Fiddling Granny

The Kitchen Project

2011-12-10T11:19:00.024-05:00

The kitchen project, aside from a couple of little details, is now essentially complete. Paul and Andrew worked so hard. They worked in the neighbourhood of 16 hours both Tuesday and Wednesday, 12 hours Thursday and 3 1/2 on Friday. Ken and I were helping when we could, staying out of the way when we should and kept them fed and watered, and beer'd them when the time was right.

Here are the pictures.

You can see the blue tile floor, black stove and speckled countertop. There were approximately 15 tiles that were cracked and lifting off of the floor. In the summer they would stick to bare feet. Nasty. The counter had a couple of burn marks. The two level island was the speckled top like the rest of the counter on the lower level, but the upper level was 2" ceramic tile that was different from the rest of the counter and it was impossible to write on it without something underneath. Although it doesn't show, on the work surface of the island there was a huge hole in the top that looked like it was intended for a double sink. There was a cutting board set into it and crumbs would end up in the drawers underneath.

The appliances were a variety of blacks and whites. The fridge was a side by side, which I hate and the ancient dishwasher didn't clean dishes at all. The stove cooked but the oven was inconsistent. There was no backsplash above the counter and the icy blue (almost white) paint had stains on it.

Now you can see the granite counter that is the same on the island and the rest of the counter. The backsplash is fantastic - above the stove it changes to stainless steel.

My stove, range hood, dishwasher and fridge are all stainless steel. The floor tile is black with a matte finish and black grout. Looks like I'm going to have to sweep more often, but it looks fabulous.

Although it doesn't show in the pictures, the sink and faucet were black, and it had scraped to grey in the bottom of the sink. Now they are both black granite/composite. The faucet matches the sink.

Standing in the working area of the kitchen here is a look to the right then to the left.

Before

After

Then there's the other side of the kitchen that we call the sitting room. It was a separate room when we moved here, but we have it as part of the kitchen now. This is what you saw when we first moved here.

This is what it looks like after the Mister and Gryper opened up the wall and Paul and Andrew replaced the turquoise indoor/outdoor carpeting that had the pretty burn marks from the fire, with porcelain tiles.

Here is before the floor was done.

And now!

We are both delighted. It looks fabulous, it's a great working kitchen and a great party kitchen, which we proved last night when we had our concert band over for our Christmas get together. The guys left around noon, we played a concert in the local nursing home in the afternoon, came home and gave the floor one more quick wash and at 4:30, about 5 1/2 hours after Paul and Andrew finished the crowd started to arrive. Everyone loved the kitchen.

The guys were here from Tuesday morning until Friday morning. The house was in complete turmoil with their equipment in the kitchen and the foyer, and on the deck. The refrigerator and stove were also in the front foyer, the kitchen table and chairs in a corner of the dining room, and stuff in piles where ever we could find the space. Despite the awkward conditions we had a great time. Between the silly antics, the crazy conversations and the constant banter, we laughed ourselves stupid.

Thanks Paul and Andrew!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P.S. I just found this pic and thought ... yeah .. I should post it. This shows the sitting room the way it gets used.

iPhones For Lupper

2011-11-19T08:59:00.001-05:00

Last weekend The Grypers and The Cyclin's came for lupper. We had Salmon Baked with Birch Syrup, Carrots with a Birch Syrup Glaze, Steamed Broccoli, Roasted Potatoes and iPhones as the centre piece.

While we were eating, we were talking to Mushing Mum via Cheryl's iPhone.

Gryper & John need to catch up and get iPhones too! We need 6 for a full centre piece.

My New Toy

2011-10-05T14:33:00.003-04:00

My new toy arrived today. It's Cheryl's fault, she got me hooked. My bow is the same model as hers, but right-handed.

Here is a pic The Mister took of me. My form isn't great, but for day one, I don't think I did too bad.

Here is a pic of the target, when I had tp pack it in for the day.

Birthday Lunch

2011-09-29T12:28:00.001-04:00

We celebrated The Gryper's Missis' birthday today!

Happy birthday Ma!

Story in Quarters

2011-09-21T18:26:00.004-04:00

This is the Mister deep in the throes of creativity.

Four of us are writing a story together, one paragraph at a time.

Should be entertaining. We have no idea where it's going!

iBlog

2011-09-08T18:51:00.001-04:00

So now I have the convenience of blogging from my iPhone. There is a new blogger app that makes it simple.

This is a test blog, maybe I'll do it more consistently now than I have in the past while.

This is a pic from our campsite at Susan's place. We just arrived here today.

Walking The Dog

2011-07-08T08:22:00.005-04:00

When I walk the dog in the morning (and feed the deerflies), to keep it interesting, I've taken a few pix.

This one is a sunrise on Kashagawigamog Lake.

This is a pond where bullfrogs were grunting. It sounded prettier than the picture.

Rocks and roadside gardens.

I liked this large patch of milkweed.

This is my favourite, a closeup of milkweed flowers. No wonder the monarch butterflies love them!

This is a wild raspberry type flower but the name escapes me. I'll have to look it up in my book - which is out in the trailer, so not now.

Weekend

2011-06-12T22:10:00.003-04:00

It's not easy getting my kids and their kids together all at once. We don't very often get to be together as a family on special occasions because the are all expected to split their time seven ways to Sunday. I try not to add any pressure to an already stressful time.

At Christmas I told them, that I was having a dinner at our place. It would be for Gryper and the Missus and all of my offspring and their spouses.

They were told it was non-negotiable and the only good excuse for not being here was death.

Saturday was the big day. We took pictures, hung out, had a hatchet throwing contest, road dirt bikes. Lots of food and laughs and a fire in the backyard in the evening. The ones who were here Sunday afternoon had the traditional get-together game of "Pit" .... The Mister made himself scarce when it got too noisy as that particular game always does. Granny won ... things are as they should be.

We have now got the 3rd set of five generation pictures in a row. Here's one of the whole gang.

We'll have to make this an annual event.

BWana The Iguana

2011-05-29T16:06:00.003-04:00

Finally I get around to posting the pictures of the double bass.

We finished it last Friday and then had the unveiling party and pot luck about 2 hours after we finished putting the strings on it. Before we put the strings on we took a picture up through the hole in the bottom for the end pin. If you look closely at the top block at the far end, it says BWana. The vertical post you see in the foreground is the sound post.

After the unveiling here we are both very proud of the work we've done and sad to see her go. Ian, her owner, will take her and play her "in the white" for a few weeks and we'll make any adjustments that are needed, then we will varnish her.
This is the back of BWana the Iguana clinging to the scroll. Bethany carved this completely. She did an awesome job. The way we did it was together we worked on the back and the sides. Bethany carved the neck and I carved the front.
Here is BWana from the side.

Here is Ian with his old bass and the new bass. There was no comparison in sound. The new one was the clear winner!
I love this picture of Ian looking down at it and looking quite overwhelmed.
Here is the jam session that followed the pot luck and unveiling. Everyone was so excited at hearing it.

Now it's on to my cello, Lucy. I'm booked in a course for beginning cello in July and I'm planning on playing "Lucy", so no time to goof off.

My Granddaughter

2011-05-01T18:47:00.004-04:00

Mya is a riot. She had everyone in the pharmacy section of the grocery store laughing and commenting.

