title?

Yesterday - just after i got up - Grant called from work saying he'd forgotten his wallet in his 'other jacket' and didn't have enough gas to get home! After I'd done quite a bit on the Windows 7 installation I headed to DEMXX - he wasn't quite ready when i got there are 1:20, but we left around 140 or so and went to the Goats on the Roof Market for lunch. Grant had the Beef Dip and I had the Quiche Special with Salad..mine was on the good side, and his was 'better than ok'. After I took him back to work, then came back to the Market. Amanda phoned when I was there and reminded me of her requests - I also got some bread. I didn't feel like looking thru' any of the shops - but I did go to the Antique Shop and look thru that. Saw a couple of nice furniture pieces, but nothing else I'd eally like. On the way home I came back thru the Parksville, and when I saw the waves coming in to the beach I decided to go down to the oceanside park. The light was just right so I got out of the car and used my Blackberry (!!) to take a few pictures...I've discovered the easy way to take pictures when I'm not expecting to be taking pictures is to use the phone - and then email them back to myself. Right now I have several more Guiding pictures to email...plus a couple more from yesterday...unless there is a way to transfer them over when I'm plugged into the desktop.

Anyhow, the picture I'm putting on this post is one I took of a very full-of-character tree root which has been washed up on the beach for quite some time. it was very windy, making it quite cold. But oh - very beautiful!

December!!!

Wow! tomorrow is the beginning of the 2nd week of December! Busy at work, especially with Wednesday being the Annual General Meeting and Christmas Lunch - Monday I will have to confirm the Driver List, contact Drivers, etc etc!

Yesterday when Amanda and I were in Town we went to Staples and I got a single-computer Upgrade to Windows 7...had them 'match' Costco's price, which means they did $1 less...and I had a $25 Gift Card I'd ordered (2 of) from Airmiles...so the Windows 7 Upgrade which they had at $129 cost me $102 with tax..not bad. I now have it fully installed - other than the odd program which I will install if/when I need it. So far I'm very impressed, and know that I will be wanting to get a 'Family Upgrade' for 3 computers to do the other 3 computers in the family..it seems like it has solved a lot of the Vista /XP probems, plus incorporated a lot of things I (and others) have used other programmes for. I did end up downloading the newest IE7 Pro as I find it works best with Tabs. Took a bit of getting used to getting my 'favorites' as in Google, Weather etc...I had to set them manually at the top.

Anyhow...more later...

Looking forward to December 15th!!!

Time flies!

Well, it is not raining...at the moment! For a while the sky was mostly blue with quite a bit of sun, and now its getting darker with a definite look of rain to the west. We are all getting very tired of this rain.

I've been working on Ian's most recent essay yesterday and today - a 'review' of the Marx Brothers movie Duck Soup - he sent me 12-15 pages, and last night and this morning I edited it. He is now finetuning what I did, adding a tighter intro/conclusion, and giving me the final footnotes/citations. Should have it ready to send him again tomorow afternoon at the latest.

Tomorrow at work I will be very, very busy - finalizing my Report to the Board, helping Gabrielle with the Agenda, photocopying everything Bryce will have left for me, and proofreading Bryce's report. THEN doing some phoneing/emailing on the client/volunteer lists for the Xmas luncheon. THEN answering a couple of eamails re our funding requests to service clubs. THEN...WELL, I don't think there will be much time for and more THEN. Will be continued on Tuesday when Bryce is in - Wednesday is his last day before his wedding on Saturday - which I gather is in Courtenay.

On Friday afternoon we have another 'Helper' (I think actually Workaway) arriving - his name is Edo, short for Eduordo (sp?), and he is 18 from Italy. He's currently in the States...back east.

Susan Aglukark Concert!!!

Tonight is the SUSAN AGLUKARK concert we are going to courtesy of the 'Theatre Angels' program at the Port Theatre. Myself, H., and G. are taking 9 of our Guides. We asked who wanted to go, and then put those names 'in a hat' and drew 9. We hope to have free tickets again several more times thru the year, and it would be nice if everyone who wants to go gets to go at least twice. I've never been to the Port Theatre before, but H has. I think this is a way to introduce a really great cultural aspect to our Guide program this year - easy and FREE and FUN!

G is off work today, and it is also my usual Friday off - he has just left to take our Boarder to the ferry. When he comes back we will both head into town for him to get a haircut (Great Clips sent out coupons for $8.99 haircuts!!), I will look in the new ladies wear store I've discovered in the same mall as Great Clips, then we will go to the Wellington library to return the books we have and get some more...sometimes its good to hit a different branch for a fresh bunch of books. Yesterday after work I went to Candian Tire and had the headlights adjusted and the blubs changed. It wasn't dark enough on the way home to test them so I'm 'keeping my fingers crossed' that they will be much better. Tonight coming home from the Theatre should be the test.

Blog to raise money??

(Sometimes this is very annoying: I just finished a posting, clicked 'publish post' and it disappeared into cyberspace! So now I will try and remember what I just wrote!)

I read an article in this morning's Times Colonist about John Chow in Vancouver who has a blog and is now making $40k/month thru the Blog http://www.johnchow.com/ definitely sounds interesting. He supposedly does that by spending 2hrs a day...I imagine he has done a lot, and is quite the expert...however it sounds intriguing. He also donates money to charities via his blog. That is a point which has caught my interest for NTVS..

2010 Olympics

It's odd, but until now I've been rather ambivalent about the Olympics - and I find today I'm actually getting excited. Though I must admit I think it is more the 'proud to be Canadian' etc. feeling rather than the interest in the sport-aspect of the Games. And I guess that is perfectly fine. It is entirely possible, looking at http://www.vancouver2010.com/more-2010-information/olympic-torch-relay/olympic-torch-relay-interactive-map/ that the Torch Relay might even go past our house...albeit in the bus with accompanying security vehicles. Heather and I had considered going to Victoria tomorrow - until I realized that it would be one of the craziest days to do that, with the Torch Relay leaving Sooke in the morning and traveling to Nanaimo..we would be crossing paths with the Torch and traffic problems all day. Add to that the fact that tomorrow is Hallowe'en - NO, not a good idea. Depending on weather and her studying we may go down next Saturday.

I know that we will not even consider trying to attend any Olympic events - besides the cost involved and the fact that tickets are probably all gone, the crowds would be horrendous. However, there will be lots of other special events in Vancouver during the Olympics - cultural events - that I think it would be worth going over for at least one well-planned daytrip during the Olympics. I believe there may be some extra ferries on then...and a lot depends on the weather also.

Fall weather!

