Summertime - Busytime

Just returned from a quick two day trip to Halifax, pictured above. Unbelievably, I did not use my camera once on the other side but got these quick shots from Dartmouth this morning. I accompanied my daughter and her best friend at the last minute and was so glad that I did so. I visited my friend who is in hospital there for most of yesterday and went to a Pride-sponsored one-woman play last night with my best friend who lives there and her long term (over 20 years) partner. I stayed with them and so did the girls after their accommodation plans fell through. I had a wonderful time partly for the spontaneity but mostly for the time spent with dear friends and family. There's nothing like it.

• One year - Forty seconds
• Songs You Used To Love
• Postcard.FM
• All Music - All Blogs

Also from the music pile today are a couple of songs from the outstanding Patty Griffin. A couple of songs that remind me of the trip are You Are Not Alone and Long Ride Home.

Whoops!

The photo above is of one of 'the foxes'. When I came home from running errands just after noon today, Mr or Mrs Fox was having a nap at the side of the top of my driveway. S/he moved for me to drive down but curled right back up after I passed. I took this shot from the deck before I even opened the door to the house. The cats wanted to go out but I didn't let them till the fox had gone. I watched him/her chasing squirrels and think that is the reason it was where it was. There are lots of squirrels in the vicinity because of the tall trees.

I had a setback with the glass this afternoon. It was glass shattering but not life shattering. I did have to do some regrinding after my wooden jig was made and everything was fitting beautifully. I picked everything up again to wash each piece and broke two pieces at once by hitting them against the counter as I was shaking water from them. I made new pieces and will hope for the best.

Grinding is my least favorite part of the process as I said yesterday. Today's accident required me to take the grinder out for the third time. The problem is that I grind in my kitchen sink and also prepare food there. Using a grinder in a kitchen requires a very, very thorough cleaning process. I'd done it twice already and I now have the cleanest sink and counter area you've ever seen. I forgot to take photos today but not that much has changed except that the plastic is gone and a border (jig) is around the drawing.

Music: Sometimes I make CD's with a specific theme but am feeling entirely different myself. Here are two songs on the one I'm making for myself. Kris Delmhorst is telling us that Heavens Hold the Sun. She is convincing. Patty Griffin always has something wonderful to say and this short song proves it. Here is You'll Remember. It even mentions being on 'this island'.

Relaxing?

It is a beautiful sunny but very windy day. I am true to my word and have spent most of today in the sun. I had to get groceries and visit with a friend but that visit took place outside, a bonus.

I had a funny incident. I was following an empty gravel truck and suddenly the driver was making erratic signals. I wondered if something was wrong. He started to pull off the road so I was watching intently, being a careful driver. All at once he stops and jumps out of the cab, waving fiercely. I though something was wrong for sure, something serious. It was a friend who recognized my front license plate and thought he'd stop for a chat.

I had a friend come visit me out on the deck this afternoon and we shared a couple of drinks and solved all the problems in the world so the day is as close to perfection as can be. I offer and receive perfection quite often in my little life. A sunny day provided it today as that is what I wished for. The older I get, the less it takes somehow , to really enjoy the day. I appreciate how much more each day teaches.

Oh the music! I feel like Top of the World by Patty Griffin but you want something new. Great, actually! I went there to link it and it was one of the once removed so here it is again. I LOve this song!! I now get the opportunity to feature it again. I want to upload them all, Perfect White Girl, What You Are, Sooner Or Later...and so much more. These are all from the same album, Silver Bell. I've listened to her songs two nights in a row now getting this blog together. She's an incredible writer, Patty Griffin. There is so much to choose from. Really, check her out.

Those mentioned are all choices for new material. I have several of her best songs linked if you care to search the blog at the top left. Oh, to choose! I choose Perfect White Girl because it reminds me of a line I used this week, "I wasn't born a white girl".

I'm brown again!!!

Time and Time Again

I booked tickets for a three week Florida trip yesterday. I get back just before Christmas and am most excited because I'm spending time with a favorite relative. I missed a southern vacation last year and the annual trip to see my grandchildren so I look forward to getting away. I'm not at the stage of 'counting the days' as summer is coming and I don't want to hurry that away. Summer always passes much too quickly as it is.

I started my workweek on Thursday rather than Friday this week so when I woke I thought it was Sunday. Several 'Sunday things' were not happening as they should and I was a bit confused. It took me a while for me to figure out that it was Saturday. Good thing I have a sense of humour. I had planned on going to the library sale but completely forgot. Good thing I have a sense of humour.

Time seems to be the theme again. Here's Holly Golightly with a cover of The Kinks song, Time Will Tell and Patty Griffin with Time Will Do the Talking. I love that Patty Griffin!!

Today is Saturday....today is Saturday....today is Saturday.

Blooms

I'm busy. Short post today. Music. Daffodils.

Mary and Moses by Patty Griffin. I love her and these two songs.

Billy Jones - The Waifs
Gillian - The Waifs
Frankie and Johnny - The Skiffle Sessions
Goodnight Irene - The Skiffle Sessions
The Collection of Marie Claire - Daniel Lanois
Jolie Louise - Daniel Lanois

Work for Great Weather

Whew! I'm bushed. I've had an intensive gardening day and I think it was a little too much. I have to go back out and finish up but need this little break to sit and give my arm a rest. We are expecting rain tomorrow so I can't put it off.

