Summertime in Spring

A crazy day today! Started with random downpours and thunder (frightening poor Darla) and turned into an incredibly hot, sunny, (muggy) day! The only way to deal with it was, of course, to go outside!
And while outside I had to be productive... so I cleaned up dead growth from the gardens, admired the snowdrops up front, and then did some work in the veggie/herb garden! Inserted a new wall on one of the sloped gardens using clay pots. Eventually I'll plant stuff in the pots, but for now they're just an ingenious wall. (I think it's rather ingenious and uses up clay pots I had lying around.) Above that, in the garden I did not plant in last year, I started some carrot seeds - since they are the only seeds I have that can be started outdoors already. Got very dirty and let Darla, Gryphon and Monkey play outside in the yard. Monkey sure does love playing outside, but she's really good for staying near me. Oh, I also found a frog (or toad)! I uncovered it while digging with my hands in the soil and screamed! Then I moved it to a safer location.

To follow up from the last post - I got a photo of all the animals in the same space!
See (l-r) Gryphon, Darla, Monkey and Fenwick around the stairs. (Also featuring the Dyson Vacuum whose canister was being emptied.)


See Fenwick see Darla (and everyone else sees Fenwick).


See Fenwick dart away... as Monkey watches. This is a very typical scene.

Three in One

This morning as Robin was getting up for work (me, I stayed in bed another 30 minutes because I could) all three cats dashed into the bedroom. I'm guessing Darla was in her chair in the office. So at one point I had all three kitties together on the bed! It was so cute - and a definite first! It didn't last long because Gryphon kicked Monkey off. Strangely, he didn't mind that Fenwick was snuggled up at my feet - she's the "stranger" in the cat family. I guess Gryph knew that Monkey would be competition for my attention...
Anyhow... must keep camera in the room now to get a three-in-one photo!
This may not seem like a big deal - but the fact that Fenwick is *finally* starting to be comfortable in the same room with Gryphon - heck, the fact that she is upstairs on a regular basic - is huge around here! It's taken over 6 months and I was really worried I'd made the wrong choice in having her live here - it's not a very nice life if she lives in hiding the whole time. She's still not fully comfortable with Darla, but she's at least bold enough to walk warily around D when she is sleeping.
I imagine a day when I can photograph all four of my children together :)

Relatively Old

Facebook has me thinking about how old I am - how old we are.
Finding friends from highschool, junior high and even elementary school has me thinking how it seems only yesterday we walked those halls together.
I look at photos, and people look the same as they did all those years ago and it is easy to forget that it has been over a decade since I last saw some of them. I don't have the greatest memory, but I do have a kinesthetic memory - I remember being there and little things. So it feels like yesterday.
Now, I don't think I'm "old"... but when I consider my age in relation to those years - I'm ... old.
And back in those days I never would have imagined I would be "here" in my life. I Don't mean KW. I mean everything. A graduate student of religious studies? Never would have crossed my mind. (No one ever asks you if you'd like to be a Doctor of Religious Studies. Actually... still nobody asks me that!)
Back in the day I was certain I would have a ranch full of horses! Now I think - why would I want to have to look after horses? I just need a friend with horses!
I'm not doing any of the things I thought I would. I don't regret that (well, maybe a few regrets, like not travelling). I'm really happy where I am now.
I wouldn't trade any of it - not even for a hundred horses (with someone else to look after them).

Spring has Sprung

"Spring has sprung,
the grass has riz,
I wonder where the birdies is...
There they are,
up in the sky,
dropping little white things in my eye.
I'm just glad that cows don't fly."

Spring is surely here. A light dusting of snow earlier this week tried to convince me otherwise, but the mud says it all... as it is tracked in by various four-legged children.


Monkey explores the deck.


Gryphon plays in the grass.



In Other News:
Today, Thursday March 22, Alisha has disappeared from existence. She no longer exists today. Yesterday she departed Canada to travel to New Zealand. Tomorrow, Friday, she will exist in New Zealand. In the meantime, Thursday does not exist for her (it's a time zone thing, still pretty strange to think about). I suppose I could say she is currently in limbo... on an airplane, somewhere.

