Murphy's Law and Other Ironies

Ah...my hopeful last post.  So naive...so innocent.  The Monday after the last blog we awoke to this:

 

Oh sure, it's pretty...but seriously!  It did cover up the gross nasty rusty red snow, but not for long and then we were back to soupy muck.  I had to crack out my rubber boots.  At least it was the last snow fall before spring, right?  Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Here's our upcoming forecast:

Long Term Forecast Updated:Tuesday, March 19, 2013, 5:55ADT

• Day
• Night

	WednesdayMarch 20	ThursdayMarch 21	FridayMarch 22	SaturdayMarch 23	SundayMarch 24	MondayMarch 25
Conditions 6am - 6pm
	Snow	Variable cloudiness	Scattered flurries	Snow	Scattered flurries	Variable cloudiness
P.O.P.	100%	30%	60%	70%	40%	20%
Conditions 6pm - 6am
	Scattered flurries	Cloudy periods	Snow	A few flurries	Few flurries	Cloudy periods
P.O.P.	40%	20%	80%	60%	40%	20%
High	2°C	3°C	0°C	0°C	1°C	-2°C
Feels Like	-6	-5	-7	-9	-6	-10
Low	-7°C	-5°C	-3°C	-1°C	-1°C	-5°C
Wind	E 25km/h	S 20km/h	NE 30km/h	N 45km/h	N 30km/h	NW 30km/h
24-Hr Rain	less than 1 mm	-	-	-	-	-
24-Hr Snow	close to 10 cm	-	5-10 cm	5-10 cm	close to 1 cm	-

Note that the first full day of spring we're supposed to get 5-10 cm of snow.   How is that spring?  I know, I know, there are daffodils and blossoming cherry trees, the snow drops have likely come and gone out west.  I even heard rumours of 16 degrees.  On the bright side, at least our temperatures aren't that cold in the forecast.  (Yesterday it felt like -21 BLICK)

Anyhow, thought I'd drop a quick update, hopefully we won't be digging out of snow until summer.  Ah...that golden word, how blissful it sounds.  Be well!

The Final Stretch of Winter (We Hope!)

For the most part, I think Ron and I are pretty big advocates of the Gentle Island.  We show off it's beauty, talk about all the wonderful people, show off our beautiful property and generally have only good things to say...but be warned the following is a bit whiny and exposes the dark underbelly of life on Prince Edward Island...yes, it's called WINTER.

You know how it is, when you set yourself a goal, and you've poured your heart and soul into achieving it?  There's highs and lows, ups and downs and sometimes things just go sideways?  That's our experience of winter here - buckle down for the distance race and pace yourself.  In all honesty, winter was pretty good up to February.  Sure there was a bit of snow here and there, the temperature dropped, but we could get out and enjoy the sunshine and live day to day in a fairly normal way.  (If you consider multiple layers of clothes to go outside normal!)  Then, just as we're getting hopeful for an early spring in come the storms.  Of the last four weekends (including this one), only the last one was sunny.  The previous two, as you saw, were blizzardy.  Perversely, the work days for the most part weren't all that bad, some of them were down right balmy!  This weekend we're experiencing ice pellets, freezing rain and snow.  Oh goody!  There's no pictures this time...things are just dirty and uninspiring, so I'll spare you the visuals.

I know I really shouldn't complain, our friends out west are threatened with a deluge of rain, at least those in Vancouver/Victoria et al, but I'm looking out the window at "rotten" snow - it's dirty and melted underneath, so you never know when you can walk over a snow bank or fall through.  The wind has strewn about innocent branches and evergreen tree tips, making our backyard look like a bit of a disaster zone.

But back to my analogy of a race...this is the final stretch, the part of the race where you just have to buckle down, suck it up and get through.  You can't think about the finish line (meaning Spring), just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other until someone tells you to stop or you realize you've crossed the finish line.  We haven't had a visit from the big black dog again, in fact, we haven't seen him since he dropped by to say hello.  It's easy to think that it was just our imagination, but we have photographic evidence, so I think not.

That's all there is from Prince Edward Island, at least for the time being.  Be well, take care of each other & know that there are people out there who love you and think about you often!

What a Difference a Week Makes

Yes, everything was bucolic and serene (except for the cold) last week.  The snow was gone, the grass was, well, yellow and the sky was blue.  But that was before "Nemo" (what I've been told is the name of the blizzard we're currently experiencing).  I didn't realize that we were in the habit of naming blizzards, but there you have it.

Taken Tuesday Morning...yes, a bit of snow, but bright and clear

Taken Saturday Morning (yes, today!) Hint: its not fog!
 