She was looking them over for about 10 minutes while we were waiting to get a prescription filled. It was hilarious.

I Got a New Toy Too

2011-05-01T18:40:00.004-04:00

CG is not the only one! I got a new toy too.

Mine's funner than her lawn mower!

A big sister to my iPhone.

Mine has all kinds of cool apps on it now, not like the bare naked one in the pic!

Sigh - Tough Times - seems I can't Post - I trie

2011-03-31T07:30:00.003-04:00

Okay, I figured it out.....

This place is gorgeous! I can't post a pic from my iPhone on blogger.

Suffice to say it's really really great. All-inclusive is wild if you've never
Done it before!

Just have to wait for pics.

Signed, fiddling in Dominican Republic - after swimming, snorkeling and playing.

Today: parasailing! Yippee!

I know, I know

2011-03-23T06:35:00.006-04:00

It's been a long time since my last post. With FaceBook having all of "The Fam" checking in, it slipped my mind. Not to mention how busy life has been.

Alexis Jean (Lexi)

First, meet our Great Granddaughter, born March 5th. She was bright and wide awake immediately following her birth for about an hour. Her very first outfit that she wore was the bunting bag and hat that I made her.

This it the proud Daddy. Immediately following her birth.

Stay tuned for 5 generation pictures in the very near future.

Double Bass Update

We're hoping that it will be ready to glue together by the end of April. So far, any goals we have set, we've reached early.

The back is complete and the sides are complete. This is the front, which I have done most of the work on. I have about another hour or so with scrapers and the outside will be completely smooth. Then, I'll start the inside which shouldn't take too long. I've made the template for the f-holes and will cut them after the inside is hollowed out. Then, I'll make the bass bar to go inside.

Bethany has been doing most of the work on the neck/scroll/iguana. You can see here that the fingerboard has been glued on. The steps left to do are finishing carving "Bwana", then attach the machines (pegs) and carve the peg box.

We have borrowed a set of clamps from a friend, so there's no reason that we will not be gluing it together and hearing it played by the end of next month. We're both really excited about it.

Oops! It's Been A While

2011-01-29T20:29:00.003-05:00

Why haven't I been blogging as often as before? Here's what I've been doing instead. This is the cello I've been working on. Still lots more to do, but it's coming along. To give an impression of size, I've put a glove on the floor in front of it.

On Friday, all of her "clothes" arrived in the mail. Although it doesn't really show, the fingerboard is ebony, the other parts are rosewood. They're beautiful!

This is the back of the double bass. We've finished inlaying the purfling (the black lines) and now we're doing the final shaping of the outside before we start to work on the inside.

Here is a pic of Ian (who will be the owner of it when it's done) and Bethany. We set him to work scraping the surface. That didn't last long!

Here are the front, back and sides as they look right now.

We are so excited about the how much we've done in such a short time.

A Peek

2011-01-25T21:41:00.003-05:00

Here's a little peek at the pix ... I'm waiting for Cheryl's because there are some duplicates and I'd like to show the best ones.

Here we are at the airport shortly after we met Susan. She was, much to her dismay, presented with the hat that was required wearing for the weekend. I've been wearing mine whenever I go out and constantly get compliments and inquiries about where to get one. People love them. Great idea Cheryl.

Friday morning Kaden and Ireland came and crawled into bed with us.

Ta Da - Presenting "Lily"

2011-01-06T07:34:00.002-05:00

My viola, all varnished and back together.

I'm really proud of her. She's a beauty!

I'm really pleased with how the quilted maple looks.

The front looks really good too!

Painting

2010-12-15T08:00:00.004-05:00

My friend Shelley Houghton is a painter. She does some amazing work. When she paints water, it looks almost like a photograph it's so realistic.

I have bought a print of this painting of a South American Lady doing a Smoke Ceremony. The smoke in this painting is incredible.

I'm so excited about getting it next week.

Enough is Enough

2010-11-29T06:57:00.003-05:00

You may or may not be aware, my first name is Wendy. All of my life, I have only known a few Wendys. For the most part, I've only needed a first name; kind of like Cher. Yeah, that's it, kind of like Cher.

In the past couple of years, in our village, in the middle of nowhere there has been a sudden influx of Wendys. I believe it is now up to six. People are starting to call me Wendy L---- (which doesn't feel like me), Wendy L or Wendy E. Unacceptable!

On the way home from a social engagement the other night, I decided that I need a new name, so that I can be an individual again.

Henceforth, I will be known as

Zeke

Thanks for your co-operation.

The Fashion Show Trip

2010-11-19T10:28:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, a group of us went to Hamilton to a fashion show/ silent auction (fund raiser).

Here is the beginnings of the group checking into the lobby at the hotel.

Lynda and I got to our room and first things first we checked out our view. We had the best view, we could see Lake Ontario and we saw some lake boats (ships?) out there.

Next we stowed our luggage.

and made sure there were no unexpected guests in our room.

We were happy with our digs, so it was time to wander down the hall.

We brought a few little nibblies to have in the hotel room with our wine after checking in.

Then off to the fashion show. The pictures during the show didn't turn out very well because of the lighting, so this was before it all got started.

The next morning we went to Blackbird Studio to check out more of their designs than we saw the previous night.

We all had a great time trying things on.

Here's the whole group ... time to think about heading home and let them get to work for their next fashion show.

Sheet Metal Art

2010-11-15T20:02:00.005-05:00

How cool is my Dad - aka Gryper?!

One of the things we have to do while building the double bass is take these thin "sheets" of maple that we have planed to around 2mm thick, and bend them to form the sides of the double bass.

We have a bending iron which is a tool that is about 6 inches high and heats up, then you bend the sides around it shaping them to fit the sides of the double bass. The sides of the double bass are about 9 inches high.

So here is a picture of the bending iron.

Gryper did some sheet metal art and built us an extension for it so our bending iron is now 9" high. Despite his being frustrated and it having taken quite a few hours, it works incredibly well. Here is the bending iron with the new extension fitted.

Here's Bethany starting to bend the first piece of side rib.

We found that, as with everything we've done with this so far, it goes much easier with four hands than two.

Here is the mould and you can see the ribs have been glued in on the "C bouts" (the waist)

The first one took us well over an hour to get bent to fit exactly, the second one was bent and glued in in half an hour.

Once again, Gryper's sheet metal art saves the day.

Progress

2010-11-11T20:27:00.002-05:00

We are making progress on the double bass. The mould has taken us some time to figure out and then build. We spent yesterday and today shaping the blocks at the corners and the top & bottom. We're really pleased with our efforts.

We decided to put the pieces together (sort of) in their current state. There's still a lot of work to be done, but it was exciting to see it taking shape. You can see the iguana that Bethany has carved on top of the scroll. It's very impressive and is going to be gorgeous!

Another First

2010-10-28T20:34:00.004-04:00

This was given to a friend of ours, but it needed some repairs.

With my vast experience, I volunteered to do the repairs for him.

There was a crack in the front and some other small bits of damage, and it just looked tired. Here it is with the front crack glued and clamped.

Then I added some purfling where a piece had broken out. Although it looks very white in this picture, you'll see later that it barely shows when I finished it.

There was some damage to the edge preventing it from being properly glued together. The edge was ragged and there was a gap between the top and the sides.

So I made little patches to fix the two spots. They too look very white, but I took care of them.

