Getting out and about

Pati, I admire you for your decisions about getting out - you were of mixed feelings about attending your friend Cathie's Show, but you went. And for whatever, or in spite of whatever emotions this event and surroundings stirred in you, you prevailed. Not easy from my perspective, but then I have not had the advantage of experiencing anything similar either. My experiences (or my life?) tends to be totally insular. I think we are all starting to think about our life and our ways differently as we get on in years, and our situations are changing. What I especially appreciate is the discussions all three of us are having together now, about such things. Since we have been sharing with each other via this blog, I no longer feel alone, like I have done in past years (decades) haha! 

Yesterday was a hoot - in the middle of snow squalls we took all three cats to the VET. They actually called from the office to say if we wanted we could reschedule the appointment because of the weather - but I was ready with the carriers, and Harry on board to assist in the car.  So off we went - the whole event only took 45 minutes but I was ever so glad to get back into the house.
I made a new meal of Lentil Patties for our meal - I had heard several mentions of them on the radio - I guess following the introduction of the new Canada's Food Guide. I quite enjoyed them and plan to look at other Lentil recipes - Harry pulled one off the net - a Lentil Loaf  -that I will try also. Cathy years ago you sent a few lentil recipes that I have looked at again - are you still making such meals - maybe share more recipes that you enjoy?
So time for some breakfast and then out to shovel - the plough has already gone by and left it's little gift at the end of the driveway for me to take care of.  And if I feel so moved, all the paths around the yard have not been done for awhile so I must at least clean our way to the greenhouses. Take care 

I went to a talk about mental health

I think I mentioned in previous post that a friend was giving a talk about how mental health issues within her family had influenced her art.  I wasn't sure about going, with it being so cold, and with my having seen some of her work before.  But I did go.  It turned out to be a popular event with standing room only.  I saw many more pieces than I had seen before, and she spoke about which of her emotions each one represented, and how the subject matter and colours used reflected that emotion.  It always amazes me how different artists progress from a vague idea to a finished project.  Cathie puts a tremendous amount of time and energy into preparing to make her pieces, and actually putting them together.  Not really my way of working at all.

But I've been struggling with my work lately, as you may have guessed from the other blog.  The smaller works I have made for years are now very passe.  Seeing my small piece in the exhibition on the walls of the room Cathie's talk took place showed me that.  I have to think about this some more, but it's at the back of my mind every day.

Given that it was Bell's Let's Talk Day, Loren posted a comment on Facebook that really bothered me.  I feel as if I missed something when he was young, that I should have seen.  It's been on my mind all day.

Shopping in the "Great White North"

We did okay, but it was brutal out there.  Before we left we bundled up.  We have always used a couple of old polo pajamas bottoms as long johns.  So I put them on and headed for the kitchen, neglecting to put jeans over top of them.  Talk about operating on "automatic pilot!  There sure wasn't much traffic on the streets, nor in the grocery store.  I used a pair of fluffy gloves, and then the pair of mitts that Mrs. Pearce knitted.  Don't wear them often but they sure worked this time.

It's hard to keep the house warm as well, and we're both wearing extra jackets and sweaters.  The basement is the warmest place in the house, for some reason.  It was a relief to get home, and I was looking forward to staying home tomorrow and Thursday, as it's supposed to warm up a bit for Friday.  But David has been talking about a toothache for a couple of days. Today he called the dentist and got an appointment for tomorrow afternoon!  So off we go again.  And there's that talk by my friend Cathie tomorrow evening.   I was talking to her yesterday and she's quite excited about it.  I still haven't made a firm decision about going.

I've been thinking about family norms.  When I spoke to Cathie, she mentioned her "crazy family".  Using just those two words.  I've also had a couple of conversations with my friend Gail this week about her crazy family, who really are crazy, and have a layer of off beat religion to them as well.  Every family has an element of "Different" to it and each family tends to normalize the activity within the confines of the family.  They are think of it as normal, while an outsider would classify them as really weird.  I sometimes see an element of that in my nuclear family where we just accept as that's the way things are, and then we carry on.  I wonder how we look to an outsider.

And that's my thought for the day.  Back to playing poker, which is itself a whole bunch of weird.

No problem this time...

Must have been a one off error trying to sign into the blog this morning because this time there were no issues getting on. So, I will write a few words before I log onto The Quilt Show to watch the latest episode. I always look forward to when the new Show is posted and choose my time carefully so as to enjoy it with some degree of anticipation.
We also headed out into the snow squalls to head for North Bay but not quite so early as usual - we waited until about 9:30 am to make sure the weather would not get worse, All was well going up and coming back the sun was shining and the sky was blue. No sooner had we arrived back home safely, the skies clouded over and the snow began again. No telling what will happen anymore. How did you make out Pati?
Tomorrow we take the three cats to the Vet for their annual assessment and also needles. I only have two carriers so will shuffle them all together and Harry will hold them in the car while I take them into the office one at a time. Hope it goes well. Then of course, I have to pay for it all before I leave the office haha!
So I have my bowl of coleslaw in my lap ready to eat and watch the show now. I am finding it hard these days to find the right foods to satisfy my sole, and yet to be good for my body.  I almost bought a bag of shredded mozzarella at the store with idea to make another pizza but then read the fat percentage - put it right back on the shelf. If I am to watch my cholesterol as the Doctor told me, I have to be checking the nutritional chart on everything.  Take care!

