More Memories Captured

 Yesterday's appointment for Mom was the dental surgeon. She had several teeth removed in case she decided she was going to do chemo. She's opted not to do chemo, but her denture plate had already been altered for when the teeth would be removed. Her comment: "Why am I going through with this?" "Well, Mom....if you want to be able to easily chew food again, those teeth need to come out so your dentures can go in." We both laughed at that 😊. These are some of the moments I will treasure....and they've been recorded here so that I can go back and reread them whenever I want. Hmmm! That makes me think that I need to start making labels a habit so that I can do a search for what I want to see.

After I got Mom back home from her appointment, it was around 4:00. It was time to head to Guelph to get together with Tasha (my oldest daughter) for a "wine and dine" evening in honour of her 31st birthday (today). I can hardly believe that she is now 31! Where did the time go???

Anyway...I wanted to share some more of my memory places growing up. This is the house I grew up in from age 5 or 6 until I was 21. Some of that time was spent in Guelph going to university, though.

I was born and raised Catholic (not really a follower anymore), and went to this elementary school as a child....St. Teresa's. 

My very best friend in the world at the time, Rose Campbell, lived right next to the school in this house.

Our paths diverged once I started university, but I have to say, I still miss that friendship.

About 10-15 minute's walk from where I lived, there was a convenience store called Coglin's Variety Store (not sure I've spelled Mr. Coglin's last name correctly). He was such a lovely, kind man. I remember many a time that Mom and/or Dad would give Linda and I a bit of change to go to the store. We loved to see how far we could make those coins stretch. The store has since been turned into a garage 😔.

Across the highway (the very busy 53 highway into Brantford) there was a farm that had chestnut trees. I can remember one day (I was maybe 6 or 7) going to pick up chestnuts with the babysitter's son. I saw my parents turn in to our street and thought they'd leave the babysitter's without me (amazing how young minds work) so I began to run across the highway to catch them. I stopped dead in the middle of the west-bound lane of the highway as a large green car's tires were screeching on the pavement. I was SO lucky they were able to stop before hitting me!!!

It's amazing how clearly I can still see that green car coming toward me!

There are a few more memories, but I will save them for tomorrow. My blog will likely be late as we are supposed to be visiting friends for supper tomorrow night. If I don't get an entry in tomorrow night, I'll catch up on Saturday 😊

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Capturing Memories

 Today I needed to take my mother to pick up her dentures, which were modified based on the pending oral surgery tomorrow (she needs to take the dentures with her), and we ran several other errands as well. It was about 12:30 when we got back to the house and my mother began preparing "dinner". They eat their larger meal at midday, and eat lighter for the evening meal. I have learned to ask "Is there anything I can help with?" rather than stepping in and doing things. I do it for both my VERY independent parents so as not to rankle them.

When dinner was done, I decided that I would go for a drive and capture some memories. My first stop...my old high school. 

The old part of the school was built in 1910. It wasn't there when I went to high school, but they've since put a stone marker indicating the date the school was built.

I'm not sure when it happened (before I got to highschool, for sure), but a 3 story "tech and business" wing was added to the school, as well as a triple gymnasium 6 flights of stairs below the t&b wing (built into the side of a hill). 

What's REALLY interesting is that at one point, the school was not entirely co-ed. One end of the building has a stone inset saying "Boys", and the other end has a stone inset saying "Girls". Can you imagine???

 My next stop was Lorne Park, which runs alongside the Grand River. I always loved this park! It's a beautiful space right in the midst of town. In fact, Brantford has a lot of lovely parks sprinkled throughout town. Lorne park, however, has always be a showcase. The lawns are manicured, and the flowerbeds have always been beautifully maintained. Each year, the one long flowerbed would be decorated according to a chosen theme. This year's theme is "Year Of The Garden". The plants were only planted a few weeks ago, so they have not developed to their full potential yet. Nonetheless, it still is quite beautiful.

One of my MOST favourite things about the park, however, was a large willow tree. I was SO happy to see that it was still there.

