Blind Dog Chronicles

Hearty Soup for the Soul

2012-01-08T12:13:00.001-04:00

This past year has been challenging, to say the least. In an economy and demographic where work is hard to find (and I'm not bilingual which is a BIG issue here), I felt that I had to terminate my job working offsite for a small printer in PEI. It was more than I could endure on a personal level and it was starting to affect my stress levels. The other party refused to acknowledge their treatment of others. And then we had to say goodbye to our sweetest dog, Mikey who we tried to save but could not. A tough decision, indeed.

I've been cleaning up my computer and came across a graphic file I put together from a 'story' I found online. It's beautiful and touches my heart. I hope it touches yours. You will have to click on it to be able to read it unless you have special super powers.

Excitement at the river's edge

2011-12-11T22:40:00.003-04:00

It's a bit of a distance for my camera to capture good quality video but this was too exciting not to capture. There were several (at least five) juvenile eagles and three or more adults. I couldn't see past my neighbour's and since I was in my PJs, standing on the porch, I was a bit limited but I know there were more. Suddenly, something caused them to scatter... I'm not sure what. And then it was over. If you have your sound up, you can hear them (and then you can hear Colby who didn't like that I was on the porch while he was stuck inside).

I was glad to be privy to this magnificent event, let alone getting it on video. What a treat! Today, I watched two of the juvenile eagles jostling with each other in flight. No time to get my camera, though. Burn!

Bleh!

2011-12-08T23:03:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I posted. I mean to keep my blog alive because I find it's a good exercise for me. It's a healthy thing to do (well.. for me, it is).

My life is in the midst of transition. It feels like hell.. lots of turmoil and as I look forward, I see nothing but a blank wall. It's a season of change. One day I'm up and then I'm down. I have plans that excite me and then fear sets in. Some aliens came and stole some of my brain matter. They hail from the planet Hormone. I've been left in a fog but I understand it's not permanent. Yup.

All kidding aside, though.... I quit my work-from-home dream job that became a living nightmare. My prospects of future work given the demographics of where I live are not good. I live in the country. I live in a French village and the province I live in is bilingual. I have a skilled trade that I worked hard at for over 20 years and when I came to this place (that I still love) I went to 'ZERO' as far as employment goes. I'll never work at the level I once did and I'm eyeing early retirement. That just sounds so surreal.

I have no regrets quitting my job. I was torture and I'll not go on about it. Let's just say that it was a no brainer proving just cause for quitting and I was accepted to receive employment insurance. I hate it so much but grateful for it.

Recently, our beloved dog Mikey and best friend in the world got very sick and we tried to save him but we couldn't. It's a huge loss. My hubs is devastated as they were so close. Our blind guy, Colby really misses him, too. We're trying to keep him busy with play time but the weather's been miserable so it's a challenge. We're making sure to give him lots of love and cuddles. Time will help to ease the pain. It's only been one week.

So, that's it. I know this is just a season. Better things are in store and I'm still so very thankful for so many things. I'm thankful I'm not in that abusive work relationship. It was horrible. I'm thankful that I have EI (really thankful). I'm thankful that I have my hubs and my Colby, and CeCe, my cat, too. I can tell she misses Mikey cause she's not being bad to the bone at all. I mean, she hasn't even scratched my favorite vintage red chair since Mikey 'went away'.

Slow Death of my Bedside Clock

2011-11-21T22:47:00.001-04:00

A few years back, I found the cutest vintage alarm clock on eBay. I was smitten but when it arrived, it looked rather dirty, the kind that cleaning won't remove. I had really wanted a rhinestone alarm clock but they sell for more than I'm willing to pay. So, I settled for something that was cute and affordable.

Hubs said he could give it a fresh coat of paint in an off-white and it turned out much better than I could have hoped for. Then I got to thinking... I could still have my vintage rhinestone clock so I set about fitting and glueing a strand of glittery rhinestones around the bezel. Perfection!

The clock that I love.

Well, all good things must come to an end. The power had been shut off several times during our mudroom reno and resetting the time more times than normal proved to be too much for my clock that I love. I had noticed for some time that the inner workings were getting tired. The 'teeth' around the ten after mark have worn down and the minute hand just stays in the same position... minute after minute after minute. I'm so sad. It was perfect beside my bed, the clock that I love.

I looked online at some vintage clocks but my needs take huge priority over my wants right now so I just went to a 'big box' store and bought a Baby Ben wind up clock... no batteries, no electricity. I just have to remember to wind it everyday. It's a boring little thing with a smoky acrylic crystal.

And then I got to thinking... I have this sweet vintage clear rhinestone choker with some pretty blue stones and it might spruce up my boring Baby Ben, plus I'm still using a vintage embellishment. After a bit of a struggle applying glue, which I had to do in stages, it's OK. Darn cute, really but it's not fitting with my color/decor theme and it's not the clock that I love which is now retired to my mantle, just for the sake of looking pretty. My 'new' clock with the vintage bling will grow on me, I'm sure, over time but it's not about form over function. It serves a purpose. I just want it prettied up.

Adding bling to boring.

Yard Sale!

2011-11-15T00:41:00.000-04:00

It's high time I got this online yard sale going. I don't know what's stopping me. I have this fear of the unknown... jumping in head first and then realizing I forgot to test the waters. It's foolish of me... I can't explain it. How hard can it be to list items with clear photos and honest details on each item? I get tripped up on the shipping costs, the payment transaction (I have a seller's status eBay account AND paypal). So, what's my problem? I don't know! I wanted to blog for a year before I started one.

So anyway, everything shown on this blog and over here is up for grabs (you will need to visit the archive pages which should be simple enough since there aren't many). I've included a "contact me" button on both blogs so if there's interest in any item, please message me, be sure to include your contact info and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

Over the course of the next few (or several) days, I'll be listing things on eBay so once I've managed to work my way into it, and past the learning curve, then I'll happily supply my 'sellers name' or whatever it is one searches for when looking for a particular seller's items. I'm not new to eBay, really. I've been a buyer over the years. The selling part, though, is quite a different matter.

Meanwhile... here's a few more things added to my purge list.

Sweetest vintage angel candle huggers in mint condition

I recently acquired two Tom Kuhn vintage yoyos (circa 1998). Now, I don't 'yo yo' and I don't (or didn't) know much about them. I just saw these beautiful hardwood yoyos (in their original boxes) and snapped them up. I was delighted to find they are quality made and retail in the $50 range (each). I have the Sleep Machine and the Roller Woody. Perhaps they'll find their way under someone's Christmas tree this year and for a great price, too!

Hardwood (maple) and just a beautifully crafted yoyo

'Yet another pair eye-grabbing chunky 80's earrings... there more in here or my other blog. Pretty sure I double posted some pics, too. It's confusing when you mix two blogs with the same content. Oh well... my blog, my rules.

Now, this is chunky! Clip-ons if you're wondering.

Maybe I should wear these for part of a day
and see how they feel. Do they appear to be staring at you?

Here's some tamer vintage earrings by Raynor Inc. Not too much found online about this company but the pearl earrings have genuine pearls and 14k gold filled which a step up from gold plate. The twisted 'loop' earrings have GF stamped backings but the posts read 14k gold so it's possible these are more than gold filled but I can't say for sure.

Pretty and delicate.

14k gold stamped posts. Can't say for certain if earrings
are gold or gold filled but they are lovely.

What's YOUR vintage flavour?

2011-10-25T12:08:00.006-03:00

I'm understanding that 80's jewelry is making the rounds in the vintage arena. Really, now... the 80s were not THAT long ago. OK, not to me. Time flies so much faster after 30ish. Yeah, that must be it.

Late 80s earrings.
I think I'm upset that anything I bought new is
now considered to be a collectible item.

I must confess that even though I frequently wore costume jewelry, looking back makes me shudder at the tackiness of the 80s style. Most jewelry back in that era was oversized and chunky. Well, naturally, big hair and big shoulder pads need big jewelry!

Mid 80s necklace and earrings. Is this considered vintage?
Really?

Now, these earrings below are more along the lines that make me look twice. The thing for me is I have no occasion to wear them (they were whispering my name). I live in a tiny village and typical outings involve going to one of two very small towns to do my grocery shopping. My other activities involve treasure hunting at local thrift shops (all three of them) and yard sales or playing with the dogs in the yard. Glittery earrings don't quite work in these settings any more than dressy shoes with three inch heels. But still... they're pretty and nice to look at.

My kind of eye candy!

Too much stuff...

2011-10-20T23:12:00.009-03:00

I'm not a hoarder. I just have lots of stuff. I love stuff... mostly old stuff - vintage stuff. And I have lots of it. I can't stop my love of finding stuff and I can't keep all my stuff because I'm running out of places to put some of it and the little stuff just gets put into a jewelery box or something and forgotten.

I'm going to get rid of some of my stuff and have me a yard sale but not in my yard. Several items of what I'm showing here is stuff that was sold as junk jewellry. How delightful to learn I acquired silver and gold sold as costume jewelly. My kind of junk.

When it comes to the vintage stuff, many here don't know or appreciate the value of old stuff. To them, it's just old stuff. To me, and perhaps you, it's a found treasure. It carries the feel of less complicated days... carefree and innocent. It has character, patina and was made with integrity. Does that sound odd? Made with integrity. Maybe I should say it was made to last, with quality in mind instead of mass produced and cheaply done.

Lots of my stuff is on my other blog... fabfindsgentlertimes.blogspot.com but there's so much more that I haven't taken photos of yet. Too much lovely stuff.

Here's some lovely stuff but it's not necessarily old stuff. Just great stuff.

Snake chain and pendant, stamped .925 Italy

.925 silver ring with cubic zirconia
(not sure of the stone, actually)

Beautiful silverplated Monet choker.

Choker made of silver beads and
what I believe to be potato pearls

Ladies Zodiac Automatic 60's watch in 18kt gold

Pretty vintage clutch purse and earrings.
Wouldn't these be a lovely accessory with that little black dress?

Pretty little silver (.925) necklace, most likely for a child.

Silver (stamped .925) bracelet.
This is perfect for a small wrist.

A whopping 120 grams of silver snake chain.
Stamped .925 Italy.

There are 21 stands of silver chain in this stunning necklace.

Blue turquoise and silver earrings.

About that reno...

2011-10-15T00:41:00.005-03:00

Hubs to me... Why did you show that photo of the siding to your brother?

Me.... Which one?

Hubs... The one where the siding doesn't quite line up.

Me.... Oh, Sweetie. It's not out that much. You're too fussy. He won't even notice. (umm... actually, he did notice)

Hubs... It looks bad. It makes me look bad.

Me... No, it doesn't look bad at all. Hey, did you know if you tilt your head all the way towards your left shoulder it looks perfectly lined up. It does. Try it.

Hubs...

Me.... Hey! Where'd ya go?

Seriously, though. A major undertaking, done solo by a perfectionist who is not a builder and who suffers immensely with 2 herniated discs, 2 compacted discs (and lots of spasms), a torn right rotor cuff that often causes a lack of feeling in his hand, a damaged sternum from a work injury, a damaged ankle from a break as well as severely torn ligaments (worse than the broken bone) that still causes him great pain after THREE years and there's even more that he suffers from but you get the picture, right?

I don't ever look for perfection in the things done around our humble home. I love the little imperfections as they serve as reminders that we are just human, not perfect but doing our best. To me, those little things that aren't perfect are akin to the patina on a vintage treasure. They show character. Overall, the addition was well done; he does his homework and refuses to cut corners. It's a solid 2x6 construction with great attention paid to those things that will prevent issues down the road (like rodent prevention, for one)... ewww.

At present, (pics to come) the insulation and vapor barrier is completed inside. Hubs needs a break now and is chewing on how he's going to finish the interior. Wainscot on some walls, the style and size of closet, etc. The roof (to be re-shingled next year) and rafters are original and not to code. That is to say, not 16 on center and with materials being as 4 x 8, it's a lot of extra work with regards to drywall and such. It had been debated whether to completely replace the roof or keep it. We found the wood to be in excellent condition so he decided to keep it.

