I’m not going to kid you, my life has been about as full as it can handle this week. With my Board obligations, work obligations, Mom obligations, Missy obligations, yard obligations and then let’s throw a big MusicFest obligation into the works and all I can say is LISTS.
Today is such a blur I don’t even know where to start. So, I think I will just be grateful that the alarm started to set at the office and when I ran to enter my code in the pad before it went off, I knew it was 11 pm and I should go home.
I was returning from an appointment when I saw a huge boom of dark smoke coming from the a point in the not too distant part of the city. I drove in a big circle to see where it was and surmised a house was on fire in an area where a few friends live. I voice texted my daughter to tell her and she replied that it was Amanda, a lovely co-worker. I don’t know exactly what happened but apparently all she owns now is a towel, not even her glasses nor phone made it out before the fire made a propane line blow. Thank God she is ok. I was glad to be able to give her a hug later in the evening. The house was engulfed and it didn’t take out the neighborhood, so there’s that.
I brought Mom her prescriptions for the next 4 weeks, labeling them by date for her and had a short visit before heading back to the office. I buckled down to get all my client’s PST filed for the month and answered some of their issues before getting my own binder ready. I am backstage central so there was no way I could leave without it.
One of the highlights was getting Minh to do my nails as I always show up with pretty pink ones. I laughed when he asked if he could do what he wanted. As always, he came through. I love them.
I visited with my neighbour, who will look after Missy, came in and unloaded the things I had picked up today such as lights for the golf carts and…. Super cute jean bib overalls that are 3 sizes less than I was wearing last year!
Now I have a load of laundry going and am going to chill out watching my show before tucking in for a last sleep in my own bed for the next 12 or so days.
So much done today, bits of pressure but a success in the end. Slammed through work, took care of more Fest stuff and then did all the things I needed to for Summer Sounds. Tonight was the first of our Thursday night music in the park nights. It has previously always been on Saturdays. I was so impressed with the young people who came out to work and help set up all the fencing. We offered money to non-profits trying to raise money that if they came out and helped set up and take down, they would get some cash and the refundables. No one responded. A couple of us did some footwork and found two interested parties. They will split the job for July and one will be full on for August. The first is a 16 year old heading to the Nationals in Victoria for Archery Field shoot and he was working tonight so his Dad and kid brother came. The second are a group of 12 (I think) year old gals who are in Girl Guides and collaborated to start their own business called Junk Jobs. They are pretty damned impressive. Their business model is that they work for a flat rate so there is no stress over time or how many of them are there and they just get random jobs done. These gals impressed the heck out of me by carrying heavy metal fence panels in the blazing sun, getting anything done they were asked of, hanging out for some of the music and then coming back at 9:30 to help with reversing it all at the end of the night. They even donated their share of the refundables to the archer which was pretty awesome. So great to see the Pandemic generation digging in and getting things done. Will and Sawyer were the water boys tonight and they did an awesome job. Came away with a good amount of tips as well! All in all the night was a huge success. Over 400 people came out to see two great groups of local performers, The Testers with tweeners The Hurricanes. It was all music of my teens and 20s and there was lots of dancing and singing along. They even played Sweet Caroline at the request of the girls. Have to love that. My feet are killing me but I sure had fun emceeing and taking care of the details. I won’t be there next week but I have left them with all the instructions for handling the money etc that I usually do. It was our first year using half the park covered by our liquor license and it was chill and went well. Even the RCMP were impressed as they came through at our request. So much better than drinking in a caged area.
One of the awesome things that happened was that I received an email from Airbnb that I had been a Superhost 4 times in a row so I was given a coupon for $100 US towards a stay anywhere in the world, good for the next year! That is a wonderful surprise and I plan to use it well.
It is after 11:30 but I still have a bit of fest business to take care of. I am not worried as I get to stay for a couple nights in Sorrento where I can catch up on sleep. It is all a lot until I hit the road. 2 more sleeps!
