happiness is a full tank of gas...

August 30, 2020 Arlene Giddings

and a good playlist…

no destination
means sometimes
you end up in Greenwich

where the nice park guy
probably thinks you are a nut bar
because the first time you see him,
you panic because you think
maybe you were supposed to pay
to get in and you were going
to come back to a note
on your windshield again
so when he says hello
you say
was i supposed to pay?
i can go back
all panicky

(and no, there was no charge).

and then
when you meet him later
on his bike
you panic again
and say
am i on the wrong side
of the yellow line?
is this where i am supposed to be?
should i be over there??
in a panicky voice.

(it didn’t matter what side of the yellow
line you were on).

these were taken at the beginning of summer
but I am just getting around to posting them now.

blogging has taken a bit of a backseat…
along with everything else
but hoping to get back on top of things again.
:)

the other end of the island...

July 18, 2020 Arlene Giddings

friday was a sweet success of a day…

had a conversation in the gas station
about my polka dot dress and
was called
classy lassie as a result.

met up with a bff for our newly established
friday-at-lunch walk…
made friends with everyone in the line at access pei
while waiting for her to come out
heehee.

drove 2 hours to see another bff
at the other end of the island.
made a pit stop at micheals
(no, not to change in the parking lot this time)
for new watercolor paper….
maybe that will inspire me.

found new beaches,
climbed down a GIANT hill of rocks
and subsequently, back UP again…
stepped on a jelly fish
which is undeniably the grossest feeling
i have had in a long time,
had a close call where i almost ate a
PICKLED TURNIP…
or something…
drooled over bff’s new camper
which was more like a sweet little
fancy apartment on wheels…
seriously, i took my shoes off inside.

drove down a precarious dirt path
in a big truck 4 people jammed in a front seat.

giggled a lot….generally at jokes made at my expense
but that’s how i know they still love me…heehee

came home with 4 more tomato plants,
full of shawarma and rice
sand in my hair and dead jellyfish remains on the
bottom of my shoes,
exhausted and so happy.

yay for making the decision
to get of the house yesterday…
it was the right one.

AND THERE ARE STILL 2 DAYS LEFT OF THE WEEKEND!

polka dots, pugs and almost the first dairy bar run...

March 15, 2020 Arlene Giddings

I am feeling a little calmer about the
state of the world today…
I am adjusting a little better after
giving myself a little bit of a FB break.

I did go into Charlottetown on Friday
for coffee with a friend….
if you have never gone to Bar 1911,
you should totally check it out.
It’s a beautiful little spot and
I totally want to try out their specialty coffee
that comes with a shot of fireball.
mmmm.
And…& the menu had DOUGHNUT BOWLS?!?
I must try this.

I spent the rest of the weekend
studying and working on cards,
vegging out to music,
catching up on grays anatomy,
watching movies about judy garland,
eating jujubes by the handful,
making chicken noodle soup in the slow cooker
and reading a brand new book…

today pugsley & I
took a walk on the boardwalk
in the blue sky
and sunshine
and it was beautiful and crisp and fresh…
we went down on the beach
and walked for a long time
in the silence and the stillness
and for that little bit,
I totally forgot that there was anything
scary going on in the world
all around me.

In that moment,
it was just me and a pug,
some polka dot rubber boots
and the seagulls…

and…we would have gone to the dairy bar
but sooooo many cars….
haha. it was chaos of a different kind.
we’ll save that treat for when the snow melts a little bit more.

friday adventures are better with a friend!

August 18, 2019 Arlene Giddings

I don’t think it’s a secret that I usually do my
Friday adventures
solo…
not really for any reason, it’s just a thing I like to do.

But a really good friend of mine
was home from away a little while ago
and she bravely agreed to come along on a Friday adventure
with me…
I did warn her that there would be no map,
no plan and, also, no air conditioning in my car…heh…
AND she might have to sign a waiver…

Heehee. :)

We started with the most amazing, delicious
HOMEMADE raspberry flakie that was literally mouthwatering…
this photo does it NO justice at all but if you are interested
in buying some of these, let me know and I will
totally hook you up with my dealer…heehee

We decided to go west
because, honestly, that’s where most of the dairy bars are…
we stopped at wharves and beaches and lighthouses…
(&…all these photos are with my phone…so meh…but still had to share them…
heehee…what’s a blog post without photos?)

We went all the way to North Cape
to see the windmills….I had been there before
but I had never tried the trail before…
I wish we would have had more time to do the whole thing
because it was beautiful!
but…it was also looking like thunder
and I did NOT want to be around all that metal
if there was going to be lightning!

Our last stop was at
Southside Scoop Shack in O’Leary…
cause…
the best way to finish your day
is with ice cream…
I had the apple pie sundae
AND IT WAS SO GOOD

and the truth is
i did get us lost and, for a second, i thought
maybe we might be getting shot at
for trespassing on a beach
(skeet shooting close by, I think…or at least,
that’s what I told Ange…heehee)
and we had no air conditioning
but we did have a lot of laughs,
sang along to some loud 80’s music
and reconnected…
and the waiver was never mentioned again.
:)
all in all, a successful friday adventure!

sometimes...

April 18, 2019 Arlene Giddings

a sunset drive and loud music
is all
you really need….
it fills in all the cracks in your heart
and stops the chatter in your head…