A very relaxing weekend

Conditions at 5:00 am: -9' and light snow
Expected later: -14' and sun and then much colder tonight

This was a very quiet weekend. Friday night I did nothing at all. I came home from work, made something to eat and then vegged in front of the TV. Saturday morning I got up early and met Brenda in town for coffee before going to work. After work I came home and spent the afternoon filling up my wood supply inside. I had run out earlier in the week so that was my first priority. It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon. The sun was very bright and there was no wind. By the time I finished with the wood, I was actually tempted to get out a lawn chair and sit outside for a while. It was so nice, and I was glad to have had the chance to spend some time outside, even if it was work.  But I was also  tired by then so it was pretty much a repeat of Friday night - make something to eat and then watch some TV. I had called the lady down the road who has the weaving looms as she had mentioned that she might be putting some wool on hers this weekend. But her plans had changed so that was out of the equation. Instead I called Brenda and told her I could go skiing on Sunday.


Three views of the trails at Brookvale

 Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny, again, with no wind. I did a few things around the house in the morning then went over to her house around 10:30. We decided to go out to Brookvale and try their trails. It was very busy there, as the cadets from PEI and Nova Scotia were participating in a biathlon. However, there were very few people on the particular trail that we used. It's considered an easy  trail but it's got several small hills and is a total of  4.3 km. It was the same one Patti and I took the kids on last March. We found that by the time we got back to the lodge, we were ready to quit. It was a good work out and a beautiful day to be out in the woods.

On our way back home we stopped at her cousin Maureen's house. She was working but her husband George was home. He's doing some remodeling in their kitchen and Brenda totally messed up his day by suggesting an alternative to what he had planned. Now he's got to rethink parts of his project!

A quick stop at Riverside Market and then home. I did a couple of little jobs outside then heated up some soup that I had made earlier in the day. It was actually quite good, but then it was from our favorite soup cookbooks by Anne Lindsay. It has smoked sausages, green lentils, carrots and potatoes in it. It's a very hearty soup and quite tasty and made enough to pretty much last me all week. I'm trying to use up everything in the fridge before I leave on Friday so this will be good for quick and easy suppers.

After supper (or rather, during supper) I watched a couple of movies and then went off to bed early. A pretty uneventful weekend but those are good to have once in a while. This morning I got an email from Patti with this picture of Lloyd and the kids and the cake they made for his birthday. I know he's very glad to be able to spend time with them. He was afraid he might lose that connection once I was gone but that has surely not been the case.


Looks like I missed a party!



The calm AFTER the storm

Conditions at 5:15 am : -5' and a bit windy
Expected later: -6' and a mix of sun and cloud

CBC weather man Boomer told us last night it would be a beautiful day today. Let's hope he's right. Yesterday was interesting. It was snowing quite heavily by the time I left at 6:15 yesterday morning. I decided to go into town earlier than usual to get ahead of the snow. I stopped and had a coffee and read the paper before heading into work. By 8:00 it was pretty miserable outside. Fortunately I only had to drive two people yesterday. Most folks had called in on Wednesday and rescheduled their service appointments for another day, in anticipation of the storm. Just about everything on the island was closed yesterday, except of course us.  Even the other car dealerships were closed for the day. I'm not sure that it was worthwhile for us to be open. I'm sure it cost more for us all to be there than what was earned. But that's not my decision.

Later in the afternoon the snow turned to freezing rain so that just made a messy situation worse. Caitlin had been driven to work at the sporting goods store by her dad and even they closed part way through the afternoon, something they rarely do. So she just went over to her brothers and I picked her up and gave her a ride home. It worked out well.  I did ask if I could leave early so that at least I was driving in the daylight and it was around 4:30 by the time I got away.  The worst part of the drive was from Fort Augustus to my house. The wind seemed to pick up quite suddenly and it was just starting to get dark but I made it.  There is a lot of snow drifted around the house and I can't find my shovel. It's not the first time the wind has carried it off. Knowing that happens from time to time, you would think I would be smart enough to bring the thing inside but......NO, not me! So I will have to either pick up another one in town today or use the mini one that's in my trunk. I need to dig a path to the wood pile, and because we had freezing rain on top of the snow, the little snowblower I have just won't do it. Oh well, it will be good exercise for a Saturday afternoon.

It's hard to believe we are at the end of January already. I will be away for 9 days out of February and before we know it, spring will be here! The days are already getting longer so spring must be just around the corner!!!

So far so good

Conditions at :15 am - 0' and snow hasn't really started falling yet
Expected later - up to 20 to 30 cm of snow by overnight tonight

The snow was expected to start around 3:00 am but so far nothing. If the buses aren't canceled today I know a lot of kids (and bus drives) will be very disappointed! We'll have to wait and see what the next couple of hours brings. I have seen it change quite dramatically in a short time here.

Last night I took a bunch of scrapbooking tools over to Brenda's. It only makes sense for everything to be over at her house. Then if she and Caitlin have a day with nothing to do, they can play. I'm going to be away and then the curling ladies will be here so realistically, I'm not going to be using any of it any time soon. Besides I'll still go over to her house on Tuesday nights and keep them on track!

I talked to Lloyd yesterday morning and his hand is not quite so painful but apparently it's going to look awful for qute a while. I asked what the reaction of the hospital staff was when he told them what happened. He said they were very professional but he could see a laugh just below the surface trying to force it's way out.

I got a lovely letter in the mail yesterday from my friend Nancy in Rockwood Ontario. She gave me her days off and it looks like we'll be able to get together on the Wednesday that I'm there as she is off. Her daughter has applied for a job at the Black Shop restaurant in Cambridge and if she gets it, we will likely go there for lunch. I was there a couple of times, years ago, and it was quite lovely.

