. I'll admit that it took me almost an entire day to adjust to Sam with his new, cool, summer hair cut. The only fluffy bits left on him are his tail and behind his ear. Gracie had to sniff his but a bunch of extra times when he got home to make sure it was Sam.
. Today is my last day in the office for a week. That's right kiddos, I'm off next week. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it's sunny and nice, I have outside painting I need to do next week.
. Of course, if it did rain, I could hang out in the gazebo with the dogs and a pile of trade paperbacks I have.
. I tweeted this last night but feel that it needs repeating, this is not a good week for pop culture icons from my 1970's childhood.
. In a way, I'm sure that the O'Neal / Fawcett must be a little relieved to be pushed to the edge of the spotlight right now. Given what they've been going through for the past 3+ years as they've supported Farrah in her battle against cancer, I'm sure they'll be grateful for some peace.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
strawberry baby
. holy smokes but isn't Xavier cute? he's so alert for one so tiny, I think he realizes already that there's a lot to do and see here on Earth and he's digging right in
. the local berries this year are much better than I'd anticipated. we had a bit of an odd spring 'round here and I didn't think it would be a good thing for my beloved berries but they're great this year
. thanks to mum & dad, we had berries for dinner last night, for breakfast again today and I'm having some for lunch. yay!
. chickpeas might just be the perfect food
. I'm bored to tears with hearing about perez and jon and kate but can't stop watching "Katie & Peter Stateside: The next chapter." my train wreck addiction is incurable
. the local berries this year are much better than I'd anticipated. we had a bit of an odd spring 'round here and I didn't think it would be a good thing for my beloved berries but they're great this year
. thanks to mum & dad, we had berries for dinner last night, for breakfast again today and I'm having some for lunch. yay!
. chickpeas might just be the perfect food
. I'm bored to tears with hearing about perez and jon and kate but can't stop watching "Katie & Peter Stateside: The next chapter." my train wreck addiction is incurable
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
anticipation
. 3 and a bit days until my vacation starts (but who's counting)
. 1 and a bit hours until my dad delivers some fresh, local strawberries to me at the office
. 3 and a bit hours until I get to go home and play with the puppies
. good things definitely do come to folks who wait for them
. 1 and a bit hours until my dad delivers some fresh, local strawberries to me at the office
. 3 and a bit hours until I get to go home and play with the puppies
. good things definitely do come to folks who wait for them
Monday, June 22, 2009
monday thoughts
. weekends fly by far too quickly
. water restrictions are tough on new sod
. Gracie loves to play in the mud
. tiny muddy paw prints aren't as cute when they are on your bedspread as they are when you notice them on a sidewalk
. Xavier is the cutest baby I've seen in a good long while
. summer arrived, bringing lovely warm weather with it. thanks summer! we owe you one!!
. water restrictions are tough on new sod
. Gracie loves to play in the mud
. tiny muddy paw prints aren't as cute when they are on your bedspread as they are when you notice them on a sidewalk
. Xavier is the cutest baby I've seen in a good long while
. summer arrived, bringing lovely warm weather with it. thanks summer! we owe you one!!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
stuff on thursday
. I'm always a little surprised to see folks walking down the street smoking cigarettes.
. it's raining today because I watered my garden last night. you're welcome.
. everyone should tape record themselves in conversation once in a while. you'll probably be surprised by how many "ums" you say.
. my friends are totally awesome and are easy to love
. if you have a moment to spare today (or everyday), you should visit http://www.freekibble.com and play bowwow and meow trivia. it'll help provide food to shelter animals (and it's fun)
. it's raining today because I watered my garden last night. you're welcome.
. everyone should tape record themselves in conversation once in a while. you'll probably be surprised by how many "ums" you say.
. my friends are totally awesome and are easy to love
. if you have a moment to spare today (or everyday), you should visit http://www.freekibble.com and play bowwow and meow trivia. it'll help provide food to shelter animals (and it's fun)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
hey, where are my ice cubes?
I just read a story about a lovely old gent in the UK who won a massive lottery. He plans to spend part of the money on his allotment (apparently he's had no luck growing carrots). I thought that this was unbelievably cute.
I would probably think a little bigger and buy a house that had a garden but hey, to each his own, right?
