A Day in the Life - inside edition

I wake up at 7 a.m. and feel refreshed. It helps to have good long night's sleep.  

I pad off to the office, roll out my yoga mat,  and turn on my YouTube Pilates session. Short but effective is the way I like my online exercise to be. Next I click on Caroline Williams Yoga to do some calm, gentle movements with a prayerful focus. This is really a great way to start the day. I am happy with myself if I get to it four times a week. Lately, I've been doing alright. If I fall off the wagon, it always takes me a while to get back into the groove. 

Speaking of groove, have you heard of Body Groove? My friend at church mentioned she does this exercise program regularly (I found the free version on YouTube) focused on fun dance movements.  

After breakfast and preparing for the day, I grab my coffee, and head to my office to review my notes and begin writing my end of term reflection paper for the Spiritual Formation course I'm enrolled in. The paper is somewhat challenging, but hopefully it'll all come together. It's been a VERY long time since I had serious homework and a deadline to meet! 

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

I hear a knock knock at our door. My two grandchildren, Clark (5) and Audrey (3) are spending a few hours with us while mom takes little Dean to a doctor's appointment. Snacks, games, and laughter fill the next three hours. 

Then it's back to my office. I settle into my swivel chair, notebook at my right side on the desk extension, and a few pages open on the desktop computer.... oh, and my jar filled with individually wrapped ginger chews. The evidence of how many I've eaten mindlessly is in the wastebasket ;) 

A break for supper. 

Hubby leaves for floor hockey. 

A bit of Body Groove (it's got a good vibe :)  

Back to the computer for an hour or so... 

Time to relax with some knitting and perhaps a podcast or movie. 

Tomorrow I'm spending some time outside! 

~Savour~

 Another Five Minute Friday entry. Set the timer for  minutes and freewrite from a single word prompt. You are welcome to join in :) 

My definition of savour: To enjoy in a calm, non pressured environment. 

 Savoring the experience, living in the moment, is what I've been practicing a lot lately. Because.... we are moving! 

We've lived in this house for almost 30 years. In that time, I've had toddlers, preschoolers, young children, tweens, teens, and young adults living in this house! Our family has pretty well grown up here. And that's a lot of memories! And I have a lot of emotions to go along with all those memories.  

How am I savoring this time as I go through all of our belongings, deciding  which to keep, which to give away, and which to sell? 

I am pondering these two questions: 

1. What am I going to miss when we move away from this house? 

2. What am I NOT going to miss when we move away from this house? 

Hopefully within 3 months, we will have listed and sold this house and moved into our new abode. Still in the same city, for those of you wondering! 

One of the special moments I'm savoring these days is the view from our dining table. It sits in the corner of our kitchen with big windows on two sides,  meeting at the corner.  While sitting there, I can enjoy the bird feeder, only feet away,  hanging off the edge of our deck roof. Watching and identifying the birds with my grandson has been such a special activity lately (He's almost 4!).  He loves birds and is soaking up the names and characteristics of them.  Pine siskins, yellow finches, and chickadees have all enjoyed our hulled sunflower seeds at the feeder.  Just beyond the feeder is a huge pine tree that towers over our house. It's close enough so that we can see the birds jumping from branch to branch, flying in, and zipping out, seemingly playing hide and go seek with each other. That tree was about 7 feet tall when we moved here! Beyond the backyard are meadows, hills (some are hills of sand where trees have been removed over the years), and mountains. So many people have mentioned what a beautiful view we have from our deck. It does have its own beauty, for sure, especially in midsummer and midwinter. I have never tired of that view, and will miss it. Good thing I've taken about 1000 photos of it ;) 

You know the saying "You don't know what you've got till it's gone?" In this case, I know what I've got. 

THAT Kind of Dad

Growing up in our family, 'Because I said so' was a phrase I don't think I ever heard coming from my dad.

 Because he was THAT kind of dad. 

He was not a dad to fear, although I had a healthy respect for him. And he demonstrated respect for his seven children, too. I think that's what made him such a wonderful dad.  He was a man of few words, but his actions spoke volumes.

