Christmas Holidays

This Christmas I headed out of the city to spend my holidays up north.  The one constant on the long drive up was the phalanx of trees laden with hoarfrost.  As I drove further, the sun set and darkness settled over the crisp land.  The snow and hoarfrost, illuminated by my headlights, stood stark against the pitch-black.  A white wolf stood at the edge of the road and greeted me into the north.  It felt magical.  Perhaps it was just sentiments of Christmas Eve, but I haven't felt that kind of wonder or anticipation in a long time.

On the lookout tower at Lake Athapapuskow (Lake Athapap).

With no schedule and no "to do" list, I quickly lost track of time.  I had no cell reception and limited internet access which made it easier for me to simply "be".  I truly enjoyed spending time with friends and my family and enjoying the moments of the day.  Spending time up north and being surrounded by so much beauty was just what I needed to finished off this year.

~b~

Phil, his Harmonica Orchestra and Other Christmas Cheer

I've spent the month ushering in Christmas, too bad I can't seem to get the shopping finished.  

Meh.  

This is what I've been up to this month:

I started off the month with by going to a few Christmas parties.

My friend "volunteered" me to enter something into a bake sale with her, so I spent an evening hanging out and making these:

Reindeer Cake Pops

My very first attempt at Cake Pops.  This guy was one of our "rejects".  He looks so grumpy and unhappy and cute.  I think he looks like a pirate, he was also very delicious!

I held my very first annual christmas party: The First Annual Un-Christmas Party Christmas Party to cater to the scrooges (like my son) and those holiday lovers.  I thought the ambiguous name would also give me leeway in the decor as I didn't have any energy to decorate the house.  Fortunately, the thought of entertaining guests gave me enough oomph to decorate this year, albeit on a much smaller scale.

My tree recently had a tragic accident:

Here's a closer look, I'm sure all those Starbucks haters out there will love this broken ornament:

Last week Journeys (my church) held a Christmas Coffee House.  Besides the good conversations, the music, and the art, I really enjoyed this:

                        

Extra Foamy Half Vanilla, Half Caramel Latte with bonus latte art- bellisamo!

Finally, I attended a concert put on by the Saskatoon Philharmonic Orchestra:

I enjoyed listening to music being performed by people I know, and I loved listening to some of the pieces from the Nutcracker, among others.  Next year, if they play The Saber Dance by Aram Khachaturian, I'll be super pumped:

Saber Dance - edarem style

I hope you ignore your TO DO list, and gift list for a little while and spend some time simply enjoying this Christmas Season.

~b~

A List . . .

After a week of getting sick and a week of being sick and a week and a half of getting over being sick.  I'm back!  I haven't felt this good in a very long while and what better way to spend my new found energy than writing a blog post in my favorite category:  random.

Here is A List . . .

A quote . . .

It's not ugly. . . but it's not beautiful.  It's simply  . . . benign.

-Aaron, after installing a ceiling fan and commenting on it's appearance.

I love that the ceiling fan was described as benign.  I think if said fan had feelings, they would probably be hurt.  

A nom de plume . . .

Virginia Chesterfield

Should I ever publish a children's novel this name makes the top of my list of nom de plumes.  I love the unconventional pairing of this Southern name with a large piece of furniture.  Kudos to my friend Kimball for phoning me and sharing his 2 cents on the nom de plume matter.  

A website . . .

Rock and Roll Bride

Quite frankly the idea of a traditional wedding in all its formalities and conventions scares me.  This website isn't just about tattooed brides, but features eclectic styles, DIY's, and loads of vintage in weddings that showcase personality and unconventional beauty rather than over-commercialization .  
disclaimer:  I love this site for its photographs and especially the event details and NOT because I am single and obsessed with marriage . . . although . . . I've always wanted a mad hatter wedding cake and if I can ever find a special someone who let's me get my way, I'm in!



An iPhone photo . . .

A Beckman pH meter, made in the 1940's.  I found this relic in the front office at work.  It's so vintage.  




A song . . .

Last Will and Testament - Propagandi

I love the first part of this song that is just instrumental.



A FACEBOOK STATUS!! (and resulting comments) . . .

Status:  JUST TWEETED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!! (yesterday)
Comment: that is disgusting
Reply:  lol what??

I don't know what I love more.  The exuberant announcement in all caps, the meek amendment that it was actually yesterday that the aforementioned tweet occurred, or the resulting confusion in the comments.  




