Sunday again

A very quiet weekend.  I've been working on more charity quilts.  I  finished the blocks for one this afternoon,and David trimmed them to size for me.  Then after supper he helped me with some of the cutting for a second set of blocks.  The lady who co-ordinates the project has other ladies who do nothing but hand finish them for me, so, all I have to do is the block it self, which is "quilt-as-you-go".  I enjoy the structured work, and it's all by machine.  It's the cutting is the problem, and the coordinator normally sends the fabric and batting already cut.

But I discoverd that our freezer is almost bare, so it looks like there is "power cooking" in my future.  I had been planning supper for next week when Amber and the girls come over. I found a very interesting receipe for marinated, broiled ( or B-B-Q'd) flank steak on the Kraft Canada site.  I only ever use one recipe for flank steak so was anxious to try this new one. Well--we went to three stores to look for flank steak only to be told that it is so expensive right now that the stores aren't even carrying it!   So, Amber, you won't be eating flank steak next Sunday!  But, yes, Beth, it's the right time for rhubarb pie, so there will be one in our house in the next few days, but not Sunday, as Amber and the girls aren't really fond of it.(I've failed as a mother.  They don't like Rhubarb pie.  How did this happen!!).  As it turns out, I may also be making one for the neighbour across the back.  He was asking David when the rhubarb would be ready, as we usually give him some.  We passed along a bottle of rhubarb wine to them this year but haven't had any feedback yet.  They were warned that it was quite sweet, for some reason.  So much so that I sure won't be drinking much!

We didn't get my lion out last year, as Loren, with his broken leg, wasn't able to help.  ( Didn't Mike do it one year?  I have some sort of vague memory of it--pictures even.).  I had really wanted Lion out this year, but when Loren and the children were over at Easter, Loren was too sick with the flu to help. So David put Lion in the wheelbarrow and moved him into position, as a surprise for me. It sure was, as he ended up with his back to me--not what I was expecting at all.  Quickly fixed, though, and now I can see him sleeping in the sun from the kitchen window.

Spent some time this afternoon watching a reality show called Tabatha's Salon Takeover, where a highly respected hairdresser moves in to help salon owners who are having difficulty. Yes, we waste a bit of time watching stupid shows.  I think there must be a reason that they call it the "idiot box", or maybe we're just looking at "creeping dementia".  Tabatha is almost as good as "Celebrity Rehab".

Be - little black flies

Wish you could experience the black flies such as we have right now. I have been out in the garden working all day and my body is covered with red blotches some still bleeding. The flies swarm around you and all you can see is a moving fog that bites! Suffice to say the rain changed to clear days and therefore lots of yard work accomplished over last two days. To Mothers tomorrow and we take a wheelchair to use to take her around outside and especially to use when we take her to the Doctors June 7. It will be much easier on her, and us, but already we are meeting some resistance. Harry bought an elite chair at a garage sale for a fabulous price. Should make for another interesting day! My Mike is home for a week before the next course starts at Meaford, so we shall go to his place on Tuesday when we go to North Bay. I will bake him his favourite rhubarb pie and take for Tuesday instead of his real birthday June 15 as he won't be around. Hope you had a great weekend. Take care

Be - A loving cat on my lap

I just logged on and here comes the old cat wanting up on my lap. It is curled up and purrrrring and has it's little front paws caressing my neck - no claws out though - just wants some attention. I think I told you some time ago that I treasure every moment it wants to give me as it is 16 years (or so) and who knows how much longer it will be with me. I went into edit Patty and thanks for the tip. I found that message and on second read, I guess it wasn't quite as interesting as I thought. So I guess if I can access all those messages in edit, then you can also read them if you wanted. Rainy days right now, so not much in the way of yard work. Busy at Mothers though, and not getting any easier. C'est la vie... We have decided we absolutely need to get the roof shingled this year so I must make the arrangements and ask around and get a few quotes. Will be hard to schedule it so not to disturb Harry' garden and plants but I may not have any choice in the timing. Harry has arranged with the neighbour across from his Mothers to get her garage done this summer. The shingles he ordered are already sitting in his driveway and he says he will do it as soon as he can. I have arranged to meet my old friend from work, Sue, next Wed for lunch - hope nothing will prevent the luncheon to go ahead - it may be a nice break for me. Take care.

Holidays??