I still seem to have access

but nothing to say except it is Darn cold out.  The power was only out for just over two hours so we just sat by the fire in the dark.  It was actually kind of nice to have nothing to do but talk to each other.  We should do it more often.

weather

Feels like -41 tonight and we have no power. Neither does anyone else in our area. At least we have a fire. If it lasts too long jim’s Sister is coming over since we have the wood stove. Too f***ing cold without some heat tonight

Pensions

We visited Service Canada today, and later David phoned DND-Pensions.  Not good news, but I'm very glad we did it.  While David might be able to continue to live in the house, I would not.  But we now know what steps we could take to minimize the blow.  A few life style changes will be in order, and I hope we can make them.

Otherwise, it's cold out there.  I seem to remember the Farmers' Almanac predicting a cold bitter winter for the Canadian Prairies, but I don't remember anything about the rest of the country.  David tried to blow snow today, and had problems with the snowblower.  Oh boy!

Dr. Phil's diet tells me that I have to eat avocados this week.  I tried some for lunch and it wasn't too bad.  I've tried to get back on track starting last Monday, and have been doing well.  The <1 4-5="" a="" able="" again.="" and="" any="" anyway.="" aren="" at="" bar="" be="" but="" calories="" clothes="" count="" day="" dessert="" doesn="" figure="" fit="" font="" had="" i="" in="" ll="" more="" my="" nbsp="" of="" other="" pounds="" s="" sample="" samples="" square="" starbuck="" store="" t="" the="" there="" to="">

So right now I'm sitting in the kitchen, looking around at the mess, and trying to make myself care.  Neither David nor I have any ambition at all about thinking about supper, and it's almost 5:00.  But we've been busy with errands, and keeping up the house to a certain extent, maybe we need to veg out for awhile.

31/2 of my 5 charity quilts are done, but my right wrist is giving me grief, so they have been set aside for a bit. Busy work like that is for when my "muse" is taking a break, but now I have couple of ideas that I want to try.  I need to do it while I'm thinking about, or it will get forgotten. Otherwise, I guess that overall my life is pretty boring right now.  We're just trying to keep warm.

The weather is testing me too much....

Cathy I think you got it right? The font is so much easier to write and read.
But it is the weather that is testing my patience now. I heard on the radio someone say that January was Ok, expect it was 89 days long! And I agree. Down to minus 30 this morning and the greenhouses are suffering. I was able to deter the carrying of plants into the greenhouse again, so they sit in the front room on tables right now - better inside here than frozen out there? I just checked Mikes weather in Markstay and his wind chill temp is minus 45 right now. And today another snow storm is coming into our area. Don't you just love it!
Our degu died yesterday - they do not have a long life but still it bothers me to have pets and see them expire. So the cage was cleaned out, with intent to turn it into a budgie cage. (not my idea), That will not occur right now though, as I have to figure out how I will be able to transfer birds and keep this cage cleaned - but then knowing the usual pattern of how things transpire here, I may just have to do it right now!
I started to hook the first kit that Mike gave Harry for Christmas. It is a gorgeous Lion head with golds, and browns. Very difficult to do as I am working from a blueprint grid marked with the symbols of the wool colour to use. I have all the wool pieces colour coded in individual bags to make it easier but since it is 26 by 40 it will take me quite awhile having to first work out what colour goes where.  
So here is to another week folks. And I do believe it is really the end of January.... yeah!  Keep warm, and take care.

A test for Beth

Let's see...... well look at that.  I can see!

Oh Cathy! The questions you raise!

Your post has started a dialogue in this house.  While we've both been settled into our life on a pension for going on 20 years, after reading your post we started asking ourselves about survivor benefits.  We both have 2/3 survivor benefits on our work pensions, but are unclear about survivor benefits on our Government pensions.  And those will have a huge impact on the future. We couldn't get any clear answers off the internet. So next step was to look for a Service Canada Centre.  There used to be lots of them-not any more.  ( Gotta love Google)  But we've found one and plan to visit Monday.  While we have larger questions, one specific one is --could one of us afford to continue to live in this house.  That has huge ramifications for the immediate future.

We'll be visiting a Service Canada Centre next week.

Bitter cold and getting worse

No wonder January is such a horrible month for depression.  We are headed for a week long deep freeze starting off tomorrow with 10 to 15 cm of snow.  I hope it warms up a bit today so we can bring some wood in for the wood stove.  Enough complaining about the weather.  I will complain about work instead.  I spent all day yesterday adding encumbrances to titles that got missed when they were created.  Through both human and computer error.  I got 70 of them fixed, with another 70 to go.  I sent the next 70 to Brenda in Portage and told her of the rhythm I had going on them.  I was doing my examination for acceptance as I added them, but she will only add them and she promised to confirm they are right before sending them back to me to accept.  We will never re-use titles again!!   On the homefront, Jim and I are having a meeting this morning (booked in advance)  I want to seriously see if I can afford to retire early.  I don't think I can because my pension is reduced so that there is money for Jim if I die (not by choice.... compulsory)  Unfortunately it was not compulsory when Jim retired so there will be nothing for me if he dies.  And too many bills to pay.  There is the possibility of contract work with Land Titles but if I want to retire cause I am fed up with it I wonder if that would be wise.  It would be part time though.  One good thing.  Or maybe there is always McDonalds

Gosh, two in one day

Unfortunately, I'm having trouble with my poker program, so have been reduced to reading books.  I started one late last night, and then spent most of today on it.  I'm not really recommending it, as it's a little heavier reading than my usual books but I have been experiencing a real emotional reaction to it.  the book is "Nine Perfect Stranger" by Liane Moriarty.  It's the story of nine people who go to a health spa that promises a total"transformation", although each of them goes for more mundane reasons.   Their experiences do lead to transformations that are totally unexpected.  It's quite a journey.

