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July <                                                                                                       > September

Thursday ~ August 2nd

Click on the photo above to see pictures from my recent metal clay class.

Thursday ~ August 9th

                             Front yard this morning

Wow, has it really been a week since I last updated?  *tsk, tsk*

Well, I guess I've been a little busy around here.  If you look in July's Archives, you'll see what the yard looked like a couple of weeks ago.  Since the sod was laid, I've carved out the sidewalk path & dug out all the dirt.  Chris has been working on a deck just to the right & up against the house as well.  We have so much to do, it's not even funny, but it's coming along.  I've been finding it hard to sleep lately because I wake up around 3 a.m. & spend the rest of the early morning hours pondering, planning & moving trees & shrubs in my head.  I have 3 or 4 possible looks for the front yard, but  I've got to narrow it down to one by next week when some of the big trees we bought arrive ~ how exciting!

Is anyone out there?  I've been getting a whole lot of spam in my email box lately, but not much of anything else... must be summer.  Feel free to drop me a note & say hello or tell me your favorite word (mine is onomatopoeia, which I like, ironically, because of the way it sounds) or your favorite tree (I think mine is an Amur Cherry at the moment), or recommend a good movie (by the way, The Simpsons was awesome!) or a good book  (I'm in need).

It's raining today & it's cold in the house.  A very good day to make beads & that's what I'm off to do.  Have a wonderful Thursday for me, would ya?

Friday ~ August 10th

   Nu & Maggie earlier this year ~ basking in the perfect sunbeam

I awoke startled this morning, at 4:30 a.m.  I heard a "big" bang & I was sure someone was breaking in so I shook Chris awake to check it out.  Turns out the cork on the wine bottle felt like popping off into the kitchen sink & that's what the noise was ~ why does everything sound louder & scarier when you're half asleep?  Both of us couldn't get back to bed after that, I was thinking about those darn trees again & Chris, who gets Fridays off, was anxious to get out & work on the deck before the rain came  ~ aren't we a pair! 

Thanks to all of you sending me emails, it's nice to see something other than Viagra adds (as Randi puts it) & it's just nice to read about your interests too!

I've had some inquires regarding the PMC (silver clay) objects & when some might be available.  We haven't cleared a working space in my mom's studio yet because there's so much other stuff going on at the moment, but we hope to have some time in September to work on it.  Mom & I booked an advanced PMC course in Mexico in January (smart cookies, eh?  Get out of dodge when it's cold) so we're going to have to start working with it before then.  I'm sure they'll be some things available, but not for awhile. 

However, I am currently working on a little bead sale here on the website that I hope to have up later this month!  Luckily (luckily?), the weather has cooled considerably & we're expecting a fair amount of rain for the next week so it's rather nice to have that torch going, heating things up a bit & it's also nice to take a break from the obsessive yard activities.

This morning, I'm booked in for a pedicure and facial - what a fantastic way to start the weekend! 

* Oh, check out Jim Cuddy's website (from Blue Rodeo) - click on "Pull Me Through" in the left menu & sit back & listen, or even better, go buy the song/album.  He's got one of the most wonderful voices I've ever heard & this song is so beautiful.  Jim Cuddy is playing tonight at the Edmonton Folk Festival, we didn't get tickets this year because we have an out of town wedding tomorrow, but I have to say, I think I would rather listen to this in my cozy little house tonight staying dry anyway, brrr.

Sunday ~ August 12th

I made this bracelet to match my outfit for the wedding we went to yesterday.  Chris' cousin Angie tied the knot with her long time boyfriend, Ryan.  We had a wonderful time with great people, dancing till the wee morning hours.  It was as if Lord Byron wrote this little quote for us ~

         "On with the dance!

          Let joy be unconfined;

          No sleep till morn,

          When Youth & Pleasure meet,

          To chase the glowing hours with flying feet."

Wednesday ~ August 15th

Notes from the field ~ This was the church beside the hall where the wedding reception on Saturday was held.  Chris' cousin didn't get married in this particular church, however, I still thought it made for a nice photo.

Curious cows... they won the staring contest (except for that one guy in the back there, he lost). 

Chris, a farmer at heart, collecting wheat sheaths (for future planting?)

On the way back to Edmonton, we drove through Elk Island National Park, which I love to do because the roads are curvy & the speed limit is slow so you can roll down your windows, enjoy the fresh air & take it all in.  You might be lucky enough to spot some bison in a field or a moose wading in a bog & more often than not, you'll feel the urge to stop at one of the walking trails & go for a little wander, which is what we did. 

                                   Beaver Pond

We walked among goldenrod & bunchberries, dodging the little frogs that crossed our path.  The dragonflies weaved & bobbed along side us, & when they did stop to park on a stone, or a wild horseradish leaf or a rosehip, they never stayed still long enough to get a good photo... they are just like butterflies in that way.  We stood in filtered sunlight as the clouds contemplated drifting apart & Chris picked a wild raspberry for me, which tasted sweeter than I had anticipated.  And such are those moments in life.   

