noon

I think... that if it's 12pm EST any weekday and you're reading this post...
that you're on the wrong website.
If it's 12pm EST you SHOULD be here...



Roots Music Canada

watching interwebs history in the making, and (if it's still Wednesday Feb 9th when you're reading this) enjoying the launch of The Woodshed Sessions!

Riveting.

So, until the day my old landlord 'fesses up and produces my missing snowshoes, I'll always have 4 Algonquin style shoe-shaped holes in my heart.

To help to mend this broken heart of mine, sweet Naynay has offered me a pair of his- he was recently gifted three pairs from his inlaws. I offered to purchase a pair, he offered to give a pair to me! How exciting! I pledge to give away a pair if and when my missing pairs make their way home to me.

There's a small catch.

They are bindingless. Having just experienced the joy of well fitting bindings for the first time this winter (on a borrowed pair)- I plan on purchasing new bindings for the newcomers. (side note: I'm going to need to name these snowshoes) I spent so much of my life stepping out of my Sshoes, now that I know how good it feels to be free of that fear (of winding up hip deep one-legged) I'm not going back to jury rigged bindings.

In effort to support the downtown establishments, I went with Bethsheff to both shops that offer snowshoes to see if they had a lead on bindings. The first place was helpful. "No, we don't carry them, but if you purchase them- we'll include them in our next shipment so your shipping costs are lower". This was a kind offer. I did find some bindings online, but the Canadian company that offers them charges more for shipping than the item costs.

The second shop was lovely, but... um.

B: do you sell snowshoe bindings?
S: no, I've never even seen them in the catalogue as an option
M: I've seen them offered online
S: do you have a rivet gun? They are attached with rivets.
M: uh, the ones I was looking at laced on, it was like sewing.
S: They make them with rivets.
M: Hmmmmm.... I guess I'd have to figure something out....
thanks...

(outside)
M: All I can picture is how important the Hudson Bay company must have been with their rivet makers....
B: all those Native peoples, building their deer gut snowshoes, bending and shaping wood for generations, waiting for the white man to bring the rivet gun?

Monday Bunday

This picture is from last year- 'Touff stealing little Fynn's litter box at the old house. I can't remember where I put my card reader to retrieve my photos from this week. I'll find it.
Also missing is that great pirate shirt. I can't remember if I gave it to someone? I think it might fit Jelly, it was a little too small for 'Touff.

broken

Poem 8

In a place called Somewhere
There lived happiness
Somewhere was a place of Paradise
But one day from Nowhere
Came Sorrow to the place called Somewhere
Happiness asked Sorrow to leave
The place called Somewhere
Sorrow went back to Nowhere
And then occupied the hearts of people
Who are kind and compassionate
As they never refused anybody a place to stay
So if you feel the pain
Which a person who has lost his mind bears
If your heart aches when you see a tear in someone's eyes
If you are ready to accept such a person and help him
You can be sure
That you have sheltered sorrow in your heart.

-Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay (Tito)


A few years ago I posted about "The Mind Tree" ... go. find it.

red nose, red faced.

A weekend debrief is in motion... half written. It's a long one, and I've cut a ton...

but, quick recap:: early morning start, clowning adventures, hot water sipping with the Pagepage peeps, dinner at my favourite, (sopa azteca, with a guest appearance of sweet Chief Julio!) with my favourites. more snow than snowmageddon. shoveling. knitting. breakfasting with the rats. knitting. superb owl dinner with the rats (in deference to the super bowl, and a nod to wilw's tweet). oh, and more shoveling.


just one of those normal weekends... ya know?

red noseing it.

Sometimes, it's good to figure out who you are inside.
And sometimes to do that, you have to turn the insides outside....

So, tomorrow I'm going to a clowning course.

That seems like a really good idea.






**and if anyone has $400 they'd like to give me, there's a week long course coming up that I'd love to attend.

roadtrips with Persia

I just spent a lovely day in the city visiting some of the favourites, and catching up with some old friends... it was so good to see those faces.

I feel like each part of the day was it's own day... too many stories jumbling together, starting with Muffins in Farsi and ending with a tiny smiling elf playing the drums beside spinning speakers.
no.
really.


-yogurt and sitars
-roomie visit (how to get lost in the mall)
-catching up
-Roots Music Canada's woodshed
-polka roo debunked
-knitting in the pub with (the) rats
-"I was a smoker dating a smoker" ... "how'd you like to date another smoker?"...."admit it, that was really funny".
-the Nylons (baby, are you busy tonight?)
-dinner and music a la Cleave Anderson and John T. Davis

knit one slip purlside... knit... slip. slip. slip. slip.

Hi, my name is Bess... and I have a sock knitting addiction.

I know.

I know....
It's a nasty habit.
Ignoring housework.
Ignoring the phone.
All those fibres. Needles. Scissors. More needles...

Just laying... around the house everywhere.
Where ANY ONE could find them!
I know.
And I tell myself each time... this is the last sock....
I promise.


And then...
I open the cupboard.
or
I walk into the shop.
I see something soft and fine, in a cool or even a warm tone.
Self striping maybe.
Mixed fibres, wool, alpaca, angora... cotton, bamboo, hemp..... my blood races from my heart to my hands, from my hands to my heart to my head as I .
just.
reach.
out.
and.
touch.

cave....

purchase....

nested, under an old afghan... corner of the couch, snowflakes blowing past my window...
slip knit slip knit slip.

counting beans

I'm still a bit of a stats whore.
I got excited today when I looked at the sidebar stat counter and realized guest number 1600 had come and gone...

then I remembered that it was the "new" stat counter, reset after moving the blog to the newer format two years ago... I'm actually nearer to 30,000 guests.... and even that count doesn't take into account the first two and a half years of the blog.

um.
really.
this is dorky excitement.

hold still

If that dog wouldn't breathe so much, she'd be a great music stand/ foot stool.