Who I Am

Here 'Tis and Welcome!
I was born In The City at a time when My Generation was that of the post-war baby boomer.
For some reason that I Can't Explain, my Daddy Rolling Stone and my Mum, Barbara Anne, decided to name me Dale (and not Call Me Lightning).
Because of my name, everyone assumes I'm A Boy.
But, I have a Girl's Eyes and I can never think back to When I Was A Boy.
Maybe I was supposed to be a Substitute for Little Billy, but I've always had a Faith In Something Bigger, even though sometimes I Don't Even Know Myself.
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, my life has been a Pure and Easy Success Story with a touch of Heaven and Hell thrown in.
It's Hard at times, However Much I Booze, but no matter how many Disguises I've worn, I Can See For Miles because I view The Real Me from Behind Blue Eyes.
I Dig horses and Dogs 2.
I've always wanted a Tattoo.
And a Jaguar.
When I was a child, I longed to attend Tommy's Holiday Camp, but my folks enrolled me at a holiday camp where I got the Summertime Blues and felt So Sad About Us because some of my friends Drowned in the Water.
Everyone said Cry If You Want, but One Life's Enough and, even though I've Known No War, this made me think of How Many Friends I've had.
As a teen, Dreaming From The Waist helped me Imagine A Man wearing Blue, Red and Grey.
My friends, They Were All In Love, but to me, it was just a Trick Of The Light and I kept thinking Don't Let Go The Coat.
When I did leave the Eminence Front, I thought, "I've Had Enough!" and I felt like a Helpless Dancer floundering on the Sea And The Sand.
Did I end up with the Dirty Jobs? You Better You Better You Bet!
I discovered Now I'm A Farmer.
To the Naked Eye my life was a Postcard, but I felt that it was La La La Lies.
But, I wasn't to be left Out In The Street and, even though I thought it was Much Too Much and The Good's Gone, I made a Bargain with myself and decided to Glow Girl!
I met a Whiskey Man.
We had an Instant Party.
My Wife, he said.
I Need You. Please Please Please. Don't Look Away. See My Way.
Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting).
A Quick One While He's Away.
Tell me It's Not True!
It's a Legal Matter now.
The Song Is Over - and I hope The Kids Are Alright.
My life was in Fragments and I felt like the Unholy Trinity, where I'm The Face in the Mirror Door asking, "Who Are You?".
I saw a Fortune Teller who told me to Put The Money Down before she said Too Much Of Anything, then went on to say that I have been on an Amazing Journey where I have been The Seeker In The Ether and that Love Ain't For Keepin'.
Now is the time to Join Together, Pick Up The Peace, Cut My Hair, Smash The Mirror, and light my life on Fire!
I'm Free.
It could be Dangerous, but I'll take the days One At A Time, all the while knowing I'm One, A Man Is A Man, and for The Last Time, I Won't Get Fooled Again.
Occasionally, when I feel the Melancholia return, I Don't Mind - I just think of the beautiful Sunrise and Relax.

The kids are alright.
He wears blue, red and grey.
And I glow, girl!

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt down, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae (1872-1918)

Cougar Alert

Yesterday I was speaking with one of our neighbours.
A few days ago she was out walking with a couple of her friends with their two dogs. One of the dogs was on a leash and the other running free alongside. Unbeknownst to all of them, they were being tracked by a cougar - also known as a mountain lion or puma.
It ran up silently from behind and went straight for the dog on the leash, but when the other smaller dog bolted, the cougar went after it. The cat had it in its powerful jaws in seconds flat! Poor little Otis didn't stand a chance. The three adult women let out blood-curdling screams and the big cat didn't turn a hair.
The conservation officer was notified who, in turn, hired the skill of our local cougar tracker and his dogs. They had the cat treed in no time and the poor thing, who was only trying to survive, was quickly dispatched with a bullet.
Beth was quite distraught about the death of the cougar and I have mixed feelings, as well.
Could it have maybe been relocated?
Probably not. It would have returned to its regular hunting territory and continued to hunt the easy domestic prey.
I have been driving the children to and from school, as well. The location of the attack is right on their school route. Beth had seen the cougar last weekend at the cemetery and was frightened, even though she was inside her own vehicle. The cat was BIG.
Apparently there are still a couple of cougars passing through the area, as they do every Fall. The bears are quite active this time of year, as well. They come down into the valley from the high country to forage and stock up on fruit from the abundant trees and berry bushes to prepare for winter hibernation.
Like any animal, we protect our own and fight back when threatened. Where we lack body mass, strength and agility to fight a large carnivour, we make up with intelligence and use that with which to strike back.
We live in a part of the world where we have to share the land with many other animals - some docile and some downright dangerous.
We have to respect that.

