Wednesday 29 August 2012



I just figured out how to view my audience for this blog. I have readers in the United States, South Korea, Australia, Italy, Poland, Latvia, Germany, China, and Russia. It's a bit shocking. I'm trying to figure out how my little shack on Mayne Island could have garnered readers from such far and wide locales. It makes me feel like I should be saying something quite profound on a daily basis... Unfortunately, I'm not that talented a writer. In any case, a big welcome from Canada to you all!

There is not much to report on the cottage. Just basic tinkering as we get set to install the ceilings and walls. Buying the built-in vacuum has delayed things a bit as it has to be plumbed in. The weather is turning a bit chilly as of late, and if we don't get the walls up, there is no heat. Mayne Island can be very cold at night - even in summer I like to have flannel sheets on the bed. Lorenzo is hoping to take a week off sometime in September and just go full steam ahead. He really needs to get this finished as it's taken quite a toll on him - he doesn't like taking time away from the business and will feel a huge sense of relief when this is finally done.

*      *      *      *      *

I am wondering how it is that a nit-wit like Mitt Romney has managed to secure the Republican nomination for the presidency. This guy should have a giant eggo-waffle affixed to his forehead. One day he is adamantly pro-choice. Then he declares himself an advocate of the pro-life movement. This sort of political hypocrissy and dishonesty should throw one's entire credibility out the window. This is not a trivial issue.

Romney has a net-worth of about 250-million dollars, the bulk of which seems to be mysteriously socked away in off-shore accounts. A member of the richest one-percent he repeatedly asserts that Obama's policies have deepened the recession - blatant lies and distortions which only serve to indicate his contempt for the intelligence of the average American. He is a reflection of all that is morally bankrupt in the Republican Party. He doesn't believe global warming to be human caused; while governor of Massachussetts he cut funding for environmental protection by a third. He disagrees with the Kyoto protocol. On and on it goes...

But most disturbing to me is his religion. Not Mormonism specificially, but religion in general. His contention that social change cannot occur without "dependence on God" sends a cold chill down my spine. There are no persons more dangerous to the future of this planet than the religious. When pressed, they will generally espouse the belief that everything is ultimately pre-ordained, fated, god's will, and/or a sign of the coming apocalypse. If life sucks on earth, there is always the glory of an after-life to look forward to. We can float around on fluffy clouds while looking down on a planet in ruins. The bible gives man dominion over nature, so destroying the planet is sanctioned by God anyway. So who cares if snapping turtles are facing extinction?

There is something wrong when a politician refuses to disclose his tax returns because it's "against" his religion. And we allow it. The press allows it. No one else is granted such privacy when running for public office - every possible skeleton is revealed for public consumption -  but if you're religious, somehow you are exempt. You're protected. We now have Moslems demanding that public schools allow time away from classes for prayer. The girls have to sit behind the boys because they're second-class citizens, and if they happen to be menstruating, they can't attend prayers at all. We can't say "Merry Christmas" for fear of offending someone but we'll allow this. When did ignorance become not only acceptable, but something to be accomodated?

And who is going to stand up for freedom from religion if the United States ends up with a president who wears magic underwear? Somehow, the most important tenent of the constitution is being disregarded. The First Amendment was an acknowledgement that separation of church and state was central to American democracy. "God" should not even be allowed in any political discussion or debate; it just opens the door to medieval thinking and stupidity. Instead of moving forward, we move backward. In the year 2012 we are still debating evolution...because of religion.




 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday 22 August 2012


The summer is flying by...I can't believe it's been a week since my last gloomy post.
Since then, not much has occurred as far as the cottage is concerned as Lorenzo stayed home this weekend. I painted an old pine nightstand for my daughter's room. Pictures of furniture always look better than they do in real life; this old thing was really looking a bit worse for wear. And I dislike honey-coloured pine furniture...







A few coats of paint later, and voila! My daughter loves it.




*     *     *     *

Last Thursday, one of my son's friends came over to spend the afternoon and didn't leave for five days. His home life is wretched and he just couldn't face going back. Yesterday, he left to stay at his brother's for awhile. Lorenzo gave him some money and told him to call us if things don't work out. He has been in my thoughts ever since and I'm feeling guilty about the whole situation.

