Update Time

I'm back! Oh wait, you didn't even know I was gone, did you? Well it's time for an update... family news, travels and such!
On May 23 I headed off to Ontario to visit my two kiddos. Yes, two! I haven't told you that Mark moved to Toronto at the end of March. With his girlfriend there and him here... well... they could only keep WestJet in business for so long....  I could see what was coming... He was very fortunate and got the first job he interviewed for!! He now works for the largest international company in the world that produces human

vaccines. They operate 24/7 and distribute more than a billion doses of vaccine per year, making it possible to vaccinate more than 500 million people across the globe. He is still training, and will be for a while yet, which means he currently has weekends off. Once he starts "working" it's shift work Thursday to Monday, and he'll be working on acellular pertussis vaccine. He is loving his job and big city life! It was great to see he and Maggie and their new place, a 25th floor condo at Yonge and Bloor. The big city is not for me, but it's wonderful to see them happy with their careers and lives.



I was proud of myself for doing the long drive alone (all 1368 km.) navigating busy highway 401 without incident and driving right to Mark's building without a wrong turn once! From Toronto I continued on to Kitchener Waterloo area to take in a bit of the Waterloo County Quilt Festival and visit some dear friends in New Hamburg. More about that in a later post.


On Friday, May 27 I headed to Hamilton to visit dear daughter. She didn't know I was coming. Another big piece of news: She is expecting, due mid July. Yes! We're going to have a grandson! One of the main reasons for the trip was her baby shower on Saturday the 28th. I just couldn't imagine not being there! So I showed up at her workplace at noon Friday and surprised her with an invitation to lunch! I do love a good surprise, don't you? I was there 4.5 days so got to know the city a bit, help Laura with a few things, etc. She is well organized and pretty much all set up for baby's arrival. The baby shower was lots of fun and it was so nice to meet the friends I have been hearing about.






The photos are of Laura at the shower opening the baby quilt I made - more on that in the next post.
I flew home Tuesday night and have been busy ever since trying to catch up, mostly on gardening. I must say, after the big city and the noise, people and traffic, I sure do love and appreciate my quiet green spacious backyard...  :)

Peace,
Linda

"There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again."
~ Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Belated Valentines Love....

This is a day late but I just could not resist sharing this sweet photo with you. Belated Valentines love to you from these two little sweeties! These are my two great nieces, twins born last August.. Josephine on the left and Ada on the right. It's not hard to see why their Mommy wants to cover them in kisses.... I MUST get up for another visit SOON....






Peace and Love,
Linda

Two cute little faces with matching grins,
What could be any sweeter than twins?!

A Quick and Easy Gift for Miss Claire

I think this was the first Christmas in a long time that I have not done any sewing/quilting projects for gifts. It certainly did remove a little stress from the holiday preparations!  :)  I did however make a gift for granddaughter Claire who was 2 in late August. I must admit I'm a little out of touch with who's who in the toddler world these days but I did know that Dora the Explorer is a favourite with Claire. I was lucky to find some lovely "Dora fleece" a few weeks back and matched it up with a solid purple for a fleece tie blanket. What little girl doesn't like "puhple"? Her bedroom is "puhple" and if a two year old can have a favourite colour, I'd say purple is it for Miss Claire. So Dora + purple = win/win!







It was a HUGE hit! She went nuts when she opened it! (If only every gift was received with such enthusiasm!!) It went everywhere with her while she was here for a few days just before Christmas, and of course covered her at night too. As you can see, it makes a great chair cover, when reading Dolly a story.

Have you tried making one of these? SO quick and easy! All you need are two pieces of fleece (the same size) and a pair of scissors or shears, and about an hour to an hour and a half. That's it. No sewing skills needed at all! You simply layer the two pieces of fleece, wrong sides together. Trim the edges if needed, so that the two pieces are exactly the same size. My fleece was 60" wide, so I bought 60" of length and I trimmed off roughly an inch all around. (This gets rid of any selvage or curly/wobbly edges.)

