Winter is coming!

It's been a lovely few days, other than the frost on Monday morning! It was -2 at 6:30 when I got up. It was a balmy -1 by 8 a.m. Oh for joy! This morning I woke at 5 a.m., worrying about this proposed gun club,  and it was 0˚ C.! We have done some research, and are speaking to neighbours, similarly upset with this proposal, and we'll see what happens. 

I put the heater into the bird bath, later I'll switch it out. (Thanks, AC!) Both that and the water fountain had a skiff of ice on top. Whoopsie! With all our worries it crept up on me. Soon I'll drain, clean, and cover the water fountain. 

Despite wearing a mask in her high school, Josephine has COVID. She's not feeling too badly, which is a relief. Caitlin thought that last year the mask/no mask ratio was about 80/20. This year it is reversed, only about 20% of kids wearing masks. Thanksgiving (Oct. 10th) will be postponed. Ah well. We had a Merry Christmas on a weekend in late February/March in 2022! What the heck. 

Poking my head out front, I noticed the tops of these trees. It cheers me up.

I walked out front to see the colours better!

I've loved the sumac in Ontario. This frontyard stand is dying out, as is the one in the backyard. 

Well, here we are in the great outdoors. There were three bees on my chair. They are a bit dopey. The hornets are still about. It'll be interesting to see when they die of for winter.

My planters aren't exactly going strong, the coleus was hit by frost, but just in the front. We've a bit of a micro climate, in that the house retains the warmth of the sun. The lantana looks fine, as well as the trumpet flower and the petunias. The impatience was touched, though. It's just a matter of time!

Funny story – don’t tell the kids! JB brought me some flowers to cheer me up. I found the kitchen shears and chopped off the ends. Then, I used the shears to chop off some old cactus leaves. Then, I lost the the shears! I looked everywhere where I'd just used them. 

I was out fetching chestnuts, and found them under the horse chestnut tree! 👀 

This is what the tree looks like in spring. The leaves are dying, the conkers are dropping off as well.

I love the horse chestnuts. We had a tree beside us when I was a kid in Toronto. I gathered them and opened them up. 

Indoors, we are settling in for winter. The orchid is doing really well.

This works for some cats, but not ours. Try it, if you have a cat. Some cats perceive it as a box. 

My poor computer cord! Daisy used to like it. I repaired it twice since. I had a package of white, but it was stale. It's not a cheap fix: $16.50 for three little packets, but cheaper than a new computer cord. With supply chain issues, we could only find black in the store.  

The aquarium is doing well. I think goldfish day is Wednesday, maybe Thursday. After that the temperatures are just too cold. I have to drain it some the reach all the goldfish, and the rain Friday will fill up back up some.

Home repairs: computer cord, mailbox, TP holder

 Friday, Jan. 28th

Jesse (my son in Vancouver) told me about Sugru. It's a fabulous thing to mend cords. You'll notice I had some white stuff, back when Daisy liked to chew the cord.[ A funny story about Sugru – 2019] I think I've caught the cord on the mechanism on my chair. Anyway, all fixed! I sent JB in to get it for me. They didn't have any white stuff. Jesse says it matches the black laptop keys! 

📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬📬

📫Our mailbox was bashed – again

Home maintenance and repairs can be a challenge for me. I watched my dad and he did a lot of this stuff. I have failed to master quite a few things, though. I kept all his useable tools, garden equipment, nuts and bolts. The repair wasn't quite good enough. The door doesn't quite align. I bashed away at it, to little avail. The problem was the riveting I'd done on the fly. I needed a nut and bolt.

Once I was calmer (the next day), I scrounged up some possibilities. The drill bit was in my pocket!  Toddling out to the mailbox, again...

It's a lovely day. We had 2 cm of snow overnight. It's quite pretty. It was much warmer, only -17 C.! 

The second one I tried worked! I told Caitlin that it was awful taking off my gloves, then having to take the other one off! Wow! We don't get a newspaper anymore, but the yellow Citizen box protects it, I thought.

There are still dents from where the blunt force object made a connection with my mailbox. The top hooky pieces are meant to keep it closed. It's not a good fit anymore. 

