Happy Canada Day!

Tomorrow is the big day for Canada! Will celebrate at home quietly... do some stuff for the big barbeque Friday night... I think there will be about 40 of the team here! Must call Sobey's tomorrow and order the roast for the beef dip!

Had a pedicure today and planted a few perennials but that's it.... very lazy again and that's okay..... still feel tired especially with the crick in my back... it hurts so have been using heat/ice and stretching....

Going to bed early and hopefully to sleep.... not going off very early this week and that could be why I feel tired!

Ain't life good!

The weather is so fantastic it's breathtaking.... all in the low to mid 20's.... it's like a Vancouver spring... which we have never had in Lethbridge since I moved here.....makes such a difference to spirit and energy!

Had my car detailed today and it looks brand new... wanted to have a sweet smelling, clean looking car to travel in....

Tired.... going to bed early.... tons of errands tomorrow but the reward is my favourite thing.... a pedicure!

Weekends?

Have to keep saying that the weather is phenomenal! Perfect for me in the low 20's!

Wonderful dinner party last night.... such good food and good company and good jokes and good conversation! Sat out later under the starts drinking Bailey's ... took it easy as I did have to drive home.... lovely of Sharon and Gary to celebrate my retirement in this way.... really nice nice nice!

Tired today and no reason for it.... lots of things to do if I wish but I'm not wishing to do anything! So it's a lazy weekend... although every day is a weekend day now isn't it....

Taking car in for it's annual interior shampoo... want it to smell good and feel good for my trip to Vancouver.

Talk later....

A Hurdle rather than a Step!

Today wasn't my best day... emotionally... in fact it's 2:00 a.m. and I am still kavetching about how I'm feeling... trying to talk myself out of it.... berating myself.... saying it's time to suck it up! But it's not working so I thought I'd get up and dump it here... hopefullly!

The day started well.... massage and lunch with Joanne... then I went to Wehlage's retirement barbeque because I care about him and wanted to wish him well.... I knew it wasn't going to be good for me though. And it wasn't. I tried not to feel hurt but I did... do.... Mostly because of the magnitude of the event and McKenzie's speech regarding Wehlage's contribution to the community etc... which is all very very true... the hurt comes from the fact that McKenzie didn't say hi, goodbye or kiss my ass to me.... absolutely nothing about the last ten years... nada...zero..zilch! And, yes, I hate to admit it hurts but it just does. I wasn't expecting him to say anything tonight, of course.... tonight was Wehlage's... but to not say anything to me... even privately... totally sucks... why do I care about what he thinks when he so obviously doesn't... and what does that say about him?! See what I mean... intellectually I know the answers... emotionally I'm still just plain hurt! Being human sucks!

Really? Again?

Today was a lovely day.... as are most! Awake too damn early but the tree guy came and sprayed the elms as they are diseased this year.... so then I had to wash the deck down so the dogs didn't get sick..... planted a few more geraniums... don't know why I love this flower.... it just seems courageously strong and bright and doesn't give up easily!

The "retirement" function at the Police Station was good... Jan picked me up so I had company which definitely made it easier. I received a plaque from the RCMP which blew me away - after everything I said to them about their lack of service to victims! Oh, well, easy to be nice when the person is walking out the door. Also received cards from the Crown Prosecutors' Office with several gift cards enclosed and from the Domestic Violence Action Team... gift cards there too! As well the Management of the Service gave me a card with a ton of gift cards inside! All for food and books... my two favourite things! One for a garden centre as well and I will buy a beautiful bush for the front of the house. And one for Pier One so I shall have to buy something that commemorates my years here.

Jan, Maynard, Julie and Ian and I went for a drink and nibbles at the Mocha and were joined by Don and Barb Lamont later.... Chadsey also turned up.... he's one weird guy.... never know where he's at which I think is what he strives for! Such a waste of time.

Home... wash... cooked chicken for dogs and now I am going to bed to read!

Am I going to do this every day?

Really.... do people do this everyday? Does that mean that eventually you tell the truth about what's going on in one's life? And who do they give their blog info to? And do people really read it?

Another beautiful day in Lethbridge.... really! We usually move from one only spring day right into hotter than hades summer.... but we are having the most incredible spring/early summer temperatures.... I love it!

That's enough of this....

