New Garden photos

Jerry at the garden on Sunday night. The tall plants in front of him are amaranth. It's a grain that will have a burgundy flower.















Our harvest. This is the 2nd big summer harvest. We already had 2 big early summer harvests (raddish, peas). I didn't know zucchini could get so big! We had to pull up the onions and shallots because the zucchini plants were crowding them out. Many of the beets have ground squirrel nibbles out of them. I'm not too upset about that since they're not touching the carrots but Jerry rather likes beets. The corn cob was a test to see if they were forming well. The rows were even and the corn was tasty but not overly sweet. A bit of salt and butter would do the trick.


Does anyone recognize this flower? It's in one of the gardens a few plots down from us. I'm not sure who has it. It comes in both light pink and the darker magenta. I think it's really pretty.








Evening sky. According to Jerry, this is a typical sky for a Chinook. I've never seen the sky look like this and he told me it's because the weather's been very strange for the past several years. The sky under the clouds is clear and this is the northern edge of the Chinook arch.

Weekend Trip

On the weekend we went to Castle Mountain to pick berries.


This is a huckleberry. It's sweet and I prefer it a bit over a Saskatoon (which looks very similar).








There was a pair of grouse on the mountain with us.









Here I am with my berry bag (and bear spray). Note the very terrible tan line on my arms.








We ended up finding a whole lot of raspberries, some thimbleberries and a few huckleberries. I'm going to freeze them and we can turn them into tarts during the winter. Yum! The weather was nice and it was a relaxing, low-key weekend

Snowboard pictures

This is Libby





























This is Libby's underside (the part that slides on the snow)

Yay for sales!

Hi Everyone,

I got an amazing deal on my snowboard. Everything was used/consignment but for entry level, I didn't need more than that.

Snowboard with bindings: $62.50
Boots: $12.50
Hoodie: $12.50
Touque: $6.00
Snowboard Bag: $15.00

Everything was 70% off. A new board, without bindings start out in the $350 area for entry level. My board was on consignment and Jerry thinks that when the store declared bankuptcy, they were unable to contact the owner. Mine is a Lib Tech and looks very pretty. Apparently, it's also a really great board. I showed him the 3 boards that were the right height and he got really excited when he saw this board.

So, now all I need is a helmet. They get another shipment in on Friday so I'll look to see what else comes in. Basically, each week one of the chain stores shuts down and the extra stock goes to their main location downtown. They have both new and used sporting equipment but I will go new for the helmet. Although they are designed for multiple impact, I don't want to risk anything when it comes to safety.

So, super excited - I was expecting to spend 2-3 times that amount on equipment.

Have a great day!

Camping on the long weekend

Hello Everyone!

I just booked a back country campsite in Kananaskis (a region along the edge of the Rockies) for the Labour Day weekend. We plan on doing a lot of fishing (but will have lots of food since I don't plan on actually catching anything), relaxing and maybe a bit of light hiking (depending on how Jerry feels). He's talked about this area a lot so I'm rather excited to see what it's like.

This weekend, we're going to Lethbridge to see his family. There's a party on Saturday night so while we're in the area, I hope to walk around the railway bridge area (I think it's the longest in Canada) and maybe do some fishing. Definitely a take-it-easy weekend.

I'm hoping to buy a snowboard & equipment tonight. There's a store going out of business and they have their stock down to 70% off. At that price, I can get an entry board & equipment for about the equivalent of 5 rentals. So, I should come out on top by the end of winter. So, I'm hoping they still have stuff in my size. This will be my last big purchase until Christmas and budget will be very happy with that.

Have a great day!

I passed my exam!

Hi Everyone,

I wrote my Payroll Fundamentals 1 exam this morning and passed. It was rather a squeak through - I got exactly the minimum amount I needed for the exam. Luckily, I had a great mark on the midterm so I estimate I got around 70% overall on the course. The material was dry and 75% of it was not relevant to my current work. It was really hard to get into, especially with the beautiful summer weather.

My next course is accounting and I have until the beginning of December to complete it. It's through Athabasca University and the text book is hard cover. This means it's easy to take with me while fishing!

