Great acts are made up of small deeds. --Lao Tzu

Just checking in!
It's Fall people, and that leads to Winter (shudder)!

I haven't been playing in the craft room for ev-ah!
Just piling up the 'had to have' items off the internet & elsewhere!

It's supposed to be tropical again today, so the tomato & pepper harvest are on the agenda!
Also finishing the Strawberry bed; hopefully Ray sticks around long enough to haul dirt!
I'm also trying to decide if I need to mow once more, or the mower can be put away.....
I'm leaning towards putting it away!

This week I've sorted & sold some bottles!
Our bottle depot will be closing November 1st, and I at least want all the bottles from the campground gone & not sitting around!

I've dug half the potatoes!

I went to "We're the Millers" with some gf's!
Lots of cussing, which I always find unnecessary; and considering I didn't like "Bridesmaids" or "The Hangover", I enjoyed this.

One of the gf's son & DIL bought the "big drug store" in town.
I offered to help with inventory. WTH!
I arrived yesterday morning by 8:30 am, and at 9:00 pm told them I'd had enough fun, I had to go home!

I've got some more pictures from the "HOLIDAY"!

Here's the craft Kalen & I did.
Mom gave me my dads wallet to give to Kalen.
Said if he didn't want it, to destroy the stuff in it.
I didn't want to just give him the wallet so it could be tossed into a drawer.
We went to Michaels, bought a shadow box, mod podge & created!
Kalen wanted the wallet in there too!
I also had included a medal my dad had won in school for being the top athlete;
in like 1940 something!
I need to send Kalen a crafty safety pin (the right color), and he'll attach it to the wallet.
My mom also found my dads passport, so is sending that, and a black & white picture.
So really, everything is destroyed, and on display!

 

Vanessa finally spotting the lighthouse at Fort Rodd.

 

Awesome huge Christmas ornaments (and why isn't someone painting them) at Fort Rodd!

Actually they're buoy's, but pretty cool!

 

We hopped on an Aquabus when we got off the SkyTrain (why it's called that I'll never know);

where we were bussed from the ferry; to take us to Granville Island in Vancouver for the day!

 

I am standing in front of Hatley Castle,

where they filmed scenes from X-Men 2 and 3!

I'm facing the school (university?) they filmed scenens there too!

 

This was an awesome light in one of the stores on Granville Island!

It's from Ikea, and made out of paper!

It was about 3 feet across!

 

Here's Kalen being a 'tree hugger' so you can get some perspective on these humungous cedars at Cathedral Grove!

This was also where he said, "Mom, we're not waiting for you to take a picture of EVERY tree."

I brought up the rear and photographed as many trees as I wanted! hahahaha

 

This is where Terry Fox would have finished his run.

I think Kalen told me it's where the Trans Canada Highway starts/ends in Victoria.

 

I put the kids on the HIPPO BUS!

 I took the 10 minute walk to Starbucks for their Pumpkin Spiced Latte!

It's a BUS not a BOAT people!

 

On my drive home on September 1st, I stopped to photograph the wildlife!

This guy was pretty big, eating clover, (shortage of berries I'm told),

and every once in a while he'd look up like, "Where'd all those people come from!?"

 

This guy was smaller, up the road a ways, and eating the clover!

 

That's all I got!

Hopefully I can get creative this week....

I've been hoping that for 2 weeks now!

Better eat, and see if the dew has dried up!

 

Hope you're all well!

Talk to ya later!

Ta ta for now!

Never fail to define a goal, or someone else will do it for you.-Michael Levine

I slept in until 8:37 am!
I. KNOW!
Musta needed it!

Alrighty, I told Ray not to buy any more cucumbers!
My attempts this week, almost made me quit while I was ahead!

These are Bread & Butter pickles!

But not before this happened!

Arrrghhhhh!

One of my jars exploded in the canner!

In fact it was an old Jewel jar that I inherited from somewhere.

