alone, kuma,yuki, and wrap me up

1 I walk alone along the 5km stretch of beach enjoying the companionship of myself and concentrate on each step. I count each step over and over in a type of mantra until I am done and there is no more to count, no steps to walk and my mind is still.
2 Kuma is having fun in the newly cut backyard. He has accumulated an assortment of sticks and likes to chew on them so I get him some rawhide bones to chew on instead. I think he's alternating now and I'm wondering if he's going to end up burying some of them for later.
2a Yuki the Siamese cat finds this new bone chewing fascinating. He watches for a bit them decides to stalk the dog. He sits in the pounce position for a bit then suddenly jumps out at the dog who calmly turns his back on the cat.
3 It works, skinny wraps are all the rage and I decide to try it too. I do a long bath and then after I am air dried I put on the wrap and let it do it's magic. I rarely do these sorts of things but curiosity has gotten the better of me. I've take measurements and photos so we will see if this really does work! I'm not sure I'll ever post before and after photos, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Saturday, family, and connected

1 Saturdays really can go either way, can't they? Either it's super productive or it's a lazy bones type of day. Today I'm in clean and purge mode. Not really that much left to purge but still sometimes there are just those 'things' that have no use and need to get gone!
2 A young mom cradles her young babe while the dad pushes the stroller. The world around them is moving but they are fully absorbed in each other and their new wee one as they look at the precious bundle mom is holding and then quickly glance at each other.
3 An older couple enjoy a picnic at the beach. They both sit on the same side of the table facing the water and their elbows touch every now and then connecting them.

Thursday and Friday ~

1 Work today is fun! Every now and again we have a day that isn't quite as hair raising as usual and today was like that. We have a chance to talk to each other and the flow is even and not overwhelming. A few new codes today but all handled well and everyone taken care of.
2 The skies are changing. It's definitely the end of summer. The air is cooler, winds crisper and some trees are looking ready to shed their leaves.
3 There are a group of ravens on the roof of the house making quite the ruckus. They're in the gutters looking for food but scatter as soon as the door opens.
4 Kuma and I got to hang out a bit. He's a cutie pie but not yet house trained. Lots of watching and lots of time outside! If you have any suggestions for quick potty training of puppies please let me know! Thanks~
5 It's difficult to be positive when a heart is heavy. Today it was my challenge to be strong, positive and present.
6 A feast of tomatoes awaits them in their fridge when they return from holidays. So nice to see that they have had a successful mini garden this summer.

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Kuma, tasks at hand, restfulness

1 Kuma and I spend time together today. He's a sweet corgi pup who has darker colouring. He follows me everywhere and loves putting his chin on my foot. He soaks up the attention.
2 I focus on keeping myself occupied with tasks today. I fold and put away oodles and oodles of laundry, mow and rake the lawns and bathe Kuma after he finds a muddy hole to play in.
3 After all the days activities my body aches in that good way it feels when it's been exercised to its fullest. My mind shuts off too and I find myself twitching so I slip between the bed covers and welcome sleep.

amber, walk, conversationalist, and focus

1 I have purchased two bracelets today that are made from Baltic amber. Apparently it has healing properties and will help with osteoarthritis pain. I'm not sure if it's just an idea that's been planted in my head but it doesn't really matter if the pain is lessened, does it?
2 Running was on the agenda but a sore leg means it's a brisk walk instead.
2a It's fun to stop and talk to everyone from the market vendors to a neighbour walking her dog, to young man who is polite and charming despite his obvious challenges.
3 It's important to keep the focus on where it really matters.

tomorrow, missing you, and it is what it is

1 All I can do is be there, be a listener, and love him through the pain. Tomorrow is a new day.

2 I miss the grandkidlets. Izzy has fairy wings waiting for her, and Kes has a new helicopter waiting for him.

3 My friend tells me, "it will be as good as it can be."

Wednesday through Friday

 - some days are just more difficult than others, but we make it through, we always do ~
~ best loves ~


