This summer has been the wettest summer that we've seen since moving up here 7 years ago.  Usually by now, the grass is gasping and the gardens are hard and cracked.  This year, it's so wet, we have tons of mushrooms growing in the grass and Chris can't keep up with the mowing!  I have not had to water my meager gardens this year very much.  Even so, I have learned a valuable lesson.  Well 2 actually.  1) we do have weeping tile around our house.  The house inspector had told us we didn't. 2) don't water the gardens for 12 hours at one time as said weeping tile will not be able to keep up and the water will seep into the basement!
Oops! 
Last year, we had new carpet laid in the basement and when we were ripping out the old stuff we came across 2 wooden covers in the floor.  We had no idea what was under there, (I was hoping for treasure), and decided that we'd just cover it up as there had been no problems.  Why go looking for some right?  Well fast forward to last week and this is what my basement looked like:

 I was the one that stepped onto the wet carpet and my heart sunk.  My new carpet!  Chris was out, so I started moving what I could out of the room to get ready to rip up the carpet.  We had to open the wooden covers and found this:

We looked at each other, WTF?  So I called the city and a nice city worker came over within 20 minutes or so.  These are apparently called clean outs, one is for weeping tile and the other for sewer.  Huh!  The water was coming from the front one (weeping tile) and after some experiments, we came to the conclusion that I need to water for less time.  Good information.  It's been so wet, that the ground is already saturated and then I added too much water on top of that, making the water rise in the hole and into our basement.  Needless to say, I have been more conservative when watering!

So summer has been moving right along, where does the time go?  The first couple of weeks were spent doing the yearbook for the school.  That has been finished and submitted, thankfully.  It was constantly hanging over my head.  The weather turned and we have had more rain and clouds the past couple of weeks than sunshine.  We actually had our furnace on one day, as it was about 12 degrees!  Gross.
We went to school another time to finish up some little things.  I was going to clean out my cupboards, but decided that I can wait until the fall instead.  I'm done with school for right now.  We don't get back from our vacation until right before school starts, so I did managed to put up some decorative things and got a few things ready that I would need for the first weeks of school.  That's enough for now. 
The gas fitter finally came to hook up the BBQ and Chris had been happily grilling away.  Unfortunately the amount it cost was almost the same as the BBQ itself!  Oh well, we'll just have to grill until Christmas, I'll keep the snow shovel handy.

The Musical Ride came to the North and we got to see it with our friends Michelle and Bryce.  Thanks to Sherol for sitting out on the stands saving seats for us.  It was cool when we got there, but the actual ride didn't start until almost 8pm and by then the wind had picked up.  Just as the riders got into the ring, the storm we'd all been watching reached us and the skies opened up!  We stayed, huddled in our rain coats through the pouring rain watching the RCMP on their horses.  There were about 2000 other people there, so I didn't feel quite so bad, especially when I saw that some were dressed in t-shirts and shorts.  By the time it was over, we were all soaked through, freezing and a little grumpy.  After some hot chocolate and dry clothes, we were all in better moods.

Hooray for Summer!

Even though I am still working on tying up loose ends for this school year, I feel like Summer has arrived.  Finally.  Living where we do, the summer weather is notoriously short and unpredictable.  On July 1st it was hot and sunny- I actually got too much sun and spent the following day nursing my tomato face.  Since then, the weather has been sporadically sunny and warm but predominantly cloudy and rainy.  In fact I have had to water my plants very little in the last 2 weeks.  As I sit on my deck, working on the yearbook, I remember what summer can be like.  The slight breeze, children playing in yards, the warm sun.  Ahhhhh.  Of course with this season also brings my nemesis back. 

The Magpies.  I hate them with the strength of a thousand suns.  They are loud and obnoxious and chase the neighbourhood pets.  The worst of it is that they wake me up.  Every. Single. Morning.  Those of you that know me, know that I am a horrible sleeper and tend to be a night owl.  When you go to bed as late as I do (2-3am) and those horrible pests start up their cacophony at 5, it makes for a very grumpy day.  I have researched their necessity (none) and have also researched ways to nicely get rid of them(none, as they tend to just come back), so now I have to get serious.  Stay tuned for that little adventure.

Since I will not be working (THANK YOU UNIVERSE), I have decided on a few little projects over the summer.  This year I want to become a little more fluent in Photo Shop Elements.  I am embarrassed to say that I have had this wonderful little program for a couple of years.  I am also going to explore photography out of auto mode.  The last big one is to return to swimming.  This one is the most difficult, as the pool schedule is mainly geared to being daycare during the summer.  Hopefully, I can squeeze in between the swimming lessons and public swim times that seem to consume the schedule. 

Happy Canada Day!

Really, I thought I had written something here more recently than April.  Ah well, it's a new day.

