Sylvia's Simple Shots

We had the most wonderful sunset on Sunday night.

I face east so I headed up to the 4th floor window with my aunt to capture the changing colors.

Sunsets move very fast so it was just a few minutes before the intensity was gone and it was quite dark.

I am so glad I saw and captured it in a photograph

The technician was in this week to investigate and restore my home phone service.

He arrived earlier than expected which was wonderful.

He investigated the outside area and did not find the problem.  He then acccess the electrical room in the building and that was where the problem was.

Once located it was a quick fix.

I am so glad to have it back.

My sister passed me this book thinking I would enjoy it.

Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards.  I read most of the book not understanding it was a true story.  It sure read that way.

Susan offers to help a horse which has been badly treated.  She named the horse Lay Me Down.  It needs good food, plenty of rest, and eventually companions of it's own kind. Despite her mistreatment it has a great disposition.  Kind Patience Tolerant to a good degree.

The horse and the woman have similar backgrounds and Susan learns from the horse forgiveness.

Lay me down develops health issues and then the woman then gives the horse time and love

The flatware is finally in the drawer.

The green flatware organizer may need to be replaced as I have 2 sizes of forks and it would be nice for them to be separated.  The drawer is not big so may not accommodate a larger organizer.

I am very grateful to family and friends for the help to purchase these cool tools.

These Pampered Chef spatulas have sat in a drawer for years because I thought I did not deserve to have new ones because I had a habit of leaving the old ones get crusty from making bran muffins.

I have learned to clean up while the muffins are in the oven so I finally unwrapped them and put them in the kitchen tool organizer. 

The large metal sunflower that my niece gave me several years ago is back on the wall.

It has been packed and in storage for 3 years.  I knew exactly where it would hang in this new place so this week I hung it.

It hangs between the 2 hallways facing the kitchen.

I am so glad to see every day.

I purchased a computer chair this week. I have been using a wooden dining room chair which has not been comfortable.

It came in a box so some assembly was required.

The Allen Wrench provided was not really good enough so I dug out the socket set then things progress at a better pace.  Still took over an hour.  

The arms support the back so they cannot be eliminated. I am happy to report it works well with the desk.

The casters are rolly and work well.

I have a very heavy IKEA lamp base which I dropped on my new vinyl floor a few weeks ago.

Because the install was loose lay and only adhered around the perimeter I was able to lift the vinyl plank and replace it with another.

How cool is that?

I used the toilet plunger to lift the board then just dropped a new board in it's place.

Super happy!

I have installed privacy vinyl in one of the bedroom windows just like I did in the office/craft room.

That allows me to have actual sunlight enter the room with out folks being able to see in at the lower levels.

This piece is a different pattern than the office but it was remnant and cost me a dollar so that was really nice.

Looking forward to the sunshine in all the windows for the winter.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

The Canada Geese are back.  

I found this couple at the 127 Street pond.  There is still ice but at least some open water.

The sun was shining and I walked the whole track around the pond this time.

May as well get my steps in while out with my camera.

Still at the pond I found this creature sitting on a branch in the water.

I could not see the tail but I think this is a muskrat rather than a beaver.  Not sure.

Love the gold color on its fur in the later afternoon sun.

I had a visit with my aunt this afternoon.

Adventures of the Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen. 

The life in the very rural areas of England are challenging at best to downright dangerous at worse.

Amanda shows deep commitment to her family and her animals in the book.  One needs to be a problem solver and adaptive in this kind of environment.

Some of the situations stressed me out and I was not living them out.

A family of 9 children provides a rich life with the interactions between parents and kids.  The children are learning, becoming adults and finding their strengths in this family.  

Interesting book.

The bugs are back.

I captured this flying insect while trying to capture the pussy willows at the Heritage Hills Wetlands in Sherwood Park.

I'm not sure what it is, and of course I only found out it was there when I got home and downloaded the pics.

A dreamy shot of the pussy willow without bugs in the way.

I have been working hard to have the place ready for listing.

It has been a lot of work to move things back into their place from being stored in the living room and dining room during  the renovations.

It was suggested that I make the room look bigger and I moved the table to under the window and now I can dance in the space.

