A Brisk Brave Walk, Brrr

Paisley, On

On Tuesday, Nov 17^th Bill left around 6:30 and I extended my bed time until 7. It was so cozy under the covers in between those warm fleece sheets. With a quick wash first, I layered up with the presence of mind to get out for a walk. Looking out to see the porous parts of the ground dressed in a fashionable white (seriously?), I thought I’d wait and have my tea first.

The roads look okay but the sidewalks were my concern

And from my view, they looked icy and snow covered

I had my blog posting from yesterday to add photos too and publish before I went out anyway. It was around 9, I think that I bundled up and stepped out. What happened? From my window, the sun had made an appearance making a walk seem very inviting. I knew it would be cold at 0C/32F but still hoped for some brightness.

With th sun shining now at 8:30 at least I was willing
to give it a try

What do you think, Clemmy? Should Momma go for a walk?
He said yes

As I stepped out the garage door, in my good knee-high sole gripping boots, decked to the gills in winter accessories, the sun was gone and a wall of wind and snow greeted me. Yeuch! I didn’t lose faith in myself though, and pushed myself to ‘just go!’ The sidewalk appeared a bit slippery so I treaded slowly until I got around the corner onto Water St. where I could walk in the grass and gravel along the river.

Yikes, this is what greeted me
Where did the sun go?

The wind was whipping like crazy
and Aunt Fern was flapping away telling me I was crazy (I'm sure!)

Good thing these memorial banners are made of solid material
to withstand the winds
I hunched into my winterwear and carried on

The wind was at my back but it was strong and as it blew through the upper branches of the stripped maple and green evergreens, it sounded like a convoy of semis. 

At the empty corner furniture store, I was rewarded
Someone was in the Christmas spirit

I didn’t stay under any trees for very long as there was evidence all around of broken branches, limbs and trunks. Even the playground where Easton played did not survive Sunday’s storm unscathed. ☹

There just isn't anything comforting I can say about the rushing river
and the bitter winds today

Although, I really tried to focus on enjoying the walk
and was pleased that I did

Back inside the house, after just 1.5 miles today, I was toasty warm and couldn’t wait to delayer again. Funny how nature and life in general affects us. 

The sun was still up there but it was defeated this morning

My body was surprisingly warm under all these clothes
Oh, I guess I can take my poppy off

This flag in a campsite was all furled up around the pole
so I rescued it so it could fly free

It appears happier now

Today, as I was walking, I was inspired to write a poem. I used to write them a lot. Usually simple poetry, short lines, short verses, child-like rhyming. I haven’t grown far from that simplicity but it doesn’t matter. I like poems to flow and to make sense without a lot of thought needed to ‘get’ the message.

don't look too long at this object
My first glance from a distance away looked like a frozen little mouse

The eyes can play tricks on us
It's just a tired old leaf

So, I sat and typed one right away before the desire passed. If I knew how to attach a word document in here, I would subject you to the link if you were interested, but I don’t. I'm pretty sure this won't work since it is a Word document. I'm so inept at this stuff.

A puddle of leaves in a half frozen, half slush stateAdd caption

Still a pretty picture with a lone survivor in the midst

It was 10:30 and I was feeling like a bit of a nosh would satisfy my tummy so went down and made some oatmeal. Just an instant packet of ‘original’ but it reminded me that I have Steel cut oats in the cupboard so perhaps I will get Madame IP to cook me some later. Then I relaxed a bit with my book and crochet project.

I know, I took a lot of pictures for someone not appreciating
the view, didn't I?

Soon this greenery was covered in white

The noisy trees overhead
No creaking, just loud 'motors' through the limbs

Reading an online friend’s blog, the other day, she inspired me to use some wool up. This is wool that I bought at a 2^nd hand store in a packet a few years ago but never found the right pattern. Now I’ve ventured to make a shrug. I hope you don’t mind, Maebeme, and I do thank you for the idea! That’s kind of those instances where you do it and ask forgiveness later, isn’t it? 😊

a tree by the playground does some damage to the fence

I had a coffee with some cheese and a pepperette around 12:30 and sat with my book upstairs again. Wes called upstairs around 1 that they were headed out for a bit and I appreciated that. It’s a big house and I just like to know when I’m alone in it. I thought I was once and went downstairs, not finding anyone and all of a sudden, I heard voices in the office. They leave the lights off while on their computers as they are big screens and bright enough. It spooked me!

A couple of twigs from a Scotch pine for a vase
in our kitchen

A recipe that I found was itching to be tried so I baked a batch of Keto Brownies. They didn’t take long to mix up and while they baked, I sat in the games room watching Heavy Rescue 401 with my crocheting. I was still in there, brownies cooling in our kitchen when the landlords returned around 3. 

We're not sure why the big box, the coat was still jumbled near the bottom
LOL

Around 3:30, I walked to the bank across the road and the post office to get a parcel for Bill. He'd ordered a coat and look at the size of box it came in! It was funny, I'm sure, watching me wrestle it home in the wind!! It isn’t a very nice day out there so I was happy to hear from Bill that he was on his way home around 4.

Returning from my walk up Water Street
The Saugeen River on the right, the Pump House ahead and
Home on the left

Once he got in the door, I relaxed and enjoyed my tea upstairs. I hope tomorrow is a better weather day or I won’t be going anywhere in the morning. After catching up with the banking, Bill had a snooze and at 5:30, I went down to start supper. Another routine. Wes and Susan had finished up when I started sautéing 3 chicken thighs in Madame IP. My original plan was to make dumplings but we had leftover fried rice in the freezer so I got that out instead.

The promise of clearer skies? We did have some sun off and on between
the snow flurries, a weird weather day

With mixed vegetables cooked on the stove, we were eating by 6:15. Another successful meal. For dessert, we had a warmed brownie. Bill likes his plain (but was disappointed that I didn’t frost them!) and I had some whipping cream on mine. Runny whipping cream at that. After a day, homemade just doesn’t stay firm. We did dishes and came upstairs by 7.

I was happy and warm in the games room with my project and the tv
As you can see, I wasn't alone

The brownies were a success

Tomorrow is Wes’s birthday so before we came up, we laughed at Susan chastising him about getting into his birthday stuff. They are a fun couple and as I’ve said before, we are fortunate for the connection. Bill hopped in the shower and at 7:30, Jeopardy is on so I’m thinking now that I’ll join them for the show. Then, at 8, the new season of NCIS starts which I believe they will be watching. If so, we’ll both be in the theatre room as well.

Yummy!

There is an actual brownie under there
but I'm trying to finish up the whipped cream too

This was and continues to be a good day and evening. I can’t say the same for the weather and I sure won’t pretend that I like it. The roads are looking snowy and dangerous from up here and I know more is expected overnight. Guess who won’t be rushing out in the morning?

Out of the games room window, the hose tower braves the snowfall
Good night!

Thank you for your visit today, stay warm and stay safe!