sale visits on Saturday were productive, with a number of useful items purchased by J and L. I picked up a mug to leave at the clubhouse for coffee/tea - coffee hour is on Thursdays and I always forget to bring a mug with me, and a cross stitch magazine. I spent a whopping $1.50. The RV park we visited had 1200 lots, two clubhouses, five pools, several hot tubs, as well as pickle ball, tennis and shuffleboard courts. Far too big for me, and the monthly lease costs are approximately $800 USD per month. Too rich for my blood.

In comparison, the park I am in has 59 lots, a clubhouse and a 15 man hot tub. It is a mix of park models, house trailers, and RV's. As a Co-op, and with few amenities, the lot lease is only $125 US per month. That includes cable television, WiFi, and water. I should note the water is not potable. There are many places to buy water. I walk about 4-5 blocks to Desert Water, where I can refill two of my gallon jugs for a mere 50 cents. Walmart and Food City sell these for about $1.50 each. I go through about 3/4's of a gallon each day, more if I'm doing much cooking.

This weekend, many of the residents were busy with painting the perimeter fence. I helped some on Friday, took the day off on Saturday, and then jumped in on Sunday to paint the fence at three lots. I finished the second coat of the third fence on Monday morning. There are some residents who chose not to do the work themselves, so the park will be charging them a fee for the work. The last lot that I finished on Tuesday morning, was one of the latter. On the other hand, there were several people in their 80's out there putting in more than their fair share of work. My painting partner on Sunday turned 79 this week. As a renter, I wasn't expected to help but I know everyone was eager to get it finished. Those who weren't able to paint provided supplies for lunch every day, and it was prepped and put it out for the workers at the clubhouse. 

Tuesday was thrifting day, with L and A. We hit up three thrift stores, where I found a couple of pieces of clothing, another set of knitting needles and a book of crocheted dishcloth patterns. One can never have enough patterns, right? Then we headed off to the mall, where I picked up my first Christmas gift. It is a pretty pink purse for my daughter. We had lunch at In and Out burger, a restaurant I've never been too. It was good and very reasonably priced. The Wednesday photos were from that trip. I certainly know where I need to go if I should need any bathroom aids as I age! The tree was in the The Palms mall area; an oleander, which I've learned is toxic, but so pretty!

The wind picked up that day and there was a lot of sand in the air. Happy hour was held in the enclosed area beside the clubhouse, and even there the wind felt cool. It was noisy overnight, as there are items hanging on the side of the park model that bang. It had calmed down slightly overnight, but I decided to forgo my walk in the morning, and caught up on some housework. I'd vacuumed the prior morning, so washed the floors. I also put together a casserole from leftovers in the fridge. Time is ticking down, and I want to use up as much as possible. 

By Thursday, the wind had died down, but it was cloudy and cooler, just 17C (63F) at noon. I went to the clubhouse for coffee (in my case tea) and goodies in the morning. There were sign up sheets circulated for the Heritage dinner (Feb 22 - I was already signed up), for the women's luncheon (Feb 26), and St. Patrick's Day (I won't be here for that.) In fact, I have less than two weeks remaining here! Time does fly when one is having fun. That evening, I went to dinner at Olive Garden with the birthday gal L, and her husband G, and their park neighbour D. L and D were both nurses and worked together in their community in British Columbia.

I've spent the afternoons stitching on my cross-stitch project. I think I started it a couple of years ago, and I've a long way to go. 

I'm also reading a John Sanford novel, Bad Blood. If you've read his novels, it is about one of his characters, Virgil Flowers, an agent of the State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and his investigation into several murders in a small rural area in Minnesota.

Friday was a quiet day, with nothing major on the agenda. After a walk to Desert Water, I worked on my jigsaw puzzle, did some stitching, and finished my book. It appears I will not be able to watch the Scotties Tournament of Hearts curling, as it is only being broadcast in Canada (boo!) I have to keep an eye on the scores on-line and watch the news for highlights.

I have no plans for the weekend and I'm ready for a quiet couple of days. Perhaps time will slow down a bit, and my last two weeks will last longer. A girl can hope, right?

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Back to the city

Finally, the painters arrived on Monday to start the job of transforming the old house from worn out and drab to fresh and slightly less worn out. We are talking about a house that is nearly 115 years old, after all.  I met them at the house and walked through with one of the painters to confirm the work we needed/wanted down. I also mentioned that I was adding to the scope of work as I needed them to paint the ceilings in the kitchen and living room/dining room because the repairs CT made were obvious. Let's just say those ceilings turned out to be a real pain in the butt!