A friend came to help. She did part of one garden and I did another. I have to go replant all the bulbs she dug up ridding a section of my garden with a very invasive plant. I love the flower but didn't know it was going to take over like it did. She was only able to do a small section so I will be pulling out every offending plant that comes up in the rest of the garden. The plant is shown in the photo above. It is beautiful in vases but multiplies like nothing else.

I thought I already had Heavenly Day by Patty Griffin on the music pages but do not. I always take an opportunity to put up her wonderful presence. A gardening song that is quite nice is Acre of Land by Ray LaMontagne. It was time to put that one up again.

Spring is Napping

I've asked for music requests before and have only had one- from my brother, but got one for a recipe yesterday so I will start with that. Impossible Pie is a pie that is made by mixing up a whole lot of things, throwing this mixture into a pie plate and having a fully formed pie come out at the end. If you like custard and coconut it is also really delicious.

Impossible Pie

4 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 cup coconut
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into 10 inch, buttered glass pie plate.
Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
How simple is that?

The above photo was taken last year but the pond looks just like that in the mornings right now. In the afternoon it is melted and freezes overnight again overnight. It's been a bit cooler than normal but our snow is almost gone whereas New Brunswick, our neighbouring province, is still knee deep. My sister will return to the snow when she leaves here.

We both had naps today. I'm not a napper but the urge hit me today and I ran, not walked to take advantage of what I hoped was not a fleeting fancy. Luckily the urge stuck and I had a glorious nap. It's been months since I've had one.

Making Pies by Patty Griffith is first musical choice even though I had it up yesterday. It's such a great song from a great singer, I don't mind at all putting it up again. A couple of new ones today are about sleep and dreams. First The Arvett Brothers have the right idea with Go To Sleep and this is one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs - When I Stop Dreaming. It has a talking preamble which is fine with me. It is considered one of the essential songs that I've trying to return to my music pages.

Rain

I'm stuffed to the gills from a big turkey dinner. I didn't know the turkey was so big - eighteen pounds - so the kids are going to be eating turkey leftovers for days. They are cleaning up the kitchen and dishes and I'm having hot flashes. What a fun Saturday night.

I am not allowed any food after midnight tonight and have to take a concoction tomorrow that is going to require me staying near a bathroom all day. I can have clear fluids only and no alcoholic beverages. I have a really great juice called Antioxia that I'm hooked on so that's what I'm having for all my meals. Two more sleeps.

The hours and hours of freezing rain that was predicted did not happen though we've had a huge amount of rain. It's still raining and there's a possibility that it will turn to freezing rain or ice pellets. That's not enough to force me to town early though. A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall is an old favorit of mine. Leon Russell does a great job and here's one by The Staple Singers as well. I so love Patty Griffin and here is her song Rain from her album 1000 Kisses.

Wet Night

We had incredible rain yesterday and overnight. There was widespread basement flooding and I was not spared and got eighteen inches of rain. I find that ironic as I put up Ian Tyson's great song, Eighteen Inches of Rain as the last song yesterday when the flooding hadn't started.

Click to Play:
Let It Rain - Tracy Chapman
The Rowing Song - Patty Griffin
Cry Me A River - Bettye LaVette
If I Had a Boat - Holmes Brothers

Out With The Old? No Way!

My sister-in-law is my new hero. She drove me to the hospital and back in a snowstorm after I dislocated my shoulder again this morning. She is much more brave than I will ever be. I have driven through storms in emergencies and know how stressful it is. She got a migraine headache soon after we arrived at the hospital but through modern medication was able to stop it before it took hold. I have to think of something special to do for her. Any ideas or suggestions?

It is going to be a very long road to recovery for this shoulder. The doctor explained just how unstable it is. It popped out very easily when I was drying myself after a bath. I've been a bit off balance since the injury and when the other arm is busy with something, my whole body, not just the shoulder, is unstable.

It's New Years Eve. My crazy son is going to drive through the storm to go to a party. I strongly object to this but he is an adult and has made his decision. The visibility and roads are going to get much worse as wind is forecast.

To hear a bunch of New Years Eve songs go to The Late Greats. The Duke has a post highlighting many different songs but with the name New Year's Eve. I am going to reprise some favorites for me this past year. The songs are not even necessarily from this year, they were just favorites of mine this year. Feist's, 1,2,3,4 was from this year and I thought it was a great song. It has been heard widely and has even been in a commercial so, I'm not alone in liking this song. Here are some that I really dug but not in any particular order. My Singing Soul by Soel, To The Fallen by Ruthie Foster, Long Ride Home by Patty Griffin, Walk Around the Lake by Lost In The Trees, The Story by Brandi Carlile, and Got Up This Morning by Sage France and Jolie Holland. This is just a few. One more you say? OK here is Colin Hay with I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over Losing You. It wins for longest title too.