There see, they barely show.

I put a lable in it.

Then glued it back together. Here it is all clamped up.

It looks really good, I'm so pleased with it.

There's the seam where the patches are.

Last of the gluing and clamping.

Tomorrow, I'll finish setting it up and put the strings on her.

I'm so pleased. It's the first time I've done repairs and it went so well.

Sisters' Trip To Niagara

2010-10-24T08:26:00.003-04:00

For those of you not on FB here are some of the pix ... there are more on FB because it's much easier to upload them in batches.

When we met Susan at the airport, we wanted to make sure she wouldn't miss us at the arrivals gate.

The quiet little restaurant we "invaded" and changed the ambiance.

Meeting some of the locals.

Finally in our room.

Bed time ... it's a bit grainy 'cause I took it without the flash.

First thing in the morning, the hyper-active one got started early!

Absolutely an awesome time!

Blisters and Bruises

2010-10-12T16:46:00.002-04:00

This is the front of "Lucy", my cello, waiting for her back. The front is ready to do the purfling (that black line of inlay around the perimeter on the viola and the violin). As you can see her sister Lily still awaits the varnish. I did a little shaping on the back of the neck today. I'll get to it pretty soon.

This is the back of the double bass that Bethany and I are working on. The top is asymmetrical so the player can reach around more easily. The grain in the wood is outstanding ... it doesn't really show in the picture that well yet.

Tardy Again

2010-10-10T07:52:00.004-04:00

For those of you who aren't on FaceB00k, last weekend we went to the annual corn maze/corn roast at Cheryl & John's.

Gavin & Mya both enjoyed the corn maze, as they wandered through they played with ears of corn. Picking the corn off row by row was a favourite pastime as we wandered through the maze. (Mya is in a Snow White dress, but she had to wear a jacket so you can't see the top.)

After we finished the maze, we went and played in the "corn box". I have never heard Gavin laughing like he did when Devon, then Dad piled the corn on top of him.

He can see what's coming and his eyes are all lit up.

Around the fire afterwards, Mya climbed up on Dad's knee. It was so cute!

A great time was had by all!

Walk In The Clouds

2010-09-26T08:24:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we went on the canopy tour in the Haliburton Forest.

Ever since the last time when I heard that Andrew had hung from his harness over the side of the walkway, I wanted to try it.

I got really nervous just before I did it but Andrew and Devon encouraged me to do it. After the first time, it was great.

I got a whole bunch of pix that are on my Facebook page, but here's a few. Cheryl and John took a bunch too so you'll be seeing more.

Our friends Michael and his daughter Brittany.

I Confess

2010-09-17T08:37:00.004-04:00

Okay, I confess. I love gadgets. I like things that do stuff and the slicker, the better.

This gadget, that I got yesterday, has to be the absolute top of the heap, super-duper, fantabulously cool gadget.

It does everything but curl my hair, and in the past 10 years, Mother Nature seems to have taken care of that.

Here's what I don't need to put in my purse before I go somewhere now that I have this gadget.

cell phone (is the battery charged?)

iPod (is the battery charged?)

camera (is the battery charged?)

video camera (didn't have one)

address book

calendar

notepad

tuner

metronome

a book

map

time waster (like sudoku)

This is the coolest gadget EVER!

It has:

internet

gps

compass

clock

dictionary

metric/imperial converter

Tim Horton's locator

All right there.

And SOOO much more.

Yippeee!!

End of Summer Events

2010-09-14T22:03:00.008-04:00

~~~~~~~

The last week of August, we headed north for our vacation. We had no plan. We drove the direction that we felt like driving, we stopped at information booths and asked where the next campsite was. It was great fun. I took this picture in the Hearst area.

We decided (after a few messages from her) to go to Susan's in Kenora. We had a great time, this is a picture of me fishing on Lake of the Woods. It was a good day.

I managed to get this eagle just as it grabbed a perch from the surface of the lake. I was pretty pleased with it.

After we got back from our trip north, I spent another hour on my cello ... here's the front; pretty close to finished on the outside, maybe another hour or so. It's almost ready for me to put it aside and work on the back.

This is me and Bethany working on the double bass.

Now here's an interesting question. Do you know what the difference is between these two pictures of the front of the double bass?

They didn't line up properly on the blog .... the second picture is the one

on the right side (with out the hub of the wheel showing).

Believe it or not, the second picture was taken after I had done an hour more work. Hard to see the difference when it's such a big piece of wood.

Day 2

2010-08-27T17:07:00.002-04:00

As we left the camp grounds east of New Liskeard this morning, we started west bound. We got under way we had to make a decision, but we found it very easy.

Heads - Hearst

Tails - Timmins

So here we are at Pivabiska Lake. There's no cell service on either of our phones, and I have to go to the office to use the wireless, so this'll be a short post.

We're just settling in to a wee dram over which we will consider tomorrow's choices.

We can go south to White River, or continue west to Nipigon. This decision will be based on the following.

Susan, meet us en Thunderrrr Bay. Wull consyume copious amouwnts of scottish heaven, after whuch ye can sleep in the trrrailer. Whut say ye, Lassie? Rrrrespond here, FB orrr text.

Where?

2010-08-26T19:21:00.002-04:00

After starting out on our "drive north and figure out what we'll do" vacation, we ended up here the first day. The land across the water on the right side of the picture is Quebec.

Often, when leaving for vacation I have some sort of "entertainment" planned for the down time. This time it was carving. I got basswood sticks for me and The Mister and we brought along carving tools. After going for a walk, we sat down at the picnic table at our campsite and using instructions, we started cutting.

So far, I'm beginning to think it's easier carving a violin!

Here is what we had at the end of day one.

It would be better if The Mister would stop laughing at mine!

Stay tuned!

It's Coming

2010-08-22T17:23:00.003-04:00

Doesn't look like much but in total these have had 30.5 hours work invested in them. I've been keeping track.

I'm pleased with the progress.

Regal Jazz Band

2010-08-22T06:37:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we went to Collingwood for the afternoon. Our friend Michael was playing downtown (he plays clarinet with the Regal Jazz Band) for a couple of hours. They are all fantastic musicians, but Michael - wow! I knew he was a great musician, but I was gob-smacked!

They play Dixieland music. It's such happy music.

People walking by on the sidewalk smiled, even the little kids. Some would do a little dance. One couple in the audience danced during one of the songs. Passers by in their cars would be tapping their hands as they hung them out the windows. The man driving the horses and carriage stood up and danced as they passed.

It was such a fantastic time.

If you hear they'll be in your area, you MUST go and see them! They will be performing on Thursday in Wasaga Beach (Laura, seriously, you must!). The following week, they'll be in Stayner.

Since Yesterday's Post

2010-08-12T18:05:00.004-04:00

Today The Mister finished the guitar he's been making. It sound fabulous! Again, I teared up at the birth of an instrument.

This is today's progress on my cello.

Finally A Post

2010-08-11T16:29:00.007-04:00

Here's what's been going on around here.

I didn't take any pix when Sue & Steve were here or at the Crazy Glasses Party. Plum forgot.

Here are Susan and Steph's kids in the back of the house.

This is The Mister's guitar, he's spraying it with lacquer, then he can string it up. Tomorrow or Friday we should actually hear it's voice. I can't wait.

Here is the cello I'm working on now. Her name will be Lucy.

After spending a bunch of time preparing the front and back, here is a picture of them both cut out, followed by the edges having been trimmed (with The Mister's help ... the pieces of wood are big). In the last picture, you can see that I've begin the arching on the front.

This Week In a Nutshell

2010-07-30T05:56:00.007-04:00

This week at our course, the Mister & I have gotten a lot done. The Mister has his guitar read to lacquer and will do that next week. It's pretty toxic stuff and he'll have to do it outside on a still day.

This is our friend Mike playing Lily, my lovely viola, (named after my grandmother). She's all done (except for the varnish which I'll do in a month or so). I am thrilled with how she looks and the sound is fabulous.

Here she is hanging beside Pearl, the violin I completed last year.

This is the maple for the back of one of the now current projects, a double bass.

Bethany and I worked on getting ready to join the two pieces of spruce for the front.

Here's the front, all clamped and glued.

We're pretty darned proud of ourselves.

Here is the back all glued and clamped too! The pieces of wood are so massive it takes at least three people to join them.

The a bunch of our group got together at our house last night for a party.

I'll post pics of the cello I've started tonight or tomorrow.

And She Shall Be Called Lily

2010-07-18T06:52:00.008-04:00

This will be the last update before she's done.

I have a wood burning pen, and I've put her name, Lily, where it can be seen inside the f-hole opposite the one with the label. The week after next is the week long course when I'll be finishing her and playing her in the white. Here she is with a few things left to do before I cut the mortise for the neck.

As soon as she is finished, my next two projects will start. I will hang her on the wall beside her sister, Pearl (the violin I made), so she can easily be taken down and played. I'll take a family picture and post it here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the front, back and neck for my cello (who will be called Lucy). The flame of the maple is really pretty.

This is my sidekick holding the block of wood for the neck of the double bass we're starting .

Visitors

2010-06-28T08:12:00.004-04:00

Last night we got home from a social event and I found this guy on my kitchen window ledge. He wasn't at all bothered by my talking to him from two feet inside the window. The window was open a little, so I reached up and closed it so he would have a bit more room. Because he was so patient with my activities, I thought he might be sick.

I went and took a picture from another angle so I could try to identify him. His feathers were so white and he had a pretty crest, so I thought at first it was a cockatoo, but the beak was definitely not a hook-bill! I heard a kafuffle at about 5:30 and thought it was him leaving. When I got up later, he was gone.

At about 8:00, this lady showed up on my other window ledge. She had the same weird feathers around her legs (They looked very cumbersome!).

She tolerate me for a few minutes, then flew down onto the lawn. So I went out the front door and looked into the garden and this is what I found.

Now I'm convinced that he's hurt as he didn't even try to move when I got close (about 6 feet away). I'm going to call the local wildlife rehab place this morning and see if they can help hm.

