chapter 31 & 32

Two new chapters. Not much else going on!

Chapter 31 Cato and Bailey See Clearly

It was another sunny morning with the usual routine. Cato and Bailey enjoyed time out of their cages while Laura and Carm cleaned up and made breakfast. After what seemed like ages to Bailey (he was hungry), they had their breakfast and Laura disappeared into the basement where lots of loud grunting was heard. Laura had told the parrots that she was lifting weights and that it was hard which is why there was so much noise. Cato couldn't imagine making that much noise but then realized that she likes to give big 'whew's as well! Bailey thought that he was better at making those noises. Grace just thought everyone was crazy with so much huffing and puffing.

Later, after Laura was back upstairs and walking on the treadmill she started singing a song over and over again. She told the parrots that this was a song she liked to listen to when she was feeling discouraged because it talked about better days and that sometimes she needed a reminder that a good day will come. Today wasn't a discouraging day for anyone though. Cato and Bailey thought that the song was good for any day and agreed that seeing clearly with blue skies was a good thing.

https://youtu.be/wdJwFd4jv9w?si=hwOkPvyJjcNjd11g (I can See Clearly Now Johnny Nash)

They weren't feeling discouraged because Laura kept telling them that their Mom was getting a bit better every day and that someday soon they'd see her again. This made them feel happy in a contented sort of way. Cato and Bailey agreed that spending time at Grace's house was okay even though they missed their real home. They knew that fretting wouldn't make time go faster and that they had to focus on feeling good every day. Bailey thought it would be easier to feel good every day if Laura and Carm gave him more snacks but then realized that he was still full from third breakfast!

Chapter 32 Cato and Bailey Watch a Haircut

Cato and Bailey were surprised to see Lupa acting so weird. She seemed to be trying to hide, which was not like her at all. Cato wondered what was happening. She could see Carm carrying a big board which Grace said was a grooming table and that some dogs have to get haircuts on it. She told Cato and Bailey that she sometimes had her wings clipped on the same table and that it was really no big deal.

There was a clattering sound coming from the kitchen and they could see Carm and Laura standing around Lupa. They seemed to be standing there for ages but suddenly Laura was carrying Lupa outside and Carm started sweeping with the broom. They were curious about why it took so long to clip Lupa as they knew it only took a minute or two to trim their wings.

It wasn't long before Lupa was running around and the parrots could see why it took so long! All of Lupa's hair was cut short. Cato could barely recognize her. Bailey thought that the hair cut was too short and was glad that he wasn't a dog. He thought Lupa was coloured like the parrots but that it was a shame that Lupa's tail wasn't red like his.

https://youtu.be/1EQyS4Pbmw8?feature=shared  (Barbershop quartet Muppets)

Awesome!

"sunshine at 4:30 peeking into the livingroom still"

"85 days since last haircut"

"last night's lentil & barley soup"

the whistle blows

It was an exciting but ultimately disappointing morning here (really anywhere in Canada)... I watched the hockey game from the treadmill and I'll have to say that my pace was much faster than usual!

We had a bit of snow a few days ago so I got out on the snowshoes yesterday afternoon to start remaking my paths… which had all blown in :-( It was impossible to see where the old ones were so it was a deep and exhausting loop or two. Today I hit the trails again and pounded down another few paths. I thought my heart was going to beat right out of my chest! It was hard work!

Carm had an exciting morning driving to the city to pick up his new golf clubs! He's meeting his buddy tomorrow to test them out 😀 

Chapter 30 Cato and Bailey Watch Hockey

It had been quiet in the house in the morning although the parrots could hear clunking and groaning that sounded like it was coming from downstairs. They were sort of used to it but wondered what the noise was and why Laura always came upstairs huffing and puffing. Cato and Bailey liked to join in with the huffing, they thought it was funny.

