A happy Grandma

It does not take much to make me happy these days.  I received a telephone call from my youngest Granddaughter "C". She is 19 years old and in her first year of college, taking flight training.  The first year is all book work which she is having to do at home due to Covid, the following years are actually learning to fly, even though she has two pilot licences already for a glider and Cesner.  These years will be learning on bigger and more sophisticated planes.  

She will be moving to another city quite a long way from home so needs to find accomodation.   She called today to tell me she has found a place to live during the school year starting in May.  The shocker for me was when she said she is moving into a house with six boys, she does not know any of them.  Oh!! my goodness.  

She has a good head on her shoulders and will be able to take care of herself.   I am sure of that.  She sounded so excited, so pleased for her.   There will be things needed so we have commited to towels, etc, plus a tea kettle and toaster so far, and will help her with anything like these small items she needs to set up some sort of a home.  A happy Grandma is me today.

We did absolutely nothing today, took a couple of hours to do our monthly financial stuff we do every month and then watched the happenings in the Ukraine.   How these women are coping is beyond me.   Having to leave male family members behind is unimaginable, not knowing if they will ever see them again.   

   

What do I write about today

 Most days when I sit and write my daily post, something always pops into my head to write about, either something I am doing, have done or want to do.  The weather, our dinner or just about anything.   Today, however, I don't appear to have anything to say.  

BUT

One more day of February, must look to see if March will  come in like a lamb or a lion or visa versa, this predictor is like our groundhog, no matter what he/she indicates what our weather will be, we get what it is and that's that.  I always hope the "in like a lion and out like a lamb" wording is what our weather will be.  Temp at the present time is hovering around the zero mark and it is cloudy and quite windy.

So weather taken care of...next

Dinner...the live, bacon and onions last night was delicious, if I do say so myself.  Tonight, well have not decided yet but should start.

Going to do a bit of sewing today at some point in time, Hubby is watching some TV.  We are both itching to be able to get outside and do some garen work,  however, much much too early to even consider it.

Have a great Sunday.

Do you ever

 Do you ever feel you have been deserted or forgotten?   

My answer to that question is ....Yes.

I have three children, two sons in-laws and one daughter in law, six grandchildren, four of whom have a spouse, two continuing their higher education, and six great grandchildren.

I know they are busy,

I know we have had a rough two years with Covid.

I know I made a choice to move on with my life after being alone for four years.

I know I am happy with this choice.

I know I am old, 80 years.

I know I am not a burden to anyone.

I know I can take care of myself for the necessities

I know I also have the luxury of being  able to give money to family for birthdays and to the charities I support.  Also, I can buy anything I want without having to count the pennies.

I know .................

Technology has replaced phone calls!!!.   Text ....do nothing for me, I might just as well be receiving a message from a stranger.  Facetime or other ways of seeing someone and talking over the internet seem to be something family  have forgotten I can do.

I know I could be initiating contacts, and I have done, but no follow up calls from anyone.

Do you ever....

I know there are many people who are suffering for different reasons and you could say be thankful, which I am. But, my little piece of earth  is not very happy at the moment.

Thanks for listening feel better after this vent.

Dinner tonight, liver, bacon and onions.  veg not sure what yet salad. Still have enough fruit in jelly for our dessert.

Great time was had by all

As I mentioned yesterday, last night was the meeting for my quilting guild.  We now meet in a room at the back of a local church, we used to meet in each others homes, but with Covid our homes were not large enough for the physical distancing, this room allows that to take place.

All but two members were present, so 16 excited ladies conducted our meeting and then enjoyed our guest.  "C" and her husband own a fabric shop, and she brought with her to show us all the new colours and patterns from the designers  of quilting cottons and some of the new gadgets for quilters.  Of course, some of these items were for sale, you will be proud of me, no money spent.  But it was difficult to resist.   She also gave us information regarding what she and a group of her friends have started up.  It is a reading program similar to the one which is run by Dolly Parton, the country and western singer.   Dolly and her organization promote reading for young children up to the age of five, making sure they have a new book every month to read.  This she is hoping will encourage these young people to read during their lifetime and eliminate illiteracy.  "C"'s group is making quilt kits for sewers to buy and they will donate a portion of those funds to the program she and her friends are starting up, so far they have raised quite a lot  of the money required to start the program.  Hopefully, all of the moneys required will soon starting coming in for them now that people are able to get out and visit the shop, see these kits available for purchase.   

