Back at home

Hello!  I’m awake again 😁  My train on Monday ran late, so instead of getting to Ottawa at 11pm, it was closer to 1am before we arrived.  It seems that there were signal issues along a good chunk of the track, so we were moving s-l-o-w-l-y.  Happily, there’s a live train tracker, which I shared with Don, so he wasn’t sitting in the parking lot for hours waiting!  I do regularly text on my trip, and I’d said that I’d let him know when we were at the second-last stop, which would give him enough time to get to the station, but he tracked my progress and timed it to arrive 2 minutes ahead of the train.  Due to the delays, I’ve been offered a 50% off credit on my next trip, to be used within six months, so the little ones might get a surprise visit from Auntie!  Don is very happy I’m back home; although I’m thinking it’s because he no longer has to look for things himself… it’s amazing how many times he says, “I looked, it’s not there,” and I find it exactly where I said it was… Jerry is delighted that I’m back, hasn’t left me for more than a few seconds since I got into the car,  and was on my tummy all night.

I’ve found that the travel is draining, and after a couple of hours my back begins to ache.  The seats are reasonably comfortable, but the vibration (I think) is the problem.  By the time we got home and I got changed it was almost 2am, and I climbed into bed and stayed there most of yesterday.  My back hurt, plus I was exhausted, so the day’s sleep (plus an early night) helped me feel more like myself today.  My big concern is that I haven’t eaten anything.  I did drink some Ensure, but I have zero appetite and no interest in food.  I hope that doesn’t last long, because it’s ridiculous.  In 2 weeks I probably had 8 meals, and all of them were tiny.  So that needs to be corrected ASAP.  I scanned several takeout menus, hoping for inspiration, and nothing.  I do have a few prepared meals in my freezer that I’ve cooked, and  I moved one to the fridge to defrost.  Hopefully that will inspire me?  I hope I have some extra energy soon so I can perhaps prepare some meals that I’d enjoy so I’m not just drinking ensure (at least, though, I’m getting some nutrients!)

Someone sent a photo of this poui tree in Trinidad, and I felt a sense of warm and fuzzy happiness seeing it, so I’m sharing with you.

I really have to wonder about people when they travel. Is there a pill that they take to turn into rude, selfish, entitled idiots?  I told you about a couple on my train, but then there’s the announcement, as we pull into a station, to please remain seated until the train comes to a complete stop.  Similar to that on a plane asking that you keep your seatbelt fastened until the plane stops at the gate.  People leap to their feet, begin opening overhead bins and pulling out bags as though the first one off wins a Wonka Golden Ticket!  Then they stand in the aisle, unable to move, as the train stops and the doors are opened.  Personally, I prefer to remain in my comfy seat until the aisle is clear then leave, as I’m absolutely certain that the destination won’t disappear like the magic land at the top of the Faraway Tree!  Every time I travel, I find a deeper respect for cabin crew, who maintain a professional calm even with the rudeness of passengers!  Like one guy whose bag fell out of the overhead bin and who blamed the cabin attendant for not catching it or picking it up (I’m still not clear on what his, “Is this how you look after passengers?” comment meant!)  Then they leave a mess in their seats — never mind that the train provides a handy paper bag for garbage in case you miss the attendant coming through several times to pick up any items — I am curious about them, and whether they are that entitled in all areas of their lives.

Jerry is bringing his toy for me to throw and play tug-o’war with him.  He’s silly with that — he brings it over, tosses it at me, then when I bend over to get it, he pounces on it, play growls, and won’t let me pick it up!  If I ignore him, he starts scratching at me and tries moving my hands and jumps on my lap… when I pick it up, he wriggles from head to tail and dances until I throw it.  He makes me happy.  So I’m going to go play… Good night!