1 It's been a busy week with lots going on, some good and some  not so good. So I'm grateful for family and friends who support, love and encourage me.
2 I guess that's life in a work camp. Exposure to lots of people with lots of germs. Mr P is fighting a summer cold. (Aren't they just the worst?). What's my prescription? Lots of sleep, vitamin C, hot tea with honey and lemon followed by more sleep.
3 She's lost 100 pounds this year. So proud of my new friend and so encouraged by her dedication and commitment to getting healthier.
4 Scribbles by Sandy Here's my friend Sandy's blog where she shares her scribbles, doodles and images. I love her creativity and the creations that people are making using these images in Scribble Challenges. ps I love the anklet! Thanks again S!
5 I need a distraction so I clean. I know you might be groaning but hey it's not for everyone I admit that but for me it works. Five hours later and many loads of laundry I put my feet up and my mind is still.
6 Back to running/walking. Yup, I'm back to it and as I get into the rhythm I feel my feet hit the pavement, the wind on my cheeks and the sun on my back and remember why I love it so much.
7 The days have been cooler for the past few days. Big stormy clouds have covered the skies bringing well needed rains and wind. Winds are different here, softer and with less gusts compared to the island where it's big winds and loud sounds.
8 They need some help and it's what I can do. So I try as best I can to put the house in order, get the laundry done and iron a few work clothes for C so his transition to work once they're home from holidaying will be smoother.
9 Ever have a song come to mind just when you need it? Today that song for me is from the Beatles, "Let it Be" I smile, shed a few tears and let it rush over me. Let it be.

twitch, grow, and morning yoga

1 I enjoy listening and watching my second son in his twitch account as a professional gamer. He has followers and subscribers and even a sponsor. His signature is that he wears a variety of hats. Rice paddy hat, Chinese logo hat, Native headdress, Egyptian king and more! He's very entertaining, interacting with his peers and generally funny.
2 Working in the garden or with plants is therapeutic for me. This morning I put a few more plants into the ground from pots. Most are root bound and I'm thinking they'll enjoy spreading out their roots.
3 I get my 3 errands done early so today it's yoga on the deck. It's warm and slightly overcast and during savasana I drift into a light sleep.

two of a kind, memories, and more than enough

1 The sound of trickling water in our ever so small water fountain is soothing and rhythmical. Tonight it creates a duet with the wind chimes. It is magical.
2 It's not always easy being brought back to images and memories in our past. It can rob us of the now but it can also bring us together by sharing. Big hugs my friend.
3 It's funny I've thought of myself as a pretty intense person until I recently met some who are WAY bigger than me. It's a good challenge to be mindful and to stay present in the midst of that type of energy. Breathe....breathe.

wake up, waterfront, and cooled down

1 It sounds like there are a million crows outside of my bedroom window! I'm guessing that's why they call it "a murder of crows!" No alarm clock needed.
2 It's time and so I head to the waterfront to get a good run in before work. I run into a couple of neighbours so it's not the intense workout that I was hoping for BUT, it was very social and that was just as good.

3 The house was very stuffy when I got home. No windows can be left open now and the ac will be just too costly to run while I'm gone for so long but it cools off within about 20 minutes and soon I'm cooled and kicking back enjoying a cold one. That was nice.

working together, blooming, and snuggle down

1 I asked for help and they all came through with assistance, information and supportive ideas. It's one of those situations where things just don't add up and once the puzzle is solved, then the puzzle re configures and it all works out. It's good to know that there is a team and that the team really takes care of each other.
2 The asters are blooming already which means that summer is on its way out. Too soon I say, too soon.
3 Clean sheets on my bed. I love the feeling of these Egyptian cotton sheets, smooth and silky and I sleep deeply and soundly.

stellar, faces, and talk to me

1 The stellar jays are visiting the water bowl this morning. They are so big that when they jump onto the dish it makes a big thud. I'm wondering if one of them will eventually tip it right over onto itself!
2 It's a busy evening but I still have some time to talk to a few new faces at work. I like getting to know the people around me and learning about their challenges and successes. What an amazing group of people.
3 Mr P gets a chance to take off his boots and unwind before we have our evening chat. I chose my second break later in the shift to accommodate him and it turns out it works better for me too!

ouch, quiet, and we talk ourselves to sleep

1 "I'll get by with a little help from my friends!" Great song and totally appropriate for today when with this wicked migraine. What helps when you're hurting? Supportive friends, quiet, darkness and crackers!
2 The quiet in the house was so welcome after a noisy day. I sat on the deck and just listened to the wind, the crickets, and later the rain falling on the deck.
3 Mr P and I talk a bit and soon the both of us are yawning and he tells me he's already in bed ready to sleep. After we hang up it's not too long before I'm there myself. The stormy weather cools the house making sleep much easier, not that I needed any help.

