Making plans, some finishes, and sunshine too!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone.

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! 

Time marches on

Other than bouncing off the walls, counting off the days, what have I been up to this week? On Monday, I had hoped that Jason and his crew would be here to start the basement renovation. But that was not to be. I called him that morning to see what was up and he told me that one of his crew had gotten Covid the week before so they were delayed once again. (It would have been nice if he had called to tell me). On Tuesday I received a text saying they would be here on Wednesday afternoon. While here, he and his one helper Carter walked through with me, and confirmed the work to be done, did some measurements for the supplies they'll need.

After talking to Jason, I was a little annoyed on Monday so went out to do some retail therapy. Nothing exciting, cat food and bird seed, some peanut butter, and knitting needles. I had the right size of circular knitting needles to start Eli's new sweater but they weren't long enough for the finishing as I need to add the body and sleeves to the same set of needles. My original needles were 16", I needed at least 24". From there I went to Home Depot to try to get burner element for my range. Last week I had a pot lose a chunk of enamel on the burner - the burnt on enamel would not come off so I needed to replace the burner. Home Depot doesn't carry such things, and I was referred to a local business. I called there and determined they had the part I needed. I headed over and picked it up, and OUCH...it was $85 just for the element. Next up was the Salvation Army thrift store where I found a book to take with me next week...if I don't finish it before I leave. I'll take my Kobo too but I do like a real book. The book I picked up is Sandra Browns, "The Alibi".  At that point I decided I'd had enough retail therapy.

Tuesday was a cool day, but I did get out for a walk. It was just above freezing and the wind was blowing making it feel much cooler. Most of the wildlife was hunkered down - I saw a pair of ducks at the creek, three hares in the grass near the condos, a pair of robins in the grass, and a lot of geese and few ducks at the pond. While I took some photos, there was only one I think is worth sharing.

I've also been watching curling. :) The World's mixed doubles are underway in Geneva, Switzerland. Our Canadian team played well all week, losing only one game to Scotland through the regulation draw. Sadly, they lost to Norway in the qualification round and are out of the running.

While I'm watched curling I've worked on Eli's sweater and finishing a couple of other projects. 

This is the scarf I started while the Grand Slam was underway. It's made from the extra yarn I bought for the little dress in the next photo. It isn't a long scarf, but will be nice for under a jacket. It will likely be in my suitcase for the trip.

The other project is this little dress. I've no idea what I'll do with it, but loved the pattern, had the yarn and had to make it. The ruffle needs to be tacked down, and the little flower attached. I looked through my sewing items and I don't have a hook and eye for back closure. I'll have to purchase a zipper for Eli's sweater at some point so I'll pick the fastener at that time. 

Eli's sweater is coming along nice too but I don't expect I'll finish it until I return as I've set it aside for now.

Thursday was the day our weather changed for the better. And that means I want to be outdoors or at least in the sun room. Carter arrived about 8:45 that morning, along with the rubbish bin drop off. While he toiled in the basement removing the carpet, underlay, and tack strips, I spent the morning puttering and then headed out the door to clean up the front patio of winter debris. I swept up the leaves, pine needles, and pine cones on the patio and driveway and almost filled a large garbage bags. Then I checked with Carter as there have been some pieces of wood, which were left behind by the former owner, that I've been wanting to toss. He told me to go ahead as they won't fill the bin (and I'm paying for it). I was happy to get that cleaned up as well. 

Something funny about the basement demo. We discovered under the carpet at one end of the room, that someone had drawn out on the concrete plans for a large wet bar. Imagine if you will, a u-shaped bar, with a front and back counter, a sink and bar fridge, and glass shelving above. It obviously was never built but someone had grand ideas. :)

By Friday afternoon, a good part of the new wall and bulkhead was up, the upper level of what was a pony wall had it's framing as well, and I was now the proud owner of a small pump for the furnace run off. The furnace runs the a/c unit as well, and had a run off hose for the excess water. The hoset ran across the furnace room floor and out to the sump hole in the unfinished part of the basement. Carter mentioned it was going to cause issues with the new wall, so I agreed to have their plumber come and put in the pump. The hose from the pump is run up and through the drop ceiling, into the laundry room, across the ceiling and down into the same drain as the washing machine. It looks so much better as it is totally inconspicuous unless you know where to look. This turned out to be a very spendy week.  On the other hand Jason is giving me oak baseboards they took out of the last two jobs. He said they aren't quite the same as my originals (that will be going back in the main room) but my feeling is, since the baseboards will be a separate room, the difference won't be noticeable. 

