you may live in Canada, if...

Sharing a little Jeff Foxworthy whimsy as we head into winter.  Here's what Mr. Foxworthy has to say about Canadians, during a recent appearance at Caesars in Windsor :
If someone in a Home Depot store Offers you assistance and they don't work there, You may live in Canada.
If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, You may live in Canada.
If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation With someone who dialed a wrong number,........................... You may live in Canada.
If 'Vacation' means going anywhere South of Detroit for the weekend, You may live in Canada.
If you measure distance in hours, You may live in Canada.
If you know several people Who have hit a deer more than once, You may live in Canada.
If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' In the same day and back again, You may live in Canada.
If you can drive 90 km/hr through 2 feet of snow During a raging blizzard without flinching, You may live in Canada.
If you install security lights on your house and garage, But leave both unlocked, You may live in Canada.
If you carry jumper cables in your car And your wife knows how to use them, You may live in Canada.
If you design your kid's Halloween costume To fit over a snowsuit, You may live in Canada.
If the speed limit on the highway is 80 km -- You're going 95 and everybody is passing you, You may live in Canada.
If driving is better in the winter Because the potholes are filled with snow, You may live in Canada.
If you know all 4 seasons: Almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, You may live in Canada.
If you have more miles On your snow blower than your car, You may live in Canada.
If you find -2 degrees 'a little chilly', You may live in Canada.
If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your friends, you definitely are Canadian and proud to be ♥ ♥ ♥

harvest

A little sunshine in our back yard.

And the last of the tomato harvest.  

May your day be sunny and bright! 

Renee

mani pedi

Nicole and I had some spa fun this afternoon to start our Labour Day weekend.  Mom and daugher mani-pedi - what fun!  Yeah, that's gray polish on my toes...  It's really taupe-brown-ish, kinda...  gray.

Hard to believe it's already the last weekend of the summer.  We're in the midst of a crazy heat wave that blew in with severe storms.  The high today saw a humidex of 41C (105F).  Crazy is the only word for it.  Tomorrow and Sunday are more of the same with a huge drop for Labour Day Monday to only reach 16C (61F).  A tornado touched down last week about 5km from us in Cambridge, damage was limited but Goderich was not so lucky.  Hoping any of you in or near tornado areas are safe and well.  We are Not a tornado area, normally.  It's really unusual for us to have really severe storms - winter excepted.  This summer has brought a lot of strange stuff.

In hopes of cooler temps, I cast on a little something for myself to ease back in to knitting.  Toast!  How do I love thee??  Finally a pair for me.  Knit in Cascade Heathers "Oatmeal".  I can't wait to wear them.  Soon, soon, very soon - I hope.  Autumn is my favourite time of the year. 

Happy September everyone!  Be well and enjoy a lovely long weekend!

This is your Life

Too entertaining (and silly) not to share - Top Gear BCC and Ford Fiesta

Have a great weekend all!
Renee

Hello Spring!

It's finally here!  Very late - odds are we'll be flung right in to hot and humid summer shortly, but after a long winter that's just fine by me.  Bring on the allergies and mosquitoes (also known as the Canadian Air Force), it's worth it to see green and feel warm sunshine and bright blue skis.  Around here that means it's time to indulge in annuals.  The growing season is pitifully short here in South Western Ontario - but what there is of it we enjoy.

North facing front garden in-progress

Our front yard garden has always been very small.  Well, grown a little bit each year as I edge in a few inches every year to sneak some more size to it.  Don loves his lawn, I'm greedy and want more garden space...  this year I just dug in and expanded a bunch.  The garden is still tiny, but doubled in width under the living room window and expanded about 2 feet along the walkway.    Divided up my hostas and spread them out.  Once they're opened up more it'll be purdy.  I'll take pics again soon when everything is leafed out.    

It's with sadness I share that we lost Hunter, who passed away last month.  He had a ton of character and was a real ham.  Rest well, old man, you'll always be in our hearts.  These pics were of Hunter in his younger days, this is how I remember him most - always grinning and having a good time.

