A First and a Last

    The first meeting of the Knitters and Crafters this morning, since March 2020. Not a great turnout, we are all seniors and I think some are still reluctant to meet indoors. I managed to get rid of some of the yarn that has been cluttering my basement storage area, and Pat took some Twiddlemuffs to distribute to LTC homes that she visits.

   The "last" is the last of me wearing winter boots. They have gone into storage until next November and am I glad to see the back of them!

    The tall ones are for when I have to shovel deep snow. The brown ones  on the left are for winter walks as they have a good tread. The black ones on the right are for wading through slush when I'm at the mall. If I need any sturdy, waterproof footwear between now and November it will have to be my old trainers!

Another Good Read

     I have just finished this book and enjoyed it although the subject matter isn't easy to read about. It has flashbacks to the Siege of Leningrad in 1941 when Germany invaded Russia and surrounded the city. It's pretty grim reading, told by a survivor, and deals with how it affected her whole life. It made me wonder about the after effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and how the citizens of Mariupol (currently under siege) will deal with the trauma they are enduring.

   Onto something not so gloomy. I made a significant decision the other day to have the giant Spruce tree in my backyard removed. It provides lovely shade on hot summer days but is very messy with needles, pine cones and twigs scattered everywhere, so it has to go. The arborist who is to remove it says it is "in decline" and I am always worried it will come down in a storm. Also it is too close to the pool so I am hoping it can come down before the pool is opened. 

   As it has a diameter of more than 12 inches, a permit is required form the City Planning Department so hope that is granted ASAP. I may be required to replace it with another tree that is more appropriate for the location. Stay tuned!

Peeking Through the Snow

 Yes, we had snow (not much) today so March is going out like a lion. Bad news for the first daffodil shoots daring to poke their heads out.

    I'm sure they will survive with just a bit of frosted tips. There are also some tulips showing up. A while yet until we have some blooms, though.

A Double Hit

   This was Wednesday. My neighbour "helped me out" by spreading some of the pile over the grass. At least I presume that's what happened.

     We had quite a lot of rain since then and today has been milder so the pile has shrunk considerably.

    It won't be long now until it is finally all gone!

    Probus meeting this morning and there were 57 people in attendance. Usually we have over 100 so some are obviously still reluctant to get out in public yet. We are all Seniors so that is understandable. One friend who is over 90 was there. She said she was just desperate for some human contact. The speaker was excellent - his subject was Aretha Franklin and he shared photos and archival footage of some of her early performances. What a "Natural Woman"! Do you remember that song? Also R-E-S-P-E-C-T!