~b~

Chemistry

In honor of Heck, Negishi, and Suzuki winning this years Nobel Prize in Chemistry I bought this:

Mac Eyeshadow in Folie.  

(It's the matte purple one on the right, in case you really care)

It will remind me of all the fun times at university where I used C-C coupling reactions to make fancy dancy palladacycles.  And where saying: What the Heck??!! Where the Suzuki is my Schlenk flask??  Was pretty funny.

~b~

Movember

I'm lovin all the attempts at recreating the Tom Selleck and Ron Burgundy looks this month.  

It's taken me a while, but I've finally grown a stache:

To support all my Mo Bros in raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer I've joined the Mo Munro team as a Mo Sista.

While all the attempts at growing a mustache this month may be pretty funny, a diagnosis of prostate cancer definitely isn't.

Please consisder supporting men's health and those affected by prostate cancer by donating to me or my team HERE.

 ~b~

Photo Request

Some friends of mine asked me to use my super amazing photography powers and take some food pictures that they could use in their green kitchen.

I think they said something like:  Becky: you are such an amazing photographer and wonderful talented person, could you please take some pictures of food that we can use in our green kitchen.

Then they said something about RAW.  Then they said something like forget the RAW.

And then I got confused and thought that they wanted me to take pictures of raw food in a green kitchen, or that they are "those" kind of people that only eat raw food.

But then I thought: sounds like I am getting free reign to create a photograph(s) that would look great in a green kitchen.

I frequently enlist the use of parentheses in my thoughts.

Or not.

Of course, I said yes and immediately starting thinking about what I could photograph.  I thought a variety of peppers (habanero, cayenne, chili . .)  would look fantastic on a green wall.  Or an ode to coffee snobbery with a shot of espresso or beans with all the browns would also look great.  I began to think of plating and backgrounds and textures and started to get excited.

Then again, my laziness could over take me, and I could just end up giving them this photo I took at their place a while ago:

I call the photograph: Poached Egg in Black and White.

~b~

Townhouses and Daydreams

One of the things I love is houses.  There is so many things I love about houses, I love looking at floor plans and furniture layouts.  I love perusing decorating magazines and looking at decor, art and of course organizational tools.  I love all the little details it takes to complete a space: from the type of carpet, to the layout of the kitchen (definitely an important one for me), to the door knobs and the windows.  What I love about houses is looking at a space and imagining all the possibilities.

A very good friend of mine has been managing a housing project in Saskatoon.  The whole time she has been working on this project I have been adamant that I was NOT interested in buying a townhouse, merely because I was not a gated community-cookie cutter-suburbanite kind of person.  I love my Broadway, with the trees and the shops and the crazy ladies who take their cats our for walks on leashes and I want to live as close as I possibly can.

This weekend my friend took me over to show me how things were coming along on her project.

I got the see the sports court that can be used as a tennis court and basketball court in the summer and can be flooded with water in the winter for skating.  I got to see the amazing Clubhouse with the clay tiled roof.  The Clubhouse has a fitness studio on one side and a place for entertaining on the other side.  It has a wine bar, a stage to play Wii or karaoke, a poker table and seating all around.  In the center is a double-sided fireplace.  In my mind, I embellished the room by adding a Christmas party complete with a roaring fire, Christmas music and decorations, and friends drinking wine.  Everyone was laughing and having a good time.

We stopped by the townhouses and I checked out the show home.  It had an open floor plan with the kitchen at the back.  I started imagining cooking for a houseful of guests, eating appetizers at the island, playing games at the dining room table and finishing the night with some coffee and good conversations in the living room.  I could see the long kitchen island filled chocolate chip cookies that were cooling on racks with the smell of freshly baked cookies filling the room.

I went upstairs to look at the bedrooms and found a little nook at the top of the stairs that held a desk.  I saw my laptop and books filling that nook.  It was the perfect little spot to start writing my hilarious McCall Smith type novel that would most definitely be published.

One townhouse had a basement that is currently being developed.  It had a laundry room, full bath, a bedroom, and an entertainment room, it would be the perfect space for my son to live.  I imagined a big screen TV where my husband and friends could watch the game.  (In my daydreams, I like to insert handsome husbands in).  I neglected to dream up some couches and chairs, so the guys were just kinda milling around, drinking beer and watching the game, all the while standing in a room with unfinished concrete floors and bare drywall.

