so CHEERS to each and every one of you. Here's to 2006...may she rest in peace....and here's to 2007, may we ALL find peace, prosperity(whichever way you view it), love, joy, friendship, strength, courage and grace.
We are children of the universe. We all have a right to be here. Peace on Earth. Good Will to All Men. Amen. See you in the New Year.
As we had just decided on colours, I finally bought a couch(so we can dump the horrible hand-me-hand-me-hand-me down) with some of my money from painting Em's place. It was a triumphant investment because new furniture is such a luxury. Only one problem. It was like buying a camouflage suit for Michael. I can't find him anywhere....can you?
Oooh....what's that? 
Sweetest Eem-er gives away the secret. There he is...
We used every inch of space in the car to head up to "the Abyss" with everyone. I don't know if that is really the name of the place or not. Someone we know called it that and it has stuck. Miles of trails along slick rock, so though it is wet, not as muddy as some of our other trails right now.
On the weekends even Michael comes along. Sometimes all the guys come and there is much laughter and the walks are longer, trickier, steeper...but always fun. This time, though, it was only Michael. The holidays are really messing with our dog walk schedule!
West coast rain forest.
It's still cold here...tricky footing in some spots. Be careful.
So, to those of you reading in Ontario...if you see this handsome rogue, tall dark and furry, with the most human glint in his eye and the big white cross on his chest, give him a snuggle for me and tell him I miss him. I never had a big dog of my own before, but this past summer we spent together was a great one. He's a damn fine dog. He could teach a lot of people a thing or two.
We're going to miss you, buster brown. Good boy.
She is all porcelain. She has drain trays built right in on both sides, sloping gently back to the double sinks. I can wash my dishes and put them in the dish drainer soapy and rinse them all there and all the water goes right back into the sink. We love her. She was the deal sealer on this house...for real. A real beauty in this modern world. And no, I do not have a name for her yet. Even after all this time. 
And here we are in the kitchen looking through one set of french doors into our living room. It's kind of messy right now so I closed the door...plus the door is pretty too. See the paint job on the entry door? A reminder of Maggie and her seperation anxiety. The glow in the left part of the french door is the pellet stove...cozy, cozy. All the walls are plaster and lathe, with coved ceilings, 10 feet up. We have the original glass doorknobs and some porcelain ones. Some of the glass for the light covers is original fixtures, frosty and blue like old candy dishes. Some of our switches are still push button. The trim and baseboard is still unpainted wood throughout most of the house and my intention is to restore what isn't.
And another set of french doors on the other side of the kitchen to the sunroom, our plant haven. We haven't had too much sun lately but when we do, this is where the morning sun is. Our back deck is out back there.
I love my kitchen...except for that ugly ceiling fan. Ugh.
Some essentials for my kitchen...the Joy of Cooking...the Cure for Death by Lightning(great story with great recipes)....Cara's recipe cards and ripe bananas....an ancient Blue Ribbon Cookbook I found at a church sale, full of hand-written, well-tested recipes in all the free spaces and lovely notes in the margins. My own recipe book is so ugly I keep it in the cupboard but I hope someday somebody sees how much love I put into that book...it's kind of modeled after the cookbook in The Cure For Death By Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz. Some broad beans to plant in the spring.
My fridge is a chaotic dream...always has been. My keepsake box. My bulletin board. Some of these things have been with me since I left home. Some are new additions. There is Maggie. There is Michael. My friend's band, Beat Nervosa. Who doesn't love Tank Girl? A postcard of my hometown that I can see my childhood house in. A postcard that says "The Scenery is here. Wish you were beautiful." I could never send it to anyone because I couldn't be parted from it. It's been on my fridge for at least 12 years. A postcard from Alien Caffeine in Roswell, NM. Phone numbers I will never call. Found items, like the frog prince drawing and somebody's shopping list I found on the ground in Vancouver. They were going to the store for pop, ketchup chips and condoms. No kidding.
More of my fridge...it's kind of like seeing in my head, isn't it? Scared yet?
Well, that was boring, wasn't it? Ha ha. Hopefully I will be able to take the camera outdoors again soon or who knows what the next photo montage will be...the cobwebs and spiders in the basement or something equally fun. Can't wait for that now, can you? 
Weird. Snowflakes. Where did that come from? Oh well, it won't last. Bruce(our local celebrity weatherman) told us wind...wind....wind. 
Well, hmm...it's already sticking 5 minutes later. Crazy, isn't it?
Five more minutes and that is DEFINITELY sticking now and I can barely see the other side of the street because the snow is coming down so thick and fast. WTF, Bruce? 
Five minutes ago I took this...and it is still coming down. In fifteen minutes we went from wet but clear roads to this. Holy cow. Who's weather is this? Come pick it up. 
I fell...I cannot function without being able to comment on everyone else's blog...I MUST be able to add my two cents worth...so Beta it is. Sorry to all who now must make the same decision...convert or not?!?
I can't believe you are making me do this...lame lame lame... now if I make the move to beta, anyone who wants to comment on my blog will have to move to beta...it's friggin' blackmail and you suck. Sorry, but you do!!!! You absolutely suck right now. I wonder about TypePad....it's free, too. Hmmm. Heidi....what are you going to do?
I will never be done with this damn crush list....
How could I possibly overlook Edward Norton?!?!? How do I stop????
