First of August Mysteries

Why is it so hot? Why has it been so hot for so many days in a row now? I've had four cold showers so far today ... and no, NOT to cool off any frisky thoughts ... just to COOL OFF! I've guzzled about 4.3 gallons of ice water so far today. And I'm STILL TOO HOT! Why do I hate summer heat so much? Here are some other mysteries I am pondering today ...Why do I get such a strong urge to create something with WOOL ... hot heavy wool ... in the hottest part of every summer? Is this urge part of some strange fibre disease? Here is the wool rug I just finished crocheting. It's very heavy, crocheted with double strands of 2 frogged wool sweaters plus all the little bits and pieces of different colours of leftover wool in my stash basket. (It does lay flat ... I had just thrown it down for the photo here and hadn't arranged it carefully.) Here's another mystery ... should I add a fringe to its outer edge? To fringe or not to fringe, that is the question! Here's another mystery I'm pondering ...Why has my herd of cows grown yet again? This little cow ... actually it looks a bit "bullish" to me ... front and centre arrived this past week. People, I do not want to collect more cows! There are two ... count them ... TWO cow cookie jars on this particular kitchen counter now. Even I can't eat that many cookies! (Quiet L.!) There are a couple dozen assorted cows in various other kitchen locations. That's enough already! If I were to choose a kitchen collectible myself, it would be roosters or sunflowers or lemons. (The giver of this latest cow is computer illiterate, so I know I'm not hurting her feelings by writing this.) I'm also wondering ...... what is the purpose of this latest cow? It seems it's meant to hold something. What? Here's another current mystery ...What is this flower? I thought it was a snapdragon. At least, it was AMONG the snapdragons at the garden centre. Its leaves, what few of them there are, look rather snapdragon-ish. It has heavy bunches of hollow bright yellow "grapes" with a slight lemon scent.It's very pretty, and looks wonderful in balcony flower pots, but WHAT IS IT? Here's yet another mystery I am pondering ...When do beans grow? I planted a pot of Scarlet Runner beans to make my visiting hummingbirds happy. This bean plant is now at shoulder height and still growing rapidly. It's shooting up 6 to 8 inches every day. I know this because I have marked and measured its progress. I sit out on balcony every evening and watch this bean plant, but I've never actually SEEN it growing. When does it grow? When I'm away at work? Or not looking?

Too many mysteries to ponder on such a hot day ... I think I'll go have another cold shower and another tall glass of ice water.

movies and cows

If you haven't seen this movie, do so soon! It's really good. Of course, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman seldom do roles that aren't good. Oh, and have the Kleenex ready. And after you see it, we'll talk about our own bucket lists, okay?


Since my last post, a number of you have called and asked about my cows. What gives? I didn't start this darned cow collection in the first place. So how DID I come to be a cow collector? Someone gave me a rather large stuffed toy ... a cow ... last year to put on the foot of my bed so I wouldn't be lonely. It was a JOKE, people! Next thing I knew, someone else gave me a cow candy dish that says "Udderly Delightful" on its side ... and so on. Seems SOME PEOPLE made it their mission in life to turn me into a cow collector. So here's what part of my kitchen window sill looks like now:
This particular herd of cows has a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colours ... including purple. I memorized this little verse in grade one, and the purple cows (yikes ... 2 of them!) keep reminding me of it:

I never saw a purple cow;
I never hope to see one,
But I can tell you anyhow
I'd rather see than be one.

The colourful herd of cows is now migrating to other parts of my kitchen. For example, this lovely lady (a paper towel holding cow) sits on top of my microwave:
At least she's practical! This nasty critter (cookie jar cow) nearly gave me a heart attack the first time I popped its head-lid off:She moos obnoxiously, and isn't even practical ... she only holds about 4 cookies. There's no point making only 4 cookies, is there? 4 cookies is only a teaser.

Now pay attention all you well-intentioned people out there. ENOUGH WITH THE COWS! They aren't funny anymore. They aren't even mildly amusing anymore.

Downtown on a Saturday

I'm not normally a big fan of busy downtowns or hectic shopping malls ... especially on Saturdays when EVERYONE seems to be there ... but once in awhile I feel the urge to exercise my consumerist capitalistic ... well, I just feel like shopping. So I went to our local outdoor Farmers Market.

It turned out to be a lovely sunny day, and a bit of a special one in honour of BC's 150th birthday. Vendors were out full force hawking everything from buffalo jerky to fresh herbs and veggies, and from handmade jewelry to fine woodcrafts. I managed to NOT be seduced by the wonderful aroma of deep fried bannock, although that was tough to accomplish, and made a beeline right to the veggie stand at the far end. Fresh baby beets with greens still attached ... YUM! And some delicious small yellow cucumbers. (I used to think yellow cucumbers were all over-ripe ... now I know some of them are meant to be that way ... and they taste fabulous!)

Of course, one can't ignore the handicrafts! I fell in love with this item:

She's about 24 inches tall. I'm not sure if it was her bare toes or her red hair or her naughty expression that won my heart! I knew the second I laid eyes on her that she NEEDED TO BE on my office wall at work. Currently, this is on my office wall ...

... nice enough, but NOT "me"!

From the Farmers Market, I strolled along the street toward the bakery. I was thinking chocolate eclair and coffee, but got sidetracked by an antique store I've never explored. (I told you I don't do downtown on Saturday very often!) Once inside the antique store, almost all thoughts of chocolate eclairs vanished. Of course, thoughts of chocolate eclairs NEVER totally vanish from my head! I found all kinds of oldies but goodies that reminded me of people from my past. I always imagine items in antique stores and flea markets all trying to talk at once, each item trying to tell its own personal story over the voices of other items ... and I want to hear every story! (Consequently, I get a headache from concentrating on listening, and avoid antique stores and flea markets.) I was particularly intrigued by a pair of framed pencil sketches of a very posh but dour looking couple from the 1890s, and a scarred but sturdy oak table with 4 unusual chairs, but came away with these instead: My "Grandma B." (no blood relation) had one of these little smelly piggies on her dresser ... in between her silver hairbrush and hand mirror set and a little porcelain dish with a picture of a poodle painted in it and used for her hair net and hair pins. Grandma B kept her little smelly piggie filled with lily of the valley talcum powder. If I was a good little girl, she would lift me up and let me pat the piggie ... which released a tiny cloud of lily of the valley. I'm not partial to lily of the valley, but the piggie reminded me of special moments with a special lady. I shall fill mine with lavender. Oh, and the little cows? Salt and pepper shakers. I keep receiving cows for my kitchen ... my kitchen window sill looks like a field of cow misfits! ... and I've finally stooped to buying cows myself. (Yes, L., it WAS inevitable!) They are kind of cute though, aren't they?Naturally, no trip to an antique store or flea market is ever complete without an hour or more spent browsing in the books section. I LOVE old books, and came away with this little gem. I find Oscar Wilde quite entertaining, especially for a loonie. I mean, especially when the book COSTS a loonie! Oh who am I kidding ... Oscar probably WAS a bit loonie too ...After all that shopping, I was surprised to discover afternoon was already slipping away. I paid a quick visit to another special lady on my way to the bus stop, and told her about my new-old Oscar Wilde book. (She is always happy to discuss books ... if you look closely, you'll see she has a copy of HER book, "Stony Creek Woman", in her lap.) Then it was home to weekend chores, including this:Have YOU paid a visit to your local Farmers Market lately? Or to your local antique store? Well? Do tell!