What a memory!!!

OK --- I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face, and I can't help it. They are tears of joy, but still. And even when I got ahold of myself and then came back to edit, these pictures still bring tears to my eyes. 

I just had a quick peek at Facebook before I started writing, and I spotted this post. I knew my nephew, who recently got his pilot's license and bought a small plane, wanted to fly from Winnipeg to visit with my parents in North Battleford. It's about 840 km. 

When I talked to Mom yesterday and asked if anything new was happening, she said that Devin and his girlfriend were there for the weekend. 

And here is Devin taking my Dad for a ride in his plane. My Dad would be tickled to the ends of the earth with this, and I just can't stop crying when I think of how much this would lift his day, his week, his year!!

Grandfather (my Dad) and his grandson (Devin)

One of Dad's buddies (best man) lives in Edmonton and used to fly small planes, and Dad talked about it all the time. Going for a ride with his grandson in his own plane will have him over the moon. And they flew over the farm, which is even more special. I bet the neighbors were wondering who the heck was in that small plane!! 

What's left of the family farm

Gosh -- if it weren't for the blue roof on the old garage, you wouldn't even know there was a farm there! Almost everything is now gone, but you will notice a long line of debris in front of the blue-roofed garage. That belongs to my brother, who is in total denial about being a hoarder, just like Mom. He is a hoarder of old trucks and cars. While he's in the process of getting rid of it, there is still a lot of work to be done. But that's not my problem! 

OK - I think I've settled down now! WOW --- what a thrill of a lifetime for Dad. He'll be talking about that for years! I might have to get those pictures framed for him! 

My news for the day is pretty tame compared to that. I'm so not used to having NOTHING to do on the weekends that I'm positively becoming a slug! Well, that's not true, but I didn't get done nearly as much as I would have liked. But you know what? That's OK. 

This was my quote in my tea in the morning. How fun, and it's so true whether you are quilting, getting from A to B, or anything in life!! I try to "enforce" that when I'm teaching a class. I am not a fan of teachers who dictate how something must be done. There are a few rules in my vocabulary when I teach - I have my preferred way, and I like to state why that is my preferred way, but honestly, does it matter if the students do it slightly differently? Not at all!

Quote for the day

The three of us went to DH's golf club for brunch. It was a beautiful day, but it was cold, and when that wind starts up, it's even colder. When I walked Murphy in the morning, it was without mitts, but when I walked Lexi, I got mitts. 

It was a wonderful buffet, and we had a great lunch. I only took pictures of the best part! Dessert! They had yummy cupcakes. 

Mother's Day dessert

But the best part was the creme brule!! Oh my --- the portion was tiny, so I did sneak a second one, and it was so creamy and heavenly. A great way to finish off a wonderful meal. I'm sure DH will be happy when his sister moves out! So much talking and frivolity at the table! He's used to my one-sided, idiotic conversations, but to have someone respond to me -- well, I'm sure he's getting tired of it. I think it's hilarious and loads of fun!

Creme brule to die for!

I had not been out to the club for several years, and I used to ride my bike in that area, but the roads have all changed now. I almost got lost! 

So what did I do once we got back home? That darn puzzle was calling my name, and I just couldn't resist. After all, it was Sunday, and Mother's Day on top of it, so I resisted the weak pull of the sewing machine and sat down to work on the puzzle. Those buildings were a challenge since there were loads of windows, but there were small figures in them, and, well, it all came together. And this is more like me—finding a home for all the pieces I have selected. 

Progress on the puzzle

Then I covered the puzzle and said, "No more," but I couldn't resist, and before I knew it, I was back to working on the puzzle. And this is what it looked like when I shut things down last night. I think you can now tell the city it portrays! 

Great progress on the jigsaw puzzle

And while I loved getting the information, I didn't need to know there was a second puzzle store in my area!! I looked at their Facebook page, and it looks like a wonderful store in Toronto. It's called PuzzleNerds, and it's about 30 minutes away by car. Hmmm--- I may have to take a visit, but they have a very good website, so one could just look online and order! Lots of great independent puzzle makers with some amazing pictures!

I spotted this puzzle, which I need to get. It's called Soaring Over Tofino, and since that is the location of the next wedding, it's a must-get! It's out of stock at both puzzle stores!!! The Villager is a Canadian company. Yeah!

