art for art's sake

We were out pounding the streets by 9am this morning, first destination: breakfast! Since it was on our way, and out of the crowded area, we stopped into our local coffee/bar for espresso and of course, pastry stuffed with cream. The guy already knows our order! Then we dragged June and Anthony on another marathon walk - I'm pretty sure they are going to start revolting at our enforced marches! They were good sports, coming along for the walk rather than catching a bus or cab.

We had tickets for 11:45 am at the Villa Borghese and since it was only a few km away we ambled along, enjoying the sights as we went. With a few detours into churches (I’ve lost count of how many), and a long wander through the most beautiful park you can imagine we arrived with plenty of time to spare, giving J&A a few minutes to rest before our tour. 

Carm and I toured the museum in 2019 but were blown away again by the artwork: Bernini sculpture, Rafhael, Titian, and Caravaggio paintings - honestly the rest was a blur - there was just so much to see. Some of the ceilings were lined with what looked like sculptures, but were in fact paintings that looked 3d… I was overcome with emotion multiple times, but managed to keep it together and not embarrass myself too badly! Ella, the tour guide confided that she often experiences the same thing and sometimes visits privately just so she can gently weep! Ah, the Italians!

The two hour tour went by quickly and soon we were back in the park working our way home, stopping for lunch at a cute cafe in the middle of the park. The owner spent much time with us talking about wine and food - he was a good salesman so we ended up sharing a 45 euro bottle of chardonnay which, if you go by J&A's scale, it was a 9 out of 10 on the guzzle scale!

But we didn't take him up on his offer to line the men up with his tailor for custom made shirts - fabric started at 100 euro a metre!

Carm and I had Roman style focaccia with the most amazing mozzarella that I have ever had. It was nothing like I've tasted - so creamy, soft and moist. The tomatoes were okay, the basil was fresh, and the olive oil drizzle was sublime. Roman focaccia is totally opposite to the one that I make: it’s thin and a bit crispy in contrast to the fluffy style that I make. I'll have to do some experimenting!

The restaurant itself is smack dab in the middle of the ginormous park and with the sun shining through the trees and visions of expanses of lush green grass it was the perfect foil for the crowded streets of Rome.

We routed ourselves back down the Spanish steps which were lined with blooming azaleas - spectacular! Of course the crowds were thick. We left J&A in our dust, hurrying ahead to re-find the little grocery store near our apartment. We wanted some more fruit to augment our ‘first breakfast’. Yesterday Carm made some hard-boiled eggs which gave me a little boost of protein and paired well with an apple. As much as I'd like to, I can't live on sugar and flour alone!

We finally got back to the apartment just before 6pm - all of us exhausted from a long day! We did just over 17,000 steps which is a pretty good showing for one day! Since June & Anthony are having a long nap, I imagine we'll stick close for supper! I have a few slices of pizza from around the corner on my brain (although to be honest, at this moment I'm not hungry at all but since they've started cooking in the restaurant below the aroma of garlic and roasting beef might change that!

Last night we had a conversation with an American couple sitting near us… as they were getting ready to leave, he said that he didn't want to bring up politics but wanted to tell us how much he admires our Prime Minister! We agreed with him!

I think I'll open the bottle of Aperol Spritz that we picked up at the grocery store! I discovered yesterday, after two of them, that my Italian pronunciations improve with alcohol! Or at least it sounds like that to me 😀 

Opps! June just came in to suggest pasta down the street! Yes!

Ciao!

Awesome!

“everything everywhere!”

“trees, grass, fountains, and statues in the park”

“watching the dogs playing in the park”

“another beautiful sunny day”

so many sights of sites to see

Last night we enjoyed some prosecco and porchetta sandwiches at our apartment. We were all beat from a busy day so it was nice to stay in for a while. Suddenly it was almost 10pm - time had flown by - and time for bed. I slept like a log until 5:30… I scrolled my phone for a while, delaying getting up until our agreed upon ‘get up and get going’ time of 6:30. A leisurely shower, a coffee, and a crunchy apple fueled me for the walk to the coffee shop which is just a few blocks away. Of course it was a bit like herding cats getting everyone out the door, but we made it!