So, Jerry got doored on Wednesday. "Doored" means he was riding along and a driver opened his car door into him. He remembers hearing "click" and woke up on the ground. The end result was a bruised lung (well, at least there weren't broken ribs) and he was told "no sports" by the clinic and to go back to work. Yep, I rather like the intelligence of a clinic when they tell someone to back to work when their work involves riding a bike. He's sore but the main problem he has is his breathing if he overexerts himself. I pampered him this weekend by bringing up breakfast for him on Saturday (study break for me) and bringing lunch on Sunday (I was attending a church service near his house). He looked a bit better on Sunday so I'm hoping he takes it easy so he makes a full recovery. And, Jerry will need to fight in order for the driver to get charged, even though what he did was illegal. So, to all my friends & family who drive, please look before you open your door when you're parallel parked - this is a very common accident for cyclists and it can be surprising how far out your car door extends into the lane.

And, I got a hair cut on the weekend. I had dyed my hair late last year to a dark brown. This was to cover up any remaining blonde. Unfortunately, the colour was slightly darker than my natural colour. I've been growing it out and I finally reached the point of the two colours driving me crazy. So, I'm back to a short hair cut and almost all of the colour is natural. There are a few tips on the top that have about 1/2 cm of colour but that'll be cut off at my next trim. After that, I'll be all natural again and can grow it out. Jerry was curious to see what I would look like with long hair so I'm indulging him to about shoulder length. With my body frame, anything longer than that looks too heavy. When he saw me on Sunday, he said it looked nice (I did warn him I needed to cut off the dyed hair).

I have some tlc to do on Charlotte this week. I need to replace her free wheel (the cear on the back wheel. When you have more than one gear, it's called a "cassette"), replace her chain (because of the new free wheel), and a couple other tweaks.

We have some yellow beans in the garden! And we had a couple carrots at eating size! We pulled out the remaining radishes. Did you know they get a very pretty white/pink flower on them. They would be ideal to put in an edible flower bed.

It was a hot weekend (30s) and to suppose to be like this for the next couple days. Last night was the first time I had to pull out my fan in 2 years. So far the furry family is handling it fine.

Have a great day!

Waterton trip

Saskatoon berries - yum!










Butterfly on an Aster









Crypt Lake. The glacier is in Montana and the lake is very cold. We didn't have time to hike around it but in all honesty, the trail didn't look very nice (basically walking on a big gravel pile)






Jerry setting up our tent. It's a three person tent and it was more than big enough for us. Because of bears, you don't keep your backpack in you tent (scents such as toothpaste, deodorant, sun screen). And I carried it in since I have a backpack and Jerry only has a day pack. He's use to a lot more rustic camping and usually uses a bivouac sac instead of a tent. He also knew if he wanted me to go camping, we needed a tent. Because even though tent fabric won't keep a bear out, I can trick myself into believing it can.


Deer checking out our campsite early Saturday morning.









Mount Galwey (I think) reflecting on Crandell Lake. Our campsite is on the left (in comparison to the picture) side of the lake.








Me in the tunnel that leads to Crypt Lake. Note the canister of bear spray on my right hip.









Common Red Paintbrush. This is one of my favourite mountain flowers. It comes in white, red, pink and orange.










Wildflowers along Crypt Lake trail.







So, I had a lot of fun at Waterton. We ended up camping at Crandell Lake (amazing location) and I was the only girl (with 5 guys). Good weather - a bit of rain & hail Saturday morning but it only lasted about 1/2 hour. I went scrambling for the first time on Mount Crandell on Sunday. It was a bit scary but Jerry was able to get me down when I reached a point in climbing where I couldn't get myself down. He directed me where to place my hands and feet and I got down safely. I plan to take some mountain climbing classes this winter to help me improve. It was very beautiful and I had fun.

On Monday we went on a hike to Crypt Lake. It's noted as one of the best hikes in Canada and I agree. You reach it by ferry so there's only a small amount of people who go on it every day. It was a difficult hike - 8.5 km to the lake and an elevation gain of 2214 ft. I wish we would have had more time but I knew I had to compromise on taking the later ferry (I was ready to go but the sleepyheads I was with...) and returning on the early ferry (since we were heading back to Calgary that night). So, physically strenuous, great (proper) hiking trail, beautiful scenery. At one part, you need to hang onto a wire cable as you cross a 3' ledge and then climb up a ladder to a rock tunnel.

