Regina to Bozeman, Montana

This will likely be a short post, as it was a long day of driving, I'm tired, and the Blue Jays are playing the Dodgers. They can't win if I'm not watching, right? Actually, early on the Dodgers are up 2-0. It's not that the Jays can't come back, but the Dodgers are a darned good team. Edited to add: I woke this morning to learn that our Jays beat up on the Dodgers 11-4! You can bet I'll be watching the highlights today.

In any event, I was up and out the door by 6:30 this morning. It was dark in the city, but within the 20 minutes it took to reach the south end, the sun was beginning to make itself know to the east. How pretty is that?

The border crossing was easy. I was the only vehicle there, she asked a few questions, checked my passport and looked inside the back of the vehicle and let me go. I don't know if an I-94 was issued, but will check when I get to Yuma. If not, I'll need to apply for another form, a something, something 325. I recall the number, just not the name. All visitors to the US over 30 days are required to apply for one or the other. When someone flies, the first is automatically issued, but not so at land crossings. I didn't bother to ask...she didn't seem all that friendly.

I took Highway 16 south to Glendive, then joined the I-94 through to Billings. There was a stop in Glendive for fuel ($2.99 for a gallon - I'm too tired to do the math to tell you what that works out to a liter), and a second stop in Billings for another top-up. In total I spent less than $60 for the fuel, and have a little over a half tank to start the day tomorrow. There were other pit stops for potty breaks and something to eat, as the one rest stop I wanted was closed. I won't stop and use a washroom without purchasing something, so picked up a couple of Sprite for later. I had water in the car to drink, and picked up a sandwich for lunch.

The route from Billings to Boseman on I-90 is incredibly scenic. Lots of hills, a mountain pass or two (not too high), trains, cattle, and often a view of Yellowstone River. I took a couple of photos on the highway - just above the steering wheel so I didn't have to let go of it. I saw two police cars, one entering Billings, and another 20-30 miles out of Bozeman on the other side of the divided highway. The latter was moving fast with the lights flashing. I certainly hope it wasn't an accident, rather a speeder.

Speaking of which, the speed limits here are NUTS! On both interstates the limit was 80 mph for smaller vehicles, and semis were limited to 75 mph. I stuck to the truck limit most of the time and sometimes slower. I also stayed in the right hand lane unless I was passing a slower vehicle, and would often slow to their speed to allow faster moving vehicles to pass us both. I did not feel comfortable taking some of these crazy curves at such high speeds! 

Note there are no photos from Billings to Bozeman. We were in the more mountainous area with lots of climbs, drops, and curves, so I wasn't taking a hand off the wheel.

I reached Bozeman about 5:15 p.m., checked into the hotel and walked down the block and across the street to Applebee's for dinner. Goodness, there portions are large! I think I ate half of it, knowing I want to be in bed early tonight and I want to avoid heartburn in the middle of the night.

I've got the game on the television and will crawl into bed. If I fall asleep, so be it, I'll turn it off at some point. My goal is to be out of here between 7-7:30 in the morning. Tomorrow's stop is planned for Twin Falls, Idaho, about about a 7 hour drive. I may go into Nevada depending on my mood (and level of exhaustion!) I won't do more than 8 hours of driving though.

Thanks for following along! 

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.

Ending the week on a high note

I started this post Friday evening, managed one paragraph before I gave in to the need to go to sleep. It was only 7 p.m., but I'd got under 5 hours of sleep the night before, and with just a couple of brief moments of wakefulness through the night I slept until 7 a.m.  I was definitely tired. I scrubbed my original paragraph as it didn't make a whole lot of sense. 

So back to regularly scheduled programming.  This week was pretty quiet as I remained under my self-imposed, just to be cautious, isolation until Thursday. I spent most of my time doing housework, knitting/crocheting while watching television, along with a bit of reading out on the front patio, and listening to podcasts while doing my walks indoors. 

Since the weather is still lovely, I haven't yet cleared out the containers.  One morning I went out and took some photos of the various flowers.

The impatiens is my bellwether - when we have a frost that causes it to die back, I'll do my yard clean-up.

In the backyard, my trees have shed most of their leaves.  The hanging basket of petunias is looking straggly, even after it's recent haircut.

The dahlia, that I rescued half-dead from the garden center, started blooming about two weeks ago.  I'm hopeful, I'll be able to over-winter it this year and enjoy it again next year.

The marigolds are showing their sunny faces, now that the tomato plants have been pulled from the containers. 

Lastly, these petunias are interesting to me.  The splashes of white differ so much and the only bloom doesn't have any.  I wonder if that has something to do with the weather or simply a natural progression as the plant ages.

