January 01, 2009
December 31, 2008
Goodbye 2008!
This year has been one of ups and downs. We started with Hedgehog Dog's successful "rump bump" removal, progressed into a fun March of wine tasting with Barrels on the Brandywine, and rounded out the spring with me finishing up grad school. The summer hit with some new needs - a job, a new home, a way out of Newark. The fall brought the job and new homes, but we are separated by 2500 miles and still trying to find the way out of Delaware for good.
On a happier note (better start on that New Year's Resolution...), I have seen coyotes twice up near UBC. They are really big and look like wolves. Maybe they are... I was pretty scared after the first sighting (even though I was in the car just driving by), but the second time I progressed to "oh, cool, a coyote again". Hedgehog Dog indicates that he would rather not met them in person.
Happy note #2 is that I got the three big branches that came down with the snow cut into bite-size pieces that will fit into the yard waste collection bin. I think the neighbors were laughing at me trying to saw through the things. Must have made a good picture with hair and small branches and sawdust flying. Made me feel at home - the neighbors on Quail Lane always got a kick out of us.
Happy New Year!
On a happier note (better start on that New Year's Resolution...), I have seen coyotes twice up near UBC. They are really big and look like wolves. Maybe they are... I was pretty scared after the first sighting (even though I was in the car just driving by), but the second time I progressed to "oh, cool, a coyote again". Hedgehog Dog indicates that he would rather not met them in person.
Happy note #2 is that I got the three big branches that came down with the snow cut into bite-size pieces that will fit into the yard waste collection bin. I think the neighbors were laughing at me trying to saw through the things. Must have made a good picture with hair and small branches and sawdust flying. Made me feel at home - the neighbors on Quail Lane always got a kick out of us.
Happy New Year!
December 30, 2008
Happy Holidays?
Merry Christmas! Hedgehog Guy and I had quite the holiday this past weekend. The snow really got to me. I think it started when I got the car stuck in our road on the way home from the airport. An hour spent digging it out over and over again between 12:30 and 1:30am after a 5 hour plane delay wasn't exactly a great beginning to our vacation.
Christmas itself was great - great food, great presents, great to be with Hedgehog Guy and Dog.
Then it snowed again, which crimped my plan to buy a TV and play Wii all weekend. I had no back-up plan and really felt I should be out showing Hedgehog Guy how amazing the city is. So I began to obsess about this lack of a TV and the fun that would ensue, which made me mopey, which made Hedgehog Guy mopier, which sent Hedgehog Dog into hibernation. I mean you can only play so much "Crazy 8's" - it takes a long time to get to 500pts!
We did manage to have a really great lunch at a local noodle place on Friday and a lot of fun at a bar in Richmond watching the Florida State-Wisconsin football game on Saturday. And we finally got a TV on Monday - taxes here suck. Hedgehog Guy even got a taste of the bus system and the nearest shopping centers.
Then Hedgehog Guy went home, and it's just me again. I think my New Year's Resolution will be to be more positive. We were together for Christmas! We aren't in debt! We have shelter (2 apartments!) and clothes and food and cars! We have a great dog and family! And we love each other. The rest won't fall into place magically, but I'm sure it could be worse. But I'm not going to dwell on how it could be worse, just in case it happens.
Christmas itself was great - great food, great presents, great to be with Hedgehog Guy and Dog.
Then it snowed again, which crimped my plan to buy a TV and play Wii all weekend. I had no back-up plan and really felt I should be out showing Hedgehog Guy how amazing the city is. So I began to obsess about this lack of a TV and the fun that would ensue, which made me mopey, which made Hedgehog Guy mopier, which sent Hedgehog Dog into hibernation. I mean you can only play so much "Crazy 8's" - it takes a long time to get to 500pts!
We did manage to have a really great lunch at a local noodle place on Friday and a lot of fun at a bar in Richmond watching the Florida State-Wisconsin football game on Saturday. And we finally got a TV on Monday - taxes here suck. Hedgehog Guy even got a taste of the bus system and the nearest shopping centers.
Then Hedgehog Guy went home, and it's just me again. I think my New Year's Resolution will be to be more positive. We were together for Christmas! We aren't in debt! We have shelter (2 apartments!) and clothes and food and cars! We have a great dog and family! And we love each other. The rest won't fall into place magically, but I'm sure it could be worse. But I'm not going to dwell on how it could be worse, just in case it happens.
December 24, 2008
Snowfall #4
Ugh, yeah, it has snowed again, another foot or more. My "character" building continues to "adept" up from "novice" in snow shoveling. Even Hedgehog/Ostrich Dog has found the swimming through snow tiring. Try getting a bottle of wine home in this...
Note the snow piled up on top of the trashcan in the back on the mid-left hand side
Note the snow piled up on top of the trashcan in the back on the mid-left hand side
December 23, 2008
The Dark Side of Snow
Yes, it has a Dark Side.
Brown slush at intersections
Shoveling your car out from under a foot of it
Owning a scent addicted dog
Wet feet
Living on a street that doesn't get plowed
Any you would like to add? Leave a comment!
Brown slush at intersections
Shoveling your car out from under a foot of it
Owning a scent addicted dog
Wet feet
Living on a street that doesn't get plowed
Any you would like to add? Leave a comment!
December 21, 2008
6 hours of snow later...
Here are a couple comparison pictures to gauge the snow accumulation today...
10:30AM 
4:30PM
Snowfall #3
A lot of people ask me about the weather in Vancouver. Imagine everything you have heard about Seattle and Portland and then add several more cloudy days. Thus far, it has rained a lot. Until the "Arctic Blast" two weeks ago. Then all the 
rain turned to snow. The temperatures were all above freezing, not even evening frost, until it began to snow. So we have green grass under our 6 inches of snow. I mean the rose bush was blooming 
until early December. So I'm not worried about a successful garden next year, I am just worried about making it to planting.
The approach to snow here is very different. The big, huge, major traffic arteries are dutifully
cleared and sanded, but not the neighborhood streets. Not the bus stops, not the sidewalks outside your local business. The dog loves the snow. I mean craves spending time out there. I set the oven timer so that I remember to drag him back in after 20 minutes at a time. He will go over the same "trail" every time he goes out. Even suggestions of dinner or treats will not sway his concentration. He gets so focused that he doesn't even investigate all the tracks in the yard! I would think his ears and muzzle would get cold, but... I'm excited because Hedgehog Guy will be here for a white Christmas. So far the first year in a new place is always snowy (or icy). Think 1991 in Conway, 2002 in Newark, and now 2008 in Vancouver!
rain turned to snow. The temperatures were all above freezing, not even evening frost, until it began to snow. So we have green grass under our 6 inches of snow. I mean the rose bush was blooming 
until early December. So I'm not worried about a successful garden next year, I am just worried about making it to planting.The approach to snow here is very different. The big, huge, major traffic arteries are dutifully
cleared and sanded, but not the neighborhood streets. Not the bus stops, not the sidewalks outside your local business. The dog loves the snow. I mean craves spending time out there. I set the oven timer so that I remember to drag him back in after 20 minutes at a time. He will go over the same "trail" every time he goes out. Even suggestions of dinner or treats will not sway his concentration. He gets so focused that he doesn't even investigate all the tracks in the yard! I would think his ears and muzzle would get cold, but... I'm excited because Hedgehog Guy will be here for a white Christmas. So far the first year in a new place is always snowy (or icy). Think 1991 in Conway, 2002 in Newark, and now 2008 in Vancouver!
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