We had about an inch of show overnight and now the sun is shining.  Hubby is out clearing the snow so the heat of the sun will melt the remaining snow off the driveway.

Saw a chipmunk this morning, he/she must be runny out of food.  They do not hibernate as such, but do stay underground and feed off what they stored, he/she must be running low of food.  OR it could be a positive sign of Spring soon will be starting.  Hoping for the latter.

Dinner.. it's Friday fish day,  Salmon is on the menu.

In Person

This evening is a scheduled quilt guild meeting, and this one will be in person instead of Zoom.  We are all still required to wear a mask and that is just fine with me.  We will be having a guest speaker which I am looking forward to hearing her speak.  This woman also owns a fabric shop and will more than likely bring in some quilt related items.

We have a beautiful sunny day, but cold.   The forecast is predicting some snow during the next 24-48 hours.  The rain and mild temps recently did manage to melt snow around the base of the tree in the front garden and now I can see the snowdrops starting to show their leaves and flower buds.

Not much else going on here today.

Should soon decide what we will have for dinner, so I am off to do that, have a great day.

Appointment, fabric and ice jam pics.

 We left earlier than we normally do to travel to the eye clinic for Hubby's appointment, Why, the weather was nasty, snowing quite hard, cold and windy.   We  arrived in plenty of time and the roads were not too bad.

While he was seeing the Dr. I visited the fabric shop next door to the clinic.  This one I have never been in before and Oh My Goodness, wall to wall fabric.  Sections for quilting cottons, upholstery,  dress making curtain and drapery.  Patterns and gadgets for all types of sewing.  Sewing machines of all sizes.  Very helpful staff  in all departments.  I will definitely be going back in there again, he has another appoinment in April.  Whoop, whoop.  Not the whoops because of his appointment, but for me to browse this store.  

We stopped for a bite of lunch before heading home.  Out of the house for six hours and it nice to get back home where it is nice and warm.  

I mentioned the ice jams and one of my readers wanted a photo.  These are not my pictures, but those posted by various people.

This first photo is one of the piles of ice on the river.

The lift bridge was opened so not as to be damaged by the ice.

This last photo is one of the ice mounds that form on the beach of the lake.   People were walking on them, they are not very stable and if you fall through some soft ice. no one could save you.

Have a great day.

Rain,fog, ice jam

 Rain:   It is raining quite hard as I write,  there is also the possibility of a thunderstorm. Mother nature mixed up or what!!!!

Fog: With the warm! not really warm but certainly warmer than the snow.  As it is causing fog to appear floating over the the sold snow,  the breeze blowing it, so it;s looking more like smoke than fog.

Ice jam:  Yesterday was a beautiful day, sunshine and temp up to 11*C so we decided to go for a ride to look at the ice jam at a lakeside port not far from us.  A river flows into Lake Erie at this port, and obviously being fresh water the river always freezes over with ice about a foot thick.   With the recent mild temps and rain earlier in the week, the water rose and the ice broke up.  Flooding the banks the water and slabs of ice picked up trees, boat docks that had been taken out of the marina and placed on the shore,  canoes, BBQ's and other bits and bobs on the shore.   When this flow of  debre almost reached the lake, fishing vessels stopped the flow of everything, stopped it in its tracks and it piled up.  The lift bridge was opened so not as to damage it.  There will be a big mess to clean up when the weather breaks.   This has happened in previous years, but there does not seem to be any way to avoid the ice jam.  After we had looked at the ice etc, we took a nice stroll along the beach.  Apparently, frozen sand does not stop little ones to bring their pails and shovels to play in the snow. Cannot be much fun dressed in warm snow suits, boots and mitts.   There were a lot of dead trees and limbs which had been left on the shore from the waves whipped up by the high winds earlier in the year.

Groceries this morning, the cereal aisle  is still quite empty, but did not find the price of fresh fruit and veg up, some was even lower than I have seen  them.  
 

Time to close this down, going to do some sewing.

Closing

 We watched the Olympic closing ceremony yesterday, not as nice as the opening, the end ceremony is never as colourful as the beginning.   It was OK.   We did see a lot of the events and Canada did well getting quite a lot of medals, well done.  I do wish the Paralympics would get the exposure the regular events get.  Those men and women have obstacles that have to be overcome first , then train ever harder to get to the olympic level of competition.   

Finally, Ottawa is getting back to normal, not saying anything more.

