Thursday, March 29, 2012

Ssssufferin' Succotash!

Sigh...oh life. What a ride it is..an amazing, scary, breathtaking, heart warming/breaking and just plain beautiful ride. I wouldn't trade it for anything else as freaky as it can be. All of the those things that frighten us and impress us are the things that make us who we are...who we turn out to be...who we keep growing into. As a youngster, I always looked forward to getting older...more for the sole fact that I could be my own boss...I think most kids think that way. I recall my mom and other adults around me always telling me to enjoy my childhood...enjoy the freedom of being young for when you are an adult...it all changes. Man...were they ever right! I say it all of the time too. I miss that life of carefree and no stress.

The last few months have been full of suffering...suffering from pain that I am unable to control. I feel as though I am losing my mind right now. Take for instance, the simple daily task of brushing my teeth...it puts stress on my shoulder and neck from the repetitive motion that using those sore and overused muscles, tendons and joints...I am just trying to maintain proper oral care. I know...it sounds absolutely ridonkulous...all part of my frustration. Lately, the weight of my arm puts too much stress n my shoulder and the only way I can feel less pain is to just lie down. Boooooooring! I can't stand having a day of doing absolutely nothing. I had one of those days last week...I just needed to have a break from life day, to try and help ease my pain. I literally woke up, went to the spare bedroom, flicked the TV on and watched pvr'd movies ("She's the Man" and "Kung-Fu Panda") and far too much TV all day long...into the night. Next day STILL sucked! I am finding it hard to hold my head up from the pain that my scalene muscle is in...my head feels too heavy for me to carry. Typing this damn blog is killing me...I just need to get the pain outta my head!!!!

Clint dragged my feeling sorry myself butt out of the house to go and check out the life on the ocean. It's the yearly herring run...this year they are on the east side of the island...out on Berry Point. We took Maggie with us and walked up the beach to watch the sea lions, sea gulls, eagles, sand pipers and other water birds feasting on the fresh and delicious little silver fish. It does make me feel better...feel better about life. Life is always renewed and stirs up something amazing for us to feast upon. Life goes back to normal and we have our heartaches and disappointments. But we also have more beautiful moments that take our breath away and give us that rejuvenation and bliss. Sometimes that bliss is always surrounding us, if we actually take the time to notice it.
Anyways...I took a video of the commotion down on the waters today. I wanted to share the spectacular show with these that are not here to see it. It is such a fantastic view. The trumpeting sounds of the sea lions bark just gets to me...I love it! The noises that all of the different birds make is just insane. Nature really is the best TV I have ever seen!

All right...back to the project. Probably because of my low mood and self sorrow...I am not feeling the fervour I started with for my Project 12:12. It seems more like a pain my neck to remember to take a picture of my "moment". It all seems so dull to me...as if it is worth anything at all. Well,it is my life and I should feel happy with it. As monotonous as it can seem...everyday is a wonderful gift. I am blessed to open my eyes each and every morning and see all of the life that looks back at me.

 Monday March 26 12:12 pm
Maggie and I were chilling at home. She loves to go in and out and in and out and in and out and...you get the picture. I hung out on the deck with her for a bit to enjoy the sun that was just coming out from behind the grey clouds. We love you sunshine!!
 Tuesday March 27 12:12 pm
2 1/2 hour bath day...I could have stayed in there for far longer. I was pruning up quicker than normal that day. But the warmth sure feels good...I could lie in the safety of the tub all day long. (it's safe cause I can't do anything that hurts me when I'm in the tub!)
 Wednesday March 28 12:12 pm
Enjoying cool art makes me feel happy. My friend Kate is a cool artist...she makes jewelery AND ceramics. She has recently combined the two and makes wearable ceramic jewelery art. Oh, she is talented!! ;o) Check it out on Etsy.
Today...Thursday March 29 12:12 pm
Pre sea life sightings...I am trying to do nothing today...argh! I watched "The Princess Bride" today. I LOVE that movie. I love love..and that movie has a whole bunch of it! I do believe that love can conquer all...love always wins. We just need to maintain that love any way we can. Always remember what made you fall in love in the first place. Go from there. ;o)

All right....more TV time. And smells like supper is ready. I love Clint...thanks for taking such good care of me honey! xox

Monday, March 26, 2012

Patience...

