Miscellaneous Musings

We're still here and, I think, holding our own.

Derry was enjoying the sunshine one afternoon last week.

Work is scattered right now, at least for me. I'm juggling a few things, and one big university-wide project we're a part of is coming to an end soon. But it will be a last-minute scramble for me during the week of November 30th. Still, I'm off Mondays now through the end of the work year, to use up vacation days I can't carry over, and our Christmas break will be here in another 5 weeks or so. Yay!

This morning's best cell phone snapshot down at the swamp, below. It was chilly! So cold that the water was partially frozen, but with no wind it still was lovely.

I've spent the past couple of weekends busing and taxiing all over the city, stocking up on everything I could possibly need in terms of household goods for the next, oh, two or three years, plus picking up some needed items for the holidays. All that just in case we end up in another lock-down before the holidays or at any point during the winter.

I realized, a few days ago, that while I don't hoard personal possessions, I actually do hoard household goods. My unfinished basement is filled. Cupboards are filled, just about every nook and cranny upstairs is filled with tp, pt, cleaning supplies, drugstore items and so on. You could shop at my house, and I'm quite serious. I'm not sure why I'm doing this, though I suspect it has to do with potential tighter restrictions, as mentioned, and also the thought that I need to buy necessities while I have the money to do so, just in case something happens. Anyway, someone needs to say enough is enough! LOL. 

I got all my holiday decorating done last weekend too. Mind you, I don't put lights up outside anymore because well, what goes up must come down. And I simply don't have the motivation to get up on a stepladder and do it all by myself anymore. So I picked up the winter pot, above, at Home Depot, put a wreath on my door and called it a day.

Inside my house is a different matter, though, as I have all my strings of warm white lights up now, I have my floral displays out (thanks to Michael's end-of-season clearance sales every year), my little 2-foot tree is up and a few other things are out, such as this cute wreath, below, on the inside of my front door.

I'm not into burlap, but the cat made it and I couldn't pass it up. Also from Michael's several weeks ago, when they were having 50% off their Christmas decor.

So life still is pretty confined with working from home until...whenever. Post-vaccine, I imagine. I'm glad, though, not to have to slog out in the snow and ice to and from work this coming winter. Being inside and cosy, with a pot of homemade soup on the stove and fresh biscuits in the oven is one of life's joys, at least to  me.

So is this little guy, though not when he's giving me the what-for when I'm not moving fast enough to feed him!

Yes, I brought out his holiday tent, put the other one away for the time being.

Anyway, soon it will be the first anniversary of Nicki's passing (Nov 23). Hard to believe how quickly a year goes by. I think of him every day, of course, dream about him occasionally. Sometimes I'm tempted to adopt again, because I think Derry would like the company of a nice cat, but I can't adopt for Derry's sake, not when my heart isn't in it at the moment.

Nicki from January 2013, below. Those ears! LOL.

I'll leave you with a few graphics from my Pinterest feed.

Another one I like:

We humans are so busy trying to hold onto people and our fur babies, to our things, that we often forget everything is transient, including ourselves.

And one for a smile:

Take care, everyone. Stay safe and well. We'll get through this! Peace.