Welcome Fall...or Winter?? Or Monsoon season?? I"m confused.....

 And that was it for summer.  Yup, it was I think one or two days - I obviously missed it and that may be due to the fact our lives here are NOT leisurely!!

It's a good life tho - I have a job, I get paid every two weeks, and my hubby and I are happy, and relatively healthy for a couple of old farts.

So dear reader, I'm sure you are dying to hear about our time since July.  Yes, we did go on a vacation for a week to Port Townsend WA.  Which was fun.  And filled with cousins, seafood and fog.  But I digress.

Our trips "down Island" to Campbell River are few and far between. BUT when we do head south, we make the 2 hour drive through rugged and beautiful landscape - trees, rocks, more trees, magnificent vistas between the trees, and end up at the Ideal Cafe.  Now at first glance it's pretty old, kind of ...not dingy but has weathered a few years.  And when inside - it's like you stepped back in time!  The waitress yells a welcome, grab a table, hustles over with a menu and the coffee - and it's just bliss.  Yup.  No big electronic signs, no order on line - it's all in person.  Ok so the wait staff use iPads to take the order, but other than that its good strong cafe coffee, a wonderful menu obviously aimed at working men (read loggers) and the food is devine!  Best Eggs Benny ever and their stuffed Hashbrowns are amazing.  So when we stopped in the other day, as usual the place was buzzing, and at the counter (and they do have a counter with stools) sat something I haven't seen in years.  If you are a biker - you'll know exactly what I mean: a Scooter Tramp.  Thats the only way I can describe him - likely my age or older, beard bent where he'd had it in an elastic band, worn jeans, old tshirt and the look of many many miles around his eyes.  Yup.  I smiled, he nodded...Hubby came in - he got the nod.  No words spoken - but it was acknowledgement.  So cool.  Got my coffee, turned to see if he was eating, but he was gone.   

August and September came and went - both of us working, both coming home tired of talking, enjoying quietly sitting and having a few minutes to chill before I tackle supper.  Occassionally I hit the markets on Saturday  where lovely locals ply such treasures as home made perogies (buy lots - they freeze well) or butter tarts from heaven - which also freeze well.  We have been trying to be social - Fridays mean beer with the gang from work, which is fun!  And Mac has been found out by a local ham radio operator - so they are now conspiring.  I don't even ask.  His wife is lovely - so I predict more coffee time with those two. 

Now that I am old I wear glasses - prescription Progressives - yup, and they work and so far I have not had trouble getting around while wearing them.  The cat has been gonig outside to the front yard, when supervised, which makes her REALLY want out - a bit of a pain at times.  My computer at work died - the hard drive was GONE one morning - so that was a small hurdle now overcome with a loaner.  Yup - the year is whirring past us.  

Just to let you know how fast the year has gone - this weekend we are going to start making some candy to give away at....no, I can't say it until after November 11.  THEN we go mental in the townhouse, our wee abode will be all decked out. 

The year's gone by fast.  AND I finally paid my income tax just this week!!! Just in time to prep for next year....why am I laughing?? OMG here we go again.

Sunday we change back to...who knows what it's called, we just jump forward one hour.  Good - go to bed an hour later, get up an hour later.  Works for me.  And yesterday was glorious here - one day of brilliant sun and blue skys inserted into a really rainy few weeks.  Raining out now.  Oh well, it is good for the forest.  

Keep safe, to my US buddies, have a great Thanksgiving - sorry you had to wait an extra month.  

The sweet scent of summer

 Over they years its been a typical August long weekend or Family Day.  In Canada every month theres a Long weekend.  Victoria Day, Thanksgiving, and in August…well you get the picture.  Tradition says its spend on a motorcycle. 

 For 19 years it was a trip to South Dakota with the annual migration of bikers to Sturgis.  Every bike imaginable, great folks to share stories, drink a beer or 6, and look at what was ridden in.  The smell of 50wt oil, suntan lotion, sweat, leather and an underlying “eau de dead grasshopper”…all underscored by the roar of motorcycles.  It was another time.  

But now, in our senior years, its more like enjoying a sleep in, a trip out for breakfast, a morning visit to the farmers market and then home…feet up.  Our entertainment for the morning is a parade of yachts and small craft heading in and out, the sight of a hummingbird hovering at the nasturtium’s, and the lapping of waves on shore.  It is a different world.

