Way out where?

6 years!

2012-02-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

Today is my 6 year blog-a-versary. I don't think much has changed from last year, which you can read about here. Isn't that odd? Some years so much changes and then others it seems to be at a standstill.

I'd like to say I am calmer and wiser now except I'm still embarrassed about 'losing it' yesterday when I tried to rearrange my desk top. Part way through the process my monitor light went out and I had trouble tracing the cords because of the tangle behind my desk and the arrangement of things. Jp tried to help, but sometimes it's best if he's not around - that sounds mean but honestly we don't always work well together. I absolutely hate problem-solving with computers and so I'm easily set off in to the land of grumpiness pretty darn quickly. Once it was resolved all the anger and frustration disappeared but I still feel bad for my family who had to listen to all my cursing.

I guess I'll muddle along for another year posting about my yard, and my sweet little chocolate labrador and the little things I make or sew and hope that y'all still be around with me next year. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog, I really appreciated all the fun I've had reading your comments and reading your blogs as well. Let's raise our glasses - clink clink - here's to another year in Blog Land!!!!

Speaking of stationery...

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

What do you think of this?

Useless or useful?

Stationery

2012-02-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this still occurs today, but years ago when I worked in offices, it was often quite a thrill amongst the girls when the stationery catalogue arrived. Some girls just love office supplies - I have no idea why (and I'm one of them).

There are definitely some great pieces out there, but many come from US companies and by the time they arrive in Canada the costs can be quite high - I once ended up paying something like $70 extra for shipping/duty/customs etc for a binder and some notebooks from a US supplies - which made it super expensive and prohibited me from cross-border shopping these types of products again (unless I was there in person). Over the past couple of years, I've only 'pretend shopped' at places like the Container Store or Russell + Hazel.

So I was thrilled today to get an email that the Canadian office supply company Staples was now carrying Martha Stewart Office products. Usually I don't really like paying extra for celebrity products -but there are some great pieces in this collection and they aren't that expensive, especially since the nearest supply store is less than 5k away! Check it out, my friends! Also included in her collection, the hottest pattern in home decor - shagreen!!! This is a pattern that mimics shark or stingray skin and it's showing up everywhere!!!!

Time to empty my little piggy bank and pretty up my office space!

Baby Shower

2012-02-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to a baby shower. It's been a long time since I've been to one and it seems so different. First of all there were a couple of 10 year old girls who basically ran the "check-in" desk, and announced when it was time to eat and when it was time for games, and the answers to the trivia questions etc. It was cute and I can understand why there were involved it's just that their voices weren't very loud and it seemed ineffective for getting the group to do certain tasks. Jp came along and cooked some sliders which were fabulous. He brought everything with him - little tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, pickles plus condiments. He even brought his own grill. I thought they were great!

The games were fun and light hearted but there was one that I just couldn't participate in. They put a melted chocolate bar in a diaper so it looked like you-know-what and then people had to guess what kind of chocolate bar it was. First of all I'm not that familiar with the differences between and Oh Henry and a Sweet Marie and second, I'm not too familiar with poopy diapers... luckily I just so happened to be in the carport giving the poor dog a break from it's crate. Ohh, too bad huh?

There were about 30 people there and almost everyone gave a present - I think there were only two gift cards given. I thought this was quite good but Jp figured that since just about everyone was young mom that many items were 're-gifts'. I didn't think of that, but it's certainly possible.

By the time I got up, walked the dog, helped a wee bit with the food prep, then drove an hour to the shower, etc - the whole day was gone and boy do I miss it. It really only felt like I had a one day weekend! Does that happen to you as well?

2012-02-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

Well for those playing along - yesterday was my 12th year anniversary at my job. It came, it went just like every other work day. In fact even spoke to my boss on the phone (I usually only talk to him about once a week when I call him). I should have known not to make such a big deal of it in my mind. I have made a note to not build up any expectations next year. Happy Un-niversary. The only good news? I now get four weeks vacation per year - I like that!!!! I was planning on treating myself to a sushi lunch, but Jp made us the most delicious sandwiches so I didn't bother. Not much can top his sammiches!

Today for Vancouver and the areas surrounding it, it is finally sunny, which makes me happy because too many grey wet days can really bring a girl down! And do you know another way to bring a girl up? (no, not that silly) How about some high energy dance music? My instructor plays this at the beginning of our class for a warm up -we only need this song as a warm up and we are ready! Turn up your speakers and get moving!

Instant mood lifter!!!

Happy Groundhog Day!
(He only has a 30-40% accuracy rate so don't believe him too much)

Rainy rainy weekend

2012-01-30T07:48:00.000-08:00

My goodness it rained so hard yesterday I thought I should start building an ARK!!! Almost all of the snow is gone from the ground in my area and it's warmed up a bit which is nice. We had The Kid here for the last couple of days as he was off school for a semester break - the new one starts today. School years always go by so fast. Heck, everything goes by so fast! I can't believe that on Wednesday I'll have been employed at this company for 12 years! 12 YEARS!!!!! Every year I'm sure I say the same thing (with a different number of course! LOL)

This weekend also went by so fast, I wish I could have 3-day weekends. On Saturday I made a loaf of French Bread which started out in my mini machine but then I took the loaf out and put it in a baguette pan. Everything was good except that I should have shaped it better and probably should have cooked it about 5 minutes more. But I was pretty happy with it since I had winged it and had never baked bread outside of the machine before. The Kid has never had homemade bread - or bread that was no more than 15 minutes old - he was pretty impressed with how good it tasted.

The "submarine"

On Saturday I had a dull headache and pain in my shoulder muscles but I felt I had been taking way too many Advil and Tylenol lately and so I decided to go without drugs and just take it easy on myself (listen to my body and all that) - I don't recommend this for others or for all headaches, but for this situation it seemed to work. My headache did go away by late afternoon and I think because I could feel my shoulder pain, I was more gentle on my upper back and arms and I feel better today.

Other than that I did the domestic-y stuff like laundry and vacuuming, cooking and tidying etc. I did do some knitting and some embroidery but haven't finished anything yet - see why I'd like another day off?

How was your weekend?

Amazing Dog Survival Stories

2012-01-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

Here are two stories from the news this week both about dogs surviving after their owners were killed - the first one is here in BC where Jake the pit bull was found after surviving a fatal car crash by his owner. And the second one , Barney the Vizsla was found in the water in the Gulf of Mexico. Both dogs were injured but both dogs did their very best to survive. I'm sorry to say their owners succumbed to their injuries. My brother told me of a similar story about a dog was being transported from Alberta to BC when the driver was in an accident but the people didn't go looking for the dog for about a week and he said "they DID find the dog. It stuck its head out from behind a boulder and was glad to see them. Thin but happy. THAT was the extra part that ticked [ my brother] off. Poor dog hung around waiting for them." I know it doesn't always turn out that way.

Why did I tell you about these dogs? One because I am absolutely amazed by their incredible stories, two because we like happy endings and three because they are so similar and happened within days of each other. Either these types of events don't happen too often or they don't make the news too often, but I found it odd to hear them within days apart. Aren't these dogs incredible?

Animals loose in the car can be a dangerous projectile for the owner and a distraction and in some cases are the reason the owner died in the crash (they survive the crash but the dog lands on them for example) and seatbelts are available for bigger dogs and soft sided carriers are available for smaller dogs and I wonder if Jake from the store above had been restrained would he had died in the icy waters? Or perhaps he would have had less injury and found by the rescuers sooner? I don't know the answers to these questions, and I don't know how to make it better, but I am happy these two guys made it through the ordeal and I hope they live a long and happy doggie life, don't you?

2012-01-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

"Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have."

-- Doris Mortman

Things I Did on The Weekend

2012-01-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

Besides the normal, routine, mundane things done on the weekend, here are two things that standout

1) homemade butter tarts - I had no idea they were so easy!!

And yummy too (it's a remake recipe!!)

2) kitty cross-stitch - still in progress:

(it looks all crooked-y because I just laid it across my knees and took a quick snapshot)

I didn't get as much done as I hoped, but it is almost done - just two borders (one crossstitches and one backstitches) and a paw print in the corner.

Don't Run for This Cover

2012-01-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

In many other places across the country, it gets cold, it snows, it warms up it melts. The snow is often dry and powdery and in some places seems to disappear like a frost-free fridge. But in the area surrounding Vancouver (usually referred to as 'the lower mainland') we'll have snow and then it warms up to rain. This results in very wet snow on the ground and driving conditions called 'slush'. But one of the problems with this heavy wet snow is the weight and it's been know to collapse many roofs and small buildings - usually only garden structures, but still something to watch for.

Years ago this 'pergola' was built for me using driftwood. For about the first 5 years it was very pretty with my wisteria, clematis and grape vines growing all around it, but then our next common garden problem (excluding slugs) occurred - the short time it takes for wood to rot. And one by one the supports started to weaken, and soon a 6' tall person could no longer stand upright under the 'roof'.

Last week's snow, followed by this week's rain was just too much weight and has really taken a toll on the old thing which is now just barely standing. In fact a 4' tall person probably couldn't stand upright in parts of it. I've tried to brace it with whatever pieces of wood I could find in my backyard under the snow, I'm not strong enough myself to brace it up more than this - see all the vertical pieces of wood and the uneven roof?

Almost all the wood is now rotten so it looks like this spring I'll be out there with my hedge trimmers and garden shears cutting it all back and possibly erecting some new lattice walls for the vines to grow on. I guess I know what I'll be doing in March or April!

Funky Forecast

2012-01-20T23:55:00.000-08:00

I love how they draw little triangles for 'freezing rain'!

So far, I haven't seen freezing rain - just plain ol' wet rain, so combined with all the snow on the ground it's like walking through a slurpee (or frozen margarita if you can related to that better)

Friday Update

2012-01-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

This has been quite a snowy week for us - we're just not used to that around Vancouver. This is one of the few times in a year you'll hear me say that I'll be happy when it starts raining!

Although I seem to have adjusted better to the cold this year - usually I wear gloves at anything less than 6 degrees and this year but this year I'm out playing ball with the dog and it's -6C and it's not so bad. I seem to have a better tolerance this year, which is a good thing because I hate being COLD!

My brother, who lives in our wintry Prairies, taught me to plow a walk path for the dog in the snow. My other dogs would only walk on the path -but being a young, vivacious Labrador uses it sometimes but mostly runs around wherever she likes. That's okay, she's happily having fun retrieving her football from the snow banks with little snow moustaches or snow beards -it's so cute.

~~~~

My neighbour's dog died the other night, apparently it went outside for a bathroom break, came back in the house and sat with her for a bit then hopped out of the chair onto the floor and died. That's freaky! It doesn't sound like it was poisoned or anything like that - they think it was an old age thing, she was an 11 year old Boston Terrier which was a little bit on the fat side (that's how they described her). Still it's disturbing pretty to have your dog die suddenly like that don't you think? I was unsettled by it because I certainly don't want anything to happen to Eco.

