Conditions at 6:00 am: -16' and clear skies
Expected later: -3' and maybe 10 to 15 cm of snow but we could also get rain and above freezing temperatures before tomorrow morning
Friday night dinner and curling by the fire
Well, it was a busy weekend. On Friday afternoon, it started snowing around 3:30 and it snowed quite heavily until I left work at 5:30. I met the girls at the Civic Centre to decide what they were going to do. As the roads were very slippery and the snow continued to come down, they made the decision to go home and watch the evening draw on TV. In the 10 to 15 minutes I was in the arena, it changed from heavy snowfall to heavy rain. It was the weirdest thing ever. But we went home anyway and in retrospect it was a good decision. I knew we might be in for some nasty weather so had discussed it with Craig on Friday. Sure enough, when I went out on Saturday morning, it had changed to snow again overnight and the winds had picked up to 90 km an hour. When I went out at 7:00 am, the snow in the bottom half of the driveway was mid-thigh deep. Not something even Bernie's 4 wheel drive truck would be able to tackle, and it was way too much snow to shovel. So I called Craig and told him I couldn't get there. Frank came over mid morning to blow out the snow, and didn't he get stuck. He had to call someone else to come with another tractor to get him out so they could finish the job. It was almost noon by the time we got out. Fortunately by that time the roads were not too bad. There were still some areas with blowing snow but for the most part it was okay. The afternoon draw on Saturday was at 12:00 so the girls were only a little bit late. I didn't have a ticket so I watched from inside the lounge, on the big screens. None of us had tickets for the evening draw so we all bought some when we got first got there. After the game was over at 3:00 there was some great east coast music being played so I stayed in the lounge and listened to that while the other three went off to the casino...again. Other than watching curling, that seemed to be the only thing they were interested in doing, so I just let them go to it.
The evening draw was earlier than previous ones, starting at 5:00 instead of 7:30 which meant we were home by 9:00, which was nice.
Sunday morning Katy helped me load up the wood, and then they headed off to town around 1:00. I had a ticket for the final draw at 7:30 but I was also picking Brenda and Bernie up at the airport at 6:00 so I didn't go to town until about 5:10. Their flight was right on time and the three of us headed over to the Civic Centre.
They had a great time in Toronto and got to do a lot of stuff in a short time.
Once at the arena, Brenda and I managed to both get into the sponsors lounge, to meet up with Bernie, and Richard and Daralen. We had something to eat then headed out to our seats. By coincidence, our seats were almost all right together, being just behind where the other girls were sitting.
It was an exciting and very close game with the winner not determined until the very final rock, which we were all sure would be in Team Canada's favour. The Saskatchewan team had a LOT of support from the crowd there last night, and the place literally exploded when Jennifer threw the final rock AND it didn't achieve the results she had hoped for, AND it became obvious that Saskatchewan had won the gold medal.
We stayed to watch the awards ceremony, then we all headed back home. We got back just in time to see the last bit of the Academy Awards and to see The King's Speech win best actor and best picture. We won't know till this morning's news what other awards it might have won.
Today the ladies are staying home and cooking dinner for me. That will be really a treat. They will also be home all day as they have no vehicle, but I think the Casino will survive today without their contributions!
Conditions at 5:30: -3' and no precipitation yet
Expected later: 2' and rain or maybe snow or who knows what
All day yesterday the radio and the weather network are telling us we are in for a major blizzard with up to 30 cm of snow. This morning the blizzard warning is still there but it's predicting more rain than snow. The weather network was calling for lots and lots of snow, while Environment Canada site says it was too early yesterday to accurately predict what is in store. The bottom line is we don't know what's coming. It makes it a little hard to know what to expect or prepare for.
Yesterday after work, Brenda and Bernie picked me up at 5:30 and we went to the airport. They are off to Toronto to celebrate with Meghan(1) and I have their truck. I'll pick them up on Sunday at the airport in time to go and see the final draw of the curling at the Civic Centre.
The truck is a little larger than I'm used to but quite a pleasure to drive. You're sitting up so high you can see everything and the heated seats are such a treat!
The ladies spent the day in town yesterday and didn't get home till after 11:00 some time. I heard them but didn't wake up enough to check the clock. I called them at 6:00 to see if I could meet them somewhere to have something to eat but when I got home, Katy's phone was here, so that didn't happen. Instead I came home and ate here and caught up on a couple of TV shows before heading off to bed.
I received an email from Patti last night with this picture of Tristen. He's just earned his orange belt in Karate. Congratulations T!!! He takes his karate very seriously and it's so fun to watch him.
He looks very proud of his new orange belt.
Okay, I'm cutting this short this morning. I'm having some technical troubles with computers this morning and
I need to make a call to my tech person tonight to find out how to fix a couple of problems.
Conditions at 4:42 am: -7' and overcast
Expected later:-4' and sunny, maybe with a few flurries
But get ready for it..... another 10 to 15 cm of snow on Friday! Yay, just what we needed, is more snow! At least the weather is cooperating for Brenda and Bernie to fly out to Toronto this evening. It looks like it might be a bit messy on Saturday as well, but should be fine for their flight back on Sunday. A big congratulations to Meghan(1) who is getting her CA designation! All the hard work has finally paid off.
