the aging ones...

I think summer vacation has started.

WE are going to the beach today. It is a great beach, if you don't mind little shells upon the sandbars. The wind blows cooly throughout the day, so even if it is hot out, you don't really notice. The chicklets are going with their cousins, they always go together.

This doesn't feel like summer vacation yet mind you, as Tues, Wed, Thurs were all met with obligations! I have been to the grocery store/some kind of store everyday this week because I guess we have ran out of things, and I, with the "no memory" issue keep forgetting things. I could write them down, however the reason that I do not is the fact that the things purchased are random items that I think about while doing other things.

I bought a new "slow growing" shrub for the front of the house yesterday. What I really need to buy is a large ceramic pot that is black, but I didn't find that, except for the little round shrub that was $5.97. The front of my yard is looking quite empty and blank, much to happiness, and sadness. I don't have the colonies of ants roaming everywhere, and I don't have the mess of large bushes to keep pruning, and I don't have the constant thoughts of how overgrown everything is despite the pruning, and I don't have the thoughts of how I am going to change it. Now all I have are the thoughts of what can I do to make it look nicer while I wait for the kitchen to be accomplished, and then the front of the house rebuilt. OCD at it's finest some days.

That girl of mine went swimming yesterday. I was very happy for her. Five and a half hours in total. What a chick... I delivered her and a friend at the pool, and picked them up at 3:45, and then by 5:30 I asked if she would like to go swimming again, (as if it was some kind of new fangled revelation), and she happily screached she would. This time she swam from 6 to 8, with the exception of some deck sitting time with her friend, which the other Mrs. Debbie and I equally then said to the girls.. back in the pool. that to me is summer vacation, endless hours of swimming about.

The boy of mine got hired out for "childminding" the past two evenings. What a character. I gave him some pointers about what a good childminder does, and doesn't do. ( I had to encourage him about OWNING the remote )... that this doesn't happen while "childminding".

Little Miss Ellpee is going to think that we have abandoned her today. When we leave, we are going to put her in her outside kennel. It's a fairly large space for her to run about in while we are away, as well as a place to keep her safe. I would like to just leave her in the yard, but with her chronic state of dingbatedness she would do something silly and more than likely hurt herself while we were gone. Hopefully leaving her in her kennel will curtail dingbat activities.

I am thinking of taking an umbrella (used for rain) to the beach. The sister has an umbrella used for sun that we always bring.. but utilizing the rain umbrella will give me that extra buffer of not getting scorched while at the beach, AND even though I will apply sunscreen, I generally forget some random spot, and then yikes! I have to work the next two days, and I would like to do it in some semblance of peace. Last year I burned the top portion of my foot where the cover of my sandle had been, so it was just a strip, but a painful strip at that!

I will go and give my flowers a drink before I leave. I keep feeding them everytime I water them. I try to get the biggest bang for my buck... If I pay for flowering plants, then I freaking want them to flower. .... A LOT!

OH.. and the blogger situation hasn't changed... I continue to google blogger, which comes up with a blogger sign in, and then I try and sign in from that page, which gives me an error message, and then I repeat that process, and then .. whala!!!! my blog magically appears, perhaps I should email the blogger people directly rather than let the world know, as so far I have not had a solution to the "time consuming" problem.. which keeps me away from trying to get on here and randomly speak of useless inklings.

OH,,.. and useless inklings.. if I can find a spot in the car, I am going to bring my "film" camera today.. hopefully I will get some photos with it.. that is if I remember how to use it.

photomomento!

You have to go...

The husbandman got invited to an east indian wedding reception. It was held yesterday, on July 1st. (Fireworks... what fireworks??)

So here's a couple of things....

1. When the invitation time says 7PM, don't show up until 830PM. (This doesn't help when the time was changed on some of the invitations.. but sadly it wasn't changed on ours... ours said 6PM).
2. Make sure you sit next to a table that has multilingual guests. It helps with the caucasion crowd control.
3. People didn't "appear" to bring gifts. ( I hid ours under a table somewhere.. hopefully they will find it ... tomorrow!)
4. Don't wait for the wedding couple to eat first, they don't eat at all at the reception.
5. Be prepared to be entertained by colourful dancing men.
6. On that thought.. while there is dancing at this wedding, it is interesting to note that the men run to dance together.
7. Dancing is not difficult, you sort of shoot your hands in the air to the beat of the music. Just like the videos.
8. Just when you think you have had dinner by the courses that have been handed around, just prepare for an announcement that dinner is served.
9. Dancing starts before dinner, and continues during dinner, and after dinner, in fact dinner goes on all evening.
10. It's beautiful and colourful and gracious, if you are fortunate to be invited, it's a lovely evening to (me) the highly boring.

