Just a journal

So, this blog has barely been hopping along.

In the past few years, I've dropped my creative hobbies, such as photography and scrapbooking. I don't go running anymore. I don't go hiking. I just don't do much of anything.

I admit, it's getting me down. And, it's part of the cycle - I am down, so I don't do anything.

And why am I blogging it here? I guess because nobody is reading this yet. And I used to use my last blog to look back on what I was doing and what was going on in my life at different times. It was a very handy journal!

Bon.

Je suis revenu!

Et, je pense, j'apprend que la vie est ne pas toujours simple.

But what can you do?

So - what the hell's been going on, you wonder? (Or, maybe you don't!).

Here is life in a nutshell:

1. Just before I had summer holidays, I learned my temporary replacement job was going to be posted, so I sat anxiously awaiting the posting. (It didn't get posted until mid-August).
2. When the job was posted, I applied, then had to await the result.
3. While waiting, on September 4 in the evening, my mother fell and broke her hip.
4. September 5th, my brother and aunt came over to help convince my mother to go to the hospital.
5. They kept her in, and she had surgery for a broken hip on Thursday, September 7th.
6. She's been recuperating at home, but it is hard on my to keep taking time off work (I found out I had the job on September 6th!). 
7. But now - my brother took her for an X-Ray - and she's back in the hospital. The pin moved, and I feel guilty, like I should have known she was slowing down. I mean, I did feel she was not doing as well. It was after her first physio I felt she slowed down....

So, that brings us to today. Yep, number 7 occurred today. And I'm tired, I will admit it.

But tired. That is my current mantra. 

I. Am. Tired.

My Home Office

I don't honestly know where the time goes - I have been active and engaged with life, just keep forgetting to write about it. Which is too bad because I know that I often look through my old blogs (Japan Rider) and am happy to see what I had been doing at different times of my life. It really is a diary.

Anyway, I've been feeling cheerful, and am even happier now that I brought my old but still super good desktop up from the basement and created a more comfortable home office for myself at home.

I've also installed Office 20016 connected to my Office 365 account, which is great, since I am doing a little subcontracting work that involves heavy Office use.

Miscellaneous Updates

Thanksgiving

Autumn is well underway as we are in the middle of October now, and the overnight lows are dipping to zero or thereabouts. And the weather was lovely for our small family Thanksgiving Dinner, which we had last Saturday on October 8th.

It was just my mother and I, and my brother and his girlfriend; it was perfectly cosy and an overall nice evening.

I made a ham and some veggies, and we played Crokinole, an old-fashioned really fun game on the board I found at a garage sale the week before. The board was a lucky find and was for my brother, who'd been looking for a board for ages.

Life, Work

The trees are bright yellows and oranges and reds,  and though I got out with my real camera last weekend, I was disappointed with my shots (hence, I am not posting them here). I do plan to get out again this Sunday, as I take a day off of hike-leading.

Why did I decide to take a day off? Because, well, I started a new job! It's pretty awesome - I have full-time gainful employment, at least until January, and it is a job I really love. I'm working in Archives at the school board where I am responsible for old files, but more interestingly, for preserving important files and archival information. It's not all about just keeping student records, but about the school and community history. I am very excited about this job and really hope it extends beyond January.

Health

On the health front, I am making some positive changes. I'm overweight, and have decided that I'm okay with this. BUT - I am not ok with feeling unhealthy, bloated and heavy. I do believe that food is medicine or poison, and I know I've been over-consuming stuff that is heavily processed and totally unhealthy. So, here are some steps I'm taking:

1. No drinking wine (although it has health benefits, it's been leading me to make poor food choices)
2. Eat more vegetables and whole grains
3. Eat less or NO crappy food-like products

An orignal garagfe sale find. This vase has character.

Sounds simple, but these are a series of habits that will have to be gradually altered. Harnessing the power of Jack Canfield and Tim Ferris, I think I've got the tools to succeed.