Here is a picture of the townhouse that I took with my iPhone:

Little Tuscany

I love the curvy swervy rails and the super cute window boxes.  I love the stonework and the cute little shutters, I love the fine details of the cedar on the gables and best of all, I love that my friend has managed this huge project.

I was immensely surprised that I loved so many different aspects of these townhouses:  from the layout inside, the amazing Clubhouse, and all the little details in the finishings.  I forgot how much I hate the cookie cutter suburbanite lifestyle and I just wanted to go to the bank and talk about financing.

Even if I don't, Little Tuscany is one beautiful community.  I'm definitely proud of my friend for managing such a huge housing project and I love seeing her project coming to fruition.

~b~

Change

I haven't blogged for a while and to be honest I haven't really even wanted to write anything lately to avoid processing everything that has being going on.    

I took some extended time off work at the end of September and was hoping to return with some grand vision of my life, complete with goals and amazing achievements.  That didn't happen, but I did get more focused on what is important in my life and I gained some clarity in what should be my priorities.  I realized that I should be making decisions that aren't based on my emotions, or even what I thought I wanted in life, but that I should be making intellectually wise decisions.  

After months of feeling crappy and getting sick as well as vacillating between being paralyzed to make any kind of decision, or not having the energy to carry out any plans that I had, I knew that something had to change.  One of the decisions that I kept putting off was about my dog, Max.  Max had a partially torn ligament and a fully torn ligament and surgery was quoted at $1200-$3500 and 3 months of recovery, per leg.  After avoiding even making a decision, I knew I needed to quit putting this one off.  I felt that spending money on the surgeries and spending the extra time that would be required to help him heal properly would really be taking away from what I should be giving my son.  I knew deep down in my heart that I would never be able to take him out to the dog park and see him trotting around happily sniffing a trail along the ground or chasing off after other dogs, without me becoming stressed out about his legs.  With no reason to live in a house with a fenced yard, and with no desire to come home to an empty house full of memories, I gave notice and began looking for a place to live in the same area.  

At noon on Friday October 29th, we took Max to the vet and put him down.  Later that afternoon, I picked up the keys to our new place and began moving.  I've spent the last week moving, and moving, and cleaning, and unpacking and my new place is starting to look like a home.  I've been purposely keeping myself busy because I haven't wanted to deal with all these changes, but I think its time now that I try and find a rhythm to my day.  

I didn't realize until Sunday morning how upset I have been about these changes.  Emotionally, I am not okay with putting my dog down.  I can't even look at a dog right now, and I really haven't allowed myself to think about Max.  I realized Sunday morning that I'm angry.  After struggling for too long on trying to find some kind of grand vision of what is going to happen next, I feel like this is definitely not what I wanted.  I feel like everything I've wanted, everything I've hoped for, and everything I've dreamed of will never happen.  Instead, I feel like I've been given a whole lot of crap that I have to deal with.  I feel like I've taken a huge step back and it's hard to not dwell on what everybody else seems to have that I don't.   I'm tired.  I'm emotionally and physically tired and while I'm sure these changes have opened up new opportunities and possibilities I'm not sure if I really care to put in any effort.  Most days, I just don't have it in me to try new things, meet new people, or even create deeper relationships with those people that are in my life right now.

The question that popped into my mind Sunday morning was: What are you willing to do to make the most of this season in your life.  

I guess I have something to think about this week, and I will try to publish blog posts more frequently and more upbeat.

~b~

I recommend . . .

I recommend that when you want to have a mini celebration.



And spend $15 on cupcakes from the fabulous Cupcake Conspiracy.



That you don't let your teenage son carry them into the house:

Here's another view:

So, so sad.

~b~

The War of the Worlds

I've been reading in the evenings to my son in hopes of continuing his interest in reading.  We are reading The War of the Worlds by H.G Wells that is a short, inexpensive book that is filled with alien machines, fighting and destruction.  It seemed like a good first choice to start reading together.  In the evenings we all hang out on my bed, I read out loud while my son listens (I think) and lovingly bothers Max the dog.  

So far, we have read about the initial Martian arrival and have followed the panic filled flight from the ensuing destruction.  I have been stumbling over the pronounciations of the English towns such as Chobham, Woking, Horsell, and Chertsey, but we have now finally reached the easily pronounable city of London.

