Fred Washes His Balls

See Fred. See Fred’s hairy shiny ball. See the pot on the stove. See Fred wash his ball in the pot on the stove. Fred washes his ball holding it in his mouth. Then Fred washes his ball holding it in his paw. Isn’t Fred funny?

See Chris. See Chris throw the ball for Fred. See Fred run. See Fred fetch the ball and bring it back to Chris. See Chris throw the ball again. What fun for Chris and Fred.

See Chris’s little flashlight. See it shine a red dot. Look: Chris makes the red dot go all over the house. Look again: Fred and Ethel go crazy chasing Chris’ red light.

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My desk is at the west end of my big central multi-purpose room and right in front of it is the window through which I look all day to see beautiful forest, the decorated fence (in progress) and my bird feeders. On my left, just two meters from me, is a set of double doors. It is my “back door.” I use them almost exclusively.

I spend most of my time awake right now at my desk and Sheba has learned to scratch on the door when she wants out. I don’t need a dog door.

I put a box of "shade" over the lamp and my computer
screen in this photo because they were so bright and in
doing so you can see the details of the tree better.

To the right of my desk, in a corner, is my Arbutus Tree. It looks like crap in the photo above — like an ugly art installation called Severed Limbs. It may become a way for the cats to climb to the loft but they’ve shown absolutely no interest in doing that thus far.

But I love the tree. It wasn’t murdered for me to have; it was culled because it had blight. I live surrounded by forest and I take pride in having part of that forest in my house, serving like a shrine. I added a large branch to the trunk I’d installed and it looks much better.

I’ve long loved trees. When I was four, the Tyrells moved from Dunbar to West Vancouver and Don kindly asked me what I wanted as a gift to help me look forward to the move. I asked for — and got — an Almond Tree.

When I started having seizures and found myself alone and outside, I always went to a tree to hang onto it with both hands. Touching nature’s pillars of strength gives me a feeling of support and security. And when I moved here and built the fence that would keep the Deer out of the yard, I celebrated by planting five Maple trees and two Apple trees.

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I felt okay about going to Vancouver yesterday. And all went well. I met Bruce and Mary-Lou for breakfast, got some soft dried turkey and the red dot light for the pets and a healthy supply of chocolate from Xoxola for me.

Then I went to see Dr. S. and afterwards made a beeline for the seaplane. Once back on the island I raced home to be reunited with the pets. It felt so good to get home and to know I had two weeks before I have to go it again. I love just being at home all day every day.

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Without a doubt, Sheba’s favorite (and inconvenient) place to be is under my desk. Equally imperative is the cats’ predilection for Mertz Manor. They sleep and play in it all the time. Their other favourite place is on the windowsill in front of my desk. It’s the best view of dinner the birds.

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Today I have wood stacking to do, I’ll do some work on Mertz Manor and at some point I hope to see Paula T. She’s bought a place here and we go way back in theatre together so I’m excited to see her. And for fun, I may fetch some posters I have in the loft and put them up in the studio to make the place look less sterile and line mine. Yes!

Let’s Get This Party Started

2016 was wasted. It was, perhaps, the worst year of my life. Summer, my favourite season, was the worst of my life. The worst day of all, I had nineteen seizures and speech was not only impossible, I had little understanding of what was wrong. I also woke up hoping I’d be “cured” every morning.

2017 was much better. The Defiant Dress project saved me. It was a wonderful way to make the best of life stuck indoors in my teeny weeny Vancouver condo. And the praise it earned from the Arts Club’s dramaturge was a rich, rich reward.

2017 was also the year of the move to Gabriola. And by moving in October, all of the challenges of shifting to a rural half-off-the-grid life were met before the year ended leaving me free to enjoy 2018.

So I’m heading into 2018 with enormous enthusiasm for my new location, the visits of friends and the constant company of Fred, Ethel, Sheba, the birds, and the deer. And, for the first time in my entire life a life-long dream come true: My own brand spanking new studio.

And maybe, in 2018, I’ll hear something from the Arts Club’s about The Defiant Dress.

My brand new wood stove will warm me for the rest of winter. I’ll be moving into, and setting up, my studio. Then comes Spring!

When I think of the warm weather coming, a couple of cubic yards of purchased topsoil, my big backyard and the hours I’ll spend with plants while Sheba plays … well, I just cannot imagine a better life. And all without noise: Car alarms, leaf blowers, un-mufflered motorcycles, trucks backing up, busses kneeling and breaking and anti-social street life.

