Raven Lady

Tis The Season Party!

2010-12-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night Paul and I hosted our first ever Christmas Party. Yup, I think that was the first for a holiday get together. It was a great night. Great friends, food, wine, music. Here's a few pics (heh heh heh) from mine and Allie's camera's.

Lamb and Eggplant Pastitsio

2010-11-19T08:39:00.001-07:00

It's been absolutely ages since I've posted anything on here since I joined Facebook but this one is worthy of posting. We got hit with winter big time on Tuesday! It has been snowing for 3 days. We had a lovely fall this year. Figured we'd have a nice and easy stroll into winter but nope. Full on winter weather, bam!

So in the spirit of the weather I wanted to make a hearty pasta dish and the first thing that came to my mind was Lamb and Eggplant Pastitsio. I've been making it for years. One of Paul's favorites. I made it so often we got tired of it. I think it's been about 3 or 4 yrs since I've made it. Try this recipe. It's pretty much fool proof. I added a bit more garlic and oregano to the lamb sauce and a touch of wine as it was a bit dry at first. If you absolutely don't like lamb, you could substitute ground beef. Our dear friend Allie came over for dinner and we had a wonderful evening as usual. Great company, conversation, wine, music, food. Cheers and Bon Hiver everyone!

Seconds anyone? ;)

覆面ねこ２。

2010-02-26T21:03:00.001-07:00

Everyone should have a cat like Maru!

Earth Hour 2010, March 27, 8:30pm

2010-02-25T08:51:00.001-07:00

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Christmas all over again.wmv

2009-12-24T11:59:00.001-07:00

The Velvet Underground - Oh! Sweet Nuthin'

2009-12-18T19:55:00.001-07:00

John Butler - "Funky Tonight"

2009-12-01T01:13:00.001-07:00

A friend on Facebook from Italy introduced me to this band. The John Butler Trio...but this is John doing this tune solo...unbelievable! ;)

My sister the published writer!

2009-11-18T16:43:00.004-07:00

http://www.amazon.ca/This-Distance-Karen-McLaughlin/dp/1897151403/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258587757&sr=8-1

Product Description
Robyn Gallagher inherits a car from the mother-in-law she believes disapproved of her. In it, she sets out from the town where she buried Muriel, on the banks of the Bay of Fundy, to go on a cross-country road trip back to her home in Calgary. Although there are hazards along the way, Robyn discovers that her journey crosses more than just physical terrain. The long stretches of solitude enable her to finally speak her mind to Muriel, to settle old scores, and to seize the opportunity to reflect on where she stands -- both within herself and within the world. At times furious, funny, and deeply compassionate, From This Distance is the life-affirming story of one woman's liberation from limited expectations.

About the Author

Karen McLaughlin lives on a small island in British Columbia and enjoys fast cars, gardening, and walking with her cat. She has won the Steeple Artworks Artist's Society scholarship and the EM/Media Scholarship, among other honours. She has a BFA from Alberta College of Art and Design and has studied at the University of Regina and Saint Mary's University in Halifax. From This Distance is her second novel.

I'm so proud and happy for her. She's worked extremely hard and long on this one and it's so great to see it come to light.

She also has a blog now. She just started it but will be adding more content, pictures and stories about her life and this book. Please click on the link to order her book and visit her blog!

http://karen-mclaughlin.blogspot.com/

Dear Laura

2009-11-06T16:45:00.001-07:00

Friend of mine...original tune! Awesome!

Sarah McLachlan Ol'55

2009-10-30T17:03:00.001-06:00

This is the version I like the best, so far. ;)

"Ol '55" (cover) - Matthew Jordan

2009-10-30T02:46:00.001-06:00

Found this by accident. Friend of mine bought a Tom Waits songbook today to learn the keyboard parts...I noticed this was one of the songs and remembered a version by Sarah McLachlan that I adore but couldn't find it on youtube anywhere...stumbled upon this and am happy I did.

Jill Barber Oh My My

2009-10-29T21:50:00.001-06:00

Canadian Chantreuse from my home town, Halifax, NS!|

Finally Fall like weather

2009-09-26T16:04:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since I last posted. It's been so hot here, I haven't felt like doing much. Been feeling extremely "blah" this summer. We didn't get to go out to Nakusp, BC as we usually do due to forest fires in the area. That was tough not going out there this summer, to swim in the lake, enjoy the views and visit with our friends. It just hasn't felt like summer at all here. Then when we're finally resigned to the fact that it's been a lousy summer and fall is on the way it goes up to 33C here last week! I don't like the heat to begin with (unless I can go swimming in a river, lake or ocean) so I wasn't thrilled with it. I want to start coming inside more now, play my guitar more (which I also didn't even feel like doing much this summer) and start making soups, stews and stuff. It's finally a bit more seasonable here today. But windy again! URGH! I'm so sick of the wind too.

The 2 weeks Paul had off in August were cold and wet here so we couldn't even to camping. We did manage to go out to the Kananaskis for 2 nights. Figured if it's cold and wet, at least we could be in a nice lodge with good food, spa etc. And it gave me a little break from cooking and stuff around here. I've actually had the fireplace or furnace on all summer here. Not everyday or all day but in the mornings to take the chill out of the house. Crazy weather!!!!! The 2nd week of Paul's vacation we painted the dining room. That was fun and turned out well, we think.

So that's what I've been up to. Basically nothing. I feel like Shirley Valentine. That I need to go away on a holiday and not come back for a while. But things seem to be changing this week. Feeling a bit better emotionally and physically, started guitar lessons again and my teacher says he wants to take me to the next level. Meaning I can play the guitar, now he wants to teach me how to "play" the guitar, if you know what I mean. I'm on my laptop downstairs and all my pics are on the computer upstairs.....maybe I'll post some pics tomorrow.

An old Friend.....Colleen Coadic

2009-08-02T15:52:00.001-06:00

This is an old friend of mine from the maritimes, the 80's. :) Check out more of her music on her myspace page. http://www.myspace.com/colleeninalaska She has lots of albums on iTunes! I'm downloading some as I type this! She's amazing! Love your stuff old friend! :)

Garden 2009

2009-07-20T09:31:00.007-06:00

Well after 3 yrs of landscaping our yard is finally underway. It's a real pleasure this year to see how well things are doing and all our planning and hard work on the yard was worth it. :) Planning a yard from scratch is a labour of love. You lay out plans, make sketches and start. About the only thing that is from our original plans is the deck off the patio door. And the fence, of course. Other than that, it just kind of happened organically. Once the fence and deck were in, we could see where the best light was for certain plants, where we wanted a stone patio etc.

It was a big yard to do by ourselves and I don't think we'd ever want to do this again. It's very nice to have it done and to be able to sit out and enjoy it now. I like that we have different areas to sit in, depending on the weather. If it's too hot on the deck we can go to the back corner flagstone patio in the afternoon. It's amazing how much cooler it is back there. The other stone patio off the deck was a product of leftover flagstone from the other patio. And the pathway. But we sit down there more than anywhere, it seems. It's kind of sheltered and private down there. Very lovely.

I'm thrilled at the size of my perennials this year. My herb garden is flourishing. Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, winter savory, tarragon, lavender, chives, oregano. It's nice to see the plants around the deck have grown taller than the deck now too. These pics were taken from July 2-20, you can see how much stuff has grown in just a few weeks. :) Cheers Heather!

Spider Web

2009-07-15T08:19:00.005-06:00

Last night the rain finally stopped (again!) and this morning a fog rolled in very early. As the fog was lifting I noticed the dew on the spider webs in my yard. Thought I'd take a few pics and post them. Very beautiful. Click on the pics to enlarge them, so you can see the dew drops. :)

As the week goes by the Raven's mature...kind of.

2009-06-20T10:48:00.004-06:00

Well it's been quite the week with the Raven's. The babies are definitely getting stronger and more adept at flying. The parents were still feeding them earlier this week but I think they might be feeding themselves a bit now too. At least they're trying. They're like little kids. They put everything in their mouth! "Can I eat this, hmmmm?". It's very amusing to watch. And they sure seem to enjoy our back patio. It's like the Raven Playpen. One of them just tried to land out there and our little Roxy chased it away! We've had a great show with them in the yard this week. Here's a few pics to view.

Two down, one to go....

2009-06-12T08:50:00.012-06:00

Paul and I were fortunate to finally see two of the Raven babies actually take their first flights this year! We always wondered how they got out of the nest. We figured they flew but once we saw them on the ground they couldn't fly very well, so we were always dubious of that assumption. Well the last three nights we saw it for ourselves. And they do actually fly, quite precariously but they do! It's pretty amazing for them to take off from the height of those power towers behind our house. Once they're on the ground it's a different story though. I think they need the height to take off from, to glide and learn. Once they hit land they hope around on the ground, flapping their wings till they get some lift again. Within an hour or so they are flying around like nobody's business. But they still don't know how to hunt for food, so the parents are kept very busy still coming to them to feed and protecting them from Hawks and Coyotes.

We came home from dinner on Wednesday night and found this little guy/girl on our gazebo. It's hard to imagine that this is a baby but it is. You should see the size of the parents! Roxy and Ringo were all a twitter over it being there. So much so, that yesterday morning when I let them out, Roxy jumped up on the gazebo to make sure it wasn't still there. :)

Then last night, we were sitting out, enjoying the evening when the 2nd baby leaped from the tower and took flight! It was trying to land where it's parents and sibling were but missed. Landed in a neighbours yard, hopped around for a bit till it finally managed to fly up to the fence. It was quite the show, hopping around the yard and flying between two or three yards. It went into one yard of some people who just moved in. They have a little pug dog, who is very gentle. The owner's came out to investigate. The parent was on top of their house and the baby in their yard, both squawking away. She had a rake and was heading towards the baby on their back fence. I yelled to her, "Hey, that's a baby, it just flew out of the nest and that's the parents flying around to protect it, don't hurt it!". They both said, "That's a baby!?!?!". LOL It soon flew off and all was well. But Paul commented, "Well you certainly earned your RavenLady name again tonight". That's how I got this nickname, I teach all the people about the Raven's and help protect the babies as they come out of the nest from ignorant neighbours. :) They really are amazing birds and the family unit is quite touching to see. Very good parents. So I hope you enjoy the pics.

Baby on a neighbours lawn chair, looking in their window!

Hopping around her yard.

One of the parents keeping a protective eye....

Finally made it up on the fence.

Half flying and hopping along the fence.

Roxy enjoying the view.

On top of our Gazebo, check out the baby down on it still.

On our Gazebo with Paul standing underneath. This is the 4th year we've been witness to these amazing birds and the birth of their children. I always talk to the parents when they're close by. "Hello my Raven", I call. And I tell them that our yard is a safe place for the babies. I think they know because we always get some of the babies in our yard and they're always quiet and the parents don't hoover around them like them do in other neighbours yards. :)

As of this morning there's still one left in the nest. It should join the parents and siblings any time now.

Music | Go For The Eyes

2009-05-19T09:40:00.006-06:00

Music Go For The Eyes -

You have to check out this band. Click on the link and listen to "Third Time's The Charm". Awesome tune! These are friends of mine. Two of them work at GuitarWorks, where I buy all my gear and take lessons. Great up and coming band. They're in the studio as I write this, cutting and EP. Keep an eye and ear out for them!

Cheers and Enjoy!

Finally, A Fender!

2009-04-27T08:56:00.006-06:00

Last summer Paul traded in the Fender bass I had bought for him at Christmas 2008. It was a complete kit with amp, guitar etc. Very inexpensive so it wasn't the best Fender going but it was a great way to see if he enjoyed learning how to play and would keep going with it. Well he did and last summer he traded it in for an Ibanez bass. I was never crazy about it but he fell in love with it. I think the look of it more than anything. BUT he was always comparing it to any Fender Bass he would see. . We would be watching a concert on TV and sure enough the bass player was playing a Fender. He tried to talk himself out of wanting one but I kind of felt that he did. The Ibanez was alright but I didn't think it suited the style of music that we were playing. Finally yesterday I talked him into trading it in and buying himself a Fender Bass. An early birthday present. And what a Fender he bought! It's gorgeous and sounds brilliant. It's a Fender American Standard. Poor Eric, the sales guy at the store had been hoping to buy it for himself but he was happy that it was going to a good home. We told him he could come visit it anytime. :)

Well It's Official

2009-04-07T09:33:00.010-06:00

We had a record amount of snowfall from Nov. 08 to the end of March 09. Over 155cm and the normal is usually around 85cm. They've been keeping records since 1885. Unbelievable! Our weather is finally starting to break and I actually got to be outside with the cats for 3 hours yesterday. It was wonderful. I gave them both a good brushing. Boy did they need it! There's still lots of snow on the ground but it's finally starting to melt. Still not sure when I'll see my tulips though. There's an awful lot of snow in that area of the yard. At least it's starting though. I sure hope we get a nice spring now. That was a long winter this year and the records prove it! Roxy was sure tuckered out when she came in. Both her and Ringo love to lay on Paul's amp. But Roxy lays on that and some boxes we have piled up beside it with DVDs in them. What a cutie. She's really turning in to a lovely cat. She chirped and talked all day outside. So happy. Talking to me, any bugs she saw, the birds. I'm actually able to open the windows in different areas of the house the past few days too. Slept with my window open last night. I hate having the house closed up all winter. It's such a treat when you can finally open the house and let it breath.

Here's the newest addition to our household. My new Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amp. I traded in my Line 6. It just wasn't suited to my playing or level of expertise. I just couldn't get a sound out of it that I liked. Ted at the guitarstore even gave me a demo last week. Since I don't have any other musicians around to show me or learn from I was having a hard time with it. I came home all excited and tried to dial in a sound but still hated what I was getting out of it. The Line 6 Spider Valve 112 Bogner was basically a Digital/Modelling amp but it did have a Tube amp and it sounded good but I just didn't care for the sound I could get out of it. Even though the Amp Models were based on classic amps, Fender, Marshall, Vox, Hiwatt etc, it was a digital sound and sometimes there were two or three mixed together into one style. Plus there were just too many bells and whistles. If I want those other sounds I'll buy some pedals. I just didn't like it. But this one, well.........It sounds amazing! I can finally hear what my guitars should sound like. I'm kicking my self in the ass that I didn't spend the extra money and get it in the first place but I've got it now and that's all that matters. Even Paul had a go at it with my Strat last night. He even admitted that it sounded better. I can get a great clean sound or mix in some overdrive to get more dirt. My SG and Strat sound completely different. A 100 times better. You can actually hear the differences between the guitars and their individual pick up selection. Very happy with this. And it's a, it's a a Fender. ;) (that's for any SNL fans out there)

I also picked up a great instructional book. Guitar Tone & Effects, an essential guide for getting the best sounds from electric guitars, amplifiers, effect pedals and digital processors. I read it cover to cover yesterday, then went in and applied what I had learned from it. WOW! "This Explains So Much". (an Almost Famous line for anyone out there). It's not as easy as just plugging your guitar into your amp and turning it on and the volume up. This book really helped. So I'm off to the races now I tell ya. :)

Earth Hour Huge Success!

2009-03-29T10:49:00.007-06:00

Well Folks early reports say that this year's Earth Hour was a tremendous success. Way to go world! Paul and I had a great time participating. Felt good to do our part. Here's a few pics from our event.

Dinner is Served. I made bbq ribs, grilled polenta and a endive and beet salad with walnuts and bluecheese. Here's the link for the salad recipe. Really delicious. Recipe courtesy of Laura Calder. http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=8359

As the sun starts to set we light the candles.

Getting darker, oh no my candles were going out.

OK, all relit now.

Paul and I turned off all lights, stereo, tv etc. We even noticed some neighbours with the glow of candles in their homes. Cheers Heather!

Earth Hour

2009-03-28T10:49:00.002-06:00

Hi Folks

Just wanted to see if anyone else is going to be doing the Earth Hour tonight.

25 ways to mark Earth Hour 2009

Earth Hour is a global WWF climate change initiative. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour on Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30 PM to show their support for action on climate change. Here are some ideas for how to spend the hour:

Attend local Earth Hour events - or organize one.
Add your event, or get details on events near you at Events.EarthHourCanada.org.
Go outside and look at the stars.
Find a great viewing spot to see your town or city go dark at 8:30 p.m.
Take pictures and post them to the Earth Hour Facebook page.
Go for a lantern walk through a park.
Patronize local restaurants and businesses taking part in Earth Hour.
Gather your family or friends for a candle-lit dinner.
Meet your neighbours at a street or block party.
Have an acoustic music jam.
Talk to your children about how much electricity your family uses. Brainstorm ways to reduce it. Tell ghost stories.
Listen to the birds, bats or other wildlife.
Play flashlight tag.
Turn your thermostat down by 1 degree. And leave it there.
Play Pictionary with glow-in-the-dark markers.
Change all your light bulbs to energy-efficient versions.
Have a night game of shinny with a glow-in-the-dark puck or ball (wear reflective vests).
Take a walk in the moonlight.
Have a candlelit bath.
Put a glow stick on your dog's collar or leash and go for a walk.
Toast marshmallows over a tea light candle.
Get out your Ouija board.
Have a wine or scotch tasting in the dark.
Get out the sleeping bags and camp out.on the living room floor.
Make a list of ways you could reduce your energy consumption every hour of every day.

