Musings on a Small Life

I'm back to work today after a week's staycation, and by that, I mean my body is here, but my brain cells are spinning, not gaining much traction. Some work is getting done, though! Just not the intense-focus stuff. Anyway, my fence is finally complete, minus the staining, which they will come back to do it when they have a few consecutive dry days (not something we've really had so far this summer). There were challenges (aren't there always?) and delays (weather-related and scheduling at their end), but they finished last Thursday afternoon. My back space took a beating from all the digging (who knew there were so many cables running under the space), plus there was old "stuff" (concrete + pavement? stone?) below the concrete for the old fence supports. Which means something else was there decades ago, long before I bought the unit and had it fenced by the then on-site superintendent. I think this land was a farm before all the townhouse development back in...

My time off went quickly, as vacation days and long weekends do.   Below: Sunrise on May 21st. Cellphone snapshot, not enhanced.     I got my little garden done over the time off, with five new perennials to replace those that didn't survive our winter, plus a few annuals as filler. I also put down 12+ bags of mulch, which makes everything look so much nicer. As small as the garden is, it still took three trips to garden centres, two courtesy of a friend and their car.   I will admit publicly that I do not like gardening. I love flowers, my soul craves flowers, and I love the end result, but the actual work? Weeding? Not so much. I don't mind getting dirty, that's not it....I'd rather be out in a barn, cleaning stalls. (At least in my mind I would. I'm not sure my 60+ year old body would agree with me on that one.)   We had a few hot days during the time I was off and that made all the cherry and apple blossoms pop, along with the lilacs.      ...

I had booked off last week (Monday the 11th was our Thanksgiving holiday anyway) and also booked off the 18th and 19th, was back to work (via the home office) yesterday.     I will just state right away that this break was fine , was good -- no emergencies of any kind for a very welcome change! Mostly it was spent running errands and having appointments, but I did two special (to me) things: 1. Walk into a hair salon in the mall (the only one left) and get a haircut. (You do have to book an appointment, but the owner was just finishing up with a client and didn't have anyone right after, so she took me.)  Now, I know this sounds so commonplace, but no one other than my stylist (whom I've gone to for at least a dozen years) touches my hair. I literally do have the occasional very bad dream where a different stylist is cutting my hair and making a terrible mess of it. I've been loyal to my stylists all my adult life, have stuck with someone until I've moved, or they...

Before I post pics from the morning of the 4th (adventures with Robin), I'll say a happy birthday to Nicki, he's 11 today. (October 10 being the date the shelter listed as his birth date.) Nicki, in August I hope we have at least a few more years together, but we just don't know how the Universe will unfold and what the Fates hold in store for us. Anyway, a very happy birthday to my Mr. Brat.  :-) As for the adventures with Robin, last Wednesday morning we started by dropping her husband off at work, then stopping at the Trenton waterfront for a few pics in the morning light. Then we headed out to explore an abandoned home she and Chuck had seen in passing. Robin and I are all for traipsing around old properties--keeping a close eye out for dangers in the grass like old traps, of course! First up was the barn, which hearkens back to my childhood. Lots of old barns around to explore then, and I loved it. Still do. The snapshot, belo...