Loved this message

I logged on to tell you that we visited with Mike and Erin today and had a splendid time. Then I read this message about remembering and it was so relevant to my day that I got lost in the pictures and musings. Thank you Pati. I remember this visit very well. May Long Weekend, and Mike and I flew to Winnipeg just for the weekend to be with family.  He would have been 15 going on 16. And wore that Army jacket everywhere and all the time!
I have many pictures from this visit and it wasn't long ago that I looked at them again. And I remember each of us writing on your patches.  You are right Pati, that it was the reality at the time and in spite of life in the coming years, and changes made, it "was what it was."  It is a lovely quilt and a lovely part of the McGrath's in 2000.  I also still have the wall hanging you made from a previous visit with family - hanging on the wall in the hall. I often look at it with fondness, and laugh at most of us in the large room with guns (? paint ball?) and another picture of us all climbing a wall. Great fun.   Thanks for the trip into the past.  Take care

Remembering

Since we aren't going out anywhere, because of the cold, I have a lot of time on my hands.  This means much time spent in the studio, which results in me talking about little other than that, as I don't expect you want to hear about the dishes I washed this morning.  (or didn't wash, as the case may be)  With getting my hexie quilt basted yesterday, I took on a much older quilt top--actually labeled  McGrath family reunion, 2000.  My hands gave out before I finished pin basting it, but I spent time looking at the pictures, and remembering--or trying to--problem with getting older. Many things have changed over the years.  Grandpa Doug has died, Loren and Pat's marriage has ended, and other relationships have changed.  I think I've probably procrastinated over finishing this because I wasn't sure how to deal with that sort of thing.  But then it is supposed to represent a specific point in time.  So these pictures tell a story of our family.  Everyone, even the children (only scribbles, but someone labeled them) signed a plain block, all of which were incorporated into the quilt.

  Here's what it looks like.  Why I chose pink, I'll never know.

Here are Cathy and Keri-Rrain--at least that's how she signed it.  Sorry for the pin through your belly, Cathy.

Here's Beth with Jeremy and Gillian.  Were they ever really that small?

This is the three of us with Jeremy

Loren and Pat, with their children, Jeremy and Gillian.  He's getting quite bald now.  I'm glad he could grow hair at one time.

I'm also glad that Amber never had any trouble growing hair.  I remember her friend Amanda once saying that you could always tell Amber in a picture, because she was the one with "big hair".  I have to say that I look a little "out of it"

This is precious to me.  Mike, just a teenager ( How old was he here, Beth?) but already head and shoulders above anyone else.  This is the only picture, that day, of either Mike or Grandpa Doug.

 And how could we have pictures without one of the three of us and our wine glasses?

dieting incentive

I appear to be just about over my cold.  Sleeping better, more energy, but still stuffed up more than I like. With the cold weather, the studio "to do" list is getting done fairly quickly. But I'm also trying to keep myself busier, and more active, as I went back to phase 1 of my eating regime on Tuesday.  I am attempting to make it more challenging and interesting by making sure that I give all of the recipes a good try.  It's probably pure laziness that makes me go back, so much, to my favourites, and the ones I have memorized.  Also, every time I re-read portions of the book, something new catches my eye.  I had never really looked at substitutions before, as nothing in the diet bothers my allergies.  But I did find, this time, that tofu in recipes can be substituted with egg.  I've also recently fallen in love with roasted chick peas, as well as an organic hummus that I found in Costco.  So I no longer wrestle with my blender to make it the hummus, but use little portion packs.  Additionally, on the news the other day, they were discussing spinach, and the difference between cooking it and eating it raw. Both are good, but cooking it releases a different proportion of nutrients, than eating it raw. 

So--this morning I ate the spinach scramble you speak of, Beth. Never be one of my favourites, but much improved with a light dusting of salt.

So far, I'm doing well.  No indulgences, and I'm going to avoid that as much as I can, as I've learned that the first bite is certainly the thin edge of the wedge for me. I felt great getting out of Bulk Barn yesterday without a licorice bar. So-o-o, I've promised myself that once I get under my previous low, I'm going to buy a new pair of trousers.  The black ones I use for better wear are getting quite faded, and really do need replacing.  

We went to Walmart this week, and had time waiting for prescriptions to be filled.  I found myself a very nice T-shirt, and long sleeved pull-over sweater, both for less than $12, and both in shades of purple.  The T-shirt actually came in at $2.  I've been wearing it today, and am surprised at how comfortable and warm it is.  David picked up a couple of new pair of sweats--not before they were needed.

