feelin' groo-vee(w)

Missed you tremendously, Chicken...
We were out for first trip of the season in our van this past weekend. It means summer is officially on...we were so busy getting ready that I didn't have time to think about anything on Friday, other than making sure we were all set...we packed up, started her up and then, automatically, I reached down to make sure Maggie was secure in her place between our seats...only, of course, she wasn't there. I was a blubbering mess before we cleared the garage. Michael, so sweet, knew exactly what had happened. I love him all the more for that. It was my first trip in the van without her... our first trip, actually. Every trip we took in that van included her...and I wonder how many more of these moments I have left, these moments that come up that once always included her...these quick cuts, as painful as the day I had to let her go...just as raw and ragged.

But, away we went, all the same, and by the time we hit Goldstream Provincial Park, you probably wouldn't have even known I had been crying. We pulled in to our friends' campsite and spent a great weekend with folks from home...without being home!!! We spent an entire day at Butchart Gardens and I am sure we missed at least half of everything there, but we did see a glorious fireworks show. Anyhoo, for now, this is the extent of my entry of the weekend. I will get some more pictures up in the next day or two from the gardens...it certainly made me come home and look at my tiny little garden with a much more critical eye. I am sure I will get over that, as well. Bye for now.

another rant?!?

Okay, these are some of the cars that are lurking in our neighbourhood. These are strictly what I saw from my front window in the course of one afternoon, without drawing attention to myself and my camera. All these cars, and many others, are here to buy crack across the street...or around the corner, as we have two active drug houses here. They just erupt...like herpes. We know why they're here, we recognize all the signs and symptoms. We don't understand where are the RCMP? WHY is there "nothing they can do?" Please explain. Crack and meth are ILLEGAL. RCMP have actually seemed to patrol less here than before, but maybe that is my imagination. We call, we report, we phone by-laws, we phone landlords...and still...here we go again.
How convenient is a convenience store when you can buy your crack at any of these apartments upstairs and then buy your crack pipe downstairs? Way too convenient, isn't it? I can't buy a fresh tomato or milk with a current pull date, but a crack pipe? What model would you like? You know she(the owner) moved her kid out of this neighbourhood because someone tried to sell him drugs? Isn't it ironic, don't ya think? A little too ironic...but, this here piece of property and the one next to it (with the blue roof) are owned by one guy...for years. FOR YEARS, he has beat the snot out of this neighbourhood with the trash he rents to. Literally every time someone new moves into one of these properties, it becomes a crack house or worse...and yes, there is worse. Why does he get to keep these properties? Why hasn't the city thrown him in jail as was once threatened? Why does one person get to steadily trample all of the rest of us out here trying to make a home here?!? So I rant because I hope I will have the courage to send this page to City Council, the RCMP, our MLA, anyone who will actually get off their bums(and that was not the first word I chose) and do something about things...though we have contacted all those people and guess what? Nothing changes. My question is this...if all of us who give a shit in this neighbourhood move out, what kind of problem will you have on your hands then? Huh? Answer that. I dare you.Here is my dilemma in sending this page to the powers that be...they will read my post about popping the lock at Morrell Bird Sanctuary and come and arrest us, fine us, etc. And while I am being led handcuffed to the car, this hooker in pink will be picked up on my corner by some sexual predator that is forever trolling my neighbourhood, someone will score another hit of crack after pawning something stolen from one of my neighbours and probably one more decent person will move away.

Anyhoo, I am going camping tonight and won't be back til Sunday. Maybe I will be in a better mood...maybe lightning will strike.

Ta

picnic

So we went to Morrell Bird Sanctuary on Dog Walkies two days ago. We found our fall blackberry picking spot. We found this chubby little camera hog of a squirrel. The weather was so lovely, we all went swimming, dogs and gals alike. We had such a nice time, we came home, packed a picnic and headed back after the boys were home from work. Gosh, it was beautiful. We had the place to ourselves, aside from the ducks. We ate, we drank a beer(just one), we swam again...The dogs ran around, we watched the sun coming down...We forgot to bring a watch but we were sure we had plenty of time...Plenty. We hiked back to the car and drove up to the gate...Guess what?!? Locked. Yessirree, bob. We were 11 minutes late... 11 minutes. So we hemmed and hawed and Michael called the number on the lock box...we were waiting for the tow truck to deliver us from our imprisonment(for a cost of $32). One of the gals(no names used, you guess)took some keys to use as tools, pried open the box on the gate. All the boy voices were voicing concern..."you better not..." "there's no way..." "You can't possibly...". I am sure you know the routine. Anyhoo, our gal, superwoman that she is, popped open that box, flipped a switch, opened the gate and we were on our way with our Get out of Jail Free Card. She put the box back together and away we went. Michael turned the cel phone off...we won't be back for a while, just in case...at least not in my car!!!! I am sure there is one pissed off somebody who drove out there to let us out...I'm not sorry. $32.00 to flip a switch? C'mon. Woo hoo...Tawanda!!!!! Girl Power!!!!

