This Changes Everything!

A few weeks ago, Terry developed a lower back pain that only bothers him when he sits. It may be a pinched nerve called sciatica.

We’ve both been waiting for it to go away naturally ... but it hasn’t!

Seeing a doctor or a physiotherapist for such a non-life-threatening ailment hasn’t felt comfortable during these pandemic days...

But this whole situation has us thinking... if Terry can no longer sit in the car for long periods of time, that would drastically change how we spend our time in retirement. No more day trips...! No more visits to see our grandchildren!

I really hope it won’t come to that!

Planning a New Knitting Project

For the past few weeks I’ve been thinking about buying two online patterns for knit afghans.

I finally decided to get the one that uses thicker yarn.... I really love the colours!

Now to sort through my scraps to see if I have enough for the project. The pattern suggests mixing a dozen different colors.

I quickly realize that I have two thicknesses of yarn: The thin is mainly from my mother’s stash; the thicker, leftover from my own projects. 

Should I mix the two - which would mean modifying numbers of stitches? Use the thicker yarn - and make fewer rows of houses? Or use the thinner yarn?

Maybe I should start by making a square using each type of yarn - then see which I like best...

So many options!!

Cute Little Animals

During the pandemic, are we noticing cute little animals more?

I noticed this picture of a cat on Global news... he not only hikes - but he also loves skiing!

(When I owned a cat, she would occasionally walk me to the bus stop and meow goodbye... I thought that was pretty cute.)

Nowadays we have no pets - only cute little wild critters, like this rabbit I saw in our back yard yesterday. 

I’ve never been able to figure out where the rabbits that we see in the yard live... Was he getting dry grass to eat? Or to make a comfy nest?!

Andrew Hayden Park

The weather has been unseasonably warm for the past few days, so yesterday Terry and I headed to Andrew Hayden Park, hoping that its paths would be walk-able.

Most of them were, though we did encounter mounds of wet snow here and there.

We saw people out walking, running, cycling... some in shorts and t-shirts, others (like us) still wearing winter jackets...

Geese were out on the water - which was mostly ice...

Hopefully next time we come, all this ice and snow will be gone!

Another Rite of Spring

The weather is getting warmer.... 

Time to get a car wash, now that weather is above freezing and car doors won’t freeze shut...

 

We weren’t the only ones: there were dozens of dirty cars ahead and behind us. 

After a 10-minute wait, it was our turn!

One...

Two...

Three... And we were on our way!

The car wash - another Canadian rite of spring!

Walking Through the Park... Again

Yesterday I took my first walk through a neighbourhood park near our house... 

For the past few months I’ve avoided it for fear of slipping on ice.

But I’m glad to see bare grass again.

I avoid mounds of snow left by snow plows clearing nearby parking lots. I wonder how long it will take for these mammoth piles to melt and disappears...

So glad to be able to walk here again!

So Appealing!

I’ve been noticing patterns for knit blankets that depict city streets...

I’m not sure why these designs are so appealing to me. Maybe staying home so much this past year has given me a greater love of community - being surrounded by others.

In any event, I’ve been discovering more “community” patterns of houses in different styles.

I particularly like this pattern, because of the black borders. But should I, perhaps, create my own city-scape?! Or should I follow a tried and true pattern first?

Here’s a quilted city scene in lighter colours...

One big question for me would be: which colours - and how many colours would look best? I’ll have to think about this before beginning such a mammoth task! I don’t want to do all that work and end up disappointed with the result - though that’s always a chance one takes when making something.