(Don't forget to take pictures, guys)
Yesterday morning was still a bit blustery but nothing like the morning before, so once Frank came over and blew out the snow, the girls were able to be on their way. They were in town for the morning and afternoon draw yesterday and today they will be there for the afternoon and evening. So tonight it will be Cooper and I on our own.
It looks like Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be non stop curling for them. I will join them on Sunday for the evening after I pick Brenda and Bernie up at the airport as they have tickets for Sunday as well. Monday and Tuesday will be pretty boring for my guests after this weeks non stop activity.
Sunday afternoon I'm going over to Shiela's to watch how she puts a warp on her loom. I think I have all the parts I now need. Somehow I screwed up and didn't get the cables I needed for the heddles but I think I have that problem solved. I was able to purchase some cord and some clips to hold the pieces together just like the ones I already have so I just have to put those together. Apparently I asked for the wrong thing when I was in Ontario because I have two new sets of cables for the counterbalance and I didn't need those. Oh well, they weren't expensive and now I have extras should I ever need them. It would cost more in postage to return these and have the others sent. Good thing I'm creative and can figure these things out (well, most of the time).
I just received an email from Patti. They were hoping to come up for a few days at March Break but it's just too busy. It seems James has qualified for the Provincial Speedskating Championships in London the first weekend in March. Then the first weekend in April Meghan skates in a meet in Ottawa. Busy times! Good luck everybody!!
Well, not much else is new this morning so I think I will be off and have my bath, and get ready for work. These days with the ladies here to let the dog out before they leave, I can leave a bit early and have a coffee at Timothy's and read the paper before I head to work.
Conditions at 5:00: -5' and light flurries
Expected later:-6' and up to 5 cm of snow between now and tomorrow morning
Okay, 5 cm of snow doesn't sound like that much, but when all the snow from the Hillsborough River over blows into your driveway, it's a big deal! Last night I got home and the drifts across the bottom half of the drive were thigh high. We went out for supper and by the time we got home, they were pretty much almost waist deep. We thought we might lose Pat in one of the drifts and she thought she was swimming in snow!
Brenda emailed me in the afternoon and invited us all over for supper. We had an absolutely great time and a most enjoyable dinner and for at least the 5th time, members of my group were heard to say "What a great couple". So thank you Brenda and Bernie for helping make my guests feel welcome here on the island. They've truly enjoyed being the time they've spent with you guys and I know they will have fond memories of their visit thanks to you. No thanks however, to the weather. One of the things they discovered when they were here was something called Half Hour Pudding. They enjoyed this desert at the casino restaurant and were delighted to learn that it was something that Brenda's mom used to make and she still has the recipe. I'll get it from her when she gets back because it has loads of raisins in it and I know it's something Lloyd will really like. Brenda made a variation of it last night with rhubarb instead of raisins and it was absolutely delicious.
Yesterday morning the schools were all canceled. The conditions in town were not so bad, but the blowing and drifting snow to get there was terrible. On my way to work, there were many areas with white out conditions and slick roads. I called the girls when I got to work and suggested they might be better to stay home and watch the afternoon draw on TV. So that is what they did. Once we went outside to go to Brenda's and they saw how much snow there was, they could fully understand the situation. Frank had blown out the drive in the morning but the high winds all day just blew it totally back in.
We got home from the VanGaals around 9:30 and there was no way of getting the car in off the road, so I backed it into Frank and Laurie's driveway. There were no lights on and I assumed they had gone to bed, as they usually turn in quite early. I was hopeful they were not just out for the evening and I had blocked their way in. But I called and left a message that I was leaving it there and since I didn't hear back from anyone, I'm assuming it was alright.
Now this morning, the weather network is saying 25 km/hr winds but it certainly sounds like more than that. I can't begin to imagine how much snow is now down there. It's been quite the winter.
Heather and Kim stopped by my work yesterday and dropped off the spinning wheel and the monitor that Lloyd sent down. I did carry the box with the monitor in it, up through the snow, but everything else is still in the car. Kim tells me there is a small leg missing off the spinning wheel that he says was there when it left the shop, so requests that Lloyd have a look in his van and see it it is there, as it may have fallen off when we brought it home from Kitchener.
I received several messages from Patti yesterday. It seems that Meghan is learning about food from China at school so the two of them were making Chinese dumplings from scratch. After several queries, and a trip to the Asian store, they are happy to report that the dumpling were a delicious success and Meghan's classmates loved them. I wish I had been there - Chinese dumplings are one of my most favorite foods.
Well, better get myself together and head out and see what conditions are like this morning and what I have to do to get on the road again. I really can't wait till I can retire and not have to go out in this everyday. The girls will certainly remember the weather, if not the curling, from THIS trip!
Conditions at 5:30: -3' with light flurries
Expected later: -6' and up to 5 cm of snow by this time tomorrow morning
I think the girls are having a good time. Friday night we drove into town and had supper at Swiss Chalet before we all went out to the Civic Centre where we met up with Brenda and Bernie, and Raymond. We found a table and by coincidence, Richard and Daralen and Brendan and Georgie were sitting there, so we scrounged up some chairs and joined them. They had a bit of an opening ceremony where all the curling teams were introduced, then Fiddlers Son came on to entertain. That was quite enjoyable. There was a bit of a break before Rawlins Cross came on and at that point the ladies announced they wanted to go home. I've never heard Rawlins Cross, but I'm told they are quite good. Well, I still haven't heard them but maybe next time...