When I was younger, those branches...which have obviously been trimmed up...use to hang right to the ground. It was so cool to go sit in the centre ring around the tree. Kinda like a natural tent. A different version of "forest bathing". And look at how massive that trunk has gotten!!! The diameter of that trunk is easily 4 feet across!

The road through Lorne Park is a one-way road. In high school, sometimes I would ride my bike into town. I would use the back roads as much as possible (self-preservation). That road was one of the ones I'd use. Back then, there was no such thing as bike lanes, so it was sometimes a little treacherous on that road. People often took it as a means to cut off a corner of town to get to the main highway. Today, I'm very glad to see that there are clearly marked bike lanes. Not only that, but there's one that allows cyclists to go against traffic on that road 😀.

My next stop was the old "survey" where I grew up...but I'll save that for tomorrow 😉

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Willie Nelson, Anyone?

 "On the road again...."🎵🎵

Truly, I CAN just wait to get on the road again! 😁 I do, however, enjoy these days spent with Mom and Dad. Who knows how many opportunities I will have left 💜.

Today was A LOT of driving. I got up at 6:00 this morning and was packed, loaded, and on the road by 6:30. No sooner did I arrive in Brantford and unload for my stay, it was time to hit the road to Kitchener for Mom's consult with the pancreatic surgeon. We arrived, and before too long were called into the office. Unfortunately, the surgeon had received the report of Mom's CT scan from Brantford, but was not able to access the images. Apparently, Brantford's system is not the same as Kitchener's. Unbeknownst to us, we would have had to request a disc of the images to bring along to the appointment. That being said, the surgeon did still discuss things with us.

The procedure that would occur, providing Mom's images would show her to be a candidate, is called the Whipple Procedure. It is a very complicated and very dangerous procedure with a high  possibility of death during or shortly after the procedure. They would remove some of the stomach, the head of the pancreas, the gall bladder, and a section of the intestine. They would also have to resect a good deal of the bile ducts. If successful, and if Mom survived it, it could buy her some undetermined amount of time. The surgeon did not say that he would not do the procedure, if Mom wanted it and the CT scan images showed her to be a candidate, but he did...rather strongly...suggest that she not do the procedure. Mom was inclined to agree with him, stating that she did not want to have the surgery. She did ask him if there were any other options..."like chemo?" He felt that this would not be a good option either in that it would be unlikely to affect the tumour enough (he said that Mom's pancreatic cancer is very aggressive and the tumour is already approximately the size of a golf ball). In a nutshell, he would recommend the surgery over chemo for this type of cancer, but given her age, he weighed the benefits and found them wanting. What he suggested would be to keep replacing the stent as needed, and possibly doing some radiation if/when the tumour becomes painful.

All in all, not the best news....but I was not surprised.

Anyway, on my way to Brantford I made a stop at Michael's in Guelph. I needed a pitstop, and this seemed like a good place as it would allow me to "get inspired" for the next Out Of The Box project. I did find quite a few things that I believe will help me to accomplish the task, but I'm not ready to show anything yet 😊. But....I also got distracted by some yarns that were on clearance. In particular, a chunky yarn that was variegated with cream, purple, and a peachy-pink. Hmmm!!! I know a 1-1/2 year old who might appreciate a snuggle blanket 😁. I got started with crocheting and have managed to get pretty far already. It's not too hard with such a chunky yarn.

As I was getting ready to do this blog and shut down for the night, I noticed this booklet in the shelf in the bedroom that I am sleeping in.

It was first published in 1982, but it must have been reasonably popular in its day as it had a 7th printing in 1987. I wonder if Elaine would think it's useful? 😜

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Super Sunday :D

 It was such an awesome day today 😁

The day began with the "Out Of The Box" class. Boy....The people in this class are VERY creative....although some of them would say they're not... and they really inspire me in so many ways. Some of them inspire me because their projects make me want to try what they've done (maybe in my own way), and others inspire me with their freedom (they know how to play!!!). I really need to work on learning how to play when quilting. It should not always be about a finished piece....or a "perfect" piece. So funny....I used to tell my students that our best learning comes from our mistakes. And yet, I seem to averse to making mistakes. I really have to change that! My current biggest quilting fear/aversion is free-motion quilting. Yesterday's class, the Modern Table Runner, is going to be the perfect opportunity for my first concerted effort at play!