The word brings me back to childhood...to a song that I learned, way back in the day at Lake Nutimik Baptist Camp during the summer. (I spent a week there, each July, from the age of 8 to 14) Every year we would learn songs and perhaps a drama to perform for the adults when they picked us up at the end of the week. It was all so very exciting! ;o) Anyhow, one year we learned the musical "Music Machine". Do ya know it? It's a good one...if you enjoy love and forgiveness and patience and learning about how amazing we all really are. After doing that musical at camp my mom went out and bought us the record WITH the book to go with it so that we could follow along. I totally remember sitting on the grey shag carpet of the living room floor in a warming sun beam and listening to the record, singing along to the songs and feeling very happy and positive about life. (ah childhood...the innocence of not knowing about the harsh realities that life will throw us. But the time of our life that can give us the strength and know how of dealing with those problems.) The thing I like about those kind of memories is the happy feelings they still bring out in me. And I feel incredibly fortunate that I was brought up in a christian home that was full of unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness...for I was a rebellious teen. ;op

Most of the songs from that album are gone from my memory. I could not sing them if my life depended on it. Except for two of them...the Theme Song "Music Machine" and the song about Herbert the Snail. "Have Patience". THAT song I remember nearly word for word...though it's always the chorus that I find myself singing when the virtue is desperately needed. It goes like this..."Have patience, Have patience. Don't be in such a hurry. When you get impatient you only start to worry. Remember, remember that God is patient too...so think of all the times when others had to wait for you." Hee hee hee. I sing it to Clint...I think it may make him a little impatient at times! ha ha ha! But the words do ring true to me. When you have patience with a situation or a person, or a group of persons...perhaps even waiting for the kettle to boil...it makes life less stressful. I think as a human race we would all live much longer if patience were our key virtues. No more red faced angry people running around the streets hollering at people to get out of their way or "hurry the hell up!" Traffic would be easier to handle if we didn't care that we were stopped in the middle of the Second Narrows bridge because there was a hurried courier van that got smoked by a hurried BMW on his way to work after leaving later than he/she should have. It's so easy to get bent out of shape...heart beat racing and curses coming out of your mouth because things are moving too slow. Maybe, take that moment to look outside of your car window...see the life around you. Even if you are in the middle of downtown...there are cherry trees in the boulevards...tulips planted in cement planters...people walking down the sidewalk that are ALWAYS interesting to look at! ;o) I have been that red faced, cursing impatient driver...or in line at Costco feeling angry about the looooong line-up...the long line-up that takes me to the cashier that saves me a ton of $ on food. Yes! How can I stand and complain about that? I shouldn't...and I don't...anymore. Instead I make conversation with the people around me.It is far more entertaining...even more so when the others in line are red faced and are now losing patience with me and my loud mouth! lol I'm just trying to be friendly and pass the time with laughter.

Anyways...right now I am needing to have some patience with the weather outside. I need to not feel so needy for the sun and heat of the summer. I need not complain about the rain that came this morning after having two glorious days of sunshine in a row. I mean, it's spring for Pete's sake. It's not even April, and the weather, it really hasn't been too bad all winter long even. (save for the wind storms and power failures and such..t'is island life...got to love it!) The rain puts water in cisterns and drink for the trees, flowers and grass that are looking to wake up again from a long winter's nap. How can I rush that? Why would I want to? Summer and heat and swimming in the phosphorescence will soon be the present, and I will enjoy it immensely. I should enjoy this season too...for it also is mighty gorgeous outside. Thick sweaters and woolly boots look good! So cheers to the rain drops which feed life to all living things outside AND in. :o) I can wait for you sunshine...for you light up my life and I must have patience for one that does that for me. :o)

The sun shining through the window the other day, through the piece I commissioned Tammy Hudgeon to make for my sweet husband. (his family has worked for Pepsi/7UP since the 50's.) His fave ad for 7UP was the rainbow and sunshine, uber colourful ad made my Peter Max. This is Tammy's interpretation of it. Too cool.

