Fall Is Coming!

It has been so cold this last week, you can feel the nip in the air that is going to start turning the leaves yellow. I walked to work the other day in flip flops, and quickly realized that it was a bad idea! My feet were freezing ALL DAY! Yikes! Today's high is only +10C! Brr! That is fall weather right there, time to bring out the heavy sweaters and winter coats if you ask me! Over the past month I've noticed that there haven't been any new blooms in the yard, and that most of the flowers are starting to die off now, but there are lots of other things that are starting to grow! Take a look:

Cherries! I think they are cherries - they look like cherries!

There are still tons of raspberries!! I don't know what to do with them all! You can go out and pick for an hour, and you wont even be done one row! I've offered to friends to come over and pick some, but it seems like everyone has raspberries!

Rosey Rose hips! I found a recipe from my favorite food site for Rose Hip Jam and Jelly!! If I have enough, I will totally try to make it!

Look at all these apples!!! WOW! I think I'll have a few! LOL I don't know what kind they are, but I have a feeling that apple jelly is in my near future, and maybe yours too - in Christmas gift form!

There are still some sunflowers growing strong, and some that haven't even bloomed yet! They are so pretty and vibrant, and in all different sizes! Here is a big one, and a small one:

My veggies in the greenhouse are coming along well, especially the peppers! The only pepper plants that have put out any fruit is the Carmen pepper plants. They are going to be sweet red bull horn peppers! Mmmm! If I get enough, I might have to make red pepper jelly! YUMMY!!!

My tomatoes are looking alright as well! I don't have as many as the peppers, but there are a few that look promising!

So thats all that has happened for August, not too exciting, but I am excited about my fall harvest! This week I will be checking my beets, carrots, and rutabagas, and maybe my potatoes too! YAY!

I feel great!

Hello all again! I hope you are having fantastic weekends! I just felt so great this morning when I woke up that I had to write about it! This is just a brief update about my weight loss, but I will do an actual month end update at the end of the month. So far tho, I have lost 15 of the 20 pounds I want to loose for this year. That brings me to 205lbs! My weight loss didn't actually begin until April - so I'm averaging 3-4 pounds a month. Now I'm ready to make it 5lbs a month.

I just needed to tell you about some great things I've noticed... number one - My double chin is... disappearing! WOW! Now - I've always had a double chin, and probably always will, but the massiveness of it is going away! When I touch my neck, I have to reach a little further it seems.. Haha! That sounds funny, but it's a great feeling! Even when I look in the mirror, I can see how my face has changed shape! Not only the shape of my face looks nicer, but my skin actually looks better! My acne is clearing up, and my complexion looks a lot more healthier - glowing almost! Maybe thats because I'm happy too.

Another thing is clothing... my shirts all fit differently! They are getting a little baggy in my mid section, which is where I hold most of my weight! That also means my pants are getting a little baggy - especially around my thighs! Holy, even my boss noticed that my pants are literally starting to hang off me. Awesome! I guess I'll have to start throwing them in the dryer to shrink them back up! I had to buy a belt at the beginning of the month, and I have already had to go in another notch! Excellent!

With any weight loss I've had in the past, I've always noticed that my bras would get a bit big because my boobs would get smaller - but not so far this time. The only thing I've noticed about my bras is that they are fitting better around the ribs, and maybe even a bit loose sometimes. This means less back fat!! But thank god my cup size hasn't changed... HAHA!

Along with clothing fitting better, so are my shoes, especially flats, since they seem to be a bit more narrow! I was noticing last winter that I was even going into size 9 shoes, when I normally wear a size 8. I've pulled out some of my shoes from last year, and they are all fitting well again... too bad summer is almost over and I cant wear some of the cute shoes I have.. Oh well, I can now go shopping for new fall and winter foot wear! WOO HOO! Not to mention, It's so amazing to be able to do things around the house without my ankles or legs aching constantly. Weight gain is so hard on the body... I never want to be in pain like that again! Unless I'm pregnant or something...

I have SO much energy! The other night I was watching TV or something, and I just couldn't sit still. It was like I was all pent up, and had to go for a run! So instead, I went downstairs and dusted off the elliptical. After 15 minutes on one of the easier settings.. that thing literally kicked my butt! But now I'm totally in the groove, and will be doing at least 15 minutes on the elliptical every second night. I used it again last night, and it wasn't as bad. That 15 minutes might become 20 very soon!

