did I mention mud?

Yup, we got plenty of it. Yesterday's 2 inch snowfall has now melted and added to the soup we call a driveway. While in Vancouver, Art and I both made a little investment in these.They are called Bogs and we bought them at Lee Valley. Without a doubt they are the best rubber boots I have ever found. They're toasty warm and cushy soft, which are pretty nice features, but the number 1 for me is that the calf is stretchy. Never in my life.....EVER....have I found a boot that fits my foot and my calf at the same time. I am in love with these boots.

After we got home from Vancouver, Art made a trip back down on his own. He's been there all this past week, house and dog sitting for Sara & Kevin while they take a much needed vacation to Mexico. While he's been gone I've been on "chicken duty". During my daily outdoor trek, Xena and I play fetch ... in the mud. Well, more Xena than me. I mostly just stand there. She does all the running around. And she doesn't seem to mind getting thoroughly filthy.But not all of the driveway is horrible. The parts that Art, Tom & Eddie worked so hard on last summer .... putting in culverts, clearing ditches and laying gravel .... those parts are draining beautifully.There's still a lot of snow around. This was taken from part way down the driveway, looking back toward the house.Back to the subject of chickens. Ewie is very curious about the critters inside this coop.The other day they got out (I don't know...) and he was only too happy to lend a hand with the "roundup".He did pretty good, too. Trouble was he'd get 'em all herded together and then ........ pounce .... right into the middle. And they'd scatter.

So, I had to capture him (which was no easy task) and lock him in the shed while I finished the job. It was no big deal really. They all just wandered back into the coop on their own.

did someone say "spring"?

Not today. This is what I woke up to.....

...and home again

We finally made it back home to Endako. Winter is still hanging on here, but the slow spring thaw is creating a lot of mud.Hey...notice the nice new fender flares? Kinda had to add those because the rust was starting to eat away at our little truck. A real problem around here.This is what the yard looked like.......but then, here's how it looked yesterday morning.....It really can't make up it's mind.

One of the many reasons we went to Vancouver was to retrieve our yard rock collection from the old house.I'd say we got about 1/3 of it (or less). Trouble is, rocks are heavy. Can't haul too many at a time.

We also did some shopping. Stocked up on some delectables that we can't buy up here, including a bunch of Weight Watchers approved items that can only be found in the USA (Art & Sara did a run to Point Roberts one day).As we wander around the yard, things are being revealed that were lost months ago when the snow first came. And nature does interesting artwork, too. This barrel is still frozen to the ground while everything around it has melted. Someone might pay big bucks for that if it was sitting in front of an art gallery.I was very happy to see Chickie......and Blackie.Art missed his kitty, Boose.......but I think Xena and Ewie missed each other most of all.He looks a little dishevelled after that greeting. Normally he's a very pristine white.But they kiss and make up....for now.Ewie gets HIS later....After all the "hello's" were done, Art checked the garden.Yup, a fine crop of clover goin' on.Xena is just LOVING her freedom.Rolling and running are way fun in her books.But sometimes, so is just sitting and contemplating. It's good to be home.

H a p p y B i r t h d a y

Sara & Treena

I hope you have a beautiful day

what's new?

Geez, it's been a long time since I posted last. What HAVE I been doing?

Well, we went to Vancouver for a week and stayed for 3. The trip down was tiring, I remember (13 hours on the road), and even though neither of us did any of the driving both Xena and I were exhausted.We spent one weekend at our club's rock and gem show, which is always a hoot. I'm surprised I don't have any good pictures, especially of Art running the "spin & win" game. He's like the pied piper when it comes to showing little kids (and some old ones) how to have fun.

Art needed a new computer so he and Kevin built one.Sara and Xena watched.Actually, Xena was eyeing up what Sara had in that bowl so created a clever diversion by licking Sara into submission and then snuck a mouthful.

(sorry for the blurry shots).

So, the new computer is a monster and once it was altogether Art rolled it into a corner and set up shop.While we were in Vancouver, Lucy (Sara & Kevin's dog) introduced Xena to a "doggie park".She LOVED it! I found it fun to stand in the middle and take tons and tons of pictures of all the doggie "action". More on that later.