A second espresso and one of those yummy cream filled buns was ‘second breakfast’ - would there be a third? Not today but I'm not ruling it out for the future!

We all wound our way through the cobblestone streets to the pantheon. It was already 9am so the line to get in was huge - probably a few hours long! Yikes! Note to self: get there for 8am. We left Anthony to enjoy a morning in a cafe while the rest of us hurried (and I use that term very lightly), to the Trevi fountain. There were crowds but nothing like later in the day. We didn't go to the coin toss level but maybe another day.

From there we headed towards the ‘Wedding Cake’ which is a huge monument celebrating Italy's creation. Impressive! There was some construction which made it difficult to get to where we could walk up the stairs so we skipped out on that, instead we walked towards the coliseum which we could see in the distance, skirting along the Forum which houses even more ruins. The sun was blazing in our eyes, but I we still managed a few photos 😀 

From there we turned around to head to Campo di'fiori, but first a deek down into the subway for the bathroom. Of course we had no change! There were a few volunteers directing people who were kind enough to change a Euro for 2 half euro coins. The bathrooms were the kind that spray down the whole thing between uses - I didn't go in as I remember them from France (maybe) - I was grossed out by the dripping water over everything!

Back into the sunshine we ambled down busy roads till we were at the market. Traffic is wild! June wanted some cheese, meats, and lettuce for lunch but we had no luck. Of course the stalls had tourist prices so we came out empty handed, instead stopping at a little shop for a few things. Down one road and across another, around a corner and there we were at Piazza Navona! It was probably around 11:30 by this time but it still didn't have the huge crush of people that seems to assemble in the afternoon. On our way from there to our apartment, we stopped in a shop for some lunch fixings that we couldn't find earlier. I think we were all relieved to arrive back ‘home’! I know I sat down for 5 minutes before making myself a sandwich - Carm was more energetic, cooking up some hard-boiled eggs to have on hand. 

I haven't had a vegetable since last Saturday… unless you count yesterday's tomato sauce! And I've eaten more bread than I would normally in a month! I'm skirting the edge of acid reflux so will have to keep tabs…

I've taken to walking with my phone in hand, glancing at the directions. I have a phone case with a strap that I've tied onto my ‘pac safe’ travel bag so I don’t worry too much about pick pockets - there are hundreds of more vulnerable people to target!

After our impromptu lunch, we all retired to our rooms and crashed. I could have fallen asleep but I'm afraid of screwing up my sleep overnight - so far I've adapted well and feel reasonably adapted to the 6 hour time change! So instead I tapped on my keyboard, putting thoughts into words… hmmm… my thoughts are words so it was really putting words onto ‘paper’.

It's 2:30 now and I still have to have an aperol spritz! We passed a spot this morning that looks promising - actually we passed dozens of places, many of which offer it in a ‘to go’ cup, but I'd rather sit down for a few minutes to watch the world go by. Maybe in an hour we can head out for a refreshing beverage 😉 

Well, it's 3:15 now and I just tried to stand up… my legs have stiffened like crazy! I shouldn't have lay down for so long 😱  Will need a gentle walk and a spritz now for sure!

6:30 - I didn't get my spritz… I got two! First one down a little alley with only a rickey table and high stools to sit on… June and Anthony caught up with us so we picked a street cafe for spritz number two… this one was better and in an actual glass… our little tables were just off the road, perfect for people watching. Olives and little crackers accompanied our drinks - oh, and we shared two bottles of San Pellegrino - must stay hydrated!

We had supper at the little restaurant below our rooms. It was close and we were all tired… the food was good but left me feeling that it was a bit too rich for my stomach! Time for bed now, we have a busy day again ahead of us tomorrow.