Ate lots of Saskatoon berries, tumbleberries and also a huckleberry. All were delicious.

Was very tired for most of this week, recovering. My ankle was a bit sore since we had to really push to get back from the lake in time for the ferry. The furry family was rather upset with me but I spent this weekend with them and they've forgiven me. I was planning to study all weekend (exam 1 week from Monday and I'm not ready) but I got a severe headache that made me pretty useless all of Saturday.

I don't get migrane headaches but the end result is pretty nasty. I think it was caused by a rapid change in air pressure because my head hurt above my hairline at the front of my head. As well, ibuprofin had no effect. And it wasn't until Saturday night, when feeling nausious that I decided I should go for a short walk (since fresh air usually helps). I added up my symptoms and realized what I needed to do. I had a long hot shower (since running water puts ions into the air) and turned on the ion releaser on my air purifiers. I felt better within an hour. Although my headache still continues, it's not down to a dull ache and no more nausa. I've also been consuming caffeine. Now, normally people don't take caffeine when they have a headache since it often causes one but I've noticed when I get this kind of headache, it really helps. I think it has to do with how it constricts your blood vessels. As for the ions, the science is still undecided but I've tried it and it helped me. It is very frustrating to get this type of headache since I basically have to wait for it to end. And, it's a very common thing in Calgary and southern Alberta. Stupid mountains and its effect on weather systems.

Well, I have some tidying to do around the apartment before bed. Have a great day!

PS - I didn't need to use my peeing device - there were outhouses. So, I'll have to wait until my next adventure...

I peed standing up!

Hello Everyone,

I know this above statement may seem odd but I'm rather excited. When I was getting my camping stuff last night, I was in the misc health section and saw Sani-fem Freshette Urinating Aid. And yep, it's a device that allows women to pee standing up. It's basically a slightly moulded cup that has a hole in it for a tube. You place the cup against your body and your pee will run down the tube. Because of it's shape, you only need to unzip a bit of your clothes.

So, I tried it this morning with great success. No dripping and I was able to aim so it went in the toilet (without dribbling everywhere else). I know, this topic is a bit crude to some people but for those who like being outdoors and hate the fuss of squatting, I've got to say this may be a solution. I'm bringing it with me for a full test this weekend.

So, this weekend... originally we were going to do a 10km difficult hike to a lake where there's a campsite. From there, there are a couple challenging scrambles. The problem? Well, the person planning the trip waited until the last minute to book campsites and there weren't any. (I'm still shaking my head at the idea of waiting until the last minute to book 4 campsites on a super busy weekend). We ended up getting 3 sites at Waterton (through my research and a bunch of calls to their Info Centre) and we're driving down early Saturday morning. The campsite is still back country but it's only 2 km to the parking lot, 6 km by highway or path to the townsite and 15 km by highway to Cameron Lake where people can go canoeing. It's also a central location for several scrambles. So, the campsite, although not as wilderness as originally planned, does have a lot going for it since it has activities everyone was interested in. And for me, I'm a bit relieved because this will be my first backcountry camping experience.

Jerry bought me bear spray, bear bangers and flares since it's peak bear season (and showed me how to use everything). We set up our tent last night to make sure everything is fine. I tried my new mattress and couldn't feel the stuff underneath that we used as a test. I was tempted just to buy a thin piece of foam but the blow up mattress was comfortable, very tiny when not in use and light. I was hoping to save money on this but I like a soft sleeping area.

Camping is expensive to start out. I didn't have anything other than a pack and a walking pole. At least this stuff is good quality and I'll be able to get years of use out of it (hopefully). And it will definitely save in the long run since it'll mean camping rather than hotel rooms and more freedom for adventures.

Have a great weekend and I'll let you know next week how everything goes.

Lookin' good!

Hi Everyone!

So, Jerry's roommate got married and the ceremony was on Saturday. It was very small - no reception that day as they had difficulties finding a hall. They're going to put it off for a month or so, which I think is a great idea - it will be a lot more relaxing and memorable for them without that pressure. It was held at Deane's House, a historical house that doubles as a restaurant (with gorgeous gardens). Short ceremony, no decorations (the flowers and natural setting was all they needed). Just family and a couple friends.