Did you see that video of the woman in the USA who walked into a bench and tumbled head first into a huge fountain in a shopping mall? She was texting while she was walking and didn't see it. Now she says she is going to sue the mall. Incredible! Click on the link below

Tristen's Knight in Shining Armour

Conditions at 5:15 am - a light dusting of new snow, clear starry skies and -11' (but no wind!)
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud, maybe some flurries and -6' - but lots of snow coming tomorrow!

Tristen need never worry - his Papa will always look out for him. It seems Lloyd had a dream on Monday night that someone was hurting Tristen. So Papa came to the rescue and hauled off and punched the person really good. Did I mention that this was a dream?  Needless to say, the winner of the fight was the bed post that was hit really, really hard. When he suddenly woke up, it was to find a very swollen and painful left hand. Fortunately nothing is broken but apparently it's VERY badly bruised, and will take 7 to 10 days before it starts to heal.  Good one Papa!  All I can say is, I'm really glad I wasn't sleeping next to him. But it was his left hand so I would have been spared as I usually sleep on his left side, so it would have went in the other direction.  I can't imagine the reactions he got at work as he tried to explain his injury!

Brenda and Caitlin came over last night and did a little bit of practice with the cutters. The.cutters take a few times to get the hang of them. They have their pictures and spent a bit of time sorting them all out so now they know what direction they are taking. They are going to get some paper this week that will coordinate with the photos and they will be good to go. We'll put together a couple of pages next Tuesday and then the two of them will be off and running. I'll leave them some of my tools while I'm away so they can keep working. They went home with some books to look through  to get some ideas but they are both pretty creative girls and they'll do just fine. Right now it seems a bit intimidating but once they get started they'll do great. It's the getting started that is the trouble sometimes. Once you get going, it just kind of flows, and the pictures themselves will often dictate what kind of layout it will be.

Well, I'd better cut it short this morning. It's recycling day and I still have all the packaging from Christmas gifts hanging around, so my  pile for today's pickup is quite large and will require several trips to the end of the lane. I really don't want to miss it this month!

A beautiful morning

Conditions at 5:15 am:  clear, starry skies and -18'
Expected later: -12' and mix of sun and cloud with maybe a few flurries

This morning I  let the dog out at 5:00 and the sky is clear and the stars are brilliant. The wind has died down so in spite of the fact it's cold, it's a lovely morning.  The good news is it's meant to warm up to -3' later in the week with 20 cm of snow. We need that to cover the ice so we can get out and ski.

My trip to Toronto is starting to shape up. I heard from Jana this morning and they are available to do sushi on the Friday night that I arrive. They are just back from Whistler, where they spent Jana's birthday, but will be home on the 4th.  I received an email yesterday from Cathy and she is going to Calgary on the 5th but will be back the following Thursday so we are scheduled to do lunch on the Friday. I have the IAAP meeting on the Tuesday night so things are falling in to place. I'll send out some emails today and try to schedule a couple of other lunches while I'm there and my itinerary will be partially complete. All I have to do now is get a schedule from Patti of what the kids are doing in the evenings and we'll be all set. 

I'll only be home for four days before the curling ladies arrive, so I'm trying to get a few things done before I go in preparation for that event.  Then Lloyd will be here in April, the IAAP girls in May and by then summer will be here again!  It's going to be a busy few months but the time will go fast and before we know it, winter will be over.  Hard to believe we're already almost at the end of January!

I received a call from Bernie yesterday giving me the product number for Brenda's boots. I searched everywhere on the L.L. Bean site and I could not find those boots but with the right information it was easy. Here's a picture of them. They are great boots but my only concern is the calf size. I've always had trouble getting boots to fit that way but there are other styles on the site that may work better for me.  I'll have to check it out more carefully when I have more time.Unfortunately the photo didn't copy well and it' really small. But trust me, they are really great boots!

Well, it's Tuesday, so hopefully the ladies will be over tonight to do some scrapbooking. Well work on learning how to use the cutters tonight and we'll also go through paper to see what I have that might be of use to them. It will give us a place to start and then we'll go from there. We saw a great pad of paper at Michaels on Sunday that was Far East themed, which will be great for Caitlin's book but in our hurry to get to the movies, we didn't have time to go through the cash. But that's okay, it will be there next time one of us is in the store. I have to say I'm going to enjoy these evenings. It's just what I needed to get myself jump started to start working on my unfinished pages. I still have some from the ice hotel to do, not to mention not having started Tucson. But at least I have the photo's printed for the Arizona trip so that's a start.

Okay, I wimped out

Conditions at 5:15:  -19' with a wind chill of -32'
Expected later: warming up to -16' but still windy

It's a chilly one this morning. It was cold all weekend and is expected to stay that way until Thursday when the high will be +1'. So we just have to bear with it for a few days. If I recall we had one week like this last year and the rest of the winter was quite bearable.

Friday nights drive home was interesting. Snow started falling after lunch and by the time I left to go home, there was quite a bit on the roads, and it was quite windy, causing whiteout conditions every so often. It took almost an hour to get home (although I did stop for gas, and just took my time). Then over night it turned to rain, and then back to freezing again. By morning the sun was shining brightly, and the glare off the ice on the road was almost blinding!  I walked (or rather slid) down to the end of the driveway, where the car was parked, and there had not yet been any sand put onto our road yet. I could have put my skates on and gotten out to the main road easier than driving. So I made the executive decision to stay home. I called Jamie at work and told him. He said they could manage quite nicely without me. Of course, later in the morning Brenda called Honda to ask me to pick something up on my way home. Imagine her surprise to find out I wasn't there. Needless to say, I took a bit of a ribbing about being a wimp, and rightly so. But I'm a wimp who's in one piece!  They did eventually come around with the sander at 10:00 but at that point it was too late to consider going to work.

