Zombiefied

I walked to work today. That was awesome.  I was desperate to wake up and it was chilly out there. I love that Fall freshness even if it's too soon. 

I'm exhausted, rundown and headed to bed early.  All of my evening plans fell through and I'm grateful. Tomorrow is scheduled for special time with my DNi.  It's unfortunate that we can't do the 5km Run or Dye (I would possibly die, I am that tired) but if the weather holds we'll go kayaking.

For now, though, I'm just glad I have a good book and a nice bed.  I suspect the book will be ignored.

Some good things happened today - animals got along, dishes were washed when I came home, family attempted to go support my DNe's art show that I had completely forgotten - but I am happiest about the oil of oregano that will keep this sore throat/cold from developing into anything. Boo hiss to the sick guy who came into work today and spread his germs without care. 

What's your favourite curl up and relax thing to do when your brain power is set slightly above zombie?  Shoot, I forgot to take my migraine meds.  I did remember to put the ear seeds back on. Maybe it's a very tiny increment above zombie.

Family

My aunt and uncle have been visiting from British Columbia but my work schedule has made it impossible to see them. Imagine my joy when they stopped by the library to say hello.  They are wonderful people and I'm tickled they made the effort.  It's funny how it takes seeing someone or hearing their voice to realize how much you miss them.

That was even better than watching Ky and Eliot stare at each other from less than two feet apart. Eliot is on the back of the couch, just over my shoulder. Ky is in front of the couch at my knee.  There is hope for detente.  World leaders could take the lead from these two creatures who have an innate distrust of one another but are finding a way to slowly accept the other on the path to leaving together. Of course, it helps that I won't back done on the whole "why can't we all get along" attitude.  Maybe I should broker world peace?  Forget it.  I'm still working on the "housemates are not food".

Food

One Good Thing about being woken up by heavy machinery at 630 so they can idle the big Cat until their 7am start is I was up and out the door with enough to go to the bank before work.

Thanks to a friend's math lesson, I've had an epiphany about spending vs saving. This is going to help my waist line as well. I didn't drive through McDonald's for fries. I went home, sliced up a potato, lightly coated it with coconut oil and put it in the oven.  Delicious.

I did stop at the Farmer's Market on the way home and get some lovely yellow tomatoes. They seem counter-intuitive to me(are you sure they're ripe) but taste yummy. Very yummy.

Eliot is settling in.  He's still freaked out by Ky and Milo but is getting closer to them all the time.  The bird cage is covered for protective purposes when we're not home.  Right now, he's playing with fish food. The joke's on him. We don't have fish any more.  The last test cat ate him.

A patron brought in a large green garbage bag full of pears from a tree in her yard. We all took some to make pear leather, jam, crisp or to can.  I think mine are for immediate consumption. My grandparents and great-grandparents had pear trees in their yards. I associate them with love.

Connections

 One Good Thing about paying attention to all that's good in my day makes me aware of the good in the world. Facebook is full of stories involving initiative, cooperation and consideration for others.  Today alone, I read about a community who have taken on a big energy company in order to have cleaner energy.  I read of a group of people who spent weeks getting a stray dog to trust them so they could bring him off the street before the freezing weather hit.  Once rescued, they discovered he was almost completely blind.  I read of children helping each other realize their dreams. Of parents teaching their children what's important. Of people supporting their gay comrades in Russia, of those recipients risking prison to thank their supporters. 

I'm an optimistic, emotional wreck.  Good intentions do count. Individuals make a difference. 

This deeply moving video left me gobsmacked.  The song is Read all about it by Emeli Sande. 

I know. It's not quite in keeping with the rest of my day's joys.  But it did wrap itself around my heart like all the rest.

It's all about connecting.  When we relate, we care. When we care, we create solutions.

Labouring Good Things

One Good Thing about cleaning out the pantry was the room I made for the jars of canned and jammed peaches.

Ky and Eliot (I was right, TS Eliot wrote the poetry that was the basis for the musical CATS, he didn't write the fog poem but I knew there was a reason I associated him with felines) spent an hour together in the same room.  Ky is learning boundaries. Eliot is learning not to run.  Growling continues.
 
I  finished a good book by a debut author - The handbook for lightning strike survivors.  It was a slow start but had a satisfying end.

I didn't get as much done as I'd planned for today, the living room looks the same apart from the Pilates ball being on the opposite side of the room from the bird cage - but my bedroom looks better, laundry was washed and floors were scrubbed. 

When all that bending over made me dizzy, I popped a movie into the DVD player.  I was surprised that I'd never heard of Flipped.  This sweet story about a couple of eighth graders who have a complicated relationship.  Told from both points of view, it's thought-provoking and complex.  To mangle a quote, it's a delicious parfait that reveals a surprising richness of flavour.

Harvesting good things

Lots of good things today in the midst of being dizzy. The latter is most likely the coming equinox. For some reason it upsets my equilibrium for a month on either side of it.  Odd but well-documented.

A late afternoon visit with my Great Aunt left me alone while she was at church. We'd misunderstood my arrival time.  I used the interim to work on more family photos. She was tickled that I'd scanned so many.  I'm patting myself on the back for having the sense to hit the record button on my phone.  That way, I not only have her sweet voice but her memories as well. Even though that makes me sound like a character from Harry Potter, I plan to do it again next week. I have so stories to go with the photos now.  It's a good way to keep everyone alive.  The shared history gives me a sense of belonging.

Because it makes no sense whatsoever to bail on a party because of dizziness then come home and stand over a hot stove for hours, I did just that.  Elven jars of canned peaches, three containers of frozen and three and a half jars of peach jam. 

Why aren't they called jarred peaches?

Peach jam bubbling on the stove

Tomorrow, I will be moving the living room around so that Elliott and Milo can each have their own window to gaze out onto the world.  There also needs to be a bit more distance between a flat surface and the bird cage. Apparently, the Pilates ball offers an excellent vantage point.

Felines

This is the current staring contest in our house

Milo
vs

Elliot Harry.

He's not that interested in the birds but Ky scares the crap out of him.  Poor kitty. He was headed to the shelter. I suspect an interesting few days. I really didn't want another cat, despite what Stashaholic thought. I do have a backup plan for Elliott if he can't adjust to life indoors with another cat, two birds and a dog. Milo has gone back to sleep. All those years of fostering made him immune to feline drama.

Peachy

There's a flat of peaches sitting on my counter waiting for me to clean peel and dice them into jam and jars.  They smell delicious.  That is all.

Whiney good things

You know what, I'm in a foul mood.  Things have not only failed to go my way, my ego has been smacked around a bit, worrying stuff happened and I'm tired so my ability to cope isn't as good as it normally is so you'll have to accept that my Good Things for the day might seem small.  They're keeping me* from sliding over the brink into despair.

A friend sent me a funny cartoon of two sheep sitting side by side on recliners and watching tv.  The girl sheep was knitting the fleece right off the body of the other sheep. It made me start my day with a laugh.

I have air conditioning at both jobs and work.  On a day when the humidex pushed the temperature into the high nineties that's actually a Big Deal. 

We're all alive. I don't take that for granted any more.  I stopped a couple of years ago.  Those anniversaries are looming and still the grief can reach up and throttle me.  On those days, I try to remember how much those people have not only shaped my past but continue to influence my present. They aren't really gone.

A flat of peaches fresh from the tree are being delivered to me at work tomorrow.  I bought vanilla ice cream to consume with the three peaches that won't be canned, frozen or jammed.  Anticipation is a good thing. I feel all Martha Stewarty.

The world is changing

My day started out with a writer's meeting.  Not only did we brainstorm quite a bit, we met at a restaurant where we all made some healthy lunch choices.  The more we fuel our body efficiently, the better our brains work. It was odd, though, not to have chocolate with my writing buddies. Quinoa, while tasty, doesn't give the same satisfaction.

I went straight from there to a birthday party for my DNi.  She's going to be 12 years old at the end of the week. I spent four hours with six young ladies between the ages of ten and thirteen years old. What a popular culture education!  I was shocked to hear those girls talk amongst themselves. I am now officially old. There is no way I knew half of their subject matter at that age, and even less likelihood I would have discussed it with such frank openness.  It was an eye-opener. It was amazing how they switched back into sweet innocence in the blink of an eye. I was exhausted.

