Not A Good Month

Usually February is a pretty good month for me. However, this February has not been fun at all. I started off the month by having to go to the doctor for a really bad cold which he put me on antibiotics to clear up the infection caused by this cold. Then, of course, we have had a snow storm after another after another with another big storm coming today. We have had so much snow that there is no place left to put what comes. DH even had to shovel off the roof of both the house and the garages. I don't think he ever had to do that before.

While I thought that this was the end of a bad month, on February 13th, we received a call from a dear friend that her husband D, who is DH's cousin and a close friend as well, had passed away early that morning. So, we packed up and went to Moncton for the funeral which happened on the 16th, a very sad day. February 16th is also my birthday - I know at my age I try to forget the birthdays, but I still wish the funeral could have been on a different day.

We came home on Thursday being very tired and emotionally drained. Guess what? On Friday, I came down with another nasty cold. Argggh! I am starting to feel better today so hopefully, things will not get as bad as the first one. I hate this February. The only good part of having to go to Moncton was that we did get to meet up and stay with my daughter and her hubby.

Enough of my woes for today. Last week, before I got sick, I bought myself a pair of Shape-Up sneakers. They are supposed to be the latest in sneakers and you have to wear them for short periods of time at first as they are supposed to correct your posture, tone your muscles and walk in a better form. Today, I am wearing them for a while in the house. They do feel really different on, I can see why they suggest wearing them for short periods at first. I do need to shape up so hopefully this will help.

The skies are getting dark and it looks like we are in for the start of our latest snow storm. It is supposed to start with rain, freezing rain and then a good amount of snow. I guess I will be doing my walking on my treadmill for a few days.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Snow Go Away

This is unreal. We just got another snow storm last night and they are calling for another one on Tuesday. The picture is that of a neighbour's cottage before last night's storm. The deck rails are four feet high and the snow is at least 3 feet high on the deck. Do you believe this? DH just gets the driveways cleared with his tractor, and here it comes again within a couple of days. Now I wish we had gone South for the winter. To top it all, we have had high winds with most of the storms. Last year, we did go South and in this area, they never had any more that four or five inches of snow after we left. Ah well, I guess we can't do anything about it.

I started walking last Tuesday. The road we live on is 4 km. long and is gravelled. Right now, it is snow covered but the plow has been keeping it clean and it makes it fairly good for walking. A bit slippery if one is not careful. Yesterday, I walked 3.6 km as I increase it everyday. Today it will have to be the treadmill. I don't enjoy it as much as outdoors as even with the TV there, I find it a bit boring. As I write this, the sun has just come out but we are one of the last roads to be plowed so it will still be the treadmill today.

I am back to working on my quilt that I have on the quilt frames. I really do enjoy hand quilting and find it relaxing especially since DH has set me up with the TV, receiver, and a hard drive that acts like a PVR. I have taped a couple of good movies and put them on while I'm quilting. I must say, that is one good thing about staying in the North for the winter. My quilt is queen size and so it does take a lot of time and a lot of quilting to get it done.

The little birds are coming in groves today. We have the white breasted nuthatch, the rose breasted nuthatch, the chickadees, the goldfinches, the redpoles, the downy woodpeckers and the hairy woodpeckers here today. They chased each other off the feeders. It is nice to see them though. At night, we still get the flying squirrels coming by every so often. It is a great life living in the country.

Must go as I have to go do the treadmill thing. Have a great week everyone. Stay warm.

Sunny but Cooooold

Yes, we did get a storm this week - the worst this winter so far. Not only did we get a lot of snow but we also had high winds during and after the storm. Now the snow is done but we are getting hit with freezing temperatures. Right now at noon time, it is -14 C or +6 F. On top of that, with the wind, the forecaster said it could get to a wind chill factor of -37 C. That is cold and therefore, I'm not planning on going outside today. From the inside looking out, it doesn't look that bad as the sun is shining. We have two feeders on the front windows of our house and the poor birds are there continually today. It is hard to believe that those little things can stay warm and not freeze to death.

I am feeling so much better. On Friday, I did a lot of laundry and did some of the ironing. Then yesterday, I housecleaned. That dust on the furniture was driving me crazy, so to work I go. Now, I feel even better as I'm caught up on my laundry and my housecleaning.

I want to get back to my quilting, with a little luck, it may happen today. With the Holiday Season, with visitors during the holidays and with my being sick, I have not touched my quilt since the middle of December.

Have a great week everyone!

Finally on the Mend

Sorry I have not been blogging of late. If I have any excuse, it is that the Holiday Season came around. Before I had a chance to blog, we were happy to have my daughter and her hubby come and visit with us. The only sad part of that was that they were here to go to a funeral of a family friend. And, the day they were leaving to go home, I came down with a terrible cold. The cold got bad enough that last Friday, I went to see our family doctor. He had me go for chest X-rays to make sure my lungs were clear. He did give me a prescription for antibiotics which are finally working. Today, I still have a bit of a cough but feel much better.

