Happy New Year

Here’s hoping 2022 is good to all of us. I am in for the 7th!  A new tradition😊. We are watching TV and eating a veggie tray and crackers and cheese. How exciting😊. Love you♥️ 

It is New Years Eve..

 ......the start of a another year full of hope and promise. So what is all this shuttering with dread of this Covid and all its restrictions and fear about?  I say we look for a positive angle to it all...we have, as Pati always notes, a shelter over our heads, and food on the table and warmth from the cold, and a family ......so lets celebrate.

I suggest a conference call with the three of us on Friday, January 7, 2022 at 12 noon your time. I can be the operator again. Bring your best ideas forward for a bright and happy year. Or just bring your lunch and a drink to sip on as we chat together.... haha!

Keep smiling folks... rsvp....Take care 👪

Oh Dear!

 I have no idea Beth, about what could be wrong.  I wonder what would happen if I tried to send you an e-mail, except I would be sending it from David's computer.  I will anyway, after I finish this post.  Our  driveway is shovel1ed.  One fellow appeared about 9:00 last evening, and was at it until after 11:00.  No sign of any vehicle, and it was cold out, but I guess he kept warm through working so hard.  He told David that it was the sixth job he had done.  So we'll be able to get the car out today, which is good as we have several errands to run.

Our plans for our anniversary are up in the air with the snow, and the threat of additional Covid restrictions that should come down today.  Regardless, we will be together, and we have food and shelter right where we are now.

Please stay safe ladies.  It's dangerous for people like us right now, wherever we are.

Email demons....

 Happy day to Pati and Dave. Thinking of you both 💘

 Just a quick note to say I sent another email this morning your way Pati, only to your address and not also to Cathy's, but it was sent back. Perhaps there is a disconnect with your email and mine. The reason given was that the message was too long. It was two lines!  Cathy did you receive the message I sent the other day to you both by email? Because i got a message back saying the same thing that it could not be delivered so assumed you also did not get it as I know Pati did not.

Perhaps i should call my server and have it checked but that is always a long and futile effort usually.  This is annoying.

Anyway, that is why I write this note in the blog this morning.  Take care all.

And it snows

 My computer is ready, but we won't be able to get out of the yard easily until the men come with their shovels, and that's not likely to happen until it stops snowing--sometime later today or tonight.  The tv says we can expect 10-15cm.  I think we must have near that now.

So we stay home and relax.  It's just about noon, the kitchen is clean, and I have no pressing duties until supper time.  David has brought his computer into the kitchen and left it at my usual place at the table--right where my computer usually sits.  I've taken the opportunity to clear out the bookmarks that are either very old, or of limited use.  But I did find the one that showed the quick and easy method of making lots of Flying Geese squares.  I've been looking for that for awhile now.

Christmas was very different, with David rushing off to pick up dinner, and then serving  ourselves out of boxes on the counter.  There were lots of leftovers. Gail took some home, but in the flurry of activity didn't get any turkey.  I wonder if that was an oversight or or a planned event.  The turkey was very dry, and not too palatable. None the less, we're having some for supper tonight.  Last night was fried perogies with sour cream and meat balls. David couldn't remember ever having eaten fried perogies, and I'm not sure he will ever eat them again, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.  I can't remember the last time I was able to eat them.

I'm getting some work done in the studio, but mainly on charity quilts, not on anything "arty".  Not sure how I feel about that, but find that I'm not feeling too worried.  What will be, etc., but maybe that's just the "happy" pills talking.  My favourite art supply store has re-opened, after making a move to a new location, and are advertising a huge sale.  I would very much like to get over there this week, and am actually thinking of maybe doing some more lino block carving, and printing.  I have a project in mind, but have no idea how it might turn out.

So that's our life right now.  Happy in our nest, where we're warm and well fed. What more could we ask.  What's in your lives?  Do we need another conference call?

Merry Christmas

 And a happy New Year. I didn’t take a picture this year, and you should be grateful. At 6:00pm I was soaking in a hot tub. I did have a glass of wine with me, so I did 1/2 the toast😊. Tomorrow is supposed to be very cold and snowy and , of course, we have agreed to check on Rodney’s dogs. I hope the storm isn’t too bad, especially since we have to go back again Monday morning.  Meanwhile I am snuggled down on the couch with a book. Life is good

A greetings from here as well

 Not nice that you now have to take the laptop in as that can amount to much lost time and perhaps issues and perhaps $$ ahead. Shall be sending good vibes your way.

So here is to our family Christmas then .. I shall be wishing my best thoughts at 7 pm my time on Christmas night to all of you... it just must get better in our lives as we move forward so that wish shall also be on my mind.

Enjoy your Christmas Dinners ... whatever you choose or just get delivered. A would love to see pictures.

Be safe folks... sending my Love XX 💕 💕 💕 

Communication

 For the past few weeks, I've been having trouble with this computer, and have spent many hours on line with The Geek Squad.  They are now recommending that it needs to go into the shop for further help.  We plan to take it in tomorrow, and will likely not get it back for awhile.  I will be able to follow the blog on David's computer, but will likely have limited time there.

I wish you both a wonderful Christmas.  I will be thinking of you both at 6:00 Winnipeg time on Christmas day, and will get a picture if I can.  I may even try to post it.  

Love you both and stay safe.

More snow...

 .. so I guess we are really going to have a white Christmas. I just heated a sourdough cinnamon bun in the microwave to have with my coffee. I made a batch yesterday to use up my sourdough starter and I must say they are quite delicious. I have enough starter to make a batch for Christmas morning now. 

I was looking for my box of little decorative candles for the table and low and behold... I found my missing box of Christmas movies - I have been looking for the past month for these so now, at least a few can be viewed before Christmas, or maybe I'll wait until after Christmas and enjoy my favourites leisurely in the evenings. 

Take care all... not a happy scene out there with this Covid scare all around us.  💗

Yes, it is disappointing for you

 Just logging on to check for messages before bed time. All my chores are done and so I sit as I always do for a few minutes in quiet and solitude to reflect on the day and on the tomorrow. 

And I read your message about your Christmas plans - not only for Christmas Day but also as you say, the other happy celebrations into the following week that have always been included in your holiday events. Your attitude is positive Pati, and for that I applaud you. What more can we do when all around us seems to move from one chaotic moment to another. One thing is for sure though, I always think of you and Dave, and Cathy and Jim and all our families, and will right through this next few weeks and into the New Year with great hopes that the future will be brighter for us all.

Time for bed then for me...take care both of you, my sisters, and be safe. 💝

Christmas

We just had a phone call  telling us that our Christmas buffet has been cancelled, with new Covid restrictions, but they do offer a take out meal.  So-o-o, we are now planning an mid-afternoon Christmas dinner, at home, that will include things like perogies.  A bit of a disappointment, and a more expensive meal in the for sure, as well as, no doubt, lots more left-overs than we had originally planned for.  Our plans for our anniversary and David's birthday are also up in the air.

But--what will be, will be.  Whatever the future holds, we'll deal with it, when it happens.

A surprise

 I found out last evening (Thursday) that David had asked Loren to list the snowblower on Kijiji.  Loren arranged for a fellow to come around last night, and was here to meet him.  A few minutes to check the machine out, a quick exchange of cash, and the snowblower went away in the back of a truck.  both Loren and David were joking that they should have asked for more, but then both were happy to make a deal without a lot of dickering.  David now has money for a good start on paying to have someone come around to cut the grass next summer.

Reading your posts tells me that we all have plans, of some sort, for celebrating Christmas.  Certainly not the Christmas we remember from home on Maplewood, but rather a Christmas to suit the families we have now.  Traditions evolve, as they should, but we have our memories, and can now look back on them and appreciate the effort and $$$ it took to make them.  I'm thinking about home today as Dr. Phil had a couple on who were dealing with the wife and mother developing the type of early onset dementia that Mom had.  Her children were younger than you were Cathy, but she was at a slightly earlier stage.  It made me remember how the three of us had to face the possibility that we had inherited the gene that caused it.  This woman had fallen prey to scammers who had taken her for over $500,000.  At least Dad never had to deal with that.

A week till Christmas--7 sleeps.  Do either of you feel the anticipation building?  I hope you're lucky at Meat draw Cathy, and I hope Beth gets all her baking done.  Me?  I'm still doing laundry.