Saturday morning I went off to work and the ladies were going into town for the opening ceremonies at 11:00 and then the first draw was at 2:30. I left work at 2:00 but I stopped first at the grocery store and did a couple of other little errands so I didn't arrive at the Civic Centre until almost 4:30. I got there in time to see the last hour of the afternoon game. Brenda and Bernie were there sitting with the ladies but they weren't staying for the evening. It had started snowing in the afternoon and the roads were getting a little slick. The Van Gaals left at 5:30 and the evening game wasn't due to start until 7:30. So we went into the snack bar at the casino and had something to eat. While we were eating, Brenda called on my cell to advise we were best advised to skip the evening game and head home as the roads were not very good. So we made the decision to go home and watch on TV. In retrospect I think it was a wise move, as the roads went from bad to worse. By morning we were pretty much snowed in.
One note, after I had gone to bed Saturday night, I was awakened by the phone ringing. I answered it right away and in my half asleep state, I thought someone has accidentally dialed my number because all I could hear was noise and music. After listening for a few seconds and repeatedly saying "hello" it dawned on me that I recognized the music. Then I realized I was listening to Jesse Cook - live! When the song finished there was a lot of clapping and cheering and then Jana came on the line. She said James had an amazing time at the show. Then she put him on the phone. He seems to have really enjoyed it. By that time they were just walking out of the theatre. When I called Lloyd the next morning, he didn't realize it was me they were talking to. By all accounts another great show.
The snowbanks at the end of the drive-taller than the car
Sunday morning Brenda called and came over for coffee. She saw Frank just heading out with the snow blower so she moved the rental car that I had parked at the end of the driveway, just in time for Frank to clear us out. Then we fed her and made her a coffee. The ladies only had tickets for the afternoon draw so they left around 1:00 and were due back around 6:30. I spent the afternoon cooking dinner as Brenda and Bernie were coming over as well. I wanted to make everyone at least one special meal while they are here. Our menu for the evening went something like this:
Sesame crusted seared sea scallops in an asian vinaigrette (sausage rolls for Pat as she has a shell fish allergy) Sausage rolls for everyone else as well (but only one each of the above items)
Curried butternut squash soup topped with a pastry dome
Salt crusted salmon topped with Salsa verde, risotto and string carrots
Red velvet cake for dessert
My most accounts it was good, as nothing was left over except for a bit of rice and a tiny container of salmon
Monday, Islander day, dawned a little overcast but no precipitation, so that was good to see. We had breakfast and then watched the curling on TV in the morning. The ladies left around 1:00 again but this time they didn't get home until about 11:15 as they had tickets for both afternoon and evening. I spent a quiet day at home, catching up on some TV I've taped in the last week and while I was away. I did vacuum the carpet in the living room, do some laundry, have a nap and just generally had a lovely relaxing day.
Today, the ladies are just going into town for the afternoon draw so they will be home for supper. I have our meal all ready to be put into the oven when I get home and they should be here around the same time.
I think they're enjoying themselves. I'm hoping the weather holds out not too badly. They've made themselves at home and that is what I want them to do. I don't feel I have to entertain them and they all seem comfortable being here.
Conditions at 5:30 am: -6' and bright clear skies
Expected later:2' and mixed precipitation
Yesterday morning, I was finishing up a few things and didn't get to the blog. Well, Thursday is usually the quietest day of the week, but yesterday was incredibly busy and I spent very little time at my desk so I never did get back to it. The up side is the day went by really quickly.
I woke up in the morning and I was really excited that the ladies were finally arriving, so being really busy made the day fly by. I left work right at 5:30, stopped off at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things and then still had to wait at the airport for the flight to get in. What a hub of activity. There were several volunteers from the Scotties standing around waiting for curlers to arrive. They all had pieces of paper with hand written notes on them: ie Team Saskatchewan, Team Manitoba, etc. I was chatting with one of the guys and told him I was waiting for three friends and I wish I'd thought of it and I would have had a sign as well. So he suggested I go and speak to the fellow in the parking booth and ask for some paper. So I did, and he kindly obliged with a blank piece of paper and a pencil to write "Team Rockwood" on it.
Well, I'm standing there waiting for them to come in and this woman comes over and says "I want to give you a hug first, before your friends" Turns out it was my quilting teacher, Janice from Stratford. I seems the girls had run into her in the lineup at Tim Hortons in Toronto Airport. Of course, they were telling her they were going to stay with their friend Sandy Denny. What a coincidence that they would run into the one person on the plane who knew who I was. Told you this was a small place! So they had a great time chatting with her while they waited to get on the flight.
They also ran into Jeff Hutcheson from Canada AM and of course, they sent Fran over to chat with him too. Apparently he was quite obliging but I saw him get off the flight and had this strange 'get me out of here quick' look on his face as he entered the terminal !
We got the luggage, made the long trek out to the parking lot, and made our way home. Before we left town, I called Brenda and suggested that she come over after supper and have tea and cake with us. We were a little late getting to the food so we hadn't eaten yet when she arrived. But she had Korean food for supper and was still a little hungry so it all worked out. We had our supper, and our tea/coffee and dessert and an adult beverage or two, before Caitlin came and picked up her mom and we all headed off to bed around 11:00.
