Friday, November 29th - a busy weekend ahead

After some really up and down weather, we've settled into a little more seasonable temperatures. It's currently -6, feeling more like -13' and that's pretty much where we will stay for the day, give or take a degree or two. The good news is the wind had died right off to a calm 23 km/hr. On Thursday morning it was 14' at 5:00 am. The wind was still howling like it had been doing for several days, but it was quite a mild wind. It felt like an early summer morning. But things did chill down during the day and now it's more like it should be. We received quite a bit of rain, but not sure if it was as much as was predicted. At least we didn't get the 30 cm of snow the Ottawa region got. Fortunately it will be all cleaned up in time for Patti and the kids to head there later today.

James is skating and Meghan is going to direct the face time segments. I'll be home so will be able to watch.

Brenda and I will be busy cooking for the dinner on Saturday evening. She and Bernie are coming over tonight to peel apples. Apparently they have a gadget that peels, cores and cuts up the apples. This I have to see! Because it's a piece of machinery, Bernie has even offered to run it for us. Gotta like that!

I did the shopping on my way home last night and I'm hopeful that I haven't forgotten anything. I still have another day if I do, and Lloyd will be working tonight and can pick up anything I may have overlooked on Saturday morning before he heads home.

It will be a busy day and evening, that much is for sure. We'll need Sunday just to relax a bit.

Nothing further has been done out in the garage except I went out for a bit last night and finished caulking the baseboards. I picked up a new heater on Thursday and it seems a bit better than the one we had. We'll see if it performs up to our standards!  We have to get Saturday out of the way before we can begin doing any more moving in. My house is a mess right now, with stuff all over the place, that's meant to go out there. I promise I'll have it all in order before company comes at Christmas!

Wednesday, November 27th - it almost seems to good to be true!

It's a cool 1' at 6:00 am, but we're expecting lots of wind - up to 100 km per hour -  and heavy rain today
and a high of 10'. Nothing like what other parts of the country are bracing for.  Rumour has it that Ontario and Quebec could get blasted by wintery weather today, with parts seeing up to 35 cm of snow. The Ottawa to Montreal area may be the hardest hit. Hopefully Mother Nature gets is all out of her system and the crews get everything cleaned up before Patti and the two older kids head to Ottawa for speedskating on Friday.

We can't believe the craft room is all finished, although I'm sure Lloyd is glad to see the end arrive. Monday evening, Brenda arrived right on time after supper. Lloyd was just finishing up the last few pieces of flooring along the wall, that had to be trimmed.  While he was there to help us, we managed to drag the two desks upstairs before he headed off to bed. Then Brenda and I wrestled the butcher block table and the fridge up as well. It wasn't pretty but no one got hurt and everything  is finally in place. That challenge called for a bit of a celebration. So we

broke out a bottle of wine and some nacho chips (I was all out of salsa so we had plain chips - boring!). We

spent the rest of the evening giggling like a couple of school girls over the fact that we had this really great space all to ourselves. We could only imagine the  projects we can now undertake with a place to actually work. Did I mention how terribly spoiled I am? Brenda completely agrees but doesn't mind one bit.

We still have lots to move and arrange but the weather isn't going to be very cooperative today. There's a little bit of caulking and touching up of paint on the baseboards that needs to be done and it will definitely be easier before we move everything in. I'm going to try and finish that up tonight before we move anything else in. We just needed to get started at it to help us focus on other things.

We have this catering job on Saturday and we really need to shift our attention to that. So realistically nothing else is going to be done out there in terms of moving things, until at least Sunday. Brenda may  be away so I can chip away at things and see what I can get done in her absence. I won't even have to stop to cook dinner on Sunday as it's the volunteer dinner at the Rec Centre, so dinner will be made for us. That will leave me all day to putter around upstairs and in the garage.

I have a feeling this space is going to be very well used. We're talking of having a bit of an open house and invite all the ladies we know to come over and check it out once we get it all set up.

Monday, November 25th - a busy but VERY productive weekend

 We woke up this morning to -6, but the high winds that just don't want to quite are making it feel much colder for who knows how many days in a row. It's pretty much going to stay that way for the rest of the day. We had a few flurries last evening but nothing to speak of. But I see this morning that parts of southern Ontario received up to 70 cm of snow. Yikes!