The latest chapter that we are reading has shown London's reaction to the impeding disaster: from a blissful, sleepy ignorance to increasing panic with church bells ring in the middle of the night and policemen banging on every door, waking up sleeping residents and urging flight.  I'm finding the style that the book is written in is hard to read out loud and towards the end of the chapters my throat is dry and my jaw is sore from speaking and I start hoping to get to the end of the chapter because I don't want to read out loud any more.


I was about to finish the chapter when I read this:

My brother heard footsteps running to and fro in the rooms, and up and down stairs behind him.  His landlady came to the door, loosely wrapped in dressing gown and shawl.  Her husband followed ejaculating.


?????

!!!!!

??!!!???!!

As much as I wanted to speed onto the next sentence, my mind prevented me.  What!!!  Did I just read what I think I read???  Could That Word possibly mean something else when it was written in 1898??  Could her husband have simply burst out the the room loudly yelling and gesticulating wildly???  What??!!!


Loosely wrapped dressing gown and shawl pretty much contextualized the whole scene in my mind and I just hoped my son was too busy bothering the dog to be paying any attention to what I was reading.  I thought I had gotten away without some sort of explanation and could continue reading, and then my son said:

What??


Thankfully there was only one last sentence left and I quickly concluded the evenings read.  The next book we read will definitely be a more well known book, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlottes Web, or even Dr. Suess.   ANY book without the word ejaculating I will gladly read.  

~b~

Fall Photo Shoot

I spent a couple hours last Saturday enjoying the beautiful weather and taking pictures of one cute girl.  She just started saying my name and it kills me how cute it sounds:  Beh-Key.  I love it!

Taking pictures of a small child is tough.  It was a constant battle to be more interesting than everything else.  

I lost out to a bottle cap here:

I quickly learnt that children need lots and lots of time to play so they can be happy and smiling.  I took a lot of successive shots and could have easily make a flip book that shows one happy face turn into an annoyed face.  

We were lucky to find a sandbox at Innovation Place Park:  the Zen Garden was filled with mounds of gravel and it was about this time that the shoes and socks came off:

I think I took about 500 hundred pictures that day.  There were a whole lot of eyes closed - grumpy - not  looking at the camera pictures.

But taking all those pictures is worth it when you get one like this:

Success!

It was such a beautiful day to hang out and take pictures.  And all it took to procure my services that day was a trip to Homesteads for a Carrot Cake Ice Cream.

~b~

Thank you!

I love helping out and was happy to help work on house reno's again the other weekend   My prowess at using a cat's claw is nothing short of amazing.  I also learnt how to hang siding and how to insulate a wall.

Here are some before and afterish pictures:

I

I also love going to concerts.  Especially the last minute, spur of the moment, going to Arcade Fire kinda of concert.

Arcade Fire was awesome.

I think the beer fueled exuberance of the guys in front of us brought out a bit of my enthusiasm and I definitely had a lot of fun.  During this past week I have been listening to Arcade Fire and it makes me happy because it reminds me of the awesome concert that I ended up going to.

So thank you Aaron and Karla for asking me to help work on you house.  I always love to help out.  And thank you thank you thank you for the Arcade Fire ticket and the great memory.  The concert was amazing.

~b~

About Me

I just added an About Me page and decided to add some of my favorite random posts.

As I was selecting posts at random, I realized that sometime since now and last year I've lost my humor.  Or oddness.

Humor or oddness, I'm not sure which I had, or which I've lost, and I'm definitely not sure where "it" went exactly.

Nevertheless, here is my random selection of posts I included that show that I was once humorous (or odd) at one point in time:


Hairstyles of the Big and Brawny

I got a little carried away on my trip to Mount Rushmore and I took a gadzillion pictures of the buffalo there.  After uploading my pictures I began to notice an uncanny resemblance to Dave Navarro:

 

I also love that if you google "hairstyles with less volume" you will eventually find a link to this post.  Ha!


Blackened Chicken on Delicious Pizza Dough

After buying my Nikon d90 I found myself doing strange things like running outside with my blackened chicken to capture the last rays of the day.  I'm awful at remembering to put recipes up, but when I do I guarantee they will be good.

Something in Your Teeth

I added this to feature my handsome, but daft dog-child Max. He's much better at posing than my cameraphobe teenager.  

I May Be a Little Weird . . .