Yes we have our bikes. Its calm and warm, but today..I’m plum lazy.  I am avoiding getting all the gear on, and going for a spin.  Macs bike is under the weather, his starter “shitting the bed” so to speak so it is going to the shop next week.  And today I don’t fancy riding alone.

I just read an article in Psychology Today that claimed “doing nothing is good for a persons mental health.”  I can support that theory.  Batteries need to be recharged occasionally and thats what I’m choosing to do! OK the coffee and chocolate while I sit here in the shade with feet up is like my “tender” making sure I hit Fully Charged.  My upcoming nap only makes me feel happier. 😎

  

1955 was a good year. Really.

 Yup, today I turn 67.  Good god.  And its the first time I’ve let age bring me down!  Ok its been cumulative, read on and lets see if I cheer up.

We are on the island, which is beautiful.  If you ignore the fact thats it has rained and fogged pretty much every damn day since we arrived.  Yup.  But no snow, which is a plus.  But seriously I could use some sunshine!

John is working too now.  A challenging job, but hey thats HR for you.  My job is coming along, hard to explain EcDev to folks who have no idea why you can’t  just make things happen, 9 to 5 Just Like That?  My fav is being asked at meetings “what shovel ready projects  have I got on the go?”  Um, yeah thats not how it works.  But I digress.

Since we got here we’ve had company almost every month, which is cool.  And we took a small vacation, to See/meet some of Johns cousins.  Which was nice.  But it was NOT the 10 day motorcycle trip we had planned.  Yes, we got 2 used Harleys, which are great.  But hubby didnt get enuff time off and two days before we were scheduled to leave, his starter “shit the bed” so now its How to get the bike to Victoria…6 hours hrs down island.  So we need to get our dealer to come get it! 

And so to celebrate being 2 yrs older than retirement, I bought my own birthday cake, invited a few friends for drinks and nibbles, and pouting that we couldn't be in Alberta with our buddies today, and getting ready to have a good day anyways.  Life is too short, or too long as it were, to be feeling sorry for myself.

When in Port Townsend last week, their 4th of July fireworks were amazing.  All around the bay gorgeous fireworks going off for hours.  John said how lucky we are not to be living where there are rockets and artillery going off, that it was a celebration not a bombardment.  

He’s right.  I am sitting here with my cat, in bed, listening to the fog horns, robins, etc, warm and safe.  I have food in the fridge ready to set out, cold beer and paper plates.  Lol what more can a girl ask for?  Ok maybe a few hot sunny days so I can ride before going back to work?  

Happy birthday to me. 😎🍰🍺

NO??!!! Really??? are you nuts????

 Yup - we are.  We moved.  Yup again.  And further west.  To an island in the Pacific. LOL

We have returned to Port McNeill on Vancouver Island.  On the north end - and I mean NORTH.

Not near Vancouver or Cranbrook.  Even further away from Alberta or Saskatchewan.  And no where near Montana!!! Why you ask?? Are we nuts??? Do we LIKE spending thousands of dollars on moving companies? And what of our cats - they HATE moving!

I will explain. (Or try to)

Well as you may have read, we headed west after selling our house.  Then an opportunity presented itself in Port McNowhere - and I applied. A good job!  And with my vast untapped talents, I was hired!! WOOHOO!

So now I have a great job, in a wonderful beautiful part of the world, but where o where will we live? 

Here is where  you'll see how important personal relationships can be. We've kept in touch with friends from before when we lived here - and thru them found a 3 bedroom townhouse.  Old - yup.  Only one bathroom - we can live with that.  But freshly painted, bathroom updated, it's all good.

And did I mention the view??

Oh and now back to the annoying part of moving -     unpacking.

We arrived with cats on Dec 6.  After traversing Hwy 3 in the ice and snow - it's a crazy winding highway, narrow, two lanes, and since the Floods and the TransCanada were CLOSED it was the main east west route in BC.  So we met mile after mile of big trucks - all in a hurry. In a huge hurry!!! so it was nerve wracking to say the least until we hit the TransCanada at Hope - then no problem.  

Upon arriving in Port McNeill, we got the cats settled into the not totally ready Townhouse, each had their own room.,..and we pitted into a local motel.  Yup, 10 days but oh well - we did well on our house sale eh?? lolol  On Dec 20 the furniture arrived - yay!!! And we officially moved into our place that night. Joy of Joys!

