Musings on a Small Life

The Ontario portal opened to those 55+ this morning and I'M BOOKED !!!!!     First vaccine : Friday May 21st, right before our long weekend (good timing, if I have a strong reaction).     Second vaccine : Friday September 10th. This is at one of the mass vaccination clinics in the area, so I'm guessing it will be Pfizer or Moderna, though I don't know. I will risk whatever one is offered, as any vaccine comes with risk, but with all the negative media coverage on AZ, I would feel easier in my mind going in if it were P or M. I have my fingers crossed that all will be okay! 🤞 After I booked, which took only about 15 minutes altogether, including the online wait-time, I just burst into tears and bawled for a good 20 minutes. I don't think I truly realized what a toll this has taken. I know we all will need boosters for the variants, but at the moment, it seems like there really is a light at the end of this very long, very dark tunnel.   Gratuitous pics of Derry ...

When you're very allergic to cats, do NOT cuddle your sweetie, then forget you were touching fur and rub your eye.   Just. Don't. Do. It.     That was last Friday, and my eye was puffy all weekend, even into Monday morning. I think that's the worst reaction I've ever had, beyond the loss of my ability to smell, of course. I wonder if anything the naturopath has me on has created a particular sensitivity, because in 20 years of sharing my life with cats, I've not had such a drastic reaction to cat dander. NOT pretty! (My eyes seem especially sensitive right now anyway, over and above the cat and seasonal allergies.)   Derry making lovey eyes at me on the weekend. I wasn't out walking this past weekend, except for errands, so have only a couple of quick snaps I can share:     Some magnolias did survive the snow and cold, though they're not looking particularly perky to me. I wonder who brought magnolias into this part of the world; surely they're not nativ...

This will be a random, muddled post, interspersed with pics!   First, I'm living in a province run by a court fool and his entourage of fools. Unbelievable . I don't have words to use that I can publish that would adequately reflect my anger at the provincial government's utter mismanagement of the this awful third wave we're in. He and his cronies are an EMBARRASSMENT . I only regret it's not an election year, because humans have notoriously short memories and if we're past the pandemic by then, many will have forgotten. Or perhaps, instead of the $1 beer he campaigned on last time (and which was a huge flop after the fact, btw), he'll campaign on 50 cent beer. You know, rather than on bringing in paid sick leave so all the people slogging at minimum wage jobs who get sick can actually afford to stay home, rather than go to work and spread the virus. I was depressed and despondent during the first wave, but now I'm almost apoplectic. On another topic, y...

I took last Friday and today (the 12th) as vacation days, as a birthday gift to myself. (My birthday was the 10th.) A friend of mine, now retired, always took her entire birthday week off and would treat herself to a spa day, shopping, etc., and while I don't take a week at this time of year (usually too rainy/muddy/cold), I do take a day or two, depending on what day of the week my birthday falls.   Note: This post is very pic-heavy, and it's best to click on the first one to enlarge it and view them that way.   This year I lucked out, because Saturday was gorgeous! I left the house early in the morning and bused up to a nearby Starbucks for my freebie, then caught another bus to downtown for a LONG (about 3 hours) walk through campus and all along the waterfront, over to Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, through Lake Ontario Park and then Trailhead Place. Believe me, my feet were very happy to bus home after that! LOL.   There were a lot of joggers passing me, but I was happy...

    I'm joking . In actuality, it's an experiment to see if the geraniums I wintered in the garage will come back with some sunshine, water and plant food. My mom's would, she had the knack--and the green thumb. I highly doubt mine will! Happily, even though we're now under a four-week stay-at-home order, garden centres will be open this spring, and I imagine they'll be getting set up soon. Every year I say I'm not buying any annuals and every year I do, and I don't imagine 2021 will be any different. So even if these poor stalks truly are dead, I'll have something pretty out front on the front steps in a few weeks. 🌷   The pics below are all from May 2014, with Derry in the foreground in the first two, Nicki in the back. The third pic is of Nicki enjoying sunning himself and the last snapshot is of Derry. 💖     Take care and enjoy whatever greenery is available to you. :-)

The front lawn of a house I pass on the way to Food Basics is always peppered with yellow crocuses in the spring. So cheery and uplifting!  Derry is uplifting to my spirits as well (okay, most of the time).  We're expecting our provincial premier to announce a province-wide stay-at-home order starting at 12:01 AM tomorrow and lasting for 4 weeks. I hope voters remember what a hash he and his government have made of this (ignoring health advice two months ago) when it's time for re-election. I'm going to enjoy myself as best I can anyway, since it doesn't change my daily routine. At least spring is here, sunshine abounds at the moment, and I'm taking both Friday and Monday off as a birthday gift to myself (April 10). Even if I only do spring cleaning--or nothing at all--it will be a mental break from work.  Wishing everyone Peace. Stay safe and stay well. 💖 *Comments are off for Wordless Wednesday.*