I finally left the house

The persistent cough and stuffed sinuses continue to affect me, while S has a cough but is otherwise doing well. After taking care of the pets, I had a coffee with the prince. It was then time to water all my plants, and I finally feel energized, which feels fantastic. S crawled back into bed for a warm-up and a nap while I worked on catching up on the blog.

We made a trip to town, which was a significant outing for me as it’s been the first time I’ve left the house in 11 days. We first picked up the mail and then disposed of the trash and cardboard. S’s skates were dropped off to be sharpened, and the rest of the recyclables were taken to the depot. I needed the ruler stain I was out of, so our next stop was Rona, but unfortunately, we didn’t find it. Walmart was our next destination, where we stocked up on electrolytes, cat food, and a few groceries. I also grabbed a rotisserie chicken for supper.

A loop around to finally mail the missing screws to the grey dresser, then picked up burgers for a late lunch. A tea was also picked up, as it had been a while since I had a Tim Hortons. Next, the skates were picked up, and although there was no stain there either, a last-ditch effort at Canadian Tire found one. And the best part? It was $4 cheaper than the other stores, so we felt good about our purchase. Before heading home, S picked up new RO filters to change out.

Back at the ranch, Cooper was here, with B heading to the city for a fun day with friends. S and I unloaded the truck, and then I stained the three growth rulers on both sides. S took the dogs for a quick walk, as the temperature was a bone-chilling -17 degrees Celsius. Afterward, we cracked open a cold beer and played canasta. You know I’m feeling much better about leaving the house and having a beer. Now, all I need to do is get rid of this cough and those pesky "boogers". 

B returned from the city before 5 p.m. She fed her horses and then she and Cooper headed home. We enjoyed the chicken with leftover scalloped potatoes for supper while S watched hockey, and I caught up on my accounting and the blog. The Flames game was scheduled for next. Shaina and Matt are watching it tonight. These two have attended a lot of events while we’ve been out here this time. Initially, I had settled into bed to watch a real estate show, but when S came in, he switched to the hockey game as I went to sleep. It was disappointing that the Flames lost.

-32 temperatures cancel bison cull

It appears that my cough is loosening up, but it still causes severe coughing fits throughout the night, even after taking medication. S, woke up at 5 am to prepare for the bison cull in the Valley. He had breakfast and left by 5:30 am. I slept until 8:30 am and then got up to feed Har and the cats. I took some medication and began working on catching up on my blog, which is still way behind. Sheldon called to inform me that the butchers had canceled the day due to extremely low temperatures, dropping to -32 degrees Celsius, just an hour from the Valley. Despite this setback, the other fellows will still process the three older bison that were scheduled for Kindersley. 

I also ventured out and began working on three custom ordered growth rulers. It turns out that a woman who had messaged me about one before Christmas thought she could get one last week as she was passing by. Fortunately, I had bought the wood when I was in the city, so I could get one for her when she returns from vacation on the 12th. Meanwhile, laundry was underway as I also worked on posting my first tutorial of 2025 - pair of black chairs. I also did some accounting as it softly snowed all day.

Kaylin text saying when she went to get burgers and buns for supper she found their freezer unplugged. The smell was disgusting and they lost all the food in it ;( They seem to have the worst luck, need to sage their house I think.

I had sanded the wood filler and ready to stain the boards only to find I am out of the stain dang it. Shaina and Matt are boarding today at Lake Louise where it is very cold there as well but they had fun.

S called from town to offer to pick up some more medication for me. I ordered Opa for my meal of the day, and he arrived home before 4 with it. Although he wasn’t hungry after his lunch in the Valley, he decided to have a big brown rest after all his driving. B was out to feed the animals, grab a parcel at the gate, and then head home. We settled into bed and watched two movies.

Shaina and Matt head back to the city

I was up sorting this new phone early. In the city, Kaylin was preparing Renn and herself to head to work and daycare, as Nate would need recovery time after his late night at the hospital. Shaina was up, made coffee, and started her workday. Matt was up shortly after, as was S, who made scrambled eggs, toast, and beans for breakfast while I jumped in the shower. Harley's food was delivered good for another couple weeks. Happy birthday to Asher and Mya today!

Hope school has no germs to share this week 

Hockey entertained the boys for the day as I continued setting up the new phone. S filled his truck with fuel, then he and Matt shoveled the sidewalks. Shaina prepared a charcuterie board for lunch to eat while she continued to work, the boys watching hockey, and I worked on my phone. The 3 amigos braved the -15 weather and went for a hot tub, while I chose to stay inside where it was warm. Cards were enjoyed with a couple of Caesars. Matt is coming around to liking cards.

S started a fire, peeled potatoes, and I prepared a scalloped mixture and cheesy cauliflower to accompany the whitetail tenderloin that S barbecued. We ate early to watch the Canada Check game, but during the second intermission, Shaina and Matt had to leave to buy tickets at Costco for boarding tomorrow. Britt and Dave met them as they were leaving and came in to have their supper and catch the last period. B ate, then fed her horses, missing the unfortunate hockey loss for team Canada.

Shaina returned to load up Renn's kitchen and retrieve what we forgot to load earlier when they boosted her jeep, thank you! B and D headed home at 8:30, and we moved to bed to watch more Netflix relax. Did I mention Dave caught a cold and had to race with it on New Year's Day Britt, however, is still going strong.

Hello 2025

2025 began with a gentle snowfall. It is hard to believe we are entering a new year, but once we overcome the plague it will be smooth sailing. My throat feels sore today. Shaina and Matt are visiting today, braving the germs here, but knowing that patient zero's home is in worse condition.

Could she be any cuter?

They arrived after lunch, having picked up a few snacks at the store with Nathan's borrowed car. There was a lot of hockey talk happening. Britt was out not long after. We played a new movie game, which she won. A rousing game of cards followed for four people, while I acted as the supervisor.

Dave arrived, and canasta kept us all entertained for the rest of the day. There were pizza, wings, plenty of snacks, along with a lot of beer. The evening concluded at 9, with the townies heading home and the Ottawa folk heading to bed, as did we. A bit of TV was watched before lights out. Unfortunately, Nathan was struggling and was taken to the hospital. He had a CT scan, was given antibiotics for sinusitis, and was sent around 5:30 am. To read about Nathan's journey in his own words, check out his blog.