Marching Into Our Goals

Hello peeps.
So last week I pushed to get all my stores done and took on another 6 stores to get them serviced. It was nerve wrecking to be in stores that were busier. I guess my stores are in a more quiet location. The stores I took on, not so much. People were not as aware of social distancing and were coming up to me with phones, pointing at pictures asking .."you have?"
I feel like there is a bit of a disconnect in that area. I'm not sure if the immigrants didn't get the message or they don't understand the severity or they just don't care. Either way, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. Not being able to communicate verbally to allow social distancing and having to show pictures to find what they are looking for. I wonder if they are getting all the important messages about Covid.
Regardless, I was very uncomfortable. I have issues with personal space anyway but on top of that... I was the girl with bulging eyes every time I heard someone hacking up a lung. I was stressed!!! This week it all paid off. I only have 1 call and it's at my husbands store. I will do it on Friday when I drop him off so I'm in and out before the store opens. Not sure what will happen next week because I may have to service the same stores as last week. Fingers crossed it won't be as busy as I just did them. If I can just do 1 store a day I can be back home before people are out.
So to keep busy this week I'm going room by room, purging and cleaning. Monday I did the bathroom and linen closet. Yesterday I started the kitchen. I only have the fridge and 1 mini cupboard left. Then I have to wash down the walls and that job will be done. I'm determined to get through every room before this is all over. I'll leave the 2 big jobs for last. Washing windows and walls. The street cleaner needs to do the roads before I even consider doing the windows.
I might even take on painting the ceiling. It hasn't been painted in 14 years. It's the last thing to be painted. Every other room has been done. Tired just thinking about it. I hate ceiling work.
Well. Time to get at it.
Keep on keeping on!!

Hey Sparkies
It’s been a while since I posted here. I guess you could say that I was feeling alone for the most part. Nice to see a new member here posting. Hello Faith!
Now the world pretty much is in isolation. Wow! Kinda makes you take a second or third look at what really matters eh? On a personal level, it makes me very glad I made my decision when I did to move out here. If I would have waited till now it wouldn’t have happened. I am so happy to be with my daughter even though I miss folks back home.
I continue to Spark everyday. I watch and now really watch, what I put into my mouth. My choices are way more limited since the Covid put my personal shopping at a halt. (The SNL does the shopping for us now). I really have to think if I need that item or not. I am happy that he does that for me.
I take my pooch out for a walk every day through the neighborhood. Most people move over when we come along or else I do. Even the dogs are not socializing. It’s all a very strange world we are living in now.
Trying to keep from getting depressed is like doing a dance with two left feet, but I’m working on it.
That’s all we can do, right?
Anyway peeps keep up the good work and keep sparking.

Ok... first of all, Jo, you have the best nicknames for members of your household! Wifey... DogFace... ScaredyCat... I might have a new nickname for my husband soon, Grizzly Adams. He seems to think that he's supposed to stay 6 feet from his razor during social-distancing. I should send him with DogFace for a grooming appointment.

I've been trying to use up food from our freezer too, primarily all the half-used packages/bags of things or getting rid of popsicles and freezer-burned buns from last summer. I'm trying to make more space for things I'd rather have on hand during this time when getting groceries is trickier.

Relying on my husband to get groceries is okay for 99% of things, until he grabs a package without checking dates or even looking at the item inside to ensure it's not spoiled. Yup, he brought home a package of mushrooms that went directly to trash. Still not sure what I'll use for a substitute for tomorrow night's supper that required them! I asked him if he looked at the contents at all and he admitted that he did not. How could you not see that all of the mushrooms were *bad*... it's covered with clear wrap!

I think I'll send my husband to Costco some evening again this week and I won't need an online order / grocery pickup this week. So, that eliminates my Saturday morning drive which is the only time I seem to venture out of our subdivision each week. I sit in the passenger seat the entire time, but at least I see a little of the world! I have been getting outside at lunch every workday for a 2km walk to break up the day a bit and get some fresh air.

I feel sorry for all the people who have had to cancel major plans like your client. Helping with sea turtles was probably quite the dream trip / opportunity!

