Friday, October 23, 2020

I thought I finished this project yesterday but after taking a photograph I decided it needed a border. I had enough of the background fabric to do a small border; I didn’t want it to grow too large. Pat thought it needed a dark flange to add some interest but I didn’t have anything in this particular fabric line. So I decided I would go with a single white border.

I’ve done quite a few mitred borders but they aren’t alway successful. Some of the mitres just don’t come together the way they should and, in some cases, the fabric I’m using either doesn’t work well with a mitre or I get the mitre done successfully and it doesn’t even show.

As I pondered this question it dawned on me that by adding a small block to the corners of the binding I would add some interest and I wouldn’t need to decide about mitres.

Thursday, October 22, 2020

At lunch I heard there was a special weather advisory for the Island. I didn’t hear what the advisory was for but this afternoon, while listening to the radio, I heard it again. They are saying some places are going to get snow tonight.

I quickly took a look at the weather online and I’m thankful there is no snow predicted for us. We will, however, drop below zero tonight. I also looked at a few locations on the Island but didn’t see snow for any of them so I don’t think it will be much of an issue for anyone I know.

Our Covid cases today are close to 300 which is very alarming. We never hear whether or not there are cases in Powell River but my behaviour hasn’t changed much since the beginning of the pandemic.

It occurred to me today though that perhaps the difficulty I am having (and many others) is that there is nothing to look forward to. I used to laugh because I would barely be home from one trip before planning the next one. There is no travel in sight – except maybe 30 km either north or south of town at which point the road runs out.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

We have a motion detection light mounted on our deck. It goes off quite often and when we first got it I would peek out the window to see what might have set it off. I could never see anything so assumed it was set off by one of the neighbourhood cats. Early in the morning large trucks going up and down the hill will sometimes shake things enough to set it off.

I was awake early this morning (and I don’t want to think how early that early will be when we change time) when I noticed the light come on. I didn’t hear any traffic but ignored it. After about two seconds I heard a crash, followed by another thud. I ran for my glasses and out to the door. I could see that the garbage can had been tipped over so I thought it was probably be a bear.

I went out to the back deck to take a better look! What was I thinking? No bear in site but something had ripped open the small bag of garbage that was in the can. There wasn’t enough of it to spread around so it was very easy to pick it up, put a new bag in the can, and set everything to rights.

When I talked to Pat later in the day he said that one of the authors he had interviewed mentioned that bears really hate the smell of bleach. We’d never heard about this before and it certainly isn’t promoted in any bear aware information I’ve seen. But I sprinkled a bit of bleach around the carport and wiped down the garbage can with bleach. There is probably some environmental or animal rights reason we shouldn’t do it but I’m hoping the bear won’t be back.

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

I started this journal, in part, as a way to keep me positive when I was feeling a bit down. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t suffer from depression in the way that I know some people do. But this Covid-19 isolation is getting me down, in particular because it has been too long, much too long, since I’ve seen my kids and grandchildren.

For the past month it has been particularly tough for whatever reason. I remember writing to a friend that Thanksgiving was a holiday that I didn’t feel particularly sad about missing family; I guess that might be the reason because since then I really have felt sad.

In this past month in speaking with a number of friends I’m good until they ask “So how are you doing with all this”. I tend to lose it more often than not – only briefly but it is a sign that “all this” is getting to me. Yesterday a friend even got teary while we chatted because, even though she has her family here, they haven’t been getting together for their usual special occasions.

Christy posted this on Facebook a few days ago and it rang so true for me. Let this be a warning to my children. When this is over (or when I win the lottery and can secure a private flight) I will be visiting – often! Even when I lived in the North I took trips outside more often than I have been able to since the pandemic hit.

So now that I’ve said “it” I hope I have it out of my system and I intend to move on being thankful that we are all well.

I discovered another error in my Hex-Along blocks – I don’t know why I’m having so much trouble translating the photos from the clue with my own choices of fabric. On that positive swing, I’m going to say that the photos with the clue aren’t that clear. I’ve spent a lot of the day putting together the blocks from our online retreat. I’ve picked out a spot to hang it so I may keep at the project and get it quilted.

Pat bought a new-to-us glider rocker with a footstool. We’re not sure where it might end up but I think it will be somewhere in our Powell River home. There just isn’t enough room in the studio for any more furniture.

Tonight Kathryn and I are going to have a discussion around my Advance Care Planning options – that should cheer me up!