Oh happy day!

First off, Happy St. Patrick's Day!  May the blessings of each day be the blessings you need the most. - Irish blessing.

You're being treated/bombarded with a mid-week post because I'm too excited to wait until the weekend to share this news.  I got my Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday!!!!  It was unexpected, I truly thought I'd have to wait for the opportunity until April sometime.  But with the vaccine not recommended for over 65's*, our province opened it up for 60-64. Here in the city, the health authority opened a drive-in clinic, on a first come first serve basis. On Monday, it was only for 64 years old, but as time went on, they lowered it until the entire age group could attend.  I got a news alert around 11:30 a.m., quickly got ready to go and headed across the city. 

I was in fairly lengthy line-up by 11:50 and received my dose about 3 p.m.  After the shot there was a 15 minute wait in the parking lot to ensure I didn't have an adverse reaction - I didn't.  I never had to park in the line-up, as the vehicles kept moving but the loop took us through and around the parking lot, past various buildings and then a couple of switchbacks before we reached the building where the vaccines were being administered.  I'm pretty sure I've seen every square inch of the property.

There was sign here that said 90 minute wait from this point in the picture on the left. Note the porta-potties! But it only took 10 minutes to make it to the next sign that read 60 minute wait.  It did take close to an hour between the first sign and when I reached the building.  Inside there were six lanes set up, with three stations in each row for the vehicles.  When it was my turn, I pulled up in the lane, gave the nurse my health card, answered a few questions, and waited for the jab.  It was over in mere minutes and I was on my way to the parking lot for the brief stop before heading home. 

I waited to post this until morning, in case I had any kind of reaction.  There was no immediate reaction, in fact that evening I couldn't tell you where exactly in my arm I got the shot.  It wasn't the least bit sore. This morning, if I push on my arm I can find a little tenderness but that's it.  I'm one of the lucky ones as I know there have been others who haven't had it as easy.

I was excited when I got my vaccine yesterday, and as I told the nurse, I think it's because there seems to finally be an end in sight to this pandemic.  While things won't change immediately or even in a few months, and I certainly won't be giving on masking, social distancing, and washing my hands a lot, the potential for a shift back to more "normal" times is there.  It all adds up to a real sense of relief.

What a blessing!  For those who haven't yet had the chance to be vaccinated, I hope it's available to you soon. 

*An announcement by the NACI - National Advisory Committee on Immunization yesterday that the vaccine is now approved for those over 65 here in Canada.

Quiet week

 Another boring week for my readers, since I've done little except watch curling, crochet while watching curling, and fit in chores between games.  If you give this post a pass, I won't blame you. :)

The Brier has not disappointed, there have been some incredible shot making as well as some spectacular misses. If you have a minute to spare, check out the round the horn shot by the young Newfoundland skip.  They haven't had the best of weeks and were down 7-1 when he made this shot for his deuce.  They didn't win the game, but this shot made the sports news. Our Saskatchewan team had a couple of tough games, but made it into the second round robin, finishing second in their pool.  They placed third in last year's event, but will need to work hard to get there this year.  They split their two games yesterday and have two more today.

Meanwhile, when I was at D's last week she gave me a container of yarn she's gathered over the years.  She has tried to knit something but gives up readily as she hasn't the patience for it.  I get that, as there are lots of things I haven't the patience for either.  Among the yarn were three skeins of a variegated yarn.  I knew there wasn't enough to make a baby blanket, but after checking my stash, I added some additional yarn in three different colors similar to those in the variegated balls.  I'm calling it my Easter blanket.  I ended up with just a little bit of yarn leftover, which I rolled into a ball for Saku to enjoy. Once the threads are sewn in, I'll wash it and plan to put it on Facebook for sale.  

I've had no success on Varage sale - though there is someone who is "watching" my items. I suspect they think the blankets are over-priced...though in comparison to the others available I would say they are not.  I'll the FB Marketplace with the Easter blanket and depending on the success (or failure) I'll decided whether the others will get posted to FB as well.

Since there was no curling on Monday morning, I decided to make a run to Value Village as I'd received an e-mail with a coupon for 20% off.  I went looking for specific pieces to make a tiered tray.  I thought I'd use a pie plate, a pizza pan and some sort of candlestick.  I didn't find a pizza pan, but was even happier to find a tray. The candlestick appears to be real silver or at least plated so I decided I wouldn't be painting that!  

