If You Give a Girl a Hot Tub...

For my last birthday, I received a City of Edmonton gift card, usable at most of the city's attractions and facilities. Given that it was the dead of winter, I first used it at a rec centre near by, solely to soak in the hot tub

It was glorious.

And so, I hopped around from rec centre to rec centre, checking out the different hot tubs, and the occasional steam room. Once or twice I took a yoga class. But mostly I just liked sitting in the hot tub. 

I found myself coming back again and again to the leisure centre closest to home. It's smaller, older, and therefore tends to be quieter. I started bringing a book each visit, reading while I soaked.

As the weather started to warm up, I found myself one headed to the leisure centre one evening thinking, "y'know, it might feel refreshing to dip in the pool first, before the hot tub."

Now, let me pause here to clarify that I am not a swimmer. In my educator days, I didn't mind playing in the water with the children I was teaching or caring for, but the sport of swimming has never appealed to me. I failed swimming lessons over and over (and over), mostly due to an imperfect front crawl, and a refusal to dive without plugging my nose. But my mom, having seen me tread water (which I could do like a boss), and feeling confident that I could save myself if I fell off a boat, finally took mercy on me and let me stop lessons.

So, when I say I considered a dip in the pool, I quite literally meant a dip in the pool and nothing more. I grabbed a couple pool noodles, put one under my knees and one under my arms, and floated around on the small waves made by other swimmers.

After a few weeks of this, I figured "y'know, since I'm already in the pool"--and since the novelty of the  new energized version of me was still mesmerizing--"I might as well do some aqua-jogging." And so across and around the pool I went, moving to the beat of whatever playlist the lifeguards had chosen.

Faces around me started becoming familiar; I realized the pool had "regulars," and that I was becoming one of them.

One evening, the pool was unusually crowded, except for the area sectioned off for lane swimming. And I thought, "y'know, since I can do so much aqua-jogging, certainly I could do a length of lane swimming." There aren't many swimming strokes I care for, but I do have a fondness for the backstroke when the situation calls for it.

And so I pushed off from the wall, the water just covering my ears, so that the 80's music around me faded, and all I could hear as I followed the line on the ceiling was my rhythmic breathing; it was nice.

Over time, one length turned into two, two turned into three, three turned into four.

And I thought, "y'know, snorkeling might be kinda fun." Snorkeling definitely draws one's focus to the breath. And I also remembered how, the few times I'd snorkeled on holidays, I'd found the act of swimming to be easier and more enjoyable.

And so I bought a snorkel.

And what started as just a soak in the hot tub has become a mix of self-guided aquacise, lane swimming, and snorkeling. ...Though,
definitely still a soak in the hot tub.

Next Steps... All 10,000 of Them.

I don't think I can claim baseline anymore.

I've been using my Fitbit--and the app that goes with it--for nearly three months. This has given me plenty of data to start looking at my health habits and what may or may not need to change.

Of course, the simple act of tracking my steps, and logging my food and activities, means I've been making small changes from the get-go, just based on the day-to-day info the FitBit gave me. Never a true baseline when you're analyzing yourself. ;)

Here are some things that Fitbit has brought to light:

My step-count is still up and down depending on the day, but I've noticed that over time, the degree of fluctuation has become smaller, and this summer I've been able to hit 10,000 or close to it more often.

Taking care of my niece and her dog was the easiest way to ensure 10,000 steps. When I was taking care of P, we'd often go for a walk in the morning and in the evening. The other aunty and I found this held much benefit for all four of us.* Admittedly, it's taken some concerted effort to get to 10,000 steps outside of those two weeks. More on that in a bit.

In terms of food, I've learned that I eat most of my calories at lunch.
I've learned that Timbits have less calories than I thought.
I've learned that cookies have more.

I've also learned that in general, my calorie intake is about half-and-half; half the time I go over what Fitbit deems to be my ideal daily intake, and half the time I'm under or "in the zone." I don't have big ambitions to lose weight; I'm at a healthy weight as it is--I would just like to keep it there. When I'm over the recommended intake for the day, it's generally only by about 100-150 calories. Which is kinda reassuring, if mildly aggravating. But by the time I'd be logging my bedtime snack at 11pm, I'd be in no position to go for a 20-min walk around the neighbourhood; I was ready for bed.

