double quadruple jabbed

 Today is better! Am I too good? Not sure but I certainly feel much perkier than yesterday - it’s been 18 years of sedation so I have nothing in memory to compare to. With Carm’s help we’ll monitor closely for a rebound.

We were up a bit early this morning to get ourselves to the pharmacy in time for our fifth vaccine - this time the pfizer bivalent… hopefully it will give us some protection during our cruise. It seems crazy to immerse ourselves into a cesspool of viruses but honestly, we have to start living our lives at some point!

The pharmacist was skilled, jabbing us so fast we weren’t even sure we got it (except I did see with my own eyes the needle deep in Carm’s arm. I didn’t know that the owner of a pharmacy has to be a pharmacist. 

I always thought that this phrase from a Gorden Lightfoot song was great: 

the pavement is a shoulder for her tears

This afternoon we got together (virtually), with Shawn & Kirsten to discuss and book(!) our excursions. We’ll be havin’ some fun! We are even going to do a little snorkel!!!! Excited for that :-) 

Another day is done… we ended it on a lovely note with supper at Trudie & Leo’s. The dogs have had a chance to settle down so we are snuggled on the sofa to watch a late version of the news.

Awesome!

“booking an excursion with some snorkeling”

“our fifth vaccine”

“waking up feeling fine”

first day free

 Today is the first day of my (hopefully) lithium free life. I feel like I have a really bad hangover and am sloggish today - I didn't expect that. Tomorrow will surely be better!

The week has flown by. We’ve been busy outside (in this gorgeous early September weather!) - Carm closed the pool, among other things. The weather was nice enough for him to golf a few times. There are a few more things on the deck to put away and then we are ready for winter - physically, not mentally!

Yesterday we had a lovely lunch at Jo Ellen & Don’s. The dogs stayed at home in their crates - I wish we could leave them out but they are too destructive. I’m sad that Adia, at almost 4 years old, still destroys things when we leave her alone… even if it’s only for a short time. She’s got some separation anxiety (as does Lupa) that we haven’t been able to work through. It would be better for all of us if I could figure this out…

Bella, Kabira, and Spike were perfect when left alone loose in the house or trailer so it’s frustrating to have 2 badly behaved dogs! I can’t imagine doing a cross country trip with these two miscreants!

Ugg… I feel like puking…

Our trip is only 23 days away so I’ve been figuring out what clothes to bring. I think I have supper clothes figured out but might have too many outfits - if we get back late from an excursion we’ll likely use the buffet rather than the dining room for dinners those nights. Luckily I fit back into all the clothes from our last cruise 3 years ago - I’m even a few pounds lighter! If I put all the photos of us from all our cruises into one album I wouldn’t be able to tell which trip was which because I wear all the same clothes every trip! The background might give a clue. And we might look older!

Here we are 6 years ago on our first cruise.

Hopefully the dogs don’t drive Pat crazy… Lupa is a perpetual motion machine and the two race around the house for at least ½ hour every morning. I had to stop them from tearing the ‘mandalorian’ toy in half - each dog had a leg and they were tugging hard in opposite directions. It needs some stitches now…

7pm… well, I made it through the day and am actually feeling like I can eat something (oatmeal & an ice cream sandwich). Tomorrow will be better.

Awesome!

“a bright crescent moon”

“it smells like lemon thyme outside”

“getting through the day”

garlic

 The weather was spectacular today, making it the perfect day to get the garlic into the ground. One hundred and fifty three cloves were carefully buried by Carm’s careful hands while I looked on, helping where I could.

I might have participated better but we were tired from a late night and from sleeping in a strange bed. I might also have been suffering from taking extra lithium last night… we’d gone to Olaf & Stephanie’s for the night so I grabbed a filled pill case, not realizing that it had old dosage so I had to take extra… or none… extra seemed like the safest bet.