I don't want to say that I look at food differently now, but I do put more thought into what, AND where I eat. Ive noticed this past month, that if I eat out anywhere, I normally get an upset stomach from it.. I don't know why. I haven't eaten at a fast food place in so long - this is just sit down places like Boston Pizza, etc. Maybe its not all that different. But even if I were at a fast food place, I probably wouldn't be able to eat there unless they had a salad or something, because the heavy greasy foods make me feel SO GROSS! Not to mention I'll be running to the bathroom 10 minutes later - Yuck!

I've been keeping the meals pretty simple actually. Piece of fruit, granola bar, and maybe a yogurt or something for breakfast. Sandwich or bagel and veggies or fruit for lunch, and then whatever Mikey or myself makes for dinner. And of course, a small snack for dessert... I can't deny myself that! I've noticed a significant change in the portions I'm eating, and how easy it is for me to get full! That may also be part of eating better, more filling foods. I've cut pop almost completely out of my diet - unless I have no choice, or make a glass of my raspberry syrup and ginger ale, Mmmmmm!! Pop actually tends to upset my stomach, maybe its the carbonation. I think thats one reason why I cant really drink beer - my tummy always hurts after.

There are more positive changes that I have been seeing, these are just the more prominent ones. I will tell you all more about them when I write my month end update!

Have a great weekend everyone! And I have the weekend off, so I'll see about posting an update about the garden too... lol

Does this blog make me look fat?

So, after long debate, Ive decided to write a blog about my weight loss, gain, and just things that I recall about the changes in my body during both phenomenons. This is a very touchy subject for a lot of people, including myself... But I also realize a lot of people can relate, and it seems like mostly everyone feels they have a weight or body appearance issue, in one shape or form. So, I know I'm not alone, and I've decided to share my story in confidence, and in total truth.

There are some things that I have had a hard time admitting to myself even to this day, but I think I'm at that point in my life where I have to be frank about my body, and want to do better for myself. So, maybe I should just start from the beginning....

Ever since elementary school, I've been called the fat kid. Honestly, I don't think I was ever overly fat until I started believing what the other kids were saying to me, and started binge eating. I was active, I was part of a mountain biking club, the outdoors club, and I was feeling good! I know that I wasn't skinny, but I was fit in some form or another - that was the difference. I couldn't run a mile without stopping halfway - but I still finished... and I couldn't even think about joining a sports team, but when I did play, I put my heart into it. I remember going on a three day bike trip along the kettle valley railway, and I was the only girl who finished all three days. Hell, I've even hiked up mountains, no matter how exhausted, out of breath, pain in chest I may have felt - the point was that I wanted to, and could do it. I can admit that I was no athlete, but I was young, and felt good about myself for the most part.

After a few years of more and more emotional abuse from my peers, I started to take what they were saying seriously. I was fat, I'm not good at sports, why bother. I eventually stopped mountain biking, I dropped out of the outdoors club, and going to gym class all together. (Frick, kids are mean!) I would go out of my way to avoid doing strenuous activities, and that's a major thing that I regret about my past. I feel like I gave up such a large piece of my life and even a general interest that I still have not regained. I lost all motivation.

I don't think it was just school kids teasing me that had such an impact on my weight, but I think also my lifestyle growing up had huge factors that still roll over into my life today. I was raised by my mother, who was single, unemployed, and a drug addict. We lived off of welfare and child support, so food was available, but still sparse while money went to other nonessentials. I remember going to friends houses for dinner, and eating so much that I could barely walk because I knew when I went home, I probably wouldn't have anything to eat. So now I have that mentality that if I don't eat this all now, I will starve later.... I'm trying to correct that.

The biggest change in my body at that point was actually after I was out of high school, and I was working full time at Wendy's. I had a manager that would always say "Leane, why are you getting so fat? When you first started here you were so skinny, now you are so round" while waving her hands up and down like she was outlining J-lo's ass. What am I supposed to say to that? Sometimes, I don't think that people really have any idea that the things they say to someone can hurt so deep, weather we even realize it or not.