~~~~

I'm still testing out the new bread machine, so I made some pretzels. A house favorite. Although the recipe says to let them sit overnight for crispier ones, we found that the day old pretzels weren't very good at all. Good thing we can eat them all within hours of coming out of the machine - especially with some honey + mustard!

I realize I should have been a bit neater and more thorough with my egg wash - they'll look prettier next time.

~~~~

This Christmas I was reminded that I should start my amaryllis bulbs in mid-November because I started mine at the beginning of December and it's just bloomed now. It did reward my patience by giving me 4 blooms (with a couple more to follow) That's one hard working bulb!

French Bread on the Rise

2012-01-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Look what's coming my way soon - a nice fluffy loaf of French Bread:

I probably shouldn't lift the lid while it's in process, should I?

And it's perfect for a day with this forecast:

Did you see that? "Feels like -19" - you dang right it does!!!

Wind gusts 39 kmh!! blech!

This would be one of the very few days in a year that I don't walk Eco. The wind just keeps howling and sending little snowflakes across and up and every direction. She doesn't seem affected by the cold at all, she just happily runs around retrieving her football, but I'm just not going to go out there. Besides, I'd better stay home to keep an eye on my bread! ;-

Monday Morning Mix

2012-01-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

Customer Service -On Friday our internet wasn't working so first I waited a while to see if the problem was resolved, then I checked my equipment and when that didn't work, I phoned the company to see if there was problem in my area - there was, but the funniest part was the Customer Service Rep told me "yes ma'am we have a thing in your area, we're working on it, please hang tight"

Yep "a thing in your area" and "hang tight" - new CSR lingo in case you didn't know ;-)

~~~~~

Snow Day - We only get a couple of snow days per winter, and when we do it usually snows for a day then starts to rain and we drive around in slush for days - imagine driving through a slurpee. However, - this weekend most parts of Vancouver didn't have any snow on Saturday but where we live we received our winter allotment of snow.

This was taken outside my front door this morning - and this is on top of the 4" we had on Saturday. One of the things I find interesting after a snow is all the footprints on my lawn -apparently my front yard is a kitty highway

Eco had a blast in it. I would throw her toy and she would run and then pounce on it, except then she would slide sending her toy flying and then she'd have to search for it all over again. Too bad that was early in the morning and I didn't think to take my camera outside, it would have been a hilarious video.

Happy Eggs - when I make fried eggs I break them all into a cup or a bowl first and then when my pan is ready I put them all in at once. Yesterday when I was doing that I accidentally broke a yoke but look how they arranged themselves in the pan - I didn't manipulate them at all.

They just wanted to show they were happy I guess.

Baking and Stitching

2012-01-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

Success! After a couple of attempts tweaking the recipe each time, I made a successful loaf of bread - yippee. And yummy too. Now time to get some fruit to try out the jam function.

As you can see there is a slight indent on the top - baking friends, could you please tell me why this happened? Slightly too much yeast?

And since I have't posted a project in a while, this is what I'm working on - a kitty cross-stitch:

Oh yes, and the little bread-machine made cookies too:

Not too bad, but I think I'll stick to making them the old fashioned way. It was pretty easy but it only made about 16 cookies. I don't know about you, but around here that just isn't enough!

Making Bread While the Sun Shines

2012-01-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

We just got the cutest kitchen appliance - a Zojirushi Home Bakery! It makes little 1 pound loaves of bread - perfect for the two of us, and little cakes, and pretzels and cookies, and pizza dough and even makes jam!

(Isn't it tiny? And it has a handle so you can take it places!! I)

It's the perfect size for our small kitchen and it makes a 'half' loaf which is perfect for the two of us. I am having a wee bit of a problem getting the loaf to rise to the correct heigh - it might be because it's cold outside(and/or the water's too cold), or maybe our humidity. I did buy fresh bread flour, powdered milk and fresh yeast. I've tweaked the recipe a bit and I'm about to make another loaf. MMmmm, I miss the smell of homemade bread. Bread machines were so popular for a while, but I don't hear anyone talking about still using them. The only person I know who regularly bakes bread is my brother who is a fantastic home-chef.

Last night is snowed about 4 inches and that's fine by me since I didn't need to go out today anyway. The dog had a great time fetching her ball - she would run and then pounce where it landed except she'd slide and send the ball flying and then she'd lose the ball. It was quite funny, too bad I didn't have a camera with me this morning.

I hope you're having a wonderful Saturday afternoon.

Karma

2012-01-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

As I was leaving the dog park the other day, I stopped to talk to a lady who was wrangling a 130 pound black lab (which is no small feat as I'm sure she may have weighed about the same or less). In our conversation she told me her dog's name was Karma. A big black dog called Karma - interesting.

It's probably bad Karma, but I can see where you could have some fun with it:
-"you can't escape Karma..."
- "Karma is our teacher..."
- "Instant Karma's gonna get you, gonna knock you off your feet" John Lennon
- "Karma is not something you can control, something you can turn off and on." Kevin Chappell
- "The burden of Karma is heavy" Christmas Humphreys
and something about Karma "biting you in the ass"

I just hope it wasn't bad Karma for her to name her dog after Karma - hmm?

In Sickness and in Health

2012-01-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Lots and lots of people are sick right now, including a couple people that are quite close to me, so I've had the chance to see and hear what they are going through. Basically all they can do is lay down huddled under some blankets and have someone else bring them what they need - food, drink, medicine, change the channel - you name it.

And I caught myself, for a very brief moment - wishing I could be sick. Isn't that a horrible thought? No, no, no, I don't really want to get sick but what my irrational brain liked was the fact that their main goal is to look after themselves and to get better. Other people do what they can to help them with this goal and many people, such as employers, co-workers etc - leave them alone because they are sick. They get to just fixate on themselves and they are excused from everything else.

I must find a way to take time to look after myself - without a horrible flu or nasty cold - because I always have something to do for someone else: plan and cook dinner, feed and walk the dog, get the mail, put out the garbage. Most days by the time I've done all these 'chores' I only have the energy to wash my face, brush my teeth and go to bed.

Is there anything wrong with taking a 'sick day' from work to look after yourself as IF you were sick without actually having a flu or cold etc?

Raisin Pie to Adulthood

2012-01-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Jp was talking to a friend the other day and they got reminiscing about food from the past - in particular Raisin Pie- both fondly remembering how it was a favorite and how they haven't had it for years. He told me that years ago coffee places like Tim Horton's served pie (now it's donuts and cookies and sandwiches and soup - and coffee of course) and told me how much he loved it and how frequently he ordered it. My mom told me that in many restaurants - up until somewhere in the 1970's -it was one of the three flavours of pie offered along with apple or cherry or possibly lemon meringue.

I found lots of stories about how it was served at funerals, often giving it the name Funeral Pie and stories of the pies being made for loggers and how it was once a large part of the American Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner - often in the South although we did have it here in Canada as well. I'm sure part of the reason it was so popular in the past was because it doesn't need refrigeration and keeps well for a couple of days. I found several comments about how it was "dad's favorite pie that Grandma made"or "I liked it was kid but haven't had it for years" etc. But what I couldn't find out is why it fell from popularity - was it because it was so common everyone got tired of it and gravitated to new flavours or perhaps because in general we just don't make as many pies as we used to? It seems that every now and then it shows up somewhere, now being called "Old Fashioned", "Heritage" or "Vintage". None of my current cookbooks had recipes for it - I could only find it in my cookbooks that my mom gave me, dating back to the 50's and 60's - apparently the recipe itself dates back to the 1800's. It seemed that many of the poorer cooks would squirrel away the ingredients throughout the fall so she (typically mom or grandma) could make it for the holiday dinners. And of course, a recipe that has been around that long doesn't escape ingredient variations - some include sour cream or maple syrup or molasses, some add cranberries or apples or walnuts.

I thought I would start with a simple straightforward recipe and Jp said the one I made was exactly how he remembered it.

So here it is:

*yes I see my top crust was a little too thick, and I should've had more raisin filling

- but that didn't stop anyone from eating it!

Do you remember this pie? What key flavours were in it?

Happy New Gift

2011-12-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

And now I bring you a photo from the signs we saw from our trip last month posted all over the Cancun Airport -

in Spanish it was "Happy New Year" but in English this is what it said:

Hope you have a Happy New Gift as well!

Christmas and Craft Updates

2011-12-30T17:04:00.000-08:00

I just have to show you two very special Christmas ornaments we received this year from my brother and SIL - and both were actually for our dog, Eco. The first one, a chocolate lab:

The second one, a squirrel! Isn't it adorable? I love his big bushy tail. What a unique ornament.

We have Eco so trained to the word squirrel that if we don't want her running outside and barking (crashing into a door if I don't open it fast enough), we just say the word "squee".

And here are two things that I made.

These litte chocolate ornaments are from a kit - I can't locate the card that came with it at the moment , but these ornaments look NOTHING like the photo. I don't think they look very good at all, and I don't necessarily think it was my craft skills to blame (not entirely anyway). Wait until I show you what they are supposed to look like!

And this little knitted bird called a "Chubby Chirp" - the pattern is from Danger Crafts a very talented knitting designer, although I have to admit that I had troubles with the wings which start out with 8 stitches on double pointed needles, to be knit in the round. After about 8 failed attempts (including trying to do it with a crochet hook) I decided to do the first three rows as an i-cord instead of knitting in the round. It seems to have turned out about the same. I have never had a problem with knitting in the round on dpns before, but I've never tried with so few stitches. It just didn't look neat and I wasn't sure that I had not twisted it, which is glad I found advice from the book Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi* on how to start knitting in the round with only a couple of stitches.

I know the birdie appears crooked in this photo, but honestly, it's because he tilted just as I took the picture and I'm too lazy to set up my lightbox again to retake the photo.

And that's it for now. More tomorrow.

* I plan to knit several items from this book soon, don't forget to return to see what I make!

How to Make Everything Ok

2011-12-28T10:24:00.000-08:00

If you're more frazzled now than before the holidays, I suggest you try this magic button. I'm sure it will help - a lot.

Things I Made for Christmas

2011-12-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

Well I was going to post a picture of all the things I made for Christmas presents, but when I went to link them to this post I couldn't find them! I guess somehow I deleted them.

