Puppy Love

This is Jack....

Jack is a chocolate lab puppy and I think I love him. I'm pretty sure he loves me too. In fact, Jack loves everybody. My daughter's boyfriend said, while playing with Jack, "whoever said you can't buy me love never had a puppy." And he was right!

Jack, sadly, was only visiting our house for a few days while his owners were off on a camping trip. Believe me, I could have kept him! While he was visiting I called him a number of things:

Jack,

Jackie

Jackson Browne

Jack Bowser,

Wiggleworm

Chubby-wob

Baby

Honey

Pudgy

Rolo (cause he's so chocolatey sweet and probably is made of caramel on the inside) ....

Petting Jack is like petting a live, warm, velveteen brown sweater. I loved his little tail, his all pink mouth, the way he would lean heavily up against me and look up. Sigh.....

He played a lot with Amelia and he peed on my rug several times. He had every dog toy that we owned scattered across the back yard and living room.

I miss him.

"Come back Jack.....come back!!"

Swimming

We recently returned from a week's holidays at a cottage. Had a lovely time- lots of do nothing stuff and a completely different change of pace. I would get up around 8:00 as opposed to 6:00, read and read and read, eat a fair bit, and the evenings consisted of a good family game and a movie. I also did a lot of swimming, something you can only do for a few short months of the year in Canada.
I've decided I love to swim in the northern lakes, cossetted by trees and rocks rather than the great lakes, an endless expanse of water. I love the silky feel of the water up north. It seems to gently wrap around you and is not that interested in bashing you with mountainous waves and white caps.
It usually takes me a while to get into the water. At the Sand Banks in the County you just keep on walking and slowly, the water creeps up a little higher and I waste more time just trying to acclimatize. But up north there is no choice. There's no walking in - you just jump off the dock and away you go. It's a quick, surprising, refreshing, awakening moment and then I'm there, ready to dog paddle away!
I flip over on my back and take the stance of Jesus on the cross - arms out to the side, feet together. And I just float away, looking up at the clouds watching them scuttle past. There is that somewhat uncomfortable popping feeling in my ears as the water seeps through and then - nothing. I'm weightless with only the sound of my breathing, the water holding me up and blue sky and clouds above. I check out the tree tops waving away and though I can't hear it I know the wind is rustling the leaves.
Then, after a few good laps to work off that extra snack, I climb out onto the warm rocks and wrap up in a towel.
These are the times that make up for cold, cold winters, ice and snow and endless night.

Poor Puttytat

I have a bored cat on my hands. I feel terrible about it but I'm not sure what to do about it...

Frodo is mopy, losing hair like crazy and giving me a number of signals.

One that says I'm bored

One that says I'm ticked off

One that says I'm hopeful you will let me out!

Frodo was born outside from a feral mother. Friends of ours allowed the mom to have her babies under their porch and we watched these little ones nose about and grow. I knew which one I wanted to take home and when the day came to get Frodo we discovered momma cat had hidden them into crevaces of an old rock pile! We literally had to pull him out from the ground!

So Frodo is an outside cat - he lives for the outdoors and to chase birds and mice. He loves to roll on the warm pavement and snooze under the bushes.

But sadly, Frodo has received a life sentence. It seems the neighbours do not appreciate Frodo using their rose garden for outside purposes and after a number of complaints it is clear Frodo will have to stay inside. We tried a leash, a good one too, that I was hopeful he would get used to and we could then tie him up for some outside roaming time but he was out of that in a matter of minutes. Our next option is a cage....a sorry option indeed.

Basically he sits inside now and mopes about with those sad, bored, hopeful eyes watching me.

I'm open to suggestions.....his age works both for and against him. As he is now 10 he is slowing down a little and does not mind sleeping more than playing. On the other hand, trying to switch a 10 years old cat from always going outside to not is like trying to teach an old dog new tricks.