Today, I've got the bronze and gold medal mixed doubles curling games to watch. Both games were played overnight (for me) so I PVR'd them to watch this morning. At the moment Germany is beating up on Norway, leading 3-1 after three ends. Lots of time left for Norway to make a come-back with five ends to go. Both are great teams and I have no favorite. The gold medal game will feature Scotland and Switzerland. In this game I'll likely cheer for Scotland.

Later I want to get out for a walk.  Our temperatures have really improved - yesterday we had a high of 15C (59F), and today's forecast is for 14C (57F). It does look like it might rain but that's okay as I don't melt, I just wish I would. :) There is laundry and vacuuming as well, and definitely some time on the patio or in the sunroom to continue reading.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and a great week ahead!

P.S. There likely won't be any post next Saturday unless I can access the internet at the hotel before I leave to for the cruise ship. I've not bought the internet package on the ship either so until I'm in a port where I can pick-up free WIFI I'll be off-line. 

Wait a minute!

The photo of the robin from Wednesday was taken on Sunday, when the weather was lovely and warm. It didn't last. By Monday the temperature dropped and it got even cooler on Tuesday. AND then came the snow.

The rabbits sitting on the neighbour's lawn that morning, seem to be at odds with one another as to whether spring is here or not. 

It worked out well for me, as I had things to accomplish in the house. C moved upstairs to one of the spare bedrooms, which necessitated moving some items into the other spare bedroom, my craft room. Monday I moved some things around and then tackled the basement. It desperately needed a vacuum, where his desk had sat for nearly 12 years, and in his bedroom where the bed was set up. (I don't touch his desk and the bedroom wasn't big enough to move the bed very far). 

I washed down the walls in his bedroom in preparation for painting, and patched a small scrape where his bed frame had dented the wall. I must say, I'm getting far better at mixing up the compound, and using the trowel to smooth it on the wall. No home renovation show would ever hire me though, I'm not that good. :) Tuesday morning, I taped around the door and closet frames but left most of the baseboards as is. I believe that is part of the quote to replace the baseboards...if not, I'll paint them later (as I did the upstairs). I figure if they're staying, they'll likely get dinged in the process of replacing the flooring so I don't need the work twice. 

I had paint remaining from 2020 when I repainted the rest of the house. I was really surprised when I opened the partial can, that it had not separated and only needed a bit of stirring. Home Depot Behr Natural gray paint for the win. My first task was to cut in around the door frames, base boards and ceilings. When that was complete, I took a break until after lunch. The walls was repainted in short order. It's really amazing how a fresh coat of paint brightens up a room. I did discover in my cleaning and painting that the room had once been a robin's egg blue. It was gray when we moved in and is now a slightly lighter color.

I had texted the contractor on Monday, but didn't hear back so assumed, rightly, that the crew wouldn't be here on Wednesday. That morning, I woke to snow on the ground (just a skiff at that point), and figured it was probably just as well. Early in the afternoon he called to say that two of his crew, his electrician and tiler were all out due to Covid, and they have a couple of jobs to finish yet. So the start of the job is now scheduled to start April 25th. I'm just as happy not to have them in the house with Covid. Here in Saskatchewan, as long as you asymptomatic you can come and go as you please. I think those with symptoms are supposed to stay home for 5 days or until one doesn't test positive though I suspect many don't.

I had some questions for him; while painting the bedroom, it dawned on me that when the rug is pulled and the laminate flooring is laid, the original baseboards will reveal a part of the wall that hasn't been repainted. We talked about changing out the baseboards throughout the basement but that would add an additional $1,000 to the bill so I'm sticking with the originals. At first I told him I'd repaint after they were done, but after our call finished I realized it would make more sense to pull the baseboards now and paint. I spent an hour or so removing baseboards and pulling nails. I learned a couple of things - at one point there must have been some water in the basement as the nails in the south wall baseboard were so rusty they disintegrated in my hands. Another thing I learned is some idjit added a touch of glue to the end of the baseboards on the interior walls at the corners. Removing the baseboards caused damage to the drywall underneath that had to be repaired.

My list of things to do just got longer! Thursday I need to patch the drywall, vacuum the edges of the carpet along the walls to clean up debris, and wash the portion of exposed walls and paint. I started with the patching, then moved on to vacuuming and washing walls. I knew the patches wouldn't be dry for 24 hours but I went ahead and painted the rest of the walls. 

The snow continued overnight and throughout the day. We weren't getting a lot of accumulation but it was blowing around. School buses in the city were cancelled because of road conditions. It was far worse to the east of Regina, and Highway #1 was closed at the Manitoba border as much of the southern part of the province was hammered. In total, we had about four inches of snow, other areas got as much as 15 inches! It definitely was a blessing to be able to stay at home while this (hopefully) last blast of winter was happening. 

