And so it begins

David has started on the bathroom.  He's dealing with many layers and at the bottom the most hideous dark turquoise paint.  There is also an area of what appears to be tile adhesive that David says is going to take hours of sanding.  I'm trying to stay out of the way, but that is the only toilet in the house that I can use easily.  What a nuisance!  The other is becoming just too low for me.  

Other people have started to comment on how quickly my functional abilities have deteriorated.  Monday was our monthly Ravenesque meeting, and our hostess had gone to the trouble of having a 1/2 step built onto her porch so Dianne and I could get into her house easier. But--I have been pleased to discover how many stores have started having scooters for customer use.  We found a couple in Rona on Monday and it sure made picking paint colours easier.  I know I can get one at WalMart, Safeway and Superstore.  My new chair is wonderful.  It is much easier to get out of than the old couch ( MUCH easier!), and last evening David took the high swivel stool into the bathroom so I could do my hair.

I keep trying to get down to work in the studio.  Monday I wanted to start a dye bath, only to discover that David wanted to bottle wine.  We worked that one out, and then yesterday I made up four more smaller dye baths.  I usually leave the over night to"batch", but couldn't wait and sorted out three of them, washing and drying the fabric.  There is one more to take care of this morning, and I have high hopes for it.

But we have reached the point of someone needing to go out and face the world.  Groceries to buy and prescriptions to fill.  I have offered to take some food with me to Pinawa this weekend, and  (darn it!) they took me up on the offer.  lol  Dianne will be staying at the same place as I am, so we should have the chance of a good visit.

home again

It was a great weekend, but a long drive.  When I got home I had an email confirming my reservation at the wilderness edge.  They did tell me I had to cancel at least 3 days in advance and I would forfeit my $75 reservation fee.   At least they gave me warning.  They sent the confirmation 1 hour before I checked out.  The last time we stayed there we had a fridge and microwave in our room.  This time we had nothing ... not even a clock.  But other than those little things the hospitality was great.  The food was unreal and I think I gained 10 pounds.  The plays were great.  A real variety from a Noel Coward classic to an interpretation of Sheharizad.  I got some ideas for Whitemud and I really hope they try some of them out.  Now back to reality.

Weekends off

I find that a couple of days going somewhere or doing something different, can make all the difference, whether you are working or not.  I'm sorry that your work doesn't seem to be improving.  You don't have much control over most of that. and that just makes the situation worse.

Wilderness Edge is the old staff house for AEC, and was never considered a hotel.  It's unfortunate that you were expecting better amenities.  When we were there last fall they still had the Hydro using it as a staff house.  I had booked one of the handicapped rooms, and the bathroom had been fairly recently renovated, so there was no problem for us.  (Your tale made me think of the trailer David and I first lived in.  We complained to ourselves, about the small bathtub, and only found out when we moved, that it was really a shower stall.)The doors are locked at 10:00 because there is no staff on duty at night, so it isn't so much as a curfew, as it is a security measure.  The grocery store next door also has a liquor outlet, and is really the only game in town, except for the bar at the motel, which is a bit of a dive.

In any case, I'm really glad you are having fun, which was probably the whole idea anyway.

I brought the piece I bought at the gallery in Selkirk home today.  We have decided that it will go in my bathroom, but that the wallpaper will have to go and the walls painted.  David wants to start pulling down the wallpaper right now, but I worry that the whole job will loose momentum, if we don't have the paint selected and ready to go.  I have a very particular colour in mind, taken from the tiles that we can't change.  This means bringing home samples to aid in selection.  Not a big chore, but one that I'll have to do.

Today was spent at the local art group Spring Show and Sale.  They had set aside a special area for children to make ATC's and I took my albums and cards, and something to work on for demo's.  It was very well received, and I will be going back tomorrow.  One of the ladies saw my cards and told me that there is an group that gets together for lunch once a month and exchanges ATC's.  I hope to get more info from her tomorrow and maybe follow-up on this.

Saturday

Plays are over.  Great Time.  We now have 11 other people in our room, drinking and waiting for happy hour.  Banquet tonight and more plays tomorrow. I am actually having a good time.  Thursday at work was awful... this weekend has really made life worth while.  I can go  back to work on Monday and be happy.

First evening

Wonderful comedy for the first play.   I laughed all through it.  Even Jim was laughing, not that he would admit it.  Two more days to go and I hope they are just as good.  The people that have gotten their invoices for their rooms are saying that the price is not what was quoted.  Jim will pick ours up tomorrow.  It better be what we expect!! Anyway..it is fun so far.

Pinawa

We made it to Pinawa.  We are at the Wilderness Edge.  The room has 2 beds, but they had to struggle to fit them both in..... very tiny.  I'm glad I wasn't hoping to have a bath here.  I saw a tub this tiny in a travel trailer once :)    No amenities.   No fridge, hair dryer, ironing board, ice machine..............  Jim just went out to find a store to get some ice for our cooler.  We brought some garlic sausage and cheese to share, but I want to keep it colder than it is.  This entire place is booked by a marriage retreat and ACTFest.  What a mixture of people!   They close the doors at 10PM here.  We will be "breaking curfew"  I guess :)   Time to find my way around before we go to register.  I hope to have a great time.

Expensive day

but I think we have finished the shopping.  I started the day getting my new hearing aid.  It is very much like the old one, an in-the-ear digital.  However, it does things automatically that I either couldn't do, or had to do myself, with the old one.  Then my new chair was delivered.  While he was here, the salesman ( Yes, he delivered it himself) told me that, if I could get a prescription, he wouldn't have to charge me GST ($72), and that I would be able to claim the expense on this year's taxes.  Then it was off to the bank to sort out and pay all of the bills.  Finally, we started looking for a new Ott light to use in the living room.  We expected a long search, but David actually found a whole nest of them in Canadian Tire.  So now we have all of the pieces, and we just have  to take a few minutes to organize them to best advantage.  This means bringing my needlework equipment up stairs and trying things out.

The next couple of days should be fairly quiet, except I have to see the doctor today about the prescription, and if he grants me one, hand deliver it to the store just off route 90.  On the weekend, I am planning to attend the Spring Art Show of one of my art groups, and work in the hands-on display area helping people make Artists' Trading Cards (ATC's).  I have a bag packed of some of my own ATC's in progress, so I can just sit there and bead, should my help not be needed.  But, I'll be at the front of the line, should anyone want to trade.

I assume we aren't hearing from Beth because of the recent world wide problems with Internet Explorer.  I know hackers just see the process as a challenge, but the frustrations that it can cause the "little guy" are significant.