 Friday March 23 12:12 pm
walking around the block with Maggie while "Alberto" (our car) gets a new air filter put in. Thanks Richard!
(I can not rotate my pics...they are proper in my computer and when I put them into Blogspot...they come out sideways!!! argh!!!! this NEVER happened on my old computer...wah!)
 Saturday March 24 12:12 pm
Dans le parking lot de Folklife Village avec mon ami Sonia and Clint. What a beautiful day that was. Sun shining upon us all. Beauty!
 Sunday March 25 12:12 pm
Inside Gabriola Artworks...look at the pretty colours and pretty new stuff for the home! SCHPRING! ;o)
Summer...I patiently await your arrival. Peace!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Oi vey...I say!






















Oh man. I am having a hard time with "people" at the moment..."people" who enjoy destruction and negativity and are just plain old vindictive. These "people" that I am referring to, are the kind who set up malicious viruses to attack computers and ultimately try to ruin another "life". Being that, these days, we keep our whole lives on these little plastic and metal wired boxes that live on our desks, kitchen counters, laps and purses...computers! Ahhhhh! Why would someone make a virus in the first place? They don't even know who they are hurting. Do they get pleasure out of the whole act? I guess so...sick bastards! (sorry for my French...it is just so frustrating.) 


A couple weeks I was sent a link to a nice video about a dog who just needed a hug. I am a sucker for those "animal being saved" type videos/stories. I love a happy ending. The site that I was re-directed to seemed strange right off the hop. It was called christiansingles.com(do not go there!)...what that has to do with Edie the dog, I will never know. The video had this slow-mo repeat to it...there were flashing neon ads to the side of the page...it was all just so weird. But, I kept watching because I needed to see the happy ending. Well, the instant I left that site, my computer started to act funny...REAL funny. Windows would just open up when I didn't click on anything. One time it was a video of a woman shaking her big booty...what the heck?? I got a malicious virus worm thing that started to infect everything on my computer. I couldn't even open up photos anymore! Like seriously...does the dude or dudette that created this "virus" even care that all of my memories have been stolen. PLUS Clint's portfolio..are you kidding me??? My bad I guess for not being a backer upper computer type person. i don't even know how to do that sort of thing. I always just put older pics on a disc then delete the files. Haven't done it in a while though...boo!! I have a good techie here...and he can't fix it. Thank goodness for good people though. Through my not being able to communicate once again, a friend felt bad and decided that she would give me an old laptop that was just hanging around her home. How awesome is that? Supah dupah awesome, I say! She said it was kharma because I gave her an organ...not a kidney...a real, cool and functioning organ with foot pedals. Sweet! So...now I am on a lap top...which is fun. I miss my computer though. Seriously thinking of saving my $$$ and getting a Mac desktop...I am so over the whole getting a virus thing! I have had them before...boooooo to pc's being so susceptible. It sucks!

Anyhow...I did not forget about my 12:12 project during this whole debacle...I have been taking my photos. Trying to figure out this new picture editor program...argh! Enough with my whining...I need to chill. Good thing I am on the West Coast which is colder right now than the rest of this country. Not! (can't wait for he heat!!!) 
 