So, Steve wore a suit jacket and Jerry wore a vest. They got a 1 1/2 weeks before the wedding and they looked great. I hadn't seen Jerry's outfit but my dress (summer dress, hem just below the knee) worked perfectly with it. It was warm and sunny for the ceremony but it rained that evening for the bbq. Oh well - the food was good and everyone made the best of it. And, they had ice-cream cake!

I think more people should have weddings like this. Low key, low budget, lots of enthusiasm and an overflow of love. They are such a cute couple and you could tell how much this wedding meant to them.

Jerry'll be in transition now - this is the first time since he was a teenager that he'll live by himself. I think it'll drive him crazy since he's a social persom but I think it's important for every person to live on his/her own just to see what it's like. I've offered him Whiskers and he's thinking about it ;-D She can be quite rude to him - scratching at carpet, trying to chew on his pants, giving him the evil eye, knocking his bag over... She takes a while to warm up to people. I think some quality bonding time would do the both some good. Either that or Jerry will have holes in all his clothes and she'll be in a pot! And who said I wasn't an understanding girlfriend hee! hee!

Have a great day!

I can see again!

Hello Everyone!

I just picked my new glasses and wow, what a difference! I was using my really old glasses from almost 5 years ago because my cute pink glasses broke during the winter. Everything is so much clearer and sharper - I didn't realize just how far my eyes had changed.

They ended up just over $600 since I have to get the special lenses because my eyesight is so bad. They're a dark green, with a turquoise hint plastic frame, rectangular with a circle pattern on the arms. Very cute and fashionable. I'll be able to show you pictures next week.

Karen

Rafting down the Bow

Hi Everyone!

I've had a great weekend. On Friday, it was rainy/overcast in the afternoon and I was thinking, "What a crappy day." I wasn't expecting to see Jerry all weekend as he had a bunch of plans.

Then I got a phone call from him to go see the new Batman movie. It's been years since I've been to opening day for a movie that big and the whole experience was a lot of fun. We ended up sitting in the front seats (but it actually wasn't too bad for viewing) and it was great to have the audience get involved in the movies (with the "Wows" and gasps and collective laughs). Later that night he gave me a present (we went on our first date a year ago Saturday). It was a Chinese butcher's knife. I had mentioned several times that I wanted one and we hadn't gotten around to visiting Chinatown for me to buy one. And, neither of us believe the gift of a knife will cut a relationship. My view is he was thoughtful enough to buy me a great present that he knew I would like.

I was planning on using the weekend to work on his present but he then invited me to go rafting on the Bow on Sunday. So, Saturday I was busy making his present. I'm always short money in the last third part of the month so I decided to make it. Since our first date started with Ben & Jerry's ice-cream, I bought a tub at the grocery store, emptied out the ice-cream (will share it with him the next time he's up at my place) and used it as my present container. I then took blank business card paper, wrote mushy-cute notes on them and folded them into what looks like envelopes. So, his container of ice-cream contained (hee-hee) reasons why he's such a wonderful guy. I then finished up by covering the "Ben" part of the labels and putting "Karen" over top. Corny, yes, but he's quite a romantic and sweet guy (although he tries to hide it and does a terrible job). I'm also going to make him a fancy picnic on Thursday after work. Here's my tentative menu:

fresh veggies with hummus
potato omelet (well, frittata - it's yummy and is eaten at room temperature)
fresh salad with ingredients from my home garden and oil/vinegar dressing
oatmeal/dried fruit/chocolate chip cookies
caramel chocolate bars
fresh fruit cups
pink lemonade

We both like picnics and this one will have food that's a bit fancier than I normally would make. I was going to get a picnic basket from the fancy restaurant on Prince's Island (our picnic spot) but they were too expensive. Yes, it's super high end stuff but Jerry seems to really appreciate my cooking attempts.

Anyways, back to the reason for the title of this entry...

