Snow Like My Childhood

Sunday night brought a blizzard to Toronto and with it 36cm of snow by Monday afternoon. Jason spent the day shovelling, heading out multiple times to work through it all. The photo on the right is taken through our back door, the snow piling up in the backyard and back porch.

Heading out for a walk today, the neighbourhood felt like what winters were when I was growing up in Paris. I don't know what it is about nostalgia, but the memories I have from childhood include mammoth snowbanks and huge piles after shovelling. Also I remember there being so much snow that it was shovelled with this strange big metal scoop thing that my dad would push and then tip (I saw someone down the street using a similar thing today, so they are still around.)

This Or That

My Choices!

Steph, tagged me in her Instagram Story a couple of days ago with this list, she had done hers and then named a few followers to do the same. I guess it is a meme, or a challenge, or a chain, or something. I replied that I would do it for my blog. This was partly because it is Two who has Instagram - she doesn't use the story feature and doesn't like to share her account. Also I am constantly needing content for Always Standing so happy to have things like this to do.

The thing with Insta Stories is that they disappear in 24 hours so when I was ready to go and do it - the original one was gone. I looked it up online and couldn't quite find the exact one that Steph had done. (I know, because her's had White Wine / Red Wine listed and she had crossed both out, which I would have done too.) However, I feel like this is the same style and will do. I used Paint and the computer, which is also different, but it gets the point across. Now I challenge all who are reading to let me know in the comments where you stand on This or That? 

Also, if you have Instagram, Steph is a great person to follow @sbeachphoto because she posts regularly, the images are always beautiful, and sometimes you get a glimpse of her adorable dog Kaylee.

JBR - A Visit To Huntsville

Beer: Lake of Bays Brewing Company, on tap

Date Tried: Saturday March 7, 2020 

Location: Trading Bay Dining Company, Dorset, Ontario
General thoughts from Jason, when asked for his review: "Yeah, it is fine."
Editor's note: It has never worked out that Kristen and Noah are heading to Huntsville at a time that we can join them. They have invited us a few times but we always miss out. Kristen's dad has a condo up near Deerhurst and they love it there, in all seasons. We got to go this past weekend and had a wonderful time. Went for a couple of hikes and did a tiny road trip a few minutes down the road to Dorset for lunch - at a restaurant filled with ski-doo'ers, I think we were the only people who arrived by car. I found an old Heritage Walking Tour of the tiny village so we made sure to do that too. It was a wonderful little winter weekend holiday!

Quotes From Alberta

As I mentioned before, Jason and I went to Alberta this weekend. We flew out Friday evening and came back overnight Monday to Tuesday. It was a quick visit but I got to see my GeoConnection girls, their spouses, Mike, Aimee and the babies. Here are some quotes from the trip that I found amusing:

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Pointing out the car windshield...
Jason: Oh God! How cold is Edmonton? Is that a penguin?!?
Me: Huh? What?
Jason: That black and white bird that is waddling.
Me: Oh! That is a magpie, they are like my favourite! I don't understand how everywhere has them except Ontario.

----

(Said at various different times) Coming out from the changes rooms at the resort spa, wearing the hooded plaid bathrobes provided:
ERin: Ooo, I feel like I am at Hogwarts
Matt: Totally lookin' like a boxer here
Anne: Reminds me of Dementors
Sutik: Is this some sort of Illuminati thing?

----

Me: Are you just the cutest thing ever?!
Maya: I'm Maya!

Spring Switch

Today I switched out my winter purse, which is a basic black one - for my Spring Purse. Kristen gave me the blue and white striped bag that I use in the warmer months a few years ago. I can't believe it still looks good, the black ones I use over the winter only last for one season.

Feels good to make the switch, clean things out, reorganize everything.

Out Like A Lamb

I decided to follow up yesterday's post with a bit of research on the strange animal proverb used for the month of March:

"In like a lion, out like a lamb."

