#IAmGrateful 26

Quiet Time

It's been a busy week. Fast-paced and full. I am over-peopled, and I have been looking forward to today.

It's a rare weekend with no guests, and I am grateful for the quiet of the house. I sleep in, laying in the softness of morning under my duvet until my stomach demands some breakfast. I don't even want to put on any music. It is a day for lounging around in sweatpants, an old hoodie, and thick, cozy socks; I am the epitome of fashion.

Tomorrow I return to the regular hum of the work week. But for now, I'm on my third cup of tea, and I think I may have found a new favourite author.

Curl In

Lights out
I roll onto my side
and
I hear her
softly pad her way
up the bed

already
I am lifting the blanket
and she slinks
under

Our nightly routine

She turns a half circle
settles against me
curling her shape
into my shape

I gently let the blanket
drop
enclosing her
in the warmth
and the hush
of night

When I wake up briefly
in the wee hours of the morning
I will notice that
she's settled elsewhere
on the bed

But as I shrug off
another long day,
seeking to greet sleep,
her gentle weight
and mild purr
help to anchor
and settle my soul

and I'd like to think
my heartbeat
does the same for her.

SOTC 160/365

Afternoon Nap (SOTC 157/365)

The pace of her summer has been reflective of the pace of mine:

Slow.
Soft.
Peaceful.

SOTC 52/365

Nothing like the first night's sleep on a brand new [pillow-top, pocket-coil] mattress.

My back is loving it already.

SOTC 19/365

The bedtime fairy has arrived.

331/365

Never underestimate the power of twenty minutes in a sunny hammock.

328/365

Falling into slumber...

WTF?! OR 322/365

So, I tried a low-light shot. Lying in bed, where the alpha waves of my brain start considering surrender to the beta waves. I took the shot five times, because I wasn't keeping the shutter open long enough the first two, and because I like at least a few options to choose from with my photos. This whole process was painful.

Never try to shoot yourself lying "asleep" in bed when it's actually time to be lying asleep in bed. Each shot took 5, then 6, then 8, 9, and 9 1/2 minutes. It was 11:45pm when I was all said and done, and by then, I tossed and turned a bit before finally falling asleep around 12:30. Good grief.

As I uploaded the last few days of photos just now, including this low-light bedtime shot, great confusion set in. The five photos are gone. You have got to be kidding me. I do remember deleting the three test shots that I took even before the five 'for-real's. But I didn't delete the real shots. I know I didn't delete the real shots. Especially the one with the cat in. It's hard to delete a photo by accident. I couldn't have deleted it. Did my camera glitch? ......Maybe I did delete it? All these ponderings running through my head. And then--what a waste of a half hour!!! Fumbling around, tired, with my camera in the dark, and I have nothing to even prove for it. It was not a masterpiece shot by any means--but it was what I wanted for the day.

Srsly.

Where's The File?!

Oops, I Did it Again OR 306/365

I had an 'off' kinda Saturday. I started my weekend Friday night with an awesome dinner and backyard campfire with a friend, rendering a bed time of roughly 2:30am. This would be all fine, except my body decided it wanted to be up at 9:30. When it didn't have to be. On a Saturday. So I puttered around slowly both indoors and out, tackling some chores and some gardening. I had "chill" music playing on the iPhone in my pocket, as I was not really in a physical or mental space to handle anything too upbeat in tempo. The overcast sky seemed to match the fuzzy space I was in.

Mid-afternoon, the clouds moved themselves over for the sun to shine through. In my stupor, I was getting ready to have a nap on the couch, but switched gears and dozed in the hammock instead. The sleep was light, but good. After an hour and a half, I wouldn't say I was fully re-energized, and it was quite hard to peel myself from the hammock, but I had given myself back the energy needed to chat with a friend I hadn't called in a while, and then mosey on down to Whyte Avenue to meet up with The Edmonton Shutterbugs for a photo walk.

Throughout the day, I hadn't bothered with my blog picture. I did take a couple after I woke up in the hammock, but the shadows were horrible and the photo not good enough to warrant the post-processing to deal with it. So I deleted them. And I had been telling myself all day that I would take a picture of myself on the photo walk.

