Thursday - the Non-Existent Day

Well, not totally non-existent...but close! Thursday (yes, I'm still catching up!) began with a nice hike from Gibbons Park in London up to the University and back making various expeditions on side trails along the way. The flooding of the Thames hasn't been too severe this year so while we encountered some muddy spots none of the trails were flooded. I'm still having some pain in the backs of my legs so am trying to remember to do lots of hamstring stretches. Is there a muscle that hasn't hurt in my body the last couple of months??? (said in my best Chandler Bing voice - we've been binge-watching Friends lately!)

 It was a really mild day and I was in my shirt sleeves before too long. After the hike we went for coffee but my head was aching and I was feeling tired so I trekked on home. I caught up on (see, it's a theme, a boring theme but a theme nonetheless!) two days of newspapers and had some homemade ratatouille for lunch. I must have added too much hot sauce though as I ended up with heartburn AND a headache - not a good combination. So I stretched out on the sofa, kitten tucked cozily behind my legs, and listened to a book on my iPad while dozing off and on until 9:30pm!!

Good grief! At that point I got up and went to bed!

And that was Thursday...

On Friday there was no hike so a friend and I walked at the BMO centre which has an indoor track. I made up for my couch potato status the previous day by also going for a 2 hour bike ride (yes, another nice mild and sunny day) and then I finished raking and cleaning up the back patio.

Then I walked over to the Wine Rack and bought a bottle of chilled Reisling, bought some socks, a tank top and some undies at Giant Tiger plus took advantage of their "special" - buy a bottle of Windex and get a free package of paper towels - and walked home where I made myself a lovely white wine spritzer and enjoyed the fruits of my labour out on the patio with the kittens.

I wrapped up the day by watching the last episode of "The Slap" on Netflix which I highly recommend. I'd read the book last year and thought it was good. Don't slap a kid, please, especially someone else's!! All hell will break lose, trust me! In fact, just don't slap anyone, including animals! Have a wine spritzer instead!

**Oh yes, speaking of kids...Kazi is in Austin,Texas this weekend! A company that she sells concert tickets for sent her to Texas to a music festival - all expenses paid. All she has to do is write a review of the festival. Cool eh? That would be her dream job if she could live on nothing. In other Kazi news she now has some furniture!! Woo hoo...we're getting close to independence - I can feel it! A friend of hers who worked for Target's head office before they closed it and all the Target stores here in Canada is moving back home to go back to school and gave Kazi some of her furniture.

I'm sure it's an omen of things to come!

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!

Lucky Crap Indeed

Thanks Sonya Ann for putting a whole new twist onto the letters CL - which previously stood for "Crofters Lane" and now stand for "Crabapple Landing". Trust Sonya Ann for coming up with the idea of switching the letters around LC, instead of CL, (duh, why didn't I think of that?) with her offering of "Lucky Crap" for starters :) :) :) I lol'd myself right out of my chair and onto the floor!! I'm still laughing and that feels simply wonderful!

So...here goes...

(ahhhhh, look at my sweet Kazi around age 12 - pre-blond hair and extensions and makeup days:)

Yesterday's list of "Lucky Crap" includes but is not limited to the following:

Thames River pathway

Reflection

Great Blue Heron

• a 90 minute walk along the Thames River (breaking in my hiking boots!!)
• a visit in my patio area by Charlie the chipmunk (perhaps he stowed away in my truck from PEI? I have many squirrels around here, rabbits and skunks but have never been befriended by a chipmunk before here in London so I was using my best friendly chipmunk speak so he can get used to my voice-I'll let you imagine the conversation :)
• I gave myself a haircut which along with a lovely indulgent pedicure (complete with massage chair!) and some facial waxing has put me back into peak form!!
• I made a really good batch of hummus in my beloved Vitamix and along with a few bottles of wine visited my friend Troy who has moved into a new little house near the river (Jules came too) so we sat in her back yard, enjoyed the sunshine and catching up on news - and there was PLENTY to share since I hadn't seen her since June!
• came home around 8pm and caught up on blog reading which was delightful as always and full of good laughs
• cuddled with my 20 year old cat and watched a couple episodes of "Rectify" on Netflix (I have to lift my senior citizen kitty up on the couch now as she is so arthritic she can no longer jump up and down - she nestled in behind my legs and we had a nice long cozy cuddle)
• read a few pages of "Wild" on my iPad in bed but was asleep in no time - it could take me quite a while to finish that book at this rate - but it's not like I have a deadline or anything!

