Kingfisher Cove

Bub-Bye Christmas!

When it's time to put Christmas away, I haul all the decorations to the dining table so everything's in one place and it makes it much easier to stick it all in their storage bins.  This is a fraction of all the stuff I actually have (but didn't set out this year), and it doesn't include all the santas in my collection.   (Nor all the gazillions of ornaments on the tree....)  It's a daunting task, but with Nate's initially grumpy help (the grumpiness improved over time), we got 'r done in just a couple of hours.  Everything!  All done!  Yay!  What a burden off my shoulders that is.  The house looks strangely vacant now, and I'm glad the cleaning lady comes Tuesday because dusting is in dire need.  It's weird how when Christmas is over, the decorations take on a tacky luster that I never feel beforehand.  The magic has left the building.

No plans for New Year's Eve -- JDub's had to work all weekend, and he's "on call" tomorrow.  So aside from attacking laundry and attacking Christmas, I've been enjoying (?) one of the computer adventure games JDub got me, called "Alida".  I have to truly question the enjoyment factor because it's extremely puzzle-oriented (really hard ones), and I've had to have my hand held throughout via hints/walkthroughs.  But the graphics are super, and the premise is interesting.  And I've been up way past midnight the last two nights playing it, so if nothing else, I'm addicted.  (To frustration!) 

Bummer we aren't at Harstine because the weather has been sunny!  Certainly not warm, but I could imagine at least a daytime fire on the deck, watching birds and blue water, and maybe a bundled-up beach walk.  Hmm.  Oh well.  De-Christmasing and laundry absolutely had to happen anyway.

I have the ingredients to make homemade clam chowder -- to redeem Christmas Eve's curdled fiasco -- but I haven't decided if I want to make it tonight or tomorrow.  At this point, at mid-afternoon, I probably should consider taking a shower!  Ya think?

Friday Night! (Ahhhhhh.....)

Such a relief!  I don't know why exactly, but the three days I had to work this week seemed to take, oh, a year.  It wasn't particularly boring because I did have a deadline today (an easy one, although still a relief to meet it).  The time just seemed to drag.  And the office was probably 75% empty.  And getting up in the mornings was hard.  I'm just really really glad it's over. 

I was also very glad when about 4:15 my boss said, "Go home!"  You've never seen two A/E marketers scramble to turn off their computers and gather up their stuff and hot-tail it out of there as fast as me and my coworker did.  I swear, we were in our cars by 4:17.  If there had been a video, it would have been a hit on YouTube.  ("Wow, they can really move fast for old farts!") My coworker drove me absolutely nuts today.  Normally it's the chatter.  Today it was "sniff-sniff-sniff-SIGH.  Sniff-sniff-sniff-SIGH."  Over and over and over and over and over again.  Yeah, I think I got the message that her sinuses were bugging her.  Jeeze.

I was sitting in my cube this morning, and I kept hearing this squeaking sound.  At first I thought it was somebody Windexing their computer monitor or something.  And then I realized that I was hearing a DOG whining.  I walked down the hallway and the sound was louder behind a closed office door, so I knocked.  Nobody answered, so I opened it, and out popped this adorable little dog.  Turns out he had an appointment with the vet later on and so his "master" had brought him to the office with him.  What a cutie.  He was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  Just a little thang -- about 15 lbs. full grown.  (This guy has four of them!)  He said they're very docile, laid back, hardly bark, love people, love to lay on laps.  In fact, that's what they were originally bred for -- to warm the laps of kings and queens!  (Certainly not to hunt badgers, like the weenie dogs). I was pretty taken with the little squirt.  However, I honestly can't imagine having any other dog besides a dachshund.  (Refer to photo above -- and click to see a larger version of those soulful eyes). 

