wedding bliss

my cousin alison is getting married next tuesday, december 13th in the dominican republic. due to my finances (or lack thereof) i can't head south. i was really disappointed to miss the wedding! happily she and les have decided to renew the vows on december 30th at my aunt & uncle's place in owen sound, with my dad officiating. hooray!

sanctuary

wendy and i went to the leslie spit last weekend. it's just about 10 minutes from our house, and this is the view.

heaven.

it's nice to know that we can get there easily, and in moments the shoulders can drop and we can be near water and nature, and can have such a break from the city.

hey jude productions (part 2)

my friend kate designed this. i think that i'm going to use the flowers, but i may use a typed font as opposed to handwritten....though she's got gorgeous handwriting. i think that whimsical essence is shown in the flowers...
thoughts?

the holly & the ivy

my countdown has already begun. i can't wait for christmas. only 29 more days of work, and then hopefully 2 weeks off. it'll depend if the rodeo play on new year's eve. right now, we're off, which means i'm off. hooray.
i'm already starting with the christmas decorations, and i'm making my christmas card list.
now i need to buy eggnog on the way home!

vivaldi

i'm sitting in our new office, listening to vivaldi, while wendy does report cards. she's working hard, and i'm sitting here in solidarity with her on a computer, but my typing is for pleasure, where she's about to pull her hair out.

what a nice weekend. we had friday dinner with judy, jeff & the kids. we went to the humane society (twice) and saw some cute babies. we went to dinner at our friend lorraine's, we saw matt mays, we had brunch with jeff, judy & the godkids, and i drove out to greg's farm to bring him into the city. basically we had a chance to see many friends, new and old, and we listened to some great music, and we enjoyed time in our new house.

not too shabby.

dogs and thunder

what a glorious day. the fog is blanketing the city. the rain is falling. it is beautiful.

No matter how old I get, and no matter how clearly I know better, I am a queen of procrastination. I can't help myself. If I can put something off for another day, hour, minute... I will. It is one of the qualities about myself that I need to put on a list to change since I drive my own self crazy.

hooray for hallowe'en

i love hallowe'en.

it has become a tradition to go to our godkids house, and be with our favourite little people.

here's a photo of Bobby and I. he looks adorable. there's also a photo of Wendy and Judy, and one with Gillian and all the loot.

we love those kids so much.

queen anne's lace

my friend Candis wanted to know what Queen Anne's Lace was. Here it is!

and a bit of a history:

http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/queen_annes_lace.htm

I love it.

i like the way you move

well, moving day was yesterday. it went very well. loved our movers. because so much of our furniture is nice now, it's a little more worrisome, and a lot heavier! we're going to be living out of boxes for a few days, but once we're settled it's going to be amazing.

we're really going to feel at home at our new little place. it's a lovely house in the east end that the band bought, and we're 'property managing' for reduced rent. truly brilliant. we have the most gorgeous backyard that i'm praying for another bit of a heat wave so that we can have dinner out there once before it snows!

the colour of leaves

Wendy and I went apple picking a couple of weeks ago. It was a lovely way to spend the day together. I took about 40 pictures of apples, trees, and queen anne's lace. Wendy asked if I would be picking apples, or just documenting. I was 95% documentation, 5% picking.

rain rain rain coming down down down

it is a really dark and rainy day today.

i'm already dreaming of a wonderful thanksgiving dinner. i'm heading off to buy the cranberries in mere moments. this is the first time wendy & i have hosted mom & dad at our place instead of making the usual trek to simcoe.

sounds a little too grown up to me...

hey jude productions

i need to create a logo for my company. it is a daunting task. something that not only resonates with me now, but will do so in 5 years. something timeless.

no wonder i'm feeling pressure.

wild mountain thyme

when i got the bad news last friday that Granddad had died i was out at greg's farm. we had spent a wonderful thursday night just hanging out, and talking and having a beautiful dinner and far too much port. we were sitting there on friday morning having coffee and looking out over the fields and enjoying what was truly a perfect september day.

greg turned off the music that had been playing, and took up his guitar, and sang me the most beautiful song - "wild mountain thyme" - while tears streamed down my face.

that song will forever remind me of that day, and will always be comforting. his voice, combined with those beautiful words, filled me with love.