I will share my biggest NSV in terms of fitness. On Sunday, my son was working on homework (in the room where my treadmill resides) so I did my first outdoor run in *years*. Our subdivision is somewhat hilly and I managed to get my 5k loop done in just under 31 minutes. I was VERY pumped/encouraged by that. I took one walk break in the first half (after running uphill for about 1km, I needed a break) and I took one walk break in the second half to walk the steepest hill on the route.

My goal for this week is to find something (other than meal and pantry planning) to occupy my evenings during quarantine. I'd like to tackle one of my artsy pursuits so years from now I can look at whatever project I create and say, "I did that in 2020 when we weren't allowed to leave the house for x months." My survival project.

Take care ladies!!

How is everyone holding up now?

We get out semi-regularly for supplies, although the groceries aren't as much. Deep freezer is filled with food we haven't seen since December, so we're taking this opportunity to clean up & clear out the pantry and the deep freezer.

DogFace is finally going in today for a shave. He looks like a mini Malamute, I swear! He will feel cooler, and even if we have some cold mornings, he has 2 sweaters, a jacket and a long coat... he won't freeze. :-)

Work is ok, and Wifey and I have an agreement for online time, especially for things like online meetings, online classes and online tests/quizzes.

I'm still not quite happy with my home office setup, so I have to think about what I want it to be first, so I can find some furniture in the house to accommodate.

And my only other travel customer had her flights cancelled. She was the one going to Australia for a work term for 3 weeks to help with the sea turtles. So, she postponed her trip and opted for a future travel credit with Air Canada. Now I have to figure out how to put it in the travel order, so our books are right. I think my head is full.

Ok, off to take DogFace to the Doggie Barber Shop.

Later Gaters!

Jo

All right. Feeling less whiny and more positive than last time I posted. A few things have helped:

a) I signed up for our weekly organic veggie boxes through a farm where we bought our veggies for many years. I paid a little extra to get home delivery and also signed up for a dozen eggs. So that makes me feel better knowing we've got fresh veggies and eggs secured for all summer/fall

b) got out for a quick walk in the sunshine yesterday at lunch and the fresh air did wonders for my soul

c) sent my husband to Costco last night and he didn't even have to line up outside, he said the store was practically empty. He is NOT the grocery shopper in the family, so he called 4 times and texted twice with questions, but he said everyone was spaced okay and there was plexiglass at the checkouts to protect the cashiers. Anyway, he was able to get *everything* on my list except romaine lettuce and he was in and out of the store quite quickly.

d) watched a video by a doctor in NYC who has been treating Covid-19 patients for the past 3 weeks and it was very informative/helpful and makes it less scary

Have a great weekend everyone!! We *finally* made it to Friday.

Ok, we have made it to Wednesday. Has this been the slowest week in history?!

I hope you've got your connection issues straightened out (or manageable), Jo! It certainly makes working from home or doing classes "tricky" if you lose internet in the middle of something! We upgraded our fibreop around a year ago and got one of the newer routers, but still see connections drop on occasion. Both my husband and I are in IT and need "all the technology all at once". He tends to use VOIP for his calls (not sure what they use for screen share), but I use the landline for conference calls and Slack or Mikogo for screen sharing. Our son is using Zoom and google classroom. I think yesterday was the first day when we really pushed the limit and all three of us were on apps for screen sharing at the same time.

Anyway, all that detail to say that we are pushing our internet to the limit these days and I just hope it can keep up with us!!

I feel so very lucky that we are able to work from home, but at the same time, I see all these people who are cleaning their houses, baking, doing crafts and household projects because they have all this free time and I'm a bit jealous! I haven't gained any free time at all, other than my commute... so, I have maybe an extra 30-40 minutes in my day. I'm using that for extra sleep in the morning! So, I don't want to be whiny because I recognize that I'm fortunate to continue working, but I do wish I could get more done around the house lol.

While I'm in a whiny mood, when is it going to get warmer?!

Lori, how have you been making out this week? Feeling any more motivated? On the topic of warmer weather, I think that will help with motivation. When we can practice social distancing outside a bit more, it will be a bit easier, I think.

Jo, I had a coworker suffer from gout for a few weeks before Christmas. It sounded awful! I hope it clears up quickly for you!! He was walking around the office in his sock feet or slippers for a few days. Oh how I miss walking around the office... and it's only week 2.

