Pocketful of Memory Cards

I finally got around to using my Twongo Coupon for Urban Harvest this morning.  I dropped by last week to pick up some organic produce, took one look at the crowd and turned myself right back out the door.  I did my best to beat the rush this morning and arrived at 9:10, just after they opened, but the place was filled with people and the line up at the cash was crazy.  Since I didn't have hubby and the dogs waiting in the car this time, I decided to stay. Urban Harvest is an organic delivery service that's been operating in Kelowna for about twelve years now.  You can sign up online and receive a rubbermaid container of fresh organic fruit and vegetables at your door once a week for a fairly reasonable price.  We tried it a couple of times while the kids were living at home, but we go through a lot of fruit and veggies and their weekly basket just wasn't able to keep up with our needs.  They've made some changes and now that we're down to two, I'...

Today was a true illustration of the saying "If you don't like the weather, just wait fifteen minutes."'  We had a little bit of everything today. My morning started with a lovely rainbow.  It was a double one in fact but the second arc had faded before I was able to take a photo. Not long after that,  Mrs. Peartree posted on FB that there was hail falling on the east side of town and soon after her report we received a deluge of rain and sleet at our house. Then later this afternoon the beautiful sunshine arrived.   And I would love to show you the photo I took, but my USB ports seem to be out of order. I can't upload any of the photos I took this afternoon.  I think it's time to give up on this MacBook Pro that has been a real lemon.   Hope to figure something else for tomorrow.

The bad news is my daughter is moving out this weekend, and yes, you guessed it, the good news is my daughter is moving out this weekend.   As I suggested in the blog post , when she returned to us last fall, I was concerned about the effects of her social life on me, thinking I'd be worried about her staying out late.  Turns out I was right, I worried for nothing.  I guess I've just learned to trust my daughter.   She's really is fun to have around and I've loved hearing her perspective on things going on in the world.  I've enjoyed hearing about her anthropology and fine art classes and the young men and women in her life.  It's both so different and similar to my own experience in the 80's.   I've also loved having someone else make dinner every Friday night and the recipes she shared like this flavourful one for  spinach soup . I've been sitting here trying to come up with some reasons that I'm not sorry she's leaving but th...

Today, while waiting for Lens and Shutter to open, I decided to photograph the pedestrian/bicycle overpass that crosses Highway 97.  When this overpass went up last year I was surprised at the number of complaints I heard about it.  "I've never seen anyone use it." "What a waste of municipal dollars."  It always amazes me when people make sweeping judgements about things based on their own limited experience.   Regarding the latter, the project was funded by the Build Canada Fund, the Province of BC, the federal Gas Tax, the private sector and yes, the City of Kelowna.  With regards to never seeing anyone use it, I ask "How many times a day do you drive under it?"  and "Why are you looking at the overpass and not the road in front of you?"  Which kind of explains why there's a need for it.  The 2009  Kelowna Community Snapshot reported 2700 vehicular accidents a year and seven of the top ten intersections where these accide...

With little more than a month left of my one year commitment to post a daily photo, it's been a challenge to post something creative and interesting lately.  These days it's cleaning, culling and Coastal Oregon as I try to get my house in order and finish my latest Blurb book before the 25% off deadline of April 2nd. Today I couldn't even escape for a mini artist's date, and I know exactly where I would have gone.   I'm picking my camera up right now, to find something to photograph that represents my day.   Just to be clear I did not drink six glasses of wine today.   Last night I hosted my book club and I didn't feeling like doing the dishes at 10:00 last night and left it all for this morning.  

Yes, Max is handful, and yes there are days when I think "What have I done?"  And there are the days I say "What have YOU done!!!!".   Like this day ....and this day ... and this day .  Oh yeah, that's the before picture... I didn't post a picture that would have been taken about an hour later, with one of the sheets pulled off the line, balled up in a pile in the dirt and grass. If you have a dog, especially if you've had it since it was a puppy, you know what I've been going through.  Puppies are challenging.  But then they look at your with those soulful brown eyes, and their  worried foreheads, and your heart just melts.  Even when you've just finished yelling at them for chewing on your suede boots or snarfing down the granola bar you left on the counter, they'll pad carefully over to you, nudge you gently and try to give you a big sloppy kiss.   There's a lot to be said for unconditional love, and it's something I...