On the creative side of things, I've finished knitting the market bag I started last week, though it still needs to be sewn up. I also finished knitting my first scarf - I'm using up remnants or balls of yarn I got on deep discount. I've started crocheting a second, but based on the amount of yarn, it will likely be a cowl rather than a scarf.  From last week, I made a little troll to sit on my tiered tray.  Again, I used a small dollar store wood block sign as the base.  The little hat is a piece of a felt scarf, the beard are pieces from a mop head, with a wooden bead for the nose.  

The little gift packages are made from dollar store tumbling blocks and small wooden blocks. I glued the blocks together, painted, and tied and glued on the ribbons.  They'll be added to the wheelbarrow that currently holds fall flowers and mini-pumpkins.  

Set free on Thursday, I did my grocery shopping and made a stop at Value Village.  I found more yarn for scarves (I think enough to make two), a set of knitting needles, a pair of photo mats, and a bag of Jenga blocks, all for less than $11 including the taxes.  At this rate, I'll never use up all the yarn in my stash but the color and amount of yarn was too good to pass up.  

Friday, despite the lack of sleep, was a very good day.  I did some housework, caught up on some television programs, and then spent the afternoon with my friend K.  It's been a very long time since we've spent time together, though we've talked on the phone occasionally, so there was lots to catch up on and lots to discuss.  She returned the container I filled with goodies last Christmas, and a book I'd lent her, and she left with a box of books.  There were several she hasn't yet read, and they'll all be added to the two boxes of her own for the book sale she and J volunteer at each year (the last sale was in 2019). We solved many of the world's problems, though I suspect no one is listening to us, and enjoyed the sun and warmth on the back deck. 

Today is another busy sports day.  I had the replay of the football game from last night (not our home team) this morning, and there two more games later today including the Riders.  There are also several curling events going on, and I may be able to fit in a live stream or two. :)

I'm going to head out for a walk shortly, the temperature is sitting around 9C (48F) so it will be fresh and lovely out there. There are several fires north of us, and the smoke seems to be headed this way.  I was chatting with Eli this morning on video chat and D took us outdoors to show the haze.  She says it smells like a campfire. I hope it passes us by.

Take care everyone, stay well.  And thank you again for the expressions of concern for D and Eli.  

I can see clearly now

 Monday was a day - by 6:30 p.m. I could have gone to bed and slept until morning I'm sure. I managed to prop my eyelids open until 9, and slept through until 5 a.m.  Yes, I was tired. 

I started the morning off by clearing out the rest of the bedroom in preparation for the window replacement crew.  The contractor said I didn't need to strip the bed, just cover it in plastic but I figured it was a good day to wash all the bedding.  I did cover the mattress and it's pad with plastic while the rest went into the washer.  

I took the stool Sasha uses to climb onto the bed along with the pillows into the spare room where the cats would spend the day.  It's currently used for some storage and Eli's toys, and with only one chair in there I figured Sasha and Saku would want more options for sleeping.  A cat litter box, kibble and their water fountain was moved in there as well.  They had everything they needed for the day.  I thought Saku would be a pest, trying to get out the door but he didn't, it was Sasha who hollered every so often.

Before the crew arrived I got the kitchen floor washed but decided to leave the front hall until after they'd left as I figured they would be in and out....they were.  I even had all the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away before they got here.  They arrived just after 9:30 a.m. and were gone shortly after 3 p.m.

Here's a few photos from the main event - the replacement of the bay window in the living room.

One of the crew worked inside removing the moldings around the window and inner sections of the frames.  The other two were outside doing what they were doing.  I have brick on the exterior and I know at one point, one of them mentioned removing parging.

The center window is gone!  They took it out in three pieces - one of the crew said it was easier when taking them out.  They were careful and no windows were broken.

I was pleased to find out there was no sign of water damage or mold in the old window frame.  We'd had an ice dam a few years ago, but apparently my son had gotten to it quickly enough (I was away on a cruise).

And here's the new one as they started installing it.  It looks like it was cold out there, but it really wasn't that bad. It nearly 8C (46F) when they arrived and by noon they were working without their heavier jackets.  I had the heat turned down a bit because there was no point in heating the outside but I only heard the furnace cut in once during the process.

Once it was mostly in place, I had to laugh because this fellow was gently kicking it in.  That's some precise tool. :)  After that, there was a whole lot of measuring and leveling that went on before they were satisfied.  They used spray foam insulation to close in all the gaps - I shouldn't have to worry about air leaks. 

Here's the new window after installation. The only issue they had was the old moldings were too narrow. While two of the crew sat and ate their lunch on the patio, the third ran to the store for wider moldings. I'll have to stain these at some point.  The fellow did offer to have me stain them first before he put them up, but I wanted it done.  

Here's an exterior shot.  I wish I'd taken a before photo but this one from 2013 will have to do. It was taken shortly before the the front patio was put in.  And obviously before I had put in many of the perennials in the front flower bed.  Wow, it looks barren!