It wasn't until I was in bed that night--around 12:30, now Sunday--that I suddenly realized, "crap, I have no photo."

Again.

So... here are some photos I DID take Saturday....

One of These Things is Not Like the Other...

Red, Brick, Lock

Skyline at Sunset

224/365

Daylight Savings Time adjustment always takes a couple days...

213/365

Sleep, come swiftly.

136/365

My favourite place to be as of late.

111/365

Equal opportunity laziness.

I love Saturdays :)

55/365

Had a few minutes before friends arrived for an autumn photo shoot. That sun feels so good.

22/365

Mmm... just five more minutes...

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Sleepiest of Times

In an earlier post, I made mention that my sleeping bag deserves its own blog post. It really does. At something like 35-years-old, it is one of the oldest blankets I own. It is one of a set of two that my parents had, and I'm pretty sure my brother currently has the other of the pair. There are a lot of memories associated with this sleeping bag. I remember snuggling in it at Brownie camp at the age of six; sleeping under the stars in it at Girl Guide camp at age ten; hauling it to many, many a-sleepover, a couple school camps, and to the summer I spent in Sorrento at 16; and then finally removing it from my parents' basement sometime in university and claiming it as my own for independent adult adventures.

The sleeping bag is olive green on one side, and... 70's-printed (for lack of a better description) on the other. I'm pretty sure it's reversible, although I have never opted to sleep with the printed side out. I don't think I--or anyone I was sharing a tent with--would sleep properly with a print that... loud. It's definitely not the most aesthetically attractive sleeping bag out there. It's as if it walked out of a 70's camping catalogue and straight into the 21st century without looking in the mirror.

My bunk at Sorrento Centre

I seemed to sense the sleeping bag's dated quality even when I was young. As a child, I was often envious of the shiny, slippery fabric and fun colours of my peers' sleeping bags, and--while I was small enough--I always, always pined for a mummy bag to snuggle down in (now that I'm an adult with a tendency to sleep like a starfish, I appreciate the extra inches of roll-around space that barrel bags provide). However, I knew that until my sleeping bag was worn right out, there was no way my parents were going to just up and buy a new one. And this thing had a lot of give. Then why did you take it instead of buying a new one when you had the first chance? you ask. Srsly? You had to ask that? Hello--free sleeping bag. I had other, more important camping gear to buy at the time. Like a tent. And as an adult, the sleeping bag became a conversation piece. Laugh at the cheeziness; marvel slightly at the retro factor.

Anyway, in the last four or five years, Olive's old age has finally revealed itself. While still physically in great shape--only one small tear on the loud side from its zipper--thermally, its ability to stand up to Alberta Rocky Mountain camping has declined. At first, I noticed I was just a bit chilly at night, often requiring an extra layer over my PJs. I chalked it up to being a girl with little self-produced body heat. Then last year, after two ridiculously cold camping experiences in which three layers plus a toque and mittens didn't even help, I decided I was done with Olive. 2010 would be the year of the new sleeping bag.

I did my research on the MEC website. I looked at the temperature ratings. I debated the synthetic vs. down. I briefly compared bag weights (important factor in backpacking trips). I even considered my colour options. In the end, I chose the MEC Mirage sleeping bag--a synthetic barrel sleeping bag with a -5C (23F) rating. And while each of MEC's sleeping bags only come in one colour, this one just happened to be red. It's like it was meant to be.

My new sleeping bag made its maiden camping trip was this past weekend. I went camping with N and her little ones in Jasper National Park. The temperature went down to about 10C (50F) at night, and while my cold experiences from years prior involved night temperatures of 1-5C (34-41F), I was nevertheless smiling in my sleep at how fantastic the experience was! The first night, I ended up taking off my hoodie, and the second night, I opted out of the camping socks as well. I never once woke up because I was cold (one of my coldest nights last summer had me shivering so badly I only slept for four hours, and they weren't consecutive).

