Right Here. Right Now.

 A short recap of the Royal Funeral for Prince
Philip on Saturday. We were up @ 6 am to watch.

The siblings and grandchildren walking together
to remember their sweet papa and grandfather.

The saddest photo ever. Queen Elizabeth had to

sit all alone. I hope she knows we all had her in

our hearts and our minds on this very difficult day.

I hope she knows though she is alone, she is loved.

Then the best thing ever happened. Princess Kate,

Prince William and Prince Harry emerged together.

And then they proceeded to walk together, the 3 of

them, like old times. They chatted and there were

smiles. Could this be the beginning of new healing?

I so hope they can mend their differences and move

forward, for the Queen, for their children, and most

of all, for themselves. I can hold this hope in my heart.

What I'm wearing .... my grey snow leggings, a while Summer dress and my grey slouchy sweater. Grey socks and my light pink running shoes ~ I wear these indoors only.

What I'm reading .... just starting a new book called "No Ordinary Life" by Suzanne Redfearn.

What's happening in my kitchen .... Sunday dinner is cooking ~ roasted ham, roasted veggies and coleslaw.

What's outside my window .... surprise, surprise .... it's snowing again! Just lightly. Will melt.

What I'm thankful for .... receiving the vaccine on Friday, talking with my mom virtually today as it's her birthday (another outbreak so no visiting in person this week) and talking with my brother on the phone, as it's also his birthday today. Thankful they are in our lives.

What I'm smelling .... dinner cooking ~ smells so good.

What I'm hearing .... the tv and our dgs laughing downstairs.

What I'm crafting .... working on the art project from a class I took. Will post once I have it all done.

What's on my mind .... Dh sold his Honda Pilot this week. Typically, he takes back his leases, just under the km's and with no damage. He leases as he gets to write off the entire payment each month, plus gas, repairs, insurance, registration and service against his taxes. But his boss asked if he's sell it instead and he's making just under $4,000 profit. He's happy, I'm happy but we did agree to get the windshield replaced and that's a bit stressful. Not getting it done but having someone sit in our car during this virus. The glass shop has a protocol but we'll take along our wipes and do a quick clean as well. We'll only have my car for a while but right now, with both of us working from home, 2 cars are not needed. In time, we'll figure out what to get for his next car. A new adventure!

Words to live by .... "Make every day your Masterpiece."

I should have and had planned to post this last

night but got busy. Namaste my blogging buddies!

~ Chy

Vaccine Report.

We were privileged to be able to book in to have our vaccines done on Friday and here's my little report. I felt fine all day, not nervous but hopeful. Slightly worried that I'd have a reaction but we took along my epiPens and the Pharmacist was amazing. She did mine first so I could be observed for a longer time and no reaction. That was a great relief. The shot itself was a tiny prick! No pain. Next was my daughter and then dh. All had similar reactions ~ no pain. We took a few photos to capture this moment we've all waited so long for over the last year. I thought I might cry but I think I was more relieved to be finally here and so much gratitude filled my mind and my heart. The team at the pharmacy was amazing and we are looking forward to going back in when it's time for the 2nd dose. We did have a short trip to another community but in our hamlet, the earliest available appointments weren't until mid May. We lucked out and grabbed these slots and it worked out well. On our way home, we stopped to celebrate with a DQ Blizzard. The first of the season and very well deserved.

The Pharmacist was very clear we would likely feel just fine the first day but by the next day, we would be cursing her name as our arms would be super sore. Dh and dd both had super sore arms. Mine was just a bit achy right on the site but no where else. However, we did do some work later when we got home outside and then yesterday we trekked in to town and bought lumber to create a deck for the shed we bought. Lots of moving and lifting. I do recall my Naturopath saying after the shots she gives me (4 month flu shots and B12's) to move my arm around a lot after the injections so that may have helped. Today, no ache. So we've passed the first hurdle and are hopeful the second injection will be fine as well. Once we finished up a few tasks, we settled in to relax for the night. I had bought the latest editions of "The English Garden" and "Bliss Victoria" to read the other day. It was hard not to peek but I wanted to have something to look forward to at the end of the day. Always fun to have something to work towards. A personal present.

All for now but will be back later today with my "Right Here.

Right Now" post. Namaste my blogging buddies!

~ Chy

Excited. Nervous.

