Masks and Tests - The New Normal

When our granddaughter recently arrived with her family for a week-long visit, our son was reluctant to let her come into our house. Terry has CLL (chronic lymphatic leukaemia) - a risk factor for Covid. They had just heard that one child in the Spring Break cooking camp our granddaughter had attended the previous week had tested positive.

Several days had passed since she’d been at camp - and she had no symptoms - so we set some ground rules: no hugging Grandma and Grandpa until she tested negative.

The family would come into the house, though we’d all wear masks when we were in the same room together. 

We opened windows… And they didn’t sleep at our house. They stayed in a hotel.

We still had fun!

Then, a few days later, our neighbor Mary was able to provide us with some rapid tests that she had gotten from s friend. 

Both mom and granddaughter tested negative!

Life returned to normal!

Then, a few days later, our older son - who had dropped in for s visit - was notified that a close friend of his had  just tested positive. Our son was able to find a box of rapid tests. The first came back negative. He was planning to do another test before heading to work the following day.

If he tests positive, Terry and I will take our first ever rapid Covid test… The new normal way of living, I guess.

(Fortunately, his second test was also a negative.)

Finally in Bloom!

It’s been a long wait…

But my orchid is finally in bloom!

I wonder if it needed warmer weather - indoors - to transition from bud to blooms! Those buds sat waiting for a long, long time!

Construction Site Visit

There are a lot of construction sites in our neighborhood as smaller, older homes are being torn down and replaced with larger houses.

This one was a favorite “field trip” for our two-year-old grandson who was visiting.

The BOOM BOOM BOOM of the rock crusher could be heard blocks away! We talked about it for days!

Highland Lynx Cats

One of our sons lives with two beautiful highland lynx cats…

They have curly ears, large paws, and naturally short tails. These two also have sweet personalities - unless a dog comes into the room!

They have been known to intimidate a much larger dog.

The one with the lighter colouring is my favourite.

He’s a few years younger - and still very playful. 

Even Terry - not usually a cat-lover - got into the fun.

For Knitters Only…

This blog post will be of interest to knitters only! I’m sharing an idea I tried on my last sweater - the one I wrote about yesterday.

I rarely put buttons on sweaters anymore because knitting is lacier than fabric - so buttons sewn onto a sweater never feel that secure.

In the past, I’ve reinforced buttons by attaching them to small pieces of fabric - or on occasion to tinier buttons - onto the back of the button band. It’s a lot of work.

This time, I tried something new: I created little pads - with as few stitches of yarn - to sew the buttons onto. A few stitches on top of each other made a pad. It didn’t take a lot of time - and it worked perfectly!

Sweater … Done!

I recently s completed a sweater I started a few months ago. It was definitely a different kind of pattern - knit in one piece. I’ve never knit anything quite like it.

It was an interesting challenge, in part because I used stitches and techniques I’ve never used before - that had me viewing YouTube knitting tutorials.

There were cables and lots of detail.

Now that I’m done, I have a dilemma: What to do now?To take a break from knitting for a few months…? (My wrists would appreciate a break.) To go back to a knitting project I’ve temporarily abandoned? (I have several of those on hand…) Or to dig into my yarn stash and make another sweater using the same pattern as the one I’ve just finished  (now that I have a better idea of what I’m doing)?

I really like to master a new technique before I move on.

Setting SMALL Goals

Many of us have BIG goals. A few of mine are - or were - to walk the Camino de Santiago (several hundred miles), to write a novel (several hundred pages), and to make another sweater and quilt (several hundred hours).

(Confession: I’ve pretty well given up on the first two,..!)

I have been reading about attitudes that lead to success in anything we want to achieve. The book suggests that SMALL goals are more achievable than LARGE goals, so we should set small goals. As one writer said, the smaller the distance between where you are and where you want to be, the likelier you are to get there…

Not only that, we should CELEBRATE achieving each small goal.

Celebrating can be as simple as taking a break and basking in the satisfaction of what has been accomplished.

(The hardest part of this process might be to break a large goal down into do-able bits. At least, that’s where I often get bogged down!)

Keeping Sharp

One of the books on my “to read” list is the book “Keep Sharp” by neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta. I recently listened to him give a talk about the book - and realized that there are a lot of things I can do to help myself stay mentally strong, even as I age.

Exercising - taking a walk to solve a problem is one… Years ago, I used to suggest an after-supper stroll with one or another of my kids, when I was curious to hear what was really going on in their lives… when the question, “what happened in school today?” invariably produced the response: “Nothing…”

Singing is another. Dr. Gupta mentions that singing uses three areas of the brain… (No need to join a choir! Just singing along to favorite songs on the radio or on YouTube - when I’m alone - would be a fun way to do it!)

(Not mentioned in the book so far - but I suspect dancing is another. I remember a TED talk by someone with MS who found that dance lessons kept his symptoms at bay. I wonder if Dr. Gupta mentions that…)

Doing NEW things - moving beyond one’s comfort level is another. Dr. Gupta mentioned that he began to cook while at home during pandemic. That took him into uncharted territory!

Lots of food for thought!

Disappearing Snow

A recent drive into the country showed that much of our winter snow has melted…

A few piles here and there…

It’s that interesting in-between season - before trees grow leaves…

Nature’s beautiful bare bones!

