To the top of the world!

The air is filled with smoke right now. My brother and his friend, having decided to burn the debris piles scattered around the property, have turned the sky outside completely white. My mother the environmentally conscious woman is berating them wholeheartedly. Hahahaha.

There was a thunderstorm today that cleared the air and gave everything the most delicate scent. I can smell so much more here in the interior, I swear. Coastal weather just doesn't seem to have the same bite to it, although I know that Some People would disagree. But they have never traveled here, so they can't properly compare the two.

Had tea with my Grandma today, and collected addresses, and drove around town, and bought rosemary and milk and mailed a birthday card. Almost packed for the northland, man, but it's a slow process. Still, I'm glad I started last week and therefore have the majority of things I'll need tucked safely away. I'm so excited! And, in the same second, I'm scared out of my wits! Ah! Huh!

Want a blog to follow? Try http://nakusiak.blogspot.com. A woman from Vancouver was here a couple of years ago participating in a Whitebark Pine study, and she's on a sailing expedition right now. She is also kind and intelligent and funny and a good writer and super adventurous and all that good stuff. So check it out.

FLYING TO WHITEHORSE ON JUNE 2ND, BABY!

So whatcha gonna think about that?

TODAY, TWO MASSIVE CUPS OF BLACK TEA AND AN AFTERNOON NAP. NOW HYPER BEYOND BELIEF.

I thought about posting some kayaking pics, but the home computer will not recognize my camera, so I got no further than thinking about it. Wistfully.

I guess responsibility is easier on the hands than dishwater

Man, I love his smile.

Today was on out-of-doors, gettin' your hands dirty sort of day. And they need to happen more often. Ate lunch (pea&rice&chicken soup) on the scaffolding, under the bright glare of a cloudless sunny day and read comic books. I feel University education slipping away from me already.

When I was dropping off Judo at her dogyard, the couple who own the property (there are several kennels-3, I think-on the same acerage) invited me in for tea. The tea was sugary and conversation hilarious. There were anecdotes like this:

"Dear, where did you put the eggs?"

"Somewhere, sweetheart."

"Oh. Well, that's helpful."

"I washed them, though."

and:

"Dear, when are you going to cook me some moose nose...like you've been promising to do for 44 YEARS?"

They are both in their late 60's, or thereabouts, and the perfect surrogate grandparents.

Take care of yourself. Take some time off. But not too much, lest it becomes a burden rather than a vacation.

Water, water everywhere

This picture accurately portrays how I've been feeling all day. Except rather than collapsing exhausted in a canoe, I've been roaming restless, getting nothing accomplished and snapping at family members. Since arriving home, I've turned into a bundle of frayed nerve endings ready to jump at the slightest provocation. So much for maturity.

Two cool things:

1) There were a pair of ospreys today fishing outside the house, so close I could see their black eye masks. They would soar and hover still in the air, displaying that characteristic predatory-bird stance. Suddenly, one of them folded itself up and hit the water with a tremendous splash. At first I thought it was in trouble, it was in the lake for so long, but it eventually surfaced, fighting an enormous fish. It was in the water for quite awhile before taking off again (the fish got away.)

2) This isn't so cool for some people, but a local creek has flooded...badly. People are scrambling to sandbag their homes, but unless we get more rain, the crest has probably passed by. Still, entire roads are washed out, and at least one house and numerous sheds and barns are flooded out. We drove out there to survey the damage, and it was LOVELY traveling with my parents ("Turn down this road, Laura. No, go left instead. Oh, just drive through this, it'll be fine. Hmm, go to the end and turn around. Oh wait, there's a LOT of water here, hey? Well, can you see where the ditch is? No? Oh, and there's just one more place I want to see..)

I love my family. But I really, really need to be somewhere else right now.

Here, there, and everywhere

Walked a Great Pyrenees. Drove to Prince George. Scared the living daylights out of my Mom. Fell in love in Wal-Mart. Saw a moose. Birthday party for a friend tomorrow. That was my day.

Also, I just misspelled "that" 6 times.

I'm a new driver, baby!

Camus, Sartre, Kierkegaard, and oatmeal

Hello, all. I've been slow to update posts lately, but you can blame it on slow Internet and general lethargy.

Man, there are too many good books to read, y'know that? I have been finding and devouring novels left, right and centre, which is a pleasant change from large history tomes. Still, I think I'll be glad to go back to Vic in September. Definitely the first time in my life I'll be excited about going back to school for reasons other than the opportunity to buy and sharpen a new pack of pencil crayons.

For today's post, I'm going to shamelessly borrow (steal) material from the blog of Joy the Baker, whom I love. Look her up or something. Anyway, this made me laugh.

Oh, no. Wait. I'm apparently not allowed to copy and paste stuff, so here's the link.

www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/05/turning-twentyone/

Go and read it and have a good time.

I'm having an isolation party

Rain, rain, rain. I smell permanently of woodsmoke and lemons, which isn't too bad, I suppose.

Yesterday I helped to pack up camp (after spending a night on spruce boughs, having brilliantly forgotten my thermorest at home), showered, went to Vanderhoof for coffee, and came home to a BBQ. Fun stuff, but none of it is earning me any money, or getting me any closer to being up north.

I also keep having strange dreams. Very vivid ones, about people I barely know, and I wake up crying and breathless. It's more than a little scary.