You know one of my favourite things in the world?

Coming home after running errands and pouring a drink and relaxing on the deck for a few minutes.

I love that time. That few moments of quiet. Just looking over my back yard. Watching the neighbours come and go. Listening to the woodpeckers on the telephone pole.

And then leisurly walking into the house and putting away the groceries, or starting dinner preparations, or putting on the stereo and reading the paper.

I love that time of day.

A few years ago, when Stacy and I were roomates, we used to dash out the door mid-morning on a Saturday. Hit the grocery store. Hit the vegetable stand down the street. Hit the liquor store. And then pop into a pub for lunch.

We'd get back to the house, put everything away, and then pour a drink and sit on our back deck and decompress. Not that the errands were exhausting, it was just our routine. And it was a nice one. We'd have time to catch each other up on our week. We'd chat about the men, or lack thereof, in our lives. She'd talk to me about switching careers (although she never did, not yet anyway). I'd talk to her about my latest business idea. It was a great time together, and I still cherish those memories.

Fast forward a couple of years, she's married with a new baby. I'm married without. So far. (I think I'm ready to be pregnant again. I think.) So when I get home after errands, I pour myself a drink, grab the phone, sit on the deck, and give her a buzz. Sometimes we chat for 30 seconds, sometimes for 10 minutes, sometimes longer. Or sometimes not at all.

I still like that time for myself. Even though I have alot of time to myself these days, that's a magical time. It's like dusk. A magical time.

And then I'm usually brought back to reality by The Husband poking his head out the window to ask when I'm doing a white wash because he's almost out of underwear.

But I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Urs.