 Friday March 9 12:12
...heading out with Maggie (Clint behind the wheel) to go for a forest walk. Maggie's absolute favourite...the trails don't hurt her old lady paws. Sometimes the beach does not bode well with sweet Maggie May...hurty rocks all over! :o)
 Saturday March 10 12:12 pm
...5 sailboats making there way past Departure Bay in Nanaimo. This day was a beach walk day...but tide was low enough that we had sand to walk and run all over...lucky Maggie!
 Sunday March 11 12:12 pm
...finished the outlines of my painted shot glasses for Crafted Booty: Spring Fling. They are all pretty colours now! :o)
 Monday March 12 12:12 pm
...WINDY deck mess!!!!
 Tuesday March 13 12:12 pm
...hanging at home...staring out the windows a l'ocean and life out there. Maggie...quick pose! Ought...you moved your head! hee hee.
 Wednesday March 14 12:12 pm
...fishing boat floating towards the sun and into a rainbow!! There were four seperate rainbows this day...all within an hour! I LOVE my new view!!!!
 Thursday March 15 12:12 pm
...doing some cleaning up in our bedroom. Can you see me...dans le mirror?? :o) (I can not rotate this stupid pic!! it is proper in my computer then when it downloads to blogspot it flips. argh! Computers!!)
 Friday March 16 12:12 pm
...well hello sunshine! Little Baby Dollie sat on my deck amongst the pretty primula...nice spot! :o)
 Saturday March 17 12:12 pm
...Happy St. Patty's day!! Just mere hours pre-beers. Walking in the pretty, lush and vivid green forest with Kate and Sumiko. What a good dog she is. Grandma Maggie was enjoying watching the stick chase too! ;o)
 Sunday March 18 12:12 pm
...Eagle looking down from his perch.Me thinks he was hunting for a bite to eat. Do not eat Wensday please!!! hee hee. (seriously...don't!) ;op
 Monday March 19 12:12
...Clint finished another Lennon and his frame. I like this one! :o) Oh CMcC...you are one talented fella!!
 Tuesday March 20 12:12 pm
...yeah...it's grey again. I don't even care that the rest of the country is warm. I have an ocean! ;o)
 Wednesday March 21 12:12 pm
...it may be an old lady thing...but I am now hip with it. Got a pair of "compression" hose yesterday on the advice of my Dr. (damn veins!!) the last time I needed to get a pair was after a blood clot. They only had band-aid orange colour. At least these are black...and slightly fashionable! ha ha ha!!!!












Today...March 22 12:12 pm
Float plane floating by. Time to get outside!!!! ;o)

Friday, March 9, 2012

not much to say...today...

I'm done...done with trying to figure out something interesting, witty or surprising to write. I sat here for about 10 minutes with a most blank expression on my face...the expression of my brain was much the same...an abyss of emptiness. I often can talk a person's ear off. With as much information as Cliff Claven could pack into a 30 minute sitcom...Cheers. You know..."where everybody knows your name". The things that come out of my mouth will sometimes have absolutely no relevance at all to the moment in which that it is all being blurted out. Sometimes...I hate silence and just spew whatever words in the English, sometimes French language that are sitting silently on the tip of my tongue...waiting for the moment to impress. I am never that impressive. I may hold a lot of information in this noggin of mine...it just ain't all that interesting to most people. Oh...I just remembered something interesting. AS I was getting dropped off at the Coates dock in the False Narrows, we passed an Eagle munching on something while sitting atop the log boom. I thought at first glance that it was a half of a salmon. It was not. It was a Seagull!!!! What????? I had no idea Eagles were cannibals. When they are hungry...they will eat anything. I sure hope that Wensday (my 15 pound kitty) is too fat for them to even consider clutching her rotund body up into the air. They fly around the new place daily. Maybe they think that Wensday would be too grisly! (I don't know if I spelled that correctly...I am talking of grisle...fat...the stuff no one wants to eat off their steak. except for Cheri Rohloff.) ha ha ha!

12:12 today I was on my way to hitch a ride to Mudge Island and help out the fabulously talented jeweler, Lindsay Stocking Godfrey, start up her blog page. I tell you...this is a blog worth checking out. She is AMAZING!!! I must admit to owning...ummm...about a dozen stellar pieces of her Sterling Silver jewelery. Oh my...spoiled we are here on Gabriola to be amongst such great and amazingly talented artists!
 
