Kingfisher Cove

Ya Gotta Love Him

Me: I wonder where Rocky Raccoon lives?

Heartbeat.

JDub: I'm sure he checked into a room.

Dealing with the Heat

Last night after dinner, we went kayaking. In a way it was sort of a "bust" because we decided to not lock up the weenie dogs in their cage and allowed them to come down to the beach with us. Bad move. I thought maybe by now they would have mellowed out some (they're 8 and 6 years old after all), but it wasn't to be. The dogs absolutely hate it when we go kayaking. Makes them positively neurotic.  They have no interest in getting in the boats with us (plus it would be difficult anyway — no room, and they'd be too wiggly/fall in/get bonked with the paddles/upset the balance.  So they run on the beach alongside us, whining and carrying on and yipping and crying and generally being a major pain in the butt. They were running full-out in the heat on those short legs with lolling tongues, and even though Bailey would wade in the water, Peanut would not and I was afraid they'd collapse of heat stroke or exhaustion. So it was an extremely abbreviated excursion. Beautiful while it lasted, but damn!

Once we pulled back onto the beach, I went wading. Up to my waist. Eventually I dunked all but my head, but the top half of my body just didn't want to get accustomed to that cool frigid Puget Sound water!  Gasp!  It felt good, but the aftermath of totally wet clothing wasn't very comfortable (nope, no swim suit for me! I'll take wet clingy clothing that covers me up!)  I did grab Peanut who seemed so danged hot and took her out in the water a short distance, aimed her toward shore, and let her swim (two yards?). She wasn't particularly happy about it, but I know it cooled her off.

We've hardly seen Mojo all weekend long. Always evidence with mouse guts in the mornings that he's made an appearance, but he must be hanging out under the trailer or in a shady bush throughout the heat of the day. Brat. I sure hope we can round him up when it's time to head home this evening.

Sizzling!

It's one toasty day here at Harstine Island. I'm sitting on the deck tucked back in the shade with a fan blowing on me! I could be inside the trailer with the A/C on, but I can't see all the bird and critter activity from in there, plus it really is wonderful to be out here communing with the lapping surf on the beach. But my oh my. It's definitely summer!

We've had a little excitement around here, considering that there aren't many people (or even neighbors) around this weekend. (Definitely noticeable reduced boating activity due to the godawful price of gas...) Last evening, a while before the sun went down, we were sitting out here on the deck and I heard JDub emit a soft gasp and then grabbed Bailey who was on his lap and who had started growling. He pointed toward the squirrel feeder and right there peeking up from the bushes was the mask of a raccoon face. For the nearly five years that we've had this property, we've never seen a raccoon here. I know they're around because one of our neighbors a few lots down from us is a Master Gardener and his "yard" is amazing with all kinds of native plantings and terraces and waterfalls and ponds — which are stocked with carp. And he's had a dickens of a time with the 'coons because they're always after his carp! He'll trap them and then release them elsewhere. So it was a bit of a surprise to see this guy, a pretty young raccoon (not nearly as big as I've seen them — sometimes close to the size of a young bear!) and he was watching us pretty carefully, too. He then climbed up the tree to the squirrel feeder and proceeded to park himself there for many hours while he'd reach inside the hole over and over and over again to feed on the squirrel/chipmunk food. Here's a picture of our friend, Rocky:

Bandit for sure! What's interesting is that Bailey settled down quickly and made no attempt to "go after" the critter, something she is typically wont to do out of either idiocy or instinct. And Mojo eventually made an appearance on the deck and immediately zoomed in on the raccoon (in the dark by that time), proving to me that he certainly does have excellent night vision. But again he also just expressed acute interest/curiosity — no burning desire to try to tangle with it, thank God. I know 'coons can be pretty vicious, and quite possibly Mojo and Bailey knew this deep down inside. As for Peanut, she was totally oblivious!  Finally, Rocky climbed down off the squirrel feeder and then proceeded to SLURP water from the bird bath, then lumbered down the path, now and then turning back to peer at us with his glowing wild eyes.  (What are they related to? They almost look a little "foxy.")

