Friday the 13th.

I'm so glad I didn't pay too much attention to the calendar this week. Too busy catching up to realize that Friday the 13th was on the agenda. Anyone who knows me knows my superstitious streak, which includes making sure that any Friday the 13th dates on my calendar are circled and planned carefully. Not this time though. I woke up, happy it was Friday, had a lovely hot shower, great drive through the country to work, conversed and joked with my staff, spent some time reorganizing my office that had fallen in disarray, had a great chat with a family, talked with my mom on the phone and then went out to do some errands. Drove in to the Big City to pick up my mom for her appointment with the lawyer and that's when life fell apart for a while. And when I spotted the calendar ....

My mom suffers from Dementia. So everything we do has to be carefully planned out. An appointment requires making sure that not just she knows it's happening, with lots of reminders and advanced calls before I go to pick her up, but I also have to let her best friend who lives in the same building know so she doesn't plan any activities at the same time. I have to let HomeCare know and then plan out my time. It's a science really. So today, I thought I had it all lined up as I drove down the highway to her place. Parked, put the handicapped sticker on my mirror so I can park close for her convenience, walked in to her building, picked up her mail, took the elevator up, unlocked her door and walked in to a dark and quiet condo. And she wasn't there. Not the first time this has happened.

I checked with her beau down the hall but he wasn't home. I checked with her best friend who said she seemed to remember I was coming. And I had just called her before I started driving. Instead of feeling frustrated, I cleaned her apartment, gathered her laundry to take home to do for her, cleaned out her fridge and opened the blinds to let the sun in. Then I left, hoping that her beau had taken her out and hoping she was safe. I called the lawyer to cancel the appointment and heading back to our little hamlet. Found out later that yes, she had forgotten and her beau, her normally takes her out for dinner or makes dinner at his house in the evening decided to take her for lunch instead, not knowing I was picking her up. So our new process is I will now have to call him as well. It's all good. It was just scary for a bit and then frustrating but I still feel like I did get a few tasks down that I've wanted to do there and haven't been able to get over much lately. 

Now that I had a bit more time, I finished up my errands, ran to Costco to see if they had the shelves in stock that I wanted to buy for our garage for dh's workshop area (they did!) and made arrangements with a friend to meet me with her truck to get them home before he got home to surprise him (he was!), then had a quick dinner, dh drove me and little grandson back to our centre to set up for the classes tomorrow while he went off to a production meeting. We did a great job vacuuming the space we get to use for free upstairs in the building (I hope we can rent this amazing spot one day - fundraising is now underway), then we had to figure out how to get two folding tables up there along with 12 folding tables and supplies for the parent meeting. As we started to take up the chairs, our neighbors across the hall from the volunteer run and very popular cafe came over to ask if we need help. So very thankful for such sweet staff - we all share each other's resources and help out all the time. Made our job much lighter. Once that was done, we took a break and went into the cafe to buy some chocolate chips cookies and enjoyed some light conversation that revived my energy. And little grandson got to practice his emerging French that is part of his school life.

As we came out of the cafe, dh was just going in to our Centre. Perfect timing. We put the last few art supplies out and then we headed home. Chatted with a team member by text as he drove and then just like that, we were pulling in to our driveway. We watched Coronation Street, placed our grocery order online for pick up later tomorrow afternoon (I love this service) and then finally headed up to snuggle down for sleep. I have a big workshop tomorrow with my board president and my team will be teaching our grief classes for kids and parents at our Centre at the same time. I know it will all go well but there's always a moment or two of apprehension. It always goes well, so I shouldn't even have a moment of worry but I'm human! Looking forward to seeing my team work on their own and for being able to spend a day with my leader of our board. I'll report on the day later tomorrow. For now, it's time to say goodnight. I hope your Friday the 13th turned out to be just fine. 

Our Forever Puppy.

 

Celtic-Raine, aka as Celti, was born on 

October 1st, 1998  and came home to

our family on November 20th, 1998.  And

right from the start, we loved her to pieces.

