Well, due to the fact I forgot my herbal at home, and I don't have access to the Internet, I had to post my Lammas info from another source (School of the Seasons). I've taken a selection from what Waverly suggests this holiday is about:
"Honoring the Grain God or Goddess Bake a loaf of bread on Lammas. If you've never made bread before, this is a good time to start. Honor the source of the flour as you work with it: remember it was once a plant growing on the mother Earth. If you have a garden, add something you've harvested--herbs or onion or corn--to your bread. If you don't feel up to making wheat bread, make corn bread. Or gingerbread people. Or popcorn. What's most important is intention. All that is necessary to enter sacred time is an awareness of the meaning of your actions. "
"Corn Dolly Another way to honor the Grain Goddess is to make a corn doll. This is a fun project to do with kids. Take dried-out corn husks and tie them together in the shape of a woman. She's your visual representation of the harvest. As you work on her, think about what you harvested this year. Give your corn dolly a name, perhaps one of the names of the Grain Goddess or one that symbolizes your personal harvest. Dress her in a skirt, apron and bonnet and give her a special place in your house. She is all yours till the spring when you will plant her with the new corn, returning to the Earth that which She has given to you."
"Food for Thought Lammas is a festival of regrets and farewells, of harvest and preserves. Reflect on these topics alone in the privacy of your journal or share them with others around a fire. Lughnasad is one of the great Celtic fire-festivals, so if at all possible, have your feast around a bonfire. While you're sitting around the fire, you might want to tell stories. Look up the myths of any of the grain Gods and Goddesses mentioned above and try re-telling them in your own words.
Regrets: Think of the things you meant to do this summer or this year that are not coming to fruition. You can project your regrets onto natural objects like pine cones and throw them into the fire, releasing them. Or you can write them on dried corn husks (as suggested by Nancy Brady Cunningham in Feeding the Spirit) or on a piece of paper and burn them.
Farewells: What is passing from your life? What is over? Say good-bye to it. As with regrets, you can find visual symbols and throw them into the fire, the lake or the ocean. You can also bury them in the ground, perhaps in the form of bulbs which will manifest in a new form in spring.
Harvest: What have you harvested this year? What seeds have your planted that are sprouting? Find a visual way to represent these, perhaps creating a decoration in your house or altar which represents the harvest to you. Or you could make a corn dolly or learn to weave wheat. Look for classes in your area which can teach you how to weave wheat into wall pieces, which were made by early grain farmers as a resting place for the harvest spirits.
Preserves: This is also a good time for making preserves, either literally or symbolically. As you turn the summer's fruit into jams, jellies and chutneys for winter, think about the fruits that you have gathered this year and how you can hold onto them. How can you keep them sweet in the store of your memory? "

I think I might try to at least bake some bread, as I remember I had wanted to do last year (but as usual, was too busy with something-or-other to do it). The only problem this year is that our stove doesn't quite fit comfortably between the wall and the counter in our kitchen, so I'm afraid that it may be too snug to be safely baking things in it (there's like maybe a few mm between each side and the walls). I do like the idea of really reflecting on our accomplishments so far - as we are celebrating an end to all the madness (working 8 hour days, then racing over to the apartment to work on it for four or five hours at a time). Our tenants picked up their keys yesterday and are moving in today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it all goes smoothly and we'll be able to finally turn our attentions toward our own house and its myriad of things that need to be done. Anyway, I can certainly be thankful that we stuck with it and got through the crazy month of July (we knew it would be difficult but it seriously tested all our strength, both inner and outer). Now I am looking forward to working on my gardens, cooking real food again, enjoying leisurely walks with Luc and Tigger in the evenings, and actually being able to keep the place clean and tidy as there will be fewer mad dashes out the door (hopefully) in the evenings. :)
Yesterday, it occurred to me that I really am proud of us, as I stood, power drill in hand, looking around at the cozy, clean apartment we were about to offer to our tenants. I never in a million years would have seen us renting apartments out and there is a small sense of pride and accomplishment when you can turn over the keys to a place you love, with the knowledge that the people moving in will surely love it too (maybe not as much as we did, but they'll make it their own and in time will come to love things about it too, I'm sure). For a moment, a week or so ago, I had thought we should sell it. But yesterday I realized that we had put way too much blood, sweat and tears into it to just let it go for nothing. So hopefully we'll hold onto it until we're ready to move again, then sell both places, collect a bit of money for a downpayment on a new place, and then finally settle in somewhere permanent (or at least longer term). :)
Anyway, so here's to a summer of hard work and learning experiences - now we get to sit back and enjoy a bit of the 'harvest' which is enjoying our new life in beautiful Aylmer. :)
S

