Friday, January 30th - is this the calm before the storm?

Conditions at 5:15 am: calm and -16' that's feeling a little more like -19'
Expected later: a nice day with -4' but we have another winter storm warning for tonight

A peek inside that very organized garage!

Thursday was an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun shone pretty much all day and the temperature was just a little below freezing. It would have been a lovely day to be out on the ski trails somewhere instead of sitting at a desk looking at it through a window!  Not sure what tomorrow will bring as we are expecting some kind of precipitation in the form of snow and/or freezing rain overnight and into Saturday.  Fortunately I'm off and hopefully it's not too bad by the time Lloyd leaves work in the morning.

The snow bank at the end of the lane

 We spent Wednesday morning getting dug out. The plow showed up just about the time I was meant to be leaving for work. There was a huge drift across the road but once the plow went by, the road was open but now all that snow was pushed into the end of the lane. Frank next door was working at getting his tractor going so he could clear his own yard to enable him to get to us. Lloyd and his new snow blower to the rescue! He was able to clear a narrow path through the large drift in front of the garage and then chipped away at the bottom of the lane. The upper part of the lane had barely any snow on it as it always blows right off but the bottom part more than makes up for it if the winds are coming in the right direction. (It's still NOTHING LIKE the year the girls from Ontario were here and we almost lost Pat in the snow banks walking up to the house!)

But we got it cleared, and the freezing rain that had fallen after the snow, was melted off my car so I was actually on the road by 8:30 and at work by 9:00,  not so bad.

Tonight I'm meeting Brenda in town after work and we'll grab a bite to eat before heading back out to the country. Other than the weather, not a lot is going on, and it's looking like it's going to be another quiet weekend as well. But perhaps Lloyd will get to go out and play in the snow again with his new toy!

And maybe, just maybe, we might be able to get out on our skis on Sunday.

Lots of snow on the left, and grass peeking out on the right

Wednesday, January 28th - it was like a mini vacatio... almost!

Conditions at 6:00 am: -4 feeling more like -10
Expected later: -2 with flurries most of the day

What a day it was yesterday. The anxiously awaited blizzard took it's time getting here, but once it did, it was with a vengeance.  I awoke to howling winds at 5:00 yesterday morning and hoped so much to look outside and see a pile of snow. Such was not the case. There was not a flake on the ground. So of course there was no choice but to head into work, despite the fact that all schools across the island were closed and the list of businesses on the island not opening was growing by the minute. But the drive in was uneventful and a few flurries started just as I got to work at 7:30.  It very quickly turned into blizzard conditions and by 9:30 the decision was made to send everyone home. Good thing as the RCMP were advising everyone to stay off the road. The trip home was a little tricky and slow but I made it safely.  Lloyd was sleeping when I got home so I settled in front of the fireplace with a blanket, a coffee, a slice of  toast and some Netflix.  

And that was pretty much my day. The wind was howling outside but we were snug and warm inside and
everyone was where they needed to be. I had called the VanGaals when I left town just so someone knew I was on the road, then reported in when I got home. It was like a mini vacation in the middle of the week. We watched TV and/or read until supper. Then after supper it was read a book and then a hot bath before bed. 

I'm not sure how much snow we actually received because some spots in our yard have deep drifts and other spots have no snow at all. It does tend to get quite windy out here on the hill.  I heard this morning on the radio that the Boston and Cape Cod area received 60 to 75 cms. Glad our trip to the Cape is in the spring.

Lloyd walked to the end of the lane around 7:00 last night and it was not a pretty sight. The snow at the end was quite deep and the drifts in both directions on the road were well over three feet high. Needless to say, he didn't go to work last night. We didn't see a plow all day and I'm not sure it's been down our road as yet. They've just announced there is no school again today as we are facing freezing rain and the roads are a mess. Being as our road doesn't really go anywhere it's not a high priority, especially with no need for buses to get through. I'll wait till Lloyd gets up and let him make the trek to the end of the lane. I suspect I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. We'll see what daylight brings.

Enjoy your day, Brenda!

Monday, January 26th - I don't know HOW she does it!