The lead up to Vancouver Island MusicFest is fraught with stress as I try to recruit and schedule up to 70 volunteers over 6 stages and the Lock-up, Schlepper and HQ areas. I do feel bad that I never have the time to meet with my crews even by zoom as there is so much to accomplish in my work and personal life before I go. Then, the day comes when I feel like I broke the back of it and the excitement finally kicks in. Today was that day. I woke up early, did a swack of chores around the house, beginning the pile of things that I must take with me and making lists. I then headed into the office and got all my client’s remittances done, dealt with a few more small fires and took Mom to her Bone Density test at the hospital in the afternoon. I had a plan to take the jeep and be at the weekly car show in the park at 5:30 but had a meeting set at 4 with a dear gal I knew from back in the Salt Spring days who desperately needed to get her sole proprietor taxes filed. I love her dearly but she shows up with her bank statements and we work our way through it all. It was 8:15 by the time we were done! I then kicked into overdrive to finish getting the binders done, answer crew and tech emails and feel ready. I was home by 10:35 and it is near to done. I just have to score the stickers for the lock-up tags and then be sure I have my oversight binder to my liking. It was a lot to do in one day but it sure beats the old way when I would spend hours in the Courtenay Staples printing and collating. I had the idea to bring them home with me last year and will continue to do that going forward. Tomorrow I will finish all the pressing things I need to do for work and get my info ready to emcee at our first Summer Sounds of the season which has moved to a new night and a new layout. I have to be there for 3… this should be interesting. I’d best remember to eat! Stale chips and dip with jalapeños in it was not the ticket today. The only really disappointing thing of the day was finding out that Jake will be in Cranbrook with his serious girlfriend while I am away. I will have to rely on the feedback from the family, lol.
I just paused my show to blog and realized the delicious irony that I decided to start watching a show that feels like my life at the moment. Little fires everywhere… yep. And yet, I am calm and relaxed and got sooooo much done today. I was at the office by 9:30 after laying in a tub reading my book for an hour. It was the perfect relaxing way to bring the weekend vibe into what will be a very busy week. I completed all 12 payroll, rewrote a client’s Chart of Accounts for them, and managed to get a lot done of June which will take the load off when I return later in July. I then switched over to MusicFest binder processing and finally made it home by 10:02 and I am not in the least overtired. I guess I am a good Fire suppressor. I am so looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones that all the crazy that is this week.. just melts away. I did laugh when I flipped my Banksy calendar to find he had painted me on vacation.
I still have a hard time finding my space between Mom and Nana. I have a 28 year old son who keeps me young and a 16 year old grandson who just took a dear friend to prom for her graduation. I am so impressed with the lovely young man that Gene is. I wish his namesake, my Dad, had gotten to see him now.
I woke up very early this morning so I tidied away all my stuff, ran many payroll from my laptop and read my book. When Mark awoke he made us a delicious brunch of Eggs Benny with fresh strawberries. It was such a treat. After I showered and packed the car we played several rounds of a new game that turned out to be a lot of fun. ARGH Animals Revolt aGainst Humans. It is fast paced and we got better as we learned strategies. I had downloaded the app for my Garmin and was ready to hit the road to make a ferry that would get me home to Cranbrook at a decent time. I wanted to unpack the car, leaving things in it to take next weekend but also make sure I got all the bedding etc washed. I loved the drive, found the Ferry crew to be grumpy already and summer has barely started and made sure to stop in Creston for gas where they sell fresh made samosas and then a little further on some cherries! I rolled into town before 6:30 having lost an hour with the time change and managed to get all the chores done, including changing my bed and 3 loads of laundry. I even finally finished the book I borrowed from Rosie nearly a year ago. I have read quite a few John Irving books including The World According to Garp in my late teens and A Prayer For Owen Meany some years later, both of with were amazing. A Widow for One Year felt like a slog to me but I wonder how much of it was my own mental state. It is actually three books in different eras with interwoven characters. I was told that the first section was made into a movie called The Door in the Floor. I will have to find it to watch.
I must say this weekend felt like a complete reset for my mental health. I am ready to get what needs to be done in the next 4 days before I take off toward Vancouver Island. I am grateful to old and new friends for reminding me that there is so much more than work and obligations. The opportunity to disconnect was just what I needed.