The transformer at the end of our street blew up (I'm fuzzy on the details) but power had been restored by the time I came home. That was great news as I was able to watch Making Stuff: Cleaner on PBS Nova.  I can't put the link in as I'm Canadian but if you're in the States watch it.  Fascinating stuff.  So many people and companies are actively working on cleaner energy and storage in come pretty incredible ways.

Maybe we're not doomed after all.

Stormy days

It's storming outside. The satellite signal is down. It's been a day of upheaval and disappointment for many people.  We don't know what rainbows will be seen after the storms pass.

I've decided to channel some of that negative energy into my story.  It's that or read and nothing captures my attention like my own imagination.  I entertain the hell out of myself. 

A good friend posted this to my FB page with the suggestion that it belonged here.  She's right

Writing rainy days

One good thing about the Internet being down yesterday was how much work I got done reading about ebook formatting as well as some writing.

One good thing about it coming back up today was being able to ask imaginary friends for help with a scene. Those people scare me. It was perfect advice. 

It rained most of the day. I went out for work this morning and Elliott crawled out from a hedge across the street to race towards me. I took him into the garage, dried him off and left him exploring the dry space.  He was over at the neighbour's eating lunch when I got home later.  He's a happy cat.  Food on one porch, shelter on the other.  DNe has changed his name to Harry.  :shrug:

I've done a lot of writing today and that makes me happy. I was stuck on one scene trying to figure out the trigger to my goal.  I just typed a bunch of words to work my way into it. That combined with the help for above imaginary friends really opened it up.  Yay!

Saturday night attitude

I was driving home from work, enjoying the sun on the orchards, the sight of so many people riding their bikes on the country roads and the sound of the radio blasting out a tune.  I actually slowed down, took the time to breathe in the fresh air and really appreciate how gorgeous it was outside. One thing I love about the Niagara library is all the windows.  I rarely feel like I'm missing out on a nice day.

It seemed like that appreciation led to a few pieces of potential good news. The fact that there were some encouraging things after weeks of struggling to find good things was a nice change.

I decided to go to a fundraiser for the SPCA that gave me Ky.  That reason alone earned my undying gratitude. A group of us usually go to the firefighters' dance in town - another fundraiser.  It's the same old people who think it's fun to drink their body weight in beer.  I'd rather hang out with people who value animals and want to help keep them safe.

Man, I've gotten old.  Still, the band will be better at the SPCA fundraiser.

Maturing good things

Finally, a doctor's appointment with relatively good news!  I baked turtle brownies from scratch to celebrate. 

I caught up on several blogs I've abandoned the last few weeks.  It was good to see everyone doing well.

For some reason I find Colin Farrell more attractive now than in his heyday.  Nothing like a little maturity (in years as well as behaviour) to grab my attention. It seems every third movie I've brought home from work lately featured the handsome Irishman.

I had every intention of walking to work this morning but Elliott was sitting by the pond, mousing. Better than fishing in my estimate.  He hopped off the wooden bench, raced across the rocks then hopped down to the patio so that he could twine around my legs. We spent some time in deep conversation. It's too bad I didn't understand a single meow out of his cute little mouth. His youth and enthusiasm make me really appreciate Milo. It's that maturity thing again.

In other good news, Stashaholic and I are going to see Eddie Izzard at Massey Hall in November.  He always makes me laugh. 

"And the irony was writ large upon them"

Lots of wild garlic means I had delicious healing garlic soup for lunch today.

I finished DNi's birthday present. I'll try to remember to post a picture after she receives it.

I've taken the day off from crafts, writing and even reading. My brain is too spacey. Walk away from the joke. It's too easy. Thank you.

Elliott was sleeping beneath the raspberry bushes this morning. He managed to stay under the dogs' radar far longer than I would have expected. Who knows how long that would have lasted if he hadn't come out to greet me. He's quite the social butterfly. All of the neighbours enjoy him. The guys across the street have named him but I haven't heard what they call him. The cat of many names.

It's nice to just sit.

Silver linings

Last night, I was working on DNi's birthday present while watching Oblivion which was much better than I'd expected. I only borrowed it from the library because it was shot primarily in Iceland. 

One Good Thing about today - all of the Scotland photos were not, I repeat, not, lost.  They were in a hidden folder on the external hard drive.  I still can't find the thumb drive on which they are also stored.  Some are on FB and others have been mailed to friends.  It's time to look at cloud storage.  I have an aversion and mistrust of the privacy issues on the cloud but am going to go look at Copy.  A friend with stricter privacy controls than I have is using it.

I may be out of garlic soup (I have a sore throat and fever) but I have lots of wild garlic with which to make more.  I also have lots of seeds still to plant/share if anyone wants them.

There was a private tea party in town with an old friend. We are now older than our parents were when we hung out together as kids, yet I still see her as a teenager.  A teenager with grown children of her own :)

I was deleting old raggedy torn books yesterday. I brought three of them home because really, who doesn't love Far Side and Calvin and Hobbs?

Book therapy

The day started out bad and seesawed from there.  My poor mom is struggling with so many health issues. It's hard on both my parents and the dogs won't leave her side.  We all do the best we can.

I was feeling like a hypocrite about this blog and finding good things every day but a friend pointed out we need that balance.  I consciously seek it out. It might be something as silly as the shape of Ky's nose (almost heart-shaped) or the whiskers on Milo's face but they help me appreciate life is neither all bad or all good. 

Ky's chiropractor appointments are now monthly maintenance. He no longer has the spot on his back that when you press it makes him pee. That's much better for all of us. 

Eliott was waiting for me in the garage this morning and tried to climb into the car. I assured him he wouldn't enjoy it at work.  I lied. He'd love it there. So many people.  But some things are best left alone.  While The Library Lion is a delightful picture book, the reality would be a challenge. A lot of people are allergic to cats, big and small.

It's so nice to lose one's self in a book.  Whole worlds where good triumphs over evil, the girl ends up with the right boy for her, animals are loved, worlds are saved. Those are the kinds of books I most prefer, the ones with happy endings. 

Read a good book lately?

Sunday's goodness

The power went off in the late night/early morning. It was off for about three hours. I know this because the ceiling fan went off and the night air was still. Ky lay on the floor staring at the window. I lay in bed and wondered if a storm was coming.  Nope.

I spent most of the day working on the computer.  Lots and lots of family photos to go through and organize. I took the laptop downstairs and asked my parents about one particular woman.  Neither one of them knew who she was but it sparked an interesting conversation about family friends. They mean so much to us but are rarely recognized through the ages. Shame. 

Ideas are dancing around the edge of my consciousness. I'm working on the horror story and can't quite bring the scenes with this character into focus. I'm not paranoid. I don't really want to hang out with the people I know who are convinced we're all just one click away from destruction.  Depressing.

Where were the good things in my day?  I know I'm on to something. I know that if I keep writing down words the scenes will come into focus.  Instead of staring at them sideways, looking off to the side at the setting and those inhabiting it will reveal the purpose.  Paranoid people do have friends. And jobs. And pets and lots to lose.  So there. It will all come.

Anytime I can engage the family in a conversation about things that make them happy, remind them of people they love, it's a good thing. We're all in the bad habit of waiting for the storm instead of enjoying the change of cloud colour, texture of the air, temperature.  Every moment has its own beauty and weight. 

Sensual goodness

End of the summer reading program means Fun Fair. That means we're busy, kids are running around outside playing games and talking about their favourite books of the year. Inside, parents are discussing their favourite summer reading, and the best places to do it. The community swimming pool received the most votes.  Hearing people talk about books always makes me happy.  I was raised to be a Reader by Readers who were also raised by Readers. I come from a long line of Readers. 

I discovered a new-to-me blog.   Natalia Maks has a photography blog where she shows off her amazing photos.  DNe came across her blog while researching artists.  Every day an incredible image comes to my phone. Those Chinese fire lanterns are beautiful.  She uses doorways so well to draw you and keep you at bay.

