A not so busy week

A word about Wednesday's photo; the potatoes are from two plants. I still have six more to dig up! We really don't have anywhere to store them for long, as they need a cool, dry place. The basement tends to be too humid and the pantry too warm. So I plan to dig a hill or two over the next few weeks...at least until there is a threat of frost. I grew up eating potatoes every day, and could do so again. We picked up a machine to cut French fries and will bag and freeze a fair amount as well. 

Garden update: The tomatoes were coming faster than I could eat them, so I picked several and took them to one of the thrist store volunteers. Her tomatoes did nothing this year. D also took some, along with a cucumber to the librarian. She was thrilled to get them, as she's only grown cherry tomatoes this year and exclaimed how excited to eat a tomato sandwich. 

Speaking of the tomatoes, a second volunteer has popped up in the perennial bed. The first one has flowers now, and maybe, just maybe we'll see a wee bit of fruit from it.

The long range forecast doesn't indicate any potential for frost until well into September. My corn cobs are growing and I'm hopeful we'll get a feed from those yet. 

This photo is simply to illustrate how much the oxalis has escaped the perennial bed and is filling in the rock area in front of the gazebo. Too, the lamium is also setting up outside the rock borders. I dug up a piece of lamium and put it in the new perennial bed. Oh, and my lilac bush is slightly confused and blooming!

I did shifts at the thrift store on Monday and Tuesday. Monday was our last "August" cleaning day, but we came into an pile in the sorting room and a full bin to boot. There wasn't a whole lot of cleaning completed that day as several of us spent the time sorting. When we left, there were just a few bags left...something for the Tuesday crew to manage. I got a call that afternoon from M, the team leader for Tuesday's volunteers asking if I could come in for a few hours. I agreed, and when I arrived just shortly before 1 p.m., the store was busy (we're open 11-4 on Tuesdays and Thursday's), and a few volunteers were busy in the sorting room as well.

Why, you might wonder, since we'd left so little the day prior? Well, the donation bin was full on arrival that morning, and more donations kept coming in during the day. My first task was to take the large cart to the bin area and bring another round in - several boxes and a number of bags. Again, I spent the three hours I was there assisting with the sorting. As busy as we were, the store continued to do so as well, so we didn't run out hangers or racks. At 3:55 p.m. an announcement was made in-store that we were closing in 5 minutes...didn't slow some shoppers down. The store has late hours on Thursday, until 8 p.m. so I told every one I came across they were welcome to come back. It took until nearly 4:15 to clear the store!

I got a call as I was leaving from SaskEnergy (our natural gas provider). I'd been in touch with them the week prior because we hadn't received a utility bill from them for mid-August...very unusual. While I was told to expect the worker last Friday, he didn't arrive until this week. Apparently there was issue with a battery in the equipment, though I don't quite understand how that would impact the issuance of a bill, as they just estimate our useage. In any event, the part was replaced and I should see the next bill by the 15th of the month. To avoid a big surprise, I paid the same amount we'd paid the month previous.

Wednesday was Eli's first day of Grade 4. This is his last year at the junior school. How can that be? His mom took photos of him and I stole from her. He's certainly growing! It won't be long before he's as tall as I am. 5'2" and shrinking. :)

Thursday morning, the plumber arrived to install the new range hood. The old one was likely put in 20 years ago, and the fan didn't work well. He wasn't able to hook up the electrical based on a conversation with his employer (though he assured us he could have). The electrician arrived a few hours later to finish the job and to install a Google Nest thermostat. They left shortly before I headed over to the library for Knit and Natter. G was there and as we haven't seen each other for awhile, it was a good opportunity to catch up. One of the librarians visited with us for awhile...lots of garden talk!

When I returned home, we went to the thrift store to do a bit of shopping. I had talked to one of the other volunteers earlier in the week, and she had suggested I might be needed for the late afternoon shift. She wasn't there but I checked with one of the board members but she said they figured they had enough volunteers. We spent $30 on two baskets and went home with at least three dozen pieces. Many were for Eli, I had four but will be returning two, my daughter found a number for herself and for her friends children. My two purchases were a pair of jeans and a light jacket. D has a couple of pieces I may just steal or at least borrow from time to time - one is sleeveless t-shirt and the other is a black dress.

The roof guys were back on Friday to finish the shingling next door. It was odd because the previous tenant who hasn't been seen for nearly a week arrived shortly before they did. He brought in the recycling bin (put out on Monday) and was seen carrying a small bag into the house. No one seems to living in the house any more and we've seen no potential buyers though we could have missed someone coming in and out. In any event it appears the roof is finished.

I'm not certain if it will help sell the house or not. There have been at least three other houses of similar size listed here in town. One of them is listed at $5K below LND's asking price and the other two are between $30-40K lower.  I won't be surprised if we don't end up with more tenants.

Meanwhile D and I tackled a few things in the kitchen. I had purchased a pork loin and cut it into a roast, a few pork chops, and cubes for stew. While she sealed these into freezer bags, I cut up the rest of the potatoes into fries and hash brown cubes. The machine we'd bought to cut the fries was actually broken - D had found it at a garage sale so no significant loss. After blanching the potatoes, I set them out to dry on cookie sheets, and she sealed them into bags. The hash browns were for breakfast bowls that evening.

