Christmas with Deuce

Well, Christmas came faster than I can believe, I guess in large part to our new family addition. Deuce, our new two year old puppy has been keeping me very busy. Lots of walks, attention and training. He can sit now and is learning how to walk beside me instead of pulling me along.

We made him a stocking with a couple of toys. Here is a picture of him playing with the empty stocking.



He did like one of the toys and I made a little movie of him which is very cute.


We came up with a new rule for him now and that is that he's not allowed in the kitchen. It was too difficult to cook Christmas dinner with him at our feet. He only had to be told a few times and got the idea, staying out as he was told. We were finished dinner and no one was in the kitchen when Deuce decided to help himself to the turkey back which was on the counter. What an adventure!

Christmas Tree

Last night we bought a tree and set it up in the corner of the living room. Once we untied it, we found that it was very full and bushy. I put on the lights and then the kids came and put on most of the decorations. It was done in no time; not like when the kids were little and it took hours to complete. Decorating was still a lot of fun though.

Later last night, Susan and I were watching TV and the tree came crashing down! I guess all of the decorations weighed it down in the front and made it off balance. We righted it and I adjusted the screws in the base and then we re-decorated the ornaments which had fallen off. Luckily nothing was broken. What a surprise though!

New Family Member

Today is a very special day. This afternoon I am going to go and pick up the newest member of our family. He is a one year old (approx.) shepherd X which we found last week at the CRD Animal Shelter. Everyone is ecstatic.

We have been talking about getting a puppy for quite some time now. Last week Kyle phoned us from school and told us that he’d found a dog and could he keep it. That didn’t quite pan out but it got us in gear to actually get one.

Kyle and I went out to the pound to take a look at the dogs. We wanted to get one from the animal shelter because there are so many puppies that have not had a good start and deserve a happy home.

We got to have a visit with our new puppy in a small yard at the back of the shelter. He walked right up to Kyle and licked his face. We played with him for quite a while as he made his way right into our hearts. I took a couple of pictures of him with my phone so that I could show Susan what he looked like. He didn’t like getting his picture taken though. After I took a few shots, he went and hid behind the shed until I put my phone away.

He is very well mannered. Calm and not aggressive at all. The only time he barked was once when he noticed a pony on the other side of the fence. Other than that, he just played with us. There were a few balls in the yard so I threw one for him. He ran after it excitedly and then ran back to me, leaving the ball behind. We’ll have to work on that one when we get him home.

After our visit, we arranged for a home visit from an animal control officer, which went very well. Yesterday I got the word from the Kennel Master that we could pick him up this afternoon, so we went out last night and picked up a few things for our new friend.

I can hardly explain the emotion I am going through. I am so filled with excitement and anticipation that I’m ready to burst! I know that it’s going to be a lot of work and commitment to train him into a good dog, but it will be worth it.

Look forward to more posts about our new family addition.

A Little Late

I almost forgot about the online Advent Calendar which can be viewed here. It is something which I found a few years ago and like to visit during the Christmas season. Just thought I would share it with you once more.

Christmas Play

During the Christmas season, about thirty-three years ago, in the gym of a little elementary school in Saltair, there was held a Christmas play. The theme of the play was Christmas Candy-land if my memory serves. I was six years old, in Grade One and I was a lollipop - a green one. I remember having to wear green tights. It was the first time I can remember being in front of an audience and I recall seeing my parents and my Grandma sitting there watching. I’m pretty sure that my only role was to stand there and look cute.

I’ve seen a lot of Christmas’s since then and was in many performances, but that one sticks out in my mind, being the first.

George

I had a friend named George. He passed away on November 21, 2008. He was only 38 years old. I had only seen him once in the past fifteen years and that was about three years ago.

When I was young, I went to Chemainus Elementary School. There was a family which lived two houses away; the Mawson’s. Bill was in my grade, Ada was a year younger and George was a year younger than her.

As we grew up in the small town, we all stayed friends. During my teenage years, if I wasn’t at home, chances were very good that I was at the Mawson’s house. We were all very close and always had a lot of fun together. The kid’s Dad, Bill Sr., was a very funny man and would always have me in stitches. Rita, their Mom, was so sweet and welcoming to all of us “extra kids” who hung around their house. It was “Our Gang” and the Mawson’s home was our clubhouse.

The years went by and we eventually grew up and went our separate ways, except for me and George. In our early twenty’s we were inseparable. We did everything together, and got into a bit of trouble every now and then. He would even ride the ferry with me both ways when I had to get my oldest daughter from Vancouver for the weekend. Four hours on a BC Ferry - now that's a good friend!

One day - I remember this well - we were heading back from Ladysmith in my ’67 VW Baja Bug with Stinger exhaust, which is the style with an open engine and a big tail pipe sticking out the back. It was pink, very loud (oops, the baffle popped out), no brakes to speak of and a dead battery - I always parked on a hill so I could jump start it. I think it had an 1100cc engine and I always had the pedal to the floor. We were going to Chemainus along Old Victoria Rd and the engine stalled a bit, but then it started going again. (That was another thing, the gas gauge didn’t work so I did run out of gas every so often.) When I looked in my rear view mirror, all I saw was an orange glow and yelled out “Oh, s**t! We’re on fire!” It took me a bit to get us stopped - remember, it had poor brakes. We both jumped out to assess the situation and saw that the entire engine was in flames. We’d happened to stop in front of a house where we knew the occupants and ran in for help. George burst into the house and yelled “Do you have a f***ing fire extinguisher!!” They did have one and came out to save the day. After the fire was out, they gave George a little talk about his language. We got the car started again and drove it to my parent’s house. I didn’t drive it after that and I think I ended up selling it for $100. That was just one of the many memories I have of George, he was such a good friend.

I moved to Victoria and visits with George became a less frequent event. We ended up going our separate ways and having our own lives. As I mentioned, I did see him a few years ago. He told me that he was a single father of two and was living up island somewhere. I also told him about my life and then we went our separate ways once more. We get so busy with our lives and if I’d known that that was going to be the last time I’d see him in this lifetime, I probably would have made more of an effort to contact him. I didn’t, so I didn’t.

Today I went to George’s funeral. I was so sad, but a couple of good things came out of it. Bill Sr. had passed away in 2006 and I didn’t hear about it until months later. George was buried beside his Dad, so I got to say farewell to both of them at the same time. The other good thing was that I was re-connected with the Mawsons and I found out that Bill lives very close to me. I took his phone number and will give him a call in a few days so that we can go for coffee or something.