I am so appreciative of my senses. I've very aware of all of them.  For some strange reason, when we were kids we'd play a game about which would be worse, to be deaf or blind?  They both suck. Don't kid yourself.  I've experienced both, although deafness was of a much shorter duration and not as complete as blindness.  It's true that other senses kick in but trust me when I say how wonderful it is to have full use of all of them.  Indulge your senses.

Today was a day to do just that.  The plink of metal lids bouncing off nails, the whoosh of a ball being propelled by a breath of air, green scent of creeping charlie, slightly sweet fragrance of dying roses, the hard cyclinder encasing Yoda's pin feathers, the give as I break it with my fingernail, the downy feathers of his neck, the red edging on Kiki's green feathers, the indigo that underlies their wings, slide of Ky's soft fur between my fingers, the velvety smoothness of Milo's ear, the sharp tang of the pineapple, the bitter bite of the hot pepper, the soothing bittersweet chocolate(Icelandic of course which leads to laughter).

And imagination, a portal through which all the senses lead us. To the past of my grandparent's yard full of pear trees, over the hills of the recent past laden with Larch trees golden in the early winter sun, the sharp wind stabbing at my face with icy fingers, to the present white noise of the fan pulling evening scents through the window to the future with its hint of rain and dark clouds and moist taste in the air.

Savour your senses.

end of Augtober

The heat is on its way.  The temperature has gone up twelve degrees since this time yesterday.

Little Eliott trotted over this afternoon. He's wearing a spiffy white flea collar. The neighbours and I don't think he spends much time at home as he spends most of his day on their porch, and nights in our garage.  He is hands-down the friendliest cat I've ever met, and for someone who worked in a pet store and volunteered with the SPCA, that's saying something.  I was going to write a note to attach to the collar asking what they called him but thought he might come back with six answers on the paper.

After a week of doctor's appointments, we didn't get good news at any of them, we came up with some ways to deal with the issues.  We're a good team in this family and really look out for each other. 

Green seedless grapes were on sale today. I bought some. Impulse shopping in the produce aisle.  This is a very good thing when I've been fighting the impulse to buy brownies all day.  Grapes were the better choice.  All I can do is make the best choices possible in the moment I'm choosing. That doesn't always happen but no one's perfect around here.  Fortunately that's not my goal.

Lost in a book

Yesterday, I sat by the pond and read for awhile. Mostly, I watched the fish swim through the water plants.  The breeze was cool, the sun was hot, the book was okay. 

My back was bothering me a bit so I came inside and did some stretches. I finished the book.  I did some chores, had a long phone call with people south of here.  We came up with a game plan for a couple of things. I picked up another book. 

I fell so deep into A light between oceans by M.L.Stedman that I did nothing else. I let others take Ky outside. I ignored the phone. I skipped supper. I read. And read. And read until I finished. Then I cried before I got up and went to bed. 

There was no way to get those characters out of that situation without them being damaged, each and every one of them. Being in the right didn't make the one character a good choice and being wrong didn't make the other character bad.  They were all flawed people who were trapped by situations and choices that created havoc for all. It was excellent. 

Nothing I've done today has touched the single-mindedness of immersing myself in Western Australia in the later 1920s.  I ran errands, had tea with my friend and her young son, then went to work.  Being surrounded by books is a nice way to spend my time.

Little Eliot hasn't been around at all today. Yoda took a chunk out of my hand when I tried to put carrot peels in his bowl. I wonder about his sense of smell. Or perhaps it was the colour of my hand that made him think I still had carrots on me.  All in all, a meh day.

HOWEVER, one good thing is the bills all got paid today. I was depressed a bit when I first paid them, so much money, then I realized how fortunate we are to actually have hot and cold running water, electricity, communication and entertainment as well heat in the winter and a/c in the summer. Not only that, we can afford those wonderful things. So attitude, baby.

For some reason, I've been calling everyone "dude" today. That is not only odd, but slightly amusing. It's not part of my vernacular.

Simple things

One good thing about working in a library that is attached to a cafe - cinnamon hot chocolate. Today we experimented with frozen cinnamon hot chocolate. That recipes needs some work. It was too sweet. But I sat outside in the garden to drink it. Lots of roses and rosy smelling plants.  Despite the cold breeze, it was a delightful way to spend part of my lunch break. 

I walked into the house after 12 hours at work cranky as hell. It wasn't the work that made me irritable so much as the been away from home and am tired that did it.  As soon as I sat on the couch - after cleaning the kitchen I didn't mess (hmm, do you suppose that may have contributed to being irked?) - Milo perched himself on my shoulder.  It was kind of funny.  Ky refused to come upstairs until my mood lifted so the cat decided to help that process along.  He headbutted me repeatedly until I smiled. Then he purred. And some people think they're just dumb creatures. 

Now he's curled up beside me on the couch, Ky is at my feet and I'm torturing my paranoid character.  It's the simple things that set us off, and put us back on track.

a good day

Our wifi password at work this morning(it's changed every day so it won't do you any good now) was "a good day".  I took that as my motto for the day.

After working on family photo albums for a couple of hours, I grabbed the leash and took Ky for a drive. It was a hard concept for him to grasp initially(we just drive around and don't stop?) but he caught on when I rolled the window down and let the smell of the river into the car.  We did stop and have a salad in an orchard

That's our picnic table. I should have taken pictures from in among the trees.  It was so peaceful.

From there we drove along the Niagara Parkway and lost count of how many fruit stands we passed.  Ripe peaches filled the air with their sweet fragrance.  It's a good thing we'd already eaten.  Then I saw it, an incredible tree. And it was at the edge of a park. I turned around at the next fruit stand and went back.

As soon as we got out of the car, Ky started whining. There was a small squirrel eating an apple at the base of the fruit tree.

After that Ky found sticks, I took more photos of gorgeous old trees and we enjoyed the park by the lake.  By the time we headed to our appointments at the chiropractor's we were both fairly relaxed. We were a few minutes early so we stretched out on the front lawn and I rubbed his belly.

Honestly, I really needed that quiet connection with nature and my dog. 

Good smells

Lovely day in the neighbourhood.  Laundry went out on racks (we don't have a line, nor can we put one up) so that it smells fresh.  No dryer sheet in the world can recreate the scent of clothes dried by sunshine and breeze. 

Ky brushed himself today. Okay, what really happened was the brush fell off the table and tangled in his tail. When he jumped up it slid through his fur and fell onto the floor.  It was hilarious.

I made cherry jam and peach crisp. One cooked on the stove while the other baked in the oven. The house smelled great but I should have done them at different times to prolong the aroma of cooking fruit.

Ky and I played ball while I weeded. It takes me a lot longer that way (I throw the ball, yank weeds, he fetches the ball then we repeat until I get tired of the constant up-and-down) but I love how his fur seems to capture the smell of the sunshine and hold it inside.  As his breath always stinks, burying one's face in his neck fur is the best option.

No stars for us tonight. It's overcast and there's a hint of rain in the night's fragrance.

Serendipity

Today was just one of those days where opportunities bred opportunities.  It started with me hacking my way through the honeysuckle out to the pond this morning.  There were several baby fish in there.  Lots of plants need harvesting or cutting back but it was so lovely to see how well that area does without me.  It occasionally needs a machete but it's a healthy ecosystem, created to need very little interference from me.

Then my friend and I finally synched up our schedules and went to the movies.  Turbo was playing a matinee and we loved it.  A snail races in the Indy 500 and my friend says there's no way the driver would be able to pick up his car! It's funny what forces us out of the story.  Still, I'm not ashamed to say I cried a little at the end. It's a great story about brothers as well as racing and honouring your dreams no matter how crazy.

Afterward, we talked to the manager about a light that didn't go off.  They've just installed a new LED lighting system in the theater and they are highly impractical if you ask me.  But at $20,000 per light, they are stuck with them. One of them had stayed on throughout the movie and we just wanted him to know so he could shut it off for the next film.  It was interesting to talk about the lights, dimmers and how it's all timed.  In the end, he gave us free passes.

