old winds that blew

Yesterday we woke up to a return to winter. Large flakes of snow had fallen from a quiet sky, gathering in larger and larger clumps until they formed pillows on every horizontal surface. The resulting landscape was beautiful and inspired me to go outside with my camera. The dogs ran through the snow joyfully, as excited as they are with the first snow of the season. The winter's snow had long gone, and maybe there is a special quality to Spring snow, maybe there is a temporary feel to it.

By mid afternoon all traces had melted and dried up, leaving a beautiful sunny day with brown grasses full of hope. We knew better though - the forecast for today was dire. With 10-15cm, high winds, all topped off with a glaze of freezing rain, we lived in the moment and enjoyed the day for what it was.

Tonight is the 'book release party' all the way in the city. On top of the snow, freezing rain is predicted this evening. I started getting stressed out yesterday. I'm a nervous passenger at the best of time; add precipitation and I am a wreck. I'm trying to keep positive and not think about it, and hoping that the weather system suddenly veers south so that the worst will miss us.

I'm going back in time now, seeing as I'm not keeping up with my blog. I like to read back and see what we did when so bear with me.

Saturday morning we arranged a meeting with Jo Ellen and Don. A trip to liquidation was topped off with breakfast at the Country Kitchen - their company is just what I needed. Later in the afternoon Olaf came and picked me up for a night at my parents. I stayed overnight, and Carm joined us on Sunday, after Olaf and I made a run for Cinnabon… talk about a sugar rush! Mom whipped together a roast beef dinner (how does she do that so easily? I need a step by step plan to get through making anything more than grilled cheese sandwiches).

We were extremely unproductive the next few days, but did get into the basement to wash some walls. We also went out looking at pools and got a quote from our local store. Hard to imagine swimming today with the snow being driven sideways.

So there you have it: the days march on, not so much marching but melding into one another. If you were to do a pastel picture of the week it would be a smudge of time with the colours blending so that it was one washed out colour. Or perhaps it would be an absence of colour with just a hint of grey delineating each day.

"The old
Old winds that blew
When chaos was, what do
They tell the clattered trees that I
Should weep?”
~Adelaide Crapsey

family

Last Sunday to today have been days of brain fog that has disabled writing ability. Not much has been going on other than lots of family visits and time with Kirsten's sister-in-law, Kenda. I have been happy to be able to spend the time with everyone and feel blessed.

My brother Olaf even came for a visit one evening. I sat back watching and listening to him and marveled at the delightful man he has become. He's 14 years younger than me and I still think of him as a little boy, so I am always surprised to find that he has grown up. The same thing with Kirsten. We spend lots of time on the phone, but it is the serious conversations that highlight that she is a capable woman.

The summer birds are coming back in droves. Of course there are the geese forming their neat "V's" in the sky, but also red-winged blackbirds and grackles. Two robins showed up a few days ago, and a pair of ducks has been seen in the pond. Most of the snow has melted and the big flood is over. Now we have to wait for the temperatures to rise for the grass to start greening up.

Yesterday Carm got new tires for the truck. They are giant hunks of rubber with deep tread that should keep us safe on our travels this summer.

Bad news: the pool liner has split, letting all of the water out and the metal sides have crumpled and ripped. After all that angst and trouble last summer to get the new liner in, we now have to get a whole new pool. We are seriously sad about this.

Camping reservations at Presquile have proved elusive. We have another try on Monday; after that we aren't sure what we'll do. Maybe we'll be at home enjoying our new pool…

We needed an escape from everything today so drove to Morrisburg for their famous club sandwich. It was worth the drive. Liquidation was on the route so I picked up 2 dups of a t-shirt that I really like - $5 each. After lunch the bargain store had a top for $4 and a raspberry vest for another $4. A bit of cheap retail therapy.

“That's what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you're not so lovable.”  ~Deb Caletti

honking geese

The honking of geese filled the air as I opened my eyes this morning (Sunday). A slow shuffle to the kitchen for some coffee and a glance out the window confirmed it. The Canada Geese were coming back. A flock floated on the flooded creek while others flew overhead, looking for a place to land. We've had some lovely days, but there is still snow on the ground blocking the access to corn fields.

Other birds have been showing up at the feeder: a red-wing blackbird hops around the bottom of the tree the feeder is hanging from; an unknown sparrow and other winter birds vie for the seed. Robins have been sporting their red vests around the property. Spring is definitely on its way.

Carm left in the early afternoon to visit his mom, and I am SHOCKED to tell you that I didn't change the channel from CNN's Fareed Zakaria… among other things, he talked about the history of debating, the Ides of March.

It has been a busy week which is why I haven't posted anything. I can't recall when I last posted, but I'll start this tale on Wednesday when Carm and I took a short trip into town with Spike to PetSmart. Our visit went well, or as well as can be expected. His head was spinning with all the smells - he was distracted and almost overwhelmed just walking down the aisle. A few stops and starts with rewards for moving his attention onto me and we could walk down the main aisle without too much difficulty. Enter another dog and we were right back at the beginning again and had to work at getting attention. Eventually it was okay, and by that time both Spike and I were exhausted. It takes a lot of mental energy to keep focus for that long.

Thursday the writing class was cancelled as too many people had other commitments, so I met Diane for breakfast instead. The little Cafe in the village served up the best western sandwich imaginable. Diane served up interesting conversation. It was a lovely way to spend the morning.

Later on Thursday, Carm helped me get ready for our dinner guest, doing much of the preparation. Carm's an excellent 'sous chef', and I couldn't have gotten supper done without his help. Dave got lost getting here again, but eventually arrived safe and sound. We had a wonderful night, although, since Dave was Carm's WORK friend, I went to bed to escape the work talk. Come on guys! You've been retired for over 5 years - it's time to get some new interests.

Friday we went to Liquidation - more depression trying on clothes - but I tried not to focus on it. Whenever we go there I end up with anxiety - there is something about that place, either the lighting, all the piles of stuff or something else, that screws with my brain. The trip is still worth it though as Costco clothes are 50% off. We usually treat ourselves to lunch at the Country Kitchen, a greasy spoon owned by Greeks that is not far down the highway. The food is great (we had gyros), and the service is outstanding. The waitresses are always cheerful and helpful, making the lunch even more enjoyable.

Saturday was dog meat day - we raced the 45 minutes to the pickup spot; stood in line to get our 200lbs; raced back home; lugged the bags down to the basement and stuffed them in the freezer. A quick change of clothes and rush the dogs outside, and finally out the door to friends across the city. Whew. We found their place (thankyou GPS), and spent an enjoyable afternoon/evening with them before making the return trip home. The dogs were ecstatic that we were home (in time for a bathroom break and supper); Grace was saying 'are you hungry'; we were exhausted.

It feels strange, but there's no quote for today.