Conditions at 5:20 am: a clear and cold -14' that's feeling more like -23'
Expected later: pretty much hovering around the same thing for the day, but then getting milder tomorrow and a bunch of snow might be on the way

I say might because that's what they told us on Friday. We were told to expect a bunch of snow on Saturday and into Sunday. I texted my friend Christine and we decided to postpone our dinner until two weeks time, as we had no idea what the driving conditions might have been like on Sunday afternoon.

Turns out they were fine. It started out snowing on Saturday evening and we thought we might really be in for it but then it turned to rain overnight and took all the snow that fell, away. It was very windy overnight and continued on into Sunday. It's calmed down somewhat this morning but now it appears we may get a bunch of snow overnight tonight and into Tuesday. Could tomorrow be our first snow day of the new year?

Saturday morning was fine, weather wise, in fact it was quite mild. Brenda picked me up and we headed to the gym for our class. We didn't stay to do any other exercise because it was near lunch time when our class was over. If I'd taken a hat with me I would have walked home from the corner but my ears would have froze, so I didn't.  I spent the afternoon doing some cleaning and laundry. We were talking about what to have for supper and Lloyd had a serious craving for a burger. So because he'd been good all week, we headed out to Peakes Tee to get something to eat. We both had burgers but Lloyd had fries while I had a baked potato. However I'm sure the sour cream more than made up for the lack of deep frying!

Sunday was a relatively productive day as well as a relaxing one. I worked out in the craft room for a while as well as sorted through a pile of papers that were stored in a filing box and in a basket, hanging around in the living room. Two more thing out of the way. We watched some TV and roasted a chicken for supper. We enjoyed it with a cauliflower salad and a Napa cabbage salad. Lots of veggies and no gravy and mashed potatoes!

So, Friday I thought I would check out the speedskating club's website to see what's new with the kids efforts. I came across an article was posted back in November. It went like this:

"This weekend's meet could not have taken place if it were not for the many volunteers. It takes over 50 volunteers per day to support a 2 day meet. A special thanks goes out to Patti Dennison who coordinated the kitchen work, picked up the food, sent out requests for silent action items ( and the list goes on)."

Then when I thought about it, that would have been the same time she was busy with costumes for the Montessori school's winter play. In between working two jobs, etc, etc. I really don't know how shes does it!

Friday January 23rd - a slightly belated Happy Birthday Lloyd

Conditions at 5:30 am: overcast and -6', feeling a little more like -12'
Expected later: a mix of sun and cloud and going down to -8 this afternoon. Then who knows what the weekend is going to bring. Right now it's looking like three separate weather systems are heading this way and depending on which direction they take, we could be receiving a pile of rain or a ton of snow. We'll have to wait and see what happens. Could winter actually be on it's way... finally?


A Happy Birthday to my sweetie, albeit a day late. It wasn't much of a celebration as I got home at 5:30 and after a quick supper I was off to pick up Brenda to go to the gym. We had our second fitness class scheduled so I was home and then gone within an hour. Not much of a birthday for him - and he cooked supper! We have a friend coming over for supper on Sunday so I'll bake him a birthday cake then, and our guest can take the leftovers home!

Brenda and I attended a  class at the Fitness Centre over in Mount Stewart on Wednesday evening. We had no idea that such a comprehensive facility was so close to us. We enjoyed endured our first class and decided we would each purchase a two month membership, that will take us to the end of March. Our hope is by that time we can get out and walk or bike to continue our fitness goal.  Here's hoping...


We survived our second class last night and even stayed to do some stationary bike riding for about a half hour. We felt very pleased with our efforts as we left the gym.  There's a morning class on Saturdays that we plan to attend as well, at least for now, while I'm off on those days.

Our class last night was something I've never done before. We did a series of exercises using a long bar that weighed 9 pounds.  Not a lot of weight but for us newby's enough to feel it. Other bars are heavier but we chose to go with the lightest and that was enough.No point in killing ourselves the first week out!

Wednesday, January 21st - another trip being planned

Conditions at 5:30 am: Clear and a very cold -12' that feels more like -22' with the wind
Expected later: -9' with a wind chill of -16'

Well, our weather has been ALL over the place. One day it's really cold then the next it's quite mild. Monday was a mild day that saw most of our snow melted but then the temperature went back down on Tuesday, though really not too dramatically. Now we're back into the deep freeze again, but only for a few days.