In terms of what I'm actually consuming...

• I am right on par with the recommended consumption of sodium (I actually thought I'd be way over).
• My average potassium intake is significantly below the maximum (I only consume about 1/4 of the max).
• My calcium intake is about half of what it should be. Hmm...
• My sugar intake is about 4x what it should be (not good, but still better than I thought it would be, believe it or not; I have a wicked sweet tooth).
• I'm somewhat short on fibre.
• My cholesterol is really good.*

So, overall, not a bad 'report card.' But it's got me thinking about improving and maintaining, especially with autumn coming--back to sitting at a desk, and eventually, the cold, dark days of winter.

I've stopped tracking my meals, because the overall quantity I'm consuming seems to be okay, and it's actually quite the time-consuming commitment to log everything I put into my mouth. I need to consider my sugar and fibre intake, but I'm going to look at that more in terms of what I'm eating, not how much.

What I want to focus on first is my step count. Like I said, it's been... challenging to get to 10,000 steps each day without a child, a dog, or trips to big-box stores.

I've conquered embedding small amounts of extra steps here and there. I park further away from buildings. I choose walk-in over drive-through banking. I pace the house while I brush my teeth.

I notice the benefits of walking more, but it hasn't become routine. I still compare. Would I like to take a half-hour walk, or spend a half-hour in my hammock with a good book? Or put in a half-hour of overtime that I can flex later to travel? Or take a half-hour nap because I'm not a morning person and this morning kicked me in the butt? ...The walk doesn't always win. And I even like walking! I think--in part--I'm stuck in a mindset of needing a more tangible purpose in my walking--catching up with a friend, taking books back to the library, an organized photo walk. I need to start reframing the activity so that I view increased health and wellness as the tangible purpose that it actually is. And so begins my challenge.

What do you do to increase your steps? Perhaps I'll try those ideas
too.






* we may have parodied Charlotte Diamond's Four Hugs a Day with, "two walks a day, that's the minimum..." as we strolled down the trail!
** My doctor once told me once that my cholesterol levels were "enviable." Apparently, they still are.

Fit. ...A bit.

I bought a Fitbit.

I'm not sure I ever saw myself as being one of those people, but I guess I'm one of those people.

Over ten years ago, I owned a pedometer for a short amount of time. It was an Avon model--I was selling Avon at the time, so the price was right, and they had just become trendy; why not?

The pedometer was only that--a battery-operated device to count your steps. If you listened carefully, you could hear the ball bearing rock back and forth with each step, and if you weren't careful enough, you could lose the darn thing when it wasn't clipped in the right spot.

Working directly with children, I found it quite easy to hit the recommended 10,000 steps a day; I didn't even have to try. And perhaps because of this, when I got home one day and noticed the pedometer was gone, I was not all that inspired to replace it. I had the knowledge I needed, and the knowledge told me I was a walking rock-star.

Flash forward to present day. Several thoughts have formed together in my mind over the past several months: 1. I call myself moderately 'active,' but 2. I've noticed that I now gain a bit of weight during the winter (losing it again during the summer, but still). 3. I also recognize that I work at a desk far more than I used to and that 4. I've pretty much never counted a calorie a day in my life. Which all leaves me wondering sometimes, am I active enough? To add to my general curiosity, 5. I have always had a somewhat sensitive digestive system, with a general idea of what makes it happy or unhappy, but in some ways it's still a mystery to me, and I find myself wondering is there something I'm missing? 

Enter Fitbit.

Boy, have pedometers have changed in the last ten years.

The device tracks your steps, sure, but also the intensity of your movement--thus estimating calories burned as you walk, as well as how much of your movement qualifies as 'active' (i.e. a 25-min walk to the library as opposed to the 8 steps it takes to get to the photocopier). Also, I can pretty much guarantee this thing will not get lost while I wear it. I'd like to know how many calories I burn just trying to pry the clip open enough to attach it to my pocket.

