Baby Tia

Here are some recent baby picutres of Fletcher's new aunt (sounds so weird!) Tia will be 6 weeks old on Wednesday and will join our family when she is at least 9 weeks. We just can't wait!

Happy Easter!

So I'm back to "normal" if you can call it that. We had a great long-weekend visit in White Rock with my parents and family, and Daryl is now back in Toronto. Fletcher and I are alone again, with the fish. sniff sniff.

However, we were left with quite the task. On April 1st we decided to do some red-neck gardening by pulling out the juniper bushes in front of our house by tying them to the truck and backing away. Who know this would work! With the neighbours all watching we pulled, one by one, the 4 huge bushes from the front mound of death (as I called it). This is what we are left with!

So, this week I will be turning the soil, which is mostly sand, and mixing in some good earth and laying some sod. I have lots of plants from my mom's garden that she didn't want to leave behind...so I'm slowly developing a green thumb!

The mini is for sale. Daryl and I have decided that it is time, as we just don't have the time, patience or skill (read: money) to do the things we need to for this little beast. Spud has been a great member of our family for 5 years now, and he will be missed. But I know that someday I will have another...one that is safe to drive on the roads!

On Sunday we were at my cousin's home for dinner, and the meal was amazing! Vince (yes, I have a cousin Vinny) is the operations manager at Mountain View Conservation and Fletcher decided to get a closer sniff of a Moor Gazelle. This may look like a deer to the lay-person, but in fact there are only about 300 left in the world, and none in the wild. Vince has hand raised many of the exotic animals on the farm, and is just amazing with all of them. If you happen to be in Langley you MUST stop in for a tour, the animals you see will blow your mind!

I'm starting a fund raising project for Mountain View by hand carving designs into the ostrich eggs that are collected. When I complete my first one I'll post a photo. I hope to sell these at the farmer's market and other locations in the Loops.

I've also found what I would like the front entrance to our home to look like. Right now we have plywood and grout...but someday it will be magnificent!

Oh, and the truck is sold

Week in Review

Sorry for the lack of updates, but this one will be an all-inclusive, Cuba-libre and nachos kind of a deal.

Daryl came home last Wednesday and its been great...kind of weird as Fletch and I got into our own routines which are now thrown off kilter with the presence of another! Chow loves the fact that he isn't home alone all day, but isn't thrilled that Daryl took him to Petcetera to have a bath. For a dog that loves the water and swimming and getting rocks so much, one would think that he would like baths. Not so much. He gives you the most pathetic looks and just stands there, sadness oozing from every hair on his body.

We spent the weekend in K-town visiting with family and friends up at Big White. The Schmuelers adopted another puppy, Guinness, who is adorable! He was the annoying little brother to Fletch, not leaving him alone for one second. Chow was so patient, sort of. We celebrated Blake, Alicia and Twyla's March birthdays by making them stand on chairs at the restaurant and singing to them. It was awesome!

My dad gave us all a scare on Saturday evening. While at a wine tasting he got very weak and grey and ended up leaving in the ambulance, thanks to the persistence of party members who are doctors and nurses. He is fine, looks like a case of low blood sugar and low blood pressure. The absolutely great news that came from this was, not only is his heart just great (ECG and enzyme tests were all super) but my dad now finally believes that the entire world is not lying to him by saying that smoking is bad for you! What? You mean it isn't a conspiracy? My mom and dad were at the Dr's yesterday and he actually asked his doctor how he could help him quite smoking! I think that is the best news of the century! Daryl and I are so happy and proud, and support him with anything he needs to kick that stinky habit!

Today marks the one month count down to their moving to the Loops. And again, we couldn't be happier! It will be so great having my parents close to us again, for weekend picnics and Sunday dinners and hands-on help with the computer when they need it! Daryl and I are so happy that they decided to come this way. Not only does moving out of the unbelievably overinflated and over-priced housing market of the lower mainland ease their financial load, but it will also allow us to spend that much more time with them in the non-rushed shove everything into 2 day weekend visits that we've been having for the past 2 years. Daryl and my dad have a very unique connection which is just awesome. Maybe it's the fact that papa never had a son, and that a tragic accident changed Daryl's dad forever, but they seem to really bond. After all, they are Captain and Commodore of the blue boat (yet to be named!) And of course, we are so excited about the amazing meals that we're going to have with the mama!

