a whole week has gone by

Where has the time gone... it has been a whole week since i last wrote, don't know why other than life has been boring and i don't think you need to read about my really boring week..I have been trying not to go to town too often, with the awful price of fuel...although i do go 3 times a week, last week it was 4 times...went to Agility with Jesse on Tuesday and meant to do my shopping then, but i had a weird tummy and came right home and went to bed for a couple of hours...had company coming for dinner on Sunday so cleaned house all week, took Dixie to agility Thursday nite, and then went shopping on Friday, and then went to Baillie house to sit and spin under the huge old tree... it was a great day, warm and we all (6) sat under the shade... had a good visit, we need to catch up... First guild meeting will be 10th of Sept...will be good to see everyone again... We played Canasta on Sunday... 6 of us... the women really beat the men.... and we loved every minute of it... Larry and i went to Kamloops today... he had gotten tri focals, and he really didn't like them, so we took them back and they are going to replace them... We also went to visit friends... they are both 86, and Elsie had a stroke about 18 months ago, spent 3 months in the hospital, and then the last year in a Seniors Residence..make me laugh as she always looked after her hubby, Danny.... she did everything for him... he had no idea how to do anything about the house... with the stroke, she hasn't been able to talk, so he does all the talking... and he is really looking after her now... he even left the farm about 30 minutes out of town, and moved into a Senior Apartment complex right behind the Seniors Residences, and he goes over to her every day, and is with her from the time she wakes in the morning, he brings her back to his apartment, takes her back for lunch and then back to the apartment again ... anyway Danny wanted to take us out for lunch and he wanted to go to Denny's, I was driving and had no idea where it was...we get to the corner and Danny tells me to turn right..and Elsie points to the left...so anyway i turned right... and we are heading out to the airport, it had been years since i had been there, so i had no idea if there was a Denny's out there.. so anyway we figure out that we are going the wrong direction and we head back into town... Danny tells me to get into the right lane, and Elsie points to the left Lane... so by this time i figure that Elsie knows where she is going..so i follow her directions... and Danny keeps telling me to get into the right lane and that i will be sorry if i don't... well what do i see on the left a couple of blocks up, but Dennys'.... of course we won't let him forget it..she can't talk or write, but she does know where she wants to go... her family calls her the "Mule" as she is so stubborn... Elsie is one the most important people in my life, when we left the coast 38 years ago, she was the Mother that i left behind, she taught me so many things... gardening, canning, cooking,killing chickens, and turkeys and quilting, anything i wanted to know i just had to ask.... she made the very best cottage cheese... and of course as live goes on, we drifted apart, although we would phone each other a couple of times a year...neither her or Danny have changed, they still look the same... Danny does have a hard time as he has to do all the talking, and he won't let Elsie out of his sight... I would love to take her for a walk, just the two of us, and tell her about what i am doing, about the kids, and the animals, but Danny won't let me... so we both have to sit and listen to his old stories... next time i think i will insist that her and i spend time together..I know he loves her dearly, but so do i and i need time with her...
Picked a saucepan full of Convoy cherries,(plum/cherry cross)... just enough to make half a batch of jam..... well i had better get the coffee ready for morning, agility again tomorrow... not too sure how many of us will be there tomorrow... well, good nite.... will write again soon.............. sheila

Cooler day in the country

HI..another great day, warm but cloudy all day, and a few showers that lasted a whole 2 minutes... but sure makes it smell good...nothing new or exciting in my life... i have been knitting like crazy, trying to get a shawl done for the October retreat, my show and tell...haven't done any spinning as it is just too hot... we are going to Baillie house on Saturday, so will take my new JOY, i really love the idea that it is in a bag, NO DUST on it... and very easy to pick up and go, and not lose my flyers and bobbins if i don't carry it right... Thanks to Lynne, Sharon and Karen for letting me know that they read this garbage..just over 2 months left till Desert Mesa Retreat... i can hardly wait... I have got someone out to look at the old ewes and ram on Friday...hopefully she will take them, and i will have 5 less sheep...and then i just have to figure out how to get some of the Shetlands to Toni... i had a real brown lamb this year... and i mean brown, went to take my camera out to take their pictures today, but the batteries were dead... she is a lovely dark brown, we thought she was black when she was born, but is a lovely chocolate brown now...i have a nice selection of colours now... I also got my Oregon grape jelly done on Saturday along with my black currant, L really like the Oregon grape, a friend is getting me a deer for the freezer this year, and i love the Oregon grape jelly with it...like i said nothing exciting in my life, although i do have an agility class tomorrow with Jesse, hope it doesn't rain.... see ya sheila

great squirrel hunters

Here is Jackson and Dixie trying to stare down a squirrel, the squirrel was really angry, just chattering at them... they must have sat there for an hour staring at the squirrel... Nothing to exciting today,yesterday, i made apricot jam (2 batches) and one red currant jelly, which didn't set, so i have to reboil it... darn it anyway...and i have been getting the juice out of black currants today... and it is really hot almost 90 degrees, L changed the thermometer back to F... rest of the Dressage is on the tube this afternoon, it is nice to watch, but i prefer the show jumping, only thing i really don't like about that is that you have to have money to do show jumping.. got to go shower and get supper ready for an early one, agility class time has changed to nite, so have to leave here early... see ya soon............. sheila

