So – let me tell you about my day.

It started at 6 a.m. when I woke up. Ok, I may as well get up; it’s early but I’m awake. I put on my robe and go into the main room, switch on the light, take a few steps forward – and I spot him: the culprit who has been terrorizing me (in a manner of speaking). Well – it’s not a mouse; it’s a rat.; It’s big and grey and has a long tail and dashes into a far corner under an eave to hide from the light – and me.

This might explain why my mouse traps have not been working. When I heard them rattling the other might, it was a frustrated rat trying to get in and not being able to.

Now what?

I put the question to my FB friends and got a ton of advice, most of which was all about, “You’re in big trouble.”

But I have no time to ponder this right now. After breakfast, I load Abby into the car and set off for Errington. I arrive promptly at 9 a.m. and spend the next 1.5 hours, getting a crash course in Permaculture – well – more than that really. What I absorb is the principles of growing things, of a circular idea where nothing is wasted. Everything goes back into the soil. It’s educational and fascinating and even though I am freezing in the damp cold (my fingers actually went numb and took over an hour to come back to life) – so grateful to Dirk and Nicole for taking this time with me. I learned so much. And I am so excited about it!

Best 1.5 hours I have had in a long time.

And then, it’s time to let poor little Abby out. We drove to the end of the road to Englishman River Falls – this huge popular park with a big campground – utterly deserted in the cold and grey and drizzle. So we walked for about 30 minutes until my body literally started shaking. Right – time to get into the car and turn up the heater.

And then I get worried: am I too much of a sissy to do this outdoor work? Will I be okay with the cold? Yes, I finally said to myself. As long as I am moving and working in the cold, I’m good. I have proof of that: snowshoeing and shovelling snow in minus temperatures. Ok – I will be fine. Whew!

And then back home. Along the way, I pick up a rat trap. It is baited and ready to go. I hate the idea of killing this rat and then having to dispose of it. But I am pulling up my big girl panties and doing this thing. Not happy about it – but there you have it.

I am still absorbing this morning’s information – and the more I do the more I like it.

Very, very cool.