So here's a fun thing, I was looking at (and Luc made the mistake of replanting the seed yesterday when he brought up moving to New Zealand for a year or two) this site: http://www.homeexchange.com/view_listings.php a while back. It has listings of people from all over the world who are looking for people to exchange homes with. Some are simply offering their cottages out for a long weekend (in exchange for your home in the city), others are looking for a few weeks, or in some cases even a year, in another country. :) I think that would be so cool, and it would be a great opportunity for us to see a bit of the world before life catches up with us any more. I won't get myself too excited about it yet, but hey, we're young, neither one of us has 'THE JOB' yet, we have no kids, we are not afraid to rent our properties out, so really all that is left is to find somewhere that we could both get a job for a year (someplace warm and beautiful), grab some airplane tickets for us, our two cats and our doggie, and away we would go! It would be so awesome!

I'm neurotic, I bring it all on myself, but it's still fun to dream.. :)

Hack Day...
I just read an article on a new concept that high-tech employers are using to help motivate their employees. It's called 'Hack Day' - a day where employees are encouraged to come to work in casual clothing, fed snacks and soft-drinks and are encouraged to 'create' with reckless abandon. The creating doesn't even have to necessarily have anything to do with their business, it's a chance to get your brain working, maybe get a little imagination and enthusiasm going, and generally encourage people to sharpen their skills in programming (or whatever strengths they have). I would LOVE such a day - there are countless programs I've been wanting to write for our office, like a defect tracking system, where our bugs and fixes could be logged and tracked in a database and reported on. It would replace our existing tool that has a lot of limits that make our jobs just that much more tedious to do. Problem is, I don't have time to work on it and even if I wanted to work on it between tasks, I get so wrapped up in these things when I start them, that everything else would become a frustrating deviation from the interesting work I'm trying to do. My boss probably wouldn't love that... ;)

The article mentioned examples like building an application that would notify you every time new music was available for download to your iPod, or building a time forecasting system to predict and track how long it takes your company to complete a task. These things may never actually be used for business-purposes, or maybe they would be, but all in all, it would allow people to take the time to expand an idea and really run with it, while learning new valuable programming skills at the same time.
Of course, here at the gov't, it's a very different environment, I'd go as far as to say it's not a highly motivational environment compared to private industry where your productivity DIRECTLY impacts your bottom line. Here, there are too many layers of bureaucracy and red tape to allow you to do anything like a 'hack day' and honestly, people probably don't care as much because the person managing the budget is more than likely not the person who is doling out the work (hence the reason why a lot of work is forgotten about). Anyway, I thought it was a neat concept. I think my dream job would be one where I could bring my pet to work (to keep him in a 'doggie daycare' style facility as some companies are now doing), and where every Monday could be a hack day. ;) Then I'd be a happy girl.

