Whoo!! What a Week!

It Friday!  And so ends my week of putting out fires.  Two suppliers shipped wrong items, both internationally of course, requiring flurries of emails, phone calls and oh so much paperwork!

 Mail ordered  clothes received were sent in the wrong sizes and had to be returned.  Mail ordered boots previously returned for credit, were sent back to me repaired (badly),   meaning  more emails and paperwork.   But… on the bright side this week I did receive my free pair of boots on Wednesday which were replacements for the defective ones I just got back!  Now I have two pairs, but one will be going back for sure.

And a hippie couple came in with their kayak, all the way from Lasquiti Island, with a fit issue on a sprayskirt we made for them almost two years ago.  So we  got the skirt sorted out, they bought a second one, we stored their kayak overnight so they wouldn’t have to drive around Vancouver with it on top of their van (nope, not the VW you are picturing right now!) and they have now gone back to their life off the grid with big smiles on their faces.

 All’s well that ends well, as they say!  

Our first Christmas on the country estate is fast approaching!  Somehow, it’s not as I pictured it.  Since we are still spending most of our time working in the city,  the country estate still seems to me more like a holiday destination than actually home.   Chuckles would disagree.  To him, the country estate is a place where we go and work from morning until night without ever getting a paycheck!

Tomorrow I plan to pull out the Christmas decoration boxes and spread a few bits and pieces around the house.  First, I have to FIND the Christmas boxes.    I am pretty sure they made it into the crawlspace.  That means that I have to go into the crawlspace.  Ewwww…

 

 

Then I think we will put up lights on some of the outside trees.  I picture this task completed with mugs of steaming hot chocolate in our hands and pretty red scarves ‘round our necks –  as we smile happily at each other with flashes of our brilliantly white teeth – something right out of a GAP commercial.  The reality will be more like cursing at each other as we attempt to untangle balls of light strings as my hands freeze off due to the Raynaud’s Syndrome.

WHATEVER!  We are going to do this Christmassy stuff even if it KILLS US!

And once the lights are up and the decorations are out, I hope to make some faux gingerbread houses with my little gal pal Heidi.  She found this idea in a school library book last year and we vowed to do it this year, so I am crossing my fingers that she is free this weekend sometime.

 

 

 

Dreaming and Very Little Else

I know that during this Blogging Challenge that I have undertaken this month, my blogging has been very focussed on that topic with very little mention of the country estate and the happenings out there.

Well, truth be told, not too much has been happening there recently, between family, vacations, and other stuff, the move to the country estate is in limbo. I vowed I was going to hang 10 pictures last weekend, and only did two.  It's hard to decide what to put where, and putting holes in our newly painted walls is psychologically damaging!!  However, I did get these two done and that's one end of the hall finished - yay!



Two pics down, 900 to go!

What I have been doing is planning the garden, pouring over Seed catalogues and websites, doing some layouts in my mind.  It's got me itching for spring to start planting, but meanwhile we are eating lettuce from the covered raised bed now.  Although only a few of the seeds germinated right away, I see that a few more have suddenly spring to life, so I am curious now as to how long we will be able to enjoy this little luxury before a hard frost does them in. 

I have also been planning to re-purpose some of the unique items that were left for us by the previous owners.  One is a chair made of horseshoes!  I am going to spray paint it a cool colour (to be determined) and put it in the garden area.

 The horseshoe chair will be painted and displayed in the garden like this!

There is also a very rickety old wrought iron and wooden bench overlooking the pond, that would be hazardous to sit on in it's present state.  So I am going to turn it into a funky planter box.

 

 I am going to style my planter bench after this planter chair concept

 

Also earmarked as a planter is the old bathtub used as a watering trough for the horses of the previous owner.  With a fresh coat of paint, it will be a fabulous planter for some annuals to add a pop of colour to the place.

The bathtub planter idea

 

 



Is This a Test?

Well I had a bit of a shock this morning when I checked my email and found no Blog Challenge topic on this, day 22 of my 30 day Blog Challenge!  I have come to look forward to these inspirational suggestions and so I was quite let down when there wasn't one in my in-box.

Then, I decided it must be a test of some sort.  But no, it was just some kind of glitch, apparently. 

Carina says she will check what happened when she gets home.  Carina is my Mindful Living coach/challenger.  She lives in Copenhagen and so with the time difference, usually she has long since posted the daily challenge when I finally get out of bed and check my email.

But what if it WAS a test?  What if I was supposed to just review and put into practice today all of the 21 concepts outlined in the challenges this far?  That got me to thinking and what I realized is that I actually have been working on all of these concepts since they have been introduced.

