Pottery Idea

I recently noticed this cute glasses holder. Just what I need!

It can also hold an envelope in its mouth!

I'll have to make something like this next time I take a pottery class...

Such a great idea!

Experimental Knit Vest

My yarn stash includes yarn that I don't know what to do with - in part because I don't know if I have enough for any project I have in mind.

That was the situation when I started this vest. I didn't think I had enough green yarn for a sweater - but maybe for a vest...? And if not, maybe I could make it multi-coloured...

And so I began.

I had seen an online demo for a stripe I've never tried - a single strand of yarn woven back and forth after each stitch.

I liked the effect - but it did tighten the knitting a bit. What to do?! I don't want it to pucker.

That's where I'm at now. The vest is almost-finished... but I'm not sure how to make it lie flat. Should I block it - dampening it and pressing it with a hot iron? 

(My mother didn't believe in blocking... )

And what about these strands at the beginning and end of the rows? I need to make sure they're not puckering before I  secure them.

Lots of tiny details to work on before I'm finally done!

Confession...

Terry and I never go to the movies...

So we took "mug shots" to prove (to our other kids) that their persuasive brother had convinced us to see the Barbie movie with him.

The movie was silly and fun, but had a serious side as well - reminding us how much sexism still exists in our society.

But... as Terry and I discussed driving home from the movie - the situation used to be much worse!

Too Many Books?!

I came across this sign... (outside a bookstore).

It totally resonates with me... I love books!

But my shelves are overflowing! (So I guess I need more shelving!)

At Mary's

My neighbour Mary has been doing a lot of quilting recently. 

She invited me over to look at some of her new pattern acquisitions...

Later, when we went outdoors, I met this friendly little chipmunk who drops in for snacks!

Cute little guy!

Practice!

Back in the day, we used to say: "Practice makes perfect."

And that's true.

But I like this saying better: "Practice makes progress." That's the key to learning.

I'm not a perfectionist. There are a lot of things I'll never do perfectly - according to someone else's standards.... My knitting and quilting are perfect (or imperfect!) examples. And that's okay!

I can still ENJOY new challenges... and achievements - without the tyranny of being "perfect."

What Kind of Bird ...?

What kind of bird os this? my son messaged me, sending me a few pictures of a bird he had noticed by the St Lawrence River - back view only.

Dad and I saw it in Brockville.

It's much larger than a duck...

Google says it might be a platypus.

Platypuses only live in Australia - so eliminate that idea! I messaged back.

Somehow - between Google and the "Field Guide to the Birds of North America", we concluded that it was probably a cormorant!

The back view definitely matches! (What did we do before Google?!)

Puppet Show

One of the popular festivals held annually in Almonte, Ontario is an international puppet festival started in 2004.

I've never attended this weekend of puppet shows and demonstrations until this year - when my son invited me to attend the main production put on by three sibling puppeteers from Maine.

After the exciting show about two puppet kids who hunt down a buried treasure - and in the process run into three pirates - the puppeteers came out to answer questions about how puppets are made and how they work.

My grandkids enjoyed this fun and informative time.

Intrigued...

This rattlesnake plant, next to an east-facing window, requires little sunlight...

But I'm puzzled. 

The leaves change position, spreading out flat during the day and standing upright at night.

Yet in the late afternoon - before the sun even sets and there's still daylight, the leaves start to move to their night-time position... 

Here's the plant an hour before sunset... How does it know that night is approaching?!!

I Never Noticed That!!

"Terry does the grass and I do the flowers..." That's our unwritten gardening rule. And indoors, Terry's usually the first to notice a mess...

(Believe it or not - these two ideas are strangely connected!)

The flowers currently in bloom are lovely tall pink Japanese anemones... with golden centres.

The bees love them! Here's a bee digging around inside one that's just opening up. He's just rolling around, covering himself with pollen.

You can tell which ones have already been pollenated by the bees, Terry commented the other day.

Really? I replied... What do you mean?!

Well look, Terry said. They leave a mess! Just look at that mess!!

