Happiness is a Warm Blanket

Have you ever noticed the crazy choices that drop down when using google search? 

'Happiness is a serious problem' was one helpful suggestion!  

I watched the Charlie Brown movie 'Happiness is a Warm Blanket' which aired last night - or part of it that is. A third of the way in, I realized something was wrong; the voices weren't (in the immortal words of Clint Eastwood) "making it" for me... A google search revealed that this was the first Peanut's animation project (there are 45 to date!) to use real children's voices. Maybe not a mistake for anyone watching for the first time, but for someone like myself, who grew up with the Peanuts, these voices in no way convey the characters I know and love. Lucy wasn't nearly loud-mouthy enough! Sadly, it was more of a wet blanket and I turned it off at the halfway point.

Emma's enjoying her blanket though :) She only recently discovered the arm of the couch affords her a relaxing view of the neighborhood and now spends many hours throughout the day surveying from her perch! Unfortunately, this also means our neighbors get an earful every time they step out their doors... I don't care so much about her throaty growls, but when she launches into a full-blown attack, I've started to reprimand by isolating her in another room for a while. After only a few times, it seems to be working. If you have any other suggestions, please share.

I'm pretty pleased with myself today. I finally organized all my tried and true recipes into photo albums! This has been a project I've been meaning to do for a few years now. Yes, it took a number of hours, but it was well worth the effort. As I asked one friend, "Why do we procrastinate jobs that actually make our lives easier once they are completed?" I don't think we'll ever figure that one out. All other recipes in the 'to try out' category are now in a manilla envelope, to be transfered over, if and when they are deemed album worthy. 

I'm also happy to announce that "Monday's With Mirielle" returns on Monday! If it seems like ages - that's because it has been: a ridiculous five months in fact. Till then, au revoir and enjoy your weekend :)

Cheers!

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's my very first birthday today!!!

(Mommy & Daddy almost forgot my big day... imagine that?)

I plan to celebrate in exactly the same way I celebrate each and every day:

playing, jumping, running, demanding attention and treats!

I will be lying down for the next little while though, because my tummy is already very full

of the treats Mommy had to give me to get one decent birthday picture ...

hehe, that's one trick I taught Mommy!

Bee Afraid, Bee Very Afraid...

Spooktacular Greetings!

Halloween is here,

and I am busier than a dog with two tails...

poor Emma - I guess Mommy got a wee bit carried away with her new cauldron,

luckily it's only a twenty-four hour spell, and you'll be good as new tomorrow :)

Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

I just got back from the cleaners,

I'm thinking I probably should have dropped off my hat for a light pressing as well...

The poison treats are all set out in anticipation of our victims Trick-or-Treaters.

My little helper is impatiently waiting for you to arrive!

We hope to see you soon...

If it's Tuesday... then this must be Jane's Jewels!

Greetings and I hope your past week was a good one. Above is a metal sign I hung in my garden shed office the other day. It gives me a chuckle each time I look up. Some highlights from my week include our fantastic weather (the weekend and first part of this week have been a write-off though), finally completing a long over-due garden project, digging out a new flower bed, many thanks to my dh* and giving my house a much-needed big cleaning over the weekend (well, it was raining anyways).                 *dear husband 

This was Wednesday afternoon, looking down from my deck; my completed project, sigh :) This seemingly simple creation was three years in the making, due of course to me dragging my feet! When we first made this area (six years ago) these blocks had a different finish and there were also small rocks in between and around the perimeter. Also, the center area had an extra four blocks in it. The rocks were a bad choice - you couldn't walk across without knocking them onto the patio blocks... grrr... and then the weeds and grass eventually made their way through the garden cloth. After digging out the rocks and removing the garden cloth, I applied a new finish. (Flexstone)

(Expand to see finish)

A conduit pipe for the electrical cord and sod completed the job. The fountain (a gift for our 25th anniversary two years ago - thanks again Mom :) was previously located in another part of the yard. To me, this area now gives my garden the over-all serene feel I was hoping for.

