I was inspired by the movie I watched last night, On the Basis of Sex about Ruth Bader-Ginsberg. I have nought to whine about. She had to work so incredibly hard to get where she landed. I knew I admired her, and I had no idea of her story. I thank her for so many of the blessings I enjoy. Equality begins somewhere and then with all good fortune flows throughout the world. So much work still to do.
I then moved on to watch the series Hollywood. Several episodes in I can say it is not for the feint of heart. great cast!
Up early and on the treadmill again. I try to ensure that if I move at all in the night, I roll back onto my side with a bent knee and it really seems to help lessen the pain upon waking. Rode my triumph to work today. I only wish it were more than a 4 minute commute. I may have to take the long way next time. A few nights ago I decided I needed to buy items that make me feel better so I ordered a body pillow and a foot spa/massager. The pillow arrived this morning and Diane kindly dropped it off for me. Rae picked up the next package when it arrived and brought it with them when they came for yard fun. The pillow was crazy packaged for shipping. There was even a message on the box to now open until sold. There is no way to repack it so I’m not surprised.
At 3:30 I was thrilled to have a Zoom interview with Cresslynn for MusicFest filler this year. I was stunned to find out how emotional I got. I know, I know, not shocking to anyone else but I was prepped for the film and got caught off guard. I wondered recently if I would go back but today solidified it. If they will have me, I am there. It was so good to hear her voice!
The joy of coming home and having the four boys playing in the pool as Rae and Roger and I visited was fabulous. Hot dogs and Zucchini on the BBQ and sitting in the yard enjoying the beautiful evening was just what my soul needed. Once they left I finished my puzzle and watched the newest episode of Why Women Kill which I love! Went out and watered everything once the shade settled and am amazed at how many cherries there are on my new baby tree.
Decided I had best try out the new foot spa and I was so happy it isn’t too noisy and felt really good. All in all a perfect self care day…
It seems my looking after myself with heat and rest intermittently yesterday helped in spite of all I got done. I also tried to prop myself so I wouldn’t sleep on my back with my leg straight out and when I woke up it was easy to move compared to the past few days. I got a lot done outside including painting the other three chairs and the table base. I think it was too hot though as there are odd bubbles on some spots. It is still nicer than they started. I also ordered an elasticized vinyl tablecloth in teal.
Made a plan to have Rae and the family over for hot dogs and a swim tomorrow after work. Made my last meal for the week. It was so delicious! I already can’t wait for lunch tomorrow.
I have to be careful with the best cookies I have tasted in a long time, so I only had two and cleaned the bathroom to wear off the calories. While I was doing that I came across a crazy mask I had acquired along the way and gave it a try. Don’t really know what it accomplished, lol.
The beginning of my day did not go well. I tried to roll over and the instant agony was so intense, I cried my way out of bed. I did stretches and slow moves until I could actually bend my knee and get out of bed. I made a coffee and moved my way to the couch and the heating pad. I put baileys in my coffee but it’s not the same apparently when it is non-dairy.
I made a plan to get Sean and Aidens help to bring my bathtub here. We also picked up the window that I was given by Jamie Reid. They removed it to put in a patio door and I plan to replace my den window with it. Will gust take a little work bu will be worth it. I plan to ask Bryan who did my kitchen window for me.
After that I mowed the lawn and started weeding. I realized at one point that I had lost my keys to the sheds. I looked over every part of the yard and then thought to look in the waste pile and there they were! Phew! I decided to take a break to eat and finish my puzzle and put the heating pad on again. I watched to the end of Maniac and it was such a weird little show but I really enjoyed it.
As the wind had calmed and it wasn’t raining, I headed out again to finish weeding the big chunks. I was nearly done when the neighbour across the street came home and popped over to tell me that my yard was looking really good. That was sweet and just what I needed. I had channeled my inner Nigel and was whipping it all into shape. To be honest it didn’t take all that long to make a huge difference. There is still more but my body was done, so I came in to start a new puzzle and have a bevie as I watch Master of None. I think Aziz is funny and it is keeping my attention so far. I chose the puzzle on the left as the one on the right seems to have most of its pieces missing.
