Saturday 24 April 2010

Spring is in the Air!


It was warm and sunny yesterday, as it has been for the past few days. Lovely June-like weather in the midst of April. Given that this is north of the 49th, in the centre of a huge continent, we are all wondering if and when the last vestiges of winter are going to strike. It's happened before... blizzards in April and May. They don't stick around for long, but the trees are budding, the tulips are blooming, and everything is beginning to feel like a normal spring, unlike last year when we had nine months straight of cooler than normal weather. That sucked. This doesn't.

So an evening walk with Zoë after dinner in 21C sunshine was perfect. We wandered along one of the many routes we take in our neighbourhood. This one involved cutting through and meandering around a large park. Lots of open grassy space. This is also the turning point in our walk, and as we looped through the park to head back home, Zoë decided it was time for a rest.

Once a 100 lb dog decides to lie down, there isn't much you can do short of violence to get her up and walking again, so I flopped down on the grass beside her. It was very peaceful, the tiny blades of greenery starting to poke through the yellowed deadness of last year's grass. The air was fresh, no breeze to disturb anything, the sun warm on my flesh.




After about a 15 minutes lounge int he grass, I got her going again, although she did twice try to lie down again. It's not at all that she's tired or out of breath.... she is just lazy and likes nothing better than to lie about in the sunshine. Goofy girl!

There's been development on the dating front. I've joined a new dating website and about 2 weeks after that, had a chat invite from a local man. Since then we've been on four dates and I think I am developing a serious case of 'Like'... It's funny, because I probably would have overlooked him in my searches, as he does not meet the 5'10" minimum height requirement I had set on the search filter. He's 5'9", the same height as me. I commented on this and he asked me if I had a problem with short men. I said that although taller is nice, height is not a critical criteria for me. And I'm so glad! He's bright, articulate, funny, works in the medical field as well, so we understand each other quite well when talking about work. He is often in the hospital I work in, although I have not yet run into him there. We've really enjoyed the times we've spent together. He doesn't seem to have the fear issues that everyone else I've gone on dates with seems to have. You know... fear of getting close, fear of feeling something for someone, fear of commitment. But again, it is early on, and I have been fooled before, so I am cautiously optimistic at this point. He likes getting out and doing stuff and has already taken me for a ride on his motorcycle.

So it's all good. Here's crossing my fingers and toes that is stays good. Time will tell.

20 comments:

  1. yippieeeee!!!!! i love y'alls good news, sugar! and the video is hilarious! xoxooxoxo

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  2. Zoë is a big baby with a BIG tongue. A kiss from her would probably knock me down.

    Good luck on the man front—or front man—he's a lucky guy if he gets you and "The Tongue" too.

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  3. I agree with Zoë. That seems like exactly the right thing to do.

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  4. Map: :-D xoxoxo

    Savannah: I'm hopin'... I'm hopin'... xoxoxo

    Charlie: That tongue is about 4" across at the end... good thing she's not a licker! She likes the Man and He likes her. :-)

    XL: It was... but she does that all too often when we're on walks. Gets annoying after a while. ;-)

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  5. Sounds good. Fingers crossed!

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  6. Mago: Thanks! I feel like I need it...

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  7. Ah, young love. Spring really IS in the air!

    That's a big dog. What do you feed him? Pizza delivery boys and motorcycle parts?

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  8. UB: That big dog is the sweetest, most well mannered dog you will ever meet. And she's also allergic to meat, so no pizza delivery boys for her. Give her a red herring and she'll be well pleased!

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  9. I'm glad to hear you've got sunshine to enjoy, and the dog is loving it, too!

    That's great news on the dating front. Isn't it funny how the things we used to think were important turn out not to be as important when we meet someone who strikes up our interest? Hope you continue to have good weather and good fun.

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  10. Yes, it's the time of year where I find myself spending more quality time with the lawn mower.

    Glad the height issues is a NON issue with you... some women really get hung up on that. Girl in college said her mother advised her that she could never love a man shorter than her. My mother told me not to marry a "nut".

    My first wife was taller than me - and I can assure you that of all the issues that nudged us toward divorce, height was not among them. you said "bright, articulate, funny"... attributes that come in all sizes. He sounds nice.. hope it progresses for you.

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  11. Eros: I'm hoping Mother Nature isn't duping us into a daze with this nice weather, only to turn the table and have another blizzard roll in... that would suck big time!

    And yeah, things that may have seemed important often aren't when everything else seem right. ;-)

    Robert: My lawn mower sees as little of me as possible!

    I don't know if I could date someone shorter than me, but then I never have, so I just don't know. But all things being equal, it may really not be an issue either. So far, the main qualities (apart from height) are all there in spades... so I am hoping it progresses also. :-)

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  12. I'll keep my fingers crossed, too, that it all goes good.

    You deserve it!

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  13. Listen doll, this guy sounds ideal.. he's been back 4 times already, and still he shows interest. Take it slowly, don't sell yourself short, (pardon the pun) it's not height but the tallness of a mans heart that will win the day.

    Good luck with that hen.

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  14. Is there a video of you rolling in the grass too?

    We've had some good weather the last couple of days and it's made such a change to everyone's mood. I think we're all solar-powered!

    And good news on the dating front - I hope it works out for you!

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  15. This is a touchy subject, but I will say it anyway -- women get very indignant when they perceive/fear that their body size is effecting their man's attitude/affection toward them. The expectation is that their man will continue to love them regardless of however overweight they may become.

    Conversely, I have encountered this "man needs to be taller than woman for love to happen" position from women quite a bit. Unlike someone's weight, their height cannot be changed by any amount of work. It smacks of a "double-standard" to me.

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  16. Jonas: Thanks!! xoxo

    Jimmy: I know... he's got a big heart... and I'm taking it slowly too. xoxo

    Tim: Noooo... I have yet to teach the dog to use the phone cam... which is probably a good thing! ;-)

    Robert: I think it is unfair to expect anyone, regardless of gender, to feel the same of their mate when there are big weight gains.

    I never once said the man had to be taller than me for love to happen... I have dated men my own height in the past, and men quite a bit taller... all other things being equal, a little extra height is nice. But like I said, it is not critical... and it is definitely not the deciding factor on whether I date someone or not. I know quite a few couples where the woman is taller. It all comes down to what you are comfortable with. I once dated a man my own height and weight (I'm not fat but neither am I thin) and he just couldn't get used to that. It was one of the issues that ended our relationship.

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  17. As a 6' tall woman married to a 5'10 1/2" man, it worked out very nicely because our sons are just the right size of "hot guy" tall (6'2"). (And yes, being a 6' tall woman is probably part of the reason I developed a hearty sense of humour about the world of "rules".)

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  18. Andrea: Having dated a few men my own height, and a couple considerably taller, I have to say in some ways the taller guys are cool because then you feel more 'petite'. That is not something that occurs in everyday life for me, let alone a woman your height. But the fact that this new man is the same height also has advantages. ;-) And I must say, after spending 9+ hours with him today, that things are going well and we are talking more indepth now as we get to know each other better. And it's all been very good.

    Rules are made to be broken, aren't they!?!? ;-)

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  19. Yes. Definitely, they are.

    I really hope it is a good thing to happen.

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