We seem to be getting an inch or two of snow every second day or so. On Tuesday evening, it got so mild, we even had rain. However, we are back to much colder weather and a promise of a bigger snow storm tomorrow. It is snowing now but has not caused any accumulation yet.

We have had a visitor in the form of a flying squirrel. We have feeders by our livingroom windows and after dark, he seems to come and feed there. Being nocturnal, he only travels after dark. He is so cute and looks like he would be soft to the touch. We love having him visit.

DH got me a book about Corn Flower Crystal. I love my new book as it tells how to recognize the true Corn Flower and even has a lot of pictures. My crystal is Corn Flower and in the last few years, I have added some nice pieces to my collection. This book even states from what decade pieces have been made, the price it was sold at the time, and the current prices. Love my book.

Must get going as I should go get lunch. Have a great week everyone and please be careful if you have to shovel that white stuff.

We Are Ready!!!

I just can't believe it but this year, for some unknown reason, I have my Christmas cards done and mailed, I have all my Christmas baking done, my shopping is all done, and my decorations including having put up and decorating the Christmas tree is done. I am never that ready for Christmas by December 15th in other years. The only thing left to do is to go to Moncton on the 23rd to pick up my MIL and bring her here for a one-week stay at Christmas. She says she is looking forward to coming so unless she gets sick or changes her mind, she will join us for Christmas.

This coming Saturday, my brother, our spouses and I have arranged for the paraplegic bus to pick up my Mom at her nursing home and bring her to my brother's house to have our Christmas time with her. We are hoping that Mom will have a good day mentally on Saturday and will be able to enjoy her day with her family.

DH has had his CTscan last week but nothing new was found and so he still has his chest pains without knowing what the cause or the remedy is. And so, we are still on hold for our Florida trip. However, we heard on the news this week that Florida was having temperatures of 5 degrees centigrade with snow flurries in some areas. As it turns out, here we had +11C for Monday and Tuesday. It cooled off last night and we are supposed to have -11C tonight. The only draw back about the warm temperatures is that it came with almost 7 inches of rain in about 30 hours or so. We live about 2 miles off the main highway with 11 permanent homes and 20+ cottages on our shore. It is a dirt road and because of all the rain, part of our road was flooded and damaged. DH and another resident went out after the water receded and fixed up that section of the road. Most of the southern part of our Province had a lot of flood damage, losing bridges and part of roads. It was a bad one. We do love living here but once in a while, we do have to deal with weather problems.

In case I don't get a chance to blog again before Christmas, I want to take this opportunity to wish all my fellow bloggers and their families, a Very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Nice Visits

My brother-in-law and his wife were here for a visit on November 6th and we noticed this scenery looking out our front windows. We took this picture looking across the lake we live on. Every once in a while, the sunsets are outstanding and we are always amazed at how quickly the scenery changes. We do enjoy living here. This month, so far, has been warmer than usual, even if we have had more rain than usual but the forecast is for colder weather on the weekend.

DH is still having chest pains and so, it does not look like we will be heading south this year. He is scheduled for more tests but as yet, they can't seem to find out what causes this pain. He has been in the hospital twice, has had stress tests, blood tests, and other tests but still no answer. He claims the pain is not severe but bothersome.

DH and I took a trip to visit our daughter and her husband last week. We had a wonderful visit and we really enjoyed it. DH and my son-in-law did some work on their garage and my DD and I did some shopping and also did some sea glass hunting. We took one day and did some touring as well. However, quite a few of the tourist shops are now closed but if you are lucky enough to find some still opened, they have great sales. I want to take this opportunity to thank DD and my son-in-law for their hospitality and for the great visit.

Must run and it is almost lunch time and all I did this morning has been on the computer. Housework is still awaiting me! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy Halloween!

I can't believe that it is the 31st of October. Today, we are having our first snow flurries so it does make us realize that it is Halloween. We have been fortunate as far as weather is concerned as it has been about 10 degrees above normal last week. However as of yesterday, we are back to colder and much more windy conditions.

Because of the windy conditions yesterday, most of the leaves have fallen and this morning, DH and I raked those darn leaves. We got about half of the lawn done so will have to get the rest of it done another day. Since age is catching up to us, we have to know our limits and quit before over doing it. Also, DH was in the hospital again for 5 days. Again, his heart was checked and the doctors say his chest pain is not due to heart - a good thing. However, they did the scope test to his stomach and again, all was normal. They did release him from the hospital without finding out what the problem is but he is still scheduled for more outpatient tests.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. Because of where we live, two miles from a main road, we do not get any trick or treaters. So, it will be a normal quiet night for us. Until next time, have a great week.