I have titled this post a thousand words because we left our camera in Saskatoon and since we know a picture is worth a thousand I will have to go with words as there won't be any pictures.
We left here Dec.19th for Christmas in Saskatoon. Pat was able to get in a day at the office on the 20th. The drive to work that morning acquainted us with a part of city life we never really experienced while living there. We left at 7:25 with the car reading -34˚C to get Pat to work for 8 am. It took half an hour to drive there and then my plan was to go back to Ian's stopping at the Lawson Heights Safeway on the way. Well it was dark, I don't know the new Circle Drive roads by Cameco very well yet and a couple of missed turns had me exiting at Clarence and buying groceries at the the Cumberland Safeway shortly after 8. It worked out for the best. Cumberland Safeway was home for me, therefore familiar and as an added bonus there were only two of us in the store.
It was a wonderfully busy week, Friday pot lucking and discussions with the Slow Book Club, Sunday a fantastic meal and carol singing at the Warrington Annual Christmas Party and Monday, dinner and Scattergories with Albert Ave. friends, the Balsevichs and Speeds. Christmas Eve was spent with Zachary's family and we experienced the joy of watching small children prepare for Santa's visit. Some smart person has come up with a special fancy key that lets Santa come in your front door. No worries about not having a fireplace!
Carmen had car issues while we were there (it wouldn't start) so Pat and Ian spent part of the 24th trying to figure out if it was the starter and Pat spent the morning of the 27th installing a new starter for her. It has been awhile since Pat has done much car work but the wonders of Youtube were put to use.
We left by 2:00pm on the 27th and made it home before the forecast storm hit. Not a huge amount of snow but lots of wind to blow it around and harden it. Pat spent at least two hours on the bobcat the next day so we could get out.
We had a few days of good weather in Saskatoon, even getting out for a little tobogganing with Brooke and Norah but the snowshoes we had taken did not get any use.
It has been sunny, clear and cold since we got back. I was sitting in my reading chair yesterday looking out the window. There is a birch tree right beside it and yesterday it was full of ice crystals. The wind was blowing just a little, not enough to blow them out, but enough to make them sparkle and twinkle like jewels. It was marvellous. I don't think it would have photographed very well and my talents do not lean towards poetry but I hope I have conveyed just how magical it was.
We have a one day break in the weather today. Forecast high -8 ˚C. I haven't been out on my snowshoes for awhile and I wanted to take advantage of the nice day. I went down the road and through the ravine on the road. When I got to the other side I went into the pasture. Well I had no idea how much it had snowed and the pasture had way more snow than the road. I was lifting my snowshoes out of holes anywhere from 8-15" deep. Breaking trail all the time makes your thigh muscles quiver and once your thigh muscles start to quiver it is hard to get them to stop. I passed a few depressions where deer had slept, they looked very inviting but I knew if I stopped to rest in one I would never get out. I rethought my route and found some tracks that Pat had made early this morning. Following them helped considerably. When I got back I collapsed on the step, waiting for my heart rate to slow and for my legs and arms to regain some strength. I still had to get the snowshoes off and walk into the house. Pat thought I was enjoying the day and took a picture with our old point and shoot but the card won't work in my laptop without an hour long update so you are stuck with the thousand words and no picture.
I have a latte and knitting as the next item on my to do list. We won't be back in Saskatoon until the end of the month so the next post will either be picture less again or be a long time coming.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
The Difference is Huge
I mentioned in the last post that Pat had been working on trim. Well he has been a busy man. We increased the support to the second floor of the old part of the house. The way we decided to do it left us with exposed 2x6's all around the top of the walls. None of them straight or the same thickness. Our plan was to cover them with MDF and paint them the same colour as the walls so they would blend in. We needed to use sheets of MDF because of the cost and the width could be customized. The sheets are only 8 ft. long and we needed to span 15ft in one room. The joint in the middle is disguised with a keystone-shaped medallion. A few obstacles to overcome but we are happy with the finished look.
Shadows are misleading. The walls, ceiling and trim are all the same colour.
We also wanted the doorways in something other than drywall. So again we turned to MDF. I have a before picture but there is some painting to do before there is a true after shot.
This ugliness is all covered now. Mostly finished but still needs the last coat of paint. We plan to do the baseboards the same colour as the walls so will paint the doorways with the baseboards.
Pat was so happy to see these jobs finished but the task that took me from camping in a construction zone to almost finished was trim on the windows and doors. About three quarters of the main floor is done and the difference is huge.