From North to South

Our odyssey began on a warm, sunny Tuesday morning.
After removing the back seat and loading the van from floor to ceiling with duffel bags, coolers, food bins, cooking and eating utensils, camping and sleeping gear and other paraphernalia (eg. bear spray...), we nosed our vehicle south toward the United States.
We approached the border with our fingers crossed, hoping our carefully packed food would not be confiscated, as we were not sure of what we could or could not take into the States. I had made a detailed list with everything carefully documented and, armed with that, we declared our possessions at the gate and politely answered the requisite questions. The customs officer smiled and waved us through, but not without an additional query as to what would possess us to leave our own beautiful valley to visit Idaho.
Well... we have to holiday somewhere!

Upon arrival, we pitched our tent in a quiet campground surrounded by old-growth cedars near the lake, just outside the town of Sandpoint. As I have already mentioned, this is one of our favourite holiday destinations. Quite similar to our own valley, Sandpoint, on vast Lake Pend Oreille, is the perfect get-away spot for us and is an easy, four-hour road trip.
We spent three nights there in our cosy tent in the forest by the water.

On the final evening we decided to give up cooking over an open fire and dined by candlelight on the patio of a tiny Italian restaurant overlooking the river. The pasta was delicious, as were the apetizers, and a fine wine rounded out our meal. The weather was cool and crisp, so I wore my best dress... with sandals, woolly socks and a fluffy hoodie. I felt like the original hippie tree-hugger!

Later, in the dark of the night, we were awakened by a shadowy visitor feasting upon some apples we had inadvertently left in a bowl on the picinic table. We peeked through the screen of our flimsy abode and, speaking in guarded whispers, we hoped that it wasn't a foraging member of the ursine family. It didn't take us long before we surmised that our guest was a harmless, but obviously hungry (and fortunate), racoon.

Leaving food out in predator country is a big No-No!
Tsk-tsk, we know better...

The following morning we broke camp and hit the the trail westward. We decided to take the southern route throught the States instead of starting north back through Canada for two reasons. Firstly, our sense of adventure drew us down the road less travelled, and secondly, gasoline is a much less expensive south of the border.

We were now aiming for the town of Osoyoos in south central British Columbia where Lory, an old and dear friend of mine, now resides.

"Where'd they go?"

On holidays. On purpose.

It Was a Scream

A view of the water park from the steam train.

One hot, sunny weekend in July we found ourselves in the funky town of Sandpoint, Idaho. Gene and I drove there, accompanied by Bobby and Jenny, for three days of fun - the weekend's main attraction being the nearby Silverwood Theme Park.

Upon arrival at the grounds, I was rather intimidated by the size of the rides, but the kids were keen and I, not to be outdone for one moment, ended up riding every attraction with them.

To my immediate relief, we began with a rather mild, yet informative, tour on an old steam train around the perimeter of the park. Our conductor was brimming with interesting facts about the park and its history, as well as the train itself. Apparently there had been a bidding war between Silverwood and Disneyland for the authentic locomotive, with Silverwood having the last word.
Without being too obvious about it, I made sure that we began with the more innocuous rides, such as the bumper cars, spinning strawberries and tilt-a-whirl, but those rides eventually drew us closer and closer to the Corkscrew...gulp. I had conflicting desires about riding a roller coaster - let alone one that loops upside down! The kids got bounced about a bit in the restraints, but it really was quite fun!
The following attraction was a wet one on a tube that bobbed over a series of whitewater rapids through a canal. We then "spun dry" on a dizzying ride that held our bodies tight against its mesh walls using cetrifugal force - thirty feet in the air.
But, my mouth really went dry as we headed toward the inevitable Tremors, a large timber structure upon which galloped several brightly-coloured cars containing screaming occupants careening at unfathomable speeds - uphill and down.
I was committed.

