Craving Colour

These days, I'm craving colour...

Small tasks - like organizing my coloured pencils - give me great satisfaction.

And I'm inspired to work on a bright, bold, colourful quilt! Haven't started it though. Still gathering ideas!

Morning Entertainment

These snowy grey mornings...

I'm entertained by the antics of squirrels!

More Hours of Daylight!

The sun rises earlier these days - and we now have more than 10 hours of daylight! Ten hours and ten minutes, in fact! And it increases day by day!

The sun now rises half an hour earlier than it did on January 1. 

And it sets at 5:22 - 50 minutes later than it did a month and a half ago. In the next four months we will slowly gain another five and a half hours of daylight!

Lots of changes ahead!

That Was a Surprise!

After ordering - and downloading - a pattern for a knit kimono wrap, I was happy to find the recommended yarn in a nearby craft store.

I purchased the required number of skeins in the colour shown in the pattern - and was pleased with the result.

Then I decided to make a second wrap in a different colour...

I happened to find the same yarn in blue in a different store, and I bought the same number of skeins.

I was well into the second kimono when I noticed that - when placed next to each other, the two skeins (in different colours) didn't look to be the same size. 

Sure enough, they contained slightly differing amounts of yarn! The blue skein had 5 ounces, the grey one 6 ounces... (140 grams compared to 160 grams). So strange! In all my years of knitting,  I've never encountered a problem like this before - the same yarn in similar - but not identical - sized skeins! Confusing!

(I may have to buy more blue!)

More Snow!

Yes, we have more snow! In fact, I stayed indoors all day yesterday to avoid it...

One of our neighbours came over to help clear the driveway. (With Terry's sore wrist, it was very appreciated!) 

I notice that, even with new snow, there isn't enough on the ground to totally bury the grass growing under the trees (in the picture above).

Nor is there enough to cover the sedum stalks in the flower beds.

Terry tells me that next week the weather will warm up a bit. That's good. But what I really want - what I'm looking forward to - is bare, walkable roads and sidewalks! I want to enjoy the outdoors again!

(I wonder how many weeks I'll have to wait...)

Who Made Those Tracks?!

In winter I often wonder what animal has passed by on fresh snow...

Who made these tracks?!

Even more disturbing are tracks that end next to a vehicle...

Did the animal crawl in?! Is he or she still inside?!

Feeling Hopeful!

I've been feeling hopeful!

Seeing the sun more, especially in the morning,  is part of the reason, I'm sure!

Regardless of whether the groundhog saw or didn't see its shadow last Monday - depending on where you live - the squirrels in my neighborhood have been very active this week...

And apparently an emu broke out of its enclosure and ran loose through Almonte a few days ago... Spring fever, perhaps?!

Those invigorating signs - and more sunshine - are enough to boost my mood!

Upgrades AREN'T Necessarily Improvements!

I really HATE it when I check my phone in the morning - and I see that the operating system on my phone has been updated!

(Oh no! What else did they change?!)

This annoying feature on the blog page appeared a few months ago. ... (A hyper link that I never use...) But if I accidentally touch it while writing, the font letters become small  and I have to erase the tiny words and re-type everything!

More recently this check mark appeared everywhere... What does it mean? Am I safe to touch it?! Does it mean OK? Or I'm done?

For me, a real improvement would be a CHOICE: Do I want this change? If not, how can I get rid of it?  Maybe I'm happy with things the way they were.

Good Neighbours

The month of January brought lots of snow...

So much, in fact, that Terry injured his wrist shovelling...

Now his shovelling days may be done for this winter ...

So we're particularly thankful for our son, who drops by and helps. Also for all our kind neighbours!

Snow Moon 2026

I read last week that the "Snow Moon" was coming... and that it would be extra bright.

I looked up the definition of  "Snow Moon" - and discovered that it was the name given to February's full moon. 

My daughter saw it in Toronto - commented on it, and sent me the picture below.

I saw bits of the moon between pine branches in our back yard early yesterday morning.

But it was our neighbour Mary who captured the first two amazing photos - the first, while driving on Fallowfield Road, south of our neighborhood at 5 pm last Sunday; and  the second, the following morning, shining over our house!

Thank you do much, Mary!!

New Month!

February has arrived!

Here is my phenology calendar for January... a summary of weather and activities in January 2026. 

Lots of indoor time - though I did walk most days (indoors), aiming for 10,000 steps.

My calendar has a new look... (And it will probably continue to change!) A little sketch of the view outside my window on top: a snowy berm, leafless branches on a tree.

Didn't see many animals - mainly squirrels (and dogs out on their winter walks).

But - good news! - we have gained an hour more daylight since December's darkest days!

The sun now sets a few minutes after 5 PM. The picture was taken on west-bound highway 417 - after the glare of looking into the sun disappeared.