Our "Out Of The Box" challenge for the upcoming month is to use a dark fabric and bright embellishments. We're also supposed to try doing something (a technique or whatever) that we haven't done before. I am excited to figure out what I want to do. I LOVE this class!!!

A little later in the morning, it was time for the second day of Elaine's Quilting Retreat by Zoom. I love these sessions. Lots of good company and good conversations! She offers this one weekend a month, and ANYONE is welcome...for a few minutes, or for the long haul. She post the link each month on her blog. If you're interested, check her out....Crazy Quilter On A Bike. I love reading her blog each morning over my morning coffee 😊.

When I logged into the retreat, I felt like I wasn't quite in the right mind space to begin sewing right away, so I decided to update my quilting calendar, recording the classes until the end of the year, and the homework for the next month. My last calendar ran from July to June (a student calendar). What I loved about this calendar was the space for notes to the left of the calendar each month. Since July is pending, I've been keeping my eye out for the student calendars to come back in to Staples. Usually they are there by now so I asked one of the support staff when they'd be coming in. Apparently, there is a paper shortage since COVID. Seriously??? I had no idea. She did not seem to know when they would come in, so I had to buy a January-December 2022 calendar to finish out the year. It's from the same company as the student calendar, but do you see the difference when I lay the old calendar over the new one?

A good portion of the "note" section is taken up with a full-year calendar. What??? There's not as much space for me to record homework??? Hmmm! Do you think maybe they're trying to tell me I need to sign up for fewer classes so I don't have as much homework?!?!?! Hah! I have a plan in case I need more space 😏. I have some over-sized Post-it Notes pads!

After I got the calendar update done, I was ready to begin sewing. I began by finishing up the "Pie Blocks" for Tula Pink's Butterfly.

Then, I had unfinished work to do for Wanderer's Wife. I managed to get one of the blocks totally done...the Pershing block.

I also got half of another block called "Crazy Anne" done. By then, it was time for me to sign off and head upstairs to contribute my efforts to our Sunday dinner. I really like that we are trying to recapture the past by not shopping on a Sunday, and by preparing what we remember as "Sunday Dinner". On tonight's menu....BBQ'd rotisserie chicken, baked potatoes, StoveTop Stuffing, and a salad with lettuce from our own garden 😃. Now we're watching shows on the Magnolia channel...lots of renovating-type shows.

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Enough?....Too Much?...

When is enough, enough? Or, when is too much, too much? 

This is the first week in I-can't-remember-how-long that I have not had to make the 5-ish hour drive to my parents' place to get my mother (or, less often, my father) to appointments and out for shopping, and I can't believe the literal WALL of tiredness that has hit me! In being able to relax at least a little bit (so much to do here that I've fallen behind on, quilting included) I guess it finally hit me how tired I've been. 

The hardest part of soooo much driving and busy-ness while with my folks (Don't get me wrong.I have REALLY enjoyed being able to spend time in the company of my folks. My mother has always been easy to be with, and there's a softness to my father now that I am really loving) is that I feel the need to sort of cocoon myself when I am back home. This makes it VERY difficult when friends/family want to visit, or want us to visit them. It is MORE! I have to head down to Brantford again on Monday, returning on Wednesday (or Thursday if Mom's dental surgery that starts at 1:50pm runs too late). Today, a very good friend stopped by for a quick visit and wanted us to come for supper. On Friday, other friends of ours who are going to be cottaging in the area would like to come over for the afternoon to swim and visit, and then stay for supper. On Saturday, Steve's sister and other half would like to come to Owen Sound for an event-filled day by the pool (games, challenges, etc.) followed by fireworks at night.