Monday ~ August 20th

I've been outside working for the majority of the last week; digging up the beds & ripping out old Weeping Birch & Lilac roots, putting in edging, adding compost, peat & sand, planting trees & shrubs (still have lots to go), watering, fertilizing & I even had my first mow with our new lawnmower on the new sod (doesn't get much better than that for me, I love to mow lawns!).  Chris & I picked up a new lawnmower yesterday, we opted for a cordless electric one because of all the alarming news coming out about the pollution gas-powered lawnmowers create.  I have to say that I was weary about going electric because I didn't know if it could handle the thick grass, but I was wrong.  I love our new mower which is so easy to run, much more quiet than a gas-powered lawnmower, did just as good a job & was affordable & just felt really good to use, cleaner for sure! 

On another note, I have a small confession to make regarding my beads.  I let my mom go into the "stash" I was building for an online sale so that she could pick some beads to make jewelry for our show in November.  I know, I know, but she was driving me CRAZY (just kidding mom, love you).  It was hard for her to contain herself, she walked away giggling with her hands full, so I need to bulk it up again - back to the torch today.     

Thursday ~ August 23rd

Here's a little sneak peak at some of the beads I've been making for sale here. 

Maggie doesn't like it one bit!

She would much rather I spend all my time petting her...  Ah, the sacrifices she makes so that I can get my little beads out there into the world, eh?

Anyway, it's time for a wee break on these weary hands & wrists.  I'm off to the annual "All Girls Camping Extravaganza" in the mountains.  Chris is staying here & working on the yard, trying to get things done as summer dwindles away.  I'm quite reluctant to leave him with all this work, but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. 

If you're not on the bead notification list & want to be, email me.  Have a great weekend!

Monday ~ August 27th

                                  A Fiesta in the Woods

Back from a wonderful "All Girls" trip & I feel refreshed & ready to get some serious work done.  A little break can do that to you ~ it's like recharging the batteries. 

I've been stringing beads this morning so that I can figure out what I need to make to finish all the sets.  I'm hoping to get this sale going this week if I can get everything photographed & posted.

Wednesday ~ August 29th

Guess what washed up on shore...

Beads!  Well they didn't really wash up on shore, they were each lovingly handcrafted, strung in matching fashion, photographed with a few shells thrown in for color balance & to make it interesting for me (taking a hundred photos can drive a girl bonkers if she doesn't make it interesting) & then resized & laid out here for you to peruse through, but not until tomorrow morning. 

The "boring" stuff I recommend you read before tomorrow's sale:

• I'll be sending out an email reminder to all those interested in the sale right before I post the beads (make sure to refresh your browser if the date doesn't say Thursday on the website). 

• As for the sale, I've been working it so that the first to email in for a set, gets it, but if there are many request for particular sets, I'll wait a wee bit & draw a name just to make it a little more fair. 

• I will notify you if you are the first to ask to purchase a set or sets, please give me a little time, I won't start emailing right away because it's a little hairy at first. 

• Once an item is sold, I will mark it down SOLD & put your initials beside the bead set too (just like the last sale).   

• After the smoke has cleared, I will send out paypal invoices unless you specify in your email that you would like to pay another way.  I would appreciate prompt payment & I will get these goodies out to you as fast as I can.

• I will add regular shipping & handling costs, which is $5 unless you have specifically let me know that you want traceable & insured shipping which is $12 (sorry ladies, the cost to send out of Canada is expensive these days ~ it's your choice, either way I am not responsible once they leave my hands.  That being said, the mail is 99.98% reliable, or so that's what they tell me.

• My fellow Canadians, please realize that G.S.T. will be added to your purchase so that our government gets their cut too.

O.k. I think that covers everything.  Any questions?  Feel free to email me.

Thursday ~ August 30th

                         Click on Photo to view the new bead sets

I've sent out all the invoices & now I'm going to noodle in my yard, it's just fantastically beautiful & warm out, one of those last great days of summer, so I'm off to enjoy it.  Thanks everyone for your interest!  As the payments come in, I will start to package things up.  I hope I can get the majority off by Saturday. 

Friday ~ August 31st

"Once upon a time, there was a wise man, who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had the habit of walking along the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore; as he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer and was curious so he began to walk faster to get a better look.  As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead, he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing Starfish into the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked; why are you throwing Starfish into the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out and if I don't throw them in, they'll die."

"But young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and Starfish all along it, you can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely, then bent down, picked up another Starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. "It made a difference for that one."

His response surprised the man, who didn't know how to reply, so instead he turned away and walked back to the cottage to begin his writings.

All day long as he wrote, the image of that young man haunted him; he tried to ignore it, but the vision persisted. Finally, late in the afternoon, he realized that he the scientist, he the poet, had missed the essential nature of the young man's actions. Because he realized that what the young man was doing was choosing not to be an observer in the universe and watch it pass by, but was choosing to be an actor in the universe and make a difference. He was embarrassed.

That night he went to bed, troubled. When morning came, he awoke knowing that he had to do something; so he got up, put on his clothes, went to the beach and found the young man; and with him spent the rest of the morning throwing Starfish into the ocean.

You see, what the young man's actions represent is something that is special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can, like the young man, become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our vision the power to shape the future."

                                                         By Joel Arthur Baker, inspired by the writing of Loren Eiseley

* Join The Nature Challenge ~ it's really easy & with a more joiners, the government will have to acknowledge that we, the citizens of this planet care about it & want changes! *