I’m now back in my ‘office’ and it’s wonderful.  The desk is under an east-facing window so in the morning I’m bathed in happy sunlight as I type.  Luke left for Calgary on Thursday night, even though I was screaming at him not to leave at night when it’s easy to fall asleep while driving.  Kids just seem to want to worry their mothers to death, no matter how old they get.

Denis had eight brothers (now six remain) and two sisters, Margaret and Monica.  Monica lives in San Diego and arrived on Thursday as there’s a mini Doyle version of the movie, “Wild Hogs” taking place over the next week.  Four of them are riding on motorcycles up to Bella Coola, then taking the ferry to Port Hardy to meet up more Doyles. Denis and Monica are two of the motorcyclists, and I must admit I had to smile and thank God that I don’t do that kind of thing as they drove off yesterday morning in a steady drizzle.

The weather was nice the night before, when Monica arrived, so we ate el fresco.  My favourite produce stand is open again, and so I got an assortment of local veggies for our repast.  I made eggplant parmesan with extra garlic, and bruschetta with Walla Walla onions, tomatoes, basil from my herb garden and tons of garlic.  Green beans are now in abundance, so I steamed some of those.  The tiny new potatoes are ready, so I fried those in butter and served them with sour cream.  Denis barbecued steaks to go with it all.

So here I am.  Only Nicky to torture me, as Denis is off on the Doyle-O-Rama, and Luke is God Knows Where.  The house is very clean, and very quiet.  To treat myself, I went to Winners for a bit of R & R.  As a result, I can say I have pulled off a feat of sheer genius – I concocted something that can be worn as a bathing suit, but isn’t one.  You know how when you wear a bathing suit it outlines every row of fat in your back and makes for a tummy so round and shiny you want to bounce quarters off it?

Here is what I consider Nobel Prize-worthy.  I looked through tank tops until found some made with polyester and spandex, hence bathing suit material.  I then found a plain black bathing suit bottom.  I tried on tops with the bottom until I found one that is fantastic.  Loose in the back and front, looks just like a bathing suit, except NO FAT is outlined anywhere!  If you’re weeping as you read this, just know that it is possible to wear a ‘bathing suit’ again.

Isn’t the labour shortage making for interesting times?  Out of the blue, a person from Telus phoned Nicky, and offered him a job at $24/hr!  Denis and I agreed that the environment there will probably be more conducive to his strict adherence to Labour Standards when it comes to taking breaks.  In German, there’s a saying that means, “a blind pig found an acorn!”  It is said whenever an idiot stumbles onto something good.  I told Nicky, and he loved it!