George had the biggest heart. He would not think twice about doing anything for anyone. He was always smiling and usually on the verge of a big hearty laugh. We had so much fun together. I’ll never forget him.

Reading

I love to read. I find such a comfort in exploring books and delving into different worlds and lives which come from the imaginations of others. Reading is such a gift. I have an extensive library so I never run out of reading material, literally hundreds of books.

At any given time I have between three and six books that I am reading, depending on my mood, where I am reading, and the type of book being read. Right now I’m reading five different books: Duma Point, by Stephen King which is a large soft cover that I read in the living room; Rainbow Six, by Tom Clancy which is on my computer; The Teeth of the Tiger, by Tom Clancy which is a small paperback that I read only at work and on the bus; The Hounds of Baskerville, by Arthur Conan Doyle, which is a large hard cover that I read in my office; Imajica, by Clive Barker which is a paperback that I pick up and read periodically. I also just picked up the new David Morrell novel called The Spy Who Came For Christmas which I read in two days a couple of weeks ago. I will also pick up a short story compilation (I have many of these) every once in a while to read a quick short. Then there’s magazines and online articles and so on.

When ever I put a book down, the bookmark stays in place and if, in a few day or a few weeks, even a few months, I can pick the book back up and it was just as though I never paused in reading. Think of it like a multi-part TV show or a mini-series which you can only see an hour or two of each week; that’s how it is with my books. Each book I pick up or put down, has a mental pause button which I push to keep my place in a particular story. I don’t know if everyone can do this but it’s how I like to roll.

Twilight

There is a novel series out right now called the Twilight Saga. It is a teen oriented series about vampires and werewolves. Laura has been talking about it for a while now and a lot of her friends are reading it. The first book has been made into a movie which will be out soon.

We were shopping in the mall yesterday and saw a display of the books in the book store, Laura pointed them out to us as we walked by. Susan and I decided to get her the first book and boy are we ever glad we did. She has not had her nose out of it since she got it and is almost half way through. She says she wants to finish it before she sees the movie.

It is so good to see Laura reading something she likes. There is something special about finding a good book and immersing one’s self in it.

Curry Chicken

Sunday nights have turned into our regular night for curry chicken. We all love it and look forward to it all week; at least I do.

The other day I bought a jar of Major Gray Mango Chutney to have with it tonight. It was so good and a perfect compliment to the curry chicken. It seemed to take forever to get Susan to make curry to begin with - she figured that the kids wouldn’t like it. Glad she does now.

There is such a variety of different foods out there for the trying. We are enjoying the Thai food from the little restaurant down the road. We also like a Vietnamese restaurant downtown.

It is such a change from when Susan and I first got together. She would laugh at me because the only thing I would ever order from a restaurant was a burger. Even if we went to an ethnic restaurant, I would always make sure that they had burgers before we ate there because that was what I was having. I can’t remember the last time I ordered a burger in a restaurant now. I still have them every once in a while but it’s not my main meal preference.

Thank goodness for diversity.

Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse never dies.

Last week we were grocery shopping. When we went back to our car and I put the key in to unlock the trunk, nothing happened. The key turned but the trunk didn’t open. That was a little frustrating. It’s a good thing we can access our trunk from the back seat.

Yesterday I got around to taking a look to see if there was anything I could do to fix it. I brought my big flashlight, two pairs of pliers (Mickey’s favourite tool next to vice-grips) and climbed through the back seat to access the lock mechanism from the inside. When I got some of it apart, I found that the cable had broken on the key end. I opened the trunk so that it would be easier to work on, went into the house to see what I could find and came back with two staples, a safety pin and a bit of wire. I ended up using the wire, made a knot at the end so that it would stay where it was supposed to and then wrapped it around the original cable, crimping it tight with the pliers. Once I fit the cable back into its housing, I put the key in the hole and turned it. Nothing happened. I then realized that I had not attached the part I’d put together back onto the key cylinder (glad no one was looking). Once I put it all back together properly, it worked just fine. We just have to be gentle with it for now. I’m just sorry that I didn’t have to use duct tape (Mickey’s favourite binding agent). Maybe next time.

Mickey Mouse is alive and well in my car.

Shortbread and Eggnog

Last night Laura decided to make some shortbread after dinner which was a nice surprise for everyone. I love it when she bakes just for the fun of it. I didn’t have to help her at all, she did everything and they turned out perfectly.

I’d gone to the store a little earlier to pick up some milk and a few other things. When I passed the eggnog, I just couldn’t resist. Laura and I are the only ones in our house who drink it, so after she was done, we sat down and had shortbread and eggnog. It was so good. It made me realize though, that Christmas is only just over one month away.

Time flies.

Wine and Cheese

One of the date activities Susan and I like to do is have our own little wine and cheese party while watching a movie or our favourite TV shows. Now that the kids are older and doing a lot of things on their own, we have more opportunity to have nights like this. We find that it’s much more enjoyable to be in the comfort of our own home rather than sitting in a crowded restaurant complaining about the crappy service or the poorly prepared food. It seems that with the job market the way it is, everyone and their dog can get a job in the food service industry. I can’t wait for that to change.

Working in a grocery store, I have to help people find products if they are having trouble. The other day a lady asked where Kelly’s Red Pepper Jelly was. I took her to aisle three and showed her that it was on the top shelf, above the pickles. I then asked her what she used it for. She told me it was the best thing with crackers and cheese. We picked up a jar of the red pepper jelly to go with our wine and cheese and it was amazing. The flavour matches perfectly. It is a little sweet and not too peppery, enhancing the experience of the wine, cheese and fruit. Now it is a must have for our wine and cheese nights.

The wine we have most of the time is Jackson & Triggs Sauvignon Blanc. It has a sweetness of 00 and a smooth flavour which goes well with the cheese and fruit. We also buy a few different cheeses but our favourite and another must have is an English cheese called Applewood Smoked Cheddar. It’s a firm cheese with a mild smoky flavour. The fruit we usually have is grapes and strawberries. We also try different crackers and Sociables are our favourite right now.

We have the best time with our wine and cheese nights. It’s romantic and relaxing; a perfect date.

Fog

Last night the fog started to roll in. I love fog. Sounds are muffled, sight is restricted, it is a mysterious form of weather.