Paul and I are going to have a candlelit dinner and then have an acoustic jam by candlelite. Maybe I'll post some pics of it tomorrow. What's everyone else going to do?
CheersHeather

Cabin Fever!

2009-03-25T11:42:00.010-06:00

Well Folks we're nearing the end of March and there's not many signs of spring yet in Calgary. I did see our fist Robin last Saturday night. That was promising. And the snow had almost melted last week. Then it started snowing late Saturday night. By Sunday at noon we had over 30cm. ARGH! Calgary gets most of it's moisture in the spring so I shouldn't be surprised. A bit of rain would be nice instead of snow though. Makes for a very long winter. And this winter seemed to be a bad one. We had lots of snow and very early, cold too. And it stayed all winter.

I'm ready to be out in the garden. Planting and gardening. Using my composter and clothesline again. I can't wait to see the yard this year. See if all the trees we planted last spring made it and come back. Watch the grass turn green and my perennials start to peek up from the ground. Not have to look at a big pile of dirt since we finished all the big yard landscaping last year. Sitting on the deck with a glass of wine, strumming my guitar. BUT NOOOOOO!!!!! Not here. There's a snowdrift in one corner of our yard that is almost 4ft tall! From the wind and drifting but still give me a freaking break!

This was actually last week. Gorgeous day. The snow was just starting to melt before the next big dump. I know it doesn't look like it in this picture. But trust me. I wish I had taken some pictures on Friday before the big storm.

You could actually see our entire flagstone patio in this back corner before the storm.
The Chickadees have been a constant joy in our yard this winter. I've kept the two bird feeders full at all times. :)

I know it's hard to see due to the light but it was starting to melt!

This is Tuesday after the big dump on Saturday and Sunday. Monday was bright, mild and sunny here so it help melt the snow. Took Paul nearly 2 hours to shovel the driveway on Sunday.

As you can see the drift is pretty big. The poor tree trunk is barely visible.

What's it like where you live? Post a comment and let me know if you're ready for spring too!

The Juniper

2009-03-05T15:16:00.002-07:00

On Sunday Paul and I went out to Banff and spent 2 nights. A mini get-a-way. We stayed at the Juniper Hotel. http://www.thejuniper.com/ The Juniper was completely renovated in 2003. It's an older property and had been closed down for a number of years. They turned it into a quaint little boutique hotel but kept the old architecture theme from the 50's & 60's. The restaurant, Muk A Muk was fabulous. We had two wonderful dinner's there. The Bison Ribs were to die for! The Juniper is located on the other side of the highway from the town of Banff turnoff. Directly below Mt. Norquay Ski Hill. This is good and bad. In the summer the noise from the highway can be noisy, if you're on that side of the hotel with the views. Which we were. But since we were there in the winter it wasn't too bad. We'd definitely go back. We had a lovely suite with a king bed, fireplace, jacuzzi tub and huge balcony. The last night we were there an Elk appeared on the hillside, so we had a glass of wine with him on our balcony. :) The restaurant and lounge have the same amazing views as our room did.

Happy Valentine's Day Paul!

2009-02-14T09:47:00.002-07:00

I'd like to dedicate this song to Paul. We started learning this song on guitar and bass a while ago. We were playing along to it the other night and Paul said to me, "Do you know what I think of when I hear this song?" And we both said "YOU" at the same time. If anyone knows me it's Paul and vice verse. So to you my love, the one person in my life who truly knows me, loves me for good and bad and who makes each day a memorable one. Happy Valentine's Day Sweetie!

The Story by Brandi Carlile

Lyrics to The Story

All of these lines across my face

Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I've been

And how I got to where I am

But these stories don't mean anything

When you've got no one to tell them to It's true...I was made for you

I climbed across the mountain tops

Swam all across the ocean blue

I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules

But baby I broke them all for you

Because even when I was flat broke

You made me feel like a million bucks

You do

I was made for you

You see the smile that's on my mouth

It's hiding the words that don't come out

And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed

They don't know my head is a mess

No, they don't know who I really am

And they don't know what I've been through like you do

And I was made for you...

All of these lines across my face

Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I've been

And how I got to where I am

But these stories don't mean anything

When you've got no one to tell them to It's true...I was made for you

A break from winter

2009-02-10T08:06:00.004-07:00

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous here. Sunny, no wind and very warm. Paul and I had a terrific day. Went for a walk after lunch around the neighborhood. When we got home Paul decided to take down the Christmas lights outside, since it was so nice out. I started prepping my BBQ Ribs inside. Making the dry rub and sauce. I wanted to smoke them on the BBQ and it was a perfect day for it. We sat outside on the deck with the cats for over 2 hours. It was so nice to be outside for so long. The kitties had a great time too! And the Ribs turned out great. Today it's cooler and snowing again but at least we had a little break from it on the weekend.

People Suck!

2009-02-05T08:19:00.021-07:00

Ever since I was a small child people have been disappointing me. Family, friends, teachers, doctors, employers etc. For whatever reasons. Good or bad. Am I too sensitive? Maybe. Am I too trustworthy, definitely. I've grown up being disappointed by people but as the years go by I'm finding my faith in humanity is growing very slim because of it. I always thought that if I trusted people, was a good person as a daughter, sister, friend, student, colleague and being there for them, listening, doing favours, keeping promises, working hard, helping out, being kind and all that hooey that it would come back to me. You know Karma! WRONG! People inherently Suck! They're all so busy, self absorbed and selfish that they don't take the time or effort to really get to know you. What you may be going through or what you've been through. But still I stick my neck out and put my trust and faith in people and it continuously comes back to bite me in the ass! I used to give people second, even third chances but not anymore. Most of the times it ends badly again. These days, screw with me once and you're outta there! Or I am. Good, healthy relationships take work and you have to put in time. These days I only make time for people who make time for me.

I know everyone has their faults (lord knows I do) but I try to overlook any minor ones in people I'm in contact with. Especially if their good features outweigh the bad ones. Hey we've all got our little quirks (and can have bad days) that annoy one another but let's try and look past those and more at the good things that drew us to them in the first place. Let's try and get past those annoyances and take the time to get to know someone before we pass judgement. Maybe we're just seeing our own faults in someone else and that's why we treat people like that. Why not try treating them with dignity, kindness and respect. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Cause you know what? Nobody's perfect and we could all use a friend. And who knows, maybe those little quirks or bad habits won't seem as bad once you really get to know someone. ;) The good will outweigh the bad. See, even as I'm trying to be pessimistic about stuff I'm optimistic. I guess I'm still trying to see the inherent goodness in people. BUT I'm not going to let people walk all over me any longer either. I'm going to try and stand up for myself and confront them if need be..........

Meet Harold and Maude

2009-02-02T16:01:00.008-07:00

But first my Orchids. Lovely aren't they? I've never grown them before so I'm extremely satisfied with how well they are doing. This plant actually has two stems of flowers and it hasn't stopped blooming since last fall.
We have some new company in our yard this winter. Two Partridges have made it their home. I named them Harold and Maude last week. The names just came to me. I figure they must be a he and she. We have two bird feeders in the yard. The Chickadees are a common guest and Sparrows. The Sparrows make a huge mess though. They scatter all the seeds they don't like to the ground. But Harold and Maude are too big to sit on the feeders, so they've been very helpful in eating the seeds that fall or get pushed to the ground. ;) Then they go under the deck for a while. And usually around dusk they come out to the yard where the snow has melted. Paul took these last night. We're not sure if they're going to nest in our yard or not. It's a pretty sweet place for them. Sheltered, food and safe from prey. Roxy is really enjoying watching them. Ringo too. For them it's like a Big Screen TV looking out the window at all the birds in the yard. Of course we'll make sure they're all safe from our cats if they do have babies. I guess I should start researching when they nest and how long before the babies can fly. Should be an interesting spring with Raven and Partridge babies.

Another Birthday

2009-01-26T15:30:00.006-07:00

Well another year and birthday has come and gone. Hard to believe. Sunday was my actual birthday but we had a dinner party on Saturday to celebrate. And celebrate we did. :) Mel and Steve, Shawn and Crista came over. Fellow Tuscanites. I made a Mexican feast. Easy and yummy. My friend Cathi in Halifax sent me a very nice Pajmina. I wore it at work today. Mel and Steve gave me a nice candle lantern. It will be great for outside this summer. Shawn and Crista gave me a bottle of wine, always a great gift. ;) And Paully gave me a foot control pedal for my amp and guitar. Sweet! Things got pretty silly once we started playing the Wii. Crista had never played the Dance game before. She's hooked now and wants to get one! Sorry Shawn. ;) It was probably one of the best Birthday's I've had in years. Thanks guys! So without further adieu, here are some pics from the party. Cheers Everyone!

Our Pretty, Pretty Patches

2009-01-16T10:28:00.018-07:00

And then there were two.............we said goodbye to our sweet little girl, Patches this morning. She was almost 18 yrs old. She was an abandoned kitten of around 4 months when Paul brought her home to us. She had long, happy and loving life. And brought us much joy. A real lap cat and very loving. She had been going downhill very quickly since the summer though. Her arthritis was very painful and it was hard for her to get around. She couldn't tolerate any meds to help. They made her sick. Her heart murmur was a 5 out of 6, she had a rotten tooth or two and because of her heart condition we couldn't do anything about it, she was going deaf and her other internal organs were beginning to shut down. Her quality of life was suffering and it was hard to watch her be so uncomfortable, so we made a tough decision. We couldn't bare the thought of her dying in pain, which was inevitable, so once again Dr. Deken came over and helped us say goodbye to our beautiful little girl. She wasn't alone and we were with her as she slipped away very peacefully. As Paul said, "How come the right thing to do is always the hardest?" She'll be brought back to us once she's cremated. She's with Mickey now and no longer in pain. Goodbye sweet Patches, we love you. Paul, Heather, Ringo & Roxy.

You can click on any photo to open in a new window and the picasa photo album. Click on slideshow at the top left and it will open up to a larger view.

Thanks to everyone who sent us email's and comments on here. Means allot.

New Guitar!

2009-01-02T12:32:00.004-07:00

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you all had a safe and happy holidays. We did. On Boxing Day my guitar store had a sale. I had picked up a Gibson SG Special a few weeks back and fell in love with it. Soooo.....Paully bought it for me. :) An early anniversary and birthday gift, which are both in January. Woo Hoo! What a gorgeous guitar. It's so different from my Strat. Much easier to play, lighter and completely different sound to it. I'm even practising my scales and enjoying it! Paul and I had a blast on New Year's Eve. Just the two of us. I made a great feast, as usual. Drank some nice wine. Played, listened to, sang to, watched and danced to Music till 3am!

Gibson SG Special

Our Family of Guitars

Kelly Richey Band!

2008-12-30T12:36:00.003-07:00

Check out this new artist I was just introduced to. Kelly Richey. Just bought three of her albums. Two off iTunes. "Carry the Light", her newest one and "Sending me Angels". Both great albums. She's got the perfect blues voice and can play the guitar like nobody's business. I also went to her website, http://www.kellyrichey.com/ and from there you can order all of her stuff from the record company. I bought the download version of "Live at Tommy's On Main". She does some cover tunes on that one but fantastic arrangements of them. So check her out and let me know what you think. She's got a you tube channel with lots of video's of them playing live. http://www.youtube.com/user/kjrichey Cheers and Happy New Year Everyone!

Christmas Card

2008-12-23T07:34:00.002-07:00

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Pasta Making

2008-12-13T10:03:00.005-07:00

Had to share this with you all. Especially for anyone whose ever made homemade pasta. I bought this pasta drying rack for Paul, two birthdays ago. Paul loves to make homemade pasta. Ever since I learned how to make homemade pasta at culinary school and bought myself the pasta roller. He's been the one who does that. :) Last night was the first time we used the drying rack. What an invention! Before we always had to have baking pans with the drying pasta lined up all over the kitchen. This took up very little space and made the whole rolling, drying and cutting process much quicker and easier. Paul even made the pasta dough himself for the first time! He was my Sous Chef extraordinaire, getting all the ingredients ready for the pasta dish. I sauteed some boneless, skinless chicken breast and mushrooms separately. Then added some cream, butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese to the pan to make an Alfredo sauce. Secret ingredient was green peppercorns though. It's a recipe that I copied from a restaurant I worked at years ago in Halifax. It was Delicious!

I also added a few pics from this week and of course some of the kitties. Winter finally arrived last weekend and this weekend we got another blast and some really cold weather. Even the Patridge in our yard were digging for food and warmth. Brrrr.....stay warm everyone.

My You Tube Channel

2008-12-08T12:31:00.005-07:00

Paul and I had some fun on the weekend. We uploaded two new videos of us playing. Lots of fun. I added the link to my Music Links on the side of my blog. And here it is also.

http://www.youtube.com/user/chefheather

We did Runnin Down A Dream by Tom Petty together and then I attempted to sing and play my acoustic on Night Driver by Tom Petty. Solo. Yikes! Oh well, at least we're trying!

Hope everyone is well. Oh yea about Christmas. Don't think I don't love you or am not thinking of you all this year if you don't receive a card from us as usual. I'm taking a year, maybe two, maybe forever off from Christmas. I'll probably send an email or maybe just post a card here for everyone. And I won't be terribly hurt if you don't send one either. Just stop by here and post a holiday greeting in a comment. :) I'd rather see that.

Cheers Heather

New Amp

2008-11-10T08:09:00.008-07:00

Line 6 Spider Valve 112 - Bogner Tube Amp. Sweet!

I needed to upgrade my amp. I had bought a Fender G-Dec Junior when I bought my Strat last fall. It was great to start out with but I was playing it the other night and just couldn't get a sound out of it that I liked. Chad at Guitarworks figures my ears have just outgrown the Digital sound of that amp. It was only like 15 watts too. Chad recommended another Fender amp at first for me. It was nice, a full Tube Amp which I liked but it wasn't loud enough to go over a drum kit, if we ever played with one. Then he pointed this one out to me. It was 2nd hand and a great price. As soon as I plugged into it, I knew it was for me. True, it's another digital or modelling amp but with the added bonus of being a true Tube Amp as well. And a Tube Amp designed by Bogner himself. Well we figured we'd better get Paul a new amp too, since he had a pretty beginner one. So he choose a Fender Bassman. They both just sound so much better. We had a great jam on Saturday. :) Thanks Chad!

Specs for the Bogner:

40W Class AB tube amp through (2) 12AX7 preamp tubes and (2) 6L6 power tubes
1X12" configuration featuring a Premium Celestion® Vintage 30 speaker
12 dialed-in amp models (channel voices) that deliver a complete tonal range from shimmering clean to insane grind
7 Smart Control FX (up to 3 simultaneous) including Tape Echo, Sweep Echo, Standard Delay (all with Tap Tempo) Chorus/Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, and Reverb
Built-in front panel tuner
36 user programmable channels
300+ presets covering the greatest guitar tones of all time
POD® XLR direct out for studio direct tone.
Compatible with FBV2™, FBV Express™ and FBV Shortboard™ foot controllers
Single and dual 1/4" speaker output jacks for connection to auxiliary cabinets
1/4" power amp input jack for POD® amp and effect modelers
Weight: 45 lbs
Dimensions: 27" L x 24" H x 15" D

Just hanging out, catching some rays

2008-11-07T11:03:00.004-07:00

Couldn't resist putting this up. It's so rare that I can get a picture of Ringo. He hates having his picture taken. It's almost as if you're trying to steal his soul. He always moves and runs away. So it was amazing that he sat in that pose and let me take this. (he jumped down immediately after I took this shot) I love the way he's leaning up against the window ledge with his arm. He's our little man. Such a pretty boy.

DVD Concert Review

2008-11-05T07:58:00.005-07:00

Bruce Springsteen - Live in Dublin "Open All Night"

Picked this up on the weekend. Now Paul and I aren't big Boss fans but I had heard cuts off this album, "The Seeger Sessions" on CKUA, our independent radio station here in Alberta and was blown away. Or actually I was never a huge fan of his in the 80's or 90's. Then Paul and I saw an autobiography on him. Made me appreciate him more, although I was still sick of the way people idolized him and set him on such a high pedestal. The whole "Born in the USA" was over the top for me. I did buy his last album, "Magic". It's really good. I think I like the mature Bruce better than his younger days. This new project was inspired by Bruce and some musicians in his own home, playing around with different arrangements of Pete Seeger songs. They threw in a few of Bruce's songs and a band, album and tour was born. It didn't get rave reviews or crowds in the US but it blew the people in Ireland away! As well it should. They mix Jazz, Gospel, Dixieland, Country, Folk, Bluegrass and Rock-a-billy together and it is pure artistry. The musicianship is outstanding. Definitely worth getting the DVD. It's something we'll watch over and over again. I even bought the CD off iTunes to have on my iPod. This is a rather long song but worth listening to and watching. It really showcases all of the talent on stage.

Nothing to write home about........

2008-11-04T06:42:00.007-07:00

Hey all. I know it's been a while but as I told my dad when he asked, "what's going on with Raven Lady", I just don't have anything to show or say. I notice that my other Blog Pals have been quiet lately too. Must be the season. We had another gorgeous month of weather in October. They say we may get a few flurries tonight. That might be kind of nice.

