In Which Our Heroine Gets In Touch With Nature

Long time, no talk, internet.

I'll be honest with you, friends - it's probably a good thing I didn't blog anything last week. I was miserable. The frenzy of Canada Day preparations made me crazy. My trip in to Whitehorse last Wednesday/Thursday, which was supposed to be work-related yet relaxing was ... well, not relaxing.

I learned some important lessons about ordering food for next year's CD Festivities - mainly to stress the importance of packaging the food in such a way that it can fit in a cooler, for the love of Zeus, people, Faro is a four hour drive away! - had a great deal of stress, and had the day redeemed by the kindness of Louie and Bobbi at the KEBABery. You may never know how much that chicken shwarma meant to me ^_^

Today, I rode back into WH with H. I know, I know, three trips to WH in a four week period - I'm exceeding my limit. But my grocery situation was dire. I was out of almond milk.

...

I need my almond milk. Without it, there can be no breakfast smoothies. Without smoothies, there is no breakfast. Without breakfast, I become a monster.

So we drove in to have a meeting and do some grocery shopping. We stopped at Riverside Grocery, where I proceeded to go crazy buying an assortment of flours and seeds. I'm looking forward to experimental cooking with garbanzo bean flour and coconut flour. I'm getting ideas.

On the way back, we stopped at the Coal Mine for milkshakes. H's husband had gone out for a ride on his motorcycle, and we just happened to meet up there. We took our shakes down to the river and watched the Yukon float by as we filled each other in on what happened during the day. My trivia for the day? The Yukon River flows at a rate of 7m/hour.

After milkshakes, we headed on our way back. H decided we should stop at their friend's place out on the Magundy to see the horses. We had a long, bug-filled walk up the driveway (which makes me feel less guilty about forgetting to go the gym yesterday), and spent a very pleasant half-hour with the horses. I couldn't remember the last time I had been near a horse (I'm thinking it was back when Amy and I were friends, which would be about 17 years ago, which makes me feel very old, so I'm going to stop thinking about it), but these guys were quite calm and friendly and put me at ease. They were particularly pleased to see H, who provided them with bug-spray.

I think horses might have an even more soporific effect than cats, and I may have to go out there again.

I have not vanished into the mist

My internet connection should be working tomorrow at the new place. Heck, it might even be working now, but I haven't found the box where my router and phone are, so I haven't been able to check.

I burned my thumb on the wood-stove yesterday. I am having some major hand/eye coordination issues lately. The burn isn't really bad, although I did call over to Matt and Kara's because I couldn't remember if you're supposed to leave the blister alone or lance it (I really wanted to lance it, it feels like my thumb has grown a thumb of its own). Between the burn and all the assorted bruises I gave myself this weekend, I am looking a bit worse for wear.

I did a lot of unpacking this weekend. Probably less than I should have, but I get bored easily. Kara told me I have Adult ADD, which makes me laugh. That's better than Early Onset Menopause, which is what Dianne always used to tell me I had.

I think I heard the Cranes flying south this morning. There was a strange honking sound in the air. Everything is starting to change colour, and I'm thinking about packing away some of my warm weather office clothing. Of course, the fact that I dislike a lot of that warm weather office clothing is helping. Man, I bought some weird ass clothing when I worked at Lindor.

I fully intended to do 20 minutes on the treadmill this morning when I woke up, but wound up lying in bed with a cat-blanket from neck to knees. I should feel guiltier about that than I do.

Still here

You thought I was in a drunken stupor all this time, didn't you?

Well, I wasn't.

I did have a drink Friday night, and a couple last night, but nothing major. I went to Matt & Kara's Friday night to check out the work they're doing on their backyard - it looks pretty good now, so I can only imagine how great it's going to look when it's complete.

I drove to Ross River yesterday morning to put up a sign at the Canol Footbridge. I didn't know where I was going, and there weren't really many people around to ask, but I asked the man at the hot dog stand (which was actually just across from the bridge). And then I was starving, so I bought the most expensive hot dog in the world - seriously, it was just a hotdog, like you make at home. I could have bought a whole pack of hot dogs (and buns, too, if I were still in Ontario) for that.

But I was really hungry.

