Kingfisher Cove

On Our Way to Harstine!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Can't Get Over My Kid

He’s ballsy, all right.

Last night, he went to a Mariners game with his dad. In their section, there was a group of “hot young ladies” attempting to get “The Wave*” going, but they were unsuccessful in rousing the crowd. SO. Nate gets up and runs down to the front of the section and he hollers, “OK! WE’RE GOING TO DO THE WAVE, ON THE COUNT OF THREE! NOW DON’T MAKE ME LOOK STUPID! ONE….TWO…..THREE!!” And the wave began, and then it caught on with the entire stadium and circled around several times, and of course the hot young ladies thought he was all that and they gave him their phone numbers!

Jeeze.

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*The wave originated at the University of Washington in Husky Stadium around 1984.

Did you hear why they closed the Seattle Kingdome? While the crowd was doing the wave, two blondes drowned.

She'll Know What This Means, But I'll Explain

I've mentioned my friend, Helen, before.  She's my "Oregon Girlfriend".  (Actually, she's much more than that, since we've known each other since the 3rd grade).  I actually have a photo of her in her brand new bathtub (they just had a house built and one of the first photos I saw was one that her hubby took of her in the bubble bath).  I've contemplated posting that picture on my blog (it's totally decent), but I don't want to risk having another friend stop speaking to me.  (And I'd have a hard time disagreeing with THAT being a good reason to stop speaking to me.  As opposed to simply expressing an opinion.  But we won't go there).

ANYWAY. 

I'm not sure how it started, but for a long time I've referred to Helen as (bear with my pronunciation here):  Aaytch-eeee-pie.  One time (long ago) a bunch of us girls went camping, and Helen was coming a little late, so we posted a big sign at our tent-site very similar to the one above so she could find us.  Since we're all pretty smart girls, we used the "pi" sign.  (Even though we didn't know exactly what it meant).

Anyway (again), I'm so excited!  She's coming to visit us at Harstine Island this weekend!  So many people have never been there yet, and it's so very cool when we have company.  I enjoyed so much having my brother and his family there over the 4th of July.  I think for them the hill got Very Old.  (I can relate -- it did when we camped in the tent, too).  But I think overall they had a good time.  (I hope!)  We LIKE having company!

The tent's still up.  If you feel like joining us some weekend, just let me know!  (We'll be there the entire week of Labor Day!  Woohoo!)

Margaret's Meme

1. What is your favorite all-time movie?

It would have to be E.T. I can’t remember ever leaving a theater and feeling the awe (as well as euphoria, as well as grief) as I did with that movie.

2. Where is your favorite place on earth?

It’s definitely become Harstine Island. It is my “Happy Place”.

3. Do you run a home business, and if yes, then what is it you do?

Nope, but JDub has a side home business manufacturing and selling custom intake systems for Dodge, as well as filters. It does quite well. He’s in the process of rethinking a major revamp of the business.

4. What are some lessons in life you had to learn the hard way?

Promises (and vows) are not often always kept. Adversity creates incredible growth (but sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it, because I believe it’s incredibly AGING as well). Sweet, innocent babies don’t stay that way.

5. Assuming you're a parent, what is the one thing you are happiest to see in your children?

Emotional contentment. We’re still aiming for that.

6. What would you like written on your headstone someday?

Do they still do headstones if you’re cremated? I’d want to be cremated, and have my ashes spread either at Camano or Harstine Island. If there’s a headstone for cremated folks, I guess I’d want it to say: “She Loved Da Beach”.

Margaret’s Extra Question: What Do I Think My Child Will Grow Up To Be? Hmm. He’s never had any definitive passions, so it’s hard to say. But I believe he would make a good teacher, or a good psychologist, or a good sales representative – or a profession that involved speaking in front of a group of people. I also hope he grows up to be an excellent husband and father.

Back to Busy

I had a bit of a reprieve from stress and intense busy-ness at work, and that's not such a good thing.  It was rather easy to grow accustomed to that.  And even though I did feel some boredom at times, I also knew that I would relish that fact later, so I allowed myself to relax and enjoy it.  Well, it's over.  And it's really hard to be back in the midst of stress and busy-ness!  I wanna FLEE.  (Is it Friday yet?  Time to head to Harstine yet?)