Yesterday we drove over to O&S’s for an overnight visit, with the dogs who were a total pain. We should have had the dog bed in the room where we were all hanging out but alas. Adia had a hard time settling so they both spent a certain amount of time in their crates. I just didn’t have the energy to focus on them.

14 mice so far.

Thursday we met with our new doctor - in person! OMG - so young! He can’t be any older than late 20s but young is good - it means he’ll likely be around for a long time :-)  And as a bonus he’s from the area so might stay practicing here.

Awesome!

“turning into Olaf’s driveway and seeing Stephanie outside blowing leaves”

“dogs peeing on their walk outside (okay, it doesn’t take much for something to be awesome I guess!)”

“153 cloves of garlic planted”

we made it to her first birthday

 It was one little scruffy dog’s first birthday on Monday… I can’t believe we made it! For the first few weeks (months?) I wasn’t sure if I’d ever love her but time and cuddles have changed that. She’s a funny little thing that brings little bits of joy and laughter into our lives every day. Oh, she still gets into things - chewing fabric is her worst transgression but hopefully soon she’ll grow out of that.

Today Lupa got a full haircut which was nowhere as odious as clipping the poodles - with Carm’s help we were done in less than ½ hour. I left her legs longer but they may have to be shaved down in a few days - we’ll see how good we are at brushing them!

Her coat shines.

Monday I had invited Trudie & Leo for a fish supper on Tuesday night but they got mixed up and showed up at the door on Monday night! Luckily for all of us I was making a prime rib with trimmings and with a bit of clever carving and a dig through the freezer and pantry we even had leftovers!

The fish supper was tonight - Roy, the deck builder, gave us three huge chunks of smallmouth bass this summer and since I have NO idea how to prepare them I stuck them in the freezer until I could get Trudie here to help me :-)

We had a feast with onion mushroom soup, fish, roasted acorn squash, garlic rice and Trudie’s sourdough buns… Trudie brought some sugar free zucchini bread for dessert.

The last lithium reduction is going really well now that I’m through the first week. It’s 3 days now since I’ve had any recordable feelings of doom. I woke up singing again this morning - an old song from ‘Song of the South’ has taken over my brain.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

My, oh, my, what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine headin' my way

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!

I read a little bit about the background of the movie and learned that even back in the day it was controversial. Some black people liked it while others thought the characters were stereotyped. The story itself took place after the civil war so slavery had been abolished, but it is sad to note that ‘Uncle Remus’ was unable to attend the opening screening as it took place in Atlanta which was segregated.

I haven’t seen the movie since I was a little girl and at the time did not understand the conflict.

yesterday I clipped just her chin. Cute but it all had to go.

Carm has caught 10 mice in the front of the trailer so far!!! Next year we are investing in a vittles vault for overflow bags of kibble. Who knows how many stashes of kibble are cached around the camper though… I suspect there are pockets in the walls. I have no idea how they got into the clothes drawer.

Awesome!

“waking up with a song on my lips”

“dogs racing in the field”

“no fish bones!”

the trailer is winterized but I'm not

 Sunday, October 16th and the trailer is already tucked into bed for the winter. The water system has been winterized, perishables and various other liquids have been brought into the house, leaving just the odd bit and bob to come inside.

I found one stash of dog food… I did not put dog food into the drawer with Carm’s clothes so it could only have been from that wicked mouse that was scrabbling in the cupboard above the bed, keeping us awake for much of the night on Friday. Yesterday Carm put out some traps: one inside and the other in the front storage compartment. Overnight he caught 1 in the front but nothing inside. I did find other signs of mice as I emptied cupboards and drawers so I expect that the traps will be busy.

The last of my herbs have been stored into jars and bins leaving just skeletons hanging from the ceiling of the old bird room.

I woke up feeling okay again today :-) It’s usually a good sign when I sing the good morning song to Grace when I get up. She doesn’t sing along with me but bobs her head in agreement.