A window without trim and with trim picture for you. You get the added bonus of a ravine view through the blinds. Looking at trimmed windows makes me so happy. The windows and doors are finished looking and you don't get drywall dust on your cloths when you brush past and touch the door frame. I think I have gone on and on enough about trim for now.
If you recall just getting the trim was a huge effort so to see it around the windows makes me want to go on and on.
It is windy and nasty here today. We were to town and there was a fair bit of ground drifting. Thankfully we got out for a snowshoe yesterday. It was about -25 but still a glorious day when you were out of the wind. We are quite interested in all the tracks we see. We know there is wildlife but winter has made it much more apparent. There is a lot of traffic around the quarter.
I may get another post in before Christmas but just in case I don't have a wonderful time with family and friends. Merry Christmas
Sunrise, I remain in awe of these prairie skies.
Shadows are misleading. The walls, ceiling and trim are all the same colour.
We also wanted the doorways in something other than drywall. So again we turned to MDF. I have a before picture but there is some painting to do before there is a true after shot.
This ugliness is all covered now. Mostly finished but still needs the last coat of paint. We plan to do the baseboards the same colour as the walls so will paint the doorways with the baseboards.
Pat was so happy to see these jobs finished but the task that took me from camping in a construction zone to almost finished was trim on the windows and doors. About three quarters of the main floor is done and the difference is huge.
A window without trim and with trim picture for you. You get the added bonus of a ravine view through the blinds. Looking at trimmed windows makes me so happy. The windows and doors are finished looking and you don't get drywall dust on your cloths when you brush past and touch the door frame. I think I have gone on and on enough about trim for now.
If you recall just getting the trim was a huge effort so to see it around the windows makes me want to go on and on.
It is windy and nasty here today. We were to town and there was a fair bit of ground drifting. Thankfully we got out for a snowshoe yesterday. It was about -25 but still a glorious day when you were out of the wind. We are quite interested in all the tracks we see. We know there is wildlife but winter has made it much more apparent. There is a lot of traffic around the quarter.
I may get another post in before Christmas but just in case I don't have a wonderful time with family and friends. Merry Christmas
Sunrise, I remain in awe of these prairie skies.
Monday, November 25, 2013
I've Been Sewing
I have been procrastinating, sewing for the last week and it didn't seem like I had much to talk about. Now that I have decided I should do a post even if it is short it seems that I have more to say than I thought.
Ian came back with his moose tag and with the help of his Dad and Uncle Tom managed to take a moose home this trip. They were out Thursday, Friday and finally midday Saturday were successful.Ian stayed until Monday meeting with a fellow at the Mosaic mine as a part of his new job.
Wednesday Lynn arrived for a few days of sewing. It was fantastic. She worked on quilt tops.
I worked on tea cosies. I had delivered mitts to HMH the last time I was in the city but hadn't made any cosies for the Christmas season. I spent the better part three days making cosies to send with Lynn. After Lynn left with the tea cosies I had a pent up need to work on quilts. I pulled out some squares I had cut out about last Feb. before I had to pack for the move. I now have a toddler quilt in size and colour ready for quilting. I am also in the process of machine quilting a couple of scrap tops that I pieced when I first got my sewing space set up. All is good.
When Lynn was here there was a fund raiser for the community centre, Girls Night Out. We had been invited by Maureen. The roads were a bit hazardous for a couple of city girls, but into town we went. The theme was a fashion show of wedding dresses through the ages. They had 42 dresses from the 1930's to present day. They finished the show with a traditional wedding outfit worn by women in India and the outfit Pat's great-grandmother Inga wore for her wedding in Sweden in the late 1800's. A very nice evening.
As I mentioned it snowed while Lynn was here. We went out for a walk and it was glorious. Pat carried the camera and takes credit for these photos.
Renovations continue to progress. A couple more light fixtures up and Pat is working on some trim today. The trim will make a huge difference, it will cover up the raw edges of the drywall and the rooms will lose their unfinished look.
I don't think I will ever tire of the sunsets that we see out the kitchen window. Such incredible beauty.
I hope you don't either as there seems to be a photo that I have to include every other post. This was last evening.
We really do live in The Land of Living Skies.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Winter Has Arrived
When you are in a new rural location there is a lot to do. (what an understatement). I posted a picture of our new and improved driveway last time and we now have 200 feet of snow fence on the hill west of us. Yes it is quite ugly and does change the view of the sunsets. But it is important. The idea is the snow will collect just the other side of the fence instead of in our driveway. I have every confidence in my engineer and the website he checked before we installed it.
