the type of people we live near

we went to get in our car yesterday morning. i noticed something on the roof. at first glance it looked like a dead bird. at second glance we realized it was just a dead birds head.

sent text to neighbors: "tell your cats thanks for the gift of the bird head on our car"

sign on porch when we returned from the coast:

"LOST BIRD!!

Have you seen our beloved Chirpie?
Our parapelegic daughter's bird Chirpie escaped last night.
Last seen flying into a tree at (intersection where i live).
My wife gave Chirpie to my daughter last Christmas. An allergic
reaction to the bird killed her mom and now all little Collette has is
Chirpie. She hasn't stopped crying since last night.
Have you seen Chirpie?
Bob (and a fake number)"

the quiet of morning

there is something lovely about the quiet of this house before everyone is up and going. chloe sits next to me on the couch. if i'm lucky, she sometimes sits on my lap. simon, kev and josie are all still in the bedroom snoozing. if i go in there, i can hear the symphony of their breath. it's a lovely sound.

today is a rainy morning. the kind that makes you wish you didn't have to go into work, rather you'd love to just sleep in, waking when you want instead of with an alarm.

i'm working at the new store today. and for the first time since training the newbie, i've got someone working with me for a few hours. i just hope it proves to be a good idea to have someone with me for a few hours in the middle of the day. i have projects already figured out in case it is slow.

jill came over last night. it was rather impromptu (which is often the case). we had a lovely dinner, shared a nice bottle of wine, and watched project runway. spending time chatting and just being with each other in the same space. i'm a lucky girl.

tonight, i'm not sure what it holds. i know kev is talking of meeting a friend for a movie (kung fu, so i may pass) but i don't know what i want to do. should i text some knittah friends to come over and knit? maybe that's not a bad idea...the texts shall begin once i am at work (and after i make sure that kev is going to the movie and hasn't decided he wants to hang with me instead...which would be fine by me, too).

what are you doing tonight?

and breathe

i am finally getting to sit for a little bit today. it's nice.

so, what's been going on? you wonder. well, work. and life.

i've not caught myself thinking about writing as much lately. sometimes i get an idea running through my head, but more times than not i forget it by the time i get to sit in front of my computer. and then i get sucked into other things that obviously are more demanding of my attention. but when i get a quiet moment, when i am alone upstairs, my muse sometimes visits.

sadly, now is not one of those times. i just wanted to pop in and say hello. hope all is going well with you all. will write when i can and when i have things to say.

until then, be well.

harvest

this is one of my favorite harvests. those potatoes were like velvet in my mouth. the onions were sharp and wonderful (albeit small), the peppers had some kick to them (which made for amazing salsa).

i have a list on the fridge of the veggies we'd like to plant next year for the summer harvest. i've been remiss about doing a fall crop. i'm not a huge fan of the butternut squash and other fall harvests. but i still feel as though i should have planted something...

oh and next year, we're planting the same type of green bean as last year. not a fan of the taste or the small harvest of the ones we planted this year. the latter of which possibly has to do with the odd weather we've had this year.

days off blogger

it would appear as if i've become a "weekender". ah well, such is life. work has been quite busy, but in this economy (while working retail) that's a good thing! trust me, i gots no complaints!

so, instead of rehashing all that i've done this work week, perhaps i will make the list of things i'd like to get accomplished today? or maybe just talk about a few of the things. i don't want to pressure myself.

i'd like to make salsa today, but it requires going to the store. i need a bit more cilantro, another onion, some habeneros (to go with our jalapenos and anaheims), and limes.

i am really hoping that we get the diggity dog out (that'd be josie) on a light hike. we've not been all that active this summer (other than walks around the 'hood) so i want to take it easy. no devil's rest!

i also hope to have time to do is knit. i've got patterns of sweaters swirling in my head...but i've not seen them anywhere, so my brain is working overtime doing math and such.

ooh! and coffee. i'm going to make coffee! the grinder is using less beans for a really lovely pot of french press than my previous blade grinder. this will prove to be a great thing.

that's about it, yo.

today might just be a perfect day, with a couple of exceptions

• i got to sleep in. (perfect)
• i did not get to have coffee after waking, for the grinder has passed. (so NOT perfect)
• i took the dog on an hour long walk. (perfect)
• i did get to run errands with jill today. (perfect)
• i did unload three enormous zucchini to the lovely kay at sweetness bakery. (perfect)
• where i did get a non fat, iced, latte. (perfect)
  
• i found fabulous new dishtowels that were also inexpensive, but not thin and crappy. (perfect)
• i got a burr coffee bean grinder that did not cost an arm and a leg, by black and decker which makes me chuckle for some reason. (perfect)
• i had a rubinator in the middle of the day, with jill. (perfect)
• i left my grocery list at the bar. (NOT perfect)
• i remembered everything on it. (perfect)
  
• and tonight i have date night with my husband where he will make me vodka penne with tomatoes out of our own garden. (perfect)
  

pulse

i just got home from taking josie on about an hour long walk. we walked over to jill's house to see if she wanted to join us on a walk back to our house before running errands. we knew, when we arrived, the answer would be "later" because jill had paint in her hands and the window trim was all taped and ready.

