Thought I'd move us over..
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1296575/#new
This message was edited Mar 15, 2013 7:37 AM
What's Happening in your neck of the woods/chat with friends
Thanks for the 'move on over' Betty, I was thinking it was about time ^_^
Nice pic ....
~M~
I too believe "M" that many employers have been burned and prefer seasoned staff. Listened to a radio station the other day..many who called in said that when looking at these pretty young ladies, babies/pregnancy & year off comes to mind and then another maternity leave as many want more than one child..so hang in there Susan.
I'm with "M" about your mom, maybe a call a day for a bit to make yourself and she less overwhelmed with the move..who knows, she may deep inside been thinking of it on her own.
Don't you have to eat when taking those meds??? let's hope taking them over the 8 hours is just what you need to do not to be hit with down days.
slept well last night, drats, got up and started sneezing and running bit of a fever, this cold just doesn't want to leave..maybe the Florida sunshine next Friday will help.
Pick up the quilting frame tomorrow IF weather co-operates and IF I'm up to the long drive which means it has to have a place to be set up..yikes 100" long by 40" wide isn't that easy to find in the crafts room..going to lose a table for sure. Sooo that's my project for the day, clean, re-organize and purge
Best I have some breakfast to give me the energy.
Quilt ready to be put in a tote until I wrap it as a gift for someone
photo 1 - area where the frame will sit
photo 2 - morning glory quilt
photo 3 - close up of the quilt
photo 4 - Perriwinkle Quilt I'm working on as a wedding gifts for niece Cindy
Frame I'm trying to make room for..lots of cleaning and reorganizing I'm afraid..
anything I haven't used in craft room for a bit in now sits between back entrance staircase..thought I could burn in the pit but it's snowing and can't find the pit..plowman just came..
~M~ & Betty - when I first came to Calgary, it was a "youth" market, then it swung to being appreciative of "experience' and now I see companies getting concerned about the "older" market as it costs $$ for their health care........
Yes, there is a company out there that wants the experience, but as my daughter said "maybe they will think you have more background that you do, considering your age". She said it in a very loving manner, but she may be right. We don't always see ourselves as we look to others...........
btw - when I moved to Calgary, I was let go from a company because a 30-something "couldn't work with a woman over 50", so after 2 week's the manager told me so and I Could Not be bothered to fight it. Besides, it would be my word against theirs...... Wed I was told I should have sued......... but again, I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath and time............ Many would say I was foolish, however, I'm like that........
Betty, what can I say .. WOW just seems so inadequate .. the quilts are gorgeous !!
As for the frame .. whoopdeedoodle, now THAT is ginormous!
Good luck rearranging and purging .. I purge, and, Gordon recovers it, I have given up !
Susan .. all you can do is hope for the best .. sometime when you least expect it, I am sure something will come up.
My friend Kathy there in Calgary does house cleaning. She was an Admin Assist and could not find employment either, so, started her own business at the young age of 55, that was 5 years ago .. she is finding the work to be a bit more difficult because of her knees .. so .. she noticed that people were always looking for someone to come INTO their homes to look after their pets while they were away .. so .. Kathy is now a very good pet sitter, and does well with it. She still house cleans though. Helps that she was once a vet tech.
She gets referred by word of mouth .. right now she is house/pet sitting a MONKEY named 'CHADWICK' LoL .. his 'parents' have gone to Hawaii for 2 weeks ..
I have LOADS of fresh fruit in the house .. so am taking that with the pills ..
TTFN
~M~
Marilyn - I did apply to house cleaning companies, and got no response. Some people said I should put flyers in people's mailboxes, but my friends won't use my services, so why should complete strangers do so? Except for one person I know (who's had a cleaning lady every week for years), I don't know anyone who uses a cleaning service so no one to switch over to a friend doing it.