I'm exhausted.  I have no energy to get it together today.  No photo.  No story. No nuthin, nada, rien,  kaputski.  I'm taking a break. Okay, I got this...but that's it.  See you tomorrow.

Over the past 30 or so years of cooking for myself, I've collected quite a mess of spices and spice jars.  Today I picked up some dill and paprika from Abby's Spice and Tea Store and when I got home I was frustrated by how difficult it was to find the jar I was looking for.  Quite frankly, I was embarrassed by the sloppy collection I've amassed.  It's a shameful way for a Virgo to behave.   Of course this is tongue in cheek, but I am in home organization mode these days, so it's the perfect time to do some culling, while trying to come up with a thrifty and creative way to make my spices accessible and fresh.  Thanks to Pinterest I have a few different ideas bobbing around in my brain.  Think of these as the before shots and I'll look forward to sharing my results with you.

When you pass the evil dog from the Tinder Box , shown here at the top of the path along Mission Ridge, you come to a flat open sandy area dotted with drought resistant grasses. My husband and I were walking Max and Pitou along here the other night and I happened to mention that I'd be really sad if they decided to build houses along here.  Cue the stringed instruments.  He told me that he knew for a fact it was going to happen.  He thought the developer would leave a public walkway along the front but it was only a matter of time before the subdivision that sits below the edge of the horizon you see here, works its way up and over the very easily built upon land before you.   It's a shame they wouldn't turn it into a public space.   Kettle Valley Subdivision has several public areas and the one shown on their home page is at least the size of the spot here.   It's a great spot for any number of activities.  Many people come here...

Last night I bounded cheerfully onto the sofa while my husband was watching the Canucks - Black Hawks game.  The following conversation ensued: Me:  How much is too much underwear? He:  Huh? Me:  How many pairs of underwear should one person have? He:  Whaddya mean? Me:  I mean how much is too much?  How many pairs of underwear does one need ? He thinks for a minute and says with authority. He:  Fourteen. Me:  Fourteen pairs of underwear. He (with a confident nod):  Fourteen. Me:  You have twenty nine. He looks incredulous and starts laughing. Me:  You have twenty nine pairs of underwear. He, laughing:  I do NOT! Me:  You do so!  I counted them today.  There was so many on the dryer that I decided to count all of your underwear to see how many you had.  You have twenty nine pairs.   I tell ya it killed me today not writing on Facebook "My husband has twenty nine pairs of underwear ...

For World Poetry Day I'm sharing a poem I read and fell in love with on Treasuring the Day , a blog by my dear friend Janet. You Can't Have It All  - Barbara Ras Covent Gardens Market September 2009 But you can have the fig tree and its fat leaves like clown hands gloved with green. You can have the touch of a single eleven-year-old finger on your cheek, waking you at one a.m. to say the hamster is back. You can have the purr of the cat and the soulful look of the black dog, the look that says, If I could I would bite every sorrow until it fled, and when it is August, you can have it August and abundantly so. You can have love, though often it will be mysterious, like the white foam that bubbles up at the top of the bean pot over the red kidneys until you realize foam's twin is blood. You can have the skin at the center between a man's legs, so solid, so doll-like. You can have the life of the mind, glowing occasionally in priestly vestments, neve...

I was driving home a couple of weeks ago when something deep in the field on the north west corner of Gordon and Old Meadows Road caught my eye.  Today I had the time to stop and take a photo. It looks kind of like an apiary but not like any apiary I've seen before.  To be honest I've only seen one apiary before so I guess I'm really not an expert.  If you have any other suggestions, let me know.

Last week I had a thought.  Well, I had many thoughts but this particular thought was about the New Year.  Why is the New Year in January?  Shouldn't it  be in the spring when so much of the world is being renewed be it through plants, through new life in the form of birds and animals, or the re-birth of deities? Turns out that once upon time, when we followed the Julian Calendar we celebrated the New Year on March 25. We changed to the Gregorian Calendar in the late 1700's because if I recall correctly from my research, the date of the spring equinox eventually became quite inaccurate.   I wish I could find the link that explained the reasoning behind the change of the New Year celebration to January 1st, but I deleted my history yesterday, and darned if I can find the site I was looking at.  So this long winded pre-amble is my lead up to telling you that today, with less than twenty-four hours until the vernal equinox and what I recall the Bah...