Hick chic

Hick chic

day lily red

I haven't forgotten the picnic story....later, I promise.

Found

Watch out! The angry frog king is gonna getchya!!!! Found this guy on Prideaux Street the other day. He's hanging on our fridge now. I think he is fabulous. He's like our neighbourhood mascot now...the Frog King... though Michael swears he's an alien.

i'm back....

My blueberries are blue-ing...
My sugar pumpkins are sugaring...
and my raspberries are rasping.

Ok, so here I am again. I didn't want to leave my rant as my final word tonight. I thought I might post some things that are making me happy, blueberries, pumpkins and raspberries. There's also a great story to tell about our picnic last night at Morrell Bird Sanctuary, as well, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I am going to head off the bed, nurse a sore head(sometimes I still have this headache from Washington...freaky) and read for a while. I have been reading more again lately and that also makes me happy. I just finished a book called The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch. He was born and raised in Olympia(like me), and his story takes place there. It was so cool(yes, I am using the word cool) to read a story and picture exactly every place in it because I'd been there, grew up there. He did change the name of one bar/tavern in the book, but I knew which one he was talking about...he didn't change the name so much that we who lived there wouldn't know it. And....it was a great story, too. Really. But I am rambling now...distracted myself with something shiny(a good book), I guess.
G'nite all.

one minute on my street

Making a drug deal and smoking crack.....
One hooker.....
two hookers.....one minute.
Did I not say things have been too quiet? Something turned this week and many, many hookers are being dropped at Spanglish "Grocery" across the street...probably because the smoke shop downtown has quit carrying crack pipe making supplies. Guess who bought all their surplus? Yipper... the owner of Spanglish. Great addition to our neighbourhood, isn't she? Yesterday we saw numerous hookers dropped here, a semi(with his cargo attached) came rumbling up our street at 2am, parked across the street for 15 minutes or so with a hooker, and then started up his engine and left again. So, not only is he degrading our neighbourhood, he had to wake us all up to do it.
Some days it seems overwhelming and I hate it. Really truly hate it. The RCMP do nothing to help. The city just pushes all their homeless/drug -addicted/thieves/burglars/mentally ill out of their precious downtown because of their NewNanaimoCenter....revitalizing downtown. I ask you, would you, given the choice, have your convention(an already prehistoric idea) in Victoria, Vancouver or Nanaimo? Hmmmm. Let's think on that a moment, shall we? Victoria...nice. Vancouver....nice. Nanaimo...huh? Yeah, I thought so. I will post some good things later. I was just overwhelmed with this b.s. at the moment. Thought I might vent.

Canada Day Weekend

Lordy, we had a good time this weekend. This was my first real camping in the bush experience...I have to say that peeing outdoors, behind a tree, is kind of a hoot, once you get the hang of it!!! We(great friends and neighbours) headed out of town, through some clear cuts and found ourselves a beautifully private little spot on the river...we had two swimming holes(with a rope swing) and a sandy beach. Swank. We couldn't figure out how come we had the place to ourselves, but we'll gladly thank the powers that be. We drank some beer. We ate too much. We swam. We laughed...lots. Felt damn fine. Thanks everyone. I really appreciated the good company.
Our private beach.
Our rope swing.
Good times were had by all.
However, we did discover this giant wreck in the woods behind us. Some fisher guy came through in the evening casting for fish. He told us some family had been living here for a few months while tending their outdoor grow op. I am flabbergasted to think they could hike all this shit in and then have the f'ing audacity to leave this mess behind. Get a clue, people. This is a beautiful world, why do you have to leave so much ugly in it?!?
Will try to get some neighbourhood haps in the next day or two....until then, g'nite.

day lily yellow

Just wanted to throw this up there....I seem so impressed with my flowers, as if no one else in the world ever grew them before....egads. What a show off, eh? But for growing up in apartments and never even really keeping a houseplant alive, I AM impressed with myself. Can you tell? Ta for now.

bomber

Fire season is officially ON now...yesterday, this water bomber(or maybe it was two different ones) refilled out on the water behind that stretch of land out there in this top photo. They came in at least three times for more water. These photos are off our back deck. The first trip over was deafening. The house was shaking. Car alarms were going off. I didn't know what it was and ran out onto the deck just in time to watch it pass directly over the house...but I didn't have the camera ready for that pass! I was too alarmed at the noise to think clearly! I should know by now...always, always have the camera at hand!

