Spring is Here

My amaryllis looks stunning on the front window sill.

Spring is my favourite time of year in the garden. After a monotone white winter and a dismal, dirty grey thaw I really look forward to the bright colours of spring. The forsythia is such a sunny sight (and remember if you are using corn gluten meal as a weed inhibitor it should be spread while the forsythia is blooming).

I have lots of spring bulbs but it has been so windy it was difficult to get more good shots.

Even the rhubarb is colorful!

I hope you are enjoying spring too!

I'm still alive!

But spring is here and you know what that means. I am back to work and I have less time to regale you with tales from my exciting life.

2 things you need to know about me:

When I am not working I rebound to keep "fit" - whatever that means. A whole winter of rebounding did not result in any weight loss, change in my measurements or the way my clothes fit but I stuck with it figuring it had to be doing some good. I very rarely get sick and I think that is more important than being thin.

My camera is giving me some problems so I borrowed my mom's because she never uses it and wants to sell it. I like it because all the buttons are the same as my old one so it is easy to use. However, I am not impressed with the light/exposure in most of the pictures. I have been taking lots of pictures to try it out.

Put those two facts together and you get this picture.

Easter - the rebounding cat. I really like the way the pot lights shine through the rebounder and create pretty patterns on the mat. We got Easter when Tori turned 8. Today Tori turns 20!

Jetsetters

In January Kevin flew out to Vancouver and flew back in March.

Caitlin flew in from Vancouver March 20 and flew back March 28 (left the house at 3 am).

March 29 and 30 we spent in Kingston for Alec's grad. He came home for Easter and left this morning (at 4 am) to fly out to Edmonton to look for an apartment.

In two weeks Tori flies in from New Brunswick for an undetermined stay.

I haven't gone anywhere but I think I have jet lag. All the visitors (and visiting), late nights and early mornings are taking its toll.

My truck is tired too. In the summer I put on about 300 km a week and fill up once. In the winter I can go weeks or even a month without needing to fill up. In the last few weeks we have travelled to Toronto, Newmarket, Collingwood, Barrie, Collingwood, Newmarket, Alliston, Kingston and Newmarket and have been filling up 3 times a week.

I am nonetheless enjoying all this family time. I know pretty soon I will be a bored empty nester.

Good Friday Paddle

Yesterday 10 of us went canoeing on the Nottawasaga River. It was our first paddle of the year and I think our earliest first paddle ever. Last year's April paddle was 9 days later, windy and 25 degrees colder! This day was warm and beautiful and only windy the last half hour.

Here is Connor fooling around in his brand new kayak. This was the first time he had been out in it and he capsized shortly after launching. He got the hang of it after that and no more problems - except him and Dalton carry on like a couple of teenage girls and were spending more time talking than paddling and making us wait.

Armin and Alec were ahead most of the way. Here they are waiting for us for lunch. After lunch they left us. They finished at least 45 minutes ahead and actually had gone to the put in to retrieve the truck and trailer before we caught up.

This isn't a great picture but it shows the high water line. I think it looks neat.

Another graduation for Alec

We are still busy here.  And very tired.  Caitlin left Sunday morning at 3 am.  She originally planned to be here for Alec's graduation but the date was changed twice after she booked her ticket.  Monday morning we headed for Kingston, picking up my parents and Kevin's mom on the way.  We spent the night in a hotel but first our good friends L & G had us all over for dinner.  They are wonderful hosts and what an amazing spread!  And very brave to have 7 extra people over.  We have known them since our New Brunswick years and Alec has visited them often over the last 15 months. 

 Tuesday morning at 8:30 am we all watched Alec graduate from the Land Communication Information Systems technician course .  Kevin wasn't around when Alec was sworn in but he was able to participate in this ceremony.

Alec will be moving to Edmonton, likely within the month.  He is posted to 1 CBG HQ & Sigs.  I am sure everyone understands what that means.

Geocaching

We had a crazy, busy, great week with Caitlin.  We had hoped to go canoeing while she was home but the days we were free were too cold and windy.  So we decided to go geocaching instead.  We haven't been in years and Caitlin has never been.  Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt using handheld GPS units.  The "treasures" are usually tupperware containers filled with booty such as key chains, pens, traceable coins or bills, dinky cars etc.  You remove a piece of the treasure and leave one you have brought.  Then you sign the log and replace the treasure chest in it's hiding spot.  Most of the hunts we have done are through county forests or parks and some are quite rugged.  The first one yesterday was like that.  We were bushwacking for 10 minutes and going in circles.  We realized the map didn't match the GPS co-ordinates and we were right beside a construction site so we think that cache is gone.  We moved on.  The rest of our caches were very open.  The first was at this old pioneer cemetery.  

This cache is a micro or nano cache.  You can see how small it is in Caitlin's hand.  No treasure - just a piece of rolled up paper to sign. 

Our next cache was also in a cemetery.  Strange because we have never been to a cemetery to geo-cache before.  The cache was way over the hill hidden in the branches of a pear tree.   
Then we went to scenic Creemore, where we had hot drinks and home-baked goodies and found 3 caches.  Shown below is the historic jail and a picture of the 3 of us.  The picture was taken by Amanda who came along with us for the day.  Amanda has been part of our life since we moved here.   Connor and Amanda have almost always been in the same class.  I babysat Amanda and her brother for years, then Tori did.  One year Amanda's mom watched Connor.  Amanda is horse crazy too and loves hanging around Caitlin.  She gets most of Caitlin's horse hand-me-downs.

What we've been up to

Caitlin got her taxes done.  Here she is with her accountant.  Note the accountant's professional attire (pyjamas) and her well coiffed hair. Poor woman can't afford a desk or computer. 

We have walked the dogs, biked, biked with the dogs, run with the dogs, biked again - at least two activities a day.  Caitlin has seen her best friend and gone to the movies 3 times (the rest of us went once). Yesterday we went riding.  The last time I rode a horse was 25 years ago on holiday in Waterton Lakes.  Since then I have led a lot of horses with kids on them and watched a lot of lessons but was never able to ride again.  I wasn't nervous but my horse likes to find his own way around obstacles and mud and ran me into a bunch of big branches and scratched and bruised my leg.  It was still fun and we will have to go again together. 

Then we went for pedicures.  This was my second professional pedicure.  An event of that magnitude also needs pictures.   See our pretty flowers?  Can you guess whose feet are whose?