Monday evening Brenda and I debated about visiting the local fitness centre but we talked ourselves out of that and instead, went into town to a book reading. I've never been to a book reading  before and neither had Brenda. The author was Linden MacIntyre, who has written a couple of other books that I've read. It was very interesting to hear him speak, and there was a great turn out.One more thing to cross off our to-do list.

When I got home from town, there was a voice message from my friend Fran, who lives in Ontario. Apparently she and two friends are coming down to Nova Scotia the week prior to, and including the Easter long weekend, to watch curling. Lloyd and I discussed it briefly and he thought we should make a weekend of it. So after talking with Fran and clarifying the dates they will actually be in the area, I've booked a hotel for the Friday and Saturday night, as I will have Friday off. There won't be anything open on Friday so that will be our travel day and we can then go to the Halifax Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. I asked Fran if they would have time between watching curling and visiting the casino to perhaps have lunch with us and she assured me they would.

So, it looks like there's another trip coming up. Then only a few short weeks later we head off to Cape Cod. It's going to be a busy spring!

Tonight, unless something more interesting comes along, I think Brenda and I will visit the local fitness centre to see what it's all about. I really need to start getting some exercise. My poor old muscles and joints complain bitterly from time to time and I know it's primarily from a lack of exercise.They have various fitness classes we can join so we'll check it out. We can push each other to go out on a cold winters night and do the right thing.

Last night was a quiet but productive night. I spent some time out in the craft room putting stuff away. I still hadn't taken down the little Christmas tree that's out there so obviously it was overdue. Now it's back to ship shape and ready for me to get back on track with one of the many projects I seem to have on the go. I'm really looking forward to retiring one day, so I can utilize the space as it was meant to be.

Monday, January 19th - a quiet winter weekend

Conditions at 5:15 am: 4'
Expected later temperatures remaining around the same and some showers this afternoon

First my apologies to the handful of folks who visit here regularly - due to technical difficulties I was unable to access the internet here at home on Friday morning. I thought about posting something when I got to work but as I really had nothing to report, I let it go. Hence the follow up calls during the day, just to make sure I was okay.  Gosh, this works better than Lifeline!  But thanks for those who were concerned who advised that even if I have nothing to say, I need to say I have nothing to say! Got it.

Well, in the absence of anything meaningful happening on Thursday, I'm pleased to report that Friday turned into Pizza night. I picked up the pies on my way home, and as usual, we all convened at the VanGaals. We hadn't had pizza together since before Christmas so now we were officially back into our usual routine.

Saturday morning dawned bitterly cold. It had been quite mild on Friday but turned very cold overnight. The draft stopper that I had made for Lloyd's garage was apparently slightly too short once it had stuffing inside. So I used that as an excuse to stay inside all Saturday morning. It was much too cold to be out so I parked myself in front of the TV and knitted while he slept. I was able to complete said project before it was time to wake him up to get ready to head into town.

It was suggested on Friday evening that perhaps we should attend the Saturday afternoon blues jam at The Factory restaurant. We used to go from time to time when it was held at another location, but since it moved, we haven't been. After a quick shower, Lloyd was ready and the two of us picked up Brenda on our way into town. Bernie thought about going, but instead headed back out into the woods to work some more on a project he had underway. A great time was had by all. Brenda had eaten lunch with the boys so wasn't hungry but Lloyd and I hadn't so we split a burger and baked potato - fewer calories that way! But the beer made up for it in our daily calorie count.

Sunday morning was still cold but promised to warm up considerably as the day went by. Because I hadn't done anything around the house on Saturday, I paid for it on Sunday. I got laundry gathered together and while that was washing and drying, I spent my time vacuuming and mopping through the house. I was outside in the garage for a few minutes as well, and as a result I missed Brenda's phone call inviting me to go skiing in the woods by her place. That's really too bad because it turned out not to be too bad a day. By the time I got her message, she was already gone. She did call to report that she's made a trail through the woods for next time so hopefully rain today won't destroy her efforts.

