The dog who hated toys

That dog would be this dude

Okay, hate is a ridiculous word to use. More like has no need for them.

At all. Ever.

He favor’s the bottoms of my jeans, most especially when I am putting them on. Or scooping poop is another great time to trip me up by going between my legs, grabbing the bottom firmly and yank!


Or the shop vac extension. He kept nosing open the closet where it was stored and stealing it, so I allowed him to claim it. And it’s not like he chews the crap outta’ it, he just gives it a few chomps and then stashes it. A couple times a week after Ticket and Watcher are in a deep rem sleep, he will bring it out, chew it a few times and nose it back.

Weirdo.

Did she just call me a weirdo?

Watcher and Ticket on the other hand, are game for any kind of fun with anything, anytime or anywhere. They especially favor ripping up stuffies and chewing apart sticks. Any species of tree will do, although they seem partial to Willow and Maple. Not weirdo's.

I like this ingenious idea from some folks in Vermont. Sticks, cut from Maple trees marketed and sold to idiots other folks who for whatever reason, are clueless stickless. Fetch Stix

I don’t do TV

I believe it is now 6 years that I have not possessed a TV. The bill for the luxury of it had climbed from $72 to $80 per month when I called a halt to the whole damn thing.

It was becoming horribly expensive, the packages were stupid, and I never watched it 3/4 of the time it was on anyway. It was background noise that had become a normal part of everyday living.

Youtube started the ball rolling for me. Do you realize that you can watch full length movies, tv shows, documentaries, cartoons…you name it, for free there? All genres and all eras! Playlists and playlists. Look at it as a free Blockbuster’s.

TV stations all over the world stream their news online now. A lot of those stations as well have their scheduled TV shows available for FREE an hour after they have aired!

Then there’s torrents. If it’s not available somewhere for free online you can always download it from one many tracker sites. Want to watch all seasons and episodes of your favorite TV show…voila! Want to watch a hard to find film…voila!

I have a few favorite sites that I frequent when I want to soak up some fun and or brain info. One is the National Film Board of Canada. Over 1500 films of all lengths, documentaries, interactive…all genre’. Love this site.

One of my favourite films I’ve watched there was about the Mohawks on their reserve in Kanehsatake in SW Quebec. A short summary: In 1990 the town of Oka ( on the edge of the reserve ) decided they wanted to take some burial ground land, that was an obvious cemetery with numerous headstones etc., and make a golf course. The Mohawks said fuck off. It became the first well publicized violent conflict between First Nations and the Canadian government in the late 20th century. The Quebec Provincial police, local police, RCMP, and finally the army came in. First Nations bands across Canada held blockades along all major roads, highways, railways etc. It lasted more than 2 and a half months and one person died. Read more about it all here and then watch the film below or on the NFB’s site here.







Another site I like for watching online is Top Documentary Films. A tip for this site…sometimes it says it is only a short clip for the documentary. Don’t turn it off, just let it play out, the entire film will be there. Crackle is another good site and Viewster is not bad either.

I’ll never have to buy another TV ( on average they only keep their full potential for 1 and a half years ) every few years, not one more outrageously expensive bill, nor not one more increase in cost. And, aside from some opinions, it is not a major ( or minor ) wear and tear on your computer! As well, you can take your computer/movies wherever you go, unlike your TV.

Now, after I've said all that, go outside and play!

Wow...what a view!

After 7 years of apartment living, Kelsie has become a first time house renter! And whoa, what a great rental!

It sits on top of a mini mountain just outside of Hope, with a view that made my jaw drop. Every room, except 2, has a magnificent view of the Fraser River and Cascade Mountains.. And those 2 that don’t, have views of the forest. Le sigh…it’s absolutely beautiful.

The view from the extremely spacious deck on top of the garage, and the view from the living and dining room…

In the yard was this odd plant. Is it an Elephant’s Ear? It looks like it, but the leaves on this one are much wider than any other I have seen.

Along the back of the property were these bundles of Curly Willow branches, and thicker stalks. I’ll grab a few next time and get my craft on. :)

Happy first time house renter!