The rest of the day was quiet, as D hadn't slept well the night before. Eli was home mid-day so he played and I watched some television and worked on my cross stitching. 

Today will be another quiet day, no real plans on the horizon. I like those kind of days.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

A Day Late - keeping busy

The first peony bloom!

The weather continues to be erratic, with rain almost every day, but in small amounts. We had sunshine too, and I've spent some time outdoors, doing chores, and reading in my downtime. At this point the planting is done, now I need to catch with the weeds.

Our first piece of business on Monday was purchasing an upright freezer from our local hardware store. D has been suggesting it for some time and we arranged with Matt to pick it up and deliver to us. It will stay in the garage (which is insulated) and keep most of our meat and frozen vegetables. With our meal planning we'll bring in what we need for the week to keep in the fridge freezer, while the basement freezer keeps bread products, frozen pizza (Eli's favorite ones), french fries, perogies, etc. It's a bit of an experiment for now but when we filled it on Friday, we discovered I do NOT need to buy meat for some time.

I did my shift at the thrift store on Tuesday. As predicted we received and continue to get donations from the community wide garage sales. In addition one family is clearing out their mother's house and lots of treasures were found among the donations. One was a vintage Carnival glass small sugar bowl. It was set aside fo the woman who prices the more precious items. It would be worth more had it come with the creamer. We'll either sell it in the store or she'll post it on-line. There were also button containers (did your mom have a button jar?), with some really unique buttons, as well as homemade ones as well. I remember my mom making the matching buttons with material from an outfit. I did come home with a pair of wide leg palazzo pants for my daughter, but otherwise resisted the urge to shop...at least for a couple of days.

Wednesday, we had an appointment at the local credit union to open accounts for Eli and I. His mom wants to encourage him to start saving; she'd held onto the money he received for his birthday for the deposit. In my case, there is no branch of my usual institution, so I had opened an account at the local Bank of Montreal when I first moved here. I used it primarily to retrieve cash from the ATM, but they are closing as of Friday this week. Just a note: if I had withdrawn from my regular account at another institution there is a fee of $3-4. So, I closed that account and opened one at the credit union. That will allow me to access cash at the ATM with no fee. At some point, I'll start moving things from my current institution to the credit union, but that will take time as I have regular deposits and withdrawals that will need to changed. 

On Thursday, I went shopping at the thrift store - my feet are always tired after my shift. I found a number of items, though I messed up on the sizing of two of them so they will be returned as donations. Even so, I spent less than $15 for 5 pieces of clothing, one of which was a pretty top to match the palazzo pants I bought for my daughter. I noted that the sorting room wasn't as full as it had been when I left on Tuesday but the racks are full again. There may be another "sale" in the near future. 

One of the women from the thrift store mentioned that Canadian Tire had there annuals reduced in price. Can't pass up a sale, right? I picked another four six packs and a Gerbera daisy. I've never had much look with the daisy, but will give it a try - at $4.99 for the plant I won't be out much if it doesn't survive. 

On Friday, D and I visited a pair of garage sales, where she picked up some new baby clothes for her friend S. My big splurge was another puzzle and a piece of metal art for the yard. I was looking for a plant stand to put up in front of the house but D convinced me a bench would be better. Home Hardware had one for sale so I gave in a purchased it.

On Saturday, I put the bench together, and got the new plants into their pots. I'm now up to seventeen containers, although three of those are perennials that will go into the raised flower bed in the back yard. At the moment that project is on hold until the fence is complete. The next project will see me recaulking the windows and painting the trim in the front of the house.

On a happy note, I finally heard from LND and the fence is a go with Matt. The actual work won't start until July. Matt works full-time for the fire department and is busy with ball season with his daughter. We're also having him do a bit a reno in the basement to remove a wall behind the furnace. The water leak has made it's way to that area in the past and we'd like to have better access to that area.

We've done everything we can to mitigate the leak. I added the rain guards to the window wells. I did dig down and discovered that the wood window frame is rotten. There is a plan to replace windows in a few years so the basement windows to that list. D managed to get the sealant applied to the wall this week, and while we've had rain we haven't seen any evidence in the a basement. There was an area in the back where water was standing. So I've added soil and sloped it away from the foundation. I'll need to let it settle and add more as needed. But fingers crossed, that issue is managed for the time being.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Fun, frustration, and full moon

The Cold Moon, a supermoon , and the last full moon of 2025. Photo taken from my hotel window in Palm Springs. 

It was a week of ups and downs...some fun and a couple of frustrations. I've started writing this on Thursday evening from my hotel room in Palm Springs.  I fly out tomorrow to Regina (via Calgary). It will be a long day, though shortened as I'll lose two hours by the time I land in Regina. 

Monday was December 1, so another resident and I started decorating the clubhouse for Christmas. Well, she ended up doing the majority of the decorating as one of the sets of lights on the tree wasn't working.  Of course it was, what I originally thought, the middle set of three. No problem, I'd just remove it, get another set and replace.

HA! Whoever put the lights on the tree didn't want them removed. Each light was wrapped on to the branches: sometimes two or three wraps of the cord to the right, sometimes to the left and worst of all sometimes the cord was split and then wrapped. I worked on it for a half hour before I went to grab some lunch. Back at the hall, S came to help me while D continued the rest of the decorating.  It took the two of us 2 hours to remove the middle and bottom set of lights. We discovered they weren't really two sets as someone had spliced the two sets together leaving both ends of the plugs. We made an executive decision to trash that set and I picked up two more sets of 100 lights at Walmart. 