On the left (if blogger will co-operate are
the three pieces before and it will not...grrr!) and the after on the right below. I chose the blue because I think it will work throughout the year, with different decorations.  In addition, I have a good amount of blue in the house already so it fits in well.   You can see it also has a practical side - the salt and pepper are readily available.  Our meals are served up off the island - neither of us eat at the kitchen table except when D and Eli are visiting.  We got out of the habit when the kids were teenagers as the kitchen in the old house had no room for a table, and the living room was too small to add one either.  We've grown accustomed to eating our meals in front of the television or computer.  

Friday morning, there was no tie-breaker games so I had an opportunity to run out to pick up groceries, cat food and cat litter.  I did get a wee start on the spring cleaning. A month or so ago, I had pulled out the jackets, mitts, gloves, toques, etc. from the front closet and done a bit of a purge.  But, I hadn't pulled the shoe rack and the other items off the floor. When I did this, the other day, I found enough cat hair to make a small kitten.  Oops, I guess it's been awhile.  After cleaning that up, I washed the closet floor and put everything back where it belongs.  Note to self: clean the closet more frequently, I don't need another cat!

I'm off to spend a couple of hours on Ancestry.  I'm continuing to follow the branches from my grandfather's great-grandparents. The first two branches didn't a lot of time, as there isn't a lot of information available on either individual.  One, because his GGF changed his last name and cut ties with his family in Scotland, and his GGM may also have changed her name, as finding any family members has pretty much come to a standstill.  My relative who started this, has hired a professional to do some more research and hopefully he'll come up with something we have not been able to find.

Anyway, enough of that. We're having a lovely spring day here today, with sunshine so I'll be opening the sun room for the cats in the next hour or so.  To end off this post, I've got a couple of photos from the backyard this week. The squirrel would not turn and look at me, even when I tapped on the window.  Definitely into it's meal!

I believe this is a grosbeak but readily admit I'm not good at identifying birds.

Have a great week everyone, take care and stay well!

Celebrating the good times

 Guess who turned four this week?  It sure wasn't me! Yes, my darling grandson Eli celebrated his big boy birthday.

I drove out the day of his birthday and surprised him when his mom and I went to the school to pick him up.  He had a really big food day: French toast for breakfast, lunch from Dairy Queen, and later pasta and vegetables for supper followed by his birthday cake.

The cake is special, not only because he helped mix it up, but because it is a recipe of my mother's.  She called it a 1-2-3-4 cake, thus very fitting for this birthday.  Of course, I halved it because the recipe was too much...but he doesn't know that!

I spent the night and had company, as both cats Sheldon and Stanley decided the single bed was the place to be.  I didn't sleep particularly well, it wasn't the cats though, it was the sound of the trains from the nearby train yard.  Even so, neither Eli nor I were awake until nearly 6 a.m. After a few more cuddles and reading the book I gave him one more time, I headed home as I had an appointment later in the morning.

It was time for annual mammogram...and that's all I'll say about that. After my visit to the clinic I treated myself to a trip to the nearby dollar store.  I did come home with a couple of items, nothing exciting.  

I did finish a couple of crafts this past weekend.  First up this little bird house.  It was from a run to a dollar store a few weeks ago, and meant for a child to paint...since my abilities in this realm are child-like I figured it would work for me.  Rather than paint it, I used acrylic paint as a stain.  The roof is corrugated cardboard that I painted using three colors to try to make it look a bit like a metal roof.  (Though it's difficult to see in this photo I even found a wee bird that fits on the little roost.)

The other finish is the knitted blanket that I worked on during the Scotties last week.  I finished sewing in the ends and got it washed up. I like the look of it as it almost looks like corduroy.

I now have four baby blankets listed on our local Buy and Sell Varage sale.  I'm hopeful that someone will take an interest and noted this morning I have a watcher on each of them.  If they don't see in a couple of weeks, I'll probably try Facebook Marketplace.  At least for now, craft sales won't be happening for a while longer yet.  We did get good news this week, with the AstraZeneca vaccine now approved in Canada, but not for those 65 and over, our province is planning to provide them to those age 60-64 beginning March 22.  Fingers crossed that I'll get an appointment in April.

On Friday, I did my grocery shopping, going early in the morning to avoid crowds.  The Co-op had a good sale on meat - I got a small beef roast, stewing beef, ground pork and two packages of sausages.  Prices have really creeped up here over the last year!  I guess it is simple economics, more people are staying home and cooking meals so demand is likely increasing more quickly than the supply pushing prices higher.

On Friday evening, the men's Brier curling even started.  Like the women's, there are 18 teams in the event, including three wild cards.  Unlike the women's the three wild card teams are from three different provinces. I have absolutely no prediction as to who might win the event, the caliber of the teams is that good.  Well, most of them anyway - for the northern teams their winning percentage is generally lower as there are fewer teams and fewer events to play in.  Of course, I'll be cheering for our Saskatchewan team, who placed third last year.  I do know it will be a good week of curling!