Soaring over Tofino jigsaw puzzle

Anyway --- it was fun not having any pressure to get something done, and working on the puzzle was amazing. I LOVE doing jigsaw puzzles. 

However, I did accomplish some quilting things. The customer's quilt was finished. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I just have to join some batting pieces for the community project quilt I'll work on today, and I'll switch back and forth between these two categories to finish them. It's time I got back to the long arm! And I have some learning to do, and this would be the perfect time since I don't have much pressure from classes. And can you believe? This coming weekend is also empty!! I MUST get my bike tuned up, so I can get out for some rides!!

I also traced all the applique shapes for that winter seasonal quilt I'm working on. I didn't get any sewing done, and I'm OK with that. Tracing the applique is a boring process, and it's all done!

Tracing the applique shapes onto the fusible.

It's Monday sewing, so I hope to get all the fusible on the back of the fabric scraps and cut them out. Then, when it's time to do the applique, all is prepped. I have some other applique stitching to do, and today might be just the perfect day to make it all happen. While it's OK to slide a bit, I don't want that to become the new norm. I like sewing and have so much I want to do. 

I'm off to spin this morning. Notice I didn't say "class." I'm going to hop on a bike in the main area and watch the TV without sound. I'm OK with that. I just need to get back into my routine, and I really, really miss the spin classes. 

And on that happy note, I'm out of here!!

Have a wonderful day!

Ciao!!!

Travel day again!

I goofed!!! The painted eyes on Cathy's raccoons were done by Cloe, not Colette! Cathy has way too many quilting friends and sisters—I can't keep them straight! Thanks for the correction!

There was one thing that I wanted to check for at the old farmhouse to see if I could find it. I had found a flat box of paper dolls a couple of years ago. I set it aside, and as we rushed to leave the house with our other treasures, I left it on top of a cupboard. The next time I went, I didn't spot it, but we were busy with other things, so I thought I'd try one last time to find them. 

Alas, they are gone. I wonder who helped themselves to those paper dolls? I'm not going to go there. Dad came out with me in his vehicle because he wanted to pick up a few things as well, so I helped him load them into his truck, since they were too heavy for him to lift. And I had a quick glance around the house and grabbed a few things. That is the ABSOLUTE last time I go there. I'm wiping that from my list of things to do FOREVER!

I didn't even shed a tear when I left. I'm so done, and there is nothing sentimental about the house any longer. It's time to move on. 

It's funny, though, because every time I go, I spot something different from the time before. And OH SHOOT -- I forgot to check the bathroom for those teatowels, but I'm pretty sure that I donated those a while back!

I'll get pictures of what I brought home when I unpack later today. We had been chatting about the Nancy Drew books a while back, so I thought to have a peek to see if there were any there. I spotted this empty shelf—that's where my brothers' Hardy Boys books used to be. They have been gone for a long time. 

Books from my youth! 

No Nancy Drew on that shelf, but I did spot a couple of Bobsey Twins! I didn't grab any, as I don't really remember those books, even though they were mine. 

And when I had a conversation about Nancy Drew one day, the others in the group rhymed off a list of other popular "sleuth" books from that era, but I don't remember what they were. I don't think Peggy Lane was among the ones they chatted about. 

A Peggy Lane book

I got in one last visit before heading to the airport, and I can say that I managed to visit all my Mom's siblings (and two of the in-laws) before I left, and another cousin! I think this was a record for me - I saw all five of the siblings, three first cousins, three second, and one third! My Aunt Irene is the quilter among the group, so we had a great chat about the quilt show and projects we are working on! She's in her 80s, and I sure hope I can still quilt up projects like she does when I'm that age! 

The weather had been beautiful until the last day, and it was overcast and raining. And the farm is on a gravel road! Yep — there are many gravel roads in Saskatchewan, unlike Ontario, where it seems paved roads are everywhere. One of the roads had been newly graveled, so that was fun to drive on. No worries —I got stuck behind a couple of grain trucks, so I went with their speed and that worked for me. 

But everything is in shades of brown at the moment and drab. 