We toured around the shopping mall and dollar store, finding everything we needed without any problem.  Because we'd both been so efficient earlier in the day, and hey we had free passes, we went back to the theater to see Despicable Me 2. It was so much fun to watch great animation features with kids who weren't ours. We didn't have to explain any of the jokes or worry about little ears. I did have to smother my laughter when one of the kids repeated a punchline with great indignation.

After my friend dropped me off at home, I picked the ripe tomato, made a sandwich with it and shared the rest. Nothing beats a tomato fresh off the vine.  

The day finished up where it had started - beside the pond. I didn't see any meteors from the Perseid shower. And my obnoxious neighbour was running a generator for some bizarre reason but still. It was nice to sit out there for a bit and breathe the fresh air.

It was a good day. Simple and indulgent but that was part of the appeal.  

Cats and garlic

This morning I met our garage cat.  DNe told me earlier in the week that there was a very friendly cat trying to get into the house. When I went out to leave for work, a gorgeous dark grey kitty came up to greet me. Either female or neutered male, it looks healthy and well-cared for. I'm not sure if we still have fish in the pond.  I'm going to encourage it to stay so that the rodents don't return. While the image of a rat popping up out of a toaster only to be chased around the kitchen by the dog is hilarious, the reality is grim.  The toaster didn't survive the experience.

All day long I've been thinking of the poem about the fog and little cat feet. The garage cat is quite dark with swirls of lighter grey.  I was thinking we'd name it TS, which is better than Smoke or Fog, because I thought the poem was by T.S. Eliot, he of J. Alfred Prufrock fame. I was wrong. The poem Fog is by Carl Sandburg

 

THE fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

Now I think I'll name the cat Eliot. But it still stays outside in the garage. Milo doesn't have it in him to deal with an interloper and I don't have it in me to train felines to leave the birds alone. Besides, I think the cat has a real home and just likes to hang out around here. Overlooking pond and fish on silent haunches.

The birthday card made it to Iceland. It took long enough to have traveled by way of Ireland as I'd feared but the surprise (garlic seeds) actually caused the Icelandic Customs Officials to open it up.  I don't know why the whole thing struck all of us as funny but we giggled at several points throughout the day.  A friend called it subversive garlic and suggested that as a band name.  Why not?  But would they be a Canadian band or an Icelandic one?

And how was your day?

Acceptance

I made some good food choices today. Admittedly, I'd eat a bag of chips right now - or a tin of cookies - if we had any in the house.  Which is why we don't.  I don't tend to buy snack food as often. Most of the time, I don't miss it.

A darling girl became a teenager today.  Hard to believe that much time has passed since she entered the world with confidence and nonchalance.  We don't spend as much time together as I'd like but she remains an important person in my life. 

I spent a significant portion of the day writing. I have enough of an outline that I know where I'm headed but not so much that I know the journey.  That way lies writer's ennui.

At work, we played with ideas for promoting the library on twitter. I like thinking outside the box.  Boxes are cardboard that need to be broken down and recycled once they've served their purpose.  That's as far as I can take the analogy at the moment.  I think my brain has already taken the recycling bin to the curb. I'm tired.

I've still got some disturbing thoughts rolling around inside my head but have come to turns with the realization that I really can't fix things. That's very difficult for a fixer to accept.

Fresh things

One good thing about living around here is all of the fresh fruit.  I've had sugar plums, peaches and cherries today. They make it easier to eat healthy.

I got my errands done early and spent the afternoon sorting through vacation photos.  There are lots of tree photos, but we were practically staying inside a forest.  This one of dog waiting for stick to fall from tree is one of my favourites.

We will definitely go back for another visit.  We played ball in our own yard today and it just wasn't the same.  The fresh air was nice though.

Here's the promised photo of not-quite-Nea as she looks seven years after installation. I think she's matured beautifully.

 

I particularly like the flowers in her skirt

Mind flip

This morning as I was getting ready for my twelve hour work day a flash of blue out the living room window caught my attention.  It was a blue jay playing in the antenna tower on the roof next door.  Once he realized he had an audience he made a bigger spectacle of himself.  It was a good way for me to start the day.

Work was fun. We were so busy all day but everyone was in a good mood about waiting.  The young man at the cafe whipped up a cinnamon hot chocolate for me then pondered how he could make a frozen drink with those flavours next time.  There's always an element of fun at the cafe.

I had a stutter when my dream from last night played out on my newsfeed today but I guess my psychic self just likes to be acknowledged every once in a while. I was feeling frustrated and irritated by the connection until it occurred to me that the other person really needed the reassurance last night when they were in surgery. It doesn't matter how or why, it simply matters.

DNe reminded me today that sometimes you just have to laugh at life. So I did.  It's hard not to be able to fix some things. Fixing is hard-wired into my DNA.  What I can do is bring sunshine (not too bright or too hot) and flowers (ones without thorns or too much pollen, we can leave the latter for the bees) into people's lives. 

A good conversation with a friend who understands my brand of insanity (or eccentricity, if you want to be kinder) really helped me line things back up in the perspective I prefer.  Sometimes it's just "a jump to the left.  Then a step to the right."

Simcoe Day

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. That's how I celebrated the long weekend Monday. I ate cookies and sorted through stuff in the spare room. I put books in a box for a friend.

I've been struggling the last few days to overcome a black mood. Nightmares based on stuff happening in real life are hard to shake. There isn't much I can do to change the outcomes which makes it a vicious cycle.

For all that negativity, there are still moments of pure pleasure in each day.  The zoo was happy to root through all the papers in hope of discovering crumbs or seeds. Kiki and Yoda eyed up the fleece I brought into the living room.  You just know he's figuring out how to open the cabinet.

I did find some story notes and a design sketch for a knitted top. At the same time that I considered tossing them away, I admired rocks from various vacations.  That was cool. They're staying.

There's nothing like a hot shower after moving furniture.  Clean sheets on the bed. Cool breeze through the bedroom window. Simple pleasures.
What do you do to help yourself out of a deep pit of despair?

Computer vacation

One Good Thing about feeling anti-social is the opportunity to catch up on reading. Plus, the horror story is pinging dialogue around in my head. I'm not quite sure where it's going but I've been making notes.

My work schedule has increased considerably. That's a very good thing when it comes to taking care of my bank account.

The strap on my shoe broke Friday afternoon so I glued it back on with book glue.  That held reasonably well but I'm really glad I swung by the house, discovered four pairs of sandals I forgot I owned, and swapped them out. We got caught in a vicious rain and the glue would have been washed away. My jacket is still damp. 

It looks we'll be having fresh tomato sandwiches in the next day or two.  Only one plant has produced anything in this weird summer but we'll take it. The radishes are woody and the cucumbers stalled out.  I'm beginning to wonder if I need to move the garden to a better location. The pond is in great shape this year. The fish have procreated and the new lily has incredible blooms. 

The day has passed in a blur with little to show for it.  No excitement. Little interaction. Lots of quiet reflection. It was a good day.

Back into the routine

Today's good things include food in the fridge, a chiropractic adjustment, belly rubs for Ky, minions from McDonalds and some of my favourite patrons at work.

Tomorrow will be a variation on that theme as well as sweet anticipation. One of my favourite bands is back together for this summer and we're going to go see them tomorrow night at Canal Days.  Saturday's line-up looks like a blast too but I'm not sure I'll be able to handle both nights after full work days. Yikes, I'm getting old.

Oh, I also took some great photos for the Daily Tree Blog.  I'm so glad we started that blog. It gives me an excuse to stop and look at trees from many different angles.

Home again

One good thing about being home is sleeping in my own bed. Between the long drive and taking my zombie meds, I slept for hours.

My doctor was an hour late for our appointment but I had a good book with me.  It's about a pig. As a pet, not food. There are some interesting bits about society's attitude towards pigs throughout history. Dr and I had a good conversation about the Underground Railroad before he increased the dosage on the zombie meds. At least they keep the migraines at bay.

Awesome presents arrived in the mail today for three wonderful people. There was also a spare for me to do with as I please. Hmmm, I'll have to give that some thought.