Time flies

 Here it is.... only a week until Christmas.  It will be quiet here.  Rrain will be here and we are having pot roast and mashed potatoes.  A turkey would be too much. Pati, what sort of freezer meals do you make when you cook a turkey?  I seem to have a lack of imagination when it comes to turkey leftovers..... pie and soup.  Sandi's sister is coming home from Alberta for Christmas so her entire family will spend the day together.  Rrain has the week between Christmas and New Years off, so Sandi is planning on checking their work schedules so that we can see if we can get together.  Our house is bare, as we never set up the tree.  I am afraid that Lucky will destroy it, and probably eat the decorations.  Jim is still thinking of putting it up.  He is far more optimistic about its survival.  I am planning on gathering up my nerve and going to meat draw again tonight.  I have been avoiding it, but I now find that my unwillingness to go out is becoming almost a paranoia!  Everyone there has to be double vaxed and wear a mask except when sitting down.  The round table has the people we associated with over the summer.  I just find I hate crowds!  Plus it's Ham and Turkey draw and Ugly Sweater Contest.   Who could turn that down 😜?  I put the Christmas music station on the TV, but so far it appears to be opera, in an unknown language.  I think I will search farther.  Jim went to the colony to give Sam a bottle for Christmas.  He will probably return with cookies, and buns and other food.  More than two people will need.  I sure hope I can find a corner of the freezer.  We went to Killarney last Sunday and had a really great visit.  Spent a lot of time with all three of them.  We had wanted to take them out for lunch, or at least order takeout, but, despite being told what we were going to do,  Kris has all the makings for indivdual pizzas ready.  He used Naan bread for the crust.  Really very good.   And now it is back to the next load of laundry.  My life is still so exciting.  Love you

Well, how is this happening to us?

 So glad to hear that you both have your boosters scheduled.  We made an appointment for ours back in early November, well before these new variants have made the shot so important.  Now we're stuck with it despite the strong words from the government about how important it's become.  So I spent about an hour this morning trying to find a source for an earlier shot, without any luck.  We both have agreed to start isolating a bit more, without cancelling our plans for our anniversary and David's birthday.  Luckily I have few scheduled events, and have cancelled some of those.  (didn't go to Lorette for the craft group yesterday, and won't be participating an a private art gallery tour with my Fibre art Divas tomorrow.)

It was lucky that I had finally had enough of my troublesome computer and contacted the Geek Squad about 9:00 last night.  The first fellow I spoke to quickly realized that the problem was serious, and sent me to the higher level technicians.  That fellow worked on the machine and periodically asked me to do some tasks, but at about 1:30 suggested that I call it a night and head for bed, as the next step would take a couple of hours.  But I was to re-start when I first got up this morning.  What a relief this morning to have everything working perfectly. Thanks to the brandy I had during our session, I slept pretty well--bonus!

Yesterday we did another grocery shopping that we hope will be enough until the same time next week.  That one I expect will be crowded and busy, but at this time of year it's sort of nice to be out when everyone is happy and there are so many pleasant seasonal wishes, even at 6ft, and wearing a mask,  Not really isolating, I know, but I'm hoping to get to the store fairly early in the morning, when it might not be so crowded.

But now to find some way to fill the time between now and then.  I only have so many books to read, so it will have to be studio time.

Updated news related to Virus

 Just listening to the CBC 6 o'clock news and the reiteration of the announcements this afternoon about new and upgraded restrictions related to travel and gatherings and booster doses and rapid testing kits. It does not seem to change our situation any and everything seems to be the same old same old. It is up to all persons to comply and therein lies the issue. Right? Our boosters are scheduled for Friday.

More cookies made today so now i must make up the trays to ensure we have enough cookies to fill the trays and so that there will be no need to bake more.

I brought up more Christmas decorations today and now have a full size Santa sitting on the floor in the dining room and if turned on, will start up a song and conversation when one passes by. I will try to keep it turned off ....haha!

The weather is crazy... cold and freezing rain today and tomorrow will be 12 degrees C  Hard to keep up with how to respond so i just go with the flow.

Last drops for my left eye were given last night and now only have the right eye and down to two drop[s four times a day but three weeks left for that eye. I can the end...and thank goodness.

Now time for bed...all animals have been taken care of and now time to take care of myself. I watched another Time Team show yesterday and finishing to day, and I watched a Quilt Show program (Inklingo with Linda Franz) yesterday. Now that I have renewed my membership for another year, i want to be sure to take advantage of it and watch each new show as it is posted.

Take care folks...be safe and adhere to the restrictions. 😃

My apologies

 Not sure what I did, but I knocked myself out of just about everything yesterday.  Prior to that I had tried to change what Microsoft calls my primary hours of use, from 8:00am to 9:00pm, to 9:00 am to10:00 pm.  This now means that every time I try to sign in to anything,  including Google, I have to go back to my basic password.  Then, its been so long that it doesn't recognize me, and I have to re-set every password.  So glad I have nothing but time on my hands-not!

Beth, you must be so relieved to have your eyes finally done.  Be very careful, as it sounds you are.  Even if your previous retinal tears, prove a problem, there are such advances in eye care that it may not be as much of a problem as it could have been, even 10 years ago.

This has been a busy week.  We have been out and about almost every day, and have spent money we didn't have. I'm not sure which day we did what.  This is supposed to be info on my Bujo, but, while I might stroke the task off, the day it was done isn't recorded.  But my "happy' pills say "who cares?"  We even both got inexpensive winter jackets, on Wednesday afternoon.  David had needed one, but the price was right, so I got one too.  Not as warm as we would have liked, but had both planned to wear something under them, so it all works out.

We had to do a more thorough grocery shopping that we usually do in the middle of the month, as we ran out of things that were unexpected.  The month end shopping in November was quite small and now we know why.  As well, we wanted to be well stocked up prior to Christmas and Christmas week.   None the less, we ended up in Walmart on Saturday afternoon, which meant dealing with the traffic at Regent and Lagimodiere, on Saturday afternoon three weeks before Christmas, as well as being there two weeks before Christmas!  We both wondered if there was any sort of special award for that.  But we now have a new batch of wine in the rack, and both have enough pills to last until the New Year, when our Blue Cross plans come back into force.

When I check my weekly task lists, in the Bujo, over the past two months, getting my EPP quilt ready for the long-armer, has been at the top of the list, every week.  Well, this week it is crossed off, and Geesje has been e-mailed to let her know it is ready.  I had trouble finishing the border , and then the fabric bought for the backing was too small.  I spent hours, when I should have been sleeping, trying to figure out how I could split what I had and insert some sort of stripe(s?) of a different colour.  I wanted it to look planned. Thursday morning, I had another, unexpected, machine class at KTR, where I had bought the machine.  I just decided that I would buy more backing fabric, this time in a basic off white.  Then it would be done, and I would still  have the original backing fabric to use on another project, as well as some off white scraps to use for different projects, as those are always welcome.  Or so I thought.

It turned out that the new fabric was very creased within the longitudinal folds, and needed to be pressed before it could be cut.  Even worse, when I tried to tear off one end to give me a straight starting place, for measuring, it turned out to be very off grain.  In the end it took most of a day, but I did end up with a generous backing, pressed and ready to go, after several hours of wrestling with fabric and bad words.  As well a very nice strip of fabric, 28" wide by over 9' long, was left over, when the final width had been determined.  Quite useful.  Yesterday morning David helped me cut the batting to size.  Now 'tis done!

Yesterday, while I was enjoying starting on not one, but two, new projects, David called the small shop in Transcona, where he gets his finger and toe nails cut.  He was hoping for an appointment before Christmas, as I had warned him that such shops are usually very busy this time of year.  He comes to me with a big smile on his face and says, "four o'clock today"  Holy s--t!  So we're off for 4:00, and yes they have time for me to have a manicure as well as the pedicure that had been scheduled.  An older fellow was leaving as we came in, and a young couple arriving just before we left, so I'm guessing she does a good business with gentlemen.

Today, David will be watching his football game, later here as well.  Gail and I had agreed to get together for coffee, about 3:30, thinking the game would be on by then, and we could stay and gab as long as we wanted to.  But, I will still stay  as long as works, then grab a pizza in the store next to Starbucks, where we usually go, before heading home. Supper taken care of.

Cathy, what are your plans for game day?

After the storm...

 All is fine here after what was a terrific change in weather the last two days bringing mild temps (up to +10C at one point) and rain and more rain and wind so strong I feared for my house and yard. Lots of water accumulated at the front which required shoveling away a few times. But this morning a welcomed calm with a nice dusting of snow on the ground and temps down to -3 C overnight. There are many days now that the temp will be above zero but without much precipitation to speak off, should be bearable.

I just checked the TV (on computer) and the Grey Cup kickoff is not until 6:30 pm my time - I thought it was 4 pm so I was getting all excited - now have to wait a few more hours before I take control of the computer haha! I am looking forward to this...and will be thinking of all of you doing the same!

My eyes are holding their own and I shall be ever so glad to be done with the drops but have to be patient for the next few weeks. Then I have another Dr appt on Jan 21, 2022 to do an intense assessment to rule out /confirm retinal tears, floaters and that previous Dx of retinal degeneration ( or to confirm it whatever the case will be) Anxious moments for sure.

So enjoy the rest of the day, get all your drinks and snacks ready and Go Bombers!!! 👏 👏

All done now but the waiting..

