official summer

i’m having trouble focusing today, a bit tired after a few days of total exhaustion (some combination of too many weekends away, stress and a low-level cold i think) – which is making it difficult to string together enough words to make enough sentences for a blog post. but i will make a valiant effort as it has been 4 days since i last posted and that is quite simply not acceptable.

this weekend was my housewarming party, for which i have posted photos under the gallery tricklehouse warming on my photo site. i haven’t quite got around to labelling them yet, but they are almost all of the children who attended, so enamoured was i of having so many little people in my home for the weekend. overall, it was a fine party – about 20 people showed up from the city and the coast, and there was much feasting and drinking to welcome the new home into my life. i am really very grateful for the amazingness of the people in my world – there were all sorts of really cool folks at my house – and they all seemed to get along and have a good time. no weirdness – hallelujiah!

other than that, i took my car around to icbc and the auto-body shop yesterday and am now awaiting parts to get my vehicle fixed. at icbc, the estimator talked about writing it off – to which i reacted with horror – though in the end he agreed that my car (with its low mileage) probably has a lot of life left in it and so worked to estimate it at a cost they would cover.

on my way up to deal with icbc, i picked up a hitch-hiker on his way to sechelt, who told me the story of his horrendous industrial accident (forest industry) that had left him with half a hand and unable to work. by the time we got to town, he was crying and profusely thanking me for listening to his story – i got the sense that i often do when talking to people dealing with significant health/disability issues – that no one really listens to you once you lose the privilege of the able-bodied. fuck.

then, since i had 30 minutes to spare (i was early for the icbc appointment) i drove to porpoise bay to think about my hitch-hiker encounter and found a shady place by the sea to watch a flock of canada geese and their young-uns swimming out in the inlet. i realized that i have not been in the forest for many weeks, and right there committed to spending as much time as possible on the sunshine coast this summer. no more trips to vancouver island until the fall, no more weekends in the city… this summer is about swimming in the chapman creek pools and hiking the heather trails as much as is possible. of course, planned travels are still going ahead, but i have realized the need to nip the burn-out weekends in the bud before they become an out of control weed binding me up in travel that is not restorative.

i have another pseudo-date this evening with a guy who i met once a couple of years ago through another friend. he “chatted” me on the georgia straight dating site, and i immediately remembered him from going to dinner on the drive. i am not sure why i arranged this meeting other than as a distraction from a rather stressful appointment tomorrow morning. i don’t even know that this is a date, as we have pretty much just agreed to drink a six-pack on his porch – but seems like a fine way to kick off the official start of summer and make a fun re-acquaintance. i’m staying in town tonight at margot’s which will be the only night this week that i am crashing in the city… phew for that! i am really feeling the need for some home-time these days.