Every Day is a Good Day

unday began with good news. Sheba made it through the night without pooping in the house. Oh, doggers! She woke me at 23:30 to let her out, bless her, and her success for the rest of the night suggests to me that her gut is settling down. Now, I await the healing of her foot, but there is progress there. It is slow, but it is there.

It remains cool. It was eight degrees this morning, so I lit a morning fire to heat up the house, and then I got busy with watering the gardens. There’s going to be a lot of watering this season because the ground is desert dry. It feels good to feed the plants. It takes a lot of time, but it’s very rewarding, and when I was done, I got all the remaining new plants into the ground. I was chuffed to get all that planting done, and I am gobsmacked by how beautiful Pinecone Park is looking.

Midday, Sheba and I went to Stacey’s to see what she’s done with her garden and to see her new deck. Her daughter is getting married there this Summer, so she wants her place to shine. Bryce was there with his spectacular dog, a Leonberger, whom I love. Then, after a good look around, we all went to Silva Bay for lunch at the food truck there. Eating at the food truck is one of the best things about Summer here for me. I love going there on Sundays. There’s music being played, there are artists selling their wares or foodstuffs, and there are kids playing. There are lots of picnic tables and umbrellas too, so it’s a lovely place for lunch.

When we came home, I had a siesta in the sunshine. Sheba needed a rest as well. She walked well today; she barely limped. One more bandage change and she should be good to go. Next up for me was a spa. It was a lovely warm afternoon in the sunshine, and our fire ban is on, so we hear no gas-driven machinery (like chain saws). All I hear is bird song.

At 16:00, I was done. It was My Day, so I needed no excuse to hit the chaise and vegetate in front of the TV. I fed the brood and made myself a huge salad and got comfortable on my favourite piece of furniture and then I spent two days (I never exaggerate) looking for a movie to watch. 

Some days, even though I do little work, I feel exhausted by the end of the day. Yesterday was like that. At 17:00, I was already looking forward to bed. However, I felt good about my day. All the plants were well fed, I had a great visit with Stacey and Bryce, and I got all the plants into the ground. I earned my night of leisure and an early night to bed.

I was so tired last night, I went to bed at 20:30! And the next thing I knew it was 12:15 and Sheba was waking me up to go out. I’ve been feeding her pumpkin pureé which is supposed to be good for curing diarrhea. She’s had it for too long. I fear she needs to go to the vet. I’ll see how things go today.

There’ll be garden work today, and maybe some SPACE work. There’ll most definitely be spa time and some sun napping. There’s still no rain at all in the forecast. It’s truly frightening, but soon we’ll be in June which has often been a wet month. Our forests in BC are going to burn badly this year I fear.

Sheba Still in Recovery

Yesterday morning at 8:30, I went out for my morning spa. The moment I step into the hot water, I am stilled. Every time, it’s the same. My eyes close and I freeze, savouring every moment of the heat, letting every nerve feel it and it fills me with immobility and joy. All I hear is the trickling of the water in the fountain, birdsong and the sound of wind in the trees. It’s an all-natural and soothing soundscape.

The Mexican Mock Orange that blooms beside the spa, and the gentle fragrance of wisps of wood smoke from my chimney increase the sensuality of my soak. Hummingbirds roar by, bees buzz as they feed on the Mock Orange blossoms, and all these sensory messages trigger memories, all of them pleasant ones. It’s such a lovely way to begin my day.

Once dressed, I took Sheba to the 707 Park to see if she would walk. She wouldn’t. So, I thought I’d try taking her to Rollo Park where we walk on soft grass and not sharp stones of the trails. The air felt wonderfully fresh and cool against my skin, and the sun was warm on my skin. She’d had another ‘accident’ in the house Friday night, but both her diarrhea and her foot seem slightly better. 

When we got back to the house, I puttered around the house until it was time to feed the brood and then leave them together in the house while I went off to meet Sandi, and she and I went to lunch at The Surf. It was lovely to sit in the restaurant overlooking the sea as we had lunch. It was cool outside, so we ate indoors, and then I came home to walk Sheba for a second time at Rollo Park.