I am finally into my week off. The garden is planted; I have cleaned most of the house (until we had visitors with 3 un-disciplined children); We have transplanted a tree to replace the one the twister got; I cheated on the office.. cardboard boxes all the way; AND.... we are having the next ACT Board meeting here. If people want to come on Saturday night they can sleep 2 to a bed. Things have been hectic at Viscount again. I guess we are firing our new program director today. She is prone to uncontrolled emotional outbursts where she yells at people, throws things and cries. Not a good public face when you are trying to rebuild an organizations reputation. It also seems that the last 2 employees managed to spend over $20,000 in one month. We don't have that kind of money!!! And I am supposed to be incoming president? Hopefully we can get things figured out soon. Other than that life goes on. I have been sleeping in every morning and not getting up until 7:30 or 8:00. I think my body was in need of the sleep, because I am sure feeling a lot better than I have been. It helps that things are going so much better at work. We are having a walking challenge this summer. We had our healthy kick off on Friday with Salad (Taco Salad!) Veggies (and dip) and fruit (with sweet dip) and, of course, cookies. Totally nutritious. We all have pedometres and we are recording our weekly steps taken. I write mine down every night and then reset the pedometre. It is surprising how far you walk in one day just doing daily things. On Friday, from 9:30 to 3:30, without leaving the office I walked over 2 miles! To bad the challenge didn't start until 3:30 on Friday. I changed my clothes on Saturday and forgot to put it back on, so I only had 1/2 a days steps, but still quite a few. Jim is outside working already. It is meat day, so we have to be in town by 2 pm and probably won't leave until after 6. I am going to take some VCC grant stuff to work on while I am there. Kristy and I are doing the Craft Sale this year and she has already gone through all the applications and assigned tables, and set up a data base. What a worker! I sure hope we have VCC support staff to help us by then. Have a great week

Your message is saved

as a draft.  Go to "edit posts" and you will find it on the list.  Highlight it and click on "edit".  it should come up  for further work.

Be - The gods show their displeasure

Last night I was able to relax at the computer and write a fairly interesting message for a change, and was feeling quite OK. I told you about some exciting weekend events and the thunderstorms that were intermittently attacking us all day. Just as I was about to end, the power went off for a few seconds - enough to have the stove clock flashing, and the computer go off. I logged on quickly hoping my message may somehow mysteriously reappear. Just as I got onto the internet the power went off again, and the computer just closed down completely. I have never saved any message while typing it - if you press the savenow button at the bottom, where does it save the message? I can see a message at the bottom that says draft autosaved at 8:58 pm (the time now) so I know that this message is being saved as I write it. Anyway, I was very sad at this dilemna but my attention was quickly drawn to the water building up outside from a sudden torrential downpour - the sump pump wasn't working and so out I went in the rain, and lightening and thunder to get it pumping. And so that very brief moment of peace and serenity was broken and I say the gods must have been upset with me!!! Take care.

Life lived in a fog

I had to mail a parcel today to a woman in California.  It was an important parcel--two quilted wall hangings that are going to a special exhibition in New England.  There is a mail strike pending and I wanted to get the parcel out of the country asap.  We went to the Post Office and bought a box to pack them in, and got all of the customs forms etc., went home, and got the parcel ready.  She had sent me an e-mail with all of the important info in it, so I carefully addressed the parcel with the printed copy of the e-mail beside me. Then off to mail it.  The Post Office lady questioned the zip code and then said, "but it's going to California and they're always different there".  She understood why I was so worried and told me about the questions she had been getting today.  But it was off, and I had been promised that it would be on a truck to California tonight. ( Air freight would have cost over $120.00---"nuff said).  Later I was at home cleaning up all of the debris and re-read the e-mail.  I had addressed the parcel to her phone number.  Luckily I made it back to the Post Office before the parcel made it to the truck, and they allowed me to change the address.  And how was your day?

Poker

Well, the first few days I had the book, my bankroll went up by $8000.  I bet more carefully but was more aggressive when I did bet.  However, over the past two days, I'm down by $4000.  I'm having fun and the book only cost me $20 including shipping by UPS.  There is still a lot more reading to do in it.  I'm taking it slowly and implimenting once lesson at a time.  I do worry a bit that the author appears to be a better success at selling books than playing poker. lol

Today the Ravenesque ladies are coming over to spend the afternoon.  I have thoroughly cleaned the studio, even getting rid of a couple of bags of "stuff".  One of my goals ( probably the last on the list) is to do a "apring cleaning" this year.  2011 is 12 years in this house--the longest we've ever stayed in any of them.  We're starting to see hints of 12 years of little routine maintenance, so I'm starting a list of small chores that need doing.  Over the weekend, David dug out the entire flower bed where the Lily-of-the-Valley had been, and discovered that the roots extended well into the neighbour's garden, so had to do a little repair work there.  Next is to see if we can get a few pieces of sod to fill the space in. And somebody ate my one tulip bud!  But we've also looked around and there are three yards on the block that aren't full of dandelions, and all three of them are serviced by the same lawncare company--inluding us.  Maybe that's our future, to pay for the things we can't do ourselves.

