March......really....

February 29th was our bonus day.  We had the day at home.  The time was put to good use ....more inroads with sorting and decluttering,   By afternoon it was time to stop, pour a glass of wine and then enjoy a good dinner.  We ordered a Greek from a nearby restaurant.  It worked out easier to phone in and pick up the order.  It was a nice treat.

Here's what is happening on the patio.  Just a bit of added color makes all the difference.

Blue skies overhead and sunshine make any day great.  And just over the hedge I can see my parent's home.  Lots of memories and reasons to smile.

This end of the patio has been regrouped.  I've already discovered that Sully has a long reach and some of the planters will need to be raised up more or built up.  He is creative.  Snap hooks on the pillar hold the extension gate secure.  The rest of the patio is still off limits for Sully.  We're going to place more of the clear panels in between the border fencing and the hedge.  It's on the list.

I've been reading and enjoying blogs and trying to leave comments.   I know I'm tardy with replies to comments on my blog.  I sincerely appreciated everyone who stops by and leaves comments.  Bit by bit the big picture stuff is being worked through, it's just taking time, more time than I could have imagined.

The other day I read  of a teacup tree on http://www.craftygardener.ca.  These tiny crocheted teacups are so cute and so much fun to make.  I'm up to ten so far.  It's a great way to use up small scraps of yarn too.

 

With the chain 11 for the handle I did a slip stitch in the base and then started the bottom.  I looped through the base row and made two dc in each and a slip stitch to join.  It meant an all in one project.

Definitely more of these to be made!

And every now and then, it's nice to daydream of far away places.  With modern technology and views from live cam, it is almost like being there!   I did say almost.   

that's it from this corner....till next time.

Gifted gorgeousness

Jo of Serendipitous Stitching (link on the sidebar) has organized this wonderful  monthly SAL to celebrate crafty gifts sent, received or made.

This is my first time participating, so here goes .....this month it's other than stitching gifts (they're coming) .....

I finally got the hang of hdc and treble crochet stitches and made hearts, lots of hearts.  Fun projects and some have made it to their new homes.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

 Jo from Serendipitous Stitching has organized this wonderful Valentine's blog hop.

She has randomly given us a sweet Valentine stitching picture from our Secret Stitching Sweetheart.

We then visit Jo's blog to start the blog hop to find out who has our Valentine picture and let them know who we are.  

Here's the picture I've received.  I wonder who this secret stitching sweetheart is????

heart to heart

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

It's been a busy few weeks, more on that later.  For now, Valentine wishes to everyone.

so long January

It has been a very long month.    I thank you for your very kind words.

Bit by bit we are moving forward.   There is no timeline........... yes I know anything beyond a snail's pace is recommended.  

The days are getting longer, so nice!  There are signs of spring outdoors.  Mind you the weather reports suggest cooler weather next week and even a chance of snow.

Knitting and crochet projects are getting done.  This means I'm also using up stash which is always nice.   I'll have some pictures next post.

So now it's onward to February.

soaring with the eagle

This afternoon marked both Dad's birthday and  our family gathering to pay tribute to him.  Our group of four sat graveside to remember Dad. It was in keeping with Dad's wishes that this been small and private.   A large spray of yellow flowers  was placed on a nearby table.  On the smaller table, Dad's urn, a photo of him and mementos to be placed in the vault.

We were lucky to have a dry day but my goodness it was cold.  It seemed appropriate to stay seated (and keep warm).  I had prepared a tribute to read and actually manged to get through most of it just fine.  Laurie, Vanessa and Kevin also spoke.  We then had a toast to Dad (one of his favorite's, Green Tea ginger ale).  We had selected three of Dad's favorite songs to play and at the end of the last song the eagle flew over low then headed north.  It was a fitting sight.

The day was as it should be, we remember you, Don Williams.  You are loved and missed.  We are thankful that you are with Mom and setting your course to sail the heavens together.

And for those of us left behind, we will continue your legacy.  

Moving forward

Things are ok.  Some days present more challenges than others.  There are reasons to smile, to laugh, to remember and to appreciate.

The family gathering for Dad takes place Tuesday afternoon.  We will remember a life lived well, Dad's love of his family and celebrate his birthday.  No good byes, more so till we meet again. Farewell.

We say goodbye

Dad passed away last evening.

There is sadness, some relief knowing Dad no longer has to struggle day to day and peace knowing he is with Mom.

The loss of both of my parents in nine months is too much.   They had a long life together, 64 years in fact.  They had a good run.

And for those of us left behind, we will move forward, one step at a time.

blog changes

Apparently there are changes coming and might impact blogs/bloggers. Have a read:

In 2011, we announced the retirement of Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites. We made an exception for Blogger to give readers an easy way to follow blogs using a variety of accounts. Yet over time, we’ve seen that most people sign into Friend Connect with a Google Account. So, in an effort to streamline, in the next few weeks we’ll be making some changes that will eventually require readers to have a Google Account to sign into Friend Connect and follow blogs.

As part of this plan, starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.
We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.
We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers.
Posted by Michael Goddard, Software Engineer


On the home front, no changes, we continue day by day.

New day New Year

Happy New Year!  Wishing everyone a very good year.

Thank you for all your kind words.  They mean a lot.  I will get a chance to reply soon.

Meanwhile Dad continues.  Yesterday was the first day I didn't go to the hospital.  As it happened being home allowed for phone calls and new arrangements that were able to be accomplished before the holiday weekend.  Today I will visit Dad at hospice.  It's located across the street from the hospital.

Rather than resolutions I decided on a word for 2016.  Mine is purpose.  Right now my life purpose is changing and me with it.

A couple of weeks ago Dad and I had a conversation with Dad saying "When I go visit Jackie....." and Dad suggested I could just put him in the car and take him....and yes, he was meaning his final trip.    He picks his moments for certain conversations.   This week our conversations have been silent thoughts.  Tuesday I believe he knew we were with him.  In the time since, he has moved further away.

Take time for each other.