Ciao!

Awesome!

“everything everywhere!”

“old buildings fill the eyes”

June and Anthony arrive

We made it to 8pm last night before we passed out in bed. Just past midnight I woke up wide awake but fell back to sleep quickly (Carm says he was awake for hours). It was almost 8am when I finally woke up for good! We showered, had an espresso and half an expensive sandwich that we picked up yesterday and then hit the road - goal, market about 40 minutes away. But first a stop at a coffee shop for another espresso and a typical Italian breakfast treat: maritozzi, which is basically a sweet bun loaded with whipped cream! What is there not to like! Yum!

Everywhere you look there are old buildings with embellishments, statues wherever you turn, and traffic that is unbelievable. I’ll be surprised if we don't end up being hit by a car, bus, or scooter. We are country bumpkins unused to the chaos… With Carm navigating (and my input - he sometimes has us going in the opposite direction!), we made it to the market (Mercato Trionfale), which is a true food market under a roof obviously frequented by locals. It reminded us of the market in Valencia - meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and other sundries lined the aisles. It was impossible not to get turned around but we did find our way out - laden with bread, fruit, cheese, and of course the famous Italian porchetta for sandwiches. Oh, and shampoo - we were stunned yesterday and bought conditioner by accident!

We did leave the pig heads behind!

It was a heavy bag to carry all the way back! When we bought the porchetta, I asked for 4 slices which somehow ended up being a giant container full of meat. Porchetta and olives added up to over 20 euros but should be enough for a few good sized snacks for 4!

We made it back to our apartment just past 11:30am, so a good 2 hours of walking which according to my fitbit was just over 10,000 steps! We are resting with our feet up while we wait for June and Anthony to arrive from the airport :-)  Let the fun begin!

Lots of dogs everywhere… very few big ones, but tons of smaller dogs. Low-riders are the majority! People bring them into shops and possibly restaurants, although we haven't been to a proper one yet. There are very few spots of grass in the areas we've walked, but lots of giant trees line the roads once you get out of the main tourist area.

late afternoon: June and Anthony arrived so after a bit of time to get settled we ventured out for lunch and into the crush of tourists. The main tourist spots here are insanely busy which is a bit overwhelming. We walked to the Piazza Navona where there are a billion restaurants - so much to choose from that it's hard to make a decision on where! And of course none were really authentic - they were more tourist trap places… But we did decide and had a nice lunch :-)  Carm and I both had a traditional pasta dish which was delicious. The waiter got our order mixed up though so I didn't get my aperol spritz! I'll have to keep trying 😉 

Everyone wanted a gelato and since we were near the pantheon, June, Anthony, and Carm went one way and I went the other way… my destination, our favorite coffee shop for a 1.5 euro coffee… they all had giant 18 Euro cones (which makes it a $29 icecream EACH!!!).

We wound our way back to the apartment for a rest, stopping on our way to see the church with the Carivaggio paintings - amazing! Anthony twisted an ankle when he first arrived here and needed to get off it… poor guy is suffering badly and will likely need a few days of rest… I can only guess that he's feeling frustrated and a little annoyed at being laid up!

I have a shopping list of skincare that was recommended by some facebook place so Carm and I took a little walk to check out a few pharmacies - they are everywhere - and after looking in a few finally found one that carries what I was looking for. I stocked up on a few things!

We passed a little gelato shop just around the corner from us - that will be our future destination! I think we'll have some every day - 4 Euros for a proper size cup with 2 flavors! The lovely lady gave us a taste - way better than the high tourist shop!

We've noticed that almost everyone walks around with their phones out, even locals, and I'm sure it's because it's impossible not to get turned around and lost! There is no grid layout and I am positive that if somewhere is east, you have to walk west first!