C2 Lecture

I'm aware of the lecture.  Cathie is a friend of mine, as we both belong to The Fibre Art Divas group, of which I've spoken.  She has brought many of her pieces to our meetings to discuss, and I know she has been through some rough times, and uses that experience in creating her pieces.  I'm not sure about going to the event.  I very much try to go to support members of the group whenever they have special event such as this or maybe a show opening.  But hearing her talk about the mental health aspect of her work makes me a little uncomfortable, and I'm not sure why.  

It's back to the deep freeze here as well.  The windows are more frozen over this morning than they've ever been before.  We increased the humidity in the house this winter--a good thing!  For the first time we now have frost on all the windows and water running down when the temperature increases.

David has been having a little trouble sleeping this week.  We replaced the gasket on both of his CPAP masks Monday, and I guess they are a little firmer than he's used to.  He also got them to increase the humidity levels on the machine, and I think this has worked out well. But that also means that he's going through water more quickly, and that means buying the stuff more often.

Nothing planned for today, other than the usual housework and relaxing in the studio.  I suddenly realized that they are setting up the gift shop in Selkirk next week and I have to figure out what pieces I may be taking in.  They always close for the month of January, as they can't find enough volunteers to man it.  Too many "snowbirds" I guess.

Staying warm....?

Depends what day - or more interesting, what hour we speak of. Yesterday it changed from minus 30's to zero - lots of now all day and then some freezing rain overnight and today we shall see it drop again. There is no way to keep track of these drastic changes so I just go with the flow.  This morning i shall have to clean the driveway again - I took the dog out around 6 this morning, just in time to see the snow plough go by and dump a huge pile of wet slushy snow right in front of the two of us standing in the driveway - that should be fun to clear haha!
However yesterday was taken up with clearing snow and getting the greenhouses ready. The small greenhouse is now heated and Harry is fussing about when i can get the big greenhouse heated. i have the cord in place and into the house but the door needs to be covered with some sort of barrier to keep the heat in and I have not figured that out yet. I had to go to the hardware to purchase an extension cord - needs to be outdoor and of a guage suitable to support the infra red heaters.  Also two new thermometers as the ones from last year were on their last legs and turfed in the fall.  I wish now that i had had more time last fall to prepare for this ongoing push in Jan/Feb as i always know occurs and as I usually have myself ready to respond on a dime - but that did not happen last fall as I have mentioned previously. So today i will try to get into the small shed at the back where i think I have the tarps and comforters needed to cover the greenhouse doors.   An even though the temp right now is around minus 8 C it promises to drop to around minus 26 C by tonight. Don't you just love it....
Pati I received the email from C2 (I am on the mailing list) and saw the ad for the event on Jan 30 with Cathy Urbin speaking - do you plan to attend this? I sounds as if it may be quite interesting and I know you have on occasion, attended some of these events? 
Anyway, I guess i should have my second coffee now and some breakfast, and then head out to shovel. Lots of fun...Take care

Not doing much

just staying home and trying to stay warm.  Busy machine quilting my charity quilts.  Gillian has asked if we have any pictures of Loren as he was growing up.  I think they may be trying to put something together for his 50th birthday next month. I really culled all of our pictures a few years ago, but still managed to find a few.  A couple are from his wedding pictures ( she may have access to those, but who knows) When he had hair below his shoulders.  Very, very different than his looks now.  One of those wedding pictures was of him, his father and Grandfather.  I never appreciated the resemblance before, but it's there--even more so now that Loren's losing his hair.

Hard to believe he's that old.  While I tease that I was a "child bride", we know that wasn't true.  I still remember how old I felt on that maternity ward with all of those girls around me.  I was second oldest there, and the oldest was in with her 4th. The other two women in our ward were and 18 year old in with her second and a 15 year old in with her first.  But you two have heard that story before.

Stay warm, and think of the poor people in the Maritimes and Quebec.

Out to shop in Huntsville this morning

House bound too long.. so we ventured out to do some shopping this morning - car temp reading for outside said it was only minus 33 C. We did not go last week so there was plenty to buy.
Now I feel I have a goodly supply in stock - good food that I like to eat such as spinach and lettuce and yogurt and cottage cheese, and rye bread and soya milk.  Harry is just peeling some avocados that we got on sale and we will mush them and mix with lemon juice and freeze for later.
There is talk again about starting up the greenhouses - I shoveled paths to each yesterday and I have to get a cord out the front room window to the big greenhouse - this means opening the window and threading it through and then insulating the gap and taping it well to keep the cold draft from coming in. I opened the greenhouse door up and another pane of glass has broken off and fallen to the floor so that needs to be cleaned up - and then the door needs to be fixed somehow so it will close - I guess I'll have to find the tarps and blankets, too. C'est la vie?  The little greenhouse should be easier to set up ( should be!!) 
Now I will take some time to  put away the groceries and hopefully make a nice cup of tea - I found a book here at the house to read called Gone by Lisa Gardiner. I went to the Library to order two books yesterday - one another PJ Tracy, and the other another Mark Pryor. Hoping they may come in soon.  So, I better get busy. Take care

Sure need something!

Have gone out for coffee the last few days, just to get out of the house.  It's okay out of the wind, if you're dressed for it, but dressing for it means many layers.  I lucked in finding some very nice gloves at Dollarama.  I bought a fuchsia pair, and then went back for more once I tried them.  But they only had navy grey and black.  Bought them anyway.  I've dug out my knitted scarf as well.  Now I'm sitting with a warm T-shirt, under a sweat shirt under a sweat jacket, trying to play poker.