We've decided to sell the truck. Daryl was very sad, but the 1 tonne is so underutilized and costs just a bit more than we want to fork out these days. Daryl is writing up the ads now and we hope it sells while he is home, that way I don't have to deal with it! Once it sells then the bike can be insured and we'll all be happy (except Chow - cause he can't hang on tight enough). So if you know of anyone looking for a Dodge 3500 in amazing condition with low kms that was babied by its owner, let me know!
Daryl has his surgery today at 11:40 and he seems more excited about it than nervous, which is a good think I guess. The doctor was also very excited as he has rarely seen a tumor like this...only in the medical books! I'll let everyone know if he gets to keep it, as requested. He's so weird.
Well, my work say should get started now. Talk to you all later!

The Pups Today

Here is an updated shot of the suckling pups at 2 weeks old! Aren't they adorable!

Wonderful Weekend Weather

I didn't mean for that to come out as quite the simile, but oh well! We did have a magnificent weekend in the Loops. With temperatures reaching 14C on Saturday, and 16C on Sunday, who could complain!?! Fletcher and I did lots of gardening, as last year was our first spring in the new home and we had no idea what to expect. Now that we know what flowers (and weeds) are abundant, we went hacking. It was very satisfying to look at once we were done. We will be replacing the old and tired looking bark mulch chips with lava rock (or similar) in the front garden, so it looks very barren right now. I'm saving the heavy work, like shoveling rocks, for when Daryl comes home! 2 more sleeps! Photos to follow.

The real causes of global warming.

Click on the image for animation.

Spring Fling?

I thought it was spring. I spent hours in the garden last weekend weeding, cleaning up poo from the yard, and mulch from the flower beds. I pruned some of the trees to let the light reach the lower gardens, swept the patio, picked up pine needles and cones (2 huge garbage bins full) and even cooked on the BBQ! Spring was here, I was happy. This is Fletcher sitting at his mark (note the small pink flower stencil still on the glass fence, Fletcher must sit here, and only here. Must have been an actor in a previous life)
Then, just as a spring break fling vanishes from your life in an instant, so did the warm weather. I woke up this morning, after being sick as a dog yesterday, to find over 2" of snow. Fletcher thought it was winter again and obviously forgot what snow was. He was out jumping and frolicking in the white stuff in the non poop-free garden like he hadn't seen snow in years. Crazy mutt. I'm not shovelling. I refuse. Besides, it is suppose to go up to 13C today, so it can all melt. Global Warming? Whatever.
Mama, it snowed!

SPRING!

With the warm weather and sunny days come the buds of spring. Here are some photos of the greenery I've been trying not to kill. Daryl's pepper plant, Ferdinand. After 10 months, we now have our first flowers!!
The African violet that I thought died 3 times. I now have purple flowers!
My Christmas cactus that died when I brought it home, is now going to bloom for Easter!

This is what the last litter from the same mama looked like...

Corgi Pup Anyone?

We found a great breeder of Welsh Pembroke Corgis, and her mama just gave birth to...wait for it...11 pups on Wednesday. Daryl has put a reserve on one of the red & white females for his mom, who can't wait for the new addition to the family. Honestly, neither can we. They are so cute and tiny! Don't you think the Chow would like a little sister? Ok, maybe not...maybe just a cousin. YAY for puppies!

GUILTY!

The other morning I found the CHOW snoring away on the bed in my newly decorated guest bedroom. I guess he figured that no one was using it, so he may as well sleep comfortably! Spoiled mutt!

How Not to Renovate

I could start a TV show on how not to proceed with home renovations.
#1 Don't start anything you don't intend to finish
#2 Don't start anything out of boredom.

We've been talking about our gastly front entrance with the 1970's tiles, which all the grout is starting to crack and fall apart. I think we are going with a tile "front entrance matt" type of thing, framed with hardwood and carring the wood down the rest of the hall way, replacing all the tile and the Bird's of Paradise carpet.

I was bored, grabbed a crow bar and hammer and attacked. After about 20 minutes, I was bored of this too, and stopped. Shit...now what?



There was so much more to do, but I had some common sense to STOP before I ripped up the whole house.
Fortunately, the portion that I removed can be almost completely covered by a hideous green cut of carpet...At least we aren't walking on thin-set and plywood!
When does Daryl come home? I think we are going to learn to tile a floor! WOOHOO!
Opps.