At what point is enough, enough?...or too much, too much? I will do these things because I know my other half is looking forward to them, but for me...they just seem like more demands on my time that take me away from my happy place...the place that allows me to relax and regroup.

Okay...that's enough whinging (win-jing....a British word I learned from a friend. It means complaining).

Yesterday, while I was trying to get as much of my Tula Pink's Butterfly homework done, what I thought was a boat trolling into our little bay turned out to be a seaplane taxiing for take-off. I wish I had my phone with me at that moment 😕. I would have loved to capture it when he/she was so close to our place...right out front, in fact. I think someone must have been getting lessons, or trying to get their pilot's license, since they did several more landings and take-offs. None of them, however, were right out in front of our place after the first one. You'll have to watch carefully to spot the plane. Sorry!

So...working on TP's Butterfly was a real treat this month. I do say that tongue-in-cheek! We needed to make 8 sections with stripes pieced together (easy peasy), and 8 pie blocks (NOT so easy). You needed to use a template for the pie blocks, which was not really a problem. I photocopied the templates (in groups of 4), trimmed them, and then glued them to the fabrics I chose for each block.

I then use a cutting ruler to cut the straight edges of each piece, and my Shark Cutter, a tool I got in my Quilting Gnome Advent Calendar (Thank goodness!!! So helpful for this!), to cut the curved edges. The whole process, while not difficult, was quite time consuming. 

I got ALL the pieces cut prior to beginning them together.

The hard part came when sewing the pieces together. It is QUITE challenging to "sew on the curve" when the pieces are small (the blocks make up to 6-1/2" unfinished). I did manage to get 2 of the 8 done before class. Let's just say I'm not a fan of sewing on the curve and leave it at that!

I might have been able to finish more of the blocks before class, but Steve....who rarely asks me to engage in "down time", suggested we head down to the lower deck to enjoy the lovely weather and breeze, and maybe go for a swim. Enjoy what we love about this place instead of worrying about all the have-to-do tasks???That's a no-brainer!

When we got down to the water, I stepped down the ladder to my knees and thought "Nope...I'm not going in!" (The temperature of the water was only around 69 degrees Farenheit....a little too cool for my liking when I'm not feeling really hot and sweaty). However, himself decided he was going to give it a go.

Psyching up for the leap! And....he's in!

The whoop he made when he surfaced just validated my choice to not jump in! 😁

There are more things to share, but it is getting late and my bed and book are calling, and so...

On that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Night Off

 

I have a class tonight followed by a Zoom with friends from afar, so I will not be blogging. Catch up with you all tomorrow!

And on that not, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Serious Sewing Day

 Today needed to be a serious sewing day. I had/have 3 classes worth of homework to get done....one today (Quilts Of Valour), one tomorrow (Tula Pink's Butterfly), and one Saturday (Modern Table Runner). But before sewing, I needed to help Steve get the boat trailer hooked up.  It was going to go and get the broken windshields repaired. The winter before this past one, the shelter it was stored in collapsed under the weight of a significant and very heavy snowfall. That bent bar above the boat is one of the bars from the shelterIt never made it into the water last year.....but we definitely want to get it in this year.

When I got to my sewing, I started with the QOV homework as I needed to get a photo of it posted on Instagram by the end of the day today. I go the block started, but took a break at lunchtime. 

I didn't look at the name of the block, but I really like it. I like the way it looks and I enjoyed making it. And...I got it posted to Instagram 😃

Then, I began work on the homework for Butterfly. The first part was quite easy....8 sections of strips (two of each kind).

After that, it was on to 8 pie blocks. These are considerably harder to make. The cutting itself took a fair bit of time, but the sewing is the really challenging part...sewing on a curve. I only managed to get 1 of the 8 done today. Hopefully the rest go a little faster tomorrow. I have decided, however, that I don't really like making pie blocks. I think I'd rather just make pie!

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN