Skywatch Friday ~ June 28, 2024

It's the last Friday of the monthand a wet day for us. It was also a wet day on Thursday when I took these photos.  

I was on my way to meet a friend for a lunch to celebrate both of our birthdays, which are in the month of May.

The Main Street Science World Sky train Station

The new St. Paul's hospital under construction 

Heritage Hall

St. Patrick's Catholic Church

Even though it was a wet day I never got rained on at all since it rained before and after my outing. I'm hoping it won't be such a long time before we are able to meet up again.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.  Enjoy your weekend and thank you for dropping by!

It's Anti-Procrastination Day

Hello dear friends, 

It's Wednesday here as I write this post.  It started raining today which is a nice change.  It will water the garden well and freshen everything up a bit.  I was going to make a trip to the community garden today but delayed it due to the rain. I need to do a bit of weeding and some harvesting, mainly swiss chard and kale.

I've just come back from a quick shopping trip to buy more toilet paper. During the promotional sale DH and I bought 8 packages (12 rolls each) of toilet paper and 2 packages (4 rolls each) of paper towels. It isn't a lot but it will help carry us for several months by which time there will likely be another promotional sale.

I was very tired today because I didn't sleep well at all last night. This is the first time in a long while that I haven't slept well. It means my sleep has improved considerably over these past several months.  Despite sleeping very little, I awoke early because the light was very bright coming through the blinds and the workers were here working on the patio.  I busies myself with this and that, including a load of laundry, washing dishes and making a few meals ahead.  

We had a sheet pan dinner tonight of pork shops and vegetables. I also made meat sauce for spaghetti and froze it. Lastly, I made Shepherd's Pie to have on Thursday along with a nice salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and avocados.

Before the filling is topped with mashed potatoes. 

I put shredded kale in the Sheperd's Pie and the meat sauce to boost the nutritional content and to make sure the kale didn't go bad.

In Fly Lady Land (a home cleaning system), Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day.  One of the things I've been putting off is sorting through what used to be kept in a small cabinet in the master bedroom. The movers packed the cabinet's contents into boxes.  Now I'm going through it all to get rid of as much as possible while the bedroom furniture is still in storage. I made a good start and will continue over the next few days.

I'll also try to give away the small bags in the photos but the rest of the items are headed to trash because they are expired or used.

Earlier this week I was also able to declutter several more magazines and a set of oven gloves which I'm hoping to give away. 

All in all, it's been a good week so far. I'm meeting a friend on Thursday for a long overdue lunch date.  Friday marks the beginning of a long weekend in my province.  I'm hoping to make more progress in decluttering this week while the weather is inclement because I have a busy week or two ahead after that and I'm anticipating the renovations in the master bedroom to begin after the long weekend. I haven't been given a start date but will be calling the strata manager to find out where things are at. I was kind of hoping the patio renovation might be done before the bedroom renovations begin.

Is it a long weekend where you are? Do you have fun plans? 

Thank you for stopping by!

A Short Errand

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

How are you doing so far this week?

The weather at the end of the last week turned quite hot though not unbearably so. In fact, the weather so far during late spring hasn't been very hot at all and sometimes not even that warm. This is great not only for me but also for our forests because too hot weather means more wildfires.

I've had a tiring week but that's because it's also been a productive one.  I'm making progress on a number of fronts. I'm always happy when I get things done on my long list of things to do. 

On the Friday past, it was a hot day but I had to go out for one main errand at Home Depot.  On my way back, I stopped for dinner at a spot I haven't visited recently. Friday nights are often spent running errands and eating out because I'm gone during the dinner hour.

One of my favourite Bento Box meals

It was getting close to 9:30 p.m. as I made my way back home.  I always appreciate looking at the sky when I'm out and about. These clouds were gathering and by Saturday the sky turned gray though it didn't rain. 

I sometimes stop at Blenz for coffee or cold tea.

I stop here for lunch or dinner and sometimes a buffet.

In years past, I've visited for the lunch buffet at the Holiday Inn for special occasions. They had a wonderful buffet with a different theme each week day.  The selections were not huge but they were more than adequate with a soups, salad bar, a hot entree with a particular theme (examples Asian, Greek, BBQ etc.) and a dessert bar. Sadly they stopped the lunch buffet several years ago and concentrated on a breakfast buffet for their guests. 

