The weather has been making a concerted effort to make my life as cheery as possible. The temperature has remained above freezing all week, and the snow is almost completely gone. Not only that, the birds are exultant. Sitting outside on the back porch is so soothing. There are Cardinals, Sparrows, Robins, Blue Jays, Crows, and Chickadees flitting in and out of the yard, calling to each other, delighting my ears. Overhead are flocks of geese, whose honking is so loud it can be heard from a great distance as their flight approaches, reaches a crescendo as they fly overhead, and fades as they disappear into the distant sky. Insects are beginning to fly around in the garden. A grey squirrel digs here and there in the bare soil of the garden. Spring is just a few days away!
Attila was waxing nostalgic about Linseed Rye bread, that he had enjoyed in the past. Baking bread this morning, a 1/4 cup of flour was removed from the recipe, and replaced with a 1/4 cup of ground flax seed. It made a lovely loaf of bread! The loaf rose higher than usual, which might be due to the flax seed, or it could be due to the spring-like weather. The seasons have a big effect on bread baking, with the accompanying fluctuations in temperature, air pressure, and humidity. The next loaf will be baked without the flax seed, and if there is still an increased rise, I will deem it due to the change of season.
Years ago a neighbour gave us two interior bi-fold doors. Stuff comes in, and it seldom goes out. Those doors have been stored in the rafters of the garage for years now. Last summer Attila picked up an old stainless steel sink, that was being thrown out. We have plans! A great deal of produce comes out of the garden, and into the kitchen. I would prefer to wash the vegetables outdoors before bringing them into the house. A washing station is being designed using the wood from the doors, and the old sink. This will be used to rinse the dirt off the produce before it comes into the house. Today Attila is working on step one, which involves clearing an area under the porch roof for the new cabinet. This involves dismantling our old gas BBQ, which hasn’t been used for years The dismantled BBQ will, of course, be stored in the garage for future projects. Beside the sink will sit a jug of water for washing vegetables, and below the sink will be a five gallon bucket to catch the soil and water. The bucket of dirty water will be used to water the garden. Looking forward to this!
<grump on>
I am still experiencing significant pain, and after three ultrasound tests over the course of more than two months, the reports are all inconclusive, and a CT Scan is suggested. It has taken since January 7th to get to this point, waiting my turn for those three unrevealing ultrasound tests, and reports. Now I have to wait for the requisition to be sent for the CT scan, and then I have to wait on the list to become eligible for the scan. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, painkillers are my very best friends, timed to the minute, and waited for with great anticipation. Ontario health care is broken, we need a compassionate and responsible governing body to fix it. I am glad there is an election coming up, and I haven’t forgotten those thousands of seniors who lived in private care homes, and died horribly over the last two years. I also haven’t forgotten which politicians were shareholders, and CEO, of some of those private care home corporations. I hope the rest of the voting public hasn’t forgotten either, this isn’t the model of “care” people want or need.
</grump off>
Worldly
Weather
6 °C
FEELS LIKE 5
Rain
Wind 7 E km/h
Humidity 98 %
Visibility 11 km
Sunrise 7:13 AM
Wind gust 11 km/h
Pressure 100.3 kPa
Ceiling 200 m
Sunset 7:18 PM
Quote
“Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile.”
Sir Wilfred Grenfell
1865 – 1940
Predicated on having adequate food, shelter, clothing, companionship, health, and safety.
I can hear the ‘welcome to warmer weather’ in your voice Maggi…. we all know the world turns – what leaves us comes to you and vice versa .
Warm temps are still with us although the humidity could take a walk….it if went away to your place that snow would be gone completely Those warmer days you are experiencing must be the result of the nights the temps here are slowly dipping
And yes to inventive partners – mine just fixed a new lampshade to a stand that has had a bare bulb for the last 10years. The new shade fixture was too large in diameter for the older style ‘thingy’ where the bulb plugs in and flopped all over the place so some unrelated discs from a hardware store fixed the problem.
