Travel Day

And another uneventful day of travel is behind me. I'll admit that I'm a bit shallow sometimes! Hey -- we're allowed to be that way once in a while. This was an exceptional year of travel for me, and a while back, I wondered if I would make 25K status with Air Canada. That would allow me Zone 2 boarding (always a delight) and two free luggage (up to 50 lbs), which is essential in what I do. That happened a while ago, and well, a couple more flights got booked, and hey -- can I make it to 35K status? That would give me three free luggage - but UP TO 70 lbs, so I wouldn't have to worry about the weight limit. I will NEVER pack 70 lbs and NEVER have three suitcases, but I'm often at 55 lbs. So, the 35K status would solve that issue. 

I was close, so one last trip was booked to get those final points. At least I booked a trip to Saskatchewan, which is relatively inexpensive. DH knows someone who booked a trip to Japan and Argentina (two different trips) so they could maintain their Superelite status! Now that's a bit much! 

It all gets complicated in terms of which status is better, and of course, you can't just buy trips for the sake of getting status - that would be silly. Zone 1 versus Zone 2 boarding? Seriously? Do I need to be the first on the plane? NO. Do I need access to the lounge? There's never enough time to get to the lounge to fully enjoy it, so that would be a waste. Nope -- I'm happy with what I have. I do have upgrade coupons that I can use, so they may come in handy! 

But I timed it yesterday, and from the moment I left the Uber at the door until I was through security, it took 5 minutes! FIVE minutes -- yep -- that's pretty good, and I even checked a piece of luggage. It was the lightest piece of luggage I've ever checked as it was empty. Well, it had my other suitcase inside. I hope to bring a few things home with me. 

The airport was pretty quiet yesterday, but I can make it from the front door through security in good time, even on a crowded day. If you know where you're going and how to do it -- it's all good. 

Yesterday, I made it through Tim's line and to the gate in under 20 minutes. That was a record. Look what I found at Tim's. What's the deal with the chocolate pastries? I hate to say it, but NONE of them taste like those in Spain. Hey -- you have to work for it to appreciate it! 

Chocolate pastries at Tim's

But -- I was leaving at a gate I'd never been to before and never even noticed. We had to go downstairs. OH -- that means we're boarding OUTSIDE. Thankfully, it was a warm day as my coat was in my luggage! But the plane was small, and they didn't even take gate checks of carryon. Thankfully, I only had my backpack. 

This was our plane. A little one! Notice the people entering the plane are as tall as the plane! I feel like Saskatoon is now on the list of secondary flight destinations from Toronto. But the flight was full. 

Boarding the plane

The flight was totally uneventful - just the way I like them. You couldn't fly anywhere a while back without a lot of turbulence, but lately, there's been very little. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

I had to wait for the luggage for quite a while, which was very unusual, and then I got my rental vehicle. OK -- so this is the biggest car I've ever rented - I hate it because it's so big, but that's OK - I chose it. But is it a car? No - Is it a truck? Not really. It's an SUV, and we've had many discussions at Monday sewing about trucks versus SUVs versus cars. My bet is that the large SUVs are built on a truck body, and the small ones are built on a car body. Call it what you want -- it works. NO mention of snow tires here. 

My rental vehicle

Then, I was off to my favorite bookstore of all time. Robinson McNally. It was packed yesterday, and this was the puzzle section. I did NOT buy a puzzle or even look at them. 

STEP AWAY from the puzzles

I wanted lunch as I had yet to eat, and the restaurant in the bookstore was packed, so I had to wait for a table. But I got a buzzer so I could browse. I looked at the quilts - a couple of interesting ones. The Saskatoon Quilters Guild hangs quilts in the bookstore, rotating every 3 or 4 months. Most are for sale, but some are not. 

A quilt hanging in the bookstore

I checked out the craft books and spotted this! Yep -- you could make a quilt, and you could also crochet the same pattern. Interesting concept!

To quilt or crochet?

I spotted one about curves that was very intriguing, and I noted it. It could make an interesting class. Perhaps an in-person class. I bought a small book and a couple of magazines. I know -- I do NOT need them, and I thought long and hard and then walked to the cash. So help me, god, M will be ditching a lot of magazines. But if I have my way, I'll be reading them. And I am! Just very slowly. 