Simple is definitely the way to go I think. We're trying to simplify our lives a bit at home. Clearing out stuff we don't need, feeling more organized overall and less stressed generally. Also trying to focus on stuff that makes us happy, time with the dogs and each other, puttering in the yard. Summer flies by so fast 'round here that I really want to enjoy it this year, rain or shine.
I would probably think a little bigger and buy a house that had a garden but hey, to each his own, right?
Simple is definitely the way to go I think. We're trying to simplify our lives a bit at home. Clearing out stuff we don't need, feeling more organized overall and less stressed generally. Also trying to focus on stuff that makes us happy, time with the dogs and each other, puttering in the yard. Summer flies by so fast 'round here that I really want to enjoy it this year, rain or shine.
Monday, June 15, 2009
5 to 10 a day, en francais
As a child growing up in Ontario in the 1970's, I recall that we didn't take French until grade 5 or 6. I think kids start much earlier these days. In high school I took it in grade 9 (I think it was my homeroom class actually) and then didn't really bother with it until grade 13 (there were extra seats available on the trip to Montreal and I liked shopping as much as the next 18 year old girl so I went on the class trip with some friends). Because we live and work in a city where French isn't a requirement, my huge lack of formal education hasn't really held me back from doing stuff. When we travel in Quebec, I'm able to navigate pretty well and I chalk it up to learning about French language via cereal boxes. That may sound like a joke but I seriously think that exposure to bilingual labels on stuff helped me.
In other news, our yard is really looking good. We (I say we because I did a little and Mark did a lot) worked in the yard almost all weekend. The deck is almost completely finished now and the yard is cleaned up and ready for sod. Hopefully next weekend, we'll be able to finish up completely (did you know that you can't buy sod in Kingston on a Sunday afternoon? - we didn't). It's all very exciting, seeing it come together. My plants are even growing, neat huh? We've been in the house for 4 years and we're finally getting the back yard the way we want it. I think that we're both appreciating it a lot more because of all of the time and work that has gone into it. I still would have enjoyed it if happened quickly, but I don't know that I'd feel as proud of the work as I do now.
In other news, our yard is really looking good. We (I say we because I did a little and Mark did a lot) worked in the yard almost all weekend. The deck is almost completely finished now and the yard is cleaned up and ready for sod. Hopefully next weekend, we'll be able to finish up completely (did you know that you can't buy sod in Kingston on a Sunday afternoon? - we didn't). It's all very exciting, seeing it come together. My plants are even growing, neat huh? We've been in the house for 4 years and we're finally getting the back yard the way we want it. I think that we're both appreciating it a lot more because of all of the time and work that has gone into it. I still would have enjoyed it if happened quickly, but I don't know that I'd feel as proud of the work as I do now.
Friday, June 12, 2009
merry market
Last night, Mark had an eye appointment and I went along because he was getting drops and needed me to drive him home. In the end, his appointment took so long that he was okay to drive by the time he'd finished but I waited, all the same.
Not wanting to sit in the waiting room, I decided to sit in the van with the windows down and enjoy the first really summery feeling day we've had so far this year. The doctor's office is in a strip mall / plaza. Across the street from the plaza are four big apartment buildings. Due to the time of the day, there were a lot of folks heading on foot, walking toward the buildings (coming from the direction where I know the bus stop is).
I spent some of my time reading the news on my phone, some of it taking photos and some of it just watching the parade of people. One woman I saw reminded me a old school chum, someone I was very close to but lost contact with after she dove, head first, into some really seriously bad shit. the friend had moved to a pretty remote part of the country with her parents after high school. While she was up there, she developed a pretty serious drug habit. I wasn't entirely surprised that this happens because both of her parents were drunks. When she got back to town, we saw each other a few times and I tried and tried to see her (and her dad was calling me all of the time, wanting me to see her too, I guess he thought I'd be a good influence or something). Eventually, I got tired of trying and she just disappeared. About 15 years ago I ran into her brother and he said she was "okay" but I didn't press him for details.
So this all happened about 20 years ago. The woman I saw didn't remind me of what the friend looked like 20 years ago, rather, she looked like what I thought this friend would look like now. I'm pretty sure it wasn't her but if it was, it means that she's doing okay. Thinking that she could have the potential to be okay wasn't something that had occurred to me until yesterday. On some level, that actually makes me feel good.