I did, however, make it out on Saturday night to go to the Van Gaal's for supper. Roast pork dinner was a much tastier option than I would have had a home. It was quite delicious. The roads were still quite icy but the most challenging part was their driveway. But as Bernie says, it's all good.

Sunday morning was still cold but not windy, so it was actually quite nice out, except that everything was so icy. We knew that skiing was likely going to be a challenge so we passed on that. Instead we headed into town after lunch, once the stores were open. We traveled all around the city checking out all kinds of dollar stores, discount stores, Walmart and Michael's until Brenda had looked at far too much paper and stickers. We were planning on going to a movie at 2:50 and we happened to look at my phone to see what time it was at Michael's and it was exactly 2:50. So we raced out of there and across the street to the theatre. We got there just in time to see The King's Speech. It was really enjoyable. After it was over, we went to Papa Joe's for supper as we still had a gift certificate left from Community School.  We had a lovely dinner before heading back out to the county.

At one point I commented to Brenda that she wasn't wearing her Bean Boots. She has these amazing boots that she got for Christmas a year ago. They are very cool and every time we're out, someone always comes up to her and comments to her how much they like her boots. They are very warm as well as very functional and stylish. She has gotten so many compliments on them from complete strangers. Well, last night when I got home I went to the LL Bean web site and they have all kinds of winter boots but I could not find any like hers. I don't know if they don't make them anymore but I was certainly a little disappointed to not find them. I would have considered ordering a pair. I suppose they might have them in their store but usually you can get more choices online than you can in store. Needless to say I was sad to see they were not available.

Before I go, a quick belated Happy Birthday to my friend Jana. I intended to call her yesterday but I got into town and forgot all about it. Better late than never I suppose. I will email her my best wishes this morning.

Winter's back!

Conditions at 5:15 am - a little cloudy, a full moon and -10'
Expected later:  -1' and up to 10 cm of snow

 The weather network has all kinds of warnings and alerts for us this morning - high winds, heavy snow, weather bombs - in other words, just another winter day here in the Maritimes. But I don't think we're going to be as bad off as other places. At least that's what we're hoping. The drive in this morning should be fine and tonight might not be too bad, but tomorrow morning could be a bit of a challenge. But we'll just have to wait and see.

I always feel bad for the two guys who work in our wash bay. On really snowy days they have to clean off all the cars, and once the plow has cleaned the lot in between the rows they then have to move every single car onto the cleaned area, so the plow can clear where the cars were, and then they have to all be moved back. What a pain in the butt job that must be. But I suppose it's a job, just like any other. They both take very good care of me. When I need gas for the shuttle, I just bring in the keys and they take it to the gas station and fill it up. When it needs washing, they take it inside and wash it for me. Andy was so cute on Monday morning. He brought the car out of the shop, where it gets parked overnight, and brought me the keys. He was very proud of the fact that he had washed it before bringing it out, and then had left it running outside so it would be warm. It was very thoughtful of him and I truly appreciated it. Then when I got into it to drive the first customer, I noticed it was almost out of gas. So when I got back I went to him and said, it's warm and it's clean but I can't get far without gas. He just rolled his eyes and said he didn't think to look at the gas gauge.  So a few minutes later he stopped by my desk to pick up the keys to go gas up and as he walked away, he said "This is going to cost you --- a dozen chocolate chip cookies". So a couple of nights later I baked cookies for him. I'd done that a Christmas as he and Jon had carted all the Christmas stuff upstairs for me after taking it all down. Apparently they were a hit.  But it's a small price to pay for good help!

Everyday this island gets smaller and smaller. Yesterday a man called to speak to Dave but he was out. I asked if I could take a message and it turned out to be someone I knew at the University. Apparently he is also Dave's brother in law. Then yesterday the fellow I was selling some tickets to came in to pick them up and we got talking. He's a lobster fisherman over in Grand Tracadie. I was telling him about the time we stayed at a cottage near by and it turns out his father and grandfather built those cottages back in the sixties.  We had bought some lobsters from boats when we were there and there's a very good chance it was him who sold them to us. Six degrees of separation is only about a degree and a half here on the island!

How this for a cool birthday cake!

 Since I don't usually do a post on the weekend, I must wish Lloyd a very Happy Birthday tomorrow. It is also our good friend Doug's birthday, so Happy Birthday to the two of you. 




 

On to the next project

Conditions at 5:15 am:  light covering of new snow and -4'
Expected later: flurries and it appears we've reached our forecast high for the day

It's more like an elongated lap quilt but it's finished. I'm not sure it's going to be wide enough for what Lloyd wants but his quilt is finished. I finally got my act together last night and finished the binding around the outside.  I just have to remember to take it with me when I go to Toronto. As you can see by the photo, it passes the Cooper test. As soon as I spread it on the floor to take a picture, he came along and plunked himself down on it.
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Yesterday it poured rain most of the day. It felt like a day in March rather than one in the middle of January. But  I remember getting rain in February last year. They were getting ready for the Jack Frost Festival and they had to cover everything with tarps so it wouldn't get washed away. Fortunately they haven't gotten that far yet. This year's event has been moved to the big field behind the mall and I go past there several times a day. It will be interesting to see it taking shape. Now I understand why the city has been piling the now there from clearing the streets. Yesterday there were several types of diggers and plow like devices there working away at pushing the mountain of snow that's accumulated around to different areas. I should really take my camera with me to record the progress and see how it turns out, compared to what it once was.
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I had emailed the weaving supply place in Orangeville and got a reply yesterday telling me that they would be closed the first week of February for holidays. Fortunately they were able to confirm that they are indeed open the week I'm there. That would have been very disappointing.  I received the book I ordered in the mail a couple of days ago and I've been looking through it but I'll take it with me when I'm traveling. It will be great reading while I'm waiting in airports.
I think I've figured out how it all goes together so the next time Brenda is over we'll take the end off and put in the one piece we missed the last time. Considering we had absolutely no idea what we were doing, I think we did an amazing job of putting it together thus far. And now we know what all the left over pieces are for so it should go well from here.
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For those of you who know me, I've been a music fan forever. One of my favorite musicians was Gerry Rafferty. Not a well known name  but I did love the music he did. I just learned that he passed away last week in England. I found this old video of him singing his most well known song, Baker Street. I especially loved the saxophone in this one. What I didn't know, but should have, was that he was in the group Stealers Wheel, who did the song "Stuck in the middle with you". Now that I know that, when I hear the song, and it has been played often on the radio station we get at work, I don't know how I couldn't have known that. He has a pretty distinctive voice and it's unmistakable that it's him singing. A real talent lost at the age of  63.