I didn't take any photos of the bedroom windows replacement as I would have been in their way.  Suffice to say they look good.  I was very pleased with the work that was done.  The only thing they didn't do particularly well was clean up after themselves. In their defense I did tell them I would be cleaning the where they had been working after they left.  One of the crew did sweep part of the living room floor but they left sawdust and some pieces of plastic and wood chips on the driveway and patio.  When they were gone, I pulled out the vacuum and cleaned up both the living room and bedroom, wiped down the television stand and end tables, washed the front hallway floor, and then went out and swept up the driveway and patio.  

Question for you, I think I'll paint the framing around the screen door - any suggestions as to what color I should consider?  I want to stay away from the dark brown it is now but I don't think I want to go with white.  The siding is a pale yellow or cream, which might work or maybe I'll go bold and go with one of the colors in the brick.  I'd love to paint the screen door as well but the thought of removing it and rehanging it sounds like a lot of work. Hmmm....maybe I can convince my little brother to lend me a hand.

Isn't that the way when something new is brought into the mix?  Everything else starts looking shabby and needing a refresh.  Well, at least for now the windows are clean and shiny!

Long weekend review

Well, that was fun! I had a great visit with my daughter and grandson, saw some great curling matches, chatted with some interesting curling fans, and managed to stay warm most of the time.

It was cold when I drove out on Thursday afternoon and stayed that way through the weekend.  Every morning, it was in the -30C (-22F) range with windchills making it feel even colder.  The weather finally improved by noon on Monday when I was starting my drive to home.

I spent lots of time with Eli. Here's he's sitting beside me on the couch watching cartoons.  That's his juice glass in between his legs.  What a character this kid is!  I'd be sitting with him, reading or talking to my daughter and he would jump up, grab me by the face and give me a kiss.  

The photo on the right is blurry but shows him on the stairs early one morning, like 5 a.m. or so, with his I-pad. What you can't see is the little turkey is butt naked!  His mom followed him shortly and got him dressed.


On Monday I joined them at the indoor park for a bit before I headed for home.  He loves it there, playing with his friends and all of the toys.  That day there were four moms (one a foster mom) there with six children though at times it sounded like many more.  

At one point, D left to run a couple of errands. Eli wasn't happy she was leaving but soon settled down with me sorting colored popsicle sticks.  He is smart (proud grandma here!), knows and can say his colors very well. 

D has completed her application for pre-kindergarten for the fall.  I'm sure he'll like it there too though he'll have to learn to deal with a little more structure.  Won't hurt him.  His teacher might want to...

I drove to the nearby community for the first curling game on Friday morning. It started at 8 a.m., and I arrived shortly after the game started.  When I got to the door, I learned that the pass I bought was good for the games starting Friday evening at 8 p.m.  However, the pass didn't indicate this and was dated for January 17-19 so the volunteers allowed me in.  Later in the day, someone in charge wrote a note on my pass that indicated I was permitted to attend the noon and 4 p.m. games that day as well.  

I didn't stay for the 8 p.m. game as I was tired, it was dark and cold and I was ready to head back to my daughters.  I did the same thing on Saturday night so ultimately I only saw one additional game. Saturday the draws were a little earlier, so I saw a bit of the sunset on my drive back to D's. 

I was able to watch the Friday's late game on television, but Saturdays was broadcast on a channel I couldn't get!  I was disappointed as it was the semi-finals.  But Eli was up early that morning so we were too, and I wouldn't have wanted to be driving back at 10:30 that night.

Sunday was the finals, the first draw at 11 a.m. and the second at 2:30 p.m.

First up were the women, Anna Hassleborg of Sweden and Kim of Korea.  The latter team had three players named Kim and one named Ha.  It was a defensive game throughout.  Anna managed to get her two points in the first end and then it was back and forth for the rest of the game when Kim tied it up in the 8th end at 5-5.  In an extra end, Sweden scored their point and won.  It wasn't an exciting game, but the strategy and shot making were terrific.

Next up were the men, Brad Jacobs' team from Northern Ontario, and John Epping's team from Ontario.  Jacobs got his two points in the first end, and then it got ugly.  At one point the score was 5-1 for Jacobs after a couple of stolen ends.  But Epping fought back and tied it up in the 7th end.  In the 8th and final end Epping did all he could and was lying first and second shot when Jacob went to throw his final rock.  You could have heard a pin drop in the audience.  His sweepers got on the rock immediately and it stopped just in time for the win.  The place erupted with cheering.  I wasn't one of them because I had hoped Epping would win.  But, this game and the one before it came down to the last rock on the last end.  Perfect for spectators, maybe not so nice for the curlers.

It was an earlier end to the day and the sun was setting as I made the 30 minute drive back to my daughter's.

I had a busy few days with more driving than I've done in a long time. The weather was cold, but my car didn't give me any trouble, and the time spent with D and Eli was priceless.  Even so, it was good to get home and sleep in my own bed last night! 

Have a great week everyone!

Friday Funny