Here is another angle yesterday. The vines are hops, they completely enclose our covered deck as well. 

The other day I planted a Virginia Creeper at the back of my yard against the fence, which I expect will engulf the fence in time. I hope that wasn't a mistake! - if anyone has experience with this vine, please let me know anything I might find useful. I've made peace with the hops (we've had our battles), and in retrospect I would have chosen a different vine, but I guess that's all a part of the joy of gardening, isn't it?!

Greetings Gardeners! 

I also hung this slightly creepy wooden Watcher.

Not something I'd want in the house, but fun for the office :)

Here she is mid-howl!

We fear what we don't know, and our puppy Emma is no exception. On Thursday she had a fit over an empty plastic bottle we'd tossed on the floor. Instead of playing with it, she barked non-stop for 15 minutes - no exaggeration. However, Friday she barked for only 10 minutes and then something clicked: she got her nerve up and attacked, lol!! Too funny!

I'm relieved to see that she isn't the only animal 

with an irrational fear of everyday objects...!

This went viral last week.

Isn't this a gorgeous shot? Unfortunately, it marks NASA's last space shuttle for at least three years, possibly five or more. Atlantis and four astronauts roared into orbit on Friday and it was noted that the crowds (and resulting emotions) were on a scale not seen since the Apollo moon shots. In response, Former NASA Chief Michael Griffin had the following comment: 

"The regret in retiring the shuttle is not that we're retiring a 30-year-old system. That's to be expected," Griffin says. "The regret is that we're not moving on to something that can do more for us. We're not moving on to anything. … I was in favor of retiring the shuttle if that was the price of building a system that could take us back to the moon and beyond. I'm not in favor of retiring the shuttle and replacing it with nothing. … That is what is going to happen."


I agree. It's pretty disappointing.

Shouldn't we be halfway to this by now?

Or at least here?

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth lol, here's something not quite 'out of this world', but stunning nonetheless :) In fact, this short video is perhaps the most amazing thing I've seen in a very long time. Robins built a nest in a hanging basket and the next four weeks were filmed... Let me know your favorite part, mine was dedicated Mom sticking to her post, even in the pouring rain.

That's all for now, I hope you enjoyed this meander through my week...
As my profile states, Jane's Jewels is a "cornucopia of my interests" lol!!

Have a great day!

"People take pictures of the summer, 

just in case someone thought they had missed it, 

and to prove that it really existed." 

My first peony bloomed on Saturday :)

Tuesday Greetings! Can you believe it's July already? 

I turned the page on my Inuit art calendar :)

This lithograph and stencil is entitled Blue Bird by Kavavaow Mannomee

It seems like forever since I last posted; except for Thursday's little extra which doesn't really count.  I've been busy mentally filing away jewels throughout the week to share with you; hopefully you will feel it was worth the wait :) While I still stand by my decision to post only once a week throughout the summer, I'll let you in on a secret: I really had to force myself not to sign in everyday and pop up something... anything!

This weekend we kept entertained (!) by cleaning out our garden shed and garage - not sure how it happens, but every year we accumulate so much stuff - mostly junk we should have dealt with at the time, but instead chose to either throw it in the garage (our catch-all all winter) or move it from the garage (before the snow flies) to the garden shed and then back to the garage in the spring! Sheer laziness which we always pay for later. At least we had gorgeous weather to work in and the occasional beer to help break up the monotony, lol.

In gardening news, my Ninebark is positively laden with lovely blooms.

This is it's 7th season and it stands just over 5 feet tall. 

Strangely enough, I don't recall it ever flowering before...
It was kind of sickly looking the first 4 years,
and it's really only begun to flourish these last 3 seasons.

A faithful reader sent along this pic to me - it's a great shot if you enlarge it.
This little guy was spotted in Huntsville Ontario.
He was kindly assisted across the road to safety -
and then proceeded to reward his rescuer by snapping at him!
I had no idea that turtles this big even lived so far north...

Here is a little friend I made at the Winnipeg Zoo when I was there last week :)

There are so many of these cuties all over the grounds,

they're practically tame and come right up to you looking for handouts.