This post definitely highlights my weirdness and oddness, and I may have crossed the line in sharing too much, but if your curious check it out.

VD

Find out my ideal BF and my ode to my special someone that I posted on FB on valentines day.

Confessions of a Beckarazzi

I'm not sure what got into me that day at the co-op, as I stalked little old ladies (LOD's) in the produce section, but you can read all about it.

Boys!

This has got to be one of the most embarressing things that has ever happened to me at church, or as a mother.  Read this post to partake in my embarrassement.

Check out my About Me page and have a great weekend!

~b~

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman Carpenters

My friend assembled a League of Extraordinary Gentleman Carpenters this weekend to work on some reno's.  Like most projects, it started with replacing the stairs to the deck, which led to the discovery of water damage to the side of the house.

We spent the day removing the deck and replacing the damage to the house.  Being the sole woman on the Extraordinary Gentleman Carpenter Crew, I helped out by prying and hammering and displaying my extraordinary first aid skills when someone stepped on a nail.

I guess, if I could sum up this weekend's reno project, I'd have to say:  It's all fun and games until someone steps on a nail.

~b~

Strawberry Cream Cheese Wontons

The Tasty Kitchen Blog featured a Nutella and Banana Wontons Recipe a while back.  The warm gooey inside contrasted with the crispy sugary outside made a very good treat (okay, okay, I actually made this for supper).  

I used plain old peanut butter instead of Nutella.  I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter, so I got to thinking of other combinations that could be made and came up with strawberries and cream cheese, sprinkled with icing sugar:

  

Here is my version:

1 package of Wonton Wrappers
Canola Oil
1 package of cream cheese
Strawberries, sliced thinly
1 egg, beaten
Powdered Sugar

Line a cookie sheet with the wonton wrappers.  Place thin slices of cream cheese and strawberries in the center.   Wet two adjoining sides of the wonton square with the beaten egg.  Fold the square and press the seams together to seal the wonton wrapper.

Pour enough oil in a frying pan to cover the wonton wrappers.  Set the burner on high and heat the oil.  When the oil is hot, fry each side of the wonton wrapper, to a golden brown color.  Remove wontons and place them on a paper towel.  Sprinkle with icing sugar and let them cool a bit before biting in.

For step by step instructions and photo's click HERE.

Enjoy!

~b~

In The Moments

I think Sunday August 29th was the best day in August.  But it didn't start that way.  I really hate to admit this, but I had a cry that morning.  And not just a stray tear that starts by welling up in my eyes and then spills over, rolling down my cheek.  It was an ugly deluge of tears and sobs that left me exhausted, red-eyed, and with a throbbing headache.  I was tempted to stay at home that morning from church in fear of sobbing through the entire service but I went, and aside from a few sad faces and a cracked voice during worship, I soon started to feel better.  

It turns out my cathartic cry was just what was needed because when I went to bed that night I could hardly fall asleep, I was that happy.

And I thought about why my day would have been such a good day.  The cold crisp air and hot cup of  coffee in the morning was a perfect combination, but that wasn't why I was so happy.  My clean kitchen floors, my organized spice drawer, and my afternoon nap did make my day more enjoyable, but that wasn't why I was so happy.  The anticipation of a busy fall schedule is something I am definitely looking forward to, but that wasn't way I was so happy.

And I realized that my entire day was filled with people that I wanted to see.  I spent some time visiting with family and old friends.  I chatted with new friends who I am just starting to get to know and I had the chance to catch up with people I haven't seen all summer.  My day was filled visiting, laughing and enjoying life, in the moment.

In the moment sharing dreams of the future.  In the moment with jazz hands and a sabers dance rendition at Sunday's brunch.  In the moment watching babies smile.  In the moment getting to know people better. In the moment planning a grand kitchen design.  In the moment singing happy birthday at a surprise party.  In the moment watching people talk and laugh together.

As I fell asleep that night, I thought of each and every person I saw that day and I was thankful to have them in the moments of my day.

~b~

Books

I think I've read more this year than I have in the past 10 years.  To circumvent immense boredom that is bound to occur if I posted a blog on each book I've read, I thought I would compile a book list using an assortment of random categories.