I have been taking the time to appreciate the moment I am in - even when it is a challenging moment, one that I would prefer not to be experiencing.   Like, for example on Tuesday night, when I left early for choir, with the intention of getting my 50 length swim in before choir started.  Only to discover that my car would not start.  Rather than getting mad or frustrated, I opted to look at it as an adventure - a change of plans that I didn't count on, but could to lead to who knows where?  So I went back inside and got Chuckles to come and help me.  The time delay meant that I couldn't swim, so I just used the sauna and hot tub, and spent time in each with my eyes closed, being aware of my breath and the feelings in my body.  It was very relaxing and rejuvenating.  Then I arrived early enough at choir to connect with some friends who I haven't chatted with for awhile.  So, what could have been a situation leading to anger and frustration, became an opportunity to do something pleasurable.

I have also paid much more attention to my surroundings, what I see and hear.  I have spent less time with my headphones, so that I could take in more of...life!  Last night, we went out for dinner and there was a bus shelter right outside the restaurant.  Scrawled across the advertisement in purple felt pen were the words "Everyday is a blessing".  Normally I probably wouldn't even have noticed that, or if I had, I would have focussed on my negative feelings around graffiti.  (Which I still don't think is right, don't misunderstand me!)  But the sentiment was right on. It made me smile. 

Savouring my cups of tea, making time for family and friends, really listening to people, being kind and gentle to myself  - these are some of the positive things that I am doing as a direct result of this challenge. 

Suddenly I am seeing the good before me just by choosing to open my eyes to it.

Day 21 of the Blog Challenge - Waking Up in the Morning. Slowly.

Most of my mornings are slow and steady.  I like to leave enough time to do what needs to be done without too much rushing around. 

This morning was one of those delicious ones - awake before the alarm went off, knowing there was time to savor the warmth of the covers, the chill air on my nose and the pattern on the wall from the street light outside shining through the window blinds.

Then the steaming cup of coffee taken back to bed, to rewarm my feet which became chilled going to the kitchen. 

The luxurious sensation of dozing after the coffee was gone, listening to the radio -  a song, a contest with a caller and the news of the nightmarish traffic for the poor people that commute.

The satisfied feeling that I am not a commuter.  I am just steps away from my desk.

Ahhh...

In contrast to yesterday, when the alarm had not been set.  Rush rush rush.  No question, the way I wake up sets a tone for the rest of the day. 

I recall when the kids were young and every day was that kind of rush - getting everyone ready and fed and lunches packed and text books found and sharing one bathroom, frayed tempers, missing shoes, watching the clock, "we're running late, late LATE".  I felt like my first moment of restfulness was when I finally got to work! 

It was the way of life then, but I prefer my routine now much more. Though I probably wouldn't appreciate it as much if I hadn't lived through the other!

Drink Water Challenge

This really is a challenge for me, I know I should drink water, and I guiltily drink a whole bunch on Tuesday afternoons when I know I am going to choir later (although at last night's practice I heard that drinking water doesn't lubricate your vocal folds), but often I drink tea or coffee. 

Because it was a cold day here in North Vancouver I chose to drink mostly hot water today, and it was really nice!  I could drink as much as I wanted without getting a burning stomach, which happens with coffee (that's when I would switch to tea, normally!)  And, funnily I had to keep refilling my mug because I kept drinking it all!  And since I didn't really notice an increase in trips to the bathroom, I suppose I usually am quite dehydrated.

I also noticed I wasn't cruising the lunchroom for nibbles every time I went by. 

Just prior to writing this I was practicing my music and drank practically my entire water bottle down, and I will have another at the pool tonight.

I read somewhere today that 45% of our actions are habitual.  So if it's my habit to not drink water, suppose I need to work on changing it!

Day 19 Blog Challenge What is the Tone of your Self-Talk?

Wow, it's got to be beyond coincidental how frequently during this blog challenge that a topic comes up that I touched on in my blog about a previous challenge!

Just Sunday I referenced my inner-voice and how harsh and critical it usually is.  I have been working over the past several years to tune it out, or at least to feed myself some positive praise and encouragement, and Sunday's challenge of coming up with 3 things I am doing well really helped me to see that it's important every day to remind myself of all the good things I have and do.  Inner voice be damned!

The analogy made in the explanation of this topic was very helpful for me.  Pretend that I and my inner voice are friends.  How would I feel if a friend spoke to me that way?  How long would they be my friend?  Would I speak to a friend that way?  Of course not, it is hurtful and detrimental.  Instead of building up, negative self-talk tears down. 

Daily, especially when life is presenting lots of challenging situations, I will make a point of reminding myself of the good stuff.

Our epic move to the country estate has become a bit bogged down of late.  Between vacation time, family visits, and life in general, the forward momentum of the progress has really slowed, and both Chuckles and I have been feeling down over this.  So, the coping skills presented in this challenge are so useful in putting this into perspective.  Instead of being down on ourselves for what we haven't done: "We have so much left to do.  We are not making progress. "  This can be reframed as  "Look at how much we have done already!" " We knew this was going to be a long haul." " There is no best-before date on this project, it can take as long as it takes."