When I was a kid, walking to school one day, I came upon a patch of fog in a large empty lot. To me it was the sky coming down to earth, a cloud on the ground. It just sat there, inviting me, so I walked into the middle of it. I remember thinking, ‘so this is what it’s like to have my head in the clouds’. (I was always a daydreamer and that phrase was repeated to me many times.) It was magical. I was hidden in fog, a cloud of protection, embraced by a weather pattern. I think I was probably late for school that day.

Now, whenever I experience fog, it always brings me back to that time when I was young and so amazed. It still amazes me.

The Perfect Weekend

I just had the greatest weekend. Susan and I had it off together which rarely happens. We had a wonderful time. We didn't do much; slept in, cleaned the house, did laundry, watched some movies and shopped a bit. It was so nice just to be with Susan and spend time with her. She is my best friend and I am so thankful that I have her in my life. It seems, these last couple of weeks, we've been so busy and working opposite shifts, that we never get to see each other and if we do, it's just in passing. She cooked some delicious meals this weekend, french toast brunch and curry chicken - it was the best!

Now we are back to our work week, she left for work at five o'clock this morning and I won't even see her until late tonight when she picks me up from work. That's okay though, I cherish the time that we get to spend together and know that eventually we will get into a routine and be able to spend a little more time in each others' company.

Power Outage!

We'd just finished cooking dinner tonight when the power went out! The table was set and all of the side dishes were on the table. I'd just taken the ham out of the oven and was about to cut it when we had to go running around the house to find some candles. There was just enough light from outside for me to cut the ham by.

We had a very nice candle-lit dinner. There were six of us: Susan and me, the kids and Eric's girlfriend Maryl. It was so quiet though. Usually the TV is on and we are sitting in front of it. It was nice to have a relaxing, quiet dinner where the only outside noise was Kyle's phone vibrating every five minutes as people texted him.

Shortly after we'd finished dinner, the power came back on. It was a good break to help us slow down a bit and think about what we were thankful for. I feel sorry for all of the people who were right in the middle of cooking though. That would really have put a damper on the evening.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what we have and a time to reflect on how blessed each one of us are. The thing that I'm thankful for is family and I'm very thankful for mine.

On Thursday, which was also my birthday, we had our Thanksgiving dinner. Susan cooked a turkey and also made mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a broccoli bake, coleslaw, ambrosia and I did my part with sausage stuffing and pumpkin pie for dessert. It was so good! I stuffed myself so that I could hardly finish my second plate, it was worth it though.

Mom and Dad came down and all of the kids were home which is nice for a change. I ate two big plate fulls and could hardly finish the second. I still had room for dessert after a little while though.

I guess that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is the first time of the year that we sit down with family and have a big turkey dinner. It's a special time for me, not because my birthday is always close but the family time is important to me -- and so is the food!

Pie

Well, it's been a year now since I've been out of the baking industry and I did something tonight that I haven't done since I left -- I baked a pie! And what do you know, I didn't forget how to bake.

We are having our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night so I baked a pumpkin pie (Mom will be so happy). It's in the oven right now. Soon the wonderful smell of spices will fill our house. It was fun; nice not to have to bake a hundred at a time, over and over.

I made the crust from scratch which is the only way to do it. So many people don't know the secret to a good pie crust, which is to touch it as little as possible - over mixing makes it tough. I also made the filling from scratch. It was so easy and so much fun. I cheated last Thanksgiving and Christmas with store bought pies, but I'm glad I baked this one.

The other thing which is very good about baking a pumpkin pie is the evaporated milk which goes into the filling. There is always some left over and it is the best thing to put into my coffee. I wouldn't want to have it all of the time but it's good for a treat.

Mmm, I can smell it now! Can't wait to have some tomorrow.

Raccoons

The other morning Susan had to work at five in the morning. When I got home, I went out for a smoke. I thought I heard something so I went to the railing and saw three masked bandits in the back yard. They were so cute, wandering around, checking things out.

One of them started making a noise - I'd never heard a raccoon before - which was almost like a purring sound and then a soft bark at the end. Another one climbed up on a kids play table and proceeded to play with one of the toys as it lay in the water which had pooled on it.

It was a great experience because they couldn't see me and just went about their business. I love the way they move, they look so powerful with their bulky bodies all hunched over. They look as though, at any moment, they're going to stand up and start running.

I love being able to peer in on wildlife unnoticed, it is so amazing to see the wild creatures in my backyard, no matter what it is; birds, squirrels, deer, raccoons. It is all so special to me, a little taste of wild nature so close to the city. It's too bad that man has to continually encroach on their natural habitat.

Medals

A couple of years ago, I posted a story about my Grandad after I'd visited his grave site in Aldergrove. Tribute to my Grandfather

This Summer, while we were in Penticton visiting Gramma, she showed us Grandad's war medals which she had just received. Grandad had never wanted to ask for them because if he'd earned them, they just should have given them to him (I agree with him on that point). Why should a war veteran have to ask for medals he earned fighting for his country? Regardless, Gramma had sent a request for them and I'm glad she did. Auntie Iris just sent me pictures of them.


The medals are in order from left to right:
1939-45 Star
France and Germany Star
Defence Medal
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
War Medal 1939-45

In the picture are also his dog tags and service pin.

I am very proud of my Grandad, he was a great man and I am sorry that he died when I was so young. Having those medals in our family now is a token of the service he did for our country so that we could have the lives we now lead. It is also serves as a reminder of him, so that we may look at those medals and remember what a great man he was, not only for being in the war, but also for being who he was as a person. He is one of my greatest heros!

Hurricanes

Each year, as hurricanes develop in the Atlantic Ocean, they name them. Starting with the A's and then going through the alphabet, alternating between male and female names.

I don't really pay attention to east coast weather but I did hear last week about hurricane Kyle and laughed because one of our son's name is Kyle. Now I hear that the east coast is worrying about hurricane Laura -- our daughter's name.

Isn't that funny. What are the chances of something like that happening? I didn't even realize that Kyle and Laura are right beside each other in the alphabet, and to have the two of them have hurricanes of the same name, one right after the other is very curious.

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I did a little research on hurricane naming and found out that they use the same lists of names on a six year rotation. That means that in 2014 there will be another hurricane Kyle and right after that a hurricane Laura. The only exception to that rule is if a hurricane causes an extensive amount of damage, then the name is retired for at least ten years. For example, hurricane Andrew in 1992 was replaced on the list in 1998, by Alex.

I'd always wondered about the naming of hurricanes but never bothered to research it. Now I know and you do to. You learn something every day if you pay attention.