Lakeside Reading

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

• The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

Books that Made Me Think

• Counterfeit Gods - Timothy Keller

• Now, Discover Your Strengths - Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.  This book comes with an online assessment that highlights your five main areas of strengths.  After reading mine I certainly make a lot more sense to myself and I feel kinda dumb that I couldn't see this in myself before.  It's like when I "discovered" I had straight hair - seems kinda obvious now, but I was naively oblivious before.  

•  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - Donald Miller

LL's Author Recommendation

• Saturday - Ian McEwen  A incredibly "knowledgeable in all things English" friend of mine recommended McEwen to me.  I have always enjoyed her recommendations and so I started with Saturday.  

Most Surprising Page Turner

• The Host - Stephanie Meyer.  This was a two night read for me.  I'm not into teenaged vampire love and would have never read this had it not been recommended by two co-workers.  Plus, I didn't realize who the author was until night two.    

Short Stories

• Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle  You can download this Sherlock Holmes App (Sunscroll) and read Sherlock Holmes for free.  I did at times, however, get annoyed with Watson's constant praise of Holmes intellect.

• My Best Stories - Alice Munro.  I thought I enjoyed the short story genre.  So I read this well known Canadian author.  Turns out I don't like story's of small towns and Canadian history.  

Most Disappointing Read

• An Echo to the Bone - Diana Gabaldon.  This is the seventh book in the Outlander Series.  These are long books and seven books makes a long series, but I've developed a literary crush on the main character.  I thought this was the last book in the series and was looking forward to the ending.  But the ending was left open ended and was not at all what I expected.  Plus, sex between fictional characters in mid life just isn't as hot (at all) as when they were in their twenties.  

Books I Bought For My Son and Then Borrowed

• Octavian Nothing Traitor to the Nation - M.T. Anderson

• The Lost Symbol  -Dan Brown.  I've always enjoyed reading a Dan Brown novel, not to be confused with the New York Times best-selling author Dale Brown.  A mistake I made when I ran into McNally on afternoon and grabbed some books to bring with me to the lake.  

(Not So) Secret (Anymore) Author Crush

• Blue Like Jazz- Donald Miller.  

Further Reads on Spirituality

• Plan B:  Further Thoughts on Faith - Anne Lamott

Non Fiction

• Empire of Illusion  The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle - Chris Hedges

• Hot, Flat, and Crowded - Thomas L. Friedman

• How to Be a Better Foodie a Bulging Little Book for the Truly Epicurious - Sudi Pigott

• Memories, Dreams, Reflections - Carl Jung

• The Age of the Warrior: Selected Writings - Robert Fisk

Book That Did Not Disappoint My Expectations

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot.  

In Progress

• The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells. I miss reading to my son at night, so I've started to again and I don't care that he's a teenager and not a little kid anymore.  I'm gonna read, and he's gonna listen.  

• Beloved - Toni Morrison

• Searching For God Knows What - Donald Miller

• Sundays at Tiffeny's - James Patterson

~b~

Blackstrap

After coming home from the city after August Extra Long, my friend drove straight to Blackstrap and set up her RV.  I had to return to work, but the weather was just too nice and so I made a brief appearance at work on Tuesday and then headed back out of the city.

The campsites at Blackstrap were nice and large and the campground was fairly quiet.  The nicest part was that because Blackstrap is so close to the city a number of friends ended up coming for evening BBQ's, an afternoon of tubing, or to stay and camp for a few days.  

The weather was beautiful and after a week of rain, I'm glad I took summer holidays when I did.  

We went fishing one morning:   

This is me "fishing" . . . I did manage to catch a pike, to reward my hard effort and all.  

When I returned from fishing, I found this note waiting for me back at the campsite:

One of my favorite memories is getting together with friends and preparing a meal together.  It wasn't anything fancy, just a mix of leftovers from both campsites.  But I loved spending time making a meal and sharing it together.  Plus, I was very happy that I didn't have to make the fire.  

~b~

August Extra Long

I'm not really sure when time started to fly, but if feels like it was just a few days ago that I headed out of the city to the lake, and somehow, it feels like forever ago that I was at the lake.

I had taken the friday before August Long off, to make it an extra long weekend.  I had just gotten over a horrible week of being sick so I decided not to go camping.  Instead, I planned a Friday morning breakfast date and a quick trip out of the city on Saturday.  By lunch I was sitting outside reading a book and soaking up the warm sun, when my friend phoned and again, asked me to go to the lake.  I listed off my excuses as why I shouldn't go and as I heard myself speaking I realized how lame I was really sounding.  I told her, I would think about it.  One nap later followed by a few hours of picking up supplies and packing and I found myself in the passenger seat of a Pathfinder, heading off to Atton's Lake.