We could watch their descent but missed seeing them actually pick up the water, as they would disappear behind that mass of land and reappear on the other side...it was so surreal to watch those giant, heavy planes head down to water. Your mind keeps telling you it shouldn't be happening, that it looks completely wrong...I hope those pilots make good money for that... it is scary watching it from the outside. I wonder what it looks like from the cockpit. Then it is a long, slow climb to the travelling altitude, which is not very high at all. The planes looked like they were going in slow motion. Again, surreal. This giant, ponderous monster crawling through the low sky so slowly. What holds them up?!? Most impressive. Good job, pilots!
My snapdragons are opening....precious, aren't they? As soon as one colour fades from my garden, something else blooms....I didn't even plan it that way!!!! How the heck did I do that?!? The day lilies are up, too. More photos tomorrow. Not too much "haps" in the hood. I think the excessive heat is keeping folks off the street. It is just too damn hot to be out making trouble right now. The temperature should be dropping back to the normal ranges tomorrow and then the gates of Crazy Town will be flung wide. Things have been too quiet round here again. Something's gotta give!

robot vs trucker

Robot vs Trucker by Russ Morland We have been waiting since sometime around Christmas to get a painting from Russ, but it was definitely worth it. We love our new canvas! Michael has one of these toy robots from when he was a kid, so it's almost as if it was painted for him! http://www.russart.blogspot.com/
Last night we went to a Beer and Burger Fundraiser for the Campaign to End Breast Cancer! Our friend is going to walk 60K! Yikes. If you feel like sending her your support, financial or otherwise, you can find her by linking to Gotta Love This Island here on my page...Michael won me a one hour gift certificate to Black&Blue tattoo during the silent auction...I think I will have one of Russ's "lurkers" done...or maybe the robot?
Later, then.

Stacy's Paper Crafts: Gin X and Square Cards = FUN :)

Stacy's Paper Crafts: Gin X and Square Cards = FUN :)

Pip's social commentary

This morning, my neighbour's 13-year-old jack russel, Pip, evil genius that she is, escaped the yard. Most of us in this neighbourhood are "dog people," so needless to say there were several of us out walking, biking, driving around looking for her, checking every garbage can and dumpster(she is a notorious garbage hound). While I was out I saw two hookers propositioning potential johns(negotiating prices). I saw two drug deals. I saw a guy come out of the cold beer and wine store, suck back a cold&frosty one, get on a motorcycle and drive away(it was 10:30 am). I saw crackheads sleeping and firing up in the park that we neighbours had to get PERMISSION from the city to use for our community picnic....a park that is supposedly on the city's "Red Zone Policy" to keep the drug pushers/users and prostitutes from taking over city spaces, by the way. I saw the little drug dealers on bikes, whistling their codes to each other. I SAW police cars, plural, in our neighbourhood. Why didn't they see anything? They were too busy "arresting" a geriatric jack russel for pooping on the street. That's right, folks. Several police passed all those same things I did but one of Nanaimo's finest chose to stop to detain a dog and drive it out to the city pound. In fact, they probably passed us out on the street calling her name over and over again...what gives?!? Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful and relieved for her safe return($40 dollars later). I really, truly do appreciate that. I mean it. But, c'mon. If I saw all that in the passing of one half hour to 45 minutes, what did all the other folks looking for that dog see? How many crimes did it add up to? Those patrol cars just kept rolling on through, except to stop and pluck one gimpy little evil, yet fairly harmless, genius from Milton Street while she was leaving a little social statement for the neighbourhood to read. Crap.

passion

Endorsing Kinky from across the border....Why not Kinky?!? God bless Texas. Have you listened to the Texas Jewboys yet? Have you read a Kinky Friedman book yet?
Why the hell not? Don't mess with Texas....Kinky will get you!