Leisure

My summer was full of good stuff - every weekend was garage sales and hikes. Seriously, I have our Garage Sale Saturday down to a fine art. Every Saturday morning I would go to the Tim Horton's on rue Principal, where on the median at the corner of Wilfred-Lavigne and rue Principal ,people post their garage sale signs. I'd take photos of the signs, come home, type them up along with directions to the streets (Aylmer has a lot of streets and crescents and impasses....). Then we garage-sale ladies would meet up and take two or three cars around to the sales!

However, now that the weather is chilly and the mornigns are dark, garage sales are likely done for the year, until spring, but I had a few good finds this year and am very happy overall. I scored some nice clothes, a crokinol game board for my brother, a few baby play pens for my bro, too, and other good stuff.

While my Saturdays were packed with garage sales, my Sundays I dedicated to leading hikes in Gatineau Park. I had a great time doing this, and though I am not doing one tomorrow, I plan to get back into it next week, and for a few weeks until winter.

The hikes are great - they get me out in nature, get me socializing with a wide variety of people, let me make friends even. I really value these hikes, which I organize as an event organizer in a Meetup.com group. I even got some of my dog-park people involved.

Lola

And that brings me to Lola, the other main occupation in my life and who keeps me busy! We get out for a walk every day, and although I am now working I really want to try to get her out at least twice a day. I'd also like to get back to the dog park - I was taking her every morning around 7:30 or 8:00, and we met a good group of regulars with whom I socialized and made connections. I haven't been to the park in a while - about a week - and I won't be able to go on weekday mornings at our usual time, so I'll have to establish a new routine, maybe after work around 5 pm....sigh.

Jardins Lavigne dog park

The dog park, though, is gorgeous. It is, of course, and off-leash park. It isn't fenced in but is surrounded by woods, and there are trails through the woods, too. And there are creeks and places for the dogs to get wet.

 I feel so fortunate to live in Aylmer - close to Gatineau Park, very close to the super-amazing dog park at Jardins-Lavigne. I'm lucky enough to have employment close to home, and to have many other amenities here. So, I'm in a good place - literally and figuratively!

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Lola's First Hike

Today was the most gorgeous Saturday since, well, since autumn. This month, the weather has been a bit chillier and snowier than usual for April, but this weekend is above and beyond normal for this time of year. The temperature was 16 degrees Celsius, the sky was blue and the sun was bright! So, Jivka and I, along with two other friends headed out on a great first hike of the season. And - I brought Lola along for her first hike EVER. We had a great time.

We parked on rue Quartz, just off of Chemin de la Mine in Hull, and we walked along the bike path to trail #15 (it's on the right, about 1 km in), then trail #35 to Pink Lake. We did not walk around the lake this time out - it's closed to dogs, and we were tired enough anyway!

This hike is a great warm-up for the season - it's not too steep, not really too long (less then 10 km), with rolling hills on a wide, popular path. There was still a lot of snow on the path today, which surprised me, but is, actually, not surprising at all. We went at a comfortable pace (read: slow!), and it took us about three hours round trip, including a ten minute break when we reached Pink Lake.




















And Lola? Well, she loved being out on the trail, loved meeting new people,, and, basically, just loved everything with her usual dogness.















And, as the snow melted and the sun shone, so, too did the wild-life wake up! We spotted a salamander (I never would have know what it was), a snake, and this glorious heron.

Anyhoo - here's a little map of our hike!

Create Routes or Search for a route from millions at MapMyRun

The Magic of Early Mornings

I am a morning person, always have been. Even in my teen years, when bodies need a lot more sleep and kids tend to sleep until noon if permitted, I was up not later than 8:00 a.m. on a weekend morning. Okay, now, that hour seems really late to me, but, again, I was a teen back then. I remember one summer morning waking up, and it was just about 8:00, and I freaked. It was SO late. I jumped out of bed, and got busy taking clothes to the dry cleaner, etc.

Throughout my twenties and thirties, my body continued the morning trend. Even the few years I worked early or late evening shifts (in my late twenties as an ESL teacher, and again later in my late thirties), even though I'd go to bed at midnight, I was up and raring to go by 8:00. I wanted to enjoy my hours, to get things done - gym, errands, socializing. When living and working in Japan, I was up by 5 or 5:30 a.m. and out for a bike ride or run by 6:00. It was magic, those early mornings then. The sky bright, but the roads fairly quiet, with just the odd farmer or elderly walker. There was a feeling of peace that permeated the air and saturated the mind.