 Eye surgery completed yesterday for my right eye and all went well. Now back early this morning for the post op check and then another few weeks of eye drops. I was really quite amazed by this new Drs approach and so very organized in spite of it really being more like an assembly line for them. All of us bedded down and head taped down to stretcher, and drops in and wheeled in to OR, and procedure completed and wheeled out to RR ...and then sent on our way.  But it is done!

Today i shall plan out my next few weeks as i will not be able to shovel, or vacuum or heavy lifting etc as i shall want to protect myself from harm. I have some baking i would like to do - i would like to make some sourdough again this year - have not done that for so many years now. I like to make the starter and grow it, and then make cinnamon buns for Christmas. I have banana muffins to bake as well to use up some old bananas. And there are still two zucchini left over from the Fall that someone gave me - still hard and good shape ( do they never rot??) So what to do with them?

The Quilt Show has been sending out messages daily in the last little while to entice folks to renew and offering bonuses if you do. I am feeling torn still but i think have decided to jump in again and renew, and have it available for another year. Never know when the bug might hit me to carry on with my desires to sew. In meantime all my projects lay dormant.  Not like you Pati. I live my dreams through your work and how you describe what you are doing etc. i enjoy that.

Time to get ready for that early shunt to North Bay. Hope all is well there. I am planning to watch the Grey Cup on Sunday. How did Dave like the game last week. And Harry showed my a picture of Loren that was on Facebook at the game and all dressed up - it must have been really cold in the stands.

Take care 😚

a Pleasant Sunday

Yesterday we were out to bottle the wine we had bought, when we last we visited the wine store. Unfortunately we were a couple of bottles short, and had to leave a little bit in the carboy.  Won't happen again. I had also missed 3 bottles when I was putting on the labels, but we can't do anything about that.  Then the afternoon was spent quilting the little "heart" quilt I've been working on.  It just needs binding, and that should be done tomorrow.

Today, I had signed up for a Zoom meeting with the same ladies as I Zoom with once a month, as part of the Facebook sketch group I have joined.  This was a gentle meeting where each of us worked on our own project, while conversing via Zoom. Well, I set up my studio for wet work, that is, I cleared the table, covered it with an old table cloth, and put down the Plexiglass I use as a palette.  I got out my acrylic paint, textile paint, and various stamping items, including a wine cork with a stiletto stuck in it as a handle, my cut sponge stamps, and other items for stamping.

Then I spent the hour working into the sketchbooks I started during my original sketchbook course at the beginning of Covid. And I stamped circles, carefully choosing which of the already started pictures in the books to augment.  What a nice way to spend time, with productivity as well as fellowship.

Following a quick clean-up, it was out the door to meet Gail for coffee, while David watched his football game.  Loren had called earlier in the day, and let David know that he would be at the game, having been given a ticket by a friend.  Given the weather, I don't know if that was a good thing or not.  I do know that Gail and I had a wonderful time at Starbucks, spending two hours there.  It was only when we noticed that it was getting dark outside that we figured we better move along.

Needless to say, supper was not a great thing.  I found out that I didn't have the fish in the fridge I was counting on, and by the time the game ended, David's pork was still half frozen.  But we carried on--regardless.

Nothing too much planned for the next week.  Depending on the weather, I may go out to Lorette again on Wednesday, for the craft group.  I also have tentative design for piece for an exhibit called "Joy".  I'm thinking of a child dancing in a gentle summer rain.  My problem is finding a picture of such a child, so that I can get the anatomy of a child correct.  If I Google it, I'm worried that the pornography police will  come to my door.

But, I'll deal with that tomorrow, as Scarlet O'Hara said.  But then look at what that did for her.  Be safe, ladies.

OOPs

 I meant the Western Final in Wpg this Sunday, and not the Grey Cup although that would be nice if i could get that as well the following week.

Saturday morning and a bit more snow but colder

 Enjoyed that little reprieve with warmer weather and the rain that took away the snow, but we are back to cold again and there is a weather warning up for our area for more snow. This will not work for me as i will not shovel as i prepare for my right eye surgery on Tuesday. Nor will I shovel in the weeks to follow.  Pati, can you send your young fellows who appear in the night to my place????

The kitchen cookie factory is apparently now closed as of yesterday when more cookies were baked. Now I must find suitable trays to fill and cover and then at some point deliver to the kids. And not eat too many myself - as I stupidly stepped on the scale the other day only to realize I had gained approximately 13 pounds in the past two weeks. 

We are scheduled for our booster Covid vaccination for December 17 here at the arena in Sundridge. They are changing the requirements across the country by the sounds of it as a result of this new variant appearing and the latest is that we need a booster..now! Oh joy. 

From your messages you are both full of adventures and excitement. And I love to read it. Pati, I was trying to follow your saga about your EPP piece and it became apparent that it must be a really truly wonderful piece of work but so much for you to prepare.At some point I know we shall see a picture but keep it up. You need to have it finished after all you have done.

I have discovered a few more places on the computer for me to browse for movies or TV shows (CTV and CBC Gem etc) I have only just touched on what might be available and actually have no time to dedicate to learning much more at the present time, but I know it is there. Some you have to pay for which I shall avoid, Right now I have been putting Christmas music on from YouTube as I putter about in the house. Makes a nice change.

Our trip to COSTCO last Tuesday was made, and as much as there is hype about it, we did not find many real bargains. We could have bought a nice Prime Rib roast though for $ 89.00 but passed that up. You have to know your prices to be able to calculate whether you are getting any bargains or not.  But I do have a huge tub of cheese balls sitting in my kitchen haha!  Any takers?

Time to get on with the day. I really should do some wash and tiding up a bit so I can relax after the Surgery, but i do not really feel like it much. I would like to see if I can get the Grey Cup on the computer for Sunday but again, if I cannot I'll just have to wait until Monday news to see how our Bombers made out. Are your folks going to watch?    Take care now, and be safe. 💝

Dec 1st and +6C.

 We were out last evening, not getting home until about 11:30.  There had been a bit of snow during the day, with a forecast of freezing rain for today.  As we turned into the driveway, there were two young fellows shovelling the driveway--at 11:30 at night.  What a pleasant surprise.  Then we got into the Elderberry wine we put down in 2015.  there was a  fair bit of sludge in the bottom of the bottle, but we found it could be filtered quite nicely using my little filter-drip coffee maker.

Today there was a craft group meeting in Lorette.  We spent the morning checking to see if there was much freezing rain and what condition the roads were in.  While things looked mainly wet, the temp was several degrees above freezing so I took a chance and drove out.  Gail has been inviting her friend, Lori from Lorette, as opposed to her friend Lori H, who is not from Lorette.  Today the three of us worked on Boho beads.  Boho beads take a significant amount of supplies and tools, and in trying to control the clutter, all of the supplies I took, ended up in one bag and all mixed together.  so tomorrow. I will be spending a fair amount of time sorting them out and storing them in a manner that will leave them readily accessible.  I have sandwiched the heart quilt I put together a couple of weeks ago, and hope to get it machine quilted over the next few days.  I will be glad to see it bound and put into the "finished' pile.

In the mean time, David and I are experiencing life under the influence of "happy" pills.  There is more laughter, more joking, and far less stress.  Since I tend to cycle at the best of times, and have all my life, there are a few days, periodically, when I get a little bit hypo-manic.  This serves me well in the studio, so I monitor it, but am not yet becoming concerned about it.  However, usually, at these times, jobs are found for David, and I tend to think he is less pleased that I about this side effect.

My diet had been carefully followed, until last week end.  But the weight loss has been maintained, regardless, so as a safeguard. tomorrow, I plan to revert to phase #1, a few days early. I do have to say that the "torpedo" shrimp I had for supper last night, lightly breaded and beautifully cooked, were well worth it. 😋😋

Walking

 Lucky and I followed a sled trail today on our walk. Since hunting season is over I didn’t worry about getting into the field. We followed it through a trail in the bush, but when we came out the trail suddenly turned straight towards the highway. Instead of doing the intelligent thing and following the trail back, I figured there had to be another trail close by. Nope!  We ploughed (i ploughed, he loved it) through the snow and didn’t find another trail until we hit our road. I was sooo worn out. Lucky was in heaven!  We finally got home and he refused to go in the house so I left him outside for over an hour. It snowed today. It is supposed to be 6c tomorrow so the snow will melt, but I better shovel off the patio to keep the ice under control (sigh). Jim went to the Legion today since it was music day, but there were only 5 musicians (as opposed to 9-12) and only 9 listening. I guess everyone is getting busy. We are going to a Killarney on Sunday. Rrain has to work so we won’t have to wait for her and will be getting there earlier than usual. (Chloe will be disappointed that Auntie Kik can’t be there). Chloe has a friend coming over at 2pm so we will get our visiting and game playing in early. She is a real game player and loves new games. I gave her SkipBo for her birthday so I told her she has to teach me. (I’ve played it, and enjoyed it, but cannot remember the rules). Tomorrow I have no reason to go to town, so I might finally get all the floors washed. (Unless I get distracted by a book😜). 

short update

 Finally Gail and I were able to get together for coffee today.  Over the past couple of weeks she has been participating in craft show after craft show.  But this is her livelihood, so this is the time of year for her to make money.  It will be this way until Christmas, now.  But today she remarked about how good it was to be able to sit and relax over a cup of coffee.  We were talking about what we had both been doing over the past week or so.  I had told her how both of us were experiencing a crippling fatigue towards the end of the week.  But today I feel full of energy and ready to party, after more of less sleeping over the past  couple of days.  She related it to a reaction to the flu vaccine, and when I thought about it, many people are  having a fairly severe reaction, and the timing was certainly right.  So it was very, very reassuring to actually have an explanation for physical issues that were frightening to me.

