All is Well

My brochure said if I didn't hear back in seven to ten days I was to call my primary caregiver, so I did. I was told the results of my tests were good but I would have to have a yearly mammogram instead of every two years.

One of my sisters said I might want to look into thermograms instead of mammograms to reduce my exposure to radiation. Both procedures have their own substantial list of pros and cons so I find it all pretty confusing.

Do you have any knowledge about thermograms? I would appreciate any and all input.

Next up is Kazi's test on Feb 11. Hoping for good results for her as well.

We are finally having some wild and wooly winter weather - extreme cold thanks to the polar vortex and intense bands of snow due to an Alberta Clipper. Weather always comes from somewhere else! I don't really mind - the hard-working furnace is going to affect my heating bill but so far we haven't had a heat bill MORE THAN $57.00 so we're overdue And we've had maybe 8" of snow in total this year so I can't complain. I have a warm purring kitty on my lap and  at least two dozen books to read - I don't think the snow will last THAT long though :) I've also made a breakthrough in my genealogy research so that will keep me busy while the snow flies this afternoon.

I bought some groceries yesterday knowing the snow was coming and have no need to leave the house. Usually when I'm all prepared like this the storm will pass to the north or south of us...time will tell....
Last time I was at Kilally it was -7c which was crispy but beautiful!

Who is that little guy - the Pillsbury Doughboy? 

This tree may have toppled over since I was last there!

Geese huddling for warmth on a tiny wee island.

A perfect day!

Well That Never Happens...

Well that never happens...almost never that is...!

Guess what?!  I had a surplus in my budget at the end of December! In previous years I've usually been in the hole by a whole bunch! I'm not  exactly sure why or how it happened but I'm certainly not complaining!

Below is my budget for December - not pretty is it?! I am a very messy budgeter but it works for me.
I don't feel motivated to go through it now item by item to figure how I ended up with a substantial surplus but I can make a few guesses.

• I had an extra $150 in my December budget due to paying my property taxes over 10 months instead of 12 - I really appreciate that around Christmas. I end up with an extra $300 in total to put towards Christmas expenses. 
• Food expenses were lower mostly due to getting a half price turkey in November which I stored away along with some of the fixings. Usually I wait til the last minute to go food shopping for Christmas so getting some things in November really helped the December budget. As it was I still ended up over spending on food by $30 which was covered by my misc budget line
• As far as decorating goes I didn't buy anything new. My only purchase was a $6 poinsettia for my neighbour and one for myself. I use an artificial tree.
• I think the main reason for decreased spending in December was due to buying gifts while I was in Scotland: beautiful wool scarves were a big hit as were woollen toques and mittens and fingerless gloves, handmade soaps, books, bookmarks, jewellery, and of course - scotch! So in December I got Juno tickets for Kazi and I (Canadian Grammys), a few more books and that was about it. I also helped Kazi by paying off her phone bill and I created a 2019 calendar with some of my photos through a printing company called Vista. I also made a couple more charitable donations than I usually do. 

So to all of you smug folks out there who shop and plan for Christmas beginning in January I now understand why!!! and I plan to do this from now on! On January 1st I was able to put $1500 into savings instead of the usual $1000. Only $500 more to go and I will have recouped all the money I spent (from savings accounts) last year on paying off my car and travel. 

Oh the sun is shining so I'll soon be heading out to Kilally Meadows :) but one more thing...

FOOD!!

I recently tried a frittata recipe and we loved it. Besides being delicious I like that I can hide leftovers in it :) scraps of chicken or turkey, limp vegetables - pretty much anything goes. And it lasts us three meals so is very economical as well as yummy! Just top with shredded cheese and a dash or two of Frank's hot sauce (any dish that Kazi can top with Frank's is a good meal in her humble opinion 😋

Not Kazi TOO!!

Not fair. One in my wee family (me) needing more testing re lumps in the you know what's.
Now Kazi has had an abnormal result too with a recent pap test. She's nervous, who wouldn't be? She doesn't have a date yet for whatever they do next so she's anxiously glued to her phone. Hope she doesn't have to wait too long. My next lineup of tests is mid-January.

As if she didn't have enough to worry about entering into her 4th week of new job training. She's doing well though, she texted me a photo this morning of her most recent test and she got 62/62 correct!

Of course for stress I head out to the forest. Experts say that even looking at photos of nature can ease stress so here goes - if you have any stressors these days (with Christmas around the corner who doesn't?!) then have a look-see...                                 

Textures

Look at that sky!!

Madonna

The Nightmare before Christmas!

Spring is upon us - my maple trees are in bud too! :(

So relieved to know that Satan loves me hahaha! 

And yous too!

 10 9 8 7 6 5.....

 ....4 3 2 1 blast-off!

