Twice last week I had to step out into traffic and pretend I was a traffic cop, because some cute dog came running out to meet Vimy, and had no problem running right across the road toward us. There is no way a dog was going to get killed in front of me, not on my watch. Me, rather than the dog, I figured. I could live with that! Thankfully, all vehicles had plenty of time to stop.
When you hike with a dog, you can't help but have encounters, which leads to my highlight of the week, and my lowlight of the week.
My LOWLIGHT: I had just passed a house where the German Shepherd tied up outside had been barking at Vimy constantly, straining at his leash, as we passed. I had reached the far side of this property and was ready to turn around when the owner dashes out and yells at me "Can you get going where you are going!" WHAT A ..... candidate for "charm school". Definitely lacking in the social graces, I would say. Well, if he had said that to me thirty seconds earlier, I would have nodded and left Vimy's big "bomb" on his front lawn. As it was, I had just stooped to pick it up. Too bad! So I replied oh so calmly and loudly, "I am just picking up my dog's poop off your lawn." It takes all kinds to make a world, doesn't it?
My HIGHLIGHT: I was alternating walking and jogging on a back road, when Vimy ran to make friends with a Black Lab. I stopped to chat for a few minutes with the young girl outside, eleven year old Olivia. Then I resumed my run and the next thing I knew, she was biking beside me. We exchanged more pleasantries about ourselves. When she asked me where I lived, I said I was really "homeless" at the moment, but staying in a friend's cottage until I leave on a hiking trip to Spain. Olivia didn't respond right away, as she gave this information some thought. Then she said, "I am sure if I asked my mother, she would let you stay with us". Spoken straight from the heart of a child, bless her.
Another Camino tidbit, for those of you who might be thinking of doing this trek, pilgrimage, hike, or craziness, as my former 90 year old neighbour Lucy, calls it;
I have read on a Forum that you should never, ever put your backpack on a bed in a hostel (albergue). BEDBUGS will invade your backpack. Ah... seems to me you shouldn't put your body on that bed either then?
CAMINO COUNTDOWN - 27 days to departure/départ en 27 jours
I have found a new love. It is hiking! Je suis mordue de ...la randonnée pédestre. I absolutely love it!
Since I last blogged, I have added another 50 kilometres and hiked every step of the way from Durham Centre to Charlo, and back. Not all at once though! I have hiked all the backroads around and taken two days to run, instead of hike. I now carry my full sized backpack, with 19 pounds of STUFF in it. All of which I tell myself I will need on The Camino, but some of which will surely stay behind when I do my last packing purge.
I have seen beauty and decay all around me. Panoramic views of la belle Baie, the scenic mountains of the Gaspé, the mother duck with her newborn goslings who waddled right across my path, the chickens who scooted up the road to get away from my curious Vimy, the cutie in the convertible who stopped to ask me where I was headed... and then there is the ubiquitous Tim Horton's coffee cup in the ditch, the constant litter of beer and pop cans, numerous abandoned and caved in houses- where families once lived, but everyone has "gone" away, never to come back. Amidst these contrasts, I have found pure and simple joy in putting one foot in front of the other, with Vimy leading the way.
Being out in the great outdoors, at all times and in all kinds of weather, I have made a few observations. People who litter in the backroads, will throw out more trash on the right hand side of the road, which leads me to believe they are getting rid of it before they hit the main drag, where, heaven forbid, they should be seen littering (or drinking in a vehicle!). The further north I trek though, the more pop cans and energy drink cans I see. "Bible Belt" country methinks? Bud is still number one though!
J'ai appris que l'appli "RunKeeper" est tout simplement merveilleux comme outil. Je n'ai plus besoin de me servir de mon cerveau pour mes calculs de distance, etc. L'appli fait tout ça et me le dit. La technologie ne cesse de m'émerveiller.