The device, of course, interacts with the FitBit app, where you can log your meals, your additional physical activity (gardening counts!), and how much water you've had. ...The more expensive models even track your sleeping patterns (I did not invest. That being said, mine appears to still be able to estimate the number of calories burned per hour while sleeping.)

Needless to say, I have opened up doors to a ton of new information about my daily habits.

I've only been in this process for just over a week. As they say in research, I'm still establishing a baseline. My steps vary anywhere from around 4,000 to 15,000, depending on the day. Some days my calorie count is over, some days under, some days "right on target" (all based on the user's weight loss/maintenance/gain goal).

So far I've learned that if my entire day is spent sitting at my desk or in meetings, I'd better not make pasta for supper. On the flip side, apparently the secret to eating KFC at lunch and a Nutella doughnut after supper in the same day and getting away with it lies in nothing more than a morning at the playground and a shopping excursion at Rona.

I've also learned that I'm more active on the weekends than during the week--which makes sense, I guess, since I spend my weekends gardening, cleaning, and generally puttering around; whereas at work, there's a lot of sitting. Still, I've always viewed the weekend as my 'down time,' my chance to 'relax.' Work is where I'm 'busy' and deal with any 'stress' and am 'on the go.' Clearly, I have been categorizing these activities based on how they impact my brain, not how they impact my body. That was a bit of an 'aha' moment.

I'm looking forward to what kinds of patterns I will notice after a month. What kind of impact the information will have on the health decisions I make. What other 'aha' moments lie ahead. So far, I'm parking my car further away from wherever I'm going, but that's about it.

I guess that's a start.

Her Morning Walk

I'd almost forgotten about her. On a route I don't often take anymore, and a little later in the morning than I travel most of the year, our paths just don't cross. But there she was again. Just like last summer.

If I leave on time so that I pass along the avenue at 8:45 a.m., it's pretty much a guarantee she'll be there. She walks with the wide, semi-shuffling gait of the elderly, and yet, she walks with purpose; marching along in her floral blouse and floppy hat.

As I sail past her on my morning commute, I look at her and wonder:

Where do you come from?

How far do you go?

When did you start walking?

Do you walk year-round?

I wonder if any of the other drivers notice her. Does she notice us? Do any of the 'regular' vehicles stand out to her, as she stands out to me?

I respect this routine she's established for herself. I admire her commitment. I have never been one to stick to a consistent physical activity routine. My physical activity is more sprinkled throughout my week, and often disguised as other activities (i.e. gardening). And especially when it comes to mornings, the only thing I'm intentional about is my coffee.

But there has always been something I've respected about these elderly--the mall walkers, the aquasizers, the summer strollers. Moving regularly in whatever way they can. Keeping their bodies and their brains active. I can only presume that they have realized that if they are still on this earth, they have a purpose, and it likely does not involve sitting around on a couch somewhere watching daytime TV.

So I raise my travel mug and nod to the lady in the floppy hat.

It's good to see you again this morning.

In Loco Parentis

Several years ago (how is it several already?), N&S took then-infant A with them to the Angelman Syndrome conference in Whistler, BC, leaving me in charge of P&S for five days. I had the help of other respite providers and grandparents, but I was the main provider during N&S's time away.

I learned a lot of things about myself as a care provider that week. Respite in it's overnight, more long-term form is qualitatively different than short shifts a couple times per week, or even the natural routines I participate in now when I visit for an Aunty Gina weekend.

This past week, the other 'aunty', C, and I hung out with P in Saskatoon, providing respite, while the rest of the family took a much-deserved holiday in Maui*. I was very excited to spend my holiday time with my niece in this capacity.

The week was such a delight in so many ways.

