🎂 The Party!

 The kids have only been home since Aug. 11. They are easing into the last of their kitchen renovations, which are coming along. The painting is being done, now, plus some fine touches.

We had two postcards arrive from their trip to New Zealand last week. They take sticky address labels for family, and fire them off during the trip.

While they were there in New Zealand, they spotted an ad. JL found it, and we watched. The little kid looked like Isabelle when she was younger! Don't you agree?! 

🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁

While my post on Summer SAD hit home for many, we found a project for motivation. The kids came over for a visit. It was Caitlin's birthday last Wednesday, and we planned a party. My regular morning show, Your Morning, did a segment on Loot Bags.

a segment on Loot Bags

 I was inspired. JB took the lead, though. He went shopping, we'd brainstormed a few things, but he went all in.

I covered the loot bags with a towel, and put a sign on it!

🎂 I'd made 'crazy cake', AKA cockeyed cake, from Peg Bracken's 1960 cookbook: flour, baking soda, sugar, cooking oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water. (No eggs, yeast or dairy, which hubby cannot have!) Instead of baking it in an 8 x 8 pan, I divided the batter and baked it in a pie plate, and a smaller glass dish. I glued them together with strawberry jam. The icing was from Bracken's book: 2 c. icing sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, evaporated milk (or cream) until it is the correct consistency. I popped on tons of sprinkles, to cover up my icing issues, next candles, and a tiara!

I posted this on the family photostream, although the 'cookies' was a lie! Everyone knew that, though. Caitlin made the pasta salad.

They arrived for dinner after work. JL did the chicken on the BBQ for us. 

The girls fired up the cake candles, and we hoped for the best! Now, the joke has been that when Josephine turned 15, I mistakenly kept thinking she was 16. We have held to that tradition, having bought a number 4 and a 5 for the cake. Laughter ensued. Caitlin is only 44!

🎁 The kids brought us a lovely package from New Zealand. Jean, you are amazing. Thank you so much. They had so much fun meeting you! 

Our two families visited the Kiwi Gardens show back in June, prior to their trip. Caitlin hooted out loud when she saw this bird. Also, the Cheshire Cat tickled her fancy. JB drove me back to the show the next day, Sunday, and we bought them both. I sat on this secret since then. It was tough!

 

Saturday morning, we watched the soccer game together.

We said our goodbyes! They have to get ready for their summer camp which begins today at 3 p.m. It was the same camp Caitlin attended back in the day. We took goodbye photos. Isabelle just had a snazzy haircut! 

They had to share the back seat with Caitlin's bird. I suggested she call it Matilda. JL carefully strapped her in, but took up the one seat.

They are at camp for a week. Home a week, and then school begins again! 

🍀 Happy Friday!

Tuesday we woke to a bit of snow. About 3 cm over a couple of days. Not much. And the driveways are warm enough that it melts. I don't have to uncover them. The sun seems to melt the sidewalk. Good thing!

snowy morn

fresh snow from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The beauty of March weather means that it all melts! 

doe day & night from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

As I wrote this, Thursday morning, we expected some snow. Although that changed during the morning, and rain was coming from a Colorado Low for Friday🍀. Oh yuck! These upsy downsy temperatures are unsettling! 

In the meantime, the kids are going to the mountains in B.C. and carrying on with their terrific ski programs. They post photos in their family photo stream, and I get to see what they've been up to! 

It's a great way to get outdoors in the fresh British Columbia air! Jesse had a fine result in the Okanagan-Similkameen Cross.

 

I while away the wet afternoons with 64ordle! I finally got one!

We're melting!

 The amaryllis is doing well, still no roots on the one bulb. I am watching and waiting. More research is required. It is such a bright spot in window.

The orchid cactus is enjoying the sunshine, too. It is so low, it shines and tells them it is time to bloom. More buds are on the way!

Thursday morning it was above zero, and getting warmer. I went outside to fetch trailcam cards from on the deck in the dark, and heard a Great Horned Owl. I've not seen one since Oct., 2013. It was off in the forest.