And, I am just a little obsessed with my Dash-cam. I will have to get used to taking photos with it as well, the timing especially as they all seem too far away but that will come. I made myself laugh on playback as I was talking to myself and my audio book is on. I was listening to Matthew Perry’s autobiography narrated by him. I didn’t even realize it was recording audio, lol
I believe it was a bear in the distance TEST.2TEST.3CranbrookGeese near home
I awoke well refreshed although from a phone call from my neighbour that Missy was in her yard. This was not a complaint it was a worry. I assured her it was all good and thanked her.
I wandered to Steve’s trailer and he was cooking up scrambled eggs, hash browns and bacon. I enjoyed breakfast with him and his daughter who has much pickier tastes. she was enjoying apple sauce. I deciding was leaving today, so I took my time to pack everything up, say my goodbyes and connect my Garmin Dash cam mini 2. Once I finally headed out I made a plan to shop in Nelson for Crown and ice. It was a lovely drive along Kootenay lake and finally I was visiting my Mark. He made us our own homemade pizza (mine with white sauce, his with red), we played my Halloween version of Patchwork (sp much fun) another of his games tbat we argued too much about and then finally settled on a 2016 movie to watch, The Nice Guys I think it was a good match for both our tastes. And it was amusing which is what I really wanted. Mark hoped I would watch RRR but I need to hold it off for another day as I want to hold on to the reset I experienced this weekend.
Before I left camp I hooked up my new Garmin Dash cam but I neglected to download the app. I did that once I reached Kaslo and will know by the time I get home that it is working prompt.
Landed on my arm, creeped me outFun game of Halloween PatchworksIt was delightful’
As I am on mountain time in my brain, I woke just before 6. It was lovely to lie on my couch and read my book in the silence of the camp. Eventually the buzz of 5 families including one of 3 generations began as they arose. The day was simply lovely as I lounged and read my book, played crib and corn hole and most of all enjoyed some great conversations with individuals. At one point I wandered down to the creek along the old railway line. The dog, Tilly, followed me and then lead the way to the trestle where everyone has been swimming. I came back and helped the ladies decorate for the birthdays being celebrated tonight. Mike roasted a pig and we had an amazing dinner together. Hanging out around the fire was most enjoyable as we swilled the ‘Beaver Piss’ from the cooler backpack. Curaçao, raspberry vodka, and lemonade to start and later tequila and more was added. I am mostly relaxed but already making a plan to leave. I do need to keep focus on just being in the moment.
View from my bedThis dog is lovely it freaks me out a littleBreanne and her booze backpack My chair gave outSarah & Mike, the birthday kidsWhat I gave SarahAveryChesney, Steve, MikeChava, Robin, Sarah, Evan
Today was Chava’s first Canada Day as a Canadian. He set off two fireworks. My favourite part was watching them run away
I worked my tail off today to get everything done so that I could finish packing my car and hit the road. 2.5 hours later I was setting up among a lovely group of people and the evening has been fantastic it was martini Friday and I am buzzed. I feel no shame kicking off early as I have the time change as well.
Today was a blur of activity with old and new clients, Ed fest meeting and a haircut as well as continuously updating MusicFest volunteers. I also managed to fit in a visit with mom and got my car cleaned out and filled with camping gear. Tomorrow I will pack my clothes and get out of town as soon as I am able. I am honestly, so looking forward to relaxing this weekend, I can’t even express it.
Last night, when I awoke thirsty, I decided to take Missy’s cone off. I was surprised that she didn’t immediately begin licking or scratching at her scar and shaved area. When I woke up, I opened her cat door and let her out. She was so happy to be out there and it was fun to watch her.
Today was super chaotic at the office with me having way too many balls in the air. I was busy helping a client with their audit, working on all things for Summer Sounds and VIMF as well as two different zoom meetings and all the other regular things. I began to get a wee bit of anxiety as the day was burning away fast and I wanted to be at The Key City Theatre Volunteer Party. I felt a wee bit uncomfortable showing up empty handed for the potluck but I didn’t even make it to see my Mom, as promised. It turns out there was more than enough to go around and I was blessed to sit with Denise and Kris and their husbands.There was so much good conversation, delicious food and drink, and fine background music by Dean Smith Trio. We also came home with a nice token gift.