It makes me ponder the idea that it takes a village to raise a child. And how much obligation is required of us to the children of other people? I think you should reach out to whoever crosses your path in this life. This particular boy seems lost. He feels at home here - not in his own home. He has told me things that have left me speechless. There are so many kids who are growing up in screwed up situations, with parents who are abusive, addicted, unpredictable, emotionally immature, and unable to provide the most important thing to their child: a sense of safety and security.

I've been wondering if we could take on another child - and how much that would entail emotionally, financially, etc. Not to mention the change it would make in our own family. We run a pretty tight ship over here, and kids from dysfunctional homes don't always do well in a family where there is structure and routine. Some of these kids are used to way too much freedom. Awhile back, I wrote about a boy who stayed the night because he had nowhere else to go. He ended up leaving the house around 3-am... just decided to leave and go who-knows-where.  The next morning he was gone, and my son didn't know where he went. I can't have that here - it isn't how we live.  At the same time, I would never be able to turn a child away. But could I really handle it? I honestly don't know. My son is going to call him tomorrow to see how he's making out.


*     *     *     *

Well...I heard some pretty interesting news. My cousin Shannon has decided to move to Mayne Island!  How exciting is that? They're going to sell the house, pack up their lives, and get the hell out of dodge. They have two little kids who will attend the country school, breathe in fresh salty air everyday, and play on the beach - which is their back yard. Now when I go over I'll always have someone there to hang out with;  our cottages are only a five minute walk apart. I told Lorenzo that pretty soon he'll be surrounded by my family on that island - cousins everywhere!

The days are getting shorter and my wildflowers are starting to die off. Soon we'll be feeling the chill of autumn and the stores will be stocking Halloween candy. No!! I love summer so much...I hate to say goodbye to another one. But this year, the impending winter isn't as dreadful as it usually is. Our cottage will eventually be finished and will offer a wonderful respite from the monotony of the dullest season in the year. And I'll have my cousin there to drink tea with.

Here are two of my favourite places on Mayne Island: First, is the Japanese Gardens which exist to commemorate the Japanese citizens of Mayne Island who had their farms, fishing boats, and property seized during World War ll.  Local residents have volunteered their time and expertise to create this beautiful sanctuary...





My other favourite spot is the cemetery beside St. Mary Magdalene's Anglican Church. It was built in 1897.  I already have a cousin who chose this spot as his final resting place.
I think I'd like it to be mine, as well...






Lorenzo will be heading over to the cottage on Thursday evening to install the ceiling. I'll post some pictures when I get them...


Monday 13 August 2012


Everything you read lately, at least from intelligent sources, (not the mainstream crap media) says we are headed for a global economic catastrophe. The other night, I read for about two hours - and I have to say, I felt chilled.

If you type "global economic collapse" into your search engine, and spend an hour reading, you cannot conclude otherwise. Interestingly, if you just watch the local news, you derive almost no sense of what is going on, on a global scale.

I feel a real sense of disquiet right now... Maybe we should sell everything, move to Mayne Island, install solar panels and a solar pump, grow our own food, make our own soap, and live completely off the grid. Oh, and hide our money in a shoe box under our bed because if the banks collapse, there goes the college fund. 

I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but we are just not being told what is really going on - you have to look for it, which is very disturbing to me.

Check this out:

http://world.hawaiinewsdaily.com/2012/08/are-the-government-and-the-big-banks-quietly-preparing-for-an-imminent-financial-collapse/

Then read this:

http://moneymorning.com/2012/08/06/jim-rogers-issues-dramatic-warning/

Friday 10 August 2012


Another post about the cottage...(yawn)....

Lorenzo left on Wednesday night, he'll be coming home tomorrow afternoon. Another weekend with the teenagers and their gangly throng of friends tromping through my kitchen, eating all my food, making endless racket. What's with teenage girls? They seem incapable of having a conversation that isn't punctuated with spontaneous shrieks and screams. And they eat all the ice cream - giant bowls of it. Then the boys come in and have a fit. It's just so joyous and heart-warming, all of it. Best summer ever!