In the meantime, on occasion, Frodo does sneak outside at times. Early in the morning, when I'm walking Amelia, Frodo has learned if he is quick he can zip out the door when I'm busy trying to keep hold of Ami. I don't blame him - who could?

The Air I Breathe

I was on holidays last weekend and part of that included a family camping trip to Algonquin. And this people is the air I breathe.

This is the life blood that revives and strengthens me.

I need to see things like this...

I need to smell, taste, touch and hear the sounds of a canoe on the water

And I can't help but wonder at the beauty created around me and how, in a short span of 5 months, this same environment that welcomes me with warmth and greenery will be white, cold and still. Truly, God is keen on variety!

We had a great time eating....

Fishing...

And just enjoying the scenery!

And then, I head back home and I sit in my "pod" in the office, with no window and the windows that are available do not open!

And that is why this is the Air I Breathe, the Air I Need to Breathe!

In a couple of weeks I have another vacation time coming up which will be spent at a cottage....by a lake....with the wind whispering in the pines and loons crying at night and dragonflies stopping by to say hello with their shimmering, iridescent coloured wings.

And I will be ready and refreshed for another year - to do the business of work and life.

Anybody for Freshie?

The other day at work a co-worker mentioned the word "Freshie".
Freshie....now there's a word I have not heard in a while!! I doubt my kids would even know what it means. Funny how "Kool-Aid" is still kicking around but Freshie has disappeared along with "groovy" and "far out."
I started to thinking about all the hip words that come and go, words we never say anymore, words we never even need to say anymore. Coming even faster are the new words to fit our technology - blogging for example. How funny would the word blogging sound to someone 50 years ago?? If you asked them what they had thought a blog was who knows what the answer would be. Something from a swamp, a monster similar to "The Blob"? I believe "The Blob" was all the rage about 50 years ago....but I could be wrong.
So here's to all those long forgotten words that used to be so much a part of our vocabulary. If you are a reader, you are a lover of words and it seems to be a shame to pack them all away. Maybe I'll start re-inventing the word "Freshie". Start putting it out there again like "Boy isn't that a freshie!" meaning new and hip or something like that. Or "She's a real freshie!" as in a big flirt.
So I encourage you all - if you have a word you once upon a time had a great fondness for that seems to be shelved, pull er out, breathe some new life into it, and let's see what happens!

Market Day

After surviving that nasty flu bug and getting my energy back I took an early trip down to the local farmer's market. Too bad I could not (and still can't) smell anything but the visual was wonderful! A trip to the market is enough to sooth any soul. Enjoy the photos!

Potatoes! Birthed from the Earth

I LOVE HONEY

Remember to eat your vegetables

These bottles were so pretty in the sun

Berries for Dessert!

Back In the Saddle

I've had a good run - for over two years I've been perfectly healthy. But all good things come to an end, they say and WAM - it hit me. For the past week, I've had a cold, a flu a whatever.
Sore throat - check
Painful ears - check
Achy - check
Feverish - check
Upset tummy - check
Coughing all night - check etc. etc....
I'm on the mend now, coming out of the fog and beginning to get my energy back. Of course, I kept going to work and of course I kept doing the household chores. But finally I'm beginning to feel like I can accomplish these things without having to hit the couch for an immediate nap. In the midst of this nasty business I thought I would try and make myself feel better. So, one night, I took some aspirin, laid down for about an hour, felt the drugs kicking in, announced to my husband I have about an hour before I crash again and headed out the door to buy an I-Pad. What a pertty toy it is and certainly helped to while away the hours in bed or on the couch. And just so you know - I saved my pennies for about 6 months - try not to buy toys on credit people. Not a good idea.
I must say - photos and videos are amazingly clear. Apps are taunting me - looking for my money and some will certainly win. I've downloaded the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and I'm doing my first E-book read. Some change is hard to take and some is easy. The I-Pad technology falls under easy and fun to be sure. So I'm back in the Saddle with an upgrade.