By the way - we will never move to Italy because I am absolutely pathetic in my pronunciation of even the simplest words. It's embarrassing to be butchering their lovely language…

It's almost 7pm so I'm going to post now - we don't have supper plans but I would be happy with a porchetta sandwich and a glass of Prosecco - which we already have! At some point we'll try the restaurant just below our room but probably not tonight!

Ciao!

Awesome!

“everything everywhere!”

“Tree lined roads”

"18,000 steps today - it is definately a walking city"

eternally grateful

The long day of hurry up and wait commenced this morning at 7am… we should have tried for another hour of sleep but you know how it is! Too many ants in my pants! We had lots of time to finish up last minute chores, including getting the old sofa from the trailer onto the road for large item garbage day! It seems like longer than a year ago that we wrestled it out

Pat came last night so that she was settled in. She and Carm watched a few gory shows while I dozed… I am not sure why, but I am exhausted these last few days which puts me on the back foot going into a vacation… I don't think I will have trouble sleeping on the plane tonight!

Now we are waiting for our first flight… we've had half of our sandwich and some treats from Tim Hortons… boredom and I am so tired I need to eat to stay awake. I'm not starting off on the right foot :-(

It's 12:47am home time… the horizon is turning orange… we are at 35,000 feet and just went through some cloud, or perhaps chemtrails! Ha ha! Two and a half hours to go till we are in the Eternal city!

My legs are twitching and my back is spasming… ugh! I can't imagine how I managed the 14 hour leg on my two trips to NZ.

2:45am just finished passing over the Alps. Of course the sun is up! 45 minutes to go!

Carm just met his cousin who is sitting one seat over from us! We only see him a few times at weddings and funerals but I thought he looked familiar. It wasn't who I thought it was though - but his almost look-alike brother! How crazy is that!

We made it! After a hair-raising cab ride from the airport we arrived at the airbnb just past 11am, too early for check-in but our host let us drop off our bags. We couldn't stay as the cleaner was still busy so we wandered around, getting lost… the roads go every which way making it impossible to get any sense of direction! Google maps is our friend although it did take us through a narrow passage way to get to where we were wanting to go. We hit up Piazza Navona, cruised Campo de'Fiori (an open air market that has been overtaken by shops of scarves and other touristy things), popped into the cool quiet of a gorgeous church, darted through crowds in front of the Pantheon, and finally found our way back to our digs. The crowds are wild! We could have come earlier in April.

Have I mentioned that it's an absolutely gorgeous day with bright sunshine and a warm breeze. Glad I packed my sandals.

We are resting for a few minutes and then will hit the streets for some food :-) As if we need more food… ha ha. Yesterday/today/travel day was a sugar filled extravaganza - we started our trip with apple fritters and sandwiches. Then once we got to Montreal there was the rest of the sandwich. In the air we had airline food, plus dates with chocolate, a chocolate bar, a sweet yogurt and some sort of cake for breakfast. I need some REAL food soon!

Awesome!

“getting there” 

“view of the Alps”

“ROME!”

spending a day

It was almost a year ago that I was sitting in the hospital with Mom as she fought meningitis… Wednesday Mom and I spent the day waiting for Dad to get through emergency surgery on his carotid artery… 

We distracted ourselves with coffee and treats from Tim Hortons but better still, fun and sometimes meaningful conversations. I don't get a lot of one on one time with Mom to indulge in girl talk so I am treasuring the moments. I'd say Mom and I had a good day, even if Dad's day wasn't!!

He came through well and although it took him ages to come out of the anesthetic (which was a bit scary for me), he eventually became more alert. Yesterday morning he was walking up and down the hall. They decided to keep him a second night but he'll come home today. Whew! Another crisis averted.

I had driven to their house on Tuesday night to stay over as he had to be there for 6am… I think the mattress has a divit in my shape! I drove with them to the hospital, forgoing driving myself as the brakes were making a grinding sound 😱  so it seemed best to limit stop and go traffic. The way home from their place is pretty straight forward with just a lights and stop signs so I was able to go easy on the brakes! Years ago, I was driving home after dropping Carm off at the airport and the brakes on the car completely FAILED… I limped home but was even able to get the car into the garage. I was grateful to have a standard as I was used to using the clutch for slowing down etc. And the handbrake came in handy stopping in the garage!

