Musings on a Small Life

I spied these two gorgeous kitties while walking around the neighbourhood on Monday, on a side street I don't normally take. It was quite chilly out, but that didn't deter them from enjoying the sunshine.   I always cringe a bit when I see cats outdoors, unharnessed or not in a catio, but these two seemed quite content to remain in their yard and just appreciate the day.

A note before I start: I have May 1st as a tentative start date for the kitchen reno. We shall see! There's still no initial invoice for the deposit. I checked on that and was told the sales/planning fellow is a bit slack about the money. Okay...just as long as the installer(s) aren't slack!   ******   On April 4th Dad and I went to Stewart Farm and Crescent Beach. He'd taken me there last year, so long-time followers will already have seen pics then. Last year the farmhouse was closed though, this year it was open. It's a typical  1890s Victorian farmhouse, the kind seen all over Canada, and most of my interior pics were very dark (flash photos not allowed).   The area is part of the Semiahmoo Trail, below. We stopped at this little park before going into the farm itself. It's a very pricey real estate area (what part of the lower mainland isn't?). Note: The snapshots are best seen by clicking to enlarge. They look even fuzzier than they really are when I view...

I got home very late last night (April 11), to bed after 1 AM, but I made it! 1. It was a wonderful holiday with Dad, lots of sightseeing, and we muddled through just fine food-wise, though neither of us cooks (I did bake my dairy-free, sugar-free Irish soda bread and pumpkin muffins, though.) 2. Both flights were on time and uneventful, as was the train to Toronto on April 3rd and the UP Express train from Union Station to the airport. No problems at all; yay! The bus home, was a different story, though. 3. I took over 800 pics that I have to wade through, cull, and then edit. 4. Trip highlights, other than spending time with Dad: The Reifel Bird Sanctuary, the Van Dusen Gardens, and lunch in Queen Elizabeth Park (in Vancouver) with its incredible views of the city and mountains beyond. The only glitch: I knew I would get into Pearson from Vancouver too late to make my way downtown to pick up the last Via Rail train home, so I had booked the bus instead (one of the two companies in to...

A couple of weeks ago the university posted info on voluntary early retirement for eligible faculty and librarians.   On Tuesday they posted an exit incentive for (only) Faculty of Arts and Science staff. (Four weeks pay for every year of service, up to a maximum of 52 weeks pay. Those who are eligible for retirement would be able to take it.) A&S has the biggest deficit, so that's why this is limited to their staff right now. The article stated that if successful, and needed, the admin would consider rolling it out more broadly. I'm not sure they would roll it out to us as well, even if they did extend it to other faculties (we're not an academic department), but let's just say that things are becoming a bit more interesting now! Sunrise on Tuesday     As for other things, I'm getting ready to head west to visit Dad; the trip is coming up very quickly! My travel anxiety is ratcheting up, but on the flip side, I'm so over-tired that perhaps by the time I go,...

Leonard this morning. I don't think I've noticed his long whiskers before. He squirms around so much that it's almost impossible to get a pic that isn't blurry. He's a sweetie, though I know he's just coming by for treats.  I haven't seen the grey and white cat again, though. I think he and Leonard move in different circles, so to speak. Have a great day, all. I'm slogging through work today, with a lot of files to wade through, and I want a tee-shirt like Dad Terry is wearing in today's post on angel Brian's blog:  https://brianshomeblog.com/2024/03/wordless-wednesday-nope-not-today-with-tinslee-and-dad.html Ha!

A belated Friday post. I'm trying this via my phone, so who knows what the published version will look like! Apologies if I've posted the cat flow one before. I know I've posted one in the past, but didn't think it was this one. 🤔 Have a great weekend, everyone. We're slated for up to 15 cm of snow later today and overnight. I'm NOT impressed.

 

 I was putting out the garbage, recycle, and compost last evening, when Leonard came running over (again) for (more) treats. (Pic was snapped Wednesday afternoon.) Leonard does have a home, if you recall, just a few units down from mine. What a mooch. Anyway, this time he was joined by someone new to me...or at least someone I don't recall seeing! I tried to see if they were male or female, but I wasn't able to get a clear look at their backside. A very quick glimpse didn't seem to show any dangly bits, at least. S/he did eat some Greenies, though they weren't as treat motivated as Leonard. They were more concerned with keeping an eye out on what was going on in the street (kids running around playing). I noticed that Leonard didn't attempt to eat this cat's treats, though, not until they left a single one behind--and Leonard only ate it after s/he had moved to the bottom step. There was no hissing, growling, or other aggression between the two, though they didn...

I'm happy to report I have a bit more progress on the kitchen reno now. I'm also happy to see the snowdrops and crocuses in bloom! (Pics from a lunchtime walk last week.) With regard to the kitchen, the planner and the installer came out Friday AM (rescheduled from Thursday due to an emergency down at St. George's Cathedral involving sewage backup and having to tear up a good portion of the beautiful old hardwood flooring in a large back room). The planner brought the additional samples and I made a snap decision on both the counter and the floor. The pic of the quartz countertop, below, is snagged from the web. It's very subtle and has both grey and beige running through it, so I hope will be fine with either warm or cool tones, depending on the next person's preferences. I prefer beige tones, or at least greige, so this is not what I would have chosen were I in my "forever" home. The floor is too, as it's a "marble" (vinyl tile) that is gre...

A few "funnies" from my Pinterest feed, to mark the day.         Below: I thought this was cute, given my travels in a few weeks. I'm certainly not flying first class, or even business class! (If my budget extended to either, I most certainly would; flying economy means being squished into small seats, definitely not meant for those of us with wide hips!) 😁       Apologies if I've posted this one before. It will be garden centre season in another month, and this one also seemed appropriate for me!       Thanks for stopping by; take care.

First, look who's back!  I've seen Leonard's kitty prints in the frost and snow on my step through the winter (the little snow we did get), but other than once (maybe twice), I've not actually seen him face-to-face until this morning. It's nice to see that he's as food motivated as ever. LOL. As for the reno...Arrgh, it's so much harder than I thought to choose countertops and flooring! I had gone up to their showroom last Friday over lunch, brought back a few samples of each, but while I really liked them in the showroom, I wasn't happy with how they looked in the house. So yesterday I popped up over lunch again (all those taxis are NOT cheap, but buses don't go out that far) and, with the help of one of the staff, found a few more possibilities. The designer and installer are coming to the house on Thursday morning for final measurements and will bring the samples then, so I really hope I can come to a decision. I don't want this place to be my...