Kind of Off-Kilter

I don't think I'm alone in feeling sort of fuzzy and droopy this week, back to work and busy, but the heart not really into it.  Work hasn't been bad (at all), but I guess I'd just rather be doing something else, ya know?  Like, playing my new computer game JDub got me for Christmas.  Or, learning how to use my new DVD recorder, thanks to my brother.  That will come in so handy for viewing recorded episodes of Grey's Anatomy or movies from our DVR so we can watch them at Harstine on rewritable DVDs!  Of course, right now everything is in reruns plus we won't be going to Harstine this weekend.  JDub has to work and I'll need to spend my time undecorating from Christmas and also doing laundry.  Yuk.  Everyone at work has also seemed pretty fuzzy and droopy these past couple of days -- at least those who are there (lots of people took the week off).  PLUS, I hope I'm not coming down with something because I've been sneezing my head off and my body is just plain achy. 

I have a little something to look forward to:  I've ordered myself a new set of pots and pans with some Christmas money!  Woohoo!  I'm looking so forward to boxing up my old crap stuff for when Nate eventually moves out (someday).  This is the set I ordered, and I love the glass lids! I also appreciate that you get a lot of pieces for the bucks.  Amazon's customer reviews were good, too.  (I love that feature of Amazon!)

I also have an Amazon gift certificate that I get to have some fun with.  Books!  (Or....whatever!)  I'll probably savor it for a little while -- it's nice to have something to look forward to. 

Whirlwind!

If that wasn't a furiously fast four days....

After I finished up with the backhoe, my Oregon friends, Helen and Ron, came by Saturday afternoon and we visited and exchanged Christmas gifts.  Helen really liked the butterfly feeder I gave her for her garden.  And she gave me the cutest squirrel feeder that looks like a green wire wreath with peanuts inside.  (Click for bigger pictures. )

Christmas Eve, my brother and his family came to our house and we had fun appetizers, my brother's hot & spicey (cooked) salsa, and my clam chowder that ended up curdling!  Gah!  (Lesson learned:  do not cook clam chowder in the crockpot).  But it didn't matter, there was plenty of good eats, including a giant tray of shrimp and cocktail sauce on ice that my brother brought along to share.  Yum.

We watched the Seahawks play, and it was very exciting until the final two minutes and we lost (again).  I can't even believe that with an 8-7 record, we are actually going to the playoffs.  The way they've played this season, I doubt they'll last long.  It's sad, after last year's stellar season and going to the Superbowl -- but then losing.  It would be nice to redeem ourselves, but I don't think that's going to happen this year.

I thought this was a great picture of my niece and my son.  My dad's only grandkids.  My niece, M, sure did bring in a haul! I guess you could say we all did!   

Including the dogs.

We spent Christmas Day with JDub's folks and we had a marvelous dinner:  Roast duck with apple & raisin stuffing.  Mmmmm... It was so delicious!  My fowl preference is dark meat, so duck is definitely my thing.  JDub's too.  We left their house and headed to Harstine.  We arrived just before dark, and then today it just poured down rain the whole day, so we spent our time in the trailer relaxing to the extreme.  JDub completed two puzzles and I read a good book.  It was an utterly lazy relaxing time and it felt wonderful. It was a shame the weather was so sucky, but this time of year you get what you get.  At least there was power!   

On Your Mark, Get Set, GO! (ok, in a minute)

I've got LOTS to do today.  And I have already begun and I feel pretty good about that.  It's just that there's a lot left to do.  So, I figured that since I need to bring in the backhoe to deal with making my dining room table clutter-free, I may as well get a little use out of my laptop before tucking it away for a while.  I've already taken the "before" pictures and I'll wait until I have the "after" pictures to post them because that would just be depressing.

JDub's up snowmobiling with his buddy today, and it's a good day for him to do that because I have some presents left of his to wrap.  I hear it's very snowy up in those mountains and I hope all goes well.  After those guys' tragic ordeal on Mt. Hood and the Kim family's tragic ordeal in the Oregon wilderness, I have to say that I'm on-edge about the concept of playing in mountain snow.  JDub had yesterday off and he puttered around here and accomplished a LOT.  That door that blew open in the storm and had to be McGyvered?  Fixed.  (Well, he hopes).  The major dining room leak?  Scoped out and repaired.  (Again, he hopes).  Christmas tree back where it belongs?  Yup. 

And...we both completed the computer games we were playing last night so we won't be compelled to sit for a spell and PLAY.  Jeeze, they're addicting, as well as time-eating.  ("Oh!  Four hours have passed?  Who knew?")

Off to fire up the backhoe.