I've probably caused Hubs much more 'labour' just by having him explain to me why this can't be done like 'such and such' because of the not-to-code rafters. I listen but I'm like a deer in headlights. I get it but I try to find ways to offer easy solutions for Hubs. I should just practice the fine art of shut-up instead.

This is our inspiration pic for the east wall that faces the river. I can't wait. Just focus on the bench seating and vintage table. Our layout won't allow for all the other gorgeous elements in this gorgeous photo.

Inspiration pic for our nook.

Reno Update....

2011-09-19T22:18:00.000-03:00

Things have come a long way since my last post with the mudroom reno. It's such a relief to have this near completion. We feared the attached garage wouldn't make it through another winter. During the course of the demo, it was discovered that the posts on the north wall that the structure sat on were just pounded into the ground without any cement footings. Any wonder it was sinking, rotting from the ground up and prone to some serious frost heaves!

Stairs to the cellar... where I don't need to go!

Looking at the north wall

New shingle on mud room & back of house next year

Entrance on west side

Looking at the east wall. Skirting to come to keep rodents out.

Coming along... lattice will go and hardy board skirting added

Temporary stairs. Wrap around deck next summer?

A deck will cover the ugly, old cement garage floor

Skirting being added to keep rodents out

Our new mudroom is built with 2 x 6 lumber, up off the ground on post techs that go about 8 ft into the ground. The floor is insulated and under that is fine wire mesh to keep the rodents out. We're almost there... needing some exterior finish work and then interior insulation, drywall and floors to do. Such a big improvement!

Summer's Bounty and Reno's....

2011-08-07T12:47:00.000-03:00

The expression "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" have taken on new meaning for me this year. It's certainly been crazy. The hazy is how I could describe my thoughts as I try to process all I need or want to do, and the lazy is how I feel but can't afford the luxury of such for more than a few hours, even on weekends.

We have a reno underway and this is a huge undertaking for just one person - my hubs. Our attached garage is done. We fear it won't make it through another winter so hubs has torn it down, saving an 8 ft section of the roof which is where our new mudroom will be. It will be nice to have a proper place to store winter gear and also a place to put my treadmill and gym which will mean I am out of excuses for not using them.

Housework waits for no one and I have two floors to contend with along with two dogs and a long-haired cat who shed like crazy and track in reno refuse. Our gentle Mike has been coming home lately covered in something very stinky so everything stops while he gets yet another bath. And dealing with the financial end of our reno job with a bank on the other side of the country, plus the discovery that hub's Visa card has a damaged chip while he's some 40 km away purchasing things needed for the reno has had me on the phone for what feels like hours at a time. It's been stressful trying to sort these gliches out over the phone, being put on hold each time I have to call back. Perhaps time to move the bank account - but I don't want to. I like my Vancouver account a lot and despite the inconvenience at this time, they are wonderful to deal with.

Support beams for the outside wall.
Everything to the left is torn down.

These techno posts are 8 ft down.
B'bye frost heaves.

A sorry site of what is soon to be history.

Progress of the demolition.

The sad cement floor will be covered with a deck.

We've done good on our red currants this year and we were able to cash in on the wild blueberries in the back field. It was a good year for the blueberries and I make freezer jam in small jars to last till next season (and I like to give some away as well).

We also used some of the red currants to make a liquor which will be ready the end of October. Since I had purchased a rather large bottle of vodka, we decided to use the small amount of black currants from our young bush to make a black currant liquor and when our blackberries are ready, I think we'll do up some liquor from those as I don't do much baking and they'll get forgotten in the freezer. These are not big batches of liquor so I think I'll find pretty jars to store them in and save for a cold winter day where they'll be used to warm cold toes and noses.

Just before our chive flowers were finished, hubs came across a blog showing chive flower infused vinegar. It's a pretty pink, although you can't really see that in this photo but it makes a great salad dressing. We enjoyed some on a salad with freshly picked sugar snap peas, cucumbers and dill from our garden. Despite the horrid summer weather, our garden has manage to reward us with a variety of lovely things.

Vintage Ads from 1950

2011-07-19T00:03:00.000-03:00

Quite some time ago, I dug out my 1950 Life Magazine and proceeded to take photos of several ads. I couldn't scan them as my scanner bed (and patience) was too small and tiling them was too much like work. Every so often, I'll remember I have these images so I think it's time they reside here. I do wish the pages had sat flat as I clicked away but, at the same time, I don't care to manhandle the pages more than necessary. You know, I was born halfway through this particular decade so the styles of this era are not so far from some of my earliest memories.

Those earrings! So trendy.

Whiskey and a squirrel with nuts?

14 kt. and just $71.50!
I'll take two.

Roy Rogers & the Indian Princess

I wouldn't change a thing on this.

When ads for 'undergarments' were modest

I loved Art Linkletter!

Good old Campbell's Soup.

When smoking was cool.

Well... that's a tiny waistline!

Aunt Jemima! I miss you.

Wouldn't you love to know the prices?

Price is roughly 10x more today?

Mmmm... salt on everything!

This is pure vintage!

Somehow, the brown shoes
aren't working.

Bob Hope as I remember him
when I was a young girl.

I'd love a fridge like this.

Oh, deer!

2011-06-26T12:06:00.001-03:00

It's not often I get to see a couple of young deer come down to the river's edge and swim across. That's not to say wildlife here is in short supply. It certainly is not!

A couple of years back, hubs was in back of the shed, doing finishing touches and standing on a ladder. There is an approximate 12 foot space to the neighbour's gazebo and a deer came bounding through, brushing against the ladder and hub's legs and startling both of them. I mean, we're in the country with a smattering of homes in a tiny village.

Deer sightings are common. Just not by me so much. And didn't they bound across the road in front of pick up? Fortunately, the driver saw them before they scooted out in front of him.

Sorry for the blurry in the first two shots.... it was a stretch for my camera to zoom that far and through the branches at the road's edge. In the last photo, one deer is looking over this way because we had barking Blind Guy safely behind our locked screened door who knew something was going on. Letting him loose would be a disaster as he just goes after something like a mad dog. Gentle Mike started to give chase but he could see they were much bigger than him.

Hummingbirds at the feeders

2011-06-16T23:44:00.001-03:00

This little video was taken on the morning of May 26th, a time when it was quite the feeding frenzy. I believe the females were preparing for the time they'll spend in their nests caring for their young.

We've been enjoying these amazing birds for several years now and I've learned the females will be back at the feeders in droves before summer's end to fatten up for their migration south. They will be smaller than their babies who have left the nest and we'll be busy keeping the feeders filled at that time. Right now, it's a bit quieter at the feeders. We have one particular hummingbird who is quite territorial and perches himself in the chain of the hanging basket, keeping watch over HIS feeder and going after all others.

The second video shows how crazy it got at the feeders. They prefer this particular one. Sorry about the TV going on in the background, I was amazed at how many were flocking to that feeder and I just grabbed my camera to capture all the activity.

Backyard Delights

2011-06-12T20:51:00.001-03:00

On Friday, I bought hubs a birthday present - a Virginia Creeper, thinking it was the next best thing to Boston Ivy which is what he really prefers. Wrong! I had to take it back after learning how invasive they are and "just where is it supposed to go?", he asks. Doh!

So, back to the nursery I went on Saturday, exchanging the Creeper for these Rodgersias, only to learn after I got home that they are hard to grow and prefer a wet, bog type soil. Oops! "Don't you read the tags on these things?", he asks. Um, my glasses were in the car. We chose a spot that gets dappled shade and less chance of drying out. We shall see how they manage and after 24 hrs of being transplanted, I see no signs of stress. They are wonderfully fragrant.

Since I had my camera out, I snapped a few shots of other pretty things growing in our yard.

Johnny-Jump-Ups

Bumble bees enjoying the chive flowers.

Flowers on the pom pom tree

Black current

Red current

Cedar Waxwings

2011-06-06T23:19:00.000-03:00

Hubs was happily tending to tandoori chicken on the bbq, while the dogs enjoyed some fresh air and the scent of food cooking. Colby Blind Guy was busy barking and chasing after birds when hubs noticed our silver maple and crab apple tree was a focal point for these beautiful Cedar Waxwings. He called for me to get my camera but I could only hobble to fetch my it while complaining my sprained ankle hurt too much and could he please snap a shot or two.

They were hastily taken (blind guy barking them into flight) and a bit dark so photoshop and my handy-dandy skills went to work and here are the results. I love these birds.

Sweet tiny hummingbird nest (umm... maybe just a small bird's nest)

2011-06-06T12:42:00.001-03:00

Hubs just came in and handed me this adorable little hummingbird nest. He found it on the ground beneath one of our maples so I guess the wind must have blown it off its perch.

It's so sweet and perfect, even fur lined with what I suspect is my dogs fur. My Blind Guy Colby has very coarse fur but his winter undercoat is much finer and we had been brushing the boys outdoors to help the shedding along.

I'm Moving....

2011-06-05T10:17:00.000-03:00

Well, no... I'm not really moving.

I'm moving some of my vintage photos that I'm willing to part with over to my other blog. And then, I'm pinning them to my virtual board over at Pinterest.com

I just posted about it here... fabfindsgentlertimes.blogspot.com

Pinterest is a great thing, I think. I was invited quite some time ago but never really paid much attention but now... I'm getting on to a new addiction.

My Vintage Blog

2011-05-24T11:59:00.002-03:00

Come see! I have just posted on my new blog with a recent find of roly poly glasses.
The picture taking process is a chore! I took over 200 pictures this past weekend, playing with settings on my camera and dealing with lighting issues. And pretty much all the items I photographed weren't even my vintage finds... they were jewellery. These items will most likely be listed on eBay when the time comes.
It's my goal to be as true to the items in quality and colour as though one is viewing the item in person. My integrity is of utmost importance so my images must represent what I'm offering. Learning curves are good, not fun, but good.

http://fabfindsgentlertimes.blogspot.com/

If you were a 'slogan', what would you say?

2011-05-17T18:39:00.004-03:00

I've decided to create a new blog for my 'store'. I think the artwork looks fab! LOL! I had removed the halftone pattern from my retro gal but realized later that she's large enough that I can keep the 'effect' so I put it back in... you know, those vintage romance comic books with giant dots in the flesh tones. (I could explain those dots in a technical manner, me coming from long career in print, but that's just boring and feels too much like work).

What I hope to do is showcase items and link to my esty store. I guess I need to network and link up with fellow vintage junkies and hope to get some traffic to my store. I never knew there would be so much to just putting stuff online to sell but I've been doing my homework for a long time and I'm sure this is the reason I've been dragging my butt. And, what if I run out of stuff to sell? I have ideas running through my head on that one... local auctions and a gal pal that I need to contact to see if she'll drag me along. I'd be lost at an auction and maybe even a tad intimidated.

Anyway... I need a slogan for my blog. Take a peek ... http://fabfindsgentlertimes.blogspot.com/

There's a large gap under 'from gentler times' and I feel the need to put something in there. But what? Any suggestions are welcome. Perhaps I should just leave it as is. At any rate, I need to keep moving on this for some reasons I can't get into... reasons that makes me crazy to even think about so I'll spare the details. Mostly though, this vintage venture is a passion I've wanted to pursue for a long time.

My shop name and banner...

2011-05-13T13:57:00.008-03:00

I have just finished my first draft of the banner artwork for my esty store. It's within the required dimensions so I was a little bummed that I couldn't make my retro gal stand out more. If you click on the image, you might see that I put a halftone dot on her, much like the comic books but it's just lost in the banner. Now, I'm thinking I'll have to start a blog with my shop name and larger version of my 'banner' and a link to my store. More work to do. This just better pay off but even so, what a great exercise.

Whatcha think? My vintage gal came from a magazine I purchased. A 1958 Rawleigh's Good Health Guide / Almanac and Cook Book.

New-to-me 40's Mirror

2011-05-10T20:56:00.004-03:00

Recently, I took a drive to the Bouctouche Dunes to see what level of damage was done to the dunes themselves. I knew the 2 km boardwalk was taken out in places but only heard the 10 km stretch of dunes were broken up into three parts. The day I went was sunny, but windy and cold. I didn't get much of a look but I tried. You can see some of the damage here....