We stood in line for nearly forty-five minutes as the queue twisted and turned, offering different angles from which to view the horror we were volunteering to suffer. But, if Bobby and Jenny were going to do it, I was along for the ride.
And a ride it was!
I hung on for dear life as we rattled and plunged at one hundred kmph into, what I considered, a tiny black hole in the ground (don't try to tell me that was a tunnel...) then fighting to keep my head vertical as we pulled four G's on the way back up the next incline. All I could do was close my eyes and croak, "Oh Shit!" through clenched teeth as we screamed and clattered at breakneck speed through the next series of soaring summits and daunting drops into tiny black holes in the ground.

For the anti-climax, we rode the Corkscrew again. Twice.
As for the rest of the weekend, it was spent dining, swimming and relaxing on the beach, all the while continuing to live on the edge by getting deliciously sunburned...

Bobby, Jenny and me heading for a tiny black hole in the ground.

The Summer of My Contentment (finally) or My Big Fat Greasy Summer

Meanwhile... ten pounds later.

It's Amazing What They'll Do For Attention

This morning, as I rounded the corner behind the house on my way to work, a little four-point muley buck jumped out onto the road in front of me. (The grass is always greener on the other side of the road...)

As we live in wildlife country, keeping an eye out for animals at the roadside is second nature for us, so this was not an unusual occurence. What was unusual was the fact that his antlers were adorned with a lovely set of silver wind chimes. The whole kit was dangling and swinging jauntily from his right antler.

My first reaction was to laugh out loud but, in the next second, the reality of the situation sank in. I felt pity for this poor creature who now has to contend with those noisy, man-made tubes rattling and ringing about his head. Not to mention that every time he lifts his head quickly (which deer do often enough), those tubular bells smack him square in the face.

Later in the day, as I arrived home from work, a familiar sound met my ears - the cheery sound of wind chimes...

And there he was, that unfortunate ungulate, happily feasting upon the apples from the neighbour's tree - chimes swinging and ringing merrily.

I've also noticed that his herd buddies are conspicuously absent...

I'll be back.

On the Horizon

I have made some important decisions over the past few weeks, and it looks as though the plans that I had simmering on the back burner are being heated up on the fore-front. I am quite excited and happy, and it appears that my patience over the last year or so will be paying off.

This fall I am going to take my Level I Ski Instructor course and I plan to teach for the local ski school over the winter! The head of the ski school has been encouraging me to do this for some time now, but I've had to wait until it was financially feasible. As well, I want to take my Level II in the spring.

I finally bought a new printer for my computer. My old one did not work with my new Vista (grrrr) program. Anything that I've wanted to print I've had to e-mail to Gene's computer and print from there. Not very convenient, but effective in the end.

We are also going to buy a really neat multi-compartment tent to go camping in. I was initially considering buying a truck and camper trailer, but, with my plans to teach skiing over the winter, we decided to take the less expensive route. Soon we will be pouring over all the outdoors catalogues then hitting the mountain parks.

When summer rolls around again, I'd like to do lawn and yard maintenance. Something nice and outdoorsey that requires more brawn than brain. After all, my brain could use a break...

And, on that note, I will leave off.
I have a cold glass of wine awaiting me on the deck before delving into making dinner.

Birth...

Wow!

I as I sit in my office, checking my blog, there is a mule deer doe across the road having her baby. I first noticed her as I was talking to Beth in her tent in the yard.
The deer caught my eye and I chuckled about the fact that she was having a pee in full view of us. She finished, then squatted a few more times. It was then, and after a closer look, that I realised she is in labour.
Good luck, Beautiful!

...it's quite amazing what we see going on in our neighbourhood...