There was a reverse painted cake plate for my brother

There was a set of 4 hand embroidered napkins that match my mom's china pattern

And then there was this doggie balaclava for my brother's dog Tonks, who lives in a very cold climate and my brother was concerned about her thin little ears freezing. I'm not sure if his dog will keep it on, as you can see by Eco's face, she was a very unhappy model and restrained herself from pulling it off long enough for me to take a photo.

This is the only photo I have because I had posted in on Ravelry and I had a copy in flickr. Dang it!

***

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and received all the presents you wanted. I look forward to cruising around Blogland to see what everyone made and received.

Things are quiet at our house today, as the kid has strep throat and a fever and so we had to cancel dinner with the family. I still cooked the things we said we'd bring and Jp drove them out for his family to enjoy. Remember when I posted about being sick at Christmas? It wasn't me who was sick, but still someone in our house - sheesh - do you think I jinxed it?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Well it's finally here. Christmas Weekend. If we aren't ready, if we didn't get anything done - too bad, it's showtime my friends! I was going to write all the things I was grateful for, but then I felt weird posting them so perhaps it's better I keep my list to myself. But I do want to say "thank you" to all the people who have to work and miss time with their families - all the police officers, firemen, nurses, doctors, pilots, all the "essential services" and of course those who look after the homeless people and the homeless animals. Thank you to everyone who works hard to help everyday of the year, but most especially on this holiday weekend.

Years ago in my twenties, I had a corner office on the 13th floor of a downtown Vancouver high-rise. The company I worked for paid most people quite well, and usually besides having a very nice Christmas Gala at a very nice hotel, we were given a Christmas bonus anywhere between $300 and $500. One year there was talk that we might not get our cash bonus and they may be giving us a Christmas turkey instead. One woman I worked with was so furious she threatened that if she received a Christmas turkey instead of a cash bonus "she'd drop kick the damn turkey across the office". At the time as was surprised at her ungratefulness and being young, I was happy with any bonus (heck that bonus was sometimes 1/2 a months rent!). Fast forward to the company I work with today - there are no Christmas parties or lunches, there are few gifts and certainly no bonuses, and no matter how much we've helped a co-worker or how much money we've made for them - they do not provide any gift of appreciation. My direct boss does give me a small gift certificate to a restaurant, and one generous co-worker and I exchange gifts. I'm not sure what other companies do today, but times sure have changed. I will never forget how ungrateful we were and how we expected the parties, lunches and bonuses "back in the day". At my current job, there is no Christmas spirit and I am grateful for any gifts that I receive. I didn't realize how much the office Christmas tree or the 'secret santa' gift exchanges played a part in getting me into the holiday spirit; working from home, and being isolated makes it tougher for me to get in the holiday mood. What kinds of things happen at your office this time of year?

***

Now switching gears, I bring you an image of a little needle felted snowman and Christmas tree that I made -

I finally had a chance to do some crafting for myself, so I picked up my needle felting supplies - it felt good to do all that stabbing.

Have a very Merry Christmas - thank you for staying with me and reading and commenting on my posts, it's really nice. All the best to you and yours.

Sniffles and Coughs

2011-12-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

Remember when I told you that I had a cold and it was lasting longer than I thought? Well it took 3 weeks and remnants of it are still lingering! Wowza, that's a long time. At least it wasn't 6 months like my brother joked. But I'm grateful that I didn't get the flu that's going around, it sounds pretty nasty. Just before we left for our trip we had the flu vaccine. I found that this time the cold medicines didn't really work as well as they had in the past, but as the medical professionals say, there are 4 things that you need to get over a cold: fluids, rest, TLC, and time.

I'm very glad that I'm not sick for Christmas. When I was in high school and college, I used to get sick on the Christmas and Spring/Easter breaks. In fact I even had the flu for high school grad. Yes, that's right - while my classmates were out partying all night going from one house to another and staying up for the pancake breakfast, I was home sick. One of my girlfriends would phone me every couple of hours, to excitedly tell me where they were at, and to see if I could join them - I had to flu for at least 3 days and didn't leave the house. The effects of the flu started during the Grad dinner, and my poor parents had to drive to downtown Vancouver to come pick me up. Before they picked me up I was in the bathroom getting sick, a teacher made a snide comment to me saying something like "serves you right for drinking". But I hadn't had anything, I was 17 years old. The theory was that I had pushed myself so hard for finals and exams that when I finally had a break my body 'allowed' itself to get sick.

But I was always better so I could be the designated driver for New Years. I always seemed to "pick" the short straw - I swear my friends rigged it that way because I was the DD for 5 years in a row!

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Daddy It's Cold Outside

2011-12-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to the "all-Christmas song" radio station over the last couple of weeks during work, and I just love this version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" every time I hear it. I couldn't find a very good sample of it, this is about the best I could find:

The song starts at 3:11. Enjoy.

And if you're a dog, and it's cold inside, then laying in front of the fire, roasting your brain must seem like a nice place to be, don't you think?

P.S. New blog design - do you think I'm getting into the Christmas spirit yet?

Supply and Demand

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

I went to buy a book yesterday, and was surprised to find the e-reader version was $20 but the actual physical paper book was only $10. The e-version doesn't need any human interaction - I pay for it, I have it transferred to my reading device and I start reading. A paper book involved paper, ink, printing, binding, transportation, etc and it's only half the price? You can read more here.

I guess that's how the music industry went - do music stores still exist? Can you still buy CDs?

Interesting lesson in business and economics don't you think?

Christmas Decorations

2011-12-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

My biggest Christmas rush is at the beginning of the month when I have to wrap the presents for my family and get them into the mail before the 13th at the latest. I didn't do a very good job wrapping the presents this year because I was in a hurry to get them into the boxes. Also, when mailing presents I leave off all the outside present decorations because they just get crushed. Hopefully my family forgives me for the crappy wrapping job and just remembers the presents inside.

So now that that's all taken care of, the week before Christmas is fairly quiet for me, so I have time to do some Christmas crafting. Yes, I actually have time to do crafts! Something I like to do but always put on the bottom of my list which means I usually don't get time to do it + a million other excuses.

But I did make this pillow which was the fastest Christmas decoration ever made I think. A pillow cover, cut out the square, four sides on the machine, pillow form inside, sew little opening, done! 5 minutes?

And, it's one that's received the most comments in my house. You can even read the names on Santa's list - I think it's cute.

I also crocheted this "Christmas Dove" but I'm not liking it too much. Maybe I'll toss it to a cat and let it play with it. Maybe I screwed up the pattern - but I'm pretty sure it just wasn't a good pattern.

What should I make next? I think it's time for an embroidered Christmas tea towel - I'm feeling stitchy!

Celebrity Endorsements Don't Mean Much

2011-12-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

While Christmas shopping yesterday I picked up a toy which I was going to give to my brother's dog for Christmas, but I decided I'd test it out on Eco first. I bought the toy more for it's shape and novelty and I wondered what being a Cesar Milan dog toy really meant.

Well let me tell you that this toy didn't last more than two hours before it tore and soon pieces started to come off (including a very small piece that could choke a dog or cause blockages if swallowed).

For someone who runs a dog psychology centre and has over 40 dogs in his 'pack', I would have thought he would have tested this toy on a couple of his dogs before it went to market - but then others just don't think like I do and I'm pretty sure that 90% of the dog toys out there are tested on chihuahuas and pugs only because I have yet to find a dog toy that could withstand an adolescent Labrador - and if I have found said toy, no dog I know wants to play with it! (Except maybe a Kong but then they are more for food delivery than a toy.)

I'm just glad that I didn't send this toy as a gift.

(P.S. I changed my banner and the background to something more wintery - do you like it? Is it beginning to feel a lot like Christmas? )

What I thought I saw

2011-12-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone on a trip and thought you saw an interesting, possibly exotic animal, only to return home and find out it was something rather yucky?

While we were shopping on our trip, I was standing in the back of the Tommy Bahama Store looking out a window that faced a little ravine, when I saw a rather interesting looking animal. Unfortunately our camera was put away because we were clothes shopping so I couldn't get a good photo, but this is a quickie of it:

I thought it was something interesting.

And then last night while I was trolling the interwebs I just happened upon a photo of a Nutria or Coypu- which is basically a large American water rat, and rather unwanted and discovered that's what I saw in the little ravine behind the store!

Eeww. Not such a great discovery at all!

*Picture from a random internet site, uncredited. My apologies

Just a couple of more days

2011-12-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

I was asked why my background was so tropical - it's because I had a little tropical vacation and I thought you should too. So I thought I'd show you some more pictures from our trip.

Across the water we could see Cozumel,

but we didn't take the ferry over there (not this time):

The ferry to Cozumel:

And by the end of the weekend, I promise I'll change my banner and background to a more winter-like image. Sound good?

I am trying so hard -

2011-12-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

- to get into the Christmas spirit. I'm quickly finishing some gifts and I have the lights on the house, and the radio is tuned to Christmas music at work during the day, but I just not quite ready to start decorating the house yet. I keep telling myself I'll do it on the weekend. Instead I keep looking at the shells we brought home and the brightly painted tchotchkes as I put away the bright swimsuits and flip flops and I just can't let go of the bright sandy beaches and the blue skies - maybe because a friend of mine is still down there and she emails me everyday telling me about the dolphins and the hot weather and....

(sigh)

Oh yes, and of course this dang cold is still hanging on. It's kinda hard to get in the mood when you're head's all full of crud.

"How long do cold last these days?" I asked my wise brother.
"Oh anywhere from a couple of days to six months" he tells me. What the what???!!! 6 months? I sure hope not. I'm into the second week of my cold and I'm about done with it, thank you very much! The only thing red and shiny around here is my nose!

And I really don't think anyone in my house is too eager for me to start the Christmas baking when I'm blowing my nose and coughing - would you? I don't blame them one bit. Hey? Do you want to send me some homemade cookies?

How's your Christmas decorating and shopping going?

What follows the vacation...

2011-12-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

...is a cold! Yup, I got one.

We had a national company event to go to following our mini vacation and I've since found out that at least 80% of those that attended are sick with either stomach troubles or colds. That's over 60 people that are sick right now. So despite taking all sorts of precautions, it didn't seem to help us avoid getting sick.

And besides being behind at work from being away, I'm getting more behind because I needed time off for being sick. I'm almost starting to wonder if the vacation was even worth it.

But then I think of that lovely soft sand and the blues and greens of the ocean and the warm sun.... yeah, it was worth it!

Now my next task is getting into the Christmas spirit. I don't feel like doing much of anything at the moment so I've given myself until next weekend to send out all the cards and mail the presents. I guess I'd better get crackin!

How's your Christmas (or holiday) preparations going?

