Summer!

To me, it is the laziest of times. It means finding the water, reading, writing, just molding my body into the sand and letting the sun have its way with me.

See you all in a week. We're off to my sister's house for some sea and sand. Val and String, if my shoulder eases off a bit, I hope to have some new chapters up when I come back.

Garden Beasties

So I found the camera, and decided to take some late afternoon pictures in the garden. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day today and we all took advantage of the sun and warmth. Creemore, our little calico, is more adventurous than our older persian, Dalziel, but they both like to wander in the flower beds and near the lilac tree, which I'm happy to let them do under my supervision. They've never been outside beyond a condo balcony, and so I need to keep them out of trouble. Whiskey is a happy camper, and we just got the high bar stools and breakfast table this past weekend, which we placed near the tiki bar so we can eat outside.

I am in love with the yard, and how little it takes to maintain it, and look forward to spending lots of time out there now that summer seems to have hit the city.

Swinging Back!

My right shoulder is still giving me a lot of problems, but I am fed up giving it so much power over my life. I've decided to just grit my teeth and get back into some of the activities I've loved doing and have not been recommended for the last few months. I've been downward dogging on the deck now for four days, and though not all the poses are possible quite yet, many are working nicely and my body is appreciating the return to the yoga routine. Whiskey of course just thinks I'm out there to throw him the ball, which has made from some hilarious drops over my body on his part. What a goof he can be.

This morning, I walked over to the dance studio where I took my winter dancercise classes - it is walking distance from the new house, yay!- and got back into that groove. If anything, it was shocking to discover just how important the shoulder and arms are to regular dance movements. I never knew it was so crucial. I hurt afterwards, just a slight tingle in the shoulder area, but it all felt so good everywhere else.

Tennis is still a once-a-week thing for the moment, mostly because, though I am a lefty, the right-handed toss is causing me a lot of overnight pain and I dare not go through two sets doing a Martina Hingis underhand serve style. As I remember, she lost that battle to Steffi Graf.

I am also diligently doing the stretches prescribed by the physiotherapist. I can't seem to get through the strengthening exercises they've also given me, not yet, but I might just find a way to add them by the end of the week. Report card writing on the computer was brutal to my injury these last two weeks, since I use the mouse on the right side, so hopefully I can get back into some kind of swing now that the school year is single digits away from ending.

First Week

And so, inspired by Lesley last comment on the previous post, I am dodging report card writing and housework to take a little moment to reflect on the move.

I love the house, despite the clutter that still abounds in the unfinished rooms. So far, we have the kitchen and dining room completely set up (minus the wall art, of course), as is the master bedroom and the master bathroom. We've determined where the winter closet is, where most of the linens, blankets, and cleaning supplies are to be stored. The guest bedroom is also ready, except that the actual bed needs to have some wood sawed off to lay under the futon mattress. The office is a total mess, but that mostly because I am currently using the computer to write year end report cards and changing things around would take the network down with it for a length of time I can't afford. That will likely be next week's project. The basement is still empty, we've been without television for about two weeks and I don't mind it at all. I can watch on the computer if I need to, but so far, there's been no need except to follow Harper's Island (a demented show in the style of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

I have to say that I don't mind the added half hour transit commute in both directions. I get to read on the bus and I still get a lovely ten minute walk from and to the subway to listen to music. The best part is coming home and relaxing outside on the deck. The dog and I play, and then I stay out with him and read or do some school work next to the bar area in the sun. We are close to the lake so the air is fresh and I find it all really peaceful back there. At the end of the night, after the last dog walk and all has been done, we finish off the night with a dip in the hot tub- it's the perfect nightcap.

There is not more work, but rather different work. Some things were more of a pain in the condo (the recycling and garbage, for example) and I can take some of the stair climbing if it means I can do my yoga on the lawn or on the deck. Pictures will follow at some point, when I find he camera among the 50 or so boxes still shelved in the storage area under the porch. I'm in no hurry for all of that since I set up my record player today.

Have a grand weekend, everyone. We've got a bit more to do here still, but life is good.

We're In!

Everyone great and small has made it over in one piece, although a lot of the pieces are quite achy and sore. My brother-in-law Rob did the moving with his step-son, and was in the hot tub having a relaxing beer before the night was done!

The dog is mad about the yard, and the cats are still trying to figure out these contraptions called stairs. I'm exhausted from the unpacking but it's shaping up quickly and we've got the weekend ahead of us to get our bearings. The dryer and cable, however, aren't fully operational and so that's a frustration right now. Thankfully, there's a laundry line outside and I don't mind hanging my clothes.

Have a great weekend, all! Must get back to those pesky boxes.

xx
AM

Moving On Up!

.. to the southwest side. Next Wednesday.

Tomorrow, we go down two floors to our holding tank in my sister's now vacant condo. I keep telling myself to pretend it's like camping out in a fancy tent. The computer will be going down in a day or two, and won't be back until Thursday or Friday, if all goes well.

See you all in a few days. Behave if you must.

The Last Leg

We have about two weeks left to go before the actual move, and I'm quite confident that things will go smoothly. We're more than 80% packed, and I've made a conscious decision to go away to the seaside next weekend so that we can relax before the big days. My shoulder is visibly improving, although there are days where it hurts a lot and I don't feel the progress. Today is one of those days, likely a result of Friday night tennis and Saturday packing.

The best part of having less around is that I've had a lot of time to sit down and do two of my favourite things: read and write. My latest author obsession is a certain Robert Crais, who writes well-paced detective novels featuring a a hilarious pair of P.I.s called Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. I'm trying to read the series in chronological order, and the public library is quite helpful that way. The other great joy with my little snippets of free time is the ability to do writing that does not involve curriculum and children.

Life in the waiting room isn't so bad in the home stretch. And in two weeks, when it all hurts again, you can find me soaking my trouble away here: