another cold snap

It was a blustery and very cold day on Saturday. Carm had to snowblow in the -18C (not counting wind chill), so by the time he spent 1 ½ hours outside he wasn't keen on snowshoeing… I'd been out with the dogs a few times already and wasn't wanting to spend more time outside either! The dogs could barely stand being out for long enough to do their business so a snowshoe was out of the question for them.

Instead I rushed around making food for the birds, food for us, laundry, etc… 

I've come to the conclusion that my new treadmill shoes are not the greatest. They seem way hotter - I have been switching to sandals for the last 10 or 20 minutes - and they are a bit too tight. Plus my feet seem to hurt more, in fact they are what is limiting my walking time, not my legs. Luckily, I have one more pair to try… I think they will be better.

Chapter 18 Cato and Bailey Smell Good Food

It was in the afternoon, after toast but before glop, when Cato and Bailey smelled something good cooking. They wondered what smelled so good. They couldn't see very well but it seemed like Laura was cooking some ground beef. Then they saw her add little brown things which Grace said were lentils. Then Laura added some paprika and basil from her garden. 

They thought it was nice to have something that was grown outside, even though they couldn't see the pots that Grace said were on the deck. Grace told them that Laura cuts it in the summer and stores it in the freezer. She said the herbs made things taste nice and told Cato and Bailey that Laura said there were health benefits but couldn't remember what they were. It didn't matter to her as it made food taste good and that's all she cared about.

The parrots all wondered what this would taste like and hoped that they'd get some in their supper.

https://youtu.be/b12Ec1F1bGk?si=7Q6R0DHMRnmiQC9u  (I feel Good Beres Hammond)

While this was cooking, Laura played them some music. Cato, Bailey, and Grace liked to sing along, and even Adia and Lupa joined in. They really liked the song about feeling good and agreed that they all felt good too.

Chapter 19 Cato and Bailey Learn About Hope

All the parrots were happy to have the sun shining into their cages this morning. They hoped that Laura would sing the good morning song and she did. It was a good way to start the day. Soon, after Carm took the dogs outside and they finished their breakfast, Laura put the dogs in their crates so that Cato and Bailey could come out of their cages. They were happy to stretch their wings but were anxious for breakfast too.

Bailey wanted Laura to hurry up and get out of the way so that Carm could give him some banana. Cato waited for Bailey to finish eating so that he could feed her. She thought this was the best way to eat banana as then she didn't have to get her feet sticky.

https://youtu.be/OOCIptDK6B8?si=UF5il3owXO4Qhb2L (Good to be Alive Andy Grammer)

While Laura was cleaning their cages, she told them a story about many years ago when she was sick. She told them that the illness made her brain sluggish and that it was hard to remember things. She worried that she'd never be able to think and remember ever again, but she was happy to tell them that with patience and by not giving up she got her brain strength back. She said it was hard work sometimes and that there were times she wanted to give up and cry, but never gave up. She told them that Grace had helped her keep going even when it was hard. 

They were amazed to learn that Laura said her brain got even better and stronger than it was before she got sick. And that it was important to not give up hope. Cato thought this was lucky and Bailey agreed. They told each other that they would help Ruth the same way that Grace helped Laura.

I wrote the story about Cato and Bailey too late Saturday to post but the good news is that Ruth asked about the birds - that's the first time in a very long time so she's making progress :-) Today I made sure to get the story done a bit earlier. My creativity is being strained to its limits!

Sunday: I tried the other pair of shoes… I managed 50 minutes of walking before I had to switch to sandals as it felt like I was starting a blister on one side. Will try again tomorrow. I'm hoping they just need to stretch a bit more.

It's minus 27C with the wind chill so I passed on the snowshoes… even though I was itching to go, but the skin on my face would have been brutalized. If there had been no wind (20kmph with gusts), I would have done it…

Awesome!

"adding another set"

"quiet afternoon"

"snow skittering off the roof"

"sunny Sunday"

mud run

It's a wild and crazy day! Not much sun and flurries later in the afternoon. I did something today that is so far out of my wheelhouse that I never would have imagined that I would do it myself… I got a little team together to do the Mud Girl Run this July!!! Two years ago I would not have foreseen that I would want to do any sort of athletic endeavour, least of which would be a mud run, but here we are and I'm super excited about it!

We tried a new restaurant in the nearby village which was okay although Carm said the fries were terrible and his club sandwich was mediocre. I had a philly cheese steak with a salad which was good but left me feeling ill from all the melted cheese - my guts are not attuned to rich food these days. However, as always, it was great to get out and spend time with friends.

Today was a rest day for me exercise wise… I did do a short, slow walk on the treadmill, just to keep my blood moving, but I didn't walk hard enough to work up a sweat. No snowshoes either.

Chapter 17 Cato and Bailey Walk on Sunshine

It was a bit cloudy in the morning so the sun didn't shine into Cato and Bailey's cage. They were a bit sad about this as they have gotten used to waking up and feeling energized by the sunshine. Laura said she felt a bit sad that it wasn't sunny as well, so to cheer everyone up, she played a song that makes her feel all sunshiny and happy..

https://youtu.be/9MTAhQIPMOU?si=DF2uQ4OiJkGlEs0Q  (Walking on Sunshine)

Everyone enjoyed it, singing along and dancing. And wouldn't you know it, the sun seemed to like it too as it pushed away all the clouds for a few minutes.

They all agreed that they liked the chorus best as they weren't sure about the love story stuff. Cato wondered what it would be like to walk on sunshine. Bailey thought it would be like walking on a sunny spot but Grace thought it was more special than that, that maybe her spirit would feel like it had sunshine. They all agreed that it sounded like a good thing to do.

Awesome!

"lunch with friends"

"signing up for Mud Run!"

when you open your eyes

The sun was back again today, perhaps for the last time for several days so we took advantage and hit the snowshoe trails again. Adia wasn't too sure about her outfit when we were putting it on her - she was shaking like a leaf - but seemed okay once outside. Lupa tries to hide for any sorts of clothing, including her harness, but once dressed, she's raring to go.

Chapter 16 Cato and Bailey Have a Good Day in the Sunshine

First thing in the morning Laura always sings the good morning song which the birds find enjoyable even though Laura is not a very good singer, but they like the words of the song. Laura was going to play it for them but she listened to the rest of the lyrics and thought it wasn't a good topic so she only played them a short verse. After listening to it they thought that Laura sang it okay and they hoped she'd continue to sing it every day.

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

It was sunny in the morning again and the clouds stayed away until later in the afternoon, just after Laura and Carm took the dogs snowshoeing. Cato and Bailey wondered if that would be a fun thing for them to do as well, but Laura reminded them that it was cold so they'd have to wear a snowsuit but they don't make them for birds. They'd have to wear boots too which they didn't think would be very good - how would they hold their snacks? Because surely there are snacks eaten outside. Adia and Lupa told them that there were sometimes tiny snacks but that it wouldn't be worth it for them to get their feet cold. When Laura is wearing her mittens there aren't so many treats.

https://youtu.be/R9ncBUcInTM?si=IoH76BgauNAQMb2D

Later Laura played the good day sunshine song which the parrots thought was a very good song. Laura told them that it was the song that she kept in her mind when she was going through radiation and had to hold her breath for so long so that her heart was not getting any radiation. They didn't know what that was but Laura told them that it was a life saver which they thought was good.

Awesome!

"another sunny day!"

"leftover buffalo tofu chili"

"perfect day on the snowshoes"