Starbucks was weird today.  I got sucked into a conversation with the barista, and a roly-poly older man.  Thought he was about my age, but he told me he was 60.  He also told me every tiny detail about his family, and what they have discovered about family through researching their DNA.  I know I've always encouraged us to reach out a bit and meet other people, or even have a casual conversation with a stranger.  This casual conversation cost me 45 minutes that I'll never see again.  But he was obviously desperate for conversation. So often living in the city I see this sort of thing, even closer to home, and have seen it before, at Starbuck's  So maybe I put some joy in another person's life.  I would certainly hate to think that we both wasted the time.

After all of the busy-ness and stress of the last week, we have nothing on the calendar for this week, but I do have a lengthy household to do list.  I'm re-reading the Kelley Armstrong "Rockton" series, and finding many things I missed last time, just as I did when I re-read Louise Penny's Gamache series.  I've often wondered why on earth anyone would re-read a book.  Now I'm finding out, and will maybe do this more often.  I know how much I've enjoyed re-reading John Sandford's "Kidd" series, even if the technology is now quite dated.

Big hug to keep us warm?

It seems we are all in the deep freeze so I am sending all my warm thoughts to you both as I too, try to live through these most recent low temperatures. I was just out with the dog who could not tolerate it so a quick pee and he was in, and lifting his little paws. But the moon was shining brilliantly in a perfectly clear night sky. There is supposed to be an eclipse tonight? but I doubt if we will be able to see it.  Hope all is well otherwise....take care

Trying to keep up with myself

My little volunteer job has exploded, as I suspected it might.  I'm very busy with meetings, all out in Selkirk  It's exciting, invigorating and exhausting, and I'm loving it.  Add to that my trying to make an effort to maintain the status quo on the home front, and I find myself not sure whether I'm coming or going.  My studio "to do" list is fairly short, thank Goodness.  I'm enjoying myself down there as well, making charity quilts, using the pieces David and I cut, before I hurt my shoulder.

But today, I have laundry to do, and the kitchen to clean up, then the bathroom to scrub.  I should vacuum, as well.  We're sure not getting that done as often as we should, and the carpet shows it.  I have ladies coming over in mid-February, and am more aware of carpet problems than usual.  They usually only come over once a year, and I try to have the carpet cleaned just before they come.  But our group is getting smaller, by attrition, and now they come a little more often.  We met for lunch this week.  Because this attrition is perceived as a problem, one of the ladies invited a couple of new ladies from another group she belongs to, and we felt that a lunch together would be a good way to get to know everyone.  Only one of them showed up, but we had a great time anyway.

Time to get to work.  Library this afternoon, with a side trip to Starbucks.  Nothing planned over the weekend, except Saturday evening watching PBS out of Detroit.  Gillian is trying to get the family together for Loren's birthday.  Always a challenge with this group!

Tick Tock ....Birthday time....

Best wishes to Amber with her Birthday to celebrate today.
May we all wish her a beautiful day!

Here it is -33 C and too cold to even think about it. 
So I'll just drink my coffee and bundle up.
Hope you folks there are keeping nice and warm.

re: Grandmother clocks

As far as I know they have all been distributed, pending one of us leaving a legacy.  Kris got the one from Julie, and Eileen got hers, although I have no idea where that one might be now.  She hasn't responded to any contact from me in a few years, and I would suspect that she may have died. She would be in her late 80's if not.  Mine has not worked in some time--since about the time we moved into this house-20 years ago this July.  It will go to Loren, at some point.  We have looked into having it repaired but the cost was beyond what we could afford.  Loren already has the hand made chess set, from Dad, and Jeremy has Great-great Grandpa ( to us) McGrath's  big wooden chest.

The Grandfather Clocks

Funny how your mind wanders and you come up with so many weird questions. I was sitting with my coffee this morning in the quiet as I always do, and heard my clock quietly doing its thing and it got me wondering about all the others. I saw both Cathy's and Pati's sitting stately in your front rooms when I visited in Sept.
So today I ask: How have all the clocks being distributed to Family, and how many are actually working - actively functioning each day, or sitting idle but still in working condition, or not working? 
As I just mentioned, I have one, and it is running regularly with me pulling up the weights as needed and occasionally adjusting the hands because it tends to slow down - I know I can adjust the pendulum to fix the running but I have not done that. It plays every 15 minutes and also gongs the hour on the hour. 
That's it for today....take care.

A lot of nothing...

The simple act of blogging is the purpose for this morning - nothing new or exciting to report. It is milder which is welcome, being around 4 degrees C this morning rather than the wind chilling minus 29 temperatures of the last few days. It has been a chore trying to take the dog out.
I watched the latest show on The Quilt Show and I was not too impressed with the contents - I wondered if I just wasn't in the right mood?  They did display an antique India war lap quilt with motifs all done with beading - massive beading. It was interesting but still I was not in the mood I guess. 
Wednesday we have planned to visit with Daisy. I called yesterday to set it up and was told the tale of them going to Church Sunday morning and then into a local restaurant for breakfast after, and Daisy passing out at the table - ambulance called and took her to Huntsville hospital - but all is well and they figure her BP had just bottomed out.  I will make a tray of cookies to take and hopefully get to speak with Daisy a bit. As I mentioned the conversations seem to always be monopolized by granddaughter Michelle or with son Mike if he is there.
I made a delicious French Meat Roll yesterday - just had a craving. Half is in the freezer and the rest of the other half is mine to enjoy! Also had some beets that had been in the fridge since last fall - I boiled them up and then covered with that nice sauce recipe from Auntie Lorraine and surprisingly they tasted OK.
Well time for my second morning coffee and then prepare for what the day will bring.  Take care

Nice bird feeder...

