Way Too Early.

Every morning, I'm waking up earlier and earlier. The sun is bright and I can't fall back to sleep. Most of this week, I've been awake by 5ish. And by 4 in the afternoon, I'm having a hard time staying awake. The hardest part of being awake "way too early" is I don't have energy to do anything, so I lay there and listen to the birds singing outside and think way too much. This creates stress. So now I'm not waking up refreshed and ready for the day, but exhausted and with a brain running overtime. No idea how to fix this but the other night, I tried staying up later than usual to see if that would keep me sleeping in the morning. Nope .... 5:20 .... wide awake. If you have any tried and true tricks so I can sleep longer, please feel free to share. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

This week has been busy, even as a short week (Monday was a stat holiday). My list of tasks to accomplish is long but I'm working away. Yesterday, I took 2 things off the list that had been sitting there and I felt stressed each time I look at them. But tackled both and the stress melted away. I have 2 more I'll do today and can't wait to have that feeling again. One thing that stress does for me is I work harder. On Monday night, with the hockey game (Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Oilers were in it), there felt like so much tension in the house. So off to the art studio I went and even though we lost, the win of the night was my incredibly tidy and organized space. The best it's ever been. The island is empty, waiting for the next project. The tools and things I use for projects are all back in their spaces. Lined up, ready to go and looking oh so tempting to use. There are a few boxes in the corner to go thru still but we managed to tackle a few the day before and now have a pile of paper to shred and items to donate. Feels so good. On the weekend, I also tidied our walk in closet during another game, re~organized the pantry, the laundry room and we had a new fridge delivered for the garage, which is now our "holiday/party fridge" as well as dd's for every day use. Now our fridge is super empty and not stuffed with her items out. That prompted a clean and it looks brand new again. The only other thing on the list now is re~organizing the garage. We bought an amazing shed and once our neighbor is able to clear and level the spot it's going to be set on, then we can put it together. The items in the garage that are seasonal, like our snow blower, can go in the shed, giving us room for the cars again. Can't wait. Last year, we taped, sanded, finished the ceiling and then painted. Looking good. 

I'm off to do my work out, shower, pack my snacks, then off to work for the morning, home by lunch and an afternoon of calls and meetings. Tonight is my baby loss meeting, then a bit of a break as tomorrow is my day off. Saturday is kids grief group in the morning and then I'm off for the rest of the day. Looking forward to the weekend and hoping to get more planting done in the lovely warmth that is predicted.

Wishing you an amazing Thursday. 

Namaste my blogging buddies.

~ Chy

Precious Times.

I miss the early days of my kids lives.

I'm so proud of how well they have

grown and created their own worlds.

My favorite days though will always

be the long, fun days spent with friends

and their kids, in the park, at the beach,

in each other's homes. Conversations

and dreams, support and compassion.

As all our kids got older, we drifted.

Then life changed. Most of my mama

friends went back to work but our little

family was larger, so I was home longer.

And I had income at home, so there was

not a need to leave our little nest until

the kids were older. I completed post

secondary, was offered a job before I

was ready, part time, then in time, full.

And then dh came home so youngest

dd could finish her homeschooling

journey. For 6 years, he was the dad

at home and I was the mom at work.

Then she was 18, he was headhunted

and bam! Both at work. I love our life.

But I do miss the days of hanging out

with out littles, chatting about life,

dreaming the future and holding on

to those precious moments. Memories.

Do you miss those early years?

Or do you cherish what is to come?

Namaste.

~ Chy

All Melted ....

It was here but now is gone. Thankful for the warm

days that took away all the white from our greenscape.

Namaste.

~ Chy

Office Progress.

My second armchair is now in place, making

this corner cozy for the tears that are shared.

I have at least 20 eclectic pictures to hang up

on the walls but have to find the time to do this.

Moved the plant to the left and replaced

the contemporary lamp with a vintage one.

Finally, something on the walls. It took a

bit of time but managed to figure out how

to use the "command strips" and I'm very

surprised the tiny strips can hold a mirror

this size. It was nicely and firmly hanging 

when I left the hospice on Thursday. Hope

when I am back in tomorrow it's still there.

If it is, I'll hang up all the rest this week.

Progress is happening. We're allowed to

come in to hospice in small shifts and I

usually stay 2 to 4 hours. Working well

but I know it's not ideal. For now, it is

what we need to do to keep everyone

healthy as we don't have temp workers.

How is your work life going right now?

Are you back on site or still at home?

Namaste my blogging buddies. 

~ Chy

A Day Late.

I wrote this yesterday but then forgot to push publish after I found the quote. Oops! A day late, but here is my contribution to "Right Here. Right Now." Enjoy the read.

What I'm wearing .... ripped jeans and an old faded t~shirt, bare feet for now but soon my gardening boots will go back on my feet. Working outside outfit for the day. Comfy.

What I'm reading .... finished my other book. Now reading a book about Spiritual Care in a hospice. Borrowed from one of the original founders of our hospice. As I'm in charge of SC onsite, this will help me develop the program and meet our residents needs. A big job I'm happy to take on.

What's happening in my kitchen .... chopping! Veggies to go on the grill for our bbq later today. Can't wait for our feast.

What's outside my window .... green everywhere! 

What I'm thankful for .... everything!

What I'm smelling .... the lavender from my pots.

What I'm hearing .... birds singing, frogs croaking and the wind gently moving the trees.