My passionflowers are opening up now. I love them. I need to get out there tomorrow and try cross pollenating some of the blooms before they open to try and get some fruit out of our vine. We had a nice visit last night with our good friends and they stayed through part of today. Not much news to report today, though. I have been trying to find out if our community garage sale is really going to happen or not....seems we are being left out of our own loop. Probably my own fault as I am not a very organized person and have been distracted by many things lately.
Anyway, as I said, not much news today...I was kind of recluse after our friends left, needing some quiet and some alone time. Still not feeling quite myself after my illness and am wondering what the hell could linger so long...later, then. G'nite.

boring blahg

Here's an arbutus(madrona) from one of my dog walking spots...these are my favorite trees and this walk has loads of them...I have heard that if you rub the bark in your palms, it is a natural laxative, though it has never had that effect on me...thank goodness because some of my dog walkies are quite long!!! Hopefully, the dogwood tree I got for Michael's birthday this year will have blooms like this next year. The blooms this year had just a hint of pink. These were in Olympia...they were impressive and I can't wait to see ours do the same.
Calalily at Donna's...I guess I am not done planting in my own garden because I don't have any of these!!! So beautiful next to my bed down there. Thanks, Donna.
Not much news today...waiting for company to arrive so I have been cleaning and mowing and getting ready...haven't watched the hood today. Walked Bowen park earlier with Deb and dogs, though. Vigan didn't know how deep the river ran and plunged right in. His little eyes grew so huge! But he liked it, all the same, coming out refreshed and full of piss and vinegar. That's about all tonight, today, whatever....just wanted a little post before guests arrived. Take care, all.

Tuesday

Vigan on our walk today...watching a bee.

This is the house that burned yesterday. Sorry about the angle but I was actually driving when I took this photo. See the guy in the truck? He was there all night, too. He is making sure no one goes in, so I believe this fire may be investigated as arson. I was just thinking about how many fires there are in this neighbourhood. We have lived here two years, this is the third house to burn basically to the ground...several garage fires, as well. Complete losses, all of them. I have probably seen more fires in the last two years than in the whole of my life put together. Go figure.
Some of the happenings of the hood...remember the guy I told you about who went after someone with a stick?!? Our neighbour across the street? He pulled a knife on his two roommates. Did I mention how much I love my neighbours before? Because if I haven't, I'd like to mention it here. Someone set off our "good" neighbour's motion detector sprinkler on the way through the yard in the wee hours of the morning. My friend opened the window cuz she could hear the guy in her back entry and told him to get the *bleepety bleep bleep bleep* out and he actually said to her, "It's alright, I am just running from someone. I'll get out of here soon." She let the dog out. I might have turned on all the lights and yelled out the window "HE'S OVER HERE!!!!!" Then again, the dog is good, too.
This is one of the puppies my friends had at their place in Washington. I absolutely adore the smell of puppies. It releases endorphins in me in a big mad rush. I must have been a dog in another life...what did I do to come back as a human? A good thing or a bad thing? Hmmmm.
Talk to you later.
G'nite

fire in the hood

The house next door to Dairy Queen burnt down yesterday...it took a long, long time. The entire block was closed off for hours. The smoke and the amount of police/fire attention drove all the crackheads up the block to land in front of us. It was quite a sight, but I just wasn't confident enough to walk out and take a photo of them...I don't know if they were living in that house or just living between the cracks up there. There were so many of them. I couldn't get on the block to take a picture of the house until after dark(cuz the final game of the Stanley Cup was on, beer was flowing...er, more like trickling, and pizza being consumed),but will get down there today for some photos. Once the street opened, the crowd of crackheads stumbled on back up the block. It really was surreal. Honestly.
More later.

thoughts of home

Olympia, WA...the postcard backdrop of my life....looks pretty in black and white. My mom worked here, too, so it really was a bit more than a backdrop, I guess.
Oly is changing so much it is sometimes hard to recognize until you see the capitol. There is not too much I miss other than the company I kept... Big Tom's burgers and cheap micro brews. You can't swim in the lake anymore, or the Deschutes near the brewery...in fact, the brewery is not a brewery anymore. The smell of hops will not permeate anymore childhoods, resulting in fewer kids growing up to enjoy Pale Ales or IPAs. Maybe that is the master plan. I know the smell of Michael brewing our beer makes me feel like I am home, almost more than anything else. If I could take everyone I wanted out of there and have them near me, there would be no reason to go back....so move here, already, you guys!!!! Island life is sweet.

blahg about home

This was my first home...we left when I was four and my folks seperated. It looked nothing like this...except those trees were there (with more lawn)then, a rusty swing set beneath them. The house was brown, dark brown(I distinctly remember eating paint chips off the door once), with no wood shed and the front door was on the side with the trees. It looks like a happier place now.
This is Spit(Mr. Buttertubs). He kept me company throughout my illness...
he liked my oh-so-apparent incapacity to fend off his avid company. Actually, I really enjoyed his presence...kinda of comforting in an overly eager sort of way.