I got as much done as early in the day on Thursday as I could because....there was more curling to watch. There is a Grand Slam of curling event being held in Toronto. Three games on each of Thursday and Friday, then one (that I could watch) on Saturday and two more on Sunday. This is the second to last event for the season, the last will be held May 3-8 in Alberta. I won't be home for most of it.  And that's all I'll say about that for now. :)

Hence I spent Friday and then Saturday morning, watching curling and working on some crocheting. I just have the finishing for the little knit dress I worked on while the Men's worlds wa on - weave in the ends of the yard before I wash and block the dress. Two new dishcloths are done and I'm nearing completion of another tote bag. These projects are using up some of my accumulated stash though there is much more to go.

This afternoon I sanded and vacuumed before painting the rest of the areas where the baseboards have been removed. I was thinking I might start pulling up the carpet but have decided to leave that for the construction crew. Many years ago, my first house in the city was a 1 1/2 story house built in 1925, about 800 square on 3 levels...it was a dollhouse but the kids were small and it did have three bedrooms. The living had carpet and when I figured out there was hardwood underneath I just had to remove the carpet. I pulled it and the tack strips along the edge with no issues until I reached the doorway between the living room and kitchen. There I discovered that the tacking strip had been nailed down with three 3 inch spikes. The first one came out with some difficulty and the second was even more stubburn. I had it almost out when the hammer slipped, flew backwards and smacked me in the mouth with one of it's claws. There was much blood and it didn't want to stop, but I wanted to finish so I stuck a bunch of bandaids on my lip and kept going. I did have to stop and replace the bandaids once more before I got the last spike out and cleaned up the mess. Then I phoned a friend to drive me to the nearby hospital where I had five stitches put in my lip. The doctor who stitched me up did such a good job, even I can't find the scar except in the very best light. I did walk around for about a week with what looked like a beetle on my lip. :p

I've got the Blue Jays baseball on the television and one more load of laundry in the dryer. The sun is shining, though it isn't quite warm enough for much melting to happen just yet.  It's just C and I here for Easter, no chocolate in the house though we've eaten our fair share of jelly beans, and I've no special dinner planned as it is just the two of us. D and Eli are going to the Saturday matinee in their town for the new Sonic movie; that was my gift to him for Easter. 

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend and wishing you a great week ahead.  Happy Easter to those who celebrate!

Playing games

The photo I posted on Wednesday was taken on Sunday afternoon.  With the temperature just around the freezing mark, we were getting rain. :( Not something I wanted to see knowing I was driving out to D's on Monday. Thankfully it didn't last long and while there were some icy patches on the highway the next day, there had been enough traffic through that it wasn't a bad drive at all. I did meet an oncoming "insert swear word here" on the highway passing several vehicles. He may have had just enough room to do so, but I pulled onto the shoulder just in case he hit a patch of ice. I also gave him a one fingered salute as he went by.  The really stupid thing is the highway has passing lanes every 15 kilometers (9 miles) in addition to other areas where passing is permitted.

We had a good visit with less cleaning involved than the last. D's car was at the garage, the part having just come in that morning, so we drove into the nearby larger community to pick up a few necessities. On Tuesday, D had the telephone appointment with the psychologist who will be completing Eli's assessment next week. Eli and I hung out together, watching cartoons, reading books, and playing tickle monster or freeze tag. Tickle monster requires me to catch him, pick him up and toss him onto the couch or bed and tickle him. He tries to hide, but since he always hides in the same place (under the bed covers or a blanket), he's not difficult to find. I try to make it more fun, by looking behind the door, in the bathtub, under the bed, etc. before I actually locate the lump in the covers. Freeze tag is something they play at school, but unlike any freeze tag I've played before, the stuffie that he carries is able to un-freeze him before I've even turned around. When I tell him I'm tired, he says "five more minutes, please?" 

After lunch we picked up D's car at the shop; she headed out to do a few errands while I went back to the house with Eli for a few more minutes of precious time with my favorite kid. One more game of tickle monster was played before she arrived home, and I packed up the car. The trip home was cold and windy but the roads were good. 

Wednesday started out much warmer (-4C/25F) and windy, with snow falling and blowing. I'm glad I came back the day before. I'm pretty sure the roads would have been messy. The clouds never cleared off, but the snow and wind stopped blowing so I headed out to do my grocery shopping.  Jackie, your idea of shopping on a two week cycle might just be what I need to keep within my grocery budget. I didn't even come close to spending double what I would have spent had I shopped both weeks. When I was updating my spreadsheet on Thursday I realized that a good portion of what I had spent was actually cat/bird food which I separate from groceries. I do have a bad habit of picking up items that aren't on my list but are on sale so if I don't shop as often, that should help with impulse buying.