Looking back at it now, I can see how my esteem dropped, how I felt people looked at me changed, including with boyfriends, sex, what I wore, who I hung out with, All of these things were affected because of how I consciously and subconsciously felt about myself - still does actually. I found it really hard to believe it when a guy showed interest in me, because I viewed myself as so undesirable.... Looking at some of my past relationships, I can now notice how I have lowered my standards to be with guys that I thought would be in my league ... if that makes any sense.

During my early twenties, I don't think I ever really wanted to care about my weight, or how my body looked. I didn't want it to get the best of me. I put those issues on the back burner, and really focused on enjoying life. But we all find a time when the loneliness of being single gets to us, and we start to look for something to fill that void. I met an older man in 2006, and perhaps got "comfortable" or "let myself go". I started flaking with plans to hang out with friends, and started to not leave the house very often... We ate pizza a lot, and didn't get very much exercise. Not only was this an unhealthy lifestyle, but it was also affecting our relationship. Eventually I found myself in verbally abusive situations, that sometimes turned physical.

This was my biggest downfall, and my biggest weight gain. Only a year before, I weighed about 160lbs (which is still considered overweight for my body size by doctors) and shot up to the 200's - 240lbs would have been my highest at one point. I just finished college, and was working at a horrible job, I had so much debt, I was living with this abusive man, I wasn't making enough money to move out, and I was really fat. I avoided going out as much as I could, because I couldn't bear to think what my friends would say if they saw what I had done to myself. But I know now, that I needed those friends to help me through one of the toughest times I've had since that whole fiasco started.

When my weight started going up into the 200's, I think I was in denial, and blamed it on the pizza, or whatever. I actually got a gym membership, and lost 12 pounds in the first week. But then my efforts started to get lazy, and I stopped going. My body was different. I didn't feel like myself, I didn't see me in the mirror anymore, and I didn't know what else to do. I think thats when I started getting depressed. Again, the weight gain continued. I just ate, and ate and ate... eating made me feel better, like a comfort. I can still remember this one day when I was in the shower, and I was leaning back to rinse my hair, and I could feel my back rolls touching each other... I had never felt anything like it before. My skin was so big that it could roll over and touch another part of my back!

My lower back started hurting quite a bit in 2007, so much that I couldn't sleep or lay on my back without going into paralyzing pain. But that wasn't all of it. My face had extremely bad acne, and hair started growing in places I couldn't dream about getting hair. But the worst thing was that my period had stopped. I ended up going to the doctors to find out what I could do about my period. I mentioned all of the other symptoms I had been having - bad acne, weird hair growth, and my recent weight gain. The doctor told me about PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, but that she would do some other tests to make sure there are no other issues.

So, I had blood tests, pee tests, an ultrasound, even in internal ultrasound (yuck). The results all came back normal. My hormones were normal, I didn't have diabetes, I wasn't pregnant, and there were no signs of PCOS in or around my ovaries... so, it was all just a result of my weight gain. The doctor suggested that I try a pill called Metformin. He said that it was used for patients with diabetes, but it would help with my weight, my period, and the other issues I was experiencing. Well... I was not ready for what this was about to do to my body...

When I first started taking Metformin, It was almost a whole year since I had my period... and when I defiantly got it, it came with a vengeance! I had never felt so sick before in my life. Not only did I get my period with cramps that could choke a duck, I had the worst diarrhea EVER! There is no fucking around if you got the urge to go - I had to RUN to the bathroom to make sure I didn't shit my pants. By the end of the month, I noticed that there was blood in my diarrhea, and so I went back to the hospital. I told the nurse about the Metformin, and how I got my period, but that I was also having the worst diarrhea in my life, and that the blood was definitely not from my period. I learnt quickly that diarrhea was a side effect of the pill (thanks for telling me doc) and that the blood is from a small hemorrhoid formed from the constant blood pressure from the diarrhea. GROSS!

Needless to say, those pills went into the garbage that night. (Whew, this blog is getting a bit long winded, sorry everyone!) Some other body changes i noticed was that I started getting body aches, my ankles always were stiff, and hurt when I walked. Obviously with weight gain, your clothes don't fit, and slowly buying bigger and bigger clothing is no walk in the park - it hurts. My fingers got really fat, my feet got wider, my boobs are bigger (not such a bad thing) and my face is super big. because my face is bigger, I think it makes my eyes look even smaller - and I think they are small to begin with! My self consciousness has never been so worried since I peed my pants at the park with I was 7.

