Early spring cleaning

I haven't felt like I have been making tracks on the reno palace in a while. Today was bitterly cold I didn't feel inclined to head out and about but also didn't want to start a huge project.

The pantry in its chaotic state had been bugging me for a while so I thought I'd re-organize it. I emptied it and was shocked how much stuff I'd managed to cram in there (and yes, wish I had a better before pic with it all in the pantry!):



















































Of course once I had all the "stuff" out I realized how grimy the shelves were and how dingy the paint was and remembered how many crayon drawings there were inside the doors.






















Which led to this:




























And finally the satisfying end in sight:





























Followed by realizing that even with one very jam packed jumbo bag of garbage purged out it's still a pretty full pantry!

Everything I know about Christmas

I learned from my mom.

The joy of baking and the smell of butter, nuts, chocolate and cinnamon filling the house. That's still the smell of warmth and home-iness for me today.

The pleasure in giving those treats away in pretty packages. And trying to have some on hand by Christmas day!

And the old classics on TV; Frosty, Rudolph, Charlie Brown and The Grinch...guess they weren't "classics" then.

And learning to play carols on the piano and singing badly along.

That adding sparkle and twinkle and color to a house is partly lights and tinsel and partly the same decorations that go up year after year...many homemade and given by others and not about matching or color schemes or themes.

That wishlists are starting points and no guarantee. And they're really just a way to dream and imagine and maybe even realize how little you need.

That the hustle and bustle should be less about shopping and more about stopping in. My mom was not generally a fan of stopping in - that's my dad's domain but at Christmas there was no end of friends stopping by and Christmas Eve was about us going to friends' homes all over the place.

That Santa is more about magic than anything else. And a great motivator for an early bedtime.

And grownups still love cookies and milk.

And stockings are the best part of the gifts.

That Christmas morning is about chaos and mess and unhealthy breakfast and that's absolutely ok once a year.

And that the whole thing should be capped off by family gathered together with hospitality, laughter and thankfulness.

Merry Christmas!

The Physics of Dog

How does this:

Get out of this:

(note the carabiner holding the door closed at the bottom centre)

I knew I preferred road travel!

I made what was supposed to be a quick trip back to the home town for a surprise birthday party for my dad. A party for 40 friends at the legion seemed like the right thing to do for someone turning 65. It remained a surprise and was well received.

As much as I love a trip home I honestly don't ever love the pressure of getting packed, finding a spot I trust to leave the dog, asking the neighbors to watch my house and then the whole airport experience. And in the interests of time, air travel generally wins out.

Well maybe not any more.

I took my usual decongestant before boarding the plane although I felt fine. As we were landing my ears crackled, popped and then wouldn't pop and just plain hurt like a bugger. I got off the plane and assumed that my hearing etc. would all return as normal and we carried on with the million and one errands necessary to pull off the party.

By later that evening I felt like I had a cold. Nonetheless I allowed myself to be dragged out for a girl's night out aka a reminder that I am no longer 20. The day of the party I had a smidge of a hangover and still felt like a cold was coming on. Today before catching my flight my sister decided I should check with a pharmacist because I was now having bedspins at night and had one very stuffed up ear and earaches.

The pharmacist said that if I was taking decongestants and my ear still wouldn't clear I should see a doctor. Pshaw I thought but then got "the look" from my sister.

After a 2.5 hr wait at the walk in - they should be called walk in and wait, I saw a doctor who gave me a lecture including sketches on the dangers of air travel when you have injured/ruptured your middle ear membrane and prescribed some nasal spray (yuck!) to try and get my eustachian tubes to open. And a suggestion to see an ENT since this has probably happened before and will continue to happen since he thinks there is something wrong with my septum. All said as though I was an idiot who should know better.

Next up, a ton of phone calls and emails to sort out a plan b.

And a inclineation not to get on a plane again....

Also wondering...where do you get new plumbing for your head?

Commercials I like

Ok total random thought tonight...maybe too much tv!

Normally I hate "feminine products" commercials but I have to say that the Kotex commercial where she asks men to go into the store to buy tampons for her is priceless. Especially the guy who offers to buy toilet paper instead.

I also love the way dude says "calms" on the Sensodyne commercial. I'm not sure he'd be my choice over Barry White for voiceovers (I have this idea that you should be able to choose the voice for telephone banking, elevators, your car etc) but it still catches my attention.