I bought this one the other day and threw it in my bag for the flight. I read it cover to cover. It was an excellent read and brings about lots of questions. In the textile program at Sheridan College, there was much discussion about art and craft. Which is which, and how do they differ? 

A great read on the concept of art and craft

I earmarked many pages to share with you, but if you can download the magazine. It talks about art versus craft but then gives a high overview of several crafts, including clay, quilting, quilling, block printing, etc. I found it fascinating, but I am NOT just a quilter, and I'm curious! 

But it also made me realize that I need to find new outlets for 2024. I don't mean add new stuff to my plate - well, yes and no. I need to add new stuff that I want to do personally! Not share on a Zoom session with others. But something that I want to experiment with and play with  - just for me. I know I'm going to suck at it at the beginning, and it's going to look like cut and paste from a kindergarten, but that's the only way I'm going to get to the level I want. And that was one of the magazines I bought yesterday. And if you must know the subject - it's art journaling! I've wanted to go down that path for a long time and needed more time (focus). So, I will try to make that a personal focus next year. 

And if you live close to me and want a hands-on experience, we have a workshop retreat for making a journal, which you can then fill with whatever you want! That's January 9 - 11, and I can't wait!!! There is room for one or two more people, so let me know. 

I will share a lot of bits from The Art of Craft, as there was fascinating stuff in it!!!

OH -- and here is the UFO homework that I completed for Sunday. While they look the same, they are two different quilts. I made good progress this past month, and I have a plan for the next couple of months to complete both. Then I get to choose another UFO to work on!! I can't wait!!!!

Cabin in the Woods -- Number One

Cabin in the Woods - Number Two

OH - -then I stopped at the Museum where my Dad "works." The guy is 90 and treats it as his work, and why not! If that keeps him alive, he can call it whatever the heck he wants to! He's so well-liked and APPRECIATED by the staff and other volunteers. It is a pleasure to stop by and see all the stuff he is building for himself and the Museum. He works on old engines for the Museum, and if he can't find the part, he BUILDS it. Yep --- a man without even a high school education can build pretty much anything!! Out of metal! That's a CRAFT, and it just goes to show that university and education are NOT for everyone! 

As I entered the front door, I spotted their Christma Village display. That's a huge display!!! I checked closely and did not see a quilt shop!

The Christmas Village display

I did something I rarely do, and that was to book a room before I arrived. The rooms are sometimes filled with travelers or business workers, but line workers, electricians, highway crews, etc., need rooms, so I had tried to book the night before online, and that didn't work. So I called - oh yes -- they had room. I checked in late afternoon but did not go to the room. 

When I finally got to the room, it was COLD! The heat wasn't on, which made me laugh because four of us booked two rooms on a road trip years ago. We did the same thing - we checked in and went for dinner. The heat wasn't on in the rooms, and when we arrived ready to go to bed, the rooms were FREEZING. We all went to bed fully dressed, and it wasn't until almost the morning that the room finally warmed up! 

This room wasn't quite that bad, but it was cold! 

Well, I've got some visiting to do today, and I need to get breakfast, so I best get the day started. I have to find time to walk, but not walking this morning. It's still dark, and the roads are not the best for walking in the dark. I don't want someone to whack me! 

And start thinking about that room you want to tackle come January. Elle posted a comment about which room you should pick. I don't care which room you pick, but it would be great if you followed along with me. We cannot yell at other people for their junk when we have junk ourselves. And we CANNOT leave it for our children or someone else to deal with. We just cannot! We are more responsible than that. So pick a room - a closet, a box. Think how much better you'll feel when that is cleared, and the next box will be easier to deal with!! We will have some TOUGH decisions ahead, but we'll all feel better because of it! 

I can't begin to tell you how much better I feel since I started down this path of decluttering. It's easier to move around my house. It's way easier to find things (most of the time), and it's like a weight lifts off my shoulders as the junk goes out the door. Some things will be sad to get rid of, and I've kept a few of those things. But they will go --- remember -- this stuff is ONLY valuable while we are alive. When we are gone, it's junk. So if it's valuable to us and we're not using it? Is it really valuable? NO! It's junk! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!