Enjoying a new book - see previous post

Next you cut a 4" square out of each corner, cutting through both layers. Then simply make slash cuts, about an inch apart and in 4" all around the entire blanket, again cutting through both layers. To finish you simply tie each pair of "slashes" together. That's it! Easy peasy! I confess, I used my rotary cutter and mat rather than shears. This kept all my cuts straight and even. This was a first for me, but what a fast simple gift for a little (or big!) person. I'm sorry, I never thought to take photos during the process, but it's pretty simple. If you want to make one and have any questions, just leave me a comment and I'll answer.








Just a few days after Christmas my great-niece Mallory called and asked if I knew how to make a fleece tie blanket and if so would I help her make one? "Why yes, I do!" I replied. haha
Her Mom had received one for Christmas so Mallory decided she'd like one too. So off we went to Fabricville to choose some fleece, came home and zip, zip, it was done! We both did some cutting and tieing and it was done in no time! What fun! And two special girls now have cozy blankets. I think Martha would say "That's a good thing..."


Peace,
Linda

"May no gift be too small to give, nor too simple to receive, which is wrapped in thoughtfulness and tied with love." ~ L. O. Baird

eXpendable

If you are local, and looking for something to do this evening, I have a suggestion. Get yourself up to FHS before 7:30pm and buy a ticket at the door for eXpendable at the Tom Morrison Theatre. It is a musical, conceived, written and directed by local playwright Joanna Doak of Chameleon Jo Productions. It features a cast of local very talented young adults, all with good strong voices and a good deal of experience on the stage, one of the strongest casts I have seen in a long while, short of Broadway.
Now I do have to warn you, this is not a show for children. Cinderella it is not. The subject matter is mature, and not what one would call "pleasant or humourous." It deals with the subject of sex trafficking. Yes, we're all aware that sex trafficking exists.. we've heard of it in Thailand, or India, or Las Vegas. But it happens much closer to home than you would care to think. Young girls are taken from the streets of Maritime cities too... Halifax, Moncton, and yes even Fredericton. They are put on a circuit, and moved frequently so they are difficult to find. American stats tell us that sex trafficking is a $32 billion dollar a year industry in the U.S. victimizing between 300,000 and 400,000 American children every year. It is estimated there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, and 5.5 million of those are children. It's been proven that whenever and wherever there are large sporting events such a SuperBowl, the demand goes up.
The eXpendable storyline is fictional, but the characters represent stories that are very real. The cast do an amazing job of portraying very believable characters and you cannot help but become emotionally invested in their situation. (I will tell you there is no actual violence in the show, no one is harmed, but the suggestion of assault certainly is there...) This is not an easy show to perform, I'm sure. It is challenging and emotional, as well as being educational. We have a great deal of talent in our city; I know several of the actors and am so very proud of all of them. Actually I know one very well- she is my sweet young great-niece, Mallory. The youngest in the cast at 17, she plays a very convincing role as Lily, an innocent 14 year old who has just been coerced into the sex trade world. It was not easy to watch her be drawn into this world of control, abuse and assault. I admit I much preferred her previous roles as Ariel in the Little Mermaid and Belle in Beauty and the Beast. But we don't live in a Disneyland world, do we, we live in a real world where sex trafficking is a fact. I know her parents struggled with whether to let her participate in this project, and difficult as it was to watch her play this role on stage, it has been good for her, and I'm sure has opened her eyes to some of the harsh realities of life, good preparation for leaving home and heading off to university in another year. She is becoming a very good actress, clearly conveying her feelings with her facial expressions and body language before she even opens her mouth to share her wonderful voice. The years of training with voice lessons, TNB and school musicals is paying off...
After tonight's performance, the cast prepare to take this show to Ontario next week. Good timing with the Pan Am Games coming to Toronto soon... They will be doing two performances in Toronto, and one each in Hamilton and Welland. They still need to raise more money to cover their costs, so why not get yourself up to FHS tonight and take in the show. You will be amazed and impressed with the talent, I promise. And you will leave the theatre a different person.

