Random Ramblings of An Uneven Week

I’m very glad that it’s Friday tomorrow. This has been one of those weeks that has been uneven. Sometimes, time has rushed by so fast I can’t seem to catch it and then there are other times when it’s slowed down to a crawl. Even though I know the weekend will go by way too fast, I still am looking forward to it.

I have a busy weekend ahead since it’s Father’s Day. The pups and I will head to my parents’ tomorrow night. My mum and I will be garage-sale-ing for part of Saturday and then I get to cook my dad a Father’s Day dinner. Interestingly, I don’t have the menu finalized the way I did with my Mother’s day meal. I have a rough idea of what I want to make but nothing completely finalized. Since I’ll have far prep/cook time than I had last time, I have to adjust.

I’m sure I’ll figure something out. My dad is a lot fussier than my mother when it comes to things like cooking. He can be a little…difficult. If he doesn’t like something, he’s not terribly subtle about letting people know. He tends to make faces and not eat it. Sometimes, he gets a bit dramatic and refuses to eat it. When we cook for him, my family has learned to make sure to always make things he’s going to like. It’s just easier that way.

Since it’s Father’s day, I’m going to try hard to make sure I do cook things he likes.

Still, before the weekend, there’s one more day of work to get through. I’m hoping it’s a good Friday since today wasn’t necessarily a good Thursday. It was a very inactive Thursday meaning that I didn’t have any luck filling any jobs nor finding anyone who was likely to do so. Like I said in the beginning, this week has been uneven- full of activity one day and then dead as a doornail the next.

So, it’s no wonder I’m already looking forward to the weekend. I’m looking forward to seeing my parents’ again since it’s been a couple of weeks as well as the rest of my family who will probably stop over on Sunday before I leave to pay court to my dad on Father’s Day.

Speaking of paying court, I also can’t wait for Sunday night when the season final of “Game of Thrones” airs. I’ve become quite addicted to that show even though last week, the ending made me gasp out loud with shock. Even though I love to read and I’m usually horribly impatient to find out what’s going to happen next, I’ve enjoyed watching “Game of Thrones” so much that I’ve avoided reading the book ahead to see what was going to happen. However, since it’s going to be a year before I see the second series, I know for a fact I’m going to have to read the books. I can be patient…but not that patient.

I’m rambling but, as I always say, knowing is half the battle, right? Days like this inspire me to ramble. It’s actually quite nice to let my brain shut down and just wander freely through the odd thoughts I have sometimes. For example, I was wondering again if there are ever male miniature poodles. I posed this question to my mother. I suppose there are but does anyone ever picture miniature poodles being boys? I mean, they’re usually all frilled up and dressed in pink.

Also, why do people leave chicken bones all over the place? It seems like whenever I walk my dogs, there’s some bones discarded left over from a chicken wing and I have to drag the dogs away before they try to eat it. This is not fun. I’ve never actually seen someone walking down the street munching on a chicken wing so where do they come from?

Also, Possibl-Joe, the neighbour who lives behind me is chopping down most of his trees. He keeps cutting them down and then dragging them to the front of his house and dumping them on the strip of grass between sidewalk and road. There are so many, the sidewalk is impassable now. Yet he keeps going. There’s nowhere to put them so he’s putting them in front of his neighbours’ houses. At some point, the City will pick them up but I’m a little surprised he doesn’t wait until he has more space. Also, it’s a pain when I’m walking the dogs because we have to either cross the street or walk in the road. I don’t like doing either.

Also, I liked his trees. I don’t know why he’s chopping them down. I’m thinking he may be getting ready to put a fence up so his dog can run freely without being tied down. I’m sort of hoping he builds a privacy fence because while he’s pleasant enough to chat to, it would be quite nice to have a bit more privacy. If the neighbour puts up the fence, I don’t have to. I wish Dog Whisperer would follow suit but that will NEVER happen.

I’m also wondering about my seeds. This year, I planted several packs of vegetable seeds and yet, of all of them, I managed to grow four zucchini plants and two tomato plants. That’s it. Usually, I have far more success than that. Why didn’t my seeds grow?

I have a lot more random thoughts in my head but you probably don’t want to hear them. I actually apologize for sharing as many as I did. It’s just that, as I’ve said before, there are times when I blog that I don’t really know what to write and then it just comes out.

Hopefully, since tomorrow’s Thursday, my blog for Monday will be a bit more focused. Of course, it may be about food since I’m cooking this weekend but I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to see what comes out when I start to type.

I do appreciate you reading though. Thank you.

Have a great weekend and happy Friday!

The Other Side of Christmas

So, it's the other side of Christmas. The tree is still up, the music still plays but it feels like it's a downward slope rather than an upward one. It's a strange feeling to know that all that preparation, all that gift buying, all the decorating is over for another year.

I've noticed that some people have already taken the tree down. It's the saddest thing to drive by houses the day after Christmas- on Boxing Day as we Brits call it- and see the discarded trees by the side of the road, the last of the icicles clinging, ready to be picked up and disposed of. I hate that. My family keeps the tree up for twelve days after Christmas, until Ephiphany in January. It's considered bad luck to take it down sooner. I like this tradition because it extends the season, makes it ok to listen to Christmas music, enjoy my lights and scent the room with cinnamon for a few more days.

Yet though the tree is still up, there's still that overwhelming Post-Christmas letdown that inevitably hits. Prior to December 25th, we scurry around, buying gifts, adding more decorations, wrapping like fiends, hoping that our internet orders will arrive on time (which they don't. They're always late. Most annoying) and baking to make the house feel even more Christmasy.

By the time Christmas Day arrives, it's been anticipated so much that it never quite feels like it should arrive. It's like when you're expecting a guest- you dust, clean, scent and vacuum and when you're done, your home has never looked better. It's the time before the guests arrive and it's just you and your clean home that are the best moments. It's not that you don't want the guests but the feeling of seeing your place clean, unmarred from interruptions that makes it hard to see the guest actually arrive. To me, Christmas is like a guest. You want it because when it arrives, it's easy to enjoy and relax with it but the preparations and effort that go into the expectation of its arrival mean that when it finally does arrive, it's hard to see everything change in one day.

Now it's after Christmas. I got some amazing gifts that, once again, make me realize how lucky I am in my family and friends. Last night, I used my new tart-warmer and my living room smells like mulling spices. I listened to a mellow Christmas CD that my best friend gave me and I relaxed with a book. It was peaceful and nice and let me postpone the post Christmas letdown that was threatening. I closed the blinds and shut out the world and escaped into my cocoon of Christmas. Until my tree is down, I refuse to acknowledge that it's time to move on. Just because the actual date has past doesn't mean it's over. Granted, it's hard to walk into a store and see Valentines decorations already but I'm ignoring them.

Then again, as far as Valentines Day goes, I tend to ignore it anyway. It's the penalty of being a thirty-something singleton. But I definitely am NOT ready to see red hearts and flowers yet. I'm still enjoying the trees, lights, chocolate and snowmen of Christmas. I know it's all about marketing but it's sad that you go to Walgreens on December 24th and pay full price for items that, two days later, will be 50% off. There's something odd about that.

I'll take my tree down on January 6th as I do always. I will keep my Tran Siberian Orchestra CD in the player for a while longer and I will continue to use my holiday dishes. Just because it's the other side of Christmas doesn't mean it's over yet, not for me anyway. I'm back at work which feels strange. Yet it's New Years tomorrow and after that will be another long weekend. Four more days off from work is a Christmas gift unto itself.

Happy Tuesday!