Finally, a recent visitor to the birdfeeder.  The birds are still showing up each day but with warmer weather they aren't eating as much.  I don't know if you can see in this photo but the trees have wee buds on them. Spring is only a few weeks away...at least on the calendar. :)

Take care everyone and stay well!

Curling the days away

 A week of curling is in the books, though the first event isn't over just yet. The men's Brier starts next Friday and will be followed by the mixed doubles and then the men's worlds.  Finally, two Grand Slam events are expected to be held in April.  Prepare yourselves, this blog will be taken over by curling information for the next 10 weeks or so.  

If you haven't guessed this already, I spent most of the week watching curling and knitting.  Our Saskatchewan team bounced back from their first loss, and made it into the second round robin.  In fact, they were top of their pool even though the team didn't play particularly well.  They did, however, come up with the right shots at the right time and took advantage of other team's mistakes. 

I suspect they won't be in the semi and final - those spots will likely go to the top three teams, Manitoba, Team Canada, and Ontario. Although I'm not a big fan of Team Ontario (Homan), I have been impressed with her curling this week as she's eight months pregnant.  It can't be easy getting up and down in the hack to throw! 

One of the teams that have impressed me this week is Team Quebec, a young team that recently finished their junior curling. The young skip, Laurie St. Georges is a risk taker and fearless. That can get the team into trouble with lots of rocks in play but she often makes the final shot that works in their favour.  I expect we'll see more of them in the future.  

The last two games will be played today, with the top three heading to the semi and final tomorrow.  Unless there happens to be a tie-breaker, but at the moment that isn't looking likely. Our Sask. team split their games yesterday and would need to win out the two today to make it to tomorrow's games.  In any event, they've done well this week and can be proud of their efforts.

With all the curling, I've made good progress on the latest baby blanket.  No photo yet, I'll wait until it is finished.  And despite the amount of time I've spent on the couch, I've managed to get my walk in everyday (indoors), keep the house in reasonable order, and got the groceries earlier in the week.  I left the house before 8 a.m. and was home in time to have everything tucked away by 9:30 in time for the first draw.  I have my priorities. :)

I've had visitors this week too, but not of the human kind.  First up was this rabbit.  It was sitting out back and when I spotted it through the window it didn't even move when I took a few photos with my cellphone.

It's a big bunny and hopefully those dark markings are a hint that spring isn't too far away.

Next up was this Hungarian partridge.  Normally, they show up in groups of three or more but this one was on its own.  It didn't stick around when it realized I was at the window so this was the best shot I got.  I love the markings on the wings.

This morning brought the latest visitor, though I suspect it is a regular visitor to the bird feeder. It wasn't eager to have it's photo taken, but after running along the fence, stopping to scold me, it came back to the top of the feeder.  I guess hunger overcame any fear.

I fill the bird feeder once a day, putting feed in the feeder itself and on top and sprinkling some on the ground.  Today was a cold morning -21C (-6F) so I'm certain all my visitors are appreciative. Thankfully, the cold weather won't last more than 24-36 hours and we'll back to mild temperatures.

That pretty much wraps up my week.  Curling won't start until 1:30 this afternoon so I'll putter around the house until then. I never run out of things that need to be done.  Funny, when I was at work I often felt bored but at home, never.  

Take care everyone and have a good week ahead.

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!

Almost goodbye (to the cold weather)

Monday morning was the coldest morning to that point, with a temperature of -37C when I went out to feed the birds at 8:30 in the morning.  I won't tell you the wind chill because at that point it just doesn't matter.  Just know that my nose hairs froze in the few minutes I was outside. Usually the birds don't arrive at the feeder for several minutes after I've left the back yard, but there were several waiting in the tree in the next yard as I filled the feeder.  Inside the house I watched them from the kitchen window - they were definitely hungry and the feeder was empty by mid-morning.

I needed to run an errand for D on Tuesday so ordered my groceries for pick-up that afternoon.  I stopped in at Value Village since I was in the area and found a pair of Osh Kosh shoes for Eli for $5.99 - regular price is about $20. When I checked my receipt I realized I got the senior's discount so paid just over $4 for them!  They are gently used and should be good summer shoes for him.  Later that day I needed to mail an envelope so made a pit stop at the Dollarama and also Walmart for a few craft supplies. I also picked up Eli's birthday present, a bike helmet.  His mom bought a bike for him last year but he really wasn't interested, although he could reach the pedals he couldn't figure out how to make them go around.  This year, he's taller and I suspect he'll have no problem.  He turns four in under three weeks. I'm hoping to make a trip out to help celebrate as he won't be able to have friends - it's all weather dependent.

