Mcgrath sisters talk

  The black mould was assessed and we have been promised a written quote by tomorrow.  Overall, it appears that it won't be as much of a problem as I had thought it might be.  He told us that we would have to be out of the house for a day, but could return the same day--no hotel necessary.  Evidently the problem stems having too high a humidity in the house during the winter, and having water running down walls and windows.  He suggested having some of the heat vents in the basement moved.  Not a horrendous job with having a dropped ceiling down there.  He didn't recommend pulling any of the paneling down, but did recommend installing a dehumidifier installed, and this will be included in the quote. On my bill paying travels today, I'll have to talk to the credit union about re-activating the LOC, that we paid off last year.  Not a problem, but better than using a credit card. By a stroke of luck (a long story, but all good) I have received--...

  Just got home from the Buyer Show. Apparently I am not knowledgeable about what sells these days...they were not interested in anything save a sterling bracelet and two sterling brooches and the four little sterling oval dishes that in all fetched me $25.00. This is a big company from the south by reading their card.  And the trading cards (although he never really looked at them all) were to new in time for them to be interested. He literally told me to come back in maybe 15 years and they might look at them. He  even tested the little dishes that stated sterling on the back to see if they were sterling ( which they were) I guess that was maybe for show?? or to cover his ass?? So home I came with the shiniest sets of "plated" silver after having spent much time cleaning them all. Would anyone like to own 98 silver plated salad forks all nicely packaged in the velvet sheaths? Well time to get back to purging. The greenhouses did not fair well as it got down to minus 2...

I'm learning to be ruthless in my "purging" this time around. I had thought I was ruthless over the past year, but now I'm being more so, and expect to be even more ruthless in the next purge--and I know I will need to do this more than once. The car went in for an oil change yesterday.  I took a bit of EPP along with me, sat, stitched and drank my Tim's coffee, and no-one even appeared to notice.  They had a coffee machine and every customer got a free token.  My mind must have wandered.  I pushed the button for my espresso but chose a "long espresso" thinking it might be more like my usual "pour over".  Nope it was still espresso but maybe with enough water added to equal the amount of the tiny espresso serving.  Strong enough to almost choke me.  I drank it though. After, we went grocery shopping.  Why am I buying all of this food?  Maybe over-caffeinated from the espresso?  Both freezers are full, and the pantry is over-full. There a...

  It seems that since I have started this cleaning up process ( that Pati has gone through for more than a year now) my messages have had a focus on same. Hope you will not be too bored but it seems to be my life these days. I was bragging about having found a "new" home for 2 rubber made containers and another box full of fabric, and bags of wool and bags of batting. Yesterday i ventured into another area of the basement and found two more rubber made containers of fabric and another bag of scraps. Oh boy! And I have found more boxes and bags full of the little packages of cut wool meant to be used for making hooked rugs. Even though I am keeping the rug supplies for now with the idea that I might do some more rugs when the dust settles,.. it is taking over the basement. Don't be shocked but your sister may have to become a full time Hooker! 😚 On another note, I mentioned that my hairdresser retired and closed her shop in December leaving me without. I knew of two other...

  Kris and Chloe came over this afternoon. We played a couple of games and just before Jim and I had to go for our haircuts Rrain arrived so she got to visit with them while we were gone. Lucky, as usual, barked and jumped and scared Chloe again, (on top of the fact he hates Rrain) so he got left in the house when they went for a walk.  I spent a bit of time outside with them when we got home. Chloe decided to play hide and seek in the house (you know how small it is!) but she came up with so really good spots. Kris even crawled into a closet that I didn’t even think Chloe would fit in!  Rrain had to go back to work but the rest of us went to Chicken Chef for supper. Kris and Chloe even stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream but Jim and I were full!  They left right after we got home and now I am sitting on my couch basically exhausted. That was a lot for me in one day, but every day is getting better. Another cold night tonight. When is spring going to arrive!!  ...