I forgot, first thing in the morning I made a video for Cole, Mabel and Josh’s son in Bella Bella. I received back one from him with his sister int he background saying Marnée doesn’t have a man’s voice so I made another, lol.
Simply planted before Covid, before winter blanketed 2019, before we knew what was to come. Out of the dirt and darkness and cold, two winters and a long summer.. life overcame it all and like a promise long kept, burst forth from the lips of the earth. A bulb planted is dependent on hope, like planting trees you won’t see the shade of in your lifetime. To see it bloom lifts the spirit and reminds your soul to give yourself future gifts, invest in what is to come. There is no pain in growing things. Not all plants break forth into joy but when they do, there is no comparison. I need to weed and mow and rake up the blown down branches but there is still happiness walking into my yard. I thank my plants for growing in spite of my care or lack thereof.
My house, now that is something I need to spend some time on. My house plants are thriving, except the one that has turned into modern art, petrified branches rising out of the corner, reminding me that it is time to let go. The layer of dust and piles of projects clutter my space and my mind. I will try to gather my gumption to take care of it all tomorrow. I will try…
The most exciting part of my day was when my friends came and picked up my ‘46 Willys Overlander CJ2A to take her to their ranch. The guys will throw her up on the hoist and get things done that she has long needed especially the electrical and brakes. I intend to use her and my Triumph as my summer vehicles once she is roadworthy. After they are done, I will find a paint/body shop and give her a facelift as well.
Dinner was delicious and I got to FaceTime with my Di while I was cooking. We should do that more often. Swapping war stories and caring for each other took some of the sting of the week away.
By the time all that was done I barely had time to finish my puzzle before bed. I am glad it is Friday tomorrow. I did enjoy solving a problem with a client’s accountant today and sending him a GIF from the office. I met him later while I was dropping off paperwork and we had a good laugh about it.
Last night I watched a movie that was so bad I regret my choice. The good thing is I knew better and will avoid that type of slop going forward. It had some pretty great comedy talents in it but for goodness sakes I probably only would have remotely enjoyed it if I were stoned. Pretty sure they were when they wrote it. By contrast tonight I watched several episodes on Netflix of Maniac with Jonah Hill and Emma Stone. So far, so very quirky, and intriguing. It was a little dark so I watched the last half hour of Mama Mia as I write before heading to bed. Also goofy but light hearted and loaded with talent.
I finished off a year end today, my second one for a new accountant. I look forward to feedback. It seems every firm likes things slightly different and I do try to hand in the books tied up with a bow. I went in with my better attitude and mostly maintained pleasant chit chat. I was happy that Stacey stopped in to pay me and have a chat. I took a break to eat and catalogued my plants in my office so I can learn more about their care. My plants survive well in spite of me sometimes. But they seem to be doing well for the most part.
Fortis called to say they need to come and replace my meter and need me to be here as they have to come in and relight my appliances. They will come sometime between noon and 4 next Wednesday. That is so annoying. I asked of they would call or text and I will meet them as I am only 5 minutes away, I hope they do.
My dinner tonight was delicious from the new box that came. I completed my pre-appointment assessment online for the Sleep Dr. (or is it Dr. Sleep?). It wasn’t a very exciting day but productive and mellow.
EDITED to protect the identity of others: This morning brought news of outbreaks in our local schools. Cranbrook seems to be growing in numbers again and that is scary. I wonder how much of it has to do with a false sense of security in small city living. I think I do better being alone, having control over my own environment. Instead I come across super controlling and judge of others. I don’t like that about myself, and I don’t think I am a Karen, I do not jump in on online conversations. I do overstep with people around me though. I will continue to monitor that behavior trying to find the balance so I also do not come across aloof.
In the morning I got a call from Culligan scheduling me for Friday afternoon to finally have my proper beautiful drinking water tap installed. Later in the afternoon I got a call from Daniel the installer to ask if I had time for him to come do it right then. It was a true joy to have him just as excited as I was to get it in. It is truly perfect for the aesthetic I wanted.
