Is it really the 1st day of spring

So it was the first day of spring & it was showing it’s beautiful head!

And even though I thought I’d never see anything as beautiful as an icicle … icicles are starting to appear. They may be small but they are a sight to behold after such a cold winter. It gets much too cold up here for them … lots of others too!

Because of the setting sun the icicles are too bright white to photograph clearly but it is an icicle. I counted 3 on the whole roof! WoW!! Spring just might be here …

‘S e an t-earrach a th’ ann!                                                                                          It’s spring!

nobody here but us dogs …

It’s Friday evening … nobody here but us dogs … the cute young fur-kids & this ugly old dog {me}. While Pam is heading off for a weekend writer’s brainstorming weekend a few hours away in the south. Here’s a picture of the writer putting on her creative ‘face’ … bet some interesting story developments will happen for her & others. Have fun folks!

 

So Molly, Chesney & I have decided to eat fatty snack foods, play a lot of fetch & play really loud Gàidhlig radio, music & storytelling… glè mhath!

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Bu mhath an sgàthan sùil caraid.

[A friend's eye is a good looking-glass.]

Today in LA …

Here’s a photo of what it’s like here in LA … well near it anyway.

 

The actual shot is of the road about 90 kms from La Ronge. As you can see  the road is quite clear but if this web camera shows the road is snow covered we stay put even if the weather is fine here. And the report for Prince Albert is sunny & clear. Seems that this is where the worst of the weather hits … & planned trips south for veterinary visit, groceries, bottled beer (only canned available in LA),  etc. is postponed.  

Have to keep an eye on the camera this weekend as Pam will be away at a writer’s weekend in the south & we’re supposed to get a “weather event”.  And there’ll just be m’self & the fur-kids at home. Molly sez she wants to party … eat lots of fatty snacks & play fetch! :-)

Oh well …  at least it’s going to be a warm day!  Only -9º 

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Bu mhath an sgàthan sùil caraid.

[A friend's eye is a good looking-glass.]

LA shopping

Saturday is our day for wandering around this great town. Whether it’s -27ºC or whether it’s a hot day like -12°C we’re “oo n’ aboot”. And today was no exception … well except that we’re trying to be more ‘health’ conscious when buying our groceries. Not as easy as it might sound. First thing we do is check label for the “Expiration Date” & more importantly the “Nutrition Data” so you can imagine what we thought when we saw this marvellous can of ‘ ‘Puritan’ nurtrition & goodness. hmmmm wouldn’t you like to sink your teeth into beans & wieners? 

And no Saturday would be complete without going to Robertson’s Trading Post. This is where we are getting our fine meats & fishes. Bison; wild boar; sometimes even Muskox & always in-house sausages made with blueberries, cranberries, wild rice or even mixes of bison & wild boar or on a good day muskox. mmmm! One of the butchers is also very fine artist that I have been fortunate enough to become friends with. The Trading Post also has art for sale, locally carved antlers & prints by another friend who has the nicest watercolour brush work I have ever seen. And a wonderful collection of locally hand made moccasins; mitts & gloves.  

Here’s a few pictures form there:

Robertson’s sign out front was created & made by a friend who does some very beautiful watercolour & pastel paintings.  Roger Jerome http://metis.tripod.com/rjerome.html

The afternoon is usually spent putting up our feet & enjoying the day! aaaahhh! ’s marvellous!

Slàinte mhor a h-uile duine
Best to you all!

Noisy Neighbours …

Just had to post this photo of my neighbours … 

… in spite of the -27ºC  they’re still singing.

What up with that?

Slàinte mhor a h-uile duine
Best to you all!

Chores, eh?

It was evening, the yesterdays ‘chores’ ‘were over, Gàidhlig class was over & I was free to lay back & do nothing. So I did! Watched the boob-tube all night … Thursday evening is Survivor night in our house & while I normally don’t enjoy these types of shows I enjoy making fun of the participants nitt-picking; bickering & making boastful plans about how they can lead the others to their doom. Best part of course is when they’re the ones who get the ‘boot to the arse’!!! But my favourite shows are generally the Reno/DIY more especially the Cooking shows. Last night it was a Reno show …. hmm? I’m thinking that a wall needs moving.

And today I worked on carving fish fins for my present project. A Paiute Cutthroat Trout indigenous to the one area of north eastern California. Since then I have been working on a poster for the local Arts Council’s March exhibition. 

 It’s Friday evening, and I believe it’s time to head down the basement, have a nice bottle of Samuel Smith’s fine brew & then knock a few balls around.

Slàinte mhor a h-uile duine Best to you all!

The busy gypsies …

We both have been incredibly busy since moving here. Pam with her work & taking care of an old gimp on her after hours & the old gimp himself, with trying to get the wheelchair access setup to basement (shop & pool table) as well as continuing his studies for his Gaelic Course through the AGA {Atlantic Gaelic Academy}. Now that the lift installation is complete & then the subsequent repairs I have been quite busy setting up my workshop & finally getting back to work! … lots to keep me out of trouble (hopefully).