On Friday I noticed that the hotel has restarted their lunch buffet but only on Thursdays and Fridays from 11:30 to 2:00 p.m. I see that the menu will be a BBQ theme on Thursday, June 27th and British food on Friday, June 28th.  Neither of these cuisines is my favourite so I hope that they change the menu themes each week.  A friend and I are over due to celebrate our respective birthdays which are both in the month of May.  Perhaps she will be the first one I get together with for lunch there soon. This place is good because the price was reasonable and the food was always excellent. 

Do you have a favourite place you like to go for a meal?

Thanks for coming to visit.  Please come again soon.

Childhood ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome to Toni's Tuesday 4 and another chance to learn more about yourself and your fellow bloggers.

1. Were you an adventurous child at all?

I don't think I would describe myself as a very adventurous child. My mother was overly protective with me as the eldest and a girl. I was always told about the dangers out there and my time to do the normal things was strictly limited and observed. I developed a fear of doing a lot of things that other children did more naturally such as swimming, riding a bike and skating. I did do all of these things eventually but none too well and to this day I really don't do any of them.  All of my siblings took to these activities very naturally. I suppose too they were given a lot more freedom given that by then mom and dad had more experience as parents. However they were still given strict instructions about when to be home and so on. I'm glad for these kind of rules when I was young but wish I didn't become so fearful. It's something I've tried to work on in later life with some success.

2. What were some of your favorite places to go when you were a child? Amusement parks, movies, restaurants, zoo.  etc?

I enjoy all of these things as a child. My small town didn't have a zoo but each year the circus would come to town and practically everybody would attend. I enjoyed it a lot and was always nervous when the lion trainers would work with tigers and lions. This was in the days before such things as animal rights. I'm not even sure if there is such a thing as a travelling circus anymore in small town Canada. We didn't have amusement parks though once a year in late summer just before school started again, we would have the Fall Fair and Rodeo. The fair always included the carnival and was something we loved to visit into the late nights. We did have one movie theatre and dear mom would make sure that I went to matinees either with her or with my siblings and of course we'd have popcorn and pop for a treat. Restaurants were very few but we did get out to the Woolworth's Cafe once a month when mom went shopping or when it was back to school shopping. We also had a chinese restaurant where we had a treat now and then but not that often. 

3. What games did you play outdoors? indoors?

We played every game that was known in our parts both indoors at outdoors. Indoors at school we played things like dodgeball, volleyball, basketball, indoor hockey and probably more. Outdoors we played a lot of soccer, road hockey, baseball, cricket, track and field, hide and seek, roll over & tetherball.  I feel like I'm missing something from the list of games and sports. For quiet games indoors we played all kinds of things like card games (Crazy 8, solitaire, some played poker and some played cribbage) and board games (snakes and ladders, Chinese Checkers, Yahtzee and so on). In summer it would stay bright outside. Even at midnight it would be like dusk so we kids did a lot of playing outdoors in those times. We even played outdoors in winter because the sun would shine brightly and though it did get cold it wasn't cold each and every day. We'd make snowmen and have snowball fights.

4.  Where did you grow up and do you think it affected who you are today?

I grew up in a small city in northern British Columbia (I lived in more than one) and yes, I do feel it affected who I am. I love the city and all it offers. It suits my personality but I also have a huge appreciation for the small town way of life and it's people, animals, wildlife and so on. I think I would love to go back and live however what holds me back is the lack of services, especially good health care. In fact, the lack of health services and easy access to specialists is what keeps me from moving to most parts of my province. That and the cold weather.

Thank you for visiting. Please come again soon.

Time for Planting & Refreshing

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Late spring is always a busy time of planting both indoors and outdoors. Since my patio is not ready for summer enjoyment (the timeline for completion is end of June though I have my doubts given the pace of progress) I just have the community plot at the park and I'm doing a bit of indoor planting.

All these plants were purchased on clearance so they weren't in the best of health. Usually when I find plants on clearance they are quite root bound and in need of larger pots. So I went in search of plastic pots that would be large enough and also have some drainage trays. I put some stones at the bottom to help with water drainage as well.