I returned to the office to Gene who had just arrived in time to go shoe shopping for his birthday present. He really is a good kid. We went to Shoe Warehouse, Marks and then Walmart where he found 3 pairs of runners and 6 pairs of socks for under $50. He could have chosen one really good pair at one of the first two stores but felt he is growing and would rather have cheap ones for now. We drove through Arby’s and grabbed some dinner on the way back to his place. My stomach did not appreciate that but it was good to get back to some food and fun birthday tradition. We both thought we would love to have PAC Man in our home for only $599
Just hanging with my roomie, enjoying my new favourite beverage, marveling at the behaviors of the 90 day fiancé couples and working on an Archie Comic Puzzle. It’s a nice way to spend an evening, just wish I didn’t have to go to bed.
I started my day off potentially offending someone by setting boundaries around my work time. Monday mornings are dedicated to payroll and I need to focus. Not everyone understands that as I generally will drop everything when I am asked. I closed my door, put my nose down and only worked on three files all day. I took a break to have something to eat and scan my Facebook. Happened to see a bike for sale and contacted the seller to find it was still available. We agreed I would come see it after work and I picked up my oldest grandson, Gene with his helmet to come test it and ride it home for me. It is an older model 6 speed 5 Star Schwinn Cruiser which I will say he over advertised it’s condition as ridden twice and stored. It has a couple dents in the fender and carrier and paint chips etc but Gene took it for a ride to be sure it all worked properly and I felt it was still a good deal at $100 so I didn’t even bicker. I followed Gene home, just in case and we set the seat to it’s lowest and at an acceptable angle for my short self before putting it in my she shed so it doesn’t disappear. Gene even gave me the awesome red helmet that matches as it was left behind by their manny last summer. I am going to take Gene shopping for shoes tomorrow as his birthday is next week and it is what he needs most. I would rather do that than just give him money or gift cards.
I decided to make the mixed up meal tonight. I had bought pork chops and made my own version of the recipe as there was no spinach included and the beans were nasty. I don’t like them anyway so I substituted edamame. It was delicious and I have at least four meals more out of it as the chops were so big, I couldn’t eat one in a single sitting. I finally hauled out my new microwave Tupperware and packaged everything up.
“P!nk ALL I KNOW so far” and “Nomadland”. Two completely opposite positions in the socio-economic spectrum. Both starring people I love and find inspiring in their own way.
If I were to have aimed for hollywood, I would want to be Frances McDormand (did you know her birth name is Cynthia Ann Smith?). Her choice of Indie characters, lack of buying into the stereotypes and marriage of 37 years is something to idolize!!!
If I could sing… Alecia Beth Moore stands apart from the world. She ranks up there for me with Cher and Madonna, women who manage to take on the world on their own, no last name, no attachment necessary. And she seems to be rocking motherhood and marriage while on tour. She impresses me.
Nomadland, it honestly made me want to choose a mobile estate. I think I am working my business towards being able to take off across the country, stopping to do my work wherever there is internet. There is no reason I need to wait to retirement to road trip. I have a couple years to pay down some debts and then… why not. Now, all of that is not to say I am in a comparable situation. I would be doing it by choice. Many people do it out of necessity. I do love the concept that I would not be homeless. Just house less.
I worked for 6 hours on a file today, got ahead, came home to put the heating pad on my hip, and back. I did manage to cut out the material for the next three chairs but didn’t feel like sitting more to sew them.
Jake asked if he could stay with me for Father’s Day weekend. It makes me so happy he is making good efforts to see Emmy.
I set an alarm to be sure I was up and ready for our ABC Zoom meeting. There were most of but not all of us. It is so uplifting to me when we all get together. Part way through the conversation I saw my phone was ringing and it was my brother, Greg. Unfortunately these days I mostly only hear from him when there is bad news. I muted the meeting and headed out of screen view to answer. It seems our step-mother, Donna, the self professed WSM (wicked step mother) was found laying on her floor delirious. She was taken to hospital by ambulance and has a broken clavicle. This in itself is sad. What is really sad is that Greg found out because a Neighbour called to inquire after her as they had seen the ambulance. Seems her power of attorney, Sandy didn’t bother to let us know as she always professes she will. I don’t like the fact that I have always seen her as a grifter. I know strongly that my father would not approve of her behavior or control in this or any other situation. I cried for Mrs. B (donna) and for my brother as they have their business on her property that my Dad left him and if Sandy should deem it necessary, she could sell it out from under them. And we would not have a leg to stand on apparently, as we are not blood related. Extended families are so complicated.