J'ai réussi à ramasser cinq gros sacs de bouteilles recyclables pendant mes randonnées. Étant éco-consciente, je ne peux pas m'empêcher d'en ramasser, et je les mets dans le bac réservé au Radiothon des Roses, au centre de recyclage. Un bon oeuvre mène à un autre bon oeuvre, non?
Camino Tidbit: Over 270,000 pilgrims (pelegrinos) hiked The Camino last year; less than 3% were Canadian. I guess I will stick out like a sore thumb with my Canadian and Acadian flags, the latter of which will be on my facecloth hanging off my backpack to dry. :)
Since I last blogged, I have added another 50 kilometres and hiked every step of the way from Durham Centre to Charlo, and back. Not all at once though! I have hiked all the backroads around and taken two days to run, instead of hike. I now carry my full sized backpack, with 19 pounds of STUFF in it. All of which I tell myself I will need on The Camino, but some of which will surely stay behind when I do my last packing purge.
I have seen beauty and decay all around me. Panoramic views of la belle Baie, the scenic mountains of the Gaspé, the mother duck with her newborn goslings who waddled right across my path, the chickens who scooted up the road to get away from my curious Vimy, the cutie in the convertible who stopped to ask me where I was headed... and then there is the ubiquitous Tim Horton's coffee cup in the ditch, the constant litter of beer and pop cans, numerous abandoned and caved in houses- where families once lived, but everyone has "gone" away, never to come back. Amidst these contrasts, I have found pure and simple joy in putting one foot in front of the other, with Vimy leading the way.
Being out in the great outdoors, at all times and in all kinds of weather, I have made a few observations. People who litter in the backroads, will throw out more trash on the right hand side of the road, which leads me to believe they are getting rid of it before they hit the main drag, where, heaven forbid, they should be seen littering (or drinking in a vehicle!). The further north I trek though, the more pop cans and energy drink cans I see. "Bible Belt" country methinks? Bud is still number one though!
J'ai appris que l'appli "RunKeeper" est tout simplement merveilleux comme outil. Je n'ai plus besoin de me servir de mon cerveau pour mes calculs de distance, etc. L'appli fait tout ça et me le dit. La technologie ne cesse de m'émerveiller.
J'ai réussi à ramasser cinq gros sacs de bouteilles recyclables pendant mes randonnées. Étant éco-consciente, je ne peux pas m'empêcher d'en ramasser, et je les mets dans le bac réservé au Radiothon des Roses, au centre de recyclage. Un bon oeuvre mène à un autre bon oeuvre, non?
Camino Tidbit: Over 270,000 pilgrims (pelegrinos) hiked The Camino last year; less than 3% were Canadian. I guess I will stick out like a sore thumb with my Canadian and Acadian flags, the latter of which will be on my facecloth hanging off my backpack to dry. :)
CAMINO COUNTDOWN CONTINUES-COMPTE À REBOURS CONTINUE
Well, I have hiked all over the rolling hills of the North Shore and even across the Baie to Mont St. Joseph in the Gaspé, since July 7th. I did take a break this past weekend for a big family birthday party blowout. In 11 days I have hiked over 100 km. Only one little blister. Thank you to my favourite son-in-law who lent me his expert advice and help on choosing the right hiking boots and socks. He was right!! Un gros merci à ma fille aussi pour l'emprunt de son sac à dos. J'ai réussi à porter 14 livres sur mon dos, sans m'écrouler par terre. J'ai même pu faire un petit besoin dans le bois, sans l'enlever et sans tomber sur dos!
From my hikes I have made a few observations. Firstly, the beer of choice in this area is Bud and Bud Light. I know because I have made a point of picking up some cans on my way home. That is my way of being "eco friendly", one small gesture at a time.
Secondly, the lottery tickets of choice are the pop-opens, because someone loves to buy them and chuck the losers out the window of their car. They are all over the main drag. I should have them all picked up by the time I leave in mid-August. Another "eco friendly gesture" on my part.
