Ornithological Fashion Statement, Three Strange Men, On The Lot

I love this city! Never a dull moment. Last night I was on my way home from doing a little shopping when I saw a pretty amazing sight. There was a woman walking toward me, probably in her early thirties, slim attractive, blond. At first her clothes seemed just a little out there: military fatigue-style camouflage pants, silver Western belt, leopard print shoes. But, wait, what's that on her shoulder? She was wearing, I kid you not, a long-tailed, sea-green parrot! All I could think about was...what happens when the bird needs to answer a call of nature? The output of pigeons and gulls is all around us, on buildings, fences, sidewalks. Then I noticed she was wearing a shirt just about the right colour to blend in any possible bird droppings. I had to laugh out loud. Somehow I don't think bird shit really qualifies as a fashion accessory. Although, have you seen any haute couture runways on TV lately? The clothes just get more and more outrageous.

That was one strange woman, but today I encountered three strange men. On my way to Science World, I stopped in at Starbucks for a coffee. I was standing at the counter waiting for my order when three men approached me. One asked if he could buy me a treat! I almost said, "Sorry, you're not my type." Then another of the three explained that they had to buy a treat for a stranger and get their picture taken with said stranger. Then I noticed they were wearing identical yellow t-shirts that had these words on them: Canadian Outback's Amazing Race.

Well, what else could I do? I 'm a fan of almost all the "reality" shows, including Amazing Race. I let them buy me a piece of coffee cake and the Starbuck's employee took our picture. I wonder if somewhere in cyberspace there is a picture of me and three strange men huddled over a piece of Starbuck's orange-cream coffee cake.

The newest TV "reality" show is about directors. In "On The Lot" they each have to make short movies and get eliminated until the last one gets a million dollar deal with Spielberg's Dreamworks. I've been following that and find it enjoyable. That Mark Burnett must be a multi-billionaire by now!

Prairie Crocus signing off from an Amazing Race in an amazing city.

Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable, we have to change it every six months. ~ Oscar Wilde

Supremely Satisfied

The Prairie Crocus is becoming quite the little handywoman. Remember the assembling of the bed and dresser from Ikea? I had help with those. On Friday Sears delivered some of my new furniture. Of course the curio cabinet and the bookcase were in boxes and in a state of pre-assembly. My daughter would not be available for some time and wasn't really up for assembling any more furniture. So I tackled the bookcase solo.

It came with instructions. It's a good thing I didn't realize when I started how difficult it would be or how long it would take or how much I would sweat, or I probably wouldn't have started. It was like a giant jigsaw puzzle. I was going along quite nicely, about half-way through when the instructions said: Have someone hold the door in place while you put in the screws. Well, the last time I looked, I was alone. My assistant must have taken the day off. I balanced the doors on some CD cases and carried on. It worked.

The next problem was trying to get the shelves attached. The screws were inside these little plastic hiding places and the screwdriver had to be held sideways. That was a real challenge. By this time, I had a blister in the middle of my right palm from using a hand screwdriver. I severely regretted having sold my Black and Decker electric drill/screwdriver.

I knew I wouldn't be able to finish assembling the bookcase using a hand screwdriver, so I hied me out to the little hardware store a couple of blocks away. Just a really little store, they did not sell power tools, but, luckily, they had some for rent. I told the gentleman behind the counter about my troubles with a hand screwdriver. His response was: "Oh, so you want to really screw things up with a power screwdriver!" Mumbling under my breath about male chauvinist pigs I left with my rented power screwdriver.

After that, things went much faster. And after just 5 hours, I had myself a new bookcase. (See picture) It is six feet tall and weighs almost a hundred pounds and I did it all by myself! Good job, honey! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't collapse when I fill it up with books.

The next morning I bought myself a cordless power drill/screwdriver at Canadian Tire. Okay, Prairie Crocus, you're ready for anything now. Anybody need any furniture assembled? I'm your woman.

My next project was to paint two bookcases to match my new bed and dresser. I sanded them a little, then put on a coat of primer. After letting them dry a little I put on one coat of the dark brown paint and they look pretty good, if I do say it myself. That took two days. One last coat tomorrow and they will be ready.

The curio cabinet is still in its box. That might be a little more challenging, as it has four glass sides and the shelves are glass. I think I will have to get myself an assistant - anyone out there who wants the job?

In the past, he was the handyman and I was his assistant. I was a good assistant, too. I did learn a few things from watching him. For example, he used to put the screw onto the screw bit of the electric drill and then onto the wall. Such a simple little trick, but it's much easier than holding the screw on the wall and then trying to fit the bit into the screw. He was a good handyman, but I can't ever remember him assembling any furniture alone - he always had me to help him. So I am quite proud of myself.

