HISMSV - 4

Pk has been seeming "off" the last few days.  She goes like that sometimes and I'm sure it natural for all kids but me being me, I always brood about what's going on.  I'm guessing it's probably the change in routine but I worried that she was somehow feeling neglected.  Normally, in the morning, the dogs and I go for a good, intense walk together for 30 to 45 minutes.  This morning, I decided that it was time to sacrifice my exercise to take a little person with me.  She was thrilled.

We have walked in the field with the dogs since we moved it.  It's a field owned by the railroad, I think but, this being a small town, the town has basically taken possession of it and nobody complains.  It's our unofficial off-lead dog park.  Some kind soul (who I would love to thank if I could ever figure out who it is) mows a path with a tractor mower and the dogs love exploring in the tall grass.  I discovered three days ago that what I thought was just a path by the train tracks is, in fact, a path to a little creek and I had been waiting for the right time to surprise Pk with a walk to the creek.  This morning was perfect.  She was enchanted and the dogs were thrilled to get to cool off.

 Pk and I have also started a tradition of exploring for wild flowers.  She loves gathering flowers and we often negotiate about whether they can be picked or whether we should leave them there for others to enjoy, too.  There's a little area by the firehall that's full of wild flowers just beside a parking lot so our compromise was to pick from there.  I must buy a book of wildflowers of ON so that we can figure out what we are picking!

 Today was also the day for a BIG treat for me.  My friend M has been telling me forever about this incredible warehouse sale that Hallmark has.  She has gone in the past and literally, you fill a garbage bag for a nominal amount.  Yesterday was the day and it was amazing.  There was a line to get in and it was a frenzy but I still can't believe what I got.  The deal was that you filled a box for $20.  I think that I probably got $600 or $700 retail for $40 - endless thank you cards (teachers really do need them - we write a lot!), ribbons and bows, wrapping paper, picture frames, books, photo albums, tissue paper, gift bags, Star Wars glasses for DH, coasters, recipe books, table cloths, paper plates, napkins, etc, etc., etc.  It was awe-inspiring.  The only disappointment was the fact that there was no Christmas stuff - I gather they save that for the fall sale (which I must attend).

 The nicest part of the day, though, was getting time with my friend M.  Usually we have the kids along and while it's fun to visit, we don't get much chat time.  Yesterday, we shopped, went out for a lovely sushi lunch and then went for pedicures.  I can't remember the last time I got to hang out with a friend.  We have to find some time to do it again soon.

The day finished up well, too.  When I got home, the kidlets and I had some "hanging out" time.  I bought LB with water table with his birthday money and both kids love it.  We spent some time playing outside and for a while, I actually got to rest in the hammock which they played.

The view up into the trees with the wind rustling the leaves was so restful!

 The day ended well, too.  You might remember my saying that the other day, we found out that a woman from our church had died.  The funeral is on Saturday but in the meantime, her husband wanted, beyond anything else, to have an evening of singing in her memory, since that is something for which they both shared a passion.  People were invited to the church and they sang favourite hymns for a couple of hours.  I couldn't go as I had the kids but Dh went and he said it was very, very moving.  I'm glad that her family was able to do something that really reflected who she was.