Most of my teen years were spent on our small family- owned mushroom farm in the Fraser Valley. Dad wanted our input on what to call this new venture (we chose Meadowview Mushroom Farms) and while my dad and oldest brother ran the farm, all the other older children and my mom helped to make it work, too.

When Dad first bought the farm, he couldn't afford to hire too many people, so we worked A LOT! After school, weekends, and sometimes even during school. Sometimes we worked well into the wee hours of the morning, picking mushrooms at their prime. If not, they would 'open' and be relegated to 'second grade' and we wouldn't be getting top dollar for them. My dad couldn't afford to pay us for our work that first year, but when that second year rolled around, he asked each of us what we would like to have as a thank you for all the help we had given him. I asked for a horse. And I got one.

He was THAT kind of dad. 

When I graduated high school, I decided to work full time for Dad for one year before going on to university. Why wouldn't I want to work for my dad? He was the BEST BOSS EVER. And my mom made our coffee breaks the best, too! (coffee, cookies, and conversation in the kitchen twice a day! )

By that time I had been working part time for several years, and making decent money, too.

He was THAT kind of dad. 

He had hired a crew by then, including a couple of my girlfriends. One day Dad told me he had decided that paying us by the pound, rather than an hourly wage, might be a better way to go and would perhaps increase productivity. My girlfriends and I didn't like that idea one bit, for several reasons. It would increase competition between us (fighting for the most loaded mushroom beds, for one) and take away from the joy of working together. So, we promptly formed a 'union' (in jest), ordered matching bright yellow T shirts with a huge mushroom decal on the front and the words:  I must be a mushroom...everyone keeps me in the dark and feeds me B.S.  It's true! We really did this and my dad got a good laugh out of it. We presented my dad with reasons why getting paid by the lb. wasn't really a good idea at all. And Dad changed his mind. He respected us enough to rescind his decision, even if it might have not been the best financial decision for him. My respect for him just kept growing.

He was THAT kind of dad. 

I have lots of other reasons why my dad is still in the GREATEST DAD EVER league, but this is what came to me as I was thinking about my dad yesterday.

Last week we took a quick trip over to Alberta to see my parents and I got a huge hug from my dear Pops. The drive was worth it :)

What a gift to have THAT kind of dad! 

When Two Conversations Collide

It's all about the timing when it comes to text messaging!

Since son was coming to this side of town to play ball hockey last night, I had invited him and his wife for sup, so I sent a message to let hubby know. Here's the conversation thread, and what was going through my head:

me:  P&N are coming for sup

(I also remembered another request I had for him-- he works at a radio station, so often can score some free tickets for concerts)

me:  any chance of getting some Johnny Reid tickets? 

him: probably not unless there is a late draw

him: guess you don't want to invite another guest (I'm assuming he means a guest for the concert, since he isn't interested in going)

me: yes, I could (I'm already thinking of girlfriends who may possibly want to attend with me)

him: what time would you need us home (Wha..???? WHO is 'us'???!)

him: Scott accepted our offer (oh no! Scott is an out of town businessman who Dave was working with this week)

me: I thought you were talking about tickets!!!!! (he wasn't. He was talking about a dinner guest!)

(at this point I called him on the phone and we both nervously laughed about what had just happened)

him: I'll try to get home by 6

me:  ..... (silence)

So, as you can see, a simple text message can have unexpected outcomes if one isn't careful!

Why this could have gone very badly: 

I was trying out a NEW recipe.

I wasn't 'prepared mentally' for company I had never met.

Having unexpected company is not in my 'comfort zone'.

Why this went well:

I had just finished cleaning my house (!)

With more people at the dinner table, the conversation went well. My daughter in law is a great conversationalist! :)

The maple chicken dish turned out better than I anticipated. It's definitely not going to be a favorite of mine, though. My fear was that it was bland and overcooked.(Overcooked chicken = yuk)

We had some meaningful, honest, unanticipated conversation over coffee.

