Day 364.....Sunday, January 3

Well, Jim left for work today....to Whitecourt, for we do not know how long.
Rather than sit around and mope about my man being gone, I made a trip to town and returned a Christmas gift that was missing parts.
I love the long line of evergreens along the road....they especially looked pretty covered with snow.

Day 361 - New Year's Eve

We had originally planned to visit our parents today, but because the roads were very icy last night when we brought Vinj and Kath home, we elected instead to postpone our visits to Saturday and use this day to get Jim ready to go to work on Sunday.

I made sure all his laundry was done and folded, ready for him to count out however many shirts and socks he wanted and them pack them into his bag.

Not the most celebratory way to end the year, but we enjoyed having the day and evening together, even if we did not have a party.

Day 359.....Dec 29 Tuesday

Oyster soup is a Hutchinson Christmas tradition. In Jim's family it is always served on Christmas Eve. At our house, we sometimes make it for the 24th - sometimes it is served on New Year's Eve. This year, Jim made it (for himself, because I do not much care for it) today. The photo is of the recipie - taken from the family cookbook I made a few years ago. Unfortunately, the oysters were bad and the soup had to be flushed. Jim was very disappointed.

Day 324. Friday. December 4

Jim unexpectedly had a day off....waiting for cement to harden. So, in spite of a blizzard, we went into town to do some shopping for him - he needed long underwear and insulated coveralls - as well as quick visits with some of the kids.

Day 312 Sunday, November 22

Sophie takes a chance to cuddle with Grampa while he watches the Western Final Football Game. Riders won! YAY!

Day 301. Wednesday, November 11

Since it was a stat holiday, Jim had the day off. Mom and Dad H, Andrew, and Vinj and Kath came out for lunch and a chance to visit with Jim.

Day 300 Tuesday, November 10

I took my truck to Jim at his worksite today.....he moved his office into my truck then I took his truck to our mechanic friend to have the front end replaced. This is most of what I saw of my hubby while I was at his site......while he was getting all his paraphanalia out of his truck.

Day 292....Monday, November 2

Jim went to work early this morning but found that his wellhead was leaking. He could not get the services out to fix it today so he was home at about noon.

He worked all day from home.

Day 290 - Saturday, Oct 31

Jim was able to meet Ava this morning......

Day 288 Thursday Oct 29

Drove out to DV this morning since Jim would be back in town by 1 pm then going out to check a new location. A perfect opportunity to spend the afternoon/evening together.

Jim had to stop and fuel up from his slip tank on the way out to the new location......

Day 280....Wednesday October 21

You may have noticed....I missed a few days.....didn't even think of pulling out my camera. tsk. tsk.

Sorry.

Last night I drove out to DV to spend the evening with my man. Although our time was short, it was nice to just be together - even if it was in a hotel room.

So, my day today started at 5 a.m. There was a fog warning for a the morning so I left as soon as Jim did in order to beat the fog. It was clear until I got to Falun, so most of the way home.

Later on, I went in to NN for the mail....a flock of swans had stopped for a rest in the field across from the village. I slowed down to take the photo, but couldn't actually stop because after all, I was on a highway.






Been fighting some kind of flu the last few days....today it seemed to be more than a threat. I was very tired (not sleepy because I got up early - but the flu-y tired) I woke up after my second nap with a bit of a fever.

Day 272. Monday Oct 12

Jim had to go back to work tonight by 6 pm.




We had a turkey that had to be cooked.




Jim also had several jobs he wanted done before he left for work.




So.....Rob and Andrew came out to clear the old mattresses from the basement and take the foozeball table down and store it out of the way. This left some room in the basement to begin working on cleaning it out.

Jim, in spite of feeling pretty rough because of the cold he had, worked all day getting the yard ready for winter. He spent most of the time working on the dog pen-house.

The ill fitting doors needed to be repaired so the wind would not whistle through the openings around them.....

He also pulled out the old couch that had been in there for the dogs bed and swept all the accumulated shredded dog food bags out, leaving the dogs with a nice, clean house, furnished with plush, cedar filled beds.......

......and kept warm with 2 heat lamps.....

Here are Rob and Andrew - they were supposed to be just taking the foozeball table, but they got involved in going through some boxes, finding treasures from the past.

Rob and Lana were cooking a turkey at their house (pre-planned) and Andrew joined them so he could also watch the hockey game. Vinj and Kath had previous plans. Mike and Tor, of course, were sticking close to home - still having contractions. Daniel was advised to stay in Edmonton because of the roads and weather.