RELAX people.

The other day the sister and I took the chicklets out for lunch. We went to the same place as we did last year, almost sat in the same spot, AND we continued to be bewildered by the lapse in service. The saving grace was the fact that the sister got a gift card for $25 bucks... hence the return visit. It was quite fun really, the four cousins out for lunch on "report card day". It's a nice start to summer vacation.

The next stop was Chap*ters. This can be a very exciting event, or not. I wonder how many books Chap*ters has in it's inventory? This question came to me after Miss Pip wanted for me to buy her half of the inventory, the SON could "not find one single book" that he would like at all, except for the Marvel Comics $50.00 number, and me, well I bought the same book that I bought six months ago, and still haven't read.

Perhaps this place isn't as big as I thought it was.

Read these.

yae yae horray!

School is out, and the year is done.
Homework and textbooks will be replaced by fun.

The days filled with hours, to idle away.
This will be the aim, for many a day.

We will enjoy the well lit evenings, as we sit out back.
As we sip on sodas and munch an evening snack.

The days are our own, to do as we please.
Perhaps the occasional chore thrown in for a tease.

There are summer camps to attend,
and many hours at our favourite beach to spend,

Included a trip out of town,
which should be exciting to venture out on our own.

We can read our books till all hours, and then debate whether
to continue a chapter or tend to the flowers.

The summer is ours, waiting for great adventures to be unfold,
which will add to our memories to remember when we are old.

Those teeth of mine...

I went to the dentist last week. Not a shock, since I seem to be at the dentist an awful lot, I think more than the average person. Currently I have hit the high note of showing up every three weeks!

I got this "appliance" a number of weeks back.. I think it could be months now actually.. and I am supposed to wear it to straighten my front teeth. Or some parts of my teeth, I'm not sure. Anyways... I complained to my dentist for two reasons: one, that I hissed all the time, or at least I felt I was hissing all the time... and that wasn't even when I was talking to my children.. I was now hissing in regular conversation. I disliked the hissing... "Oh, there's that Mrs. MacSnake... you don't want to talk to her... she will just hiss at you....", you know that sort of horrible hissing. And two; I was quite pissed that I had realize how crooked my front teeth were, and was even more pissed to note that not only did I have braces for an extensive period of time during the crucial most crushing years of my life.. ( OH FLIP... ! the realization just appeared.....!), and then I had the FREAKING things again when I was 21 because my front teeth were crossing again. Shock of shocks! Well... now that I am truly ancient, and am showing the signs to prove it, I wasn't happy with the crooked teeth keeping me from smiling.. and I thought to myself.. I am going to get myself some of those well deserved laugh lines... and I better bloody well get them from laughing, and not simply from aging... and for some reason I was thinking to myself that I wouldn't just laugh at will because now I had these hugely crossed teeth appearing out from under the overly bright lipstick. Now this gave me an icky feeling.... ( essentially laugh lines without laughing.. truly unfair!)... hence the visit to the dentist.

There I was in his office last week, and I wondered if the appliance had made any improvements to the crooked factor. I know that I have quit hissing... I can just tell, but I have to be careful not to make the notations when the children are near.. it is very easy to hiss at them sometimes.. so I only make note of the nonhissing in adult conversation... anyways... the dentist hauled out the models made of the teeth.....

HOLY SHIT!!!!!

Yes, the appliance is working. I can't believe how almost uncrossed they actually are. Mind you.. they are still crossing a slight bit in the front, but they are certainly a HELL OF A LOT straighter than when I started. I couldn't believe it. Of course I am supposed to wear it ALL THE TIME... but then for some reason I forget to take it with me in the mornings, and then I don't wear it on the weekends when I work, or on Mondays when I have my group.. so I am pretty impressed with the slow steady progress. I will be more impressed if I could get my teeth back to what they once looked like a number of years ago: big, straight and white.