I decided to take advantage of the sale at Fabricland and go looking for outdoor material to match my teal canopy and pink chair paint. Turns out there was a great deal and I got the material, thread and cording for less than the cost of one new chair cushion.
Went to the liquor store and Save-On before coming home, narrowly avoiding a rain storm while I was in the store. Once I got home and put everything away I went out and restored my yard that had been messed up by the crazy wind storm. I brought all the chair cushions in before they got wet again and am grateful as the rain came down with a vengeance not much later. I had something to eat and then began to sew the first of the 4 cushions. It turned out way better than I hoped.
I spent the evening watching ‘the mighty ducks game changers’ on Disney and enjoying all kinds of Bombay. It is so weird to watch someone on TV that you used to have a crush on and haven’t seen for a while. It feels as though I know Emilio and have memories of a relationship. Sigh, if only.
Waking up to a 9 year old saying he loves you is a pretty sweet way to start a fabulous Friday. After breakfast I dropped Will off at home and headed in. I was there early and got a lot of hours in which felt good, including finishing the data entry and file fix so I could upload to QBO one of my Treasurer files. My Scout fundraiser popcorn arrived, I mean who doesn’t like popcorn? It was for the children!
Got home later and Ashlée had dropped off my fountain that she was using in The Loft, the space she sublet to women doing nails, hair, etc. Unfortunately, she shut it down. It is a real shame as it was a sweet space and was also her photo studio. I am sure she has different and better plans and less stress. I had another delicious dinner and a relaxing evening. It seems my snacks, drinks and meals all come in kits.
This morning I woke up to a delightful teenager in the house. He roused himself and had several bowls of cereal before taking himself off to school. We had long conversations about work and payroll taxes as he was supposed to hear yesterday if he got the first job he has applied for. I was so thrilled to see him later in the day and hear the excitement in his voice as he said, ‘I got the job!’ He will be the newest dishwasher and busser at Soulfood restaurant and I am very happy for him. We had a good talk about the fact that the Province of BC raised the minimum wage just in time for him to begin his work life. It is now 15.20. I believe I was making 2.65 at my first server job. I suppose it’s all relative. The problem begins though when the long time staff only make slightly more than that as the minimum has made big jumps in the last few years, much more that the 1.5 COLA (cost of living allowance) or standard raise. I really am happy for him.
Early in the day my Hello Fresh arrived, complete with a soggy bottom. I brought it home to make sure everything got into the fridge right away. Although the ice packs were melting, The food all seemed okay. On the way back to the office I stopped at Arby’s and for the first time in as long as I can remember I went into a fast food restaurant. It was a special occasion as Rae-Anne is the new manager trainee and as it should be, she is starting on the cash and working her way through learning it all. She looks so cute in her blacks and it was fun that her manager, Ryan was there. He jumped into the photos and seems a great personality. After I waited for her to serve the customer in front of me, she introduced me to Ryan and then to her best friend Vanessa who walked in behind me. I love this kind of synchronicity. I couldn’t help but order an orange cream shake as Creamsicles are to die for. I also got onion rings but never found the time to eat them, so Will did later with dinner. He loved them.
I took a bunch of time today to set up some new investments with a client. I decided that whatever he pays me in any given month, I will invest in RRSPs. This feels like a good choice, I do want to retire some day!! As I do his books I will know it is going to my future. Eventually I think I will do the same with other files. We had a good laugh as I signed all the papers. It is a super trust position. He knows my finances and I have access to his corporate bank and credit card accounts… seems fair.
After work I booted up to the Guedes household to pick up Will as I had promised he could stay over. It is a professional day tomorrow for him so he could stay over (and stay up late). The first thing we did was go through a car wash and we had fun eating chips and feeling the glass. It was cool to look up through the sun roof.
