A Tail of 2 Goldens....

PEI In 200 Days!

2011-05-10T10:03:00.000-03:00

On Friday, my Dad's 73rd birthday (That should give you a rough idea of my own age. If it should score me any more points or sympathy, I am closer to 50 than 40 at this point.), I completed my 8 week program AND I successfully ran 5 km STRAIGHT! No stops, no walking. A whole 5 km straight! You have no idea how many false starts I have had over the past 14 years, or how many programs I have attempted but could never quite make it. But, this time, I did it! I don't even remember where I found the program - somewhere on the internet? It was a Word document that I downloaded and will never be able to return to the site from whence it came because it is on my computer which is officially toast.

T, before you start harping on about "you should get a MAC", let me just tell you that I got a new iPhone last Saturday and it hasn't worked properly since I got it. A phone isn't much good unless you can actually hear what the other person is saying and I can't hear a thing. Although, it is sort of nice that I can get my point across without having to hear "no" or the plethora of excuses. You see, they can hear me at the other end. So I can call the SF and say, "I'll be home in 10 minutes. My dinner better be on the table!", and he can say whatever he wants back, but I don't have to listen to it. Or, I can call him and say, "Can you stop at the grocery store and pick up....." Same thing! Better yet. "Can you pick me up a coffee?" You remember that new bike he just got? Well, it means that Momma deserves a little payback. I'm just wonder how long I can milk it?

What the iPhone has been good for is recording my run times/distances while I'm at the gym. Instead of taking pen and paper, I can just make notes right then and there. Although the drips of sweat all over it aren't that great and my hands shaking from exhaustion make it somewhat difficult to hit the right letters and numbers, but you get my point.

So where am I? Well, at the end of my 8 week program, I have landed just short of Murray River, PEI.

View Larger Map

Murray River is, yet another picturesque, town on PEI. I'm probably going to get tired of saying that.

Located in Murrary River is the Maclure Dam which was built in 1808 in order to provide power to the local grist mill and sawmill. The Dam happens to be the largest body of fresh water on the island. In the past, it served the community well in the summer months. I Because the community did not have any refrigerators until after the 40's, the community members would cut blocks from the ice that accumulated at the dam in the winter and would cover it in sawdust from the mill which would allow the ice to last through the summer. This sounds familiar to me as the people of the community of Ulukhaktok, where the SF and I lived for two years, would cut blocks of ice from the surrounding lakes. They would actually melt the ice and use it as their drinking water.

Ulukhaktok. Loading the kamik with ice.

Hmm....you tell me? Would you rather live your days in the picture above or below? No question where I would rather be.

Murray River Wharf
Photo courtesy of /www.pointseastcoastaldrive.com

The community of Murray River is also known for its grove of old wood white and red pines which provide a great backdrop of colour come Fall. Some of these trees date back to the 1870s. Spectacular!

Photo courtesy of www.pointseastcoastaldrive.com

That's all I've got for you on Murray River. As for me, I have now completed 98.25 km! Well....I've gotta run!

So I'm A Little Late.

2011-05-08T15:37:00.000-03:00

I know, I know! I'm late getting this post done! I've had a horrible headache for the past couple of days so as soon as I arrive home and dinner, etc., is done, I have been taking it easy. But I have much to share with you.
I have been teasing you all with a bit of a story, so I better spill the beans. As many of you know, the SF has been harassing me for oh....must be coming on 14 years to buy a motorcycle. Well now that Momma has a J.O.B. the pressure, although non-verbal, has not gone unnoticed. And of course, this is the time of the year when people start listing their bikes. I'm sure if you found the SF sitting in front of his laptop 9 times out of 10 he is probably looking at online ads for motorcycles (See. NON-VERBAL.) The subject came up again not to long ago and I relented. It's not that I didn't want him to get a bike, but as many families do, we stretch our dollars as far as we can and there just hasn't been much room for such a toy.

But, now that I have job, things have changed and so I softened. Lord knows, the SF deserves a nice toy after working as hard as he has and sacrificing all that he does. He has provided for me and the boys well and never begrudges me my indulgences. Any, the slightest hint of caving and he was off.

Within a matter of days he had driven the whole West side of the island checking out a couple of bikes. He even took two of his buddies with him. The first one was dismissed, in part, because the owner couldn't be bothered to even clean the bike prior to the SF coming. We ALL know how particular the SF is about cleanliness. The second bike - well, the colour was a bit off-putting - sort of a sparkly bright blue. Not quite manly enough for my man. That night, his buddy called and told him of another website to check out and after a while, he called me in. He found THE ONE!

He got on the phone and immediately called. I'm thinking it was 8:30/9:00 at night. Everything sounded great and the SF was gung-ho to go and check it out. The only problem was that he only had one day off left and the bike was over in Halifax. To make things even more difficult, the owner told him that he had meetings all day the next day so that if the SF wanted to see it, he had to be there no later than 8 or 9am. (I can't remember exactly). Well, when my man wants something, my man gets it. He told the owner, he would be there bright and early the next morning. Did I mention it is a good 3-4 hour drive to Halifax? He then spent a while making sure he was rigged to bring the bike back home, straps and all.

At the crack of dawn the SF was up and gone while I snoozed in bed for a few more hours and not too long after me and the boys were up, the phone rang. It was his! His very own motorcycle. I have to say, I don't think I have ever heard him so excited in all of the time I have known him....not even on our wedding day. Hmmmmm? It was all strapped on and he was heading home with his prized possession and he'd see me in a couple of hours.

Well an hour or so passed by and the phone rings. Instantly I can tell there is something wrong and my first thought is that something happened to the bike. Nope. Worse. He is in the middle of nowhere on the highway and his truck broke down with the bike strapped in the back! Did I mention that it was pouring rain? POURING! What the hell is he going to do now? I looked up the number for the toll booth on the highway as that was the closest thing to him. Eventually he get a tow truck and had his truck towed from Nova Scotia to the shop on PEI where it spent the next several days before it was shipped off, still undiagnosed, to the dealership where it spent several more days until they finally figured out it was a corroded computer wire!

And while exhausted and emotionally drained, when he finally got home, there was no wiping that silly grin off of the SF's face! A proud moment for him, I'm certain! Congrats, Baby! You deserve it! If anything, at least you will never forget the day you got your new toy!

Momma is pooped!

2011-05-03T08:40:00.000-03:00

I mentioned the other day that our household was buzzing with activity last week. Well, today I'll address the first thing that has thrown us into a tailspin. I STARTED MY NEW JOB last week!!!! I LOVE it! I pinch myself each day that I get to work with such fabulous people. My bosses, Lana and Marc, the owners of Stratford Physiotherapy are amazing. They seem to have a million things going on and yet they both are ALWAYS super friendly and POSITIVE which I am hoping is extremely infectious. It's hard not to feel that way when you are with them. Besides, the physiotherapy service available, we also have a massage therapist and Lana teaches yoga classes three days a week which I can't wait to join in on!

During my training period, I am working an afternoon/evening shift so I start after lunch and work until the last patient leaves which could be as early as 5:00 or as late as 7:00. Either way, if the SF is working a day shift, he is home before me which means, you guessed it, he has dinner on the go by the time I get home! Yeah ME! I thought I was prepared for my return to the workforce but apparently not as the first week was a bit of a struggle on the meal planning but we made it through. Unfortunately I think this week will be a bit of the same but we'll get it eventually. I am thankful that, for now, I have the mornings to get my runs in, take care of my boys, and get some housework done. It is a great transition for me.....and the pups and Lord knows, we need it! I am suffering from brain drain, muscle strain from my runs and a little anxiety-induced exhaustion. So let's just say, it was a week of early evenings for this ole gal!

Come back on Thursday for the more exciting news of last week!

Week 7 - PEI in 200 Days

2011-05-01T09:30:00.001-03:00

What a week! It has been a busy one around here and the running seemed to be a challenge for me this week. The last two weeks of my program, 7 & 8, don't actually have a time goal to reach, just to work toward running 5 km's non-stop. So, my thought was to attempt to run a mile, walk, run the 2nd mile, walk and complete the 3rd mile which would have put me somewhere near the 5km mark. Not so easy it turned out. I really struggled with the first two runs of the week and was feeling quite frustrated with myself. Come Friday I was in desperate need of some stress relief (more later on that subject) and decided to just run. It worked! I ran half an hour straight and completed 4kms running and walked the last. Not too much longer and I will have reached that 5km goal!

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With this week's run totalling 14.9km, I have now landed in Murray Harbour, PEI.

photo courtesy of Points East Coastal Drive

In the late 1700's, Murray Harbour became a formidable working harbour and continues to do so to this day. During the Depression when the fishing industry was in decline and prohibition was in effect , rum running became a mainstay of the harbour. The community is made famous by the history of the rum running vessel known as Nellie J. Banks which managed the elude the authorities for quite some time. Eventually, when she was seized and the owner was taken to court, it was deemed that the seizure was illegal and he actually won damages from the government.

Photo courtesy of museemccordmuseum

When the railway opened in the early 1900's, Murray Harbour was the final stop for the day of a 22 stop line. The train was put to rest in the rail yard for the night and would star back up again early the next day where it would make its trek all over again. Today Murray Harbour is the home of Rail Head Park where this significant industry is memorialized.

There is some great information about Murray Harbour at this community access program website.
As well, if you are interested, please check out the Points East Coast Drive website. This is basically the route I am following and there is far more information there than I am providing here.

Communities passed through:
20. Guernsey Cove
21. Beach Point

I'll fill you in on the rest of the week's drama tomorrow, but for now, I've gotta run!

I Must Have Been Drunk

2011-04-23T15:40:00.001-03:00

....because by my meagre calculation, using the path I intended, it is 730+ kms around the island?! What the hell was I thinking? Perhaps I should just tackle the Trans Canada Trail which horizontally crosses the island?

If my math is correct, I have to complete 4+kms each day to even come close to that goal? And we all know, that is not going to happen.

Since yesterday was Good Friday, the gym was closed so I had to complete my run today. Not an easy feat after spending multiple hours yesterday with my dear friends, Itchy and Scratchy, drinking sparkling wine and making jewelry. Well, my only contribution to my new bling was selecting the stones and cutting the chain. Scratchy assembled it for me.

With today's run, I have now completed Week 6 of my 8-week program. Today's run was supposed to be my first attempt at running a mile non-stop, walk 2 minutes and then walk/run a 2nd mile. Instead I ran a mile, walked 2 minutes and ran the 2nd mile! Yeah Me! With that, my total distance for this week was 12.97 km which lands me just short of White Sands, PEI which is located in southern Kings County.

White Sands was a prospering community...in 1880. LOL! At one time it was the home of two thriving businesses, a pop factory and a lobster cannery but these businesses are long gone.

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Along the way I passed through the following communities:

17. Little Sands
18. High Bank
19. White Sands

Is it just me or does Tignish seem like it is a long way from here? Gotta run!

PEI in 200 Days - Update 1

2011-04-15T15:29:00.002-03:00

If there’s anything we immediately noticed about PEI, it is that you can drive five minutes in any direction and have driven through 10 different townships making it somewhat difficult to get to know the island. Can you imagine a poor police officer having to learn the names of them all? You can probably hold your breath and drive through 3 towns. Don’t believe me? Let’s track that too! I have now completed 5 weeks of my run/walk program. My run/walks are 30 minutes long and as of today, that run consisted of 25 minutes of running and 5 walking. Not bad, if I do say so myself. In these first 5 weeks, I have now run from Stratford through Wood Islands.

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Wood Islands, named for several small forested islands located just off of the shore of PEI, in the Northumberland Strait. Wood Islands is also the home of the Wood Islands Ferry. This ferry takes you across the Strait and lands near Pictou, Nova Scotia which is where my kin arrived when they emigrated to Canada from Scotland. (Oh! That’s another thing I should track. Documenting the McLean family tree! Maybe I’ll get on that in the winter.) Wood Islands is also the home of one of my favourite nurseries, Island Pride.

Wood Islands is the starting point for the 70 mile yard sale which takes place annually and it is exactly as it says. Hundreds of families and businesses set up yards sales along a designated route on a given weekend in the Fall. A great way to spend a couple of hours, or the weekend if you are an avid garage sale aficionado!

In my journey from Stratford to Wood Islands, I have now run through the following communities:

1. Stratford
2. Alexandra
3. Pownal
4. Waterside
5. Mt. Mellick
6. Cherry Valley
7. Vernon Bridge
8. Orwell
9. Orwell Cove
10. Lower Newton
11. Eldon
12. Mt. Buchanan
13. Pinette
14. Flat River
15. Belle River
16. Wood Islands

16 communities in 54 km! And you thought I was exaggerating?

Another couple of things that are in abundance on PEI. Lighthouses and Churches. I would have passed the Point Prim Lighthouse , as well as the Wood Islands Lighthouse along with 5 churches.

See y’all next Friday! I’ve gotta run!

My Marathon Run Around Prince Edward Island in 200 Days

2011-04-14T22:29:00.006-03:00

Not that this is news to me, but it might be to you, but I am all about the numbers. Perhaps the ticker count down on the sidebar of my blog are an indication to you. How about the tally for the number of years, months, days and hours we spent living in the Arctic? Better yet, the mileage tracked on our trek from the North to PEI? Or what about the poll for the now defunct, “Mugshot Monday”? And then there is my pathetic and unsuccessful attempt to beat the SF by 3 games? I love tracking money...how much, how little, where it’s going, where it’s been and where it is. Even better I am a sucker for a spreadsheet. I can lose myself for hours inside one. You can track any number of things – budgets, knitting stash, weight, fitness – the limits are endless...and no, I did not attend band camp.

You see the theme? I also like a little competition, even if it is by myself. It inspires me. It motivates me! And I love to track my progress. So I ask myself, “Self? Why don’t you set yourself a running goal and track it?” And I agreed. So my goal is to ostensibly run around Prince Edward Island in 200 Days. My start date was the 14th of March making my finish date October 9th! I hope you’ll join me as I track my progress on google maps and I’ll give you all some of the highlights of the island as I virtually pass them by. Check back each Friday for an update.