I know I am going to hit the first one, the second is a challenge, and the third one is a constant, but at least I am still swigging the Hydrogen Peroxide in the meantime. ( I will have to remember to share; and stop the swilling with the pouring of it on the girls head of hair, now that summer is here, and potentially that also means that the sun will shine!).

I am here for a short time....

I am having issues with my blogger buttons, they seem to have gone missing, therefore I can not rattle on endlessly! I googled blogger, and for some reason the dashboard thingy appeared, it is most odd.....

Anyways...

It's come down to the wire this past week... both of the chicklets are almost out of school. It is very nice that they are out of school. I am not certain who enjoys the break more.. me or them.

I went grocery shopping today.. and I did not have to think about lunch food, that was nice. There are the times when you enter the grocery store and try and figure out what to give the kids in their lunches for the week. Then of course there is the constant situation of what to make the whole group for dinner. This is where you just need to have a good imagination.

Just yesterday the silent husbandman entered the kitchen after returning from a good days work. He silently slid his paper on the counter, put away his glass tool items, changed his sunglasses, and then looked around the kitchen for some sort of food that might be coming his way. There was none. He looked in the fridge for the longest time, and then in the freezer, just willing and hoping that something would fall into his hands, and be cooked, plus taste good. After many moments praying to the chilly white beast he closed the doors, and sighed. He wondered into the den and sat down then turned on his video game. He half heartedly called from the den... and asked if I had any plans for dinner, to which I told him "NO!" There was more silence, but this doesn't really mean anything by the silent husbandman.

About twenty five minutes later I handed him a plate of pan fried salmon with a strawberry spinach salad on the side. Yes people, that is what fell out of my fridge in that exact amount of time, almost the same amount of time he stood looking for something to come his way.

Now I know how this man can cook a turkey dinner for the whole family... I deliver the ingredients, and then press the button that says "cook".

It's late but one thing...

Random list of thoughts need to be quickly thrown into post....

1. My little button on the top line has been missing lately.. it makes it hard to post anything with that magic button missing.
2. Last day of the group tomorrow... I have to be busy in the kitchen making things for the pot luck... as I think I am the person that brings the whole pot luck... almost kind of....
3. I am thrilled that the summer vacation is about to start.. I have many books to read.. AND I joined a book club.. I hope I don't forget to go.. AND... they are currently reading a book that I absolutely hugely disliked reading from last year... I can't wait to go and discuss it!
4. The walking group starts next week.. something that I volunteered to do with the city. It's quite exciting... I will be out walking around the city with strangers every Tuesday and Thursday at 0930.
5. The boy will be busy tomorrow.. he will have wished that all he had to do was go to a boring classroom, and not hang out with me!
6. One minute till news time...I can't finish!

Whew....

I'm all itchy crazy right now. It's my hair that is causing all the raucas, I'm not sure why it does that. Perhaps it is still moving in all the crazy directions, as I have done all day. Anyways.. enough of that...

The girl just got home from her friends house, it's 9:39 PM, and she just told me she has homework. I shrug my shoulders, what are we supposed to accomplish now? I had sort of hoped for homework during the school year, not at the end of the year, when they are in shut down mode. Oh well... she can fall out of her comfy bed in the morning and create some words on a page then, I am not driven to start something now... except a book for me!

I took a picture of the juice boxes that the boy pulled out of his backpack. There were 12 of them, and they were all full. I asked him the other morning about what could possibly be in his bag of tricks as his lunches were now hovering at the zipper level, so something must have been impeding the deep drop into his backpack. He claimed it was nothing. The grossest thing he pulled out was the bag of grapes that were swelling and dripping out of their baggy. It dripped on him the whole way home. Ick.

The girl hasn't begun screaming yet, but she will.... she is supposed to be putting her clothes on her deacons bench.. but I think she has gotten distracted. Yes, distracted enoughto find her way back out to me to tell me fascinating tales of nothing. That girl... I must go help her now.

My favourite pictures of the day!

All hands on deck.. on this case... the railing!