• I enjoyed knowing that I had become so comfortable and familiar with Saskatoon--my second-home-city--that I could navigate to many spots without the aid of Google Maps. And as N said, "you know a place is starting to feel like home when you're running errands in it."
• I loved sitting out in "the Oasis" that is their back yard, sipping my morning coffee on the deck swing, and listening to the fountain trickle down into the koi pond. Don't get me wrong, I love my own back yard to bits, but theirs is no ordinary back yard.
• I loved having uninterrupted time with P. S&A are a delight to my heart, but it sometimes means that P becomes relegated to the background of activities.
• The weather--for the most part--was gorgeous. It meant sunny strolls, outdoor swims and water slides, bubbles in the back yard paddling pool, and many a meal in the late afternoon sun. Summer bliss.
• P's laughter is contagious like nothing else.
• My partner in crime this week, C, is a close friend, but we often have differing schedules that limit the time we get to hang out in Edmonton. So it was great to have uninterrupted time with her, as well. Plus, we make a great caregiving team together.

The week has also been a powerful learning experience, yet again. Among the sunshiney bliss of summer activities with my favourite twelve-year-old, this week has:

• Affirmed the value of two-parent families. By this, I don't mean to say that single-parenting isn't valuable or doesn't work--I am not undermining that dynamic at all. Quite the opposite, actually. Raising children is quite the task. Several times, C and I talked in awe of how N does it on her own when S is out of town on business for up to a week at a time. Where's the other adult to talk to? To share the load? To share the giggles? To give you a break? To help keep a sense of humour and a level head on the days when the diaper explodes, the child has pulled your hair half a dozen times, is refusing breakfast, and two loads of laundry have been washed and dried, all before 9:30am?** Single parents--especially those of children with disabilities--are my new heroes. I'm sure I could have done this week on my own. But certainly not as well. And I wouldn't have really wanted to.
• Re-iterated the necessity of subsidized respite for parents of children with special needs. Between home care and respite, N&S had something like 90hrs of funded care per month for P when they lived in Alberta, where respite hours are based on need.*** In Saskatchewan, respite is based on income. Given the relative affluence afforded by S's job, the family does not qualify for funded respite hours. While I appreciate that this approach attempts to ensure that families who struggle financially can still receive the care they need for their child, I have also worked with enough families to know that just because you make more money does not mean you need less help; nor does it mean you have the ability to pay out of pocket for the full amount of help you actually need.
• Made me appreciate even more this time of being single. Somewhere in the last couple of years, I recognized that I really am at true peace with being single in a world where marriage-house-children is still the expected path for women in their pre and peri-thirties. Perhaps I will be single for another year, another decade, or the rest of my life. I am okay with any and all of that. I have enough trouble brushing my own teeth every day. Perhaps I don't need to be responsible for brushing someone else's.
• Given me pause to consider the honour of being trusted to care for a child in this capacity. There are only so many people in a parent's world who they would consider to care for their child for a week. I feel as if that circle of people is narrowed when the child has a disability. I know I am aunty. I know I am considered family. But that doesn't mean I am not humbled yet again that I was trusted with one of their most precious people.

P often involves a lot of physical work and intuitive guessing. Paired with the right person, the right activities, and a space to balance that activity with rest, it makes for a lovely week--one I would do again in a heart beat.

* For those of you whose spidey inclusion senses are tingling as you read that, please put your judgement away. This family's story means that leaving P in Saskatoon on this particular vacation was a more meaningfully inclusive decision for the whole family than taking her with.
** That was Day 5.
*** The term 'need' sometimes being assessed a bit too conservatively by individuals unable to step into parents' shoes, but by 'need' nevertheless...

Winter Settling In

It's that time of year again. Layers. Foggy glasses. Ice on my windshield. Three feet of snow lining the driveway. Dark when I leave for work, dark when I come home; not exactly sunny during the hours in between, either.

Oh, winter.

In glimpses here and there, I do see its beauty. Slow, fluffy flakes, gracefully twirling down to the earth. Frosted branches lining the River Valley. Pristine snow fields, and their sparkle on that rare, sunny day.

But I tell ya, on the whole, winter is not exactly inspiring. My drive to take pictures of its beauty are trumped by the cold. My desire to be active outdoors is as fleeting as the sunshine. While in the summer, I am bursting through the back door to get to my garden, my hammock, my bike--the winter sees me sprinting into the house after work to get to my PJs, my blanket, my TV.

