Two nights ago Greg and I realized there was a large puddle on the kitchen floor. The source? A leak in the roof, likely from all the snow.
That same day I noticed a crack about a foot long in the window of Elliot’s bedroom. That crack now runs almost the entire height of the window.
Both items will be fixed soon, and while it’s a bit of an annoyance for us, thankfully Greg and I don’t have to pay for the repairs.
It’s times like these I’m happy we are renting.
This past weekend I spent about 24 hours away from Elliot, which was a first for me. We had our annual ladies weekend at the cabin, and although Elliot would have been welcome to come, I knew it would be more relaxing for me if Elliot stayed home with Greg.
This involved a bit of planning on my part as E is still nursing and has yet to try formula. I left Greg with four bottles of pumped milk and all went well. E slept really well, and the 5:00 am bottle was no problem. I was a bit worried about that one because he’s never been given a bottle in the middle of the night, and hence has never had to wait for it to be heated up.
The night away was lovely, despite the overnight power outage at the cabin and the snow on the Malahat. There were only six of us this year, and I enjoyed the smaller numbers. It felt calmer and more intimate. And the new beds at the cabin were a welcome addition.
I had been looking forward to the break away from Elliot for a while, and I have to admit that I was surprised at how I felt while I was away. I thought I’d be luxuriating at the lack of responsibility, but I wasn’t. I was certainly enjoying myself, but it didn’t feel like the big novelty I thought it would. I was a bit disappointed, as I felt I should be soaking up the free time.
I was telling my Mum this, and her response was that now I’m a mother, I’ll always be a mother — there’s no ‘break’ from that feeling. She may be right. And that’s not a bad thing. But next time hopefully I’ll be more prepared for this, and just enjoy the event for what it is, not because it’s a break from Elliot. And when I really think about it, that’s the way it should be.
This morning Elliot, Yoshi and I got out to the park for a walk in the snow. I was a bit disappointed that we weren’t the first ones out there, as I wanted to make first tracks. But then we found a section where no one had been, and as I walked through the foot-deep snow with a 25 pound baby on my back I decided I was glad that someone else had broken trail for us for most of the walk. It was hard work!
At one point the sun came out and the reflection of the sun on the water with the snow in the foreground was breathtaking. I stood looking at the view for a few seconds so I could take a mental picture.
And now we’re back home, warm and snug, with the dog tired and happy.
It’s pretty depressing when you add a ‘rodents’ topic to your blog. Cuz really, what is the world coming to when you are writing about rodents more than once?
Tonight, while watching television, a rat ran across our dining room floor. Thank goodness it turned around when it heard us and went back to the basement. There’s no way I could sleep tonight if I knew it was upstairs.
Greg, bless his soul, set some traps in the basement, and hopefully we’ll catch the little bugger. But it means we have to bring the cat litter upstairs AGAIN, so we can close the basement door. It’s a pain.
I think we’ll be going on PCO’s Optimum Residential Program. Either that or we’re moving. I hear there’s a house for sale on Clare Street.
The first snow of the year is usually a magical time for me — I hear the forecast, hope it’s correct, and wait for the white stuff to appear. I love seeing the snow on the trees, I love the muffled stillness and cozy feelings the snow brings, and I love walking with Yoshi in the snow, watching him gallop around with glee.
This year was a bit different. We had our annual Cowichan Ladies Weekend this past weekend, and the snow started during our lunch en route to the cabin. I didn’t quite feel the same excitement…I think because I wasn’t safe at home. We had a drive ahead of us, and we were headed to a cold cabin.
Over the next 24 hours, more things got in the way of me feeling the magic. The power went out in the cabin and it got quite cold, I was a bit nervous at night with no light, the power stayed off all night so we unfortunately couldn’t have a hot breakfast, and we had to drive home in the snow, thankfully in a 4×4 truck, but with a bum window that kept inexplicably opening and not closing. All things that put me a bit on edge.