  In fact, this blog really is a documentation of our big change of lifestyle and the process of getting there.  As with life, it's all about the journey, not the destination.

Recovery Weekend

Hi there!  How was your weekend? 

We had a different kind of weekend at the country estate this past weekend.  I was there completely unexpectedly.  I was supposed to be at my choir retreat, but then my back was suffering all week long and I knew that it would only worsen unless I took the time to treat it right AND Chuckles hand got all infected and he ended up requiring daily hospital visits for intravenous antibiotics AND my sister and her husband were still at the country estate, days past when they had expected to have gone home, because my brother-in-law had some setbacks following a surgery and wasn't up to the 10 hour drive home to Prince George.  SO... there we all were, each dealing with our own stuff, but being together in support of one another. 


Day 15 of the Blog Challenge - The Challenge Today is Relax!

First thing in the morning, before the rest of the household was awake I went out for a long walk and enjoyed an hour of early morning solitude.  It was chilly and threatening to rain, but I bundled up and walked to the end of our country road.  When I got back to our driveway, I wasn't quite ready to go back indoors, so I headed off in the other direction.  My walk took me up a side road, where I watched some ducks float lazily on their pond, and goats in a field, each one hiding in it's little shelter, watching me as I passed by.  I spoke to the two horses I found in the pasture at the end of the road as they eyed me with interest, their ears twitching as they processed my voice.

 

 

Two scenes from my morning walk

 

 

Later I raked leaves with my sister's help.  The pond area was inches deep in leaves that had come off the walnut, alder and red maple trees in that section of the yard.  She raked and I gathered the piles into a wheeled bin, and pulled them into the pasture where the big compost pile is and dumped them. Happily, my back was improved a lot just from sleeping in my own bed!   We worked for some time despite the drizzle as it was pleasant to visit and work together and we only stopped when the rain became heavy.

 

 

A sea of leaves

 

 

In the afternoon, I had the house to myself for several hours, so I played my guitar and prepped the dinner.  Relaxing to me is engaging in activities you enjoy, without feeling pressure to be doing something else.  By that definition, I had a very relaxing day!

 

Day 16 Blog Challenge is What are Three Things You Do Well?

 

This challenge was particularly interesting to me, as I like many people, have that inner voice that constantly tells me where I have failed, or come up short, or neglected to do something. 

 

While that inner voice doesn't get my attention as much as it used to, this challenge is a good reminder to me that it is important to tell myself what I am doing well.  Why is it we feel okay about beating ourselves up, but feel a bit silly giving ourselves praise and compassion? 

 

I was drinking my morning coffee with my sister as I opened my emails to see what the challenge for today was, and as soon as I read it out to her, she said "Three things you do well? Oh that's easy!" 

 

Here is my list for today:

 

Prepare healthy meals

Exercise regularly

Maintain a positive outlook 

 

From doing this challenge, I realize that this list could change daily, or even hourly.  The important thing is that when the little voice comes calling with it's laundry list of negatives, there will always be positive things I am doing in my life that I can remind myself about.

 

In the afternoon Jennifer and I went out to the Co-op.  This used to be nothing but a feed mill with a small store attached, but it has morphed into a bustling and trendy grocery store with a general store component boasting clothing, footwear, hardware, tack and just about anything else you might need.  Except fine-tipped Sharpies which we looked for but couldn't find.  They do have this funky horse outside, however.

 

 

My sister has begun a new hobby, based on her abiding enjoyment of doodling.  When watching TV to keep her hands busy, she creates these most intricate and beautiful doodles with nothing but a fist full of fine tipped Sharpies.  She gave me two pieces she did this weekend and every time I look at one of them I see new things that I didn't notice before.
 

 

 

 

Day 17 Blog Challenge is What Robs You of Your Joy?

 

The pressures of life - needing to be someplace else or doing something else, and feeling that there is more to be done than there is time to do it - are the things that rob me of my joy.  Wanting to savour a moment or an event, but feeling the need to rush headlong into the next activity. 

 

Also, getting negative energy from other people can really affect my mood.  This was pretty apparent this weekend, between all the good stuff.  Chuckles isn't good at sitting around doing nothing, which was all he was able to do, sit and keep that hand elevated.  That put him in a bad mood, and it was challenging for me to be empathetic without being dragged down into his misery.  However, employing some of the mindful living tools I have been learning about, and getting him out for a walk in the fresh air on Saturday morning definitely helped both of our spirits! 

 

This really speaks to the crux of mindful living.  Appreciating what is happening right now, without letting what just happened or what's about to happen get in the way of that.