I'm ba-a-a-a-a-ck

2011-11-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

Didya miss me? I missed you too. Well I have to be honest, I sorta did, and sorta didn't cuz I was here:

....sitting on the beach in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Yeah, that's what I said. Mexico. Suntanning and being hot in the sun and all that...

I ran out on you and spend 8 wonderful days with my toes in the finest sand I've have experienced drinking Brandy Alexanders and Bahama Mama's and other silly drinks with rhyming names

I'll be stopping by to catch up with you in a day or so, I hope you didn't forget about me.

Things That Don't Go Together

2011-11-20T21:26:00.000-08:00

Last night we went out for dinner at one of our favourite restaurants - a vietnamese place that always has good food. The owner has beent trying out new things to bring people into this locations, and one of the things was a special for game night. Now admittedly Jp and I are not sports fans, and I know many people who are opposed to TVs in restaurants but last night I found out that I really didn't like watching a UFC fight during my meal. Come on people, men bloodying each other up just doesn't seem so appetizing. It almost felt like I was watching a dog fight, as these two guys were all swollen and bloody and at times they seemed to be moving so slow and powerlessly as if it was instinct to keep punching the other guy. It reminded me of those nature programs where they show two insects involved in a 'to the death' type of combat, one might already be dead, or one might be missing his head or some other important part, but the body's reflexes cause it to keep going anyway.

Next time I open the door to a restaurant and see a UFC fight on the TV, I know that I will turn right around and go someplace else. How about you? What do you think of TVs in restaurants, or UFC matches during dinner?

Got the All Clear

2011-11-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

Eco and I stopped by the vet's office today and she's given Eco the all clear! Yay! No more cone wearing and wrapping the foot in plastic every time we go outside! I am so relieved! And I am sure Eco is as well because she seemed to be getting a bit frustrated. Tomorrow she gets some playtime with the neighbour's dog, which is something I'm positive she will really enjoy!

It's been cold and frosty here but I'm so glad it's dry and sunny! The sun really helps get me through the winter!

Conehead

2011-11-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

Today Eco's stitches came out which is good news except that the area is infected. The vet figures that perhaps it was caused by the stitches and so we'll give her some antibiotics and put some special cream on it and see how it does over the next couple of days. The bad news, the foot is really bugging her so she has to keep wearing her cone!

Wahh! Poor dog, that's the one thing I wanted to get rid of the most! Anyway not much I can do now but be diligent about keeping it on and keeping her mouth away from her foot and hoping that it heals as soon as possible. I just wished it wasn't raining right now as that's not really helping her situation at all!

I'm trying not to worry, I'm trying not to stress out. I'm trying to just roll with it, but it's difficult. Do you know what I mean?

Catvertising

2011-11-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

Knitted Toque

2011-11-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

This long weekend I knit The Kid a bearded toque - that's a toque with a beard and moustache all attached, it's basically a balaclava with some style. I had some problems with the pattern and ended up knitting the toque and the moustache twice. I didn't think the pattern was that well written, but I do realize that many times it's not the designer's fault as I've seen many patterns where people have complained about something I didn't have a problem with at all.

This is the best picture I could get of it, since I finished it and handed it over right away:

You may not get to see my next project or two as Christmas is only 6 weeks away! That's all I'm saying!

My New Friend

2011-11-11T08:36:00.000-08:00

For years we have been making coffee with a lovely glass thermal French Press until an infortunate accidental bump (that's all I'm going to say) in a shared sink caused it to break. I taped up the broken corner and we continued to use it while we waited for an unbreakable stainless steel French Press to arrive. However, in the mean time Jp bought a drip coffee maker. With a timer.

Now the joke around here is that I usually don't like new things*, but I take 3 days to get used to it. So he patiently waited for the romance to blossom. And blossom it did. Who wouldn't like to wake up to the smell of coffee brewing, and by the time you make it down the hallway it's already made?

Now I realize it's no $1000 machine, and it's not an espresso or cappuccino maker, but it makes dang good coffee - nice and hot. And it's waiting for me when I get out of bed. I like that.

My little friend is easy to clean, easy to use and is there waiting for me in the morning to present me with a yummy cuppa nice black coffee. Mmm. This is most appreciated as we are already a month into the rainy season. Now if I could get a friend to empty the dishwasher I'd be over the moon!

*By the way, if you think I am bad - this is an improvement from my father who took 2 weeks to decide he liked the new item.

It's absolutely my duty to share this PSA

2011-11-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

Ladies, you can thank me later:

A Different Kind of Bootie

2011-11-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

Eco was at the vet today so they could remove her bandage and check her stitches. It all looked pretty good so no new bandages went on, instead she'll wear a bootie until next Wednesday when the stitches come out. Every time this dog wants out for a break, I have to bag and tape it because it's a wee bit rainy this time of year in the Vancouver area.

I think I'll as happy as she will be when her stitches come out, because right now I'm basically spending most of my time keeping an eye on her so she doesn't lick that foot. I only use the big cone when I have to - poor dog, I really don't like putting it on her. They always look so sad with it on, don't they? First she's kept indoors all day, and not allowed to run and then she gets a giant cone on her head; there's only so much sleeping a young dog can do. And starting tomorrow she'll be off her pain medication so she probably won't be as sleepy and she'll start to feel how much her foot hurts. I guess I'll just have to curl up in front of the fire place and snuggle with her, right?

My crazy week

2011-11-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

Yes last week was pretty crazy. On Tuesday, The Kid went into the hospital for unknown stomach pains and after about 24 hours of all sorts of theories it was confirmed that his appendix had burst and he had an appendectomy on Wednesday night. Thursday was Eco's surgery.

On Sunday, The Kid was discharged from the hospital and is doing better.

Eco will get her bandage changed tomorrow but things are going pretty well. Every time she goes outside I have to wrap her foot in a bandage so I'm going through our supply of shopping bags but the little thing is so sweet and allows me to put on her big Buster collar when I can't keep a good eye on her. She's doing very well, especially since she is a young dog who is used to being active and she hasn't been able to walk or play for about a week. She's starting to get a little too energetic for her foot, so I'm trying to find activities that burn off some energy without putting extra stress on that foot.

Yesterday I went to a dance bootcamp and really got a workout. I know you're thinking "well what do you think a bootcamp is lady?" But I've been to other bootcamps and this one was by far the hardest! Today my hip flexors are really hurting and my stomach is sore - which is think is from muscles and not anything else. I'm glad that this is a short week, since we get Friday, November 11th off for Remembrance Day.

I did complete a knitting project but I'm not happy with it at the moment so I won't post pictures until I either fix it or frog it and remake it. For those who aren't knitters, frogging means to unravel the piece and was named because in order to unravel it, you rip it, rip it, rip it.

How was your weekend?

The Good News

2011-11-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Eco had her toe surgery today. The good news - the toe was not removed. Once the vet got inside she found it wasn't as bad as she thought and so she removed the lump and some old scar tissue and closed her all up! Yippee! I'm very, very happy about this.

I tried really hard to follow the buddhist/yogic advice to not worry but couldn't help myself. I knew that there was nothing I could do but to follow the events as they played out, but still had all sorts of worry, doubt and guilt running through my mind. Now it's been pointed out to me that the worry was for nothing. Just like I had been told.

This is not to say that it won't return and we could have to go through this all again one day, facing toe removal again, but for now I am happy with the results!

In an hour and a half she'll be awake enough for me to pick her up and bring my sweet little darling home. I am so very grateful to everyone who provided such wonderful support to me. Thank you.

Now we'll be back to this:

Spooktacular!

2011-10-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

This year it was much better than so many years prior; the biggest change is not having a noise phobic dog - that adds 110% of the stress! I put a bunch of decorations around the yard and on the house - not a lot but definitely more than my neighbours (not that I'm competing) - it seems people just don't get into it like they used to. And even though firecrackers are against the law in my community - that doesn't stop all the bangs and pops and flashes that occur weeks before tonight. But now that's not so bad because my happy lab just don't care! And that means everyone is the house is much more relaxed.

I took Eco for a walk a lunchtime today, past the primary kids at the elementary school - lots of Cinderella's and Belle and Wonderwoman and Fairies, not too many boys this time. But then a little policeman came up to say 'hi'. It was the little boy who lives next door - so cute. I'm always a little worried talking to kids on the street because I don't want anyone to think I have bad intentions, but I have to tell you the kids always approach me!

When I could finally break away from the group of kids, we continued on our walk until we came across a house with fabulous Halloween decorations - there are fog machines and motion sensored creatures, and lights and all sorts of ghouls. My favorite is the mermaid skeleton - I have no idea why I like it so much but I really do! The homeowners were outside putting up more and more decorations and we talked for a little awhile about their decorations and all the things they are still going to do but soon Eco was getting restless - we'd been out for almost an hour but had only walked for about 10 minutes - so when the man brought out a 3' tall skeleton which Eco barked at and didn't seem to like, so we wished them a good night and continued on their way.

After work I added a few more decorations to the yard and when the trick-or-treaters started to come I turned up the scary music which could be heard outside. For years I used to have to deal with a freaked out dog and wait for Jp to come home because he'd be out with the kid but now the kid is old enough to go with his friends and Jp's at home and the dog is nice and calm and it's a nice night weather-wise and so it's actually a pretty good Halloween.

How was your night? What happens where you live?

Halloween Tea Towel

2011-10-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

This is what I have been working on for the past couple of days:

It's done on a tea-towel and the word is stitched with glow-in-the-dark thread. It was part of a Stitch-along, and you can see other people's interpretations here. The ghost's face was stitched in white which you can't really see in the photo but I left it that way as you'll see it in texture when you look at it in person.

This makes me sad + mad

2011-10-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Have you heard this one? Women will get a chance to box in the 2012 Olympics but apparently the Boxing Federation wants women boxers to wear skirts. You can read more here.

This is just completely ridiculous. As far as women's rights and equality has come, it's still not far enough. I understand rules about clothing to cover areas that the majority may be offended seeing, or wearing gear to prevent injury but the difference between boxing shorts and boxing skirts makes no sense to make it a requirement. If men or women choose to wear skirts in boxing that's their choice - don't you think? And to say that it's so we can tell the male and female boxers apart is complete ludicrous.

What do you think about this rule?

There Goes the Toes

2011-10-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

Remember last June when poor little Eco had to get surgery on her foot to remove a lump (hamartoma-normal tissues growing abnormally) ?

Well either the dang thing grew back or she grew another one. The problem is it's between her toes so it's a difficult spot to do surgery, especially when there's very little skin in that area in the first place. Apparently their existence is pretty common, but they are usually on parts of the body where they can just exist without interfering with life - such as the shoulder or neck or back.

