Happy Birthday To Me!
So now that I'm officially old, according to friends and some family members, I'm going to make a resolution to get back into the swing of updating the blog on a more regular basis. It has been totally slacking, mainly due to the fact that the summer weather forces us outside and the last thing I'm thinking about is sitting in front of a computer! Alas, that will all change and we will be back to business as usual.
Starting tomorrow.

August 15 - New Moon?
I will start by apologizing. It's been over a month since my last post, and I can't even begin to summarize what's happened, but I will try.
Camping, boating, hiking, sailing, biking, paddling, swimming, floating...the usual! I haven't been doing any home reno's, just some gardening and cleaning of the crap that has accumulated over the last while.
Daryl & I decided that him working and living in Toronto was not the best thing for our relationship at this time, and that he would have to find something closer to home - or change the rotation. So he did. Monday he left for the Yukon to start his 2 & 2 rotation at the Minto Project. Much better than 6 weeks out, home for 3 days. We'll see how this goes...his peeps in the Loops miss him too much.
Work has been very cyclical - full of ups and downs, some busy days and other where I find myself searching for things to do. That might all change, soon enough. There are prospects on the horizon.
The weather in the Loops has been amazing for July and what we've seen so far of August. I hope it keeps up for a few more weeks at least!
That's it in a nutshell. Someday I'll find the camera and upload some photos.

Freak House - Should Have Stayed in Bed

My house is possessed. What a way to start off on a Monday...flooded front lawn. I spent hours on Saturday planting grass seed in the bald spots around the new landscaping only to have it washed away by my freakin' Satanistic sprinklers. Sometime, between 10:30pm Sunday and stupid early this morning my front lawn sprinklers decided that they should be on. I was making a morning smoothie, heard the sound of oscillating sprinklers and thought to myself 'self, the neighbours don't have oscillating sprinklers'. I went upstairs and was mortified. At least a 1 inch pool of water where my lawn use to be...and the friggin' English Channel running down Qu'Appelle. Crap. Not quite the word I used, but this is a rated site. I tried to reset, I tried to unplug, finally I resorted to turning the water valve off - we have no water in our home today. I'll deal with this when I get home. After all, there is no reason to worry about the new grass seed drying out - it's all been washed away down the road!
Time to head to work. I get my riding gear on and press the garage door open button - nothing. Only the light flickers on. No motor, no magical opening of said garage door. I try the other. Nothing. Crap crap. I hand crank the door open and pony walk my bike out, and as I'm passing under the garage door which is propped open with a rickety broom handle I think to myself 'self, this garage door will fall on you and pin you to the concrete driveway for hours before someone finds you - could be days.' I have nothing to eat. I panic and walk faster. The garage door does not fall on me. I release the door - I don't want burglars today.
Riding to work I try to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather, the fresh clean air, the gorgeous views that go sailing past. Traffic jam. What? Where am I. In the Loops we don't have traffic jams! You wait one light and THAT'S a traffic jam! Accident. Crap. I contemplate turning around and calling it quits for the day. Are these signs? I weave my way through traffic and take the back roads and make it to work with time to spare. I think about not changing into 'girl clothes' and leaving my riding gear on all day. My jab at the system. Not today. I change, get my cappuccino (French vanilla - thanks Timmy) and lay my head on my desk. It's not even 8:30.
Happy Anniversary - wish you were here.

Weekend Giggle

A blind man wanders into an all girls biker bar by mistake. He finds his way to a bar stool and orders some coffee. After sitting there for a while, he yells to the bartender, "Hey, you want to hear a blonde joke?"

The bar immediately falls absolutely silent. In a very deep, husky voice, the woman next to him says, "Before you tell that joke, sir, I think it's only fair, since you are blind, that you should know five things:
1. The bartender is a blonde girl with a baseball bat.
2. The bouncer is a blonde girl.
3. I'm a 6-foot tall, 175 lb. Blonde with a black belt in karate.
4. The woman sitting next to me is blonde and a professional weightlifter.
5. The lady to your right is blonde and a professional wrestler.

Now, think about it seriously, Mister. Do you still want to tell that joke?"
The blind man thinks for a second, shakes his head, and mutters, "No….Not if I'm going to have to explain it five times."

Why Did the Chipmunk Fall Out Of the Tree?