I did make some awesome Popovers/Yorkshire Puddings a couple of weeks ago. Got the recipe from an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown off Food Network. Paul said they were the best ones I'd ever made. Great recipe and very easy. His method is fool proof. Here's the link for the recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-eats/basic-popover-recipe/index.html The recipe didn't say to heat the pan in the oven first, then add the butter or drippings, put it back to heat up (don't let it burn though) then fill the cups. That's how he did it on the show and that's how I made these ones. I used a regular size muffin tin since I don't have a popover pan. It made 9 popovers. I filled the other 3 cups with warm water. This helps the batter rise and doesn't dry them out. It's also great because you can bake these ahead of time and then reheat them in a 350F oven for 5 min or so just before you serve the meal.

So what's going on with everyone else?

Indian Summer

2008-09-30T09:22:00.013-06:00

Well Summer's Finally here! Seriously, we've had a gorgeous weather for the month of September in Calgary. Highs of 25C. Clear skies. We had Mel and Steve for dinner on Saturday. I made a glazed ham and scalloped potatoes. Really good hearty fall fare. I was hoping to make a nice Split Pea soup out of the leftovers but with this weather who wants to eat soup! The trees are changing and it's really breathtaking. I love this time of the year. The sights and smells. Sunday we had Dim Sum for brunch and then went for a walk down by the Bearspaw Dam. Gorgeous day. Nice walk along the Bow River and then to the reservoir. Here's a few pics from there, our yard and even a few Nakusp pics thrown in from our trip earlier this month. Goodbye September, I hope October is just as nice. :)
Fall along the Bow River. This is the river that flows from the Bow Glacier in the mountains and gives Calgary it's water supply.

Here's the Bearspaw Dam. People fishing in the Resevoir.
It's very scenic here. That's the concrete overflow beside it.

Somebody building a HUGE house on top of that hill overlooking the reservoir. Gorgeous place to build.
Just as we got there a train came by.

This is a stained glass piece we bought at the Hill's Garlic Fest near Nakusp earlier this month.
It's so nice to have some fall foliage in our own yard this year. First time in 6 years because we've been building and landscaping. This is our 2nd house and yard in 6 years.
Pretty, Pretty Patches, as we call out to her at times. She's over 17yrs now. And not doing too badly. We had her into the Vet in August and they were all shocked at how well she was and looked for her age. She is slowing down though and enjoys nothing more than a soft place and a sunbeam to warm her old bones, inside or out.
The Trembling Wilbury's (previous post of the same name) in fall colour. ;)

Ulli and some friends in Nakusp have a canoe club. They raised funds and bought themselves a gorgeous Canoe this year. We got a chance to see them in it while we were there. Kind of a cloudy day so please excuse the lighting. I was trying a new setting. Didn't work so well.
That's Ulli in the Purple jacket, blonde hair and BIG beautiful smile.
The Hill's Garlic Fest started as a community potluck in the fall. Very small get together. Now it's moved to New Denver (population around 600) and this year had over 160 vendors, live entertainment, food vendors and over 7000 people went thru the gates! That's where we bought the stained glass piece. And of course lots artisans, fresh and locally grown produce, fruit and GARLIC! It was strange to see that many people in a place that is home to so few year round. Glad we went though. But I'd have to say we won't go again. We go out to that valley so we can get away from all the crowds. We'll stick to other times of the year and the small Farmer's Markets. :)

Last but not least. I had to take a photo of this Food Vendor's sign. Thought it was fitting for my blog. ;) There were some fabulous food vendors at the Fest. Line ups as long as you could see at some of them. But well worth it. Cheers everyone!

The Yurt

2008-09-17T09:33:00.012-06:00

We had another fantastic trip out to Nakusp, BC last week. The weather wasn't the best but not bad. A few rainy and cloudy days but all in all not bad. We stayed the first 3 nights at Willi and Ulli's. Had a wonderful time as usual. Then the last 2 nights we drove about 20km south of Nakusp to the Rock Island Resort Bill and Susan were our hosts. They have a lovely spot. A nice home for themselves, complete with a few outbuildings and a pottery studio for Susan. They have two cabins for rent. More like small apartments. Very nice. But the reason we wanted to stay there is because of the Yurt they rent out. The Yurt is set off from the main house and cabins in the wood on the Arrow Lake. It's very private and very comfortable. Here's the description of a Yurt on their website:

"At the most basic level, one might say a yurt is a glorified tent - but a yurt is really much more. The Mongols live in them year round and tend to prefer them to other forms of housing.
The original designs of these structures involved five basic elements: lattice walls, roof beams, a roof ring, a door, and a felt or hide covering. When put together, it created a simple round wooden latticework frame with a combination of felt and sheep skin covering the outside depending on the season. Today's modern yurts use the Mongolian concept, but with the conveniences and technology of the 21st century, including insulation and cover fabrics developed by NASA. "

They had all the comforts of home inside. Even a gas stove for heating. There was no bathroom facilities inside. The bathroom/shower was in a separate building 2 steps out the back door. Complete with a composting toilet, sink and shower. There was also an old outhouse out the front. :)

We enjoyed staying there. That part of the valley and lake is very narrow but beautiful. We had a fire by ourselves on the lake the first night. Watched the stars in the sky. Even watched the stars from inside the Yurt thru the window in the top. :) Here's some pics from our stay. And the url to order your own Yurt. www.yurtco.com

Mushrooms in BC

2008-09-14T08:51:00.005-06:00

Paul took these mushrooms pictures while we were in Nakusp, BC last week. It's Mushroom picking season there. We didn't pick any of these ones since we didn't know if they were safe to eat or not. We did get to sample some wild Chantrelle's at Ulli's for dinner one night though. They were delicious!

Jesse Cook - One Night at the Metropolis

2008-08-23T09:45:00.006-06:00

I picked up this DVD yesterday. Jesse Cook was born in Paris but raised in Canada. Absolutely Brilliant. We've seen him twice in concert. I have all his albums. Each one is fantastic. I love the way he puts a middle eastern twist on some pieces. I was so excited when I saw this DVD yesterday. Paul and I popped it in after dinner and sat with our jaws dropped for the entire DVD. He has a electrifying band, backing him up. Chris Church, the violinist is from Halifax, NS. My home town. :) His back up singer is phenomenal too. And his percussionists defy logic sometimes. :) I highly recommend this to anyone who likes guitar. Or Flamenco or Rumba or Middle Eastern or plain good music. And if you get a chance to see him live. DO IT! We were up dancing in the aisles each time we saw him. Go to you tube and check out some of his music.

Once

2008-08-22T00:32:00.007-06:00

On the recommendation of my blog friend, Mike, I not only watched this movie but I bought it sight unseen. Just from researching it on the web after I had seen it on his profile. That's Mike from http://myphotomemries.blogspot.com/ . Anyway, it looked amazing and Paul and I eagerly awaited it's arrival. We popped it in a couple of weeks ago and were blown away, completely! That's Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the main characters, "boy and girl". Glen has a band by the name of "The Frames". Terrific. All of them. I just bought two albums of f iTunes. The soundtrack to the movie, which is so beautiful and one by the two of them. I'm still trying to decide on what "The Frames" album to buy. :) This song is from the movie. It's called. "Falling Slowly". It won an Oscar for best original song. No wonder. As Mike said, "I could listen to Glen Hansard's voice all day long". Or something to that effect. Cheers Mike, couldn't agree more.

Anyway the movie is shot beautifully as you can see from this clip. It's not all Hollywood. No violence or gratuitous sex. You don't know what's going to happen next etc. Thank god. Glen and Marketa are actual musicians that the writer/director hired (might have been friends of his too, can't remember). Never acted. Good. Made it more genuine. And he filmed them from afar, so they felt more comfortable.

Can't say enough good things about this movie/musical. Just watched it for the 2nd time. There will be many more viewings, I'm sure. Paul and I both love it. So visual. Beautiful. If you love music and enjoy this song from the movie, please rent or buy it. See it. Enjoy it. And buy the music. Support our Musicians! Cheers, Heather

Writing......

2008-08-21T23:12:00.016-06:00

Working Title: "I Won't Give Up" by Heather Robinson

1. I'm not giving up

But it's hard to want to fight

When your so called friends and family

make it hard to know what's right....

....

2. Some I've given second chances

With disappointment in the end

Now I just walk away

With heartache on the mend

....

3. It's hard to let anyone in

And I don't have many friends

But I hope the ones I do

Will be with me till the end

....

4.. It's easy for them to criticize

On someone else's life

But maybe they should look at their own

Instead of bringing me all this strife

....

5. I won't give up though,

I'm as stubborn as they come

Been through hell and back

and I'm tired of being shunned

....

6. You say you wouldn't hurt me

but I don't believe it's true

I've been hurt so many times

now I can't believe in you

....

7. But I won't give up

It's just not in my nature

I've been thru this all before

and I'm stronger for it now

I just wrote that last 3 paragraphs as I was typing this out. Funny how you get inspired. It seems very silly and pedantic to me now that I've written it down. (Hmmm....I dropped out of school in grade 8. Although I did get my GED and graduate high school finally. Went back to school a couple of other times after that and did very well.) I've never written anything before. So don't be too hard on me if it's immature sounding. But I suppose most artists feel that way about their own work at one time or another.

Not sure what the chorus is yet. The 5th or 7th verse maybe. Or maybe it hasn't been written yet. I wrote the rest of it last winter. One day Paul went skiing. I sat and wrote out 3 different poems/songs. Shocked the hell out of me. That's all I have so far for this one. Putting music to it is the tough part. Not sure if I have enough knowledge yet. I guess time will tell... stay tuned.....Heather

"Trembling Wilburys"

2008-08-20T12:54:00.005-06:00

From left to right meet: Bob, Tom, George, Jeff and Roy! Now I know what you're thinking. That I've gone round the bend. Those aren't the Trembling Wilbury's. Those names are the Traveling Wilbury's. Well this is why....One night we were sitting out on the deck and the wind was rustling. The trees started trembling and I said to Paul. "I think we should name our new Columnar type trees the "Trembling Wilbury's" after the song, "Dirty World" by the "Traveling Wilburys". He thought that was a great idea. So did I. I was at my guitar lesson the next week and I told Jim, my guitar teacher that we had named them that. We had been working on a few of their songs. And Jim knows me well enough after 2 years of weekly lessons that I'm a bit of a whack job. He laughed and confided in me that they had just put in 5 columnar's in their yard and he had named them after ABBA. Actually he told his wife that they should only have 4 trees because ABBA only had 4 members. Since the trees were already in they decided the 5th one was the Manager. Well I laughed.....So at least I'm not the only nut job who names her trees. :)

Now there's two parts to why I named them the Trembling Wilburys and not the Traveling Wilburys. The first one I explained above. The sound and movement the trees make when the wind blows. Here's the 2nd reason. In their song "Dirty World" they are all standing around the mic taking turns singing lines from magazines that George had given to them. Whenever it came to Roy for his turn he always got the line, "Trembling Wilburys". Even if they changed it around, Roy still got that line. It cracked them all up. There's a great documentary about the True Story of the Traveling Wilburys. I got the entire 25 mins or so when I downloaded the newly remastered album off iTunes. It's also on http://www.youtube.com/ in 3 installments. Just type that in and you'll find it. But in the meantime here's part of that documentary. The Dirty World segment is about 1.28 min into this segment.

Jim and I weren't huge fans of them when they first came out. We're both loving that we've discovered them again. I've learnt "Handle with Care", "End of the Line" so far on guitar. Fun songs to play. It's so great to have musicians of such calibre come together. So sad that two of them (Roy and George) are no longer with us. But we have their music and I'm loving it now! It's like a favorite band from long ago just put out a new album. It's music I grew up with and love. And because of them I'm a HUGE Tom Petty fan now as well. I'm playing lots of his songs too. Same thing, knew his music, liked it but was interested in other people at the time. To have them all together in one band is very exciting to me. Thrilling.

So that's the story of how I named our trees after them. Hope you enjoy it!

Summer Garden

2008-08-19T09:53:00.008-06:00

Thought I'd go out and take some pictures of my flowers this morning. They're all so beautiful right now. Kairi you inspired me after your post about your new camera. :) You too Mike. I tried using my Macro and Super Macro setting. I think they turned out alright. And you can always click on them to enlarge. It was windy and hard to get focused at time. LOL. Hope you all Enjoy!
Roxy above and Ringo below, enjoying the yard.
Mock Strawberry. Beautiful little yellow flowers come out and then a tiny strawberry. No flavour though. So you can't eat them.
Snapdragons.
Nasturtiums.
More Snapdragons.
Bee Balm that Roxy trampled but they survived!
Million Bells hanging basket.
Goldstorm Coneflower We added a new water feature. Next year I'll put some plants around it and maybe even some water plants in it. It's very soothing to listen to.
Another perennial. A Coneflower. I love the shape of the flowers and buds as they open.

Snapdragon just opening.
I think this is part of the Daisy family, a perennial that blooms till October. Someone gave this to me. Does anyone know what it is? A brown-eyed Susan perhaps?
Blanket Flower which grow wild in these parts.
My gardens have done well considering the lousy weather we've had so far this year. It's finally cooling off today after a record breaking high yesterday of 33.7C. Paul said he walked out of his air conditioned office and a wall of heat hit him. Looks like we'll be getting some thunderstorms today. That's all for now. Cheers everyone!

New Guitars for Heather and Paully

2008-08-18T08:58:00.011-06:00

Well I finally did it. I traded in my old Takamine Acoustic for a new Taylor Acoustic/Electric last week. It's unbelievable. The sound is rich and warm compared to my old one. Plays like a dream and it's got a pick up so I can plug it in to my amp. It's sweeeeeet. Here's the link to the page but I think I have all the info about it right here. I had my Tom Petty Concert on the other night and was playing along to it. Paul said it sounded like I was just another part of the band. Taylor is the creme de la creme of guitars. I feel very fortunate to have it. Wow! Actually I can't believe i have a Taylor. :)

http://www.taylorguitars.com/Guitars/100-200/200/214ce/

Type/Shape - 6-String Grand Auditorium
Back & Sides - Indian Rosewood Laminate
Top - Sitka Spruce
Soundhole Rosette - Cocobolo
Neck - Tropical American Mahogany
Fretboard - Indian Rosewood
Fretboard Inlay - Pearloid Dots
Headstock Overlay - Indian Rosewood
Binding - White Plastic
Bridge - Indian Rosewood
Nut & Saddle - Tusq
Tuning Machines - Enclosed, Die-Cast Chrome Plated
Strings - Elixir® Light Gauge Strings with NANOWEB® Coating
Scale Length - 25 1/2 Inches
Truss Rod - Adjustable
Neck Width at Nut - 1 11/16 Inches
Number of Frets - 20
Fretboard Radius - 15 Inches
Bracing - Standard II (Forward Shifted Pattern W/Relief Rout)
Finish - Satin
Color Options - Natural
Sunburst Options - None
Cutaway - Venetian
Electronics - Taylor ES-T™
Left-Handed - Available; No Charge
Body Width - 16 Inches
Body Depth - 4 5/8 Inches
Body Length - 20 Inches
Overall Length - 41 Inches

Paul was feeling left out so we traded in his old Fender Bass and bought him a new and improved Bass too. :) It's a beautiful sounding Bass. Ibanez make great guitars too. I signed Paul up for lessons starting in September as well. He'll progress really fast once he starts those. Here's the URL for it as well.

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eb_page2008.php?data_id=503&color=CL01&area_id=2&year=2008&cat_id=2&series_id=48

BTB670 - NTF
Natural Flat -neck type
5pc BTB4 Maple/Bubinga neck-thru body
Walnut/Light Ash wing body
fret -Medium frets
bridge - MR-2 bridge (19mm string spacing)
neck pu - Bartolini® MK2 neck pu
bridge pu -Bartolini® MK2 bridge pu
equaliser - Bartolini® MK2 3-band eq
string - Elixir® string

Garden Update

2008-07-27T11:02:00.006-06:00

Paul has worked incredibly hard on the yard once again, the past two weeks. We used up the rest of our flagstone and made another small patio off the wooden deck with a pathway from that to the front gate. Put up an Arbour and planted some vines on either side of that. Then we found a great cedar composter and a rain barrel. I feel like our yard is complete now. We had Mel and Steve over for a bbq last night. Great night. Good Times.
New Compost Bin and Rain Barrell.

We added a composter and rain barrel the other day. I actually used rain water from it to water all my pots and annuals this morning. It's wonderful to have a composter again too. We put all our grass clippings in there and I have a little container by my kitchen sink that all my veggie, fruit, coffee grounds and egg shells go into. When it's full I take it out to the compost bin. :)
I finally built the little garden bed by the corner patio too. Added some perennials to it that I got on sale at our garden centre. And a few different ceeping Thyme species between the flagstones.
We had to build this contraption over the compost bin. Roxy jumped from it to the top of the fence as soon as we put it there. There's a cat bylaw in Calgary. No wandering cats. Plus it's safer for them if they stay in your own yard. Lots of coyotes and other dangers in "outer space" as we call it.
We had to put more chicken wire on the sides once she figured out how to get around it again. Now she just walks by and stares up at it, defeated. For now.

