Indoors ... and Out

Yesterday Terry and I watched freezing rain come down most of the day. We didn't leave the house...

The roads - and trees - were ice covered - however, the snow didn't fall off the car!

Indoors, my first amaryllis of the season began to bloom!

Actually, there were two bright flowers - and a little bud! So exciting!

It completely took my mind off the freezing rain!

Didn't Expect Another Snowstorm!

Yesterday, we woke up to see A LOT of snow on the ground... and on the backyard hedge!

I didn't expect that!!

(The previous day, there was almost no snow at all!)

Tomorrow (Monday) we may have freezing rain - accordng to the weather network ...

But I prefer to take a "wait and see" attitude.

If we do stay indoors all day, I'll have lots to do. And I'll take consolation in the fact that - at this time of year - the wintry weather won't last that long... (That's my hope, anyway.)

This is Canada - and we can get freezing rain or snow any time of the year!

Indoor Labyrinth Experience

Last Saturday, I attended a Lenten "Quiet Day"  at a neighborhood church. I like to take time to PAUSE and REFLECT from time to time - so this seemed like a perfect opportunity...

One of the things I enjoy about guided "Quiet Days" is that I have no control over the agenda. I just participate - and see what the day brings me, in my thoughts and reflections.

One of the events I was looking forward to on this "Quiet Day" was a talk about labyrinths - together with an opportunity to meditatively walk on an indoor one.

Labyrinths have long been a mystery to me. I encountered my first one at the Chartres Cathedral in France many years ago. (I later regretted not taking the guided tour of the cathedral, to help me understand what labyrinths were all about.) 

I've walked through two labrinths since then - both on my own. One was in the grounds of a convent in Toronto. The other next to Almonte's St. Paul's Anglican Church. Neither experience was exceptional to me in any way.

 

This time, there was a brief introductory talk about labyrinths - then an opportunity to enter, walk to the center, stay as long as you want,  then take the same circuitous path out. The presenter suggested first pausing at the entrance to silently pray.

We were about 20 people, so the presenter suggested we leave a meter between us as we walked at our own speed. She also explained how to overtake or pass people on the path. It was all to be done in a quiet respectful way.

I was the second to enter. I paused, then looked down and followed the path. The blue-green-purple of the painted canvas labryinth made it "heavenly" to walk through. I remember thinking, as people passed nearby on different paths - that we were all on a different journey, and at a different place in life. There was no obvious "beginning" or "end" - as in a racetrack. We were all moving along, doing our own thing - but doing it together. We were not alone in this "dance" of life - but companions - each on our own path.

The experience left me with a lot of comfort and joy.

Throw It Down - and Hope For the Best!

I wish you could get off work early, I told my older son. Dad and I are going to watch Ivy's last curling session. You're the only one in the family who was ever on a school curling team.

Yeah, I wish I could come. But at her age [8], there isn't much strategy... Don't they just throw it down and hope for the best? he replied.

Isn't that what all curlers do? I asked... Even adults? Even the professionals?!

I guess so, he replied. But if you look at it that way, isn't that what ALL LIFE is about: YOU THROW IT DOWN - AND HOPE FOR THE BEST?!

Hmmm. Curling: a perfect metaphor for life...

Haircut (Transformation) Day!

Terry loves long hair and a beard in winter. He says it keeps his face warm!

But a few days ago, he went for a haircut! (It must be spring!)

I predict his next haircut will be in fall! Or maybe, if he doesn’t cut it, next Christmas he'll be mistaken for Santa Claus again!

Amaryllis Udate

Earlier in the month I posted an update on my two surviving amaryllis bulbs... 

At the time, a few months after repotting them, they surprised me by suddenly developing stalks - but only one had leaves.

I brought them into my sunny sitting area, where I could keep an eye on them. Within a few days, both stalks shot up in height - but only one plant has leaves.

Now it looks as if the leafless one is beginning to open up... before the one with leaves!

I searched for information about amaryllises without leaves and found this comment on the NGA gardening website: 

So it's not unheard of! Good! Now I'm waiting to see it bloom!! 

When the flowers fade and die, I'll cut the stalk back to the bulb. Hopefully it will then develop leaves.

What Next?'

