Friday, September 30, 2021

I’ve spent most of this first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation working on an old project – Thunderbird. I’ve had mixed feelings about it over the couple of years (at least) that it has been on my list of UFOs. When I first bought the pattern I was really happy and looked forward to making it. But after a few months of stitching I began to wonder whether it was appropriate for me, who doesn’t share the First Nations culture, to be making this at all. I thought of various ways I could finish it and then have it leave my house. Now, as it is almost finished, I think of the project as honouring our First Nations and I will proudly hang it next to the Maple Leaf I finished for Canada’s 150th. I’m so close to being done that I will continue working on it until it is.

The power was off again last night and we are left with a mystery. I was already in bed when it went out but Pat had to find his way upstairs in the dark. At one point in the night I wanted to see the time (we have a clock radio that projects the time on the ceiling); when I couldn’t find it I assumed the power was out.

When I woke up this morning the time on the ceiling said eight. From the light in the room I would have estimated that was about the right time. When I went to the kitchen the clock on the wall (battery operated) gave the same time. Also the clock on the radio in the kitchen was right but all the other appliances were flashing. It’s weird how those two reset themselves to the correct time; neither one has a battery back up or if they do they don’t have batteries in them because we’ve always had to rest them after a power outage.

Pat and I went grocery shopping after lunch – together! We haven’t done that for a long time. We went to FreshCo which is a store I’ve only been in once. I headed off on my own to get the ingredients for the meatballs. When I got back to Pat he wasn’t even finished down the meat and veggie aisle so I took the list and left him to shop the aisles for what he wanted.

The aisles are clearly directionally marked and I was up and down them several times looking for items or just going the right direction in order to get something from the next aisle. When we finally made it to the check out Pat asked me if I thought I knew the store now and I responded with a definite no. I feel like I went around and around in circles and possibly accomplished my ten thousand steps in the time we were in the store. However I think our grocery bill was much lower than it would have been at Quality Foods so it may be a store I’ll have to get used to.

It has been a day of both rain and sun but at least the wind has died down somewhat. Trees are still blowing but the ferries are all running on time. The Comox ferry didn’t run yesterday afternoon or evening and the Texada ferry was cancelled all evening.