Archive for the ‘Charley’ Category
The Aftermath
Finally, after seemingly endless days of eating, cooking, baking, wrapping, unwrapping, smiling, drinking and running around, I’ve had a day to do nothing. It’s 4:20 p.m. and I’m in my pajamas – still. I briefly dressed myself long enough to take the dogs for a long, long walk, after which I could feel the workout in my ass and thighs. Nothing has felt tight in days, except perhaps my jeans. I love winter weight.
Lately I’ve become pitiful at taking photos of things as they happen. That’s not to say I haven’t snapped any, but this is all you get. Let’s begin with three photos of my niece intriguing herself with one of the gifts her favourite auntie bestowed upon her, shall we?
It’s a musical octopus. Each tentacle plays a different note in the music scale. The best part? It’s lightly vanilla-scented (no word of a lie).
Years ago my mom was happy to resign herself from baking and cooking duties, leaving the responsibility to myself and my sister-in-law. While Laura took care of Christmas Eve, I pulled out the stops on the big day. I like to call it my Ziggy Stardust Christmas Banquet Table. Yes, that’s gold lamé that’s blinding you.
I also managed to bake four dozen fluffy buns from scratch, roasted a turkey, chopped and cooked sinfully delicious stuffing with sides of yams, garlic red-skinned mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and roasted brussels sprouts with walnuts. You get the picture.
Kinda excessive, no?
Chillin’ with my buddy.
Each Christmas, my mom gives my brother and I an ornament that’s usually reflective of the past year. This one’s pretty self-explanatory.
This one represents my love of the ocean…
And apparently I enjoy shopping from time to time.
Anyone who knows me (and by that I mean knows me) understands the inexplicable affinity I have with First Nations culture. I have, in fact, been known to leave the First Peoples Gallery at the Royal BC Museum in tears simply because of overwhelming feelings. A few years ago my mother gave me a Haida sun from the reserve in Comox.
Daddy-O still joins us every year. I think he kind of looks like Jerry Springer.
Oma and Opa are always there too.
I’m basically obsessed with everything and anything that’s made by Wilton for baking. Sprinkles in my stocking.
My aunt bought me the last two seasons of my favourite sweaty, naked and incarcerated men. It’s HBO at its finest.
I have a plan for these…
Jordy matches everything at my mom’s house.
I really need to hurry up with this blog post so I can get moving on to more important things. I’ve opted for SNES with The Legend of Zelda.
You can’t actually tell, but the skirt of this dress was in three layers, each with a different pattern. I saved up many weeks’ allowance to buy it from Zellers. Be jealous. Be very jealous.
Guess who.
We popped open Christmas crackers with dinner and I found a blue fawn in mine. I’m thinking it’s a sign that my cake just might win the Interfaith Baking Competition.
Mom gave me a grey knit endless scarf for Christmas. I think I’m in love.
My brother and me.
This is how we roll.
Clearly I have a lot to look forward to in the next year, so I’m not filled with that dreaded “what now?” thought that usually takes over like a tryptophan nap. One thing I’ve traditionally done in January is execute a mini makeover in my home. This year I’m picking up an industrial shelving unit, storing all my cooking and baking wares on it to make more room in my too-cramped kitchen. In a few months it may be present time to me. My current lease is up at the end of March. With that, I’ve decided to stay another year in the studio I’m currently calling home before moving to a more spacious casa with a large kitchen and an actual bedroom.
It’s time to end the rambling and save the princess.
Paws For A Cause Was A Huge Success!
After months of planning, preparation, anticipation and tireless fundraising efforts, the BC-SPCA’s Paws For A Cause finally arrived. While these walks were simultaneously taking place in communities all across British Columbia, Jordy, Charley, my mom and I found ourselves at Marina Park in Comox.
The sunshine decided to take a day off, but rain clouds didn’t damper the excitement everyone felt. Dozens and dozens of beautiful, amazing, playful dogs turned out to support their fellow animals.
I’m still waiting to hear the final tallies regarding how much money was raised both Province-wide and in the Comox Valley, but I have no doubt that the goals of $950,000 and $20,000 respectively were reached.