If we're not careful, this COULD turn into a party!
PS- got an email from Scott Pollard with a poster attached (it wouldn't let me copy and paste it in here)
but the bottom line is Chef Michael will be in the Guelph area participating in a local Chef event on June 25th
Conditions at 5:30 am: -12' and still VERY windy
Expected later: -9' but no more snow and the winds dying down
I've driven in lots of snow before but nothing like the white out conditions I drove through to get home last night. From Mount Herbert to past Mermaid, you had no idea where you were driving. I've driven in whiteouts before but usually if you just stopped and waited for a couple of seconds, it eased up enough to see the road. That was NOT the case yesterday. You could just barely make out the snow banks on the right side so you had to follow those and hope you were a) on the road, b) not in the middle of the road, c) hope the snow wasn't too deep to drive slowly through and d) pray no one was coming the other way. Once you got through Mermaid, it was considerably better, although quite slippery. But boy, what a ride! On the plus side, you also felt an extreme sense of pride in your accomplishments for having gotten safely through.
Caitlin left town not long before me and she made t home safely as well. I called them when I got home to let them know I'd made it. It's very comforting to know that I have someone I can call under these conditions and let them know I'm on my way, and then again when I get home. That way there is a least someone who knows if I don't make it. I don't feel so alone out there.
Now I'm still hearing the wind howling and wondering what conditions will be like this morning. It should end later this morning, according to the radio - lets hope they're right. It will be interesting to see if the school buses run today.
I'm so glad the ladies are not here and having to drive through that. It would just be too stressful waiting for them to get home. One more sleep and they will be here. The weather should be nice for the next couple of days so that will be a good thing.
There's a fan appreciation night on Friday with some great local entertainment. Everyone has a ticket but me, as it's part of the package, but I called yesterday and you can still buy them individually as well. I went by the Civic Centre yesterday but it was too early - the box office doesn't open till 11:00 so I will go back today sometime.
The next two weeks are going to be VERY busy, and I hope the girls have a good time.
Okay, gotta go. I still have a couple of things to do before they get here so I'm using all the time I have. That includes a bit of time in the morning.
Conditions at 5:10 am : -1' and freezing fog
Expected later:-2' and more flurries
I must say, freezing fog is not a term I've ever heard before. We received more snow yesterday afternoon and when driving home it was blowing and drifting around. We are due for more high winds today as well. When I got home last night the lane was drifted in quite heavily so getting in was not happening, so I just parked at the end and left it there and hope it's not drifted in too badly around it. Shoveling is a bit of a challenge but we'll manage.
I looked ahead on the weather network and we're getting another 10 cm of snow on Sunday (maybe). That should really add to the wall of snow running down the sides of the lane. It's beginning to resemble a tunnel. But March will be here before we know it and it will start to get better.
Everyone had theories at work yesterday regarding how I injured my wrist. The ideas they came up with were much more colourful than the real story. I asked at work if I could bring the shuttle home at night until my wrist is better, but was told no because of the liability. But, they did offer to pay half of a rental car with an automatic transmission so that's what I'm doing. I found a rental for $23.95 per day and will be picking it up today. I'm picking Brenda up at 9:00 in town when she's done her run, and she'll take my care back to her place. It will all work out. I have no idea where I would be without the assistance of the Van Gaal's. I really am fortunate to have them as friends.
The new reed for my loom arrived yesterday. When Sheila gets back I'll get her to help me put the parts on that I bought, and then maybe I can figure out how to use it. I now have three books (one on loan from Sheila) so hopefully I can figure it out. Of course, if she helps me the first time, then the info in the books will make sense.
Well, I'd better get ready for work so I can go out and see just how messy it is outside. (It's also a slow news day and it takes ages to type this!)
Conditions at 5:30 am:-8' and some new snow
Expected later - going up to 0' by this evening and up to 5 cm of new snow
I'm going to try my best to do this but it's a tedious process.
I am back on the island and I must start with a huge thank you to my great friend Brenda. After I dropped her off yesterday from picking me up at the airport, I arrived home to a warm fire burning in the wood stove and a nice clear driveway. She had come by before she went to town and lit the fire, turned up the furnace and ensured my driveway was blown out. I am so grateful to her for that. Stepping into a nice warm kitchen was a very welcoming thing.
Well, we all made it through the week, and we managed to get everyone where they needed to be, most of the time, anyway. I also have to give Lloyd a huge thank you because I couldn't have done it all without a lot of help from him.
It was great to get together with everyone. I hadn't seen Helen and Peter or Cathy since I left almost two years ago. I can't believe it's been that long already. Time flies when you're having fun!
My wrist is less painful and the swelling has gone down in the hand so the fingers work a little better but it's still a tedious process.
