Making It Up As I Go Along #599

That Time of Year

It’s that time of year

When a snowfall warning steals headlines

When the countdown is on at work

When daily routines are measured as lasts

Last grocery trip is made

Fridge stocks dwindle

Milk cheese and perishables

Five days left to get it bare

Last round of dayshift

Prodding myself to make it

Only two more predawn wakeups

Almost done until the New Year

Last nights at work come soon

Ending my Ottawa year quietly

Manning a dark office alone

Contemplating the journey home

Last visits with mainland friends

A pub of pints and tales

Laughing our way towards next year

Knowing next year is only weeks away

But it’s also a time for firsts

The first breath of salty sea air

First greetings with parents

First steps in childhood home

The first tree ornament to be hung

First walk about downtown streets

First home cooked meal

And first moments of well watched Christmas movies

Just a few more days of lasts

Until the first of the firsts

Flies me home

To begin again

DAYS…

--- It’s cold on Tuesday.  I walk to the caf for lunch and it’s not so bad… but coming back, with the wind in my face… thank goodness it was warm food I got.

--- The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday is pretty normal times for dayshift.

NIGHTS…

--- Fair amount of SICAR to do first night.  So plenty of looking at shoe impressions on snowy roads and paths all across the country.

--- Also get Thai food for the first time in months. 

--- Night two is pretty quiet and is a nice way to slide into the days off.

SATURDAY…

--- Long walk in the woods.  It’s the best time of year for this.  Ground is frozen so it’s good for walking anywhere… no muddy places to worry about.  But it isn’t so cold that you can’t manage.  Lots of layers and I’m trekking all over.

SUNDAY…

--- Another good walk and some quiet times around the house.

MONDAY…

--- Lee Valley trip.  It’s madness there but they at least have another cash open for those just getting stocking stuffers… so I’m in and out pretty good. 

--- The highway isn’t so nice though.  I swear the only time I can drive on the highway successfully is at 5:30 in the morning before dayshift.  Any other time the road is literally stopped dead with construction traffic.  Takes close to 40 minutes to drive to Lee Valley.  No traffic would get me there in about twenty.

--- Little grocery store trip after Lee Valley and go to Telus and get a new iPhone.  Weird not to use my old one still but it was getting unreliable with the battery life.  For me to go out away from the house and have the battery anything less than 80% was taking the risk that the phone would die while out and about.  Internet searching was getting slower on the old phone too.