I know...I shouldn't be taking a photo while driving...who's holding the wheel??? My knee...it's quite talented! ha ha ha ha haha!!!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Ooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

Steroids are used to strengthen and to suppress...they are to be an aid in certain afflictions and "vanity" cases. (men/women shooting up to be schtrong like Arnold!) In my case, I used to get between 20-40 localized, deep muscles injections every 3-4 months to help me with muscle and tendon stress/overuse/pain. I found that after a few years of continuous use of the steroids that it no longer offered me help...it alleviated nothing. In fact...all it ended up doing those last few times I allowed my Dr. to torture me by needle was give me severe muscle ache. With each deep injection, the muscle is being pierced and injured. The tendons in my shoulder sockets are being poked through them to get into the ball joint...I can honestly say I don't like that kind of pain. I have prided myself in being a toughie...I could take on ANYTHING. I like the buzzing, poking feeling of getting a tattoo done. I don't mind getting needles that take blood or give me medicine. It's these damn deep muscle invasions that just put me over the edge. I have often just called him a sadistic needle torture man, while he is poking me. He just laughs...as if I am joking!! ;o) 

I have not let him pierce my tender flesh in over two years. Not only could I not stand the poking, they didn't work...why go through the hassle for no reward in the end and having hopes of freedom, agility and just some pain free days, shattered to bits and pieces. Yesterday, I was in Vancouver to see my Specialist. He convinced me to allow the sharp pokes...he would go easy on me...promises. Granted...I only got about 15 shots. I am still so hurty. It sucks. But...I must keep on my project. I've already missed posting 3 days. No fear...I still did it...I took the pics. I am good that way.

A wee bit of Vancouver and home sweet home the last few days...
 12:12 Monday March 5

I NEEDED to get my visit on with some friends on Monday. I was on the 7:45 am from Gabriola to get to Vancouver so I could make my visits happen. Babies were involved!! At 12:12, I was at Syx and Taryn's. Taryn had gone upstairs to the neighbours for a bit to make pre-school arrangements. I saw on the clock...12:12. "Time for my 12:12 photo!" Sweet little Armenie...so nice to finally meet you and know your beautiful face! (a few hours later I was with my good friend Megan and her 6 week old Jack...Oh babies...you break my heart!) ;o)

12:12 Tuesday March 6

My face says it all. Moments after I left the torture chamber of poking devices...well one device. Small little hypodermic sharpie that seemingly tears through all layers of flesh and muscle to dispense a liquid that may or may not give me relief. Argh!
12:12 Wednesday March 7

Maggie sure was happy to have me home. She was my shadow all day today. (besides when she took off from me and Lynn during a cliff side exploration. Maggie got stuck in some fallen branches...felt embarrassed and ran off. Coming home with her tail between her legs 35 minutes later. She's so cute!) ;op Oh how I love her.












Time to go and enjoy a nice epsom salt get away...

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Smile on...pass it on.

There are way more pros than cons when living in a small community...here's a mere two reasons. Pro~ you run into people you know and even like, every single day...those that don't "know" you, but know you by sight will still smile, say hello or give you a nod of recognition. I like that. Pro~ because we all know each other, we can all be there for one another in whatever way we can. It's like a big old extended family...it's great! (well...as long as you like family...I do.) I say this because I felt that there were too many "cons" living in a big community, like the big city. I am not saying that I didn't enjoy my life as a city girl...nor do I not like going to visit now. It's just that I have always wanted to be living "in the country"...now I am. And I love it. I loved the city for all of it's wonderful food...every corner I walked on I could find a different kind...sushi, pizza, Greek, Chinese, Pho, burgers and beer, Jamaican, Asian fusion, coffee shops, gelato, Mexican. They have amazing public transit that could take me anywhere I wanted within all the whole huge metropolis' in the Lower Mainland. I suppose something that I do end up missing from the city is anonymity...you can not go anywhere without someone knowing you out here, like I said. If you want to have a romantic dinner date...forget it. Everyone will come sit with you...but that is something that I also absolutely love and adore about my small community too. I don't think I could ever leave.