I walked down early in the afternoon to meet with the guys who were making a dump run to get rest of the crap out of the garage. Stepping into the house briefly, I was pleased to see the progress and the lighter colored walls. Caleb had met with us Sunday to test the color and I liked it then, and seeing several walls with their first coat had me liking it even more. Out in the garage, the guys first cleared out the cardboard boxes that I'd found in one of the old sheds and took it to the owner's blue bin. They returned with two vehicles and took away the rest of the stuff, along with a pile of yard waste. I was cringing at what the cost might be...I shouldn't have been as the price was more than reasonable in my mind. I sure wouldn't have hauled it all away for what they charged me.

Tuesday was a quiet day for me, as the painters were busy working, and I stayed away until late in the afternoon. I went over and walked through, and failed to notice that the ceilings were still an issue. D noticed it though, they had cut in the ceiling with one color of white and painted it with another. It looked terrible. She reached out to Caleb and he agreed they would return to make it right later in the week. (Not sure if you can see it, but the pink on the underside of the window sill is the spackle I was using for fill. It starts out pink and dries white).

Meanwhile, back at the new house, the heating/plumbing company was there to install an air conditioning unit, and a cold air return and heat vent in the basement. Eli's play area is set up in the basement, and it is quite cool down there despite a couple of vents on opposite walls. Part of that is likely due to the lack of the cold air return, and there has been a noticeable difference since the installation. It doesn't look like we'll need the a/c for a few weeks yet, but with a second story, it should help keep D and Eli's room cooler in the hot weather.

I spent the day Wednesday, painting window trim and the stairs, hand rail, newels, and spindles, as well as the baseboards in the upstairs bedrooms. D came to help clean up some paint spatters on the floors left by the painters, but mid-way through the process she called Caleb and he agreed they would finish this job as well. With my hip still grumbling at me, I came home exhausted and in a lot of pain. After a shower, I climbed into my pj's, ate dinner, and was in bed and asleep by 7 p.m. 

Thursday, I returned to finish the painting, including touch-ups, and second coats on a baseboard in the master bedroom that had, for some reason, been painted gray by the previous owners. All of the other baseboards were white. D came over in the afternoon, and she took apart the stove door, as there was a spill a few years ago that never been cleaned up.  I scrubbed that while she did some vacuuming, but the mess was cooked on. We took a drive to Canadian Tire, where she bought some oven cleaner, and I talked myself into buying a couple of hanging containers. At $19.99 a piece, I just couldn't resist. I knew I'd left two shepherd hooks in the city, and will take them back with me.

On Friday, I returned to my son's place for a couple of weeks. I've got yardwork to do in the back yard - he'll have to help me with it as there is some heavy lifting to be done. Meanwhile, D has been left a list of things to do to finalize the preparations for the house sale. She met with the painters that morning, and they re-painted the ceilings. Neither she nor they were satisfied with the results, so they'll be back on Tuesday to try again. She's since told me it looks better but still streaky. They also took the time to clean the floors of the paint they dripped.

I had planned to return to the city for an appointment with the autobody shop to replace the side mirror that I broke last winter. The operative word here is "had". I first visited the autobody shop in February, so they could determine what they needed to replace the mirror. My appointment was scheduled for early March, however the night prior to the appointment we had about 6 inches of snow. I called and advised I wouldn't be able to make it due to the heavy snow and they rescheduled me for the next available appointment, May 21. I managed to tape the mirror to the side of the car and have been driving it since. However, with the recent warmer days, the tape I used came loose and while the mirror didn't fall off, it was clear it wasn't where it ought to be.

On Tuesday, I received a call from the autobody shop - I assumed to confirm the appointment, but no. The clerk advised me that the mirror had been lost in transit. When I questioned how that could be, as they'd had the part in March, she advised that they don't have space to keep parts in stock, so it had been returned in March. What? It's one mirror! She could not give me an estimate for either the availability of the mirror or an appointment. 

My daughter called the local autobody shop who had replaced a mirror for her a few years ago, and I went down to their location Wednesday morning. Within 20 minutes, the part was on order - it should be in within 10-14 days, and the job will take about an hour. Better still, the quote was about 50% below what the city shop had quoted me. The owner Paul, also taped the mirror back on but wasn't sure it would hold (it did not).