Going through cycles of acceptance/resentment/disbelief over this whole situation at the moment. I need to find something to do in the evenings to soothe my soul, I think. I just feel too stressed for the things that normally bring enjoyment and I don't want to do too much baking since I can't take the leftovers to the office and my family of 3 should not eat that much!

Of the things I enjoy doing... reading, painting, fancy cookie decorating, jewelry design, multitude of other crafts... I just do not have the current attention span for any of them!

Ok. I feel that I have whined/vented/unloaded sufficiently. Take care ladies!! Do not eat all the stuff and try to move!!

So, this coronavirus turned into a lot more than we thought it would. Like you, Faith, I heard that it could be months, and that NB school kids aren't going back this year. Wifey heard that mid-April might be a return date, so they can write exams.

She did a test online this morning, and our connection dropped. She was madder than a wet hen, and hoped there would be another chance to retake the test. She wasn't the only one, so they redid the test at noon... and I logged off. With the IT work I do, connecting to servers and other software, I need a solid connection. Throw a Skype meeting in there, and I have no idea how long I'll stay online. I might have to call Bell and request a higher end modem. At least it's DSL, and not dial-up or satellite.

And that was cold this morning! OMG, I thought DogFace would pee icicles! Our snowbanks have dropped down a lot, which is really good.

This social distancing is good for house cleaning! We have something like 6 boxes and 2 bags to go to thrift stores, 8 garbage bags of garbage, and a large "burn out back" pile for later in the spring. Stuff is stuck on the deck, but at least we're sifting through it. Garbage is ok to go, but the burn pile will have to wait until we can get to the back yard, and the thrift stores have closed for the time being. Our gardening room is getting better - we transplanted several seedlings to solo cups yesterday, and once I can figure out what shelving I want, we can set up a little more. Other than the medical plants, we have one zucchini and one spag squash plant coming up. We are having a helluva time getting lettuce to grow! I don't know what's going on! The ground cherry plants are root bound, and we're hoping they'll last till early June, when we can put them in the ground. For not pollinating them, they sure grew well! Lots of teeny weeny cherries, and if I can keep them home until there are 4 cups, then I'll send them to Mom so she can make herself some jam. She can't stay out of them. ;-)

Lori, you mentioned a lack of motivation. I hear ya. The one thing that should keep bringing you back to the motivation is the A-HA! reason. I know you have one, I seem to remember you telling me. Mine changed, since it revolved a lot around My Guy (Faith, he passed away 8 yrs ago), and I'm trying to force a new one for myself with Wifey. It might also come down to wanting to travel and being able to do it easily, for me. Being a Cookie Monster is sure hard.

It is hard to keep moving when at home, at least for me too. My butt carved out one of the kitchen chairs. I did a couple of small workouts, 10-12 mins each, today, mainly because I think I may have gout. Or it's another version of fibro, and my toes are killing me. Dr. Google helped a bit, but with all the commotion with social distancing going on, I don't feel like this is urgent. But yeah, I want to work towards working out at home, especially since I'm a DVD workout kinda Chick. It'll take a little time to figure out.

Time to make the salad for supper, to go with the steak. At least it's not fried food to help the gout. ;-)

Later Gaterettes!

OHMY...what a week indeed!! It’s so unsettling to think we will probably be in this state for several weeks. Some reports say aggressive social distancing is required for 8 months. I’m so scared of the effect this will have on our economy and what it will do to some families.

Jo, i was surprised that liquor and Cannabis are ‘essential’ especially now that you can buy liquor in grocery stores anyway! Good luck getting your WFH environments all setup for you and your wife. We will be doing that today for our son. His online classes begin tomorrow. They are shorter than normal and for this week, they aren’t every day. Something is better than nothing though, he needs some structure and something to focus on. He’s pretty stressed and since we are working all day and on conference calls, he can’t always talk to us when he might need to.

Lori, glad you guys are well stocked! I placed two online orders for our groceries this week. I submitted the first to the store where we usually do online groceries. About one third of my order could not be filled (including skim milk!) so everything that wasn’t filled, I put on a list for the second store and they were able to fill everything on my list except for one item. I couldn’t get yeast for baking bread! I have some, but wanted another bottle since I’m baking a lot right now.

