The pineapple express doesn't bring PINEAPPLE :(

There is a problem with this picture...

That tap is in the ON position and there is NO water coming out of the faucet. Alex discovered we had no water last night when he was getting ready for bed. As I would be more than content if I could go to bed at 8:30 pm, I was already in bed but very aware of some kind of chaos on the street. Which I ignored. Until Alex came in to say we have NO water.

Then I looked outside and the end of the street was all lit up and there was a fire truck sitting outside our house.

big truck (but not the fire truck) right in front of the house

About ten minutes after I got up this morning, after not sleeping much due to all the noise outside, there was a loud pounding on our door. The nice man from the city was there to let us know it would likely be at least 2:00 pm before we get our water back...Our street is closed and since it got light out, the number of utility trucks has doubled. I can hear one of the guys singing to himself. The office is the perfect vantage point to see lots of workers in yellow slickers and lots of city vehicles, but not much else...

view from the office

The rain is coming down in sheets and I just talked to our landlay K. She figured she could just go stand in the downpour and wash her face that way. I think there is going to be a long line up at the local Seattle-based, soccer-mom, mega-coffee shop so that people can get their morning coffee and use the facilities!

Introducing Jack...and his Mommy and Daddy too

My cousins Mike and Kelly welcomed the newest member of the Ross Clan last week. Jack Wilson Hunter Ross arrived last Monday. Alex and I are hoping to visit them this weekend, but until then, we'll just have to make do with some photos.

I stole this photo from Mike...cause I don't have any of my own...YET!

The other inhabitants of the Blue House

the blue house

Alex and I live in the Blue House just steps away from everything we could ask for in a neighbourhood - a giant grocery store, six or seven produce stores, two Greek import delis, a used book store, a kids book store, a craft shop that carries emergency knitting supplies like needles, stitch markers, and wool, the doctor's office, a pharmacy, a camera shop, three Starbucks in two blocks, countless other neighbourhood coffee shops, three bakeries, a Cupcakes shop, a library, major bus routes, a gas station, restaurants, clothing shops, card shops, dollar stores, pubs, a movie theatre...well, you get the picture, except to go to work, we figure we can do everything else we need to do (and somethings we didn't think we needed to do or didn't know we *could* do) on foot except visit the dentist...

Before Alex lived with me in the Blue House, Roslyn lived here with me. And before that, I lived in the Hobbit Hole...You might have known all that.

hobbit hole

But did you know about the occupants of the Blue House? No, I'm not talking about our WONDERFUL landlady, K, or the downstairs tenant, R. Nor am I referring to the various creatures who thought they should inhabit our back deck all summer long. I'm talking about the other inhabitants of our suite.

When I first moved in, one morning I made my bed, fluffed the bed garnish pillows and turned my back to the bed to do something else. When I turned around, there was an indentation of a head on one of the pillows. I ignored it.

The taps in the bathroom kept being left on, except, sometimes the last person in there was CERTAIN the taps had been fully turned off. K called a plumber.

The tap problem disappeared after the bathroom fiasco this summer was over...

Then there was the tapping that came from no where and went away when we said things to it like "Go away, we can't sleep." It stopped not long after Roslyn left and we forgot about it until it started up again a few weeks ago. It's not as loud or as frequent, but it's there.

Then, one night, a few weeks ago, I woke up to Alex making a very scary sound. Seems he had woken up and seen a man at the end of the bed staring at us.

Yeah, I ignored that too.

I guess I'm a bit skeptical...But I often feel like there is someone in the house with me when Alex is at work. I'm never frightened, but I don't feel alone...

So the part that made me really believe there are at least two other inhabitants in our house was when I came home last week. I was at one of my classes and it's a later class and sometimes Alex beats me home. So I peaked through the window as I was opening the door. And there was a girl/young women staring back at me. She had long straight hair with bangs and a poofy old fashioned blouse on.

I didn't tell Alex right away...he gets a bit weirded out by that kind of thing, but I told Stacey. She said that ghosts only show themselves when there is something big happening in the house...a big change of some sort...who knows what's afoot in our house, but it's kind of interesting. I told Alex yesterday and he didn't take it too badly...he said I should write about it...so I am...and that's our ghost story...

If they appear again or if strange stuff happens, I'll let you know!

and the countdown begins...42 days until Christmas

Yesterday Alex and I spent a relaxing afternoon and evening with his parents and grandma, watching the football game and then having a nice visit in front of the fire place.

When it was time to go, Alex's dad appeared from the basement with these...