I see that Gary was planning to leave for BC today. They are probably stopped at a Walmart somewhere in Saskatchewan, sleeping in the RV. Pleasant dreams!

Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it. ~Lord Acton

Blue Heron, Chinese Garden, Reflections On Water

Today the temperature reached 18degrees Celsius. A beautiful day so I went for a walk along the sea wall. If you start at English Bay Beach and walk towards Stanley Park you get to Second Beach. Right there is a huge freshwater pool that accomodates 3000 people. There were some people in it today. And I heard the delighted shrieks of children in the water of English Bay. I stopped to watch a great blue heron walking slowly, gracefully, his long neck stretched out sideways to spot some morsel in the shallows. I sat there, watched the heron and allowed myself to be hypnotized by the play of sunlight on the water, a million slivers of light dancing on the Bay. I find it calming.

But what I really want to write about today is my favourite place in all of Vancouver - the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens. It is a classical garden created to resemble a scholar's residence of the Ming dynasty. It is advertised as "Refreshment for the heart." And that it is. It has buildings, water, rocks and plants. The courtyards are composed of mosaics of river pebbles and convey elements of the Daoist philosophy that teaches balance through contrasts such as: soft and hard (plants and rocks), flowing and static, light and dark, and large and small.

The rooms are full of rare woods and antiques. The trees have been pruned so that when you look at them, you can see things beyond them. There are these unique windows in the whitewashed walls called "leak windows" that frame beautiful views like pictures.

It is enjoyable to take a tour through the garden where the guide explains many aspects of the classical Chinese culture typified by the garden. There is a pond where the green clay on the bottom was chosen so that it would reflect the trees and plants all around. The plants were all chosen so that in every season there are different colours.

Sometimes I take a tour, but I also love to sit and write in my journal. The garden seems to shut out the hustle and bustle of the city and create a space for reflection. And of course that was exactly its purpose in the life of a scholar/official in 14th to 16th century China. Here is a link to the garden: http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com/ I recommend this garden to anyone coming to Vancouver for a visit.

I see by Gary's blog that he is almost ready to bring mother to BC. So sorry to hear of Aunt Merle's recent illness. She was always a very lovely person. Hugs and kisses to Carolyn and Lewis and Betty.

So great to read the new blog entry by Charlene. I'm hoping to watch a new Big Brother series soon. Tonight is also the start of New episodes of "So You Think You Can Dance," another of my favourites. I spent yesterday with my daughter and had a simply marvelous day eating, drinking, shopping and watching improv. Great for Mother-Daughter bonding. Thanks, Darling.

Only in quiet waters do thing mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world. ~Hans Margolius

Friendly Vancouver, Engineer, Curmudgeon

I met a man in the elevator the other day. He was carrying some suit bags so I asked if he was going on a trip. He replied that he was going home to Alberta and had been here visiting his daughter. He told me that he liked Vancouver - he felt the people were friendly.

I have to agree with that. I often carry on conversations with complete strangers. I hardly ever took the bus in Winnipeg - didn't need to - had a car. But it's quite common for complete strangers to engage others in conversation while riding the bus here. I quite enjoy that. My daughter doesn't agree with me that it's fun to travel on the bus. She is busy being nice to people all day in her job, so she doesn't want gratuitous conversation with strangers. I, on the other hand, have very little social life, so a chat with a friendly stranger can be the height of my social life for that day.

Here's an example. On a long bus ride out to Richmond I sat beside a young man wearing a construction helmet and work boots. He was wearing a little silver ring on the smallest finger of his right hand. I wondered if he were an engineer. He kept nodding off and falling asleep against the window. All of a sudden, he awoke with a jerk and asked where we were. I told him the name of the last street I had noticed. He said he was afraid he would miss the airport as he had to get off there. I took out a package of gum and offered him one. As he took it I told him I thought he needed something to keep him awake.

So he told me he was working shift work and was experiencing insomnia and of course, sleepiness at inconvenient times. I commiserated with him about insomnia (boy, do I know about that) so he started to tell me about his fellow workers who used alcohol to put themselves to sleep when they were going on a different shift. He said he chose not to do that, so that meant he had to put up with the sleep disturbances. Then he talked about his days as a student. He was an engineer! I mentally gave myself an "A" for being observant. This little exchange with a fellow human being made my day.

