Wowzers. One full week of August is in the rearview mirror. It was another busy one with, as I alluded to yesterday, the typical ups and downs of life. A huge thanks to everyone for such thoughtful and wise comments. I truly appreciated it.
Today is all about the ups, so let’s get down to business.
A DAY OF ADVENTURING/SILENCE
On Saturday, Belle was invited to go to the beach with Joy’s family, and John hopped in the SUV with Indy and two of his friends to go on a series of adventures (a car show! mini-golf! go-karting!).
As for me? I had the HOUSE TO MYSELF.
- I made some meals for the freezer. We have a busy stretch ahead and it’s nice to have meals accessible.
- I prepped a few blog posts.
- I cleared pictures off my phone.
- I submitted some government paperwork.
- I wrote some letters.
- I did laundry.
It was bliss. After a busy week with VBC — and another when the kids were both away at camp — being home alone was exactly what I needed.
Everyone reconvened for supper and then they were off again, this time to Margaretsville to catch the sunset. John had tossed the fishing rods in the back of the SUV and some very friendly fishermen helped set up Indy’s rod for mackerel…and he caught five or six. Of course he was delighted!
CASTLE ROCK HIKE
I’ll do a whole post about this hike next week (maybe?), but here are a few highlights from our family walk on Monday (a civic holiday in Nova Scotia).
HAPPY THINGS IN BLOGLAND (AND BEYOND)
People seem to love this new segment and I never have trouble finding fodder.
- Friend and author Jan Coates and I were like ships passing in the night this week. We had hoped to get together for coffee while she was back in Nova Scotia but, alas, the stars never aligned. BUT, she was on a podcast (Retired and Inspired) recently and I enjoyed listening to every minute of her interview while weeding my front walkway.
- Lenny has an internet cousin! Coco and family brought home a new kitten — click on over to her blog to meet Bubble!
- For all the book lovers reading along today, via Ingrid Fettel Lee’s newsletter, I learned about Dan Peltzer. Before passing away this year, he kept a record of the over 3,000 books he had read since 1962. His final book was David Copperfield. You can see the complete list here.
- Reader Elinoora sent me the following note. “…every time I see a lighthouse I think of you…we are on holiday in the north of the Netherlands, where they have a lot of lighthouses, and we walked past this one. My kids couldn’t resist climbing…On the other side you can see the island called Schiermonnikoog, which I hope we’ll visit as well.” Receiving this note and photo made my day!! I’ve never seen a lighthouse made accessible by a gangplank before! And you can tell your kids I wouldn’t have been able to resist climbing it, either.
- I was so impressed with how many things Jean managed to find on her recent garage sale extravaganza! For a total of $10! Wow.
- Janae set a course record (and a PR) in her 31 km trail race (and did NOT get eaten by a bear). And this guest post by her daughter Skye was ADORABLE.
- I’m not a teacher, but I thought the Get To Know Your Students better handouts Andrea shared were so cute (and genius).
- Lisey — Kristen/The Frugal Girl’s daughter — made an incredible Pooh Bear focaccia(speaking of difficult words to spell!).
- Jenny sends THE BEST postcards (I regularly use an Anne of Green Gables one she sent me on another trip to Texas as a bookmark), and I was delighted to receive yet another winner this week.
- A picture of Kae’s parents — who’ve been married for over 53 years — watching the sunset in Florida was the sweetest thing I saw all week!
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- We “rented” free e-bikes from the Recreation Hub in Wolfville last Friday morning and rode just over 40 km with Indy (Belle was still at camp). We made an abrupt stop along the way so he could introduce himself to a toad.
- More ice cream from the Falmouth Scoop. A small dipped cone (vanilla soft serve dipped in mint chocolate for me; chocolate/vanilla twist dipped in Oreo glaze for Indy) is $2.43. Sooooo good. And Belle got a small ($2.19) and I swear she must have had 2 cups worth of ice cream. For any locals, I cannot recommend this place enough. (Waffle cones are $0.75 extra, but they are GOOD waffle cones.) Maybe not the best choice given my lab results, but this was before I got them.
- Coffee on the deck. I am loving this ritual. I look forward to the crisp morning air so very much. It’s the perfect way to ease into the day. Sometimes I plan. Sometimes we just sit and chat. Sometimes I read a book. This week it was…
- I know I just wrote about my July books, but I have to drop a spoiler alert and say I loved Good Dirt. There are some trigger warnings (most notably, it’s a multigenerational story about African American enslaved people in the Southern US), but I did. not. want. to. put. this. book. down.
- Joy and I had plans to coordinate for a little summer trip to a local waterfall. Because of the lack of rain, on Tuesday the Nova Scotia government shut down all access to wooded trails which meant we had to pivot. One of my uncles owns a small cottage locally. It’s not the world’s best water frontage, but we had a very fun afternoon of swimming, kayaking, MadLibs, and general silliness.