I only wanted to know about the sand dunes themselves so I gave up on doing a beach walk and headed home. Better days ahead for that. My favorite little antique shop along the way (which I blogged about last year) was due for a visit so I dropped in and had a pleasant visit with my gal pal, Cheryl and her friend who was visiting that day.

I love vintage mirrors. I never find them within my price range and I'm all about finding the best deals. So, I wait till a great and affordable thing comes along. If I pay full pop it must be a "I can't live without it, it's too good to be true" sort of deal. yeah.. so, anyway...

Well... she had so many new things and, of course, I had to take it all in. And guess what she had there! A 2 ft x 2 ft 1948 mirror at a price I knew would be twice the city price. I had to have it. But... would it suit my retro red room and the vintage prints that reside on that wall... the ONLY wall where my new-to-me mirror and prints can go? YOU be the judge. I think it's OK as such....

Dog Sitting

2011-05-09T13:05:00.005-03:00

Last fall, I had the 'experience' of doggie sitting a beautiful Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever named Tofu. I was certain he would be Mikey's new best friend because Mike is the lover of all dogs and Colby Blind Guy is just too much energy for most other dogs. I was wrong. This video is a glimpse of how much of our weekend went (actually, it was three days).

I have a photo booth!

2011-05-08T15:31:00.002-03:00

Things are progressing along at a snails pace with my online vintage store. I'm hung up on a name but I have something I can see in my mind's eye so I'm not telling till I can show it. If I pull off what I have in mind, then the name will suit the graphics. The name by itself is not getting much in the way of "Oh... that's a nice name." It has to be seen and I might create the banner and go YUK!, thus starting all over again.

My photo shoots to date have not been satisfactory... well, some are OK. I tried to re-shoot some of my vintage wares using my kitchen table and white fabric and still not happy. I had issues with glare or shadows, wrinkles in my fabric (gasp!) and fuglies showing up in the background because my backdrop was not high enough. Hubs went googling on my behalf and told me he'd build me a photo booth. And he did! See?

I purchased the two black lamps for $12.99 each (had that yellow one for years), the card stock from the dollar store was only 25 cents per sheet so I have a couple in white and a blue one, the white fabric came from a sheet purchased at a thrift store and the wood was on hand.

I'm planning on recycling my books at a thift store but glad they came in handy for adjusting the height of the lamps. My only issue is those fluorescent bulbs I put in are too warm (soft white) and I need higher wattage. They put a yellow cast on all my photos regardless of my settings (which I suck at in the technical sense). I'm in a learning curve here but learning is good exercise for the brain, right? These two examples are not tweaked... I will be using my photoshop skills to crop away empty space or even remove some cast or lighten some shadows; however, removing yellow cast from every photo is not going to happen.

Too yellow

This is better but was taken on my kitchen table.

I'm still going ahead with this venture but not rushing. My work schedule has picked up some and I'm so behind on spring cleaning and keeping it current, which would really make the work load lighter if spread out everyday. And I need to make time for exercise. It's becoming a real necessity because I'm feeling the effects of not being in shape. My knees... I strain them and don't even know how, then it's a slow healing process. Red flags waving!

My vintage shop needs a name!

2011-04-25T01:38:00.000-03:00

Assaisonné Trésors

or... Classique Trésors

Arrgghhh!!! This has been hard. I see so many cute and original names and I haven't been able to come up with one that isn't already used. I'm thinking I might go with a French name seeing as I'm living in a French community and all. Besides, French is a beautiful language. And I'm French, but not in the cultural sense but so what?

Using an online translator sure wasn't the way to go. French is a difficult language. I knew I wanted something like "Seasoned Treasures" but the generated translation didn't seem right. I was getting "Trésors Épicés" (spice) so I asked around and got some local help. One lady who learned the language but not versed, per se, came up with "Mûrir Trésors" but it means something like Ripe Treasures (rotten fruit?). Finally, I asked a facebook friend who said it reminded her of fruitcake and she suggested either Classique Trésors or Assaisonné Tresors. I think I like the latter one and when I asked her what it meant exactly, she said Seasoned Treasures. Ahahaha! Right back to where I started. On second thought, I kinda want the name to be basically understood for us English folk, which takes me to Classique Trésors. Or I might scrap the whole idea and start over. (pulls hair out)

So... honest opinions are most welcome. Done up nicely with some artwork and elegant font (not necessarily the one shown), how does it work for you?

So, it's kinda like this....

2011-04-05T19:20:00.002-03:00

All my attempts at pretty much everything have been faced with a let-down lately. Nothing too major. Just enough to suck the life blood out of me and leave me feeling like I'm stuck in the muck.

We're having a major snow melt right now so that might be a contributing factor. It's a mess out there in our back yard. Not a great time for the dogs or me, the master cleaner of dirty dog paws. Some hopes dashed recently aren't helping, either. (big sigh)

I really, really want to gather all my vintage lovelies to sell online and actually get them posted. I did get photos done of several items and I have much more to gather and photograph. And then... what venue to use for ~~dumping~~ selling my vintage lovelies. In all seriousness, I don't wish to sell junk. I love to collect so I figure I can collect for others who might have like interests and for reasonable prices. I can do this! I can. I know I can. I will. I want to... just as soon as I get my feet out of the muck.

Soon. There IS an end to this long, messy, chilly, damp, oh-so-blah winter. And my spirits will soar. And I'll have more energy.

Has anyone seen my 'Get up & Go'?

2011-03-14T09:30:00.001-03:00

So, I'm excited for spring. Who isn't? This past winter in most parts of the Maritimes was brutal. The only good thing I can say about it is that it's pretty much over and looking back on it, I'm thankful the bulk of our snowfall is over a two month period and not a four month period. Still... it sucked the enthusiasm right outta me. And I expect I'm not alone in feeling this way. So many harsh storms and I'm seeing snow falling outside my window as I write. Pooey!

I can't get excited about anything. My motivation is dried up and I have plans on the back burner that keep getting cold. As soon as I get excited and geared up to start putting my plan in action, something puts a damper on it. Pooey!

But... better days do lie ahead and I'm not a quitter so I will focus on that. Spring tends to breathe new life into a weary soul so I rummaged around in my photo albums to remind me that there is a fresh new outlook to look forward to, to grasp hold of and motivate me to keep a positive outlook. Yahooey!

Vintage Love!

2011-02-22T16:51:00.001-04:00

I'm totally smitten with a recent find that I never thought I'd come across on one of my treasure hunting excursions... vintage embroidered pillow cases with the sweetest little bluebirds and a pretty floral design. There was only one, pressed and hanging neatly on a hanger. I almost passed on it since it wasn't a pair. But wait! Its mate was clipped together with some others and that just sealed the deal. Look! So sweet and in great condition. The fabric is a nice heavy cotton and the only downside is some yellowing in the centre due to age and, well... use. I'm pretty sure I can remedy that, though. I'm just noticing now that some of the green leaves are a teeny bit thread bare on this one but, really.... I don't think that takes away from how incredibly sweet they are. And a pair!

More talk about the weather

2011-02-05T12:15:00.002-04:00

I was going to add storm pictures to my previous entry, but decided to just do a new post instead. Being a bit of a weather junkie, I look at three different online weather forecasts to see if they're all in agreement and they usually are not. In fact, I can rely on the extended forecast to change several times. Hubs doesn't get why I'm so 'obsessed' with weather. I simply tell him, "I just like to know." Seems rather silly when I think on it. So I won't... I'll just keep reading about whether the Arctic oscillation is in a negative or positive phase, if El Nino or La Nina come calling and how will those things impact the overall upcoming season. And then there are those solar flares, with 2012 being the peak thus bringing with it the end of the world as some are fretting about (not me). Maybe I have too much time on my hands.

Here are some images from our last 'storm' which wasn't really a storm at all. It was more like a snow event. Lots of softly falling snowflakes, so pretty, so much of it (gasp), all fluffy and powdery. But then, around midnight, the winds came. It really changed things as you can see. Our cars (not the van) were pretty much bare of snow in the morning. Hubs is out there with the snowblower; a full time job for him, it seems.

We're in for another storm tonight. One forecast says 8-15 cm of snow, another says 20-30 cm. I'm going with the 8-15 cm amounts. Supposedly, there are two more storms to follow over the next week. I have also viewed the long range forecast into mid-February and temps are showing up to 5ºC with sunshine. I somehow doubt that will happen but they've been spot on with every storm.

Feb. 02/11 before the winds

Feb. 03/11 Digging out

Feb.03/11 How deep can it go?

Feb.03/11 Catch my drift?

Talk about the weather...

2011-02-01T01:06:00.001-04:00

What can one do when one experiences snow storm after snowstorm in the country? Well, talk about it, of course. And post pictures and express feelings of fed-up of puttin' up with so much stormy weather. I guess another whopper is on it's way. The Ground Hog Day storm, they're calling it. I can't wait! :-(

First, I want to tell about my poor unfortunate Hubs! (it was due to bad weather, after all) He had an wee mishap with the snowblower about two weeks ago. It wasn't due to carelessness, really. The snow was the wet, heavy kind and the auger kept clogging. A belt connecting to another moving part (not visible) had slipped off so those two parts didn't engage and stop that other part from turning. Something like that. He did wait after shutting off the machine for the auger to stop moving so it wasn't like he was being hasty. The belt must have slipped off between clearings.

So, he reached in to clear the snow and it grabbed his hand. He thought he safely pulled back in time then realized it did some serious damage to his fingers. Off to emergency on a storm day! Fortunately, the storm wasn't so bad in the northern direction we were traveling. It was more like there was no storm once we hit the freeway. It's weird like that here.

His right forefinger was crushed but a clean break at the tip and four stitches along the first joint. He's been in such pain but still manages to get out and clear the driveway after each storm. I can't manage our snowblower. It's really heavy and he just won't allow it. I confess, I love to shovel snow but he says one gimp in the family is enough and worries I'll hurt my back or something. Maybe he thinks I'm too old and frail for shoveling snow? Nah! That ain't it.

I decided to log all of the storms of this particular winter. I'll come back and add the upcoming storm(s) pictures because when someone says... "Oh, it wasn't that bad!", which I doubt anyone will, but if they do, I'll send them a link to this blog entry. So without further adieu, here are pics with dates from each storm... during or the day after. I know I've already posted some of these pictures but.... so it goes. I may have missed one storm.

The Jan. 28th storm was the worst one. We couldn't get out of the house, save for trudging through deep drifts and there were three steps off the porch. Poor Blind Guy when it was pee time, he just didn't know what was happening. Going through the garage was not an option. The drifts were taller than me! As well, all our south and west facing windows were completely covered with snow. I shudder to think that this coming Ground Hog Day storm is supposed to be worse.

December 21, 2010

December 27, 2010

January 3, 2011

January 13, 2011

January 21, 2011

January 28, 2011

Sometimes I don't like snow.....

2011-01-14T13:52:00.003-04:00

Can you see our civic sign down at the end of our driveway and to the right? The storm that wasn't supposed to reach us on January 12th was bearing down as nightfall approached. Hubs had gone out to clear the driveway in an effort to stay ahead of what the county's snow plough pushes across the driveway's entrance. There was maybe a foot and a half of snow to clear at about 10 pm that evening. The snow ploughs were to call it a night until 5 am or whatever early hour before the morning's work commute. It was anybody's guess as to what we would wake up to after the ploughs had their way with our driveway.

The side of the house reminds me of that nasty 70's popcorn ceiling. You know, that stuff they sprayed on the ceilings that's a nightmare to remove? The only time I ever took a liking to it was when I was living in an apt. where they added glitter. I was 18 years old. I thought that anything that sparkled was pretty.

OK, I wasn't overly excited to get out and take photos of all the snow dumped at the end of the driveway upon waking in the aftermath of the storm. I couldn't tell you how much snow actually fell, but I can tell you that much of what was in the farmland northeast of us made it's way through our property and across our driveway. The civic sign is buried now. I was tempted to take a shot of hubs out with the snow plough but declined. I'll just tell you that it was mid-thigh to hip deep. We've learned it's always best to blow the snow to the west (to the right as you're seeing the photo).

