Routines

I think I could get used to this...

Lol, you're right Carla, I never even got this section opened up :)
But reading the paper at 2 in the afternoon? Unheard of!

It's funny how we humans create routines for ourselves. It's like just wandering around through the day is weird, it's almost like life has no meaning...GASP!! So we create a kind of routine, fit ourselves into it thus providing structure for our days (unless of course you get up every day and go to work then HAH, you'll have to wait a while longer to understand what I'm talking about!)

For now my day goes sorta like this...(bear in mind I've only been home for 6 days and I've already had to create a routine!)...

• get up, make my bed (that's something new but I kinda like getting into a made bed at night)
• I'm not a PJ lounger so I get dressed right away in work out gear
• make and eat oatmeal while checking email
• on Monday, Wed. & Friday I will do my jog/walk routine as laid out in my C25K app on my iPhone (it's supposed to help get me to run 5K; I'm halfway there; I'm repeating week 4 OR I go for a hike if it's Tuesday or Thursday...I'm not sure yet about Saturday and Sunday - perhaps riding my bike/more hiking (anyhoo early exercise is supposed to help elevate my mood and so far it's working plus I'm working in my hiking boots for my walking trip to England in a month
• after I get home I have my coffee and get the newspaper out of my mailbox - I proposed to my neighbour that we share the local paper and I'll pay her half the cost; it's working out well so far though today I didn't get to the paper til much later due to so many emails to answer plus I was online buying tickets to see a play with my brother at the Stratford Festival plus a few other things online
• once the paper is done I usually make a juice or smoothie
• then it's ACTION time - I've been doing a lot of chores around the house, unpacking, sorting (took 4 garbage bags of stuff to a thrift shop this morning) and deciding what needs to be done and in what order - I've decided at the top of the list is a desk, bookshelves so that I have a work station (Kim - I brought a few boxes of stuff home from school so need to assimilate that into the "desk" stuff that I already have)
• Today's ACTION time involved cleaning the basement windows (only 2), washing, pressing and rehanging curtains, dusting, vacuuming and washing the floors down there
• then more "computer time" - I ordered a movie for my brother as a Christmas gift on Amazon and looked at several sites for outdoor furniture (it's SALE time), a new bed for moi, a bathroom wall cabinet etc (didn't purchase yet, just doing research; plus I do my blog reading and write my post
• then I'll make dinner - nothing much - a salad with shrimp, yummy zucchini spaghetti with cashew alfredo sauce, homemade soup (defrosting on the counter as I type)
• yesterday and the day before I fit in an hour of reading outside on the patio (so nice!)
• and of course there are errands and meeting up with friends: tomorrow I'm having lunch with an old friend - we fell out of touch when I stopped playing recreational volleyball so I was thrilled when she found me on facebook!; then on Thursday I am going on my first hike with a group that I joined; Friday I'm meeting my brother and sister-in-law for coffee and Sunday my other brother and I are going to see "The Beaux Stratagem" at the Stratford Festival
• Phew! How on earth did I fit "WORK" into the schedule prior to retirement???
• I usually spend more time on little "fix its" after supper and then by 9pm I plunk myself down in front of the TV and cuddle with my senior "catizen" (see Jane? I can do it too! Punny, no?)
• Somewhere in there is self-care: showering, plucking, waxing, pedicuring, trimming and on and on it goes...it's a good thing we get to retire as there just seems to be so much more maintenance that needs to be done!!
• Exhausted I drag myself off to my wee bed, try to read a bit more and fall naturally asleep. No worries on my mind, I'm sleeping well.

I'll leave you with a few photos from my hike this morning. I drove out of the city to a small village nearby where there is an old mill pond with a 4km path around it. It was a sunny gorgeous morning and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

 herons...

 and turtles...

 and turtles...

 and snakes...oh my!

and hopefully some fish!