On my bus route, there is a 'grand' old house with a large yard that is for sale. I was curious and looked it up online - it's going for $300,000. Gotta love Gatineau - in Ottawa it'd be at LEAST $600,000...
Anyway, on my way through the hundreds of listings to find this house, I saw many very nice houses - and started to feel depressed. ;) That's why I don't 'window shop' for anything. If I can't have it, I get sad. Anyway, I started to think of things that I liked about those houses, and wondered if there were ways that I could achieve the same feel in our own home. I came up with a surprising list of things we can do to really make it look snazzy. Each room needs some small thing, such as: Downstairs:- Dog room: needs a railing (right now the stairs into it from the basement are 'open';- Rec Room: needs shelving, a coffee table, a proper tv stand and perhaps cream coloured tightly woven carpet, along with a fresh coat of 'cream' and a dark navy/green colour on the walls, plus a new light (the one we have is horrible - it's MADE to look filthy);- Bathroom: Well, it needs a new tub, but we're not getting into that, so a nice new shower head, light fixture and maybe have the shelving put up on the wall (instead of resting on the back of the toilet);- Office: Paint the walls the deep tan and burgundy we picked out and hang the burgundy shelving we have for our books - new blinds would be nice too;- Spare bedroom: Add a futon, put the smaller tv stand in the corner with the tv and dvd player, put weights, yoga stuff and exercise videos in there with some pretty plants and voila!;
Upstairs:- Front entryway: tile the floor, remove carpet from stairs and refinish the wood, new solid wood front door (wide one) with french type windows;- Living room: hang up pictures that are currently leaning on the wall and perhaps paint a cool picture to go above the couch on the long wall. Buy some wooden venetians for the bay window (for the winter time especially!);- Dining Room/Kitchen: Ceramic tile on the floor, new counter tops, knock out wall between dining/kitchen and replace with an island, recessed pot lights over the sink (new faucet), those cute lights on the long stems over the island, cupboards with glass fronts on upper cabinets, French-style 'terrace' door leading onto deck;- Bedroom: (simple!) Shutter style closet doors (white);- Floor throughout: refinish the hardwood a medium warm tone;
Not all of it is expensive, you can find a lot on usedottawa and kijiji nowadays (I've already contacted a few people who are selling odds and ends after renos). So we'll see. I know it'll be a long process (I'm thinking hopefully over the next five years we'll tackle most of it), but I'm hoping that with time, patience, and a little imagination we can create a charming, inviting space to live and entertain in. :)

This past weekend was an interesting one, and in many ways, restful (which I needed). Physically, I was constantly working on one thing or another, but mentally, I clocked out and and just enjoyed my days and nights. I spent Saturday afternoon in the backyard with Tigger, cleaning out and organizing the shed (Luc surprised us part-way through with icecream cones which was very sweet as it was EXTREMELY hot out!!) Then Saturday evening, we went on a date, which we haven't done in a looong time. We drove down by the marina in Aylmer and decided to try out a little bistro with a patio (though we ended up sitting inside as it was too full). The atmosphere was very calm and 'artsy', the music was good, and the service, for the most part was good. I had the grilled tuna steak with dill sauce (not as good as when Luc makes it, I have to say), and Luc had a big steak topped with risotto cheese (which is very 'aromatic' - to say the least). ;) Anyway, after we finished up there, we headed into the New Edinburg neighbourhood in Ottawa, to attend the Lumiere Festival. It was very cool. Here are some pictures:

It was just as I imagined it to be, pathways lit with glowing paper lanterns, paper maché sculptures, and crowded with people of every age. There were musicians, dancers, fire show people, people on stilts (they scare me), and women dressed as fairies who would flit around through the bushes, with candles in their hands, stopping every so often to do some sort of choreographed 'candle-dance' which was interesting (I have to admit, I wanted to be one - they were so beautiful in their white gowns and big white fluttery wings!! Totally engaged my 'dressup' side! :) )
Anyway, once we'd done the rounds, we met up with some friends for a drink at a pub in the market area, and then headed home. Sunday was more of the same - I ran errands, cleaned up the office (it's starting to look like a very spacious, inviting office and painting room). :) We still need to take down the baby wall-border and paint it, but for now it looks a million times better just having had the boxes unpacked or stored in the closet, and a tropical tree added (sale at Zellers, woohoo!).
I got Waverly's latest newsletter today (School of the Seasons) and, as always, enjoyed reading it immensely. Everything she talks about always has an odd way of coinciding with something going on in my life. Even simple things like, a few weeks back, I was sitting waiting for the bus, when a huge (the biggest I've ever seen) black crow swooped down and stood beside me. He was absolutely beautiful (and thankfully didn't 'squawk' at me). Watching him, I realized how interesting those birds are, and I did a little research on them the next day. They're highly intellegent birds, and they have some 'endearing' qualities too like their love for shiny objects (I can understand totally, ha ha). Anyway, so last night I was walking along the side of the soccer field near my place with Tigger, and a big black crow was picking cheese off a McDonalds wrapper on the ground. I expected him to fly away (Tigger has a fascination with birds and I'm always afraid he'll catch one in his mouth like my Dad's dog used to do). Anyway, he didn't fly away until he'd neatly torn the corner of paper off that contained the cheese he wanted, and then he picked it up and flew it into the field where he landed and continued to pick at the cheese. Quite remarkable if you think about it. So back to Waverly, she mentioned crows (and her love of them) in her newsletter, and recommended the following book, which she is currently reading: Song of the Crow by Layne Maheu, Unbridled Press 2006
Maybe I'll give it a try when I'm done my Irish ghost stories book. ;)