When you open your eyes

To a brand new morning

And the sun shines

Above you

You pull on your breeches and say

Oh well,

It's the start of a brand new day

10cc

I can’t find the name and lyrics of the other song I sing but it goes like this:

Good morning, good morning

open up your eyes

it’s a brand new day today, it’s a brand new day!

It was a busy day so it was nice to find time to have Kari over for supper :-) Time sure passes quickly between visits.

Awesome!

“the last bin of stuff removed from the trailer”

all good things come to an end

 Friday… The clock ticks loudly on the back wall of the camper, each tick bringing us closer to the end of our season at Kirsten’s. The rain stopped yesterday leaving a day + for the ground to harden up before we try to get the beast out of its deep trench. We’ve done some initial prep - Grace’s outdoor cage is in the shed, carpets are swept and rolled… everything else has to wait until we are almost ready to hitch and roll out of here.

The last few days have been a trial for me… Monday night I dropped my lithium down again, this time to ¼ of what I was originally on. I’m not sure if it was that or something else but my mood spiralled into an abyss of doom. Only by force of will did I get out of bed although I did spend a ‘certain’ amount of time reading trashy novels in bed... I tried my usual tricks but nothing worked - I felt mentally sick, almost like I couldn’t go on.

While my brain is acting up it is hard for me to remember that the bad feelings will pass - it seems that I’ll be miserable forever and that seems too hard to bear… This morning when I opened my eyes I knew it was going to be a better day. The sun was (is) shining and it’s quite warm at 14C. I didn’t have an overwhelming sense of doom. It is going to be okay.

As I got into the truck for the drive here I felt the edge of ‘peaceful easy feeling’ slipping in to fill the dark spot.

Saturday… Home. For the winter. 8 long months. But it’s best not to focus on the sadness but to look forward to a winter of cosy candlelight suppers and gathering with friends around a flickering fire.

First though! Our cruise is coming up in a month so it’s time to try on clothes to see what still fits (maybe everything as I’ve lost 12 pounds this year!). Maybe I’ll squeeze in a shopping trip with Kirsten for some new threads.

Awesome!

“the bright yellow tree on the edge of the lawn - it’s like a stand of sunshine even on a rainy day”

“the drive down to the trailer was full of colour”

“the other tree at the end of the laneway that practically glows”

“Carm getting the trailer into the laneway perfectly!”

give thanks

 The drive home from Kirsten’s yesterday was spectacular. With the sun bright in an autumnal blue sky, the brightly coloured trees were vibrant bouquets artfully arranged along our route. Cries of ‘look at that one!’ were punctuated with the silence of appreciation for all that Nature gives us.

Speaking of appreciation… we had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family. We arrived at the villetta on Saturday with plenty of time to settle in before Olaf & Stephanie arrived. Supper was at our place, dessert at Kirsten’s. (shwarma chicken, rice, taboule, cheesecake bites). It was an early night for many of us as the turkey would be needing tending early in the day.

Sunday Mom, Dad, Graham, and Erik arrived in plenty of time for lunch.

Kirsten did a great job on the turkey (oh so moist!). Mom and I tried to help out a bit with sides, but really, the turkey was the star of the show. I failed on the gravy as I forgot the darn turkey broth at home! Kirsten to the rescue with chicken broth but DARN!

The kitchen counter groaned under the weight of so much food, at least until we descended on it like a crowd of hungry vultures, loading our plates high with turkey and all that goes with it. The table was crowded but we all fit around it, with enough room for Ted, the magician (who is a charming guy). We were missing a few people: Nissa was isolating herself upstairs as she had the flu, Juliette couldn’t get time off work, and Freya was with her mom. We would have squeezed in a bit more to make room!

When lunch was done I left to walk the dogs who had been crated for about 4 hours and was delighted when almost everyone else joined in the pooping promenade down the tree-lined road. (sorry about leaving Kirsten and Shawn to clean up the detrus of the feast).

