Neighborhood Walk ... to the Library

The day was chilly but most of the snow was gone. So when the library called to tell me that a book I had requested was in, Terry and I decided to walk over.

I haven’t gone on foot since last fall... And there were new things to see...

At the edge of the library grounds, a pair of geese, the male guarding his mate while she ate.

Then an interesting construction project: a tunnel being built under one of the college buildings. 

An indoor bus terminal, perhaps? Or maybe a light rail train station?

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!

It’s Been a Year...!

It’s been a year and two weeks since we began to “socially isolate” because of the COVID 19 pandemic. What would it be like? We didn’t know!

A lot has changed since those early days. At the time we were more concerned about hand washing and wiping down groceries. When we later realized the virus was airborne, we began to wear face shields and masks.

But I still remember that first day, the day after our son, a journalist, called to tell Terry to stay home and avoid large groups. 

Would we no longer leave the house to pick up groceries?! we wondered.

I decided to head to Costco to get a few things... Passing the coffee aisle, I noticed coffee filters... Of course I needed those!

So I picked up several packs - large, Costco-size... and I haven’t run out... in fact, I still have enough for another year ... or two!

Back at Andrew Haydon Park

A few days ago, Terry and I headed back to Andrew Haydon Park for a walk. 

It’s one of my favourite parks in the city...

It’s also not too far from where we live. 

The day was warm and sunny, but I was still surprised to see that we weren’t the only ones there!

Canada geese had arrived too!

Some of the ice on the river had melted... the blue on the river is open water. The ice is white... But we still saw three kite skiers / snowboarders on the ice in the distance.

Such a perfect day!

First Spring Flowers Coming Soon!

Sometimes I have to remind myself that we’re still in March. The weather has been mild the past few weeks - and most of the snow has melted!

I was pleasantly surprised - when walking around the yard - to see that my first spring flowers are getting ready to bloom!

I can’t wait for the outdoor flowering season to begin!

Almonte in March

A few days ago, Terry surprised me by suggesting we drive into the country to Almonte. (At the back of his mind was a cherry pie from Baker Bob... Here he is, later on, carrying it to the car!)

I was pleasantly surprised because, for the past few weeks, Terry hasn’t wanted to go anywhere that involves sitting for more than a few minutes in a car. His lower back pain - sciatica - worsens when he sits. Almonte is a 40-minute drive away. So off we went.

It was lovely to walk in town and down by the river.

We walked up the street to Baker Bob’s - stopping to admire the statue of Almonte’s most famous son - James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball.

It was lovely to be back!

(No, we didn’t buy chewing tobacco! That sign always takes me back to my childhood days, when I would see signs like that on walls!)

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.

"My Best Self"?!

I've been reading an interesting book this winter... and I'm probably about two-thirds of the way through. It's called The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything. I really knew nothing about the Jesuits before starting to read it - so I'm finding parts of it quite fascinating...

I'm currently reading a chapter on decision making... How to make an important decision when you're in a quandary about what to do...

Make a list of pros and cons is one way suggested... I've done that before. In fact, I often do it when trying to think through a course of action. 

What would you advise a perfect stranger to do, if he or she sought your advice was another way to get some distance and perspective on the topic.

Several other scenarios were also offered, as a way to get a clearer perspective. Then came the final one: What would your best self do?

My "best self"? I've never thought of that concept... But the idea was a fascinating one... Would my best self have a perfectly tidy house - something I struggle with...? Or a messier house, because I'd be so busy helping others?

I think I need to give this concept more thought... But I was interested to see that the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, himself a Jesuit, saw it as a person acting "in God's eyes what in God's eye he is."

(Food for thought!)

Early Spring Yard Work

The snow is finally melting, leaving behind broken branches and pine cones that have accumulated over the course of the winter.

Time to get out and rake.

Isn’t it a little early? Terry asks.

Not if I want to rake my flower beds. That needs to be done before new growth appears.

Half an hour... and I’ve managed to fill two garbage bins. 

There’s still a lot of snow - but working outdoors - around it - makes me feel that spring is actually  here!

Equinox

I’m puzzled. 

In school I remember learning that March 21 was the spring equinox - the day when we have 12 hours of daylight, equal daylight and dark. I thought that, on that day, it would be the same in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

But tracking hours of daylight in our part of Canada, I’ve discovered that we actually had our spring equinox on March 16 this year - yesterday, according to my weather app... 

Or are hours of daylight calculated from dawn to dusk? In that case, wouldn’t our daylight hours be even longer?! Equinox, where we live, would have been a few days ago...?!

Focus on Knitting

The viral photo of Bernie Sanders wearing chunky patterned mittens at the recent presidential inauguration has apparently drawn hundreds of people to knitting.

Thousands of patterns for lookalike mittens have also been sold, according to this newspaper article Terry passed on to me.

Bernie’s mittens were cut and sewn from an existing old sweater, rather than knit, from what I understand. Cutting up old knits to modify them is something I’ve read about but never tried.

An interesting point mentioned in the article is that a Harvard study found that knitting lowers blood pressure by an average of 11 beats per minute.

A good reason to knit - especially during stressful times!

Quilting Progress

The second quilt I'm trying to finish this winter is this black and white one made from squares I made some time ago... and forgot about! I came across them while sorting through bins of fabric...

One of my sons commented that he liked it (above) - before it had stripes...

I wonder if he'll like it better now that I've added strips and borders - to enlarge it. 

It does give it a different look!

Now... to quilt it... That changes the look yet again...

New Spring Goal

Now that roads have opened up in my neighborhood, I have one new - small - goal: to walk a block or two down the street and back after every meal.

Years ago, when I first started dealing with high blood sugar issues, my then-doctor told me to go for a walk after meals. He said it helps lower blood sugar.

I did it for a long time, but at some point, work - and perhaps winter weather - got me out of the habit.

I’ve only been doing it for a week and I already feel more energetic. Hopefully I’ll soon see my glucose readings go down as well.

Enjoying My Indoor Flowers

I haven't had indoor flowers for a while - until I began to fertilize my indoor plants.

Now my orchid is in bloom!

One of my African Violets as well...

Then there are the tiny purple flowers on the pepper tree...

It's all very encouraging! I wonder if any other newly-fertilized plants will start to bloom!