Because it was a cold and windy weekend, it was perfect for working inside the garage.
I took Saturday off intending to finish what I had hoped to start on Friday night. Didn't quite go as planned. Lloyd was over at the VanGaals during the day helping with some cement that was being poured so I picked up a couple of pizzas in town and arrived at their house just at they were finished and had come into the house. Talk about timing!  By the time I got home I was too tired to start painting on the primer as I had originally intended. In all honesty, the real reason was I didn't want to work for a short time and then have to wash up the tray and rollers, only to start all over again in the morning.

The final light fixture

Instead I went to bed relatively early and got a fairly early start on Saturday morning. I was about 2/3 done priming by the time Lloyd got home from work at 8:30. By 11:00 the primer was all on and drying. After Lloyd got up from a few hours sleep, around 1:00, we both headed out to tackle the painting. It went surprisingly faster than I had expected, especially with both of us working on it. We were all finished by shortly after 5:00   when we called it a day. We had just finished eating supper and were catching up on a bit of TV, around 7:30  when the power went out. I got out some candles and my book and Lloyd went to bed.

Sunday morning we were up early and headed back out to the garage. My job was to paint all the trim while Lloyd installed the light fixtures. I was amazed that it took us at least half the day to do that. Then it was time to do a final cleaning and bring all the tools and garbage downstairs. While Lloyd worked on the last of the switch plates, I brought in the packages of foam flooring. It was amazing how quickly and easily it went down, although a bit of trim along the one wall did take quite a bit of time. We were almost finished when Brenda and Bernie stopped in to check out the progress. Needless to say, they were suitably impressed.

Easy to put down and a joy to walk around on

We needed a few more switch plate and plug covers and since Lloyd didn't have to go to town until Monday night, I told him I would take him out for supper. So we headed into Stratford, picked up the plates at the hardware store and then made our way across the bridge to Cedars for some Lebanese food, something we hadn't had in a while. It was nice to sit down and relax after a couple of busy days.

After eating, we went back home because Lloyd was ever so anxious to finish up the last of the trim work on the edges of the floor and I put one last coat of paint on the balcony door. Then I came in to bring in some wood for the fire as we were out in the house. Unfortunately I wasn't paying very close attention to where I was walking and managed to step on a fair sized nail sticking out of a piece of
wood. Not to worry, I'll finish what I'm doing and get to in shortly. After finishing the wood and getting the fire going I headed out again to see how things were progressing. I went to take my shoes off and saw that my sock was soaked in blood - seems I did a really good job! Not to worry, inside for a hot bath and a

Trust me, there's a plan for these coloured 'zones' 

good soaking and it should be good as new in a few days. The main thing is my room is now all finished except for some baseboards that Lloyd will install over the next couple of days, in between helping Bernie.

I know he's glad to have it finished and I know for the most part he's pretty proud of the results. I on the other hand, am ecstatic!  I never really thought I would be in there so soon. Now I just have to get my stuff moved out of the house - that could take a while - but Brenda has offered to help so we'll get started this evening. It could take several days to complete the transition.

Friday, November 22nd - a hard working weekend on the way

So, this morning we're sitting at 1' and heading for a sunny high of 6' later. That's WAY better than what poor Caitlin is experiencing in Edmonton. She texted a day or two ago that it was -33' with the wind chill. Now this morning I see that they may receive up to 20 cm of snow. OUCH! Time to haul out the winter gear!  I guess if you're going to have really cold temperatures (well, maybe not quite that cold) you may as well get outside and enjoy the snow that comes along with it. Did I really just say that??? The person who always hated winter?  Brenda, what have you done?

No time for fun this weekend. Painting and more painting is on the agenda. The trim pieces all around the ceiling and over all the seams of the panels, and there are lots, are all primed. Tonight I can get out the roller and start filling in the middle spaces. I hope to get the ceiling done tonight and then tomorrow I can tackle the walls. My hope is to have that all done by the end of the day on Saturday. Then Sunday if Lloyd and I get an early start, we should be able to finish the final coat. Or at least most of it. There's still the trim around the windows and doors, etc to be done but that's small stuff compared to the walls and ceilings. The end  is so near, that I wish I had about 4 days off work to really get done but I just have to be patient. We have a catering job next Saturday so a lot of my energies next week need to go into that. The craft room will have to move to the back burner for a little bit.

