Happiness moment of the day: driving by one of the sloughs today there were still swans swimming around. This slough goes right up to the road and the swans were only about 10 feet away from me.
I really wanted to stop and have a good look at them and be one with nature. But there was a truck coming up behind me, and it was a gravel road. If you are lucky enough to be in first place on a gravel road you don’t give that up So no swan picture…
Happiness moment of the day today was playing an impromptu game of songify on the road this afternoon with the kids. There’s nothing like singing loudly and badly in a car to make me happy. Especially with them.
Funny moment today happened on the drive to school when I convinced the kids, albeit briefly, that there was a herd of bears up on the hill.
They aren’t the exact same bears, but I saw some more in a herd while I was out waking today. Magnificent views I have.
happiness moment of the day: sitting in the kitchen tonight having delicious lemon cake and telling stories with my parents and kids about funny things from my childhood and theirs. It’s good to be home.
My exhausted happiness for the day is that our wonderful home is filled with our wonderful things with lots of help from my wonderful family. Let the unpacking begin!
Today ends our Glamping (glam camping) trip. For the past few weeks we’ve had a whole house set up with borrowed furniture (some of it lawn) from family. Which has been so kind and actually sort of fun. But today our stuff cleared customs and tomorrow it gets filled (somehow) into the house. We are so excited.
But today we made use of the empty space. Ella started climbing up the dog kennel and scratching at her kennel this morning. This was odd behavior because it was just bought for her flight here and isn’t a safe place for her to go. I went over to see what she was doing and found a mouse that my husband had snuck inside for her to play with. Almost 3 weeks go by and she decides to find the mouse.
So we played fetch across the red carpet
See the Glamping style chairs? They’re actually very comfortable.
I am so jealous because while I was out at customs the kids built a huge fort city in the open rooms and are going to have the sleepover to end all sleepovers with their cousins tonight.
A happiness moment.
However, my happiness moment today was out on my morning walk when the swans flew honking along with me. I love them.
This was our Easter morning view. A little snowy but beautiful all the same. To me Easter is a Vancouver Island thing with flowers and the ocean and walking logs by the beach on the way into Sidney for lunch.
But Easter here is pretty amazing too.
We saw this on the way home from church. Pretty majestic. 
Happiness moment of the day was a family meal at my cousin’s place I so love those times. Lots of love and laughter. I was extra heart warmed that part of the blessing included gratitude that we have come home.
What a blessed Easter
My little Dotted Dog has some issues. She’s socially challenged and a little neurotic This is why we get along so well. I understand those issues well.
She has a history of chasing cars and being unsociable with dogs. It’s not that she’s aggressive, but since she has no social skills (and thinks she’s a human ) she’s run into some difficulties. More so typically with owners.
This mornng she met my cousin’s dog, Star, who is 7 months old and full of energy. I was a little worried about how it would go. But Star came running at her like Dottie was the most amazing being in the world and Dottie decided to just pretend she wasn’t there. Eventually they ended up settling into an ok kind of walk with Star bouncing and Dottie with her cloak of invisibility.
Out on the walk, Dottie saw what may have been her first gopher. I never saw it to be sure but there certainly was something of interest there.
But the biggest deal of all was that as soon as we got back in the yard I let her off her leash. Because of the car chasing and general neurosis she’s always on a leash. But now she has more freedom.
My moment of happiness. Freedom.
This made me think how true this is for all of us. Dottie is not the only one to have freedom. Jacob got to walk to Tim Hortons with friends. Today the kids walked the mall by themselves. Freedoms they never had before.
There is a huge amount of freedom that comes with the feeling of security and belonging.
When I was a kid grandma used to make what us cousins called Grandma’s special cake. To us it was a recipe unique to grandma and we always looked forward to the times when she would make it. Always for brandings, usually for community events, sometimes just for us to enjoy.
You can imagine my horror when I moved to Québec and there was a bakery there that sold Grandma’s special cake. The horror grew when my cousin’s husband was delighted because it was his aunt’s special cake.
Yesterday my cousin texted me to remind me that she’d made a dessert for my parents and I’d forgotten to pick it up at school. She finished with I have three words for you
Grandmas
Special
Cake
Well. I didn’t have to be reminded again.
Last night my mom and I split the cake. They kept some and we took some. Today at lunch Jenna and I dove into it. As I was eating I thought about the generations who have enjoyed this cake. We were sitting in the house my great grandparents built eating it, my parents were in the house my grandparents built and my mom grew up in eating it. 5 generations of family sharing love from that cake and the memories attached to it. Because not only is it yum yummy, but every bite has a fun childhood memory attached to it.
As I was getting ready to put it away I saw another cousin walking down from the barn after a ride. I went out and shared the last piece of our cake with her. The delight on her face was totally worth it. Cake love. Family cake. My happiness moment for the day.
When I was a little girl my grandpa used to take me around the ranch in his truck. I have fond memories of bouncing through the fields chattering away with him – laughing, singing, whistling. My mom says I thought that damngate was what all gates were called because of these rides. As fun as it was (and it was very fun), I also remember him warning me often and severely about how dangerous the cows were. I was little – like 5 or maybe 6 – and the regular cows were big, but the chianina’s they had were gigantic. The fear was real. I was terrified.
Sadly my grandpa died when I was 7, but I have tons of great memories of doing things with him (lucky me). However, one thing he didn’t do was reprogram me from my fear of cows. Still when I’m out walking and there’s a rogue cow on the road I’ll turn around and hustle myself back home as fast as I can. Even if they’re on the other side of the fence and they look at me funny I get a little giggly in the legs.
I have been lucky enough to have been invited out to “help” (and I use that term very loosely) chase cows on horseback which I enjoy. But, last summer my cousin invited me to “help” chase bulls and I have to say I was more than a little terrified. All was fine while I was just left to meander along through the field looking for flowers. But as soon as I was told to go get a bull and bring it back into the herd I was a total puddle of fear (after following the bull around for a while with him glaring at me and me pleading him to please stop being such a butt and just go back I was saved by one of the ranch hands who so easily brought him back).
Today I was out walking Dottie along the road. It’s calving season so the cows are up in the homestead field which is right beside where we walk. Across from this field is the slough where the swans are hanging out on a break from migrating north for the summer. I was stopped on the road to admire the swans when I felt Dottie push in between my legs and start to shake. I looked down and my little Dotted Dog was all puffed out like a porcupine. All of her hair on her body was standing straight up and she was shaking all over. I looked where she was looking and…. cows!!! Dottie saw her first cow and just about had a cow herself.
Finally she got a little braver and went across the road (on her leash) with just her hackles up to get a better look at them. Stopped, stared, ran back behind my legs. She did this a couple of times and then just ran/walked/glared at the cows until we were past the field
Fear of cows. It’s a real thing.
The swans were amazing this morning. Such beautiful birds. On my way back I was admiring them when a bald eagle flew over my head and up into the homestead field. Bliss. My moment of happiness today – swans, eagle, cows, and my dotted dog.
this is what the happiest dog in the world looks like
I don’t think her tail stopped wagging the entire walk. She’s as happy to be here as I am to have her.
Even though she would never admit it , Ella is happy too. She is helping me blog right now
So happy they are safely here after such a long flight. Almost 2,000 miles they travelled yesterday. So grateful for all the love and kindness of my husband who worked so hard getting them here 💗💗.
