Tucked In ....

It's a stormy night with a wind that

howls in the dark. But all of us are

tucked into our warm and cozy beds.

Tasks are done and now we sleep!

~ Chy

A Torkie ....

No he's not mine. This is just a photo I

found but the sweetest face and those

ears have won my heart. A "torkie" pup

and now I'm on the hunt for a one like this!

~ Chy

Pretty Stuff.

Part of my time of this week is to

"reset" life and get grounded again.

I have a little list of tasks I hope to

accomplish and just added this one

on to that growing list. The task?

To clean up this mess of pretty stuff!

~ Chy

Snow Day!

It's going to be an unscheduled

"snow day." Our school is closed,

highways are packed with trucks

in the ditches. We're staying home!

~ Chy

Big Footprints.

Tiny footprints from the squirrel, a bit
melted but still there in the soft snow.

Then these big footprints that we are

trying to figure out what they really are.

a cougar? Big cat? Dog? Not our deer.

Maybe a moose or two? I do not know!

Any ideas?

~ Chy

Tiny Footprints.

We have a tiny squirrel who has discovered the

bird seed on our back desk is a great buffet dinner!

He sits in the tall tree to the south (see first photo),

waits until the birds disappear and then runs across

the snow, up on to the lower deck and then up to

the upper deck to munch. He sits in the sun with

his haul and enjoys the meal and the view. At the

end, he seems to fill his cheeks and treks to the tree.

Do you have tiny footprints in your garden?

~ Chy

Soothing Soak.

A photo from Friday, the gloomy day

that took away some of my energy. I

did end up in the tub, full of bubbles

and sweet smelling salts. So soothing!

~ Chy

Early Spring?

We are enjoying a lovely patch of great

weather. Everything is melting, the sun

is warm (hidden yesterday but it's back

today!), and the roads are now clear. As

we drove in to town the other day, I was

counting how many bumpers were in

the ditches and then saw these two cars

that had not survived our recent storm.

Not sure if these two accidents were due

to driver error or the weather conditions.

This weekend is amazing again, but we

are in for colder weather this upcoming

week. I'm off for a week to "reset" life

so will miss it but hopefully, as per the

prediction, no snow will fall, just the air

will get cold again. Even then it's not a

bitter cold, just slightly cooler than the

unusual warm Early Spring we have now.

Hope your weather is good at the moment!

~ Chy 

Gloomy Day.

Today is a gloomy day. The sun is hiding, my body is tired and my mind is clouded. Nothing bad, just a lot of things are happening that are hard, great and everything in between. And that has left me feeling worn out. The sun will arrive again. And I have a whole week off from work to catch up. I'm excited to have this time to reset life. I look forward to it.

Everyone is at work except dh and I. Fridays is our day to work together on our music festival, to do any renos or tasks that need to be done around the house, shopping in town if we feel like it, or just chilling when the weather keeps us home. Today, it's festival work day, as well as ensuring all the families that registered for our community preschool last week are entered fully on our spreadsheet. We have more than 80 families to input, so that will take a bit. So happy though that once again, for the Fall of 2022, we are full! Our preschool program is vibrant and very strong. 

Wishing you a beautiful day and a restful evening. 

~ Chy

Cozy Comfy.

Having battled yet another virus over the

last week, I find myself seeking more and

more comfort as I heal. I was looking on

the internet for ideas on dollhouse decor

and look what I found? It is the sweetest,

cozy comfy yet tiny bedroom. I am in love!

~ Chy

Works of Art.

These are the most incredible little hedgehogs I've

ever come across ~ works of art. I can't imagine the

planning, drafting, time and energy that went in to

creating these. So in love with their sweet little faces!

~ Chy

Diamond Shaped.

I was lucky enough as a kid to travel

to the U.K. when I was 16. And fell

in love with sweet little cottages out

in the country. Built often hundreds

of years ago, the windows were what

often caught my eye, especially if the 

muntin bars were diamond shaped. I

loved this look and when my parents

built a house that same year, they did

have diamond muntin bars. So sweet!

~ Chy

End of the Freeze.

Our deep freeze has ended, for now. And

the wildlife has emerged from the forest.

Our tree is still up, the icicles are hanging

and we're loving the sun and the warmth.

~ Chy

Second Christmas.

This little guy was away for Christmas, so we got to have a second one this year! It was fun to do it all over again, though it was a smaller version. This little guy was pretty excited to get more books in a series that he loves and we were happy to continue to fuel his love of reading. A "family genetic trait" we like to claim. When it's quiet in the cottage, we know he's reading! Not a bad thing to consider at all.

