Morning Pleasures

My cat Friday enjoying morning pleasures with me outside on our picnic table near the waterside

Good day,

Since the lockdown, I've really enjoyed my home and my pets a lot more than normal.  We have a busy household with 3 of us constantly coming and going, working, meeting out with friends and family for different events, socializing, watching sports, and running errands.

We spend a lot of time home in bits and pieces through the day, mornings and evenings, but not for whole days like we've been doing lately due to the COVID-19 mandatory lock-down and curfews in place.

This morning is another beautiful morning.  It's not too hot (YAY! we've had some pretty hot weather the past month) and there's a little breeze with cloud cover, so it's pleasant to sit outdoors.

Early this morning took our youngest dog (1 1/2 years old approx) for a 15-minute leisurely walk while the others rested with Chris.  Cash has had a knee operation so she is not supposed to move much so she's sort of laid up for now, resting and recuperating.

Coffee was brewing while we were walking, so when we returned I let Rocky back in the bedroom with the clan, I fed all the animals and gave them all fresh water, then I poured a cup of coffee, a full cup of water, grabbed my phone and laptop and headed outdoors to enjoy some fresh air, natural vitamin D, and the surrounding nature.

It's Sunday so it's fairly quiet.  Birds are singing, the tide is rising, my cat Friday is laying on the picnic bench keeping me company, enjoying my presence, and I'm having a wonderful, peaceful time out here.

When summer kicks in, it's going to be too hot to enjoy sitting outdoors for my liking (I'll be sweating profusely which is not what I want to do first thing in the morning and I don't have a covered porch and no shade in my yard other than under an umbrella) so I'll more likely not be able to do this unless it's very early (before 8am) or late evening (after 7pm) when the sun is not so hot and the evening air turns a bit damp and cold with the humidity.

So, I'm taking complete advantage these days and am loving the serenity of the time I'm forced to stay at home.  Let's not even talk about the lack of income - that struggle is real.

Try to find at least 15 minutes for some natural vitamin D if you can.  It gives a real happy boost to your day.

Cheers, B.

Coping COVID-19

These times are hard for most. Our household has lost jobs and income due to the coronavirus pandemic and local Goverment shut downs.  It has made our lives difficult to say the least, let alone worry about the virus transmissions.

It is time to change my business plan.  I am unable to survive a month without income.  They say you should have at least 3 months' expenses in your bank account for emergencies - well, I admit that I don't because we live month-to-month - our earnings pay our expenses and needs monthly with little left over for savings, and in hindsite, savings were spent on entertainment, like most people we know.

The virus is killing many people worldwide and that is very sad news.  My aim is to change my business model and create income without having to physically be present to earn it by the hour.  An hour of service or skilled labour equals an hours pay.  This is not the situation I want to be in any longer.

The hard part is getting to that point of the money working for me, rather than me working for the money.

Today, I updated and completed my LinkedIn account.  I've had one for over a decade now and hardly used it.  Yesterday and today I filled in many blanks in my profile, uploaded my photo, added my skillsets, and endeavour to utilize it for what I need to - to connect, network and inform, to be a positive influencer and drive business my way.  It's easier said than done!  Believe me, the struggle is real.  So I push on.

I wish everyone well, to remain safe, to remain healthy and to survive this pandemic to the best of their ability and I wish everyone success in their future endeavours when the lockdowns are finally lifted.  It's definitely a different world out there.  Change is necessary for most.  Make good and wise choices!

B. xo

Be Smart - Always Tell At Least One Person Your Plans

I have an acquantance whose 40-something-year-old son has gone missing in a different country than his home country, while on a short business trip for his own business.  It's such a difficult situation for his family and friends as they didn't know his plans.  They didn't know where he was heading, or how he was transporting himself, whom he was meeting or whom he was with, etc. so it's not easy to establish his whereabouts and timeframe for anything while investigating this case.

