Giving inanimate objects voices.

Magical.

Rune Guneriussen

When I grow up...

...I want to be a teenaged Francoise Hardy.



Swoon.

I used to really love writing...

I wonder what happened? I don't write down much more than grocery and to-do lists in ink any more, though I used to carry a notebook with me everywhere. And typing? Well, it's abundantly clear that this blog is relatively neglected, and yet some of the most important conversations I've had have been clackety-clacked out in front of a desk top. Maybe that was the problem- writing became conversational, less exploratory, and seeing how I generally dislike people (present company excluded) the conversational association has turned me off.

Maybe?

I really don't know. I did have a dream I was a writer last week. Shawn was calling me down from some attic workspace for dinner, and I was frantically rummaging through papers, with manuscripts piled up next to me.

I'll blame post-secondary education (Okay, okay. Just in part. Not wholly.) for extinguishing any spark of individuality my prose may once have carried. Not that I deny the utility of editing- far from it- I can go off on a tangent just as easily as the next person...

Wait...What was I just saying?

Day off!

And it's gone already. Oi vey! Onto a seven day work stretch!

Sewed the first of the production line Tree Friends this afternoon, and am working on my Etsy shop as we speak- it's about time! This has, after all, been in the making for over a year now...

To be honest, I would have finished getting my shop together sooner if I was any good at, or had any interest in learning Photoshop (you know, for banners and logos and such...), but I just don't! Maybe I can get a Shawn tutorial tonight...

The snow has melted, and things are back to beautiful, autumn-y temperatures! I am covered head to toe in Rocky Mountain products, and it's pizza night tonight!

In other words, nothing is happening, I just happen to have some spare time on my hands to say hi!

Time to dig out the Sorels...

Mark it down. First snow, 2009. One month and three days earlier than last year. With temperatures set to dip into the negative double digits tonight, winter may be here.

It really is true that autumn in Edmonton lasts about a week- much to my chagrin (autumn is my favouritest of seasons after all). Two weeks ago it was +30! With those kinds of temperature fluctuations, it's no wonder everyone gets sick this time of year. Not me- I eat my spinach every day, drink lots of tea, lots of water, stay bundled up regardless of how nerdy I look, keep out of doors, eat lots of berries, and wash my hands (and by "wash" I mean SOAP AND WATER not those crappy hand sanitizers!)!

Speaking of sanitary conduct...I'm always disgusted by how little regard people have for others when it comes to sneezing and coughing. COVER YOUR MOUTH. And yes, your precious designer coat may get a smudge (boohoo) but just because you can afford four digit clothing, does not mean you are allowed to spew your mucosal shrapnel everywhere. Stick your freakin' face in your sleeve- PLEASE. Is complete disregard for others part of the age of entitlement?

ANYHOO...In other happy news, I've recently acquired a (second) job with a company I really love! Only four days off this month- eep! Thankfully the growl (first) job "days off" that have been replaced with lovely (second) job shifts, are just like paid days off! Foot in the door...Fingers crossed for more involvement with lovely in the future, and less with growl!

Time to cuddle up in bed with something light- like essays outlining the effects of globalization and shifting economic policy and legislation on rural communities! If Shawn wasn't in Vancouver on a crazy overnight trip to see a show, I'd be cuddling up with something much better.

So goodnight! And remember kids- cover your coughs and sneezes, try to mind and be kind to those around you, and if you ate today, thank a farmer.

Time Travel...Birthday!

So! We're going to pretend I haven't been absent for the entire summer, and go back in time to a few of my favourite adventures from the past few months....as I edit them. (Of note: there are few things I hate more than editing photos, so the speed with which this will occur is debatable.)

To start! I decided that all I wanted for my birthday was to spend it in the mountains. I love me some mountains. And some camping. We had a brand new tent to test out as well (a North Face Moraine 33, for those of you interested- super sweet). The drive in from Canmore is beautiful- we even saw a young moose grazing along the road! I love mooses. I referred to him as "my birthday moose".

Neither Shawn nor I had been "real" camping in years- and what better way to test our skills than to set up camp in the rain!?



I honestly can't think of a better place to spend my birthday. Or a better person to spend it with...



Shawn works on the manly business of wood chopping- best to get the fire cracklin' during the brief breaks in the weather!



As you can see, the rain doesn't dampen our spirits one bit! Oh man, I didn't even mean to be punny there....



All set up! We greatly improved on our tarp a few hours later- complete with moat, and directional rain drain. We learned (rather, reestablished) that we make an excellent team.



Once we set up, Mother Nature rewarded our efficient work with a burst of sunshine around the dinner hour...



Perfect smoky roastin' weather!



Fire stoking (complete with headlamp!) pre-s'mores! We even splurged on a box of glow sticks to mark the tent pegs and tarp lines! The marshmallowy goodness was followed by a fantastic night's sleep! I'll admit it, I have a completely unfounded fear of bears, and I'm never sure how soundly I'll sleep when protected by little more than a candy wrapper at a relatively remote campground, but it was great.

The next morning dawned so beautiful, and so clear...well, I'll just let you look for yourself. It's the stuff postcards are made of.





This is the view FROM OUR CAMPSITE. The site we stayed was by far the nicest, and most secluded of the entire campground. We had a whole beach to ourselves, and the water was so absolutely crystal clear. We even had a little mule deer come right up to our site to graze at dusk!





The rest of our pictures are on camera #2, currently in Shawn's backpack at work. Part 2 will be coming soon!

Soo....

It's nearing the end of July??! Sorry I haven't been around. I don't really feel bad about that. Lots has happened and nothing at all has happened!

Life plans have changed, and this time we're REALLY excited!

That's all I've got for now.