For those who haven't heard my tale of woe, I was taking Meghan to her dance class on Wednesday night and there was this ridge of ice along the outer edge of the walkway in front of the building. I went to step up onto the walk and my foot slipped and I went down. I had a book in my right hand and I guess I put the hand out to break the fall and with the book in my hand, it was on an awkward angle. I picked myself up and brushed the snow off of me, and we went inside. I knew something was wrong with the wrist but I figured it was just sprained. I sat inside while Meg had her dance class, then we went home, after a stop at the store to pick up a tensor bandage. When we got home I put ice on it for a while then wrapped it loosely in the bandage to stabilize it before heading off to bed at 10:00. I woke up at 11:30 in a lot of pain and decided my days were much too busy to function well like this. So I got up and dressed and took myself off to emergency. I was really fortunate. I arrived at midnight, was exrayed at 2:00 am and home by 4:00 - the quickest trip ever to emerg in Guelph, at least for me. Turns out there are two small bones broken but not displaced so that makes it much quicker and easier to heal. It does make life a little more difficult here - just things like bringing in wood, shoveling snow, etc but I'll manage.
Tristen looks very proud of his big brother
James had a provincial speed skating meet this past weekend. Lloyd was there with him for Saturday morning and I was there for the afternoon. Lloyd was there for the morning yesterday as well. I got an email from Patti last evening with this photo of James and Tristen with the silver medal he won overall.
Congratulations James! Well done.
Meghan missed it as she was at a birthday party at Guelph Grotto for one of her school friends.
Due to technical difficulties (a cast on my right hand) there will be no posts until further notice. My typing skills with only one hand are poor and it takes forever!
Conditions at 6:35: -12' with a wind chill of -23' and clear skies
Expected later: -9' and mostly sun
Yesterday morning, once the sun came up, it was glorious. The weather itself was very cold but the sun was lovely. I dropped the kids off at school and then headed to Orangeville to Camilla Valley Farm. There I found every imaginable piece of weaving equipment needed to get me started. I bought all the cords I needed, plus the hooks, bobbins, and a new reed. The reed is quite long (45 inches in fact) and there's no way I can take it back on the plane, so they are going to ship it for me. It should arrive sometime next week, once I'm home.
I got home in time to have a shower, and get the kids picked up and off to their destinations before heading out to my IAAP meeting.
It was a great night. Only three people knew I was coming and most were felling a little down because one of the members had passed away from cancer on Monday so it was a sombre group. The hugs and smiles I was met with at every turn helped to lift up the mood a little. I was glad to provide that little distraction. It looks like there are only going to be a maximum of four girls coming in May. That works out great because I can accomodate all of them. They had planned to stay in a hotel but with so few it's not a problem. I reminded them it's not the Holiday Inn but they were all pleased they can stay at my house. Now we can enjoy ourselves and not have to worry about anyone drinking and driving (or having to miss out on a couple of glasses of wine because they are the designated driver).
When I got home, the sitter had MOST of them tucked in bed and sound asleep. All in all it was a great day.
Today I'm meeting Nancy for lunch. She made the trek out to the island in the summer so it will be nice to see her again. I received an email from Patti yesterday telling me that they will be in their hotel room after 8:00 pm our time last night and tonight so we'll try try calling them tonight.
Conditions in Guelph this morning : -13' and overcast (we were supposed to go to -17' so this is a bonus)
Expected later: - 10' and the same
On to day three.
We had a great day yesterday. I got the kids up and made their lunches and breakfast and off we went to school. There was a fair bit of new snow so they were really looking forward to going out later and playing in it. I came back home and decided to take a bath, just because I could (and I hadn't showered yet). I started the water filling and went downstairs to make a cup of tea and when I came back upstairs, the dog was sitting in the middle of the tub in the water! Guess I didn't think about how much these dogs love water. SO I closed the bathroom door before getting her out so she wouldn't shake all over the bedroom. By the time I was done my bath and my tea, she was dry enough to let out again.
I went up to Fergus and had a lovely lunch with Helen and Peter. We went to the old pub which is now called O'Briens and it's really very nice. They've done a nice job with it. Of course, it's not the Copper Kettle, but nothing could ever replace that.
By the time we were done, I got back to Guelph in time to pick up the kids swimming stuff, and go and get them at school. Tristen was sitting on a chair off to one side, enjoying a time out, and his teacher asked me to come back in a few minutes. Apparently he was being a bit silly, however when I questioned him about why he required a time out, he says he forgot. I went upstairs and Meghan's class was being held for something but it had to do with plans for their boxed lunch on Monday. So James was able to enjoy a few minutes of outdoor play before we headed over to the pool.
Swimming lessons went well. James did 15 laps of the pool and Meghan's group was learning CPR. Tristen is not quite there yet but he also did well. He kept looking over at me and I think there may have been a little showing off, for my benefit of course.
When we got home, Papa had supper ready for us. We enjoyed homemade broccoli and cheddar soup, as well as a BBQ chicken (with Swiss Chalet dipping sauce) and oven baked french fries. Tristen didn't want to try the soup but Lloyd had bought some nice soft dinner rolls and he had three of those with cheese and mayonnaise inside. (He did have some chicken and baked fries as well. )
Our chart for behaviour seemed to be working well yesterday. We had a lovely dinner, with ever so many please and thanks yous. There was even no argument about doing homework after supper. There was one brief protest that we have all week to do it, but when I pointed out that it would earn 5 extra points, it was a done deal. Our chart is on the fridge and they can earn up to 5 points per day in each of six categories: Manners, Respecting others, Being helpful, Listening and doing what you're told, Eating a healthy meal, and doing Homework. So far it's working like a charm. Fortunately for me, they are all a little competitive so they are eager to be the winner at the end of the week with the most accumulated points. I'll have to come up with some kind of reward, but a first, second and third place will need to be considered.
