end of season mulch

Finally!  The weediest spot in our garden was attacked by my brother-in-law in early August.  A few blades of grass crept back in over the last month and a half, and were finally eradicated by my husband.  To add to the no-weed look I like, he put down landscaping cloth and then went to buy bark-chips.  End-of-season bark chip selection is not top knotch - we got black... which looks a lot like dirt.  Oh well.  At least there isn't any chance of grass growing under that bench!  Next year I'll put a few pots on the broken bench and have flowers cascading down off of it.  It'll be so pretty!  Thanks for all your hard work Ty & Austin & Scott!

'puter games

Who knew playing typing on the 'puter (or a placemat in this case) could be such fun?  L came up with this idea and Scott jumped on board, and then E and my sister got in on it as well.  Pretty soon there was the Coast Guard against a Secret Society bent on taking over the World!  I missed out on most of it because I was busy working (on a real computer, not a wooden placemat) while all this imagining was going on upstairs.  Never a dull moment when the niece and nephew are in town!  Even Maggie (our dog) got in on it (she's in hot pink on the back of the sofa basically ontop of Scott).

family visit

L and her other Aunties

As a favour to my brother-in-law I sucked it up and drove with my sister and her two kids to Vernon to visit the other side of the family.  Kidding!  I love those kids & getting to spend more time with them is a blessing, so I actually jumped at the chance.

It was nice to see the other side of the family again.  I've known K (the woman looking at me taking the photo) since I was 18, and met her sister B shortly afterwards.  So we were all friends and my sister knew her mother-in-law before she even met her future husband.  It's a tangled web we weave, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

L was just enamoured with J, who is K's little boy.  And E visited with his much older cousin S, who was incredibly tolerant of all the little ones and their lack of understanding about personal space.

We laughed, we cried, and A got incredibly sick, and then the kids got a little ill, and I even managed to attend a scrapbooking class and visit an old friend.  It was a great start to the summer visit, and as a little payback, my sister helped me get my studio back in order from the renovations.  I know, I know.  It's been a long time coming!  But having my appendix removed, and then myomas removed, and then a 3 week vacation to Sonoma, and then... well, you get the idea.  I didn't do much this summer in the studio.

I did make up for my lack of actual work by taking a boat-load of pictures.  Here's a couple more from my time in Vernon.  I hope I get back out there next summer.  What a fabulous little town!

time ticking away

Best Shot Monday's theme this week is about time moving quickly.  And in those small moments where we see it slipping past, what holds our attention.

Most of what has held my attention this past week has been planning my brother-in-law's wedding and the logistics involved with planning in Vancouver while I'm here in Calgary, as well as the fun of trying to get other family members to 'buy-in' to my ideas.  My ego is pushing my ideas, because, of course, I figure they are better ideas than anyone else's.  Hmmmm....

And then I had the opportunity to spend time taking care of Molly (above) who is, sadly, on the downward slope of life.  She's thin, has a lot of lumps that may be cancer, wheezes all the time, has hips that don't work and cloudy eyes.  And look at her!  She's just as happy as a clam to be out for a short walk.  She doesn't much care about anything except that I try to keep up with her, and give her food to eat, water to drink, and a few bellyrubs for good measure.  No ego.  No positioning for accolades.  No hurt feelings if someone doesn't agree with her outlook on life. 

So even though she's in pain and sauntering towards the exit door, she still has lessons to teach.  Even if the student is a little slow and pig-headed.

Oh, and when I die, if I get to come back, I want to come back as a well-loved dog.  Like Molly.  With lots of bellyrubs, please.

gratitude

I'm not usually grateful enough for all the wonderful things in my life.  I generally get overshadowed by the non-wonderful things and end up brooding to the point I forget about the wonderful things.

However, this past July I stayed at my sister's friend's place in Glen Ellen for 16 days.  This is her view up Sonoma Mountain, with the fog just lifting off in the morning, the bees buzzing on her masses of lavender, and the olives ripening away on her trees. 

I am grateful I have been able to carve out a life that led me to this place.  I am grateful I have a husband who supports all my weird artful follies and sees value in them.  I am grateful I have a Mum who came along and made it much more fun than being alone.  And I'm grateful for my sister who told me about the house-sitting option.  Oh and to the owners, for letting us stay in this wonderful place.  I really really hope it's a yearly thing.  I could totally get used to that.  :)

growth?

As per Best Shot Monday, she has requested that we look at the growth that has taken place in our lives lately.  The only growth I have is my ever expanding butt.  Most of everything else is contracting.  I've found, over the years, that I've put myself 'out there' and then promptly get put down.  So I've slowed down in my zealous attempt to be flayed continually.  Funny that.

And I know where it all stems from.

This is one of the very few photos I have where I know I'm pregnant when the photo was taken.  And this is one of the very few photos I have where I still think (at the time, in the photo) that life turns out the way you expect it to.  6 years, 5 miscarriages, and 80 pounds later, I know life definately does not turn out the way you expect it to.  And that sucks.  Hard. 

Hence the shrinking of my life, not the growth.  Sorry.  Not really playing along well this week.

best shot Monday - obsession

My current obsession is this horse.  He's by the side of Bennett Valley Road on the way to Santa Rosa California. And I think he's just beautiful.  Mum and Scott aren't as convinced.  But we've now stopped twice to photograph him.  And I believe we're going to stop one last time in the next couple days.  :)

my best shot Monday

I am forever trying to take photos of fish, and never really getting any due to the reflection of the water.  I think this one worked out pretty well.  It was in the Japanese Garden in Spokane and there was no sun overhead, so there was no big glare either.  It's still a little distorted due to the angle of the water and refraction and all that science stuff, but a huge koi shot nonetheless.

away

I'm away on yet another holiday.  Mum and I drove down to Glen Ellen California from Calgary Alberta.  It was a long drive (took 3.5 days) and we've not really stopped driving since.  There have been too many things to see and check out!  And then, of course, there was the "let's drive up Highway 1" issue that lead to "let's head back from here" problem, that meant 3 extra hours on the road. hmmmm... Perhaps that wasn't the best way to spend a day.

Regardless, away on holidays and yet still working, so is it really a holiday, or just work in another location?  It would be great if my 'work' could be always just wandering around checking out new things and reporting back (not exactly like Star Trek, but then again, I've always liked the beaming aspect of their travel).

It's been an interesting year so far - trip to Vancouver Island in April, appendix out in May, then another surgery for a myomaectomy days before our driving trip in July.  And when I get back my sister will be popping up for a visit... and then it's fall.  Very busy.  I really feel as if time is slipping by and I'm not using it wisely.  Best laid plans of mice and men and all that. 

But I am taking some great photos along the way!  Well, at least I think so.

best shot Tuesday??

Okay so I was travelling yesterday!  That is my excuse for not publishing a photo on Monday.

What have I seen through my lens this week?  Well, a lot.  Mainly ... rose gardens.  And my Mum.  We're travelling down to Glen Ellen from Calgary.  That is quite a trek!  Along the way, we stopped at some gardens (well, not in Redding - it was too hot to get out of the car!)

I love the lens flare on this - an automatic vignette!