Lloyd plans to go to Ontario the following weekend so I'll have some quality time to get things set up and organized. That's going to take some doing but I'm looking forward to it. Now everything will have a place where it can be properly utilized.

Wednesday, November 20th - Winter may be on it's way

This morning there's a very light dusting of snow on the ground. The wind is making the current -1' feel more like -8. That was evidenced by how quickly the dog wanted back in after doing his business. We're only going to reach a high of 0 today so it will be chilly for the entire day. Oh well, it is winter (almost) and this is Canada. Not like we didn't know it was coming!  Before we know it the time will be here to wax up the skis.

Quiet couple of days. Monday evening I was just finished supper and we were watching the circus  news from Toronto City Hall when we heard someone at the door. It was Brenda - all decked out in work clothes and ready to get back to the garage. Alrighty then, let's get to it. We headed out and in about an hour the two of us had pretty much finished off the caulking. Lloyd had put in the door but there's still a bit of trimming to be done around that and the window at the back end. I think I should be able to start priming the ceiling this evening. I've got the large table - 4 ft by 8 ft out there and it's very strong and sturdy and just the right height. It should work perfect as a platform to stand on and paint. My plan is to paint all the cross pieces first and then I can go in with the roller tomorrow night (assuming I get all the cross pieces done tonight). Break it up into smaller jobs and it will get done!

Last night we had our Tuesday evening dance class. At one point as we were dancing, there was a flash in the window and we had no idea what it was. Brenda thought Jordan's computer had blown up. Then I could just make out a bearded man standing in the window with a camera. Coincidence?  I think not. Turns out it was Bernie and his partner in crime, Lloyd. They had decided sometime last week to pop into town and check out the dancing. Jordan invited them in to watch for a few minutes. I'm sure they were suitably impressed. Apparently there is also some video - but I don't think we have to worry about becoming the next you tube sensation!

The best part was when they met us downtown for a bite to eat and a beer. We all met at the Gahan and enjoyed some great company and really good food. Thanks, guys!

Monday, November 18th - another productive weekend

It's a cool 6 ' this morning and headed for a rainy high of 13' later. It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the 14' region. Not too shabby for the middle of November. It was a great time to work out in the garage. Saturday I wasn't much help. I worked in the morning and had a banquet at the Rec Centre in the evening. But Sunday we got at it nice and early. The trim, as I suspected, takes just about as long as the wall panel but most of it is done. I worked at caulking the seams while Lloyd finished up the rest of the last wall and the trim/ Brenda and Bernie came over and rolled up their collective sleeves and pitched in. Brenda was up on the ladder helping me with the ceiling, and what would have taken me several days by myself, is almost finished. There's just a small amount left to do, that I should be able to wrap in a couple of evenings. Once all that is done, we'll be ready to paint. I've picked up one light fixture that I found on sale, and I may pick up the rest on my way home tonight. Once we get the ceiling painted, then Lloyd can install those. From there it's just paint the walls and install the flooring and I'll be all ready to move in.


So, we were pretty pleased about our efforts this weekend. It made me happy that I didn't go to London instead. I received an email from Patti with a picture of the display window at Selfridges, a department store in London, all decked out for Christmas. It's made entirely of gingerbread and is about 6 feet tall. I'm sure the photo doesn't do it justice. I've never been to London at Christmas but if it's anything like the displays in New York City, I'm sure it's pretty spectacular. I really must go one year.


James was marching in the Guelph Santa Claus Parade with the Air Cadets. Hopefully they had the beautiful weather we had yesterday and not the rain we're expecting today.
 

Friday, November 15th - early Happy Birthday wishes!

It was quite chilly earlier in the week but this morning it's 4' and we should reach a high of 9' later with a mix of sun and cloud. Rumour has it that it should stay that way for the next few days and into the start of next week. Not hard to take at all.