Since my starting point was our home in Stratford, I thought I would give you the low-down it. Stratford was not named Stratford until 1995 when several villages and communities amalgamated to form one. (Check out Aerial 4 in this photo gallery. The long drive with the turnaround is the park next to our house. Our house is just off camera in the bottom right corner of the shot.) Stratford is located across the Hillsborough River from downtown Charlottetown. It is an up and coming community filled with a mixed population of elderly and young families and a few of us middle-aged people. Before the bridge(s) were built, it was strictly cottage country. In fact, a ferry used to shuttle people back and forth in the summer, while horse drawn sleighs crossed the ice in the winter. The first bridge constructed to connect Stratford to Charlottetown was built in 1905, later replaced in the 60’s and again in the 90’s. The piers from one of the old bridges remain and are frequented by seals and annually migrating cormorants.

Stratford is a mix of modern suburban and rural homes, summer use cottages and farms. An eclectic mix but it all works well. Our home is located right next to one of Stratford’s parks, Tea Hill Park. It serves as the border between rural homes and some farm land.

Oh...and Stratford is also the home to my new workplace (insert free plug here) Stratford Physiotherapy! Did I mention that it takes me under 4 minutes to get to work, even with a road stop for some power pole replacement going on in the hood?!

Please come back tomorrow for my first progress update!

He Lives To Smoke Another Day....

2011-04-12T16:22:00.001-03:00

You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you? It seems the SF has been dumbing down his game for the last couple of months because he gave me a run for my money today. I took beating after beating....after beating today. I ran, I dived, I jumped, I lunged but, all of that was not enough to get me remotely CLOSE to beating him 3 games.

In fact, I only managed to squeeze one win out of him and when I started to pull away the next game, the panic started to set in for him and he upped his game even further. He mumbled something about, "he could beat me WHILE smoking a cigarette!"

We are setting a rematch soon because he informed me that I only have until the end of the month to win the bet and then he is retiring until the Fall/Winter season.

Fingers crossed!

Wish Me Luck!!!

2011-04-12T08:29:00.001-03:00

Today may be the day the SF MUST quit smoking. You see, he bet me that if I beat him 3 games at squash today, that he would quit! He even shook my hand. Since I beat him twice last week, it isn't completely unfathomable, is it? You know damn well he will be playing full out. And now that I recall, he had run 10k the day before?! But, if I'm successful, I suspect tomorrow will be the day of renegotiation. LOL!

As for the rest of life....I am spinning slightly by the looming start date of my new job. I can't wait to get started but I feel like I have 9 years of organizing to get done in the next couple of weeks. I continue my year and a half long struggle to organize my office and as usual, I'm not getting very far.

And, the running continues....I am in Week 5 of 8 and, knock on wood, it is going fantabulously! Yesterday's run Run 7 minutes, Walk 2 x 3....combining my warmup, I completed 4.1 km. Besides my back, which is always sore, my knees are the only thing that are feeling the impact. Just stiff more than anything. Stretch. Stretch. Stretch.

I'll check back in with you in a couple of hours....after I whoop the SF's ass!

Fessin' Up......AGAIN!

2011-04-06T20:16:00.002-03:00

Forget the milkman! I'll choose the mailman any day! He knows all of your deepest darkest secrets, right? He sees all of the lingerie you order, the next miracle diet, the exercise dvds that are going to give you back the body you had when you were 16. He might know that you are having financial woes by the collection notices you receive or that you are a diversified investor by the bank statements you receive. I'm sure he knows a lot about you that you would rather him not.   He knows by the magazines you receive that you love to cook, you love photography and interior design. He knows that your husband is a metrosexual and that you aspire to be an expert horticulturist by summer or a master knitter by winter.

I received a call this morning from my friend Itchy. She informed me I had, yet another, parcel delivered to her house and we giggled like two school girls at our hidden secret. You see, I have been sort of pulling one over the SF but I figure I better put an end to it and head downstairs to 'fess up.

"Honey?", I say.

"Yeeeees?" Apparently he can read my tone because it's pretty clear from his that he knows that I am about to spill the beans (again).

"I have something funny to tell you but it means I have to 'fess up."

"Yeeeees?", he says again, with a smile upon his lips.

"Remember the last time I went for Stitch n Bitch at Itchy's...waaaaaaaaaaay back when and I told you I met the nice postal worker. It was quite cold outside so when Itchy asked if he would like to come in and warm up by the fire with a freshly brewed coffee made from Itchy's hubby's own roast and a homemade cinnamon bun, of course he couldn't turn down the offer."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, when Itchy introduced me, he asked what our address was and when I told him 484, he said he had a parcel out in his van for me."

"Uh-huh"

"He asked if I wanted it now or if I wanted it delivered to the mailbox. Itchy and I laughed at our good luck. It was some knitting supplies/stash we had collectively order and I had been rushing to the mailbox each day, trying to get there before you.  The parcel ended up being the perfect size to smuggle home in my current knitting bag and you would be none the wiser.  And that's exactly what happened. I came home and smuggled my beloved parcel right past you and you didn't have a clue."

The SF laughs.

(Imagine how hard I was laughing inside when you insisted on stopping at the mailbox on our way home from the squash court that afternoon and I knew I had successfully foiled you!)

"The problem is...", I explain, "that now every time I get a parcel, the mailman delivers it to Itchy's house. The first time it was a birthday gift from my dear friend in Chicago. Itchy and I thought the mailman made a simple error that time so I just let it pass. Then a week or so ago, I ordered a book and that was what Itchy called about this morning.  My book was delivered to her box again......"

Insert the slightly uncomfortable silent pause here.....wait for it...wait for it.... and......let the head shaking begin!

I guess it's time for me to let the poor mailman off the hook. But seriously? You tell me where can you live that your mailman becomes complicit in sneaking your knitting stash into your household unbeknownst to your husband? Can you say enabler?

Now Where Was I?

2011-04-06T08:15:00.002-03:00

Sorry for the down time folks. My computer has bit it and I refuse to take it in to get repaired because the cost of repairs is just about as much as buying a new one and I'm just not ready to do that yet - buy a new one that is. We actually went to Future Shop one night while I was particularly frustrated and stood there for 20 minutes waiting for some help before we walked out of the store. Instead I now continue plugging away attempting to fix it on my own. Just when I think I got 'er licked and she shows some progress, KABOOM....toasted again.

So here is somewhat of an update.....

1. Best News First! For the first time in 9 years....I got a full-time job and it is mine all mine. (Well, sort of.) It is a one year Mat Leave position for the front desk administrator at Stratford Physiotherapy I can't tell you how excited I am. I start later in the month and will be working part-time until the present administrator takes her maternity leave. It is a fairly new business which opened in 2009. Super close to our home. Less than a five minute drive to get there. The owners are a young wife and husband team who have done there own share of moving around. Anyway, I am very excited and if getting a hug goodbye after you have signed your job offer is any indication of how wonderful the future is there....well, I don't suspect it could get any better. (Another shout out to my friends and family who supported me through the stress of the last few weeks and for providing me great references! Love you all!)

2. Second Best News! I am continuing my fight with the running program. I just started Week 4 of my 8 Week program. I have opted to do the entire program on the treadmill so that I can build some endurance. Once I complete the program, I hope to start it again and do it outdoors. Besides, who wants to run outside when we are still getting snow? Poor SF did a 10 km race this weekend in snow, hail and blustering wind while I stayed home and snuggled with my furry babies. 37 kms completed to date!
I am trying to keep my total time at 30 minutes each run, including my warm up and cool down. This week I am up to 5 minutes run, 3 minutes walk x 3. It was a full 2 minute jump in the run from last week so I was a bit panicked but I completed it with relative ease and I'll be doing my second run today.

3. Third BESTEST News! I beat the SF TWICE at squash this weekend! TWICE! Never mind that he had run a 10 k race the day before. He paid me back by nailing me (accidentally, of course) with the squash ball in the hip. Just a wee bruise this time. Not like the welt he left me with on my forearm the last time. Don't fret though. He still has a way to go before he and I are equal. I have drawn his blood on the court in the past.

4. FIBRE NEWS. I am nearing completion on my blanket! I have completed all of the horizontal stripes, 170 rows in total! I have sewn in all of the ends on the sides, 170 of them! And now I am working on the edging. Soon enough I will be updating my total yardage!

I'm sure there is more, but I gotta go run! I'll be back soon.

Just wanted to say.....

2011-03-29T17:31:00.000-03:00

my computer has bit the biscuit and I can't get on to blog.

As it is, I have snuck on the SF's NEW computer to post this. I'll try and be back soon.

Kim

Shock and Awe!

2011-03-21T17:07:00.002-03:00

That's what my poor old body has been through this week. I actually made it through my very active cardio week feeling reasonably well. Old back, sore as usual and a wee bit of stiffness in the many muscles of my lower torso but nothing like I've felt in the past. Remember HR when we started working out at lunch and I was so sore that I had to take the stairs down from the office one at a time because I could barely move? That was 10 years ago so imagine what I expected to feel like now. Apparently the hockey and squash has given me a bit of conditioning.

So, as I mentioned last post, the week was Monday-run, Tuesday-squash, Wednesday-run, Thursday-hockey, Friday-run, Saturday-squash. Somewhere in there, I received a lecture from our dear friend T about sprinting out of the starting gate. I assure you, while it might appear that way, I am taking things relatively slow. When I say run, by no stretch of the imagination do I mean that I picked up and ran a mile or even a kilometre for that matter. Nope, even I know better than that.

I have actually started, one more time, a walk/run program.  Last year, I had set a goal for myself to try and run a 5km run at some point in the year. I never even came close. You see, while I have slipped into many sports comfortably, running any form of distance, as an adult, as always eluded me. The SF has always been a runner and I have always admired that about him. What is it with runners that they make it look so effortless? In the past, I have made numerous attempts to build up the stamina required to be a runner. I tried to start a different run/walk program with a friend but we were never able to make our schedules jive. I frequently went out with the SF. Occasionally I felt like I was successfully running the Boston Marathon but more often than not, I was disappointed and I'm sure he was as well as I whined and complained and would have to stop all too often for his liking, not that he would openly admit that.

There was a time when I was back to the gym and had worked myself up to a full half hour run on the treadmill. So impressed with myself, I asked the SF if we could head out to the Demo Forest for a run together.  We got all of our gear on, made the drive up the hill, did the appropriate stretching and off we went. Unfortunately I came to discover, running outside is not the same as running on a treadmill. I think I made it up that first hill, maybe 3 minutes, and I had to stop. Who knew the treadmill does a lot of the work for you?

Then there was the time I went running with my trusty companion, Rookie. The SF and I used to live in the most spectacular neighbourhood in North Vancouver. Within a 5 minute run, you were deep into the trails surrounding the Capilano River. Surrounded by massive trees, shrubbery of moss and ferns enveloping us, it was truly a sanctuary. When I would go by myself, I really could lose myself in thought however, there was always a small element of fear in being there on my lonesome. The eerie silence was, at times, haunting.  Actually, I think it made me run a bit quicker for fear the boogie man was hot on my trail. But, when you had a trusty companion like Rookie to run with you, it was like having your best bud along. No one enjoyed a run anymore than Rookie. The nice thing was I didn't have to carry on a conversation and regulate my breathing. I could just run.

One day, the SF decided to stay home, so Rookie and I made the jog up to Cleveland Dam to the head of the trails and then made our way along the river. About two thirds of the way, I was running through a winding trail that switched back and forth, over and over again. Add into that, there were inclines to tackle, stumps to clear and even a small section of rocks that you had to step up on. Rookie and I were making good time and feeling pretty proud of ourselves. I hopped over puddles and soft mud as we had had some rain the night before and the next thing I know, my toe catches on some tree roots protruding from the ground. I tumble to the ground, rolling out of my fall like any professional stuntwoman might. Stand up, check myself and realize, that I am covered in mud, head to foot. My white long-sleeved running shirt is now covered in mud and my hair is filthy.  Rookie just stood there looking at me, tongue hanging out panting and gave me a wag of the tail when I started laughing at myself. I think he was secretly laughing too. There really wasn't much that I could do but get on with the run and get home. When I walked in the backyard, the SF could do nothing but shake his head (I am my mother's daughter.) but he did express how proud he was that I finished my run home. Unfortunately, that was the end of that run/walk program because within an hour, my back had seized up and I was numerous weeks recovering with no hope of returning to the stamina I had slowly built up.

Anyway, life has, for one reason or the other, always gotten in my way of completing a run. But, I am NEVER one to give up on a goal and I am determined. This is going to be the year! I hope you all can join in providing me some support.....or heckling, whatever you feel but I could certainly use all the help I can get. I'll track my progress on the sidebar, if I can figure out how, so you can all see how much ground that I have actually covered.

As for this week, today's run is already behind me and it was actually fairly easy! I love it when I surprise myself.

Good-bye Chocolate, Hello Gym!

2011-03-17T16:37:00.000-03:00

Pant, pant, pant....haaa...haaaa...haaa. It is finally time to put away the chocolate, even with Easter looming in the near distance. Let's face it, I've already eaten my fair share of mini-eggs. Huhh....huhh...huhh....do you hear that?

It's the sound of my laboured breathing as I attempt to get back into shape. We were able to get a great deal on gym memberships AND we can play squash there as a part of the fee, so we finally bit the bullet. Day One of 2011 fitness plan started Monday. Yes, I know. I'm several months behind the ball on my New Years' resolution but better late than never, right?

So Monday-gym for a run, Tuesday-squash, Wednesday-a beautiful brisk day but a great one for an outdoor run (OMG, when did I get so old and out of shape?), tonight-hockey, tomorrow a run and Saturday-squash. You know me, I can never do anything half-hearted but someone might need to call an ambulance for me on Sunday!