This was classic... there is a spot at the front of the ship where you enter through glass doors, and pay the ferry people another $10.00 for piece and quiet and complimentary coffee. Of course there is nothing said about the looky lous that maybe appear from the outside. These two gaffers wondered along every window pane and pressed their noses into the great indoors, they didn't have any idea about what the privilage of $10.00 could afford!

Good bye Victoria!

Titanic fieldtrip!

Shark boy...

That boy of mine has tapered with his faux hawk enough that he looks like shark boy. I haven't quite broken it to him that he looks like shark boy, even though he must look in the mirror and believe that he reminds himself of someone/thing.

In other things less complicated:

The dahlias outback are growing beautifully. The pots that I have scattered along the ugly back deck are a little downtrodden this year. I think today I am going to the garden centre for some "livation" for them, I think my boxes and pots require more friends to join them this growing season.

The Queen speaks...

I have trained the husbandman to turn the news on in the morning. I just love the fact that he turns it on to channel 11 (global TV), and lets me wake up to the sound of news, weather and traffic. Now this took a lot of training.. he just didn't dream up this adventure... I just would wake him up every morning and demand the channel changer, between his snores. Now he gets up.. and turns the TV on, and proceeds with his morning tasks. This is much better than an alarm clock!

French Toastin Toxic!

I am very much in love with the "French Toastin" bread from Safeway. So much so that I stopped the guy stocking shelves and inquired as to where the label was one day. He told me that they had discontinued it, and that I was probably buying that last two loaves. I was horrified...! I explained to him the value of the "french toastin" bread, and the fact that there was maple and vanilla built right into the bread and when you toasted it in the morning it filled the house (in some cases this could be peoples kitchens, but since the husbandman and I stupidly decided to buy a "little" home it permeates through the home....) with that lovely smell. I pointed to the comparibly thick sliced "texas toast" and told him that this bread is just a badly sliced chunk of bread with no flavour, whereas on the other hand there are flavours and aromas built right in to the "french toastin" bread, and is instantly loveable upon first bite.

Much to my happiness, I have been back to Safeway a number of times over the past couple of weeks, and have been pleasantly surprised by the stocked and labelled shelves of "french toastin" bread... however I think I have reached toxic levels from eating it almost every morning. It really is exciting actually.

Saturated!

Gee, how odd... I was down at the dike, walking along... and I took this picture. In an effort to make it look an ounce exciting I changed the saturation of it. I can't believe how you can peer down onto the docks, rather than look straight across.. as I used to... I have a photo somewhere...

I am excited about the contrast in colours and age of this building. It's kind of a cute rickety little old building with the updates of a satellite dish. I am not able to take a complete picture of this place as it is obscured by bushes.

Picture this....

So there I was the other day... traveling along side this emerald forest.. when I heard the subtle movements of brush and ferns.. and what did I spy.. but two black bears rustling about. I love this space, but then.. when you are a completely boring person such as myself, I can see why this would excite me....

Remember Harriet & Harold...?

Here they are wondering aimlessly again...

Meet Miss Pip Messylocks

She was sitting outback playing Polly Pockets when I captured her messy self!

The dike report...

Here is the swelling Pitt River. The water has seeped up into the basin in the foreground as it slowly rises. There is still a fair distance to go before the water makes it to the top of the dike. Time will tell whether or not I start chucking things in plastic bags and store them in my attic!

Well... I am going to have to go it alone!

The stalker is normally around... she is busy hunting me down, and asking me what I am up to. She always finds me...

AND NOW TODAY....

I am wanting to go to Tim Hortons... and get myself a cup of coffee and a tasty breakfast sandwich, and the stalker is nowhere to be found! The nerve of the stalker, maybe she isn't the stalker that I make her out to be.

I could call my friend that lives out in Maple Ridge.... I know she would have a Tim Hortons coffee and a breakfast sandwich... maybe even two!

photo boy

Furrowing the brows

I believe that I am starting to get concerned....

I am not totally convinced I am concerned, but I believe I am well on my way to being concerned.

The dike is slowly rising down at the end of the road, and the weather people and water people are predicting that the waters will rise to seven meters by Sunday.

I have no ideas what my plans are.... so I start to move things, or do I just remain stupidly optimistic that the water will not reach our front door this year....