Mom stayed much later so I took an Uber back to their place to pick up the car - the driver had immigrated from Iran 30 years ago so we had a good conversation. This morning we got it into the shop - new brakes and a failed bearing…

I was a bit befuddled when I left the house on Tuesday. I haven't switched over to ‘summer’ shoes so wore my blundstones… ugh. They are comfortable, to a degree but have no cushioning so are a bit like standing on a hard board… By the end of the day my feet were in agony. Today I dug out my summer shoes! Sketchers for the win!

Tuesday we took Cato and Bailey back to their home. Ruth is not home from the hospital and wont't be for a while yet but John should be able to manage them. They were certainly glad to get home! We did a quick stop to see Kirsten (thanks for making the peanut butter chocolate treats!) and then came home via the grocery store and gas station (yikes!). It was a bit of a frenetic day which probably explains why I left the house not fully prepared (I'd even forgot to bring my meds - luckily I keep an emergency stash in my purse! Otherwise I would have been doomed since I get pretty sick when I miss them.

Yesterday we got up early (again) to take the car to get fixed. Not a moment too soon, although many moments too late! It was a long day of waiting around to get the call that it was ready for pickup.

The house seems very quiet with the birds gone. Here's the last story about Cato and Bailey!

Chapter 57 Cato and Bailey Go Home

The morning started like every other morning but there was an underlying excitement in the air. Carm had told Cato and Bailey that they'd be going home today but they weren't really sure if they should believe him. But then, after some time to finish their breakfast and after toast, Laura brought out the carriers. Once safely inside, Cato and Bailey watched Laura clean up their cages. It was all a bit surprising as their cages had been scrubbed outside a few days ago, so they were both secretly hoping that what Carm said was true.

Sure enough, the covers were closed and the birds were carried to the car. Soon there was driving noise. It seemed to take forever - they were excited at the prospect of getting home. Laura told them that Ruth wouldn't be there but John would. This worried them a bit but they were also happy at the idea of being in their own home.

https://youtu.be/9HamwgSabeg?si=V0DHS2UYtQevpZjS  (Home Dotan)

Finally the car stopped. Cato and Bailey could not see out of their carriers as the cover was still closed, but they had a feeling that they were somewhere familiar. Laura got the carriers out of the car and opened the cover. They were home! They were so excited to see John and ecstatic to get into the house.

Cato and Bailey realized that Laura and Carm were leaving which made them feel a bit sad as they were used to being with them. It had been a good vacation and change of scenery.

Awesome!

“Dad's successful surgery”

“spending the day with my Mom”

“seeing Cato and Bailey safely home”

“beautiful day for a drive”

“brakes fixed”

stepping out

The countdown is on! Just 6 more sleeps until ROME! Getting more excited every day! We watched the Stanley Tucci ‘Searching For Italyˋ episode about Rome the other night - I've got a list of foods to try, including tripe! June and Anthony suggested we book one of the restaurants from the episode so we are going to Bistro 64 which has a Michelin star. I am beyond excited about this!!! I think we'll do the 8 course tasting menu! This might actually be what I am most excited about 😆 

Today is sunny but cold - there was a dusting of snow on the ground when we got up, but it quickly melted with the strong sun, although it did linger into the afternoon on the shaded front deck. Yesterday we had more flurries with a bit of sun in the afternoon, a perfect day for a trip into the city to visit Mom and Dad. Mom and I made a trip to Dollarama so I could pick up a few things for our trip… including a handful of chocolate bars for the flights. The big challenge will be to not eat them all between now and then! I had to re-buy them twice on our last trip as I'd eaten the whole lot..! Yesterday I did buy one extra to eat in the car on my way home and have set the others ‘out of bounds’ 😉 