Let the cropping begin!

Conditions at 5:10 am - raining and +1'
Expected later: +3' and more rain and snow mixed      

I talked to Brenda yesterday during the day and she wasn't feeling really great but last night she was feeling a little better. So she and Caitlin came over and brought some rice and a delicious stir fry they had for supper. What a lovely treat! All we did last night was look at a few pages I had done and then at some of the tools and a little bit about how to use them. She has to get Bernie to go through the photos and pick out the best ones and have them printed. Next week we're going to spend some time learning how to use the cutters and such and then we will be on our way. Caitlin is also keen to do her pictures from her time in Korea, then she has her Asian adventures, and also Europe. She has lots of work to do! But it will be fun to share the techniques I've learned along the way. I'm really looking forward to our Tuesday nights.  Of course, if we get Sundays that are not suitable for skiing, we can also turn those into scrapping days as well.
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The mailbox dilemma continues. Just before Christmas, because we'd had SO much rain, the plow knocked the mailbox out of the ground. But realistically the length of post that was actually in the ground was quite minimal. Lloyd tried to put it back into the ground and it stayed for a few days but then two more swipes with the plow finished it off again. Only this time there was lots more snow and it was actually buried under the snowbank and I had to dig it out. I brought it up to the house and tried to figure out what to do with it. It stayed there for about a week until I came up with, what I think, is a brilliant idea. In the meantime the mailman dropped my mail in the box next door.  So, on Saturday I went down to the road with a shovel, and dug a big square hole in the snow right down to the dirt. Then I got out the Christmas tree stand I bought last year (2009) and tightly secured the mail box post into it. Then I carted the whole thing down to the road and placed it in the hole, and proceeded to fill in all around it with snow. So far it's working.  It was very cold the past two days so the snow around it froze and it was in there quite tightly. Not sure what the rain will do but if it freezes again (which we all know it will) it should be fine. My only concern is the plow might just break it off from the stand but we'll see. It was an idea that just might work until Spring.
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I received an email from on of the IAAP girls in Grand River and they are very excited about coming out here in May. I have no idea how many are coming but I'm really looking forward to it! I won't be going to the conference in Moncton this year so it will be great to have them here. Of course it will be extra special as Lobster season is open at that time so they are looking forward to a feast a la Chez Denny and we'll try to make sure it's a memorable one!

Well, better go as the power has just gone off and it's too dark to see the keyboard

It's a chilly one this morning but will get better

Conditions at 5:30 am - a few stars and -14'
Expected later - -5 during the day and then warming up to  -1 over night

What strange weather we're having. Tomorrow is supposed to rain and be plus 5'. I hope it doesn't mess up the ski trails too badly. A lot of rain on top of the snow followed by freezing temperatures will make for some pretty slippery slopes! But then there is a rumour we might get more snow later in the week so who knows. Yesterday the sun came out and while it was a bit cool, the sun was a welcome treat.

I talked to Lloyd in the morning and he was going to be watching the kids for a little while last night. When I called him at supper time, the kids had been fed and were outside at his place playing in the snow. They came in and I had a lovely chat with each of them. James was especially chatty, which is unusual for him on the phone. Patti called from Halifax but unfortunately I missed her call. But at least I was able to report to the kids that she was on her way home.

My weaving books arrived in the mail yesterday. I haven't had a chance to look at them but the one appears like it will be a great resource.  I have to admit I just vegged last night. I had planned to do some sewing but ended up doing absolutely nothing.  I was having a bad day yesterday for absolutely no apparent reason. I was cranky all day and had a bit of a headache and just didn't want to be at work. Today will be better I hope. I talked to Brenda last night and she has come down with a cold so I shouldn't complain. She thought she felt it coming on when we were at curling on Sunday night. Hopefully she'll feel better in a few days and we can go and see "The King's Speech". I did watch the Golden Globes last night (that I had taped on Sunday) and it did very well.

Yesterday was an odd day in town. I was just coming out of a body shop on Eden street, which runs behind the city police department, when a cruiser came flying out and I had to quickly move out of the way. He was closely followed by two unmarked cars with flashing lights activated so I thought, well, somethings up. Then a couple of minutes later I was traveling north on North River Road when an ambulance came racing in the other direction. I thought maybe an accident of some sort had occurred.  A short time later the radio station had someone on the scene (literally 10 minutes) of a shooting. Here in Charlottetown! Can you believe it?  Needless to say, that was the talk of the town for the rest of the day, and of course, everyone knew about it.

Well, it's a slow news day and it's now 6:00 so I'd better get going.
I received this via email from a couple of sources:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI&feature=player_embedded

It's a cold and blustery day after a beautiful weekend

Conditions at 5:15 am - very windy and -10' with a wind chill of -21' and drifting snow
Expected later - more of the same but warming up to -8'

It's a cold and blustery day, not at all like what we experienced on the weekend.
Let's see, Friday was not too bad. After supper I went over to Brenda's to help plan what we were going to eat on Saturday. We decided on Greek Souvlaki, with a Village Salad on the side.