When we were having lunch we were discussing what to have for supper.(it's always about the food!)  I had some enoki mushrooms in the fridge that we picked up last weekend in town and I wanted to do something with those. Then we got into Asian ideas and as a result I spent the better part of the afternoon making fresh spring rolls and sushi with some salmon we had picked up on Saturday on our way home from town. I sourced out a recipe for Spicy Salmon Rolls and also made an Asian inspired soup. We ended up with five courses - pork dumplings, followed by the soup, then spring rolls and finally the sushi. I had a fresh pineapple it the fridge as well that I cut up for dessert. Everything turned out quite well and we really enjoyed our meal.

The rest of the evening was spent watching some Netflix and reading. A very relaxing end to a quiet but somewhat productive winter weekend.

Wednesday, January 14th - winter has finally arrived!

Conditions at 6:00 am: a very clear and cold -19' that feels more like -26'
Expected later: a high of -9' that will feel more like -15' and lots of sunshine

Winter arrived on Monday afternoon. The drive home was a little tricky as there was ice on the roads under the snow. It was fine as long as you took your time but I was glad to get home. More snow overnight left a few more inches, causing a one hour delay in the schools opening but I actually found the drive in not too bad, although it could have been much worse in other areas.

It snowed a large part of the day yesterday and finally cleared mid afternoon. By the time I left to go home, all was good. The roads were cleared and now that the days are getting a little longer, it's not so dark when I leave work now. Spring must be just around that corner!

Same story as Monday, not a lot going on. About the only thing happening is that Lloyd finally got to try out his new snowblower. It worked wonderfully and he was pretty happy with it. Only trouble is, he needs a balaclava for his face as the snow sometimes gets blown by the wind back into his face. Good thing he has a birthday coming up! Sounds like a great gift idea.

I really need to get out to my craft room and get some organizing done out there. I still have my little Christmas tree up out there. I've been working on his draft stopper for the garage door and been doing that in front of the TV. Hopefully a couple more days and it will be done. It's taking a long time to make something that's 12 feet long, that's essentially a hollow scarf. I even took it to work yesterday to knit during lunch hour. Hopefully that will speed things up. I have other things I'd like to get started on but I have to get this project finished first.

Monday, January 12th - by all accounts, a VERY quiet weekend

Conditions at 5:45 am: -6' but feeling slightly more like -10' and overcast
Expected later: a high this afternoon of -2' but that will bring some flurries in the morning and mahybe a little more snow in the afternoon.

It was indeed a very quiet weekend. Nothing going on, and nothing pressing so it was actually a very relaxing time. I did a couple of odd jobs on Saturday morning while Lloyd finished the final installation of our new water heater. Then it was rest and relaxation for the remainder of the day.

Once again, we are trying to improve our eating habits, more for good health than weight loss, but if some weight is lost in the process that would be a good thing. Part of Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning was spent scouring cookbooks for low calorie recipes. Then it was a trip into town on Sunday afternoon to do some grocery shopping. We found a little Asian store just off Mount Edward Road that had lots of exotic (at least to us) ingredients that Lloyd was looking for. Then it was downtown for lunch at a Vietnamese Restaurant he found recently. Some fresh spring rolls and a large bowl of noodles floating in a flavourful broth made for a very tasty and filling lunch. So much so that no supper was needed, as we'd eaten around 3:00.  Missing a meal is not a bad thing!

From there it was off to the regular grocery store, then home to spend the rest of the evening reading.  All in all a very relaxing time. 

I have flowers opening up on my orchid - that's about as exciting as it gets these days.

Friday, January 9th - the deep freeze ends today, for now at least

Conditions at 5:30 am: -16 feeling more like -23
Expected later: snow, turning to rain, then back to snow and a high of 2'

Yesterday was yet another one of those beautiful sunny days but the temperature was -19' and the wind chill made it feel more like -29' BRRRRRRRRR

It's that after Christmas thing where not a lot is going on so there's not much to report on. I'm just trying to keep warm, both at home and at work.  I've started a new craft project - actually something Lloyd needs for his garage. He needs to put something along the top edge of the garage door as he gets a little draft up there. For now he has rags stuffed into the top but it's a bit of a nuisance when he needs to open the big door, which fortunately, isn't very often. When he does he has to pull all the rags out, then stuff them back in when he's done. So a while ago he asked if I could perhaps sew some sort of long, stuffed draft stopper to fit along the top of the door, 12 feet in length. I said I could but it hasn't gotten done yet. Then an aha moment struck after Christmas.