Another thing she discussed was how the seasons are divided in our calendar and how many people choose to mark the seasons themselves (in order to align them more closely with what is actually happening outside). I find that our seasons in Canada are actually pretty well marked, but I did notice things like, in February, Waverly (who lives in Washingon) was talking about walking through the neighbourhood which was filled with spring flowers and warm spring breezes while I was huddled in my back office with the space heater on, counting the days until the snow would melt, which wasn't for another two months. Anyway, she mentioned in her newsletter, that long ago, they used to say that August 2 (around Lammas) was the first day of Autumn. She divides Autumn into two parts, 'early Autumn' which is August 2 - September 22, and 'late Autumn' which is September 23rd to the end of October. I like that. Last night I had a wonderful sleep, thanks to the cool, crisp late-summer air that was coming in through the windows (a welcome relief from the steam-bath we've been living in the last couple of weeks). And today it's a high of +24, which is beautiful - I feel energized, and look forward to my evening stroll, instead of dreading it (it's not as fun in +35). So I'm going to (quietly) recognize this as early Autumn, the start to the Harvest season, and that makes me happy - sunshiny, golden days are ahead, it's my fave time of year, and I'm so glad it's here!! :)
S

Frost... Snowy sunset, crunch and plumes of steam as our breath hangs on the air. The snow is painted blues, pinks and golds, our shadows scattered and distorted along the tops of drifts, as we push onward against the cold, looking forward to a nice hot cup of tea... That's where I wish I was, in some ways. I love the summer, with its bright, sunshiney days and sprays of flowers along the pretty banks of the river, but I also do look forward to the spice and excitement of Fall, followed by the glorious silence of winter when the world stops racing, time slows down a bit, and those endless job lists that were plaguing us all summer go to sleep... We wake in the dark, work away all day in the warmth of artificial lights, and when we emerge, bundled in soft woolen mitts and scarves, coats meeting the tops of our tall boots, the sun is setting again, and the twinkle and glitter of holiday lights wink their joy down at us from the frozen tree tops. After a hot, comforting supper, it's dark and calm as I wash up the dishes and tidy the kitchen. Then bundling back up in 'long-johns' and heavy boots, Tigger and I will set out into the dark, where snowflakes swirl down around the street lamps and the ice sparkles like crystal, reflecting those heavily adorned lawns with their giant 'bonhommes' and christmas light reindeer. Then I often spend my evenings in candlelight with some good music - Norah Jones, Hayley Sales (this year), Annie Lennox or KT Tunstall... There, in my softly lit living room, I while away the hours quietly working on small projects I had no time for in the summer when the demands of inside and out were constantly tugging at me from every direction... Sounds darn good huh? I won't mention the biting cold that whips through your clothing and sinks into your bones, or the fact that sunlight becomes a scarce resource that most of us who are stuck inside rarely get a chance to feel on our skin... Or that winter and this darkness lasts about 6 months of the year, those months that seem to drag on forever. But right about now, it's looking VERY enticing. :)

Can you tell I'm tired?

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

Yesterday, I decided to take the day off. In retrospect, it was a day wasted in a way, but I felt at the time that I needed some quiet time a moi même. Time to just quietly take it all in, with no worrying, no excitement, just acceptance that this is our new home. However, it didn't quite go that way for me, I found that the combination of the boring beige walls, the worn out floors, the dog hairs and stinky dirty carpets, (not to mention the totally ugly and grease-coated kitchen) were all glaring reminders that this was not 'our house'. (Even though, legally it is of course)... I don't mean to speak unkindly about it either, because the previous owners had done a pretty good job of cleaning the place, so I didn't really even have much of a purpose once I got there. I cleaned a few door frames, and the stairs, and a closet; I hung up some winter coats in the storage area under the stairs, and took pictures of the inside (www.ginlor.com/house.html). I wandered around the yard for a few minutes but the heat kept me mostly hiding inside where it was cool (thank gawd for basements!). The trees and bushes grow sporadically all around the yard, their ungroomed branches snag your clothes and hair and you can see by the worn trails on the ground that the previous owners were fine with weaving between the trees to access the various areas of the yard (which is huge). Anyway, it wasn't until last night, when Luc suggested we sit down together and write down some plans for what we wanted to do inside, that I got excited. Now I feel prepared to go back in there, armed with paint and new stylish door knobs, and of course, hedge trimmers!

The yard will be a work in progress and will probably take a few years before we have it where I want it to be. I'd like to one day put interlocking brick down in the front, reside the house, build gardens (even a small veggie/herb patch), pressure wash and stain the decks and put up some stained lattice alongside Tigger's run for my morning glories and moon flowers to climb, it'll be loverly eventually. :) The shed is another amazing thing - it's huge! We're not sure what we'll use it for yet, but Luc will have a kick-ass workshop for sure. :)

Anyway, we chose some beautiful colours for the walls inside that I think will really transform it to the way we want it. For our bedroom, we chose an ocean-inspired barely-there blue, which will go nicely with our cream coloured curtains and dark wood bed.
Then we chose a warm mellow yellow for the kitchen, with the plan to freshen it up by painting the cabinets a cream colour and adding mouldings as a temporary way to make it look a bit more classy. We got new handles as well and a new appliance set will snazz it up nicely. The lino is worn, curling and stained, so we will hopefully be putting down vinyl (it's a small area so I don't expect it to be overly expensive to do). Something like the kitchen pictured here:

In the living room, we chose an earthy green, as a nice contrasting backdrop to the beige couches we have. I'm contemplating renting a sander and attempting to fix the floors in there ourselves (at least as much as we can do for now). A light sand and a few coats of varnish would at least make them look nice and shiny again.