Meanwhile, the exhaust pipe on my car gave up the ghost. The noise is annoying as all heck, and I'm sure other drivers are surprised to see a gray haired old woman driving when they'd expect to see a teenager. I was able to make an appointment with a muffler shop here in the city for Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. Hence the cartoon on Friday. I'm not sure what the repairs will cost but I expect it will be more than my last muffler repair - on a different vehicle about 30 years ago.

This is our May long weekend and I plan to relax for much of it. My hip is getting much better, unless I sit too long, and I'm tired. It has been a very busy few weeks and I'm ready to curl up on the couch with Saku and watch television. It rained overnight and we're expecting showers for much of the weekend. My son has plans for the evening, so I'll have the peace and quiet of the house to myself. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Before and after

 It's been a crazy weather week here again, with rain and cool temps to start the week and now the heat (and humidity) has ramped up. We're not getting the high temps other areas are seeing but going from 19C (66F) to 28C (82F) in less than 24 hours is a bit much. Especially with the humidity, it supposedly feels like 38C (100F) as I'm writing this on Friday evening. I do know I came in wringing wet from grilling burgers for dinner. 

I had a quiet start to the week too, other than picking up groceries on Monday, I didn't do much around the house until Wednesday morning. I've been putting off painting in the basement thinking I'd wait for the hot weather but got a bee in my bonnet that morning and got started. I did the edging around the room, followed by the first and second coats on the following two days. After I removed the tape today, I noticed a few areas that will need a touch up. I'll use a small brush for those - no need to pull out the roller again. 

This is the before photo, after I'd removed all that ugly indoor/outdoor carpet and scraped the floor of the residual glue. I took the photo from the opening into the room. There was no door at that time, and the wall to the left was only a pony wall.

The after (before the tape was removed obviously). This photo was taken from just inside the door. Bit of a difference, right? For perspective the roof height is just about 6'8". My brother, who is 6'3", can't walk into the closet area without ducking. These are things I don't notice, I'm only 5'2". It can't be used as a bedroom as there is no egress but I think it would make a perfect theatre room....for someone else.

John has asked if I am planning to sell the house, and the short answer is yes. There is more work to be done upstairs (flooring), and outside in the back yard (new sod and replacement of a sidewalk) but that will have to wait for another year or so. I have to pay off the cost of this year's renovations first. 

When I wasn't in the basement - which took about two hours each day - I spent most of my time on Ancestry or knitting and crocheting. I've decided to pause my subscription for a couple of months, and will cancel my Newspapers.com subscription too. Accordingly I've been working at adding information from the newspapers into my trees as quickly as I can before I give up my access. Most of this info revolves around obituaries, wedding and birth announcements, but every so often I come across an interesting story related to the lives family members have lived. This mostly relates to more current times, because it is often difficult to determine the individual in the late 19th century as only initials were used for men's first names, and women were never referred to except by the husband's names. Single women weren't often referred to in newspaper articles, except as it related to their fathers.

When not playing on the computer, I've been watching baseball or football (or both) and knitting. My sweater has been restarted again as although I liked the pattern, it just wasn't working up the way I liked. Another pattern for a tank top has been started, as a well as another crocheted baby blanket. I really need to push through my stash.

Today I enjoyed my breakfast out on the deck, the temperature was a lovely 21C (70F). I watered the containers yesterday evening, but the front flower bed needed a good soak. That was accomplished while I relaxed in my chair.

My campanula or bellflower has self seeded throughout the flower bed. I love how the flowers look peeking out from the fern and hosta. 

Then it was time to head back down to the basement to finish the touch-ups and do some cleaning. All of the paint supplies have been put away, the garbage removed and floors swept. I still need to finish the caulking in the new room, and sand and paint all of the baseboards and casings. That will have to wait, as I've decided to take a drive out to visit with D and Eli on Monday. 

This week Eli had his first round of swimming lessons, as the pool has been closed for two years. He had two lessons a day, 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. He did very well and has passed onto the next level, which he's scheduled for the first in August. They have appointments late in the week, so a short visit is in order. I'll return home on Wednesday, but we've got big plans for the days I'm there. More on that next week.

I'm off to do some housework that has been neglected this week. And I'll likely spend some time on Ancestry too before the football this afternoon and baseball this evening. Have a wonderful week ahead everyone! 