I can see the TV from this room and so sometimes I do my exercise videos here so I am not in full view to the parking lot.

Lately there have been a lot of vehicles back there.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I did manage to pick a few handfuls of raspberries this week.  There are several bushes in the neighbourhood which are on my morning walk route.

I sure miss picking raspberries in Mom's garden. 

The Big Dreams Beach Hotel by Michelle Gorman writing as Lilly Bartlett.This was a nice light read.  

Rosie fled New York City after a failed relationship and the resulting loss of her job in the hospitality industry. Betrayed and devastated she headed back to her seaside home town in England.  

She now manages a quaint Victorian hotel owned by the Colonel where there are several permanent senior residents, a eccentric chef and a dog named Barry and just enough rentals to keep it afloat. 

Next, the Colonel has sold the hotel to a couple of brothers from America and a young man named Rory arrives as the transition manager. The changes are significant, renovations to the building, new decor, new menu for chef to learn, and the end to tenant contracts for some of the residents.  Where will they go?

It  has been scorching hot again this week.  

I had to place a sheet over the curtains in the dining room to keep the heat of the morning sun.  It is not cooling down overnight so it's been about 82F to 89F in the place. Soaking my head and shirt to keep cool.

These pine crates elevate my TV so I can place the DVD player and the stereo below it on the console table.

They are rough pine and are not finished.

I decided to give them a good sanding then a couple of coats of Tung Oil since they are not being used right now with everything in the living room packed.

I just did the outside since the inside will not be visible.  They are very rough and an electric sander would have been helpful but I go with what I have.

They do look better so I am happy.  It will be at least another couple of weeks before I can start putting the house back together.

It has been a full 2 weeks of waiting, emailing, researching, emailing some more to get approval to move forward with the installation of the flooring.

There's a trip to Calgary this week I hope to pick up the underlay.

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah was a book I recently finished.  This is my second or third book by this author.

Annie Colwater lives in California with her lawyer husband and daughter.  She has been a housewife for 20 years and a mother for 17.  She is a great manager of the house and her husband depends on her to make him look good.  

He wants a divorce.  What is she to do? Her daughter is off to London before college and her husband has moved out of their house.

She heads north to the small town where she grew up and spends some time with her Dad, Hank. She meets several people she went to school with and one in particular Nick Delacroix is in need of support.  His wife has died and their 6 year old daughter has been expelled from school. She is not handling the death of her mother well.  Annie offers to babysit the girl while Nick is at work.

A love story develops and she finds her purpose. 

I won these picnic place mats at the reunion raffle last weekend.

Great way to not lose your cutlery and have a clean place to eat when you are using public picnic facilities.

Great for the RV or trailer.  Washable, reusable and a great addition to any camping trip.

My sister made these and they will be added to my camping gear.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I headed to the St. Albert Botanic Park early in the week.

Here's one of the last peonys in bloom.  Beautiful blush pink! 

The roses were in fully bloom.

The sunflowers are headed to great heights.

Not much on the river now that the babies have matured.

The heat wave continued this week.

With the fan running pretty much 24/7, soaking my head and shirt several times a day, managing the fan in windows at night to bring the cooler air in, and just hunkering down for the most part.

It was lucky that we were not laying floor this week because it was a cooker.

The Blue Noon by Robert Ryan based on a true story.

This is a WWII story set in Europe between 1938 and 1945. Harry Cole is a  rogue. Over this time he has had a few personas, worked for several different military organizations, and collaborated with many different regimes.

He has been hurt, shot, beaten and still has managed to fit in, hide in plain sight and serve his own purposed within the opportunities which came his way.

He has known love, settled down for a little bit and tried to become a better person.  

I found that at times I like him and other times did not.  The story was compelling and I read a good part of the book in front of the fan in the heat wave we are experiencing.

I washed my Keens this week.  With the very hot weather they were needing a refreshing.  

They suggest they can be washed in the washing machine but I was not prepared to do that in my new machine so I used Simple Green on them with a old toothbrush and then put them out on the balcony to dry.

They look and smell better.

The walk around Beaumaris Lake this week was wonderful.