These plants were on my mantle when they were in smaller pots now they are too large for that. I really can't buy anymore unless and until I have more shelves because the flat surface space here is extremely limited.

Once the indoor and outdoor renovations are done and more decluttering is done, I may consider getting a plant stand where several plants can be housed together. Time will tell whether these plants will even live long enough because so many have died once winter draughts begin.  I enjoy them while they're alive though and I'm hoping the ones I put in the hanging baskets will last longer because they should be out of the pathway of any draughts that come through the windows.

More hanging baskets

In addition to buying pots and planters, I found a few things I need at the thrift store. I wasn't expecting to find these but these items have been on a wish list for some time. First is a set of bed risers.  These come in handy when you want to store things under the bed. 

The price I paid was $6.99 Canadian

I've been using bed risers for a few years already but these new ones should work much better since they are higher than the ones I have.  They also appear to be unused and came in the original box though the photo on the box looks old fashioned so the items may be older but still new and sturdy.

New risers (L), old risers (R)

I also found these double hook shower curtains for the main bathroom. The current ones are getting quite rusted after many years of use.  The original price was $14.99 and they have not been used.

I still have no word on when the repairs will be done in the master bedroom but it will be lovely to have the walls freshly painted and the carpets freshly cleaned.  Everything has been moved out so it will be much easier for the work to be done. It will be wonderful to have a refresh of the master bedroom and some updates to freshen the bathroom such as new door handles and new faucets. I'm thinking to update the toilet handle and perhaps a new sink. I do need to also plan for converting my bathtub into a shower rather than a combined shower/tub.  It has been too difficult to lift my legs into the bathtub every time I want to shower. We never use a tub anyway. DH and I always shower.  The main bathroom will remain with a tub. I do have a faucet and a new shower head for the main bathroom which need to be installed. The door knob has already been changed & the light fixture has been well cleaned. I'm thinking of adding a towel shelf in the main bathroom. Slowly changes are happening.

Thanks for stopping by! Please come again soon. Leave a comment and let me know you were here and it will help me to go and visit your blog too.

Sales, Promotions & Stocking Up

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

How are you today?

I'm writing this on Saturday and I'm feeling very tired.  I even slept in until quite late which I haven't done in a very long time. I mentioned in a recent post that my body has been wracked with aches, pains and inflammation.  In addition, I've been out and about virtually every day running errands. Then at home I'm doing all the daily work and a few projects.  I've also read a number of books in a short space of time. I guess all these activities wore me out, especially the reading when I stay up too late to finish reading books, lol.

So today I'm taking it easy. 

I have an errand to run and bedding laundry to do. I will make a simple dinner of hamburger patties, seasoned potato wedges, veggies and fruits. I'll relax by reading my last unread library book, Reckless Daughter by David Yaffe. It's a biography of the Canadian folksinger icon, Joni Mitchell.

DH had to wake early and go to work.   I showered and changed quite late in the day. The sky has clouded over but the forecast says only a 30 percent chance of rain so we'll see.  

I'm going out to buy a big box of paper towels. I'd also like to buy a box of toilet paper. They are quite large boxes and they are on offer for about a third to a half off the regular price depending on where you buy them.  I'll try and buy one box today and one tomorrow if there are any left.  I bought such boxes last time they were on offer and I've just run out of the paper towels. We bought several boxes of toilet paper and we still have a few packages left. I like buying these things in bulk so I'm not running errands to buy these items every week or so.  

As for other household needs, I've cut back on buying too much because it often goes to waste. I came to this conclusion after all the decluttering I've been doing. I have to keep reminding myself not to over buy things though as I seem to like to buy things, lol.

How about your dear reader? Are you someone who stocks up on everything? Only some things? Or not at all?  Most of my friends do not buy anything to keep on stock. They prefer going out to buy daily for their food and also buy the household needs when and if they need them. I was raised to do the opposite and it's hard to change. In fact, I feel it can be cheaper to purchase things when on offer and have them on hand. In addition, I don't want to have to leave the house to buy something because I've run out. I like being prepared. I still remember those days not so long ago when it was even hard to buy toilet paper.  Though it isn't the reason I like to stock up a bit, it's one more reason not to be caught empty handed.