In any case, I'm very much looking forward to this afternoon, even baking some Blond Brownies from the old recipe box. And then maybe some "carmel icing?   It's sort of neat how much those old recipes and scratch cooking seem to impress people.

P.S.  Do NOT cook carmel icingin the microwave.  It does NOT work!

Be - Poker expert within our midsts?

I had no idea that you would need to educate yourself on the fine art of poker but it is totally reasonable to play with infomed strategies - when I played at your house my strategy was only to press the button when it was my turn, but I can also see how you need to plan and execute very carefully what your move shall be in light of what cards the other players have in front of them. Good for you - hope you have lots of fun with this as I know this is really the objective!
Was a mixed up week for visits to Mothers as it was her 98th birthday on Wed which is not usually a visit day as her home care worker comes for 1 hour to change bed linen and sweep floor. So we went anyway with a nice cake and made a little party for Mother with her worker Jackie included. We told her not to worry about her duties - so I did more yesterday (Friday)when we went again. Today Harry is off to his garage sales and I have just made a list of what I want to accomplish. The house work is way behind as all my time is working at Mothers or working here in the yard/garden. Sunday we are driving to Kirkland Lake early to deliver a van full of tomatoes and flowers to Harry's brother. We will leave at 3 am - drive four hours, drop the plants off and then head back home. This will get us home by noonish so there will be lots of time to work here in the yard for the rest of the day! And then on Monday we go to Mothers but this time Harry's sister and brother in law from Huntsville will come up quick to pick up plants that Harry is giving them. Not sure if my Mike came home to North Bay for the long weekend as did not hear from him last night. But I could hear the traffic on the highway was fierce all evening. I won on Lotto Max last night as I just checked my ticket - three numbers which will get me another ticket so the dream lives on haha!
Enjoy your weekend - get out on your bike Patty - I haven't even touched my bike since the first time this Spring. Take care.

Playing poker

My poker playing has not been going well, so I borrowed a book from the library on how to play poker. I read most of it and realized that I would need to keep it handy for quite awhile, so ordered it from Amazon.  It has now arrived--delivered by UPS ( they must have known how badly I needed the information!) My play money bankroll has improved and I seem to be doing better--until tonight.  David thinks I'm crazy, but I'm having fun.

We have been building our bike riding skills up over the past week and today finally made it as far asTim Horton's.  Too bad that the exercise is of no value for bone density.

Birth control

You might not be aware of it, Amber, but we have a family history of bad reactions to birth control pills in the form of blood clots.  Both of my parents also had the same problem, although not related to hormones.  You may want to consider a more permanent solution when the time comes.  For the same reason, women in our family are advised not to take hormone replacement therapy after menopause.  If I remember, that article talks about that too.  I've been poking back the smoothies ever since I read the article.  My doctors appt was put back a week, so he should have the results of the bone density test for sure by next Friday. I'm sure he's going to suggest even more supplements.  Ka-ching!

Checking in

I kept Samantha home today from daycare as she was coughing all night long and the medicine doesn't seem to make any difference. I also don't feel well as my throat is quite sore. Strep has been going around so I took us both to a walk in on Fermor. We got there at 11:20 and joined a room of over 15 other people waiting for their turn. We were out in less than an hour (yeah!)with a prescription for me, but not for her as she is too young. The doctor did however tell us in a "whisper" that if he had a child in the same condition as mine, he would get a decongestatnt for her even though they only make them for children 6 and older. I also picked up some sucrets when I picked up my prescription and was able to get some other shopping done while we waited for the prescription. I was happy to get this done at the same time to save an extra trip to the city and we also have soccer tonight. Samantha has been better this afternoon, so I'm hoping she can go back to daycare tomorrow as it's my only Friday off while Darren is away. Although he did tell me last night that he might not be doing the 4th week due to the flooding. With them cancelling the 4th week, I won't be surprised if he works the 5th week to make up for it. We'll have to see. Jess is now coughing as well. It should be a fun night tonight.

I read the article mom gave me regarding bone loss and it doesn't look good for me. I think I had at least 4 of the things to watch out for. It made me think that doctors can be very narrow minded when prescribing birth control methods. Yes, they prevent pregnancy, but there seem to be so many other issues that can arise from their use. I understand when you are younger, your main thing is not to get pregnant, but as you get older, I think that the doctors should make us more aware of the long term health risks. That's enough heavy talk for me today. Off to make supper and then run to soccer.