~~~~~~~~~~

I spoke with the wildlife rehab centre and they told me that they are homing pigeons, based on the description. They need some food, water and rest and in a day or so, they'll head home.

I put out some rice, corn and split peas, all uncooked, and some water (it needs to be at least two inches deep for them to be able to drink it (who knew?).

They have both relaxed and preen themselves and each other and have now moved up into the kitchen window. Don't know if they'll be here tomorrow, but they're fun to watch!

Klutzes

2010-06-08T19:33:00.002-04:00

So last night, the mister and I went to a meeting with Devon and Andrew. Details maybe later.

As we left Sh'less Joe's, I pointed to a plant and said to Devon, these are so soft, feel it. As I leaned forward, there was a brick in the sidewalk sticking up and I stumbled on it, falling almost on my face right in the middle of this lovely plant. The whole thing was hilarious!

Later at their house, The Mister was coming down the stairs and slipped (wool socks on hardwood) and fell on the stairs.

After some laughing and talking, we went to go to bed and I couldn't find my glasses. I called the restaurant, and was told that they hadn't been left on the table. I went downstairs to look for them and couldn't find light switches. I asked Devon where the switch was, by then everyone was up and looking around. We looked all over the house. Nada. Andrew called his parents in case they had inadvertently picked them up. (Long shot, but hey, you never know!)

I remembered back to my clumsy manoeuvre from earlier and decided to drive back to Sh'less Joe's. Yup, there they were, right in the middle of the plant I had previously squashed.

As we left for the airport this morning, Devon cautioned us ... "Don't fall".

I texted her when we landed. She texted me back, "Have ya fallen?"

Brat!

I keep thinking about it and laughing till I'm in tears.

Dinner at Meg's tonight .... first of two graduation ceremonies tomorrow.

Viola Update

2010-06-06T08:01:00.003-04:00

Having blistered the end of my thumb to the point that I couldn't hold a pen for the rest of the day, I got a good start on carving the inside of my viola.

Here is the front and back, It's hard to see the carving and shaping, but take my word for it ... it's really nice. I've done better on this than I did on the violin that I made.

I've drilled these holes inside to 1 mm less than the amount that will have to be carved out for the correct thickness.

This is where the blister came in. I got down to the bottom of most of the holes on the front. Nice, easy spruce ... but the maple of the back doesn't give up so easily! Once I've gotten rid of all the drill marks, I'll take it to the exact thicknesses. (generally speaking, 2.8 to 3.0 mm)

This is the scroll, I'm taking it with me when we go away so I can mark all of the measurements on it (I'll have a few hours on the plane). The sides just need about 1/2 an hour of work and they'll be ready for the glue.

~~~~~

Note: I have the font size on my computer set so it is always the same. When CG was here she commented on how the letters on my blog are huge ... I didn't realize I was doing that because of how it shows here. This should look more reasonable.

They're All Done

2010-06-01T20:32:00.004-04:00

*** PRESENTING ***

The window toppers

They are all finished and hung.

The corners have a flirty little flip up in the corners.

Here's a close-up.

This pic turned out better than the one I took after I'd stained the rod. The Mister made the rods and brackets.

Next is matching cushions in the bay window and placemats.

~~~

And The Wall Came Tumbling Down

2010-05-24T07:51:00.011-04:00

Since the first time we looked at this house, we have wanted to open up a wall in the kitchen. That way it opens the sitting room to the whole kitchen. It wasn't top priority on the "to do" list, but it finally made it to the top.

The plan of attack being discussed.

Take off the first piece of pine and make sure there are no ugly surprises, then start to cut out the rest of the pine from the sitting room wall.

The circular saw is heavy when you're holding it over your head. Taking turns makes it easier.

Just about finished.

Pulling the nails that held the pine on.

Now to start cutting the kitchen side.

It's hard cutting the drywall above your head and between studs on the wrong side of the drywall - or I guess it's the right side of the drywall.

The first peek through.

Trimming the edges.

Getting it ready to put trim on.

There we go ... time for beer. Now we have to go shopping for trim and a railing.

Then there will be flooring and furniture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This wasn't part of the wall. Ken brought me some roses the other day and the picture turned out so pretty.

The Valance Project

2010-05-12T11:15:00.008-04:00

The valances in our kitchen are tired. Very tired. They are navy blue, that has faded, and they are "old fashioned", I'm told.

My friend Carolyn, who makes all kinds of "window treatments" and gets paid big bucks for it, told me that she was going to teach me how to make valances for my windows. (How hard can it be?) I got the fabric and yesterday afternoon, we started the project.

