What I am reading

 Third time's a winner!!

I greatly enjoyed the other two Natasha Leister books I read, but this third one is my absolute favourite!

The Riviera House, like the other two I read, take place during World War II in Paris. The focus of this one is the art. In WWII, Hitler and his minions made a very deliberate and consolidated effort to steal and also destroy much of  France's art treasures. The Louvre was one of the buildings taken over, and it was there that art was either collected and shipped off to Hitler and Goering, or it was deemed sinful and burned.

Leister did such an amazing job of describing much of this process, and the anguish the local curators felt as they were helpless to stop the process. There was also a very concentrated effort by subversive factions to document which art went where, so that they could hopefully try to retrieve it, should the Allies win.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this one to anyone who has a curiosity about this time period.

What I read this week

 Last year I dove into a new author named Natasha Lester, with her book, the Paris Secret.  I very much enjoyed this book, and while I was in the city at my doctor appointment, I picked up a couple more of her books. 

This past week I entered the world of the Paris Seamstress, and re-entered WWII in Paris, and modern day New York

This book hovers between past and present, and does a good job of it. Far too many I read do that, and I get lost in the story and characters. I admit to a certain fascination about the world of couture clothing and all it entails.

I didn't love this book quite as much as the Paris Secret. I am still glad I read it.

What I read this week

 Yes, I am definitely addicted to stories about the Royal Family. Get that from my mom :-)

This one felt biographical, but of course it was fiction.

The Other Windsor Girl, by Georgie Blalock

This book was designed to give us a peek inside Princess Margaret's life, through a fictional Lady in Waiting.  I always wondered what a more modern Lady in Waiting did, as opposed to the world of Elizabeth I. 

It would appear a lot of it was placating the Royal, providing her with companionship for her outings, and helping to tame, a wee bit, the royal scandals.

I enjoyed this one much more than the biographical Lady in Waiting, by Anne Glencommer.  I guess truth is sometimes less exciting than the fictionalized version.

It certainly shows how a life of no purpose (other than pleasure, and a wee bit of duty to  Crown), can leave one feeling more than a bit lost.

What I read this week.

 Sometimes, when it's been a week, a girl goes back to her staples, hoping for familiar comfort.

I've been reading Danielle Steel since I was 14, and 90% of the time, she does not let me down.

I have always been intrigued by the Women's  RAF (Royal Air Force), and the role they played in WW2. Young women from Canada and the USA joined together with women from Britain.

This book is adjunct to that, and takes us to the world of the Flight nurses on these aircraft, and the critical role they played. They were often called the Flying Angels

One of my good friends from our College Hockey family serves in the military, and she accepted a post to work at Mildenhall in the UK for a couple years. Her stories of the folks she met were quite incredible.

This book captures a taste of some of those stories. It was exactly what I needed.

What I read this week

 I went a little more modern this time with Vintage, by Susan Gloss.

When I read this I am reminded of The Shop on Blossom Street, by Debbie Macomber.

Women of different backgrounds, coming together unexpectedly, and finding in each other, the strength to find themselves.

It wasn't an overly complicated read, but it definitely reminded me the power of connection with people.

What I read this week

 It's ugly bitter and cold out there, and my brain felt focused so I dove into a book for the first time in awhile. I had purchased a stash of them before Christmas but never really got into the reading.  

New year, new focus. Let's read.

The first book I chose was Lady in Waiting: My extraordinary life  in the shadow of the Crown.

Anyone who follows me knows I am a huge follower of the Royal Family ( not stalker paparazzo level though). I thought this would be an interesting insight from the point of view of some from the Ton, but not of the royal family.

It took me a bit to get into it, and once I did, I realized the tie in to Netflix The Crown. It is the wedding of Anne and her husband Colin, that princess Margaret is at, when she meets Tony for the first time. He was the photographer.

I found the details of how Mustique came about to be very interesting. It also gives a different glimpse of Princess Margaret than I have read about before.

Overall, though, it wasn't a book I will re-read. I found it to be a bit name droppy, more than stories. The behaviour of Colin, her husband, was a big turn off. I can't imagine living that life with him.

Reading reviews on amazon, I see people either loved it or hated it. 

Have you dived into this tell all?

multiple RRSP updates

 OH yes it's been awhile.

It isn't that I don't love ya'll or appreciate all that I learned while doing this blog.   

I seriously have NEVER been this tired after work days ever in my teaching career.