Still sitting around getting old

What a nuisence for you Cathy!  I've heard of  low potassium, but not low sodium.  Sounds like you are keeping busy.  Sometimes those outside interests are what keep you sane ( or more or less sane).  I didn't realize until your previous posting that Kris and Sandy were buying property.  Good for them.  Something positive in their lives.  Loren has told me that he and Keri had a good chat when they met, and she brought him up to speed with her life.  Some changes there, I understand.


David and I decided that the garden is beyond our (his?) ability to maintain.  So we (the "Royal" we) are going to put forth the effort to turn it back to grass this year.  I'm not sure he realizes that this will still involve a bit of work, but I think it's a good decision.  Having a yard was one reason we wanted a house, but in reality, we spend very little time out there.  He is out there to work, but I go out only rarely--usually only to do sunprinting or fabric painting.

Last night I made the decison not to attend the Annual General Meeting of the quilters' guild tonight.  I was tired and forced to decide in a hurry as someone was asking for a ride.  Now that I've given it further thought, I am concerned about how I seem to be withdrawing from all of my outside interests--not a good thing.  Have to give it some thought.

Mid week in Neepawa

Jim's surgery was postponed again. His sodium levels are still too low. Funny thing is, he went to the doctor on another matter on Monday, and that's when they noticed the star on his chart. No one had noticed until then that the anestheisioligist (?) had cancelled the surgery. Jim would have shown up on Tuesday at 7 am! Oh well, the weather is so nice finally that he really doesn't mind being at home. Went to a meeting last night about the Christmas Wish Sale. Anyone that ever organized it has resigned for one reason or another and we had no idea of what to do. Lane and Judy very kindly offered to meet with Kristy & I and gave us a lot of advice. Both have also worked for VCC before and were able to give us some hints on what needs to be done. There is a VCC meeting on Thursday so we will bring up some of their topics. The next ACT meeting is going to be at our house, instead of in town, so we can get to know the individual board members better. Last year they met in Virden and stayed the night. I don't think Jim & I have enough beds for everyone. (Unless they are a lot friendlier than I realize) Only 3 morewoking days until I have a week off. Yippee!!! I intend to house clean, but I have noticed that when it is this nice out, I usually end up working in the yard. Either way it won't be in town. Things are going good at work right now. I hope it continues. Have a good week

Be - What a treat to log on tonight....

and read all your messages. I listen to the CBC radio news for flood details and have watched a few videos on the Winnipeg Free Press website. The 6 pm TVnews we get is quite "local". Just as the comments about the flood were hitting home, we hear about the Alberta city burning up from brush fires, and also the flooding in Mississippi. One catastrophy after another world wide seems to be all we hear now and it starts to make one wonder what is happening and/or when it may end? Your bike ride and tour of your yard, and some time under the sun Patty, and your weekend away Cathy, are to be treasured for sure! In the same way, I try to enjoy my time in the yard puttering around. I watched two squirrels chasing each other across the treebranches and along the picket fence and they kept at it for a long while, I called them Chip and Dale from the old movies we watched when the kids were young. The best part was to also watch the dog's reaction as she also followed them with her eyes and I could see her head bobbing up and down. Lots of fun and a few laughs to keep me going! A couple of colder nights Sat and Sun caused for some worries about freezing but we were OK in the end without having to cover up, and now this week is supposed to be warmer so I can relax a bit about that problem. Take care.

I saw Goslings!!

David's sister, Gail told us she had seen them over a week ago, and we've looked in vain ever since.  But today I saw goslings.!  David didn't see them, but I did. ( He was driving--see there's a reason I should drive once in awhile!) Spring is here.

Back to reality

It was a great weekend. Lots of plays to watch, and 6 of them were written by Manitobans! We got some good ideas for short plays we could do in Neepawa, and, since Neepawa is hosting ACTFest next year, we got some ideas from the entire weekend. The water is the Portage diversion is covering the bottom of the bridge on #1, and they have heavy equipment building up the sides of the diversion so it can hold more water. We, too, watched the dike breach on tv. It is very controlled and they now expect fewer acres to be covered than was originally predicted. Highway 13 to Winkler is the detour for highway 75 south, so there we a lot of traffic on Friday. It was pouring rain with intermittant snowfall all day Friday, but the sun came out on Saturday and Sunday was beautiful. There were a lot of sandbagged houses around Oakville, but the water is moving slowly and wasn't even visible yet when we came home on Sunday, but it is expected to reach the homes we saw. We got home around 3:30 Sunday and didn't even unpack. We just sat outside in the sunlight. I was in bed early. Even though I behaved and got to bed early(relatively) on the weekend, I think the excitement of the event and the let down when it ends is tiring enough. Jim's surgery is slated for tomorrow morning. I have to have him at the hospital by 7am, so I guess I will be sitting around the office for a while. We aren't sure if he will be coming home tomorrow, or spending the night. He sees the doctor today, so maybe he will find out. Last time he spent the night, but the hernia was much bigger than expected and harder to fix. This time it is right below the scar from his heart surgery and should be easier. Isn't growing older a real pain!!! This weekend I ordered from the senior's menu and the waitress never even looked twice at me!!! How deflating! At least I got to leave Neepawa for a while. It has been a long time since I left this town. Kris & Sandi get their new house this week. I won't even get to see it for a while. I really loved their old house, but this one comes with 40 acres. Well, it's off to work again. Reality has struck