My vet posted photos of it on a veterinary forum across Canada and the United States, but it seems that our only option is to remove the toe. We can't inject it to stop the growth and radiation is not recommended because of it's location and sensitivity. She could wear a special orthotic boot - but for the rest of her life? An active young labrador?

So it looks like amputation is our only choice. And the vet says recovery time is only 2 weeks. I'm really sad about this but there doesn't seem a lot I can do about it. It's possible that we remove the toe and life goes on and we never give it a second thought.

Wow, I just googled "toe amputation in dogs" and was surprised to see all the entries. I guess that's making me feel a little better about it. But still, I don't like my poor little baby losing body parts!

Any suggestions? What would you do?

Wee Pumpkin

2011-10-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

This morning before we went out for the family lunch, I just had to make this cute little pumpkin to add to my Halloween decorations:

The pattern came from here. The yarn was in my stash. There are only so many things one can do with orange yarn, so Halloween is a perfect time to use it up. (Did you notice my last post contained a project using the same yarn? Two points for you if you did! )

For lunch, Jp and I packed up everything including cutting boards, knives and electric griddle to make his signature Grilled Cheese Sammiches for his sisters and mom. He did a fabulous job and everyone seemed very pleased with the yumminess - I'm sorry I did not take a photo of them, next time he makes them, I'll show you.

Instead, a have a cute photo of Eco - just because.....

Kill Comic Sans Game

2011-10-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

For all my friends who hate the font Comic Sans - try out this game!
I didn't do so well, so unfortunately the font will probably still be around for a little while longer.

And if you like fonts and want to know some more about this, check out this site.

It's Sunday Night Already?

2011-10-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a nice sunny day, so I spent most of the day in the garden putting away plants and ornaments and getting things ready for winter.

Then we were off to Jp's sister's house because we were lucky enough to have a second Thanksgiving dinner, it's good to get the family together and enjoy yummy food. And one of the best parts was that his sister gave us the turkey carcass and leftover meat so we could make some turkey noodle soup! Yummy, guess what I'll be doing tomorrow.

I also worked on two little projects this weekend. The first is a little cuff to go around my thermal coffee container which sometimes dribbles if I don't dry the threads or the lid well enough, so I whipped up this little cozy using some leftover yarn and a crochet hook:

I know I am solving the wrong problem - maybe I just wanted an excuse to crochet.

And, I also did some embroidery as hand stitching is one of my favourite things. I really liked these cute little Halloween bunnies plus I wanted to use my glow-in-the-dark thread:

If you'd like to stitch one up too, the pattern can be found here. Be sure to tell me where I can see your photos in my comments as it's so much fun seeing how other people stitch things up! (In case you're wondering what's wrong with the Dracula bunny, my disappearning ink from my transfer pen didn't disappear fast enough and/or I didn't want to wait any longer for it to disappear! )

Now to watch TV - Boardwalk Empire and Dexter tonight.

Turkey Aftermath

2011-10-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well the turkey came out great and we had a really good Thanksgiving dinner last night. The only thing that wasn't so great was the gravy - only because the recipe called for wine. I knew Jp doesn't like foods cooked in wine but I really thought it would cook out of the gravy and I wanted to follow the recipe - unfortunately he could taste it and didn't like it. Dang, I knew I should have left it out! All was not lost however because after dinner we put in back on the stove added some more broth and continued to cook it until the detectable wine flavour was gone, and now the gravy is even better. So much better that we had it for our "Thanksgiving brunch" which was fried mashed potatoes with bits of the turkey meat in the gravy. With cranberry sauce. Yum.

I learned something else while cooking yesterday - there are two things that I need a lot of on hand when I cook a turkey - paper towels and dish soap. Since there was some handling of raw poultry surfaces had to be cleaned frequently, and the turkey needed to be dried off and such, I had to use several paper towels. Then after the meal there were a few items that needed hand washing and extra soap to remove the turkey fat residue. Wow, I sure went through a lot of both item - and I'm one who likes to conserve and avoid waste as much as I can. I guess it's all part of the cooking process.

Today is a rainy day, and I've been keeping my eye on the sky to see if the rain slows down so Eco and I can go out for our daily walk. Otherwise I plan to take it easy and do some sewing and reading and enjoy the day off. The fridge is pretty full and Jp knows how to cook so we'll share the cooking task today.

Did you have your Thanksgiving yesterday or will you have it today? Did you have turkey or ham or something else?

Thanksgiving Already?

2011-10-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving weekend! It's interesting hearing all the different things people are doing this weekend. One person I know in the Toronto area is going to their trailer for Saturday and Sunday - because it's expected to be 30 degrees! (that's a crazy warm temperature for October ) Another is cooking two turkeys for 17 people! Wow. I am not doing anything like that. I will be cleaning up my yard and working on my messy workroom/office. And Jp and I will have a quiet dinner on Sunday.

I didn't think the turkey we bought was too small, until the cashier called it "cute". Oh well, we will eat well and we are thankful for the opportunity for good food and a warm house and a chance to rest and relax. I also better get some time for some embroidery or knitting too - it's been so long since I've picked anything up, especially since I was away all last week. I'd really like to make some Halloween crafts - it's time to start decorating for that.

What will you be doing this weekend?

Construction Zone

2011-10-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

At the end of our hallway was several small shelves that held a collection of JP's; he decided he'd take a break from seeing the collection daily, plus we wanted to put of full-length mirror in it's place. So I wrapped and boxed everything up and put it all in storage, while in the attic I took several old boxes out and sorted them out for donation or recycling or garbage. Then I took the full length mirror that we had and put it against the wall so he could help me hang it. That's when he informed me that we were to get a different mirror for the end of the hall and the 5' tall mirror we had was staying where it was.

So I put that mirror back but now it looks like a construction area at the end of the hall as I will have to remove all the anchors from the shelves and repaint the wall (which I was hoping would be all behind the mirror and I could skip it for now) If I had known we didn't have something to replace the blank area, I wouldn't have taken everything down... (sigh) oh well I guess it had to be done eventually.

That was my Saturday (along with doing laundry). Today I'll be at my desk tidying up all the bills and papers from when I was away plus some computer work. And, hopefully some crafting time. No wait - I will definitely take some time for some crafting today! I must not always postpone it since I enjoy it so much - don't you think?

What are you doing today?

Back Home

2011-09-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

If you've wondered why I haven't posted, it's because I just returned from a week long business trip to Toronto and there was barely any time to even get on to my personal computer. Every morning someone would pick me up at the hotel and take me to to office and at the end of the day we'd go out for a group dinner and then someone would drop me off at the hotel, I'd make a quick phone call home and then I'd go to bed and start the cycle all over again the next day.

This was actually a bit of a rough trip. I didn't really want to go and did not have a very good flight over. Then my hotel wasn't so great either and even had to change rooms. The next day they booked me into a different hotel and things went better but still I didn't want to be away from jP or my sweet little Eco, and I knew that more and more work was piling up all week with me being gone.

However on my last night (last night) they took me on a bit of a tour of the Distillery District(if you like history check out this place) - with drinks at the the Mill Street Brew Pub (I recommend trying the organic beer and actually the coffee beer would be very nice at the right time and in the right place) , we drove through the Financial District and Chinatown and saw where Breakfast Television is filmed and MuchMusic, and a several other areas. We also drove through Harbourfront and Liberty Village where we had settled for dinner at Mildred's Temple Kitchen. The food there was exquisite but the best part was the cookie box at the end of the meal - you get a very yummy peanut butter cookie, a delicious chocolate chip cookie and a scrumptious date bar.

Well now it's all over and I'm back home and everything turns to normal, right? Now I'm adjusting to the time zone and will be getting some sleep.

What can you do?

2011-09-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago I went for some testing at the hospital. Even though I had an appointment, I sat for 40 minutes - just when I went to ask if I had been missed or forgotten the technician came to get me, they had had some unavoidable delays. It wasn't a great start to the day but I'm understand things often don't go as one hopes.

I was told I'd get the results in 5 days. Two weeks later and the specialist still doesn't have my results, so I (yes me, not the doctor's receptionist) decided I'd call my family doctor to see if the results were sent to him. Yup, sure enough, they had them in their file. I called the specialist's office to tell her where the results were. A week and a half of unnecessary waiting.

So today I go to the specialist and I'm told that the wrong area was tested, and didn't get enough of a sample and so we'll have to do it again. Another wasted trip and I still don't have any updates on my health.

But what can you do? You need find out about that thing in your body and that's just the way the medical system works in Canada. I'm grateful we don't have a system like the Americans do (sorry my southern friends) but our system can be a little exhausting at times. If you don't like all the wasted gas and time, then just don't get sick!!!!

It's starting to feel a lot like fall

2011-09-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when I leave the house for my morning dog walk with reflectors on my coat and a flashing collar/leash for Eco because it's still dark. About 1/2 way through our walk it's light enough, but soon I won't have any light before it's time to go to work, that's when I have to switch the daily walk to later in the day.

In the last couple of days, it's really started to feel like fall, more leaves are being pushed along the streets by winds from the vehicles, and this morning there was a lovely warm breeze that brings the fall smells to my nose.

As much as I love summer and I love the heat, I always have fond memories of autumn dog walks. Although our Fall isn't like the ones we see on TV which depict warmer weather and big fluffy piles of leaves because in the Vancouver climate, this time of year is usually full of lots of rain and the leaf piles end up being flat, black, wet mounds. In fact those leaves can be downright dangerous - cars can lose traction on wet leaf covered roads if they have to come to an urgent stop. And that's how I broke my nose three years ago - slipping on some wet leaves in the bottom of a puddle on some concrete - slippery, slimy stuff. As a kid I'd want to jump into a pile of leaves because I had seen it on TV, except in our yard, we usually raked up dog poop with the leaves and the pile was never a big dry pile, so I think only once was a able to jump into that leaf pile - and it really wasn't that great of an experience.

What are your favourite memories of autumn?

Making Puppies

2011-09-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted and it's been a rather quiet summer blogwise, I know. I haven't been feeling too well the past couple of months and didn't really have the energy to get much done. As well, I really didn't think you'd want to hear me drone on like Debby Downer. I'm hopeful that things are picking up now and recently I've started to pick up a project or two as well - which was something I just hadn't been able to do in those months.

Here is a knitted chocolate Labrador from the book Knit Your Own Dog:

I'm not that happy with it, so I'll be making another with different wool. On Ravelry, I found others who made the same pattern but used larger needles and a thicker wool which I'd like to try. I found the knitting was fine, but the sewing up was quite fiddley and that's why I'm not too thrilled with it.