The next morning the Board of Directors were having a meeting we could attend, though we were asked not to speak until the floor was opened for questions or comments. ( Not that it stopped some). It was interesting to observe the interactions and hear different perspectives about a number of issues.

After the meeting D said we would finish decorating on Wednesday. Hooray, as I'd planned to go to the thrift stores with L and S. We all found something and I was thrilled to find the foam/stuffing I can use for the chair pads. I paid a whopping $3 for three pieces. I also found a cute t-shirt for Eli for 50 cents.

Before we headed back to the park we decided to go for lunch. While there I got a call from Jose. He had been to my unit that morning to check on a leak in one of the water lines. It was a drip and he said he'd be back later in the afternoon to fix it. 

I also had a text from D asking if I was back in the park. I wasn't but said I'd be there shortly.  When we returned I headed to the clubhouse and discovered she had completed the decorating.  She had forgotten our morning conversation which both S and I had with her. I think she was a bit annoyed with me. But she did such a beautiful job! Next year we'll get our timing straight. 

Another frustration: I received an email from Enterprise to check in for my rental car for my trip to Palm Springs. As I read over the info I noticed the return was to Yuma airport...it should have been to Palm Springs.  I checked the email I'd received on booking.. it said PSP airport. So I called and was informed they had changed it because they had no vehicle available for a one way trip. When I asked what I should since I had a flight booked and would not be returning the vehicle to Yuma, the operator suggested I call other rental companies. Wow! Eventually I was able to get a car through Budget...but you can bet Enterprise will get a negative response should I receive a "satisfaction " survey.  Especially because the operator didn't bother canceling my reservation. I had to do that myself.

Meanwhile Jose did not come by that afternoon but did arrive the next afternoon.  He removed a section of the hose and re-clamped it. When he left it was no longer leaking.That wouldn't last. 

After Happy Hour I went for dinner and L and E's. I'd finally used up my leftovers and she invited me to join them for the evening meal. I was home around 7:30 and had climbed into bed to read about 9 p.m. About 15 minutes later I heard a pop and the sound of rushing water. I leapt out of bed and ran outside to shut the water off. After a quick text to Jose telling him the fix hadn't held, I spent some time mopping up the water. I could hear the water in the floor vents and wasn't certain if the furnace might be affected. It wasn't...but I still found it hard to sleep. I was grateful that the hose hadn't failed earlier on the evening while I was out. 

Thursday I was awake about 6 a.m., chatted with D, and was reading blogs when I got a text from Jose. He was there and I wasn't even dressed! I jumped up threw on jeans and a sweater over my nightgown before opening the door. He looked the situation over before heading out to get the supplies he needed to make a better repair.

While he was away I took care of several chores I needed to get done before leaving that morning. Coffee hour was being held in the clubhouse and I had three people text or come by to ensure I was coming.  I explained I was waiting for Jose to return.  He did, just as the third person was starting thr walk back to the hall. I let him in and left him to do the work. He finished up about 15 minutes later. After coffee hour I paid him for the supplies; I had paid for his time the day before. The new piping looks like it should last for several years.  In any event, I left the water shut off as well as the furnace when I left the park.

L and E dropped me off at the airport where I picked up my rental car. It was an easy process as they had everything ready for me. I wasn't entirely thrilled with the car, a Chevy Malibu. After my Equinox I felt the seat was too low, though I was able to adjust it somewhat...that meant adjusting it again when I got out of the car.  Since it was a Chev vehicle it had many familiar features to my SUV. It was an uneventful 3 hour drive though holy cow, Cali drivers like to speed! On most of the highways the limit was 70 mph (112 kmph). I kept my speed just below the limit and vehicles were blowing past me. There were at least two who were stopped by the police that I saw and my GPS told me several times there were "police ahead". 

The hotel I booked, Homewood Suites is close to the airport, just a 10 minute drive. The room is lovely! The best part: it was so good to have a shower with great water pressure.  

I'll drop the car off about 9:30 a.m. on Friday and should be home (at my son's) about 9:30 p.m. With the time difference it should be a 10 hour travel day. D and Eli will pick me up on Sunday. I'm looking forward to hugs from my family and cuddles with the cats....maybe even Sage. I'm not looking forward to the cold weather and snow!

I'm updating this from the airport in Calgary. We were pretty much on time getting here though had headwinds and some turbulence.  That's when things turned. The flight to Regina was initially delayed by an hour, then another 30 minutes. As I write this we won't be taking off for another 75 minutes. I won't be holding my breath we'll get out of here by then. It has to do with crew availability. When delays occur earlier in the day the crews have a limit of hours they can be on duty. No one wants an exhausted flight crew. So they have to scramble to find another crew who have had a shorter day or haven't been on duty. This late in the day the latter is likely tge case. The weather in Calgary isn't particularly cold but it is snowing and blowing.  Depending on where the crew members live, this can delay their arrival at the airport.  I expect we'll get out tonight...but when is another question. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S. My next cruise is 304 days away.

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!

Slowing down

Another busy week is nearly behind us, and I'm tired. We've been cleaning at the old house for a couple of hours every day and have the house emptied of everything but the appliances that are staying. The company who did the move also haul garbage. We had them in on Wednesday to take away some broken furniture and lots of garbage. There will be another haul away needed when we finish in the shed and garage, along with some yard waste.