A minute of calm in a sea of termoil

After spending the morning stitching and watching the news channel, we finally had the chance to get the bikes out and ride around the block.  I found very little problem except the right turn hand signal hurts.  Then a walk around the yard. The Nanking Cherries are in bloom.  That ususally means a severe wind/rain storm coming, but not today.  The lady slippers are all up and a couple of clumps big enough to have buds soon.  We are trying to transplant Lily-of-the-Valley into the front yard, where we can control the spread.  Last year we dug it all out of the back where it was spreading uncontrolled into the neighbour's yard.  It's growing quite nicely where we dug it all out, but there a couple of clumps in the   front, so we just have to persevere.  There is a volunteer tulip in front that now has a small bud.  Then I sat outside in the sun and just soaked up vitamin d for awhile.  I watched small birds hiding themselves in the lawn--that is now being cut for the first time this year.  It was nice and a pleasant change from the frantic activity out in the real world.

Flooding

I've spent most of the day glued to the CBC news channel(while I stitched).  the area where they breached the dike is familiar to us as the strawberry farm we patronize is right on the curve they are calling Hoop and Hollar ( isn't the word actually whoop?)  They actually interviewed the owner of the farm.  it's a huge operation--one of the top four income-producers in the area, and he said that it may take him 6 years to get backinto full production.  He was going around taking pictures of the farm so he could prove what it had looked like "before". He is the one who had just spent $40,000.00 bringing in migrant workers from Mexico--who are now working as sandbaggers. (Quite a visual image of Mexicans, Hutterites, and solders working side by side.) They are spending so much time talking about this deliberate dike breach but just giving passing mention to the problems between Prtage and Lake Manitoba.  The situation around the lake is much, much more critical as the area is more used for pasture land, and they are desperately trying to move thousands of cattle, horses, pigs and chickens.  The call has gone out all over western Canada for anyone willing to provide pasture for the livestock.  The cost of trucking them out is horrendous,but then, so is the cost of trying to provide them with feed, as there won't be any grown around here this year.  They are estimateing two to three years before most of them can think about getting back into production.

The  water is moving slowly, and I don't think we need to worry about Cathy for the weekend.  The faint hope is that the water will flow into the Elm and La Salle rivers and flow into the Red within those channels. There is a chance, however small, that NO homes will be flooded.  Not likely though.  It was interesting to watch them cutting channels through the one mile section roads to direct the water away from homes and into farm land.  They're using the section roads like small water control "cells". Of course, most of the roads in the area are closed, and there is a strong RCMP presence, to protect the homes and farms where people have been evacutated.  I wonder if you couldn't get the news channels websites on the internet, Beth?  It is interesting and quite a learning experience, if you can get beyond the human cost.

Be - Welcome home...

Good to hear from you and about your trip. Now we have to hear from Cathy after her weekend and then all the flock will be accounted for. I listen intently on the CBC news to update myself on the flooding and what is being done. I have a map handy to refresh myself on geography - actually wondered about Cathy going to Winkler in light of the intentional flooding around Portage. I even wondered about your travel itinerary Patty but it sounds as if you did a wrap around going through Warroad. Today it is raining in our area so after being at Mothers this morning I have had a chance to catch up with housework, and wash after neglecting it for outside work all week. Look forward to logging in regularly again to hear all your news. I meantime, take care.

Hello again!

got back late last night, and am exhausted.  had ot get up early today for a quicck trip to a special sale of embroidery supplies with Dianne Johnson.  They were selling off the remains of a Ukrainian Museum gift shop.  There were a lot of other things as wellincluding all sorts of books, but none in English.  I found some "coton a broder"  which is a highly twisted thread used in both ethnic embroidery and cut work.  We even found a bit of white, which can be overdyed into allsorts of colours.  Then on the way home, saw a sign for a rummage sale at the church down the street so had to go there.  Found some nice jewelry, which we took apart, sharing the beads.  Then a good nap.  Like a very fine wine or beer, I do not travel well. 