 

Today is Vaccine Day. I'm both excited and nervous. I was very teary yesterday for a number of reasons and beyond exhausted. Everything and anything was setting me off, with big tears and by the end of the day, a puffy face. Dh was sweet and just let me cry in his arms. Late last night, I realized it was likely my apprehension about having the vaccine today. I'm not in favor of injecting chemicals in to my body and have always been "vaccine aware" and cautious. To be clear, I am NOT an "anti~vaxxer" just cautious and sensible. But this one is scary. I carry an epiPen (I actually have 4 in my possession) so the idea that a few people have experienced an allergic reaction is unnerving. But I'll be in the presence of medical personnel and will have all 4 of my epi's with me. I'm sure it will be just fine. Wish me luck today.

A corner of our kitchen nook. I love this sweet shelf we bought and then painted and stained when we were still in our other house. It sat in our studio for the first few years we were here. And then one day I realized I hadn't hung anything in this spot as we hadn't found something that fit well. Was up in the studio one afternoon and turned around to grab something, and I spotted this sitting in the corner, just waiting to be loved again. So down it came and within an hour, it was securely hung on the wall. I have fun changing out the "treasures" that grace the shelves. Love it.

Hope you have an amazing Friday. 

Namaste my blogging buddies.

~ Chy

Gardening Plans.

Thinking about gardening today and as I was searching for compost, this popped up in images. A sweet earth rammed cottage print. Wouldn't this be the loveliest get away? If it was only real. Reminds me of our little island cottage.

Plans for the gardens this year:

1. Empty out the potting shed and paint it white inside

2. Find wood shelving for the greenhouse and paint sage

3. Fill the raised garden beds with dirt, cocopeat and compost

4. Increase the flower beds and fill with perennials/bushes

5. Move the fir trees we planted over to the front gardens

6. Repaint the decks as we have skate marks from the rink

7. Add stone to the front veranda skirting OR wooden lattice

8. Re~gravel the driveway as its' starting to have some ruts

9. Re~create our front path/add in paths in the woods

10. Figure out how to create a gate to keep the bad guys out ~ no bad guys around but it would be lovely when we can travel again to not have anyone drive in to our property while we're away ~ always a worry when we're not here

It's going to a lovely warm day and I don't have to work the entire day as I've done 2 almost 12 hour days in the last 2 days. Shorter day today so we'll be outside later and then tomorrow is our official day off and the only thing we have planned is our vaccines, so hoping to start getting some work done outside. Looking forward to having time for gardening again this year and hope we can get a lot of it done. No meetings tonight and I'm looking forward to a bit of down time after such a busy few weeks. The weekend is supposed to be warm and sunny on Saturday but cool and cloudy on Sunday. Today we'll wash down the rink liner and set it out to dry, then fold it away. We'll also wash down the deck furniture. Even though it was stored for the Winter, I like to give it a good wash before we put the cushions on. We've had a couple of bbq's already, but need to make a list of food to buy as we need some groceries. Window washing will begin as well to get the dust and water marks off all our glass. We may use the cooler day to straighten out the garage and decide what will go in to the shed once we have that built. Also have to do an inventory of the wood we have tucked away to see if we have enough to build the base next week or if we need to head in to town to buy more. Lumber has increased 500% in price in the last year so hoping we don't have to buy more. Good to have a stash tucked away.

I'm off to do my workout, shower, then a staff meeting about social media, a break, then 2 back to back counselling sessions and I'll be done by 2 today. Excited for a slower pace and time to enjoy the blue sky and warm weather. Hope you have an amazing day planned out and get to enjoy all of it. 

Namaste my blogging buddies.

~ Chy

Short but Sweet.

This will be a short but sweet post today. I slept through the entire night last night for the first time in a long time. And I'm sure it's because yesterday we received confirmation that we're booked in for our vaccines on Friday afternoon. It means missing our presenting our live radio show (we can tape today and replay it), and driving to another community as the earliest we could get it in our little hamlet was May 2nd. But so very worth the change in schedule and the short drive. This means 5 out of 6 of us in our family will be protected. Our eldest son doesn't fit in to the categories just yet but he will be eligible next month in his province. I was pretty teary when we talked with the pharmacist. Lovely man who we haven't even met yet but I'm so thankful for his kindness for this quick request ~ we only called on Monday! The best part is we are getting the vaccine we hoped would be available. We will still continue to be super diligent but now we now even if Covid were to come in our path, our risk will be minimized. I'm not a big fan of vaccinated kids as newborns and have always been a vaccine aware consumer. But this one is different and we will be eternally grateful for the fast worldwide response to creating something to protect all of us. I don't wish away days ever BUT Friday can't come soon enough! I have lots to keep me busy until then and we're doing some extra prep to make sure we can come home and just relax. If we get any side effects we have the rest of Friday and the weekend to just chill. Our daughter had her first vaccine about 2 weeks ago and her only side effect was a bit of a sore arm. My boss said her arm felt like she had been punched super hard but others have said no arm pain at all. I'm not worried as we get a series of 4 shots over the Winter from our Naturopath and my arm aches for a day or 2 after so I'm anticipating the same. I welcome a sore arm over this virus!

