Awake and Playing the Furnace Game

This morning when I got up at 2:30 (don't ask), I checked the temperature. The outside temperature was 4C/40 F, but more critically for me, it was 15.5C/60 F inside the house – not balmy for sure. I don't know how much cooler it got afterward, but I did notice that the house temperature was down another half degree and hour or so later.

I did not turn on the furnace but doubled and even tripled layered my apparel, and I also turned on the little heater under my desk – the one that is usually in the bathroom and will be again soon to heat it up before I shower. Hot coffee helped too, and I am actually snuggy warm as I compose this. In point of fact, I am almost too warm, so I think I shall disengage the heater for now.

Lacey just appeared from her downstairs bed. She has another bed here in my den, but she usually spends the nights down there. Our odd feeding ritual begins, and I handfeed her kibble even though her dish is just across the hall. Soon, when she is sated, she will head back down until morning comes. Odd human and odd cat pairing we are . . . And as predicted off she goes, disdaining the last four kibbles that I dropped for her.

If you can't tell already, we (Sue and I, not Lacey) are playing the silly furnace game again. The object is to put off running the furnace for as long as possible. Every day delayed is a small victory, and by golly, if you make it all of the way to November, you've won the game.

While there is no official prize, you get to feel very Canadian-proud of yourself.

If there were no weather relief in sight, I would be tempted to give up, give in, and put the furnace on, but starting later today, it looks like we are in for a warm week in which temperatures will reach the high teens C (or the mid 60s F). That is quite livable for us, at least in the short term.

When I picked up the thanksgiving pies on the weekend, I took a slight detour through the hamlet of Appleton and found a few sports of colour.

The next day, on my way to the grocery store, I took a photo of these trees around the corner from us.

Our plan for today is to take a a little colour trip into the more rural areas to see what we shall see. Our hope is to find some colour, even though it shall be past peak, which, in point of fact, was not actually all that peakish this year.

Hanging onto the Moments

We did our quasi daily stroll yesterday, just around the block, but a good-sized block, I guess you'd say.

It was nippy in the 7℃ (45F) weather, especially with a very stiff breeze blowing, but it was a good walk. As we neared the end, I actually felt almost exultant, for I was feeling less leg pain than I have in some time. Yes, there was pain, but no, it wasn't overbearing. Physio seems to be finally helping. Even my chronic foot, which is beyond help, was not at its worst on that day. Yay!

Dragging my leg along after me all summer has not been fun, but it was much less of a drag yesterday, and the diminution of pain buoyed my spirits.

It pleased me so much to be able to walk with less difficulty. I guess, for me it was Thanksgiving, just a day late. While I am not a candidate for the Appalachian Trail, it did feel good to walk more freely.

Maybe it was a one-off, and maybe the next walk will not go so well, but one grabs and hangs onto the moments that life offers.

I am thinking that it really is appreciating the little things that make a life a good life. I am mindful that even in the difficult phases of life, there may be brief moments when the sun chooses to shine and that those are the moments to hang on to.

A Thankless Thanksgiving Sleep but a Good but Messy Thanksgiving Nevertheless

Let us begin by considering why it came to be that I was puzzling over my finger whilst I was abluting in my Thanksgiving Day shower.

I was cogitating on my finger because I had just checked Sleepwatch, and it confirmed that my night wasn't the best when it reported that I had experienced only 4.2 hours of sleep. 

I know that I do go on and on about sleep or rather lack of same, but that was an unusual night, which I shall now explicate by telling you what my flippin finger has to do my sleeplessness, for on this occasion, it is my finger which is to blame.

Finger? you ask. How does that work AC?

Well . . . I was just settling in for the my Thanksgiving Eve repose when my ring finger decided that  would be a fine time to assert itself and wreck my night. I know it sounds stupid, but oh brother! how that finger attacked me. The sudden pain was quite fierce, and just when it it would abate for a few seconds and I would begin to relax, it would return with a vengeance. The sharpness and irregularity made sleep impossible for hours. 

Who can say why my own finger would decide to attack sweet, innocent me out of the blue like that, but attack me it defiantly did. I don't understand, for I think I've always been as nice to it as possible. I mean, we really do need each other. In point of fact, it needs me more than I need it. Are you listening, finger? So why it decided to attack me at bedtime must remain a deep mystery.

