Puttering yet again

I seem to be puttering around about every three weeks.  Each time I find more "stuff" that needs to live somewhere else.  My Ravenesque group needed a hostess at the last minute, so are coming here tomorrow.  This spurred a clean-up, downstairs which lead to today's putter.  I found several jackets that will move on to the local thrift store.  One is a very good jacket, but does not flatter me at all, so has to go.  I was also getting two pictures ready to go into a show out in Selkirk when I discovered that one piece had a problem with the framing and had to be re-considered.  David spent the afternoon taking all  the beads off, and expressed surprise at how many there actually were. 

A couple of weeks ago, during a putter in the computer room, I found a piece of paper that looked as though Mom had typed it, listing some birth, marriage and death records within the Upjohn family. Mom's Mother was an Upjohn, but these people appeared to be one generation further back.  Reading this, you would have to believe that the Upjohns in America came to Canada through the Southern States, as one was recorded as having died in a Civil War battle.  Anyway, cousin Beryl Robbins is very into geneaology, and I offered the paper to her.  Yesterday morning I delivered it to her while she was working at a gargage/basement sale at the United Church on Helmsdale.  (They live out in the Cook's Creek area on an acreage.  They have been trying to sell it for quite awhile, but no luck) Beryl and I get together for coffee about twice a year, when she is in the city and has nothing better to do while her husband is at Bible study.  This trip to the basement sale lead us to stop in at two more church sales on the way home, where I bought a broken necklace and four hard-backed cork coasters.   David was curious about the coasters and I had to explain that I wanted to use them when dyeing fabric.  Are you still with me?  When he understood what I wanted to do, he suggested that I should visit the Re-Store to see if I could get something sturdier than the coasters.  Not only did I get several different shapes of ceramic tiles, I discovered that a local bead store gives their old stock to the Re-Store.  Bonus!

Next we discussed how I was going to use these things, which lead to a trip to Rona to buy C-clamps.  The poor man there didn't know how to answer my question about whether the foam-clad clamps they had would absorb the dye when I used them to clamp together pieces of fabric in a dye bath.  After getting home, David tried to wash some of the clay/sand/mud that had been left on the car during our trip on Wednesday.  It was like concrete!  He ended up using the pressure washer, but that lead to the stuff being washed down our driveway, so David had to then wash down that.  It's still a bit of a mess out there.

Beth, this is how I spend my time--puttering in the basement and confusing store clerks.

Yesterday, I was very grateful not to have been injured, maimed or murdered while trying to look at old jewelry at garage sales.  Some of those old dolls at church sales are really viscious!

Here we go....

.. kicking and screaming into another week! Can't believe it is Sunday evening already - time flies when you are having fun?? The rest of you must also be busy - all's been quiet on the old blog site. I just looked at my fingers and they are all black with dirt under the nails and around cuticle even though I scrubbed them and then washed the dishes. Planted all the poor sweet peas after supper as they have been outside but looking really desperate. The weather is so unpredicable that I don't know whether it will freeze or not - have replaced the propane heater in the big greenhouse with another electric one - it is not so hot which is better for the plants that have been repotted and taking up lots more space. I don't plan to plug them in tonight as it is supposed to be 8 above - but you can never tell! Funny that while I was out there two different neighbours - one across the street and one in behind us - had guests over for BBQ and were making all sorts of laughter and having fun - somehow I felt leftout! So I can hardly wait to have a few laughs with you folks when I come. I had to put my hair up in curlers yesterday which means it is getting too long to just hot iron it anymore. That means it is time for either a perm or a cut - I was hoping I could hold off on having a perm until closer to the trip but I may have to give in. If that were my only concern wouldn't life be great but it is always a special time to get one's hair done so I want to do it just right haha. Well, I am rambling apparently, as I reread this note, so better let you go for now. Take care

Deacon's Corner

is a big Petro-Canada truck stop at the corner of Hwy #1 and Hwy #207, just east of the floodway.  When we were very young, before Fermor became #1, the corner of Hwy #1 and Hwy #59 ( Lagimodiere), was called Warren's Corner, but then that became the name of a sporting goods store and is never heard any more.  I once dated a farmer who lived on that corner.  I wonder if it's true that reminiscense is a sign of old age.
Beth, do you remember when we used to go to Caddy Lake on work parties and had to head out #1.  We would go over the Elm Park Bridge and then dipsy-doodle through the back streets to get onto #1.  At one time Auntie Ruby lived in St. Vital and we had to go almost past her house while we were doing it, so you might have some recollection, as Mom used to point the house out to us.