Conditions at 4:30 am: -3' and overcast
Expected later: -1' and a few clouds
Talk about a busy couple of days! Friday I left work at 3:30 and went over the the Rural to pick up Brenda. I had just arrived when she drove in with her bus. So off to the airport, where my flight to Halifax was slightly delayed. The fellow at the gate told me there was very little time when I got to Halifax so not to be surprised if my luggage didn't make it. Sure enough, when I got to Halfax I went straight to the gate and arrived just in time for the final boarding call. No problem. An easy trip to Toronto, albeit a bit late landing but the amazing thing was when I got to the luggage carousel, the bags hadn't started coming down the chute yet and there were three lonely bags circling around and can you believe it - one of them was mine. I'm thinking they may have sent them on a later direct flight so they would be there when we got there. No idea but it was great! I called Lloyd who met me out front and we were soon on our way. It was by far the most seamless flight to Toronto I've ever taken.
We zipped back to Guelph in time to meet Jana and Scott for sushi. We made absolute pigs of ourselves but it was SO good! We had a lovely time and it was great to get caught up with them. We eventually had to leave as the place was closing. They had walked and we drove so we got home slightly before them. It's the first time I've stayed there and it felt really strange, as I know the place so well. Lloyd has a lovely spot to live.
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny. We headed out at 8:00 for breakfast with the guys from the airport. That's always an entertaining time. Then we poked around and made a couple of stops until it was time to meet Heather and Kim for lunch! After lunch we stopped round to a consignment shop where she had placed a small antique spinning wheel, that Heather very graciously thought I should have. It's now taking up a small space in Lloyd's apartment (it's not the big style, it's actually quite compact).
Then back to Guelph for a wee nap until time to go out for supper with Jan and Kathy. I napped while Lloyd played on the computer. James has him totally hooked on this cyper airline game that the two of them play with. We were getting ready to go out and I got an email from Patti a little after 5:00 wondering what time we would be arriving. They were getting a little nervous about the snow. Snow? What snow? Well I went and looked out the window and we must have had at least 3 inches of new snow that had fallen in the past hour and it was still coming down quite hard! We had no idea as the blinds in Lloyd's apartment had been closed. Boy did that come fast and furious. So we headed out to meet our friends for dinner and eventually ended up at Symposium. We had tried to make reservations at a couple of places but none were available. Regardless, we had a lovely evening.
We arrived at the Dennison's around 8:00 and after a quick briefing on what was going on when, they were off on their grand adventure! The kids were needless to say, excited to see us but they quickly settled down and we all went downstairs to watch a movie. When it was over, it was bed time for everyone.
Sunday morning James woke up early and he was really not feeling well at all. He was coughing, and had a sore throat, and he claimed his stomach wasn't feeling well either. He spent most of the morning lying on the couch covered in a blanket. He was also running a bit of a fever so I just let him stay there. I spent the morning puttering in the kitchen, taking stock of what we had in the freezer and the fridge to see what we were going to have to eat this week. Once everyone was up, we made breakfast and all sat at the table and ate together (except for James, who still was lying on the couch). By lunch he wasn't feeling much better so I gave him a children's advil, in hopes it might help with the fever. I asked him about baseball and he really didn't feel up to going, so he stayed home. He really didn't start feeling better till about mid afternoon. Needless to say he stayed home all day.
Meg and I went out briefly to the dollar store to pick up a few decorations for her shoe box that will hold her box lunch on Valentine's Day. It turned out quite nicely. She did a really good job on it.
We all sat downstairs and watched a bit of TV later in the afternoon and then the kids helped me with supper. I found a large steak in the fridge so we made Beef Stroganoff with buttered noodles. We had salad and steamed brocolli along with it and lemon meringue pie for dessert. We'd picked up some frozen pie shells at the store and there was a package of pie filling in the cupboard. I can tell James stilll wasn't feeling well, as he ate a tiny bit of supper, and only had about three bites of his pie and gave the rest to Papa. That speaks volumes as lemon pie is his favorite!
After cleaning up the dishes, it was time enough to finish home work, watch part of a movie and then get bathed and off to bed. Lloyd stayed up watching the super bowl.
Meadow was a really good girl all day. She didn't have one single accident in the house all day.
Now it is early morning, and Lloyd has left for work. I have a bit of quiet time before it's time to get everyone up and off to school!
We've come up with a chart that is on the fridge. Yesterday was a day off but today we will start earning stars. They will get stars in each of 4 categories - Manners, being helpful, listening and doing what you're told and homework completed.There is a graduated system as well. Really great behaviour will get you a gold star, but then we have three degrees after that - not quite up to gold, really needs improvement and then really bad. Everyone is working really hard to get gold stars. Sunday was a trial run, with no stars awarded but we will start tonight. It worked yesterday. If I made a request and it was met with less than enthusiastic response, I just had to mention that wasn't worthy of a gold star and I got immediate compliance! No one wants any bad stars on the chart when mom and dad get home!