At this point I think you might be asking, why didn't he do it sooner?
Last Saturday we drove to Regina, Pat was off to Banff via Calgary for a tailings and mine waste conference. He was gone until Wednesday. We arrived home just before midnight. Yesterday was the first day that he was home and had heat tape.
Some of you may remember that I promised myself that if I missed the city at any point I would drive in and get my city fix. It has not been a problem. We have been in Saskatoon regularly and Regina too much. While Pat was away I was happily home. I returned Saturday evening put the car in the garage and there it stayed until I went to get him Wednesday. A two hour drive to the closet airport is going to be on the con side of the list.
The photos are from just before I started this post. I should have waited a bit it is snowing quite hard now and is very pretty from my vantage point. I have a chair upstairs. Picture a large chair with quilts and cushions beside windows that allows me a view to the north and west. The one window ledge is right beside my chair and is just a little higher than my chair. The perfect height to set a mug. It is wonderful and I could spend the whole day here watching it snow.
Ian will be happy with this snow. He will be here later today with the hope of attaching a tag to a moose. He is hoping with the leaves gone and snow to show hoof prints he will be successful.
A sunset picture for you. The sky was incredible. The clouds were moving quite quickly so I sat on the front step watching those periwinkle and pink clouds move across the sky.
Monday, October 28, 2013
I Like Grey
A bit of an odd statement for me right. Because I like colour, a fair bit of colour. But there is just something about grey autumn days that I love. We have had a few lately. I love a walk on those grey days, hopefully out of the wind so the ravine is a great place. Then home for something hot and a little chocolate.
This was the view from the veranda early one morning last week. You will hear me say it many times. I love the architecture of the oaks.
We have seen Blue Jays here before but saw something quite interesting in the last few days. There would be 5 or 6 that would swoop in and busy themselves finding acorns.
If you look carefully you can see the acorn in his beak. We watched, trying to figure out whether they ate them whole, were carrying them away or were stashing them. They moved so quickly twisting and turning so we couldn't see the whole procedure. The most likely seems that they would take the acorn somewhere where they felt safe and proceed to crack it open and eat it.
Pat has been very busy outside. He and his bobcat have become one. Our driveway sits low so he has been busy moving earth. He has built up the driveway to the garage, lowered others spots and added berms to reroute some of the runoff that will come next spring. He has a number of piles of beautiful topsoil that we will use for gardening areas and he has prepped some of the areas where we will hopefully plant into next spring.
He has also spread a fairly large load of gravel and will spread another large load this week.
We have been in Saskatoon the last few days, a whirlwind as usual dividing our time between kids, grandkids, appointments and shopping. We are coming to recognize this routine as a part of our new life. I spent the better part of Friday at the quilt show. Brooke and I had a great time Saturday afternoon going for tea and doing errands. The roof on the playhouse is shingled, Ian's gate is fixed and the leaves in his yard are raked. I have new jeans and am still on the hunt for shoes. I think we have purchased the last of the light fixtures and that has not been an easy task.
We finally made time for the Farmer's Market Saturday morning, the first time since we moved and we have just passed the six month mark.
I usually try and finish with a great photo this time you get mundane.
This was the view from the veranda early one morning last week. You will hear me say it many times. I love the architecture of the oaks.
We have seen Blue Jays here before but saw something quite interesting in the last few days. There would be 5 or 6 that would swoop in and busy themselves finding acorns.
If you look carefully you can see the acorn in his beak. We watched, trying to figure out whether they ate them whole, were carrying them away or were stashing them. They moved so quickly twisting and turning so we couldn't see the whole procedure. The most likely seems that they would take the acorn somewhere where they felt safe and proceed to crack it open and eat it.
Pat has been very busy outside. He and his bobcat have become one. Our driveway sits low so he has been busy moving earth. He has built up the driveway to the garage, lowered others spots and added berms to reroute some of the runoff that will come next spring. He has a number of piles of beautiful topsoil that we will use for gardening areas and he has prepped some of the areas where we will hopefully plant into next spring.
He has also spread a fairly large load of gravel and will spread another large load this week.
We have been in Saskatoon the last few days, a whirlwind as usual dividing our time between kids, grandkids, appointments and shopping. We are coming to recognize this routine as a part of our new life. I spent the better part of Friday at the quilt show. Brooke and I had a great time Saturday afternoon going for tea and doing errands. The roof on the playhouse is shingled, Ian's gate is fixed and the leaves in his yard are raked. I have new jeans and am still on the hunt for shoes. I think we have purchased the last of the light fixtures and that has not been an easy task.
