One of the potters in the studio mentioned she had spent the weekend doing a "needle felting" project... A teddy bear... It had come as a kit...
Needle felting?! Not sure I knew what she was talking about...
So later, I looked it up online...
Here was a craft I had never heard about!
So I headed over to a large yarn store in my neighborhood and found a kit that claimed to be "easy peasy"...
I find it fascinating to see family resemblance!
Which one is the father?!
Which one the son?!
In Ottawa today, we will have 11 hours of sunlight with the sun rising at 6:45AM and setting at 5:45 PM.
That's up from the shortest days of winter when we see the sun for only 8 hours and 43 minutes!
Sunlight energizes me - so I love these lengthening (energizing!) days of spring!
Is it especially close to earth at this time of year? Or does it seem brighter on a cold, cloudless night?
There's not much snow out there this winter, Terry commented as we drove past farm fields, heading to Manotick...
We were en route to the Miller's Oven Tea House, a place we sometimes go for breakfast or lunch.
The wind blows the snow around, here in the open, I replied. And a lot melted a few weeks ago.
It's hard for me to regret not having snow - when I'm hoping for an early spring!
In contrast, there seems to be quite a lot in our neighborhood! I'm looking forward to those first spring flowers!
If the current weather forecast for the next two weeks is right - spring may not be far away!
We live on a dead-end street...
Every day, at least a dozen drivers turn up our street, not realizing there is no exit. There are two choices: to turn around... or back up!
One day recently, our neighbour Mary noticed this school bus in front of her house. It had made a wrong turn and come down the street. Big mistake!
The driver wisely decided to back up...
The last school bus driver who made this same mistake tried to turn around in one neighbour's driveway - and ended up in the ditch.
Glad that didn't happen again!
When working with soft clay, I never really know what will come out!
Pinching it here and there, I was aiming for a bird with both of these lumps of clay...
But at one point, the second started to resemble a turtle - and the picture (in my memory) of my older son swimming with a large turtle in Maui came to mind... So I went with it!
That's one of the interesting things about working with clay: I may have a goal in mind - but the clay sometimes takes a turn in a different direction. Then I just have to go with it!
On my last berber afghan (top photo above - which became Terry's Christmas gift), the blanket was getting too big - so I stopped halfway through.
I love the design and the colours - and I'm pacing myself... only two rows a day is my goal!
Earlier this month I was lamenting the fact that my four amaryllis bulbs were showing no signs of sprouting this year.
Here they are, in previous years...
(For some reason, I expected them to bloom at Christmas.)
But mid-February, they began to sprout again.
If not at Christmas, maybe they'll bloom at Easter!
After several weeks of warmer weather and melting snow, winter has returned!
I haven't stepped out in it yet...
But - through the window - I see quite a bit of it... As I stare at it in disbelief, I take comfort in the fact that it usually all disappears in March - and March isn't that far away!
Today is Family Day in Ontario...
A great opportunity to remember what our family looked like ... when our kids were 1, 3 and 5 years old.
Only one child in school half days back then. So we were busy with two little guys running around... Do I look a little tired?! I wonder why!
This is the time of year that I really appreciate flowers blooming indoors!
My one and only African violet has been blooming for weeks... I'm really enjoying it. I used to have half a dozen or more - in different colors - but one by one, they all died. I have no idea why. Too much water? Too little water? Old soil? (The possibilities are limitless!)
I'm really happy to see my only orchid beginning to bloom. There are lots of buds, so hopefully it will have a long blooming season!
A solitary peace lily is also still in bloom. Last summer, I divided an old root-bound plant into three and replanted the parts, adding fresh soil. But only one plant has bloomed. Do the other two need to be fertilized? Do they just need more time? I really have no idea...
Gardening mysteries!
It's called the Golden Triangle walk.
As I walk, I'm able to see where I am on 3 different google maps of the area. The first provides roads and place names.
A second provides geographical details, like elevation.
On this satellite image, I noticed an interesting geographical feature that resembles a giant EAR or HEART!
What is it?! A giant mine shaft?!
The map with place names doesn't have a name for it in English - so I can't look it up... I'm totally puzzled!
A few days later, I encountered another... Am I in mining country?!
I never tire of watching the sky...
A few days ago, I was treated to this pink and blue ribbon sunset. I don't recall ever seeing one of these before!
It's mid-February. Our winter hasn't been that bad for those - like me - who avoid icy roads and sidewalks.
We still have snow...
But roads and sidewalks are bare...
(No excuse not to go out walking!)
And - equally great - I'm no longer testing positive for Covid!!
Among my mother's papers, I've come across these "vintage" Valentines...
Now... what to do with them?!
They may date back to my mother's teaching days... (She retired in 1983!)
They may even be mine or my brother's from our primary school days. That would make them 40 to 60 years old.
I'll add them to my box of donations to a charity thrift shop. Time to clear it all out!
Last Friday's warm weather inspired Terry and me to head downtown to wander around and enjoy the ambiance - something we hadn't done in months.
We weren't sure where we would walk - but I had a bakery destination in mind...
We passed over the Rideau Canal, en route to Parliament Hill...
Checked out Sparks Street...
Visited a beautiful new hotel lobby...
Then we headed to the Byward Market for coffee and pastry.
It was a perfect way to spend a pleasant winter afternoon!
One of the new habits Terry is acquiring is... reading his daily newspaper online. He used to balk at the idea...
But then the person delivering our local daily paper quit - and no replacement was hired - so he had to adapt.
Now, when we drive to the large shopping centre in the morning - where I walk for an hour - Terry buys a coffee at the food court and pulls out his computer ...
It gets us out of the house - a welcome change of scene, especially in winter.
Would the ice sculptures that are a traditional part of our February winter festival survive the melting temperatures?
Some were wrapped to protect them. And a few ice artists were working on theirs.
The media was there too: Are you disappointed that the weather is so warm?
No, several of us replied... We're loving it!
(If they could only find a way to keep the ice sculptures from melting away!)