Peace,
Linda

"You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say that you did not know."
~William Wilberforce

Oh Happy Day!!

It's been a happy day here at Casa Stitch Lines. Son Mark got great news in today's mail - he passed his big exam and is now officially a Registered Medical Lab Tech!! Yay! He is working at our local hospital and is very happy there for now...

And, not to be outdone, daughter Laura found out late last week that her former employer, The Casket Newspaper in Antigonish received several CCNA's - that's Canadian Community Newspaper Awards, and one of the awards was for one of her photos! These awards are for Canadian newspapers with smaller circulations. Her photo which was in the Spot News category, was taken at a Department of Transportation plow shed fire last January.

Photo credit: Laura Hubbard/ The Casket Newspaper

At the time, I told her I thought it was a great photo... I guess I'm not the only one who thought so...   :)

Congrats to The Casket for also winning Best Overall Newspaper (circulation 3,000-3,999) and also awards for Best Front Page and Best Editorial Page. I'd like to think that perhaps Laura played a small part in these as well...  :)

So we have a registered MLT and an award-winning Journalist... we couldn't be more proud!!



May today's success be the beginning of tomorrow's achievements...

Peace,
Linda

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

It's a Good Day...

photo from www.measha,com

Last night I had the privilege of attending a local (sold out) concert by Measha Brueggergosman. All I can say is WOW! She has a new Christmas album out and part of the concert was Christmas music, with a smattering of other music as well. Her rich tone, her tremendous vocal range,  her command of the stage, her incredible band (Aaron Davis on keyboards, in

photo from www.measha.com

particular) all combined for an awesome evening. I can't sum it up any better than this paragraph from the programme: "One of the most significant sopranos performing today, Fredericton's own Measha Brueggergosman is critically acclaimed as much for her innate musicianship and voluptuous voice as for her strong stage presence far beyond her years. Brueggergosman has performed with some of the world's most celebrated orchestras and has carried her own solo shows in major venues around the world, repeatedly breaking the stereotype of an opera diva, and standing apart as a fresh and youthful ambassador for classical music."
It's been quite a while since I've seen Measha perform live, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but let me tell you, she did not disappoint. She is on the eastern Canada leg of her Christmas Tour now, so if she is coming to a venue near you, and tickets are still available, run, don't walk- give yourself a Christmas treat, and attend her performance. You can see her tour schedule here.
I still love Measha's duet with David Myles, "Whole to my Half", I think it will always be a favourite. You can listen to it here. Fredericton is so very proud of these two "home town kids"...    :)


A few days ago I promised to show you a surprise I got in the mail this week- As a thank-you for being a hostess in this year's Blogathon Canada, I received a Fat Quarter bundle from Sew Sisters of Toronto and a "six pack" of thread from sponsor Aurifil. What a lovely gift, and a complete surprise! Don't you just love it when the doorbell rings and you see the mailman standing there with a parcel for you?! Thanks Sew Sisters and Aurifil!! You're the BEST!

Other great news to share today: dear son Mark just got his first "real job"! (Insert big WHOOP!! here) Today is the final day of his six month clinical practicum for Medical Lab Technologist, and he just secured a job at our local hospital, starting Monday morning!! Guess he won't be sleeping in on Monday, as he thought... lol


Darling daughter Laura also is now working. She is in Ontario, and has been job-hunting all fall. She started working three weeks ago for an online travel agency, in their head office in Hamilton. She is their SEO copywriter with duties including writing copy, managing and creating marketing campaigns and contests, social media work, SEO (that's Search Engine Optimization) and analytics, and writing blog posts for TripSense. So far, she loves it!  (another Big Whoop!!) Although she feels there is a big learning curve for the business aspect of things, I assured her this is common with any new job. Check out her company at www.tripcentral.ca. I am so proud of both of them!!