I went from 7.4lbs in the A.M. to 7.2lbs in the P.M....you do the math!

2011-03-08T19:37:00.000-04:00

Yo! I just wanted to give a shout out to all my peeps and say "hey" for all of the concern. I am well on my way to bein' a healthy hog, but my days of crotch sniffin' are ovah.....I am now a testicular amputee. And to try and suck up for the fact that she took me to the docs and had my beans lopped off, my doggy-mama decided to cook me up a feast for dinns.....

I'm not quite sure what this shiznit is? I best take a closer look. It looks like some pasta, but what the hay is on top of it?

Are you shittin' me? That better not be what I think it is?

MEATBALLS?!!!!!!!! That's just COLD, Beeyatch!

Then again...I'm still tryin' to shake off last night's high and I do gots a hunger on....I'll just eatz a bit till I lose the munchies. Peace-out! Thanks Momma-Dawg...sorta!

What Kind of Dirty Trick Was That?

2011-03-08T08:41:00.000-04:00

I thought you said we were going to Robins for DO-NUTS.....

Not that we were going to Dr. Condon's for NO-NUTS?!!!!

Oh Nuts!

2011-03-06T12:33:00.000-04:00

"Oh, Nuts! Guess what day it is tomorrow?", barks the LBB....

What Do You Do When.....

2011-03-03T12:13:00.001-04:00

You received an email from your husband with the subject, "INFIDELITY". Does it set your heart aflutter? I have to admit, it momentarily caught my breath.

Then I read the first sentence of the message, "I cheated on you today..." Could it be true? Could my teasing him about all of his girlfriends at his workplace have turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy? Is she younger than me? Can she cook like me? Yes, when I do SF! Is she cleaner or tidier than I am? (That one is not so hard.)

Oh wait...the sentence continued. "but not in the way you think."

Whew!

He goes on, "I have a new 80 year old widow friend..." It is true. The SF does like his women slightly older than himself. In fact, a few have dared to call me a COUGAR.

Okay....get ready for it.....here comes the kicker!

...."who adores knitting as much as you and gave me a pair of wool socks"

WTH?!!!!! Are you freaking kidding me?

and then I laugh in a condescending fashion, "that she knitted on a machine." My inner knitting snobbery kicks in. You can't call that knitting! This is a complete oxymoron. A mature person (as my mother has informed is the politically correct term to call someone that has one foot in the grave, and the other on a banana peel.) who uses modern technology to perform an age-old traditional craft.

I'll admit, I googled it. It is documented that Egyptians were knitting as far back as 1000 A.C. So where did Clare take a wrong turn.....a turn to the dark side? How much love can those socks actually be made with? When I'm knitting something as a gift, I touch each and every stitch of that garment and shower it with affection. Can the same be said for a machine? Well, I hate to say it (and I know most non-knitters are not going to get this) but I have two words for you. GUSSET HOLES!

Yeah....That's right! I'm wearing your socks but only because I had to for the sake of the blog. Come to think of it, I'm wearing your pj's here too?!

He goes on, "I couldn't say no, and she doesn't care that I'm married to a fellow knitter!!!"

Well of course she doesn't! Most cheating bitches don't care that they are tearing a family apart, but I thought my husband had more respect for the sanctity of our marriage and certainly thought he we show more self restraint. At least that he wouldn't add insult to injury by rubbing his dirty little indiscretion in my face. Shame on you Silver Fox!

His final statement, "You have Wallace and I now have Clare."

Whatever! Wallace is a hard of hearing dear ~~old~~ mature fella, I think he told me that he is 82. He harvests the eel grass from the beach and delivers it direct to your home as a means of supplementing his pension. At 82 he is as spry as any 41 year old I know - yeah, I'm talking about you SF. He hops up into the bed of his truck and shovels out an entire load like he was a teen. I'm sure his sweat covered muscles are rippling underneath that worn old flannel shirt.

One day this Fall, Wallace appeared on our doorstep while the SF was at work. Who needs the milkman? He presented me...errr....us, with a large bag of potatoes that he had plucked from a neighbouring farm after they had finished their "machine" harvest. I tell you. Those were the best potatoes I have ever tasted. With each mouthful, I think of poor ~~old~~ Wallace, bent at the waist, his fingers covered with red dirt, picking each potatoes by hand and, a girl would like to dream, that he was lovingly thinking of me with each potato harvested. Glad to see that not ALL of the older generation, YEAH....I said it....OLDER, hasn't been won over by new fangeled technology.

The SF closes his email, "Your cheating husband"

I say, you keep your Clare, SF, if it means that I can maintain my love affair with Wallace. Sure socks will keep your feet warm, but will they keep your belly full. You Dirty Dog!

Date Night

2011-02-24T15:32:00.004-04:00

My dear hubby took me on a date night last night. A fish and chip dinner at a local pub and a trip to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts where we watched an epic curling battle.

Our original plan was to support Team BC, of course! Go Kelly Scott! (She won her game, btw!)

But, we selected our draw well, as we were able to bear witness to one of the most anticipated draws of the Scotties. Team Canada vs. Team Manitoba. Why? Well, seems Team Canada blindsided their third, Cathy O, not too long ago and fired her with no warning.

Since I’m not one to follow the behind the scenes drama of curling, I can’t give you the particulars on why or what lead up to the firing. I've read there were personality clashes as well as Team Canada and their leader, Jennifer Jones looking toward their teams future and wanting to bring in young blood to their team. That is the circle of life, is it not? Regardless, in the few short interviews I have seen of Cathy O, it is very evident that the firing sent her reeling. She is visibly shaken and I think that says a lot about her because she has always seemed, to me, to be tough as nails. While being interviewed, it was obvious that she is verging on tears every time the subject is brought up. Once she was back on her feet, she was able to bring together her own team and is now leading a young, up and coming group. Their play has not been stellar. Team Manitoba is positioned far down the leaderboard but that didn’t stop the fans from showing up and providing her with much support last night.

It was a decided case of voting for the underdog, right or wrong, the crowd made their loyalty known, and Cathy O handled what had to be the most awkward game of her career with much style and grace. In all fairness, I have to say the same for Team Canada. The crowd was pretty brutal. Awkward silence pretty much describes the response they received whenever they were successful in their own efforts. The only people from the crowd cheering them on seemed to be their own families seated in a small section at the far end of the civic centre. I’m sure it was difficult for them to watch, but they did themselves no favours when they refused to take part in some crowd participation which made them stick out like a sore thumb. That old adage, two wrongs don’t make a right comes to mind.

It was a very close game with control teetering back and forth with each end, and it came right down to the last two ends to decide who would be victorious. The play was so enthralling that many of the competing teams stuck around after their own matches to watch the duel which, I understand, is almost unheard of.

During her final rock of the 9th end which pretty much sealed Team Canada's fate, the entire crowd, including the Mani-TOGA crowd sporting, you guessed it, neon yellow togas, were on their feet chanting, “CATHY O, CATHY O”. And, oh yes, the sound of cowbells was deafening as Team Canada conceded defeat at the games finale! What a wonderful piece of Canadiana to be fortunate enough to be present for. Congrats to all teams that played last night. It was truly entertaining.

You can read more about the battle here and while I perused the comments, many negative about the crowd not supporting Team Canada because they represent the Canadian population, aren't all of the players CANADIAN? Furthermore, there were some criticisms claiming the people of PEI should be ashamed of the way they portrayed themselves, but I have to say, that crowd was a huge mix of people that travelled from near and far (including us, really?) to watch this game. Also present were many university students (the Manitoga crowd), who are truly temporary residents of the province just there to support their home province. It's easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm.

I'm sure Team Canada was hurt but I don't think the show of support for Team Manitoba was meant as a slight against them. It was more the crowd trying to lift a wounded soul to her feet and I'm almost certain that her feet weren't even touching the ground after that classic battle!

My two cents.....I'm just sayin.....

A Knitting Fool.....

2011-02-22T14:55:00.000-04:00

Mugshot Monday seems to have taken a back seat? I have been a little under the weather with a wee cold and the SF has been busy.....working, working out, cleaning...you name it....OH! And plowing snow!

See how he's holding his rear leg. That's his leg that has pins in it. Seems that the cold goes right up his little chicken wing into the pins and turns him into TRIPOD.

Men and their toys!

What I have been busy doing is knitting/crocheting.

I am crocheting a blanket for the trailer and making good progress considering it will be a queen size when I'm done. I've determined that it actually serves as a blanket when crocheting because I lay it across my lap as I'm working on it. Ernie thinks it's great as well. He's forever trying to crawl onto my lap to sit on top of it. The other night I found myself sitting at an uncomfortable 30 degree angle because he'd parked his cuteness on top of it and I didn't want to disturb him. Instead, I contorted my decrepit back to work around him. He certainly has my number.

I have continued my KAL with my friend, Jolene, and our socks, Salor. It's a bit slow as I am finding the dark wool a bit difficult to work with at night. Despite the recent addition of bifocals and an OTTlite, it appears that I am beyond help. Therefore, I am restricted to daylight hours for working on this beautiful sock. I am down to the toe on sock #1.

My final project is also a KAL with my friend Chris who resides in Chicago. We met through Ravelry coming on two years now. A kind comment from her on my ravatar (a photo of Ernie, of course) has blossomed into a wonderful friendship.

We are knitting a doll named Poppy . I'm sure I will find someone to gift her to. She is knit from the head down in one piece. If you know me, I can't stand sewing in ends. (Just ask the SF. He had to listen to me belly-ache about the recent hat I crocheted that had some 50+ ends!) The daunting task of sewing in ends on my blanket (already at 48 ends) is enough to overwhelm anyone so the promise of just a few draws me to this adorable little girl. I haven't decide on any colours for her coif, as yet, nor her dress. I keep perusing the 346 Poppies already posted online.

I haven't completely ignored my camera. Here is my trusty knitting sidekick in all of his cuteness.

Suddenly I am feeling a nap coming on.....hmmmmm.

Could It Really Be A Year?

2011-02-09T10:25:00.003-04:00

It just seems like yesterday that we said good-bye to you....

Someone misses you horribly.

We all do.

Not a day goes by that we don't think of you.....

Laugh about you,

Shed a tear for you.

Our hearts ache for you.

What we wouldn't give to let you roll in the snow one last time,

or to take one last walk with you.

What we wouldn't give to throw a stick for you, let you wade in the ocean....

feel the velvet of your ears, to feel you nudge our hand with your muzzle, to have your paw thrust upon our lap.

You have left a hole where our hearts should be....

In your all too short life, you left us with enough memories to fill the rest of ours.

Our tears of sadness have been replaced with tears of thankfulness for being blessed with the best friend we could ever ask for.

Rest In Peace Old Fella

Mugshot Monday #4 - Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

2011-02-07T15:02:00.005-04:00

This week's submissions....

The Lion and the Lamb

Old Timer

The Grand Master and the Grasshopper

FINALLY!!!

Last week's winner.....

Photography by the SF

Photography by Kim

It was a tie!

Note to Itchy: If you are going to cheat on the voting, the least you could do is cast a few extra votes for your own photo.....at least if you want to remain married.

Here is a list of the challenges to come....

14-Feb-11 Fill Your Frame

21-Feb-11 Lighthouse

28-Feb-11 - Below Zero -(Dayshots of with no Living Animal/Human+ Full Colours Only)

I Love Socks!

2011-02-06T11:39:00.000-04:00

Besides loving WEARING socks, I am falling in love with knitting socks. They are a compact project that can be tucked into your purse and pulled out to tackle a round or two on a whim. They can be knit from the cuff down, from the toe up and apparently from the heel out and up (thanks for that info Itchy). They can be knit on a set of 4 or 5 double-pointed needles, a single circular needle, two circular needles. They can be knit one at a time or two at a time. They can be made from honking bulky wool and from the finest of lace weight yarn. They can be knit in different heights, from your ankle (or cankles for some of us), to your thigh. They can be knit with anything from a solitary solid colour to a hand-painted yarn, a multitude of colours, striped or in a pattern using a variety of colours. They can be knit with cables patterns, lace patterns, beads....the possibilities are truly endless!

I am not the best at knitting them....YET...but I'm working at it and what better way to improve my skills than to enter into another KAL project with my friend, Jolene. We are tackling Salor designed by Hunter Hammersen from her recently published book Silk Road Socks. The fun thing about us doing a KAL is that in the two that we have undertaken, we have chosen two different wools in two completely different colour palettes. I think I am seeing a pattern here....Jolene's choices seem to be optimistic as though she might be willing Spring and Summer to arrive upon us with pastels and bold vibrant colours. While mine, appear to be more of a realist "living in the moment" option steeped in Fall and Winter earthy colours - dark green, chocolate brown mixed with rust, burgundy and camel. It's a great opportunity to see what a pattern looks like in a variety of products and hopefully provide some inspiration to knitters to join in on knitting one of these glorious patterns. Perhaps you might even consider joining in on our KAL.

My choice is Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints.

I laugh now at my seasonal analogy in describing our choices because the colour name for my choice....Indian Summer.

Jolene's choice is Knit Picks Stroll Tonal Sock Yarn in the magnificent Golden Glow Tonal. This photo doesn't do it justice. Check her blog out here for a picture of her actual skein.

We had our cast-on party yesterday complete with homemade cinnamon buns sopping in butter and coated with cream cheese frosting dribbling throughout. Several hours of chatter later, interruptions by two disrespectful, perhaps bored 6 pound wonders and Jolene was well on her way. I, on the other hand, had several "false starts" but I did manage to get in a couple of rounds before it was time for her to leave. Can't wait to make some progress so I can share it with you.