Fourteen Years

Fourteen years ago today, Susan and I had a day off together, it was a Thursday. We got up early, packed up the kids into the Sprint and went on a road trip up island, to Qualicum Beach. It was there that we had an appointment with a Justice of the Peace and were married. I'd made all of the arrangements the two previous days, after I'd asked her to marry me of course. We knew a couple who lived up there, so we contacted them to be our witnesses. We stopped in Nanaimo on the way up to buy Susan a dress and some flowers.

During the ceremony, which was at the JoP's house, Eric and Kyle stayed in the foyer, not quite sure about what was going on, and why they had to get up so early.

After the ceremony, we went to the beach to take some pictures and then for a late lunch at a pizza shop. We both had to work the next day, so back to Victoria we travelled, stopping a couple of times to tell our parents what we'd done.

It was such a happy day and one that I'll remember for the rest of my life. It was the beginning of our life journey and I wouldn't have changed a thing. Now, fourteen years later, we've never been happier. We made a choice that we were going to stay together no matter what happened. It's not been perfect and we've had some bumps and hiccups along the way but it's been the best fourteen years of my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The trials and challenges are what makes us stronger and teaches us what to do next time something similar arrises. We are committed to each other and to our lives together, so I'd say we have the perfect marriage. I am blessed to have such a wonderful wife and cherish every moment I have with her. The kids are a lot older now and we've started dating, something which we never could do when they were young. Maybe we did things a little backwards from what people normally do, but what is normal. We are not a normal couple and people still comment on how we always do things together, like we were a new couple. We are there for each other. We live for each other. We are soul-mates. We enjoy being together and doing things for each other. We love each other unconditionally and each of us knows the other and things we do not know, we love to discover. We are a living extention of each other. We share pain and pleasure, we participate in each other's lives and are one within the life we have built together.

I love you Susan. Thank you for agreeing to be my wife. You complete me!

Writing a Story

I had a dream the other night after watching a zombie movie. Actually, it was not so much a dream, rather a subconcious construction of a story. I finished writing the story after about a week of writing down ideas to incorperate into it. The end product ended up pretty good I think.

It's funny how that happens. I get an idea or a thought and I build on it in my mind and a little bit on paper until I can actually sit down and write the story. I have done this with quite a few so far and I find it very satisfying. I don't know whether I'll be able to sell it or not but it's fun to do and I'm happy with it.

Autumn

Yesterday I noticed the first of the Autumn leaves scattered on the ground. It reminded me that Summer is only here for a few more days and before we know it, the trees will be bare and the ground will be covered.

Autumn is my favourite season. The leaves on the trees turn golden. The air is crisp and clean and cooler, but not cold. The pumpkins are almost ready. The animals are all so busy getting ready for Winter. It also means our wedding anniversary is coming up, my birthday is close and Christmas is right around the corner.

When I go outside, I can smell Autumn in the breeze. To me it smells better than every other season and I love it. It is most distinct; fresh. The rains also come, along with the wind, washing away the dust and heat of the Summer, cleansing the earth.

Autumn is also about Thanksgiving and Halloween. Big turkey dinners, pumpkin pie and spending time with family. It's about fun. Getting rid of the old, shedding our skin, preparing for rebirth; new life, new beginning, a fresh start.

To me, Autumn is the beginning of a new year.

Laura's Mask

I had to post a few of the pictures Laura took of herself in her new mask. She says when she's wearing it, "I feel like a Super Hero." She's so cute!

The Pictures I Promised

Sunday Market

Today Laura and I dropped Susan off at work at 12:30, parked downtown and walked down to the Sunday Market on Government Street. It is one of the last market weekends of the year.

There were not as many stands today as there has been in previous weeks. That was okay though because it was still fun. We bought Susan a package of her favorite pumpkin seed cookies which we do every week. It's a good thing that that stand was still there.

As we were wandering through the market, we noticed that something was happening in China Town so we went over to take a look. A large group of people in blue shirts were gathering on the street and there were large drums and two dragons on the road. They were preparing for a dance and Kung Fu demonstration to honour the Chinese Freemason Association.

It was loud once the drums started but beautiful to see the Dragons dancing. We watched for a few minutes but they started dancing up the street so we continued with our market browsing.

Every week when we go to the market, we see a vendor selling Venetian masquerade masks. They are beautiful. Laura always tries them on when we stop there. Today she decided to buy one. It is purple and shaped sort of like a butterfly, a magnificent work of art. She wore it for the car ride home which was very cute.

After Laura had made her purchase, we left the market and started walking back to the car. We stopped in at a used book store and I found one of Clive Barker's Books of Blood which I had to buy. Then we went up to the British candy shop to buy Susan some of her favorite jelly babies.

We decided that because we were parked only a block and a half from where Susan was working that we would walk up and surprise her with her treats. She seemed very happy to see us although she was right in the middle of something so she couldn't stop and have a break with us.

After we left Starbucks, we stopped in at a Mac computer store which was right next door. They had a lot of neat things in there. Once we were done browsing that shop, we finally walked to the car and drove home. I had such a good day with my little girl. I hope that she did too.

Butchart Garden

Today, Susan and I went to Butchart Gardens. What a beautiful place. Everything is so perfectly pruned and cultivated. I can't even imagine the man hours it takes every day to keep up with it.

The other thing I couldn't believe was how many people were there. We arrived just before eleven and the entrance to the garden was just packed with people. By the time we left, the parking lot was half full and most of the cars were not from BC.

We made our way around the garden taking lots of pictures, which I'll post a little later. The sunken garden is beautiful. There is a fountain at the edge of it which sprays water in the air in all different directions creating an amazing effect. The other part I really liked was the Japanese Garden. I loved all the bonsai style trees.

I wish we could have had a chance to see the fireworks, they are supposed to be spectacular. Next year for sure.

After we left the gardens, we went downtown to the fisherman's wharf to have some fish and chips at Barbs. It was so tasty. We drove down to Dallas Road to eat our lunch.

After we got home, Laura wanted to go to her cousin's house for the night so we drove back out to Saanich to drop her off. We came back home and had a little nap, waking up hungry a little while later so we decided to go out for dinner. There is a little Thai restaurant in Esquimalt called Zap which we'd never been to but heard great things about. Our oldest son also started working there recently so we thought we'd give it a try. Dinner was delicious! We were very happy with our choice.