I went up to Jerry's this morning and we headed down to Kensington Sun & Salsa festival. Basically, you buy a bag of chips for $2, money goes to charity, and you go around sampling free salsa. You then vote for your favourite salsa. There's also music, dancing, shopping, performers etc. After that, we headed to Bowness Park, met up with friends, and spent the next three hours floating down the river on rafts. The sun was hot, the water was cold and it was very relaxing. I'm a bit sunburnt where I missed with sun screen. As much as I love the convenience and feel of spray-on sun screen, I find it's harder to make sure you're completely covered. Maybe I need the kid's stuff that's purple when comes out but dries clear. I'll put some aloe on tonight to help minimize the skin damage.

I've got a busy week ahead of me - there's a gardening seminar on Monday, I'm having coffee with a friend on Tuesday, dinner after work on Wednesday with another friend, the picnic on Thursday a wedding to attend on Saturday and a meal and/or coffee with yet another friend on Sunday. So, the furry family may not be impressed with me (they get upset when there's not enough Karen time) but I'm looking forward to everything.

Have a great day!

I just sent my first text message!

Hi everyone!

I've received messages on my phone but I've never actually sent one until today. It was rather difficult as my phone wanted to put in different letter than I was trying to use. Afterward, I explained my problem to a co-worker and was told my phone was set to "predictive". I've now switched to alphabet.

Hmm...I may need to look into what my plan has for text messaging.

point form 2

Hi Everyone!

Tues
-did a whole bunch of driving
-rain
-Fort Macleod: opening Canada Day ceremonies, part of musical ride (rained out), museum
-Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: wet, great interpretive centre, will return for outdoor hike
-Waterton: deer everywhere, very pretty

Wed
-hike to Bertha Falls, partway to Bertha Lake
-climbed Bear's Hump
-rented 4 wheel bike (seated 2 people on a bench across). Let Christine steer/brake. Think I got my first grey hairs
-lots of ground squirrels
-will return for more hikes

Thurs
-Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park
-sunny, hot
-climbed on hoodoos
-heard a rattle snake
-Japanese garden in Lethbridge
-very pretty

Fri
-Stampede parade
-rodeo
-Stampede grounds
-lots of fun, not as crowded as in the past (less American tourists because of high dollar and economy)

Now: very tired

Saturday: laundry, relax, Stampede chuck wagon races & evening show
Sunday: Banff
Monday: Lake Louise
Tuesday: zoo, Calgary Tower
Wednesday: back to work, family leaves

point form

Hi Everyone!

-cleaned house
-Mom, Dad & Christine arrived on Saturday evening
- ate my fish recipe on Sunday, didn't get food poisoning. Fish Creek provincial park. Prince's Island. Met Jerry. Ate at Vietanmese restaurant - family agreed it was tasty
- Monday passed Payroll midterm. Family - Science Centre, Devonian Garden, Glenbow Museum. Got Western attire
- printed off driving directions for Fort Macleod, Head-Smashed-In, Waterton, Writing-On-Stone, back Thursday night. Stampede Friday
- very tired. On vacation!

Baa Baa Sheep

Mary had a little lamb,
little lamb,
little lamb.
Mary had a little lamb
That was so very yummy!

Yep, Nigella's good. The recipe turned out like in the picture. It was very moist and flavourful. I put it in the oven like she said and pulled it out when the timer went off. No basting, turning, checking. The only problem I had was with all the juice. Jerry thickened it a bit for me (to make it part jus since it wasn't quite a gravy although he had some fancy name for it). I was so-so on the beans that she said to serve with it but they're still something I'm getting used to as a potato substitute.

Had a baby radish leave salad - from the garden. When the leaves are very small, they aren't prickly yet. We tried it with poppyseed dressing and it was quite delicious.

So, for anyone looking for a great recipe book, pick up Nigella's Express cookbook.

A nice weekend

Hi Everyone,

The weather was warm and mostly sunny. I built a couple planter boxes to set my flower boxes in. It went pretty well but I gave myself a large blood blister on my middle left finger. I was holding 2 pieces of wood together and as I was bringing down the hammer I though, "This wood will likely shift and pinch my finger between the pieces." Thud. Ouch. (Actually, it hurt more when I iced it an hour later).