Did a lot of sewing yesterday, so happy with the way the blocks made so far are looking, hope the nursing home will feel the same way.  Want to have it done for Easter time if I can.

Hubby goes for his eye appointment on Wednesday, and there just happens to be a fabric shop right next door, so while he is with the doctor, you know where I will be.  Just need a couple of things, but you know how fast those yards /metres of fabric jump into your basket, when you are a sewer.  I am trying to use up fabric I already have, that is what I am using for the nursing home quilt.

Another sunny day with mild temps, however, soon it will change to rain.  We will then end up with a slushy mess and flooding.

Have a wonderful Monday.  

Three projects and maple syrup

 As I have mentioned previously, I quilt and usually tend to work on a couple of projects at the same time.  Right now I am doing the chickadee wall hanging, one for our bed and a quilt I am donating to the nursing home my Mother was in.  They will use it for a raffle to raise funds for residents to have craft supplies or an outing when the weather improves.  So busy busy with those.

It is a lot calmer outside today, the wind has picked up but, certainly not like we have had.  The sun is shining which always makes it look and feel better.  Rain is in the forecast for early in the week.

With these cold nights and nice sunny days the maple sap should soon start flowing.  The maple syrup makers will soon be attaching their pails or now a lot of the harvesters use plastic pipes directly from the tree to huge containers, so much easier than the old way of pails.  Having said that, people still do use the pails now.  That makes me wonder....how was the sap from the maple tree discovered.  Did the pioneers see the liquid coming from the tree and taste it?  At that point there is no taste.  Did they collect it in containers to drink and inadvertently heated it up, reducing the liquid and the result being the sweet syrup?   Did they wonder if it was poisonous, consume it, no one died so continued to use it?   Would love to talk to some of people who discovered it.

When we first came to Canada we discovered maple syrup and decided to make our own.  Tapped a few trees, gathered the sap and cooked it, cooked it and cooked it some more.  We did it on the kitchen stove, it makes a lot of steam as it boils down during this stage.  So much steam in fact it started the wallpaper to come off the walls.  That put an end to our syrup making in the house, we would encouraged to light a fire outside and do our syrup making out there.  Not much fun when it is quite cold outside.   Don't recall making too many batches. 

 Maple syrup is quite pricey to buy, I can take it or leave it, not something I particularly enjoy eating.  Here it is part of a breakfast food, syrup is poured onto a stack of pancakes along with some butter.  Sometimes the pancakes some kind of fruit, such as blueberries.  The pancakes are thick, not like the crepe type I had growing up, when we would squeeze fresh lemon juice on them sprinkle on some white sugar and roll then into a log and it would be a dessert item.  Still like them that way, but have not made them for a long time.   Do you like maple syrup? Western world pancakes? or the European still crepe? 

The turkey pot pie we had for dinner last night was tasty, we have some leftover, so our dinner is all taken care of tonight except for some additional veg.

Have a great Sunday.

 

Blizzard

We are in the midst of some snowy, windy and cold conditions, which are resulting in blizzard conditions.  As we live in the city, we are somewhat protected by trees and houses, however, out in the country it is wide open spaces, so the wind blowing the snow already on the ground and additional falling, the roads are not a good place to be.  People are instructed to stay home if it is not absolutely necessary for you to be on the roads today.   I am taking that advise and staying in my nice warm house.

Laundry, vacumming, dusting, plants watered and meat out of the freezer dinner.   Now it is time for lunch then going into the sewing studio to do some work in there.  Later today I will be making a turkey pot pie. 

Hubby was out clearing off the overnight snow from the driveway, almost a useless exercise today with the snow blowing around.   However, it does look cleaner now and he is hoping a lot of snow does not fill it in again.  Even though we live in the city as I mentioned before, there is a large field across from us, so the wind is howling over it and bringing snow with it.

Not much else going on here today and cabin fever is starting to settle in.   Monday, I need to get my  Visa paid, and plan on doing some errands which will include a trip to the garden centre.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Chickadees

We have a bird feeder in our front garden so can see the coming and goings of many species of birds which stay here all Winter.  One that is always there is the black  capped chickadee,  as shown here.

They are so quick, darting here and there taking seeds and storing them in hiding places for the future.   If, a person is very patient they will eventually eat out of your hand, which I am going to try to do when the weather improves.  I am patient.