We are back into our regular routine. It doesn't quite fit. How long does it take you to settle back into things after a vacation?  Ky has nudged his leash several times today. He's not ready to be home. That's because his bed went with us.

Last day of vacation

Today was the last day of Ky's vacation. He went down into the gully following his nose. He checked out the giant moth attached to the screen window.

DNe and I wandered around downtown, checking out art galleries, the welcome center and the interesting architecture.  I bought a really neat bracelet made of glass beads and nuts, no bolts. I will post a photo after we're home, or a link if I can find the card that was attached.

No post tomorrow as we will be driving.  It will be good to be home. Vacations are wonderful but to quote Dorothy, "There's no place like home. "

Things that make one ponder

I've been throwing sticks, watching Justified, catching up on life and enjoying a NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

My maternal grandmother loved autosports. I can remember watching Formula 1 (she liked Nicky Lauda) and the Indy 500 with her. My parents continued that tradition. Standing in the stands as the cars roared past us down to the finish line was incredible. Standing beneath the track in the tunnel while cars raced over our heads was astonishing. The claustrophobic in me was screaming to get out of there, the race fan was simply screaming.

I know there are massive differences in the health care systems in Canada and the United States yet it boggled my mind that there was a bus parked by the race track that offered free paps and mammograms. No one was sure if it was a joke or not.  Oh my.

None of us could quite understand why a man several seats over had tattooed the Taco Bell logo on the calf of his leg.  Anyone?

Why do people say, "Have a good one."?  Good what?  They aren't saving themselves any words.

We had a blast. I'm tired. I have lots of photos to share from the vacation though the one tree that I really wanted to photograph was too far away for me to get a decent shot.  Had I known how long we were going to sit in traffic, I would have hopped out, taken the picture, then hopped back into the truck. Oh well. It was pretty and the leaves were unlike anything I've seen.

Fun day

I cannot for the life of me remember what had me standing in the kitchen this morning laughing and thinking, "That's definitely going on the my blog tonight as One Good Thing."  Whatever it was likely involved the dogs and some word play.  The important thing is that all day I've been chuckling.

DNe was running around a shopping mall looking for a particular sports shirt.  The rest of us amused ourselves looking at kayaks.  We compared all the different styles, paddles and roof racks. I think I might start buying the accessories before I make the major boat purchase.  I really liked the blue one - because colour is the most important feature. :insert self-deprecating eye-roll here:

We had frozen custard for dessert tonight.  I had forgotten how smooth it is, and delicious. I was also reminded of some good times there in the past.  I saw the movie 300 right around the corner from there twice when I came to visit in two consecutive months.

We also walked down the street to see the Not-quite-Nea statue with vines blooming in her skirt.  I'll share photos when I can upload them later.  Here's how she looked the first time I saw her.

She's matured since then, turned a bit silver. More beautiful than ever.

We watched more Justified. One particular plot didn't make any sense and that took me right out of the episode. It was an interesting plot but illogical. Doesn't that drive you crazy when writers expect you suspend all sense of logic?

This house is on a resort-worthy property. It is my goal tomorrow not to leave. Ky is sleeping the sleep of the exhausted.  Lots of sticks, balls, kongs and chipmunks today.  There may have even been a pine marten sighting. That has yet to be confirmed but it's like we picked our vacation spot solely on what would most amuse the dog.  What's wrong with that?

Ky's excellent vacation

So many good things today.  Most of them revolve around Ky.  We started the day with tea on the screened back porch. We played ball. He was able to run around the back yard and still see me inside the house.  We played stick.  We visited the chow next door, followed mole scents and chased a chipmunk. I was merely trailing in his wake as he explored, played and enjoyed himself thoroughly.

Just before dinner, a movement in the trees caught my eye. It was a fawn.  I watched it carefully pick its way through the wooded area at the back of the house. No momma in sight, but I'm sure she was simply better camoflauged.  What an incredible sight.

After dinner there was much snapping of branches so Ky and I went back into the house. He was fairly focused on the stick at my feet but I didn't want him to hightail it into the brush after another deer, or raccoon. Nature is very close to the house here. We joke that it plays Red Light during the day while we watch then Green Light at night while we sleep. The one tree seemed closer to the window this afternoon after we returned from shopping.

It's been a good day with lovely company. Tomorrow we get up and do it all over again.  Lucky us.

Back home in Indiana

One Good Thing about driving for vacation is that I could slam off the alarm and leave a bit later. I was up really late last night and desperately needed more sleep.  Once we got on the road, only an hour later than I'd hope, the trip was great. No traffic to contend with, cool temps, not too sunny, not cloudy, no need for the a/c.  Ky was wonderful.  He slept most of the way, snacked on apples and chicken mcnuggets when we stopped for food.  DNe was a a big help.  I twisted my thumb/wrist when I opened a bottle of water so I'm basically one-handed. I could hold the steering wheel steady but other than that, my right hand is useless.  DNe carried everything, handed me beverages, held my food, walked my dog, emptied the car.

DNe and I had some profound and insightful conversations. We analyzed some of the issues society currently faces and suggested some solutions. We listened to great music, found an 80's rock station that made us giggle because we couldn't remember which hair band was which and talked about creativity with such focus that we missed an exit. Oh well, we ended up where we needed to be in that moment.

The new house is incredible, tucked back into nature, well off the beaten path.  We arrived early enough to wander around the outside of the house, coo over the four car garage that has a loft and room really for various farm equipment on top of the cars.  We actually had a bay to park inside as well so Evangeline is tucked in for the night. Ky has finally stretched out his legs and settled down.  I'm headed to bed myself shortly.

Tomorrow we'll explore the outdoors a bit more.  Apparently there's a Justified marathon in my immediate future. Raylan Givens.  :sigh:  DNe wants to go to Kentucky so he can say he did.  Expect great photos. And Sunday is the Brickyard race in Indianapolis. We have excellent seats just up from the start/finish.  It's shaping up to be a good vacation full of good things.

Busyness

My Icelandic chocolate joke was "liked" on Facebook by the person it was aimed towards. That made me grin. 

I am officially on vacation. Tomorrow, DNe, Ky and I head southwest to spend time with our Indiana family. Be surprised if I post One Good Thing about driving ten hours. Although, that in itself is a good thing.  We're all packed and ready to go.  Ky keeps nudging his travel leash. He's seen the suitcases and noted his travel bowls were on the counter beside reusuable mugs. He's determined that I remember he's going with us.

While today was full of busyness, it was also fun.  I was cranky when I couldn't find the camera bag but the camera and charger were safe so I compromised.  Which books to take?  Which knitting project?  I stumbled across a great pattern for minions but just don't have time to finish one for a birthday in two weeks. Perhaps, Christmas?  I could make lots of minions.

I mailed a birthday card to Iceland today. The man at Canada Post thought it said Ireland. We'll know why if it doesn't get where it's supposed to.

Yikes, I just shivered at the sentence that ended with a preposition. 

For some reason the idea that I had to bail my pond tonight instigated gales of laughter with my coworkers. It poured today and I don't want the pond to overflow. Sheesh.

Yoda's favourite person who doesn't actually sleep in this house often will be checking on him over the weekend. He will tell her off then snuggle in. 

See you soon. Have fun and remember there are plenty of good things in our lives. You only have to think of One in order to think of others. 

Much better

One good thing about the recurring tire issues was that it happened today when I had the time to spend at the garage. They covered the cost and my car is now in good shape for a long run.

A very young friend helped me shop for birthday cards. He didn't understand the jokes but decided I liked them very much so those were the best cards.

Ky and I went for dinner and to howl at the moon. Our hostess even cooked enough sweet potato to feed him as well as us. The cinnamon was very good for his breath.  That's a very good thing.

Dessert was Icelandic chocolate. I don't agree with the assessment that it's better than sex but it was very flavorful and creamy milk chocolate. Delicious and a source of great merriment, how many other chocolates deliver both?

I hope you had a yummy day

Challenging day

Some days I schedule my post ahead of time.  Friday was one of those days. I knew there was a thunderstorm coming. It was best to do it while we had power.  Wise decision. The storm was intense with winds that blew in ninety degree angles from itself.

