Friday, November 28th - it was quite a ride - for November!

Conditions at 5:45: overcast and -3
Expected later: -1 and maybe a few flurries

Well, as we thought might happen, yesterday was a snow day for all the school kids (and bus drivers!)
It started late in the evening and by the time Lloyd got up to go to work at midnight, there was probably close to 15 cms of snow on the ground. The up side was that it wasn't very windy so the snow stayed put. By the time I got up at 5:00 it had rained some so the snow on the ground was compacted a bit and was very heavy and wet. There were icy patches under the slush on the road so driving was a little treacherous in spots. But I took my time and went in the back way so there was virtually no traffic. I picked up a couple of coffees and muffins and dropped in to see Lloyd before heading to work. The streets in town were in much better condition and just got better as the rain started again and continued. By lunch time the roads were bare and wet but then it started snowing and really blowing this time. When I got back from lunch I feared the drive home might be a challenge.I had an hour owed to me so decided this might be a great day to take it. Of course, by the time I left work at 4:00 it had stopped snowing, but the highway was snow covered in spots and the wind was very high. There were times a gust would hit the car and it was a bit of a struggle to stay in your own lane for a few seconds. I was glad that it was still daylight when I got home and that I made it safe and sound. The first few times driving in winter weather are a bit of a learning experience from the year before. But each time we head out, it's easier. The snow should be gone by the end of the next few days as warmer temperatures are on the way. The western part of the island got hit by old man winter much harder than we did, so for that we're grateful. We're not even going to talk about New Brunswick which was really battered, and many thousands of people were still without power as of 6:00 last evening.

Other than the weather, not a lot to talk about at the moment. I have a sewing project for my boss to finish tonight then I can get back on track with my own tasks.  I spent most of last evening working out in the craft room on a couple of things. My computer out there has been giving me some trouble of late, so I had the IT guy come out and look at it before he went off to dreamland. He knows what's wrong but whether or not he has a spare part to fix it, remains to be seen. With any luck, that will get fixed sooner rather than later.

The downstairs of the garage is slowly taking shape. There are racks on the walls with wrenches and screw drivers hanging about and it's all starting to look ever so organized. The cabinets he's built are holding a multitude of tools and equipment so there will soon be no excuse when I ask him to build me something! 

Wednesday, November 26th - what a difference a day can make!

Conditions at 5:15 am: 6', overcast with a light wind
Expected later: temperatures staying the same with a mix of sun and cloud in the morning, but look out!

What a strange 48 hours coming our way. The temperature yesterday was a very balmy 15' in the sunshine. It was glorious. I saw several bikes out on the highway and Brenda even saw a convertible go past her house with the top down! Awesome weather for the 26th of November, now officially less than one month to Christmas. But watch out. We're expecting anywhere from 15 to 25 cms of snow to fall in the next 36 hours or so. It's all okay though. We have a shed full of wood, a new snowblower and the snow tires are on the vehicles - BRING IT ON!

We know it's not going to hang around too long as we are expecting warmer temperatures in the next few days so we'll see what happens. Still nothing compared to what Buffalo experienced last week, so we should count ourselves in luck. Can't say I've seen a snow day in November since I've been here, but there's always a first time, and I'm sure it's happened in the past.

Other than the weather, not a lot going on. The Christmas lights are on the outside of the house, and there's even a small tree in front of the front door. Old Scrooge McDenny put them all up on Monday when I was at work. Then he asked if we had any of those electric candles to put in the upstairs windows. Okay, who is this person and what have they done with Lloyd??? Old Mr. Bah Humbug himself.  Seems he's mellowing slightly in his old age, or perhaps it's just that after 25 years, he's finally learned that he might as well join it, he can't fight it! When he was in Newfoundland his sisters told him to expect all the decorations to be up when he got back. They all seem to know me a little too well!

Always the good sport!

I picked up some embellishments yesterday for our Christmas cards and that will be next on my list of things to work on. I like doing those in the craft room because I can spread everything out all over the place and just work on it a little at a time. I have the photos printed but couldn't decide what I wanted to do with them but I finally figured that out yesterday. That's half the battle, coming up with a design. Of course the internet helps tremendously with that. Being as it's now officially less than one month away, I'd better get busy.

The two older kids had a busy weekend. They were skating in Oshawa and James took away another silver medal. Meg  also skated well but came away empty handed. No worries, the season is just getting underway, and we all know how tenacious that little girl can be!