Yuk. 

Speaking of flee, JDub spent the day at Harstine.  However, I need to quickly quantify that with the fact that he worked his arse off!  [And I'm bummed because he forgot to take the camera with him so I can't show you what all he's done, plus I'm in the dark as well].  First, he found more rock and picked a bunch up, and then placed it so that it extends out further and creates a more defined pathway to the deck.  He said we'll need some more top soil, which also means we'll likely need a few more plants!  He also stopped at the well-drilling company and picked up a new well-cap that he'd backed the bobcat into when he was flattening the spot for the camping trailer.  Then, he stained the deck!  Yup, the whole damned thing, in the beating sun.  (He said it's quite red, but still looks pretty good).  THEN, he met with an architect!  This is a firm in Olympia that specializes in fighting city hall about variances and unreasonable codes and stuff.  (Because we want to build our retirement home a little closer to the water than the code allows, which also would prevent a TON of trees from having to be cut down, so what we want to do makes a lot of environmental sense, even though it would still require fighting city hall).  He set up an appointment for next Tuesday, and I'm hoping to get off from work to accompany him.  He actually was able to talk pretty in-depth today with some fellow with the firm who seemed quite knowledgeable, but the appointment next Tuesday will be with the Head Honcho guy.  The reason for this is to figure out what to do, because we're really not in the position right now to build, but we want to be able to secure the variance if possible, and at the very least determine once and for all WHERE we can build, which will determine WHAT we can build, which may also determine WHEN we can build.  There's this chicken & egg thing going on, and we need to get it ironed out.  So that's pretty cool.

So now I'm REALLY excited to head down Friday night because things will look so different!  I've got NEW STUFF to look forward to!  (New stuff is fun!)

And then, on a sad note.  Our kitty is old and dying.  He just can't hold down any food, and he's so thin and frail.  It's time.  We've put this off as long as we can.  Poor Nate.  Sam is really his cat, and he's had him in his life since he (Nate) was 3 years old.  Animals.  We love them, and it's so damned hard that they just don't live long enough.

*Sniff*

Ooh.  I finished Harry Potter.  Ooh.

I won't say anything more.  Except ooh.

Since I can't survive a weekday without a book to read during my lunch hour, I picked up a couple of new ones tonight.  One is the 2nd installment of Dean Koontz' "Frankenstein".  The first one was intriguing and he definitely hooked me.  The other one is a new book by J.A. Jance that is a Beaumont novel, which I don't believe she's written for a while (she's been into the JoAnna Something Or Other in Arizona, and I've just never gotten into those).  I like homicide detective Beaumont because these stories take place in Seattle, and he's such an interesting and gritty character.  It'll be good to jump into something oh-so-different from Harry Potter to help me get over it.  (Sigh).  (Probably at least two years until the next [and last] one, you think?)

So, JDub is taking tomorrow off and heading down to Harstine to stain the deck.  It's going to be a warm day, which will aid in drying time, but it'll probably make it a pretty unpleasant task.  It'll be good to have that chore done.  (I'm sure JDub will be very glad to have it behind him).

Nothing much to say tonight.  I'm feeling all sad and stuff.  Ooh.

Another Wonderful Harstine Weekend

Friday Night - It was dark when we arrived tonight, so I couldn’t see the plants! I mean, I really couldn’t see them. There must not even be a moon out. (Wasn’t it just full? Where’d it go?) So I squatted down and felt them. (Yeah, I know, I’m a dork). But from what I could feel, some of them have actually grown this past week! I especially noticed that the lavender was taller. The flower-fronds seemed significantly higher up in the air. At least that’s how they felt. I guess I’ll know the truth come daylight. One thing that was nifty: As we walked past it, I was hit with a wonderful whiff of jasmine! Ah!

It was past twilight as we crossed the bridge onto the island, and we know that means it’s important to keep an eye out for deer. Lately it’s been around dusk that we’ve arrived on the island (it’s another 8-or-so miles to our property after crossing the bridge), and we’ve been seeing lots of deer. The place is crawling with them. The vast majority of the island is wooded, and much of the land is privately held timberland. I know they open it up to deer hunting in the fall, which is one of the reasons the folks in our area went together to have the security gate put in. We’ve never had any issues during our short ownership, but apparently some have with hunters coming on their property. (And sometimes purloining stuff). Jeeze! Many of our neighbors take off for Arizona for the winter, so they understandably feel vulnerable.

