Friday’s Fave Five - February 13

Having recovered from the travel trauma (with a titch of crankiness along the way), it seems good to look back at the past week, that whizzed by in a blur since I arrived home in the wee hours on Monday, with a Friday’s Fave Five post focusing on sparks of joy and gratitude.

A short prairie drive. We headed to the grocery store one afternoon so I could get some things in preparation for making meals for the freezer. Hubby, knowing the stress I’ve felt, chose a circuitous route to give me what we call “my prairie fix.” It was just what I needed.

Leftover birthday cheesecake. I had a birthday at the end of January and tucked the remainder of my birthday cheesecake in the freezer. We enjoyed a slice each one evening this week. 

A good night’s sleep. Seriously. Is there anything better? 

Zoom. I meet with four other women via Zoom every Thursday for a time of Examen in which we reflect on the past week. I’m grateful for each one and the wisdom they impart and for the technology that allows us to do gather.

A good book. When I was away, my girls and I spent a pleasant hour or so browsing in the bookstore. I found this one, and devoured it. It’s my favourite read in a good long while.

That’s it for today! I’m off to read about your fave fives now.

Thursday Thirteen - February 12

Okay, I'll play. Linking up with Thursday Thirteen where we make a list of thirteen things of our choosing. 

What's on my mind these days is harm done by spending too much time online, either reading the news or doom scrolling (I'm speaking about myself, personally. We all have different thresholds.) 

Here's a list of thirteen things I could be doing offline instead.

1. Reading a book. I'm currently enjoying this one:

2. Writing in my journal.

3. Crafting a poem. I enjoy the dance with words. Here's something I wrote last fall (and a photo to accommpany it.)

Car Ride

He proposes a picnic

on the pretense of one last drive in the Model A

before putting it in the garage for winter.

I boil eggs (the idea birthed, in part,

because we have an abundance;

I brought home a dozen; he outdid me with a flat)

and make sandwiches

with Miracle Whip on white bread,

wrap, and put them in the fridge.

At lunchtime, he suggests an alternative:

lunch and a chess game at the dining table,

followed by a drive in the Ford.

It’s late-season, and the car has no heat.

It’s a reasonable compromise. At the appointed hour, 

I pull a black felt cloche hat onto my head,

and (the 1931 car, inviting manners of the era)

wait for him to open the passenger-side door

so I can climb in. He takes us for a 

bumpy ride

on a prairie road.

Shifting 

and smiling

the entire time.

4. Going for a walk. (When it's a bit warmer. I'm fussy that way.)

5. Just sitting and pondering. Best done on the back deck in the sunshine, but certainly dooable in the wing chair in my office—or anywhere, really.

6. Making a list for what I need to make meals for the freezer. This is something I've been intending to do for a while.

7. Making those meals. This too. 

8. Tidying up my downstairs art area. That's a task that's long overdue and definitely needed. No photo shown. Ha ha!

9. Planning this year's garden and, soon, starting seeds. I'm starting to get the itch, but it's still early. All gardeners know, though, that it begins in the winter with the planning and dreaming.

10.  Cleaning out a closet. There's always a closet in need of sorting and tidying.

11. Painting with watercolour. I had fun doing this one recently.

12. Dusting. (Ugh). Or not.

13. Writing a blog post! I'll pop online for a couple of minutes to post this and maybe pop around the blog-o-sphere to visit some of you. Visiting blogs is usually a positive way to spend a few minutes in the middle of the day—so thank you!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - February 11

Delighted to link up with Jackie at From This Side of the Pond for another edition of Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. What's something recent that had you 'tickled pink'? 

I took my 17-year-old granddaughter out for some “Grandma and Makiya” time when I was in Kamloops, and was delighted when she said she feels like no time has passed at all whenever we get together. The two of us have always had a special connection, and now that we live farther away from one another, it warms my heart that we fall so easily into sync when we get together.

2. A bed of roses, everything's coming up roses, every rose has it's thorn, stop and smell the roses, rose-colored glasses, a rose among thorns...which rosy expression might currently be applied to your life in some way? 

“The bloom is off the rose” in terms of traveling anywhere anytime soon. (See yesterday’s post.)

3. What makes you feel loved and appreciated? 

Good conversation. Being heard.

4. A box of chocolates or a bouquet of fresh flowers-what's your pleasure? Any special plans for Valentine's Day? 

I’m a curmudgeon when it comes to Valentine’s Day, so neither, and we have no special plans. I always appreciate a bunch of fresh flowers when hubby brings them home out of the blue, though. 

