Lunar Eclipse

I owe thanks to another blogger, Rachd, for the reminder on her blog about tonight's lunar eclipse. Rachel was in the unfortunate position of being unable to see the eclipse due to bad weather. We, on the other hand, had gorgeous weather and a gorgeous view from our house on the hill. It was quite magical to be able to dim the lights in the dining room and watch the eclipse during our supper. Rob even took the time to call his boys at their mother’s house to get them to have a look, too. It was a marvelous moment of family togetherness and wonder at the beauty in the world. I am so grateful to Rachd for the reminder, and for her inspirational approach to grief, which parallels my own. I hold her in awe for how she is managing in the face of her devastating loss. .



I took some pictures of the eclipse, but since my camera doesn’t have a particularly long zoom, you’ll have to use your imagination

Ain’t Sheep Sweet?

We’ve been listening to the Beatles Anthology (this is from Willis’s collection- one small way to keep in contact with him) in the car , me and the kids, during our commute. When we gave a ride home to a friend recently, she exclaimed, “You let your kids listen to the Beatles? That’s so cool!” I replied that it’s not a matter of letting them listen- they insist.

Sam asks for his favourites by number; Syd likes hers by name. Recently, Sydney asked me if sheep were sweet, just like in the song. After a little detective work, I understood her to be referring to Ain’t She Sweet?.

A discussion of sheep and their sweetness ensued, and I mentioned that my friend Michelle at Boulderneigh , as well as Nancy and Lauren , all absolutely believe in the sweetness of sheep.

Michelle herself is no slouch in the sweetness department. She recently embarked upon a Pay It Forward campaign, as have many bloggers. I tentatively suggested that I might participate, but since my artsy skills are minimal, I was hesitant to agree to pledge to send anyone anything. Brushing this aside, Michelle went ahead and took an order from me, in terms of my favourite and least favourite colours. I wasn’t sure what might ensue, but as of yesterday, I found out.

Michelle’s package arrived in the mail yesterday. She had knit a hat and scarf in green and sunshine colours, as requested. They are fabulous and adorable, and they’re mine, in spite of my kids’ instant desire for them.
She also sent a note, written with beautiful colour and penmanship, expressing truly lovely sentiments. Thanks, Michelle.

Now that I have received my PIF offering, I really must get into gear to determine what I have to offer, and how to get it out “there”. Here’s where I’m leaning- a number of my friends from the WidowRoad are having a particularly hard time, lately. I’d like to send them a little care package that includes the things I do do well. I’m going to see if I can get street addresses for these ladies, but in the event that I can’t get them, perhaps I could get some volunteers who would be interested in joining in the PIF fun.

Back to Sydney, and the Beatles for a moment- the kid is an absolute riot, as well as being damn cute and a PITA. She was requesting another Beatles song recently- the bunny love song. Huh? Turns out, she was referring to Can’t Buy Me Love... I’m not sure I don’t like her names better...

Dancing with Rabbits

We had so much fun today. The sun was shining and it fell like Spring was around the corner. We took 8 of our pets into the back yard for some sun, air and grass. In fact, only two of our pets did not get to enjoy the opportunity, but they wouldn’t have enjoyed feeling like fish out of water...

Here are some of the pictures I took of us having fun.






Sam, "dancing" with Snowball and Chase.







Chase is our newest family member.







Isn't Sparkles beautiful? She thinks so!






















Snowball relished the opportunity to dig.










Syd, with blankets.










Pentax, who just turned 16. He’s my soulmate. (Don’t tell Rob.)









Claudia, looking inscrutable. She’ll be 16 in a couple of months, and her whiskers are white now.










Salt’n’Pepper- he’d run amok if he was loose.








Snowball and Teddy.










Sparkles and Teddy enjoy an inter-species moment.








Sometimes Jet looks less goofy, but not often...











The kids were making animal "nests" in the alcove by the rocks.










Oliver, one of my step-sons.











Looking east at Mt. Baker, across the strait. We enjoy this view from our sun room/guest room and living room (whenever it stops raining).












We went inside when this Bald Eagle showed up overhead.

And in the balance...

Syd’s daycare has a late pick-up policy, which includes fines, and after 5 lates in 6 months, immediate expulsion from daycare. We are at 4 lates, and are actively seeking another daycare. This has been a pretty big downer for the last two days since we got our “probationary’ notice- lots of tears and angst on my part, and lots of feeling shamed and blamed- score one for the dark side.

Rob and I have been together for a year. This is our “anniversary” weekend. We had each arranged 3 days off, and I had vague ideas of a low-key celebration of this life-altering event. Rob, it turns out, had no such vagueness. He arranged for our babysitter to come over, his boys to be at their mother’s and for us to go to the world-class Sooke Harbour House resort, overnight, without children. The man is a wonder and a blessing, and we agree that we have reaped a well-deserved reward from life in finding each other- score one for the bright side.

After our exquisite supper at the resort, we were deciding whether to use the oceanside hot tub, the fireplace or that big, inviting bed first when my cell phone rang. There was Sam, in tears, barely discernible through a fading cell signal. The kids were both still up, missing mum, filled with over-tired, late-night anguish about mum being away (is it because I’m a widowed parent that I imagine they fear that I won’t return?). I did what I could to be reassuring over the phone, and suggested that they could sleep in my bed while I was gone for the night. Let’s hope that that suggestion doesn’t backfire... The phone call was disconcerting, which would seem to be another point for the dark side.

As I write this, though, I am relaxed from the hot tub, at peace from the sound of the surf outside, full from a delicious meal, warmed by a crackling fire and snuggled with a man who loves me (in spite of my forays into the dark side), and who wants to spend the rest of his days celebrating life with me. The balance looks pretty healthy from here.