Anyhow...one of my major gripes while living in the cit, pre our move over to the peaceful paradise, was that I couldn't stand how no one could look you in the eye to smile as you crossed paths on the sidewalk or crosswalk or mall or elevator going up to your doctor's office. I love to smile...smile at strangers, even say "hello, nice day eh"? I LOVE to smile at those that I know from seeing them around and they know me from seeing me around and we both acknowledge that knowing of one another...it's nice. I especially love when I see someone that I really do know and shoot them a quirky smile and then give them a big old hug...sometimes a kiss! I love people...we are cool and crazy little beings. And we have so much emotion and spirit within us. We need to wake up and recognize that before we turn into zombies. 

We went to town today for "mural" supplies and some groceries. Stopped in at Home Depot to look for the stair carpets...they have them!!! Maggie comes upstairs now...how wonderful. (I think that her sight is nearly gone and that is her troubles lately. she doesn't like to walk without knowing exactly where she is heading...and lately, she does not see where she is heading. Oh, sweet old lady.) While at le Depot de Maison, an employee was out cleaning up around the "leave your cart here" kiosk station thing. I heard him say something to Clint as he got out of the car. I was busy looking for Maggie's treats to satisfy her while we left her in the car to wait for us...wondering why we have left her alone. ha ha ha. I have no idea what she thinks about anything...her face just always looks so sad when we walk away from her though...so we make dialogue for her. Anyways, this dude said something that I did not hear as I was busy. I kept hearing him repeat the same words, still unsure what he was actually trying to convey to anyone who would even listen as customers are hurriedly getting back into their cars to hurry and drive home to relax, cuz it's Sunday! ;o) I finally gathered up my purse, a shopping bag and heaved my twisted to the back seat body, out of the front seat and shut the door. Just as the door was closing I heard the dude...he said "Hey there...hope you have a good day." That is exactly what he had been saying each and every time I heard him...what the?? Not one single person had even stopped to say hello or thanks or anything back. This is unconscious behaviour...bad. No recognition at all for the guy who is now going to have to walk to the far side of this parking lot to pick up your shopping cart that you left on the mini boulevard because you were in too much of a hurry to bring it back where you picked it up from...the only reason you are so far away is because you don't trust anyone else in the world to be competent enough to not hit your big shiny red truck with their bumper as they park beside you. I said hello back to the guy and told him to have a good day and stay warm because it is a windy/drizzly day. :o)

Driving back to the ferry in downtown Nanaimo at 12:12 today. Tomorrow I hit the BIG city...Vancouver. Lord, help me! ;o)

ugh.

And so it continues...the saga of the move that took many hours, days, moons passed and we are still not done! Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!! I am physically ruined right now...seriously. In the past four years we have moved 5 times...too much! I think that may be a reason for my fatigue coming on way strong this time. My muscles and tendons don't even want to cooperate with what my brain is directing them to do. I have finished 90% of the cleaning indoors and out at the last place. I have a few items sitting on top of the kitchen island that I need to bring home...otherwise it is done.

I am nearly done this blog post too...I need to veg in front of el old tv and relax...I already had my 2 hour bath. ;o)

This whole "project" thing is starting to wear me done these past few days. It actually is a LOT to remember...remembering to watch the time until it is 12:12 and then snap a photo. I do like that it keeps me aware of what I am doing during the day...living in the moment and taking each of them in. Life is pretty fun, crazy, scary, lovely, thrilling, suspenseful and all the other things that we seek or have put in our path...we just got to enjoy all of it. It should make this whole cycle more exciting. ;o)