We did make a run to the nearby town on Tuesday to look for a television stand for the living room. That task was not successful, but we did pick up a few groceries at Walmart and made a Value Village run. D walked out with a good number of brand name clothing pieces for Eli, some with original tags. I used my seniors discount of 30%, and she paid $60 for all of it. He's getting harder on his clothing now that he isn't growing quite as quickly. He continues to stretch up, but not out.

On Thursday, while my daughter finished the carpet cleaning on the second floor, I started filling holes and making some minor repairs to the walls. That work continued on Friday as well and I got the main floor spots sanded and wiped down. D stayed home as Eli was home from school with an ear ache. He's had a mild cough most of the week too. 

At the new house, we've continued to unpack in the office/craft room. There is enough of a dent made that there is open floor space. We still need to sort through everything and put duplicates together, rather than having them in separate containers. My under the bed space has been utilized too, for boxes of family mementos and photo albums. There are two boxes in the bedroom too, of photos and commercial artwork. I told D we'll go through that on a rainy day and I suspect a lot of it will end up being donated. Some pieces will stay but there is less wall space than in the old house in Regina. We have a lot more windows, which I appreciate fully....or at least until it is time to wash them this spring. :)

Today, I'm off to the old house for another hour or so to some sanding, and start laying cardboard on the large flower bed in the back yard. D has never been able to keep up with the weeds (even with her neighbour's help), and I'm hoping to take care of some of them early and without sprays. There is a large day lily that I'd like to split to bring a piece to the new house. 

The handyman, CT, will be in the house on Tuesday evening to start patching some cracks in the plaster that are beyond my abilities. There is more work to be done, but I need those taken care of before the painters arrive. They are booked the following week and expect to take two days to complete their work. After that, CT needs to return to do a few more minor repairs before the house can be listed. As I'm planning to head back to the city around the 15th of May, I'm hoping all will be done so we can list the house before I get away. To be honest, I doubt it will happen, but we'll try. However, not having any control over CT's schedule means we'll need to wait until he is available. Not only does he do good work, his pricing is also very reasonable.

Time for me to get moving! Have a great week ahead everyone. 

P.S. that's a photo of Stanley napping on my bed. Yes, there are still boxes in my room.

Burning a hole in my pocket

Life slowed down somewhat this week. Most everything I want or need has been unpacked - though I still can't find my tea canister. No worries, I still have boxes of tea so I'm not going without. 

My son had Monday off as a statutory holiday for Remembrance Day, and because his bi-weekly earned day off is usually Monday, he had Tuesday off as well. That meant four days off for him, and quiet mornings for me - since I spoil him and let him sleep late. Monday, though he had to be up by 10:30 as my brother's friend, P was stopping by to check the garage door for us. The fellow who had leased the garage from the owners had mentioned it was tricky - tap three times to open it and twice to close it. That didn't work for me nor my son. After he had retired, P got into refurbishing garage door openers as well as installation. In fact, back in 2010 he replaced the old garage door opener at the previous property I'd owned. 

The one sensor wasn't working properly, but he got that going in short order, then did a few adjustments to the machine. That seemed to make things worse, so he took it apart and realized he had made the turn to the opposite direction he intended. About 20 minutes and $40 later, the door is functioning as it should. P mentioned the opener is very old, but a top of the line brand. He figures it should last the winter at least, and agreed he'd be back in the spring to replace it, if we chose to do so.  Since he's closed down his business, it's nice to know he'd do that for us. I did tell him, my brother R owed him a coffee. :)  

Oh, before I forget, Wednesday's photo is courtesy of R. He was out hunting elk but the wily creatures kept approaching him from the wrong direction or after hunting hours ended due to the sun setting. While he'd like to get his elk, he truly enjoys being out in the blind enjoying the sounds and sights of the natural world around him. I'm too soft hearted to like the idea of hunting, but I do appreciate the photographs.

Wednesday, C was back to work, and I went shopping! Nothing really exciting, some groceries and a few household items. I did make a stop by the thrift stores too finding a lamp at Value Village, a sheet and a pair of pajamas at Salvation Army. When I was moving the furniture in the living room, I manage to break one of my lamps. Eventually, I'll replace the pair in the living room, but the one I bought will be used in the basement. It had no shade, but I was able to use the one from the broken lamp. 

I also stopped in at my former esthetician's shop to purchase mascara for D. I missed L, as she wasn't working in the morning but I was able to make the purchase. One little boy got into his mother's make-up last week and wasted a whole lot of mascara. She had given him permission to play with the eyeshadow but neglected to expressly tell him not to use the mascara. Apparently he drew pictures on the tub with it. (Are you laughing...I was.)

Later, I met S at Stitch and Chat. I'd actually got some knitting done this weekend and was close to finishing the toque I've been working on. I didn't get it done that afternoon but have finished it since. We meet at the library, so I dropped off the book club novel, "Lethal White" by Robert Galbraith. I hadn't realized the author was the nom de plume of J. K. Rowling, or I likely wouldn't have read the book. She's made some controversial comments about the transgender community, and when challenged about those remarks she doubled down on her comments. In any event, I read the book and wasn't impressed. BTW, I've never read the Harry Potter books and if this novel was a sample of her writing, I won't be reading any more in the future.