And here I am in my forties, and I'm still a super early bird. It's 5 a.m. as I lie in bed with my second cup of tea and type this blog entry. It's still dark outside, and it's rather cold for this time of year, early April. But still I look forward to the morning ahead. Will I take Lola, my lovely puppy, for a pre-dawn walk, where we will be about the only souls about as the sky turns light? Or should I hit the gym, where the morning crowd is a small and friendly one? I've already made friends among the morning gym folk, for we morning people are a special lot! We are rare birds :)

There really is a magic to early mornings, to the time right around dawn. The quiet, the coolness, the birds as they come awake and start chirping, the lack of human activity. I welcome this bit of peace into my world, into my day, and a little bit of exercise really makes me feel good all day long, too.

Summer Off: Plan for Productivity

Have you ever noticed that it almost seems that the more you do, the more you can do? I mean, when I was working (really working, full time, full hours, overnight business trips, etc), I seemed to get so much more done. I would be out the door for a morning run or bike ride before 6:00 a.m. I'd do my "8 minute abs" workout, eat a healthful breakfast of yogurt and berries before getting into work. I'd work a full day, stop for groceries on the way home, and cook a decent dinner. I would also usually get in a gym workout at least two days a week after work.

So, it stands to reason that, since I only work short hours on a part-time type of schedule, I would have achieved so much more, right? Not so. In fact, I'm twenty-five pounds heavier now, I eat rather poorly, and, despite the fact that I've been off work for about one month now, today was the first day that I managed to get myself out for a run.

I have noticed that this is a trend - at the busiest times of my life, I am more productive and get it all done. At quieter times in my life, when I have ample time, I seem to have less...motivation or energy or, whatever.

So why is this?I think it's because having so much time partially lulls me into a sense of complacency, a feeling of "I'll do it tomorrow, I've got all day!". And partially, I think it's not having a schedule, not having to schedule things into my day or week means everything gets pushed back until I don't know where to begin, and so, I simply don't begin.

Okay, I don't want to beat myself up. We all know that self-recrimination and regret is futile at best, and destructive at worst. And in truth,  although I haven't been super productive, I am pleased by the things that I have gotten done so far, and I have a clear vision for more things I want to achieve over the next two months.

Armed with my vision and my self knowledge, I will accomplish these items!

To Do, To Do

• front yard garden - pull up the nasty plants, get some nicer ones in there
• back yard garden - weed it!
• lead hikes (ongoing)
• eat better
• exercise more regularly
• get back into photography

DONE!

• I have led and will continue to lead group hikes in Gatineau Park
• I planted a nice garden in my back yard - tomatoes, celery and onions
• Got my dental stuff taken care of

Bad luck, Good Luck

Bad Luck

About two weeks ago I was running my electric lawnmower with a less-than-perfect (to say the least!!) extension cord and, alas, I totally fried the switch. I honestly, in retrospect, should have stopped mowing when I had to keep jiggling the cord to ensure a power supply. That was a tip that the cord was not in good enough condition to be using. Oh, and also, it had been repaired with electrical tape in multiple spots over the past twenty years.

So, no lawn mower.

Good Luck

I asked my aunt to watch when she went to garage sales for a mower. She called me later, letting me know that her friend's brother had a mower and we could have it, free of charge.

Bad Luck

That friend dropped off the mower yesterday, and none too soon. My lawn was beginning to look unkempt and ragged. Awful. So I fired up the mower first thing this morning, using a new cord, of course, and it worked great!

For three minutes! Then the thing just stopped. Dead.

I borrowed my aunt's mower, as this lawn could wait no longer, and I will watch for mowers when I do my garage sales on Saturday.

Good Luck

Other fortuitous things happened this week. One is that the new neighbors to the right of us want to cut the way-too-tall hedges. At no charge to us!! YAY! I've been wanting those things cut for ages. I'm looking forward to a nicer view of the sky again.