Thursday, I had the company that owns my water heater in to do their annual maintenance.  Which apparently, I don't have to do anymore? When I called in for the appointment, they asked me what the issue was with the water heater - I said there wasn't one, it was just due for an annual inspection. They seemed confused. The appointment was for any time between 7 to 11 a.m. I knew darn well no one would be there by 7, so I didn't get out of bed until then. I got a fair amount of housework done before the fellow showed up at...10:30. We discovered the water heater had a small leak in the pipe coming into it - good thing I called - and he had to go back to the shop to get the piece he needed. He said he'd be back in an hour and showed up 2 hours later. Do you suppose he went for lunch? That's my guess.

When he arrived back at the house I asked how long he'd be as I had an appointment at 1 p.m. Oh boy, did he looks shocked...but he hustled through the appointment and was out the door with about 10 minutes to spare. Luckily the flooring place I was going to is a short drive away. Jason had e-mailed the day before to ask that I pick out the flooring for the basement. I had brought back a piece of laminate flooring left over at my daughter's place, of a color and pattern I liked. It looked good with the existing paint color and doors when I tried it here at home, so I took it with me when I went to the store, even though I was looking for luxury vinyl planking (LVP). Alison pulled several pieces for me and I settled on two different ones as possibles that were fairly close. I was able to bring them home with me to try them out.

At the second store, I found a couple of different ones, but there was no option of bringing home the samples. I decided on the way home, I'd choose between two I had. Luckily that worked out and I've found the flooring - my son choose the same one when I asked his opinion. Best of all, the product is currently on sale, and lower than the budget amount Jason had given me. I'll take whatever savings I can get because I'm sure there will be some surprises that will add to the costs as we go through this process.

Friday was a quiet day of housework, working on Ancestry, and waiting. Waiting for what, you ask? Hooray, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (Canadian women's curling) was starting its broadcast. The event is scheduled for January 28 to February 6, in Thunder Bay, Ontario. So far Covid has caused a few hiccups as two curlers tested positive before departing their home provinces, and an on-air announcer tested positive after arrival. But they're taking every precaution, isolating as necessary and testing regularly.  

Normally, I avoid controversial subjects on my blog (one of the reasons I now have this one is I didn't on the last). But I'm quite concerned with the so-called Freedom Convoy that is headed for our nation's capital this weekend. Initially it was said that they were protesting the mandated vaccination of truck drivers crossing the border between Canada and the U.S. Since this policy has been put in place by both countries, and the industry was given three months notice it was coming, I'm not sure what they hope to accomplish. More recently the coordinators have changed their commentary and suggested they are "fighting for our freedoms". Since they are free to travel across Canada and have the freedom to protest (freedom of expression), I'm not exactly certain ewhat freedoms they are referring to. Those who are unvaccinated have the freedom not to be vaccinated, however that is a choice they are making and like any choice in life comes with consequences. Sadly, the rhetoric has ratcheted up and there are now calls for a "January 6th" type protest with trucks ramming the security fences around the Parliament buildings. Even worse, are the calls of death to our Prime Minister and media, with even a few individuals calling for civil war. Sadly, certain opposition politicians are stoking the flames of this anger too. And while I've no doubt that the majority of the attendees plan to protest peacefully, I also have no doubt that more vocal minority have other plans. Frankly, I think this has turned into a demonstration of hatred towards our P.M. Whether someone likes PMJT or not, he was duly elected last October in a minority government. We can argue whether our electoral system is broken or not but at this point, it is what we have. Enough said.

On a happier note, I had a bird fly into the front window on Friday morning (that's not the happy part). I checked and was certain it was dead, as it was lying face down in the snow with one wing extended out. I left it there until later since I don't like picking up a dead bird that is still warm. Imagine my surprise when I went back to the window several hours later to see it was gone. There was some excrement in the snow and no tracks to suggest a neighbourhood cat had carried it off, so I'm assuming it was able to recover. Is this a metaphor for our country? I hope so.

Today, the curling starts this afternoon, so I'm getting my chores out of the way this morning. I was just out to feed the birds - it's clear the weather is improving as they are eating less. I did see Hoover (the squirrel) out there yesterday and it didn't clean out the feeder either. Inside, there is some vacuuming to be done and the bathrooms need a good scrubbing. Time to get off my duff and get moving.

Have a great weekend everyone!

A visit, routine, snow and more snow

 I had a lovely drive out and back on Sunday, the sun was shining and the winds didn't pick up again until I was nearly back in the city.  

