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!)
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!
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.
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.
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!)
A few days before Christmas, I planted two amaryllis bulbs in soil. They had been resting in a brown paper bag in the basement for a few months.
Now they're in the entry near the rubber plant.
Nothing to do now but keep the soil moist - and wait to see if they grow...
So far - nothing!
(Though the nearby rubber plant - or whatever it is - that I picked up from a giveaway box last summer, seems to be doing well! Thankful for that!)
I enjoy eating pomelos... not as sour as grapefruit or as sweet as oranges.
The way I eat them: Cut the pomelo in half lengthwise and pull each section out to eat. It works because pomelos aren't as juicy as other citrus fruit.
Recently I noticed these "gift boxes" of pomelos - four different flavours, including a pink one and an orange one. I've only ever had the green.
In short - bought a box - which felt surprisingly heavy...
Took it home - only to discover that one was bad - really bad - half covered in mould!
Took it back... Actually I had to go back twice as they wouldn't accept just one pomelo... I had to return all four in the box - the good as well as the bad!
Should I try again?!!
I decided to get another box - but this time, I opened it and examined each pomelo in the store before heading home.
I'm glad I tried again - these ones taste amazing!
These cold, dark days of the year, I really appreciate my flowering indoor plants!
My peace lily recently started to bloom...
And my Christmas cactus continues to brighten my mood!
So thankful for them both!
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.
