Two of my favourite bald guys.

The weather is so beautiful here right now. 20C which is 68F - warm enough for shorts and a T-shirt. But I have not been feeling great because of my usual spring allergies. The new thing this year is that I have been really short of breath which is a bit scary but also annoying. Even if I walked at my normal brisk pace to the staff room to get something from the printer, I was puffing. I was pretty sure it was asthma - my friend Nanci wanted to come over and give me her inhaler on the weekend. So I have been sitting inside a lot. Just when you really want to get outside and rake the flower beds, take long walks, ride your bike - I have to stay inside to avoid the snow mold. So I found myself on the grumpy side for the past few days.

Watching the sad news stories about Virginia Tech added to my feeling of general malaise. (I've always wanted to use that phrase.) So I decided I had to take action. Today I saw my doctor and she gave me a steroid inhaler for my inflamed lungs. I should be breathing better in a few days. I went for lunch at McNally Robinson's with Kayla who was extremely perky today (Was it the purple shirt?) and I got Curb Your Enthusiasm, Season Two as well as several other books from the library. That should do the trick but if it doesn't I always feel better when I look at my screen saver. Its two of my favourite bald guys. They always bring a smile to my face.

Sunshine, birds and the sound of kids

It is one of the first glorious spring days we have had so far. The sky is a beautiful blue and the neighborhood has come to life! I noticed the pair of hairy woodpeckers across the street and one of the downies was in our elm last night. I heard phoebes calling to each other, robins singing and the scratching of the nuthatch on the elm's bark. The migrating finches will soon be here. And the cheeky little red squirrel chased away the ugly gray one AGAIN.

Tulips are poking through the ground and leaf cover in the front bed and a lot of the perennials are slightly green. They made it through the winter. One of the front cedars doesn't look great but the lilac has buds. Everything seems to be resting in the sun and waiting for the chance to burst out.

I spent a couple of hours washing the inside windows of the sunroom, vacuuming all the edges and washing down the furniture. Its ready for a bbq with the Jory's tomorrow and for us to move into there for the next six months or so. YEAH! I sat down in it with lunch and a PD James novel as a reward but kept stopping to listen to the kids screech as they raced their bikes up and down the street. Spring just makes you smile.

I know that in other places you get this weather earlier but after the long dark cold of winter, I think you appreciate the lightness of the air and the joy of the sun so much more.

Cheers!

Keys found!

My school keys had been missing for almost two months (see Feb. 21 post on my blog). Yesterday one of my EAs who is also a good friend came to me begging for forgiveness and handed them to me! They had been in the pocket of her jean jacket since then! It felt so good to have them back - they jingle in a certain way that the replacement set just didn't. I am also glad to have my trade mark wooden apple back.

She begged me not to tell the rest of the staff that she had them but most people have figured it out. There is a goofy home made trophy at school for staff who lose things and I think I will present it to her.

Highlights of Spring Break (and the one downer)

-Seeing and cuddling Ollie. Especially when he is "fresh awake".
-Scott's profession of faith.
-The BBQ at Margaret's place afterwards.
-Lunch on the patio at some cafe in Abbotford with Scott and Margaret.
-Walking around Mill Lake.
-Seeing snow covered mountains, Mount Baker, and so many daffodils.
-Taking pictures at Margaret's place and interacting with a hummingbird.
-Trying to take Ollie for a walk and realizing he HATES strolling.
-Seeing how excited Hank and Ryan were to golf together.
-Going to White Rock for fish and chips.
-Being able to babysit Ollie so Ryan and Steph could have a date.
-Just hanging out with our kids. We have a good time together.

-The only negative part of the trip was on the way home. We were sitting in a row with a mom and a 15 month little girl who was really cute.We bonded when I shared some stickers with her. Across the aisle were the Dad and a boy who was 5 and another girl who was 3. The kids were great - watched TV, colored, fell asleep. But the parent's squabbled the entire three hours! I wanted to send them away and take care of the cute little kids.
Then the dad sat by me and trashed Winnipeg and gloated over how beautiful Vancouver was. He tried to make a come back when he realized I was from Winnipeg. But too late.

We are happy to be home to our quiet street (even if there are no mountains or flowers yet) and are a bit homesick for our kids on the coast.