I am also just washing up a little hat that I have crocheted for one of the SF's co-worker's kids. She had this beautiful cotton crocheted hat that was starting to wear and asked if I would be able to replicate it. His co-worker and I happen to play hockey in the same league, so we met up on the bleachers between her game and mine - me in my hockey gear, hers near-by so she could dart off to change - so that I could take some mental notes and a couple of measurements. Her daughter is so attached to her hat that there was no way she would lend it to me so I had to go from memory when hunting for a similar pattern. I ended up combining several and added my own edging which I am hoping is the same as what she had because it was one of her favourite features of the hat. A simple reverse single crochet stitch. I'm very self-taught when it comes to crochet but I think it turned out great. Here's hoping she will like it. I kind of cheated on my 11,111 because I included this in the count even though it is crochet, not knitting...same diff, really?!

Well...that's about it for today. SOCK ON!

Things That Make You Go "Huh?"

2011-02-03T04:00:00.026-04:00

My husband loves to address his idiosyncrasies....or more pointedly, MY idiosyncrasies, by prefacing his aspersion with the following seven words. YOU have a really bad habit of....fill in the blank.... Letting your gas tank get too close to empty... Sitting in the same spot on the couch day in, day out, therefore "crushing the cushions" and apparently challenging the springs... Not picking up dog pooh frequently enough... I could really go on and on. Most of the time, I can see his point. I could do a better job of many things. I do try but I am not very consistent. But there are also times when I just shake my head and wonder, what is going on in his?

The other day, for example, my husband says to me, "You have a really BAD habit of taking your left boot off first!"

HUH?

That is all.

11,111 in 2011 - The Man Hat II

2011-02-02T11:12:00.002-04:00

Another contribution to my knitting goal. This is the second time I have knit this pattern. Check it out here. I knit this with the remainder of the same ball of wool but changed the stitch I used and the needle size which resulted in a completely different colour pooling. The wonders of wool.

Mugshot Monday #4 - Black & White

2011-01-31T16:48:00.002-04:00

Here are this week's submissions for Black & White. Please vote below.

The elusive, Vanna White and her trusty sidekick, Inky

Mailboxes - Rural P.E.I.

Waiting for Breakfast to be Served

Last weeks winner photographed by Kim -

Variety is the Spice of Life

Next week's subject....Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

11,111 in 2011

2011-01-26T12:43:00.001-04:00

My second completed project is Allegheny Muse. This is a KAL (knit-a-long for all of you non-knitters) that my friend, Jolene and I took on. We hooked up (ha! ha!....that's a crochet pun) through the magic of Ravelry (grandiose knitting website for those of you who don't knit). We have been chatting online for some months now. Actually, the stalker that I must be....I seem to have favourited a project that she crocheted while I still lived in the Arctic. If you are anything like the SF, you are probably saying to yourself, "What the heck is favourited?" It's just a tag you place on a designer's pattern or other knitter's project for future reference. I think it must be kizmit?! Anyway, we started off the New Year with a face to face Stitch n' Bitch session and decided to tackle a project together. Here's mine....

Please check hers out here Her blog post is very thorough and a great tutorial on blocking knitted lacework. The pattern was a joy to work on with a great variety of some crochet, beadwork and lacework - several techniques that were new to me. I know it's hard to tell but there are about 600 beads knit into this work. Time consuming, but well worth the effort! I think we did the designer proud. While you are visiting her blog, be sure to check out her fuzzy butt bunny, Ruttiger. I've linked to my favourite clip of him facing off against Hurricane Earl like a trooper!

11,111 Yards in 2011

2011-01-25T14:43:00.000-04:00

I have added another goal to 2011. Knit 11,111 Yards in 2011. You'll notice a progress bar on the sidebar to track my progress.

Of course, the peanut gallery's comment was, "Why not 11,000 kms on the treadmill?" My thoughts....why set myself a goal that I KNOW that I'll never achieve. Knitting is so much more fun that running on a treadmill. Besides, I happen to have suffered another Kimism last night. As usual, I was distracted from the task at hand, emptying the dishwasher, by something riveting on the internet...probably some knitting. The way I look at it, I was actually multi-tasking. While I was waiting for the kettle to boil for our evening tea, I decided to empty the dishwasher but only got the top half emptied before my tea was ready and then retired to the couch completely forgetting about the bottom shelf. That was, until, the SF went to put his spoon into the dishwasher.

"Did you not finish emptying the dishwasher?", he says, with a hint of disdain. My response, "Oh, Sh*$", jump up from the couch and start my retreat to the kitchen. I don't even make it to the end of the couch when I slam my baby toe into the battery pack from my laptop and feel a crack, followed by a bevy of, "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!" I'm surprised I could actually bend over to grab my toe, as my back also happens to be out of service from a slip I suffered over the weekend. Seems the steps outside are a little icy. Seems one pain made me forget the other....for a few moments anyway.

Anywhoooo, when I woke up this morning, my little piggy looks about the size of my big piggy and is a rainbow of red, black, blue, purple and green. Thanks, once again, Mum. (She knows what I mean. Believe me!)

Here is my first completed project..... the Faux Flap Heel Sock

A free toe-up sock pattern designed by Brie. A really quick knit (once I figured out my math and gauge?!)

2.37% down....97.63% to go.....Check back tomorrow for my second project.

Mugshot Monday #3 - Subject: KITCHEN

2011-01-24T11:01:00.001-04:00

First, the results from last week: The Winner - with 58.33% - Moi!

She Sells Seashells By The Sea Shore

Followed by Digital Yarn with 25% of the vote contributed by Jimbo, and finally, Block of Ages with a meagre 16.67% of the vote, photographed by the SF. Of course, that result came with a whole lot of grumbling about "readership bias", "nepotism", "you suck" and other words that I cannot repeat here.

Here are this week's photos.....

Eat. Drink. Live.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Next week's subject is Black & White. Email your photos to truepolaropposites@gmail.com

Son Day

2011-01-23T10:25:00.001-04:00

My Two Sons.....thick as thieves.

Mugshot Monday #2 - Artificial Patterns

2011-01-17T12:36:00.001-04:00

The results are in from Mugshot Monday #1 - Subject Matter: Red. With an overwhelming 63.64% of your votes, the winner is.....

REDIBLE

The Photographer - none other than THE SILVER FOX! Congrats!

Now for Mugshot Monday #2 - Artificial Patterns. We have added another contributing participant to this week's competition and would love for any and all out there to email us your photos for future challenges. Thanks for joining! It's all in the spirit of fun. One photo per week along with your wittiest title and just email it to me at truepolaropposites@gmail.com by Sunday evening so that I can post it on Monday.

Here are this weeks pic(k)s.....

DIGITAL YARN - STUFF OF DREAMS

SHE SELLS SEASHELLS BY THE SEA SHORE

BLOCK OF AGES

Next week's (#3) subject is KITCHEN and we have also decided the subject for MM#4 as BLACK AND WHITE.

Let the voting begin!

Kimism

2011-01-11T10:54:00.000-04:00

What is a Kimism you ask? Well, let me just give you an example. I've been saving this one for you. I haven't even shared this with my husband as I wanted to avoid the rolling eyes which is generally accompanied with a sympathetic, yet somewhat exasperated, "Oh, Kim".

Remember back a bit when Itchy and I did our wool dying project.

Well, before you can skein your wool it has to be completely dry or there is a risk of mould developing in the fibres....or something like that. I hung mine in the shower to dry but as we live in a very humid climate, 12 hours later it was still wet so I decided to put it out on the clothes line You know? The clothesline my loving husband hung for me at one point in the Summer.    It stretches from the upper deck of our house across the driveway and makes its return trip from around a tree in the forest beside our yard. I figured the wool would dry quickly as it was a warm yet breezy day.

From time to time, I glanced out to check its status and noticed the wool was drifting down the line toward the trees. I hadn't used any clothes pins to hold it in place because I didn't want to damage it so I would occasionally haul the line in and re-adjust it. Well, I must have gotten busy doing something (distracted, as usual) and suddenly noticed that the breezy had turned into gale force wind (slight exaggeration). I ran for the window to find my wool of many colours tangled in the trees, and the SF who just happened to be in the back yard perched on his John Deere, completely oblivious to my plight.

I headed to the deck to pull in the line. Argh! At some point I must have forgotten to straighten the line out. You know there is that thingamajiggy that joins the line and hinders it from making a full rotation on the clothesline. It's either hampered by the tree at the other end or the other what'sit wheely thingy. Well that sucker was not in a good place as I only had feet to go before I ran out of line. With each hopeful tug, my heart dropped because the wind would push my rainbow shaded locks back into the trees. I look to the SF riding his JD intently willing him to come to my rescue, but to no avail.

Time for a Macgyver moment. Since the line is probably 10' or 12' off the ground there is no way I can reach it by hand, even if I stand on my tippy-toes. Then it dawns on me, a broom might work. I fetch one and return to the scene of the crime. (Look over shoulder at the SF. NOPE. Still not paying attention). And then I go for it. I extend my arm as far as it will go, holding the broom handle with the tips of my fingers and standing on my tippy-toes. SH%$ Just short. Okay, in doing my math I would say I have underestimated the height of the line. If I am 5'7", add 2' for my arms and a broom that is about 4' and the wool hanging down about another 3'....let's adjust that to 15', give or take, above the ground. At least from where I was standing, buried in the trees. Let's rethink this. Wait! I've got it! While prepping the deck for painting, I used the extendable broom the SF bought to clean the trailer. That should do it!

Back I go. (SF? Still not giving me the time of day). I add a couple of feet to the length, probably not enough because in hind-sight, I was still standing on my tippy-toes when there was plenty of length remaining available to me. Regardless, I was able to gently pluck the wool from the tree and began sliding it back toward the house. Unfortunately the wind was not cooperating. For every foot I moved the wool, the wind would blow it back 6". (SF? WTF?) It was slow going. After a good minute or so, the end was within sight. A couple more feet to go, a quick dash back up to the deck to retrieve it and I should be GTG (good to go, people).

At this point my arms, having been unnaturally over my head for longer than they are meant to be, are on fire. The SF is still ignoring me and the sun is blinding me. I'm not sure which is worse? But the finish line is oh, so close so I give it my all when all of a sudden, the damn wind gives a mighty hurricane level gust and the wool wraps itself into the bristles of the broom. With every twist of the handle, I entangle the wool further and panic sets in. Now I seriously look to the SF to come to my aid. Nope. In fact, he's now bouncing to the beat of whatever his ipod is feeding into his ears. In vain, I try to free the broom from its captor and, at the same time, will the SF to get off the damn tractor to help me. If you've ever had long hair and tangled it into a brush....? Well that was what I was up against. The pain in my arms is now searing and I've induced a hot flash accompanied with a bit of a panic attack. Trying to maintain the broom in one hand, I wait for the SF to round the corner.   He'll be heading straight for me. He's bound to see me. NOT! In fact, now, I swear to God, he's playing the air-drums using the gas pedal as the pedal on his base drum and the steering wheel as his toms. (Must be listening to RUSH!)

I guess I'm on my own here. So I think. WWJD? (What would Jesus do) NAAAH! If I leave the broom hanging from the wool and run up to the deck to try and pull it in, I not only take the risk of damaging my wool with the broom's weight, I may fall over the rail as it is still troublingly far away from reach. At this point, my arms have gone numb. I swear there is so little blood pumping through them that amputation is certainly going to be required. A calm comes over me as I face my reality.  I take a few deep breaths and try to think rationally. Just like getting your hair snaggled in the teeth of a brush, the only way out (besides cutting a hunk out) is the same way it entwined itself. Just reverse the twist, add a couple of jiggles, patiently wait for the wind to make up its mind which direction it wants to blow and....VOILA! Free! Phew!

I drop the broom and make the dash up to the deck where I rescue my masterpiece and, once again, confirm the SF's status. Yep, still not paying any attention, whatsoever. I consider leaving the damn broom in the middle of the yard, but then he'll surely question what I was up to. I can hear the exasperated "Oh, Kim" already. Instead, I just return the broom to its rightful place and with a self-indignant 'harumph', I can't help the smile that overcomes me. I count my blessings. I'm just all the better for him not knowing....YET.

So THAT is a Kimism. They happen every day around here.

Mugshot Monday #1 - Subject RED

2011-01-10T14:21:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of our photo challenge. Please vote in the poll below. Polling is open until next Monday's challenge. The subject for Mugshot Monday #2 is Artificial Patterns.

REDIBLE

CAUGHT RED HANDED!

1.1.11

2011-01-01T14:29:00.000-04:00

1.1.11 - How could it get any better? Happy New Year to you all! And of course, with a new year and a new decade, this week will be all about resolutions, goals, and a bit of reflection on the past year.

Here goes........my top (20) Eleven Resolutions (to break)

Let's just get the two obvious ones out of the way and then we'll get on with it, shall we?

1. Get Active – try and do at least one physical activity each day, even if it is just walking the dogs.

2. Eat Healthier....and less – hopefully a by-product of this will be that I lose some weight.

3. Get Healthy. What do I mean? Take better care of myself. I seem to take better care of my dogs than I do of myself. Oh, and don’t be so hard on myself!

4. Get a job.

5. Be a better wife, daughter, sister, doggy mama, friend, student of life... Just be a better person. Take the time to reach out to my loved ones more often. Be kind. Be thoughtful. Have patience. Practice random acts of kindness. Smile more. Laugh more.

6. Take a course....any course, really. Do at least one thoughtful thing that will make the SF’s day a little brighter/easier.

7. Get Organized! This poses a challenge to my hoarding tendencies and my attention deficit. If I can spend an hour a day organizing, I should be well prepared for a garage sale come Spring. Let’s set a goal of May 1st, shall we. Perhaps some neighbours (hint, hint) may want to hold a neighbourhood garage sale. Considered yourselves notified. More details to come.