I come home, eat, do dishes and crash, often just barely holding out until 8 PM so I can go to bed.

very sad indeed.

It isn't just the blog that has been neglected. My mail pile of non critical mail has been too.

So here are 3 RRSP updates I found in a drawer.

It looks like the last RRSP updated I tagged on here was July 2020. wow girl.

I definitely added to it last November. Not a ton, but a bit.

 July 2020 - $19 197

December 2020 - $24 086. well hello that's up more than I contributed

June 2021 - $24 868.11, hmmm not much movement there.

September 30 - $25 253.  a wee bit up.

This reminds me that I need to contact my person for this year's.

I am doing that immediately after publishing this, though I know she won't see it until Monday.

And then I am going straight down to the filing cabinet to put these away.

I miss ya'll!

Saving for Renos

 It feels like the bulk of my money focus has been on saving for the necessary upgrades that are needed at our new house and the old one. 

At the old house it is desperately in need of shingles. We installed the old ones in the fall of 2004 so they have made it not quite 20 years. The south side are a mess on both the house and the garage. I have the money saved for it. Now, the trick is just to find a weekend we can get enough people together to work fast and efficiently and get it done.

At the new house we had an electrician come to do an estimate on work in the downstairs garage. We have had to gut the ceiling due to water damage and squirrel damage. Once we get the electrical done again, then we can install the lights and the ceiling gyprock and get moving on getting it organized. A LOT Of memories in that space. My cousin was here last week and was quite overwhelmed with them all.

 At the new house we also to replace windows. They are the originals from when dad built the house in 1972. They are ridiculously NON energy efficient. We had a quote on that as well. To do the whole house (main level) will cost just under $14 000. I definitely cannot afford all of that so we shall do the picture window and the windows of the front two bedrooms this year. I will have to save up to do the rest. The install won't happen until November according to their schedule.

Ah the joys of home ownership.

New Little pots of planned expenses

 I have been following the 'jar philosophy' of weekly expense budgeting for ....(doing the math) holy, 13 years. Wow, that 's crazy when you think about it. 

It has, without a doubt, been my saviour. 

I have one real payday a month and I create three fake others to give myself that guidepost for weekly expenses: Gas, 'mad money' spending, groceries/household. It has evolved over the years but the basic idea remains the same.

I still do  cash withdrawls. I know many of you who do this are very successful with debit/credit card versions of this. I have found that I am my most successful when I stick to cash. That became a bit more challenging when many places were not taking cash during the height of Covid times.

When, if I have any leftover money, it often goes into a holding jar. (yes there are real little jars). I use it for one thing or another as new planned expenses evolve.

Right now I have a few little side missions I am planning for.

 Any money leftover from the gas budget goes away and is used for the more costly gas expenses when I have to go to the city for my infusions. I am also tucking that away to use for my oil changes

I have two other little jars I started now. Both are for things that aren't concrete plans, but fingers crossed, will be. DS1's wedding. No, he hasn't proposed yet. They have been together for 7 years and frankly I am tired of waiting, but apparently that's not my decision :-)

The first jar is for the mother of the groom attire. Not sure what kind of wedding it will be but it will be nice to have $ set aside for when the time comes. I don't own many fancy clothes and I will want something special for that day.

The second little jar is for her veil. I don't have daughters and won't get to do the shopping for the bridal gown etc. I wanted to put some money aside for her for a veil, or her shoes, or jewelry....whatever she ends up deciding on. Just a small gift from me to her.

The amounts are huge and the additions to the jar don't go in regularly, but a little bit here and a little bit here will be a nice way to start things off when it's time.

Hopefully sooner rather than later.

What are your go to air fryer recipes?

 My kids got DH and I a fancy air fryer for our 30th anniversary. 

Everyone at work raves about them.

So I am wondering, for the air fryer aficionados out there....what are your go to recipes for your fryer? 

Added to the TFSA

 The more I about how my parents' RRSP and RIFs went down after their passing, the more I am in favour of TFSAs.

 

Mom and dad invested well and invested a lot. When they passed far far too much money went to the Government for tax purposes. They worked so hard for that money and they would have been sick at how much went away. 

I do place blame on their investment manager. He should have been advising them to withdraw the maximum, without penalty, each year in their last 5-7 years. This would have reduced the tax bracket they were in and greatly reduced how much they paid for taxes. They could have spent it on themselves, put it in a TFSA, or heck, put in under their darn mattress. The amount they 'gained' having it in investments was completely obliterated by the tax penalty.