I'm starting to get adjusted to the new treadmill - do you ever name inanimate objects? I don't usually but feel that this beast needs a name… any ideas? It took me ages to come up with ‘villetta’ for the trailer but it seems to fit. Anyway, it's working better - I changed a few things so the screen casting is working better and didn't glitch at all today. Yesterday I scrubbed the walking surface with some warm soap and water which took care of most of the slipperiness - it no longer feels like a skating rink. I've figured that if I don't sign out at the end I don't have to worry about password, but of course if Carm and I are both using it the password will still be a thing. The pause/resume is working better than I thought. As usual, it took me a bit to adapt… my brain is old and stubborn but it eventually adjusts!

It's been a few days of struggling with tech… Saturday I unearthed my old fitbit that I stopped wearing several years ago because it was too depressing as I hardly moved at all back then - a day with 2 or 3 thousand steps was the norm. But now! I thought it would be fun to have in Italy where we'll be walking like crazy. I charged it up, reinstalled the software onto my phone, then through trial and error got the two connected. They didn't sync the first day but it all worked well yesterday. I'll have to figure out how to change the time zone…  I'm not sure what it tracks when I'm on the treadmill, but today at noon, I'm at 11,400 steps after 1 ½ hours of walking, a few weights, and just general putzing around. It seems like way too many steps but maybe not. (by 9:30 16,500ish!)

Some of my putzing was playing around with our suitcases. All of Carm's stuff fits in his carry-on, including a pair of sandals (but not the extra pair of runners). I can get ¾ of my clothes, plus my giant sandals into my carryon, which leaves not much for the big suitcase! We aren't quite yet at carry-on only people, but we've really paired down for this trip. The suitcase fits a few big pairs of shoes (my Hoka's are gigantic and of course a size 9 men's shoe is not exactly a ballet slipper). And then there's my plastic bin with all the odds and ends: cold meds, aspirin, wine opener, anti-nausea, a deck of cards, and goodness knows what else. It easily fits in the suitcase and keeps everything organized. It takes up more room than throwing everything loose - does that even make sense? I guess it's like having a jar of rocks and adding sand. Whereas both couldn't fit if you put the sand in first. Weird!

Chapter 56 Cato and Bailey Are Sultans of Swing

It had been a quiet morning as Laura and Carm went away. Cato and Bailey could hear the dogs barking sometimes but it was generally quiet. When they finally came home Cato wondered if there would be toast and of course there was! The parrots had barely finished eating when Laura brought out all the travel carriers - they all wondered what was going on and were all happy when Carm moved them from their cages into the carriers.

They were surprised when the people started taking stuff out of their cages and then Carm took all 3 cages outside! They wondered if they'd be going outside as well, but it wasn't to be. Cato thought it seemed like ages, but then the cages were back. Once back in their cages, Cato realized that their cages had been washed! Everything was still damp, but it made Bailey want to have a bath. He started splashing in his water bowl and finished before Laura could bring a dish that was like a pool. Bailey was happy though. Cato thought it was a good idea so splashed around a bit too.

When they were finished splashing around they all danced to the music. They weren't sure what a Sultan was, but they thought being a sultan of swing would be a good thing.

https://youtu.be/0fAQhSRLQnM?si=5rM9XohVRxs7XTTW (Sultans of Swing Dire Straits)

Awesome!

“a great visit with Mom and Dad”

“Kirsten and Nissa dropped by too”

“some warmer days (not today though!)”

“reservations at a Michelin Star restaurant”

“tonights ‘throw it all together supper’ with white kidney beans, cherry tomatoes, peppers, butternut squash, mushrooms, tons of garlic, capers, and of course basil!”

