For my Alberta eaters

Through six degrees of separation, I found this site for the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association that allows you to link up with farmers and food producers so you can get your food directly from the producer. Those businesses listed might be the farm itself that offers a U-Pick, or a market that carries locally produced food stuff. The coolest feature is a google mapping tool that lets you look up any food, like beef or broccoli and a whole extensive list, and pins producers on an interactive map.

Here's a screenshot of searching for basil.


It's such a great tool! Happy food hunting!

The evolution of Boris binding

As you scroll down the page, witness the evolution of Boris binding we've recently experienced.

Majorly depressed in his doctor-prescribed cone. He wore it for over three weeks!


A delightful sweater that Boris found far too tempting to lick - maybe because it was quite like fur. He licked it to death after only a couple days.


T-shirt number one. A good compromise; freedom from the cone that was not licktastic but he did manage to pull the stitches apart after about a week.


The current look: Super B! T-shirt number 2.

I can't believe he still needs to be wearing anything, but the weird wound in his armpit is still not totally healed. I'm suspicious it's more than the vet thought, but maybe we'll see the vet again for another opinion next week. Meanwhile...Super B wears his colours!

Sheldon the Magnificent!

Here he is! All 7lbs, 12ounces of him. I've met him by webcam and I get to meet him in the flesh in a couple weeks. Can't wait! K and H are happy he was a little early and everyone is doing very well indeed, thank you. K even said something ridiculous, that maybe I shouldn't be repeating here in case it incites acts of wrath from other mothers... oh well. She said it wasn't even that hard! Seriously?! I think maybe she just really wants Sheldon to have cousins. Yeesh.

Closing note: SERIOUS CUTIE! Congratulations to all three of you! And send more pictures!

Evil baby ... or is he?

This is for Kath and Hugh. I hope life with wee Sheldon is this much fun!

Bothering Boris just got Better!

Boris is still in need of the cone, but I asked the vet on Friday if there was any alternative to the elizabethan collar. She said I could try and rig something up, and I needed no further encouragement!

Behold: Sweater Boris!


I took an old, stretched out sock of Rocco's and fabricated a kind of kitty bolero jacket. It has a hole for one arm, giving him the most mobility, and a sleeve for the arm with the wound that requires protection. Right now he's hobbling around trying to get used to the contraption, but I think he's relieved that he's now able to bathe himself and fit through small spaces once again. Hey, now he and Rocco can be all Matchy McMatcherton!



No, Rocco is not painfully hungover; it's just a bad angle and I took him by surprise. And no, I'm not wearing the Shaka Khan look on purpose; this is my morning hair. Like it or lump it.

All hail the kitty bolero!

The Kilmorey Lodge burned to the ground!

A historic lodge and landmark in a southern Alberta national park burned to the ground Tuesday morning.

The Kilmorey Lodge in Waterton Lakes National Park caught fire at 4 a.m.

Everyone made it out safely, according to park officials. No other buildings were damaged.

"For a lot of people the Kilmorey was near and dear to their heart, so it's a very sad day for the park and for visitors," said Rod Blair, the park superintendent.
The Kilmorey Lodge in Waterton Park, pictured here before the fire, burned to the ground Tuesday morning.The Kilmorey Lodge in Waterton Park, pictured here before the fire, burned to the ground Tuesday morning. (Courtesy www.watertoninfo.com)

Blair rushed to the lodge when he learned about the fire and watched the engulfed and partially collapsed building burn.

The loss of the Kilmorey will have an impact on tourism in the village of Waterton Park near the U.S.-Canada border because it was a popular spot, said Blair, but not just with visitors.

Blair was among the parks staff who ate lunch at the lodge since it was the only restaurant open in the winter.

"It's sort of an icon in the community," said Blair. "It's a sad thing to see a beautiful old building like that destroyed.

Blair described the interior as "Victorian-style."

"I think it was the only place left that didn't have televisions, radios and telephones in the rooms. It was keeping in the era of the original rooming house," he said.

The lodge was built in 1926 as a rooming house by Ida Kemmis. It burned down in 1933 and was rebuilt and expanded in 1940.

The cause of the fire is unknown and fire officials are investigating.

"Hopefully the owner will rebuild," Blair said.

The story is from cbc.ca. This is truly terrible news, and I'm really saddened by it. The Kilmorey was always the last stop before driving to Lethbridge after a day in the mountains, for beer or a hot drink, and often for a delicious burger. Just this past December as we navigated icy roads to Waterton National Park, we couldn't reach the ranger's office to ask if the roads worsened ahead or to ask about trail conditions, so we phoned the Kilmorey. The lady at the front desk was so nice and answered all my questions to the best of her knowledge. Certainly not her job and she had no responsibility to help us out, but she was kind enough to tell me what she knew about conditions. We picked up hot coffees there after a wonderful day snowshoeing but unfortunately didn't have time to stop for longer. I'll sure miss this place!

God bless an inversion!

Last Friday, while the rest of Vancouver suffered yet another foggy, drizzly, nasty, cold day, Miranda and I took off up the mountain for a day of snowshoeing. It was beautiful! There was a full inversion and we could feel the heat rising forcibly almost off the snow. I even got a little bit of sunburn on my nose. Gorgeous day, good company, totally revived our spirits and vitamin D levels.

Did you know snowshoeing burns like 500 calories an hour? That seems absurdly high but multiple sites on the internet confirm it. And, as we all know, the internet never lies. No wonder my hips were sore and my legs were so tired after two and a half hours!