Lethbridge

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Somewhere in Saskatchewan

I am writing this post from the backseat of Gary and Jody’s truck as we head northeast to our destination outside of Saskatoon. That’s right; I am online while we’re driving across the Prairies. Isn’t technology grand?!

We spent last night at Casa Walmart in Swift Current in their 20′ trailer. It was very cozy with three adults in there!

Of course, I brought every cable on my desk except for the one for the camera so pictures of this May two-four weekend adventure will have to wait till we get back to Alberta. Wait till you see the shots of breakfast this morning.

The bit from Medicine Hat to Moose Jaw is new territory for me, but after that it’s back to the places where I made my first extended stops on my journey cross-country in 2008. This country isn’t nearly as big as we think it is if we just tackle it in 500 km or so at a time increments…

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Around the Lake

Hard to believe that I’ve been in Lethbridge about six weeks and have yet to post about the city! It’s a city that has been very slow to make an impression. Between all the travel around southern Alberta and the desperate search for income, there hasn’t been energy left to discover this city with a most peculiar layout. But there is one thing I can say about Lethbridge is that when it shakes me out of my complacency it’s to stun me with a beautiful view.

Such as that of Nicholas Sheran lake, just a couple of blocks from home. I love going for a stroll around it. The lake’s placement in the middle of suburbia is just so surreal that I’m always surprised that it’s so close by.

Tonight I actually thought to bring my camera!

pathway to Nicholas Sheran lake

pathway to Nicholas Sheran lake

Nicholas Sheran lake

Nicholas Sheran lake

Nicholas Sheran lake

Nicholas Sheran lake

pathway around Nicholas Sheran lake

pathway around Nicholas Sheran lake

Nicholas Sheran lake

Nicholas Sheran lake

bridge over troubled waters

bridge over troubled waters

duck enjoying a swim even though...

duck enjoying a swim even though…

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cheeky little fellow, no?

cheeky little fellow, no?

lovely bridge

lovely bridge

bridge to an island

bridge to an island

the house on the far right of the picture is the last on one of my flier routes

the house on the far right of the picture is the last on one of my flier routes

The colours – two shades of blue, a red, myriad greens – were particularly stunning tonight with the sun low in the sky. It was very windy, but not too cold, so I was happy to do a full lap around the lake.

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Discipline

I think of myself as a very undisciplined person. I procrastinate a lot and need external motivation to do the chores I hate. So I’m always amazed that I can successfully work for myself at home. I dragged myself out of bed at seven this morning (seven!) and was in the office hard at work by eight. I knew that tomorrow’s deadline is doable but would require very long days. I was right; I didn’t clock out till 8 tonight and it’ll probably be the same tomorrow.

But, of course, I don’t work straight through. I took a break in the morning to put ingredients in the breadmaker, had a proper lunch break,  went on a walk in the late afternoon to regain my focus, and had a proper dinner break (mustard chicken with veggies and fresh bread to mop up the sauce!). I still managed to put in close to a ten-hour work day.

This is truly the way I prefer to earn my bread; working in intense spurts at my own pace. I’m not going to give up working at building a viable and steady self-income stream even while I am very open to finding an external job.

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No Trouble Keeping Busy

I didn’t have much planned for today, just a bit of laundry and finishing up my flier routes for the week.

Well…

I woke up to find out my bid for an interesting contract was accepted! It’s a 500 page document that is putting my translation, proofreading, and coding skills to the test. I have to deliver the final product on Monday. It’s going to be a busy weekend!

Before starting on that, I did two flier routes. Doing the fliers is now a joy. My body has adapted to the exercise, I’ve mastered the most efficient way to do them, and except for one day I’ve always had perfect weather to do them. The money is such a joke, but I really am being paid to get some fresh air and exercise so doing them is most definitely worth my time.

I came back in for lunch and to start the laundry. I decided that I might as well do a marathon day of it and do ALL my bedding, towels, and clothes. I stopped counting loads at six… I worked on my project between loads and when the end of the laundry was in sight I headed out to do the last of my flier routes.

It was almost five when I came back in so I switched over some laundry and then made a nice dinner with the last of the salmon I bought in Oregon! YUM. The laundry was all done by the time I finished dinner so I decided to burn a few more calories by making the beds.

The bed in the back was cat-free, so I started on it. Of course, by the time I’d laid the bottom sheet down I suddenly had two cats to contend with. They weren’t happy when I made them move so I could add the covers, but I finally got it done. They flopped down as though they’d been the ones running around like mad all day so I figured I’d be able to do the loft bed in peace. HA. I’d no sooner gotten the sheets in place than Neelix was insisting on helping me!

By the time the laundry was dealt with and the dinner dishes done, I decided I’d earned an ice cream so I went to the convenience store across the street to get one!

I think I’ll put in a couple more hours of work before curling up with the novel I started the other night. Might as well get a head start on the mammoth project; I suspect it’s going to be a race to the finish line!

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A New Addition to the Family

I mentioned to Jody the other day that I wanted to try my hand at keeping houseplants on board, most specifically aloe vera since it’s a good air scrubber and it also has medicinal value. Lo and behold, Jody had an aloe vera plant to give away!

It’s hard keeping plants around my cats, so I’m hoping the aloe vera is getting enough sunlight from the dressing room skylights. If I think it’s doing poorly, I’ll try to hang it from an overhead cabinet in the library by a window.

When it comes time to repot the plant, I’ll pick something that fits into my decor a little more. 😉

And hopefully I won’t have any trouble crossing the border with this plant!