Quick Catch up

Well it has been nonstop busy here, and I am left wondering how real bloggers find time to keep things updated daily. Whew.
So we've made a bit of progress on the house now. Dh's bout of unbelievable depression (read panic attacks 24/7 for about 2 weeks) has lightened up as have his allergies. That was rough. It also brought everything to a dead halt around here so I'm glad it's over on all levels.
We pulled the dopey roof off the front of the house, we've added gutters and we dug and poured footings for the deck we're now working on. We had been toying with the idea of shingling the house with cedar shingles but in the end it seems like a very time consuming and expensive project to start with when the stucco is fine. Ugly, but serviceable. And we didn't want to blow all our energy for working on the house on something non-essential. So we're building a deck instead. lol Okay, so that is non-essential too. But at least it will be useful in a way that the shingles wouldn't, and now that we've got the layout figured out (that alone took us weeks to decide) and the foundation mostly done - three holes to go today - it should go pretty fast.

We've also been scoring some terrific deals on kitchen gear. I had been fantasizing about a big 45" or so cooktop for an island but I was getting bummed about the cost (well over $1000 for the ones that looked good to me) plus the added expense of a decent vent (another $1000 or thereabouts) and then my super dreamy wish list item a double wall oven (in the $1500-2500 range) I had basically stopped thinking about it because I didn't want to face the budgeting part. But, now I pretty much have found all of that at the local thrift store! A sweet stainless 47" Jenn Air cooktop with interchangeable elements with a grill and downdraft vent for $100 and a KitchenAid double oven with convection, start/stop timers etc for $250. And they work! Thank goodness Dh knows how to wire them up, I wouldn't have had a clue but he had them each up and running within hours. How awesome is that? My $3000+ kitchen for $350! Now we just have to build an island for the cooktop and a cabinet for the wall ovens. . . and a pantry, and decide on countertops and lighting and flooring and a new sink . . .

And, my mom is here. She had scheduled herself a trip north of here for the end of Oct which was crazy because the place she's renting is hardly a day trip away and because she'll miss all the nice weather here. So I'd asked her to come for a week. She picked the week that dh will be away checking on his mom. So then I thought that maybe it would make her feel good (and help her behave more responsibly) if I asked her to come for a second week while dh was here so that she could be the babysitter while we made some progress. So far the plan seems to be working. She's definitely helping out more than she ever did when we lived in San Miguel. She's not only watching the kids a ton but she's helping wash up after dinner and has even changed a couple diapers (something she never did with the Bunny, she said then, with a wrinkled nose, that she'd changed enough in her life and didn't plan on doing it ever again). So that is real progress. And she seems to really like this place. She says it reminds her of where she grew up in Connecticut so I'm sure all those positive feelings help her ignore the exposed insulation and wiring and subfloors. And the drama happening outside the window has her pretty riveted too.

Our geese, the indignant group of ladies, hatched three goslings the day after my mom arrived. The same day, a group of canadian geese arrived. We hadn't seen them around at all since May but now they're back. We had been guessing that maybe our geese were the culprits in the deaths of the canadians two goslings back in May and so the speculation that the pair had possed up and come back seeking vengance was hard to suppress. Well, the goslings are pretty cute and so it was extremely upsetting yesterday when dh and I discovered the X dog with a dead one in her mouth. She spends her days hunting rodents so it's hardly a stretch to see how tempting a fuzzy little gosling would be but I can't overstate how disappointed I was to see that she'd made the leap. And now I suspect that she was the one who offed the other two too. It was doubly sad too as I had only just saved one of the goslings from a footing hole. The adults were all crowded around the hole honking and flapping and obviously distraught and they all looked relieved and almost grateful when I scooped the little one out and he went flapping and squeaking back to his mom (whichever one she is). There was no doubt that they didn't want to lose one so the thought that maybe geese can't keep track of how many goslings they have kind of went out the window.

Well, my little gosling is awake now too and with that my time for blogging is up. Adios amigos!

Happy 4th of July

Here's me and Ali G after the little 5k we did bright and early. We didn't break any ground speed records but we moved faster than we'd planned and had a good time doing it. And I was happy to give my 2008 Dingo shirt a real workout. Later Ali G got a medal which she wore with pride for the rest of the day.

Do you recognize the Bunny in the bee costume? Her group from camp took part in the parade (which was yet another moment that looked like Hollywood had been hired to do an idyllic small town scene). The parade was remarkably long for such a small town and this year's theme was island pets which meant tons and tons of dogs. Nearly all of them looked thrilled to be there, too bad the X dog isn't really a parade kind of girl and Ninj probably wouldn't have thanked us for taking him either.


Post parade we stopped in at a picnic that was packed with locals. There was music, food and face-painting but we only stayed for a Dove bar and the Bunny had a butterfly painted on her face.