I am mentioning the chickadee as I am in the process of doing a small wall hanging of chickadees on a branch full of  pink blossoms.  Some time ago I did one with a cardinal with a pattern purchased on the designers web site.  I loved the process so much I am designing my own, hoping it turns out OK.  You will get to see a picture when it is done, however, it might be a little while yet.

We had the rain, freezing rain and six inches of snow when we woke this morning.   Beautiful sunshine all day, but cold.   At six p.m. tonight it was still daylight   Whoop Ppy.

Salmon and cauliflower cheese and salad for dinner tonight, nice if I do say so myself.

Winter is not done yet

Later today we are going to be in for a storm.  It is currently raining, this afternoon it will change to freezing rain, then snow and bitter cold temps overnight.   I am not venturing outside at all today.  The rain we had yesterday melted a lot of snow, however, where it was packed down by traffic, both vehicular and by foot, was very slippery.  It was quite a walk to my hearing air checkup and had to pick and choose where I put my feet so I could avoid the icey patches.

Hearing aid had a couple of adjustments made, I am so pleased with these and should last for three years or more before needing a new battery.  They are charged every night  and ready to go in the morning.  

Going to do some sewing today, once I do a bit of tidying and guess two bathrooms should have a quick wipe over.  

Not very newsy today,  

Dinner last night was good.  So we are having leftover meatloaf tonight, brussel sprouts and some salad.  I made some individual peach crumbles yesterday, so we will divide one just as we did last night.  Dinner solved.

Need a Trip

Yes, I do need a trip, not one in a far away land where it is warm, don't think I would consider that yet but, one where it is warm.....a garden centre.    

Tomorrow I will go and just look, might even find something that I would like or at least some seeds.   I have got a couple annual aster seed packages.   Just love the colours of them in the late Summer, nice for picking and bringing in the house.

Looking forward to seeing the snowdrops, might be poking their heads up further out of the ground if we have all the mild temps and rain which is forecast for later today.  One can only hope  My poinsettia from Christmas  still doing good, some colour in the living room.   .

Very little going on today, just came back from and appointment regarding a hearing aid check.  Did have a couple of adjustments made, so all is good.

It appears we might be able to have a monthly quilting meeting next week, as restrictions are gradually being lifted.   Again, one can only hope.

Dinner tonight will be meat loaf, cauliflower and salad.  So better get the meat and  start.

Wallpaper/paint

I did errands today, one included a trip to the paint and wallpaper store.   So many sample books to choose from, had to get some help just to find certain books for a bathroom.   Sample books were piled high on the table around which was a couple of chairs,  imagine bar type stools with a back.  I am five foot nothing, climbing on one of those things is almost impossible for me without help and getting off, well not even going there it's just like comedy hour.   Do people really put these designs on their walls, some were just awful, black with silver butterflies, boards with paint peeling off, what happened to those beautiful floral designs. Did find a couple I liked, but  to put them on the wall you had to first put the paste on the wall and them more on the paper.   We used to do that years ago a big step back if you ask me.  Then I almost choked when I was told the price of a double roll.   On top of that amount was the paste and obviously we do not have the brush to put it on, so we would need to get one of those.   We are painting, a better choice in my opinion.   

Beautiful sunny day, and milder temps tomorrow.

When my Mother was in a nursing home, I made a couple of quilts for a raffle to raise funds for the residents to go for trips out for a couple of hours.   The restrictions are starting to open up, so I contacted one of the staff at the nursing home and asked if they would be interested in another quilt for a raffle.  Now looking for a pattern etc. for a quilt to be given to the nursing home.

Dinner tonight was chicken asparagus and a small bake potato.  

  

Cold.....Better

 Wow, the moon was really bright and the clear sky made it  get cold last night-17*C, with the wind it felt more like the high minus 20's.  Glad I did not need to go out.  Woke this morning to bright sunshine and blue skies, still cold but the sun makes you have a happy face.   Yes, my face is happier today.   

As I get older I find my body does not work as well as it use to.  Not just the muscles etc. but the inside workings as well.  Won't go into the shitty details but the bathroom breaks are not like they use to be.  Even trying to consume the proper food it does not seem to help.  I know one thing which does help me is walking, so it's a toss up...walk and possible slip on the ice and break a bone or worse or go to the pharmacy for something to help the process.   So.. my bad mood was likely cause from my problem.

Valentines day, when Hubby and I first got together we gave each other a card with lovely words that express how we felt.   Every year since, we give each other the same card with additional words that express how we feel about each other.  