It was several weeks since I 'blogged' last but I suppose it hasn't been all that uneventful:

• after much soul-searching Ian has decided to leave Memorial after his last exam in December. He arrives home late on December 15th. He has realized that his passions really do not lie with a 4 year BA in History! - his goal now is to work until August 2010 - living at home to save more money - then enroll either at UNBC, TRU or COTR taking Adventure Tourism. The first month or so after getting back to univ were very difficult for him, but now he is feeling comfortable with his decision. I believe he has made an excellent choice - glad he is finding his passion in life - or one of them - at a young age.
• we got a new Helper last week, but she is moving on down Island to stay at a place with a few horses. No othe Helpers scheduled.
• Friday NTVS participated in Nanaimo's 1st ever 'Wellness Fair for Older Adults' - I got to work at 10am, to Bowen Seniors Centre at 11, and left there around 7:30....very long day, but I hope relatively successful. The Fair was good, tho there could have been more people.

Today has been a very rainy day - which means that Tuesday's Guide visit to McNab's Corn Maze will be very, very muddy! But I'm sure the girls will still have lots of fun. Heather and I are also really looking forward to our Guide visit to the Port Theatre on Friday for the Susan Aglukark concert...free tickets courtesy of the Port Theatre Angels.

must run....family is crying for supper!

Seagull antics

One day in late September Grant and I spent a few hours wandering around the harbour area of Nanaimo...it was a perfect day for it. We watched fishermen - in boats and with waders - trying to outwit the great number of Pink Salmon which were congregating in the harbour waiting to go upstream. We watched boats in the harbour, and enjoyed an ice cream cone.

While we were walking back I spied a young seagull standing in the seaweed and rocks just below the seawall. The bird had a purple starfish in its mouth, and when I first saw it, the starfish was more out than in. It almost seemed as if the bird was not quite sure if it could actually swallow the starfish. I watched til the starfish completely disappeared - and took pictures as I watched:

PICTURES of renos etc

This is our newly renovated Family Bathroom..we are especially pleased with the tile, and thank our German Helper Christian for all his help with this project!

To the right is my mother's old bedroom..freshly painted, new carpet, and a bamboo blind. We have a desk and chair we are still re-finishing, and when done they will replace the temporary table and chair to the right of the bed. The room is cozy and welcoming now - we hope to be able to either rent it long-term (another Boarder) or have it as a Bed & Breakfast room.

How time flies..

Sounds a bit trite, but when I see that I last updated my Blog at the beginning of July, then, yes time does fly!

Since my last post:

• we finished our month of having two Japanese teens who were upgrading their English at Queen Margaret School in Duncan (I did a lot of driving back and forth between Duncan and home and Nanaimo)
• we had a number of guests here via Helpexchange and Workaway
• we completely re-did the original bathroom next to Mom's old bedroom, and partially re-did the other family bathroom
• we had 4 Japanese girls for a total of 12 nights who went to Queen Margaret's School
  
• Grant was laid off from his job at B&G on August 28th
• Ian came home for a wonderful surprise visit, stealing a week off of school
• Kasia lost her one puppy, which was stillborn when the Vet did an emergency C-section
• Grant started a new job as Yard Manager at DEMXX in Parksville on Sept. 28th
• We re-did Grandma's old bedroom, with painting and new carpet - it looks really great, and definitely ready to rent, either long-term or as a B&B room
• Heather and I started our 2nd year as Guiders with 1st Chase River Guides with G. and our Jr Leader R - we are thrilled to have 15 Guides this year.

I continue to enjoy my new job as Program Coordinator with the Nanaimo Telephone Visiting Society...'happenings' there include:

• having Ivy, a great VIU student as a Canada Summer Jobs employee for 6 weeks - the office doesn't even resemble its former self!
• we have a new website now: www.ntvs.ca
• I put together and published the September 2009 NTVS Newsletter - Bryce mailed it to our non-email volunteers and clients this past week. I will continue to use it as PR
• we hosted the 1st ever NTVS Open House, which was a success
• On October 13th my 3 months 'probation' will be over, tho I actually started working at NTVS July 6th

THERE! I finally feel as if I've done some fast catching up!

WOW - Busy!

Mid-aft Sunday - Grant, H. and our two Japanese summer ESL students are out fishing - Nanaimo Lakes I think. Earlier this week we cruised the online classifieds and found an aluminum boat that appeared to be just what we wanted. Turned out it is: a 14' aluminum boat, trailer and 9.9hp motor - all in really good condition. We managed to get it for a good price. It seems to be about the same age - or a bit newer - than our old boat which we sold in Lethbridge before moving here. Thing is this boat has been stored - complete - in a barn for years. Yesterday morn/aft Grant etc went to Duncan to the new Cdn. Tire/Walmart/Rona and got boat seats, a new life jacket for me, and some plywood to finish off the garage.

On Jun 26 H. and I picked up our first Japanese boy - Yoshio, 16 - at the Victoria airport, and the next day we picked up Akiya, 17, also at the Victoria airport. I'm driving them to and from Queen Margaret School in Duncan each morning and afternoon. They will be with us til the end of July. Then on August 3rd we go to QM and pick up two Japanese girls who will be with us for 6 days, after which we switch to another two for another 6 days. Those girls have a really busy schedule.

I had a job interview for Habitat for Humanity on Friday: the job sounds very interesting, and I'm sure I would enjoy it. They want to make sure that whoever takes the position can become competent with MS Access - I downloaded a trial copy of MS Office Pro which is the only way to get Access, and spent a while yesterday trying to figure it out. Some of it is easy, but it is a very in-depth programme. I was just about to take a break when the phone rang - it was Fran W., on the board of the Nanaimo Telephone Visiting Society. I had had an interview back in April or May for the Coordinator position, but they hired someone else. That person just left the position due to personal reasons, and the board felt that since the interviews were only about 2 months ago, it would make sense to offer the position to the next in line - me! I was very surprised, but most pleasantly so. I got a lot of info, and told Fran that I would call her back last night. I did [after we got back from Rathtrevor & dinner at Joey's Only in Parksville with the boys] - and she will be calling me back probably today to set a time Mon - Wed for me to go in for a few hours to be introduced to the job/office etc., hopefully by the previous/previous (??) Coordinator, who is now on the Board. The position is 20 hrs a week, and I will be starting next Monday, July 13th. I told Fran that I have the commitment of driving our Japanese students to/from QM until August 15th, and then the need to be ultra flexible especially when Kasia has her puppies - and that seems to be ok. I'm really looking forward to this job: there will be a lot of learning, but it has variety and will definitely put to good use a lot of the skills I have, both from paid and volunteer (and home!) positions. I was telling Grant yesterday that I think I will check out the VIU calendar to see what relevant courses/workshops/seminars there are.