Picking up the pace

 After a couple of week's break, it was time to pick up the paint brush again. But first, I needed more paint. Monday, I headed to Home Depot to get paint for the basement, for the front door, and waterproof sealant for the fence that was put in last year. I had a bit of a scare when I couldn't find the paint chip for the natural gray that I was using. It took a bit of scouring the pamphlets but I found it. While I was at the store, I stopped in at the garden center and picked up a few more annuals (petunias) and a perennial Astilbe for the front bed. I also wanted some annuals for the front flower bed to fill in a bit, but couldn't find what I was looking for there. These need to be shade tolerant as the bed doesn't get much sun as it faces north. I made a stop at Rona, but they didn't have nicotiana (tobacco plant) either, but I picked up three white New Guinea impatience. Back at home I got the plants into the ground or containers. 

The next day, I pulled out my painting clothes and set to work on the exterior of the house. I cleaned the casings around the front door and the garage. I already had this paint, as I had done the window and door casings on the exterior of the house last year but hadn't made my way around to the front. The weather was perfect for it and the paint dried in short order. Next up was the front door. As you can see I've gone with yellow - it was already a lighter shade but I wanted something slightly bolder. The first two coats were brushed on, and on Wednesday I rolled on a third coat. It is such a sunny color and makes me smile each time I open the door. The screen door got a good cleaning as did the windows and I've since hung the wreath and put down a new door mat to make it even more welcoming. First impressions, right?

My brother dropped by mid-week to drop off this display case for Eli's hot wheel cars. R has started making rustic wooden furniture - he plans to start up a business once he retires. D had sent him a photo of something similar as something he could make and sell. She didn't intend for him to make one for Eli but he did anyway. It's made from an old bicycle tire and some leftover pieces of wood he ripped down and stained to make the shelves. R mentioned that he learned a couple of things that he would do differently on the next ones. I think it's wonderful and it should be something that sells. He just needs to find some more old tires.

Thursday I had to run out to do an errand for D, and I needed cat litter so I took the opportunity to visit a couple more stores. Now that fuel prices are over $2 a liter here I'm more conscious of my mileage so made a circuit that brought me back around to home. After my stop for D, I headed to Dollarama - nothing too exciting but Eli will have a new Hot Wheel car for his display (and to play with I'm sure). Next up was the cat litter - is anyone else finding it difficult to find certain brands? I use Fresh for Life, available only at Pet Valu. Normally I would buy a bag or two, but they only had one pail of it. At least I got my 10% senior discount as the pails are more expensive than the bags.

On the way over to Michaels I stopped in at Winners. It's been months since I was in the store, and I was not impressed. I did find a mat for the front door that wasn't a horrid price, but even their clearance items seemed to be much more expensive. At Michaels I found letters for my welcome sign that I've been thinking about for a year or better. I'm hoping to get those painted and affixed to the board this weekend or early next week. 

We had cool weather and some intermittent rain during the week, so didn't make it out to the back to work on the fence until Friday. I did get some very much needed weeding done though both in the front yard and the back. I spent about two hours working on the fence before lunch and I'm probably half finished at this point. I won't have enough of the wood sealer to complete the rest of the fence and gates, so will need to pick up another container. However, my neighbour has been in contact with the fencing company as one of the posts that was installed (just) last summer is leaning and needs to be reinforced. So I'll wait until they've done the work before I proceed on that portion of the fence. I do have enough to do the rest of the back fence and the gates and thought I might get this done over the next few days. However, the weather isn't cooperating, we've got rain and thunder showers forecast for the next four days. 

As a result, today is going to be a quiet day. I've got the first of a double header for the Toronto Blue Jays on the television, while I continue knitting my sweater. Later, our Saskatchewan Roughriders will be on the field. I'll enjoy the games and appreciate the rain as I won't need to water. The potatoes as you can see are doing well. 

Have a good week ahead everyone!

Happy 4th of July to those who are celebrating in the USA.

Another week in the rear view mirror

 Another blogger mentioned that time seems to be flying by this spring, and I do not disagree. This week in particular just disappeared. I said to my son as he left for work on Friday, "Is this your last day of work for the week?" He said yes, and I responded, "Then it really is Friday."

I have no idea what I did the first part of the week, but I do know that I spent several hours in the basement painting. The main room is almost complete - it needs some paint touch-ups, and the baseboards need to be painted. The bathroom wall has been painted but I still need to caulk the baseboards and paint those. While I was working in there, I discovered the toilet is leaking. It's because the bolts inside the tank are rusted and loose. I had pointed that out to the contractor and he said it was that way when they removed it. I suspect it may have been but the removal and replacement dislodged them further. I shut off the water, flushed most of the tank, and used towels to clear out the rest before calling the plumber. He's booked for next Monday. We have two other functioning bathrooms in the house so it isn't a big deal.