Not wanting to sit in the waiting room, I decided to sit in the van with the windows down and enjoy the first really summery feeling day we've had so far this year. The doctor's office is in a strip mall / plaza. Across the street from the plaza are four big apartment buildings. Due to the time of the day, there were a lot of folks heading on foot, walking toward the buildings (coming from the direction where I know the bus stop is).
I spent some of my time reading the news on my phone, some of it taking photos and some of it just watching the parade of people. One woman I saw reminded me a old school chum, someone I was very close to but lost contact with after she dove, head first, into some really seriously bad shit. the friend had moved to a pretty remote part of the country with her parents after high school. While she was up there, she developed a pretty serious drug habit. I wasn't entirely surprised that this happens because both of her parents were drunks. When she got back to town, we saw each other a few times and I tried and tried to see her (and her dad was calling me all of the time, wanting me to see her too, I guess he thought I'd be a good influence or something). Eventually, I got tired of trying and she just disappeared. About 15 years ago I ran into her brother and he said she was "okay" but I didn't press him for details.
So this all happened about 20 years ago. The woman I saw didn't remind me of what the friend looked like 20 years ago, rather, she looked like what I thought this friend would look like now. I'm pretty sure it wasn't her but if it was, it means that she's doing okay. Thinking that she could have the potential to be okay wasn't something that had occurred to me until yesterday. On some level, that actually makes me feel good.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
doggy bounce
It's finally starting to feel actually summery here. Did I say "finally" cuz it's been a long time coming!! Don't think that I'm a huge fan of really hot steamy weather but I like it to be at least warm enough to be able to wear sandals to work. And not having to turn the office furnace, in mid-June, is also nice.
Convocation has been happening for the past couple of weeks and it's a lot of fun to watch the proud parents and happy grads taking photos. Unfortunately, some of the folks taking photos have almost been hit by vehicles, at least almost hit by us, the last couple of days. See, Convocation empties out onto University Avenue. Everyone sort of congregates outside of Grant Hall, trying to get photos of their grad with the Clock Tower, or the with the Chancellor, etc. I have, more than once this week, watched parents backing up, into traffic, with a camera clutched to their faces. It's scary. I think next year, they should consider closing the street because I worry that someone is going to get plowed over by a bus.
We got to the dog park last night (we hadn't been since the weekend) and it was pretty busy, which is nice for the dogs. Our dog park is not a dedicated strictly to dog park activities. The area we can use is inside a running track. Also inside the track are four baseball diamonds. We often walk the length of the park, between the ball diamonds because the dogs will run back and forth between us, trying to herd us. Anyway, last night, I had to laugh. There was a young girl sitting on the bleachers, wrapped around her boyfriend (I think they were in high school). They had a little mop top of a dog with them but she was paying more attention to the boy than to the dog. The dog was pretty friendly and Sam and Gracie were playing with it but I couldn't help but chuckle thinking, her parents probably asked her to walk the dog so she plunked it at the park while she was fooling around with this guy. She wasn't exactly following the rules of supervising and being in control of your dog at all times!
In any event, now that we're talking about dogs, why not do the doggy bounce?
Convocation has been happening for the past couple of weeks and it's a lot of fun to watch the proud parents and happy grads taking photos. Unfortunately, some of the folks taking photos have almost been hit by vehicles, at least almost hit by us, the last couple of days. See, Convocation empties out onto University Avenue. Everyone sort of congregates outside of Grant Hall, trying to get photos of their grad with the Clock Tower, or the with the Chancellor, etc. I have, more than once this week, watched parents backing up, into traffic, with a camera clutched to their faces. It's scary. I think next year, they should consider closing the street because I worry that someone is going to get plowed over by a bus.
We got to the dog park last night (we hadn't been since the weekend) and it was pretty busy, which is nice for the dogs. Our dog park is not a dedicated strictly to dog park activities. The area we can use is inside a running track. Also inside the track are four baseball diamonds. We often walk the length of the park, between the ball diamonds because the dogs will run back and forth between us, trying to herd us. Anyway, last night, I had to laugh. There was a young girl sitting on the bleachers, wrapped around her boyfriend (I think they were in high school). They had a little mop top of a dog with them but she was paying more attention to the boy than to the dog. The dog was pretty friendly and Sam and Gracie were playing with it but I couldn't help but chuckle thinking, her parents probably asked her to walk the dog so she plunked it at the park while she was fooling around with this guy. She wasn't exactly following the rules of supervising and being in control of your dog at all times!
