Monday, May 24, 2021

A Tale of Work

Most of my readers will be aware that Poppa had a heart attack on Dec. 14th, 2020.  He was rushed to a hospital about 3/4hrs. away and given medical attention.  All went well and he was transferred back to our local hospital (yes - the one that I send my baby outfits to!) where he stayed for several days before coming home.  He is doing very well.  As you can probably tell he has lost a lot of weight.  He started out by going for long walks every day which wasn't too fun in the winter time!  Now that warm weather has finally arrived he is finding other things to keep him busy - more on that later.  In this photo he is making chicken meatballs in compliance with his new restricted diet which does not recommend beef at all.  As you can see, he makes meatballs just like he does everything else - perfectly!  By the way - they were really good!  We had salt-free spaghetti for supper, and froze some for later!  Yum!

Squishie, who like Squeegie, is always hungry watched TV while he waited.

Then when Poppa went to the store, he and his two sisters waited in his usual spot for Poppa to come home with a "treat".

I looked out the front door the other night and saw an impromptu community meeting happening on the stairs - that's Poppa partway down the stairs.

Now about those projects Poppa is working on now.....

The fence in this photo separates our back patio from the patio belonging to the adjoining condo unit on that side.  The fence, as you can see, is old and hasn't had any attention.  It had a distinct lean towards the neighbor's patio and did not look very attractive.  So Poppa decided he needed to fix it...

He dug down the length of the support wall for about three feet (a lot of digging and a  lot of dirt!).  Yes - he did it all by himself and it was hard work - no need for a walk - he's getting lots of exercise doing projects.

His buddy from the golf course photos stopped by to check on the progress ( he owns a unit three doors from ours), which was good, since if forced Poppa to take a break!  

Of course, he was being supervised by an expert!

I took a couple of pictures through the screen door, which may not be a good way to get a good picture!  However, you can see Poppa out there digging a trench.

On a side note - Violet didn't survive and Poppa bought me a new African violet.  Her name is Priscilla and she is doing very well.  She arrived with a lot of pink colored blooms - which have since departed.  Hopefully she will get some more!

Meanwhile, back at the trench....

.... Poppa was still digging and the trench kept getting longer and deeper.

When it was deemed to be finished (See?  The trench has been filled in and the patio all swept off!), he decided to slope the little hill going next door a little longer and lower so that the lawn tractor would not scalp the lawn when the gardeners came.

The old grass was loaded into the wheelbarrow and taken away.

While Squishie kept guard at the window for hours!

And Poppa kept working and put some fine crushed stone in for drainage.

Then replaced the patio stones he had removed to straighten the fence and cleaned up the mess.

Then he added some top soil to the new slope and levelled it up to his satisfaction.

You'll never guess what he did next!

Yes!!!  he loaded his golf clubs into the car on Saturday morning and went golfing.  When he arrived home he was quite happy and he'd had a good game!

On a more domestic note, his plants at the front are all thriving.

And his work on this large area across the road is coming along nicely.

He and his buddy stained the front entranceway at the golf clubhouse.  (Wow! They did a great job!)

They did some repairwork on the driveway there.

They made a new sluice for water runoff.

And a runoff area from the cart washing location.  And that's it for today!  Whew!  I'm tired just looking at the pictures!



 

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

A Brief One!

 This is just a brief post - to keep you reading!

Some spring flowers are blooming in Poppa's front flowerbed.

A slightly different angle to show off the tulips better.  So pretty and nice to see them finally - it's been a long winter!

There are some hostas peeking up through the mulch too!

I am still knitting critters for Auntie Colleen's blanket!  Such fun and a fantastic way to use up left over bits of yarn.

Poppa is still working diligently at the golf course almost every day.  What is he doing?

Well - he was staining these stairs to make them look much better - don't you think?


Friday, May 14, 2021

More News

 I have been knitting madly - but not what you may think!

These are angel pockets.  They were requested by our local hospital.  They are quick projects and I felt good doing something special.

This is Poppa, as always, working around the complex to make it nicer for everyone.  This time he had some help from one of the other owners - which made it nicer for him!  They are putting top soil on some spots upset by the paving done last fall.

I took this photo from a different angle, so you could see Poppa's new vehicle.  It is a 2021 Ford Escape Hybrid - briefly - he LOVES it.

Here is Squishie waiting for Poppa to take him to the store for snacks!

Meanwhile, CharLee and Happy are planning an adventure.

While Taffy and Gracie wait for me to come back to my knitting.

A little sweater waiting for its buttons and a matching hat!  Since the gift shop at the hospital is closed, I am knitting some other things.

This is my current project - I'll post a better picture when it is finished!

Meanwhile, I'm off to sit in my knitting corner!  I'll be back soon!


COVID Marches on...and I Knit on!

 

Sorry - this post is the original of the newer one above it.  It did not pass Blogger criteria and I had to change it a bit.  As soon as I had done that they re-instated my account, so.... thank you to the wizards at Blogger!  Since it is a little different than the new version, I decided to re-post this one too!  I hope you all understand and enjoy!

Now for the fun stuff!

I was asked by the staff in the NICU at our hospital, if I could make some angel pockets.  After some research, I made these and sent them over.  They were very pleased and kept them all.  Hopefully they don't get used for a lengthy period of time, but if they do it is okay at my end.  They don't take much yarn or time - and I felt good about being able to contribute.

Poppa is still keeping busy - I took this picture today.  He is repairing some issued created last fall when the paving got done.  As you can see, another owner is out helping him.  That is the same gentleman who helped Poppa with all the spring cleanup work at the golf course.  As you probably know - they still aren't able to golf, so they are filling their time with projects!

Here is another photo of them laboring diligently.  I took this one from a different angle so you could see Poppa's new car!  It is a 2021 Ford Escape Hybrid.  Yes - he bought a hybrid because he had heard good things about them from some of his fellow golfers and thought he should try one.  Result?  He loves it!  It is a nice vehicle - a small SUV which is nice for him when he is working on all his projects - much better mileage - and easier to handle since it is a bit smaller than the Edge, has a nice ride and tons of toys.  For instance - there is no gear shift - just a large button that you turn to shift gears; the wipers start automatically if rain is detected on the windshield (can be turned of for car washing!); not to mention whole lot more, some of which we will probably never use!

I took this picture of Squishie today.  He is waiting for Poppa to take him to buy some grass seed for those repairs Poppa was working on in the previous photo.

While upstairs CharLee and Happy were making plans for the summer.

Taffy and Gracie are waiting patiently for me to finish this blog and get back to our knitting projects.

I still have some of that peach-colored yarn left, so I made this little sweater and plan to make a matching hat.  I haven't made too much baby clothing since the gift shop at the hospital is closed resulting in no movement of goods - so they don't need more yet.

This is my current project.  When it is finished I will post a picture of the entire thing.

And now, my knitting corner awaits - back soon!