Friday, September 26, 2008

Okay ... 2 quick - but EXCITING - things ...

I know ... I was "Letting it (everything) Ride" ... but I have 2 exciting things to say ...

My NINJA POWER returned briefly last night. If you had driven by my house last night at 6:30pm you would have seen it !! I was balanced on a plank, up in the air, in pink pyjamas SMASHING GLASS out of a window with a PITCHFORK !!!! It was AWESOME !!
DESTRUCTOR LIVES !!!
( I think that would be my monster/superhero name - DESTRUCTOR!!)
So it was a surge of power ... more of a blip really ... but power none the less. It's coming !!
Then, this morning ... I had a tour of the inner workings of the POST OFFICE !! I LOVE ...let me say it again ... LOVE to go behind doors where people don't usually get to go ... it's been a thing with me ... maybe even a competitive thing ... for years. SO it was a GREAT WAY to start the day ... THANKS BRIAN & SPOONSTER !!!
Okay, I have a pretty good feeling that I will be back to FULL POWER by Monday. ROCK ON !!!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

no ...power ... must get going ...



I think this is me ...

This picture was taken on Yonge Street in a salon window. I LOVED it !!

But that is how I feel this week ... lazy, tired, POOPED !! I want to lay on the back of a sofa in the window watching the world go by ...(wow ! that's a weird picture in my head now ...) We PLAYED HARD on our vacation putting in 13 or 14 hour solid days of walking, travelling, seeing, laughing . Then we came home , and thinking we were invincible super heroes, jumped back into the daily grind + extras like it was no problem. PROBLEM !!! I am at best a faded super hero ... I'm tired and , as my friend Phuong says, have no power. I had all kinds of plans of wonderful things I was going to do but my main activity after 10 or 11pm seems to be sleeping on the couch with my head at a weird angle ... ( by the way, the couch is not in a window ...) So I am taking a breather from plans this week and LETTING IT RIDE. My power will be back next week and I will be up to my ass in life again !! (I am still up to my ass but it is dragging so much that life could be a 1/2" puddle & I would be that deep !!)

Here's to NEXT WEEK'S POWER !!!! So near I can smell it !! WAHOO !!!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

INGENIOUS !!!

These two lanterns are my favourites ... because they are so unique & sooo labour intensive.





The dragon lantern is made of tiny vials of coloured water that are assembled & then lit from inside. Tens of thousands of vials are needed to make the display.













The Porcelain Palace is made of porcelain spoons, bowls, cups, plates ... etc . This year they used more than 250,000 dishes. AMAZING !!

Hope you enjoy them !!!

Chinese Lantern Festival











This is one of my favourite things that we've done each time we've gone to Toronto. We have gone to the Chinese Lantern Festival for the last 3 years. It is an amazing display of HUGE traditional Chinese silk lanterns. There is a different theme each year. This year was famous buildings and animals of the world. The colours and detail are amazing. Chinese music plays and the lanterns stretch along treed paths & down to the edge of Lake Ontario. It is overwhelmingly beautiful. Here are a few pictures !!

Monday, September 22, 2008

THE GOOD ... THE BAD ... AND THE UGLY




THE GOOD : all the wonderful things we saw, the fabulous neighbourhoods we strolled, the great food, the FAB entertainment, the lovely people we met, the amazing weather, the AWESOME COOL stuff we bought ....


THE BAD ... AND THE UGLY : MY FEET !!! oh, my .... the first night I developed BIG blisters ... and then I continued to add to them everyday !! But I was there, there were things to see and MILES to be walked - so I did !! I went through 2 boxes of band aids, 3 pkgs of corn/blister cushions, 1/2 tube of Polysporin ... our bedtime routine involved peeling off all the band aids (which eventually looked like beige socks there were so many !!), breaking all the blisters, covering my feet with Polysporin, then putting on a pair of Charlie's socks. Repeat nightly !! I walked like a hobbly old soul the first half hour of the morning & last hour of the day. Cute, I'm sure !!