Scott was a gracious guest and kept thanking us for the invitation, the dinner, and the conversation.

I just felt this whole evening was a 'God thing'. And I felt encouraged that God works in small ways, and it's exciting and faith building!

 “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.”

St. Therese of Lisieux

It's Thursday

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. 
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said." 

A.A. Milne

Yes, sometimes the most exciting thing about the week is the food! It's been one of those quiet, nose-to-the-grindstone weeks. Sometimes the days are predictable and  blur into each other, and sometimes there are little surprises along the way. I have seen more deer in our neighbourhood than ever before. They are not intimidated by people at all.

Out the back window. Helping itself to leaves and green tomatoes in my garden.

 The reason it's been so quiet is this:

and this:

going...

...going...

Gone!

Two of my young adult children have made big moves this month. One has left to explore the far reaches of the earth (that's the way I see it, anyway) in S.E. Asia and the other has packed up and moved to another province - new adventures for both! (all good things). 

But, yes, the house has been quite quiet lately. 

Good thing I have my little companion Enzo to keep me company throughout the day!

Hearts at Home

No matter how far away I am, a good part of my heart is at home with my parents. Some days I reminisce and remember those days of childhood and teenage hood (and all the angst that went with that era!). And then the struggle of becoming a young adult -- all the foibles and successes, strong emotions, wondering how in the world I'll ever make it to adulthood in tact. And the string of commonality woven throughout these stages of life was my family. My parents and my six siblings. Yes, we grew up in a family that prayed and stayed and played and worked together.  And no, we were not The Waltons, that wonderful, close, perfect-in-so-many-ways family. Nope, not us, but looking back, I have to say, my parents did a lot of things right :) I am so thankful for parents who loved us the best they knew how and they dedicated their lives to that.

I never remember a time when my dad wasn't working hard. He did whatever he had to do to provide for his family and that meant a lot of different jobs in his younger years, until he settled into the love of his career life - mushroom farming. He was a hands-in-the-dirt farmer at heart. He loved to get things just right so that we would have a bountiful crop of mushrooms to sell. Yes, my first  job was mushroom picking - at age 13 - at the farm my dad was running.  And when my dad bought his own small farm when I turned 15, I continued almost every day after school and weekends. Mushrooms don't wait, so we older siblings worked hard and sometimes long into the night. Back then I wasn't too impressed with having to work so much.  But looking back, those were some of the best family memories ever.

My dad is tired now. He's 83, and has been fighting prostate cancer for 4 years. The prognosis was 3-5 good years. Besides the cancer, my dad is in amazing shape. He looks much younger than his years (he was always a handsome  man!) and he has kept up his daily brisk walks. But things aren't looking too good right now. He's in more pain and walking is becoming more difficult. He's pale and he's tired. Very tired.

It's that time of life, when things can change pretty quickly.

In late August my daughter and I decided to take a quick road trip to visit my parents and other family. I'm glad we made that decision. It was the right one. And it was so worth it. We made sure we joined Mom and Dad/ Opa and Oma for their daily McDonald's 'coffee and a muffin in the morning' routine. And we had some good laughs, which we always do when we visit with them. They are hilarious sometimes (even  especially when they don't mean to be!).

3 Generations

Dad is heading to the cancer clinic next week to get the low down on his MRI and doctors' recommendations. More chemo possibly or simply pain management.

 My parents will be married 60 years next August. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all could get together and celebrate that?!

Settling into a new routine

Now that I'm back home after a job-related road trip, I really AM focused on settling into a new routine... Summer is winding down and Fall is certainly in the air, isn't it?

The air is chilly in the evening. The days may be warm, but certainly not HOT recently, and mornings are... brrrr! How did that happen so fast? Mind you, I am thankful for cool nights. Sleeping is so much more comfortable now!

And, believe it or not, I pulled on my wool socks today! Good bye flip flops, hello closed toed footwear.. hopefully a few more days of summer heat to come, though.

