What I Wore

It’s taken me a few days to get back to this page.  We have to go out and take the snow off the roof of our porch as it is over a foot thick. That means I’ll be wearing my long underwear (AKA a base layer), wool socks and snow pants again.  It’s -18C and with the wind chill-25C so we will let it warm up a bit first.  I won’t be wearing anything fancy today because it will be more hard work out there. 

Just wanted to mention the SLEEPING BEAUTY stone earrings I picked up at the Royal Ontario Museum when we were in Toronto at Christmas.  I’ve always wanted a tube of the watercolour paint by Daniel Smith but couldn’t justify the cost (30.00-61.00 CDN$ depending where you bought it).  It turns out I could mix up something very close to the colour with the paint I have. I was happy to pull out this warm shirt and find that it was almost exactly the same colour too. 

We had to go to town to buy a new sump pump as ours quit.  Not going to be an issue right now with this cold spell but we need to be ready for a possible January thaw (there usually is one)! 

SNOW-MAGEDDON

Good riddance 2024

I’m kissing 2024 goodbye and good riddance! 

I’ve had enough.  Yesterday I got a notice from the federal government saying that I still owe them more income tax money.    They gave me until January 2 to pay!  Really!!?!  I went to the bank this afternoon to get it done during this rotten year.

Now I’m happy that I’m still here; I survived the 7 hour operation to remove the tumour.  I appreciate my family and friends, my hubby and the other parts of my life especially filling my sketchbooks but I could have gone without the chemo and radiation treatments. 

Anyway, turning the page on this year and moving on!

Happy New Year to everyone! 

Christmas Day, Boxing Day and December 27

Here is what I recorded with my family on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the next day!  I kept the drawings small so I could get it done at the time! 

What really makes me laugh is the portable toilet we bought the kids for their camping trips! 

I love that our daughters friends from university still come to celebrate Christmas with us!  

Oh yes! The play COME FROM AWAY, was fantastic! So happy we finally got to see it.  I think Apple TV has the Broadway performance available if you want to catch it! 

Canada Post delivery resumes

Yippee! The Canada Post mail strike is over!  When I got home from town on Thursday it was dark enough that I wasn’t sure that the flag was up until I got very close to our laneway.  Eureka! The flag was up!  We have mail!  So freaking happy!  Sadly I didn’t make any Christmas cards this year because it is too late to mail out anyway.  As far as I’m aware sending out international mail has only just opened up for us. 

My husband said that I made the mailbox look better in my drawing than it really is.  Yup! That is true!  The poor thing has been battered and bruised for the last 45 years.  First, by kids who use to play “baseball mailbox” back in the day, then by the snow ploughs and work trucks. My hubby has had to pound all the dents out the best he can.  Luckily when he installed it so long ago, he attached it to a swivel so it moves with each bashing.  

So glad the days will begin to get longer now. 

Canada Post strike

This is a page from my 2017 sketchbook.  Yup, no letter to Santa this year because Canada Post has been on strike.  Hopefully, they will be back to work tomorrow but we won’t know for sure until the weekend is over.  Regardless, it might be too late to get a letter all the way from central Ontario to the North Pole! 

Old forgotten journal

What a surprising find. I don’t recall writing in this book but I have done so, off and on for 10 years.  First entry is December 30, 1990 and last November 3, 2000. 

It was a bit “in my face” when I opened the cover to see “Songs for my Funeral” but the page is blank.  I’m glad I didn’t find this before I had my cancer operation (tumour removal) in June.  Geez, it would’ve freaked me out! 

I read a little bit.  One passage was about how my brain felt “spongy” because I was on night shift and I hadn’t slept well.  Gawd!!! I can still feel how awful that was!  Especially so because I’d have to go in to work another night shift feeling like that!  It was also exacerbated due to the fact that at that time I was taking university courses and studying on my lunch break.  I was ever so thankful that I only had to work 2 nights shifts in a row because we worked 12 hour shifts: 2 days, 2 nights followed by 4 days off! 

I’ve put the journal back.  I’ve read enough.  I know it’s there now and can read more later, maybe next year maybe not.