A beautiful sunset

Oh-- while I'm excited to be going home today, I'm not in fact ready, but I have no choice. I think I need to have a very serious discussion with my parents this morning before I leave, and Mom is already a little ticked off at me. Yep --- the glow is gone - I guess that's why, in the past, I've stayed five nights, but that sixth night tips the scales of being civil! 

I think she was annoyed that I said something to her. It drives me crazy because she will not call anyone, and therefore, no one calls her. She hasn't a clue about anything happening to her family - not her sisters, her brother, or her children. Whenever I tell her something, she says, "I know nothing about that." And I got frustrated and said back, "I know you don't know anything - that's why I'm telling you." And she got mad. Well, it's the truth. Sigh...............

All I will say is this: if you are a senior, you MUST, and there are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. You MUST maintain leg strength so you can use the washroom unassisted. And you MUST maintain some strength in your arms to assist with that task. I don't care how much you hate doing some stand-up/sit-down exercises. I don't care if your knees are bone-on-bone. If you want to stay in your home, you need to be able to go to the washroom on your own. 

And one more thing—PLEASE do not deny it to anyone, not yourself, not your spouse, or your children. If you are having trouble, it will not go away by denying the problem exists. It will get worse rather than better. 

And that's all I'm going to say, and now I want you to stand up/sit down at least five times. If not now, then do it sometime today and do it multiple times. 

I'm sure it's a challenge for parents to treat their children like adults, especially when they are practically seniors themselves. But I'm getting annoyed, and Mom does NOT trust me. If I do anything around the apartment, she watches like a hawk. It's extremely annoying, and it just reminds me of being a kid at home. She is so afraid that someone will take an empty cardboard box out of the house. God help them if they do. It's going to be a challenge going forward. I'm even contemplating whether I need to come more often or perhaps stay for a month and get some things organized. I'm in a bit of a dilemma this morning because I know they will not be happy with what I have to say. 

Maybe I'll need to see a therapist when I get home to blurt out all the things I want to shout. You don't need to hear them; I'm sure you've all been through them with your parents, but it's just darn frustrating. 

OK --- that's all I'll say - wish me luck this morning. 

When I was at Fabricland the other day, I had a good look around, and I spotted some fringe. I love fringe, although I have no idea what I would do with it. Thank goodness there is NO orange fringe because I might have to buy some. 

The fringe at Fabricland

I remember making a western shirt for Dad with blue fringe! That was many years ago - I was still living at home at the time. I'm sure it's still around somewhere! 

I think it's definitely time to go home. I had a decent sleep, though I was awake for a bit last night as I contemplated my moves this morning. I had one hour and 43 minutes of deep sleep, so that was good! According to my fitness tracker, I only had 8 minutes of REM, but I dreamt hard. I was working on some kind of art project (painting) when an artist asked me to go to her house to deliver a message on her behalf. Why? I have no idea. But her method of sending messages was by CB Radio!!! Oh my—there was no mention of CB Radios since I've been here, but they were a staple for communication for many years when I was a kid. 

And then this artist had a pile of handbags that she had designed and was trying to find homes for, and I hated them all. But DH somehow came into the picture, and he looked at the bags. Then the artist offered him a pile of bikinis. OK --- so what the heck was that all about? I've no idea. 

Somewhere along the line, I jumped to a trade show in a hotel that had a room with a permanent resident who was wacky. There was a plaque on the wall that the room was for this woman because her husband was a good client at the hotel or something. I've no idea! I watched the crew unpack all the sewing machines, but there wasn't a single company representative in the booth. 

Weird!!!!! How does the brain mesh all that together? 

I stopped and took a picture of my middle school while I was out and about yesterday. Good grief—it's now the Catholic elementary school. I have a picture of our little group of five as we were getting ready for a bus trip to Edmonton. That was a "few" years ago!!!

My middle school

I went to see the final member of Mom's siblings, and when we arrived, the yard was full of trucks and cars. OH ---my aunt never said anything about visitors, but the ENTIRE family, minus a few kids, was there. Oh boy - what a houseful, but it was OK as I got to see some cousins and their spouses and kids that I haven't seen in a long time. So we all had a good visit. 