Yesterday was spent on cleanup and dealing with damaged alarm systems at work. It wasn't a bad day, just long. All of my electronic devices needed to be charged so I left the blog for the day.  I did have some lively discussions, good food and puppy time.

Today was much cooler weather than it has been. Ky and I harvested more garlic. There's one more bed to tackle after this. The spinach and cucumbers were pummeled by the storm but the tomato is fine. It's odd how different plants respond to rough weather. We turned off the Central air, opened the windows and puttered outdoor.

I've been cranky all day. DNe accidentally made it worse by trying to help. So he mowed the lawn, did laundry and fed me. It was sweet of him. Milo has wrapped his tail around my wrist as he sleeps beside me.  He was on my lap but I was too restless.

I am well aware of how incredibly blessed I am. Friends, family, work, entertainment, home,travel - I have them all. I may have misplaced my humor but I suspect it's merely napping. Time for some Monty Python and the reminder that, "I'm not dead yet. I think I'll go for a walk. "

What do you do to snap out of a crabby mood?

Excellent day

It was busy in our house, the bird cage got scrubbed down. Yoda hid in his hut, Kiki bathed in the tub while the base of the cage soaked, Milo hid in the closet and Ky happily squeaked the ball he found behind the cage. I had the stereo cranked.

Then Ky and I went outside and harvested garlic.  Casey had started digging it up last week so I continued.
This

amounted to this

Then I filled another container with raspberries and gooseberries. Some happy critter has eaten a significant of portion of the gooseberries off the bush. I noticed yesterday that they were quite ripe.  After I put the container in the bucket with the garlic, I cut back the rose bush. I was already melted.   I was surprised Ky wasn't bugging me to throw the ball for him. That's because he had his head buried in the berry container. Apparently, it was self-serve.  I absolutely and completely adore my furry/feathery companions.


What really made my day perfect was this article . It brought tears to my eyes.  These kids reaffirmed my faith in humanity, never mind the youth of today.

The upside

DNe used the round stone on the bbq to make his pizza.  It cooks much faster that way so the bottom of stone and crust were both black. The house didn't get hotter because of the oven so I'm still calling it a win.

One of my favorite coworkers came in to visit us tonight. It sounded like a party in the library as patrons as well as staff caught up with his exploits since he left us for the big city.  He is a wonderful young man and we really miss him.

I came home and spent the rest of the evening with Liam Neeson. Ha! Auto correct suggested him with little prompting from me.

How was your day?

Good day

I got caught up in the excitement and enthusiasm at our follow-up debrief for the walk and volunteered for next year if it happens.  How soon we forget the frustrations!  I did say I'd been in Iceland next year.  That someone got incorporated into the plans.  Ha! That will teach me.

I had a lovely lunch with a good friend in a sweltering restaurant. It was nice to catch-up and make plans for future luncheons.  There was a dog sitting on the porch with his people. He was in shade, had a large bowl of water and seemed more comfortable than the humans.

I went to the fruit stand around the corner and bought fresh from the tree sugar plums as well as cherries.  It was the beginning of the first's season and the end of the latter's.  I love living in fruit country. Peaches are ready early this year but I'll buy them on the weekend. 

I spent some quality time with my DNi before her step-sisters came home from the babysitter's. Then the four of us went to the movie and laughed our way through the evening.  The little ones are four and six years old with good manners and an appreciation for the specialness of Girls Night at the Movies.  There are all three adorable. Lots of little girls hugs and kisses as well as whispered plans and hair braiding from the older girl.  I did something silly like dropping my purse, onto the littlest one so I said I was a bad aunt.  With a very serious voice she told me I wasn't a bad aunt. I just made a mistake.  You would think a writer would understand the importance of word choice better than a four year old.

It was a nice day. Long, fulfilling and I was very happy to come home to my little zoo who are much quieter and rarely all talk at once.

Staying cool

One Good Thing about holding a writers' meeting at an arena is the cooling effect. We were so hot walking from car to front door that it took half an hour just to cool down.  Honestly, it was ridiculously hot today.  But we managed to forget about the heat and talk writing. That was fantastic.  The feedback about part two of the horror story was helpful. The discussion about old projects and resubmitting was also good. Neither one of us is going to any writer conference this year but we did agree the networking was invaluable. 

I got home with enough time for a lukewarm shower before I headed into work.  The temp was nice in there and most people were remarkably cheerful. That is not often the case when we're dealing with weather extremes. We're Canadians. We're not bred for Vegas type heat.

Enough about that.  The critters are happy and healthy.   Family photo albums are almost all scanned.  Writing is coming along nicely. Career has several paths to choose from. There's nothing saying I can't wander down all of them. 

What's new with you?

Melting

It's so hot and humid here I feel like I live in the jungle. I even have a little black panther stalking me. Milo is always hungry.  He's getting older now so we're going to have to move his food bowl down a level so the jump isn't too high. 

I didn't send a book out today. I did do a lot of research on the subject.  That counts.  DNe came in and checked on my progress.  Funny kid.  Now I know how my parents feel when I suggest stuff to them they've been doing for years. I guess I'm that old now.

I also spent a good portion of the day scanning family photo albums. I have no idea about the identity of the tow-headed tykes who were photographed in Newcastle in 1900 but they were cute.  Given my granny was the second of six kids, they could be her niece and nephew.  It was interesting.

I do have the horror story open and staring at me. The second part is told from a paranoid point of view. I can't stay in that mindset too long.  I suspect that's why I'm working on it a few paragraphs at a time.  Still, he's unusual and fascinating which bodes well for the storyline.

We are blessed with air conditioning that works well. A fan that cools me while I run on the spot (it's too horrible out there to actually walk or ride my bike) and refreshing oranges in a jug of water. 

Stay cool

Lazy Sunday

I was doing a brilliant zombie impression, art from the craving for brrrrrrains, that I gave myself permission to sleep it off.  It was embarrassing how late I slept,  and could have slept longer, but it was clearly what my body needed.

There were two auto races to watch, a birthday present to begin and Masterpiece Theater. Am I the only one who thinks of the Muppets at the opening of the latter?

It was a hot and humid day so I limited Ky's interaction with the ball outside. We watered the garden and picked raspberries. The gooseberry bush is full so perhaps tomorrow.

I was feeling lazy, unproductive and generally beating up on myself for it when I realized that I was blessed to have a day free of commitment, obligation or schedule.  I knowing had a reading day last week but my body needed more down time. It's better to do that voluntarily rather than collapse from exhaustion.  At least this way I got to choose a comfy couch surrounded by furry/feathery companions and exciting-to-me television.

I hope you were able to relax today

Encouraging

On the drive home from the latest showing of his art, DNe compared me to Picasso. You read that right, he was comparing me to one of the most famous artists of the 20th century.  DNe is concerned that I'm not giving my writing as much attention as I give his art. I encourage him and support him and brainstorm all the time when it occurs to him that he should do the same for me with my writing. Despite the lame attempt at the previous sentence, I'm actually good with words.  He thinks I'm talented, have a sharp mind and tell stories well. I entertain people through my writing and he's concerned I don't spend enough time ensuring those words get out there. 

It was an interesting conversation from several viewpoints. He's growing up. He's aware of all the support he gets. He pays more attention than I've given him credit for and he knows the value of networking.  He wants to become a publisher so that the world reads my work. He thinks I should band together with dozens of my talented friends.  He's listened to most of my suggestions for marketing his work, and is now turning my words back on me.  He's smart, he's funny and he's afraid I'll stop writing, be discouraged that I'm not published.

Picasso did some of his best work in his fifties so age isn't a deterrent.  I assured him it wasn't.

All joking aside, he had a point. I've written so many books that are now in the hatbox behind the couch or stored on flash drives. I accepted the rejections, moved on, wrote other books.  After some thought, I realized nothing has been sent out for awhile. Not even Casey's story. And that's a shame.  It has the potential to change lives. Sharing his experience has already helped two dogs. We'd like to help more.