Clearing out the old place of the rest of our junk...took much longer than I had anticipated...moving. ;op I bought this cute little scarecrow guy for the trick or treaters I used to get at my place in Vancouver on Fraser St. I always had a ton of kids come by. I would dress up and decorate the front door and have tons of candy and little surprises for the kids. I loved walking around the neighbourhood and bringing home sweet treasures...why not humour this generation? ;o) Don't get kids coming around any home I have lived out here...they go to specific areas of high concentration of houses. This scarecrow is in fact quite cute and had served me well...but he was also a little wonky and his legs always went funny. I thought it would be fun to burn him...we were burning a bunch of papers and stuff in the stove. This just happened to be happening at 12:12. Ba-bye sweet Scarecrow guy...thanks for the memories...

Friday, March 2, 2012

Communication breakdown...

I used to love shouting to my mom from the garage door that I was going to ride my bike over to Sandra or Cathy's place...just to see if they were home and wanted to hang out for a bit. I knew all of my friend's numbers by heart...but I would usually just hop on my bike to go see if they were home. The longest bike ride I would usually take to see a friend took me about 10 minutes...that was going all the way up to St. Mary's Rd at Bishop Grandin Blvd and then a few more blocks. There were times too when I would just go for a long (30 minute) lonesome ride...me, on my hand me down blue BMX, riding it all around St. Vital. It was total freedom. I loved the way the wind would finger through my hair...and if I got a real good speed going, my shirt would puff up like a parachute and the breeze tickled my tummy. (sometimes it would almost take my shirt off if I wasn't wearing my artificial arm...pervy wind! lol) I was dreaming of re-creating those days this past week during the fiasco which was our "move". The dreaming would halt amidst the hours where I was endlessly moving things to the new place (with the amazing help of our friends Kathy and Joelle, with Clint leading the lifting way...) and trying to unpack so as to make more room for the things constantly being brought in while trying to maintain overall sanity. Sanity and stress induced anxiety do not really work well together...it's not that they don't work well together, it's that they absolutely can not co-exist. Therefore, my level of sanity was at nil and stayed that way for about 5 days. It wasn't all just the actual moving of things over to the new home that made me nearly go nuts...it was the fact that suddenly my world of communication had been shut down. Hence, the dreaming of biking...freedom.

We made our final move on the 27th...that was the BIG move day where these two wonderful women named Joelle and Kathy came to my rescue and helped Clint move the remaining furniture and plethora of boxes left to haul up the street. I am not a huge help during moving times. I don't have the strength for lifting boxes anymore...I feel like I should at least carry a few boxes before my arm gives up and stops working for a week...but I choose to stick to the less physically labourious jobs. I direct, unpack and make sure beer is purchased. ;o) Being that I had phoned Shaw to let them know that we were moving on February 27th and arranging for someone to come to the new place to transfer my services, they cut off service to the old place the morning of our move. But, the new place was not working for Shaw. We had nothing...no phone, no Internet, no cable. Cable I can do without...even Internet I can live my day not needing to go on...but the phone? I could not handle that. It's not like I am on the phone constantly or anything...but when that last line of distant communication is gone, you can REALLY feel it. It's more than likely a direct influence of having everything that we could ever possibly need to know or have, right at our fingertips...Internet can give you ANYTHING your mind desires. Kind of scary! ;op

Anyhow...a big part of me enjoyed the silence of outer communication. Being inside or around the house there was only Clint, Wensday and Maggie to talk to. No ringing up a friend to chat...no checking Facebook to see what is a happening with all my peeps out in the world...no frying my brain watching pvr'd reality shows on cable. Just us...in our new home. It was perfect. It lasted 4 days.