At the rummage sale I found a fine china tea cup and special saucer for dainties for $3.00.  I plan to use it for awhile, |thinking of home when I do. and then, when the efffect wears off, give it to another garage sale. I never use mine as they are carefully put away for that special day sometime in the future ( maybe at my funeral?)-or-come to think of it, did I give them to you two? do I even have them?  I'll check, but not today.

The trip itself was succesful.  Traveling in a flood zone is a challenge.  We went south on hwy #59, spending Tuesday night in Mahnomen, then into Fargo on Wednesday, where I found the craft supplies I had wanted, as well as a good supply of brassieres, and a new over-shirt for $4.98.  We looked at a lot of stuff but didn't really spend much.  Found some very nice "Blond Brownies" at Mrs. Field's cookie store that made the whole trip worthwhile-imho- David didn't like them as much.  Then back to Mahnomen for Wednesday night.  The breakfast buffet at the hotel had Bacon (yes, yes, yes!) and scrambled eggs with wild rice mixed in, which were very nice.  Thursday we travelled home through Warroad, which meant a lot of driving.  We had hoped to visit the duty free at Warroad but discovered that is was only for those who were travelling south.  A border guard who on the Canadian side told us to go back to Warroad to buy something at American prices and he would let us take it over under our 48 hour requirements.  Going back into the USA we told the border guard there what we were doing and it was obviously an old story for her.  Anyway , no B&B, but I did get a bottle of Southern Comfort for a good price.

So now here we sit , both somewhat vegetative.  Sometimes when we're fighting battles on other fronts, this can be a good place ot vent, or even to engage in some pleasant , non-threatening conversation.

Be - quiet airways for awhile I guess?

Hope you have an enjoyable trip south Patty and that the weather will be nice for you. I guess the blog will be quiet for awhile with contributors otherwise busy - Patty travelling south and Cathy going to Winkler for the weekend. Maybe just as well as I have come down with a dozzy of a cold today - started at Mothers early with a dripping nose and now is full blown misery. Did not have a great day at Mothers and I am probably having what Patty calls a "pity party"- seems things will likely continue this way so somehow I have to adjust accordingly. So I'll take a break from the blog as well, and try to connect again at the end of the week. Take care.

Signing off for a bit

We've got a chance to go south for a couple of days, so will be heading out tomorrow, and back late on Thursday. I had my bone density test, and while uncomfortable, not as threatening as I had thought it might be.  Tonight is our monthly Ravensque meeting, and it's out in Steinbach.  Since our opportunity to travel was only confirmed today, we've been scrambling to get everything done.  Amber's younger dog chewed through her cable wiring, so David had to shop for some sort of coupling system and head out to her house to fix it.  We had thought we might be trying to drive to both Lorette and Steinbach at the same time, but I managed to get a ride, so everything is organized.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Happy Mother's Day

Finally, a day that I can call my own! Of course it is 10:50 am and I am still waiting for the breakfast I was promised. We worked in the garden yesterday. Got some potatoes and cool weather crops in. It is supposed to rain steady for the next 4 days, and we are in Winkler all next weekend, so we had to do something. I completed my census on line and, lucky me, got selected to do the household survey. The promised 3 minute census turned into a much longer process. We thought our lawn mower was broken for ever, but Cory came out and had it fixed in no time. We are good for another year. We work on the barter system. We gave his family a bag of weiners and they are going to come and cut some more wood. I should say, maybe they are. There were told on Friday that their landlord is selling their house and they will have to move. There is nothing at all available in Neepawa, so they may be looking at moving a long ways. It is a shame, but they are only paying 400 a month, and landlords are getting 900 to 1000 for broken down houses. They might end up with 10 hog plant workers sharing the house and only paying 100 each. Unfortunately, it is the young families that are losing out. It has been pretty busy at work, since we are still short staffed and I find by Friday I just want to curl up and sleep. I hope I have some energy next week. I am leaving at 1pm and heading to Winkler for the ACT Festival. It may still be exhausting, but it will be a fun time. Jim is coming with me. He doesn't watch all the plays, but he enjoys the weekend. Just in passing, I take calcium supplements daily. My problem is that I take all my pills in the morning and you are not supposed to take the calcium within 2 hours of other medication. The trick for me is to remember to take them later. I think it is time to go and whine about my breakfast.

Be - an early morning greeting

Happy Mothers Day to you! Sending my wishes for happy thoughts throughout the day. I was up fairly early to spray down the sweetpeas planted outside this past week. It has frozen every night so I go out early and water them with hopes they will survive. The greenhouses are closed and heated so are OK.
Thinking of you all - expect Amber and girls will celebrate at your place Patty? What are you doing Cathy?
Now with my coffee in hand I shall relax for the moment before the rush of the day begins. Take care.

coffee

So is it coffee we're supposed to avoid or caffeine?  A couple of years ago it was recommended that I take calcium supplements, but when I changed doctors, that was something I left behind.  I take so very many supplements. along with all of my pills.  the only good thing is the refund I get on my taxes for medical expenses. I shouldn't complain.  My $300/month is peanuts ( may contain nuts??)compared to people who spend $1000's, but just keeping track of them is a huge job.

