What's on My Mind & In My Basket

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Happy mid-week to you.  I hope you are all well and good.

I cannot believe how fast May flew by and now we are almost through a full week of June. How did that happen? I seem to say that the time flies by so fast but lately I hear everyone else saying it too! I guess it means we are all getting older.

In sad news there are so many wildfires burning across Canada. It is devastating for many smaller communities and for the people who live in them.  Not only does it affect Canadians but Americans have been saying how their air quality is being affected in various parts of the USA. Unfortunately it isn't even the official beginning of summer yet and the meteorologists are forecasting a hot, dry summer ahead. Hold on to your hats.  If you're the praying type, please keep in prayer for moderate temperatures and more rain.

Here at home in southern British Columbia, we are okay but in the northern part of the province wildfires are burning.  Here in Vancouver, I've found it quite cool.  Despite the local meteorologists forecasting hot weather for several. days I've only felt very warm temperatures on one day and that didn't last all day long.  If I had to choose though, I would far rather it stay on the slightly cool side.

While the weather has been cool, I've been keeping super busy and trying to get as many things done before hotter temperatures arrive.  When it gets too hot I really am not up to doing much except trying to stay cool.  Sometimes I wonder how come I'm always so busy and never seem to catch up to things.

I think it's a combination of getting older and having too many hobbies. When a person gets older, they tend to have more medical appointments and medical related appointments, especially if they have a medical condition. There is always a test to do, medicines to pick up, a specialist or doctor to meet. Then there are also the dental visits and eye doctors which most people have. I seem to have lost my eye doctor and have to find another one because I haven't had an eye examination for quite some.  In my case, busyness is also greater this year.  After several years identification cards need renewal including, government ID, driver's license and my passport.  Two gardens needed to be planted and 2 tax returns needed to be be prepared and filed.  All of it within the same month or two. On top of that, the building where I live always has major projects going on.  While these impact  all residents. My particular apartment has had 2 leaks from upstairs which needed investigation and repair. In fact, the 2nd one is not yet completed.  It's a good thing I don't have to go out to work every day or this would be a difficult situation to manage.

Last, but not least, I always find more work for myself.  For example, the decluttering and cleaning project I started long ago.  Related activities include the purchase of several new furnishings (patio conversation set, storage sofa and adjustable bed and mattress) all of which took time to research and compare options before buying, and the organization of delivery and haul away services. 

Honestly, there is never enough time in a day and I also don't want to waste time.  Time is going by so fast and it's such a precious commodity.  Does anyone else have the same issue with time and too many things to do?

Despite the busyness, I'm happy that I've kept up with some reading and I've also started making more time for hobbies. 

Here are the current books I'm reading or about to read.

An Ocean of Minutes was a of a genre I don't normally read, a dystopian, fantasy novel.  The books revolves around the relationship between Polly and Frank. Frank becomes sick during a pandemic and the medical care he needs is cost prohibitive.  Polly decides to help him by signing on as a bonded labourer into the future. The company she is employed  by will pay for Frank's medical treatment.  Frank and Polly promise to meet one another in Galveston, Texas in 12 years time but Polly ends up being re-routed an additional 5 years into the future.  When she arrives she can't find Frank and the city has changed enormously.  Polly must learn to survive in a totally changed America.  She has with no money, no friends or family and no status in the country.  This begins her search for Frank and the heartbreak that goes along with the search.

Reading this book, at this time, seemed very appropriate to this time and place with all the radical changes taking place right now.

Meet me at the Lake is the second book I've recently picked up by Canadian author Carley Fortune.  I picked it up quite randomly and didn't realize that the author is quite a popular author. 

T he book is about a young woman named Fern who lives and works in the big city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her mother dies and leaves her a Muskoka lakeside resort.  Unfortunately, the resort is in a tight financial situation.  Before her mother dies, she hires a consultant named Will to help get things on a more even keel.  Fern doesn't find out until Will arrives at the resort to begin his work. Will is a former boyfriend bof Ferns, one who ghosted her so there are lots of unresolved feelings.  Will doesn't know that Fern's  mother has died when he checks in to begin his consultancy.

I enjoyed several things about the book such as the settings for the book (Toronto, Muskoka Lakes, Vancouver) and the general story arc.  However, the writing  is a bit too graphic for me when it comes to the intimate situations between the characters.  It's probably quite tame for some people.  But for me, it's a little too much. 

