Eating Crow

 

 

I have come to the realization that my PC and I must be separated for a short length of time while we are house searching.  And you could say that I will be eating crow.

When my Husband casually leaned over, and said, “you know that we need to take down the PC, two nights before we move, and you won’t have internet?”

I was shocked, what, no internet?

 

I mean, I hadn’t thought that moving would entail a lack of internet.  No contact with my Bloggy buddies? How will I survive? Lack of TV doesn’t bother me too much, not much on most nights, but computer? Ack!

Now I need to eat crow, and pull out my laptop, warm up it’s chilly black facade, see I knew that turquoise suited me better!  I guess my laptop and I will become best buds for a little while.  I’ll still be pining for my PC, the one with over 30,000 photos, and all those fun programs, but I am sure that I will adapt.

After all, it’s a superb laptop, it just doesn't feel like my BFF – the PC. 

So I went out and bought my first cell phone, yes I am in the 21st century. This baby can email, blog, and do all sorts of things…I just need internet…..right.  And I won’t have that for a few days or so.

Whoops!

 

 

Ahem…apparently we might be able to figure out something and there should be some free WiFi hanging around the beach. So if you see a Black truck packed to the brim, with a howling cat, and a woman furiously typing away on the laptop keys, you will know that it’s me, LOL.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

From adventurers to hoarders

 

 

When we heard that we needed to move within 2 1/2 weeks our hearts jumped.  Right into our throats, and then they settled down. It will be our adventure we told each other.

We are down to the last of the packing.  Then it’s only a few days of living with a spoon, fork, and a pot, and a fat cat.

But the only problem is, we feel like we are partaking in a reality show, Jen and Gar’s most excellent adventures in hoarding.  Boxes are everywhere, and there is only a narrow pathway through the living room.  The chairs are adorned with packing paper, and tape, boxes are piled up everywhere.  Bootsie is loving it, so many boxes to jump into, I think that I have accidentally packed up him up more then once.

 

 

We need to think ahead so much our minds are spinning.  Bring, store, need, want, live without for at least a few more months.   We had packed up many of our trinkets in the spring, and stored them in a storage locker.  Now they have come home to roost. and our living room looks similar to those of the people on the hoarding shows.

 

 

There’s lots of “where’s the …..and did you find the ???  going on around here.  And there is also “oh I remember this” when a box stored for months gets opened.  It’s kind of like Christmas, all over again…..

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

Blogging for relaxation

 

 

Carolyn from A Glowing Ember [who just moved up to the Okanagan] asked how on earth I could find the time to still blog while in the middle of a move.  Well, I blog for relaxation.

We are moving from White Rock next to the ocean, to the Okanagan, and doing it in two and half weeks. Kind of a rush, both in the form of actual work, and the feeling that it gives you.

The first thing most people ask us right now is “are you excited, and then are you stressed out?

Not as excited as we should be, it’s been a whirlwind, lot’s and lot’s to do, and reality hasn’t hit us yet.  My car was also hit and damaged the first weekend of our build up to the move, and it’s taken lots of my time.  And as for stress, no, not stressed.  Tired by the end of the day, but not stressed.

 

 

That cup of green tea, and a cookie sure tastes good when you finally sink down into the couch for the night.  Bootsie is snoring on the pile of blankets strewn around, and the boxes piled up everywhere make it pretty hard to see any of the TV.  So I escape to the other room where the computer still is accessible, and blog.  Reading blogs, commenting when I can find a minute, and writing about what is happening to us relaxes me.  Excitement comes over me in little waves whenever I relax.  It’s really happening!  We are moving.

 

 

And then I look around and see what has to be done still, and reality takes a bigger step into my life.  But that’s OK, remember the phrase, “be careful what you wish for.”  We wished, and prayed, and dreamed, and now it’s happening, so I am going to enjoy as much of it as I can.  This is what we wanted, and we are very fortunate to be able to get it.

 

 

Only a few more days until we move, it’s almost here.  Some mornings when I get up to check my blog roll, I can hardly believe it’s coming true.  Soon I will be blogging from the land of snowy days, and warm hearts…..come with me.  It’s a adventure.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

In case you wondered, moving is messy

 

 

In case you were wondering…moving is messy.