We think there is a 4 way stop going in near his school and my house. This will be wonderful!!! He enjoyed the view of my bobble head and insisted on taking a picture
He played in the pool and we invited Emmy and Danika as I know they do not have AC and it is 33 again today. Emmy loves her cousins as much as they love her. They arrived in the usual Emmy flair, wearing the new bathing suit and cover up her Dad had given her. Danika and the kids played in the pool while I fussed at things in the yard. Will and I had gone to Home Depot to find a colour of spray paint to use on my lawn furniture and he was adamant that hot pink was all me. I think he was right. I did a pass by on a chair just to decide. I love it!
Will got to pick which of my three hello Fresh meals we would have and he picked Warm Shrimp Poke Bowl. When it was time to make dinner we discovered that the bag held the ingredients for something completely different, complete with beans, which are not my favourite. Will was disappointed. I filed a registry of all the things missing and then began making the Seared Greek-Style Shrimp instead. It was delicious but it was so late for poor Will. He scarfed it down, relishing the salad part which made me so happy. He then enjoyed the onion rings from earlier and helped me cover the pool and clean up the yard before heading off to bed and falling asleep right away.
It has been interesting to have the grandsons over as it feels more like the old days, when I would come to visit from afar and we would have deep conversations and everyone was overjoyed to see each other. They are such good boys. Gene really worked hard and never made me feel like it was an inconvenience to help me out, Will has this way of looking at me with such innocence and joy that my heart melts. Earlier I got to have incredible hugs with Lukas who is just so smart. He has the demons that go with that amazing brain and I hope he will reach out if he ever needs to debrief. Sawyer is the one who will never leave any love unsaid. His world revolves around connection. He is devastated if you leave without a hug at the door or the gate, even if he hasn’t talked to you the whole time you are there. I so look forward to watching them all become adults. It’s like getting a second chance, I was so busy trying to be a mom that I missed being able to see things from this step back. That is the true joy of being a grandparent, you get to see the things you did that worked transfer to the next generation with an extra dose of whatever they have picked up along the way.
This morning the Culligan Man came to service my whole house water softener as it hasn’t seemed to be doing it’s job. Turns out my whole life training to conserve water means that I don’t use enough for it to cycle happily on the usual schedule. I did fill my pool and am watering my plants by hand in the evenings so that helps. He also said the reason my filter is clogging up so fast is that it appears Cranbrook is using ‘The Well’ which meant my numbers were up over 2400 when they should be under 900.. so, hard. That explains the water spotting and my hair needing more conditioner again. Should be good in about a week when I get through my hot water tank, lol.
Work was good, it was apply for subsidy day for many of my clients. Sean and I got KFC for lunch which I hadn’t had for years and I did love the sandwich. Of course that proves that coupons in my mail work as they haunted me to use them. Who can resist two can dine for 13.99???
A funny, like giggle myself silly day was when I paid the bills for a company. The person responsible even signed off on them being paid, I had printed the cheque and all when I wondered why the Community Theatre cheque book was out. It was then that I realized one of the bills I paid was for the theatre not that company! Thankfully I could void the cheque but we had a good laugh that both of us had robotron processed at day’s end.
I decided to leave work at a decent time as I had home stuff to do. I stopped for a kitchen chat at Rae and Rogers and ended up bringing Gene home with me for dinner and to help clean the pool and build the rest of my pergola. We had a good time and worked well together and got it done just as dusk settled. He is so grown up, turning 14 in only two weeks!
My little yard oasis is shaping up, just have to get more weeding done!!
Today was … full. My Ancestry DNA test arrived and I am intrigued to see how the results compare to the 23andMe one I took. While registering the kit, I popped into my existing Family tree and see mostly my Father’s side. The other is what I am curious about. I never learned enough and the family left don’t know much either. I saw a spot to click to check immigration papers tied to the tree and up popped the first Bellavances to enter Canada, in 1644, Louis (32) with his wife Marie (22) and their 2 year old daughter, Louise. That was amazing as I have always known about Louis but not the family with him. As it happens my granddaughter’s middle name is Louise! How cool is that? An old family name and they didn’t even know it.