(And while yes, snow blowing does come with some feeling of satisfaction, I must say, it's been eating up a significant amount of my free time, and I'm about done with it.)

One thing I have recognized this year, though... is that while my general cravings--sunshine, the outdoors, taking pictures--seem suppressed by the cold and dark of winter, I am far from entering into sloth. I have simply traded those things in for activities that--I think--are more reflective of the pace of winter. Hot baths. One really good book after another. Tea. Yes, I do take in more television--but I don't really watch trash. The shows I watch tend to be as riveting for me as a good book. Plus, I generally have a cat on my lap. Win.

It is a season of drawing in, rather than exploring.
A season of wrapping myself up rather than spreading myself out.
And that is okay, too.

SOTC 34/365

A patch of snow on the birch tree, a dollop of snow on the ground. It is a beautiful day for snowshoeing in the mountains.

Despite receiving a large dump of snow in Edmonton just a few days prior to my weekend retreat, there was no time to take advantage of it in the city.

And really--what better way to take in the first snowshoe of the season than through the birch and pine trees, with a backdrop of sunshine, blue sky, and the jaggedly majestic peaks of the Rockies?

Autumn Rich

It is five hours from Edmonton to Saskatoon, give or take pit stops. Generally, I stop once in the halfway point of Lloydminster to top up on gas, grab a sub sandwich for supper, and that is it. I have no time to waste--on the way there, I have love and cuteness waiting for me. On the way back, I want to have a few hours to chill before hitting the sack and starting the work week over again. I have never been one to waste time; and I sure as heck am not going to do so on a long, flat, prairie highway.

This drive was different.

It included a few extra stops. On purpose. And it was absolutely lovely.

I was grumbly leaving the city. I had decided to take a coworker home who would otherwise be at the mercy of public transit on a Friday afternoon. She lived right off the main freeway that I would be using to leave town; no big deal. However, in the ten extra minutes it took to drop her off, and stop off at the neighbouring library to quickly grab an audiobook (I had forgotten to load podcasts onto my phone), I hit rush hour, and was about half an hour behind by the time I got to the outskirts of E-town. Unimpressed.

Really, Lord? I do the unselfish thing, and You reward my efforts with traffic?

(Yes, I know it doesn't work quite like that, but in the moment...... and you know you've been there, too.)

I knew I wanted to make a brief extra pitstop for sunset pics, and I knew where I wanted to take those pics, and now I was going to be pushing it to get there in time. The sun drops fast, and I have learned time and time again that you can't chase a sunset.

There was construction in Lloyd and a line up at Subway, delaying my grab-and-go efforts. I just barely made it in time to the granary I had been planning for my pictures. I captured the granary in the warm orange sun, and then spied a country road leading right into the rich glow of the horizon. It afforded several pictures, including a few with a country truck puttering home from the fields. The sun dipped down a bit more, and the moment was over. I had been hoping to get a silhouette of the granary, but still--in the quiet of this rural community, I crossed the tracks back to my car, satisfied. The rush-rush feeling I'd had up to this point was gone, and I hadn't missed the colours.

Thank You.

On Sunday afternoon, I enjoyed a leisurely walk with my eldest niece along the trails lining the South Saskatchewan river. As I was taking in the fall colours--both in and out of the camera--I decided it would be nice to make a couple extra stops on the drive home and see what became of it.

Well, stops aside, the drive home was something else.

As I started west, flock after flock of birds made their way south overhead; rippling black lines of motion across the clear, blue sky. Something in the air had given these creatures the cue that this was the weekend to rise up from their lake homes and start the journey to a warm winter. But such a gentle sight.

I stopped in the Battlefords, at the top of a hill overlooking the valley. I've always driven past the turnoff, wondering what was down the road of this hill. Peace and loveliness; that's what.

