And life goes on

And so life goes on. Mom seems to be doing okay, all things considered. She certainly sounds less stressed now, when I talk to her on the phone.

One of my favourite of the pics of us taken during my trip. 

As for things at my end:

It looks like we do have a replacement for my retiring director, though it's not officially signed, sealed and delivered yet. 2018 will bring significant work changes for our little sub-group, which also will be slated to expand by one or two people above and beyond the new director. 

"For the times they are a-changing...."

Morning sky the week before my trip.

I got home from errands yesterday and was in the mood to put outdoor Christmas lights up, after writing in my last post that I wasn't going to bother this year. LOL. Well, what can you do when the mood hits? I limited myself to lights around the exterior door frame, as I used to do. No ladder necessary (just a step-stool), no pipes in the way to almost take out my eye. A wreath on the door and some tacky plastic bells from Canadian Tire a few years ago and presto! I'm done. Half an hour's effort.  

First snow last Sunday, the 19th.

It took a couple of days for it all to melt, it was so cold.

 

It looks so scenic, below, yes? It was a flooded ditch along the side of the road, adjacent to Walmart. Amazing how so much we see (online and elsewhere) is illusion.

I've done a lot of online ordering the past couple of weeks. Surprisingly nothing on Black Friday, but what's left that I could possibly buy? LOL. I did order the Ikea faux sheepskin mats for the boys for Christmas, I've ordered multiple small items on clearance from Bed, Bath and Beyond (one of which has ended up in Edmonton, AB...wrong direction, FedEx!), I've placed multiple orders with Wayfair.ca, ordered household stuff from Walmart, slacks from Northern (half price), plus Nicki's liver and immunity supplement from PetAlive.com @ 35% off, which makes up for the exchange rate. I'm probably forgetting something. OMC, I love to shop! I just don't like to shop around or with a crowd of people, which is why online ordering is so fabulous for me. Oh, and I'm not so keen on having to pay for everything, either. :-P

I even went to Talize yesterday (thrift store that opened in September) and scored one Tabi pullover, one Northern cardigan (dressier in style), one Northern long-sleeved cotton tee, three winter scarves and a blanket/throw (mostly for the boys). Great deals on all of the items! I was tempted to make a Value Village run today, but I ran out of steam after a few early morning errands.

Funky cloud formation Friday after work.

 One of the squirrels giving us all the "what for" this afternoon.

The boys seem okay. Fatter than ever. Nicki has been particularly needy since I've been home, and it did take them two or three days to settle down after I got back. I don't have any pics of them from this week, though. It's so dark now when I get home from work, and dark when I go to work too, so it's not a great time of year for pics. Neither of them wants to be outside much, either.

Nicki and Derry from last Sunday, the 19th.

That's about it for me, or all that I want to write publicly about, at any rate.  :-)

I wish everyone a good week ahead -- I can't believe December 1st is Friday! I have no idea where this year has gone, it's flown by.

Take care; peace to all.