Christmas preparations, shopping, and oh snow!

For those wondering, the wordless Wednesday was an experiment. D and Eli have been trying various experiments over the last week. This one started with three glasses with water and two empty. They added food coloring to the water, and then placed folded paper towels in the glasses. D explained to Eli how plants get water from the soil around it, seeking out water from a distance through their root system. Interestingly, while they started with different water levels in the three glasses, all five ended up with similar amounts through the transfer. We also wondered how the colours would blend (they did, but not as we expected). The experiment continues as she is using the project to explain evaporation too. 

Another week in the rear view mirror and with it, winter is drawing closer. We did have a few snow flakes on the weekend but nothing stuck. The day time temperatures are staying above the freezing mark, which is appreciated at this time of year. We haven't seen a lot of the sun either, and the "dark" hours being earlier in the evening and extend into the morning. I heard my daughter asking Google how many days until the winter solstice. She really finds the dreary days difficult.

As a result, we've started the winter/Christmas decorating. There are ornaments like icicles, snow flakes, even snow men that can be put out now and remain out until spring. We put up the tree on Sunday, fluffed out the branches, but didn't start to decorate it for a few days to allow it to settle. This tree holds only ornaments that D had - my ornaments remain in a tub as they don't match her silver and blue theme. We've talked about a second tree, but I don't know where we'd put it. I don't need/want a small tree in my bedroom, as the cats use my dresser for watching out the windows. The big tree is currently in the office with the French door, allowing it to be seen from the living room but out of reach of interested kitty paws!

Wednesday was voting day for the municipal elections. We dropped Eli off at school, and drove over to the community center to vote. It was a short walk upstairs to the walking track where we spent a half hour walking with a few regulars. This is the third or fourth time we've walked and I'm starting to recognize some individuals. The hockey team was exercising on part of the track today, so we would walk one way as far as we could without interrupting their work-out, and then turn and walk the other direction. A couple of the other walkers weren't as cautious and walked along the edge of the track. Some of the exercises had the young men jumping over low pieces of equipment on one leg or from side to side...we didn't want to chance being bumped if someone lost their footing. Besides, they smelled funky! They were clearly putting effort into their work-out.

I've started working on Christmas ornaments for Eli's teacher, teacher's aides, principal, and counselor. There are six ornaments needed this year, and I decided to make crocheted gingerbread ornaments. I found a couple of patterns, tried one - didn't like it, so used the second one. It can be made a single or double layered ornament and I chose to do the double layer. I changed the pattern slightly to include the white edging, added safety eyes and a bit of stuffing, and enlarged the little bow. Of course, I learned a bit with the first one and Eli has asked to keep this one, so I'll continue to tweak the pattern and finishing as I go along. 

Once those are complete, I'm planning to make trolls for my niece and nephew. What my brother and his wife will get is still to be determined. The more I look through possibilities in Pinterest, the more suggestions I get so I know I'll find something.

Grocery day was Thursday, which normally means sticker shock here in our small town. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the sale price on many of the items was as low as I find in the city. I tend to buy our groceries based on what is on sale, with a few basics thrown in. But even the basics seemed to be a bit lower than I remember from this summer. I know it won't last, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

We dropped Eli at school on Friday and went to the walking track. We walked for just over 35 minutes before heading home. My right knee has been giving me grief, and while I'm sure the walking is good for me, it does irritate my knee. My daughter has issues with her hip flexors and needed to stretch when we got to the house. Clearly, we both need to keep moving!

That afternoon we got a call from the delivery company - they were on the way with our new fridge and stove. We had about 15 minutes to clear out the old appliances before they arrived. After removing the doors from the old fridge and taking off the back door it was removed from the kitchen and the new one was brought in. Switching out the two stoves was much easier! Then it was time to return all of the food items into the fridge. The old fridge was a side by side, while the new one has French door fridge on top and the freezer on the bottom. The new freezer had just enough capacity to hold what was in the side freezer, however the new fridge capacity is much larger than the old one. D baked that afternoon to try out the new convection oven - it also doubles as an air fryer, though we'd have to buy a special pan. D has a double air fryer so I don't think we'll bother. She also set up the app on her phone as both appliances are WiFi enabled. I won't bother...