I have hiked as early as 6:30 in the morning, and as late as 2:30 in the afternoon on a hot day. NO dawn or dusk for me; I am not into meeting any bears or moose, BOTH of which have been spotted on these roads. Je suis une grosse peureuse!
Vimy (my faithful dog and companion on ALL my hikes) has been spooked more than once by fake lawn deer; I have seen the cutest little front garden full of gnomes of every size and shape; I have been surprised by a "deluxe outhouse" on a front lawn (for show only!) and had a senior citizen in a purple pantsuit (so sixties!) whiz by me on her bicycle, with a perfectly coiffed head of hair! I had spotted her leaving a hairdressing salon two minutes earlier.
However, the highlight of my travels was stopping to chat with the mother of an old school friend of mine. She was stepping out of her house at 8:00 am, dressed perfectly from head to toe, including hat and pearls, and carrying a milk pail. She was on her way to get fresh milk at her son's farm behind her house. Did I mention she is 90 years old?
Jane, you are an inspiration to us all!
From my hikes I have made a few observations. Firstly, the beer of choice in this area is Bud and Bud Light. I know because I have made a point of picking up some cans on my way home. That is my way of being "eco friendly", one small gesture at a time.
Secondly, the lottery tickets of choice are the pop-opens, because someone loves to buy them and chuck the losers out the window of their car. They are all over the main drag. I should have them all picked up by the time I leave in mid-August. Another "eco friendly gesture" on my part.
I have hiked as early as 6:30 in the morning, and as late as 2:30 in the afternoon on a hot day. NO dawn or dusk for me; I am not into meeting any bears or moose, BOTH of which have been spotted on these roads. Je suis une grosse peureuse!
Vimy (my faithful dog and companion on ALL my hikes) has been spooked more than once by fake lawn deer; I have seen the cutest little front garden full of gnomes of every size and shape; I have been surprised by a "deluxe outhouse" on a front lawn (for show only!) and had a senior citizen in a purple pantsuit (so sixties!) whiz by me on her bicycle, with a perfectly coiffed head of hair! I had spotted her leaving a hairdressing salon two minutes earlier.
However, the highlight of my travels was stopping to chat with the mother of an old school friend of mine. She was stepping out of her house at 8:00 am, dressed perfectly from head to toe, including hat and pearls, and carrying a milk pail. She was on her way to get fresh milk at her son's farm behind her house. Did I mention she is 90 years old?
Jane, you are an inspiration to us all!
COUNTDOWN TO EL CAMINO - COMPTE À REBOURS
El Camino:
Je pars faire El Camino dans 42 jours. J'ai commencé mon entrainement physique de façon sérieuse. Hier j'ai fait 7.5 kilomètres avec mon sac à dos de 9 livres. Aujourd'hui je n'ai pas trop mal. D'ici mon départ, je dois tout simplement tripler le parcours et doubler ma charge. C'est simple comme bonjour!
I leave for The Camino in 42 days. I have started my get-in-shape training. Yesterday I hiked 7.5 kilometres with a 9 pound backpack. I don't hurt too much today! All I have to do between now and my departure in 42 days is triple my distance and double my backpack load. Piece of cake, right?
I hasten to add for those who might not know - El Camino is a Spanish word meaning the road. It is universally used to describe a 820 km pilgrimage through southern France (very short part) and northern Spain. The destination is the church of Santiago de Compostella,(St Jacques de Compostelle), where this saint is buried. For many, like myself, it is not so much a religious pilgrimage, but rather a physical challenge, whereby our inner spirituality will also guide us along the way. I am going with a dear, old friend of mine who now lives in Michigan. We hope to well represent the friendship between our two countries, as we hike the mountains, flatlands, valleys, and cities of northern Spain.
