Animals & Pets

I have always had to have animals around me. When I lived in apartments and couldn't have a dog, I had a canary, or a pet rat (don't say 'ewwww'). In fact, when I first rented a house, I had 2 canaries, 2 dogs and 2 rats! In recent years I've had Siamese fighting fish, several gold fish, Mr C (my canary) and of course the dogs.

The appeal of the aquarium has waned and so I had decided to shut it down slowly by not replacing fish as they passed on. The two remaining are quite healthy and so my plan is taking longer than I had thought, although goldfish actually do have some funny characteristics and they sure are pretty, so I don't mind all that much. My 13 year old canary is also hanging on, but the loss of the dogs has been difficult and although we've been talking to a breeder, it'll be several months before the adoption can take place.

In the mean time, I've been feeding the crows. I know many people hate crows and think they're too noisy, but I don't. I grew up in an area rich with animals and crows are just a part of life, like spiders and squirrels(although I'm not too fond of the latter). We recently purchased a small bird feeder and some wild finch seed and had some success with the little birds. Then last Monday the hummingbird arrived and so Jp came home with 3 feeders for them - success! We're visited several times a day by two kinds - Anna's Hummingbird and the Rufous! It's so much fun to watch.

Jp also bought a tube feeder which we filled with seeds for chickadees, finches and nuthatches and a pole to mount it on in the yard. Since then, there has been a chorus of song birds in our garden and sometimes every perch on the feeders have some little bird eating - even in the steady rain yesterday. It's been a joy seeing all these birds eating to their hearts content and all the songs they are singing to thank us. The squirrel (he's not welcome, and he's slowly getting the message) feeds on the dropped sunflower seeds and this morning there were 8 crows eating the dropped seeds and nuts as well.

Jp suggested that we were like those old retired couples - you know, the ones that are thrilled to sit and watch the birds, having nothing else left to talk about except the weather and the birds. Oh boy, I hope that's not what just happened.... we're too young for that! We still have so much more to say and do!

The moment a little boy is concerned

with which is a jay and which is a sparrow,

he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing

-Eric Berne

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.

It sings because it has a song.

- Chinese Proverb

Restaurant Visitation

So the other night we thought we'd give a restaurant we hadn't been to a try(rhymes with 'marlaria'). We were looking forward to the type of cuisine they served and arrived in a positive mood. A little out of the way - okay. Up the stairs - no problem. Survey the room - charming. About 6 or 8 tables with people, not bad for a later mid-week dinner. And so we get seated and are given menus.

Shortly after sitting down, the woman at the table next to us starts to say really loudly "where are our appetizers, services is really sh*tty". She repeats this a couple of times. Jp suggests we move. I suggested we just hang tight - maybe she'll get more drunk and more interesting. I don't know, I could be fun.

And we wait. She repeats this sentence in different variations a couple of more times.

Two guys come in and are seated in the middle of the restaurant. They are given menus. A few minutes later, their drink order is taken and shortly after that their drinks are delivered.

Our drinks (one coke, one tonic - nothing special) still haven't been given to us.

Two other guys arrive and are seated at a table near us. Their drink orders are taken fairly quickly and shortly after that, their drinks are delivered.

The lady at the table next to us finally gets her appetizers.

I can see our drinks on the counter of the bar. I see the waitress put her hands on the glasses, and then release them and walk back into the kitchen.

We wait. Finally the bartender walks our drinks over to us. We really aren't too sure what's going on here, but decide that we're going to leave. We take a few sips from our drinks, leave a fiver on the table and walk out. I wonder if they ever noticed.

Jp says we'll give them one more chance. I think he should call the manager or owner and let them know about this little fiasco before we return.

Would you give this place a second chance? The menu looked really good.

Free Crafty Stuff & a Fish

Oh things are always just so much better when the sun is out - don't you think?