It was surprisingly cold, but March is a fickle month. This is Sara & Kevin, Lucy & Xena near Rocky Point in Port Moody/IOCO.Fresh snow on Mount Seymour in the background.And then there's nothing like Sunday morning breakfast. I had the 4th laptop over on the other side of the room. What a bunch of yuppies.And before you ask....no...we were not sending each other emails.

rock & gem show

We are in Vancouver at our rockhound club's rock, gem & jewelry show. If you're in the area, come on down! There are rocks ... gems ... jewelry .... beads .... books .... stuff to make jewelry .... stuff for kids .... lots of fun.

Hastings Community Centre
3096 E. Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
(across from the PNE)

Sat, Mar.15 & Sun, Mar.16
10am - 5pm

spring is on it's way

It might not look like it out there, with snow everywhere, but the birds must know something we don't. On Monday we were in the middle of a blizzard and these brave first arrivals were huddled at the feeders .... 3 purple finches and 2 juncos.That storm has since passed and the weather is turning glorious. This morning I caught Xena and Yus BOTH chasing a pair of birds around the yard. I'd never seen these guys here before and was trying to take pictures of them. They even let me get fairly close, but I just couldn't get the shot. I got a really good look at them, though, and identified them in my bird book as "Crossbills". Cute little guys and kinda friendly, chattering away to me. This a picture I stole off the internet.How do they eat with a beak like that?

So, I've been sending silent prayers to the birthday fairy, asking for a zoom-ier lens for my camera. I guess I never told you about my new camera, did I? We discovered that we had a zillion points on one of the credit cards .... enough to get this ....So even though it wasn't really free, it seemed like it. I love it. It's quite a change from the little one I had. So many new features to learn. Also, it's a bit clunkier. Can't just slip it into my pocket while out and about. I have plans to make a case for it and while I'm in Vancouver I'll get the fabric and foam to make my very own custom bag (that's not a hint....I really DO want to make my own case). Currently, I pack it around in spare toque (nice and cushy) and put that inside a flap hat, tie the strings together for a handle and voila .... instant camera bag. I squish it all down so the camera's not sticking out. Certainly good enough for now.

ever seen a flying cat?

This is Yus (pronounced yoo-ESS) in one of his rare quiet moments, taking a snooze in Art's chair.He just looks like he's flying. That part came later.We have a mezzanine over our living room, with logs jutting out. The cats think it's good fun to sit there and peruse the goings on.Last night I was sitting on the couch watching TV and knitting when all of a sudden I heard the eerie sound of claws slipping and out of the corner of my eye there was a white blur. I'm pretty impressed at how quick my reflexes are .... because I caught him. I only got a little scratch on my arm, but am more relieved that he was not impaled on my knitting needles!

twinkling diamonds

When we had those few days of minus 38 degrees it was really pretty outside. There were little diamonds floating everywhere, as though the air itself was freezing. It was gorgeous to see but super hard to photograph. This picture is the best of the MANY I took. I like it a lot, especially that one twinkle.

I'm feeling a lot better, thanks everyone. I've been making a few lifestyle modifications and they're starting to pay off. Like eating healthy and incorporating some physical exercise into each day. It's not much right now, just stair climbing inside the house, but it's part of a plan and I'm on track. I've been through this before and those endorphins are addictive.

I think getting that first year after my Mom's passing behind me is a biggie. It's like a thorn out of my paw.

And one last little piece of therapy that has helped is from someone I don't even know....and she may never know the impact she's had. I sometimes look at a blog called Big Girl Feet. And that's only because she's linked to Carol's blog and Denise's blog. She recently posted this question to anyone reading... "what do you love about yourself?". Well, jeez, I dismissed it right away. I kept thinking about it though and after a few days it didn't seem like such a dumb question after all. Just the excercise of thinking about it kinda perked me up. Thanks Cynthia.

that bleh feeling

It was one year ago today that my Mom passed away. Here is a picture of my parents in happier days. It was obviously taken on New Year's Eve, but I'm not exactly sure when. Sometime before Mom's accident, so must be early to mid 70's.Maybe that's why I've been feeling so "bleh" lately.

Speaking of "ble"....I couldn't resist buying this when I saw it in the store.












....oh, that's the French side, silly.












I never knew the French word for wheat is ble. Somehow appropriate.