b occe

Well, the weather has been uncooperative for camping this summer... sunny and warm all week and rainy and cool every weekend. And since we have so many home improvement projects on the go, we opted to stay home this weekend. That doesn't mean we didn't appreciate the fact that it was, indeed, the weekend. We ordered pizza with friends, drank some beer and in between rain showers, played bocce in the park. I am so thankful we didn't rent a movie because Saturday night was Road Block Sobriety Checkpoint Night. Right out front of my house.

You must remember how much I love Roadblock Night.

Is it wrong of me? Maybe.

Do I care? Nope.

Not a bit. It's better than cable.

(This is not my photo, but the photo information was unavailable...so whoever took this, if you find your picture here on my site, thank you. I tried to give you credit but your page seems to have "expired.")

Sunday night, Michael and I piled pillows and blankets into the car and headed up to "the Wastelands," a spot up out of town a bit where the dirtbike riders like to go race around. No city lights, no traffic, nobody around but two other cars of stargazers. We stretched out on the cold ground, listened to one very talkative owl, and watched the Perseids meteor showers. It was chilly, the dog was anxious and we were giddy and giggley. I am sure I saw a UFO. It was a very fun time.

Now it's Tuesday, the shopping for the week is done, laundry is washing while we speak. The walk-in closet is replastered, the baseboard and trim scraped and refinished, the new brick patio in the backyard is laid.

Tomorrow, I guess, I can start stripping the baseboards and trim in the bedroom once I can put everything back into the closet!

Get a Smile Here...

I scream, you scream, they're not buying ice cream....
I don't know what Nanaimo can do to fight this GI-NORMOUS drug problem, but somebody better come up with a new plan. Whatever is "the master plan" now just ain't working , the red zone isn't working, the security guards aren't working...not for us, anyway.

That's our Neighbourhood Watch sign these two are passed out under. Victoria Road around the Glow is a nightmare. Nobody can walk downtown anymore without passing through a literal gauntlet of drug activity and criminal behaviour. If I was coming into Nanaimo on the Old Island Highway and saw that mass of addicts doing their shakey dance, making deals, trying to pick up Johns just like they OWNED that whole stretch of road coming into town, I would KEEP ON DRIVING! That's quite a "Welcome to Nanaimo!"

"Lock the doors, Honey. Don't stop. Whatever you do, don't stop!"

This car isn't from our part of town. Hell, it may not even be FROM this town. It has just picked up a hooker. It's daylight, it's summer, "our" kids are home(probably just like this guy's). Why don't we have Vice in this town? You know the revenue the RCMP could generate with an on-going sting operation? Probably enough, honestly, to pay to put one, if not two, more officers on the street. For real. And? Publish the name of the Johns, while you're at it.

Deal with slumlords.

Don't push all your problems south.

This is the second time in two weeks for a full crisis response to the house down the street. I don't know how many in one year. Too many to count, though I have shown you all the lights flashing down there a time or two before. The basement is flophouse for homeless and drug addicts. Two weeks ago, apparently, someone died there. Alcohol and drug related health crisis and domestic violence calls fueled by the same problems...on a weekly basis, it seems.

This red van is passing the scene of drug-related violence and may be on it's way downtown(or more precisely, near my house) to pass out needles, "harm reduction" in action...in a town that already has more than one needle exchange... maybe, instead of all these different agencies spending all their money on the SAME programs, they could get together and make a plan to use it in a way that doesn't seem like a competition to see who can hand out the most needles, or the most condoms, or the most crack pipes.

This is just a thought I have, call me crazy... maybe, if there is already a needle exchange, the money other advocacy groups are also spending on needles would be better spent on...oh, say, helping someone STOP being addicted? Maybe the amount spent on duplicate programs would be enough to stop one person, maybe even two, from living like this. Am I wrong?

