Friday, 30 December 2011

MISSING DOG...

...last seen 30 December 2008
*

Tuesday, 27 December 2011

My Christmas Surprise !

I received this lovely Christmas gift and it was total surprise. Me loves surprises and me loves the man that can still pull one over on me after all these many, long years. If you know me, you know that this is no easy feat as I try to know ALL that is going on around me (as well as around most of my friends & family) and pride myself on my precise attention to details...or so I thought. Just shows to go ya. This one slipped through the cracks and I am so delighted. It is a beautiful lamp from another era and fits in so nicely with the new design scheme of the MO-bile. Seriously, ladies & gentlemen...this 'van down by river' is becoming a real fun ride. That's all she wrote.

Thursday, 22 December 2011

morning

Oh, we are living in the lap of MO-bile luxury, we are. Flannel sheets, down comforters (count'em...two) and a view out the window of the very place we want to be...here
...home...
and not just for the holidays. You would think it would be hard to get up in the a.m. and for some of us (aka 'Baddog') it is indeed. She apparently does not respond to the lure of perking java which works its magic on me no problem.
...joy

Monday, 12 December 2011

Silent Night

I know that I have posted a full moon night picture before but it is just too beautiful to not post again. You can ignore and talk amongst yourselves but here it is anyway.

Sunday, 4 December 2011

happpy day

In case you were wondering, we made it down south & back with only one minor incident. We managed to get rear-ended (the Xterra that is) while stopped at a red light in Bend, Oregon. Great guy who does classic car restoration for a living, so who better to run into us? It was an easy fix on the way back north. Always great to see close friends and relatives, but honestly, do not miss So-Cali in any way, shape or form. It seems so intense with the sport of 'shopping' remaining the sport of the masses....me included. I get just as caught up as anyone but my shopping muscles are so non-existent. I am totally out of shape for 'power- shopping'. I try, but without the daily shopping workouts of the past I quickly lose stamina. I can only get through two maybe three stores with their e n d l e s s choices and fab-ulously low prices, before I zone out. Its depressing. But then I find my rational mind again and with a little self-talk I get myself back to the 'real' world as in....what do I really need as opposed to...what do I want???? Crisis averted. Oh, oh, oh...must talk about the 'foot massage' that my dear K-grrl treated me to. This is the one indulgence that cannot be denied when down Sacramento way. An option that simply does not exist in my neck of the woods. The spa is aptly named 'Happy Day' and after the treatment which starts at your head and eventually gets to your feet, with all in-between body parts attended to first, leaves you feeling (no words to describe)...HAPPY, maybe? So, anyway, back home again with a few choice items picked up during my frenzy...I mean, come on, I am not a total lightweight and a good deal sometimes is just that, a good deal. I didn't even sprain an ankle or bust a hip or even pull a muscle. So, I guess I'm not that out of shopping shape.

Monday, 14 November 2011

So-Cali

Heading south of the border....well the Canadian border that is...and down into SoCal for a little bit. Sitting here this a.m. watching the flurries loating down and the SUN shining and just hoping this mild weather hangs on until we drive out of here. Looking forward to checking back in with friends and family and sharing some good times...kicking back, shopping, getting a foot massage (at the Happy Day Spa...oh, John!) and some good eats.
Okay, the picture is me in Mexico, last February, but you get the idea...a little sun, a little sea, a little bit evocative of how 'cali' is so often portrayed in the movies. Yes, everyone has beachfront property.

Tuesday, 8 November 2011

De-Volution

The nights here are fairly remarkable in that over-the-top, oh-its-so-cold outside, kind of a way. Being away from city lights makes for a darkness that is in such contrast when the moon makes its appearance. In addition, the re-cycling, re-purposing, un-consumpting, re-storing, de-constructing
and re-doing of the MO-bile, has started.
Little things are finding their way in and a bunch of things have moved on. A vision is e-volving or maybe I should say de-volving? SO MUCH FUN

Saturday, 5 November 2011

a not-so-funny thing happened...