The neighbours across the street might see a couple of feet. The plough goes by on their side and a bit of clumpy snow gets left behind. No big deal for them. I do take some comfort in the fact that our neighbours to the west of us get some of what we get. We do like to share the motherload, after all.

Nor Easters and a New Year

2010-12-28T17:13:00.002-04:00

I'm tired. I feel deflated. Alone (but I know, by faith, that I'm not alone). I battle things that I have no control over... things that involve other people. People that I love. Control... big word. I control how I choose to react to things. I control what time I should go to bed. I control those kinds of things regarding me. But I don't control how others behave, how they perceive me, my life or my choices in life. They see through their own way of seeing things. I cannot make them understand that which even I cannot understand regarding my day to day life.

But one thing is for sure. I have made it clear where I stand. Whether other loved ones understand that or not is neither here nor there. My 'stand' is not easy, not even understood by me at times but I have declared it to be so... I am loyal to that which I am committed to.

To those loved ones who cannot accept or understand my loyalties, I bid you adieu. It's futile for me to even try to get them to understand. I have tried and either I have failed in my deliveries or they have failed in their ability to really 'hear' or accept what I'm so desperate to have them understand. At the end of this, I just want them to accept what I tell them.. not to have everything understood. That's just not possible.

My heart is saddened by this loss.

New Year's resolutions are so over-rated. Much like Christmas. For me, the best Christmas I could ever have would be to give someone without hope a taste of what the reason for the season really means.

I recall one Christmas many years ago when my brother spent a Christmas with me and my Mom and mentioned this man he met that was staying in some kind of boarding house, lonely and in the company of some young rowdy men. He had called him and the poor soul was just spending the day in bed... best option regarding his situation. I told my brother to go fetch him to join us for a turkey dinner. My Mom, who had suffered a stroke some years back, had not played her guitar or sang because it just didn't come out on key. Well... that night it was different. Her and our special guest played guitar and sang... it was such a joy to see her sing again (and on key!)... the best Christmas I ever had. Never saw that man again. Maybe he was put in our lives for a specific reason. Maybe vice-versa.

Nor easter

2010-12-21T21:03:00.000-04:00

This is the first day of winter in eastern New Brunswick. Normally, it's a winter wonderland by this time but this is not a normal year. I hate nor easters. Big time!

The above video is a couple hours before high tide. The water would cover more of the road and as nightfall approached and right now there are utility vehicles posted at either side of the flooded road. I guess they'll be there for the night with those orange lights flashing, flashing, flashing. At least they'll not be flashing in my bedroom window but I do have blinds.

And this is across the street. You can see where my neighbour put up a 'snow' fence after cleaning up a lot of debris from the last storm. Isn't that kinda like sticking your finger in a leaky dam? Resistance is futile. You can see his shingles flapping away... just hanging in there (last I looked, anyway). We have the same thing happening on the north side of our roof. Changes coming this spring and some much needed exterior work will take place. I'm so done with stressing with each storm. Our poor east wall and attached garage will get a complete revamp. Also time for new windows and siding. It's just become so necessary and we'll have some great and much needed help.

This is not a major river. It's rather shallow and in summer, when the tide is out, we can walk across with the water only being about 4 feet or so deep. Today, it's flexing some muscle. I'd hate to be near the ocean right now. Storm surge, full moon, high tides... yuk.

The Be Good Tanyas - Scattered Leaves

2010-12-18T22:13:00.000-04:00

A Delightful Place to Visit.....

2010-12-05T22:53:00.000-04:00

There's a little shop along the New Brunswick coastline just beyond the Bouctouche Dunes that I love to visit. I discovered it shortly after moving here as I was getting to know the area. The shop owners are a delightful and quirky pair (quirky is a good term to me... unique and interesting). He is called the "Woodchuck" and his carvings are of a primitive style... each one telling a story. She is the Woodchip, having her own store filled with wonderful things. I can spend an hour there and I'll be heard frequently saying "Oh! I didn't see that! It's gorgeous."

He's built an addition to his shop. Rather interesting and full of a different kind of 'collectible'. Her shop is a tiny little building filled with lovely treasures, more appealing to feminine tastes. I'll just let the pictures tell the story.

My Hands Aren't Broken... I'm Still Here

2010-11-24T00:22:00.001-04:00

Seems the exercise of blogging is something that has escaped me lately.

I have every good intention of displaying my recent finds in the near future. There are several new goodies but I've been firmly told to curb my appetite. So, with that being said, I'm thinking of gathering a number of items that might be of interest to others and selling some off, thus making room for more lovely finds. I just need to figure out what venue... eBay, Etsy or what?

I think the thrill of the finding a vintage item is greater than having the item. It's the great price I got it for, knowing full well that city prices are much higher. It's almost like a challenge. I've also gotten my sister-in-law hooked. She and I are currently in withdrawal as she's in a similar situation where there's just no room to put all her newly found treasures. They're renting for now, looking for land and will build. Maybe by then, I will have purged some items so I can make room for more and she will have lots of new empty places to fill.

On a side note, I'm saddened as Colby Blind Guy's 'good' eye has clouded over. We've always felt he had a bit of vision through that eye as he could dodge some objects without a verbal "watch out". He seems to be adapting, though and is loving the time outdoors fetching his ball. Bad weather hinders that time and it's so hard trying to entertain him indoors. He's so full of energy.

Blind Dog Colby Can Fetch

2010-10-23T21:32:00.004-03:00

This is what my Blind Guy, Colby lives for... stimulus is so necessary for this breed of dog. If the weather isn't cooperating, then he has plenty of indoor toys that he'll bring to me where I have to comply, interacting with him and getting majorly goobered. If I try ignoring him, he'll see to it that he's not going anywhere and will always get his way but it's all good. He always makes us laugh.

As you can see, he loses track of where you are when bringing the ball back so we have to clap or talk to him and then he has no problem.

And, hey! that music track is by my talented brother, Guy who played and recorded this in his studio and sent to me. Whoo hoo! Great guitar player.

Fall Beauty

2010-10-17T12:03:00.001-03:00

Fellow West-moves-East blogger over at PEI Home has just inspired me to share some of my fall photos that we Easterners are privy to and, let me tell you, it's always incredibly breathtaking in light of the fact that warmer West Coast climates don't offer much more than green and lots of yellow (yawn). OK, OK... we don't have mountains and the sun sets in the land but we're talking fall colours here. What we enjoy are the rich colours of yellows, oranges and brilliant reds with a balanced mix of greens.

just a note.... all but the last photo were taken a couple years ago with my little 2 mega pixel camera. Poohey... they're not so great when you click on them and the last one is not so brilliant in colour. A shame.

Randomness

2010-10-03T10:56:00.003-03:00

I'm somehow stuck on the fact that in order to blog, I need to plunk away at my keyboard and babble about some event or such. Well, since I am the author of this blog, I do not have to do that every time. So I won't.

I recently adopted a new-to-me camera and since I'm a 'point and shoot/hope for the best' kind of gal, I'm now motivated to actually try and learn about the various settings my new-to-me camera offers. So, that said, I'm just going to add some random shots just for the sake of keeping my blog alive. (edit.... Hubs took the herb photos. His were better than mine so he deserves the credit)

Oregano

Sage

Pink Cosmo

White Cosmo

Vintage Napco Shakers (for $1.00!!)

Our Morning View

Sunrise

Finally! I can capture the moon.

My bad girl, CeCe (how can you stay mad at that?)

Morning Mist on the River

Garden Tomatoes

Song of Faith

2010-08-29T00:39:00.002-03:00

I hope I can link this song successfully. I the first time I heard it, I cried like a baby. Then I played it some more and I cried just as much. LOL! It ends on a happy note though.

I thought it was so beautiful so I shared it with my little 10 year old friend that I look after sometimes. She had her elbows propped up on the desk beside me. I couldn't see her face and wondered if she was really taking in the words of the song. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw tear drops falling and turned to look at her. Oh my... she cried like I did. I wrapped my arms around her and said "keep listening, it has a beautiful ending."

Taken recently from my front yard. Two images merged into one.

I Love My Guy's Frenchys

2010-08-18T01:45:00.012-03:00

There's a special place I frequent where I always find great things. It's called Guy's Frenchys... there are several throughout the Maritimes. During the summer months, tourists flock to these stores in search of great bargains. You never know what you'll find there. High-end clothing, foot wear, vintage goodies (my favourite thing to shop for), curtains, table cloths, books, jewelry, etc. Everything is thrown into large bins and you really need to spend time to find great deals, not to mention patience.

And directly across from there is another little second-hand shop where there are often excellent goodies to be found. The average price on most of these items is $3.00 - how can one just walk away from that? Vintage glasswear and china is much cheaper.

I'd like to share with you some of my recent finds. Only the percolator came from a garage sale. A few weeks ago I just missed out on a never-used one so this was a must-have. I'd been wanting one for a long time and was searching on eBay, unwilling to fork out a fortune on shipping costs. At $4.00, this was a much better deal.

At first I thought "yuk" but then I had to have it.

I wonder if this is done by hand or machine.

This is now being used to make great coffee.

While the outside surface of my vintage find is scuffed up, the inside is as clean as never used.

This Pyrex mixing bowl shows signs of lots of use. I prefer to see it as having patina.

I think this sterling silver ring is rather pretty.

I like the frames (got a pair at $3.00 each) but those prints gotta go.

How sweet is this little letter holder? It had a price tag of 75 cents but she didn't include it in the total... on purpose. Nice.

Major score! This is marked "Glo-Mar Artworks NY" and my Google searches led me to some pricey pieces. Not that this is worth a fortune, but still, it's a great find.

Matching hook for one dollar!

Vintage Delights

2010-08-08T10:31:00.042-03:00

These roses are so beautifully done....

I've been at it again ~ collecting when I just don't have anymore room to put things (...pssst - there's always room, OK?). I blame the arrival of my sister-in-law's recent move here from the other side of Canada. Hubs has asked me to curb my vintage appetite, but compelled by proper etiquette and all, I just had to show her where I find all manner of good things for cheap. So, I leave you with some recent finds that were just too affordable to pass by.

This so so pretty and I scored three small bowls with saucers.

Pretty in pink

I have a fondness for soft greens

Not sure if these are vintage but they were calling out to me.

So pretty and, sadly, no matching tea cup

Another lonely piece without a saucer but how could I resist its beauty?

So delicate... a couple sips of tea and the cup is empty

Airplanes, Automobiles & Too Much Excitement

2010-07-23T07:18:00.006-03:00

My brother and his wife arrived here from BC a couple of weeks ago. They had quite the journey getting here, leaving the end of May with an intended stop-over in Edmonton for a couple of weeks. Didn't end up that way though. They headed out after about three weeks there and their cube van containing all their earthly possessions had some serious mechanical problems. A supposedly good heavy duty mechanic that their friend knew from his church led them on a wild goose chase that cost them dearly in both expenses and time. In the end, it all worked out and they hit the road without any further problems.

Now, my brother was waiting for a very important call to fly to Yellowknife for a two week job making some serious money. Of course, things never go exactly as planned but he finally got the call this week and his flight arrangements were made and so forth. His flight was for 6 am so that means being at the airport around 5 am and THAT means getting up at 3:30 am to hit the road at 4 am from our place to pick up my brother and then head to the airport.

Since I have this very practical side to me, I told hubs he had to leave at 4 am which allowed a good 15 minute grace period (just in case.... I can't stand being late). No problem with that and as I crawled back into bed my brother calls to make sure nobody slept in. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to us, hubs was on the cell phone trying to reach me. While talking to my brother, I heard my cat making those "gonna hurl a fur ball" noises so I quickly said my goodbyes to my brother. Good thing, too because my brother likes the phone and would have stayed on longer.