The trees were covered in hoar frost for the first half hour or so of the drive, but with the sun that disappeared quickly.

The visit with D and Eli went well.  She's been doing well keeping the house tidy so I didn't feel the need to tackle any areas while I was there.  Eli and I played monster, where we hid in his room and his mother pretended to be the scary monster who came to tickle him.  Later, we read a Valentine's book I'd brought for him and cuddled on the couch.  D and I watched a gymnastics event from the States while Eli played games on his I-pad.  That kid is more tech savvy than I will ever be!

Monday was a busy day as I got caught up on some housework.  I'd made arrangements for a local window company to come to the house to provide a quote for replacing the large bay window in the living room and two windows in my master bedroom.  He was scheduled for 11:30 so I hustled to get everything done before he arrived.  He did quick work at the measurements and recommended I not replace the bay window in the kitchen.  The woodwork around it is extremely oversized and we both have concerns that it could be removed without damaging the cabinets.  Since that window is no longer open to the elements as it looks out into the sunroom, it makes sense to leave it be...plus it saves me a couple thousand dollars.

On Wednesday I did my weekly grocery pick-up at Walmart, stopped in at Safeway for meat that was on sale, picked up cat food at Pet Smart, and ran an errand for D.  I was impressed, as I was only out of the house for a little over an hour.  In the afternoon, I had another company rep come by to provide another quote for the windows.  I felt he did a better job than the first of ensuring he knew what I wanted, made some recommendations, and explained things to me as we went along.  The quote came in on Friday and I'm going ahead with this company for those reasons and the cost was lower than the first.  We've tentatively scheduled the replacement for late April, early May, weather dependent.  

That evening, my son made dinner, that is he ordered in pizza.  I was quite happy to not have to make a meal, and what I had planned could wait until the next evening. After dinner, our doorbell rang and when I went to answer the door I found a neighbour from a street over.  He had mail that had been delivered to his community mail box for me.  He explained they've been receiving items for me since we got a new postal delivery person.  He's has been putting them back in the mail slot for delivery.  A week or so ago I complained to Canada Post because a parcel had been marked as delivered, but I had not received it.  When I mentioned that to James, he said they had received it, and the next day the CP employee arrived at their house to retrieve it.  So that answers that mystery of where it went initially.  He's had several issues including an order of auto parts that ought to have been delivered that day but the worker said she tried and they weren't home.  He said he, his wife, and two children were home all day!  We suspect she tried to deliver it here and I was out on my shopping run.  The house numbers are the same and both street names start with the letter P.  But beyond that our last names are very different. Hopefully she'll be more careful in making the deliveries in the future.  Otherwise we'll both be contacting Canada Post to complain.

Thursday I had to run out to drop off some paperwork for my daughter. The stop was near the Value Village, so I had to stop in...of course I did.  I picked up a couple of skeins of yarn and a picture frame.  I just missed out on a couple of bags of basic Lego.  As I was just starting to look at the toys I saw a man picking up both of them.  Darn!  Eli has started playing with Lego, and it's great for his fine motor skills.  There was a Dollarama next door, so I stopped in there as well and picked up some spring flowers (plastic) It's still several weeks away in real life but I'll have some color to enjoy indoors.

We had more snow on Friday, just a 1/2 inch or so but it had melted some the day before so I spent some time chipping ice and clearing the snow in the afternoon.  Of course, it started snowing again almost as soon as I came indoors. :p  By this morning we'd had another couple of inches so I started my day going out to feed the birds and clear the driveway and sidewalks.  The temperature was about -8C (18F) but is expected to drop throughout the day with a low of -26C (-15F) overnight.  We've got a few days of cold weather ahead of us.  It's those days I'm most happy to be retired.

I'll keep busy with crocheting and working on the Ancestry research.  I finished a little dress this week, the pink one that matches the purple one I made earlier last year. I need to add the ribbons through the loops and those will be completed.  I also started another baby blanket. 

The research has taken me down some interesting paths.  It's clear that sometimes others have added in information that is likely not correct.  I've deleted some potential ancestors (going back to the 1500's) because the literature available does not support the assertion that a rather notable individual was the father of a known direct ancestor.  So I'll end that branch of the tree with the later individual as the documentation provides support.

Time to get some steps in and have a bit of breakfast.  Take care everyone, stay well!

The finished product

The bathroom are completely finished, hooray!  My son helped me put up the mirrors on Sunday.  Despite my worries, that turned out to be the easiest step.  The mirrors are held up by clips that are screwed into the wall.  The workman who took them down, left the top ones in place.  

We measured the mirror (that I did help with) and marked the wall where the lower clips needed to go.