What a beautiful day. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful wife to spend time with. Susan is the greatest! It is so nice to be able to have a "date" day like this every once in a while.

Tragedy

Again I come across another example of the value of life and how we should live in the moment rather than worrying about the past or fretting over the future, both of which we have no control over.

There is a family who lives in our co-op, whose two of their three children were in a car accident. The boy, who is nineteen was driving and the girl, twenty was the passenger. He ran a stop sign and was hit by another car. His sister died.

That is the end of it for her. Nothing more to happen in her life. No college, no more birthdays, no more Christmas's, no wedding, no children; end. Nothing more to look forward to but memories in the hearts and minds of her loved ones. All hopes and dreams shattered with one split second of inattention.

Who can honestly say that they've never accidentally run through a stop sign, or done something while driving which could have an unfortunate result. We consider ourselves lucky and continue on our way, maybe slowing down or paying more attention and thanking our luck stars.

How terrible for that boy who will, for the rest of his life, have to live with the fact that his sister died in a car accident while he was at the wheel. He will probably never get over it and his life will forever be changed. The outcome could have very easily been different, had he been seconds faster or slower, and life would have gone on for his sister and his life and the lives of his family would have not been irreversibly changed.

Life is a crap shoot and we never know what's going to happen. If you believe in fate, then it is destined to happen and maybe someone else would have run a stop sign and hit their car, killing the girl. If you believe in God, then He already knew that it was going to happen and how, even though we have free will. If you believe in the afterlife, then she's in a better place. If you believe in reincarnation, then she's already being born into another life.

The trouble is, we don't really know and we are just forced to accept whatever we believe, in hopes that it will help us in our own life, whether by lesson or realization, revelation or cognizance. We are bound in ignorance by our upbringing and later in life, by our experience and decisions which either reinforce or cripple that belief. In effect, we don't really know anything or why anything happens and are bound only by the limits of our imagination when it really comes down to it. And in our seemingly senseless wanderings, are shocked and dismayed when a tragedy such as this occurs, making us think again, how fragile life is and how very little we know about it.

So now I will hug my wife and I will hug my children and tell them all that I love them. They are my life and I want to spend as much quality time with them as our life will permit, and I will be thankful for that time. I will cherish the memories of that time and it will blend into the present, as time goes on, to strengthen our ties and create lasting relationship which will extend beyond the grave.

We are small and insignificant in the broad aspect of the world but important beyond comprehension to those who love us and are close to our hearts. Life is unexpected, both in its beginning and its end. We are merely a heartbeat in the extent of time; how will we leave our mark?

Summer of Fun

We had such a good Summer but it went by so fast and so much has happened during that time. It seems that the busier we are, the faster the time flies by.

Susan has a new job, I changed my position, Laura quit hers, Eric got one and Kyle thought about it for a little while. On top of that, the child support order has been terminated which gives us a good chunk more money every month and that is very good.

We went camping, we took a road trip to Penticton, we went to the Saanich Fair. All of that we did as a family except for the camping which was just me and Laura. The rest was all of us and it was so good to be doing things as a family.

We watched some movies, bought some new plants, BBQ'd a lot and did lots of shopping in markets on Sundays. More recently we did the big back to school shop which is always fun, no really.

We tried new foods: squash and curry; not together. Everyone is loving the curry dinners! I'm glad that Susan finally tried cooking curry because it is so good and nice for a change. She's such a good cook.

Now Kyle and Laura are back in school and Laura is back in dance class -- she's taking Hip-Hop this year, and is so excited.

We're also thinking about getting a dog which will be fun. It's been a while since our last pet died and it's time we added a furry addition to our family.

All in all, life just keeps getting better as it goes along and I'm enjoying every second of it. I can't wait to see what's going to happen next. Life is good and Susan and I have never been happier coming up on our fourteenth wedding anniversary if you can believe that!

I think that I've discovered that the key to happiness is to enjoy and be thankful for every second of life that I've been given and to live in the now rather than the past or worrying about the future because now is the only thing that matters.

My Friend, Kai

Since I moved into grocery and am not receiving on a regular basis, I rarely get to see Kai anymore. Kai is one of the truck drivers which deliver to our store, the one who was teaching me to speak German. Besides the weekly German lessons, we got to know each other fairly well because we would talk about our lives with each other. He knew about my court troubles with Family Maintenance and I knew about the health problems with his wife.

I saw Kai today and was very happy to catch up with him. He asked me about my court date and I told him that everything worked out and was settled. I asked him about his wife and he told me that everything was fine with her now.

Kai's wife, I still don't know her name, developed cancer in her thyroyd gland earlier this year. It was very scary for both of them and I would ask for updates every time I saw him. He would explain to me each step of the process they were going through and I would sympathize and try to support him the best that I could. It's been many weeks since I've seen him though and I was happy to hear that everything is turning out fine with her.

Kai told me today that they have changed their outlook on life. They were big on saving money and planning for the future but now they realize that it can all be over in the blink of an eye. They bought a boat and another dog and are living life for the moment rather than the future because you never know when it'll be all over.

Some other good news he told me was that she finally got a permanent job teaching grade five, which is her favourite grade to teach. Now she can stay in the same classroom and leave all of her books and teaching tools in the class next Summer rather than packing everything up every year.

What a great attitude! They have taken a very negative event in their lives and turned it into something positive. I commend them on their courage and salute them as they continue their journey through life. They plan to have children but have to put that on hold now, because of the chemo-therapy. Just a minor setback and with the attitude that they are holding, I'm positive that they'll be wonderful parents. I am so happy for them and wish them all the best in their new life.

Bird Feeder

Laura made a bird feeder a few weeks ago and hung it on our balcony. She was quite disappointed when no birds came to visit it. I told her that it was Summer and they weren't really looking for food but they would find it eventually.

The other day we had some birds finally and now they are frequenting the feeder regularly in the mornings. It is so cute to see the little sparrows and chicadees feeding, they are so busy. They also make such a mess but it's worth it to see them feeding. Laura is so proud of her project.

We could have gone out and bought a bird feeder which would have been easy. Laura saw a plan though and got all of the things she needed: an old water bottle, two wooden spoons, string and some bird seed. She spent a little while one afternoon, putting it all together and voila, we have a homemade birdfeeder.

It is so much fun to watch Laura do her little projects. She's been like that since she was just little. I can remember, before she was even in school, she would be watching one of her learning programs and suddenly she would get up and grab her construction paper, glue, scissors, felts and whatever else she needed and an hour or two later she'd have a finished product of something she'd seen on TV.

