Snow?

 Yesterday, we woke up to this.

Doug looks a bit bewildered. The snowdrops were up and we were seeing green shoots. Then we had a total of 15 cm of snow yesterday.

This looks like some angels from a Christmas pageant partied too hard and left their halos behind.

The birds weren't going near the feeder.

 Fortunately, we were prepared.

It's a Canadian thing. Snow storms often cause power outages, so you need to stock up on snacks to munch on while you are waiting for the power to come back. This is four bags in one. Ketchup, Sweet BBQ, Salt and Vinegar, and Sour Cream and Dill, all in a convenient oversize bag. The chips are from a company in New Brunswick and use local potatoes.

I have been sorting, and clearing stuff out. I gave away about 60 patterns, that I hadn't ever used. I shared fabric with several people, many of them beginners. I have put a number of magazines in the recycling (I get my sewing and quilting magazines on my tablet as digital downloads from the library, these days.)

Now if we can keep our momentum going, we will have a very organized household.

My first April sock is finished and the second one is well on its way. I had some fun with the first one the other day.

 I think that socks look like Muppets when the heel is freshly turned. The stripes make it cuter. 

Today, I finished entering all the information for the income tax. I will wait another day, to see if I think of anything I've forgotten. then I will send it on its way. Not bad, I'm 3 weeks early.

Snow, Cold, and Now a Thaw

 It started to snow after my last post. In a 4 day period, we ended up with 80 cm of snow.  If you don't speak metric, that is a lot of snow! It has also been cold.

The snow on the road got plowed out fairly quickly, but the snow contractor for Canada Post got lost, and didn't manage to plow out our community mailbox.

The carrier couldn't put any mail into the box, because he couldn't get the doors open. We were three days without mail. Because that carrier didn't want the parcels to pile up (parcels go into the big boxes at the bottom that you can't see) he went door to door delivering them.  This meant that I didn't have to wait for some beautiful yarn I had ordered.

I couldn't resist these colours. It is from a hand dyer in Regina, SK, Area 51. 

https://area51fibres.com/

Yesterday and today the temperatures have been above zero, so some of the snow is melting. I looked out this morning and saw this on my neighbour's shed.

It looks like someone has piled quilt batting on the roof of the shed.  All ready for 5 or 6 beautiful quilts.

We had Valentine's Day, in the middle of the snow, so I made a heart shaped pizza. If one has a heart shaped pan, one should use it at least once a year.

My February socks are coming along nicely.

I'm just turning the heel, then it is straight to the toe! I have 4 days to finish.

I was looking for a fat quarter for a new pouch pattern I wanted to try. I opened my drawer, where I keep my fat quarters, and it was a mess. So, I spent much of today sorting and folding everything, again.

I still have a few more to refold, but I think they look very good. I probably should have sorted them by colour, but this is so much more fun to look at. I found lots of things I'd forgotten about.

Here is Doug, playing in the snow. He buries his ball and digs it up again. He really enjoys playing in the snow.

Closer to Ready

I managed to get many things done last week.

I did a lot of baking, which is all gone now.  I filled two boxes and sent them off on Thursday, to points west. 

I made 12 bandanas for my granddogs. I forgot to take a picture before I mailed them but this is what they looked like while in process.

I hemmed them all on my serger, I might do a fancier job if I planned to sell them but the dogs don't care. I kept a couple for Doug. He modeled one for you.

I also finished a pair of mittens to go with the neck warmer from last week.

The hat is currently on the needles.

Over the last 10 weeks or so, a quilt ladies from the church have been in overdrive to produce some Advent banners for the church. It was a monumental project, 10 banners with two for each week of Advent and two for Christmas.

I still go to church virtually but my spy took this picture yesterday. The fabric came from multiple stashes. The other side of the church has the same banners in mirror image. My role in making them was largely putting on a couple of bindings. I think the quilters did an excellent job.

The weather has turned cold, and seems to be here to stay this time. It started to snow, late Thursday and by Saturday morning, we had this.

There is a bird feeder under there somewhere. Emme is disappointed that her friends, the birds, have been hiding.

I guess I need to make some cookies for us, this week. And finish that hat!

Winter Fun

 The topic of every conversation today in my part of the world is snow. Yesterday, the snow that we haven't really seen this winter, decided to drop in. Kind of like when all your relatives decide to arrive at once. 

I spent much of spring, summer, and fall, drinking tea and visiting with friends in these chairs. Not so inviting, right now. As you can see, we got wind to rearrange the snow for us, too.

Because a second exit from the house is necessary, in case of an emergency, My sweetie spent a bunch of time clearing a path to the front gate.  I think this was done in 3 parts, because there was so much. We shovel by hand because, years ago, the snowblower decided to quit in the middle of a storm like this. So now the driveway is cleared by a man with a Bobcat tractor. He came several times yesterday, and once today, to make sure we could get the car out, if we needed to.

I have really enjoyed my hibiscus tree.  Yesterday, while the blizzard was covering the outside with snow, it decided we needed some summer.

There are a total of 7 blooms on the tree, and more on the way. It was so delightful to wake up to this.

Now, I just need a fruity drink with an umbrella. 

Of course, in the midst of all this, our heating system decided to go on strike. We have some heat, but sweaters and woolies are advised. Of course, we have a very efficient system that heats our hot water, too, so the kettle is serving as both the source of endless cups of tea, and hot water for washing things. You don't really need to shower in winter, do you? Repair specialist is on the way, but arrival time is uncertain.

Last week, while I was ordering new ink cartridges for my printer, these fell into my online cart.

  

My writing needed some colourful gel pens. Of course, I need some place to store them, so, I started a new pen and marker case.

Now that it is cut and had its stabilizers fused, it should be a quick sew. 

The sewing room cleanup is continuing, and, as one might expect, some things are no longer required. I am donating some yarn to a teacher friend that can use it in her classroom. so, I grabbed a reusable shopping bag, that had been emptied. 

I found myself holding the handle, without the bag. So, not reusable, at all. I'm not sure how these are suppose to save the planet.