“the tofu that went with supper”

the rumbling beast

Welp… the new beast has arrived and is dominating the SE corner of the livingroom… it was a bit of trial and error getting to this point. The delivery/set up guy and his son arrived just past 7am on Friday and quickly got to work hefting the thing out of the back of his truck and into the house. Carm and I could NOT have done it!

Jason got it assembled, but when it was time to install the screen he'd brought the wrong one so this morning first thing we dashed into the city to get the right one. Carm installed it with no problem and then we fought played with it getting it set up… new accounts, wifi connection, app updates, sign in to streaming services (it has YouTube, Disney+ and Amazon Video built in), download the software so that I can cast my phone to the (giant) screen. All regular setup things that went reasonably well although it is SLOW…

I walked on it yesterday for an hour without the screen as it does have a small display of time, distance, speed and incline on the led display. The part that you walk on was super super crazy slippery - it was almost like walking on glare ice - the handles were essential to keep myself upright! My legs are sore today from compensating 😄 

This afternoon I tried it out again, this time with the display screen installed. It's got some good features but some of the things are slightly annoying. First, I need to sign in with a password which then takes almost a minute to connect. Casting from my phone works so so - it sometimes lags several seconds which then doesn't line up with the sound that's coming from my earbuds which are paired to my phone. I’m usually playing music and always display the lyrics when I do as I like singing along (poor Carm!). Sometimes it keeps up but other times it freezes. If I leave the casting display to look at stats or even pause it, I have to reconnect which is a series of steps, and this might require a password as well. So pausing to run to the bathroom requires all my media to be set up again… 

I'll get used to all the idiosyncrasies and come to love it in time!

Yesterday ended up being a busy day with the delivery at 7am, a quick walk with June from Switzerland, lunch out with Ken & Francine (more about that later), a quick dash to Trudie & Leo's to fix his phone… we got home around 3:30 and got busy changing the tires to the summer ones. By the time we were finished, we both felt terribly sick and had to drag ourselves through the chores - the animals needed to be fed…

I don't believe that we were food poisoned but just not used to that much greasy food. We both had the fish and chips which were good at the moment, but in retrospect, the batter was saturated with oil. Ugh. I should have done what Francine did, which was peel off the coating. The fish itself was good. The fries were okay. We'd never been to this small town greasy spoon restaurant and won't be going back for fish & chips, but maybe we'll try it for a burger. 

Chapter 55 Cato and Bailey Are up Early

It seemed to be especially early that Laura and Carm woke up one morning. They did all the regular morning chores and soon Cato and Bailey were playing on top of their cages. They'd only been playing for 20 minutes when Laura jumped up and rushed them back into their cages. Of course they were hungry for breakfast so didn't mind! But they were curious about who could be visiting so early in the morning.

Cato was surprised to see Carm fold up the treadmill and move it away. Bailey wondered if perhaps Laura had walked too much and wanted the treadmill gone, but then two big men brought in another one. Cato and Bailey watched them put it together. Bailey thought it might be fun to try taking it apart! He loved taking things apart. 

Once the people finished putting it together they admired the dogs. One of the men told Laura and Carm that he used to show Rhodesian Ridgebacks like Adia! Everyone thought that was a great coincidence. Finally they said goodbye to Cato, Bailey, and Grace and then the house was quiet again, at least until Laura started playing music to walk on her new treadmill.

https://youtu.be/ZzjOE0RnIMc?si=jIFtCs-Phs8GvMN5  (Raise a Little Hell Trooper)

Today we woke up earlyish, took care of the pets (3 parrots and 2 dogs!) then dashed back into the city to pick up the display unit. A quick stop into the MidEast grocery store netted us some pomegranate juice on sale  😀  We don't generally drink juice but this has no sugar added and is considered very good for gut bacteria. Pomegranate and unsweetened cranberry juice feeds specific beneficial bacteria. Back home we dragged all the parrot cages outside to be pressure washed, got the sheets in the washer, installed the display, walked for 30 minutes, took care of the cardboard, and countless other small things - I'm exhausted from 2 busy (for me) days! 