So it was that our Turkey was cooked and enjoyed by only 6.....Mel and Ken, Scott and Chelsea (Suzanne has been sick) and us.......

It was a comparitavely quiet meal and Jim left almost as soon as we had eaten.

I packed up all the leftovers for Daniel (who provides his own food at Mike and Victoriaès) and for Vinj and Kath who had been bitterly disappointed not to be able to partake in turkey and dressing.

Day 265....Monday, October 5

Another day which had a long list of things to get done.

We began by meeting Michael at his in-law's place....they had an old 'iron eater' water conditioner to give away and since our water is full of iron.......

We made a couple stops in Edmonton.....pick up soil sample kits for Jim's job.....pick up power steering fluid for my truck......lunch.....then back to Wetaskiwin to pick up the part for Jim's truck.....a relay switch for his truck......a package from Conoco at the bus station.......

And finally, dog food.......

At home, Jim put his parts on the truck and re installed the garage door (the hinges were backward). I made supper and loaded photos from my camera to my computer.

Day 264 ~ Sunday, October 4

We had breakfast with Mom and Melanie in our little apartment/hotel and were on the road quite early. Jim had a list of things the length of his arm that he wanted to accomplish before he goes back to work on Tuesday.

Daniel had stayed at our house Saturday night in order to take care of the dogs. He got up when we came in and had something to eat before he went outside to work on the root cellar......






I chose to finish harvesting the root vegetables in the garden......I had already pulled up all the beets a couple days ago.

The Rutabagas included some giants!

The first thing Jim did when we got home was to hook up the trailer and go into town to pick up our dog pen which Andrew had been using. He won't be putting his dogs outside all day over the winter, so we reclaimed it........

Jim's next priority was to figure out what was wrong with his truck's turbo (which was just replaced last summer).....







Dan went to work building a door covering for the bottom of the cellar stairs.......









AhHa! Here's the problem......the hose has a hole in it! An easy fix, fortunately.....








By this time, I had stored the beets in layers of peat moss in the cellar, pulled all the rutabagas, and the carrots......

There weren't as many carrots as we had hoped, but what there is are nice and straight......






I stored the rutabagas and carrots in the same manner as the beets and I pulled all the frozen squash and tomatoe plants. The other day I had taken all the onions and cabbage out when I pulled the beets so all that is left are the broccoli and brussels sprouts. Well, I cut all the broccoli that was ready....these plants apparently benefit from several hard frosts so I'll not be harvesting them quite yet.

The problem with his truck diagnosed, Jim set to work tearing down the old dog pen......








Daniel completed the bottom of the stairs door and then rushed off to work in Edmonton.......

Jim set up the new pen walls.....

The dogs are a little uncertain about this.......I think they can smell Andrew's dogs on the walls - they are not too comfortable in there, yet.

But it looks much better than the old pen, that is for sure.

Jim finished up our busy day by hanging the door on the garage......hopefully, the pigeons were not at home at the time and they will go find somewhere else to build a nest.

Overall, a busy, productive day.

Day 241....Friday, Sept 11

Jim had a doctor appointment (full physical) this morning. Since he did not need to be in Whitecourt until later in the day, he was able to go to the doctor (and the lab).

He called after his appointment to say he had forgotten his headset at home. The fact that he still had to go to the lab meant that I could get to town before he was ready to leave.

I met him at Vinj and Kath's.....he had had to fast for the bloodwork, so they gave him lunch before he had to leave.

I stayed for a while longer in order to visit with Kathryn and Taliah (Seth had been put to bed).

Taliah was being very smiley, so all my photos are of her........

And finally, she rested.....

LOL.

What a cutie!

Day 240 - Thursday, Sept 10

Since he is leaving for work tomorrow, Jim spent some of the day on the phone working. The rest of the day he spent hanging doors.......

The inside of the hall closet holds our 'medicine cabinet'. Of course, it had to be emptied so the door could come off and the new door put on.......

During a break, we went out to the garden - here is one of the few cabbages the dogs haven't eaten.......

The Brussels Sprouts are coming along quite nicely....

.....and the Broccoli is nearly ready to be eaten.....

Our view has changed much over the last couple months. This is the south view today......

And the west view.....

I think the new Pantry door is cute.....

Although the new doors emphasize the need for new paint on the walls, they make a tremendous improvement to our home.