Be - Wow! It was a trip for me as well...

I followed your every move Patty and think I also tasted your every bite whether New York Fries or Laura Secord. Sounds as if you had a great outing together and by your message there is still more to come!
I walked up to the big celebrations this afternoon - the Olympic Torch made it's way down the Main Street of Sundridge at precisely 3:58 pm today. It was over in a flash but very well orchestrated. I had watched a special on TV some time ago about how precise it is being managed and I would have to say they are succeeding. I also cannot image the amount of public money being spent on the whole affair - wonder what it could pay for if used for poverty, or hunger, or lodgings for those that are in need? Well enough ranting...for there is yet another celebration awaiting Kris as he takes the torch and does his run. I will be watching intently as it winds it way through Manitoba and Brandon.
Patty I have to tell you that when I used the red Delectible Mountain quilt that you gave me on the bed for Mike over Christmas ( I pull it out for special!) I was surprised to spot some very familiar fabric - there were at least three I recognized from that quilt that I used in the nine patch that I just made - you maybe recognized some of the fabric too?
Last night on TV they interviewed the author of Hermetic Code and he states that he sent a first print copy to Dan Brown years ago when it came out, and now the new novel from Dan Brown called The Lost Symbol has some very coincidental similarities to the Hermetic Code. The Lost Symbol is based on the Free Mason connection with the Capital Building in Washington. I really enjoyed reading the Hermetic Code when I was in Winnipeg a few years ago - did you like it Cathy?
Well, life goes on here - had to make a quick trip to Mothers this morning - her homemaker was there and the washing machine quit full of water. Long story short...Harry and I drove to Huntsville and ordered for delivery of a new machine from Leons to come on Saturday. For an extra price they will take away the old one ( once Harry empties it tomorrow) I also brought all the laundry home and did it here ready to take back tomorrow. We will also have to go on Saturday so Harry can be there for delivery and hook up the new one, and I can keep Mother in the living room out of the way!
Anyway, time for bed - just heard all the fireworks going off at the waterfront - today was the Sundridge New Years Eve Family Celebration in conjunction with the Torch Relay so there were the usual activities at the Arena and waterfront. We can see the fireworks from out our front window and can certainly hear the loud ones so its like actually going down to to see them which I try to avoid.
Take care and Happy New Year to everyone. Will be thinking of David on his Birthday Jan 1!

too much hand work

My wrists have started to act up again. So--in the interest of joint conservation--David and I cruised the mall after going out to pay our bills, instead of coming home and working. We had a ball cruising dollarama and ended up spending almost $25.00, mainly on crafts. Now I can spend the whole evening sorting it all out and putting it away. Do you know how many sequins you can buy for a dollar? About 1000. We actually had lunch at New York Fries,then decided to check out Laura Secord for dessert. We had hopes that there might be some Christmas chocolate on sale. We saw Hallowe'en chocolate on sale and--ta da--easter eggs. So, our Hioliday treat to ourselves was a Laura Secord Easter egg.

It was great doing power cooking today. Because my wrists were so sore, everything got put in the Crock Pot, instead of stirring it on the stove. We've just finished building three lasagnes for the freezer, and have at least two meals of spagetti sauce cooling off. There is chili for supper. David says that there is absolutely now more room in the freezer for anything. But this means that it could be a month or two before I actually have to cook a meal again. Whoopeee!! Mind you, the counter is coverd with dirty dishes.

David had asked if we could go to Baked Expectations on his birthday, but we phoned and they won't be open. So we plan to go tonight. There is no way we want to be on the road tomorrow. Now, just think of how much work I'm avoiding and how much fun I seem to be having. While I wouldn't wish sore wrists on anyone ( they sure interfere with sleep), there is an up side to having to change my behaviour and find activities that don't involve fine hand coordination or power grip. Unfortunately, it also means that I'll have to minimize mouse/computer work for the next little while--but I am practising using my left hand for the mouse so that I can play poker

down days

I now have a test class for my Regina classes scheduled for late January. This resulted in an OMG moment, but now I've settled down to work. I knew what I wanted to do, but really didn't have any concept in my brain to pull it all together. So I've been spending the past few days researching design elements, and waiting for inspiration. Finally today, I decided to take a break from the books, and set up the exercises I wanted the students to do. Once I started to type, the flow of ideas started and my concepts have come together. Now I just have to get them on paper and test them myself. I feel I've made real progress today, and I'm quite relieved. I was getting very worried as this class just wasn't coming together. Still a lot of work to do, but at least, I have a sense of direction.

No, we aren't planning to head for Ichiban. Amber gave us some gift certificates for a local bar. We've eaten there before, and like the food. I really wish we could agree on a movie to see. I half wonder if we shouldn't be renting movies, but we both enjoy the poker too much. We may go for a drive in the afternoon. David loves to drive, and we can't afford to drive around Minnesota and North Dakota any more. Besides which some of the highways are still closed there. So it will probably be the interlake for us. Usually I take my camera and try to find artistic shots, but I left it at Amber's on Friday. I think it would make David crazy if I took my sketch book.

Anyway, it's late Sunday night. Too late for more poker. So time for a shower and off to bed.

Be - Snowy day now but we had rain

The rain came on Boxing day - threatened freezing rain so we headed off to North Bay early yesterday, Boxing day, to take Mike back. It was a bit slick on the highways but then after we got back home it poured rain which I hate in the middle of winter. Today it is colder and snowing so maybe all is back to more seasonal weather. I have cleaned up a bit around the tree, and done some wash but otherwise feeling more like I'm in a "twilight zone" right now - can't pinpoint the feeling but probably has something to do with letdown after the big anticipation of Christmas and having Mike here for awhile. I am sure it will soon pass as reality rears its ugly head again.
Mike gave me a new DVD player because mine was no longer working - he knew this, so figured it was no good coming to visit if we couldn't watch movies so bought one as a gift. It was great actually as we watched many movies he brought with him that he knew I would enjoy and then yesterday and this morning I have watched others eg the Randy Bachman music video from the Montreal Jazz Festival that I got some time ago but never saw.
Otherwise all is the same here - hope your Christmas was enjoyable and by the sounds of it from both of your postings it was. And anxious to hear Patty if you and Dave will be celebrating your Anniversary tomorrow Dec 28 at the Ichiban?? Happy Anniversary to you both.
Take care all...

Winter

This was actually the first really poor weather Christmas we have had in a while. It has been really cold, but not storming in a while. I have blisters on my hands from peeling, cutting and mashing all the potatoes. We got to Chicken Delight at about 12:45. Dinner was supposed to be from 3 to 5or 6 and deliveries at 4pm. Well........... of course we were late, but we were over an hour late. Nothing seemed to go right. I got Jean to turn the carrots on early this year, but unfortunately it seems another volunteer thought they were on too low, and turned them off.! Then Jean wanted all the deliveries out before whe let the people eat... with the weather what it was, Jim had over 20 deliveries to make. People kept phoning. I guess they waited to see if they could get out and then decided not. About 20 minutes after he left, Jim phoned to say he was stuck. The Neepawa Press photographer was there (a family friend of Jim's for years.... One of Tim's friends) Well, with the help of the translater, he got 4 of the Ukrainian immigrants into his 4 wheel drive truck and off the went to free Jim.. It seems all they did was lift up the car and move it out! Allan then took 3 of the deliveries that were on side roads, and left Jim the ones to the Manor and Kinsman Courts and the main street. MEanwhile, the handi van had returned to pick up people and they hadn't even eaten yet. Maybe next year things will go smoother. Jean didn't have much left over meat again, but wouldn't you know that there would be a whole bunch of the darn carrots left! It makes for a long day, but it is fun (in a warped kind of way) I have some ideas for next year, One involves not cooking carrots! Today I plan on puttering at home which is a good thing since it is still blowing out. Maybe tomorrow clean the office and then Monday will be my day to do nothing. Both Keri & Kris phoned yesterday which was nice, even though Kris and I played a bit of phone tag. I picked up the phone and it went dead. So I called him back and he picked up the phone and started dialing.. I was saying "Stop Dialinig... I'm talking to you" He started to laugh and hung up the phone. I called him back and we finally connected. He says he heard me talking and was going to answer but accidently hung up. It was worth all the confusion though. They had 12 yesterday and are expecting 29 today You know, this is fun. It's aready after 9 am and I haven't done a thing except make tea and drink it. I could get used to this. Jim is up now I think I will go and be nice to him! Love Ya

Down time

Home again. A pleasant day, but tiring. I fully understand menopause now. While it may be uncomfortable, thank Goodness, it means that women our age don't have small children. They are a miracle in small doses, but it sure was good to get home and open the wine. We had a short time to play Farming Game and introduced Loren's kids to it. I think they enjoyed it and will probably play it again. Poor Amber was trying to function on about 3 hours sleep, which meant that I ended up doing a lot more than I had expected. Actually it was more organizational stuff, and tidying up, but I was tired last night. I took pictures and, of course, left the camera with Amber. She got a very nice camera as a gift, so we can maybe look forward to even more pictures.

The drive both ways was stressful. Very windy and blowing snow going out, to say nothing of how slippery the roads were. While we were there--it rained--and then continued to snow. The cars were covered in layer of ice, which David slowly chipped off while standing in cold, nasty wind. Driving home, in places, the roads were almost drifted over. No passing, although that didn't stop people from trying. When we got to the yard, the driveway was drifted over, but not so much so that David wasn't able to force his way through--bottoming out all the way. He'll be out with the snowblower this morning. On Thursday, we discovered that the snowblower was very low on gas, and desperately needed an oil change. Thank Goodness he took care of that, or we would be in big trouble today.