Thanks "M" and have cleaned the craft room somewhat, no sense doing more re-arranging when I don't know if the area I cleaned will be able to house the frame.
it's bath time, then dress and head out to stained glass studio, need supplies to make Paul his lamp IF I can find same glass/bevels and stand.
Some of the christmas placemats I've made for this Christmas
Susan
I know there is a place for you out there. Maybe cleaning houses isn't it. Here comes spring and when I got laid off after 32 yes with the Bay I pannicked and because I like gardening I offered to weed someones yard. A person saw me and asked how much I charged. Well off I went to just do the lite deadheading , weeding and potting up planters. I leave all the heavy stuff like big pruning and lawn care to others. Maybe you could parlay something you enjoy into some income?
I have found for the most part the younger crowd don't have the work ethic of out generation. It's all about them and not about the job. They are constantly on their phones/ faceb..... and not paying attention to what they are being paid for .
M and B I hope you are feeling better soon it's been long enough!!
Alberta Ann
Wow Betty - you may not be able to fit the frame in the room, but you're very blessed indeed, to have such a room!
and those placemats!! They're gorgeous!! The recipients will be be very pleased, I'm sure!
I agree about the work ethic, Ann
I used to work for my daughter's boss (a lawyer) in Winnipeg, and I would often get people stopping by, asking what I charged. His place took 3 x 100 ft garden hoses to go around, for watering, so it was a little overwhelming for the amount of work, weeding, pruning, etc (I didn't do trees). I loved it however, and I learned a lot from him, too. I don't know if he was a Master Gardener, but he sure could have been. He was very intense about his gardens, and people were always stopping to admire his yard & garden.
However, I never got anyone asking me to do their yards/gardens, from all those that asked about it.
Rise and Shine,
Baked you treats this morning.. enjoy!
Off to Bowmanville to pick up quilting frame, well it's in 3 boxes but still a frame lol
Not snowing at the moment so should be an enjoyable ride.
Picking up a friend, Pat, who loves quilt shops so will drop into a few but hope to be home by 2:00pm
enjoy the day
Betty, Lorna wants to know if the Flying Dutchman is still in Bowmanville .. she remembers it from the past :-)
Thanks for the Cinnamon Buns, try as I might I couldnt quite score one through the monitor LoL Look yummy !
Good luck on your adventure with Pat
Susan/Ann, Lorna used to own her own Landscaping business .. people would stop and ask her to come to their homes, but, they sure weren't willing to PAY .. they hadn't stopped to figure in the price of gas, equipment upkeep, on and on .. she finally had to give it up as she accepted a position with City of Toronto to plow and salt and maintain the BIG highways .. 400/401/427 .. she speaks of those days fondly, but scratches her head as to how she kept up the frantic pace ..I think we all have those kind of memories ..
Right now she 'takes care' of 2 other properties besides ours .. she ploughs in winter, and does the lawn care in the summer ..
Ann, I smiled re your comment about the younger people who work and think that going on FBook etc during COMPANY time is perfectly NORMAL and OK .. the daughter of one of my FBook friends, got caught BIGTIME playing BubbleWitch (never have played that) .. in fact, she missed a meeting, and, was furious and shocked when she was fired !!
I don't thin she realized that ALL computer activity is monitored by the IT dept .
Not sure what today will bring, weather is OK, sunny but a bit cold .. things are winding up for Murray and Gordon to head east to Hamilton. They leave Monday and surgery for Murray is Wednesday .. wish I could go, but, I would be useless because of this dang hip :-(
Off to do laundry
~M~
Betty - I'm envious of the craft room. Hope you get that rack in there. Gorgeous quilts. I've never had the patience to do that kind of quilting. And the placemats are lovely.
Susan - likely not your cup of tea, but I've heard that some of the fast food places like McDonalds (which are rebranding themselves as McCafes) are very interested in hiring older people to work with them. They also appreciate the work ethic that older people have.
