It has rained since 5pm yesterday and still coming down. The weather guys all say it will continue the entire week. Ewwwww.
Where the dogs exit and enter they have transformed the pathway so that it now resembles a pigs wallow.( not really that bad, but on its way there! ) I was thinking of going down to the river front and absconding with a shitload of sand. But then I realized our home would become a beach with the sand the dogs tracked in. So, tomorrow I will trek into the concrete jungle of Chilliwack and grab a few 70 litre bags of shavings and put that down.
Oh gawd, I shudder at what this pink carpet will look like come spring. Plans are to rip it out and lay down some sort of lino or tiles, haven't decided which yet. But, till then, I really should buy a small carpet shampooer.
My Dad was here over the weekend and helped with skirting the trailer. Just the back end to do and it'll be done. Yay! I do believe I am ready for winter to make an appearance!
He doesn't scare me!
Well, he kinda' scares me. Look at that face!
There's a missing blogger! Her name is Jonna. I faithfully read her blog every few days and loved her photos. She blogged about nothing in particular but was interesting. Her photos consisted of her ducks or chickens or the deer that crossed her meadows, or a lovely rock she may have come across. Just everything and nothing in particular. I liked her style of writing, it was real. You felt like what she was saying, in type, is exactly the way she would come across in person.
I went to her blog a few weeks back and it took me to a page that said " the blog you are looking for was not found....blah blah blah. My first thought was ohhhhh crap, she somehow accidentally deleted her blog. Maybe she was trying a different template and something fucked up. But I go back every morning to the link and still, she is not there. It's been 5 weeks.
What happened to Jonna? I don't want to think the worst. Odd how someone I never met, and would probably never meet has me worried for her. She's the one who peaked my interest in blogging. Speaking of blogging, my cousin Denny has one! He's a great guy and his writing style I admire too! To know him is to love him...he's such a nice guy. You'll have to go read his blog to understand why the word *nice* is exaggerated! Running With Safety Scissors
There once was an old man. He saw a mess and cleaned it up.
That's the gist of the story that you can read here: Hometown Hero
I keep looking at Henry's crate. It looms large and is a monster in this small space. He doesn't use it at night anymore, because he's a big boy and can hold *it* till the a.m. But, I still have to have him in it when I run errands. It's not that I don't trust him, it's that I don't trust Watcher.
You see, while Henry thinks Watcher is *God* and is to die for, Watcher at times, looks at Henry like he should just die.
Henry, when in puppy play mode always seeks out Ticket. They wrestle, toss each other around, snarl, gnash teeth....it's a blast to watch them! But in the midst of all the intense play sometimes Henry loses scent of Ticket and just smashes into the first hairy thing he meets. Immediately Henry senses it's Watcher and goes into his whole "I'm sorry Watcher...I'm sorry Watcher" routine.
The routine is no different than any other pup that is displaying submissiveness. He crouches down to make himself appear as small as possible, all the while tentatively licking at Watcher's face, and generally just pissing Watcher off. Watcher lifts his lip to warn him off, but being blind, Henry just continues with the whole submissive act. Then it progresses. Watcher again does his Elvis lip impersonation with an added deep chested from the bowels of hell growl. It's a soft growl so I don't worry yet.
Most pups being able tosee as well as hear all the warning signs would leave. But since Henry can't see the Elvis lip, and can only hear the growl it makes him want to smooth the situation. And so the dance of death intensifies. He keeps licking at Watcher, trying to climb on him, but all the while also trying to make himself as small as he can so as to be non threatening. Watcher growls deeper, Henry licks faster. Watcher grows more angry with each lick.
But still I do nothing. Not until I see Watcher make the real ugly face
I call softly to Henry and he makes a bee line for me. With the biggest shit eatin' grin on his face each time. He thinks he has just made wonderful friends with Watcher. He has no clue of the real situation.
I trusted Watcher one time to deal with it himself and he put 2 tiny puncture holes in Henrys noggin. Nothing to go to the Vet about, but it made me realize that Watcher can't control how far he can go with Henry. If Ticket gets pissed off with Henry she just envelopes his scrawny head in her large mouth and squeezes ever so gently but with enough force to cause him a small amount of pain. Henry *get* that doggy speak and fucks off.
If Watcher could learn that that is all it takes I could get this monstrosity outta' here!
*sigh* I guess the crate will stay where it is.
Here's a video I took of my crew a few months back.
My niece Amanda is touring Europe. Backpacking. On her own. What an adventuress spirit she is! I am in awe of her. She sent her Mum a couple of photos from somewhere in Italy. My gawd, how incredibly beautiful. Can't wait to see the rest she has once she comes home.
It was a girls day yesterday. Ticket and I went to a small lake about an hour away and met up with a friend. Bloody gorgeous day today! Here's the eye candy we feasted on....
We managed to get the hose insulated. First we spiraled heat tape about every 3 feet. Then enveloped that in foam. Then came the insulation all along it, then plastic over that to keep out moisture. And finally, enclosed the whole ugly looking mess in its own pretty little 12 foot cedar coffin.
That sucker won't freeze this winter!!
The 3 air vents on the roof were insulated, windows washed, a new fridge ( arriving on Friday ) and small ceramic oscillating heater were purchased, and the propane tank filled.
The skirting for the bottom of the trailer will wait till another weekend.