We're planning on heading over to Gail's for a "Open House" at noon today--if we can get the driveway cleared. I think I'm more worried about the driveway and street at that end. At least we are just off a main road, and as an ambulance route, it gets cleared very quickly. As well, we have a city councellor living on the block. We've sure lucked out that way over the years. When we were on McMeans we had some sort of big wig on the block and our street and lane were cleared before anyone else. And then on Woodside we had a fellow with a loader who contracted with the city, and would clear the street on his way out to work.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I think we'll be sticking pretty close to home over the next few days. Dianne had invited me out to spend tomorrow with her in Steinbach, but I will probably put that off until next week, when the roads have been cleared.

Be - waiting game...

Hi, I have a minute right now to write a few words - may be the last time until after the big day! So I wish you both a very Merry Christmas and hope that you shall enjoy the time with family and friends. I am just waiting for Mike and Harry to arrive from North Bay. Today they helped with the delivery of 780 Christmas baskets for the needy through the Santa Fund in North Bay. Mike has participated for years as Military as has Harry to assist and support Mike and the effort. Harry even went last year when Mike was oversees and nor directly involved himself.
I did last minute cleanup and then shopped for food, and prepared supper ready to cook when they arrive home.
Patty please tell David that the little slip of the Christmas cactus from home that he gave me many years ago has a small bud on one of the branches. Now, he also needs to know that the plant has not grown much but has struggled and continued to live with much tender loving care so when I saw this bud I was overjoyed. I saw this little bud as a message for me - what the message is I don't know but things happen in mysterious ways, don't they?
Well, must go and make a salad, and get the dishes ready for soon Mike will be here and I can't tell you how happy it makes me!
Take care, and lots of love.......

Good for you

I know what you mean Beth. It was an accomplishment just to stand up there and be part of the event. Our Mother drilled into our heads that we aren't good enough to be part of something like that and/or a lady never draws attention to herself. We all need to be part of this sort of thing. It doesn't matter how big a part, just being there is often a validation of our worth.

Cathy, I'm so glad you got to see Kris and Sandy, and that it was a good day for you. Funny, but my son knowing how to cook has made a difference in his life, too. I think it's just a reflection of what good mothers we are, making sure that our children have all of the tools they need for life. Lately I've been seeing Amber cook--after many years of her convincing Darren that she didn't know how.

We, too, are cooking on Thursday. Then packing it all up and slepping it over to Amber's on Friday. All of my family will be together Friday. Amber has even planned to play some games. She has asked us to get there between 11:00 and noon so that I can make some cinnamon buns. then she wants games until supper at the usual time. Darren has invited a friend, who would otherwise be alone. I sure hope he likes to play cards, but I can also see it as a means for Darren to get away from the family for a bit when he feels the need. ( I use the bathroom and a book for 5 minutes of catch-my-breath time) Jesica is very excited about "my cousins are coming". She has always been a little in awe of Loren's children.

But for now, we are just in a holding pattern waiting for the big day.

Be - I am now a performer!

Well, it leaves much to be desired but tonight I attended and participated in one of my music school's Christmas concerts. The owner arranges for the school to play at various events eg the mall, nursing homes etc as a promotional for the school as well as to allow students to play in front of others. Tonight from 6:30 to 7:30 I went to one of the Nursing Homes in North Bay to join in as a student- my very first performance. I really wanted to go to "initiate" myself so to speak.... I figure that if I am going to learn to play that I should also start to demonstrate to others - that is to others than the cats, the dog and Harry's Mother! I thought it would help to improve my confidence a bit as well as show support for the school. The program had about 27 songs and dancing numbers of which I was actually able to attempt 5. These were the only ones that I had learned. For the other tunes, I stood there with the others and held my violin and smiled and sang along. The speed of the tunes played was much faster than I am able to play and consequently I mostly just tried to play a few notes when I could without embarrassing myself too much. I will call it a success for me personally as I achieved what I set out to do and that is to attend and attempt ot play. So here's to me...........
Now we are in the countdown for Christmas and I have been tidying up and making space for Mike to sleep in his old room. And we did the "big" grocery shopping for Christmas dinner yesterday. Most of the food stays here and on Thursday we do ALL the food preparation and then haul it all to Mothers Friday morning. Same old, same old...
Anyway, bedtime. Good to hear from your both via the blog and it seems we are all on the same wavelength about a lot of things which we probably would never be discussing together if it weren't for this means of communication. Thanks, and take care.

We are soooo alike

I got up this morning at 6:30 and fed the cat, turned on the kettle for the tea and let the dogs out. Before I fed the dogs JIM WAS UP!!! it just disturbed my whole morning. It's not that he did anything, but my routine was shot! Does that mean that I am caught in a rut? I soooo value my time in the morning. Even if I have to feed the pets, it is my time. How dare he get up early!! Oh well c'est la vie! My day with Kris and Sandi was great. Kris cooked fish for supper. (keri says that Kris is a g00d cook in self defenses..... should I be offended??) It was sooo good. Keri got her Christmas box on Sunday... The post office delivered it... on Sunday!!!! It wasn't much..same as Kris and Sandi got.. but it was heart felt. Maybe tomorrow I will have my Cathy time.... love ya

Quiet time redux

I've been thinking about this a little more and I think I may have figured it out--just a little. When we were involved mothers, especially if we were working at the time, the only time we were "off duty" was in the early morning before the family got up. In the evenings we were usually exhausted and only loooked forward to sleep for ourselves, but those few minutes in the morning were a calm oasis. Even if our lives have changed, that remains a fond memory at some level.

OMG I've turned into a grandmother! Spent time last night crocheting "dummy" strings for mitts. Does anyone have a better name for them?

And my weight has remained stable for the past month--pretty good for December--or else a reflection on how pitiful my social live is.

Quiet time

I know just what you mean. Even though most of my day is spent alone, in the basement, I treasure that quiet time with that first cup of coffee. No music, but this is the time I can sit in my nightie and check my e-mail and the blogs. I, too, put on a Christmas cd yesterday, and will probably play more over the next few days. I've always treasured my moments of solitude for psyhic, internal renewal, but now I spend so much time alone that I also find joy in just walking through the mall--especially this time of year. I guess I'm still trying to find that balance. I'm always glad to hear that you both are getting out socially. I dread the next few months when we are, somewhat, forced to stay inside because of the weather. A couple of my volunteer commitments are ending soon, and I won't even have that excuse to get out of the house. When I first retired, I would get so "antsy" that I would take a book, and go and sit in the local Starbucks for an hour or so. I may start that again. I know my friend Shirley will always go for coffee with me, but sometimes it's the solitude I crave.

Shirley is a fairly competent 76 year old who has chosen to live an an assisted living facility near Concordia Hospital. She has her own apartment, but has opted for communal meals rather than cooking for herself. She is fairly happy but, the number of residents with emerging dementia is driving her crazy, and she just has to get away once in awhile. She still drives her own car, but will let me drive if we go anywhere. I'm being fairly careful about how much time we spend together, as I think she might become too dependant on my presence, but still enjoy getting together with her once in awhile.

Saw another new doctor Friday, and he has agreed to take me on as a patient. He examined me and expressed confidence that the lump in my breast was nothing to worry about. But he also assured me that he would get the results of the diagnostic mammogram I had in September and, if there was any question, refer me to a specialist. So I have another appt with him for mid-January. He also gave me a seasonal flu shot, so now both arms hurt. The appt is for shortly after my tooth is pulled--yes--the insurance permission finally arrived and that whole thing is a go.

Have little girls for supper tonight, and a pot roast ready to get going. It's almost going to be a "clean out the fridge" meal. The last of the fresh veggies--carrots and a turnip--for "pip'n'squeek", and apple crisp to use up the apples I bought in October. I'm still in the habit of making sure that it's a good meal from the days before children, when it might be the only good meal Amber had all week. Spoke to Loren yesterday. He has the children for the next week, but has to work, so he's taking all half days for the week, working in the mornings and trying to get home in time for lunch. I hadn't thought about it, but Jeremy is now 12, and has taken a babysitting course, so leaving them alone for awhile is quite legal. Loren said that he has left them a couple of times for a little while in the evening, and feels that everything will be fine.

I, too, got a very nice card from Kris and Sandy--one of only two I received from "real" people. Maybe I would get more if I sent some out? Ya' think!?

Beth, are you still planning to make a fish for the Ravenesque banner? I hope so. The ladies have asked after you. We have decided to make them free standing and pin them on with broach pins, so you could put it together and just mail it to me.

Be - Early Sunday morning - nice and quiet

I was up early again this morning - put the Christmas tree lights on and sat with a cup of coffee and all the animals, listening to some Christmas music. I went to bed listening to Randy Bachman's christmas show on the radio so I am getting my fill of mood lifting nostalgia.
On Friday evening we went up to the West Ferris Legion just at the south end of North Bay to atend the TGIF dinner and entertainment. It was Old Time Fiddling put on by a really good fiddler from North Bay and his little band of players. It was an enjoyable evening. Harry had gone into this persons store in North Bay on Wed and purchased a small amplifier for my violin as a Christmas present ( opened early obviously) and this man started to play for Harry right in the store when all sorts of customers were also waiting - he loves to play his music and mentioned to HArry that he would be playing at the Legion on Friday. That is why we went. Apparently he is playing again on Jan 22 but during the show he mentioned that I was starting to learn and may be I would play something on Jan 22. To which I commented "no".
Well, Harry just got up so I must go for now. Take care and let me know how your weekend went = especially Cathy visiting with Kris and Sandi - by the way we received a lovely Christmas card from them Cathy - it was so nice to hear from them.
Bye...

