Full Moon

Is it a nice day or is it a cold day? I can’t make up my mind; the weather is changing every five minutes.

Scott and I got some yard cleanup done this afternoon after my walk, during which I picked up a heavy bagful of beer cans and bottles in a mere 25-minute walk down my road. Damn litterers. Damn drinkin’ drivers.

He’s just off checking a cow in labour and I’m waiting for supper to come out of the oven.

Joan your idea for the wall pics is just right and I love all the colours! The wall is a light mint green, if that helps. Any colours will look great against it. I’ll measure the wall tomorrow (started writing this at suppertime and it’s now almost midnight; got sidetracked).

Last Day of April

Hey! Karen has pelicans on the lake, Joan has her blog renewed … it’s all good! But I have to get ready to go to town, and don’t have time to write a “proper” entry here. Not that I haven’t been awake for two hours already. But with that first cup of coffee I had to lie abed and read a few chapters of The Piano Teacher, which an internet acquaintance of mine (connected with through my last job, the one at the encyclopedia) has just published. It’s written in first person, diary form; right up my alley, that.

Then I remembered I won’t be home tonight as it’s my TV-watching evening at Everett’s, so I had best put something on my own blog if I want to maintain the recent momentum. Here’s what I posted: Mom and Joanne.

Joan, I love the flowers you paint, those big splashy flowers. What about a triptych of sorts? A set of three large squares to line up on the long wall of my living room. I’m quite partial to the natural look (unframed, no glass). Open to suggestions though.

You’ve noticed I’ve stopped sending “shopping” cheques; I could see it was stressing you, worrying that I was too fussy. No problem; if you see something suitable, go for it anyway. I have gotten a lot of wear out of those leggings you picked up for me! I tend to like what you like anyway.

Can’t put it off, must get going. Karen, we’ve got to show you how to upload images. It would be great to see all the birds on “your” lake!

What’s going on this week?

Where the heck IS everybody?

Karen, has Danielle bought a new car? On our way to Saskatoon on Saturday morning we were behind a little blue car with licence plate “TATGRL” . . . and wondered. (Not that there isn’t more than one tatgirl!)

Joan, I guess you’ve been in Vancouver or are still there. Be sure to let us know what results you come home with.

Three of Cups

What a busy trio we are!

I have to scurry off to the office, so will leave you with this, the tarot card I pulled for the daily draw:

Click on the card to read the interpretation that applies to me today (and you).

This is one of my favourite cards. Well, why wouldn’t it be? Three gals, obviously very close, are drinking wine and eating fruit and having a grand ol’ time. Sure wish we could do that on your birthday tomorrow, Karen!

Two sets of Three

Emil and I toured out Margo way on Saturday. Didn’t catch you at home, Karen, as you know, but stopped in and saw our aunts — Shirley in town and Rose out on the farm. Emil was disappointed that Uncle Neil wasn’t there (he was up at the hunting shack with friends, and apparently had apple pie-making on his agenda) but I’ve promised Emil we’ll take another drive next time he’s here for the weekend, when the weather’s good and there’s nothing else on the calendar. There usually isn’t, as I endeavour to keep my days off “unplanned.”

It was too cold this weekend to get out and clean off the perennial garden. There was frost on the ground this morning. The wind is so mean I’d have to wear ski pants to go for a decent walk.

You may have noticed that I’ve been collecting images of “three sisters,” which, to my mind, is a theme of this blog.

Here is mom’s cousin Lyle’s wife Bernadette with two of her sisters. Sadly, they have lost their fourth sister.

Bernadette, Fran and Joan

And here are the McLelland sisters, who, like all loving sisters, also relish their time together and have organized a little holiday for themselves:

Kathy, Colly and Kim

Kim and I were partners in crime during our high school years. Colly now calls herself Colleen, I believe, and Kathy goes by Kathleen, but … to me they will always be the sweet little sistas! Just like my own sweet little sistas.

Two-Day Farewell

There is frost on the ground this morning.