And that’s a wrap on the week that was.
Happy weekending, friends. Now it’s your turn.
- What ritual have you been enjoying lately?
- What was the highlight of your week?
- What would you do with a whole day home alone?
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The highlight was my sister’s visit. She’s fun, loves my kids, and likes to do simple things. No need to impress!
That ice cream looks luscious. What a great treat!
Hopefully you’ll get rain soon so you can hike on that trail. Enjoy the weekend!
That’s so fun! I remember you mentioning a visit from your sister before and how much joy she brings the family. It’s such a treat to have someone visit that is just happy to be around and doesn’t need elaborate plans or a clean house to have a good time.
As much as I usually dread rain in the summer, my goodness we need it. Badly. Days of it, really. Sigh. I feel like these hot, dry summers are the new normal and it’s very scary on so many levels.
I would definitely meal prep as you did! It’s soothing and so convenient for the week. I haven’t cooked anything other than vegetables this week thanks to frozen meals. What do you usually prepare Elizabeth? let’s share ideas!
highlight of my week has been getting closer to Bubble and maybe becoming her favorite person. She melts my heart!
I would love to do some hiking with you one day! All your hikes sound lovely and amazing view.
This week I’ve made:
Marry Me Chicken (and then made peas and grilled zucchini and mushrooms when we were ready to eat)
A pureed butternut squash soup (sweet potato, butternut squash, chicken stock, a splash of cream, and spices; so easy and a surprisingly consistent “hit” for the kids)
A pasta sauce for the freezer
Sloppy joes
We’ve also had things like salad and chicken/veggie wraps, but those I prepped day-of.
Yay for Bubble and I’m sure you secretly (or not-so-secretly) love that you’re her favourite <3
Rituals: my morning ice coffee, usually accompanied with sitting by the window, writing in my Thankful journal and reading the Bible.
Highlight: Honestly, seeing positive changes in some people. I know change takes time, but I’ve seen a couple different people in my life choosing better attitudes and outlooks.
A day at home: Usually when this happens I list on ebay, write blog posts, and declutter.
Sorry to hear of your health issues. It’s so frustrating when health problems arise even when we’re eating well and exercising.
Your morning ritual sounds so calming and restorative.
I really appreciate that highlight; it is wonderful to see positive change in people we love and care about. Sometimes it’s a slow and steady transformation and we don’t always notice the tiny improvements and then *bam* is becomes obvious in the best possible way.
I’m so jealous of the book-tracking-since-1962!!! I SOOOO wish I could magically go back in time and have a record of everything I read. It would be so satisfying!!
Good Dirt sounds excellent – adding to holds list.
Isn’t that INSANE. I feel like past generations did a very good job of recording their lives, though. Since it wasn’t as easy to mark things digitally, pen, paper, and a typewriter were pretty common. Every two weeks my mom used to send my grandmother’s these incredibly detailed letters about all the goings on in our household. How I wish I had copies of them now; they’d be like time capsules into the past.
I really liked Good Dirt. I think you will!
Lol, well having two weeks alone, I can tell you that I mostly do exactly what I normally do, but with watching British period dramas! I’ve also been putting together that photo book that I told you about – it would be hard to do it while Rob is here as he has a tendency to “pop in” to the office when I’m writing. The guys are back tomorrow and I should mostly finish before then.
I’ve been trying to establish a mid-afternoon ritual of sparkling water and reading, but things have been a bit here-and-there this week so I haven’t yet. But I will! It just seems like such a lovely break in the day.
Yay for photobooks. They are a LABOUR of love, but you won’t regret having it done.
I’m sure you’ll be glad to have your “boys” home, though it will be an adjustment having more noise and activity about the place.
Hooray! The postcard got to you against all odds! I wasn’t sure of the postage so I just slapped two US postcard stamps on it, and then I had to entrust it to a hotel worker to mail it for me (which seemed a little iffy). Glad it made it all the way to Nova Scotia!
Your photos of the hike and the kayaking are so, so beautiful! We’re in the time of year in Florida where it’s so unpleasant to be outside, and I miss it.
A DAY ALONE AT HOME. Those are the best. I would probably be a little more more lazy than you were, and turn it into a mini reading retreat. But I would also do some food prep because having food in the freezer is so helpful.
No matter what your lab results are, you need the occasional ice cream in your life. A cone here and there won’t make or break you- you need to enjoy that pleasure guilt-free.
The postcard made it to me and it is absolutely gorgeous. Definitely bookmark material 😉
The afternoons have been hot and dry (or, sometimes, humid…never rainy…unfortunately), but the mornings and evenings have a delightful “crisp” to them.
Yes, I foresee having ice cream with the same regularity. Ice cream isn’t something I generally really like, so outside of summer, I don’t have it very often! Though at those prices, it’s more appealing.