Paul's masterpiece. The stone patio, pathway and arbour by the house. It really completes the yard, we think. I planted some vines on either side of the arbour.

The kitties actually use all the pathways and they love the arbour.

Carolyn Wonderland

2008-07-18T09:59:00.003-06:00

Carolyn Wonderland Miss Understood Misunderstood

Thanks to Mike for sending me this. Great artist. You can click on the title (Her name) to link to her MySpace page. Cheers!

Farmer's Markets

2008-07-15T09:37:00.004-06:00

Here's a great reason to go to your local Farmer's Markets. Everything for our meal last night was bought from there on Sunday. Since we live out in the "Burbs", we are fortunate enough to live beside a country Farmer's Market. It's wonderful. Every Sunday from 11-3pm we can go up and pick out fresh produce, meats, artisans products, you name it. It's there. Usually the produce is grown in Alberta or British Columbia and was picked within a day or two of it arriving there. Sometimes that morning! And it tastes amazing. It was a perfect night last night to put a beautiful free range, hormone free chicken on the Rotisserie on the BBQ. Then I just steamed the rest of the fresh veggies. Sometimes simple is best. We wanted to taste the fresh veggies. I did put some nice fresh dill and sour cream on the new potatoes though. :) Delicious! You just can't get any better than this. So source out your local Farmer's Markets and go get yourself a great meal like this. Not only is it better tasting and healthier, since it wasn't picked before it was ripe or shipped from who knows where but you'll be helping out your local farmer's. Cheers! Those two lights in this photo are from the hanging lights over my bar. They are reflected in the water in the sink. Kinda cool.
These chickens are the best. Fresh, juicy and very tasty.

I'm Back!

2008-07-14T09:31:00.007-06:00

Gorgeous day yesterday. Paul's on holidays for 2 weeks now. We were going to go camping this week but with me just starting to feel better, we decided not to. Weather's not supposed to be great anyway, so just as well. But last night we had a great bbq. Peppery Flank Steak, (recipe below) grilled vegetables with balsamic vinegar and fresh thyme from my garden. And grilled polenta, I made. It was delicious! Nothing better than a home cooked meal, especially after all the crap and take out we've been eating since I got sick. :) So nice to have this Gazebo. Really shades us well.

There's the Polenta before I grilled it. I even added some fresh corn from the Farmer's Market.

With the remainder of the flagstone, we made a pathway from the front of the house to the deck. Now poor Paul just has to dig it in. Stay tuned.

Roxy hanging out, literally. Crazy beast.
The Flank Steak and Polenta.
Dinner is Served!

Peppery Flank Steak

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 lime, grated zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, (crushed chillies)
1/2 teaspoon Chili Oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
1 1/2 pounds flank steak

In a small bowl stir together the lime juice, lime zest, garlic, beef broth or oil, crushed chillies, wine, sugar and soy sauce. Place the meat in a Ziploc bag big enough to hold it. Pour the mixture over the steak, seal and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours - overnight is better- turning the meat occasionally. Take the steak out of the marinade and pat dry with paper towels, reserving the marinade to baste. Barbecue on high for approximately 10-12 minutes, or bake on broiler pan in oven until rare, basting occasionally. Let rest a few minutes. To serve, carve on the diagonal into thin slices. Serves 4

Summer Nights

2008-07-13T09:46:00.004-06:00

Well I think I'm finally on the mend. Last night we had a great meal and then sat out and had a fire on our new patio. Even made S'mores. :) As you may or may not know, our house backs onto the city limits. So there is nobody behind us. Except the Hydro Line. And a farmer's field with cows. I love that we have the cows behind us. They all come up to the top at night. Very picturesque with the mountains and sunsets. Here's a few pics I snapped last night. Enjoy!

Nothing worse than a summer cold........

2008-07-03T08:20:00.007-06:00

I have been sick since my last posting. Really sick. Can't sleep, sore throat, sneezing, coughing all night, lost my voice, sick. The worse part is that we had gorgeous weather for our long weekend (Canada Day) which was last weekend. And I was sick. Too sick to enjoy it. But Paul was very busy. In the heat he built our Flagstone patio. What a great job he did. Probably took him a total of 6 days to do it all. Which he did over a couple of weeks. If you've never built a stone patio it's hard. First you have to excavate the site at least 6 inches. That's because you have to add 6 inches of gravel on the bottom. Then you rent a Tamper (which is extremely heavy) and tamp that down. Then you add about an inch of sand. Then you can lay the stones down. With Flagstone it's one big giant puzzle. Harder than you would think to put them in. Heavy too. After that you add more sand on top and sweep it into the cracks. I'm going to grow some plants in between the stones. If I ever get better! Oh yeah, we have tickets to see Mark Knopfler this Saturday but we sold them because I'm still too sick to go! This is after Paul had excavated.
Finishing laying down the stones. We left a 2 ft strip along one side of the fence for a garden bed.
The finished product. We have our Chimanea Firepit for there and our Charcoal BBQ. It's also more sheltered from the wind and sun in that corner. So when it's too hot to sit on the wooden deck we can go down there now.
We choose these stones because of their colours. Fall Mountain it's called. We're going to use the remainder of them for pathways around the yard.
We had a Red Wing Blackbird visit our bird feeder that same day. I just checked online and this is the Male. The male Red-winged blackbird has a glossy-black body and bright red shoulder patches edged with yellow. The female is heavily streaked and brown overall. They have a lovely song and when they open their wings you can really see the red strip. I was in the house making dinner when I heard it's song. I quickly took the pictures from inside. That's the side of our Gazebo in the picture above. We've only ever seen these birds near bodies of water, so it was exciting to have one in our yard. I hope they come back.

Birthday BBQ

2008-06-22T08:35:00.004-06:00

We had a birthday bbq for Paul's mom last night. It was a gorgeous day. This is my nephew below, looking for Roxy. "Now where is that cat". She's hiding underneath the chair behind him. The kids had a great time with Roxy. I think she did too.
Roxy and Ringo playing in the garden.
My neice. She's so cute.

Mother, 3 of her kids and 3 grandkids.
My nephews having a snooze in the hammock. The kids loved the Hammock.
Playing Croquet. Roxy trying to play too.
Mother, son and daughter.
We all had a great time. The time flew by. Paul and I were exhausted when everyone left. It had been 6 hours of nonstop entertaining. I thought I had everything prepped and it would be easy but how come when you host something like this, you never seem to have time to socialize as much as you'd like. I think everyone else had a good time though. The kids sure did.

Landscaping and Calgary Folk Music Festival

2008-06-18T06:27:00.005-06:00

Hi All, Been a few days since I posted. The weather has finally broken and it looks like summer might finally be upon us. It was a very late, cool, wet spring here. We had a thunderstorm roll through last night. It tracked northwest of us. We didn't get any rain but we had very strong winds. The Gazebo is holding up nicely. :) Other than that, we're still busy working in the yard. I stained part of the fence yesterday. We picked out the flagstone for our back corner patio last Friday. Paul's been getting the site ready. He's already taken out 20 wheelbarrow's of dirt, excavating the site. We ordered a 1/3 of a cord of wood for our firepit. Figured it was cheaper than buying bags of firewood at the gas station. Way cheaper. The sand and gravel for the patio and firewood was all delivered and dumped on our driveway today. After that patio is finished we only have a couple more big jobs left. And they're not as backbreaking as what we've done so far. This is a picture of all the deliveries I received today.

We decided to go to the Calgary Folk Music Festival this year. We've never been but I've read and heard great reviews about it. There's always a great line up of artist's. We're going Thursday night and all day/night Saturday. Sam Roberts (canadian rock artist) is the headliner on Thursday night and Blue Rode (another great canadian band) is headling on Saturday night. Plus a host of other international and local talent all day and night. Should be fun. Check out the link to visit their website.

We're also having a family bbq on Saturday. Paul's mom turns 73. There will be about 11 of us, all Paul's siblings and families. Ages range from 4 to 73! Should be fun.

Lori's Visit

2008-06-08T10:14:00.004-06:00

Our good friend Lori was in Calgary for the weekend and spent the night with us last night. We stopped by and saw them in Invermere in May on our vacation. The weather was lousy out so we had to stay inside. Still had a great time though. Talking and laughing. Stayed up way too late. At one point I noticed it was midnight. Then when I looked at the clock again it was 2:30am! The time just flew by. Always seems to do that when you're having a good time.

Ringo on the new sectional. The kitties all love it! So do we.Lori hates to have her picture taken. She just got a new haircut. Looked great. They are giving me morale support while I prepare dinner.

Patches keeping an eye on us.
Lori cracking me up, as usual.
The best of the dinner pictures. You think that's bad, you should see the other ones. Jeesh!

Tree Planting Day

2008-06-01T10:39:00.015-06:00

We built this Gazebo on Sunday, the day after we planted all the trees but I wanted to add it to this post. Hopefully it won't end up in Oz with Dorothy and Toto....It can get pretty windy here.

Hey Folks. Another great gardening day for us. We planted 7 trees in our yard. First Paul had to mow the lawn. It was soooo long after all that rain we had, then sunny days. We started planting the trees, late morning. We were done by 3:30pm. It takes longer than you think. But it looks amazing! It's wonderful to have some green around us again. And to hear the rustle of the leaves in the wind. Aaaahhhhhhh.......They'll give even more wonderful shade and privacy in a few years. These are two Columnar Aspen by the deck. We planted 3 along this side of the fence for privacy. As you can see our neighbours deck and back door is very close to us. Those 3 trees make a big difference.

We planted a Mayday in this back corner bed. There have been birds in it already and the cats love it too. So do we. :)

This is my Double Flowering Plum. Make sure to click on it to enlarge. It really turned out well. I'm very pleased with it. It's a type of shrub that grows very well here and is very hardy. One of the first signs of spring.
Paully planting trees. You Da Man!
We planted the spruce and pine last fall. Yesterday we planted this Paper Birch. The one on the far right. Again, all three of those trees will give great privacy in a few years.
Larger view of that area. We're much farther from our neighbours on this side but it will still be nice when the Paper Birch grows. It gets about 40ft high and 26ft wide.

There's the three trees planted. Two of them are Columnar Tower Poplars. They grow about 40ft high but only 10ft wide. The smallest one is a Columnar Aspen. Again about 40ft tall but only 6ft wide. These are perfect trees for privacy, sound and windbreak and small spaces.
After our tree planting we tried out our new Charcoal BBQ. I added some wet Maple Wood Chips to the charcoal. Butterflied a Cornish Game hen. Rubbed a paste mixture of Chipotle Powder, Thyme, S & P and White Wine Vinegar. Rubbed olive oil on the bird and then spread this paste mixture over it. Put a tinfoil pan with white wine in the middle with the charcoal and woodchips around that. Put the hen in the middle, over the tinfoil pan. This is called indirect heating. Smoked it for about 1.5 hours. What an amazing aroma!

Added some corn on the cob near the end and Voila! What a feast! Paul said it was the best chicken meal I had ever made and that you could never get anything like that in a restaurant. What a guy! Love ya! Took these pics just for you Mike. Being from Texas and home of the bbq. :) And for you too Mel. You're gonna love your new charcoal grill! Roxy loves the Hammock. Crazy beast! You can see the smoke from the bbq. Yum.
Relaxing before dinner.
Roxy in her favorite spot. Sound asleep after a hard day of playing in the yard. That's my ode to the Maritimes. My Solar Lighthouse.
After dinner we had a fire and sat out till about midnight, marvelling in all our hard work. Nice ending to a great day.

What a Day!

2008-05-29T08:17:00.007-06:00

Well Folks it was quite an exciting day here in my yard. Two of the Raven babies landed on my fence and sat there for over 3 hours. It was amazing! They cleaned, napped, ate bugs and played with each other.

Don't worry folks, the cats never got near them. The Raven's seemed quite oblivious to them too. Probably figured they were no threat. ;)
Here's a short video of the two of them together.

One of them even jumped onto my deck railing as I sat there. Wow! It hopped around the entire deck with me only inches away from it. Then it flew off.

Raven Spirtuality and Totems

2008-05-29T06:51:00.009-06:00

Mel and Steve dropped over last night. I was telling them about how two of the baby Raven's came and sat on my fence for over 3 hours yesterday. How one of them even jumped onto the railings of our deck, with me just inches away from him. Mel and I discussed what it may mean, in Spirtual terms. Where it would be on the Totem etc. I feel it's a very special sign for them to come into my yard, bath, sleep and let me get so close to them without a peep. I found this info on the web this morning. Thought I'd share it with you all. Corvidae is the name of a family or species of birds. Some of which include: Ravens, Crows, Bluebirds and Magpies etc. Fascinating creatures.

Corvidae Spirituality: a quick introduction and world tour

Since mankind began looking to the animal world for insight about their own place in the universe, crows and ravens (and other members of the Corvidae family) have been credited with a certain spiritual significance. Some cultures saw them as messengers to the gods, others believed they had prophetic powers, and still others worshipped them as the creator of the world. Even today superstitions abound concerning these intelligent and mysterious birds.
Due to their dark color, and the traditional association of death and blackness, it is no surprise that many cultures viewed crows and ravens as intermediaries between us and the afterlife, or associated them with sorrow and dying. In fact, carrion birds were usually the first scavengers on the scene after a death, and feasted on man and beast alike. Their reputation among such peoples was grim one, and many scorned the birds, or cursed their presence.

Among other peoples, however, it was the wit and curiosity these birds displayed which colored their spiritual significance. They were associated with joy and laughter, and a spirit of mischief.
The native tribes of the pacific northwest were among the latter of these two. They called Raven the Great Trickster, and boasted that the creation of mankind was Raven's doing. They also claimed that Raven's tricks brought fire to mankind so they wouldn't freeze in the darkness, that Raven supplied water during a great drought, and that it was Raven who made Salmon for the people to eat. When totem poles were erected to honor the spiritual guardians of these tribes, Raven was a common feature on them. In fact, even today some native tribes make prayers to Raven.

Although the idea of totem spirits originated among native tribes, there are also a number of non-natives who claim Raven as their totem (or who have been claimed by Raven, according to the shamanic understanding of totems). These people believe that Raven watches over them, guides them to new discoveries, and teaches them to appreciate the humor in life.
The idea of Raven as a creator was not unique to native tribes, though. Even in Siberia there were myths and stories told of how Raven created the world. Anywhere these dark birds have overcome challenges and eked out a living in rough or hostile environments, tales have been told about their ingenuity and love of life.

Corvidae Totems

Totem spirits play an important role in traditional native beliefs, and feature prominently in native mythology. They are spiritual incarnations of animals (like fox or bear) or natural forces (the north wind, or grandfather thunder) which exemplify the traits associated with that animal or phenomenon. They may be present in their earthly manifestations, but they aren't bound by physical forms.

The totem 'Raven', for example, is not just 'a raven', or 'all ravens' but The Raven - the one who personifies what it means to be a raven, and from whom all raven-like qualities are derived. Raven is the spiritual father of all ravens, and of all who are called by him.
Totems are not 'gods', however. You don't worship a totem - you follow it. You learn from the lessons it teaches. You practice living by the ideals which it embodies. The Way of a totem is something you aspire to, rather like someone who aspires to live according to a code of honor.
You don't choose your totem, either. It's not like going to a supermarket and checking out the different paths available. "Hm.. this one teaches the importance of generosity, and focusses on selflessness... I'm not sure I'd be good at that. This one emphasizes courage and strength... not bad. Ah - here's one which says we should all have a good time. Yeah - I like that. I'll follow this totem!" No... your Totem chooses You.

In traditional practice, a young adult would go on a spirit quest - a journey to find one's self, and be found by a totem. Often elaborate preparations were undertaken: sweat lodges, ritual cleansing, peyote ceremonies, fasting, and long journeys or extended isolation were all commonly used. It was expected that the questor would have a dream or vision in which they would be visited by their totem, and find direction in life. The totem which came may have reflected ideals which were important to the questor (such as a strong young brave being called by Bear, or a wise woman being visited by Owl) but it was also possible for a totem to choose unlikely followers (a timid boy might be met by Wolf, or Rabbit might call a noisy prankster). The questor did not have any choice in the matter - the totem knew who to call, and those who were called were expected to follow.

In modern times spirit quests are less common, but many people still find themselves called by or drawn to a totem. Perhaps a certain animal seems to be present at key times in their lives, or their dreams are haunted by a particular animal. Maybe a stressful event in life woke something within them, and they're trying to make sense of it all. Whatever path leads them to their totem, finding it seems to bring a special comfort in their lives, and a new sense of direction.

Raven as a Totem

Raven is a special totem. They are all special, of course, but Raven holds a unique place among totems. He is considered by many to be the creator, and sometimes saviour, of man. According to legend, he made mankind, he brought them salmon to eat, he stole fire from the sun so mankind wouldn't freeze, he brought them water to drink during a drought, and he taught man to enjoy life. Raven is a cultural hero - a creator... and a trickster.
Raven's mischief is legendary among the native tribes of the northwest. He is always playing tricks, changing shape, and never quite who or what or where you expect him to be.
With such a complicated, shifting totem, it's not surprising that different people have different interpretations of Raven's personality and gifts. Still, several main themes come up when you look at Raven. Here are a few of the main aspects of this complex totem.