Woohoo - Lowell Greene watch out! I've started a new career/hobby in publishing 'bitch-fests' - check out Saturday's Ottawa Citizen.. ;)

Put a leash on Bowser to protect neighbours
The Ottawa CitizenPublished: Saturday, July 21, 2007
Having recently moved to the suburbs, I've discovered a safety issue when walking the streets of my Aylmer-sector neighbourhood: loose dogs.
In the past week, I have been surprised to see many dogs roaming around, and twice have been confronted by hostile, large breed dogs (a Doberman and a Rottweiler), which tried to attack my puppy while the owners were either inside the house or were not watching their dogs. Why aren't people tying up or restraining their dogs on their property? Not only is there a risk to passersby, but to the dogs themselves.
I urge anyone who owns a dog to enrol it in at least a basic obedience class, and regardless of age, breed or temperment to keep it in a well-fenced yard, tied, or on leash at all times. My dog is treated this way to keep him safe and to prevent any unnecessary accidents.

I resent not feeling safe in my neighbourhood. It is the responsibility of any dog owner to ensure the safety of their animal, and anyone who might come in contact with it. If you can't handle this responsibility, don't own a dog!
Unfortunately, I am seriously considering carrying pepper spray to ward off potential attacks by large dogs. This is unfair to the dog, of course, as it is only acting on instinct to protect its property. But if the owners feel that the risk of vehicular accidents, dog bites, lawsuits, vet bills and even death are worth allowing Bowser to roam the yard, then I see no other option.
Shelley Kerr, Gatineau
© The Ottawa Citizen 2007

Well, we finally got the fridge delivered this morning. They scratched it on the way out of the truck, and they forgot to give us the screws for the doors, plus, the door doesn't seal properly, so it's going back. Unfortunately, in my excitement, I forgot that fact and loaded it up with all our food that had been crammed into the little old fridge out in the 'dog room' (made dinner prep kind of annoying - especially on your fifth trip to the basement to get whatever it was you forgot).

Anyway, then I got a letter in the mail from the f***ing gov't - claiming that I didn't pay my taxes for 2006. But I did. And I have proof that I did. So that's another phone call I have to make on my first day back at work tomorrow.

I have to say I'm utterly exhausted - we all are, even Tigger doesn't know what to do with himself - he half-plays but he's not really into it, he wanders in circles stressing and panting and then finally lies down with a big huff and a puff, only to drag himself back up again if one of us leaves the room. I think it's been a looooong week and, especially after yesterday, we're all in need of some serious sleep (and a vacation!). Pretty sad to say when I'm going back to work again tomorrow and won't have a day of vacation left until November 1. The good thing is that my boss is gone for five weeks, so while I have tons to work on, it'll be quiet and stress-free and I can finally get myself organized again. :)

Anyhow, I'm in serious need of a nap - Tigger is stretched out at my feet and it looks SO comfy. I'm going to join him.

Zzzzz...

