For the second year in a row, I didn’t even bother with the wmtc i hate christmas tradition. I didn’t see any shopping fervor, didn’t hear or see an onslaught of ads. (Hooray for streaming!) We put up holiday lights, enjoyed two days off (hooray for vestiges of colonialism!), and
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Dead Wild Roses: Xmas Eve – The White Wine in the Sun
Here we be again my good blog denizens. Have a safe holiday season. Warm wishes.
Continue readingwmtc: in which i reflect on many one-year anniversaries of a big life change
It’s November. Here at the northern tip of Vancouver Island, the days are getting mighty short. It’s not cold — most days still reach 9 or 10 C — but the gray sky and low sun feel like winter. This time last year, everything was happening. I was buzzing with
Continue readingwmtc: in which i reflect on many one-year anniversaries of a big life change
It’s November. Here at the northern tip of Vancouver Island, the days are getting mighty short. It’s not cold — most days still reach 9 or 10 C — but the gray sky and low sun feel like winter. This time last year, everything was happening. I was buzzing with
Continue readingwmtc: picket lines, pupdates, and the 51st parallel: 10 things on my mind
It’s been a while. 1. Mom went home. My mom went home two weeks ago, after spending seven weeks here. I was sad to see her go! We had a great time, and it got better as we went along and settled into a routine. The dogs must especially miss
Continue readingwmtc: island day trip with mom: grant bay and winter harbour
As we enter the last week of my mother’s extended visit, we took one last day trip, out to Grant Bay, on the west coast. As I’ve mentioned, there are no paved roads to the Pacific coast in the North Island. In fact, only two roads on the whole island
Continue readingwmtc: pupdate: did i say progress? i spoke too soon
Remember this? Recall from canned salmon and dehydrated liver treats? Worked once. Didn’t work a second time. On our next visit to Storey’s Beach, both dogs were completely absorbed in harassing the little fish. Cookie had zero recall. And Kai regressed and had none either, no doubt learning from her little sister
Continue readingwmtc: island day trip with mom: alert bay
This week’s day trip was fascinating, meaningful, and so much fun. We went to Alert Bay, toured the U’mista Cultural Centre (us for the second time, my mom for the first), and participated in a traditional salmon barbeque through Culture Shock. Know before you go: residential schools and the potlatch
Continue readingwmtc: pupdate: in which cookie decides to make a bit of progress
First there was Incident With a Fish Head. Then there was this. What is that dog doing, you may ask. She’s chasing tiny fish. She did this for two hours. Two hours!!! We brought treats to practice recall, but I didn’t remember to make them high-value treats. No way this
Continue readingwmtc: weekend trip with mom: a few days in the comox valley
I thought it would be fun for my mom to see a different part of Vancouver Island. I didn’t want her going home thinking the whole island is a sparsely populated rain forest! Plus it’s more fun stuff to do together. I booked an Airbnb in Royston — just south
Continue readingwmtc: island day trip with mom: sointula
This week’s day trip with my Mom was the town of Sointula. One of my libraries is located in Sointula, so I’ve been there a couple of times, but had never had an opportunity to explore the town or surrounding Malcolm Island. Sointula has a fascinating history: it was founded
Continue readingwmtc: extended mom visit
My mother is visiting from Oregon. That visiting from Oregon part still looks weird to me, since for my entire life — and her entire life until a few years ago — my mother has lived in the New York/New Jersey metro area. After her first great-grandchild (my great-niece) was born
Continue readingwmtc: why it is interesting and significant that i own a piano
When we were negotiating for this house, through realtors, the former owners asked if we were interested in keeping their piano. I had noticed the old upright as soon as we walked in, and I immediately said an enthusiastic yes. (They also had a beautiful grandfather clock, but they weren’t
Continue readingwmtc: pictures of our new house are one (extra) click away
Allan took some photos of our house while it was still empty. If you are so inclined, you can see the pics here: Our House. So go do that now, then come back, OK? You’re back? Not shown: As you walk in the front door, to your right is a
Continue readingwmtc: in which we are officially homeowners
It’s official! We are homeowners! The former owners left us a plant and a card! Is that amazing? The card says they hope we are as happy in this house as they have been. Our plans to go over on Allan’s dinner break with a bottle of champagne didn’t work
Continue readingwmtc: in which cookie gets hold of a fish head, is attacked by an eagle, and almost makes me cry
This weekend we took Kai and Cookie to the beach both days. The beach was Diego’s favourite place in all the world, so it was sad to be there without him. But the Littles are so entertaining; they keep us in the moment. Yesterday, however, Cookie put on a show
Continue readingwmtc: diego
We said goodbye to our Diego yesterday. We had surgery to repair a ruptured knee ligament (ACL) about six weeks ago. He recovered quickly and was doing really well. And then. Two days ago, the other knee went. The repaired leg wasn’t strong enough to hold his back end. He
Continue readingwmtc: "we don’t actually know what will happen, but know we may be able write it ourselves": rebecca solnit on hope and why it matters
I missed this when it ran in 2017, but I found it when I needed it. Rebecca Solnit writes in The Guardian: Last month, Daniel Ellsberg and Edward Snowden had a public conversation about democracy, transparency, whistleblowing and more. In the course of it, Snowden – who was of course
Continue readingwmtc: pupdate: running on the beach, jumping over the fence, and awesomely coming back to us
Things are going really well with the new pack of five. Having three dogs isn’t that big a deal! Who knew? But I should qualify: it’s not that big a deal with this particular mix, in our current, specific circumstances. I don’t think we’ll need to have three forever —
Continue readingwmtc: pupdate: first run on the beach, and puppies in love
We had been waiting to take Cookie for a run at the beach — waiting until she was more bonded with us, until she had a bit of training, until she seemed to understand that we five are a family. There are no enclosed dog parks near us — or,
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