8. Watch less TV and spend less time mindlessly surfing the Internet.

9. Read more – fiction or non-fiction.

10. Knitting....this is a definite multi-part resolution which I shall address further over the next couple of days. To get started I shall (try to) commit to the following:

a. Do not start any new knitting projects until you have finished the ONE started. This will commence once I finish the current 4....5.....6.....uh...I actually don't know how many I do have started. But I WILL NOT start another project until I get the one's done that are kicking about the house. Good thing I cast your socks on yesterday T!

b. Organize stash, needles, gadgets.

c. To Be Continued....

11. Stop Procrastinating - Which means I really should get off my arse and go take the dogs for a walk before it gets too late. Does this mean I need to get out of my PJ’s? It is only 2:20 pm after all. Just about time to put them back on. Ahhhh....maybe I'll start this all tomorrow. I'm feeling a nap coming on.

(I have been gazing out the window as I’ve been typing and have seen 4 people jog past our fairly rural home. Must be everyone else pursuing their resolutions as well.)

I actually have several more resolutions on my mind but I’ll quit while I’m ahead, perhaps I should have gone for 2011 instead of 11?

So, anyone care to share their resolutions?

A New Year.....A New Outlook

2010-12-30T18:31:00.000-04:00

I have been racking my brain for some original, entertaining ideas for blogging in 2011. Let's face it, my life is not newsworthy on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Peace and quiet is what we strive for, however, it does impose some challenges when it comes to blogging material.

I have been discussing a few ideas with a couple of important people in my life and will likely designate a couple of days a week on the blog to specific subject matter. What I am most excited about is the first challenge will involve the SF. In the past, I have encouraged him to participate in the craziness that is my blog proposing a 'he said, she said' format since he always has so much to say offline, but he wouldn't bite. (He's yelling over my shoulder that it is because he isn't as witty as I am. I say it's laziness.) We have now come up with something that appeals to both of us. A photo challenge. A fun challenge really, but if you know anything about us, we both love a little fun competition. And if you know the SF intimately, you know he makes a better loser than a winner, so here's hoping he loses.

Weekly we will select a subject for our challenge. The image will be our own interpretation of the topic. I'll post each one of our photos anonymously each Monday, and entitle the post MUGSHOT MONDAY. In the meantime, I'll attempt to figure out how to work the voting thingamajiggy on the blog (I have a week or so to figure it out - should be plenty of time) so you, the readers, may vote and hopefully we'll garner a few more comments and encouragement. I will also announce the next week's subject matter at that time. Hopefully, we can agree on some rules to post by the first submission.

First MUGSHOT MONDAY challenge - RED. Don't ask me? The SF picked it. Apparently he already has a million ideas. We will alternate choosing subject matter from the numerous ongoing challenges posted at DP Review website. The first MUGSHOT MONDAY photos will be displayed on 10-January and will continue weekly....or until we get bored. Look forward to your participation and if you feel like joining in, please feel free to email me a photo and I'll add it to the challenge. Any and all are welcome.

More Christmas Knitting....

2010-12-27T17:38:00.000-04:00

As promised, a few shots of my hubby with his new Christmas toque on....

watching the Canada vs Russia game on Boxing Day.

The pattern, if interested can be found here.

A Happy Man....

2010-12-26T12:50:00.001-04:00

With Happy Feet

Someone is looking for a toady scrub with those new socks. He figures since knitting them was a team effort, that he should reap some of the glory.

Just In The (St.) Nick Of Time!

2010-12-25T23:43:00.000-04:00

With 26 minutest to spare, I have finished the dreaded Christmas bedsocks for my dear husband. Unfortunately the SF is out protecting the people, so he is not able to be home to enjoy them.

Hmmm....these are looking like an awfully good match with my new Christmas jammies. I might have to reconsider gifting these babies....

...or just make a pair in my size.

Merry Christmas to all!

Maybe If All Family Members Had Been Cooperative?

2010-12-25T14:46:00.000-04:00

Then I might have got 'er done last night. But someone had their own agenda.

This was where I left off last night. I say A for effort! I have about 2-1/2 inches to go. Turkey is now in the oven. Sweet Potato Pie is just about done. Double-Cooked Mashed Potatoes are done. Stuffing done. Husband & dogs, napping. Time for me to hit the sticks again. Christmas isn't over yet and even if it doesn't get done today, he did get a hand made toque. I'll post a photo of that later.

The Home Stretch

2010-12-24T22:48:00.000-04:00

Well.....that might be stretching it because when you wear a size 13 shoe that stretches on for ever and ever....let's just say that I could be up all night long. It's 10:41 pm here right now and I'm not hopeful.

In the knitting world, fingerless mitts are on fire right now. There is currently 4,317 patterns for fingerless mitts on RAVELRY.com and more impressively, 120,764 pairs of fingerless mitten projects completed there. I'm just wondering if toeless socks will catch on with the same zeal or zest? Maybe the SF will start a new trend with his toeless sock. I sure hope so because I need to get some sleep before I have to get up in the morning and see what Big Santa left me under the tree.

You Thought I Was Kidding, Right?

2010-12-24T21:29:00.000-04:00

I told you he gets closer and closer.

Seriously? This knitting is exhausting work.

Take Note....

A knitter covered in loose strands of wool usually indicates some frogging (ripping out your knitting) has taken place. (Excuse the pornography. This shot gives new meaning to the term "blue balls". And, as some of you may know, when Ernie actually did have a set, he only had one visible externally therefore this photo is true to form.

Where was I...Heel Flap done. Check. Heel Turn done. Check. Gusset...in progress....frogged.....in progress!

Geez....I must have been a really good girl this year because either he's JUST watching TV or I got a lot more presents than he indicated....probably more than I deserve but I was a pretty good girl this year.

Despite My Best Efforts

2010-12-24T19:43:00.000-04:00

...this Christmas is becoming reminscent of last. Not because I am knitting the Christmas Sock but because the SF is downstairs wrapping his presents. Apparently I am not the only procrastinator. Thank goodness for gift bags!

Sock progress. Cuff done. Check. Leg done. Check. Heel Flap...in progress....

Everyone needs a trusty knitting companion like mine. He gets closer and closer until he has me pinned into the corner of the couch and I can't move without crushing him. What would I do without him.

How To Get Out Of Making Dinner.

2010-12-24T17:56:00.001-04:00

Lonesome Sock

How to get out of making dinner.....threaten that his sock won't be done for Christmas and endure the guilt trip associated with him making dinner after working a full day.

One hour down....cuff done.

Dinner's calling. Must eat!

Bah! Humbug!

2010-12-24T16:58:00.000-04:00

As a majority of the population does, at least I'm hoping, I have procrastinated on one of my gifts. If I recall, I was in the same position last year?! This time around I thought I would have a little fun with it. Of course it is a knitting gift. I think last Christmas Eve the SF and I were in separate ends of the house while I knitted away and he sat by his lonesome. Actually, I think he was wrapping presents. This year, I started knitting them in front of him. They were, in actuality, a last minute request on his part. He wanted a pair of ankle socks to wear around the house. Our friend T refers to these as bed socks. I searched my patterns and extremely large stash, made my selections, gained approval and cast-on. One sock down. One to go.

I currently have 7 hours until Christmas arrives...... let the countdown begin. Did I mention I still have dinner to make, dishes to do, dogs to play with......

Regardless, casting on... updating soon.

It's a Boy!

2010-11-05T21:17:00.001-03:00

Ernie would like you all to meet his little brother, Oliver Angus MacDuff. Born July 2, 2010.

Ollie, for short.

He is a mixed breed, Yorkie & Affenpinscher.

Really, he is just a devil in a 4lb package and has kept us all on our toes.

Ernie has nicknamed him "the little black bastard" and speaking for both the SF and myself, we might have to agree! Just look at that face!

He arrived this past Saturday....really? Has it only been 6 days. I think we both feel as if we've run a marathon. From the minute he hits the floor in the morning, until he FINALLY crashes in the evening, it is Go...Go....Go! That is, IF he crashes because there have been a couple of nights that he has woken us up every hour on the hour.

While Ernie was not, and occasionally remains, unimpressed, he seems to have found a playmate at his own level. There have been much ping-pong battles, theft of squeaky stuffed animals, bone munching, tug-o-wars on a fox tail and tag games happening in the household.

And needless to say, with ALL of that exercise, there have been many naps.

(Look at sweet Ernie sharing his bed with his little bro. Now he knows what it feels like to sleep with a bed hog.) There have also been first car rides, first visits to the vet who instantly poked him with needles and stuck Q-tips in his ears. Ollie has indicated he's not too sure about that place. He also went for a walk on the beach with Ernie and his new buddy from down the road, Cabby. That was a bit of a gong show. Between balancing three dogs, a shoe lace that wouldn't stay tied, over dressed dogs who wanted to shed their Macintosh coats so they could be set free, too many gloves, scarves, cameras and an attempt to outrun a fellow dog walker and his three rather large looking boxers. Well, let's just say that our first foray to the park turn a usually stress relieving walk into a stress inducing one. It'll get better, right Itchy?

There have also been a few reported incidents of spooning.....I'm just sayin'

I wonder if this means that I have to change the name of the blog?

Taters

2010-10-20T10:20:00.001-03:00

I know, I know. I haven't written in what seems like months, but I have been.....hmmm...I have been many things. 1) I was a little wiped out after company for about a month straight. I was almost comatose for several days. 2) I. then, was going through the blues and serious withdrawal from my Mum and Dad. Still missing them like crazy. 3) We were putting the house back together after having company. Okay, okay. I was watching the SF do the work while I lounged on the couch. 4) I was trying to get a little end of the season gardening done. Not much success there either. 5) I had a million emails to catch up on and I'm still working on catching up on some personal bookkeeping. 6) I have had multiple appointments to make and attend. 7) I have been stitch n bitching with two of my favourite bitches (sorry for the language Mum) and other than that, 8) Life has been sorta dull. In order to get back in the swing of things, I thought I would start off small here and share some Summer memories with you. So here goes....

Only in PEI can you have potatoes pop up in your flowerbeds unexpectedly. Do you remember the Lasagna Garden that was on my springtime list of things to do (I should really revisit that)? Well, it didn't turn out as well as I hoped. I set it up on a slope and, made the bed too deep which made it difficult to get into. At some spots the material is close to two feet deep and is quite unstable to stand upon. That, and the garden was infested with earwigs so that I had visions of the little critters getting inside my shoes and socks while I was standing within/upon the flower bed. Anyway, the bed was somewhat abandoned. I did put some flowers in it, and a few eggplants as well. But, somewhere along the way a new plant started growing. One that I hadn't planted. I decided to let it grow and grow it did. It got bigger and bigger. In fact, it ended up growing larger than anything else in the flowerbed.

This is the bed at the beginning of the Summer. The plant in question is just poking out here in the front right hand corner.

It was the subject of many conversations between the SF and I. What was it? On our many trips out into the country (Hell, we live in the country?), we would inspect the farmer's fields for anything similar and then try to determine what they were growing? We suspected potatoes but just didn't know. Many times I was tempted to yank it but I fought the urge until it had reached a healthy size. The nice thing about the Lasagna Garden is that the growing material is quite lightweight so it is simple to pull anything out of it, whether it be plants or weeds.

I gave a yank and voila! Ah ha! Potatoes! I was right! PEI potatoes everywhere!

Perhaps it was because they were mutant looking or because we hadn't actually planted these as food, we just kind of left them kicking around the garden. They were directly in the path of the SF's veg garden, so occasionally you would give one a kick on your way to check out the veggies. And then one day, we found a use for them.

You see, little Ernie would always pick the most inopportune time to "make compost". Normally we have a designated spot at the top of our yard for him to lay down a load. We refer to it as "The Pooh Patch". It's close to the front door for the simple fact that at nighttime, he won't get eaten by one of the foxies or the gang of three (raccoons) or worse, get skunked. It's also convenient when the weather is not cooperating. It's simple enough, most times, to grab a Pooh Bag to scoop up his little treasures and chuck them in the city compost bin (they are compostable bags, people. Nothing but the best!).

All that said, there are times when you have packed your wheelbarrow full of tools, dog cages, keys, extra layers of clothes, sustenance - whatever the case may be and are heading down to the veg garden to put in a good days work. Ernie is toodling along behind and decides, "Hey! This path looks like a good place to "bake a brownie". Of course the one thing you didn't pack in your wheelbarrow is a "fudge bag". SHIZNIT! And of course, the next half a dozen times we would pass it, we would holler at one another to "Watch out for the landmine". Well, one day the SF came up with the stellar idea of using the taters as markers, much like a golfer uses a dime to mark his or her ball placement, we started to use the taters to mark Ernie's "nuggets" thus making the markers....are you ready for it. POOH-TATOS! Have you had enough of me yet?

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

2010-10-09T08:59:00.001-03:00

What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails,

That's what little boys are made of.

Missing you Cabby! Let's walk soon....Ruvs, Licks, Wags & Wiggles, Ernie

Say Hello To SOPHIE!

2010-10-07T10:52:00.000-03:00

Last week, Itchy, Scratchy and myself went on a road trip. More quality girl time! We headed to Belfast Mini-Mills and were greeted by Sophie. Meet Sophie!

Isn't she adorable?! She's only 5.5 months old. Actually, she looked like this when we first got there.

Apparently she is a late riser. But she must have been having great dreams.

I mean, seriously, look at that smile on her face. Heavenly. Hog Heaven, actually.

There was a whole petting zoo there....of sorts. There were goats....

Ernie's personal fave, COWS!

Sheeps...

And....ALPACAS!

Of course, alpacas. I almost forgot the purpose of the trip was to buy wool.

When I was in Baddeck at BAAdeck Yarns, yes that's no typo. It is called BAAdeck yarns....anywhoo, when I was there chatting with dear sweet Betty, she said that every yarn shop should have a hardware store attached for husbands to visit while their spouses are in wool heaven. I've changed my mind on that theory. Every yarn shop should have a hobby farm attached to it. I might spend less money on wool and more time talking to the animals......NOT!