And since then we've picked up a portable dishwasher, a laundry set, and have been settling in.  Oh yes and rented a C Can for all the stuff that doesn't fit.  Christmas was very low key, with one ceramic tree and a poinsettia.  LOL But I cooked a turkey and all was well.  Until early January.  Poor Rosie crossed the rainbow bridge, she was 18, totally blind, and just not having a good life.  I still miss her snuggling up to my neck, sticking her cold nose in my ear and purring me awake in the mornings.  

But she's not suffering - Rest in Peace, you were a good kitty.

Now Casey - oh that's another story in a cat suit.  She's lovely.  Fully armed. She and I are learning to love each other - the relationship is developing.  But she wants OUT!!! she sits and stares out the window, and until we can sit outside and watch for Eagles - she's sticking put!  And she loves John.  Definitely his cat.  Now she sleeps on the foot of the bed.  Good kitty.

Her Bulkiness and Rosie did NOT get along - not one little bit - and now Casey is getting the run of the house, no interference and is making her presence known all the time.  She loves treats.  I mean all the time.  LOL 

And so life goes on - we get tons of exercise going up and down the stairs (old townhouse - steep stairs, one bathroom on the 2nd floor) and have nearly finished unpacking.  The living room is done, we got a TV set, the office is 90% finished up and the spare bedroom is 80%.  Then we organize the bedroom and voila - we are done! 

I can't wait to wander downstairs on a Saturday morning, grab my coffee, and sit outside to watch the birds.  John has a plan to put up a barrier for Casey Cat so she can come out and join us without having to worry that an eagle will pick her up - and so life goes on!

Oh and we've already got guests booked for March! 

Notice no words about Covid?? yeah, I'll save that rant for another day. Peace Out!

I’ll try the Salmon, Ella....🤢

 Some people have all the adventure, all the excitement and all the luck.  No, sadly not lotto luck, tho having a cool new job is pretty darn awesome.  I get to start work shortly,  since having Zoom means you’re never alone.

But I digress, back to the subject at hand.  My darling husband, light o my life, has been having a hard time due to old and no so old injuries.  His past sins slow him now and then, but recently he seems to be really suffering.  Started with a headache, then some annoying sneezes....hmmm perhaps a cold?  Then sore tummy... I mean really nasty, cramps, nauseated, can’t eat, aches....hmmmm perhaps flu?

Or...perhaps food poisoning!  Some online research and ho ha! (Exclaimed with enthusiasm and finger pointed in the air!)  Yes indeed, our happy albeit temporary home was the victim of Salmonella.   From whence it came remains a mystery, but it’s almost certainly the culprit.  A few days of increasing feeling like microwaved poo, then lots and I mean hours of sleep, aches, stomach pain....And just general misery.   Poor man.  I was actually getting kind of worried about him.  How worried?  I searched for and found the thermometer...thankfully he was an annoyed 98.6C.  

Then finally, fever reduced, aches almost gone, 3 days and 2 glasses of ice cold apple juice later and the prognosis is very positive.  He is over it...and tomorrow we get back to work.  OK we ease into work, no point going crazy.  And now to bed!

 On the upside, while he suffered and slept, I have nearly finished getting our bedroom packed!  Always a bright side to be found eh?  Lol 😝 

What have we done to deserve this?

When we last blogged, the reader was left. Hanging....did either of them get hired?  Are they still mired in a cardboard box hell? And what of the kitties?

So glad you asked, and even if you didn’t, here goes.  

I got  a job.  Yes, let the bells ring and banners I'm the new Manager of Economic Development for Port McNeill.  On the north end of the Island, and start work in January 2022.  O M G.  I know Its the job for me...a 2 yr contract, so no need to worry about working till I 80.  The town is beautiful, and we lived there 10 years ago...and its exciting, the prospect of seeing the changes, hooking up with old friends and did I mention a new brew pub!  We are enthusiastic about this...trip planning, booking movers, looking for a place to live.  And lurking in the far corners of my mind the biggie: packing. 

So we have been in our new apartment for maybe a month.  And with both of us shortisted for positions on the north island, unpacking ceased.  But damage had been done!  Boxes recycled, clothes hung in one closet, dishes in the cupboard, cds in their stand and books now in the office.  Gak!  Its about 1/3 complete, so it sounds like it should be easy breezy peasy to repack?  Yes, it does sound like it.  Unfortunately the reality is stuff is in a state of flux.  More like reflux! Half empty boxes, with a mish mash of what can only be described as Junk Drawer material.  In my haste to set up house, I foolishly dumped all the clean packing newsprint.  Argh!