Last week, Hubby's car was rear ended while stopped at a red light, the drives certainly was not looking where she was going.   At the present time, he is at the body shop getting an estimate on the cost of repair.   Thank goodness he was not hurt.   The insurance will take care of the costs, so that is also good.

Have no idea what we will have for dinner tonight, so must go and rummage in the freezer to see what strikes my fancy.  

Have a great day.

Six inches

 It started snowing mid morning and really has not stopped all day, even as I write at 7:20 p.m. it is still coming down, so there are got to be at least six inches out there now.

Laundry and housework done this morning, Hubby was helping his daughter so I sewed during the afternoon.   Working on a quilt for our bed, finally found a pattern that is easy and using up some of my fabric stash.  

In a miserable mood today, I  know why but it will pass just like it has before.   

Dinner tonight was liver and onions, peas and sweet potato. Jelly and fruit for dessert.

Have a great evening.

Seasons

 As we all know the year is made up of four seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.   However, here in the part of Ontario where I live and I am sure in other parts of the country, we have five seasons.   The four mentioned above, plus "Pothole" season.

As I was walking to get the mail yesterday it looks as if the pothole season has started.  So what is a pothole, those living in countries where the Winter weather is very cold, so cold it freezes the soil down three feet or more, know.    It all starts with the salt and sand put on the roads to combat the build up of snow on the roads.  During the day when the sun is shining and the temp is getting milder, the water from the melting snow gets into the smallest cracks in the asphalt on the streets.  At night this water freezes and expands in the crack.   As cars drive over the road they disturb the asphalt  and it breaks away from the crack.  Over time this repeated process makes the crack a hole, the hole gets bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper.  Some holes are so big they damage your car.   

There usually is a website, don't know what it is, people report the worst streets and roads for these holes so they can be avoided.   When all of the frost is out of the ground, road crews repair the holes, some do a good job, others, well less said the better.

We woke to snow this morning, which could change into freezing rain or just plain rain depending on the temp.   A messy day for sure.

As I was sitting blogging to  my friends, a Carolina Wren started singing his/her song.  They have such a loud song for a small bird.   We are hoping it stays in our garden this year.

Just the basics done this morning, going out this afternoon to look at paint and wallpaper, was going to do it yesterday, but it never got done.

Dinner tonight, salmon, a veg of some kind, and finish the salad we had last night.

We are having a heat wave

 Yesterday after I had finished my post and published it, I noted the temp had gone up to 9*C during the afternoon.    Did not feel that mild though due to the cool breeze.   It was nice to have a day when there was no minus mark in front of the number.   We can expect flurries of snow today and cooler temps but, next week over the zero mark again.  Positive  thoughts for an early thaw.

I have been downright lazy today, absolutely done nothing of any consequence, only helped Hubby with some computer stuff, he has very little patience for the computer.   He is a paper person, from his teacher days I am sure, and that was before the computer days.   He has only been using the computer for a couple of years, so doing quite well actually.

Tomorrow I will be going to look at wall coverings, have not looked for that kind of thing for many years, so not sure what is out there at the present time.  If the web sites of some of the stores are any indication it appears I maybe in for a long search for just the right one.  If the house was mine, paint would be on the wall.

Dinner today, finishing the ham we had last night, not sure what else, something will be on the table.

 

Drip...drip...drip

We are having a heat wave, well not much heat but just enough to have the icicles melting and  dripping.  Some of the snow is shrinking some more also.  The temp is 7*C cloudy with the sun trying desperately to shine, however, not having much luck at the present.  We will take it though every little bit helps to get rid of this white stuff, unfortunately, we are expected to get some more.  

Finished taking the wallpaper off the bathroom walls this morning. the wall underneath is looking good, no fixing required.  It was quite difficult for me to get to some parts of the wall, the room is small, (not enough room to swing a cat) small.  The ladder would not even open all the way, so Hubby would not let me work on the room until he was home. from an errand he needed to do.

Hubby advised he is waiting for a "sparkler" to arrive.  Hummm.  💖

Going to take it easy this afternoon and do some sewing.

Ham, scalloped potatoes, veg, salad for dinner tonight.

New Grocery Store

Today I decided to try another grocery store than the usually one I go to.  This store has been in town for a long time, but I have never gone there to get the weekly groceries.  So today was the day.  