In A House for Alice, Alice Pitt has been living in England for over 50 years. After her husband dies she yearns to return to Nigeria to live out her last years on earth. Her daughters however, are torn over whether their mother should return to Nigeria or remain in London.  Her youngest daughter Melissa, is not only coping with the loss of her father and her mother's departure for Nigeria but her marriage is also breaking down.  I haven't gotten too far into the book but it seems to be about how significant life events can have negative impacts on one's family foundations.

I haven't started the next two books but they look interesting.  I just picked them off the shelves because I was short of reading material at the time. Now I've got too much to read.

The Paris Express is based on a real life event, a French railway disaster of 1895. It's ready for pick up at the local library.

Some of you may know that I started a major decluttering & reorganizing project quite some time ago.  In between these tasks, there have been many interruptions so it's taken forever to make progress.  The main purpose of the project is to create time and space to for work on a number of hobbies. One of those hobbies is crochet.  

In May, I started making some crocheted dishcloths as gifts for friends. I also made an oversized cardigan for a friend who has a birthday coming up later this summer. Earlier in the year, I made a few cushions for a cousin's birthday. I haven't given them to her yet because she is supposed to visit this summer from a city about 1200 km from me. I will give them to her during her visit. I also made a few knitted dishcloths. Before the year ends I hope to work on other hobbies as well. If the weather remains moderate, I may be able to do some of my work outdoors on the patio. That would be ideal as I could play some nice music while I work. Not too loudly though as I don't want neighbours complaining. I suppose I could also just use my phone and wear earphones.

The Dishcloths

The Oversize Cardigan

The Cushions

Bath Time ~ Tuesday 4 Meme

Hello!  It is nice to have you back again for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 hosted by Annie at Cottage by the Sea.

Today we're discussing the secrets of the bath?

1.  Do you take baths or showers?  Is there a reason you prefer one to the other?

I only ever had baths as a child.  I remember my earliest baths were in homes without running water. Mother would heat up the water on a gas converted wood stove then fill a round aluminum tub which was placed by the stove for warmth.  Then each of us kids would have a bath in privacy as no one else came into the kitchen during our bath times.  

Since I've become an adult, I only ever have a shower. I don't know why I converted to showers since it was so long ago. I think it had to do with my thinking it was much quicker to have a shower because the tub didn't have to be filled with water first and I was always short of time in the mornings. I had a friend who overcame this by having her baths at night before bed because she preferred having a bath in a tub. Today I would have a difficult time to have a soaking bath even if I wanted too because bad knees make it hard to get up and out of the tub.

2. Once a day shower or bath or do you have a different schedule?

I have a shower once a day in the morning or before I go out for appointments or errands. I've been told I shouldn't shower so often because the skin on my legs is far too dry. I've experienced dryness for some time but it became a larger problem over the last year and a half or so. I use oils, heavy creams and vaseline to try and protect my skin. I am trying, not so successfully as of yet, to ha e a bath less often and just have a bird bath but it takes me just as long if not longer and I find it cold in the bathroom even with the heat light on. I guess it's a symptom of growing older. Either that or poor insulation and definitely inadequate indoor heating. 

3. What are your favorite soap and shampoo?

Due to the dry skin issue I've started using body wash and lotion products that the local hospitals use.  They are made by a company called Medline and the particular products I'm using are Phytoplex, both the cleanser and moisturizer.  But I also buy other creams and lotions made by various companies.  I also sometimes buy unscented castile body wash at a local dispensary.

4.  Back in the day many loved Jean Nate spray after a bath.  My mom enjoyed Avon's Skin so Soft.  What do you like in the way of skin creams, oils or sprays?

I used to use and love Avon's Skin So Soft too.  But I lost track of my Avon representative many years ago and stopped shopping for Avon products.  Now I purchase lotions at my local pharmacy or on Amazon if I want to purchase the Phytoplex items. I also buy oils at a local dispensary (sunflower, jojoba, avocado apricot and so on).  Sometimes I mix the oil into the lotions I'm using. The lotions I tend to use are mainly Eucerin and Lubriderm, sometimes Bergen's, Aveeno and Vaseline (lotions and jelly). I like lotions that are heavy but not too sticky which is why I like adding the oil. The Phytoplex moisturizer is one of the nicest I've used so far. It goes on well and is both hydrating and soothing.  I don't use any body sprays or perfumes anymore.  I stopped wearing these because there are so many restrictions in public places about wearing scents and also I personally know many people with allergies.

Thank you for stopping by.