It was a great trip . The best part was having each other all to our selves - no other responsibilities or people to look after- just us. It was wonderful !!


But I am glad to be back home because life here is pretty darn sweet too !! I missed my cats, my friends, my family, my blogs, my pillows and my slippers. I am ready to jump into my next project here & get back into my daily routine !!


We have lots of Show & Tell ... and presents !!


I'm HAPPY to be back !!


Monday, September 15, 2008

whew ... Monday is Recovery Day !!

Wow ... good thing we didn't fly out this morning - I need a day to recover !! Busy busy - but wonderful & productive - weekend !! Friday night we had to pick up & deliver beautiful roasting chickens ... lovely !! Then errands, then a visit with my family, then it was 11pm and still no cake baked for the goat BBQ !! YIKES !!! So that cake became a jellied salad - genius !! that is so much easier !!! .... and I actually got to bed before 1:30 ! WAHOO !!!
Saturday was an insanely busy day at the store ... I was pooped by 1pm. "Energy - come find me !!" We decided to visit Charlie's stepmom & bring her a few chickens for the winter freezer. great step as she was also going to the goat BBQ but had terrible directions. So we took her with us ! Off we all went ... and what a party !!! There was a band (that I played with ...) , a huge tent FULL of food, roasted chickens-turkeys-roast beef-goat-hotdogs-hamburgers ..., horse rides, bonfire, anything anyone could want. It was amazing !! And , best of all, my sister in law was there whom I haven't seen for years ! It was just a wonderful evening !!
Then Sunday ... let the cleaning marathon begin !!! I finished up (pretty much) the wonderful craft/dining room, then we cleaned the house from top to bottom , stem to stern, and then did laundry. Oh my ... it was a an exhausting day ... the last laundry went into the dryer at 2am ... PLAIN TUCKERED OUT !!!! But it was a great weekend & we rocked that cleaning thing !! WAHOO!!!
Here's to a bit of a slower day ... and then LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN !!!

Friday, September 12, 2008

busy days ... busy nights... odds'n'sods



Last night was a "buck buck buck" busy night. We covered the valley gathering chickens so they could go off this morning to be ... I'd rather not say ! I say "we" but that is really the royal "we". I met the filled truck after the gathering. I really didn't want to see the birds - I like to see them as chicken from the grocery store, not beings. So I never even stole a peek....


Another task was to find a camera strap before we go away. Not too hard ... that's what I thought too !! But apparently impossible unless you want a tiny wrist strap. Even camera stores look at you like you're asking for the moon. Hmmm ... airport shopping it is, I guess !!


BUT ... the shopping was not a wasted venture. What I found completely made up for their lack of everything else !!! I am sooooo pumped about this baby !! I love him !! Skully we found your separated-at-birth twin ...

Anyway, a bunch of running around this weekend, a BBQ serving GOAT !!, a cake to bake for the goat BBQ, laundry, packing, finishing ( yes, still !!) finishing the wonderful room, cleaning the house, organizing cat supplies, giving the cats EXTRA love & affection to hold them over while we are away, picking up chicken in the form of MEAT, and probably 50 unexpected-roll-with-it things !! Fun as always!


Have a busy chick chicky day !!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

B&E ... Bead & Eat ... OR ... Back Up & Enjoy ...

