Lo Lo and Behold

Looking outside in, you never know what you might find. This night - I found my beautiful daughter, Laura. Happy New Year, Lo Lo!

Poppin' Festivus Breakfast!

The magical day arrived with a thud! Just prior to collapsing in a heap of shopping, cooking and baking fatigue, I took a few moments to throw together a most splendid Christmas morning repast. What's in it, you ask? A bag of mini-croissants, 12 beaten eggs and cream, whatever cheese and ham is left over from the night before - and voila - Crazy Woman's Christmas Breakfast. And to all - a good bite!

Record This!

T'was a week before Christmas, when all through Toronto, not a sound could be heard, except for commercials! It's this kind of marketing nonsense that sends voiceover talent back in the studio minutes before Festivus celebrations. While cramming for the last batch of Best Boxing Day Sale Ever ads, the orange cat that lives at the recording studio turned to me and said, "If I hear one more commercial, I'm going to bust into a million GO BUY THIS, DRASTICALLY REDUCED, SALE'S ON TILL THEY'RE GONE pieces of dead radio ads from Christmas Past, and hurl myself all over all of you!!"
I started to object to his inappropriate tirade...then I realized he had every right to be tired.

Dancing in the Moonlight

When they say 'dance like there's no one looking', I wonder if that applies to big, fat, inflatable snowmen. Oh, how I love him. I watch him slowly emerge at dusk every night and every window I look out - there he is! So friendly, so Christmassy, so nylon. When everyone else is hating the commercialization of Christmas, I'm afraid I find myself embracing it till it pops.

Reading, Writing and Ready for Christmas!!!

Never in my life have I been as busy as these past couple of months. Working in media is fun...teaching it is hard work AND FUN!! Since embarking on my newfound college career, I've not had time to take any pics or have any random thoughts...until today. Even without snow, I can feel the season tingling and that just about makes me crazy giddy with I don't know what...so the decorating has begun....I'll keep posting while jingling all the way.....

Row, Row, Row your Pedal Boat?

Sam and Laura unhitched the pedal boat for it's first and quite probably last ride this season. As Laura pushed her pedals to the plastic, Sam let his feet effortlessly spin on his moving pedals and every now and then he rowed for a bit. A lot is revealed by how one masters an unwieldy pedal boat.

I SPILLED THE CATS!

We bought a king-size bed for comfort and sprawling...clearly at the time of purchase we had no idea who would be doing the sprawling. And if there's any doubt who uses the bed most, the leaf stained paw marks of our slothful companions leave telltale signs on the new white (almost) duvet. Oy.

Indoor/Outdoor Reading Nook

It took most of the summer to finish, but I finally have a little corner of the world just for reading. It's fashioned into the corner of our screened in porch and started as a bench that hid our kitty litter boxes. We've since expanded said bench, had a mattress made to fit into it, covered it in indoor/outdoor fabric and a pile of pillows...and YES, it still houses our kitty litter boxes....but Shhhhh, no one knows...and they're very tidy cats!!!

Mirror, Mirror on the Water....

Perhaps the most beautiful time in our corner of the world is....right...now....from yellow to orange to red all in one magical week. Even when the leaves all blow away, we're left with a magnificent, picture perfect vista. Since I've started teaching at our local college, I've not had much time to catch my breath and see what Mother Nature's breath has been up to. Today I did....and I must say she outdoes herself every year. Let's all throw a roast in the oven, put some apple sauce on to boil and call it Fall, shall we?

The Art of Being Black and White

Cat or cow - then or now - nothing photographs better than black and white critters in a coloured corner of the world. Painters have been inspired by such for years, as have photographers....black and whites aren't so much the canvas for a creative project, but the muse. Our cat, Louie (shown here) has always fancied himself a muse. Nothing to do with being black and white -he's just a cat who's comfortable in his own skin. Fur is simply a mere accessory to such a bon vivant!

