Tuesday, 29 March 2011

The Big Melt

I think it's happening.  I think spring is being birthed here in The North. 
My apartment building's parking lot lake / skating rink
We've gone from snow snow everywhere more snow to parking lot lakes (that masqueraded as skating rinks each morning) ...
My apartment building's parking lot ... finally minus the lake / rink!
... to almost bare parking lots, and I have actually been wearing SHOES instead of winter boots!  My feet have been SCREAMING to be released from winter boots, so this is a very good thing!  (My feet are rebellious and prefer nekkidness to footwear.)  As you can see from the photo above, we still have snowbanks here, so it's not tank top and sandals weather just yet.


Bridget is sitting on the non-sunny side of the street, so HER toes still need the winter boots!

Do YOUR animals get fractious when spring starts to spring?  Miz Boots has certainly become a handful this past 10 days.  She bugs me CONSTANTLY to open the patio door so she can go out onto the balcony ... but it's not quite warm enough to hang around our outdoor balcony very long so she promptly starts bugging me to get back in ... in and out ... out and in ... in and out ... out and in ... in and out ... out and in ... in and out ... out and in ... well, you get the idea!

Yesterday, she pulled a totally unexpected stunt ...
Ceiling cat ... up exploring the cows!  WTF?
She has NEVER shown any inclination to climb before.  If anything, she has been so timid about heights that I believed her acrophobic.  One of my coworkers said "she probably gets up there all the time while you're at work", but ... NOT.  (I know this because there is ... gulp ... dust up there that was previously completely undisturbed.)  Why would she suddenly go top-of-kitchen-cupboard exploring??? 

Treated myself to one of these the other Friday evening ...

The Real Thing!  Mm mmm good!  (When did they start making these glass bottles again?)

If The Boots keeps acting up, I might be inclined to treat myself to something a little stronger.  Happy Big Melt, y'all!

Friday, 4 March 2011

Up to my armpits in snow

Seriously!  Not even an exaggeration!

Up to my armpits in snow ...
This is the most snow I've seen since I moved up here in 2004!  There is no place for the City to put the snow the crews plow off the streets and sidewalks, so it's just piled up in giant mountains and in annoying rows right down the middle of the city streets.  Guaranteed it's going to be one NASTY mess when it does start melting ... assuming March "goes out like a lamb".

Busier than an I-don't-know-what at work these days!  New projects, two practicum students to supervise, and half-way through a 50 hour training course for more senior peer counselors.  This is the first training I've done since I certified as a provincial trainer last year, and it is doing two things:  (a) reminding me how much I enjoy and miss being in front of a classroom, and (b) reminding me how physically demanding it is to work all day and then all evening too!  Consequently, I'm dragging my tail feathers and looking rather worn out.

Speaking of looking worn out, I got myself a "new do" ...

New haircut - Feb 2011
My hair was half way down my back and at least 80 pounds heavier (okay, SMALL exaggeration there).  Hard to dry.  Challenging to style other than "ye olde ponytail".  So this is me these days ... no more dye, natural waves, wash and wear hair.  What do you think?

We won an award!  Well, not ME personally ... the organization that I work for won an award for "outstanding service in the field of local history" for a book of local pioneers' stories that we compiled and published last year.  That book project had a few challenges, and it was very gratifying to receive some community recognition for our efforts.

So what's for dinner at YOUR house tonight?  I'm having a major "Mac & Cheese" craving ... but my digestive system is not pleased when I eat cheese these days.  It seems that damned lactose intolerance thing has decided to become a major issue these days.  I need to find a cheeseless Mac & Cheese recipe ... although that just sounds WRONG!  Suggestions???

As for the rest of the weekend ahead, I'm going to follow The Boots' wise example ...
... and AVOID the snow!  Cheers!