Gripes (and Some Non-Gripes) (but mostly gripes)

• It’s raining. Hard. And the wind is blowing. Again. (Not as bad, but still…)
• Thundering and lightning, too.
• The house is a mess.
• Even though the cleaning lady came Tuesday.
• I have more presents to wrap. (Just a few).
• Need to put the tree back in front of the wood stove so I can move the presents underneath it.
• I’m tired of work. I wish I had tomorrow off.
• My kid cracked me up last night. I was playing my computer game and he was yapping at me and I was sort of ignoring him (because I was playing the computer game) and he headed to the living room and he said, “Fine. Go ahead and neglect me. I’m going to go raise myself now.” (I swear he’d make a really good lawyer – you know, one of those manipulative criminal attorneys).
• Speaking of yapping, my coworker drives me nuts. Yap-yap-yap-yap-yap. All. The. Goddamned. Time.
• I received a very nice compliment via email today from a technical guy I recently worked with on a proposal, and he CC’d my boss.
• What a difference a year makes.
• I’d still rather have tomorrow off.
• Our favorite diner up the road (our “smoke-easy”) underwent a hostile ownership takeover and we are just sick about it. The previous owners, whom we just adored, were struggling because of the no-smoking ban and were a little bit behind on their rent. So the landlord allowed these others to take it out from under them. With 15 days notice. I just ache about the whole thing. We refuse to patronize the new ownership.
• I’ve received some really bad news this week. It’s regarding a cousin who was in a recent horrific car accident and is now severely brain damaged, and the end of a marriage of another family member.
• I need to find my shrimp dip recipe. Or does anybody have one that you think is dyn-o-mite?
• There are still several thousand people without power since last Thursday’s storm. It’s been a full week. Some of them are being told they won’t have it back until Christmas or afterward.
• Today is the shortest day of the year! Soon, it won’t feel like midnight at 4:00 p.m.
• We still have winter to get through, though.
• It's hard to believe that everything we've been through these past couple of months has only been FALL.
• My brother and my niece (she’s close to 7) and their dog and CAT will be coming over on Christmas Eve. The cat, Mikko, is a new addition and it sounds like she’s quite a character. She’s totally accustomed to dogs, plus she fetches.
• Should be quite entertaining!
• Shit!  We have a major leak!  Again! 
• Nothing much I hate worse than the sensation of wet feet/legs through pantyhose (from scrambling to contain the leak).

Tired

Man, work's been kickin' my butt and I've been just beat after I get home at night.  It's been very busy, and lots of concentrating (and computer work) happening.  My eyes are toast.  I have stuff I need to do here at home, too, and I sure haven't had much energy.  (Have done some laundry, though, so I won't have to deal with that over the holiday weekend).

Our marketing management gave us generous Barnes & Noble gift cards, and the company gave us even more generous Fred Meyer* gift cards!  Woohoo! 

So, I think I'll play a bit on my computer game (which, you know, is sooooo good on the eyes) and then head to bed. TV is all reruns.  They keep saying another wind storm is coming tonight (not expected to be anywhere near to last Thursday night's storm), but so far all I hear out there is rain.  That's fine, I'm done with wind!  I'm done with power outages.

[*a local -- northwest -- department-type store]

Whew

We were graced with wonderful, warm, bright, huggable power last night at about 7:30.  Ahhhh, what a relief.  There are still thousands of folks without it, and the road out of our town was still pitch black when I drove down it on my way home from work tonight.  Lots of apartments along that road.  People are getting riled up.  I do understand that there is a method to the grid-work and therefore the order of areas getting their power back (the more remote, the longer it takes, plus the more tree damage).  I also understand the frustration because it's been cold.  Right around freezing (and likely below freezing in those more remote areas).

I think, though, that there will be some serious lessons learned from all of this.  We are so very dependent on electricity, and our lives are seriously impacted without it.  We really do have to be prepared to be totally self-sufficient for several days (including poodle hair -- or grimey hair) in case something like this happens -- and it does happen pretty frequently in the scheme of things (and usually during the winter months).  I keep thinking that if we had a major earthquake, we'd be in big doo-doo.  You couldn't rely on natural gas stoves (for cooking or for heating), and a gas hot water heater wouldn't do any good -- the gas company would have to turn off all gas flow.  Running water would very likely be an issue.   God, if it was bad enough, cell towers could topple!  I know we can't live our lives worrying about such extremes, but I hope more people take to heart the need to prepare for self-sufficiency for at least a few days -- as much as possible.  BUT DON'T BRING YOUR BBQ OR GENERATOR INSIDE THE HOUSE!!

