Bats

Last night was such a beautiful sunset at dusk. Shortly afterwards, the golden full moon appeared behind a screen of birch branches and shrubbery. At the same time, we saw loads of bats flying out of our forest and over our house. What a wonderous sight to see predators of the dreaded mosquito. Had it been October, it would have been the perfect Halloween scene. It was neat! The more we live here, the more I'm enjoying the rural lifestyle. I'm definitely getting spoiled by the amount of free space and clean air that abounds here. My son, myself and our dogs went exploring in the now dried out wetlands in front of our home. The tall grasses are over 5' high and there are bulrushes and plants everywhere. It was hilarious to see my dogs bounding through. My little Westie, Caesar looked like he was swimming through the stalks. After we all had our hike, it was time to cool down with a large water and little rest. I got to thinking about how great it is that my son can still experience an old-fashioned childhood here...a place where walking and exploring fires him up more than any technological toy could.

Full Moon

I have my new office arranged so that I can see out a large bank of windows. I am looking out upon mature birch, maple, pine and fir trees. Some of the maple leaves are starting to turn red. But it's been such a dry past couple of months that I suspect the leaves will change rapidly this year. I just saw a whole flying 'V' formation of Canada geese go over our driveway. They are beautiful and graceful. But I know it's the early signs of cold weather coming. And I don't like the cold. Interesting...I'm just noticing what I think is a milky full moon rising behind this forest of trees outside my window. I must go check. That would possibly explain why the dogs have been totally squirrely and acting strangely the past few days. Whoever says there's no correlation between a full moon and hyperactivity has never had kids or dogs.

Still Scrambling

It has been such a busy week. There have been numerous hurdles we've encountered since moving in. On the good side, we received a passing grade on our well water test (as the first one came back contaminated). So we can use the water without worrying about gastric problems. The backup generator is now installed - which I'm hearing from other country folk is going to serve us well in the future. The TV satellite finally got installed. The first installer just didn't want to get up on the roof (we think) so we had to have an 8' pole put up in order to accommodate that dish...getting a subcontractor that actually wants to do his job is a real challenge! Now if only we could get the phone line put in. That would really make me feel better. Using cell phones is fine, but not my choice for a primary phone. But I spoke with a nice lady today at Bell Canada, and Tuesday I will find out how and when the line will be put in. So as the thunder and lightning starting up, I will sign off so as not to have my computer zapped. Hope all's well in your world.

Stuff

I'm starting to get a bit concerned about how I'm going to find the time to unpack and put away all our stuff. Have you ever noticed how 'stuff' just seems to inexplicably multiply. Like some mutant spore in a petri dish left for days. It takes on a life of its own. And I'm really starting to dislike it. Actually I'm getting to a point where I'm about to throw away half of what is now left. I can't imagine how I've let our belongings grow to such enormous proportions. I mean, do I really need hundreds of microwavable containers or plastic food containers? And how many t-shirts and pairs of shoes can a person own. It's not like I use most of them. I feel a carload of donations coming on once again. This whole experience has a least taught me to reexamine what I really need versus what I want.

Complications in Communicating

I never realized how rough to the body moving can be. At least I don't remember the same things from our last move 6 years ago. I have so many bruises all over my arms and legs from lifting and carrying heavy boxes, that I could literally start playing connect the dots. And just when I think there's hope of them fading, I bump myself again and yell, "there's another one to connect!" I'm a tad embarrassed to wear shorts or short sleeves at this point. But at least around the house it doesn't really matter.

We're still without telephone and that's really bugging me. I have to use a cell phone - which is fine in a pinch, but definitely not my preferred method of communication. According to Bell Canada, there is no main phone line linked to our lot and because that would require a crew to start digging and try to find it, they tell us it's our expense and they're not responsible for it. That is complete hogwash. However, knowing how quickly frustrated my husband gets with service people I think I will have to call them and start the ball rolling. In the meanwhile, we have ordered Vonage but I am now finding out that it is really not compatible with satellite internet (according to the satellite guy). So once we received it, I guess we'll send it back and start all over again. I just want a regular telephone. Why does it always have to be so complicated? I guess that's old Murphy working his magic again. I mean, if everything came simply there would be no exciting challenges to write about in the blog.

