Little bullets from Canada

• Still waiting for the birth of my first grandchild - a boy who will be named Kyle. Miguel pronounces it "Cay-O", which means 'fall' in Spanish. The baby was due last Sunday, but so far he's choosing to stay inside Jen's warm tummy. I don't blame him, because (next bullet)...
• Wow, it got cold today. Until today the furnace had not bothered to kick in. Not really sure why, it's been under 20 degrees celcius since I've been here, but my condo stays at that temperature all by itself. Until today. Remembering that the furnace feeds on fresh air and I have not lived here for a while, I decided I'd better check the outside filter. Uh huh - it's got a nice layer of stuck-together dust, it's suffocating. The problem is that there is no way to remove the grill over the filter in order to give it a proper cleaning. I used to sit on the balcony with a Q-tip and poke through each slot and wiggle the Q-tip back and forth to loosen the plaque. Today I tried too, but my arm got tired and I made little progress. So...off to search for a brush of some kind, a skinny wirey one that would fit between the grill. What I found didn't really work well, it's just a little too wide. I tried to bend back the wires on half of the brush, and succeeded in poking my thumb several times and drawing blood. I gave up on the brush. Tomorrow I'm going to try a plastic fork, something has to pull that stuff off the filter.
• What is with all these shows on HGTV where couples are looking for homes that have a 'man-cave'? When I was married all those years ago, it was accepted that the man got a) the shed, b) the basement, and c) the garage. So why do they also need a cave? And oh - what's with women and their love affair with walk-in closets? In my life the kitchen and living room are the heart of the home, I have no need or desire to spend time in a closet. Don't care about the clothing or shoes either.
• I sold Jen's box spring and mattress from the double bed she used here in the condo and I feel rich! Money handed over for something I was happy to see gone from my home. I LIKE that! Now I'm trying to sell my lovely bedroom suite and a couple sets of dishes. I had hoped Jen would take the bedroom suite but it's too big for her guest room. Darn, I love that set and hate to sell it for much less than it's worth.
• The property management company has been by, the flooring guy has been by, and I'm hoping the handyman will come by. All those little pieces are coming together, can't really say the same for all the 'stuff' I still have here. I have taken boxes to Goodwill and have packed several containers, but still have more than I know what to do with. I gave an Anne Geddes print to the young daughter who accompanied her mattress-buying mom - she was thrilled..."I just love this one and must have it", she said when presented with two prints. She chose the rosebud with the baby tucked inside, and it's nice to know that a little girl will have something special to cherish in her new bedroom. I'm holding onto the other print in case another little girl shows up with her parents.
• I am still in my condo, despite the fact that most of the furniture is gone. I have what I need though - a bed, my lazy-boy, the dining room table/chairs, and my tiny tv. I have the fixings for coffee, oatmeal, salami on bread, cheese and crackers, and some coffee crisp bites tucked up in the cupboard. It is more convenient staying here for now, as I can clean and pack as time and energy permits.
• I am still in love with Canadian Tire, and if I had unlimited funds I'd do my best to open a franchise down in Cancun. I am not a shopper but when I need something, I like being able to go into a store and actually FIND what I'm looking for, and if I can't find it, I can find someone who is interested in HELPING me find it. Can't say I often have that same experience in Mexico.
• Miguel and the pets are all doing well without me, I think they've got it all figured out. Much as this time in Canada is necessary for several reasons, I look forward to being back and fighting for couch space with Miguel and the cats. I hope I get back before the snow flies here - I don't have boots and I don't intend to buy any.