Mount Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Above Sea Level

 I hit the trails with Sim a few weekends ago. My brother actually sent me a picture of this hike he had taken and I sent it to Sim and said....ehn???? I went online through Conservation Halton and booked us a reservation. They were very specific online about arriving at a certain time, and you can only stay for 2 hrs. We showed up like 10 minutes early and I said to Sim should we wait before we start? And she just shot me this look and I'm like ok lets go!

The hike to the first lookout point was very short, and paved. We wanted to start on the North loop and continue onto the South loop, but the signage was very poor and we ended up taking the North loop from the top which ended us back at the parking lot.  It was about 3.5km and I had been starting to feel pooped. Sim wanted to see the rest of the park and we split up. She high-tailed it through the South loop, and in to see the quarry and then back to the parking lot. I sat in the car and msged my brother for a bit, while Sim was almost literally jogging the second trail. I think we both chose wisely, although I missed the most breathtaking of the two views (yellow trees below).

The hike was followed by a Sunday football hang with the Heaths. I currently have a few knitting projects on the go so I sometimes miss some (or most of) the action. But I wouldn't rather be anywhere else. I'm looking forward to next Spring and Summer, and potentially exploring some hiking trails out Northumberland way. I'm currently not a very active person. I think I settled into a sedentary lifestyle with my weight what it is. But it's certainly easier challenging myself now than it has been in previous years. And I hope to continue pushing

I'm also going back out to Stratford this week to pick up a bike rack for the Townies. I made an unsuccessful trip a few weeks back, where they literally sold it out from underneath me and I showed up and they were like, "That wasn't you here earlier??" (I can't even explain the anger, Stratford is not on the way to ANYWHERE). But back out I go, as no one else in the universe seems to be able to stock Thule racks at the moment. Maybe they do some light smuggling on the side so get preference during this insane time.

See you next year Mt Nemo.

Summertime And The Living's Easy

All pandemic horror aside, I'm having a good summer.  Can I say that? Am I allowed to say that?  It was a god awful horrible Spring.  Including a two week stint at home that was supposed to be my foray into working from home, which turned into a working nightmare in which I was ignored all but for specific details I was asked to provide. That is a story all unto itself and one I probably shouldn't share publicly.

4 adults and 2 girlen have formed a bubble that convenes up in Southgate every weekend.  A few extra people are also in play with occasional drop-ins or stay-overs.  I can't control my work life in terms of interacting with potential harm, but my private life is well under control. I've told Sim I actually wouldn't mind just keeping everything as is for the rest of time. Surely next year as the vaccinated gates open up I will be forced to....so-cial-ize with more people.

Plans, also yet to be revealed, are under way. I have made strides. And that's all I can really say about that. Life is really rather quite busy right now, but all shall be known....later.

I'm happy Canada is doing as well as they are for infections. We are seeing country after country swing into a second wave.  And perhaps it's foolish to think we will somehow be immune to the wavy nature of infection. I'm presuming we'll see an upswing soon for phase 3 opening up in Peel & Toronto. Hoping that it's just less infectious than we first thought?

And with that.  With that.  I promise to update more often lol.  Lolz?

Conversations With A Genius

Julie: Hey there's a catchy song I want you to listen to. *Pulls out phone, cues up on YouTube*

♫♫♫

Yeah
I don't wanna fall asleep
I don't wanna pass away
I been thinking of our future 'cause I'll never see those days

♫♫♫

Julie: *Hits pause*....I'm sorry I didn't realize it was such a sad song

Sim: What's it called

Julie: Death bed.....

Sim: *face palm*

Lols ensued.

Love In The Time of COVID

Jackie posted the other day: comment your pandemic book title.  The others were all too funny so I didn't post but mine was Love in the time of COVID.

Much could be said about what we're going through right now, in the world and in our communities, but I don't know if I want to be able to look back on how horrible everything is right now. All I know is that I'm safe, and everyone I know and love is also safe. My parents have been absolute hermit troopers. My brother and I shared a deep concern that they would hold onto the routine of every day life, but to be honest with economic shutdowns as they are, there is not much opportunity to socialize unless you want to engage the clerk at the grocery store or the pharmacy.

I continue to work and I am required to go into the office every day. We were offered to work from home and when I said ok they abruptly withdrew the offer and banned me from the office for 2 weeks. Declaring that I was self-isolating and was not welcome to come back, not even at night. This after our fearless leader returned from Florida and came into the office. With no regard for anyone's safety. I dared to address this with him on the phone telling him he was NOT allowed to come in. And he said yes he was, especially if no one was there at night or on the weekends. Two days later it was announced that breaking self-isolation was illegal. Without further discussion he stayed at home for two weeks. Perhaps this is why they turned around and passed the same fate upon me.  This I will never forget or forgive.  I will carry anger, hatred and resentment against them for the rest of my days.

My car has been in the shop for almost 3 weeks.  My replacement clutch that went in 18 mos ago was also defective. My mechanic told me that in his 12 year career he has replaced three defective clutches and two of them have been mine. After this was replaced, under warranty, I showed up to pick it up and it was revealed to still not be functioning. It was partially my fault for saying "OK I'm coming now byyyeee" and partially their fault for not saying, "Don't come just yet." It turned out that the transmission was also toast. I stood outside the dealership and watched them test drive my car.  Three loops around Lorne Park, each time it drove past I caught glimpse of the four-way flashers being left on and each time my heart sank further into my stomach. They spent the next 4-5 days fighting to get the transmission also covered under warranty and they were successful. I was ready to walk away and tell them to keep it. Fiat transmissions are not serviceable, in such that they cannot be rebuilt. They do not produce parts. Failed or broken transmissions need to be replaced in full.  I luckily did not need to make that choice. I remember I told Sim once that I was driving Pippa's first car. Thinking that I would drive it for 14 years, as all other cars I've owned, and then Pips could drive what would then be a beater until it broke down in the middle of Bathurst and Dundas. Perhaps now with a new clutch and transmission we will make it.  But I hold an envelope up to my head and ask, "An event that will happen in 2021" and when I open the envelope it reads "Julie's first car bonfire".