I filled up with gas at the General Store, so now I have no excuses for not going to Ross for gas (since I know how to do it and how to pay for it now). Then I came home for my last day of snuggling Titus. Heather came by to pick him up in the evening, and now I find the house is a bit too quiet.

Now the mad rush to get my house presentable for my parentals is on. I want them to see me living in a neat and tidy house (even if most of my belongings are stored in Rubbermaid containers). They'll be here in just over 2 weeks, so I need to get crackin'.

Yowza

Yup, I'm already $40 over my limit, so I will not be turning the computer on again until Saturday. Grrrr.

I received a package from home today - the parentals have started to mail all of my boxes to me. I don't know if it's going to wind up being more expensive than if I could have gotten a moving company, but I don't care. My things are starting to make their way west.

I have a photo of the Gaijin Gang during our first Yuusuzumikai (the summer festival in which I wow-ed audiences with just how high my breasts rose when I was strapped in to my summer kimono ^_^) on my desk now, and it makes me laugh. There I am with my crazy bleached blonde hair, and there's Sean and Danni and Pat. I remember the good times now, so one day in the future I am sure I will look back at any bad times I am having now with the same degree of forgetfulness.

That being said, I am really tired today. My body senses that the end of the Festival is rapidly approaching, and is telling me to give in to my desire to pull the covers over my head in the morning and just sleep all day. Today has been a long day of meetings I didn't want to have (well, actually, only one meeting, but it drained me).

My luck seemed to change at lunchtime, though - Heather took me up to the Fingers Site because there were sheep out (that I saw with my own eyes). And then I got the package from home and an emergency kit for my car from the folks at Whitehorse Motors. So I guess today was more positive than negative ^_^

Here's a photo from my last summer festival, back in 2007. Sean and I are looking pretty cute ^_^

I swear to God, Nature...

If you don't start showing me wildlife, we are going to have to renegotiate this deal.

Heather emailed me this morning, offering to take me on a tour of some of the nature spots that I have yet to explore around Faro. I haven't really done much exploring. At first, it was because I didn't have a vehicle of my own to explore in, and later it was because I am always so tired after work and would much rather curl up on my couch with plate of shrimp and watch DVDs. I know, I know.

But at any rate, I said sure, and (after our afternoon meeting) off we went. We drove up to the Fingers Site (no, I don't know why it's called that and no, I didn't ask) to see if we could spot some sheep. The festival is just around the corner, and it might be nice for me to see one before the tourists get here. Alas, no sheep were making merry on the mountain.

Someone had been, though - we stepped over a used condom. Who has sex at a sheep viewing platform? I made a mental note not to get roped into going up to the site on Sunday for the big Clean Up...no sirree, I will be busy in town where we only have to deal with empty aerosol containers in the gazebo.

At any rate, we drove up to the Mine, so I could see the pools of toxic sludge and shiver at the ominous look of the mine complex. Interestingly (to me, anyway), the sludge in the lagoons is the same colour as the dirt my boss imported to lay out at the kindergarten in Japan...coincidence? There were no animals around the mine, but I hardly blame them for that.

Then it was off to the cabin at Mt. Mye. I was getting a bit tired by then (our jaunt up the mountain to the mine wound up taking an hour and change), but really hoped my wildlife-luck would change. Plus, I didn't want to seem like a jerk when Heather had made such a kind offer. We chatted, and I was really sure I would see a sheep.

But I didn't. Mt. Mye was bare. Now I was chilly and disappointed. But we kept driving, down the Blind Creek Road toward Lynx Track Farm. We saw some moose tracks, and Heather stopped the car to show me wolf poo (complete with moose hairs!), and we stopped at the end of the road to take in the Pelly River. Then we turned around to go back.

I did see one thing on our journey back - a male grouse, standing in the middle of the road, staring at the bushes. The car didn't bother him - he was fixated on whatever lady-grouse was in those bushes. It is spring, after all - the sexiest time of year.

By the time I got home, it was 7:30 and I was two hours late for my supper. It's a good thing the days are so long now - it was still bright when I had my rice and shrimp dinner ^_^

And now to bed, I think. Not to sleep, but to imagine all the wild things that lurk in the bushes, ignoring me.