Texas Needs Rain

2011-09-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

After having a very wet winter and spring and most of June and July in the Vancouver area - we are finally enjoying continued heat and sun. Yesterday I overheard someone ahead of me leaving a store and being hit by the parking lot heat, say it was 'California Hot'. For most people around here, we're enjoying this glorious weather because we are pretty sure that within a week or so, we'll be back to rain from October until May.

For the poor people in Texas, they only wish for such an event. Read this. It is absolutely unbelievable what they are going through.

Dog Parks are Interesting

2011-09-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

This morning Eco and I walked up to the dog park where we met a Portugese Water Dog called Monkey. Poor Monkey had apparently spent a couple of years in the show ring before he was discarded because he wasn't doing well enough and wasn't smart enough, I was told.

Well, wasn't that the truth? This poor guy didn't know how to do anything! Not even sit. And when I tossed him a treat, it hit him in the eye. I encouraged the owner that having a less smart dog might be a good thing - he might be more tolerant of the young children in the home and probably won't get into too much trouble, but sheesh, poor dog! And Eco didn't really know how to play with him, she's used to being the chaser but this dog didn't do anything. Luckily a guy came along with a border collier /lab cross so Eco had someone to play with for a while.

Dog parks are really interesting places to be.

Next we're off to a family BBQ for our 10 year old niece - which is also a really interesting place to be. Hope you're having a happy Saturday.

Costco Shopping Adventure

2011-09-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Raise your hand if you've gone into Costco for something very specific and then left, $200 later, and still don't have the item.

(raises hand)

yeah, that's what I though....

A funny thing happened on the way to the dog park...

2011-09-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw the funniest thing I have ever seen when I was walking the dog and I have been doing that for 20+ years! Eco and I were walking along and there was a cat in a driveway crouching... when it saw us, it puked and then ran away. It may not sound funny to you but if you saw the cat's face, it was a pretty funny event. Unfortunately it was too quick to get out a camera and no one in the world saw it but me!

Today, Eco and I went up to the 'official' dog park - it's a big source of controversy because first they didn't fence the 'designated dog area' saying that only well trained dogs that can recall perfectly should use the park. When multiple complaints came in about that city council agreed to put up a fence, but they put up a 4' high split rail fence so owners of small dogs don't want to use the area because little dogs can easily go through the rails and owners of bigger dogs don't want to use it because their dogs can easily jump over the rails. Also, there are no gates. In every other community I've ever seen dog parks have at least 4' chain link fencing and many have a special double gate area so one dog can't rush out and leave when another is entering. Clearly our city council are not dog owners or are pretending to care because what they created was a big giant failure and a big waste of money. (stepping off the soapbox now)

Anyway, back to this morning - I walked Eco up to the park hoping for her to get some off leash runningbut when I arrived I saw two people with their dogs already in the park. Eco is excellent with other dogs but has a tendency to jump on people so I walked past the 'fenced' area. Well the two dogs in the dog area saw Eco and blasted past their owners and through the opening towards Eco. I knew she would be fine, so I unleashed her so she had a fair advantage of defending herself. When the owners approached, I told them why I had walked by and they said they were prepared for jumping and they were fine with it so we walked back into the open 'dog park' area and let them all play. As it turned out, Eco was so excited to play with the other dogs that she didn't even bother the people except for a couple of accidental crashes, but all three dogs were involved with that. Eco is 2.5 years old weighing 57 pounds. Her playmates were a 6 month old collie/shepherd cross weighing about 80 pounds and a 1 year old bull mastiff who weighed 160 pounds. Eco may have been older but these young dogs had a great time rolling her over and at one point the mastiff even had her pinned. Another time they chased her so fast she ended up doing a 6' skid across the grass on her shoulder!

As soon as I finish my coffee I'll be giving her a bath as she's covered in mastiff drool and grass. Her sweet little pink and brown polkadot collar is more brown and brown at the moment so it'll need a soak too. Oh the things we do for our sweet companions!

Happy Labour Day everyone, I hope you are having a wonderful sunny day!

Il Volo

2011-09-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

Oh I think I am in love with these boys! I am crazy about way Italian sounds! Isn't it beautiful?

One day I'll learn to speak Italian!

Monkey the Dog

2011-08-29T18:14:00.001-07:00

Okay not only does this dog melt my heart because he's so cute, but the videographer/photographer. Robin Layton has an extreme talent of picking out just the right parts to make us love this little guy even more. I absolutely adore her photographs, and this video:

He's so cute. But I don't think I could watch my dog rip apart a stuffy without stepping in to stop it!

iPad plus more

2011-08-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

For my birthday Jp gave me an iPad. He thought I looked sad reading my books on the little iPod (on the little 2"x3" screen - or maybe smaller), so he surprised me with it. At first I rejected it because it's expensive and I had a good laptop computer, and I wasn't complaining and all that. But well you know, it was here and all set up and so I started to use it. It was l-o-v-e, love.

Next came a really nice case, but then Jp upgraded to a really cool case that stands up the iPad however you like it and I asked him to buy me one, so he did. It makes the whole experience even better (can you believe it?)

And just when you think it can't get any better, he surprised me again (I know, right?!) with a wireless bluetooth keyboard for the iPad.

Kabooom - that's me blowing my mind! Ka-razy! I just love it all very much. Do you have an iPad, what do you use it for mainly? Do you love it too?

Oh and he also got me addicted to Cat Physics, fun, fun, fun. It was all so great that it took my mind off my sore foot and the crappy summer we were having (it's nice now though).

I LOVE New Balance!

2011-08-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yes I am very pleased with New Balance shoes. First of all they are fabulous for fit and design and many,many people will agree with me. But their customer service is absolutely amazing. A few months ago JP wrote to them (on my behalf) telling them that my runners weren't waterproof as my feet were getting wet in the rain. New Balance said they guaranteed that the model I had was waterproof and I could come in and get a new pair! Are you kidding me?

But yes, that's exactly what they did! And let me tell you that quite some time had passed so I was completely surprised that they did a full exchange. No other company, I repeat, no other company does this - well not that I know of anyway.

I can't say enough good things about New Balance Shoes! And we are happy to make the trek to the North Delta store where they take extra good care of us!

My new shoes:

This may not be the best picture of them, because they look pretty spanky on my feet, let me tell you!

A Fork is a Fork is a Fork?

2011-08-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

At breakfast this morning, dear hubby tells me his fork feels heavy and I tell him that they all came from the same store, so they should all be the same but gee, let's just weigh it and see.

Well wouldn't you know it, 10 forks weighed 1.1 ounces and his fork (plus 1 other) weighed 1.2 ounces!

Have you ever heard of this? The man can tell the difference of .1 ounce? I think he needs to change professions to take advantage of this skill!

Sign Monkeys

2011-08-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

This is most fascinating - it's a 1935 Film on the Sign Monkeys, men who worked on the lit up Chevrolet sign in Chicago. It's only 7 minutes long but filled with terrific lingo and tells an amazing story of these skillful climbers

Sunday Reading

2011-08-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Go grab your cup of coffee or tea, and get ready to have a giggle or two as we step into the 'Way Back Machine' for : The 8 Most Baffling Food Mascots Of All Time.

Co-workers say the darndest things

2011-08-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

I just received an email from a co-worker who exclaimed "holy macro" and I don't think they intentionally tried to update the traditional saying of "holy mackerel"

Another email came in today telling me that someone's schedule was "pact". And "we have a lot on the plate now."

I bet thousands of English teachers cringe everyday thinking about the sad state of our communication skillz.*

**(done intentionally)

2011-08-04T10:39:00.001-07:00

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

-- Oscar Wilde

Balloons

2011-07-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last week it was my birthday and I gave my husband a list of things I wanted that day, such as pretty cupcakes, really good Mexican Foods, a family dog walk, balloons around the house and for my husband to make me a Denver omelet.

He came through with all of them except the family dog walk and I must say his Denver Omelet was exceptional! I had no idea he was so good at making an omelet.

When I returned from the dog walk we had balloons around the house and after a while the kid wanted to play with them and the dog. The last time we had balloons, Eco was a 1 year old and still very interested in them, but this year, not so much. And by now you've heard that Labs have 'soft mouths' and I can attest this is true in her case as she can hold the balloon without breaking it, in fact her teeth even squeak along the side of the balloon.

All the balloons in the package were plain except for one, it had a swirly pattern:

This balloon reminded me of the time when I was about 4 or 5 and someone at my daycare brought a swirly balloon for their birthday. But back then we didn't have Dollar Stores and balloons weren't cheap. In fact as far as I recall that swirly balloon was coveted by many children as they weren't that easy to come by and more expensive than the plain ones.

I told this story to the kid, but he just couldn't understand how anyone would want a balloon for their birthday. That they would want one, wish for one and long for one.

Oh my how times have changed.

PS - all the other balloons from birthday have since been popped, except this one. I think I'll look at it for a few more days.

Can your dog do this?

2011-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

We can put kibble on my sweet little dog's nose and when we tell her to take it, she will catch it in her mouth - chomp.

But she can also balance things on her head - see?

Such a good little girl.

Skinnygirl Margarita - Product Review

2011-07-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I'm a bit of a Bethenny Frankel fan, so I was excited to hear that her pre-bottled Skinnygirl Margarita was finally in Canada; I "requested" a bottle for my birthday this weekend and my sweet husband obliged.

Maybe I'm not a connoisseur of tequila or margaritas - but I really didn't like it. I wanted to like it, but I just can't. Maybe I am used to the sweeter pre-mixes from restaurants? I'm not sure, but it just wasn't for me.

I would like to try her pre-bottled Sangria, but I won't be buying another bottle of this. Have you tried it? I would like to hear your opinion.

The Bearfoot Bistro

2011-07-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

I forgot to tell you about this when I was in Whistler last month but the next time you are there, be sure to stop in to the Bearfoot Bistro for the most delish meal you'll have in a while!

There was a birthday at our table and this beautiful plate was delivered for the birthday person:

Also, when you do go there, be sure to get the ice cream - which turns from cream to ice cream right at the table with the help of Liquid Nitrogen.

It ties with my brother's homemade ice cream - delicious, smooth and creamy.

Behind the girl making ice cream was the vodka tasting room where bottles are kept in an ice wall, and you have to put on a parka to go inside for your tastes.

If it wasn't a 2.5 hour drive, I'd already have gone back, but if you're up there - go, your mouth will thank you.

I had no idea...

2011-07-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

... that my innocent desire to paint our bedroom would end up being a month long task (okay it's only been two weeks - but we're not done yet!) I would have liked to show you some photos, but it's still not ready, my side of the room anyway. After painting we decided to reconfigure the room and bought some new dressers and bookshelves - and with that came the task of dealing with years of items (ok, clutter) that must be either placed in a good spot, or discarded. For me, it's exhausting as some items were made by my late father, a skilled carpenter and woodworker and have memories attached to them.

