It's 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 10. I've spent the past two days cleaning due to a woman from Home Depot who is coming on Monday to measure our front picture window for blinds. Not that the house is actually that "dirty". It's more cluttered than dirty but still it takes a while to do because I have to figure out where to put all the clutter and the worst apart about it is that my husband doesn't even seem to notice it.
I was running late on Friday for my hair appointment. I had gone grocery shopping and had just gotten home at 3:10. I still needed to put the groceries away and have something to eat for lunch AND my appointment was scheduled for 3:30! YIKES!
So, I quickly made a green smoothie figuring I could take it with me if necessary and put away the stuff that had to be refrigerated and left the rest in grocery bags at the end of the counter. I didn't leave a message for my husband to put them away when he got home but I kind of assumed he just would. I mean they were right there in plain sight so I shouldn't have had to ask him.
But of course when I got home, they were still on the floor and he had gone to bed (I had dinner at my dad's before I came home). So I asked him about it the next day and he said he didn't see them. Seriously? Very frustrating and maybe partly what's contributing to my anxiety this weekend.
Because I don't know what else could be making me feel anxious but I am.
It was my first week back at work full-time since last August and by Tuesday, I was ready for retirement. LOL! But the weather warmed up and the sun came out on Wednesday so those put me in a better mood and then the forecast said it was supposed to get milder over the next few days so I asked my boss for the week for Thursday afternoon off (I had already booked Friday off as a vacation day back in December as I figured I'd be ready for a day off by then.) and all day Monday, too. So, the fact that I was going to have a 4 and a half day weekend considerably cheered me up especially since my plan was to go for a hike on Thursday afternoon, Friday morning and Saturday morning.
When I left work on Thursday at noon, it was sunny and 43F so I was psyched for my hike. Hiking has become my new passion. It, listening to music and getting high are the three things that work best for me to relieve stress.
Anyhow, I came home and changed into my hiking clothes, grabbed my hiking stick and set out (Our property backs onto conservation lands so that's where I normally hike and if I do the entire loop, it takes me about 75 minutes.)
Within a minute of getting on the trail, I knew that I wasn't going to be burning any major calories as the trail was slick with ice with frozen ruts/grooves intermittently. It took me 45 minutes just to get to the cut-off back up to the path home when it would usually take me 20 minutes.
When I got home, I decided I was going to go to the outdoor store in town and find some of those crampon devices for my boots. I didn't want to not be able to hike all winter!
The place was pretty busy but I finally got the attention of one of the employees who I told my sorry tale to and he helped me find the best crampons for my needs. He said that they were excellent on snow and ice but that if I needed to walk on dry pavement a little bit, they wouldn't be uncomfortable, which I was appreciative of (I had bought a pair a few years ago and I never use them because they definitely were uncomfortable on pavement.).
Well, Friday morning, I attached them to my hiking boots and set out. Within minutes of being on the trail, the difference between the previous day and then was immediately apparent! They were AWESOME! I felt like I was just hiking on a regular dirt trail. There was no slipping around at all. Of course, the rutted areas were still hard to get through but overall, the hike was the best one I've had since Boxing Day. I did the complete loop and got a good workout in, too.
After my hike, I went grocery shopping, then my hair appointment, then dinner at my dad's and then home.
I was planning a walk with my sister who is visiting from Quebec on Sunday since Saturday was supposed to be rainy but when I got up, it wasn't raining so I called my sister to see if she wanted to go then instead and she did.
We didn't take the trails because even though I had this wonderful new tool for my hiking boots, my sister didn't so we just went for a 4K walk along a hilly road near my house and we had a nice visit (her son goes to university near here so that's why she was visiting and she also wanted to see my dad who had had a bad year last year). It's the only time I'm seeing her this weekend so I'm glad we got some time together.
We discussed whether I would come and visit her this year sometime as I didn't go last year because our whole family booked a cottage for a week in August in order to celebrate my dad's 85th birthday with him so we figured that was enough visiting for the year and then I was off on stress leave so it's probably good, I didn't go.
I usually go in September. They have a cottage about an hour north of Montreal that we go to and there's a Nordic spa near it that she and I always go to. I really love that spa. It's all hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms and cold pools (except I don't do the cold pools -- they're just too cold for me; I much prefer a cold shower, which is beside the sauna) and when using the spa, they have a no talking/no noise rule so it's actually pretty peaceful and it's all outdoors so it's pretty, too especially in the fall when the leaves are changing colours.
Anyhow, that was our walk. After that, I spent the rest of the day cleaning/decluttering.
Today, my sister from London, Ontario was maybe going to come and walk with me (her daughter is at the university in town, too) after spending the weekend with her daughter but the weather took a turn for the worst with a sharp temperature drop plus snow and gusting winds so she's heading home instead. It's too bad, I was kind of looking forward to seeing her. I consider her to be one of my best friends as she knows the most about me including the fact, I like getting high.
So since she wasn't coming, I did an hour of strength-training instead and then made a pot of Broccoli and Cheddar Soup for my lunches this week plus did some more cleaning. The place is looking better but my knees were starting to ache so I put dinner together and it's roasting in the oven now. I made Roast Pork with a Maple-Mustard marinade and added turnips, potatoes and the broccoli stalks to the pan to roast, too.
I have tomorrow off and am planning on finishing the cleaning/decluttering before the lady from Home Depot shows up at 2 and then it's back to work on Tuesday.