I spent some time crocheting and have the bodies of three more gingerbread stitched. Once I've got all of the pieces made, I'll put them together and do the finishing. There is football today and tomorrow to watch so I hope to have them all done by the end of the weekend.

Though I hadn't planned to return to the city until mid-week, my plans have changed as we're getting snow and rain in the next few days. (5 cms./2 inches expected today). I'm scheduled to take the bus trip to Bismarck for Black Friday shopping on Thursday. And no, that isn't the trip I hinted a month ago. This will be my first winter driving in the SUV and I'll admit, I'm a little nervous. Monday seems to be the best option. Since I'll be away, there won't be a post next Saturday. CORRECTION: Thanks to Cheryl for reminding me that Black Friday isn't until Nov 29th. I would have been 10 days early for the trip. Plans have changed!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Outside my comfort zone

As most of you know, I'm pretty much a homebody. I'm generally quite content to be at home puttering around, doing housework, crafting, reading, watching television, etc.  This week has taken me out of my comfort zone for a good portion of the time.

I did have a lovely visit with C on Saturday.  I had forgotten (I'm a bad friend) that C isn't able to walk long distances.  She had a serious accident when she was a teenager and broke her back.  We did walk for about 15 minutes in the park, then sat on a bench for a good half hour or better before walking back to the car.  It was overcast and threatening rain but cleared while we were visiting.

This was our view from the bench.

I was quite fascinated by the sheer wall of the bank on the other side of the river.  

On the way back to the car, we spotted this mama deer with three fawns.  The third was trailing behind the others.  The mother appears to be quite thin, as her ribs are showing.

Still showing some spots but they're fading rapidly.

After the park we headed for a Tim Horton's coffee shop where we sat out on the patio and enjoyed a coffee for her, tea for me, and muffins for both.  We caught on all the happenings from over the past couple of years and have agreed we need to get together again soon.

On Sunday morning, I headed to the campaign office of a local candidate for the federal election.  I'd volunteered to deliver pamphlets for drop off in household mailboxes.  It took me eight hours over three days to deliver the handouts.  While I was in the office, I was asked if I would go door knocking with the candidate on Friday evening.  I agreed, on the basis, that I wouldn't be asked to say anything.  I was there for moral support and to hold the pamphlets only.  While I was out delivering, I only had three people give me a hard time (or at least try to), but I didn't actually have to talk to too many people. 

Tuesday evening, we had several storms move through the city with lots of thunder and lightning and hail too.  The north end of the city was hit hard and I've seen photos and video of gardens that were decimated.  Sad, because our growing season is so short and we're so close to harvest.

I went out as the storm was approaching and took a few photos.  As it got closer, it started to sound like a train because it was raining so hard.

The sky got so dark so quickly, and after this shot I headed indoors.  Just in time, too, as the rain and hail started immediately.

I headed out to the back yard early Wednesday morning to check on the plants.  It was a relief to see that there was very little damage.  One of my nicotiana plants had broken off at the stem, but the tomatoes and peppers appeared fine.  I could hear thunder in the distance and a few minutes later, this happened:

Thankfully this storm didn't do any real damage either. I had planned to spend the day outside doing yardwork.  A lot of the perennials are done flowering and dying back so need to be trimmed.  The annual containers need trimming too especially the petunias as they are getting too leggy. 

Since I couldn't be outdoors I gave myself permission to have a lazy day.  I'd walked just over 63,000 steps from Sunday through Tuesday.  I'd fallen once on my travels, banging my knee which bruised but it didn't swell so I kept going. What I didn't immediately realize, and only learned the following morning, was I had pulled a muscle in my back as well.  The knee is fine now, but my back is still giving me some grief.  It's the weirdest things that bother me. Turning over in bed, turning to get out of the car, pulling up my jeans, using a knife to cut through something,  and even a tight hug from my son all have me yelping in pain. Thankfully, it hasn't been bad enough that I've needed any pain meds. 