Since we rarely have any events at our house now, we just don't appreciate the solitude. WAIT A INUTE --- we do appreciate the solitude, the tidiness, and the quiet, and a lot of things. It won't be quiet at my house for the next couple of days as I prep for three events in 6 days, but all is good. It will be quiet - it will just be busy. 

I have a trunk show at the Thames Valley Quilt Guild on Wednesday AM, and before I left, I laid out a good part of the trunk show on a bed so the quilts could relax from the folds at least a wee bit. All that remains is to grab a few more items, dig out the two suitcases, and pack everything up. That is all good. Then I need to rearrange Studio B and set up the cameras for the Facebook Live, which is also on Wednesday. 

All the samples are done for that, and I've been rehearsing what I want to say and how. Sadly, I have no girls to help me, so I've had to wing it!!! Where is my audience when I need them? Murphy is probably thrilled she doesn't have to listen. 

But look what I spotted on the long walk yesterday. I decided not to take my toque yesterday, and that wind was brisk! Anyway, I spotted several signs starting at 8 AM. The kids must have been out early, because I didn't spot a single thing. 

An Easter egg hunt

It must have been magic that only kids under ten can see. 

Here's another decoration on one of the shelves in the apartment building where my parents live. I love this little fairy house. I have never seen the fairies -- again -- you probably need to be under ten to see them. It looks weird in this picture, but in real life, it's very cool. 

A fairy house

I was out and about several times during the day, and I spotted this at Walmart. This is identical to the bag of treats I purchased at the airport with my free coupons; it was $11.99 plus tax. How is that for gouging? It was MORE than double the price at the store. That's absolutely insane. I don't even want to know the price of water. Well, I do know, and I could buy an entire case of 24 bottles for the price of one. 

This is half the price of buying at the airport.

I need to look into buying a small reusable water bottle for future travel. I have my large one at home, but I'm certainly not traveling with that one. And I'm very particular, I HATE the taste of water directly from metal. My memories are scarred for life by drinking from a shared metal dipper for years as a kid. How we never got sick is beyond me! But I'm sure if I look, I can find something. I have less than two weeks before I travel again, and I still have three events and a jacket to make. I may not have time to look for a water bottle. 

But it won't be a big deal since we splurged and are flying in comfort on that trip, so there will be complimentary water bottles, and I'll just hang onto one of those. 

I had bought a ham and veggies the other day and finally cooked them all last night for dinner. In hindsight, I should have bought and cooked more potatoes. Dad is a meat-and-potatoes guy, and there wasn't much left of the potatoes last night. I must remember for next time. And we had a very brief surprise visit from my brother, who dropped off a pie. So we were all set for a grand feast last night. 

As I walked down the stairs of the buiding to head back to the hotel, this was the view. You just can't beat a good old-fashioned Saskatchewan sunset. 

Beautiful sunset

Then I had a great visit with the puzzle man in the common room. He showed me their puzzle collection. There are TWO drawers of puzzles for them to work on. That will keep the two of them going for a little while. I'll try to throw in a piece or two before I leave this morning. 

I have one more person to visit before I leave, but that's in Saskatoon. And then off to the airport and home. It's been a long trip, and I'll be glad to get back into my routine. 

BUT—there is a good takeaway from this. While I love my routine, I pray that I will never close my mind to doing things differently. I'm not a fan of change because I like some parts of my life to be routine. I don't want to have to rethink everything, but I am open to trying new things. I'm going on this European vacation in less than two weeks, and I have an Airbnb booked for four or five nights. And the rest of the time? I'm on my own with no plans! I think I'm being very open. I will have just over one week to find my way from Sicily to Rome by myself. Sounds like fun!!!

To close off today, here's something else to remember, and this one is super important. As you age, and sadly, we all will, do NOT be afraid to tell your children about your health. They have more knowledge than you do -- at least in my case, and I'm not a medical expert by any means. But if you need help, then ask!!! Don't just struggle and think that is how things need to be. The other four siblings moved with the times, but my Mom reminds me of my grandma, stuck in the 30s. But I digress. 

On that happy note, I'm out of here. Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

PS -- sorry to bring up such negative subjects, but it weighs heavily on my mind, and I think the message is important to pass along to others.