I added a tiny bit to my TFSA at the end of last week. $1000. Not anything life changing, but a little bit to add to what I have tucked away. This money was mostly through loose change over the past 8 or so months. Amazing how it can add up if you buy something with a $5 or a $10 and put the change in a jar.

I will try to do another $1000 before year end.

Do you lean towards TFSA or RRSPS (or your country's equivalent?)

A wonderful Monday

 So many wonderful non exciting things happened today.

It started off with  early morning coffee outside in my back yard beside the pond. The sound of the birds and the water moving was such a positive therapeutic launch of the day.

I had enough energy to go do a bit of grocery shopping and get the mail. There was enough mental focus to go through my finances and update my monthly spreadsheet and double check the planned savings accounts. 

I settled down to start my first book of the summer The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser. I am having trouble settling in to read for longer chunks of time, but I am hoping that will come.

After supper was grass cutting and taking care of my flowers, and just enjoying being outside.

The day ended with a glass of wine on the deck as sunset. 

Starting to be me again

 Well I can't say my first few days of summer were productive but I think I am starting to be me again.

First, it was brutally hot. SK isn't meant to get to 100F/38C. I am beyond grateful for the AC we put in last year. I cringe at the near future power bill, and I definitely feel for my son and his GF who are at our old house which would be stifling hot. But there is something weirdly isolating about blinds down and being inside.

Second, I slept. and slept. I would go from one spot to another for a quick lay down which turned into nap after nap. Hopefully it is just 'end of school' exhaustion, and not something more. I so desperately want to feel better and DO things.

Third, no brain energy. Not even enough to just enjoy a nice reading session outside in the early morning or late at night. No energy to think about finances. No brain energy to plan. I did not even have enough to make my usual summer lists.

Towards the end of this afternoon, I felt a flicker of me. A desire to do things, to think of things, to go places.

I hope, with the morning, it is still there. It would sure be nice to welcome 'me' back to life.

Finally Summer

I am sure that every year it feels like 'thank goodness summer is here', but I am certainly feeling it this year.

We finished school yesterday, June 30th.

Don't get me wrong....this was  a great group of students to work with during this Pandemic teaching year. They were cooperative for protocols, they adapted to the multiple switches we had to make during the year, and they were fun to work with.

It was just  an incredibly draining year. Not one big thing (covid aside) but just that ongoing grind of restrictions and constantly trying to find new ways to make learning successful for the students. 

Staff were grumpy amongst themselves and policy changes were misplaced during such a tough year.

We were fortunate in my class to have in person learning all but two weeks for the year. It's a big building and there were many classes (and staff) who had to do multiple self isolations due to close contacts.

It was a year of creativity and relying on each other more than usual to find ways to make things work.

It was a way of steep technological learning.

I worked with students whose parents had never stepped foot in the building, or met me in person. It took a lot of trust for them to do that, so I worked hard at staying more connected that ever.

I am grateful for time to stop and rest and breathe. I am not looking for any WOW travel experiences this summer. Just incredibly grateful for a chance to recharge and destress.

What I am reading

 I am honestly not sure when I picked up this book. It's been on my shelf for awhile, perhaps even since our move in December 2019.

I think when I am reading, I just have to be in the right 'feel' for the topic. I would say I am still wounded from losing both parents so I steer clear of modern books that have parents passing as the primary theme. 

I seem to be on  a WW2 sort of kick lately. The topic is another 'I really didn't think of that' moment of different ways that the war impacted people in France. It is based off the them of the Resistance Movement of different home bases of wines like Veuve Cliquot.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book.

Reading thus far in 2021

 I have been carving out time to read more. Not that I don't have time. I do. It's more....forcing myself off the technology/ mindless scrolling that eats up ridiculous amounts of time.

I can hardly keep self complaining that I need to read more when I don't make the time for it.

It's purposeful and intentional time.

I have lost a lot of my reading stamina....that ability to just keep reading and reading without getting distracted.

So I set a timer now on my phone and put my phone on the charger....away from me.

That way I know how much time has passed without forever glancing at my phone.

This helps when I am reading something for school.

I never used to have this problem.

anyways...here is what I have been reading thus far.

Adventures of the first two weeks of 2021

 Back to work started briskly on January 4th as our school continued with half the students one day, half the next. It took a couple days to get used to wearing a mask again all day, but it did come back. The kids took a bit of brain jiggling to get things back for them, which is quite understandable.