We needed some laughter in our home

and a "baby" to cuddle after our little

Ciara-Rose died, so our forever baby

she became. She endured many tears

and being carried around by little ones

who needed a distraction from the grief.

Celti filled our lives with laughter and

comfort and grew into a lovely old

lady, loyal and sweet. As old as she

was, she still had lots of "puppy" in

her and we miss her antics, her snoring,

her lovey kisses and her greetings at

the door. She never complained, was

always so happy and a comfort to all.

Four years ago today, we had to say

goodbye when her body finally was

ready to stop. It was such a hard day

but also beautiful in how it was to be.

Our vet clinic was amazing with a

special room set aside for saying

goodbye. All our years of going

there, I didn't even know that it was

there. It was cosy and filled with

warmth and soft music. And I was

comforted by the love that we all

felt from the staff as we held our

puppy in our arms, one last time.

It couldn't have been better for us.

And then we were able to take her

home, to place her in the sweet box

a friend made, to carry her out to our

acreage to lay her to rest. Celti was

the first of our family to live on our

land and we are comforted with the

idea that during our build and now as

we live here, she watches over us

as our protector. A sweet little one

that brought such comfort to us all

those years ago continues to be a

rock for our family, even without her

physically being in our arms now.

Missing you, our forever puppy.

Our love, Celtic-Raine "aka Celti"

October 1st, 1998 ~ October 10th, 2013

Thanksgiving Wishes.

I wish I could look at our window this morning and see this beautiful sight. But it is not to be. Instead, we have another day of high winds, rain and even snow on the ground. Far too early. After such a calm and beautiful summer I can't believe we have this normally warm but with a bit of a chill season turning very quickly into a mini Winter. As ready as we are technically, I feel unready for the change. We have a few more projects to finish up and fully expected to complete them all on this long weekend but now we've had to quickly change to finish up projects inside. Not a bad trade but leaves me a bit worried that we'll still need another warm day or two to finish outside. I know it will happen. Even tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and double digits. Fingers crossed it comes true.

What's on for today? We gave ourselves a nice sleep in this morning. Actually dh slept well. I woke up at 7, in the dark, listening to the wind and the rain/snow hit the house. I snuggled down and did some thinking and then when it started to get a bit lighter, I grabbed my laptop to do some writing. In time, dh woke up and we watched a documentary on Steven Spielberg (well done) and had a little breakfast in bed. Now he's up and working on a project and I'm heading for a nice warm shower. Dh and eldest dd are off to a hockey game at 4, so my plan is to work on creating Thanksgiving dinner while they are gone. It will be a late dinner as we have to wait until they are home but worth the wait. Just the four of this holiday. Our boys and their families are away and our little guy is off visiting his dad down south. As much as I feel sad that we are not all together, Skype always helps. And after weeks of events and deadlines, having a weekend where we can just chill (in a warm way) is kind of a nice holiday to have. No pressure, no deadline, no expectations. Just our warm house, decorated for the season, with warm candles and soft blankets, a fridge full of food, bills paid, projects lined up and good health all around. Well except for my cough .... almost gone but still hanging about. 

On the menu today: the smallest turkey we have ever bought. Right from the year we were married, we have always hosted holiday dinners at our house. The first year it was because we really wanted to. And the following year, we had a brand new baby in our arms and it was just easier. From there, it became a tradition. Truthfully, we also were the only ones with a dedicated dining room. Now we have family spread out and not always able to come home. And many family members who are no longer physically living but will be remembered today with candles and memories. Hence, the small turkey on our table today. We'll have stuffing, gravy, fresh rolls right out of the oven, baked yams with mushrooms, carrots and onions, maybe some peas in butter, cranberries and pickles. Our dd wants pumpkin pie, so she'll be making that. And I might add in a tiny apple tart or two. We grew exactly two apples on our fruit trees this year. The first year, many trees won't produce, so we feel thankful that we have two to enjoy. We'll laugh and eat and share a memory or two and what we are thankful for. It's hard this year to feel so blissful when so many have less or have lost loved ones in the recent events that have affected so many. But for a moment, we'll let go of those thoughts and give thanks for our blessings. And offer healing wishes to all near and far. 