The sun is shining brightly today, although it's very nippy out there... -11°C at the moment. I plan on spending the afternoon sewing, trying to get some Christmas sewing finished up... Can't show you any photos, as a certain someone might see... wink   Can't say who that would be but that might be her on the left... lol
While I'm sewing, I'll be singing.. still some work to be done on this Sunday's concert repertoire...

Peace,
Linda

Music is my escape. It silences the world and my worries.

Silver on PEI

It's been a busy few days. On Sunday I made a very quick trip to Prince Edward Island to watch my nephew's son Nathan play in the GOLD medal game at the Peewee AAA baseball Atlantic championship game!!! They won on Saturday to advance to the first place game!!!!! Way to go guys!!! We were so very proud of the team for doing so well.

To get to PEI from New Brunswick you drive over the awesome Confederation Bridge, a 12.9 kilometer (8 mile) bridge which spans the Northumberland Strait. It is the longest bridge in the world which spans ice-covered water. (Of course it's not ice covered at this time of year.) It took almost four years to construct, at a cost of a billion dollars, and employed crews of more than five thousand local workers. It opened in May of 1997. I still marvel at its design and construction every time I drive over it - it is truly one of Canada's top engineering feats of the 20th century.

Nathan's Mom and I stopped at The Lobster Barn in beautiful Victoria by the Sea for lunch- one MUST eat lobster while on PEI so we had lobster rolls for lunch. (We won't discuss dessert, ok?)  We both agreed this was a great spot to eat - we recommend it highly.
And the other thing one must consume while on "the Island" is an icecream cone at Cows. So of course, we did that too. So good....


Back to the team. They played a great game, leading for most of it, but sadly they lost by 5-4 in the final inning. So they settled for silver medals instead of gold, but that is nothing to be ashamed of. Second in Atlantic!! Pretty darned good I'd say! Way to go Nathan!! This was his first year of playing competitive ball... I'm sure he was tired when he got home after four days of games. And this week he has hockey try-outs. At least he doesn't have  a chance to get bored....
Yesterday I made another batch of jam, and I have a large batch of crock pickles underway. I've been busy picking, stewing and freezing tomatoes too. The garden is winding down and I'm busy harvesting and preserving what I can. I spent today doing all those fun things like laundry, ironing, scrubbing bathrooms, etc. and then Choir started tonight. Tomorrow we're off on a little day trip. Thursday is supposed to be rainy and I plan on spending the entire day in my studio. Can't wait.... No rest for the weary! Tomorrow, I'll give you the Greek salad recipe.

Peace,
Linda

"Nothing can subtract hard work from success, only add to it." ~Manjunath Harlapur

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Provincial Champs! Photos by nephew Terry Kelly

What says "summer afternoon" more than a ballgame? Now I admit, I'm not a huge sports fan, unless, that is... unless I know someone who's playing. And if it's a family member, well.... I'm there! Whoopin' and hollerin'! A few weeks ago on a lovely Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of watching my great- nephew Nathan pitch a game with his team, the Fredericton Peewee AAA Royals. They've had a great season and this past weekend they won Provincials! Nathan pitched an awesome game! How wonderful to see their team photo in the paper this week, after winning that title. Next weekend they will travel to Charlottetown PEI for the Atlantic championship. I wish them all luck, but most of all Good Luck Nathan! Give it to 'em, Nate! Show 'em what you can do with that ball!
Baseball isn't even finished yet and Nathan is back to hockey. He's spent this last week of his summer vacation at a skills and drills hockey camp - way to go Nate! It won't be long before we'll be back at the hockey rink, cheering you on!

Peace,
Linda

"Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success, or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is."
~ Bob Feller

We've Had a Wedding!!