Well the bread is put together. DH finished kneading it - I get it started in two smaller balls but my wrist isn't up to doing the entire ball for 4 loaves of bread anymore. I think we are going to take a trip across town to Lee Valley. Maybe I can get DH to stop at IKEA too. I don't think he's ever been to the new store here even though it's been open nearly a year.
Ann - training IS my cup of tea, but don't think the rest is.
Bob heard that Sunco (building he's working at) is hiring! They're building a new building just kitty-corner from where he works (for another company, doing renovations at Suncor). I'm going to spruce up my resume (as per counsellor - 1 page, not 3) and send it to them. Who knows?
Dropping to by to wish everyone a HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY ^_^
~M~
Hello there..
happy St Patrick's day to all
Lordy day sure is passing quickly,mkept telling myself to leave the quilting frame in the box but did I listen? Nope
Wooden frame almost all put together than the technical part, moving gears and all just might have to wait for Greg ..
"M" how did taking the meds work taking them hours apart?
ViAnn if I keep finding new hobbies there soon won't be a place to work.. Best a channel myself on crafts that take no more than a few feet to work on..
Made stew yesterday, had it for supper last night, lunch today and soon for supper..why do I cook such large portions. Lol
Betty - stew freezes well to enjoy some of it later.
I always find the potatoes have a taste to them when frozen. Will have to do so though..both cabbage and turnip are favorites but having it 4 times in a row is a bit much. Could always ake potatoes out of it couldn't I?
Tired tonight
Night niht
we had corned beef sandwiches on rye, for our dinner. Close as we could get...... don't have corned beef OR cabbage here. Was too late after our trip shopping with our friend, Doug, to do any real cooking.....
Temperate weather here already today .. and .. NO SNOW, we were advised of a 10cm dump overnite. Happy as Gordon and Murray fly out to Toronto today, then on to Hamilton.
i'm kind of a wreck .. but am keeping positive thoughts that all will go well.
Murray has his surgery Wednesday (first day of spring)
Would appreciate thoughts and prayers.
We had roast chicken for supper last night .. good Irishwoman that I am, but, I had made soda bread earlier in the day enough to share with my brother and Murray.
Actually, salmon is an Irish dish as is roast beef ..
Guess I should get a shake and shimmy on LoL
~M~
You have my thoughts and prayers for Murray, for sure.
yum, sounds like a "luverly" dinner, Marilynne!
I'm going to get some groceries to bake some bread maker bread. I got $40 in gift cards for a mall, and they have a Safeway there to beat-the-band! Must be one of the largest in the city, so would have things others wouldn't...... like specialty bread machine flour......
Betty - do you knit? If so, have you ever used the circular needles that have interchangeable tips? I bought some yesterday as I needed slightly longer 4 mm than I had and as I was knitting along, the tip unscrewed itself, dropping a whole pile of stitches. The air was a bit blue. Now I notice there is a tightening pin that I've used now. Any idea whether it really works? (The instructions on these needles were not in any language I recognized though they were in 2 language. I would have been able to get the gist of English, French or German.) The concept is certainly good, but not if they regularly come apart with 145 stitches on them.
I knit on circular needles, but have never heard of the interchangeable tips...
OH, I can imagine the colour of the air being blue, Ann....... 145 stitches....... yikes!!
Update on my Mom - Stan told her yesterday morning about the Intermediate Care Home, and I must say..... he waited until the last minute (to get HIS head around it, but didn't give Mom much time), cuz my 3 sisters were going to their place at 11am yesterday so they could all have a talk about it. He was to have told her on Saturday....
Anyway, they're all (Mom, brother Stan, and 3 sisters) going to the Thorvaldson House today at 2pm....... The administrator has had to deal with /speak to family members and potential residents before, so this should be easy for them. Hopefully it will come about for Mom to move there.
ViAnn, I do knit, on the lazy side, have 3 knitting machines, 1 completely computerized, key in what I want and it knits.. 2 of the machines are under the bed, the old workhorse is set up in my craft room.
