Thursday, June 15, 2023

I haven’t been writing daily posts as, most days, I don’t do anything worth writing about. I do some computer work in the morning and, if there is time, a bit of sewing. No projects completed or even nearing completion but I plug away at cards and a few of my monthly UFOs. In the afternoon I’ve been walking and, for the rest of the day, recovering!

Elizabeth bought me a step counter for Mother’s Day and I have really been enjoying it. It keeps me motivated. I started out hoping to do 3,000 steps a day and so far I’ve managed that and, on most days, I’ve exceeded it. My hope is that each week I’ll try to improve on the number of steps; I may never make it to 10,000 steps in a day but I’m okay with that.

I hoped that the crew would be here today to start on the yard work; in fact, I thought I heard them working outside when I was sitting at my computer. The owner makes his crew take a Covid test before setting out and today either not enough people showed up or not enough that were willing to be tested. I’m hoping it wasn’t because they were all down with the virus. They had planned to do one day of work this week and one day next week but he told Pat this morning that when they come next week they will work the days in a row and get it done.

Our neighbour across the street was chatting with Pat this morning and offered us some rhubarb; he just throws it away. Pat got a huge bag of it and I have four bags in the freezer and we’ll have a crisp for supper tonight. The previous owner of the house (who died) used to give us rhubarb and I’d make a crisp for him but I get the impression that this fellow wouldn’t necessarily appreciate that.

When they were picking the rhubarb Orst was going to leave the very tiny new shoot because, as he said, after they are peeled there isn’t much there. Have you ever heard of peeling rhubarb? Neither Pat nor I had. We took all of those tender bits.

Pat just called up to me to say that the high school jazz band were playing at the ferry terminal. We won’t go down to listen but he says we can hear it from the deck so that’s where I’m headed now.

Monday, June 12, 2023

I finished a couple of cards this morning that I probably should have had done yesterday. I’ll have to get them wrapped and ready for the mail tomorrow. I have a lot more cards that need to be done but I need to clean my machine before I tackle anything new. It isn’t a new piece but before I clean the machine I want to finish off my latest sashiko project.

Pat was out at a PRISMA (Pacific Region International Summer Music Association) concert this afternoon but he dropped me at the library on the way. I finished the last of my Outlander books online this morning. I checked to see if I could get the latest book electronically but they only had one copy and there were 25 people ahead of me. I checked the local library and was able to get it from them.

It was a real test to see if I could walk all the way home on my own, without my sticks. I had a plan before leaving that took me past a bench about half-way home. Sadly that bench is gone now but I assured Pat that if I needed to I would just sit on the curb. I was fine and made it home easily, although I did sit for the better part of an hour before doing anything else.

The walk home probably would have been easier had I not been carrying an 800+ page hardcover book.

Friday, June 9, 2023

I was out in the yard first thing getting the last of yesterday’s bed weeded. I heard a few drops of rain around six this morning and I wanted to get it done before the rain moved in. I worked through a few sprinkles while I weeded but it wasn’t until I was done, sitting on the deck and enjoying a coffee when the drops became more frequent. It has been spitting of and on all day and I think Pat said the rain was moving in tomorrow. We certainly need it and I don’t mind the cooler weather.

When I finished weeding I clipped the peony blossoms; most of them were done but there were a couple that I saved. While I was in the one corner of the yard I noticed that a large animal had been in the yard. The scat wasn’t from a deer or a cat; it didn’t look like a bear (they have more of a plop). It looked like it came from a large dog but we don’t usually have dogs running loose in the neighbourhood.

I moved on to the side of the house and the peonies over there. I came back to check with Pat as to how many peonies we should have over there and he thought three. So I had him come take a look at a spot in the yard where something had been dug out; we decided it was a fourth peony. As we were trying to figure out if it was an animal or human theft we found a bit chunk of it laying on the boulevard. I collected it and Pat replanted it in a pot; no idea if it will take root again but we tried. There is still some root left in the hole that the plant came out of so maybe that too will come back.

I did a bit of house cleaning before lunch but I’m afraid I haven’t done much since. I really wanted to start these new cards but I couldn’t force myself off the couch. I’m going to blame it on the dull day and the rain. I’m up now and will make a start on them.

Thursday, June 7, 2023

I had two appointments yesterday and when we got home from the second one I said to Pat, “Two down and three more to go”. One of the three will be a phone conversation with the radiologist, one for my Covid Booster, and one with my Oncology doctor in Powell River. We were hoping to go across to Texada but between Pat’s schedule and mine I don’t think we’ll go anytime soon.

I had an eye exam yesterday and, of course, I’m getting new glasses. It was a couple of years before Covid that I had my last exam and glasses but apparently there isn’t a lot of change. For computer work and sewing I usually take my glasses off so he is going to boost my close-up prescription.

Picking out frames has never been something I enjoyed but Pat came along with me to help. Until my hair grows back I tend to avoid mirrors but there was no chance of that at the office. I also had to imagine what the frames would like like if I had hair; I covered my head with my hands or put up the hood on my sweater to get somewhere close to what I might eventually look like. I think we picked a pair that will be fine with or without hair; at least that is what the technician said but she was probably just being nice.

I had time yesterday afternoon to finish my postage stamp block. I intended to start on something else today but I wanted to line up the pieces I need for the next block and that took longer than I had planned. There are 130 coloured squares in each block along with a pinwheel and ten neutral squares that surround the pinwheel. Lots of leaders and enders to work on for the next while.

I got back in the yard today to do a little weeding. I almost made it through one of the beds but quit when I suddenly remembered how sore my glutes were after the last session. I had the patio chairs out so I rested a few times as I made my way down the bed. When I decided I was done for the day I realized that the part that I didn’t weed was the only part you see from the patio but I’ll get that another day.

I have enough time left in the afternoon to get myself organized for the new project I want to start. There’s a hockey game tonight so I’ll be working on some crocheting – either my tablecloth or baby blanket.