We were a bit confused since there is over a month to go until Christmas and we haven't even begun our shopping, so wrapped and labelled gifts were the furthest things from our minds...

They told us to take them home and open them today. They had bought the flatter one for Alex when he was 18 and didn't think he'd have any use for it at that point, but they decided he's ready for it now. The other one had a partner that was given to Grandma Ina....

This morning, we pretended Christmas came a little early...and it became very obvious why we got early Christmas presents...



So that we have these great new decorations in December when we decorate the house! Now I'm excited about Christmas (in case you didn't know...I LOVE CHRISTMAS!), but these guys are staying in their boxes for a few more weeks. I'm not sure where we're going to put them, so I have to do some thinking and creative reorganizing of our furniture. Suggestions?

Rainy Saturday Girls' Night

Last night Stacey hosted a small get together fora few of her wonderful female friends (we had to convince Warren he had to leave). We tasted nine drinks and chose the best two for an upcoming party...

Don't worry, none of us drank nine drinks! Stacey very kindly gave us about half a shot glass of each drink so we wouldn't be hurting...


A great way to get a taster, especially good when the drinks were less than spectacular...as you'll see from my score sheet at least one tasted HORRIBLE! (click the picture for a larger, clearer image)


We rounded out the evening with ice cream sundaes and Failure to Launch...definitely a good chick flick! Too bad they didn't warn me about the scene with the bird...I had to hide...

Lest We Forget

image borrowed from cbc.ca

The other day a poll was released that basically said that Canadians have forgotten about Remembrance Day...

This morning I went for a walk through our neighbourhood and noticed that a number of stores were closed all day or at least until 11 or 12 (those were the ones that left time for their employees to attend a service or ceremony before coming to work).



Probably two thirds of the people I saw were wearing a poppy. I know I didn't have one on today, I lost it...again...and didn't see any poppy sellers or I would have bought another one. It seemed to me that a lot more people were Remembering than were forgetting.

Maybe I have contributed to the idea that we've forgotten about Remembrance Day. This year I didn't attend a service, I didn't hear anyone read In Flanders Fields, but I did spend most of the day reflecting on how lucky I am to have the life I have and how my life is possible in large part because of the sacrifice of so many people...

ahhh...they move...

My favourite daily comic, For Better or For Worse, has a great online site.

For a long long time, the comics were static. Like you'd expect comics to be.

Then a few months ago, the characters eyes start BLINKING...okay...after the initial shock and creeped out feeling, I got used to it. Oh and the initial, am I going crazy, are my eyes playing tricks on me?!?!

But then today, I notice the shadow people in the background walk through the frames....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh...they move

I'm sure I'll get used to it, but sometimes I want to go back to the olden days!

and the saga continues

look at our new chair....



sigh....new dining room furniture is going bye bye...the hunt for the perfect furniture continues....

more tiny toques and a must-have for vancouverites

Yeah, yeah, I've been quiet for a few days...not like me, I know...

Half of my week and most of my weekend were spend curled up in bed or snuggled under blankets on the couch trying to get rid of the evil flu/cold that I am sure I caught through the telephone from Kelsey in k-town!

Five days inside and being totally swamped at work the last three days means...well, nothing interesting (or even boring) to talk about...if I think it's boring, you'll definitely think I'm boring...

Anyway, while I am cured of my flu/cold, I obviously haven't been cured of my ability to ramble aimlessly...so here's a picture of my second itty bitty toque.

I LOVE TINY TOQUES! Yay for the one evening in front of the television projects...talk about instant gratification!

And here's a shot of something every block in Vancouver should own...a leaf vacuum...okay, so it's just a leaf blower and a mulcher all in one, but it eliminates nasty, slippery leaves AND that disgusting rotting smell that permeates campus otherwise.

Yeah...definitely one for the ramble category!

Amy's adventures while I sit knitting...

While I sat at home this week and battled the flu, my cousin and her boyfriend travelled to four different continents...okay, so not just this week, since August, but still....

Amy and Paul started at a red paperclip party in Saskatchewan and some of their other friends have challenged themselves to 50 state capitals in 50 days...and I made a teeny tiny toque...just to show you how teeny tiny, it's pictured next to that other staple of Canadiana, the HOCKEY PUCK...sigh...I miss travelling...

itsy bitsy teensy tiny toque...(there is a baby boom happening among our friends)

I also made this:

surprise...what am I? Any guesses?

But I can't reveal it until its new owner has claimed it from her mail box.