I hasten to add for those who might not know - El Camino is a Spanish word meaning the road. It is universally used to describe a 820 km pilgrimage through southern France (very short part) and northern Spain. The destination is the church of Santiago de Compostella,(St Jacques de Compostelle), where this saint is buried. For many, like myself, it is not so much a religious pilgrimage, but rather a physical challenge, whereby our inner spirituality will also guide us along the way. I am going with a dear, old friend of mine who now lives in Michigan. We hope to well represent the friendship between our two countries, as we hike the mountains, flatlands, valleys, and cities of northern Spain.
ANOTHER FIRST for me in another post blizzard (#2) adventure!
Well, we got snow smacked again! Tuesday was another snow day for our district, the 11th since early November. I haven't lost track of how many teaching days we have lost, but I have lost track of everything else. All I can think of is.... this winter, our worst in a century, apparently, still has a good month to go.
When I hear parents complain about another school day cancelled, I get upset. A child's safety is the main concern of all school districts. The storm was over, so back to school, right? Right! Everything normal, right? No!
I had heard the wind howling all night, so I got up early. I knew I would have to shovel hard, drifted and packed snow. I did learn a few tricks since the previous blizzard (all of a week ago!), so I didn't get stuck this time. However, the minute I was on my secondary road, it was nothing but a long, white, one lane tunnel. You couldn't see a thing except white swirling all around you. I never met anyone else, thank goodness. What idiot would be out in such atrocious driving conditions, unless they had to be at work?
I made it to the major highway, which was a total mess. It was icy and snow packed. Coming off the on-ramp, the banks of snow are so high, you can't see what vehicles are coming until you are right in the merging lane. Three huge transports whizzed by me, as I waited to merge. Just a nightmare, which wasn't over yet.
I exited after five minutes of white knuckled driving, onto a long, looping off ramp, in order to bring my dog to doggie day care (I know, I know, - how ridiculous!). The snow banks were high, but at least there was less wind, so less drifting. I had some visibility... which was more than the guy who was coming straight towards me did! This man had the sun in his eyes, and was coming straight towards me on an OFF- RAMP! I don't know how we managed NOT to have a head-collision. Thank goodness I always keep right, even in what is supposed to be a road with no ONCOMING traffic! He wasn't only blinded by the sun. I figure he couldn't read either, because he totally missed the two, big, red signs, on each side of the off ramp, at the end, that tell those who get on it at the beginning, that they are going the WRONG WAY! (By the way, in French they say "Reculez", which means "Back Up". Notice how the French get right to the point!)
My friend Tracy from England, when she and her hubby came to visit, thought those signs were great. They don't have them in the UK, to tell people they are not on the right ramp. Well, Tracy, we may have them, but they don't always work!
I shudder to think what happened to that man, when he got off the off ramp, only to be facing highway traffic head on. I never heard anything in the news, so I hope and pray he realized his mistake, and backed up.
I arrived at work pretty shaken up, but all in one piece, only to hear of other people's adventures of the day, ie. four car pile-ups.
If you have young children, or grandchildren, hug your school bus driver, because he or she was out there in those horrific driving conditions, getting your little ones to school.
Happy March Break to everyone! Dollars to donuts we do not have a single, solitary snowstorm during this one week break. :)
When I hear parents complain about another school day cancelled, I get upset. A child's safety is the main concern of all school districts. The storm was over, so back to school, right? Right! Everything normal, right? No!
I had heard the wind howling all night, so I got up early. I knew I would have to shovel hard, drifted and packed snow. I did learn a few tricks since the previous blizzard (all of a week ago!), so I didn't get stuck this time. However, the minute I was on my secondary road, it was nothing but a long, white, one lane tunnel. You couldn't see a thing except white swirling all around you. I never met anyone else, thank goodness. What idiot would be out in such atrocious driving conditions, unless they had to be at work?
I made it to the major highway, which was a total mess. It was icy and snow packed. Coming off the on-ramp, the banks of snow are so high, you can't see what vehicles are coming until you are right in the merging lane. Three huge transports whizzed by me, as I waited to merge. Just a nightmare, which wasn't over yet.