This week - actually starting tomorrow - is Grant's first holiday week. We were going to go camping this weekend, but I just did not get organized in time. Looking back on the past few days, it is probably fortuitous that we didn't, and therefore I was at home for Fran's phone call yesterday! Anyhow, the plan now is for Grant and I to drive out to Beaver Lake Campsite nr Lake Cowichan [it is owned by Dawnette Humphries, our Area Commissioner for Guides], check it out, and reserve for this coming weekend. We figure it is just about the same distance to QM School from there as from home, and since it has showers/flush toilets it will be a gentle introduction to camping for the boys. I'm hoping we can head out there on Wednesday, picking the boys up from school and taking them to camp, and then coming home on Sunday afternoon. We will have the new alum. boat with us.

If I understand Grant's schedule properly, he will be working Saturday the 18th, and therefore will have Friday the 24th off. Since the boys really seemed to enjoy the beach, we might try going to a beach campsite - but we will see what happens after this coming weekend.

BOAT SOLD! & really, really busy weekend coming up!

It seems every time I turn around these next 10 or so days are getting busier and busier! Tuesday night - finally - we sold the boat, and yesterday the buyer came and paid for it and took it home. I'm feeling ok with the price we got, after having it for almost 3 years we got plenty of use out of it. Grant is still upset he did not leave the kicker off - but Amanda has reminded him that most boats/trailers we see for sale have a motor also. I think both Grant and Amanda want to replace it with something smaller fairly soon, but I'm hoping to wait a bit..

It is cloudy today - hope the weather is not too bad for our GUIDE CAMP here this weekend. Today Amanda and I are doing lots of preparations for it - cleaning, tidying etc, and will continue tomorrow. She has a widup BBQ for her Fish Job this evening, then tomorrow afternoon she needs to follow Grant down to Duncan where we are dropping the motorhome off for a rental. Grant is off tomorrow, but will be very busy - he can relax Saturday and Sunday in between taking Richard to games.

After no-one enquiring, it looks like we may have some HelpExchange helpers during July and August. I'm really hoping I can manage to schedule them so it is not a flood of people sometimes with no one for weeks other times. And that I can keep the chores 'coming'. It is not looking terribly good for Homestay Students for September - but still keeping my fingers crossed.

There have not been any more interesting/suitable jobs for me to apply to in the last couple of weeks - I'm hoping that I get a call on the Habitat for Humanity job, which seems to be a perfect fit for me.

Must run - and begin attacking the TO DO LIST.

HIKE!

This afternoon Amanda, Richard and I drove to Westwood Lake, parked, and after walking on the trail to the (north?) end of the lake, started picking trails [left or right....straight or left?]. We were using a map Amanda found online to the 'Westwood hills'..explored lots of trails, found something that was supposed to be an old Scout Hut, and got to several points on trails where my brain said 'NO' (my fear of heights). We backtracked a bit, and finally ended back on the Westwood Lake Trail. By all the signposts, it seems the Lake Trail itself is app 6 or 7 km, and then we did at least 3 km up and down the other trails, so I'm guessing that we did about 10 km. The morning started out cloudy, but by the time we got to the lake it was sunny, and the beach was full. Unfortunately Amanda forgot a hat, so the sun was bothering her when we were out in the open areas. She was a bit disappointed we didn't get to the points of interest mentioned in the onine article, but it was still a good, enjoyable, attractive hike. And, hey, it got Richard out of the house! When we were back on the Lake trail Heather took a couple of pictures of a wild turkey:

PICTURE OF WILD TURKEY TO GO IN POSTING~

we think it was a male protecting the female who was probably on the nest. After the hike we headed into town and stopped at the Dairy Queen at Country Club Mall: I had a Sundae [with coffee & hot caramel sauce & nuts...yummy!], Richard had a Brownie Dough Blizzard, and Amanda had a Cheesecake Blizzard.

When we were out hiking, Grant took Rod out in the boat in the Newcastle Island area: they both said it was quite windy and too choppy to really do much fishing. When we got home Grant was crashed on the couch and Rod was watching cartoons.

Middle of June...where has the month gone?

Photo: I took this photo two summers ago, of this cute little tree frog in a rose in the front garden. Ever since we keep looking in the roses to look for frogs! (I'm going to start adding photos to postings whenever I can - some will be relevant to the posting, others wil be random photos like this one)

Grant is working today - 8/4 - Amanda is working from 9am til ??. Both Rod & Richard are still asleep - tho I should get them up soon. Today is the 'Lake Day' which is instead of Cedar Scouting's Family Camp. Richard has chosen not to go, but Rod is excited about going. They are to bring either a dessert or a salad..Rod spent a while trying to find Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes last night, with no luck - I think I will get him to make some brownies or something using a cake mix - but he needs to get up and get moving first.

Grant wants to take the Boat out on the ocean tomorrow, so today I need to insure the trailer - a trip I had not really planned on into Ladysmith! This afternoon Amanda and I are getting groceries, but I need to plan on Rod getting picked up sometime late afternoon - maybe Grant can do that? Need to drop in on Mom at Kiwanis Lodge too - tho some times I'm not really sure why. She is speaking more, but does not recognize us. Tho the staff say she is calling out for me. On Tuesday when we were there she wanted to know 'who you people are' - when I told her she is my mother, she said 'how did that happen?' and then 'I don't believe you'. But at least the staff say she seems to be settling a bit better. They are still keeping her mostly in her room because of this infection she still seems to have.

Ian phoned from Camp yesterday..he only talked to Amanda..! Guess I will have to actually WRITE HIM A LETTER!

HOMESTAY:

• I'm still trying to get Helpers/WWOOFers for the summer - may have one girl from the UK for a couple of weeks starting July 21st, but would like more.


• I discovered that Queen Margaret School in Duncan does ESL/Homestay during July & August. We are now set to have two Japanese Jr. High boys = Yoshio and Akiya = from June 26 or 27 until at least the end of July, with the possibility of having them til the end of August. If they don't need our Homestay in August, we should be able to switch to the other Queen Margaret programme, which will be 2 Japanese girls for one week, then switch to 2 different girls for the 2nd week.


• So far no good news with SD68 for September - there are far fewer International Student applications for Sept., and as always our location seems to make it more difficult for placing a Student. Will keep our fingers crossed!


• If we don't have a SD68 student by then end of June we may list as Homestay with the University - at least for July/August/Sept and see what happens.

