So many good things

Thursday's One Good Thing involved flirting.  I haven't done that in awhile and it felt good.  The last few days seem to have been about connections. No matter how temporary or tenuous, they do get made.

A great friend let me crash on her couch the night before the big walk. I didn't sleep much but that had more to do with anticipation than anything. We laughed long and hard that night. The gala was so much fun.  We ogled a man in uniform, chatted with Olympians, applauded the brief speeches, sampled wine and delicious food. I love the view from the top of Queenston Heights.  There's so much history there, it's impossible to ignore. Not just the history of a people coming into their own identity, and the realization of how vital that identity was, but personal history too.

Canada is on the left of the river, the United States on the right.  The river still takes my breath away.

On our way home, we drove down to the river's edge and spent some time with a fox kit. It was summer solstice and he lay at the edge of the trees, dozing in the setting sun.  There was something incredibly magical about all of it, and profoundly peaceful. 

The morning dawned ridiculously early, and me with it. Up, dressed and out the door by 530 so I could start the walk with hundreds of others. I wasn't the only one in costume but I did seem to attract a lot of attention. I gave up trying to figure out why and smiled for all of the photos. 2km into the route, a woman gave me agorgeous bouquet of roses from her garden.  They were a lovely antique pinky cream. I carried them for quite some time, all the way to Niagara College, which is just under the halfway point of the 32km trek.  Then I passed them off to my mom for safekeeping.

We were so blessed with historically accurate weather (hot and humid), fantastic volunteers who made sure everyone got to the end safely, quick acting medics, enthusiastic walkers. Honestly, as a group, we kept each other all going.  Joey the dog trotted along beside us all the way to the college. I lost sight of him and his owner there when I stopped to fill up my water bottle and connect with a few other people.  A woman in a knee brace and walking sticks made the entire distance.  Her determination and enthusiasm was inspiring.  I shared salted nuts with a man in need of knee support. He hadn't really prepared his body for the walk but after getting medical treatment at one of the way stations, he went on.  Three sisters continually played leapfrog with our group as did a couple from up north.  We had to stop a few times and attend to things but overall, it was a satisfying day.  Every single time I thought of quitting, and there were a few, someone usually bolstered me and kept me going.

The day was full of good things. Water when we needed it. Shade when we were desperate, humour on the part of everyone we came in contact with, plastic, wool and stuffed cows all seemed to travel together.  So many friendly faces. All the different shades of green in the forest. The vibrant shades of blue, purple and yellow on the various weeds through the fields. The welcome red of the volunteer tees.  Big big smiles and cheers as we passed by people. The welcoming committee on the bridge.  Sure, they were waiting for the Prime Minister's Wife but I knew most of them.  Their familiar faces were a boon.  There was wooded hills and benches made from trees. Wide paths.  And the smell of all the wildflowers. The smells were so good.

Sunday was a quiet day spent recovering. One Good Thing about all the tossing and turning I did that night was it kept me from getting stiff and sore.  Apart from exhaustion, heatstroke and hyper-hydration, I felt pretty good. All those weeks and weeks of practice walks did their job.  Most of the day involved slow stretches and deep thought about the people I'd met along the journey - Saturday's 32km and the four months I've been on Team Laura.  I'm so incredibly blessed.

Today's good things were as profound yet less dramatic.  Tidying up her kitchen while I chatted with my mom.  Weeding around the freesia that has finally started to show itself by the back step.  Dinner with a good friend.  Snuggling on the couch with Ky, Milo and Yoda all at the same time. We broke a few house rules doing it but they deserve my attention after so much benign neglect.

It's odd. We weren't walking for a cause. It wasn't a fundraiser. It was reliving history in our own way.  There was a great deal of community support.  Lives were changed. Never doubt that you connect people and events, that you impact those around you.  YOU are important. Vital. Necessary. 

Fashionable Good Things

I'm the least fashionable person I know. Is it comfy? A colour that suits my mood? Does the skirt swirl? These are my measuring sticks for a good outfit.

Today I wore a top that I last wore in September when a friend was in town and several of us met up with him for drinks and nachos.  It's yellow, with lots of blue and orange and red on it. Sounds awful but the cut is actually flattering and the material swishes when I move. Plus, it's loaded with fun memories. I smiled all morning because when the top caught my eye, I remembered something else from that night.  It was a good night. Even if I did end up with a parking ticket. 