Later that night we drove into town to watch the fireworks over the harbor. The setting was certainly beautiful but as far as fireworks displays go it wasn't any grander than a midsize wedding in San Miguel. But it sure was safe! But it did make us all a little wistful for our rooftop view back in SMA, though I'm sure X dog was very glad that the booms were 3 miles away instead of directly overhead!

All in all it was a nice way to spend the day.
As we drove home from the fireworks the Bunny said,
"So, what was that all about anyway?"

Sweeties

Can you find the tooth nub in the second picture?
















My little sushi eating monkey nuts. The bunny must have been japanese in a past lie, she gets panicky if she goes too long without her seaweed wrapped rice, raw fish is a bonus but not required.

Bats!

So the Bunny did a stint as a Bat in the Missoula Children's Theatre production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It was fun and goofy and she had a blast and the whole thing from auditions to strike only lasted 6 days.

This reminded me again that somehow I want to be part of recreating the best part of my childhood for other kids by doing/starting/leading/supporting a children's theatre. How? When? I have a huge home project and two kids but is that really any excuse? Won't the Bunny Kill me if I get around to it when she's too old? Yes. Definitely. So what am I waiting for? I don't know. A partner I guess. How do I get smart/organized/confident/qualified to do it alone? I don't know!
Argh. Guess 'd better get my a$$ over to that theatre and start meeting potential partners!
On with the slideshow...

Long Days of late spring

So the sky is completely light at 4:30 am around here. It's 6:45 now and it's in my eyes but at least 6:45 is a moderately reasonable time to be up and about. 4:30, not so much.

On Friday we picked up the Bunny at school as the happy bus drivers pulled away honk honk honking about summer vacation. We caught the next ferry after a picnic in the park overlooking the marina and were off on our Camping Weekend! Then things started to go wrong.

• Xoche bit some nice lady on the ferry. We weren't there to see it but apparently Nice Lady came over to say hello to Xoche who was hanging out on the truck bed and X Dog bit her. I'm sure the Nice Lady wasn't lying because I could tell Xoche was hiding a dark secret by the way she held her ears down. I've suspected for a long time that Xoche was the kind of dog who'd get called home for the big nap early due to Snappy Old Bitchiness but I think her countdown may really have begun. Since we've been here and she's been spending most of her time hunting vole or sleeping she just seems to be going slightly feral, and we can't have that, not with two little kids trying to love her.
• So then we breeze through customs (yeah, what's that about? Can't the do the customs check between Victoria and SJI so that all of us innocents from the island aren't held up and intimidated?) I'm sure I'll have more indignation about that in future posts so I'll save it.
• So then we get halfway to Bellingham and Dh realizes that he never packed the tent. I was on picnic lunch and clothes duty so I didn't pack it either. Doh.
• When we arrive at the campsite we also realize we don't have diaper wipes but we sure do have a poopy diaper to deal with. We organize the freshy and toilet paper and unwrap the baby. Holy Mother of Poopy Babies! It's one of those blowouts that defies belief. We try to contain it but finally realize that the only answer is running water. I run with Ali G, dangling, stripped down, dripping poo and already lip chattering (still no teeth in there) through the adjacent sites to the bathroom. We rinse her off in the sink with the cold cold water and then warm her up under the hand dryer which luckily is nice and warm. She looks completely stunned that we could be so mean. She doesn't even really cry I think she thinks she's dreaming.
• It's pretty nice out and the campground looks inviting so we decide to try rigging up a tent using the tarps we brought and padding the bed of the truck with an inflatable mattress. It sounds good while the sun is still up but by the time we come back from dinner (this being one of those eat-out camping trips) it is seeming less fun to me. But Dh really needs this to work out. He's been getting nuttier and nuttier as terrible allergies and island fever team up with an aching back team up in his sanity. So he rigs it up while I wrangle girls.
• As the Bunny, Ali G and I tour the campground we bump into a raccoon. Well, he's on a tree right next to us byu the time we notice him and he climbs up higher when we make eye contact. Cool. Wildlife.
• There is a sign at our campsite that warns of Excessive Train Noise. Yeah, whatever. We all grin smugly. Until the first train comes through and Ali G nearly rips off my nose trying to get away from the sounds.
• Finally the tent is ready and it looks pretty snug. We all climb in. There isn't nearly enough space for us to expect to sleep well but by now it's after 10 and we don't have the heart to start looking for a hotel.
• The raccoon starts in immediately on our food which we left out. Dh chases him off and stashes the goods and the dog in the cab.
• Hours tick by. The trains come and go. The girls are out cold. Dh and I are cold. The tarp above us is gathering condensation and threatening to start dripping. I forget the cardinal rule about never touching the inside of a tent. It drips on my face. My back and neck and shoulder are locked into an excruciating position. If I move, Ali G screams like I've knifed her. Finally the Bunny begins to cough in a way that triggers all my maternal fear and vigor and I call it. That's it, I say, we're going.
• We don't really know where to go. I'm thinking north for a motel by the border (there have to be some right?), Dh votes for the place we've stayed in before closer to the ferry. We head south. At 3:30 everything in town is either closed or has no vacancy. We give up and get on line at the ferry for the first boat home.