...and especially since there were birds coming to feed. I haven't seen any birds around here for so long.  But then I have not been putting out bird seed either - maybe some pieces of bread now and then, but then the squirrels get at them. I do dump the discarded budgie seeds into the outside feeder but I do not see who gets that. It is actually a waste of budgie seed when I see what goes out but when I change the feeders I cannot sort through what is eaten and what is not so the whole dish gets dumped and new seed goes in.
Speaking of budgies, I managed to do the big switch of birds from three smaller cages into the new big floor model. As a start I reviewed my notes and tried to put the right mix of birds - probably would not matter but in a way I have felt i have lost track of their order and  parentage already.  At some point they all look alike even if I have documented each with birth date, parents and their description. 
I have started to put together a hooked rug wall hanging (26 x 40) that Harry received from Mike at Christmas. A gorgeous lion face brilliant with golds and browns. The canvases provided are no longer printed with the colours of wool to use but blank - a picture with grid and symbols for each colour  takes its place. And each of the 25 packs of cut pieces came in a mixture of all the colours, so one had to sort through each and set aside according to same colour. That part is now done, and the canvas is taped all around - now I just have to do it. Harry was overcome with its intensity so I was passed it to do, along with it's mate a beautiful picture of wolves all in blues and greys. I figure this will take me a few years so no worry about keeping myself busy haha!
Received a call from dear Daisy's family yesterday - they are on their way up for a week. Her son Mike, and grandaughter Michelle, and the cat Blackie. So I shall call them Monday and arrange a visit. I think Harry will come this time since Mike always asks about him - he was in the Military as well so they have something in common. And he loves to talk so it would be nice to have Harry along to speak with him and then I can have some quality time with Daisy. My last visit with them was monopolized with Mike conversing and poor Daisy did not get much attention.
Pati, it sounds as if you and Geesji had a lovely visit - and nice she took some of your beads.  Do your cupboards look bare?  I have so many beads as well, but not the really nice seed type beads that you have - lots of novelty beads that I will never use - Harry frequently brings bags of them home from garage sales so I just put them away and then never use them.  I also have a very large assortment of rubber stamps - some really good wooden ones (which I have seen in Michaels selling for an arm and a leg) , and also some novelty ones. No idea what one can do with them all.
Well time for another coffee and some breakfast and then one with another "cold" day. It should get a bit milder this week according to the forecast - not soon enough for me. I want Summer !   Take care.

What we've been up to

Thursday, after getting a cheque in the mail, we visited the Wild Birds Unlimited store in a local mall.  They had sent an e-mail advising that we could get a free feeder if we bought two "Seed Balls".  I like to do a little something with the money I get from my crafts, even if most of it goes to pay bills.  Well, we got everything for under $20, a lot less than I had expected.  Now, have you ever tried to take a selfie of your own hand holding something that must be held in a certain way or it falls apart?  Doesn't work well, but the second picture is a little better.  David had to open the hook a bit so we could get it on the pole, but it's up now.  We had figured it would take a couple of days for the birds to accept it, but both Sparrows and Chickadees were spotted on it within hours.

 Then, yesterday afternoon, my friend Geesje came over.  ( considering that she lives an hour and half away, in the country, "came over" is a poor description of the trip)  She had wanted to buy some excess beads from me.  She took home a big tote bag full, and I came away with a fair bit of cash.  We both felt we got a good deal, and my bead cupboard is in much better shape now.

We're pretty busy next week, out almost every day.  Monday, the boxes that have been on display at the Gaynor Family Library, in Selkirk will be coming home.  A couple of people had said something about seeing them, but hadn't put my face to the name.  Not sure if that was a good thing or not.  Tonight, my Midsomer Murders is on again, on PBS out of Detroit.  I do enjoy that show, and find it a pleasant way to end the week.

Gosh, Windows 10

I didn't mean to make Windows 10 sound easy to get into, but once you get into it a bit, I think you'll like it.  I confess that I had help, in that we paid a Geek Squad guy to come out and set it up, but I think Keri helped you a bit with that. Our biggest issue was e-mail, and I ended up on line with Shaw server support more than once.  I don't know who your server is, but do they have any sort of server support?  Next was Word.  That I figured out myself, but it took a bit of experimenting.  I know one thing that our Guy told us was that you no longer have to close everything down to close up.  You just close the computer, and open it again later and sign in.  The problem comes when you keep signing into specific things over and over.  You have to close the actual programs down once in awhile, or you end up with a whole lot of variations of them.  This blog is one example.  If it isn't closed down and I go back to it, I get the version of it that was there before, with no updates, such as new entries.  David tends to get endless versions of Google, and I have to go in and close them all out, every once in awhile.  Please phone me if you think I can help, but your best resource will still be Keri, as she can be there to see your actual screen.

I think that Beth got a one year subscription to the Geek Squad  telephone support, and I've used that too, in the past.  A great resource and well worth the money.

Correction?

That date struck me as wrong especially since it starred Natalie Woods. So I had a closer look at the the video which said package design 1996 but the movie itself said 1979 - much more sense!

Computer woes....