First Motorhome CAMPING Weekend May 29/31

We were blessed with truly gorgeous weather for our first Camping trip in way, way too long. I left home around 5pm - with Rod - and we got to the campsite about 6pm. Not bad for my first time! I drove slowly around the campsite, and found a nice site I was able to drive into easily. Later during the weekend I walked the entire campsire, and decided there was only one other campsite that was nicer. We were in Site #8 - definitely worth going to again. The 'best' one was #25 - large pull-thru site, almost overlooking the river, very private. Only downside to that one was distance to the water. #8 was right beside the water!

Friday during the daytime Grant drove out to get firewood first thing; then drove to Lake Cowichan to play tennis with Richard; then drove back to Lake Cowichan with Rod to buy vlies. Then I went back home (left at 1630) to pick up Amanda (and stuff I'd forgotten) to go to the last District Meeting of the year at Noreen's place. We left shortly after 8:30, then I left the house to drive back to camp around 9. By rights I should have been back to camp well before 10. BUT I missed the turnoff from Old Lake Cowichan Road to the road for the caqmpground, and ended up all the way back to Riverbottom Road..so I took that (and the needed turns off that road)...and almost missed the turn to the campground. The signs are almost impossible to see/read in the dark. I got to the beginning of the camping area and found Grant looking/waiting for me with a flashlight. He had gotten the Campground Attendant and was going to get him to go up the Hill for Cellphone reception and start phoning to try and find me.

WILL CONTINUE THIS SAGA LATER!

My MOTHER etc

Well, after almost 4 1/2 months in the hospital, my mother is finally being moved to a room in Kiwanis Lodge today! I got the phone call from the Social Worker on her ward yesterday, and she should be in her new 'home' sometime in the next hour or so. I will go in to see her and check things out later this afternoon...taking a few clothes/socks..tho I will have to buy some open-back things after the staff decide what she truly must have.

The Van is back at Steve Marshall Ford again...3rd time in the last month and a half or so...plus Ladysmith Car Care April 11th. So far we've spent over $1500 on it, and the problem is still not solved..still keeps dying. And now I find the Horn on the station wagon doesn't work, so I really have to get that in some place. Which reminds me: yesterday afternoon the Coolant Low light came on, and again this morning taking Grant to work....so I need to look in the garage and find some anti-freeze or summer coolant and add it before I go out this afternoon.

Still waiting for LCU Insurance to phone and say the ICBC quote for the Conversion Insurance is back...then will continue working on getting Conversion Insurance for the Motorhome.

I had hoped to be able to go camping again this weekend, but Richard has a birthday party he has been invited to; then next Saturday is the Scout Family Camp 'Day' at Ryan's (and Grant is working)...and then the weekend after that is our Guide Camp HERE...and the weekend after that Richard and Rod both leave on the Sunday....so there goes the month of June for camping. I fully intend to make up for it in July!

Lots to catch up on!

Well, I've not written since just after our District Camp - there is actually a lot to write about since then!

We are now the proud owners of a Motorhome...20 years old, but new to us! (This photo is not one of mine...was taken by the previous owner...)

It is a 22' Triple E on a Ford van. I am pleased with the 'deal' we got, after doing a lot of research both online and at several RV dealers. We are heading down to the Cowichan River Prov. Park for this weekend..with Rod and Richard (Amanda is staying home)...I will head out around 5:15 or so with Rod, and Grant will follow after he picks Richard up from his Baseball practice. This morning Grant said he was planning on bringing the big boat, but I'm trying to get him to realize that we won't really have the time for that...unless he brings it back Saturday morning..it might be difficult parking the extra vehicle (van) and the boat...we can go to Lake Cowichan the next time. MORE LATER...I'm trying to get a website for the RV rentals at least somewhat started today, plus going to LCU Insurance to get started with the Conversion Insurance Policy for the Tent Trailer (will do the Motorhome later). Other things to do today include cleaning the kitchen (big mess), continuing with the Motorhome, laundry, picking up a few more strawberry plants & seeds at 49th (in Ladysmith I guess..) Another busy day, but it definitely feels like summer..gorgeous sunny morning.

District CAMP Weekend

Last weekend 's District Camp was most definitely a success-: so I'm not repeating myself, check my posting on our Chase Rivr Guides Blog, where I've also posted some photos: http://chaseriverguides.blogspot.com/

District CAMP Weekend

This morning is starting cloudy, but the weather forecast is still calling for a decent weekend. This is our Nanaimo River District Camp - with a 'CSI CHALLENGE' theme. We only have 5 Guides from our Unit going, so will put all 5 in one tent...Gillian, Heather and I in a tent of Gillian's. As of now Heather might have to work this evening, if so we will have two vehicles at camp - tho she's going to try and see if she can switch with someone....or something....! I started doing a bit of organizing/packing last night. I sewed two sleeping-pad straps on my sleeping bag, and found compression bag that fit the sleeping bag with the liner already inside! I then managed to find a stuff bag that fit both of the thermorests...rolled together and strapped, with one fleece blanket around. So the hard part of the packing is done...I just need to make sure the small tarp which I've had out on the clothesline is dry (may put it in the dryer).
Today I will be finishing the costumes - Heather came up with the idea of doing Scrub tops, I got one for each of the 3 of us, and her first idea was to write with indelible felt a sort of wanted poster...I've adapted that idea and am going to put: 'Property of RCMP - GRC' on the back, and 'RCMP-GRC' on the front, in smaller letters. This way it will be faster for me to do, and also we can be whatever we want: suspect, victim, or police.
I'm taking my camera, so hope to get some good photos at Camp...of nature, camp in general, and our girls. I'll try and post something from Camp here, as long as it is not a photo which could ID any particular girls, and will post info/photos on the Guiding Blog for sure - along with slowly updating the CR Guides Blog going back right to the beginning.
Time is marching on - 8:30 now, and I still have lots to do. I want to leave the kitchen fairly tidy, also our bedroom - to lessen the mess to clean up on Sunday. Maybe if I remind Grant that it is Mother's Day on Sunday we can eat out or have take-out...??

Saltspring Getaway - etc!

