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.

All the Weeds are Gone

It dawned overcast yesterday, as predicted. I was thrilled because all the watering I did on Tuesday would not evaporate in heat, and I would be able to do yard work without overheating. My goal for the day was to finish the weed whacking and toting all the detritus into my organic waste dump. With luck, I hoped to also get the last of the plants I bought, into the beds.

The darkness of the day made the chill in the house feel colder than it was, so I lit the fire and did a laundry. When I do the laundry on overcast, damp days and all through Winter, I dry my clothes by hanging them up indoors, so I like to have a fire to help the drying along.

When I went out to fetch some wood, it was showering. It lasted mere minutes, but still, it was rain. It did my heart (and the forest and gardens) good. After the fire was going, I got a text from Wayfair telling me that my new living room rug would arrive yesterday, so I moved all the furniture in the living room off the rug, took a photo of it, and posted on our community Facebook page to see if anyone wanted my outgoing rug.

And then I rolled it up to get it out of the way. I need help to remove it, but if it is wanted by someone, they can help me carry it to their car or truck. Otherwise, Dave or Pete will have to help me move it into the studio to join all the rest of the crap going to the landfill.

We walked with our friends, and I cried many tears. Jake, Cynthia’s dog, was put down yesterday. Jake was a magnificent, loving big beauty of a dog. He’s a retriever, and I’ve loved him since I met him, and he knew it. He always came to me for some loving whenever we were together. I always make a big fuss over him. He was the most wonderful dogger.

After our walk, we went into the village to fetch some prescriptions, groceries and a couple of bags of soil. I kept thinking of Jake. I was gutted. When we got back home, the sun had come out and there was a message on our Facebook page from people wanting my departing carpet. I’m chuffed that it will not be going into landfill.

We had lunch and then it was time to go to work. I knew that I could tote all the existing piles of detritus to the organic dump, but the weed whacker is not efficient when the weeds are wet, so finishing the whacking was first up. I got the entire job finished and I was beat when I was done. So, I decided to come in for a big drink and a rest, just as another shower started. I was thrilled to see more moisture, although it was so light it didn’t count as rain. Still, the ground got more water, and I had a good long rest while I waited for it to stop and then I’d start toting stuff to the dumping ground. 

While I was chillin’ my new rug arrived. My heart sank when I opened it. Wayfair folded it, so it does not lie flat on the floor, and it looks dreadful and cheap. They should have rolled it. I’m hoping over time that it settles. I may steam the folds. But while I was working, the sky brightened and so I got back to work in the yard.

But not for long. At 14:00, I Zoomed with Aidan. It’s always joyful connecting with him, and I feel we are rocking on so many fronts. I am such a huge fan of the young man. And when we were done, I was back at work toting all the piles of detritus to the dump zone. It’s finished. I’m done, and the yard looks spectacular. I’ve endless hours of more work to do, and I’m really looking forward to doing it. I have SPACE homework to do as well.

At 15:15, Her Highness and I went for our afternoon walk, and then we switched to eating and chillin’ mode for the evening. When we got home, I checked my phone, and yup, another day over 10,000 steps. I reach that limit and often go far over it every working day. I feel so healthy!

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It’s another bright sunny morning. Damn! The rain is gone from the forecast again. Eternal sunshine is in the cards, and that means lots of watering duties. I’m very disappointed to lose the formerly predicted two days of rain. We’re going to be screwed in Summer; we’re already in a drought situation. 

Today, all the remaining plants get installed in their new homes, and I will enlarge the deer fencing around my Apple tree. Plus, I shall read and I may get to some of my SPACE homework. Midday, I plan to have a wee nap in the sunshine.

Sheba has damaged one foot, so I’m on nursing duty. When I went outside to fetch her this morning, I noticed scores of wee tiny apples growing on my front yard tree, and there are lots of little plumbs beginning to grow on my Italian Plumb tree. I’m stoked! 

All the weeds are gone. P.P. is looking very smart.

Climbing Hydrangea blossoms cover the trellis. They are just starting to come out.

I'm going to get plumbs this year. A first! Woo hoo!