5. Share a favourite quote, scripture, or song lyric relating to love. 

“Love is a verb. Love – the feeling – is the fruit of love the verb or our loving actions.” ~ Stephen R. Covey

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I searched in my Google Photos for “heart” to find images for this post. It was fun to look back at memories and my photography. Also remembered that I wrote a book with the word in the title! Two Hearts: An Adoptee’s Journey Through Grief to Gratitude.

I’m rebooting this blog that I left for parts known and unknown in 2010 when I combined three blogs into one on my website. I look forward to reconnecting here and making new connections. You can also find me on my website and Substack.

Travel Woes

I arrived home in the wee hours of Monday morning after another long and unpredictable travel day. At this point, I’m beyond done with traveling. 

My flight out of Kamloops on Sunday was delayed for eight hours, initially because of early morning fog preventing an incoming flight from landing, setting dominoes of flight mayhem into motion. 

My connecting flight in Calgary was rescheduled, of course, and the gate moved to the farthest possible location near the international terminal. I was a walking zombie by the time i got there.

Finally arrived in Regina at almost 2 a.m. yesterday, after a flight with turbulence like I’ve never experienced in all my years of flying. 

Gerry’s alarm didn’t go off so, I had to wait for about 45 minutes him to pick me up (as he was coming from the city where we live). 

While I waited, I filed a missing luggage report.

Finally made it home and to bed around 3:30 a.m., which is pretty darn close to the time I usually get up in the morning. 

Needless to say, yesterday was a wash. 

Oh, and while I was eating a sandwich yesterday afternoon, one of my veneers came off. 

I’ve got an early appointment with the dentist this morning, and received notification that my luggage has been found and is with a courier for delivery.

I feel as if I need a vacation after my little vacation, but there’s no way I’m going anywhere anytime soon!

I enjoyed a lovely few days with daughter and granddaughter, which made the travel woes worth all the trouble. Mostly. 😉

I’m rebooting this blog that I left for parts known and unknown in 2010 when I combined three blogs into one on my website. I look forward to reconnecting here and making new connections. You.can also find me on my website and Substack.

Friday’s Fave Five - February 6, 2026

It’s been a while since I participated in Friday’s Fave Five, and I appreciate the opportunity to pick up a habit that helps maintain a focus on gratitude and good things. 

Fresh flowers. I got out of the habit of keeping fresh flowers on the dining table, in part, because our chess board claimed the centre spot since we play most days. It’s not a big deal to put the board away and set it up at lunchtime when we usually play, so it’s been banished in favour of a vase of flowers. This week, it’s tulips. 

February 4, 2025

February 4, 2026

The weather. Things looked a little different around here last year at this time when we were in the middle of, what seemed like, a neverending winter. Today, there's barely any snow in our front yard and the temperatures are above freezing. Not sure what the lack of precipitation will mean for the farmers this year, but, at this point, I'm not complaining.

Family, and a trip away. I arrived in Kamloops late (so, so, very late) yesterday to visit our daughter and granddaughter for a few days. What a joy. I’m staying in a hotel, as they don’t have room for an overnight guest at this time, so it’s also a bit of a retreat time for me. Double the blessing. I’m sure the events of the next few days will make it onto next weeks fave five list. 😊 (The trip itself with a late first flight, resulting in a missed connection, and 10 1/2 hour layover in Calgary was something of a nightmare, but all’s well that ends well.)

A good night’s sleep. Call it seasonal depression, an overactive mind, or succumbing to the stresses of life, I’ve spent too many nights laying awake with my mind racing lately. I think I’ve turned the corner, at least I enjoyed sleeping through the night enough times this week that it’s no longer a surprise when I wake up in the morning.

DIY skincare. I’ve used a face moisturizing product I order from the U.S. for quite some time. It lasts a long time—I purchased the container of product that’s about to run out in April 2024. It’s 100% natural, but expensive and not available to purchase in Canada (and we’re all about spending our money at home these days). Shipping and the exchange rate would add to the cost, too. I did some investigating and found I can make something with most of the same ingredients (shea butter, beeswax, jojoba oil, vitamin E oil) for a fraction of what I would pay for this product. I made a batch, and think it’ll do the trick!

I’m rebooting this blog that I left for parts known and unknown in 2010 when I combined three blogs into one on my website. I look forward to reconnecting here and making new connections. You.can also find me on my website and Substack.