Monday morning, and my body - and the house - are still recovering from our Saltspring Getaway! Friday was an absolutely gorgeous day...we were at Ruckle Prov. Park in plenty of time to pick a nice campsite. While starting supper we discovered that neither of us had packed something truly essential: something to start the stove with! How had we done that? Luckily I had a box of matches in my pockety that I'd picked up off the counter in the morning...but lo and behold it just had 3 matches in it! Heather managed to get the stove going with two matches, leaving us just 1 for the next morning. We had pasta and spag. sauce from home, then after cleaning up we went for a walk along a trail to the southwest. At least I think it was southwest! Anyhow we were looking off towards Swartz Bay and the ferry terminal there. I took some pictures which I hope turned out. (I just uploaded them now so will pick a few and add to this posting.}
Overnight Friday it sprinkled a bit, and did that off-and-on all day Sat. In the morning we made breakfast of scrambled eggs, toasted buns and turkey-bacon before heading into Ganges. Saturday mornings in Ganges appear to be Parking - Hell! It took forever to get a parking place...Heather did a very good job of navigating the narrow and crowded roads, and after driving around (and around and around) eventually got a good parking spot. We hit the Saturday Market, which was packed with vendors and visitors, even for May. Lots of gorgeous jewelry, pottery, plants. Some very unique stands. Prices for food was quite high (ie baked goods), but it did look good. We looked thru a few shops, including Mouatt's which I had read about. We then had lunch at a waterfront, outdoor bar...tho the outdoor part was more a restaurant. The menu looked good, and the food was ok, but not very much. I ordered Oysters...after asking the waitress about how many oysters. She said two, but said they were very big. Well, sorry, but they were the smallest, thinnest restaurant oysters I've EVER had. For $14 I definitely did not get my money's worth. We shared a Strawberry Shortcake, which was fine, but a bit steep at $7! After lunch (which was late) we wandered around some more, and I got a l/s T-shirt. Back at the car we drove north to the other 'mall', but didn't see a reason to stop. On the way back thru Ganges we did see an Outdoor store we would have liked to stop at, but by that time we were getting tired, so kept going back to camp. When we got back, and started cooking supper (we'd gotten matches in town!), it was raining enough that we had to take our chairs and sit under the tree to keep mostly dry..with a tarp over us. It started to rain harder, so we tidied up, and decided to go to bed early...very early, around 8 I think...which gave us time to tidy up the tent and reposition things a big. Heather had to move her sleeping bag because there was some water coming in the tent, se we piled things more in the middle and I moved my bag further from the tent wall. I settled in to read, just about the same time the storm settled in around us. Earlier on, before we actually got ready for bed, I suggested maybe packing up and sleeping in the car...H. said no, we'd be fine. When the storm hit it was she who then questioned whether we should head to the car. It was windy enough I really did not want to leave the tent, as I figured without our 275 or so pounds that we might lose the tent. so we each made sure we had a flashlight attached to us, and H. put her car-keys around her neck, and we tried to sleep. In the worst of the storm the top of the tent was just above my face. We were both sure that one of the poles had broken and that maybe the fly might have come off, so in the morning we were very surprised to look up and find the tent looking just fine. Outside everything on the table was just fine...we just had some wet stuff to pack from inside the tent. It had stopped raining sometime overnight, and it was a beautiful sunny morning packing up - which I suppose is better than packing in a downpour! We left camp around 10ish, and stopped in Ganges to eat. Heather had seen a restaurant the day before that said it was open for breakfast, so we headed there. I seem to rember it being called the Ganges Inn...heritage bldg from the '30s, very nicely renovated, and we got a really excellent breakfast. Just thinking of it this morning makes my mouth water. After that we headed for the ferry at Vesuvius, which we got at 1240 - we were the first in line, and had about a 1/2 hour wait. From the ferry straight home, as Rod phoned while we were on the ferry and said that pickup time for his Scout Camp changed from 4pm to 3pm.
The washer/dryer have been busy, with more to do. Rod still has to unpack, do his laundry and tidy his room...today after school since he was too tired to do it yesterday.

Back the 'normal' for the week: Heather worked last evening after we got home, and is at work now. I followed Grant in this morning , and we dropped the Van at Steve Marshall to see why it is dying when being driven. Tomorrow night the boys have Scouts at at 5:30 for paddling at Quennel, and we are taking Guides to see the movie 'Earth' at Woodgrove. Wednesday evening I have a Job Interview for the LaFFs Admin Asst position, then Thursday we will need to be ready to pack (or Friday morning). Also need to make some Dr appointments, and H. thinks I need to get my hair cut for the Job Interview...

Guiding stuff

• This past Tuesday's meeting was lots of fun....few girls missing due to various things...but our Wildflower Badge Hike was a huge success. The Harewood Plains area is really beautiful, only downside are the powerlines and the proximity to the highway. But..without the powerlines we would not have the access roads. Saw lots of wildflowers, and we hope the girls learned something.
• Next weekend..Mother's Day weekend..is our District Camp up at Moorecroft. Using the CSI Challenge. Not sure what costume I will dig up. We expect 7 Guides
• Beginning to plan our year-end Camp, which will be at OUR HOUSE...good way to save money. Tho we will have to work around the MALES for bathrooms.

Weekend Escape

This weekend is the weekend Heather and I are ESCAPING to Saltspring Island..She is at work now, but should be home in an hour or so. By that time I hope to have done with my computer work, and made a substantial start on getting ready for our weekend vacation. Before we hit the ferry at Crofton we are detouring down to Duncan to get Heather's new camera...a very belated Graduation gift from last year (combined with belated other things!). We tried to get the camera here, but everyone is either out of it or has the newer model. Walmart in Duncan had 2 left, at $197, so I had the clerk put our name on it and put it aside til today.
It is a gorgeous sunny day...so look here next week for updates of our weekend, and hopefully some photos.

CedarHill Homestay

This gorgeous sunny weather makes me think SUMMER, and when I think SUMMER, I also think of our many Homestay guests we have had over the years. We now have less than 2 months left with our current high-school Homestay students, but their time will still be full. Last year we had a great experience with a German mom and two teen boys, who we shared two fun weeks with. I customized their time so that we did a lot of fun 'touristy' things around southern and central Vancouver Island. The summer before we had a great young lady from South Korea who started out as a HelpExchange guest, then went on to stay for a customized Teacher-tutor time doing ESL along with lots of out-trips. It would be fantastic if we could do that again next year.
I think it is a dream of mine to do Homestay and Teacher-Tutor Homestay all-year. Having a wide variety of guests, and sharing our family and our part of beautiful BC would be really a wonderful way to live!
Check out our Homestay website below for more info:
http://cedarhillhomestay.tripod.com/

Simple Living...and a few Bits & Pieces

Haven't written for way too long, so this will be a bit of 'catch-up'! Today...Thursday...is another gorgeous sunny day. Heather and I will be heading into Town later on for groceries etc, but I'm hoping to steal some time away later on to just get outside. The tides have been really low the past few days, so maybe we can take Kasia down to the beach again.