I received a text from Danika asking if the pool was set up and I decided it was a good day to get it going as it is so hot this week. It is dirty and it was a lot of work for me to get it ready for water by myself. I will scrub it and filter the dirt out before anyone gets in. It was so hot while setting it up that I have never been more grateful for a life decision than getting AC. The temp went up over the course of the evening even! 33 outside but a refreshing 21 inside. I was even able to have a nice dinner and finish one puzzle before starting another.
At 8:31 I placed the first FaceTime call to my mom and at 9:33 we gave up trying to solve the connection issue and she is going to go to the Telus shop tomorrow. I think there are a combination of things going on between her Telus phone and her Shaw internet.
The day started off rough for friends on Salt Spring Island as their business, Windsor Plywood burnt down. It is the only store of it’s kind there and employs as well as supplies many people. I know they will rally to get up and functioning again. Ken and Mike are amazing business men with hearts of gold. I wish them all the Best.
It is ride your bike to work week, so i did. I mean, it’s got 786 cc of purr but it’s still a bike. I was impressed with how many families I saw riding together to school today. Apparently there were 117 registrants last year and over 400 this year. Yay Cranbrook! One of my client’s paid for me to take a break with them in the morning and I had my picture taken with my MC and Lynette Wray, with her bicycle. I hope they use it for some publicity as it was fun.
I was not dressed for photos however as I had gotten dressed for work and then thought to put on the only orange shirt I own which was part of a costume for Life Without Parole. It even has my prisoner number stenciled on the back. It did seem eerily fitting for the day to come together to remember the 215 children whose remains were discovered in graves in the spot where the Indian Residential School was in Kamloops, BC. This horror, it is not a shock but a sickening echo of the pain served to the First Nation peoples. As I so aptly heard put, it did not happen to them, it was done to them. There was a conscious decision by ‘God fearing’ white religious people to erase the Indian, to save the heathens, to reeducate and eradicate. We, WE, WE ALL should be ashamed and carry this blame. I do not directly think I have a reason to be blamed at first thought but I should as I had no idea this was still going on until 1996! In my adult time there were First Nations peoples in my country still going to a residential school. This is the truly unfathomable part, that I was never taught this, that I did not know what I could have stopped. How is that even possible? What else is going on right under my nose that I can change? We all need to be educated. I have lived on a reserve, I know the damage that has been done, I have met the survivors, I have heard their stories. I know why all these years later, they still sleep with the lights on. I am sorry, I will remember, I will try to seek reconciliation, whatever that looks like. I will get further educated.
After work, my long way home on the bike took me to Sean and Diane’s to see the further progress of their renovation. It really is beautiful. I know it will be appreciated by whomever purchases their home. I also told them I was there to kick their butts in cribbage which I did. Sean invited me for dinner but Diane said there was steak spice on the meat and that would give me grief. I knew I had my Hello Fresh meal to cook anyway and oh the irony… it was chili spaghetti. Literally, chili on spaghetti. I was going to skip the smoked paprika and the chili garlic mix but decided to go for it as I do so love the taste of chili. It was soooo good, and I made sure I took a pill beforehand so the ‘feedback’ was minimal. There are left overs for tomorrow, I will have to be sure I am prepared for the imminent gas and indigestion but sometimes it is just worth it. Chili and Tacos, the two things I just can’t give up completely.. and maybe an occasional Caesar.
My neighbour, Tracey tapped on the door and asked if I wanted to sit out in the yard for a beer and a visit. That was nice. I am glad she is doing a rent to own as we seem to have no trouble finding things to chat about.
I will say that the single greatest decision I made this year was to get the new furnace with AC! It was 25 centigrade or 78 Fahrenheit in my place when I got home. I figured out how to set the AC to come on and it is a comfortable 20 now so I will be able to sleep tonight. A very worthwhile investment for sure!