The rest of the week was about housework, Ancestry, staying indoors, and a bit of crocheting and knitting. I finished the baby blanket but didn't start on the sweater as I'd originally planned. My daughter asked if I could make her dishcloths - I've got one finished and another on the needles now.

The cold weather has continued through the week. This morning it was -38C; I continue to go to feed the birds first thing in the morning before the wind gets up.  It's definitely cold but not as bad as it would feel with a wind blowing in my face. I went around the side of the house to check the furnace exhaust.  I'm glad I did as there was ice from the exhaust stretching down to the ground, about 18-24 inches.  It wasn't blocked - good thing as when the exhaust blocks the furnace shuts down. Thankfully we seem to be near the end of the really cold weather; we'll be back to more seasonal temperatures by Monday.  

Some more good news this week, our province announced that Phase 2 of the vaccinations will start in April, and my age group (60-69) will be eligible.  With the increased volume of doses expected over the next several weeks, I'm hopeful I'll be able to get my shot(s) sometime in April or May. It was also announced that they will be using pharmacies to deliver the vaccination.  I'm quite happy as I've received my annual flu shot at a local pharmacy and not had any issues beyond a sore arm for a couple of days.

Today is "Hockey Day in Canada", with three games throughout the day.  In between the first and second game I made dinner, caught up on blog reading and finished this post. Just in time for the next game and more knitting.  

Take care everyone, stay well and stay warm!

   

Keeping close to home

 

On Monday morning, when I headed out to feed the birds I took the camera with me.

It was a bit foggy out there and the trees were covered in hoar frost or perhaps rime ice.  The latter is formed when the fog droplets rapidly freeze. However, I can't tell the two apart so I'll leave it to others to decide.

Whatever it is, I think it almost looks like leaves on the branches.  So pretty and later, the crystals fall and sparkle as the day warms up.

I made a couple of trips out of the house this week, first on Tuesday to Costco and Peavey Mart, and on Wednesday to the Dollarama and Walmart for my groceries.  I follow the Costco West fan blog - the author is in British Columbia, and sends out an e-mail each week of the items on sale (and often other things that he finds interesting) at the warehouse.  I went through the post and noted there were several items I wanted.  Overall I saved about $15 on the five items I purchased so well worth the trip.  

We had some snow overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday.  Once the groceries were put away I went out to clear the driveway and sidewalks, as the temperatures were dropping throughout the day.  I woke to -7C (19F); by 6 p.m. the temperature was -17C (1F) with a windchill of -29C (-20F).  We were heading into a cold snap for the next week and I wanted it done.

The cold weather is always a good time to stay indoors and work on my crocheting and the family trees.  I've been working on my dad's side of the family.  There was an exciting bit of information - I thought - when I found that many trees indicate my 3X great grandmother Maria Claudia Stoney was the daughter of Captain Jack (John) Stoney of Beaufort, South Carolina.  However, I've come to the conclusion that this is not correct, as all of the on-line information suggests the Stoney's had only two sons who survived to maturity...no daughters.  So I've run into a dead end on her side as well. 

I started another blanket with a pattern that was "quick and easy".  Well, it didn't work that way for me. I started and tore it back three or four times before I gave up.  The way I read the instructions the edge of the blanket grew on one side and decreased on the other, but the author mentioned you continued the rows until it was a square so....I just decided it wasn't what I wanted.  I found another pattern that is easy and definitely is quick to make up.  After that I'll use the remainder of the ball of wool from the last blanket to make up a little sweater - I went to toss out the paper wrap and noticed the pattern on the back of it. 

My baby brother R turned 59 this week. I sent him a text that morning with a gif of a birthday cake covered in lighted candles. Of course I realize, I'll probably get a reminder later this year that I'm older than he is.  When I was a child I remember thinking that 60 was ancient, but now that I'm past that age I know it isn't. :)

We're into the truly cold weather today. When I went out to feed the birds this morning, the temperature was -33C (-27F) with a wind chill of -44F (-47F).  Even though I knew I wouldn't be out there very long, I bundled up well with a heavy coat, toque, two pairs of mitts, and my boots.  This is the cold when the snow squeaks when you walk on it.  It's a sunny day though and I can hear the birds calling to each other in the spruce tree out front.  I'm grateful for my comfortable, warm home and quite happy to have the ability to stay indoors.

Have a good week ahead everyone!