I was showing granddaughter Meghan some ideas I'd come across using T shirt yarn - yarn you can actually knit, crochet, weave, whatever, made from old T shirts cut into strips. If you cut the shirt a certain way, into thin strips, then pull the strips, they roll around themselves and make a yarn like round product and one shirt will yield a large ball of knitting material. When the kids were here, I sent Patti and Meghan over to Michael's to pick up some kids craft tools I saw on sale on boxing day. It's called a Knit Quick Loom and it's essentially a larger version of the corking spools we used when we were kids. If you have to ask what that is, you're either too young or I'm too old!

So I got one of the set of four out the other day and gave it a try. The smallest one makes a tube approximately 4 inches in diameter. I just have to make it 12 feet long, sew one end, then stuff it with fiberfill and sew the other end - instant draft control in one big piece. So far I have about a foot done, so eleven more evenings should do it. I worked on it last night while I watched one of the numerous movies I have on my Netflix list so I'm actually accomplishing two things at the same time!

We're thinking of doing some sort of class in community school next year using T shirt yarn - it's free, as you use old discarded T shirts and it's pretty easy - the perfect community school project. I can see maybe making knitted bags and such with the larger looms, so my task over the next few months is to explore the possibilities. Besides being cheap and easy, it's also green - a win on all counts!

Wednesday, January 7th - Looks can be deceiving!

Conditions at 5:30 am: clear skies with a very bright moon shining and 18' but without those strong winds it only feels like -21' this morning
Expected later: -11' that will only feel like -16' , a definite improvement over yesterday!

Things are not always what they appear

As I sat looking out the window of the dealership yesterday, the sun was streaming in on my face, putting me in mind of warm summer days. But Mother Nature was indeed playing a very cruel joke on us.  While the sun was warm and bright appearing through the window, the temperature was actually -18' with a windchill of -30'.  It was mighty cold, let me tell you. The wind has since died down a little but yesterday it was howling all day and the night before.  So much so that traffic was restricted on the bridge for over 24 hours.  It was just bitterly cold and isn't going to get much better anytime soon.

Needless to say, that's the only thing most people have been concentrating on is the weather. By this time of year, we should be used to it and plenty able to cope but we had such a mild December that we just weren't ready. I have to say the remote starter I had put on my car on Monday morning has been a real treat in this cold.

We've finally gotten the living room back together although not everything electronic is working. We somehow managed to blow out the TV antennae when plugging things in. I suggested to Lloyd that perhaps we don't really need to replace it just yet. Pretty much the only thing we watch on live TV is the evening news. I do watch a couple of programs but most of them I watch online the next evening. I think he's just really glad he doesn't have to climb up to the top of that tall, cold tower in this weather, and certainly not in this wind!

I spent Monday evening sorting and tidying and part of Tuesday continuing.  I'm hopeful to have it all done by the weekend.  Other than our wicked cold weather, not a lot is going on, but that's to be expected at this time of year. We need to take this opportunity to chill out a bit (okay, not literally!) and enjoy a bit of down time after the busy holiday season.  We're back into our routine - I get home to a lovely prepared meal, then after Lloyd goes to bed, I clean up, although I occasionally leave it till morning, if there's not a great deal to do. Keeping warm seems to be our biggest challenge so far this week. The up side I suppose, is it's a little too cold to snow, so the roads are mostly bare and dry, all the better for commuting every day.

Monday, January 5th - Happy Birthday Caitlin

Conditions at 5:20 am: raining and 4'
Expected later: it's going to cool off to -1' throughout the day with a mix of sun and cloud, then drop back down to -18' overnight

What a mixed bag of weather. We had snow pretty much most of the day yesterday that changed to freezing rain in the evening. Fortunately, I hope, the rain and milder temperatures will have melted any ice on the roads for everyone's commute this moring.

Before I forget, Happy Birthday wishes to Caitlin out in Edmonton.
Hope you have a really great day and all the best. (I noticed that someone from Edmonton visited the blog approximately 4 hours before I woke up this morning, but I somehow doubt it was her at that time in the morning - but just in case, hopefully she'll come back!)