just me, puppy training, and let's getaway soon

1 They're off on a family trip tomorrow to California, Mr P is away working and thankfully I work the next six days as well. It's good to be busy but I think I'll enjoy some alone time as well.
2 Little Kuma will come for a few days while his parents are away. He's a wee Corgi and not quite trained yet so I'm planning to make him a space, get some pee pads and work hard to make sure he enjoys his time here too.
3 Jan and I meet up for a late lunch. It's been ages since we've seen each other, well, it's been a month but that's a long time when you live so close by. It's always a good time when we're together. We're planning a visit, at their place near the end of August for some relaxation, photography and fishing. It's been years since I've fished and I'm really looking forward to this time away.

barbie and dirt, bugs, and napping on me

1 Izzy and Kes come over to our place and spend the day with just me. Most of our time was outside except for nap time and well, I guess just nap time because we ate outside as well. Izzy loved her Barbie table and chair set that I picked up through a Facebook Used site and Kes, well let's just say he's happy with dirt and a hose.
2 Izzy spent quite a bit of time today looking for bugs to put into a jar. Using Grampa's magnifying glass she looked for clues!
3 Kesler lets me hold him like a baby when he's ready for sleep and that feels special because he usually is a shoulder guy.

wave to me, art, and what kind of dinner was that?

1 It's been a long time since we've spent time apart and neither of us want to show the other just how difficult it is to say goodbye. He stands very still at the front door watching my every move as I leave for work. I look in the rear view mirror at the top of the drive and he's still there watching and with one last wave I'm around the corner and it is goodbye for now.
2  I'm working on an art project that I've thought about for a long time. And now it's time to stop the talking and start the doing. The preliminary drawings are not bad!
3 A fine dinner this was. Sushi and and ice cream sandwich for dessert...interesting combo that won't work for everyone but for tonight it's just fine.

get busy Mr, chatterbox, sleeps, and peachy keen, love him

1 Days are always busier for Mr P when he's getting ready to head away to work and this day is no exception. He gets the security cameras up and running, (I like that he put one out on the deck so he can look at the view from home when he's away), truck is fixed and we even went out to Lake Country and picked up a new to us dresser for our bedroom.
2 The grandkidlets are with us in the afternoon and we enjoy Isabelle's constant chatter. I especially enjoyed her comments about the fields of flowers we saw. She loves pink and these were row after row of lovely pinks.
2a Kesler looks very angelic sleeping in his car seat. A tiny bit of drool slips out of the side of his mouth and even in his sleep he lifts his hand and wipes it away.
3 Peaches! It's that time of year when fruits and vegetables are ripening quickly. Izzy picks some large peaches to eat right off of the tree. She delicately eats around the stone then buries it in the driveway and is so pleased with herself because as she puts it, "I made a peach tree!"
4a Chris visits with us and we have a lovely dinner together. I love that son of mine!

Gratitude

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. 
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. 
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. 

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

it just didn't work out, fire, and snazzy

1 Two days in a row we thought we would have time to see the grandkidlets but things piled up and now again no visit or sleepover. I think we have one sad little girl. Hopefully Mr P will have things done tomorrow and we'll spend a bit of time with them both.
2 The forest fire is now 25% contained and there is a perimeter of 60% so hopefully this means that the fire will be contained in the next day or so. Lil Red spends a few hours in the morning and again in the afternoon doing water runs to and from the lake to the fire area. Most of the day he's flying over our house or near it. At the moment there's a break either for the day or for refueling so it's peaceful.
3 The security cameras are almost installed. Mr P's been working on it all day and now is configuring the software. We will know via smart phone app if there is any activity showing up on the cameras. Very snazzy!

oh dear, in the air, and done

1 OOPS! The phone was left on the bumper of the truck and neither of us realized it as we drove down the road. Needless to say Mr P has a new Samsung5s and darn if it doesn't have the sweetest camera.


