It was another snow day on PEI..

Well, it's been quite a few days. I've been a little remiss in updating things here. Lloyd arrived on Thursday afternoon to spend the family day weekend (although here on the island it's called - go figure - "Islander Day"
We picked out flooring on Thursday night before heading home and on Friday Lloyd picked it up at the building centre. We spent Friday night with Brenda and Bernie enjoying what has become our 'Friday Feast'. We spent the evening enjoying good food, great wine and even greater company. We got home in time to watch some of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics but we didn't watch the entire thing as it was not over here until approximately 1:30 in the morning. I had a quilting class on Saturday morning at 9:30. So off I went in the morning leaving Lloyd home to play. Our class went well and I had lots of homework to take back with me. Lloyd on the other hand went over to our neighbour Richard's to help put up a ceiling in his garage. Bernie was there too and I think it was more of a party, although the job did eventually get done. But they had a great time and he finally arrived home at 9:00 pm.

Sunday was my day to cook and clean downstairs while Lloyd began the installation of the wood flooring. Apparently it has to 'acclimatize' to it's surroundings before you can install it - hence the delay.
Bernie and Brenda and Jackie and Helena were coming over for supper. Brenda came over around 3:00 (well actually she picked us up at Bernie's garage) and we started in on cooking our Valentine's feast. Bernie came over at the same time to help Lloyd but he was done for the day so they sat in the kitchen and kept us company until the other couple arrived.
We had a delicious dinner of some slightly different menu items than they were used to but I think everyone enjoyed it. We had a first course of puff pastry baked with thinly sliced tomatoes arranged on top, then a slice of goat cheese placed on top. It's baked and then a tiny salad is placed on top of the goat cheese. It's very simple but really yummy! Then we had a Morrocan Lamb Tagine, followed by dessert of individual Lemon Meringue Tarts. Brenda was a huge help with preparing the dinner. She did a fair bit of the cooking and I did other prep stuff. It's so much more fun to prepare a meal like this with someone who is keen to learn and help as well.
After dinner, we sat and chatted for a while then Brenda and Helena insisted on doing the dishes. I must admit I WAS grateful the next morning.
Monday, the actual holiday, was spent pretty much working. It was Lloyd's last full day so time to get work done. He finished the floors upstairs and I finished my homework for my quilting class. He suggested we go out for supper so we made a trip into town and had supper at the Gahan House. It was okay but not special. Tuesday I had to work, and Lloyd had part of the day on the island, so he drove me to work, and picked up some trim he needed for upstairs. As seems to be our usual routine when he's here, it was very rushed to the last minute to finish up the current project. He picked me up at work at 2:00 so I could drive him to the airport, where we arrived only to find that because there was a storm looming, hordes of people had changed their flights. So, needless to say, in our world, that spells disaster.
So back home we both came, with a reservation for 6:00 am next morning.

I didn't sleep well, pondering what driving conditions might be like by 4:30 in the morning as snow was expected to start falling around midnight. You can't begin to imagine how relieved I was to get up at 4:00 to NO SNOW. It did start snowing as we were leaving, but it was an easy drive into town. Fortunately Lloyd did get a seat, but once they were ready to go, they decided to delay due to the weather. They were THAT close! By now it's been snowing and blowing for an hour and a half so it was not pretty. Delay followed delay, which would have been fine if I'd thought to bring a book or anything. Of course, Lloyd is in the security area and I'm out in the waiting area and we keep calling each other on our cells to update on progress - or lack of. Finally about 9:20 Lloyd calls me and tells me to go home. They will eventually get out but there was little I could do sitting there. By now all the schools, the university, most of the downtown businesses, the doctors offices, daycares, government offices, have all notified the radio stations that they are closed for the day. I can hardly wait to get out onto the road. Once I dug out the car, as there was a two foot snowdrift on the passenger side and part way around the back, I headed out. I suppose the upside is that nothing is open so not many vehicles are on the road. I started down Brackley Point Road (airport road in any other city) and I seriously questioned my sanity. It was terrible. The roads were covered in snow, it was blowing all around so visibility was very poor and I have at least a half hour drive ahead of me. But I just told myself "I can do this!" - and I did. I took the highway home thinking it would be the best bet but it had not been plowed yet. I took my time, drove very slowly, and arrived home in one hour and ten minutes. A few times along the way, vehicles would come up behind me, so I just pulled over slightly and let them pass. As one point, I had stopped to let someone go by and while I was stopped my cell phone rang. When I was talking on the phone, another car went by, but he stopped just up ahead, backed up, and rolled down his window to ask if I was okay. I assured him I was fine and had just stopped to take a call. Not sure that would happen on the 401-but then I don't think I'd want it to either.

Once home, a few phone calls to let everyone know I'd made it home, and into some comfy clothes and a hot chocolate laced with Baileys in front of the fire. Gee I love snow days!
Lloyd did finally get home, and by Thursday, the temperatures were above freezing and the roads clear. I did have a bit of an issue on Thursday morning getting out of the driveway. Frank, our neighbour, had blown the snow in the afternoon, but it was still snowing and blowing a bit, and the plow went by at least twice before morning. Needless to say I had about 2 feet of snow covering the bottom 10 feet or so of the driveway. Usually I try to just bomb through but I knew this was not going to work. So, out comes my tiny little snowblower that Lloyd bought while he was here. It was a bit of a challenge as there was so much, and it was quite packed at the bottom, but it did the trick and I was able to get out. It would have taken me a very long time to shovel my way out of that one! So thank you Lloyd!
Now it's Friday and it's like there was never a storm. But that extra time off did give me a chance to put everything away that was in the upstairs all over the place. Still a bit of fine tuning to do but the bulk of it is done.
Great news! I got home from my IAAP meeting last night and there was a phone message from a woman in Rockwood Ontario requesting to make a reservation for three guests next winter for the Scotties Tournament of Roses which is being held in Charlottetown. I called this woman back and said that I would be delighted to have her and her two friends enjoy my hospitality for that event!