My readers have been completely awesome! Many contributed funds and many more offered supportive words of encouragement – both of which kept giving me the drive to keep up with the efforts I had undertaken to make. I’d like to take a minute to offer a huge thank you to my financial sponsors for their generous donations: Katrina Mellis, Danielle Ciavarro, Marda Mischa-Miller, Tyler Ingram, Tania Morrison, Sixty4Media, Madeline Lagden, Lindsay Davis, Phil Ogynist, Buster the Dog, Jennifer Stoddart, Mikis Manolis, Duane Storey, Tanya Martin, Winnie Sung, Nicole George, Colleen Brown, Blain Sepos, Erin McConnell, Dom Richards, “Jenn,” Sarah Dawson, A.M. Chalupa, Marlee McConnell, Craig Jangula, Eileen Henderson, Sea To Sky Network Solutions and Double S Sales (Courtenay Sears).
Between all of you, $1,590 was donated to help many grateful animals!
One of my favourite things about events like this is not only the socialization they provide for dogs – which is crucial to their well-being – but it’s also a lot of fun to watch the animals play and interact together. Anyone who doesn’t believe that dogs are loving, intelligent and communicative creatures is completely nuts.
A last hearty and huge thank you to everyone who participated, donated, encouraged and cheered all of us on around British Columbia. It’s classic cheese to say, but you’re the true heroes for giving of what you have for the betterment of another creature. One friend who donated told me that she did so because “there’s an animal out there that needs food more than I need a new shirt or a couple drinks at a pub!” That’s hitting the nail on the head and then some.
Stay tuned to my Twitter for final totals! (And don’t forget: just because this event is over doesn’t mean the need is gone. If you’d like to support, donate to or volunteer at your local shelter, please visit the BC-SPCA’s website.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON AWWW…
I adore lazy Sundays, and Jordy was kind enough to let me sleep until 9:30 this morning. Most of today we’ve spent in front of the TV, escaping the heat. The weekend’s highlight was definitely making the trip yesterday to Gastown to visit Rebecca, Duane and others as they blogged for 24 hours straight to raise money for their respective charities. Congratulations to all of you tireless bloggers and a huge thanks to all that donated!
It seems that Jordy became the unofficial mascot – at least for the afternoon – and had his photo snapped a number of times…
Photo: TylerIngram on Flickr
Photo: Miss604 on Flickr
Photo: tris on Flickr
John Biehler and Duane both took some great shots that aren’t yet uploaded, but I’ll definitely post them as soon as I can!
In the meantime, my mom has been babysitting Sienna since last night and enjoying “Oma Time,” so she spent some time in the backyard with the cutest little girl in the world. Charley has taken an undeniable liking to Sienna, and I have no doubt the two will grow up to be peas in a pod.
How did you spend your weekend?
A STORY FOR A RAINY DAY
Consider me a delinquent. I’ve been feeling rather ill lately and therefore less inclined to write, but I think I’m back up to 90% or so. Maybe even 95%. Last night I checked out the Sins Of The City tour with a few friends courtesy of the Vancouver Police Museum, so look for tons of very cool (and scandalous) photos later this evening.
The rain is falling, the sky is gray and it’s most likely unanimous that we’d all rather be in bed. Instead, let me share with you a story…
Once upon a time there were six horses who lived on a farm in Langley. Their names were Buddy, Magnum, Misty, Jock, Chewie and Lexie.
One day, 911 received a call reporting a car in the ditch. Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters and RCMP were mortified by what they saw. A team from the BC SPCA and the Langley Animal Protection Society were called in because the crashed couple were forcing Buddy to tow their car out of the ditch. Buddy was too weak, in great pain and could hardly stand; he had to be euthanized at the scene.
Magnum, Misty, Jock, Chewie and Lexie were found at the couple’s home in even worse condition. All five were emaciated, hypothermic and suffering from internal parasites and rain scald. Though the SPCA immediately brought them into special care and did everything they could, Magnum died a few days later.
The good news is that through continued love and medical attention, Misty, Jock, Chewie and Lexie’s hearts and wounds have healed!
Now in foster care (and awaiting their forever homes), the support given to these four beauties has made a 180-degree difference in their worlds.