Wearing Out the Shoe Leather

The pasture at my friend's house has sustained hurricane damage. The apple tree has been toppled. My friend said they were certainly wishing for a camera the next day. A large number of cows were gathered all around in a circle looking at it and assessing the damage. Photo worthy indeed!

I figured out the pedometer/mileage question. It is five miles not kilometers that 10,000 steps measures. That is equal to eight kilometers and that makes sense. In sixty-one steps I'll have reached that magic number for today. I did serious housework and laundry this morning and some serious walking in the afternoon. Endorphens are swirling around. I have another outing planned for one day this week to hike new trails that are promised to be fabulous.

For walking you need shoes. You can find shoes in music. Patty Griffin brings us Burgundy Shoes and Lori McKenna has Ruby's Shoes. Both very, very nice songs. Cool that both shoe songs have shades of the colour red in their titles too.

Autumn's Child

My sweet little granddaughter turns two today. Her grandfather, my ex, was seeing her and her nearly four year old brother for the first time this weekend. I could never have waited that long. Never! How could I have not had a look at that sweet face?

Believe it or not, I'm not sick of turkey yet. It's on the menu tonight, as a matter of fact. Dinner at my friend's was wonderful. The turkey was really great. Yesterday's meal was better in the sense that I didn't prepare it or have to clean up afterward. I brought homemade pie , pickles and cranberry sauce, a new cd and bells on my toes.

I did my walking this morning and had plans for the afternoon but then said the heck with it, relaxed instead and read a bunch of medical literature that I'd been putting off as I never had time. Today, I had time. Tomorrow I'm taking my elderly friend visiting and helping him with some errands. We're starting at 9:30 and I'll be wanting a nap by afternoon, not him. He had a lot of energy for someone in his nineties.

I made a cd for Thanksgiving. I picked out songs about autumn, food, thanks, harvests, fields and crops. It turned out that a good percentage of the songs are country or bluegrass or have a folk/country feel to them. Not surprising, I guess, but it certainly the most country cd I've ever made. Here is Patty Griffin with Making Pies because that's what I did for two days and still have to make one more. The Field Behind The Plow by Stan Rogers is because well, it's Stan Rogers and Golden Autumn Day is for my sweet little granddaughter. Happy birthday, Little One.

My son is downloading stuff on his laptop using my wireless so this is taking a long time and of course, this is a day when I planned three songs. I'll be back....

Oh what fun! A friend just called and is on his way over with an incredible story with which he needs my help and won't tell me any more. I'm intrigued. I hope it doesn't require money or spiked heels.

Only one post has taken this long. It was when my son was downloading something else a while back. He doesn't have high-speed, you seed. I started around three-thirty and it's now 6:o1. My friend should soon be here!!!

Movin' On, Travelin' Light

Raccoon Paw Print

Today is a bit calmer and nothing terrible has happened. I found out that my EGR valve was stuck closed on my car. It's been acting up for a couple of years but hasn't caused problems. It is very expensive to have replaced so they just removed it for me. It is a necessity to own a car if you live in rural PEI as there is no bus system but it surely is a huge expense.

I should be out mowing between the rains but maybe tomorrow........manana. It is supposed to be cludy and showery most of the week. We take what we can get when there as long as there is no chance of snow.

Speaking of snow....check out this link of a frozen building.

For today I've chosen some traveling music. Long Ride Home is a song I really like of Patty Griffin's. Here is a live version. Fabulous song! I've got Car Wheels on a Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams. Funny that I had her up just a couple of days ago and now again.

Sleepy Day

I didn't make it to the beach today for one reason and that reason, I'm ashamed to say, is laziness. I woke up tired and haven't felt that well, as a result, all day. Made it to town for the errands and that's about all I could manage. I probably should taken the hammock under the trees for a nap but it's too late now.

My son thought he lost his wallet again but with his mother's persistance found it. He said he and his friends had looked and looked in the vehicle very thoroughly but I convinced him to look once more with me helping. It would have been embarrassing to have to order a new bank card, credit card and ID again after just doing so a couple of weeks previously.

No Bad News is an uptempo Patty Griffin song with 'sad little boy' in the lyrics. That's what my son was earlier. Another Patty song but much mellower is Let Him Fly. I'm practicing that with my boy these days; but helping him out when he needs it. These mark 150 songs on Page Two.....already.

Half Stormstayed

It was sunny and cold today (minus 17) and quite windy. Everything on the Island shut down. In a normal year this wouldn't happen but everyone needed a storm day. We, of course, shut down for major storms but this was basically blowing and drifting snow which made a fairly high windchill factor, terrible driving, and the real need......a day off.

Storm days are part of the Canadian culture. We love them! I laughed at one of the radio's public service announcements. They announced that all government offices in Souris were closing and said, "This also means the liquor store." Folks in Souris were disappointed I'm sure, because many a good party has begun from being stormstayed.

I must say I didn't venture outside. I had no reason to and was warm and cozy. I would have liked to get some photos though. Since it was sunny there were some cool shadows in the snow photos waiting out there.

Music: From a Griffin and a Griffiths. Stangely, I have relatives with both names. I found this puzzling when I was a little kid. Pattie Griffin with Top of The World and Nancy Griffiths and Friends with Wasn't That A Mighty Storm.