Within these past few years, I think I also embraced the fact that I was overweight - obese to my doctor - I mean, I even got a big fat mermaid tattoo, and I love her! I know I had no motivation to loose weight, go on diets, get a gym membership, because its my personality to give it my all in the beginning, and then slack after the excitement wears off. I guess it also didn't help that I was working at sit down call center jobs. That was one of the worst things I could have done to my body job wise. Maybe it was the fact that I was surrounded by other fat people 'working a sit down job because we're too fat to stand' that didn't help my motivation to loose the weight as well (no offence).

I will admit that I miss the feeling after a good workout. It does feel amazing to just giver for a while, get a good sweat going, and release some of that pent up energy. I don't miss the creepy guy that used to always sit next to me and try and talk to me... freak. But in all seriousness, I know that all I needed was a good workout - why was it so hard to get motivated? I don't know, will I ever? Maybe I was just lazy, maybe I was just really good at telling myself that it didn't matter what I looked like. Either way, I'm passed that now, and there is a happy-ish ending to my story.

Within the last year, I am happy to announce that I have made some huge changes to my lifestyle - whether it was consciously or not - including exercise, a happy lifestyle, and better eating habits. Currently, I walk to and from work every day - sometimes twice a day if i'm working a split shift. This is actually an uphill walk each way, because I have to walk down and then up a hill to get to work, and home. When I first started walking to work, I had the wind knocked out of me by the time I got to work. My feet, ankles, knees, and chest would kill! Brutal! Now I can walk it with no problem, and no pain! I'm not even out of breath by the time I get to work anymore - AMAZING!

Living in a small town, working a simple job, living with an amazing person, and doing some real life editing to keep stress out of my life has also played a huge role in keeping my moral up. I don't binge eat, and I feel great about life. Also, I made a realistic goal for myself at the beginning of the year to loose 20lbs. I weighed 220lbs then, and now I weigh 206lbs! I can see such a big difference in my body, and it feels great - especially now that I have no more pains! I can actually lay on my back without going into paralyzing pain! And yes - I have started to get my period again, and naturally as well!

Eating is a whole new story as well, I get full very easily, and don't actually eat as much as I did at the start of the year, and I prefer to eat something healthier. Don't get me wrong - I still love sweets, but I find it has to be in moderation. I can have a bite of a chocolate bar, and then I'll put it away for later. WHO AM I!? Hahaha! I never would imagine myself talking this way even 6 months ago! So, I guess I should wrap up now, I'm sure you all have lives to get back to... All in all, I am so proud of myself for loosing these 14 pounds naturally, healthily, and I cant wait for the other 6 to go! I think this goal of 20lbs a year is super realistic, and hopefully in the next 2 years, I can get back down to 160lbs again! Thanks for reading - if you've read this far! I'll keep you updated now that you all know about my story!

A mighty weekend indeed...

Hello! I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend! Thus far, mine has been peachy! On Saturday, Mikey and I went into the city to get a few things done. We wanted to go to Future Shop to price out a new P&S camera, A stereo for my truck, and some other things. I wanted to stop by Michaels and pick up some space themed card supplies for a piece of fan art/birthday card for Liam Lynch. We were also lucky to meet up with a friend for some Vietnamese food for lunch! Mmmm, it's been too long!

Another reason why we were in town was so I could hopefully pick out a new pair of glasses, and then make an eye exam appointment, and to just get the ball rolling so I can get my Learners! Well, after picking out a sweet new pair of glasses, I was surprised that they were able to squeeze me in for an exam only 15 minutes later! Wow, I thought - this is awesome! It makes it so much easier to be able to do it right then and there so we don't have to come back again for the exam, and then again to pick up my new glasses....