The new pool table is working really well & have had a few games. Well a lot actually! It’s so wonderful being back at the felt knocking my balls around again. As well as wood & bone … back in the chips again & loving it.

Finally got the new floor put down the new flooring in the living room on Saturday. Wow what an amazing product! The laminate flooring we picked was a knotty rough pine. Looks like it was dropped there in one piece. This stuff just locks together in a snap! Of course it helps to have someone who knows what their doing the ‘techie’ work. I was the go-fer … & a damn good one too! It took about 3½hrs to put down & do the cleanup {many tools, cardboard boxes & plastic wrap}. Turns out the fellow I was able to hire to do the work is a lad who lived in Summerside for 25 yrs. we were having a great laugh about folks complaining about the weather up here & the weather back home. … but it’s a dry cold.

I love wearing these moccasins & have decided that I am going to wear moccasins year round. Hands down or should I say ‘feet down’ they are the most comfortable & warm foot apparel I have ever worn! I also have another pair of plain ones. Ojibwa made ones that I picked up in Sudbury, ON that I will be wearing in summer months . The mitts were a Christmas present from Pam … I finally have no complaints about ‘cold hands’ on wheelchair push rims!! Thanks dear.

Been so busy in the shop & as usual, this stubborn old fart has to try to do everything himself & ends up suffering. Recovery can be long … Dangit! As well my studies of the Scottish Gaelic take up a lot of time so I haven’t been taking the time to keep my blog updated – unfortunately. But I will! Even if it’s just a couple on lines … at least that’s my “plan”. ha ha ha

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“Eucoir nas miosa na leabhraichean a losgadh – gun a bhith gan leughadh” – Joseph Brodsky
{There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.}

A couple of days of below …

The CBC is reporting that Saskatchewan has a had a couple of days of below seasonal weather. 28 days to be exact. ! Today it is forcast to go up to -23ºC And when you’ve gone through -30ºC to -38ºC degrees we’ve gone through lately – 23ºC is considered warming up. I’m not complaining. It could be worse! We could still be back home either digging out from the snow  &/or freezing rain & high winds.

Here’s a photo fo the main highway around 3pm on a sunny but frigid day. Note that the roads are barely clear of snow. That’s because it doesn’t melt here … once the snow falls it stays until the spring  You don’t even see icicles until the spring melt! The snow just doesn’t melt!

 

Can you feel the warmth of the day?

Here’s another … This photo was also taken in the late afternoon on a very sunny day but the heat of the day just wasn’t there. As you can see the snow & is still wel packed on the trees. No wonder our Chihuahuas aren’t fond of this adventure;

And last but not least here’s a photo of the sundog 

 

A Sundog on Jan 03-09

 

We’ve several amazing & very beautiful solar phenomena since we moved back here. The last one was as if the lights of heaven were being cast down in a blazing beam of intense light. Too intense to get a photo unfortunately!

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Dè th’ort fo d’fhèileadh?

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Creative grandchild …

“The only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to be credible. – Mark Twain”

Today we received this wonderful Christmas greeting video from our young granddaughter back on PEI.

3 little elfs

While this photo is in itself an awful funny bit of creativity I really think that watching this short video she put together is definitely hilarious

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Bu mhath an sgàthan sùil caraid.
[A friend's eye is a good looking-glass.]
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Busy days in sunny LA …

Friday evening our friends/neighbours dropped down to help me level the slates on my pool table … well Rod did, his wife came along to visit with Pam. It didn’t take long for Rod & I to do the table & then we had a couple of beers to visit. Dry business that work. Saturday is usually our ’shopping, library day but this Saturday it was all shopping. Christmas is coming up & we want to get on top of it before the big day. The local Christmas craft fair was also happening on Saturday & the weather, while cool is sunny & quite comfortable. So we wrapped Molly up in her down jacket, set Chesney up with a tasty treat & a warm bed & off we went.

The Craft Fair was great, lots of great stuff, art & crafts & a table full of Cree beadwork, some antler carvings but I can’t say what in case our kids & grandchildren happening to be reading this blog. Wouldn’t want to ruin their Christmas. I picked up a couple of nice photos & great Cree painting by a local artist. After leaving the fair we headed off to Robertson’s Trading Post to look at more local leatherwork & check out the meats. You never know what surprises that the butcher has brought in. Could be some elk, or bison or boar & most times there is the sausages! Blueberry & wild rice, cranberry & pork from down south. Or, hopefully the best of their sausages Bison & MuskOx links.
And finally we finish our day’s outing at the local Co-Op picking a few groceries. As you can see a day in LA can be boring.

Today I paid the price of a day of leisure by filling the seams between the pool table’s slates & screw holes. After which I worked on getting both my workbenches setup again. While for most folks these tasks would simple but for me it becomes a mammoth & exhausting task so I work for 30 mins at the most & then rest up for the next burst. It is taking a long time to get setup but one day, soon I will be back at the carving & art & posting the results right here … so keep watch.

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Bu mhath an sgàthan sùil caraid.
[A friend's eye is a good looking-glass.]
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