What I'm crafting .... more work in the art studio tomorrow as it's supposed to rain, which will keep us inside to do other things instead of just landscaping.

What's on my mind .... the World and all our woes. Ugh.

Words to live by ....

Namaste.

~ Chy

May Snow.

We've enjoyed a lovely sunny and warm May long weekend. Today, the rain has arrived and has settled in until at least midnight tonight. After all our work in the garden over the last 3 days, we're thankful for a day to rest and play. 

Earlier in the week, we had a bit of a snowstorm. It took several days for the snow to melt and we did get way more out here than in town. Not the best thing for a lovely Spring but on the other hand, the fire ban was lifted and the forest fires that were raging have been calmed. We have rain today, then sun, then rain on Wednesday, then sun, then rain again on Friday and next weekend looks good. Hoping this year, we get a good mix of rain, then sun, then rain, then sun. Best way to keep the garden growing and the forest fires at bay. My next hope we would be a Summer without thunder storms. That would be the best all around.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Namaste my friends!

~ Chy

Weekend Work.

I will never get tired of the way the evening light dances around the front of our house, hitting the walls inside and showcasing the gardens outside. It will forever amaze me that something so small and so brief can be so beautiful. 

Today is full. It's a blue sky, warm air day. We slept in a bit and will work out first, then shower, though that seems pointless as we'll be spending most of the day outside. But I have standards! We have to move the fire pit, the chairs that surround it and then take up the blocks they sat on to make room for our neighbor to come over with his tractor. He's going to build up then level the ground where we'll build our new shed deck so we can then build the new shed. He's going to regrade the front gardens, which means I'll have to pull up a few of the plants and place in pots until he's done. The gravel that has been our temporary walk will have to be scraped up and put in the wheelbarrow to move to another spot for now. And the mulch as well. Lots of work and hoping we can get it all done today so he can come over tomorrow. I have to order dirt and may try to do that today as well. It's doing to rain on Monday so I'll have it delivered later in the week. Also on the docket for today or tomorrow: seed the veggie patch. I do hope it rains on Monday. It would be lovely to have a day to relax and not do any physical work. After showers and then dinner, we're going to watch P!NK's film "All I Know So Far" ~ so excited and we've been waiting all week for it to be released. I'm sure we'll hit our pillows not long after that. A well deserved rest. Can't wait!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Namaste my dear blogging buddies.

~ Chy

Greening Up.

I love this time in Spring when everything finally starts to bloom and the green is overwhelming. I love the lighter green of this season and the fresh colors of pink, blue and purple in our gardens. Fresh dirt and just a few weeds here and there so far. We weeded our veggie patch last Sunday with the hope of planting our seeds but then it started to rain early in the week and we ended up with snow! Now we wait for a few dry days, like to day, with warm air and hot sun. A long weekend here in Canada ~ Victoria Day. I was done work yesterday in the afternoon and now don't go back to the hospice until Tuesday. Even though I only go in the mornings at the moment, it's lovely to have this break as our bodies are weary. We plan to clear where our new shed will go so our neighbor can level out that spot and do some regrading for us in the front gardens ~ our front path needs to have a better angle so the water doesn't pool. And once that is done, we'll then plant our seeds. If all goes well, we may be able to build the shed deck. But it is supposed to rain on Monday, so fingers crossed the rain stays away until Tuesday. My dream for gardening schedule would be light rain during the week (no thunder and lightening) and sun on the weekends. Wouldn't that be a perfect weekend set up? 

Today was busy. A bit of a sleep in, then workouts, showers, tidy up, head off to the little greenhouse down the road from us ~ in our 5 years of living out here in our little cottage in the big woods, we've never ventured over to the greenhouse so it was great to visit today and see what we've been missing. It's quite a bit bigger than it looks from the road. We were greeted at the entrance with a purple and green gnome sporting a sweet mask. Lovely staff eager to help and so many plants to choose from. We bought a trailing vine, a six pack of pink begonias and a six pack of baby's breath. I already picked up 2 spikes from the big greenhouse in town but they didn't have anymore wave petunias for my pots. We have to go back next week as they will have more planted by then. Also looked at some sweet shrubs for when we've done the landscaping we have planned for this year. 

After the greenhouse, we headed down the road to swap out our bbq tank for a new one. Then home to unload our plants and the tank. Headed into town to pick up landscaping lights, some tree fertilizer and then to Indigo to see if my County Living U.K. Edition was in .... and it was! Over to the grocery store to pick up some fresh food, then to our bank to clear out our Safety Deposit Box. We've switched banks but have our main account and our 2 TFSA's still at the old bank. One step at a time as it's a lot to move financial institutions after 20 years. So happy for the switch and our choice for our new bank. Just a lot of work to get everything moved. 

Home to put our groceries away and as we pulled up, we were surprised to see the fridge we ordered last week sitting on the driveway. We weren't expecting it until Monday. But it's here now. Tomorrow, we'll move it in to the spot we have set aside in the garage. This is going to be so helpful when we have celebrations and need extra space for food and drinks. We chose a vintage style and hope when we uncrate it tomorrow, all is well. While dh taped a radio segment, I chilled out on the deck, reading the final chapters of my book. Dd brought dinner home and we then settled in to watch the hockey game ~ we lost. It was still a great day. 

More as we go.

Namaste buddies!

~ Chy