Flood Watch 2011 - My Backyard - Slightly Better News

The latest (and last) forecast for the 2011 Flood was released on March 25. The situation is still grim overall, but for us the situation has improved slightly. The municipality is currently recommending that temporary dikes be built to the 1976 (record year) level without the +2' for free board. Since our house and the land around it is 1976 + 1' we don't need to sandbag. That's a huge relief. I don't want anything cutting into my reading/blogging/crafting/gambling time. Providing the forecast is right (they are usually pretty good at predicting these things) and we don't get an ice jam, we should be relatively ok-ish.

Some of our neighbours will not be as lucky. There are a few thousand sandbags at the end of our street. Some of these have already been delivered to the individual yards. I'm not sure how many houses are sandbagging, but it's at least a few. It's pretty disconcerting to see them all. My anxiety level is definitely up.

There's still a good chance that some of our property is going to be underwater. Just how much remains to be seen. There's still a 1 in 10 chance that it'll get closer than it did in 2009. At that time, the river was within 50 feet of the house. We still had about 6-8 feet of elevation because the land around our house was raised for flood proofing.

We finally got to see an aerial photo of our area from 1976. There's really not that much to see. Our street didn't exist then and there were just a few houses around. It's hard to tell where the water was because the area was heavily forested. Judging by the survey levels and other information we've received, we are now guessing that at least the bottom of the trees were submerged. I also found some photos online of our area (from ground level) in 1976. They were not pretty. Roads were underwater and in some areas there was just water as far as the eye could see.

As for current conditions, I was going to post more pictures of the yard, but not much has changed. Some of the snow has melted in the nearby city; even the farmers' fields are looking more spring-like. However, our property with its many trees still looks like winter even though we've had some melting. There are areas where we can see the ground, especially around the house where my husband removed the snow (in case we had to sandbag - can't sandbag on snow or ice), but the other 2.75 acres is still pretty much covered.

The weather is definitely warming up now so we should see more of the ground soon enough. I'll post some photos of the yard (or water as the case maybe) when there's been a change.

A big Thank You to those who outright volunteered or said yes when asked to help us with sandbagging, moving furniture and everything else. Please stand down...for now. ;)

Disclaimer: If you came here for information about the Manitoba Flood 2011, you've probably come to the wrong place. This post (or series of posts) will focus only on my backyard and house. If you are looking for general information regarding the flood, try the Government of Manitoba website, which can be found here or here for more area specific information regarding the Cartier, St. Francois Xavier and Headingley areas. You can also get more information by calling your local municipality office.

The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

In The Oracle of Stamboul, it was said that the birth of Elenora Cohen fulfilled a prophecy. It shouldn't have been a surprise then when this savant teaches herself to read at a very young age. She encouraged by some, but tolerated and even punished by others. When her carpet merchant father, decides to visit Stamboul for an extended period, Elenora stows away in a trunk to be with him. It's there in Stamboul, that her life takes a dramatic turn as she comes to the attention of a sultan. Could this be her destiny? Can she change the course of history?

This is definitely one of my favourite books I've read so far this year. It is magical, exotic and fantastic. I loved it from the very first page. Michael David Lukas transports the reader to 19th century Eastern Europe and introduces us to the most amazing characters. It's so well written and richly detailed that I felt like I was actually there. It's hard to believe this is Lukas's first book. I won't give the ending away, but I will say that it didn't end as I thought it would. I really love when the author devises an ending that surprises me.

Elenora Cohen was such a great character. She has a lot to contend with starting from a very young age. Her mother dies shortly after her birth, which leaves her in the care of her father and aunt who becomes her step-mother. Her aptitude for the written word was outstanding, but her gifts were not always seen as such. Later in Stamboul when she's noticed by Sultan Abdulhamid II, it isn't easy on her. I was particularly taken with the protagonist, but various other characters also got my interest. Among those are: Moncef Bey, Mrs. Damakan, the sultan and just about every other character. Even characters whom I didn't trust or like (Ruxandra, Reverend Muehler) were intriguing.

New words: The book contained many new-to-me words. I couldn't possibly list them all, so here's a sampling:

caïques (page 71): small wooden fishing boat
portmanteau (page 73): large suitcase
funicular (page 81): essentially a cable car
crenellated (page 92): crenel is a opening in battlements
sonorous (page 103): loud
ululation (page 107): howl
muezzin (page 139): man who calls Muslims to prayer
odalisque (page 151): enslaved woman in a harem
kemenche (page 151): three-stringed bowed instrument
meerschaum (page 201): a mineral resembling clay
ablutions (page 203): ritual washing
gnomon (page 216): arm of a sundial
calumnious (page 261): defamation
dodecahedron (page 278): solid figure with 12 faces
seraglio (page 285): palace

I loved the Q&A with the author, Michael David Lukas, at the end of the book. The answers provided me with great insight on the origins of the story as well as other items regarding the book and the author.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the cover of this book. It is utterly stunning. The faint spires and domes in the background along with the flock of birds emphasised that I was about to embark on a journey to faraway lands. As if the cover wasn't beautiful enough, the book arrived with an outer wrapping. Rather than describe it, just look at the photos below.

Isn't it wonderful? I loved the gold and purple ornate designs on the outside of the heavy card stock. The gold foil-like inside totally blew me away. Both the cover and the wrapping not only fit with the story but also enhanced the mystical qualities of the story. It was clear that something very special was inside.

Highly recommended. I'd love to read more of this author's work.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins website.

I'd like to those nice people at HarperCollins for this review copy.

The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas, HarperCollins, ©2011. ISBN 9780062012098(Advance Reader's Edition), 294p.

Wordless Wednesday - Shhh...