Thoughts move towards a morning routine. I want to make the most of the hours BEFORE noon. This means I have to begin getting up earlier. Last year (or was that the year before?) I was an early riser for quite some time and felt so organized and productive. Then, last year in the dead of winter  I found it harder to drag my body out of bed in the early hours. Dark room, cold floor, furnace barely on. Warm blankets enticed me to stay in bed longer. It's going to be tough to break my habit of 'just a few more minutes of shut eye'. But I know what it's like to be up early when the neighborhood is still mostly quiet and asleep. It's a good feeling. Time for quiet moments to start the day off right and not feeling like I am behind the eight ball when my feet touch the floor.

Are you ready for Fall?

Look at this lovely plant my daughter bought me. If those aren't colors to invite the Autumn season in, I don't know what is. Beautiful!!

ornamental mini pepper plant

Mending Walls, Building Fences

Have you ever read Mending Wall by Robert Frost? It's a great poem to read at this time of year -- when we have just done that - built a fence and a tall one (6 ft) at that! And I wonder if this fence will make us better neighbours? Will we still chat with the little girls next door and get to know the family a little better? 

In the poem, the author wonders if it's true that 'good fences make good neighbours' and why people put up fences when there's really nothing to keep in or out. His neighbour obviously wants to keep the fence up between their properties. Here's an excerpt from the poem..

He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.'
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it 
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.'  I could say ‘Elves’ to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself.  I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.'

Well, one good reason for putting up a good solid fence between our yards is keeping a good separation between the neighbour's bull mastiff (who is not friendly towards us at all, although we've made effort) and this:

Little Enzo will be staying with us for a week, and maybe longer. He is the cutest little thing and I might have the option to adopt him from my sister. Small chance, because I'm pretty sure he is growing on her more each day!. When I visited my sis a few weeks ago, Enzo and I became fast friends. We shall see what transpires. 

Do you have a (substantial) fence between you and your neighbours? Has that been a good thing? 

How to Lose Blog Readers for Dummies

Here's how:
1. Don't publish comments
2. Blog very rarely

As I was catching up on emails, tidying up my inbox, I happened to check my email spam folder (who knows why? I usually never do!) and found a comment for my blog, waiting to be published! That means this particular person (who happens to be a faithful reader of mine) might have thought her comment was not worth publishing! How far from the truth! Everyone who comments on my tiny little blog in the corner of this ginormous blogiverse is valued and worth publishing! Unless, of course, you really ARE a spammer. You know what happens to spammers.. I won't go into details!

So, I went directly to my blog and checked the 'comments awaiting moderation' page. Oh. dear. All this time I have been publishing comments from my phone, but it turns out I have missed a LOT. Well, a LOT for me, means about 20. :)
So, my apologies if you have ever commented on my blog and then noticed I never published your responses.

Which reminds me of a blog I had started following several months ago, and commented on. One of her reply comments was found in my 'awaiting moderation' file today! Earlier this year, I read one of her posts about commenting on blogs and comments not being published and how that didn't feel very affirming (I agree!).  Was that my doing? Oh, I know, small potatoes in the world we live in. But it did make me think. We are an insecure group of people, aren't we? Or maybe it's just me.

Anyway, haven't been blogging much. Life, you know. Busyness. And mood. They say that when you journal, the spaces between your entries are as important as what you write. I think it's the same with blogging. Are you a fair weather blogger? I guess I am. I don't go into too much detail about struggles (I do share that with close friends and those I trust) and for me, that just feels right. Everyone blogs differently and that's good. The truth is we all have struggles and we all have times of celebration. We are all unique and we have different reasons to blog. In this season of my life, it's very random (no pressure to write) and usually light hearted. I do love to laugh, and sometimes I have to use my own life as fodder!

Have a great day, all, and remember to check your spam and comments awaiting moderation!

It was a dark and boring night....

Near the end of our dinner last night, the lights flickered. Off. On. Off again. On Again. Then Off.  

We waited. 

Nothing.  

No power. 

