Need I Say More?

Camp Tibbits Winter Style. And tomorrow we go cross country skiing.

Still Not Complaining

One Day Later

I don't know about our little buds, but I sure want to go out and play. We've had flakes, slush, hail, rain and more flakes. So beautiful. We followed the snow plow to the market and stocked up as this is supposed to last a few days. I haven't lived in a snowy climate since I was six years old. I can remember walking down the slippery sidewalks all bundled up in so many layers I couldn't even bend. I am loving this but I don't have kids to shuttle or dogs to walk or even a commute to work. So, at this point I welcome a snow day. We'll just keep those noses to the window  and stare in even more wonder.

I'm not complaining but....

Waiting for Spring

Like little children wanting to play, our quince cuttings seem to be peering out the window in anticipation. And so are we.

We're off to the Garden Show on Friday for inspiration, and can't wait to get this yard in bloom. But it looks like we'll have to be a bit more patient. The weather forecast is for rain/snow showers and cold, cold temps for the rest of the week.

I'm already in three layers most of the time. I don't think I'll be able to bend if I have to add another one. We're starting our fires a little earlier in the day to keep ourselves toasty. I've gotten pretty good at poking around the embers to stir up some flames. (I think there is a metaphor there somewhere.)

Oh well, in the meantime, the quince and I will push our noses to the window and look out in wonder.

writing retreat

Well, that's my excuse anyway. I retreated from writing this past week. Not to say I didn't have anything to say. (That will be the day.) But, I started to feel a little too compelled to write and that's when it starts to sound contrived to me. So, I'm back from hiatus...for at least today.

What I/we did spend the week doing was continue to explore this amazing community. We're dipping our toes in here and there. The more we dip the deeper the well we're discovering.

We began our volunteer gig at The Commons. We're bookies. No, we're not taking bets, there'd be no faster way to lose money than to hand it over to us. We're not crooks but our few adventures in gambling made the house that much richer in record time. We are called bookies by our lovely volunteer leader, Sue. She is a former middle school teacher and principal and managed to retire with her sanity and energy intact. She is also very organized and came up with a system to deal with the donation, pricing, and selling of used books. I'm happy because I've always had a fantasy of owning a bookstore. This way I can do it without the worry of staying in business. My only worry is that I'll end up spending too much money on books that I just "have to own." But, I promise to use self control as much as possible. Thank goodness the wonderful Langley library is just a few doors away.

We did alot more last week and I promise to catch up before I skip ahead to Current Events.

It does feel good to hit the Publish Post button, so I will be back tomorrow. Promise.

Bird Talk

There is a morning radio feature that we love. It's called Bird Note and each day we hear a little information/trivia about birds. It usually starts with the bird call of the featured subject. It's pretty cool and really makes us focus on the wonderful NW birds.

We have many tall, old (ish) growth trees in our backyard. There is one that the ravens really love to land on, make a few caws and move on.  I missed it but Tim told me that two humungous eagles decided to make a pit stop there for lunch today. He said he heard a giant racket and wasn't even sure what it was. We know the ravens have a variety of calls but these were definitely not ravens. He looked out and spotted the eagles. They were really going at it. Not necessarily in a bad way, but they were definitely fully engaged in some sort of avian negotiations. I'm wondering if there is some nesting situation going on. We'll have to keep our eyes and ears open for updates.

Yesterday I started a piece on trying to duplicate in words the sounds of individual birds. I wish I could replicate the correct vowel and consonant and pronounciation of the sounds that come from our winged friends. I can't even name the various species but I sure wish I could reproduce the sounds into letters. I'll just have to keep listening to the birds talk. It sure beats the news.

a walk on the wild side

Oh how we love our Wednesdays.

Once again the sun shone for us. That's four in a row. We're not taking it for granted, but have come to expect it. Our day off from our days off.

And today was a stunner, for sure.

We haven't crossed over to the other side (aka America aka the mainland) since we've been back.

But I read an article about the Winter Garden at the Seattle Arboretum and couldn't resist.

So I googled a good restaurant, made a list of supplies

and off we went.

We arrived in no time, having visited the Japanese Gardens last fall,we knew our route.

This time, we arrived to frosty grounds with sunlight peaking through the trees.

The witch hazel barely in bloom, the helebores had seen their day.

Thank goodness the crocus were perky.

And then the light on the paper bark tree stopped us in our tracks.

Isn't it amazing what the backdrop of sunlight can do?

We messed around taking a few pictures of ourselves but realized our glow couldn't equal that of our surroundings.

And that's okay with us.

what a difference a day makes

Okay, okay. I know. Patience is a virtue and hopefully I will acquire some...might not be in this lifetime but we'll see.

Received an email from the director of our local community non-profit, all age, happening center this morning. By noon we'd met in person and filled in a calendar with dates. Yahoo. I will be conducting my first mini-workshop on the Island. Three Saturdays in March. I'm happy. It's a start. The foot is in the door. The pen is in the hand. The ink will soon be on the paper.

Okay, Whidbey Island get ready to write. Mrs. Tibbits is in da house.

And the other good news is I won't be writing any whiny blahg posts for at least a week...I promise.

nothing to say and nothing to say

Hating to steal a line from the classic, "I Hate Mondays," in the fear/hope I'll be wrong and will  have a good one a week from today. But...this is the second one in a row that I've ended the day on a "wrong side of the bed" note. Last week it was due to too much fun on the weekend but this week....hmmmm....perhaps due to a "rude awakening."(Hey, that should have been the title to today's blahg.)