This is not a foreign experience for me either Cathy - if anything gets me all upset it is dealing with the computer and it's components. I remember when Pati switched to Windows 10 and went through similar issues - so I think Pati would be the best resource. Pati, you have just recently mentioned the struggles you had but then how happy you are with what it offers, right?
When we went to Windows 10 some years ago, Harry had so much trouble adapting that I had to have the geek squad revert us to Windows 7 again. My last encounter with the geek squad recently, reinforced the need for us to progress to better software, but I need to keep Windows 7 just to keep peace in the family haha!
Keep at it. Maybe while you are off these few days, you can play with it more in a relaxed mode so as not to get too flustered. 
Here it is still cold - I hate to have to take the dog out. I put his little sweater on but I know it does not do the job adequately so I try to keep the walk short - as soon as he does his thing I drag him back home - poor little guy. I walked up to the Post office and Pharmacy yesterday ( and the Lottery Store) and once downtown I had to detour to the Municipal Building to use the bathroom - I guess my body didn't like the cold either haha! I made a very tasty salmon/pasta casserole yesterday - something different from my usual Friday favourite Salmon Loaf. I enjoyed the taste notwithstanding pasta isn't the greatest thing to eat in large quantities - is it?  I found an old movie in a bag while doing some cleanup and watched it last night before bed called Meteor. made in 1996. It starred all the old named stars such as: Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Martin Landau. Trevor Howard. Henry Fonda, Richard Dysart. Joe Campanelli and others. What a hoot. Sometimes I like these movies - much better than todays?
Today is my Bird day - clean all the cages etc. Also today I must switch some birds into the huge floor cage Harry bought his week - he is getting anxious to see the switch done, but I also have to be careful as to which birds go where as I am still trying to keep them organized as to parentage and siblings etc. hard job!
Take care all...have a pleasant weekend.

Frustrations

I am so glad to have my computer but everything is different from my old one.  Things I used to do without thinking about it I can't figure out how to do on this computer :( .  I know I can ask Rrain to help me but she is so busy I hate to disturb her.  They are making more and more demands on her at work and she is trying to build up her own reputation for transcription. Oh well.  I don't have Monday off anymore, but they gave me Friday in exchange, so I have 4 days in a row off next week and then I have to go to Winnipeg on the 5th day so it will seem nice.  Our manager (now located in Winnipeg) is coming out on Monday so I am going to talk to her about my retirement and possible part time.  All she can do is say no so what can I lose.  Now I am going to go back and play on my computer and have a drink of wine.  If I can't figure out the computer at least I won't mind :)

Am I among the missing?

Cathy, I think a whole new world is opening for you.  Enjoy every minute of it, and while you're enjoying it, you will be sitting and off your feet, slippers or not.  I remember when Windows 10 came in.  Very, very frightening, but once I got into experimenting with it, I found out how much it could do for me.  Don't ever want to go back.

There have been some excellent sales at the grocery store lately.  As a result my freezer is full, and I couldn't add casseroles if I wanted to.  I tried to make a very old bag of chicken thighs taste good yesterday.  Didn't work, but we ate some of them anyway.  What was left has gone into a casserole for tonight, even if I'm not supposed to be eating them.  Filling the freezer, at this time of year has left us a little skint for the rest of the month.  But we should be able to live out of the freezer, and only have to buy perishables, in any case.  Helping out was the payment I received from Carolyn, yesterday, for the work I did for her last fall,  and then today I got a cheque from the gallery in Selkirk, for sales up to the end of the year.  Glad to see both of those, small as they were, as we also had to pay for some car servicing yesterday.  I may also have a customer for some of my beads, and I think both of us would be glad to see some of those disappear, even if they do sell at a loss.

Lots of funny weather around here.  The almost constant ups and downs in temperature seem to really make my arthritis worse.  Not good.

Otherwise we putter along.  David spends time cursing the snowplows that seem to love the boulevard in front of the house for dumping snow, and the windrows that they leave across the driveway.  But they also keep the street plowed back to the curb, so that we can get the car in and out, given the cars parked there.  I keep busy piecing charity quilts, and I'm glad to see the bags of fabric that were cut, for this purpose last spring, disappearing.  The result isn't pretty, but it is serviceable, which is all that really matters.  

Typing on a keyboard

I now have to learn everything all over again.  This computer seems smaller than my old one, but it is just the configuration of the keyboard.  I saw the doctor on Monday.  I bragged about how I had been able to get my shoes on the week before and my winter boots the day before.  He smiled gently and said "no"  He said by forcing my foot into tight places I was actually inhibiting the healing.  He said it could easily be 3 or 4 weeks before the swelling goes away.  He even said if they won't let me wear slippers at work I could just stay home and heal.  Foolishly I said wearing slippers would be okay.  So I am once again wearing shoes that are a size too big when I am outside and slippers inside.  And what happens?  Snow.... Lots of snow. :(.  When I got my computer I also got a Chromecast.  It attaches to my TV and links to Chrome Home.  I can get Netflix with it and You Tube and some music apps and I am not sure of what else.  Kris and Sandi have it and suggested I try it.  It is for TVs that are not smart TVs,  Jim gave me his old TV that was broken and no longer a smart TV.  I have been watching Netflix on it.  I just have to figure out how to get all the other Apps it can access.  I open the app on my phone and it communicates with my TV through the ChromeCast.  Way beyond my understanding.  It has been a tough choice which to play with more.... the TV or the computer.  Tonight I am going to go through my freezer recipes (which I save to a flash drive before my old computer died) and get some meals into the freezer.  I have a lot of stew beef so stews are on the list, and also beef noodle soup.  Some freezer quiches and some chicken cordon bleu casseroles.  And lazy lasagne casseroles.  It is not quite lasagne, but much easier to make.  So next on my list is downloading the pictures from my phone to my computer and uploading the music from my computer to my phone...... I know it can be done, but how??? :)

Printers and hearing aids....