I talked to the optometrist about my increasing night blindness, mild headaches after driving, and how I could feel that my eyes changed dramatically after leaving my sit down, on a computer job. Well, I was right, my vision has changed very dramatically in the past 2 years. I think this visit was overdue. After the exam, the sales rep helping me let me know that they had my new lenses in stock, and my new glasses would be ready for pick up in an hour! AWESOME! This saves us even another trip! I was so grateful, and extremely surprised how they went out of their way to get my needs taken care of during the time we were there! So, here is a before, and after:

Before:

After:

I really like the new frames, they make me look so mature and grown up! LOL! These pictures were taken probably within a week of each other, so its a pretty good comparison. I still like my old glasses, but they were just cheap $5 reading glasses that I picked up, and had my lenses put into... So the clear finish on the plastic is starting to peel and get gross - or else I would keep them and make them into some sweet sunglasses! I still might do that... we'll see.

With new glasses in tow, Mikey and I went to the Darwell tractor pulls today! It was actually quite fun! First they started off with lawn and garden tractors, quads, and micro tractors pulling small sleds. Then they brought out antique and modified tractors. Some of them were very intense! There were 2 different sleds, one large, and one small. After the tractors, they brought out the trucks, stock, and modified! Some of them were really done up, and even ready for drag racing, and some were just guys that showed up that wanted to see what they could do in their jacked up trucks. I wanted to take a whole bunch of photos, but the camera was dead... Oops! I did get a few photos... Here are the the ones I got:

An Albertan pirate! Part of the antique pull, there is also a smaller tractor and sled pulling in the back.

Sweet modified tractor pulling the big sled. There were some amazing modified micro tractors pulling the smaller sled too..

Lots of modified, and even stock trucks participated in the pulls. This is the only pic we got of the trucks.

This modified tractor came all the way from Washington - it has 5 engines. One in the middle, and 2 on each side of it. Each one had to be started seperatly. It was so incredibly loud... note everyone covering their ears!

New Years Resolutions

Do any of you make new years resolutions? If you do, do you ever follow through or follow up on them? This year I made ten resolutions for 2010, and I'm about halfway through them! I feel pretty good about my accomplishments so far, but I also have to be realistic about the things that I've listed that will not get completed. When I wrote my resolutions, I was still unemployed. Majority of what I wanted was to pay off bills, one was about weight loss, and others were things that I could do around my home - like make a quilt, and get into preserving and go crazy on the garden. Now that I have a full time job, its a little more difficult to get stuff done around the home. Sometimes I feel like I have no free time, because I'm so exhausted after work, I just lay around on the internet, and my weekends off are normally occupied.

So - I just wanted to re-visit my resolutions, and see how far I have actually come.

#1: Loose weight. Realistically, I was hoping to loose 20lbs over the year. So far, I have lost 10, but only since I started my job! But wow, what a difference even the 10 pounds makes! Because I don't drive, I walk to and from work almost every day, and it is literally uphill both ways! Ha ha ha!! I have to walk down into the little valley, and then back up the other side no matter if i'm walking to or from work. When I first started the trek each day, I could hardly stand by the time I got to work - but now - 4 months later - its a breeze! Hopefully I continue to loose the last 10 pounds in the next 4 months!

#2: Get my licence (learners). I have been putting this off, and putting this off, mostly because I want it to be something I do for myself, not because everyone else wants me to. Here's the thing. I have always lived in a heavily populated area and have always had access to public transit - or everything I needed was in walking distance. I always kept minimum paying jobs, because I value free time and relationships more than the money I make - So to keep up with my frugal lifestyle, I never looked at having a licence as something I needed. Also - its a lot cheaper to NOT pay for registration, insurance, and all that good stuff.

But - now seeing that I live in the middle of nowhere, and if I want to go out and visit friends or do anything out of town, we need to drive to get there.... so... I should probably get my licence. Another thing that has held me back, is my vision. I have a super old prescription, and have horrible night blindness. My eyes get very irritated when driving at night, or for long distances because I cant focus, and I haven't had my lenses updated because of low funds. Now that I have some moolah, I can get some new glasses, and finally feel more confident about driving, and being able to see properly. (I'm actually going this weekend to pick out some new glasses, and make an eye appointment, etc! woot!)

#3: Get my passport... Yet another thing that I have to get... I have the pictures and all the info filled out, it's just a matter of finding the time to go into the city, stand in line, and get the application put through. *sigh* Soon enough - another reason why being able to drive myself would be helpful.

