Curtains and memories

In my living and dining room I have some very practical pink and blue curtains that I have a special connection to. The other curtains in my house are just curtains.

Present:
It has been hot this summer and I often keep the curtains closed.

Past:
My mom made these curtains the first summer I lived in the house. I can still see her with all the material stretched out on the floor being measured and then cut.

Present:
Yesterday it rained for a short period when I was napping somewhere else. The window was open and the curtains got wet. They dried very quickly being of a substantial cotton material.

Past:
On September 11 2001 I was at home and hemming the lining of these curtains and watching CBC Newsworld - as it was known then.

Present:
The curtains are somewhat faded now but I am not thinking about replacing them any time soon - there are just too many memories associated with them.

Looking back: light and heat

As I turned on a light this morning with a flick of a switch I thought about how easy this is to do. As listened to my furnace making noises downstairs I thought about how I keep warm. Electricity for lights and everything else and then natural gas foe heating have always been part of my house life in Ottawa.

In my past it was always electric lights and the house on Princess Street was heated by electricity too. There was no furnace in the basement.

For a long time there was a free source of electricity - a perk from my dad’s work at Ayers and because we were living in a former company house. This changed some time after my dad died and my mom had to sign up with Hydro Quebec. Then my mom was more careful with the lights that she had on and also the heat in unused bedrooms during the winter.

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In 1916 in Trois-Rivieres when my mom was born there was probably electric lights and heating by coal.

In 1885 in Middlesborough England when my mom’s mom was born there was probably candles - maybe gas lights somewhere - and heating by coal.

These are educated guesses only.

I have been watching Lark Rise to Candleford - a lovely series of two small villages in the late 1900s. I can understand why a good friend liked them - a nice feel to the story.

Cooling off: low tech version

There is no air conditioning at my house or was there in Lachute at 320 Princess Street.

Now I have two fans - a small one beside my computer and a larger one in my living room. When these do not cool me off I retreat to my basement - which is very comfortable especially for sleeping.

In Lachute we had window fans - like in the picture. They were quite noisy. My mom would turn hers on later in the afternoon to cool the bedroom for the night.

When it was very hot we would retreat to the basement and there is was very cool.

Corning ware

Do you have any pieces in your kitchen?

How about Corelle Living Ware? These are supposed to be unbreakable but my set is missing a few pieces.

I have some unique items
- a casserole stand
- a handle to turn a casserole into a pot
- also some very cute juice glasses

Some years ago my mom and I went to the glass works museum in Corning New York. There were various types of glass on display and it was very interesting.

Pieces of wood

I was watching an old movie and someone was propping up the open windows with small pieces of wood. There were a number of these in the house in Lachute especially upstairs. It kept the window from falling down once opened.

I have a number of small wooden pieces of furniture. I was having them painted. They are quite useful items in my house. They are much solid wood than you would find today at Ikea. The bookcase in particular is very heavy. I think it arrived in my bedroom in Lachute when I started to collect books - so probably in my pre-teen years.

I no longer have pieces of firewood or kindling in my garage. I was able to give it all away very quickly. I probably did that just in time as there is a nasty tree disease in Ottawa - emerald ash borer. Movement of firewood in the area is becoming more difficult.

Household utilities

How did there come to be so many?

The water, the hydro, the cable, the gas, the phone.

In Lachute the only one we did not have was gas - the house had electric heat.

I have had my share of repairs being needing to be done to most of them at one time or another since I have owned the house.

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When I got home after a night away there was a note hanging on my door handle from the gas company. I went to inquire with my neighbour as to what had happened.

There had been a very strong smell of rotten eggs - there was definitely something not right with the gas. The dogs did not want to go outside at all.

The fellow from the gas company spent about 1 ½ hours attending to the problem. He had to shut off my gas but the note at my door was a little vague as to what was what.

I had warm water in the evening but by the next morning I had to take a cold shower. When the repair person came it was a very quick operation to turn on the gas again.

I said - now I can have a hot shower or bath, turn on my furnace (which I have needed to do in the last few days) or enjoy my new gas fireplace. That is another story because I am not quite ready to use it yet.

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As my repairs were done so quickly without too much distress on my part I thought about other countries and times where the utilities do not work all the time. We are certainly well taken care of here in Canada and in Ottawa.

Technology old and new

How do you use it - whatever it happens to be?

What about the instruction manual?

That is a good question. I have figured out that when becoming acquainted with a new device there are three possibilities - I need to know now or I do not need to know at all or I can check out the information later on.

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I have recently changed my fireplace to a gas one. The installer showed me how the remote works and how to get started on using it.

I think I got some of the basic information. I am making my own notes as well.

I think that with the cooler weather I will be enjoying some time soon.