Good morning !
Last night was Bead & Eat , the first of the season. And it was lots of fun. We beaded, we talked, we ate, we talked, we laughed, we talked ... It was wonderful to see everyone again - kind of like going back to school - and wonderful to have some new faces too.
But I say "Back Up & Enjoy" ... more & more I find myself, in the very moment, stopping to look around and marvel at the goodness of my life. I am truly living "The Good Life". When I am in a group of happy laughing people, I will stop and think how much I love these people and how to-the-core happy I am to have found them. I often look at Charlie & just marvel at how much I love him. I really feel that I have FOUND and MADE the very best life for me. And I say MADE because I really do think your life is what YOU make it. You build your life, you establish your outlook, you seek out people who make you happy & suit your personality. I'm not saying there aren't blips in the path, mistakes, people who don't fit, and poopy days. But you learn, you move on, and things all work out. And life is CRAZY GOOD !!!
Go out there and have a Crazy Good Day !!!
oh ... almost forgot... we saw a peacock (!) casually strolling along Shore Road this morning on the way to work. Go figure !

Monday, September 8, 2008

I am the NINJA , Koo Koo Ka Choo

I was a NINJA this weekend !! It was awesome !!
Let me back up a bit ... we were working on the wonderful room, repurposing some old shelving. I wanted the backs out as they were a bit water damaged & the wall colour would look so nice showing through. I suggested that we KICK them out because it would be really fun ! Charlie said the shelf would probably collapse ... always practical ! So we carefully took the back off. The next one he said "Maybe you should kick this one". HA !! HIIIIYYYAAAAAAAAAH! I gave it a mighty NINJA KICK and smashed off the middle board. WOWEE !!! Then another blow - this time the board didn't move - a bit of an "OW" for the ninja's toe... So another kick to the other side - again removing a board. I told Charlie to take a turn , no point in hogging all the fun ! He PUNCHED the back (never thought of that !!). I did too ... but I am not much of a puncher - it really hurt- so I went back to kicking !! What a great time !!
I am sure I was meant to be a NINJA ... but there are only 3 other Ninja style times in my life that I can remember. One involved a giant ceramic piggy bank , a fencing maul, and the "glass pit of doom". That was unbelievably awesome !!
The other involves a trip to the Construction Debris site with a friend (and much smashing of glass) while the other centres around bushels of tomatoes. Ahhh, the great memories !!
I have a NINJA SKILLS pin from Etsy that I used to wear but there was a bit of a really non-ninja style accident and I am not as fond of it. It fell in the toilet one day - after the toilet had been used but not before it was flushed. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO " was my comment - drawn out like in the slow motion shots in the movies. I was torn - I couldn't let the poor little ninja pin be flushed away with poop but I also could not PUT MY HAND IN !! What to do ??? Aha! A Ninja thinks on her feet. A nice little wine glass as a scoop, and a few swift Ninja moves & the pin was in the sink. Many Many Many sprays of Windex ... and the pin still lays there ... someday I'll forget about the little pin bobbing in the toilet ... but the memories are too fresh right now ...
Anyway have a KICK ASS NINJA DAY !!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Storm Warning ...

It seems there may be a bit of a storm. Hannah is on her way and she is bringing rain & wind. So loose things in the yard will be gathered this afternoon and cushions will be brought in. We have fresh batteries ... and NO PROCESSED MEAT !! So while there is nothing overly threatening about this storm it is a wonderful excuse to hunker down and stay home. I love being busy & out on the go. BUT... it seems that snow storms & quasi hurricanes are the perfect excuse to just cuddle down & nest. And we all need a bit of that. So I am looking forward to a weekend at home, puttering around, setting my new room to rights, doing all the little (or even huge after a while !) chores that don't always get done, reading, cooking, etc... So hope everyone is cozy & dry this weekend . Enjoy the down time.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

okay ... today is not the day I hoped for ...

Today started with such promise ... then bad news. I got the news that a wonderful lady who has been a presence in my life since I was very young had died. Not unexpected but a time stopping moment none the less. She was a fun person, always ready to share a laugh, kind & caring, thoughtful, and just really great to know. Her whole family is very special. The most outstanding trait of the whole group is their crazy sense of humour. Always funny. I hope that they can snug together & get through this somehow. I am sure they can because they all love one another very much . But oh so difficult.
But I guess this just proves , as this type of thing does time & time again, that you need to live the life you want. Love people with all your heart. Tell them you love them. Do what you want. Share all you can. Don't save dreams & wishes for later - get them out now and act on them !! Don't waste time worrying about whether you should or shouldn't or what people will think ... just jump in and enjoy. Drink life up with a great big slurp and go back for more ... LIVE WITH ABANDON AND HAVE NO REGRETS !!!