we chatted with jill for a little bit, and jill shared this story:

background: we needed jill to feed the crew last night because we both worked closing shifts

"your dog is a smart dog! i walked in, she didn't bark. we all went downstairs and she sat down. i asked her 'oh, do the cats get fed first?' fed the cats. asked josie, 'bagged food or binned food?' and she sniffed the bag with her nose. then, she went upstairs and sat by the door waiting to go out. she peed and then i asked her, 'do you have to poo?' so she turned around and went poo. "

i'm impressed by josie so often, but this made my heart swell with pride.

after we chatted josie and i walked home. we popped (well, i did) into sweetness bakery to possibly get an iced latte. line was long! (yea!!) so i told kay i would see her later. she reminded me i had zucchini for her. i will take them by when i get jill.

now, i am cooled off, but need to get cleaned up. the air is already getting warm (hence the walk this morning). heat wave 2.0 is approaching.

life back to normal!

this morning i woke and fed the crew. simon was a little annoying this morning, but just in spurts of it. not constant. i had an odd dream, but can't really remember it. just the feeling is left over.

i got myself caught up with my blogs (google reader is a blessing and a curse. for when there are 40+ posts over the past few days to get caught up on, daunting). i've had my regular half a bagel (one half of the half with peanut butter, the other with butter). i'm sipping on my coffee and there is a chill to the air.

today is going to consist of the following (well, some of it at least)

weeding the front yard (why does it always come off my fingers as wedding...)
buying a new coffee bean grinder (there was a mishap)
lunching with kiley (yea!)
hanging with chuck (yea squared!)
canning of tomato sauce (possibly)

and lounging. a lot.

you?

won't bore you with the details

work has been crazy busy. we're getting ready for several events within a two week time period (some are overlapping).

one of those events is a sale at the kids store. i offered to make fabric banners for it, so that we have reusable ones for years to come. i am in the home stretch, and the good thing is they aren't needed for another week. yeah! being ready in advance! go me!

the thing is, sewing on those banners has made me itch to make something. perhaps a pillow. i've always adored making them and our house could use a little updating. also, was thinking i have some friends i've never made one for that should receive one.

i think i am going to have my friend, who is coming over shortly, look at my fabric stash. it's the stash that has gotten out of control before, but has since been reined in...and it's why my yarn stash stays small (i learned). perhaps i will do a little embroidery too? i just don't know. all i do know is that knitting makes me warm and i am itching to do something a little different (although i can now honestly see a cream colored stockinette stitch pillow with big wooden buttons...kill me).

so yeah, i think i'm going to pull out the fabric stash and dream.

the heat has left the building

this past week i am sure most of you have noticed we got really hot up here in the pac nw. not just hot, but f*cking hot (sorry 'rents). it was all we could do not to melt each and every time we would step outside.

i got home one night and the thermostat in the house read 98F. 98! what is that?!? this morning, i awoke and was slightly chilled by the air coming in through the bedroom window. it was a feeling i'd not felt in a while. it felt amazing!

the clouds are still hanging in the sky (i am sure most of us here would love it if they stayed all day). the garden is looking a little droopy, but we've watered and we are starting to see some tomatoes ripen. i'd have thought with the crazy heat and sun that all of them would have ripened in a second. thankfully, they seem to be ripening at different intervals.

on a side note, have to say i'm a bit disappointed with our oregon spring tomatoes. they didn't ripen as early as last year, and they are getting weird and mis-shapen now. they almost look like the brandywine we grew last year. kev's suggesting there was a mix up last year and the weird oddly shaped ones were probably really the oregon spring. i disagree with him. i think we had a cool spring and our summer finally hit this week. i think the weather played a huge part in why they grew but didn't ripen yet. i am just ready for a ton to do so so i can make salsa. our jalapenos are growing by the bushel full!!

i need to make sure to take a sweater to work today, the mall store gets really cold (why i did not mind working there all week while one of the women who works there is on her honey moon).

done and done

i didn't get that many photos of me in the dress at both weddings this past weekend, but this is the one that i did get.

it was so much fun to wear! the next night i paired it with a burnt orange necklace (think lots of rocks) and a camel colored pair of sandals. i got many compliments on it, which kind of made me blush.

hit a yarn sale at one of my favorite stores on saturday and bought enough yarn to make just the top of it. my neighbor told me that i had to start making all my own sweaters because this dress fit me so well. i will make another dress, that is certain.

i can't believe that i knit a dress!!!

lest i forget

i could easily complain about the heat here (it's broken 100 two days in a row and we're going for a trifecta tomorrow) but i won't. 

i'd forgotten that i am slightly allergic to the bean plants. any skin that touches the vines gets itchy. really itchy. it goes away rather quickly, but i'd totally forgotten about the fact it even happens. 

i am sitting at jill and mark's house. in the "cool" seat. the one that's right next to an air vent. man, i'm glad for good friends. i sent jill a text asking her what time i should be over tonight...we'd not spoken of getting together prior to the text. she sent one back a while later asking if i needed air conditioning. 