I had planned to get out in the yard on Thursday after a grocery run, but by the time I was home and had things put away, I was ready to rest.  So instead I finished a book, Catherine Coulter's Blind Side.  It was just an okay book, though I'll admit I enjoyed the beginning more than the end.  The only other thing I'll say is it is apparently hard to kill some people.  When that was finished, I started a to-do list of assorted items to complete around the house.  One of those items was to go through the pantry and choose some things for a Foodbank Drive.  Every fall the Scouts and Girl Guides do a drive and though I'm not certain when it will be, I figured I'd tidy the pantry and pull things we probably won't use.  Do you ever find yourself buying something new and then never use it?  Mea culpa.  I found several cans of soup, a few cans of tomato sauce, two extra bottles of ketchup (who needs 4 bottles of ketchup?), and two boxes of the powdered mashed potatoes.  I do use the scalloped potatoes, but have never tried the mashed - and it isn't something I think I'd like.  With the scalloped I always add a couple more real potatoes...as if that makes it more homemade.  Well, it certainly makes it less wet.  Those two bags are in the garage and will stay there until someone picks it up or until I get tired of it and deliver it to the foodbank myself.

Yesterday, I kept busy in the morning in the kitchen.  I used the first batch of tomatoes to make tomato paste (I have enough cans of tomato sauce in my pantry).  It's a slow process since the tomatoes have to be cooked at a very low temperature but, oh my, does it taste good.  While that was cooking, I cut up strawberries and green pepper and bagged these for the freezer.  I also had a container of spinach to deal with - I froze some for spinach dip, and used the rest to make a cream of spinach and cauliflower soup. The cauliflower was from the freezer, that I had blanched and frozen earlier this spring.  Then I went out and picked the remaining tomatoes and peppers.  While we have no frost forecast in the immediate future, the plants are dying back and I'm ready to quit watering them.

We spent almost three hours on Friday evening, door-knocking.  It all went well, though being a Friday before a long weekend, we missed a lot of people.  Those that were home were receptive for the most part, and only one advised us to move along.  Politely, but firmly.  I don't know that I would do it again, but have agreed to do another info drop in a week or so.  It did allow me to get to know my candidate, to hear him respond to questions and concerns, and get his perspective on the issues.

Today, I'm taking it easy again.  I'm still experiencing some pain from my back.  It should be lovely and warm this afternoon, so I'll head outdoors at some point to read. And if, I'm feeling up to it I'll get some deadheading and pruning done, and pull the remaining pepper and tomato plants.  

Have a good weekend everyone! 

It was a good week - welcome to spring!

Back to regular programming. It has been an incredibly busy week and it seemed that Friday arrived before I even blinked. Before I get into the rest of the happenings, I'll mention that our Saskatchewan team came up one rock short and finished the Brier with a bronze medal, as they did last year.  They did us proud, and I know they'll be back to Brier again as they're still a young team.  The winner of the event was the Alberta team, skipped by Brendan Bottcher.  They've been the final four years in a row, and finally won the big game.  They'll be great ambassadors for Canada at the World's in a few weeks.

I finally Since there was no curling to watch, I got a bit of spring cleaning done.  It started with cabinets in the bathrooms.  Although I clean the rest of the bathrooms regularly the drawers and under the sink don't get cleared out very often.  My daughter called as I was doing the main bathroom - since some of the items were hers I was able to sort through and toss some old stuff.  I'm going to look for some peel and stick tiles as the linoleum that was put down 30 odd years ago when the house was built is beginning to pull up.  Note to self: Add to the to-do list.

In the kitchen I pulled out the fridge and stove to clean the sides and behind them.  Generally I do this job around November 1 and April 1, but I didn't think it got done in the fall, so was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.  Still picked up a small kitten of cat hair behind the fridge but none behind the stove.  The spills down the side of the stove were bad enough!  I'm not sure how that happens as the stove is a tight fit between the cupboards; I have to hold my mouth just right in order to put it back in place.  

On Tuesday morning, I'd cleared out the pantry shelves and two lazy Susans of the contents, cleaned the shelves and replaced everything back in order.  I did an inventory of the lazy Susans because things tend to get lost in there.  Only two items had fallen off.  To reach these I have to lay on the floor, put my head and upper body in the cupboard, and stretch out my arm in order to reach the back of the cupboard.  I hate cleaning those cupboards.