T'is I again

The weather is great right now and there is no snow... We are going to Killarney on Saturday, and the forcast is for snow, or not snow.... don't you love the weather. Pati... I do so love your work,,, I have no artistic experience to go by, but as just a person.. I love it. We had a meeting last night. It is stressful, because we are trying to divide one job into two, and the person in the current job, even though she is overworked by her own admission, does not want to give up any portion of her authority. We offered her the job that we felt she was most qualified for and was most interested in, but she contered with a proposal that she kept what she does and gets more money... the problem is that she cannot do what her job is now... she is just not qualified for it all. Why did I think that volunteer work was fun... I had given the board the name of a friend of mine that is experience in human resources... I don't think she expected to come in on a controversy. On the other hand, I just talked to her and she really understood what I was explaining and had no problem with dealing with it. I have tomorrow off again (yippee!) Killarney on Saturday... and then a 3 day week... and then a 4 day week... who said worked sucked.... oh wait.....that was me! The kitchen is slowly coming along... I think I may have to do some forceful hints, but what the heck... it has taken me 9 years to get this done... I will prevail!!

Love ya

Christmas Concert

Yesterday was Jessica's first school Christmas concert, and we went to the matinee. We were early enough to get good parking and good seats--and that's a whole bunch early! I hadn't realized that her school went all the way to grade 8. They obviously have a very thorough music program there, and, of course, every grade had to put on a number. The first two were the rythym band and they were pretty bad, but then they got into a play representing a talent contest and I was surprised at how inventive they were at both the numbers themselves and how they managed to get every child involved in some way. Overall we actually enjoyed it, to the point of laughing ( approriately) at some parts. Being French immersion, most of it was in French, but they had narrators who provided any translation necessary. Amber had arranged that we took Jessica home after the concert, and she was all "puffed up" at the importance of having her Grandparents pick her up early from school.

We had to bring her home because Darren needed to go and get his dog from the vet. The poor thing has some sort of hip dysplagia, and they had removed the head of his femur. I've heard of this being done for people, but didn't realize that they did it for dogs. And they sent him home within 24 hours!! So a very unhappy dog, and worried children. I hope it all works out. When everything is said and done, they are going to do the same thing for his other hip.

So tomorrow I have to introduce myself to yet another doctor. I half expect him to say that he can't take me on--that I have too many potential problems. He's associated with the Manitoba Clinic, so I have hopes that referrals will be a bit more easily done. And if he doesn't work out, I still haven't cancelled my January 22nd appointment with the female doctor I found last August. This is an appointment to discuss the urgent, repeat mammogram I had last September--the appointment that has been pushed back beyond all reason--in my opinion.

And I got a Royal Flush playing poker last night! Haven't even seen one of those in over a year!

Be - Did you want some more snow?

I think you were requesting some snow, weren't you? You can have all you want as we have lots to spare and more coming down as I write! We are also getting your cold snap - going to 25 below tonight but I think it may not be as bad as you have been enduring lately there.
I have a few minutes to write a bit this morning - Harry has gone shopping on his own today. I was in North Bay yesterday for my violin lesson but ended up having so many tasks to complete that it took most of my day and I never saw the inside of a store to do any shopping of my own. Oh well, a few lottery tickets, and scratch and win tickets will have to do I guess!
Mike had requested a Christmas gift from us - which is good to have an idea of what to buy - but he cautiously asked us over the weekend if we actually bought it, and if we did, could he have it right away? We bought him an "I Pod Touch" - the technology eludes me - and so, I delivered the wrapped gift to him yesterday as he had two friends there at his home over the lunch hour from work who were going to help him upload, or download or whatever one does to get it working! He was very happy and appreciative - so that was enough to please me as well. Gifts that are successful are always good.
On the other hand, Harry's Mother needed a new electric kettle so his brother bought her one and she opened that gift when we were there on Monday as we knew her other kettle was leaking a bit. Well, she is "not amused" with this new one - does not like the shape or how it works ( sits on a docking station) So today Harry will buy her another new kettle the same as her old leaky one in an attempt to keep her happy. Harry has already told his brother so it won't hurt his feelings. We also bought her a gag gift that she opened early too. It was a bag of Wheat Fluffs cereal that apparently she used to enjoy eating all the time when they lived on the farm. HArry thought it would be a nice surprise for her. She was happy when she opened it but since trying a bowl she has complained that it has no taste and she doesn't like it and even asked HArry if it was "old" etc. Lots of complaining that Harry and I have to manage best we can.
Anyway, must get back to some work here at home. Oh, my appointment with the eye specialist that I was to go to today was postponed and now I am not going until January 25! I was so anxious to go to see what was going on with my eyes and now will have to wait this much longer. Hopefully it will turn out OK. I think of you Patty and your saga with your teeth and give a little chuckle about all the little troubles that seem to beset us!
Take care

I'm Bo-r-e-d!

It's too cold to go out. I spent most of the day hemming pants--and I did it the long way to help the time pass. All we seem to be doing is sitting around waiting for Christmas. It's been two weeks and I still haven't heard back from my dental plan. Surely they aren't going to say that they won't pay for the bridgework because "it's cosmetic". I now have a vision of getting the permission in time for me to celebrate Christmas and our anniversary with a hole in the front of my face!

The second problem with being bored is that I eat. I seem to have been on a binge for about a week now. Thank Goodness we don't have any goodies in the house, although David baked sourdough bread today. Anyway, just a quick note to let you know that we're still here. Not much snow, but I think Beth got all of that. Sure is cold though.

Money

We had a bit of a surprise. David had deposited all of the cheques from my sale at the end of November, and we were waiting for them to clear. I bought all of my Christmas gifts, and we were really broke, so went to check if the cheques had cleared. There was far less than I had thought in the account, and we're taking the car in tomorow for a full check up. This is only covered under warrantee if they find something that is covered. So some concerns, but when the bank statement arrived, we found the money from the cheques in an entirely different account! So our skrimping all month has left us with enough that we may be able to go out for our anniversary, depending on what the car costs.

Our anniversary is one thing that I try to celebrate in some way every year. Even birthdays ( except for the children) sometimes slip by, and Christmas ( again, except for the children) has never been a big celebration within the Findlay family. Our favourite place is that Japanese restaurant we took you all to--Ichiban. They have been extending the walkways around downtown, and have built a section right over the Japanese garden that was in front of the resaurant--I wonder how this will affect the place--it was hard enough to find before. This is our 44th anniversary. Forty-five is Rubies. I wonder if David will give me rubies next year. LOL

Today Amber is taking the children to her Christmas party from work. She is on the organizing committee, and so far we've been heavily involved--mainly in arranging for a throne for santa. Every child gets a picture with santa, and a gift, as part of the cost of the party. Well, Amber and I shopped for fabric, screen printed the snowflakes on the fabric to fit over grids for a backdrop. I made up the curtain to fit over MY grids, borrowed an extra grid from Dianne, and have agreed to let them use the big white wing chair from my living room for the throne itself. Now, this morning, we find out that we are delivering the grids to the hall and setting them up. My Spidey-sense tells me that we'll probably have to take them down and bring them home as well.

Brrrrrr

Well, it's not even winter yet and the temps are -51 with the windchill! We lit a fire in the rec room and snuggled down. Back to work tomorrow. I didn't do that much this weekend. I got the laundry and vacuuming done on Friday, and we worked meat draw again (won our usual) Yesterday we cleaned the office (I cleaned the office ... Jim got his H1N1 shot) Then we went down to Jean's. The Hutterites have built her a porch and were going to cut down some trees that were in the way. They would not listen to anything Jean was saying, so she asked Jim (the token male) to come down to support her. I guess they met half way, because they are going to bring the porch in the way they wanted, but they cut down the trees Jean wanted. (they would have leaned over the new porch, and looked like they might even fall on it) Jim went back to the legion at about 4pm, but I had had a warm bath and put on my jammies by then. I was NOT moving. Today I have no plans, but I think I would like to get the bathroom clean and start on the kitchen. Our vent pipe is frosted over, and everytime I flush the toilet, I think it is going to come back up the bathtub drain..... I do so love winter. Pati, you will have to keep us posted on Dave. It sounds scary, but you said the Doctor seemed positive about things. You know we are both here if you need to talk. Christmas is almost here and I have done absolutely nothing. I think I will see if Kris and Sandi want to come and visit sometime in January. Of course, Jim signed us up for crib, so we have to work around the play offs. (Jan 9 & 23 so far) All Keri wants is striped socks, nuts & bolts and short bread.... and, of course, money. Since I have no money, no shortbread and really poor nuts and bolts, I guess she is out of luck again this year. I hope by January I can get caught up on some of our bills... why does everything seem to come due at Christmas? Its a really poor time to be this broke. Oh well, pay day is Friday and it will almost get me out of overdraft. Time to get some tea... have a good day!

Be - Lots of snow but we are still OK

Thanks for thinking about us here -especially with the state of snow emergency being called by local officials. It is true that within a few days we went from grass to over three feet of snow but might as well let it come all at once! We have not been hit as bad as Huntsville and area which is just south of us. I was at Mothers Thursday and Friday ( another sleep over) to do baking and spent much time shovelling as well. Harry's sister lives in Huntsville so we heard via phone calls how it has affected them. The ski sloops are happy as could be because it was looking dismal for them last week.
Today we go up to North Bay - to do a few chores and then go to the Symphony Performance at 7:30 pm. I am looking forward to the show but not necessarily the effort to get up there to attend. When I came home from Mothers yesterday afternoon I put up our Christmas tree and decorated it best I could in a short time frame. I love to sit and look at the lights so was anxious to get it up but we have been so busy it seems, I wondered when I could do it. Bite the bullet and forge ahead I guess gets the job done in spite of being so tired from last few days of shovelling and being at Mothers baking non stop. And then at 7 pm when I thouhgt jammies and cuddle on chesterfield to watch TV was in order, Harry suggested we go over to the auction barn and listen to the "jam" - a few guys get together every Friday night to jam. Got home at 9 pm, in time to get ready to watch Spectacle with Elvis Costello at 10 pm. All in all a busy few days.
So must go to tidy up at get ready to hit the raod again.
Good to hear from you and thanks for nice comments about the quilt I made - it took a lot of time and energy and struggling from doubt about process to get it done.
Take care

Difficult news

David was at the Dr. yesterday to have the stitches taken out of his face. The lab results were back on the growth that was removed, and it has proven to be a melanoma. However, he was assured ( the Dr. read the lab report to him) that there was enough of the surrounding tissue included that they are confident that they got it all. But this meant that the Dr. decided to treat the other spots o his face and head a little more aggressively, so he used liquid nitrogen on 6 of them. He first outlined all of them with a special pen, and they can't be washed, so poor David is running around with all of these very reddened, blistering spots on his face, each outlined in blue pen. He has also been told to go back at the first sign of any new spots ( which tells me that new ones are expected) and that he must wear a hat year round.