In any event, now that we're talking about dogs, why not do the doggy bounce?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
only you can prevent forest fires
Last night, for some reason, we were talking about Kukla, Fran and Ollie. I'm old, you may not be. I remember them, you may not. In any case, it's camping season so here's a good message from your pals Kukla & Ollie.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
foot and grate
A shiny new dollar store opened up near our house recently. Last night I had to get some greeting cards so we stopped in there on our way home. It's so nice and new. The shelves are packed with awesome bargains and it's very handy to our house. so nice!
Potentially not so nice is the markings I noticed on our way home. It appeared that someone from the city (or a bored kid) spray-painted white squares around the sewer grates on our street. Not sure if that means they are going to build them up (they are all pretty sunken gross pot holes) or if they are just pointing out that they're there. I think that folks in the automotive suspension business in Kingston are doing well these days.
Our city can muse about building new track and field facilities and 50m swimming pools until the cows come home. What Kingston needs, more than anything, is new roads, infrastructure baby. Of course, what's practical and what happens are never usually the same thing so I bitch in vain. At least it temporarily makes me feel better I suppose.
Potentially not so nice is the markings I noticed on our way home. It appeared that someone from the city (or a bored kid) spray-painted white squares around the sewer grates on our street. Not sure if that means they are going to build them up (they are all pretty sunken gross pot holes) or if they are just pointing out that they're there. I think that folks in the automotive suspension business in Kingston are doing well these days.
Our city can muse about building new track and field facilities and 50m swimming pools until the cows come home. What Kingston needs, more than anything, is new roads, infrastructure baby. Of course, what's practical and what happens are never usually the same thing so I bitch in vain. At least it temporarily makes me feel better I suppose.
Monday, June 01, 2009
mark and yoko and john
Last month, well, actually two months ago now, in April, I promised Mark that we'd travel to Montreal to see "imagine: the peace ballad of john & yoko" as a birthday gift. Finally, on Friday, in the fog and through the rain, we made it to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to see Yoko's wonderful exhibit.
After learning about the exhibit earlier in the year, I deliberately avoided reading about it or seeing photos of it. I wanted to be able to experience it on my own. I think because the message is peace and so much of what was on display is widely available to the public, Yoko wanted folks to bring their cameras and document their own "bed in" experience. Much of the show is interactive and it was encouraging to see children participating, either by hammering nails into a painting, or playing on one of the white chess sets or hanging their wishes in the trees.
It was refreshing, in a world seemingly full of stories of war and pain, to participate in celebration of peace and to take a few moments to reflect upon the simple brilliance of "giving peace a chance." Ironically, when we exited the exhibit, the other big show on the 3rd floor of the museum was about Napoleon.
The rest of the day was spent doing Montreal type errands. We had lunch (at the counter) at Schwartz's, wandered around on St-Laurent (in the middle of a street festival - the whole street was closed to cars), visited IKEA and Marche Central for some shopping. En route back to Kingston, we stopped at our favourite Glengarry County truck stop for dinner. Not everything we did went exactly as planned but it all happened the way it was supposed to. I'd say it was pretty close to a perfect day, rain and all.
After learning about the exhibit earlier in the year, I deliberately avoided reading about it or seeing photos of it. I wanted to be able to experience it on my own. I think because the message is peace and so much of what was on display is widely available to the public, Yoko wanted folks to bring their cameras and document their own "bed in" experience. Much of the show is interactive and it was encouraging to see children participating, either by hammering nails into a painting, or playing on one of the white chess sets or hanging their wishes in the trees.
It was refreshing, in a world seemingly full of stories of war and pain, to participate in celebration of peace and to take a few moments to reflect upon the simple brilliance of "giving peace a chance." Ironically, when we exited the exhibit, the other big show on the 3rd floor of the museum was about Napoleon.
The rest of the day was spent doing Montreal type errands. We had lunch (at the counter) at Schwartz's, wandered around on St-Laurent (in the middle of a street festival - the whole street was closed to cars), visited IKEA and Marche Central for some shopping. En route back to Kingston, we stopped at our favourite Glengarry County truck stop for dinner. Not everything we did went exactly as planned but it all happened the way it was supposed to. I'd say it was pretty close to a perfect day, rain and all.
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