This afternoon, Mom and I went to Fabricland and bought material to make Regency dresses for the Laura Secord Walk.  I bought a pattern online that is historically accurate. It said the ball gown could be made from organza. This is similar, lightweight and going to be interesting to sew.  It's not plain as was suggested but hey, we have to want to wear it.

It's kinda me, don't you think?

Great Things

Yesterday was amazing.  Up early and out the door to climb the escarpment as we scoped out another section of the legacy trail. It was a workout. The weather was ever-changing. Spring in the valley, winter snow on top of the trail.  The views were incredible. The idea that a lone woman made that part of her walk in the dark, fifteen hours after she'd left her home.

This is Laura's rock not far from where she would have crossed 12 mile creek

The evening was all about friendship.  Our house was full of laughter, cheering (Toronto's hard luck Leafs made the playoffs for the first time in nine years) and mingling all the different aspects of my life.  I am so blessed.  Blessed in all aspects of my life, and overwhelmed with appreciation for every single person who has shared themselves with me.

We had water in margarita glasses, kids jumping Wii over our heads, pennies for local and global charities, memories of hot tubs, chicken wings and newborn pups, Icelandic knits, Guinness exploding over walls, hipping the water tap, melting in the kitchen, one lone rock concert lighter standing in for candles, Boston jerseys, admiring art, planning writer retreats, discussing Aunt Jean's hundredth birthday party, and poignant moment with Casey tapping his brace against a friend's prosthetic leg.

I'm tired today but full.  Work was good, one friend is still visiting, more wine was purchased. We're spending the evening finishing all the open bottles, admiring her new hats, opening the cards that were neglected last night and appreciating all the fun we had last night.

Someone wished I would have something wonderful happen to make me remember the day. It did indeed. 

Morning walk

One Good Thing about getting up so early on my day off is that I got to stand at my kitchen window and watch the baby doves have breakfast while I ate mine.  Usually, the nest is higher in the tree, on level with my second storey window. This year, it's down a few branches, right about where I had planned to prune.  No I can see right inside the nest. The chicks are big enough, and feathered enough, to be two weeks old. I'm not sure how I missed them. They're about the same age as the starling chicks in the garage. They were impossible to miss.

The second leg of the Laura Secord Legacy Walk was incredible.  The weather was sunny, cool and dry - much better than the forecast of mixed rain and snow.  We did ford a stream or two but my boots kept my feet dry.  Here are a couple of quick pics I snapped with my phone. The backpack I'd taken didn't make the cut.  It was uncomfortable and difficult to shrug in and out of so I ended up leaving it on my back, camera stowed safely inside.

More walking, less eating

I hauled my lazy ass off for a  mile long walk with the dogs. Casey was exhausted but a trooper.  Ky could have kept going despite being five years older than Casey.  I did notice that as we got closer to the lake both dogs picked up the pace. I went further today than we did last week and when we stopped by the willow at the water's edge, they both surged forward to take a dip. Fortunately, I still had leashes firmly in hand. That is not our usual swim spot, nor is it a good choice.  It did make me rethink the walking agenda.  Ky and I will do the Laura Secord training.  Both dogs will swim once a week to get Casey's shoulder back into shape. He walks so much on that foot without the brace but he's packed on way too many pounds over the last year and a half.  I want both of us back down to fighting weight.

I had planned to ride my bike to work. Good thing I didn't. The sky opened up and the rain hasn't stopped.  The storm drains can't keep up with it all.

The good news is that all the exercise today meant I wasn't all that hungry.  I didn't stress eat tonight at all. So maybe there's a correlation.  I just want to feel healthy again.

How was your day?

Historical good thing

When I was young and visiting my great-grandparents in their wooded home at the base of Brock's monument, I used to imagine I was Laura Secord trekking through the woods with my cow to warn the British that the Americans were coming.

Many years later, I'm going to take part in the commemorative walk from her homestead in Queenston to DeCou House in Thorold.  I met with members of Friends of Laura Secord.  It's going to be an amazing walk and I encourage everyone who can to come out and participate.  I'll be taking my camera.  There will be no cows,other than those we pass along the way.  That was a myth.

I came home and made brownies. All that talk of walking made me hungry.

Well, that and the fact that I spent the afternoon rushing around trying to find doors for the cabinet.  No luck. None whatsoever.  I did find some interesting old windows, though.

No one played a practical joke on me, either. Yay!

How was your day?