I'm helping in any way that I can, which is not much due to the circumstances, but am offering my support and am doing whatever I can help with, but all I'd like to say to everyone, is please tell at least one person your plans so that if the need arises, someone knows where to start looking for you if anything should happen and you do not make it to your destination you in a timely manner.  This is so important.  I know some people are very independent and private, but be smart - keep someone informed if you are doing anything different than your normal routine, so there is always help on the way.

B.

New Washer

Our old washer died a few weeks ago and we have repaired it before; however, this time we were not able to find another part we needed.  We had two choices - find it overseas and ship it in, and hope it's the right part (sometimes you don't always receive what you think you should) or bite the bullet and purchase a new one.

Sigh.  So, thinking that the last time it cost us about 2 hours work plus $80 in parts, and this time it would cost possibly double that, we thought that one more problem would make the washer cost more than a new one.  We bought a new one.

I wanted analog but Chris wanted bells and whistles digital, so we have a cool washer with a motherboard and in washing loads of laundry lately to 'catch up' the washing machine has presets.  I keep changing the preset from warm water to cold water.  The washer doesn't like that.  It keeps spitting out after the wash cycle an error code and stops.  So I have to power it off, select drain and spin mode, then it drains the water and does the spin cycle. 

Funny!  We've spent all this money on a new washer and it won't do a full cycle on cold water without human intervention to make it work.  Geez Louise, this is crazy!

The best one yet, is yesterday, Chris washed clothes and never even noticed the water selection was 'warm' and his load shrunk one of his shirts to half size, plus 5 of mine!!  How unfair! lol

So not only do I have a new washer, I have 5 shirts (new, to add insult to the injury) that I can't wear anymore.  SIGH.

When using anything for the first time, please check all the settings or parameters, etc. to ensure it will work smoothly and correctly.

B.

After Dinner Walks

Chris and I have been saying for a while now, over a couple of months, that we will take a walk daily after dinner, if we were home and not out.  Needless to say, it never happened, until last night.

Chris was out at a function he had to attend.  I made homemade hamburgers for dinner and ate fairly early, fed all the animals and did a load of laundry (that's another story).

So, last night, my son was home and it was 9pm.  I kept feeling as if I wanted to start those walks.  I called out to my son and asked him if he wanted to take a walk with me just in the neighbourhood, just for 10 or 15 minutes.  He laughed, I explained, then he said sure. 

We did it!  It was cool outside, about 60 degrees Fahrenheit.   We did a brisk walk and came back home.  It was fun.  I felt so much better to have done it.  I'm going to ask him again if he wants to take a walk with me tonight, or any other night he's home.   I'm sure he'll take me up on it at least half the time I ask.

Today, in the grocery store, I saw an acquaintance and she told me during our conversation that I looked as if I've lost some weight.  She said she can see it in my body and my face.  I thanked her.  I think I may have lost about 5-10 pounds but I don't have a scale so I'm not sure exactly.  My jeans are sliding down my hips and I have to keep pulling them back up a couple inches, so that's a tell tale sign for sure!

Walking is good for your heart, your blood pressure, losing weight, strengthening muscles, and good for your soul in general.  It definitely lifted my spirits and I hope it helps me sleep better.  I have not been sleeping well these past few weeks - my quality of sleep is lacking - so I endeavour to add walking as a form of low impact exercise before bed.

You're Only As Happy as You Want To Be

This is a true statement... you're only as happy as you want to be.

Situations change, circumstances, change, things don't go as planned and unexpected things happen.  How you choose to deal with them, the choices you make (you always have at least two choices), and how you choose to feel are all important for your well being.

The other evening, as a spontaneous decision, Chris wanted to go to the local Chinese restaurant for a quick dinner before heading home.  It was getting late and to buy groceries for dinner on the way home, and cook a dinner was going to mean we wouldn't eat until maybe 9pm.  This was, it was 7:30pm so he offered to eat out, which I said sure.  We were the only customers there.