i brought one zucchini and some greenie beanies. they've got tomatoes already (color me green). so who knows what we will do for dinner tonight. she should be arriving anytime now. 

work is going well. i'm on the floor this entire week at the mall location. the only thing i don't mind about that is the fact that the a/c is rockin! and i have to take a sweater. so that makes up for how slow it is out there. at least the next three days i will be training someone so i will have company.

well, going to get myself a large glass of water and knit some in this cool, cool air. 

a single moment

i have this one tiny moment where there is nothing to do. there isn't enough time to start a project because at about 2:30 i will being the process of getting ready for a friends intimate wedding. there are forty guests. i feel lucky to be invited to share this special day.

the dress has turned out perfectly. i couldn't have asked for any better. i couldn't have shopped for anything better. i do not have pictures of it yet, other than shots i took with my phone's camera when it wasn't finished.

i bought more of the same yarn, different color, to make the top of it (which was sizzle from wendy bernard). my friends are asking me to write up the skirt pattern. i will, i promise! and i'll share. it really turned out special.

last night i roped jill into going to nordy's with me (really, all i had to do was ask her to go with me and help shop for something to wear under the dress). what i got ain't sexy, but it sure helps the dress look hotsie totsie!

and the time goes where?

i am going to be m.i.a. for a little bit. we're getting ready to open a new store. i'm covering the floor more. i've got three weddings to attend over two weekends. somewhere in there, i am going to remember to breathe.

oh and no, i didn't finish the dress i was hoping to have knitted for the weddings. and i'm okay with that.

one week old

i am such a jerk. sorry. i tantalize you with a photo of pearl's right eye, with promises of more to come...and then i disappear.

work's gotten crazy. we're in the process of opening a new location so busy is my middle name.

so without further ado, i give you pearl. my 09 honda fit sport.

wink

kev and i decided to go look at cars last night. we were only going to actually buy something if it was THE car we wanted. no settling!

trust me, i didn't settle!

meet Pearl...

she's a little shy. i'll have to try to get some more shots when she's not looking.

found one!

being a lighter shade of blond, it is hard to really see if/when i've got grey hair. well, this morning, i found my first...

i've always thought when it happens, it will come in rather white grey. it seems as though those thoughts may be true. it looks rather light, doesn't it?!?

honestly, i feel like celebrating! it's a lovely shade of grey.

can you see it? it even has a little bit of body to it! eep!!

quiet mornings

the house is getting going rather quietly this morning. a departure from yesterday. eli is with his mom in bed, getting fed. his dad is getting ready for yet another day at work. his uncle is sleeping still, while i am up making coffee and doing some light cleaning around here. today, i will remember to vacuum the house and wash the dog.

speaking of the dog...oscar has been my favorite dog for a long time, well favorite boy dog (sorry edgar). he is the reason i wanted a dog in the first place.

i remember the first time i met him my sister said, "he's a little wild and he will probably bark at you for quite a while, just ignore him." i walked in saying, "oscar oscar oscar" and he walked up, to me quietly, turned and barked at her. he and i have been friends ever since.

that was a long time ago. the old man is now eleven and a half(!) years old. i can hardly believe it when i watch him tear off through the backyard. but then, if we play too hard, the arthritus in the hips starts to act up and it's more evident. of course, the white mask doesn't make him look any more puppy like, but he still has faked people out.

he is a great dog with the baby. as soon as eli cries, oscar is up and by his side. he listens when we tell him no licking the baby. he moves out of the way when asked. he's just a great dog. i will miss him when we leave town tomorrow. i will miss all of them when we leave.

i miss them already...

smit-ten

yes, i am in love. he's my little bug. he had just been getting fussy after a lovely moment with his mom getting fed in their bed. she was hoping to nap, but alas...she ended up using the time to go through a box of table linens while he and i danced around the room to james brown.

at this point i asked my sister to get into my purse and pull out my camera to capture this shot. i'm glad i did.

he is such a snuggle bug!!! i love him ever so much. my little guy.

if i didn't love my life in portland so much i'd move here in a heartbeat. of course, i was hoping they would move up to where i live...but no such luck. ah well, such is life.

made it

i am sitting in the family room at my sister's house in los angeles. i arrived yesterday after a roughly 16 hour drive. i am thankful for chuck and gage and their willingness to make the trip with me. it was not too bad. i didn't ever feel like i wished it was over until we got into the city and i was driving. man, i can't imagine driving in that kind of traffic all the time.

can i just say, the drive was worth it?!?! i think you can get that from the photo, though.

i made my sister leave the house solo today, while david had to finish some things up at work. (actually, once i proposed that i stay home with the baby and allow her some time to herself, she ran to the store to pick up the last few things for the first dad's day dinner. i was the lucky chef) he was a little fussy in the beginning, but after a few burps and one spit up, he was sleeping soundly. then we had our first photo shoot. i love looking into that mirror and seeing myself holding him. he's everything i knew he would be.

it's been a lovely evening. watching my sister and her husband with their son is a truly wonderful site to behold. they are natural parents. and it was an honor to get to cook something that they both truly enjoyed (even though they had to eat in shifts...).

i can hardly believe i am an aunt. i love him more than i can express in words.