I wasn't too impressed with the park itself and the facilities took some getting use to.  The sites are open and the nights were loud.  But the beach was nice, the water was warm, and the lake bottom had no sea weeds.

After over a week sick in bed, it was nice to spend a lot of time outside.

I met some nice cows.  They were one cute posse, but they kept advancing on me, eyeing me up and down, so I didn't stay long enough to find out their names.

We drove into North Battleford one afternoon and watched the chuck wagon races.  I loved how the announcer yelled "Hwheel to Hwheel they race" (think Stewie saying Cool Hwhip) and "It's hotter than Arizona pavement here".  I loved how the outriders held onto the chuck wagon horses and then did this quick hop which bounced them onto the backs of their horses.

Close to Atton's lake is Little Bushy Lake where my friend's significant other's brother's, father-in law lives.  He knows all the good fishing spots and we spend some time catching perch as the sun drifted slowly into the horizon.

Poundmaker Reserve is also on part of Little Bushy and they have set up a Historical Centre and Teepee Village.

We got up early one morning and I discovered the joys of drinking a morning coffee while sitting out on a boat catching fish.  I'm sure it helped that the fishing was insane.  We caught 65 perch between the two boats in just a few hours.  I found myself popping out little fish eyeballs (With my bare hands!) so we could continue using bait to fish.  I did try to find the "most dead" fish (ie, the ones not flopping around) and then gave them a little rap on their little head on the side of the boat.  And I did silently hope that these fish were in fact truly dead, or at least had no feelings of pain.  I think I've come a loong way: from not being able to put the bait onto my own hook (lest my hands get all gooby), to popping out fish eyeballs.

I'm glad I headed out of the city, I had great weather, great company and a great time fishing.

~b~

6 Randoms

1. Shingles

 I helped shingle a playhouse at the beginning of summer and discovered that I'm a mean, lean shingling queen.


2.  Victoria Awake

At the end of April I helped organize an artistic night featuring photography, video and music.

Victoria Awake played some tunes for us.

3.  Babies. 

 I think there's something in the water.  Babies are being born left and right.  I made a diaper cake for the last baby shower I went to. 

4.  Cookies

I wandered into the organic section in Superstore and found this:

Pomegranate Flavored Bran Wafers.  

5.  Fruit.

I signed up to bring food one Sunday morning.

I thought the fruit would offset the calories in the cinnamon buns I brought.


6.  Giddy Up

I was asked to photograph a cowboy themed staff party.  I discovered that I love wearing a cowboy hat and that it is very fun to watch adults play tug o' war.

~b~

Confession

I've been sick for over a week and all I want to say is that not having cable sucks.

CTV online, my MacBook Pro, and Mad Men helped me through the first part of the week as I languished in bed.

I had a brief respite from the confines of my house last Thursday to see Massey and the Fergusons play at Taste of Saskatchewan.

Watching these guys play was the cultural highlight of my week.

I have now been watching The Hills and Paris Hilton's My New BFF Season 1.

Please help me.

It can't get any worse than that.

I'd better get better soon.  

~b~

Off the Bookshelf - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell

The book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clack is set in the 1800's where there is a revival of magic in England.  This return of practical magic is spearheadedby two men.  Mr Norrell is a recluse who is has amassed a vast collection of books on magic and who believes in acquiring the knowledge and theoretical aspects rather than practicing magic.  Jonathan Strange, who is quite limited in knowledge and books of magic, but rather possesses a natural ability to performing magic, believes that magic should be practiced.  The opposing viewpoints of the use of practical magic strains the relationship between the two magicians, and they go their separate ways.  The schism between the two magicians is limited to both sides publishing scholarly articles, as keeping with the manners and etiquette of society.  The use of magic is reserved for practical purposes, such as aiding England in the war against France.  

Sometimes my mother would show me all the pictures she had taken that had been recently developed.  The first few would be interesting, a picture of my grandparents, or a place she had been while on vacation.  Each picture required elaboration, from who the individuals in the picture were, to some anecdote connected with the picture.  She would show me picture after picture: people I don't know and will never meet, a picture of the front of her house, a picture of random flowers.  She would show me the pictures that were blurry and out of focus, the pictures where she had missed including their heads in the composition, or a double of a previous picture.  The pictures soon blurred together and nothing stood out and I only had the overwhelming urge to leave.  