The sun was shining all day…

But the smog was disgusting. I haven’t seen it this thick for a few years. Crazy!

Yesterday was a great day. The company was as always lots of fun and the view made my heat go pitter patter. Yay!

Winter’s on my mind

What happened to summer? There were no where near the hot sunny days I had expected. Now, I am by nooo stretch of the imagination a *sun baby*, but dang it, I wish we had seen the sun more this tiny corner of the world! I have never once in my life laid myself down to tan; not even in my teens when it seemed to matter the most to others of my age group. If I am outdoors on extremely hot days you’ll find me walking through or sitting in the shaded forest or down at the river under trees. Or, like now, sitting in an air conditioned cool trailer while it is 88 Fahrenheit out doors. But still, I wished we had seen more sunny and warm days.

In spite of, or maybe because of the great weather we’ve been having, aside from an entire 24 hours of rain, my mind has wandered to winter. And the cold it brings.



Friends, Dianne and Dave, have some extra asphalt roof tiles hanging around and so I need to nailed down to the 4 wooden steps into the trailer. Last winter they were just too slippy…I worried constantly about the dogs and pulled muscles/broken body parts. The broken body parts was of course the high end of the what ifs but still. Watcher and Ticket can at least see what the steps and ground look like and what to avoid/be careful with, but Henry just plods through life thinking all is fine. I need to make sure he can keep on plodding safely.

The Plodder

Also I need to get under the trailer and stick insulation in all the places that I can see light enter through. I thought I had done a pretty good job of that last year but apparently not, as the propane for heat was at $200 per month. I guess that’s not too bad as the walls are only 2 inches thick. I think a fair bit of heat was lost due to the thinness of the door. I was thinking that maybe the only way I can bandaid that is to find a good looking wool blanket, attach double sided sticky tape and tape ‘er up when we’re indoors. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions

I will never, ever again live where I don’t have at least one sunroof. This one of the two is in the kitchen.

Climbing Nightshade beautifying the chain link fence.

Ever wonder where you'd end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash? ~Robert Brault




Hope you all are having a great day!

Hope Photo Day

Some photos of my little burg, Hope.

No home delivery, all mail is picked up at our teeny Canada Post.

A great place to sit and watch the river, and contemplate.

The same bench, a few months later, when the yearly rise of the Fraser River overtakes it.

This is a one stop light town,( seriously ) and here’s the corner where it’s at, Third St and Wallace.

and another angle with a beautiful flower basket hanging from the entrance to City Hall

The war memorial in our gorgeous park

The only *department store* in town.

Hope has had a lot of movies filmed here, but the most famous of all was Rambo First Blood. And so there is an extremely cheesy face cut-out thingy I try to force upon drunk nice and obliging cousins when they travel here. Here’s my cousin Denny hating my guts smiling and happy while I take his pic!

Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into where I am ( at the moment! ) calling home.

And leave a comment dammit! 

Touching the tops of trees

My heart loves these mountains. Any mountains will do, but because I live amongst these beauties, this is where my heart beats.

I quite often oogle and ogle at all the switchback logging roads around here while on Google Earth, and dream of the time I’ll go. But, my piddly little van would never ever make it to the top, or even near. And that irritates the hell outta’ me.

I got an invite yesterday…. I went with Kelsie and Doug to the top of 5000 foot Stoneman Mountain. It was absolutely one of my favourite day trips since I’ve lived here in Hope.




I think we crossed 5 bridges and 2 different valleys. The only wildlife we saw were Ravens, plenty of other birds, and a few Trout. Not surprising though as Doug’s truck runs on propane and was as loud as a freakin’ freight train. Oh, and the proof that were indeed other critters around. Bear scat and Elk prints. Without further adieu…here’s the trout, poop and print.

The first valley…where I willed the bears to come out and start lumbering around. Which they didn’t.

What is wrong with these trees? Sad looking things…

And down to the valley above…

Heading up…

Came to this mess, realized we were only about 100 feet from the top and stopped.

And the foliage…a Wild Yellow Raspberry…and only one!

It was a really great few hours! Thanks for the invite Kelsie and Doug!