we're in, but we're not out

So... in our new house. Boxes and clutter everywhere. To be expected and we're all so happy to be living here that we're not stressing about the mess. Have a pile of things we want to do on the house, but apart from a couple of essentials, we're not stressing about those either. Now we just have to work up the energy to actually finish moving out of our apartment, and cleaning the damn place!

To all of those who I promised a picture of the wet bar, ain't she a beauty?!?


And a few other random shots...

home sweet home

The love of my life and I have finally bought a house, after six months of searching in the stupidly tight and crazy Winnipeg market. I asked for only three things: 1) if there was a garage, I wanted it detached; 2) a shower we can stand up in (it's been 4 1/2 years since we've had that luxury); and 3) a reasonable distance to work, so we could bike. He was more fussy, but in the end, we're both satisfied and have a place we can (semi) afford.

Now to start "greening" it...

To start, we had an ecoEnergy Evaluation done. This means that we will be eligible for rebates on the energy efficiency improvements we make. The list is long! These are the things we could/should upgrade:

• windows (all but one)
• doors (they are wooden, old and not sealed properly)
• insulation (basically, there isn't any, and we live in Winterpeg, Manisnowba)
• hot water heater (ours has reached it's life span, so we want to switch from gas to electric)
• shower head (much as I love the torrential downpour we currently have)
• window frames (need to be caulked)
• programmable thermostat

On the want list are:

• new fridge
• fence for the back yard
• ceiling fans
  
• painting the exterior of the house
  

Add to this, we have old wooden soffits with a hole in them, and therefore "tenants." So new soffits, fascia and eaves troughs, though not eco, are essential. Since we aren't swimming in money, we may go a bit deeper in debt and get a Power Smart loan for some of the work.

And then there is the yard. I have started 5 types of native prairie plants from seed, but let's just say, it's going to need a bit more than that...

commuter challenge

Yesterday at work, I found myself volunteering to coordinate the Commuter Challenge. It almost feels like cheating, as our bike rack is always full and most of the rest of us take the bus. But we are spending two days of that week at Fort Whyte Centre, hiking in 20 minutes to the cabin where our staff retreat will be held, so commuting will actually be a challenge. We're already talking about car pooling or maybe bike pooling. The green commuting will actually be less of a challenge than getting the wonderful folks I work with to log their modes of transportation and their kms. 

Actually really looking forward to the whole thing... I never bother keeping track of how far I go on two wheels, so will be interesting to see the distance I travel in a week. Figured out that it is 5.5 kms each way to work, which is perfect to start and end the day. Not to strenuous when I'm not awake; gets the blood flowing after a day of sitting in front of the computer. Have been really lax about riding this spring, but Monday... that's when it gets serious!

just in time for bike season

Have had no energy lately. Blood test yesterday revealed low iron stores. One of the risks of being vegetarian. At my previous job in a health and medical library, I constantly had Becoming Vegetarian by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis checked out. I'm a pretty good cook and the recipes in this book aren't the greatest, but I relied on the nutritional advice. Obviously, I need a constant reminder on my kitchen counter.

So, tonight I made tabouleh to take for lunches. As per the recipe, 1 cup of parsley (high in iron, copper and calcium). Also added 1/4 c. of bran (high in iron, copper and zinc), which hopefully I won't be able to taste. Chick peas, tomatoes and cukes to round it out. Lemon juice, olive oil. Damn healthy, I say.

Low iron also gives me an excuse to not weed the dandelions out of my lawn this summer. Learned at the food conference last month that dandelions are high in vitamins A and C, and iron. Also learned that you can make a coffee substitute from the roasted root. But not quite convinced that it would be as satisfying as the real thing.

a hit with any man

Tuesday was awesome. Scored a major haul on vintage knitting needles and patterns from a good friend. She has promised me more but not until a) O. and I move, which is very soon and/or b) she turns "toes up", um, many wonderful years from now.

In the meantime, I'm armed with these beauties...

And O. better watch out, 'cause I'm feeling inspired! Though I should probably finish my current projects first. And I do have a garden now. So maybe he's safe. Still...

on the sticks

Two little projects...

Salvaged Karen's birthday gift and made a cozy for our French press. By request...

Taking a sock class. By Wednesday, I will have one sock. And hopefully the motivation to make the second.