Despite that the weekend was not the one I had scheduled or planned, it turned out to be a lovely weekend spending time with my sister.    As my only sibling she is a very important person in my life, and with the distance between us, we don't always get to spend a lot of time together.  So this weekend was a very special one.   Even though she beat me at Scrabble several times....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torn

It's still day 13 - the challenge is around emotion.  It sure is!

I was standing in Bed, Bath and Beyond for no other reason than Chuckles was lying down nursing his painful infected hand and I didn't want to disturb him, when my sister called to say they will be staying through the weekend for my brother-in-law to have more recovery time before they make the 10 hour drive home.  They spent the day in emergency at the hospital near my house where they are staying, while we are in the city working.

I am torn several ways.

I am scheduled to go up to my in-laws for the night tomorrow and then to my choir retreat for the weekend.  Yet, I feel like I want to be there for my sister, brother-in-law and Chuckles over the weekend. And I want to spend time with my sister at my new home, I have felt jealous this week of her being there and not me!

But...  If I don't go to the in-laws I know my mother-in-law will be disappointed and me too since I havent been there for over a year!  A year! Egad, that's bad!  I would be disappointed to miss the retreat, although I have been several years in a row, so it wouldn't be the end of the world.  But its fully paid for and non-refundable.  

I am going to the pool now for some swimming therapy for my back (improving, yay!) and will mull this dilemma over a little more.

Crazy Day - Day 13 of the Blog Challenge - Emotions

What a day!

Aside from the fact that my back has decided it didn't like the weekend's selection of beds and car rides one bit and I have therefore been lopsided and in pain myself  for two days, Chuckles ended up at the hospital with a hugely swollen hand and arm and so did my sister's husband with complications following his recent surgery. 

Talk about emotions!

The whole gamut from fear and anger to worry and relief have been mine today. 

The challenge for today is to really feel your emotions, let them live in your body, without your attempt to ignore, replace or quell them.  Feel them, and then feel them go once they have been processed.

Not completely easy while at work, answering calls ("is this one going to give me some news of my loved ones?"), and dealing with the public. 

I have been close to tears, then calm, then agitated.  Worried then at peace. Trying not to let my imagination rule with it's habit of tossing about worst-case-scenarios.  Feeling each emotion while going about my business.  Feeling the pain in my back worsen as no news came forth, then it ebbed as the positive news was relayed.

Weekend Musings

I just had a four day weekend, filled with family.

My sister and her husband are in town, unfortunately so that he could have some surgery, but it was an opportunity to spend time with my amazing sister and support her as she gave support to her husband. I spent one night with her at her hotel after spending time at the hospital.

We browsed the Main Street antique shops and had a delicious lunch on Saturday after checking in at the hospital.  Then I headed over to the sunshine coast to spend a couple of nights with my parents as Mom has not been well and I thought they could use a little support and company. 

Meanwhile, I kept up with my Blog Challenge as best I could.  I did the exercises and made some notes each day. 

Day 8 Challenge:  Look Up

 Many times throughout the day I took the opportunity to look up. Clouds blue sky and leaves skittering past.

 Before turning in I stood outside the hotel which is near the airport and watched a plane fly in low. 

 Looking up made me feel small but not insignificant.  It made me aware of being surrounded by a huge world.

 

Day 9

 

 Nature, outdoors, trees, plants and animals are enormously important in my life. I cannot bear a day when I have have no opportunity to go outside and drink in some deep breaths of fresh air and feel my muscles warm as I walk.   Rainwear is one of my wardrobe essentials living in vancouver bc Canada!  Chuckles and  wilderness camp as often as possible  to get deep into nature and away from the city. We are in the process of becoming country folks moving from the city to a 5 acre property in the country in order to get more nature and its positive impact into our lives.

 I look forward to being able to grow more of our own food and the nurturing processes this involves.

I may have experienced a mindful living epiphany as I dealt with traffic through the downtown core and across the city to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal .  I realized that by leaving enough time to drive there without being in a rush,I created space in my life to appreciate the architecture of the tall buildings, the craggy rocks that rim the highway, and the grey mist that billowed and snaked amidst the traffic.  Rather than feeling the need to race the traffic to make my ferry, I could relax and drink in the stunning beauty that was, and has always been before my eyes.

 

Day 10  Challenge: Unplug

 

I have to say that generally I am a pretty good un-plugger.  I am not a technology addict though sometimes I do get sucked into the bottomless abyss of Facebook or YouTube and suddenly wonder where an hour of my life has gone.   On my cell phone I will often have the sound off, so that I have to look at it to know that someone has called.  That way I can use the phone as a tool which works on my agenda, and not be at the beck and call of the world all the time.  The same thing applies to the computer.  I spend enough time in front of it during my workday, and I often don’t use it on my free time. 

