A bird in the hand.

Today Hubby, Piper and I went up to Rockwood Park to take pictures and see what could be seen.  Besides bumping into my friend Kattsby, we saw deer, juncoes, squirrels, and blue jays.

But the highlight of the afternoon for me was being a human birdfeeder.  The chickadees at the park are incredibly friendly -- at one point I had four of them perched on my hand, and three on my hat!  (It's amazing what some well-placed bird seed will do.)  It's always a surprise to feel how little chickadees actually weigh, and such a gift to be given the trust of something so gentle and delicate.

We stayed until our hands and feet were numb, once again counting ourselves blessed to have such wondrous natural beauty so close to home.  I hope my little friends, wherever they may be, are keeping warm this winter night.

Look, Ma! I'm famous!

Guess who is Uptown Saint John's Craftsperson of the Week? :)

Things have been pretty busy the last week or so.  My husband's brother's family (did you follow that?) from Wainwright, Alberta was visiting.  Since these are some of my favourite people, and since they're normally so far away, I tried to spend as much time with them as I could.  Add in the usual errands, appointments, et cetera, and somehow this blog didn't get updated!

I've begun hooking on a new rug and it's coming along nicely.  When I was hooking on it at the lake, my niece fifteen-year-old niece Anna (from Alberta) was quite intrigued by the process, so I couldn't resist showing her just how easy it is.  If we'd had more time (this was two days before she left), I would have picked up a hook for her and sent her home with a project, but alas -- next time.  I've been itching to do another cross-Canada train trip, so maybe it can wait until then.

August 1st meant the beginning of a new six-month session of Ten-Minute Rughookers, and after straying from hooking for a while, I've recommitted!  (Well, okay -- "become re-obsessed" might be the more appropriate wording of it.)  Anyway, so far I've hooked at lease ten minutes every day since August 1st, and I intend to keep right on hooking.

On Saturday, I moved my few things out of the space at the City Market.  My month there had come to an end.  But what a month it was!  I learned so much up there -- about myself, about work habits, about being part of uptown life again.  I'm still processing all it means, but it was such an amazing experience and it's not an exaggeration to say it has changed my life.

Talk soon (and I mean it).

A-Marketing We Will Go ...

One of the greatest things about living in "Canada's original city" (incorporated in 1785) is that one is surrounded by heritage and tradition.  For about thirteen years, I was involved with the tourism sector in Saint John, either giving tours of historic churches, being a visitor information counsellor, or -- my favourite -- working as a walking tour guide, introducing visitors to the area to my hometown.

I've lived in Saint John most of my life, having moved away just enough to realize that this is Home, and one of my favourite places here is the City Market.  Built in 1876, the Market is always a hub-bub of activity, and one never fails to meet a friend strolling through the aisles.  I can remember visiting the Market when I was a toddler, and getting my mother some mayflowers for Mother's Day.  In high school, I would often stop to get some ice cream on my way to the bus stop.  The City Market is a constant in a Saint Johner's life.

So it was only natural that when Chris, a lifelong friend who is visiting from New England and preparing to move back, suggested that we get together to chat, we decided to meet at Java Moose in the Market yesterday morning.

A little aside -- One of the things that I've learned about myself is that I don't do any work at home.  If I need to get schoolwork done, I go to the university.  I figure I could triple my output if I had a designated space in which to work and concentrate.  So I've been casually looking for a cheap "studio space" in which to create -- writing, designing, painting, hooking -- and not nap.

So, back to yesterday morning...  Because I'd hitched a ride uptown with Hubby, I got to Java Moose quite early.  As I waited for Chris, sipping my Wild Raspberry Iced Tea, my gaze drifted up to one of the ice sheds now used as offices in the Market.  It was vacant.

You know in the movies, when there is a glowy light and sounds of choirs accompanying a major epiphany?  Yeah -- exactly like that!

My brain started swirling. How could I find out about it?  Okay -- breathe -- go to the Deputy Market Clerk.  How could I afford to rent it?  I'm unemployed and still looking for a job.  Okay -- Figure out something I could provide that the Market could use.  I was so completely absorbed in this thought process that Chris greeted me with, "What are you up to?"

Over the course of the conversation with Chris, I figured out something I could offer in exchange for the use of the space.  Normally a huge procrastinator in cases where I might not be able to achieve something on which my heart is set, I sent an email to the Deputy Market Clerk the moment I got home.  I told her I had an incredible win-win idea and would like to meet with her.  Then I spent the next three hours getting my proposal together.



This morning was the traditional Canada Day flea market in the uptown, so Hubby and I were there bright and early, as we are each year.  After taking in the wares on King Street and in King's Square, we wandered into the City Market and I took him down the side aisle to show him what I'd been bubbling over about last night.  "It's up there," I whispered, gesturing above the soaperie.  "That little room."

Hubby looked at it, and looked at the little staircase leading up to it, and nodded.  As we walked up towards the east end of the market, I looked up at the Deputy Market Clerk's office.  "She's there," I whispered.  "Up in her office."

"Then you should go talk to her," Hubby replied.

I hesitated, suddenly timid.  I've never been one to step outside my own shadow when it comes to something like this.  But after a gentle nudge from Hubby, I took a deep breath, scooted up the stairs and stuck my head in the office.  "Hi!" I said.  "I'm Karen -- I emailed you yesterday."

To attempt to wrap up a long story, I pitched my idea for the City Market (which I can't share with you yet, because it's still in the early, confidential stages), and asked about the little space.  The Bad News: it's been leased.  The Stupendously-Awesome News: the new people have leased it for August 1st, so I can use it for the entire month of July!