It is a lot bigger so more space to keep your distance from staff restocking the shelves and other shoppers, however, I was not very impressed with it.  Don't get me wrong it was a very nice store, very clean and tidy, all the shelves were full, which is a little different from my usual place to go.   But, it carried different brands that I use, did not even stock some of the items I normally get, so I was not very happy with my experience there.  Having said that they did carry the "no sugar" jello powder I use all the time, so will drop in there once in awhile just to pick up them and some other low sugar items.   Next week back to my original grocery.

We had a beautiful sunny day, cold but nice just the same.   A little different weather forecast for the next few days, which includes snow.

We have a bathroom downstairs, (in the basement area),  it is in dire need of a makeover, even if it just some paint.  The wallpaper has been on for a long time, as it was starting to lift at the edges.   So today I started to strip off all the wallpaper, it is coming off very easy which is good.  Hubby is partial to wallpaper, he says it give the room some colour, which I agree it does,  however, it does not stand up to well to the moisture in a bathroom, even with an exhaust fan on.   As it is not my house I really can't tell him what to do, but  I do put my two cents worth in,   so....... we will have  a discussion ......paint or wallpaper.

I was talking to DD2 today, and asking her if her DD1 who lives in Ottawa is affected by the standoff with the trucks.  Apparently, she is disturbed from the horns that keep blowing on and off from the trucks.   She does not have to pass them to get to the lab, but does skate down to the College on the Rideau Canal.  Both DD2's daughters will be skiing this weekend at different ski lodges.  I nice to hear that both of them are active in the Winter and not studying all the time.

Dinner tonight chicken, asparagus , and nice it was too.  

Warm temps

 Warm she says, when it is still hovering around the zero mark, but zero is a lot better than -18*C.   The sun is shining again, it has a little heat in it, so possibility some thawing might happen today.   Time will tell.

We had a lazy day yesterday, just the basics done in the morning, then I did an hour of sewing then we watched TV on and off during the afternoon and evening.   A very relaxing day for sure, but that is what Sundays are for.  Time to take things easy.

Monday February 7th, today was my Father's birthday, he passed away in 1991 at the age of 85 years.   He had a good life, doing what he loved ---farming.  He would be amazed at the equipment used on today's farms.  HIs were toys sompared to the size of what they are today.  When he started working the fields in England first it was a couple of horses to pull all of the equipment, then a tractor.  I remember the wheels with iron lugs, I think that is what they were called,  (metal protrusions to provide traction).  When we came to Canada he had a small tractor with rubber wheels, my sister was the outdoor farm type of person, so she drove the tractor more than me.  The hay mower, plow, wagons, baler etc. etc. were all used on the crops at the time they were needed.  The combine to harvest the grain was a hired one.  The owners would go from farm to farm using their machine.   The animals, cows, pigs and chickens were the only ones that were on the farm.  There were always dogs and cats.

The cows were in a field, not cramped up in a barn for their entire life.   Pigs were able to go out of the sty into an enclosure, now they are in barns also.   A better life then or now ......that is the question.

Back to today, will better get moving, dinner tonight, chicken thighs, and a veg not sure what yet, same with dessert.

We are on a roll

 Beautiful sunshine again today, but still quite cold, but we will take it.

Did not get the opportunity to post photos of the sunrise yesterday, so thought I would do it today.  The morning clouds were too thick for any chance of getting the sun to look as lovely as it did yesterday.

From the tracks in the snow, we had deer almost to the back door of the house.  They are looking for food, as most of the grasses have been covered up by snow for a long time.  They have been eating the low branches of the fir trees in our neighbours back garden.

Not much happening around in my area of the world, for which I am thankful.

So with that I will wish you all a great Sunday, no matter what your plans are.

Late Posting

 Beautiful sunrise this morning shining through the tree branches which received a light dusting of snow overnight.   Ended up with sun for most of the day, certainly picked up my spirits, even though it was cold.

Hubby cleared the driveway again this morning hoping the sun would melt some of it, which is did.   Then he went over to his daughter's as her dryer needs to be replaced, however, a new one is bigger than the doorway, so he was deciding what to do to make the opening wide enough.  

I did laundry, which is a Saturday ritual,  we don't generate a lot so it does not take any time at all.  Then vacuumed, dusted and tidied the rec room.   Then did some sewing.

We watched the opening of the olympics last night, I liked the simplicity of it, quite enjoyed it.

Dinner tonight was salmon and a salad and some of the fruit in jelly for dessert.   Easy meal.

