oh that blessed sunshine

Sunshine on my shoulders feels so lovely… especially after the last few days of snow and freezing rain. The sun is shining in the west window, highlighting the nose art from the dogs, and years of dirt that has accumulated on the outside. It is one of the windows that I’d most like to wash, but it is ¾ of a story high and has the satellite dish precariously perched just below, so I always procrastinate.

I got out of the house a few times yesterday - haircut day for Carm and I and a stop at the bakery for an apple fritter and coffee. We haven’t treated ourselves to a bakery treat for perhaps a year. It was a calorie laden way to extend my time out of the house. Later we went to Trudie & Leo’s for a souper supper. A nice healthy soup to offset the calorific lunch.

Photo from ages ago: newly born Brigitta with mom Britt

Today we went to liquidation, stopping first for all day breakfast… and what was I looking for at liquidation? Bigger pants :-(  I can’t quite get the diet started and instead of being miserable and having very tight pants for our next cruise (which is in 54 days), I’ll have a bit more expansion room… it seems like I’ve given up, but I haven’t really, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself today.

another photo from ages ago: me, uncle Graham, Dad

The roads were drying up quickly with the wicked wind, so when we got back, Carm took the truck out to charge up the battery. While he was away I dug around in the depths of the basement for the espresso maker. We wanted to give that a try with our special Costa Rica coffee beans. Was it worth all the effort? I think so… and while it is out I may just whip up a latte - not with the good coffee - that would be a waste - but with the regular old keurig pods. Yes, I think I'll do that right now.

simplicity of winter

A fire is blazing in the fireplace and the snow is gently falling from the sky. A perfect day for cuddling up on the sofa, maybe with a movie later on but for starters with a book (maybe Alice Munroe), but for now my fingers on the keyboard while my brain lamely tries to figure out what to say.

We’ve gotten our social life geared up: supper w Jo Ellen, Don and their charming grandson Shawn; and, supper w Pat to catch up on how the dogs were while we were away - we hadn’t seen her since we left on our trip so it was good to catch up. I’ve used the instant pot for a pot roast, and shock of all shocks, the sautee pan on the stove for a yummy mushroom gnocchi. I have to figure out what to make for the next guests - maybe Creole black-eyed peas with a salad on the side.

I’ve hardly left the house, and to be honest I’m starting to go a little stir crazy. I should have gone with Carm yesterday when he went into the city to buy a replacement door shelf for the fridge. You’d be shocked at how much we had to pay in order to store a few condiments, etc. Fridge space is precious though so we had to fork out the $70 (yes, you read right).

Winter… oh the joy of being stuck inside or risking life and limb on the icy roads. Oh, why don’t we live somewhere warm, like Puerta Vallarta Mexico where my uncle Graham spends his winters. Surely we could fly the dogs down, although I can’t really picture them getting used to downtown PV with all the stray dogs and no grassy spot to poop. They are old and set in their ways, much like their owners :-0

… several hours later…

It’s almost 2:30 and I haven’t cracked the spine of a book yet…  I’ve looked at hundreds of photos on the hard drive - a mix of photos that I put together years ago for a electronic photo frame and forgotten about. Lots of memories of old dogs long gone, and these current dogs as young pups. There were photos from our first two years of camping, and lots of nieces and nephews now grown up, some with kids of their own. There were some photos from 30 years ago when we first got married - gosh we looked so young! One photo was taken the day after our wedding and my mom was 10 years younger than I am now!

After that I traipsed outside to see how much snow had fallen. There is enough that once it finally stops Carm will have to snowblow, and I’ll take a turn with the shovel on the back deck. Then it was time for a thick bowl of minestrone soup. Then, to the dog’s horror, the nail clippers came out and I dragged each dog in turn to the blood letting corner. Spike and Kabira faired okay, but Bella was not so lucky as the red spots on the floor attest. Now they are in their crates with bones.

And so the day wears on, not unpleasantly I must add.

The simplicity of winter has a deep moral. The return of Nature, after such a career of splendor and prodigality, to habits so simple and austere, is not lost either upon the head or the heart. It is the philosopher coming back from the banquet and the wine to a cup of water and a crust of bread.

~John Burroughs

a bit of cruise withdrawal

I did 10 minutes on the treadmill, which isn’t anything to crow about, but it was 10 minutes more than yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and on and on. It was enough to get me moving a bit more and energized me to take down some more Christmas decorations. I’ve left the little trees with their lights up though - they’ll stay out until March as they are a nice bit of winter green.

Before we left I thought I’d dig out ALL my Christmas decorations (4 or is it 6 bins worth) and discard/send to thrift store what I no longer use. I seriously don’t have the energy or the inclination for that now, but will make a point of it next year when it all comes out again. I’ll put some Christmas music on and brew some hot chocolate and it will seem like fun and not a dreaded chore for which I am uninspired to do now.

The maelstrom of snow never arrived, at least not at the force that was predicted. We got a few cm of snow which could have stayed in the laneway, but not at the end by the road. Carm got out there with the snowblower to do the road, and didn’t stop until the whole laneway was done, so now we are ready for the next snowfall. The bitter cold has left for a bit now too - from -24C yesterday to -11C today.

Hot water with lemon and honey (with Brandy for bedtime some nights) has been nourishing me for a few weeks now. It is a soothing habit that may last the winter - a hot drink at bedtime sets the stage for a long sleep. And long they have been - I’m still sleeping like crazy - Carm says I’m still catching up, but gosh, it has been over a week now, how much catch up is needed? Maybe a night for a night? In which case I have several more long nights to go.

It is slightly weird sitting here with just the sound of a snoring dog. From frenetic activity on the ship to hermit like quiet at home - surely somewhere in the middle is good! It was nice walking down 2 flights of stairs and ending up in a hubbub of activity with people and music and motion. There was always a seat somewhere to sit and watch people pass by, and to have a refreshing soda water or hot soy latte, depending on the time of day and what I felt like at the moment. There is no stepping out the house here… not even if it was summer… we’d always have to drive, sometimes far, to find a place like that. But if the weather was better and the roads not so snowy I’d invite some people for supper! I’m sure I could whip up a warming soup in the instant pot! Any takers? Jo Ellen and Don, do you feel like braving the winter?

And there is quite a different sort of conversation around a fire than there is in the shadow of a beech tree.... Four dry logs have in them all the circumstance necessary to a conversation of four or five hours, with chestnuts on the plate and a jug of wine between the legs. Yes, let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.

~Pietro Aretino, translated from Italian