THAT Kind of SNOW!

Yesterday we awoke to snow on the ground - LOTS of it!

We didn't know when the city snow plows would make it down our little dead end street - so our son, who had appointments to keep - shovelled a path around the soccer dome - to make life easier for himself by taking the bus. (When a bus didn't come, he had to take Uber!)

Later he sent pictures from a pedestrian bridge at the college. The main road had been cleared...

But not everyone was able to get onto it!

Many of our neighbours hire plows to clear their driveways - and the plows were hard at work.

There was still some hand-shovelling to do... and an opportunity for neighbours to have a little chat!

Coffee ... From Japan

A friend of my daughter's recently returned from Japan - and brought back some Japanese drip coffee.

Each single-serve envelope contained a pod that opened up to sit on the rim of a cup.

To make sure she got it right, my daughter placed her cup on a scale as she poured the boiling water over the pod.

So cute!

Travel Souvenir

Back in my travel days, I used to buy tea towels as inexpensive, easy-to-pack souvenirs.

I recently came across this one from Saltzburg, Austria - hometown of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. On it is a recipe for a dessert called Saltzburger Nockerl. 

I looked the recipe up online and discovered  that it has three peaks of meringue which represent the three mountains in Austria.

It isn't hard to make. I wonder if Terry would enjoy it as much as he does lemon meringue pie!

Don't Stop Learning!

I had never heard of "the Five Hour Rule" until I came across this article in my news feed. I also didn't know that Oprah or Bill Gates practiced it... 

What is the five hour rule?! According to the article, it's a commitment to spend an hour a day learning something new... (Presumably for 5 days a week.)

I wasn't sure WHY the author decided to spend 5 hours a week learning or studying... Was she trying to upgrade her marketable skills to get a better job? Or was she - like many seniors - trying to stay mentally fit?

In any event, I reached the part where she mentions that her online studies were adding stress to her life.

At that point, I started to think about my life. Do I try to learn new things? I think I do. How much time do I spend on it? I really have no idea. But I try to follow my current passion, whatever it is. What excites me now? What do I want to know more about? (Then I blog about it!)

If I found myself getting stressed, I'd definitely stop. Whatever stage of life we're at, whatever it is that we want to know more about, learning should be interesting... and FUN!

I went back to the article to see how the author tweaked her five-hour rule. She made the daily learning hour a GOAL rather than a RULE. And she divided the time into smaller portions, doing different activities for 15-20 minute segments.

That's probably what I do most days. I do WORDLE daily... I read... I try new things, like the temperature blanket I'm currently trying to figure out.

The most mentally fatiguing thing I do is go through old papers and photographs - mine and my mother's. To keep? Or to toss? Now that's a hard one!

Smaller Afghan Completed

I really enjoyed working on this mosaic overlay crochet afghan. 

I started it in autumn - and by the end of November it was this size - a perfect cover for napping on the sofa. 

So I wrapped it up to give at Christmas.

I have more yarn - so I plan to start another in the same pattern - soon. A great winter project!

Through the Carwash

Two of the "scary" childhood experiences my children still remember are: first, driving along - and suddenly entering a long tunnel - as we sometimes did in Montreal... 

And second, going through an automated car wash. 

Those big brushes coming at you!

We drove through one with our four-year-old grandson recently.

What do you think of that? I asked, as we were coming out of the watery tunnel...

It was scary...

I hope it wasn't TOO scary - just a little...

Deleting E-Clutter!

I've spent hours - this first week of the new year - decluttering in a different way - deleting emails on my computer - several year's worth! It's been a big job.

I have several email accounts that date back to my teaching days, when I had separate email accounts for student-related communications, for online shopping, and for emails with family and friends.

All these accounts come to my cell phone, so I read them and delete them there. But... and here's where the problem lies - when I delete them from my phone, they still remain in my account on my computer. So I have to go back to my computer and delete them there again.

As I type this, I'm deleting emails from 2019. Thats's pre-pandemic! My plan is to go back to the beginning of the account.

The problem lies, in part, in the fact that many stores want your email address these days so that they can send you receipts. I prefer paper receipts - and refuse if I have a choice. But I often find myself on mailing lists from places where I shop.

I need to have a folder for e-receipts. It could be handy to keep track of them should I have a problem with a product.

But WHY have I been busy deleting NOW?! Because I can no longer send or receive emails through one overstuffed email account! And it's the one I use most often.

They sent me warnings - but I was too busy to heed them in December. But now - having been cut off - I am!

My son suggested I have a separate email account for photos and videos, as they take up a lot of space. He also suggested that I have a forwarding address on each account.Would that help?

In the meantime I'm spending the first week of the year re-reading and deleting emails. It's a bit like living in the PAST!