New Faucet Installation ~ Part 2

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I've been wanting to change the faucet in the master bedroom for quite some time.  I finally took the plunge and bought a faucet.  Actually I purchased two of the same kind, one for each bathroom since both bathrooms are in need of a refresh.

The cap came off the faucet in the master bathroom many years ago.  I kept putting it back on and it would fall back off again so I gave up trying.  Unfortunately the way the faucet is constructed it makes it very difficult to clean properly.  The only way to properly clean it is to unscrew it and clean all around but that is too much work on a regular basis. Hopefully the new one will be easier to keep clean. 

It's so difficult to make this faucet look clean.

I decided to try and change the faucets myself; at least the one in the master bathroom and save myself the plumber expense. However I didn't bargain for it to be so very difficult to remove or unscrew the hoses under the sink. That should have been a relatively easy job, but the whole piece containing the hoses and nuts kept turning around and around.  I couldn't get any leverage to apply the proper pressure.  I also couldn't remove the nuts from the bottom end near the water shut off valves for the same reason. I was afraid if I applied too much pressure at the shut off valves, the plastic piping near the valves might snap and break and that would of course cost a lot to get a plumber to repair. 

I finally managed to unscrew the 'silver' nuts (as in the photo below) almost to the end of the threads. I finally asked my dear husband (DH) to try and do the last bit. With my knee and muscle issues it's very difficult to maneuver into the small space in the master bathroom or lie under the sink and do what needs to be done. I could only do it for short periods and after 5 attempts at loosening the nuts, I'd had  enough. 

These nuts were very difficult to unscrew

The rust looks terrible but thankfully the nuts came out easily

I don't know why, but several women on You Tube have said that it's easy to change out the faucets. I guess they have a different set up under the sink. One of my blogger friends tried to encourage me by saying one of her granddaughters was able to change one too.  I've heard plumbers on YT say that they've run into challenges removing faucets and have taken up to one hour to undo a corroded screw.  Others have said that it is very difficult in tight spaces to get enough leverage to loosen certain nuts. I guess my situation falls into that category.  I either had to get the job done, find a way to do it or call a plumber.

DH did what I asked but didn't have much patience. He noticed the same problem I had though I didn't tell him in advance about my experience.  When he realized what was happening he found it useless to continue. Being a handyman is not his forte, nor frankly his interest.

So I called a friend who works in construction. I thought if he could at least loosen the nuts, I could do the actual installation and I wanted to do it.  He came over and within 10 minutes or less he managed to to loosen the nuts.  He used 2 wrenches to gain leverage.  One to hold the moving pipes and one to loosen the nuts.  Frankly, I thought he was genius.  I know this strategy would take more strength than I have because one of my wrenches is rather heavy to hold especially while working upside down.  

The old faucet

The rusted parts

The new faucet

After the nuts were loosened, I told him I would finish the job but he didn't want me to get down on the floor again so he said he would do it and he did. Afterward, we tested the set up for leaks and all seemed to be working well. I had placed a yellow tub under the pipes and left it there after testing.  Then I went to Home Depot and out for dinner. I was gone for several hours. When I returned there was quite a bit of water in the tub. Oh dear. There is a leak after all.

After a bit of investigating, not much because it was quite late, I think that I must have damaged the flexible hoses when I was trying to remove the nuts.  I was thinking to buy new hoses but after discussions with my friend we agreed I should just reuse them.  

I'll do more testing over the weekend to see if this is really the cause of the leak.  

Oh yeah, when I went to Home Depot, I purchased a new tool but I realized I forgot to buy some clear silicone.

This tool by Rigid, is supposed to make the job of replacing faucets in tight spaces much easier. It also provides a mechanism for immobilizing pipes that go round and round while trying to unfasten tight nuts. Time will tell whether it works as well as I've heard. 

I have another bathroom faucet to replace but I think I'll give it a bit of time before I attempt it again.  There are lots of other things to get done.  I also want to enjoy a bit of summer since it seems all I've been doing is working or dealing with major projects (patio renovation and master bedroom leak and repairs).