The rest of the night included two mouse incidents (of course), and then this morning JDub discovered Rocky back up on the squirrel feeder which was essentially empty by that time!  Hmm. Instead of investing in expensive pre-mixed squirrel food, I think from now on we'll just stock up on unsalted peanuts and call that good for the critter neighborhood!

Our neighbors in the McMansion aren't here this weekend, and this morning we saw a deer walking down their side-yard toward the beach. Then it suddenly startled — from seeing its reflection in a window!  It spent the longest time checking out that reflection (I'm sure thinking it was seeing another deer), and then it finally sort of freaked out and turned around and bounded back to the road and the woods across the way.  A little later I saw Mojo over there sniffing around, and it wouldn't surprise me that he was "tracking" the deer. He'd probably go after a deer! I mean, he thinks he's a panther or something.  In a way, he is.

The rest of the day has been entertaining watching the huge array of birds (so many gold finches this year!), and the squirrels and hummingbirds squabble with each other (JDub re-filled the squirrel feeder — will Rocky come back this evening?) and the plan is to eat an early dinner and then go kayaking! Oh what utter joy!

Feeling HELLA Good!

What a difference in traffic on the way to Harstine Island when you're on the road shortly after noon! JDub had things 99.9% ready to go when I got home from work, so I pretty much just filled the cooler, grabbed the cat, and headed out the door.  We arrived in plenty of time for our 2:30 appointment with our architect — and by 3:30 she still hadn't shown up. She had our cell phone numbers, and even though mine wasn't working because I'd taken the sim card out for my internet thingy, JDub's had rung (rang?) at one point (da Airplane Company calling him) so we knew it worked fine. Finally, close to 4:00, she knocked on the trailer — the security gate wouldn't open for her so she had to hike/jog all the way down to our place. Plus, she couldn't get JDub on his cell (it never rang, but cell signal strength here is so sketchy and differs from the phone sitting on one table or another!)  I felt bad for her, but she was fine with it — and totally fell in love with our Plot of Paradise.  Frankly, it's a stellar day here:

She took a whole lot of photos from every imaginable angle (she loved that pristine beach), and she pretty much gagged at the monstrous McMansion next door to us that we abhor.  (My kind of architect!)  She compared things to her topo (topography) plan, and most importantly she now has an up-close-and-personal image in her head of what this site is all about. Plus, after climbing back up that slope from the beach, I'm sure she'll not in any way forget what those close-together topo lines truly mean. (*puff-puff*)

I spent a little time on the beach, wading in the water with Bailey. Peanut has absolutely no desire to wade, thank you very much. Bailey will actually sit down in the water. She doesn't go out far enough to swim, but just enough to cool off her feet and belly. It's that springer spaniel ancestral heritage in her long-haired dachshund makeup that makes her like the water. Well, that and being long-haired and therefore over-heated much of the time.

So happy to be here, and it's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend. I may go swimming, who knows? Could hit 90 deg. on Sunday. If I do, there will not be any pictures, mark my words.

Feeling Pretty Good

The matter with the intense grumptitude?  It's so much improved! (Thank you, Prozac!) At least, I suspect it's due to the Prozac. It works so gradually and quietly that you wonder if it's a placebo and you would have "improved" anyway. But I really don't think that's the case because all the way around I'm feeling calmer and happier.  The improved weather helps, too, I'm sure — plus the fact that I haven't had a killer deadline on my plate for a while.  Just wish it would also address hot flashes. Man. Up until recently, it's not been an issue, but these last couple of months I've been "rocked back on my heels" (to quote a blogger friend).  Gah.

I enjoyed today at work because 1) I was on my own, and 2) I wrote. I've been working on the office newsletter, a very enjoyable task, and I was tickled that one of my articles made a coworker very very happy when I sent it to her to review.  As our office's representative for employee-ownership, she has taken on some tasks that she's feeling overwhelmed with and I gave her "front page" coverage to engage support for her efforts. She was thrilled. It made me feel good to be able to help her "cause."