Snow "Mountain"

I don't walk around the neighborhood much these days - for fear of slipping and falling on ice or snow.

But I'm very curious about a new "mountain" I see in the distance - on college property not far away.

It's a "mountain" of snow, created by bulldozers piling up all the snow that has been cleared from college parking lots. It hasn't yet reached the size of the plastic dome covering the soccer field.

But last week's massive snowfall must have added significantly to its size.... And it may grow even larger. Winter isn't over yet!

Not sure when I'll get a close-up view... But, for those who might like to climb it - DON'T! It isn't safe!

It may look solid - but with weight and movement - and sunlight melting snow - it could cave in!

Canadian-ish Winter

I woke up in Ottawa this morning, my brother messaged me from Texas last Sunday...

He sounded happy - excited!

Enclosed were scenes of snow taken through the window.

A few days later, I asked: Are you still enjoying Ottawa winter?

Yes, but hopefully not for much longer. It's really slippery out there!

(Don't I know it! I haven't walked outdoors on my own for weeks!)

Appreciating Physio...

I read somewhere that we have professional sports to thank for medical advances in physiotherapy - for supporting research into exercises and other treatments that help us regain mobility and strength when we injure ourselves.

I've had physiotherapy a few times. A number of years ago, I injured my thumbs and wrists by over-knitting - continuing to knit when pain told me to stop. I remember my panic when I wondered if I'd have to give it up. I was devastated. 

Physiotherapy helped me - as did some online exercises for knitters - and switching back to using metal knitting needles. I had started using bamboo knitting needles, because they had become fashionable. But wooden ones can create increased resistance - and hand pain, as in my case, unless one is knitting slippery, silky yarn.

Currently I'm being treated for a tingly right arm - caused by a pinched nerve, perhaps - and a stiff neck that doesn't turn to the left easily. Was a new pillow the cause of that?

In both cases - my wrists and now my neck and arm - I wondered if old age was creeping up on me.

Physio fixed the problem last time! How wonderful if a few physio sessions would fix my current problems, as well. I'd be thrilled!

Confession: They've given me exercises to do at home (see above) but I keep forgetting to do them!

A Different Kind of "Wonder Pot"

When I was a student living in Israel, I lived in a smallish apartment - and cooked on a 2-burner gas cooking stove.

There was no oven - but someone told me about an amazing aluminum cake pan, about the size of an angel food cake pan - with a lid and heat diffuser - that allowed one to bake cakes or casseroles on top of a gas burner, as one would in an oven.

I bought one - it was called a "wonder pot"  - and I used it for years! Of course, I brought it back with me when I returned to Canada... It had been my favourite cooking pot.

But I never lived in an apartment or house with a gas stove - so I never used it.

Now, all these years later, I'm thinking of giving it away. Maybe someone who enjoys camping could use it. 

As I look at it, I think of all the wonderful chocolate cakes, banana bread, and casseroles that this " wonder pot" allowed me to make -  even though I had no oven.

Beautiful Building

Terry recently needed an Xray.

 

Rather than wait for him in a cold car, I drove on a little farther to a nearby public library.

But instead of sitting and reading, as planned...

... I ended up wandering around and admiring its building.

It was built when our community was still called "Nepean" - before we were absorbed into neighbouring Ottawa.

It was built - debt free - to serve as Nepean's city hall and community hub. It houses counsellors' offices, a library, a theatre, a used book store for donated books - and even a skating rink in winter.

The rink was being used by skaters young and old as I wandered around.

Such a beautiful, PRACTICAL building! A great place to wait for someone, especially on a cold winter's day.

More Daylight

It's been about a month since we had our shortest hours of daylight..

Now in Ottawa, the sun rises around 7:30 AM and sets around 5 PM - giving us about 9 1/2 hours of daylight, compared to 8 hours and 42 minutes in our shortest says.

What I find fascinating is that the sun rose at 7:40 AM on our "shortest day" - only 10 minutes later than it does now, even though we have gained 48 minutes of daylight since then.

The other 38 minutes have been added in the afternoon!

I also notice that the last time we had  9 1/2 hours of daylight - in mid-November - the sun rose and set half an hour earlier than it does now. It then rose at 7 AM and set around 4:33 PM. Now it sets around 5.

I have no idea why these differences occur, but I think it would be interesting to know. At times I wish I had studied more geography - not only rocks and rivers around us - but also the movement of the earth and our moon.

Here ... and There

We are having a very snowy, cold winter. 

Early this month we had a "cold snap" - and now... another!

There hasn't been much reprieve... 

So I really appreciate the scenes from a warmer climate that I see daily on my virtual walk in Vietnam.

That's probably as close as I'll get to warmer weather in the next few months!

(Every little bit helps!)