Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Another day

Another day of scrambling to hide the balls of yarn, 
the books and films from the library, 
the collection of notes by the telephone, 
the whiskers in the sink,
the smears of toothpaste on the mirrors.

Hoping that our home will please a stranger.

Willing them to fall in love with the privacy,
with the sky-reaching trees and lazy gardens,
with the view of Flyhills and Shuswap Lake
through a wall of windows
that fill our rooms with light.

Hoping that our home will please a stranger.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Waiting

Here she comes!
cluck, cluck, cluck 
Dammit, she's feeding those useless goats!
cluck, cluck, cluck
Look at all that good lettuce!
cluck, cluck, cluck
And now it's hay for those lazy horses!
cluck, cluck, cluck
We're the egg layers!
When is it our turn?
Here she comes! Here she comes!!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

On the road

They arrived in style, topless.

It's an SBK summer road trip!

From Sechelt to the Shuswap
Through the Rockies to Alberta
Searching for fossils at Drumheller
And bargains at West Edmonton Mall
Celebrating a Ukrainian wedding
Laughing and dancing till dawn
Before driving back to puppies and home.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

People overtake the Autobahn

People have overtaken the Autobahn in Essen, western Germany, ...
The Canadian Press
Sun Jul 18, 12:48 PM
People have overtaken the Autobahn in Essen, western Germany, to celebrate 'Still-Life' on Sunday, July 18, 2010. The most-travelled motorway in Germany A40 is closed for one day on 60 kilometers for the most spectacular event of the European Cultural Capital Ruhr 2010, when 20,000 tables are set as the longest banquet of the world. About one million visitors and inhabitants of the Ruhr agglomeration area meet, eat and drink together on a Sunday between the cities of Dortmund and Duisburg in Germany's most populated region.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

The STOMP

They roar into town each year

Riding shiny, noisy hogs

Flashing colours and pipes

Reflecting a life of flow

Chasing the wind

Some for 68 years

Others inventing themselves

Most with tattoos.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

In limbo


Our house has been on the market for seven weeks now and there have been four viewings. The feedback has ranged from "it isn't fenced" to "we decided to buy acreage". Each time we have a request for a viewing, we follow all of the staging tips. Special bedding and towels are put in place. Fresh flowers are purchased each week, just in case we get a call. Sinks and toilets are kept spotless, floors are vacuumed regularly. Every surface is dusted, mirrors are cleaned, pillows are straightened, plants are watered. Given enough notice, I have even been known to fill the air with the aroma of freshly baked cookies.

All of this means that we are living in a house that feels unnaturally clean and decluttered. It is crucial that we keep up with the clutter on a minute by minute basis. No library books scattered on the floor near my usual reading spot. No tell-tale tweezers on the bathroom counter. No used earplugs on the bedside table. No pieces of mail stacked beside the telephone. No veggie peelings or teabags in the sink.

Apparently it is important that we not take the rejection of our home personally. Through our eyes it is a perfect design in a perfect location. We are also convinced that it is worth the asking price, so when we received an offer that was $60,000 below the listed price, it was difficult to not feel insulted.

When we embarked on this sale, I thought that we could take off on road trips, leaving our house in the hands of our capable realtor. Our first trip took us away for one week.  We returned to foot high grass, a parched garden and dried out plant pots. The indoor plants were also crying for a drink. It was obvious that we would have to stick close to home until the house was sold. 

Paint brushes, paints and canvases are neatly stacked in my studio. Creativity is in limbo, waiting to be released from this maddening state of neatness.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Augie's First Birthday

Papa's s funny!!

The perfect gift!....dental floss!!

What a crazy horse!!