I hope it stays sunny as our snow shoveling contract ends April 1st. Most of the weekend was spent in the studio trying to develop a plan for getting rid of most of the supplies, and maybe, just maybe, getting a bit of $$$ for them.  I've also been trying to create a realistic plan for downsizing in the rest of the house and garage.  David spoke to his sister today and she fully supported his idea of selling his Grandfathers stone mason tools.  A fellow is coming over next week to take a look at them.  At the same time, his sister, one of my Lorette friends, has said she has a way of getting some of my fabric scraps into some sort of program in a day care.  Some of these activities are emotionally painful.  Today I started to polish the two silver plated serving spoon I use every day.  I realized that one spoon is loosing most of its silver right down to the base metal.  Not being sure if it is safe for use, I threw it out.  I bought those tw...

  No more rain, but a storm of snow, blowing snow and strong winds made for a horrible type of day today. And the winds made it really cold to go out and walk the dogs, or go back and forth to the greenhouses. The greenhouses could not get warm in spite of the heaters turned to the maximum. Harry persisted though, and worked a good portion of the day transplanting in the big greenhouse. The little greenhouse did not even get opened up . As a matter of fact late today I had to cover the top with two more quilts and tape them down and put some pieces of wood over top to keep them in place because of the gales whipping all around. Let us hope it settles down and we wake up to a nice day, and in that same hope mode, let us also wish the hydro will stay on. I have been cleaning silver ware and wrapping it up in preparation to going to that Buyers Show on Thursday to have it assessed and hopefully get some money for same.  I know I am going overboard but I think the presentation wil...

  So nice to see to warmer weather right now not only for the greenhouses, but also for my own sanity to see this Winter disappear totally. But the paths around the house are very slippery and one must be extra careful in walking - not easy when you are also carrying buckets of water from the house to the greenhouses, or being pulled along by two very excited dogs wanting to run ahead of you. But, I am having fun and enjoying the time outdoors ....that is what counts. Just reading in the WFP ( I am so happy to be able to read the entire stories now) about the potential for flooding with the Spring runoff especially coming from North Dakota and areas. Always touch and go for the prognosticators. Hope you will fair well. I am reading a JJ Jance novel from the Library right now as suggested by you Cathy. A Beaumount series of "who dun it" Just into it but sort of like the style of writing so far. Little time to read except just before lights out but it does help to ground me a b...

Yesterday my family and I were given a tour through Concordia Village Assisted Living facility.  This is the one that I am somewhat familiar with as my friend Shirley lived there for several years.   I had also rented a room there for several meetings that I had to arrange during a weekend conference of the Embroiderers' Guild of Canada.  There are three different building associated with the place and we toured through the second one, which is a bit pricier than the first but has more amenities such as two bedrooms and two bathrooms one of which has a normal tub and the other a walk-in shower.  As well each suite has in-suite laundry.  That sold me.  Having finished the tour neither of the kids could find any fault and both said so as we were leaving.  Tuesday we have another tour scheduled at a different facility.  It's much closer to our previous house so not unfamiliar territory for us.  David and I took a drive by there just to make sure...

  Good evening, The day is almost done and I look forward to getting into bed and read a bit before lights out. You would not believe what I am actually reading right now. It come into my hands as we cleaned up and found boxes of books. L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Avonlea. This book is ages old and the inscription on the front page indicates a gift from someone to someone dated Xmas of 43 . I just got a book from the Library on Wed and then yesterday Daisy's granddaughter brought me the latest of Steve Berry's Cotton Malone books called The Last Kingdom  (from her father who buys them and reads them and then gives to me). He has given me the entire collection and I really do not know what to do with them all - afraid to give them away in case he would be offended. So I better get reading.... There is a Snow squall warning in effect for this evening and tonight. And the night temperature is forecast to be minus 14 C so I have secured the two heated greenhouses and will hope for...

  We seem so busy this week that we have to write a list for every day, just so we don't forget something we have to do.   Yesterday, we went to Starbucks for breakfast, and both ate oatmeal.  Ah, well, to each his own.  Since it was more of a brunch, we then went shopping, and ended up in Walmart, where we bought a new vacuum cleaner--for David.  He tried it out before supper, and really likes the way it works, so plans to send the old one out to the garage for use there.   Then we went to a small restaurant in a little mall on Munroe, called the Ramallah Cafe.  The specialty there is Middle Eastern food.  I had a Falafel platter, and David had a 1/2 chicken platter, both served with rice and hummus, but I also had Greek Salad and pickled turnip on my platter. We both ate our fill and left a lot of food on the plate.  Then back home, where we called a cab and headed for the casino for the evening. Needless to say we slept in this m...