Perhaps next time I visit, I will take the tour of the mill itself. This time, we were happier to visit with the animals and shop, shop, shop. One of the women there showed us a toque that had been knit out of a wool made from the fur of a Samoyed. If only I had known that you could take your dog's fur and make it into something you could keep forever, I would have saved Rookie's. What a keepsake!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation. By Ernie.

2010-09-29T10:34:00.001-03:00

Making friends at the Wood Island Ferry Terminal

Picking up chicks with my Dad on the ferry to Nova Scotia

Catching Waves at Peggy's Cove.

Okay, so I was a bit of a wimp, but this was the same day Hurricane Igor hit Newfoundland.

At the waterfront in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Eskimo Kisses with some strange beast.

A well needed nap in the car as we drove to our next destination.

I'm sure you might have figured out where I am.

That's Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in the background.

Exhausted at the end of a long day of sight-seeing. I love Ho-Jo's. That is Chocolate Lake in Halifax in the background.

TV time with my Grandpa. We like to watch Westerns together.

Summerside, PEI

Me & Grandma goofing around.

Lifeguard Duty at the Shore.

A picnic at Tignish Shores, PEI

Snuggle Time with my Grandma. Nothing Better. Miss you Grandma.xoxox

And those are just the hightlights. Could life be any grander.

This Is What You Get When You Hire Cheap Labour.

2010-09-25T09:55:00.002-03:00

There has been a red fox sighting in the SF's veg garden. Not an unusual sighting as we normally have a fox running through our yard every couple of days. But, on this day, we had the largest RED FOX that I have ever seen. It would surely set a record.

Oh Wait! That is the RED FOX. The one we hired to go out and pick the last crop of grape tomatoes grown in the Silver Foxes' garden.

He appeared to be doing okay, but the 4 supervisors decided it best to keep an eye on him. He seemed to be up to something. Better to be safe than sorry. He can, after all, be a sly old RED FOX.

GOTCHA! PILFERER!

The 4 supervisors called him up to the office.

As he made his way up the walk of shame, it looked as though he was strategizing... admit his crime or deny, deny, deny. On entering the office, he stated, in his own pathetic defence, that he was only chowing down on the defective ones. He justified his actions by claiming that he was doing his part to create an abundance of additional compost for PEI. Doing his part to Save The Planet for future generations. With RED-face and a guilty grimace upon his mug, he claimed that they were scrap anyway and that they would be written off as waste, so why not add them to his waist. The supervisors didn't buy it. The Silver Fox, always one to keep his comments direct, short and simple but quintessentially impactful, advised the Red Fox, "You can never outfox a fox."

One for you, one for the bucket, one for you, two for the bucket. You were caught RED-handed, you old RED FOX! Admit it.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

2010-09-17T08:52:00.001-03:00

If anyone knows my Dad, he's kind of like a burnt marshmallow. Hard and crusty on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside. Taking a photo of him has always been an issue, so you can imagine my surprise when I suggested this GOLDEN photo op and he jumped in...without so much as a growl. Talk about making my day;) This one goes down in the memory books.

Return Sailing....Anchors Away!

2010-09-08T12:09:00.000-03:00

Ferry Traffic is a Bitch.

2010-09-06T19:29:00.001-03:00

You know when you have nightmares about getting stuck in ferry traffic, so you decide to get up before sunrise...JUST...IN....CASE. You fill the gas tank the afternoon before. You hook the trailer up the night before, set the timer on the coffee IV and the only other thing left to do in the a.m. is brush your teeth (hair brushing is optional) and head out the door. You argue with your companions about how early, or late you should leave...I'm guessing about 5 minutest past sunrise would suffice. You pack some breakfast for the drive so that no one can feign starvation and insist on a trip through the drive-thru and last but not least you DEMAND everyone take one last pee break as you head out the door. The driver DOES NOT STOP for pee breaks, just so you know.

All I have to say is, I sure am glad we left home when we did. One minute later and we might have missed the ferry....NOT!

Instead, poor Ernie was accosted by the geriatrics on the bus tour which was the third vehicle to enter the queue for the trip from PEI to Nova Scotia.

Note to self, next time we take a ferry, we might not have to be in SUCH a rush to make it. Hint, hint. Just sayin'!

Soul Brothers

2010-08-27T14:08:00.002-03:00

The Gods have been conspiring against my Mummy and it has TOTALLY worked in my favour. Yeah God! It’s been so hot in her bedroom that her and Daddy have been sleeping with the curtains and window open. Of course this means that the sun streams through the window very early and wakes her up. Also, she’s been going to bed earlier and therefore, rising earlier. What does this all mean for me? Well, she has time to take me for an early morning walk with my new Soul Brother, Cabot. Cabot is one of Itchy’s babies. He lives down the road a bit and I have been hanging out with him and his entourage of feline bros & sistas. (I still haven’t learned to tread lightly around the kitties because, well, because I LOVE them SO MUCH that I can’t contain myself when I’m around them.)

This week Cabby and I have been hitting the beach. Let me tell you how much I love my time with my Soul Brother. We are truly Brothers from another Mother. He just gets me, ya know. Our walks are not about losing weight and exercising our muscles. Nope, our walks are more about sniffing stuff...

...tending to our hearts, having some laughs, shedding some tears regaling "tails" of our sistas and brothas that have passed on to the big doggy (kitty) park in the sky and just rolling in sh!#.

THE WIND UP.....

OH, YEAH!!!

Like any good friendship, ours started off tentatively. You know, you gotta check each other out. Dip your toe in slowly so to speak . It takes a lot of courage to let another mutt inside because we all want to protect our heart.

But once I got to know him, and him me, we have the best quality time together.

Sometimes he takes the lead...

and sometimes I do...

Sometimes we chase chicks....

or sticks...

Sometimes we say nothing at all (NOT!) and just take in the views...

This is a golf course our neighbour built in their yard!!!

Sometimes we take a little alone time to consider our own thoughts...

Once in a while, one of us has to talk the other off the ledge...

Whatever we are doing, saying or not saying, I am blessed to have found such a great friend in Cabby and treasure every moment I spend with him. (If only I could get him to go swimming with me. One can dream!)

Licks and Wags....PEACE OUT PEEPLES!

Unexplained Absence

2010-08-26T21:49:00.001-03:00

And no excuses really. Just been busy living life, been under the weather and having some issues with the blogging website.

Farmer Mac's Bounty....How proud are we of him?

A tour through the Flower Gardens

My Rose of Sharon....the crowning glory in my garden. It has been blooming for several weeks. A bloom only lasts a day so blooming for several weeks is a great thing for its first year in my garden.

My favourite annual purple poppies planted from seed that has been in storage for 5 years! Not sure what or who that interloper is crawling up the poppy but I give everything a chance until I can identify it.

The annuals in the centre of my Circle Garden. Poppies, poppies and more poppies. Sweet Peas and Morning Glories.

My prolific zucchini patch. The joke between Itchy and I is, "What is the zucchini recipe for the day?" Seriously! How many zucchini dishes can one make. I've made baked zucchini with onions, garlic and parmesan cheese, potato and zucchini pancake (I might have set the oven on fire with this one.), Paula Deene's zucchini bread which everyone ranted about and the only thing I like about it is the brown sugar/cinnamon crunch on the top and I added that to the recipe myself.

Thank goodness, Ernie is taking over again tomorrow. My post was a bit bland. I know, you've been waiting for over a week and all I served up were some lame photos.

That 70s Show.

2010-08-17T16:51:00.001-03:00

Itchy and I have been scratching....okay, itching, to take on a project reminiscent of decades past....The 70s. While I was but a youth, Itchy was most-likely in her prime. Ah yes, I can picture her now, arms flailing in the air dancing around an impromptu bon-fire. Beads dripping from her neck, a hand strung crown of daisies sitting precariously upon her long flowing locks. A fringed suede vest is worn upon a tie dyed t-shirt emblazoned with rings of brilliant colours. A metal PEACE sign strung on a leather lace care freely hangs around her neck. In case the emblem around her neck goes unnoticed, she also has one on her belt buckle which holds up the bell bottoms jeans that hug her hips. And of course, she has an anklet of bells that jingle with each step her bare feet take. The faint scent of patchouli (that is patchouli I’m smelling, isn’t it?) wafts through the air with the sway of her arms as her and her hippy pals sing Kumbaya. Sorry Itchy, I don’t think sparkle dust was invented in the 70s.

Me, I was probably home watching the Brady Bunch or listening to my Donny Osmond music on the record player. Not to say that I didn’t have bell bottoms, but I was far too young to be dancing around in a field of daisies to the likes of Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Dylan, or CCR. I can, however, clearly imagine my pal Itchy there. Hell, I don’t think it would take much convincing for her to partake in such frivolity in the year 2010. Some things never change.

So what nonsense did Itchy and I get in to....well it relates to her years gone by t-shirt. We decided to experiment and combine our love of wool with our love of bold colours and put our hand to dying. But of course we couldn’t take the easy route and use regular store bought dye. Nope. We opted to try Kool-Aid. Turns out that both of us have wondered about such a project for years and decided to tackle it together.

Itchy came over with her wool, syringes to be used for application and her imagination, of course. She also brought along a WIP (work in progress). A pair of thrummed socks. For those who aren’t aware, thrummed items are made by knitting in the usual style, but every couple of stitches you knit a piece of roving (a small bundle of fibre) in with your fabric.

This is roving

The end result is a pair of extremely warm, very thick socks or mittens. In the North, the Inuit were/are known to put a large clump of muskox down in their gloves to keep their hands warm. The principle is the same. Anyway, as Itchy and I were chatting away, her knitting project must have fallen off the back of the couch because the next thing I know, Ernie is rounding the corner of the island in our kitchen with Itchy’s sock in his mouth. The sock is still mounted on her double-pointed needles and a tail of yarn dragging behind him. And isn’t he proud of himself.....

Not the best picture but between me rushing to grab my camera, laughing my ass off AND drawing Itchy’s attention to the little klepto, I was a little shaky. I was able to wrestle it away from him and return it to her with only the slightest amount of Ernie drool appearing on the fibres. Let’s face it, Ernie could do pretty much anything and Itchy would forgive him. The sun rises and sets by that dog and her own mob of hooligans and pretty much every other neighbour’s menagerie. Let’s just say he was lucky Itchy was so kind-hearted because he could have been in big trouble. Even the sun shine’s on a dog’s ass, is all I have to say.

Let’s get on with the show. Several days before hand, we found a few sets of instructions online detailing how to dye with Kool-Aid and then drove all over Charlottetown trying to find an assortment of colours. Who knew Kool Aid would prove to be so elusive?

Then we set up our plastic cups and carefully measured the correct ratio of water to the Kool-Aid powder setting off a cornucopia of aromas which induced a few more wholesome memories of the 70s. Since we seem to be very limited for types of Kool-Aid in PEI (we could only find 6 flavours and there are...well check this link out), we resorted to using Jello. Note to self, next time use sugar free. It turns out that you activate the STICKY factor when it gets wet. Sticky and wool don’t mix well. Also, if you are slow to use your dye, it starts to turn into Jello. Hmm? Who knew? Gelatinous Jello and wool don’t mix so well either. Lastly, if you use the product that contains sugar, the colour seems to be more diluted. Sugar free is more concentrated. With each cup that we made, we attempted to carefully place its corresponding package in front so that we wouldn’t get confused later on. However, there came a time when one concoction got away from its packaging so I bravely (stupidly) took a sip from the cup. (As any survivor of Jonestown will tell you, “DON’T DRINK THE KOOLAID!!!!”) Let me forewarn any other idiot that might attempt to discern the colour of Kool Aid by taking a sip of straight Kool Aid without the benefit of sugar. Just because you might be able to SMELL the flavour doesn’t mean you can taste it. NARSTY!

Once we had our rainbow assembled, we decided to do a colour test. Isn’t it pretty?

We also did a few combinations of colours because we weren’t quite satisfied with some of the colours that were generated.

We washed our wool in warm soapy water and then stretched it out on top of a plastic bag on the countertop and set to work. While I fiercely applied my dye using a chunkier effect, blending one stripe of colour into the next, Itchy daintily sprayed and sprinkled her wool with careful consideration.

Geez...can you tell which one is which?

Once we were satisfied with our respective application, we set to cooking our yarn. Itchy finished hers off in the microwave while I did mine in the steamer basket of a double-boiler. The end result. Itchy’s colours subtly blended together while mine came out looking like something a Rastafarian would wear upon their head. When her husband politely asked what I intended to make with mine, I threatened I was going to knit him a tie-dyed sweater. Perhaps it would cause him to reflect upon his time spent in the 70s.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Day Three - Camping....Can Only Be Described In Pictures

2010-08-15T12:31:00.002-03:00

Me, Mum & Dad had such a great time at Tignish Shores that we decided to go back and spend the whole day there. Mummy packed a picnic, some fresh agua pour moi (I'm tri-lingual, didn't you know?) and the beach towels and off we went. First we stopped at yet another fishery. Sorry, I asked Mummy what it was called but her memory seems to be failing her. She NEEDS to take pictures of the signs!

WTF?

Let me outta this FREAKIN' TRUCK!!!! This is NOT RIGHT!

From here we went to Jude's Point where we, yes all three of us, indulged in some nummy onion rings and fried clams. When we had been there the day before, the place was empty. Today was a different story. There was a big bus there and it looked like a million people there. Well, some nice lady came over to meet MY CUTENESS and told us that it was a family reunion. She said there were thirty adults and all of their off-spring there and there were lots of those. Family had come from all across the country and apparently they gather every five years. I'm kinda hoping my own family reunion will be far less than 5 years! I'm thinking, like, 5 weeks? Anywho....renting a bus is a great idea! It takes them where ever they want to go.

Come on! Enough chatter! Which way to da beach?

Can you imagine having this whole beach to yourself for the whole day?

This about sums up the day....

This is me. I'm LIFEGUARDING my Daddy, just like my big bro, Rookie, used to do. He always kept a close eye on all the people in the water to make sure they were safe. Remember Daddy? I really miss my Big Bro.

