This last weekend the husband and I went to a retreat for people in AA. This is the third time we've gone. The lodge that hosts the retreat is pleasant and tranquil. It's a great weekend away.

Talking to folks at the retreat has emboldened me to shake up my career. Maybe find a new job elsewhere. Many of the attendees are now living well, despite having burnt down their careers in past lives.

Either way, I've managed to reacquainted myself with a few old friends, including an old coworker who made the decisions that ended up with me (and others including himself) moving from Toronto to Seattle. It was good to catch up with him.

Casey died.

Years ago, when Yo was my roommate, he had a wonderful dog, Casey. I would take Casey on hikes up the small mountains around us. I enjoyed that so much. When we  came across a stream or pool she would run through the water all excited.

Of course she would also run through mud puddles all excited.

But she has aged. She had problems walking, cancer and vestibular disease. She died peacefully.

Our trip to Ontario has me thinking through the future.

What is to become of my parents? They don't want to leave the farm. They are capable of taking care of it now, but every time I'm there, it seems they have slowed down a little more.

We spent some of our time there doing the big chores. Chopping up trees that came down. Removing an old freezer that died.

They have too much food that they don't use. The fridge had year old, expired, salad dressings in it. Dad admitted that some of the frozen chicken in the freezer had been there for at least 5 years. I have a brother who lives more close to my parents. I'll ask him to regularly check these things.

The husband and I now have friends all over Ontario. It's a lot of work to visit when we go back. We can't have lunches, dinners or coffees with everyone. There are cousins that we are growing closer to. And old school friends.

One of the old school friends asked if we would retire to my original hometown. I didn't know how to answer. It's pleasant there in the summer. But, it could get boring and the winters are cold.

It could get boring... like I have an exciting life in Seattle. 

Mac has moved back to Seattle. It's made me very reflective. We were once best friends. Time, jobs and life moved us apart.

When I told the husband that Mac was moving back to Seattle, the husband quickly responded that he was in no rush to reacquaint us with Mac. We do live very different lives now. 

We are flying back from a week in Ontario. It was a hectic week, seeing sights and meeting old friends.

My brothers were in town. It was good to spend time with them as well as my parents. We spent a few days doing errands around our parents farm-- chopping wood, getting rid of appliances that don't work.