My Flog for February 9 - Too Bad The Pedometer Only Measures Up To 99,999 Anythings

Up real early this morning, after yesterday's unbelievably long sleep-in (7:30). The plan today was to knit, watch Sanctuary, go to Safeway and Pricesmart to get stuff for tonight's dinner, and get home in time to cook it. However, as we all know, the best laid plans of mice and men (and Tamar) go aft astray.

I left at 8:30, with my trusty little buggy tagging along at my heels. All was good, a bit of rain, but that's no problem for a west-coaster/Newfie cross like me. We followed the same route as yesterday, but this time walked through Holland Park to King George. It may have been a gray day, but it was still beautiful.

How stately is that?

intricate design

Even on a gray day, there's colour aplenty

Bonny Purple Heather

Peace in the midst of a city

So, through the park and across the street to Pricesmart, first stop of the morning, to pick up some basic stuff that is less expensive there than the same stuff at Safeway. Unfortunately, Pricesmart is on the opposite side of the street from Safeway, and it's in the middle of quite a long block, so after shopping there, I had to retrace my steps way back to the crosswalk, then walk up the other side of the road to Safeway. One doesn't jaywalk across King George Boulevard tugging a half-full (or is it half-empty? Hmmmm...) buggy. At least, I don't.

Safeway done, then Zellers for a couple of thingies, one of them being a Pedometer, so I can follow Cliff's instructions ( https://www.facebook.com/notes/cliff-pike/a-very-sad-day/10150550533381169  )and figure out how much walking I've been doing. I was going to wear it home, but I had nothing to open the package with. My phone may have a camera, and a calculator, and the ability to call people all over the world from my pocket (Hi Penny! Hi Roxie!) but unfortunately, it doesn't have a box cutter, so I'll just have to get it ready to go before my next expedition.

Nearing home (via a viable shortcut) I walk by this fence, which is so beautiful in the winter, as the greenery is mostly gone, leaving all the branches and vines growing through the wires. This picture doesn't do it justice.

What Mother Nature can do - cover a metal fence with twisted branches and leaves - and 

what some  ....  assholes seems appropriate ... can do - 

And talking about assholes, which is a word I don't believe I spoke out loud until I was in my 50's because I think it's an ugly word, but have discovered many of the 2 legged ones over the past few years - this guy seems to think the world is his parking lot.

Not a lot of room for someone dragging a fifty pound grocery buggy to get around, right? So I took a pic, and wrote a note to leave under his wiper:

Thanks a lot for making it easy for strollers and grocery buggies to get by.

However, since it was still raining, and the only writing implement I had was a washable marker, I imagine by the time I walked two steps away, the note was just a blob of blue stained paper. 

And - because my excursion took almost 4 hours, it was way too late to do my slow cooker recipe for dinner, so that had to be postponed for tomorrow night's dinner. When Howard got home to sit with the rugrats, Nikkie and I walked to Walmart to buy even more stuff, plus the jug of milk we needed... and a heart cookie cutter. I decided to try out my new pedometer - and you can imagine my surprise when I saw the number of steps it took me to walk for over an hour - a big whopping 71. Wow. Either my steps are longer than I thought they were, or the bloody thing isn't working properly.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - the last of the Chicken Veggie soup
• Dinner - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (made with Homemade Bread - and boy, were they ever good! Nothing like cardboardy white bread Grilled Cheese, let me tell ya!), a few French Fries, and Lemon Pie
• Snacks - An Oatmeal Raisin Cookie fresh from Safeway's bakery, Diet Pepsi

Do you realize that today, I walked past 2 Tim Hortons, an A&W, a Burger King, and 2 McDonald's? And that was just the fast food places. But even though I was tempted, I darkened neither door. Just came home and ate my cookie. And my Lemon Pie.