Grey Day.

Another grey windy rainy day that we've woken up to. 

I'm very thankful that we get to stay home and be cozy.

Our little Fall mantle is full of color and simple. We

found the little tea light holders from the big art store.

And the Angels were a gift from our daughter for

Mother's Day this year. They were meant for the

garden and maybe one day they'll get out there.

But I love them on the mantle so for now they stay.

The soft light on a dark day is welcoming and

brings warmth when we look outside at the rain.

The start of our Thanksgiving Day ~ a day filled

with baking and cooking, laughter and warmth.

Wishing all my fellow Canadian blogging buddies 

a truly Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving weekend.

Warm Candles.

It was supposed to be a warm and

sunny long weekend for Thanksgiving.

We had high hopes of tidying up the yard,

finishing the garage and staining the veranda.

But Mother Nature sent us a different

forecast and our tasks have come indoors.

Dh and friend did manage to work in the

garage and built the two large storage

shelves we bought for his workshop. A

bit more organizing and sweeting and

his garage will be all set for Winter. We

have plans to paint it all in the Spring.

I cleaned the house inside while the guys

were outside and the wind howled and

the rain pounded against the house. I

then lit some of our candles and put a

lasagne in the oven. When they came in

from the cold chill, the warm glow of

candle light was welcoming and they

both were soon warm and full of food.

Today we've woken up to more wind

and rain. Another day to enjoy inside to 

cook our Thanksgiving feast for later. A

small crowd this year but one we'll enjoy.

Seven Years.

 I bought my car brand new in 2011. It was the 2012

model and we haggled it down to their invoice price.

Such a good deal. I could actually sell it today for

very close to what I paid for it. But I won't sell it.

You can see in the first picture that I was just a bit

under 100,000 kms. I had been watching for weeks ....

.... and finally it was THE day, the day I'd hit the big

number. I realized when I was on the freeway that I

would turn over to 100,000 kms within minutes. So

I attempted to head off a side road and ended up

behind a guy going so very slow and I couldn't get

around him. I didn't quite get a chance to capture

100,000 kms but I got the next best thing. Truthfully

if we still lived in town, I'd probably only be around

the 86,000 km mark. But moving to the country

has added some kms to my car. Not bad though, for

owning it a full seven years. I hope to keep it for 

at least another three to five years. We paid it off

the first year and it is lovely not having payments.

I'm saving up now for the time when I'll buy again.

And then this ....

Our little potting shed, taking on the look of a Winter Cottage after an unexpected and far too early snow storm this week. We were so thankful that our final event for the season, our Walk to Remember for baby loss families, was not impacted by the snow that arrived the next day. Perfect timing. And I was so thankful that because of the event, we had a few days off. So we cozied down in our little cottage while the wind howled and the snow swirled outside. Four days later, there is still some residual snow out here. It's strange to drive in to town now and not a snowflake is to be found. Hopefully that's it until December. We're ready for Winter, just not yet.

Today, I'm off to drive my daughter to school, meet our tenants at the other house to chat with our contractor regarding a leak they've experienced, to the hardware store to buy landscaping supplies for the weekend (planting trees and we need deer fencing to keep them away from the young saplings), to the library to renew/return  my books, to the grocery store to pick up the last few items for our Thanksgiving Dinner this weekend, to the big box store to pick up the second big garage shelving unit we bought for storage and 24 small plastic boxes for storage (on sale for a crazy low price) and then home to put together a box to take to the Antique Mall to fill up our booth. We're selling pretty good but that means we have to restock often. I might try and sneak in a little  nap and then we're off to a hockey game tonight. Tomorrow our dear friend is coming to spend the day with us to finish up our fencing and plant the trees. Reminds me I should stop in at Costco and pick up some bulbs to plant in the garden for Spring. Weekend is supposed to be warm and sunny so we want to take advantage of it as it's a long holiday one. Yeah for holidays! Wishing you a lovely and beautiful day. 

New Season.