The Cat With No Shame

No pedigree anything followed this cat to our house. He's been a scrapper since he was a kitten. Our dog Lucy, a speckled hound, took to raising him and now he behaves much like she did - rather dog-like. He nips at the other cats to hurry out the door and sleeps spread eagle wherever he likes. Good thing he was born with a diaper cuz no one wants to be looking at his business all....the....time!!

Artist in Residence

Our friend, Ricarda, visited for the weekend, and when she's not smothered in bubbles and raising her little guy, Quinton, the woman paints, paints and then paints some more. Having just purchased one that I find myself looking at daily, I'm left wondering where this young woman will be in another twenty or thirty years. Amazing work, and she sells her work on facebook of all places - averaging one to two sales a week. Ricarda Forbes Loth - go see - go buy.

The Magic of Fire

They watch, they talk, they relax....young folk without technology - beautiful to see.

Young Love Warms Before the Fire

My son, Kyle, brought his new love, Judy home and there was much chatter and activity that followed....ripping open his birthday presents, chowing down on pulled pork sandwiches and finally, relaxing before the fire. It does a mom's heart good to catch her lovely boy in love. Little Laura and her Sam also quieted by the fire and I became suddenly aware that they are full (of pulled pork) adults...happy adults. sigh and a tear. OK, it's a bit paparazzi stalking-ish but the crime was worth the blurry shot!

Mastering the Raft!

Our friend, Zach - shown here - is bounding with joy after completing the raft attachment to our new dock! He and his dad, Joe, have accomplished quite a feat. Now we can make like Huck Finn and go rowing about the river, plucking weeds as we see them. This being August, we can see them EVERYWHERE!!! One woman's lily pad is another woman's weed, and as charming as our choir of frogs can be, a clear view is something I've waited for all summer. Full steam ahead....right after I have one more sasparilla.

I'm a Writer, I'm a Teacher, I'm a Writer, I'm a Teacher.....

Careful what you wish for. Years now, I've been harbouring a desire to teach at Loyalist College, our local school for would be media types as well as nurses, welders, business people, and social workers to name a few. After holding a few media

workshops last semester I was asked to teach my first course - YIKES - so in the classroom shown here - complete with mentor/friend Lisa trying to figure out all the bells and wires - I shall be teaching the ins and outs of Communications to a large sum of Animation students. Nervous, scared, excited. YES. First class is September 16th and I can hardly wait!!!

You Looking at ME???

Leaning on that tree like a couple of hoods under a street light...taunting me, laughing at me, daring me to give them another go. The first and last time I inserted myself into one of those sinister, sneering Kayaks (the smug one with the biggest mouth) from our dock, it was, rather - well - demeaning, as I dragged my sorry self back onto the dock covered in muck and lily pads. I see you Kayaks

I see you every blessed day. One day, I may just knock those smokes out of your mouths and those smiles off your faces as I send you flying...but probably not.

Me-nemena, doot do do do do...Louie, The Entertainer

Cats

don't enjoy a seat so much as claim one. Louie spied the new red throw atop the white leather ottoman and it was, apparently, what he'd been waiting for. Now, he's there ALL THE TIME. It's ok though, as I'm preoccupied trying to decide to place the horse pillow on or off the chair (much easier than adjusting a cat). What do you think?

A Symphony of Red and Green with a Splash of Amphibian!

SO FUN!!! I added a red pillow to my living room vignette and then an old tray that I shined up with some spray lacquer, and before I knew it, out came my yoga frogs and an original painting I just purchased from Ricarda Forbes Loth. All the colours from outdoors are now indoors AND I'm ready for Christmas too!!!!

Good God It's Night and My Whites ARE EVEN Whiter!!!

These photos were taken by my daughter, Laura, moments ago during a massive thunderstorm in Toronto. We live 120 miles east and saw much the same - just a different backdrop. Something very eerie about a big city basked in electrical charges. Ooooooooooooo - storms make me blood race.

Save Me A Seat!