Dianne spent a little time with me on Wednesday. Roseanne had sent us an e-mail advertising a bead sale, just a couple of blocks away, and I wanted to get there early, so at 2:00 we were waiting at the door. As part of the first 10 customers we got 15% off the already discounted merchandise. It turned out to be the remnanat of the store that had closed in Osborne Village as well as new stock she had brought in. She plans to try to operate out of her home. So we spent more than we could afford there. While we were there Dianne got a call from her husband (on my phone) asking her to pick up a package in Garden City. Then we were off to Poco Beads on Archibald, because, for some reason they were having a bead sale as well ( very quickly re-scheduled from some time next week). I was strong--and didn't buy anything at Poco--I was too embarassed at how much I had spent at the other place. Dianne invited herself for supper, so we had to make a stop at the grocery store on the way home. A pleasant supper ( that's when I showed her the picture of your quilt, Beth). Then, Dianne had a meeting at the race track and I had a quilters guild meeting. But my car wouldn't start--and I was supposed to pick my rider up in 10 minutes. So Dianne offered to drive us to our meeting and then head out to her meeting. Can you imagine the kurfuffle--Dianne in an emergency?

Anyway, the meeting went fine, and no-one noticed the cell phone I had in my brassiere--which rang twice during the meeting--Thank Goodness not when I was at the podium speaking. After we left, David remembered that we had road side assistance as part of our warrantee, and got a boost. Then he spent 2 hours driving around trying to charge the battery. So, for now, the car must be in the garage plugged in. The garage that is full of bicycles and a canoe. And it must be backed in. because the plug is by the door and on a short cord. Did I mention the canoe and bicycles? So David has to drive it in and I have to guide him. Which means both of us out in minus 29 every time we use the car. However, we have an appointment to have it checked out Monday morning. Thank Goodness again for warrantees.

NOthing else on tap for the next few days--not even company for supper Sunday. Amber is taking the little ones to the Christmas party from work.

baby sister is put in her place!

You are both so artistically talented!! I went to the blog to show the rest of the office my kitchen and they were so taken with your work, Pati..... Then I got the mail and your pictures were in it, Beth, and everyone looked at me and said...."your sisters??" Everything is so beautiful!! Beth your quilt looks so comfortable... I know that sounds weird, but it is a compliment... I just want to cuddle with it. I have tomorrow 0ff work... I am making no plans.. if I stay in bed so be it.. (of course we have to work meat draw again tomorrow, but what the heck... maybe we will win something (not!!)) Debbie, our new person started on Monday..... She is still struggling with the work, and details, but she talks to herself and she is semi warped... she fits in just fine.... I am soooo glad that she is not up tight etc... she was at first (of course) but she was soon on the receiving end of our humour she started giving as good as she got!!! She has a sense of humour and can see the "Other" side of a lot of comments. Patty, (our artistic staff person )loved the posting and picures... she also wants to write, so Kik is looking into sources for her. Just to reinterate in case you missed it.... I have tommorrow off work..!!!!!!. I have already told Jim that he will be feeding the animals while I sleep... we'll see. I am sooooooo going to do nothing! Okay, so I plan on emptying the cupboards and getting ready to paint... but if I don't do it... so what...how lazy can you get... talk to me later.. I will tell you how lazy I can get!!!

Quilt pictures

arrived today. What a great quilt, Beth. You must be very pleased. It's so very good to see the little squares used--finally--after they spent so many years in my house! I have a whole bunch more, if you need them--or feel that you're on a roll! (lol) It looks quite fine, and the colours all seem to work together--as they often do in a "scrappy" quilt. Thank you for the pictures. Your choice for backing works very well with the whole thing, and the sashing--front and back--pulls everything together nicely.
p.s. ignore Dianne

Radio station prizes

We have that sort of thing here as well. A lot of it here is accessed through the internet. One of the ways you get the points is to actually go to different sponsors and get a special code to enter in. It sounds as though it's proven worth while for you, Beth. We've never bothered to sign up although we listen to one station pretty well consistently ( the old CKY that was our mainstay when I was young). Maybe I need to re-think that, although symphony tickets have never been offered, to my knowledge. Since we're now facing three+ months of being confined indoors, there may be a lot more radio listening in my future.

Cathy was right. We had really wanted to travel in day light. David's vision is not good, and seems to be getting worse. I'm finding it more and more difficult to drive a night. I can understand why older people become less and less socially active. I want to avoid that sort of thing, but it's really an up hill battle.

Having said that, today will be our last day without appointments for awhile. I received my Quilting Arts magazine yesterday and there is a technique in it that spurs my interest--and not much does these days--so I'm going to try to explore that a little. I also found a technique in a "Stitch" magazine that I want to take another look at. Both are collage techniques, and use similar materials. The Stitch magazine is borrowed and has to be returned tomorrow evening. I was getting a little "antsy" about it until I remembered the copy function on my printer. Duh!

Now I've screwed up completely. I tried to add the picture here, and it's not moving! I had promised a picture of my entry into the November Fast Friday Fabric Challenge. I hand painted little neurons, then free motion quilted them and then added beads. I'll put more on the other blog.

Deletions?!?

You deleted that picture!!! Thank you!!! Beth, you missed nothing.... it was not!!!! a picture of me..... I am sure that some warped alien accessed the picture and altered it.... I do NOT look like that. Ihope that you can grasp the green... it is not moss, or forest or mint.... it is green. I wish that Pati and Dave could have stayed longer, but they probably wanted to get home in daylight anyway. It was so good to see them (and try to get the picture posted) A new experience for me! I am soooooo excited about getting the rest of the house done....... good thing I plan to live to 100!!!!!

Be - Thanks for the tour

I was so looking forward to hearing from you both today and I was not disappointed - you even sent messages/pictures while together at Cathy's. The weather I can see outside your window in one of the pictures shows all the white stuff vividly. I guess it is true then that winter has finally come with a vengeance. This weeks forecast is out to prove this to be correct, as is the view from my front room window to see the snow flying around wildly.
I went to Mothers today alone as Harry wanted to help out his friend at the auction barns. He will go tomorrow and put up her Christmas tree, and then I will go again on Thursday to do the baking and spend the night.
On Saturday night we are going to North Bay to attend a Symphony Christmas Performance. Harry got these tickets through the radio station - I think I told you that we enter words and codes every day to gain points - then we can spend the points in purchases or auction items etc. This is how I got my digital camera, the $500.00 gift certificate last year, and pending winning another $200.00 certificate if I win this latest auction - all using the points we have accumulated.
But for now, it is bed time. Again, good to hear from you and hope your drive to Cathy's and back wasn't too bad Patty? Take care

We were out to Cathy's today to return her Marriage Quilt, and to see the kitchen renovations in progress. I took pictures of the new cupboards over the stove, but Cathy, herself, got in the pictures and ruined them (LOL). At her request they have been deleted. Those cupbards have moulding on the doors, and have been painted white, with some nice hardware. Cathy tells me that she got lots of extra hardware, which will be used on the remaining old cupboards once they are painted. The other walls will be white , and the jury is still out on what colour the remaining window frames will be--white ( probably) or green. I voted for green. They are planning to paint the living room as well.
The previous post had a picture of Cathy's kitchen taken from in front of the stove/window and showing how the opening has been enlarged. Now the whole living room is visible and you can watch and hear the tv while working in the kitchen. The above picture is taken from the top of the stairs. Nice back view of Jim, and you can also see the back of David trying to run down the hall so that we don't catch him in the picture

take two

My kitchen.... It took a long time to figure out how to do this, so enjoy!

Take one on the kitchen pictures (ooops)

We tried to post pictures of Cathy's kitchen. Since neither of us really knew what we were doing, (my camera and Cathy's computer) instead of the picture we were trying for, we got a nice image of someone on her first day of school

Not a bargain after all

Pati here
A couple of shopping trips ago we found utility turkeys for $0.96/lb. We bought. Like Cathy, I've been craving old fashioned comfort food, so we hauled the turkey out to cook for the family today. Lately we have been cooking poultry ahead of time so that we can clean up the kitchen a bit before we eat, ( sure miss that dining room!)and David decided to cook it yesterday. What a tough old bird! There is no way it can be eaten as is, so this morning we are making casseroles, in hopes that long moist cooking will help it out a bit.

Christmas shopping and gift wrapping are done. I need to buy two small gift cards, but I know those are cheap at the dollar store. I plan to have the little ones help me decorate the tree when they are here today. All of the Christmas china is out, and yesterday I started the house cleaning. Why am I ready so early, you ask? Pure procrastination--nothing is going well in the studio, and I'm avoiding the place. I forced myself down there yesterday with plans to start finishing the beaded purse I've been working on over the past month or so. I had the finishing fabric half cut out, and carefull tucked away ready to go. Do you think I can remember where I put it??!! After an hour of tearing the place apart, I gave up. Then I decided to work on another piece that has been difficult to plan. I sketched out embroidery lines, and went for supper, came back and realized that it just wasn't right, so erased the lines. The deadline for that piece is tomorow night. It seems that whenever I make myself go down there, the result is frustration. At this point I'm thinking that my best option might be to eliminate all possible deadlines, and work for fun for awhile. There is only one deadline I can't avoid, so this might be a reasonable option.

