Happy New Year

My ditch expands to become a pond in front
of my next door neighbour's home.

The Aspen grove. Another shot from yesterday's walk.

The trail turned into a creek to we turned back.

This huge beautiful rock is about a meter and a half tall.

A trunk. Is that not gorgeous!?

Oy! I did such a clean Sunday — and nobody cleans like a cleaner with some OCD issues. I’m helpless: I even got down and scratched individual Fir needles out of the pile of my entrance mat.

I cleaned the fridge and I sorted and bagged garbage. Garbage management is a serious issue here as I keep saying. I’m still learning.

In Vancouver you can put glass and Styrofoam and plastics etcetera in the blue box — you can put all recyclables in one box. Not here. We don’t have sorters like the city does, so we have to do it all.

Broken glass has to be separate from glass; plastics have to be separated into three different categories and things have to be taken apart. Tops must be off bottles, plastic wrap must be removed from Styrofoam trays; I’d put a Kleenex box in my recycling container for paper. Before I left, a volunteer returned it to me because the plastic inside had not been removed.

I’m totally fine with it all. I’m a keen student of the rules and am proud to participate enthusiastically. My biggest issue is animal waste so I am going to have to look into some kind of composting method. Sigh.

I took time for two walks with Her Highness yesterday; the second one was in sunshine and undertaken with the knowledge that all — and I mean all – domestic duties were done. And yet for naught: Last night there was nothing on PBS in the way of engrossing BBC drama with fabulous actors to indulge in after my day of work.

It was positively thrilling to wake to so pristine a lodge here at Pinecone Park & Spa this morning. I’m going to get lots one on Mertz Manor today.

It was really cold last night and it’s cold right now. But it’s supposed to be sunny today and tomorrow which is nice because I go to Vancouver tomorrow. Her Highness and I will walk today, of course. She’s getting better and better with other dogs and walking with me. I don’t use a leash.

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Sometimes I play for ten minutes or so with Sheba. Then I play with the cats together and then I make a fuss over each of them one at a time. I spend time with all three individually every day, not out of a sense of obligation but because I just love them so much. And I see them changing. They are all becoming more and more responsive to my affection.

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Last night was one of the most beautiful of my life because of the snow on the ground, the incredible darkness here, the clear skies and an almost full moon — tonight is a super moon. The moon shadows through the trees was remarkable, and falling on snow made them irresistibly beautiful. I turned off all my lights and just walked through the house looking out all the windows. Then I went outside.

The snow was crusty from the cold and the cold bit my face. But beautiful! Wow. I can hardly wait for the same thing tonight. I am going to try to take a photo of the moonlight.