Four more people died today, just up the road from where we live, from running their generator in their living room.  One thing I've heard is that many of these people who have done this -- and over 100 have been treated for it since the storm -- were immigrants who can't read or understand the English warnings. 

One major issue I have in retrospect is that gas stations apparently don't have generators to run their pumps during a power outage -- at least not around here.  That's just ludicrous.  After all, they have the fuel to keep the generators running. And certainly oil companies have the MEANS to ensure that gas stations have generators, as well as extra fuel deliveries, even if it means the CEOs take home a wee bit less of their multi-million dollar bonuses.  That just really fries my ass.

So, we have power, but we don't have cable.  No TV.  And no internet except for my PC card which has been giving me grief.  Probably because cell phone traffic is high.  Grrr.  I'm sure we'd be up and running quickly with cable if they had to rely on the service to BE running in order to be paid, like the utility companies.  (However, I'd be paying out the butt nose if they charged that way!)

STILL Powerless (and getting pissed) Part III

Yes, I'm aware that the utility crews are diligent and working hard around the clock to bring power back to all the (hundreds of) thousands of people who still are without it.

And yes, I'm aware that there really is no conspiracy involved when the fancy Bell Square Mall is up and running long before the kidney dialysis center down the street.  Or the convalescent center around the corner.

But this is tiresome.  Very tiresome.  I am weary of having my hair look like a poodle.  I want the use of my blow dryer back.

Today, we saw a bucket truck across the street and four guys surveying things (one even climbed a pole), then they left (I'm assuming to check things out along the line).  It's encouraging.  While they were there, cars would go by and toot their horns at them.  I kept expecting some excited neighbor to bring them out Christmas cookies and be run over by a car.  There have been more deaths in the aftermath of this storm, and many of them have been sort of like that.  Well, mostly from people bringing barbecues and generators inside their houses and then keeling over from carbon monoxide poisoning.  Like, duh.

I did accomplish something constructive today -- I finished wrapping Christmas presents.  Yay!

The household climate is a little crabby, but thankfully we have wiener dogs that keep the chuckles going. 

Still Powerless (Part II)

The drone of the generator continues.... (it's a good sound).  There's a little bit of hope because we heard that a nearby community now has power.  If nothing else, it means that we can get gas!  And maybe coffee!

Today, JDub and I drove to Harstine to check things out.  We knew the power would be out (it's remote) so we didn't plan on spending the night.  The drive down was eye-opening because we saw so many trees (and I mean Really Big Trees) draped over power lines, and those lines themselves tangled and dangling.  Really a lot of devastation.  I kept gasping!  A lot of the trees that fell were humongous!

And so then we arrived at our place at Harstine.  We were both nervous about what we would see because our acre has many, many (big) trees.  When we pulled in, my heart caught in my throat.  It looked like the roof of the trailer was pulverized.  Turned out that the awning -- which JDub always rolls up and secures after we've used it -- had been caught by the wind and thrust onto the trailer roof, including the big and heavy metal stands that support it.  It looked really bad.  And then there were branches/limbs everywhere.  If any of those huge branches had hit the trailer, it could have caused a whole lot of damage.  So we were very, very lucky.

We piled up all the limbs and had ourselves a bonfire.  We cleaned things up pretty well!  I even cut back the overgrown sage in our landscape rockery.  And fed the birds!  It amazed me that the shepherd hooks (for the feeders) as well as my stained glass garden stake and hanging suncatcher survived just fine.  I was so relieved!

JDub basically had to cut down the awning from the roof, and he discovered a puncture (which he fixed).  Jeeze, that trailer had to be rockin' during the storm.  It would NOT have been fun to be there.  I would have been a wreck.

Here are some photos I took today.  (Click on them to see larger versions).

Better!