This one didn't get away...

you're welcome...

Cats and Kilally

I just uploaded my latest set of photos from my camera to my laptop and I noticed that there are some very definite themes! Scenes of nature or scenes of Lily and Luna snuggling together like the very cozy and cute creatures that they are....sorta...guess I'll concentrate on the kitties for this post.

Here's Lily on her own...soaking up what heat is left once I turn the heating pad off...

 Here's Lunaburger on her own..."hey, I want some of that heat too!"

Looks like a romantic moment... except they're sisters...

and Luna is twice as big as Lily...

 Luna tries to smooth Lily's ruffled feathers with a good lickin'...

That's kinda nice... for a second or two...

Lily's really not sure about this... "I'm getting squeezed out!"

 Lily's eyes are narrowing..."get offa my heating pad!"

"Ohhhhh c'mon" says Luna - "I did lick you afterall..."

 "Well...let me think about it..."

 "I'll give you a couple of licks but then you gotta go..."

Whap! The claws are coming out! Lily gets

bapped on the nose...

A few more baps and Luna it taken care of - "see ya sucker!"

Shortly thereafter Lily follows me to the dining room and

Luna absorbs the rest of the heat. 

Learning to share is hard and makes even sisters grumpy! 

If it wasn't for bad luck...

.......I'd have no luck at all!

This is what happens when you try to play volleyball like an 18 year old! The ball was being drilled over the net and I thought I could jump up and tip the ball right back to the other side!

Ummmm...NO! NO to the jumping and NO to the tipping. YES to excruciating pain like I've only felt once before...two years ago when I did the same bloody thing!

Most of the swelling is gone, and the colour is sort of getting back to normal. 

As long as it is in the splint there's no pain. But it is stiff as a board right now and I don't look forward to discarding the splint and starting physio exercises. Right now it doesn't bend...at all.

 On the bright side Kazi gets to do the dishes and take out the garbage.  I did some batch cooking last week and also had several kinds of frozen leftovers so the food situation is OK for now. 
Wow, it's like a rainbow of colours!
                                     

I really miss playing v-ball and ball hockey! I've had to replace my sports with riding my stationary bike and walking at Kilally Meadows, which is great as I haven't been to Kilally since September.

 It's still there :) The sun came out for awhile and it was +4c so I ended up good and sweaty.

It was very enjoyable and I'll go back soon. I forgot how being out in the forest can help with depression.

Wish I could get Kazi to come with me - she would benefit from some forest bathing!

Still some green leaves to be found!

And the ducks were enjoying Meander Creek.

And finally...I haven't posted any photos of Luna and Lily for a long time so here they are...

Winter naps are the best, especially when the heating pad is still warm!

Luna is just yawning but she looks ferocious!

They both love this cozy spot and there have been a few tousles! 

That's the news for now. I have a few errands to do in the neighbourhood so I'll walk and get some fresh air and exercise.

Baby, it's Cold Outside!

It bloomed just in time!

I spent part of Christmas Day in the forest. I'm glad I did - it made the rest of the day and all the hubbub seem more serene.

The snow came at me horizontally for awhile.

It was so quiet, I encountered a couple of dog walkers and one
cross country skier.

There was a lot of snow but it was light and fluffy. Walking
was fairly easy.

I was hoping to see a deer or two but I didn't even see any
hoof prints so they must have been hunkered down
deep in the thickets.

Looking back - there were a few trails that hadn't been walked on yet -
good thing I wore my waterproof pants!

Love this gnarled tree.

This tree gets decorated every year.

As I left the forest and started to clear the snow off my car once again, my dear daughter tore into the parking lot in her Jeep. She was worried I was going to get lost in the forest as it was snowing so hard. She's just a little dramatic lol! There may have been whiteout conditions in parts of the city but amongst the trees it was easy to find my way. Nice to know she cares though....

After several days spent with family and friends I am now relishing a couple of days with nothing to do except read and watch hockey. I'm reading a Wally Lamb book that's been sitting on my shelf for quite some time called "The Hour I First Believed" which is a fictional story about two people whose lives were affected by the Columbine mass shooting. He is such a good writer. But in about 30 minutes it'll be time to watch the Canadian Junior hockey team play the U.S. on an outdoor rink! Wish I could be there in the action and -12c temps (not really) but I'll have to just watch from my warm living room with a hot mug of tea,  boo hoo! Quite the rivalry between these two teams as Canada lost to the U.S. last year as the result of an overtime shootout! Very exciting, though I get so anxious! As I recall I couldn't watch the shootout last year, I just listened to it.

So I'll go for now. Hope you had a great holiday and have wild and crazy plans for New Years! Hah - I'm staying in with a friend and snacks and wine and movies! My favourite!