 

 

But Bootsie doesn’t seem to be too bothered by it.

 

 

He just says, “Keep calm, and pack on.”

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Dear Ocean, this isn’t goodbye

 

 

 

Dear Ocean, this isn’t goodbye….. I am not really leaving you, just letting the drive to visit you become a little longer.  I will still come and see you, dip my toes into your cold water, and shiver when they start to tingle.  I will still search for the morning light when I come back to visit, watching as it comes up behind the mountains. Listening to the symphony of the water birds as they greet another day.

 

 

Dear Ocean, you have been in my life for so long, I don’t remember when we first met, but I have tattered black and white pictures of you, me, and many a beloved family member.  I have memories of your teasing tides, always in to greet me, when all I wanted as a child was some sand to build my life’s castles on.

 

 

My beloved Ocean, I will always keep you in my heart, knowing that there are some people who have never met you yet.  Not had a chance to dip their toes into your surf, and I will wish them that joy.

 

 

I know you giggle with the white caps, and I see the depth of your emotions on a stormy day.  I know that you are one of the most important friends in my life, forever…..

Dear Ocean, I miss you already, please stay in touch.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Snowy days, and warm hearts

 

 

We will be staying with my Sister, and her family at their farm in Armstrong for the next little while, it will feature views of snow covered fields, and crunchy cold temperatures.  I can’t wait to get out there and take some snow covered barn photos, that’s definitely a scene that has been lacking around here.

The drive is around 5 hours, from our place to Armstrong, so to find the time to house hunt, and someone to look after the Boo, along with our differing schedules made it hard.

We will be up against snow covered yards, roofs, and icy roads.  While pretty, and white, a blanket of snow can hide some pretty big atrocities.  So the yards, and condition of the roofs will be a matter of guess work while we are searching.  I will be looking for a detail oriented house inspector, one who is willing to poke into dark corners, and peer up into attics.  Why not wait until the spring?  Up there it doesn’t come until March or April, and I would love to be in our own place as soon as we can. Besides, we don’t want to outstay our welcome, warm hearts and all.

 

 

One thing we found out during our previous forays into the house hunting market, was that almost every house has a hot tub. It’s a dry cold, but chilly enough with temperatures dipping down to –25 Celsius, [that’s cold!] or more some days.  So I guess a hot tub is all the rage, when your tootsies are frozen.

 

 

And up there, well, let’s just say things are a little different, as far as the building code goes.  Added on rooms, uneven floors, crooked lines, it all depends on how old the house it, but there are some very interesting layouts available. While not all the houses are like this, I am still shuddering over the pepto-bismal pink bathroom, with the floating toilet, and bathtub that had been built into the closet.  It almost required a step ladder to get into.  Interesting…..

Then there was the house with the hand built, 10 foot long tub.  It was the length of the entire wall, and completely tiled from top to bottom. Perfect for doing laps in. It also had a toilet that was built up onto a little stand…and a Volkswagen bug was used as the septic tank.  Thanks, I’ll pass,  I am sure we will find the perfect little abode.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Learning to live life, one good thought at a time

 

 

Your life is what your thoughts make it.

Marcus Aurelius

Life, it’s got its ups and downs, good days, bad days, moments that are stunning, and sparkle in their simplicity, and some complicated times that seem to drag on forever.

This quote pretty well sums it up.  “Your life is what your thoughts make it.”  Yes pretty easy in a simple way, but also complex, in a “wow, WE ARE the ones in charge of how we perceive life.”  Think this through for a moment……I know, heavy isn’t it?

I am hereby going to wholeheartedly try to live in the moment. LOL.

 

 

Sparkle in the sunshine, and glow in the moonlight.  I am going to caress the cat, as he lays sleeping on the chair beside me, revelling in the softness of his fur.  I am going to watch the sun set quietly as it seeps golden rays through leaves. And catch it’s new face each morning.

No longer will I worry about dinner dishes laying all over the counter.  I will no longer waste any energy thinking about the floor that needs to be vacuumed, ignoring the fluff laying about. 

I will focus my thoughts on the way the flowers from my garden make my world come to life. I won’t worry about cleaning the bathroom, or the bedroom. The cat litter box may overflow, but I will think happy thoughts. Bliss! Zen, uhmmmmmm.