A little praise to Shaw must be in order here now though...they had two men come to the house on two separate days to do the hook up. First dude came and spent 5 hours trying to figure out why we weren't getting a signal...also telling me that he could not put the outlet where I needed it to be but could splice the TV cable to hook the Internet up in the closet in spare room...unless I got a wireless computer. Whaaaaa? I was freaking out, thinking dreading that I would have to go back to Telus (worst ever!!) for all of my service...boo! But dude in blue van came out yesterday, solved all the "line" problems and hooked me up where I wanted...he spent 4 hours doing it all. Best part of it all...I am back to regular communication...virtually regular communication. I do not have to get on my bike and ride up up up hill to see any of my friends. I did take a car ride to visit Mariko and Kate a la Feedlot Studios to see what those wacky and talented women were creating. Surprise visits are fun! I think I will continue to do them...summer is coming! (that is exciting to me because summer is warm and you can lure your surprised friends to the beach...I can not wait for summer!)

Throughout my week of absolute chaos, I managed to do my 12:12 photo op...except the BIG move day...I remembered at 5:30 pm. I took the photo at 5:30 while I plopped down on my "upper" deck chair and put my feet up and take a break from all of the hard work that I just accomplished...phew...it's been a long, long week. I am happy for the weekend!

 12:12 Sunday February 26. I was walking around Artworks to see if there was an item that would look nice in my new home. I was reminded that new spring shipments are all on their way and I for sure will find something special for in our outside our new place...oooooh decorating fun! At this point I was also hoping that Clint was with someone and their truck bringing our bedroom furniture to the new place so that we could sleep there one night earlier than originally planned...it worked out that way. Man...I love the new place. ;o)
 12:12 5:30 pm Monday February 27.
Here is me at the end of my rope...errr, day. I feel that I did all that could do...but I also felt like a wee little wimpy girl not helping out the team as everyone is hustling around me with boxes and legs attached to big heavy pieces of furniture. I love my friends!! Oh, and I super duper love Clint and his amazing brute strength...he is my hero.
 12:12 Tuesday February 28.
The livingroom has been early tidied of it's junk and boxes and stuff that came out of the boxes that I had almost forgotten we owned because they had spent a year in storage. I am very overwhelmed at this point...trying to sort out things, waking up at the crack of dawn...Clint, in another world, now dealing with the stress of starting a mammoth sized mural while chaos rules the homestead. (On my computer you can see spider solitaire...trying to get my computer fix!)
 12:12 Wednesday February 29.
I was out looking down at the log booms and picking out the seals sunning themselves on the top floating logs. (did you know that the logs actually go down 4 or 5 thick...crazy!) I felt really chilly that day and was wearing my Churchill, MB made mukluks...reflective booties!
12:12 Thursday March 1.
This ended up being a very happy day as "Wayne" of Shaw, gave me back my right to communicate. ;o) It wasn't just Shaw that made me happy...it was that big yellow ball of fire in the sky that really brightened my day. We get some awesome rays for the most part of the day...really bright home. I cleaned a couple windows inside and out (yep...shoulder all wiggy because of it of course...) even did the blinds on this window. Sooo much nicer with clean and clear windows. I clearly like the reflection shots...here's another. hee hee. Big white clouds and blue blue sky!

And last but not least there was today... 12:12 Friday March 2.
This is one of my favourite places to be...across the lawn from this studio is another. But in this studio a whole lot of magic happens. Ceramics!!! And Bryan in his side of the studio off in his land of computer...where his creative juices flow via web/graphic design. Yeah, he's a bit of a genius with that shizzle. ;o) The "blue' side of the studio is la domain de la Mariko (back to camera on her Mac for my 10 second push and run shoot) and her works of ceramic masterpieces. I spent a few hours chatting it up with my lovely friend and creating a wee little spring time platter. :o) Check out Feedlot Studios to see the amazing and creative things these fine folks are up to.

Hmmmm...where will I be tomorrow at 12:12 I wonder. Maybe at Canadian Tire searching for stair carpets so that Maggie May will come visit us on the second floor of the house. She is scared of the floors here...kind of funny...kind of really sad. We got to make her want to be up there so she feels happier. It's all about making our little old lady comfortable and feeling overwhelmingly loved.