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I was having a little chat with a friend of my generation. Something was being done at her house and the installer said - let me explain this to you. She said - I will have to write it down. Her university aged son came in and he got all the details very quickly.

The different generation and ease with technology and instructions shows up.

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I was having some difficulty using my online calculators. Then I remembered that I had a manual one in my drawer. It did what I wanted very easily. I wondered then when I had last used it. I checked the batteries and they were still working even though the best before date was 2003!

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I think that I manage quite well with new technology and instructions too. There is just so much information out there. The technology I use all the time is certainly not a problem.

So how do I post this entry to my blog?

　

House noises

So the floors at the Vancouver house creak a bit more than mine do - it must be that Western wood used.

The neighbourhood itself is quiet. I did hear the cat early this morning - wanting some attention. I have seen her a few times coming down the back steps. I hear the train whistle which reminds me of Lachute where you heard it often.

My sister said - listen to the doorbell ring. It has interesting chimes.

Some noises become familiar with the neighbourhood or specific house and we never notice them.

House stuff

As long as one owns a house there is always house stuff and sometimes too much of it.

This cupboard needs organizing. I cannot find whatever. I need to make room for something new. Wherever will we put that.

It does not matter how many shelves and containers and boxes one has -the tale continues.

Under construction

So many places in our lives are under construction. It is a continuing process.

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Places are under construction too.

Now it is the convent garden. I think back to May of 2004 when I was on retreat at the old convent and Sister Elizabeth brought us over to have a look at the new buildings going up.

The next Easter I was here and things were not finished. The room name plates were temporary ones. The library was not open - which of course I missed.

It was good to be here for my first ever Easter with the community.
It is good to be here again.

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After the construction and mess is all tidied up, there is a time for celebration. This happened at Greenbelt with the new barn, at my house when I finished the basement, at St. John's with major renovations and for the new condo unit next door to the church.

Renovations done

My house has been all cleaned up. I have hung up my pictures. The garage has been cleaned up as well. There was lots of sawdust there.

I took Michael the car to the car wash. I parked him inside again.

I have been admiring the new view in my hallways. I have been opening and closing my new doors. They have a nice look and feel.

More renovations at my house

So now it is cupboard doors and railings that are being replaced.

I keep on trying to shut doors that are not there.

I keep on trying to hang up things on door handles that are not there.

By the end of next week my house should look somewhat different. The workers will have gone and then I will have to clean up.

It is quiet on the weekend now and the space is mine.

Sad or lonely house??

My house is sometimes sad - especially when watching the news lately. I have also been to two major funerals and talked with a friend about another. People are missed.

My house is not lonely though - I am always doing something. When I am at home relaxing it is quiet but that is different.

In the latest episode of Little House on the Prairie the little house was empty as everyone was away. Laura went by to see it and she was asked how it looked. She said lonely.

My neighbour’s house looks to be lonely when she is not at home - no lights on at night and no dogs out and about in the back yard.

A long time ago now my mom fell and broke her leg. She stepped out for the afternoon and was not home again for 10 weeks. That was the first time I stayed alone in the house. I was not lonely though. The garden did miss her.

Then in 2001 and 2004 when my mom was in the hospital and convalescent home, the house was lonely then. The folks that bought it said to me - the house seems to be sad and lonely. It was missing my mom’s attention and attendance. The house was never the same for me and my sister.
　

In my house: bedroom items

I was looking around my bedroom the other day and realizing that I had lots of items from Lachute. I wrote a similar posting on what was in my basement.

In my house: basement items

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There are two synthetic blankets on my bed at this time of year. Both were made by Ayers which usually made wool blankets. I have liked them for a long time - they are nice and soft.

I have a small white place mat on my bedside table. They were a crochet design that my mom used often on the dining room table.

The stuffed animals live on a bench with a needlepoint cover in pink and blue. Ruthie Rabbit sleeps on a needlepoint covered chair. I have a Kleenex box also in pink and blue needlepoint.

I have a straw garbage can from the guest room which originally came from Henry Morgan in Montreal - now The Bay.

There are 3 flower pictures. One hung in the upstairs hallway. It was simple and brightly coloured but much admired.

There is a painting of Durham Cathedral.

Opening the cupboard I can see the family Bible (my mom’s family) and an sweater from Marks and Spencer that has seen many years of wear. On the shelf there are the two boxes of the letters that my dad sent my mom when he was overseas during the war.

I have a full drawer of sweaters and vests that my mom made.

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I like these familiar things - they remind me of Lachute and family connections.
　

Early morning at my house

I can hear the traffic from the two highways which are close to me.

I can hear my clock ticking.

I cannot hear any traffic on my street.

I cannot hear the kids who are often outside.

I cannot hear the two puppies next door - Dillinger and Boscoe. I did hear them yesterday and we had stopped to have several conversations.