First I am absolutely enjoying all the birdies. The hummingbird showed up on Monday and so I quickly alerted my neighbours so we could all put out food and make sure the little guy has something to eat (well I'm hoping it's more than just one). What is in bloom right now? Tthe crocus and the primula... how can a hummingbird get much nectar from that?

Second, it's giveaway time - check out our friends at Sibling Craftery. I don't really want you to compete with me, but sharing is part of being an adult right? So I'll take the high road and tell you about the contest. Maybe you can tell others too, that'll make it more fun for everyone!

And now, I have a question for you. Do you know what kind of fish this is?

Nope - it's a "Shell" fish. (giggle). I hope you're at least smiling!

Jason Bourne and Cheese Curds

With the weather warming up, we decided to head up to Harrison Hot Springs on Saturday afternoon - it was nice and quiet up there as we had a little stroll around. Unfortunately, our lunch wasn't that great. We hit a little spot on the 'strip' and decided to share a seafood platter for lunch - 3 prawns, 2 pieces of halibut and some fries. Since there was 3 of us, Jp asked for another piece of fish.
"Sure that will be $7 extra" said the waitress. Forget it. One piece of fish isn't worth that! Not in this place! So we shared what was on the plate.

Then we stopped at the cheese shop on the way home and picked up some soft spreadable cheese and some curds. YUM! The plan was to bake some potatoes, pour over some hot gravy and sprinkle with cheese curds for Sunday's dinner with the roast. Which is what we had, and now we'd like to have more cheese curds without having to travel to Harrison!

And that's about all we did this weekend, other than watch all 3 Jason Bourne movies - Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum!

I know I should have gardened on Sunday, but I just didn't. There will be plenty of time for that this season! Without a dog to walk, I just don't feel like going outside - but maybe the warmer weather will change that.

Welcome Spring!

My garden at 6am today - a couple of crocus and some
sad primula that have taken a beating over the winter

And I know, don't say it; there are probably 30 million bloggers who have a title similar to that on their blog today, right?

Maybe this will redeem myself, here's a little spring poem for you:

No more heaters
No more coats
No more eating rolled oats
Time for gardens
Time for sun
Time for having lots of fun!

Did that help?

Okay, since I've been away for a little while, I thought I'd share some recent thrifty finds, first a beautiful spring apron - the lower area is all embroidered and smocked, it's very pretty actually.

And a bag full of old, wooden spools of thread. As I was going through the bag, Jp asked what the little animal was, and I said brightly, "that's the thread bear" Threadbare - get it? Okay, well we laughed anyway. This week I've been a busy girl (just like the everyone else).

After work Monday we went to Vancouver as Jp wanted to pick up a book he had ordered before Christmas-but sadly it wasn't there. I guess he was a little bit too late. As we were walking away, I spotted this awesome Coraline book, which was 20% off, plus we had an $8 credit, so I was very happy with it's price! On Wednesday, we wandered around Costco and then had to pick something up at a co-workers, and then went to the mall - where I got the best dang feather pillow! Oh it's so nice and comfy, but it's just encouraging me to sleep in! Jp has to talk me into buying these things, but I'm so happy with them after.

And yesterday, I did 2 hours of ironing. I know!

--- and that's how time flies!

And do you want to know what I've discovered about myself? I'm not a morning person! For the past 10+ years I'd listen empathetically as others would tell me about having difficulty getting up, or other sleeping in stories, but for me I just hopped out of bed at 6:00am in the winter and at 5:15 in the summer. Easy peasy. Except in the past three weeks. And now I realize that I wasn't the morning person, it was my dog! Without a dog wanting a walk, or food, or attention it's really easy to stay in bed until just before it's time to get ready for work, especially with a new feather pillow! All this time I thought it was me.