#4: Pay off bad debt. I can confidently say that half of my starting debt from the beginning of the year is now gone! That feels almost equally good as loosing the 10lbs! I'm thinking that by this time next year, all my bad debt will be completely gone!

#5: Buy my truck off of Mikey. One year ago - almost exactly - Mikey invested in me, and bought me a small truck, I guess as an incentive to get my licence. I have been telling him for a whole year that I was going to buy the truck off of him, then it would be all mine! Well, on November 1st, that truck will officially be mine! I love that truck!

#6: Sell something for profit on Etsy. This... is one of those resolutions that I don't think are going to become a reality. Originally when I wrote this, It was mostly because I didn't have a job, and needed to fuel some sort of income. Now I fell that I can't realistically dedicate the time to an online shop, so I highly doubt that this will happen.

#7: Start a photography project. I was hoping that in my free time, I would be able to start some sort of photography project - like a picture a day kind of thing. I have a big beautiful, and expensive camera, and I was really trying to make an effort to spend more time with it. Again, work has taken the best of that time, so it hasn't happened. Although, I have been taking regular photos in the garden - but I'm not using my big camera. I'm using Mikey's old digital camera from the 80's ... well it acts like that old sometimes... LOL

#8: Finish main floor renovations. Honestly, most of the main floor reno's are done, but there are a few walls I still need to paint, like the Master bedroom, the hallway, and most of the kitchen. But other then that, the Living room, Bathroom, Guest room, One wall in the Kitchen, and the pantry are all done, and other projects like changing out light fixtures, door handles, etc etc are all done too. Another reno that HAS to be done this year is the roof. The shingles just got dropped off today actually, so I can cross that one off.

#9: Make a throw, blanket, or quilt. Originally I was thinking about crocheting a throw for the living room, but then I changed my mind, and thought about making a rag quilt. It didn't end up very nice at all... I'de still like to make something, even if it ends up as a gift for someone, I'm thinking this will become a fall project that I can do while it's slow at work.

#10: Find 5 ways to save money at home. Well... Ive been doing some canning and preserving this year. I've been growing some vegetables, and we've been eating from the garden... small things like that. They've added up, and honestly havent made that huge of a differnce. There are other things that we have done to save money as well, Mikey car pools to work, we dont go grocery shopping unless we have to, I cancelled my cell phone in January, and now I just use the home phone and internet to get in touch with people. Working also helps with the money situation... LOL.

So, those are my updated new years resolutions. I'll revisit them at the end of the year, and see where I stand then!

No Tubing = More Shopping!

Today was a bust on the tubing because it wasn't hot enough. It got up to about 22C, but if you stood in the shade, it was pretty cool. So just trying to imagine - if you will - sitting in a tube, in cold water, for about 3-4 hours. It didn't seem like it was going to be extremely enjoyable! I still want to go one day - but like I said in a previous post - the weather has just been so ... mild.

Instead, I went shopping with a friend and found some great items for my fall "wardrobe". I also splurged on a 4-in-1 grill. It's a sandwich maker/waffle maker/grill press/griddle. Excellent. I only have plans for the waffle and sandwich maker at this point in time - heck, even a 2-in-1 would still be amazing, and I would have purchased it, so the other 2 are a total bonus!

I also looked at some P&S cameras to replace the one I have that has been broken for a year. I miss it, and I know it would be simple to drop it off and have it fixed - but I think I deserve something new. I didn't commit and buy anything just yet, I think I'm going to wait one more month, and see if prices go down for the fall - you never know!

Well, other then that, I had an amazing day hanging out with a good friend, and I am in a feel good mood! So, here is some feel good music:

Hazy Dayz

Lately the skies have been grey, and very washed out, with a thick Haze that seems to surround us entirely. As far as I know, there aren't any forest or wild fires immediately close to us. There are fires still burning in BC, and I've also heard that there are fires on the other side of the world that have caused enough smoke to blow over into northern Canada... A lot of my friends are scattered along western Canada, and they all say the same thing - that it's hazy, everywhere. When the sun goes down for the day, and recedes into the horizon, it glows bright red, like its on fire! ...you know what I mean...