I have been havong a few memory failures lately. I remember another elderly stitcher, who ultimately developed Alzheimers. Her first symptoms were the inability to plan/design work. She would gather together all of the supplies, and then not be able to continue on. Don't want to go there!!

I watched Fargo last night. A few weeks ago, I read a book in the series about the lady police chief/sheriff/ or whatever the heck she is, and had heard that Fargo had been based on the same series. It was somewhat hard to get into, but worth it in the end. I think they messed with the character of the lady, compared to the books, but I think it was only in an effort to emphasize the counterpoint between normal people living their daily lives and the anti-social/psychopathic lives of the bad guys. I wish I could remember the name of the book author--I would like to find some more of the series.

So here's David bringing me my coffee, all dressed and ready to start work. Guess I better get moving.

Sleeping in

It's amazing how much I look forward to the weekends so I can sleep in and then I am wide awake at 6 anyway! We worked meat draw last night and won our usual. No wonder I have to buy meat! Tonight I am working a supper at the legion and then tomorrow I promised Jim he could set up the tree. He has been painting in the kitchen for quite while now. He said it would go much faster if he didn't have to patch and sand so much. I like the look of it already. The west wall, where the opening to the living room is, is now painted green. The opening has been enlarged, and all the trim is white. The rest of the walls will be white, and the cupboards will be the same green, with white doors. I am looking forward to the finished product. Eventually, (hopefully before summer) we will get everything painted. Winter sure hit with a vengence. I am not prepared for the cold! I still want to wear my fall jacket. The new person finally starts on Monday. It has been a long 5 months. She came with holidays to use up, so I gave up my Christmas but I am taking the first week of March. It says a lot about my summer when I still have 18 days of holidays to use up by March. She is also going to Mexico in February. Life must be rough. I just hope she stays for a while. Jim has crawled out of bed. We had a miscommunication last night. Because we haven't been sleeping well, he said we should try a different bed. I moved everything into the other room and went to bed. He came up later and just climbed into the old bed. I must admit it was nice having an entire bed to myself. I took a chicken out for supper tomorrow. I feel like a nice old fashiioned meal with chicken and mashed potatoes & veggies and gravy (I'm getting hungry!) I saw the Doctor yesterday. He has put me back on an inhaler. He says it will help to loosen up my cough, which I have had for a month. Right after I tried it I could feel the difference so it seems it will work. Time to convince Jim he should cook me breakfast. Love Ya

Life is routine??

hardly at this time of year. I went in for the flu shot Wednesday morning. Today, I'm up before 6:00 because my arm is too sore to stay in bed. David expressed concern because, in his opinion, I take too many pain killers, so no Tylenol. I should be able to nap this afternoon. This will be the first Friday night I've spent at home in awhile, so get to watch ""Til Debt do us part" tonight while I'm beading. I'm hoping to take some stuff into the gift shop of the Costume Musem of Canada today. The Executive Director spoke to me at the craft sale last week and I called her yesterday. She is actually someone whom I've met in my dealings with the Red River Ex. Better my stuff is there, even if I have to pay a commission, than have it grow mouldy in my basement.

Yesterday, there was an Embroiderers' Guild meeting. My friend Carol James was guest speaker, but I've heard her talk before, so I took a little quiltlet I'm working on for the Fast Friday Challenge group. I managed to get all of the beading done, so now only have to finish the edges before I post a picture on the internet site. The deadline is noon tomorrow. The challenge was to use a microscopic image of something for inspiration, and incorporate paints and/or dyes into the process. I hand painted a small piece with my memories of neurons from the cytology course I took in 1964. Then quilted it and yesterday added little squiggles with beads. I used whatever paints I had on hand, in mainly primary colours, and was stunned when it was finished to realize how much it reminded me of Aboriginal art. I'm having real trouble getting motivated in the studio, and I'm hoping this project will "kick start" the process.

Otherwise we spend our evenings and sometimes our days playing internet poker. David arranged to transfer 100,000 of his play money chips to me, so now I can play for awhile without worrying about running out of chips. Before Sunday, I want to have all of the Christmas gifts wrapped. Some are quite big, and I have nowhere to hide them, so want to keep little eyes from seeing too much. We have decided not to make Nuts and Bolts this year--I may have already mentioned that.

Be - I have had "cookies" problems again

I have not had time to fuss about with this blog until now - I had messages that prevented me from signing in and just now able to enable whatever "cookies" were needed to sign in. I can't really understand it totally as it happens only intermittently but my guess is that if you do not sign in on a regualr basis it will acknowledge this by not allowing you to get in.
Anyway, it has been a busy week. I had another sleep over at Mothers in order to do her Christmas cards. Next week I'll go again to do some baking for Christmas. Tomorrow we go up to Kirkland Lake for a day trip to visit Harry's brother and wife. It is calling for some snow and squalls so hope the weather will not be too bad for the drive.
I have signed up for a workshop on Saturday related to my violin. A guest is coming to present specific workshops geared to ability level - I have signed up for the beginners session from 10:30 to 12 noon. It will be 1.5 hours of learning how to express yourself better through the music and your playing, how to join in to jam sessions, how to accompany others etc. I think it will be most interesting and comes at the right time for me as I am just beginning to feel comfortable about playing. At 4:30 pm those that wish will join together for dinner and then back to the centre for a real "slow jam" session lasting to about 7:30 pm. It is a long day but I figure I could do some shopping between 12 noon and 4:30. I know Mike needs to do some grocery shopping and I could do some Christmas shopping so the time will go quickly.
Well, I had my mammogram Wednesday and also took my hearing aids into the shop for a cleaning and maintenance. Wow! Hard to find exciting news to share with you both, eh?
Take care... I better go to bed as we are to be up at 3 am for the early start to a 4 hour drive to Kirkland Lake.

(Insert primal scream here)

While I was out yesterday two things hapened. A letter from Sun Life stating that they would not authorize the plan the dentist submitted without further information. My extraction is scheduled for tomorrow, and I'm not going to let them pull out a front tooth without some plan in place to replace it! I've organized my schedule to minimize any social interaction during the 7 days that I would be without a front tooth, and now that's down the tubes. Still it will make the funeral tomorow evenign a ittle easier to bear.

Then David tells me that my doctor's appointment for Friday has been re-scheduled for Jan 22nd as she will not be working during December. This was the follow-up to the mammogram I had done in September regarding the lump in my breast. I don't think this doctor is going to work out, so now have to start the search all over again for a new one. Meanwhile, I still have a lump--and I'm running out of pills.

All of this has so bothered me that my brain went into gear about 4:00 this morning, and I've been up since 5:20. I have a heavy duty meeting over supper tonight, followed by a Board meeting at the Museum, where I have to take minutes. Oh Yeah! Today's going to be a good one!

Winding Down from Yesterday

Yesterday was the Viscount Christmas Wish Sale. (They call it a wish sale rather than a Craft sale, because there are also commercial venders there for things like tupperware, spices etc.... home type businesses) Jim & I worked from 8-10 helping crafters unload, then Jim went off to clean the office. I worked 10-11 selling raffle tickets (we didn't win anything) and them 11-12 just roving the hall. All we bought was a pizza for supper and a tea leaf strainer. ( I also got a bunch of free sample of tea) We bought paint for the kitchen (green) and went back to town at 5:30 for the Parade of Lights. When I write it down it doesn't sound like much, but I was tired by the time we got home. Today we are going over to Gary & Jean's to watch the Grey Cup. Gary invited us over last week. He doesn't get out much since his stroke. Jim played a game of crib with me this morning but it was such a bad loss for me I don't even want to play Crib again! (I told him to let me win, but noooooo)The last of the laundry is in the dryer, and Jim wants to get a bit more wood cut today. I need a shower, but there is no way I will do that before we cut wood. I come out of it covered in sawdust and chain saw oil! I also have no committments on my calendar until next Saturday (I have to work a supper at the Legion) It is going to be kind of nice to just come home and putter. I have lots of dusting to do around here, but I am not going to do it until Jim is finished sanding the walls. It's just a waste of time . Tim called us yesterday. He has broken up with his girlfriend. I can't say that I am sorry as I found her very self-centred and demanding of Tim. I know he wants to find someone but I hope he doesn't convince himself he is in love just for the companionship. The dryer is buzzing at me, so I suppose I should fold the laundry. Pretty boring post, but I guess I am just vegging out right now

Mortality

Pati here!
Have just heard that the husband of an acquaintance died suddenly yesterday. They were both younger than we are, and her health has been poor. Those of us who know her have been quite worried about her, and she has been very reliant on his care and support. They live in a rural area and, while it has never been discussed overtly, I have gathered that they foster/provide room and board for mentally challenged adult men. We have only recently become acquainted with them as a couple, and have both thought that he was a good person and well worth knowing. He was a long haul trucker, as well as providing mechanic services to his employer--a highly respected man. I'm guessing he was in his early to mid-fifties. Quite a shock to both of us.

The last sale is over. We did fairly well, well enough that I would consider going back again, but I still have a lot of stock left over. Since I'm determined to take a break, I now have to find somewhere to store it all--but not tonight. We're both exhausted. Recovery time seems to be much longer these days.

We now have snow--just a dusting of it, but enough to make the streets slippery. It has been a long and truly beautiful fall. We have been blessed.

Be - sharing in the excitement

I took a quick look into the blog and was so pleased to see all the news. Happy for you Cathy with all your family good happenings. I met Ruth in Toronto when we were there together Cathy - where will she be settling and what will she be doing now that her education is complete? I have been watching the progress of the torch runs on TV so now knowing Kris will be one of them, it makes it that more interesting - I hope I will see that particular segment!
I'll be thinking of you both as you are having a very busy weekend by the sounds of it. Hope you do well Patty, and Cathy try to take a few quiet minutes for yourself and Jim. Take care....