Busy

Amidst all of this hubbub, I started a new job yesterday. Sure I like to be busy but today I was feeling a little over the edge and pulled in too many directions to be useful in any one. I accomplished some organizing of my closet this evening (and was finally able to find sleep attire and fresh underwear - a major accomplishment these days). One box down, another half a warehouse to tackle over the weekend. I paused this evening at dusk to watch the crimson skyline squeezed behind the looming pine trees in my backyard. All I could hear was a cacophony of cricket songs. It is such a treat to hear the sounds of nature (instead of the drone of city life). I am fortunate to be able to experience these beautiful treats. In the crazy world we live in, it is important to take even one minute each day to just stop, look around and soak in the sounds of life (quiet or noisy). PS - I have some great pictures I will post soon...I just have to find the box that contains my USB cord!

Moving In

What an exhausting past few days. The move has officially happened and I am in the process of now trying to unload all these boxes. My garage looks like a warehouse. It's a good thing I can see the humor in all this or I would just surrender to my brief bouts of sheer fatigue. I have made many trips back and forth between the suburbs and the country. I can see where I'll need to keep the car filled regularly as each trip sees the gas needle move a little south each time. Last night my son and I took a little bike ride around our dirt road to explore. Since we haven't actually been inside the 7 acres we now have (being that it's wetlands), I wanted to see what was there from the side of the road. We discovered a large pond surrounded by tall pines and bush. Amongst the lilly pads and bulrushes, a large Blue Heron stood quietly. Once disturbed by our excitement, he flew off. It was beautiful. Just of note, I have already seen my first signs of fall - some red leaves already on the sumac trees. Hmmm....

Quietude

We have now officially started moving small items into the house. I sat on the deck overlooking the tall pine trees and wetlands (which are not wet currently) and could actually hear a fly buzzing by my ear it was so quiet. Time seemed to stand still for just that moment and it was great. I think I'm going to like the quietude. I must say it was odd to look out our long driveway and see a John Deere combine rolling by instead of a Suburban or a mini-van. Country living will be different.

House Keys

Well we officially are the new owners of our house as of today. We are so drained physically and mentally. This has been a rough couple of months. There are still some rather large hiccups in all this. A problem with potability in the well is the first biggie. I'm hoping this is just a testing contamination issue that can be easily rectified. If not, we'll be drinking bottled water for a while. Tomorrow the fun begins with one truck picking up some of this sea of cardboard and transplanting it to its home. It'll be nice to see the levels of brown boxes start to deplete. Maybe then I can get up in the night without stumbling over some unknown object which is determined to bruise my legs once more.

Chaos

This move cannot happen soon enough for me now. I'm sick to death of living amongst chaos. Shadowing past countless cardboard boxes that house my life. Desperately trying to remember where I left the packing tape so that I can assemble yet another 4 cube container. Furiously attempting to cram a monstrous feather duvet into another Space Bag hoping it will fit. Wondering where I packed the last of the dinner plates while my husband holds the finished barbecued food on the tongs. I have now resorted to Chinet paper plates. This should help ease a little last minute packing. Chaos does not become me. I am so looking forward to getting settled into our new home. To just not feel the need to pack one more box in this endless sea of brown cardboard. Next Monday night should finally bring an end to this monotonous insanity.

Apathy

It never ceases to amaze me just how apathetic customer service can be. Today for example, my husband went to the grocery store to buy some lunch foods. While at the deli counter, he asked for some imported Parma proscuitto (Italian ham). The girl behind the counter said she'd have to open a new one. My husband responded with, "that's fine." She just looked at him and suggested he should take the domestic San Daniele (which is like eating salted shoe leather). This would mean she could just grab some from behind the counter and not be bothered with the arduous task of opening a new ham, cutting off a bit of fat and slicing it up. My husband looked at her with stunned amazement at her attitude and then insisted she give him the product he had asked for. So she then begrudgingly opened the wrapping on the Fini proscuitto and proceeded to slice up our luncheon meat. I can't understand how some people in service can be so lazy and apathetic. Absolutely amazing.

Summer Picnic

It's been super hot lately and sunny...perfect weather for a picnic. So that is what we did today. I took my son on a picnic by the Humber River in a nearby conservation park. It was just beautiful sitting by the river, alone and at peace with nature. The birds were chirping and the river was babbling. Very soothing. A few days ago I finally found the woven picnic basket I've been searching for at the right price. It worked out nicely. Toasted ham and Jarlsberg sandwiches, fresh grapes, lemonade and pretzels hit the spot on this summer day.