It's very eerie to see the hills in the distance look as if they are sitting in a layer of fog, and although its not nearly as bad as what Russia is experiencing... it still makes you wonder about the air quality! There is actually an air quality warning in some parts of BC right now, but nothing has been mentioned in Alberta. (This is the Alberta Air Quality webpage)

Last night we had a really intense thunderstorm - I think lightening struck my front lawn! - and I thought maybe the rain would "wash away" the haziness... No such luck I guess. The sun still set into a deep red glow, and the hills in the distance still looked like they were swimming in fog. But its not just the hills, you can actually see the haze in the sky. You can't really even see the blue sky, its like there is a pinkish overcast all the time - yet it still gets super hot!

I'll see if I can't take some photos later today and post them for you all to see!

**UPDATE** August 19 2010

Today is the worst! You can literally smell smoke in the air - it smells like camping, and its starting to bother my throat! YUCK! According to the news, there are an estimated 300 forest fires burning in BC right now, and the smoke is drifting our way... There is SO MUCH SMOKE!

Check out these photos I just snapped:

From my backyard, you can see the red tinge in the smoke, its so gross!

Looking South, to downtown Tomahawk.

The sun, behind a thick layer of smoke. Today would have been a beautiful, hot sunny day if it weren't for all the smoke!

"Store" bought Eggs VS. fresh "Farm" Eggs

I came across a very realistic comparison between store purchased "white" eggs, and "brown" farm eggs in a blog I was reading today.

"Chickens that are allowed to free range and eat grass, bugs, and seeds produce nutritionally superior eggs....and ask those that do love to get eggs from me....mine taste better too. The yolks are bright orangy yellow and the egg texture is superior. I have no problem with eating eggs and meat. I do have a problem with people who do so, but don't want to see how it's done."

She makes very good points, and I suggest taking a look at her post. Here is a picture of her chickens:

O Summer, where art thou?

Today is Wednesday, but.. it feels like Tuesday, because Monday was a Holiday. Although both Mikey and myself had to work Monday... it still doesn't feel like today is today... weird. Anywho, I've been noticing that these past few weeks have been super mild - weather wise. There have been a few days here and there that have been nice, hot and sunny... but other than the few, our summer has been very ... non summery. It actually feels like fall all the time, because it gets so cool at night! Now... I'm not complaining, I'm just making an observation.

I honestly don't really appreciate the blistering heat, or the freezing cold, so this milder weather is right up my alley. Normally it's nice out during the day. Mornings are a bit brisk, then the sun comes out for the afternoon, and then the clouds roll in during the evening, and there are normally quite a lot of isolated storms, and it rains off and on throughout the night. Some people around town say that this is what the Almanac forcasted, a mild and wet summer. Others have also said that even with all this rain, our water table still isn't close to where it should be. Makes sense, the slough at the farm is dried up.. and I can remember even 2 years ago it had water in it. I actually have a picture of it somewhere.. and birds are sitting in it... *looks* ...OK I can't find it.. But it does exist!

Well, regardless of pictures, I do hope it gets a bit more sunny and the temperature rises for the weekend. I really want to go tubing on the Pembina river! It's very affordable, even if you have a tube or not. For a tube, life jacket, and a shuttle ride, its $18-$22 depending on the size of tube you want. If you have your own tube, shuttle service is only $6! (That's cheaper than a cab ride!)

I have to say it was a good day.

Yesterday I bought myself a new (to me) typewriter! It's a Smith-Corona Coronet Super 12! My particular model is from the early 70's, and is in great condition. The guy I bought it from said that his parents bought it for him when he was young so he could type out his school papers. He said that he was sad to see it go, but I can assure him it's in good hands! It needs to be oiled, and then I'll take it for a short story spin. Here is a picture of my newly aquired typewriter, and You Tube video of a similar one in action!

Yesterday was also fun because Mikey and I went to a Ukrainian/Vietnamese wedding! It was very cool, and a lot of heartfelt words were shared - I teared up a few times. I think my favorite part of the night was getting photos taken in a photo booth that they rented! I will eventually scan all the pics, but that wont happen until I find the power cord for my scanner. (I still haven't unpacked anything in the basement...) Instead, I took some photos of the photos just so you can see how awesome they are!