Well, the second-last day of my official 'holidays' is upon us, and it still doesn't feel any different than a Sunday. I think there is something to taking two full weeks off and getting out of town for at least part of that, then you're not surrounded with 'things I should be doing instead of sitting here on my butt'. Anyway, Tigger and I went 'exploring' last night and actually ended up down at the marina in Aylmer. I have to say, I've fallen in love with this city already. It's not actually like a 'city' - it's more like a big town, full of big old houses, a pretty marina with sail boats gliding by in the sunset, and a rocky beach where I can take my dog (and once he wasn't afraid of the waves, he happily trotted around in the water, and watched the ducks swim by). I was recovering on a rock from a death-defying moment involving a ginormous Doberman Pinscher (male) who came running up behind me, barking its fool head off and trying to attack my Tigger. (Tigger was barking and skittering backward, thank God he didn't think he could 'take' this dog). Meanwhile, I'm yelling 'NO!! NO!! NO!!' at the Dobe who almost stood as tall as me... The owners finally did come OUT of their house and called him off and I told them to get a leash on their damn dog. Grrrr... It's people like that who totally ruin it for the rest of the world who love dobes and GSDs and pitbulls, etc.
Anyway, so back to Aylmer, it's beautiful - reminds me a lot of PEI actually. And where I was afraid there'd be no 'social' scene, there is MORE - but civilized in a way. I saw one 'night club' but there were also quite a few cute looking pubs and restaurants along the main street, all made from old brick houses. Very pretty indeed, and a big step up from the 'Kiwi Bar' (the shady joint near our old place that I think became a transvestite biker place or something. ;) Anyhow, it took us about an hour longer than it should have to get home because I got lost and we ended up walking home on the highway, but we managed to amuse ourselves with Tim Hortons cups along the way (Tigger has a 'thing' for them apparently). It was good to get out and spend time with him, he makes me laugh.
Though this morning's 'game' wasn't as fun. ;) Luc tried again (unsuccessfully) to put him in his run, so I had to 'demonstrate' how to get him in there, which involved picking his front up and dragging him into it again (once we've done this once or twice, he leaps into the run after that, but we start over every day...) Anyway, I wanted to have a half-hour nap because it was still early and I was feeling tired, but I decided it'd be nice to give him the full back yard where he could lay on the deck in the sun and chew his bone. I gave him some water and food and went back to sleep. Well I didn't get much sleep because he threw his food dish again (he's still not eating), then I heard some 'funny' noises. I finally got up to see what he was up to, thinking he was perhaps trying to flip his water dish or maybe had run out of water. Nope, he had the hose (which we had talked about yesterday - how it was such a nice expensive, good quality hose with a loooong reach and we were so glad the last owner in our old house had left it for us), and he was shaking it in his jaws like a snake. I freaked and came flying down the stairs, yelled 'NO!' and, terrified, hooked it up and turned on the water. Thank GAWD, he didn't puncture it. So he's back in his run with some toys until I can be out there to supervise him. Friggin pest sometimes - at least he's not 'quite' a child but just about as bad!
My friend and I were talking yesterday about how, unlike with a cat, whom you can ignore most of the day, a dog requires constant monitoring. If they're making a weird noise, they're probably doing something they shouldn't be. If they're being too quiet, they're still probably doing something they shouldn't be. And they get BORED and have to invent new ways to get attention (which so far has involved chewing things we shouldn't, pounding on the back door, and barking and whining) where a cat would just go to sleep. Anyway, at least I haven't panicked totally yet - I'm still eating! ;)

Well, gotta run - I want to paint the kitchen to get ready for our new appliances - fun!
xo

Ahhhh, well, we're mostly all moved in minus the new fridge, stove, 50 inch plasma (eek!), and the shed and crawlspace full of junk (aka 'treasures') that I've collected over the years.. ;)
After a week and a half of full-time prepping, priming and painting, our living room looks great, the bedroom is nearly there, the ensuite is calm and inviting, just need to finish the trim on the dining room and do a second coat on the walls in the kitchen (plus paint all the cabinetry and trim, and replace the flooring - ugh, a job we're not quite ready to tackle).

Anyway, Tigger came to join us again yesterday, and except for the odd moment of extreme anxiety (I really do have a problem), it's been great. We played in the yard this morning, then watched movies together while it peed down rain in the afternoon, and then even squeezed in a trip to Petsmart, where he was assaulted by noise and flashy things and people and big blue (scary) carts. He was awesome throughout it all. :) The biggest challenge I have to deal with, is that a dog is a lot more like a child than cats are. They can be left alone, but I always wonder what's he's up to when he's being 'quiet'. So far, nothing really. I just have to learn to stop worrying. I'm doing fairly well though, and the yard is a big saving grace - it's big and secure, so he has room to hang out there. The dog room is working well too - he's still a bit afraid of the stairs, but that keeps him nicely contained in the upper room where he can look down at us and keep an 'eye on us' while we're watching a movie. And his couple of attempts to join me upstairs resulted in a lot of panicked chasing, cats hissing, Luc cursing, so I don't think he'll be in a rush to come up here again (hopefully!).

Anyway, I'm on holidays right now, but it doesn't actually feel like it. We've been working ourselves silly the past few days and now we just kind of 'veg'. I think I might go do some work in the gardens or something to at least get my butt off the couch. Maybe tomorrow we can go for a hike in the Gatineau hills.

Well, boring post I know, but I might have pics and stuff later.

S