I should take up marijuana - just sit there in my slippers in a haze of weed fumes, not caring what happens to my house. Adopt a bunch of cats and fill the house with lava lamps. Instead I feel like Cinderella, left to clean while everyone else is having a ball. I made the kids deep-fried chicken strips last night. I even bought a thermometer so I'd know when the oil reached 350 degrees. They turned out amazing. But my house smelled like an east-end diner today and it was sickening after awhile. So I washed all the floors, took the stove and the stove fan apart, and pretty much spent the whole day de-greasing. Fun fun fun!

Here is what Guido the Great managed to do this time. He installed our new front door...







I think it looks very cute. Then he finished ply-wooding the kitchen area. See that black pipe above the stove? That's because of the new bathroom upstairs. Lorenzo did his best to hide it, but I think it looks a bit weird...







I have to remind myself that this is a cottage, not my primary residence. Once it's painted and I stick a few Green Party stickers on it, no one will even notice...

Lorenzo also panelled the king beam. Our idea of running wire down the posts was a great idea, but it made them so huge looking because of all the wires. Anyway, here's a before and after comparison...








I haven't decided if I'm liking this or not...I've never seen posts wrap around a beam before, but whatever. It's a cottage. At this point, Lorenzo could install orange shag carpet and I don't know if I'd care... That's not true. I'd care. I grew up with shag carpet and it was hideous and every room in the house had a different colour. Ah, the seventies! Best era for music, ghastly era for interior design, fashion, and hair styles. The kitchen I grew up in looked a lot like this: dark brown cupboards, A&W orange counter tops, goofy swag lamp over the colonial dining table. We even had the exposed brick behind the stove. And this was in a Victorian house! It deserved so much better...







Well, that's all folks. I think I hear bickering in the other room. Oh, the sweet sounds of summer! The kids have been free as birds since the middle of June, which means that for nearly two months I've been listening to daily mayhem. And there's no solution for it. Three kids born within seventeen months - they can't live without each other, they share the same friends, they do everything together, and they never stop bickering.

A few weeks ago, Lorenzo called a family meeting in the living room. I think this was after the fight about the flip-flops. He asked each kid to express anything that was bothering them. My daughter was upset because one of her brothers keeps referring to her friend as "chunky."  Silence in the room. My son's face start to twitch. His brother buries his head in a pillow, laughing so hard the whole couch is shaking. So you see, it's pointless. On the bright side, they did weed the front lawn for me today, so I guess they're good for something.

Well, my hard working husband will be back tomorrow. Yay, the cavalry is coming!










Tuesday 7 August 2012


On Saturday we hopped in Lorenzo's boat (aka - The Shameless Polluter) and took the kids and one of their friends to see  the fireworks. It was pretty cool seeing the display from the waters of English Bay...








It was the final night and Italy filled the sky with amazing pyrotechnics. While we were waiting for the show to begin, the kids debated whether or not a swim would be a good idea. Three teenage boys - looking very buff and manly - stood on the deck, staring down into the inky depths.  The conversation went something like this:

"Maybe it's cold."
"Probably..."
"I keep thinking a shark might grab my leg."
"There's no sharks...jelly fish maybe..."
"Seriously? That's sick." 
"You go."
"You first."
"I'll go if he goes."
"Dude, just go!"
"On the count of three."
"Whose counting?"

"I don't know...who wants to count?"

My daughter, exasperated, pushes though the group and does a flying leap into the water. Not to be outdone by this pint-sized dare devil, the boys followed suit. It was very funny. And yes, the water was cold.





Anyhow, the show lasted a half hour and then we headed back.

The ride coming home was...well,  rather terrifying. For me, not anyone else. The swells were very big and were coming up over the bow...or is it the stern?  Whatever - the front of the boat.
And there were a variety of smaller crafts driven by reckless louts who seemed to have little clue how to navigate according to the rules. It was pitch black and I found myself staring at the massive tankers in our periphery - dark and menacing - that seemed to be closing in on us.
Like vipers.