C lifted the mirror in place, slipped it into the lower clips and I climbed up on a stool to help slide the upper clip on side up, while he did the other, and they just snapped into place. 

Both mirrors had been stored in my bedroom, where a little boy generously applied his hand prints.  After they were back in place I gave them a good cleaning.  As you'll see I did buy an over the toilet storage unit but I'm not sure it will stay.  It's wider than the toilet tank...that I didn't think to measure!

Since my daughter is still away the main bathroom counter isn't yet cluttered.  My bathroom, on the other hand...well it looked like that before the renovations were completed.  You'll note a bowl on the left hand side of the counter.  That's for the cats.  Yeah, they are spoiled.

It's nice to have everything complete. Now I just get to wait for the final bill to come in. :p  (Thankfully those costs are fully covered by the payout I received for back pay; our contract wasn't settled for over three years.)

But that's it folks, I will not be taking on any more renovation projects! Remind me of this statement next time I start thinking about doing something else. 

Have a great week everyone!

Finish line in sight

Painting complete

The bathrooms are nearing completion, hooray!  I'm not sure if I mentioned it but the cabinet refacing was delayed due to a death in the family of the worker.  Then, because I wanted to have the bathrooms painted before the sinks and faucets were installed, that had to wait until D and Eli went to B.C.  They left on Tuesday, I took a day of vacation and got them both painted and today the plumber is here to finish the installation.  All that will be left to do is rehang the mirrors...not something I'm looking forward to.

I really like that the banjo counter is gone.  It did add more counter space, but it made it nearly impossible to get into the back of the toilet.  

My daughter is trying to convince me to get an over the toilet storage unit.  I probably will for the main bathroom as she has soooo much stuff.  I can manage in my en-suite as I didn't use the extra counter space.  I have a three tier plastic container that I keep under the sink - it provides all the storage I need.

The sinks are installed but the plumber is having some issues with the seals - they are plastic and are leaking a bit.  I expect he'll be here a little longer to get that taken care of - he says the only option is to silicone "the hell" out of them. Turns out it wasn't the seals it was old water.  Not sure how he can tell but I trust he knows what he is doing. 

At the same time, the company that has been installing new higher speed internet cable in the neighbourhood are finally finishing the work in the back yard.  I'm watching two men go back and forth from the front yard to the back with wheelbarrows full of gravel.  I took a look out the sunroom and it looks like they'll be here awhile...the hole is quite deep.  I haven't decided if I'll sign up for it or not, while it may be faster, I suspect the cost will be much higher as well.

That other finish line, is retirement.  I'll be taking another marble out of the jar next week leaving just five marbles!  When I look back I cannot believe how quickly the time has past, even though looking forward it still seems like a long way off.  I had my performance review with my manager yesterday and asked for a couple of projects to keep me busy into the fall as I've gotten into my routine and am finding things have slowed down.  When I get bored, I get bitchy...that's been the norm for me for most of my life.

Anyway, I'll end this post with a picture of Eli. I took this photo the evening they left for B.C.  I guess he travelled fairly well, though D wasn't happy hauling baby and bags on her own.  They're having a blast now visiting with J and exploring Courtney/Comox.  I've seen photos and videos of Eli on the beach, playing on a swing, visiting Dad at the job site, and meeting his cousin Ethan.  

They are off to Port Hardy when J is off work today to visit with his grandparents and other relatives.  I sure miss the little guy (though I'm sure getting lots down around here without his assistance), but I'm happy to hear that all is well and he's having lots of fun.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Lazy days

Do you ever have one of those days or one of those weeks (in my case the latter) where your get and go has got up and left?  And, if you do, how do you get yourself out of that rut?  Or maybe I'm too hard on myself and this (hopefully) temporary lapse of ambition will pass.  

In any event, it has been a very quiet and unproductive week both at work and at home.  I've kept up with absolutely needed to be done but no more.  So, for example, if you were to walk into my living room right now you'd find the normal detritus of a toddler, as well as several boxes (books) and piles of clothing.  The latter all belong to my daughter and are destined for a future garage sale...that she has been planning since early May.  I call it the work of make a mess baby and make an even bigger mess mom.  The floor, though has been swept and vacuumed so the dust bunnies have been held at bay.  

What I should be doing is painting the bathrooms (or a least cutting in), as the worker is here on Monday to start the refacing of the cabinets.  The plumber was here yesterday to remove the sinks and taps.  He discovered there were no shut off valves in either bathroom so those had to be added once the main water was shut off.  