When I told my mom, she said it's probably been used a million times!

I had no mishaps with these Netherland Pickles!

Except I opted NOT to peel & seed the cucumbers, cause the pickles would have been white & bland looking!

Think about it!

Cucumbers peeled & seeded; chopped onions & cauliflower!?

There ya go!

On my way to bed last night I had to grab a coat, and go out & watch the show!

The Northern Lights were AMAZING!

Those pictures were all my little camera could capture! Sorry!

I'm sure there's a setting, but I didn't have a minute!

I haven't seen them that phenomenal for quite a while!

I almost expected them to be crackling!

Today; I did some laundry, cleaned the woodshed,

and when my craft room window was in shade, I came in.

Gonna play in a while!

It was nice of summer to make an appearence when everyone's canning & the house is already 600 degrees!

And those tiny little black flies, are just annoying!

The bear down the drive way.

Lives here!

That's the entrance to the culvert!

Hahaha, don't worry, I didn't get out of my vehicle, just drove to the side of the road!

Then Tuesday, coming home from my meeting I saw this!

I'm turning into our drive way!

OMG!

I mentioned him to Ray this morning before he went to work, and he thinks he's gone.

Moved out.....too many people, gawking & what have you!

I'll keep you posted!

Because the winds have been mach 300 in the evening, I've been playing.

Here's my first Halloween card of the year!

 I LIKE it!

OK, so the lighting's crappy, but IRL it's awesome!

I LOVE the acid green in the 'wallpaper'!

The O/S called me last night!

Left Tuesday for his sail & last night he called me from Vancouver!

Hahahaha, they musta took the long way!

I asked him if he had a Tsumani, before I knew where he was.

Told him that there was a 6.4 earthquake Friday.

He's says "are you sure?"

I know he's not reading this right now, so here's the ship he's on.

And in perusing the site I found this!

That's what the kid does!

Better go, got stuff to do,

or maybe I'll go make myself a smokie over the fire before I start!

I'm just taking it easy today.

I know!

I say that, then think of something that needs done!

Like my van needs cleaned.......

Here's some blog candy for you if you're interested!

Ta ta for now!

Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got.- Janis Joplin

Happy Labour Day!

Friday night Ray came home with 2 dozen corn & 23 lbs of cucumbers!
Saturday I putzed around, cleaned a shed, picked some rocks out of the field; we actually have a rock picker that hooks up to the tractor, and it's name's not Gail!

I took the power saw and cut some dead trees that had fallen over and keep trying to take my head off when I mow by the bush! I started the saw BEFORE I went into the bush, cause Curt, this next bit is for you......
OMG, WE HAVE A BEAR!
LIVING IN THE CULVERT AT THE END OF THE DRIVEWAY!
RAY'S BEEN GOING OUT EVERY MORNING & EVENING, CAUSE IT CAN'T HIBERNATE ANYWHERE NEAR THE YARD, CAUSE IN THE SPRING IT WILL WAKE UP H U N G A R Y!
Anyhoo, the guys can't shoot it because too many people keep driving by to see it!
Too many tourists I told my BIL!
I haven't seen it, and according to the stories it gets bigger all the time....I figure it'll be a grizzly by tomorrow!

I cut up cucumbers for my pickles I was gonna make on Sunday.

Saturday night, Ray's boss calls.
Said Ray had invited him & his wife for supper, but that he didn't care for Lasagna.
Hahahaha, I didn't mind, at least he's honest!

Yesterday there was an unscheduled cleaning of the house!
I sent Ray out to mow grass; and by 1:00 pm I had everthing under control!
Counters cleaned off, floors vacumed & washed, laundry done, bathrooms cleaned, dusting done, rhubarb cream pie made, salad made, steaks marinating, garlic bread all cheesed up, & fresh corn & potatoes ready for the BBQ.