It's been a quiet couple of days. Lloyd's been working hard out in the garage and the two long walls and one end wall are now covered. Not too much left to do before the trim gets started.  He's picking up the door for the top of the stairs tomorrow morning. He's going to hook the trailer up to his car this afternoon and then take my car to work later tonight. I'll meet him in town in the morning with the trailer so he can pick up the door. This will work as he doesn't have anywhere to park the trailer overnight at work so this is the next best option. He's done at 8:00, the lumber store opens at 8:00 and I don't have to be at work until 9:00. It will all fall nicely into place.

Other than that, nothing else is new. Oh, except Saturday is Patti's birthday. It's also, in our mind, the unofficial kick off to the holiday season! The Toronto Santa Claus Parade has always been the same weekend as her birthday, as well as the Guelph parade. When she was a kid, this was our signal that it was okay to haul out the decorations and put up the artificial tree. Now we wait till the beginning of December, as Lloyd thinks we're totally nuts otherwise!

Seemed like an appropriate cake!

The kids will actually get to watch the whole parade this year since they aren't sitting on a float. I forgot to ask if James and the Air Cadets will be marching in it.

Patti's going to have a nice birthday - in London, England. She's leaving on Saturday evening and gets back on Monday. She's actually going through Halifax and I'm soooo tempted to go with her. I could easily drive over to Halifax tomorrow, catch the flight, return on Monday and drive back. But, I have too much to do here. No shopping in exotic locations for me this weekend. I have to keep my priorities straight - but I LOVE London!  Oh well, maybe next time.

So no big plans for this weekend except work on the garage. We have a banquet at the Rec Centre on Saturday evening so that will take up some of our time but  hopefully I can be of some help on Sunday. He'll be glad when this project is finished! 

Wednesday, November 12th - the affects of a few snow flakes!

 It's a chilly -3 this morning but the wind is making it feel more like -9'. I guess the good news is the ground is bare and dry. There was some concern about black ice last night due to the rain we had received earlier in the day. I was surprised to see sand trucks out on my way home from town at 8:30.

It was truly a busy weekend, but a productive one. The weather on Saturday started out not so bad, but on my way home it started snowing - the first flurries of the season. Not much was staying on the ground, but it was quite snowy driving home.

I looked out later in the evening and the ground was completely covered in a fluffy white blanket - no one mentioned anything about that! ( I think that's what caused an avalanche of phone calls to work on Tuesday, with people panicking to get their snow tires put on. It was a VERY busy day, and likely won't slow down any time soon. )

 I had picked up paint on my way home from town on Saturday afternoon, even though I'm a ways off from needing that,  and we decided to get started on Sunday morning. The plan was to try to get the panels up on the ceiling while I was home to help with them  - not that I was a huge help, but sometimes all you need is someone on the other end of the board. We had some other tasks to finish first so by the end of the afternoon, we only had 4 panels on the ceiling.

Not to worry - Monday was also a day off, for me at least. It  was pouring down with rain so we spent the day inside the garage where it was dry and toasty upstairs with the heater going. We started out fairly early and had the rest of the ceiling panels nailed in place by lunch time. There is still much to do with trim to cover the seams, but the bottom line is, it's a work shop - I'm not expecting perfection but can I get that point across??? Hopefully the wall panels will be in place by the weekend, and then maybe I can help some on Sunday.The trim on the ceiling, doors and windows will be more fiddley so may take as long as the rest of the project to date. As long as I have my stuff moved out of the house before Christmas, I'll be really happy, and so will Lloyd. I'm afraid when Meghan (2) is here over the holidays, we may never see her. She's going to think she's died and gone to crafter's heaven!

Because Lloyd had to work on Monday night, he headed upstairs to have a nap in the afternoon. I had invited the VanGaals to join us for supper so I spent the remainder of the rainy afternoon in the kitchen. Can't think of anything better!  Brenda and Bernie came over around 6:00 and we had a lovely evening, catching up with them. Brenda had been to Halifax for the weekend to visit Meghan, who was there for meetings. Brenda also got to visit her aunt, and Meg got to visit some friends. It sounds like a lovely time was had by all.  Fortunately the bit of snow was gone by Sunday so no travel was interrupted.