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining and it was way too

nice to have to work. Brenda met me at Timothy's at 7:45 for coffee, but alas, they weren't open yet, so we had to go to Starbucks. Next week we'll meet in Stratford at Robins, as Brenda's Saturday Ufit class is in Stratford so that only makes sense. All day the sun shone and it was lovely to sit in the sunshine at my desk. At the end of the day I headed straight home so I could take the dog outside, and also replenish my wood supply inside. I had a little time to just chill out before going back out. Bernie and Brenda's friend Bob came over and joined us. I didn't go over until around 6:30 and Brenda had everything well under control. The salad was made, the lamb was marinated, the filling was made for the appetizers and a lovely cake was baked for dessert. My contribution to the event was really quite minimal and Brenda did a great job. When I arrived we filled and rolled the phyllo triangles and threaded the lamb onto the skewers. When Bob arrived, we baked off the triangles and they were a huge hit. They had a filling of chopped red pepper, feta cheese, oregano and an egg. They were very delicious, I would definitely make those again. Then we cooked the lamb and filled the warm pitas with the meat after smearing them first with some tzatziki. They were then wrapped in waxed paper to help with the eating and the salad was tossed. By all accounts it was a great succcess. The cake was a recipe Brenda found in a Saltscapes magazine and it was delicious. Yet another fabulous Friday Feast (okay so it was on Saturday) but a lovely time was had by all.

Sunday morning I got up early and accomplished a few things around the house. I got laundry done and did some work on Lloyd's quilt. Then at 11:00 Brenda picked me up to go and visit with Sheila, who is actually a neighbour who has three weaving looms in her house. She will be a wonderful resource. I was able to see her looms set up and get an idea of how mine should be put together. Sheila plans to put some threads on hers in the next couple of weeks and she will let me know so I can come and watch and see how it's done. She has a blanket that she made years ago when she was taking a class and it's absolutely gorgeous!

Trails at Stanhope

By the time we left her house, the sun was shining again and Brenda and I headed over to Stanhope to check out the trails there. They were okay in some spots but others that have a canopy of trees over them had very little snow, less than an inch in spots. We could now understand why they said there wasn't enough snow to groom the trails yet. But it was still great to get out there. They facilities

The facilities at Dalvay

there are not as good as over at Dalvay so we got into the truck and drove over there to have our well deserved snack of hot chocolate and left over cake. By the time I got home I had time for a nice hot bath and a nap before Brenda called to tell me that we were curling at 8:00 and NOT 9:30 as we thought. So it was rush around to get ready and grab a bite to eat before leaving.

Unfortunately we got out butts kicked last night. We managed to score one point all night. There is such a fine line between throwing the rock too hard and not hard enough and we just couldn't find it last night. But we still managed to have some fun and the driving was good in spite of some drifting in spots. I've decided I'm not going to go for the second half of the season because I will miss more than I'll be there for. It seems like a waste of money and we found someone who will fill in for me on our team. Brenda will still continue to go and try to keep the other team mates under control!

I saw this quote  the other day so went on line in search of it. I absolutely love it:

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says "Oh shit, she's awake." 

What a difference 12 hours can make

Conditions at 5:15 am - overcast and 0'
Expected later -flurries and remaining at 0'

What a strange day yesterday. In the morning we had 18 cm of new snow (Summerside got 27 cm). The drive to work was slow as the road was quite slippery in spots and I followed more tractors with snow blowers on,  than cars! Then later in the morning it started raining a really fine rain. By the end of the day all the snow was gone from the parking lot at work (it had been plowed in the morning but what was left was also gone) and the roads were completely clear. It snowed a little last night but nothing to get very excited about. So much for our snow day!

Good old Brenda. She never ceases to amaze me. Whatever resource I might be looking for, she has one. She called last night to tell me she had spoken to a woman in our area who has at least 3 looms and is more than willing to come over and have a look at the one I have and see if we can figure out how to put it together. Brenda also told her I will likely want to go to her place for a visit as well to see what she has set up. There is also a very active Weavers and Spinners guild in town that I knew existed but had no idea whom to contact. Nice work Brenda!

I have to admit I just vegged last night. I caught up on some TV programs I had taped before Christmas and finally got those off the list. I was going to do some hand sewing on Lloyd's quilt but I had an open cut right in the middle of my right thumb and it was just in the wrong spot for pushing the needle through. This morning it seems to have closed up so hopefully tonight I can get myself motivated to finish the rest of the quilt. I have to finish this project before I start in earnest on figuring out how to weave. The book I ordered hasn't arrived yet but I did get an email telling me it has been shipped so it should arrive sometime next week.

Brenda is going to start a new fitness group that meets on Saturday mornings at 9:00 so the plan is to meet at  Timothy's for coffee then we can both depart and go do our Saturday morning things ( in my case, it's work). It will be great for her as she can go to the fitness class then go to the farmer's market before heading back home. I'm a little envious! But that day will come for me too.

I came across a quote the other day that has stuck in my head, and is a little thought provoking. It reminded me of all the stories Brenda has told me over the past year and a half about what life was like here on the island before highways and bridges, and I've asked if anyone is writing these things down. I'm sure someone must be but I'd hate to think all these lovely remembrances will be lost one day and someone will say, gee, I wish that had gotten recorded. The quote went like this:

"Teach the children.

When an elder dies,

an entire library burns to the ground"

Food for thought for the day.

Happy Friday everyone!

I think it might be a snow day for me

Conditions at 5:30 am - LOTS of snow with more expected.(okay we got 18 cm but it looks like a lot more) The temperature is 0' and we're headed for +1'
Expected later - another 10 cm of snow is expected between this morning and tonight

Last night looked like a blizzard when you were outside. You could see the shed and the trees but everything was just snow. It's been a while since I saw such snow. But we've been extremely lucky so far this winter, and it had to come sooner or later. It's too early for the list of cancellations to be posted yet on the radio but I will be very surprised if there's school today. I can tell right now that I won't get out of the driveway until the snow is blown and I doubt the road has yet been plowed. I know that Honda doesn't declare snow days and everyone is expected to get to work, but I don't think it's work the risk. It's not like there aren't people there who can do my job if I'm not there. I'll wait till 6:00 and see what they say on the radio (there's no live people on the air till then!)