So, I was going to come back and tell you all about my trip home...all the highs and lows, the good and bad, the funny, the sad, the sweet. Only I got sick the second night out and stayed sick through the whole trip so my stories are few and far between. I spent many, many hours in bed and my time awake was spent wishing I was back in bed(for the most part). I saw Donna in Seattle the first night, lots o'beer and stories. The next day was the Freemont Street Market. I saw overpriced Garlic Farmer's Clogs and revelled in the price I paid at Canadian Tire. Tee hee. That night, though, the Sick started and I drove into Olympia the next day feeling like I just needed to be put in some dark corner with lots of blankets, some cool cloths and quiet. I stayed that way for three days. The rest of my time was split between visiting family and friends and visiting the bed again. So lame. I'm sorry everyone for the lameness of the visit. I managed some nice but brief visits with the folks, one dinner with my sis(which I barely picked at cuz the medicines I took to get me outta bed ruined any appetite I might have had), a couple of drinks spread out over several days at our local dives(thanks for coming out to Joe and Maura and Rhiannon and Beth)....it was SO good to drink excellent micro-brews on tap for cheap...mmm, though in my condition I did it no justice. I drove home sick, stayed sick at home two more days with even more visiting thrown into that mix(sorry Em, for my lameness)...and then two nights ago we lost our kitty to traffic on Victoria Road...so there wasn't too much to really draw the stories out of me anyway.
I took few pictures but will put up some of what I did take in the next few entries and will catch you up a bit at a time on Olympia highlights and what's been going on in the Hood back here....some good stuff, man. Later, then. G'nite.

so sorry, Crook

Dear Mister Crook
We are so sorry we couldn't teach you to stay off the street, you were so determined to escape us. We are sorry we couldn't love you as much as your SPCA heart craved, but we tried. You were a total monster at times, but you were our monster. We love you. I will miss playing tag and smouse with you, will miss chattering with you, will miss you purring against me at night. I will miss you and Michael reading the paper together. Michael will miss you more than he will admit, but I know...and you do, too. Be good to Maggie over there. Play nice. We'll see you when we get there. loveloveloveyou, mister.

things I will miss

Though I have travelled a bunch in my life, it usually entailed moving my whole home with me. I don't travel well...though I will be gone less than two weeks, there are things I will miss tremendously, like Michael, my touchstone. To a lesser extent, Crook, my antagonist.
Impromptu expeditions with friends and neighbours. Today a last minute phone call and we were off to the farmer's market where I bought the last two basil plants. It's all about timing...I am bound and determined to make some delicious organic pesto this season...with goat parmesan, if I can find it here on the island.
I will miss dog walkies....after walking to the farmer's market, we loaded my car with dogs and neighbours and headed to Harewood Mines for some much needed doggie-energy-expenditure....
I will miss Faxe...I know I am heading to the land of micro-brews at reasonable prices but still....there is something about a strong Dane that I like very much.
I will miss my house. Lots. I miss the feeling of home when I am away. And though I am heading to the place where I was born, I do not think I have ever felt at home there. I have fun. I like seeing everyone, friends and family(mostly), but I am, and always have been, so relieved to see Olympia in my rearview mirror on the way to somewhere else. I don't know if that is sad...it just IS. So, anyhoo, good folks who are reading, I don't know how much blogging I may get to. Surely not lots...I will miss this, also, I think.
Talk at you later....G'nite. then.

pink or green, pink or green, hhhmmmm

Um, do you think they .......
A) Got tired and gave up?
B) Ran out of greenish-blackish paint?
or
C) Realized that the original fleshy pink colour looks better than what they are covering it with?
Whatever, they need to finish this project. It looks like....well, I won't say it. I won't. You can't make me. They have had plenty of time to rethink the entire situation, already. The rest of us around here are trying to make things look nicer...oh, hey....I get it. The answer is....
D) They are hoping the neighbours all crack, buy them new paint in a great colour and come finish up for them.