10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU.

I woke up Friday morning to a snow-filled driveway. One that needed to be shovelled...so begins the long Canadian winter.

I'm not a big fan. 

In fact here's my 10 things I hate about you (winter) list:

1)   I hate having frozen fingers and popsicle toes. 
2)   I hate the way my nose runs....all the time...when I'm outside.
3)   I hate pushing a grocery cart through a slush filled parking lot.
4)   I hate that I'm always walking the dog in the dark.
5)   I hate getting into a cold car and freezing my butt on a cold    
       seat.
6)   I hate that sometimes I can't even get into my car cause it's 
      frozen shut!
7)   I hate having to gear up into with many layers in an attempt to 
      survive.
8)   I hate that I can't ride my bike to work very easily.
9)   I hate all the scraping and sweeping and shovelling....
10) I hate that there are no birds serenading me when I wake up. 

But....then....there is an undeniable beauty to the season.

Just look how adorable house this house looks with it's adorable book swap out front!

The countryside is hushed and still and calm.

And Christmas is coming! How the greens and red pop!

Maybe, hate is too strong a word...may winter, it seems is a little bit more...

I'M ON THE JOURNEY

This past week I had a birthday! That means I'm in a reflective and somewhat poignant mood as I consider that fact that I've made it through 55 years on this earth. 

This life is quite a journey! It's like we are on a train ride together. There's lots to see and experience as we move on down the tracks. We meet new people. We hang out with family and friends in the dining car. Some people spend all their time in the bar car, some people keep to themselves. 

But then the train starts to slow down and comes to a stop. The Ticket Inspector comes around - "this is your stop" he says to your mother, or grandfather or maybe your best friend. 

Some people know their stop is coming up. They have their luggage ready to go, they say their goodbyes. But some don't. 

My train is still chugging along - doesn't seem like my stop is coming up too soon. And you know what? I trust the Train; it won't break down and will get me through this life journey.  I trust the Conductor, who knows where I'm going and what's around the bend, even though I don't. And I trust the Ticket Inspector, who knows when my train ride is ending. He might pop his head into my carriage car and say "Hey Cyndi, your stop is coming up soon." Or He may not and suddenly without warning I've reached my Destination.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit - I trust them. Able to rest in this, I'm enjoying the experience, the scenery, the ride. 

Thanks to everyone who celebrated me this past week with gifts, and best birthday wishes and love! You make this journey all that much richer!

THE PAW

If you are a pet owner, your are probably familiar with this particular mode of communication utilized by cats and dogs. 

It's called....The PAW! 

And it knows how to get the point across! I'm presently working with three different types of paws in my house. 

There are the Dandy-Paws, our newest member. Now Dandy is a Thug and he uses his paws to generally knock things off the counter or table, or dip into my tea or mess up my I-Pad.

They are elegant, fluffy things that usually keep their claws well tucked away.

But they are always showing up, even when I'm trying to have some peace and quiet in the bathroom! These paws are saying  - "GIVE ME YOUR ATTENTION, PLAY WITH ME, LET ME IN!"

But then there are Sasha Paws: Small, elegant and exotic.

She wraps them up all nice and compact ensuring to keep her tail in place. But these paws have little trouble unsheathing their sharp talons. She will take a swipe at whoever is invading her space! These paws remind me that I live with royalty and I'd better respect it. 

Finally I have the Lulu Paws

These here are thumpers. They thump me when they want something to eat and are usually precluded with this face:

If this face does not get the tidbit in a timely manner I get bopped or thumped by the paw. The paw also thumps me when she wants to be petted or when I stop petting her and she feels the petting time is incomplete. Some times when I come home from work, I get the two-paw thump - a complete paws-on that says "I missed you, where have you been, now how about supper?"

I've had pets most of my life and I'm quite familiar with The Paw. Sometime, actions speak louder than words!