In 2008, the BC SPCA conducted nearly 5,000 cruelty investigations and removed more than 1,200 animals from dangerous home situations and neglectful owners. Each of these investigations costs an average of $10,000 from beginning to end (prosecution in Court).
If you haven’t already done so, please consider sponsoring myself, Jordy and Charley as we pound the pavement (er, grass) in the 2009 Paws For A Cause to raise funds for animals just like Misty, Jock, Chewie and Lexie and countless others. Our goal for this year is $1,500 and through generous donations we’ve already reached 31% of that goal. Every little bit will help – whether you can give $3 or $30. Every penny goes to helping the animals!
THIS IS WHAT LOU REED SANG ABOUT
Australian writer Germaine Greer once said “The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.” Surely she must have experienced a weekend on Vancouver Island.
Since Andrea was planning meet up with a friend of hers in the Comox Valley and I was headed there to visit family, we grabbed the same ferry together and ended up having one of those weekends made up of memories and magic.
We met so many amazing dogs on the ferry, but this Rottweiler named Beth was the star of the show. She was really just a big cat who, the more we cuddled her, the more she rested lazily against our legs.
No doubt Jordy is a water baby just like his mama. We started Saturday early by grabbing him and Charley, a couple coffees from McDonald’s and hit the beach at the Courtenay Airpark.
The water was warm and glassy, the sun hot and bright and the sand was like wet baby powder under our feet.
It’s no secret that I’m currently engaged in a passionate love affair with Vancouver Island wines, so I made sure to bring Andrea by Beaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery.
They had some swings.
I’ve never been to the Courtenay Museum & Palaeontology Centre. I don’t think you’re supposed to snap pictures, but I grabbed this one anyways. Yes, dinosaur bones and fossils have been found all over the Comox Valley.
After Miss A’s rendez-vous, she met up with my mom and I at Atlas Cafe for some dinner. I had the veggie enchilada again.
After dinner, we didn’t head straight home. Instead we found ourselves on Headquarters Road and pulled over by Casawood Farms. The space is home to many, many cows and is one of the Island’s producers of milk for Island Farms.
I wasn’t thrilled to see their ears tagged (though how different can it be than a mom piercing her baby’s ears), but I suppose it’s important for identification purposes. I was, however, excited to see that the cows had an eating area separate from their clean, dry sleeping area.
None of the cows had docked tails, none were forced to sleep in pens, none were hooked up to milk machines and there were acres and acres of green grass for them to roam during the day. The ladies let us pick up handfuls of their muck and feed them by hand. This was a great idea until my (mom’s) camera fell into the feeding trough.
Who knew cows peed out of their bums?
Really? You feel okay knowing that such beautiful girls are callously butchered like something out of a horror movie just so you can enjoy that burger? Oooookay.
A few kilometres further down the road we found another private farm with a few horses roaming the field. All it took was a sweet whistle and they came running towards us.
Like the lovely cows, the horses also let us feed them by hand with handfuls of grass we pulled from the roadside.
I think I kinda like animals.
First discovery on the ferry: Jordy left his mark on my leg.
No, not that kind of mark.
Oops… forgot this beauty shot from Coombs.
Since it was sunny, we decided to ditch the dog area and opted for a picnic on the deck instead.
Comox Brie from Natural Pastures, BC-grown cherries and über healthy crackers.
Yummmmmmy!
We met Mitch on the way back, a one-and-a-half-year-old black labrador/mastiff cross. I couldn’t tell if he was more interested in Jordy or the brie cheese, but we didn’t mind his company either way. His tongue was bigger than two of Jordy’s paws put together!
After stuffing our bellies, all three of us laid back under the big, beautiful sun for an afternoon nap.
That’s all for now, kids.
PAWS FOR A CAUSE 2009
Last summer, I was honoured to take part in the BC-SPCA’s annual Paws For A Cause fundraiser. With the help of some furry friends, my fundraising efforts contributed to numerous people making incredibly generous donations. When all was said and done, thousands of dollars went directly into local animal shelters!
