Fun to Knit

It didn't take long to finish my last knitting project...

Made of "super chunky" yarn - in 2 rectangles - it was easy and fun to knit!

Warm to wear on winter evenings, too.

Now, since I often make a second one when I like a pattern - I'm off to buy more yarn in a different colour. Another knit kimono could be a useful warm cover to have around.

Squirrel Appreciation Day

A while back, I discovered that January 21 is "Squirrel Appreciation Day" - a reminder that I'm not the only one who likes squirrels!

This article in Woman's Day magazine is a shoutout to squirrels for their ecological contribution in planting trees - probably forests full of them!

Anyone who lives among squirrels - as we do here in Ontario - sees them busily planting daily, from dawn to dusk.

Most of the trees in our yard were planted from seed by squirrels - who are constantly digging and depositing seeds in the ground.

Every year Terry cuts down dozens of saplings that have taken root in our flower beds - which is one reason why he's not a squirrel fan!

Winter World

My white winter world...

White indoors...

And out!

(And it continues to get whiter!)

I'm so thankful for COLOUR indoors!

Small Joys!

Last week - after our big snowstorm - Terry and I headed to the Miller's Oven in Manotick for lunch...

We also took home three chicken pot pies for our freezer.

Good food... one of life's daily joys!

My New Walking Challenge

My main exercise is walking. In winter, most of my walking is done in a large nearby mall - my pedometer in my pocket to count my steps.

To make it more interesting, I pretend I am hiking along real roads elsewhere - virtually - seeing where my steps would take me IF I were on the Camino de Santiago, for example. A walking app charts my course, where I can see my location on 4 versions of Google maps, one of which is "street view." (See photo above) I find this one most interesting, as it shows me what I'd see all around me if I were really walking there.

I also enjoy the satellite overview of  the area I'm virtually walking in. The maps make the walks so much more interesting. I stop and check them several times a day.

Having recently completed the virtual walk along "Route 66" - through farmland, deserts and mountains - I signed up for a new walk with a different type of scenery: the coastal highway in Vietnam. I'm looking forward to seeing lush vegetation and beaches near me as I walk.

I Missed the Excitement!

I tend to go to bed early... so I totally missed this - the most "exciting" thing to happen at our end of the street this winter!

Here's my neighbour Mary's account:

Saturday evening around 11:00 pm, I had just turned the TV off and was going to bed when I noticed a car attempting a three point turn in front of our house.  It went very badly.  Since the snow banks had melted from the previous warm days, and with all the fresh snow that came on Saturday evening, they misjudged where the road was. We don't exactly have a deep ditch but they managed to find it and the car, with lots of struggling, was eventually totally in our front yard.  Many people arrived with shovels and boards, but were unsuccessful.  After an hour and a half, our neighbour, Russ, came out and we think he was the one who called for a tow truck.  So finally a tow truck did arrive and the car was out in no time.  Finally by 1am the issue was resolved.  In total two hours.

It looks like we will have a bit of landscaping to do in the spring.

Evaluation Time!

I have been working on the kimono that I recently downloaded the pattern for.. 

It's coming along...

But before I knit too much, I want to compare its size to a simple garment I wear a lot in cooler weather.

They're quite similar in width - except that the back has stretched out a bit in my older one!

Good! No need to rip it out and start over... I can keep on knitting!

I think it will fit.