Anyway, we went out yesterday to pick up our online grocery orders, get the mail and for me to go into the office and get everything out of my desk that might attract mice. I’m worried our building (which already has an issue) will get worse if there are no humans around to scare the mice away. No sign of them yesterday and now they have no reason to go near my desk! I didn’t feel at risk while we were out, I actually didn’t come into contact with any people, just opened the trunk and wore gloves in my office. I washed my hands well after unloading all the groceries at home. We watched Contagion Friday night and it stressed me out even more...probably not the best movie to see right now lol.

Good luck staying on track ladies!! Lori, you can totally be down 30 pounds by August!! Just remember how much better you will feel and get that workout habit back in place! I think it’s even more important for our mental health these days with everything in the world right now. For me, it’s just too easy to not move when I WFH and I really have to force myself to get moving a couple of extra times a day. Too worried about losing progress!

Off to see what I need to get done today. I’m tempted to take a ‘vacation’ day (or half day) later this week on one of the days my son doesn’t have class (if he doesn’t have a lot of homework that day)...just to watch movies with him and maybe walk outside around the neighbourhood.

Faith I worked in a grocery store for 27 years so I haven't worked off a budget for a long time. I can't even remember the last time I bought a regular grocery order. I go pick up the few things I need and I'm done. I flyer shop as well so once a week I'd go through them and if the regular things were on sale I'd pick them up. That's the benefit of have 4 grocery stores all within 10 of each other. If I didn't go in the stores for 2 weeks the only thing I'd run out of is fresh fruit and vegetables lol. I hate grocery shopping so the quicker I can get in and out the better it is. So no worries of us running out of food.

So at work now they are not asking us to stay home but to only work on order days to help alleviate having stock sitting around in the stores. It gives them more room for more essential items and lessens the risk of our stock getting contaminated. Makes sense to me. I wear gloves now and thank goodness people are practicing social distancing. They see me in the isle and most people will stop and go the other way. Once the sales go down the stock won't move so it will get to the point where we won't be in the stores.

As for getting on track I'm not gonna lie I'm struggling. I did a few workouts but then didn't. I was doing good with the water but this week.. Not so much. I've got to get my will. I have no ambition it feels.... Something is lacking. I got a wedding in August and I'd love to have 30 pounds gone by then..... And I know I can do it. Just got to get motivated.

Hope you guys got the spark. My flame has been out for awhile... Still pushing!! I may not be giving 100% right now but I still am doing something.

Hey gang!

Well, these last 3 weeks have been interesting! NB is on Emergency Status, but the liquor & weed stores are still open. I've been working from home since Monday, and it's going to be another week at least.

Wifey is also home, and she was able to test the virtual classroom for Monday, and it works ok. I might have to reduce what I do online during her class, so we don't both get bumped off.

The work from home thing is ok, and I'm getting into a groove. Shower is a must in the morning. I think I need a bigger table, though, because I feel too far away from my mouse & keyboard, let alone the screens.

Self-quarantine is starting to give some of my friends the shack-whackies.

Ok, it might be time for hard liquor tonight... it has been a helluva week.

Jo

Lori, your house sounds like mine. We are also a family of three but you wouldn’t know it if you saw my grocery cart! My husband makes fun of our pantry, but if something we use goes on sale, that’s when I buy it. I’m the one in charge of the grocery budget and meeting it. If I happen to be sick or something comes up and we can’t get groceries, we are perfectly fine. There’s no making fun of my pantry/freezer then lol.

I had to google the low fodmap diet, it sounds interesting. It’s probably something that might have helped me in the past. I seem to go through phases where my stomach bothers me more than others.

Clearing deck material would be quite the workout! I’m afraid it would still be buried in snow here. I am looking forward to the arrival of spring!

Hey Jo, glad to hear your puddy tat is doing better... And sorry to hear about your foot. Hope it heals quickly.

Faith I hear ya on the full pantry.....and freezer. Even though we are a family of 3 I buy food like we are a family of eight. Lol I worked at a grocery store for 27 years so I watched the flyers and bought extra when things were on sale. Now that Rebecca is on the low fodmap diet I stock up extra on her things... Otherwise we would be in the poor house. I have more shelf stable almond milk than I can count. Lol

In other news this corona virus is taking the city by storm. Kinda glad I don't work in that mess anymore. There is nothing that brings out the stupid and unpleasantness in people more than illness and storms. I hope this virus doesn't hit here like it has other countries. I know more than a few families that had to cancel their yearly trips... And my cousin... Ya he is stuck in Mexico for 2 weeks. It's crazy!!!