All seem to cost money or so I am finding out. Yesterday was my hearing appointment and it went very well. I was pleased with the fellow who saw me - he himself has a cochlear implant which was quite interesting to hear about. But then the cost sheets were presented to me as to the options available for me to get new aids ( my old ones are too old and of no value now in light of new advances in technology) I brought all the paperwork home to digest, and have another appt Feb 5 for potentially having a pair of "demos" to put in and trial for two weeks. No obligation and no hidden charges as explained by the fellow when I asked him pointedly about this. At this point I do not know how one could pay for the hearing aids except on credit so I must weigh all the pros and cons and make a decision. Even with the government ADP deduction, and with Harry's health insurance payout, it still leaves a heavy load financially if I proceed.
Then we went to The Source and priced a new printer - they are not really that much but they get you on the ink cartridges. We have several packages of new cartridges for our old printer still not used and each of them cost about 80.00 so they are basically useless now. No new machine takes that particular type. Today I shall have to do another set up on the computer to get this new machine functioning - I so dislike all this computer stuff.
Also today Harry is making another large batch of homemade sausages - we have all the meat bought yesterday so the kitchen will be in full force ( me too, I guess haha!)
And the other day we travelled to Callander ( just before North Bay) and Harry purchased a gigantic bird cage which is now sitting in the front room. It will have to stay there as there is no room anywhere else and today I must get it set up for switching birds into it.  This will be a real challenge from my perspective but c'est la vie, it will have to be done.
So, I am running on empty right now or so it feels, but I am sure this too, will subside as all such things do. I have my reading to keep me on an even keel but those moments too, seems few and far between.   How are you making out with your new computer Cathy - any 'test runs" for us to see? Take care

Glad to have you back, Cathy

You've been struggling with this for awhile.  I would be lost without my computer, even though there David's is available for checking e-mail.

My friend Gail picked me up yesterday for a trip to the precious metal dealer.  We visited two stores, and both of them had a tub full of silver plate that they save specially for her.  The two tubs even had her name written on them.  Evidently this sort of purchase is a regular thing for her.  I believe that she pays scrap metal prices for the stuff.  What she picked up yesterday was pretty good quality from what I could see.  She'll now turn it all into jewelry or decorative things like wind chimes.

After that she wanted lunch, and took me to Dim Sum Gardens.  I've certainly heard of Dim Sum, but never had it, and she said that this place was the best in town.  The room was quite busy, and I noticed that there were only two other Caucasian people there, which I'm told is a good indication of quality.  I enjoyed it and would certainly try it again.  Have either of you ever had it?

This afternoon I want to paint some brown paper, so that I can experiment with it in terms of giving it a light waxing.  My arthritis is acting up, and sewing doesn't seem to be realistic right now, so I may as well amuse myself.

Exciting....

....Cathy I can hear your excitement in your words haha! Hope you can get it all set up and organized and then the blog will truly be all  us three!
Mild again and melting and then colder this morning with snow - what a ride we are having. Harry spoke with a lady who has huskies and she tells him it will an early Spring because the huskies are already starting to shed which they only do when they feel Spring coming soon. So he is now wanting to set up the heaters in the greenhouses. Oh well....
I walked the dog to the Lake yesterday afternoon - it is like a winter resort wonderland. The lake is covered with ice huts and fisher persons, and snow mobiles crossing the lake like little ants. At the Bistro on the Lake the sleds were parked double at the back to go to the restaurant - they come off the trails and onto the Lake and into town to eat, and to gas up.
Here at home I am still trying to tidy up from Christmas - I took a load to the storage shed finally but had to shovel the door way and then chip ice in order to open the door. The driveways around the units are ploughed but not right up against the doors. 
Monday early I take the car in for an oil change = the warning light finally came on but I knew it was soon time. Then Bailey has his nails trimmed in the afternoon - it was supposed to be Friday but the lady called from Sault Ste Marie to say the weather was too bad to drive back home so the appt was changed.  Then Tuesday morning I go for my Hearing appt in Huntsville.  That should prove very interesting.
In meantime lots to do here to keep me busy. Right now it is early and I have my coffee to drink, and my Lottery tickets to check Yeah!  Hope you are all OK - Cathy I shall be thinking about you for your Dr appt on Monday. 
Take care.

I have my new computer

now all I have to do is figure how to use it. I did check in on the blog yesterday but then I realized I had no sort of virus scanner. I immediately disconnected from the internet. Rrain is coming over tomorrow to do her laundry and help me figure out my new computer. There is hopr

Many future changes to think about

Cathy, part-time might be exactly what you need.  I sure hope it can work out for you.  Might long term disability also be an option?  Or would that screw up your pension as well, or might they force you to take you Canada Pension?  Lots to think about.  

I'm glad to hear that Mike is finding a social outlet.  He's far too young to be a hermit, even if he is studying hard.  I think Loren might be letting his need for a social life go.  Not good.

Future input

i have ordered a new computer. Okay, to be honest, Rrain ordered it for me. Her new laptop arrived yesterday. No sight of mine yet. At least hers came first. She does transcribing on line so this new computer will really help her. Mine will be more for enjoyment than work. I am also thinking of asking about going to part time. My retirement date is Dec 31 of this year, but more and more I want it to be sooner. This last bout with my health makes me want to retire before it is too late.  I know they have brought back retired employees as contract employees but I am hoping I can get part time and retain some benefits. Contract employees have no benefits. It might be a pipe dream but I will see what happens. My foot is still twice the size of the other one, but the pills the doctor prescribed had bad after effects for me. I am thinking about switching doctors. I feel like I  betraying him but he seems to be a pull pusher. I have had dealings with other doctors in emergency and they really seem to investigate all options before making a decision. I think all the medication I am on is what is giving me all the after effects. I will see what happens. I see the doctor on Monday and I intend to ask about all the medications that have been prescribed. So, now I intend to go to bed and hopefully sleep. Tomorrow I get my hair cut.  Yippee!!!!