What exciting news!

You must be so very pleased Cathy. Tell Kris I'm proud of him!

I find myself getting clumsy whenever I'm stressed or worried--as you must be right now. I hope you can relax this evening--the weekend is coming. Oh- right- you're working at the craft sale! More stress!

Today we shopped. Left home shortly before 11:00 and kept moving until we got home at 4:30, but the bulk of the Christmas shopping is done.. Now I have to clean the kitchen--it looks like it does when I usually sit down and cry because I don't know where to start. I was going to go full out tonight, as we've been existing on snacks 'cause neither of us felt like cooking. HAH! It's chicken fingers and french fries--yet again. At least I'm no longer constipated because of not eating veggies--but the toilet is plugged and I have a plunger standing by. Life is just so exciting!! As soon as I've eaten and cleaned up, I have to start packing my stock for the sale tomorrow and Saturday. Since I have to charge sales tax, we had to go out and buy a calculator today. I can't say whether it is a good thing or bad, but the sale tomorrow evening goes on until 10:00, complete with life music and a bar! I'll be sure to take a bottle of Tylenol with me.

I've been enjoying the Southern Comfort we bought when we were last down south, but enjoying it a bit too much. So last night we opened a bottle of wine we had in the basement. Bad reaction. So now I'm back to worrying about what exactly it is I'm reacting to. We have a Pinot Blanc kit just about ready to bottle--the first we've done since I stopped taking the medication I thought was causing the reactions. We also put a wine kit on our Christmas list. Now I'm concerned that the home made wine may be part of the problem. It would be a pity it I couldn't drink anything but Southern Comfort or B&B for the rest of my life, wouldn't it?

Hello from Neepawa

Here I am at "hump day'. We are not overly busy at work, but what we have is garbage, and I have to figure out what they want us to do! Good news from both Keri & Kris..... Kris was selected to carry the Olympic torch on January 8 in Brandon. I entered, but I sure didn't get chosen! All he knows so far is 6pm on 1st Avenue. He will keep me posted. That is soooo exciting. I entered, but I sure didn't get chosen. Of course Sandi entered too, and had the same luck I did. Only 14 people were chosen from the Royal Bank website to carry the torch between Portage la Prairie and Brandon. Neepawa is a stop on that route. Coca Cola also had a contest, and each community got to select a couple of people that they thought deserved the honour. I think they only carry it about 300 metres. It is "trucked" between communities. Keri phoned last night to tell me that Ruth got her PhD. She is now "Doctor Ruth" (I am sure she is sick of that joke, but I couldn't resist) Okay, She is Dr. Hastle. I still think it is exciting.... we have a PhD in the family!! (or almost). Jim went for all his tests today. I don't think I mentioned it to you, Pati, but he blacked out a couple of weeks ago. It really scared me. I called his name and he just stared at me blankly and his arms were jerking. It only lasted a few seconds, but I was still upset. They seem to think it is his heart, but he had a heart ultrasound this fall (after his surgery) and it was okay. I guess we just wait now. They also sent him for the "poop" test, so he has had no beef, fruit, veggies etc for a week . I told him he could have whatever he wanted today, and he chose lazy cabbage rolls ( I was thinking steak, baked potato and salad.........) Oh well... I promised. He was going to paint the kitchen wall today, but they have him wired to heart monitor for 24 hours, and he felt very uncomfortable with it. I can understand that he didn't want to paint. He was afraid that it would move on him....I had a very clumsy day at work... I shut my finger in a file drawer, hit my knee on my desk.... tripped over the carpet ( the floor jumped up...honest!) and had a "seniors moment" (what was I doing when I walked over here??) I would look forward to the weekend, but Jim and I are working at the craft sale at 8am on Saturday. He is done at 10, but I work until 12. That means that he does the office by himself ( yippee!) The parade is on Saturday, too. We have a parade of lights in Neepawa now. It starts at 6pm, and all the entries have christmas lights on them. It is really neat to watch. I think that we are ignoring Christmas this year. No one is coming home. We will be at Chicken Delight again. Judy (Jim's ex) asked if we wanted to go in with her and Crash (her husband... everyone born in Neepawa has a nick name) on prepaid Visa cards for Tim and Mady... if we go together they get more money on the card. It is a good idea when they are so far away. I may do the same for Kris and Sandi..... I think Keri would maybe appreciate money or food more right now. She says that she used to post jobs on the internet, and January is the month that sooooo many jobs come open. I hope she gets a dream job. The timer went... suppper is ready

love ya

Children

Amber's sitter has a son who has been down with H1N1, so her house has been in crisis mode. Phone call yesterday asking if I could come out and care for the children. So off it went, but had time to plan a couple of activities. A fairly nice day. Samantha and I tidied up the dining room before lunch, and then Jessica and I tidied up the livingroom while Samantha napped. We did a little painting and baked some cookies ( not made--baked--I bought the dough on my way into town). Then the three of us headed for the park, before making supper. Then I headed home and more or less crashed. It was very different looking after the little ones in their own home--much easier when they were around their own things and routines.

But this made it three days without any sewing. OMG--I need a fix! David is making shortbread today, so my best bet is to hide in the basement. I have some work to do before the last of the sales--this Friday. It will run until 10:00pm and there will be a bar and live music--something quite new to me.

Be - Logging In

I always have a problem to get in and just thought it was the usual process, so happy to hear it may not be... but I don't intend to fool around because I may lose it completely and then never be able to log on.
I figured that this past week may not be everyon'e best because there have been few words from anyone including me. Nothing really new here in way of exciting happenings except that yesterday I put a real push on and completed that quilt that I was making - the "quilt as you go" with all the nine square blocks using your little pieces Patty. Sewed the binding on and voila - done. Tomorrow at Mothers I shall hang it up and take a few pictures and if look good, I'll send some to you both. I cannot imagine the number of hours work that I actually put into it's creation but I am happy with end result even with it's little bluppers.
I have not had a needle yet for H1N1 but it is now open to all people. There was a clinic in Sundridge Friday night but it was so rainy and miserable and I did not want to have to stand in line. I'm sure there will be many more available. Then on the news it stated that there was vaccine withdrawn because was causing increased allergic reactions - in Manitoba actually as they had interviewed someone from Winnipeg. So this scares me also...it is so hard to know what to do with all the information that is coming from so many sources - credible or otherwise.
Well today is housecleaning day for me and I should try to actually do something - Harry is at an auction so I have no excuse not to be getting it done.
Hang in there everyone and write when you can...Take care

Blogger glitch

Had a terrible time getting in today. Finally it asked if I wanted to change my password, and I was so frustrated I said yes. Then it took me directly to the dashboard. Go figure.

Boring week. We are both not well. Not really sick, but not really well. Finally I'm eligible for the flu shot, but still have remnants of a cold, and I'm not sure they'll give it to me. I'm also not sure I want it, as we are both suffering the same cold as we have had ever since David got the seasonal flu shot in early October.

Yesterday morning I helped Amber do some screen printing on a backdrop she plans to use for the children's Christmas party at work. They plan to sit Santa in front of the backdrop to take pictures. This means every child there, as it is part of the price for the party. Then I headed downtown to drop off the stuff I had for a sale at Dalnavert Museum. By then I was exhausted and only wanted to get home to bed for an hour or two before heading out to a quilters' guild meeting in the evening, where I had booked a sale table. Unfortunately I ran into what turned out to be a physical assault on a Post Office truck driver in the middle of Provencher Blvd. After the kurfuffle, I took a piece of paper out of my purse to give the driver my name and address etc, before heading to the bank to get my float for the evening's sale, and deposit a refund cheque from Blue Cross. No cheque. Did I use it to write my name on? I called David from the bank and, thank Goodness, had left the cheque at home. By now the adrenilyn is really flowing, and I was in no shape to sleep. So I ended up at the meeting in a bit of a fog. I took all of the stuff that I haven't been able to sell over the past 5 years. (I had cleaned out my corner cupboard so I could store more beads.) Most of it sold!! Shocked me!

So yesterday turned out to be a bit more exciting than my usual Friday. While I was at the Quilters' Guild meeting, I signed up for a two day workshop for next April. This is a "just because" gift to myself. I know the lady we are bringing in to teach, and bringing her in was my idea in the first place. Thank Goodness (again), I made enough money to cover the cost of the workshop.

Reality returns

Back at work again this week. I was right, there was a lot of work left for me, but Patty did really well. She says by Friday she was really burned out, though. I am already almost caught up, so I guess it is just a matter of familiarity. Our new person starts Nov. 30, but she has a weeks training in Winnipeg so we won't even see her until Dec 7. Maybe by February...... Mallorie has started working on some of the plans I haven't been able to get to. The ones she picked are a real mess and I am soooo glad it's her and not me. I changed two of my holidays to sick days last week. I figure it's not much of a holiday when you don't even get dressed. Jim has enlarged the hole between the living room and kitchen. It opens up the kitchen more, but it will take some getting used to. Of course, as he cut into the wall it spread a layer of white dust over the one room I did manage to get really clean last week! :) I have an AGM tonight and a regular board meeting after it. It could be a late night. Erin has a cold too, and we agreed that if we start to get fed up, we will both start coughing really hard. It should scare the others into ending the meeting fast. We are still having conflicts on what to do about the paid position in the VCC. I am afraid it will start to split the board. Monica phoned me at work yesterday and spent almost 20 minutes trying to convince me that her opinion was right. I don't think that it will come up at the meeting tonight because it is discussed in camera and there is a lot of other stuff on the agenda. I can only hope. Time for work... have a great week

Beading day

was less than stellar, not what I expected, but valuable for other reasons. I was at Dianne's by 10:00. No-one else was there, so Dianne and I started to fill in time by sorting through her bead stash. ( She has a big room with floor to ceiling shelving full of "stuff") By 12:30 we figured no-one else was going to come, so sat down to start stitching, and talk about lunch. Before 1:00 there was a voice in the hall and Ann Marie arrived. She had a bag from A&W in her hand,and said that she had thought we would have already gone for lunch! ( the plan for the day was lunch at Subway, and we had been expecting there to be about 5 people in total) So Dianne found food for the two of us and then we had to go through the stash, again, with Ann Marie. AnnMarie was just starting and had to figure out what she was doing, and Dianne was also planning a piece. So all three of us spent a lot of time "auditioning" stuff for both pieces. ( I had taken one, planned out and the supplies for it) Dianne had to start with showing the basic stitches to Ann Marie, and I stitched along on my piece. By 4:00 I realized that my stitching wasn't working, and took it all out. And by then it was time to head home. So I came home with some new ( to me) beads) and my piece in the same state as I had started with. Dianne and I had bartered a lot of stuff, and I even bought some things from her. This meant that yesterday I had to re-organize my entire bead storage. Anyone want some picture frames--I have a full Safeway tote to get rid of.