PEACE OUT, PEOPLES!

Camping Day Two - Part Two....

2010-08-11T21:59:00.000-03:00

Where was I? We packed so much into Day Two that I had to split the pics into two days.

Any...whoooo....we started back down the coast and ended up at Tignish Shore. The most beautiful beach EV..ER!!!! Wouldn't you agree? This is looking toward Judes Point (North)

We pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves until we met these two hunting sea glass. Mom and Dad joined right in and have their own collection now. Brown, Green, White, Red and Blue.

This little fella, far smaller than I, kept us company as we walked along the beach.

Tignish Shores looking South-East.

Look at the beautiful flowers Mummy found at the beach.

Before I knew it, it was time to leave this most amazing beach behind:(

Race ya to the car.....

READY!

SET!

GO!!!!!

AM....

I...

THERE...

YET?????

PHEW!!!! I'm pooped. Let's get back to the trailer park!

Snuggle Time with Daddy....um, yeah Mummy, that's your pillow. But...I'm...I'm....getting...

REALLY....SLEEPY.

Can't hardly keep my eyes open....(PEACE OUT, PEOPLES!)

Yikes! I Know You've Been Waiting with Bated Breath....

2010-08-10T22:56:00.001-03:00

...Peeeples....but I have spent the day trying to catch up on my sleep and Mommy is a little under the weather. I have some great pictures of my travels up to the Northern part of PEI. It was way too much fun. We spent the first day getting camp set up. Let me tell ya, this was not the luxurious park we stayed at in the Eastern part of the island. It was much smaller and the trailers were packed together like sardines. We had to circle the camp twice before we found a spot because it was soooo full. We parked beside Buddy the dog, who was a Pom from Ontario, oh...and his parents, of course. It became pretty clear, pretty quick that just about every trailer in the park seemed to have a dog and the noise....well, let me tell ya. I think I heard Mom and Dad repeat several times how proud they were that I was such a good boy because those dogs were 'a barkin'. The people right behind us had a Sheltie. Cute, yes. Loud, fer sure! Not the dogs fault though. Everytime the people went outside, they put the dog inside. Bark. When they went inside, they put the dog out....More Barking! Once in a while, the poor dogs Mommy would yell at it to shut up, but more times than not, she just let it bark. Bad Mommy, right! (Secretly, I kept telling myself that I have such a good Mommy & Daddy that don't yell at me (much) and spoil me rotten).

On Day 2 of our trip we headed up to the Northern tip of the island. Along the way we stopped at a fishery and across the road was a field of monstrous horses. I mean GI-GAN-TIC!

Holy crap!

I'm not afraid to say, I was a little scared....

Maybe if I don't look at them, they'll go away. Please go away...please go away....

Here's some pictures from the docks...

And the area surrounding the dock.....

From there we hopped back in Daddy's truck and headed North....as North as you can go on Prince Edward Island. To the North........WHAT????

WTF? Hey! Is this some kind of sick joke? We aren't in the Arctic North anymore. What's this guy doin' here? Wait...Red Rocks. Red Soil. Yeah, it's all good. We ARE on PEI! And we are at the North Cape.

It's beautiful here! We could have stayed all day.

We walked the Black Marsh Nature Trail which skirts the coast and found some very intriguing examples of old meets new...or new meets old, I guess. It just depends on how you look at it.

Are you seeing what I'm seeing? There is something seriously wrong with this picture! And I am not talking about those windmill doo-hickeys.

We better take a closer look...

Are y'all seein' what I'm seein'?

That crazy-assed horse is down there collecting sea weed. The lengths some folks will go to for a little sea weed for the garden, hey Itchy?

Oh Sh$t! I think he heard me. Shhhhh! He's lookin' my way and I don't think that's love in his eyes.

Maybe if I sit really still in this grass, he won't notice me.

Oh, who am I kidding! I am always lost in the weeds. I'm getting the heck outta here!

Peace Out, My PEEPS!

Ernie's in Da House!

2010-08-09T19:10:00.000-03:00

Yo, my Peeps! I am home from camping! Just wanted to let y'all know. I'm exhausted from all of the hard work and will be back tomorrow with a post.

You know what they say. It's nice to get away, but it is always great to be back home, sleeping in your own bed.

Wouldn't you agree? Peace Out....Ernie.xoxoxo

Boogie-ing....Why, you ask?

2010-08-05T22:27:00.001-03:00

'Cause I'm going camping! See y'all soon! Peace Out, Peoples!

Lettuce, Zukes, Beets and A Little Surprise

2010-08-04T03:34:00.003-03:00

Good Morning, Peoples. I know, I know. I'm looking very sleepy, but did you look at the time this blog entry was posted!

My Momma took this shot the other night. NOT her finest photographic moment. Any guesses? Tune in further down the page.

Much is happening around here. Nothing very exciting, but lots of little things. Mostly, things poppin' in the garden. The other day, Mommy took her friend on a VGT (Vegetable Garden Tour), chatting up Farmer Mac's mad skills. I overheard her mention something to the effect that, "this would be the one and only time that she would ever show Itchy or Scratchy Daddy's pickle". Not sure what all that was about, but I will share with you Daddy's zuke. Actually it is Mommy's. She just let Daddy hold it.

For a more accurate sense of the size of that thing....

Apparently I have been upgraded from the fish gauge. Remember those days?

How humiliating! I'll get even. Just you wait and see.

Look! Here's my Daddy! He's holding his first harvest of sweet beets!

Grandpa, look what you are going to miss out on. Your faves!

Remember when I said I was going to get even? Combine that with my love of lettuce and......

Don't worry, Itchy. This wasn't the lettuce Mommy gave you. Promise. Besides, I know you wouldn't mind a little doggy slobber.

So that photgraphic blunder from above...well, it was these little fellas, occupying my favourite pee spot. The nerve. It also happens to be at the base of the squirrel-proof birdfeeder that the squirrels live in. Let's just hope the racoons don't try to gain access to that as well. There is only so much that poor feeder can take. This is two of the gang of three that are frequenting MY YARD every night. It makes running out for my late night pees VERY DIFFICULT. Nothing like getting caught with your pants down by a masked bandit.

PEACE OUT, PEOPLE. I seriously need to TRY to get back to sleep.

I'm a Bit Under the Weather.....Don't Ask!

2010-07-31T18:52:00.005-03:00

So, I am a bit under the weather this past 24 hours. I know I said don't ask, but I'll tell you anyway. I have a headache. I've had a headache since yesterday afternoon. Why, you ask? Well...let me tell you why. Because I am my Mother's daughter. For some of you, that is enough of an explanation. For others, perhaps not.

You see, I have unfortunately inherited my Mother's lack of coordination. To put it simply, I am a klutz. On any given day, you will find numerous bumps, scrapes and bruises on my person. If there is an oddly placed tool protruding from the wheelbarrow, my thigh will find it. If there is too much furniture in the room, my hip will ram into the corner of a it. If there is a bed frame in the room, my toe will wrap around it's base. If there is a....oh hell, who am I kidding. If there is a wall, I'll walk into it. When my body is conspicuously unmarked, it is only a matter of time before a fresh, black and blue contusion befalls my pale skin.

So what did I do, you ask? I scrambled all over town yesterday picking up odds and sods. You know those days. You have 10 things to pick up but have to hit 10 stores in order to gather them. Item after item, I packed my purchases into the hard plastic crate in the back of my vehicle. When I got home, my kind-hearted husband came to my rescue. He carried the container, overflowing with goodies, into the house and placed it upon the bench in our foyer in order for me to unload its contents. In exchange, I presented him with a cup of joe I purchased at this favourite drive-thru (Ernie's too!). The hubby continued on his way as I unpacked and put away my wares. I sat for a few minutes and chatted on the phone with my friend Itchy and then got back to putting away my STUFF. I have a bit of a reputation for getting "interrupted" in my duties. Perhaps, distracted describes it better. Usually, it is the computer that gets in my way. But, I was bound and determined this would not happen today. I persevered. And, when I had nothing left to put away except for a lone plastic bag doomed for the recycling bin that had fallen to the floor in the foyer. With stealth speed, I swung awkwardly from the waist, one leg firmly planted on the ground while the other kicks straight and high into the air, one arm stretching for the bag, the other stiffly held perpendicular to my rigid torso. If you can imagine, my graceful stance being similar to the acrobatics displayed by a martial artist, the likes of those from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, then you have a gullible mind. Truly, it is the only way my gimped up back will allow me to bend (I always seem to forget that "bend at the knees" rule) to pick up the bag and I promptly smacked my forehead, with a mighty force, on the rim of that hard plastic container. Instantly, I see stars (Do I hear bells ringing? Did you hear that?), feel pain and oh, of course, a lump forming, in that order. But all I can do is laugh, right? The moral of the story? Umm...never picking up junk today, that you can care freely collect tomorrow. A little mess isn't going to kill anyone, but a tidy house could destroy a clumsy fool like myself.

Well, I don't know what the hell I have done but some 24 hours have passed and I still have a splitting headache. I have pumped a steady stream of drugs into my system, with no relief. I have driven the SF nuts jokingly telling him, "I AM CONCUSSED". But seriously, I feel like I have been hit by a truck. My head, neck and shoulders are screaming. It's like I have whiplash.

Why am I telling you this? I guess because I haven't much else to tell you and I wanted to blog something....anything, really. I was just going to post some pictures from the past couple of weeks but felt it necessary to share with you yet another tail of my physical challenges negotiating life.

Now on the pictorial.

Here is the eel grass we collect the other day...

And while I was heading out to take my pictures, look who happened to be passing by....

Remember those planters Ev built? Well this is what was going on underneath it. I refused to go out on the deck until the SF manned up and destroyed them. Those same people who know how uncoordinated I am also know how my body reacts to their venom.

You see those little cream coloured thing-a-ma-jigs in the cells below the white ones? Well two days later, they were coming to life, wriggling and squirming about...needless to say, it was quickly and carefully placed in the woods beside our home.

Auntie T....perhaps you can see WHY I needed a quick haircut. Mommy said this hairdo reminded her of one of her favourite bands from the 80's.

Do you see the resemblance?

Here's what's blooming in the flower beds.

Echinops or Globe Thistle

Rose of Sharon

Blushing Bride Hydrangea

Wack-a-doodle arrangement

Kent's Beauty Oregano

Here is Farmer Mac's VG.....

Raspberries (none of them have made it into the house yet because we pick them off and eat them on site.)

Beets & Brussel Sprouts

Scotch Bonnet and Habanero Peppers

Closeup of his hot peppers that are just, just starting to form.

PEACE OUT PEOPLES! Time for some more meds.

I HEART eel grass night!

2010-07-26T21:28:00.006-03:00

Peoples.....I'm back and I'm here to tell you, I love eel grass night! When we hook the UT up to Daddy's truck and drive down the road to the beach.

Why, you ask? (And quit laughing at my haircut!)

With views like this, you would love it too!

Did you know that there were HERONS at the end of the rainbow? Lots and lots of HERONS!

And, of course, you make new friends at the beach....

Umm...can you say "child labour"?

Walks on the beach with my Daddy....um...I better go! He's getting away!

See ya!

WAIT UP DADDY!!!!!!

And if all of that is not enough....we get to pass these guys along the way! DUUUDE!

COWS!

My Mother Has Lost Her Marbles

2010-07-24T09:05:00.004-03:00

A week or so ago, my Mother called me to inform me that she HAD marbles, which, honestly, I have serious doubts that she EVER had any.  She also queried as to whether the SF had any. I advised her that I had checked, and he had none. The lights were on but no one was home, so to speak. However, several days later, I noted that there was a slight glimmer that some marbles had miraculously appeared. After my Husband checked himself and discovered that he DID, in fact also, have marbles (as small as they were), he phoned his M-I-L to share his revelation. They now shared something else in common (besides their love of me, of course).

Since she must have been in the early stages of losing hers, her reply was "Huh?" So he repeated himself, "I have marbles too!" Still stunned, she sheepishly attempted to cover for her early onset marble dementia, by nervously giggling until she was forced to admit, "I don't know what you are talking about".  The poor guy has to explain what marbles are despite the fact that SHE is the one that coined the term which was quickly followed by her typical, "Oooooooh!"

Sadly, my Mother called my husband last night to inform him that she had lost her marbles. I yelled to her from the background, "I hate to tell you, you lost them a long time ago." She probably called me "cheeky brat" or "Oh, shut up!"  Better yet, "Smart Ass!" Quite frankly, I think they both have rocks in their heads. But that's just my opinion.

In case you were interested in seeing them, here are the SF's marbles.

Apparently Mum's were eaten by Bambi's Daddy. You would think after living where she does for some 15 years, that she would know better than to leave such scrumptious temptations out for the deer. One more reason why living on PEI rocks. We have no deer to eat our gardens, just a multitude of bugs.

Beef Steak Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

I wonder what part of the human anatomy I could relate this to?

ps....Dear Auntie T....re:camping....no to s'mores. I'm on a diet, and while I wasn't perfect on the camping trip, s'mores? Completely out of line.

Day Trois - Camping

2010-07-21T20:18:00.000-03:00

Yo! Yo! People's. I am back!

Day Three in the Dog House and the sun was shining gloriously. Sadly however, it was time to head home as there were chores to be done at home. Mommy prepared a feast of bacon and eggs for her two favourite fellas and then set to washing the dishes and putting stuff away in its appropriate place for the drive home. As she was wiping things down, she mentioned to Daddy that this was her type of housework. Multiple small manageable work spaces to clean. Limited space to store limited supplies. She vacuumed, she cleaned, she scrubbed, she polished with a smile on her face the entire time. Mommy hates cleaning so it was nice to see her so happy. All she had left to do was to throw out the trash that was in the can placed carefully atop the stove top cover and, replace the cutting boards from their current resting place behind the stove top, to their appropriate designated home. One was a new addition to the Dog House and the other belongs with the Dog House. It is conveniently designed to comfortably rest over top of the right-hand side of the sink. As she grabbed the first cutting board, the second fell forward, knocking the garbage can airborne. It was almost as if I was watching it in slow motion, floating through air, crashing into the opposing wall. The well-intentionally placed (or so I thought) plastic cup full of liquid bacon grease seemed to pick up speed and hit the wall about two feet up. Liquid oozed disgustingly down the side of the wall. A large puddle of congealed goo on the floor. Splatters... EVERYWHERE! And of course, who was there to witness the entire event ? Daddy who could only hang his head and walk away in disgust. Argh!