Now that I finished the shawl that I've been working on for the past few months, I'm wondering what to do next... 

Should I finish this scarf?

This colorful afghan I started at the beginning of winter to cheer myself up when the world outside was grey?

Another cowl - using the same pattern I just finished? 

I have yarn left...

So many options! I could also begin something entirely new - like this sweater kit I bought a while back...

I should probably work on some unfinished project first. Completing something would be really nice!

The Elf Saga Continues...

ELF UPDATE: Our grandson's little crocheted elf continues to be a part of the family - only with less drama than before. No one is asking why he hasn't flown back to the North Pole with the other elves...

But he did fly to Florida for Spring Break with Jericho to visit the other grandparents. In fact, they played a game together where Jericho had to climb up and down the play structure to find out where the elf had gone.

When they came back, he had a sleepover at our house - where Grandma dared to toss him into the washing machine. YOU DON'T WASH ELVES IN A WASHING MACHINE! But it didn't bother the elf - he even came out dry! (Love those synthetic fibers!)

Later he wanted to know how the other elves were doing - so he and Jericho watched some YouTube clips of elves. (See photo above.)

Another day, the elf visited a sugar bush restaurant with Jericho  - where he "pretend drank" some milk...

He was there as we said goodbye...  He leads a busy life!

It Makes Sense!

I've been a "crafter" for much of my life. I learned how to knit when I was 10 or 12. But my knitting interest really took off a few years later when mohair sweaters became popular. Knitting suddenly became a USEFUL skill!

Eventually I learned crochet and quilting as well, though I always had a knitting project on the go. I've dabbled in embroidery, cross stitch, macrame, rug hooking, painting and pottery...

Like many crafters, I have as many unfinished projects as I have completed ones. It's easier to be inspired by something new than to slog on through a large project to the end.

But I recently came across this interesting thought - that it's GOOD to have a VARIETY  of interests and projects on the go at the same time - that having a CHOICE is LIBERATING...

That said, I don't want to be one of those people who always starts but never completes  anything! There is a certain satisfaction in finishing - and being SATISFIED with what is done.

(Also surprising was the term "craft psychology"! I've never heard it before... There's always more to learn!)

Sugar Shack

Last Saturday we drove into the country to a very popular "sugar shack" restaurant... (which was no "shack" at all)!

Our son, who had been there before, suggested we arrive when they open at 9 AM to avoid the crowds...

He was right! When we left, the line up was out the door and around the length of the building.

The food was delicious! 

After eating, we explored the grounds...

... and learned about making maple syrup, the modern way.

A delicious meal - and "field trip " - open for breakfast all March long - and for weddings during the rest of the year.

(Glad we didn't encounter the hungry bear that managed to dent this metal pipe with his teeth!)

Another interesting thing I've never seen... the newly collected sap pouring into a vat: I had no idea it would be this clear and white. It now needs to be reduced: Forty gallons of sap make one gallon of maple syrup.

A fun day was had by all!

Equinox? Not Here!

One of the milestones of spring is "equinox" - the day we have equal hours of daylight and darkness. After our short days of winter, it's a date I look forward to! 

YAY! SUMMER is coming!!

In school, we were taught that equinox occurred (universally?) on March 21... That would have been the right answer on the science test...

So it has been interesting for me to discover (thanks to my weather app) that this DOESN'T occur on the same date everywhere... In fact, here where I live in eastern Ontario, equinox occurrs earlier - somewhere around March 18 / March 19. On March 18 we had 11 hours and 59 minutes of daylight. Then on March 19 we jumped to 12 hours and 3 minutes.

And so the days get brighter and warmer until late-June, when we start losing minutes of daylight. 

River Walk

Yesterday was warm and sunny, so Terry and I headed to Point Gatineau to enjoy a walk along the Ottawa River.

The air always feels fresher here!

There was a lot of ice on the river when we arrived, but it was moving  along quickly.

Half an hour later, when we retraced our path, the river was mostly clear.

We walked quickly to get a better look at a "bump" on the ice in the distance, to see what it was... An abandoned ice fishing hut,  perhaps?

We should have brought binoculars!

It's too early to know if the river will flood this spring. It depends on how much water and ice come down the river from rivers up north. An ice jam could also cause a flood.

Hopefully, all will be well!