Snow and cold

 Just knew that the mild rainy weather would not last and that the colder snowy weather would force it's way in, which it did. Our daily walks with the dogs to South River and along the park paths has come to an end. They so loved to go in the car and then walk there and it was a nice relief for me close to home not to have to fight my way along the road's edge and often into the ditch to avoid the cars and trucks and even other people with dogs... ugh!

Had a very disturbed night last night and i am so tired now. The smaller dog was out of sorts and I had her out twice - once on her own and then both dogs in the middle of the night in the cold. I still do not know know what her problem was but i held her and even tried to cuddle her to get her to go to sleep, then fed her and then changed her bed, until finally I told her gruffly to go to sleep. She finally curled up and did as i told her. Then I lay most of the night waiting for the right time to get out of bed.

More cookies were made yesterday and now in tins ready to tray closer to Christmas. I even made a batch of my beloved Refridgerator Cookies and rolled and wrapped them and put into the freezer for the time when i shall be "in need' and then pull out a roll and bake it and eat it. Nice to know that I have it there, ready haha!

I go to the Eye Surgeon on Thursday to check my left eye before the scheduled surgery on my right eye the following week. Hope all is well as i have been over vigilant in giving drops and looking after it. The vision has improved without a doubt, but I still have floaters though and wonder if this is just a holdover from my pre operative state as result of the previous experience with retinal tears. I want to ask her to get a clear picture of my eye.

Harry wants to go to Costco in Orillia on Wed. It may not be a bad idea although not a favourite wish of mine. We have ordered from Amazon for animal items and up to now have been successful with deliveries but this last week has been horrendous. No deliveries although promised and one package came yesterday and the delivery man was very upset saying "everything was a mess" and i should call Amazon. So I went onto the site to get a clear picture of our orders and what was missing, then called. The result was that we are getting a refund on one order and a reorder (without paying) on two other orders and the other two outstanding orders are still pending. So back to my idea of going to Costco - maybe they might have the items I want there and maybe cheaper?? I am not a fan of Costco by the way haha!

Well, time for another coffee and then plan my day. Hope all is well there inspite of another Covid variant fast approaching our country. So take care and take no chances. I have a little Christmas ornament hanging in the kitchen that tells me we now have 28 days until Christmas. I change the numbers every morning when i get up. Gives me something to do haha! So long for now.... 😃

Busy but Friday again, and the Laundry

 Wednesday was spent wrestling, first with my EPP quilt, and then the sewing machine. The hand stitching on the quilt is finished.  Then Geesje asked me to cut off any knots on the back of it, so they wouldn't harm her long arm machine.  There was one knot for every single elongated hexie in the quilt which was 62 by 72 at that point.  Then I had to prepare a 3" border strip to attach, for a lot of technical reasons.  This meant that I had to stitch 3 parallel lines along the edge of the strip where I felt the quilting should stop and a binding attached.  But first I had to take the basting out of all the pieces along every edge and straighten the very edge flat, so the strips could be sewn on.  The actual hand stitched part actually finished as an octagon, so eight edges to prepare and eight strips to stitch in.  Then I have to cut the backing, and batting, to size, before packing it all up for Geesje to pick up sometime when she is in the city

I hit the wall about 5:00, when I realized that the machine needed to be cleaned and packed before taking it in Thursday morning for a 2 hour basic machine class.  Got'er done before supper.  There had been four classes included when I purchased the machine, only 2 of which relate to  the type of sewing I do, and this was the first.  There were five of us, and we all had similar, but not the same, machines. This help a lot during class.  The classes I will not take are on garment sewing and computerized machines.  Mine has a computer but not nearly complicated enough to take the class.  Or so I understand at this point.  Things may change, but that class isn't offered until the new year, so lots of time to register.  I'll know more following the next class in December,  the 23rd, I think.

Yesterday afternoon, David and I were out and decided to have supper out, then it was home, shower, and relax before bed.  Unfortunately neither of us slept well, breathing problems and headaches, and now David is downstairs checking out the furnace humidifier, for potential problems.  (p.s. He is now trying to change the filter)

Today is pretty well devoted to laundry, but that will also give me time to spend getting the sewing machine back set up, and even working on the quilt.

Beth, I've been watching Midsomer Murders for years, off and on, even before we moved to this house, I'm sure.  This year we have seen episodes from 2016, as well as episodes from much earlier.      (?1996?) If you have access to the actual season and episode you might be able to search for year one, but that may not even be available, now.  Good luck!  I may try the same search, but then, I'm quite comfortable with my Saturday evening rituals.  I have seen two Inspectors and about 7 sergeants, as well as watching their families grow up.  I also read the books.  There aren't many, and they are quite old, but I got them through the library.  Caroline something, but with a very special spelling of "Caroline".  It is mentioned in the credits following the actual episode.

So, now quiet downstairs, and I need to go and take water meter reading, as well as change the wash.  That means a water bill next month.  Wonderful--not!

Quickie

 Just watched Season 7 Episode 1 of Midsomer Murders on Amazon. First for me. I think I am hooked? I was surfing on  Amazon for a movie? or something different, and there it was. Thank you Pati. I wonder if I can watch more now that I have found it? How many seasons are there? This particular episode just popped up so I turned it on. Perhaps i could find the beginning  of the series if I looked. Take care 

TGIS?

 I know people speak of TGIF, thanking God it's Friday, but this week we're doing something a little different.  Actually I should be looking forward to a TGIT as we have a 6:15am doctor's appointment tomorrow. Yesterday was a day I was looking forward to with both apprehension and fear. It was winter festival celebration in Selkirk.  Other years it has been very busy, in the Gallery, with all sorts of activities on both the street and in businesses along the street.  The first year it took $600, and a professional floor company to clean up the gallery floor following the event. This year it is being held on two consecutive Saturdays with all events taking place indoors, rather than closing the block for a full weekend.

So, the gallery was a bit of craziness.  They were hosting an event in which four easels are set up, along with the necessary water soluble  paint, and brushes and a plastic apron.  Every hour four people paid $5 each to paint a picture, on  a topic to be given at the time.  Such topics as a cat in a tutu, and a snake in pants. They had 30 minutes to paint and then the finished pictures were posted on-line.  Those present could select their favourite, at a cost of $1 per vote.  The winner from each session came back at 3:00 for a paint off.

At the same time, the current Gallery show was being taken down at 3:00.  The next show is being taken in and hung today. This meant that various artists were arriving with all sorts of packing materials in hand to pack and take home their work.  Gail is off in Lloydminster at a big craft market, and had asked David to pick and pack up her stuff, and then take it home with us for her to pick up on her way home later in the week.  So he drove me out and stayed for the whole day.  We bought lunch at Tim Horton's out there before going in to the Gallery.  The restaurant told us that they didn't start lunch service until 11:00 and couldn't give us the sandwiches we wanted.  A discussion with the shift leader meant we could get lunch items but nothing involving chicken. So we both settled for less than first choice.  David's sausage wrap was awful and he couldn't finish it, while I had a turkey sandwich, but in the fuss forgot to order it without tomato.  Tomato gets every thing soggy when it sits in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Early in the day, I spilled coffee all down the front of the white t-shirt I was wearing.  I went to the washroom and washed it out, and put it on wet, under my sweater.  It looked acceptable, but by the time I got home, it was still damp under the shoulders and down to the waist.  I was very glad that I had worn "the coat", and didn't get too cold and damp.

There were people in for the "Easel Wars", but not much traffic otherwise, although several people came in purposefully to buy from the Gift Shop.  One of the other volunteer had the app on his phone to test the vaccine status of visitors, as everyone had to be checked coming in the door.  My job was to man the Gift Shop, as I know how to use the computer for credit cards and Interac.  That little machine does everything but walk to dog!

About 3:40 I found out that we were to have been there an hour earlier than we were, and to stay until 5:00, rather than the 4:00 that I had told David.  Well, he had Gail's stuff and in the car, and was ready to go at 4:00, and I was afraid he would leave without me.