The Deputy Market Clerk and I went down to look at it together.  Gazing out the windows, I just kept grinning.  I can't believe I actually have it -- a space to work, in one of the most personally-inspiring places in the city.  I'm almost beside myself with excitement!  Each morning, after checking the job bank listings online, I'll pack my bag with my supplies for the day, be it writing or drawing or hooking or whatever, and I'll either go with Hubby or hop the bus.  I'll spend the whole day being creative!

It's going to be an awesome July, Gentle Reader.  I can feel it all the way down to my toes!

Happy Canada Day! :)

There is joy in the spring.

Today is Victoria Day, the unofficial beginning to the summer season in Canada.   Oh, sure -- it's still spring -- but this is when we finally start to trust that winter is behind us and put the snow shovels in the basement for another year.

I've decided that this is the summer I begin composting.  We have a cart that the city will empty every two weeks, so it's really just a matter of  learning what should go in it and hauling the cart up and down the driveway.  We already recycle what we can at the blue bins in the grocery store parking lot, so this is the next natural step.  As someone who is interested in the preservation of (and has a spiritual connection to)  the Earth, this has been on my Day Zero list for a while.  So today it begins.  On the refrigerator, I've posted lists of what can and can't go in the compost cart, so that Hubby and I have some guidance until we get the hang of it.

After we came back from the recycling bins today, Hubby, Piper and I spent some time wandering through our backyard.  For the last ten years or so, it's been left au naturel, partly because it's too bumpy to run a mower over (and too big to weed-whack), and partly because Hubby believes that mowing lawns is bad for the environment.  (I don't know if he really believes it, or if he's just poking at me and his tongue is firmly in cheek, but he started a Facebook group about it, so here's his free plug. :))

Among today's discoveries: forget-me-nots growing among the thorns of the rose bushes, rampant buttercups, tons of dandelions, a snail on the compost cart, and several MIA tennis balls ejected from the groundhog den by its occupant.

It was nice to spend some time outside and just be.

Tomorrow will be a busy day, beginning with an academic appeal hearing at the university (#95 on the Day Zero List).  After that, I need to make an appointment with my doctor, update my résumé, and figure out what to do next.  I might wander by the high school, too -- not only to visit old friends, but to see if they have any use for me in the next three weeks, since I still have my substitute teaching permit.  I'm not sure what the next year is going to look like, but today I came across a quotation that pretty much sums up my life's philosophy.

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children; to leave the world a better place;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.” --Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's all gonna be okay.

Redecorating!

Welcome to My Created Life 2.0 (The Space Version)!

I've spent most of today designing this template and getting my widgets in order, and while it's not exactly where I'd like it (the images in the sidebars require some tweaking), I'm pretty happy with the results!

For those of you who didn't notice the subtle teeth in the background of the old design, I'd like you to see if you notice anything here. :D

I'll be tackling the page hierarchy and links as the next few days go by, but for now -- tell me what you think!

So Happy Together.

Every year my uncle sends me money for Christmas, and when I got the card this year, I decided that I wanted to do something very specific with it -- treat myself to something I normally wouldn't purchase for myself.  So I bought a frame at Michaels with a very specific plan of what I was going to put in it.

I've been fascinated by the fish created by Saint John artist Jessica Doyle for a little more than a year now -- ever since I first saw them.  Not only do the drawings have so much personality, but the fact that she names them makes me grin.  So I decided that I would pick my three favourites and frame them together.

Please meet, from top to bottom, Emily, Milton, and Annabelle.  (The fact that my grandmother's name was Emily and that she had a sister named Annabelle probably cemented my choices.)  Because I was having a hard time trying to balance colours and fish, Jessica was kind enough to print Annabelle in reverse for me so that things would balance out.  (Annabelle normally faces left.)  The signature is now reversed, which makes me giggle, but I love the way the three fish look together.  And because my fishies make me so happy, I have placed them so that they are literally the first thing I see when I get out of bed in the morning.

Besides picking up my fishies, I had a delightful visit with Jessica and her cat, Missy.  I had only visited Jessica once before, during her open studio sale before Christmas, but once again I was struck by what a warm and gracious person she is.  It's always inspiring to talk with another artistic soul, and such a treat to see her current projects and ACEO collection.

Despite my outer self being tired after working and having dealt with a headache all day, this evening my inner self is feeling pampered and very content indeed. :)

Okay, who sent me this?

Whoever you are, I can't stop laughing.  But I'm not sure how exactly it's going to get down the chimney (or fit under the tree, for that matter!).

To see what I'm talking about, click on the nearest "jolly old elf."  And don't be drinking Diet Pepsi while watching the video.  (That's the voice of experience talking.)

Thank you, Anonymous Friend.  It's awesome!

And Santa?  You get extra cookies this year! :)

Even better than ice cream.

I did get back my Space Studies midterm tonight in class. I had the highest mark, 49/51, which translates to somewhere around 96%. I got one multiple choice question (worth two marks) wrong.

Driving home from campus, I did the angel-on-one-shoulder-devil-on-the-other routine about swinging by Dairy Queen for a celebratory banana split. In the end, though, I just came straight home.

I pulled in the driveway and noticed an empty spot where the MADSCI-Mobile (aka Hubby’s car) should have been, and a distinct absence of barking. Figuring they were up at the Bark Park, I decided I’d change and join them. But as I was unlocking the back door, something caught the corner of my eye.

(There are reasons I always have my camera with me.)

We get deer in our backyard on a fairly regular basis, but this was the first time I’d been out there alone and able to enjoy the experience. I took quite a few pictures, and he seemed to have as much fun watching me as much as I was watching him. He was wary, but not alarmed — there was no flashing of the white tail warning. After a few moments, another deer joined him and they slowly migrated into the neighbours’ yard, calmly chomping the grass.

If I’d gone to get the banana split, I would have missed them altogether.

(Did I mention I wandered through my “rustic” backyard in heels?)