Book Hippo

Friday, March 21, 2014

Spring Back

Well, officially, it's spring. Other people's children will be on March break soon, if they're not already.

In Ottawa, it doesn't look like spring as it snowed the other day and will again tomorrow. That's fine with me. As I said in an earlier post, I'm not suffering winter this year. I'll take spring when it comes.

I do have a few new dresses to wear though. My problem with them is that I bought them online. In the right size but they don't fit. Well about half of them fit, the other half are just a bit too small.

Since I'm losing weight, I decided not to send them back. I will fit into them sometime. I was wanting to fit in them by spring. No such luck right now. That I will do it is certain as I'm steadily losing pounds. But I really did want to wear them in the spring. I may have to wait for fall.

I think that's one of the drawbacks of online shopping. You can't try anything on and you have to send back if it doesn't fit. What a bother after you've paid shipping.

But I'm okay. I'll wait for spring and hope that I can fit in these cool dresses when the time comes. I'm not ready to give up online shopping.

Happy spring break, everyone.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Leopard Spot Shoes

I enjoyed this winter, even if it was a 'bad' one. Meaning that there was so much snow fallen that it couldn't be cleaned up until it was almost critical.

Today, however, with it's warm winds and melting snow has made me wish for spring and nicer weather. It's not that I'm exactly sick of snow, it's just that I'm ready for something else.

Besides, I want to wear my new shoes. At the beginning of winter I bought some casual shoes. They have cowhide that is made to seem like leopard spots. They're big and strong shoes and I'd love to try them out. I have just a little fear that they might be so stiff I won't be able to walk but they should break in nicely.

Speaking of shoes, I did a dummy thing. I saw a great pair of shoes online and bought them. What's so dumb? Well, I totally ignored the fact that I can't wear heels too high because my calves cramp up.

It's really painful but it's something I've learned to avoid by not pointing my toes and tightening my calf muscles and the same time. Guess what these shoes do? Right. So I can't wear them but never mind, they're a work of art. I'll just keep them.

I said I bought them but actually I was given a $20 coupon and they cost less than that so I didn't pay anything. Why not spend on something I can use? Well, I had to use it for a certain time and there was nothing else I wanted. These shoes might come in handy some day.

But one thing is for certain. I'm going to enjoy my leopard shoes a lot.

Monday, March 3, 2014

End Of An Era

I miss my step-mother. She died in October, 2013 of cancer. It makes me think back to when I visited her and my then-alive father in Enderby, BC.

It was my first plane ride and I was nervous, having watched a few episodes of Mayday on television. My room mate drove me to the airport and I went through the security. We waved good-bye as I went it. Then I waited for my plane.

Luck must have been with me that day because I found myself sitting beside an ex-pilot who told me what exactly was happening as the plane took off. I liked this man, he and his wife were on their way to India to look after an orphanage that they do some volunteer work for.

I was interested in the back of the the seat in front of me which had a little picture of an airplane and showed where we were in the sky route to BC. One thing puzzled me about it, though, and that was, is the front of the plane on the picture where we were or the back. Because the front could show Manitoba and the back Ontario but it passed the time. I couldn't read.

There was no turbulence or anything to worry me so I actually quite enjoyed my first flight. Except the end of it. We landed in Calgary and I phoned my sister who lived there at that time. When I boarded the plane to Kelowna, which takes an hour, I was sitting right beside a muscle guy.

You've all heard people say that fat people should buy two tickets. Well, I found out that muscle guys are much worse, they are solid and I had to lean over all the way to Kelowna. I'm just lucky I didn't have to sit next to him all the way to Ontario.

But now, as I think of that, I realize I'll never have another reason to go to Enderby. My real mother, Peggy died of cancer in 2000, my father in 2010 and now my step-mom. For me, it's the end of an era.