What' ironic is that this particular day I found myself quite plugged in, as I was trying to stay in touch with my sister and the happenings with her husbands recovery, as well as Chuckles, my hubby who was away, then had a change of plans.  But I did put the phone away for several hours and focussed on Mom and Dad who I was spending time with.

The feeling of being unplugged is one of owning your time, and prioritizing it for yourself, not on anyone else’s terms. 

When you turn off the TV and the radio, you hear the world around you.

 

Day 11

Most nights I do get enough sleep.  My body doesn’t function at all well on less than 7 hours and 8 hours is optimum for me. 

 

 It is often when my head hits the pillow that the stresses of the day or of life in general start to play around in my head.  I can go to bed dog tired, and will be relaxed and nearly asleep when suddenly a though pops up and in an instant I am wide awake!  I have found through this blogging challenge that the exercise of focusing on my breath is an excellent way to fall asleep.  That is when I now employ the focus on the breath and pushing away all thoughts gently, and it works like a charm!

 

Day 12 Are you impatient with yourself and how does that show up in your life?

 

I have never reflected on whether I am impatient with myself.  I know and acknowledge that I am impatient with others and it is not a trait I like in myself at all!  When I respond or react to a person or situation out of impatience,  I don’t like myself very much.

However, knowing that impatience is one of my character traits, it makes sense that I am also impatient with myself.

How I believe this manifests in my life is in all the unfinished projects, the unlearned instruments, the unwritten blog entries and the good intentions that I have not carried through with because of my impatience with the process.  I don’t have the patience, often, to allow myself to learn new things, and in the process of that, to fail and try again, repeatedly, until I have learned. 

I love the graphic used to illustrate todays challenge.  I want patience, and I want it NOW!  That’s me with everything! 

Day 7 of Blog Challenge

My beverage was juice of half a lemon with boiling water

Steamy clouds

Foggy glasses

Puckered Mouth

Warm Hands

Even Breathing

Swirly liquid like miso soup

Active particles combining then bursting apart to fly to the side of my mug

Lemony tendrils floating on cloudy water

10 minutes of peace and calm

Live Today Like its Your Only Day

Today is the one year anniversary of the passing of our golden retriever Seymour.

I am feeling a little sad, but very grateful that we had him around for 12 (almost) wonderful years.  I mean almost 12 years, not that it was almost wonderful! 

Pets make a huge impact in our lives.  They become part of our families and teach us meaningful lessons about living life in the present moment, not worrying about what the future holds or dwelling on past mistakes or successes. 

Seymour's death has been the impetus of change for me, hence the name of this blog. 

Today I am going to focus on the lessons Seymour (and Angus before him) taught me.  Live today like it's the only day you have.  Respect what your body is telling you.  Tired? Rest.  Happy? Be Exuberant.  Sad? Be Exuberant anyway.  And be joyful in your greeting to everyone you meet. 

However, I draw the line at snarling at small puppies.  While Seymour didn't have much time for them, I still like them.

Seymour snoozing on "grandma's" foot!

Day 5 Blogging Challenge

It is part of my personality to be in control and organize.  I have observed this trait recently when planning an event with friends, one of whom took on the responsibility of being the leader.  However, when no planning emails came forth in what I thought was the appropriate timeline, I jumped the gun and emailed the group to get the ball rolling.  Afterwards I realized that this hurt the feelings of the person who was the leader. And it shifted the role of leadership back onto me.  Which is what I am comfortable with.  Being. In. Charge.

I utilize this personality trait to cover up my vulnerability.  Others look to me as a leader, and I am a capable leader.  But sometimes I want others lead and I have a hard time asking for the help that I need, and/or letting someone else be in charge and do things their way.  I find it hard to not judge their ideas, which may be different from mine, as wrong, or inferior. 

In so many aspects of my life I could and probably should release control and allow others, or other forces, to guide me.  By not allowing this, I realize that I am closing off my mind to opportunities to see things from a different perspective.  I am also not tapping in to so many other resources that are available, the minds and experiences of other people, as well as my own inner wisdom. 

I guess it boils down to the To-Do Lists I mentioned in my blog about  the Day 1 Challenge.  I make a list and get satisfaction from crossing the items off the list.  Quickly.  On Schedule.  If someone else is in charge, the item may not get crossed off when I think it should.  Or ever.   

Lists are good for grocery shopping.  Perhaps I need to explore new ways to guide myself through other aspects of life. 

Everything Will Come

Saturday was such as stormy day, with torrential rains and winds, so Chuckles didn't make much headway with the barn project, as the task scheduled was digging out around the footings of the overhang posts.  Any hole he dug filled instantly with water, so it was struggle he gave up on eventually. 

I had promised myself to get the hallway painted if it was raining, so that's what I turned my attention to.  I didn't start until after dinner Saturday, but I did get the walls primered before I went to bed.