I know something I forgot to mention! Over our 4th of July extended weekend when JDub drove the boat to the boat launch to meet up with my brother to pull the boat out of the water, JDub saw what he thought was a log in the water. The current was especially strong around the launch that day and he noted that the log was moving in the opposite direction of the current, which he thought was Very Odd. Turned out it was a deer swimming from the island to the mainland! JDub said that the poor thing had to be exhausted by the time he reached shore because that current was fierce and he was swimming against it. What a strange sight that would have been!

Saturday Morning - Woke up with a headache, a threatening charlie horse in my calf, and I just broke a nail. Not a real good start to the day.

But I just came in from watering the plants and they are looking pretty darned good! I really don’t think they have truly grown during the week. When I look back at the photos from last weekend, the lavender had pretty tall flower-fronds to begin with. But everything seems to look healthy. I gave them a good hosing. JDub also picked up soaker hoses with a timer that we’ll set up before we leave. That will ease my mind greatly!

It’s coffee time. Out on the deck!

Later – JDub’s out playing with his chainsaw, falling a few snags to open up the view a little. (Certainly hope none bop him in the head or anything). I think we’re both avoiding staining the deck. It’s going to be a logistical nightmare. How to keep the dogs off it? How long will it take to dry, and will we be held hostage either inside or outside the trailer until it does? Should we wait to do the “traffic” part of it until just before we leave tomorrow? (Lock the dogs up in the Durango?) Not looking forward to facing all that.

Coffee on the deck was so nice. The marine layer was in the midst of starting to burn off, which it’s still in the midst of doing – it’s taking its time about it. We’d picked up a local newspaper last night on the way and it was fun to at least scan the headlines. “Burglar Twin Brothers Pig Out on Ice Cream Before Stealing Cash Register in Ice Cream Shop.” “Man Runs Over Drinking Buddy with Truck.” There’s something about small towns, huh?

I picked up a flank steak the other day and it’s been marinating ever since. We’ll grill it tonight, and I think it’s gonna be YUMMY!! I found the recipe for the marinade on the internet (GOD I LOVE THE INTERNET) and it has all the ingredients that I believe make a wonderful marinade. If it turns out excellent, which I think it will, I’ll give you the recipe.

JDub picked up some more ground cover plants, so I think I’ll go plant them close to the rocks so they eventually drape over them. (I can picture that, can’t you?) I also need to pull out the Roundup and spray newly spawning scotch broom (I refuse to capitalize it – God I hate that stuff). Got the ‘60s-‘70s-‘80s rock station blasting, too.

Saturday Afternoon – Just came back from a beach walk. (What marine layer?) It was toasty down on the beach. You know how it is when you swim in a lake and you run into warm and cold pockets? That’s how it was down on the beach. There’s a nice breeze, but it was either quite warm, or had a refreshing coolness to it, just in the matter of a few paces. (I recall noticing that from one of our boat rides over the 4th of July). The tide was out further than we’ve ever seen it here. In fact, we found a patch of oysters out from us. There’s a controlled “bed” of them a couple of lots down that is owned by the Teamsters Union (who own quite a lot of property plus certain beach rights along this area). I was tempted to pick up a few of the unexpectedly exposed ones, but I don’t know what I’d do with them. The only way I like oysters are Really Little, and panned fried. These all look like giants. Eeeww. (I imagine the “green stuff” innards would be way too much for me to handle). [Note -- click the photos to see larger versions].

So, JDub is napping with weenies and I’ve been reading Harry Potter. Hmm. I think I’ll get back to it. Or, maybe I’ll take a nap, too.

