flood

We are in flood! Nothing to be alarmed about, it happens every year, at least once. Our property has a creek that flows through it which joins the river at the east boundary of our land. In the spring, or after a really heavy few days of rain (it has to be a lot of rain!), the lowlands flood as the watershed empties into the river. In the spring it's quite dramatic and more than a bit scary as the water rushes down like a rushing river. We are sure to keep the dogs far away as it would be instant death if they slipped in… or us for that matter!

In 1992 when we were looking for land to build on, I saw the advertisement for this land, but the ad mentioned that it floods in the spring. I had to put a lot of pressure on Carm to come and see it… the second we pulled into the field we knew it had to be ours, even though the lower part was fully flooded. It was clear that the hayfield and upper areas where we'd build the house  would be safe from flooding, and also that the land drained well with its dips and slopes down to the creek. We'd driven past it a few years earlier before it was for sale and had even pulled off the road to look at it - it was beautiful in the summer! 

We made a full price offer that day! And here we are 34 later!

The clouds came and went all day but we were blessed with sunshine for the visit with Jo Ellen and Don. It's been absolutely ages since they'd been here so it was great to catch up. I got a few things out of the freezer - leftover beef stew, green bean casserole, and even yorkshire puddings were heated up for an easy Sunday lunch  😀 

I wondered how the yorkshire puddings would be after being in the freezer for a few months, but they were great! Maybe not as awesome as fresh from the oven, but certainly acceptable, even for company. I think I'll make them ahead of time going forward as they are a bit fussy right at the end of meal prep and having them already cooked will take some of the pressure off.

After months of barely seeing anyone it's been a busy few days!

OH OH OH! I forgot to mention yesterday that we heard the first red-wing blackbird of the season!

Chapter 39 Cato and Bailey Meet Jo Ellen and Don

Cato and Bailey knew from experience that company was coming and wondered who it would be today. Pat the pet sitter had been here the night before, which they enjoyed as Pat talks very nicely to them and even sings a bit, so they knew it wasn't her. 

They were surprised and pleased that they got to meet new people. Laura told them that she used to work for Jo Ellen many many years ago, in fact, they were amazed to learn that Cato had known Jo Ellen since she was a tiny chick going to work with Laura. Cato could vaguely remember being in a little carrier with her siblings in a cubby under Laura's desk. Laura would take them to a room a few times a day to feed them and clean them up. Laura and Jo Ellen laughed about how many people, even men, would come into the Ladies bathroom to see Cato. Cato thought she must be very important to get so much attention. Bailey wondered why he never got to go to work with Laura but Cato reminded him that he was hatched at Ruth's house so she took care of him when he was a chick.

Laura and Jo Ellen also talked about the times Spike would go to work with Laura and sometimes get to have a nap in the sun spot in Jo Ellen's office. Cato and Bailey remembered Spike from a long time ago when they'd go camping with Laura. Grace told them that Spike had loved Jo Ellen as much as he loved anybody and would get very excited when she'd come to visit him here. 

https://youtu.be/-sVB91NTa4A?si=5UTToAeIaVaGAIcy (Dancing Queen Abba)

The parrots were happy to have visitors as the conversations were interesting and different from when it was just Laura and Carm. Plus the music was playing which they both enjoyed. Bailey thought he might like to sit on Don's lap - Don is Jo Ellen's husband - but Laura wouldn't let him out of his cage because they had their dog Romy with them and she didn't think that it would be safe. 

Awesome!

"visitors for lunch"

"leftovers from the freezer!"

"yorkshire pudding - even heated up from frozen!"

a whirlwind

I'm happy to say that my last post's whinging seemed to do the trick and I'm back to myself again! This time was a quick turn around in mood which I am thankful for. My trip to Ikea on Thursday with Mom and Kirsten was probably a factor! Nothing like time spent with loved ones, and a tasty lunch! I found a few treasures too 😀 

Yesterday we visited with Trudie & Leo after a quick trip into liquidation - I walked out empty handed which rarely happens but Carm was lucky enough to wheel out a new desk chair 😀 His old chair is more duct tape than fabric… well, not fabric, that horrible fake leather stuff that peels. Whoever came up with that material should be forced to live with it in their own homes. Let them vacuum up little bits of 'leather'...

On the drive home from Trudie's we decided that we'd venture out for supper - just the two of us to a local restaurant. We couldn't remember the last time we'd been out to a real restaurant, and not just a drop into fast food, just the two of us. I broke my plant based diet and had a huge chicken breast!

It's cloudy, wait, it's raining today which tells you that we are well above freezing. Yesterday we had sun and cloud, again, slightly above freezing. The wind was cold though.

My day wizzed by… starting with a long walk with Kirsten and then progressing to a few hours in the kitchen. I made some food for the birds, a big batch of airfried tofu, and a roasted vegetable soup which took absolutely ages with all the prep and roasting. Pat joined us for supper - she's a good sport about being served just soup and a few dinner rolls.

I missed two days of stories and have run out of ideas! I was tempted to paste all the existing chapters into Claude AI and have it write the next one! But I won't… that would pretty much defeat the purpose!