The Creator Aspect

Raven is seen as giving life. He is primarily a helping, nurturing spirit. There is also a certain amount of self-sacrifice in his actions. He does what he does to ensure the happiness of others.
The Trickster AspectRaven is associated with joy and laughter. He is known to play tricks, but they are usually beneficial ones, teaching people to laugh at their own follies.
The Great Magician

Raven is seen as a shape-changer. He has the power to alter form, and to bring great changes in people's lives. He can also see through false forms, lies, and the tricks of others.
The Seeker of Secrets

Raven has a great sense of curiosity. He is a gatherer of information, and a sharer of secrets. The search for the Truth is predominant.
The Juxtaposition of Opposites

Raven is a contradiction. He is both black and white, joy and sorrow, saviour and nemesis. He is about both knowledge and secrets. He can be, and not-be.

Sunny Days and more Raven Babies!

2008-05-28T08:55:00.006-06:00

The rain finally stopped and the sun came out yesterday. Thank goodness. We had 7 days of socked in weather. Managed to get these shots of one of the Raven babies yesterday on our fence.

Last one in the Nest

2008-05-27T06:50:00.004-06:00

There's one baby left in the Nest, as you can see. I can see a parent up there with it as I type this, early this morning. There's always a parent close by, keeping an eye on it. When I opened the curtains this morning to check on things, there was a parent in the field swooping down on a Coyote. And the coyote was running away! They are extremely protective parents. The baby wants to come down and join it's siblings and parents but just isn't quite ready yet. Soon. But I am happy to report that the three other siblings are safe and sound. This year they seemed more mature when they left the nest. Last night Paul and I could see them hopping and flying around in a big field with trees a few houses away. The parents with them. That was nice. Last year the two little ones that came out were camping themselves on people's front steps. Took them forever to fly and get away from us, it seemed. Hence the problems. We saw the two parents in the tower beside this baby last night and a sibling on our fence. I went out to take a picture and the parents flew off and so did the baby on the fence! We were thrilled. Now this little one (ha, ha) just has to go join them. Then I can rest easy and hopefully we'll get to watch them all summer again.

More Raven Shots

2008-05-26T12:38:00.004-06:00

Here's some more of the babies and parents. That's the parent on top and the baby down below. They moved from my roof to next door. Now they're a few houses down. Baby Raven
Parent keeps a vigil.
The parents are going to be very busy the next couple of weeks. Till the babies learn how to fly, the parents will still be bringing food to them. What a job! Instead of just bringing food to the nest for all of them, they have to keep an eye on them all, wherever they are and bring food all over the place. I'm tired just thinking about it. I sure hope they all make it this year. And that our neighbours don't call Fish and Wildlife again to have them destroyed or taken away. Last year they only had 2 babies. Because they are so big, people don't realize they are babies. And with the parents flying around trying to protect them it spooked lots of people, we believe. Hence, calling someone to come take them away. It was very sad last year when the parents came back to the nest without them. The year before they all came back around 5pm every night. They would land in the tower's, chatting away to each other about their day. It was very interesting to see the dynamic of the Raven family and how loving and caring they were. Very sociable birds.

The Raven Babies have Landed!

2008-05-26T10:19:00.004-06:00

Quite an exciting morning folks. The babies have all managed to get out of the nest today. We could see 4 of them up in the nest yesterday. One even tried to hop down the tower to get to the ground. Not sure if he made it or not. Then this morning when I got up, I could see 3 of the babies in the tower, flapping their wings furiously. I was actually sitting here in the office and watched this little guy fly out! Very shaky but he flew! We were never sure how they actually got out. If they fell, flew or climbed.

That's the baby with it's beak open near the front. The parent behind. We may have a few sleep less nights ahead of us. The babies are quite vocal at this age, calling to their parents when they are hungry. They get even more vocal when the parents fly in with food. It's quite hilarious.
Ringo and Roxy have the perfect view. Parent Raven not very happy to see them.
This one's taken from the bathroom window with the screen on the bottom. That's the fuzzy lines in the picture. I actually opened the window and spoke softly to the Raven and that seemed to calm him down. He must know my voice by now. I always speak to them when I'm outside. I can hear them walking around on the roof as I type this. :)
Hopefully I'll have more exciting pictures and maybe even a short video to post later. Stay tuned!

"Leap into Spring"

2008-05-15T08:37:00.008-06:00

Well here we are. Frog's Leap www.frogsleap.ca at last! After the long but beautiful drive from Lori's, it was sure nice to pull in here. Like coming home. As you can see everything was growing nicely in this area. They're about a month behind though, we were told by locals. A late snowstorm in May really slowed things down. Still it was much farther along than in Calgary. This is the view across the road from Ulli's (Frog's Leap). Here's the front of the house. Frog's Leap is in the back with our own private entrance.
Another farm across the road. Gorgeous views. Especially with the snow on the mountains and the green in the foreground.

Lots of people who stay at Frog's Leap come back year after year. There are "Frog's" everywhere that people have brought for Ulli's garden. I've never noticed this one before. It's usually covered by the plant by the time we get there in the summer.
This is a female that Ulli tells me has been around for about 4 years. Her back right leg was injured and she hops around on 3 but still has managed to have a doe or two. This is the second year we've seen her.
I went out one morning to sit on this bench and have my coffee, when I looked behind and there she was. :)
Willi and Ulli had been away for over 2 weeks by the time we got there. So her grass was getting very long. They weren't home for another week so Paul decided to mow for them or else it would have been a jungle. What a nice guy.
Took this picture at the Japanese Garden Memorial on the waterfront in Nakusp. So nice to see the blossoms on the trees.

The view of the town beach from the Japanese Garden. Water level is pretty low this time of year.
It's a lovely little garden, complete with a bridge and water feature. Rock gardens and lots of different species of plants.
Saddle Mountain, close up, from the garden.
Again, we noticed things in Ulli's garden's that don't normally stand out as much in the summer.
Since Willi and Ulli were away we took care of their cat, Squeakers while we were there. She was very happy to have the company. Even slept with us at night. Aahhhh....She's a real cutie. And being cat lovers that we are, it was nice to have her company as well. She was watching the gold fish in the pond when I took this.

Ulli had some new landscaping done between the Leap patio and theirs. Really nice. We're going back in September, so I can't wait to see it then.
Spring flowers. Primrose I believe.
These grow on the hill down to the lake on the waterfront. They look almost like a succulent of some sort. Really interesting.
As we were walking along the waterfront we heard this Squirrel. I can't believe I got a picture of him.
Nakusp is known as the Valley of the Hot Springs. We went up there every day while we were there for a therapeutic soak. It's about a 20 min. drive from Ulli's. Very secluded spot. They do have camping and some cabins to rent there too. The last day we were there we were the only two in the whole pool. Great time of the year to go.
And every other day there were never more than 4 other people with us.
The Roufus Hummingbird's had just arrived that week. They would hoover over us in the pools, fly around, then head back to the feeders and on the building for a rest. I had to use the digital zoom to catch this shot. They are so tiny. No tripod either. I was very happy with the results.
View from Ulli's kitchen. Again, in the summer you don't notice this view as much. Ulli let us use their part of the house while we were there as well as the Leap side. We usually have dinner with them and some other friends each summer but I've never spent allot of time in her kitchen to notice this view.
Usually this little shed is covered in vines and you don't notice all the little bird feeders and tools she has on it.

Cooking in Ulli's kitchen. She just had it redone a few years ago. Wonderful job. So many cupboards and drawers of various sizes and shapes. Wonderful utilization of a small space. Gorgeous woodworking done by their friend Helmut. :)
Paul sitting at the bar while I cook.
Inside the Leap side. Helmut did all the woodwork in there too. Willi bought this picture and the one behind Paul in the frame above for Ulli's birthday last year. I just love them. This one I woke up to each morning.
Other side of the main room. They have an exercise machine for guests. We use it to dry our towels and bathing suits from the Hot Springs.
We had another lovely stay in Nakusp. Thanks to Willi and Ulli for letting us use their house. It was a real treat to get away and see the area at that time of the year. We're going back in September for the Hill's Garlic Fest nearby. We'll get to see Willi and Ulli this time. That's the only thing we missed on this trip. :) The last few shots are taken in the car on the drive back to Calgary. Thru the mountains. It was a gorgeous day. Although the day before the Calgary area and west to Banff had gotten a HUGE spring snowstorm. We came home to more snow in our yard than we had seen all winter! Melted in a couple of days, thank goodness. And by the time we drove thru on Friday it was all melted off the highway's. Looked like a winter wonderland though.

Avalanche area in Roger's Pass.
On the Ferry from Nakusp to the Revelstoke side.
View from the ferry. Until the fall!

The weather has greatly improved this week in Calgary. We had a high of 30C yesterday. I went to our garden centre earlier this week and bought some annuals for my pots and planters outside. Paul washed and treated the deck yesterday. All the perennials, shrubs, bulbs and trees we planted last year are growing nicely. We're heading back to our garden centre today to buy some trees for the yard. Paul may even have to mow the lawn tomorrow. Happy Spring everyone!

Columbia Lake

2008-05-12T08:23:00.013-06:00

Well we're back. Sorry it's taken me a while to put some pics up. You know what it's like after being away. Unpacking, laundry, tidy the house etc. Then I've been sick and in bed since Monday. Wonderful. Anyway, without further adieu, here are pictures from the first part of our trip, in no particular order. Columbia Lake. 5 minute walk from Lori's house.
Lori and I, Saturday night. Having a laugh as usual. :)
Andrew, her husband and son Nolan plus Paul watching a burning tube. Boys!
A view on the highway after Lori's place, just after Creston, I think????

Same stop, different direction for the view. We had left Lori's on Columbia Lake that morning. This was shortly after Creston on the way to the ferry. What a gorgeous view it was. First time we've driven thru there since 1995. And we've never driven thru there in the spring. Nice to see some snow still on the mountains. There were blossoms on apple trees, tulips and daffodils up and lots of other spring greenery. Absolutely a gorgeous drive. And no traffic. Perfect time of the year to drive this route. It's a very twisty and curvy road. Much smaller than the major highway's and up and downhill lots. :)

Beautiful ferry at Crawford Bay. They had a snack bar and covered and open seating up top.
Here's the view from the ferry. aahhhhhh

Here's Lori and her daughter Katie and their dog Penny. Penny below again. :)
Katie and Nolan, Lori and Andrew's kids. Great kids. And what a gorgeous place for them to grow up.
On the beach, Columbia Lake.

We took a stroll around their little neighborhood and spotted this beauty sitting on someone's lawn.
Later that night we had a bonfire in their yard. That's their house. They have a great property and beautiful home. All of her bulbs were just about ready to open in the yard. It must be beautiful there now.
We had a wonderful stay at Lori and Andrew's. So nice to see them all. A really special trip for Paul and I. Lori and Paul went to Art College together. That's where we all met. I worked at the College. Lori and I worked and lived together for a while. She stood up for us at our wedding. So it was a real treat to finally meet her husband and kids. She's a great mom. :) Andrew's a great Dad. You wanna adopt me? LOL. She spoiled us rotten that weekend. Cooking for us all. It was wonderful. Can't wait to go back.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our trip in Nakusp.

Road Trip!

2008-04-30T10:47:00.012-06:00

Hi all, Just wanted to let you all know that Paul and I are taking a road trip out to BC on Friday. Gone about a week. We have some great friends house and cat sitting for us while we're gone. We're heading to Invermere, BC to visit and old friend and her family for a couple of nights, then off to Nakusp for a bit. Should have some great photos to share with you all upon our return. Here's the route we're taking to Lori's place in Invermere, then on to Nakusp. It's about 781 km – about 10 hours 36 mins, total. Approx. 4 hours to Lori's. We haven't driven down this way in years. 1995, I believe was the last time. And we've never driven up from Creston to Nelson, then Nakusp. We have to take a free interior ferry at Nelson. I love those ferry trips.

View Larger Map

We're not sure which way we'll come back. Here are two options:
Option #1, go north from Nakusp via another ferry to Revelstoke, then the number 1 highway to Calgary or Option #2, go south to Nelson via the Crowsnest Pass. It's a long drive, over 10 hours, so we may stop over somewhere for a night to break up the trip.

Second Option. The way we usually return. A little over 6 hour drive.

View Larger Map

We're really looking forward to getting away and seeing Nakusp and the area in the spring.Hope you all have a great week!

Rack of Lamb

2008-04-25T09:51:00.004-06:00

I think the pictures speak for themselves here, folks. :) I had some homemade gnocchi in the freezer, I served along side and some steamed green beans and a salad.

Roast Rack of Lamb with Grain Mustard Crust and Zinfandel Sauce Yield: 4

Ingredients:
2 rack of lamb, cleaned (save trimmings)
Coarse salt and cracked pepper
3 tbsp of olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup of red Zinfandel wine or other big bodied red wine such as Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon
1 cup of chicken or beef stock, homemade or canned
3 x bay leaves
1 bunch of tarragon or rosemary, roughly chopped (save a few sprigs for garnish)
1 x egg yolk
1/4 cup of grainy mustard
1 cup of course bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Season the meat with course salt and freshly ground pepper. Preheat a sauté pan large enough to hold both lamb racks over medium-high heat.
Add the olive oil and the lamb racks, meat side down and brown well. At this point you’re not trying to cook the meat through, you’re just adding rich caramelized flavour to it that would be impossible once its insulated by the breadcrumb crust. Using tongs, turn racks and brown the bone side. Place on a plate, resting on its bones while preparing the crust and sauce.

Toss the lamb trimmings into the sauté pan and brown until well caramelized. Drain excess fat and then pour the Zinfandel into pan, scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. This is known as ‘deglazing.’ The brown bits are caramelized juices from the meat and will add a ton of flavour to the sauce. Add the stock and bay leaves then simmer until the liquid reduces by 2/3? two thirds to a sauce-like consistency.

Meanwhile in a small bowl mix the tarragon, egg yolk and mustard together. Pat this mixture around the meaty part of the lamb racks, applying pressure to make it adhere. Pat on the breadcrumbs. Place the lamb racks onto a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, when it reads 140 degrees F (70 C), it’s a perfect medium rare.

Rest on a rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This will allow the meat that’s stressed out from the heat of the grill to relax and reabsorb the juices that are driven to the center of the cut. By letting it rest you won’t end up with a platter of juice and dry meat!

With a sharp knife, slice the lamb racks between every second rib bone. Place two pieces in a warm bowl and spoon some Zinfandel sauce around them. Garnish with a sprig of tarragon or rosemary.

No Sign of Spring still!

2008-04-24T16:54:00.002-06:00

It's been snowing, blowing and cold out for a week now! Enough already! It's very depressing. I'd rather have rain. The good news is that each day a bit of it melts, so it hasn't really accumulated as much as it would have otherwise. Whew! And they say by Saturday it's supposed to be clear and nice. I hope so.

Big Happy Birthday to my niece Sara today too! Love ya!

Spring Snowfall

2008-04-19T09:35:00.004-06:00

Or rather, we've been under a heavy snowfall warning since yesterday. Yesterday morning there wasn't any snow on the ground. The grass was starting to get green and some of my perennials were just starting to come up. Last Saturday we sat on the deck with an unbrella cause it was too warm out and worked in the yard. This Saturday, wer're staying put! Inside the house with the fire on.

It is kind of pretty though and it's very typical for Calgary to get the most snow in the month of April. I liked the way it blew onto my kitchen window. And it's drifted in our yard pretty high in some places again.

These trees are almost 5 feet tall, to give you an idea of how much the snow drifted there.
You can just see the top of my little solar lighthouse. It's about 1 & 1/2 feet tall or so. And the juniper just poking out a few branches. Crazy weather.
Now usually we get these spring dumps and the next day it all melts. Not this time. We're stuck in a cold spot till next week sometime. Yuck! Snow flurries for the next few days. I hope the spring weather is better where you live!

Mustard Grilled Chicken

2008-04-15T10:00:00.003-06:00

Mustard-Grilled Chicken

2/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper (start with less, you can always add more but you can’t take away :)
1/3-cup canola oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 broiler-fryer chicken, cut up or any chicken pieces

1. Stir together 1/3 cup of the mustard, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, the oil and vinegar.

2. Place the chicken in a large container or plastic Ziploc bag and pour mixture over. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, all day is better, turning the chicken occasionally.

3. Heat BBQ to med-high. Brush grill with oil. BBQ chicken pieces, turning often, till no longer pink inside, about 25 to 40 min, depending on size and cut of pieces. Last 10 min, baste with remaining 1/3 cup of Dijon and remaining teaspoon to a tablespoon of Cayenne Pepper.

This recipe can also be cut in half very easily. Delicious cold too. I just did some chicken legs with some grilled veggies for a party we had a couple of summer's ago. They were a big hit.