We didn't choose all our paint colours for the basement yet, but Luc did pick up a deep wine coloured paint, paired with a rich tan colour for the office downstairs and he's thinking a deeper blue for the rec room.

People had cautioned me to wait until we'd lived in the house before painting, but we just can't do it! I need to make it feel like home - it would be hard to go from our vibrant, comfortable, warm apartment with its bold reds and yellows and navy and terracotta, etc to an all beige house that screams 'someone else owned me!'.. I'm possessive, what can I say?

Anyway, I'm going to start trying to keep track of the decorating ideas we have - right now the kitchen is small and is separate from the dining room. I'm hoping we can knock the dividing wall down, put in an island, and eventually lay ceramic tile and new hardwood down. I'm planning to hold onto this house for a while so it's fun to dream big!!

Anyway, time for a meeting - back to the world of work.

xo

Litha (Summer Solstice): '...summer solstice, or midsummer, is a time to spread warmth and enjoy the sun's energy. The sun is at its highest point in the sky. Everywhere you look nature shows her bounty; praise the opulence and abundance available to you for the asking. This is a day to celebrate your gifts of healing, whether they are intuitive or use plants. Make peace with the impermanence of life and changing relationships, knowing that you are always guided and watched over. Bloom where you are planted. Respect male energy, honor your light, hug yourself. You are one with the infinite sun...' 'On this Sabbat light and life are at their most abundant. Many Ancient monuments are aligned with the Sun at this point in the Wheel of the Year, the most famous being Stonehenge in England, though there are many more all over the world.' - Another interesting, but not surprising, fact is that once again, the Christian Saint Jean Baptiste day (which is a day highly celebrated in Quebec as their 'national' holiday) was the Church's method of claiming the Pagan holy day of 'Old Litha', which occurred on June 25th.

In some ways, I do wish that it summer solstice didn't have to mark the point at which the days begin to get shorter again. Unlike in Saskatchewan, where the sun sets at 10:00 and rises again sometime before 5:00 (though the first streaks of colour appeared in the sky at 2:30 or so on the night we graduated high school...), here in Quebec/Ontario, it sets at about 9:30 and, because of all the trees and hills and buildings, it really hits twilight at about 8:30. So it doesn't take long to wind back down to our 5:00 darkness like in the winter. I'm sure I won't mind it when we actually get to Fall (because it's such a beautiful season, I can forgive it), but right now I'm not ready to think about winter coming back, not when we just got rid of it!

One thing that I did embrace today, by chance, was the idea of us moving. Up until now it has been something that rapidly went from daring (if not a little terrifying) to a tabu subject that I almost felt bad to speak about, incase I should accidentally say something negative that would burst the fragile bubble that was surrounding us. I have since chatted with a few good friends, who are doing similarly daring moves, for different reasons, and with different risks, (and in some cases, quite a different distance), but it seems to me that we've embarked on a potentially rewarding journey. Like the excerpt above says, you have to embrace the impermanence of life - to quote Jewel 'everything is temporary, if you give it enough time' and that is so true (especially in my life). So while I am still falling in love my current home (I adore my back yard), there are other reasons why moving on to a new place and making it special is a good, healthy thing for us to do. At the same time, (and along those same lines), where it suggests us to bloom where we are planted, this is another lesson that is difficult for me to take sometimes - I have always looked beyond where I'm standing, eager to see what waits around the corner, dreaming of the future instead of living in the present. Because of that (and possibly due to my up-bringing as an ever-moving army brat), I have found it very difficult to really say who I am at any one time, and feel happy in any one situation. I always feel like I'm 'posing' as someone else, in some made-up life that I've designed for myself. I need to work on blooming where I've planted myself, relaxing a bit and enjoying life as it comes... It must be rewarding, or it wouldn't be so damn hard to do. :)

On an unrelated note, another thing that Luc and I have decided to seriously try is to eat more fresh, chemical free foods. There is a farmer's market every weekend at the marina in Aylmer, where we'll be living. It's sort of an underground arrangement, where you meet the farmers there and they bring their harvests and, for, I believe $25/week, they supply you with a TONNE of fresh veggies, grown right here around us - no pesticides or crazy x-continent trips (like all our tasteless fruits and veggies at the store right now). We want to make chutneys and stews and chillis and jams, etc. I don't think we'll have time for that this summer, but you never know, and we will have a new deep freezer hopefully as well, to store it all in. I guess my family should be forewarned that this probably means they'll be getting a cute little package of preserves for xmas this year... ;) (Don't worry, I'm not that organized, you're all safe for now)...