Picture me running through a meadow full of wildflowers with this big goofy smile on my face.

 

 

Whoooooooaaaa!  Let’s reconsider this again.

Overflowing litter box, dirty floors, messy home, [packing boxes everywhere, and no room to walk]…hmmmm.

Picture me standing in a messy kitchen, without a smile on my face.

OK, maybe I will try to find a balance, a relatively clean home, [filled with packing boxes] and beautiful flowers, and happy thoughts. After all, it’s my world, and my thoughts.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

Climate change, and long underwear

 

Thank you to all who have left such wonderful congratulations on the other day’s blog post regarding our new climate change, and need for long underwear due to our move to the Okanagan.  Excited, rushed, looking forward to a new adventure, that’s us.  Yes less then two weeks to go, [heart pounding but in a good way].

This is a new adventure, one that we have looked forward to for so long, can’t wait, we have all this packing to do, and the phone rings off the hook, so many arrangements being made. The Boo just sleeps through it all, nothing comes between him, and his nap time.

I have gone out and purchased my snow boots, and my long underwear.  Made of spun rayon, from bamboo, I can’t wait to give those babies a test drive.  I don’t have a winter jacket, down here on the West Coast we don’t need heavy jackets for more then a week every other year or so.  A good waterproof, all weather jacket, with a giant hood is much more practical in our rainy climate.  You just throw on another fleecy, and maybe double up the yoga pants.  [Take that Mr. Black’s, worst dressed list].

It’s snowing up in the Okanagan, cold baby cold! If you are wondering just how cold, take a look at the blog from my soon to be almost a neighbour, Carolynn from A Glowing Ember.  She recently moved up to the Okanagan, and knows first hand how cold it is compared to here already. It’s going to be some climate change for us. 

All of my plants have been moved to a friends house, some we will pick up in the spring, and transplant them to their new yard….oh exciting, a garden, a house.

And best of all, we are being transplanted, I can’t wait to start putting down roots.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Endless skies, and new horizons

 

 

I’ve written this post so many times in my head. Hoped, and dreamed of endless skies, and new horizons, envisioned it to be true, thought about what it would feel like when I could finally hit the publish button and say it once and for all…..we are moving.

It was always in the unknown future, that date, the time, when I could announce that our Muddy Boot Dreams have come true.  When would it happen, how would it feel?

Well it’s true, our new future does indeed involve endless skies, and new horizons.  

Pinch me, I can’t believe it’s true.

 

 

We have sold, and all of our ties with White Rock are in the process of being undone.  We are moving at the end of November.  That gives us a two week turnaround, a kind of tight, kind of scary feeling, for a while there we were homeless, with a cat, and it’s already snowing up there.

But things are starting to really fall into place.

A new adventure, our dream….One that was Eleven years in the making.

Our Muddy Boot Dreams are coming true, and we are moving up to the Okanagan…

 

I …still….can’t….believe….it. 

Pinch me, I‘m serious.  Now please wish us luck, and a smooth move.

Because I need to start packing.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

I have a secret…..

 

 

 

 

I have a secret….and I am going to share it with you tomorrow. 

You will love it. 

Be sure to check back…

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Engage GPS in head

 

Ever get that feeling when you drive out the driveway, look to the left, and look to the right, all clear, go car….but where am I going?

Ack!  Where, and how do I get there.  That’s the moment the GPS system in your head malfunctions.  The directions are completely blank, you simply don’t have a clue which road to take, and it’s somewhere that you travel to frequently.

It’s much the same as the time your fingers refuse to punch in the correct pin number for your debit card, and the people in the line up behind you shift nervously from one foot to the other. Making your heart pound even faster, and the nervous twinge makes your voice ping with squeakiness. Ummmmm, I forgot my pin.

Ack!!! Double ack,  the internal GPS system is malfunctioning.  Call tech support immediately.

What do you mean, you forgot the number?

I’ve been having a few too many of these moments lately…

You know like when you meet someone who’s name you should know,  and there is this terrible blank….come on, fill in the blanks…..it’s ______,  oh no.  How embarrassing.

I guess I need to upgrade my internal GPS.

