Enough, Already!

From Recently Updated

How can you complain about a beautiful day like today, when the sun is shining and the sky is such an intense blue?
When another 30 cm. (about a foot) of snow, freezing rain and gale-force winds kept you awake half the night, wondering if your roof was going to take the weight, and your door was drifted shut this morning, that's how! When you're sick of shovelling, wet feet and dogs with cabin fever, that's how!
Yeah, I know, I shouldn't complain, because we're very lucky compared to many places in the world this year. A little extra snow and a longer winter won't kill us, unlike floods and earthquakes. Storms are exciting to watch from the comfort of your home, wondering why people are dumb enough to head out in their cars when you know the road is drifted in just past the village, and being thankful that you no longer have an hour commute that would take at least five hours in that weather. And the hydro didn't go off, for which a person should be exceedingly grateful.
But I'm Canadian. Part of the Canadian psyche is complaining about the weather. We grumble about politics, don't make much of an issue about religion, but we can always count on the weather to be a topic of conversation, long as you're talking to another Canadian. Too cold, too hot, too humid, too wet, too dry...there's always something to complain about with Canadian weather. This summer, when we have a few humid days, I'll wager that eight of ten Islanders will say, "I shouldn't complain about the heat after the winter we had, but..."
So although I know in my head that we live in one of the best places on the planet, because it's part of my national identity, I can say without guilt, "Enough! Quit snowing, quit blowing and warm up! I'm sick of winter!"

Doggy Update

From Corky

Corky is settling in very well now, although he's even shyer with strange people than Dewey. As you can see from the pictures, they've both staked out their spots and they don't leave much room for me. I get the chair. The dog beds don't get a lot of use. Corky wouldn't care if I shoved him over and sat with him; he's kind of a rubber dog and the only end that moves is the end that you lift. If I want to have an afternoon nap, I have to lift one end, slither myself under him and then pry the other end up with my feet. He thinks that's just fine and would be quite happy going through life as a comforter. The closer he can be to someone or something he loves, the happier he is. I've never had a dog that was that clingy, especially one that big!
And speaking of size, luckily we only went through two days of indoor lakes and mountains. The third day he chose his spot outside and has used it ever since.
It would be nice to be free to travel or visit but it seems to me that two loving creatures that find a way to make me laugh every single day, are well worth being tied down.

From Corky

Ahhh, bliss!

Copper chain maille Necklace With African Opals

I had such fun working on the Inca Puno or box chain chain maille pattern (complete with toothpicks) mentioned a few posts past, that the chain just grew and grew. Then I got a design in my head and decided I needed two equal lengths to create it, so I made another one. But before the second chain was equal in length to the first chain, I blew my Koil Kutter blade to smithereens (yes, I wear safety glasses!) and it got put aside until Dave Arens sent me a replacement.
The chains sat on my buffet on a teatowel that was the repository of several unfinished products until the day that I moved a string of African Opals to the work in progress towel (yeah, yeah, other people have work benches, I have a work towel)and decided the opals and the copper were made for each other. This is a piece that I'm really pleased about and I hope you like it.

This Week

Kate McKinnon had a question yesterday on her blog about why people don't blog. She got some very interesting answers. I didn't respond, but if I had, it would have been to say that I don't find myself very interesting and think that recording my normal daily life would bore people to tears. You know, I got up, I ate, I worked, I ate, I read a book, I went to bed. I really changed things up this week, though. I don't have anything on hand that I really want to read so I actually watched television! How exciting! Fuzzy rabbit ears CBC, not much colour but very mindlessly relaxing. Although the news is a little depressing. We're spoiled here on the Island, where the front page of the newspaper is usually a picture of a seal on someone's front lawn or a cute little girl doing something sweet. We had a murder this year that hit the headlines for a day or two but it's the first one since 2006 so that'll be big news for a while. So CBC news of the world with murder and mayhem and people hurting people or hating people in the name of religion is kind of a downer. I'll find a book for next week.
Life did get a little interesting this week, though. I've been trying to get another dog for a month, and had committed to a female poodle in Ontario that didn't come and didn't come and meanwhile poor Dewey was getting more and more depressed. I finally gave up on that one and just on spec, called a breeder in Nova Scotia who hadn't updated her puppy page since 2006. But lo and behold! she had a few young poodles available. (I would have nothing but Jack Russells for the rest of my life, I enjoy them so much, but my whole family is allergic to shedding dogs, so I'm giving in.)
The dog I chose is a one-year-old neutered male standard named Corky. He made the long drive from Aylesford, N.S. in a vehicle transporting fish eggs for the Fisheries Department and I met up with them in a truck stop near Moncton. First time I've been over the bridge since I moved here.

From Corky

He's just a sweetheart and glommed onto me like I was the only friend he had in the world. Dewey bounced up to him when we finally arrived home and licked his face and then spent the next few hours sniffing his butt, so I guess he really likes him. But the poor dog has never been walked on a leash and I don't have a yard. We're having a slight issue about where he's going to go to the bathroom and I hope that doesn't last too long. He's a nervous dog and being from a farm, is going to have to get used to all the traffic both in and out of the store. We walk and walk and walk and he just stays right at my side, watching my face anxiously. I go round and round the store, hoping he'll relax and get used to the territory and noises and feel comfortable enough to have a widdle. I even tried letting him loose but he just stands close to me and stares in my face. So far he's outwaited me and when we're both icicles, we go in the house, he runs around with Dewey, very happy to be back inside, and then pees. Ah well, it's only his second day and next week will be better. Won't it?

Ah, It'll Be Over in Another Month and a Half!

From Recently Updated

Across the street, yesterday and today. And more snow this week, according to Boomer.

But here's something to brighten up the day:
DJ Robbie and Chris Anderson