Nanna's Blog: At Last!

Things seem to have calmed down here - thank goodness. Poppa really needed a break. Now - I'll try to catch up. Poppa was working on a project. You see, there was this area at the end of our driveway where the water would lay after a rainfall. This drove him crazy. He had made this nice cement curb - all re-inforced with rebar to keep it strong - along each edge of the driveway. Then he had the driveway paved and it looked lovely. Of course, after a long cold Canadian winter the driveway heaved where the culvert runs underneath and after it settled, this low spot appeared. Eventually the rain water started making an incursion between the cement curb and the pavement - hence eroding the soil underneath and the low spot got even lower... and so on. I missed pictures at the beginning of this project, since I didn't know it was even starting. So - Poppa broke out the necessary cement curbing, chipped out the pavement from an area around the low spot and dug out that area - including a spillway along the outside edge for the water to run away. Then he put .......

.... cement into that dug out area and shaped it into the desired contours, and left it to dry for a few days until it turned whitish and he declared it to be "cured". Next, he bought some black pavement stuff and coated it all......

..... here it is all finished - but the picture doesn't really show it very well. You can see where he broke off the cement - and the new cement forms a little sluiceway for the water to run down. Of course, he now has to repair the end of the curbing to make it pretty again - but this is as far as he got before......

.... Poppa's Aunt Rita passed away. This is a picture of her at her 95th birthday party, sitting beside her brother - Uncle Bert to us. This picture was taken on October 16th, 2011. We were sorry to have her leave us - and our hearts to out go to her children - Leon and his wife Janet; Denis and his wife Liz. Two days later we received the news that Poppa's cousin..........

.... George had died. Here he is with (from left to right) Poppa's niece Tracy, Auntie Denise, George, Aunt Grumpy and Aunt Jeannie. Poppa had been helping tend to George's needs (with help from Denis & Liz) for a long time and I know he will miss George in his life. Thank you to Auntie Denise for both the above pictures. The birthday party took place when Poppa was recovering from meningitis so we could not be there. And, Auntie Denise had stopped in at the nursing home to have a visit with George on March 24th of this year - this picture was taken then.
On the brighter side of life.....

.... the spruce trees are growing.....

.... the rose bushes are sprouting (and a few weeds - oops!).........

... and I even have a couple of lupins blooming! Oh yes - flowers! I did finish.....

... Auntie Colleen's tea toque. What do you think? She seemed quite pleased with it and wants one for her smaller teapot now. I'm working on an idea I have - but haven't been able to get back to her house for a couple of weeks - I have to measure the other teapot. I think it's the same size as Poppa's teapot - but I want to be certain! So, while I've been thinking about the next one....

.... I made a few dishcloths. I gave these two to Auntie Colleen when I took the tea toque to her.....and I have a few more.....

.... if anyone would like a couple (or a few - they are free since I am using up my stash so I can buy new yarn!), just let Taffy know at taffy.robert@gmail.com or if you like - just give me a call!
One last thing.... early this morning I received e-mail from Aunt Muffy and Uncle Brian, wishing me a Happy Birthday. After Poppa and I returned home from breakfast, I recived a phone call from Granny and Gramps - so nice to hear from them - thank you! Then later, Mommy and Daddy and the boys called......and while Poppa was chatting with Munchie.....