However, if you live in my area, then you might just be awakened by the street sweeper at 7:30 this morning! (Which is a good thing because all the gritty sand from the snow will be gone) Or by the numb-nuts next door that always backs up his work truck for 2 minutes with the backup beeper going the whole time. (Which doesn't bother me because I'm already up, but I know some neighbours aren't happy)

Maybe the early spring sun will help me go back to getting up early, what do you think?

Clean, sort, discard, rearrange

So I had this brilliant idea the other day that it was time to rearrange my office/work room. I have A LOT of stuff in this little room but I thought it would be good to move the desk so it wasn't blocking the heater in the room. I know, I know. I'm a late bloomer. I decide to do this now - 1 week from the first day of Spring. But also I thought a change of 'scenery' would be a good feeling as well and I needed to clean up and organize.

I knew it was going to be a big job, but it was A REALLY BIG JOB! I worked on it for about 7 hours on Saturday and then about 3 more after dinner. Today I've been working on it for about 7 hours as well. Before things went back into the room, I had to go through them and have been able to purge a couple of bags for the thrift store and a couple of bags for recycling. I also have a 3' stack of magazines to go through. No kidding, I just held up a yard stick to it and that's what it measures! Now some of the magazines will be recycled after a quick flip to make sure I didn't leave any twenty dollar bills (I wish) or other important papers in them, but I'll go through other magazines a little more carefully. I know the Peter Walsh clutter rules but I'm doing it my way (for now anyway).

One of my ideas was to take a smaller bookshelf and move it to our bedroom. In it would go all my knitting, crochet, needlework and other crafting books/magazines. This bookcase filled up pretty fast! I didn't realize I was that hardcore of a collector.

Through this clean up I also reacquainted myself with several skeins of yarn and embroidery/needlework projects. And I did learn some things about myself though - some I'm too embarrassed even to admit to myself. But one I will share is the discovery of 25+ empty journals. I just love stationery! But I guess I should spend more time writing on paper instead of on the computer.

Jp has urged me to take my time and suggested I don't rush putting things back, so there are still several boxes in the living room which I am working through. I admit that I asked him several times for permission to quit but he encouraged me to complete the job. In fact, he even celebrated every time I put another empty box out of the room. It's been hard work, but I know the results will be worth it.

It was a good weekend to do this anyways as it was raining (and at times, snowing) and soon I'll be making hypertufa (with Carol and Cynthia), or in the garden!

Dangerous Dog Breeds (?)

This came to me via email, but it is the best message EVA!

Warning: If you are an owner of a dog that belongs to a 'dangerous breed' category and you also have a small child please take this as a warning. Don't leave your dog with the child unattended under any circumstances.

Only a little moment was enough for the following to happen.


And whether you're a crafter or not, you must watch this video (thanks to Very Pink) - I insist!

Kidrobot - BFFs

There are some fun toys on the horizon - what do you think of these?

They're called BFF by Travis Cain. I like the tooth and lollipop one as well. The theme: love hurts. Yes, sometimes it truly does.

Weird Weather Day

Yesterday when we left home it was 3 degrees and there were snow flurries. Fifteen minutes of driving and it was zero degrees and the snow flakes were big and sticking to the ground. By the time we got to Richmond and wandered around Steveston it was a nice sunny afternoon. We poked around the little shops, bought little novelty items like pencils and little note books and little bags of candies and even had our fish and chips outside ! I couldn't believe that it was warm enough even for me to eat outside! And so many people were out with there dogs! I saw more dogs there than I have at the dog park!

But on the way home the sky looked nasty so we turned on the news/traffic radio station and reports of heavy compact snow was reported in several areas of the Lower Mainland (metro Vancouver area). And reports of accidents all over the place. Busses couldn't get up the hill towards SFU until the sand and plows cleared the road. How odd! An hour earlier we were enjoying lunch outside and now we were passing cars with 2 inches of snow on their roofs! Weather was definitely the only subject all the people on radio were talking about.

We decided to follow the sky and stay as south as we could from those dark, black clouds and made it home okay. What a weird weather day!