The morning was cool comparatively to the rest of the week.  There was heavy cloud which threatens to rain down but it did not.

The sun came out at 10 am and the heat began.

I headed home.

I headed over the Muttart Conversatory this  week as well to see the new display in the feature pavilion.  Where Pyramids Collide.

Being the middle of summer there were many programs going on.  Several sets of small children all in the same colored shirt so adults could keep track of them, running around the narrow paths was no much fun.

Of course, none of the pavilions were cool as in temperature.

I always enjoy the flowers, plants and fish.

The process continues.  I have headed to the flooring store for more information.

Received feedback waiting for more information.

A Few Renovations - Done!

Since my renovation in the kitchen a couple of years ago I had flooring and painting on my to do list.

I knew how having things white and light improved the feel of the space.  I replaced the burgundy shower curtain in the bathroom about 4 years ago and that helped so much.  In 2017, I painted the center panels of the kitchen cupboards which improved the feel in the space.

The front hall bypass closet doors and the bi-fold doors on the laundry area had wood grain similar to the kitchen cupboard doors.  The large bedroom closet doors as well had the same pattern.  I really wanted to paint these.

Well, this fall was the time! I started with the laundry area bi-fold doors.  I had to mask the metal frame then I applied 1 coat of high hide primer followed with 2 coats of interior paint.

I changed the knobs on the doors with something more appropriate. I chose white ceramic with a metal plate.

The next project was the bypass doors on the front hall closet.  Again, a lot of masking of the metal frames.  I chose to paint them hanging in place as I was not sure I could take down the doors.  These received 3 coats of paint as well.

As you can imagine my right arm got a huge work out.  Painting makes a big difference which many DIY shows spout the principle and now I know it first hand.

The bedroom closet doors are twice the size of the front hall so it was double the amount of 3 coats of paint.

I replaced a broken plastic glider one of these bedroom closet doors which has wobbled for years.  Yeah!

I have wanted hard flooring in the front hall for several years.  In recent years I was convinced vinyl flooring was the answer.  I chose this flooring from Divine Flooring.  I wanted a warm grey color in a wood grain pattern in vinyl planks. After visiting the show room I took 3 samples home.  I put natural LED lights in the front hall and chose the flooring based on that lighting.  The hall gets very little natural light. This is is called Missouri Breaks from the Voyage II line.  The planks are 8.5 inches wide and 5 feet long.  This is a click installation.

I chose a very simple moulding which is 3/8 by 1 1/4 inches tall.  It was painted the color of the walls.  It was glued to the wall which allows the flooring to move as it needs.  The crack at the top along the wall was caulked and then I painted white with a small foam brush and the wall paint.   The flooring and moulding was installed by professionals. It looks amazing.

There are a couple of pieces I want to paint in the front hall.  The small bench at the front door which my Mom made for me years ago will be painted as well as the mirror also made by my Mom will get a new color.  I want to create an art shelf in the living room so that has been put on the to do list.

I am looking at a warm dark grey with a blue hue.  I brought a few paint samples and need another couple before I decide.

I hung some of my framed photography in the hall.  I have decided that I will be using this about 4 square foot place in the front hall as my photography studio.  Nothing will live in the space on a regular basis.  I can add tables, props, fabric and whatever else I need, set up my tripod from either direction, it has good light which will contribute to a super space.  I take macro photography regularly for the Macro Monday Challenge on Flickr.  You can check my photo stream.

There were changes made in the bathroom as well.  I covered the hole made in the wall behind the vanity by the plumbers in January.
I bought a 24x24 inch piece of dry wall, measured to make the holes for the isolation valves and screwed the pieces to the existing dry wall.

After being able to replace the sink without changing the vanity in January the doors on it were on the paint list as well.  Again, 1 coat of high hide primer and 2 coats of interior paint.You can check out the white shower curtain mentioned earlier.

I added a Battenburg linen and a wide low glass bowl on the shelf in the front hall.  I have put turquoise related potpourri for now.  Once the mirror is painted that may change and it could be changed seasonally as well.   I am looking forward to putting my small nativity on the shelf for Christmas time.

It has been a huge learning experience. I'm really happy with this renovation!!!