David is sick again--this has been on and off ever since he had the seasonal flu shot---in October. It always affects his lungs, and when he is having coughing fits all night, he usually sleeps in the spare room. So now I'm getting far too used to sleeping all by myself in the big bed.

But otherwise it's "same old-same old". He watches tv and plays poker and I work in the basement. I've been reading more of Andrew M. Greeley--his novels as opposed to his mysteries ( a different section of the library) I'm not recommending them to David because they are so very heavy in religious theory. Good books , despite that or maybe because of his very clear explanations of history and doctrine. But I've also discovered Stuart Pawson's British police procedurals with DI Charlie Priest. These are a little different, and contain a fair bit of humour. I cautiously suggested to David that he try one, and he has now jumped right in--even to the point of reading them before I get to them--not our routine at all.(lol)

Be - Another week and here we are...

It must have either been a very busy weekend for all of us, or a very quiet one as there have been few postings for a awhile. I am anxious to find out how your beading day went Patty on Sunday?
I spoke with Cathy on Sunday morning so sort of caught up with news on her front. But I must add that I made the broccoli and cheddar quiche today from the Whats Cooking book Cathy and I found it to be very delicious. Patty, Cathy made this for breakfast on Sunday and gave me the prompt to try it myself. Of course I had to go to the store today to buy a few ingredients but I had great fun putting it together and then enjoying it for supper. I made my own pastry though and not the frozen pie shell it called to use. I also bought some ingredients to try the Tuna patties on the page before the quiche - I will make this at Mothers on Thursday for lunch. This is the one that calls for Stuffing Mix which I bought today.
I had a phone call from my friend Janie Marshall from Winnipeg last night and I was thrilled to hear from her - it has been quite a while since we last talked. She has e-mail and suggests that we start to comunicate a bit more using the technology so maybe I will start to use it more myself - I could write to my friend Susan as well, who is so good to write me letters all the time, and also maybe Janie and try to build up a network of friends. It is just to find time where I can have use of the computer.
My registration for Nursing is coming due in December and I am having serious thoughts of resigning - would end any idea of Nursing again but maybe its time to hang up the old diploma. I know you had this quandry Patty when you finally decided not to continue with your OT registration. It seems so final and yet if not now, then when?
I go to North Bay again tomorrow for violin and look forward to these trips - I have not practiced near enough this time around but nevertheless, I shall go and pretend I know what I am playing!
Time for bed again, and intend to finish yet another novel from Cussler. I have been frequenting the local libray every week to take out another of his books but find I am running out of what is available so may have to start to order them in which they can do wiithout too much trouble.
Take care

Dental honesty

I'm glad I was honest with the dentist. I expressed my reservations about buying a partial plate with only one tooth on it. I could never get used to the mouth guard he made me a few years back, and I only wear my hearing aid when I'm going out--I'm just not a gadget person! Finally he mentioned that they could make me a temporary bridge, but it would mean going around for 10 days with a hole in my face. The cost would be no more than having the partial plate made. so this is what we're going to do.

The "Gallery Hop" last night was better than I expected. It was not the same beader, Cathy--this one does some really weird stuff! She is from Brandon, and actually has a fine arts degree in photography. She makes strange beaded pieces and then photographs them in fine detail. Last night she had the beaded pieces displayed next to the photos, and it made a very effective exhibit. Over supper I got mixed up with some some fellow fibre artists I knew (it was the only seat in the room). They were not encouraging about my work (is that diplomatic? They were subtly nasty!) But one of them is experimenting with fused glass. This is exactly the technique I had spent a bit of time last weekend discussing. I think I may explore it a bit more over the next few months. This might be one way to incorporate something (glass) into my work without having to give credit, and away of having more control over what the incorporated piece actually looks like. I don't think I would do it myself, but my friend Gail says that it just uses scraps, and she can fill her kiln with scraps and end up with several with the only cost being one firing.

Be - I love your messages

First I thank you for the e-mails - for two reasons: first to see the pictures of Jess and Samantha, and second, to actually receive an e-mail!
I just love to read about your adventures - both of you! What I would give to be able to share such exciting stories with you - I am getting tired of only telling (as I am sure you are equally as tired of hearing) about my visits to Mother. But nothing else much happens - so we went to Mothers again today and I did housework, laundry and some gardening.
Tomorow we go up to North Bay to pick up some Freecycle items Harry is receiving - one is an old wall clock and since he likes to collect clocks this should be a good item - he doesn't know if it works but frequently he fiddles with them and they start to work ( a little WD 40 works wonders to get things going)
We were to North Bay for the Remembrance Service - actually two since there was the main one at the arena and then another for the Algonquin Regiment at their cenetaph. Mike was in the Volley Team at both. Then we went back to the Armoury for a lunch and social.
I am having a great deal of trouble in finishing this quilt I am trying to do - mainly because I have no idea what I am doing and sort of just doing it by trial and error - and mostly error right now! I believe my main problem is that I do not have the space essential for ease of work. So I carry on hoping it will eventually work out not so bad - it will stay in this house and not be seen by anybody so I guess it really doesn't matter? But I have put so much time and energy into it that I really want it to look exceptional. And plus it is made from all your 2 inch squares you sent me Patty! Maybe I can take a picture and send to you both - to brag a bit, if for no other reason.
anyway - time for bed. Take care and keep writing!

Putzing around

So far this week I like to think I'm on holiday too. I've been clearing up loose ends in the studio ( Your quilt is fixed Cathy) There was a quilt I had made that was "just wrong!" But it contained all of the Japanese fabrics I bought at Quilt Canada in Ottawa, and I refused to throw away all that money. So I cut it all into as many 2inch strips as I could, even piecing some of them to get a 20" length. Now I'm quilting black fabric and cutting it into 2" by 20" strips. Then I'm going to butt them lengthwise and zig zag them together. I don't know what I may end up with, but at the minimum I could end up with a lap robe.

Yesterday was Jessica's birthday party. David and I met them at Ruckers to pick up Samantha. I had wanted to see the place, so Samantha and I went in. At first she was enthralled and walked around the whole place, but then went into sensory overload and started to cry. So we quickly took her out and brought her home. Amber told us that all of the children had a ball, and most of the parents stayed and played games too, including a couple that hadn't intended to!

A bit of a crisis here on Tuesday. The mouse for the desk top stopped working. So David was off late in the evening to buy a new mouse. He spent more than we had planned, but got a good one, then spent the rest of the evening setting it all up. You can't just plug them in anymore. There is a DVD with the program on it that has to be installed in the computer, and a gadget that has to be added to one of the ports. But he got it in and happily played poker. He quite likes it, and I think the tale is told, when he he mentioned that the technician, who had tried to fix the old one for him, said that, in the trade, they consider mice like the old one "throw aways". We had never been happy with it. So all is well, and David has a new toy. Hah!! Wednesday morning I get up to check my e-mail. the key board doesn't work. Since David never uses it, he had no idea. But it's a holiday, and how does he get in touch with the technician again? So discontent, and I'm reduced to checking e-mail on the lap top. (I hate the lap top for keyboard use--very awkward and uncomfortable, and the key board itself just doesn't suit my style.) But half way through the morning he comes in to say that it's all fixed. There was another gadget that had to be installed in one of the other ports to link the keyboard and the mouse to the mother board. I guess he didn't know what it was when he opened the mouse, and had got the mouse to work, so didn't worry about it!

This evening I may go out to what is called a "Salon Evening", with the Manitoba Crafts Council. I've been to one before. They are strange events, designed to help crafters/artisans meet each other and get to know each other a little better. Tonight's events start at a small cafe on Ellice where there will be a light supper (free to members), and a beader will talk to us ( I'm wondering, Cathy, if this might be the lady who made that absolutely marvelous beaded skirt we saw in that exhibit) Then it's off to the Crafts Museum where there is an exhibit on weaving and a weaver (You may have gone to school with her, Beth. Damned if I can remember her maiden name. ??Baker??She was one of a family of girls who lived at the corner of Hay and Brandon, right near Churchill High) will talk about the exhibit. Finally we're off to the Canadian Mennonite University to see the fibre art exhibit in their gallery, and where one of the artists will speak to us of the exhibit. I'm not really sure I'll go, but probably. I've seen the exhibit at both the Crafts Musem and CMU.

But this afternoon I have my "consultation" with the dentist, where we'll decide what is going to be done and when. I am so used to Dr. Tregobov just telling me what is to be done, that I had never thought that they can't do a thing unless I give permission. I hate this sort of decision! I really don't want them to do anything! but I know that, unless something is done, I'll get myself in trouble again.

Holidays?