I won't be attending next week's book club as D and Eli will be in town. He has an appointment for autism testing with a psychologist and a student intern. The appointment is over a four hour period, and I sure hope they give him a number of breaks. I'm expecting the two of them to arrive at the house mid-afternoon and they will overnight here before heading home in the morning.

More shopping was accomplished on Thursday as well, but not necessarily as I had planned. I want a new laptop as the one I currently use has a very limited memory. I do have an external hard drive but find it annoying to have to retrieve photos and documents. Yes, I know there is a cloud thingy too and some of the photos are saved there - at least the ones since I purchased this laptop, BUT I have no idea how to retrieve those items from the cloud. I didn't get a password or any kind of program to access, it saves the photos automatically but I also save to the computer and back-up the folders to my external hard drive. My concern is: what happens to the stuff in the cloud if this computer were to crash? Some things are just too important to me to lose access.

I went to the Staples store near my house and had a laptop selected, but they had none in stock. According to the tech, there was one in stock in the store on the other side of the city. Off I trundled to buy it there...except that didn't happen. The laptop on the shelf was not exactly the same as the one at the north store; it had half the memory/storage of the one I wanted, yet it was listed at the same price. I tried to get some assistance, even phoning the store directly after I'd ask a nearby stock clerk to call someone. The phone was never answered, and the automated voice told me to call back later. I waited a few more minutes, then walked out of the store. Back at home I ordered it online for delivery next week.

Since it's been a very spendy week, it was time to stay home on Friday. I did a few chores and tackled some heavy duty cleaning. D has my rug cleaner so I used the small green machine on the worst of the carpet in the basement. Upstairs I cleaned the louvers in the pantry and linen closet doors, washed the walls in the back landing and scrubbed doors. I'm slowly making my way around the house. Once the cleaning is complete, there will be some minor repairs and painting needed, most of which I can do over time.

Today, I've got nothing on the schedule. There are several curling events going on, I may find something streaming to watch. I'll likely do some knitting, to finish off the toque I've been working on for several weeks, and then turn my attention to another UFO, a sweater I started in the spring and barely started. It is Grey Cup weekend (Canadian football championship) but I won't be watching as I don't have access to the game. I've set up the Christmas tree and started a jigsaw puzzle. As I said to my daughter, I'm just puttering. A quiet weekend sounds good to me...as next week will be busy.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Still waiting

Last Sunday, I took a drive out to my brother's acreage to drop off some camping gear. It's been in my car's trunk since early July! I stopped for a tea on the verandah and a visit. The little gnome from Wednesday was a gift they picked up for me on their trip to Iceland. R said he picked this one because of its knitted cap. Isn't he adorable? Iceland is on my bucket list and someday I'll get there...maybe I'll remember to tuck this little guy in my bag so he can visit too.

Monday was fairly quiet though I did have the appliance repair tech out to fix the refridgerator. It had begun leaking water into the bottom mount freezer and making some strange noises. With my recent string of bad luck, I was afraid I'd be buying a new fridge, but thankfully, it turned out to be an easy fix. The drain line had gotten plugged and frozen up. I'm not sure how that leads to water getting into the freezer but it did, and once the line was cleaned out and thawed out as well as the interior of the freezer, all is good. He used a small steamer, so everything was dealt with quickly, and the frozen food stayed frozen. It wasn't terribly expensive, but I did chuckle because the majority of the expense related to the service call. I would likely call around for a better price, if it were to happen again. I just remembered my brother had this same company out to fix the fridge at his son's home not long ago.

Tuesday, things were a little more exciting. I ran out to do some errands and when I got home there was a text from the realtor. The home inspection would not get done in time to meet Wednesday's deadline. However, the buyer's property is finally on the market (I think it is over-priced), and it seemed financing was not going to be an issue. I told the realtor, I was prepared to grant a short extension...perhaps the other realtor ought not to have gone camping this past weekend, and ensured their ducks were in a row. 

There were several text messages between the two realtors, one of which read: "to be honest for doing the home inspection as a formality we know that house is you see what you get so we're just really working on the other things but we will get you the extension and a couple hours I'm just driving right now." My realtor and I had a bit of a chuckle, over the lack of punctuation. This was in response to his text: "What's up? Seller is getting upset with the situation and lack of communication. She's considering not granting an extension at this point." 

Well, they did eventually get the paperwork to me, I signed it, and now we wait until Monday. The inspection was scheduled for Friday from 9-12. I am not looking forward to being out of the house that long with the cat, but at least the weather will be on the cooler side so I won't need to be running the a/c in the car. 

I got some housework done, and then pacing the floor decided to run out and drop the recycling off before hitting up Value Village to see what bargains I could find. I found a rubbermaid tote like the ones I use for cat litter, three pretty t-shirts, and a set of two shelves and brackets. All for $17 - I did well. 

My son made the call to a mortgage broker and made plans discuss the application with him on Wednesday as well. He attempted to complete the form on his phone but ran into issues, so we sat together after dinner and got it done. 

It rained on Tuesday morning, and I woke to more rain on Wednesday as well. It's nice to see, as I won't need to water the containers or the new lawn. But, the lawn certainly needed mowing when the sun returned.

