Madness on the Mountain

I live on  the top of a mountain overlooking the city on one side and a massive lake on the other. The forests surrounding my home are filled with coyotes, deer, bob cats, raccoons, owls and the odd bear or cougar. Last night I kept hearing two loud consecutive gun shots. I feared a poacher was at it again. A few years ago I made friends with a giant buck with massive 14 point antlers. Every morning on my run I would meet him on the trail. We grew used to each other and he'd let me run by him. And then one day I didn't see him, or the next. I read in the paper a poacher had killed a 14 point buck on my mountain.

Last night, I heard loud gun shots coming from the forest. The shots went on, about 20 minutes apart for about an hour. One particular shot sounded like it came from the forest directly behind my house. At the same time as the loud bang, my dark bathroom lit up from an outside light. My girls, Mist and Tabs came into my room. They were frightened. That was it. I called the police. I knew the idiots responsible for the noise were directly behind my house because I opened a window and heard voices in the dark, snow covered forest. I turned off all lights at the rear of the house so no one could see us moving about from outside.The little girl next door told me (this morning) that on one shot, the blind in her bed room rolled all the way up at the same time as the bang. She was terrified.

 No idea if the cops caught anyone but there were many police cars zooming around the neighborhood last night. Though, the only way to access the forest is by foot, snowmobile or helicopter. Cops in cars, zooming about the streets would have done zilch. Tabs was so frightened, she was shaking when she asked if she could sleep with Peter and I. I let her. I am a little tuckered from being up most of the night. I dreamed the cops actually were on snowmobiles in my back yard. They were wearing helmets but had short sleeves and in my dream I felt sorry for them as I knew they'd be freezing out there.

Friday has arrived. I'm off the the little girl's school to bring Pablo and Fernando for show and tell. It's the letter P day: Pablo, Pug and Pippi (my daughter). I teach 2 classes of Zumba. learning perhaps my very favorite song ever. I can't help it, I love the slow sexy songs because they are the most difficult. To move one's body and contort the hips and core in so many ways makes for one super strong core. Someone a the Uni complained my Zumba music is too loud and she can hear it in her office. And the music is aggressive and she doesn't like it. Well, if she'd get off her butt and dance with us she'd be a lot less irritable! But I will make an effort to make sure the ball room door is closed. However, she is only disturbed for the last 15 minutes of her day. My class starts at 4:45 and her office closes at 5!

I'm heading back to the mall to purchase a mono-kini bathing suit (almost looks like a one-piece in the front but is a bikini in the back). I tried it on last night and Mist hated it but I loved it. Decided that I'm buying it anyway--even though my Mist did not like it at all. I felt so lovely in it, I must sneak back and purchase.

Here's to a fabulous weekend my friends! xx

Lac Du Bois

A quick weekend trip to Kamloops, BC. I didn't have a class after all and finished my paper a week early. So we headed out to visit my parents. My mom prepared a ham dinner--so delicious with scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts and a scrumptious strawberry cream square. We spent the night and I had a really great sleep. Much more restful than I've had in months. I dreamed I gave birth to Penelope in Disneyland though--weird. Pip got to sleep with her Granny and was ever so thrilled. My parents dog (Toby) hated Fernando though.

                                                                                                      Peter and I headed out to one of the 
most beautiful places on earth: Lac Du Bois Grasslands, just outside of Kamloops. The top photo is of three brilliant mountain blue birds.

Peter and I hiked at night too--I will post those pics next.

Hiking on the wonderful hills always inspires me to live my life to its fullest. I love it out there. 

This summer I have classes and Peter teaches a class, so we are going to spend our time doing weekend trips around. One trip will be a camping trip to pan for gold. We will pitch tents near a creek in the Boundary 

 country and start looking! 

The next trip will be a ghost tracking trip at night to the old abandon TB sanatorium near Kamloops. I'll bring along a little posse as Peter never goes for these kinds of adventures. Mistaya has signed up and I am counting on KW to join the troops. We missed the Sasquatch trek last summer--though I am still planning a trip deep into the Northwest rainforests to attempt such an adventure--research for a junior fiction novel.

Enjoy the pictures of Lac Du Bois.