It's time to tell you why I have been blogging less lately, and why I haven't had as much time to visit around and leave comments. My beautiful daughter was married last weekend. It was a small, simple wedding. They didn't want a big splashy affair with lots of hoopla... If you have had a family wedding, you know how time-consuming it is, even if it is small, and along with that goes a certain degree of stress... lol  The wedding was in Moncton, so the goings-on there (the RCMP shootings) several days before, just added another level of worry and stress...  Now, nine days later, life is finally starting to feel "normal" again (whatever normal is).

I've been waiting for some of the photos from the pro photographer, Taniesha Ayer, and finally last night she sent 5 as a preview, so I decided not to wait any longer, and show you a few of those along with a few I took myself. I'll post more later.

So here's a peak at my darling daughter, looking radiant .... These first ones were taken by me as we got ready.

And here are a few taken by photographer Taniesha....

I love you Laura, and wish you and Dan a lifetime of good health and happiness....

Peace,
Linda

"Daughter -a beautiful creation, handmade by God, placed in the arms of a woman to raise up, love, nurture and treasure as a friend."

Blossoms and Birthdays

The last day of February. Yay! I don't feel one bit sad to say Goodbye February. For a "short" month, it sure has felt plenty long! On to March and hopefully some signs of spring.  So, just to get us in the mood for spring, I couldn't resist sharing a few more amaryllis photos with you. Both are now in bloom, 3 blossoms on the coral one and two open on the deep red with two more buds still to unfurl. You can't help but feel happy when you have such beauty to gaze upon first thing in the morning.

Today is Mark's 25th birthday!! My firstborn. Twenty-five! How can that be?! He arrived home this afternoon for his Spring Break week. And Laura will be home next weekend for her 23rd birthday. I haven't seen either of them since Christmas so am looking forward to having them home for a bit. Mark's birthday cake is ready... chocolate of course... is there any other flavour worth having? Oliver had his annual checkup and shots this afternoon, and a mini pedi, lol. All is well with his world!
Flowers and chocolate and a
healthy kitty.... it's a good day!

Peace,
Linda

Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.

Boxing Day Lazy

Well, it's all over but the groaning... yep - turkey overload! lol It's been a very lazy day here, I think the most energetic thing I've done, other than make supper (leftover turkey of course) was to have a few long chats on the phone with good friends and a faraway cousin. I have my nose right into a very good book and that's where you'll find me for the next few days if I'm lucky. I'm usually pretty exhausted by the time Dec. 25th rolls around so there's not much on my agenda for the next few days, except lots of R and R (with good book in hand.) I came across a new word not long ago that pretty much sums up how I'm feeling: exhaustipated - that's  "too tired to give a sh*t".

Looking across the street this afternoon

We are still getting snow!! Can you believe it?! I think it has snowed or "precipitated" in some form every day now for well over a week. The snow is piling up like crazy- the banks where areas have been plowed are as high as they usually are by winter's end. If this is an indication of what we're in for all winter, we are in big trouble. You're all going to have to come here with big shovels in hand to dig us out!! I haven't left the house today, except to stand at the back door onto our deck to snap a few quick shots. I will get out tomorrow with camera in hand, so you can see what I mean... And we have yet another storm system moving in for the weekend..  joy oh joy. Well at least maybe I'll get this book finished! We did see some sun yesterday for awhile (see photo above), I'm wondering how long before we'll see it again...

Backyard late this afternoon

Oliver has been his usual entertaining self this Christmas- he is just like a child- he gets SO excited! He pushes the limits on being naughty too... snooping in gifts, pulling off bows and chewing on the ribbon and  the odd corner of a wrapped gift here and there... He located his hidden catnip ball with no trouble at all.. He has a VERY good "sniffer"... I tried to tell him Santa Paws would not come to kitties who snoop and find their gifts but he paid no attention... I think after all the excitement yesterday, he too has enjoyed the quiet restful day today.. he's been napping (and snoring!) most of the day. Just call us "Boxing Day Lazy".