Whoops!  Starting to sound like a pity party again.  Time to shut up.

Be - more strange happenings...

Today I was able to work a bit in the yard but the rain came and forced me inside. But before that I set up that tiny pink table you gave me at the Lake Patty and of course my mind started to wander. When I came in I had an urge to bake something - I was suffering from that darn "hand to mouth" syndrome. I sorted through my recipe box (always fun for me!) and didn't my hand fall on your Cinnamon Rolls Patty, made from the basic Tea Biscuit recipe. We must have been communicating with each other is some manner unexplained. Anyway I made them and then consummed as many as was appropriate without feeling too guilty.
I bought my first bag of peanuts in the shell for this summers enjoyment today- as you know, I love to sit outside and eat away. I happened to look more closely than usual at the labeling as I am trying to cut down on carbohydrates. ( I can see and hear you all laughing at me, especially having just told you about the rolls, right?) Now remember that these were Roasted Peanuts in the Shell. In a big boxed notice was an Allergy Alert which stated Caution /Attention Allergy Warning / May contain traces of nuts. I'm glad I read the label before eating them as I might have been surprised!
Now to bone density - as you know I have been on Fosamax for years, have regular bone density tests every two years, and I am supposed to maintain a diet high in calcium. My percentages were diagnosed as severe but over the years have stabilized somewhat. I cannot cut coffee from my day - try as I might to cut down. My Doctor told me I am well over my limit of daily consumption, and each time I get my teeth cleaned I am reminded that coffee and tea will stain them. So what does one do? Let me know how you make out Patty. I await to hear from my Doctor anytime that a colonoscopy has been booked as she said at my appt last fall that I was due for one again. Patty, I'll trade your bone density for my colonoscopy, OK?
Hope you all have a good weekend. Take care.

Strange structures

It's amazing how often these very strange things turn out to have a commonplace explanation.  A couple of years ago, an Asian-looking couple moved in across the street, and put a very weird wooden box-like thing in the front yard.  We wondered for awhile and it turned out to be a rabbit hutch.  They were raising their own meat. Now they have another box-like thing-y that appears to be about 3'x3'x4'h.  It appears to be in layers and perhaps made out of concrete blocks.  We puzzled over this for awhile and then I noticed that their downspouts flowed into it.  Maybe a rain barrel? (Right in the middle of the picture, once you enlarge it) Let us know when you find out what yours are, Beth.

Got an unexpected phone call yesterday, from my doctor's office telling me that they had arranged for me to have a bone density test.  Now this is something I've never worrried about, given my size.  But I guess that when someone my age suffers a fracture, they have to jump through all the hoops.  Then, by coincidence, I bought a ladies' Home Journal today and there was a big article on bone density.  Of course, I read it end to end and now I'm concerned.  I have many of the contributing factors that they look for, from my early menopause and no hormone replacement therapy, to my exercise routines that are, for the most part, non-weight bearing, and my coffee consumption.  In any case, the apppointment is next Monday, and today I got all of the forms in the mail that I have to fill out before then.

Amber and the girls will be coming for supper on sunday.  I planned a menu from some of the Kraft recipes that I get (thanks Cathy)  One was for a dessert loaf made with graham wafers and Eagle Brand milk soured with lemon juice. I remember this one from years ago, when we all lived at home, so I'm anxious to try it.

Be - UFO's and Aliens

As you work on UFOs Patty, I think aliens must be expected here in Sundridge. Over the last few days we have witnessed the erection of large spacelike structures! Actually they are solar panel columns but very weird looking and certainly out of place. Sitting on a round cement form about 3 feet high, and 8 feet diameter, a long column about 20 feet extends upward and suspended across the top is a large frame about 25 feet by 12 feet. I expect that the solar panels will soon be placed into these frames. The structures are placed in different locations around town including at the bottom of our street in an empty lot at the highway. Do not know who or how they will be used but I'm sure that some explanation will be forthcoming in the weekly rag that comes out tomorrow. I will let you all know once I find out, but for me and for here, it is something exciting. I walked the dog as usual this morning, but today as I came past a house newly occupied last fall, the lady was putting her garbage can out. She seemed welcoming to conversation and we stood on the street for about 10 minutes talking. She came from Toronto with her husband where she lived all her life and stated a sense of wonder and lose to move into a small community but was getting out and getting involved a bit. It was refreshing for me to talk to someone of my gender and age so it made my day, however, the rest of my day was spent in the yard working and tomorrow we go again to Mothers. But I do have a lottery ticket for tonight so the "dreaming" is still alive! ps I stayed up until 2 am on election night watching the TV coverage. Take care