And no hope for restoration until past our bedtime, it turned out! 

So, that meant my plans for getting some computer work done in the evening were dashed. (bittersweet, really)

There we sat, the 3 of us, as the room grew darker. We moved to more comfortable chairs in  our little sitting room off of the kitchen and chatted for a while. I lit some candles. I sipped wine. I shared some chocolate. We checked our phones on and off. I pulled out my Kindle, the one with the light attached.

 

Want me to read a story, I asked? (just like the good ol' homeschooling read- aloud days). I know I'm strange, but I LIKE reading out loud. 

They nodded.  Not excitedly (I should have noticed). 

Just..well... resignedly. 

I brought them up to speed on the story of one man's journey hiking the 2000 mile Appalachian Trail.

And then I began..

After about a half hour or so (maybe longer), I looked up at my quiet, respectful listeners and asked.. shall I continue to the next chapter? This was so good! 

Um.. I think I'm heading downstairs, said one.  

I think I slept through most of that, said the other. 

Oh, said me. 

Really? I thought to myself. 

I looked down at my Kindle, clicked to the next chapter and silently read on, destined to enjoy this book alone. 

To each his own. 

surviving a power outage 

Spring Things

Did the best thing I could possibly do today--  spent some time outside, in the sunshine. Ridding the lawn and lilac bush undergrowth of soggy, matted Fall leaves and yellow, dried pine needles, and other unwelcome odds and ends that have blown into our little piece of the world over the last few months.  There's always more we could do to beautify this 1/3 of an acre, but we're both not perfectionists when it comes to our yard. I like it clean and tidy, but there are a lot of 'little wild spaces' which might always be there  and I'm okay with that. Better Homes and Gardens need not check out our property!

After an hour or so of  back-tiring labour, I decided it was time to lay down on the sloped lawn and look up at the sky.

It reminded me of a quote I heard today.

He who keeps his nose to the grindstone
gains nothing but a sharp nose.   (Barbara Mahaney)

My thoughts exactly!

Time to Tidy Up

So, are you feeling that, with a new year, it's time to declutter and simplify your life? Me, too. That's why I decided to read the life-changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo. I wanted to gain some some new perspectives on decluttering, and definitely got that here.

Some of the info gleaned: 

• When simplifying your possessions, choose one category at a time and spread them all over the floor; then decide if each item "sparks joy". If not, give it away or discard it. For example, if you are purging books, empty all of your bookshelves in your home all at once. Then pick up each book and ruthlessly determine if it is a keeper. How does it make you feel?  Research shows that if you have a book that you are 'going to read one day', you most likely never will. Keep that in mind, too.

• Respect your clothing and fold items up neatly and mostly upright, not stacked or hung. They will be kinder to you.

• Shoeboxes are the best organizational tool, hands down.

• Storage containers (rubbermaid bins, etc) are NOT your friend. The smaller ones are a waste of money (see above) AND the larger ones just teach you to hoard. And they clutter up your home unnecessarily. If you are storing things, you probably don't need them. 

• A tidy home gives you peace of mind and  tidying up boosts your confidence in your decision-making ability (I could use that!)

• The reason you can't let something go is either because of attachment to the past and/or fear of the future.

• Letting things go teaches you that you can do without a LOT of things. And that regretting a decision is not the end of the world. 

• Letting go of things teaches you to make decisions based on your personal values, and this relates to your whole life. It helps you know who you are and what you really care about.

So, did I just read this book and do nothing? Remembering that my ONE WORD for this year is MOVE (as in: don't just sit there, do something!), I decided to begin tidying up. I began with my husband's t shirt drawer. I didn't take a 'before' pic. I really should have because those poor t shirts were a jumble of mixed fibers! No matter how many times I organize that drawer, it doesn't stay that way for more than 2 days. So, I followed Kondo's recommendation and did this:

And you know what? He prefers it! This drawer has stayed neater longer because hubs is not upsetting the stack when he chooses a shirt.