A dreary day in the country

It was even more noticeable from the plane. What was hilarious was that as I arrived in Saskatoon, the sky cleared up, and we had clear skies to get home. I like that! 

The countryside from the air

But it's also amazing how many bodies of water there are along the way. It's pretty fascinating to watch out the window, but I also read my book and snoozed. 

There are a LOT of bodies of water in Canada

And can you believe that I arrived at the airport in Saskatoon with extra time? Not a lot of extra time, but I didn't have to rush. I can't believe it. But when I have a suitcase to check, I don't want to mess with the time. 

I had thrown my meager possessions into the suitcase in the morning. Well, I never unpack when I travel, and thank goodness there wasn't much in it because bringing it up that narrow, steep staircase in the house was fun. However, I still had to pack Mom's quilt, the few things I'd bought at the show, and the "treasures" I'd taken from the farm. They were all piled in the back of the car. Let's say I had to rearrange to get everything in there! And I was wondering about the weight. 

Well, when I put it on the scale, it weighed 51 pounds, which is one pound over the limit. HOWEVER, I had status, which allows me to take THREE 70-lb suitcases, so I wasn't worried in the least. I noticed when I got my bag after the flight that it had a heavy sticker on it, so the behind-the-scenes people must have done that because the gate agent said, No worries! 

I will say that Saskatoon is the SLOWEST airport to get through security. They only have the body-scanning machine, not the X-ray machine you walk through. And they are slow to process the carry-on bags. Of course, some people's bags had to go through the X-ray multiple times—I guess they are just being cautious. 

What was hilarious was arriving in Toronto at 7:30 last night. You never know how long it's going to take to get your luggage, so I got off the plane—it took almost 10 minutes because I was near the back, and people were NOT in a hurry. But that's OK. I went to the washroom, and by the time I got to the luggage carousel, my bag was there. Seriously? That never happens in Toronto. 

Then I went outside to the disaster area they called Gate Q—the Uber pickup zone. DH, snob that he is, is happy to pay almost double to take a limo home, while I get Uber. It can be good and bad, but when there are a lot of people waiting, the area is very congested, and you are trying to manhandle your luggage and look for a car at the same time. 

It does not help when people do NOT respect that area. Some IDIOT parked his car there and then went inside to find his parents? I have no idea. The security people finally arrived to investigate the problem, and I think they were writing a ticket when he came back. NO NO - NO ticket, he said. Well, I'd have slapped him with a ticket and a tow truck. Park the darn car in the parking lot and go in. But it was abandoned at the curb for at least 10 minutes, according to the folks around. 

And then there is the couple who order a regular-sized Uber with THREE suitcases, and two of them are HUGE. The guy attempted to put all the luggage in the car (Tesla), but it wouldn't fit. So they took their bags back to the curb. Then the driver decided to put the small bag in the front, so he called them over again. All the while, she is carrying an open cup of coffee. Seriously? That took time, and of course, those cars are backed up four-wide in that area, and you are trying to find a license plate. 

People just don't think. Flag your car, keep your hands free, get in, and move out of there!!! Sigh.....

But I was home by 8:40, which was remarkable, given that the plane touched down at 7:30. 

Well, I'm off to spin class this morning. I need to get back into my routine, and I can't wait for Monday. Sewing: Will I work on the hexagon quilt or on binding those quilts? I'm fired up! Perhaps I could do a bit of both. That's been my problem -- I flit from one thing to another and nothing gets finished. 

Then I'll regroup for this week. I see there are TWO classes next weekend, but both are just show-and-tell type, and I already have MY homework done, so that's great! 

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!

PS - I LOVE using the NOTES app on my phone. It was easy to add a few things to the list while I was on the plane. The only thing is I now have to remember to open it up to DO the things on the list!!!! 

The end of an era

Technically, this isn't the end of an era - that happened a couple of years ago when the farm was sold. Surprisingly, no tears were shed when the farm was sold. That's a bit weird, but my parents have moved on, my Dad especially. Mom doesn't talk much about it. I think she knows and just has to deal with it. 

There are not many buildings on the property anymore - the tornado in 2010 saw to that. After the farm was sold, the granaries were sold and moved, as were a couple of shipping containers used for storage. The plan was to move the shop and the garage off the property, leaving the two houses that should be demolished. There are a few smaller buildings, but nothing of any value. 