I think even w/ your updated labs, having ice cream is totally fine! You can’t be perfect and treats are part of life! But I cannot get over how CHEAP your ice cream place it. Our local shops are quite pricey (which I get because of how hard it is to run a seasonal business or any small business really). But I’m quite envious!!
A ritual I’ve enjoyed is walking to pick up Paul from his summer program on the days that I WFH. It’s about a 10 minute walk (15 min on the way back since he’s a dawdler and not nearly as fast of a walk as me of course). It’s a nice way to get some extra steps in. A highlight was book club on Wednesday! There were 6 of us and we had such a great chat! And a whole day home alone is a thing of wonder. I would watch a show that Phil isn’t interested in, read, and go for a nice long run to start the day!
This is EXCEPTIONALLY inexpensive ice cream. There is no other place around with prices like this. And the selection is huge for such low prices. I promise I will take you there immediately when you come visit me in Nova Scotia.
That walking ritual sounds lovely. I remember the days of dawdling well. Sometimes it would take like 30 minutes to go 10 feet.
I’m so impressed your day home alone would include a long run. I wish I was as dedicated to moving my body. Why is it so hard for me to be motivated?
Good Dirt is one of my favorite books I’ve read this summer–so glad you are liking it too!
I finished it yesteday morning and LOVED it. A very compelling book and while I just complained about multiple timelines and character perspectives, I thought it was very well done in this case. Plus, I really appreciated having chapter titles…and the fact the chapters were short. It helped move things along at a satisfying pace.
Too funny, I just wrote about being home alone all week. For both a ritual and what I’d do with a day home alone, I’ve found there’s something in having my first cup of tea on the porch with a book – especially if the air is a little chilly – that makes me so content! Here’s to finding the happy things amongst the hard things!
I LOVE crisp air. So I guess this is my way of channeling my love for fall before the season arrives. And now that we’re in August, the evenings are starting to cool down a bit, so I can bookend my day on the deck. Though no coffee in the evening. I don’t do well with caffeine after mid-morning.
I’m scared for you, sitting on that rock! LOL . . . I can’t do heights, at all. Aren’t e-bikes fun? I’ve only had the chance to ride once, in Southern California. It was one of my best days, ever.
My ritual this summer is bingeing Summer House on Peacock. I told my husband it’s my comfort show. I watch an episode every night. Fortunately, there’s 9 seasons and I’m only on season 4.
The e-bikes have been SO fun. It’s amazing how helpful it is in preserving my legs and energy. And it’s fun to cover so much distance with less effort.
Comfort shows are the best. For me, that’s the Great British Baking Show. It feels like sinking into a warm cozy hug with a giant fuzzy blanket when I sit down to watch (always pre-bedtime; and there is no angst or scary plotline, so I can just enjoy all the pretty-looking food without it stimulating my brain too much).
Yipes on the trail shutdown! I would not have thought in a million years about the risk of wildfires in NS, but it’s very much on my mind in BC. I can’t wait to hear about the hike.
It’s hard to pick a highlight in a week of highlights, but I’m going with the final walk with Nicole and Rex on Monday morning. After that I had an epic time in Vancouver, and now I’m in Victoria. I toured the BC legislature building yesterday and I got up to speed on the BC provincial flag. Next up I’ll be having more fun on Vancouver Island this weekend, and then back home!
What a whirlwind trip.
I strongly suspect if I’d had your week my highlight would have been a walk with Nicole and Rex, too. A solid choice. And yay for a week of highlights. That’s the ultimate sign of a great vacation.
Elisabeth, you’re a productivity machine! Meals for the freezer, blog posts prepped, phone cleared, laundry done… I’m very impressed.
Since leaving the banking world, I’ve noticed that my own efficiency has dropped. With no deadlines or time pressure things take as long as they take…Which is not a good thing. Sometimes I think I need an imaginary “end-of-day deadline” just to get moving!
Do you have a daily task list where you cross off items as you go along? Or do you have it all in your head and then tackle the pending items when you have the time?
Our tasks generally expand to fill the time we have; my sister (who is SO productive) always says that people ask her to do things because she’s the busiest person they know so they know she’ll get to it. Having a full schedule makes one efficient.
But, is it always a good thing? Do we lose some of the joy of life by moving so fast from one thing to another, even if we do cross a lot of things off our to-do list? Hard to answer that question, obviously!
I do have a list of items for most days (and then lists for longer-term things). Some times I DO cross things off, and other times I just bounce from thing to thing without really referring to my list. It just depends what all needs doing. But in general, I am a HUGE fan of lists and rely on them heavily.
You certainly had some wonderful things to balance out the unbloggables in the previous post. Life is always a mixed bag. One can view it as “always a fly in the ointment” or “always a silver lining”. Depends on whether you have decided in advance that life is hard or life is good.