And another good luck thing - yesterday morning as I was going through my favourite red checked bag looking for lip balm I found a forgotten $20 bill! I used that to buy Sunday's post hike wine :)

And there we go. The good outweighs the bad. And if I do have to buy a new mower, I'll get one at Walmart.

So there!

The BEST Potatoes on the BBQ

Chicken and tin-foil wrapped potatoes on the bbq

On the weekend, I had the happy experience of sharing time, stories and food with fellow hikers. And I learned a few new things about meals and cooking and yummy recipes. My favourite so far, though, and one I tried last night on the grill, was a simple potato recipe.

In fact, it is quite simple, and I hesitate to call it a recipe And, also, I added all my own twists. Let's say, it was a potato inspiration,

Here's what I did, and loved it!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium potatoes (I used thin-skinned yellow taters)
• 1 medium onion (I used a plain onion - yellow, I think)
• 5 slices of bacon (I used semi-fatty but still yummy Maple Leaf - worked great).
• |Dash of garlic powder
• Sprinkle or two of Oregano (dried spice)

The Process:

• Wash the potatoes and cut them up in smallish chunks, maybe a bit bigger than home-fries
• Chop up the onion, not too small
• Cut up the bacon into medium bits
• Put these three ingredients into a bowl and spray or drizzle with olive oil. Mix.
• Add a touch of garlic power (or probably the garlic from a jar would work)
• Add Oregano to taste (I LOVE oregano, but it can be overpowering, so use with caution :) )
• Mix it all up again.

Prep and Cooking:

Potatoes and chicken.
 Yummy all around.

Separate this into two packs for easier turning. Or more packs for easier easier turning! Also it might cook faster in smaller packs. Anyway - divide in two.

Rip off enough tin-foil to comfortably wrap your potatoes. I used actually three layered sheets, to give me extra protection. Spray the sheet with olive oil, or rub some on to prevent stickage. I guess you could also you Pam. I'm an olive oil girl.

Wrap your pototoes etc into two (or more) packs.

Pre-heat your grill. I have a gas BBQ. I heated it on high, then reduced heat, but the grill was still over 400 degrees. It was fine. I put the potatoes on, closed the lid, and then flipped them after 10 minutes or so. I did this about twice. When the potatoes where tender, I removed them from the heat.

These were delicious!!!! And, I re-fried them in the morning in a pan with butter, and they were even better :)

My Plant Garden

On Saturday, June 6, Aylmer Horticultural Society hosted their annual plant sale. I swung by after exhausting myself at garage sales and picked up three new perennials for my back corner garden.

I had no idea about the plants I was buying until I looked them up when I got home. I bought a "pulmonaire", which is, apparently, lungwort, and grows well in the shade. I bought a persicaria virginiana, aka Painter's Palette, which will have colourful foliage, be good ground cover and have nice flowers in fall. And, finally, I got an "Onagre", which I discovered is the French name (since I'm in Quebec) for Oenothera biennis. Which is maybe also the common evening primrose!

My little corner garden

I planted them on Sunday, but that was before I knew my pulmonaire was a shade plant and good ground cover, so I will replant when the mood takes me!

I also separated a couple of my smaller hosta plants, and dug up a few day lilies, and replanted to fill in bald spots and replace weeds.

Now, I am not at all an experienced gardener, and just basically do everything willy-nilly, but it seems to be working out pretty well. At least, I'm very happy with it!

Today's Garage Sale Fine - June 6

Today the Wychwood area of Aylmer had their neighborhood garage sale. My mother and I spent two hours just in Wychwood!

We did really well - found a basket for my crochet, two now-hard-to-fine grapefruit spoons, and.... garden gnomes!

And, best of all, we didn't buy anything we didn't need/ truly want.

The Great Glebe Garage Sale

I don't often venture out of my quaint town of Aylmer, as I work, shop and play locally. But the third Saturday of every May brings an event that gets even this quiet spinster out of the confines of suburbia - it's the day of the Great Glebe Garage Sale.

