good and bad

The Good?: My friend Nic made me this fabulous tote bag and sent it to me as a housewarming present, complete with spiced nuts, granola, and other goodies. The strap is made of a fabric that I'd purchased for her as a small treat! Winnipeg is a place where everyone tries to bring bags for shopping. In fact, one is frequently charged per plastic bag if you forget your own cloth ones. This quilted work of art is so gorgeous that I haven't been able to bring myself to use it for groceries yet. I'll break it in soon, Nic. I promise.

The gelato is still marvelous. (Gelato is Italian ice cream or sorbet.) It is very good. Check out that link to Eva's Gelato and coffee bar in one of my last posts if you're interested. As it's right around the corner from our house, it's likely to be our favorite. :)

In other news, I've been knitting a mitten as a swatch for trying out a new yarn. I've been spinning a bit in the evenings, (gray Romney/Border Leicester Cross blended with gray mohair) and at least one of my wheels is spinning more smoothly than ever with a bit of oil and the jostling of a long distance move!

I've been trimming our hedge, canning up pickles and jam (12 pints dilly beans and dill pickles, 5.5 cups of Nanking cherry (from our yard!) and raspberry jam.

The Bad?:
Despite several phone calls to the appropriate authorities and every effort to make our cardboard conform to the local recycling requirements, we're still the infamous newcomers with the enormous tower of cardboard in the back lane. This is after 3 separate recycling days have come and gone. I'd like to say that I've stopped unpacking because the pile is so high, but sadly, I've just stopped unpacking because it's gotten sunny, I've gotten tired, and well,with the futon and beds set up, unpacking is getting less appealing. I'm thinking of making curtains today instead...or taking a walk. It's hard to stay inside in this sunshine!

(perhaps when it snows, we can use the cardboard for extra insulation and warmth? It may still be here...)