I exited after five minutes of white knuckled driving, onto a long, looping off ramp, in order to bring my dog to doggie day care (I know, I know, - how ridiculous!). The snow banks were high, but at least there was less wind, so less drifting. I had some visibility... which was more than the guy who was coming straight towards me did! This man had the sun in his eyes, and was coming straight towards me on an OFF- RAMP! I don't know how we managed NOT to have a head-collision. Thank goodness I always keep right, even in what is supposed to be a road with no ONCOMING traffic! He wasn't only blinded by the sun. I figure he couldn't read either, because he totally missed the two, big, red signs, on each side of the off ramp, at the end, that tell those who get on it at the beginning, that they are going the WRONG WAY! (By the way, in French they say "Reculez", which means "Back Up". Notice how the French get right to the point!)
My friend Tracy from England, when she and her hubby came to visit, thought those signs were great. They don't have them in the UK, to tell people they are not on the right ramp. Well, Tracy, we may have them, but they don't always work!
I shudder to think what happened to that man, when he got off the off ramp, only to be facing highway traffic head on. I never heard anything in the news, so I hope and pray he realized his mistake, and backed up.
I arrived at work pretty shaken up, but all in one piece, only to hear of other people's adventures of the day, ie. four car pile-ups.
If you have young children, or grandchildren, hug your school bus driver, because he or she was out there in those horrific driving conditions, getting your little ones to school.
Happy March Break to everyone! Dollars to donuts we do not have a single, solitary snowstorm during this one week break. :)
Day six- POST BLIZZARD
I woke up to another four inches of white stuff, and NO POWER! When will it end?
Day 5 - POST BLIZZARD 2015
Saturday! The weekend, alleluia! Slow day. My only plans are to rest, forget about the past week, and bring supper to my Mamacita. I get all ready, put the food bag at the door, and decide at the last minute to empty my recycling. First box, no problem. I go back to get the second box, empty it, and upon returning to my door, cannot get back into my apartment (aka the cottage!). What? I was sure I hadn't locked it. Positive even! So I think, "Thank goodness my keys are in my pocket!". I put the key in the lock, but nothing happens. The door will NOT OPEN! I play with it for a good five minutes, pushing, tugging, twisting, jiggling, and YANKING! Nothing.
So, where do I go, for the third time in as many days? I trudge upstairs to my landlord's place. Thank goodness he is home. He comes down, tries to open the door, and asks all the usual questions that a man would ask, and more than once, I might add. It doesn't matter how many times you answer the same question. "No, I didn't lock it". "Yes, I noticed it was getting harder to turn at times, but I thought it was just ice stuck at the bottom of the door." "No, I don't have anything else open in the apartment, to crawl through." "Yes, everything is locked." I am woman who lives alone on a deserted beach. Wouldn't you have everything locked?
The lock needs to replaced. I have now figured that out. My landlord says that since it is too late to get a new lock, it, will have to be done on Monday. "Well, isn't that wonderful?" I think. Now I am homeless!" He is still jiggling with the door handle and asking questions, so... "Yes, I noticed it was getting harder to open, but...I was busy trying to get to work! I didn't want to bother you or your wife, again."
Then I ask him if he couldn't just do what they do in the movies, and throw all his weight at the door, or better yet, KICK it hard? It always works in the movies! No, this would necesitate his replacing the entire door frame as well as the lock. So I am standing there, thinking, "Welcome to my nightmare", when he stops jiggling the handle, throws his shoulder into the door, and lo and behold, it opens! My second alleluia of the day, escapes my lips.
The lock needs replacing, because ICE has gotten into it from the BLIZZARD, and ruined it. Anyway, as long as I don't lock it, I can get in and out. That is all that I care about! Vimy and I go happily on our way, having met yet another misadventure head on!
Don't anyone tell me I need a man!
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