just this love

it seems like greg is capturing my emotions perfectly lately. such sad news, my beloved granddad passed away on friday morning. he was a wonderful, wonderful man, and i'll miss him so much. i wish i could give him one more hug.

and i just want to hold onto you

one of my favourite lines, by one of my favourite people.

i love the feel of the wind on my face and my arms in this gorgeous fall weather.

playing hooky

well, it turns out that when faced with glorious weather and an inability to focus on work that my solution is to simply spend the entire day shopping in kensington market and drinking beer on the patio at sneaky dee's with friends.

to cry about

mary margaret o'hara is singing to me on this gorgeous day as i sip my coffee (decaf) and try to get a handle on what i need to accomplish.

and i still fall for you after you go...

how can one type with such glorious moments of music and such a blue blue sky beckoning me through the window?

hello dolly

well. let me tell you. this was one of the most memorable moments of my life.

dolly brought a tear to my eye. that voice. she was also completely gracious and friendly. truly a highlight. it's always scary when you actually get to meet one of your idols, as they are really not always as lovely as you think they're going to be. she was as wonderful as i've always imagined.

mad hot

went and saw a movie last night called 'mad hot ballroom'. it was a documentary about a ballroom dancing competition in New York City public schools. it was great. wendy was in need of some inspiration as she's heard nothing but bad things about the kids in her new school. it gave her the needed inspiration. she's going to change some lives.

holidays

back to the grind, but of course i need to update the blog right off.

wendy and i had a brilliant time on our holiday. tons of reading, swimming, cooking good food. it was beyond excellent.

before we left we had the godkids at our folks' place. mini-golfing, swimming, playing with the dog. so great.

august

love it. wendy and i have rented a cottage off-the-grid next week. no electricity, no tv, no phone. should be heavenly.

i was driving back to toronto from simcoe yesterday, and it was so beautiful i had to stop and take a picture of the blazing sun going down over the corn fields. i really am a country girl at heart.

the long weekend

finally.

perfect day

I love this Lou Reed song. I know it's about heroin addiction, but I enjoy taking it at face value. It breaks my heart. This and his "Pale Blue Eyes".

Today really is a perfect day:
It's gorgeous.
We're having pedicures at the office with martinis, starting at 4:00.
Then we're going to see Ray Lamontagne.
Then Justin Rutledge.
So good.

Just a perfect day,
Drink Sangria in the park,
And then later, when it gets dark,
We go home.
Just a perfect day,
Feed animals in the zoo
Then later, a movie, too,
And then home.

Oh it's such a perfect day,
I'm glad I spent it with you.
Oh such a perfect day,
You just keep me hanging on,
You just keep me hanging on.

Just a perfect day,
Problems all left alone,
Weekenders on our own.
It's such fun.
Just a perfect day,
You made me forget myself.
I thought I was someone else,
Someone good.

Oh it's such a perfect day,
I'm glad I spent it with you.
Oh such a perfect day,
You just keep me hanging on,
You just keep me hanging on.

You're going to reap just what you sow...

hillside. such joy.

wow. what a fun weekend.

there's nothing i love more than good music, laughter, and hanging out with my family and friends. truly magical.

erin was amazing.

here are some photos.

friday

thank heavens.

what a week. it's been exhausting.

that being said, i'm thrilled to be going to hillside this weekend. erin's playing, as are a million other cool kids. looking forward to swimming and camping and hearing great music for hours on end.

wrong side

today is one of those days that i woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

firstly, my grand plan to come into the office early was thwarted by my body's refusal to get out of bed. fine. i snoozed the alarm for an hour, and came in at the normal time. no problem there.

or maybe i'm wrong.

band's hotels are messed up in ireland, and the venue hasn't booked them anywhere to stay tonight, and it's already 6:00 pm there.

why oh why is this my job?

fix the hotel rooms.

phew.

band is tired and cranky. they're exhausted. i get that. i have volunteered to go on the US tour so that i can remember what it's like to be on the road and how annoying everything is if you don't know where you're staying or your hotel is 3 miles from everything. not sure if it'll happen, but my heart was in the right place.

i am very much looking foward to my holidays next month. wendy and i just need to pick the place. we'd like to stay on the ocean. we're going to see if we can. either that, or new york city with erin when she tapes conan. we want something cheap and cheerful.