Peppery Flank Steak

2008-04-15T09:46:00.002-06:00

Here's the Flank Steak recipe I made on the weekend. I've been making this for years and it's always a hit. Easy and delicious. What more could you want. Flank Steak is a relatively inexpensive cut of beef. It's best served rare. And sliced across the grain to make it tender to eat. I like to serve it with grilled or roasted veggies and a green salad of some kind. Of course a full bodied red wine is a must go go with it. Leftovers (if there are any) are great in a wrap for lunch the next day. Take slices of the steak, roasted red peppers (leftover from the meal or store bought), crumbled blue cheese and romaine lettuce. Roll up in your favorite wrap and enjoy!

Peppery Flank Steak

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 lime, grated zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup canola oil or beef broth
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, (crushed chillies)
1/2 teaspoon Chili Oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
1 1/2 pounds flank steak

In a small bowl stir together the lime juice, lime zest, garlic,
beef broth or oil, crushed chillies, wine, sugar and soy sauce. Place
the meat in a Ziploc bag big enough to hold it. Pour the mixture over the steak, seal and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours - overnight is better- turning
the meat occasionally.

Take the steak out of the marinade and pat dry with paper towels, reserving the marinade to baste. Barbecue on high for approximately 10-12 minutes, or bake on broiler pan in oven until rare, basting occasionally. Let rest a few minutes. To serve, carve on the diagonal into thin slices. Serves 4

Great Weekend.

2008-04-14T09:08:00.005-06:00

Well we had a great weekend here folks. The weather was gorgeous. Saturday was the best day. Sunny, warm and no wind. I think it got up to about 22C here. Quite a change from two days prior when parts of Calgary received over 25cm of snow. Springtime in Alberta. Gotta love it!

Paul and I had our first meal (lunch) on the deck. The kitties came out with us while we worked away in the yard. Paul was raking up the bark mulch that had blown onto the lawn over the winter. Fixed a gap in the gate so Roxy couldn't squeeze thru. While I took care of my perennial beds. Cut down and cleaned up the old plants from last year. Pushed back the mulch a bit for the new growth to get as much sun and water as possible. I was very surprised to see lots of new growth already starting to poke their heads up. A few buds on the trees and shrubs just starting. No sign of the 90 bulbs I planted yet. Too early. Paul even cleaned up the bbq with our new Pressure Washer. This is so nice for us this spring. First spring since we moved into this house in Oct. 2005, that we have a yard again. No mud. And no big task ahead to do either. Like a deck, laying sod or a fence to build. This is the second yard we've landscaped from scartch in 5 years. We had just finished the last place when we decided to build this house and do it all over again. Are we crazy! Enough already! :)

It was so nice on Saturday that we had to bring out an umbrella to shade us. Roxy was out for 5 hours straight. She never stopped. Catching bugs, exploring everything. It's all new to her and a first for everything. When she finally came in, she had something to eat and passed out on the ottoman and slept for hours. She was tuckered out. We bbq'd a nice flank steak that I had marinaded for dinner. Then came out and watched the sunset. While we were out there we heard a strange sound. We finally realized it was a baby Raven! The first one to hatch. How wonderful! The girls in the sunbeam.

Roxy passed out cold.
Sunday was nice but very windy. Made it difficult to be out as much but we managed to grab a few minutes here and there out there. I brought my tripod out to try and take some pictures of the Raven's. This is using my digital zoom. I wasn't sure how well they would turn out but not too bad. That's Poppa Raven, I believe. Just ready to fly away. You can just see Momma Raven's head popping out behind him.

Poppa Raven didn't stop all day. Hunting for food for his wife. It's hard to realize how big they are. But they are huge! It's going to start getting really noisy up in the nest, as the babies hatch. It doesn't take long for them to be able to poke their heads up out of the nest. And the noise they make when the parents fly back with food is hilarious! Then they'll start to get up on the nest ledge and onto the tower. Soon they'll be on the ground. I just hope they're safe this year. We really hope they land in our yard where they will be safe.

And one last Picture of Paul playing his new Acoustic Bass.
That's all. Hope you all had a great weekend too. We're expecting more rain and wet flurries for the next couple of days. It will be hit and miss for weather now for the next while here. Could be out sunning one day and inside with the fireplace on the next. That's what makes it exciting to live here, I guess.

Earlier that night.......

2008-04-07T16:01:00.005-06:00

Our video premiere is the post below this one. ;)

Last week I finally finished importing all my CD's onto my iPod. Over 5400! Since we can play out iPod on our stereo and in the car, we decided to pack up all our CD's and get rid of the cupboard we had them in. In it's place we put all our guitars. Nice and neat and out of the way now but close enough at hand to pick up and play. So here's some pics after we got all that done.

No, these aren't from my garden, yet.

Roxy hanging out, literally. She sleeps on the top of the chair like this all the time. Crazy beast!

Patches catching a sunbeam. She's 17yrs old now.
Roxy taking a break after chasing Ringo.
Our finished project.

World Premiere or If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at!

2008-04-07T09:47:00.018-06:00

Well here it is folks. The world premiere of Heather and Paul. Roxy makes a guest appearance halfway thru. This is "Maybe by Collective Soul". We did this Saturday night. Probably a glass or two more of liquid courage than we needed to film ourselves but we had fun. Hope you enjoy! Don't be too critical if you leave a comment. :) We know it's not perfect but that's what makes it fun. I dropped my pick right near the end (where's a roadie when you need one) but managed to pick it up and finish the song! Doh! I'm so glad that Paul and I have this to share. We get so much enjoyment out of playing and learning together.

Here's another one with me playing my Strat this time. I've been playing for about a year and a half and Paul's only been playing about 6 months. I take lessons each week but Paul is playing by ear. Again, kind of goofy but it was fun. This is "Free Fallin" by Tom Petty. Near the end I have to take my capo off to play the power chords for the ending. We only learned this one about a week ago. And Roxy makes an appearance again. She's a very sociable cat.

Almost Famous Trailer

2008-04-02T01:16:00.004-06:00

I'll write more tomorrow about this. Stay tuned......OK, so it's a few days later. So sue me! Seriously, don't do that. ;)

Anyway, this is one of my all time favorite movies. I'm not much of a movie person but if there's music involved, I'm there! (Or a really good sci-fi flick but don't tell anyone). Paul bought me the DVD of this after it came out. I can't even count how many times I've watched it. Kate Hudson (Penny Lane) is amazing in it! She shines. So does Billy Crudup (Russell Hammond). A kind of indie actor. And don't get me started on Frances McDormand (Elaine Miller) as the mother. Wow, what a fantastic role for her. Patrick Fugit (William Miller) as the young Cameron Crowe did a superb job too. I felt his excitement and love of music. And cried with him in the scene where he's alone and on the road with the band. And I loved Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs, another Journalist who is William's mentor. He's got some great lines in the movie.

This is one of my favorite scenes from the movie:

Russell Hammond: [Russell grabs phone away from William] Hey, mom! It’s Russell Hammond. I play guitar in Stillwater. Hey, how does it feel to be the mother of the greatest rock journalist we've met? Hello? Hello...? Look, you've got a really great kid here. There's nothing to worry about. We're taking good care of him, and you should come to the show sometime - join the circus... Elaine Miller: Hey, hey, listen to me, mister. You're charm doesn't work on me - I'm on to you. Of course you like him... Russell Hammond: Well, yeah... Elaine Miller: He worships you people. And that's fine by you as long as he helps make you rich. Russell Hammond: Rich? I don't think so... Elaine Miller: Listen to me. He's a smart, good-hearted fifteen year old kid with infinite potential. Russell Hammond: [Russell is stunned] Elaine Miller: This is not some apron-wearing mother you're speaking with - I know all about your valhalla of decadence and I shouldn't have let him go. He's not ready for your world of compromised values and diminished brain cells that you throw away like confetti. Am I speaking to you clearly? Russell Hammond: Yes - yes, ma'am... Elaine Miller: If you break his spirit, harm him in any way, keep him from his chosen profession which is law - something you may not value, but I do - you will meet the voice on the other end of this telephone and it will not be pretty. Do we understand each other? Russell Hammond: Uh, yes, ma'am... Elaine Miller: I didn't ask for this role, but I'll play it. Now go do your best. Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid. Goethe said that. It's not too late for you to become a person of substance, Russell. Please get my son home safely. You know, I'm glad we spoke. [Elaine hangs up] Russell Hammond: [Russell stands holding phone in stunned silence]
Russell Hammond: Your mom kind of freaked me out. William Miller: [places hand on Russell's shoulder] She means well.

And one from Penny Lane: I always tell the girls, never take it seriously, if ya never take it seriously, ya never get hurt, ya never get hurt, ya always have fun, and if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.

Another fave: Penny Lane: We are not Groupies. We are here because of the music, we inspire the music. We are Band Aids.

The really cool part about this movie is that it was based on Cameron Crowe's real life experience as a young teenager in the 70's. How cool would it have been to be him? And here's another fact about Cameron and the movie. The woman who wrote the music for the fictitious band "Stillwater" is none other than his wife, Nancy Wilson from the band Heart. Cool huh? And I believe the line where Russell screams, "I am A Golden God", before he jumps from the roof in to the pool, is something that Robert Plant said back in the day. At least that's the rumour.

This movie has so many great things going for it. The story, writing and acting is 110%. The music and debauchery (heh, heh, heh, you know the sex, drugs & rock 'n roll) makes me feel like I'm back in the the 70's, living it all with them. To everyone involved in this movie, I salute you!

Footnote: Watched the movie for the umpteenth time again last night. Still great! Also finished uploading all my CD's onto my iPod. There's over 5400 songs on there now. Music. Cool. Music that I can take anywhere with me. My whole collection, portable now. And I still have 49GB's free. How crazy is that?

Tom Petty - Runnin Down a Dream Movie Trailer

2008-03-25T08:13:00.011-06:00

I bought Tom Petty's, "Runnin down a Dream" documentary, video concert and bonus CD a couple of weeks ago. Tom Petty is my hero now! I always liked his music and remember having some of his albums in the 80's but what a career him and the Heartbreakers have had! It's a 4 hour documentary, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, the same guy who also did the Last Waltz for The Band. There's also the 30th anniversary concert they did in Gainesville, FL last year. And a bonus CD of some very raw tunes. Sounds like your friends band practising in the garage. Very cool. I can see myself watching this over and over again........ Not only has Tom been writing and performing for over 30 years but he fought the system and won back in his early days. Another young artist who was coerced into signing a bad record deal. He always stood up for what he believed in and the truth.

What a brilliant film. This movie trailor shows you a bit of what it's like. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers always seemed to have a camera of some sort going throughout their career. Peter and Tom complained that they had too much footage and it was hard to cut it down to just 4 hours. It's brilliantly edited and an amazing piece of American Music History. I just wish I had gotten tickets to his concert here in August now. I'll keep trying. Sometimes they open up some seats closer to the show. :)

Anyway the movie really inspired me. He's such a prolific songwriter. Yesterday Paul went skiing and I stayed home. Wrote lyrics for 3 songs. I've never even written a poem before, let alone a song. Not sure how good or bad they are. Or how corny but there was a line from the Tom Petty movie that kind of hit home to me. Not sure who said it but they mentioned how the best songwriter's were the ones with troubled and tortured pasts. I'm gonna be great then cause I've got that in spades! :) I'm hoping Paul and I can write some music for them. That might be harder than writing the lyrics. I guess we'll see........................

As the Raven's fly....spring awakens

2008-03-08T10:06:00.008-07:00

Not much happening lately, that's why I haven't posted in a while. We've been having some great spring weather. I want to be outside gardening but still too early. I keep checking all my plants, to see if anythings coming up yet. I think I'll wait another couple of weeks before I take the burlap off my Cedar's too. We could still get some nasty weather. It's nice enough to sit out on our deck and have a cup of tea and watch the kitties play though.

The Raven's have been extremely busy renovating their nest behind our house in the Power Tower. I need to get a picture of them. They're so huge and beautiful. I love watching them fly, especially if it's really windy out. They haven't laid any eggs yet because I see both of them flying in and out of the nest still. Once the female lays the eggs, she'll incubate them and not leave till they've hatched. The male will bring her food while she does this. I'm still very worried about them having more babies here. I keep talking to them when I'm out on the deck. Telling them to make sure once the babies are out of the nest, to get them in our yard where they will be safe from predators, stupid people (neighbours) and dogs.

Roxy is settling in very nicely. Her and Ringo are best buddies now. She follows him around like he did with Patches at that age. They play together. Running and romping thru the house. It's hilarious. She's growing very quickly too. And on Sunday I caught them all in bed, napping together. Even old Patches is tolerating her better. She doesn't growl at her as much but does give her the "eye" as she walks past.

I bought Paul an acoustic Bass for his birthday. It's not till May but they had a great sale on at my Guitar Store. He was very surprised and very happy. It sounds great. So now when we go away or go camping, we both have acoustic guitars to take and play. We actually turned our office into our office/music room a few weeks ago. It's great. Much more intimate. Roxy really enjoys it as you can see. She came in one night and sat there and watched Paul play his bass. We've been playing lots lately. We're both getting better I think. ;)I've been cooking lots too, as usual. Some great meals for us. I love the changing of the seasons for cooking. Fresh and seasonal produce. And I love that we changed the clocks ahead on March 9th this year. The extra daylight is wonderful in the evening. We usually don't change the clocks till late April.

I was lucky enough to get us tickets to see Mark Knopfler. He's playing in Calgary in July and at the same intimate venue we saw Ruthie Foster in. The Jack Singer Concert Hall. I got us 10th row from the stage. It's going to be amazing! What a great guitar player and to see him in a venue like that. Well, we're pretty excited about it.

I also bought an iPod finally last weekend. I had over 1400 songs/8GB of music on my iTunes. Steve gave me lots of music and the rest I've bought or imported from my 400 or so CD's. Anyway, I haven't burnt CD's for all of it. We got an 80GB iPod Classic. What a great piece of technology. I put all 8GB of music on it and over 2000 photos and still have 65GB of memory left! Now we can listen to all that music in the car or on our stereo downstairs. It's amazing! And the best part is that now I can take it with me when I go shopping, so I don't have to listen to the horrible music the stores pipe in. If I had to listen to Beyonce or Alicia Keys or any of the other horrible artists they play one more time, I was going to SCREAM! I'm going to try and start importing my CD's into iTunes so I can download our music collection onto our iPod. What a treat it will be when we go out to Nakusp or camping now. We just have to take that. Oh, we do need to buy a docking/speaker system for it though. And a charging adaptor for the car and outlets. I can only charge it on the computer now. Then we'll be all set. No more taking 100 CD's out of their cases and putting them in a case to take with you. And a blaster to play them on. The worse part was when we got home and having to put them back in their jewel cases and refiling them.

Paul has 4 days off for Easter. We're not very religious people, so it's just a holiday for us. He's going to go skiing at Lake Louise on Monday. I'll be cooking up lots of great food. I think we'll have Lamb one night for sure. And my fish monger at my neighborhood grocery store told me that Halibut Steaks (which is fresh and in season right now) will be on sale on Saturday. So I'll have to get that for us. If the weather is nice, which it's supposed to be, we'll have to BBQ too. Maybe go out to the mountains for a picnic and short hike. It's just nice to be outside again. Well that's how I started this posting. Talking about being outside, so I think I'll end it on the same note. Happy Easter to everyone.

P.S. Kairi, it's wonderful to have you back blogging. Missed ya.

Jeff Healey - While My Guitar Gently Weeps

2008-03-03T09:04:00.012-07:00

"A great musician is now gone. "
Blues Man
The Canadian Press
March 2, 2008 at 7:23 PM EST
TORONTO — Canadian rock musician Jeff Healey has died, according to his publicist.
His website says the 41-year-old succumbed the cancer that he had fought since birth and that claimed his eyesight at the age of one.
Healey's distinctive guitar playing style and Blues-influenced singing earned him a reputation as a musical prodigy while he was still in his teens.
He shared the stage with such rock luminaries as Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King.
He went on to front the Jeff Healey Band, an award-winning Canadian act that sold over a million albums in the United States.
Healy was 41, and leaves his wife, Cristie, daughter Rachel (13) and son Derek (three), as well as his father and step-mother, Bud and Rose Healey, and sisters Laura and Linda.
Funeral and memorial arrangements are pending.

I was fortunate enough to know and work with Jeff in the 80's. I'm in a bit of shock as I type this. I knew he had undergone some operations and treatments last year but thought he was doing well. I hadn't seen Jeff in 20 years but had kept up with his music and life thru the media. He was warm and funny and blew us all away, not only his talent but his love of music, all music. It was infectious. Thank you for the music, Jeff. You will be deeply missed but not forgotten......My deepest sympathies go out to his family.

Here's a great live performance of Jeff and his Blues/Rock band. The Jeff Healey Band. Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1999, I believe. The same musicians I knew way back when. :) Hope you enjoy it. They have a new album coming out on April 22nd. The first blues/rock album Jeff had done in 8 years. He had been concentrating on his love of Jazz, making albums under the name, Jeff Healey and the Jazz Wizards in recent years. I have a live album of theirs. Unbelievable. Jeff sings and plays the trumpet in this band. What a great loss.

Here's a video of Jeff and his band jamming with the Scandinavian Rhythm Boys in Denmark last March, 2007.

Ladies & Gentlemen! May I Introduce to you, Sarah Slean!