This morning it's -3 and tiny snow flakes are blowing and sticking to the ground. (It's only 14 degrees in my office). I am so ready for spring - I've been putting together a mental list of all the plants I want to pick up at the garden centre and I'm just not going to look outside!

Spring Knitting Goodness

Would you like to see some nice knitting? Then you won't want to miss this site: Twist Collective. The Spring 2009 collection is here.

You MUST watch this!

This is a mind-blowing video, it's call "Did you know...? "

And I didn't know all that stuff and it scared me!

Magazine Death Pool

For all my fellow magazineaholics - keep an eye on magazinedeathpool - it's a site that is keeping track of all the magazine closures and predicts which ones are next.

The editor's page of several magazines are also discussing the subject and encouraging us to subscribe instead of buy from the newsstands so more money makes it to the magazine quicker. However, in a couple of situations, by the time we Canadians pay the higher price and add the exchange, it actually costs us more money to subscribe than buy from the newsstands. Are you willing to pay more for your magazine in the hopes of keeping it alive? And that's also a question Kim Werker brought us on her blog, suggesting perhaps that magazines forgo advertising dollars (or greatly limit their reliance) to prevent the magazine from going bust because the market's turning down and advertisers are spending their money elsewhere.

I'm very curious to see how magazines will continue in this uncertain time - will we have less articles or more, less exotic locales for photo shoots, more independent writer/artist features?

And if you are short on cash, and need something to lift up your spirits, will you spend $25+ for a movie or will you spend $7 on a magazine to make you feel better? I hope you pick the magazine.

Please share your comments.

Little green and blue sockie....

What have I been doing? Well it's still kinda cold outside (and in my house) so after dinner I get in bed and knit and I've been working on socks for my mum. I got all the way past the heal of this sock before I tried it on, when I did it was rather tight. Boo.

The sock is for my mum who needs to get it on easily... so yup - FROG! (that's a knitting term meaning to un-ravel it - coming from the words 'rip it, rip it'. Knitters have a sense of humour!)

Oh well - I'd rather start over than send her socks she can't put on.

That's what I've been doing... looking forward to warm spring days.

What are you looking forward to?

Freaky is...

...being woken up at 3:40am to the sound of your dog's bark, walking the length of your house, turning the corner into the kitchen before realizing you don't have a dog.

Cat lovers?

This is quite a good video - An Engineer's Guide to Cats - it's 7 minutes long:

Cat yodeling is a new concept to me.

Did you know......

that today is Cat in the Hat Day?

On the birthday ofTheodor Seuss Geisel (1904), we honor Dr. Seuss and all hiswonderful stories. Celebrate today by reading one of yourfavorite stories!

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."-- Dr. Seuss

(quoted from Audri and Jim Lanford - Inspirational Quote of the Day)

A year and a day

I haven't felt much like writing over the past few days and didn't know how I should say it, but Jazz is gone (Friday afternoon). It's a very strange feeling - not only losing her, but also having to adjust to new routines. Thirteen years of dog ownership and now I have none, both are gone - a year and a day apart. I've always been a big dog person and if you ever wanted me to ramble on for half an hour (or more), you could just start talking about dogs and off my mouth would go. It's a big part of my life, of who I am. They were a priority for me. I told Jp when we started to date "Love me, love my dog" - it was a deal breaker, it was just that much a part of my life.

The work week will be hard as she always spent the day in the doorway of my office. But then again, lots of things will be hard - sunny spring days which we'd enjoy a nice long walk, two eyes on my while I cooked dinner being watched for falling food/scraps, watching her sun herself as I gardened, living with a pear stealer (what am I going to do with all the pears on my tree? Jazz usually only left me with about 4!), waking up to an alarm clock because no one's tummy is empty at 5:00am. So many things.

I really appreciate all your support, kind words and well wishes throughout her illness. Your supportive comments have meant a lot to me. Thank you.