Summer

Well, it's been a while, so I thought it might be a good time for an update of sorts. If for no other reason than for me to look back and reminisce..

Haven't made it for a while, but I'm got my kombucha doing a second ferment and I can't wait till its done and ice cold! It's tastier than most cold alcoholic beverages, in my humble opinion, and it's healthy! I've flavored mine with lemon, ginger, and strawberries this time around. And a new batch is in the works.

It's been a busy few weeks,with finishing up school work, and taking a road trip with a friend, driving about 11 hours north of  here (where I've never been), to visit our girls who are cooks for a tree-planting camp. That was a wonderful few days. In every way. New sights, spending time with a friend, relaxing at a cabin in the woods, and of course, time with our girls. Short, but sweet. Wow, were we proud of how hard our girls are working at keeping those 60 tree-planters well fed. They are amazing!

A couple of weeks back Dave and I packed up the old canoe and spent the afternoon on the lake near Chase. You know those times you plan something and it turns out as you had hoped? The weather cooperates, no flat tires, no canoes flying off of the back of the truck as you are zipping down the highway, and you enjoy sights you haven't seen before? I love it when that happens. We saw the absolute cutest thing -- a mother duck (the kind with the tufted mohawk-- I think it's called the Redbreasted Merganser) with about 10 little ducklings in tow -- and the favored one sitting atop mom's back. Probably named Joseph! ;) We tried to get a good shot, but Mama was quite protective, so we enjoyed them from a distance.

Mama and her ducklings in the distance, paddling like crazy!

Just this week, a colleague and I met up to celebrate our finishing up another school year as online support teachers. We spent the day chatting, hiking, and picnicking at Pillar Lake, about an hour's drive from here. A short (but steep)  20 minute hike brought us to the famed 90 foot tall 'sandstone conglomerate pillar' in Pillar Provincial Park. It is topped by an 8 tonne boulder. Wonder how this spectacular creation came to be? It looks so out of place amongst all the trees!

Not all has been wonderful, however. If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you've probably read about and seen pics of my cat Buddy. Well, I had to make the difficult decision to put Bud to sleep. It's been a long time coming, really. Buddy, always a bit nervous (his mother was a wild cat), was becoming a very anxious cat, jumping at the slightest sounds and becoming quite nasty to visitors, what with hissing and other aggressive acts (trust me). Things had gotten worse in the last few weeks, and  it got to the point where we really couldn't trust him anymore. After a long chat with the vet, she agreed that as he's gotten older, his  skittishness and nasty habits have escalated and an angry, fearful, unpredictable cat can spell trouble. So, we had the vet put him to sleep in the most humane manner. I have to be honest.. I felt very relieved when it was all over. It was a stressful time! But I do miss Bud, especially when I see pics of him. He loved me a lot (when he wasn't acting weird) and was my constant companion in a quiet empty-nest house. I could go on about all that I miss, but I won't. Anyway, I had a hard time getting to the point where I even wanted to share that (love hurts sometimes). But I know we did the right thing. Even though it was hard. I am going pet-less for the next while, and I'm really okay with that for now.

I will remember you

. Summer is a time when, even though hard times may come, and not all goes as planned, the weather lifts my spirits. The rain clouds break, a sliver of blue shines through and grows, and before I know it, it's warm and beautiful again and I can enjoy the view of the mountains from my deck. And I wonder where the clouds went. 

Hope you are all enjoying these summer months, too. It's the small things. Really.