I have asthma. I also have “Hay Fever;” Spring and Fall are rough on my respiration. My friends understand that. Well noises and things that happened to me in the city caused me to have seizures. I had hundreds of them in 2016 and maybe a hundred in 2017.  I think it’s fair to say I’d become allergic to city life because I very rarely have seizures here.

So let’s get this party started. Bring on 2018. I am so ready. And I hope you share my enthusiasm for 2018 — for your plans and expectations.

But today I go to Vancouver. I’m meeting Bruce and Mary-Lou for breakfast, getting some pet bait and chocolate and seeing Dr. S.

Hojas are one of my favourite flowers. When I get my sunroom
I plan to get a couple. Their fragrance is spectacular.

Mertz Manor Roofed

I had a really nice day Monday. I didn’t do much but I did more work on Mertz Manor. I’m back into it but tomorrow I go to Vancouver so I won’t get back to it until Wednesday.

I did roofs and it takes quite a while with the trim and everything. Plus, I added two chimneys. But the real time consumer is keeping things together; the cats are fierce in their determination to scatter everything as far and wide as possible.

I’m moving at a slug’s pace but I don’t care; I’m amazed at how much I like moving slowly. With the dresses I was a fanatic; I couldn’t stop. I worked dawn to bedtime. Not at Pinecone Park. Here I’m Mr. Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow and I like it.

I’ve still got lots to do and the details, like windows, go slowly. I want to add some outside stairs too. And I’ve got a lot of stuff to put inside to make: Gluing catnip to some walls, some shiny fringe and string. They love string. And balls.

Happy New Year

My ditch expands to become a pond in front
of my next door neighbour's home.

The Aspen grove. Another shot from yesterday's walk.

The trail turned into a creek to we turned back.

This huge beautiful rock is about a meter and a half tall.

A trunk. Is that not gorgeous!?

Oy! I did such a clean Sunday — and nobody cleans like a cleaner with some OCD issues. I’m helpless: I even got down and scratched individual Fir needles out of the pile of my entrance mat.

I cleaned the fridge and I sorted and bagged garbage. Garbage management is a serious issue here as I keep saying. I’m still learning.

In Vancouver you can put glass and Styrofoam and plastics etcetera in the blue box — you can put all recyclables in one box. Not here. We don’t have sorters like the city does, so we have to do it all.

Broken glass has to be separate from glass; plastics have to be separated into three different categories and things have to be taken apart. Tops must be off bottles, plastic wrap must be removed from Styrofoam trays; I’d put a Kleenex box in my recycling container for paper. Before I left, a volunteer returned it to me because the plastic inside had not been removed.

I’m totally fine with it all. I’m a keen student of the rules and am proud to participate enthusiastically. My biggest issue is animal waste so I am going to have to look into some kind of composting method. Sigh.

I took time for two walks with Her Highness yesterday; the second one was in sunshine and undertaken with the knowledge that all — and I mean all – domestic duties were done. And yet for naught: Last night there was nothing on PBS in the way of engrossing BBC drama with fabulous actors to indulge in after my day of work.

It was positively thrilling to wake to so pristine a lodge here at Pinecone Park & Spa this morning. I’m going to get lots one on Mertz Manor today.

It was really cold last night and it’s cold right now. But it’s supposed to be sunny today and tomorrow which is nice because I go to Vancouver tomorrow. Her Highness and I will walk today, of course. She’s getting better and better with other dogs and walking with me. I don’t use a leash.

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Sometimes I play for ten minutes or so with Sheba. Then I play with the cats together and then I make a fuss over each of them one at a time. I spend time with all three individually every day, not out of a sense of obligation but because I just love them so much. And I see them changing. They are all becoming more and more responsive to my affection.

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Last night was one of the most beautiful of my life because of the snow on the ground, the incredible darkness here, the clear skies and an almost full moon — tonight is a super moon. The moon shadows through the trees was remarkable, and falling on snow made them irresistibly beautiful. I turned off all my lights and just walked through the house looking out all the windows. Then I went outside.

The snow was crusty from the cold and the cold bit my face. But beautiful! Wow. I can hardly wait for the same thing tonight. I am going to try to take a photo of the moonlight.