I spent Thursday cleaning and tidying the house, and doing a bit of yard-work. It wasn't really necessary for the inspector, but I do know that the buyers will be here for a conversation with him so wanted the house to look good. Then, I got a text from the realtor - another realtor had been hounding him to let her clients see the house, and "may be willing to put in a back-up offer". I agreed to a showing at 5:30 p.m. They arrived late and were in and out in less than 25 minutes so I anticipate there will be no back-up offer. 

The house inspection was carried out on Friday morning. I left the house shortly before 9 a.m. and was able to return at 12:30. My son, C, has been having some second thoughts about the property that we viewed so we had made arrangements to see two additional properties on Saturday. However, I've had to reschedule, as our cousin Morley passed away this week and my brother and I are driving out to the funeral in a small town about 90 minutes away. 

Before I head out, I need to water the containers and do some deadheading. It's a bit cool out there at the moment, just 10C (50F), but we're expecting a high of 27C (81F) later in the day. I realized this morning, that it is nearly the end of August and we've yet to have an overnight frost. That's pretty unusual for us. Though we may not get a killing frost, we almost always have a chilly night or two. 

Since I've no photos from this week to share, I'll add this one that showed up in my memories from 5 years ago. He was character then, and still is!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Spring baseball

Life sure has a way of throwing curve balls. This week was no exception. It all started on Monday morning, when my kitchen faucets gave up the ghost. I had noticed some water on the floor when washing dishes the night prior, and after mopping it up had put a bucket under the sink. Everything seemed dry in the morning, but when I turned on the faucet I could hear and see dripping coming from the connection where the faucet is attached to the plumbing lines. I'd been putting up with a slow drip from the drinking water faucet and decided it was time to replace the entire set. The house was built back in 1987, and I'm pretty certain these are the originals.

I did some research on the websites of various hardware stores (including big box stores) nearby. It was astounding to me to find that the big box stores keep nothing in stock - at one there were only two faucets available, and both were ridiculously priced and far too large for my current set-up. The local hardware store is a little further away, but appeared to have multiple items in stock. Off I went, photos in hand, to see what I could find. I was in and out in about 20 minutes with the appropriate replacements. The service was great AND they gave me the contractors' pricing which saved me about 10% overall. They still weren't cheap. I contacted the plumber we used last year during the basement renovations and he was able to fit me in that day (after a cancellation), and by mid-afternoon I had a new set of faucets that function properly. One thing I notice is they are much lighter weight than the old ones so likely won't last 30 plus years but I won't be here then.

I did my grocery shopping that morning too, as the fridge was looking pretty bare. The pocketbook took a hit as a result, but I did get most everything on sale. I am starting to see prices drop with some products to a more reasonable level. An 18 pack of eggs was $4.99 and I got a head of lettuce for $1.99 at the Co-op store. Walmart was over $5 for the eggs and $3.97 for lettuce. I'm so fortunate that I live within a 10 minute drive of five grocery stores (includes Walmart). I check my grocery list against the Flipp (flyers) app, and can price-check between stores as well. 

Wednesday brought another problem. The darned water heater's pilot light had again gone out. This was the third time I've requested service in about 6-8 weeks. Of course, the only time they could give me was between 1-5 p.m., which meant I had to miss out on my Stitch and Chat. The tech showed up about 1:30 and left at 2:57 p.m. I know, because I checked the clock! When he arrived I told him this was the third call, and although he was able to re-light the pilot light easily, I asked him to explain why it was happening. He suggested some part needed to be replaced (don't ask me - coupler something or other I think he said). He told me it shouldn't take long to replace and he would have expected the last guy to do it. I said, there was no way he had, he'd only been here for about 10 minutes and took longer to do his paperwork than to do what he did with the water heater. Just to be certain the tech called the previous tech and confirmed that no, he hadn't changed out this piece.  The current tech's optimism at the length of time required to make the replacement was way off! This water heater was installed in Dec. 2006, and apparently they were made differently than they are now which made replacing the part tricky. At one point, it sounded as if he was rebuilding the darn thing.

It's a good thing I did my shopping early in the week and perhaps even missing the Stitch and Chat was a good thing as my son tested positive for Covid on Thursday morning. He had been feeling off for a couple of days, but had gone to work both Wednesday and Thursday. The positive result was almost immediate and the lines were bold. He's off work until next Tuesday, and I'll stay at home too. I tested last night, and so far I am negative. 

Our weather made a big upswing this week, with temperatures staying above the freezing mark, even over night a couple of nights. There was/is snow in the forecast for the weekend and it has cooled off a bit, but the snow has rapidly melted. I have a small pond in my back yard. There was a welcome visitor in the back yard this week too. 

I haven't seen any others, yet, but the wee nuthatch is back, and the sparrows, chickadees, and juncos continue to eat heartily at the feeder. 

We had snow overnight into Friday, but just a skiff or so on the ground. It was melting when I went out to feed the birds and my small pond was closer to a small lake. It's frozen over this morning but we're supposed to reach 7C (45F) this afternoon. I moved a bit of snow from the larger pile in the back yard with the hope that it will disappear faster.

Today is more Grand Slam curling - there are three draws today, tiebreakers, quarter-finals and semi-finals. The women's and men's finals will be held separately tomorrow. This is the second to last event for this year that will be televised. The final Grand Slam is being held here in the city at the beginning of May. I've bought tickets in the past, but this year I'm planning to watch from home.