Where’s the number for 1 800 super memory?  I’ve forgotten where I put it.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Gingko leaves fall by the wayside

 

 

 

Say it isn’t so…..the golden tinged gingko leaves are almost gone.  Blown away piece by piece by the harsh November winds, and mingling with the red of the maple, they paper the sidewalk with color.

Nothing says Winter is coming, more then bare branches.  Here one day, barren the next.

 

 

Brazenly reaching out towards the grey clouds, as if asking for more time to bask in the sun.

Denied, not to be, go to sleep.

 

 

Spring come back quick, and stay awhile this time around please.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Why we remember

 

 

Today is Remembrance day in Canada. 

Around the world, there will be people standing in snow, or rain, gazing at wreaths laid in front of cenotaphs, and thanking veterans for their sacrifice.

It’s a moment of silence, a solemn ceremony, marching men, and women, sombre trumpets playing the Last Post.  Dark uniforms, some of them brilliant with medals, worn by very aged vets sitting in wheelchairs.

What connection does the ordinary person have to those veterans, and how do we relate to what they gave up in order for us to have freedom. What does that mean to sacrifice? To lose someone you loved to war? To be the one lost?

I know that when I was in high school they tried to hammer it into our heads, with graphic visually shocking photos, loud booming music, and stunningly boring speeches.  It didn’t connect. How could it, it simply overwhelmed most of us, and underwhelmed those that wouldn’t listen anyways.

How could I understand, sitting in my warm classroom, living my peaceful life, no regrets other then what my hair looked like that day…

Years later I read stories, and met in person some of those who fought, they took the time to tell us their stories, and it all made sense.

I needed to hear from the survivors of the war in person.  I needed to see those faded black and white photos of long lost relatives. To hear how brothers were simply gone, never to be heard or seen again.  How sisters and mothers cried when there was a knock on the door, knowing in their hearts what it meant.

How Fathers wept in silence, stoic even in their grief.

That is what makes it real, and that is why I remember.

And I thank them for their sacrifice, because although I was not there at the time, I have so benefited from what they gave for us.

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Car - ma

 

 

I believe in Car-ma, you bump someone’s vehicle, even by accident, you fess up, but obviously many other drivers don’t.  It’s also the law, and leaving is called Hit and run, not something you want to get in trouble for. 

I drive a older model vehicle, it’s a ‘95.  Well taken care of, inside and out, easy on gas, and just a little beat up visually.  All bumps, dings, and scrapes are from other people, chance encounters in the middle of parking lots by other drivers. 

The four corner bumpers, decorated with scrapes, are from my 87 year old Grandmother, she tended to park, and drive by touch.  Bump, until you touch and then you are there. She didn’t need to leave a note, her bangs were more of the cement barrier kind.

The longest scrape almost invisible under a bit of dirt, is from the generous soul who decided to squeeze into the too small parking spot beside me…and drag their vehicle all the way down the length of my car.  Lovely to find, especially after a hot, and hectic day working at the nursery. I often wonder if they were one of the impatient customers who yelled at me that day.  They never bothered to leave me a note.

 

The latest bump, and grind is from the other day, and this time, the person left me a note.  Which really didn’t make it any easier to deal with the repercussions of being hit.  The phone calls, and times spent making a claim, the appointments to have it repaired….

But at least she told me who she was, and left a number.  In some ways I really feel that she has some good Car-ma points coming her way, at least a 8. Me, I’ve never hit anyone else, I have never left the scene of a accident, so I was wondering where is my good Car-ma?  Or maybe those small dents, scratches, and pings, are my good Car-ma, and it could have been so much worse.

 

 

How about you, on a scale of 1 – 10 what’s your Car-ma. Do you ditch, and drive, which would be a 1, or do you fess up, and feel which is a 10?

Sitting here feeling sorry for my car….

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Excuse me is this seat taken?

 

 

 

Excuse me….is this seat taken?

 

 

Why, yes it is. I am sitting here, enjoying the sun.

 

But……I thought that this was my spot, isn’t this my deck.

 

 

  

Well you are wrong! I live here now.

 

 

Ha, ha, fooled ya.  ROTFL!!!

 

 

Hmmmm, no sense of humour at all. 

 

 

I can’t believe him….

 

 

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

 

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