The new room has been partially primed I still have a wall and half and that one walls bulkhead to complete. I have lots of primer, but have run out of the natural grey that I've used in the other rooms. I'm going wait a couple of weeks to get more, and use this project for the heat that will come in July. It will be much cooler in the basement than outside and I'll appreciate it more. 

Outside the fence that was installed last year needs to be weather-proofed with transparent stain. In addition, the trim around the garage and front door need re-painting. I finally bought the paint for the front door too. Because, you know, I don't have nearly enough painting to do. :) 

I did get outdoors as well, and transplanted the seedlings that I started this spring. The seeds were from tomatoes, peppers, and marigolds that I harvested from the plants I grew last year. I didn't have much luck with the marigolds and peppers. I got two seedlings out of the two dozen marigold seeds I planted, I've two green and one red pepper, out of the nine that I planted. Tomatoes fared better, with four of nine plants started. They're much smaller than the plants I bought at the garden center as I was growing them indoors with no grow light. This was mostly an experiment so it won't bother me if I get nothing from them. My garden center peppers are blooming, the tomatoes are a little further behind. On the other hand my potatoes are up! I've got three containers so I'm sure I'll enough for a few meals when all is said and done.

My front flower bed is starting to fill in. The west side tends to do better as it gets more sun, but I've got columbine, bleeding heart, Jacob's ladder, five hostas, and some lamium starting to fill in the area closest to the front door. I need to replenish the mulch too.

I was thrilled to find the bleeding heart made it through the winter...and it is blooming too. The bush is only about a foot high so I was bit surprised by that. 

The bergenia is doing well. It was one of the first plants I put in the bed. Twelve years ago, all this bed contained was lily of the valley, a hosta and a whole lot of rocks. It's come a long way since then.

Out back, the peony is about 12-15 inches tall, but has no buds. I didn't expect it would, as it can take up to three years for a perennial to mature. I read the saying the other day, "The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap."

I did have a day out on Wednesday. I started with a drop-off of a trunk full of stuff at Value Village. For the donation, I received a 20% off coupon. Eli needs shorts for the summer, so I decided to check the store. I found five pairs of shorts for him, two t-shirts for myself, a jigsaw puzzle and two large balls of yarn. All for less than $30! I had to mail a couple of things to D, so added the shorts in the box and he should have them next week.

I did some browsing at a few other stores, and grabbed a bite to eat before meeting my travel agent L, and friend K at at coffee shop. It was a beautiful afternoon so we sat outside with our drinks, talked about past and upcoming travels, laughed at life and I shared the photos from my cruise. It felt so good to be out with friends, spending an afternoon in the sun.

Thursday we had a thunderstorm roll through in the afternoon accompanied by a good rain. The spruce trees have been shedding pollen for a couple of weeks now, and my driveway was almost yellow in color from it. The rain washed that away for the most part. Friday was another rainy day. Carter showed up first thing in the morning to silicone the stairs and to install the access hatch for the furnace duct. Hooray, the contractor's work is complete! I'll wait to share photos until I finish my part. 

Today, I slept in - until 7:10 a.m. That's a first in a very long time for me. I'm usually awake by 5:30 and out of bed shortly after 6. Not always because I want to, but Saku is quite insistent on being fed. Today he let me sleep. The sun is shining at the moment, though there is more rain in the forecast. I'm going to take advantage of the nice weather and head out for a walk. The painting can wait!

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Vacation interrupted

 Just the posts, not the real vacation...time to update you on the current state of affairs here at my house.

The contractor finished most of his work last week on Thursday. They were in a big rush at the end of the day and I wasn't entirely impressed with the final push. One of the items we'd talked about was creating a hatch in the bulkhead to allow access to the furnace. This required some drywall repair, but instead, the contractor used some pieces of wood to frame out the unrepaired drywall. Frankly it looked awful.

He also convinced me to replace the baseboards and casings, and in their haste to get it all completed they had damaged the drywall in the basement bathroom. That wouldn't have been a big deal, except I don't have any original paint remaining. (I do have a full and part can of the paint I used for the rest of house.) Hence this means the entire room needs to be repainted. Since I said I'd do the painting, that means more work for me.