Up and out of bed early, did laundry and hung it on the line. Gorgeous day so I jumped on the bike and headed … to the office. I got 4 hours in on an important file and then found myself tied up by Shaw. I had a SIM card to activate to port my number from Telus to my Shaw account as it was only $15 packaged with my cable and internet. The woman I spoke to set it all up and said I would get a text from Telus that I should just say yes to and it would be moved over. 4 hours later it still hadn’t come so I read the email the system sent me. Turns out she had an extra letter in my last name, and an extra digit in my cell number and left off two numbers of my address. I called the number in the email and waited half an hour before hanging up and trying the original number I had called. That was probably a mistake as it took 45 minutes longer to finally get through to a nice sounding person who fixed it all and I now have a working phone again. I am just grateful they didn’t lose my number along the way. I jumped on the bike and took the very long way home looping my way out of town, around and back. I love this time of year when everything smells delightful. I don’t get that in the car. I could just go up and down roads, smelling the blossoming trees and the fresh cut lawns. I have to be careful though as I don’t have a functioning speedometer. I came home and had my second helping of last night’s dinner, it was just as good warmed up. I had built my new Stick Bug cage before I left and found 3 of the little things that I had missed in the transfer, just hanging out. The new cage is so much nicer and cool to watch now. I went and picked up Rae and we stopped at the corner store to get chips before returning to my place to watch Friends: The Reunion. I really enjoyed the walk down memory lane. It’s funny that the actors are closer to my age than Rae’s but their lifestyle in the show was closer to what her age group was experiencing. She and I were both married early and were responsible for other humans during our 20’s to 40’s. Maybe that is our love, the escape part. I still have a crush on Matt LeBlanc, and am so glad he is aging naturally, bit of a belly, grey hair and all. He still sparkles.
Rae starts a new Job on Tuesday and is feeling all the anxiety. I can relate but I also know she will excel at it. Today was Nigel’s 65th birthday and I had a couple gifts sent by Amazon UK to his home in Biggin Hill. I am so happy he likes his shirt and birthday plant for the garden. I am continuously blessed by the presence of he and Linda in my life. It was nice to surprise him a little. I even had a beer in his honour today!
Leg ached this morning so I got up and moving early. Got outside and gathered all the branches and leaves and dead hedge bits because Keri was coming to bring it all to the transfer station. She is so kind. Danny arrived not long after and we got to work on the window trim in the kitchen. It took a bit to get him to understand my vision and that I had just the right amount of material that I painted to be ready. Unfortunately the second piece he cut wrong and towards the end I had to run to Home Depot for more. They didn’t have any so I had to improvise. He agreed when we were done that it was nothing like he would have done but it worked well. We made a plan to work on my bathroom together either the 5th or 19th of June. I can’t wait.
I really am so very happy with the result.
Next I went to grab Rae, and let Roger know I didn’t need his help with the window or the yard waste. She and I went to Kimberley to check out my client’s establishments. First stop was Grist & Mash. We met Thomas and then in came one of the owners, Natalie. With masks on she said I reminded her of their bookkeeper Marnée. We all had a good laugh when I revealed myself as we had only met once by Zoom and then by phone and email since. She gave us a tour and I am impressed that they hand can all their beer. I suppose everyone does that but I had never stopped to think about it before.
We wandered the Platzl heading up to Earth’s Own Naturals where I met the lovely crew on staff and picked up some edibles and capsules. In the platzl I saw an ebike that really interested me. I think I will wait to see what happens with my back/legs before purchasing but I will know what I want when the time comes. There is a super cool store full of treasures in what was the Kimberley Hotel back in the day called The Old Crow. I could wander there for days and not see it all. We also stopped at this incredible cake and chocolate shop, Grow where I picked up some delicious treats and Rae bought us a nummy piece of cake that we sat and shared before heading home.
Dropped Rae off and came home to install the repurposed anchor hook for my garden hose. I also rolled out the bamboo Fence along the back. It needs proper support so I will see what it looks like in the morning. The neighbour back there said he is putting up a fence anyway. He seems quite talk downish.
Dinner turned out delicious, almond crusted pork. Mmmmmmmm. I was aching so when I was done I had a gummy and a crown & coke and settled to watch odd choices on Netflix while working on the Marvel puzzle. The One is a great premise strangely executed. Master of None is amusing. I heard Missy having a moment outside. Cats are so odd.