This is the main bathroom where the  problem started.  D noticed there was water dripping from the sink onto the floor of the cabinet.  When we checked underneath we discovered the sink had corroded through the base and so some overflow was actually leaking.  I started looking into replacing the sink but after searching for sinks on-line (no one local had grey sinks), I eventually came to decision to reface the cabinets as I did a few years ago in the kitchen.  Yeah, that's me...spent a little or a spend a lot...and I go with the more expensive option.  

This is the ensuite bathroom.  You'll see that both bathrooms have the banjo counter top that extends over the toilet.  That will be removed when the counters are replaced.  While the extra counter space is nice to have, it's a real pain to get at the toilet tank when the flange or chain needs to be replaced.  

The cabinets will be refaced with the same laminate material called chocolate pear, while the doors and drawer fronts will be replaced completely.  The counter tops will have similar laminate as the kitchen, except that the material in the kitchen has a gloss finish while the bathrooms will be matte. When the kitchen was done I have purchased the handles so these just need to removed and put on the new doors and drawer fronts.

 

This is a rather dark photo but provides some idea of what the counters and cabinets will look like.  (This was pre-installation of the microwave above the stove).  Unlike the kitchen there will be no tile backsplash, rather the laminate will be wrapped up the wall about 4 inches.  

I still need to find taps for both sinks - the ones I ordered on-line were too small so need to be returned.  This is part of shopping I like least...it's such a pain in the butt.  I'll probably replace the lighting as well as it is brass colored while the fittings are brushed nickel.  (see what I mean about spending more money...I started with needing to replace the sink....)

The paint I've chosen for the two rooms is quite a bit lighter than the original.  As both rooms are interior and without windows, I think the lighter color will brighten them up.  

I decided to go ahead with the refresh of the bathrooms as I think it will help with the resale of the house in a year or so.  The market in Regina has really declined over the past year or two, such that prices are dropping.  In the mean time I'll get to enjoy having nice(r) bathrooms. 

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We've been having some wild weather this week with more storms forecast for this weekend.  This storm, earlier in the week gave us a good soaking of about 1/2 inch of rain or more.  We've had rain off and on, nearly every second day so that I haven't had to water most of the containers.  I do check the 10" pots more frequently as they tend to dry out more quickly but even those haven't needed more than a sprinkling. 

I have small birdhouse that my brother and his children built, that we hung on one of my sheds.  This little chickadee was busy between rain bursts bringing food to whomever was in the house.  Unfortunately I haven't seen any movement in or out of the birdhouse the last day or two, so I fear something may have happened.  My brother R, said it is unusual for a chickadee to nest in a birdhouse so perhaps the pair moved.  I hope so!

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Finally, one more photo of my very handsome (and talented) grandson.  This week he discovered climbing!

Next to the cat tree is his toy box.  Lately he's taken to climbing into the toy box to get something, so it was a natural progression to take the next step of climbing onto the cat tree.  The view from there is so much better, right?  

I don't have a photo but the second time he climbed onto the tree, he made it up onto the perch he's leaning on and attempted to stand up!  That was it for the tree - it has now been moved into the sun room with nothing nearby to make the climb easy.  

Well, I'd best wrap this up and get to the bathrooms.  Procrastination is truly getting me nowhere!

Have a great weekend everyone.

P.S. I have my settings so that comments are e-mailed to me, but this function doesn't seem to be working. I've checked my settings and every thing looks okay.  Is anyone else having this issue or is it just me?

Spending for the future

Boy, I'm good at spending money.  Or perhaps I find it easy to spend money.  Is there a difference?  I think so....you decide.

I've been having issues with the sink in the main bathroom.  It has developed a leak and needs to be replaced.  Initially I thought I'd just replace the sink in both bathrooms (main and ensuite), but after a nearly fruitless search for replacements, grey sinks 20 1/2 inches by 17 inches, at a reasonable price I decided to bite the bullet and have the vanities refaced to match the kitchen.  The newer sinks are smaller so I would have to replace the countertops anyway. 

The kitchen renovation work was done in 2013 when our employment contract was settled and I had received my pay out. I used a third of the pay out for ther renovations, saved the other two thirds in my RSP (retirement savings plan).  The remaining cost of renovations I financed through Home Depot, with no interest for 18 months.  Home Depot is currently running the same promotion and our latest contract was just recently settled. My theory is, why use my own money when I can use someone else's.

It also makes sense to have the work completed by the same company using the same/similar products.  In fact, the guys are here doing the measurements while I type this. (They arrived just after I started this post.)  They'll also replace a couple of doors in the kitchen I damaged.  The material that covers the doors is laminate, which is basically plastic....which doesn't mix well with the steam from a boiling kettle....as I learned the hard way. 