xo

Something interesting to write about... Why not...?
So, I have been beating myself up a little bit lately because I have been operating on a bit of a crazy, fast-paced agenda, where acquiring a home (and in our case, two apartments), the dog, the picket fence (oh yeah, but mine's gonna be black), and the stable, loving partner, a couple of kids, as well as trying to build a career and dreaming about fitting some travel in there all take priority on some high level in my life. I started to wonder if I was rushing things, while I look around me at women my age (though honestly I don't know many my exact age, but a range from low 20's up to early 30's) and I realize that most of them have been taking a very different approach to their lives than I have... I have friends who have forgone the career/home/partner/family route altogether for a while, and have been focussing on seeing a bit of the world, whether that be overseas somewhere, or even just taking a job that requires lots of traveling around. I have friends who have invested time and money into extensive educations (and even now are returning to add on to their degrees), these friends who are content with living in a one-bedroom apartment, partying at bars on the weekend, and seemingly, their greatest worry is what they'll wear out on Saturday evening. They seem (but maybe I'm just not as observant as I think), to not really have any worries about children in the near future, and figure once they meet 'the man', everything will fall into place (and maybe it will). I also have friends who have opted for the family route, earlier than later, in order to enjoy having children while they're young enough to play along with them. These women have opted for a smaller, simpler life perhaps, but they make ends meet, and a few I know are married and living happily with their spouses (and adding on children), and a few are living the single-mom life and seem quite successful at it (though I'm sure it's not easy at all).
So where the hell do I fit in? Why can't I make up my mind on what I want? I have no idea. I always wanted to get married. And, in some small way, I always wanted children. By age 18, when I went off to University, it started to eat away at me that all I wanted in the whole wide world was a baby. I know now that I really was looking for a 'companion' in life, and since have (thankfully) adopted two cats, a turtle (who didn't remain with me) and a dog (that I'm freaking about), who provide me with more than enough ways to exercise my 'mothering' instincts. Over the next 7 years, I have gone to college, opting for the quicker, more direct route to a job, over the more expensive and less goal-oriented (for me) option of University. I don't have any regrets that I dropped out when I did, but now I sometimes wonder if perhaps I have potential to be or do more and am limiting myself by not having that piece of $50,000 paper that says 'she's a smart cookie' from the University of Ottawa or wherever. Then I started on a career path, that proved to be a bit more difficult (trying to get into the gov't) and ultimately landed me in a consulting role, where I've been working to defy the hugely stacked odds against me (I'm young, inexperienced, female, and without a degree - some view that as a pretty bad list of things to be up against). Within that career, I've struggled with trying to find out what I really, truly, would be happy doing. I find I'm bored now in what I'm currently working on, and I do need a change, but I'm unsure about the direction I should go in. I have found I don't have a lot of patience for working with other people, I like to get things done efficiently and effectively, and don't handle a lot of wishy-washy social crap in between (in other words I've found I really don't enjoy working with most women...) I've entertained ideas of writing, but don't think I'd do the whole news and gossip thing well, and where I used to think I'd enjoy social sciences or psychology, I've since found that they don't cater to my results-driven side that I find the computer science field really feeds.
Then, I've always had this nagging feeling that I've wanted to travel, though interestingly enough, when we took a trip down South one year, after about four days, I was ready to go home. And I struggle with trying to figure out if life in the city, with its cappuccinos, flashy lights, nice houses and 'things to do' is better suited to my tastes than the allure of a quiet, simpler life in the country, with a sprawling old house with a big veranda overlooking beautiful gardens and rolling hills. And where, in all that, do I fit the kids? Do I even want kids? Yes, sometimes I think 'oh, wouldn't that be cute to dress the baby up and take him/her to the zoo'. Then I see some poor, distant mother, dragging her screaming kid(s) through the store or on the bus, while people (myself included) shoot dagger stares at her and wish she'd do something to make the kid be quiet. Even the financial aspect of raising a child scares me. To give up my career (and in the computer world, as a woman, if you have kids, you better be employed by the government, or bye bye career) and stay home with the kids would probably drive me insane. I don't really like children (especially once they get older and spoiled), I need time to myself, I am not a good house-keeper... There is the option that hubby could stay home, which might make more sense financially, but I'm not sure that this idea is based in reality for the majority of us out there.
Anyway, all this to say, it was just a thought I was mulling over on my walk at lunch. Then I came back and found this article http://www.srmjournal.org/article/PIIS1546250104000052/fulltext that talks about how most of the women you see at the top of the corporate ladder (including my boss) don't have children, as it is extremely difficult for women to battle the demands of getting an education, landing in debt, finding a career, finding a husband, having a baby, taking time off work, regaining the career, and raising children while climbing the corporate ladder (and traveling the world? :) ) all at the same time. It has an interesting checklist at the bottom that, to me, is worth keeping as one of those things you look back on in 50 years and giggle about how ludacrous it seems (reminds me of those Suzie Homemaker articles from the 40's in terms of how it provides such a definite 'checklist' of things you MUST do in order to be happy). So I don't know if I'm on the right track or not, or even which track I'm on, but at least I know I'm not alone in trying to get everything sorted out early so I can have my family (if family is what I'm destined to have), or my 'winter home' in some tropical place, or whatever. ;)
In the mean time I'm attempting to NOT step on my other-half's toes, while attempting to figure out what is best for both of us, and this is a difficult thing when so many aspects are up in the air.. Food for thought anyway...

Sigh.. I've written and re-written various posts in previous days, but due to the overwhelming amount of pessimistic (and defeatist) attitudes surrounding me currently, I keep falling into the trap of making this into a diary entry, when I promised myself I would not do that. To focus on a couple positive things, I am happy to say that summer has finally arrived - with temperatures hanging around 28 degrees (give or take a few), and lots of sunshine and I have the trucker's tan to prove it... (For those not in the 'know', that's when one shoulder is blazing red (actually my whole arm) and one is still snow white - very sexy, kind of a yin and yang sorta thing goin on there... ;) Anyway, in order to distract myself from all the stress of details and having to run in fifty directions all at once, while at the same time jumping up and down waving pom poms and shouting 'Isn't this FABULOUS!?!' at the top of my lungs all the time (yes I'm being figurative here), there are still a few things I can smile about in life. One being myself and my frequent 'adornment' of various kinds of foods and sauces that I seem to be intent on wearing. I figure if you can't laugh at yourself, you're in trouble... So last night, it was ketchup and mustard, smeared up my forearm, while I was meeting a coworker and her husband to check out a washer/dryer set that we may purchase for our tenants (for an ouchy $600, but I digress)... Today it was peanut butter, pasted neatly all over my face, while I chatted with a techie guy about my broken computer (since fixed at least) and with my boss about this and that. Gotta love that you never discover these things until about five minutes after they've left the room, and I have to wonder how they all hold a straight face while they talk to me, but anyway.
That reminds me of another sweet moment I had on the weekend. My sister and I brought our dogs to a little town outside of Ottawa called 'Almonte'.