I also went through my drawers and compartmentalized with shoeboxes. Bingo! I also decided to be kind to my socks and not roll them up into a ball. Apparently, there's a better way. Just a couple of folds will do.

I don't agree with all this author suggests. I don't have a shrine in my house and I don't think my clothing or my house needs to be thanked for what they do. Yes, I appreciate them, but I thank God for them ;)   But, Kondo did confirm to me that I definitely have feelings toward inanimate objects such as jewellery, books, and clothing. I have gotten rid of a stack of joyless belongings, and really, I do feel better now.

I am planning to tackle my books and paper files gradually, just  because I'm a tad rebellious. I'm not going to dump all my papers or books on the floor all at once. That would just make me want to scream and run away.

So, are you ready to do some serious tidying up? Check out this book, but if you buy it, make sure it 'sparks joy' if it's going to take up space on your shelf!

My Hero

The mouse saga continues..

The other day, I dropped in on a few dollar stores to pick up a few more traps, but they were totally out. It's that time of the year, and I'm not talking about the most wonderful time of the year, either! It's Mouse Time, I'm afraid.

You know, we've always had pets in this house until the last few months. Buddy the Cat was more than a lap warmer, as I have discovered...

Anyway, I decided to follow in my sweet, kind-hearted, lover- of- all- creatures daughter in law's footsteps, and purchase a live trap (the humane way to catch mice). The problem is, what do you DO with the thing once it's caught? That part might be extremely inhumane. I think I prefer the trap/snap method!

The other night we awoke to such a clatter... a constant scritchy scratchy noise that effectively ruined the rest of our night's sleep -  and we figured another mouse had made its way into a vent or drawer or enclosed area. That morning, however, Dave discovered that the humane trap was occupied. The peanut butter had done its work.

"Now what?", I asked. "What do we do now?"

"I'll dispose of it", he said.

"How?", I asked.

"With a pail of water... in the garage.."

"No!!! That's mean!"

"Let me worry about that.."

When he got home from work, I asked him what he had decided to do with the little critter in the garage.

It was still there, sitting in an empty pail (with a lid of sorts over it, so it couldn't get out). I then had to put my foot down and give him the ultimatum.. no supper until that poor thing is ..well... taken care of.. (humanely please). 

Ten minutes later, he came in the front door and sat down at the table.

"I drove down to the hills near the park and let it go on the trail", he said. "It won't be returning to our house."

You did that, for me?? Oh, thanks, sweetie. Yes, he's MY HERO!

Mouse total: 3

Trespassers will be ...

 My husband tried to keep the news from me for over a week! He knew I'd probably not take the news well. Yes, my imagination does get the better of me sometime.

The last few days I have been hearing little crinkly, crunchy noises, but I suspected it was the house creaking with the icy winds that have been blowing. Sometimes our heating ducts make noise, as well, so I convinced myself that's what it was.

However, he came home today and had a funny little smirk on his face - the one which tells me he's been keeping  a secret but it's impossible to carry on the charade --  and said, "Promise me you won't go crazy if I tell you this.. "

"WHAT?!" I asked "Tell me, what is going on.. " I thought it might have something to do with his work.. a pay raise? a move? being fired? (ha!)

"There's a mouse in the house. I saw it there this morning." (He pointed to where I sit EVERY morning in my reading corner).

"Where?!" Eek. My eyes got bigger and rounder. I slowly edged towards a chair. He chuckled, and pulled out a few mouse traps. He set them strategically around the house.

I tried to carry on  making dinner and puttering around the kitchen.

Needing a broom, I opened the hallway closet door and I saw it! Out scurried.. the mouse!!! I held the broom like a weapon and yelled for my hubby to save me! The chunky critter dashed for cover under our piano. And that was the last we've seen of it.

Until less than two minutes ago, as I was composing this post, I kid you not!!.. I heard a SNAP!! Was it? Could it be? It was!

I'm a wimp when it comes to little teeny tiny mice.. I know.

What are the chances that this was the only trespasser during this cold snap?