100th Blog

100 blogs, can't believe it... what have i talked about for the last 99 blogs..please if you read my blog on a regular basis, please send me a message..I would like to know who reads it... nothing exciting to write about today... Jesse and I had a good class yesterday, we had to laugh one of the girls, who works at the local vet clinic hates grasshoppers and the area was full of them..and every once in a while she would squeak... even her dog didn't like them.. I made 2 batches of apricot jam this morning, and have started on the red currants.. tried to find a recipe on the Internet, and Google must be down, as i can't get into anything but my email and the blogs.. will try again before i jump in with both feet...i have 20 cups of the black currants... made some phones about Hay for the sheep yesterday, the guy i usually use has put his price up again, i think it is time to get rid of some of the sheep... especially the old ones...and some of the old Shetlands, if anyone wants them, you can have them...just come and pick them up...big sheep 4 ewes and a ram are from 4 to 10 years old, and the Shetlands are 5 to 3 months old... my choice to what you can take...i do have some favorites.... anyway have a great day........... sheila

Hard to believe we are almost in the middle of August, where did the summer go...it was really cold here yesterday, Larry started the fire last nite, it was very cool here this morning, but the fire did help... Had a spinner friend come over and pick the last of the currants... they pick over 2 ice cream buckets, so that is a total of 6 ice cream buckets of the black and one of the red... and they were huge, like blueberries in size...i had to see fruit go to waste, a friend has a crab apple tree that is just loaded, also a pear tree, last year we made pear/ginger jam and it was really good, Mom really likes it, so will make her a batch as soon as the pears start to fall... you have to use green pears... the other one i really like was a apple/orange marmalade... very mild and it did set well.. I have to start on the currant jelly on Wednesday, i need to buy some more sugar and certo tomorrow...Jesse and i are off to agility tomorrow, we missed last week as i was away... she will be bouncing off the walls by the time we get there... she loves it so much...and Dixie, well Dixie is a 'free spirit", I read an article in the "clear run" magazine that agility types read, that you have to accept what you have, and enjoy what you do together, and not to get too upset, my instructor says that if anything, Dixie will make me a good handler, as i have to be on my toes with her all the time... i am going to take extra lessons with Jesse, as she is very slow on the teeter..and we will never qualify if she doesn't get more comfortable on it.... time for a shower.... talk to ya soon sheila

glad to be home

Hi... what a fast trip to the coast... left here Tuesday morning and had a crappy trip... from Bridal Falls to Annis road, it was bumper to bumper and took me almost an hour... so i was over an hour late getting to Mom's. Then off to Dr appt on Wednesday, right down to Burrard and Davies... what a trip especially when there is so much traffic... and the stopping and starting, especially seeing there is only 6 traffic lights in Merritt.. then youngest son Matt came over for supper so we went out for Chinese... went to Wong's on Fraser Hwy in downtown Langley very close to the Casino, so we had to stop there for an hour... had a good time, got to spend some $$ from Grandma...then on Thursday, we did a bit of shopping and out for lunch, went to "Milestones" and was very disappointed, they have changed their menu, they took away the pizzas and really raised their prices... i loved their half pizza and salad, so had their Spinach and artichoke dip instead, and it was terrible, not hot at all...that will be the last time i eat there... then we went looking for blueberries for a couple of friends here in town, and found a great place, price was a bit high, but the berries were HUGE...but they were happy with them...

I was glad to get home, i hate all the traffic down there, and no one signals when they turn... I did pretty good in Vancouver only had one bus blow it's horn at me... I have been knitting on a Sivia Harding stole, it has 40+ rows to the pattern, easy enough pattern, but i sure don't like doing so many rows, can't memorize the pattern with that many rows... and i have to count every pattern row, cuz i sometimes miss a yarn over... I went out and picked an ice bucket of Oregon grapes, going to make some jelly, but i need some apple juice for it, so will have to wait till i go to town next week....got red and black currant jelly to make too...i love the red...well i had better go get something done around here... have been watching the Olympics... want to watch the rest of the 3 day eventing,(horses)...see ya soon............... sheila

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA

150 Years... what a history BC has... i am very glad my parents moved here when i was in my teens.. Dad had been in the army and he retired when i was about 15, they talked about staying in Manitoba, my brother and i had a fit, we had visited our Great Aunt in Burnaby and we really like BC and were really delight to move here... we have been in the Interior almost all of our 40 years of marriage, and love it here..Larry would like to have a summer place on the island... he wants to own a boat, but i have to win a big Lotto before we can do that..I had a dream that i won the 36 million, but no luck...will keep trying... The number 2 son was up for the weekend... he was teasing the bird this morning, and Yankee told him to "Smarten up"... we almost peed ourself we were laughing so hard..Matt was trying to teach him to say "i don't want to live with Matt" and "Glenys, take me home" (she is my friend who loves the bird)... neither one of the boys want him...guess i will have to find someone to take him when we get old...We had a nice dinner out with friends on Saturday nite, fresh Crab... oh my it was so good...then Sunday nite, we had a family dinner, both sons and one daughter in law...and one grand dog... we had bar b qued spareribs..so good with homemade Bar-b-que sauce..
I am off to Langley tomorrow for a few days, haven't spent much time with Mom since Larry broke his leg, i will start going down more often.. I am really lucky that she has 3 friends that keep her active..they were off to a pancake breakfast at the Otter Co op with morning...if it wasn't for Ham, Grace and Doddie, she wouldn't be as active as she is... she does go out on her own, but just to do shopping. I will try to keep in touch while i am at the coast...just taking knitting and a book, as i will only be there 2 and a bit days..... see ya