Rideau Falls in Spring

A few days ago - we were surprised by a sudden warmth of 17 degree Celsius (62.5 degrees Fahrenheit). So Terry suggested we head to the Rideau Falls. 

At this time of year, large chunks of river ice come crashing over the falls and pile up on the Ottawa River, where eventually they melt.

It’s always fun to watch…

Terry likes to watch the ice come floating down the river - before it goes over the falls. 

We noticed  - in the distance - ice fishermen clearing away the last of their ice fishing supplies, across the river, on the calmer Quebec side. 

(I don’t think I’d feel confident walking on the ice!)

We annually come here to check out these welcome signs of spring!

First Robin!

The snow hasn’t all disappeared…

But I’ve already seen the first robin in our yard!

This guy was perched on our back fence yesterday.

Glad he’s back! It must be spring!

More Daylight Hours!

These days we are gaining about three minutes of daylight each day here in Ottawa - some in the morning and some in the evening… Three minutes isn’t a lot, until you add it up…

It took roughly three weeks to go from 11 to 12 hours of daylight, which is what we had a few days ago - the spring equinox, equal day and night - which happened last Thursday, when the sun rose at 7:11 am and set at 7:11 pm.

Now our daylight hours will keep growing - until mid-June.

That’s definitely mood-boosting - especially on a sunny day! No wonder spring is a happy time!

Teaching Compassion

My daughter shared an “exercise in encouragement” that she had come across. A local kindergarten teacher had created a way for her students to encourage others - who might be feeling down…

Call a number and hear words of encouragement (from kindergarten children)!

What a great way to teach youngsters compassion for others!

Calling the number - and pressing all the recorded messages - left me wondering: Do we have to be taught - to be encouragers? Or is the ability to lift someone’s spirits with kind words a gift that some have, and others don’t?

Whether it’s natural or not, encouragement does have the power to make the world around us a happier place!

Spring Is Here!

Spring is arriving - with warmer temperatures and melting snow!

Day to day brings changes.

It’s exciting to see our ice-packed streets become bare again! For me, it’s an invitation to walk - and breathe in the fresh air…

Soon the ground will be bare of snow, too… And from under the snow - the miracle of spring flowers…

There’s so much happening, seen and unnoticed in the outdoor world… It’s a busy place this time of the year!

St. Patrick’s Day!

Today is St. Patrick’s Day... when many wear green, in solidarity with the Irish. (And to share in their parties!)

Last year my grandson was a year old - and his daycare got into the spirit of the celebration... He looks like he’s having fun, too!

Such a beautiful picture to send home to parents... and grandparents!

It’s also a reminder - a year later - of how much he’s grown this past year! In this second picture - also full of green - he is sitting in a special  “barber chair” for young children, after a haircut.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!

Room to Write

I always wanted to be a writer… For years I kept journals - but I never wrote the novels I hoped to write when I was young.

When my children were adolescents, I began to carve out a bit of space for myself in my schedule. A few night school courses in quilting followed… Also correspondence courses in writing…

Eventually I developed the habit of simply buying books to “teach myself.”

I recently came across a notebook I used with one book I was reading - a book called “Room to Write”… I have almost no recollections of doing the exercises in the book. But I did some of them - and I’m currently re-reading what I wrote back in 1998 and 2000 - as I fill in the empty pages in my notebook.

It’s so interesting to jump back all those years as I read the stories and exercises assigned by the book… So interesting, in fact, that I recommend - for anyone keeping a diary or journal - to leave a few blank pages here and there - to write in later. 

Re-reading what I wrote is more than a trip down memory lane… It’s interesting to see how LITTLE (about me and my life) has really changed! Twenty years ago, I was dealing with clutter on my desk - and, even then, it annoyed me that I couldn’t remember what I had eaten - or done - the previous day!

Pi Day = Pie Day

Yesterday was “PI Day”…

I had no idea there was such a thing until my daughter asked if Terry and I had eaten PIE…

We could have. We had half a frozen French-style meat pie (Tortiere) in the freezer. 

But we didn’t! We had no idea!

My daughter explained that in math, PI = 3.14…

So the fourteenth day of the third month is PI /PIE DAY… 

On PI DAY, of course, one has to eat pie!

(I’ll try to remember for next year!)

What Kind of Plant is This?

I found an interesting article on winter-blooming house plants - and how to care for them after they’ve finished blooming.

It was the picture of the bright red amaryllis that caught my eye - so similar to the one I’m growing (below). I didn’t even notice the plant behind it.

Only later did I notice the delicate pale pink flowers behind the amaryllis - and realized: I have one of those, too! (Though I can’t remember what it’s called.)

It doesn’t need much care. I have it in a large pot in indirect sunlight.

I often forget to water it for a week or more. In spite of my lack of care, once a year - more or less - it blooms.

It’s my oldest house plant… a gift from a friend, the year Terry and I lived in Toronto… several years before our first child was born!

Superior Shirt

In 1975, Terry spent the summer in Edmonton. While there, he played on a baseball team sponsored by “Superior Steel Desk.” When the season was over, he continued wearing the team shirt.

He stopped wearing it when it got a little tight a few years later… But then our daughter started wearing it…

She wore it for years! Then she may have passed it on to her brother - because now his daughter is wearing it!

Age five… going on 15!

(Three generations of wear = superior shirt!)