Although it sounds like just a garage sale, it is so much more. The lovely, trendy neighborhood of the Glebe becomes, for this one day, a veritable festival of market stalls, hot dog stands and live bands in addition to the many, many homes that host their garage/ yard sales.

I went again this year with my friend, Sarah. We arrived and began walking the streets at 7:00 a.m., and got back in the car to make our way back home at 4:30 p.m. It was a great day with lots of walking, chatting, and, of course, bargain hunting.

My half mannequin wearing a shawl I made

I scored a few treasures: a cute peek-a-boo doll, two living room lamps to replace the really old ones my mom had and which she loathed, a new pair of Merrell hiking boots (super comfy and stylish!), a mailbox that we've been wanting, and, a dress form to display my crocheted shawls and tons of yarn with which to crochet said shawls! All this for under $45. I'm very, very pleased with the day's purchases.


Anyway, any time one ventures into "the city", one should be prepared for the confusing traffic and the crowds. And for the Great Glebe Garage Sale, one much be even more prepared! Here are some tips we've learned if you plan to spend the day at this Mother of All Garage Sales:

• have a rolling basket to carry your purchases
• wear comfortable (very comfortable!) shoes
• dress for the weather, and probably in layers so you can adjust as the day goes on
• don't drink coffee right before going - toilets are sparse
• have a plan for when you get separated - Sarah and I waited for each other at each intersection
• wear bright colors to easily spot one another
• have your cell phones

everything can be bargained!

And, Parking! The Glebe is a traffic nightmare on this day, with roads being blocked by illegally parked cars, cars slowing/stopping to gawp at the yard sale items, pedestrians aggressively hogging the streets and preventing cars from easily moving. So, basically, park away from the fray.

Two years running, we parked a bit away, but not all that far away, and so we made a couple of trips back to unload. We were enough out of the centre, and really close to Queen Elizabeth Drive, that we had a clear and speedy escape route when we were ready to leave and so avoided the whole nightmare. Well worth the extra walking such parking involved.

Here's a map of the Glebe and where we parked.

Suburban Spinster's Week in Review

A spinster's work is never done! I've been working 5 days a week, which is good for my bill payments, but limits my time. Still,honestly, I actually have a LOT more free time than the average person my age. I am middle-aged at 43, but I am, as I clearly indicate, a spinster: I have no child to care for, and no husband to annoy me. My time is, mostly, my own. And yet it still seems to be at a premium! Anyway - this past 7 days has been replete with tasks, travails and also some fun.
 
I went hiking a couple of times during the week last week, and led a hike on Sunday morning. In between these hikes, I was working, and on Saturday, for some reason, I was laid low with fatigue. I really could not move my body. My brain was active and alert, I wanted to do things, but my body would not comply. And so, I rested for the day. Nothing got done, but I would say that much was achieved as I awoke refreshed and ready to tackle the world on Sunday. And that is good, since Sunday was an active day.

I lead a group of 10 hikers on a pretty easy hike from Champlain lookout to the Tawadina lookout on part of the Wolf Trail. After the hike, I spent time with my mother, and together we went to my brother's place for a mother's day dinner. All in all, a good day, and actually, a good week.

 I've also been working a lot this week, though I did have the day off yesterday. I used that day off to mow the back yard and the front lawn. My yard is rather big, and I'd let the grass and weeds grow rather long, so it took a couple of hours to get that task done. I also cooked a Thai curry so I'd have lunches ready. And I suppose I didn't do much other than that.

 Today is Thursday - I may or may not have to work. It's only 7 a.m., so I'm waiting for the phone to ring, and will then know if I work or not. I do know I am working tomorrow, which is good. And then I have a long weekend, as it's Victoria Day on Monday.

To Do? It Will Still Be There Tomorrow

As you know, I find "Done" lists far more motivating and encouraging than "To Do" lists. To Do lists, to me, are the very opposite; they are intimidating, de-motivating and, at times, just plain overwhelming.