And now to clear some space in my bedroom - I'm going to buy a new desk and bookshelf as I have more "Lucky Crap" than I have places to put it! I got rid of a lot of old furniture during renos so there is nowhere for all of my school crap to go nor all the stuff I brought home from PEI. If I can swing getting a trailer then there will be lots of stuff I can take there but I REALLY REALLY need a computer station/desk type area and I no longer own a desk! The horrors! I have one picked out but will wait til it's here in my room and set up before I share it with you.

Have a great day and I hope yours is filled with as much LUCKY CRAP as mine has been so far!

Little by little...

Left school around 1:30 today with head just a-pounding. Thought it would be a good idea to come home early and lay down for awhile - still feeling a bit weak and under the weather. However, the pounding continued...

but this pounding I can live with! My new bamboo floors are underway...literally! Gorgeous - the photos don't do it justice at all. There was a lot of prep work to do, leveling the floors and so on. Michael's son Dane and his friend Steve will be back tomorrow to finish this room, the hallway and the living room so more photos coming your way!

I couldn't remember if I had posted any photos of our new flagstone patio and I know you all love looking at rocks so here you go! We need another bag or two of sand to bring everything up to the same level.

Looked outside a little while ago to see the FIRST WHITE STUFF (I refuse to type SNOW...oops) falling onto our patio umbrella...perhaps a not too subtle hint to put the umbrella away for the NEXT SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS?? 
EEEEEEEEEEEEEK! 

Good thing we bumped our internet up to 100 gigs a month -  we've become addicted to Netflix, well "Breaking Bad" to be exact. It's giving me ideas of what I could do when I retire...

.....such as...

• have a baby
• build a meth lab
• collect rocks, minerals to be exact
• buy a car wash
• eat a lot of chicken

What should I pick???

 Michael and I have been discovering new places to hike at - these photos are from last weekend when we hiked around Lake Whitaker. It was mild and sunny - just perfect. The colours have peaked and now there is a deep carpet of leaves everywhere.

 Usually I get melancholic during the fall season BUT this fall has been different. Can you believe I am looking forward to WINTER??  Yes, indeedy! We have had such brilliant weather this year - it all began during March  break when Michael and I went to visit the trailer I used to own and which now belongs to friends.  The weather just got better and better through the long spring and the never-ending summer. Just in the past two days has it been cool enough to put on a jacket. Remarkable, really. I find myself waiting for it to warm up again as I am so used to it being warm (or HOT) every day now.

 So that is why I am looking forward to winter. I am ready for a change of season and I can hardly believe I am saying that - ME - the lover of summer!

I am going to go out on a limb here (HAH! get it?) and predict that every leaf that is still attached to a tree branch around here will have fallen by next weekend and will be residing somewhere in Manitoba...or perhaps the Arctic! Hurricane Sandy is on her way and she is one of the most massive storms to ever trundle her way up the Eastern seaboard.  Her winds are not overly strong but her size is incredible - she is 1,000 miles in diameter and set to wage such destruction she will make her way into history books!  By Thursday we should be feeling the effects of all of her windy and rainy fury and by this time next week the trees should all be stripped clean. I just hope that they remain standing and that no one is injured or killed!

 Lake Whitaker is a little piece of heaven on earth. I used to come to the perimeter of this conservation area with my dad to pick elderberries years ago and had never hiked here before. Michael and I have circumnavigated the lake twice now - it takes about 3 hours, or more depending on how many side paths we take. The lake is quite small but the carolinian forest and the pine forests extend quite far to the north.

 My feet with my favorite Blundstone boots are peeking through a thick carpet of leaves.

 The geese love it here. And the blackbirds must stop here on their migratory path as the cacophony of sound was almost overwhelming at times.

 This week was pretty good - I am working hard at creating a structured learning environment at school and have made a lot of progress.  The powers that be have given teachers FOUR half-days of release time this year to work on a PLC (Personal Learning Community) project and so I chose to continue to work on structured learning of course. Last Friday was my first half-day. I got up at my usual time (5:15am) and was working away on my living room couch by 6am. It was a wonderfully productive time - being able to work for 4.5 hours WITHOUT interruption was fantastic! I am really making headway!

Shortly after I arrived back at school on Friday a friend arrived who is helping me to implement structured learning by helping to train my educational assistants. This friend helps at a number of schools and we used to work together for a few years. We see eye to eye so I know I  can count on her to pass on my strategies and methods in the same way that I would. By the end of the school day I was actually feeling JOYFUL!! Yes, joyful!

My regular readers know that last year was a tough work year for me and I ended up taking some time off due to the stressful work conditions.