Highlight: art reception last night. Good attendance, low sales (see? mixed bag)
Three marvelously productive and leisurely days at home alone. (once again a mixed bag of leisure and productivity)
Glad to hear about the attendance, but I’m sure that’s frustrating it didn’t convert into a lot of sales. BUT, now you’re on people’s minds and I’m sure there will be trickle-down business because of the turnout.
And yay for leisure AND productivity. That is my absolute favourite combo.
I could maybe convince you to be a runner or take really long walks if you lived in my neighborhood! I get to run by lakes and that makes the experience so much better!!!! If I wasn’t running alongside water on dedicated running paths, I wouldn’t enjoy it as much!!
I am always so amazed by the beautiful views you send. I have nice trails, too, but they’re all at the bottom of a very long, steep hill which makes getting to them a not very pleasant thought, especially in the summer.
I get to have whole days home alone often, and it’s one of my very favorite things! I actually get antsy if I have too many days in a row with plans because I just love the silence and stillness of being at home without needing to be anywhere!
The highlight of my week was coming out of my depression. It was only a little over a week of feeling depressed, and man, I am glad I was able to break free of it quickly because it was awful. My mom kept saying, “I hate seeing you like this!” because I was honestly just a blob of nothing and it sucked.
Oh Stephany, I’m so sorry. Mental health challenges are the WORST and it’s so frustrating to have coincided with the birth control. You know I have lived through a lot of that and it is brutal. Dealing with the menstrual issues is terrible, but not as bad as the side effects of the meds and that is SUCH a frustrating position to be in. I’m so glad you’re feeling better <3
I love being home and alone! It's my fav (shhh. don't tell my family; though they know this about me!)
That hike looks fabulous. I gather you’re not afraid of heights, seeing the photo of you sitting on the edge. I think if I had a whole day alone, I’d spend some time reading or pottering around and some time doing something for my future self.
It LOOKS very high and like a precipice, but it’s a bit of an optical illusion because there is a rock landing just below. Definitely a case of the picture being deceiving (but it does make it all look more impressive!)
It sounds like a lovely, productive and restful week all at once. A round of bloodwork last month has also had me avoiding sugar. Five weeks without a single cookie, cupcake or ice cream cone in the last five weeks! I am definitely going to treat myself to a sundae before the summer ends though 🙂
Life is too short to not enjoy treats and too fragile to not limit the number of treats. It’s such a tough balance, but it does make those delicious culinary things taste even better when we know it is special.
Thankfully, outside of the summer, ice cream really doesn’t appeal to me. Now chips…those I could devour at any point in the year. So I mostly just keep them out of the house. My self-control around chips is pretty terrible.
I also loved Good Dirt! I have her older book on hold at the library, I’m looking forward to listening to it.
At first I missed that the bikes were e-bikes, and I thought, WOW, 40km is a LONG ride! I need to figure out my metric conversion, but it has to be a lot! I think the longest I’ve ever ridden was about 15 miles each way, and I thought I was going to die. I was 16 at the time, but not used to riding that long. I remember making it to my destination and getting a cold drink and a cheap snack and just sitting there and zoning out for a while before starting back.
Yes! I am going to read Black Cake next!
They were e-bikes and it makes a bigggg difference. They are pedal assist, so you still have to pedal all the time, but it’s so much easier, especially up hills!
I’m having an entire week home alone. I know! You’d probably lose your mind with all the time….I’m enjoying the freedom of not feeding someone other than myself, and just doing things whenever I want.
I just read something about the man who had logged in all the books he’s ever read; how incredible is that?
The bike ride, the ice cream, that looks like so much fun. Seriously, can Indy visit me and remove all the bad toads from my yard?
Looking forward to your hike post—the pics look glorious!
Suz! Can I come visit. I promise I’ll be very quiet. You won’t even know I’m there.
Indy would love to go toad catching! It is one of his favourite things to do. Though I’ll admit I am very relieved we don’t have poisonous toads to worry about. Eeks.
Such lovely happy things. This may be the most summer-y post I’ve seen – hikes, bike rides, coffee on the deck, ice cream. It’s like a love letter to summer. 🙂
A love letter to summer! I can’t think of higher praise <3
So much fun.
I envy you the soft serve ice cream. It looks delicious. it is really hard to find that kind of ice cream near my place.
The morning set up with coffee and a planner looks like something I would enjoy too.
The book keeps popping up. It’s on my TBR already so I might have to move it up.
One questions: did you recently put google ads on your blog? They are popping up but I had to reset lots on my computer and I am not sure I need to add a restriction on my side or if it is something you recently installed (which I understand if you do).
I did add ads, Tobia! I know it can be annoying and I’m just trialing it for a while. If you read my posts through Feedly, e-mail, or use an ad blocker extension on your browser, you can avoid seeing them.