So dinner out to the casino, where I can get a very nice tossed salad with grilled chicken, which fits my diet very nicely.  Then a relaxing evening.  Today will be a slow relaxing day.  I would very much like to get down to the studio. According to my BuJo I haven't been there for a week.  Everyday household management seems to be taking all of my energy, and even then, things aren't getting done.  This isn't really how I would like to live my life, but can't see anything changing in the near future.  I think David would like to see me doing less for the Gallery, and I confess there were several hours this week devoted to Gallery work. But I do find it challenging and rewarding, especially when so much of it can be done electronically, at home.

No further snow here.  Here's hoping!

No snow....yet

 Good morning,

It seems odd to be near the end of November and to be snow free. Oh, the small flakes have come but then went as quickly, and the rain comes, but no storms such as you folks have received. I just made a batch of cranberry muffins with cream cheese icing to take a tray over for tea at Daisy's this afternoon. The granddaughter Michelle, called yesterday to say it was her mother's Birthday and would we come for tea and cake? Harry does not attend these invitations but i always try to oblige best I can even when i would rather not. I have a card and I'll buy a Lottery ticket as I know Rhona likes that. Actually she would probably prefer a bottle of wine better, but that will not happen from me.......today....haha!

I continue to care for my eye and although i can see much better there is still blurriness and I have a headache off and on. Not something I am used to...headaches, that is. 

My Keurig would not work this morning..it has been giving me messages for awhile now that I should clean it, but I have ignored them. I switched over to my Tassimo and it too would not accept the discs...at which point I felt desperate - I needed my fix and what could I do??? After some troubleshooting the Tassimo produced a cup of coffee. So I have just spent some time cleaning the Keurig. I just tried it and without moaning and groaning and spluttering, it gave me a nice hot full cup of the stuff. So far so good.

I have being enjoying my Christmas music playing, and have the player going almost all the time as I putter about doing odds and sods. I refuse to do any vacuuming as I was ordered NOT to do by the post op directives, and believe me, i am following those orders to the tee!  However, I needed to wash my hair in order to go visiting this afternoon and I devised a neat way to cover my eye and stick my head under the tap in the sink - not the greatest wash but a little curling iron before i go ,and all should be well.

Starting to gather up items for Christmas, and hopefully i shall get at that this week. Harry wants to do his annual Cookie Bake so that will also take some time and effort. We still prepare trays to take to both the kids. I take the car in on Wed for snow tires and hope that the snows do not decide to arrive before then. Not that snow tires solve all the winter driving issues, but they do help.

So now I shall finish my coffee, and get on with things. Hope all is well there. Chloe Birthday tomorrow, Mon and then Samantha's on Thurs. Many family birthdays in Nov. Take care....be safe!

Internet

 I have been without internet for a week and wonder how I ever lived without it. You cannot even get a phone number anymore without searching on line!  But my internet is back.   thanks to a very helpful repair person ( who loved our dog) and went above and beyond to tell us we needed a new internet deal and helped us get it.  We now have more for less!  I have been stressed with the fridge dying, and the internet dying, but all is well now.  On Sunday I am spending the afternoon with Rrain and just visiting and unpacking slowly. I am really looking forward to the time with her. Chloe turns 7 on Monday!  Where did time go?!  So now Jim is at meat draw and I am using my new found internet and , at the same time, reading a book( of course I have a book😜)

A quickie early mornng message...

 Just to share news about my eye surgery on Tuesday. All is well so far and at my post-op check appt yesterday the Dr said is looks great and that she tested my vision and was surprised that I have improved so much with that left eye ( from the pre-op tests they did) Now to continue with drops and prepare for the right eye on Dec 7. 

We have no snow yet and I wonder if this is a good sign or what? haha We did have to drive in freezing rain to North Bay yesterday morning but we made it ok and back home safe again ( of course Harry was driving).

I made another batch of Nuts and Bolts increasing the worchestershire sauce and it made a nice improvement in the flavour. So now I am happy. Perhaps i was a bit too hesitant with the first batch.

I have found my box of Christmas CDs so now will have some fun listening to my favourites while puttering around the house. I could not wait so put up my beautiful laser Christmas Tree so now each morning when I get up I turn it on, and enjoy the peace and comfort i get from it. Silly eh? 

Time for my coffee and then start my eye drops ( three different meds given four times a day) Take care and hope the weather will cooperate with your plans for outings. 😂

Sounds like winter is here for all of us.

 But it also sounds like we each greeted it in a different way. For now we stay at home, and just put in time, until something happens.  When we signed up for the snow clearing, we were told that they would be around today, to clear whatever was necessary.  Well, about noon, one guy showed up with a shovel.  I can't believe how quickly he cleared it all up.  David went out to chat with him, but that didn't slow him down.  He told us that he's been doing this for 20 years. In all fairness I have to admit that we knew they used shovels, rather than snow equipment.  As he was leaving he said "See you in  a couple of days".  Sure enough, watching the news tonight, the weather lady was talking about another storm rolling in, starting tonight.  It sounds like they will be providing good service, and we made a good decision.

But it also looks like we won't be going anywhere for a few days.  I had thought that Covid had left me with a willingness to amuse myself, for days, without going out anywhere, but I'm restless tonight.  If the weather is going to be as bad as predicted, I sure won't be heading out to Lorette, for the craft group, tomorrow.

Having missed an appointment Sunday, for delivering my Christmas items to the gift shop in Selkirk, I will have nothing in the Christmas sale, but still expect to have a couple of items in the gallery show for December.  They will be setting that up next week end, and both David and I will  be working for the full shift on Saturday.  This will also be in conjunction with a winter type festival in town, in which the gallery has an active presence.  I think it will be a zoo, and we'll both come home exhausted, if we even make it for the whole day.  David is going to assist one of the ladies take down and pack up Gail's items that have been in the November sale.  Since she won't be there, we'll have to bring her stuff home with us.  She left today for a full weekend sale in Lloydminster-driving through the storm that's on its way here.  She will be spending the night at a cousin's place in Saskatchewan, and then driving the rest of the way to Lloydminster tomorrow, for booth set-up on Thursday.  She's planning to sleep in her van while there, and then take two days afterwards to come home.  I worry about her.  She's not a young woman, and she'll be on her own.

David attempted to make his shortbread with the mixer again, and greatly slowed down the process.  The result wasn't bad.  It's not like the shortbread made the old way, but still tasty, and easy on the mouth.  That's all of the Christmas baking we have planned, as we're hoping to be able to go out for Christmas dinner again, although I've heard nothing about the place we usually go to.

That's it for news from Winnipeg.  How goes it with you two?

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow........

 It's a good thing that we shoveled all that snow yesterday.  It made room for all the snow falling today.  It has been coming down since about 8 am.  We shoveled once about an hour or so ago, but it is all filled in again.  I can get the doors open still so I am not going to shovel again until this stops.  I am getting a bit stir crazy since we haven't left the house ( except to shovel) since Tuesday morning.  If things ease up this afternoon we may make it to town to go shopping.  We can live a long time with the things we have, but there are still a few things we need (or at least think  we need).  The highway is open, but as of noon it was partially snow covered, with blowing snow and fair visibility.  There is always tomorrow.  Our fridge is once again acting up,  I thought we had it fixed, but I guess we were a bit optimistic.  I'll see how things are on Monday.  I just looked out the window and the snow is still falling, but is much lighter than earlier.  There is hope!!  For now, I will curl up with a book and hope the world still exists outside the yard.  

And down it came...

 ..although there is nothing on the ground now as it melted immediately ....but it was there. I actually stood at the window and enjoyed the emotional lift of seeing the soft white fluffy stuff falling from above. And we all know that emotion will be soon spent haha!

Nuts and Bolts were made this morning. Harry volunteered to go to the store to buy ingredients from my list as i prepared for the actual putting it all together. Harry always has a great story to tell from his shopping experiences and he did go from the Sundridge Foodland to the next town South River Freshmart and then back to the Foodland before coming home with Pizza and liver for me. But all kidding aside, he was finally able to get cheese sticks, and cereal. So it is made, but i am afraid that as i nibble on it, it lacks flavour. So maybe not enough worchestershire?? or garlic powder or what?? Or maybe as it sits it will evolve??

Glad to read that your snow shovelling has been done Pati, and that for future reference you have a few ideas to draw from. Keep your list of phone numbers handy. How are you making out with all the snow Cathy at your place?

And on another positive note from our absolutely wonderful Luncheon together yesterday, early this morning I logged onto TQS and watched the latest show with Lee Chappelle Munroe and her colour wheels quilts and sewing hints etc. I realized that even if i am not able to sew myself right now, I was totally involved with her work and what she had to share. I even found myself laughing a bit - good for the soul. So maybe, just maybe, i shall reconsider my previous mentioned indecision about continuing with my interest and participation. Thank you to you both for letting me look at it from a totally different perspective.  