In my ideal world there is one day a week, when I don't do laundry, or grocery shop, vaccum or clean out the litter box, or waste time on Facebook and Pinterest .  That day is called the Sabbath in many religions and no matter what your beliefs, a day of rest or a day to spend time with family has to be a very good idea.  Now that I've completed my writing course I am in house cleaning/organizing/de-cluttering mode.  The thought of a Sunday (or any day) free of housework guilt, and time spent with the ones I love is motivating me to get things done. Today I spent most of the day deep cleaning the kitchen.  Four pets and three people who have a tendency to walk through the house with their shoes on brings in a lot of dirt.  I didn't take a photo of the finished product, but if you're curious it looked pretty much like this post from last June. I also spent some time working on my Blurb photo book from our drive along the Oregon Coast in Septemb...

Even if I had made it to the Mission Greenway today to photograph the  St. Patrick's Day tree , I don't think you'd have been able to see it through the snow. Winter made a valiant effort to hang around just a little longer and it snowed on and off most of the day.  St. Patrick's Day is all about the green, so I guess we'll call this winter green.

I won't be able to make it to the Mission Creek Greenway   on St. Paddy's day so I'm posting the monthly tree photo a day early.  It seems the wood faeries have struck again, or perhaps this month it's the leprechauns.   Many people believe that if you catch a leprechaun , he has to tell you where his pot of gold is - I think that comes more from the ad for Lucky Charms than true leprechaun folk-lore. Today on Radio West I learned that in fact if you catch a leprechaun he must grant you three wishes. The Radio West reporters went around the valley asking people what their three wishes would be and it was heartening to hear the simple needs that people have.  Things like health, happiness and peace, money, a job you love, a house, "a few more years for my mom", a canoe and my favourite "honey bees".   What would you wish for if you had three wishes?

I dashed into the Cod Father's this afternoon after a sudden inspiration to see if they had any fresh pickerel in stock.  Lucky me!  They had some just in from Ontario.  It's usually from Manitoba and though it's a treat when you haven't had any for a while, Manitoba pickerel just doesn't seem as good as the fish we caught in the lakes near Sioux Lookout Ontario where I grew up. Tonight we'll be having a traditional Sioux inspired dinner with pan fried pickerel, wild rice that I know for sure comes from near Sioux because my dad sent it to me.  Gayle McKenzie's cucumber salad will be one of the side dishes and I think I might dig into the frozen wild blueberries for dessert.  I have no idea what I'll do with them, so feel free to share your suggestions. My Mom with the result of a good day's fishing in the early 70's

March has been it's typical roller-coaster of a month.  We've had rain, we've had snow, we've had bright sunshine and great gusty winds. Yesterday a layer of crystalline snow coated my car.  I wedged my scraper under a crunchy corner and peeled it off my windows like the shell off a giant hard boiled egg. The dog park was a mess  with a river running from the parking lot through the entry way, settling in dips, making for a very brief visit and a trip straight to the laundry room when we got home. This morning, somehow the park was relatively dry and I got my first sight of my personal harbinger of spring.  Each March, when  I see a red-winged blackbird , it reminds me that warm weather and blooming flowers are just around the corner. 

It's Max's 9 month birthday today (9 month-aversary?) today.  It wasn't until I looked at these photos that  I realized how muscular Pitou is.  He and Max may be two totally different breeds, but you can tell they go to the same gym. (Note: Pitou is actually three totally different breeds:  Jack Russell, Chihuahua and Dachshund) They make a great sparring team.  And even when Max is wrestling happily with another big dog at the park, Pitou is there acting like the ref; throwing in the odd bark, circling back and forth around two dogs that could take his head off with one bite.  One of the park regulars calls him and other terriers "The Fun Police", but I think he's just making sure his big little brother is OK, ready and willing to lend a paw if it's needed.