🔦🔨🔩🔦🔨🔩🔦🔨🔩🔦🔨🔩🔦🔨🔩🔦🔨🔩

Saturday, Jan. 29

I've been looking for a new toilet paper holder. I loved the one we bought in Muskoka. The wooden one is in the downstairs bathroom. 

Time to tackle the new toilet paper holder. The old one was wretched looking. I ordered a new one, just as an afterthought, simply to bring an order up to free delivery (Wayfair). It was the only place I could find new cords for my outdoor Cherry Blossom fake tree. (That project is incomplete. I'm still working on it!)

The kittens quite liked the toilet paper roll, back in the day! Dorah is gone, and Daisy is happy in her rehomed situation. We speak of them all the time.

It took some time to remove the old holder brackets. One screw was stripped (the left one), and I had to drill it off. I didn't totally succeed. 

The white panel came in handy, later. It was from a horrible saga: The toilet issue (2019). We won't use that company again. (Plus they took CERB money, and still complained about the government.)

The next thing was to sand and paint over the white spots, then fill the holes with polyfilla. The paint I found was the right colour, but it was rust paint, and was solid on the top, liquid separated underneath. Whoopsie! Back down to the basement.

Back in the basement, I found the right paint. This was the only room I repainted when we moved in back in 2010. 

Overnight, while I let the polyfilla dry, I popped the toilet paper on a large candle holder. 

 You'll notice the white cover plate. It came in handy.

The guy accidentally sliced through the toilet stack: The toilet issue (2019). It required repairs. And a cover plate. Being able to see the studs was helpful. I knew the toilet paper holder would need to be anchored to them, not just in the wall. I was looking for a long piece I could screw in, and then secure the holder to that, when I came up with a better idea. 

Fitting it, making JB sit on the toilet to ensure he could reach it what with his sore arm, I figured we were good. I secured the heron carving to the studs, with JB's help holding it, and it is much more secure. The old toilet paper holder was flimsy and loose and would fall off the wall at will. In hindsight, I should have bought a sturdier one, but this will do. There is even a spot to hold your cell phone, if you take it to the bathroom! 

Ta da! Today's project is sealing the front door. We could/should replace it, but we're a bit tight right now. I'm still having issues with 💰Canada Revenue Agency😓. After that, and the new driveway, I keep telling myself "it's only money!"

We had an adventure! Part 1

I am finally feeling a bit more like myself. I'm still having the odd pangs when I see a Daisy May photo in my archives. It really shook me for many complicated emotional reasons, betrayal, why she couldn't get along with her siblings. Knowing someone (JB's cousin) who knows her new mom helped. Everytime I pick up my laptop, I see where I had to repair the cord she liked to remove!  [A funny story about Sugru] It's a magnet, and she knew how to take it off.  The pain and grief lessen.

I just wanted to cocoon for a long time. I suggested an adventure on Friday, March 1st. A sunny day, it was lovely. I've been visiting my client twice weekly, and racking my brain to entertain her, and get her lifted up with funny self-deprecating stories. It's a tough slog some days. I've been resorting to reading the sales flyers, and talking about items on sale. We can't discuss news, for three hours, as I'm looking for uplifting topics. She knew I was troubled with Daisy May. She's been happier that I'm better. It's easy, when you're stuck in the house, to horriblize. My mom worried like this, anticipating the worst outcomes.

I bought my client this window feeder, but she doesn't have many birds now. Anyone have suggestions? This is where she sits and looks out the window. I hope that her bird situation changes in spring. Perhaps we just have to be patient. I spotted a blue jay there, once. This was prior to the snowfall.

I suggested we go to Westport for lunch. Off we went.



Cold work, outdoors!

Now, those are chains on the tires! I had JB turn around in order to grab a drive-by photo.


First stop: we headed for Narrows Lock, to check for birds.

Soon, the summer markets will open.


We've never popped in here, it's a perfect studio for an artist. Our walls are full. What can I do?!


There are many open fields, but in many places you can see the critters tracks, if you looks closely.

Yes, I have to get my camera cleaned. <sigh>


Lots of Ontario farms and barns.


Interesting decor! This photo was through the left side back passenger window. Not bad for a drive-by shooting.

Next stop: the swans at the locks!