Our car is nothing but ghostly shadow at the end of our drive; sometimes we can see it and others, we can't see past our front tree line.  The wind is howling around the house and the furnace seems to be on a mission to impoverish us in one storm.  Besides that, everything is fairly hunky dory, as the saying goes.  We had a lovely visit from a big black dog yesterday.  He was a bit shy and liked to bark a bit if we got too close, but I don't think he was menacing in anyway.  Despite the profile I believe him to be a Standard Poodle or a cross of a Poodle and Newfoundlander (his snout is too long to be a pure Newfie)

Sorry it's blurry, but the light was very low and I had to zoom in quite a bit.  I called to him, to see if he'd come, but he only barked at me and then Ron went out to visit, but the fellow seemed to like to stay about 3 feet away or so, just out of arms reach.  He spent 20 minutes or so in our yard, alternately barking, if Ron got too close, or following, when Ron walked away. Where is Cesar Milan when you need him?  The snow and cold didn't seem to bother him at all, as he laid down in the driveway for a bit of a rest before heading home.  He did have a collar and we think he belongs down at the mushroom farm, but it didn't stop me from worrying about him.



A couple days before the big black dog came visiting we had a fox in our yard.  He was hunting for yummy things under the snow pack.  I took some video, but the files are quite large and I have to upload them to YouTube before I can attach them here...ah the technical challenges.  It's taken 20 some minutes to upload one of the videos...that being said, it's in high definition! (Ooooo, impressive!)  He seemed quite content to hang out in the back yard for a bit of the early morning and then wandered off in to the farmer's field out back.  Ron was sad that he didn't eat the squirrel, but I think Rasputin has more lives than a cat.

The storm seems to have interrupted our work out schedule.  There's no going anywhere today, if you value your life at least.  That's everything from Lower Freetown, PE for now.  Until next time, stay warm (for those of you out East), stay dry (for those of you out West) and for those of you down South...pffffttth!  (You know we still love you...but don't brag about the weather, it makes us green with jealousy!

PS Please don't bring up the whole "Anne of Green Gables" controversy, I'm totally insensed about it, but I think that's why they did it...is nothing sacred any more.  And to Senator Duffy...(the other big PEI controversy) you're a wanker.

Oh Deere, It Makes Snow Sense!

Hullo!  Here I am again, putting in another entry on the story of our life here in Prince Edward Island.  The weather has been very odd, it even warmed up to 10 degrees Celsius on Thursday, which created a boggy soupy mess.  But with trouble comes triumph.  The wind that blew the warm weather in also dried up the puddles and ice and everything here is pretty clear.  It's very strange to see the grass at this time of year (a first for us) and despite it being a chilly-13.4 (-21 with wind chill, don't you wish you were here?), it's a beautiful day with deep azure skies and lemony sunshine.

Yup, it's really that blue!

Look Ma' no snow!

 Last weekend, having survived the deep freeze that set upon us, we had what I like to call a "Mutual of Omaha" moment.  (I think they used to sponsor those wildlife shows way back in the 1970's.)  We've had two hawks flying about, looking for a snack and scaring our little birds.  Last weekend the smaller hawk caught one of our blue jays, which was very sad, but also interesting in a "Circle of Life" kind of way.  (Yes, cue Elton John, again!)  I have pictures (not gory):

"Nothing to see here." He seems to be saying.

We think it's a "Broad Winged Hawk" which would be very unusual for this time of year.

 

I think he felt quite exposed because not long after these photos he took his meal into the cover of the fir trees and spent a few hours tucking in to his well earned lunch.

We completed another cake, but I've declared that I'm off the professional cake band wagon.  It's just too stressful trying to work full time and make these creations on the side.  (I'm still doing cakes for friends on a cake by cake basis...see what I did there!  Punny!) Can you handle more photos?

The hay bales turned out really well, along with the "40", Ron did a nice job making the treads on the tires and detailing the wheel rims.  The tractor itself?  Not bad, more wibbly than I'd like, but as Ron says "It IS made out of cake."  The paint detail on the windows turned out quite nicely, too.

As you can all see, I've shamelessly added my book to the blog.  This is on the advice of my marketing specialist.  I get many random hits from strangers looking for things like textured wallpaper, road warriors and renovation information.  Perhaps the odd one might be interested in my book as well.  Granted, it isn't written in the whimsical fashion that I do this blog, but I think you'd know we're one and the same, at least as far as writing goes.  Janette has requested that I post my face here, so I'm being accommodating and posting a horrible picture of me. (No make up or anything and taken with my computer camera...so be prepared!) In my defense, I've just come back from working out, which explains the pig tails.  And yes, that is a Vancity shirt...my lips seem to be missing again.

 

Well, that's all there is from our little island, at least for now.  Ron and the squirrel continue to knock heads, I continue to think about writing, without really getting around to it and the world turns on it's axis.  Be well!