Boating in the middle of a sunny day is scary enough. At night, it is no activity for the faint-hearted. I guess I've turned into a nerd. Or maybe it's all the "disasters at sea" stories I've read over the years. I imagined us hitting a big rock (an ice-berg!) all of us flung in six directions, a drunken nitwit happily mowing us down in his seadoo-speadster...

While all these thoughts of peril were circling my brain, my daughter was stretched out - calm as a cucumber, munching on a bag of popcorn twists. The boys in the back were hooting with delight.  I was white-knuckling it the whole way home,  lamenting my lost saints who used to give me so much comfort...






The next day, I caught Marcello in one of my planter boxes. I guess the tasty flowers were a pleasant change from his usual diet. Just look at that face! (enlarge this picture!)




After we planted our dwarf crab apple trees, I threw down some wildflower seeds around the bases. They have grown as tall as the trunks...






Planted some butterfly and bumble-bee seeds in the front yard that are doing nicely as well. Loads of butterflies and bees and lady bugs...






I just finished reading such a wonderful book - "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" by Elizabeth Taylor. (the writer, not the actress). I commend Virago, and Persephone Books, for dusting off hundreds of manuscripts penned by women that were left to moulder into obscurity. Elizabeth Taylor is one of my favourite writers - there is only one novel left for me to read, which is terribly sad.





As you can tell, there is no news about the cottage. Lorenzo is planning to head over on Wednesday and continue on with the endless slog... With the weather being so hot, I really regretted that we weren't able to be there. There is nothing lovelier than walking the beach with the dog, watching the kids skim rocks or look for crabs, breathing in that pungent salty air, looking forward to curling up with a good book in front of the fire... The Buddhists say that all of our desires bring us pain. It is so true. If you desire nothing, you will never be disappointed. If you desire a cottage, you will suffer the pains of renovation hell, monetary depletion, physical and mental stress, and constant separation. Is it worth it?

YES.

A hundred times yes...



Lorenzo and the boys - coming back from Georgison Island


Saturday 4 August 2012

It's a long weekend! And the weather is fine! Today, I ventured down to Sears on Granville St. They are closing down and the entire store is on clearance. I could not believe the prices. I wanted to see if there were any decent cushions for the cottage, and came upon these really cute pillow shams made by Roots. I've seen them before, and they were always too expensive...





They were marked down with an additional 30% off. Even though they are meant for a bed, there's no reason you can't use standard pillows on a couch. They're actually more practical if you feel like taking a nap. A lot of couch cushions are unwashable, or they're scratchy, or they have  sharp decorations sewn in. Who wants to wake up with the imprint of a huge button on their face?


Tonight, Lorenzo and I decided to go to Marcello's on Commercial Drive for dinner. The boys declined our invitation, and our daughter's sore molars were putting her in a bad mood, so she didn't want to join us either. Lorenzo assured her that we'd bring her back some lasagna. On the drive downtown, he joked about coming home with corn on the cob, just to see her reaction.

Anyway, it was such a lovely evening. If I could live anywhere (besides Mayne Island) it would be on one of the leafy side streets off of Commercial Drive. The energy is palpable down there and I like observing the quirky people - the ones playing bongos on the sidewalk, the ones with purple dreadlocks, the hippies with leftist political slogans emblazoned on their grubby t-shirts...
I especially love the gardens - they're crazy; plants and flowers spilling out onto the sidewalks, so dense and jungle-like that you can barely see the house...






I don't think you'd ever be bored if you lived around there. Anyway, we sat outside under a canopy of tree branches and ate delicious pizza and drank a few beers. Our waitress was from Italy, so she and Lorenzo had a nice chat...





Walking down the street after dinner we passed a little shop that had the prettiest summer dress in the window. I stopped to look at it, and the next thing I knew Lorenzo was dragging me inside and insisting that I try it on.  For any women reading this, check out "Blue Sky Clothing Company" (blueskyclothingco.com) - the website only shows a fraction of what is available. Really pretty comfortable clothes, many of which are made from bamboo. Anyway, I bought the dress - I had no choice. I always feel guilty buying anything for myself, which is why two-thirds of my clothes are from thrift stores. If I were like Lorenzo, we'd be eating at the food bank. He sees money as something to enjoy - just spend it! Yay! Spend it all!