More stories about trips

and we headed to Sudbury today with Aunt Ev and it was a good time - no trouble with driving and finding the new store was perfect - I was about to turn onto the street where I figured I should go and glanced over to my left and was struck with a big sign SMITH"S MARKET right on the corner. All the family rushed over to greet us with big hugs (far more exciting than Walmart Greeters haha) and we had a grand tour of the store and backrooms and then after our shopping was completed we went over to a restaurant called Tutti Fruiti and had a big meal courtesy of Aunt Ev. Once home to our house by 2 pm Harry suggested we "slip down" to Mothers and do the lawn seeding which we did. But in the basement to turn on the outside water, Harry discovered the sump pump was not working. So after a bit trying to figure out problem including a phone call to his brother, it was determined the switch is faulty. So it will be back there again tomorrow morning to fix it. Please pray that the house sells soon!
Enjoyed your tale of driving Patty and maybe glad not to be anticipating the same in the summer haha. I shall now look your route up on my map. Please remind me, is Deacon's Corner the corner of #1 and Lagimodiere? Take care

Won't try that again!

had a big breakfast and off to the lake early this morning, in a heavy "mist".  Everything looked good down there. We got the microwave into the kitchen and it appeared to be working. Left the lake by about 11:00 and decided to take our yearly trip down hwy 308  from East Braintree to Sprague.  Considering how dry everything is and the gentle winter we had, we thought it would be a pleasant trip, and it was at first.  Then we started finding soft spots, then wet, soft spots and then muddy, chewed up, wet, soft spots.  We also ran into three graders trying to smooth out the road, and they gave "no quarter".  David had to do some fancy driving. If we hadn't been close to mid-way, we might have turned around and headed back to #1.  Poor car!  We even bottomed out badly in a couple of spots.  But we made it through. We were very glad to finally see the pavement at Moose Lake!

South at Sprague to Warroad to buy gas, and rest a bit, then home on hwy #12.

We were both getting quite hungry, so stopped at Deacon's Corner, at the A&W.  We had onion rings.  I can't remember the last time I had onion rings.  They were so-o-o good, but so-o-o rich that I couldn't eat them all.  What a treat!

We had been considering taking the hwy #308 trip with Beth in July, but it doesn't look like it's going to be feasible, which is one of the reasons we tried it today.  We've been doing it at least once a year for quite awhile, and it's sort of sad to see civilization creeping into the area. We've seen all sorts of wildlife there, but, today, saw only one deer--in the middle of the road, as it happened. Hwy#12 was a different story. We saw a fox, sitting beside the road grooming himself, either a very big hawk or an eagle ( the area is known for eagles), and two Sandhill cranes.  We have seen cranes before, but never as far North of the border as these two were, and never more than two.  And every pasture seemed to have several baby calves, with their mothers.

Beth, I don't have a septic field story to top yours.  I sure hope the house sells.  It's so hard to deal with this sort of thing, and I can't imagine coping with it at a distance, as you are.

Today, I'm grateful for the glass of wine I found in the fridge when I got home.

You might be asking......

