last day of February

This was all a few days ago, but I seem to be back to bad habits of writing a bit and then forgetting about it! I've been falling behind in my stories for Ruth…

It's another spectacular winter day! Yesterday was a snow day which filled in all of our trails again so we had a good time re-breaking paths this afternoon. It was mild, just -4C, so I just wore a base layer, a flannel shirt, and a down vest. And pants! And a hat which was quickly doffed and carried in my mitts.

Lupa had a hair cut on Tuesday so even with her snowsuit on, seemed a little cold and headed back to the house earlier than I expected. Still, we all managed 20+ minutes of high intensity work out! In the gorgeous sun!

I made a comment a few days ago about the snow starting to change texture… well, there's a tiny crust 10 cm down, but it's barely enough to make a crackle. The rest of the snow is deep and fluffy, except when I manage to find an old path (which are mostly hidden). I can't remember a winter with so many good snow days!

Chapter 33 Cato and Bailey Talk About Dreams

It was a morning like most others and even had a bit of sun. Carm had left the house and Laura was walking on the treadmill chatting with her sister which left time for Cato to tell Bailey about a dream she had last night.

She didn't remember all the details but recalled that she was on a spaceship like the one on Star Trek, a TV show that she enjoys. There were lots of weird aliens and humans, but also parrots. The captain of the ship was a parrot that was like one that she only vaguely remembered, a big blue and yellow parrot with a loud voice. Then the dream turned into a bunch of parrots and aliens singing and dancing! She couldn't remember the exact song, and thought that maybe it was just from her imagination, but it sounded like one that Laura plays every morning.

https://youtu.be/BCGH8eU-_lA?si=32CwvOTb-Q6IOv4B (Here Comes the Sun Beatles)

Bailey said that it sounded like a good dream and Cato agreed. He thought there should have been a picnic involved so planned to have his own dream tonight, but it would have a table full of supper and toast.

It's already Saturday and another warm day that popped up to 6C! The sun peeked out earlier but then the clouds socked in again (and then it cleared again). I may or may not get out on the snowshoes today… I'm having a bit of a rest day today as I'm exhausted! Too many long walks last week I guess. I haven't missed a walking day yet this year but haven't been super consistent with weights… I've put in a heroic effort on the treadmill and walked 116.5 miles which translates to 186.4 kilometers - just in February! Today I just walked for 30 minutes…

I watched a video by one of the doctors that motivated me to eat more of a plant based diet, although I have been eating yogurt & some fish on a regular basis. 

https://youtu.be/R2mevFTWsTM?si=MMu8Cu-8pBjAf3ca (Dr. Gregor)

Chapter 34 Cato and Bailey Try New Pellets

It was a day much like every other day but something had changed in Cato and Bailey's dishes. There were 2 new kinds of pellets mixed in with their current kind! Tiny ones and big stick ones. They weren't sure if they liked them at first, but after trying a few bites, both birds decided that they liked them very much indeed!

They were surprised with the change, but Laura told them that no stores carried their old brand anymore, and that even the distributors had none. For some reason they were no longer sold in Canada. Luckily, Carm found a brand that is available and even made in Canada which Laura said was a good thing. Laura told them that the company that makes the pellets is the same company that their dad was from! They thought this was very interesting.

Cato started gobbling the new pellets, starting with the tiny ones and ending with the big ones that she could hold in her foot. She liked these big ones as they were fun to eat. Bailey agreed! But then Cato thought that maybe they'd be better if they were soaked a bit so started dropping some into her water bowl. Maybe they'd make a great soup?

https://youtu.be/DVx8L7a3MuE?si=K2NG0qsXCymusAMk (Brandy Looking Glass)

Awesome!

"another gorgeous winter day"

"last day of February! Spring is just around the corner!"

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"