1095 Days = 3 Years - OMG!!!!

Three years?  I can hardly believe it has really been three years since we officially "landed" in Canada.  It is still hard for me to find the words to describe our life here. Some days everything feels insanely normal (well, other than the pandemic issues, of course).  Then I find myself, usually when I'm walking down the street, looking up at St. Joseph's Oratory in the distance or gazing out over the St. Lawrence River and I pinch myself and say - "We're really living in Montreal, Quebec Canada.  How crazy is that?"   Surreal is the word that comes to mind most often.  It does not seem possible, but.. alas... here we are.  So... here is a recap of the past year. 

Year 3 started with a knitting class. Sadly, I have yet to complete the scarf that I started last March.  It was a more complicated project than I expected and COVID has prevented me from getting the assistance I need to resolve all the issues I have encountered.  I have, however, recently started a smaller, simpler project and will see if knitting is really a "thing" I can do... or not.  Stay tuned to find out.  

Year 3 had a few more "firsts" for me, as well as for all of you too (if we want to count first time living through a pandemic)!  

After building my first snow-person, I subsequently submitted that blog entry to the Quebec Writer's Federation for a series they put together called Chronicling The Days.  Turns out - I will soon have my first (and likely only) piece of writing actually published.  

I learned how to Zoom, tried a lot of new recipes, and attended several walking tours of Montreal (on-line of course).   

I went blueberry picking for the first time (thanks to Heather and Nigel) - and then quickly developed a new-found appreciation of the yummiest blueberry crisp desserts.  

I can also say that I am now, for the first time, the proud owner of a pair of snowshoes!  Not only do I own them but I have actually used them as well, on more than one occasion. 

There are lots of parks we can drive to and walk through the woods or we can just walk two blocks down the street to our neighborhood park and enjoy the snow there. 

Dave has ventured into the land of cross country skiing but I have found I prefer the stability of snowshoeing! 

As part of my most recent volunteer opportunity, I started growing some herbs indoors in the winter, for the first time.  This has been an interesting adventure.  

So far, I have managed to keep the rosemary, basil, and sorrel alive.  If they are not thriving (aka edible/usable) by Springtime, I may transplant them into an outdoor garden and see if that will improve their chances.  But for now - I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can continue to keep these growing! 

It is hard to narrow down one specific highlight of the year.  At the top of my list though, would definitely be the whale watching in Tadoussac and the first time ever to walk an alpaca. Ok, I have to include one more alpaca picture here - just because they are so darned cute! 

But wait...I can now add to my list - the first time to ride a toboggan.  This entailed borrowing a toboggan from my friend Debbie. There is a nearby park that maintains 3 runs, with nice high sides to divide the lanes.  I think it is really intended just for kids so we went on a weekday when it wasn't busy. 

David humoured me by riding with me since I was a little nervous about going alone the first time. Part of the fear came from the fact that when I mentioned it to several people, not a single one said "Oh, that sounds like fun" or "Oh, I'll come and meet you there" or "I'd love to do that."  And Debbie made it clear that while she was happy to loan me her sled, she was waiving any responsibility!  

It really ended up being a lot of fun and I got over my fear pretty quickly. It was a super easy hill to learn on; not very steep at all.  I'm not sure I want to do a really steep hill since it isn't the speed that I was interested in, as much as just the adventure of doing it!  I even spun around (accidentally) and went backward part of the way.  I truly have no desire to do anything too dangerous, as now is NOT the time for any unplanned hospital visits! 

My first-time on-line birthday dance party actually turned out to be more entertaining than I had expected... Many thanks to everyone who joined in on that.  

And last but not least was the first time I co-wrote a song with David, called The Punkster.  If you haven't already heard it - here is a link to it on YouTube.  Spoiler **** it is about my cat Purrcy! (and Zooka has a part in it also).

The Punkster

Thanks, as always, for stopping in to read my blog.  As long as y'all keep encouraging me, I'll keep posting my adventures.  It may be interesting to look back someday to see how long it takes me to get used to being in Canada!  Meanwhile, I am grateful for everyone and everything in my life.  

Stay safe out there so we can visit again soon in person.