Saturday

Today has been a very interesting day. It started off by the dog and I making a trip to Canadian Tire. I had to get floor mats for Olive, my new car. The floor mats that come with the car are useless if you're me. I'm not a casual driver, I AM A DRIVER. Meaning I drive in any kind of weather which means any kind of dirt will end up on my shoe which will end up in my car. New cars come with silly fabric floor mats. Dumb. Anyway, the dog and I went to Canadian Tire where I carefully picked out some floor mats (with dog prints on them-cute) and a gel mat for Sadie to sit on in the back of the car.

After CT we headed straight to Olive who is currently parked on the street. Our loft came with a spot in which Astro owns (senior cars get priority). We also rent a spot that our motorcycles are currently parked in. So that leaves Olive and the street. If you have been to my neck of the woods, you would understand that absolute joy in scoring a FREE no TIME LIMIT spot on the street. Well, I did just that. It's half a block away from me. One thing I hate about parking on the street...no it's not the threat of being broken into, or having the car vandalized.... it's going to the car in the morning and starting it. I like to give my car a minute or two to warm up (also the light on the dashboard says when it's ok to drive away). HOWEVER because free parking is a hot commodity around here, the minute I get in there's about seven cars waiting for my spot. GEESH. When did it become law that as soon as you get into your car you MUST drive away immediately??? I just hop in, start the car, hand signal to the people that I'm not leaving then pretend to rummage around the very back as if I'm looking for something.

I got off track.... today I took Astro to the British Properties. I wasn't about to lose my great parking spot so off the dog and I went. It was raining pretty hard until we got into the woods. The rain stopped however, about 45 minutes into the hike the fog set it. It was pretty creepy. No one, and I mean no one seems to hike up there. I don't ever run into anyone. So I felt a tiny bit nervous, not being able to find any markers on the trees. But the dog seemed to know where she was going. At this time of year, the trails are mostly just mud or streams so there isn't the usual path to follow. The bridge I had to cross was washed out so trying not to slip on the rocks was interesting. Anyway, a few twists and turns and fog patches it was confirmed: lost. Yup, I was lost. But I didn't panic because I always hike prepared: lots of clothing, a flashlight, snacks, plenty of water and a cell phone. Always prepare as if you're spending the night. Which I had to do once, on Seymour, again because of fog, but that's a story for another time.

So as I followed Sadie through the bush for about 15 minutes I finally came out on to a tiny tiny tiny trail and a stump with a badly posted sign carved out of wood with the name of some trail. Just as I felt relieved and not so lonely, there was a crash in the bush. My heart raced and then BAMMMM! 5 handsome mountain biking men popped out from behind the tree. "howdy" said one and they blew past me at a thousand miles per hour down the badly marked trail. I had to laugh. No matter where you are, no matter how alone you feel, you're not really ever alone. But then they disappeared down the trail and I was left with the sound of water falling and the silence of the lonely mountain.

Peaceful.

Now I'm about to go out with a new friend tonight for dinner down the road. Very excited. So I must sign off and blow dry my hair. Not sure why because the rain will poof it the minute I step outside.