Good morning. Big, fluffy Charlie Brown snowflakes are falling outside my window this morning. The beautiful bouquet of sunshine yellow tulips sitting in front of the window on my recently cleaned desk are a reminder that Spring is not that far off. I shared a photo the other day of my reward for completing the big job of clearing off my desk.

I love tulips. I like to buy them in the spring, They offer the promise of warmer weather and the end of winter.

It’s nice to be able to see the beautiful pieces of wood of my desk top. They were hidden far too long with stacks of paper.

I promised myself not just to organize my desk but to dispose of things that are not relevant or necessary. This included payroll and financial documents from our business Creperie Catherine that I was no longer required to keep on hand. Going through all the papers took two days. Since I returned to sailing 2019, I put sorting through my desk on the back burner. It didn't seem urgent. However, when January, 2025, came and went, and we started year six since closing our business, organizing my office could not be put off any longer. I am a holder-on-to-things. As I sifted through papers and files, I asked myself, what would Lorraine (my sister, best friend, and professional organizer) do? Some things were easy to let go of and went directly into the "throw away/dispose of pile." Items that had emotional attachment went into the "yes, this reminds you of a joyful time, but you need to let it go pile." This stack included a few copies of the first cookbook that I wrote. I flipped through the pages that were in plastic sleeves (the plastic sleeves enabled us to insert two pages, front and back and move them around the book until we found the right spot). It was fun to see how much the book had changed from the first ideas to the finished product. In the end I decided that I could keep one of the copies, but the others would make their way into recycling. I like to think that the energy and love that I poured into the project would also be recycled with the paper and continue on. The "give away for others to enjoy pile" was not very big but included reading glasses that neither Lorraine or I could read with. They were still in the case, and Lorraine said, "Someone will be happy to receive these." The last pile was the "Help Pile." There are some things that I just didn't know what to do with or items that I know I have to let go of, but I need Lorraine to remove them. It was so satisfying to complete the "organize your desk task". The last 5 years have passed very quickly. Our dad always worked with a five-year plan, and at the end of the five years, he would review what was accomplished and then make another five-year plan. I am a planner by nature, and looking back at the last five years, I find myself smiling at the memories. I sailed on 15 different Ships from 2019 to 2024 and returned to some of them multiple times.

The 15 ships I sailed on in the past five years. Some I sailed on multiple times. I didn’t technically sail on the Algoma Guardian. I was only there for two and a half days during fit-out in Goderich.

Since 2019 we attended many events and book signings where we met many wonderful people. We put a lot of km on our old red van and then our new pretty red car. A lot of happy times. Today, a year ago, Lorraine drove me to join the Spruceglen. I had an opportunity to join a ship tomorrow (March 10) but had to turn the job down. I love sailing and find it difficult to turn down a job, but I promised myself to address some other tasks that I have put off. I get so much joy each time I open the new all-fridge that I got before Christmas, and I find myself wanting to continue to organize and update my apartment. I know that investing a couple of months to address and complete tasks now will give me years of future enjoyment when I am off the ship and at home. Together with Lorraine, we made a schedule of tasks and appointments for this Spring.

Lorraine has already started step one of a two step re-organization of my kitchen. I made “My favorite cookies” recipe. I added coconut and pecans and when I finished I returned the items to their new locations.

Amongst the tasks we have also committed to some "fun events" and look forward to meeting you there. We plan to attend: The opening of the Soo Locks (the date will be confirmed soon, including a book signing venue), April 12th, The Algonac "Know Your Ships" event with Roger. (Andrea from Dre Designs will be there and we look forward to meeting her in person for the first time.)

We plan to attend the 2025 opening of the Soo Locks. We are waiting for confirmation of the date and are hoping to secure a location for a book signing. The last time I was there was December 30th 2024 downbound while I was on the Algoma Buffalo

We look forward to joining Roger and Andrea at this event. We had fun last year!

We are also working on an event on May 17th. It is in the preliminary stages of planning. Lorraine and I thought it would be fun to organize a book signing on the Uncle Sam's Boat tour in the 1000 islands. It leaves from Alexandria Bay, NY. We will keep you posted on the details. Let us know if you think you would like to attend.

We are in the preliminary stages of organizing a book signing event May 17th on an Uncle Sams tour boat. We will share the details when they become available. Let us know if you think you would like to attend.

My immediate plans are to complete as many of the tasks on my list of "things to do" as possible. I am goal-oriented, and my reward for completing the tasks will be accepting jobs and sailing this summer and fall. I can't wait. I am excited. I find myself looking at the bottom right-hand corner of my laptop, thinking, today is one hour later than yesterday. I am one of those people who will calculate the time change for a few days until it becomes a distant thought. I spent four or five days prior to the time change imagining the new time and mentally preparing for the change. I am home this year, so the time change doesn't really affect my day, but I find myself sticking to the yearly ritual. The big fluffy flakes that were falling when I started writing to you have stopped, and there is a beautiful clear blue sky. I opened my window a little to enjoy the fresh air. I always enjoy spending a little time with you and will share some photos of the meals I prepared in the last week. I love cooking in my new red Creuset pan. It inspires me to try new recipes. Yesterday I made tacos with my own taco seasoning mix. I took note of all the ingredients and will share them with you in the future. They were so delicious served in the Siete taco shells. Today I am making one my classic recipes. "Marry me Chicken." I called Lorraine to tell her to stop by and pick up her portion for her supper. My neighbors are going to be jealous when they smell the delicious aromas. Have a wonderful day.