Raisins

Every part of my body is dry. My hands, my feet, my lips, my BRAIN, especially my eyes, and even my nipples. Like a cold Siberian desert. I'm just full of negative things to say lately, aren't I? I guess January has caught up with me. I haven't been outside for more than ten minutes in long enough that I cannot remember. Yesterday was the apex of bone-chilling-frost-fist-clenching-coldness, so its only gunna getting warmer from here on out. In my wonderful, inevitably realistic, dreams.

Well here's me dancing in my hot pink one piece:

Keeps me warm from ankles to wrists.

Snow!

I am that person, that one, who loves the snow. I don't mind the winter much either. I like the bundling. The resting trees. Greg woke up yesterday with a "fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck." I can empathize with him. Its tough waking up to bike for 9 hours, you don't really need to add snow and ice and slippery roads, not just that day, but for the hundred days that follow, to make it hard work. But, I am not sympathetic. I love it. Don't get me wrong. I wake up on the grey side too, but still, I just dont want to dread a third of the year, a third of my life. This is a time and place where if your not happy (with the weather) you can pack up your complaining on go somewhere sunny. I'll put my boots on and be cozy, after this...

With the Elements

Yesterday morning. It was cold, but I can't deny adventure you know. Funny, because I HATE being wet. Seems she loves it though.

Brain Fog

I can totally feel myself turning inwards for the winter. Its a little disconcerting because I feel as if I have been disrupted. There are things I would like to get done still. Things that require my brain defrosted. I'm just not ready. I will trudge through it. In reality I love the cold weather, and I know a foggy brain is really a good excuse to just enjoy myself more often. Make snow angels.

Our pumpkins have retired to the backyard, where I will let them rot, and move on as fertilizer. I am going to spend winter dreaming our yard into a garden. Next year I hope to successfully grow more than swiss chard. I will be happy with swiss chard and maybe some not so accidental pumpkins to break up the annoying patch of gravel 'landscaped' in the middle of our yard.
With the season change I feel like its time for a little 'to do' list of things I'd like to work on/learn/accomplish this winter:

x Make a 'simple' garden plan for spring.
x Make more home cooked meals, and learn to make another staple from scratch.
x Running (3 times a week?)
x Organize our files
x Sew for Christmas

Ugly

I'm thinking that I have a cold. Sore throat, achy muscles, and to top it all it's very very gray outside. Oh my, I'm going take any chance I get to snuggle myself back in to bed. That is, after I finish some laundry and do some grocery fetching. Olive seems unaffected by my cold, or the weather; she is delighted to be playing in our 'Very Important Papers' box right now. What a jewel. My mum told me yesterday that Ukrainians affectionately call babies 'ugly'. Olive, my little Ugly.

In July

Not very much of note has been happening around here. I've been very lazy-minded because of the heat. Movies, ice cream, sometimes the St-Henri free pool; things like that. I'm trying to go with it, as a feeling. I've been working on being a little less focused on doing things constantly. Relaxing. I like mostly to sit on our stoop, as I've mentioned before, with tea.
I hope everyone else is enjoying their free pass on complaining about the weather. Bless :)

Summer Walks

This muggy weather is making me, and everyone else here really really lazy. Nap nap nap.
Not only did I cut my bangs too short (visible in the picture above), but I also did them crooked. And the better side is the longer one, so they are staying that way. And of course everyone has just said that I should not have cut them in the first place, but WHEN has that EVER stopped me? Not never. I need the constant reminder that I could be pretty if I wasn't so inclined to looking like a dork. Luckily I have my adventure hat!
Besides that, there's nothing new.
...
except this:

If we could make them any faster Morgan and I would just fill the whole bathtub with goddam fuckin' cute kids! Jacob thought this was the perfect opportunity to hit the babies as their skin made a nice loud smacking sound with his wet hands. Oh joy.

Thursday

I'm really not one for gloomy days. They gloom me. I am thinking Olive is much the same, we woke up a bit, but mostly have napped today. That's okay with me because I have spent a lot of this week watching over Nathan and Jacob as well, and since Morgan and Chris are taking today off from their renovating, Olive and I have a break from those loony boys. We're basking in it. I plan only to get some groceries done today, and what better cure for gloom than a walk. . .

... or videos of those loons...

St-Henri

I love our neighbourhood. I remember when we were living in Hochelaga, we came down here for our friends garage sale, they live 2 blocks over form our place now, and even on that day walking the streets of st-Henri I felt very much at home.
Its coming alive with the weather. Tonight I saw people on benches enjoying summer beers. People on their porches (one caught me picking my nose, always a wonderfully humbling experience). A woman walking her dog, singing to her headphone music. Cats in windows, longing for their daytime adventuring. A kid on what must have been the quietest scooter. Electric maybe? It frightened me none-the-less creeping around the corner.
My favourite sight was a man on a motorcycle pulling up on the notre-dame corner, he met eyes with the corners hooker, she smiled like he was an old friend, they'd met many times before, in that exact same place. They chatted, and then she hopped on the back, and they drove off into the horizon, or to a local alleyway. It was very endearing. Mostly I cringe when I see hookers jump in cars, but they actually seemed like friends.
There was also a man biking with his very shaggy shitsu sitting in a basket on the back of his bike. So many wonderful sights. People's happiness is radiating with the heat. Olive fell asleep on my chest, and I put her to bed when we got home.

Grey Skies

Days like this really make me want to do nothing. Unable to do anything really. I am sometimes amazed at how much the weather can affect my motivation. I am sure most everyone can relate. I am going to be happy with getting some laundry done, and make some wonderful plans of being productive over this coming weekend. Which is supposed to be sunny. :)

Greg and Olive, in my carrier, at the bikeshop.