2 The air still smells like smoke and the fire is still burning. It's traveling away from our area now but the air support is still flying overhead. Here's a bit of what it looks and sounds like with one helicopter. (In the air today there were two planes with retardant, four float planes and two helicopters).
3 It's dark now, so the air support are gone and the fire will be monitored from the ground. If the winds don't pick up the fire lines should hold.

making it work, cameras, fire on our mountain

1 I wondered what it might feel like to do a dispatch shift the entire day. It felt great! It's a short shift, it's like a game of Tetris, there are great people to work with and no big mess ups!
2 Coming home to Mr P putting up security cameras around the house. We had someone try to enter the house early in the morning....we both woke to the sound of the door opening. No one was there, but the inside light in the garage was on so Mr P is working to get things tightened up. I believe he said something about "Fort Knox!"
3 There's a forest fire on the mountainside. It's about 3 minute drive straight above us but across a highway. It's all closed off and for now the skies are quiet. We drove up to see how large it was and it's big. 30 hectares. We are safe here and feeling very grateful that the fire hasn't jumped the road. More tomorrow.

today, rocks, and letting go

1 We make plans for the day but they take a turn for the better and pick up Izzy and Kes to spend the day with them. First we come home to make tuna melts and mac&cheese, then water park fun, naps (as always), dinner and a few episodes of Super Why before their Daddy picks them up.
2 Kesler likes to play in the water, loves throwing rocks.
3 It feels good to relax in our big bed and feel myself slowly drift off to sleep. It's an unusual feeling when you think about it. Totally giving up control of everything to dream and recharge.

big eater, see you soon, and Mr P

1 IHOP for breakfast! What a way to start the day if you have a big appetite that is. I couldn't believe how big the portions were. My sis and I had cheese crepes, Mr P had an omelet and Jerry, well let's just say he likes breakfast. Jerry had, the sampler breakfast of eggs, hash browns, bacon and sauages accompanying his pancakes, toast and extra bacon! HOLY!
2 It was time to say goodbye and it's difficult. We don't see each other as often as we would like but now that we're only 3 1/2 hours away we can and we make the promise that we will. It's our turn to go there next. I'm really looking forward to that!
3 Mr P finds out that he doesn't start work until next week because things were delayed because of the holiday. Yay, he's not leaving until Saturday!

stat, about my sister, and all together again

1 Monday is a holiday! Happy BC Day!
2 My sister is from a very small town so when she comes here visiting it's a big deal. This is the first time she's ever stayed at my home in all the years we've been adults. Either I've lived too far away or we lived close by and there was no need to. So I have the opportunity to share my home with her, share our food and share the fun. And yes, we did share a box of wine!
3 The family was all here. We filled up a tub and the kids splashed about, then we sat down to a family BBQ dinner and lastly we Skyped with Nick and Sara. So great to have us all together ~ best loves ~

 

Sundays, sister, and "that place"

1 Sundays are typically considered a day of rest but someone forgot to tell the world! It was a busy work day, busy highways and busy, busy, busy! Home however was not busy, it was the perfect place to be.
2 My sister and her husband came for a visit this long weekend.It's BC Day and a stat holiday  on Monday so they are spending a few days relaxing and enjoying our hot, sunny weather. Sitting on the deck, looking at the lake and just being together is exactly how we'd planned our first days visit.
3 We find a bottle of Ice Wine in the cabinet and test it out. We are a bit silly, a bit tipsy and soon find ourselves in that place of laughing at everything. One conversation goes like this, "I wonder what kind of fruit they make ice wine out of?" "Oh yeah, grapes!"

Sandy, date nite, and taste tester needed

1 I'm grateful for my friend Sandy. She fills the room with life and light and I love her positivism! Also she has a great guy who's fun and the sweetest little pup, Charlie.
2 Mr P takes me after work on a mini date. We sit out on a patio listening to rather loud music but that's just fine, because we sit closer than ever and before I realize it he's feeding me cake!
3 Caesar with celery and a hot pepper or caesar with pickled asparagus? Before I decide I think this needs further investigation! My sister is coming to visit for a few days, I think I'll ask her to help me in my research.

it was a good day for everyone, on the team, and creativity

1. I'm grateful that I can share our view of the world with our wee ones. Here’s a synopsis of our day; we started off with a group nap, followed by peanut butter and honey sandwiches, time at the Peachland beach, swimming and throwing rocks, a quick trip to a farm to get some fresh veggies and then BBQ hot dogs and hamburgers, ice cream and gummy bears. Great day!
2 I am grateful that I have very supportive team players where I work. I love the diversity of personalities and I’m excited to learn new things about what I do and who I do it with.
3 I am grateful that I’m embracing a creative side in my life again. Life just keeps getting better when we make our own dreams and idea real.