Apparently some people aren't mighty trackers, here they are for the lay person.

Coyotes!

I woke up this morning and thought that I was seeing things. Fletch comfirmed that, indeed, there were beasts in our back yard. A pack of about 20 coyotes were out at 6:30 this morning, yippin and yappin and having a great time! Spring is in the air...maybe they will have baby coyotes! And the Chow will come home with a new friend! Good grief!
They are a little hard to see, but there are 3 in the centre of the photo, just right and back from the large tree on the left.

Corgi Anyone?

We are on a mission. A mission of such importance that is surpasses all other missions that I've been assigned. The mission: to find a female corgi puppy for Twyla. We are searching high and low for an acceptable pooch. My only fear, if we find one and I fall in love and want to keep it!

3 months!

So as of today, I've officially completed my first 3 months with the City! I can't believe how fast the time has gone, and so far all that I've accomplished in this short time. The nostalgia of a new job hasn't worn off, which is good, and I still very much enjoy what I'm doing. There are some crazy people out there, I wish I could share the stories here! But this is a public site, and I want to keep my job!
I don't know if Fletcher is too thrilled, however. I'm not home like I was when I wasn't working, and I can't take him to work...yet. We're still working on that rule! But soon my parents will be in the Loops and Chow will have g-ma and g-pa all day long. He will be so happy.
Poor Chow, he got beat up by a cat on Saturday when all he was trying to do was snuggle. When we were kitty sitting Stella and Delilah, Fletch would lie down and one or both of the felines would curl into his pantaloons or in between his paws. He will deny this if you ask, but we were witnesses and have proof. Anyhow, he thought that Colby was a nice, snugly cat; boy was he wrong! We came home with a bloody eye, scratched up brow and gash across the bridge of his nose. I think it hurt his dignity over the physical pain. No more mister nice guy to cats! Watch out kittys...

These are from Wanda's page...I nearly peed myself with them. Enjoy.

Early Easter Bunny

Whistler Sleddin' Photos

What do you mean stop when I hit the trees?

Here I come!

Careful, I'm a little out of control!

Oh no...this isn't gonna be good.

Help me! I've fallen and I can't reach my drink!

I'm trapped and you grab a camera!
At least I wasn't the only one who flipped!
Beautiful scenery...

I'm in so much pain. Muscles I didn't know I even had are hurting, calling out for medication to numb the ache. It's more than an ache; it’s a stabbing, crippling, agonizing recoil of all things that once felt good on my body.
On Saturday we went sleddin' in the Callahan, just outside of Whistler. The snow was thick and wet, the heavy, goopy kind of pack that weighs more than you originally expected. I am slowly recovering from the many barrel rolls and flips that I inadvertently preformed on my Phazer...did I mention that I'm in pain?
Photos to follow...too sore to get up and find the camera.

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!

Distant Love Day

Wishing everyone out there a happy Valentine's Day. I'm all alone today, Daryl is in Toronto, Fletcher went home with my parents, and all I have left are the fish. Fish don't snuggle well... So hug the one you love, hug them once for me!

What Planet are YOU from?

I am from MARS

You're energetic, althletic, and totally hyperactive.You love playing sports and being in the middle of all of the action.You're independent, corageous, and brave. Unafraid to do things your way.Mars can be reckless, quick tempered, and a little too spontaneous.So think before you act - and resist your natural urges to dominate others.

Ha ha! I'm from Mars! Who would have thought...

Weekend Report

I had nothing extreme planned for this weekend. I was not going to do any renovations, I wasn't going to paint a room, replace flooring, change a toilet out or swap light fixtures. By all accounts on Friday I was just going to have a quiet weekend alone. This is why I don't do quiet!
I don't even remember Friday night, so I have no comment.
Saturday was spent scrapbooking and finally using the gift certificate I received for my Birthday! I finished 2 albums (our 2003 x-country trip) and then started playing the piano. I went curling, sort of, had some photos printed, went for dinner, had a few drinks (the one slushy apple one was horrible!) and went to an open-mike night at Cowboy Coffee. The duo, James Wolf, were awesome, and by far in my top three faves for live performers at open-mike. Thanks to T&B & kids for the intros and great company, as always...
Sunday I was surprised that my parents decided to make the trek to the Loops through the snowfall on the Coquihalla. I found out later that although it was snowing here, the highway was clear the whole way. I was in a mad panic to clean the house a little for their pending visit...I can't remember the last time I vacuumed the TV room...hum... Last night my dad and I were given tickets to the Blazers hockey game and they destroyed the visiting Portland Winter Hawks 8-0, the last 3 goals within 2 minutes! My dad and I hadn't been to a hockey game in over 15 years, and we had a great time.
Today, I'm sleepy...maybe I'm getting sick.