Shrubs and grasses--a mix of green, yellow, brown, orange, red--speckled the hill all the way down to the valley where the North Saskatchewan River flows. The waters of this river are the same as those that passed by my own house in Edmonton just a day or two before, and it brings an odd feeling of connection.

The sun is warm. Close your eyes and you wouldn't actually know it's autumn--I should have worn flip flops today. I traipse down the trail a bit. It smells of late summer--crisping leaves and warm grass. The sound of traffic fades away fast, and all I hear are a few grasshoppers above the mild din of the hidden freeway. I snap a few pictures, but mostly I just want to stand and take it all in. It's so warm, and quiet, and lovely.

After breathing deep, and scanning the 180 degree view one more time, I make my way back to my car for the next leg of my prairie trip home.

By the time I pass Lloydminster, the sun has started an obvious descent over Alberta. There is a slight haze in the air--from experience, I know it's probably forest fire haze, though it doesn't smell like it yet. But through my sunglasses, it gives everything a warm, reddish hue as I drive. I have continued to watch flocks of birds moving south and west through the sky. In a rolling field to my right, I see two horses galloping swiftly along; in the dips of the hills, there are patches of fog settling.

I spy a small body of water and turn in--I need to be able to stand in the presence of all of this, pictures or not! As I move around the back of my car, I spy something in the water. A beaver, and I don't even think he's fully grown. I watch him a minute--his cute little face even looking in my direction--but as soon as I move to open the trunk, he swooshes down into the water--gone.

I focus on my sunset, watching three or four little beavers swimming lazily in the water as I move back and forth along the side of the road. It is significantly cooler now--a mere three hours later, and I almost need my jacket. The sun has disappeared behind the trees, and the sky has changed from yellow to orange to pink to purple in less than 15 minutes. I stand for a moment, and breathe deep again. It smells crisp and clear, and just a touch like dew.

When I am overwhelmed with God's rich glories, I find myself using the words 'humbled' and 'awash in awe' together.

Yup.

That would be this weekend; most especially my journey home. What had I been grumbling about on Friday? I have almost forgotten in all the blessing.

I return to my car and drive, wrapped in the peace and beauty of the Creator.

Amen.

288/365*

Statistically, Tuesday is the most productive work day of the week.

Let's see how this works out today.



* This photo has also been submitted to the aday.org photography project.

285/365

Oh, perfect Saturdays. I have spoken of you many a time on my blog. You are the perfect mix of introverted self time and activity with friends. You are usually sunny and warm, and you never start before 10am.* You are wonderful, and I love it when I am blessed with you.

Today was a perfect Saturday. And I don't think I've really had a perfect Saturday in the course of this photography project. There have been a few really great Saturdays (and even a couple of lazy Saturdays), but there's a subtle qualitative difference between a great Saturday and a perfect Saturday.

...to soil!

I thought my photo for today was going to be easy. The garden went in today: green beans, yellow beans, carrots, dill, lettuce, spinach, snap peas, pumpkin, and zucchini. I've already taken pictures of the seeds and the sprouts, and now they're going into the ground. How could that not be my blog photo for today?

But then, after the garden was done, CR and JM came over and we celebrated the warm sunshine with a bike ride through the River Valley. I didn't bring my camera, but CR did. And she took some lovely photos. My first bike ride of the season! How could that not be my blog photo for today?

And THEN, just when I think I've already got a tough decision to make, I find myself in my hammock. I've been in there a few times after work this week, but always for under ten minutes--just long enough to scrape up some of the last bit of sunshine that I missed while sitting in my office all day long. Today I spent over 45 minutes in the thing, reading a good book, and watching my cat try to navigate this new piece of furniture. My first real back yard hammock experience. How could that not be my blog photo for today?

So... I'm cheating (hey, it's my project, I can do that). Today, I have three photos. In their own way, they each represent life, blessing, relationship, warmth, happiness, goodness, peace, and love.

Yes, a perfect Saturday indeed.

* Okay, just once, but it was worth it.

195/365

A little bit of celebrating,

A little bit of adventure,

A lot of pizza.

A little bit of chocolate,

A little bit of cozy beverage,

A little bit of catching up.