Turns out it has been around forever! The Paris Review claims that one of the earliest know use of the phrase is from 1732. Here are some theories of where it may come from:

Changing of Seasons
When March starts, it’s still winter, and by the end of the month spring has started. Though technically true, the Spring Equinox (for our hemisphere) is March 20 this year. However, it usually doesn't feel like spring until well into April.

The Balance of Life and Weather
The long held belief that things should balance. So, if a month started with bad weather, it should end with nice, calm weather.

Religious
Jesus's first appearance was as the sacrificial lamb, but he then returns as the Lion of Judah. Like in Narnia! I hadn't heard of the Lion of Judah before, but this theory puts the animals in the wrong order.

Horoscopes and Constellations
At the start of March, Leo, or the lion sign, is the rising star constellation and by April, it’s Aries. Aries is a ram, a male sheep. (And lambs are baby sheep!) This one is my favourite theory.

56 Hours In Iceland - A Bit Surprised

None of these things were huge shocks for us in Iceland, but I don't think I knew how much of an impact they would have on our trip until today.

Lack of daylight
The sun was rising at 11am and setting by 3:30pm each day. It would be completely dark shortly after 4pm eliminating the ability to see anything. We needed to be very careful to plan driving times and site visits to use our brief period of daylight the best possible way.

Expensive food
I knew that eating out in Iceland was very costly, and thought I would fix that by getting an Airbnb that had a kitchen so we could cook, pack lunches, etc. Well, it turns out it is because the food is expensive. Four chicken breasts were over $20 in the grocery store.

A lot of what we eat comes from cows
When I saw the price of chicken, I also noticed that ground beef was very pricey. Then I remembered that the country is very careful with protecting their native animals from diseases, and while they do have cows on the island they don't allow any to be brought in. This meant the milk and especially cheese was also crazy expensive, we paid $8 for cheddar to put on our sandwiches.

Cars breakdown
We knew that we would need to be driving standard, which both Jason and I are fine with. It was a bit surprising that at the end of our hike today the car didn't start. We had to call the rental company and they sent people to pick us up at the train head, bring us back to the city and give us a different car. Since rental cars are always so new you would think that they would be fairly immune to breaking down.

56 Hours In Iceland - Pingvellir, Iceland

The Path To Another World

Pingvellir National Park, Iceland

Photo taken with my phone

(Excited to see what the photos on our new camera look like.)

56 Hours In Iceland - Forgotten Items

Jason was able to help me pack for the surprise trip, but even with his double check, we still forgot things. I have posted about forgotten travel items before. Having just landed, here is what we forgot on this trip:

- My scarf
Luckily we had brought along quick-dry travel towels, I used one of those instead. (See Photo) I don't even think you can tell the difference!

- Batteries
We only needed them for Jason's noise-cancelling headphones but it might have helped him sleep on the plane. I only got about an hour of sleep and Jason didn't sleep at all.

Short Hike With Big Rocks

Pingvellir National Park, Iceland

Ramp Up In January

Looking to 2017, I am again hoping to post more on Always Standing. I realize that December has the trend of being a slow month for me writing over the last few years, historically this is how many posts I have done each December:

2016 - 4
2015 - 3
2014 - 7
2013 - 16
2012 - 15
2011 - 14
2010 - 30
2009 - 16
2008 - 15
2007 - 24
2006 - 22

However, I am going to ramp up for January and plan to get a lot of posts lined up. So, no backdating posts, I actually am going to try to write in advance and schedule them. Stay tuned.

Both Sides Of Black Creek

He shuffled slowly across the ice of Black Creek before taking off at a quick jog over the snow on the far side. A silent run up the east bank, paws softly flicking the powder with each step. He stayed upright to cast a shadow in the figure of a man.

Six new colonies had taken root in the east valley and with them came wicker baskets filled with fruit. Taking one back across the creek could feed the herd for a week. The trees wouldn't stay for long, often planting a few sweet pieces of  fruit before moving passed to root further along to the south.

The herd was weak, spending too long each day asleep in the branches of the beech trees that grew locked to the west bank. First it was the gradual thinning, bones forming as the warm cushion of fat receded, next their coats would turn greasy, then dull, then start to fall out.