Yesterday, Today ... Ain't Life Grand ?!

Yesterday was a FULL and BUSY day ... just like I like 'em !! Mammogram first thing in the morning. That always makes me happy because it seems so proactive - like insurance !!
Then I unpacked beads for hours & hours ... but all so pretty and interesting. Later in the day I had a lucky little meeting with "Chewie's Mom" so I got to catch up on the little orange cat and her perfectly happy new life. That was great !!
A few more pounds of beads and it was time to go for our gig ... yep, our band's gig !! We were all having dinner at the Pub and then staying for open mike. We set up a FAB percussion section at our table & played along with all that we could. I have to say it was the oddest assortment of music FOR A PUB that I have ever heard. there was operatic rock ballads ... somewhat church choirish ... and funeral parlour /keyboard tinkerings ... and microphone eating/sometimes terrifying/ very intense singing .. all okay in their own way in their own element ... but at a PUB ??? Thank goodness that pace picked up with a rousing Harper Valley PTA ... we could really jam with that !! Theresa is SOOOO on the bus !!
This morning started off with 2 bunnies & 18 young girl pheasants on the way to work. Happy sights !! Then a haircut - yay !! no more fro !!. And now to settle down to more beads - another HUGE box arrived yesterday. But it could be something like screws or lug nuts or Kleenex or panty liners or .... you get it - something NOT exciting ! So I will be in a happy bead place today and I know my customers will LOVE the stuff I have unpacked.
Have a sparkly day !!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Goals & Reality !

Just a quickie today ... I have come up with my goals for this new school year ...er...FALL. As you can see they are all attainable, don't you think ?! But today's goals are a bit more real and REALLY need to be attained !! Can you guess what I'm doing ? If you answered "BEADS" , you are correct !!! I didn't actually get everything cleaned up in August like my Pollyanna -self wanted so I have a bit ... okay, a LOT ... of carryover. And I bought BAGS & BAGS of beads as well as had a parcel of them arrive yesterday. I also expect a couple boxes today. So ... nose to the sparkly wheel !! But I have to admit, I never care if I get it done ... it will be there to deal with the next day too !!
And HOORAY - tonight it is off to the Pub with my buds for dinner & musical entertainment ... for ALL !! Have a singsong day !!!
P.S. I do want to find an odd talent that I could do on TV ... forgot to put that on my goals list.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Motorcycles, Peaches & Jewels ....


Ahhh ... what a great LONG weekend it was !! We went to the Wharf Rat Rally in Digby. I was in SKULL HEAVEN !!! There were so many beautiful skulls and rows & rows of glistening bikes . It was a beautiful day with so much to see and no hectic schedule ... we strolled, we enjoyed, we laughed ... it was wonderful. And we spent it with two of our favourite people so that was the icing AND cherry on the cupcake. We saw an awesome painter ... 5 minutes , a few cans of spray paint, and some cardboard ... all you need apparently !!We learned some great new expressions (!!!) and had some great laughs. We learned that dogs can be twins (?!), you are what you eat, and that sometimes little boys grow up and don't remember Spider Man. (okay, that one was a bit sad "Dude"...)

Sunday was a busy "get-er-done" day for errands and things . Then a call out of the blue that set up a trip to Annapolis the next day and the mother lode of bead purchases (YIKES !!). And a stop for lovely fragrant peaches , a visit with family, and then home.

Back to work today and that's fine ! I have tons to do and most of it is shiny so who could complain ?!! Gotta go ... have a great one my friends !!

... a few of my favourite things ...