It's pretty, with big old houses (with their own style that has been dubbed the 'Almonte style' by architects), and various old mills resting on the banks of the river that runs through the center of the town. Anyway, we decided to go 'all out' and ordered ourselves some poutine, which was a challenge to eat when one arm was 'tied' to a gigantic puppy, but we managed. Then we went for a walk down the main street, and finally found an icecream place that served soft cones from outside (through a window). So I ordered a cone for my sis, one for me, and of course, one for the dogs to share. :) It was absolutely the cutest thing, and a moment that really reminded me why I got my doggie friend in the first place. He'd never had ice cream before, so he licked at it, 'gingerly', with his ears all screwed on sideways, and his eyes squinted against the cold. Then my sister's dog got a turn. She's a tiny little German Shepherd, but her huge personality makes up for it. She reminds most people of a 'Raptor'. Anyway, she did a typical 'dyno-bite' and bit half the ice cream off in one go, which of course made her panic, chewing faster and faster to get it down as it was ice cold. Anyway, this went on until the whole cone had been eaten, and ended with her having ice cream on the tips of her ears, and my dog with it streaked across his cheeks. It was a nice to have a genuine giggle over something for once, and really made me appreciate what an adorable pair of animals we have. :)
We move into the house in the next few weeks - actually we get possession of it in less than two weeks. I'm feeing apathetic, as it's the safest emotion to have at the moment, especially when everything rides on the ability of everyone involved to muster up some courage and soldier on with a little enthusiasm, which is currently lacking on all fronts.
Anyway, I will blindly charge forward, as there is no going back, and I know my money is being invested wisely, and I have made one promise to myself which is to take me and a like-minded female friend (or group of) and go relax for a week in Southern France, perhaps next year or the following one - definitely before I'm 30. With all the other things we've accomplished so far, it'd be a crime not to get a few 'dreams' out of the way before life really does bog us down. I'm hoping my other half can do the same for himself too one of these days.
Well, it's lunch time. Gonna go get some rays (with sunscreen on this time).
xo

Hmmm, there's something about a cloudy but warm day that always gets me into a 'dreamy' mood. So, I decided to take a walk at lunch and ended up at Chapters (dreamy moods always = books for me). Unfortunately, I spent another $50 (which makes me feel guilty) but I picked up two books that I absolutely NEEDED. One being a step-by-step guide for home repair, complete with shopping list, how long it takes to complete the 'project' and best of all, it's written by a woman. I don't mean to be one of those sissy girls who pretends she can't understand things in the 'man's view of the world' but, I have learned that my attention span is short, big tools scare me, and big manuals like the Black and Decker guide to home repair is just a waste of paper and ink in my case (because I honestly can't read it). The book I got doesn't cover a ton of things, but I'm just happy that I can at least go ahead with some of the fix-its on my list that involve things like repairing the siding on our house, (instead of putting a board over it and planting ferns infront of it, which was my first fix), changing the door knobs, and redoing the caulking around windows and in the bathrooms... :)

The other book I got was one recommended to me by my mother, and the reviews led me to realize that it's going to be my new bible once Tigger comes home. It's called 'How to be Your Dog's Best Friend', written by a bunch of monks (oddly enough), who raise German Shepherds (perfect). It doesn't bother with all that fluppy-wuppy BS where everything you want your dog to do is accompanied by a lot of grovelling and treat-stuffing, and everything bad he does is handled with a simple 'look the other way' approach. I can't have my dog going ape-wild in our new place, and he's too damn smart to assume he'll continue to repeat the same behavior flawlessly every time, cookie or no cookie. In my short time with him, I quickly learned that he will have a command nailed in about 5 minutes, after that, he's going to try to outsmart you, and if that fails, he'll bite you or jump on you. This book has more of the 'old way' approach, where a dog is treated as a 'pack member' (no I'm not about to start calling myself mother Wolf or anything so stop snickering). Anyway, so in understanding how he responds to situations naturally, you can get your messages across to him clearly and quickly by mimicking what a pack leader would do, more or less. (So yes, discipline is taught thoroughly so as not to be done improperly). So two good book purchases, if I do say so myself! Now the only thing is I actually have to read them. ;)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to a quiet night tonight. Luc will be in Montreal on a business trip, so I'm planning to do a bit of tidying up before heading out to Winners to (finally) spend my gift certificate that I got on my b-day. I need to find something to wear for the wedding that is coming up this weekend, but I have no clue what (it can't cost very much, that's for sure!)
Well, guess I better get back to work.
xo