Our grand dog (Meadow) is growing in leaps and bounds. She has lost that little puppy look. But what I'm most impressed with is the photo of her that Meghan took. Nice job, Meghan!  It's a great picture. We may have a budding photographer on our hands.I've not actually met Meadow yet but I know we'll be spending lots of time together when I'm there in February.

 I was chatting with Bernie on the phone yesterday and he asked me what on earth I've done to his wife. I asked what he meant. He replied "Running around the country, putting looms together. I haven't seen her this excited about something in a long time". I think it's going to be a lot of fun for the two of us to figure out how to make this thing work (or extremely frustrating, who knows!) It's too bad I don't have the book yet to help with it since I may be home all day. But I suppose I could use the day to get my guest bedroom ready for my guests in February. I will only have a few day between the time I get back and they arrive so it's better if I can get most things done now. I know they will have great expectations!

Well, it's now 6:00 and the buses haven't been canceled yet - they've just delayed the the schools opening one hour. So maybe it's not so bad out there. But regardless, I don't think I can get out of the driveway until it gets blown out so I'm not rushing anywhere anytime soon. For Brenda's sake I hope they cancel the buses. It's still early so that may still happen.

God bless my internal alarm clock

Conditions at 5:00 am - overcast and -2'
Expected later - 0' and snow later in the day

I woke up this morning to see the numbers flashing on my alarm clock. It appears the power went off sometime during the night and I had absolutely no idea what time it was. So I got up and went downstairs to look at the battery operated clock on the wall and it was 4:55. My alarm is set to go off at 5:00. Fortunately I didn't sleep in.

In spite of her smart reply yesterday, Brenda was intrigued enough to come over after supper and help unload the loom.  It was in pieces when I arrived after work to pick it up. There are some generic diagrams printed off the internet but nothing really
concrete on how to put it together. But we did manage to get the basic assembly done but we still have a lot of pieces left over and at least one that we know should have gone on first before it was all assembled. But the bare bones of the structure are together. We had fun assembling the puzzle because that's what it resembled. I'm hopeful that when the book arrives it may be a little more helpful. Brenda also has the name of someone who lives in Dromore that she knows weaves so I will try to get in touch with her as well for advise.

I had mentioned that the lady I  bought it from works at Avonlea Village, and when I was leaving she gave me a family day pass for Avonlea for the kids to use this summer. I'll have to go with them this time as I've never been.

Yesterday morning Lloyd sent me an email that he received from someone at work. It seems his boeuf bourguignon was such a hit at the company pot luck that they want to print the recipe in the employee newsletter. So I had to call and give him congrats on being a published cookbook author (sort of). He was quite tickled at that. After reading my post yesterday, he was thinking. He thought that since he's going to be building a garage in the future anyway, why not make it a story and a half tall and put in a craft studio on the second floor for me and my "stuff". Personally I think he just wants to get me and said stuff out of the house, as we have tended to take over! But I thought it was a wonderful idea. I am SO spoiled (I think I've mentioned that before). I could put all my crafty stuff up there and have my own little area. It will be big enough that I could have a friend or two over to play as well. How great will that be! But I know that's a little ways down the road.  In the mean time I have to figure out how to get this loom put together and how to use it. It's going to be a long learning curve, I think! But a fun one.

When Brenda arrived last night we decided to do Friday Feast this week as our curling has been moved to Sunday for this week only. But instead we will do it on Saturday. She has some lamb we want to use up so I'm going to have to give it some thought and do some research today on lamb recipes.

She also wants to do a scrapbook of Bernie and Caitlin's trip to New Zealand. SO we have designated Tuesday nights as our Scrap book night. She will come over and we'll work together on hers and when she gets a little more comfortable with it, then I can work on mine at the same time. It's always much more fun to scrap book with someone else.

You'll all call me crazy, but it's a long time dream

Conditions at 5:15 - overcast and windy at 1'
Expected later - the same 1' but with a mix of sun and cloud

Yesterday I was poking around on the internet and came across something I'd wanted for a very long time (since the 70's at least). It must have been meant to be because it was an amazing price, and it was here in Charlottetown. So I emailed the person to see if they still had said item, and they emailed back and said yes. So on my way out to pick someone up I stopped by her house to take a look. It's quite large but I know just where I'm going to put it. It's a weaving loom.  This lady has had it for some time but she also does machine knitting and has an internet company doing custom sweaters. She has the loom in her basement along with all her knitting stuff but has gotten so busy with the knitting orders that she has no time for weaving and needs the space to bring in another knitter to help fill orders. She also happens to play the part of Rachel Lind at Avonlea Village in the summer (except one day a week, she's Marilla.)  So today I'm taking the truck into work so I can pick it up.It does come apart for easier transport. Weaving is something I have always wanted to try. When I first met Rosie at the university I discovered that she has a loom and I've seen some of the things that she has made and they are absolutely gorgeous. So yesterday afternoon I was very excited. I know it will be a bit of a learning curve to actually get to where I can make something useful but she has the directions on how to put it all together and she recommended a book that is excellent. I researched the book when I got back to the showroom and it is very highly recommended as a great resource to learn how to weave. So I went online and found the book and it should be here within 10 days.

I'm looking forward to spending my winter evenings doing something other than parking myself in front of the TV. I'll still be parked in front of something but at least it will be somewhat constructive.  There is a spinners and weavers guild here on the island and I'm going to contact them to see if they have any classes of any kind coming up that I might be able to take part in. I'm very excited!

