Birthday Fun

My birthday was a little over a month ago now - mid-to-late February - and it fell on a gorgeous day. Well... Actually, THIS is what I woke up to:

After a great lunch with my family (I was incredibly touched, my sister in law blocked out her afternoon to work from home so we could celebrate on my actual birthday) my brother, nephew and I took a quick trip down to the Sandy Beach in Nanaimo and explore the beach for an hour or so.  Here are some awesome shots of my brother and his son exploring the beach. THIS is the gorgeous sunny day!

Finn's little hands were, I am certain, pretty cold by the end of the visit to the beach, but he gave me some stones & pretty seaweed that day that came home with me and now sit in a dish on my entertainment centre.

 

As far as birthday presents go, little hands giving me pretty rocks is one of the best ones to receive.

With love across the waters,

New Year’s Resolutions? Nope, Not So Much…

I try not to make resolutions at New Years - there seemed (for me, anyhow) to be a big push to accomplish something, which then became a little push and then the resolution was placed, neatly, back on the personal shelf... For many years now, I have been trying to set SMART (Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time Oriented) goals for myself... and I usually try to set them to paper around my own "personal new year" - my birthday – which is in a little over a month’s time. 

It ends up looking more like a “To Do” list, but that’s OK - I work better with lists (that I write out) anyhow. This year the list starts with things that will continue to make my home a place of safety, comfort and usefulness. The installation of a new front door, the installation of a wood stove, making the back and front yards into productive garden space (where the deer and bears will allow) growing (and then freezing, drying and canning) my own foods. I need to learn how to actually can foods, but that will be part of the process.

I have a new notebook/diary set aside for this.  I have a red pen ready to start writing.  I have a day off in front of me and I have coffee ready to drink.  What a great way to look at my year ahead – setting my goals. Writing them down. Reviewing what is left from last year - modifying those ones as needed and adding them to this year’s list.  Dates for completion are subject to change – it all depends on the supporting factors like time and money. And weather, and season, and availability of teachers.

As I have mentioned a number of times, I love lists, and one of the things I am planning to do today (a day off) is to start drafting up my 2012 "to do" list. That’s the great thing about having a whole year to work through the tasks (or change them or remove them and add new ones, as the work progresses) there’s a whole year ahead.  

A whole year – one of potential and possibility – stretched out ahead of us.

I know a lot of people had a rough year in 2011.  Parts of it were unpleasant for me too, I’m sure. The thing is, though, that in looking backwards at this year that just finished, the spots that are standing out for me are all good things. In May I welcomed a new Sister to my family.  In July my Nephew joined us. September saw me starting a new full time job, learning new skills for work and taking possession of a new home.  October saw me hit the 20-year mark at my place of employment and December saw my Nephew’s first Christmas – spent with two of his living Great-Grandparents.

So as I wrap up my own personal thoughts on the year just finished I am reminded, once again, of how much I have in my life to be thankful for, and just how blessed I truly am.

I look ahead to 2012 with happy anticipation.

With love across the waters,

Daylight Hours, Daylight Savings and a Canine in Season

This time of year I start to get antsy about daylight hours. I’m one of the lucky people – I do not suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, but come early February, despite the fact that this is my birthday month, I still can’t wait for Daylight Savings Time and time after work where there is daylight enough to be doing stuff outside with my dog.

In most of Canada, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. This means that, for us, this year, Daylight Savings time kicks in on March 13th – a little less than five weeks from now. Yes, that first morning is always a little harder for getting up since it’s a whole hour earlier, but by then the sun will be rising (here at least) around 6:30 in the morning and setting around 6:00 at night. That one day change means we will be getting up in the dark BUT we will have daylight that night around 7:00 at night – a good trade off, if you ask me!

For the last few weeks Jasmine has been in heat, and so I haven’t been able to take her up to Seal Bay Park for our usual hour-plus long daylight walks where she can race around like a mad thing without her leash. We have been restricted to shorter, leash-on walks around my neighbourhood and we are BOTH getting tired of it all.

Essentially the canine estrus cycle (heat) cycle has four stages. Proestrus – the stage where they are have a sanguinous discharge (OK, basically they drip red) - this is where they secrete the hormones that attract male dogs. Estrus – where they are still swollen, the discharge changes to a pinkish-straw colour and their vulva is swollen – this is where extra extra extra care needs to be taken because this is when mating can occur and pregnancy happens. Metestrus (or diestrus) which is basically a space of time after mating – if they got pregnant this is pregnancy, if not, this is where the body goes back to “normal” state. The last one is anestrus – inactivity.

The cycle from proestrus through to the start of metestrus can last anywhere from nine to thirty five days depending on the breed. Jasmine took about 28 days last time and, I would anticipate this time will be about the same. Technically, this means she should be “off-leash & park walk-able” this coming weekend. Likely I will wait until the following weekend though, just to be on the safe side.

In between now and then, I get to suffer through Valentines Day - the most hated day of the year for most single people. The day of the year where retailers and service companies alike make single people feel like they are less important and worthwhile than those people who are part of a couple. Oh Joy!

Following that, by a week, is my birthday. I don’t have any set plans – other than to not be working. I took Saturday and Monday off work, but ended up picking up a shift on the Thursday, to give myself a four-day weekend and am quite looking forward to some good-old-fashioned sleep in time! I’m thinking I may go spend a night at my parents’ place in there (maybe I can talk my Mum into making me a chocolate cake with chocolate mint icing?) and this will also be the great weekend where Jasmine and I can return to long park walking! In addition to all of this already great stuff planned for the weekend, this is also the weekend where my chiropractor (Dr. Doug) has said I can try my return to running!

Yay!

With love across the waters,