Last weekend the sun was pretty warm against the east facing terrace so I placed the guinea pigs outside against the heated wall for an hour, to give them a break from their cage.

The girl child suggested we stick a hot water bottle underneath the fleece blanket even though they should have been sheltered enough from the little bit of breeze. That was a grand idea! When I went to check on them after a few minutes, they were both huddled on the water bottle, absorbing the warmth from below but also enjoying the sunshine from above.

Cages animals make me feel sad. I do what I can to give them a decent life here at our nuthouse. 🙂

The point of this story is actually a preamble about spring, or the hint of spring. One minute if feels like the season is changing, then I wake up to a fresh layer of snow. (This morning, for example. BLAH.)

My bike will have to stay in the shed a bit longer… 😦

It was LA and authorlaurablog who both mentioned something to me when I commented on LA’s spring bucket list post. They said I should do something for me, not just dwell on the never-ending sports schedules of the kids.

So, that got me pondering while at the grocery store. What should I look forward to and set as my goals for this coming season?

I came home, unpacked the food, realized we’re now broke until next payday (#teenagers), and made this list:

More dog walking

One of my dogs is dropping down to three days a week from full week, at least for a bit. Something about job transition. I get it, and I don’t mind, but I do miss the daily walks just as the weather is getting better. So I went on facebook into the group communities of my neighbourhood and put the word out again. Maybe someone new will be happy to take me on as a dog walker in this coming season? Time will tell.

More cycling

My daughter quite likes biking to school. I often accompany her on my bike because she has to cross a busy street and I just don’t trust the drivers during morning rush hour. Plus I carry her heavy pack. This spring however, I think I will forgo the return home after I drop her (and sometimes her friend) at school and take the long way home just to get some extra cycling in. I always feel like my leg muscles are weaker after a long, sedentary winter season…and we have such nice bike trails through parks along the waterfront, I may as well take the opportunity. Plus, it’s free (no membership to pay) and the fresh air and sunshine will improve my mood immensely. 🙂

Garden cleanup

Our front and backyards are a mess. Ugly and full of weeds, not tended properly. I keep starting jobs every season to improve the esthetics, but then we run out of cash or other things come up…I’m going to make a more concrete effort to deal with the garden this year.

Switzerland trip planning

The trip to Europe is booked and I have to make some detailed plans for that. Lists, shopping (there’s quite a few younger children in the family who will like a gift from Canada) and some research into where to go and what to do. This is something to look forward to as well.

Spa visit

I’m not a big spa person but people keep saying I should get a pedicure. Well hell, why not. Maybe I’ll take the girl child with me and we’ll go treat ourselves. 🙂

Happy now LA and Laura? And thank you for making me focus here… ❤