Conditions at 5:00 am - clear and cold and minus 12
Expected later - minus 2' and maybe some flurries
What a difference a day can make. After our snowy drive on Wednesday, yesterday turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun was bright and the sky was blue. By mid afternoon the roads were clear and mostly dry, at least in town. The drive home was an easy one on mainly clear roads as well. It took the boys at work until after lunch to clear the lot. I never thought about what's involved with maintaining a car sales lot. Each time it snows, the plow has to come in and clear the lanes between the rows of cars. Then the guys all go out with big rubber scrapers and clear the snow off all the cars. Then they have to start up every car and move them out to the cleared areas so the plow can then clear the spots where the cars used to be. Then when that's done, they have to move all the cars back. We're talking a LOT of cars! I can't imagine how much the shop guys hate snowy days. (I may have already told you all of this, but I don't have time to go back and check, so if I have, please just ignore me this morning!)
Well, my bag is packed, and all I have to do now is get in the shower, get dressed and pack up Coopers stuff. I'm picking Brenda up at 6:30 so I'd best get to it.
Conditions at 4:30 am: a little windy and just flurries at the moment and -6'
Expected later: no more snow and a high of -5' - in other words, what we see is what we'll get
...and seems to be continuing this morning. I woke up at 4:00 and all I could hear was the wind howling outside. I have no idea what it looks like beyond the back yard. I know we got quite a bit of snow, but not sure if it was as much as predicted. When I left work last night there was several inches of fluffy new snow on the ground that would blow around quite nicely once the wind picked up.
It doesn't look like it's snowing very much now but it's too dark to tell yet what the roads look like (or the driveway for that matter). The ride home wasn't really too bad. It was very snowy and visibility wasn't great but there was no wind so white outs were not an issue. Once I got past the store, there were no tire tracks, and it didn't appear that the plows had made it yet, so it was a little tricky to tell where the road actually was, but I just took my time and had no troubles.Apparently Brenda was very close behind me, coming back from town, and needless to say we both decided it best to just stay in for the night. It gave me the opportunity to get my suitcase packed (or at least started).
Every day I am reminded what a small place this is.Yesterday I drove a young man over to a car dealership. He was working at a body shop in Donagh and had dropped off a vehicle for us and needed a lift to somewhere else to pick up another vehicle to take back out there. We got to talking about the roads and wondering what they would be like later in the day, and I mentioned that I lived in the Dromore area. He asked if I knew Sheila Christie. It took me a couple of seconds to make the connection and I said, not really well, but she was at my house last night. Turns out he was good friends with her kids growing up.
I talked to Lloyd yesterday and they were given the option of coming in to work or not. I watched the Toronto news last night and it looks like it wasn't as bad as predicted there although they did get 17 cm of snow in the city. But Great Gulf is building in Guelph now and he had some things he could do there, so made the choice not to go in to the office. I suspect no one did. I saw on the Guelph radio station web site that just about everything was shut down in that city as well. Even Patti's kids school closed - which doesn't happen too often as they have no buses to worry about.
I was thinking about it last night on my way home, as I listened to the soothing music of Jesse Cook, rather than the radio telling me how bad the driving was, and I realized something. Years ago, we had lots worse weather, and more often than we do now. I think the technology of knowing what's coming so far in advance is not necessarily a good thing. We didn't have the fancy gadgets or big cars. We just got into whatever we drove, and dealt with it. If road conditions were bad, we slowed down. Now it seems we panic when we see a storm coming and often times the build up is much worse than the event. Everyone gets so worked up about it. In past years, if you woke up in the morning to a big pile of snow, you just went out and shoveled it. Then you made your way to work. We didn't stress about it for hours in advance. We have indeed become a bunch of wimps when it comes to the weather.
Having said that, I'm going to go and get dressed and head outside to see what lies ahead. I HAVE to make it to work this morning. I'm hoping that they will let me take the shuttle home when the ladies are here so I can give them my car. I can't be taking any more snow days if I want that to happen!
One note though, my next big expenditure for the house will have to be a new storm door for the back porch to replace the one that got ripped off last year. When I opened the door this morning to let the dog out, there was a foot of snow piled up against the door so as soon as he jumped out, a large part of the snow came in. A new storm door is definitely the next priority!
Conditions at 5:00 am: overcast with a few flakes coming down and -12'
Expected later: maybe 15 to 20 cm of snow starting this evening and warming up to -6' by tonight
Last week our storm didn't live up to expectations - lets hope this one doesn't either. It seems lately that the build up has been much more impressive than the actual event. But even if it does come, it should be all cleared up by Friday so no worries for traveling.
Last night Sheila and Brenda both came over and Sheila had a look at my loom. She thinks as I do, that I have everything that I need except for some new cords. She also suggested a new reed, as the one I have is quite fine and a more widely spaced one will be more useful. I have a list to take with me when I go of basics I need to get, as well as what to ask for in wool. It's not like knitting yarn that you purchase by the ounce. You have to know the length of your pieces, and how many you will need to determine how many yards of yarn you need and the cones are sold with the length labeled on them. I'm sure it will all make sense once I read the book she loaned me. It's quite old, dating back to 1957, but as she says, weaving hasn't changed. We also determined that my loom is quite old by the style of braking system on it. We just may be able to make this thing work yet!