Jan 10th - Lebanese New Year

Conditions at 5:15 am -  1' and windy and overcast
Expected later - staying windy and 1' with a mix of rain and snow

What odd weather we're having. Yesterday Brenda called to say she had just been out for a tour around the yard on her skis and it wasn't too sticky. By the time she got to my house, it was raining. But we ventured out anyway and it turned to snow so we
got a bit of a run in after all. We went down the road to the Dromore Trails
and we followed the path of some snowshoers who had been there earlier. But it wasn't an easy trip and I must admit I'm feeling it this morning. That combined with filling up the wood rack ( which was empty) has made for a few stiff muscles this morning. When we got back here, we went for a short jaunt down the back lane but coming back it was quite windy with almost sleet like precipitation.
Fortunately we hadn't gone too far. We truly earned the hot chocolate and Bailey's we enjoyed when we got back.

:Lots of snow now

Friday night we curled (and won!). While I was waiting for Brenda to pick me up, Scott emailed me a picture of Lloyd and the Thai chef who was at the after Christmas party at the Pollards. He had called me in the afternoon to tell me he had been invited to join everyone. I called him back and left the message that he wasn't  THAT special - it's an age old trick: invite the neighbours to the party then they can't complain about the noise! I called the house before leaving and it sounded like they were having a grand time. Sorry I missed it - that particular event has always been fun. 

Earlier in the week,  I was invited to attend the Lebanese New Years Levee at the Delta. Then on Saturday Sharon called to see if I knew anyone who might want to go as there had been a cancellation at our table. So I called Brenda from work to see if she might be interested. She hesitated for half a second then said "Sure". So after work, I came home and got ready then I picked her up around 6:30. She was thinking she didn't have anything to wear, but she managed to pull it off with a dress she'd worn to a wedding in the summer. Sharon  had indicted that people got really dressed up for this event. We arrived early, a little after 7:00 and met Sharon in the lobby. I had worked with her at the University and it turns out that Brenda knew her sister really well a long time ago. We were introduced to some of Sharon's friends just as Tracey and Darryl arrived. We had a glass of wine and then the doors opened. We went inside and found ourtable. We expected to find the table number on it but instead it had a large holder with Sharon's name on it so she was quite impressed with that! The evening began with some short speeches from various dignitaries including the the Lieutenant Governor and the Premier. Then we watched a very talented Belly Dancer perform as well as some Lebanese folk dancers. The meal wasn't being served until 10:00 and I didn't realize I hadn't mentioned that fact to Brenda. The poor woman was starving by the time we got to eat. We noticed that a  lot of people didn't arrive until around 9:30 so it seems they only come for the meal. It was an interesting night and we're glad we went. Brenda has heard about this event for years and has always wanted to go. While we enjoyed it we both agreed that once was enough. If we want Lebanese food, there are several restaurants in town that serve the same thing. But the company was good and we had a nice time.
Sharon sent me some photos but I wasn't able to copy any to put here.

Jan 7 - Happy (belated) Birthday Caitlin

Conditions at 5:30 am - clear skies with lots of stars and -8'
Expected later - flurries with a total of 5 cm expected by tonight

The weather prediction for today has been all over the map for the past few days.  The weather network was predicting lots of snow and the radio was saying just flurries so we'll just have to see. The story changes every day. But Mother Nature will do what she pleases so we may as well just sit tight and see what that is.

A belated Happy Birthday to Caitlin VanGaal. I didn't actually know when her birthday was so now I can put it on my list. Brenda told me she had a really nice friend visiting from Ireland and they were out enjoying the snow earlier in the week. She left a few days ago to tour around but will be back on the island for the weekend. I know that Brenda really enjoyed listening to her stories about Ireland and I think that's where we should go - perhaps next year. It makes perfect sense. We've been trying to think of a place to go where we could use a week of our time share. We both love Maeve Binchy's books and I know I would love to explore that part of the world. I also know that Brenda has some Irish heritage so how perfect would that be?  We'll have to do some planning over  the winter for next year.



 What a surprise to open up yesterday's post and find an invitation from one of the gals at UPEI to attend a Lebanese New Years dinner at the Delta on Saturday night. That sounds like a lot of fun. I'll have to call Sharon this morning and let her know I'd love to come. ( I had no idea she has found my blog and was a reader!)

Of onto another tangent (I tend to do that a lot sometimes!). I received an email this morning from Patti with a photo of James at the Hard Rock Cafe in Ottawa. I would have loved to be there with him to explore all the artifacts. It's a bit grainy since it was probably taken with a phone, but it's a picture I know he will cherish. He's a big fan of Queen so to see one of their guitars must have been a real treat for him.

Jan 6 - One of those things that makes you go hmmm.....

Conditions at 5:25 am - clear skies and -9' but no wind
Expected later - sunny and -4' - perfect weather for cross country skiing (if only we were that lucky)

I opened up my blog this morning at 5:20 am  Atlantic time (4:20 Ontario time) and someone from Kitchener had viewed it 40 minutes before that! Whoever it was, must have  a really SERIOUS case of insomnia to be reading my drivel at 3:45 in the morning. Hopefully it was what they needed to put them to sleep! (I'm sure it would have that affect on lots of people).