Actually for the first time in ions I brought knitting in and am using circular needles..have heard of the changeable tips but never used them ..sounds as though if they work would be the thing to have so you don't need a zillions different sets..know you can change the plastic/metal wire which holds stitches to different sizes as well.
"M" great day for travelling, snow is suppose to arrive later today, not sure if it will amount to anything though..let's hope everything goes well for Gordon.
Susan, let's hope the interview goes well this afternoon and that our mom loves the facility.
was speaking with Greg this morning, they were all out snowmobiling yesterday up to my cousin Doug's in Cognashene, he just said that another group one of the men hit a rock and was killed..they are waiting to hear his name and see if they know him..small area, everyone knows everyone.
omygosh, Betty - how terrible for the snowmobilers...... I hope they didn't see the accident - that would be traumatizing to say the least.....
Murray and Gordon have arrived in Toronto, headed to Union Station to get the bus to Hamilton.
Oh my Betty, what a tragedy re the snowmobiler .. he must have been travelling at a high rate of speed ..
Susan, there wil likely be a whole team there for the meeting. Hope it goes well for your Mom.
Wind has picked up significantly here .. and, I do believe we are going to get some snow .. guess March wants to go out like a Lion !!
TTFN
~M~
No, Marilyn - it will just be the Administrator, as it's been all the other times. She's met everyone but my Mom.
They get 3 square meals a day, and can get their morning coffee in their jammies! After coffee though, they have to return to their rooms to get dressed for the rest of the day - think that may be about 10am?! Not sure if they have their breakfast in jammies....... Not sure my Mom would like anyone seeing her in jammies, but she may not get dressed all day at home now....
Murphy moved in while Gordon is away !!! Murphy's Law around our home states, "When Gordon goes away, the snow falls in heaps" !
Had the dogs out at 3am and there was about 8cm then, just now waiting for more light before I head out to try and shovel. Luckily the snow is light and fluffy ..
Looks as though Lorna might just be busy clearing a few places of their snow ..
Susan .. LOVE my JAMMIES .. I have BED jammies, and, believe it or else, DRESS JAMMIES, ones that can be worn around the house instead of jeans and a T Shirt etc.
Summer time brings on sundresses, always a no brainer, cool and colourful and easy to care for cotton ^_^
Anyway, hope the meeting went well, and, that your Mom feels better about the move ..
Suns coming up .. off to have a peek outside.
~M~
Morning all..thank goodness we did not get the amount of snow that was predicted, storm blew in, talk about wind...thought we'd have a few feet of snow the way it was coming down but guess it was more the wind blowing it around. Roads were nice and clean this morning, had hoped for a snow day but NOT..imagine, tomorrow is 1st day of spring.
Didn't think Greg would come over last night with weather being so nasty but he did, ended up working 3 hrs. on quilting frame..it's ow ready to go! Just too bad that I will be leaving for Florida 3a.m. Friday morning and have no time to play..drats..will have to wait..on the other hand, need batting/backing and see this weekend in Florida Joann's Fabrics even though their fabric is so much cheaper has 25% off entire order so best I make my list and check it twice lol
I have 2 sets of fancy jammies, more like lounging outfits and live in them on the weekends..just sooo comfy.
Thank goodness for Lorna, less worry..when is Gordon's surgery, today?
Susan, will your mom have a telephone n her room so you can chat with her..I'm sure she'll enjoy the companionship of other ladies and be sorry she didn't do it before.
YAY for Greg ! The quilting frame looks amazing .. and, you'll have LOTS of time to play once you get back from Florida with all your finds.
It's Murray (our son) having the surgery, and it's tomorrow. Has had all his pre op stuff done already this morning.
I shoveled for half an hour and have decided to wait til Lorna gets done with her plowing, she can start the smaller of the snowblowers, much easier to use than a shovel.
Off to have a coffee ..
~M~
Thought it was your hubby "M"...sorry!