2008-03-01T21:41:00.005-07:00

A Canadian singer-songwriter. A real talent. We purchased her last DVD, "Day One". Great original sound. Her next release is next week, March 11th. Can't wait. www.sarahslean.com for more info on her. Here's a great tune of hers. It sounds great like this but also with a full band. Hope you enjoy it!

Chickadees at my Birdfeeder

2008-02-19T11:17:00.006-07:00

Just before lunch we watched 3 Chickadees feeding at our bird feeder. They fly in, get some seeds, then fly to the deck or a tree to eat. They are very fast and hard to get a picture of. So cute though and I love their song. "Chick-A-Dee-Dee-Dee". If you click on the pictures, it will open up a larger view.
Roxy hanging out with us last night.
She loves to get in the sink in my bathroom.
Roxy has settled in quite nicely to our family. Ringo went on a hunger strike for a couple of days last week, over her arrival. He's such a sensitive boy. I was getting worried but then on Friday he snapped out of it and is now back to his old lovable self. He even slept on the same bed as us and Roxy last night. :) They're not quite playing together yet. I figure by the end of this week. They do follow each other around and there's not as much hissing, so that's a good sign too. He sits and watches her play and I know he's dying to join in. She's the perfect "Cat Toy" for him. ha, ha, ha, ha.....

Chocolate Torte with Ganache

2008-02-18T08:45:00.007-07:00

Yesterday I felt like baking. So I made this Chocolate Torte. Thought I'd share the recipe with you all. It's very chocolately, dense and decadent. :) I think we may have to share this with some friends. Mel and Steve, you interested? As this cake bakes, it rises like a souffle and then falls as it cools. If desired, press 1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (filberts) or macadamia nuts onto the sides of the freshly glazed cake. I used edible flowers to garnish the top this time.

10 oz (315g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup (6oz/185g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tsp pure vanilla

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (80z/250g) white sugar

Preheat over to 350F. Butter a springform pan 9 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep. Line the pan bottom with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit precisely.

In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the chocolate and butter. Heat, stirring, until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool. Whisk in the vanilla.

Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until the mixture lightens and triples in volume, about 6 minutes. Pour the chocolate mixture over the egg mixture and gently fold them together. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until the top forms a crust and cracks and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with some wet batter attached, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack. Immediately run a knife around the pan sides to loosen the cake. It will fall in the center. Press down the edges to even the top. Let cool.

Release the pan sides and remove them. Invert a flat plate over the cake and invert them together. Lift off the pan bottom and peel off the parchment paper.

Ganache Recipe:
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
1 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional)
Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur.
Makes enough ganache to cover a 9 inch (23 cm) cake or torte.
To Cover a Torte or Cake:
Note: If covering a cake that is to be refrigerated, make sure the cake is cold before covering with the ganache. This will ensure that the ganache does not dull when stored in the refrigerator.
Brush any loose crumbs from the cake and place cake on a wire rack. Put the wire rack on a baking sheet. In this way if the ganache drips it will end up on the baking sheet, which makes clean up easier. Using a cake spatula, cover the sides and top of the cake with about 2 tablespoons ganache. This is called a crumb coat and seals in any cake crumbs so that your cake will have a smooth finish. Refrigerate cake for 5 minutes to set the crumb coat. If you have any air bubbles or crumbs in your ganache, pour through a strainer. To cover cake, pour the remaining ganache into the center of the cake. Working quickly, spread with a spatula, using big strokes to push the ganache over the sides of the cake, to create an even coating of ganache. If there are any bare spots on sides of cake, cover with leftover ganache. Leftover ganache can be strained to remove any crumbs and used to make truffles.

Ruthie Foster is Phonemenal!

2008-02-14T10:52:00.007-07:00

Paul and I really enjoyed the concert on Monday night. Sue Foley and Peter Karp opened. Sue was playing a Flamenco/Classical style acoustic. Sounded great. Peter was playing a keyboard. They had a stand up bass player and a percussionist playing a box with a couple of cymbals beside him. Peter also got up and played two different guitars throughout. They were incredible. They have been working on an album together about relationships. The songs were great. Music and lyrics. Something everyone could identify with. They are hopefully going to have it recorded and out by the fall. They were so good, we even got them to do an encore. Sue said she's been trying to learn Flamenco for a year or so. She soon realized that Flamenco was something that takes a lifetime to learn and she had already committed her life to playing the Blues. She did write one song which she called a cross between the Blues and Flamenco or "Fluse". They were great and definitely worth going to see. Sue plays all over North America and beyond. Worth going to see. She did a Sarah McLaughlin type concert for Women In Blues, called Blues Guitar Women. There's a CD of it. I have to get it. I'd really like to see Sue and her band with her playing her Electric guitar next time. Check out her website. http://www.suefoley.com/

Then Ruthie and her band came out. Wow! She's just a tiny woman but what a voice! I kept wanting to yell at her that she was "Phonemenal" cause she was. And it was a great room for her to sing in. Incredible acoustics. This is the biggest venue she's ever played at in Calgary. She's been coming up here for a few years now, mostly for Folk and Music Festivals or smaller Halls. She had her cousin playing Bass. Tall Woman. Maybe that's why Ruthie looked so tiny. She was a great bass player. And another woman playing drums and percussion. Then a guy playing lead guitar. She played a couple of different guitars throughout and the keyboard. All very talented and entertaining. She was very funny and a good front woman, chatting between songs. Great stories. I strongly urge anyone to go see her, if she comes to your town. http://www.ruthiefoster.com/ You can check out where she's touring.

We had great seats. Dress Circle Left on the first balcony. The Royalty seats they're called. :) We were right beside them. The sound was great and I could look down and see what and how everyone was playing their instruments. I really need to practise my guitar more after seeing this show. Truly inspiring.

Meet Roxy

2008-02-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone. We have a new addition to our family. Roxy. We rescued her from the Humane Society. She's 3 months old. A real cutie. We brought her home yesterday. She's full of energy and loves cuddling and purring beside us. Ringo and Patches are slowly getting used to her. She's spending most of her time in our bedroom. I've got her food, water and litter box in our ensuite. Lots of toys for her to play with too. She discovered the cat perch this morning in the hallway. Loves that, as you can see. I can't wait to see her and Ringo ripping thru the house, playing together. Probably take a few more days though. In the meantime she seems very happy. So are we. ;)

Ruthie Foster & Sue Foley

2008-01-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my favorite blues singer-songwriters from the great state of Texas! I have two of her albums now. A live one, which is incredible and her latest one, "The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster". She's performing with a band on Feb. 11th in Calgary. We have great seats. A nice small venue, only seats about 2500. Great acoustics. Can't wait. She can do blues, soul, gospel, rock and even reggae. Here's here take on a classic reggae tune, "Real Love". I love her guitar playing.

Sue Foley, a Canadian Blues artist is opening up for her. What a treat to see both of them. Here's Sue Foley and her band playing live at the North Atlantic Bluesfest 2007. I just bought her first album, "Love Comin' Down" yesterday. Another smoking guitar player! You go girls! Gives me inspiration. Hope you guys enjoy them.

Saying Goodbye

2008-01-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Mickey in happier and healthier times. She loved her sunbeams. Would follow them around the house all day to get them.

Even come out and sit on the top of a chair or the railing to get the last of the sunset at night with us. Crazy cat.
And she loved being outside in the yard, sleeping under a bush or tree.

Her favorite pass time, by the catnip. :) She had a great coat for camouflage, in any season.

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to Mickey. She had taken a turn for the worse the past couple of weeks and nothing we were doing was helping her. Yesterday was terrible. I thought I was going to lose her, so I phoned a vet who makes house calls. We cancelled all my birthday plans for Mickey. Dr. Deken came by and helped us say goodbye to her before she had to suffer any longer. We were with her, touching and stroking her right to the end. I want to thank everyone who has left comments and sent email's on past posts about Mickey's battle with Chronic Renal Failure. She had 17 wonderful years and was very much loved and will be deeply missed. Pets are much more than companions these days, they are truly a member of the family. We are having her cremated and are going to find a beautiful piece of pottery for her to rest in so she can stay with the people and animal companions who she loved and who loved her.

Goodnight sweet Mickey.

Footnote: Mickey is back home with us now, where she belongs. It's been a hard few days. We sure miss her. But she was so sick the past couple of weeks. It wasn't fair to her or to us. It was lousy that she got so ill on my birthday but I kind of had a feeling the week before the end was near. I just coulnd't bear to see her suffer. The vet was sooo nice. And they brought her back to us yesterday. We had her cremated. She was more than a pet to us. I have her in a nice piece of pottery on the hearth of the fireplace for now. All their urns and stuff were way too tacky. I found myself calling out to her yesterday, just out of habit. Talking to the kitties like I do as I work around the house. It's gonna take some time. Paul and I were sitting downstairs last night after dinner. She always stayed downstairs with us while Ringo and Patches went up to our bedroom for their after dinner naps. It felt very lonely down there without her.

Birthday Sunrise

2008-01-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

Today is my birthday and what a gorgeous sunrise it was. It was foggy and snowing all night. When I got up and looked out the window I couldn't see beyond the field across the road. But I could see the moon high in the sky. It was very bright and lit up the fog beautifully. When I looked higher up, there was blue sky but then the fog layer under the moon. Very eerie. As the sun rose in the east the fog dissipitiated and I snapped a few shots from inside the house. Too cold to go out and take these. The Hoar Frost was beautiful. I hope you agree and enjoy these.

Paul is taking me out to dinner tonight. A nice little Greek place close by. My birthday always seems to go unnoticed since it's so soon after Christmas. We usually never do much. This year I decided to throw myself a party. So tomorrow night we're having a party. About 12 of us. A potluck type deal. I'm making a few hors d'ouerves and a big pot of Bison Chili. Everyone else is going to bring a salad or side dish. Mel told me about this place that makes amazing cupcakes. So I got Paul to order some for dessert. Barb, my mother in law, is dropping by this afternoon with a gift for me. She's so sweet. She always remembers and gets me something. Just got an email from my sister wishing me a good day. That's nice. My friend Cathi sent me a little something last month. I've had it hidden in the linen closet since then. I think I'll go open that now. Then I have to start getting ready for tomorrow night. I'm going to make the Chili today. Things like that always taste better the next day. I can do the prep for the hors d'ouerves too. Hope you all have a great day! Cheers!

Earth Hour 2008

2008-01-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

Hey, I just checked out the new Earth Hour website for 2008 and I thought you might like to take a look too. It's on 29 March 2008 at 8pm, and it looks like it's going to be really big. So far, as well as Sydney, there'll also be Chicago, Tel Aviv, Manila, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Brisbane and Toronto all turning off their lights for an hour in the name of fighting global warming. And I'm sure they'll be more cities by March. Sign up and join the movement, and closer to the day we'll also send you useful tools, tips and info. Sign up at http://www.earthhour.org/sign-up I just signed up and it was easy. Cheers Heather!

Camping - Elbow Falls and the Kananaskis

2008-01-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

My outdoor Kitchen. The hammock in the background. Perfect for afternoon naps.

Elbow Falls in July. I love the colour of the water in the Mountains.

I was talking about camping with my sister yesterday, so I thought I'd share these photos from 2006 with you. Since I don't have any new pics to show these days. We live very close to the Kananaskis Park, west of Calgary. There are two areas in the Kananaskis. One closer to Banff with very rugged and high mountains. The other side is near Bragg Creek, about a 30 min. drive from our doorstep. The mountains are much smaller and rounder. Many Calgarians enjoy this area. Lots of campgrounds, hiking and biking trails and unfortunately an off road, ATV/Motorbike area. Noise and air pollution at it's best. The first campground is perfect though. No electricity or running water/showers. Outhouses and hand pump and boil water only. So no big motor homes or the ATV crowd. First come first serve basis. Runs right along the river. We made the mistake of going farther up the road to the McLean Creek campground one weekend. We were the only tent. Everyone else had campers/motor homes. All with generators disturbing our peace and quiet and it was right beside the Off-Road trails. It was very noisy to say the least. The next weekend we went to Gooseberry, the first one. Aaahhhh much better. Elbow Falls is farther up the road from all the campgrounds. A popular picnic area for Calgarians and visiting tourists. It became so popular that they paved the pathways and picnic table areas to avoid erosion. There used to be firepits at the picnic tables but there were too many uneducated people leaving unattended fires going or not putting them out properly. It's a shame but understandable that they did that. I always think of the line in the Joni Mitchell song now when I see the pictures or go out there....."They paved paradise and put up a parking lot". Hope you enjoy!

It was so hot at Gooseberry that weekend, that we went down to the River on Saturday. Put a bottle of Champagne in the river, along with our chairs and ourselves and cooled off. Aaahhhhh..... Yes, I have plastic Champagne Flutes. One has to be prepared and civilized even in the mountains.

This was at the McLean Creek campground, nice enough but just noisy.
Here we are at Gooseberry the following weekend. Paul enjoying the afternoon in the shade.
I had just got the guitar that week. Doing some lessons.
Cooling off in the River.
"They Paved Paradise and Put up a Parking Lot".

Some Wild flowers for ya Mike. Our Provincial flower, The Wild Rose and some Coral Bells.

Elbow Falls.

Family - Life and Death

2008-01-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty upset about Mickey the past week or so. She's not doing great, I don't think. We were doing the sub-q's every 3 days when we started. Then we upped it to every 2nd day. She does well the day after we've given them to her. But by the 2nd day she's looking poorly again. I just gave her the sub-q's by myself for the first time. I heated the fluids, like I normally do. Then I hung up the IV with a coat hanger to the curtain rod. Put her on the chair and away we went. Worked great. She actually seemed more calm with just us doing it. Afterwards, I phoned my vet and told him what was going on. Asked him if we should give her the sub-'q every day now but reduce the amount. He agreed. My heart just breaks when I look at her when she's not feeling well. Not sure how much longer she's going to last. I don't want her to be in pain or discomfort though. So we'll try the daily sub-q's and see how it goes. We may have a very difficult decision to make, sooner than we expected. I just don't know how, when the time comes, how I'm going to be able to make an appointment to have her Euthanized and wait for the time and take her there to do it. It's one thing if she falls ill suddenly, you take her in and the vet says, there's nothing we can do. But to make an appointment to do it. That's going to be very tough. I just hope she passes quietly in her sleep at home.

I've also been upset about my Dad. He has prostrate cancer. He lives almost 3000 miles away from me, on the other side of Canada. New Brunswick. He turned 80 last October and like Mickey is slowing down but still takes care of himself. His long time girlfriend, Jill, passed away very suddenly a few years ago. She was younger than Dad and we always thought he would go first. I think he did too! So he's been pretty much alone since then. He has a few friends, actually a family that he spends holidays and time with but that's about it . All of us kids live either in Alberta or British Columbia. My brother and I don't speak, (his choice not mine) so I have no idea if he's offered any support. My sister and I don't speak often and she has a hard time dealing with any issues other than her own these days. She's been thru allot these past few years. She's not a big emailer, I am and I'm not a phone person and she is. Makes it difficult sometimes. The doctor recommended Chemotherapy for him but he declined. He lives in a small town in NB and would have to drive to the nearest city, Saint John, which is an hour away on the highway. Dad also has Glaucoma and as he puts it, "is blind in one eye and can't see out of the other". His eye site isn't that great. So the long drive to Saint John everyday for a couple of weeks would be difficult. I offered to come out last fall and help but he still doesn't want the Chemo. He got tested again in December and his PSA level's have gone up very slightly. He's at a 6 now, I believe. 5 is normal, so it's still not very high. The doctor offered Chemo again, Dad said no. So he suggested injections to help stop the growth. Next month Dad will get injections and then after that, every 3 months.

I think we've all asked him to come out and be with us but Dad's been in the same place too long. It's his home. And he finds it difficult to travel. Understandable. My problem is that I'm terribly afraid to fly. So scared I have to take a Valium just to get in the airport. I don't even like to pick up anyone or drop them off at an airport. And I used to be a Travel Agent. Yikes, that was horrible! People would ask me what kind of a plane they were going to be travelling on and in my mind I'd be thinking, "Who cares, it's going to crash and you're all going to die anyway!" I had to travel to Thailand and back once. It was horrible. The flight alone from Vancouver to Hong Kong was 15 hours. So I feel terribly guilty that I can't help him more or be there. And now with Mickey being ill and her medical needs being daily sub-q's, it's hard for me to go anywhere, even if they could drug me enough. :)

I just wish them both good health and a comfortable end. Dad has always said he doesn't want to be hooked up to anything to prolong his life. (And I'll honour that for him, if and when the time comes.) That he hopes he just goes quietly in his sleep. I do too. I had to watch my mother die of Brain and Lung Cancer. That was tough. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. Dad keeps talking about how he's tired and it's his time. It's hard to hear but I can appreciate how he must feel and how lonely he must be. It breaks my heart to hear it but I'll probably be the same if I live that long. And without Paul (if he goes first) or any kids of our own, it will be just as lonely. So to be close to Dad, I just try and email with him all the time. I'm not much of a phone person and he isn't either really. Email works for us. I think I'll go make a cup of tea. More later.........