Maggie, I am so sorry that you have to wait so long to find out what is going on. Prayers said and fingers crossed that you won’t have to wait much longer for that CT scan. We are enjoying a taste of spring this weekend…temps in the 60s and 70s. I have primroses, hyacinths and daffodils blooming in my yard at the moment and the lilac has nice fat buds. I went outside to take pictures for my sister and a bunny and I startled each other. LOL Your outdoor sink is a wonderful idea!
Happy Spring,
Eileen
Cathy, your winter approaches as ours ends. Your humidity sounds challenging, but I could stand it for a few days if it took the snow down earlier! Humidity is frustrating here, too dry in the winter indoors, and uncomfortably damp through much of the warmer months. I am hoping we can find a new furnace system that keeps the winter humidity at a consistent and adequate level.
It is great to have a partner who is inventive. How clever, to custom “fit” a new lampshade just right. Here in Canada we had a TV show called the Red Green Show, it was a handyman/masculinity spoof that was very funny. Every episode the host would say, “If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.”
Eileen, thank you for your kind words, prayers, and crossed fingers. 🙂
Oh my, flowers! You are weeks ahead of us, and it is wonderful to hear what is coming our way. We haven’t seen any bunnies yet this year, but the snow is just melting, there are still patches of it in the yard, so a little early for are hoppy friends.
I am looking forward to having the outdoor sink, it will make it easier to get all that dirt back into the garden, along with a bit of water to make the plants happy.
Happy Spring,
Maggie
The outdoor sink is a great idea! And it’s motivating to have new project.
We’ve had warmer weather. The bulbs on the Magnolia bush are starting to plump slightly. I hope we don’t get a late frost! Many birds have returned but I’m still waiting for the Robin couple to show up. A lot of geese have been heading north. My cousin says they land in a marsh in Wisconsin and wait for warmer weather before they continue north.
I dearly hope you get the Cat scan sooner. They really do need to improve their healthcare system. My fingers are crossed and I’m sending prayers.
Sandy, it feels great to have a project on the go! It is a little early here to get going on preparing the garden, Attila starts his seeds in the small greenhouses he builds on the raised beds, too early for that, the ground is still frozen in places. Do Robins return to the same locations each year? I know Grackles do, they are still returning to attempt to break a hole through the facia where they used to nest, it has been over six years since it was closed off. Thank goodness for the marsh in Wisconsin! The geese travelling through here are attracted to Lake Ontario, and the marshes to the north of the lake. I love migration season, and often stop to gaze at the sky as the convoys pass over us. I called the clinic today, they told me the requisition was sent for the scan – but when I called the Imaging Department they didn’t have it yet. I will call the Imaging Department again mid-week to confirm they have it, she said it takes a few days to process requisitions. I won’t leave it though, my first ultrasound requisition was “lost” for weeks before I realized there was a problem. Not this time, I will continue to call, to make sure I get on the waiting list. It has been a very long couple of months wading through the chaos of the health care dysfunction here. Thanks for your prayers Sandy!
Maggie, I’ve got to admit that I’m amazed at the hoops you’re going through to get a CT scan. DH and I never had to go through anything like with our doctor in Waterloo. If she wanted a scan she wrote out a requisition and had an appointment made. The appt was usually within a day. It’s only been with doctors doing scans through hospitals that we’ve had to wait a week or more to get an appointment – and we never jad to wait to become eligible for a scan. Is this something new that’s developed because of covid?
Your new outdoor sink sounds great. You’ll have to post a picture for us.
Teri, our experience with health care was similar to yours when we had a family doctor. We haven’t had a family doctor for seven years now, and have no chance of having one. We see a Nurse Practitioner at a “community” clinic, where she labours under the decisions of the non-profit organization, and their hired administrators. Medical staff turnover ther is very high. It is a struggle to navigate their system. I was informed that the local imaging clinics wait times were much longer than the hospital wait times. Health care here was floundering before the pandemic, and it has seriously deteriorated since the pandemic began. I can’t speak for the rest of the province.
I am looking forward to working on the new outdoor sink! Attila will have the wood measured and cut for me in a few weeks, so that when it is warm enough I can stain it before he assembles the pieces.