Cold again today but at least the sun is out and that always helps, in my opinion. We were able to sleep in a bit as I did a ton of work yesterday, which is typically my day off. I decided to not do a workout but shower and get to work and do my treadmill and weights later today. I based this on some research on what is better for your body ~ morning, afternoon or evening. Hit and miss depending on which research you rely on but I'm going to switch to later in the afternoon for awhile and see how I do. I'm pretty groggy today ~ not sure if the sleeping in, the no workout or the supplements I'm now on to combat some of the things we found on bloodwork is the culprit. I had good energy yesterday but not today. I may try a little nap in a while. 

                 Wishing you a beautiful, productive

                         and family filled weekend! 

                                     ~ Chy

Tiny Dream Home.

My dh and I have a radio show every Friday afternoon and today we were talking about retirement. Here in Canada, you can retire at any age but our Country does provide pension funds and old age security funds if you'd worked enough years and contributed over time to the fund. We are also encouraged from a young age to set up a RRSP fund (Registered Retirement Savings Fund). The government provides tax incentives for contributing to your fund each year. We started ours when we were 18 and should have a healthy amount in it by the time we retire. One of our plans is to sell the acreage, our little cottage in the big woods, when we're retired and it becomes too much work at that time. We would then either build closer to town and smaller, or buy a new, small house, or buy a condo, or my favorite, a condo here and then build a tiny home like the one above out on our tiny island, overlooking the ocean as our final resting place. We also want to venture into living short term in a couple of locations around the World, like the U.K. or a tropical spot for a few months at a time. More than just a vacation but not a permanent experience. Lots to consider and we'll have to see how it all unfolds as we go. But isn't this the sweetest tiny house! Love the stone fireplace the long windows on either side. I'll try to see if there is a house plan that fits this model. 

Today, you guessed it, more snow! So tired of the white stuff. But I'd take it over earthquakes, torrential rain, giant spiders or powerful wind storms. At last snow is not deadly here. More of an inconvenience. We're pretty hardy here!

A busy day working at home in our little cottage.

A quiet night chilling at home in our little cottage.

~ Chy

Midweek Musings.

All is well today! We have hot water, thanks to our local plumber and we're starting to get some answers as to why I've been feeling so run down. Supplements to boost up my system, a gluco~meter to ensure my levels stay inline, and more testing over the next few weeks to ensure we've finally ruled out anything and everything. I'm looking forward to testing being done. And for the worry to go away.

I have a version of the dollhouse above. Bought second hand and it's sturdy but needs cosmetic work. The outside is painted a very dark pink, with green windows. I'd like to go for a more muted tone like above. Soft pink, with brown, a warm cream and a pale, sage green. I have a few more things to finish on my gd's dollhouse and then I can start this one. I love the cedar roof and the wallpaper in most of the rooms but will take some down from a few of the other rooms. Always fun to see how others would decorate a dollhouse. I love the reno part, even if it's very, very tedious. 

Work has been busy and many of us are back at home for the next little while. I'm going to go in next week as I've  been home since the 22nd and really need to tackle a few projects and meetings on site. At home works so well, but somethings have to be done in person I'll go in the mornings and my colleague will come in the afternoon so we limit risk. I have loved that the weather has been bitterly cold, and being home in the warm and cozy cottage has helped to get thru this cold snap. A few more days and then next week looks amazing. Fingers crossed the forecast doesn't change.

Tomorrow is our day off but I have a new program starting on Monday and will need to finish up the curriculum for review. Then I can relax on the weekend. We hope with the warm weather to get some of our snow moved down in to the forest so we don't have to worry about where to put any new snow that falls over the Winter. Despite all our space, we're running out of room there's just so much!

I'm off to work on my  new program

And then an early bed tonight. G'nite!

~ Chy

That Was a Day ....

Not a lot of words for today, other

than to share how glad I am that it

is now day's end and we survived!

Woke up to no hot water, a call in to

our plumber for early tomorrow, then

a small flood while we tried to figure

it all out. And some "interesting" new

clients via phone, and lots of program

planning in between. Tomorrow will

be better, right? How was your day?

~ Chy

Who Am I?

This time of year, despite the snow and cold, is a great time for self reflection. I've had some time off work and part of this time has been looking back at this year and looking forward to the future, and everything in between. I'm guessing that I'm like most people and strive each day to be the best I can be. I also take time each year to set goals (not resolutions) to increase my capacity as a decent human being. Sometimes I'm not my best. And other times, I'm better than I hoped to be. Being conscious of who I am and how I fit in to the World around me is important to me and I hope I leave this life with gifts left for anyone I have met during my time here. I hope and will strive to do this well.