Cathy, our bodies tell us when we need to slow down.  Give yourself the time you need to get your strength up--and expect that it'll take longer, at our advanced years.  Also, we all need to remember that this is the time of year that SAD looms on the horizon, and we're all susceptible. Time to spoil ourselves.

Starting off the year

At home sick since Tuesday.  I had a doctor’s  appointment on Tuesday morning and left with antibiotics and orders to go home. Since then I have been lying on the couch watching Bones reruns. I hope to go back to work tomorrow.  Jim and I were supposed to work meat draw tomorrow night but I told him to tell them I couldn’t make it. After a day at work I think I will be far to tired to stay at the legion til 8:00 at night.  I haven’t eaten any real food since breakfast Tuesday. Just some Apple sauce and jello.  I think I might try some good tonight. Not the best way to loose weight.   Anyway, I have done nothing all week. I know I really needed the rest but I must be feeling better cause I am noticing all the dust and housework that needs doing.  Time to return to work so I can avoid the housework 😊.

Gosh darn for sure.

Hey Pati, for a few days this past week I thought you had packed the lady in red off and sent her my way! Some crazy things occurring to me here, and I can only blame it on "her".  Cathy, do you think Pati is trying to get rid of her at our expense?
A bit cold again - not nice at all. I have shoveled past few days as it did get a bit warmer and therefore did snow off and on. Enough for the plow to go by and enough that I had to shovel.  It was a bit of a reprieve for my poor little dog who really could not tolerate the cold on his wee paws, but unfortunately he is back to the quick walks and lifting his paws.
I watched The Quilt Show latest guest show last night - she was so fast with speech and actions and so efficient it left me swirling. I wanted to get more out of it but it went too quickly..... like a big blurrrr. But I know that I like her type of work, and it is something that I think I could do. Maybe I should watch it again?
Tomorrow I will be busy with last minute preparations before we go to Markstay early Saturday morning to have our Christmas with Mike and Erin. As I think about it now, I am not sure that these later celebrations are to my liking, but to see them is to my liking. It seems a little less exciting to think of it as our Christmas though.
I telephoned my old friend Daisy this afternoon at her place in Toronto with her son and family. She hasn't been back to Sundridge since I last saw her in the Fall. She stated that she felt like she was in prison. Her difficulty with her "word find" was very pronounced and the conversation was not easy but I spoke with her as long as I could. It was disturbing for me to think of her in this state but "there but for the grace of God go I"?  Must go now...time to try my dog outside again. 

Gosh Darn!

I had hoped that with a new year, that the woman in red would have moved on to torment someone else.  No so.  I worked very hard, in the studio, this morning, and finally, was able to take break to make some lunch.  She joined me, and for some reason, known only to her, tried to make egg salad with raw eggs.  Then she took it upon herself to look for frozen codfish for supper.  Tore apart both freezers without finding it, and then there it was --right on top , in the very first freezer she had looked in.  David, of course, had been trying to help, but even he got pissed off at her.  Same sort of thing happened earlier in the day.  I needed cellophane bags for the bookmarks I've been making, and she had hidden them in a pile of junk on a chair in the basement.  Now,  I always make a point of putting my cellophane bags in a large envelope on top of the wardrobe in the basement studio.  I've done it that way for years.  What right does she have to move them?

Got an e-mail yesterday reminding me that I had committed to teaching a beading class this month.  Whoops!  Best I start preparing for that!  There is a small blessing in the very nasty cold weather we've been having.  Since we aren't disposed to going out, there's lots of time to work in the studio. But, gosh darn,  I can only ignore the housework for so long!  Oh well, at least the laundry got done yesterday.

So there are about forty-five minutes before I have to get busy with supper.  Goody!  Studio time!

An early morning treat

Logged onto the Free Press as usual this morning with my coffee in hand, and found an entire photo gallery of winter pictures of Winnipeg. Trevor Hagan, WFP photographer took aerial photos called Winnipeg from the Air.  I have to admit that little was familiar to me at first, but I looked for landmarks that I could recognize and was then, in a small way able to orient myself. 
I was thrilled to see the pictures and wonder if they had been in the paper copy of the news for you folks to see as well?  i picked out the Radisson Cathy where you say you stay sometimes. And of course The Bay. The Health Sciences Centre was overwhelming but I did pick out the old Nurses residence haha!  The Miseracordia looked the same, and St Boniface was massive from the air. Lots of fun for an early riser!
Now I guess it is back to usual now that the festive season has come and gone. The cold remains though and would be glad if that improved a bit.  Here's to the rest of 2018!! Take care