Today I'm most grateful for the way one thing leads to another.  Life's funny that way.  Call it synchronicity, coincidence or fate but it's been proven to me so many times, that . .. the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way .  This Goethe quote has turned up before on these pages and it informs my gratitude list this week where I am very thankful: 98.   for the friends who invited me to join them for the big 40th birthday bash in NYC this summer, since I'll be turning the big 5-0.  Looks like 50 is the new 40! 99.   that the trip to The Big Apple will dovetail perfectly with my plan to visit my Dad this summer. Kelowna's Big Apple on Gyro Beach 100.  for Joyce whose encouragement has brought some wonderfu...

When I'm out gadding about town - running errands and such - I often cross Springfield Road at Cooper.  As I pass the parking lot of Mission Creek Alliance Church  I spy these two roof tops,  and I wonder.    There's something about older buildings that draws my attention.  I love the grey weathered wood and the peeling shingles.  Anything with fuzzy green moss growing on it is particularly appealing.  I have no idea where this comes from but I'm sure there are studies somewhere that would tell me. Today I decided to stop and see if there was some way to look at these buildings without having to go into the yard of the people that live in the somewhat newer building at the front of the property. At the back of the church parking lot I stood on a snow pile that was more dirt than snow and was able to satisfy my curiosity at last.

I caught sight of my shadow  while scouting for photo ops and tried to take a shot of me making a peace sign.  Turns out I'd need another hand for that - no self timer on the iPhone. Then I thought "Hey, that looks like an Inukshuk", one with stumpy arms, but an Inukshuk nonetheless. If you're a regular visitor to this page you know I'm very open to signs from above, or the universe, or whatever you want to call it. According to this link , one of the traditional meanings of Inukshuk is  "You are on the right path".   I'd like to think I am.  It's been a great journey so far: a winding, joyful, challenging, up and down round and round path, not unlike your own I'm sure.  Where this path will lead next, I have no idea but I know I don't have to remind you to enjoy the journey while you can.  We know it will end, hopefully a long time from now, and though we don't truly know the ultimate destination, I'd like to ...

I was driving out Lakeshore Road this afternoon and decided to stop in the parking lot above the dog beach at Cedar Creek.  This section is also the Nude Beach, but I saw no hearty souls in their birthday suits this afternoon. It was bright and sunny, much more so than this photo shows, but I discovered the battery on my Nikon was dead and had to be happy with my iPhone.  Maybe it will look brighter on your computer.   I'd like to return with the dogs this weekend.  And in case you're curious, my nude beach days are over.  For some reason the more often I went, the more uncomfortable I felt.  Which reminds me of a comedienne I once saw who described the perils of eating sandwiches on a nude beach in the presence of seagulls.

When I arrived home from grocery shopping on Tuesday I discovered my husband had already purchased a four litre jug of milk to replace the empty one I had spied on the counter that morning.  I bought one too.  We don't use a lot of cow's milk and a four litre jug will usually last us two weeks.  It's not that we don't like it, we just believe that milk is for baby cows, not people and use almond or soy milk (though someone  prefers cow milk in their cereal).  I've been on a kick to use up the extra milk for the past two days and tonight we are going to consume it in a flavourful curried cauliflower soup.   I used this recipe more or less.  The cauliflower was huge so I added a little more curry, used chicken flavoured vegetable broth and replaced the half & half with a cup of skim milk.  I also left some small chunks of cauliflower in the mix because I like a little texture in my creamed soups.  I also added a couple of hu...

I thought I'd have a  picture of my shiny new bumper to show you today but on the way home from the repair shop I happened upon a gather of several hundred teachers, students and their supporters.  They were assembled in the lot occupied by the Kelowna Farmers Market behind the School District 23 office. BC Teachers have been on strike, or I should say "protesting" for the past few days (our "democratic" provincial government has legislated they are not allowed to strike).  Whether you agree with the teachers requests or not there is something that cannot be denied by anyone with children in the public school system, or those with teachers as friends or relatives.  The current system is not working and something must be done.    Governor General Award winning teacher Rhonda Draper Class sizes are ever increasing, split classes seem to be the norm, the number of students with special needs are increasing while the number teachers hired to assi...