The other thing I got a kick out of work today was having several people approach me expressing outright anger that I didn't get the "marketing manager" position, and that Ms. Foster was hired instead.  I really appreciated that support —  and yes, it's a bit of a strange situation, but it is what it is. And I really do feel good about them hiring Ms. Foster because I think we were lucky to get her.  I know myself. And I know that Ms. Foster's personality is very likely more conducive to dealing with some of the difficult folks in our midst. I've been told this before: I'm too nice. Some people warrant not being particularly "nice" to, and that's not in me. That's not to say that Ms. Foster is isn't a nice person, but she has a much more direct approach than I do without any worries about how she's perceived — which I do (always have).  It will be interesting (and possibly FUN) to see how things transpire. 

I'm pretty sure I'm on top of being ready to head to Harstine as soon as I get home (early — noonish) tomorrow. I've done laundry, I've already picked up groceries, and JDub is taking the day off so he should be able to lock Mojo inside so we can grab him and go when I get home.  We are meeting our architect tomorrow around 2:30 (no time to stop for groceries on the way). She hasn't seen the site yet, although her boss has — but she will be the primary "designer" of our house. It's important for her to get a feel for the site, because it's a very challenging site.  Topo drawings just can't do it justice. (Maybe they do if you are an architect, but I would think that seeing it in 3D Real Life would be a huge benefit —  "Ah! Boy, that really is a steep slope!")  The goal at this point is to get a basic floor plan/footprint so that we can put in a foundation or SOMETHING to lock in our variance (to build a little closer to the water than the current idiotic stringent law allows).  I'm really not sure exactly the time frame or anything, but the house plan is the first step.  (We plan to retire in about 7 years).

Weekends feel like mini-retirement. I always look so forward to them!

Taking Care

It's been an exhausting week so far, providing a brain dump to Ms. Jodie Foster — ever so cautiously. By that I mean I have been selective with what all I've "dumped" from my brain, keeping most of my opinions to myself.  Just the facts. I think it's important for her to form her own opinions without any influence or "taint" from me. It's clear, though, that we are already on the same page and truth be known I sense that she knows that, too, because every once in a while I do let a bit of a giggle escape when she says something particularly right-on. And then she giggles, too.

In a way it's too bad that we are in a supervisor (she)/subordinate (me) situation because there is definite friendship chemistry there. I know how rare it is to encounter somebody to really connect with. I "get along" with most people, but I also would not be "friends" with most people. I remember when I first started working there, Annoying Coworker decided that I was her new Best Friend. Well, uhm, no.... (Sorry, but you're just too annoying!)

The good news is that tomorrow we have a break from all this mind-melding because Ms. Foster will be spending the day at the corporate office and I'll be back to my regular office.  The even better news is that on Friday, I'll spend the morning with her but then I get to leave about 11:30 so that JDub and I can head to Harstine to meet up with our architect (meaning we'll have a 2-1/2-day weekend!) AND, the weather is going to be stellar!

I Know Who She Reminds Me Of!

My former boss, Ms. Tongue Stud, reminded me of Drew Barrymore (with a lifestyle bordering on the extremes of Amy Winehouse). Contrarily — and boy do I mean contrarily — my "new" boss reminds me of a somewhat chubby Jodie Foster.  What. A. Difference. I'm liking her a whole bunch! You would, too.                                      [No, this picture isn't Mojo, but it sure could be!]

Today was rather exhausting because I spent a lot of time "training".  She's very sharp, she has already scoped out the idiosyncrasies of many of our staff ("has their number"), and she asks very savvy questions. But there's a lot to go over and it's tedious and I'm not accustomed to talking that much!  Our workload is still quite light and we're both ready for things to pick up. (Not get crazy, just pick up! Gotta be careful what you wish for...)    

First Day

Today our new marketing manager came to work for us. It was an odd day, and will continue to be so for a while, because Annoying Coworker is on a three-week vacation so I'm spending my time at the main office to be available to the new gal. As I suspected, she was tied up most of the day with orientation meetings, but starting tomorrow I'm pretty sure "going hoarse" will be a priority on my To-Do List. So begins the detailed training of all our anal processes and procedures — all by myself!

My upbeat feeling about her continues, and I'm excited to have her on board. She's bright and savvy and funny and pleasant — at least so far. I'm trying not to be pessimistic skeptical, but I've been in the workforce long enough to have good reason for pessimism skepticism. I'd sure like to be wrong about that! (Please make me wrong about that!)

