OCTOBER 12 - Best Laid Plans, Birthday, and Maybe Blown Away

While still pondering over why I couldn't find any hazelnuts on Wednesday ,a thought flitted across my memory - according to a very old children's song, I was probably looking for nuts in the wrong season. Although when I grew up (slightly) I felt this song referred to farmers running after little boy animals with meat cleavers in their hands, it probably did indeed refer to nuts. In May. Not October.

Although this version of the same song also crossed my mind, the scene here appears more Octobery than Maylike. I am getting very confused, and hopefully my mild OCD will allow me to forget about finding hazelnuts.

I had Friday planned out - a bit of housework, prepare a birthday dinner of Salmon Cakes and KD and bake a Chocolate Birthday cake - for Nikkie, who just turned into a 26 year old (or 312 month old). It was a true RDF day - best to stay in, crank up the CD player as well as the heat.

However - Howard was home also, suffering (not quietly, either) from a sore throat, sore shoulder, sore wrists ... etc etc. Yes, I do sympathize, and would never tell him to suck it up, which is usually his advice to me. Instead I grinned and beared it - until he decided to walk up to Scott Road to a fibreglass supply shop to get some Mold Release Wax.

And that was fine. I was still a bit sore from my excursion yesterday, and my energy level isn't back to normal yet. Searching for Hazelnut Trees can be quite exhausting, especially when one has been out of the cycling loop for a few weeks. He could walk for 2 hours (according to Google Maps) and I would do what was on my agenda. But as I was checking my email, he came through and said, 'Well, we'd better get going if we're going to get back before the kids get out of school.'  Hmm. That bloody 'we' again. So I had two choices - either go, and make him happy, or stay, and make him unhappy. 

So off we went, he with his huge umbrella that keeps knocking my head if I walk too close, and me with my hood up, as I hate umbrellas and only use mine when absolutely necessary -3.9 km there and 3.9 km back.

After buying his canned Orca Shimmer (which I told Nikkie I was going to use for her birthday fish cakes instead of salmon) we left again in this true definition of a mauzy day. After walking a block or so, Howard realized he forgot his umbrella at the store, so I waited as he walked back to get it. How can anyone forget an umbrella when it's raining? Well, because it wasn't really raining, it was more of a misty drizzly  mauzy day. That's how.

Even so, I was wet when I got home - my sneakers had leaked, the legs of my jeans were damp all the way through, and my jacket was wet. And I was cold.

Just a bit away from our house, I noticed this work truck in front of a new building.

Now, if it were RANDY'S PLUMBING AND HEATING I probably would use their service if needed. But with a name like that, I probably wouldn't, as I wouldn't be completely sure they would have their minds on their jobs. You have to be very careful when hooking up gas furnaces and appliances.

However. I got home, dried off, souped up and finished my To Do list. We had a really nice dinner, but I was so tired I left clean up until the morning. I won't do that again.