WINTER HAS ARRIVED

It was a three hour trek to get home on the snowy roads last night. Bumper to bumper, at 10 KM/hour – the radio announcer telling us over and over that the conditions were terrible, be careful, drive slowly. There were fender-benders, an overturned transport truck, and stalls to avoid…all quite normal for our first winter storm. Having anticipated the scene before even leaving the house yesterday morning, I sat back in my comfortable 4-wheel drive, secure that my snow tires were already installed, the gas tank was full, the window washer topped up…and went with the flow. If the Dunany Demons were trying to aggravate me, their efforts failed. I love winter in Quebec.

The doggies greeted me with their usual exuberance, and were even happier to join me in a short walk down the lane to collect the emptied garbage container. I knew the ploughs would be out during the night; it wasn’t a good idea to leave the container by the side of the road. There was a risk of it being knocked into the ditch and buried.

The doggies clamoured for love, food, then more love…in that order, LOL! A short time later they were fed, the fires were crackling, appetizing aromas from my own meal in the oven wafted through the kitchen, and I stood by the huge window, glass of wine in my hand, looking at the snow swirling around outside. I could only see a short distance past the realm of light from the exterior lamps – the tall evergreens were blurred, dark shadows in the background. Grump was sitting beside me, his gaze alternating between the window and my face. Bud stood, leaning heavily against my leg, pushing me with his nose, looking for more cuddles. “Snug as a bug, we are,” I informed them aloud. They both grinned up at me, tongues lolling. They agreed.

I’m waiting now to see if it’s worth trying to get into the city office. If I do go, I’ll be alone there today. The daughter of one employee has the measles, so she’s in quarantine. Two of the others had appointments, unfortunately scheduled for the same date, and there is one who has a cold. She should have stayed home yesterday – the tickle in my nose this morning suggests that the damage is already done.

With that I leave you, folks, wishing you a great day, and sending you SMILES!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

AND MY RETURN

I’m back. Actually, I finally arrived home around 10:30 PM on Wednesday night. The drive back was slower, caused by a mix of intermittent rain and construction. I dropped Suzie’s sister at her apartment, then stopped in at my daughter’s place. In the ordinary, we chat nearly every day; after me being away we needed to catch up.

The doggies were ecstatic when I walked in the door. They both milled around me for an hour ….I was tripping over one or the other, LOL. I must say they looked fine; the dog sitters, who showed later the day of my departure, were exemplary in their care. Of course! It was my brother, Bird, and Fran who stayed at my place while I was gone, and Bird has a way with animals. Fran also completed the staining of my kitchen windows, and that was a bonus!

A stint in the Jacuzzi was the perfect answer after the long drive. No hot water. Damn! I reset the tank again (now I know I’ll have to buy a new one) and waited 30 minutes. Success! Ten minutes later the electric power flicked, then flicked again, and went off. I decided I was past caring, crawled into bed with the help of a flashlight, and Morpheus claimed me. How sweet it was!

The ring of the phone woke me at 8:30 the next morning. I was to return to work only on Monday, but that didn’t happen. Although I didn’t drive into the office, I was busy, busy, busy all day, alternating between computer, cell phone, and the land line. I didn’t get to attend my granddaughter’s 18th birthday party that night, but I managed to see and congratulate her, and meet her new gift (a Chihuahua puppy) during the day. I was exhausted by 9 PM anyway, so an outing was not in my cards.

Friday was much of the same, except I finally stopped everything around 5 PM and began to prepare a beef bourguignon for my supper guests. This date had been scheduled well in advance, and I was looking forward to it. I was running late, but so were they, so all turned out fine. My guests were Dawna, my friend since high school, and her husband, Malcolm. We spent a most enjoyable evening chatting and looking at slides of their trip to England. The scenery in the pictures was spectacular, particularly Wales with its rugged terrain. I’ll have to go there someday – just seeing the pictures pulled at my heartstrings. Maybe it was in a former life…..

This morning was another rude awakening by the telephone – a problem with my associates. We fixed it best we could, and it is now 1:30 PM on Saturday. I’ve finally had the time to unpack my suitcase and start a washing. Thank heavens the Bird and Fran cleaned the house before leaving, because I think I’d just run away from home if I had housework to do too.

It’s a beautiful, sunshiny day out there. I’ve disconnected the bothersome telephone, and am going to walk down the drive with the doggies. My apple tree, situated near the bottom of Bud’s hill, is sporting delicious McIntosh fruit and begging for admiration, and possible picking. Then tonight I fully intend to sprawl on my gallery with a bottle of red wine, maybe some Pink Floyd, and hug the heck out of my doggies. Next on the agenda are a long Jacuzzi, and an early meeting with Morpheus. I know he’ll be around. I handcuffed the elusive fellow to the bedpost, LOL!

Have a good weekend, folks! Sending you out SMILES!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.