Contrary to what some might believe, the BC-SPCA helps any and all animals that require help. This includes domestic animals, farm animals and even our critters of the wild, both large and small. A little bit of funding can go an incredibly long way…
- $75 neuters one cat;
- $80 feeds a litter of puppies for eight weeks;
- $100 neuters one dog;
- $110 spays one cat;
- $120 covers emergency response for animal rescue for one night;
- $200 pays for emergency and first aid equipment for our constables;
- $1,000 provides 20 beds for dogs;
- $10,000 pays for the investigation and prosecution of one animal cruelty case
More statistics and facts can be found here.
This is only a small example of how your contribution – no matter the size – can help. In fact, in 2008 the BC-SPCA rescued over 36,000 injured, homeless, neglected and abused animals!
This year, the campaign is trying to raise $950,000 Province-wide, and I’ve set a personal goal of at least $1,500. On Sunday, September 13, 2009 Jordy, Charley and I will be joining countless others in participating in one of many local walks across British Columbia. Last year I took part in the Vancouver walk and will instead be participating in the event in the Comox Valley this year.
Please consider if sponsoring the three of us is something you can do – even donating a dollar and foregoing your daily coffee helps! To donate, please visit my personal campaign page here.
Show your support and lend a “paw” to help animals in need!
MAY LONG WEEKEND 2009
This weekend marked me and Jordy’s first trip back to the Island together, including his first ride on public transit in his new carrier. He has done nothing short of amaze me all weekend. Not only did the travel time unfold seamlessly, but he has adapted to life at my mom and aunt’s house so well and has made fast friends with Charley – it’s clear that he’s comfortable here.
Apart from being stuck in the steel-walled pet area, the trip was a lot of fun for us. The sea air, the sunshine and meeting new dog friends were all highlights for Jordy.
The Driftwood Mall is jumping on the sanitary bandwagon, offering patrons complimentary hand sanitizer upon arriving at the mall.
Local Comox Valley businesses are offering a Comox Glacier-clad reusable shopping bag – I have yet to get my mitts on one, but I’m planning on it during my next visit.
I swear I didn’t have a blizzy, Andrea! I’m waiting for next weekend, pre-pedis.
In the evening yesterday, my mom and I found ourselves at Avenue Bistro in Comox for dinner. Why tell you what I had when the menu can explain it even better?
Baked Hazelnut Crusted Comox Camembert with apple cranberry compote and baguette crustini
It wasn’t listed on the online menu, but Avenue Bistro was pouring Carbrea Vineyard’s 2006 pinot noir. When my mom and I were on Hornby Island in the summer of 2007, I picked up a bottle; it’s still corked in my apartment, being saved for a special occasion.
Local Squash Ravioli with toasted walnuts, spinach, sautéed mushrooms and blue cheese butter
I tried so hard not to be tempted by dessert, but when I found out that this was on the menu, I could no longer resist:
Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis
The weatherman failed big time in his forecast for the weekend… 9 degrees and overcast with rain turned out to be 20+ degrees, sunshine and blue skies. After spending the morning at the Art & Bloom Festival (more about that later), we scooped up Jordy and Charley and headed for Miracle Beach.
The tide was out far enough that we could dig our toes and paws into the soft sand and wading pools.
This dog is so much like his mama… Jordy loves the Island, the ocean and the simple life.
I guess it comes as no surprise that both Jordy and Charley are completley exhausted and fast asleep in the family room as I type this.
Even after such a long day, nothing was going to stop me from dragging out our patio furniture for the summer and BBQing up a bundle of veggie dogs for dinner. Obviously I washed them down with Diet Pepsi.
Our family home is truly one of the most beautiful, comfortable and peaceful places that I love being at most…
No white noise, no traffic, no noise neighbours… just chirping birds. Literally – just chirping birds.
Tomorrow we’re headed back to the city for a quick, four-day work week before another weekend to look forward to. Lucky me gets to stop in Coombs en route to pick up a few loaves of their fantastic four-cheese rosemary bread and, of course, more Island Farms ice cream.
LONGING FOR THE WEEKEND
When I was a teenager, I spent all my May long weekends camping in Parksville. Between swimming at the beach, roasting marshmallows around the campfire and trying my hand at mini golf, there was always something fun to do.
Photo: City of Parksville
Times have changed and though I no longer find myself camping in the springtime, the long weekend is a perfect excuse (like I ever need one) to get back to Vancouver Island.
