Looking In On the Best

Yesterday and today are the first days we've experienced November like weather this month - of November. Our weather has been delightful, warm and mostly full of sunshine. Yesterday was rainy and very windy and cool. Today is much warmer and not windy but it's been dark and drizzly off and on. I certainly appreciate all the nice weather we've had as I love to be outside and prefer this to cold, wintery weather.

I have a poll for you. The spell checker is telling me that the proper spelling for the second last word in the above paragraph is wintry. This looks wrong to me and thought wintery was the right word. Which is it?

We canceled a long hike yesterday because of the weather. I went Sunday shopping for the first time instead. I was planning a trip to town someday soon to get a birthday gift but received an invitation to share a Sunday dinner with good friends. Seemed like a perfect idea. A leg of lamb was served and the meal was outstanding. My friend is the best cook I know. She also joined me for shopping for part of the afternoon. We fought the crowds. I had no idea Sunday shopping was so popular. I dare say it must have been busier yesterday than it was on Saturday.

For twenty four hours Oprah is offering a couple of songs on her website. One is the Christmas song What Child is This by Andrea Bocelli and Mary J Blige. It is the best song I've heard all year and was so pleased to be able to get it.

If there is no poll, I can't remember how to make one. Give me a few minutes.

Cooooold....

This is how I felt this weekend but especially today. My fifteen year old oil tank had to be replaced, as is the law on PEI. I canceled oil delivery months ago waiting for this fateful day. Somehow I knew it would be the weekend when I ran out of oil and so it was.

I had been painting ceilings for a couple of days and because I didn't want to put a painting hat on wet hair waited till Sunday morning to wash my hair. I turned the shower on, had a pee, which is exactly the right time required for the shower to become hot, and jumped into the shower head first. I got the shock of my life! If course with dirty hair you have no choice. You must go ahead... and wash your hair. With long hair, as I have, there is also no choice. You have to condition your hair. I would never get a brush or comb through otherwise.

I shivered through the task and I must say this was all very, very uncomfortably cold. There was not an ounce of warmth in the water. I must have ran out of oil on Saturday evening or very soon after midnight as there would have otherwise have been some heat left in the water system. I was shivering the rest of the morning till I got out of the house, into the car and off to a friend's for the day. I went to another friend's house for dinner and went to bed as soon as I got home.

Today was terribly cold in the house. Even with frost on the ground this morning it was warmer out of doors. I had to stay around all day because of the installation thus couldn't escape like yesterday. Thankfully it is all over with. The workers had everything finished at 11:30 and I got oil around 2:30. I spent a lot of time on the deck as it was so much warmer outside.

We have broken all records with the glorious weather we've been experiencing this month of November. In my fifty plus years, I can't remember better November weather. This cold weekend kind of hurt in that way. I just will try to remember that the cold was only inside my house. The long woods walk I took yesterday and the two wonderful walks earlier in the week I had are what the world really was like....all warmth and beauty. I've had meaningful gatherings this week too - four different dinners, two here and two at other friend's homes. A good week...

In honour of cold, I'm playing a favorite old-time country song. I grew up on Hank Williams and here is one of his best, Cold Cold Heart. Phil Campbell has a wonderful song too that will fit perfectly. Give a listen to Cold Engines.

Staring Straight Ahead

Where does the time go? I'm here less and less and don't see that changing anytime soon. I'm just too busy for this type of blog. Posting photos on the other blogs don't seem to be a problem but finding the time to write is next to impossible.

We have had incredible weather the month of November. We had rain and wind today for the first time whereas rain and wind are the usual for most days of November. We've had temps in the double digits and lots of sunshine instead. I haven't heard any complaints from anyone and doubt I will. Who doesn't like sunny warm weather in November?

I had a couple of friends over for dinner last night and that's the impetus for today's music. I've always liked Cab Calloway and his song Everybody Eats When They Come to My House. Reaching back but not so far is Bonnie and Delaney and Friends with Come on In My Kitchen. Now if I could get someone to cook for me....

Friday Frappe

Thought I'd better check in here every once in a while though it seems to be the same old news most weeks. There was a major change in my rhythm this week though. Due to scheduling differences with both of us, my hiking partner and I last had a walk on Saturday. I am itching to go out and stretch my legs and will tomorrow for sure. I miss it very much.

With walking not on the schedule I got a lot more painting done, the outside chores finished and have started on some fall indoor jobs. I am going to put removable caulking on the windows in the next couple of days and a plastic storm window on one window. We had snow today though it did not accumulate here. I saw on a news preview that some of the Maritimes did get quite a bit and it just as well could have been here. I must make an appt. to get my snow tires on too. There seems to be an awful lot to do to get ready for winter and I don't even burn wood.

Kenz is lying in my arms as I type. We have this position worked out where she fits herself in and lays happily here unless I have to use the left hand shift key a lot. I only mind it if my arm starts to fall asleep then I use capitals (and the shift key) as much as possible. LOL

With no way to store music at some spot on the web I have to re-introduce music that has been featured here before. How can you not have the opportunity to play these two fabulous songs any time you want. The marvelous, wonderful, awesome, fantastic, stupendous music of Chevela Vargas should be at everyone's fingertips all the time. It is much like eating oysters to me. Her music somehow enters the body and mixes with vital fluids that are of life itself. I feel that way about Van Morrison's music as well but he has forbidden people to hear his music on blogs. Here are two songs from Chevela that do it for me: La Llorona and Paloma Negra. You may recognize the last song from the soundtrack of the movie, Frida. I am listening to a longer version ( over 8 minutes) of La Llorona at the moment and it is giving me the shivers.

Have a good weekend everyone.