I came home and found myself awkwardly missing my cat curling up beside me, needing me. I am happy she is better, but… I was rather ok that she needed me.
I am still spinning from the show I watched last night and find that I am fighting back the PTSD all day so I have decided to have a special cookie, attempt to mellow out and get a good night’s sleep. Love you all
I got a lot done today, barely made it home in the jeep before the thunder storm and then did some laundry and settle down to watch the last of The Marvelous Mrs. Maizel (it was) and then ‘randomly’ picked ‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’ to watch. I began to get squirmy and then suddenly realized… I attended the same conferences that they did back in the 80s. I attended Bill Gothard’s The Basic Seminar: Institute in Basic Life conference where I learned to be a Good Christian Wife and through the show I learned that Bill went to Wheaton College (described as The Harvard of Fundamentals), the same place that the pastor, whose assistant I was in the 90’s, attended and whose principles were followed. I do believe that, at the time, I learned all the things to lead a perfect life. What I didn’t see was how damaging it was to my mental health, how it lead to my break down and break away from a God lead life. I can’t say I have no faith now, there is a deep spirituality within me. I give credit where it is due, and do not fear the reaper. This show has super triggered me, I need to process IBLP. I think there is still a binder in my house somewhere from back in the day. The principles in themselves are not bad, the structure.. is. I am having an anxiety attack
When my Dad died and we were sitting with his widow, my second step-mother, she said that the term ex-wife was not to be used. She preferred previous wife as it didn’t take away from the relationship they had. That always stuck with me. I refer to Bill as my first husband. For him to refer to me as First Wife takes on a different meaning in an area where there is a large polygamous community.
Saturday I was sitting with Bill and Deanne, two very good friends to me when a man joined us and after chatting for a while about classic cars and shows, Bill said I was his exwife. I laughed and said, I prefer.. former.
Today this rang in my ears when I left the office to take my jeep to Bill’s garage to throw it up on the hoist and find out why my brakes have been behaving badly. We were well into it when I asked if it was safe to step under it to tie up some wires that were hanging. He said yes and I said, “and that was when Bill killed his exwife”. We had a good chuckle. About an hour later while we were working on the electrical, trying to get my horn, and hopefully wipers, working, he managed to give himself a jolt and burn and said, “and that was when Marnée killed her exhusband” I had a good laugh then. We did not manage to get the horn or wipers working but the right front tire no longer jams up and we know that we need to do adjust the left front one as well now. It is 80% better than it was. I promised to bring him some Vancouver Island micro brew beer back with me.
After that I tried to clean the mechanic smell off me and took in the season preview at Key City. It is a shame it wasn’t better attended but there are a few shows that I am looking forward to. I already have tickets to two of them, Finger Eleven and Dogman the Musical.
This morning started with crepes prepared by Gene and Jonas and bacon courteous of Bill. It was a gathering to say goodbye to Jonas who is returning to Germany today. We all will miss him. He is a good one
When my Dad died and we were sitting with his widow, my second step-mother, she said that the term ex-wife was not to be used. She preferred previous wife as it didn’t take away from the relationship they had. That always stuck with me. I refer to Bill as my first husband. For him to refer to me as First Wife takes on a different meaning in an area where there is a large polygamous community.
Saturday I was sitting with Bill and Deanne, two very good friends to me when a man joined us and after chatting for a while about classic cars and shows, Bill said I was his exwife. I laughed and said, I prefer.. former.
Today this rang in my ears when I left the office to take my jeep to Bill’s garage to throw it up on the hoist and find out why my brakes have been behaving badly. We were well into it when I asked if it was safe to step under it to tie up some wires that were hanging. He said yes and I said, “and that was when Bill killed his exwife”. We had a good chuckle. About an hour later while we were working on the electrical, trying to get my horn, and hopefully wipers, working, he managed to give himself a jolt and burn and said, “and that was when Marnée killed her exhusband” I had a good laugh then. We did not manage to get the horn or wipers working but the right front tire no longer jams up and we know that we need to do adjust the left front one as well now. It is 80% better than it was. I promised to bring him some Vancouver Island micro brew beer back with me.