As for me being back at it... Boy oh boy it was a rough week. I did get a few workouts in. Not back to walking outside yet. It was a busy week of appointments with my daughter and the weather was the pits when I was free. My back is acting up again... It might be just tired of caring around this fat a$$ of mine I'm not giving in or giving up though. Yesterday we had to clean up all the debris in the yard from the fall renos. We replaced 2 decks and the day after we finished it snowed so there it sat. What a bloody mess. We dragged it all from the backyard to the side driveway... But by Wednesday it will all be gone. Phew!! What a workout that was.

Well hope you ladies enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Darn. I hadn't checked tomorrow's forecast. I'm an early-to-work person also. I leave the house at 6:30 to drive in and get to the office around 7 by the time I park and walk a block and a half. The spring time change was so disappointing since last week it was daylight for my morning walk from garage to office and now I'm back to pitch darkness.

We know friends and family both who have cancelled big trips that they had booked for April. Very disappointing for them. I'm glad we went for our little weekend getaway in early February instead of over March break. One family we know was one hour past the deadline to return and now has to keep their kids home for 2 weeks. It's certainly tough on older children, my son would be SO stressed to miss that much time!

It seems I have been preparing my pantry and freezer for a pandemic for years. I think we would be fine if we were suddenly housebound for two weeks. Although, we'd obviously run out of fresh produce and probably milk as well. I should buy a container of shelf-stable almond milk to have on hand.

I read this morning how one of the body's best defenses is to rid itself of toxins via sweat... so keep working out!!

Hope your ankle heals quickly!!

Hey Sparkers!

It sure is obvious that Spring is coming -- yet another storm to hit NB tomorrow. Northern NB is supposed to get mostly snow, and we're supposed to get mostly rain, but I will see what the weather in the morning. I leave for work at 7am, and it's still pitch black out after the time change, and I don't drive a lot when it's dark out. And on the plus side, the snowbanks at home aren't as big. Finally. :-D

So the buzzword of the year seems to be the Coronavirus. As you can imagine, the travel agencies are really struggling right now. I'm just glad I have a day job that pays my bills! And there isn't much movement on anything travel-related. GNB is even talking about restricting out of PROVINCE travel. It's scary, especially if your immune system is compromised. I think I'm glad we didn't travel for March Break, but I found it ironic that the order to keep kids at home for 14 days came AFTER March Break was done. I also heard that someone at Education (GNB) wanted to keep all those kids at home for another 2 weeks. One broadcaster asked what the department was doing for those children, since most kids can catch up with one week out, but 2 weeks out is nearly impossible. Are they considering live chat sessions in class? I haven't heard anything more beyond that.

My ankle is better today. The swelling is still there, and it's still tender in spots, and it's gonna be a real winner of a bruise when it's done coming out. The opposite thigh, however, has taken on too much strain, and every step on THAT leg is precarious. There was a lot of gingerly walking yesterday. If I can find a chair without wheels, I'll be able to do a sitting workout, at least.

.... and back to the day job.

Later Gaters & Sparkers!

Ah, another winter storm. Storm? What storm??

I'm working from home today, since the roads were suppose to be slick. I don't even know if it rained here.

March Break was good, and needed. Hopefully next year, we'll be able to take a trip south for a week.

Scaredy Cat is doing ok, but it's hard to tell. I've been able to give her the pill every night, and I've noticed she gets a drink of water shortly after. She goes back on Friday for a checkup.

A little while ago, I got up to stir supper, and tripped over DogFace. *sigh* My ankle hurts, and I suspect it's slightly sprained. I've got ice on it now. Arg.

And guess who caught a cold? Yeah.... Wifey has one too. And here I thought we were getting good enough sleep to ward off colds.

Off to check supper!

Jojo

March break is definitely an acceptable reason! Hope you enjoyed it... and hope your kitty is doing better!

Hey Peeps!

Sorry for not getting this out there earlier, but, well, March Break happened. :-)

Jo