Shortly after cleaning the mess my cat made, the phone rings and it's hubs. "You're not going to believe this", he says, "it's pretty serious." Good heavens! Did he hit a deer or moose or worse? Well, he came round a tight curve in the road and just about rear-ended a car that was parked smack dab in the road... no four-ways flashing, no engine running, nada. He got out to see what the heck and found a woman slumped over in the driver's seat. He pounded and banged on the window and roof of the car but got no response from the woman. (Good thing I made sure he took the cell phone because he wouldn't have otherwise... good old practical me.)

He had called 911 before calling me to say "GET HERE NOW" and I'm frantically scrambling for clothing and keys, making sure I have my wallet in case I get pulled over for speeding (but I didn't speed - it was too foggy and my windshield was really fogged up). When I arrived he said, "You go, I'm staying here to make sure nobody else comes along and hits her." The ambulance pulled up just behind me. They couldn't get into the car or rouse her so instead of breaking the car window to get in they booted the daylights out of the car door. Intelligent. Wouldn't it have been easier and more practical (there I go again) to just bust the window? Male macho thing, I guess. Or they were freaking out.

All the way to my brother's place I'm really tense and hoping this poor woman is OK and looking at the clock, hoping we'll get to the airport in time. I called my brother to let him know what was happening and he's freaking out about missing his flight. It's way too early for this to happen. As well, it was very foggy and I really have to watch the roadside for animals. Roadkill in the country is common. I don't wanna kill any little furry creatures and certainly don't want to be hitting a deer or moose.

When I arrive at my brother's, I run into the house "Have to go.... NOW! Cramps." Need I say more? And doesn't that just figure? I shudder to think what the drive would have been like for me otherwise. He's freaking and I'm yelling "It's OK... I'm fast." And I was. And I drove within the limits posted (kinda) and got him there in plenty of time for baggage checking and security clearance. I did go in there to make sure he found his way OK as he's not a frequent flyer and I know he's stressed. I had some serious bed head going on and was wearing my "NEVER wear these in public" crocks on my feet. OH WELL! The city girl in me was dying but the country bumkin that I now am just had to shrug it off. It's not like all eyes were on me whatsoever, right?

And the lady in the car... she wasn't dead... she wasn't old as I wondered. I had noticed the Manitoba plates on the car so I was perplexed at how she ended up as she did... automatic conclusion was "elderly". She was in her 30's, said she had taken some medication earlier in the day that made her drowsy so she thought she pulled over so she could 'rest' or whatever. This is very odd...it's 4 am and she just stopped on the curve and shut off her car. Ended up that she was out of gas; the cops tried to start the car but it kept stalling. She had also peed herself and my hubs notice a sticker on the window that had been put there previously by the police. Maybe she has a history of some odd behaviours while driving? I have no clue but she's alive and everything turned out all right.

All I wanted was to just to go back to sleep. Not gonna happen.

Doggy Cat

2010-06-17T09:44:00.006-03:00

Will you play with me please? If you don't, I will bug you until you do!

Yeah... this cat, CeCe, came to us as a wee thing. I worried about Blind Guy hurting her or him getting his eyes scratched. Imagine my horror at watching him put her entire little head into his mouth one day but he never hurt her. He often nibbles her back with his front teeth and she seems to enjoy getting the 'massage'.

I sometimes wonder if she thinks she's a dog. She tends to copy things the dogs do... begging at the table, fetching her favorite toy and retrieving it so I can throw it again. This fetch thing is now demanded by her and my refusal is met by a constant meowing which annoys the daylights out of both me and hubs.

This seems to have become her necessary playtime with me so I spend fifteen minutes or so throwing a tin foil ball for her to chase, many of which end up under the fridge, or stove, or furniture. It's easier for me to just make a new ball than crawl around on hands and knees fishing them out of there resting places.

Then, cleaning day and some results.... (this was under just the fridge)

My Poor Little Blind Guy

2010-06-13T23:24:00.004-03:00

Colby is full of zeal. OK, not in this photo. He rests with just as much zeal but not for too long at a time. He loves to bark, loves to play, loves to run. He has favorite toys that have quirky names (thanks to hubs). He has a queak-queak, a tick-tick, a kong, a pull-pull and a chew-chew. These toys (in order) are a knobby squeaky ball, a stick, a kong, a kong with a stretchy band attached, and a thick twist of rubber that is great for chewing.

This morning, he was let out by hubs for his pee time. Now, I always go out and keep my eye on him so he doesn't do his business in the neighbour's yard or decide to go on an unsupervised romp. Hubs does not do this. He just lets him out and then goes to the kitchen to put coffee on. I was still in bed, struggling to open my eyes, aware that my blind guy was out there alone and trusting he'd be a good boy (which he is most of the time) and will just make his way to the front door.

After a little bit, to get Colby's attention, hubs takes the queak-queak outside and 'queaks' it. This always gets his attention. He came running, full tilt and ran hard into the old and heavy cast iron 'fire pit' in the back yard. OUCH! This is when our hearts break for him. He's usually aware of everything in the yard and dodges things successfully but his excitement gets the better of him at times. He suffered a gash under his totally blind eye and another small cut between his eyes.

Thankfully, these injuries don't happen often but he's one tough dog. He carries on like nothing happened at all, barking, playing, romping and all of that. We thought we'd help take his mind off his pain (I'm sure it was smarting) and took him and Mikey for a long two hour walk on a lonely dirt road. He was in doggie glory as there's nothing (much) to get in his way and he can run and bark to his heart's content.

After the Rain Comes the Mosquito

2010-06-07T12:05:00.002-03:00

Kim, you made me do this and it's making me itchy.

Ain't Gonna Rain No More

2010-06-07T11:17:00.004-03:00

Well, here's hoping. Sick of the rain... sick, sick, sick. So, sign along with the bouncing ball and maybe we can just chase away those heavy dark clouds!

The Black Fly Song

2010-05-19T17:47:00.006-03:00

While the song may be about how bad the black flies are in Northern Ontario, they are a nuisance here in Southeastern New Brunswick as well. Finally, yesterday, a beautiful warm sunny day so I plunked myself down on my outdoor swing, in the cool of the shade, overlooking the river. It wasn't too long before I began to itch here and there realizing those tiny little black flies were feasting on my person. Having a thick head of hair is no deterrent, either. They are quite adept at reaching the scalp, flying up pant legs or sleeves without being felt or noticed.

A few summers back, when we were country newbies, hubs decided to shave his head as the weather warmed. It actually suited him quite well! So, one day he trotted off to work in the garden, sans bug spray and/or sunscreen. Well, it was near the death of him. His poor scalp was eaten alive by black flies and flaming red from sunburn. In fact, he had been bitten so badly that he came down with flu-like symptoms. My poor baby.

I came home one afternoon to find him lying on the couch with a fever. My first view was of the top of his head. I gasped, then my jaw dropped as I stared at what looked like an alien reclining on my couch. The skin had tightened from being sunburned, then cracked and all those bites had been weeping. It was not a pretty site but I bit my tongue and made sure he wasn't needing a trip to the emergency war. He was overcome with discomfort, but he lives to talk about it. As much as we both dislike using bug spray, it's become a necessary evil.

And with that, I'll leave you with a little song about the lovely little black fly.

Dinner Conversation... "I wonder what the Locals are eating tonight?"

2010-05-02T21:53:00.010-03:00

No offense to the Locals but we don't eat like them. By "Locals" I mean the Acadian people for the most part, who were born and raised here and whose lives are steeped in the Acadian culture.

Traditional meals eaten here are not foreign to my hubs nor me. My Grandmother (on my Mom's side) was an Acadian, as was my hub's dad. We are familiar with Acadian culture - the diet - in the traditional sense, but we are not raised here. And so it goes.... the conversation, that is.

"hmmm... wonder what the locals are eating tonight?" I ask, as we dine on any number of gourmet delights. Pictured here are spring rolls of julienne carrot and cucumber, bean sprouts, shrimp, green onion, cilantro and rice noodles served with a delicious sauce of lime, fish sauce, pepper flakes and a host of other goodies I can't name because I didn't make it. My job is to enjoy. Nuff said.

And I answer the question, too. "Oh, chicken frico, poutine rapé, rappie pie, fish cakes, boiled dinner, pork & beans...." OK. To be fair, I'll include in the Acadian diet some lobster, clams, mussels... those incredible seafoods that are deliciously popular (and much more expensive) in the 'big' cities yet comfortably affordable here.

And so we laugh, eat, enjoy and give thanks.

On those occasional foul weather days, though, there is nothing quite like a big heaping plate of comfort food... the kind Mom or Grandma would dish up back in the day. The kind that reminds of us of our reason for coming here... simple but rich in flavour and satisfying to the soul. We are enjoying the best of both worlds when it comes to our culinary tastes. And I don't even have to cook. How sweet is that?

Crafty Girl.... or Looking for my Niche

2010-04-30T11:07:00.005-03:00

You do realize that you'll probably have to click on the image in order to read the text, right?

I was updating my digital photo album that I make PDFs from so I can share with my 'away' friends. I type little blurbs beside each image and this saves me from having to type it up in an email each time. The person I was mostly doing this for is moving here but I'm going to keep adding to my album anyway. I like that I have all the tools (which are the tools of my trade, actually) for building and creating digital albums that will keep for ever (or as long as I have a device for loading and previewing them). It's all good.

So, I'll leave you with some of my crafting attempts. I really do want to get into painting of some sort.... water colours would be nice but I'll have to explore and see how well I do. If I can't do something right, I won't do it at all. Bit of a perfectionist, I'd say.

Little Tweets That Come Calling

2010-04-29T10:28:00.012-03:00

I was inspired by a fellow blogger to share some photos of birds that visit our feeders. The quality of my images are poor for a couple of reasons.. 1) My camera is dated and not high end and 2) Some opportunities to take photos mean you get what you can when you can. My longing for a new camera that can take detailed close-up shots is just that. My budget does not allow for every luxury that my heart desires. And so it goes....

I even made a little 15 second movie of our hummingbirds since I didn't have a good photo of them. I used my iMovie software for the first time in many years. The quality is so bad but I did manage to add a theme, a title and some music. So, at the risk of presenting crappy images, here are some of the birds we've enjoyed at our feeders.

I wish I could show you what I get to see from my dining room window. One day, I happened to wander over to the window while talking on the phone and witnessed a Bald Eagle coming down to the water's surface, talons extended and he ever so gracefully plucked a fish from the river and flew off with it. We also see osprey hovering over the river in search of food and then watch him dive bomb into the water and fly off with a struggling fish. Funny to see the osprey fighting to keep a firm hold and find a place to land so he can eat his catch.

We have a number of ducks that pass through in the spring, some I have yet to identify. One type looks like a loon and another which is similar but larger with a reddish orange beak. The females are a drab brown. I think they may be common mergansers. Then there are the Blue Heron's which I have yet to see at the river. I believe they'll show up a bit later in the spring.

Other wildlife I've seen here are coyotes, pheasants, fox, deer, moose. There are bears in the area but I've not seen one yet. And a good thing, too. Some summer evenings, I'll hear a little fox crying out, making the strangest sounds and as for the coyotes, well... I'm not too keen on hearing them howling. On a nature walk a couple of years ago, we were stalked by a pair of coyotes. They were huge. Why do I get the feeling I wrote all this here in my blog before?

The Chickadees don't seem to mind the watchful eye of CeCe!

The coo-ing sound of the Mourning Dove is always welcome.

Seeing these Red Grosbeaks at our feeder was an unexpected treat.

These Evening Grosbeaks were an even more unexpected treat. They're so beautiful!

The Bluejay has always been one of my favourite birds.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2010-04-26T10:51:00.009-03:00

Garden Sanctuary

You who walk,
Maybe with troubled thoughts,
Come, enter here and rest;
And may the sweet serenity of growing things,
And the heavenly peace
Be mirrored in thy soul.