i'm going to make 10 mixed cds for when we go on the road trip.

i'm just thankful hillside is in 2 days.

moves you didn't make are overdue

a lyric by neil cleary, who i love.
what a line. those are about the only kind of moves i make.

optimism

i am certainly an optimist. the glass is half full, always has been. that does make me the annoying cheerful person in most every situation.

i am finding it a bit more difficult these days to maintain that positive attitude with all that is going on in the world. in an effort to remind myself the good that folks are doing, i cheer myself up at:

laura & woody
code pink
making poverty history

endless summer nights

who sings that? richard marx, or something, if my sick mind remembers correctly.

i got the funniest note from one of my oldest friends, tanya, today. she reminded me that when we were younger we used to lie on her black tar driveway in the blazing sun in order to make ourselves really hot. when we could stand it no longer we would run into her backyard and jump into the pool. what an inane thing to do, but we loved it so much. nowadays i think that my body would go into shock.

she was reminiscing about how we used to dream that we'd work with famous people, and how funny it was that i am now putting her on the guest list for rodeo at the borderline in london, england. i think it's amazing that she's living there with her partner and is having all of these incredible traveling adventures, and she thinks it's amazing that i work with rock and roll bands. it is interesting to see where folks end up! sometimes in extremely different places than you'd ever imagine.

say cheese!

my dear friend candis says that i can post a photo here.

if this works it's going to be the amazing & talented erin mckeown, my gorgeous sister, and myself....

fingers crossed.

love is in the air

mom & dad's anniversary. 1969. the summer of love, i call it.

i do hope that i find a love like theirs.

july

the streets are sizzling today. they're saying that this could be the hottest week of the summer (34+), however i think it's early to start making those grand statements. it's just tempting the weather fates into throwing us a doozy of a heat wave. i'm looking forward to a nice cold beer on the patio in mere moments.

had a great weekend of hanging with mom and dad in simcoe. i really do feel blessed to have such a close relationship with them. the older i get the more i value every moment we have together. once you start losing those you love you can't take anything for granted.

erin played her show here last week. i thought it was great. i think she's incredible. her record makes me weep it's so good. "you were right about everything" slays me.

live 8 pics

here are some pics!

live 8

well, we had the best time. not only was it for an amazing cause, but it was an incredible show. really inspirational. really fun.

met the king of songwriters - gordon lightfoot.

met the incredibly hot gary dourdan from CSI.

fell in love with my band all over again.

land

my friend greg just bought a big chunk of land. this land includes a private lake. now whenever we speak i ask him if he's been out surveying his acreage. while i jokingly, though somewhat jealously tease him about it, it's something i would love to do. he's saving it from being developed, and he's got something real. something that doesn't depreciate. something, as katie scarlett would say, is the only thing worth fighting for.

first day of summer

all i can dream about are the good old days when we had two months of holidays for summer vacation. we should really go back to that schedule. everybody works too much. what if we all had summers off?

summer holidays are one of the reasons that wendy wants me to be a teacher - we could holiday together like we did when we were kids, except we wouldn't take it for granted. i don't know that i could teach, but i could be a school librarian. i'd enjoy that.

maybe that will be my next career.

there is so much good music, and hardly enough time to hear it all.
saw danny michel on friday night, and he was amazing. so good. he is as wonderful still, as the first time i saw him 10 years ago.
heading to see jully black tomorrow. i hope she sings - not sure - could just be a party, which is also great.
visited with my dad and my granddad yesterday. what a beautiful and lucky thing. i love them so.

am reading 'the gift' by hafiz. absolutely stunning. wondering why i haven't heard about it my whole life. my dad received it for a retirement present, and i had to go out and get my own copy.

i'm all hooked up with the digital camera, which means that pictures will go up shortly. can't wait to figure that out at the family gathering on father's day.

i think we canadians have a real appreciation for the sunshine and warm weather that noone else can.

what a perfect day. sunshine. blue sky.
glad i brought my camera to the office so that i can capture everything.
it'll be a busy patio night on the streets of toronto.

elections coming up again. noone is going to want to vote. there's a sponsorship scandal with the liberals, but the idea of stephen harper as our pm is postively terrifying. give me a scandal over some right wing lunatic any day.