Wiki Meme

*photo from ChristopherReeveLegacy.com

Okay...one more cuz I found a curious co-inky-dinky(that's how I used to say coincidence when I was a kid and I still like it!).
And away we go....
On September 25, 1789, the U.S. Congress passed the Bill of Rights. Wow. Where have some of those rights gone now? Hmmmm. That's probably not for this post.
On September 25, 1911, ground is broken for Fenway Park in Massachusetts. Cool.
On September 25, 1976, U2 is founded in Larry Mullens living room. Really cool.
On September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor was sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court, the first woman to be appointed. I wish she was still on it.

I claim often that Will Smith, the Fresh Prince of BelAir, is my twin brother because we were born on the same day in the same year. Does anyone else see how much we look alike?
William Faulkner, Pulitzer Prize winner, was born on September 25, 1897. He wrote "As I Lay Dying" which made me ache when I read it the summer I was 13, and "the Reivers," which made me laugh again the same summer.
September 25, 1930~ Shel Silverstein....sigh.
And on September 25, 1952, Superman Christopher_Reeve was born. And we all know the tragic story and the courageous works he and his wife, Dana, took upon themselves in founding the Dana and Christopher_Reeve_Foundation. Now go here. See Duane? That's my brother-in-law. He's Superman, too. They were both inducted into the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame at the same time. The NSCIA Hall of Fame was created to celebrate and honor people who have made significant contributions to the quality of life for all individuals with spinal cord injuries.
http://www.lgtinc.org/authors/17/Duane-French

http://www.ncil.org/conference/conphotos.html

http://www.ragged-edge-mag.com/1198/a1198nlw.htm

8 Awkward and Random Things

#1 There are some songs that make me cry(happy tears or sad)no matter how many times I have heard them in my life, no matter where I am, what the company I am in is, the situation, who is singing, who is laughing at me... and, if you must know, these songs include, but are in no way limited to...."Bird on a Wire" and "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, "Hockey" and "Everything Reminds Me of My Dog" by Jane Siberry, "Angel From Montgomery" and "Sam Stone" by John Prine, "Gulf Coast Highway" by Nancy Griffith and "the Maker" by Daniel Lanois. "Helpless" by Neil Young. "Ghost of a Dog" by Edie Brickell and "Dogsong 2" by the Be Good Tanyas. Wow. Canadian songwriters are really represented here aren't they?



#2 The best memories I have of my family involve old photographs,

and some of the times in them I remember....

and some I do not have any memory of since I was not even around,

but the idea of these people being somebody different before the time I knew them thrills me.

#3 This house is where I have felt safest in all the world in my life.

Because my grandma was here, and stable and sound and sweet....

and I miss her.

#4 The best time of my life, hands down, was the months spent travelling in the vw from the very tip of Texas to Vancouver, BC, with Michael and Maggie and Sebastion(the hermit crab)

We saw amazing vistas, delved into beautiful and tragic histories, spent days and weeks exploring the things we wanted to, lived like gypsies and ate like kings and felt in love with it all....

we found treasures everywhere we stopped...

#4 I will never "get over" this dog.

#5 I love Willie Nelson...in a big way...

and I dream of riding on the Honeysuckle Rose with my dad.

#6 This is a print by Gerald Nailor, who is my favorite artist...and also a personal hero. He should be more well known than he is because he is an important artist in North America, maybe one of the most important, but I also like that so few people know about him

because maybe, just maybe, it means that these....

are one of a kind.

#7 I have semi-regular dreams like this...there is nothing overtly "overt" about them. Vince and I just "hang out" and have a dinner party or garden or hang some pictures on the wall. But, they comfort me somehow. I don't get it. Someone please explain? Isn't he hilarious? He just told the funniest story....I swear.

#8 I dread these MeMe's cuz I don't know how much I really want to reveal about myself out here...but find them kind of fun, at the same time. Go figure.

And, with that, I won't tag anyone...as I read along today, it looks like just about everyone has been tagged with one MeMe or another the past few days anyway. If you want to play along, feel free.