A lot of yum.

A lot of fun.

Quiet and Contemplative AND 188/365

Our Theologizers group wanted a retreat weekend, where we could gather in friendship and fellowship outside of our bi-monthly Wednesday nights. To lay aside the intellectual book we were discussing, and just BE with each other in a more casual atmosphere. As a result, this entire weekend was spent at King's Fold Retreat Centre near Cochrane, Alberta. And we actually were on retreat.

Our agenda delineated the meal times of the centre, a sunrise chapel service Sunday morning, and that was all that was set in stone (or, more accurately, set in pixel--the agenda was e-mailed as a .PNG). S's remark after the staff had introduced us to the building was, "go do what you want."

And it was SO lovely. I'd say we couldn't have picked a better weekend, but really, we couldn't have been blessed with a better weekend. It got up to 12C (53F) on Saturday, and not a cloud in the sky! I spent the majority of my day outdoors. Right after breakfast, I took some pictures of the view, and then just sat and enjoyed it. The air was fresh, the sun was warm, the view was simultaneously majestic and peaceful.

Partway through the morning, I did venture over to the centre's solarium. It used to be a greenhouse outright, but was converted into a warm sunroom for people to take in the view from an indoor space. The solarium encourages quiet reflection, and artistic creation; there is an art centre set up at the back. I decided to try my hand at a different art medium than my familiar photography; watercolour. My mom has experimented with watercolour in the last several years; I figured perhaps I might have some natural skill in this more than the pencil crayons and pastels that were also available. I kept the art piece simple--the mantra, "stick with what you know" reigning over the piece. I know I love my reds. I know these mountains and its wilderness. And I know sunsets. All in all, I was impressed at my own skill for my first watercolour. I did try a smaller, second piece, but I don't like it as much. Still, I think that if I ever wanted to get into it, I'd probably do all right with watercolour.

After lunch, a group of us were enthusiastic about hiking down to the valley and walking along the shallow river. I had shed my winter clothing by this point, and found myself reflecting that this winter hike in February was warmer than a similar hike I'd taken with friends when backpacking one summer in August. Only in Alberta.

Upon return from the hike, there was still a significant chunk of time before supper. I walked the centre's labyrinth. I sat on the bench swing and read more of my new book. I took more pictures. I pet the cat.


Supper fed us well (every meal fed us well), and by that time, the sun had disappeared behind the mountain. I sat around the campfire until I started to feel cold for the first time that day, and then retreated back indoors to continue reading quietly until I was tired enough for sleep.

Retreat, indeed. :)

184/365

What I wanted to post was a photo of me and my friends at the movie theatre, because that was a great highlight for today. What I'm posting instead is me depositing the money that pays for said movie, mostly because cheques don't have double chins in photographs.

179/365

Layer up; it's snowshoe time!

172/365

About a year ago at this time, there was so much snow on the ground that when my friends and I snowshoed around the city's parks, we were flush with the tops of benches and large garbage cans. This year's precipitation levels have been the complete opposite. In some ways--particularly ways that involve a driveway and a shovel--I am grateful. That being said, I have missed the snowshoeing. As have my friends.

Currently, we are on Day 5 of a deep freeze stretch. But on day one of this stretch, it snowed. Enough to actually cover stuff. And enough to justify snowshoeing, -30C or not.

Sure, we could have tromped around the field in just our boots and actually been just fine. But that's not the point. It's half way through January in Alberta and we hadn't yet been able to break out the snowshoes. That's just not right. We were chomping at the bit.

We did pace ourselves, voting for a half-hour trek instead of our usual hour. It took us about half an hour just to get ourselves dressed and geared up. We are poorly out of routine. But now afterwards, as I rehydrate and have a bite to eat, I am awash in that endorphin-driven, post-outdoor-activity feeling of satisfaction.

Could it be that I actually find myself wishing it would snow a little more???

152/365

Evidence of fun well spent.