Praying all goes well..when will they be travelling home?
Not a problem Betty , may as well be Gordon, or I having it done the way we worry LoL
They're booked to come home on Tuesday March 26th.
They flew into and out of Bill Bishop airport on the Island. The ferry (barge) ride from the Island to the mainland took less than 5 minutes .. then they had to taxi it to Union Station then on to Hamilton.
They WERE going to rent a vehicle, but, Murray was quite confident of his driving there, Gordon wasn't sure he wanted to do it. So. cabs it is.
Just back in from another 20 minutes of shoveling .. I am now headed for the shower I have been promising myself for 4 hours !!!
"M" you sure are a glutten for punishment, you KNOW you shouldn't be shovelling for any length of time, know it's a must but another day or so and it warms up it shall melt anyway.
Seems quite an adventure just to get to Hamilton. Often thought about flying out from Billy Bishop but getting downtown and to the airport is quite an endeavor
I didn't realize the Island airport had been renamed.
Maybe I've got name of it wrong ViAnn..
Marilyn - take it easy on the shovelling...... thought Lorna always did it with her little "machine"?!
I'll be praying for Murray's successful surgery.
Betty - that table fits in there perfectly with Room for you to walk around too!! Wonderful of Greg to finish it for you! How many hours were spent putting it together? Certainly not the 2-3 hours the book said.....
I don't know if my Mom will have a phone - I believe so. I think Alice said she'd have to pay for her own TV and phone.....
As there are 65 rooms in Thorvalson, I imagine there will be a mix of men & women there.
My mom's more of a book reader, and crib player, than a Tv watcher, but at least she'd get to watch her own favourite shows in the evening. During the day, when she's home, she's been able to, but not when Stan's home...... not that he intentionally takes over the TV, but he IS a man, y'know lol
I'm wondering if my sisters will get more clothing for Mom as she'll be in a place where they will wash her clothes properly? Alice is talking about making name tags for Mom's clothing as they wash all the residents's clothes for them - linens and personal. Stan's NO great shakes at washing, nor house cleaning, so it will be a treat for Mom to live in clean quarters! He leaves the house filthy...... and Mom can't clean anymore - too frail.
I'm making some Boston-Style Brown Bread in my breadmachine...... only 1 hr 10min! Yesterday I made 2 loaves of Apple Pie Bread - 1st one didn't rise, maybe because of the flour I used. 2nd one is great - 4x higher lol and tasty!
Got a phone call from the Agency in Toronto - she'll be sending me an email, as some things in my resume "tweaked her interest". She would like to arrange a time for us to talk.
Here's the link re Billy Bishop Airport https://www.torontoport.com/airport.aspx
Gordon is a WWII buff and knew ALL about Billy Bishop ..
FOlks from TBay like flying into that airport as it's right down town, but, the plane that lands there, 'Porter', is a smaller plane, so, instead of a 90 minutes flight from here to there via WestJet or ACanada, it'sa two hour flight BUT, free meals and bevvies ..
Once Gord and Murray get home I'll hear more about it ..
I hear all of you re the shoveling , my bad, but (always that darn BUT) Lorna is good with the machine, but, it's the patio and sidewalk out to the garage .. she does try mind you her balance isn't too stable, but, I just went at it SLOWLY .. Lilly and Piper are more a hindrance than a help out there THAT'S for sure LoL .. Piper like to stand behind me and poke my legs with his nose, and Lilly stands directly in front of me so that when I go to shovel I have to tell her to MOVE hahahaha .. it's quite comical, but, annoying as well.
Susan ..Thorvalson sounds lovely ..I hope it all turns out well for your dear Mom.
Thanks to all re Murray and his surgery tomorrow .. I'm a wreck !!
~M~
I'm sure it will.
Thorvaldson House sounds lovely. btw - one of the reasons my brother was "bucking" it was that one of his friends said his mother went into a care home and died 4 months later.........