I eventually had to make supper but could hardly imagine prying myself off the sofa! So we had canned chili with roasted sweet potato, broccoli, and tofu.

Awesome!

“a beautiful warm almost summer day - shorts & t-shirt”

“sitting on the bench in the backyard”

“dogs excited about being outside”

“new treadmill (this may not quite be awesome yet!)”

screech

It was bound to happen sooner or later… yesterday morning after increasingly grumbly rumbles followed by an ungodly scream my treadmill screeched to a halt…

I was heartbroken! What used to be known as the dread-mill turned into the eager-mill or if not eager at least appreciated. Actually I have come to crave my daily steps. I love that I can slow down the pace and lower the incline for an easy walk or I can crank it up to challenge myself.

Carm was quick to take it apart only to discover that it was nothing obvious and likely a burnt out bearing in the motor… so we got our stuff together and headed into the city for a new one.

Since we'd had such a great experience with this one (purchased in 2002), we went to the same store and may have even had the same salesman!

We didn't do much humming and hawing as the salesman was able to quickly walk us through the pros and cons of each brand. We zeroed into 2 of them and decided to go with the one that has a bigger motor. 

Still waiting for a delivery date which is going to break my streak of no missed days yet this year… which I feel physical pain about! Luckily we have an exercise bike that I use regularly but only for 10 minutes… I can see how far I can ride… which turned out to be only 10 minutes! It's harder to keep going when I'm tired 😩 

Chapter 54 Cato and Bailey See a Robin

There was suddenly a lot of excitement in the house one afternoon. Everyone had been quietly napping when Laura called out “There's a robin! and there's a second one!”. This was surely a sign of spring so everyone felt a bit of a lift - soon they'd be able to go outside. 

Grace told everyone about the robin that used to nest on the downspout on the deck. She hoped that the robins that Laura just saw would not go there as they sometimes scared her when she was outside but she said it was interesting when the new babies came out of the nest. She wondered what it would have been like if she had hatched in a nest. Cato thought that living in a high nest might not be so great especially when it was raining - she didn't like to be outside in the rain. Bailey agreed, especially since he didn't want to eat worms.

https://youtu.be/yg-psB99tRQ?si=dgHms4-DYng1izUc (Rockn Robin Bobby Day)

Laura took the birds to the window with the bird feeder so that they could see some of the other birds. Everyone was amazed at how yellow the gold finches were getting. It seemed strange to the parrots that they could change colour. Cato wished that she had more of the red feathers for the summer. The parrots all agreed that they would like the moulting season to be over!

It's been ages since I last wrote… I'm still dragging myself around but am starting to come out the other side! There have been lots of days just existing… 

Last Tuesday some of the family gathered at my parents to ’celebrate’ Graham's heavenly birthday. He would have been 48. Monday I had my annual mammogram which was all clear! I don't think about it often but a ribbon of fear wound around my gut as I waited for the results. Our dog groomer just got diagnosed with breast cancer - she's probably not even 40 yet and has 4 children, the oldest only 12 or 13. My heart aches for her… I feel guilty that I had it so easy when others have had a tough journey.

A few of my friends are going through hard things, much harder than anything I have gone through so it feels entitled to complain about my misbehaving brain. I wonder how I would even survive their challenges without doing myself in yet they all soldier on like heroes.

Since we were almost next door we dropped into see Trudie and Leo after my mammogram. Then later in the day took Kari out for supper for her birthday 🎂 

Last week Pat came for supper and a marathon of movies one night. Another week and a half and she'll be here for 9 nights while we enjoy ourselves in Rome! Excited! I've started packing 🧳… it's not at all like packing for a cruise where I seemed to need 3 unique outfits for each day! That's a lot of clothes that I won't need!

Awesome!

“all the snow is gone”

“dogs curled against me on a rainy day”

“crispy tofu with Frank's”

“finding a treadmill right away”