Great Horned Owl, Oct., 2013

As is the way, after the Christmas Bird Count, we went from 2 Cardinals (a pair), to four males and the female. I joked with Alison, who runs our local bird count, that they seem to know the dates. 

Next, the tree sparrows arrived. I counted four.

Doe in the dark at the feeder. There can't be much food there.

doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

They are frequent visitors.

 

frontyard doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We were above zero, and I hauled the snowblower outside of the garage to let all the snow impaled in the machine to melt. The driveway has all melted. We're back to black. It is a shame, with rain on the way. Lots of people are enjoying the snow, out doing winter activities.

I caught up with Caitlin on the phone. They are making new Year's plans for the weekend.  

People are taking advantage of the snow. Our girls went tobogganing, and went for a walk in the forest. 

They made hot chocolate in the woods, since rain is on the way, to take advantage of the snow. 

We are nearly into 2023. It is difficult to believe. We shall see what we look like after 25 mm (~1") rain.

Catching up with the kids!

😷We've booked our flu shots, and that will be great to get. Some locals are antivax, anti-lockdown, conspiracy theorists, but not us! My birth mother had polio, and had a limp that affected her all her life. I only met her the once. It was a good message for me. 

We continue to work on preventing the rezoning for this possible gun club. The phone calls and the emails have slowed down as our township council finish off with school board trustee elections. It has been three weeks on a steep learning curve! Soon we should know the dates of the next steps. 

This is what we have figured out so far. I did this in the new Inspiration 10 app. I love new tools, although I used Inspiration 9 until I upgraded my OS and it wasn't compatible. This is a new one. 

 We talked to Jesse on Saturday. He's been incredibly busy out in Vancouver. They had a great cross country run, Jess worked from home that morning, and watched as Cluny came 30th in 135 gr. 2 kids in the afternoon. She and Josephine, her cousin, had a chat, since Jos (gr. 10) is doing cross country running, as well. All 4 cousins bonded in July during their visit. These are our four granddaughters. All fair-haired and blue-eyed!  

Vancouver and B.C., are great places for culture. Our DIL is doing something I'd never heard of. She is working with Vocal Eye. A trained actor, she has been taking training to watch a live play, and create a monologue and script, to interpret the action on stage for visually impaired people in real time. She wears a special headset and microphone, so as not to disturb people around her, and helps paint a picture of the scene. 

It's been an eventful week here. I asked Caitlin to come over for some daughter ➣ mother mothering! It's great being in the bosom of your family. I really needed it.

We had a very busy day. My SIL helped me install a new system for critter watching. It took awhile, but it is plugged into a socket, no batteries! I'm still fooling around with the app settings, but my M.Ed. is in Curriculum and Technology so I ought to be able to do it now JL installed it.

We vented and ranted and they listened.  It was wonderful. We had ham, roast veggies, and a pie Caitlin had made. Isn't it amazing?

JL helped me with a second project and finished off using the pressure washer on the middle deck for me. I borrowed it from them and I didn't quite do the job. We had so much rain, I wanted to get the algae off the cement. I've had to rake it twice, to get the leaves off, but that is another story! 

The cupboard was my parents, and it has seen better days, but it stores some pots, gardening, and bird feeder supplies nicely.

Isabelle did some homework. Josephine worked on Wordle, Flagle (flags) and the map one, and however many other puzzles her quick mind solves. She went down and fetched the trailcam memory cards for me. (Video of me mulching below!) Isabelle listened to music in the pine tree. Just like the old days. She said she felt so good just getting into the forest. 

Caitlin and I play Scrabble online. It's been a hoot. She's had two BINGOs, and it was 180 / 382. For her! I looked over at her on the couch, and joked about the score. She sheepishly had to tell me she'd just played! I can't find the concede button! What a hoot it all is. We play all the time, and it is a nice connection during busy work weeks.

They went out on the back deck last night to watch and photograph Jupiter. It's all very exciting. 

I konked out first. It's great they can blow up the bed, and make it on their own. I went downstairs to say good night. I was too tired to even read! We were all pretty tired. 

mulching leaves from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.