Lorenzo was going to go to Mayne Island but I asked him not to. Why bother, at this point? We have come to terms with the fact that the cottage will not be done this summer. And in a way, it's a relief to just accept it - the heat is off, so what's the point in being apart every weekend? Our new goal is thanksgiving...of 2018. Just kidding. In any case,  I'll have my husband home for once - I am so glad. Three whole days together!

My rabbit, Marcello, just started doing the sweetest thing. He'll come up behind me if I'm standing in the kitchen and he bats at my legs with his little paws, trying to get my attention. I turn around and there he is - just waiting to be loved.





I think about the person who gave him up - just dumped him off at the shelter to languish in a cage. We found Marcello at the Vancouver Rabbit Rescue, and the lady who takes in all these rabbits (Olga) told me that people just grow tired of their rabbits; they get tired of feeding them, cleaning out their bunny boxes, having to buy hay, etc. Often, these rabbits are dumped in city parks where they are terrorized by animals. They come into the shelter with ripped ears, torn paws, malnourished and traumatised.

Olga's website features all of the rabbits waiting to be adopted. This one is named Barnaby. He was there when we chose Marcello. I wonder if he'll ever be adopted... In fact, many of the bunnies that I saw there two years ago are still waiting:




It's baffling, because rabbits are the easiest pets!  They are quiet, easily trained, you don't have to walk them, and they are absolutely adorable.  People often fail to bond with their rabbit because they leave them in a cage. You cannot enjoy the personality of a bunny unless you let them run free - and then you see how sociable and hilarious they are. In a cage they are barely living. They just sit there, and then people complain that they're boring.


Lorenzo was laughing at Marcello last night because he was cleaning his eyes and then lost his balance and rolled backward. I could talk about him all day...we just love him to pieces.

When we came home I watered the garden under the full moon; the air smelled so sweet. Sometimes I just want to live forever. So, today was a good day. Yesterday, not so good...RCMP knocked on the door because my son and his friends were climbing around a construction site. Hopped the chain link fence and went exploring. As a parent, sometimes you just feel so tired. Apologized to the officer, glared at our son, lots of shouting and "what were you thinking" blah blah blah...wondering what the neighbours think seeing a cop car in front of your house... It's hard to get mad at your kid for doing what you once did yourself. I loved exploring construction sites. I have always been mad about houses and maybe that's where it began. And I don't recall ever being told we shouldn't be there, but maybe we were just smart enough to not get caught.


I have some furniture projects I'm going to work on this weekend. Lorenzo is going to drag an old pine bed out of the attic that I'm going to spruce up for my daughter's bedroom. I'll post the pictures if I actually get around to it...


















Wednesday 1 August 2012

Last night, Lorenzo and I headed down to Home Depot to look at exterior doors. They have a batch on sale for $199 each, pre-hung, etc. and they're very nice. Usually the doors in stock have that traditional raised panel look which neither of us likes, but these ones are pretty terrific...




Lorenzo wants to buy it right now but I was really hoping to find a door that will allow more light to come in. Something like this, perhaps...




Then again, our current hollow-core-piece-of-crap door has a small window in it and several times it has scared me to death. When you're alone at the cottage and someone decides to come over, you see a figure standing there, staring into the middle distance and it just about causes a heart attack. In one weekend alone, I was startled by two cousins, the neighbour, the real-estate agent, and the guy who came to install the septic tank. I remember thinking that I wanted to put in a solid door. I'll have to sleep on this one...

We bought a hood fan while we were there: $329. Then I came home and saw a comparable fan on the Sears website for $229. So I'm taking back the expensive one. Another thing we've been discussing is whether or not we should install a central vacuum cleaner. Nothing gets your home cleaner than a built-in; it is more powerful and the dust and dirt are being carried through pipes to a container outside of the house. The hose is long, and you're able to reach cob-webs and dust bunnies in hard to reach places. (but not Marcello the bunny!) Also, you can get a brand-new Kenmore built-in for less than most canister vacuums so it's a no-brainer, really. Lorenzo says that installing the pipes, fittings, and inlets is no big deal at all.