Can you believe this...

This crazy little dog is only happy when she is tied up to the tree. Yes, she runs to her rope, and then to the tree, where we tie the rope to the tree, and then attach the rope to her. She is wierd... we have no answers to her bizarre behaviour.

Front yard frenzie...

Here's that fence that I was talking about... which the husbandman had nothing to do with! All of this dirt is where overgrown bushes and plants once sat.. it is now being covered with a layer of GREEN!


This is what our ugly front door looked like, but now it's even uglier.. now it has nothing impeding the way to the front steps!

The worst parade happening here...

Pip's Island...


I love these guys...especially the one at the front holding the big stick!

Can't you just see the intensity permeating from the "Mitchinator", he isn't just watching these cars cruise past, he is studying every detail.

Slightly accomplished...

I have been muddling through this yard work for weeks now. I am not done. I am not certain what is taking me so long... or wait... could it be the fact that I have quite a bit to do, and still do?

That might be it.

In other tales of uselessness:

I cut the grass yesterday.... I ventured along to get the newly borrowed lawn mower started. I managed... I liked it even more since I didn't have to put gas in it. I can't stand doing the gas thing. You know; trivial things like the red gas tank thing is filled to complete heaviness, and I can never get the gas cap off, or on, and then there's the spillage factor, which means that I drive the lawnmower somewhere it wont spill on the lawn and create big huge burnt gas patches.

I washed windows... everything was looking really good, until the sun set. SHIT, the smudges almost BURNED my eyes when they sat blazened on the windows. Well.... I have come up with a plan, I will only look out the windows in the morning, and afternoon, and not in the evening when the sun is setting. Everything looks good until then. I am a mastermind!

The front yard grass is growing. Mind you.. the front yard still looks kind of really boring.. so I will have to come up with a prettying up plan... and quick. BUT.... I have to say the "killer" ant banquet that has been provided free of charge over the last two weeks has done a marvelous job at eliminating my little NON friends!

I am off to buy dirt, bags of dirt, they also go with my bags of mushroom manure!

This chick remains....

KINDA CRAZY!

Who is this guy?

New boy alert.. new boy alert....

That boy of mine changed today.

BIG TIME!

The braces came off, a faux hawk was replaced by the LONG obnoxious looking hair, and... we bought him some SKATE shoes.. instead of runners.

I wont know who to wave at today when he comes sauntering along from school this afternoon.

In other things....

While I was waiting for the transformation to happen earlier to that boy of mine, I wondered over to the public library. It was an interesting feeling to sit at a chair, sip some coffee... ( yes, I realize I quit drinking coffee.... ) and read a gardening magazine. I was most impressed with myself!

But as I was walking back to the orthodontist office I was confused as to my maneuvers along the side walk... I was not certain if I was conducting myself accordingly. The issue here folks is the fact that ants line the sidewalks of the places of my "footfalls" ( I love that term...), anyways... in my home land (meaning my house) I am the resident ant annihilator, and yet when I was out walking I wished to spare the little lives of the cement sidewalk ants. AND this confused me people.. it really did. Should I just continue in my evil ways and kill the ants that cross my paths, or should I have mercy for them, as I have killed off their cousins in great masses. As I kind hearted soul that I am... I tried not stepping on the ants along my path. However, upon returning home.. I topped of the killer ant banquet in the tops of the water bottle lids to ensure continued successes with my current ant situation.

The day to day issues....

Transiberian Orchestra

It's going to be a hot one our here today.. and what song am I listening to... something that reminds me of winter, with a hardrock attached to it.

In other things that should be summery.... I must go water my GRASS! It is very exciting to note that the grass is finally growing..now I must wait for my other HUGE section of new seeded grass to start.... that will make the front of the very boring house look a little better.

In ant news... I think we may be on to something here with the killer ant banquet. I hope worlds don't collide as we rid ourselves from probably the largest nest (including satellites) in all of little PoCo... although it's not so little from council meeting of 58,000 people living here. That may the amount of ants that I have destroyed in the last week. Feelings of guilt... ZERO!

On that note... I will listen to a little BB King with U2.... "when love comes to town"..... and migrate to the front yard with my hose...