Now back to work. I have decided to sort through all the Christmas boxes full of used bows and ribbon etc and try to get that under control somewhat and i even considered bringing up my gorgeous three foot laser Christmas tree ....but will wait for a bit on that probably after my first Surgery. And of course, as we discussed, I have the Christmas cards to make out - oh joy and rapture!!

Time to continue with my work...take care all and stay safe. ❤😅 

Maybe some good news?

 We found someone on Kijiji who is supposed to be coming this morning to plow the driveway.  I'll let everyone know how that works out.  If not, I have a couple of other leads including a handyman group recommended by the local Senior's Centre.  Loren and Amber both suggested that I find a Facebook local community group and try posting an appeal on there.

p.s. The fellow didn't show up, and has no way of contacting us.

David is going to see if he can clear a path from the front door to the street, even if it's done is several stages. If that works, I will use a cab to make a grocery run.

p.p.s.  After agreeing to the above, David went out and cleared the driveway enough to get the car out--at one fell swoop.  "Nuff said, and bite my tongue.

It snows

 And has been since noon yesterday.  Sometimes it is light feathery snow, sometimes it appears to be rain, and sometimes it is hard wind-driven snow, but it never stops.  Yes, there is snow on the ground and we're confident that it will stay there, unless we get a bit of luck.  David put my chair in the garage on Tuesday, just in case, but my sitting outside in a jacket and my fingerless gloves is over. But we are also told that it should stop late tomorrow.

I didn't go to the craft group in Lorette yesterday.  There was no way I wanted to be driving a new car during the first snow storm of the year, when everyone goes nuts.  Gail went, and told me that about 5 of them showed up but the woman, from the municipality, never showed with the key.  Then she told me that they all went across the street to Chicken Chef for coffee.  One woman had brought fresh-baked cinnamon buns for the group and those were shared with the staff at Chicken Chef, including the cook.  I guess this sort of thing happens in a small town where everybody knows everybody else.

In the evening, there was a Zoom meeting with my fibre art support group.  When this was planned, over the weekend, several of ladies said they would attend in person, but some of us preferred the Zoom, so it was set up to work both ways. Funny thing, everyone ended up attending via Zoom.  Not a surprise as a couple of them live in Manitou, and one in Holland MB.  I had worked several hours in the studio during the day, so by the time the Zoom ended I was beyond exhausted.  So much so that I had trouble sleeping.  But this doesn't matter as there is no where to go and nothing to do today.  David is watching war movies on tv, as he often does on Remembrance day, and I just finished reading a 629 page book, with small print.

Today and tomorrow, I plan to slowly tidy up the basement.  My studio has spread to pretty well fill the whole area, and a lot of things are out of  control.  I plan to take this slowly, and do a lot of decision making as I go along.  While tomorrow is laundry day, we will have to go out at some time for a few groceries.  I have just about finished my 5 days on phase one.  The meals in phase two don't appeal to me in the least, and require minimal amounts of weird groceries. My intent usually falters at some point during the 5 phase two days.  I am determined to follow the meal plan, and have already told David that we will need the groceries, even if they are weird.

Sunday I have volunteered out in Selkirk, and immediately after will be attending the family get-together at David's sisters house.  We're hoping that the snow and ice will have moderated, and the drive on the highway won't be an issue.  But otherwise, both of us are enjoying our time alone in our house.  At the meeting last night a few of the ladies commented about seeing our time of enforced confinement, given the snow, as a welcome relief.  Many people are realizing that the months of lockdown, gave us a chance to enjoy a slower pace of life, and that it was a very positive experience.  Since the Dept. of Health has now announced that more restrictions are on the way, this is a Good Thing. At the same time, I'm hearing growing resentment amongst vaccinated people, against the idiots who refuse the vaccine.   I wonder if this is a good thing, but fear that it's not.

Very much looking forward to our conversation tomorrow, and even washed out my Duchess mug today.  Talk to you tomorrow!

About time I posted

 I tried earlier from my phone (I deleted two of the drafts from Friday and am using one of them)  I was convinced I could copy and paste on my phone but then I remembered that the last time I tried it I had to use my computer, so I gave up in frustration. And now the item I wanted to copy is gone so I guess I start over.  I got Chloe's Birthday present all wrapped and ready to mail.  I want to be sure she gets it by her birthday, since at present, no one knows what we will be doing then.  I have been doing at lot of at home puttering since we got Rrain moved.  She still won't let me help her unpack so I will pop over next week for a short visit and check it out.  She is probably determined to do it on her own, even though she admitted she needed help to move.  I was at the physio and she told me to try to minimize my trips up and down stairs for now.  Obviously she has never seen my house, or knows that I am far too disorganized to plan my trips downstairs!  I know I have been up and down at least ten times today alone. 

Hunting season starts tomorrow so Lucky and I will no longer be prowling the trails through the bushes.  It's kinda sad, since the road is so boring, but I have already seen a couple of hunter's blinds set up so we will avoid the bush for the next month.  If there is not a lot of snow we could explore a bit in December, but we really still need all the moisture we can get around here.  There are a lot of deer prints going through our garden so we know they are around.  The neighbour gave us a lot of Jumper sausage from last year and took two boxes to donate to the Salvation Army Food Drive.  They have three tickets and figure on getting a lot of fresh meat this fall.  I prefer to just sit and watch the deer.  

This time change is supposed to give us an extra hour of sleep, but I just get up an hour earlier! And now it is not yet 10am and I have 16 hamburger patties in the freezer for Jim's lunch when he gets a craving.  (he wanted something for lunches but said no to everything in the store so now he gets hotdogs and hamburgers)  To be honest, I like having a few hamburger patties made for when we just don't feel like a meal.  Macaroni, hamburger patties and stewed tomatoes.  Quick and easy.  Curling is on TV all afternoon so I guess I won't see Jim for a while.  Supper is my next question.  Jim mentioned steak but when I brought up the steak we have left he didn't want that one.  It's that one or none so I guess I will find something else.  Or not........ I am good with popcorn😜

Friday already and a wee bit of snow?

 Good early morning,

I could not sleep so up early. There was just a dusting of snow on the ground but i dug out my boots to wear to take Bailey out and surprising how warm and comfortable they felt. I better keep them handy as apparently the snow will be coming....very soon.

Had a real scare the beginning of the week with my Bailey dog. He stopped urinating and began to struggle - similar to what he went through almost two years ago when he had emergency surgery twice. At that time it was touch and go and a great stressful time. So, I braced myself with prayer and  renewed strength to get through this again. Long story short ( as it did get a bit complicated) he started to pass his urine and now back on a pill to assist with that ( to take for only one week) He is still passing urine but i watch him every time i take him out to reassure myself that he is OK. The VET was so stressed  because he tells me he had such a terrible time before when Bailey was sick, that he was afraid to have to do surgery again. He did not think Bailey could endure it. What a terrible experience to go through with your animal when you feel so helpless and love them so much. 

Today i get a haircut because i need it, but mostly in preparation for my eye Sx. One has to be careful in bending and not getting water in them at first so i am going to ask for a bit of a shorter cut. it may look stupid especially in winter (although one can safely wear a hat theses days haha!) but it will help me through my recovery or so I think. I am a bit anxious as the time approaches.

Otherwise I have prepared the outside best i can for winter and let the snow fall where it may now. The heat has been turned on in the house and that is always a bit of a shock every fall when i have to do that. I can just see the dollar signs adding up but Harry likes it warm so the heat is now on. it is in the late winter when the greenhouses become active and the heaters go on in them that the real shock comes haha!

Time for my coffee and breakfast and then on with another day. Love to read about all your adventures. I love the new bird feeder you have up Pati and to see the birds from the kitchen window. i can visualize it and almost feel like I am standing there with you. 

Take care all... and have a nice weekend. Be safe. I plan to go online on Sat when the registration will open here in Ontario for the third booster vaccination for Covid 19 - I hope to book both Harry and i for that and hope the delay will not be too long. Are you folks planning for a booster as well?? 

Roundup

Isn't that what one calls a general "Waz up?" response?  The last couple of days has felt pretty frantic, but in reality we didn't accomplish much.  Monday I got a notice from the library that they wanted two books back that I had not yet read.  I've been working on two different short series, by the same author.  I was just starting the second last book of one series, and they were asking for books 1 &3 of the second series, and each book takes 2-3 days of heavy reading to finish.  So I go on-line to renew, and they aren't there. "What the heck?"  So, we have to go to the library itself to renew, or at least, find out why I can't renew on-line.  But we have a couple of hours before the library opens, a a couple of chores, one being to close the screen portion of our outside doors.  This is easier said than done, so David worked a bit, tried various solutions for releasing stops that would allow the screen to slide down into place.  Finally, he was bent over, using two sets of pliers, one in each hand, to release the actually stoppers, while I was leaning over him to push down from the top.  Suddenly, it releases, and slams down taking a portion of David's scalp with it.  Not a deep wound, but took the scalp off 3-4 square inches, leaving a big piece of skin scraped up along one side.  And there was blood.  Of course, nothing around that could be used to dress such a wound.  We managed to get most of the blood cleaned up, but just the act of trying to blot it with a damp tissue was painful to him.  So, on the way to the library, we stop at Walmart, and head in, him with  an obvious bloody head.  We finally find a Band-Aid that appears big enough, and take it to the cashier in the Pharmacy.  Turns out that it was the managing pharmacist, who knows us well.  We're told that we have the largest Band-aid they sell.  Then he strongly suggests that we put one on right away ( that was the plan, regardless) even helping by bringing us sanitizer etc.  Considering the looks we'd received walking in, that was probably a wise move.  I kept thinking of the videos that one sometimes sees featuring "Walmart Customers".  If you haven't seen one, they can be both scary and gross.

