Sylvia's Simple Shots

This is the first time I found Foxglove in the neighborhood.

There were quite a few in a side flower bed.

I found this lovely light purple color and bright pink ones as well. 

I am so lucky to have neighbors who are flower growing.

The Cliff House by RaeAnne Thayne is a book I finished this week.

Daisy an Beatriz Davenport lived with their aunt Stella in Cape Sanctuary after their parents passed away.  She has provided a good home for them with all they needed.

Beatriz pushed the boundaries, got in trouble, married and had a baby way too young. Daisy was quiet, sensible, rational, and financially prudent.

They still live near each other.  Bea with her daughter Marisol. Daisy had married and her husband passed away after a few years and she was left his house overlooking the ocean.

The ex-husband returns with the man who saved his life and they each cause ripples in the these girls' loves.  Stella is surprise to find a man she gave up when the girls came to live with her has returned to Cape Sanctuary.   Most of the story lines were good. 

It was an exciting day on Wednesday June 4 2025 because I took possession of my new to me home.

I worked with a great agent who was with all the way through hoops and loops but we got there.

I have a lot to get done before I can move in.

Oh yeah, the Stanley Cup Final starts today as well.  

I know its going on but I don't have time for it. 

 

We will see what the final outcome is.

There were a few things I found left behind that were interesting.

Mirror tiles still stuck to the walls.  Many things were left on the walls when removed left a gluey mess.

A baseball, a guitar pick and even a 100 hundred dollar bill was found when the carpet was removed.

There was a lot in this place so I am not surprise not all of it left with the tenants.

There was not so great stuff left behind as well.

There was food in every corner of the kitchen.  

Most surfaces had oil, greasy spots, and evidence of cooking left behind.

The drip pans in the stove were just replaced rather than trying to clean them.  The clean up when I lifted the top of the stove was liquid, crusty, and totally disgusting.

Every inch of this place will need to be cleaned.

The possession date had been pushed back two days to allow for cleaning. I am not sure what was cleaned.

I am grateful the plumbing for the sinks was done.

I had the door rekeyed as well as the mail box key replaced.

Just a safety thing to ensure no one has keys laying around for my place.

I only received one FOB for the building so I had to purchase another.

Mark was nice enough to deliver one to me.

Great job.

This product was recommended by my sister to clean the not so clean tub.

Scrubbing Bubbles worked so well.

It is taking a lot of elbow grease and my right arm is very sore.

Lots of cleaning cloths, paper towels and cleaners.

The kitchen cupboards came out great after having a layer of oil and grease removed.

The laundry room had a layer of liquid laundry soap in the corner I scrapped off with a 9 in 1 tool.

I was very disappointed when I could not find a way to turn the shower on to rinse the tub after its first go round of cleaning.

After getting in touch with the inspector Colin he explained that it was a ring on the spout that diverted the water to the shower.

Who knew?  Certainly not me.

I tried it the next day after the second scrubbing session on the tub.

Success! Thanks Sarah and Colin.

I took all the baseboards off around that disgusting carpet.  

That was the preparations for the carpets to be gone.

The carpets are gone!

The adhesive and the gunk is also gone.

The crew of Joey and Mario did a great job.

On to painting before the crew comes back to install the vinyl floor.

The 2 man crew of Ben and Andre arrived early Saturday morning and we got to work.

I was just able to keep ahead of them to get all the glue off the walls where stuff had been stuck to the walls.  The grease stains on the walls from who knows what.

They will be back next week to finish up.

I am a hurting and exhausted person.  

Sunday is a day of rest so I can continue next week.

The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline was a book I finished before the insanity of this week started on Wednesday.

Vivian Daly, an Irish immigrant lived in New York in 1929.  Within less than a year of arriving there was a fire in their building and most of the family was lost. 

Vivian finds herself on a train heading west to find a new home.  She has several. Some where she is abused and some where the adoptive parents were loving and supportive.

Molly Ayer is 17 years old who has been in trouble with the law. She is assigned community service as a consequence.  She comes to help Vivian now and elderly widow go through the keepsakes and stuff in the attic.

They learn from each other and come to be family in a way. Great read!

Treated my aunt to supper.  

I picked up pizza from Famosa and it was delicious.

She has been very supportive and stored some of my stuff for a couple of years while I was trying to sell my condo.

Very soon all my stuff will be on the move.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a visit to the St. Albert Botanic Park this week.  The flowers are all looking good. 

This is a White Geranium.  It may get overlooked with the dahlias, roses, and other garden flowers.

I think this one turned out really wonderful.

The light purple veins with a subtle green center and the light play on it was really good.









This shell chime is one that my sister made for me many years ago.  It hangs in the corner of the bedroom by the window.  It lets me know if the wind is picking up outside when the window is open in the summer.