Picasso didn't hide his work away. Neither should I.

I'll send something out on Monday

Unexpected good things

I rode my bicycle to work this morning. Despite the fact that I just filled the tire with air on Sunday, it was low.  I was so focused on needing to reinflate the tire that I was almost to work before I'd noticed that I'd traveled the distance.  I have not lost all the strength and endurance since the Walk ended. Yay, me.  I filled the tire up on the way home, took a different route and was still not winded.  It was an exciting discovery.  My back didn't hold me back the way I'd feared it would.

My boss called from the other library and offered me more hours from August to December. It's enough to really take a chunk out of my debt without exhausting me to the point of tears. I said yes.  Funny, but someone asked me this morning if I'd prefer to work more hours and I said I'd like to add in more at the other place. I haven't been there much lately and I feel like I'm losing the connection.  Twenty minutes later, the call.

What should I wish for now?

I came home, fell into a good book while a special about King Tut played on the television in the background. Milo lay on my lap and purred.  He has such silky ears.  And a warm little body all curled up with just his tail twitching every once in a while. It tickled.

I didn't accomplish much, apart from making an apple/gooseberry crisp, tossing the ball a few times for Ky then relaxing. It was an unexpected surprise and a lovely way to spend the evening. 

Healing good things

I'm blessed to have a good friend who is a registered massage therapist. Thanks to her expertise I am almost back to normal.

I found leftover ice cream cake in the freezer so we all enjoyed that after dinner treat.

Thanks to the recent experimentation with lemons, we were able to alleviate Mom's allergic reaction to a bug bite. Her entire leg was irritated so I cut a lemon and rubbed it all over the rash. She said it helped with the itching as well as kept the flies away.

Lemons, ice cream and massage - it was a good day.

Slow things

Having watched fictionalized accounts of the lives of both Hemingway and Sid Viscous (auto-correct and I cannot agree on spelling), I've noticed several similarities, mostly about addiction and the realization that I do not understand what attracts people to each other.

As bending forward is the most comfortable position,  I picked raspberries and gooseberries today. They are delicious.  Ky and I did it together in the pouring rain. He very gently pulls the berries from the spiky branches.

My back is slowly coming along. It was my day off so along with the stretches I learned yesterday, I rested. I read. I brainstormed with my DNe and wrote a small amount, I also taught him how to parallel park. We survived.  He actually did well.

Silver lining

It didn't rain today. That means no more flooding. Power is slowly being restored. My friend with the basement apartment in Toronto wasn't affected.

There have been several consecutive minutes today when my back didn't hurt.  I've learned several stretches and yoga poses.  There may be a correlation.

Perspective

I went for a nice walk this afternoon with a friend and discussed her burgeoning romance with a mutual friend. The breeze was strong enough to keep the bugs at bay, the sky virtually cloudless and the humidity draining but the conversation and company balanced it out. Plus,  we walked through the woods and down by water. The sun played through the leaves and painted the trunks with shadows.

Considering how much pain we were both suffering at the time - the walk was an abysmal attempt to stretch out spasming back muscles - I'm impressed with our ability to notice our surroundings.  our projected rainfall failed to materialize.  I'm afraid it all went north.

Most of my family and friends in Toronto have checked in and are safe. That's all that matters.

Family good things

It's my dad's birthday today.  We all pitched in and bought him a new barbecue. My DB came by and put it together.  That was kind of him, less swearing that way. He simply followed the instructions.  He attributes the lack of cussing to that.  We grilled steaks, asparagus, and sausage. There were two salads and a cake.  The kids were thrilled with the noisemakers and Dad enjoyed the racing themed serviettes. 

DB's girlfriend and I had a great bonding moment over homemade and all-natural cleaning products. We swapped recipes and snickered at the way everyone else things we're nutcases.  You would think we'd be offended but it's just nice to have someone else to share tips with.  We both agreed coconut oil is a great base for just about everything. She texted me later to say it also takes bubble gum out of hair. Good to know.

I filled my bicycle tire with air.  That was long overdue. I hope to ride the bike to work tomorrow, barring torrential downpours in the meantime.  Every time I mention riding my bike to work, my dad reminds us that he rode his bike all the way to Queenston to work on his uncle's farm picking fruit. We remind him he was ten years old, with all the energy that age generates, and that there was no where near the traffic there is today. He calls us slackers, we all laugh and I resolve to ride my bike more often. 

Unconnected good things

One good thing about having such a horrible headache is I'll be in bed before too long which means I *should* wake up well-rested tomorrow.

I walked to work this morning. Yay! It's been two weeks since the 32km walk and I've not kept up with the training.  On the detour route -the bridge no longer exists - I saw a beautiful Golden Retriever. I realized that I knew him, that his people weren't around, and that he needed to go home. So I yelled at him and sent him on his way. Then I called his people and told them where he was.  A pickup truck was racing down the road so I yelled at him about the dog. Too many people are using that short strip of road like a drag race.  Good news - the dog made it home safely.  I shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn't walked this morning. He was well on his way down to the canal when I came along.

We had a very productive day at work. I was able to tidy up a whole mess of small jobs. I also organized several others. 

A little pre-dinner entertainment - the birds were out of the cage under strong supervision. Kiki tried to bathe in my glass of water.  The opening was narrow enough that she couldn't fall in her. Her body is wider than the mouth of the cup.  Yoda didn't want to be left out of the fun so he chased her off so he can have his own bath. He's twice her size.  All that fit was his feet, one at a time, and his head. He'd dunk his whole head into the water, come up for air, sneeze then duck back underwater.  He was absolutely ridiculous and happy as a clam.

DNe and I had dinner with my parents. They weren't as entertaining as the birds but definitely interesting. 

All in all, a good day. Not the best finish but easily fixable.

Shopping good things

Met my friend and her son for tea this morning. It's been too long since I've seen them. He was as entertaining as always. He was fairly well-behaved so we went to the dollar store where he was allowed to buy one item.  The indecision was incredible but his attention returned time and again to the same item - glasses that lit up.  He was so delighted with them, his face glowed brighter than the glasses. Three people asked where he'd bought them as they thought their grandsons would love them as much as my young friend. There's a good lesson in his simple joy with that one item.  He even let me borrow them for a moment.

While out shopping with my brother awhile later, I found cucumber, red pepper and radish plants.  We had a vicious Spring that damaged a great many seedlings, mine included. It's been hard to find replacements as many garden centers lost the same crops I lost.  It was exciting to come home and plant them in the ground. First, I had to dig up the Queen Anne's Lace and thistle that grew in the border between sidewalk and driveway.  I felt bad about their displacement but we need the food.  I hope the honeybees find my offering. I left the clover, as well as single plants of the two aforementioned place holders.

I love the smell of freshly turned dirt. The roots of Queen Anne's lace smell like carrots.  I should have planted some of those.

Artistic good things

One Good Thing about carrying a giant purse is there's room for tons of stuff. I was sitting in the cafe bored out of my mind wishing I had my notebook so I could write while DNe installed his art for this month's show. I reached into my purse for my phone and there was my notebook (the pen and paper kind, not the computer) from yesterday's meeting. I pulled it out and finished - tada! - the first part of the horror story. Then I went on to write the opening of the second part. 

I haven't been home much today but whenever I was, for some reason, I turned on the television. This afternoon, it was on the history channel or maybe Discovery so I watched a program about Jack the Ripper.  It's a mystery that will never be solved because no one really wants it to.  They like the challenge, mystery and romance. Romance?  Have they looked at the crime scene photos???  Horrific.  This program actually focused on the victims. They were women who had families and descendents who want people to remember they were real people.  Again, romance? 

Tonight, I deliberately turned the tv to TVO so I could watch a documentary about Tom Thomson.  Another mysterious death. A famous artist. Incredible paintings.  Then I turned the television off so I could think about all that I'd just seen. 

It's quiet here, just the steady whoosh from the a/c.  Most of the art on my walls has been relocated to the cafe for the show.  White walls, white noise and my brain contemplating the mysteries of Thomson and Jack the Ripper.  It's not the personalities so much as the enduring public fascination with tragedy that has me thinking. And it all ties in with what I'm writing.

