We took a whirlwind trip this weekend to Orangeville to meet my newest great-niece, Sienna, and visit with my sister’s family. Is that a cute baby or what? She’s happy and good-natured, too, probably because she’s always surrounded by people who are head-over-heels in love with her. All babies should
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knitnut.net: Happy Second Bird-Day Oboe
I’ve known Oboe since he was a freshly laid egg. He was the third of four eggs in Billie and Lester’s first clutch. We had a webcam on the nest, so everything was broadcast over the internet, from the laying of his egg to its hatching, all the way up
Continue readingknitnut.net: Motorcycle madness
Have you seen that crazy video of the motorcycle out in BC going 299 kph? Somehow I missed it when it was first making the rounds. Here it is, if you missed it too. It’s nuts. Turns out the motorcycle was driven by a 25 year old with no
Continue readingknitnut.net: Simon’s first real conversation
“Wow!” says Simon. “Wow!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “Wow!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “Wow!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “You’re talking!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “You’re amazing!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “I love you!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “Wow!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon.
Continue readingknitnut.net: Simon says!
They say you should never get an African Grey parrot because of their famous speaking abilities. It’s not fair to the parrot, and besides, there’s no guarantee that the African Grey you get will actually talk, unless of course you adopt an already-speaking adult, which is a very good idea.
Continue readingknitnut.net: A pool of fresh blood
Every morning I go for a long walk along the bike path and I encounter all kinds of other people walking, biking, roller blading, skateboarding, running, and dog-walking. On Sunday I encountered a run-down, rickety sex worker at the intersection of Merivale and the bike path. She was skeletal and
Continue readingknitnut.net: Happy Canada Day, Stephen Harper. Here’s 59 cents.
It’s hard to look at yourself objectively, but rightly or wrongly, I’ve always thought of Canadians as peaceful, fair, decent, thoughtful and compassionate people who respect diversity, care about social justice and try to do the right thing. Oh sure, there are plenty of exceptions, and we’ve had our
Continue readingknitnut.net: I need your advice
I’m thinking about applying to UBC to do a master’s degree in creative writing. I could do it part-time, through distance education. I’m feeling conflicted, though. Part of me says “If you want to write, just write. You don’t need a master’s degree. Just write.” That same part of me
Continue readingknitnut.net: Sweetest picture ever taken by anybody anywhere
From 21 pictures that will restore your faith in humanity
Continue readingknitnut.net: We’re not quick, but we don’t quit
Remember last spring when GC and I signed up for a quilting course and we each made a sampler quilt? Mine was black, white and red, and his was exquisite jewel tones on a black background? Well, we never quite finished either one of them. And, since then, we’ve started
Continue readingknitnut.net: I had a grandfather
My grandfather, Opa, would be celebrating his 104th birthday today if he hadn’t been killed by an irrational fear of surgery. He died in a hospital in Hollywood, Florida, as a result of septic poisoning from a blocked gall bladder duct. He was 86. The doctors had warned him about
Continue readingknitnut.net: Next thing I knew, the duck was mine
Yesterday afternoon I walked right into an unfolding crisis on Fisher Avenue. The scene, as I approached, involved a man stopping rush-hour traffic while he retrieved an injured duck from the middle of the road. She and her mate had been paddling in a puddle, when a woman passing by
Continue readingknitnut.net: I got laid off again
I got laid off last week; today’s my first day of unemployment. There were three weeks remaining on my three-month contract, but we started running out of international tax returns a couple of weeks ago. One day the work cart was empty. They sent us all home without pay for
Continue readingknitnut.net: Pollination
I just wanted to share this with all of you. My friend Gwen sent it to me, and it’s awesome. Look for the baby at 2.38.
Continue readingknitnut.net: Great Glebe Garage Sale 2012
Lamaze Peekaboo Flower We had a lot of fun and this is what we got: Skates for GC A stuffed snake for Rosie, who loves stuffed snakes and has amassed quite a collection already Magnetic poetry (Basic + Genius + Movie kits) A sweet little cast iron teapot, which violates
Continue readingknitnut.net: Blogging in point form
Lately I’ve been falling behind. In April I went from a four-day-a-week job and two contracts on the side to a five-day-a-week job and four contracts. It’s temporary – the full-time job is over at the end of June, and then I’ll be looking for more work. In the meantime,
Continue readingknitnut.net: GC reads the Riot Act
I live in a row house. The woman who owns the next house in the row is an investment advisor. She rents the place out to one group of kids after another, each of which generally moves out within a year to make way for yet another group. It’s an
Continue readingknitnut.net: Duncan’s twice-yearly annual checkup
There has been a cluster of cat deaths among my friends lately. Several good friends have lost beloved cats, and they’re grieving. It doesn’t seem to matter if the cat was old or sick or the writing was on the wall…grief is grief. It’s hard and it hurts and my
Continue readingknitnut.net: Weird encounter at the bank
GC and I want to travel a little, maybe go to Newfoundland or New Orleans or San Francisco…anywhere, really. But when we have money we don’t have time, and when we have time we don’t have money, and sometimes we have neither. So we decided to start tucking a little
Continue readingknitnut.net: The right place at the right time
First off, I’m happy to report that Cindy Lou was found and captured on Friday afternoon as she was running down the Queensway! It’s a miracle she wasn’t killed. Two police officers were trying to catch her when someone from Genesis Dog Rescue came along and managed to snag her
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