More Wordless Wednesday.

Needlework Tuesday - Embroidery and My Old Eyes

It's time for another instalment of "Needlework Tuesday", which I first saw over at Heather's blog, Books and Quilts.

I don't have much to report again this week. I re-stretched both of my embroidery projects I mentioned last week. I also managed to confirm that I have the thread necessary to complete the cross crochet/counted cross-stitch flowery pillow. That's was a huge sigh of relief. I even started stitching that one again. Yippee!!!

Because I haven't picked these up in years, it's going to take me a little time to get back into it. I noticed that my eyesight isn't what it used to be. I don't use the reading part of my progressive lens all that much because I really only need them for very small print, which I don't come across that very often. However, with this embroidery thing I'm finding that I have to use that part of the lens for longer periods. It ain't easy to find just the right angle.

A couple of people made comments last week about the cross crochet so I decided to post a close-up of it. It's done on Aida cloth and only looks complicated. It's actually quite easy to do.
















I haven't been doing much crafting because we are still working on the renovations to the living room. I'm pretty much tired of it and wouldn't have minded if we just took a break from it for awhile....a long, long while. However, my husband is still gung-ho and thanks to him we are pretty much ready for painting. I think he wants to start tomorrow. Me? I think I want to start 3 weeks from next...oh never mind. I've already tried that trick and failed. Did I mention I like to procrastinate?

That's it for this week.

Heather's is juggling her many projects this week and is thinking of adding more. Is she crazy? Go check out her wondferul work. She's issued a invitation this week to anyone else who'd like to join this regular Tuesday feature. Really, we'd be happy to have you.

Rikki from Rikkis Teleidoscope has created some really nice curtains for her balcony using fabric from IKEA. Good Job!

Have a wonderful productive week!

CSN Stores Product Review - My New Bookcase

I got a new bookcase! It's it nice.

This one is my latest purchase from CSN Stores. I first saw this bookcase on another blog (I can't remember which one just now), but I really liked the colour and style of it. It didn't hurt that it had many glowing reviews on the CSN website.

It was a little stressful when the box first arrived. The courier with his big truck will not drive down our driveway because he's afraid that the overhanging tree branches will damage his truck. We've already trimmed them back a couple of times and while some big trucks have ventured down the driveway, this guy won't. Anyway, this box weighed a ton (slight exaggeration) and he carried it the +375' to our door. Did I mention it was winter? I know it's really his choice, but I still felt really bad. I probably won't be making any more big (as in heavy) purchases in the near future.

Anyway, my husband and I have assembled a few pieces of furniture like this before, so we knew what to expect as soon as we open the box. The instructions were easy to follow; all of the pieces were present and clearly marked. Overall, the bookcase was very easy to assemble. We have run into trouble in the past with furniture like this from other companies. Sometimes the milling of the holes are just a little off and the piece will not go together. However, I can gladly say that each and every hole was placed exactly where it should be.

I was surprised that I didn't have to pay international shipping costs. This is a huge bonus. Had I know this I probably would have ordered it sooner. I saw that it was manufactured in Canada, but I've heard that some things are made here, transported across the border to be sold. They then make their way back to Canada at a premium price and additional shipping costs. Sad, but true. I'm happy to see that's not always the case.

My one little disappointment was that the wood scratched easily. We managed to put in a few very minor scratches while we were assembling it despite being very careful. I bet the ebony colour doesn't help. Anyway, we were able to disguise them with the black marker that was included in the package. It looks good as new.

Eventually, this bookcase will make its way to our newly finished basement. Until the flood risk has passed, though, it's going to stay in the master bedroom. For the time being, I've loaded with it a few books, boxes and baskets to see how it's going to look. I love it! It's really going to be great for oversized books, like the ones published by Dorling Kindersley (DK).

Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase.

For more information about this bookcase, please visit the CSN Stores website.

Disclaimer: I received a coupon/gift certificate from those nice people at CSN Stores that partly covered the cost of this item. I tried to present an honest review despite that fact.

HarperCollins March Madness - Semi Finals

It's the semi finals for HarperCollins March Madness. Only 4 are books left. All of my favourites now have been eliminated.

It was really a funny week. For some of the battles, it was mostly clear from the start who the victor was likely to be. However, other battles (I believe it was the one between Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien) went back and forth and there was no telling who was going to come out on top until the very last second.

Another funny thing was that each of the books I voted for this week lost. All of them! I could see half way through the week it wasn't going well, but I continued to vote for them anyway.

I'll admit now that my favourites are gone and I haven't read any of the remaining books, my interest and motivation have diminished somewhat. I'm still going to hang in there to see who's going to ultimately win, but unlike last week, I probably will only vote a few times. How's your energy level/interest holding up? To vote, click here.

I won't even hazard a guess as to which book will come out on top. Do you have any predictions?

Saturday Snapshot - Bat House

This photo was taken last summer just after we put up our bat house. (It's been on my Flickr page since then. We hope the bats will show up soon, so I figured I'd post it here and write a little about it.)

Bats are notorious for eating mosquitos. Something like 1000 an hour or some crazy number like that. We were told not to expect them until spring (if ever), but we figured we should get the box out there for any scouts that show up. Even if they don't show up, it makes a great conversation piece. Anyway, the bats like water (we live near the river)and trees (we have lots of those). We also have a food source...lots and lots of mosquitos. Well, not now of course. They won't show up until the snow is gone.

Once the bats show up, another box is required. When the females have little ones, they kick the males out of the box, who then need somewhere else to go. We will probably build the next one rather than purchase it. The construction looks simple enough.

I'm not particularly fond of bats, but we were told that we most likely will never see them because they sleep during the day and hunt at night. I hope that's right.






















Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.