First we had to measure and cut all the pieces for all five of the windows. That took us most of the afternoon. This is Carolyn working on one of the pieces.

This is me cutting one of the long pieces. This fabric is so pretty and cheerful!

We cut out the pieces for 48 tabs for the tops of the valances. This is me sewing them together after Carolyn left. She loaned me her sewing machine.

After they were all sewn, I trimmed them.

The next step was to turn them right side out and press them. Here they are all sewn, pressed, folded and ready to sew on to the tops of the curtains.

Stay tuned, next Monday is phase two; sewing the valances together and hanging them.

(And wait until you hear about my next 'how-hard-can-it-be' project. Response from my partner in crime for this one - "I'm stoked Granny")

The Viola Progress

2010-05-08T17:20:00.003-04:00

With the move I kind of got behind on my viola. I've been back to it and getting some work done on it the past few days. This is the front and back with the purfling set in the groove. Tomorrow, I'll take it out, trim it and glue it in place. I'm pleased with how it came out and now I'm pumped about getting it glued and starting work on the insides.

To give some size perspective. This is the back of the viola alongside the violin that I finished making last year. The size difference shows when they're side by side. When I start my cello this summer, there's a huge size difference. Not to mention the double bass that Bethany and I are going to start making later this year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did the purfling today. I can see the barn door now!

The Visitor

2010-05-07T08:16:00.004-04:00

The visitor strolls into the yard, I see it out the window.

It sniffs around and finds a comfy spot by the rhubarb.

Settles in for a little snooze.

Hears Muggins bark, so heads off into the trees behind the antique sattelite dish.

And that my friends is why I am not going to compost!

Stuff

2010-04-24T15:18:00.003-04:00

As the weather gets nicer, the guard cockapoo spends more time watching for something to bark at. This week she found a new chin rest.

This was the state of the woodpile on April 5th. This is for next year's heat (our furnace is wood/electric). The Mister has been working on it almost every afternoon. Uncle Roy taught him to sharpen his chain saw, so that saves a lot of time, trips to town and money.

Here it is today .... he's "gettin' 'er done".

While The Mister was out cutting wood I was looking in the "back yard" and found this secret garden. There are hundreds of trilliums budding and blooming right now.

They are so pretty!

No more lollygagging, I have work to do.

The Kids Are Here - Day 4

2010-04-20T16:28:00.001-04:00

Today is the last day that the kids will be here. We wanted to make it fun, so after everyone was up (Mya slept in) and going, we went out on a field trip.

We went to Minden to the playground behind the town offices. (The only one we knew of.) We wanted the kids to get the full meal deal, so here's Devon and Gavin going down the slide. He asked for this one a second time, but that was plenty.

Mya played in the sand until it was her turn for us to show her how to have fun with us.

She got to go in the swing, she looked all panicky for the first forward swing, then after that she sat with a completely bored look on her face and endured it.

Gavin wanted to go on the big kids swing. Trying to put him on it was hilarious. We both tried, but it was like trying to put jello on a stick. They were the stupid rubber strap swings. I put this picture here because Devon looks so funny in this pic.

After we both tried, she had a little swing with him on her lap. I do mean little. He was not impressed.

After that we there was teeter todder and monkey bars.

Next stop, Kawartha Dairy. We figured we were going to have a gargantuan mess on our hands after this one.

Nope, a few baby wipes and we were on our way.

We got back to the house with time to sit and chat for a few minutes then load up. The kids' patience was beginning to deteriorate at this point. Devon was headed for Cam's place where Johanne is meeting her and taking over with the kids. Devon is getting Cam from the airport this evening.

This is Granny, locking the door as they left to ensure that nobody could get back in. Granny needs a break from the chaos ... a huge break.

That's why CG is coming up tomorrow .... so Granny doesn't get a break.

The Kids Are Here - Day 3

2010-04-20T07:42:00.005-04:00

Mya was not a happy camper this morning .. she laid on the dining room floor an snoozed for a while. I think she misses her Dad.

We went for a drive ... destination Wolf Preserve. Got there and the office was open but the wolf section wasn't. Duh ... should have called.

We got back to Carnarvon and Mya got car sick. Yay! We cleaned her up, then headed home. After lunch, we went for a walk in the forest.

After we returned from our walk, we bathed the kids ... I say "we" carelessly, 'cause Devon did it, and she did a great job. They never have baths, Cameron showers them, so they were not really familiar with her way of doing the job.

Then it was supper, and bed time. Then survival for me and Devon.

The Kids Are Here - Day 2

2010-04-18T11:19:00.006-04:00

We made it through the first night with everyone in one piece. The kids didn't even wake up or at least I didn't hear them if they did. By morning they had switched beds though.

After putting them to bed and untwisting the light bulbs, and drawing the blind, all was quiet. I noticed that Mya (I'm guessing) removed the night light from the socket. Okay ... it's gone now.

Devon is on her way up to stay until Tuesday. We're all waiting for the car to show up any minute.

Gavin has been up and had a LOT of Cheerios and OJ. He said Cheerios, yes, and juice and I understood all three words. Yay for me.

Mya is mopey this morning. I'm not sure if perhaps she's not a bit homesick. After Devon gets here, we'll have lunch and go to the playground. That should brighten her up a bit.

I've put a really lousy calendar-ish on the fridge for them, outlining each day's activities. That way the have an idea of what to expect. My artwork is pretty crappy, but I don't think they'll mind.

The check marks are the ones that are finished now.

The Kids Are Here

2010-04-17T18:39:00.004-04:00

The big weekend is in progress. The kids are here.

After they got here and settled in, we went for a walk in the forest. It seemed to be mildly entertaining despite the drizzle.

After we got back Gavin wanted a video in, so we put it on. Mya watched the video, investigated the house and stole Muggins' toys. Much to Muggins' disappointment, Mya didn't get that she was expected to throw them.

I was worried about them communicating, but both of them have used the pecs book (don't know what that stands for).

Gavin picked out the hamburger picture, attached it to the card, along with the "I want" picture.

I was so pleased that it all worked. Mya picked out her choice for a movie from the book and handed it to me.

We had supper and now they're busy doing their own things.

Gavin watching a video.

Mya singing to her reflection in the door of the oven.

And now, happily it's 7:00 ... bedtime approaches.

Word Travels

2010-04-14T15:18:00.002-04:00

The Mister's brother live in a town where everyone knows everyone.

Apparently, someone in his neighbourhood spotted the "Googlemaps" truck coming their way, so they all made sure they were ready for their "closeup". This is the Mister's brother looking casual. I've edited the address stuff, although, why would I worry about privacy!?

I think it's hilarious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's The Little Things

2010-04-10T08:31:00.006-04:00

Sometimes the little things can be huge. This is some of the drawers and cupboards in my kitchen. The fridge is white and the walls are an almost white shade of icy blue. See the ceramic floor tiles, grey-blue and white. The pulls are all dark ivory, bordering on yellow.

Perhaps some of you don't have a problem with this style of pulls. I hate them, and I hate knobs on the drawers.

Why, you ask. First of all they're kind of frou-frou for my taste.

Adjective

frou-frou (comparative more frou-frou, superlative most frou-frou)

Frilly; heavily ornamental; fancy; overly elaborate, particularly as regards clothing.