Otherwise, the birds quickly accepted the new feeder.  Yesterday, we watched while the grey squirrel ate well from the ground under the feeder, while the red squirrel sat at the corner of the roof of the shed about 2 feet away and 6 feet up, quietly oblivious.  Either that or they've reached a detente ( not likely).

A new feminine donation quilt has been started.  The basic shape is a 6" heart comprised of 46 individual pieces, all sewn together with 1/4" seam allowances, and involving precision piecing--not my strong point.  Each one takes about an hour to put together, but there are only 9 of them in the quilt, so I'm optimistic. Every donation quilt I've made in the past year has had a basic blue colour scheme, as most of my scraps are blue.

And we read, and play with our computers, and constantly look for errands to do while managing to justify a daily trip to Starbucks.  Household chores have been worked into my BuJo, and are getting done within a more reasonable time frame.  Shortbread was made on Monday.  I so love warm shortbread, and so rarely get to have it.  This year, as always, the shortbread was quickly packaged for storage until Christmas.  However, when getting out the tin box it is kept in, David discovered 4 shortbread left over from last year.  We ate them, of course, but the extra aging didn't improve the flavour, in my opinion.  Others may disagree.  I still prefer them fresh and warm.  But this year's efforts proved to both of us that we can no longer use the old Scottish method for making them, and from now on, it will via mixer, rather than by hand alone. (Yay!)

Today, it is the Lorette Craft Group.  There is a hand-stitching project ready to go.  I think I've mentioned before that this project was planned as a long-term project, specifically because of this group.  The bad news is that I've really got into it, and do some every evening while watching the news.  The area around my chair is covered with boxes of spools of thread and spools actually on two table tops. Still, the work brings me joy, and that's the whole idea.

Here's a picture

 I've never tried this before. I took a picture of the bird feeder through the kitchen window.  So, here's our new bird feeder and the Downy Woodpecker that has been around for the last few days.

Happy Hallowe'en to you...

 Just felt the urge to wish you all a happy day. It is supposed to be nice weather today so i am glad that my decorations will survive and also hoping that i do not have too many little children at my door. I like to see the smaller ones as they are always in awe, but then the bigger kids come and all they want is candy.

Next week's weather promises a few sunny days so this is when I shall attempt a bit, but end my outdoor work and after that  what is left will be left for Spring. My eye Sx is Nov 16 and I am focusing on that now.

So happy day all... boo boo to you...👻👻👻

A real boost ..

 What a great feeling to log on and see messages from you both...and to read about all your adventures. I must say Pati that your regular updates of your outings and events always brings a big smile to my face and wonder how much fun it must be for you both even if it means a bit of a drive here and there. But then there is always your Starbucks to treat you.  I expect Cathy that your love/hate about driving in Wpg must make your hair curl when you read all about Pati and Dave .. or maybe not???

Well, both Harry and i got our flu shot yesterday at the Pharmacy. It is so easy to book an appt and stroll in and have the Pharmacist deal with it. No fuss, no bother, and now it is done! 

You speak of taking advantage of the last nice weekend of good weather and I am trying to get the outside done. Yesterday I cleared away more hanging baskets and ornaments, and then decorated for Hallowe'en a bit. I had brought the boxes from the storage unit last week. That poor old standing witch is on her last legs I am afraid but I managed to tie her to a post so she is standing upright. The battery powered talk and noise she makes is not functioning but maybe she can scare a few dear children haha! It is supposed to rain Sat and Sun so it may wet the ornaments but it is done and I am ready. like it or not.  I will dress up with a wig and witches hat and of course have a mask on the whole time. And with luck, there will be bags of little chocolate bars left over and i can indulge for days to come.

It was a hectic week starting with Monday when we drove up to Kirkland Lake to partake in the "laying to rest" ceremony of Harry's brother Ted (who died Christmas Day) 10 hours on the road and we had to bring the two dogs who were absolute darlings the whole time. We are fortunate that they travel well. And Wed we went to Mike's to cover his car for the winter as he had to be in to the campus for classes. He had driven it on the grass and Harry and i then proceeded to cover it with the plastic role and tuck tape and secure under it all. So it is now gone to bed for the winter and Mike has his truck to drive until he can have his beloved Challenger back again in the Spring. He chooses not to drive it in winter which I think is wise. 

So today i do wash as well, and putter more in the yard as the weather is favourable today. Hope all is well there and you are taking care out in this world of uncertainty. The prices are skyrocketing without apparent changes to COL or interest rates at the present time by government - we paid $1.52.6  for gas - what is it there?

Bye for now....❤

Today'$ adventure$$$

 Today's trip to the library ended up with both of us getting new clothes, a trip to the Lorette Red River Co-op store, buying gas from the Red River Co-op in Winnipeg, replacing our old reliable bird feeder ( over 20 years old), a visit to the car dealership, a pleasant visit to Starbucks for lunch ( at 2:30), and a drive out into the country, only to arrive back in Winnipeg at the height of rush hour.  All not necessarily in the order stated.

The first thing was a trip to the Transcona Library.  This is where I realized that I had not brought along the book I was reading, and had planned to read during the trip, and the books we were planning to pick up were not for me.  David took my library card as he was concerned that they wouldn't give him the books off my account, using his own.  But, thankfully, there was one for me that we hadn't known about.

Then it was back closer to home, via the Dodge dealer to find out if they sold a connecter that would allow us to charge the phone in the car.  They didn't.  Next to Mark's Warehouse.  David needed to replace the light quilted jacket he uses in the garden, so had decided to throw the old one away ( He has been using it since his days with the Highways Dept), and demote the similar one that he has used for almost as many years for various trips out in the car, and then, find one to replace that.  He did.  The very same jacket, colour and everything, as the old one, and at the price he paid back then.  Then I found some very nice cardigan sweaters, regular $59.95, on sale for 60% off.  One came home with me.  It is a dark rusty brown, and not at all my regular colour scheme, but I plan to make it fit-somehow.  Then to the grocery store , and David dropped me off at Starbucks while he went to Walmart and Superstore, to look for screw lids for canning jars.  Nope.

This weekend we hope to make some Bramble Jelly.  I have the fruit I need, and enough jars (just), but not enough screw tops.  Gail had found me 2 boxes of Certo in Lorette, but forgotten to give them to me at our craft group meeting yesterday.  So I called her from Starbucks to ask if she had seen screw lids, when she picked up the Certo.  No, but she had some she could give me.  So after buying gas, we were off to Landmark.  We got 11 jars with screw lids, and most of them had my name on them.  So bringing them back home, through Lorette, David suggested that we check the store where she had found canning supplies, just in case she had missed the screw lids.  Yep, found them, and I now have 24 new lids and screw tops, as well as two more boxes of Certo.

Another stop we made was to the bird food store to buy a new feeder, as the old one is rotten.  OMG!  Have either of you looked at the price of bird feeders? But, we got home and while making supper saw the Downy (sp?)Woodpecker in the yard again.  For some reason he was pecking on the downspout of the garage, but he was back in the yard and this probably justifies the cost of feeding the little things.  We enjoy their activities so much.

So laundry tomorrow and it looks like we're making jelly on Saturday.  I just have to remember to take all of the fruit out of freezer tomorrow morning.

So, what do you have planned for what could be the last mild weekend this year?

Life

 I am helping Rrain move, so I will be sort of busy until next week. We may disagree with how they live, but they are our children and we love them. We will do all we can to help. I have been so disappointed with myself that “ the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. I want to help but physically I cannot do all I want☹️  Next week I will rest.  She is so busy at work this week so she is gone all day. I can only do what she sets out while she is gone. So much is resting on her shoulders and the limited time she has. Tomorrow I’m hoping to haul garbage and  take some mixed boxes to the new place. Unfortunately my work depends on what she can get done between all her work obligations. She told them she was moving and asked for a break this week but she has three evening interviews and editing to do as well as her 9-5 job!  Best laid plans.  So now I will rest until tomorrow calls. 

Eyes

This is great news Beth.  It will be easier for you knowing the dates and being able to plan your life around them.  The lady across the back has just been given the date for her 2nd knee replacement, and I think they were excited a bit, because he came right over to fence to tell David.