I'm not sure why I called this holidays, when I am working the whole time. At least I am doing work for my self and not for someone else. Of course one thing leads to another and nothing gets completed (or so it seems) I am supposed to get my H1N1 shot tonight, but I have one heck of a cold (again) It's just so hard to get on the list for shots. Right now in this area, you have to fall into the first priority before they will even consider you. The washing machine gave up on Sunday. We had been having problems, but it finally went. Of course it waits until you have a tub full of clothes and water! At least it wasn't heavy jeans that I had to wring out by hand. I didn't even want to shop around. We just got one from Sears. We have to pick it up this morning. Then the meat order arrives this afternoon and I told Jim I would help him sort. I have to go to VCC to confirm my volunteer shift(s) at the craft sale, and then at 6:20pm to the Yellowhead for my shot. They tell me it takes about 2 hours even with an appointment. I did, however, get my living room clean yesterday. I didn't realize how much dust could accumulate behind televisions. I got my cd player to work again too. I figured it was gone for ever, but it played a cd for me. The TV broadcasts in beautiful shades of pink and lime green. Makes the people look interesting. (something has to make TV interesting. I am not a reality show fan) Jim just got up. I guess my day is beginning. At least I am not at work !!! :)

Be - Exciting compared to what I ask??

By my standards Patty your life is very exciting - my parallel to your diapers on dolls scenario is putting on a Poise when I go out so I won't dribble because I've had too many coffees in the morning! And since I unsubscribed to Ravenesque I don't get any more e-mails - I guess I cut off my nose to spite my face on that one!
The weather is contributing to some happy days lately as I have been able to go outside and putter away in the yard. I find this helps me to get my mind off other things and I've never seen our yard so well prepared for winter than this year.
We plan to go up to North Bay for the Remembrance Day Service at the Arena this year on Wednesday. Mike is part of the volley team again - I don't know how you spell that but it means he is part of the team that fires off the shots from the rifles at the appropriate moments during the ceremony. They look very smart in their official Military uniforms with white gloves and belts and their practiced timing is so precise that the eight of them sound as if only one shot were fired.
I have been giving my sewing some added attention as much as I can spare these days in order to finish the one quilt I have been working at for so long - I need to tidy up that back bedroom (Mikes's old room that I now use as a sewing room) in order for Mike to come for Christmas and have a bed to sleep on - the bed is piled high with boxes and I have my sewing machine stuck on a tiny table with all my stuff gathered around - so it needs some major cleanup if he is to have a bed over Christmas - he usually only stays for two nights or three but still needs some private space to spread out. So I will have to move everything - maybe down the basement for now. It may be a good time to sort out and throw out some junk or maybe I'll run out of time and just try to hide it all!
Anyway - hope Cathy is having a ball at home and that Patty is successful in her navel gazing. Take care - write soon and keep me informed OK?

No sales Saturday either

I've never had that happen to me before, and, of course, I' m making my brain ache trying to figure out what happened. There were a number of people who said " I bought from you last time", or " I saw you in Pinawa" , and this might contain a kernal of truth. My stuff requires just the right buyer, and maybe I've flooded the market in those towns. Before the sale I had planned to take at least six months off ( after the end of the month), and I'm going to stick to that. I've been so involved in producing things to sell, that I haven't had a chance to do the things I really want to do. BUT, that's when procrastination steps in. We'll have to see what happens. I actually have an informal beading class set up for next Sunday, and I'm looking forward to it.

Cathy, your quilt is next in the queue, and I should have it mended this week. I've taken a look at it, and I may have to change a couple of things, but you probably won't even notice them.

With David being sick, the children won't be over tonight for supper, so I'm going to give myself an artist's date and go out to look at Manitoba Art Expo at the race track. Dianne has a booth there, as well as a couple of other people I know, but I've promised myself that I'll look at everything. Amber tells me that her whole family managed to get their vaccine. The children were eligible, and, earlier in the week, when they took them into the clinic in St. Pierre, it was offered to the parents as well. Now Jessica is not really well ( and not really sick), so they were just as happy to stay home today. They're watching her pretty carefully, but not panicking yet. Just as well, the pediatric emegency is overwhelmed right now. After reacting so badly to the seasonal flu vaccine, David has no intention of getting the other one, and I'm not eligible for either--to young for one and too old for the other.

Amber has arranged a birthday party for Jessica at Ruckers on Wednesday ( Yeah--open on Remembrance Day-go figure) This is a local place that is a child's dream type of pinball parlour. I've never been in, but have looked through the windows. They have all sorts of fancy machines that operate off of tokens. Each child gets so many tokens as part of the party, and they have aparty room for cake and presents. We have to deliver our gifts there because it is a WebKin. Now these are cheap little stuffed animals that are connected to the Internet. Once you register your toy, you can go in and play games with it, or feed and care for it etc., but each registration is only good for one year, and the registration for the one Jessica got last year is up on the 14th. So she needs to get the new one registered by then--and then both toys can be played with. And Samantha is getting a baby doll that comes with it's own disposable diapers. She has taken lately to attempting to look after diaper changes in all of her dolls and animals, if she can find something to use as "bum cream". She actually got the real "bum cream" one day and smeared half a jar all over a fake fur teddy bear, and the ottoman in their living room. Amber was out and Darren had to clean it up--too bad!

Samantha loves to play with the baby doll we have here. It has its own blanket and eating utensils etc, but Amber told us they don't have one at home, so-o-o. We also bought a second package of diapers to keep here.

So-o-o My life revolves around changing diapers on dolls. What more can I say?

Short note

We sold nothing--repeat--nothing at the sale yesterday. Only six vendors even showed up, when nine were booked. By the time we got home, David was sick. I hope it's just a cold and not the flu, but he's been trying to fight off something ever since he got his shot for the seasonal flu. I also got an update for the sale I'm in at the end of the month. They had talked about a "commom till" where all sales are funneled through one cash location, where there is Interac, credit cards and sales tax capability. Well, they will have that for everything except sales tax. Vendors will have to process all of their own sales and only send Interac or credit card over to the common till. So Monday I'm off to apply for a sales tax number. I've been thinking of it anyway, as another of my "good" venues is doing away with their common till at their sale next spring.
I'm sure glad I bought that bottle of Southern Comfort when we were away last month.

Strange times here as well

I have everything packed and ready to go in the car for the "big sale" tomorrow. I did my pricing and inventory yeaterday morning, and now feel that I had yesterday afternoon and today to "play". I've actually started a new evening bag--something I haven't done in a couple of years. I'm also taking internet lessons on fabric paper. I had signed up hoping to learn about new things I could do with the stuff, but so far it seems almost too basic. But I do my lessons and post pictures. You have to post a picture of one lesson's project, before you get the instructions for the next. I actually won a poker tournament last night--first time in ages.

A bit of a kurfluffle in my Ravenesque group, which Beth knows about, as she had been getting the e-mails. I was told you had unsubscribed, Beth, and I would too, but knowledge is power and I want to keep on top of what is going on and what is said. So now I'm being careful to keep my personal e-mails away from the group, and I'm getting, what I would interpret, as supportive e-mail from other group members. I hate politics, but there comes a time when something has to be said, and you pay the price. I hope when the dust settles, my sacrifice was worth it. Right now I'm not responding to anything. Remember that saying "Never apologize, Never explain". Well, I'm keeping my mouth shut and letting obnoxious people rant. We have a beading day scheduled for next Sunday, and I'm sure people will have calmed down by then.

Anyway, right now we're off to Blue Cross to put in my drug claims so that we can eat later in the month when the cheque comes. I have a "consultation" with my dentist on Thursday, but we got a note in the mail from our Dental insurance reminding us that anything over $300 must be pre-approved, so I'm betting that he wants to sort it all out and apply for coverage before he touches my mouth. Old age sucks!!

Be - Time for a lift

It has been hard for me to read the last few posts and try to write anything of consequence when I have not exactly been having the greatest of days lately either. Maybe it's the weather, or the time of year, or something else but we all seem to be having a "time of it" right now. As with my way of thinking, I have to deal with what ails me on my own, but it gives me great comfort to know you are both there and to know in a second if I asked you would be happy to listen and perhaps offer a few words. So for that, I give thanks.
Up to North Bay today for violin and I must say that things are progressing quite swimmingly. I truely feel that I am improving, and this is being substantiated with positive comments from my instructor. We have been working on some specific techniques such as placing violin in proper postion under chin, holding bow properly, holding fingers properly etc, that are fundamental to my progress. Get it right now, and I shall be able to play that much better along the way. I still enjoy this little moment of time just for me.
Harry is sick with the flu and I just hope that I shall not get it. No sign of being able to get vaccinated in this geographic area - first I don't fit the priority categories, and second they keep runing out of vaccine. I take care to wash hands etc and try not to touch surfaces and then my face or mouth but it is really hard. Today for example, I was forced to shake a hand from someone offering theirs during an introduction. I did it, and then rushed to my car after and cleansed off with hand sanitizer before touching too much. Is this not a sign that we are being programmed to respond with great paranoia, anxiety and panic??
I had to take my car to the garage tonight after supper so it can be serviced tomorrow - ususally Harry will pick me up or vice versa when either of us takes our vehicle into the dealership. It is located on the Highway and is a good walk from home. But as he was in bed, I was on my own this time. Plus it was dark and so I found myself almost running along the edge of the Highway with an never ending line of huge transports passing me by and the glare from the headlights from oncoming cars near blinding me. I was ever so glad finally to reach the intersection and be able to turn off up towards my house. Stupid thing to do, but it does alleviate the need to go over early in the morning, leave it locked up over night, and put the key into the slot in the garage door.
Well, since I did not sleep even one minute last night, I intend to fall into bed tonight and go off immediately and sleep soundly the entire night. I know it is a dream but I can always hope! Tomorrow I have to do some more outside work and would like to be a little rested up - apparently they are calling for snow of all things in the next few days and I still have to put some things in order for the winter. That good old Alberta Clipper is pounding its way East and should hit us by tomorrow which means you folks are probably feeling its effects right now as I type.
So take care.....