After that I tried to clean the mechanic smell off me and took in the season preview at Key City. It is a shame it wasn’t better attended but there are a few shows that I am looking forward to. I already have tickets to two of them, Finger Eleven and Dogman the Musical.
This morning started with crepes prepared by Gene and Jonas and bacon courteous of Bill. It was a gathering to say goodbye to Jonas who is returning to Germany today. We all will miss him. He is a good one
I got a text from Mom this morning to come and organize her pills. i hung out and read my book over coffee and then I headed to see her. I tidied, took out the garbage and recycling, made her bed and put away her laundry as well. Uncle Lawrence, her brother brought her lunch and we all had a good visit. I was talking about MusicFest and he said he had only been to one concert in his life and it freaked him out so he never went again. IT WAS WOODSTOCK!! How did I wait all these years to know this… well, here’s the story from him. He went with three other RCMP members, bringing with them many flats of Canadian beer. They were offered many things in exchange for that beer. They promised each other they would never speak of it due to their carreers. The other two are dead now, so he feels ok sharing. Seriously, so cool! He enjoyed my stories of the artists of that age that I have met and interacted with. i think it was the best visit that I have had with him since I was a kid.
Next stop was Canadian Tire to pick up furnace filters, and of course I found deals in the clearance section. This included a garbage can for my car which was marked down due to missing hooks but when I opened it at home, it had the hooks taped on the packaging.. Score!
Afterward I was happy to pay $20 for a hand car wash in support of kids in Cranbrook.
The liquor store was next on my shopping list to pick up birthday presents and supplies. I had a great visit with the guy that I know there and he made some solid recommendations. I love the bowler hat gin presentation but haven’t tried it yet. The rum is delicious
I stopped for cat food and then came home and got busy in the yard. I put up another layer of deer fence as they come over the one point of the fence, planted and transplanted my raspberries and set up the new soaker hose.
After that I took a break and the finally hung my chair that I bought myself for my birthday. I love my friends that wondered why I hung my sex chair outside.
Dinner was a delicious chicken satay and rice that I picked up at M&M yesterday. I look forward to lunch tomorrow.
I guess getting so much Fest business done yesterday really took a load off my mind as I slept right through the night and woke up naturally at 7:30 ready to face the day. At first I was not impressed as I had been looking forward to sleeping in but what I really needed was one good uninterrupted night. I got up and had my coffee and read my book for a couple hours and then got out and cleared up all the blown down branches before mowing my lawn. After a quick shower, I headed over to Encore as it was their official grand opening today. Bill, Deanne, Ashlée and three of the grandsons were there and we had a good visit. The arcade games were free so there was a lot of skeeball and basket ball before my friend James showed up and he and Ash and I bowled for an hour. He is really good compared to us but it was fun. I came home and then took my car to get gas as it was nearly out and I had been driving the jeep today. back home to relax outside with a martini before heading to Tim and Shawna’s for a friendly poker game. It was supposed to be the finals of the league but thankfully Shawna messaged me that it was postponed. I guess I had gotten an email but hadn’t checked as I was out. There were 7 of us and it was quite enjoyable. I played for 3.5 hours on my original 20 bucks and loved all the conversations about music, concerts and life experiences we’ve all had. Was nice to have more social time with them. When I left Greg and Galen were going head to head. It had rained a bit out there on the outskirts of town but not at my place. I was happy to find Missy in a cuddly purring mood as she had been quite off today and I was worried about her. She needs to be all better before I head off next weekend camping. Ash agreed to come feed her as Tracey will be away. Thankfully Tracey will feed and visit her while I am at MusicFest. She’s a great neighbour and friend. I promised to bring her a t-shirt again as she loves last year’s.