I went on a proper date with Jerry on Saturday night. Usually we get together at one of our places for dinner and tv but this was a proper date. We went and saw Indiana Jones and then went out for dinner. It was rather nice! The movie itself was a bit odd - 3/4 classic Indiana Jones, 1/4 what the ****? It was a plot twist that didn't fit in with the movie or the other movies. We figure George Lucas had too much script influence. Despite that, I'm glad I saw it. It's the type of movie best suited for a summer drive-in double feature.

On Sunday I had 2 picnics, the second was a garden party at the garden plot. Our little garden is coming along. We lost our accorn squash and we didn't see any peanuts come up. I thinned out some raddish so we're having a raddish leaf salad tonight.

I'm making lamb - specifically lamb shank. It has a simple marinade - white wine, worchestershire sauce, onion, garlic oil, rosemary and red currant jelly. I've had bad luck in the past with lamb but Nigella's recipe was easy to follow and has more details than past recipies. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Have a great day!

Pretty Charlotte

Hi Everyone,

I spent last night giving Charlotte some tlc and making her pretty. I picked up a bright pink chain and put it on. I wanted to get purple but the bike shop wasn't expecting to get any in for the next while. I said, "But I don't think pink would go with my red bike." They then said, "Well, your helmet is red and pink." So they got me. My bike and helmet are becoming co-ordinated. All I need is an orange water bottle and I'll be set!

So, after an ice-cream date with Jerry, I went home and got myself all dirty and greasy. I took the new chain out of the box and cleaned the packing grease off it. You can ride with the original lube but I was told if I have time, to do a proper cleaning/lubing. I then broke my original chain and cleaned it. What a mess! I think I've been over lubing which means dirt sticks to the extra lube and makes it really dirty. It's good for winter since it protects the chain but in summer you want a pretty clean chain. The main problem I had with putting the new chain on was rejoining the chain. Basically, there's a little pin that joins the links and to break the chain, you need to remove the pin but only until it's out of the middle section and still sticking in the outer part. I only had a small chain breaker on my multi tool and although I could remove the pin, there wasn't enough distance between the pin and the crank used to shove the pin in and out. I ended up lining everything up and using a hammer. Not an ideal situation but in the end it worked.

After all this work, I was rather tired and went into my room to get ready for bed. Next thing I know it's morning and I'm late for work. The tv was on, all the lights were on, the furry family was hungry...

So, I opened the window for Mike (he's happy), bribed the other two with strawberries (they're happy) and sent an e-mail to work letting them know I'll be late (they laughed). Had a nice ride in, chain working well, no weird noises or grinding.

So, I've got a very busy week ahead of me. My payroll mid term is next week and I'll be getting the apartment ready for Mom, Dad & Christine's visit. It's suppose to be a nice weekend so I can get a bunch of laundry done.

Had some problems with my kitchen sink pipes. There was/is a clog somewhere and I didn't pick up on that being the strange smell in my kitchen until 11:30 Wednesday night. Since it wasn't standing water (just took a super long time to drain), I used Drano kitchen crystals to help clear it. I think most of the clog is gone - when I was running the water to test it, it took a long time for it to back up and it did drain much faster when it did back up. I'll continue with these crystals over the next few days to make sure everything's fine. Mind you, I did learn how to remove the pipes under the sink to see if there was something caught in the U shaped section (and there wasn't).

Have a great day!

A nice picnic

Hello Everyone,

The weather is finally nice enough to try out my new picnic backpack. I met Jerry at Prince's Island after work and have a lovely picnic. It was my first one of the year and I enjoyed myself. I picked up some pink lemonade by a company called Efferve and it's imported from France. Not something I would normally splurge on but it had a very nice glass bottle with wire and a stopper for the lid. It was also very delicious - not too tart. I think it will end up being a regular in my fridge.

We then watched "The Golden Compass". I've read the book and after watching the movie, I think people put it way out of context. For those of you not familiar with the contraversy, tje author is athiest and many fundamental Christians believe his children's novels are a direct attack on Christianity and organized religion. The novels are geared toward tweens and young teens. In my opinion, this age group would not get this message from the novels and you would have to stretch to even get this message as an adult.

