My happy place

Time flies when you're having fun, am I right?  I've been looking forward to this upcoming weekend for awhile now.  And good things come to those who wait...okay I'll quit now.  Friday was the start of the Canadian women's curling (the Scotties) being held in a bubble in Calgary, Alberta.  The tournament is quite different from the past events, with no audience except cardboard cutouts of fans who've paid for that privilege.  I thought about it, but at the price point it wasn't really feasible so I decided I'll just watch the television.  

There are more teams than normal as well, with each province and territory having a representative, (Ontario has two with Northern Ontario and Ontario), plus Team Canada - the team that won the event last year and three wild card teams.  The latter were invited on the basis of points earned in other events.  Oddly enough, those latter three teams are all from Manitoba as is the current Team Canada.  Add in the representative from the province and I won't be surprised if, with five teams in the mix, a Manitoba team wins again this year.  

The equalizer this year will likely be the fact that most of the teams have played very little this year.  While many of the individual players were able to continue practicing, many events were shut down due to Covid-19 numbers and, even in one case that I'm aware of was suspended due to a case discovered at the event.  In any event that's a total of 18 teams.  They've been divided into two pools with the top four teams from each pool making it into the next round robin.  Finally the top three teams from that grouping will play off, with the first place team (based on round robin standings) will go straight to the final on Sunday February 28.  The second and third place teams will playoff for the spot in the final.  With three draws most days until the playoffs, my days will be full!

I listened to a curling podcast last week with one of the players and a coach and the Covid rules are very stringent. The players and coaches will be tested every day and temperature checks will be taken prior to leaving the hotel and the arena.  The players are not allowed to leave the hotel or arena except to go to the other venue by the transportation provided.  The entire hotel is designated for the players, coaches and I believe the few media that are permitted within the bubble.  I've got my fingers crossed that everything goes off without a hitch. I know the organizers will shut it down if there are any concerns.

Two draws are in the books, and while there have been some missed shots so far the curling has been good and definitely fun to watch.  Even if our Saskatchewan team lost in the final end on the final shot in their first game. :(  

Meanwhile I've been keeping busy this week with the regular housework, scouring Ancestry for relatives, doing a bit of knitting and a bit of crafting.  On Tuesday I did my weekly shopping because Safeway had a number of items on sale that ended that day including Nabob coffee for $9.99. That's about 50% off so a darned good deal.  I also needed bird seed, and made a stop at the dollar stores for a couple of items.

I'm tired of winter so decided I'd pretend it is spring, at least inside the house. I started with this bowl I had on hand. I bought it years ago at Winners, with a fall floral insert.  It was okay, but it was looking tired and faded, and I was tired of it.

 

I started by painting the bowl, then placed the dots and did two more coats of paint to cover everything to make it appear to be a hobnail vase. TBH, if I really wanted it to be a hobnail I would have needed to add a bazillion more dots.  As it was this was enough for me.  

I used a piece of floral green foam, with a bit of moss on top, added some of the spring florals and greenery I've picked up on various trips to the dollar store to make a new insert.  You may notice there are a few Easter eggs in the mix.  I can remove those after Easter and add more more flowers...I have some yellow ones that would look pretty.  Since none of the items are glued in, I can change up the floral insert for the different seasons. 

I removed the snowflake patterned tablecloth and changed it out for the blue check. It makes me happy and it certainly brightens up the kitchen.

Of course, this led to more things being painted.  I have an candle holder that was given to me several years ago.  I never really cared for it, it was too dark and heavy, but I kept it because it was a gift.  I meant to take a before photo but forgot, but here it is after I finished painting and distressing it. I like it much better now!  

While watching television programs or hockey this week I finished four dishcloths for D.  The baby sweater is next on the list of the projects but I realized that I don't have the correct needle size. Instead I started another baby blanket that I'll work on while watching the curling.  

Speaking of television programs, if you haven't watched Big Sky and are a fan of crime dramas, I highly recommend it.  Unlike other programs things don't get wrapped up in an hour (and don't get me wrong I love Law and Order, Criminal Minds, and NCIS in all its versions) but this one has really caught my attention. There is always a twist I didn't expect and I'm always left wanting more.  However, it is a bit ugly in the story line and definitely creepy at times so I know it wouldn't be for everyone.

Since this post is about my happy place, which is currently my home and all the things I can do here, I thought I'd share a photo from a five years ago when I was in another happy place in the Caribbean.

This is from the Bahamas, not one of my favorite ports, but I simply love the variations of the blue water. 

Have a great week ahead everyone.  Take care and stay well!

The rest of the week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baby, it's cold outside

Someone needs to tell Mother Nature that it's not officially winter until December 21.  On Monday the cold air of the Arctic came blowing in and the temperatures dropped throughout the day.  I met my friend K for lunch and just from the car to the restaurant took my breath away!  

We had a lovely visit over lunch.  She and J are off to Arizona soon so we won't see each other until early 2020.  Lucky people!  I so wish I could get away but that's not happening, unless that lottery ticket in my wallet turns out to be the winner (it was not). I can only be thankful that I don't have to go out unless I want to.  

Despite the cold, D and Eli were back in Regina on Tuesday.  Eli had an allergist appointment that morning.  Great news, she doesn't feel that he has any other allergies and since he hasn't had an episode since last summer, she isn't concerned about his egg allergy either.  His mom will offer them on occasion but won't be in too big of a rush to get him to eat them.  J was with them, but decided to hang out with some friends before he was to fly out the next morning.  I'm pretty sure he was tired of being dad, after only a week.  AND it turns out he "slept in", missed his flight, and had no money to pay the change fee.  So initially he told my daughter he was looking for work to get enough cash together to fly home - I assume trying to get my daughter to give him the money.  As most of you know, I'm not a fan of this guy and I seriously considered giving the money to him myself however his mother came through with the cash to permit his flight change. Hooray!