Then I got home, happy to see my son and hubby, but I still felt out of sorts. It was still snowing and there was a winter wonderland out there, but I was feeling grumpy. We even went for a walk, and seeing Yoshi running through the snow didn’t help.
Then after dinner, and after Elliot was warm, snug and fast asleep, I walked upstairs, saw the snow coming down in the streetlight and felt the magic. And I smiled to myself, thinking all was right in my world.
I have always loved walking with my dog. First is was Abby, then Sylvie and Barkley, and for the past five years, Yoshi. Part of it is the places I go with a dog — most often a park of some type — but mostly it is the companionship.
Yoshi is always game to go, rain or shine, and he doesn’t care where we go, as long as we’re out. I love the company, and when I walk without him, even if I am with a friend who has a dog, I miss him.
This morning Yoshi, Elliot and I were out walking and I realized I now have another walking companion who’s always game to go, and who’s company I love — my son. It doesn’t matter if he’s in the stroller or the backpack, he loves to be outside. I’m hoping when he learns to walk I can instill in him a love of walking in parks with our dog.
I have been a Thrifty Foods shopper for a lot of years, and I keep going back because of their superior customer service and quality of food.
Tonight I had yet another pleasant experience. I had bought three red peppers on Saturday, and when I went to use one tonight I noticed the top was moldy. I was about to throw it out when Greg suggested I take it back. Since I was going shopping tonight, and because red peppers aren’t cheap, I figured it was worth it.
I went to the Customer Service desk and gave the cashier the pepper. She asked me if I had my receipt, and I was surprised as I didn’t think I’d need it. I happened to have it, and she took it and told me I’d get double my money back. What? Yup, that’s their return policy. If it’s a question of quality, they’ll give you double your money back if you have your receipt, up to $10 (without a receipt you’ll still get money back, based on the current price of the product). This was news to me, and another example of their impressive customer service.
The other night I was complaining to Greg about having to shell out the cash to replace my phone, and he made the suggestion that perhaps two people don’t need two cell phones. Hmmmm…good point! So we’ve decided not to replace my phone, and just see how it goes having one phone between us. Just wish we’d had the conversation before I bought the phone!
And tonight, Greg (who likes his electronic toys and has been carrying a cell phone since I’ve known him) generously referred to our remaining phone as ‘the phone’, instead of ‘my phone’.
But I have to say I do miss my little phone!
I’m afraid of the dark. Yup, 35 years old and afraid of the dark. More specifically, I’m afraid of how things look in the dark. Like mirrors, showers and open closets. Mirrors are the worst. When I go to the bathroom at night, I avoid looking in any mirrors in my path.
I don’t know where this fear comes from, but I’ve had it since childhood. As a child, before I went to bed I had to have my closet doors shut, under the bed checked (not by me) and the hall light on. In my bedroom now I’ve got a closet that doesn’t have a door, and it’s taken my a while to get used to it. And even worse, I can see the closet in the mirror in our bedroom, so it’s a double whammy.
So, what prompted this post? Well I recently saw an episode of CSI, where college students dressed in black hoodies and masks were attacking tourists. At one point, one of the victims looks into her make-up mirror right before she gets attacked. When I’m watching anything remotely scary on TV and someone’s looking in a mirror, I immediately look away, because that’s my worse nightmare, seeing something scary in the mirror. So I don’t know if they showed the attackers in the mirror — the idea of it was enough to freak me out.
So for the past ten days, I haven’t been able to go to the bathroom at night without turning on the bathroom light. The mirror and the dark is just too freaky a combination for me. I keep thinking of the CSI episode. And now that I’ve written this post it’ll probably take me even longer to get over it, as I’ve refreshed my memory.
And don’t get me started about what could be lurking behind that shower curtain in the middle of the night…
So this time change thing just seems like a waste of time. Sprout missed his morning nap, and Yoshi is wondering where the heck his dinner is. The cat, however, seems to be managing just fine. I guess when you sleep for most of your day, time just doesn’t matter.
How do you explain the time change to a pooch and an eight-month-old?