It's nice to see that she keeps up with her projects. She's always so busy with something on the go.

Dreams

Dreams are a very strange thing. When I was young, I remember waking in the mornings and telling my Mom big stories about my dreaming adventures. Sometimes they were nightmares, but not always. I love my dreams and like remembering them, they are always so strange. I care little about meanings and just enjoy the thrill of going on nightly adventures.

I was driving a car down a very bad road. It was Summertime and the road would not have been drivable in the winter because the snow would have been too deep. The car was telling me this.

I got to a part which looked much too steep to drive, so I stopped the car. The road was also not paved and deep with mud.

I was standing outside of the car assessing the situation, but the car was bugging me because it was talking too much. It had a torso and a head which was sticking out of the left front fender. I pushed it down and stuffed it under the driver's door to shut it up.

I got back into the car and attempted the high part of the road. There were big trucks driving on the road at this point and I tried to follow one of them. The mud was too deep though and I had to abandon my attempt.

There was a small house at the side of the road so I got out of the car and entered the small yellow room which was the entire interior of the house.

I had a rifle in my hand and two very shiny silver bullets, one which I loaded into the rifle and the other which fell to the floor with a loud chink.

I looked to the door and there was a rubber chicken sticking out of a jack-in-the-box. I looked away in my body but was standing outside of myself at the same time a painted face of menace appeared in the doorway.

I tried to warn myself to shoot it but then I woke up.

I am never afraid in my dreams, nor when I wake. I used to be when I was very young though. One of my favorite dreams is one where I'm chasing some bad guys and I am shot in the chest by one of them. When I was shot, I felt blood gushing up my throat and out my mouth. When I woke, I was lying on my back with my mouth wide open and the sensation of the blood coming out of my mouth was still present.

I recently had a dream in which I was telling people about that dream. I though that was quite strange when I woke up.

HazMat

Yesterday I started work at eight o'clock. It was just supposed to be a normal day but when I arrived, my manager told me that I was going to head office for a hazmat class at one o'clock. Thanks for the warning! That was fine with me though, at least I had the car with me.

The class was all about dealing with dangerous spills and how and when to clean them up and when to run away. We do deal with a lot of hazardous materials in the grocery store, especially down my aisle (cleaning supplies), so it was good to find out what to do in case of a spill.

We watched a lot of movies and learned about truck and product markings for dangerous goods. We also recieved a book on how to find out what each of those markings mean and how to respond to them in case of a spill.

At the end of the class, we all went outside for a spill and clean up demonstration. It was just starting to sprinkle a bit at that time. By the time we were half way through the demonstration, we were in a full downpour which didn't let up until I was in my car on the way home. Needless to say, we were all soaked and of course I didn't have my jacket because it was warm when the class started.

One volunteer had to punch a hole into a bucket with a hammer and spike as the instructor demonstrated pads they used to soak up different liquids. I was the second volunteer who had to plug up the hole with a puddy type compound called Plug & Dike, which got a few comments from the class.

The rain was coming down so hard that water started dripping into my eyes. I wear gel in my hair and so the water rolling into my eyes had gel in it. Let me tell you, that wasn't pleasant! To make matters worse, I was wearing rubber gloves for my part in the demonstration, so I didn't want to wipe them with my hands. I ended up just taking off my glasses and wiping my eyes with my shirt sleeves.

By the time it was over and I got to my car, my shirt was completely soaked which was another pleasant experience I could have done without. My wet shirt stuck to my back during the twenty-five minute drive home. I was glad to get out of those wet clothes!

Back to Work

It's the end of another vacation for me. I had a week and a half off and tomorrow I go back to work. My holiday was amazing! I feel refreshed and rested and I'm not dreading going back to the grind.

In previous years, when I would take time off of work, I would ruin the last half of my holiday stressing out about having to go back. It was awful. I realize that I wasn't enjoying my job and taking time off was just accentuating that fact. This Summer is different because my job is different.

I'm so happy that I am enjoying working now. It makes the rest of my life so much easier when I don't have to fuss about going in to work. I can relax on my vacations and feel good about everything that I do. I'm busy and my days feel full. I have a routine (or something close to it) and I try to stick to it as close as I can, knowing that if I veer away, things will start to fall apart, so I stay with it.

It's amazing what a point of view or a position of attitude can do for one's life. We really are in control of our own destiny and we decide how our days are going to be. Our attitude is the deciding factor and with a good one, we can do anything!

Blackberries

It's blackberry season again! One of the best part about the area we live in is that blackberries grow everywhere and are free for the picking. Laura and her cousin Samantha went out a couple of days ago and picked a big bowl of them. When they got home, the first thing they did was to measure out the amount they needed for a dish they were planning to make. Then they divided up the rest in half, ate half and saved the rest for Susan and I to eat.

Last night after dinner, Laura made a blackberry cobbler out of the berries she'd set aside. It was delicious! She is such a good little cook. I can't wait to see what other great treats she's going to make this blackberry season.

Stories of Cigarettes

The best part about visiting everyone on the weekend was listening to all of the stories. Gramma, Auntie Iris and Mom all talked about things from their past, people and events -- it was all so interesting. I love to hear about it because, as you may know, I'm working on a family tree. I try to write everything down so that I may use things later.

Most of the stories are not connected and usually have years between so it will be a task to incorporate them all. Two of the tales told last weekend however, were related in context as the two situations were similar, so I combined them.

When Iris was young, she would take Grandpa Whitehead's rolling papers and hide them. She either didn't want him to smoke or just thought herself to be pretty funny. He would usually discover them missing after the Macey's had left so he'd have to go without smoking until he could get some more papers. He would laugh and laugh because it was Iris and she was such a cute little grand-daughter.

About seven years after Grandpa Whitehead passed away, Iris took up smoking herself, but she hid it from her Dad, Harold, because he wouldn't want to see his little girl smoking. David was just a toddler at the time and Iris used to babysit him. One night, everyone was over at Daryl and Delaine's, sitting around visiting. David decided to go into Iris's purse, take out her package of cigarettes and hand them to her, right in front of her Harold. She was absolutely horrified that her Dad had to find out that way.

I wonder if Grandpa Whitehead was guiding David at the time, a little game of get even from the other side. I'll bet that Grandpa Whitehead laughed and laughed.