In fact, I woke up today feeling a tad overwhelmed by the sheer thought of all things that needed to get done. I didn't get a call for work, so I wanted to get started getting stuff done, mainly in the front yard and in the house and in the back yard and... you see? The list can be never-ending, if you let it.

So, I am focusing now, in this post, on things done.

Done Today

• Swept and washed all main-floor floors
• wiped down the dishwasher, stove and fridge with disinfectant Lysol wipes
• Changed the burnt out light in my goldfish aquarium
• Updated the music/ audiobooks on my usb stick, for better driving pleasure
• Trimmed some more of the tree out front, and some of the bush
• Raked my dirt and picked out the biggest rocks
• Spread grass seed and watered it twice
• Set up the lawn solar lights
• Did a brief errand with mom and Dexter
• Visited my aunt for a little bit

I am now preparing for my first BBQ of the season - hamburgers!

So, yes, I am focusing on things done. The list of things left undone is looong. But, as my aunt once said, "It isn't going anywhere. It will still be there tomorrow, so no rush."

Rainy Season and My new Zafu

We don't really get an official "rainy season" here in Western Quebec - not like the rainy season I'd become used to living in Japan - but we do tend to get a lot of rain in spring. This week has been particularly rainy and changeable. I have not seen the sunshine in several days, not really, and I even saw snow flurries and ice pellets briefly today.

The weather is making me lazy, but thanks to my vitamin D supplements and recent exercise habit I have not felt under the weather.

While I wish I were doing more, accomplishing more, at least I have begun getting some stuff done - today I changed some of my downstairs lights to make it brighter down there. I'm tired of doing my makeup in the shadows!

I also brought in the solar lights, ready to put the batteries back in and get them out on the lawn.

And, my big thing - I actually made it to a meditation at the Ottawa Shambhala Centre. I love this Shambhala Centre as members are very active and very, very warm and welcoming. I hadn't been in months, not since they relocated to Ross street, being reluctant to drive there and seek out parking in the dark, cold winter nights. Of course, once I got myself there today, I felt wonderful after an hour and a half of sitting meditation. Very happy I went!

But I did have another motivation which drew me there - the centre was selling their extra zafu and gomden mediation cushions. I'd been wanting to pick up an extra zafu for a while, and they are both expensive and hard to find here. So, I was lured back to my meditation centre, where I meditated and also picked up a new (used) zafu. I didn't bother with a zabuton since I had a square one here, but now I'm thinking I ought to have made the investment, as they are a bit bigger to accomodate the bigger cushion.

My zafu atop my zabutun

Satisfaction in Simple Things Accomplished

It seems, especially in the West, we (I) self-criticize, self-loathe, self-denigrate nearly always, while we nearly never see what we've done right, where we've gone right, where we are really just perfect.

To Do lists have often been a list of mini-failures, a list of things one failed to do because, at the end of the day, there are so many items still left unchecked.

But reverse the thinking - adopt a glass half-full outlook, and see all the things done. Create a Done List, so to speak. I've been doing this - sometimes in writing, sometimes must mentally (and writing is much more effective) - and it's helped me relax and just feel less over-whelmed by the sheer amount of things I feel I have to do.

It doesn't matter how minor a thing it is you've done - put it on your list.

Yesterday, I achieved a lot!

Here is yesterday's list:

• Did my 8-minute abs workout
• Went to work
• Called Kia to make an appointment to get my summer tires put on the car
• Called Club Piscine about my broken hot tub cover. Didn't get through, but still, I called
• Answered my phone and made an appointment at Hema Quebec to donate blood (I almost never answer my phone unless I'm sure it's work calling)
• Went for a two-hour walk/hike in Gatineau Park with new people and socialized
• Crocheted a little

I am happy with this list.

I do still make To Do lists, especially for projects like "Spring" (clean the yard, sweep the dead leavs, learn to trim hedges, work in the front garden, fix the garden wall....). But I love my done lists!

Little Pleasures

 Being a supply teacher has pros and cons, which I may have mentioned before.

One aspect which is both pro and con is that I sometimes get an unplanned day off mid-week, such as today.