It's been about three and a half hours and I can see her resting behind a tree, not ten feet from the edge of the road. Gene said she was standing up and looking much more relaxed, so her baby must be hidden in there somewhere, too. A couple of runners and quite a bit of traffic (holiday weekend) has gone by.
If I look closely, I can see her ear flicking back and forth between the grasses...

...she is only a stone's throw from my window...

Happy Birthday

In honour of Canada turning 141 years old on 1st July, the Town of Invermere put on a spectacular fireworks display last midnight.

This has been an on-going tradition for the past 15 years or so and the show has become greater over time. I remember when it was nothing but a short, small sprinkle over the lake!

This video is a sample of what we saw from James Chabot Provincial Park and Beach. If you'll notice the string of lights on the left of the frame - that is the flotilla of boats from all over the lake that arrived to grab a front row seat to the event.

As well, we have a good friend who also celebrated his birthday on the water!

Happy Birthday, Koos!

Freedom to Speak Freely

Well, it's a wrap.
The scavenging ravens still hunger for the osprey's kill.
The cats are as grey as the house - funny, I always seem to find pets that match the decor. Maybe that's why I find myself in a pinch when attempting to paint the walls.

It has finally, after what seems an eternity, stopped raining, so the lawn got mowed and we are now replacing the rain with sprinklers.
My favourite summer edition of the Sears Catalogue went missing - I found it wedged, (and quite soggy) beneath one of the tents on the back lawn - and to think it was thick and weighed enough to begin with.
The eggs in the upstairs fridge went bad.
Bob has gone back to his Dad's.
There is a giant wasp buzzing and worrying at the window behind me - the door is open at the other end of the porch. Is that how it got in or how it will let itself out?
My hero, Gandalf, is now recovering from being Grey and in the process of becoming White...once more.
As a point, my storybook Trio of Heros are Gandalf, Merlin and Captain Picard. Always wise, yet they still retain their humanity - not above being swept up by dark forces beyond their control, and still, they manage to cling to Good...selflessly.
Good is God with one more o.
The plants need watering.
The ants are trying to take over - again.
The sprinkler needs moving.
We fetched water this afternoon and discovered a bear - terrified and stumped at the same time.

The new door is being well-hung.
I bought new dishes today! To replace the broken crockery - Delphine has taken human form - or maybe always has.
There will be a plethora of fruit this Autumn - the blossoms bent the bows this spring.
Poached.
Beth got her first car - a 1996 Mercury Topaz - be Responsible, my Sweetie.
And yes... I still call her Sweetie.

The Kids Are Alright.

* I took the photo of the osprey with its catch in a tree in the backyard. If you look closely, a fish is draped over the branch by its feet. The raven was soon joined by its mate and they both looked on hungrily while the osprey dined. Oh, those ravens - such creatures of opportunity...

The bear photo was taken a few hours earlier along the road to the spring.

Scrambled

I really can't seem to get it together these days to achieve anything. I can't even type correctly to get these words on the page!
My head's not in it, yet there is so much happening - or rather, waiting to happen. It's like the saying goes, "Hurry up and wait!" Well, I've hurried and now I sit and wait...
Thank goodness for work, as it keeps my hands and head occupied when otherwise I might go stir crazy. My days are like the weather - hot, cold, windy, calm, wet, dry, up, down...

Oh, how I look forward to my days being sunny-side-up!

Sunshine, Skiing and Sleep-Overs

Skiing at Sunshine Village in the Alberta Rockies. It was fun although the weather was cloudy and somewhat rainy...at Sunshine.

Our little cabin in the woods. On the way home we did a spur-of-the-moment stop in the park and decided to spend the night at Kootenay Park Lodge.

This is a peek through the door of our cabin. The weather was just cool enough for us to be comfortable after lighting a cosy fire in the fireplace.

And this is the view that greeted us in the morning from the porch of our humble abode.

The Best Mum in the World

...and she's mine!

Happy Mother's Day, Mum!

tears of a clown

I've caught myself weeping on several occasions today, yet the morning has scarcely begun. I am not sad - I don't think...