Saturday Night – What a day! It’s just been awesome. This is what a Saturday should be all about. I did end up taking a nap, and it felt really good. Not a too-long nap, where you wake up feeling like a cobweb. I got up and headed out to the deck where JDub was sitting at the (what I call) “café table” drinking a beer. What a beautiful day! He then started up the BBQr and we cooked the marinated flank steak and I have to say, it was to die for. Oh man! Yup, I’ll give you the recipe. (Have to wait until I get home, though). This marinade would make any steak taste wonderful, but it also tenderized the flank steak so it was pretty much like butter. Mmm. So then JDub lit a fire in the fireplace thingy and we just now (nearly midnight) came in from hanging out around the fire with weenie dogs in their dog bed. Watching all the (gazillion) stars. We saw a satellite! My dad has always called them “Sputniks”, which I can’t help but call them, too. Used to be seeing a (Sputnik) was a rarity, but there are so many of them up there now that it’s not that unusual anymore. But it’s still intriguing. This one was certainly traveling FAST. It was so enjoyable sitting out there on such a specimen summer evening. You could tell that the dogs were in doggy heaven because they kept sighing with contentment in their doggy bed in front of the fire.

JDub installed all the permanent wiring for the deck lighting, including four stake lights that he put in the flower bed alongside the anti-trailer-trash screen, and then at the base of the long steps. It’ll make it so nice when we arrive in the dark to see our way into the trailer. (I’ll even be able to check out the status of the plants in the dark, at least along the screen). So all we have to do now is flip a switch and the outside lighting is ON. Woohoo! It also creates some nice ambiance.

So, like I said, a wonderful day. Even though I broke a nail. (Grrr.)

Sunday Morning -And now it’s a beautiful Sunday morning! Wow. No marine layer to burn off this morning. Just came in from having coffee on the deck, planning our day. We need to run into town and pick up a “Y-valve” for the soaker hoses. JDub has pretty much decided that he’s going to take a day off from work and come down (sans weenie dogs) and stain the deck. It just makes sense to do it that way, even though it’ll just be him doing it. But he won’t have to deal with the logistics of dog tracks or being held hostage (either inside our outside) the trailer. Just come down and spend a day gettin’ ‘r done. I don’t think he minds that idea.

And so the afternoon is trucking along. Acquired our stuff in town (including a little hummingbird feeder!) The soaker hoses are all installed and doing their thing. We’ll set the timer so they turn on early every morning and run for an hour or so. JDub has spent some rather unsuccessful time working on the septic tank pump. He came back up frustrated and dripping in sweat, which is unusual for him. He’s just not much of a sweater. So far, all the major infrastructure projects (well pump, electrical, even connection to the septic tank) have gone relatively smoothly, but the pump system to the drainfield is giving him all kinds of grief. And it’s going to need to be remedied SOON. (We’ll just leave it at that).

Chipper, our local resident squirrel/chipmunk, loves to give Bailey a hard time.  He's really a tease!  Likes to peek at Bailey around the corner of trees or from the woodpile, which drives the silly little dog nutso.  (After what Bailey did to that mouse a few weeks ago, it does make me a little nervous so I feel rather protective of Chipper).  Here's a pictorial saga of some teasin' goin' on:

(Chipper-Watch)

Marinade for Steak This steak marindade contains basic ingredients that, when combined and allowed to blend, will give you a tender, juicy piece of meat every time. Prep Time: approx. 10 Minutes. Ready in: approx. 10 Minutes. Makes 2 cups.

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1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions: In a medium bowl, combine the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper, mustard, onion, and garlic. Mix together well, and use to marinate your favorite meat.

Shhhhh...

I’m whispering because I’m at work. It has been one incredibly draggy day – many of us are in “Hurry-Up-And-Wait” mode, and it probably means that all hell will break loose next week. But today there’s a fair amount of online shopping going on. (For me, online window shopping, since I’m poh!) And what I’d really really prefer to be doing is READING HARRY POTTER. My lunch hour totally wizzed by (heh heh, “wiz”, get it?) and I just hated to pack it up and return to the office. It’s sitting out in my car, twitching and carrying on, and sending up squeaky little voices “Come get me! Read me!” Making ME twitchy.

MAN did it rain this morning! It sure did catch me by surprise – wasn’t expecting that at all. And in the (week?) we’ve gone without rain, it was amazing how many people totally forgot how to drive in it. The assbutts were out in force. (Yeah, I know, it’s redundant. Maybe even an oxymoron).

