Rosy Cheeks, No Warts

With Alistair visiting Grandma today, it was a much easier day at work.  I even had the energy to herd the big boys out for a lunch time stroll.  It is a windy one out there.  Rosy cheeks, indeed!

Hello Sunrise

Good grief.  Today was one for the books.  The most relaxing part of the day?  Hello sunrise.

Tomorrow will be better.  Say it with me.  Tomorrow will be better.

Grinch or Frosty?

With all the boys home, bread dough rising in the kitchen, homemade supper simmering on the stove, and a long hike on a new trail - it almost feels like we're in COVID-19 lockdown.  Oh wait.  We are in COVID lockdown.  Again.

Such a good little hiker.

Seamus was thrilled to find a crèche on the trail.

We found an abandoned farmstead.

There were lots of outbuildings and ruins to explore.

We walked across a bridge over a huge beaver dam.

It wouldn't be a proper hike without a HIKE NAP!

Seamus was still going strong at the end of the 9+ km hike.
He was an excellent hiking companion today.

Whole wheat bread in the making.

Farm fresh chicken curry for supper.

As much as I enjoy reliving old times (hello 2020 and 2021), I thought I would make 2022 even more interesting by joining the leagues of other parents of school aged children tomorrow in the marvellous adventure of simultaneously managing two young children doing online school, caring for an active toddler, operating a farm, AND working full-time.  This sounds so fun.  January 2022 is going to be super duper wonderful.  Super duper.

On the bright side, my last day of holidays today was awesome, the Grandmas have offered their assistance with Ali care over the next few weeks, and I am scheduled to receive my booster tomorrow morning.  Even if it is questionable whether my mental health will survive the next few weeks (I am half joking), at least we are all healthy.  And we will always have our snowman hike - even if it does look more like the Grinch than Frosty.

Ian's Very Spicy Sausage

Ian loves to make sausages - at the beginning of the process.  When it's a whole day affair, he gets a bit cranky by the end.

Lucky for us, when we have this much meat saved up, it only takes one go at it to have enough mince and sausage to last us a whole year!

Everyone loves a spicy sausage!

Mad Teas & Silent Trees

For Christmas this year we gifted the boys with a variety of experiences.  One of these was a fantastic Mad Hatter Tea Party.  Today I delivered.  It was excellent.

Greek yogurt with Grandma's granola and freeze dried strawberries.

Homemade caramel with sliced apples.

Homemade jellies: rose petal, queen anne's lace and dandelion.

Tea parties are wonderfully fun but not so great for the waistline.  It is still very cold out and after yesterday's hiking fiasco with Liam I left the boys hibernating in the basement with Ice Age on Disney+ and headed out to the Crazy Horse Trail for a solo afternoon hike.

 There is nothing I like more than a mad tea party followed by a silent hike.  Today was a good one.

My Reluctant Companion

Well, 2022 is here and we're back to grocery shopping online.  For the purposes of recording history, the numbers of Ontarians infected with COVID-19 continues to sky-rocket higher than ever.  We personally know many families who have contracted this coronavirus - extended family, friends, neighbours, acquaintances.  In-person schooling has been moved online for the foreseeable future (the government says at least two weeks), day care remains open but we worry about how safe it can possibly be with so many unmasked, unvaccinated toddlers milling about even if staff members will now be wearing N-95 PPE.  

With all this going on, it is no wonder Liam wanted to hibernate today.  Instead, I dragged him along for our grocery pick up, stopping for a quick hike in the Shea Woods along the way.  It was a balmy -16 degrees C outside and Liam was not pleased.  He informed me that he would not be speaking to me for the duration of the hike and stayed "socially distanced" from me as a form of protest.  Good grief.  What a way to start 2022.

A Colourful January First

My offer of a mid-day walk along the Special Path was declined by all.  This made me so, so sad (wink, wink) and I got a blissful 45 minutes of solitude surrounded by the lovely January forest.  

Happy New Year's Day to me!