Hello Internet...

Yes Hi, can you send me a good joke please?

I have "the group" tomorrow... and I do not have any material. The sources have all but dried up, and I am left desperately looking at prunes like they are suddenly deliciously funny.

In other boring news that the world should know:

I was highly crazy at work this weekend... I especially liked it when I said to one woman:...

"In the time it has taken you to complain about gowning and gloving and picking up the isolation tray from the VRE room, you could have already had the job done, maybe you can do it now for me instead..."

She didn't speak to me for the rest of the afternoon.. (if I had only known it was this easy).

Included in the days highly crazy events:

I took a rickety old cloth cushioned and probably a sickly polluted chair out of an office today, and hid it downstairs in the basement at the hospital. It probably sounds like I have some psychotic issues.. which I more than likely do, but am not dealing with... but of course more importantly I was very sicked out with the "oldness" of this disgusting chair and all the bugs living in it. I am hoping that it is hidden away enough for people just to push it into some bin that takes things away to places where the bugs are worse than what is more than likely inhabiting it.

AND just incase my coworkers were really wondering if I had a problem....

My opposite person that I do not work with, but claims that I am highly weird all the same will have a "paper supplies" order dropped on her desk this week. She claims that I have issues with pens, and the fact that we need lots of them... to confirm her suspicions I ordered another 25 boxes....all for next week... when I will do it all over again.... just to keep her head shaking.

Well... now I must go to bed and wonder if my laughter yoga man is really going to show up tomorrow or not...

The PIP and I pee our pants.

Well chickster Pipster and myself headed down to the favourite place in the world for us. BEAR central... except there were no bears. RATS!

So that Pip and I were driving out of our most favourite place in the world when we spotted a pair of mallard ducks, we slowly crept up behind them,....as they were waddling along chit chatting to one another, both of them debating which was the best way to go.... I think it went something like this:

*** I translated for the PIP as we drove along watching them in a lovely contorted voice***

"Harold, follow me here.. this is the way we should go" Harriet says.

"Harriet dear, you are wrong, if you just follow me this way, this is the way we should go" says Harold.

"Harold, you are wrong, just waddle this way, I know the way, you know I know the way" Harriet continues.

"Harriet you are not the boss, just follow me ok Harriet" Harold pleads.

waddle waddle waddle.......................