I cannot hear any rain on my roof which I have often done this month. The rainfall totals for July have set a record here in Ottawa.

I cannot see as I did one morning - a big fat raccoon. He was too big to climb underneath my fence so I saw him heading over the top.

I have not smelled any skunks lately.

Small houses

There was a recent article in the local newspaper about post-war housing in Ottawa. I went to look at one of them when I was house hunting 20 years ago. It was cute but very small and the basement needed to be finished.

This house is where we lived when I was first born. It was quite small and only had 2 bedrooms. It was on Cottingham Boulevard in Mountainview in Lachute. There was not much of a mountain to see - only a small hill.

On the back side of this picture there are notes about plants and bushes that might do well around the house. My mom and dad both liked to garden.
　

Getting ready

Am I getting ready for spring and summer? I think so. I have put away some of my winter clothes including some riding clothes - it is just getting too warm.

My furnace has been off and on - sometimes it is a bit cool in the house in the morning.

My grass has started to turn green. Lawn care companies have appeared at my door wanting to aerate it. Much will be replaced in May so I say - no thanks. I have to get my hoses in order to do lots of watering with some new sod.

My new eaves trough is keeping busy during various rain events. I hope they are doing their job of getting the water away from my house.

I am continuing to get flowers organized for the church. I have brought home a lot of dead ones that have been sent on their way to the city’s composting. They were just too much for my own composter.

I am getting organized for my trip to the convent in Toronto. I am trying to fit in various activities before I go - several visits to Abracadabra, dinner with a friend, coffee with another friend, chats with my neighbour and her new puppy, etc.

House cleaning is on my list as well. I want to do a major clean before the hot weather hits. It is certainly satisfying to get it done if not during the process.　

Changes in my life

I was thinking recently about changes that have been happening in my life. In the past 5 years - there have been lots of those.

The chief librarian that I liked so much was ready to move on to other job opportunities. She did this. Then I had 2 different supervisors before I actually retired.

In the summer of 2004 I took a leave of absence for almost 3 months to get my mom moved and settled in Ottawa.

In the fall of 2005 I started working 3 days a week in preparation for retirement. That was a good move for me and allowed me to get interested in the rest of my life.

It was a big move to pack up my mom’s house. My sister was most helpful in finding a retirement home in Ottawa for my mom and various other specific tasks. She came to visit often.

I was able to attend to my house as well. I finished the basement in the fall of 2005. My mom never saw it. By that time she was not getting out and about. Last year at this time I did major renovations - including lots of painting and a new kitchen.

I enjoyed my time with Bishop even though some times he was not so well. I never thought that I would have to say goodbye to him. But now I have Abracadabra who is a real sweetie and a very welcome addition to my horsy life.

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So these were major upheavals in my life. I dealt with them. Now I think about more recent adjustments in my life.

As I took a bath in my bathtub which was installed last year I realized that it felt o.k. That took a while as it is a quite modern one that is different from my old plain one.

I am used to my new kitchen and where things are and how things work.

I am getting used to my new glasses. The sliding down the nose routine is not so bad at all.

I am getting used to Abracadabra and how she is.

Abracadabra and the laundry

What a story and a true one my mom says.

It started like this…

It was Saturday morning and my mom as she usually does that day, did her laundry. She did hang most of it up to dry (which you would know if you read one of her earlier postings.)

Then she made a trip to the stables to ride me. Now this time of year the sun is sometimes coming in and shining on the arena walls. The arena faces east. My mom told me that it was nothing to worry about and I agreed with her.

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Later in the afternoon my mom went downstairs in her basement to check on the laundry. The basement window faces west. The sun was coming in. The bunny that lives in the basement window was looking nice and bright.

When she got to the laundry room she discovered that the nightie was not hanging up to dry as it should have been. It had fallen into the laundry basket with a lot of horsy clothes. It smelled like me.

After a brief time in the dryer, the nightie had recovered. So then I wondered if my mom would dream about me when she went to bed.

Tick tock, my clock

I have a nice glass clock was my mom’s so it came to Ottawa to be in my house in 2004. There were lots of problems getting it to work properly. It took it in twice to a clock repair shop but it was still not telling time properly. So Kathi - my smart sister - bought me a little level which we applied to the clock. Now it is quite fine and tells the time correctly. I just have to be careful not to move it too much when I am dusting.

In my basement I have another Lachute clock - a Walmart special. It tells time just fine.

Beside my bed I have a little clock that lights up at night. I have 2 alarm clocks but I never need them to help me to wake up. I cannot remember the last time I needed to use an alarm.

At the barn there is a new clock in the arena. I must admit it is a little difficult to read the time; the figures are a little small…this must be my age showing. Abracadabra always thinks that it must be time to finish her exercising and go in and eat and then out to play with her new friends in the field.