Sigh... Well, I'm through with playing 'enthusiastic landlord extraordinaire', or rather, I was as of about 10:30 this morning, moments before our first 'potential tenants' of the day showed up. I can honestly tell you that owning apartments and renting them out is a fantastic investment, but it's a huge one, not only of money (which we are currently very short on!), but of time, of emotion, of risk.. We had several people through last week (I believe we showed it about 6 times over the week, with four of the showings occurring in one evening). All went well, but for the most part, it was young couples who either weren't comfortable with the price or were not really into some aspect of the neighbourhood or house. Luckily, we do have a beautiful little apartment, and we received tons of compliments on our decorating (yeh!), but that doesn't necessarily mean that people will rent (and sometimes, that's a good thing). We held our breath a few times, like when the 30-something divorcee who went through the house with a fine-toothed comb, and started commenting on things like 'hmmmm, I don't like open concept too much' and 'I think I could fit my daughter's bed in here with my queen sized bed' and 'so I would be able to store all my excess things in the crawl space until I find a house?' (read: I am moving out as soon as I can find something bigger)... Then there were a few others who were either incredibly finicky and nit-picky, or had a dog 'but he's such a good dog', or were 18 years old, etc... After four more showings today, we managed to finally luck in with a couple who have one baby, and who are extremely nice. Though I was put in the awkward position after talking to them on Friday evening (to schedule an appointment for this morning - dumb after a bachelorette/bachelor party evening last night), and right after I hung up the phone, got another call from a sweetheart of a girl (single mom to an 18 month old baby boy) who poured her life story out to me and had me chatting with her like we were old friends for HALF an HOUR. She told me she desperately wanted this apartment, she had fallen in love with the pictures, the idea sounded perfect, and she has to be out of her current apartment by July 1. She had me promising to store her stuff while she lived at her relatives while we fixed up the place, and pointing out day cares and things for her kid. We even discussed whether her duvet would match the paint in the bedroom (and it would, lol). She was so excited, she drove around the neighbourhood on Saturday (but looked at the wrong house), and then called Luc to tell him all about it while he was trying to bar-b-que (three sheets to the wind as well). She even told me this morning that she had found a garage sale on our street and she and her friend had bought all the guys' paintings, yadda yadda. Anyway, so naturally, she had wanted to see the apartment before I showed it to the nice couple, however I didn't want to do anything 'sneaky' incase it turned out we didn't want her to rent or something. So she showed up today and was severely disappointed when she learned that she probably didn't have the apartment as they had sat down right then and there and signed the reference forms. We were then stuck with the awkward and stressful task of trying to figure out which one to choose - her or the couple. We finally decided to do the 'right thing' and take the couple first, as they were really first in line. It did involve me having a semi-counselling session with my will-be 29 year old tenant (the husband) about exactly what apartment living is going to mean for them, and were they fully understanding that it will be a BIG transition from a huge house in the country to a small apartment in the city where they will definitely need to learn how to live with other people they don't know in the same house... Anyway, he assures me it's all fine. I'm now exhausted and am taking his word for it, and so we hopefully sign a lease tomorrow (woohoo!).

That means I can move on to stressing about everything else in our life - like where we're getting the money for the house, planning (and hopefully doing) all the repairs on this place, settling into our new place (and cleaning and painting and fence building), finding appliances and furniture both for here (to replace the washer/dryer that we're taking with us) and for there (new fridge and stove and furniture for the entire finished basement), plus bringing the dog back into our busy lives and dealing with his 'transition period' where he'll invariably piss on the floor infront of Luc who will have a heart-attack and probably try to kill him (with the help of our psycho cat who has to actually be drugged with anti-depressant 'stoner' meds to make him not jump on the dog's back and sink his teeth in as far as they will go), all the while I'll be upstairs crying on the phone to my mom and having a nervous breakdown... Sounds like fun eh? Welcome to the life of 'the smart thing to do' where all you have to do is be in a constant state of stress and someday, they assure you, it will ALL PAY OFF BABY!!! ;)

No seriously, I am doing alright with managing the stress, mostly because it still seems kind of like a 'dream' and not like we're actually moving. I was looking at our place this morning, thinking to myself how much I'm going to miss it. And I really will. When we bought it, I made a promise to myself not to get too attached as it WAS an investment property.. and I know that one day our new house will have the same feel for me, but right now, this is HOME. I love the paint colours, the neighbourhood, all the quirks of the house, our tenants, the location, everything. I'm going to miss it! But you have to make sacrifices in life to get where you want to go, so while I am finding it all a little scary right now, it will eventually all work out and we'll be smiling on our brand-new two-tiered deck overlooking the gardens and pool, while my well-trained dog lies at my feet and MAYBE two little kiddlets are playing in the yard... In like 15 years, lol... ;) (see how good I've become at the self-pep-talks? Makes you want to vomit, doesn't it?)

Anyway, I need sleep. I'm going to have to go cut the power wires leading into the trashy next door neighbours' house though because they have AWFUL music pumping out of their basement that is practically vibrating the walls (did I say I was going to miss this??) .... ;o)

xoxo

Okay, better late than never!


Beeeautiful Beltane: (excerpt from my Herbal) Celebrated April 20 and May 1, Beltane (or May Eve and May Day) is a time to revel in life's absurdities and have fun. The sun is gaining strength and thought to hold the characteristics of youth - playful and mischievous. Flowers abound, waiting for you to enjoy the beauty of life's physical pleasures. Smell the flowers or dance in a secluded part of overgrown wilderness, as you relish the light and laughter of faeries and children. Traditionally, the holiday represents the marriage of the divine masculine and divine feminine, as seen in the maypole dance. Weave together the magick of the male and female aspects of yourself. Honor the collaboration and patchwork that is you. Respect the soul's journey, and always remember to take teh ride of life lightly - it is only a dream, after all.
(Strawberries are a symbol of Beltane).
I found a neat site - (check out the pics) - the Beltane Fire Society (http://www.beltane.org/) puts on a festival every year at Beltane (of course) where they have a theatrical performance involving a lot of costumed people and dancing and fires - looks really cool - someday if I ever get to Scotland, you can bet I wanna see it! :)

So in keeping with the spirit of 'reveling in absurdities', we did just buy a new house and that was just brought on because I bought a dog that didn't fit in our apartment. Well, no there are many other more important reasons why we did, but it is crazy and exciting (and a little scary) all at the same time. The biggest thing I have to realize is that we will own it for a long time, so projects can be worked on slowly, and with thought, instead of being slapped together at a moment's notice (and thousands of dollars later having us realize we should have invested more thought and planning into it).