I am the proud owner of a new pair of figure skates. I used to skate competitively in my youth and I really love ice dancing.  About five years ago, I was thrilled to discover that Kelowna had an adult ice dancing club that met once a week. After a good fifteen years with very little skating to speak of, I was keen to start building up my strength and balance so I could join them.   Kelowna is a big hockey town.  Every sports store you go into has a wall covered from floor to ceiling with all kinds of men's and boys' hockey skates. It seemed if you were looking for ladies' figure skates you were out of luck.  The few stores that carried women's skates had two or three options, mostly moulded plastic or  hard-as-rock vinyl.    There are lots of figure skaters in Kelowna, but those that belong to the Kelowna Figure Skating Club have to drive the 4 plus hours to Vancouver to find a pair.  I would imagine you can order custom made ones throug...

It was a whirlwind three day trip to and from Salt Spring Island this past weekend, leaving Friday at 1:30 and arriving home by 5:00 Sunday night.   Even though it seems like we spent most of the time in the car, I'm thankful for each moment we spent with our families.  I'm particularly grateful: 92.  we were able to celebrate my father-in-law Reg's 94th birthday with him. 93.  for the kind, respectful and caring ways of Madeleine who Reg enjoys bantering with so much. 94.  for the fact that Max only ate part of the gearshift and the cover off the armrest while waiting in the car on the ferry, and not the steering wheel or the gas pedal. 95.   that my husband did all of the driving. There's nothing like a long drive to put me right to sleep, especially when we'd been up at 5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday to catch early Ferries. 96.  for Stephanie, Brad and Shane who don't mind acting as hotel and restaurant on these brief trips and feed us...

We've brought back some dud gifts for the kids from our trips, but I think we done good with this one.  Our son is a very talented musician and while in Venezuela we picked up a  Cuatro  for him, which we were able to deliver to him today.    A cuatro has only four strings and they are tuned like a ukelele, much different from a guitar which is his instrument of choice.  It amazes me how he can pick up an instrument, particularly stringed ones and with no instruction at all make it sound great.  And he he can't resist trying a little Ozzie. Check this out below to see a more traditional approach.  Very Cool!

We visited Salt Spring Island this weekend, to celebrate Reg's 94th birthday and to share the goodies we picked up in Venezuela.  Unfortunately we couldn't bring back any food, but we were able to snag a few cans of Polar , (pronounced poh-LAR)  the beer they used to enjoy and we bought a couple of bottles of Cacique (cah-SEE-kay), the coveted rum.   Here's Mike and his brother Bob enjoying the Polar, but I'm told it doesn't taste quite the same.  They feel it's due to the fact that in the old days the cans were steel and the current aluminum cans affect the flavour.

This is Hank.  Also known as Hank the Tank.   Hank is Max and Pitou's cousin.  He's a one year old French Bulldog.  Hank is cool.  But he's too cool to tell you that.  So I'm telling you. ....like you needed someone to tell you.  Just one glance at this photo of Hank and you think:   Man, that dog is cool. And you're right.  He's SO cool.  In fact, he's so cool Chuck Norris has a photo of Hank on all his T-shirts.  When Chuck Norris gets up every morning he thinks "What would Hank do?"   And he's adorable! In fact he's the very definition of adorable.  Earlier, I posted a picture of him looking adorable, but it immediately replaced all the adorable kitten photos on the internet so I had to remove it.  Because not only his Hank cool and adorable, he's very modest...and humble.   Maybe some day you'll get to meet Hank.  You'll be able to scratch him behind the ears and hear that adorable gr...

While visiting Hambleton Galleries this morning, I had an interesting chat with owner Stewart Turcotte.  I knew he was a huge fan of artist Daphne Odjig , but I didn't know much about her, even though I have a fondness for Canada's First Nation artists.   Having only been exposed to Ms. Odjig's more recent work, I was fascinated by the discovery that when she began selling her art, it was more of a European style of painting.   The painting above: Boats in Harbour, Victoria 1963 shows her impressionistic style.  It was around this time that her art began to focus on the myths and legends of Aboriginal culture and she began using what is referred to as Woodland Style. Hambleton Galleries has a number of Daphne Odjig paintings and it's very interesting see the variety of styles she uses, including cubism.  I believe the ones pictured to the left are more recent.  The iphone photos do not do her work justice. You'll just have to go into the gal...