Not that all friendliness is appreciated. The old curmudgeon who mutters about how rude some people are, the people whose first language is not English, asking for directions incomprehensibly, the children who run up and down the bus aisles screeching - unfortunately, I am also familiar with them. Nevertheless, I am forced to agree with the man in the elevator. Vancouverites are friendly. Now if I can just get someone my own age that isn't related to me to go for coffee, I might be on my way to a less superficial friendship. But that's another blog posting.

Good-bye for now. Peace.

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. ~George Bernard Shaw

Sunshine, Freedom and A Little Flower

One of the really great things about living in the West End is the ubiquitous holiday atmosphere. I can leave my suite any evening if the weather is fine and the streets around English Bay Beach are crowded with people. They are out walking, talking and enjoying the beauties of nature.

I started my day with a workout. Walking to the gym in the sunshine I noticed there were many sailboats out in English Bay. I could probably tell by looking at the Bay whether it's a weekday or weekend. Sailboats=weekend.

In the afternoon I went to see a play called "The Andersen Project" with friends B and L. A very creative play - all six parts were played by the writer. It was about a writer from Quebec in Paris to write the libretto for a play adapted from one of Hans Christian Andersen's tales. The production was fabulous. Then we had drinks and a bite to eat at Bridges Restaurant on Granville Island. There were some pretty nice yachts going out and coming in. I'd like to take a dinner cruise around the area some day.

Anyway, I went back to the old stomping grounds, bought a paper and sat in Starbuck's at the end of Davie Street doing the NY Times crossword. It's so amazing that one can buy a coffee and sit there in a big easy chair reading or just resting virtually as long as one wants. I was there about two hours with the sun shining in the huge windows and finished the crossword just as the sun set. So I went for a short walk on the beach. People with frisbees and dogs, kids and strollers, lovers, friends, speaking many languages. The sunset behind the blue mountains was so beautiful I was sad that he wasn't there to enjoy it. I discovered that my sunglasses (which look as if they are rose-coloured from the other side) enhance the colours of sunset, the blues were deeper, the pinks were...pinkier! I suddenly had a great sense of well-being and realized how lucky I am to be where I am in time and space. I am at a time in my life when I can stop and smell the flowers and I have the freedom that a sufficient pension brings. Combine that with the beautiful location in which I live and it's very gratifying. There's only one thing missing...

Last Sunday was my sister's birthday and I spent the afternoon and evening with her. We had take-out Chinese food and a chocolate cake. Then we played Scrabble and watched a movie. Most enjoyable - I didn't know until then that my sister was a Scrabble fan, so I look forward to many more fun visits. Sure hope you had a happy birfday, Sis, I know I had a blast.

Yesterday I had lunch with my friend, H. from Manitoba. Most enjoyable. The first of many visits (I hope) from my Manitoba friends. Gary and Carolyn should be arriving in Manitoba on Monday and will be packing Mother up for her move out west. Good luck with that.

Take care....tata....and PEACE.

Just living is not enough... One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
~Hans Christian Andersen

Measuring Tape, Furniture, Slow Boat From China, Birthdays

My stuff arrived. I have unpacked most of it. 20 boxes are going into storage! It seems no matter how much I got rid of, I still brought too much stuff. And after already getting rid of 75% of my books I find I must narrow them down to about half of what I brought.

The money from the auction house came through along with the money from the sale of my house so I went on a shopping spree. I took my measuring tape and went downtown on a bus.

You can see people carry almost anything on the bus. I have seen several people with boxes and bags from IKEA. Shopping carts, baby strollers, even bikes! Some buses have special racks on the front for bikes. Last week my long-suffering daughter carried a 19-inch TV from Future Shop home for me on the bus!

The two department stores in downtown Vancouver, Sears and the Bay, specialize in furniture for huge houses. Do only people with Shaughnessy mansions shop there? Even in my three-bedroom house I would never have had room for 90% of the items I found there. Huge media centres, gigantic leather living room suites! What is really strange - most people in downtown Vancouver live in small apartments or condos!

However I did manage to find a few smaller pieces. I bought a curio cabinet to display my collection of dragons, two bookcases and a media storage unit, a loveseat and three small tables. I measured to make sure they would fit my small apartment. But I didn't carry any of those home on the bus. I'm having them delivered. Most of the furniture will be delivered on Friday May 25. The loveseat will be here June 15. The set of three tables will be here August 23! I think it's on a slow boat from China. Really, that's what the sales associate said.

I see Gary finally posted another blog. They are ready to leave on their trip to move Nana to Victoria early next week. Happy Birthday greetings to Alan whose birthday is today. Tomorrow is my sister's birthday and I'm going to her place for a birthday dinner. Happy Birthday, Dee.

So, take care, everyone. Keep you posted.

Never, never, never give up. ~ Winston Churchill