Then it was time for me to start watering the beds when we came home. The fruit trees were wilting, as were many of the edible plants, so I got the essentials watered. I’ll finish all the other beds this morning. Then, at noon, I go to Stacey’s and we go to the Fire Truck. It’s a food truck run by our best local restaurant and it’s situated in Silva Bay Park on the seaside.

Life is good!

SPACE Work

I spent four hours on the media list for SPACE doing only CBC radio contacts across the provinces and in Yukon and Nunavut yesterday. I added over 50 contacts, all of them relevant to SPACE initiatives. It’s tedious but important work, and I’m chuffed to be providing such a valuable service to SPACE. (This is unpaid work; my paid work is for our project on accessing social service providers.)

Our morning walk, a very short one, was uplifting. It was great to see Her Highness wanting to walk and with a quick gait. She looked far healthier, but she is limping, so when we got home, I cleaned her wound and changed her bandage. I had been quite worried about her, probably because Jake was just put down and because she was so lethargic. But I saw recovery.

Once my SPACE work was done, Her Highness and I went for another short walk together, and then it was time for a spa before dining and watching a movie. I earned my time on the chaise last night. I’m very proud of what I’m doing for SPACE. I’m keen to get back at it and finish up the base document with television targets.

Today has dawned quite bright. There is lots of blue sky and it’s clear that there was a decent shower last night. However, that said, my rain collection barrels remain at their same very low level. I’ll likely try to finish my SPACE media release list today, I will try to get more plants into their homes, and I hope to have a nap in dappled sunshine.

This morning is our first Farmers’ Market for 2026. It’ll be crowded as stink, so I am not planning on going. Instead, I’m having lunch today with Sandi, my lovely gardener and neighbour friend.

SPACE Time

Yesterday was mostly about SPACE. I did hours of work building a media list for our organization. It’s tedious work, but the weather is inspiring me to spend the day indoors. It’s dark, windy and ten degrees and we’re supposed to get some showers today, so I’ll do more work on our list today.

Yesterday, I got some plants into the ground, and I expanded the fence around the Apple tree. I was busy all day, either at the keyboard or puttering around in the garden. The nicest part of my day was my morning spa. It’s chilly in the house in the mornings, and when I am typing, I can feel the cold in my hands. That’s when I want to get into the spa and get toasty warm.

Sheba and I did no walking yesterday. I discovered a large wound on one of her paws, so I cleaned it and administered some salve and bound it. Through the day, I had to keep letting her out because she is sick as well. She’s lethargic and she has diarrhea. We had an accident in the house last night, so my morning began with cleaning a rug and the floor. Poor baby!

Last evening we had a brief shower. I’m desperately hoping we get some real rain showers today. I’m grateful for this break in the weather. It makes me want to stay indoors and that means I’ll get a lot of work done for SPACE. There’s a lot on my plate. I’ll release some of that pressure by knocking one big chore off my list of things to do.

I made two phone calls without using the referral service. I called the pharmacy and my bank. Yes, it was challenging to speak, but the remarkable thing from my perspective was that I felt I could do it, and I did it, and that’s a significant achievement considering how much trouble I’ve been having with speech since March 28. 

Beth and Steve are coming to visit this Summer. Aidan and Dwight are also likely visitors, so the improvement in my speech is supremely welcome. I’m glad I contacted Jess and had some modest speech therapist experience, and I’m glad I stopped going. It was too much and to have four seizures in an hour is ridiculous. I had to stop. Clearly to me, withdrawing into solitude and getting lots of rest is very therapeutic for me.

Today will be all about SPACE and I’ll do some shopping. My focus will be on poor Sheba. I’m going to stop at Rollo Park on our way into the village to shop for groceries. She can walk on nice soft grass there. It’s going to be an easy slow day at the keyboard for most of my time. Tomorrow we’ll have mixed weather, and then the eternal sunshine returns and I’ll return to yard work guilt-free because of all the SPACE work that I’ve done over the past two days.

Glacial ice turns blue when it is compacted. It comes from the lower
levels of a glacier that has calved. It' so surreally beautiful.