Santa... After Christmas?!

Terry and I were eating out with our grandkids a few days ago.

The IKEA cafeteria is a relaxing place for families to dine...

All the while, a little girl at the next table kept staring intently at us... I briefly wondered why - but then, don't kids often just stare? 

I was careful not to take her picture.

After we had left, Terry asked: Did you see that little girl looking at me? I think she thought I was Santa... I probably should have said something to her...

I didn't think of that! It's hard to know what to do or say when you look a lot like Santa!

The Lure of the Ice...

The snow that arrived in early December has mostly melted. 

Our weather has been mild, though the past few days have again turned colder - but not enough time for the ice on the rivers around us to thicken...

In the news we hear of people falling through the ice and sometimes, tragically, drowning - as two teens did a week ago.

So it's shocking to me - as we drive along the river parkway - to see more people leaving the safety of the path and walking on the river... What are they thinking?!

Zero Waist??

When I asked my daughter if she was familiar with the concept of "zero waste" clothing patterns (that I mentioned in yesterday's blog), she told me she hadn't heard of the term.

Later, I sent her a picture of the book I was referring to.

Then she messaged back: Oh, I thought you meant "zero WAIST" patterns.

ZERO WAIST? You mean boxy? I countered.

Well, not just boxy. A-line dresses, straight shifts. Anything that doesn't have a defined waist.

Oh my! CONFUSION caused by WORDS THAT SOUND THE SAME but mean something totally DIFFERENT! In my teaching days, correcting students' writing, I often ran into that problem. 

(And, unfortunately, spellcheck is often equally confused.)

Zero Waste

There's a new expression I've recently come across - one so recent that even my daughter wasn't aware of it! (And SHE'S the one I ask whenever I come across something I don't understand!)

The expression is "zero waste." 

I encountered it first when I saw this book of clothing patterns. It appears that these patterns try to cut fabric in such a way that there are few scraps left over. Interesting! (Though early quilts were made, in part, with leftover scraps!) My mother was "old school" in this matter. She hated to go out and buy fabric for quilts. Her goal in quilting was to use up her dressmaker scraps. (But she did sew all her own clothing, so she had a lot of leftover scraps.)

I went to Instagram and did a search.

There were so many zero-waste options!

My mother would have bern very interested in not wasting. Her family had lived in poverty when they first came to Canada in 1938. Their farmland in the Ukraine had been taken by Stalin - so they tried to leave. Selling their farm animals, wagon, furniture, etc. gave them enough money to pay for their passage to Canada by ship - two adults, four children. But they arrived with virtually nothing. Once the children were old enough to get jobs, family finances improved.

Decades later, I grew up with a "waste nothing" or "zero waste" attitude. Hopefully the book will provide interesting ideas.

A Healthier Me

Like many, I begin the new year by reflecting on what life changes I could make to live a happier, healthier life.

For quite a few years now, I've tried to walk 10,000 steps a day. Walking is a natural human exercise, one associated with improved health. 

But what else could I do?

Recently I watched my daughter and granddaughter "planking" - which reminded me of a stationary push up. I could never do pushups, but maybe I could try that...

When I mentioned it to Terry, a look of horror crossed his face. "No! Don't do it!..."

Really?!

Unlike kids, who try anything - at my age, its's really hard to know what I should and shouldn't attempt!

I remember TRYING (unsuccessfully) to touch my head and toes, like my granddaughter is doing here. But that was MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY years ago! I wonder if that's another exercise I should refrain - at my age - from trying!

Starting a "Temperature Blanket"

A few days ago, I sorted through my yarn stash for colours suitable for a "temperature blanket." I didn't have time to go through ALL my yarn - but it occurred to me that I only needed three or four colours for cold temperatures to start. I expect it will stay cold for a few months. That will give me time to hunt for "warmer" ones.

I'm planning to do three rows a day, marking the high and low temperatures of the day, then adding a third row in the middle: white, if it snows; and yellow if the sun is shining!

If I do that, I'll end up with an afghan comprised of  365 X 3 = 1095 rows! Will that be too long? I guess it depends on the thickness of the yarn.

(Perhaps I'll end up making two - if it gets too long!)

I decided to crochet the "Alpache Tears" pattern - one of my favourites for combining a variety of colours. I've used the above version for years, for many scrap afghans. 

But there are other variations of the pattern, too, like this one by Sarah London.

In the end, I  decided to stick with the one I know best?!

So many things to decide!

Feeling Grateful

New Year's Day!

I'm feeling GRATEFUL to be surrounded by the people I love...

People I enjoy hanging out with... 

Living in SURROUNDINGS I enjoy ... 

Feeling HEALTHY and strong. (Even though, as I write this, Terry and I both have colds!)

What else do I need?!

Interesting things to do? I have more than enough UNFINISHED PROJECTS - crafts and creative pursuits - to keep me busy all year.

It's a beautiful world out there! I'm thankful to be part of it, to be alive!