Crazy how things seem to cruise along normally and then suddenly NOT!

"Too much" escaped my lips late last year, after a holiday season over-indulgence, and the statement kind of catapulted events from there. Of course, anyone who reads this, likely knows the major event that changed everything. Oddly, it got more difficult to accept as time passed. But I think I've reached a corner. I'm hoping that pleasant things are waiting there for me, wanting to exclaim, "She's finally here!"

Ah, yes... happiness... where have you been hiding? Never too much of you.

:)

I have to apologize pre-emptively... I am going to be unusually miserable and impatient for the next 3 months or so. I cannot seem to help myself. The Saskatchewan winters have finally driven me round the bend.

I cannot take much more of this, universe.
You've got to give a gal a little hope... (just sayin')
... or maybe this is your gentle 'push'?

I'm at home today, feeling crummy. It is -30 something outside. The dogs ask to go outside but forget how frickin' cold it is and so are back indoors within a minute or two. Consequently, the back door bolt is problematic because of indoor humidity and outdoor cold.

Also, I wish I had apple juice to make hot apple cider... you know, with caramel and whipped topping. Medicinal, right?

I finished Game of Thrones last night. Pretty epic tale! and I'm ready to play the board game again... and grab a copy of Clash of Kings to start on. I had no idea that I had more friends and coworkers who are also fans of George R.R. Martin's work. Kind of neat actually. (I'm slowly catchin' up!)

So, I am a slow reader, and it has taken me about 2.5 weeks to get through the book's 800 pages. I'm okay with that. It is difficult for me to pick up such a large book because I often think I won't finish it. But Game of Thrones was worth it. I love the writing!

From the Prologue:


Then the unexpected happens! and you're drawn in. And just when you think you see a clear story path, a forest of unexpected appears, making you want to sacrifice sleep and everyday life in favour of adventure and high emotion! (cuz at least you can understand this emotion)

I have two favourite voices so far, and they stood out early on in the story for me. Can you guess which ones they are? Both survivors, both marginalized, both subversive thinkers. I look forward to reading more from Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister. And I love that the direwolves have suggestions of individuality that reflect their masters' personalities and even foreshadow events. Good, good writing!!! (you know, some shit happens and you go, "wow! just, wow!" -- love it!)

I'm gonna take a couple days to let it all sink in. Maybe pick up the crochet hook and yarn I bought on the weekend to fashion me a scarf and a toque with earflaps while I revisit The Seven Kingdoms in my mind. First, though, a nap.

Taking our daily walk yesterday we spied the latest addition to an opulent dwelling on our route.  Yes, an artificial golf green to accompany the dome covered pool.  Whatever happened to growing things???

I think I'm a bit out of my element...




New suburbia where 20 somethings likely have a bit too much money or credit.

Curious how pervasive and frustrating a desolate 'moment' of cold is.

Curious, too, how it takes over our thoughts so we forget the pleasurable hours of summer sunshine gathered beforehand.

I guess one can't have too many blankets in this landscape.




ah... blankets...

Some lightning pretty high in the sky, no thunder yet, but the dogs are upset because of it.  No one would enjoy our usual after dark stroll with the sky flashing periodically, so what is the point? 

GAH!  I want my daily walk! 

The weather is nicer this week than it has been all summer!  I enjoy the exercise and the tranquility of having the whole neighbourhood to myself!  If I'm having a rough day, all of the things that burden my thoughts magically step aside for that hour.  If I'm having an exceptional day, I get to wallow in that joy for the time. These reasons, more than any other, make the walk necessary. 

Screw it!  I'm gonna give it a shot anyway.  Maybe the dogs will feel comfortable in the fact that they are also getting to participate in their favourite activity.

Summers that generally last only two months are akin to a long distance relationship in which there are copious amounts of pining, anticipation, insecurity, elation. Certainly, serious potential for disappointment.

So much to do in such a short period of time.

Summer promises to embrace us in warm breezes, give us energy untold, confidence to take on the impossible (or is that from the beer? hmm...), bring us back to life from the dead winter, really. Summer finally arrives and we smile widely, twirling in our high of peace of mind. We feel loved, adored, loving, adoring and our anxiety diminishes.

Then it happens.