Well, the shop was moved yesterday. I got a heads-up from my cousin, who must have happened upon this on her way home from work. 

Dad's shop is being moved

Bye-bye, shop!

It's sad as it's the end of an era, but this is now just the physical stuff being dealt with. My parents moved off the farm over 8 years ago; for them, it's no big deal! 

I chatted with my Dad last night, and while he was interested to know the shop was moved as he spent MANY hours in that place fiddling, fixing, and thinking, he had no regrets. He's happy with where he is! 

My older brother was instrumental in clearing all the stuff off the farm. He has spent countless hours making contacts, wheeling, and dealing to sell things. He also has his own stuff to deal with, and I understand that some of it is still in the yard. But that's his problem. I think the farm sale hit him the most, although he had no interest in living there. 

The farm will live on in my memories, and that's where it stays! Thanks to my cousin for the pictures - it was lucky to happen upon the shop being moved. Those pictures were taken just as the farm road meets the grid road, which is gravel in that area! 

Yesterday was a great day with Monday Sewing, and I got some more embellishments hand-stitched. There is still more to make, but I think I'm setting that part aside. Let's get it quilted. After that Zoom, I did my first presentation, which was fun. And there was my helper! She just plunked herself down as close to me as possible and was quite happy as I tossed my samples on the floor around her! What a silly girl. 

MOM - I'm helping! 

I was going for a walk in the afternoon but then realized that I only had one hour before the next Zoom, and I needed to put the samples away and sort out the next ones. So I didn't get a walk, but that's OK. 

After the final call of the day, I sat myself down in the chair in the living room so I could read. Yep - guess who followed me! But it was only Murphy, as Lexi was comfortable on the couch with DH and wasn't moving. 

I'm not sure what Murphy's problem was, but that stress bear got a good workout last night! She was determined to get his necktie off, which she did NOT manage, but it wasn't for lack of trying. And all the while, she is watching me, watch her! 

Mom - do you SEE what I'm doing? 

Look how she has that bear firmly in her grip! Such a cute face! Love you, Murphy!!!

MOM - I LOVE YOU! 

The bear was tossed around for quite a while before she decided the quilt and the dog bed were not quite in the right space, so she moved them. How am I supposed to read when all this entertainment is going on? It's much more exciting than watching TV. 

Mom - I'm exhausted!

Speaking of which, the other day at the Virtual Retreat, we talked about TVs and streaming services and shows. I have NOT watched TV in 15 years, and I have no clue what they are talking about. Yes - I understand the names, but I'd never heard of Acorn before. TV watching just isn't my thing. I have no issue if others like to do it, but it's so far off my radar that when I'm having a "bored" day, the thought of turning on the TV doesn't even come to mind. 

It's literally no longer in my mental vocabulary. It's bizarre - I went cold turkey after a three-week bike trip into the great northern regions of Canada, where there was very little entertainment. We didn't have running water or electricity during the final week on the Dempster Highway. I came back and never turned the TV on again. This is bizarre since I was a TV junkie and would binge-watch every night for hours! Yep - me! Hard to believe. 

I keep trying to tell DH that the entertainment world is NOT mine. He shoots off names of musicians and expects me to know who they are. He doesn't get it. EVERYONE knows person X. Yes - I say, maybe they do, but I don't, and I don't care! One day - it might sink into his head. 

We have heard of some bizarre travel experiences, but I heard the best one yesterday. Well, perhaps not the best, but the one that tops all the others. This person was flying on Air Canada from Toronto to Sao Paulo and then to Buenos Aires. They had a stopover in Sao Paulo that required them to deplane, but then they returned to the same plane. 

So far, it is no big deal - all is normal. The gentleman in the middle seat was older and needed some assistance, but again -- all was good. 

My friend arrived back at her seat, which was the aisle seat, and couldn't wake the gentleman as his arm was in her seat. It was when the window seat person came that everyone realized that this older gentleman had died! Yep -- in the very short time from deplaning and then getting back on - he must have sat down and passed! Just like that! 

That's a little bit of excitement, to say the least. Everyone had to get off the plane again, and it was a few hours before they could get back on as they dealt with the body. My friend was upgraded for the remainder of the flight. WOW -- what a story! 