So not an exciting weekend but a productive one.

I got some photos from Patti. It seems that young James made dinner for the family on the weekend, all by himself.

Making the burgers from scratch

 They had little burgers ( sliders) and Caesar Salad. Dessert was caramel coffee muffins with dulce de lece ice cream drizzled in caramel sauce.  Sounds like it was quite a feast! Hopefully he'll want to practice some of his culinary skills when he's visiting over the holidays. But then they've all always loved to spend time in the kitchen when they're here. Now we'll have to take turns. 

An appreciative diner

Patti suggested that he's been watching too much Food Network. Lloyd and I caught the last two episodes of Master Chef Junior last week. I was totally blown away by these kids - 8 to 13 years old and making dishes a good many adults would not be able to master. It was truly amazing. Just goes to show what they can accomplish if we just give them a little encouragement and the opportunity. Can't wait for the holidays! I'm going to sit back and put my feet up and let the kids do the cooking (yeah, right!). It's too much fun to miss out on.

Monday, November 11th

In light of recent political firestorms,these words 
bring it all into perspective on this, November 11th

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Joe has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Veteran died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Veteran died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young,
But the passing of a Veteran
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Veteran,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever-waffling stand?

Or would you want a Veteran
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Veteran,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Veteran,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his likes again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Veteran's part,
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A VETERAN DIED TODAY."

Friday, November 8th - bring on the long weekend!

It's a chilly 4' that's only feeling like 0' and that's pretty much where we're going to stay for the rest of the day. But at least it will be dry, unlike yesterday that ended with lots of rain and strong winds. It's much quieter and dryer out there this morning but much cooler than the 15' we enjoyed yesterday. It is November, after all.

And we don't want it too warm this afternoon, we want it to feel a little like winter to get us into that seasonal mood.  Brenda and I are attending the first of many Christmas Craft Shows that are held here on the island each year. After a bite to eat when I'm done work, we're heading over the the show at the Confederation Centre. It's always a really good display. She's off today so is enjoying an especially long weekend. She's heading off  to Halifax tomorrow to visit Meghan, who's going to be there for the weekend. Looks like our weather should cooperate for a bit of a road trip.

I'm happy to be staying home and maybe I can be of some help out in the garage. Just about all the insulation is in place and yesterday Lloyd spent the day cleaning up - again. Now he's almost ready to begin putting in the wall panels. With any luck, we should be able to make a bit of progress on the weekend. Not sure how much help I'll actually be but we'll see.

The Dennison family has been quite busy this week. Tristen is in cubs and had his installation ceremony. He

looks very pleased and proud of himself. He's always looked up to his big brother and wants so much to be like him. But as he gets older, he's really turning into his own person. He tried hockey, and baseball, like his brother but they really aren't his thing, not like they were for James. But he truly loves his Karate and is pursuing that and now he's in cubs. I'm glad to see that he's finding his own path and doing the things that are right for him, not because they're something his big brother is doing. He's definitely his own little person and he'll do well. That's a good thing because I suspect that James' footsteps could be tough ones to follow in.

Speaking of James, he's also had a busy week at Cadets. He's been promoted to Corporal. I'm not up on the rankings but I assume this is an early step up the ladder. He looks so grown up in his uniform and he's really taking his cadets seriously.










He'll be marching in the Remembrance Day  ceremonies in Guelph on Monday. Looks like the boys have been very busy practicing and are well prepared.


This weekend both Meghan and Tristen will be skating at a meet in Brampton. James isn't involved with this one. Looks like another busy weekend for Patti.

Keep me posted guys, and send pictures!








And finally, a friend sent me this photo of a sign in Toronto - obviously no further comment needed:

Wednesday, November 6th - our first flurries

.

This morning it's a chilly 3' but we should reach a pleasant 9' later with a mix of sun and cloud - not such a bad day. Monday night as I was coming home from work,( in the dark!), it was flurrying and quite heavily in spots. But they were wet flurries and didn't stay on the ground. I picked Brenda up for a meeting a little before 7:00 and it really wasn't a night you wanted to leave a nice warm house to go out into.