Today, the rain is coming "down" sideways. Emma actually refused to go for walks today...stopping at the door this morning and this afternoon. She was not happy that I drug her out into anyway. Oh well.
Get over it!!!!
You know what I like on a crappy holiday season night? Roadblocks. I do. I totally admit it. They make my whole week. I feel no guilt over my cattiness on Roadblock Night.
My neighbours, too, I guess. They were out on their porch watching the happenings, smoking and drinking beer. What a show. At least they didn't haul out the camera, eh?
Actually, at least they didn't DRINK AND DRIVE!!!! Hey folks, this town isn't that big. No cab fare will run you more than $10. Your mom WILL come pick you up. There are free rides for the holidays from more than one charity organization. Take advantage. Use it.
Save some lives. Save some money. Save some face. Don't drink and drive. Just don't do it. It's not worth it, any way you look at it.
Imagine, if you will, how blessed I felt to receive this shirt from Cara that is a Soft Monster Shirt(still fits the song), I can wear the monster in the front or in the back cuz it is specially made to be reversible in a different way than most reversible shirts. Front to back as opposed to inside out. How effing cool is that? Oh, how I wish it was summer. Also? A whole Newfoundland five course dinner recipe in a hand-made pouch. I can't wait to try the Spazzy Onion Soup, and quick bread with pesto and cod followed by I Scream covered in chocolately goodness.Especially after much trepidation about a recent recipe invoving salt cod that was mighty tasty in the end. Who knew?
It occurred to me that I had not shared the first Art Share from Cara. It was not as public as ArtShare MeMe. Michael sent some art her way and she sent some our way and we are blessed to have this beauty hanging in our house now. Isn't she gorgeous? Disregard the glare of the flash. It has been gloomy, rainy and overcast the past few days and natural light is a bitch. That's a gal after my own thighs, er, heart. I adore her.
And Merry Christmas( a wee bit early) to myself. A new tattoo(that's a weird photo of my wrist), a little bit cutesy compared to my regular fare, but I love this "vintage" Snoopy, circa 1956. Does anyone recognize this little guy as the original? My first hound love. Followed by Dan and Ann from "Where the Red Fern Grows" . This was the beginning of hound dogs in my life. It's kind of like looking at the first Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie."
Well, folks, it's late and I have had a beer or three so I am going to sign off tonight. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'll be talking to you again soon.
When I was married(yes, it's true...and it's sad), I worked here. At the Navy Exchange in Pearl Harbor. Yes....Hawaii. Oahu. I was an accounting technician. I don't know what that means...but I got tired of working indoors at a desk with a ten-key because I was living in, hello!, Hawaii. Plus? I hate accounting.
So I went to work for the Air Force Base instead, working for the Before and After School Program...dream come true, right? Lots of outdoor activities(in Hawaii), beach trips(in Hawaii), field trips(in Hawaii). Can anyone say MILITARY BRATS?!? Oh yeah...they are not a myth. I actually had to have an FBI background check for that job and a psychological evaluation. They should give you those when you LEAVE!!!!!!
But look at the perks....
This is where I lived. After Hawaii, we moved to Oregon. Not my dream. I was working full time plus so that my then soon-to-be-ex-husband could go to college. I worked a job I hated so long that I learned to love it. I did home care and vocational training for people with physical and mental disabilities. I did it for a long time. I ALSO worked in a group home for assaultive, autistic adults. I worked that job until I could not stand the thought of one more scar on my body. Really. Literally. Truly. Hard work, punishing work. And for me? Not that rewarding. Post traumatic stress. Anxiety disorder. Nightmares. Disillusion. And then? When it was supposed to be my turn? Divorce. Don't feel sorry for me. I don't. I don't even like the guy anymore. In fact, I don't even think about him anymore. This is the first time he has entered my head in a very long time. So I left Oregon and ended up working here... in Colorado. It saved my mind. Here, I found out what I was all about...and that is a blessing.
I worked at the Mesa Verde National Park(not defunct), doing the accounting and working front desk. I explored the Four Corners area every moment I was off work. I learned to fly fish. Learned to hike for miles. Learned what touching the face of god feels like. I learned what the colour blue is. I learned what it meant to breathe deeply and JUST BE. And I liked it. A lot. But, I still hated accounting.
And then? It was time to move on, I guess. Not knowing what I was doing, I hit the road and found myself here. At first I worked the hotels again...doing accounting. And? Still effing hated accounting. So, I took a job at Yummies, because I LOVE coffee. But guess what? I got to be the manager and had to do what?!? Yippur. Accounting. And, by the way? After I left? Every business owned by these people? Defunct. Although Yummies was revived by new investors.
But still...it paid my rent and I got to live here...and here is where I met Michael...I will forever love this place, in spite of multiple hurricane evacuations and tropical storms, heat so hot I blistered my feet on the sand and(some) employers so bad that I walked around with my two weeks notice in my back pocket forever. Here, I met true love.
Since leaving Texas, I have served more coffee and once, for a two week stint, went back to work for those lawyers in Washington while home visiting....they were between trained secretaries and needed someone who could write nasty, lawyerly letters without overstepping any boundaries. I have day laboured in Vancouver and here in Nanaimo...I have done accounting(still hate it) for cash and tattoos....I have painted and done renovations to three houses now for pay and one for love, ours...I walk dogs for beer. Really.
This is my work get-up. You've seen it before. And, really, that is about it. Not too weird, eh? Maybe walking dogs for beer is weird, eh? But not really.