Digging the fruit up from the ground would be too slow to feed everyone quickly enough. The herd would start to deplete if he wasn't able to get a basket back to them. The trees slept at night, it was the right time to try to take the big prize.

Cadence At The Equinox

Happy Spring

Cadence on Sunday March 20, 2016

Photo by Taylor

I didn't know that yesterday was the first day of spring, I am really bad about following the Spring and Fall equinox. And there is so much to learn about the first day of spring and equinoxes (equinoxi?) Also it turns out that in the Summer and Winter it is a Solstice and not an Equinox, I thought the words were interchangeable.

Finances In February

Most people know that I hate February and that patterns in my life tend to show that my depression is usually at its worst. (This is why Teri was confused to find out that Winter is my favourite season - because I always talk about how February is so awful.)

This week has been very difficult, reminding me of so many terrible Februarys in the past. We are running into a lot of snags with our mortgage arrangements. The result of this is that I feel anxious all day only to go home and breakdown from the stress - crying off and on through the evenings. I know that it will get sorted out and every day things seem a little better, clearer, more hopeful.

How Well Did You Know Me?

This is the response post to the list from last week. I wrote these answers right after publishing the original post - so any comments/guesses that got left did not influence me.

----- from Facebook

How Well Do You Know Me?

Jeans OR Sweats? Sweats (But, lady-sweats, aka yoga pants)

Coke OR Pepsi? Coke (Coke Zero actually)

iPhone OR Android? Android

Pink OR Blue? Pink to wear, Blue for everything else

Summer OR Winter? Winter

Morning OR Night? Night (the morning is for sleeping)

Tomboy OR Girly-Girl? I refuse to answer this question! I don't fit in either box. I also don't think it is a good idea to classify people this way, both of these terms are antiquated and sexist.

How did you do?

How Well Do You Know Me?

This is a very strange list of questions but an interesting experiment none the less (and yes, I got it from Facebook).

------ from Facebook

How Well Do You Know Me?

Jeans OR Sweats?

Coke OR Pepsi?

iPhone OR Android?

Pink OR Blue?

Summer OR Winter?

Morning OR Night?

Tomboy OR Girly-Girl?

Leave your guess (about my preferences) in the comments and I have scheduled a post for next week with my actual responses.

Not Fair!

This morning Mom and I decided to do another 'view' comparison after chatting for a bit on the phone. After we finished talking we each took a photo of what we have been looking at during the conversation. I like to call her in the morning while commuting to work, usually, when she is at The Cottage, this means that Mom is in bed hanging out with Rasta, or in the bath, or downstairs having coffee. However, she is in Spain for a couple of months so with the time change we are now talking around lunch time for her. 

See the small photo on the right for what my commute was like on the bus today - cold, wet, packed, but at least I had a seat. This is from my mom, she wins hands down:

Beach at El Rompido, Spain

February 10, 2016

Photo by Mom

Would You Rather - Sick Edition

Which would you rather have this winter?

FLU - Two weeks, very ill, throat pain, vomiting, achy, fever, 5-6 days off work - My boss had this and is still recovering, it sounds awful. I am very glad to have gotten my flu shot, but that only protects from some of the flu viruses out there.

COLD - Three weeks, quite sick, sore throat, running nose, headache, fever, 1-2 days off work - I am home from work today dealing with a bad cold. It has been coming and going over the last week or so. Some days are better than others but days with a lot of sinus pressure are killer.

COUGH - Three months, not well, dry/scratchy throat, sore muscles and joints, constant coughing, very tired, no days off work - Steph gets this every year. It starts with a couple of really sick days and then just hangs around as a cough/cold for the rest of the winter. I don't know how she deals with it, it would wear me down so much.

Leave your 'choice' in the comments.

Peru Pic - Maybe Teri's Favourite

When we were hanging out last night, Teri stated that this photo from my SLR was her favourite, but then changed her mind a few more times as we were going through my trip pictures.