It was actually quite a s-l-o-w day for me, until about a quarter till five (quittin' time) when I received a call from my regular office for an urgent marketing matter.  So then I ended up working about 20 minutes late on something I had plenty of time to take care of throughout the day if I'd known about it. Grrrrr. Typical.

I'd sure rather be at Harstine. (Well, duh). Yesterday was such a lovely day, just utterly gorgeous. Mojo caught three mice; one might have actually been a baby bird because there were tiny feathers in the bathroom yesterday morning (and remnants of....something, but who knows what?) Another mouse (again in the middle of the night) got loose inside the camping trailer and Bailey cornered it and dispatched it. We leave a window open for Mojo at night if the weather is decent because otherwise he'd drive us batty, and he's accustomed to a pet door anyway. But then he drives us batty with all his "gifts". He amazes me how he can be such a killer, but also such a lover. He's such a nice cat! (Unless you're a mouse. Or a bird. Then it's curtains).

Lots of wildlife sightings/hearings over the weekend! I say "hearings" because on Saturday morning as I was heading to the deck with my cup of coffee, I heard sirens. I thought to myself, "Crap! We come here to escape  that!" Then I realized that it was coyotes screeching/howling across from Squaxin Island!  Wow, did they carry on, and it's such an eerie and very distinctive sound that sure does carry over the water. Then I saw a doe and baby fawn enter the beach from our property and trot on down the beach. We saw two seals directly out from us. And LOTS of hummingbirds, goldfinches, house finches, grosbeaks, doves, stellar jays, junkos, towhees, Alvin-the-chipmunk, and Chipper-the-squirrel. 

Did I mention it was a great weekend? Sigh.

Sparkly Fast Red Boat

Oh, it looked bad. After sitting for two years — part of that time simply under a lame blue tarp before JDub put up the boat tent — the Fast Red Boat acquired an impressive disgusting coating of black mildew all over the white  interior upholstering. (Whoever thought white upholstering was a good idea oughta be strung by his gonads — had to be a guy because no woman would think that was a good idea). So we hauled out the mildew cleaner and a bunch of rags and we scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed some more. It was a lot of elbow grease anyway, but the weather happened to be especially humid while we were at it, and we both had sweat pouring off our faces. It wasn't at all pleasant, and yet it did feel sort of good, if you know what I mean? And while the mildew didn't entirely disappear, it looks a whole lot better. (I should have taken a "before" picture, but it was just too appalling!)

JDub tinkered with the motor and power-washed it, then we filled a bucket with warm water and dish soap and washed the boat's exterior. It' not *quite* ready for launch because a little more motor-tinkering is in order (plus he's going to put on a new and !faster! propeller). But soon!

Happy To Be At Harstine!

It's been a while. (Since Memorial Day weekend, which was about a month ago). We have all kinds of degrees of appreciation, mostly because it's a lovely night out here on the deck with a fire. A very slight hint of a breeze, and utter silence. I feel like I've been surrounded by irritating noise 24/7 and the  contrast is amazing. No traffic, no sirens, no people talking incessantly.  The birds had been singing in the trees well after the sun went down, but they're all quiet now, too.  (As well as the mosquitoes, which means that this really isn't heaven!)

Before we left, Mojo was full of angst because the slider was in the pet door to keep him inside while we packed up to get ready to go. As a CAT, he's accustomed to his independence and this wasn't sitting too well with him.  I said to him in a reasonable tone of voice (not baby-talk), "Relax, because we're going for a ride."  He's heard that word "ride" many times before in association with heading to Harstine, and he immediately curled up in one of the doggie beds and utterly relaxed. Contrarily, upon hearing that word "ride", the dogs went apeshit, which is typical. I got a kick out of it, because it was apparent to me that all three animals totally understood. The dogs reacted the rather idiotic way that dogs do, and the cat reacted in his "I'm too cool for words" way.  And as usual, when it came time to pick up Mojo from the doggie bed to carry him down to the Durango, he was mush in my arms. And he just either slept or sucked on Bailey (the long-haired weenie) the whole (ugly) drive. (Yes, he still thinks Bailey is his mama at times!)

I'm looking forward to bedtime because of the memory foam mattress top (that we still haven't bought for our mattress at home). It'll be a good night's sleep, I just know it.