The first time C lost his wedding ring, it wasn't a big deal. It was six months after the fact and we had bought the cheapest gold band possible, anticipating a time when we could find something he really wanted. It took him 20 years. On that special anniversary, we agreed no gifts. He surprised…

We did it, 621 days after moving out of the house in the rain forest, and after 352 days of demolition and reconstruction, we've received our official occupancy permit. The only stipulation is the requirement for a front door peephole or security camera. I appreciate the intent, but when did that become building code? The…

Renovations require decisions based on tiny samples. Think little squares of counter tops, paint chips and rectangles of flooring. In our case it all worked out…except for the main floor powder room. The one most used by visitors. I was expecting a black background with random sparkly bits, but there were random miscommunications in this…

Personalities come through with the pressure of a move. C’s full of dread and terror accompanied by my optimism. For awhile, anyway. The morning started with dropping him off at storage to get things organized for the movers. Can you imagine, this was the third time in twenty months that we’ve hired movers. First from…

My lastest watercolour dog portrait is a 60th birthday gift for my sister. Her name and “60” are hidden in the blanket pattern.  Her kids benefited from Mom’s 60th, too, as I had professional prints made for them.   

That’s how long it’s been sine we left our house in the rain forest. How do I know this? Every time I open my laptop it tells me how many days it’s been since its last backup. Fortunately there’s nothing crucial on there and the day count is coming to an end. Yes, the house…

"When I'm 64" and "They Say It's Your Birthday." There's only one year that both songs are relevant for anyone, and this Ides of March was the one for me. Thank you to all who communicated in the variety of ways available these days, so appreciated.  64 is good, it's the countdown to 65, when…

If you google weathervane, the likely candidate to sit on top of one is a rooster. I found it unnerving to see one with a gun on top near us at our temporary place in in the US. When the wind is right it's aimed right at you. This is a photo of a similar…

A few of my favourite things, HI continued: You know what I'm going to say…a few more of my favourite things to do: hiking, geocaching and painting. Especially on a tropical isle. Blogless Marsha's David took us on a "walk" in the neighbourhood where we were staying. The destination was the Queen's Bath and, bonus,…

In these pictures you might think we're on the Camino in Spain.  It was a five mile walk, longer than our usual ones, but another mile up past the mahagony forest this was the local scenery:  Aloha! Located halfway around the world from Spain, we’re escaping winter by visiting friends, appreciating an opportunity to replay…