It was a busy but somewhat productive weekend. We had decided before Christmas that we were going to move some things around in the living room. This was the weekend. Unfortunately, like most things, it took much longer than anticipated but the bulk of it is done. I started out on Saturday morning going through dishes and such and editing out those that I really don't need. Some of them I really like but if they haven't been used in the almost 6 years  that I've been here, then I really don't need them and they are just taking up valuable real estate. The truth is I needed one of the cabinets for something else, so some things had to go. There's a new charity run thrift store in town so I'll load everything up this evening and drop it off tomorrow.  When Lloyd got up from his nap, he helped with moving stuff, but the issue is we moved all the electronics to the other side of the room. This entailed moving all the cables for TV etc as well as all internet related items, that were being moved upstairs.  We did as much as we could but we had a party to attend at 5:00 so not a huge amount got done.

We were invited to Raymond and Marlene's annual Christmas get together along with the VanGaals. A lovely time was had by all, but we were all pretty tired. I think it's just been too much food and drink over the past few weeks - we're all partied out!  But it was a lovely time and it was really nice to be included.

Sunday we were up early and started in. Things don't always go as smoothly as hoped and it took the entire day to finish just the wiring. We also moved the bookshelves which meant piles and piles of books everywhere. I couldn't put them back on the shelves in their new location until Lloyd was done with wiring, so there really wasn't a lot that I could do. Most of it is now finally done, with just a few little things to take care of. Of course, there's some fine tuning of bookshelves required as well, in addition to little piles of "stuff" in various places that need sorting. But the living room is much less cluttered and the room looks twice a large as it did before.  All in all, a really productive weekend.

Friday, January 2nd - Happy 2015 everyone!

Conditions at 5:20 am: -4' feeling more like 08, but that's still way better than the past few days
Expected later: a mix of sun and cloud, a few flurries and a high of -3

The intense cold we were experiencing the past few days finally let up a bit yesterday. It was very cold on Wednesday, New Years Eve. I felt badly for the organizers of all the outdoor activities, both here and in Summerside. Patti and I took the kids last year, and it was bitter cold, so really not that much fun.

Our New Years Eve was quiet but very enjoyable. We left work shortly after 3:00 so I had a bit of time before we went over to the VanGaals.  I had time to grab a sandwich and a nice relaxing hot bath before putting together some veggies and hummus to take with us. We were the first to arrive, but someone had to be. Shortly after, we were joined by Ray and Marlene, Meghan's friend Cynthia, and George and Maureen, and later by Pius and Paula. We were in the usual island party configuration - women sitting around the table in the kitchen and the men in the living room.  We had lots of snacks to nibble on and plenty of beverages so it was a great night. We didn't actually make it to midnight, as we left around 10:30.  I was getting very yawny and I know Lloyd was probably starting to fade as well. Some managed to make it to midnight, but 2015 arrived anyway, without our help!

Thursday was a pretty productive day. After something to eat, I tackled taking down the Christmas decorations and putting those away while Lloyd did some work out in the garage.  I still hadn't finished cleaning up, but was stopped to take a break amid little piles of floor sweepings when Brenda arrived. She'd just returned from the airport, taking Meg for her flight home, which was delayed leaving. While they were there, she saw Burton Cummings and his crew in the lounge area of the restaurant, also heading out. They had been here for the New Years Eve concert in Summerside. Imagine that - a celebrity sighting in the tiny little Charlottetown airport.  She only dropped in for a few minutes then just as she was leaving another friend, Donna dropped in with one of her little grandsons.  She was on her way to a party just down the road so stopped in to wish us a Happy New Year. It was really nice to see her, as we haven't gotten together in quite a while.

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. Lloyd had to go to work at midnight so we brought out some of the cheeses we received for Christmas as well as opening one of the jars of pate that Patti brought, and it was mighty delicious along with the assorted cheeses and some crackers. A perfect non-stress finish to our day. Once we were done eating, we turned off the TV and sat and read, as Lloyd was almost finished the book he was reading. He's getting through them and will be disappointed, like I was, to reach the end of the Louise Penny series. He's really enjoying them. We'll be anxiously waiting for the next one to come out. Although he says there is one problem with the all the books - they make him hungry. They always go into great detail about the food they are about to eat and it all sounds just too delicious!