This is how I began to feel towards the middle of the book, I had the overwhelming urge to finish.  The detail of this book is tremendous as it follows the individual journeys of both Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.  It includes footnotes throughout the narrative which gives background to events and elaborates on references made within the story.  It took me a while to finish this book, as the details on the journeys slowed down the story line.  Towards the end, as the plot includes The Man with the Thistle-Down Hair and the Faerie world, my interest revived.


~b~

Fun at the Playground

One hot and sunny afternoon while they guys went fishing, us girls took our kids to the beach.   It was such a nice, fun family afternoon which was spent lying in the sun, playing in the water, and hanging out at the playground.  

I find it so hard to take pictures of children, they are constantly moving, and never seem to want to look up.  I was so happy to finally get a good picture of Macy.  This picture shows her face, is in focus, and she is smiling, rather than her usual look of determination and concentration which I mistook for a scowl for the longest time.  Albeit a cute scowl.

I also caught my son playing on the slides.  It is also hard to take pictures of teenagers.  They are constantly running away from you when they see your camera, they never want to pose, and smiling would just be too uncool.

My son  will kill me if he ever finds out I've posted this on my blog.

I think my days are numbered.

~b~

Flin Flon July Long

I spent the long weekend in Flin Flon with friends.  I was both excited and anticipating adventure, and nervous and anxious, as I always am when I travel with other people for the first time.

I had a blast.

I don't think I stopped talking about Flin Flon for about the first 3 days back in Saskatoon.

When I got home I told everybody about how Flin Flon got its name.  Tom Creighton (Creighton, SK is adjacent to Flin Flon) found a book in the wilderness called The Sunless City.  The town was named after the main character of the book, Josiah Fintabbatey Flonatin.

Flin Flon is located on the Northern Shield and you can see the rocks everywhere.  The buildings are built on top and around rocks.  I even drove by one house that had built a bridge to walk from the street to the back door of the house.  The streets are hilly and curvy and really fun to drive on, I kept thinking how fun it would be to cordon off the streets and rally car around the city.  

The first thing you notice in Flin Flon the the tall tall stack, which, I found out is the tallest free standing structure in Western Canada, it stands at 825 feet (Calgary Tower stands at 626 feet).  It had closed down permanently about a week before I arrived.

One of the best surprises was The Orange Toad, a cute, trendy little coffee shop that is located downtown and also sells books.  The Trout Festival was on that day and we spent an afternoon watching live entertainment, walking around the main street and eating delicious Kettle Corn Popcorn.

We also fished.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous taking my son on a fishing trip.  The beauty of fishing is in its simplicity and requires patience and perseverance.  Fishing is where time can linger and you can fall back in love with the world around you.  Where you notice the cloudy sky and the wind kissing your face and where nature will meet you when you see glimpses of animals on the shoreline and the birds flying overhead.  Fishing is the excitement of getting that tug on your line and then your world instantly shifts into action.

Fishing is not playing COD and watching You Tube videos in a world that is not tangible, but rather digital.  I was worried that video games and the internet had ruined any appreciation my son would have of fishing and that he would be grumpy and rude and offend our gracious hosts.  The first day we went out, we came home with no fish, but it turns out he loved it!  So the next day, we arranged to go with the guys on some crazy adventure through the bush to get to a great fishing spot.

The trip in to get to the lake was epic, and definitely a great memory my son will have for a long time.  He and and Kent sat in the back trailer, which we called the coffin.  I was lucky to get a seat on the back of the quad and every joint wrenching bump we hit and every tree branch we dodged, I was thankful to be sitting behind one competent and crazy quad driver.  I definitely have a new appreciation for quads and the type of terrain that they can drive over.  Every now and then I would scream at my son to sit down, in fear that the coffin would tip over, but I did try to bite my tongue every now and then and let my boy be a man.

There is so much I could talk about, from the fantastic meals made by Chef Kent, to the day at the beach, or my very first drive-in movie ever, but this post would never get published.

So I will leave you with a picture that reminds me of the North:

Flin Flon.  I will miss the trees and the water and the great company, but definitely not the mosquitoes, horse flys or spruce beetles.

~b~