I also had to finish my pickles I had started the night before!
They're called Million Dollar Pickles!
Not sure why; and the little red flecks....supposed to be pimento, can't buy that here, so I scrunched up a red Jalepeno!
Ha, you can't taste it! Pretty sure it's just for color!

This morning I had to get busy, because last week I got an e-mail asking if I'd make dessert for our meeting tomorrow night.

I know, I know, JUST SAY NO!

I made the famous Rhubarb Crisp, then I made a pan of Farmers Brownies, and some Butter Tarts, just in case!

I also dug the Strawberries out I've had in the freezer (froze whole) since last year.
And if you tell anybody, I'll vehemently deny it!
Anyhoo, they turned into 17 jars of jam!

I have also made a grocery list for tomorrow, so I can get the rest of the cucumbers done!

My knees been giving me grief since Friday, and I'm out of the 'good' drugs!

Those are on tomorrows list too!

The O/S sails tomorrow.

I'm not allowed to say where.

I'm especially not allowed to tell the Taliban where the ship is going!

Kalens' renters are moving out.

They told Kalen not me.

I'm not sure if Kalen told them he'd call off his mother, or how that happened, but that will be one less headache!

I'm sure a good cleaning will be in order, they've lived there almost 2 years, but I can handle that!

Ray started swathing the back 40.

Alrighty, he started with the front 10 acres, but really, he's in the back 40 now!

Here are my birdhouses mounted on their rake & pitch fork!

And here's a picture of a renegade tree trying to hurry fall along!

Only one in the yard that's changing color!?

Speaking of 'FALL', I did this blog hop!

You should too!

There's a lot of talent out there!

Better go, I'm sure I should be doing something!

Started reading Kathy Reichs latest novel!

I just finished the 2nd book in The Mortal Instruments series.

Also read the first book in The Hunger Games, and finished Jaycee Dugard's book.

I read. A. L O T!

I know!

When do I have the time!?

Talk to ya later!

Ta ta for now!

Sometimes too much to drink isn't enough!

Is it Friday yet?OIY!
Life has sure got in the way this week!
This is the first time I've been in the craft room all week, and here I am talking to you!
This is how my week started.
Winter is coming and I. AM. NOT. PLUGGING. THE. SEWER. PUMP. IN. EVERY. SECOND. DAY!
I've done it since January; I AM DONE!

This was Mondays project.

I jerked the old pump out, and the conglomeration of stuff they sold me at Home Hardware for 20+ bucks to install it, all went back Tuesday, and I spent $7.00 at True Value, and got what I needed!

You people that live in towns or cities don't know what you're missing with the water & sewer issues on the farm!

My GF's always say, "Sure don't miss that"; they've all moved to town!

Also Tuesday night, my new washer got delivered.

We then did this backwards!

We installed the new washer, that I couldn't use until the pump was in the sewer tank, and at 11 pm in the dark, we were trying to get the pump down the hole!

With those bad tree hugging fur babies, who now; if they hear you in the yard, come to see what you're doing.

They were NOT wanted in the dark with the sewer open!

I was also out for dinner Tuesday night with about 5 peeps!

Look what I seen yesterday on my way to town to get the mail!

I then went out for dinner last night with 2 peeps!

Finally today, I was home; someone is supposed to come pick up the old washer I said I'd give away on the internet.

I made more porridge for those spoiled babies.

I have about 1 dozen cherries on 3 trees!
Scared to try them, I'm sure they'll be sour!
They just remind me of Erma Bombeck who said, "If life is a bowl of cherries, then what am I doing in the pits."

But don't forget there's always light at the end of the tunnel!

In my case it was a rainbow.

I texted Vanessa & told her that the washer worked wonderfully, and the sewer pumped out all by itself......Life Is Good!

I was also supposed to take my peeps from the Old Folks Home for ice cream tonight, but it rained so I was off the hook!

We'll try it tomorrow!

Hope you're all well!

Talk to you later.

Ta ta for now!