I definitely will have enough to keep me busy over the next few years though, between outdoor summer projects like gardens, patios, fencing and dog houses, plus the essentials like roofing, siding, and general maintenance, to inside projects like new flooring, painting, new furniture, refinishing our dining room table, and completely renovating the kitchen (including knocking out a wall), I'm sure we'll never run out of things to do (and sink our money into).

We were walking around the neighbourhood where we live now and I"m happy that we do still own a house here, because, honestly, there is something to be said for our quiet, small, older neighbourhood right smack in the middle of the city (though our neighbourhood in Aylmer is beautiful too). I will miss walking around our home and looking out over the river at Ottawa with all its buildings shining in the setting sunlight. I love looking at the city, with all its trees - it seems like there are no houses down there, but I know under the trees there are streets filled with people and garbage and houses and buildings and cars, but you can't see any of that from where I look at the top of the hill near our apartment, so it's really pretty. Always reminds me of when I first came to Ottawa after high school, how beautiful it was and how excited I felt, not knowing what was 'under all the trees' nor really caring anyway, just filled with joy and hope.. :)

Where we're moving is very pretty - we're kind of close to the river, (can't see it but it's a 15 minute walk to get there) surrounded by parkland, golf courses, and older 'Victorian' style neighbourhoods complete with a marina (looks like PEI!) and quaint shops. Our neighbourhood is more 1960's and 1970's houses, but the trees area all big and mature and there are parks everywhere, so it's also very pretty. I took a stroll down our street the other night when I bused from work, and everyone keeps their yards immaculately cleaned and manicured (ours is currently not, and I'm not typically known for my 'attention to detail and order'). Interesting side-note actually, the couple who live there right now are Pagan (from what they were wearing in their wedding photos - not that I looked ;) ), and they seemed to have planted a whole bunch of different things around the yard. So it'll be fun to see what all she has - I'm hoping maybe some herbs (though I'm hoping to move mine with me anyway). Not that being Pagan means you grow herbs, but hey, you never know... ;)

Anyway, lots to think about. It's getting harder and harder these days not to lose myself in a daydream, but soon enough we'll be in full work-mode, should be interesting to say the least.

Well off to do the dishes!

xo

So I was reading a borrowed copy of Harrowsmith Country magazine, and they have a whole section featuring long-forgotten and, in some cases, completely disappeared, heirloom seeds. Made me want to start up an apple orchard or something. One thing is for sure, garden-grown produce tastes WAY better that grocery store stuff (because grocery store veggies and fruits barely have a taste at all). I also read, interestingly enough, that the animals on farms, that a hundred years ago had been bred to withstand harsh seasons, drought, disease and could basically exist on their own with little to no human intervention, have all but disappeared as well. Replaced by cows that produce more milk (but are so inbred that 90% of Canada's herd of dairy cows were produced using 11 bulls, one of which has a severe defect which will no doubt affect all the rest of the offspring), and turkeys that carry so much breast meat that they suffer from heart-attacks if not slaughtered soon enough, and chickens that have no mother instincts left, and have to be inoculated constantly as their immune system is so weak. It's sad to see that we all depend so much on technology and modern medicine, etc., that even our ANIMALS now can't live without it. Apparently there's a movement to revive, or at least preserve, the bloodlines of those 'hardier' animals from yester-year, but big-time farmers won't give them a second thought. So I came off the the bus this morning wanting to buy some 'heirloom' laying hens for our new backyard (provided we get it), however I think the neighbours might have a problem seeing as we're buying in a suburb. :)

Maybe I can buy a few to keep at my Mom's or something. :)
While I'm on the whole 'rural' kick, there's another thing I'm interested to try. Apparently there is a movement to try to eat locally produced foods, as a way to support your local farmers, and as well, to try to slow life down a bit. I guess when you think of all the millions of imported foods available to us each day, we often don't really stop to think about what we're eating. I wonder (and it's been suggested that perhaps this is so), if we were to eat a diet of produce that could be grown locally, would we not be better off in terms of receiving the right nutrients for the right times of year? I know that in winter, I crave stews, chilis, cabbage, the 'winter' type foods that aren't available or desirable throughout the summer. Conversely, in the summer, the thought of stuffing myself with fresh baked bread, cheese and chili is enough to make me gag. Anyway, while I'm not ready to give up the foods I eat now, I was thinking maybe we could start trying to buy our summer veggies and fruits from roadside stands and/or the market, instead of the store. And if I get my wish and we have a new house this summer, I hope to plant a small garden (it'll be late in the season by the time I start) so maybe we can grow some yummy veggies ourselves.
Anyway, we're slowly slogging through another hectic, high stress, low money season. Last Spring was like this too. We haven't heard back from the accountant yet on the taxes we're going to owe (and I'd rather not know yet), we put in an offer on the house and are now trying to scrounge up enough money for the closing costs, down-payment, mortgages on both houses (for at least one month), and any repairs/decorating that needs to be done at both places. Gonna be a high-credit, high-interest, no spending cash kinda year I think! The good side is, once we get tenants in both apartments, that house will pay for itself, and we can focus on our new house, complete with two cats and our doggit. :) The other nice thing is we would be moving to Aylmer, which is 40% English speaking, filled with green space, along the waterfront, and full of quaint little shops and older houses. Very pretty area to live in. :)
So, as usual, I'm of course, finding it hard to concentrate on the tedious tasks at work, however, if I want to make this work for us, I guess I better get my head out of the clouds and do something semi-productive today. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!
xo