I still miss you, Chicken.

Happy Birthday, Maggie.
Good girl.
I love you so much....such a good, good girl.

discoveries

On our walk by the river, months and months ago, I found this little guy. I called him Goldeneye. I didn't have my camera because it was pouring. Next time I came with my camera, he wasn't there. Next time I came without my camera, there he was. And so on and so on for the entire Spring and now into Summer. Always in the exact same spot. Always. Yesterday, I went dogwalking early so that I could devote the afternoon to home renovations...I ALMOST didn't take my camera because around that time of day, high-noon-ish, most animals are not stirring. Siesta time in the wild kingdom.

I ALMOST didn't take my camera, but in the end, I did. Gotcha, Mr. Goldeneye. It wasn't really that bad, was it? You are, after all, extremely photogenic.

We found this little ragged butterfly, still beautiful. In fact, I believe, all the more so for it's tattered wings, for it's ability to make me hold so agonizingly still to watch it's course come closer and closer to me, for it's capacity to make my breath catch in my throat as it flutters, easy and delicate, on torn wings from flower to flower, for the fact that life can take great chunks out of us and still leave us beautiful and able to carry on with grace....such gentle lessons the world gives us sometimes.

Like my Goldeneye, Eem-er has her own obsession. There is a squirrel just out of camera range here that harasses all the dogs. It knows it is safe up there in the tree, just out of reach of the dogs when they are gnashing their terrible teeth.....

...or so he'd like to think!

It's also that time of year...the Arbutus are shedding their red skin. I know I have said it before, more than once, but I LOVE these trees.

For those of you who do not live in a temperate coastal climate and have not seen them...they are magnificent, magical trees. Fewer and fewer remain. They grow where everyone wants to live.

Look at that green. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? Let's hope we don't wipe them out.

Well, I'd love to sit and chat all day...or go sit out in the sun on the back deck to finish the last pages of Harry Potter...but home renos are beckoning me. Sigh. Hopefully somebody out there is enjoying the good weather for me.

Eem-er loves Mr. Milo('s MeMe)

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Which time? I've had several names.... Currently, it's Eem-er. Do you know anyone else named Eem-er?
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Ok, I admit it...I am a terrific crybaby. I cried in the crate yesterday when I didn't get to go to the grocery store.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I can't write but I do love to leave my mark.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey, we have it every day.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? I have had many litters...and right now have an adopted child. She's not quite right, though. It's because (ssshhhhhhh) she is a kitten.....



6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER DOG WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Would we both be leashed? Cuz then, probably not!
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Um, what?
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR NUTS? Never had them.....but I act like I do!
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I think I have already, if you count the times I have been dangling at the end of my leash.


10. YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL? I 'm not sure I have had cereal yet.
11. DO YOU WIPE YOUR PAWS WHEN YOU COME IN? Nope.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Getting stronger all the time! And when I am wet, I SMELL really, really strong.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM? Um...I have only had vanilla...
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their hands....pet me, pet me, oh please pet me!
15. RED OR PINK? I am colour-blind, right?
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOU? My separation anxiety.
17. WHO/WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Rabbit hunting off leash

18. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? kibble
18. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Fishbone play with a cat toy.
19. FAVOURITE SMELLS? Bums, rabbit, bbq
20. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Mr. Milo? I love him. Want to go walkies with him.

21. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOW? Not interested in the tv, but will sit on the couch with whoever is watching....pet me pet me oh please pet me.......
22. HAIR COLOUR? Black and brown and white
23. EYE COLOUR? Brown
24. FAVOURITE FOOD? Orijen kibbles with a spoonful of chicken....

25. HUGS OR KISSES? Anything, anything, just please, please, please love me....pet me pet me pet me.....

26. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SOUND? Soft, sweet voices saying my name.

27. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Sticks, not stones....and I chase bees not beetles.

28. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? I flew from one island to another, from one coast of Canada to the other, but I was on my way home then. Thank you, Beaglepaws.

29. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can find a rabbit just about anywhere...and I can climb.

30. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? St. John's , Newfoundland

Check out

this bright idea...... If you camp in inclement weather, all you "have" to do is drink, er, wait, chop wood, er...drink and chop wood to keep the fire going. Wait a minute, that's not such a bright idea, is it? Drinking and using an axe? Yikes!!!

The really bright idea is to stay in the camper van and try and finish Harry Potter before you come home and find out the end via some lame internet bullshit or television bullshit.

I didn't finish but am really, really close. Shhhhhh. Don't ruin it for me. I have not watched news, have not logged in to anything other than e-mail, Blogger and Facebook since this came out. Damn household improvements and the way they steal my time. Damn them. And, honestly, I didn't spend the whole time at camp reading Harry Potter BUT I have not spent any time with the pictures nor the next blog post. So this is all you get!

Until later, then!

Remember....

Have a good weekend, everyone.

stuff and nonsense

I wish I could claim this as mine, but mine just wont grow. The slugs and snails seem to devour it before it can gain any momentum in the growing season. Maybe I will move it somewhere else this fall and hope for the best next summer. Duke's mom grew this and I just wanted to show you all. It is so cool, isn't it? I think it is beautiful. And yummy, too, with some garlic butter!

I have been busy with "the home improvement project" and bandaging up wounds related to said project. One superficial burn from the heat gun, one second degreeburn from the heat gun...two jolting head bonks, one resulting in a little-mini scalping incident...various bumps and bruises and one very stiff shoulder and neck from plastering the ceiling. Lord, when did I get this old....and this clumsy? Since we are improving out habitat, Michael took it upon himself to improve Sebsastion(the Hermit Crab)'s habitat, as well. He had grown to the point where his terrarium(once a window-ledge herb garden box) was restricting Sebastion's walks. He is suprisingly active. Michael made this swank new abode, two stories, with plants and caves and climbing walls. Sebastion is so wonderstruck, he has been rattling around all night, every night. He is obnoxiously noisey right now. Oh well, you can't reason with a hermit crab at 2 a.m. Or 2 p.m., for that matter.

The rains have stopped and thankfully the vines are drying out while we still have time to enjoy the raspberries. They were just turning to mush on the vines but the dry weather is back just in time for some last delicious bowls of berries. It was a banner crop this year, despite the last week of rain.

Blueberries are nearly ripe now, too.

My lacy-top hydrangeas are a-bloom. One of my favourite things in my garden.

And my passion-flower vine. Absolutely in my top five favourite things in my garden. This vine wraps around a trellis in my back yard and reaches all the way up to the top of my deck on the second floor, helping to create a little wall of green back there between me and the alleyway traffic.

So beautiful, isn't it? It's vines interlace with two kiwi vines and hopefully in the next year or two, you won't even see the deck railings at all. It will just be a little jungle wall.

The work goes on across the street at the old church. The barbed wire came down and the height of the fence is down to four feet. It is still made entirely of pallets on one side(I will get a picture of that for you soon), because, apparently there is a bylaw about height and about barbed-wire, but not about it being HIDEOUS BEYOND ALL MENTION. Once again, the landlord who preys on this neighbourhood gets away with kicking us in the ribs. Thanks ever so. I wonder if this would be going on next door to Korpan, the mayor?!? There are probably different by-laws for the north end of town. Spanglish is still there with peeling siding falling into the alley, garbage accumulating, and nothing being done.

Ah, hell, I didn't mean to start ranting. I got up early today and am still a bit grumpy about it. I have a hair appointment and I hope the Beauty Queen doesn't mind the plaster in my hair and is gentle along my scalping site. So, in fact, I better go primp. You don't arrive at the Beauty Queen with bedhead, even if she is just going to cut it all off!