And by the way, posting this on my sexy new MacBook Pro, while watching the Sens/Pens game on O.'s laptop 'cause we have wireless now. Feeling so plugged in!

another lazy post

This is my post from my work blog today. But it fits in here, too! Sorry for the way short notice.

Upcoming Green Communities Conference

The annual Green Communities National Conference is being held in Winnipeg from April 9-11, 2008.

Merrell-Ann Phare and Lisa Hardess of CIER will be presenting the session "Respecting Mother Earth: Sustainability in First Nations" on Thursday, April 10 in the afternoon.

Please visit the Green Communities Canada website for more information and registration details.

paying to watch commercials

Spent $7 a piece to watch the Cannes Lions 2007 at the Art Gallery this past Saturday. Sort of ironic for someone who only watches television shows if they come in a box set. And even though I had a lovely time with O. and his mom, I felt a bit burned when I found them all available online for free.

Right here.

My overall favorite is "Clarence". Found in the Gold category. Sorry, I have no idea how to embed the video, so you'll just have to hunt for it yourself. Enjoy!

chop! chop!

Mama D rocks my world. Again.

Before (admittedly, with bad toque head)...



















After...

Foo-ey

Had concert tickets for tonight, but O ended up taking one of his friends as I'm sick AGAIN!!!! Five horrible colds in five months, plus a noro-virus thrown in for good measure. Spending my evening in bed drinking ginger tea boiled with rat root. If anyone knows any other miracle cures, I'm open to suggestions.

Karen has recommended nasal irrigation, as seen on Oprah (and just so that doesn't seem so flaky, the Mayo Clinic recommends it as well.) Any other ideas please!

the latest house

Looked at two houses today. Getting an inspection on this one (click on the picture to see inside), and if that goes well, planning to put in an offer on Tuesday. The interior is really nice, except some of the colour choices are a bit.... um... garish. Newer windows, nice bathroom. Generally lots to like. Decent back yard with plenty of parking for our one car (plus my mom when she comes to visit). Like the neighborhood. Easy to work, lots of amenities close by.


But.... (why does there always have to be a but?!?) the exterior needs lots of work. New shingles are critical, as are eaves and downspouts. Wood siding needs some love. Will definitely affect how much we're willing to shell out to purchase it.

And of course, everything depends on the foundation and wiring being okay. Which the inspection should tell.

Not excited. Not hopeful. Not not excited or hopeful. Just good with however things go.

a letter

Dear Karen,

Hi. How are you? I am fine.

Well, actually, I'm not fine. I'm tired because my cat woke me up at 12:30 this morning. And I'm feeling very badly because part of your birthday gift is ruined.

Yes, the two are related.


While I was sleeping, he broke into the package that I had prepared to send. I woke up to the sound of his kicking the crap out of what I thought was a toy, and to the sparks he was creating as he rolled on the carpet in the dark. Imagine my horror when I got out of bed and reached down to throw the toy out into the hall, only to find part of your gift.

Please be assured that a replacement gift will be in the mail by tomorrow. My deepest apologies if it does not get to you in time. I know that you won't mind, but it really was so lovely.

With much love,
C.

miracle cure

rat root.

looks like cat poop.

tastes.... not that great. brewed in rose hip tea, then sucked on.

harvested in the wild by my co-worker's father.

i'm using it for it's expectorant properties.

and you know what? sinuses are better. i'm actually feeling somewhat better.

home sick

Have been smacked upside the head with ANOTHER terrible cold. Feel like I've been sick constantly since October, which is pretty much the case. Cold in October that lasted until the third week in November. Cold in December, followed by a norovirus over Christmas. Followed by another cold in January. Followed by this one. As of today, I've used up my sick time for the year.

So why am I blogging and not in bed? Just waiting for my ginger tea to steep, and felt like complaining to anyone who would listen.

In other news, the crappy and small houses that we looked at last week went for $162,500 for Minto and $192,00 for Dudley. O hasn't given up yet, but I'm starting to think that despite two incomes and a decent down payment, we are not able to afford a house in Winnipeg. Which is crazy. And depressing. Looking at two this Friday, but they are similar to the two mentioned above in size and area, so we're basically out of the running before we even start.