I guess maybe I'm so upset about all of this too because I'm thinking about my own mortality. (I'll be 44 next Friday, the 25th.) Scared of being alone. I know death is a part of life. You can't have one without the other, as they say. And as you get older, you sure get to experience both of them more. Friends, family, icons. They all start to leave you. Last year my dear friend, Cathi, went thru Breast Cancer. She lives in Halifax, so she's very far away too. I wish I could have been closer to help her thru it. She's gone thru 3 surgery's. Had a mascetomy on one side and gone thru Chemo, lost her hair. She's doing fine now. I'm so thankful for that. I don't know if I could have been as strong as she is.

I have a hard time telling people how much they mean to me. My family isn't the most communicative with each other at the best of times. We all live far apart too. I sometimes get envious of other people and their families. How close they all are. And I know I tend to try and make Paul like me with his family sometimes. (although I am trying to make sure we see them more often now, even though they're not the type of family who are always together either) I just have a hard time being around anybody's family. Or opening up to people. (I've been hurt, lied to and abused by so many people in my life, I find it hard to trust anyone) Except Paul. He's the one person who knows me better than anybody and is always there for me. I don't know what I'd do without him. I probably don't tell him that enough. I guess I feel like I'm a burden when I do open up to anyone. Everyone has their own problems, they don't need me whining to them. That's probably why I'm writing this in my blog. I'm not looking for sympathy. I just need to get it out. I just need to get it out but I don't want to bother anyone. It just seems easier to write it down. To nobody in particuliar. Time for another cup of tea.......

I feel better now that I've gotten that out. January always seems to be a bad month for me. I get worn out emotionally and physically with everything. I'm even still bruised and sore from my skating accident. And I just got my washing machine fixed on Tuesday! Wish I could just go away somewhere for a while but I know that won't solve anything.

Dad just emailed me. He starts his injections next month. He went and got the prescription filled today and it was $1277. He thought that was for 3 shots, every 3 months. Turns out it's just for 1 injection! And he has no health insurance. Not sure what to do now.......

Cookbooks

2008-01-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

I went out and bought 3 new cookbooks this week. Great after Christmas sales at the bookstore. I couldn't resist.

French Food at Home by Laura Calder. She has a cooking show on Food Network of the same name. I've been watching it lately and love it. Very basic cooking. Reminds me of my time at culinary school. I've tried a few of her recipes online and they've all been fabulous. Check her out. Monday was our anniversary and I made 2 of her recipes for our dinner. Endive, Beet and blue cheese salad with a walnut dressing. Stunning. And a beef stew with a French twist. Beef with carrots. You can find both of these recipes at http://www.foodnetwork.ca/

The next one was Mexican Cooking. I'm finding when I buy cookbooks now, it's usually for a particular cuisine. I've got enough "everything" cookbooks. Boy do I have enough. They're stuffed and hidden everywhere in the house. ;) Paul wanted Mexican last night so I picked 3 dishes from it. Chicken Mole Poblano. Mole is a traditional Mexican salsa (sauce) with chillies, cinnamon and chocolate as the main flavour components. And don't scrunch your nose up like that. It's delicious! Mexico has a way with chocolate. Have you ever read, "Like water for chocolate". Well you should. Or watched the movie, "Chocolate". That's Mexican chocolate. I made a Spicy Rice Pilaf with lots of flavour and a Papaya, Avocado and Red Pepper salad with Pepita's (pumpkin seeds) and a lime dressing. Another winner. Paul was in heaven. This cookbook is what my library needed. Big beautiful pictures and great recipes.

The last one was a Vietnamese cookbook. We adore Vietnamese food. I make Pho (noodle soup) at home for us, quite often. Comfort food at it's best. Great on a cold winter's day. The broth they make is heady with aroma's of star anise and cinnamon. I could just stick my head over a bowl and breath it in all day. The thing I love about Vietnamese cooking is that it's been Fusion cooking way before all those hoidy toidy Chef's thought of combining different cuisines. Lots of Indian and French influences. And they balance it beautifully with the five flavors of Asian cuisine; sweetness, sourness, saltiness, hotness, and bitterness. The thing I like about Vietnamese cuisine is that you can get a stir fry, wonderful soups, rice or noodle dishes for one. With the meat, vegetables and starch all in one dish. So you don't have to share. :) Their cuisine is slightly different too because it uses lots of limes and lemongrass, light and pungent fish sauce, or food wrapped in lettuce or herb leaves and lots of fresh herbs.

This cookbook is beautiful. It covers dishes and the foods of Cambodia as well. Fabulous book. Lots of history on the area, pictures of ingredients and descriptions. A good resource cookbook. I like that. A picture with every recipe. While our Mexican repaste was simmering last night we poured over this book for tonight's dinner. I need a few ingredients that you don't normally find at the local grocery store so we're going to go down to Chinatown for Dim Sum first. And then shop for the ingredients down there. The vegetable dish is called Jungle Curry. It has lots of Thai Chillies (extremely hot) in it, hence the name. One of the ingredients is Long Beans, which we've never had before but are the immature pods of black-eyed beans (peas). And lots of other great ingredients. So I must run. Get ready. If you don't get to the Dim Sum restaurant before 11:30am, you have to wait. Happy Culinary Adventures!

January Blahs...thoughts of spring

2008-01-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

We're in the middle of another Chinook in Calgary. Weather is very mild but can get very windy at times. We hardly have any snow left. Not good for all my plants in the yard. These Chinook's are great for people but not so great for plants. They think it's spring and start to come out of their hibernation, so to speak. Then it gets cold again and they die.

With the warm weather I've been dreaming about gardening. I can't wait for spring to arrive so I can work in my yard. In 2006 Paul and I built the deck and one side of the fence. Last summer, 2007, we did everything else you see. We worked our butts off. I popped a bone in my wrist, hurt my foot. We just wanted the mud and dirt covered and to be able to enjoy the yard. Play Bocce. Let the cats come out with us. So we worked and worked and worked. It wasn't easy either.

Paul and my brother in law, Todd, finishing the other side of the fence. The deck from the previous year. And lots of dirt and weeds.
Next Paul rototilled the dirt (took two days) and I pulled up the weeds.
Then Paul raked it all to smooth it and remove any other debris or stones left. All we had to do was rent a roller and roll it out to pack down the dirt a bit. It was all loosened up from the previous work. Then we'd be ready to lay the sod I had ordered for that coming Friday. Unfortunately it rained and rained and rained! So we postponed for a week. I rented the roller a few days before but it wouldn't stop raining, so we couldn't go out and walk on the dirt or else we'd leave big holes. The sod arrived on a Friday. It was still raining Saturday morning when we were supposed to lay it. Todd was the only friend/family who showed up to help. There were supposed to be 2 other guys but one forgot and one hurt his back. So out I went to help Paul and Todd. They couldn't do it themselves. It was over 2200 sq ft of sod to lay.
Because it was so wet and soggy, we couldn't roll the dirt or walk on it. So Todd and I had to push and pull (it was too muddy for it to roll by itself and the wheels would get full of mud and wouldn't move) the wheelbarrow full of sod out to Paul. Paul had to kneel/walk over two boards on what he had already laid, so he wouldn't damage or dent the soil and already laid sod. It was a mess! And really hard work. We were up to our ankles in mud. Todd and I would throw the rolls of wet, heavy sod out to Paul. We were not happy people that day. But thanks to Todd, we got it done. God love Todd. He's a great guy. We were so sore, that we'd wake ourselves up when we rolled over in bed, or tried to roll over. Ouch!
But as you can see it all paid off. We laid the bark mulch next. 1100 yards of it. That's when I hurt my wrist. Laid the timbers for a border between the sod and bark mulch. Then Paul built the gate on the fence at the front. Finished off the fence. Built stairs for the deck. Built a gate in the back fence, so we could get out to the back for walks. Kitty proofed the back fence. So they couldn't get out and no other critters could get in. :)

Paul put up a clothesline on the side for me. Love that. And nobody can see it, so it's not an eyesore. I started a little herb garden on this side of the deck. I can't wait for it all to come up this spring. And add more. Mel and I were lucky to have a woman give us some perennials last summer. She bought a house and didn't like what the previous owners had planted, so Mel went over and dug a bunch of them up and gave me some. Thanks Mel! Ulli gave me a perennial from Nakusp that I brought back and planted there. We also hit a few end of season sales at the garden centres. Picked up a few more bushes/shrubs and other perennials. I planted 90 bulbs in the fall. We got two trees, a cedar and a pine for $200 bucks! About 5 ft each. Great deal. So I really got allot more in the ground this year than I expected. And I still have a ton of space left to fill as you can see!We still have to finish this corner. It will be another patio. A stone one this time. Sheltered from the wind and sun. We'll put our little Chimnea firepit there. We still enjoyed it last year in the dirt. :) I hope these Pyramid Cedars come back. We covered them with burlap but they are difficult to grow successfully in this climate. Due to the winds and Chinook's. I call them Short Lived Gift Plants or Annuals here. So this year I want to start a veggie garden. We need to built compost bins. Paul's mom gave us a gift certificate to a garden centre for Christmas. Enough to buy a couple of trees. We need to buy and plant at least 5 more trees for privacy and wind blocks. But at least the really hard stuff is done. We can go out and garden and actually enjoy the yard right from the get go this year. Stay tuned for pictures as all my little babies start to emerge from their winter sleep. :)

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year's Eve. Paul and I were worn out from the holiday's, so we just had a quiet night alone. I'm looking forward to getting back to a normal way of life. Wow, I can't believe it's 2008! My niece, Sara and her boyfriend David drove out from Victoria, BC for the holidays. David's father lives in Edmonton and Sara's father lives in Okotoks, a small town south of Calgary. They spent Friday night and Sunday night with us. These pictures are from Sunday night. I look really out of it in the first picture (kind of how I'm feeling after my accidents and the holidays) but at least the rest of them look good. David and Sara had been cross country skiing in Lake Louise all day so they were pretty beat too. David has his eyes closed in the next one. Too funny.
That was dinner. Roasted chicken Caesar salad with homemade crutons too. Ulli gave me those beautiful birch wood spoons for Xmas.

We had a great visit and it was so nice to meet David. They make a very cute couple and Sara looked great! I hope they can come out for a visit again soon.

The Tree is Down and so am I!

2007-12-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

We took the Christmas tree down yesterday. Thank God! I have had enough of Christmas for this year! I like putting the tree up and decorating the house a bit but I find it all messy and disorderly after the "big" day. I want my house back! Ahhh.....that's better.

My niece and her boyfriend arrived on Friday. We had a short but nice visit. Went skating down at Bowness where I skated into a HUGE gaping hole in the ice and was flat on my face before I knew it. Ouch! Well not on my face but you know what I mean. I did a belly flop on the ice. Sara screamed and the boys who were up ahead came skating back to help me up. My right knee and elbow were screaming in pain but I didn't want to spoil the skate, so I brushed myself off and away we went again. When we got home I took a look at my knee and it wasn't a pretty site. It was swollen badly and already bruised. So was my elbow. It could have been allot worse though. I could have broken something or smashed my teeth in. I iced them and had a glass of wine. We had dinner, watched a movie and off to bed we all went. The three of them were heading up to Lake Louise to go skiing early the next morning. Oh yeah, earlier that day I cut one of my fingers badly, prepping for the dinner that night. Friday was not a good day for Heather.

When I woke up, it felt like someone had run over me. I guess the impact on the ice did more than bruised my ego and limbs. :) My whole upper body felt like I had done a workout and used muscles that I hadn't used in years. Very sore. Hurt to lift my arms, sore. Hurt to roll over in bed, sore. I'm feeling better today. Swelling has gone down. I used a great Homeopathic remedy. Traumeel, it's called. It has a Arnica base in it. It's available in cream or gel as a topical treatment. Great for bruises, inflammation etc. Then I was at my health food store yesterday and I bought some tablets too. So I'm doubling up my dosage. I think it helped because I don't feel as sore today and the swelling has come down considerably in my knee. Boy you should see the colours the bruises are turning. :)

Sara and David are coming back to Calgary to spend the night with us tonight. They've been staying in Banff since Saturday at friends of David's. Skiing the Rockies. Paul said they thought it was much colder skiing out here than in BC. Well duh? It is!

So Paul and I are preparing another lovely meal for them tonight. Paul's making his famous Vietnamese Salad Rolls. I had some leftover roasted squash soup in the freezer, I took out for the first course. For the main, I'm making a roasted chicken Caesar salad. You roast the chicken pieces with the bread cubes. The croutons soak up all the flavour from the chicken. It's sooo tasty. I'll try and take some pics of us all tonight. Oh yeah, Christmas Eve my washing machine broke down. Because of the holiday's the repairman can't get here till Jan. 3rd. So I've been schlepping my laundry out to friends and family since then. At least it's still under warranty. I just hope he can fix it on the 3rd and doesn't have to order parts. Hope everyone had a great Christmas. As I said, I'm glad it's over.

Skating at Bowness

2007-12-22T14:44:00.001-07:00

We went skating at Bowness Park this afternoon. Bowness is a community district in north west Calgary. We live up the hill from it. About a 10 minute drive. It was an autonomous town until 1964, when it was annexed by Calgary. It was the first park ever in Calgary and they had to set up a bus route to get people out to it because it was so far away from the rest of the city. The bus was the #1 Bowness, the first bus route in Calgary and it still runs today. It's one of Calgary's most popular parks. The park sits between the Bow River and a lagoon, and is popular for picnics, summer sports, skating in the winter, and boating. It is also part of the city's large pedestrian pathway network. We love going down there in all seasons. We were there early today so it wasn't very busy yet. They have fire pits on the ice to warm up next to in the winter and in the summer there is a fountain in the middle of the Lagoon that you can paddle around on canoe's or paddle boats. We feel very fortunate that we live so close to such a beautiful area.
There's the huge main Lagoon and then the tributaries that run from the river you can skate down.
It was a little nippy today. About -7C and overcast but calm at least. Still had to dress warmly for it. Right before Paul took this picture, I had turned backwards. At first I was skating backwards fine, then I almost fell straight on my "ass". Whoops! That would have been fun. OK, so once I was a figure skater and could do lots of cool moves. Not so much anymore.

Winter Solstice

2007-12-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Hey All, Been a few days with no posting. Haven't had much to say. Plus it's been a heck of a busy week. Put my neck out late last week, so I went to my chiropractor, Valerie, on Monday for an adjustment and some help. She's great. She said she'd never seen me so tense and tight in my upper back before. Ouch! As she did some deep tissue release on my neck and shoulders. Then an adjustment and presto, much better. Then I had a dentist appointment on Wednesday. Six needles to freeze my lower front teeth, so they can clean them. I have very sensitive teeth and they don't like to freeze, the little buggers. So for the last two days it's felt like someones kicked me in the chin, very sore. Inside hurts too. My neck and back problem was probably stress built up about that and the holiday season. Not a huge Christmas person. For lots of reasons. The commercialism, the over spending because you think you have to buy a gift for every single person you know. I just find it very wasteful.

Then it's very stressful on women, this time of the year. They're the ones that have to organize everything, the food and menu's, shopping for the gifts and then hitting the grocery stores at the last minute to get the freshest ingredients. I went to 4 different grocery stores in the last two days to get everything I needed. Then all the cooking, cleaning and baking. The big day arrives and you serve the food and then everyone goes to sleep while you clean up. I told my dental hygienist the other day it's kind of like bad sex. Your all ready and looking forward to it. Then your partner has his fun, rolls over and goes to sleep while you're still waiting for the band to arrive! It's all the anticipation of this time of year and then it's over in seconds, it seems. Quite a let down.

Paul's brother phoned last night to ask if we're getting Cheryl's kids anything for Christmas. We're all having dinner at Cheryl's this year since they stayed in town. Paul said, No. We don't exchange gifts with anyone except Paul's mom and my Dad. (even though Dad said no gifts this year but I sent him a few food/goodie items, had to he's so far away) Paul said they don't need anymore gifts and Cheryl's quite happy that we don't exchange. Paul used to get so stressed each year trying to buy gifts for me. We even tried just doing stockings for each other and the poor guy would still hate doing it. Even if I gave him a list. And I hated doing that. So we just stopped. We're all doing OK in our lives and we can go out and pretty much buy something when we need it. (like our guitars last month, kind of a our xmas gifts to each other) And that's not what Christmas is about as far as I'm concerned. Giving is great but how about giving of yourself instead of a useless gift. Or donating some money, food or time to a charity or organization of your choice. I love giving gifts to people but not because I feel I have to but because I want to.

I haven't been sleeping well this past week. I've even been getting on the Treadmill every morning. Exercising always makes me feel better. I just get so blue this time of the year. Maybe it's partly due to the lack of daylight hours. It's 7:40am and still dark here. The sun won't come up till almost 9am and then it will be dark before 5pm. We're lucky in Calgary that we do get lots of sunshine when the sun is up. :) But sometimes in the winter it's just too cold to go outside. Even with all the winter gear on. It's supposed to be pretty nice today so maybe we'll go skating down at Bowness Park. That would be nice. Get some fresh air and exercise. Speaking of that, I think I'll get on the treadmill. Ciao for now.

Christmas Wishes Everyone

2007-12-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

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