Brighter today

After a couple of days of cloudy skies and snow, we now have the sun trying to show its face, a welcome sight for sure.

I notice the evenings are getting lighter, a couple of minutes each day does not take long to add up to 30 minutes.  A sure sign we are on the downhill side of the Winter.

Hubby cleared off the driveway from the snow that fell late last evening and overnight.

Not much does today, just the necessities that need to be taken care of.   

Dinner tonight ws leftovers from last night and I made a fruit in jelly for dessert.

So that is me for today.

Spiders

Worked on the Spring cleaning again today, this time the front hall closet got the cleaning.   

I think two spiders must live in this house, there are enough shoes and boots to take care of all the eight legs of a spider.   The problem is both of us hate to throw anything away that we know we will be using again.   Coats, jackets, scarves, hats and gloves..... not even going there.  Going to sort them all out and give them away to people who need them more than we do.  There is a spare closet downstairs and I will be putting the out of season things in there and do the same when Summer is over to reduce the clutter.  Anyway, its clean and tidy.

Not much else done today, except look at the snow we had yesterday and overnight,   thank goodness it was not as much as was forecast.  Hubby cleared the driveway this morning, getting ready for another dumping whenever it comes.

Dinner tonight was meatballs and a salad, with a little pasta.

Early Spring?

Here in Canada we are always looking for anything that will give us some hope Winter will soon be over and we can look forward to some warmer weather.  So on February 2nd. we celebrate Groundhog Day.   A groundhog is an ugly looking furry rodent which weighs about 13 pounds, is about the size of a small dog, just taking a guess, not very good at judging sizes.  It eats grasses and clover and some garden pests.  the only harm it does is makes big holes to hibernate in during the Winter months.   Supposedly, by the beginning of February it pokes its nose out of the ground to see if it is Spring.   If the sun is shining and he can see his shadow, he heads back down to stay warm for awhile longer because it will be a long time before we will see Spring.   If he does not see his shadow, Spring will be here in six weeks.   Spring will be here in six weeks whether he sees his shadow or not.   Wiarton, Ontario is where Willie lives, so we rely on the weather there at the time he comes out, which may not be the same everywhere in Ontario or in the U.S. as they also have a ground hog that predicts early Spring or not.     

We had rain overnight and early this morning, which has now turned into wet snow.   The forecast is for light snow today, if this is light snow I don't want to see what it is like when it really is snowing.   During the next 48 hours we can expect 24 cm. to accumulate.   Good thing Hubby put new belts on the snow blower and now it is ready to clean off the driveway later.

I have snowdrops planted under the tree in the front garden,  now some of the snow has melted around the base of said tree, I can see them poking some leaves above the ground and just a little bit of white which will be the flowers when they open.  

Lazy day today, as we stayed up much too late watching the tube, nothing pressing to do today, so we do not much of anything, just necessities.  

Yesterday was a lovely day so took a nice long walk, it was nice to be able to go down the street and walkways with worrying about slipping.  

Stay warm or cool as the case maybe.

Pinch Punch the first of the Month.

 February, heart month.  

This is the month I give a donation to the Heart and Stroke organization.   My Dad had a small stroke, Mum had a heart attack and late husband had heart problems and finally triple bypass surgery.   Money well spent in my opinion.

This month is also the month of love.  So thankful I have found love again with my Hubby.   I will be getting a trinket on Valentines day.   How do I know, because he asked me to chose something and he ordered it.   In the six years we have been together not one argument has been between us, heated words, of course, but not directed to each other.  

The sun we saw when we got up did not last long, the temp is on the plus side today, however, now it is cloudy, in preparation for the blast of snow were are forecast to get during the next couple of days.   Now January is finished, I am hoping half of the bad part of the Winter is over. 

Yesterday, I needed to do some errands and ended up in W for the vitamins we take, so much cheaper there than the drug store.   I always walk into the seasonal dept.  and garden seeds were on display, had to pick up some Asters, I love the colours of those flowers late in the Summer.  Time for me to take a garden fix and walk through a garden centre.

I bought my sister B an amaryllis in a kit which contained the bulb, soil and pot, I had intended to give it to her for Christmas, but that did not happen.   It looked very sad in the box, so decided to plant it, it grew and was getting quite big, so a couple of weeks ago we visited her and took the plant.  Yesterday, she advised there are five big red blooms out and two more yet to bloom.  Glad it turned out so nice for her.

Dinner tonight, chicken and veg. dessert.....no