Snowy Speculations

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Image
If I could paint, I would have tried to replicate the landscape very early this morning. Illuminated by the faintest hints of light and hours before sunrise, the cold, stark landscape lay completely still in its snowy blanket. Naked trees stood proudly and quietly against this backdrop, this palate of pure white an unforgiving place for any creature, big or small, to attempt to cross without drawing attention to its existence at this time. Even our ancient tire swing looked sleepy and droopy, suspended precariously close to the ground, as if the effort of hanging from a tree limb was too much for it. To the east, the only rays of light visible were the ones coming from the across the river, and even those seem hushed and muffled, like a child tired and murmuring not to wake them up just yet.  The young families down the road have gone all out with Christmas lights this year. Bright colours adorn the night skies and my neighbours even have a Christmas Cat and a Christmas Dinosaur that i
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Working from Home

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Using your own "Green Space"...
 

With the Covid pandemic marking its one year anniversary, I am reflecting on the various changes that have come to fruition. Even yesterday, as I was showing a house, the discussion came up as to how crucial home offices are, especially main floor ones. If we are to work from home, or have the option to do so, home offices now come with a bigger wish list than they did a few years ago. Gone is the time where a room in the basement with four walls and a light fixture was sufficient. Now a window allowing a ton of natural light is a must. We need to see outside. We need to be stimulated and have something different to look at other than our screens. 

Spacious rooms with high ceilings, creative light fixtures that are functional but also beautiful to look at and walls lined with tranquil pictures that offer the serenity of pastoral scenes are a must. Gone is the desire to have a dark executive office with a heavy, overbearing desk and furnishings that are imposing and make a statement.  From what I've seen and read, light shades of green on the walls, especially sage green, are trending. This is understandable. Green has a calming effect and is reminiscent of the natural world brought inside.

In 2016, when I left a small local real estate brokerage and joined a larger Mississauga office, I began to work from home full-time. Thanks to everything available online with electronic forms and signatures the norm, this transition went quite smoothly! I started out with a basement office in my home, which granted me the privacy for phone conversations with clients and the ability to spread out my work items without anyone disturbing my organized chaos. But two years ago, my youngest daughter began to drop subtle hints that my large basement office would make a perfect bedroom for her. I jumped at the chance to make this move. Her main floor bedroom, although tiny, had a large window overlooking the vineyards and the escarpment in the distance. 

Looking over my work these last two years, I can honestly say that my productivity has increased! For real estate, a hot market was obviously a huge contributor. But for my writing, this room has become my refuge. My walls are a dove grey contrasting with the bright, white trim. The sun streams through the window for most of the day until late afternoon. There is a lilac bush right in front of the window that has proven to be a hideout for birds of all shapes and sizes which I can observe without them seeing me. 

But my favourite "office space" has been a little outside corner surrounded by flower beds and shaded by the canopy of some mature trees. I love sitting there and working, the scent of spring and summer enveloping me, listening to birdsong of some cheerful feathered friends who are just as happy with the warm weather and sunshine as I am! I have privacy and serenity, all in one neat package. 

Does having a rural property provide its challenges with working from home? Yes, the biggest one is getting wi-fi that provides great service in our area. Ours has had its flaws, especially with the family also studying online during this pandemic. A light breeze can suddenly turn into a mini tornado that can take your files for a joy ride and have me running after them like a mad man trying to collect what's blowing in the wind.

So today, while our property is dotted with remnants of last week's snow, I'm daydreaming of sitting outside in a few week's time and utilizing my outside home office. Looking at this picture, the vibrant purple of the beds of violets that will soon be making their appearance make me feel invigorated and motivated. Though it is easy to get distracted once you see the weeds that need pulling...

Lolita Schimann Hale

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