I'm slowly trying to make the most of my time at home. I finished a course at Sheridan and have signed up for a second. I've focused on making more food from scratch. I've started and almost finished a knitting project.  I've sworn off tv while I refocus my life towards activities that will enrich my life. There is much left to do to make 2020 a year of improvement and redemption.

In maybe the only hopeful news I've had lately Jackie gave birth to the most beautiful squirmy wormy.  She joined us on what will be known going forward as "Birthday".  I can't wait to see her and hold her and squish her little baby fat. Why can't this disease do what the Cheeto commands and just go away. GO AWAY COVID. What kind of story will this make in the future. When all the dead are buried and remembered, and the living are vaccinated.  Remember the time the world experienced a plague?  YES WE WERE THERE.

Neighbourhood #20 - Yorkville

NEW ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: 20 Neighbourhoods visited. It feels like an achievement but looking back Sim and I have been at this for over 9 years.  So coming in at just over two neighbourhoods a year, here we are. The weekend started with the promise of a trip up to Orillia to watch the Super Bowl with Dana and Dave (and Alex +1). I said I would stay over on Saturday night so we could leave together.  And that turned into a Great British Bake Off Marathon, but more importantly the great idea from Sim so pick a new hood. We're probably only half done to be honest, but it does get more difficult to choose. Finally I suggested Yorkville and Sim said YES as she had a few ideas already for us.

After humming and hawing about transit vs driving we hopped into my car and zipped over to Yorkville. The parking was as to be expected in the North Downtown business core. Also known as the Nodobuco. We started with a bucket list restaurant stop of mine, Sassafraz. Sim had mentioned earlier that Winterlicious was on so hey, why not do Winterlicious lunch at Sassafraz!! The options were amazing.  Sim went with the Moroccan Lamb starter with the Atlantic Salmon Main and the Creme Caramel for dessert. Accompanied by a "Frostbite" cocktail. I forget the ingredients but it was YUMMY. My fare was the exact same, sub a beet salad to start. Sim looked at me during lunch and said, "This is a place I would have picked, so thank you." It's true. She goes for the classy class, and I roll my eyes and say fiiiine.  This time she didn't have to drag me kicking and screaming. Other than the fact that I didn't have any nice clothes and I hadn't washed my hair in two days and it looked a TOTAL MESS. But as I don't have to look at myself during an outing I let that go from my mind.

A quick walk down Yorkville Rd brought us to a cute little paper shop, The Papier.  I could spend hours in a shop like this. I could spend hundreds of dollars. And then I would have hundreds of dollars of paper at home that I'm doing nothing with. BUT, I do hope that stores like this stick around. As we seem to be losing the brilliant landscape of brick and mortar stores that has graced our Toronto streets (streets that I walk, very often, used to be daily).

Next we flipped over to what was going to be another tick for me, Hemingways bar.  I went once many moons ago and seemed to remember it was great.  It's kind of not what I remembered.  And not what one might expect from a Yorkville pub.  It was cute enough.  Half pint each and off we go.

Sim has been talking about The Oxley and Frank Oxley being friends with Don and we have to go to the Oxley, for months.  As we approached the pub Sim was about to say "Oh this place looks so cute can we please come back here", and she looked up and here we arrived at the Oxley. When you walk in you are greeted with an old styled classy pub. With a gorgeous mosaic tile front fireplace, with a super comfortable couch to the side, and seating extending to the back. The upstairs was also quite adorable, but as there was a party of three having what seemed to be an intimate discussion we decided to settle on the couch. I had the Vanilla Sour, which is essentially a whiskey sour with a vanilla liquor added in. Sim had the Kitty Hawk which was an exceptionally tasty cocktail with some ingredients that escape.

When that was wrapped we popped over to Kitchen Stuff  Plus to look for some bake ware for Sim.  She's planning an EPIC cake for Pips in April. And thoughtfully starting the prep now. Even a practice run that turned into a grump fest over getting a cake instead of a toy (Pip-pa). I had to step outside as I was starting to overheat. Popping back in only to remind Sim to look at the spinning cake trays, of which the selection was unappealing.  She smartly said no thank you to those.  Our next destination was Over The Rainbow, a long establish denim store that had moved from Yorkville Rd. down to Bloor. I was really not feeling well so we took a pass and head to the last planned stop, Cafe Bora.  They had some interested purple yam confections that we were going to dig into.  And as we approached they were CLOSED. At this point I was full on gassing out, for whatever reason. I could almost barely breathe and felt like an energyless lump. We tracked down the entrance to the Green P and headed home.  With one more quick drive by another kitchen store, that was closed, we pulled back into chez Heath and cooled down with a few more baking episodes.  That show, is amazing.  I mentioned it to Sim like 3 years ago that I thought she'd like it, and this particular weekend she said, "Lets find a way to watch that baking show."  Which I loved.  And she loved.  And we loved Yorkville! 

And they all lived happily ever after.  While Mahomes laid back dreaming of sugarplum offensive linemen in his head.