We finally made time for the Farmer's Market Saturday morning, the first time since we moved and we have just passed the six month mark.
I usually try and finish with a great photo this time you get mundane.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Giving Thanks
I thought I would start this post with a comment or two about city versus country since this blog is partly about that transition. I mentioned in the last post that we have a family member in hospital. She has now been moved to Regina which is a two hour drive each way. No hope of dropping in for a quick visit and if you think parking is miserable at Saskatoon's hospitals you should check out the General in Regina. Thankfully she has family in Regina and it is easy for them to visit. Give thanks for the hospital down the street.
The other comment is about something annoying. I had started this post and had 8 pictures almost uploaded and the power flickered off. That is what is does, it only lasts long enough to break the internet connection and necessitate clock resetting. I have given up on some of our clocks. But the internet connection takes a few minutes to come back and since the upload wasn't quite finished I had to start over. Ten minutes later I am back where I started. Give thanks for high speed internet and power that doesn't flicker.
Ian was down for a visit, the main purpose was to use his moose tag.
He saw this girl his very first morning, decided she was small and besides it was only his first day. He went home with his tag in his pocket. Some days not spotting anything and others only cows with calves. He was a little disappointed but we are looking forward to another visit in November.
We had a wonderful thanksgiving weekend. Zachary, Heather and the girls were here. They arrived late Thursday evening. Friday it rained so we stayed in entertaining ourselves in a variety of ways.
Jumping on the dog bed was one of Norah's.
Saturday we were able to get out. It was very windy but fairly pleasant down in the ravine.
We celebrated Thanksgiving on Sunday and had a wonderful time with family members that were here. We managed to fit 16 into the dining room with actually room for a couple more. I had hoped to have dinner in the veranda but it was just a little too chilly. My first time with a large crowd and a dishwasher, a dishwasher is a wonderful thing.
Brooke and Norah had a chance to meet their new cousin Abby ( 7 weeks old). Brooke was quite taken with her and kept Kate company when she was nursing.
As I have mentioned we had a fairly decent garden. The carrots included some prize winners in the size category and were still tender and sweet. Pat dug one that was about a foot long and 4 inches across. No splits or cracks. We wish we had planted more. I am guessing the loose soil is what allowed them to grow so big. The girls have an opportunity to garden in Saskatoon but were eager to help Pat dig our carrots and parsnips.
Once the digging was done it was time for a walk.
It is difficult to see the back of the house but Pat managed to catch this shot with the telephoto from the other side of the ravine. Glorious autumn colours for Saskatchewan with the harvested field in the background.
I would like to give thanks. Fifty plus years enjoying the benefits of city life. Then the chance to live in a very beautiful corner of our country. I have just returned from a walk in the ravine. I stopped and sat on our log bench by the beaver dam. A fresh breeze rustling the dry leaves in the aspen, steel grey clouds silently sliding over my head. This mornings minor annoyances vanish.
The other comment is about something annoying. I had started this post and had 8 pictures almost uploaded and the power flickered off. That is what is does, it only lasts long enough to break the internet connection and necessitate clock resetting. I have given up on some of our clocks. But the internet connection takes a few minutes to come back and since the upload wasn't quite finished I had to start over. Ten minutes later I am back where I started. Give thanks for high speed internet and power that doesn't flicker.
Ian was down for a visit, the main purpose was to use his moose tag.
He saw this girl his very first morning, decided she was small and besides it was only his first day. He went home with his tag in his pocket. Some days not spotting anything and others only cows with calves. He was a little disappointed but we are looking forward to another visit in November.
We had a wonderful thanksgiving weekend. Zachary, Heather and the girls were here. They arrived late Thursday evening. Friday it rained so we stayed in entertaining ourselves in a variety of ways.
Jumping on the dog bed was one of Norah's.
Saturday we were able to get out. It was very windy but fairly pleasant down in the ravine.
We celebrated Thanksgiving on Sunday and had a wonderful time with family members that were here. We managed to fit 16 into the dining room with actually room for a couple more. I had hoped to have dinner in the veranda but it was just a little too chilly. My first time with a large crowd and a dishwasher, a dishwasher is a wonderful thing.
Brooke and Norah had a chance to meet their new cousin Abby ( 7 weeks old). Brooke was quite taken with her and kept Kate company when she was nursing.