Olive still came along on this trip. I can't bear to part with her quite yet. Given that we were sleeping on air mattresses, which tend to make for colder sleeps, the aging sleeping bag was opened up and spread out (loud side down) on the air mattress that N slept on with the kidlets.

I have a backpacking trip in a couple weeks that I am quite excited about. I am expecting the temperature to be colder at night, as we will be higher in the mountains at a later point in the summer. Still, it's comforting to know that I will be warm, and therefore able to sleep solidly through the night. Pleasant dreams!

The Day That Rocked!

I can't even describe how much today has rocked, but I'm sure as heck gonna try. From the moment I got up this morning, the day has just rolled out so nicely!

1. Apparently, I woke up at the exact right moment in my sleep cycle, because despite only six hours of sleep, I did not have to drag myself out of bed, and did not have the usual almost-Friday function inertia to deal with.

2. I think this was the first day since my new condo-for-sale-cleaning-regime that I got out the door on time!

3. Despite my uncharacteristic a.m. get-up-and-go, I still decided to play it safe and have my morning coffee. And why brew your own when Starbucks is offering free coffee to promote eco-friendly beverage holders? I have a beverage holder. I like free coffee.

3b. And I especially like their Pike Place blend. I couldn't actually tell you if it tastes superior to other blends. I don't drink any one coffee frequently enough to know one blend's taste intuitively. But it's called the "Pike Place" blend. It's a good coffee on the name alone! (and if you don't get why there's a warm fuzzy association, you need to follow up this post by reading here and then here).

4. Spent the morning with Cutie #1. Spent a good chunk of that time outside under the cloudless sky. While an April Alberta morning is still a bit 'crisp', the sun was warm through the clothing, and so refreshingly bright!

5. Drove to Cutie #2's house with the car window rolled down.

6. My otherwise usual lunch today was accented with fruit salad from JM. One thing we agree on is that fruit salad actually needs to be fruit salad. Not just honeydew and canteloupe chunks. In fact, no honeydew or canteloupe chunks. Grapes, apple, orange, mango, blackberries, and raspberries--that's what was in my fruit salad. And like I told JM, it was like summer time in my mouth!

7. Spent the afternoon with Cutie #2. Also spent a good chunk of that time outside under the [still] cloudless sky. Except even better cuz now it was warm enough that I didn't need the hoodie.

8. Played in awe as Cutie #2 conquered new things and showed off new skills!

9. Drove home with the car window rolled down.

10. Sat on the deck for 45 minutes enjoying still more sunshine and a good book.

11. Ate supper that I didn't have to make myself.

12. Drove (still with the window down) to the River Valley for my first ever Edmonton Outdoor Club (EOC) event. I scaled Glenora Stairs (202 stairs from the bottom of the valley to the top) 4 1/2 times, followed by a 90-minute walk along the trails in the setting sun. Flexed my social self in a new setting (this might come back to bite me later). Educated people about special needs. And, as one lady pointed out to me, was not huffing and puffing by the end of it.

13. Came home. Treated my well-worked legs and feet to a hot bath before settling on the couch for CSI.

I have now reached bed time. It is cozy there among the pillows, blankets, and felines. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Spring Break Day 1

Today is the first official day of Spring Break for me, and if it continues along in the manner it has today, that will be A-okay!

I woke up after 9 1/2 hours of sleep, two cats purring and nestled on either side of me. This is not entirely unusual for a Saturday morning whenever I can help it, but a great way to start the day nevertheless.

Puttering around my condo, I got a phone call from my almost-two-year-old-nephew. He has just recently learned how to say my name, and I just LOVE it when kids learn how to say my name! The conversation was, simply, "Hi, Gina!" (and a very brief re-cap of his favourite movie, the Grinch, which he tells me every time I see him); it melted my heart!

Speaking of melting, after a week of cloudy and flurry-ish weather, the sun finally made a re-appearance today. With the thermometer reading 15C (60F), I put on my sneakers and iPod and headed outside. I had originally just planned to do my usual River Valley Loop, but once I got down into the River Valley, I just kept going. Instead, I did a 2 1/2 hour loop of North and South shore River Valley Trails. It was fantastic.

