Up to my armpits in snow

Seriously!  Not even an exaggeration!


Up to my armpits in snow ...

This is the most snow I've seen since I moved up here in 2004!  There is no place for the City to put the snow the crews plow off the streets and sidewalks, so it's just piled up in giant mountains and in annoying rows right down the middle of the city streets.  Guaranteed it's going to be one NASTY mess when it does start melting ... assuming March "goes out like a lamb".

Busier than an I-don't-know-what at work these days!  New projects, two practicum students to supervise, and half-way through a 50 hour training course for more senior peer counselors.  This is the first training I've done since I certified as a provincial trainer last year, and it is doing two things:  (a) reminding me how much I enjoy and miss being in front of a classroom, and (b) reminding me how physically demanding it is to work all day and then all evening too!  Consequently, I'm dragging my tail feathers and looking rather worn out.

Speaking of looking worn out, I got myself a "new do" ...

New haircut - Feb 2011

My hair was half way down my back and at least 80 pounds heavier (okay, SMALL exaggeration there).  Hard to dry.  Challenging to style other than "ye olde ponytail".  So this is me these days ... no more dye, natural waves, wash and wear hair.  What do you think?

We won an award!  Well, not ME personally ... the organization that I work for won an award for "outstanding service in the field of local history" for a book of local pioneers' stories that we compiled and published last year.  That book project had a few challenges, and it was very gratifying to receive some community recognition for our efforts.

So what's for dinner at YOUR house tonight?  I'm having a major "Mac & Cheese" craving ... but my digestive system is not pleased when I eat cheese these days.  It seems that damned lactose intolerance thing has decided to become a major issue these days.  I need to find a cheeseless Mac & Cheese recipe ... although that just sounds WRONG!  Suggestions???

As for the rest of the weekend ahead, I'm going to follow The Boots' wise example ...

... and AVOID the snow!  Cheers!

Busy busy busy

I've been a bad blogger lately! I have no excuse, except to say my work life has been intruding into my private life and there are only so many hours in the day to fit it all in ... except it hasn't all fit! One of the work things that's been adding to my busy-ness lately is a rather interesting pilot project to introduce a tool for analyzing how well programs and services address the needs of seniors.Yup, that's me ... mid-workshop. And having a very bad hair day (different hairdresser + different cut = sticking up "wings" around my face ... I tried desperately to gel it down and secure it in a ponytail, but even that wasn't totally successful.) Here's the "do" without the ponytail ...There are currently a half dozen similar pilot projects (the analytical tool, not the bad hair!) happening across Canada, and I am flying to Toronto tomorrow for a conference to compare projects. The conference itself should be interesting, but I'm really NOT excited about the flight there and back.

It's been very warm here the last few days ... so warm that I took my jacket off and walked home without it yesterday afternoon! Today I noticed bare (neon white) legs all over the place. What a difference a week makes in the North ... from winter boots and this ...

... to shoes and this ...Both of the above pictures were taken at the exact same location. I'm not, however, totally convinced it's spring yet (I don't even want to whisper the word for fear of jinxing it). I'm totally expecting another blizzard ... let's just hope it doesn't happen in the morning when my plane is trying to take off!

I'm not sure WHAT season my Christmas cactus thinks it is ...... but it's blooming enthusiastically! I transplanted it last fall into a slightly bigger pot, so had expected it would pout for a year before it bloomed again. Apparently it approved of the move. You can't see the buds on the other side of it in this picture, but there are a lot more blooms to come shortly.

I did manage to almost complete one small crafty project last weekend. It was kind of spur of the moment. I noticed a (rather ugly) "wall art" thing in a downtown bargain store window and thought to myself "hmmm, love the SHAPE, hate the content". After I thought on it for a couple of days, I decided I could CHANGE the content, so I went back downtown, bought the thing, and bought a small can of chalk board paint at the local Hardware store ... which I used to paint over the ugly bits. Here's the result:

I'm not quite done. I'm going to glue real wine bottle labels to the fake wine bottles. I mean seriously ... who wants nonsense "scribble" labels? Then I will have a menu chalk board in my dining room. I may not post a different menu every day, but I'll have fun doodling with chalk!

Guess what!?! I'm about to gain a new family member (as soon as I get back from Toronto)! Her name is "Boots", and she's four years old. Yes, she is a kitty. Her human had a serious stroke and is going into residential care where he can't have a cat. She has been in a temporary foster home (with three kids, another cat and a dog) and has not functioned there at all. And yes, I'm a sucker for a kitty-in-distress story! In my own defense, I've been thinking about getting a kitty since I moved into this apartment last July. I guess I just had to wait for the right kitty to find me!

Have a good week y'all!

This and that

Has it really been that long since I posted something here? My goodness how time flies when you're having fun, or busy, or something!
It's been a glorious autumn here! Every single day I've thought the colours just could NOT be more spectacular, that I could die that very day knowing I had seen real beauty ... and then the next day, the colours were even MORE amazing! Sadly, most of those beautiful leaves are now on the ground.I was given a big box of apples recently. Their size made me laugh ... as you can see by the quarter in my hand next to one of the larger apples! ... we used to throw those little fellas on the ground in the Okanagan. They were, however, full of flavour. I made a bunch of plain apple jelly, and some blackberry-apple jelly (I had blackberries in the freezer from last year still), and a dozen or so pints of apple sauce. Best of all, the apples were FREE.The first pair of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls were successfully finished and Little Madam C. was delighted. She even proclaimed them "'thentic" ! I've got a second pair partially done now. Here they are in their bloomers, awaiting their new wigs and fall wardrobes.I made myself a half dozen bright and slightly wacky new aprons. Little Madam C. particularly likes this apron ... it has knitting chickens on it. She was trying to take a picture of the cookies we were baking together. I guess the knitting chickens distracted her when she was lining up this shot.Have you ever tried making french toast with buttermilk? I had buttermilk in the fridge for making muffins (I don't drink milk), and I wanted french toast for breakfast. Tasted fabulous! Reminded me of real San Francisco sourdough bread.The Canadian election results really annoyed me. Did it you? I came darned close to being one of the many Canadians who didn't vote ... not because I didn't care, but because there just wasn't a decent choice to vote for. I wanted to add a selection for "NONE OF THE ABOVE"!It's cold and windy here. My hair is having a rebellious day. I think some baking might be in order for the day. Or maybe putting my feet up in front of the fire place and knitting. Until next time ...