As well, as I'm going through this task myself I'm thinking about my mother who's downsizing to 1/2 of what she has as she prepares to move to a house a few doors away from my brother. The house is better suited for her financially and locationally since she'll be so close to family. It's very hard for her to think of her mortality and all the memories linked to items as she has to decide to discard of them as well and to do this task on her own. I have the support of my husband who either talks me into getting rid of something, or talks me into keeping something or talks me into taking a break when it gets to me. I try to be there for my mom, but she's a strong willed lady and seems to be very focused on her new task - I am proud of her bravely accepting this task. In some ways I think it bothers me more than it bothers her!

It makes it a little easier to be indoors working on these chores when the weather has been so bad - and EVERYONE is talking about the weather these days - sometimes it's even the top story on the 6 o'clock news!

Well, computer break is over, I'd better get back to the task!

Barking Cat

2011-07-14T07:29:00.001-07:00

Okay I swear I have not crossed over to the cat side, but I have to share one more video with you - this is a cat who is barking like a dog until he gets caught by a human and then starts meowing....

Maru - a watchable cat

2011-07-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

So if you have nothing to do this afternoon, spend some time scrolling through the YouTube videos of a Japanese cat called Maru - he's very comical and actually quite an entertaining cat (and by now you know I'm very much a dog person)...

Money Can't Buy you Class - oh my

2011-07-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

If you're familiar with the reality TV show "Real Housewives of New York City " then you'll probably get a kick out of this horrible production but don't blame me if you end up saying "Oh my goodness, I really can't believe I watched this whole video"

Did you watch the whole thing?

A painting we will go

2011-07-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

I spent the first half of yesterday emptying and preparing our bedroom for painting. Then I painted the popcorn ceiling (which I hate but am not able to do anything about it at this time) and then the walls. I had hoped one coat would be enough, but it wasn't so we put our mattress in the kitchen and slept there last night.

Today I put a second coat on the ceiling and a third coat on the walls. My hands ache! My body aches! I think I'm falling apart prematurely, ouf.

It will be nice to have a fresh clean bedroom and by the time it needs to be done again, maybe we'll have moved or I'll hire someone to paint it. I'm just so glad paints have come so far -less smells easier on the environment, easier clean up, better coverage etc. but still it's not a fun job.

Do you like painting walls and ceilings?

Oh and HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Nature bah!

2011-06-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, add mosquitoes and crows to my "I'm not a fan of nature list" this week. Bears and squirrels have been on it for a while.

Thanks the the flooding of the Fraser River, which happens almost every June, we're getting more mosquitoes. Time for another PSA - people, please make sure to dump any standing water, it might help a bit. Stop moving for a second and you're practically covered! Even the poor dog has a bunch landing on her when she stops running.

Next on the list: crows. Normally I adore crows, they are so smart and sophisticated in their culture, but cawing loudly at 4am does not win many friends. Something's up in the neighbourhood, they've been really noisy the last couple days and at least two of them are perched in trees around my yard keeping an eye on things - maybe they can see the bear sleeping in the tree, or maybe he's sleeping in THEIR tree!?

And thanks to the squirrels and the bear - I have had to stop feeding the birds. This makes me really sad because I truly adores seeing the Goldfinches, Sparrows, Siskins, Chickadees, Juncos and Grosbeaks to name a few. Even the Flicker would stop buy a couple times a day. But after the bear smashed a bunch of them to the ground and the squirrel chewed off the little cups so he could get to the food easier, I've put the feeders away.

Grosbeak

I have no idea what's going on out there but between the animals and insects and the crappy cold and rainy weather, it's not so fun being outside at the moment.

I sure hope JULY will deliver the summer we are so desperately needing! What's nature doing for you?

Scat!

2011-06-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

I am not a fan of nature right now.

Yesterday when I was working in the garden, I heard 'water' falling from a height, since no one around me was on their balcony, I'm pretty sure that was our neighbourhood black bear who can be seen sleeping in a tree in the yard next door. I guess if you're 30' up and laying on a branch, you might just pee from up there too.

Local warning sign

Later I was in the corner of the yard pruning some plants and I was thinking about the bear and all sorts of related scenarios, when suddenly I realized it was really quiet - no humans making noise, no birds chirping, then I heard some dogs bark - the ones that usually alert us when the bear's on the move - so when I heard a leaf fall and bounce through all the branches of the tree above me I just about gave myself a heart attack with an overactive imagination!

I was in the yard around 7:30 last night and then went inside. Around 10pm I made lots of noise and entered my yard to let Eco out, shining my flash light all over the place - and then I found it - a big pile of bear scat!!!! That bugger had already been through my yard and took a dump in it!!! Yah, we went right back inside....

Yep, I really did post a picture of poop

7 Boxes

2011-06-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

When I was in Whistler last week, I met a lady who had just returned from six months in abroad where she lives in a community of like minded travelers, teaches yoga and makes jewelry with whatever she can find (mainly shells and beads). She loves this lifestyle so much that she has done this trip several times, once staying for up to a year and a half; she she returns to the Vancouver area and works in a spa, saving up enough money for her next trip. She was even able to completely write off one trip because she studied while she was there - that's a nice bonus! She says she thinks of every $10 she gets as 1 night's stay.

A view from our hotel room

Just before it's time for her to return she emails her resume to various salons or spas and by the time she lands back here, she's ready to start working. This lady is organized and efficient!

When I asked her about her possessions, she said she has it down to 7 boxes - no sense paying for storage unnecessarily. She said the first couple of times she edited her possessions upon her return; as she opened her boxes she realized she no longer wanted or needed those items. Now she says she edits before she boxes everything up.

I found her story very interesting and inspiring and I am grateful to have met her. Although I'm not that kind of traveler - I'm too grounded in one place to leave for that long of a time, it was interesting to ponder her life for a bit. I am guilty of having way too many things and have been working on hard not only on purging items but I have also greatly reduced what I bring in. Many times I have been in a store and decided I didn't really LOVE that item enough to bring it home. And thanks to e-readers and online magazines I'm also letting many of my paper subscriptions expire in favour of online subscriptions. (Even more so during our Canadian Postal Employee Strike). Don't get me wrong, I still love books and magazines, but I can greatly reduce the amount that stay in my small home but taking advantage of their online availability.

I have also stopped buying craft supplies unless I need something for a current project - no more buying for things I want to make 'someday'. And with my carpal tunnel, I have had to slow down my knitting and crocheting so I'm not even at the yarn store as much as I used to be, although they do still remember me when I have stopped in.

And I continue to think about her lifestyle where she works in a spa and as a yoga instructor - she has chosen wisely, not getting bogged down with possessions or home ownership, not spreading herself too thin, focusing her time and energy on what she really enjoys. I choose to keep her in my thoughts and remind myself of her life, and it's simplicity and realize how I made things more complicated than they needed to be. For example, my garden.

A tiny section of my garden

When I first moved here, the yard had nothing in it but an apple tree and a pear tree and because of the shape of the streets, seven houses could look into my backyard. In the beginning I spent hours each day working on my garden especially working on obtaining some privacy, but my interest has dropped off - being in the backyard garden isn't as much fun with the noisy neighbours, or the smell of someone's backyard fire, or the chance that the bear could hop over the fence at any time - and of course another year with rotten spring weather. Maybe I'll get my garden mojo back, maybe I won't. Maybe I'll purge and prune it back to simplify it as well.

Did I really need to make everything so complicated?

Bye Bye Birdie + Holy &^%$ a Bear! (again)

2011-06-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I let the dog out in our backyard and found the pole with my birdfeeders on the ground and my feeders basically destroyed. Then as I went around to the front of the house down the driveway to take Eco for a walk, for the first time in my life, I found the contents of my garbage can strewn across my front yard - something had dragged it about 10' feet from where it was. I don't like picking up my garbage from my lawn. But my garbage can was not the only one of interest - during our walk I saw about 8 cans turned over with the contents scattered over people's lawns or the street.

Later in the day, I smelled something fishy in the yard and as I followed my nose, I peered over a neighbour's fence to find that young black bear having a lounge along their fence. He was about as surprised about me as I was about him. I called Wildlife Canada but they didn't care. Even though we are a block away from an elementary school it, they didn't care. The RCMP will only do something if the bear is actively threatening someone.

After alerting the neighbours, he was seen a couple more times later in the day. I spoke with a lady is is managing the Bear Aware program and she happened to be at our school earlier in the day to talk to the kids about bears in the neighbourhood! She said she'd be coming door to door in our neighbourhood to talk to people about this bear. She figured that because he's so comfortable around us (not only by lounging amongst us, but being out during the day), that he would most likely have to be killed before the end of summer.

So no more birdfeeders for me. I will miss my sweet little companions. I will have to leave the feeding to people who can hang the feeders off their balconies of their two story houses. As well, we'll have to find a way to keep our garbage in the house until the morning of garbage day. Did you know there is a by-law about putting your garbage out the night before? I guess many people don't know that because I've seen lots of people putting their garbage out the night before.

And after I was sure the bear was no longer in the neighbouring yards, I continued to search for the bad smell. I found the source - a poor animal that crawled under my shed to die. I will try to throw some dirt on it, but in the mean time, I will not be spending too much time outside - good thing it's cold and crappy weather!

Edited: First, he WAS still in the neighbouring yard - he was sleeping in a tree in the yard beside me, I couldn't see him, but my neighbours could and then, he was in my front yard last night around 11pm, about 8 feet from my front door - eeep!

What a day!

What are the odds?

2011-06-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

Around February, we bought a new car and about 1 month later the windshield was hit with a rock. For the next couple of weeks, while we were waiting for a new windshield to arrive (there are not too many windshields around for 2012 cars yet) the crack traveled up and across the window.

Finally on Friday a new windshield was installed.

But then, less than 24 hours later:

Believe me there were some blue words said about this!!!! Rock chip #2!!!! For all you long time drivers, how many rocks have hit your windshield and bounced right off? It's not that common for them to actually chip the window - at least not in my experience. But a second chip this quickly? I think that's just crazy.

I would have thought there would have been a better chance to have won the lottery than to get second rock chip this quickly. It's not like we're driving logging roads either!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

Watch this, it's EVERYTHING Father's Day!!!

All Quiet on the Western Front

2011-06-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Today it's pouring rain in Vancouver and it's pretty quiet out here, normalcy is returning. I am still unpacking from my trip to Whistler earlier in the week. Jp, who travels regularly, was unpacked within an hour of getting home, suitcase put away. Me? Nope, I am still sorting everything out and managed to get the lawn mowed last night before today's rains. Today is laundry day. And thanks to the rain, there will also be 1 full load of towels used to dry off my very absorbant dog.