-Doxis M. Palmer

Blogging Blahs and Little Green Worms

2010-04-19T23:05:00.004-03:00

The weather sucks - it's cold, windy and rainy. I'm house bound, our dogs are restless and I have nothing of much interest to blog about. Soon, my only brother and his wife will move here to the East Coast, trekking clear across the country with all their belongings in tow. It's a huge ordeal for them but they've accomplished so much already. He has work lined up, a three ton truck for transporting their furniture and a little house to move into.. a rental for now but eventually they will buy some property and build a new home.

I'm looking forward to having family here. While they looking for a house to rent, it was found that more people are looking to rent than there are places to rent. I was able to check out the place they're going to live in as it's not that far from me and the gentleman who's renting the house was very kind to hold the place for my brother even before he put any money towards it... how cool is that?

Now, about those little green worms. We planted a gooseberry bush (it IS a bush, isn't it?) a couple of summers ago. Last summer, it was growing like a weed and I could see that we were going to have a nice little bounty. Then, I look at the plant and the leaves were near gone... it looked sick. How could that happen so fast? Little green worms, that's how. Hubs had to go and pick them all off (shudder). Not a job for a wimp like me. The plant survived, as did the berries and this year, I'm going to be keeping my eye out and some pepper spray on hand - or something. Our garden is strictly organic so whatever we use must be safe for us and our pets.

Oh Ladybug, Ladybug... get out of my house

2010-04-09T21:59:00.002-03:00

Isn't she pretty? She eats aphids that eat the plants we love. We like the ladybug. She is our friend.

Yah.. OK. To a point. I wish to talk about ladybugs and being stupid.... err - I mean naive, we thought we were being friends to the sweet ladybug when they decided to find a place in our home...... First, I'd like to back up a few years and tell a story about a Vancouver experience with ladybugs.

We lived along the Fraser River in South Vancouver at the time. Across the river, there were fields of cranberries. In mid October there is usually a warm spell. It's also the time when the cranberry fields get flooded - a harvest thing which I know a bit about. Anyway, all those lovely ladybugs that eat aphids and such have to take to the air. One particular year was a good year for ladybug reproduction. Understatement!

We were out for the day and had left some windows open in our high rise apartment. No biggie. When we got home, we saw our cat sitting at the window looking at 'something' with great interest. We went over to see what held her attention. Ladybug infestation! They were spilling into the sill, the air was filled with them and the apartment building (high rise!) was covered in lady bugs. I recall seeing a lady scooping them out of her apt. Tons and tons of ladybugs. It was science fiction in the making. I was in such awe and have never seen anything like it before or since.

Flash forward some six or so years later. We're country bumpkins now in Eastern Canada. A few ladybugs found their way into our home in the fall. No biggie. We like ladybugs. We have forgotten the infestation episode in Vancouver. We let them live with us till spring. BAD idea. They reproduce, you know, like rabbits, only worse. Poor hubs... filling a jar with them and releasing them outside. This went on for weeks... 50, 70, 90 at a time. By the time it was all said and done, we (mostly hubs) had removed several hundred of them from our house. All this from compassion for a few. Be afraid! Be very afraid and send them suckers right out your door as quickly as possible in the fall. Don't be a victim! Save yourselves and show no mercy. Well, maybe you don't have to go to such extremes. I can count a few of them in my bedroom right now. I just can't squish 'em or flush 'em. Hubs is collecting them and taking them out but I did purge the ones I could find last fall.

Vintage Pretties

2010-03-23T12:28:00.014-03:00

I just can't resist buying pretty vintage things for cheap. Many of my findings here were in the price range of $0.25 - $3.00 and because they're not breaking my budget, they're finding their way into my home. "...but they followed me home, really!"

I'm afraid I'm running out of places to put things and hubs is continuing to tell me I'm in danger of becoming a hoarder. I protest, telling him I'm building inventory for my 'little vintage shop' I'll have one day. I'm going to sell these one day and make a good return on my investment. Yah, right!

This "little vintage shop' is a dream and we need to dream because you just never know when that dream might become a tangible goal to work towards. Right? It's important to nurture a dream, feed it, keep it growing cause you never know.... right? So, aside from my love of vintage 'stuff' that's my reason for collecting vintage pretties... nothing of great value except in the eye of the beholder (like me, for instance). I know I'm not alone, right?

At a local thrift store, I found TWO vintage tablecloths and paid $0.50 for each of them. That's right!

I try to avoid using the flash on my camera. This clock is only retro in style but it's metal with a glass face and a price tag of $3.00. How could I NOT buy this?

I adopted these sweet things.

Lou Lou Belle was purchased in BC for a tidy price (meaning I paid too much), but I love her.

Come on now, seriously.... could you walk away from these little chicks?

Glass grapes from a yard sale and my Fenton compote was a gift from a dear friend.

This was a lucky find. It's a piggy bank and oh so femme!

The handle of this pretty gem is in rough shape (what do you expect for $1.00) so we're thinking it would make a great wall clock.

Ebay purchase. The frame is in rough shape so perhaps I'll watch for a replacement. Or not.

Hub's sister was going to trash this until hubs told her I would love to add that to my collection.

Food Freak...

2010-03-19T16:22:00.009-03:00

So, I've not blogged in some time and then I wonder why my lonely little blog is so lonely... but it was never about popularity, this blogging adventure. I should write about why exactly I do blog but I have no straight answer. Still, a bit of recognition is most welcome.

In keeping my blog alive, I am going to plaster a whole mess o' foodie pics and I can't take credit for the majority of it. When we were city dwellers we had the opportunity to explore our cultural palate so far as our taste buds were concerned. This became a challenge for hubs... I would say "I bet you could do this at home" and, well, game on!

If you're hungry I hope, at the very least, you're inspired to get creative with endless choices of what you can create. I must, at this point, direct you to an incredible place to motivate and entice you: www.tastespotting.com

Random order and no comments. Just the loveliness of good food that we are blessed to enjoy in the comforts of our own home and all made from scratch. Thank you my Love... you cook good and I have the blessed occasion of contributing.

One final note... we're sitting down to dinner and I get up and run off. Hubs says "What are you doing?" I answer, "I'm getting my camera, I have to take a picture of this." He pretends like it's not necessary but I know deep down that he's flattered and he knows it will end up here or somewhere.

Winter is Cruel!

2010-03-04T22:41:00.006-04:00

It's not right.... three storms inside of one week. I can handle snow with no wind, wind with no snow or rain with wind but I so totally dread snow with wind. Now, it just so happens that OUR driveway gets hammered with deep drifts, then along comes the snowplow to add to the equation, leaving a couple feet of heavy snow in between giant 4-5 foot snowbanks. This is because we're on a slight incline so it's all pushed up and deposited in our driveway. The winds blow snow from the north (not good), the northeast (worse than not good) and east (the very worst). What happens is the drifts tend to fill in to the same height as the snowbanks. Are you drawing a mental picture? I look out at the two homes across the street and they barely have anything worth shoveling. It makes me sad, mad, frustrated - to say the least.

The forecast is showing a break in the weather with some sunny days but I fear it will take weeks for these massive snowbanks to disappear. It's disheartening but I know it won't last much longer, however, forecasters are saying it's not over yet. I hope they're wrong. Hubs cleared the massive drifts late this afternoon but they're filling in again and it's not even snowing anymore. Thanks wind... thanks for nothing. I don't like you, wind.

These photos show the aftermath of Monday's storm which was on the heels of Friday's storm (the one with all the ice), so you can imagine how it looks out there now. Actually, I won't know just how bad until I open my eyes upon waking. It's not something I look forward to whatsoever.

Ice Storm

2010-02-26T17:38:00.005-04:00

Not sure if that's the proper term for it but it's not nice out there. The threat of snow, and lots of it, looms and I'm anticipating a power outage from the heavy ice on power lines. My belly is full from an early supper of a beef barley soup made for me by hubs. We have oil lamps that give sufficient light and a radio for entertainment. I had best fill some water jugs now.... OK, done.

Thoughts of spring have been pushed back but only for a spell. I'm thankful for an easy winter. It's hard for me to see the trees bending under the weight of the heavy ice and I can see broken branches on the ground. And the sounds out there.... threatening, yet musical with ice on branches clinking and crackling.

Our Bathroom Reno

2010-01-28T14:08:00.006-04:00

This was a project that I made sure to have before and after pictures to show just how horribly disgusting the upstairs of our fixer-upper really was at the time of purchase. Our dream bathroom is much bigger and more rustic but our reality is working with what we have and on a limited budget.

A while back, I created an 11 page PDF that I can now share here thanks to the conversion of PDF to jpg files so be sure to click on each one if you care to read my blurbs about the progress and such. I'm including a newer image of the curtains I found at my favorite thrift place at the end of the make-over pages. The curtains were an issue for me.

Finding suitable curtains turned out to be somewhat of a challenge. At one point, I glued shells, ribbon and beach glass that matched the wall colour to the bottom hem on a pair of sheers. I hated them and on a warm, breezy day with the window open, the racket of shell and glass hitting the sill was extremely annoying. They just HAD to go! My current window covering is my third one and I'm quite happy with it even though it's only one panel. And the price of about $3 is something that pleases me more.

I love being thrifty. I don't love so much that I have to be but since I've always been thrifty even when I didn't have to be, it's not like I've had to adjust to anything. That last statement does make sense, doesn't it?

Re-do's & Reno's

2010-01-24T11:13:00.005-04:00

I'm stoked that my 'PDF photo album turned uploadable JPGs' turned out rather well. I was digging around in my computer and pulled up my original photo album with thoughts of sharing some home projects and reno's here.

When we were city dwellers paying rent, hubs didn't get to explore all of his many hidden talents but we used to talk about how we would buy an older fixer upper and put our own thumbprint on it. Such grand ideas floating about in our heads! I was pretty naive to think it would all get done in the first year or two of landing here. Things don't always turn out that way and I've learned that what appears to be a simple reno involves so much more than just some spackle and paint. Silly me.

I leave you with a few of our completed renovations and one DIY chair re-do. I didn't take any before pictures of the two bedrooms done but I do have a series of pages from a digital photo album of the bathroom makeover which I'll share in my next post. When you see the before images of our bathroom, you'll get a good idea of just how bad the upstairs of our old farmhouse looked... I'm talking original 60's decor complete with green and orange shag carpet in the two bedrooms we converted to our master bedroom. Gag!

A collection of sorts

2010-01-22T10:41:00.004-04:00

My brother and his wife are living some 3000 miles away from us and I decided to create a PDF photo album that I can share with my sister-in-law. She looks forward to receiving them and recent news of them moving this way has prompted me to try and piece together some photos that capture some of the surrounding beauty I am privy to call home. Hopefully this will give her some inspiration as she looks forward to this change in living environments. They are country people but events have led them to living on the fringe of city life after selling their home. Housing costs in British Columbia have gone through the roof and they desire a slower paced life where the housing market is attainable.

My digital photo album in PDF format also comes in handy if others ask me to send some photos of where we've landed and all I have to do is select a page that is complete with captions and an assortment of photos, either multi-page files or an individual page. It's very convenient.

I can also convert those PDF pages to jpg files that can be uploaded to say, ummm... here. What a grand idea! But the pages are built in a larger format, something like 12 x 9 inches so I'm thinking the only way they can be properly viewed is my clicking on them so the text can be read and those tiny dots in an image become something more tangible. So then, here are a few of pages from my digital photo album. I'm really just testing to see if this will even work.

The Fine Art of Taking Good Pictures

2010-01-17T20:40:00.004-04:00

I have no patience for learning the technical side of proper camera settings and whatnots, nevermind proper lighting and background props. Perhaps it's because I've never had a good teacher but more likely it's because I have the attention span of a two year old at times.

Getting a good shot without a flash is near impossible unless you don't mind blur. I've had compliments on my 'great photography skills' to which I respond, "HA! I just got lucky." I want a camera that does it all without me having to comprehend F-stop settings and shutter speeds and ISO settings (whatever that is). I frequently hear hubs saying, "You don't know how to use a camera.", to which I answer, "that's why I want a better, more automated one." Will it make a difference? I doubt it.