Back for dessert and then we took our leave to retire to the villetta for the evening. We were both wiped from all the fun. After a coffee with Kirsten yesterday morning, we packed up and came home to our frigid house. 

The end of summer has come… this weekend the trailer will come home and then the long wasteland of winter will commence… with a little sojourn to the Caribbean in November!

Lupa learned another trick this weekend - she caught on to ‘shake a paw’ quickly but does need more proofing before it’s solid. I must spend more training time with her! She’s a quick study. Maybe I’ll teach her to find my sweater next. (I have to save ‘my feet are cold’ as Spike’s legacy - he loved to do that every morning until he was too addled with dementia - oh gosh, I miss him).

Carm took advantage of today’s glorious day to spade the garlic bed… it will soon be time to plant!

Awesome!

“Lupa catching on quickly”

“beautiful turkey coming out of the oven”

“everyone crowded around the table”

“spectacular trees”

“getting home and the house wasn’t as cold as we expected”

the beetles

 Yesterday afternoon swarms of biting Asian beetles drove us back into the house before we could do more than wash Grace’s cage. Carm had planned on installing a new light fixture but with those damn things flying into every crevice and cranny it seemed prudent to stay off the ladder.

I tried going out with the dogs and chilling on the swing but alas, the swing was crawling with the nasty insects. Back inside I could see them flying through the air, looking for somewhere to winter. Not down my shirt or in my ear… no F’n way! Later in the afternoon I retired to a hot bath and even there, outside of the window, the orange nastys bonked against the glass.

Monday and Tuesday I made batches of cheesecake bites - Skor for Kirsten; the others were meant to be raspberry but I forgot to add the raspberries! So they are plain jane boring. Today I popped one of Adia’s turkey necks into the instant pot to make some broth for the weekend feast. The house smells like a turkey buffet but without the joy of actually eating mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes and heaps of stuffing.

Pat joined us for supper on Sunday. She brought some yummy molasses cookies. They were so good I decided to try making them for myself. Google brought me a promising recipe but unfortunately they didn’t turn out anything like Pat’s. I undercooked them too which didn’t help their palitibility. 

The instant pot has been throwing a C8 code at us occasionally. Boo hiss.

Late yesterday afternoon while I was pondering what to make for supper, Trudie called with an invite for supper! 

Awesome!

“safe behind glass”

“walking around the field”

“fog drifting across the hay field”

“gorgeous fall colours”

farewell to armchairs

 I’ve feel like I’ve fallen off the edge of the earth - not in a bad way - more of a disconnection from words. So much has gone on since I last wrote.

We spent last Saturday night at the villetta then on Sunday Carm went home leaving me behind with the pets to give Kirsten some mental support for the gargantuan task she and Shawn are undertaking. It was fun pretending that I was reno’ing my own house!

The dogs spent tons of time by themselves, locked up in their crates. They survived! I took Lupa over to the house once - it went okay but there’s lots of work to do between her and the chi’s. 

Like a warrior returning for his spoils, Carm returned to the villetta Wednesday morning to bring me home. Perhaps he was keen for a hot meal ;-)

Thursday and Friday I trimmed and harvested some of my herbs. Saturday Jo Ellen and Don came for lunch (with Romy!). Sunday I infused some butter then Pat came for supper (not at all related to each other!).

So far my lithium reduction is going well so I intend to do the next reduction on Thanksgiving… cause it’s lots to give thanks for!

The weather has run the gamut between cold and rainy to blue skies with a warm sun. We’ve had a hard frost and thoughts of swimming are in our distant memory… our last swim this year was Sept 15th… and that was a cold one at just 66F.

Oh hey oh yay! The hated armchairs from the camper have been loaded into someone else’s truck to begin a new life. I feel like cracking open a bottle of champagne!

I hope to rediscover my muse soon…

Awesome!

“getting everything harvested in time”

“chairs going to their new home”