PIANO!

The piano is being delivered today! No, I did not just purchase a piano! Silly, this is my piano from when I was very young. It has been moved from Toronto to Montreal, to the cottage and then Vancouver, and will soon have a permanenet home in the Loops! I think I will put it in the trampouline room, as it seems to have great accoustics when Chow and I practice our howling. As I am alone in the house these days it is the perfect time to practice and remember what it was like to play! I can't recall the last time I actually played anything other than chop-sticks with my niece Alicia!
Oh the Christmas carols that we will sing! Taking requests for sing-alongs!

Guest Room is Open!

I've finally finished (for now) the renos of our guest room. I stripped the old wall paper, removed the chair-rails and base, and repainted everything. If I had the time, energy and the money, I would have ripped the carpet out and put down hard wood floor. Someday!
This is an old dresser that had seen better days, that I refinished and painted. The photo does not do it justice, but it looks amazing! I am very proud!
Some shots of the guest room...taking reservations for the 2007 season!

Blog Dog

An update about Blog Dog Fletcher, aka the chow. He is now officially registered in Kamloops as a dog. I could not believe what a process it was for me to get a dog license for him (we were bad and didn't register him last year). I thought that since I now work for the City, I should lead by example. The nightmare that it was to "prove" that the chow was neutered was unbelievable! As he was born in Quebec, his original vet papers are all en francais...nobody here speaks that crazy french talk and didn't realize that "male-châtrer” means castrated male. Pardon? I threatened to bring Fletch in with me, and they could lift his pantaloons and see for themselves that he, pardon the expression, has no balls!
Well, they finally agreed about the gender of the chow, and he is registered in this fine city of ours. But my goodness...the hassles we go though for that mutt! Gotta love him!

So I'm going to add to my previously mentioned list of "crap" to do...cause this stuff is important as well.

• go through our wedding photos and FINALLY pick the ones that go in the album
• finish the scrapbook of our 2003 trip across Canada and the US (I know, I'm slow)
• finish the scrapbook of our work trip in Russia (again, 2003)
• start the scrapbook for our Honeymoon in Australia (I'm only a year out on this one!)
• find a local carpenter/cabinet/book case maker to start the process for our built-in cabinets in the trampoline room
• pick a carpet for the TV room, as the vomit pink is starting to get to me
• replant my Christmas cactus plants, as they have completely outgrown their 4" pots, and are probably root-bound, but I will attempt to save them!

I don't need to worry much as most of these line items require little financial input. I just need to find the time!

Going Crazy

Unfinished projects make me crazy. Every time I walk into a room they just jump out at me. No drapes, holes in the wall, no door stop, a chip in the paint or complete lack of paint, only half of the baseboard in place, chair rails missing. The thing that makes me craziest is that the unfinished project is that only because we lack time and energy. You see, all of the supplies needed to complete most of the household projects that stare me in the face from the moment I wake until the moment I slumber live in the workshop or the garage. They call to me while I sleep - "please, come and get me, I'm ready to complete your project." If only I could learn the 'get by on 4 hours of sleep' technique. Then, maybe I would have fewer projects on my to do list.My wish list of things to do includes the following:

• Finish painting the guest room
• Re-install baseboards and chair rails in guest room
• Reno the guest bathroom (much bigger job than I imagined)
• Complete Emergency Preparedness Packs (I attended a Pandemic Planning Workshop…’nuf said)
• Go to the optometrist for new glasses
• Finish Organizing the Garage - this will happen in the spring
• Refinish my old trunk

It felt good to be self sufficient today. And, if the way I feel about painting the guest room the most lovely shades of Martian Meadow and Harvest Brown and being half way done with baseboards and chair rails is any indicator of how great I'll feel with the other stuff done, I'd be willing to take a bet or two. Stay tuned.