It's been great to have the kids home - Ollie loves all the extra love and attention!! Laura has gone back today, as she returns to work tomorrow. Mark is home for a while yet. Merry Christmas from our "three" kids!

And "my" two girls..  Laura with cousin Mallory

Peace,
Linda

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace." ~Agnes M. Pharo

"My" Little Mermaid...

On Friday evening  I was thrilled to attend the performance of the Theatre New Brunswick Theatre School Musical production by the Intermediate students. My great-niece Mallory had the lead role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. It was presented 3 times this weekend at Black Box Theatre at STU. Although I took photos throughout the performance, it was too dark to get many good photos. (The lighting was low and the entire interior of the theatre is painted black!) But here are a few...

 I was so proud of her. She did an excellent job - she is a good little actress with great facial expression and body language. And she has a beautiful singing voice! She was totally in character the whole time and not once did she even show any recognition of anyone in the audience. Of course she is wearing a wig in these photos (as all the mermaids did) - but don't you think she looks good as a redhead?
Unless you have been involved with a musical production, you have no idea of the time that is spent in rehearsals and practice. Such committment!

Next year she will move up to the Senior TNB Theatre School group, so will be "low man on the pole" again, and may have a smaller role, but you can bet I'll be there, front and centre, once again. I wouldn't miss it!




Here is Ariel with Flounder and Sebastian (left), with Ursula the Sea Witch (middle), and with one of her mermaid sisters (right).



So proud of you Mallory!!  Great job!! Last year Belle. This year Ariel. Next year...???

Peace,
Linda

"I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue,
And it's hey to the starboard, heave ho,
Look out lad, a mermaid be waiting for you,
In mysterious fathoms below."

(lyrics from Fathoms Below, The Little Mermaid, by Howard Ashman)

Another Graduation...

Hello!! I'm back! I've been MIA from here for over a week, but for good cause... We were away for three days for Laura's Graduation, and add two days before for preparations  (why are there so many things one has to do before going away, even for just a few days??!) and then a long weekend with one day at a friend's cottage  and many outdoor chores at home to get caught up on... and there you have it - missing for a week plus!! The last few days I have been  frantically working on my Challenge piece to finish it off for tonight's Guild meeting... more about that tomorrow...

Photo by Calnen Photography Ltd.

So- here she is. The recent graduate. A Double Honours degree in Journalism and Canadian Studies.
Miss Laura Hubbard, BJH.  We are so very proud of her!  Let the job offers start rolling in!! lol

Laura and Kate

Graduation day was cold and rainy... not quite what we had in mind, but I did manage to get some photos inside before they lined up for the  procession from Kings campus down to the Cathedral Church of All Saints where the Kings Grad ceremony is traditionally held. At least the sun was out by the end of the Graduation ceremonies but by then people are starting to disperse and it's harder to round up the gang of friends...






 Here she is hamming it up with friend Kate who is also from the Fredericton area. No girls, that is not how the hood is worn.. (although it might  keep the rain off...?) I think it was just after this one was taken that Laura lost part of the heel of her shoe....



With two more friends- Natascia (on left), winner of the Governor General's Silver Medal (Congrats Nat!!) and Lauren (in middle). The Grads sat alphabetically and Laura was between Kate H. and Lauren H. When names were called, Laura was mistakenly called before Kate and she was given Kate's degree. Kate was called next and given an empty tube as they had realized the mix-up by then...When Laura did finally get her degree later on, it read Lauren Hubbard...So we had to go back the next morning to pick up the correct degree with correct name.. and then it didn't have the University seal on it. Geez, what you have to go through!!

So here we are after the ceremony - the proud parents and the happy Grad. Let the party begin!!
We survived the rain, the broken heel, the wrong degree... 