Signs

When we were making our trip to Penticton, I noticed some interesting signs between Princeton and Keremeos and made a mental note of the milage so that we could stop on the way back and take some pictures.
One was a sign to watch for mountain goats.


The other was a sign to watch for mountain sheep.



Along the way there was also a big bear, peaking over the side of a hill which was very cute.

Squash

We bought some squash in Keremeos. I'd never cooked squash and wanted to try. We got a gold nugget, a yellow patty pan or scallopini and a yellow summer squash. They were all fairly small so I took the first two and stabbed each with a fork a few times, then threw them in the oven. It didn't take long for them to be done. Apparently you can eat the skin but I read that too late and didn't wash them well enough.

I peeled, gutted and sectioned them, mixing the pieces with butter and salt and pepper. To my surprise, the kids liked them, although the scallopini tasted a bit too much like pumpkin, unlike the gold nugget which looked more like a small pumpkin.

It turned out to be a hit and now I can't wait for the Saanich Fair so that we can get a few more varieties of squash to try out. I'd love to try and make some soup.

Trip to Penticton

We just got home last night which is why I haven't posted for a few days. We left on Friday, after Susan got off work, wanting to catch the three o'clock ferry. It was busier than we expected and ended up catching the five. When we got to the booth we found out that they don't debit and we had to park at the side while I ran down to the bank machine to get some cash.

By the time we left Starbucks in Tsawwassen, it was seven-thirty; quite a bit later than we intended to be on our way. We stopped again in Chilliwack to grab some McDonalds and didn't stop again until Princeton.

As we were approaching Hope, we noticed some very dark clouds ahead of us, but it was clear directly overhead. Once we got onto the number three highway, we started to see flashes of lightning ahead of us and the roads were wet. There were also patches of the highway where the road was covered with clouds of steam. It was very cool but I had to slow right down through a few sections of road. The weather stayed like that for the entire trip -- clear but we were following the storm.

It was so relaxing, driving at night because there was barely any traffic. Such a smooth drive. I really had to get out and stretch when we got to Princeton though. When we finally got into Penticton at about twelve-thirty, we were all very happy to hit the bed.

The first night in Penticton, it rained so hard in the middle of the night that it woke me up. There was thunder and lightning and the rain was coming down in buckets. It was just sprinkling in the morning though, so it didn't rain on our picnic.

We went down to the beach at Okanagan Falls where everyone had already arrived. Gramma was sitting with her back to us and I walked up and asked if we could join them. Gramma was so surprised and we had a great visit with everyone who showed up.

It got a bit windy in the afternoon so we decided to wrap it up and head back to Gramma's house. By the time we got back to the motel to change, it was pouring rain. We were so lucky we left when we did. When we went to the car, after we'd changed, it had started to hail like no hail I'd seen before.

Half way to Gramma's, the hail became the size of marbles! Incredible. It was kind of scary but cool at the same time. During the visit it continued to rain and hail on and off.

We all left at about nine-thirty and went back to the motel for our last night in Penticton. We slept and got up at nine and headed out on the road at just after ten.

We took our time driving, stopping at a few places to be tourists; it was fun! We shopped in some fruit stands and bought a bunch as we slowly made our way home. Just about ten hours later, we walked though the door to our home. It was a very good trip and I'm glad we made it, but it was good to be home again.

Life is a Gift

The other morning I was driving Susan to work just before eight o'clock. We were the first car in the right lane, waiting for the light to change on Johnson St. at Government. The light turned green and a car raced through from the left at the last second, in front of us. I was about to go when the car in the lane beside me honked their horn (which made me hesitate stepping on the gas pedal). Another car raced through the intersection going in the same direction as the first car.

I have to tell you that it scared the crap out of me. I was paying attention to the first ass who went through the red light instead of checking the intersection for more cars. If the car beside me hadn't honked their horn, we would have been t-boned and with how fast the second car was going, I doubt if we'd have got out with our lives.

Driving the next four blocks to where Susan was working, two more people ran red lights in front of us (was there a full moon or something?). I guess everyone was in a hurry that morning.

I was telling a friend about this incident later that day and he told me that would have been "it". That statement shook me up. When the incident happened, I thought to myself that we could have died but when someone else said the same thing, it somehow made it more real.

I know that I keep going back to the same theme with my posts here, but life is precious and you never know when it's going to come to an end. We have to savour every moment and be thankful for the time we have because we never know how long it will last. Each day is a gift.

I found a motivational poem which sums up my feelings for how I want to be living each day. It is by an unknown author but is very meaningful. The title is:

"A New Day"

This is the beginning of a new day.
I have been given this day to use as I will.

I can waste it, or use it.
I can make it a day long to be remembered for its joy, its beauty and its achievements, or it can be filled with pettiness.

What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes this day will be gone forever, but I shall hold something which I have traded for it.

It may be no more than a memory, but if it is a worthy one I shall not regret the price.

I want it to be gain not loss, good not evil, success not failure.

Health is a Gift

Today I am thankful that I have my health. I know that I take it for granted though and it takes certain incidences to bring me back to earth again and be happy with what I have.

There is a woman who's been shopping in the store I work in for years. She is physically disabled. I have no idea what kind of crippling ailment she may have, but she's very limited in her movements. She goes around the store in her electric wheelchair and buys a few things, placing them in her lap but I've noticed the last few months that she's been going downhill.

Today I was called up to the customer service desk to help her get a few things. I got her items and found her in the freezer aisle. She asked me if I'd help her get to the till and help her pay because she was having trouble controlling her chair.

I helped her pay for her groceries and then asked her if she needed help getting home and she told me she'd appreciate that. I grabbed a vest and proceeded to walk her home which was a few blocks away, controlling her chair as we went.

She was just having a bad day and didn't understand why she was having so much trouble. I felt bad for her but realized as we walked that she didn't want my pity. Along the way we chatted about family and such, just normal things. She told me that her mother was eighty years old and she worried about her getting into a feeble state, just as if there were nothing wrong with her. Mentally she's very sound so her ailment is only physical, trapped in a body which doesn't work properly.

I complain about things in my life once in a while, things which really have no importance in the whole scheme of things. To this woman, everything she does is a challenge and I've heard not one complaint from her.

Today really made me take a second look at my life and to be thankful for what I have. It reminded me not to take anything for granted because one never knows when things will change.

Cooking Rice

When Susan and I got married, we bought a rice cooker which steamed the rice nicely. It was easy for me to do so it was my job. (I'm not a very good cook.) Susan is the real cook in our house, and a very good cook at that, especially when she's creating something new.