It seemed like it came out of the blue but apparently not. I have recently been told that I have a few (well, many) shortcomings which are making it impossible for someone to remain in my life. This person is considering removing themselves from my realm. This is very, very disturbing to me and I am puzzled by this turn of events. But, I have been given some very specific examples of where and when I have messed up and yes, I guess, guilty, to a certain degree. But if 'intent' is considered even in a court of law, than all I can say is my 'intentions' were never evil or designed to hurt....I was unaware, actually, of the seriousness of the incidents and was truly oblivious. I have a tendency to underestimate my own importance to some people...just a little self-esteem issue that is, there, at the very core of me. Yes, me, self-doubting and unsure, at times, more often than one might imagine. Anyway, this is a rather personal post for me and a direction that I usually don't go in, but this situation is very troubling to me and I need some input from my e-friends.

Saturday, 29 October 2011

the 3rd season

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Here's to the end of October. These pretty pumpkins grew on their own from the compost I spread over my garden this past summer.
They were a pleasant surprise and I take no credit for them at all.
I just think their colour really says 'autumn'. Oh, and there is a light dusting of snow on the mountain this morning with the sun shining and the temp hovering at 0' Celsius. xo

Saturday, 22 October 2011

Moving Tips & Tricks

Sometimes even in the midst of a moving mess, a girl has got to keep up her appearance. I was told several times over the week that I was looking real good which leads me to another very valuable moving tip.... get that 'sleeping chamber' set up first thing. One must have at least one tranquil area to retreat to when the sight of all your 'stuff' starts to drive you insane.

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Bumkins? Hillbillies?

It only took a week of moving, bit by bit, everyday and then...voila...it was done. It may be just a "van down by the river" but it's all ours...all 1.06 acres of it. Every moment has been spent unpacking and putting things away in the 'MO-bile' as well as long-term storage (for the winter) under the Mo-bile. Who knew there is this whole area underneath these things that you can put stuff and it stays dry and safe until you need it again! WoW. And the SHED! How can you not love the SHED? A HUGE thank you to our moving crew: Keiron (Superman), Mike (Kiwi Kamakazi), Mossimo & Bonnell (Sproule Creek Amigos mejor) and Gavin (aka the 'Gavinator'). You are all the best friends anyone could ask for. Also a big, BIG thank you to Stephanie for cooking us a 'traditional ' T0Furkey Thanksgiving dinner...yum...and to Bonnell & Gimel & Natasha & Wynn for the best 'brine-free' Thanksgiving turkey ever...OMG...and to my knitting superhero, Kathy, for the grande finale, big Canadian family Thanksgiving affair with all the trimmings...Mmmmmm. You fed us when we were tired, dirty and oh, so hungry.
LOVE YOU ALL!

Monday, 10 October 2011

MOVING

People! Even when you DO NOT have a lot of stuff, when you move, you still have a lot of stuff. Seriously, it is amazing. I cannot post any pictures right now because I cannot find the cord thing for my camera. I don't know how to do it the card way and I am too exhausted to try. HAPPY THANKSGIVING FELLOW CANADIANS

Wednesday, 5 October 2011

adieu la vue

Just realizing that very soon I will not be seeing 'la vue' on a daily basis. This has been the scene out the front door for the last six (yes 6!) YEARS. Countless hours have been spent and many glasses of wine have been drunk on the deck watching the changing scene over the water.
No, it has never been taken for granted. Every day it was cause for pause. Every day it was a reminder of just how beautiful this place is. I've got dozens of pictures and not one of them is the same. So do all the friends and family that have visited us here. Every one of them seemed stunned at the first sight and proceeded to try and capture its beauty. Amazingly, many did. Stay tuned for pictures from the 'la nouvelle vue' as the move to the country starts in just a few days! So excited! 'adieu pour maintenant'