I talked to his employee on Monday when he came by to check in on the stairs and informed him that I was having some buyer's remorse about the new baseboards and casings. When I said I would paint, I assumed that meant everything would be finished to the point where I could pick up a paintbrush. Instead I now have to caulk, sand, and paint these items as well. He suggested I could hire them to do the finish but I said no thanks - I've reached my limit for spending on this project. I laughed when he suggested I could finish everything in a couple of days. I reminded him I am retired and I don't work full days anymore. 

Jason called later and agreed to make the repair in the bathroom and to remove the frame so that the drywall could be repaired properly. I needed some items from Home Depot so picked up the hatch that afternoon. Another item was a caulking gun and the caulk to start the process to get the baseboards and casings ready to paint. 

So this week, I've spent a few hours each morning painting and caulking. It took four coats of paint to cover the repairs to the stairwell but I'm finally happy with the way it looks. I've peeled off the tape they used to keep the boards from slipping, and cleaned up the edges.  I expect his employee will be here next week to finish applying the silicone to seal the steps.

The drywaller finished sanding on the drywall repairs so I did the first coat of primer Friday morning. I'll get that portion of painting done this weekend so that the contractor can complete the final step next week. Then I can take as much time as I need to finish the rest of the caulking and painting.

I spend last Friday and Saturday at my daughter's, helping with Eli's "friends" birthday party.  The children had a blast, as did the parents.  I was the official photographer and managed to get some great photos of most of the kids. Unfortunately I didn't realize two more had shown up late and since they weren't wearing their costumes I didn't get a photo of one of them. (Eli is the one in the center of the children with his back to his mom.) She's explaining a game of freeze tag to them where the soft blocks were used to touch someone. It was hilarious watching these and the other children pictured running around in their capes and masks.

Here's the birthday boy himself, with his Spiderman mask and sans cape. Instead of birthday cake, D bought chocolate dip doughnuts (Eli's favorite). They were hit with the kids and the parents too. The doughnuts were made by the local bakery and were huge, D had over-estimated the number she needed so the remainder were dropped off at the hospital at the end of the afternoon. 

I drove back on Sunday morning, and after dropping my bag at the house I headed out to the garden centers. This is the latest that I can recall, that I've ever bought my plants. They needed a few days to harden off, so I did some yard clean up in the afternoons and planted all but the tomatoes and peppers on Thursday afternoon. We had a frost advisory that night, so I brought them into the sunroom for the night. 

Thursday morning, I took a break from the painting/caulking in the basement, and did some grocery shopping. I also booked an appointment for my second booster for Friday afternoon. As for the planting, I've got 15 containers of flowers this year, and 8 of vegetables including three with potatoes. This will be my first try with the spuds - if it works, it won't be much of a crop but I'm hopeful I'll have enough for a few meals. On the pretty side of things, I've gone with a yellow and white theme this year, sticking with tried and true plants - geraniums, impatience, million bells, marigolds, and petunias. I did buy a 6 pack of variegated coleus, that I hope I can overwinter. The two ivies I kept over winter were added to the deck containers. I'll try to keep these as well.

Today, I'm back in the basement for a few hours. I'll get a coat of paint on the bulkhead, as well as one of the walls, and if I'm ambitious I'll start priming the walls in the new room. (I should note, other than a slightly sore arm, I've had no reaction to the booster - I count myself fortunate!)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Losing my mind?

Another week is nearly in the books.  I didn't start this post earlier in the week, so you're left with what I can remember happened...Monday is a total write-off.  

I know I got out to do a bit of shopping on Tuesday, just for a few groceries and puttered in the yard.  Wednesday and Thursday I spent most of both days in the sun room with the cats.  The painters were here to complete the living room, kitchen, front foyer and basement stairwell. The evening prior to their arrival, I had moved all the furniture in the living room to the center of the space and removed the face plates for the light switches and plug-ins.  It saved them a few minutes of time...not much but a little.

They were here by 8:30 in the morning and left about 6 p.m. the first day.  The second day was shorter, from 8:30-2:30.  I was grateful they finished early as the outdoor temperature was about 24C and the sunroom a few degrees warmer than that.  The cats don't seem to mind...I'm a little more sensitive to it.  I was able to keep myself well entertained, with my laptop, crocheting, a book, and the radio.  You-tube videos of past Olympic curling trial matches were enjoyed while I worked on the blanket.  The radio provided background music (or news) while I read.  

Since the painters left before their boss arrived to do an inspection there were a few spots that need to be touched up.  Most I could do myself, but one of the two got paint on the beam that runs across the vaulted ceiling.  That's way beyond my reach.  She was going to have them come back on Friday, but I had planned to drive out to visit D and Eli that day so we postponed the return visit until this upcoming week.