One day Susan's Mom told me how to cook rice on the stove top (I think I was complaining how long it took to make rice in the steamer). "It's really quite easy," she said, "just put some rice in the pot and then cover with cold water until it's this deep."


She held up her hand with her index finger pointing down and her thumb nestled in the bend of the first joint of that finger. The tip of the finger should be just touching the rice and the thumb just resting on the top of the water. Boil, then turn down the heat and in twenty minutes, it's done.

To my surprise this makes perfect rice. Now I am the rice cooker without a steamer. It also doesn't matter how much rice I make, this method has always worked for me.

It's very interesting to me how people have different methods for doing things which quite often work better than conventional instructions.

We should listen to our elders, they have things to teach us!

Feeding Time

When Laura was a baby (she's thirteen now), Susan breast-fed her, which I think is important for building a bond between mother and child. My thoughts were that if the mother could have that bond with the child, the father should be able to have some sort of similar bond. When she got a little older, and we started introducing solid foods, I took over feeding her. I didn't feed her how you would think though.

If you look at all of the baby foods in the store, it's just pureed food. Some people get a blender and do it themselves because baby food is expensive. I thought about what people would have done before jarred baby food and blenders and came up with my own method of feeding.

My thoughts were also of the digestive system and chewing food is the first step. Saliva mixes with the food as you chew it and the enzymes start to break it down before you swallow. I decided that if I chewed the food for her, it would be healthier and better for her than if we got a blender or bought jarred baby food. Cheaper too.

I started with chewing my food very well and then take it out of my mouth with my fingers and feed it to her that way. It all made sense to me but other people didn't seem to understand, especially when our system evolved and Laura and I cut out a step.

She would sit on my lap as I ate and I would feed her by pushing a bit of the chewed food from my mouth directly into hers, just like birds. She would just eat what I ate at meal times. I felt a little funny about it at first but it turned out to be very natural. The more I thought about it, the better I felt because what the heck did people do to feed their children a hundred of years ago.

It became a bonding ritual and one that I'm very glad I pursued. We would get funny looks, especially when we went out to eat at restaurants but I didn't care and Laura just wanted her food.

I've never seen anyone else do this and I think that's sad. There are so many opportunities for bonding and getting closer to our children and my example here is so simple and natural, at least to me. I think that it was a great start to the good and healthy relationship that I have with her now.

When I tell people this story, they almost always have the same reaction, which is of disbelief. It doesn't matter what other people think though; I didn't care then and I don't care now. It was important to Laura and me, and I'm glad that we had that experience.

Drive In Movie

Last week Susan and Laura went to the drive in movie, which was being shown at Mayfair Shopping Centre. The movie was Elvis's "Jailhouse Rock". The pass was free and was the third of three movies they showed in the month of July. The girls had so much fun. I couldn't go though because I had to work that night.

All of the cars were lined up in the parking lot, facing the side of the building and the sound came from your own car radio. Some of the vendors in the food court acted as concession for the event and even took orders and delivered to the cars. Of course Starbucks was open as well and all did a huge business, a very smart move for the shopping centre.

The first movie I remember seeing at the Drive In is "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams". That was in 1974 and I would have been five years old. I also remember going other times, and I'm sure I attended movies before that, but that was the first time I remember.

It's too bad there aren't any Drive In Theatres around anymore. I remember pulling up to the speaker and hanging it on the window, going to the concession to get snacks and drinks. It was always so much fun. I never understood why they all closed.

I guess now it would be impossible to show a new movie in a drive in today, with all of the pirating that goes on. It would make it so easy to record a new movie. It's just one of those things that are a part of our history and will live on as a treasured memory. I am grateful that Laura got to experience it too.

Life is Short

The other day I ran into Sherry. She works in the bank across the street from the grocery store I work in. I asked her how she was and she said, "Enh" and wobbled her flattened hand side to side. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that her husband had a heart attack while driving to Sooke a couple of weeks ago and died. They have two kids I think, about the same age as my younger two.

It made me think how terribly fragile we all are and with one wrong move our lives can be extinguished. The little things seem so important until you think about that. How much time do we waste on little, unimportant things when, in reality, it could be the last thing we ever do on this earth.

We could choose to do something seemingly important rather than spending a bit of quality time with a loved one. What if something happened to that loved one and you couldn't spend another moment in this life with them? How important woudl that task seem then.

We still have to live and to do things for ourselves. We have jobs and responsibilities and we can't just stop living for fear we might loose someone, or ourselves. What we can do though is to treasure the time we have and to live each day as if it were our last.

I recently watched a motivational speaker who only had a short time to live. Actually he just died on July 25. It was so inspiring to watch him give this talk, knowing that he only had a short time. I can't even explain, you'll have to watch the clip yourself. Click on the link below.
The Last Lecture

Every moment we have is a gift and it's up to us what we do with that gift. It makes me want to waste not a single, precious second.

House Plants

Before we moved into our new home a couple of months ago, we had three house plants: a prayer plant (which constantly prayed to live), a lily which wasn't doing much better and a some kind of trailing plant which only had three leaves. None of these plants did anything in the five years we lived in our previous residence and we actually thought we lost the prayer plant because the one leaf it had was dried right up.

One thing I have to say here is that Susan has had that prayer plant since she was a girl. It would have been a very sad situation had she lost it after more than twenty years.

A couple of weeks after we moved, we noticed our plants slowly coming to life and looking much healthier. The prayer plant started sprouting new leaves and so did the other two. We even bought a polka-dot plant which is now bursting out of the little pot it came in. Our plants are so much happier.

I guess they didn't get enough light in our old place and now they get much more. We only moved next door but that big tree in the back was enough to rob them of the light they needed to live.

Today Susan and Laura came home with dirt and new, bigger pots for all the plants. They transplanted them all so now they'll be even happier. Laura even re-planted a cherry tomato plant she'd bought at the market downtown a couple of weeks ago. She also bought a little strawberry plant starter kit which is very cute.

It is so refreshing to see the life in our plants come back. It was so stifling in our old house, even for us. Now we all have room to breath and life is much more comfortable. We were so long overdue for a change and I'm glad that it came when it did because I don't know how long any of us would have lasted over there.

We have plans now for more plants, now that we know they'll do well. We'd like some sort of large plant for a corner in the living room and maybe a few others. The trailing plant we have used to go all around our living room two houses ago. I'd like that again. I think it will. Life is good!