Getting Some Fun

I often will listen to my music shuffled, so I get a good mix of different styles during my day.  Once in a while I catch up with some old favorites, or songs that really mean something to us right now.  Here is one example of that.  I think this is a good model for life, don't you?  It is an old standard sung now by one of my favorite modern female singers, Madeleine Peyroux.

When we want to love, we love
When we want to kiss, we kiss
With a little petting, we're getting
Some fun out of life

When we want to work, we work
When we want to play, we play
In a happy setting, we're getting
Some fun out of life

Maybe we do the right thing
Maybe we do the wrong
Spending each day
Wending our way along

But when we want to sing, we sing
When we want to dance, we dance
You can do your betting, we're getting
Some fun out of life

So, How About It

It officially crunch time!  We're now racing the clock to get things set for our renovation extravaganza.  We plan on over hauling our newly bought house over the months of summer this year.  So you'll be seeing a lot in the ways of that over the next 6 months, as we won't have time for a lot of other things.  Here is a conceptual idea of what we'd like the front to look like once we're done.

Olympic Pride

Twenty-two years ago, the Winter Olympics were hosted by our city.
This was the last time they were held in Canada. With the 2010 Olympics going on in Vancouver right now,
we thought we'd offer a few snapshots from the past.
Whereas the slogan for the 2010 Olympics is "I believe,"
in 1988 it was "Share the flame" --hence the little candles.
We're absolutely enjoying all the coverage,
though perhaps we get a little too caught up, glued to the television.
Oh--and in case you were wondering,
that's B and his older brother E in the first picture, and the boys with their mom in the second one.

Taking the whimsy out of magic: A review of Lev Grossman’s 'The Magicians'

Taking the whimsy out of magic: A review of Lev Grossman’s 'The Magicians'

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A friend of mine has started writing literary articles for an online newspaper and, while I've not read the book she's critiquing in the above article, I thought I would share the review. N, I completely agree that Whimsy would make for an appropriately unusual first name. :)

Man ticketed for raising poultry in yard - Canada - Canoe.ca

Man ticketed for raising poultry in yard - Canada - Canoe.ca Wouldn't it be great if Calgary would change its rules on this? I don't think a few hens would be any stinkier or more obnoxious than a yappy dog or a cat that defecates in other people's flower beds...

I DARE YOU

I was reading through my Google reader this morning and came across this post.  Rather random blogger I read, but they had a good point.  Here is what they said: "I DARE YOU to watch this video and not want to change your life and start doing something you love IMMEDIATELY".

Now I will admit, this video does make me want to fulfill the inner traveler in me.  Maybe not entirely change my life, but certainly do some more traveling on our continent.  It also kind of makes me want to grow my hair out real long and be a traveling troubadour. 

The video reminds me of Dutton, Montana and our trip we took down there two summers ago.  Oh, such good memories of that place now.  Even though this video was shot in Texas they look quite similar, funny because they are 1687 miles apart.

And now in the words of another great go-get-er blogger, GO! 

Hoarfrost Magic

There is nothing quite as beautiful

As a frozen winter scene

At times with proper moisture

Hoarfrost crystals can be seen

It’s like climbing into another world

As thick ice forms on everything

Nothing else is quite the same

As what these crystals bring

Beauty beyond anything else

Forms on the world around

Gathering up and clustered

Just like a frozen shroud

There’s a stillness in the air

When Hoarfrost crystals form

The quiet world is engulfed

From this beautiful winter storm

So if you are so fortunate

To see the hoarfrost magic

Grab your camera and capture

Nature’s icy antics!

-Marilyn Lott

Sunshine on my shoulder

 The sunrise this morning was brilliant and clear.

We opened the curtains wide to let the yellow light in;

warming the house and making the day seem full of promise.

Treading New Paths

While in principle, snowshoeing is merely walking with wide and awkward aluminum or wood platforms attached to your feet, it completely changes the way you travel through an outdoor space.

When the world is covered in deep drifts of snow, the potential paths are unlimited. A snowshoe-er does not have to stick to a pre-existing path, or follow a logical route, but rather can forge on in any direction, through drifts of any size. Want to tackle that giant overblown drifted hill? Go ahead! Want to mogul through the bush, around trees and over small shrubs? There's nothing stopping you except the width of your snowshoes getting stuck between tree-trunks.

I've commented many times on how much I love Nose Hill Park for the sense of natural peace it brings. When, over Christmas, B and I had the time and energy to head out there, to our delight, there was several feet thick of snow lying on the ground--and uncommon event for Calgary. So in the afternoon sunshine we headed out, up over the hills and across the sections of open plain. Through the deciduous forests and the sections of deep brush.

We encountered coyote, porcupine, mice and deer, all thriving in this wilderness park in the middle of the city. The only animal that seemed concerned about our presence was the mouse--probably because we could have stepped on him without noticing. The others seemed not to care that we were sharing their habitat. Who are these crazy galumphing beings who make their own trails? Why are they taking the path of MOST resistance?

I can't say that snowshoeing is a quiet venture, wherein one can spend time philosophizing on the greater ideals of the world. It's hard work, and the heart pumps and blood rushes and breathing is heavy. But when you stop (to catch your breath) and survey the world from your solitary vantage point, with the late afternoon sun shining and very few other individuals braving the elements to join you, the world is truly beautiful.