I've just added a section for SIMPLE LIVING...links, info, etc....Simple Living does overlap somewhat with Green Living and Organizing, but there are definite differences. For example it is possible to live with quite a Green slant, but not to live very simply, and also very possible to be highly organized but not to be either simple or green. But I do think that most people who embrace the Simple Living philosophy are quite green and also fairly organized. I noticed when I started the Simple Living section that I have some links etc in the Green Living section that now need to be moved: so, 'pardon my mess' while I work on that.

Trying to be organized, I think I blog a bit differently than others. Rather than a lot of topics included in one date, I'm hoping to keep topics mostly organized by their labels, even if that means several posts the same date....OR it may mean having the same info in several posts so the labels are accurate...but I'm still working on that concept.

Just started new Yahoo Group

I just started a new Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GreenSimpleVancouverIsland/
I hope it will evolve into something really interesting and useful for those of us living on Vancouver Island ...more later!

Our first EARTH NIGHT and GARBAGE/RECYCLING

This past Saturday night/Sunday morning was our first family EARTH NIGHT.

First, from app 6:55pm to 7:55pm we shut the POWER off at the breaker panel. Grant played Rumoli with the boys (complaining it was too dark to see, so I helped them with a coal oil lantern) and Amanda and I did journal writing. It is something I really want to continue, and not just for environmental reasons. It was so relaxing.

Then, at app 11pm (tho I think it was a bit earlier) I shut down the computer systems, and made sure most other things were shut off, then I threw the switch on the POWER. Grant and I didn't wake up til 8ish, so the power was definitely off for a full 8 hours.

I had planned on checking the electricity meter around 5pm on Sunday (because I'd checked it at 5pm on Saturday) to see how much of a difference it made with everything being off overnight, but I forgot. I think this week if I get a reading from app 5pm Thurs to 5pm Saturday, then one from 5pm Saturday to 5pm Monday, that should be a good comparison of two days with power on overnight and two days with the power off overnight. If it makes a big enough difference then I think we will look at replacing electric clock-radios and have battery alarm clocks for everyone, so that we can power down more often. Grant is still concerned as to whether it will do any damage shutting the power off: I do want to get a more defnititive answer....need to ask an electrician on tht I guess.

Friday was Garbage and Recycling Day: when I took out the garbage it could have squeezed into 2/3 small grocery bags. The black bag was only about 1/3 full. And not as much paper recycling, likely because we are not getting as many newspapers. However, after house cleaning on the weekend the garbage got a bit fuller. We skip a week ths time because Friday is the Good Friday holiday: we will definitely have 1 very full or 2 garbage bags next week.

Time flies....!

Monday morning: The boys are actually up and showering before 7! Rod left me a note asking to be up at 6:30, and I woke Richard up at 6:45. Neither one had had a shower for several days, so they really needed to get up early.

After a mixed-up start and leftover stuff from last week, we did get a fair bit done over the weekend. The red car was finished at Steve Marshall on Friday, so it took a bit of juggling to pick it up on Saturday, along with eveything else that needed doing. I drove Grant to work for 8, as all the businesses in the same plaza had a 'Customer Appreciation Day' and all staff had to work. Home, breakfast etc, then Amanda and I went into Nan around 10 to Costco, gas, stop at G's work and look at shower doors, then paid for the car at SM. When they brought the car around to give to me I found they had only done one key...so I went back in and asked that a 2nd key be done before we picked the car up in the afternoon. We just made it back in time for me to pick Richard up for his baseball practice which started at 1. He couldn't find his wallet, and thought he'd left it at Paul's at Spring Break. We went there, no wallet. So when I picked him up after practice we just came home so he could spend time searching for his wallet, rather than going into Nan. so he could go with Grant to buy a jockstrap! I still planned on picking G. up at 4, but he phoned at 3:30 saying he was going to walk over as he was finished work. After a few min. I realized it didn't make much sense for me to drive in and meet him and then both of us drive home in the two vehicles..: so I phoned SM to leave a message for him to phone me; he paid for the car and came home. Before supper he and A. did some driving practice.
I'll do a separate post re some GREEN THINGS, since I can't figure a way to have multiple labels.

Sunday amid much grumbling, especially from Rod, we got the vacuuming done of the whole house, as it hadn't been done for about 3 weeks! I had Rod clean 'his' bathroom, tho it took some coaching to get it done. I put blue toilet cleaner in the tank, and will see what the floor looks like, as he claimed the stain was not him (gross topic, I know). The most obvious project we did was cleaning/tidying the vehicles. Amananda started by getting the vacuum and Grant out at the van, which was horrendously messy and dirty. They also took a back seat out so Grant can bring the tub-shower door home today. I'm not sure if it was cleaned inisde, but it will definitely be an improvement. Thinking of the van, I'm reminded to call wreckers and try to track down seatbelts...the driver's side is dangerously unsafe! Amanda did the red car, then with Richard's help did the s/w. I then went out and did 'my version' of tidying the s/w. I put some more emerg/safety things in zip-bags in the back, put a clear plastic zip-bag of supplies under by MEC supply bag to the right of my seat. I then got the other black travel bag I had bought for the car, put more 'safety' things in it, and 'carabinered it to the loop on the front console. I need to get a few more safety things to put in: I need a multi-driver/pliers(?), but most definitely a tire gauge, which for some reason is missing. I've put it on the list for today (Monday). I windex'd the front window and the dash, and tidied the trunk. Also stashed some things in the cubby under the floor (great feature in the Taurus s/w!).

Around 1pm Grant and Rod took the canoe and headed out fishing...I forgot to ask where!..but they came home around 5:30 with FISH! Rod said they had caught several more but they were too small. Grant helped Rod clean them: I think it must have been his first time cleaning fish, as I heard a lot of 'eeeeeh' and 'yuck'..and this from a kid who says he wants to be a doctor! Supper was mashed potatoes, honey-garlic sausages and green beans. I'm really not very interested in sausages, and last night I just couldn't. So I made a grilled-cheese croissant and a 1/2 plate full of green beans.

Once the cleaning was done Richard was BORED again...I think that is why he helped A. with the cars: out of boredom. They played cards out on the deck while I was cleaning the car.

What a day!