But then again I would have been happy for a rude awakening ala phone ringing. Even a rejection call would be welcome at this point. I'll take the rationale, excuse, reason, etc. that my services aren't needed or I won't be hired. Or...You've been out of the work force too long, we've found someone more qualified, we aren't expanding after all, there isn't sufficient interest, the budget's been cut...ANYTHING. 

It takes about ten minutes to compose a one size fits all rejection letter, one minute more to insert the recipient's name and address, and two seconds to hit the SEND button.

Okay, that's it. I feel better already. No more rant. It's almost time for House.

This Place is So Civilized

Well, I've no longer got the blues when it's time to grocery shop. I love our local markets. Even though we won't have a farmer's market until May, I'm able to find amazing produce around here. One of my favorite places to shop is the Star Store in Langley. Where else can you find cheap avocados (Hass for 59 cents each!) any time of the year, leopard skin panties, kitchen gadgets, cute scarves, great priced wine, crab cakes, and fake nose glasses all under one roof? It is pretty packed in there. You really can't help but run into someone (whether you know them or not) as you peruse the aisles. The merchandiser gets an A+ for displaying goods. And the prices aren't bad. I mentioned the avocados because we used to live right in the middle of avocado land in CA. I never paid under a dollar for one, esp. Hass. Very cool. The store has a smaller branch just down the street from our house. I took Fifi there when she came to visit a few years ago. As we were waiting patiently for our cream puffs at the deli counter, she remarked aloud, "I didn't know this island was so civilized." I think she envisioned us living ala Gilligan's Island because our cell service was so spotty it was hard to have phone conversations without being cut off mid sentence. Anyway, she was quite impressed.

The Star Store isn't necessarily convenient for filling the grocery cart, but it's a great place to run in for a few fun items. There is a new store I'm crazy about for the big shopping expeditions...The Goose Community Market. But, you'll just have to wait to hear about that place. I'm done shopping for the day.

Mrs. Grandma

Today was my first day of volunteering in my sweet, Sophia's classroom. I am so lucky to have a granddaughter in the 5th grade...they are some of my favorite people on the planet. The elementary school enthusiasm is still there coupled with a bit of sophistication ,I can be my wise-ass (albeit toned-down) self, and they already know how to hold a pencil. My little group was pure delight. I didn't have to give "the look" even once. If anyone needs a demonstration of "the look," my daughter does a mean imitation. I'm sure there are probably a few former students who still see it in recurring nightmares now and then.

 I didn't get to have Sophia in the group, but that was just as well. If I'd bombed it would have made her social standing slip a notch or two,I'm sure. I guess I passed the test as the kids asked if they could meet with me again next time. They either had a good time or really hate math which was the alternate activity. In any event, it feels good to be back in the saddle. And one hour a week is just about perfect for me. I looked around the classroom and wondered how I ever did it. I cannot think of a profession I respect more than teaching. As far as I am concerned, teachers are the rock stars of the universe.  I was very grateful to get my American Idol return ticket today. Thanks kids, see you next week.

too blah to blahg

I don't know what happened this morning, but woke up with the semi-serious blahs. But they didn't last too long. After a little jaunt to the library and the local nursery all was back in balance. Then we took a magnificent walk on Maxwelton Beach this afternoon. I was bemoaning (yes, I can bemoan with the best of them) that I really miss living somewhere walkable. That was the greatest thing about Claremont. I could be in the Village in five minutes. Library, post office, cafes, movie theater...all within walking distance. We don't have that luxury at our home on the island. We've got woods to walk if we so desire but seeking the sun is a priorty when one lives in the woods. So when the sun shines our deal is to hop in the car and find a walk.

Today's walk along the beach was sublime. By the time we finished I realized what an extraordinary gift we have right here. Rocks and shells and driftwood, the sounds of waves lapping on shoreline pebbles, eagles and herons roosting on pier posts, scoters and shorebirds we don't know what to call, the Olympics in the distance, and sun on our faces. This works, we'll take it, a perfect cure for the blahs.

The Joy of S...

Sleeping, the joy of sleeping. A good night's sleep is better than just about anything I can think of these days. I love to go to sleep almost as much as I love to wake up in the morning.

We bought a new mattress recently. Our old one had ten years or more of tosses and turns and curling ups and many, many dreams. We switched to a memory foam type mattress. The first night was interesting. When they say it molds to your body type, I didn't know what they meant. I figured it out right away. You lay down and that's it. Plunk and sink. You don't toss and turn because you can't. It would require lifting your body, turning and replunking. Hmmmm. We soon realized a little softness was needed on the surface. So I ordered a nice topper that's seems to have done the trick. I no longer feel like I'm laying on a dense marshmallow without the give. Tossing and turning are no longer an issue. I do it just like the old days.

About once a month I actually sleep through the night and don't open my eyes until 5 or 6 in the morning. Tim teases me because I get into bed around 9ish and am usually snoring (so he says) by 10. Ten or so hours later I'm ready to face the world. What he doesn't realize (because he's snoring away,) is that I've watched the clock from 1 to 2 and sometimes 3 in the morning. I've come to call it "horizontal meditation." When I'm not working on ideas during that awake period, I think about nothingness. It's really quite nice. I've gotten pretty good at it. I like nothing. Really, alot.

And then before I know it, it's 7:30 in the morning and time to rise and shine. But not before one more roll over. Just one more.