I did venture out both Wednesday and Thursday.  I met the stitch and make group at the library.  There were only four of us - I'm sure the cold weather kept some home while prep for Christmas is probably in full swing too.  On Thursday I met my friend C for coffee.  We've changed coffee shops as the original spot was noisy, and while this current shop is busy they do have a quieter area off the side.  We had a good visit, chatting about a wide variety of topics.

I'm in a happy place again this week as another Grand Slam event is being televised (started Thursday morning). Oh, and I bought my Christmas present to myself - a weekend ticket to the next event being held here in Saskatchewan.  It's not far from D and Eli so I'll stay with them and drive back each day.  

I'm also feeling much better, still get the occasional coughing spell so still getting rid of some gunk, but the energy level is definitely up.  I got caught up on some housework, finished another baby blanket and started another, and as Eli would say, "ta da", I got my sugar cookies decorated.  I left three plain for Eli to decorate on Christmas Eve for Santa.  (At his mother's request....won't that be fun?)  

Saturday, I awoke to severe cold warnings.  The temperature at 7 a.m. (omg the cat's let me sleep in!) was -26C (-15F) with windchills of -35C (-31F).  Yikes, I'm so glad I hd no errands that need to be run.  I got the shovelling done on Friday as we'd had snow overnight.  Not a lot as you can see, but at least it was only -18C (0F) when I was clearing the driveway.  Best of all the sun was shining.  With the short daylight hours it's always wonderful to see the sun.



Funny story starring Eli - D called me Saturday morning to tell me.  He was misbehaving, she'd given him a warning that if he put his fingers in the butter again, she'd put him in time out. The little stinker went upstairs, grabbed his suitcase, came downstairs and told his mom, "I go Grandma".  We both laughed and he got away with his naughtiness.  I guess that means I (we) are a bit soft on the little guy....and he's already figured that out! 

Today it's warmed up considerably, just -11C (12F) and although I've not been outside I'm sure it will feel balmy.  I'll go out a little later to feed the birds before the curling is on. I'm currently watching a program on Animal Planet - it's a free preview for a month.  I think if I were to add any channels it probably would be this one.  I've learned so much from the various rescues and it is amazing the work that is being done for dogs, cats, bears, monkeys, and so many other animals.  The other night, I was laying in bed watching a show about lions and Saku watched with me for nearly 20 minutes!

Enough blather from me.  Have a wonderful week ahead!


One last note:  Connie,  the picture at the end of the previous post is of Saskatchewan.  It's the Qu'Appelle Valley north and west of Regina near my brother's home.  The photo is taken at the top of the valley near where R and  climbed this fall.  Looks a little different now!  And yes, I have an HP printer.  Next time I'm in the market I'll have to compare ink prices. 

Lazy weekend

Phew, it's good to have this week behind me.  Things have mostly returned to normal at work.  My daughter hasn't had a melt-down in a few days, the weather is reasonably decent for January in Saskatchewan, and I'm thankful for a couple of days just to rest and relax.

I had the day off yesterday and spent most of it running errands and doing laundry.  I had my nails done along with a good visit with L, the esthetician.  I've been going to her now for 5 or 6 years and she's become a friend.  We've shared the highs and lows of life, some tears and lots of laughter.  She's the first person I shared the news of D's pregnancy with.  She told me then, that in time I would look forward to welcoming my grandchild.  She's right....I'm there.

The rest of the day, I did some grocery shopping at Safeway and Walmart, unloaded the bags and put away the shopping at home, and finished folding my laundry.  I picked up a few items for a gift for the baby shower for my daughter.  A co-worker offered to host the shower at her home tomorrow.  We're expecting ten or twelve women (including her and I) to attend. It should be fun...though I've never met any of these people before.

Being Friday, I joined friends at a local restaurant.  We all laughed when the waitress referred to us as the Friday night dinner club.  I guess they've finally come to recognize us....it's only taken about 18 months.  The food is decent, the service just okay, but the prices are good and because it often isn't busy we don't have to rush.  Dinner is at 6 p.m., we order shortly after and we often don't leave the restaurant until around 8 p.m.  The group varies in size, from three to a dozen so it's nice to have a place that can be flexible.  Three of the group have been going out to Friday dinner for over twenty years!  

Today was simply a lazy day.  The cats woke me about 6 a.m. looking for breakfast.  I managed to ward them off until nearly 7.  After they were fed, I made a pot of coffee, and headed back to my bed to read.  Just as I was finishing my second cup, my daughter came in and we sat and chatted for some time before she left to go to her part-time job.  I finished the pot of coffee before I finally got of bed at 10!, made breakfast and a pot of soup, and finished washing up the dishes.   

That's all folks!  Seriously, I did nothing else all day.  It's almost 6 p.m. - I've played on the computer, caught up on blog reading, watched several episodes of CSI, Criminal Minds, Dateline, and the news channel.  Speaking of which, did you tune into the inauguration yesterday?  I caught pieces of it, the lead up to the big event, and later in the day as the Trump family climbed out of their limos to walk the rest of the way to the White House.  

Today I've been watching the news channel off and on, catching some of the Women's March on Washington.  I wonder what the Donald (or should I now refer to him as the President Donald?) thinks of the numbers who turned out to protest his misogynist views? They certainly out-numbered those who attended the day before.  I'm sure he'll feel the need to share his thoughts on Twitter....


And on that note, I'll wrap up this post.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend, however you chose to spend it.