Monday, November 24th - it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Conditions at 5:30 am:  a calm 1', that will see sunshine this morning, possibly turning to rain this afternoon. The crazy thing is the temperature, that will rise to 8'  this afternoon, then 11' this evening and to 13' overnight


It's starting to look a lot like Christmas around here. It all started with Friday night. In the afternoon I was looking forward to just going home and vegging for the night. Lloyd  hadn't had a lot of sleep in the morning so he was headed off to bed by 6:30.   Once he was gone to bed, I decided I might as well attend the Christmas centre piece event at the East River Fire Department. It's a fund raiser and I decided at the last second to attend. I almost backed out as I went out to get in the car. It was snowing quite hard and I thought, what on earth am I doing. I headed down the very snow covered road and it wasn't stopping. But by the time I got to the corner, it was eased off quite a bit, so I suppose it was just an isolated flurry.  There was a good turn out at the fire hall and a good time was had by all. Fortunately there are people there with great ideas and a keen eye for design so they were most invaluable. Because it was last minute I was at a loss as to what kind of container to bring. A quick scan of the top of the kitchen cupboards revealed an old copper tea pot and lid. It worked perfectly. 

Saturday was a pretty quiet day. It was cold and windy outside so I managed to keep myself occupied inside where it was nice and toasty warm.  Laundry and sorting out some of the Christmas stuff managed to fill the day. Lloyd was out in the garage for part of the day and then a nap in the afternoon.  He did manage to get the snow tires put on both vehicles.  It was something to see, the vehicles actually inside the garage. It's great that there's a place to do these jobs inside now.

Sunday was a little nicer although I wasn't so sure at first.  The snow plow went down the road twice before 6:00 am so I wasn't sure what I was going to wake up to. The ground was covered in snow but it wasn't really too bad, just a couple of cms.  The sun was shining and it turned out to be a pretty nice day. I spent the morning baking cookies and putting them in the freezer before anyone else got into them prematurely!  The afternoon was spent putting the decorations on the tree and a few things here and there. Now I have lots of tidying up and putting away to do but that will get done. I also did a fair bit of work on my braided rug project. I only have one  more class so decided I'd better get at it. It's coming along nicely though still a fair bit to do. But now it looks like it's manageable and I might actually get it finished in time for our pot luck, when our projects go on display, next week. I do work best under pressure!

Friday, November 21st - just when we got our routine in place...

Conditions at 2:30 am: clear and -1' with lots of bright stars and a light dusting of snow, that must have been there at midnight, judging by the tire tracks Lloyd left when he went to work
Expected later: a mix of sun and clouds and the temperature pretty much staying the same throughout the day

The past couple of weeks, one of our favorite shows, Grey's Anatomy, has been coming on early on Wednesday night. With Lloyd gone to bed by 7:00, Brenda would come over after and we would open up a bottle of wine, get our chosen snacks for the evening and park ourselves in front of the TV from 8:00 till 9:00.  Now, just when we've gotten our routine established, it's off the air until the 29th of January. Seriously???  Now we have to go through the whole process again of finding a great excuse to meet up and indulge just a little. No worries, though, as I'm sure we'll come up with something to get us through the next couple of months and a cold, snowy winter.

I've been diligently working on my community school project. We have one class left and I'm a long way from being finished. So I've come up with a brilliant plan. I spend my lunch hours upstairs at work, in the boardroom. I have a lovely large table and quiet space all to myself. I take my lunch and eat it as I work, and at the same time, I watch something on my ipad.  It's working out quite nicely for me.  Gives me something to do at lunch without going outside in the cold!

Have I mentioned the Camino de Santiago? I first learned about it a couple of years ago and have seen a

movie and a documentary about it. Then recently a woman came to community school to share her experience walking the route, by herself, at the age of 67. How inspiring it that?  So I've done a tiny bit of research and have lots more to do, but I would really like to do this roughly 800 km walk, across part of France and Spain, sometime in the next 2 or 3 years. The lady we spoke with told us it took her 5 weeks to complete. I'd love to do it sooner, rather than later but fear that job commitments would never allow me to take that much time off at once. I may just have to wait until I turn 65 and am retired but we'll see. Obviously I need to do a a bit  lot of training and conditioning before I undertook something like that. I've done it before for the 60 km Breast Cancer walk so I'm sure I can do it again, if I put my mind to it. I've been doing all kinds of reading and came across this basic information:


The Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James is a spiritual journey that pilgrims of all faiths and

backgrounds have traversed for over a thousand years. The pilgrimage originally began at one’s doorstep, though modern trekkers today would find that rather difficult, particularly American pilgrims needing to cross the Atlantic. While there are a number of established routes leading to Santiago from all directions, the most popular is the Camino Frances, which crosses the Pyrenees Mountains along the Spanish-French border starting in St. Jean Pied de Port.