Upon return home, I was suddenly starving, so quickly got on the task of supper. But after that, I pretty much got comfy on the couch with various laptop tasks, and haven't done much else. Sounds lame, remember, this is the introvert on Spring Break. A quiet evening is not always a bad thing!

Earth Hour was this evening, and this is the first year I've been able to actively participate. In 2008 I was in the Hancock Tower of Chicago, which did Earth Hour within the building, but I was sadly disappointed in all the lights on in other buildings as I viewed the Chicago urban area from above. Last year... I can't remember, but I was somewhere where it wasn't an option. So I remedied that this year by illuminating my living room with a variety of candles, and it just helped to add the calm, relaxing ambience I have been taking in all day. Earth Hour ended half an hour ago, and I still haven't turned on the lights!

Fourteen Hours

That's how long it takes to drive from Edmonton, AB, to Seattle, WA. It includes 4-5 brief stops along the way for gas, food, and pee breaks. It assumes the roads are in good condition (which they were), and it assumes no major traffic issues (of which there were none). It does not (and cannot), however, presume anything on a qualitative level.

The sun was on the rise as JM and I took to the highway. While I could probably be swayed to do a through-the-night road trip again if the circumstances necessitated it, it felt almost like a treat to be able to do most of the drive during daylight. We watched the vast white Alberta farm fields and snow-capped Rockies disappear into interior British Columbia desert. And then we watched that disappear into the lush, green coastal state of Washington. We stepped out of winter and into a reprieve of spring.

Fourteen hours allows for a lot. First there was the Creepy Green Jetta. We passed him between Edmonton and Jasper. He was elderly, with a flamingo pink shirt hanging in the back window. And when we passed, he gave us a slow, creepy, wiggly-fingers wave. We shuddered a quick "ew" and continued on. We topped up in Jasper, grabbed lunch, and got back on the road. Within an hour we were on the BC stretch of the trip. Early in, mind you, I noticed an oddly familiar-looking car. "Is that that green Jetta?" I asked. Sure enough, as we passed, we were given another slow, creepy, wiggly-fingers wave by the elderly man we had seen before. Did he wave to everyone who passed him like that? Or were we 'special'? Fortunately, we kept ahead of him after that.

Then there was the devil himself. AKA U-Haul. There was a curiously high ratio of U-Haul trucks and trailers on the highways between Edmonton and Seattle, I thought. Every time we passed one, I was forced to mutter "spawn of Satan" under my breath, but was simultaneously impressed that they were actually moving, and not broken down at the side of the road. I'm not bitter, by the way. At one point... we had made a pit stop in Hope, and while you can get back on the Northbound highway from the exit we took, you can apparently NOT get back on the Southbound highway, which is what we wanted. So we backtracked a bit, until I could exit off on a secondary highway. From there I noticed a small roadside turnout. JM alluded to just pulling a full U-turn from the road and not bothering with the turnout, but I was bent on getting my car back in the right direction as conservatively as possible, apparently. All around the roadside turnout were trees, so it was not until I was actually in the turnout that I noticed the abandoned U-Haul trailer sitting there. I gasped. From beside me in the dark, I heard, "I told you not to turn here."

...You can explore a lot conversationally in fourteen hours. The lyrics in music; the plot lines of favoured TV shows; the circumstances of life, friends, and work; the character of God. Customs officers, apparently, don't realize this. We pulled through the border at Sumas (always cross at Sumas--skip the Peace Arch), and were asked the standard questions. Then she got into the seemingly random and unusual questions. Which we were fine providing answers for. But near the end of her inquisition, she asked--with a slightly incredulous tone--"you drove twelve hours just for the weekend?" Um, yes, actually. And we still have two to go. And not only that, we've done it before. AND, I know of others who have driven longer for the same amount of vacation time. How rare did she think this kind of thing was? Seriously.

We arrived at the hotel in Bellevue NOT exhausted, and with time enough to spare before bed to check out the hot tub. I could have spent 14 hours there, too. But alas, Bellevue and Seattle were waiting.