It's still a hectic week, but the final countdown is happening as the week progresses, and I feel somewhat more in control. More writing, more homework follow-up, and I will try to get some sewing in! 

OH - and if you want to mark the next Virtual Retreat on your calendars, it's April 26th and 27th. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Sorting and pitching!

Wow!!!! What a day! We spotted one coyote and one moose on the way to the farm. There were never moose in this area, but their habitat is changing, so I guess they are in the area now. We also have bears -the big kind, but I haven't seen any here, although I had a dream about them last night. Little Bear, meeting a real bear! 

However, the most "exciting" critters I met were SIX ticks. I found one on my forehead while taking a break, one in the truck on the way home, and another on my head while having dinner. And the THREE that were stuck to my butt that I discovered when I had a shower. None had started burrowing, but those little claws are pretty sticky! I had to POP them off my skin. 

This picture is of one of the critters in the sink. I spared you the picture of my butt with the three of them, which I DID NOT take. 

Tick

Trust me, when we left the farm, I couldn't wait to shower - I didn't care how late dinner was. And I've checked myself MANY times to see if I missed one of those little critters. 

So this is how I spent a good part of yesterday. I did not wear the coveralls I bought, so I'll return them. It was hot, and I would have died in them. 

I am in decluttering mode

We have always referred to my Mom as the hoarder, but my Dad ranks up there with her. And those hoarding tendencies have rubbed off on the three siblings. My older brother has it worse than anyone as he has the room to store stuff, but part of that storage space is going away (sale of the farm). We each have issues, but I own nothing outside my house. And while I have a lot of craft stuff, the rest of the house is pretty good. And at least I can say that it's organized and clean. 

ACK -- just found number seven crawling on my foot. I wonder if he jumped onto my foot when I was in the bathroom, as all my clothes were on the floor. Well, he won't do damage to anyone. He's gone. If you find them, you must take the edge of your fingernail and squish them, or a hammer works. They are pretty indestructible. 

My job was to empty or make it easier to get into this small outbuilding filled with my Dad's stuff. It used to be his electronic workshop, and I'm not sure how it got filled like it did. But way back in the day, he used to fix stuff—electronics. So, if anyone had something that wouldn't work, they gave it to my Dad. And he collected that stuff. 

How many telephones did I find? 

Old phone

I found one television, old turntables, DVD players, CB radios, two organs, test equipment, magazines, and books. I will take the blame for some of the books and software because I gave them to him. ACK—I'm an enabler!!! 

I wanted to do this with the house: Get a burn pit and go through stuff, box by box, and remove it from the house. It would have saved us oodles of time. Let's say that my suggestion was HUGELY frowned upon. I'm not going down that route because—well, I'm just not. 

I wasn't just dealing with hoarding issues, but animals broke through the roof in this building, and there was a lot of evidence of their presence. Not only poop, but insulation from the ceiling, and there must have been many squirrel conventions in there because the pinecones were thick!! This is about 5 inches thick. 

Pinecone bits on the floor

I "swept" the floor with a shovel many times. But there was great satisfaction in doing this; it was what I wanted, so I didn't mind. 

This was my methodology. I would fill the truck with crap. 

Fill the back of the truck

Then, my Dad drove it to the burn pit. I don't know why he didn't let me since he was the one who scratched the side of the truck on the first backup to the building, but it gave him something to do. Although he was busy with the boys, as he supervised what needed to be kept, scraped, or moved. 

Then I sorted through the boxes (if you could call what was left of some of them a box) and sorted out all the electrical stuff, which will go to the electronic waste. There were boxes of stuff set aside. 

The great sort

The rest went into the burn pit, which we'll add to and burn in the winter when snow comes. It's been temporarily covered with pallets to prevent anything from blowing away, although I tried to put loose papers in boxes so it wouldn't be chaos. We had a steady breeze all day, and it picked up in the afternoon. 

The burn pit

I think this is the pit after my first load. 

OH -- this is a picture of what the inside of the building looked like. 

My task for the day - to empty this space

We could barely get the door open when we started. I removed five truckloads of crap, swept the floor yet again, and then had to return the boxes of electrical stuff as the recycling depot was closed, so there was no sense bringing it into town. I hope to bring in a load on Monday. We'll see how that goes. 