As you already know, Tuesday afternoon was spent in line-up waiting for my vaccine.  Other than a little tenderness on Wednesday I had no reaction at all.  I feel for those (thinking of you Connie) who have bad reactions.  I wonder if one vaccine is more likely to cause a reaction than another? 

I did get out walking twice this week, once on Monday and again on Wednesday.  I heard the geese fly over the house in the morning so had to check out the pond.  They're back!  We do have some geese that stay over winter as there is a bit of open water on the man made lake but I'm pretty certain these are returning from the south.

We had such beautiful weather much of the week.  The nights were cool, below freezing but the daytime temperatures were well above it most days.  Best of all we had lots of sunshine, which meant I could open up the sun room for the cats.  The rabbit seemed to be enjoying it too, as it gave itself a bath in the sun.

The creek, and of course the pond, are still frozen over but the snow is melting quickly.

I chuckled at these two napping on the ice.  Close to mirror images of each other.

The mixed doubles curling started on Thursday and will run through to next Thursday.  It's a much different game than the regular four person team curling.  For starters, there are rocks set up at the beginning of the end (not thrown) and each duo throws a total of five rocks.  The first and fifth rock are thrown by the woman, the rest by the man on the team.  Rocks cannot be taken out of play before the third rock of the ten is played, until that point, the rocks that are thrown will be a freeze or a draw.  It means a LOT of rocks are in play so there can be big scores.  Also, there are only 8 ends versus 10 in the men's and women's games.  I quite enjoy watching because the strategy is quite different and I appreciate the fast pace of the game.  This is also an Olympic sport (now) and Canada has to win their place in another event even though we won the gold medal in the last winter Olympics.

While I'm watching curling I worked on a couple of projects; a vest for myself and a cardigan for Eli. The vest I completed late on Friday.  It's made of a chunky yarn so far too warm to wear at the moment. I wanted something I could wear in the house when I feel a little chilled plus it helps use up some of the yarn stash I've built up over the last couple of years.  I still have some left that I can use to make a scarf.  The cardigan for Eli isn't moving as quickly, I should have the back finished today.  

Spring/summer came early on Friday when it reached a high of 19C (66F).  There were records broken all over the province.  It won't last but, boy oh boy, it was fantastic even for a single day. Unfortunately my backyard seems to be flooding again this year likely because the ground beneath is still frozen solid.  

This morning I had several visitors to the front yard. They all seemed happy to pose for a photo or two.  There were four in total - but I couldn't get a shot of all of them together.  

Note how much brown in showing on this one.  

This one is still pretty white, and also smaller than the other one.  It's nibbling on my spruce tree. I can't imagine it tastes that great.

More curling today and I need to run out to pick up some fresh vegetables and a few other items.  That sums up the day ahead for me.  

Take care everyone, have a great week ahead. Happy Spring!!

This, that and and what the heck?

A few days ago my younger brother stopped by to take down an old dead tree in my yard.  This was an old evergreen that died the year we moved in, so nearly 9 years ago.  I left it for the birds as it attracted bugs.  The neighbour across the back complained about it a few times (they just moved in a couple of years ago) though none of the other neighbours had a problem with it.  But I didn't know if buyers would be put off so it was time to remove it.

R started off by removing most of the limbs until it got rather rocky on the extension ladder.  He then sawed it into about 4-5 foot pieces, ensuring they fell into my yard, rather than on the fence or into the neighbour's yard.  But he left a stump about 4 feet high.

We picked up all larger pieces and limbs and put them in the back of his truck.  He took them back to the farm and will use these in his firepit.  

He brought with him, a bird feeder he had built out of old wood from the farm, a container of birdseed, a suet feeder and the holder.  What a nice guy!

R screwed the bird feeder to the top of the post.  Then we filled it with seed and cleaned up a bit more before heading in for tea in the sun room.

The birds have been making good use of it.  Sparrows, robins, and grackles have been seen picking at the seeds and this morning I refilled (though it was not empty).  The cats now have more television to watch.  Saku has been quite interested in the goings on out there.  No squirrels yet, though I saw one being chased by some black birds across the street earlier today.