You can tiptoe out at the crack of dawn, or make lots of noise laughing and clanking your lemonade glass at mid-day. It matters not, because when a cat wants your favourite seat, he simply, well, takes it. There certainly isn't a seat shortage but I find when I plunk down across from the cat, I just can't concentrate on the book I'm reading or the person I'm chatting with because there's someone in my seat and they aren't leaving...until they want to.

New Red Chair

It's funny what a few new purchases can do for a frame of mind. I never got it before. Women who use 'retail therapy' to shake aside a mood....then I found this red chair, and a red throw, and a white hassock, and a red cotton rug and the whole world spun around in spiralling fairy dust. NESTING!!! I realize this high will wear off, but I will always be grateful to the unspoken power of the new red chair.

P.E.I. - Grampy's Casa, My Casa?

When visiting Prince Edward Island, it is customary for me to haul whomever I'm with on 'shack excursions'...we find abandoned houses and investigate their real estate? Soooo, Carissa - shown here - , Hilary and I found one, broke into it, found a sign on the wall that read 'Happy Birthday Grampy', dishes in the dish rack, possessions scattered about and we were sure we were going to find a deceased Grampy somewhere. Luckily, we did not. Unluckily, when we investigated the price of our B&E score, a neighbour told us that Grampy still lives there...he was just away for a couple of days. Needless to say, 'shacking' will need some retooling before the next trip to P.E.I.

Prince Edward Island's busiest cyclists....

are clearly from Japan! Having just spent a week on 'The Gentle Island', cycling would have been the way to go, if it hadn't been for all the rain. My friend Carissa and I made the most of it and put over a thousand kilometres on our rental car. Over the hills and through the dales with n'ary a rain soaked bicycle to be seen anywhere!

"I LIVE IN A TRAILER DOWN BY THE RIVER!"

...the voice of SNL funny guy, Chris Farley, was ringing in my ears as we set our wee trailer up at the end of our yard. I kept expectd to see him bounding out the back door, unsuccessfully attempting to hike his belt beyond his corpulence.
We don't really need the trailer there, all set up but, being a lifelong trailer lover, I like the way it looks, with it's little tree stump garden out front and bullfrogs splashing and singing five feet from the door. A nice little escape, or sleepover quarters for anyone needing a wildlife fix. Turles, swans, geese beavers, and frogs....ohhhh the frogs...big ones, little ones all talking at once in their own mighty metropolis, so, if you deem to drop in, you must remember, you are only visiting.

No Legs? No Problem!

At Quintra Therapeutic Riding stables, horseback riding is not so much a sport as it is a means to an end. The owner/instructor, Barb (shown here) has an amazing way of saddling up just about anyone. Once landed on the horse, a therapy session involving stretching and flexing your upper body might be the order of the day, or if your legs are still or won't move, the warmth of the horse's body as he's walking will soothe you. This special saddle is crafted just for this purpose. No reins required! Sometimes the horse is a vehicle, sometimes the horse is the equipment. Good lady, good riding, good idea!

Because There Can Never Be Too Many Puppies!

In lieu of loading some pics of our unspeakably heated surroundings, I thought it appropriate to take pause (paws?) and focus on being cool and comfortable. What better way than to stare at seven week old Lucy, the pup. Oh, to be that safe and sated in one's own skin!

The Mighty Quinn!

This impossibly stretchy cat is available for ownership (this is if a cat can ever be truly owned). My friend, Nancy, is housing Quinn's stray self on her porch for now, much to the dismay of her two window-hissing indoor cats. I hope the three felines can work out their differences because Quinn looks very much at home. Psst -if the cat has been named, can an invite inside be far off?

Oh and Meg - I appreciate your comment very much but can't seem to post my own comment in reply. Stymied.

Bad Boaters, Good Food, and Friendly Rellies!

The Barlow/Hallam Family Reunion at Moira Lake was one splendid day! The stage show included aggressive boat racers from next door, a feast of fresh fruit and vegetables before dinner, and boxes full of family photos. Since those pastimes are pleasant to be sure, they can only get you so far so I spent a few hours noodling in the water with various cousins of Rob's. Saturday's scorching heat was soothed away!