But that's not the main reason. This is the part that really makes me crazy. Not being freakishly tall, pockets and other decorative bits of clothing catch on the pulls and tear.

I started looking for new pulls quite some time ago. I was shocked to find that the kind that I liked were in the $4 - $6 range ... each. I needed 41 of the little devils.

This past week, we got the Lee Valley (Yay!) catalogue for April 2010, and they had drawer pulls on sale .... the kind I liked and had been looking at .... 10 for $6. I couldn't believe my eyes.

No more caught pockets. White instead of the yellow-y colour, so they look MUCH better, despite the Mister's mocking.

You be the judge!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What Next?!

2010-04-08T22:13:00.003-04:00

Today I went to Bethany's and while she worked on a fiddle, I worked on my viola. As we worked and chatted, we made plans for upcoming projects.

When my viola is finished, I'm starting my cello. I now have the plans (pattern) for making it, so I can even start making templates.

We also started making plans for another project. This will be one that we'll get paid for. We're going to combine efforts and make a double bass. We're both going to buy the supplies, work on it, and we'll split the profit.

Here's a pic of one ... it'll be bit bigger than the current projects, but we're up for it!

After having been chastised for not posting frequently enough recently, I hope you're impressed.

It's Been a While

2010-04-06T19:57:00.006-04:00

It's been quite a while since I blogged, a month as a matter of fact. We've been busy settling in to the new digs and trying to keep up with all of our usual activities. We're still not finished unpacking, but I've finally been able to do a little work on my viola this week anyway.

A couple of weeks ago we had a talent show at our local "club". This is The Mister & me, performing some tunes.

I decided to get some people together to add to the fun. We Played "This Land Is Your Land" with combs and wax paper. Our band was called "Comb Motion". Although we didn't win the "Idol" title, the one who did asked us to accompany him while he played his final tune. (Notice Gryper, second from the right.)

Gavin, Grandson III, turned 8 years old and we went out for supper. Gavin went and sat at the bar for a few minutes. Here is the birthday boy with his dad.

Later, Larry, went over to have a little "guy talk" with him. I don't know what they were chuckling about here.

Last week, we had a birthday lunch for a Red Hat friend. She's got a cottage on the lake for the summers and an apartment in town for the winters. She has a car and still drives. She does a lot of volunteer work and raises a bunch of money for the hospital auxiliary. It was her 95th birthday.

April 15th is the annual music festival and I'm performing again. I'm doing one fiddle set, with The Mister accompanying. I'm playing two pieces with the string ensemble (violin) and two pieces with the concert band (flute). Just working on those is keeping me out of trouble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

2010-03-05T08:08:00.002-05:00

When we moved into the new digs, there was a weird, sort of plant stand thing in the front hall. It has since been converted to a work table for my viola making project.

When we went to move it, we found that the previous owners had painted around it instead of moving it.

It wasn't easy finding a match for the paint and it was used through the foyer and the hallway, so I went for a dark colour and made it a "feature wall" (I'm told it's called that). So here's the front entrance now. (The sun was shining in, the paint isn't really blotchy.

Now I have to figure out what to hang on the wall.

2010-02-25T08:05:00.002-05:00

Hopefully this will work ... Cheryl had trouble downloading her Tobogga-cam clip.

This is a video of "Cheryl's Olympic Moment".

New Digs - Just a Few

2010-02-19T07:53:00.002-05:00

Here are a few pictures, as things get more organized I'll post more.

As you turn into our driveway, this is the house, it looks very white with all the snow.

Muggins and I walked out behind the house and this is a picture looking at it from the back. The kitchen is just in off of the side of the deck, the deck is on the south side of the house.

As you walk in the front door, straight ahead is the dining room.

Look to the left and there are the room where we have all of our music stands and music related stuff. There will be a couple of chairs in there as things progress with getting set up. The railing is for the stairs down to the rec room.

This is in the dining room - Susan may recognize some things in here.

Not Just a Rumour!

2010-02-18T14:03:00.003-05:00

He really does have a big mouth!

Coldjack CD Release Party

2010-01-26T06:48:00.002-05:00

Our friend Michael is in a band called Coldjack. They have been working really hard and on Saturday, they released their CD. We were lucky enough to be invited to the release party. And what a party it was.

When we arrived the stage was all set up.

Everyone who attended was given a CD. This is Michael, talking to friends Richard & Liz about it before the band went on stage.

Michael's son, Andrew & daughter, Brittany.

Michael and Brittany.

This is Michael playing an amazing solo.

The whole band was terrific.

I think the drummer stole the show though!

Early Mornings

2010-01-23T07:39:00.004-05:00

This morning I was reading Susan's blog about running in the early morning. The time just before dawn when the sky is beginning to lighten, I am always reminded of the term "Dawn's left hand in the sky". I learned that in high school english class and always remembered that it was from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Thanks to Google, I was able to find the excerpt.

The amazing thing is, it's exactly how I feel about early mornings.

The Rubaiyat
By Omar Khayyam

Written 1120 A.C.E.

dreaming when dawn's left hand in the sky
I heard a voice in tavern cry
awake my little ones and fill the cup
before life elixir in cup be dry

Red Hat Lunch

2010-01-21T12:42:00.002-05:00

Guess who got to go out for lunch yesterday!?

Thoughtful Froggie

2010-01-19T08:34:00.001-05:00

I got these for a friend's 65th birthday. Look what our imaginative little Froggie did.

It's Dorky, I Know

2010-01-17T10:27:00.003-05:00

I am completely aware that it's dorky, but I asked for a lava lamp for Christmas somewhere around, oh, I don't know, fifteen years ago. I would turn it on every evening and enjoy the random blobs. Then one night, I forgot to turn it off. The instructions said to keep it turned on for less than eight hours.

I never worked right, but I didn't have the heart to pitch it. I would try it the odd time and the blob would sit sadly in the bottom.

Today, I gave it it's final shot before it got sent to be displayed for the dump-shoppers.

IT"S WORKING!! HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?

Seems as if everyone is happy about it.

Pictures That Mess With Your Mind

2010-01-16T12:48:00.004-05:00

I got these in and e-mail and can't take credit, but thought I would share them.

This is a picture of a public toilet in Houston

Now that you've seen the outside view,

take a look at the inside view...

It's made entirely of one-way glass!

No one can see you from the outside, but when

you are inside it's like sitting in a clear

glass box!

A PAINTED BATHROOM FLOOR!!!

Tenth floor of a hi-rise building......

IMAGINE YOU ARE AT A PARTY ...

AND THEN YOU HAVE TO VISIT THE BATHROOM....

You open the door...

NOW, REMEMBER THE FLOOR IS JUST A PAINTED FLOOR !

FINALLY!!

THIS IS A CEILING MURAL IN A SMOKER'S LOUNGE.

Froggie Finally Understands Moving.

2010-01-13T16:58:00.004-05:00

Poor Froggie ... when he tried to sneak a wee dram of Glen Fiddich .... horrors!

It was gone!

Not to worry, the scotch glasses are gone too.

"Och, ut's jus' no' rrrrieeght!", he croaked. "

Hmmm ... was it Froggie or was it the Mister?

Or maybe both!

Inspired By Another Blog

2010-01-07T14:38:00.003-05:00

The question was posed about quick meals. I love this one. This is an easy and fast recipe.