Sayaqmarka 

Archaeological site on the Inca Trail

Cusco Region, Peru - January 4, 2016

Photo by Me

I am choosing to post it, instead of the others she mentioned, because it symbolizes a rare 'once in a lifetime' moment for me. I am having a hard time thinking of another time that I ever thought to myself, "This is it. I am never going to see/do this again."

The 'again sometime' attitude for travel means that I never feel rushed or pressured to see everything because I plan to be back in the future. Even when I was on the Trans-Siberian Express, I was thinking to myself that I would do that train ride again. I still hope that I get to go and see everything in reverse, in the winter.

However, I am not going to do the Inca Trail again. I want to return to Peru, I want to see Machu Picchu again when I am not tired, and I would even enjoy doing more trekking. But this specific 4-day hike was really a one time thing. (An amazing, incredible, absolutely thrilling one time thing that I am so happy to have experienced.)

So, we saw this site on the third day of the trek, which was the best day. The photo is taken after climbing over Runkuracay Pass, the second, and last, major mountain on the hike. We had slept the night before at 3,350m elevation, only to wake up and climb to 3,975m to get over the final huge mountain pass. The ruins are around 300m in elevation below me, and about 2km hiking away.

The thing is, to visit them, you need to walk up 100 steps through its only entrance to explore and then walk back down the same way. So, at the point in time when I am taking this photo I was seriously considering not bothering making the climb to see it and just stay resting on the trail below.

However, I didn't want to miss out, so by the time I hiked there, I had made the decision that I would climb up. In fact I counted 98 steps up and 97 steps down so it really depends on what rocks you consider steps to get a count of 100. You can see the stairs against the cliff below the left side of the ruins in the picture. The hike was once in a lifetime, I tried to experience it all to the fullest.

Where Have I Been?

So the answer to the above question is -- I don't know! I just stopped posting for a while, somehow found it hard to find the time. Things are well with me though and I have returned!

And So Today

In an update style, I thought I would respond to my own post yesterday about all the great things going on (in the same order as before):

- It is Still Fall in Toronto, But Also in Ottawa
Fall is my favourite season in Toronto but Fall is great in Ottawa too. (Technically Winter is my favourite season in Ottawa, but both are good.) Jason and I are heading up to Ottawa for the weekend for a quick visit with Steph and Dave since we didn't get a chance to see much of them over the summer - they have been super busy with Stephanie Beach Photography.

- The Star Wars Trailer is a Day Older, and Jar Jar is Dead
There was some concern among Jason's friends that the awful Jar Jar Binks character might make an appearance in the upcoming Star Wars movie. I don't think he will be there though, and I ended up doing research to ensure he would be too old to show up on screen. Here are my results:
- Jar Jar is a Gungan, and they live for 65 Galatic standard years 
 - Using the Russian Formation dating system, he was born in year 948 
 - Leia (and Luke too obviously) born in 981 
- So Jar Jar is 33 when the twins are babies 
- She is in her 20's during the 'original' trilogy making Jar Jar 53 
- As long as this is set more than 15 years after that (and I have heard it is supposed to be 20ish years past VI) Jar Jar is DEAD
And I might be a bit of a nerd for spending the time to look all that up and work everything out.

- The Liberals Continue to Have a Majority Government
And they will have for four more years. That is the whole point of a majority government, there probably won't be a vote of none confidence to bring about an early election. I am hoping that they get a lot of work done and make some big changes.

- Jays are now 1-3 in the ALCS
Last night the Blue Jays lost terribly in the fourth game of the American League Championship Series. Jason was so bothered by how badly the game was going that he turned off the TV after the second inning. I don't care though, I can use it to make an exciting announcement - Mike and Aimee are going to have another baby! I am excited to be a two-times aunt. I decided that this little thing has thrown up a poster on the womb ceiling to celebrate, since big brother Avery is such a fan.

Future Blue Jays' Fan

My Next Nibling, Avery's New Sibling

Due Late Spring 2016