 

Every corner of the yard is covered in leaves, so pretty!

Sunday morning was clear and crisp, and we approached the day with renewed enthusiasm after Saturdays somewhat depressing abandonment of the barn project.  Our coffee pot is on a timer and at 7am a delectable smell of coffee wafted into the bedroom, our signal for up and at 'em!  Chuckles left to go rent an excavating machine, and I began to prep some food for dinner, that could cook in a slow oven all day.  My intention was to start the painting project at 8am. 

However, the food prep was taking longer than planned, and just as I was lamenting that I was already behind before I had even started, my phone rang.  It was Chuckles to tell me he had just realized we didn't set the clocks back on Saturday night.  How did I forget?  I made a mental note on Friday that we needed to do this on Saturday.  Then I thought - perfect!  Not only was I not behind, I was actually ahead of schedule! 

I saw a saying on Facebook this morning that this situation really illustrates.

 

We needed more time, and better weather.  Sunday was a great day, Chuckles made headway on the barn project, and I got the hallway painted. 
I kept up with the Mindful Living Challenge over the weekend, although I didn't blog it at the time as I only had my iphone to work on.  I typed some short notes, which ended up full of predictive text errors, of course, so I have cleaned them up and added them here.

Day 2 challenge is to take some time observing your breath.  How does it make you feel?

Observing the breath makes me feel Calm almost instantly. As I do it now I feel the ache in my muscles from an evening of painting the hallway walls.  I  am aware of the silence of the house around me. I can hear a slight ringing in my ears. I have a lovely tired, sleepy feeling and some pride that I tackles a job I wasn't really looking forward to and now it's half-done already. I have a slightly bitter taste in mouth from the tea I just drank, making my tongue feel puckered.

Day 3 a ten minute meditation focusing on the breath

I did my meditation sitting out on the front step since I had been cooped up inside all day.  My “quiet place” in the country is actually alive with sounds which I was very aware of, sitting with my eyes closed and concentrating on my breathing. I found myself being very aware of my body too -  the slightly achy tooth and the scrunched feeling of my feet in my shoes. I felt a sudden ripple of joy hearing the birds, the cows and the wind in the leaves surrounding my yard. My heart palpably quickened at the sudden thought of “something else” I should be doing instead of sitting here.  I had to push these thoughts away and refocus on just my breathing. Not easy to keep my mind 'empty' !

 

Several weeks ago I filled three large planters with compost and soil into which I planted garlic and daffodils.  One of them I also put some lettuce seeds in and that one I have covered with a sheet of clear corrugated plastic to act as a greenhouse.  Though only a few of the lettuce seeds germinated, I now have about six lettuces that are thriving.  It's turned quite cold so I am interested to see if they continue to grow. 

 

 

 

Day 4 Blog Challenge

Day 4 of the Mindful Living Blog Challenge is about the body. 

 

The older I get the more I am aware that my overall health and wellbeing is largely in my own hands.  Two years ago my doctor told me that even though I was not very overweight, I was heavier than I should be.  That, combined with high blood sugar levels on an ongoing basis prompted me to make further lifestyle changes.

Those changes have made such an incredible difference to me.  Not only am I now consistently within the BMI definition of normal weight range for me, but I am strong and fit with far fewer aches and pains than I once had.  I would say at 55 I am in the best shape of my life.

My body would say thank you for saving me!

What I have discovered is that I enjoy the process of being good to my body.  I love cooking foods from scratch, and growing them myself if I can.  I love to share recipes and ideas with other people. 

My daily swims are quite meditative in themselves.  The rhythm of the strokes and the breath, and having my face in the water and the goggles on, make this a 30 minute part of the day when I am very focused on my body and my mind is free from everything except what is happening right now.

Day One of My 30 Day Blogging Challenge

Today is November 1^st the first day of a 30 day blogging challenge that I signed up for online.  One of my motivations for signing up is that I WANT to write every day, but I seem to be a master at putting other menial activities ahead of meaningful activities such as writing.  Floor needs washing?  Make a pot of soup?  Play an online game?  All have jumped ahead of “Write Blog” on my To Do List.

The To-Do-List is another one of my motivations for signing up for this Blog Challenge, which is based on mindful living.  A To-Do-List is pretty much a mindful living squasher.  And I do love a To-Do-List.

So I expect I will learn more about mindful living, and about myself during this 30 day period.  Here goes!

Today’s Challenge is:

 What Does Being Mindful Mean to You, and What Qualities Does Being Mindful Bring to Your Life?

