The Melt

Finally some warmer weather and the snow is pretty much gone. I think the ground will thaw in a few days and I can start my spring yard things. I've got several old rose stumps that have to be removed. I've got the new roses already to put into the ground. This year the garden will be simplified with little maintenance. I'll be undergoing some heart surgery mid-summer and will be out of commission for a while.

I've got three roommates now and life is great. We all get along and the place stays tidy. I put out some chocolates for the two women for Valentines and they're pretty much gone ... now I won't be tempted to eat them myself.

I'm planning to make a trip to Edmonton soon ... probably at the end of March beginning of April to help my handicaped brother with his affairs. I do this twice yearly. Perhaps he'll come back with me for a week or so.

Winter Solstice has passed & Santa has gone home

Winter is here. I've just finished up a six week long reno of a house and a one bedroom apartment for my landlord. No sooner was the last project in the house done and I was off to the hospital for my carpel tunnel surgery on my right hand. Painful once the freezing came out and my hand feels useless and will continue to feel like that for a few weeks I would imagine, however I have some feeling back in a couple of my fingers and that's what's important.

Two of my roommates have moved out and I'm in need of finding some replacements. The house I live in is fairly nice and is big enough for 4 people ... but they have to be easy to get along with.

I'm off to Vancouver for a couple of weeks on Jan 1/11. and will babysit a house there for my friend Anne while she's in Hawaii. It will be a nice couple of weeks for me to relax and get some reading done.

I'm hunting for tires at the moment as I'll be driving down there ... hope I can find some new-to-me ones ... a very cost effective way to buy tires for an older car.

Santa was nice as always and will look forward to his flight next December.

Perfume

Summer weather at last!! I've rented one more room in the house and then there's one more to go. I will be nice to have a full house. I'm re-potting all of my plant pots. Half way trough the summer they always look worn out and so this year there will be two separate plantings and everything should look great until it freezes.

Tons of work to do on the four old houses, but the big items are over with and now I can putz around with the smaller things and keep myself busy in the bright sun and work on my annual tan. I worked a couple of days at the hotel even though I was to take this summer off and it was fun. Tons of walking and good for my health.

I'll have to find a way to afford new tires for my car for the upcoming winter. I'll buy used ones of course and I think I can get them on a payment plan at the tire shop where I usually go. I want to make another trip to Edmonton in the fall to take care of my handicap brothers housing needs and some other small things that have to be done.

I'm hoping to make a trip to Washington DC at the end of September or the beginning of October. I'd like to see the monuments & I've got my cruise to Mexico paid for ... all I need is to find some cash to spend ... loll. Such is life in the the poor lane. Oh well.

Life is wonderful this time of year.

Charlotte

A long term member of our Pottery Club is moving away. Charlotte is retiring and moving to Victoria where she owns a condo. We had a luncheon for her today a the shop. These pot luck meals are terrific. I took my video camera along and taped about a half hour of the event. I hope it turns out Ok. It's sad to see old friends move along ... but then I guess we all move along eventually.

Charlotte was a teriffic potter. Her bowls and mugs always came out picture perfect as did her specialty items like Holiday decorations etc. She was always helpful with information and shared her knowledge with all of us beginners as we came along.

I have to get back to the pottery studio soon and get my hands back in the clay ... it's fun.

Fencing

Summer projects have begun. Two fences have to be built this year at the houses I take care of for my friends and landlords. The biggest one is almost done. I pre-painted all of the boards before putting them up and will give everything a second coat once it's all finished.

There are eves to clean and a parking lot to be built behind one of the houses which should increase revenue a bit. I will convert one of the garages into an office and rent it. As interest rates are going up the revenue has to be increased accordingly and these are passive ways of doing that rather than raising rents.

I'm looking for two more room-mates for my house and hopefully they'll come along soon enough and will be interesting and responsible people

The oil spill in the Gulf is terrible. If I had some extra funds I'd go and volunteer to help clean up the beaches ... but that's 4,000 miles from here and I'd need to find a room to rent. I figure each of those States struck with oil slick should be given $1 billion each from BP and without having to go to court ... this should be upfront money handed over to the individual states to do the clean up.

This is an indicaton that we really need to downsize the use of oil in N. America and find greener solutions for fuel. If we kill our oceans we'll make our lives pretty tough indeed.

An unusual spring here in the Okanagan, however the extra rain will help cut down the number of forest fires that happen every summer I suppose.

Road Runner

I made my first trech to Edmonton for the year. I go twice a year to check on my handicaped brother and take care of current issues regarding rent and doctors appointments. This time I insisted that he learn to make meals on his own. He now has 5 dinners he can make on his own and is enjoying them. I had a wonderful visit with some of my cousins there and my last Aunt and Uncle on my Mother's side of the family with the exception of my Aunt Jeanne. She wasn't home while I was there but I'll visit with her when I go in the fall.

My house is looking good. My second roommate moved in a week ago and all's going well. I'll get one more person to move in during the schools season. A College student or a University student just for one term ... this will fund the second bathroom I've made space for int he utility room at the back of the house. Once that's done the place will be really quite nice.

My little care is running along just fine ... old thing that it is. I'd like to be able to buy a new Dodge mini van with stow and go seating ... but the lottery will have to come along first I suppose ... loll.

Well today is bedroom clean up day and also home office tidy up. I best get going on it before I find and excuse to let it go for another day.

Fast Tracking

March is all but over. The house reno's are getting to the point of completion. We've been enjoying terrific weather and soon the garden will be full of new life. My new room mate Debra moved in a couple of days ago. I'm hoping we get along nicely. There are two room left to be filled. It will be nice when the house if full.

I'm on my way to 100 Mile House to visit with my brother, his heart is really beginning to fail. It will be nice to have people take care of the place while I'm gone.