On the Mend

I am happy to report that my back/hip/buttocks area is feeling somewhat better! And heeding doctor's and acupuncturist's advice to "use it or lose it" I went on my first hike yesterday in 3 weeks. And oh what a loverly day it was! Not a cloud in the sky and the temperature rose from -1c when I got up to 17c by the end of the hike. It felt good to be alive!

Here we are gathering for the hike. Over the course of the next couple of months (every other Sunday) we are walking the entire length of the Thames Valley Trail (around 150km). Sunday's hike was about 10km.

We stopped occasionally for water and snacks. Those who needed to slipped off into the woods for a pee break but without any foliage there wasn't much coverage!! (Glad I can hold it!!)

Much of the trek was along the borders of farmers' fields and it was pretty mucky!

This is when I need a good zoom lens! Can you see the heron sitting in her nest?

And perhaps this is dad on guard nearby.

Not much shelter in this teepee!

I just couldn't get enough of the blue sky. The buds are on the trees so any day now leaves will bust out! Or is that burst?

After about 30 minutes of hiking the coats came off.

A lot of the area was under water still.

While my boots are water proof they are NOT mud proof.

I thought this tree was missing a chunk of its trunk but it's just an optical illusion.

One method of not leaving mud from your boots in somebody's car! Her boots are bagged! I brought a big bag to put my boots in and another pair of shoes to change into.

The first leg is complete - only 140 more kms to go!

Unfortunately, while still mild, it is pouring down rain today. The house is dark as a tomb. So I took myself to an indoor track for some walking today - I listen to the band The Cars when I walk as the songs are just the right speed.  I was going to pack up Dougie the Dodge with stuff for the trailer today but not in the rain. I think I'll go on Wednesday to start cleaning the trailer and taking inventory of what I need to get. I like my zero gravity chairs so much I bought another one today - I'm going to leave one here and take two to the trailer.

I also want to pack out boots away in bins but I'm afraid I'll jinx it. So I'll leave them be for now - better to have them out and not need them than put them away and have it snow again!!

Has spring sprung for you??

Makeover Madness

The long list of projects to do around the house (and trailer!!) continues to grow. Dragging my sorry pain-filled butt around to make minor repairs or do some redecorating just doesn't seem like something I want to do right now.

HOWEVER.......sometimes some little thing catches your eye and you realize you need to take immediate action...

EEEEEEEEEK!! Some horrible, hairy creature is living under out bathroom sink!!! And it's GROWING!! And trying to ESCAPE!! Is it a black widow spider???

Let's zoom in on this hideous creature!! Hmmmmm...there's something familiar about it....yes, it's my daughter's hair!! No, don't worry, my daughter isn't living in the cupboard under the sink but some old hair extensions are!! Along with lots of clutter!!

It's time for MAKEOVER MADNESS!! 

Uggghhh! Hair extensions mixed in with a jumble of other crap! It's gotten to the point that when we need to put something away we yank the cupboard door open with incredible speed and toss the item in quickly slamming the door shut again before debris tumbles out onto the floor. It's time to get the mess under control and it'll be a quick, easy on the back, fix!

First I cleared everything out from under the sink.  Kazi went through everything and tossed out most of it :)  I did a quick wipe down and added some contact paper that I had left over from doing the drawers in the kitchen.

I added an extendable extra shelf to help keep things organized, just a few dollars from Walmart.

And...ta da!! All is now organized and easy to reach.  I hope I can keep the momentum going and continue with the bathroom redecorating. I have paint for the walls and cupboard doors, new cupboard handles and some new shelves to put up. Now that my back is on the mend (but not fully mended) it's time to start doing some tasks around the house that won't be too taxing on the back.

It feels great to accomplish something, even if it is relatively minor. Are you working on any little projects??

BUDGET Bonanza!

There is no bonanza, nor any lesbians either so move along to the next blog if you want...

Just another dull look at the budget...but, it keeps my spending in check (sorta)  to look at the numbers weekly. I am thankful that so far April is going better than expected. Now there's something to celebrate right? (completely disregarding that it's only the 9th of April?)

So what's so darn great about April's money so far??? Well....the acupuncturist said I might only have to get one treatment (she says while burning her butt on a heating pad...)

HEY, I JUST SAID BUTT!!(that should increase my readership!!)

I took $500.00 out of savings to cover said treatments @ $50.00 a SHOT that would amount to 10 treatments. So...I could possibly save $450.00!! (some of which I spent already - EEK!!) Money is getting muddled - OH NO!! I hate that! I took $200.00 of the $500.00 designated for acupuncture and put it in my wallet. I paid for one treatment and still have $80.00 left so that means that there is $70.00 unaccounted for!! I bought a book today ($30.00) and lunch ($5.00) so that leaves $35.00. I did spend some money to make a nice Easter - a bit on candy and wine...see how it dribbles away!?! I cannot be trusted with cash in my wallet - it DISAPPEARS!! And if I don't keep my receipts I can't track where it goes!!

Anyhoo I still have $380.00 left for the acupuncturist if I need it.  If I don't then either it goes back into savings or I use it to purchase some things for the trailer.

Speaking of the trailer...I used my misc money this week to buy two zero-gravity lounging chairs!!

I thought they would be nice for my back/butt area and they ARE!! At only $38.00 a piece I consider them a bargain! And that's all I spent (other than what was mentioned above), so my misc budget is in very good shape - see, it all works out in the end.

Gas budget stands at $145 left out of $170 (this budget will have to be increased once I start going to the trailer) and there is $180 left out of $276 in the food budget. Foodwise we are in great shape - there will be no food shopping until there is actually room in the fridge to put more food!!