With my meeting on Monday evening, and dance class last night, I really haven't seen Lloyd. A few minutes over supper on Monday and that was it. He was sleeping when I got home both evenings so we'll have to catch up tonight. He's adjusting very well to his new job and work is being done out in the garage. I haven't been out there since Sunday so have no idea how it's going but I know that some of the insulation is in. 

He's been fairly busy this past couple of weeks with check up appointments for his aviation medical. His last one was his eye test and he spent quite a bit of time with Dr. Jinx, discussing South Africa, as that's where he's from. Lloyd and his friend Jan spent a week there a number of years ago so he was keen to chat with the optometrist.   I think he's finally finished now for another year, I suppose. Hopefully he'll get to use his flying abilities soon if the weather cooperates and he can get to Ontario. This full time employment is cutting into his fun just ever so slightly. That was one of the pluses of being unemployed - he could fly up there whenever he wanted and stay as long as he liked. Now it's a different story.

 Patti and the kids school are looking for ideas for the annual "Sparkles in the Park". It's a massive light display put on each year by various local companies and it's really quite special to tour at Christmas. They school hasn't participated in the past but they are doing this instead of the Santa Claus Parade. They've had a float in the parade for years. Usually a flat bed truck, with bales of straw and the kids, some parents and staff decorate it according to the yearly theme and they all sit on the straw on the float. Now this year, the city (I'm assuming) has made a rule that no one under the age of nine years is allowed on any of the floats. Well that pretty much eliminates most of the school. I dare say that will eliminate most children's groups - brownies, cubs, etc. I thought a Santa Claus Parade was for the kids??? So the school isn't putting a float in this year and are doing the Park display instead.  Patti asked for my ideas, if I had any, and I could only

come up with one. I think I've been living in rural PEI a little too long! All I could come up with was to find an old piece of farm equipment ( I was thinking something like Lloyd's old tractor) and have a Christmas in the country or an antique Christmas theme. I can see lots of bales of straw, old fashioned decorations that the kids at the school can make themselves out of materials that won't be affected by rain. Vinyl wallpaper could be cut into strips to make paper chains for some trees,  packing peanuts could be strung like popcorn, you get the idea. Then instead of lights all over, just a simple spotlight on the whole thing. Perhaps some animals or birds of some sort, if they were waterproof. I know I've seen plastic deer on lawns before and certainly this time of year you can find fake geese and ducks and such. I think it could be done quite nicely but the idea has to go to the school committee. I'm sure they'll come up with all kinds of great ideas.It's just to find something that the kids can take an active part in creating. But they're all very creative folks and I know they'll come up with something fun.

Monday, November 4th - the plan is coming together

It's a cool, but dry 4' this morning and with a mix of sun and cloud expected later, we might reach 5'. What we see this morning seems to be what we get. Not so bad, really, when you look at other parts of the country that are shoveling out from under up to 30 cm of snow. Those days will get here soon enough.
We really have had  a lovely fall, that's for sure.

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day but had clouded over by the time I left work.  After a stop at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things, and a quick cup of tea at Brenda's, I headed home to see what I could do to help in the garage, if anything. The last of the wiring was being completed but not without a couple of challenges. It was suggested to me that the best thing I could do was make some tea, so that's what I did. Not a big contribution, but an important one, apparently. He headed back out to work a bit more and I did a couple of things in the house, including work on my floor plan.

 I spent quite a bit of time on Saturday working on it. I made a list of all the items that have to come out of the house (it's a lengthy list) and a list of the work areas I want to set up. Then I made a graph and determined the approximate measurements of everything. I've come up with something that I think will work - at least on paper! I needed to determine just what else I needed to pick up in the way of tables or work desks. Once I had everything in place on paper, I decided I needed two desks for scrapbooking. But not just any desks. They need to be both the same. My plan is to place them facing each other and pushed up against each other so we have two separate work spaces but are both together so we can chat while we work and not have our backs to each other. I decided two identical desks would do nicely. But where to find them? I went online to look for used office furniture and didn't I find someone in Mermaid, ( just down the road a piece) who had two desks, the very same, for sale. I emailed and sure enough they were still available.

