The Joy of not committing filicide......

I am always amazed at the energy generated by warmer weather and longer days. When it's cold and dark, I have very little desire to get things done.

However, as soon as the snow melts and the days lengthen I have the enthusiasm to "do a million things at once." As I have said before, I am putting my affairs in order. I have decided that the house has to be perfect! All the clutter has to be cleared and what remains has to be presented in an organized and artistic fashion.

I also intend to complete the projects and journeys I have started and/or have planned over the years, before I can't realize them anymore. Hence, this was a productive week!

1. I found a keyboard stand in white - there was only one in the entire province, however, I had to drive to Brantford to pick it up. I did, though, have the Joy of listening to music for three hours on my CD player. There was also the added Joy of actually finding the music store! Brantford has two main streets both called Colbourne St. The first Colbourne St. goes West only and the second Colbourne St. goes East only. I actually found the music store on the second street going East - who would have thought! 

The keyboard stand completes a corner of the living room and gives me the incentive to practise the piano - a journey I started years ago!

2. I spent seven hours working on one round of trim for my daughter's quilt. I know there was raking to do in the garden, but I was driven to finish this next step. Joy was in using up left over fabric, spending the day stitching and knowing that my daughter will have a keepsake - whether she likes it or not :)

 
3. We celebrated "Lucky Friday" - it's a family "thing" - with a good friend on Good Friday. We finally switched from turkey to ham - my daughter decided that she would try something other than turkey - a monumental turning point and it was delicious. However, next time I will get a ham that has just been cured and let my son do the glazing. He was a little disappointed, that the ham had already been glazed, because he loves cooking and wanted to try something new. His time will come!

4. I "Gerry-rigged" an asparagus cooking arrangement. I don't have an asparagus pot - my sister does. I wanted to emulate that pot. I wanted to cook the sturdy stems of the asparagus and steam the flowers. I had a "sort of" cooking rack, which let me stand the spears up in a larger pot. I heated the element; boiled the water; added it to the prepared pot; put a glass bowl over the racked asparagus and waited. It worked. The only problem was we spent too much time talking about the origin of the term "gerry-rig" that the asparagus over cooked - so much for trying to get a lightly steamed vegetable for dinner. The operation was a success, but the patient died. Better luck next time!!

5. I raked 35 bags of leaves and general debris from the front half of the back garden - 60% of the back garden has been raked - only 40% to go and yes, we have a front garden.

6. After, I showed the kids my work, My son said, "Is this all you're doing? I refrained from committing filicide.

It's difficult to decide which of these I would pick for my Joy Jar. However, it might be the trip to Brantford. I so rarely travel out of Toronto and passing through Hamilton reminded me of the many times we drove there to visit my grandmother and various aunts, uncles and cousins. Beyond Hamilton was farmland - a.k.a. Greenbelt. We have to keep this serenity intact.

The picture? I need to have music in my life. Put into your life the Joy that needs to be there!!

Have a Joyous week!!