The weather forecast is a bit less than favourable, but I’m hoping to get a lot of fun packed into those three days.
Aside from spending quality time with my aunt and introducing Jordy to his new “cousin” Charley for the first time, my mom and I are looking forward to a scrumptious dinner at Avenue Bistro in the seaside town of Comox. However, I can’t decide between the Baked Hazelnut-crusted Comox Camembert with apple cranberry compote or the Vegetarian Meze Plate with hummus, baba ghanouj and more delectable goodies.
I think it goes without saying that we’ll be feasting on some Island Farms ice cream for dessert. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for banana fudge to be in stock!
If you happen to be on the upper Island this weekend, be sure not to miss the annual Art and Bloom Festival at Woodland Gardens in Merville. My mom and I went last year and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful scenery mingled with beautiful crafts from local artisans.
And the best part? It’s a dog-friendly location, so Jordy and Charley will be tagging along as well! Hopefully that sun will hang on long enough to allow the four of us a trip to Miracle Beach’s off-leash beach to let the monkeys burn off some energy on the sand…
What do you have planned for the long weekend?
SNOW DAYS = 任天堂株式会社
Between Twitter and Flickr, my need of diary blogging on this site has seemingly become obsolete. While I haven’t felt much inspired to get deep lately, that’s no excuse to neglect you, o’ my readers.
Here’s a little of what I’ve been up to since arriving on Vancouver Island on Friday afternoon…
The mercury dropped as quickly as the snowflakes, so naturally Charley and I had to make use of our pending white Christmas. That little girl loves the snow, and if you don’t believe me, you should probably check out the video I posted.
With Christmas celebrations comes Christmas dinner, and with Christmas dinner comes Christmas dessert. My mom and I spent time on Sunday and Monday in the kitchen: she made her famous whipped shortbread; I made gingerbread shapes and Auntie Amy’s peanut butter cup cookies. And yes, they’re as good as they look!
A few weeks ago, I decided that it would be my Winter project to take up knitting. Mostly I want to be able to make a baby blanket for my soon-to-be-born niece (yes, they’re having a baby girl!), but I also thought it’d be fun to whip up some scarves for friends and for charity next Christmas.
Okay, so my tension sucks, but I’ve picked up the theory of the knit pretty quickly, and my mom’s BFF is bringing some perfectly-sized needles and fun royal purple wool for me on Christmas Day. The woman knits, weaves, cross-stitches, sews, quilts and who knows what else. She’ll have me knitting like a pro in no time!
After three days of cabin fever, my friend Rebecca came to my rescue in her boyfriend’s 4×4 and whisked me into downtown Courtenay.
London fogs, Christmas card shopping and finding some manicure implements were on our to-do list.
After our “date,” I met up with my mom for some McDonald’s for dinner. Tasty, I know.
Ugh, I gotta give myself a very, very thorough manicure tomorrow. After copious hand-washing while baking, my hands are in some serious need of TLC.
The snow is starting to come down again something fierce, so there’s nothing better to do than curl up with Charley and my fleece blanket and kick my mom’s ass at Dr. Mario. Yup, old school Nintendo. I might even bust out Rad Racer later.
MY DOG’S A SUPERMODEL
Being that in only a few short hours, I’ll be on the Island with my family and lovable baby girl Charley, today’s post is dedicated solely to her cuteness. My mom’s been snappin’ shots like crazy lately, particularly with all the snow that’s been falling on Vancouver Island. Charley is one dog who can’t get enough of the fluffy white stuff…
Photo: tempest_kat on Flickr
Photo: tempest_kat on Flickr
Photo: tempest_kat on Flickr
Photo: tempest_kat on Flickr
Photo: tempest_kat on Flickr
Photo: tempest_kat on Flickr
Those pictures pretty much make my heart burst and I can’t wait to get out and run around in the snow with my little pumpkin.
P.S. In case you were wondering, Mount Washington opens today (the lifts start running in 10 minutes!) and from what I can tell on the snowcam, things are really, really ridiculously good-looking on the slopes. In celebration of the mountain’s 30th anniversary, passes are only $30 bucks today!