Last night I talked to Patti about flights to Toronto and she's going to book it today. I'll let Lloyd know once it's booked so he can perhaps plan to pick me up at the airport.   I think I'll fly out on Friday late afternoon and I talked to Brenda and she's going to go in later and pick up my car for me (we're not allowed to leave them on the lot overnight anymore). Anyway, while I was chatting to her, Meghan(2) asked to talk to me. She wanted to report on what she did with her money and I was quite surprised. If you recall, I gave each of the older kids a $100 bill. With that they were to donate $25 to any charity they chose, put $25 in the bank and the remaining $50 was for them to spend on whatever they chose. Apparently a large part of Meghan's road trip to Ottawa was trying to decide what to do with her charity portion. Patti says she would make a decision, then write a letter to me in her journal, then change her mind, and have to do another letter to me. She went through that process several times before making up her mind, but at least it kept her occupied for a large chunk of the trip.
The end result was quite surprising. She informed me last night that she is donating $20 to the local food bank, $20 to the World Wildlife Foundation and $60 is going in the bank, leaving her with $10 for herself. Well, actually she only has $5 for herself because she owes Patti $5 for something she asked her to buy for her at the museum. I suggested to her that she was only required to donate $25 to charity but she said that's what she wanted to do. Well done, Meghan. I'm very proud of the choices that you've made. I look forward to hearing what James is doing with his. There was some mention over Christmas that he needed a music stand for his guitar practicing at home and we suggested that might be a good use of his portion of his Christmas money, but we'll see.

A little recipe to share this morning with Meghan(1). It landed in my email yesterday from the Kraft Kitchens and I gave it a try last night.It was really very good. I love chili and this vegetarian version was great.

Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili

6 servings, 2 cups (500 mL) each

What You Need

1-1/2 cups long-grain brown rice, uncooked

2 Tbsp. Kraft Calorie-Wise Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (I had balsamic dressing but an Italian or any other type of vinaigrette dressing would work here)

2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped ( I didn't have any, but it was fine without)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (28 fl oz/796 mL) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained  (I only had whole tomatoes so I chopped them up )

1 can (14 fl oz/ 398 mL) no-salt-added red kidney beans, rinsed

1 can (14 fl oz/ 398 mL) no-salt-added white kidney beans, rinsed ( I substituted a can of chick peas as that's what I had)

1/2 cup Kraft BarBQ Sauce

3 Tbsp. chili powder

1 cup frozen corn

1-1/2 cups Kraft Tex Mex Light Shredded Cheese

Make It

COOK rice as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat dressing in large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add vegetables and garlic; cook and stir 6 to 8 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
ADD next 5 ingredients; stir. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 30 min., stirring regularly.
STIR in corn; cook 5 min. Serve over rice; top with cheese

I didn't actually cook any rice, I just ate the chili in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream on tip and sprinkled with shredded cheddar. It was very tasty and I'm looking forward to having some again tonight.

Enjoy - I know I did!

Jan 5 - truly strange experience

Conditions at 5:30 am - clear, starry skies, and-8'
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and -6'

Yesterday they promised sun and a few flurries. It snowed lightly all day and there was NO sun - let's hope they get it right today!
Last night I was watching TV (after calling Shaw and getting some technical assistance - I'd been without satellite since Monday morning so this needed to be fixed!) Anyway, it was a little after 10:00 pm and I thought I heard a knocking but it wasn't at the back door, and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Of course the dog started barking madly. I turned on the kitchen lights and went cautiously to the back porch and after turning on that light as well, I could see out the door but there was no one there. I figured it must have been something outside in the wind maybe. Then as I was standing in the back porch I heard a voice yelling "Hello, hello". It's late at night, out in the middle of no where and there's a strange man's voice outside. Being from southern Ontario, my immediate gut reaction is fear. So I go to the door and look out and there's a strange man, a little scruffy looking, standing at the door. I said hello through the glass but didn't open the door. He said his vehicle had broke down and he wanted to know if he could use my phone. I wasn't sure if I should open the door or not but I said okay and I let him into the porch. I went into the living room and retrieved the cordless phone. I brought it back and he appeared to be harmless enough. But then so did Russell Williams! Inside in the light, he didn't look so menacing and explained that his furnace had broken down and he thought he had water in his fuel line and had gone to Mount Stewart to pick up some little bottles of stuff to fix the problem. I forget what you call it but I know you can put it into cars fuel tanks. Anyway, he asked me to dial the number as he didn't have his glasses and I did that as he dictated the number to me. He then spoke to his wife and was telling her his predicament. He didn't know what was wrong with the truck and he would walk home from here. I asked where he lived and he said just up the road.

By now I was feeling a little silly for being scared initially and I thought, this is PEI for heavens sake. So I told him I would give him a ride and yes, we could take his dog too, who he was going to leave in the truck over night. So I got my boots on and started the car while he walked down the driveway to his truck.  I drove down and got out and helped him push it off the road a little further, as it was right around the bend in the road. He had a lovely little dog who I put into the car so he wouldn't get hurt. After we got the truck moved, he got in and I drove him home. He lives down on McCannell road and he would have froze to death if he's had to walk home. He said he's lived there for 13 years and was pointing out the bus driver's house down the road from him and then it all fell into place. The bus driver was Gerard, whom I've never met, but I'm fairly sure that it was the same fellow that Brenda subbed for in the fall. I asked this man if he knew Bernie VanGaal and he said he did. I figured then it was okay. I asked him his name and he said it was Melvin Jackman. So I've now met another one of my neighbours.  He was most grateful when I pulled into his driveway and I was glad that I hadn't just told him to go away when he knocked on my door.  That is totally what I would have done in Ontario and that would have been the best thing to do.  Then this morning I was feeling a little guilty because I know they didn't have any heat and I feel I should have offered to let them come over here to stay until it could get fixed but...I guess part of me is still an Ontario girl.  I know if Lloyd had been here it might have been a different story but being by myself, I was a little unsure. So I did what I comfortably could at the time. Hopefully they got the heat working.
**************************************************
I talked to Lloyd on Monday night and he mentioned that he didn't think there was anyone home upstairs. Mystery solved. Later in the evening I got an email from Jana. It seems that she and Scott, Kathy (Scott's mom) and Grace (Jana's mom) were in Las Vegas and were on their way to see "Love", the Beatles themed Cirque du Soleil