Flood Watch!

We live beside the capital city of our province. It is currently under a Flood Watch. Below is a picture of the river that is high & expected to crest by Saturday night. Those trees are normally hovering over trails for walking. Now the trails are gone & the trees are falling into the river. Fast moving & filling up.

Bit nervous about leaving our home at a time like this but we don't live near the river so I think we'll be okay. Fingers crossed that the river begins to recede quickly so those in the more affected areas are not flooded out. Scary! And sad. 

Quote of the Day.

List for a busy day!

1. Bring the suitcases up from the basement. We take one small carry on each & one backpack each. No checking bags for this trip. Then we can get off the plane & head straight to our rental car. Easy peasy!

2. Print off our taxes to send in. I may try to Netfile. Haven't done it before but worked well for all our kids returns. Our refunds should be deposited into our account by the end of July. 

3. Reorganize the Tornado Box. We just had a threat last week & with the current Flood Watch we are under, we want to make sure the girls are prepared while we're away. 

4. Organize files & pay the bills for July. I like to go away knowing things are taken care of. No worries. No deadlines. Nothing to come back to that needs attention immediately.

5. Plant the last few plants that are waiting for my attention. I'm hoping my husband can still build the raised garden bed. We have the materials, the soil, the plants & I laid out the boards. He just needs to cut them & attach them together. Then fill with dirt, plant the plants & we're done!

6. Pay my staff before Friday. I have one time sheet on hand so one will be paid today. The other two are taking their sweet time so I'll need to do some prodding today!

7. Contact the owner of our building where our centre resides. I'd like to know our new lease will be in place by the end of August. Driving me crazy that this guy is soooooo slow!

8. Any loose ends to tie up completed by Friday morning so in the afternoon we just need to finish packing & relax. Early night, early morning flight & we'll be off. 

Wish us luck that we get everything done!!

72 Hours!

In 72 short hours, we'll be sitting on the plane, heading to the sea, for 10 days of bliss, exploration, relaxation & exciting creativity!!

My plan is to finish my second quilt & add 4 chapters to the book I'm writing, for a total of 12 chapters. 

My husband's plan is to finish a screen play he's been working on & start a new one for my centre.

Shopping, eating, suntanning, hottubbing, kayaking, hiking & sleeping. Bliss, total bliss. 

Pictures to follow!!

Off to a Meeting.

We have had quite the revolving door at our organization the last 4 years. I'm not sure exactly why people come & go so quickly but as a Human Services non-profit charity, it's common for staff to move around a lot. I hate it personally. I feel it's not fair to our clients, who become close to us due to the nature of the work we do. They get close, then the staff member leaves. And they have to start a new relationship all over again. I wish staff would commit to being here, sticking it out when it's rough & rising above the challenges. 

Maybe I'm the odd guy out. 

I've been here for 9 years, the longest employee they've ever had. At our recent Strategic Plan Workshop with staff, board members & volunteers, they posed the lingering question to me "why are you still here when everyone else leaves us?" I gave them my thoughts & the rest of the day was thanked by the board members & the volunteers who seemed in awe of my ability to stay. I love my program too much to leave but it gave me a lot to think about. 

Today, our newest staff member has requested a meeting with me. I'm the odd ball of the group, the hippy, the crunchy granola mama. Everyone tries to understand me. Not sure they ever get it. But I'm always a curiosity at the beginning. This is getting old, the meeting to figure me out, but hey, I'll play along. She seems lovely. I'm not investing a big amount into any relationship just yet.

Maybe this new staff member will be the one to stick around! Fingers crossed!

Do you make commitments & ride out the rough times or do you bolt at the first sign of a less than perfect scenario?

Twister!!

The plant, not the weather event!

Bought this plant today. 

It's an Annual & usually I only 

invest in Perennials but really

couldn't resist after chatting with

the gardening staff. The lady

in front of me at the til shared

that hers from last year came

back this year. Can't wait to see

how well it grows & if it'll be 

back next spring!

Captured!

Our oldest son is an actor & model. One of the directors he has worked with a few times captured some shots of Calgary this weekend. A beautiful view of such terrible devastation. Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9_Mesv6VBc

I feel so sad for the families that have endured this flood. They have lost so much. While others comment that it's just "stuff", truly it is the story of a family's life, their home, their sanctuary. Having lost our home to a fire almost 25 years ago, we truly understand what it feels like to be displaced. The loss of innocence, the loss of security & the fear of never being comfortable in a new home lingers for a long time. We're sending donations, wishing we could volunteer to help & sending heartfelt blessings for a peaceful new beginning as all the communities that have been affected by the flood of 2013 in our province begin to rebuild. 

For Claudia!

Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage

posted beautiful pictures of her 

Peonies a couple of weeks ago. She is

an experienced gardener & I love 

opening up her blog posts to see

the pics of her garden & cottage.  

Our Peonies often bloom in late May 

but this year, they are extremely late. 

I'm sure the snow at the start of

May has something to do with 

their dormant behavior.

I thought she'd enjoy seeing

that they are almost ready to "pop"

even this late in the season. I

think another day or two & we'll

have a lovely bouquet sitting on

our kitchen table. 

Enjoy!