Fusilli with Sausage and Peppers

1/2 lb Italian sausage (I like chorizo)

1/2lb fresh fusilli pasta (I use brown rice pasta)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 of a red pepper, cut into strips

1/4 of a yellow pepper, cut into strips

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes cut into small pieces

1/2 cup tomato sauce (I usually use more)

1/2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp chopped parsley

Cook sausage in water for about 5 mins. when cool cut into thin slices. Cook fusilli, drain.

In frying pan add olive oil and saute sausage for about one min, until slightly browned. Add peppers, sundried tomatoes and saute another minute, add tomato sauce and basil and bring to a boil, add cooked pasta and cook another minute, stirring constantly to combine.

Garnish with parsley and ENJOY! with a bottle of red wine and crusty bread.

Oh, so yummy.

Put On Your Thinking Caps

2009-12-22T17:13:00.004-05:00

We're looking for a slogan to go with this picture, Andy is blowing it up and putting it on the wall of his office.

A panel of expert judges will pick the winning slogan and the winner will receive a jug of genuine gm washer fluid and a travel mug (for coffee)!

Do your best.

Making The Deal

2009-12-14T20:27:00.004-05:00

So here are the pictures of the car deal. We signed the final papers, shook Andy's hand and drove way in our new ride. Froggie said it was the smoothest deal he's ever made.

Nice!

Our Friend

2009-12-13T09:00:00.005-05:00

The six of us get together about three times a year. We laugh, sing and play music, eat lots of food, drink a bunch of scotch and stay up really late. Our friend Pam died yesterday. I'm so glad that last time we were together, we took this shot of the six of us. It's the only one we have.

See you on the other side Pam. We're really going to miss you.

Finished

2009-12-08T16:50:00.003-05:00

~~~~ PRESENTING ~~~~

My violin is completely finished. The one I made is the one on the left.

Swish Thump Thump

2009-12-07T05:30:00.002-05:00

Last night I was driving to an event about 1/2 an hour from our house. It was snowing heavily, and the road was slippery. I was behind a medium sized truck (somewhere between a dump truck and a large pick-up), it was hard to tell because it was dark.

We were both taking it pretty easy because of the road conditions. He started to gaining speed and leaving me behind. As I went into a bend in the road the back of the jeep began to fish-tail. I tried unsuccessfully to recover. I went off the road and into a 5 foot ditch, and rolled onto the side, then onto the roof.

As I started into the ditch, I thought to myself, there's nothing you can do now, so best to relax and don't tense your muscles. It happened so slowly.

As I hung upside down from the seatbelt, I thought, first find the emergency flashers and turn them on. When I did that, I also turned off the engine. Then, remembering conversations from past incidents, I cautiously attempted to undo my seatbelt, but it was locked up, so that took some time. I was able to slowly let myself down and not fall on my noggin.

It's incredibly disorienting being in an upside down vehicle, especially in the dark. There was a log outside the one door, so I didn't even try to open it. I tried to kick out the other window, those windows are tough. So I thought, well just maybe the other door will open, and it did, just enough to get my head out and wiggle the rest of me out.

So I gathered up the stuff I needed for the event I was attending, climbed out and flagged down a passing motorist. No point hanging around as cell phones don't work and I wasn't hurt, so I went to where the event was taking place and called the police from there.

The officer didn't need me to attend the scene, if I could fax a statement, so I arranged towing from there.

This morning, I have a couple of twinges, but no big hurts at all, so guess my instructions to myself about relaxing paid off (and it was all so slow). I went over it and over it in my head afterwards, and it's odd though how difficult it is to picture yourself in your vehicle when it's upside down and you've righted yourself, despite having actually been there.

CRAP!

My Fiddle - Update

2009-12-01T14:08:00.005-05:00

After all the hassle with the varnish and having received a new batch, I've finished varnishing my violin.

It's a little shiny and not as dark as I had envisioned it, but it's done. I'm letting it harden up for another couple of days before I put the bridge and all the other stuff back on. Once it's all together again, I'll post a pic.

Now I can start losing sleep over my viola. Honestly, it hasn't been nearly as stressful. I guess it's knowing what to expect.

After I posted the above pix, I thought of doing this. This is my violin that I've been playing while I've been making my new one. Surprising how similar the colour turned out.

My Fiddle

2009-12-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

Uber Helper

2009-11-15T07:38:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we got busy ... a change to the oil tank vent pipe was an easy task for Gryper and the Uber Helper.

Uber helper then went inside to help Mrs G.

Then he got all independent on us and took over.

What a guy!

Disappointed

2009-11-12T06:40:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I took the fingerboard and all the extra bits off of my violin so I could varnish it. I was really anxious about it, since this is what the world sees, any mistakes at this point will show.

I steeped a really strong pot of tea, (five bags in a cup of water), then used that to put a base of colour on the wood. It was paler than I expected, but that's okay. Then I put on two coats of clear varnish. So far, so good.

Next step is the red-brown varnish. I put it on and it seemed a bit streaky on the neck and sides, but, I thought that after a few coats, it wouldn't show. Then I did the back, streaky with a few small lumps of red, I thought it was a bit weird, but I can sand the surface with fine paper. I thinned it down with some turpentine, calmed myself and started on the front. To my horror, the varnish was very streaky, lots of bits of colour on the surface and other areas, no colour at all. I frantically tried to wipe it off with turpentine and a rag. It came off in blotches.

My next step was to calm myself and think about it. Unfortunately, we were going to be with friends for supper and I had to work at being any fun at all.

The next day, I got out my sand paper, sanded the surfaces of the front and back, and lightly sanded the sides, then used the 2400 grit to smooth it so I could give it another try. I added more turpentine and tried it on a some maple, looked okay, then on a piece of white paper. It had the little streaky blobs in it, as if the varnish was coloured with pigments and they needed to settle.

I let it settle for a day. There was a lot of sediment on the bottom the next day, so I thought, okay, here we go again. Not bad on the neck and scroll, okay on the back, on the front, same nasty mess. Again with turpentine, I tried to take it off and it was a streaky mess.

I got off as much as I could, let it dry, then took a scraper to it and started scraping it down to the bare wood. At that point I decided to call the company (International Violin Supply) that the varnish came from. (This varnish applies very well and virtually anyone can do a good job when using it, blah, blah, blah.)

I explain the problem I've been having and Dude says, "Yeah, that happens once in a while. We don't know why, I'll send you a fresh bottle and hopefully it won't happen again."

That is so unsatisfying. An apology would have been nice, his acting surprised would have even been a bit of comfort.

So, I'm scraping all the varnish off, back to the wood. Roll 'em, take two. I haven't decided if I'll take it off completely, or just the bad parts and use their "fresh bottle" or just the worst parts. I am concerned that if I don't take it all off and start fresh, that I won't be happy with the end result. Maybe I'll look at some other options for varnish.

Thanks for listening.

~~~

Packing & Relaxing

2009-11-10T19:26:00.003-05:00

We had a very busy day ... as you can see Froggie was busy packing Mrs Potts.

Then Froggie Friend says "see ya later" and Froggie tucks him into a cushion of paper and pops him in the box.

After such a busy day, one must take some time to relax. Froggie chose to wind down in the soft glow of the soy candle that CG gave us.

He's such a hard worker!

Oh, Now That's Just Wrong

2009-11-05T07:33:00.002-05:00

C'mon ... it's still early November!