Atlas asked me to push the gas pedal for him so he could see the screen
Today was mostly spent in anticipation of taking Missy to get her stitches out. I left work an hour ahead of her appointment to give myself time to corral her. She wasn’t too hard to wrap in a towel and put in a box but I had to weigh it down with my floor mat to stop her popping her head out. Apparently it went well to clean up her scabs and remove the stitches but it left some open wound which means 5 more days inside and in her cone. I feel bad as I promised her today would be the day. She is annoyed with me ut we shall overcome. Have to ensure she doesn’t get infected or lick at it.
The rest of my day, between paid moments was spent printing up my binders for MusicFest. I received a few email to change shifts and had to be firm that I had done my best to accommodate and this is what was expected. People don’t realize how much I have to Tetris the schedule to make it work. I understand they are ‘just’ volunteers but after all the hours I put in, so am I. It was a touchdown moment to get all the binders ready, two for each stage and know I only have the lock-up ones to complete. This is early for me and I am grateful
I hung out with Tracey on her deck late this evening. She always grounds me well. I look forward to no alarm tomorrow morning, Mic drop.
Some days confuse me. I woke up unable to see out of my right eye. I don’t know why but it must be allergies. I took a prescription antihistamine and had to putter at home until I was safe to drive.
I finally made it to the office and trudged through the day as I was weighed down by the drug. At 2, I had an appointment with the Periodontist to see what the options are for my broken off tooth. It has been a long haul since it happened in April but I am grateful that he found my gums and teeth to be healthy and recommends an implant but it doesn’t have to happen right away. I will see my dentist end of July and get it ground and filled until I am financially ready to invest in pulling the root, and getting an implant. It is strange to me that every time I have a new dentist look in my mouth they can’t help but comment on the bone formation. Apparently I am unusual in that way too. My mouth is very ancient in the formation of bone, made for meat eating, something that is causing my teeth to break as my jaw is so strong. It is weird to think that people who see everything are still surprised. I suspect that the bone formation in my mouth combined with the size of my tonsils at rest are part of what cause my severe sleep apnea.
Back at the office I finished off a file and only am waiting for info on one more for the month which left me time to deal with Fisher Peak items and MusicFest. I have everything almost ready to print for binders. Just awaiting two riders and some group stage plots to make it so. Now if my last few volunteers would just accept their shifts in VolunteerLocal ( an amazing piece of software), all would be good in that part of my world.
I find myself getting excited about going away next weekend and I even have made a plan to stay a night with Mark on my way back. I haven’t seen him in a long while and can’t wait to hug him.
There was fresh snow on the Peak this morning… sigh
It is hard to accept that this rainy cold day that instigates my furnace being on , is the first day of Summer. It is typical weather for Cranbrook though, so I must bear with.
Today was a mixture of paid gigs and so much time spent on MusicFest. Of course, getting the things off my list takes away some of the stress. I actually think that I am finally caught up tonight. I should arrange some zoom meetings once everyone has signed in confirmation of their schedules but I am mostly ready. The bane of my existence for the Fest is having to schedule on shift meals for everyone. It is the most complained about thing every year, lol. I skipped out for a waxing this afternoon and made an appointment for a haircut. It is more challenging to have shorter hair. I have to cut it regularly so it doesn’t weigh down.
I have had all kinds of feels today regarding the need to write a book. I have so many started in my head….
I have been enjoying my gin martinis in the evening, invoking all the “I miss my besties” feels.
Who cares what goes on in my life on the daily… my cat maybe, because even as I start typing it seems that she senses my mood and has run across the room to stare at me. I had a very full day, I was not depressed by my circumstances and I had a wonderful FaceTime with my guy bestie, heard earlier from my UK Bestie… and yet…
I want to understand my connection between stress and seduction. I woke up in the night from a stress nightmare feeling completely aroused, leaving me confused. I realize that that has been the pattern in my life, unrecognized. The two things go hand in hand, stress and pleasure. No wonder I over book my life and continue to create stress. Enough of the deep dive for tonight. I enjoyed my FaceTime with my friend who I am looking forward to seeing after my camping trip on the long weekend. I am grateful he is happy to have me come visit in Kaslo.
My baby toe is still recovering from dropping Mom’s walker on it…
triumphgal 