Made of "super chunky" yarn - in 2 rectangles - it was easy and fun to knit!
Warm to wear on winter evenings, too.
Now, since I often make a second one when I like a pattern - I'm off to buy more yarn in a different colour. Another knit kimono could be a useful warm cover to have around.
A while back, I discovered that January 21 is "Squirrel Appreciation Day" - a reminder that I'm not the only one who likes squirrels!
This article in Woman's Day magazine is a shoutout to squirrels for their ecological contribution in planting trees - probably forests full of them!
Anyone who lives among squirrels - as we do here in Ontario - sees them busily planting daily, from dawn to dusk.
Most of the trees in our yard were planted from seed by squirrels - who are constantly digging and depositing seeds in the ground.
Every year Terry cuts down dozens of saplings that have taken root in our flower beds - which is one reason why he's not a squirrel fan!
My white winter world...
White indoors...
And out!
(And it continues to get whiter!)
I'm so thankful for COLOUR indoors!
We also took home three chicken pot pies for our freezer.
Good food... one of life's daily joys!
My main exercise is walking. In winter, most of my walking is done in a large nearby mall - my pedometer in my pocket to count my steps.
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To make it more interesting, I pretend I am hiking along real roads elsewhere - virtually - seeing where my steps would take me IF I were on the Camino de Santiago, for example. A walking app charts my course, where I can see my location on 4 versions of Google maps, one of which is "street view." (See photo above) I find this one most interesting, as it shows me what I'd see all around me if I were really walking there.
I also enjoy the satellite overview of the area I'm virtually walking in. The maps make the walks so much more interesting. I stop and check them several times a day.
Having recently completed the virtual walk along "Route 66" - through farmland, deserts and mountains - I signed up for a new walk with a different type of scenery: the coastal highway in Vietnam. I'm looking forward to seeing lush vegetation and beaches near me as I walk.
I tend to go to bed early... so I totally missed this - the most "exciting" thing to happen at our end of the street this winter!
Here's my neighbour Mary's account:
I have been working on the kimono that I recently downloaded the pattern for..
It's coming along...
But before I knit too much, I want to compare its size to a simple garment I wear a lot in cooler weather.
It took me a week to finish my jigsaw puzzle.
It was s lot of fun!
I had to turn the card table around to finish the top.
Now I'm going to enjoy looking at it for a while...
Those bright colours cheer me up!
What's new in the mall? Terry often asks me when I join him at the food court after my walk.
I forgot to tell him that there was a small skating rink for children to skate on. It would be too small for most adults.
It's not made of ice - it looks like a large plastic panel tough enough (and of the right consistency) for ice skates to be able to glide.
I think it's free to use, too.
I'll have to look for it again next time I walk on the lower level. It's a temporary installation. Don't know how long it will be there.
Terry's wrists have been sore for several weeks, but he won't stop shovelling. Like crumbs on the floor - he just has to pick them up... or, in this case, move that snow away.
Our son offered to do it - but he won't be here for several hours.
"I'll just shovel a path to the shed," Terry tells me as he heads outdoors. "Maybe this is the day I'll teach him how to use the snowblower,"
When I check on him, a few minutes later, he's done more than a little path. I suspected he wouldn't be able to stop...
But when I look out again, I see "all hands on deck"... Neighbours have appeared to help him!
It's gratifying to live among caring neighbours! I'm so thankful for them all!
By Sunday morning, it was all over - except for the shovelling!
The forecast for the next few days is for sunny days - but snowy evenings. More shovelling ahead!
I get a little nervous when my grandchildren want to show me what they can do - in acrobatics...
(What if they get hurt... on my watch...?!)
Yikes! And now Jericho can do the splits... and he's working on a handstand!
Cold winter days bring on the urge to do jigsaw puzzles.
This one has bright colours and flowers - just what I need to brighten my indoor days.
There is a certain thrill at watching the pieces come together.
I remember, as a child, starting puzzles on the dining room table - where our family ate only on rare occasions.
There was no need to rush a puzzle.
One of my uncles, now in his 90's, and his wife still enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles in the evening. They buy puzzles of places they have visited. Over the years, they have collected quite a few.
When the puzzle is done, it's framed and hung in their basement or garage - a reminder of their travels - and of the winter evenings they put the pieces together.
When I was in high school, there was a popular TV program called "Route 66." My friends and I watched it...
Ever since then, I was curious about the real "Route 66" - the first cross-country highway built in the USA, that runs from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. Would I ever have an opportunity to drive down this iconic road?!
I decided to give it a try!
I guess it's all about persistence - because yesterday I finished the trek - in less than 2 years!
So I'm celebrating.... (No party - just smiling a lot!)
In the big picture, it's really a small thing. But we all need challenges to strive for... And we all need occasions to be happy.
Yesterday our community reached another daylight milestone as our days lengthen EVER SO SLIGHTLY towards spring...
We have gained about 14 minutes of daylight in the two weeks since our shortest days in December. ALL that daylight was gained IN THE AFTERNOON... until YESTERDAY... when we gained 2 MINUTES - one in the morning and another in the afternoon...
Soon we'll be enjoying longer days!! The sun will soon be rising BEFORE 7:30 am and setting AFTER SUPPER - not in the late afternoon (currently 4:35 pm)!
More daylight changes EVERYTHING!
(And, of course, the weather!)
Now - a year later...
... as I look at other phenology wheels I find online...
... I wonder if there's anything else I'd like to include...
The weather remains my main preoccupation, probably because it affects my mood and my energy level. And it's always there.
But I might also like to note the colour of the sky! And the length of our daylight hours... Not sure how I'd do that - on one tiny segment of paper - but to me, they're real mood boosters.
I truly admire those who paint - or embroider - beautiful detailed pictures. But I don't think I could do that... every day!
So I plan to play around with different formats for a while. I don't want to stop entirely. I would also like to make a colourful depiction.
I realize that the more I take note of the world around me, the more aware of it I become. And I don't want to lose that awareness!