Unfortunately there is a fair amount of work that needs to be done, pre and post.  I have to remove the tile back splash in both bathrooms, something I've never done and which I know can cause damage to the drywall if done improperly.  To do so, I also need to remove the mirrors which are very large.  I suspect my younger brother is going to get a call for help!  The installer will reface the cabinets, replace the doors and hinges, build the counter top, cut the sink hole (according the template I provide) and finish the countertop laminate.  Once their work is done there will be some painting necessary but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  We've lived here for 7 years, so the bathrooms could use a refresh.

What have I got myself into?  It all seems a bit overwhelming when I think about it, but taken in increments I know I'll get through it. They told me today, they'll schedule the work in late May, early June so that gives me some time to do some research on tile removal (and get it done), as well as purchase new sinks and paint.  I had purchased the door handles when I did the kitchen so that is one small purchase I won't have to make.  Oh, and I have to find a plumber to unhook the plumbing before the work is started and install the sinks and do the hook up when complete.

While I suppose I could have purchased new vanities and had the old ones replaced for a similar cost, however doing the refacing will match the kitchen. I think that will help when the time comes to sell the house in a year or so.  Yes, I'm definitely still planning a move to Vancouver Island when I retire.  

The timing has been pushed back by about a year, with the arrival of Eli, and the circumstances of my daughter's life....currently not working and would be homeless if not for me.  While my son C still lives here as well, he's been saving for a place of his own but won't purchase until he knows where he'll be working.  He did have an interview (for his current job) yesterday.  I know that sounds odd, but it has to do with applicant pools that expire after a certain period of time.  I'm sure he aced it so will be back in the pool for another extended period of time.  With any luck, the incumbents who are currently working in other areas in term positions will be permanently appointed soon - then he can be pulled from the pool permanently as well.  

Anyway, back to me. :)  That isn't all the spending I've done this week.  Yes, I have a cruise booked in January 2019 but one is never enough.  Just before I went on my cruise in February, I found another Norwegian cruise that looked interesting and so I was keeping an eye on it for a price drop.  Well, this week NCL offered certain cruises with Canada at par and this was one of them.  That's at a 30% reduction in price!  

I called my friend K, as the cruise sails from New Orleans and both she and J have wanted to do one from there for some time.  However, neither had been keen on sailing on NCL because of the "freestyle dining".  On other cruise lines, you have an option of traditional dining, which is a set time - usually 6 or 8 p.m. at the same table with the same guests and wait staff throughout the cruise.  With freestyle dining, you either make a reservation or show up at the various dining rooms and wait for an available table.  The guests can ask to share a table, but that works only if someone else is there who wishes to share a table as well.  This doesn't appeal to the two of them.

My fellow cruiser, Sandra gave me the name of the cruise consultant at NCL she's used several times, so we gave Melanie a call to discuss.  We determined that if I booked a solo cabin, J and K can join me and other solos, but if we booked a mini-suite for the three of us, I wouldn't be able to join the solos.  Done deal, I'm booked in a solo and they have a balcony cabin about 30 feet away on the same deck.  It's a win-win, as we'll be able to meet other folks through the solos, plus we'll have space to ourselves as well.  

We're also staying in New Orleans for a few extra days after the cruise.  We all want to wander the French Quarter by day...I don't think we'll do so at night, I want to visit the Cafe du Monde for the beignets, and K wants to visit a couple of the old plantations.  There is also the old St. Louis cemetery and the French market and shopping and....so much more.  I booked my flights today and a hotel for pre-cruise using Expedia and got a decent price, better than had I booked the airfare through Air Canada and the hotel separately.  

I still need to book our post cruise hotel; K just called and we've decided on the general area we want to be in.  They are leaving it up to me because they're packing for their next cruise - a TransPacific from Tokyo to Vancouver - they fly to Tokyo on Tuesday morning.  They also have a Baltic cruise booked for September.  Oh, and after the cruise with me, they are flying to Fort Lauderdale for two back to back cruises.  J's comment to me when we were talking about the New Orleans cruise and I mentioned how long they will be away (Dec 5-Jan 12), it will be winter here in Saskatchewan and it won't be cold in the Caribbean.  Boy, retirement life sounds good to me.

So, yes I'm spending money.  However, I believe it will be money well-spent, both in the return on investment in my home and in the memories to be made.  Plus, I've run the calculator on my back pay and will have a nice sum to tuck away in my retirement savings plan....for future spending.  It's been a long wait for a new contract, but looking at it from my perspective today, it's been worth it.

I'll close this post with a recent photo of Eli.  Here he is "fishing" for cats in the sun room.  He has as much fun as Sheldon does with this game.