It clinks away quietly when there is a small breeze and I really enjoy it as I lay in bed in the morning before I get up. 

Filling my gratitude journal today.



This shot reminds me that the large light in my kitchen is working again.  It was not cooperating for several days this week and with no window it was dark in there.  I have the light under the stove fan but it was not the same as the large light.

I put new daylight fluorescent tubes in the fixture and it is bright again. Yeah!

I last replaced those in October 2009 so I think that excellent value for the $10 it cost me.

I take things for granted so much.  That when I flip the switch light will appear.  Again, grateful.

A new deadbolt in the door. 

Yes, I replaced it in January and the locksmith drilled it out yesterday to get me back into my place.   They have you over a barrel and instead of picking it drilling means they will sell you a new deadbolt as well.  It is what it is.

I had purchased the door knob in the satin nickel on Saturday to match the deadbolt. This type of handle matches the ones I put on the inside doors about 10 years ago. I was intending to put it in myself but the young locksmith offered to do for me.  It was a quick and easy job for him as he chose the pieces he needed from the package.

Again, I am so grateful for the good people in the world who extend themselves to help others.

My mosaic this week is downtown buildings.

I took a long walk downtown this week as well.  I captured some of the architecture of the buildings.  On the left is our Art Gallery.  Randall Stout, the architect chosen to design the Art Gallery of Alberta building, took inspiration from the city’s unique northern environment and urban grid. Stout juxtaposed angular windows against a winding 190-metre steel ribbon that references the forms of the North Saskatchewan River and Aurora Borealis.
In the center is the Gibson Block Building built in 1913. The Gibson Block Building, also known as the Flatiron Building, is a large wedge-shaped four-storey brick building constructed for commercial use on four city lots at the eastern edge of Edmonton's pre-World War One commercial core.
On the right is the Double Tree by Hilton hotel in the Quarters area of downtown.  I love the glass facade which captures reflections beautifully. 

The Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was Numbers. The acceptable ones were Roman or Arabic.  On the left, I have chosen Rummikub tiles in three colors. 

Check out my Flickr Photostream SMDPics to see the one I submitted.

 I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #89  and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #249   

Have a safe and healthy week.

Recent Photos

It has been a whole month that I have kept my dining room table clear of clutter!

I can actually sit at the tables for meals but rarely do.  I should work on that habit.

I worked on the process when I got a lot of company before the holidays. 

I quilted recently and that requires the wooden table so it was messy for a few days but I put all the quilting stuff away and it's back to looking good.

Aren't DVDs great!  When you are ready to get back into the routine they still provide their programming as they did the last time you started down this road.

I love the Leslie Sansone program because I can customize the work out to my available time, works the important muscle groups and provides 5 aerobic programs.  Going on 3 weeks now of 5 days a week.  It contributed to my better response to the 10 days of -30 weather we had recently.  Last year, I hid under the blanket on the couch for most of the cold snap.

I bought this wreath on sale after Christmas.  I was looking for a smaller one with more elegant lines than this one which I have used since 2015.

I will refurbish it for next Christmas. First, the greenery it makes it hang crooked because the weight is only on one side and it is not the most elegant fake greens.

I just love this geometric one that I bought a couple of years ago and just don't what to take the chance of losing it by hanging it on the outside of the door.  I enjoy it all year round in my place.

I finished this book last week - Father Melancholy's Daughter by Gail Godwin.  It was a tough read for me.  The idea of a mother abandoning her child did not sit well with me.  Then the father suffers depression episodes which leaves this girl fending for herself often.

The book is about an Episcopalian priest so church life is very prominent in the story.  Living in a rectory, saying mass, and the meeting of the vestry.  His social life which bring in parishioners of every temperament.  

The book has a surprise ending but for me it did not redeem the book that much. 

I had a new deadbolt installed this week as well.  The old one has been sticking for a while then the cold made it worse.  I put WD40 in which made it much worse.  Just eventually nearly refused to turn and I did not want to break my key.

I had to wait 2 days to get service but I had a great locksmith come to help me in the cold last week who worked beyond his schedule to get mine done.  He was able to provide a brushed nickel finish which was great.  Now I need to replace the door knob so it will match.  I have brushed nickel knobs on all the doors on the inside of my place.

I will be purchasing a tube of graphite lubricant which is what locks need.






I have been enjoying aroma therapy every day.  Using a wax warmer makes it really easy.  I don't burn candles anymore.  This model is from Febreze and I chose it for it's simple elegant lines, neutral color palette and no light bulbs to replace.

My favorite scent is Cinnamon Vanilla from Scentsy.  I will have to find a rep so I can purchase more.  I tried over Christmas but was not successful in getting a response from the rep I contacted.

I have the warmer on a timer so I don't have to remember to turn it off.