Another Day in Paradise!

Woke up soooo early today... made myself go back to sleep.... I've heard from others that as you age, you wake early! I had so hoped this wouldn't be me! Maybe it means naps??? It was such a stunningly beautiful day.... the epitome of my dream day...about 22 degrees, light breeze and the sun shining!

Travelled to Calgary today to have my passport renewed.... thought it would take most of the day and it took only TEN MINUTES! I can still hardly believe it... walked in.... walked out.... sometimes you just have to love the government!

Ruby's 10th birthday today... sent her a game for her Nintendo DS so hope she got it... tried to phone but of course she's in school... sang onto the message machine so I'm sure she'll be giggling at Grannie's oh so terrible singing voice..

Did some shopping in Calgary - everything is on sale right now and with the Australia trip being "spring/summer" I picked up a few shirts and a pair of jeans just for that trip! Thinking about putting all my "work clothes" in a storage tub and hiding in some dark crevice!

Tomorrow is lunch with all the Inspectors and the Chief - maybe they won't show! I know... I have a bad attitude... it's just that I feel that it's over and what the hell will we talk about anyways!

June 22nd!

It's raining in Lethbridge! And this is the first Monday that I realized I don't have to "get moving" for work.... a bit shocking really! The rain helped though as
it was much easier to snuggle down under the covers and snooze a bit more. Effe was right there with me .... who knows where our "loner" Tess is.

Cleaning out drawers, piles of paper I've been meaning to read through just in case there was something important.... not! Feels good though to have the time and the energy to do something. Can feel that all the drugs are out of my body ... feel like
me again. Hopefully the hip pain will stay away for a while longer!

Planning my roadtrip to Vancouver... excited to see all the women who have been such good friends over the past 50 years... and to get away!

Had a dream last night that I started my own business.... that was very scarey!

The First Week

Yes, the first week of my retirement has passed! Officially I'm not done until June 30th but it already feels like it's done.... surprisingly!

On the other hand, I have been incredibly ill.... surgeon gave me Celebrex to get rid
of the inflammation that was causing so much trouble... and I turn out to be the
3-1/2% that cannot take it - had a huge huge allergic reaction to it.... my ability to breathe decreased day by day and it got very scarey.... suspected heart attack but EKG showed that was okay... so they put me on megadose of prednisone and two days
in I was starting to feel better.... four days in and I am doing really well... breathing about 80% but give it another week.... I'm finished with the prednisone though.... miracle it may be but I do believe it's a tad overkill/dangerous!

So with my recent return to better health, I can feel energy surging into my body again.... thank god! So cleaning out car, my junk drawers, etc.... so at least I have started!

Next week is very busy.... some retirement events and a quick trip to Calgary to renew my passport.... booked Australia for October and November and then discovered I would have less than 6 months on it.... and to get my entry visa must get it done....

Planning my trip to Vancouver in July and, of course, my trip to the Shuswap for our Stuart Family Reunion..... will tell you about those as they happen!

The next next step....

Long time since I even looked at my blog! Too busy still working and deciding about "retirement"... another word I don't seem to care for! Sounds too much like life is "over".....! But here I am having made the decision and with only four working days left do not regret my decision!

Do I have fears? You betcha! What are they? Well, everyone tells me I am going to be bored bored bored! And I am fearful they are right.... so I have chosen to stay
focussed on what is next for the rest of 2009 and not get too involved with what's after that. I have been able to create my life to date so why would it stop now?

I am going on two short road trips - one of them being a famiy reunion - we used to have these every second year but now it's been at least 10 years - so all my cousins are excited and we have two surviving "stuart" uncles who will be attending as well... I am also trying to decided when I want to go to Australia - Lucas is 13 this October so that's a must.... will I stay for Xmas or come home? That's the question and don't know why it's so hard to make!

As well, I have ahead of my a hip replacement.... finally got to the surgeon and my status moved from "moderate" to "severe" so that's it.... he has a waitlist of 10-12 months so has perscribed Celebrex to help me manage my physical life.... have taken for 3 days now and it's already working and I am extremely hopeful it's a drug I can take with few side effects and certainly not life threatening ones!

Anyways, that's me ..... I am going to try to use this site as I enter "retirement" so that I can not only get support from you my friends but also to have something to look back on over the years!