Introducing the long-awaited newest member of our family (drum-roll please) my new DOG!!!!! :) After a few years of dropped hints and continual scouring of humane society websites (so I could bombard poor Luc with pictures of cute doggies in the pound), I have finally lucked in, not only in that I got a dog, but I got a FABULOUS dog. He's an 11-month old purebred male German Shepherd, originally destined for the conformation show ring, and since (lucky for me!) headed for a pet home, from a well-respected breeder with an amazing line of dogs. I had the good fortune of a chance meeting with him two weeks ago when I was down visiting my parents, and he pretty much sealed the deal with me when he ran right up to me, gave me kisses and let me take him for a walk on his leash with no trouble at all. (In the past I have a bad history of German Shepherds taking one look at me and making a b-line in the opposite direction, so this was a promising start). :) He's not a huge dog, which is great, and he's gorgeous - with a plush coat and dark features (can you tell I'm in wuv with him already?).
Anyway, Luc has been kind enough to relent to my endless bugging, begging and pleading and has agreed to welcome him into our family. :) I can't wait to start obedience training him (in May) and now I have a companion to keep all the bad people away.
So continues my week of planning, e-mailing, shopping, arranging, half-angry trips to the store to lug oversized 100lb boxes of fencing home in my Cavalier, cancellations of many 'engagements' with friends (sorry guys!!) and general disarray which has caused me to be excited one minute and burst into tears the next. One thing I know for sure is that anything that takes this much work to prepare must definitely be worth something in the end, I'd almost feel 'weird' if it was as easy as 'order dog - dog comes home', however it has had its challenges over the last few days that have definitely tested my will to make this work. (And so far, I believe I'm doing alright - despite those people who have offered their two-cents worth of crappy unwarranted comments and negativity that have only served to reinforce the idea that people suck and dogs are wonderful). So starts my journey toward becoming a hermit dog-lady. :)

Here's an excerpt on Ostara (one of my new favorite holidays because it signifies a beginning to the end of all this snow!!!)

"Ostara: Celebrated between March 20 and 22, Ostara (or spring equinox) is one of the two times of the year when night and day are of equal duration; it is a holiday of balance. Ostara is a time to rebirth our new selves, clear away the clutter in our minds, and wipe the slate clean in our lives. See life in nonextreme terms - neither too terrible nor too fantastic. In nature, flowers are blooming and the world is abuzz with new life. Ostara rejoices in the beauty of our unique selves and in playing with impish delight. Find balance, plant individual expression, believe in abundance and fertility, face fears, cry and allow for all emotions. This sabat represents dawn on the Wheel of the Year..."

I'm very excited that Spring is on its way, but I'm also trying not to get TOO excited because winter is still pelting us with snow and icy winds. I took a walk this evening, and it was pleasant enough, being that it was 0 degrees outside, but with the wind it was a lot colder, and as I was walking along looking at people's trees and gardens, etc all covered in snow, and the warm glow of the lights in their houses shining out into the cold blue night-time air, it seemed a whole lot more like we were about to hit December. (Shiver). I'm so ready for Spring.

I can feel that I am getting restless too - I spend countless hours a day doing mind-numbing tasks at work, and between times am sneaking to read gardening articles, look at lawn care stuff, dream up projects for decorating our rooms inside, drooling at the new spring and summer fashions, and today spent quite a bit of time looking at the activities this rollerblading club in Ottawa offers (I signed up - can't wait!)

So I am trying to remind myself that winter's not done yet, and I'm forcing myself to try to relax and enjoy the cozy down-time we have right now because it won't be long before we're working on a million things at once around here. I have big plans to redo a couple rooms that have been bothering me in the house, and Luc and I both want to tackle the lawns and stain the deck and fences (not to mention adding a section of fence, you know, just incase I ever get a DOG).

We definitely have our work cut out for us, but I'm soooo looking forward to it. The downside is that I have been hearing that we're in for an abnormally cool spring and summer. I hate cold summers. We had one three summers ago, I remember, there were few days that I could take a walk at lunch and not have to bring a jacket because the wind was so cold, and out on the river we couldn't swim it was so cold.

So here's hoping it's warmer than they say... (Fingers crossed).

Anyway, until it's warm outside, I have a ton of stuff to get through inside - like Mom's site (yes, I still plan to redo it!!), some sewing projects if I ever get off my arse and into a fabric store, and lots of cleaning because every closet and drawer in this house is jam-packed with junk. For the first time ever I feel like I need to 'purge' the house of unnecessary things. This is not at all common for me, I normally hoard things like there's no tomorrow (Luc can attest to that), but for some reason, I can feel the junk behind those cupboard doors (I"m going crazy, yes) and it bothers me, so I have to clean it out!

Anyway, my spirits are slowly lifting because, as my excerpt eludes to, I see this as a new beginning in the year, where things start fresh and life kind of picks up. There's a lot to look forward to - from a painting course I found that takes place at different outdoor locations around Ottawa, to our yard projects, to rollerblading and BBQing on our back deck with our (hopefully) new BBQ. :) I think this is going to be a fun summer, regardless of the temperature as we had another couple of friends just move into an apartment near our neighbourhood, so summer dinner parties on the deck, here we come! :)