One good thing about being a writer is the ability to connect a series of thoughts/images/ideas/senses and create something new.

What's on your mind?

Writing Good Things

I woke up in a better mood this morning. Yay!!  That's actually worthy of three exclamation points but I didn't want to overdo it.

I spent so much time writing this morning that I was late for a writers meeting.  Best excuse ever, and one that was absolutely understood.   We spent the afternoon brainstorming on several projects.  I have notes, ideas and am half a page away from finishing part one of the horror story. I'd twisted the ending around but my good friend helped me get the order right.  It's amazing how much that opened me up creatively as well as strengthened the scene. Nothing beats time hashing out plots with another writer.

I came home and wrote for awhile, jazzed and full of enthusiasm.  Let's hope it lasts.

Blah good things

One good thing about this blog is that I'm in the habit of thinking of good things even when I'm in a less-than-stellar mood. I'm stomping around cranky yet still noticing that the raspberries will be ripe for picking tomorrow.  Ky is easily amused, and incredibly soft. Kiki is still alive despite the loss of 1/4 of her feathers after walking across a sleeping dog yesterday, DNi and I picked mulberries off the treat and ate them on the spot. My presence was missed at the thank you reception for the volunteers.

Little things add up. They don't negate the disappointment, unfortunate choices or exhaustion but the do remind one that life is not cut-and-dried, black-and-white, good-or-evil.  Life is full of the combinations.      DNe complains about my sunshine and roses optimistic view of life. I remind him sunshine can burn and roses have thorns but we embrace them regardless. It's all about your focus.  I love the the scent of roses blooming in the afternoon sun, but also enjoy rainy days. We need balance. Perhaps that's the source of my blah mood. Balance must be restored.

Canadian good things

The library participated in the 5th annual Boot Walk fundraiser for Community Care. 2km in rubber boots was more painful than 32km in hiking boots, but it was a great way to start the Canada Day celebrations.

DNi is here for a sleepover. That meant a walk through the park, a trip to Tim Hortons and another viewing of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The child catcher scares the crap out of us but the rest of it is fun.



We can hear the fireworks from the park. Lovely red and white, shot through with green, blue, silver and gold. Ky is in his Thunderbird in an uneasy sleep at my feet.  It's good to live in a country where the source of the dog's fear is merely a lot of colorful noise - a celebration.

Cleaning Good Things

Ky spent the day sick so I had to change my plans. We did mostly indoor chores though I did weed the garden along the side of the house when we were outside.  Poor puppy.

It took a couple of months but I finally got around to counting all the pennies from my birthday party. I didn't want gifts, and the Canadian penny was decommissioned so I asked people to bring them for charity. The kids really got into it.  They collected pennies for weeks leading up to the party. Together, they brought $19.50 for water, and $23 for Mel Swart Conservation Area.  I'll count and roll my own pennies another day to contribute to the charities.

I sorted all the yarn and filled the cabinet.  There were a couple of half finished projects that don't have patterns so I can't finish them.   That was disappointing.

I cleaned the house and got all the clean laundry put away - just in time to start more laundry.

Let's hope Ky feels better tomorrow. I have other things to do, other places to go.  The silver lining on the day really was how much work I got done here that I haven't had time for the last few weeks.  And my floors are spotless. 

Friday night

One conversation had a disappointing start but ended well. Another started optimistically and finished on a disappointing note.  Balance.  My life has it.

Okay, maybe not. But. I am working on it.

I brought the rest of the yarn down out of the attic. Tomorrow, I'll sort and place inside the yarn cupboard.  I really love how organized everything is in the reclaimed family heirloom.

Last night, I tore out an entire wrap that was 3/4 complete. I just couldn't find the original way I'd executed the stitches. By starting fresh, it will be a stronger construction. It will retain the shape, yarn and essence without all of the mistakes. I'll likely make new ones. I suspect there's a life lesson to be had by trying to make it into something I used to do and just making a big mess in the attempt.

I received a very lovely, and unexpected, card in the mail today.  I am humbled.


How was your day?

Memory jam

I'm cranky and miserable BUT at least One Good Thing happened today.  I was able to check four things off today's to-do list. Usually when I'm in a mood, I'm lucky to get one done.

Yesterday, I climbed the ladder and picked mulberries from the tree on the front lawn. While up there, I thought of my uncle's fruit farm. I think we were actually third cousins but we called him Uncle Winston.  He was an older man and quite a character. I drive past the farm all the time. It's been sold out of the family, but the good memories remain ours.  He grew cherries and peaches and a few vegetables - enough to supply the local cannery as well as employee a significant portion of the family.  Hollyhocks grew beside the porch. I cannot see them without thinking of his lovely wife, Aunt Mary.

Today, for the first time in a couple of decades, I made jam.  It is delicious. I may have been walking around Canadian Tire regretting the big purge a few years ago in which the canning pot left us, but I didn't succumb to that big purchase (I had to replace an element on the stove). I made do with a pot we had downstairs. I suspect I will give in at some point, buy some jars and other accessories. It will depend how well the garden grows this year.

Standing over the pot, stirring the fruit with the sugar, took me back to my first year of college. I was staying in my grandparents' cottage while they were in Florida for the winter. Mom and I harvested the grapes and plums in the back yard. We filled my pantry with jams from both.  My place was popular with my classmates as I'd also received an enormous tub of peanut butter as a Christmas present. All anyone had to buy was bread.  PB&J from my place was delicious, nutritious and full of family nurturing.

Who knew jam was so full of good memories?

Wednesday night good things

One Good Thing about walking 32k the other day was that today's 7k felt like nothing. It might have actually been closer to 9k. I wasn't keeping track. The sun was shining and hot, the bugs were out but so were the chipmunks and blue jays. It was nice to walk along and reflect on how different a trek it is with two people vs a thousand.

I have my Great Granny's cabinet in my living room and it has yarn in it. Today I cleaned up the two small chests I picked up last week and tucked them on either side of the cabinet. Then I went back to the house and picked up an old wooden tool chest my great-uncle made, two boxes of photographs, slides and filmstrips as well as the projector to show them on. Once I've cleaned out the trunk, I'll store all the photographs inside it.  That might take some time. I still have to figure out where to put the chest. 

DNe, his girlfriend and I went out for drinks with an old friend of mine who brought a friend of his. It was an eclectic mix of energy and ideas. Time just flew while we discussed time travel, Columbus, Picasso, healing power of animals, jobs, creativity, life and death.  I enjoy conversations like that a great deal. We made plans to do it all again in a few weeks.

It's interesting to me how much easier it is to think of Good Things now that I'm doing it all the time. I was furious this evening because the neighbours had cut the lower branches off the trees at the side of my house. Apparently, they had asked my dad who said it was okay.  But it wasn't okay with me.  Not because I thought the branches should stay - they were impeding the view from the stop sign - but because there were nests in two of the trees. Now I have three trees who are lop-sided while two different bird families are homeless. The One Good Thing?  The babies had fledged. Another Good Thing? I had planned to do the tree trimming next week.  By looking for the good thing, I lost a lot of my temper.  It wasn't serving a purpose.  I can even out the branches and make sure the trees understand what happened while I do it.  They know more than we think they do.

Tuesday good things

Last week we wedged the china cabinet in the stairwell.  I don't know what we were thinking. Today, we picked it up and carried it up the stairs and placed it against the wall. In less than two minutes. I had a lot of fun filling it with yarn.  There's room for more which is convenient considering the containers of yarn in the attic.

Later,  I sat on the  floor and wiped down a small chest of drawers with lemon oil. The wood was thirsty.  I need to get pulls for the drawers instead of the nails that are there now.

Ky and I weeded a few spots in the garden, used the push mower on the grass and watered the plants. I selfishly ate all four strawberries fresh off
the vine. I was given an easy jam recipe that I'm going to try on the mulberries later this week.
There were a few challenges today. I'm fortunate that friends were able to remind me that all will be well. And my coworker reminded me to laugh at life. So I did.

I hope there was humour in your day.

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.