Weirdness started when Laura started walking in place on the machine in the livingroom… often she would talk and laugh, sometimes she'd sing out loud, but this morning she was shouting and sometimes even swearing! They couldn't believe their ears! It was weird too as Laura had turned on the TV in the morning which never happens. Soon, Cato realized what the shouting was about - it seemed to be louder when the TV showed a bunch of people chasing a little black dot. Bailey could see it too. Grace asked them what was going on but Cato and Bailey had no idea why this was so exciting. Laura told them that it was a hockey game and that Canada was playing the USA for the gold medal in the Olympics and they all agreed that it was very exciting.

https://youtu.be/F5I_zaqM8LM?si=O3pf_EB8UjAcAW5Q (Hockey Song Stompn Tom Conners)

Everyone, even the dogs, got excited and started shouting along with Laura. It seemed too that Laura was walking faster and faster till she was almost running! It was all too exciting! But then, after quite a long time there was lots of swearing and the TV was turned off. Cato wondered what had happened. Laura told them that Canada had lost the game which they all felt was sad and a bit unlucky for Canada.

Awesome!

"my new walking shoes! I love them!"

"fresh snow"

"watching Lupa power through the deep snow"

"a few minutes of sunshine"

"getting to the number of reps that I was doing in September"

clodhoppers

Shopping is not really my thing, although I do enjoy the occasional trip, especially when I go with Mom or Kirsten, but yesterday it was just Carm helping me with the dreaded shoe shopping… Ugh! I have so much trouble with my feet and lately my good old pair of treadmill shoes has seen their last days. 

I've tried a few new pairs of sketchers that I'd picked up at Costco over the last year but they were not the greatest. The first pair that I tried were the step in kind, but they gave me a blister… The next pair was a slightly different style - no blisters but reasonably uncomfortable. I couldn't even get through an hour without having to change to a pair of sandals which give no support. I have been wondering if I need to take a break from walking :-(

So… first stop, first pair of shoes (Asics) I tried seemed to be good, or at least good enough to bring them home for a few minutes on the treadmill. I tried a bunch of others on but they were awful.

Next store I found a different style/brand (Hoka) that also seemed good so I purchased them too. Yesterday I walked for a bit in each pair - one was okay, the other was great, but I'll try a few minutes again today to confirm - I like the look of one better than the other, and they are also half the price of the Hokas, but they aren't as comfortable. After I tried them, I went back to the black pair of Sketchers and couldn't believe how bad they made my feet feel compared to the two new pairs…

I'll give each pair a few minutes today to confirm! (update: hokas for the win!)

We've been treating ourselves to crispy roasted potatoes a bit lately. I steam them and put them in the fridge overnight so that they change to resistant starch which is good for the microbiome! I toss them with a bit of olive oil and basil garlic salt, smash them onto a baking sheet, spray with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with parm. They go into the airfryer for about 20 minutes to crisp. Today I'll make a tahini garlic lemon sauce to dip them into :-) We'll have some tuna, red pepper, and white beans that have been cooked with mushrooms & peppers. Filling!

Chapter 29 Cato and Bailey Help with Housecleaning

Cato and Bailey wondered who would be coming to the house as It seemed like just a few days ago that Laura and Carm were getting ready for company. It was obvious when the person arrived as Adia and Lupa were running around excited and barking. They were surprised to see that it was Krista the housecleaner again! It had been a month since she was last here but the time had gone by so quickly that it seemed like it was just the other day.

The parrots were glad to see that the dogs had to spend time in their crates too. Cato thought that Krista was nice even though she had the noisy vacuum. Bailey and Grace agreed with her. They found it interesting to see her run her cloth over all the surfaces, picking up their discarded toy parts and bits of pellets. Laura and Carm did that every day but it seemed to always need to be cleaned.

They were glad that Laura and Carm didn't go away again as they get a bit bored and run out of things to say to each other. They wished that the people would leave the music playing while they left the house so they didn't have to hear the dogs howling so much. They couldn't decide which was their favourite song although they did agree with Laura that the Eagles were a good band.

https://youtu.be/gWVDjgC0NVA?si=y70Kx9o6rY7yuJSF  (Peaceful Easy Feeling Eagles)

Awesome!

"finding shoes to try"

"another sunny day and dry roads for the drive into the city"

"crispy tofu"