I suppose I need to bite the bullet and learn some things about how much light to let in before the camera captures the image. Stuff like that. It might be hard for one to believe I used to shoot film for print (press) and had to know the proper settings, plus understand how to de-screen a printed image, followed by a trip to the darkroom to develop the film. It was a simple matter of "show me, I'll do it" more than a matter of understanding all the rigamore behind it. Too much fluff! although I must admit there were times in my techie prepress career that I had these light-bulb moments where I understood much more than just knowing what to do in order to get the job done. I had to know a LOT.

So, with all that said, I leave you with some sorry attempts to showcase some recent vintage finds I found for pittance along with older vintage finds that might not have been found for pittance (the difference between city and country living).

The $230 Quill

2010-01-15T17:06:00.002-04:00

Hubs came home with this half inch quill in a container. Since it cost so much, we're having a hard time to toss it out, but the price of $230 is small compared to what it could have been and our boy is SO worth it.

We're one week past Colby Blind Guy's ordeal and I'm happy to report that all is well. One fortunate thing for him is the carcass he dug up was that of a baby porcupine so the quills were not too long (or thick). If he swallowed any of that thing I'm thinking we would know by now. The vet called to ask if we've checked his stools for blood, if he's lethargic or acting odd as if in pain. No, no and no! So far, so good.

One tidbit from the vet for any of you dog owners should you find yourself in a similar situation.... roll a piece of bread in a ball about the size of a twoonie (one inch or so) and feed to the dog. The vet explained that this could 'catch' any quills that have not lodged themselves into the dogs stomach. Perish the thought.

My Blind Guy's in Trouble.....

2010-01-08T21:59:00.002-04:00

He was out on a 'nature walk' and that troublesome nose of his discovered some frozen piece of porcupine! He devoured it... attempted to anyway. I wasn't there but heard about when they came home. He ran off with it in his mouth and no amount of shouting did any good. He threw it up but my hope is he didn't swallow it... that is to say, he didn't get a chance to get it in his stomach. My hope is the quills didn't get past his throat before he chucked it up.

We didn't know it was porcupine at the time. He was gagging alot, not throwing up but trying to get something out. After several attempts on my part, I was able to get my fingers well into his mouth. I felt something and with the aid of a flashlight and hubs, we discovered a quill stuck in the roof of his mouth. Great, just great. Got it out but the gagging, choking thing continued after he ate his supper. The emergency fee before they even see the dog is over $110 and we struggle with waiting until tomorrow and hoping to find a vet appt. on a Saturday. After a bit, I tell hubs we can't wait... he's probably in pain and we can't risk worse consequences. Off we go!

Emergency call to the vet, a half hour drive to the vet , big bill from the vet. She was able to get her fingers down far enough to feel something. Sigh... We had to leave him there where he was sedated, then anesthetized so she can get down his throat and get that nasty out. I hope there's no more. If there are more further down, an x-ray won't show them, an MRI will or they take a scope with a camera lens and go into the stomach. I pray it won't come to this.

We love that dog.

Let it Storm, I don't need to be anywhere

2010-01-02T20:12:00.014-04:00

Here's a link to a slideshow of a snowstorm we had exactly 2 years ago to the day and as I write we are having a nasty storm but this one is bringing milder temps so the snow turns to rain and then slushy snow again. The winds are strong but no power outages yet. Fingers crossed.

Update: Power went out at 9:30 pm till 11:00 am and we lost some shingles on our steep roof. And the snow is coming down so heavy right now.... wet heavy snow with no end in sight over the next 24 hrs or so. Yuk.

My link isn't linking so you have to cut and paste the url to a new window. I tested it and it does work.

http://img174.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img174/4687/1199307273rco.smil

Another year gone...

2010-01-02T17:34:00.012-04:00

It's been quite some time since I last paid any mind to my lonely blog. I guess that would explain why it's a lonely little blog.

Now that Christmas is over and it's a New Year, I guess I'll post a few festive photos. Better late than never, I say. All my decorations are down now save for the mantle in the master bedroom. I'm savouring the last little bit of the season. I found a couple of candle sticks and candle holders at a thift store and paired them up with some E-6000 glue. That glue is great stuff and I'm really happy with my results and for a total of only $3!

Now, about that glue, I was sucking up some pesky cluster flies that manage to find their way into the house all winter long. My first winter here in this old farm house had me wondering if something had died in the attic or walls, thus the flies (perish the thought!) but after asking around and doing some online research I found this to be a common problem. In the fall, you can see all these flies sunning themselves on the siding. I guess when the sun goes down or the weather gets too cold, they find their way under the siding and somehow into the house.

Yea, so anyway... I'm sucking up a couple of flies with the vacuum cleaner and the hose attaches itself to the Christmas stocking on the mantle and takes down my most favorite stocking hanger; a lovely (faux) bronze deer with a mighty rack. I was heartbroken to see the pair of antlers broken off and crazy glue wasn't going to put my poor deer back together again. Then I recalled reading about this E-6000 glue and got me some. Impressed. I got the antlers glued back on and my deer is almost just as good as new.

Happy New Year! I hope all your hopes and desires are met beyond your greatest expectations. And I hope the same thing for myself. I could handle that.

This is what my ACD was born to do...

2009-10-25T14:18:00.007-03:00

This is how my blind guy would be living his life had he not had his unfortunate accident which cost him his eyesight. The ACDs are an impressive breed and helps me to appreciate those certain qualities that are inherent in my boy.

See how they nip at the heels of the cattle? This is what my blind guy was doing to me when we first got him. He would also jump up very high and nip at the backs of my arms. We've had to work very hard with him on these behaviours so he's much better now, although he does tend to get a bit over-excited when we have outdoor play.

Suet Ball Instructions

2009-10-25T13:47:00.012-03:00

You will need:

~ 1 med. size vine ball about a 5 in diameter.

~ 3 suet cakes (or make your own... less expensive and probably better)

~ Some extra seed, fruits, and/or oats

~ Peanut butter and/or Honey

~ Wired ribbon (Dollar Store)

~ Christmasy looking decorations (Dollar Store)

~ Twine

~ Glad Press N Seal plastic wrap

STEP ONE

Throw your suet cakes into a pot on a medium burner. Break them up and stir occasionally until everything is well melted.

STEP TWO

While the suet is melting, take your vine ball and find a spot on it that has a space big enough to fit a standard spoon. If you can't find one, break some vine pieces to make one. Wrap most of the vine ball up in Press n Seal wrap making sure you leave no holes except around the hole at the top.

STEP THREE

When your suet cakes are melted, add in some extra seed (black sunflower seed is best for the winter months), some oats, honey, peanut butter, fruit or whatever you have on hand and take it off the burner. In the pic below I added blueberries (about 1 c.), peanut butter (about 1/2 c), honey (a few squirts) and granola (about 1 c). You can't really screw up the amounts you put in, it will all be appreciated by the birds and will stick together well once the suet hardens again.

STEP FOUR

Once you notice the suet starting to harden up again (it gets kind of like a crumbly playdoh), put your vine ball in a bowl to hold it up right or just hold it in your hand . Start spooning in the suet and packing it in. Once it's done, put it in the freezer (still standing in the bowl) for about 10 minutes (don't leave it too long, you want it to still be a bit mushy for step 7)

STEP FIVE

While you wait for the suet to harden, get your decorations ready. I got the little do-dad in the pic below (on the right) at the dollar store. I undid the flower tape, separated all the individual stems and trimmed off any excess wire (what you see on the left). I also made a bow out of the wired ribbon. I just made 6 loops and one small one in the middle and stapled it.

STEP SIX

Take your ball out of the freezer and loop some twine through the vines. Make sure you go around thicker vines so that it will hold the weight, and then tie a knot.

STEP SEVEN

I secured the bow to the middle of the twine that was going across the hole of the vine ball (where you shoved the suet through) by, again, just stapling it into place. Now take your decoration do-dads and place them around the bottom of the bow by just sticking them right into the hardened suet. If your suet froze too hard, just leave it out at room temperature for awhile checking periodically. Unwrap and discard the plastic wrap, and Voila! Bird feeder that everyone will ohh and ahh over.

Feed the Birds!

2009-10-20T10:39:00.017-03:00

One of our favourite things about winter is feeding the birds and placing the feeders where we can watch them. Hubs modified a feeder by placing a shingled roof and mounting it to our front porch rails. Occasionally, we'll get special visitors like these beauties. It's such a treat!

Evening Grosbeaks. I was so fortunate to catch a shot of them as they are rather shy.

Pine Grosbeak. This makes me really, really want a better camera. My photography skills could use some help also. I suck at getting the right settings.

This year, I made my own suet. I'm fortunate to have a local butcher nearby that will give me as much fat as I want. It stinks up the house when you're rendering the fat but it's a worthy cause and the smells aren't permanent. This batch has dried apple, dried blueberry, chopped raisin, cornmeal, ground oats (from large flake oats), chopped peanuts, pumpkin seed and walnut. It was easy to make and I learned that the fat has to be melted a second time in order to set firmly. After slicing 2 inch thick pieces, I placed a couple in a suet cage and have them hung out amongst the trees in the back yard. I should add that there are many recipes to be found online.

While the fat was cooling, I occasionally stirred the mixture so that all the goodies would be evenly dispersed instead of just sinking to the bottom. At this stage, I just let it finish cooling. My stupid mistake was placing them in the freezer too long and then impatiently trying to slice them before they thawed out. Bad idea as they were too crumbly.

In a feeble effort to keep my posts from being too long, I will end here with a photo of the sweetest little suet feeder I found on a craft site.

I can't find the link but will try so I can give credit where credit is due. I copied the step-by-step directions so I could try my hand at making something like it. This was before I started blogging so I didn't think to bookmark the link, but these are too cute not to share so my next blog will have the instructions should anyone be interested.

Collector or Hoarder?

2009-10-08T14:23:00.009-03:00

I've become an eclectic collector. I tend to be attracted to things that remind me of a gentler time, a time of wonder and innocence. My first antique pieces were a turn of the century love seat and chair, a mirror, a small table that I use as my TV stand and a vanity that I can't quite bring myself to refinish. I've had those pieces for over 30 years now which shocks me because I was quite the transient for several of those years but I somehow managed to drag them all over the country (and Canada is a big country!) I really started collecting vintage things about 15 or so years ago. It started with salt and pepper shakers, then it was lighting, then tablecloths and jewellery and lots of other odds and ends. I never buy pieces for their worth, I'm thrifty and LOVE a bargain. Recently hubs told me I was like one of those hoarders (you know, the kind who need professional help) and suggested that I don't clutter up the place too much. He's right and I must curb my urge to keep adding to my collections of things. Of course that doesn't mean I'll ever pass up something that is just too good to pass up. What is does mean is that I'll just not go in search of that special something as much as I'd like to. Fair enough, me thinks.

A few of my shaker collection. The single duck was a gift... he's quite old. So were the Indian shakers with wooden bodies a gift to me. They look to be quite old as well but there are no marks to indicate the maker. The headdress of the 'man' says 'Winnipeg, Manitoba' and he's marked at the top of the wooden part "S". Funny, I thought he'd be pepper and she'd be salt.

That milk glass jug in the back was only 50 cents! Now if only I could find the lid for it. One with a handle and pour spout would make for a great juice or milk jug.

I purchased this set of four cannisters in Vancouver. The fifth cannister was given to me by my sister-in-law. I'm not sure if she ever took note of them in detail. She just knew I would like it.

I love this old bakelite radio. It's a portable but the batteries for it are next to impossible to find. I had thoughts of getting hubs to make it electric but not sure if that's even do-able. It was a steal. A trendy jeans store was selling off several of their props and I was in the right place at the right time.

Little LuLu Belle butterdish back there was diligently hunted down and when I saw her, I had to have her. The price tag didn't impress me much but I was determined to take her home with me. I think she cost $35 or thereabouts but she was a rare find and purchased in a very popular antique mall in Vancouver. So it goes...

I'm in LOVE with my salt & pepper bird shakers. The ones in front aren't Lefton but still very adorable. After looking online for Lefton bluebird shakers, I think my $3 flea market purchase was a good one indeed.