I used to really enjoy eating at this restaurant.  The menu had changed and been minimized greatly, which was okay, but the typical choices I had before were no longer available.  So I chose a new appetizer and main meal I've never had before, and sadly to say, I was very disappointed in both.  They both lacked flavour, the appetizer was very dry, and the chicken and cashew dish was fairly tasteless and had an awful aroma.

However, Chris enjoyed his appetizer and his meal was just okay he said, so it wasn't a complete bomb of an evening, but we decided we won't go back.  Such a shame as I used to enjoy the meals and I think whatever changes they've made in the kitchen on how they prepare or cook their food was not a good change for us.  While we won't talk bad about the experience, we just won't choose to go there anymore.  Two more couples came in while we were eating, but the place was kind of empty.

The high-light of the evening was in between the appetizer and meal, a song played over the background radio that he loved, and he got up and asked me to dance.  So he took my hand and we danced on the floor in between the 4 tables where we were sitting, and giggled and danced in each other's arms for a few minutes before taking our seats again.  That was a fun way to pass time waiting for our meal to arrive.  I can say I've never done that before!  It was funny - we giggled about it a couple of times since.

So my experiences are to make the most of your situation, you may not like or enjoy things that happen, but if you take the time to have some enjoyment, or just a laugh, no matter if it's for only a couple of minutes, or a couple of hours you can experience happiness.  While we could have been disgruntled by our dinner, we chose to do something that took our minds off of it and turned the evening into a happy memory.

I don't spread hatred.  I spread joy.  If I can't share in joy, then I be still or am quiet until the next opportunity arises.  It's the best way to be to be as happy as I can as many times that I am able.

Be charitable by being kind and smile at others.  Hold doors open.  Help someone in any small way you can.  These decisions bring internal happiness.  Happiness is free.  Spread it abundantly. xo

It's almost Mid-January!!

Time sure is flying faster than I wish it to - geez Louise!

I've booked our tickets to travel to Texas to spend my brother's 60th birthday with him for a long weekend.  That's going to be so exciting, I can hardly wait.

I've been spending more time with my pets daily, making sure to give them all some attention and love - I find that some days I just am so busy that although they are cared for well, fed, always have water, etc. that I don't always stop to take time to pet them and talk to them one-on-one.  So, this has changed and I spend more quality time with them each day, even if I'm busy.

This weekend is so booked up.  I'm doing a cat feeding for a friend who had to travel overseas, I'm working both today (Saturday) and Sunday for income.  We are going to a friend's house at 4pm for some fun, he's having a 'liquor' tasting event with snacks - we're taking gin and a cranberry and lemon bread.  Tonight we have tickets at 10pm for an uncensored comedy show.

Hopefully, we'll be able to fix my washer on Sunday - it broke down mid-week and we haven't had time to fix it yet.  Then I will have washing to do, and house chores, and hopefully some 'new' business and work for income from home.

Then Monday comes yet again!  I love Mondays.  I will plan my week out on Sunday and I foresee it to be busy day and most evenings again.

Happy Saturday! Remember to take a few moments to just enjoy the day, maybe the outdoors, or make your surroundings a bit more pleasurable (re-arrange, organize, tidy up, etc), or just do a bit of something that makes you smile.  Cheers, B.

Grunge, Wind, Sunday Chores

Yesterday I went to my journal club where the theme was grunge.  My journal package came with a few stamps and stencils, brick paper, a grunge frame set, and a distress collage crazing medium.  I actually wasn't feeling that good (sore neck, sore lower back and really tired, red eyes) so I only stayed about an hour instead of the usual three.  The time I did spend there produced this double-page spread.  I'm happy with it and have a full background ready to add something to it later, another time.

Double-page spread of my grunge journal page

Today the wind is supposed to kick up to 60 knots (about 40 miles per hour).  We lost a couple of Christmas lights when the wind blew over an outdoor tree ornament in our yard.  The broken lights are all cleaned up and it's now tucked safely away.  Our outdoor swing fell over but we'll keep it on the ground until the wind dies down.  Otherwise, no further damage, yet.  We still have our lights on, some of our friends do not have power due to the high winds, so I'm pleased.  I cooked dinner already, early, so if the lights do go out, I'm not trying to cook in the dark with candles. 

