Princess Knitsalot headed home to Ontario yesterday. She had arrived in rain and left in snow... Yes, we had our first real snowfall of the season yesterday. Why is it that winter always seems to catch Canadians by surprise?
We had a long, slow and slightly scary trip going both to the airport and coming home. I'm not quite sure why, since it had been clearly snowing for quite a while, but there were NO SNOWPLOWS out yesterday afternoon. I did manage to find one on the way home which had the advantage of making the trip less slippery, if not any faster.
My sister had suggested to my niece that winter boots might be a good thing to pack because it was already snowing in Ontario last weekend, but since she knew that we didn't have snow she declined. However, snowboots were a must yesterday. I knew that there was a reason that I hadn't disposed of Old Son's boots from last year yet, I just didn't know what it was. Yes, I sent Princess Knitsalot home wearing her cousin's outgrown snow boots. They were a little big on her but did at least keep her feet warm and dry. Quite the fashion statement, too!
(I would have taken and posted pics of both the boots and the snow, but it appears that Mr. Me has taken the camera travelling with him...)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
More Than Just My LYS
I've had a house guest visiting since last Sunday. My eldest niece has been visiting from Ontario. Much to my delight (and her parents' dismay) she is considering the University of New Brunswick's Faculty of Engineering. She had a campus tour on Tuesday and has been enjoying an otherwise quiet week. On Tuesday morning we dropped the boys off at their respective schools and drove into Fredericton. We parked and walked over to my office building. I explained where the shops were and we agreed to meet 10:40 so I could take her up to the university for her 11:00 tour. So far, so good, right?
Around 10:55 I am starting to feel anxious. At 11:00, I am feeling PANIC!!! I ask a coworker heading to Tim Horton's to check to see if she there... Sometimes family resemblances are a good thing.
11:10 - no, she's not at Tim's. I am pretty sure that despite the fact that my niece is almost 20, my sister is going to KILL ME!!!
My much calmer coworkers and I start to brainstorm about the situation. Could she still be on Ontario time? But if she is, where might she be??? This is where the LYS comes in. My niece is a knitter. We call the LYS and the conversation goes something like this:
LYS - Good morning, Singer Sewing Centre...
Me - Hi - Trish?
LYS - Yes...?
Me - Hi, Trish. It's Miss Me. I have a missing person and she is a knitter... Have you seen a young woman who looks a lot like me wearing a pink jacket this morning? (Note - The spaces and punctuation really ran together into a really long and fast word, but that would make it too hard to read.)
LYS - What colour is her hair?
Me - Blonde and she is wearing glasses.
In the background I hear Trish asking if her customer knows me...
Yes, Princess Knitsalot was still on Ontario time, but the lure of yarn for knitter made her actions somewhat predictable which probably saved me from some nasty fate at the hands of my sister! Sometimes your LYS is more than just a yarn store - it's like a homing beacon for wayward knitters.
(After her campus tour she went back to finish her browsing and buying.)
Around 10:55 I am starting to feel anxious. At 11:00, I am feeling PANIC!!! I ask a coworker heading to Tim Horton's to check to see if she there... Sometimes family resemblances are a good thing.
11:10 - no, she's not at Tim's. I am pretty sure that despite the fact that my niece is almost 20, my sister is going to KILL ME!!!
My much calmer coworkers and I start to brainstorm about the situation. Could she still be on Ontario time? But if she is, where might she be??? This is where the LYS comes in. My niece is a knitter. We call the LYS and the conversation goes something like this:
LYS - Good morning, Singer Sewing Centre...
Me - Hi - Trish?
LYS - Yes...?
Me - Hi, Trish. It's Miss Me. I have a missing person and she is a knitter... Have you seen a young woman who looks a lot like me wearing a pink jacket this morning? (Note - The spaces and punctuation really ran together into a really long and fast word, but that would make it too hard to read.)
LYS - What colour is her hair?
Me - Blonde and she is wearing glasses.
In the background I hear Trish asking if her customer knows me...
Yes, Princess Knitsalot was still on Ontario time, but the lure of yarn for knitter made her actions somewhat predictable which probably saved me from some nasty fate at the hands of my sister! Sometimes your LYS is more than just a yarn store - it's like a homing beacon for wayward knitters.