So who am I? 

A hard question to answer on my own. Especially because I tend to be so hard on myself. But I'm going to attempt a little list that I can look back on when I have a moment where I feel like I've not done my best. Here's who I am:

* a feisty, dedicated, loving wife who loves fiercely her guy

* a hands on mama who would go to the end of the Earth for my children, no matter the roadblocks in my way

* a very hard worker who loves this eclectic career path I've ended up on by my own creation and some good luck

* a creative, artistic being who loves to make for others

* a life long learner who is always excited to take a class

* a loyal individual who will always be there for others, even when others may not be there for me in the same way

I know I don't quite fit well in to everyone else's life. I am and do identify as a "hippy" even if a lot of it is closeted. I don't always fit in as I don't follow every trend or movement. I can be outspoken when I am passionate about an issue. I am an advocate and that doesn't always sit well with some. I will stand up for what I believe but only after I have become educated on the matter so that my protest, words or advocacy make sense and have purpose for a peaceful resolution. Always worth the effort in my opinion. 

A snapshot of who I am but as always, a work in progress.

So now I turn the tables and ask "who are you?"

~ Chy

Cozy at Home.

A day that was to be sunny and warm started out warm, without sun, then turned bitterly cold .... again! We have another week of this and then it's supposed to warm up quite a bit. Not "melt the snow" kind of weather. More like "cold but no longer bitter" kind of weather. We'll see.

We trekked down the lane to take our garbage bins and recycling to the road, picked up our mail and then headed down to our neighbors. They had farm fresh eggs for us and we had a kids chair and a bag of clothes for their little ones. A great exchange and a lovely visit. The rest of the day was filled with laundry, work tasks, chatting with my staff from preschool about the week, then chatting via email with my other staff to set up the week at hospice. School has been delayed by a week, so lots to figure out. The numbers have increased again and now we're all back to square one again. Not quite but feels like it. Ugh! We need this virus to stop!!

A busy week ahead but now I'll be working at home for a good chunk of it. Dh is still off as well and we'll get a lot done. I hope our weather does turn soon so we can get out of the cottage more. It's so lovely to be cozy in our sweet place. But also nice to be outside and we're missing that at the moment. Soon .... until then, we'll cherish this time.

Hope you had an amazing weekend

and your week ahead is filled with hope.

~ Chy

January 1st.

The last day of 2021 was quiet. And the first day of 2022 even quieter. We didn't make any plans for today. It's been so brutally cold and we've spent the last week resting, playing, reading, writing, purging, tidying and just being. Today, the weather warmed and tomorrow is going to be amazing! From ~ 42 C at the very coldest to ~ 6 C for Sunday. Balmy! We are going to try and dig out the rink tomorrow under the many feet of snow that it is currently buried under. And the inflatables as well. We still have next week off work, though I have been on call the entire holiday (no calls to date!) and I've been working on hiring more grief counsellors for my team, so I've had some work each day. I will likely go in one day next week to meet the interviewees in person ~ I've done Zoom sessions and have narrowed down the applicants but in person will be my hope. We'll see how the numbers of Omicron will look like then. 

I'm feeling quite lazy and I don't like it. But I know it's also been good for me to not be running like crazy. I love my work, I love my down time and I love my art, but I have to find a better balance so when I do take time to just be, that I don't feel lazy. Or guilty. Hopefully I'll have this figured out before retirement! I've got time to figure out this goal. 

The other goals I have (or we have) for 2022? Figure out retirement, work on my book, find a publisher, increase my grief team (in progress), become a better gardener, find a new location for our centre for the preschool and potentially the creation of a community daycare, agree to surgery that I've been putting off (not critical but needed), finish curtains for the cottage, re~stain the decks this Summer, improve my delegation skills, negotiate a new car with our dealership and sell the old one, and travel when it's safe to do so. We spent one week out on our little west coast island after our son's wedding but I'd love a longer trip or more frequent ventures out there. Our little island is where I truly relax!

On tap for tonight is the special on "Harry Potter" and then if we're not too tired, we're going to watch "Dear Evan Hansen." Tomorrow will be busy and we hope, outside a lot! Then we'll be back in a cold snap again for the next week. By the time we venture back to work, it should be warmer. I'm really not liking Winter so far, but happy that we can stay home, cozy and warm, in our little cottage in the big woods. The best place to be when the cold wind howls outside.

Hope your 1st day of January has been lovely!

~ Chy