Roast pork, roast potatoes with onion and carrots, and corn on the cob is what I made today.  Simple and light but enough for 3 of us.  We've all eaten LOL  I suppose the smell of the food cooking made everyone hungry.  We ate dinner for lunch, and we'll have a sandwich later for dinner.  I also made a pumpkin bread.  It's still baking, wasn't cooked enough when the timer went off, but smells delicious.  I've put it on for another 30 minutes which should do it.

Even though I'm not feeling good, I decided to get some chores done.  With animals, I need to keep on top of them daily.  I put away all the dishes, then washed the rest.  I swept the floors, we put the turtles outside for some playtime, fresh air in the grass, I cleaned the litter boxes, we hung out the towels on our porch as the washer broke today.  I am soon going out to feed a friend's cat (she had to go away on business) and I aim to be in bed about 8pm and get some rest as next week is going to be really busy with work and a few events we are attending.

Chris isn't feeling great either - it's like we have aches and pains, a bit flu-ish but not sick, so Chris has been resting most of the day except working on our washer a bit as it stopped working today and he's trying to work on it in between rests when he feels lightheaded.  My son has gone to watch some football.

I didn't get done as much as I wanted to today, but feeling the way I do, I'm not too worried about it.  Tomorrow is another day. LOL  What doesn't get done today, will get done tomorrow.

Happy Sunday!  Hope you are resting some as well.
B.

Happy New Year 2020!

Happy new year 2020!

We had a good dinner out with family and friends and danced some of the evening, brought in the new year with laughter and love, and enjoyed a wonderful evening bringing in 2020.

I slept in today a bit, which is something I don't do much - think I need to do it a little more often.

What am I doing today?  I have lots of work that can be done, and chores, and projects! Hahahaa, the list is very long; however, I'm going to try to enjoy some of the afternoon and evening more for myself and to get organized for the rest of the week and new year ahead.

Meanwhile, I've fed the pets and gave them all fresh water and they are all sorted for the day.  I've put a load of clothes on.  I will wash two more loads and my bed linens.  I'm about to wash the dishes in the sink and put on the dishwasher.

I'm going to then head to the grocery store to buy a few things to make a turkey and corn chowder with my leftover turkey (it was a huge one as there were 8 of us for Christmas day dinner in my home).

On my kitchen counter is a list of things I need to buy tomorrow (pet food, groceries for the next couple of days, cleaning supplies and toiletries) and another one for what we need on Saturday (pavers, rod, fence type wire, pet food, art supplies) and a project list to start (make the outdoor turtle home, empty yard things around the house that are collecting water, take out the old pool table (it's falling apart) and continue to paint my hallway (started it and haven't finished it).  So that's my first "let's start to get projects done" list fir this year.

We have bicycles and I have not ridden mine yet, so I will make a point to ride mine on the weekend and also take the dogs for a walk.

I have a huge to-do list to tackle, but I am breaking it down to smaller tasks so I can get it all done in time.

Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself.  No more talk about chores and tasks and projects... I'm going to make my soup as soon as I'm back from the grocery store and I think I'm going to also make a pumpkin bread from scratch, as well as some cupcakes and a cookie brownie - both by Betty Crocker! hahahaaa  I'll put on a delicious half pot of coffee that I rec'd as a Christmas present and enjoy a couple of the baked goods when they're ready.  I'll make a nice Christmas tea to take to bed with me (another Christmas gift I received).  I love consumable gifts of coffee, tea and nibbles!

I'm going to read a magazine when I hop into bed early (aiming to do this about 8pm) after eating my soup at dinner time.

Yes, it's going to be a busy day today, my holiday, but still I will be doing things I will enjoy and I can still retire to bed early enough and get some nice rest before my work day starts tomorrow bright and early (for me) at 6:30am.

Happy new year!
B.

Hope you