Our Darling Daughter,
We wish you the strength to face challenges with confidence, along with the wisdom to choose your battles carefully...
We wish you adventure on your journey and may you always stop to help someone along the way...
Listen to your heart and take risks carefully...
Remember how much you are loved.
We are so very proud of you.

Peace and Love,
Linda

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."  ~ Buddha

May already?!!

I cannot believe a whole week has passed since I last posted. No doubt you're wondering where I am! Well I'm right here.. just very busy. This past week was dear daughter's last one in Toronto. Her internship went very well and she thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. She learned a great deal and felt it was very worthwhile, in fact she would have liked to stay longer.. Other than getting "turned around" (that sounds better than "lost") a few times on the TTC, it seems her month in the big city went off without a hitch... She took this shot of the CN Tower one day this past week as she was enjoying a few minutes of R &R in the sun before heading to work for one of her last evening shifts.
I encouraged her to see as much of the city as she could on her days off and on the days when she was working 4pm till midnight; one thing she did was see a taping of the Marilyn Denis Show. She had a front row seat and enjoyed the show, the guests, the freebies given to the audience, and just watching the whole process of the show production. She got to meet Marilyn after, and as you can see, took advantage of a photo op too!
 She flew home last night, did laundry, enjoyed one good sleep in her own bed, packed up again today and moved off to Moncton where she will work for the summer.  Another exciting chapter begins...
Sooo, it's been a busy week for me, getting more of her things stowed away (it's not easy to "absorb" a whole apartment's worth of stuff again...). some things sorted and organized for her to take with her, etc. Then I was preparing for my class with Bonnie Hunter in Maine on Friday. Had lots of cutting to do in preparation.. I managed to pick up a cold somewhere, so a few days of sniffling and snuffling didn't help matters any... but here we are at the end of the weekend and this is all behind us now. I did a little more work outside today, things are popping up in all my perennial beds, but we really need some rain (never thought I'd be saying that after all the rainy days we had in April...)
Next I'll tell you about my class with Bonnie Hunter....

Peace,
Linda

"Time is your only enemy, it disappears very quickly and never gives you a second chance." ~ Steve Douglas

Spring - Where are You?

Well, things are slowly moving along.. My father-in-law went home today after a week in a respite bed at Windsor Court. I think he is somewhat stronger, and certainly benefited from the nutritious meals and the social interaction. There are still some issues to be dealt with, but he is making tiny steps forward... Getting old is definitely NOT for the faint of heart!
Our family room carpeting has finally been installed, and the new roller shade is up. Next on the agenda is to get the window valance done... I think the room looks larger... Yay!
Spring is slow to show herself.. We have had a few days of sun, but this afternoon is overcast and dreary again. I have daffodils up and budded, but I think we need some warmer days before they will bloom. The few crocuses I have left (the squirrels have been "re-designing" my spring bulb garden for a few years now, scattering them where they think they look best- I found a few blooming by the compost today...) are bravely blooming despite the cool weather, but I can see them shivering.. lol It seems, this year,  that spring is taking forever.. We have had snow this month, and rain, and temps that just feel too cold.. come on spring! Hurry up!! I'm getting reallllly anxious to be outside digging in the garden...
Laura is almost halfway through her internship at the Globe and Mail. Monday's events in Boston, terrible and scary as they were, made for an exciting day for DD, who was on the national newsdesk. It ended up being a 12+ hour day for her. Things were a little crazy for the rest of that day as the team of journalists stayed on top of what was happening, updating the website and preparing stories for the next day's paper. Laura worked on three of the articles, one of them front page! And it was a proud moment for me to see her name on two stories in A section of our Atlantic Globe and Mail the next morning. Tomorrow is her last day as a reporter, the final two weeks she will work as a Web Editor.  She is loving the whole experience... and I'm a proud Mamabird!
My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston and the family and friends of the late Rita MacNeil.

Peace,
Linda

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." ~ Hal Borland