The sun disappears behind clouds. First for one day, then for a few in a row, bringing with it the cold temperatures we dread for 10 months of our year. We feel that the magic we so longed for is fast fading, or has faded already. We know that our time together is temporary and every disappointment becomes dramatically excessive. Such sweet sorrow, indeed.

It is heart-wrenching, this season, both in its presence and absence.
How might things be if the distance were removed, and summer was constant, I wonder?

I can only imagine for now, I guess.

I found my camera battery charger! w00t!
Here are some pictures of my garden two weeks after planting.
Sadly, still no sign of squash =(




welcome to the jungle...


peas, anyone?



uno roma!


radish, spinach and dirty toes.


what the...! this dirt is off limits, mister!

Weird year, this year -- parents swapping 'days'... but it seems they have. 

In the wee hours of Saturday morning, my dad brought my mom in to St. Paul's Emergency. Pretty obviously, she was suffering from appendicitis.  After the long wait and CT scan confirming her condition, her day's experience peaked when yet another emergency doctor 'tapped' her abdomen (just to be sure).  The fellow is lucky my mom is one of the nicest people on earth because others may have sent him on to Hades from the 're-confirmation'. 

My sisters and I took our father out for brunch on Sunday, then made our timed, paraded trips to the hospital to check in on our mother.  She was in pain and groggy and wired up to a few things.  While the surgeons were 'in there', they additionally performed a hernia repair.  Appendectomy = pretty managable surgery.  Appendectomy.AddHerniaRepair = suddenly not an in and out surgery.   Her oxygen levels were (and still are) lower than expected.  She is not digesting things too well.  With so many foreign objects sticking into a person, I guess the body has no choice but to react.

It plain old sucks to see a parent immobile and in constant discomfort.  I can see, too, that my dad is a bit worried and perhaps less confident in her quick recovery.  Still, he is her rock. Despite their familiar daily nattering, I think when it comes down to it, they feel like each is all the other's got -- they'd do anything for each other.

They really wanted that fishing trip this year.   Maybe by September...

(think a kind thought today, if you get a moment...)

It is so difficult to get these blog posts started as every time I place my laptop on my lap, I get dog chins on my lap also!  I am forced to break for a few minutes, get down on the floor for a game of 'my bone' and pets (and I realize that in another context it could be a still fun yet sexy game -- NOT with dogs ;-))

Anyway, now that the hounds are appeased, I can start:

I started a new job at my new job last week -- team shuffle put me in a (primarily) java development environment.  Dev environment setup is always such a bitch... er... I mean learning experience.  I still really dig the workplace, and the Agile framework.  Our Professional Development session on Friday afternoon consisted of the entire tech group playing an XP (Extreme Programming) tourney in groups of 4 or 5.  It was great, especially for those like me, who are really new to the whole paradigm.  It was thoroughly illustrative of the process we use for Sprint iterations, and how difficult estimation can be at the beginning of XP adoption.  I also appreciated the tie in to value-added concepts.  Makes me wonder how much previous workplace(s) would have benefitted if the corporately mandated processes were implemented in their intended fashion.  Somewhere, someone missed the point, methinks.

Over this past weekend, I had time to finally build a couple of raised beds for my Square Foot Garden project!  Start up costs were a bit up there, on account of I had no power tools.  (now I do)  Also, I underestimated the volume of Mel's Mix required to fill both beds.  Consequently, I need to purchase more compost and vermiculite.  I have not planted anything yet, and likely will not until this coming weekend, but as there is a FROST WARNING tonight anyway, no worries... literally... perhaps I will post pics as things start to grow.  Just think!  32 sq ft of delicious fresh vegetables and herbs!! YAY!

so far:


(garden really is incomplete without a gnome, yeah?)

After becoming re-inspired by PD's post of Feel Good, I purchased a used flute on Saturday from a local music store, am able to make real flute sounds, and also am in the process of arranging lessons.  Go me!  The gent behind the counter at Long & McQuade told me about a community concert band which starts in the autumn for newbs like me.  I will definitely have to check it out.  Long term goal: next year at this time I hope to be able to play The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines.  Short term goal: a week from now I hope to be able to play Happy Birthday for my mom on her birthday.  I think she'd get a kick out of it... as moms tend to.

Be spectacular!  I will try to also.