School finished in a blur, and I managed to stay out of the emergency room this June which was very nice.  I know Chris was relieved as well.  I finished up the school year in what seemed to be a rush.  I always feel like I'm running out of time in June.  We fit in learning right until the end.  No movies or wasted days in my room.  I think what helped keep out Summer Fever was the fact the weather was so crap.  We did not have any really nice days until the last week so it didn't even feel like summer. 
Now the meetings are done, the classrooms cleaned and the unpaid school closure is here! 
This weekend was wonderful!  The weather was good and we met up with friends in between our relaxing.  Already we have had two new adventures.   We visited friends camping in between Hudson's Hope and FSJ at a place called Bear Flats.  Basically, a field with trailers and tents in it.  It was hot and the bugs were obnoxious.  Today, we went to the parade and then went to the park afterwards.  Usually, we just walk home after the parade, but today we went down to see what was going on.  We got to the park had a $5 hot dog and pop and then walked around Cowboy Town.  This was a kitchy old west set up with games for the kids and a little crafty market in the middle.  It was hot.  Really hot.  We'd heard that the museum was selling pie by the slice, so we went there too.  It's good to support the local places!  We had our pie (which was delicious) and then decided that it was time to head home.  We got home around 3, and retreated to the basement.  After all the walking and too much sun, I felt a nap was in order.  Man I love holidays!  We made it out to the fire works as well, also a first for us up here.  After the storm that blew through we weren't sure that it would happen, but it did.   There was us, the mosquitos and a few hundred people hanging out in a park behind the highschool.  We managed to stay in a little clearing for the fireworks, but all around us the sky was dark and lit up with lightening.   It was a pretty cool light show.  I think our first real day of summer vacation was a success!

When it rains, it snows?

At least that's what happened this week.  We were supposed to get some showers, but it decided to snow yet once again.  We have had some sunshine though which makes things a little better. 
For me though, it seems that the hits just keep on coming!
In December I had some fillings replaced on the left side of my mouth.  I didn't really need to get them done, but the dentist made it sound like a good idea.  So trusting this professional, I went ahead and had only two out of four done.  I have been in pain everyday since.  That was December 17.  Some days the pain was better than others, but still there.  I have been for 3 follow up visits, hopeful that this would get resolved, but no.  The last visit, the kindly dentist decided that something else was going on and after quizzing me about stress in my life decided that was the problem.  I don't deny that the last couple of months have been extremely stressful and what he was saying made sense, but this week has been the worst.  I left work yesterday to see the doctor, trying to get some answers.  I was promptly handed a couple of test sheets and sent to the hospital, one for blood and one for x-ray.  He told me it could be 3 things.  One a migraine (I ruled that one out), it could be a pinched cervical nerve, or some kind of arthritis close to my eye that could make be blind!  Great choices aren't they?
Meanwhile, I am hoping that all my teeth don't fall out on that side.  Chewing would be very difficult.  So I am home today, hoping to get in to see the dentist on a cancellation (I have another appointment on Tuesday) and trying to relax.  I like his theory about the pinched nerve.  I have a chiropractor appointment today, so maybe that will bring relief.  I have to say though that this could be a form of torture, I'm ready to confess anything at this point!

Happy Holidays

It's finally here, Spring Break!  I can tell you that this year I was counting down for this two week break.  As I was saying to my mom the other day, it's only the 3rd month of this new year, and it's already been really hard.  The last month has gone by in a bit of a blur, but order and routine are restored.  Things are better.  It's been more than 7 days and instead of looking back, I am looking forward. 

Mom has been here for 3 weeks, and I believe she will be happy to get home to warmer climates.  The first 2 weeks she was here, the weather was very Spring-like.  I knew that Winter was far from gone, but she was hopeful that the warm weather was here to stay.  This week, we were hit with snow almost every day and the temperatures fell.  She was most unimpressed.  I hear they are supposed to get some of the white stuff down South in the next couple of days.  :)

We have decided to have a stay-cation for the next 2 weeks.  We are worn out and need to do nothing for a bit so that we can power through the next 3 months.  Of course, we also have to think about the money angle, as we are hoping to go on a trip this summer. I am looking forward to hanging out, reading and generally doing what ever I feel like doing.  It's a long haul until June, it's time to rest up and get ready.

To all the Grumpy Non-Apple People

This post is dedicated to all the grumpy non-Apple people (my husband).  Apple is awesome.  It's no fuss, no muss and it looks great without trying so hard.  The iPhone is a perfect example.  The size is perfect for a regular person's hand, you are able to reach all the functions without having to take your other hand out of your pocket.  The screen switches from portrait to landscape faster and the auto-correct is better.  We have better apps and there so much more variety than what you are used to.  It's always sad when a non-Apple person realizes that they are shut out again from an awesome app that would make their lives easier and more interesting.  Unfortunately, you will always be playing catchup.  I'm sorry that you feel left out, especially when we can iChat and Facetime, and you are left out of the conversation.

We know that you are secretly jealous that you don't have an iPhone and can't say anything now, but we like you anyway.