It was a great day. I liked getting things done, getting out in the sun and spending time with Rae. The only negative was when I tried out the size of an e-bike and when I tried to step off it I tweaked myself somehow and almost fell over. Now my left knee hurts as well. Sigh. It is now May 30th which is my friend Nigel’s 65th birthday. I wish I was in the UK to celebrate with them. Cheers to you, my friend!
I was going to sit down and write this when I was in the middle of all the feels but decided to have a hot shower and cool down instead. Today was productive, I even filed my own tax return and it was a small refund instead of a big pay which was a blessing! I was on a roll with an important file when I realized I had to get home and have dinner as the handyman, Danny was going to be at my place at 7 to trim out my kitchen window. I do not have air tools anymore and decided it would be better to hire someone else to do it for me. That is not something that comes easily to me. I have always saved dollars and my sanity by doing things myself. The problem now is I actually don’t love doing finishing work. When I was building houses I liked to take it to lock-up and walk away. My favourite was concrete and framing, I still would love to be doing it. The joy of sheeting a roof and having a view of the world from up there is sublime. I came home and checked to be sure that the trim I had done a second coat of paint on this morning was dry enough. I had a quickie dinner and cleared the area around the sink, ready. And at 7:01, he messaged me to see if we could do it tomorrow instead as his son wanted to watch a movie with him. I expressed the fact that I understood family obligations but I also had scheduled around this being done. He then said he would just have dinner with his wife and be over. And so I waited. At 8 pm I was annoyed and went out to mow my very overgrown lawn. At 9 I started weeding the garden beds, and then my legs said, no more. I did make good progress but by 930 when I heard a vehicle pull up, I burst into tears when I saw it was Rae and Roger. They brought me a Gerber Daisy plant which I love, and chocolate. They know me so well. They encouraged me to text him not to come and Roger offered to come help me do it on the weekend. I did text and he said he was just loading his truck. It was 945 by now so I texted him calmly that I was not up to it, that I had been angry, that I would do it myself. He finally apologized and offered to come in the morning and do it for free. I will likely pay him but I will have a talk about his reliability if I am going to hire him for my bathroom reno that I really want to do. This was why I stopped contracting home builds, I got so annoyed with the help. I would hire someone 10 or more years younger than I am to dig a ditch and I could have done it 3 times faster, or I would have to deal with hangovers and excuses. I found it less stressful just to become a handyman, a Jill of All Trades. The problem now is I am experiencing all the outcomes of hard work, using my body as a tool, and pushing myself. So, tomorrow at 11, I hope to have my window finally completed. I hope he will understand my plan
A final thought… my Dad instilled in me to try very hard not to be late because it was implying that my time was more important than someone else’s. It’s not, it’s all about respect.
Between work and physio today, I am done in. There were bright spots in the day. I worked on my own tax return and will get to file it tomorrow which is a huge pressure off. I completed everything I could due this month’s end and will finish the last file tomorrow as they are sending the last of the info. I had a lovely long talk with my friend Mabel in Bella Bella, discussion included making a plan to have me there when the flights open up again! I got to go bottle hard Blueberry and Iced Tea Lemonade with Stacey which was a lot of fun. We split the batches and had a nice visit. I then came home and made dinner which was ready just as Rae and Ash showed up to watch the Friends Reunion on Crave. Unfortunately it wasn’t going to be on until 10 which was weird as some people watched it already. We sat on the couch and watched Hannah Gatsby’s show Douglas. She is very entertaining. After they left I painted the trim for my kitchen window as Danny is to come to do it tomorrow night. I wouldn’t be able to reach unless I kneeled on the counter and with my leg issues, that is impossible. Worth paying for the assistance just to finally have it done.
The good/bad news was my physio appointment as there is a potential diagnosis with more testing. Mark wants me to go to my Dr next week as he will have written her a letter about the findings. He wants me to have an x-ray and MRI as he thinks the problem originates in the discs in my lower back. There are a few more things happening that lead to the concern. All I know is after a treatment of pressure on my hip and back I am exhausted from the pain and barely got through the rest of the day no matter how fun it was. Now I hope to get sleep.
triumphgal 