cagedraven's Blog

OK, so this is the third morning that I've gone to bed when I should have been getting up! I've been away from EP too, spending most of my waking hours updating my websites, writing articles and preparing to do a big promotional push of my poetry books. I'm exhausted today. I'm not as young as I used to be. So here it is, Labour Day, and all the little kiddies will be returning to school for their first day tomorrow. I supposed I should get to bed early tonight....yeah right!

My plans for today will get me away from this computer and into a neighbourhood park, where my daughter and I have planned to carry our easels to do some painting. She had to call to wake me up, but I reminded her of our painting date. It's a little overcast here, so I'm really hoping that it doesn't rain. I'm a little behind in my schedule, too, as a friend called to talk to me about a dream she had last night. We both got so excited about the details of it, the symbols in it and what they could possibly mean for her, that a couple of hours passed without our notice. Well, it seems I'm her dream doctor.....lol, yeah we laughed about that too. She's the expert when it comes to numerology and astrology, tarot and runes; I guess I'm the expert when it comes to dreams.

...gotta run...daughter's on her way over and I'm not dressed...

Poet JMariah

As Hurricane Bill licked the eastern border of Canada, he blew torrential rains through parts of Ontario. North of Toronto, trees were uprooted, buildings demolished, cars were flipped and power lines were knocked out.

On my corner, in Ajax, we enjoyed a brilliant sky, cool winds and a refreshing rain. After the power went out in my apartment, and the heat became unbearable, I sat outside on the front stoop, and watched the heavy stream of traffic maneuver through the busy intersection without the aid of traffic lights. The sky was filled with clouds, but was extremely bright, till the storm moved further south over the lake.

When darkness engulfed me, I returned to my apartment, to the humidity and lack of power. And although it was so peaceful and quiet (except for the beeping of the emergency signal out in the hall), I missed the whirring sound of my fan. I wanted to read, but didn’t want to add to the heat in the room by lighting any candles. So I tried to sleep. 9:00, 10:00 – sleep just wouldn’t come. I wanted a tea, but couldn’t boil the kettle. I finally went for my mp3 player and lay down with Declan Galbraith and Billy Gilman serenading me to sleep.

The power came on early this morning. It was still dark out, so I didn’t get up. I just smiled as the air from my fan brushed across my body.

I've just spent an amazing day with my daughter! We went down by the lake and spent some quality time chatting about everything under the sun We came back to my place for lunch, then went out again. This time shopping. She is so much fun to be with. She is 26 and still loves spending time with me. She and her boyfriend bought a house not too far from me, and they are always calling me up and inviting me over for BBQ. Well, after spending all day with my darling daughter, I felt I needed to turn down today's invitation to a BBQ supper, and allow the two of them to spend some time together.

I just made a scrumptious tuna casserole for my supper - well, there's so much here, that I'll be eating it for a good while.....lol. I put some hot sauce in it, that I made last week with a friend. It is so very good. I love to cook. And it is so rewarding to make something so simple that taste so darn good

Oh, I also got whistled at today! I went out to the bank, which is not too far from my apartment building. As I was walking through the parking lot, a man riding by me on his bike, turned and whistled at me! I turned and we smiled at each other......hahahahaha.....the last time a man whistled at me, I ended up marrying him......lol. Well, it was nice. It was flattering to get whistled at - it's been such a long time......lol.

I am home from my trip to Bancroft. I had a whale of a time! I saw rock and mineral exhibits, talked to geologists, saw rock and wood carvings, watched a rock carver in action, saw jewelry and crystals of all sizes for display and for sale. I went to a sodalite mine and to Bear Lake dig site. I came back with bags of rocks and minerals. I spent all day today, washing and sorting them. Oh yes, and studying them. I will start labelling them and adding them to already overflowing collection tomorrow.

My favourite piece that I bought from the exhibit is a slab of alabaster. My favourite from the sodalite mine is a chunk of calcite littered with hornblende crystals. And my favourite from the Bear Lake dig site is a chunk of calcite littered with apatite crystals.

Well, it's the day before I leave to go on my very first rock dig. I am so pumped. I've been packing since Sunday! I've been making all kinds of lists and checking items off. The friend I'm going with has been before, but even she said she hasn't been able to sleep since we started making plans. It's going to be such a blast. We'll be staying in my friend's brother's cabin where there's no TV (not a problem for me) and no phone. But who cares? Oh yes, and the shower is outside!! How cool is that???? Well, I just have some last minute things to do tonight before I go to bed, then I'm off. Be back Sunday!

I got a call this evening from a fellow rock hound. She said she's planning to go to the rock gemboree in Bancroft and asked me if I wanted to go with her. She didn't have to ask me twice.

I am so excited! We will be going to a rock dig with crystal deposits. We will be able to dig out specimens and buy the gems we dig. I am so pumped! This will be my very first rock dig. My friend has a brother who has offered his cabin to us for four days. The cabin is about an hour outside Bancroft, but we don't mind the drive at all. We are both so nuts about rocks and gems that we will enjoy the experience.

I'm so pumped! I can't seem to come down from this high.

We'll be leaving this Thursday and returning on Sunday. I am taking my camera. I hope to have much to share with the rock club, once school starts up again.

Well, today was a lazy day. While I was out yesterday, I bought two new books: Eats Shoots & Leaves, and Ella Minnow Pea. So this afternoon, after getting mundane things around the apartment done, I took a blanket and cushion outside, and lay in the shade of a tree for a couple of hours reading Ella Minnow Pea.

There wasn't anything super special about my day, other than that I enjoyed it. Now I'm at my computer, listening to music and reading the stories of some wonderful friends I've met here on EP. I'm as happy as a pig in sh**!

And to anyone who may come across this blog post - Happy Friday to you!!

Today I went out with a friend (it's after midnight, so I guess I should say yesterday). Anyway, this friend of mine picked me up and we went to a new age store, where I bought gifts for some family members and some white sage for myself. After going for lunch in a Greek restaurant, we headed off to Chapters for books. I came out of there with new note books.......oh, I LOVE getting new note books.........and a novel that my friend recommended to me. Then we went out of town to where she lives to see her gardens and her bee hive.

Now after spending a couple of hours online at EP, I think I'm ready to turn off the music, put on the kettle and curl up on the couch with my new novel........ha ha ha, I bet you thought I was going to say 'go to bed'.........lol

Later for sleep.....

Here I am at my computer. It's after 10 AM and I'm still in my night shirt. I'm enjoying a very relaxing morning of stillness, peace and calm. Birds outside my bedroom window are providing the music. Then all of a sudden a wonderful breeze blows in and carries on it the sweet scent of summer, that instantly whisks me away to all my childhood summers of fun and leisure. I take a deep, deep breath before I dare to exhale.....mmmmmmmmm.......

It's raining today. It's very quiet and peaceful. I feel like curling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea right now. But that'll have to wait till I get back from the dentist.

I went on a class trip to Nonquon (a provincial wildlife area) today. It was great! We had a chance to rescue snapping turtle eggs, by digging them out of their nest. Our guides later put them into an incubator for them to hatch. We learned about different birds and listened to the deep-throated sounds of frogs. It was an awesome experience.

We went to Cedar Park today with our class. It was exhausting!

I'm home now and I know I should cook, but my feet are killing me and I'm content to just sit here at my PC. I'm sipping on some red wine (which has never really been my favourite) and scratching all my black fly bites I got while camping last week.

The sun is starting to go down. Tomorrow will be another day!