Little things, like helpless, new-born kittens discovered mewling in a box at the side of the road and seeing the photos of Grace's beautiful Mum on her blog, have moved me to tears. I worry over what happened to my brother's finger - I know nothing other than something happened. He's a pianist and a woodworker and his livelihood depends upon his hands being whole. Every paragraph in the thoughtful, witty novel that I am reading - one of a woman's courageous journey to her own Self - brings a moist pressure that wells from behind my eyes into the ubiquituous tissues-at-hand. This post, too, has me blubbering. It's Saturday morning and I am sipping my coffee while lazing back upon the pillows in my bed. I'm snug and warm beneath the touseled quilts. Outside a cold wind is gusting, chasing the clouds across a darkening sky, yet the air is crisp and clear, bringing every tree upon the distant mountainside into sharp focus. Shades of green, blue and brown are the colours of the day. During these moments, I will allow Myself to happen. Bobby is away this weekend and I have been temporarily relieved from, what I've considered of late as, the "rigid" responsibilities of parenthood. I feel so, because outside influences are now lying in wait, lurking and ready to pounce if I falter, stumble or fall "out of line". Self-deprecation, along with its sibling, self-pity, skulk in the wings, as well. My ceaseless attempts to keep those dark brethren at bay rob me of valuable energy. I wish I were Gandalf! I would shrivel those worthless creatures of my soul into nothingness with one fierce look and a wave of my hazelwood staff.

Nonetheless, today holds promise, as does every day at its dawn.

I cry - but I am smiling.

Coventry

Waking to a Winter Wonderland

Alarm goes off, are you listening?

In the yard, the snow is glistening.

A horrible sight

We'll shovel till night.

Waking to a winter wonderland.

Gone away are the new birds

Here to stay is there no bird?

No chirping spring songs

As we plough along

Waking to a winter wonderland.

At the Meadow's we can build a snowman

Then pretend that he's the one to blame

He'll say, Do you like it? We'll say, No man,

You can clear my walks - that's not my game.

Later on we'll conspire

As we shiver by the fire

Then we'll sit and we'll pray

For the price that we pay

For waking to a winter wonderland.

At the Meadow's we can build a snowman

Pretend that he's the one who covered the brown

We'll have lots of fun with Mr Snowman

Then we'll kick his *** and bring him down.

Snow in spring, it's not thrilling

I hate it when my garden's chilling

Send it away

You can take it today

After waking to a winter wonderland.

*Note: This is a re-arrangement of the old Christmas/seasonal song, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, by Felix Bernard (1897-1944)

Of Shoes and Ships...

I have the urge to do a post, yet I have no particular idea in mind. I am sitting here at my desk after work, with thoughts chasing themselves about my head. Gene is stoking the fire in the fireplace, Bob is playing a video game and I am enjoying my wonderful new office space and having a bit of time to relax at the end of the day. The sun is setting and a cool breeze is goosebumpling my arms as it passes through my window along its journey from the snowy peaks. The grass on the lawn is poking its green shoots between last year's leaf-fall - much to the pleasure of the local deer population. The robins are warbling their lovesongs from the tree branches and the buds are swelling on the Maydays - soon to be a welcome source of shade as the days grow longer. Although the weekend weather was sunny and hot, it rained most of the day yesterday and snowed today. So, if you don't like the weather around here, wait ten minutes - it'll change. I am putting off making supper. Bobby is down with a fever and strep throat - might as well get it all over at once, that boy - so he's not hungry, but still drinking plenty of fluids. I don't know where Gene is now. The sun is streaming into the room and it's really quite nice. I am relatively happy where I am, but it's taking a bit of time getting used to living in such large quarters. I find it a challenge not being able to have everything within arm's reach - such as tissues, my glasses, a book, supper... The TV is on and Grissom is wondering who's cougar that is in the vehicle they found abandoned - oh, for Pete's sake, just take a swab and check the DNA. I found Gene in the shower. By accident. Must send him to the store, as we need veggies - for the supper I haven't cooked yet. As for the photo, it depicts my dismal ski record for the season, but I really WAS having fun when the photo was taken. It snowed plenty at the hill , so at the very least, the days we did go skiing were in lots of butt-kickin' powder. Last year I skied sixty days - this season I skied six...

In the end, we roll with the punches and do the best we can.