Basically, in this fantasy world, a person's soul is not inside the body but takes the form of an animal (called a demon). This animal is a part of the person (ie physically hurt the animal and the person feels it) and is constantly near the person. There is a religious order, which seems to be connected with the government who wants to control (brainwash) all people. In this book, a little girl is able to use a magic compass to discern truth and receive answers to any question she has. The magistrates (religious order), want to destroy the compass so people can only rely on "their" truth. They also want to separate the souls/animals from children because once children get older, they start getting "bad thoughts". The girl's father is trying to travel between alternative worlds through the means of "dust". This dust connects worlds from all dimensions and seems to be a life source/universal substence. At the point where the movie/book left off, the girl is on a quest to save her father from evil plots. The magistrates want the father's knowledge so they can control the dust, and therefore control the other alternative worlds.

After watching this movie, I saw the message cautioning against absolute power to any one body - whether religious or government. I didn't see it as a novel deliberately underminding any religious faith. In all honesty, I don't think this age group would see this either and only someone looking from an attacking angle would see this message. I don't think a young person would be affect so much by a fictional novel that he/she would lose trust in organized religion.

Anyways, that's my rant for the day.

Meet Ruby!

She's a 400 series Roomba that I got yesterday from Walmart. Only $128! Mind you, they do have newer models but I didn't need all the extra accessories. I charged her yesterday and gave her a test last night. Was quite surprised.

She's a bit noisy but much quieter than my regular vaccuum. When I turned her on, she went in circles until the pattern got large enough that she ran into something. This changed the pattern into a mixture of straight and diagonal lines. Quite interesting watching her and she was able to get under things better than I could with the regular vaccuum. She also picked up a lot of dirt, handled rugs easily and switched between carpet and linoleum nicely.

Mike & Whiskers reacted quite well. They're terrified of the regular vaccuum cleaner. They were still very hesitant about Ruby but Mike got within 6' of her and brave Whiskers got within 2'.

I'll likely run her a couple times each week for an hour to help keep the pet hair/dander and dust/dirt under control. I hate vaccuuming with a passion so this will help with cleanliness and allergies. The air purifiers are a huge help and I'm excited about Ruby's potentials.

I made it!

What a weekend it was. Wet, windy and cold (8-12 C)

Saturday

Airdrie – Fairview Colony 23 km, rain
Fairview Colony – Crossfield 17 km, rain that was hard enough to ring my bell
Crossfield – Carstairs 17 km, rain
Carstairs – Didsbury 14.5 km, rain stopped
Didsburry – Olds 17.5 km, first time we had a bit of wind in our favour for about 10 km. Had some fun at 60+ km/hr

Total distance = 89 km, total time = 6 hours + rest stops

Sunday

Olds – Airdrie 70km (the challenge loop was cancelled), some light sprinkles around Didsbury; wind on our backs; lots of fun. Total time = 3 ½ hours + rest stops

That wind was terrible! Luckily, Jerry was my wind block the entire way and I took advantage of drafting. The event was a lot of fun, despite the weather and I would recommend this event to anyone. The volunteers and support was excellent, although coffee at every rest stop would have been appreciated. I had my coffee mug with me (you can see my cup holder in the photo) and I got more than a few envious looks on Saturday.

We were going to tent on the campus grounds but they opened some dorm rooms so we had a dry night. I was exhausted Saturday night and my eyes were so bloodshot from wind that it looked like I had been on a bender. I'm proud of myself for making it all the way through. Jerry was also impressed and I think it was good for him to see what my physical limits (and abilities) are and what I'm like when I reach that point. He was amazing through the whole event and I wouldn't have made it without him. Mind you, I wouldn't have been in this event in the first place without him!

Charlotte handled great. I was passing people going up hills and I could hear the grumbles about a single gear as I went by. This was because many people don't know how to shift properly. She's also lighter and I kept her at a high cadence (fast pedal rotation). My bum's not sore, thanks to her wonderful saddle and I only had a twitch of pain above my left knee later in the ride. My leg did cramp up at one of the rest stops but it was caused by an improper cool down in conjunction with cold weather.

I want to thank everyone who supported me with financial contributions, advice and well wishes. My muscles are feeling surprising good today, although I can’t believe how much I’ve been eating! I had 2 suppers last night and lunch and a half so far today.

Have a great day!