Today I have a quieter morning. A quick workout, shower, then laundry, catch up on my work tasks from yesterday, a counselling session for a sweet client at 11, a short break for lunch, then I'm teaching volunteer training via Zoom at 1. It's set for 2 hours but the last few we've done it's been maybe an hour at the most. A break again and then a counselling session at 4. Dinner, a little break and then a 2nd round of volunteer training from 6 until 8. Tomorrow is busy too but thankfully nothing in the evening. Friday is our typical day off and I'll clean the house in the morning, make sure laundry is done and we'll figure out meals for the next few days, just in case we're not feeling the best. Supposed to be a nice weekend so I'd like to get the rest of the deck furniture in place so we can sit out in the sun comfortably. We have to plan out where the new shed we're putting together will go. I've got a new book to start too. Just envisioning sitting in the sun reading and dreaming and letting the vaccine settle in our bodies. So worth the wait.

Wishing you a beautiful day!

Namaste to my blogging buddies.

~ Chy

Melting Away.

 

After our surprise snowstorm on Sunday, we expected to see all the snow melt away yesterday. But it has actually hung around, with a bit disappearing through the day. Last night, it was warmer and we started to hear drips coming off the roof. The next few days are double digits, so I'm sure this mess will soon be melted all away. Then we start planning our new shed build. Another adventure to tackle!

Meetings and calls, emails and conversations yesterday. Dh was taken back by how many times my phone rang or beeped if a voice mail or text or email was left. I'm usually working away upstairs while he uses our kitchen island as his "office" so he doesn't always see or hear how busy it really is. I had to do some calculations yesterday to show our grant writer what that looks like and I came up with handling over 1,500 calls in a year and over 2,500 emails. Yup, it's busy! Today is Resident Rounds for the hospice (virtual), then a phone meeting, then lunch, then 4 little boys at school will have a virtual counselling session with me, then I'll go pick up dd from school and come home for dinner, then a grief meeting tonight. I woke up super tired and sore so no workout for the moment but in between tasks I am going to try and do some yoga today. Back to the treadmill tomorrow and weights after. Doing well but today I'm just not up to it. My colleague who has shared her health journey with me only does the tread 4 days a week so I'm not going to fuss if I miss a session after 2 weeks of daily workouts. 

We had a lovely meeting with a breeder yesterday who has purebred Corgi's. I'm in love with these sweet pups but they do shed a lot! So figuring out now if I'd be allergic or just have a new task of vacuuming and mopping every day. We're ready for a pup but the wait will be 18 months to 24 months, so no rush. Looking forward to a sweet little pup in our arms to love and nurture. It's been over 6 years now since our Celti died so we're more than ready. So excited.

I'm off to shower and get this day going. Hope you have an amazing one! Enjoy the sun if it's shining in your neck of the woods. Be well. Stay safe. Namaste my blogging buddies.

~ Chy

Hope Finally.

We were able to get on wait lists today for our

first Covid vaccines. Hope is here, finally ....

~ Chy

Surprise Snow.

 

 

  

We woke up to pretty blue skies yesterday that lasted a good part of the day. There was a weather prediction, with a low probability of rain late in the day. But what took place was totally unexpected. We had a surprise snowstorm! The clouds moved in and they were black, like a rainstorm. Next there were some flakes, thunder, lightening, some areas received hail and then suddenly, the sky opened up and from about 4 until early this morning, the wind howled and the snow fell. You can see the progress in my pictures above. It was crazy that we were outside without coats in the morning and last night we were turning the furnace back on and making tea! We made the best of our Hygge day.

Today, we are working on the board and batten, I have some art to finish up and then we have a board meeting at 4. Our girls have driven in to town to feed the ducks at our preschool and should be home soon. This afternoon the warmth will begin to return and I'm sure by tomorrow our snow will be but a memory. I'm off to sand and paint. 

Namaste my friends!

~ Chy