Old fridge taken out, awaiting new one. Look at the top of the photo. See that small grey thing?
Here's a closer look. My Mum near had a fit when she saw this wee Hornet nest.
We set up my BBQ and did up some chicken breasts, corn and baked potatoes. Strawberries and grapes for dessert. Yum!
I relaxed last night and watched the film "Crazy Heart" Oh my gawd, easy to see why Jeff Bridges won so many awards for his performance. Absolutely fantastic film.
The older he gets the easier on the eyes it seems
Or maybe it's because I just love a cowboy.
Went to the thrift store today looking for a good decent cake pan and spotted these 2 people. They don't talk much.
I'm not a big fan of summer. Never was. I don't remember ever going out suntanning. I appreciate the sun for its much needed light and whatever tiny amount of Vit D it can help my body produce, but other than that? Pffft.
I am sitting here safely tucked indoors, while I listen to the leaves being blown off their branches. I can hear them dance ( yes, I said leaves dance...my leaves do! ) across the gravel driveway gathering speed until WHAP! they hit the side of the big Cottonwood tree. There they will remain wedged, between fence and tree, till I feel like hauling them off to the compost. Which will be today because I have lots and lots to do before it's too cold to work outdoors!
My hose line needs to be insulated before real cold sets in. Or else I'll end up having to go to a creek somewhere and chopping through the ice to get water!
Sorta' like this
'Course, I'm a woman, so the body would be a tad curvy. And I'd be wearing clothes for gawd's sake! And hip waders! What is this guy thinking??
The trailer also needs to be skirted. For all you non trailer living people, that means the underneath of the trailer will be wrapped up so no cold Mr North Wind can freeze our arses off this winter.
Sorta'.....and I hope it looks exactly like this: ( painted plywood instead of ugly ass tarp )
Yesterday I started cutting the boards for my fence. Yeehaw! I used a Mitre Saw. Powerful tool, maaaan that thing just helped me whiz along. Most of the boards are 78" or so and I am cutting them down to 72". Guesstimating....I'd say I cut 30 or 40 in a couple of hours. About another 180 or so to go. Hopefully I can get that done by next weekend. Crossing my fingers the rain doesn't come down in buckets because this is all being worked on outdoors. A friend has offered to help me build my fence so another Yeehaw! He will come up on weekends and work hard alongside myself, I'll feed him and we will hopefully have it all done by end of this month. Can I get another yeehaw please? YEEHAW!!
My parents are coming down this morning and heading back tomorrow. A lot gets done when they are around. Busy busy busy bees. My Dad can do the insulation on the hose while my Mum and I do whatever my Mum tells me we are going to do. She's like that. My lips will be tremendously raw and bloody by the time she leaves.....from all the biting on them I will do. My mantra when she's here is "My Mummy loves me...My Mummy loves me...". But, all in all, she's great. And loved more than she thinks. Silly old lady.
Hope your day is as great as I already know mine will be!
I was browsing the aisles of a thrift store recently. I like shopping there because 1) it's cheap! 2) it's run by a group of volunteer church ladies and the monies go straight into the community food bank and 3) it doesn't smell like ass in the store. Man I've gone into some thrift stores and walked out wishing there was a full cycle washing machine close enough for me to throw myself into.
I was in the doo dads/ornamental junk section when this fearsome beast called to me.
Now, I am a lover of Gargoyles! And this was something I had only seen in photos. This particular item would be screwed against a door and the knob handle would enter in the middle hole. Cool eh!
I took that and my other prizes of the day, a book about edible local mushrooms and 2 really cute little candle lamps and headed to the cashier.
That sweet little old church lady picked up my Gargoyle and tossed it across the glass counter top with venom. She raised her sweet voice and told me that it was demonic. WTF?? A Gargoyle.... demonic?? I couldn't be bothered to try and explain how much ass backwards her thoughts were.
Have you heard of geocaching? Well, apparently on one of our regular walking places is one particular Fir tree that geocachers just love to hide their caches in and around. Now, it wouldn't be a problem if they selected a spot where they did not need to damage/maim....but they dig around the base of it and cut notches in it to hide their caches. Hey! C'mon guys! There's a billion other crooks and crannys to use on a tree, you don't need to kill it in the process! We walked there yesterday and I put the dog shits all around the base of the tree. If it stops one geocacher from damaging/maiming, well, I've done my job. *smirk*
Living in a 5th wheel has its moments.
Ever heard of someone having a *navy shower*? Wet yourself, turn off water. Soap and scrub. Turn water on and rinse. That's what happens when your hot water tank only holds 6 gallons of water. I hope my Mum comes down soon and stays overnight in a motel. I can bring myself, Watcher, Ticket and Henry and give us all a nice long leisurely bath. And for having the pleasure of her visiting me of course! Ha!
Why are toaster ovens called toaster ovens if you can't make a decent piece of toast in them?
Salmon patties over cooked in the oven make awesome dog training treats. My dogs love me. :)
Found this poem while surfing the other day. I want it framed and at my bedside table. By Ray Carver:
Woke up this morning with a terrific urge to lie in bed all day and read. Fought against it for a minute.
Then I looked out the window at the rain. ...And gave over. Put myself entirely in the keep of this rainy morning.
Would I live my life over again? Make the same unforgivable mistakes? Yes. Given half a chance, yes.