  Good morning to Sister Pati, What a nice day for a Birthday. Wishing you all the very best for a great day yourself. Enjoy 👪

  There was well over a foot of snow in our yard when I went out this morning. I shoveled out the patio door and a path to the snowblower. (Not a great path, but not over our boots). I cleaned the front deck and the stairs and a path to the door on the east deck. Jim used the snow blower to clean off the patio and the path to the garage. Both of us were very sore after that. I took Lucky for a walk down our lane and the snow was over my boots the whole way. The grader had been down this morning (while I was struggling to clear a path) so the end of our lane was really deep. Lucky really enjoyed playing in the deep snow😊. Rodney showed up about 4:00 and cleared out our yard and lane.  We sure appreciate his help!  There is no way we could have gotten out of the yard without his help. So now we have two very high piles of snow east of the house but they are far enough away that they won’t flood the yard when they melt. Tomorrow I’ll make a quick trip to town for a couple o...

  I can only hope that this current snow storm is that nasty one that shows up every year just when everyone thinks Spring has arrived.  Probably not, but I can wish and hope. My memory of last week was being frantically busy everyday and exhausted every evening.  Friday, with the laundry, was absolutely the worst day of the week. But yesterday, was sort of a lazy day.  I wandered through it in a bit of fog, got to bed (fairly) early, and slept well.  We have nothing planned for today, as the storm was predicted to last all weekend, in one form or another.  But it's a bright sunny day and we are already shoveled out.  Fearing being snowed in, we had made a late grocery run on Friday evening.  Sort of the "last straw" for me, at the time.  But I have today ahead of me and the only chore in the book is to clean the bathroom. Yuck! We have another "coffee" date ahead of us with the kids tomorrow evening.  I know we'll be discussing looking ...

  Those of us under a blizzard warning tend to doubt it!  The storm arrived a few hours later than forecast but it definitely arrived. We haven’t left the house today. And you know you are predictable when you get contacted from the legion to ask if you are coming in cause they want to close early😜. Lucky wanted to go out but when I opened the door he stuck his nose out, turned and gave me the “how could you!” look and went back to his carpet. I can’t say I blame him. He’ll be happy tomorrow with all the fresh snow to play in. Jim and I went to Brandon on Friday (he had an appointment). Left home at 10:30 and we’re home by just after 1:00. We stopped at one store , found an ink cartridge for my printer, and left. And we made history by NOT stopping at A&W!  First time for everything😊.  Replacing my ink cartridge was an adventure. I could not figure out how to put it in!  Nothing was where it should be. Finally I pulled it out and somehow the power cord had...

  Hello and welcome to some nicer weather although snow is still forecast for here. But to see the gravel driveway and grass along the edges and clear roads is such a pleasure. The paths around the yard are still a bit icy though so I have to really watch my step. Going out to the greenhouse is treacherous and I would hate to slip on the ice and down I go carrying a bucket of water haha!  As I mentioned I am house sitting for Daisy's family while they are all in Toronto at their house pending some medical appts etc. I have been checking the house and watering their million plants and so far all is well. The granddaughter called yesterday to say she has to come up this weekend to arrange for a contractor to remove the oil tank from the basement and replace it as the insurance company has cancelled their insurance because of the tank being too old. So for at least a week i will be relieved of my duties. Except if she has to move boxes or other stuff to make room for the removal ...