Mindfulness means really listening to my inner voice and respecting what it says.  I had been caught up in living up to other people’s ideals, being what I thought they want me to be, and not being who I really am.  The past few years I have been working to change that, and it is hard work!   I had spent my life trying to please parents, spouses, bosses, customers, kids, friends  -  and all at a cost.  I had lost touch with me.   What do I value?  What do I want in my life, for me?  So to regain that connection to myself and the things that are important and pleasing to me is a journey of mindfulness.

I am giving myself more space in my life for the inner reflection needed to get back in touch with that inner voice of mine.   I am acknowledging the things in my life that are important to me – the way I spend my time, the people I see, the activities I engage in, and putting more of them in my life, while pushing out the things which are not authentically me.

Being mindful means you are more open to opportunities and ideas that come into your life. 

Being mindful causes you to have awareness for how you are feeling in any given moment or situation.

As an example of how old behaviours cling hard to us, as I am writing this I reread it and wonder if I should edit it to make it more what YOU want, even though you have already explained that this should be my work, my thoughts and my truth.  But YOU might not like it as much as another entry, and the importance of being first, being perfect, is one of the most limiting influences in my life, yet the most difficult for me to let go of! 

I am excited to be participating in this 30 day blog challenge, and weaving what I discover into the thread of my own little blog.

 

Naked Ladies and Burning Bushes

Jacob, the golden retriever-on-loan and I spent last weekend together at the country estate while Chuckles was away on a hunting trip.  We enjoyed a visit from some friends from Quadra Island who were in town to see a show with their daughter and her husband.  All four made the drive to the country to check out our new place and have a visit.  They also have a small manufacturing business which they relocated from Kelowna to Quadra Island seven years ago.  When I feel overwhelmed by our move, I only have to think of the logistics they had to face and it puts our venture into perspective.

I am enjoying the continuing crop of raspberries that are still producing just enough for a handful for a munch or to put on my cereal in the morning.  I expect that will now be over as we have had some rain, but it has been a sweet treat.

 

Still some raspberries ripening - enough to put on your cereal in the morning!

   

Another of the fall pleasures at the country estate is the low flying flocks of migrating geese that whiz by in formation early mornings and early evenings.  You hear them before you see them, with their cacophony of honking.  I can’t help myself, if I am in the house, I run outside so that I can be underneath them as they fly over.  They are often so low, that I can see their legs tucked up close to their bodies, and their noise is so loud it’s quite thrilling.  If it’s early in the morning when I am still in bed, and they fly directly over the house, I can see them through the skylight above the bed.  This season my choir is singing “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music and one line is “wild geese that fly with the moon on their wing, these are a few of my favorite things”.   I get it.  They’re one of my favorite things, too! 

And of course nothing is more therapeutic to me than being in the garden.  Gardening and choir practice go well together   -    I put in my earbuds and sing, dig, prune, water and weed to my heart’s content!  At the country estate there is some “buffer zone” between me and the neighbors.  In the city, I would suddenly realize I was in the backyard belting out my music, probably driving all the neighbors nuts!

 

So with my earbuds in and Jacob nearby,  I tackled pruning a large, overgrown rosebush and another shrub at the side of the house.  I am not a fan of prickly plants, so I have never really been one for roses, but I also have a hard time "doing-in" a plant,  so the rose bushes around the place have been given a reprieve.  But I swear if I get too many more pokes and scratches, they could be goners!

 

  

Overgrown rosebush at side of house

 



 

Same garden - after



 

  

On Saturday we cleaned up more tree branches and added them to the burn pile which had accumulated since the previous weekend when we had taken down some leaning, rotting trees.  Then it was too foggy to burn, so we covered the pile with a tarp to burn later. 

 

 

Beyond the barn is the tarp covered burn pile, hard to tell but as tall as me!

 

Since burning is only allowed through October, time was of the essence.  Chuckles was going away, so he mixed me up a batch of accelerant, one that would burn slowly and not cause an explosion, and left the burning up to me.  Which I was fine with until my Dad got word and advised me not to do it without Chuckles being there.   That planted the seed of doubt in my mind, and burning barns, forest fires and other worst case scenarios danced around in my head all day Saturday.  Every time I took another load to the fire pile, I stared it down like it was my opponent.  I invited older son and his step daughter Heidi to come for dinner and a bonfire.  In the end, it was absolutely fine, it was a huge roaring blaze that we monitored until bedtime, and in the morning there were just a few smoldering embers left. 

 

Heidi spent Saturday night with Jacob and I and we carved her pumpkin and played gin rummy until late.  She and Jacob slept in Sunday morning, then we took Jacob for a walk before Heidi had to go home.

Heidi designing her pumpkin face

 



 

Heidi and Jacob on our Sunday morning walk

 

 

I am a plant rescuer.  At the garden center, I am the person that buys all the bedraggled, half dead specimens off the clearance table and takes them home, loves them, and brings them back to health.  We have a little azalea that Chuckles found in a pot, abandoned at the park, half brown with most of the leaves missing.  He brought it back to me.  I promised it that it was going to a better place, and took it out to the country estate.   I gave it a nice feed of well composted horse manure when I planted it, and it is positively beaming with health and happiness now, I swear!

