Ten years ago today I finally did something right. The morning of February 4, 2000, he was dog #4170 at TJ O’Connor shelter in Springfield, MA. He had a sign on his pen that said “I am a very good dog, but I am VERY scared.” He didn’t want to get in the car with me, and the officer at the shelter had to help me wrestle him in. By the time we got home, he was Sam. He was skinny, wormy, and had a BB in his rear flank which the vet pulled out at his first check up. I was living at mom’s at the time and she could tell you about the chewed things and the time he busted out through the screen door when we went out in the canoe on the pond behind her house. She was very patient. I guess she knew getting Sam was important to me. Anyway, Sammy and me have been roomeys ever since. I think I know someone who might get a little bit of cheese with his dinner tonight . . .

Following my new trend of updating my blog only on major holidays: the (post) Christmas post. This is our version of holly, west-coast style. This is Oregon Grape Holly, basking in the sun Christmas morning.

We really lucked out in so many ways this Christmas. The weather was gorgeous all weekend. We were also really lucky to avoid both the snowstorms and intensified security screenings during our trip to Massachusetts this month. We got back on the 21st. We had a great time visiting my family, but I always feel it is tempting fate to go at Christmas. We managed to get away with it again this year.

Here I am getting ready to open one of my presents. It’s from Sam, as you can tell by the wrapping job.

It was a lovely quiet Christmas at home. We ate our way through the day, including Gary’s french toast with homemade bread for lunch.

I plan to update this blog religiously next year. So — see you on Easter! But seriously folks, I’m giving some thought to what I want to do with this space for the next little while. I won’t be here too often, but I’ll keep posting occasionally, perhaps in a different format.

Meanwhile, my resolutions for next year are pretty retro, technologically speaking. Working in social media has me thinking far too much about technology and social networks. I have a real love/hate relationship with Facebook. On one hand, I love being able to find people I’ve lost track of, and get glimpses of their lives. On the other hand, I’m uncomfortable turning over such a big part of my life to a third party, for-profit business. Isn’t that a bit creepy? Or is it just me?

More than anything, it’s made me realize I haven’t been very good at keeping up with all those people myself. So, this year, I’m in the market for a new address book. A real, physical book. I will write down all the addresses, phone numbers, birthdays I’ve been writing on pieces of paper or keeping in emails that I can’t find when I need them. And if you get a call from me, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Happy 2010 everyone!

I stopped to walk in the church yard of the little village church for the first time today. If not on Halloween, then when? It wasn’t really too spooky, though, it’s just a pretty, peaceful place. In the spring it is covered in white fawn lilies. (Wait, didn’t my last post feature a cemetary? For someone who has only managed 3 posts in the last two months, I have somehow managed to develop a theme.)

Also seen today in Metchosin: cat’s eyes in the sky.

And the skeleton of a sunflower.

Finally, Sam making the acquaintance of the jack o’ lantern. Note pink tongue delicately extended.

I’ve been meaning to visit this angel for a while and finally found her this week. She is in the Ross Bay cemetery, which is so close to the sea that in earlier days, some of the graves were washed away in stormy weather. Ross Bay reminds me of a smaller, saltier Mount Auburn or Forest Hills, for those of you back in Boston. The grey autumn weather has arrived in Victoria; it seems to suit her.

We’re well into September, and the canning season is coming to a close. Also known as the season of fruit guilt. In fact I’m feeling guilty right now thinking about the plums that are overripening on our tree at this very moment, that I am not making into sauce, chutney, butter, jam or any other form of fruit preserve. In fact, I think I can hear them. From mid-August to now, the plum and blackberry bounty in our yard alone is out of control. I had to stop canning when I ran out of jars. Pictured above are the very economical apple and blackberry jelly, made entirely with fruit from our yard, and the extravagant peach jam, made with $5 worth of Okanagan peaches. I made about 9 one-cup jars of each.

It was a big leap for me to actually make peach jam. My thought process: 1. Our trees are full of fruit-guilt-inducing plums. 2. I’ve made plum jam and its just okay. 3. Peach jam is yummier than plum jam. 4. Therefore, I will make peach-plum jam.

Luckily, Gary is much more clear-thinking. He was able to go straight from “Peaches are yummier than plums” to “Make peach jam”. I had to admit the superiority of this logic. Plus peach jam is like sunshine in a jar, and we can use that through the long, grey, wet winter ahead.

Today was a gorgeous summer-like day, which was perfect since I was standing outside all day next to this wall at the annual SPCA fundraiser. This year I volunteered to help with the event, and my job was to put together two displays. One was the “community wall”, a place for people at the festival to share photos of their animals. Kind of like a real-life wall filtered through the idea of a facebook wall and spit back out again as a three-dimensional display, with real photos and messages and ribbons.

The other part was this display of photos from a wildlife photography contest run by the wildlife rehabilitation centre where I have volunteered. Everyone attending the event had a chance to vote for their favourite photo — which they could do by placing their tokens in the paper bags strung underneath the photos. This turned into a lot of work — building the panels, making the signs, mounting the photos, making labels and so on. I’m pretty relieved its over. I think this is technically my first 3D display design. I had to cut a few corners in production to keep the cost and amount of labor reasonable, but the bones of it are good and can be re-used for other things.

Classes started this week. I’m excited to get to work. Just glad to have today behind me so I can look forward to the good things ahead. Hey — I was just about to complain that now would be the perfect time to relax and watch the women’s US Open finals — and they are NOT on! But that was before I noticed that “Pretty in Pink” is just starting. Hello, sofa and knitting! Oh my god, that’s Ellen Tigh from Battlestar Galactica as a mean popular girl!

You know I have no feelings for the PC. But — there is someone else.

A certain appliance I’ve had my eye on for a while. Reminds me of you, in a way. Yes, it’s serious. I’ve even built it a table.

So now there’s really nothing to stand in our way, so I’ll just come out and say it. I’m running away with the sewing machine.

Maybe in a month or so, after summer’s perfect, unwasteable days have passed, and I’ve started to miss your screen, we can try again. But for now, I need to take a break.

See you in a little while . . .

We have company! My brother-in-law and his family are here for a few days. Tonight they are meeting some Victoria friends for dinner, so I’ll sneak in a quick post. These photos are from the Moberly Homestead in Jasper National Park, which we visited one evening in the company of the very same brother-in-law. To reach it, you drive up the Snaring River road east of Jasper townsite.

The site was home to a Metis family about 100 years ago. The upper portion of the house was rebuilt using traditional methods, but the lower section is original. Here is some of Ewan Moberly’s handwork.

I love the marks the tools left behind, now weathered by so many summers and winters.

A path behind the cabin leads to the river. The homestead was located at a favourable river crossing, and the Moberly family would assist travellers to move people, goods and animals across the river.

Sam is in the other room dreaming right now. I can here him sleep-barking. Poor guy has had a rough week, but he seems to be on the mend. Gave himself a nice big scrape under the eye by running at full tilt into a set of high-quality wooden blinds. But that’s another story.

Yeah, I love you Canada, you big galoot.

Let’s start with the local colour; there’s plenty of time for the scenic postcards. These two photos bracket our recent trip to Jasper.

Day 1: Lac Le Jeune campground near Kamloops. Luau pinata gal: I have to admire your attitude.

Day 11: Cafe sign for the Charles Hotel in Boston Bar, BC, taken from moving vehicle.

After 10 days on the road in our Trillium trailer, we are back home safe and sound. Details to follow . . .