Bring on the Cakes (photos updated)

It's hard to believe that we're almost halfway though January already.  The weather has taken a turn for the worst (that means snow) and the days seem to be overcast more often than they are sunny.  (Not good for those of us who's mental well being relies on sunshine!)  The little birds are out in droves and basically eating us out of house and home.  We keep discovering new varieties and spend much time trying to figure out what they are.  (Is it a Purple Finch or a Common Redpoll?)  Never a dull moment in the country!

So fluffy & cute!

 

The black stuff?  Bird seed...nom nom nom.

My book has sold 59 copies (as of the end of December), so I'm a might shy of my 600 - 1000 that I need to sell to break even.  I have not given up though.  This week I'm forwarding the book to a local reviewer in hopes that she'll enjoy it enough to write a review for the Charlottetown paper.  (Keep your fingers crossed!)  For those of you technically inclined enough (& just generally inclined as well), I do have a favour to ask.  Could you please go to AMAZON & CHAPTERS and review my book?  This will help it trend on those websites and perhaps increase sales a wee bit.  (Okay, I might be overly hopeful, but it can't hurt, can it?)

It seems that cake season in upon me, as I have two orders back to back.  One isn't confirmed, as in "yes, absolutely...go for it", but I'm guessing that it will likely go through, so anticipate some photos in the coming weeks.

The fog rolled in mid-morning and it was kind of spooky, watching everything disappear in the encroaching white void.  (Even more so, now that there's snow on the ground.)  The far tree line vanished and then the farmer's field, followed by our mail box and most of our neighbour's trees.  Sometimes it's so thick that I can look out the window and not even see our own trees, but that's an unusual occurrence.  But on great days, even in the winter, it can be pretty stunning!

I'm afraid you'll have to imagine the pictures, as I'm having difficulty with the blogging app...very irksome!  Hopefully, they'll have it repaired soon.  (I still haven't fixed the picture issue, but have found another way to load things up!)

Merry Christmas!

I imagine that all the wrapping paper has been put in to recycling and the left over turkey is parcelled up and waiting to become hot turkey sandwiches or turkey hash.  The unwrapped presents lay gleaming under the tree, beckoning another look or touch and that you are asleep with contented hearts and full tummies.

 

I can't help but think how truly blessed we are, no matter our worries about making ends meet or making sure our children have what they need.  We live in a place where you can get medical care  and not be sent a bill, a place where if you truly are in need you can get food and clothes and, at least for the most part, ensure that you have a roof over your head.  I know that there are people out there in Canada who don't feel that way, who wonder where the next meal is coming from or if they will have somewhere safe to sleep tonight, but they are the minority.  (Yes, I know this is still unacceptable, but at least we aren't facing hordes of displaced people with no more than the clothes on their back and fear in their hearts.)

 

Back to the point - we are blessed.  We are blessed in our loved ones, our comforts and sometimes even in our hardships.  And for that I'm grateful.  So with this glowing sense of peace and prosperity I wish you (& Ron certainly does, too):

 

A very merry Christmas & a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year

When Jack Frost Comes A Callin'

Once again, much time has passed since I last took the time to transfer our mundane lives on to this little blog.  We've been blessed with a temperate fall, at least until yesterday, and it feels more like Vancouver than the chilly East Coast.  The downside of such pleasing weather conditions is that I'm feeling decidedly un-Christmas-sy...I know, not the usual status for this time of year, but Ron says I've been unusually grumpy for a while now.  (Yes, feel bad for the poor man, as he's likely right.)

Why so grouchy?  You may ask.  Dunno.  I should be feeling pretty good, my book is published and I've sold almost 50 copies (I don't have stats on the mainstream bookstores yet, or e-books).  Okay, 50 is a far cry from best seller status, but come one, it's not bad, right?  I'm healthy, working out (isn't that supposed to increase endorphins?) and have a loving, supportive husband.  I mean really, what more could any girl want?  And yet, I'm still surly.  Perhaps hormones are to blame.

On a happier note, we've started decorating for Christmas, which I normally enjoy.  The holidays are coming up which means some extended time with Ron, which I always appreciate and enjoy.  We've even managed to go to Halifax several times this year, as well as having a bang-up vacation in Newfoundland.  We haven't noticed any little fury critters invading the house (thanks to Ron) so in summary: life is good.

Jack Frost has been hanging around off and on and we've had a couple of snow falls, but the weather is predicting a green Christmas.  All our little bird friends are enjoying our offerings.  (It's amazing how much enjoyment you can get out of the little guys, they're quite amusing to watch.)

Last. but definitely not least is Ron's second attempt at pie making.  The pastry was awesome!  (So was the filling!)  Pretty dazzling, isn't it?

We will, I swear, put up a Christmas post, so no holiday greetings yet.  Be well, as always, and know that people, out there in the world, are thinking about you and hoping only good things for you.