Eco stayed with the neighbours while we were away, which I'm sure is great fun for her since they have a dog about the same size as her and they enjoy rough-housing on a daily basis. As well, my neighbours allow dogs on their furniture and on their beds, and so Eco quickly adapts by taking over a couch and sprawling out. She is smart enough to not even attempt this behaviour upon her return to our house.

Tomorrow is Father's Day and so The Kid is cooking his dinner - I told him he had to pick the food and I'd buy the ingredients. He chose Fettuccine Alfredo and cookies, so I'll be 'supervising' him on the cooking and baking.

And that's it for now, a pretty normal rainy weekend. I'll post more about Whistler soon.

Vancouver is embarassed

2011-06-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

To the rest of the world, the riot following the Canucks/Bruins Stanley Cup Hockey game last night is an embarrassment, and many of us are extremely angry at the rioters (mainly young males) who caused so much damage to the city.

My heart broke to see the police cars on fire. I would have liked to have seen the army there to shut the situation down as fast as possible. I would have liked to see the police blast those who were in the downtown core with water or tear gas or what have you because those thousand individuals cost the rest of us in the province a lot of money that our taxes will have to make up - and we will have to pull money from education and healthcare, etc to pay for this horrific event.

Seeing looting of The Bay, London Drugs and other stores was very sad. Learning that the audience from The Queen Elizabeth Theatre who had come to watch the second night performance of Wicked were locked in the building and basically held captive was appalling. Watching innocent by-standers cars/trucks be destroyed was dreadful. I'm just so glad there weren't any children caught in it.

Don't blame the police they did the best they could, and for some reason society watches them more closely than anyone else. And perhaps with all the video that the crowd took and will most likely post all over the internet, I hope the cops can make multiple arrests. These people were fearless, disrespectful and ignorant and they all deserve to pay. I hope their parents are embarrassed but the reality is that the parents were probably just as drunk/stoned/whatever and cheering them on.

The police should have pushed them back into the ocean, like lemmings - if they're going to act like animals they should be treated by animals. I don't know if anyone died last night, but that would be a real shame to lose your life to such a meaningless event. And although I feel that we could have had more police a little sooner - I thank each and every emergency responder last night for doing at terrific job. There better not be any stories of police wrongdoings following this event because they did the best they could. I know I wouldn't have been able to face that crowd down, that's for sure.

We are embarrassed and angry at those 15-25 year old boys that ruined the city and tarnished our name in the eyes of the world. My faith in humanity is slowing being restored as I hear about all the wonderful volunteers that are in the downtown core today cleaning up the mess. I've even been told that the students at the Vancouver Culinary Institute is handing out treats to the volunteers - now that's a little more what Vancouver is known for.

Something better to look at

2011-06-10T23:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of a dinner I made, I thought you would prefer these to my last post.

Here's the before - the meatball ingredients before mixing:

Now they go in the oven for cooking:

And now the finished dinner:

Isn't that much better to look at. I would eat this! And I did!

I will NEVER eat this!

2011-06-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were passing through an Asian supermarket when Jp spied this item:

I will NEVER eat this.

In fact if I ever travel through Asia or India I think I would find many things I would not eat, it's a good thing I like rice and noodles. I've eaten snake and alligator, and some interesting items at Japanese restaurants but I would never be on Fear Factor eating bugs or worms that's for sure.

What's the most extreme thing you've (knowingly) eaten?

Muguet de Bois

2011-06-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend spring and summer finally arrived all at once. And I am convinced that because of our unseasonably cold and rainy spring, my garden is behind - I'm pretty sure that Lily of the Valley (aka Mugeut de Bois) is supposed to be one of the first spring flowers but mine didn't come out until June 1st.

They have such a pretty smell for such a tiny little flower, too bad they don't last very long.

A fashionable office

2011-06-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Since I have a desk job and I'm at that desk for 40+ hours a week, I might as well surround myself with things I like, right?

So first came the shoe tape dispenser (bought locally)

And then came the purse post-it dispenser (bought in Seattle)

And then came the shoe bank (bought in the Okanagan)

Here's the story: Jp was recently out of town and ended up at an airport where he saw the shoe bank in a window, but it was behind security which means you need a boarding pass to get to the store. Luckily he knew someone at the airport and asked him for some help. From there they managed to get the shop to bring the shoe bank to another kiosk they owned in the front of the airport so he could buy it just for me. Apparently they had just put it in the window about an hour before he found it for me. Isn't it gorgeous? I absolutely love it. And what a thoughtful husband I have.

Now I shall have to fill it with loonies or toonies to support my on-going shoe habit.

Fashion Drawing

2011-06-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you like fashion and you like drawing - check out this website by New York artist Richard Haines. Very inspiring.

Happy Birthday Marilyn

2011-06-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

Today is Marilyn Monroe's birthday - she was born in 1926 and is probably as popular today as when she was alive as both a cultural icon and sex symbol. Happy Birthday to you...

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." - Marilyn Monroe

Reading 2011

2011-05-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Kid is sitting at the kitchen table working on his homework and I look over and see him tracing a picture from the computer screen. I have never seen anyone trace from a computer screen, nor have I even thought of the idea.* Homework sure has changed over the years! When I was a kid, we would have to prepare in advance by making sure we looked up things in the library during the week and to bring home the necessary resources for the weekend project. If you forgot to do so, you'd have to cobble together something from the set of encyclopedias that you might be lucky enough to have in your house.

It appears that today, homework is done by gathering data from the internet; and I assume that now teachers grade the work based on how well the kids cut and paste it all together - basically they are junior editors - not by how succinctly they can put together sentences. And this may also be the reason why at work I see so many poorly constructed emails and poor spelling (which shouldn't occur at all since just about every computer and phone with text messaging has a spell checker). In many cases, I find that emails from people that have university degrees are often the worst for spelling errors and poor diction. And it seems to me formal education has less to do with good writing and grammar, but usually the people who write and compose the best are those that read a lot - thank goodness for books! If you don't mind getting a soft cover, books are often not that expensive - often around $10 - $15, or less if you buy an electronic version. I am not a big reader like some people I know who read fast and can devour books in mere days, but I read a fair amount - I often have a magazine tucked in my purse, a book on my night-table and several books on my computer or iPod. There was a time when I would proudly show off my two little bookcases to people in my early apartment and tell them that I had read every book on the shelves. I can't say that today - today I am one of these people who owns more books than I have read, but I'm okay with that. They all get looked at from time to time.

It also seems to run in the family -not just me but my mom has a large collection of books and so does my brother - who has a couple bookcases of just cookbooks alone! About a decade ago it looked like the book world was doomed, but along came Amazon and Chapters and then e-readers and the industry seemed to be looking up. Every time I have stepped into a Chapters store there have always been lots of people in the store, and they are not just there because of the Starbucks either.

So perhaps there is stil hope for reading and writing after all. What do you think? Are you a reader? And tell me how your kids do their homework, I am really curious about that as well.

*Not to mention that I was taught to avoid touching your computer screen so that it wouldn't be damaged!

Website review - The Burning House

2011-05-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

The Burning House is a website where people take a photos of the items they'd take with them if their house was burning. I find it quite interesting and thought if it was raining where you are this long weekend, that you'd enjoying looking through it too.

I've long said that the first thing I would do was to make sure my dog was safe. I don't think I could save my fish though. I too would probably grab some things like my computer and harddrive, jewelry, camera and wallet. It's hard to say what I would think of at that moment.

My father's family lost their home when he was young due to fire and barely anything survived. He always said 'fire is final' and boy does that sure seem to be true. I can't imagine what the poor people of Slave Lake, Alberta are going through - 300 homes plus countless other city buildings. So much of the town burned that many don't even think there is anything to go back to. They don't have a job anymore, and/or the school burned down so they kids can't even return to school - it's just so hard to believe.

May you never have to loose your home to fire, tsunami, the Rapture.... well I guess if the Rapture happened, you wouldn't be reading this.... so then forget what I said....

FO - Knit Beard

2011-05-21T11:53:00.001-07:00

The kid saw a toque with attached knit beard and was interested in getting one, however, I did not have any of the yarn that it required and so just for funsies quickly knit up this seed stitch version that you tie onto your face. He really liked it.

Today is "Are You Somebody Day"

2011-05-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

According to the Hallmark website "May 20th - Are You Somebody Day Honors everybody for who they are -- whether they're "somebody" or not. " I can't find any more details about this special day, so I suspect the card companies had something to do with it's creation, however, it's still a good day to give ourselves a hug and remind ourselves how special we are and how much we are loved by family and friends. In Canada this is a long weekend, with Monday being the Victoria Day holiday so I am pretty sure that many of us will be kicking it back because for many of us, this is our first long weekend without specific plans (like Easter) and in many areas it's sunny and warm and it's the perfect time to kick back and relax with family, friends or both.

And, for many of us we'll be busy working hard doing renovations and/or sweating in the garden or yard. Whatever you choose to do this long weekend, I hope you have a safe and happy one! Cheers!

Backyard Bear!

2011-05-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

Eeep! Big news in my neighbourhood! There was a yearling bear going through all our backyards (Jp says it was the size of a Volkswagen); maybe a bit smaller than this one. Eco started to growl and bark and I saw something black and furry in a tree in the corner of my yard, but I didn't get a good enough look at it and assumed it was a big cat, but she kept growling which was odd. Then my neighbour who has a good balcony view of several yards phoned me to tell me it was heading our way and I could hear dogs in several yards barking like crazy. I saw it in the yard right behind me, but unfortunately by the time I ran for my camera he had hopped the fence out of view - but believe me!!! Lock up your kitties! That's a little too close for comfort!!!

Update - May 19th - only one day after a bear was seen roaming through several backyards, imagine my surprise to see many of the same people put their garbage at the end of the driveway for pickup tomorrow - gee, why don't you just give him a trail of honey to follow? Garbage cans = bear smorgasbord! We are so out of touch with nature and it's amazing creatures, we no longer understand how to co-exist.

Bad Misquotes

2011-05-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for laughing at the bad spellers out there, but really people, we should be doing a little better at it these days - especially when it's so easier to get to an on-line dictionary or use spell checker.

Today I received an email from a co-worker in another city who asked if I was having problems with "misquotes" No, I couldn't think of anything, I replied; what an odd thing to ask me, I thought. However, when I read more of his email, I discovered that this university grad (which seems to mean less and less these days) was trying to spell....wait for it..... "mosquitoes"!!! Yes, he was complaining about getting bitten by these nasty little insects!!!!

Stay in school kids! (Especially you Chuck - even though you're a fabulous speller for your age!!!)