This Camino route covers 800 kilometers that traverses an idyllic northern Spanish countryside. By

following the yellow painted arrows marking the road, a pilgrim can expect to walk 12-15 miles a day to reach the next town for the night. At this pace, a pilgrim can reach the Cathedral de Santiago in 6 to 8 weeks time to attend the Pilgrim's Mass held at noon each day. Some take more time, others less. 


Some choose to travel by bike, and some have done the Camino on horseback. Along the way travelers encounter albergues, refugios and casa rurals that cater specifically to the thousands of pilgrims of all ages that take this journey each year,

immersing themselves in the local food, culture and history dedicated to this experience.

Pilgrims walk the Camino for various reasons. Some to seek penance, others enlightenment, and still others for a sense of adventure, yet all progress toward the Cathedral in Santiago where it is believed the remains of the apostle St. James are held. 

Most pilgrims choose to carry a scallop shell with them to symbolize their journey in honor of St. James. According to legend, scallop shells are said the have covered St. James’ body after it was found on the shores of the Galician coast. Another, perhaps more useful symbol is a walking stick to aid a weary pilgrim on his or her journey. 

Most pilgrims also carry a document called the credencial, purchased for a few euros from a Spanish tourist agency, a church on the route or from their church back home. The credencial is a pass which gives access to inexpensive, sometimes free, overnight accommodation in refugios along the trail. Also known as the "pilgrim's passport", the credencial is stamped with the official St. James stamp of each town or refugio at which the pilgrim has stayed. It provides walking pilgrims with a record of where they ate or slept, but also serves as proof to the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago that the journey is accomplished according to an official route. The credencial is available at refugios, tourist offices, some local parish houses, and outside Spain, through the national St. James organisation of that country. The stamped credencial is also necessary if the pilgrim wants to obtain a compostela, a certificate of completion of the pilgrimage.

Regardless of whether a pilgrim’s journey begins for religious, spiritual or cultural reasons, the meditative nature of the Camino offers the perfect landscape in which to dedicate contemplation. Pilgrims follow the path amidst the villages, towns, rivers, mountains and fertile valleys that have changed the lives of millions of pilgrims who walked before them.

This will be a huge undertaking and will require a lot of preparation, but I really want to have this experience. It's very high on my bucket list!

Wednesday, November 19th - November is passing by much too quickly!

Conditions at 5:30 am: -4' that feel more like -12'
Expected later: 0' that will feel more like -7' with the 40 km hour winds that will gust up to 68 km

Quite a change from yesterday morning. I went outside to put something in the garbage bin and it was absolutely balmy. The temperature outside at 5:15 am was 14'.  Course it gradually dropped all day to about 4' by the end of the work day. We had bit of rain throughout the day so needless to say, all our snow is gone.  Strange weather indeed. But we should be grateful we don't live in Buffalo, New York where they saw upwards of 100 cms of snow. That lake affect gets them every time. And just in case you've forgotten from last year, what exactly does 100 cms of snow look like? This photo was taken in Buffalo yesterday. Good thing the ladies in Ontario did their shopping excursion to Buffalo a few weeks ago.

Can't say I'm looking forward to the management part of that kind of snow but at least we'll be able to ski!
Good thing it's not quite that bad in Ontario. The Dennisons are in the cold as their furnace broke down yesterday. The fellow should be round today to fix it but in the meantime, it's likely mighty chilli. Good thing they have two gas burning fireplaces. That will help a lot, I'm sure. Their weather yesterday was very cold and windy and it appears there's snow on the ground. Not a great time for the furnace to give up.

Other than our peculiar weather, not a lot is going on at the moment. We had our second last community school class last night. One more week before our pot luck and our crafted items go on display.  I'd really better get my butt in gear and get my rug finished before then. Last night they took information on what was needed for the pot luck. I waited till the other three girls in my group had made their choices on the sign up sheet so I wouldn't have to decide. Our little group is required to bring two casseroles, 1 salad and 1 dessert. By the time the list got to me the only thing left was 1 dessert so I'll have to decided what to bring. The cake I made last weekend for our get together was a huge success so I might make one of those. If you slice it thinly you can easily get 16 small pieces from it or 12 better pieces.  I'll have to think about that one.

Monday, November 17th - the garage has been officially christened!