I waited for The Call, which comes most work mornings between 7;00 and 7:30. That call didn't come today, so I relaxed doing crochet, watching documentaries, while Dexter snuggled up beside me on the sofa.

Any anxiety I might have had about not working was allayed by a late-morning phone call, asking me to work for the next four days (Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday). This is excellent - being booked ahead of time, knowing your schedule, is a real bonus.

For the rest of the day I:

• crocheted some more
• went for a little drive into Ottawa and back, just for fun. (I rarely drive downtown since I hate the parking stress)
• did a few errands
• indulged in a guilty pleasure - poutine for lunch (though I shouldn't have - I am overweight)
• took a nap
• took Dexter for a walk
• made chicken drumsticks and Stove Top stuffing for dinner
• crocheted yet some more while listening to Agatha Christie dramatised audiobooks
• soaked in a nice, hot bubble bath before writing this post

I am not usually so sedentary on my days off, but today was just one of those low-key days. I enjoyed being lazy, I enjoyed being creative. I enjoyed a day of rest.

Tomorrow is a busy day, in contrast - full-on at work, and hopefully I'll add some physical activity to the mix.

Wonderful Good Friday

I meant to write here yesterday, I really did, but I got caught up in playing with and tweaking the blog theme.... sigh.

 I wanted to write mainly because yesterday was a truly lovely day, and I know that expressing gratitude always makes me feel even better. Gratitude should not be underestimated.

 And so, here I am today, having just woken up with a happy feeling left over from such Good Friday Goodness, and I am prepared to express.

 Why was yesterday such a good day? First, the weather was AMAZING. Super warm at 15 degrees Celsius. Of course, it was also a holiday, so I wasn't even waiting to see if I would get a call to work, and after leisurely morning tea I got busy doing a bit of spring cleaning - namely, washing all the windows, inside and out. It was that nice out - I brought the hose out of the garage to leave it hooked up to the spigot in the yard, I removed and hosed down the window screens, I refilled all bird feeders (so we now have four functional feeders for the little beauties),

Today (Saturday) my brother and his girlfriend are coming for Easter dinner, so yesterday I, with my mother and Dexter in tow, also did a few hours of errands such as:

• getting a case of beer at the depanneur
• getting wine at the SAQ
• doing some groceries that we didn't manage the day before

We were tired enough when we got home again, and took a rest and a nap, before I then took Dexter for a nice afternoon walk - so nice to see folks outside again! - and then it was time for our 5 pm appointment at the dog groomer! (Pics coming in a future post).

And on today's agenda? I've got to bring out my large slow cooker (I LOVE slow cookers!) in which I will be cooking my ham, and we've got more spring cleaning to do before company arrives.

Ah, the lovely, happy, quiet life of moi, a simple, suburban spinster :)

Spinster's Suburban Sunday

I had a pleasant weekend, filled with a lot of lovely, solo activities and even non-activities.

I did some errands this morning, did some crochet and,  like a good suburbanite on a sunny Sunday, I washed my car.

Good Days

I've been working five days a week pretty steadily since January, having off only March break and a few professional days. Though this may sound strange since, after all, doesn't everyone work five days a week and not get other days off??

But I am a supply teacher. I work on call, as needed, and of course am not needed when school is not in session. This works for me, as I enjoy the variety. And yesterday was one such day of variety - for I did not get a call to work.

After full-on five-day weeks, I rather enjoyed the day off (though, of course, it was an unpaid day off).  I like to write about things I get done, things I do, because then I see that I do accomplish things, whereas if I do not write it down, I feel like I've really not done anything at all!

So, my lovely day yesterday included:

• laundry (several loads as I washed my workout clothes separately)
• cleaning the fridge (pulling it out away from the wall, cleaning behind it, taking out the drawers and really giving it a good cleaning under the drawers and on all shelves)
• walking around China Town a bit
• starting a new crochet square for my yearly afghan CAL (I decided to do this one  - Pizzazz- a free square pattern designed by Melinda Miller over at Ravelry.com)
• taking Dexter for a walk

Ah, it was a nice and relaxing day. Today is Friday - I have work today and today, too, shall be a good day.