"HAROLD! FLY HAROLD FLY" Harriet screeches as they take flight in front of the Indigo Blue Mazda5.
~~~~~~

Now oddly enough, that PIP and I were in hysterics of laughter over what had just transpired in front of us. I believe it was a "had to be there" moment... but I was glad that I was with the PIP to enjoy it. This is what childhood memories are made of.

feeding the birds.

I have spread grass seed all over the front lawn. I am sure that I am just a bird feeder now, when all I really wish for is a lush green lawn, with a couple hundred weeds thrown in for good measure.

I went back to the Home Depot to gather up more bags of mushroom manure. I just love that stuff!

My sister is completely disgusted with my garden. She and the Pip are in agreement with it's ugliness.... I maintain that it will soon be something to envied... kind of sort of.. maybe. One day, in the future, just not today.

I must go... I have to beat the birds in the morning, so that I have some grass seed left to grow grass.

Who's bricks are these?

There are some flat bricks sitting on a stump outside on our neighbours front lawn. I am wondering why there are there.... and so much so, that I am going to find out why they are there... because I want them! If I see the cranky lady that lives there I am going to ask her... I am going to get the courage to talk to her.. as she is fairly cranky looking all the time. I know I have my pissy cranky moments, and scare people some of the time... but this woman has the cake topper with the "all" the time award. I wont mention that to her when I ask her for the bricks mind you.

In other things that have put a smile on my face:

I was quite thrilled that Jordin Sparks won the American Idol award. I am not really sure what that means to win that, as the only other American Idol that I have ever watched was with Rubin Studdard, and last night was the first time I have ever seen him since the AI title.I have to say the duet that himself and Jordin did was brilliant! Maybe that will be his come back song, or not. Anyways... I am glad that the 17 year old very poised young lady won.

And bigger smiles:

I think the boy has the art of going to school down to fine science. He can manage to throw himself together, including showering and combing his hair all on his own, but not including making himself a lunch or a banana milkshake, BUT.. has mastered the art of leaving before 08:00 AM. We have four weeks of school left. If I can only get him to remember this skill come September. Maybe I will take a picture of him, and time stamp it... that way I will have proof that he is capable come the long winter months.

Grinning:

The ants are still partying it up with the "bait". Yes, it should scare me that there are that many ants that are still partaking in the banquet of death.

Reality check:

8:13.... the Pipster has not risen. This slumber party has now ended.

Pip is petrified.

The Pip came home just a bit earlier, and claimed that she is completely scared. She looked at the front yard, and the "new" front garden bed. She said that "this can't be it!" I gave her the bad news, "it" is "it!". I am most pleased with my NEW minuscule front garden. It is lovely and plain, and eventually when the husbandman does the big job on the front yard, we will change it a bit.. but for now... it is small, and unassuming.

Pip will have to remain petrified... Poor Pip.

In other things poor.....

I planted the lovely ant killing concoction out front today.. they had a banquet larger than the stars. I think I have a real ant problem, including the rest of this neighbourhood.

It's official!

I now live in a matchbox.

The husbandman finished driving around the front yard and ripped out the shrubs yesterday. I now have a clean pallet to work with, and it's clean all right! Especially when you own a little white matchbox house that goes with that clean pallet.

I haven't got any plans for the front yard at the moment. I believe that I am dreaming up some ideas in my head, but for now, they are only in my head. I need to replant some greenery in the front as it is rather abysmal looking at the moment.. but good things will come, I am sure!

The King has told me of his plans that he wishes for the front of the home, but that will have to wait until next year, as this year he is slated for constant kitchen duty, beyond the cleaning and cooking kind.

the long long weekend

It is an exciting event, the long weekend that is.

We have absolutely no plans, no expectations, no places to be, and no commitments to behold. What a pleasant notion!

There's groceries in the cupboards, the laundry is ALL done, the aged and ugly kitchen is clean, the lawns are mowed, the car is washed, even the PIP's room is in some semblance of order. I know I have loads of work still waiting for me, including a green waste run, and a dump run, but something even more important....

I will share a very exciting secret though..... brace yourself.

The husbandman is going to pull out the rest of the bushes from the front yard. OK, you can breathe now. This sudden excitement is all news to me.. as he announced it just moments ago.

I will go and take a before and after picture before he begins. I like this guy... as he was the one that wanted absoutely nothing to do with the front yard renovation thing. I guess that doesn't include the fence he built, then painted, and the three fence planters that he bought me for Mother's Day, when I asked him to buy nothing. He is so helpful at this "wanting nothing to do with the front yard reno thing".

The Elpster

The silly and crazy catdog made me laugh once again this morning.

If her life isn't exactly on schedule, or what she perceives as being on a schedule, her life for the day is ruined.

This happened to her last Friday when the husbandman and I just happened to be home together, at the same time, well at least for a while. She sensed something wasn't quite right, as the husbandman didn't pack up his glass belt, take his wallet, and his phone, put on his working shoes and leave for the day. That was it. She was a mess. She wouldn't eat her 0700 food preparation of the same kibble that she has eaten since last year. He shook both her paws as he had to call her from around the corner where she hides when you fill her bowl, which is once again, part of her routine. He gave her fresh water, as we always do when we feed her. NOPE, that wasn't good enough. There were two adults in the home at the same time, which to her was the wrong time. Finally by 4:06 in the afternoon she ate her breakfast. Exactly 54 minutes later she started her dinnertime frantics, and that would be to march around the house to attract some attention so that someone would look at the clock and realize that it was 5:00, and she was starving. I fed her at 5:00, which she promptly ate, and from that point was finally settled for the day.