Chapter 38 Cato and Bailey Think in Swedish

The morning was a bit weird - Laura was up early and only walked for a short time and then started getting dressed like she was going out. Carm didn't seem to be getting ready for anything so they weren't worried that they'd be left alone but they did wonder where Laura was going.

As she was going out the door to the car, she told everyone that she was meeting her mom and sister at Ikea. They wondered what Ikea was but didn't have to wonder for long as Laura told them that it was a giant store with blue and yellow outside and all sorts of tiny rooms with furniture inside. They thought that it might be interesting to go themselves, but as usual, Laura said they had to stay home.

While Laura was gone, Cato and Bailey enjoyed Carm's company but they were disappointed that he didn't give them glop. They thought that things were better when Laura was around. 

When Laura got home she told them all about the amazing things that she had seen, however, it didn't seem amazing to them at all as there was no mention of toys. Laura showed them some pictures of some of the things she saw. They seemed to have weird names, like 'Hatten' for a table. Bailey was interested to learn that Laura had lunch at the strange place with all the weird names for things. He thought that plant balls and mashed potatoes sounded good, although Cato and Bailey both agreed that the peas didn't sound like something they'd want to eat.

https://youtu.be/C7dPqrmDWxs?si=N1XdM0mr_iZlD3Ay (Happy Pharell Williams)

Awesome!

"dry roads for my trip into the city"

"laneway ice melting"

"chunky soup"

misbehaving

Just when you think you are on a roll… a good roll… my brain misbehaves and slaps me in the face… On Friday I was a bit more tired than usual, then Saturday I could barely lift a coffee to my lips. Weights were out of the question and I only managed 30 minutes of very slow walking before I was done for the day. Mentally, I felt a small dip. I've been getting a bit better physically, although I'm still not great, but my brain has been throwing more negative thoughts at me forcing the mental dip lower and lower. 

Today I deployed emergency meds :-(

I'd been doing great since the first week of January and I guess I should be happy that I cruised along for almost 2 full months. You'd think I'd be used to it but honestly, it just feels like too much and I'm not looking forward to struggling for the next while. I'll keep at it though and remind myself that it is just part of my 'normal' rhythm. 

And that it could be so much worse. And I'll be thankful that my physical health is good and that I'm upright, moving forward with my life. I am thankful, grateful, appreciative even for my good fortune.

I just have to remember to keep moving. I just have to remember how much my brain lies to me.

It is a nice sunny day though!

Chapter 36 Cato and Bailey Remember Old Times

There was much excitement in the house mid morning. Laura had already finished talking while she was walking. The parrots all enjoyed listening to her talk and laugh on the phone, and they debated if it might be better than listening to her sing, but then decided that singing was nice, even if there was no whistling.

Grace had a chance to tell Cato and Bailey about the times when she used to go camping where people from all over would whistle back and forth with her. She told them that she would do one whistle, the people would do the same one back to her so she'd do a different one and they'd whistle that one back! She felt that she missed those days. Also, it reminded her of her friends Spike, Kabira, and Bella that went away because dogs don't live as long as birds. She told Cato that she liked to call Kabira 'Kabirdy' because they were good friends.

Cato and Bailey remembered going camping with Grace too! It made them laugh to recall how much Laura and Ruth would laugh and laugh when they were camping together. Those were fun times although Grace thought that Laura didn't always laugh so much the next day!

Cato and Bailey had a minute to remember their dog friends Sadie and Gus. Grace remembered them too! They were at the cottage when she went to stay with them many years ago. She barely remembered the few times that she saw them here at this house too. Cato and Bailey had forgotten about that and were happy to have that memory. It made them feel more at home to remember that their whole family had been here together.

https://youtu.be/oMVe_HcyP9Y?si=UcQlL48DrQr0nc4y (We are Family - Sister Sledge)

Chapter 37 Cato and Bailey Dance Like Crazy

It was a morning much like every morning. A bit of sun made sun spots on their cages for a while, first breakfast was over, second breakfast was finished, third breakfast was just served. Laura was walking on the treadmill and singing loudly. Cato and Bailey thought walking was a bit like dancing, at least they thought that until later in the morning.

Carm was leaving the house - he said he was going to visit his sister Maria. Cato and Bailey wondered if it was the same Maria that is friends with Ruth, but Laura said that there were two Maria's! After Carm left, Laura put the music on the speaker and started really dancing. When the song about Rasputin played she really started jumping around. Cato and Bailey thought for a moment that she had gone crazy, but Grace reminded them that sometimes she does that. 

https://youtu.be/Nl_Eo2QzqU4?si=0rUXryEHGDy7eOIk (Rasputin Boney M)

The dogs got into the action, leaping and jumping around her. 'Hey hey hey'! Cato and Bailey decided that the song was a good one and could see why Laura was so crazy. They joined in, bopping their heads and swinging upside down from their cage tops. Grace sang along. Everyone went bezerk!

The parrots could see why Laura sometimes walked really fast on the treadmill! Although they couldn't really see the point in walking in one place not getting anywhere at all.

Awesome!

"music"

"egg salad on whole grain sourdough bread"

"signs of spring in the air"