Sunday morning I drafted Lloyd to go with me to see the desks and haul them home on the trailer. They were perfect - just what I imagined. Now they're in the small shed, waiting to move upstairs.  After lunch, I headed over to the Rec Centre to help with the annual spaghetti supper and Lloyd figured out the challenge he was having with his wiring and went  on to start on insulation. Two walls are now insulated!   Things should move fairly quickly now that the stairs and wiring are complete. I'm so excited to see progress moving along so well. My hope is to be able to start moving things in the weekend he's away, which will be here before we know it - in a couple of weeks. But we'll see. As long as I'm in there by Christmas I'll be happy. He has his own motivation - he wants to have the boys over for a little Christmas gathering and hopes to have it up there. I suggest that if that's the case, we'll be having a girls night over the holidays as well. I have a small artificial Christmas tree tucked away that will be going up there for sure. 

Lloyd joined Bernie and his sister, at the spaghetti supper and then we all reconvened at the Van Gaals for tea and cake later. Let's just say that our diets didn't do well yesterday. No worries, today is a new day.

James had a busy weekend. He had a speed skating meet in Cambridge on Saturday and Sunday. I haven't heard yet how he finished. Unfortunately they didn't stream this one online. I know he finished 2nd in his first two races but I don't know he he did in his other three.  They had a ceremony on Saturday afternoon to honour club members who have gone on to compete in the Olympics. Patti's taking an active role in participating in the club and was involved in the planning of the event. She sent along this photo of the banners after they were unveiled. Certainly a source of pride for those skaters and a real inspiration for those coming along behind.

Friday, November 1st - is this really November weather?

It's a balmy 12' this morning at 5:00 am. It's raining, has been for a few hours judging by the size of the puddle out in the yard. We should reach a damp high of 18' later that will feel more like 22'. I think this is the weather Ontario had yesterday, so thanks for sending it our way.  I was talking with the kids last night and it was raining when they finished trick or treating. Good thing Meghan went as a bubble bath - complete with balloon bubbles, shower cap and rubber ducky. But it was mild there so a little easier to take. Patti sent me a photo yesterday but I can't seem to find it this morning. My mail format has changed somewhat and I'm having a wee bit of trouble navigating the waters so it may take a while to figure out.

It sounds like they had a great time going out with friends. When they called they were still at Katy's house and there was lots of noise in the background. I asked Meghan if she got lots of candy and she said she got so much that she could barely carry her pillow case. But not to worry - they have a plan for all of it. It seems two of their other friends weren't able to go trick or treating because their uncle had passed away so the kids are giving a lot of their treats to Ben and Nicholas. I was pretty impressed with that.

Meghan is pretty excited. This is the annual ladies shopping weekend to Buffalo. She has a PD day today so she and her mom are heading out with the ladies for the day. Due to other commitments, Patti can't stay for the whole weekend as usual, but instead has to come back tonight and Meg is going to stay with the girls for the weekend. Patti says she's pretty happy too because she's giving Meghan the Christmas list - she now has her own personal shopper! Somehow I can see that being a career choice for Meghan somewhere down the road. She does love to shop.

Patti, meanwhile, will be assisting their home speed skating team at a meet they're hosting this weekend. That girl never ceases to amaze me with all that she's involved in. I imagine Tristen will be going with her but I doubt he'll be skating this time out. He's adjusting well to his new dental appliance. It was difficult at first but he seems to be managing. I was talking to him on the phone last night and it sounds like he's learning to speak around it, as he sounded perfectly fine to me.

It's been a relatively slow week construction wise. Lloyd's been a bit busy this week with appointments for his aviation medical. Today he has to go and complete a stress test. He was working on the wall upstairs that closes in the stairwell. There were some issues with boards not being straight and causing some problems but I know he'll get it all worked out. We tend to get more done now on the weekend. Tomorrow should be a nice day and Sunday is supposed to rain, so it might be a good day to work inside upstairs.  Speaking of that, I went online yesterday and typed in "craft room designs" and oh my gosh - I found literally dozens and dozens of photos of various craft rooms. So I saved those that had ideas I want to incorporate into mine so now I've got lots of planning to do. I should have had it all planned out before now, but I realize getting the walls and floor in, is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of ideas. Lots of  great ideas and decisions to be made.