And it's still coming down!

Sigh!

Self Discovery

2009-11-01T12:10:00.005-05:00

Ever since Grandson the First was around three years old, I've told a story about him that I thought was so cute and funny. I'm sure he tired of it a long time ago, but he tolerates it and still laughs along, even after 14 years.

I was babysitting him and he wanted to watch the movie Pinocchio .... again. When I said okay, he asked "Will the bad guy steal his apple again?". I told him that that would happen every time, to which he sadly replied, "But I don't want him to do it again." We talked about it, watched the movie, and it did, much to his disappointment, happen again.

I guess I have to rethink my telling this story.

This morning I was going through my sheet music. I came across a book of vocal selections from the movie Camelot. It's my favourite movie in the whole world. I love the story, the love love triangle, all the irony, the music, the lyrics, the vocals, just everything about it.

This is what I found inside the front and back covers.

As I looked through the pictures, first, I felt that little leap in my stomach and got tears in my eyes. I thought to myself, I should watch it again soon.

Then I saw the fourth from the last picture, where Sir Lancelot is holding Mordred. I really hate Mordred. I had this brief flash go through my mind, "I wish Mordred (the bad guy), wouldn't set up Lancelot and Guinevere (steal the apple). A milli-second later, I thought of that time with Grandson the First. I'll never be able to tell it again without realizing that I'm not so different from that little three year old.

~~~

A few weeks ago, when we were at CG's place the guys were setting off rockets. As Prince Charming ran through the field chasing on, someone called loudly, "Run Nick". I immediately thought of when when King Arthur called out "Run Boy", after he knighted a young boy, Sir Tom of Warwick, who wanted to join the Knights of the Round Table. King Arthur charged him to run behind the enemy lines and tell the world that there really once was a beautiful place called Camelot. As I told Lisa about it, I got all stupid and teary.

Now I'm here on a Sunday afternoon wanting to watch the move and I have company coming. I'll have ten people at the supper table, so, I'll have to wait - maybe next weekend- sigh. While I'm preparing for my company, I'll be singing vocal selections from Camelot though, I can picture so many of the scenes, it'll be almost like watching it.

~~~~

And The Dog Becomes the Parent

2009-10-29T06:42:00.003-04:00

Our habit is to watch the 11:00 news, and after the weather report, turn off the TV and head upstairs.

Last night, after all the hoodaw with the house selling, we both dozed off during the news. About 10 minutes after the weather report finishes, the dog suddenly barked. I awoke and looked at her, she was sitting in the middle of the living room, just looking back and forth at both of us. It was very clear we were being told it was bed-time.

I giggled at her for the next ten minutes. She's so bossy!

Stuff

2009-10-25T20:20:00.003-04:00

Eeeeuuuuwww ... first thing in the morning, I came downstairs earlier than usual and stumbled on this scenerio .... naughty frogs!

Finally after having procrastinated for a while, I finally got to it. Last week, I used a really strong tea/coffee blend and stained my violin. It went from white to a pale tan colour. Today, I applied the first coat of clear varnish. Here are the results (not great lighting for showing off, but you get the idea). I am so pleased at the lovely tawny result. I'll do another coat or two of clear and then several coats of brown varnish. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished result.

I've been playing my other violin and am finding that I really miss this one. I'll be getting it put back together as soon as possible.

Has Granny Quit Blogging?

2009-10-21T15:59:00.002-04:00

No, I haven't quit, but it has been over a month. We've just been really busy and it hasn't been at the top of my list. Busy with what you ask. In no particular order (because I haven't the time to sort them). Here's what we've been up to.

This past weekend we went to the Moto Cross place and watched Grandson II on his bike.

Grandpa has been working on his guitar, even though I haven't been busy with it, I thought I'd toss it in.

We spent a weekend at the cottage of friends.

We went camping with other friends and cycled a lot.

We helped Gryper take a tree down.

We went to the Ugly Hat Party and CG's place.

I've worked on my viola.

While spending the weekend in newmarket, we went to the mandarin restaurant.

I got a tattoo with my son and daughter (they're autism awareness tattoos).

And that's the tip of the iceberg. When I have time to sort the pictures from my camera, there's lots more that 's been keeping me out of trouble. Stay tuned.

My Viola Progress

2009-09-10T16:40:00.004-04:00

Several of us pooled our shekels and bought a bending iron for bending the wood for violins, guitars, cello and so on. Bethany and I have both started making violas, and since she's away and I have the bending iron in my hot little hands (Well one finger is hot. Ouch!), I got busy bending the sides and the linings of my viola.

Inside of the maple sides of the viola are thin strips of wood (lining) that makes the edges of the sides sturdier and provides a surface for gluing the back and the front on. You can see in this picture that I've installed the linings on one side (the one showing). After I remove the sides from the mould, I'll put the linings on the reverse side as well, they're all prepared, they just need to be glued into place.

I've got a decent start on the scroll and neck too. Now I can go back to carving the front and back.

When I made my violin, I was at this stage after two years, it's amazing that I only started it in June. It really makes a difference knowing what to do and how to do it.

The Home Wreckers

2009-09-04T20:57:00.003-04:00

Today I went to Bethany's place so we could work on our violas together. After I got there we talked about where we each were with our projects. She adjusted the sound post in my violin, fixing up a bit of a dead sound when I played the A string.

We talked about varnishing my violin and my next steps. Then we both started working on our violas. I began carving the scroll on mine and she busily started working on the back of hers.

Bethany needed the drill press so she put it up on the work bench, and started to use it. It didn't seem to be working properly. She stopped and looked it over.

With a surprised tone, she exclaimed, "There's a mouse in my drill press!" I looked over to see Mama Mouse peeking out at us from the underside of the pulley housing on top of the drill press. We both stood staring at it for a few moments, then I said, "Shall we take it outside?"

"Definitely" she replied", as she picked it up and headed for the door that I ran and held open.

She set the drill press down on the ground and opened the pulley housing. There was poor Mama Mouse frantically running around with a baby in her mouth. We stood there staring for a few moments at the nest made from fibres from Ernie's jacket, with several more babies in it. Then we both looked around as if there would be some sort of solution standing nearby. It reminded me of a couple of guys staring under the hood of a car that just quit, not having a clue what to do next.

We agreed that we wanted Mama Mouse to be able take care of her babies, so we would relocate them. We got a bucket and moved babies and nest into the bucket, but Mama Mouse wasn't so co-operative. She evaded us for a few minutes, but finally we outsmarted her and ultimately she left Casa Drill Press. She grabbed one of her babies and bolted up the wall and out of sight between the wall and the deck. We left her to sort her life out and when we checked back later, she had moved all of them to an undisclosed location.

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall and watched the two of us.

The Viola Adventure

2009-08-27T17:09:00.004-04:00

I've been busy gouging, planing, scraping and generally making a woody mess. Here's an update.

I'm hoping to have the sides (strips in front) the right thickness (1.1 mm) to bend them and glue them onto the mould by this weekend. The front (the light piece in the centre) is not far from being finished on the outside. I've cut out the neck and scroll and am ready to start carving it. Lots to do, and with the Mister working busily on his guitar, it's keeping me motivated ... no, keeping me obsessed.

All in all I'm pleased, and particlurly with how much easier everything seems after having made the violin.