At any rate, I’m feeling relieved about my plants at Harstine. I’m sure they welcomed the deluge. And as we speak whisper, it’s clearing up out there and the sun’s back! The weekend sounds dry. Which means the deck will be stained. Oh joy. [Must remember to bring along yukky clothes…] [And knee pads].

Musings

So, what are my thoughts about the Supreme Court nominee, John Roberts?

First of all, why not a woman?

“Judge Roberts is no Sandra Day O'Connor,” said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in an e-mail to his supporters Wednesday. “Last night we learned that President Bush wants to replace a woman who voted to uphold Roe v. Wade with a man who argued against Roe v. Wade, and that sends a clear signal that this White House remains bent on opening old wounds and dividing America.”

Overall, the jury’s still out.

[Update:  Margaret is definitely right, there were a number of women on the shortlist who likely would be much worse than Roberts.  And... I recently read that Ann Coulter does not like John Roberts, so that must mean he may not be too bad!]

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I find it extremely disconcerting alarming to be driving down the road and suddenly encountering a police officer in seemingly attack-stance on the sidewalk, pointing a gun directly at my face. Yes, it’s a radar gun, but there is a momentary “WTF”? before realization sinks in. (And, I’ve been darned good lately about not speeding).

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I’m lovin’-lovin’-lovin’ Harry Potter #6! Makes me nervous, though – sounds like it has a sad ending…

***

So!  Maybe Canadians can teach the U.S. how to get past the petty, small-minded attitude that keeps same-sex marriage out of reach here in the states.

SUMMER!!

It's finally here, it really is!  Unfortunately, it takes about mid-July around these parts for it to kick in.  In fact, the last couple of days have been "perfect", as far as I'm concerned.  Sunny, blue skies and about 77 deg.  Not too hot, just warm and pleasant.  I could have (but didn't) take advantage of it yesterday.  Because I was taking a sick day, I would have experienced too much guilt if I'd done something enjoyable out in the sun!  (Jeeze).  And then today I was back to work and other than smoke breaks, I didn't get to "be one with the sun" either.  I certainly hope this lasts through the weekend so that Harstine is summery.  Speaking of which, I keep thinking about my plants I planted last weekend.  I sure hope I soaked them good enough to last until Friday night when I can soak them again.  No rain is in the forecast, so they need to hold on!

Ever wonder where Harstine Island is located?  I've had this little map-graphic for a while over in one of the photo albums, and I think it illustrates pretty well (and simply) where it is. Our place is on the southwest side (on the left of the green island, about 2/3 of the way to the bottom).  As you can probably tell, I'm once again LIVING EACH WEEK DAY to get to Friday night!  I suppose I ought to stop that, because there is a lot of life to live inbetween.  It's just that it's just not as pleasurable.  It's just not as happy.  And it's just not as quiet! (I do get awfully weary of hearing traffic all the time).

Good news:  Micrmngr Boss Lady is ON VACATION!  For 2-1/2 weeks!!  This means it's also a vacation for us minions because now we can get honest work done without being pestered incessantly over STUPID SHIT.  It's amazing how much improved morale is already.  And I don't mean because of goofing-off time (well, maybe a little), but just more relaxed.  We are all conscientious and mature enough to rise up to our workload responsibilities regardless of management being present or not, but it just makes life so much more PLEASANT.  Instead of a truly good manager who is looking for staff to be doing something right, she is the type that is constantly on the prowl, looking to catch somebody doing something wrong.  (And the definition of "wrong" differs from week to week, as well as from mood to mood).  Get the picture?

OK, so the "Knife-ologist" has also been making buko phone calls (from my personal phone book!)  Jeeze!  And now my friend, Lisa, has agreed to meet with Nate to discuss "Knife-ology".  Bless her heart!!  The kid's pretty darned cute about all of this, though, so I just need to stand back and be impressed (with his ballsy-ness).  If any of my friends or family that he's contacted are not interested, that's all they have to say and I know Nate won't take it personally.  And I don't think any of my friends or family will be "pissed" about it or anything.  It just sort of makes me squirm.  I guess because I know full well that there is no way on Earth that I could ever do what he's doing.  No way.  Nope.  Uh uh.  (Talk about fight or flight -- I'd be majorly fleeing!)