As quickly as Mommy could wipe one mess up, she discovered another. The wall, the floor, the counter, the stove. And then she spotted it. There is a vent placed at ankle height on the wall, underneath the refrigerator. The grease had hit the vent, which was accessible, but there was no way for her to get access to the cavern that lay beyond without the use of a screwdriver or Daddy's assistance. Now she needed to break the news to him and when she did all she received was that look of silent disgust and disappointment. You know the one. The one your Mum or Dad gave you when you had let them down. The one usually accompanied by a tsk..tsk...and the disapproving shake of the head. Like poor Mommy hadn't beat herself up enough. Daddy was somewhat dismissive of the entire event which was a bit surprising and we drove home down the coast past some pretty spectacular scenery.

I knew I was counting my blessing too soon because when we got home and Mommy went in the house, Daddy spent hours outside in the trailer....cleaning. Let's just say, things were a little quiet around the house for the rest of the day. Icy might describe it better. Not the best way to end our maiden voyage in the Dog House. Geesh! You would have thought she had done it on purpose! (Don't forget the garbage incident on the porch....not a good homecoming all-round.)

As if things couldn't get much worse, there was a mishap in the trees in our back yard. We don't know how long they'd been down but Daddy found a nest with three eggs strewn about with no Momma bird to be seen. Carefully, they collected the eggs and Daddy gently placed the nest back in a tree but now several days have passed and no one has returned to claim ownership.

This is the centre of Mommy's circle garden filling in with poppies, sweet peas, (WEEDS) and morning glories.

And here is what we had to rush home for.....so Daddy could weed his beloved veggie garden. Notice the difference between Daddy's three plots and Mommy's circle garden? Yes, his are neat and weed free and hers....well, it's a bit of a mess. That's her zukes growing off to the left though and there are baby zukes sprouting.

I sure wish I was back at Basin Head instead of back to reality. Can't wait to get out in the Dog House again. Every time Mommy goes out there, I try to bum rush her to the door.

Thanks for tagging along on our trip!

p.s. Auntie T. I forgot to answer you about the wifi...Mommy did take her laptop so they could watch some DVDs if it rained at night and YES, they actually did have Internet service there. Wow! Has camping come a long way since they were kid. But, at $4/hr, Mommy figured she could wait until she got home to surf the web.

I'm Back, Peoples!

2010-07-20T19:42:00.002-03:00

Sorry I took so long. As you might have figured out, I can’t type...DUH...I’m a dog?! So I must sit patiently and wait for my Momma to help out when I want to post. She’s been busy (spinning her wheels, as usual).

Anywhooooo, let’s continue or briefing on camping and other fodder. I had a difficult time with the sleeping arrangements. I was confused on whose bed was whose. Seems my bed is only about a foot below Mommy's but I kept trying to get up and snuggle with her. It was soooo close, I couldn't help myself. (I don't think she had a very good sleep because I woke her up, like, four times! I was hoping she would cave, but nope! Go figure!)

Let me tell you what I heard my Daddy say. When he first pulled the Dog House onto the grass, he did a wee bit of work and then he told Mommy, "There. I'm done. You're in charge now!" And so, that's the way it went. Short of Daddy kicking up his feet, opening his yap wide and Mommy jamming grapes down his throat, he was pretty true to his word. (She'd get even with him later. Tune in tomorrow.) So, after I got up from my nap and we had some supper, Daddy built a campfire. (Oh, I guess that was a little work. You got me there.)

Look! There's my Mommy sitting in front of the fire HE-MAN Daddy built her. Doesn't it look beautiful there?

Day Two of our trip in the Dog House was filled with water. Water falling from the sky & water from the ocean. That’s alright. It was still warm outside so we went for a drive farther up island to Basinhead Beach.

Mommy and Daddy walked the beach. Ohhh, I RUVS walking the beach with my Daddy. Sure wish my Bro was here though. He would have loved it here.

There's me! Look at that kick in my step....

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-DAH! Zip-A-Dee-DAY!

Lettuce anyone?

Yes, yes, I know. It's a Sea Salad but if you don't know by now, I RUVS me some lettuce! Any lettuce will do.

My Mommy, always following the rules. Walking me with a leash on the beach even though there was no one else there. So NOT cool!

What the hell? Is that Ogo Pogo? I thought Ogo Pogo was a fresh water creature that lived in BC? I must be seeing things!

From BasinHead we drove to the Eastern most point of the island to ....

After we had had enough rain we started back to the Dog House but not before Daddy found this little pond with the most spectacular water lilies.

We truly could have stayed at this sanctuary all day except the Deer Flies started biting Mommy's arse. We all know how much the bugs love Mommy's sweet flesh but the feeling is NOT reciprocated so we had to head home.

By the time we got home I was exhausted....and you guessed it.....Peoples.... I'm...starting....to....feel...very...sleepy...again.....MUST....
NAP!

Please come back tomorrow for the final day's events. Licks & Wags...Noogie-san!

Ernie Has Found His Calling!

2010-07-17T22:03:00.005-03:00

Dear Peoples,

I wanted to write and tell you that I would like to move into our new house. Not the house that has three floors, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Not the house that has at least one bed on every level, lovingly placed there for my use only (not to mention the king-sized bed that I snuggle in at night).

Nope, I want to move into the new house parked in the driveway, the one on four wheels. Some time ago, Mommy fittingly referred to it as "The Dog House", but I don't think the title's use was meant for me. You know, the one that Daddy hooked up to the back of the truck this week and towed to lands afar? I RUVS IT!!!! I RUVS EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!

Look! Here's me daydreaming of what wondrous place my Daddy is taking me to on the CAR RIDE! I bet he takes me through the drive-thru at Robin's Donuts where the lovely ladies always give me a "Milk Bone Tootie!" If they forget or don't see me in the back seat, I bark at them so they know I'm in there. I am lion, hear me ROAR!

Umm, Daddy? Do ya think you can roll up the windows? It's a little windy back here and you are mussing up my hair!

Anyhooo...Daddy drove and drove and eventually he pulled into a green pasture that overlooked the ocean. I think he said it was called Red Point. We could see fishing boats and sail boats off in the distance and I could hear all of the little kids laughing and playing in the surf.

While Daddy tried (and tried) to back the Dog House into the field, I think I heard him yell at Mommy, who was standing behind the Dog House, "I CAN'T SEE YOU!" To which she gave him some kind of hand signal to check out in his rear view mirror. I think they call it, "FLIPPIN' THE BIRD", and then Daddy laughed. Eventually he got it right and then I heard them laugh because he could have driven straight through the field instead of backing it into the spot, but, oh well!

Once he got it levelled, I found a shady spot underneath the Dog House where I went fast to sleep. I think I woke myself up snoring because Mommy & Daddy were laughing at me at one point. Either that or I tooted in my sleep. Small things amuse small minds, I say. Watching out the window in anticipation while Daddy drives is hard work for a little gaffer. You try standing on two legs when you were meant to stand on four!

Mom looks like she was lovin' it too! Look at her hanging out on the lawn chair. (Psst! Notice there is only one chair while the other is inexplicably missing. Well, between you and me, as soon as they got it out of its bag and Mommy set it up, she sat down in it and it broke! Teee heee! I did say that's between you and me, right? She'll kill me if she finds out I finked on her.)

So....why do I love camping so much? Well, I can sit anywhere I want inside the Dog House and see my Mommy and Daddy. They can't go anywhere where I can't see them. No FREAKIN' OUT for me!

I also RUVS that we had BBQ every night, even when it was pouring....oh, wait for it.....CATS & DOGS outside! And bacon always tastes great when you make it on the Dog House stove. That's what I had for breakfast...BOTH mornings!

I also RUV me some long (3 hours long) naps with my Dad! After 2 hours I was wide awake but Mommy had the door open so I could lie on the bed and watch all of the activity going on outside.

Mommy loved her time in the Dog House too but, for some reason she cried after we had only been there for an hour or so. No! It wasn't Daddy barking at her about her lack of guidance while directing the Dog House into its new spot. (She also gave him a thumbs down at one point.) Shortly after we arrived another Dog House pulled in way, way across the field from us. And who should come out of it....

This old fella, of course! (He's kinda freakin' me out because he looks like a mirage. Ghost like, almost, don't cha' think?) I had to do a double-take myself, but I knew it wasn't my BRO. Cheer up, Buttercup! Rookie is inside the trailer sleeping.

See!

He can't possibly be in two places at once.

Speaking of sleepin', I'm feeling another nap coming on.....

Me thinks I gotta leave it there but I have more adventures to share with you tomorrow. But believe me when I tell you...I used to think I was meant for fishin', but now, I'm just not so sure. This Dog House thing is really winning me over. I'll have to try it out a few more times to be really sure.

CHOW for NOW....Ernie-san!

Now What Kind Of Welcome Home Is That?

2010-07-16T09:12:00.003-03:00

A serene drive down the coast with my two favourite men. The sun shining gloriously. The breeze wafting through the windows breaking the heat. Magnificent waterfront homes and charming farmhouses placed, to perfection, between the rolling hills. As we roll past our driveway to swing the trailer in, I notice something on my freshly painted deck. ARGH! Garbage! EVERYWHERE!

As I get closer I also note that my flower pots are overturned, the garbage is scattered across the deck, around the corner and all the way to the other end. There is filth EVERYWHERE and the deck is stained with something mustard yellow. Around the corner the wasp nest that has been accumulating underneath the planter that we built, now lies decimated on the deck, on the planter, on the chair. With the addition of much rainfall acting as glue, it is like tissue paper stuck to the surface of my freshly painted deck.

What kind of welcome home is this? A dose of reality after a couple of days of R & R. Nothing like real life to bring you back down to earth.

A note to the neighbours. If you by chance notice some raccoons passed out in your yard, foaming at the mouth, eyes rolling back in their head, you might want to advise the paramedics that the raccoons have suffered a vitamin and supplement overdose. We cleaned out the bathroom cupboard last week and dumped copious amounts of stale dated supplements. The good news is that if they survive, they will have strong shiny coats, lean muscles, healthy bones and teeth and improved cognitive function (so they can remember which neighbour has the choicest garbage).

Oh, you thought I was done yammering on about the deck... Let's just add to this, last week we had placed the umbrella from our patio set on the deck and then had two days of serious rainfall. When the rain subsided and the SF went to erect the umbrella, a shower rained down upon him. A shower of earwigs that is! Apparently that dark, wet environment was the perfect hiding place to protect them from the mega-rain we had. Once we got over the shock of the wiggies, I was horrified to see that the dye from the umbrella has stained a huge section of....you got it, my freshly painted deck!

Gone Camping!

2010-07-13T08:21:00.003-03:00

We have taken our new baby on its maiden voyage, camping at Red Point Provincial Park. Check it out here. Please tune in Friday as I am sure that I will have plenty of tails uh...tales to share.

Man Down!

2010-07-09T20:34:00.003-03:00

Actually, 3 Dead Soldiers to be exact.

How do I explain to my husband that he has lost 3 loves of his life, 3 loves that he has raised from...well, from seed. After a day of dragging Farmer Mac all over town and actually making him slightly tardy for work, the last thing he asked as he humped his sweaty bod off to work - can I water the lower half of my garden before you go to bed tonight. Since the sprinkler was sitting in the top half, I turned it on there first while I finished off painting the deck. (Yes, that is where I have been these past few days. Painting.)

An hour or so before sunset, Ernie and I took a wander down to the Veg Garden and as I neared the SF's tomato plants, I noticed one had fallen down. Then another....and another! What the hell! Farmer Mac has probably paid more attention to his tomato plants than he has to me (Not really.) of late. How could this happen? I have watched him plucking off the (don't know what they are called) to make his plants hardy and strong. I have watched him painstakingly stake them. Weed them. Feed them with fertilizer. Water them. Surround them with eel grass to keep them well nourished and mulched. I have even witnessed him talking to them, whispering I don't know what.

Upon closer inspection I could see that they had snapped and thought that it was the weight of the water from last night's sprinkling. But no. It appears that in his original attempt to stake them, there was not enough slack left in the twine he used and since they have probably tripled in size in the last couple of weeks, they were inadvertently, for lack of a better term, garroted to death. The twine had slowly choked the life out of the step and snapped the plants inches from their base.

So do I call him at work. Well, I tried to call him on his cell but no answer. Then I thought to myself, do I take the coward's way out and blog about it, call him at work and announce, as I so often do, "I HAVE BLOGGED", and then hang up? Sure! That sounds like a great plan!

But first I figured I had better save the others. I had to get some operating tools - nail clippers, scissors, minuscule pruners, additional twine. Kudos to me for my reaction and sacrificing ANOTHER pint of blood because it also happens to be the hunting hour for the mosquitoes who love my sweet nectar. Clip...Slap, Slap...Snip...Tug, Twist, Slap Tie...Slap!

As I neared the half way point, the phone rang. DANG! It was the Farmer calling me back. I attempted to hide my own disappointment but senses something was amiss. The more I applied my diversionary tactics, the more concerned he sounded. Had I fallen? Did a fox steal Ernie? Oh for God sake! You killed your G.D. tomato plants! So, there! To hell with trying to break it to him gently.

I am now down a gallon of blood and feeling rather light-headed but I did finish staking his plants. That's how much I love him.