That was the question from the past weekend. And it isn't actually a strange question...really...once you hear the story.

To celebrate our Nation's Birthday Fletcher and I were invited to go camping at Herald Park with the Fishers and a plethora of equally enthusiastic adventure seekers, some of whom we've camped with in the past. We arrived late Friday afternoon, following road closures due to lightning-downed power lines and torrential downpours that threatened the continuation of the entire camping weekend. Hamburgers Friday night, followed by a multitude of vodka mixes...none of which I remember. But I do remember the new puppy! Everyone, meet Kona.

Saturday was beautiful - spent lounging on the beach, avoiding duck itch, and tossing rocks for the Chow. After such strenuous activities, it was time for lunch, and a refill. Fletcher loves camping cause he gets to eat off the furniture and sleep in mama's bed!

Brian and his connections allowed our campfires to be the envy of the entire park. We had at least a chord of clean, stripped wood that provided much some needed heat in the evenings. Not to say that it was cold, not by any means, but I'm cold blooded and anything below 30C is freezing. I wore a sweater most of the time.

In Herold Park there is a short hike to the beautiful Margaret Falls, which Fletch and I made the journey to 4 times. There are some great rocks in that creek, and the hike in is breath-taking. There is a cave behind the falls...but as Daryl wasn't there no one from our clan were brave enough to attempt spelunking...this time.

Canada Day evening brought on the fireworks (and sore ears for all the pooches) and we were entertained by the exploding colours and flatulent sounds of the roman candles etc. We all giggled.

A tradition amongst the camping clans is the annual build your own bio-degradable river raft/boat/anything that can float creek run dinghy. With 6 entries at the start and 4 at the finish it provided some amusement for young and old. (Reminisce of the Blair Witch Project...)

Now we get to the chipmunk...Monday afternoon, after a turn-over in occupancy of the neighbouring sites, we were sitting at the picnic table playing crib when...splat...We look over at the road, and there, lying in the fetal position was...what is that...a pine cone...no...a branch...no...oh lord...it's a chipmunk! So the chipmunk fell out of the tree onto the road. We thought for sure it was dead after a fall that far and the resulting splat. Teresa wearily approached the motionless creature when it suddenly rolled onto its belly and bolted away into the forest. Even Fletcher didn't know what to do with the 'risen from the dead' zombie-esk chase-able. We all had another drink. And giggled some more. Chipmunks weren't the only things falling out of trees...the kids found a baby bird and spent the final day trying to save it. It has prospects to grow up to be a pterodactyl.

Pepper Update

Just like my herbs this year - the peppers are going through changes. Ferdinand is now a bright shade of red.
Bob is huge.
Consuella was taking a nap and didn't want her photo taken today.

Weekend News

What a nutso weekend it was! I don't' remember what I did on Friday...humm. Saturday I rode to Kelowna to have the bike serviced and have the fender elimination kit installed. The guys at M&M are great, as always, but really slow this time. I was delayed in getting the heck out of K-town and back to the Loops for Cierra's 9th B-Day. While in Kelowna I had a great day hanging out with Twyla and Tia, browsing the farmer's market and having a yummy lunch. Then it was nap time before hitting the road and heading back home.
The B-Day BBQ was a blast, with lots of awesome food and great company. Cierra certainly was spoiled with all the amazing gifts!
On Sunday I played in the yard and cut the back grass after 3 weeks of neglect. I should have known better and the price of procrastination was huge. It took me over an hour to cut the grass - having to rake the clippings every row so the mower could make the next pass. I now know why Daryl suggested that I cut the grass every 5 days - especially when it is raining! GRRR!
I also was busy planting some seeds and transplanting some greenery to help balance everything out. The yard looks awesome, and I will take some photos tonight.
This weekend we (Chow and I) are going camping for the first time this year and I am so excited. We were invited by the Fisher's and are heading to Herold Park. I've got my "to do" list started and I don't know how I'm going to get it all done by Friday! Oh well - can't worry about that!

Pine Beetle

Some people still don't realize the impacts the mountain pine beetle has on not only the forestry industry, but also on our daily lives...
These are before and after shots from our home...after only 18 months.

What a Difference 2 Years Can Make!