Driving home, the moon was nearly full - suspended like a brilliant glowing ball in the blue sky. How long has that moon been floating in space? Makes you think about time.

I had a thought tonight that made my stomach jump. This time next year, my oldest child will be entering grade 11.  Grade 11 !  Where did the time go? Why did elementary school seem to take so long, but high school is just zooming past? By the time this cottage is finally finished our kids won't even want to be with us. They hardly want to be with us now! And I don't get it, because we're such a blast to be around.

The older I get, the more I am aware of the dreadful certainty of impermanence. Kids grow up, people die, we age and become progressively uglier... Absolutely nothing stands still - life is in constant movement and change. I find that since we bought the cottage, the weeks and months have disappeared. It has been a total time sucker. I will never renovate again. It takes too much out of you and it robs you of time, which is all we really have. 

I don't have much to write about as far as the cottage goes, so I'll talk about my daughter's teeth. Today she had braces put on. This will cost us $7800. not a penny of which is covered by our dental plan. Oh, the joys of being self-employed. She says her mouth feels strange, but so far she is in no pain. 

It seems that every kid these days "needs" braces. Whatever happened to people having interesting teeth? Remember the kid in school who looked like Bugs Bunny? Those days are gone, folks.

I told the dentist that I want my daughter to have a very slight over-bite when this is done. My mum always said that your teeth hold up your face as you age. An over-bite is a bonus when you get into your forties; I am very glad my parents refused to put braces on my teeth.

So, in order to convince my daughter that we shouldn't flatten all the personality out of her mouth, I downloaded some pictures of beautiful women with over-bites whose looks (in my opinion) would have been marred by over-correction...

 
(Faith Hill: over-bite)

(Isabella Rossellini: crooked front tooth, over-bite)



(Jennifer Connelly: over-bite)
 
 
(Marisa Tomei: slightly skewed front tooth and over-bite)
 
 
 
(Neve Campbell: overlapping front tooth and over-bite)


(Sarah McLachlan: over-bite)




 
 (Shania Twain: over-bite)
 

I rest my case! I know my daughter needs braces but I don't want her ending up with one of those Hollywood toothpaste smiles that are about as interesting as reality tv.

The orthodontist says we can remove the braces prior to 18-months. I wrote 20 post-dated cheques, each for $280. Tomorrow, I'll pay the required down-payment of $1800.  I read that orthodontist's wages have nearly doubled in the past fifteen years - it is not uncommon for them to rake in 300-grand a year. Wow...that's more than a heart surgeon.

Having kids is so expensive...yesterday my daughter went to Playland with her friends: $34 to get in and $13 on a bite to eat. When I was a kid, we bussed to the Kootenay Loop and walked a mile and a half. Then we snuck through a hole in the chain-link fence. Somehow we managed to sneak on every single ride. It was the 70's and I guess all the guys running the rides were baked, because how else can you explain that? Imagine a kid these days going to Playland with nothing in their pocket except bus fare...  We're such nice parents - my dad would have said, "You want a ride? Jump off the porch." 


(My dad)


What a different childhood that was...we'd go to the movies on a Saturday afternoon (with a two-for-one coupon) and my mum made us bring our own popcorn. In a paper bag that became progressively soggier as the trip wore on. We'd end up eating it all on the bus. We never got driven anywhere and we never had any money. My cousin and I would spend hours looking for pop bottles to cash in at the corner store and by the time we had enough to buy a few jaw breakers, we'd probably burned a thousand calories.
Looking back, it's pretty funny... I can remember days at the beach; the stomach-churning aroma of fish and chips and cheeseburgers wafting through the air. You'd look down at your peanut butter sandwich on multi-grain bread and you just wanted to burst into tears. Pure torture:





But we sure had fun.

I hope this wasn't too boring. Ciao for now...