This dog doesn't do "wrenches" in her day. It throws her for too big of a loop, and sends her into doggy hysteria.

As I was making the boys lunch this morning I was busily asking her that if I wasn't around for the day to make the boys lunch, that she would know exactly what to do. She sits and intently watches as I butter & mayo three slice of brown bread, then I carefully add the cheese, the ham and then the lettuce. The tip of her tail starts to wag furiously when the cheese and ham are unwrapped. I like the fact that she is quite polite about waiting for her bits and bites to come her way, she knows once she has had her cheese that treat time is over, and for one last horrah she pokes her faces in the fridge and just stands there not touching anything, taking in the sights and smells as her tail gently wags.

I did throw a wrench in her day when I decided to leave the sliding glass door open, so she could wonder around outside and be free. I couldn't believe it when I returned from taking the girl to school, that in fact the couch loving Elspter was still in the great big outdoors. I guess I should be wary of the skunk that is roaming around these parts, so I am living life on the dangerous side.

I am heading outdoors now. I must continue with my front yard reno. I have about three wheelbarrels full of excess dirt that I need to move around the yard. I guess the grass will be getting a dirt reno today, on top of a garden reno. I have to make some big gains today as the weather is about to stop cooperating with me and is supposed to be "maybe kinda sort of" rainy over the weekend. Normally I wouldn't care... but this weekend I am off.

I will quietly leave here and go and get the rope for the front yard.. where I wil tie our crazy Elspter to. She doesn't mind being tied to a tree, at least that way she can see out front, and doesn't have to freak out that she is in the backyard while I am in the front. She doesn panic the very second that I say "I will be right back, so don't go anywhere..." ( like she has a choice being tied to the pretty coloured leafed japanese plum tree that I dislike at all other times of the year, including the fall because the leaves are chincy and are hard to rake. ( I noticed tons of ants climbing it yesterday... perhaps they will eat it from the inside out, and my worries will be over!) But should this happen, and I get a replacement... they better look out if there are any attempts at a takeover... the rules will have changed by then.

First I must silently steal the keys... without Miss Worriwort hearing me...

slip slip

To sum up the week so far.. I have done some good things, and some bad things.

Easiest first is the letter to the District Superintendent. I am puzzled why a man so clearly not capable of handling a school remains the administrator. It isn't any of my business why he is still there... but he is, and not a good one to say the least. I can't imagine that my language used in the letter will win any awards... like the fact that the school could be named "dullsville".

Onward and upward.....

I have been doing some mass cram & plant chore around this place. I have to say I don't think there is enough mushroom manure around these parts to keep me happy. I will have to obtain more for complete happiness to reign.

There is a little bird perched in a painted birdhouse on the crappy back deck. I must continue to stalk the little bird... he looks so cute peeking out of the hole.

The electrician is coming to our house to do some big work. This is thanks to me. Yes, it is. Well, the fact that he is coming to do work that is.. because I didn't know that work had to be done.. the husbandman figured that out long ago, I guess it was me all along that should have made the call, and not waited on the husbandman.

I backed down this morning when the PIP refused to walk to school. I cut her some slack since she was out of her bed at 8:41, and ready to leave by 8:47. This is included washing, dressing, grooming, and an extra polish of her knees since she was helping me to plant last night. Oddly enough she just wasn't thrilled about walking... it could have closely resembled sleep walking I think.

The boy asked me to save his PIVOT stickfigure story. All was well until I couldn't find it any longer, and when I did find it.. the program froze. I did manage to connect with my brain eventually and copied it onto a DVD. Lucky for him... more so ... lucky for me.

Well, the dentist chair is calling me.. well, I am not really hearing the dentist chair calling... it's just a place that I frequent... alot.

OH... and who was shocked that Melinda Doolittle was eliminated from American Idol. Actually, I am not heartbroken, as this was her big ticket to stardom for her, she appears a rather genuine soul.

Here... let me take this....

OK... holy crap.... life is much better after a glass of POTENT red wine.... and now I am making it TWO.

LU... I know you are proud of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over the edge....

I have just written a totally psychotic note to the cell phone company. I was getting no where by swearing endlessly at the robot woman who wouldn't help me on the other end of my cell phone.

Life has gone suddenly bizarre.

Did I tell you about the skunk that was seen travelling between us and our neighbours?

Am I being heard?

So I wrote two complaint letters last night. Neither of them were well thought out masterpieces, but they were complaints all the same.

The first was to our city for the poor parade performance. I am still getting over that one.

The second was to the bigwig of school officials. I complained about our principal. He's completely inept, and that's on a good day.

Well.. now I have to call the cell phone company... all of my millions of minutes are gone. CRAP!