  The priority over the weekend was concern about David's driver's license.  He got the letter on Friday telling him that his license was being revoked, and he was to surrender the actual license by today at the latest.  The letter also included some good information on options including a special assessment process called "DriveABLE.  David had to wait until yesterday to call them, but wasn't able to get an appointment for the re-assessment until May 3rd.  So, while we were out yesterday, he went in and "did the deed".  Sort of a sad time around here, but at least there is hope. This all meant a quiet week end, spent mainly at home, but this also meant a bit more studio time than usual.  A significant number of the pieces for the new EPP piece have been cut and put in Zip-loc bags for future basting and sewing together.  This will be my work for the group in Lorette for the foreseeable future.  Today was also the day for my monthly Zoom meet...

  It seems most usual now to start our conversations with the weather -at least for me. Keeping tabs on temperatures and monitoring the greenhouse and the heaters therein is a full time job. Nothing is predicable except the unpredicability (is that a word?) of it all. And this variable weather pattern is to blame. As well I have to keep my bag of sand handy at the door just to navigate down and up the stairs as the water drips from the eaves and then freezes overnight. My early morning taking out of the dogs is hazardous, to say the least. I do take my cane in hand, though I wonder how useful it may be to support me if I go down haha! The new air fryer is proving to be a really fun kitchen gadget and I am having a great time trying new recipes. Yesterday it was brussel sprouts ( which I love) done by slicing in half and coating with olive oil and crushed fresh garlic and then cooked in the fryer and then covered with shredded parmesan cheese. It was really tasty. Today I am trying ...

  It was a quiet day. Jim gave me a big bar of Swiss chocolate as a present. He knew I had been craving milk chocolate😊. I did a couple of chores, watched curling and then we took Lucky to the off leash dog park. There were a couple of other dogs there and Lucky played with them a bit. No aggression at all.  Jim made supper and now we are just waiting for more curling. A very quiet, restful day. Love you♥️

  I hope your birthday is everything you want it to be, but at the same time I hope you get lots of comments and love.

  Hope you have a really great day today Cathy. Today would be a really great day for you to have a really great day. Best wishes............. ❤ 😂

  Yesterday was an experience.  I found the one handicapped parking space in a very large lot, but then had a bit of a walk on ice, to get into the building. Thankfully, I had a student guide to take me to an exit right in front of my car, when I left.  I took my walker, not knowing how much walking might be involved.  The school itself was a bit of maze, being sort of a circle, but not really.  I had been told to report to the office, but both the lady from the municipality, and a man who I took to be the vice-Principal, were in the hall, outside the office, waiting.  They took me to the library where there were big round table set up and a buffet luncheon on a separate table.  Three kinds of sandwiches, made by students, in a "foods" class in the morning, and lots of Tim Horton's coffee, donuts, and Timbit's.  They also had a collection of table games for us to play, as a casual means of getting to know each other.  The students quickl...

  Hello from Be , I just logged on and read the blog. My time is short tonight as I have all the cages to do and I am so tired i just want to jump into bed and cover my head. But the comments about reviewing ones life in retrospect and feeling "regrets" caught my attention as, I too, have been experiencing these thoughts - more frequently than I would like actually.  My mind rambles about and catches hold of a situation that I hash over in my mind and then decide that the decision at the time was possibly not the right choose and then start to regret and wonder how I might have done better (or should have done better is more the point). I think it is a "cleansing" in a way. No one else knows what I am thinking and no one perhaps cares,, except at that moment of reflection.....it haunts me. Does this make sense to either of you?  Just wondering.. Take care 😞 ps Pati... I loved that piece of art - always did and was happy that it stayed within the family.  A Walk at ...

  Today the small craft group in Lorette has been invited to the high school for a luncheon.  I've packed up some of my work, and even went out and got a haircut.  I think the idea is to form an informal group of retired ladies and teenagers, and see if some informal relationships evolve out of it.   This mix of generations must have been very much on my mind as I also dreamt last night of the piece I made from the photo of Beth, Amber and Jessica amongst the trees at the lake. That piece was actually titled "Generations".  My dream also included some regrets about charging Darren $$$ when he bought the piece.  I find, as I age, my mind turns to small regrets from remote times in my life.  This makes me wonder if everyone goes through this process, and if it's some sort of acknowledgement of the regret, and informal confession. Wow!  And I haven't even been taking too much medication!   Yesterday, the fellow from Acorn Stair Lifts c...