I'm planning on asking for next Monday off, too as my husband and I are taking care of his mum next Sunday and I'm always exhausted afterwards as she has Alzheimer's but my husband's sister needs a break (that's where my mother-in-law is currently living until a spot opens up at a nursing home).
I was running late on Friday for my hair appointment. I had gone grocery shopping and had just gotten home at 3:10. I still needed to put the groceries away and have something to eat for lunch AND my appointment was scheduled for 3:30! YIKES!
So, I quickly made a green smoothie figuring I could take it with me if necessary and put away the stuff that had to be refrigerated and left the rest in grocery bags at the end of the counter. I didn't leave a message for my husband to put them away when he got home but I kind of assumed he just would. I mean they were right there in plain sight so I shouldn't have had to ask him.
But of course when I got home, they were still on the floor and he had gone to bed (I had dinner at my dad's before I came home). So I asked him about it the next day and he said he didn't see them. Seriously? Very frustrating and maybe partly what's contributing to my anxiety this weekend.
Because I don't know what else could be making me feel anxious but I am.
It was my first week back at work full-time since last August and by Tuesday, I was ready for retirement. LOL! But the weather warmed up and the sun came out on Wednesday so those put me in a better mood and then the forecast said it was supposed to get milder over the next few days so I asked my boss for the week for Thursday afternoon off (I had already booked Friday off as a vacation day back in December as I figured I'd be ready for a day off by then.) and all day Monday, too. So, the fact that I was going to have a 4 and a half day weekend considerably cheered me up especially since my plan was to go for a hike on Thursday afternoon, Friday morning and Saturday morning.
When I left work on Thursday at noon, it was sunny and 43F so I was psyched for my hike. Hiking has become my new passion. It, listening to music and getting high are the three things that work best for me to relieve stress.
Anyhow, I came home and changed into my hiking clothes, grabbed my hiking stick and set out (Our property backs onto conservation lands so that's where I normally hike and if I do the entire loop, it takes me about 75 minutes.)
Within a minute of getting on the trail, I knew that I wasn't going to be burning any major calories as the trail was slick with ice with frozen ruts/grooves intermittently. It took me 45 minutes just to get to the cut-off back up to the path home when it would usually take me 20 minutes.
When I got home, I decided I was going to go to the outdoor store in town and find some of those crampon devices for my boots. I didn't want to not be able to hike all winter!
The place was pretty busy but I finally got the attention of one of the employees who I told my sorry tale to and he helped me find the best crampons for my needs. He said that they were excellent on snow and ice but that if I needed to walk on dry pavement a little bit, they wouldn't be uncomfortable, which I was appreciative of (I had bought a pair a few years ago and I never use them because they definitely were uncomfortable on pavement.).
Well, Friday morning, I attached them to my hiking boots and set out. Within minutes of being on the trail, the difference between the previous day and then was immediately apparent! They were AWESOME! I felt like I was just hiking on a regular dirt trail. There was no slipping around at all. Of course, the rutted areas were still hard to get through but overall, the hike was the best one I've had since Boxing Day. I did the complete loop and got a good workout in, too.
After my hike, I went grocery shopping, then my hair appointment, then dinner at my dad's and then home.
I was planning a walk with my sister who is visiting from Quebec on Sunday since Saturday was supposed to be rainy but when I got up, it wasn't raining so I called my sister to see if she wanted to go then instead and she did.
We didn't take the trails because even though I had this wonderful new tool for my hiking boots, my sister didn't so we just went for a 4K walk along a hilly road near my house and we had a nice visit (her son goes to university near here so that's why she was visiting and she also wanted to see my dad who had had a bad year last year). It's the only time I'm seeing her this weekend so I'm glad we got some time together.
We discussed whether I would come and visit her this year sometime as I didn't go last year because our whole family booked a cottage for a week in August in order to celebrate my dad's 85th birthday with him so we figured that was enough visiting for the year and then I was off on stress leave so it's probably good, I didn't go.
I usually go in September. They have a cottage about an hour north of Montreal that we go to and there's a Nordic spa near it that she and I always go to. I really love that spa. It's all hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms and cold pools (except I don't do the cold pools -- they're just too cold for me; I much prefer a cold shower, which is beside the sauna) and when using the spa, they have a no talking/no noise rule so it's actually pretty peaceful and it's all outdoors so it's pretty, too especially in the fall when the leaves are changing colours.
Anyhow, that was our walk. After that, I spent the rest of the day cleaning/decluttering.
Today, my sister from London, Ontario was maybe going to come and walk with me (her daughter is at the university in town, too) after spending the weekend with her daughter but the weather took a turn for the worst with a sharp temperature drop plus snow and gusting winds so she's heading home instead. It's too bad, I was kind of looking forward to seeing her. I consider her to be one of my best friends as she knows the most about me including the fact, I like getting high.
So since she wasn't coming, I did an hour of strength-training instead and then made a pot of Broccoli and Cheddar Soup for my lunches this week plus did some more cleaning. The place is looking better but my knees were starting to ache so I put dinner together and it's roasting in the oven now. I made Roast Pork with a Maple-Mustard marinade and added turnips, potatoes and the broccoli stalks to the pan to roast, too.
I have tomorrow off and am planning on finishing the cleaning/decluttering before the lady from Home Depot shows up at 2 and then it's back to work on Tuesday.
I'm planning on asking for next Monday off, too as my husband and I are taking care of his mum next Sunday and I'm always exhausted afterwards as she has Alzheimer's but my husband's sister needs a break (that's where my mother-in-law is currently living until a spot opens up at a nursing home).