Snow is forecast for Monday, Scott says.

Under my bluejeans, Joan, I’m still wearing the leggings you gave me. Ridiculous as it seems.

Maybe we should take a holiday to this place some winter:

The Three Sisters Hotel.

I’m in town for the next two days, working, and staying at Everett’s tonight.

Please do converse amongst yourselves!

xoxo

Kathy

You Are So Beautiful … To Me

On the news today they are applauding the great change in fashion marketing by touting the use of voluptuous models instead of skinny ones.

It’s a step forward, for sure, but until they use models with plain faces instead of “beautiful” ones, I remain unimpressed.

I’m not offended like the young ladies below, but as long as we are caught up in the beauty game, we are still caught in an unrealistic notion of what is important in life.

Speaking of Quilts

I am looking for a new bedspread.

Got my eye on a bright yellow one in the Sears catalogue, but haven’t ordered it because of our hard water. It stains things, so I delay buying anything light-coloured.

Maybe I’ll order it in the dark raspberry instead. But I am craving yellow.

Click on the image to go to a webpage displaying lovely fabric art.

The Stuff of Life

It’s breadmaking day in my house. I measured out all the ingredients (20 cups of whole wheat flour, plus the sourdough starter, et al) as soon as I got out of bed this morning, even before drinking a cup of coffee. In 10 minutes it will be time to punch down the dough after its first rise.

I can’t say I enjoy making bread. I don’t like the sticky or the cleanup.

But I do like to eat the stuff, so I must do it. Right now my aim is to get enough loaves into the freezer to get us through the hot summer weeks without having to turn on the oven. We shall see if I manage it this year; never have before. Worth a try though! And it helps to have that starter in the fridge, because it has to be “refreshed” (i.e. a cup of it has to be used and replaced) every week and I don’t want to throw anything away. For now it keeps me following the routine. Eventually I’ll remind myself it’s only one cup of flour being wasted and say to hell with it and let myself off the baking hook. I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again!

Joan, I use my iPhone to amuse myself while Scott is watching TV that doesn’t interest me. Really should get something with a larger screen. Not that I stay in the living room long when there’s nothing on that I want to watch, but it helps me stay there long enough to kid myself that we’ve spent “quality” time together.

Actually there are a couple series that we both like, and it is nice to watch them together. We are regular viewers of Doc Martin, Better Call Saul, and Orange is the New Black. Most of our individual film and TV interests are not shared, so often Scott is in the living room of an evening and I am here in the office or reading in bed.

When I am in front of the TV, it’s been a good time to do hatha yoga for the past month. My forehead is halfway (from where it started) to my knee in the alternate leg stretch. I wonder how long it will take to get my head to touch my leg. Another month, I figure.

Let’s do some stargazing next time we get together, girlysues!

From May: Now That’s More Like It

I love your letters, ladies. Keep ’em coming.

In honour of Jordan’s 13th birthday marking the all-too-swift passing of time, I give you the following painting that reminds me of when we three were children, Caroline was just a baby, and Dawn and I thought we had received the best present ever.

The way these two are gazing at their baby sister is exactly how we felt. We loved her to pieces and thought she was the best thing since Smarties. And we still do, don’t we, Dawn? And now she has little ones of her own, except they aren’t so little anymore.

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Gee, sorry to hear about Princess House Canada going the way of the dodo bird; I wonder why! Their stuff is surely still very popular. Like you, Dawn, I can’t help buying more although I already have plenty. And I really like what I have, too, and don’t need one more thing.

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Caroline, I wore the purple bamboo shirt for two days this week. Love that it’s nice and long so my lower back is never left bare and cold and I’m not constantly tucking. Thanks again! Hated to put it in the wash, can’t wait to wear it next time. By the way, when Gary retires from his stressful job, he will make the perfect salesperson for your artistic output.

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

I think Mom may have given me a figurative slap upside the head last night. I was reminded that it has been almost 10 years and I still have not finished my quilt and, for the first time, I felt bad about that.