And that sums up this week's edition of Budget Bonanza!! How's your budget looking?

Lesbian Acupuncture*

*Taking a leaf from Sonya Ann

Lesbian acupuncture - now that creates some crazy visuals doesn't it?

Had my first acupuncture treatment this morning for my back but I don't think he was a lesbian. Just as well. I wasn't really in the mood.

However, it went really well and I might not need any more treatments. I'll wait a few days and see. The doctor said that sometimes muscles just need a reboot, like software, to get them working right again. I felt really good after the treatment and went to the BMO Centre to walk for 1.5 hours (one hour fast, 1/2 hour slow).

This is the BMO Centre - a great photo taken out of my truck window as it was pouring down rain. It continues to be a dismal dreary grey awful wet day - I'm not impressed.

However, that's what makes the BMO Centre so great - it has an indoor walking track!! The main floor is used for soccer but on the 2nd floor is this awesome track which is available to anyone FREE!

                                    

The track goes all the way around the perimeter of the building - it's quite long. I took my iPod and walked along to the beat of the music.

Although there are many many signs clearly posted (left lane for slow moving folks, right lane for fast moving folks and for passing the slow folks) there were still lots of people with their walkers shuffling along in the FAST lane. And there were also groups of people 4 or 5 across strolling along as if they were at the park on a Sunday afternoon clogging up BOTH lanes. Oh well, I made the best of it. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the 3 men jogging on the WALKING track. Diversity - it just makes life interesting right?

As if that wasn't enough fun I went and picked up a few things at No Frills and then bought 2 zero-gravity reclining lounge chairs for the trailer from Walmart. I set one up in the living room as I thought it would be a good way to rest my back. But it seems the cats have sore backs too so we are in the process of wrestling to see who gets to sit/lay there!!

Meowwwwww!!

Food Budget Update

I've been meaning to do this for awhile but keep forgetting. So today's the day! A couple of suggestions were made by fellow readers/bloggers related to my food purchasing habits and I never let you know that I have put your suggestions into practice!!

First of all a reader, Joann, suggested I buy "fresh" jalapenos instead of canned or bottled. That was a great idea - fresh ones are much cheaper and a package lasts much longer then a bottle. My daughter and I both like our food HOT!! so add jalapenos to so many things - like last week we made spaghetti sauce and added in three fresh chopped jalapenos. (Two would have been plenty!!) I ended up putting in more tomato sauce to tone it down a little.

The other suggestion I have put into practice is buying some of our produce at Giant Tiger. This suggestion was made by fellow blogger Sam @ It's Me, Sam.  You were right - they have great deals on quite a variety of produce. As I have a Giant Tiger and a No Frills store both within a 5 minute walk from my house it's been a snap to include a couple of trips into Giant Tiger each week. We go through avocados PDQ!!

So many thanks Joann and Sam!! I love practical suggestions that I can easily put into effect and that save me $$$!!

Now...how can I save money on gas.....??

Coming Soon to a Location Near YOU - SPRING!!

 This is what I woke up to on the 1st day of April - NO JOKE!!

But just a day or so later and the world righted itself once again. Today I got out for a walk and then decided to do some raking. My back is paying for it now - but that's my fault, I get so impatient! Some daffodils are popping up!

My favourite bleeding heart bush :)

Precious hardy snowdrops...

I uncovered a few purple myrtle flowers while pulling out dead leaves...

And a little rose bush that a friend gave me last June was still alive!! Couldn't believe it!

and the ever realiable columbines.

Plants don't lie right?

Checking in...

Hi everyone - thought I should check in cuz I miss you all!  I'm trying a new blogging position - laying on the couch with the laptop propped up against my knees. The back is still healing - I found some exercises today from a book called "Treat your own Back"; well actually is was a couple of Youtube videos that demonstrated the exercises so I'm trying them out.  I've done them twice and already feel that the pain is leaving my legs. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I'm scheduled for acupuncture next Wed. Wish I could have gotten in sooner but he wasn't in at all this week. When I missed a month of work 2 years ago due to a pinched nerve in my shoulder the only thing that helped was acupuncture so I'm eager to try it again.

The good news is (aren't you glad there's good news?) I bought a trailer at the same park we were at before. We're just a short distance from the one we previously owned, in the quiet section. (Well...it used to be quiet:) !!

Here's a few photos from last fall when I looked at it before...and I just realized I've shown you these pics before, however, that was before it belonged to me!  It'll take some work to make it mine but I'm looking forward to that. And Lake Huron is just a few minutes walk away!

Nice big living space with a slide-out section that makes it feel much roomier...

A pull-out couch, ceiling fans, TV, air conditioning... (I likely won't use either the TV or the AC)

The master bedroom has a brand new mattress, never slept on...yet!!

Something I was looking for - a second bedroom with 3 bunks and lots of storage space.

 Dining area...

 Kitchen - full size stove and fridge, built-in microwave, double sink...

Cute shed for my lawn mower, extra chairs, bike etc...

Nice big porch...

The trellis stuff was being used to build a sort of fence, I'm not sure why...they aren't high enough to cover the window of the adjacent trailer so not too sure what the idea was...

You can see one of the trellis fence pieces in the photo below...I'm not going to bother with them - I'd rather just plant some tall grasses if more privacy is needed...

And the lovely bathroom - wow - counter space!! And there is a large shower to the left which we can't see here.

So now you're updated on me...pain is dominating my life at present but I have much to look forward to when this passes!!

This too shall pass, right???