There Goes My Leap Year Bonus Day OR 131/365

Reading Into It OR 74/365

I captured myself reading again today. And then realized that I am starting to acquire several pictures of this activity. 20%--just 1/5--of the way through my year-long photo project, and I am already getting redundant.

It's true. I can be seen reading here, in the cool evening after a hot summer day (sadly, that book didn't end nearly as fantastically as the great writing led me to believe it would). I was also reading here (even though reading wasn't the activity I was capturing, per se). I always read here (I paused that book temporarily for another that came to the top of my holds list at the library--I should get back to it). Oh, and look, reading again here (that book was okay, but yet another with great descriptive writing and a relatively weak plot).

Of course, some of the reading I do is required (although generally, still interesting). But most of these photos have captured leisurely reading activity. As was the case tonight.

This image finds me working my way through The Little Prince. A quick read, to be sure. It's a children's story, after all. That being said, it was one of those books that--when recommended to me as a child--I tested a chapter or two of and then blatantly ignored for lack of interest. It will disappoint true literary enthusiasts that The Hobbit--and by association, the LOTR series--met the same fate (I actually made it about half way through The Hobbit before surrendering), as did the Narnia series (we were made to read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the second grade as a class, and I clearly remember having more fun drawing lines with my finger nails in the classroom carpet). While I have not returned to those two novels/series, and don't plan to, I found The Little Prince on the bookshelf in my spare room the other day, and thought I'd give it a go.

Clearly, I am too much like the grown-ups the narrator describes to appreciate The Little Prince and his journey properly.

Here's what I did get out of The Little Prince:

• Children and grown-ups see things differently, and appreciate things differently.
• Consider closely what you deem to be a "matter of consequence"; your perspective may be distorted.
• When you form a relationship with someone (i.e. when you tame or are tamed by something), they become separate from all the others like it. Unique to you while "just another" to everyone else.

Here's what I don't get:

• Why the little prince wanted to leave his little planet in the first place.
• What the sheep has to do with anything.
• Why the little prince let himself be tamed by an insecure, manipulative little flower. That's why he went back, isn't it? To the flower? A flower that can't even handle being wrong, such that the little prince is constantly watching what he says and how he acts around the her? Without any expectation that the flower might change her ways or that the prince might buck up enough to start holding his flower accountable to a bit of reality? How is that a healthy relationship?

Perhaps--as a grown-up--I'm reading too much into it.

Perhaps I will give it another go down the road. But I doubt it. The wholesome concepts I did pull from the book were pretty much ruined by the flower.

I don't particularly like the flower.

Have we established that?

Little prince, you disappointed me.

64/365

Today was really busy.*

* These are typical kitchen activities for me. Interesting (but not entirely surprising) how none actually involve food.

A Sunny Autumn Weekend AND 56/365

This was the temperature in Edmonton today:

(About 85F)

This is still considered uncharacteristic for Alberta in September, despite being the fourth year in a row that we have been graced with summer temperatures in autumn (ironically, we never hit 30C this summer...).

It's almost the best of both worlds. The amazing colours of fall, with the fantastic temperatures of summer. Now, if the sun wasn't already going to bed at 8pm...

You can bet I've been trying to take advantage of the warmth and sunshine while it's been around! These last few warm weekends have seen me working at the garden to get it ready for its winter sleep, traipsing through various parts of the city on photo walks with the Edmonton Photography Meet-Up group, soaking up the rays on walks with friends, and taking many a picture.

Yesterday I was down in Edmonton's River Valley doing a photo shoot for a family I am acquainted with. Admittedly, it was one of the tougher shoots I've done. I am appreciative of the warm sun and vibrant colours that softened the blow to my ego.

I took the afternoon for myself today. I pulled the camping chair out of the garage to the yard. The cats stretched out in patches of shade while I lounged in full sun. I enjoyed good ol' PB&J as I got started on my newest library book.

In the summer when I am reading outside, I generally take a glass of water with me and 3-4 small freezies. I consume all of them to keep cool while I am reading. Summer or not, today seemed like a freezie day to me.

I have to say, it feels much easier to start the descent into winter when autumn presents itself this way.