The shade of gray is a couple of degrees lighter than the original and it looks very fresh and clean now.  They've left me with one part can and one full of paint so if any damage occurs in the next while I'll be able to take care of them.  I used a company called Students Works Painting.  The crew changes frequently as the students graduate but I've used the company before and been happy with both the results and the price.  It was no different this time, and while there were a few spots to touch up I am not surprised.  As any one who has painted a wall or two knows it happens.  I did learn how to use the roller to eliminate the marks that sometimes show up - it's because I try to get every bit of paint out it and press too hard.  I'll get a chance to test my ability as I need to repaint one wall in my bedroom - since I ran out of paint when I was almost finished.

Mid-morning on Friday I drove out to visit with D and Eli.  We had a busy afternoon, while she did a bit of shopping without us, Eli and I played in the yard, took a walk around the neighbourhood, and then walked the street to check out the construction of corner sidewalks.  Eli is very fascinated by the holes but was very good at listening when I asked him to stay behind the orange cones.  When D returned, I did some raking for her, while she pulled some weeds in the flower bed.  Eli did what he did best, running around the yard.

Saturday morning we took him for a walk over to one of the newly opened parks.  Initially he was the only child there, but was joined by a five year old who is spending a week with his grandparents nearby.  

At first the other little guy seemed a bit annoyed with Eli but soon they were running and playing.  We spent about 45 minutes there before heading home for lunch.  (Note: hand sanitizer was used by all of us prior and subsequent to playing).

After lunch we did some yard work before walking over to another park a few blocks in the other direction.  Here he the space all to himself.

He played on the slide for a bit, and in the sand for longer still and then had a short time on the swing.

His dad called while we were at the park, but the winds were gusting at this point so they couldn't hear one another.  We headed back to the house so Eli could video chat with J.  

It was going on 2:30 p.m. and the winds were continuing to pick up so I decided to head on home.  For the first 75 kilometers (46.6 miles) I followed a semi.  I'm thinking his trailer was empty or held only a light load because the trailer was blown sideways quite frequently.  I finally had a spot I felt safe to get by so took the opportunity to pass.  On the other side of the valley there are passing lanes every 16 km. (10 mi.) so it is easier to get by but not on the first part of the journey.  When I got home and saw the news I learned that winds were gusting 50-80 kph (30-50 mph).  Yikes, no wonder that trailer was being blown around.

This morning, I discovered the lid of my bird feeder had been lifted off by the winds.  There were lots of evergreen bits on deck and in the grass too, and the deck chairs had moved a bit.  The neighbour pointed out that a board on the fence had come loose on my side too, so I took my hammer and pounded in a couple of nails in.  It should be good for until the next big wind.

We're expecting rain and possible thunderstorms this afternoon.  The winds seems to have died down and it's overcast.  I'm watching another final from the Olympic curling trials (the second for today) on TSN.  Beyond that I don't expect I'll be doing much today.  I know I've got a busy week ahead, besides expecting to see the painters, doing some painting myself, I have to make the drive back to D's.  I left my wallet on her kitchen counter!  While they're coming for doctor's appointments on the 25th that's a little too long to wait to get it back.  

I'll end this with a photo of my regular visitor, little bunny. It doesn't see to be very worried about me and has so far, been well behaved leaving the vegetable containers alone.  The photo was taken through the screen window from the sunroom.

Take care everyone and stay well!

Home bound (mostly) - week 2

Staying home 24/7 is certainly ensuring I get things done!  I did take Monday off as I was tired but I spent the day having to remind myself that it was my "day off".  By the end of day I felt like a slug and was ready to get to it early Tuesday morning.

The three bedrooms on the main floor are painted, including the trim, and the floors in the spare rooms have been re-scrubbed to ensure there are no spots that I missed the first time around.  The first bedroom (which I posted a couple of weeks ago) contains just the toys that Eli plays with when he is here; the second room shown here is my sewing room.  For the moment, it is neat and tidy because everything is tucked away in the closet.  It won't last. :)

My bedroom is done for the most part, though I'm going to have to buy a quart of paint to put a second coat on the feature wall.  Unfortunately I just didn't have enough to do the two coats.  :(
The difference between the two colors is more prominent in real life, but I'm happy the way the two colors complement one another.  I think I've figured out the old color. I used the Behr color match app to take a photo of the wall and it came up with three different options.  One of them seems familiar to me.  I really have to remember to keep the paint chip or write it down somewhere.  Like perhaps my blog?  For posterity the new color is natural gray...how simple would that be to remember?  Knowing me, not so much.