Just look at those nails!

 My favorite exhibit was the butterfly house.

The zoo is undergoing a complete transformation, 

(something we found out only after paying our entry fee)

and a lot of the exhibits were closed as a result.
Nonetheless, we still had a great time.

Enquiring minds want to know lol!

I think it's safe to say that pretty much all of us consider ourselves to be animal lovers. Now that it's summer a lot more people will be bringing their pets along with them as they run errands or on vacation. This past week I read a very informative article which outlined the safest way to transport our furry friends. 

Just as we buckle in our babies and children, we should also be securing our pets in a harness, pet-carrier or behind a cargo screen in a SUV or minivan. An unrestrained animal can be severely hurt and in turn become a projectile injuring other occupants in the event of a quick stop or accident. Seeing dogs (& the occasional cat) traveling loose in a car has been a pet-peeve of mine for years. Personally, we always buckle our puppy Emma in the center back seat in her carrier (which I found out is the optimum spot). I'm also considering a pet seat which you buckle in and then in turn buckle her harness into - that way she can look around a bit too! 

The most important thing I learned from the article was that any animal in a seat facing an airbag (& this includes side airbags) can be severely injured or killed should the airbag deploy - scary! - that's why the center back seat is more often the safest location or, if you want your pet in the front passenger seat, disable the airbag if you have that feature. Here's a link to the article.

That's all for now,

I leave you with a few pics of my Bellflowers,

(another look at my Ninebark behind)

I have loads of these and love them.

These pics do not begin to capture their delicate beauty.
They literally require no care whatsoever,
and will flower non-stop until fall :)

Hoping you have a great day!

Does this measuring tape look intimidating to you? 

I was turning up some pants the other day, and at first I thought it was the iron or ironing board that had Emma our seven month old Morkie so jumpy, (I'll admit, I haven't ironed for quite some time!) but I soon deduced it was in fact, this limp yellow measuring tape that was the culprit. I laughed to myself when she first growled at it, she crept closer and then bolted to the wall farthest across from where I was working. And stayed there; wide-eyed watching. 

I am getting used to Emma occasionally taking a dislike to something for no particular (to me at least) reason. My husband's pipe comes to mind, a pottery bell hanging from our deck, the wind. Last week it was the sun casting shadows from behind the trees onto my shower curtain that had her tail in a knot! I guess it's a big scary world when you are so new and tiny. 

"I'm only little"

Once I'd finished my project I threw the tape on the rug halfway and waited to see what would happen. Very gingerly she crept forward and it was lovely to see that moment she first realized it was harmless :)

The world can be a scary place when you are only six months old. It has been very windy here the past couple of days and the howling wind and resulting swaying tree limbs, shadows and flapping tarps unnerved our puppy Emma so much that we had to cut short our walk today. She even seemed to resist going outside to do her business. This next video demonstrates how I think she saw things:

While I was there, I also found a few hilarious examples of fraidy-cats and these are the big guys... what chance does a teeny tiny puppy have?

No words of wisdom today, just pretty pictures from yesterday. 

It was a glorious day and we made it to +19C :)

I really love that my neighbor flies the flag year-round.

The Canadian flag always looks so darn happy!

I love garden centers, this one is within walking distance of my house.

It was so warm and delicious smelling inside.

Very tempting, but I think it's still way too early to chance it - we will have another frost.

My favorite flower :)

Great display

Emma :)

"Like the Yorkie, the Morkie may crave and even demand attention from its family. 

From the Maltese side, the Morkie may inherit a sense of fearlessness as well as energy."

Super-puppy can now leap onto fluffy couches with just one bound!

Greetings! I trust your weekend was a good one. I had to share the above quote with you from the Great Dog Site. Hilarious and (we're finding out) very accurate. Terriers can be like little terrorists in your home with all of their demands - they will not be ignored! Good thing she is so darn cute :) 

While we worked on a project this weekend, 

poor Emma complained bitterly from the sidelines...

We did let her help with the cleanup :) 

A recipe for you later this afternoon.