Yesterday evening was the Volunteer appreciation dinner I mentioned. A pleasant evening I think.  As is our custom, we stopped at the casino later and came home with a little more money than we went with, so no complaints there.  As is my custom with unexpected $$$, I spend a little foolishly or selfishly, while the rest goes into the household accounts.  I think I shall buy a new iron for the studio.  I had bought a cheap one several months ago, and it just isn't working out.  Among a few other things, it doesn't turn itself off, if left for any period of time.  All of the previous ones have had this function, and I've become quite used to it.  Lately, it has been left on over night, a couple of times, and that just isn't good.

Today there were 2 errands to run, so David dropped me off at Starbucks, and went on his way.  Awhile later he came back to let me know that he didn't have his wallet with him and would have to go home before running the errands.  I suppose I could have offered to take over driving, go into the stores, and pay with my debit card, but I just didn't think of it before he pulled away.  So I had a good length of time to myself, had two coffees and got some reading done. After he picked me up we went to the grocery store and that's when the trouble came.  Confession time, we bought a bag of small Halloween chocolate bars that were on for half price--Oh Henry! Level Up.  I had no idea what they were, but we both like Oh Henry!  Well, they are delicious.  Rather than a lot of nuts, there were about half as many, but a bit more peanut butter and some crispy things--much better for old teeth and so much easier to eat-physically.  Of course they are far too easy to eat-again and again and again.

Not much going on except paying bills, and we don't want to dwell on that.  So I'll just say "Good Night", and beg you to stay safe.

 

The stars have all aligned...

 Just received a call from the Eye Surgeon's office. I am happy to say that my Sx has been scheduled... left eye on Nov 16 and right eye on Dec 7.  Now I am content to know it shall happen, and sooner than I had been expecting. No more what if's or when's. Just thought I would share with you.... take care 😆😆

Books

That Penny/Clinton book has been on my "hold" list at the library since it was first released.  Number 152 on list, I think, but it was much higher when it first went on.  It's selling in Walmart now, but a bit pricey, besides we've bought so many books over the last couple of years that there's no more room on the bookshelves.  Our library is closing for renovations this weekend.  Out holds are now going elsewhere, and we have to pickup our books in Transcona for the next 6 months.

Attended the weekly Lorette Craft Group meeting yesterday.  Last time, one of the ladies had asked if I would take the "Cats" wall hanging that I had been working on, at the group, before Covid.   It's been hanging on the studio wall, in the actual work area, ever since it was finished 2-3 years ago.  Surprise! Gail bought it, on the spot. She is really only paying for the supplies, so I don't feel guilty starting another one with the second panel I have tucked away downstairs.  Since most of my work is with the machine, planning for work during these meetings is tricky, and it's nice to have a long term project.  But first there is the project that was started last weekend, for work to do while watching tv.  I'm sort of "pumped" about that one, and it turned out to be very portable.

At these meetings, some of the ladies take "treats".  This time it was an "Eatmore Bar slice"  Have either of you ever heard of it.  The other ladies were quite excited about seeing it, and I tried a small piece.  Very rich, but not all that much exciting.  Then she told us what was in it.  If memory serves there were 2 cups of chocolate chips, melted with a cup of peanut butter, a cup of corn syrup or molasses, sugar, a cup of oatmeal, and some chopped peanuts.  Not for me (thank Goodness). The other treat was 2 packages of mini "Oh Henry" bars.  I know that I'm going to have to take something soon, and am thinking of my Melting Moments.  They're usually well received, and I know I will be making some soon.  It'll be good to have someone else to eat them.

David is now up, and I can cook breakfast.  Today is a Starbucks Triple Stars day, and we plan to head out and get more ground coffee, though we'll wait until after noon, when we can get books from the Transcona library.  There is a Starbucks just across the street.

I ordered a book from Amazon

 First of all I thank you for the reminder about the blog Pickled Gizzards Pati as I had deleted it from my favourites a bit ago when things were sort of dormant. Now I can catch up again. I am still not attached to the new format for The Quilt Show and seriously thinking of not renewing - I have two months to reconsider.

Today I heard the most delightful and fun and interesting interview on The Next Chapter (CBC radio) with host Sheila Rogers and two authors who have joined forces and written a new political fiction novel called State of Terror. And these two authors are : Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton !!! The interview was all about how they became friends and then decided to write this novel together. I ordered it immediately from Amazon and it should be here on Thursday. I can hardly wait. The one aspect of the interview that struck me personally was the free flowing interactions between the two and the laughs and humour and stories they were relating. It made me feel good...I would love to have a friend and to laugh. It is good for the soul.

Anyway, not much going on here as it is 5 C and rainy and I am frozen and really feeling the chill. I would just like to jump into bed and cover up with my quilt. I bought a tin of pure pumpkin today at the store ( we went shopping to Huntsville) and this afternoon made two baked pie shells. Tomorrow i shall be making two pumpkin chiffon pies ( from my very old but ever loved Purity Cookbook that is torn and soiled and held together with an elastic haha!) Think of me as I shall devour it with whipped cream piece after piece. Of course harry will be helping with that i am sure.

Bye for now - send some of your heat! 😞

Trying to remember-----

 Life has been busy lately, but trying to remember the details, so I can blog, isn't easy, as much of it a blur.  But there are definitely no apples, so don't worry Beth, I won't be sending any by bus. 😉

Friday was laundry, of course.  Saturday, we were off to pick up some needle threaders that I ordered from the local needlework store.  I've spoken of these before, as they were ordered several months ago. When I got tired of waiting, and was using my last needle threader, I called to enquire, and was told firstly, that they couldn't find any record of the order, and secondly that yes it was there but they hadn't made any supplier orders over the summer, as they were renovating a new location and were short of money.  Great way to inspire confidence guys!  But Thursday they had phoned saying that the order was in, and how many did I want?  Well, "how many do you have?"  They had 12, and weren't sure how many I had ordered, so I told them to put away six for me.  David and I discussed the situation and decided that I would buy all 12, and hope to never darken their door again.  We got there, and they couldn't find my order of 6, anywhere.  Oh yes, she remembered phoning me, but then couldn't find the order.  I had been wandering through the store a bit, and saw 6 needle threaders on the wall for sale ( the price had gone up by 33%), so finally asked if I could take the 6 off the wall, and come back for the rest once they were found.  I haven't yet heard that they have been found, but will phone today.

Then Saturday night there were my tv shows. Both are British murder mysteries, and this means that some things (most things?) happen at night, and many things are conveyed by the twitch of an eyebrow, or a special facial expression, but no dialog.  So I have taken to watching in the dark--no hand sewing.  I'm amazed at how much more I get out of them.

Sunday, I had an early meeting in Selkirk, and, as I really didn't sleep well Saturday night, David offered to drive me.  Not many showed up for the meeting, and it finished about noon. David arrived, to pick me up, just in time to be invited to join an after-meeting tour of the basement.  The basement tenant has recently retired and given up the space, which has been newly painted, and is waiting to have the floor replaced.  I had been in parts of the basement before, but this is the first time I've seen the whole space, and my mind has been able to sort out what's what.  When I worked out in Selkirk, the basement space was a wonderful restaurant for lunch, but has changed a lot since then. Previously, I had thought I had things figured out down there, but now have had to re-think significantly.  As a Board, we have to find a new tenant, despite the area not being wheelchair accessible.

Then David and I took a leisurely trip down Henderson Highway (Prov. Highway 204) to Lockport, and lunch at A&W, as we had coupons for Chubby Chicken Sandwiches, chips and root beer.  

Gail has been busy this weekend at "Scattered Seeds", a local art and fine craft show and sale, at Exhibition Park, next to the race track.  Her hopes are on this show, to make up for some of the income she lost during Covid.  So I haven't talked to her or seen her since last Wednesday. I've been worrying and thinking of her all weekend, and hope to hear from her today.

The weather has been beautiful over the weekend, and I managed to sit outside and read both days, with the addition of a jacket.  Today is supposed to be even nicer, so my hopes are up.  This week Starbucks has a special deal on, with a drink special every day of the week.  I plan to participate as much as possible, even if the diet has to suffer when I order a Pumpkin Spice Latte-today's special item. Otherwise , since I decided to not worry so much about what I eat, I've managed to maintain within a 4lb range for several months now.  

During my down times I have been reading a new series written by Karen Rose. She has several series, and I hope to be able to read all of hem. I suppose they are, at the core, romances, but disguised as police murder investigations.  They are thick books, but I just can't put them down--maybe the reason I don't get much sleep at night.  Not all of them are available through the local library, unless I wanted audio books, and that certainly isn't my preference, so I may have to go further afield.

Sorry this is so long. Beth, Pickled Gizzards has some new posts.  But, David has decided that it's time to start the business of the day.  Best I move my butt.