The week thus far...

Well, the news is discouraging on both sides of the North American border, and across the pond. Family dynamics weigh heavily. I wake at 4 a.m., and listen to podcasts. What did I learn?

I learned about Russian Twitter accounts, widely shared by the far right, spewing lies. It's called 'confirmation bias', to look for posts which confirm one's opinions. We are insulated in our bubbles of  similarly-minded people. We must filter what we read through the lens of facts, and do research to ensure we spread truth and light. It is called 'individual agency', when we must stand up to negative influences around it. Red posted a similar piece [Some Facebook Friends Are  A Nuisance], so I know it's not just me.

Retirement has changed with our generation. We have more time to read and reflect, and worry. My mom worked until she was 66-years-old. I retired at 50, burned out with work and caregiving.

“A 30 to 40-year #retirement is very different than a 10 or 20-year retirement.” @Cath_Collinson in “Rethinking retirement: the view from around the globe”.

I think it important to call people out. Too many have time to throw stuff up on social media. For the first time, yesterday, Twitter posted a Fox news interview by Chris Wallace, of Sarah Sanders wherein the interviewer called out her lies by rebutting them with facts. I think the tide is turning.

People have asked how I did with my cord repair. It was brilliant! I watched this video, which showed a little bit of what to do. This nice young man showed how to knead it and get it flexible. I watched and learned!
I flattened and wrapped it. It was amazing.

We had a situation. Isabelle left behind her sleep toy. She had tentatively decided not to sleep with her any more, but she changed her mind. They visited last week, her toy was wrapped in the blankets I threw in the washing machine. Whoopsie.
I packed 'Be-Be' up in a little box, and Grampa mailed it to her in the city. We won't be visiting Ottawa soon. He has to have a PSA test this week, and his treatment next week.

Hooper, meantime, is a biter. I brought a stick in for him to chew, but JB bought him a teething toy for cats. What a cat! He vaulted himself off the floor onto my leg as I reclined on my chair. I trimmed his claws last week, but he still scratched me.

You'll recall the December frog pond photos, melt and thaw, after each freeze. There was both an ATV and a car that went through the ice on nearby Mississippi Lake. Things were pretty bad on the weekend for first responders. This is a place where the water flows quickly, under the ice, and it is really unstable. I feel so badly for the families.
"Police responded to the initial call of a passenger vehicle through the ice near Craig Shore at 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 6. "

More @CBCNews: OPP recover man's body from lake south of Ottawa. https://t.co/0UB27I40is

— CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) January 7, 2019

It's not as slippery, but we had a big storm last night. They were worried about it being freezing rain. My rain gauge contained snow
and hail.

Poor hubby has to dispatch meals this morning, I go sit with my client. I've seen the snowplow go by twice (good thing), as well as an ambulance. We'll cross our fingers.

We ended up with... 2 cm, melted it was about 3 mm of liquid. We are anticipating above zero rain and a melt today.

Last week's deer selfie! Isn't she cute?!


It was a chilly trek down to the trailcam, at -14 C. It was very, very cold. I'm figuring out the settings. Crouched in the cold, rain and snow, squinted at the screen, and referring to the manual.


I looked and looked for the wee trailcam manual. I put it into the videocam bag, and could refer to it down in the forest or meadow. I looked in pockets. Nada. Sadly, I should have looked in pockets BEFORE I did laundry!
Yes, I downloaded one, but I can't take my laptop down to the meadow. sigh.

I spent the afternoon reading, yesterday, under a blanket. That's all I've been up to. How about you?!