I'm continuing to work on my flowers (just two more to complete before I start blocking). I got Eli's sweater blocked and picked up a zipper - I need to get a real tailor to put it in for me. In the meantime I made a toque to go with it. When I'm bored with the flowers I do a few stitches on the small cross stitch project. I've made a mistake early on, but I doubt anyone but I will ever know it so I'm soldiering on.

If I'm not watching curling, I've been watching baseball. The Blue Jays broke the Tampa Rays win streak last night in an exciting game. I checked on the game in between ends so missed some of the excitement but did catch enough to enjoy the win.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone!

The aftermath of Christmas, storms, customer service, and loss.

According to Eli, Christmas was the "best day ever". So despite a couple of hiccups, that's good enough for me. The first hiccup was the snow that fell overnight. I heard the wind howling about 2 a.m. and looked out to see the snow had started, and by noon on Christmas day, we had about 20 cms. (8 inches) of fresh snow. It had blown and drifted so was deeper in several places. 

We went out to shovel after lunch, and Eli to play in the snow. D and I had cleared about 1/3 of the driveway when the neighbour from two doors down, arrived with his snow blower. I've been here for over 12 years, and this neighbour who recently immigrated from Egypt is the first to offer any assistance. D called him our Christmas miracle. Later, I took over a tin of Christmas baking to say thank you. We would have eventually got everything cleared, but it would have taken us much longer. 

D's town got closer to 30 cms. (12 inches), and she was able to contact a local company to arrange to clear the area behind her garage, and from the garage to the back door. They did that on Boxing Day before she arrived home. 

I'm grateful for the neighbour's help, and grateful too that we didn't get as much snow as areas of Ontario did. While the snow wasn't wanted, it did come with warmer temperatures. It was -12C (10F) when D and Eli headed for home on the 26th. 

I spent the day puttering, washing the bedsheets (in cold water), tidying up the toys, and just putting things back where they belonged. Mostly I sat and rested, and enjoyed the peace and quiet. I do love my daughter and grandson, but they certainly are noisy!

My brother and SIL were able to get out on their flight to Phoenix on the 26th as well. That gives me a lot of hope that everything should be operating normally by the time I head south. However, their trip wasn't without snafus either, as they were lined up at the airport for 2 1/2 hours to retrieve their rental car, with another 2 hour drive ahead of them to their final destination. I heard from him later in the day, and he said they arrived at the hotel at 3 a.m. local time (4 a.m. our time); a very long day. Travelling during the holidays is not easy! 

Then, just to add insult to injury, the basketball team's flight the next day was cancelled, so the coach decided they wouldn't go at all. R and P weren't planning to return until Sunday but were able to change their flights to Friday. As I told him, at least they were in a beautiful place to celebrate P's birthday. I certainly hope their return trip is less problematic.

Back at home, the other major hiccup, was an issue hot water heater. I realized the water wasn't as hot as it would normally be on Christmas day evening. The following morning, I had no hot water and after trying to re-light the pilot light several times, I contacted the rental company. The first available appointment was two days later on Wednesday! The call agent indicated she would escalate it, hoping that someone would be able to fit me in sooner. 

Tuesday brought more weather woes, with a freezing rain alert. Thankfully we didn't get a whole lot of freezing rain in my part of the city - there was about coating of about 1/4 inch on the deck railings and garbage bin, but we did get more snow overnight on top of it.  The highways outside the city were hit pretty hard and several roads were closed. There were also areas of the city where the power was out for some time.  The rain didn't reach my daughter's town an hour and a half away, but they got another 10 cms. (4 inches) of snow! She wasn't very happy when I talked her the next morning.

On Wednesday I called the hot water heater company again for an update and discovered that first thing on Wednesday actually meant between 4 and 8 p.m. Again, the agent I spoke with assured they would attempt to escalate my call. At 3:55 p.m. I received a call from a tech stating he was on the way over. Within 10 minutes, after manually starting it up again, he had the water heater working. He stayed and kept an eye on it for about 25 minutes before he said he felt comfortable it was working properly. A couple of hours later the hot water was hot and I took a shower. 

Thursday was my day to run errands. I needed to get to the bank to pick up cash for my trip, pick up cat food and cat litter, and a few other items. I got those things done and shovelled the driveway and sidewalk again. 

The day ended on a sad note. My friend C's mom L passed away; she had been hospitalized just prior to Christmas and took a turn for the worse that morning. She had been transferred to another hospital, but there was little to be done. The family met and made the difficult decision to provide comfort care as  treatment wasn't working. I had several messages during the morning, and mid-afternoon the final message came in saying L was now in heaven. I've known C for nearly 30 years, her mom for probably 25 years or so. We haven't seen one another for several years but kept in touch via FB. We were both fans of curling and often chatted on-line about the games and the teams. Now she is at rest, once again breathing freely, and reunited with her husband. May she rest in peace.

I'm ending this week's post here - I going to follow Eli's lead and crawl under a blanket or a bit. I'll definitely post before I get away next week. 

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!

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. 