Below are some photos of the changes our kitchen went thru in the last 2 years. There are a billion more...but you get the idea from these!
What it looked like on our first home visit...September 2005
I thought that I liked yellow - little did I know "Kayak Yellow" was so yellow and would really cause the 1970's flash-back! (March 2006)Gutting the kitchen, removing the t-bar and fluo lights in the ceiling, deciding what colour to paint the cupboards. (August 2006)
And the kitchen today...cappuchino wall, French butter-cream cupboards, new hardware, recessed fridge, walk-in pantry, pot-lights in a dry-wall ceiling (we gained 14" in ceiling height) and an old cedar beam...We still have some minor work to do, but that is the never-ending saga of our home!

Dinner Anyone?

Seeing as we have a new buffet...I'll be having more dinner parties! I just love the new addition, the oak on oak floor just looks awesome, and it matches the doors, windows and wood trim around both just perfectly!

Daryl as Spiderman...

Rappelling off the 70ft tower. At least this time he had a rope!

What Size Are The Peppers?

I've received many comments about the unbelievable size of our peppers...I'm sorry that I may have led people astray! Below are close-up photos of the peppers, followed by ones with a tape. I hope you still come over for fajitas when we cook them up hot 'N spicy!

Ferdinand - the big brother of the lot. At 10 months old, he is almost 2.5" long!Consuela - the first female sibling. At 4 weeks old she is growing much faster than older brother Ferdinand. She is 1.5" long with quite the swing in her hips.Bob - baby Bob is just 1 week old and is already growing like a weed! Without the dead-flower drop down, he is 1/4" long!

Thoughts to Live By…

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life.
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.
I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Buffet you say?

I love all you can eat buffets!
So here is the buffet...a better shot now that it isn't hiding behind and under boxes.I still don't know what to do. We went to look at the matching table last night and I was surprised at how small it was! Because our dining room is so stinkin' huge, I think that the small table will just get lost in the room. I can't believe that I'm whining about having too much space!
So now I am contemplating on the china cabinet and if we really need it. I love the buffet, I think it is just beautiful and will suite our decor and our need just perfectly...HELP! There is beautiful detail on the doors and also on the piece that sits on top...maybe it has a special name, but I don't know.

Trail Guys

Dining Room Furniture - To Buy or Not to Buy

That is the question of the day. I found some beautiful dining room furniture at a little decorating shop in the Loops on Sunday - it is hand-made, hand carved wooden dining room set from Belgium. There is a china cabinet, buffet, table (expandable with leaves) and 6 chairs (4 regular and 2 arm-chairs). They don't have the crazy, ornate garbage that makes me sick - the detail is beautiful, and I absolutely love it. I haven't seen the table or chairs yet, that is tonight as there was no room in the store for them.

The pieces were just off loaded from a container from Europe and just brought into the store the day before. And the price is great too!

The only problem is...well...is this a want or a need? We do need dining room furniture. Right now our dining room has my old desk and Daryl's 1/2 refinished table and other miss-matched pieces. The room isn't functional and is a complete waste of beautiful space with huge windows looking out into our back yard. I would love to be able to eat in this room, to actually enjoy it! But then there is the ever-present debt factor. It's not like we have $__K floating around in a secret bank account or anything...and any savings we have should go to pay off "things" that linger from the past. But you can't eat at a debt table, you can't sit on debt...

What to do?

I took some very quick photos, they are a little blurry, but you get the idea!

China cabinetChina cabinet - lower sectionDetail on the doorsBuffet - hidden in the storage area with boxes!

Weekend Report

It was a busy weekend, but I'm not sure why. The past week was very hectic, as it was Environment Week with the City and I was part of the organizing committee. It was exhausting! But I got Tim-bits on Saturday after my ride, so it was all worth while!When I was watering the plants (who were neglected the past week) I noticed that Ferdinand has a little sister! We don't have a name picked out yet - any suggestions? She isn't that big, the photo makes her look HUGE, she is about 1cm long, but growing everyday! Ferdinand is doing well too.

I did a minor kitchen reno - nothing too fancy, just painted the stainless steel boarder of our range hood to match the copper. There are a few before and after shots...and wide range shots of the kitchen (Chow is in them too!)Wide angle before....And after...(not much difference, but I had fun!)
Chow licking his nose! silly dog!

Update of the Lawn

We've had 2 days of rain in the Loops - the upside is that I haven't had to water the new seed, and that they had sprouted as if on steroids!

Side by side...before and after