(After her campus tour she went back to finish her browsing and buying.)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Ready for Anything
Firstly, oh thank you great Blogger for FINALLY allowing me to post... I don't know what has been going on, but Blogger hasn't felt like letting me in for a few days.
The rain that started last week continued over the weekend. The weekend included the middle school soccer tournament. Older Son is the co-captain of his school's team. As a good Mom, I went to watch.
We got up early, had our breakfast and packed the car.
Here is what I packed:
2 folding chairs - utility? 75%. Both chairs were used although not all the time.
Golf sized umbrella - utility? 100%. I didn't need it all the time, but I did need it!
Towels - utility? 5%. We didn't use them, but having them was a good safety net.
Blankets - utility? 50%. Only one of the 2 was used. I probably shouldn't have packed a fleece with teddy bears on it for a 12 year old boy... The plain red one was the one that was used.
2 Thermoses of hot chocolate - utility? 60%. One would have done just fine.
Snack - utility? None. We went somewhere to warm up to eat so needn't have bothered packing food.
Knitting - utility? Low. I did frog my Arch-Shaped Socks back to a mistake, but didn't really get much knitting done.
A book to read - utility? Very low. I read one page.
My winter jacket and gloves - utility? Greater than 100%. It was chilly, but the damp made it feel colder.
Sunglasses clip-ons for my glasses - utility? Absolutely positively none! Does this look like I would have possibly needed sunglasses?
We'll consider that a move of eternal optimism... I live in denial sometimes.
The rain that started last week continued over the weekend. The weekend included the middle school soccer tournament. Older Son is the co-captain of his school's team. As a good Mom, I went to watch.
We got up early, had our breakfast and packed the car.
Here is what I packed:
2 folding chairs - utility? 75%. Both chairs were used although not all the time.
Golf sized umbrella - utility? 100%. I didn't need it all the time, but I did need it!
Towels - utility? 5%. We didn't use them, but having them was a good safety net.
Blankets - utility? 50%. Only one of the 2 was used. I probably shouldn't have packed a fleece with teddy bears on it for a 12 year old boy... The plain red one was the one that was used.
2 Thermoses of hot chocolate - utility? 60%. One would have done just fine.
Snack - utility? None. We went somewhere to warm up to eat so needn't have bothered packing food.
Knitting - utility? Low. I did frog my Arch-Shaped Socks back to a mistake, but didn't really get much knitting done.
A book to read - utility? Very low. I read one page.
My winter jacket and gloves - utility? Greater than 100%. It was chilly, but the damp made it feel colder.
Sunglasses clip-ons for my glasses - utility? Absolutely positively none! Does this look like I would have possibly needed sunglasses?
We'll consider that a move of eternal optimism... I live in denial sometimes.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Cats and Dogs
Despite the fact that the calendar says that it is November, Mother Nature seems to think that it is April. Now I don't really mind that it is warmer than usual, but a little less rain wouldn't hurt. It's raining cats and dogs out there! To make matters worse, I had my cute umbrella this morning, and even though I didn't step outside all day, I no longer have my umbrella. I've been on course for 3 days and today we finished early. "Bonus - a half hour of unexpected knitting time!" I thought. Only when I went to wait for my bus in the rain did I realize that I had left my umbrella in the classroom. I rushed back (because if I miss my bus I've got one heck of a problem), but it wasn't there anymore... Here's hoping someone from the office realized it was mine. In the meantime, the bus heater feels much better than normal and hopefully I will be at least a little bit less damp by the time I get home.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Testing... Testing...
I am trying to blog from my Blackberry. It is too dark to knit or read but this gadget has a backlit screen!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
No Luck
Yesterday the Grim Reapers came a calling. The Grim Reaper on the right is mine. The Grim Reaper on the left is Younger Son's best buddy. While they scored lots of candy and treats, they had no luck in the souls department. Why?
Despite the fact that Older Son is not yet a teenager, he was still a zombie for the day. And you can't steal the souls of the undead...
No - I haven't had much time for knitting. I had to make Hallowe'en costumes!
Despite the fact that Older Son is not yet a teenager, he was still a zombie for the day. And you can't steal the souls of the undead...No - I haven't had much time for knitting. I had to make Hallowe'en costumes!
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