So its back to Uhaul, getting everything back on track.  Labelling by the way is paramount in times like this!

Mac the Organized is the logistic specialist.  Booking rooms, planning the route...remember the 2 cats?  One long day on the road, then a ferry trip, and finally arriving in our town has been laid out in manageable bites.  Ok some bigger bites, but manageable. Movers are lined up. Again.  But what of the “stuff “ we put in storage?  Lets hope we can find some when we get there. I really don't look forward to a furniture dolly and tool kit in our kitchen.

Oh yes, place to live.  Well at first we found a gorgeous 2 bdrm with a single car garage....but in the wrong town!  Fortune smiled upon us, and we have a 3 bdrm 1 bath in what were the first townhouses to be built in our new location.  On the up side its being reno’d and updated, its inexpensive, on the down side I have no idea what we have to work with until we arrive. But its got garden access and an amazing  view of the ocean!  So we won’t  be living in a tent. 

And today, the 10th of November, is another day of packing, stressing and running errands, planning, eeeek.  I have read a dozen on-line “How to stay sane when you move”, “Smart moves” and no magic bullet.  Just get started, grab a jiffy marker and the tape gun and be ruthless! 

What have we done to deserve this?  Well all I can fathom is we are fearless, smitten with wanderlust.  And drawn back to the sea.  To careers we both are really really good at.   And what better place to eventually retire to than on the Island...its going to be a blast.  Oh yeah and never -40C again...lol

Stay tuned!

  

“May you live in interesting times”.....the journey continues?

 So have I mentioned the cathartic nature of writing a blog.  Or “blogging” as it were.  Sitting amid several boxes in various stages of unpacked-ness, gazing out to the mountains and morning sky, we have moved!  What a production, movers scheduled to arrive at o a.m. showed up 6 hours late, loaded and gone by 9:30 p.m.  

The cats were already housed at the pet resort....and we paid to have people come clear out what few odds and sods were left...and off to Mickey D’s an hour away for dinner!  Finally!  Then another 40 minute drive and at last we were in our motel for some well deserved rest. 

Have you ever rolled out of bed, turned on the shower and were utterly disappointed at the weak stream of water emanating from the old shower head?  Lol well at least it was warm and wet...hahaha unlike the coffee in the room which was hot and strong!  Long story longer, we collected the cats and headed to Cranbrook ....found another nice motel, with kitchenette, checked the cats into another pet place, and waited for our movers to arrive.  And waited.  7 days of motel life, one very nice owner/manager, and a lot of catch up sleeping.  Finally our movers arrive...y hrs later theyve crammed a zillion boxes into our wee apartment and bed set up and made, we collapsed!

Apparently the downsize we did, was not enough.  Our storage unit it nearly full, the place is a miasma of boxes, some unpacked, some open, some sealed, all moved and stacked so we have room to manoeuvre and Live.

During this I’ve  managed to cook a Thanksgiving dinner - couldn't find the flour and discovered cornstarch gravy is not edible.  We have been exploring the culinary scene, some amazing places and meals but lets save some of those dollars shall we?  Last night a steak dinner on the electric bbq Mac bought...wow!  Great dinner!  So we are happy, safe, sore from moving heavy boxes around as we try to locate our STUFF. 

You’d think this is where our latest adventure might end, culminate in massive donations to charities and more downsizing....But Noooooooo

So I may have mentioned an Ec Dev job on Vancouver Island, in a town we’d lived in for 4 years...well “as fate would have it” I am waiting to see if an offer is on its way.  Lol So IF I get this job, yup...you guessed it...we call the movers, and off we go! The average Joe would think this is where we end the tale, but Noooooooo.  Lol

Hubby stumbled upon an opportunity 20 min from where I will potentially be employed.  And yes, he interviews on line next week .....whoa!  What if we both get jobs!  Oh my how plans change in the wink of an eye.

So heres what is going to happen or what could happen:

A) one or both of us gets hired, we break our lease, we pack up and migrate west to the and start again

Or

B) we don’t get a job offer, and end up staying in our lovely wee apartment, reducing our possessions by about 50% and enjoy a quiet peaceful life with the felines!

And there you have it.  For now we remain in limbo or Purge-atory as Ive come to think of it...not unpacking one single item more,  and keeping a lookout for a place to live in anticipation of a westward trip into island life. 

Until then, lets read, watch British crime dramas and comedies, eat, dream and plan as best we can.  And imagine us working and buying a couple of bikes, lolol 

Stay tuned!