On the knitting front, I've only pick up the needles to get the first border done on McCafferty, once I have the gardens and lawn at the farm (acres of it, seriously it could stop raining already...) under control I'll have a little more time to sit and knit.  This weekend is the Poodle Club of Canada Regional and National Specialties so I'll be off playing with dogs.  Have a great one yourself, hope you're doing something you enjoy.

wood wall n wool ~ cast-on-itis, full blown case

We got a new tv, perfect to put over the mantle.  It was hard to see with our necks cranked up that far and the tv was sitting up a bit too high.  And I wear bifocals so tipping my head up to see the screen had me peeping through the reading part of my lenses.  We planned to lower the brick by 3 rows and put the oak mantle top back on.  What we thought would be a simple, weekend project and a small drywall repair wasn't quite what we expected.  The fire brick behind the decorative brick front of the fire surround we discovered was installed before the drywall.  The drywall was butted up to the frame.  Result? The firebrick of the chimney stuck further into the room than the wallboard around it.  There were lots of ways to fix that, most easier than what I was hoping for, but Don was a sweetheart and humoured me.  We clad the wall - after a lot more chiselling, grinding and dust then first planned - in wood.

We used rough hewn pine boards that we had planed to a smoother surface and brought all the boards to the same thickness.  They range from 11 to 13.5" wide.  Amazing how out of square a 26 year old house is, but Don did a fantastic job cladding the wall.  I put a fresh coat of paint on the adjacent walls, then made a stain from the left over paint by cutting it 50% with water to stain the pine boards.

Loving the finished wood wall.  We need to deal with the wires, blu ray player and cable box on the mantle in some sort of attractive manner and accessorize on the right side of the fireplace.  Any suggestions would be very welcome.  Check out the wall all finished up with the pine planks!

I haven't knit in forever.  Not for a lack of wanting to.  I'm about to cast on for Lily Kate's pretty shawl pattern McCafferty .  It's just what I'm in the mood for with spring here, something chic to wear  my favourite white blouse and jeans.  The pattern is available here on Ravelry.  The yarn I plan to use is The Plucky Knitter Primo, but just can't decide on which colour?  Pink or Gray?  Help?!  Which colour should I use?

I'm pretty certain I'd wear the gray more, but this pink "Gumball" colourway is fun too...     

If you have

I am grateful for all I have.  Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.  Renee

Poodles in Snow Suits in a Snow Storm... yeah, that's really what this is

We have a ton more snow than in this video clip taken 3 weeks ago. This was the start of one of the snow storms.  This past Saturday evening we got 15" of snow in 2 hours.

My fav part of this video clip is at 3:21 into it. Don's had to blow the dog playing field clear with the tractor more than a few times, not to mention the 1000 foot laneway. Hope everyone who lives where it snows is managing to shovel out from under this year. We went to Home Depot on the weekend and the store front is full of bbqs, lawn furniture and ride mowers. Retailers are pretty much sold out of snow blowers and shovels.  Spring must be coming?...  I hope so.  Course, where we live we get blizzards in April and it can snow on Mother's Day.

Be well, stay warm, hug and tell those you care about you love them.
Renee

FO: knitting the blues

"Not Noro Striped Scarf" in Rowan Tapestry 

Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood
Yarn: Rowan Tapestry, 2 balls each of colours SH 170 Country and SH 176 Whirlpool
Size: 5" x 88"

Knit up in Rowan Tapestry ~ "a modern blend of wool and soybean protein fiber; the yarn has a slightly felted look. It is soft and has a gentle drape. This self-striping yarn knits up into stripes that shade subtly from one to the next."  Tapestry is discontinued but still available in some yarn shops and on ebay for really reduced prices.  It's a yarn I'm sorry to see go.  If you can still find it I highly recommend it for knitting accessories.

It's been a while since I've blogged ~ but we're still here and doing fine.  Home today with the "big" blizzard which wasn't big by Canadian standards, but we did get about a foot and a half of snow that's been causing white outs and some pretty impressive snow drifts. We're inside with the woodstove on enjoying pristine winter views.
 

 
What better to keep warm while shovelling snow than a snuggly new scarf?  I finished knitting this just before Christmas, but wanted to share it on the blog.  Both Nicole and I have gotten some cozy, warm wear from this scarf.  It's the same as my other one in berry reds, knit in my favourite blues.  Knitting these striped scarves is addictive, I don't tire of the colour changes.  I like scarves very long - at 88" it can be worn in all sorts of ways.  http://ravel.me/ReneeKnitsToo/9p9af

Nina finished her show Championship in 2010 and was a delightful girl in the ring.  Now we've moved on to the fun stuff...  obedience and tracking.  She has a lot of hair and looks very grown up ~ just 9 months old in this photo.

I've been sewing, not so much time for knitting.  Very adorable baby boy quilt to share soon .

Be well, stay warm and tell those you care about you love them.
Renee