On top of the house hunting, my old job in Brandon is available again. Had to think really hard about whether I wanted to run back home. O is definitely the only thing keeping me here. Major regrets about leaving in the first place. But sticking it out here for a while. Going to a food conference on Friday and Saturday, so hopefully will be able to hook up with some community garden people and at least have a place to plant since it looks like I'll be stuck in an apartment for the foreseeable future. Bummer.

events

Got a note from my boss today to add the PlanetFriendly Green Events in Canada Calendar to our work blog, so I thought I'd add it here as well.

Actually attending one of the events listed: Growing Local, Getting Vocal: A Food Security Conference

Pretty excited about it. Mostly excited about getting out and connecting with people who share my interests. I've been missing that since moving back to the city. Takes a while to feel like you are part of the community again. And what better place to start than with food.

house hunting hell

Looking at three tomorrow (click to see details).

Trying to keep my expectations WAY low. Even if we love one (or all), even if they are currently within our price range... stupid Winnipeg market means that the chances of actually getting one, of being the successful bid, is rather low.

So here we go again...

another mini update

Have been trying to buy a digital camera, but have not been able to get the one I want here. It is about to be replaced by a new, and way more expensive, model. Finally found one, at Don's. In Brandon. So, will start taking pics and posting next week, once I figure the thing out.

Too bad I don't have it today. We have a water main break in front of our apartment, and people are trying to move in. The landlord has constructed a bridge of sorts. It's a mess. Oh well...

More soon...

high of minus fourteen

We have been freezing our butts off in Manitoba for about 6 weeks now, with only the odd day of reprieve. -23 and colder but with the wind chill, and it has been constantly windy, it feels like -38 and colder. So basically, really damn cold. Woke up today to -39, with a promise of -14 as the high. Shivering at the bus stop this morning, I tried to keep a positive frame of mind.

This helped.

I know... weather is year to year, climate is over a much longer period of time, so as far as climate change goes this doesn't mean anything. But still... maybe it will help the polar bears just a little bit?

And speaking of polar bears, I've been completely captivated by this site. Especially the videos and the tracker.

hello...?

Hey... how many months has it been? Say 6ish. I've been busy moving away from my little city back to the big city. Back to the organization I worked for seven years ago, actually, though the job itself is quite a lot different. For one thing, technology has changed massively. I think DVDs were just starting to be all the rage back then, and now they're on their way out. And the library, which used to be books on shelves, is now entirely virtual.

That has some limitations, for sure, but still, there are about 900 items on environmental and Aboriginal topics, or a combination of both, that have been catalogued. And about 10 more going in every day. Which basically sums up my job... maintain and grow the database of resources.

You don't actually need to sign up or log in. Just click "Search Library". And if you notice that we are missing something, suggest a resources!

Other than the new job, trying to adapt to apartment life again and feeling very frustrated by the terrible housing market here. Fortunately, it is winter, not garden season, so it isn't hurting too much yet.

Lots of eco stuff going on here, so will be posting weekly.

mini update

Have been massively incommunicado for weeks now, but with good reason...

Have been working on painting the trim on my house, which is still not quite done. Had a small fire (just a baby one) which was a bit of a set-back on sprucing things up. The restoration crew is done as of today, and the carpet cleaner is coming next week.

Have been applying for jobs in Winnipeg and anticipating a move in the not-too-distant future. Am shortlisted for one job (second interview tomorrow) and have another interview next week. Will take the first one if it is offered, though.

Have started house hunting in Winnipeg, but only semi-seriously since I don't have work there yet. Meeting with an agent this Saturday and O and I are going to check out a few places.

And since I'll probably be selling my house in Brandon, I've been purging knick-knacks and assorted stuff in a big way. Sold a bunch of CDs and clothes that I don't want any more, donating a bunch of stuff to the Funds for Furry Friends garage sale, and have taken out 2 large black bags of garbage and two large blue bags of recycling.

Whew!

And I'm planning a party for the 13th, so I can see everyone here before I go.

Not that I'm certain of getting one of the positions I'm interviewing for, but I've had an insanely easy time getting a job in the past, and I think there is a good chance that will happen again. Maybe false confidence. Maybe my luck will run out. Will let you know next week!

Okay... this post isn't "mini" anymore, so off I go to the gym, then home to mark essays.

Latah!