I want to mark the day - Friday, Oct. 26th - as the day that I said to myself again -"I love my job!"

 You can see by my photos that I am always trailing behind Micael! It's because I stop and take so many photos!

 I love this photo - you can see little areas of light close up, in the middle ground and far off in the distance. What is Michael thinking, I wonder?

 Getting out for hikes every Sunday really saves my bacon. I get so caught up in the day to day grind during the week and it's so tempting to just lay on the couch with a book or watch something on Netflix. (By the way, I discovered the TV series "Jericho" the other day - wow, I love it!)  But, once I drag my butt outside I'm so glad I did!

 Just love the brilliance of these reddish-orange oak leaves against the blue sky!

 Do you think they're poisonous?? Even so, they are so CUTE!

 Walking though the pines on millions of dropped needles - so quiet...

One thing about walking on fallen leaves and needles is sometimes you're not sure if you're still on the PATH so I'm always happy when we come across a little bridge - yes! We're still on the path!

 This is where one side-path took us - how idyllic!

 Back into the woods - and I found a little green man dancing a jig!

And a little brown man! :) Well, not so little!

 This photo has a "holy" feeling to it I think...out of the darkness and into the light!

Some of the migrating birds - they moved from tree to tree overhead - filling the air with their constant chirping.

The light at the end of the tunnel - another side-path. At this point my camera battery died, aren't you sad??

No hiking this weekend - it's wet and cold...and wet. Blecch! And I've been on my own for most of the weekend so I DID INDULGE in some couch laying and some TV watching ;)  But I also rode my recumbent bike for miles and miles and miles just so I could break even with all the calories I consumed. I'm trying to get in at least 150 minutes of exercise per week which is the minimum we need according to "the experts".  I spent two days after classes in the cardio room at school - I alternately ran and walked on the treadmill, used the elliptical and did some resistance training. Far exceeded 150 minutes. Although it's great to get the exercise I do it mostly for managing stress. I really do feel better after working up a good sweat and I don't have to pay for a gym membership.

One of these days I'll do a financial update. I am sticking to a budget and while I spend, spend, spend it's mostly for school and I'll eventually be reimbursed. I hope. If I find the correct forms to fill in and haven't lost any receipts.

Well, I better move along. The dryer buzzed and there's more laundry calling my name. And so is lunch!! Have a great week everybody and thanks for reading my post.

Good Friday

Today seems to be a day for rambling on about whatever pops into our heads. So give me a minute to clear my mind......

• this is going to be a strange Easter; Michael has gone off to Trenton to visit his son, about a 5 hour drive from here and Kazi, reunited with her boyfriend, is off with him to Toronto to see a concert and so I am all alone until Sunday night
• before you start feeling sorry for me please know that this is a mini-holiday for MOI!! and I love spending time with me, myself and I!! I don't often get any time to myself as it's a rare event that both Kazi and Michael are gone at the same time so I plan to revel in my FREEDOM! 

• today, being Good Friday, I am staying close to home and plan to read "The Hunger Games." I have lots of leftover Vietnamese food from last night's dinner out and an extra-large Timmy's to sustain me. If I feel really energetic (not likely after the stressful work week I've had) I'll clean up around here a little....very little!
• I also plan to get my lazy butt back on my bike today, for some reason I've either been too busy or too tired this week to get that last few miles done that will bring me to Karen in Cape May.

• tonight I get to watch whatever I want on Netflix - what luxury!! It'll be a real treat not to have to watch something about assassins or spies or ninjas!!
• tomorrow I'll start tackling the laundry as the electricity rates are cheapest on the weekend. Then it's dinner with the girls and I've talked them into seeing "There's Something about Kevin"!! I hope they won't regret it! (it's more to my taste than their's!)
• Sunday I want to get out into nature and I found an article in the paper about a conservation area where I've never hiked before.  Hopefully it won't rain! At some point both Michael and Kazi will return home and by then I should be missing them both....maybe...

• early Monday I may head over to Talize, our local thrift store, because they are having a store-wide 50% off sale!! Starting at 7am!! I just might have to check that out! And then my thoughts will turn to school and I'll spend some time getting ready for another short work week. 
• On another note - Kazi has been hired by Mosaic, a public relations firm and she was chosen (one of 40) to be a BUD girl at the Blue Jay's home opener at The Rogers Centre in Toronto on Monday so it's back to Toronto for her. She'll be at one of the entrance gates handing out free Budweiser merchandise as they promote their new bar at the Centre and their new beer can and other products. I hear their sunglasses are the latest IN thing! (if you're 20). She's very excited! (me, not so much)