Puttering, plays, and solving problems

Before I forget, Kathy asked last week how I was planning to overwinter the geraniums.  This is the first time I've attempted it, so am relying on information I found in a FB gardening group.  When I lifted the plants I removed most of the soil, and laid them out in the garage to dry.  After a couple of days (or in my case a week because I forgot), I've removed the dead foliage and placed them in a plastic bags.  They need to be stored in a cool, dry place, and for me that's my garage.  I'll have to let you know how it all works out in 7 months or so. :)

This week flew by in a flash!  Of course, I posted on Monday so the week was shorter than normal, but even so, it seemed it was nearly the weekend again before I turned around.

The curling kept me busy on Sunday, and started up again on Thursday. I suspect this will continue at least until the end of November when the Olympic curling trials take place.  I've also been watching the major league baseball playoffs - I got hooked at the end of the season when the Toronto Blue Jays made a bit of a run though they came up short, and have been watching the games since.  It amazes me how one game a team will be able to get hits and runs, seemingly at will, and the next game be unable to score. I guess the pitching has a lot to do with it.  Add in Canadian football and I've been in sports heaven this week.  Hockey also started up on Wednesday but other than a few minutes of a couple of games I haven't watched a lot.

I haven't always been a baseball fan.  When I was at school as a youngster, when teams were picked for a game, my team always sent me to the outfield....way, way, way outfield. In fact, there was more than once that the teacher sent someone out to find me after recess.  I'd get fascinated by an ant hill or wander over into the bush next to the ball diamonds, or simply sit and day dream.  However, a few years ago, while on a cruise, I met a couple from New Jersey.  Their names escape me now - I remember he sold ice cream and she was a huge baseball fan.  She and their son had visited numerous stadiums across the United States.  The world series was on that week and she and I would make our way to the lounge where the games were being shown from the satellite.  I don't recall who won the series but I got a new appreciation for the game.    

I did get most of the housework caught up this week, much of it on Tuesday morning before the baseball started.  I had to run out too, to pick up a doctor's note for my daughter, so made a couple of extra stops at the dollar store, Value Village, and Walmart.  Nothing exciting at the dollar store, and though it was senior's day I found one item at VV.  It is a small lantern meant to hold a small candle.  I've already started re-doing it - it was metal with glass panels - the metal has been painted white and I intend to fill it with some Christmas decor and a set of battery operated lights. 

My daughter had asked if I would get pillows for her for Christmas, but "could she get them before Christmas, please?".  I found Serta pillows on sale at Walmart so we all got new pillows.  I also picked up a new laundry basket as my old one had fallen apart.  I loaded them all into the back seat of the car, and it was full.  If I'd had an accident on the way home, I would be well cushioned. :)

On the project side, I'm getting lots done while I'm watching the various sporting events.  I had done dishes a number of times at D's last weekend and the dishcloth she was using was falling apart.  I pulled out my cotton yarn and knit up three dishcloths for her.  Since I had it out, I found a pattern for a crocheted kitchen hand towel and started that as well.  I also did some puttering in my craft room and have a couple of other things on the go.  

I did switch out the display on the top of my china cabinet.  Most of the items are ones I made or revamped. This is the initial display - I'd meant to make a sign using thankful or grateful but never got around to doing so, thus it's pretty barren.  The next photo is my display for Halloween. I'm sure my son thinks I'm nuts, but I'm having fun with it. I sent a photo to D and Eli said it was spooky. 

Thursday morning started out cold and wet.  It was below zero when I woke up, and it never made it to more than 3C (37F) that afternoon.  There was even a skiff of snow on the top of the garbage and recycling bins when I went to move the garbage bin to the street for pick-up.  I'm so not ready for this type of weather, but thankfully we've got better weather for the near future.  The containers of flowers are still out!

I did have to run out as I had a flu shot booked for that morning.  I got the shot at the Safeway pharmacy so did a some grocery shopping before I left the store.  I may or may not have left before the 15-20 minutes I was supposed to stay was up.  In fact, I think I arrived home about 20 minutes after the shot.  I've yet to have any kind of reaction to the flu shots.  This year is no different.  My arm was a wee bit sore on Friday morning, but I did some arm circles and the pain dissipated quickly.

This morning was cold too, -2C (28F), but is expected to warm up to 16 (61F) this afternoon.  There are four curling games and two football games being streamed or televised, and sometime between or before all that I've got to get outside to start pulling the plants from the containers.  Sunday is supposed to be quite warm too, so I'll finish then.

Oh, the other momentous occasion this week was finally getting on of the fence gates repaired.  I've been sending e-mails to the company for four weeks about problems with the gate.  The post attached to the house was loose and the locking mechanism wasn't working properly.  The owner kept promising to send someone out and then either forgot or got too busy (whatever!), and finally I'd had enough.  I informed him, if someone wasn't there within the week I would be hiring someone else to make the repairs and sending him the invoice.  It still took an extra day (the worker had a funeral to attend - maybe?) but he did show up this week and the necessary repairs made.  I don't expect they'll ever ask me for a reference.  

You may note that the layout of the blog is slightly different.  I messed up when I went to change the photo, (I need to remember to scroll down!), and ended up deleting the header gadget.  So then, I had to change the theme in order to get one back.  When the photo I originally posted was too large I clicked the button to shrink it and I ended with what's there now.  I give up...blogger is certainly not an intuitive application and the help section is pretty much a mire of closed questions.  I couldn't even figure out how to submit a question of my own.  

Enough of my ramblings, time to make another cup of tea and settle in with my crocheting to watch the first curling game of the day.  Take care everyone, stay well and have a good week.