 I bought myself a new toy this week, a Fitbit.  My friend C has one and was showing me the sleep tracking it does. I'll been curious about my sleep patterns because I can wake up in the morning exhausted though with no recall of having been awake.  Other mornings I feel like I've hardly slept at all though don't feel tired.  I must say, though, since retiring I've slept better than I did when I was working.  

Anyway today is day 3 and the darn thing reminds me if I haven't moved for a period of time.  Yesterday I didn't make 10,000 steps, but Saturday and today I was well over.  If it means I'll get and go for a walk everyday it's a good thing.  I've learned that I'm a predominately light sleeper and I'm awake more often in the night that I recall.  It's early days to I'll keep track for a few months to see whether that continues to hold true.

The app also has the ability to track food input, weight, and activities (I input the data).  I'm not sure how useful these nor keeping up with the input...sometimes I just don't want to know.

Now on to the open house update and the WTH moment.  You may want to make sure you're not eating for the latter.  Just sayin'.

We had nine groups through which the real estate agent says is good.  There were two younger couples, a woman "looking for her adult children", a woman on her own, two retired couples, and a weird couple.  I know that's not nine but these are the ones Curtis mentioned to me.  The one young couple have a house to sell so were just out looking, the other young couple thought the house was nice but the yard too small.  He says the woman house hunting for her kids was typical...nothing better to do and nothing nice to say because nothing is good enough for her kids.  The other woman on her own wandered through while he was talking to another couple so no feedback.  The retired couples are both looking to downsize - all I could think was how big are your homes now.  They were both most vocal about the things that need to be done (all the flooring needs to be replaced - yeah, I'm not doing that), one mentioned price and it is just around my bottom line.  This tells me that I'm not that far off.  Everyone liked the sun room and double tier deck and the kitchen, but noticed little things like a missing light fixture in the basement (I hadn't even notice it), and the missing drywall to access the furnace ducting.  I'll take care of both of those in the next week or so.

AND then there were the weird couple.  Curtis said they showed up minutes before the showing ended and stood outside looking up under the eaves for the house for a bit before coming in.  He said they walked through the upstairs trying every light switch before heading down to the basement.  He stood at the top of the stairs to see if he could hear what they were saying.  They were in the laundry room and were quite confused that the water softener was in that room rather than next to the furnace.  Really?  Anyway, this is when the really weird stuff happened.  He said it got quiet, so he walked down the stairs to find that she was using the bathroom.  

I arrived home shortly after they left, and hearing this story I went down to check the bathroom.  OMfreakingG....she had flushed but had left a bit of a mess.....I'll leave it to your imagination.  It took me awhile to get things cleaned and sanitized.  told my son about it, and for the rest of that day he used the bathroom upstairs.  

Let's go back to the birds, okay?  

I get a chuckle out of these photos.  My neighbour has this decorative owl on the top of her tree stumps.  Apparently, it doesn't frighten any of the other birds.  

Have a great week everyone!

The season of change

Spring, glorious spring!  Out my living room window I see that the neighbour's tree is beginning to leaf out, their awn is mostly green, and next door to them, the ducks are back.  I'm not sure why, but there is a pair of mallards who like to hang out in the front yard.  I often see them as I'm pulling out of the driveway on my way to work in the morning.  The other day, the female was perched up on the roof of another house.  

The robins are back, the bunnies are mostly brown (and spend a lot of time chasing one another), and the garden centers are full of lovely green plants.  It is still too cool at night here for any planting, but of course I couldn't resist.  Besides I like to pick plants when they first hit the store...the staff aren't generally gardeners and watering seems to be forgotten within days.

This year, as I have in the past, selected mostly pinks and purples.  I know my house has brick and oranges and yellows would likely match but I go with what I like.

For flowers I'm sticking with petunias and geraniums, and a few impatience, this year.  I've tried dahlias, osteospermum, and begonias in the past with mixed results.  This year, it's the KISS principle.  

To complete the containers I've got several trailers, including ivy and sweet potato vine, plus calibrochoa (million bells).  I haven't found any trailing verbena so might be doing a little more shopping.  