Conditions at 5:30: overcast and 1'
Expected later: rain throughout the day and slowly increasing to a low overnight of 9'

It was a pretty busy weekend. Friday evening Brenda met me in town and we went out for some supper. We enjoyed the Red Water Rustic Grill where we shared an appetizer and dessert, washed down with a beer. It had started snowing earlier in the day and the driving was a little tricky by 5:00 so I was glad I didn't have to head home yet. The nice part of the restaurant location, is when you're finished eating, you just wander through the underground pedway that brings you right up into the Confederation Centre. No muss, no fuss, no snow!

The production of Jesus Christ Superstar was very well done. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. For a relatively new local theatre company, they did a tremendous job. I'll never look at the fellow who reports on the news in quite the same way again. Who knew he had such a great voice!

Our drive home was much better as the snow had pretty much stopped. The worst part of the road was from Fort Augustus to home, and fortunately it's not a great distance. I stayed up till Lloyd got up to go to work, then I was wide awake. After watching something on TV I finally headed off to bed a little after midnight.

Saturday morning I was meeting Lloyd in town at Canadian Tire. I needed to pick up a couple of things and he wanted to chat with them about the snow blower I purchased last Saturday. Turns out it was on sale this week in the flyer for $150.00 off the regular price. They didn't hesitate to refund that amount to us. That was a nice little bonus, so Lloyd promptly found  a new drill that he thought he should have to use up that new found money!


After work, I picked up some veggies, and last minute things needed for our party on Sunday.  Then it was

home to put together the cake I wanted to make, as it needed to set in the fridge overnight.  Lloyd was working in the garage, cleaning up stuff. After supper he headed back out there for a bit while I cleaned up the dishes, and that was it for the night.

Sunday we were up bright and early. I had things to do for the party, gathering everything together to take out to the garage. In the afternoon Lloyd and I trucked everything out there, chairs, dishes, etc, etc. We had invited about 18 people but not everyone could make it. We ended up with a group of 12, which was fine as that's exactly how many I could sit around the table.  We were very pleased that our friend Jackie arrived with some freshly caught oysters and clams to temp our taste buds. They were mighty delicious and those who like them, really enjoyed them.

By all accounts, I think the evening was a success. We were a little disappointed that some of the others didn't make it, as the idea was to say Thank You to them, but we can always get together another time. In fact, the area worked so well, we're thinking maybe we should do something for New Years.  It's the perfect spot for it. We had chairs, and a bar set up downstairs but the numbers being lower, we didn't use that space but I can see it getting used another time. All in all, a great night with great friends! Thanks once again, to all of you.

But an extra big thank you needs to go to the ladies who did all the dishes. That was not meant to be part of the evening, but on the other hand, I'm extremely grateful to all of you, and you know who you are!

You may notice the small tree in the back ground. Yesterday was Patti's birthday, which also happened to be the day of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade. That was always the signal for us to start the Christmas Season, much to some people's dismay. So now that the parade is over, it's official the beginning of the festivities!  

Friday, November 14th - Happy Birthday Patti!

Conditions at 5:20 am: overcast and 2'
Expected later: 4' and a mix of rain and maybe some snow.

Yesterday the phone was still ringing off the hook at work, as the radio was advising us to expect upwards of 10 cm of snow today. That has since been scaled back, at least as far as the weather network is concerned. So it's anyone's guess what will appear. I doubt it will be too severe. Certainly not enough to cancel our little get together on Sunday, that's for sure.

Lloyd arrived home on Wednesday evening, a little later than scheduled as the flight was delayed, but he was here by 5:20 so not bad at all. He had to work that night and it was a pretty long one as he hadn't had much sleep. But he should be back on track today. He had a great visit with family and was very glad that he went.

Tonight I'm excited to be going to the Confed Centre to see a production of Jesus Christ Superstar, with
Brenda. She had the album growing up but has never seen it performed live. I have to say it is, by far, my favorite stage play. But that may be part nostalgia.

As I was growing up, attending any type of live theatrical production was not something our family ever did. When I was in college, I had the opportunity to go to the O'keefe Centre (now named something else) with some other students to see Jesus Christ Superstar. This would have been when it first came out, around 1973. I knew a couple of the songs but I still remember being overwhelmed as the live orchestration of the familiar tunes washed over me in the darkness. Such powerful emotions, I had never experienced.  That's when I fell in love with live theatre. I have since seen productions of the same play numerous times and enjoyed then all. So I'm really looking forward to tonight's show.

I'm working tomorrow then spending the afternoon getting ready for our guests on Sunday. Lots to look forward to this weekend.

Before I forget, a big Happy 40th  Birthday to Patti on Sunday. Hope you have a great day, wherever  you end up spending it!