I could tell by looking out the window when I got up this morning today was going to be a gloomy day around here. In fact, the forecast is calling for rain or cloudy skies every day this week. And it’s muggy. Really, really muggy outside.
I almost threw in the towel around 9 am and declared today a pajama/movie marathon day. My expectations were pretty low.
But I didn’t. I showered, took Lucy for a long walk and then dawdled around the house in a daze for a good hour looking for something simple to do. 
I organized the freezer. 
Made a batch of blackberry jam after spotting a gallon of berries at the bottom of the deep freeze from last summer.
I went through the craft room {quickly} and found a few items for the garage sale pile I am working on. I watched stroller mom walk up and down the street from my front window pushing her baby {and dog, while holding an umbrella} for 4 hours. She’s out there everyday for 2 hours in the morning and another two hours in the afternoon getting her workout.
I want to stop her and ask her what her name is. Why does she walk so much? Does she really enjoy walking for 4 hours everyday? Is she training for something? Doesn’t the baby mind? What time does she start walking because sometimes I see her with a headlamp on. Is she new in town? Does she need a friend? Does she need someone to talk to? How many pairs of shoes does she go through in a year? I NEED ANSWERS!!!!
I also looked through Simply in Season and Jane’s cookbook looking for any recipe with blueberries in them. {We still have a ton of berries in the freezer from last summer we need to get through}.
I made soup. 
Planted a few tomatoes.
Pulled weeds.
Adjusted the ribbon for the fence line.
And I got the stink eye from the puggle princess for not bringing her outside with me.
I had low expectations for today… but by some miracle, I actually got a few things done.
How about YOU? What did you do today? Anything exciting?
~Mavis
Diana says
Stink eye. Snrk, snort. Good one… Mine do that to me too when I go outside of the fence without them. 🙂
Madam Chow says
Looks like we had the same type of day. I had big plans, but by 9am it was so horribly muggy, I bailed on my outside plans. Well, I did water my beets. Anyhow, I cleaned out the kitchen freezer, unpacked boxes, emptied trash, and tried not to order seeds, bulbs, or gardening supplies. Then I cooked a quiche and steamed some green beans. I found a bunch of bones in the freezer, so I will be making batches of bone broth.
Jane says
Today I did school with the kids, washed sheets, made laundry soap, fed pigs, got in a quick work out (and shower), read, made an easy dinner, grocery shopped and read again. Some days I don’t feel like I do a lot but when I write it all down, it makes me feel productive. I love hearing about your regular days…and your stroller-mommy-musings;-). xo
Martha says
Today I got to spend eight hours with a new mommy and her baby! Poor sleep-deprived mommy needed a break, so while I burped, changed, snuggled and sat mesmerized with Little Sweet Pea, mommy slept and slept and slept! It was a perfect day! (Except for the fact that I had to drive for an hour and a half each way in ugly Toronto traffic! YUK! I’m a small town gal and despise Toronto traffic!)
Lisa Millar says
I can’t get anything done today… I am exhausted reading what you did in an off day!! LOL
OK… that has just shamed me into action! (despite our cold wet weather!)
Thanx for that!
Lisa Millar says
Thanx Mavis… I was still in my PJ’s way too late when I read this post… Felt very lazy!
So I put a batch of apples into the dehydrator, finally made up the blueberry jam for my husband who carefully collected blueberries off his three young bushes and froze them over the summer, washed all the muddy/pooey eggs, brought up a few barrow loads of wood and collected a batch of kindling, planted cabbage, broccoli and broccolini and covered with netting to stave off cabbage moth, watered the hot house, planted a curry bush in my herb garden, set a barrel of kelp in water to start making liquid fertiliser, (All in between rainstorms!)
Then made up a Japanese dinner of Koroke and Teriyaki beef.
Oh…. and I knitted another rabbit! 🙂
Gina says
Well, it only threatened to rain here, so I ended up watering my garden. I noticed that the lettuce and carrots I planted are coming up…yea! Then I worked in the garage, re-boxing up the canning jars in boxes that were not ruined by rain when our garage roof blew off last year. I was around to help while my hubby finished hanging up the garage door opener, and cleaned up another corner in the garage while he did that. I worked out in the chicken and bee yard a little bit, and finished up by cooking dinner. All in all, not a bad day here, either.
Ashley says
All my children have been crabby non-sleepers, so we went for a LOT of walks when the weather permitted (they liked the stroller). I have a 1 year old, 3 year old and 5 year old and I push them in the triple stroller 2 miles a day. Just for a little piece and quiet (they still fight, but at least they’re contained). So maybe stroller mom is doing it for her sanity and not so much the work out…..
Pam Z says
Oh, please do talk to the walking lady! I think that’s so sweet that you wonder if she needs a friend. You’d be an awesome friend!
Wynne says
It would be a nice gesture, but before talking out loud, see if you can check her stroller for a sleeping baby. I put about 5-10 miles a day on my stroller to keep my son asleep for the first year or so. Two hours morning and afternoon sounds like a nap pattern to me.
Stacey says
I agree! Mavis, you’re wonderful to not assume this lady is odd or lazy. I bet you can figure out a great way to approach her without scaring her.
Leah says
Both my girls were not good sleepers and naps were hard won – after a lot of stroller walking – ALOT. And nighttime walking was pretty normal too. My neighbor commented that I must have been Mary Antoinette in a previous life as I trudged around and around the cul de sac at 10pm.
Kathy says
With a 30 degree difference in temps between yesterday and today (was all of 60 today), I actually didn’t do anything, gearing up for my son’s college graduation in 2 days. In need of ideas on what to do for him!
Nancy D says
Yes! I agree with Pam Z!!! If I walked that much as a young mom it would be because I needed to get out and away from home and the overwhelming feelings of being a young mom. I don’t think I’m alone in believing you’d be a more than a huge encouragement to her with your big smile and a cup of tea! 😉
Margery says
I got one bedroom packed ( leaving 2 weeks of clothes and bedding), moving from NY to Kansas at the end of June, but need to be packed by June 15th ( because I am crazy and have a daughter getting married and two boys graduating high school and moving all from June 20th to the 29th. )
I also took one boy for a haircut, picked up more boxes for packing, loaded up some more stuff to go to the thrift store. But I ended the night by having a going away dinner with co- workers and the volunteers I managed at my job, that I quite last week to have more time to pack.
So much to do after living here for 12 years, and so much to get rid of.
Heather in MA says
I CAN’T take the suspence! If you don’t go talk to stroller mommy and get some answers I’ll have to fly out to find out myself!!
Seriously. She’s probably walking right now. Right this very second. You should just go take a peak to see if she’s walking, then wave. Then pounce on her with 50 million questions. It’ll probably work – I’m smooth like that.
renee says
Take the walking mom a jar of your jam. You’ll make her day for sure!
Em says
Good idea!
liz says
Busy day! got up unloaded the dish washer and loaded it back up, went for a swim, came home got 3 of my grandkids up for school and day care (daughter had to be to work at 5am) pack my lunch and hubby’s lunch, took a shower got the kids in “grandmas singing school bus” dropped them off and off to work I went. After work, stop at the park for a walk, then headed over to the track to see 2 of my grandsons race BMX, head home to make dinner and then hopefully sit and read a while before bed:)
Gina says
I too still have a freezer full of blueberries… And with the bushes loaded with this years little green baby blueberries, I’m curious what recipes you decided to use so I can use mine up too.