 

 My latest rescues are a couple of garden mums that I picked up from the nursery on Sunday.  I am in the process of resurrecting the central driveway garden at the country estate that was full of weeds and cracked and depleted soil when we moved in.  I have added a mountain of the composted horse manure to the soil, and dug it all in.  I now have over 3 dozen daffodil bulbs planted throughout, thanks to the seniors at the hall where choir practices.  In the fall they sell bags of bulbs for $2 each,  and the fewest bulbs per bag I have bought is 12.  One bag this year had about 20 small bulbs in it!  Such a bargain!  The mums are side by side near the big rock, and a I got a few pansies to add a bit of colour.  I will continue to build the garden up as I find and add larger rocks around the perimeter, but at least there is some colour in it now, and in spring it will be alive with daffodils.

 

Driveway Garden with Plants

 

 

One of Chuckles buddies added a small headless plastic cross-legged girl ornament beside my naked lady statue in the driveway garden.  He put it there as a joke, but I’m leaving it.  Perhaps the two “ladies” will attract more as time goes by.

 

Headless Ornament added as a joke

 

My garden statue

 

This coming weekend is the earnest start to the barn renovation, which is more Chuckles department than mine, I am just the cheerleader and kitchen staff for that endeavor.  If the weather is good, I hope to do more work in the garden, if it rains there is more painting to be done inside.  Needless to say, there will be something to keep me busy.  

 

One-Dog-At-A-Time

Our one-dog-at-a-time doggy daycare is pretty busy these days.

Last week a golden retriever named Kooler practically fell into our laps.

He was being dog-sat by an acquaintance of ours who is from a business down the street, and she brought him into our shop knowing we have a soft spot for dogs.  Chuckles walks every day at lunch anyway, so he began going over to their shop and picking Kooler up at lunch time, taking him on a walk, then bringing him back to our shop to visit while we had lunch.  Then he would walk him back after we had our tanks topped up with doggy love. 

 

Kooler doing froggie yoga

 

Kooler

Then the dog sitter asked if we would like to have Kooler for the weekend.  Hell yeah!  So Kooler and all his belongings were picked up last Friday night and we took him out to the country estate for a weekend of fun and frolick country style.  Hoping that all went well and there were no incidents that required veterinary attention.  After all, we don't even know who owns this dog!



Saturday was really a day of cleaning up from Chuckles hunting trip and the house full of company on Thanksgiving weekend.  I also baked a couple of apple pies with apples picked from the other apple tree, which conveniently ripens about a month behind the tree that is more out in the open.  So while I was indoors doing my thing, Kooler and Chuckles were busy outside, winterizing and covering the trailer and putting things back where they belonged.  I went out for a couple of hours and picked up branches that had come down over the last few weeks, from wind and weather.  Kooler just couldn't decide which stick was the best, and if I left my wheelbarrow unattended for a couple of minutes, he would practically empty it!

 

My wheelbarrow from which the sticks kept getting stolen

 

 

Spot the dog amongst the leaves

At last, early in the evening, he  laid down to sleep, after being busy all day.  For 15 minutes.   We had friends over for dinner, and when they arrived Kooler, Mr. Personality, was back in business!

Sunday we spent the day taking down some trees that were leaning precariously toward our house.  Kooler had to stay indoors while the trees were actually being cut down, where he stood at the French doors and whined and cried at seeing Chuckles out there without him.  Once the trees were on the ground though, both Kooler and I went out to help with the removal.  No little wheelbarrow for this job!  We hitched the trailer to the Sidekick and in no time had it filled to the brim. 

 Endless stick play

 

 

A load of branches

 



Kooler has gone back now, but Jacob is with me for the weekend, while his family is away.  He is sleeping beside my desk as I write this, but earlier he was laying out back, with his stick at the ready, in case a walk was imminent!  Our employee took him for a walk and ball play at the park at lunch, so he is getting plenty of fun and attention.  We are heading to the country estate tonight.

Jacob, ready with his stick

 

 

Jacob, wondering if I have a minute to play ball



We will have a huge bonfire, if the fog holds off, as we were unable to burn the trees last weekend with the dense fog that persisted.  I don't hold out much hope for this weekend either really as this week the fog has slithered into the harbour each evening enveloping the low lying areas.  We will see.

There is more painting to do, too.  When will it end?  I may tackle the hallway in between burning piles and doggy walks.  Or maybe start hanging some of our pictures, which are still in stacks leaned up around the living room.

Or maybe I will pull out my guitar and play, it hasn't been touched since all this moving business started.