You know, he's right!! I've never noticed that before!

I wonder if it's like that with all the flowers?!

Robotic Arm Tree Removal

Over the years, I've watched lots of trees being cut down in our neighbourhood - both in our yard and in neighbouring ones. 

Some were cut down by hand - standing on a ladder. 

Recently, I've seen lifts hoist tree trimmers up into the branches - eliminating the need for a ladder.

But only last week did I see a robotic arm cut down a tall pine tree in two massive "bites" - first the top half, then the base, gripping the trunk each time so that it wouldn't topple over until the right moment. 

I later discovered that the metal arm had deftly reached over the fence - to cut down two trees on the other side. Here are the stumps.

I should have run around the block for a better view while they were doing it - but one never knows how close to get to these machines!

These trees to the north of our own pines were originally planted as a wind break when this whole neighborhood consisted of farmer's fields. The trees grew for decades. 

But it only took a few minutes for the robotic arm to cut each one down in two big bites!

A New Neighbourhood

Terry and I - and our daughter - recently went walking in a new development near the Rideau River. (We parked nearby in this older neighborhood... More my gardening style!)

The new buildings are sprouting up near St. Paul University, on former monastery property.

When we first moved to Ottawa, Terry was a student at St. Paul's...

... so there's always an element of nostalgia when we return to the area.

We walked along a path that led to the river...

... admired the flowers...

... and birds (which always managed to elude my camera).

Looks like a peaceful new place to live - in the heart of the city.

How Was Your Week?

How was your week, Mom? My younger son asked me on Friday evening.

I tried to think...But I couldn't remember... 

Finally I said: I don't know. It was busy... (But it was embarrassing, not remembering ANYTHING!!)

Later, I began to think about his question, annoyed that a whole week had passed and nothing had jumped to mind! The whole week was a blur. 

Maybe I should jot down notes, like my mother used to do, to remind myself of what I do every day. I come across my mother's little notebook diaries when I go through her things. No personal thoughts - just what she did, the people she talked to.

The Jesuits make a daily practice of remembering what they spend their time doing, pausing to ask themselves if it was a "consolation" or a "desolation." In other words, did it draw them nearer to God or farther from Him?

Would having a daily habit like that enhance my memory?

Finally, I did remember a few things. Most days I walked for an hour at the mall. I also managed to get to the gym several times. 

I read the news about fires in Maui, remembering the island and some of the people we met when we were there, wondering how they are. 

Later in the week, the fires in Kelowna were on my mind. I thought about my relatives who live there and contacted some of them, to find out how they were doing. Fortunately all were safe.

One of my cousins shared this photo of the view from her house. No surprise she isn't sleeping well! Seeing it makes the situation so real.

Other less important things gradually came to mind: I wondered whether to sign up for a pottery session in fall. I checked the courses listed online but there was a technical glitch in the online registration system so I didn't sign up.

I spent some time on my two current yarn projects... 

And I began a new book about Canadian knitting, entitled "Untangling Canada." 

I didn't do much cooking or cleaning.

Glad I remembered A FEW things I'd done! I was a little worried!

No Time!

I don't remember where I saw this - a few months ago. (Tap on it to enlarge it.)

It made me smile!

I guess there are times when we're ALL too busy!

1950's Government Bomb Shelter

One of Ottawa's interesting museums is the bomb shelter built in the 1950's to house the federal government in the event of nuclear war.

The plan was to have parliamentary staff take a half-hour train ride from downtown Ottawa to a bunker in the countryside.

There was no provision for their families to join them.

Once this was realized, the concept was far less popular with those slated to go.

A few years ago, Terry and I toured the bunker for the first time.

A few weeks ago, our granddaughter attended "spy camp" for a week in the bunker. 

Family members were invited to attend the final event -  a mock "trial."

It was interesting to revisit the massive underground labyrinth ...

... the proposed emergency residence and command centre of the Canadian government, with hospital facilities as well.

I'm so glad it was never used for its original intended purpose! It's now a museum and site for special events.