Yesterday started out as a pretty typical Monday: getting caught up with kitchen cleanup, making appointments, etc. Ian sent me his latest essay to edit, and I realized that I had enough 'errands' to run in town to warrant a trip in (groceries, printer ink, return to Marks - etc). I thought Heather had planned on staying home to do schoolwork, but she was on schedule with what she had planned to do and decided to come with me. Together we made spaghetti sauce for supper and left it on warm in the crockpot. In Nanaimo we:

• went to the Hospital where first I went up to the 4th floor to 'visit' Mom. She was in the chair, sound asleep. So I found her nurse and checked with her. Same as last week, except she has started scratching again, which as far as I know she has not done since before she went to the hospital. They've moved her hospital bracelet onto her ankle, I'm guessing she was scratching with it. Looks like she had another IV in, but not now. After the 'visit' I went and found the Finance Office (outside in a Portable Building near the Rehab. entrance...the clerk said it was temporary since 198? !!). I paid Mom's bill til the end of March....around $835. I'll pay April sometime in the middle of April...they want the payment at the beginning, but that's just not going to happen!
• Next we stopped at the bank, then Woodgrove. I wanted to look for a nice black dress skirt that I can pair up with the black jacket I got at VV..quick look at Eddie Bauer, nothing dressy. Rather than spending time looking in every store I went to The Bay: found a black Haggar slim skirt, not petite, so I will have to shorten it, but otherwise it looks quite good...'updated classic'.
• We then headed over to groceries, and that is when the day started to get interesting! After getting $180+ worth of groceries we headed out to the car...the red Focus that was Ian's...and Heather put the key in the trunk to open it. She showed me the key: bent & cracked. We did some quick thinking and opened the back seat for her to crawl in and open the driver's door from inside, thereby saving another use of the key. Put all the groceries in, and then I tried to start the car. The key just would not go in far enough to make use of all the jigs and would not start. We'd already called Grant to have him meet us at Steve Marshall, but at that point we quickly called him again (luckily he had not left already) and had him meet us at Superstore. With Grant being stronger than either of us he carefully bent the key just enough that he was able to get it into the ignition and start it. I drove & he followed...we dropped it at Steve Marshall and will pick it up when they have the work done, likely Wednesday.
• Home, and while the spaghetti was cooking Grant and the boys went out in the field and practiced batting/catching. I had just put the spaghetti in when Richard came running in saying 'Dad's hurt...he got hit with the ball...he's on the ground.' I ran out, with Amanda behind me. Grant was writhing on the ground, holding his head/eye. He was trying to get up. I managed to take a quick look before helping him stand, and then helped him get in the house. He was stubbornly going fast. I got him into a d/r chair, and we put an icepack on his eye. After a min or so we took a look and I decided to get him in to Emerg. I gave him a glass of milk to drink with a straw, insisted Amanda come with us (which she regretted because of the hospital/boredom, tho' I did appreciate her help/presence). Grant got seen very quickly, and was in a bed being assessed probably within 15 min...and never was even in the waiting room. They checked him for concussion etc., sent him for x-rays, and checked his eye/vision. The Drs. both said he was very lucky. Grant went to bed a bit earlier than normal, and at first we were going to keep Kasia outside our bedroom, but he decided to let her in. It was funny/heartening to see her when they got into bed. Usually she gets in and just lays down. She obviously sensed Grant wasn't feeling well, as she kept giving him kisses! We tried to get her to go under the covers, but she wouldn't.

This morning Grant got up for work as usual, but moving a bit slower. His glasses are bent, and I will have to get them in to Chemainus Eyecare sometime this week. His face is mostly still red: the bruising has not started yet. He has a dull headache and the face feels swollen. I'm not sure if he will make it through the day: if he doesn't I will go in and pick Amanda up at the end of her class.

This morning, since the boys left on the bus less than an hour ago, we've had about five rain/snow/hail/wind storms. The sky was almost completely clear when I got up, then the black clouds rolled in...March is definitely going out like a lion..as it has been almost all month!

Besides cleaning up the kitchen - which got left in a big mess last night! - I've got laundry to do including Richard's Scout shirt/necker, preparation for tonight's Guide meeting including phoning all the parents to remind them of the Field Trip/change of time...etc etc. So, definitely time to get going!

A Fairly Productive weekend!

We four (Grant, Heather, Rodrigo & me) watched Extreme Home Makeover after supper, and Cold Case is on now. I'm going to head to bed soon, and thought of doing a quick post. While watching TV I was updating my Planner/Journal, tho' I know there are a lot of things for this coming week I've forgotten.

Today was a truly gorgeous spring day...it got to around 12deg, and was completely sunny. It started out coolish, but by mid/late afternoon it really warmed up. After cleaning up the kitchen (never-ending task!) I headed outside and trimmed a lot of last year's growth off the perennials in the front beds, and when I finished I had a full wheel-barrow of trimmings. Before supper I had Grant take it to the compost. It looks so much better now! I moved a couple of Oriental poppies, and have another clump to split and move in the next while. I think when I am out this week I will pick up some spring annuals - pansies probably - and get some quick spring colour in both the front bed and the planter boxes on the deck railings. The deck planters I can plant even in the rain, but the front bed needs to be done when it is dry. Last time I looked at the forecast for this week it is mostly rain!

I can see that when I write a lot of FAMILY postings will be a combination of Family and Home, ME..etc But so far I haven't found a way to put multiple labels for one posting. Too bad...tho I know other blogging software will do that. However, I have invested enough time in this one that I think I will stay with it. Maybe if I really feel some posts need to be 'filed' in two areas I can just cut&paste and do one or more posts..??

The job I applied for at LaFF in Ladysmith should be short-listed some time this week I hope. It seems to be a perfect fit for me, flexible time, etc., so I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for it!

The frogs are extremely loud right now: without having our bedroom window open I can't figure any way to hear them...too bad. I really like the sound of the frogs at night: the sounds are the same, but still different. It is so easy to let oneself get lost in listening to the sounds.

Busy day for Richard: Grant and I picked up both boys at 1pm from the Scout Camp, and after about a 5min stop at home Grant took Richard down for his first Baseball practice with his new team. Back at home Grant grabbed a sandwich, then he and Rodrigo took Kasia down and ran her on the Holland Creek Trail before picking Richard up. I'm guessing that Richard had to wait a while before being picked up.

Ian sent me another short essay to edit: I've got part of it done, and will continue on it early in the morning. H. wants me to wake her up round 0730

Spring..just maybe?

I think maybe, finally, Spring is here! I heard the unmistable sounds of California Quail just now, and glanced out the window here in the Den hoping to see them. Usually they are so well camouflaged that it is difficult to see them. I found a group of four wandering through the grass heading for the field next door. I saw a streak of orange, and looking down spotted out mostly-orange cat, George, who obviously thought he was fast enough and smart enough to catch himself a Quail for lunch. No such luck: Quail 4 : Cat 0!