It's difficult to sleep when pain erupts like that, especially when you feel that you are getting some momentary respite but the pain then returns strongly and at length. I know that it is just a finger and that it sounds silly, but man-oh-man, it was so sharp and painful.

I actually handled the next day pretty well. I helped Sue with our Thanksgiving preparation by chopping the stuffing ingredients and stirring the gravy. We then ported our half of the meal over to the kids'. We would normally have it here but Sha was expecting a repair guy (who never showed), so off we went.

Sue did the turkey and stuffing and I brought the pies that I had purchased from the Ashton Church ladies' group. Meanwhile Sha and the kids had cooked the creamy, cheesy potatoes and roasted carrots. Everyone did a fine job, and the meal was quite superb.

The only hitch, and it wasn't a hitch for others, was that rather that sitting at a table as we would have done here, we ate from our laps because space is tight over there. At my advanced age and dodderiness, I think I am the only one who currently has a gravy-stained shirt in the wash.

Hoo boy! This post went in unexpected directions. I will have to see if there are any snaps worth sharing with you. I will look later today.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is here. It may not be quite as huge of an event as it is down south, but it is a very fine and appreciated event, timed to occur when autumn is just about at its peak and when the weather is still usually moderate.

We'll head over to the kids' this afternoon to feast on turkey and pie and more, but for now I leave you with a few more autumn photos from the Wheeler's sugar bush.

Around the Sugar Bush

It is time to look around the Sugar Bush. Sugar maples tend to turn earlier than some trees, so the bush was a bit past peak in places, but it was still looking pretty darn good on such a fine day. Sugar  Maples turn yellow and not into the saturated oranges and reds that we all love. I still love it, though, and I can find those other colours elsewhere.

Here is one of your truly by truly her. I switch the hat backwards when I am taking pictures, but I sure don't wear it like that . . . unless I forget, of course.

I am not quite done. Tomorrow is our actual Thanksgiving Day, and I will post more in my effort to make the most of the season.

Our Annual Autumn Trip to the Sugar Bush

Go figure. On Thursday I posted about my awful night. That night I reverted to my old pill, and Sleepwatch reported that I slept for exactly 8 hours — my best sleep in years.

Sometimes, Sleepwatch and I disagree, but that report concurs with my own sense. I think I have been using the app for almost four years, but I believe that is the first time I have seen it report eight hours. 

Well anyway, it worked out well, for Friday was our chosen day to drive to the maple sugar camp for our autumn outing, and I was feeling pretty darn fine. We had picked Friday because the weather was predicted to be good, and so it was. For the most part, the weather hasn't been great, but it was pretty doggone grand yesterday.

The colours were pretty good on the drive, so Sue took various phone photos from the moving car, but this one will give you the idea of what it was like in places.

We've been to Wheelers and posted about it so many times that I didn't bother to take pictures of the buildings. However, some of you are new, so I'll post this one that Sue took of me because it shows some of the restaurant.

I think it is time to trim the beard.

And . . . here's Susie . . .  no doubt looking out of the window and admiring the colour.

This is pretty well the entire menu, except for baked beans, which we don't bother with: pancakes, French toast, maple sausages, and all of the maple syrup one's little heart could desire. That was my first dousing of the syrup; it was fine for the French toast, but it soaks right into the pancakes, so two more applications were required. By the way, these are the only sausages on the planet that Sue will eat. Yum.

I know that it is quite a plateful, but that was our breakfast and lunch combined, and we didn't have big suppers either.

I was taking pictures of maple syrup bottles here and there around the restaurant, but Sue mentioned the display in the boiler room of all sorts of grades of maple syrup. It was in a window, so it was backlit nicely.

There was a new display in the boiler room, depicting the maple syrup story from pre-colonization until present. It even stretched farther left on the other side of the door.

It is a remarkable piece, put together by local graphics artist, but I forget her name. This is one small section from just one of the ten (I think) panels. 

Of course, I took outdoor photos after the meal . . .

Nighttime Treat

At 7:25 we received this message from granddaughter, Danica.

Get outside now

Northern lights

So we poked our heads out the front door. Sue had her phone at the ready and began to click.

Of course, you all know by now that the camera sees the colour better than the eyes, but it was quite an unexpected treat, regardless.

As you can see, we weren't in the very best spot for photos, but a passing neighbour told us that the views were good at the neighbouring park. It was darn cold, close to freezing, so we took a few minutes to bundle up, and we drove over.

I got out my beastie camera too, but Alas!, the show was over.