I'm not upset, as my wish came true today....

....we went to visit Mike - a trip arranged quickly but then surprises like this are always nice. The drive there was bad and then the drive back gave us freezing rain for half the trip but the visit at Mike's was great. Our drive sounded similar to your described experience today Pati and I think we went through just as much winder shield washer  constantly having to keep the windows clear - I do not like that kind of stressful drive. Anyway, we were introduced to his new lady friend he met at the University. Nice to see him with a new friend - they seem companionable so I hope for the best. He needs some stability, and diversion such as this to keep him active and his life meaningful. 
Now I am just putting the birds to bed and hopefully read a bit before I put myself to bed - I am into the Monkeewrench book Dead Run now, having finished the Louise Penny novel very quickly.  Take care all.

Be careful what you wish for

After complaining about the cold weather we had at the beginning of the week, today the temperature was above freezing.  I had to go out to Selkirk for a meeting, and it was dirty windows, with the almost constant use of washer fluid all the way.  Sort of a strange meeting.  We met in the gallery and the gallery itself is under renovation, so it was the three of us and the electricians.  Now I'm left with a lot of computer work to do, but I don't mind anything I can do at home.

After that it was a lazy day.  We had a small bit of grocery shopping to do and some pills to pick up at Walmart.  While in Walmart, we just wandered around looking at weird stuff, and lots of small appliances we didn't need, ( doesn't everyone need to have a waffle iron that imprints StarWars pictures on the waffles?)  Then we hit the craft section, where I found a couple of craft magazines to buy.  David hit men's wear. He's looking for an transitional seasons' jacket ( inspired by the warm weather no doubt), but didn't find one.  He did find a long fluffy  ladies' bathrobe with a zipper.  It fit me quite nicely and is now awaiting laundry before I can wear it.  The old one is also awaiting laundry before being shipped off to the thrift store.  Finding such a thing with a zipper is a very welcome happenstance.  Then it was off to the grocery store for bread and eggs.  The bill was over $84.  I guess we did a little wandering and wishing there too.  The good news is that we won't have to buy anything but perishables for a couple of months, and the freezer is full.  The bad news is that the COLA cheque I got from my pension people is gone.  Better the grocery store than a VLT, I suppose.  And I have two wonderful magazines to amuse myself with.

Now I'm sitting with a lovely cup of decaf espresso coffee, after a short nap.  It will soon be time to think about supper, but that's under control as well.  Then 3 hours of "Dead Files" re-runs.  What more could a girl ask/

haven't got a lot of snow

But, boy!, are we ever cold.  Wind chills in the minus 30 range, and a nasty wind it is.  yesterday, I tried to do up the collar of my parka, to hold the hood in place, and discovered that the snap fasteners are all female snaps! Go figure.  I've been wearing that parka for three winters now, and had never noticed this before.

Yesterday, we went to see Aquaman.  Over Christmas the girls had been teasing each other about the "eye candy", but I can't really see that there was that much of that sort of thing, except maybe in the first few minutes of the film.  What there was, was a tremendous amount of violence.  I had had enough about half way through the movie.  Then I spent the rest of the film, marveling at what had obviously gone into the filming, and special effects.  If you gave it some thought it was mind boggling.  I also noticed that much of the dialogue seemed "muffled" to me, and wondered if it was just my hearing problems.  I've read about how to judge the effectiveness of a movie, and it usually comes down to the ability of the film to suspend belief, in the viewer.  This one didn't do it.

So now back to the real world of housework and, for me, meetings about volunteer work.  Yippee!

Snow anyone?

Shock yesterday morning to see just how much snow had fallen over the evening and night - more of a shock to see the plough go by and dump a pile at least 5 to 6 feet high at the end of the driveway.  So I got dressed and headed out in the dark - trudged through the snow to the the driveway and just stood there wondering how I should ever start. But taking the advise of Pati as she has so often said: just do something. So I took the first shovel full and three hours later the driveway was perfectly cleared and sidewalks sort of cleared.  Of course in the meantime, as daylight came, so did the neighbours out to their driveways with their snow blowers haha! I was way ahead of them and feeling good about myself.
I forgot to mention that the neighbour Ruth across the street invited me over Dec 31 for coffee and I went - took a tray of cookies with me and she and her husband Gerd and I sat in the front room and had a wonderful visit. I was even offered and accepted a glass of sherry which went down really nicely ( 10 am in the morning!) I needed a little outing and this was it!
Today we are going to North Bay to shop and to pick up a plant that Harry got off Kijiji. Interesting.
I have all the decorations down but not all stored away yet. I missed getting up this morning and turning on my little lighted tree to sit beside and enjoy the early morning quiet. I will have to find some other way to fill my morning solitude.
So here's to the new year and the new hope it brings.Hoping this will be stellar for all of us. I love the blog and look forward to every message and comment it brings my way from you both. So lets keep it up OK?  Take care

A New Year and a Family Birthday

Thinking about Dave today as he celebrates his Birthday. Always lands on the first day of a new year and so here's wishing you a great day and the best year to come Dave. Best wishes.