All quiet

David is still not fully recovered from his nasty cold, so is taking things easy.  I've been cleaning up UFO's in the studio, getting ready to work on a purse I've been asked to finish.  Since I've already been paid for it, it needs to be done PDQ.  It will have to be completely done by hand, so I'll have to pace myself carefully, but I have a couple of projects lined up to work on at the same time, both of which require entirely different muscle action.

 So--the highlight of the week, so far, was going out to buy a loaf of bread yesterday.  It was "seniors' day" at the bakery on Logan, so we drove half way across the city to save 10% on a loaf of bread--3 loaves, actually--almost $0.50.  I wonder how much gas we used?  We can get the bread closser to home, but the price is almost doubled.  Saturday evening we are going out for dinner with Loren and his family to celebrate Gillian's 12th birthday.  The dinner with Jeremy in March was not a pleasure, but we're going to a different restaurant this time.

Snow's gone.  The Ladyslippers and rehubarb seem fine.  The Iris are up but the rabbit has been nibbling on them.  David hasn't been well enough to rake the lawn, and now it's all greeen and so high that you can't see the winter debris anymore, so maybe it doesn't matter.

Be - Waiting for the results..

..so I thought I would have a little party. I just ate a bag of Goldfish - you know those little fish shaped cheesy things. Now I feel sick, and it is only 7:20 pm and the election results won't start on TV for Ontario until 9:30! I wonder if I can last?
No forecast for snow in my area right now, so I wonder if we might miss out from your tremendous storm? Amber, it was 2004 when it snowed the first part of May because I was at Cathy's at the time, and have pictures of my car and everything else in her yard buried. The highways were closed and we couldn't get out to drive to Winnipeg to meet Patty. A very vivid remebrance for me. I would be pleased to bypass any snowstorms as Patty very nicely stated "watch your plants Beth" It is a bad time to lose anything now as they are big and producing already in the greenhouses - tomatoes the size of a quarter growing already. Only a month or two and we can plant them outside haha. I have been busy cleaning up the garden, and the yard. Today at Mothers Harry rotatilled her garden and planted safe things eg onions, carrots, beets. We also took her to vote - she was thrilled to go so I guess all the fuss to get her dressed and there was worth it. Harry actually went with her behind the cardboard box and marked the X for her as per her choice. Well, the little fish are still swimming restlessly in my stomach so best go...hope the election results will be for the good. Take care.

Google

I must say that I get a giggle every morning when I first look at the Google home page. I especially like the "royal wedding" image last Friday. Looks Like we vote today--according to Google.

Never safe

Yes, very snowy, but we stayed in and just went out this afternoon- after Samantha had 3 - yes 3 BM's this morning. She's turned into a machine having one daily since Friday. What a change. Hopefully she's over this trouble spot, but I won't count on it. Of course, it could have been the pack of skittles she ate last night. I was thinking this morning about the time I arrived at work in the morning and parked at the Goldeyes parking lot. I then walked to the office above winnipeg square. By the time I got to work, my pants were soaked almost up to the knee from all the snow I had to walk through. That was May 4th or 5th that year as well. Since then, I don't believe it's all gone until mid May. I guess the first day of soccer (Tuesday) will be interesting.

Spring!

Just think, we get to celebrate spring twice this year!  Yeah, we got it overnight.  I just about died when I heard the forecast on Friday--High of 22, snow this evening.  I asked David and he explained that I had mis-heard it.  The high of 22 was for Friday and the snow forecast for Saturday evening.  We were supposed to get 2 cm but I'm sure it was more like 10-12.  They have shoveled the walk for the church across the street and you can see the depth.  I think the brushes have been moved from the car to the garage, and you, almost, can't see the car from the kitchen.  Still snowing and blowing.  Good luck with your plants, Beth.

I still have my shift at the Art Show today, but I think I'll get David to drop me off.  There is a parking lot for people working there, but it's almost a block away.  I used it yesterday and then had to walk in pouring rain.  The sidewalks were submerged and I had to walk along  the curb in three different areas.  All of that water is now ice under the snow, and I really don't want to take a chance.  I may have sold one of my larger matted pieces yesterday.  Not much money, but still, someone liked it.

P.S.  David just came to tell me that parts of Southern Manitoba got 30-50 cm of snow and that we are still under a storm watch, with at least 5 more cm expected.  Hooray!