And now for the cute factor:


Monkey tries to eat the stem of a pruned shamrock... but is stuck on the leaf. I think it is Fenwick who is chewing on the live shamrocks causing them to not do well. I also suspect they need to be dormant soon. I'm just waiting for them to stop sending up flowers.


Fenwick ventures upstairs while the others are outside.


Robin recently introduced me to Facebook - yet another networking system. However, I've located old friends, so that's fun. You can find us there if you haven't already. And if you're not on Facebook - what are you waiting for? Go Quick, before it's outdated! ;-)

I bought a laser printer this week after I found a great deal on an HP for $120. This is a much needed office item for my dissertation. I recently spent $25 just to print three "short" draft copies of my proposal and ethics application - I wasn't about to print 100s of pages on my inkjet. The orange office is becoming quite functional. With the winter chill leaving I'll be in here more often. A few more pictures and a couple more plants.... that's all I need. Oh, and another bookcase, and more storage space... but I was trying to be realistic :)

New Video - how fun

I've nothing much to write about. I've been keeping busy as usual. Robin plays video games, as usual. I have managed to stop revising/perfecting my dissertation proposal and ethics application so that I can submit them...

Instead of some boring text I offer you an entertaining video of les animaux in action. Always fun.


Notably, Fenwick is absent, for obvious reasons. She would actually have to come socialize a lot with Darla in the room to be featured. She is getting much much better though!
Enjoy.

Worms

I've blogged about worms before - but those were red wigglers.

This evening we got new worms - a new distraction - one that I can actually enjoy. We get to blow worms up!! Kablooooey.

It's a video game, Worms, And it recently became available as an XBox download - so we just *had* to get it! It's one of very few types of games I can actually play. My aim is pretty pathetic right now, but I'll get better with practice. My favourite weapon is a sheep. It explodes.

Almost as funny as Lego Star Wars, but without the popping noise. We still don't have that game, but I've not really had time to play the demo much. While I find it entertaining, I'm not sure I'm really interested in playing the full game and trying to complete levels. I just want to pull apart lego people and hear that lego popping noise.

In other news, V and baby are doing great! (They don't have worms) Our grandma hosted a baby shower in her honour here in Ontario. I brought along my laptop and webcam so that we could have a virtual shower with V and baby. Very high tech ;)

Robin is back on days - yay!!!! 8-4. On the downside, this means I have to get up early to drive him to work. (grumble grumble) I almost prefer the later start, but I'll adjust again.

We also recently hosted our first post-renovation party here and got to show off the new kitchen! It was a great party. Most of the evening consisted of a cheese fondue and talk. After some of the guests had left (those with chidren) we played a round of a game called Carcassonne. I won - so I thought it was great! My win was rather sneaky too because I got many of my points at the end when the game is over and you count up farm points. I had managed to secure prime farm lands without anyone intruding on my claims. So as they all built their little cities and claimed their points, I silently watched as their new cities increased the value of my farms! mwhahaha!! See, those thiefs on the roads thought they were sneaky (being thiefs and all), but really it was my farmers.

Nothing much new otherwise. But let me find some photos for you... I'm not going to bother posting pictures of baby since you can see them here. Do I have any new good pet photos?... I've got videos! But I'm not in the mood to edit and upload stuff. Eventually this will happen and you can all laugh at Monkey s'more.

There you go. Monkey and Gryphon. If you want more, you can check at Flickr.

I'm going to bed. Early to bed and early to rise is the new pattern, even though Robin doesn't work tomorrow. I need to get myself onto a regular schedule. I was going to do work this evening, but Worms distracted me. I've not played video games in a long time! Now my brain is mushy. Not from the games, just from being awake all day. Sheesh, I'm getting old! Midnight and I think it's late. Wait, midnight IS late. Right? Well either way, goodnight.