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

PonyGirl Progress Report

Some thoughts on the PonyGirl experience, so far. My dog has come a long, long way. It seems that once she hit 2 years old, a subtle change took place and she suddenly became more 'domesticated'. Her 'wildness' seemed to wane a little bit. She now comes when called (most of the time). She actually 'leaves it' when I say 'leave it'. We figured out that 'wait' is something she understands and is willing to do. This comes in so handy on the trail. Yay! Slowly, we have come to an understanding of each other. She is still the most unusual dog I know. She is not the Cowgirl, as I have finally accepted. But, I have learned to read her like a good book. She is still a reactive type dog so it is important for me to pay attention to her and everything around us. ALL. THE. TIME. We still work on 'impulse control'. This is a tough one. But she tries. She can now restrain herself in the presence of a cat, but only when she is on leash. The good thing is that if a cat holds its ground, PonyGirl just stops. She doesn't attack, and for that I am so grateful. It's the 'chase' that delights her. But still....well, I guess she IS a dog, after all. Oh and the one real sweet thing is that she is learning to like cuddling in bed. I guess she decided I was serious when I kept telling her that this was a non-negotiable issue. She is still just a bag of bones but now she lets me kiss her and hold her close. I am relaxing more with her and she is too. Funny how that works.

Friday, 23 September 2011

Good Eats

I realized that the earlier pictures I posted of some of my harvest were rather pathetic. Granted, it was not a stellar year for the garden. Not just mine, but most everyone around these parts experienced lower than normal yields. Things that normally did well, didn't, and vice versa. So as we are finishing up our season and I took stock of the produce I did get and well, maybe not an abundance, but for a former dweller of a major metropolitan area, not too shabby. There is something wonderful about growing things that you can eat and it does seem that the garden gets bigger every year. That's a good thing, yes?

Friday, 16 September 2011

Maya and the High Heeled Canadian Adventure

These boots are NOT made for walking...no they are not. But haven't we all fallen in love with a pair of shoes when we were young(er) and had to have them? We ignored the voices of reason telling us "NO, you'll be sorry" , "they're so impractical", "it's your money". Recently, when I had my favourite kid here, we went shopping together and much to the chagrin of her 'bad-dad', we came home with these beauties. I could not help it as it reminded me of myself and MY high-heeled heart throbs of so long ago. Sorry no pictures from those olden days. Need I say the 'girl' looked mighty fine when she pranced around the basement 'SATC' apartment to show off her style and her runway stomp. Alas, they were a bit of a disappointment when we went downtown and had to walk around the marketfest on the Friday night out ..."ow"...she said...and ended up taking those high-heeled sneakers off and going barefoot. Oh well, once again, fashion vs. function and like a true fashionishta, my favourite kid, is not giving up.

Thursday, 8 September 2011

A Bit of a Bounty

It took a while to get here but once it did, summer has been spectacular. So many long, hot days and cool-ish nights. But, most likely you are all experiencing the same thing in your neck of the woods, so I won't belabor the point. The garden wasn't the best one ever, but there were and still are some surprises. My flower garden newly planted last year, survived a very harsh winter and generously graced us with beautiful blooms. The bees have been very happy. I snitched a few peas before the deer got them all and they are in the freezer. Fabulous beets! Tomatoes...not so good. Yummy lettuces all season long. The squashes are still going strong and we should have a mess of them to store in the basement for eating this winter. Even the potatoes did okay. My sage, oregano, parsley, thyme, tarragon and savory are ready for drying. Basil was a disaster but thank god for friends with sunnier yards. By far, the stars this year have been my shallots and onions...aren't they just gorgeous?

Thursday, 1 September 2011

Idaho Peak and My Favorite Kid

This has been an amazing summer. We finally went on the Idaho Peak hike and my favorite kid came to visit. The vistas were amazing, both, far and near, and I feebly tried to capture some of the AWE we all experienced. It was so cool to share it with Sweet Maya. There were others too of course including (BadChad, her dad) and the dogs who were running around and enjoying themselves and provided many blurred & fuzzy photos. I am also including a terrible photo of me (eeeek...my neck!) but a great photo of the favorite kid. That's how much I love her!