So why did we do that building and not the house? Well, at least most stuff was "easily" accessible in the house. My brother never lived there and doesn't give a hoot about the house, but Dad wants some stuff in the building, so the building, not the house, is getting emptied. I won't question the why; I'll just do it. 

And I stood on the edge of the burn pit and pitched, and it felt good!

Meanwhile, there was more stuff that needed to be moved, and so Dad, Wally, and Glen took charge of that. It was a long, hot, and exhausting day. After we had dinner, we chatted a bit, and then I went to bed. I never even saw one stitch of the northern lights that everyone is posting this morning! 

It was a blast from the past, as I saw all kinds of stuff that I had given to Dad or that brought back many memories. I took a few photos and then pitched the stuff. 

Does anyone remember this software?

I rescued a few small things, including this, but I have no idea where it came from. Just found it on the ground outside the building. 

A knick-knack

You would NOT believe the amount of paper that got tossed. My parents are KEEN on printing books, making books and manuals, scrapbooks, and gosh knows what else. I told Mom that she better think twice about making more. She looked at me with a blank look and said that she doesn't. That's a lie. I won't go into that discussion either - it was friendly, but she has no clue. However, I already see the next job for when I return next time, and it's their apartment, which is starting to look bad. They can still move around, and they have no choice because of her wheelchair, but she has NO CLUE about the issues we are dealing with and thinks we are standing there with magic wands to make all this happen. But I digress. 

So my advice to you is this: Look at your environment. Maybe you can't see it, so get someone else to look at it. Are you a hoarder, or do you have lots of stuff around? Get on it now, and I don't mean just taking out a bag of garbage here and there. I mean get serious about this because it's an issue. It's also mentally UNHEALTHY to live with huge amounts of crap surrounding you! 

Clean out your linen closets -- how much do you really need? Clean out your medicine cabinets, bedside tables, kitchen drawers, and closets. What about stuff on the floor? Extra furniture. I don't care if you think someone wants it -- they do not. They would find a way to take it if they really wanted it. Take pictures and let it go. Most of the stuff is NOT worth trying to sell. What about your car, your garage? If you can't do it - hire someone. What we have gone through in the last few years is horrible, and we're not done yet. 

But you can bet that when I get home, I'm going to go through more stuff, and I'll keep organizing until the day I die. But I do NOT want to saddle M with a mess. It's horrible! 

I brought two USBs with me, and I looked at both of them yesterday. Good grief—one had some of M's school projects and DH's work from several companies ago. That one got tossed, but not before I sent one of the presentations to M. That USB is sticky, so it's history. 

Going through USBs

Look at the date of the documents -- 2006!!!!

I looked at the second one, which I will empty and keep. I don't remember the dates of that one, but I'll delete everything or move it. I haven't got to the hard disk yet. 

I have a Zoom class this morning, and then I'll be back to the farm where people are coming to collect stuff. So help me, God—this is a nightmare situation. OK, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but if you've ever had to clean out a parent's home, you know what I mean. 

All I can say as I close off today is take a GOOD look at your house. GET RID OF WHATEVER you don't use. I'm trying to get my Mom to see. Holy -- I had to be so specific. Mom -- what about the stuff in that closet -- you never use it because you can't access the closet door. Her response was that the closet is for towels and so on. NOT that closet, Mom -- the closet in the small room. OH yes -- I did buy too many craft supplies, and I could get rid of those, but how? She has no clue. But I had to be very specific- she can't identify the clutter in the house, and she is NOT capable or just cagey. I'm not sure which. 

So after the farm is done, and I sincerely hope this is the last time I ever step foot into a building on that farm, I'll tackle the apartment and hope to get some of it gone before I have to get rid of all the stuff. 

All I can say is have a great day! I'm enjoying my time, even though the circumstances are frustrating. I just remind myself that hoarding is a form of mental illness, and they literally can't see the forest for the trees. Or whatever - you know what I mean. 

I never did get a chance to walk, but I walked almost 12 km doing all that loading and sorting! 

And now, I'm off to scour my clothes for more ticks!1!

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!!