... so what has Be been up to lately? Funny thing is you might never believe me! Today we headed to Mothers early, and dug up the septic system - down about two feet and across about 10 X10 to reveal the cement toppers with no baffle valve. So how does one take the top off was the question - no amount of grunt work succeeded this morning. So it was covered up with tarps and home we came. Watering in the greenhouses consumed the next hour or so, and in that time Harry had contacted the Dirty Deeds Septic Services who said he would meet us there immediately. So hustle hustle into my nice clean car ( more on that later) and off we went. We got all the covers off just as the truck arrived. He did not like the one cover we had exposed as it was cracked and viewing inside he said he would not be able to suck  up adequately without opening the first chambers top ( apparently this system has never been sucked and was thick so he needed to have access to both chambers) So we dug some more and got it all exposed but still no way to remove the cement lids so he went at it with a crowbar and was able to move them slightly enough to get his tubes and hoses down. It only took about half an hour before he was done, and driving out the yard. Then came the filling in process that we completed just before the rains came. That's good as the rain will help to harden the soil down, and come Friday we shall go again to rake it over and plant grass seed. The rush for us was that a home inspection was done by a potential buyer and one clause in the tons of paperwork stated the need for a receipt from us stating the septic had been flushed with a deadline of 6 pm today. So we did our part and now wait until 6 pm Monday for the final "yes".Please pray this goes through!
After the mornings trip I cleaned up my car ( we have been using my car more frequently lately because I like to drive it rather than the van and I am doing most of all the driving ) Tomorrow we pick up Aunt Evelyn to take her to Sudbury to see her sons' new Market store just opened last week. I shall be driving with Aunt Ev in the front with me and Harry in the back. Driving as well as navigating and entertaining Aunt Ev should keep me very busy, but I , too, am anxious to see the new store. The store they had in North Bay had to be closed end of  Feb as it had been sold pending them buying new property to build, but the new store in Sudbury took all their time ( and I expect money as well ) But Aunt Ev tells me in confidence that they are looking at blue prints now to build in North Bay this summer. So tomorrow shall be a good day I predict because we are doing something a bit different and I shall see other people!
So tonight I will not fire up the greenhouses as the low is to be 10 degrees -should be like this for the next two nights so I get a reprieve but the weekend is promising below zero lows so back to my anxiety about propane heaters haha
I needed a warm, comfortable feeling the other day as I was feeling out of sorts, so I made a half batch of raisin cookies and have almost finished them. I thought of baking Edna's cookies but suddenly the thought of the old raisin recipe just grabbed ahold of me and wouldn't let go!!
That's been my week so far - and from Patty we hear that the finger is not behaving as one would wish - I am thnking of you and hoping this new splint will work. Take care all.

Stupid finger

Yesterday was the "big reveal", but my poor abused finger didn't make the cut.  I was told that straight was a dream result, but anything up to 10 degrees of loss in range of movement was acceptable, and would start the therapy process.  Well, my poor finger measured at 12 degrees of loss, so it's back into the splint for another two weeks, with the possibility of two more weeks after that.  There has been a real problem with developing skin breakdown over the last joint, so we had to move the splint to the front of the hand two weeks ago.  The healing skin then became quite sensitive to the adhesive tape, and foam rubber of the splint, and the finger was very red a swollen.  So yesterday she made a plastic splint, no foam and a special way of using the adhesive tape to keep the adhesive away from the skin.  At supper, I suddenly noticed that the tape wasn't holding the position well and the finger was quite bent.  We taped it up very, very thoroughly.  That sucker wasn't going to move no matter what!  Today we went back and she made another splint.  When she first took the tape off the finger looked great.  I guess taping it so thoroughly helped reduce the swelling, and the colour was much better as well.  My greatest concern is that I'm going to have to have surgery, and will end up with the thing still splinted over the summer.

Tomorrow we go to the lake to check out the buildings, and take down another microwave to replace the one that died last fall.  The old one didn't owe us anything, as it was one that David's father had been using when he was down there.  At this point we don't have any plans to spend time down there over the summer, as Lyala plans to be there all summer, no matter who is down. P's me off, but isn't my problem.

Much rain over the past two days.  This caused problems with the eavestoughing, but we just can't afford to fix it right now.  David nailed it back in place, but it's really only a temporary fix. The lady Slippers are up, and we appear to have lost two clumps of them with last summer's drought. These were the two clumps that get the least sun, so that may have been a factor as well. One of the rhubarb plants doesn't seem to be doing so well.  The rhubarb originally came from the house on Maplewood.

Today I'm grateful that there were new books in at the Library, and I have something to read over the next few days, because this finger isn't going to let me do much sewing!