We did have a bit of a scare this week, as my SIL began showing possible sign of Covid-19.  Thankfully, her test came back negative and things went back to normal for a couple of days.  Then her doctor's office called and told her that since she was still showing symptoms she needed to self isolate.  She had been doing so at the lake house while waiting for the test results - I'm not sure if she'll be going back there or not.  My brother was off work as well but had gone back.  I'm a bit worried about him as he is starting to feel winded climbing stairs.  This is a guy who runs marathons for fun.  If it ends up they both have it, he'll likely have passed it on to others at work as well.  It's all very worrisome.

On another note, I've decided to cancel my cruise in June.  I'm sure that comes as no surprise to anyone.  I had so hoped things would settle down, but the longer this goes on, and with the increasing number of cases and countries shutting down their borders it is clear this trip isn't going to happen.  I'm definitely disappointed for a number of reasons.  I won't get to see my friend J this year, it's unlikely I'll ever get to do this particular cruise as the pricing was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and frankly, I'm itching to travel.  That's an itch I won't be scratching anytime soon!

While I was mourning the decision, I went through photos from the TransAtlantic cruise friends and I did in the spring of 2014.  J met us when we docked in Southampton, as did a cousin of one of our party and his partner. J gave us all a day to remember.  I have over 120 photos to prove it, but I'll only share a few here.  

Our first stop was Sir Harold Hillier gardens, where J was then employed.  We spent a few hours there and I was in heaven!  What a beautiful place!

The day was a bit damp but the gardens were so lovely it did not matter a bit.

Every where I turned there was another gorgeous tree in full bloom.  

The flowers were simply spectacular!

This was my favorite piece of artwork in the garden.

After we had wandered to our heart's content, J had arranged for us to enjoy a ploughman's lunch at the main building.  It was wonderful and totally unexpected.  After lunch I know we went to another spot but I can't recall the name.  I do remember that they had plants for sale...which had I been able to smuggle home in my suitcase I might have.  Probably not, though because that would have been an issue at border control.

It will be weeks yet, before our garden centres will open so I'm living vicariously through these photos!  

The grand finale of the day, of which I have no photos, was a proper English tea at J's home.  A good friend of hers made the cakes especially for our visit.  It was just an incredible day and one that will live on in my memory.  It was my first chance to travel to Europe and only served to whet my desire to return.*

Back to the mundane I spent the rest of the week cleaning house. The kitchen was first up and the bathrooms right behind it.  While I keep the rooms reasonably clean and tidy, I spent more time scrubbing cabinets and counters than I normally would.  I tackled the areas under the bathroom sinks and got rid of more items that haven't been used in months or have dried up.  I washed the floors on my hands and knees in order to get into the corners better than I can with my mop.  

On Friday, the crew showed up to replace the shingles on the roof.  They arrived by 8:30 in the morning - I was just about to go and feed the birds as they pulled up.  I warned them about the ice on the east side of the house and we agreed they would work off the front patio side.  About 2 hours later the shingles were off and I could see them rolling out the underlay.  I'm sure that isn't the technical term but it works.

The original truck and trailer for the garbage left just as the truck with the new shingles arrived.  I watched the crane lifted the supplies onto the roof.  It was a long day as the original crew of two completed the shingling, replacement of vents and turbine thingy (again, another technical term) about 6 p.m.  I had wandered out about 5:30 with a garbage bag to pick up a few pieces of shingle and the wrap from shingles.  The guys were good enough to ball it up and toss it off one side of the house.  I could have left it for them, but I figured it would save them a few minutes at the end of the day.  

Saturday I went out shopping for cat food, bird food, and a few groceries. I had planned my trip to hit the three stores I needed in order of opening.  That plan was thwarted when I arrived at Peavey Mart to find they didn't open until 10, rather than their normal 7:30 a.m. start.  No matter, I took my items home, wiped everything down with wipes before putting them away and then did the quick trip for the bird seed.  I shouldn't have to go out again for another 10-14 days again. My son has been called into work for a few hours Monday and Tuesday so if I think of something I'll ask him to grab it.

This post is getting incredibly long, so I'll wrap it up for this week.  Take care everyone and stay well!


*I know that J reads my blog too, so I hope you've enjoyed the memories of our last visit.  I'll get there again, one day, I promise!