ANTICIPATION | Spring

My first winter in Southampton was blissfully quiet yet not uneventful as we endured another lockdown, watched drama unfold at the Olympics, and witnessed the dystopian events in Ottawa and other Canadian centres. We had some wild weather which is, of course, my favourite - the perfect excuse to cook comfort food and cozy up on the couch with a good book. Most of my time was spent deciding what retirement is going to look like for me, keeping in touch with my friends and my kids, and getting a next new normal routine in place.

I continue to suffer with plantar fasciitis which really puts a damper on my exercise and photo walk plans, but it hasn’t stopped my daily use of the Pilates reformer machine and my twice weekly classes with Jackie where she makes me sweat. Most of my Anticipation | Winter post was completed and, as always, other unanticipated activities popped up here and there, all were enjoyed.

Today, I’m welcoming Spring while sunning on Grace Bay which has been tremendously relaxing. I hope to never spend another March in the cold and grey of home ever again. Last year, March 2021 in the tin can with Caden and the pups really messed me up. I am so grateful to be boosted, tested, and masked up making this trip possible. I’ve done all I can to stay as safe as possible and will continue to be diligent throughout the rest of this Covid era.

UNLOCK my right hip has slowly become my top priority right now. It may seem like a little thing, but my one specific goal over the next few months is to be able to get off the floor without using my hands or give in to the need to grab something to assist me. It is a painful process but necessary.

WRITE every day through the end of May by participating in the #The100DayProject toward completion of my personal #100DaysOfShortShortStories project. So far, so good! I have written a good collection of under 250-word stories and I’m now 033/100 - a third of the way through!

READ more of what I want to write (beach reads and elevated chick lit) which has lead me to load up my Kindle with current titles and back catalogues from those writers I most admire and I have a whole list of to-be-published books by more favourites coming up soon! As for my own writing, I’ve put that on hold, again, for now. I want to give myself a chance to relax with no pressure to produce the great Canadian novel. Indulge in an opportunity for my brain to feel zero pressure so that maybe it can magically stay open to an idea to show up.

PARTICIPATE in the #AprilLove2022 challenge with Susannah Conway - hopefully she posts the prompts soon. Every year she holds three prompt challenges and I quite enjoy testing my interpretation as well as my photography skills.

FACELIFT the exterior of Moondance will start with the drawings so I’m getting my wishlist put together: solar panels on the new steel roof; extended porch and gazebo; replace the front door with something wider; automatic dog doors; a whole redesign of the exterior aesthetic (aka no more fussy Victorian), and new paint colour, think winter Lake Huron.

CONCERT in Toronto with Chloé to see James Taylor who was originally supposed to perform with Bonnie Raitt but is now with Jackson Browne. Since he was a favourite, I had bought tickets for Bill’s birthday in 2020 but it was postponed due to the pandemic much to our mutual disappointment. Chloé is attending this new concert offering as Bill’s proxy, in his memory. I don’t even know if she’s ever heard a James Taylor or Jackson Browne song but I love that she wants to be there for Bill.

In my effort to welcome more in my life my lists are becoming shorter so that I can be open and available for the magic that is going to show up for me.

It continues to be a challenge to make plans as the pandemic, in all its variations, rage with terrifying body counts (that seems to be the only metric left since testing is no longer a thing) and regulations are inconsistent. I think all we can do is what we feel is best for ourselves while still recognizing that we are each a small part of a whole. This Spring I’ll continue to be aware of supporting our hard-hit local restaurants as best I can by ordering in until patio season arrives.