Other signs of spring, besides the truly weird, mixed-up weather we've been having for the past few weeks, are:

• way too many big black flies..they seem to be everywhere outside. At least they are on things and not on people
• grass getting greener
• perennials showing life
• Bunnies!
• lots and lots of birds. Robins all over
• Frogs. FROGS. and MORE FROGS! Another reason why I wish our bedroom was at the back of the house instead of the house. The frogs are very loud, but if we were at the back we could hear them even with the window closed, and they would definitely drown out the sound of cars going past at night. Though, admittedly, there aren't that many cars going past our place in the middle of the night.

today

TODAY I should get a lot of the following done:

• Put together some 'spa' and maybe coffee items for our District baskets (to be auctioned off at our AGM in April)
• Remember to RECORD CSI/Grey's Anatomy/ER both for me (as I will be out at the Dist Mtg) and for A. who will be away til Sat pm
• Update/edit the ads for boat/chair etc
• Plan SUPPER
• Clean the KITCHEN (its always a mess...seems I'm always tidying/cleaning it)
• Read the Elec. Meter around 5:30 pm, then calculate the daily consumption..It had better be considerably under 160kWh!

This is Kasia in the water off Blue Heron park...can't wait for the weather to warm up enough to get her down to the beach again!...before PUPPY TIME

'Date Night!!'

I've often thought it a bit silly when couples say they are having a 'date night'. But I'm actually looking forward to one tomorrow night. Last time G & I went out for dinner alone Mom was still 'waiting at home' for us, so there was still the pressure to get home. At least when a couple has a babysitter, other than knowing you have to pay the sitter, you should feel comfortable leaving kids with the sitter. When Mom was alone (if 'kids' were away) we really didn't feel comfortable being away for much more than an hour or so.

So, tomorrow night after we drop the boys off for their Camp, we are going out for dinner, to our favourite Seafood place. So far the food has always been good, price fine, service ok, atmmosphere definitely befitting a Seafood Rest.: all-in-all a good choice. I checked the paper this morning to see if there are any movies we might enjoy, but nothing. Might check and see if there is something we might like to rent. DOUBT, maybe? Whatever we pick it needs to be something both of us would enjoy, but that A. probably wouldn't!

STUFF for SALE

We have a fair bit of stuff to sell (or rent, in the case of the Tent Trailer). We have a few things posted on Craig's List etc., and get enquiries every so often. Last week we put an ad in for Mom's Lift Chair, wheelchair, toilet support, and bedrail. Only got one phone call from the ad, even tho it cost $24 for 4 days combined between the Nan. Daily News and the Harbour Star.

SO, in the next few days I need to:

• EDIT the postings for the BOAT and the CHAIR/Wheelchair/toiletsupport/bedrail to make sure postings are up-to-date and to also change the prices.
• Plan a date to have a YARD SALE..will do it on a Sunday so we can take advantage of the traffic going past to the Flea Market at the Cedar Hall
• Begin to more vigorously purge the house to find stuff people will buy at a Yard Sale

DayPlanner and Journal combined

I want to put an ORGANIZING piece here, so I have something representative of my main areas of interest.And so this beginning blog will actually look like something.Anyhow…short comment on something I am very pleased with how it is turning out.
I’ve been attempting for several years now to have a useful Day Planner AND a Journal of some sort.Until sometime last year nothing I was doing was really satisfactory until I hit upon what is really working for me.
I have a ‘Portable’ sized DayPlanner, and use either Coastline or Flavia planner pages. I have it highly personalized, which helps me keep on track. The thing I’ve started doing in the last few months is having blank pages at the end of each month which I use for Journalling. I also have developed little ‘tricks’ which work for me. One thing I do is if at the end of the day I’ve got a lot of space left over on my two planner pages I put a sticker or some sort of special mark and use that space for either a Journal entry or notes re tasks which were done or other events which happened. Very little ‘dead space’ now and I can look back and find lots of information which is useful

GUIDES

Tonight is District Meetng...hopefully not too long. And then Saturday morning the cookies arrive, so I will need to have the back of the s/w cleared out in time to pick up our 30 cases of cookies...unless we leaders decide to take a few more. Not sure if G. will be at the mtg. tonight: if not maybe I should phone/email her to decide for sure how many cases we should take. We how have 10 registered Guides, tho' I doubt J. will be there. We might be able to sell more than 30 cases???

We had a good Guide meeting on Tuesday, with a Cookie theme. Games, activities, learning...I forgot to bring a box of cookies, but Gillian brought two boxes of US cookies she had brought back from her trip. The US ones are quite different from ours, especially as we only sell one of our two kinds at a time.

We have CAMP coming up on the April 17/19 weekend, so I must get 'in gear' and:

• Prepare and submit my Camp forms to a Yellow Assessor
• Rough out the Camp Plan so the 4 of us can then go on to make changes and finalize the camp

Other GUIDING things I need to do, soon, are:

• Send out an email to all our parents re our next meeting, which is the Bird nature walk. Email needs to mention Camp, Parent Camp Meeting, etc.
• Sort and find a better storage-location for all the Guiding stuff, both the Unit's and my own personal stuff

Organizing!

Seems as if ORGANIZING is almost a hobby with me. As Grant says, it would be nice if I could make money from ORGANIZING...or my computer use, for that matter. In the process of organizing this Blog, I think I need to do several posts in various groups (or using different LABELS). I know the labels are used to organize within my own blog, but I think they are also used to organize within all the labels, if others search..??

Blogging!!

This time yesterday I didn't have a Blog: now I have two! May end up with more before I settle with one. I'm trying to decide which Blog-host/software suits me best, and the only way I can think of to do that is to actually use one or two or three or??

One thing I like so far about BLOGGER is that I can move pieces/modules around quite easily. Another thing is that I can stay logged on and quickly access the Blog. And there are more fonts I can easily use...I am a sucker for the visual extras. I learned a lot by setting up both Blogs yesterday...I'm sure both will have basic features. Today..in between getting some necessary work done around the house, I will continue with this one to get it to the same level as the WordPress one...trying to compare 'apples to apples'

EARTH HOUR +++

This Saturday evening is EARTH HOUR...when we are asked to shut of our lights for one hour. Why not go one better than this and shut off all non-emergency power for that one hour?

More ideas:

• As a family we have recently started shutting off our entire household power for one hour each Saturday night.
• We are also going to start shutting off all the power from 11pm to 7am Friday and Saturday nights. We will make exceptions if the weather is too cold to go without the furnace on (we don't want frozen pipes!) or if it is too rainy to have our sump pump not running (we don't want a flooded basement!)

Besides reducing our ridiculously high electric bill, we will also be reducing our enviromental impact