So anyway. Enough of that. This week we also had the fortune (so far so good) to find a KitchenAid double wall oven at the second hand shop for a tenth of it's new price. Dh wired it up and it heated up right away. It's white, not stainless but that's okay, it'll go with the cabinets that I want to paint white. That was at the very top of my Kitchen Wish List so that's pretty cool.
I wrenched my neck big time while putting my hair in a pony tail I finally realized it was probably due to all the jumping jacks we do at TKD that sowed the seed of discontent. It sucks to be in pain. I know this is temporary and I did get a laugh out of all the things I did over the course of the week that aren't recommended for people with back pain. I fell through the seat of a chair at the thrift store with Ali G in my arms, tried to sleep in the bed of the pick-up, helped haul the double oven out of the truck, tried to look over my shoulder once or twice. You know, stupid shit like that.
Dh has been having a super hard time this week. We have finally figured out that the lovely but evil Scotch Broom plant is causing him some excruciatingly awful allergies which are triggering depression and are somehow related to his lower back pain. It's been rough. It's hard enough that the transition out of SMA was hardest on him but it's even worse that the transition to SJI is also. Hopefully having a designated allergen will help focus the malaise away from a general fear and loathing of San Juan Island and everything in it and center the battle on eradication of the plant and restabilizing relations with the island. Let's all surround dh in a bright white light in the meantime yes? Today's plan for Father's Day? Finding a church.

Hello! Foal!!

So we had some big drama here today! This morning a mare next door had a baby, in the pasture, in the rain, with 4 other young mares there hassling her and her baby. From chatting with our neighbor, D, about this mare in the past we had a feeling that he didn't even know she was pregnant so we tried calling him but he wasn't home. A little while after I looked out and saw that the baby was walking into the electric fence and the mother was so distressed about the other horses she wasn't bothering to try to stop it. I thought that maybe if I went out and got close to the fence it might make her move her baby away from it so I went out. I brought some towels too, in case I could try to cover the baby. It was only about 48 degrees outside and drizzling and I was having flashbacks to Ali G having hypothermia. So, although I wasn't at all sure that our neighbor would welcome my intervention I couldn't sit and do nothing. I did get the towels on her back and they lasted for a few minutes succeeded in pushing the pair farther into the pasture and away from the fence.

We tried calling the school in the hope that they'd have an emergency number for D but after an hour more with no help on the scene we ended up calling the island's large animal vet who managed to contact D within minutes and soon enough he was running through the field with the vet and they quickly got a halter on mom. As they led the mother and baby through the pasture the other horses raced around like maniacs, they were obviously very excited though I don't know if it was joy or rage they were exhibiting.

Later on I went out to retrieve my towels and D came over to meet me. He said he'd had no idea that she was pregnant. In fact, she'd been bred but the vet had declared her not to be pregnant and they'd given up on the idea for this year. So he thanked me for calling around to find him and assured me that both mother and baby were safe and happy now that they were in their own corral.

Now we're watching a vulture and a bald eagle in a stand-off over the amnion which is still in the field, just across from our kitchen window! I've been trying to get a good picture but so far, no luck.

Never a dull moment here eh?

Mold!!

Well,yesterday we had an interesting time. We met some really nice people and joined in a couple of crazy-happy community events, a toddler and baby hour at the library and a music class for families that was too cute for words, think an aging baby boomer with a guitar, a magic wand and a floorful of kids between 6 months and 6 years old all singing and dancing together. We also got invited to a potluck after the music class which gave us a chance to see some islanders in their natural setting and it was completely pleasant.

We also heard that there were once stickers on every window of our house warning people about the toxic mold growing inside. Stickers? Not when we came to see it! Now the reluctance of our realtor (and her above-and-beyond cleanup before our arrival) and the acceptance of our super-low offer are beginning to make more sense. Well, we knew there was mold in the house, we could see it after all. And we knew we were taking a gamble by not having an inspection done before we bought the place. So... here we are, freaked out afresh about the mold but a little more determined to eradicate it. But overall, it was a great day. I felt right at home with the couples we met, I finally feel like I've found my peer group. Not just a few like minded loners but an actual pool of people who are just like me. They shop at the thrift store, strive for natural births, try to fork out the money for organic stuff, use cloth diapers, like potlucks, wear fleece and tevas, you know what I mean and you know who you are! Anyway, it's not like I'm the last of some dying breed but everywhere I see a mother with a baby on this island (and I see them EVERYWHERE) I see someone who looks familiar enough that I ignore my shy self and strike up conversations. I haven't felt this outgoing since I started at RIC, and that was great too.

Here are my favorite girls. Ali G can finally sit on her own and she loves it. The Bunny also is loving that her little sister is finally getting big enough to be more interactive (though there are still the flashes of jealousy.)