I also picked up a couple of perennials for the front flower bed including a dianthus and some pink aruga bugleweed.  I planted purple aruga last year - it didn't spread much so I'll add this for another variety.  Also for the front bed, are nicotiana.  While they prefer sun, my mom had great luck with them in a north bed so I try every year to replicate her success.  It hasn't happened yet, but I keep trying.  

I also brought home a lovely fuschia.  It was the only one that had white, purple, and pink blooms so I couldn't resist.  (It doesn't look that off against the brick, does it?)

The plant is already huge and makes a real impact in the garden.  At this point, there is very little green in the flower bed, just the remains of the perennials that I cut back a week ago.



I can't recall what this is, as I've lost the tag - it's the first bit of green I've seen in the flower bed (so hopefully it isn't a weed!)  The hostas are yet to make any kind of appearance, but the heart leaf bergenia is beginning to put out new leaves.  I was reading through my garden journal and I note the aruga died over winter from 2016.  Hmmm...wonder if I'll have better luck this year?  Probably not.

The last basket I picked up is this Sun patience.  I had these in my containers last year, but I don't recall they did very well.  I'll try again this year with the hanging basket, though this particular spot doesn't get a whole lot of sun.  

Frankly I do that a lot - I grow plants that are prefer part shade in the sun, and those that want full sun in part shade. Sometimes it works really well and sometimes it's just meh.  But I've never lost an annual because of the where it was placed.  

Our weather has been a bit cool this week, but warmer temperatures are on their way.  Plus 28C by Monday!  Of course, I'll be at work, but still.  I plan to plant everything on the long weekend as it's unlikely we'll have frost after that.  Though it has happened, I'll take my chances.

The patio furniture is out in both the front and back yards.  It's a sunny day, so I plan to take the opportunity this afternoon to sit outside with a cold soft drink and my book.  I'm currently reading a Karin Slaughter novel, about two sisters who witness their mother's murder as young teens.  I've never read any of her books before and I have to force myself to put it down as the story line is very interesting and the story definitely doesn't follow a predictable script.  

Oh, I learned yesterday that I'll likely have new neighbours by the fall.  The young couple next door are moving to the States for work.  The wife works for an American company and has been working from home since they moved here, I think about 6 years or so.  She came out of the house yesterday carrying one of her cats.  We got talking as she put the cat in the truck.  Apparently they will be driving and they've started training the cats for the drive.  She brought the other two out and put them in the truck as well, but didn't actually go for a drive.  I guess sitting in the truck will get them accustomed to the vehicle, though I suspect once it starts moving they won't be very happy.  

The house will be put up for sale at the end of the month.  The listing price should help me determine what I might get for my home next year.  Their house was listed at a lower price than mine when they bought a year or so after I did.  They did re-do the driveway and basement floor but other than that I'm not aware of any renovations.  

Speaking of renovations, my main and en-suite bathrooms will have the cabinets refaced in June.  I've arranged for the tile to be removed, and the drywall skim coated for painting next week.  I've got in touch with the plumber to unhook the current sinks, and ordered sinks and faucets on-line with delivery expected within 3 weeks.  This was the hardest part as finding grey sinks is nearly impossible; they certainly are not available in local stores.   I'll admit I've gone with the cheapest options - I'll only be here for another year or so, and the new owners may decide to totally renovate. I don't see the point in spending a bunch of money only to have someone else tear it out.  Now, if I were staying here another 10 years I might reconsider...but probably not.

AND then there is this:

This was taken at my brother's house on the farm.  Eli took his first steps two weeks ago tomorrow and every day his abilities have improved.  D calls it muscle memory...I call it amazing.  He rarely crawls now, can stand up from a seated position, and the only that stops him are stairs.  His vocabulary is increasing as well, from mom, dad, Sasha, and his favorite uncle's name, he has added juice, done (well, actually un but I accept it), nana for banana,  and Chase (a paw patrol puppy for the uninitiated).  He has yet to settle on a name for Grandma but it is clear he loves me.  He brings me books to read and loves a good cuddle.  

Well, enough babble from me.  Eli is busily destroying my living room and his mother is still sleeping.  

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend everyone!