Sheila will be away in Halifax for a bit as she's volunteering at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax. It seems that her children all speed skated when they were younger and at least one of them still does. Even though she has no children left at home, she is still interested and helps out. One of the highlights for them was a trip to the Yukon to compete. So look out Dennison family, it appears the travel has only just begun! I told her about James and Meghan skating and she asked what club they skated with. When I told her Cambridge, she said that was a very good club.
Last night I was reminded once again why I love it here. The people are kind. That's it, just a kindness that is missing in the bigger cities. I stopped at the Irving on my way home to pick up a half pint of milk. I didn't want to buy a whole litre as I'm trying to empty the fridge before I go away. They had small containers of cream, half and half and chocolate milk, but no white milk. I asked the lady at the counter if they had any and she said no and I told her I needed some just for tea. SO she went over to the coffee area and filled a paper cup with milk and put a lid on it. She asked if that was enough. I assured her it was more than enough, it was probably a little more than a half pint. But she wouldn't charge me for it. I fully expected to pay for a container of milk but she wouldn't hear of it. It was a really nice thing for her to do. It was just one more reminder of why I love it here. And I think it makes you a better person. If people are so kind to you, you can't help but pass that on. Something our society seems to have forgotten in a lot of places.
Brenda is starting to really look forward to their trip to Florida. She has a cousin there who lives in Palm Beach and they plan to visit. It's the same cousin who has an Inn in Nantucket. I hope to meet her one day! She also has an aunt there so that will make it much more interesting than doing the Disney thing. I hope they have great weather while they are there. It should be a lot of fun. If they're not careful, this could turn into one MAJOR party!!
Well, I'd best go and get ready. Tonight is scrapbooking night at the Van Gaals and I still need to pack. I was hoping to fit a haircut in there somewhere but we'll see. I'll call Charmaine and see if tomorrow night is at all possible. It's going to work out for my car as well. Brenda is driving a bus on Friday so I'll pick her up early in the morning, we'll drop the dog off on the way into town, and get here there in lots of time to warm up the bus. If we're lucky there might even be time for a coffee but we'll play that one by ear. Then she will pick up my car after she's done, and in a perfect world she'll be back before 4:00 and I can pick her up and she can take me to the airport on her way home. But we're flexible with that part.
PS - Big news last night - Meghan(1) has a shiny new refrigerator!!!
Conditions at 5:15 am: -17' with a wind chill of -27'
Expected later: warming up to a balmy -10'
I'm really hoping we'll get the really cold weather out of the way before the ladies from Ontario get here. Not that they aren't familiar with cold weather, it will just make it much nicer if it's not quite so frigid. Walking around and getting from one place to another won't be quite so nasty.
It appears that Ontario is going to get a big storm today and then they're very generously sending it our way tomorrow. Hopefully the build up will be much bigger than the actual event.
Our friend Richard called last night to see if I needed any tickets for curling as he has passes. It seems his company is one of the major sponsors. I called Fran to see what they have and apparently they have tickets for everyday as well as one for me on the first day and the last day. So we really don't need the tickets from Richard, which is really unfortunate. His are in a special sponsors lounge with free food, etc. Sounds like it might be THE place to be. But I guess he'll just have to wave at us from their better vantage point.
Tonight Sheila, the weaving neighbour, is coming over after supper to have a look at my loom and tell me what pieces I might be missing. I think I have a good idea of what I need but since I'll be able to pick up parts in Ontario while I'm there, I want to make sure I get everything I need. I'm quite excited to be able to finally get something on it that I can actually work with but that will have to wait till I get back, and likely until after the Curling ladies have left. I think my free time will be pretty much used up while they are here. I'll have to sit down with Fran while I'm there and figure out what evenings they are actually here so I can give meal planning some thought. Several days have curling three times a day - that's way too much for me to even consider watching. It's probably a good thing I have to work!
I got Patti's schedule for the kids yesterday. She laughingly told me she was reluctant to send it to be before hand in case I decided not to come! I can see why. My goodness, what a busy crew! Each evening is packed with activities and the list I got still doesn't include hockey practice. I have no idea how they do all of this every week. But we'll be fine. My lunch dates are filling up quite nicely. I have a date in Fergus with Helen on Monday, Tuesday I'm going to the weaving place in Orangeville, Wednesday at Borealis with Nancy, Thursday is so far still open (that might work for the office folks) and then Friday with Cathy. We're meeting with Jana and Scott on Friday night when I arrive, to go out for sushi. We have (tentative) dinner with Jan and Kathy on the first Saturday evening (as long as we're home by 9:00). The following Friday night we have dinner with Jim and Patty. We should really plan to see the Wilsons on Saturday night as her birthday is the next day but I'll be flying out early on Sunday morning. Somewhere in there I hope to connect with Linda for a coffee at some point, and then we also want to find time to get together with Heather and Kim. I'm going to need a vacation when I get back from my vacation! But I am looking forward to it.
I just realized last night, that by the time the ladies leave, it will be the first of March already and the worst (hopefully) will be behind us and spring will be just around the corner! I can't wait. Lloyd will be coming down in April, followed by the IAAP girls in May,and then after that I have no idea. I haven't heard yet if Patti and the kids are planning on coming for a few days in March Break or not. I was hoping they might be able to come down for the Jack Frost Festival but that is right in the middle of curling and all my beds will be full. They've moved the location this year so we'll give them a year to work out the bugs and maybe they can come down next year.