The weather has been incredible for January in SK. Just a teeny bit below 0C. We definitely cannot complain about that. When the -40Cs come along, as they eventually will, it will be a tough adjustment.

Friday the 8th we got an email of our first covid case of 2021 at school. It was to be expected when people don't take things even with a modicum of seriousness. By Saturday we had a second and then a third.

Sunday afternoon I got  THE call from provincial health saying I had been deemed a close contact to a positive case. Not from my own class, but within the building. 

And so begins 14 days of self isolation... minus the 2 since I had last saw the person.

I spent hours Sunday night finding a sub for 2 weeks and planning for the first few days. Thank goodness I had brought my computer home. At least I could access some of my materials.

My husband was allowed to go to work. We could have no one over (which technically has been the rule since Dec 15th in our province). They encouraged us to be as separate in the home as possible. Different sleeping arrangements, bathrooms etc.  I did not have to go for a test unless symptoms developed.

I rather enjoyed Monday at home. I had a few emails from students and parents, but other than that, my time was my own. 

Tuesday morning was wonderfully leisurely until the virtual staff meeting that announced there were more cases and all students in our building would be virtual for the next couple weeks.

And with that my sub was abruptly done her shift, 8 days early, and I began to teach online from home.

Some schools have been doing this since the start of the year, so I really can't complain.

A huge storm in our province Wed covered the roads with thick freezing rain and no visibility, so being at home was a good thing for many.

6 more days of isolation for me and then off to the city on the 7th for my infusion that had to get bumped to the absolute edge of the window.

Here's hoping the numbers from Christmas calm down and we can get back to in person soon

Happy New Year

 

Fall Catchup

 I realize I have been away for the better part of six months. There was nothing cataclysmic keeping me away....just life being busy and no brain energy left to give much else but work and exisisting.

We started the fall here back in person at school. All masks, all the time. 

I have to say that the kids I have this year did really well with this adaptation. There was no pushback. With the group I had last year, it would have been a much different, far more stressful story.

The biggest challenges were that pretty much everything we used to do, was no longer allowed with covid. Working in groups. Challenge stations. Pass and share etc. We are also not a 1 to 1 school for devices so that required some creativity as well.

It took the better part of September to start to feel comfortable in the new routines. Thankfully it was glorious weather so we did a lot of work outside and took a lot of walks on the campus, which could be mask free provided there was distancing. That great weather lasted until Remembrance Day weekend.

It was a blessing.

Remembrance Day weekend brought a snow dump unlike anything we have seen in a long time. We actually had a snow day, which never happens here. In reality, the snowday was more of a 'we don't have enough staff who can make it into work, and we can't combine classes' thing. But it was glorious and a little gleeful.

Towards the end of November we hit Level 3 with Covid protocols. This meant that we had to split the kids. Half one day, half at home. and then switch. The good news is I wasn't required to teach the  in class and at home at the same time. So for their in class day we did a lot of front loading and practice, and then for their at home they worked on deeper level work on the same topics.

The tough part comes with keeping the two groups balanced in terms of work load, finding time to get caught up on the online marking, and planning when to load each assignment online. It generally is taking two hours a day outside of school time to stay on top of all of this.

Really hoping the after effects of Christmas do not change us to purely online. That is even harder to do and with the disastrous decision making by the provincial govt in spring about online being optional then, some bad habits have been set.

I guess we shall see what the new year brings for school.

A quiet Christmas

 

It's our second Christmas in our new (mom and dad's old house). 

The tree it tilting because I snapped this just after I pulled the orange cat out of it :-). It's their second Christmas with us and their first with a real tree.

It definitely was a quiet Christmas.  With Sask COVID rules only those living in the house could be at the house for Christmas. Technically until January 15th or whenever the rules change again.

DS2 and his gf stayed at their place a couple hours north of here. DS1 and his gf did their own at our old house.

I can remember this house being absolutely jammed with people for Christmas celebrations. Those memories were a gentle haunting here on Christmas Day. 

We will save our big turkey meal for when we can join together in the house. 

The day was spent in front of the fire, watching movies and doing a new jigsaw puzzle, along with a few virtual visits.

That being said, I cannot complain. We have a comfortable home, food to eat and most of us are in decent health. That is more than so many more folk I know.

I hope however you celebrated the day found ways of making you smile.