Signs of an Early Spring in Ottawa

It is a beautiful day here in Ottawa.
So I finally took that walk with my camera.
Thought I would introduce my readers

to some typical sights of city living in Canada.

First sight, the mail box.

Notice the French on it?

Push - Poussez

There are various mail boxes like these around

the downtown

where I live...

But it still takes me a few days with a letter in my purse

to remember to mail it!

Sometimes I miss having a house with the mailbox along side!

I love this tree!

Such great expressive shapes and a surprisingly short

trunk and long branches...

Flowers sprouting! Green! Spring!?!

Some people say we will get more snow,

but I am with the one who say we will just get rain.

It has been a very unusual winter for Ottawa.

We only got one good snow fall all winter...

***

As usual I appreciate all the comments you all leave for me!

That you care really encourages me - thank you.

***

It was kind of strange to take a walk down the paths

that I walked down for the first time last summer.

Last summer was such a another unusual one for me -

trying to figure out what to do next,

recovering from the most difficult and complex

job situation I have yet to be in;

taking the class in 17th Century Lit

(still miss this in many ways).

***

It is still not easy to be in a state

where I am learning French

(Je suis appredre Français pour futur travail)

but have no idea what my next job will be.

***

I suppose that this is merely further lessons from

our Very Good Lord

on learning to live in the present.

***

as Fr. Hopko says in his 55 maxims,

(1st maxim)

be always with Christ

(maxim 34):

Be awake, and be attentive.

Be fully present where you are—wakefulness, watchfulness, attentiveness.

***

May the Lord help us to watch.

Wake, O My Soul,

Why are you sleeping?

The Bridegroom comes at midnight...

For today

Busy day.

Left before 8 as the power was to be out during working hours.

Saw hydro trucks pull up as I was leaving.

(Hydro is what is called electric in the States FYI).

Re-made many flash cards.

Studied the flash cards.

Listened to kid books on CD in French.

Played with Cleo a little bit

(she is thrown off by my schedule change from last week to this week;

then: no school and sick with cold

now: school and cold gone).

It is so hard to be patient some days!

Today was a better day overall,

esp. compared to how I was feeling yesterday.

***

I am slowly trying to put various things into place

to prepare me for job searching

that will have to happen in earnest come around

mid to late Summer.

***

I struggle so much to pronounce and understand

French when it is spoken.

***

Soon am getting a new (free btw with contract at a lower price)

cell phone with mp3 player.

Hope to put French CDs onto this.

Any advice on what mp3 converter to download?

***

May God strengthen us by the power of His Cross

as we go through this week in Lent.

The Cross is out all week at my Church

and I look forward to seeing it again

in the middle of Church

on Friday night's presanctified liturgy.

***

God is with us.

Of course

Of course I would come down with

another sinus cold

today...

I have my final exam for my first French class this Monday!

I have been home

(skipped class as I knew what was being covered)

sleeping on and off

(and today our reading from Proverbs was about the

sluggard sleeping too much!)

drinking lots of tea

having soup

and toast and honey.

I learned the verb 'faire' which means

to make.

Je fais

Tu fais

Il/elle/on fait

nous faisons

vous faites

ils/elles font

Cleo insists I ask for prayer.

Actually I put her up to it! ;)

I have so much to review for my final exam;

this exam is important not only because

I need to learn

but I need to pass the course

to take my second French course!

At first I thought the smoke smells alone

were making me sick

but apparently not.

Why is it that the change of weather

brings sinus colds to so many people?

Thank God that I have the opportunity to rest.

And Cleo likes having me home :)