Home Reno Updates & Touches of Fall

2009-10-06T16:14:00.006-03:00

Hubs built a shed. And it's a fine shed. Our old shed, well, it's just falling apart, it's half torn down and we fear it won't make it through another winter. So despite mind-numbing pain that never goes away, hubs got busy and did what he had to do. Our budget doesn't allow us the luxury of paying others what we can do ourselves (I personally feel hubs does a better job anyway). As hubs puts it, he's in pain whether sitting still or moving around and it's got to be done. So it was and even though it's intended for practical use, it really has some cute country curb appeal. There are still some finishing touches to be added and I hope they actually get done in... oh, let's say the next year. In fairness, pressure treated lumber should be out in the elements for a year before being painted. We want to put a loft in and maybe insulate but that's not important for this year.

Our screened 'house' is still waiting for paint on the 'window' frames even though they've been a good year in the elements. OK... not really windows but heavy vinyl coverings so that we can still enjoy our lovely space and view in most any season. On cool sunny days it can be a comfy 20º C in there so it's very pleasant inside. Even though there's still some painting left to do (the shed took priority) and we're still not sure what to do about the floor, I love that little getaway space. I'm fine with the unfinished floor since it's prone to all sorts of abuse with muddy boots and doggie paws/claws. Overall, the most important thing is that our outdoor structures are built solid and made to last. With a perfectionist hubs, I tend to feel those structures are built like Fort Knox so little unfinished detail work is no biggie. Those chairs are on their way out. Some cedar adirondack chairs are on my wish list. Hubs can build them. (note to self: add chairs to hub's honeydo list)

The swing behind the screened room (house) overlooks the river. Fall is the best time to sit and enjoy the going-ons with the return of Canada geese, osprey, bald eagles and other birds, but I keep the cushioned seats stored away from elements and don't always feel like dragging them out to sit for a spell. Then, I kick my self for not taking more time to enjoy the view before winter comes. Pooey on me.

This is Mikey waiting for his 'papa' to come home.

Sweetest Boy! Such a gentle lovable dog, our little guy.

My sad attempt at a fall wreath. I ran out of patience.

I never thought I'd like potted Moms but the right colour and a healthy plant is alright with me. This one bloomed late so the flowers never got as full as the other one on the porch. It's still very pretty.

Limping Along...

2009-10-05T20:24:00.003-03:00

I'm so seriously trying to maintain an 'attitude of gratitude'. I'd be getting a failing grade at present, me fears.

I have this little (unbeknownst to me up till most recently) issue with an under-active thyroid. hmmm... not a big deal I'm told and on a positive note I have really, really good cholesterol... my doctor kept stressing the words REALLY GOOD... so the bad stuff which would have concerned him was otherwise not a concern. Thankful!

I (we... me and hubs) are debt free, mortgage free! Like - HELLO! Really thankful!

I work... part-time from home and another little job as a caregiver to a couple school-age kids. All timing of 'things' worked together for good... for me.... so far. Hubs was forced into early retirement... so monthly pension but not exactly great compensation for what he's been through... long story but we're thankful. VERY thankful!

Another pending job on the shelf... fingers crossed cause this would be the BEST thing for me and I have the skills to fulfill this job and from home (oh joy!)... hopefully overwhelmingly thankful!

The limp in my gait comes from an existing, very debilitating 'job' that I've been enduring due to my complicated work/living situation. No details to explain regarding my 'job'...it's so old and so worn and so negative that I'll not get into the nitty-gritty. I'm undervalued, under appreciated and under paid not to mention over-qualified. I endure a huge amount of verbal, manipulative abuse, so much so that it's almost comical, yet I fail at not allowing the 'offender' to have the last word. This is my failing... my downfall. I am at a loss and horribly guilty of losing at the fine art of 'shut up'.

I am making a public vow (even if only ONE person reads this) to NOT respond to the snarky, snide and negative comments that come from nowhere and end up in some crazy, uncontrolled kind of pissing match that hits me like a 'bitch-slap'. I'm really at wit's end because my most sincere attempts to smooth over the misconceptions have been met with hostility and all done via gmail. ....sigh. I'm so done.

Stinky Boy

2009-09-28T23:00:00.012-03:00

Don't let that innocent face fool you. He may be blind but he sure knows his nose!

Ah.... Friday night and thinking I'd go to bed early but Colby blind guy has to be let out for pee time. Normally, this is a pretty routine event but not this night. A skunk had meandered through the yard and right away blind guy picks up on the scent, taking off like a lightening bolt. He's now having to wear a red, strobe-flashing ball on his collar due to a couple recent events of running off into the darkness and then coming home via the route we live along (80 km posted speeds!).

So, I'm out there with ugly old crocks on my feet, not planning on running through the wet grass with flashlight in hand, yelling and hoping I don't step in dog crap as I chase a barking strobe light. Suddenly the blind guy does an abrupt about-face and the strobe is... what is it doing... it has new batteries. Why is Colby rolling on the ground and what is that smell? NOOOOOOO!!!! He's been skunked. Again.

Sigh. This time, he's taken into the garage and left for a bit while I try to figure out what to do. His last outdoor, late-night bath resulted in disaster when he ran off. Poor guy. A quick internet search led me to a solution of peroxide, baking soda and dish soap but I didn't have enough of the first two ingredients. No matter. He just got sprayed around one ear and I'm desparate. So I cleaned that area with the strange solution, wiped it all off with wet rags and brought him in the house. It worked! Not 100% but good enough for all of us to get some peaceful zzzzz's. Except for my little meow-meow, CeCe. She was traumatized by all the commotion and hid on a shelf of the computer desk behind my keyboard. I had to pry her out and take her upstairs to comfort her (for about a half hour). So much for an early night.

As for Colby's late night pee time these days, he's getting leashed. Not that that means anything to him since he knows how to get free from it in seconds flat... if he must. So far, so good but it's only been three days!

Daughter of Eve

2009-09-26T19:42:00.004-03:00

I came across this poem some months back in an online 'book of poems' and it touched me. I related to it at some level and thought of others I know that would either relate likewise or know someone who might connect to the message it conveys. I don't live in the past and I don't live with regrets but I do long to embrace those days of innocence when my world was right and I was safe and protected. I still believe (by faith) that I am safely kept and protected but I lost something along the way.... something I can't get back and learned some things I would rather not know about. And so I share this (and to think it was written in the 1800's!) I do hope it's legible... if not, I will type it out. (oh yes! I clicked on the image and it's nice and legible.)

Fall has arrived!

2009-09-25T12:00:00.012-03:00

I'm not ready for fall. Summer had a late arrival so I was really hoping for an extended warm spell that would take us part way into October. However, fall here is breathtakingly beautiful and if my hubs is able to rest his severely sprained ankle long enough for it to mend quicker (I'm not holding my breath on that one, as he's not one to sit still unless it's raining), then we'll be taking some nice walks with the boys on one of many quiet country roads we can choose amongst.

Since that may not happen, I'd like to share some fall beauty from a couple years ago when I was awestruck by the many colours of an Eastern Autumn. Out on the West Coast, the common colours of fall are green and yellow with the occasional splash of red... just enough to tease and remind me of what I knew of fall beauty from my childhood.

Enjoy!

I apologize for the poor quality images... I could go and edit them all in photoshop but other things take priority. Please click on the images to see them up close. At least you'll see more detail, however flat or fuzzy the images may be. I really want a better digital camera but I'm holding out for a 'too good to be true' deal.

This is the view from the back field behind our home. The photo doesn't really do it justice.

Tomato harvest. Tomatoes ripening everywhere I can find room.

Now, if I could pick up our house and relocate it (like, with the snap of my fingers) I would put it smack-dab in the middle of this opening.

Reality Stress..

2009-09-22T19:58:00.002-03:00

Oh... my eyes hurt from strain. Strain from what? I can only conclude it's stress related. My bad news from blood work reveals a 'hypothyroid' but I have no symptoms. Or do I? Now, I question everything in relation to some stress issues regarding work, aging and other more personal things. Were these things contributing factors? Will I ever know? At the end of it... I'm having to take a pill everyday for the rest of my life. Perhaps I'll find out that I feel better and didn't even realize I was having symptoms till after the fact. That would be a bonus. I could use that.. a bonus.

I'm still very thankful for every good thing in my life. My blessings far outweigh my trials. Trials are like bad odours that take over the perfumed scents of life's beauty. Ever notice how that works?

Milk & Wine.... and Tomatoes

2009-09-11T09:16:00.016-03:00

Milk & Wine Lillies, that is. Hubs came home the other day with some gorgeous flowers in hand. One of our neighbours used to own a florist shop and grew them to sell at his shop (for a tidy price of about $8 per stem, I'm told). A google search tells me they're called Milk & Wine Lillies (maybe). He's recently retired and has a nice bounty of these fragrant gems so when hubs was stopping by to say hello, our kind neighbour hand him these beauties.

See all those wonderful tomatoes in the background of the second shot? I'm a tomato junky and they are a MUST in our garden. This year, hubs planted several yellow pear tomatoes from seed. We normally buy plants but hubs is keen to learn as much about successful gardening from seed and only one way to do that... just do it. If it fails, try again. We had such a poor start to summer, too much rain and certain our tomato crop would flop. Not quite. Initiallly, the plants grew like they were on steroids (we're strictly organic) but no flowers on the plants. Then came rains and hurricanes along with some flowers but the leaves started to wilt and turn to brown shriveled clumps. Amazingly, we got tomatoes, lots of them. One patch in the garden didn't get staked so the tomatoes grew along the ground and didn't seem to mind one bit. Our beefsteak tomatoes didn't thrive but our pear tomatoes, paste tomatoes and lemon boys did pretty good. My freezer will house our bounty and we'll enjoy some spicy spaghetti sauce during the upcoming cold months.

When hubs makes an awesome meal that looks great on the plate, I run for my camera. This was SO delicious, I just had to take a picture of it so I can run across it and remind hubs to make it again. The beef ribs are from the local butcher and their meat is growth hormone and antibiotic free.

Summer's Perfect Ending

2009-09-08T09:11:00.006-03:00

Normally I get a bit overwhelmed when my hubs family members come to visit from the 'city'. I'm never organized; I can't function in that state, nor do I want to. I just want to play and chat and laugh, but yesterday they came (even gave a day's notice!) and I was prepared, organized and determined to relax and enjoy the day.

We were six adults in all. I pondered over the eating arrangements which were to be in our screened 'house' that I'm not supposed to call a 'room'. I moved the 'lounging' chairs to the lawn, added a couple more, and dragged the bench swing over to create a nice little gathering spot. The location allowed for full sun, dappled shade or full shade and with the winds being on the warm side, this made for a perfect spot to hang out.

Inside, I put two tables together and dragged out of storage some additional patio chairs. Twas perfect! Everyone was relaxed, with no place to rush off to. The menu was simple enough that we didn't have to labour in the kitchen - a big mess of pork back ribs were pre-cooked and ready to be finished off on the BBQ, steaks which take little prep time, cooked lobster (tons of it) purchased locally, tomatoes in garlic, mint, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and hubs whipped up an awesome caesar salad. What an awesome feast we had!

Afterwards, we moved our chairs to the 'fire pit' and continued to enjoy what was left of the day. There was absolutely no stress on me as I watched my sink fill with mountain of dishes. I had everything rinsed and ready for doing in the morning, all food put away and that was enough. It was such a perfect day.

Every so often throughout the day, I took stock of my surroundings and was satisfied with where we've landed. It's the very thing many city folk long to have but the good paying jobs aren't in the country so necessity/debt keeps them bound. Of course, some folk love city life... been there, done that. But after years of planning, we own what we have and I rather like it.

Sometimes, I put too much focus on the many things that need doing and fixing, the challenge of living on much less than we were so accustomed to and, this is pure silliness... thoughts ending up old, alone and surviving on a diet of cat/dog food. (yes... this has been a secret fear that I'm exposing and uprooting, lol) When the rubber meets the road, I'd much rather have good company, comfortable surroundings, a messy kitchen and a rather daunting to-do list and to heck with worry or stress. Do these things enrich one's life? I think not.