As I have mentioned we had a fairly decent garden. The carrots included some prize winners in the size category and were still tender and sweet. Pat dug one that was about a foot long and 4 inches across. No splits or cracks. We wish we had planted more. I am guessing the loose soil is what allowed them to grow so big. The girls have an opportunity to garden in Saskatoon but were eager to help Pat dig our carrots and parsnips.
Once the digging was done it was time for a walk.
It is difficult to see the back of the house but Pat managed to catch this shot with the telephoto from the other side of the ravine. Glorious autumn colours for Saskatchewan with the harvested field in the background.
I would like to give thanks. Fifty plus years enjoying the benefits of city life. Then the chance to live in a very beautiful corner of our country. I have just returned from a walk in the ravine. I stopped and sat on our log bench by the beaver dam. A fresh breeze rustling the dry leaves in the aspen, steel grey clouds silently sliding over my head. This mornings minor annoyances vanish.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Harvest Moon
In previous years we have been have been awe struck watching the full moon rise over our ravine. Last spring before we moved we invited our book club to come for a visit, timing their visit with the full moon. As it turns out this year the full moon and the autumnal equinox were a day or two apart. When this happens you get a Harvest Moon.
Half the book club was able to come. They arrived Thursday the 19th. We missed the moonrise that evening due to clouds. Our timing was off the next evening. But, by Saturday we were ready sitting outside with beverages and a fire waiting for the moon to rise and it was worth the wait. It was spectacular.
The photo is a little grainy because of the zoom but this gives you an idea of what we saw.
While the Slow Book Club was here we did a little hiking on the trails the Esterhazy bike club has developed
But they were also eager participants in Pat's work crew. We have a pond at the bottom of the ravine that is fed by a creek that runs in a torrent in the spring and then diminishes considerably through the summer. Beavers had built a large dam and we built a bridge over a portion of it to make crossing easier. The beavers are gone now, so there is no one to do the maintenance on the dam for us. The opening in the dam has become bigger and is now in a different spot. I tell you all this because Pat led the work detail which moved and refurbished the bridge. A bridge is much better than a couple of slippery logs.
This post has taken me a while to get to. I intended to post Monday the 23rd, but another side of rural life interfered. In one week I was in Yorkton 3 times ( a family member in the hospital) Moosomin once ( quilt store open house), Regina once ( to pick up Pat's mom at the airport) and Winnipeg once (Ikea). I swear after I take Maureen's van back today ( we traded vehicles for the trip to Winnipeg) I am not getting in a vehicle for days. I am still not used to spending so much time in a vehicle. In Saskatoon we walked or biked using the car very little. Once we are settled with most of the renovating done I am hoping a weekly trip to Esterhazy will suffice.
It has been a glorious autumn and I thought I would share a couple of photos of ravine.
The last one is sunrise Sunday. Moments like this make up for the hundreds of kilometres I travelled last week.
Half the book club was able to come. They arrived Thursday the 19th. We missed the moonrise that evening due to clouds. Our timing was off the next evening. But, by Saturday we were ready sitting outside with beverages and a fire waiting for the moon to rise and it was worth the wait. It was spectacular.
The photo is a little grainy because of the zoom but this gives you an idea of what we saw.
While the Slow Book Club was here we did a little hiking on the trails the Esterhazy bike club has developed
But they were also eager participants in Pat's work crew. We have a pond at the bottom of the ravine that is fed by a creek that runs in a torrent in the spring and then diminishes considerably through the summer. Beavers had built a large dam and we built a bridge over a portion of it to make crossing easier. The beavers are gone now, so there is no one to do the maintenance on the dam for us. The opening in the dam has become bigger and is now in a different spot. I tell you all this because Pat led the work detail which moved and refurbished the bridge. A bridge is much better than a couple of slippery logs.
This post has taken me a while to get to. I intended to post Monday the 23rd, but another side of rural life interfered. In one week I was in Yorkton 3 times ( a family member in the hospital) Moosomin once ( quilt store open house), Regina once ( to pick up Pat's mom at the airport) and Winnipeg once (Ikea). I swear after I take Maureen's van back today ( we traded vehicles for the trip to Winnipeg) I am not getting in a vehicle for days. I am still not used to spending so much time in a vehicle. In Saskatoon we walked or biked using the car very little. Once we are settled with most of the renovating done I am hoping a weekly trip to Esterhazy will suffice.
It has been a glorious autumn and I thought I would share a couple of photos of ravine.
The last one is sunrise Sunday. Moments like this make up for the hundreds of kilometres I travelled last week.
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