Winter and Websites

Len & Duncan
Feb. 16, 2014

Good morning Tuesday! It is bright and crisp out. The thermometer dropped below -20C last night and here I sit, at my desk with my fingerless gloves and a blanket over my legs. The sun is shining off of the 4+ feet of snow outside my window and the weatherman is making me optimistic about the horizon. Len did his share of shoveling the white stuff over the weekend but we seem to have some reprieve for the moment.

Home Sweet Home
Feb. 2014

What have I been up to? Well, I have been working on websites. It has been fun to do this again. Makes me realize that although I am not an artist, I have some creativity that I have picked up or learned over the years. I definitely enjoy the work and now in the slow winter season, it is a perfect time for me to hone my skills and create away!

I was very excited to work on a website for one of my oldest friends. She was my first roommate and she put up with a lot from me. Starting out in a new apartment back then for us was much different than it is now for my daughter. "My Lana" as I called her and I both shared a 3 floor walk up, with a front and back stairwell and doors. We lugged up boxes of pots, pans and dishes that our families didn't need anymore, old tables and chair and a 300 lb. sofa bed for the living room. We loved that apartment and had some amazing experiences there. We learned to live on our own and without a car, we did a lot of walking.

My family in the '80's. This was my parents 25th anniversary. I am dead centre
in my yellow dress I loved. This was during the time that Lana and I had
an apartment in Nanaimo about 1985. I was sporting my Princess Di look.
From left to right: Dad, Mom, Me, brother Owen, Brother Chad
Front row: Sister Christina, Sister Margaret, Foster brother Chris

We used to go to the grocery store, probably about a mile away, get our goods (back when $30 could buy you a half dozen bags of food) and walk home again. If we had a lot, we sometimes pushed that grocery cart home, emptied it and walked it back again. We were in pretty good shape! Our living room was decorated with neon poster paper fronted with pull out posters from movie magazines. Old James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and probably a few Duran Duran posters too. It was VERY '80's as were we.

We loved our place, it was a big old two bedroom apartment and we adored it. It was a gnarly place - a Valley Girl's dream. One night we had a little scare though. We were both sleeping in our rooms with a bathroom separating them, when I heard a loud BANG and thought I heard something on the back step. I freaked out. I was so scared because I could HEAR someone pushing on our door and then it sounded like they were climbing through the window. "I was LIKE totally freaked out, MAN!"

I ran to Lana's room (she was smaller than me but tougher too) and I woke her up. "Lana, Lana! WAKE UP! Someone is climbing through the back window, I'm scared!" She said "Wake me up if they get in." WHAT? Clearly she was still asleep! I made her wake up and we creeped to the kitchen. Why didn't we phone the police? We walked into the kitchen where we saw the neighbours drunk brother trying to get through the kitchen window since he couldn't open our back door. 

Donovan's Bistro
Gold River, BC

We were stunned! (No, we still did not call the police!) This guy was attempting to get into our apartment because he "wanted to party, eh?" He kept saying, "Let me in, eh? Let'z partay! Com'on!" No way in hell were we letting him in. I knew I was safe, my brave little friend was protecting me. We managed to push him out the window, onto the back deck and threaten him with the cops if he didn't get the hell out of there. If memory serves me correctly we hit him with something, maybe a pot or frying pan? We knew he wasn't supposed to be staying at his sisters and we didn't want her to get into trouble with the landlord or police so we just shoved him out, swore, threatened and completely did everything we would tell our kids today, NOT to do.

The neighbour of course was very sorry and in return brought us a venison roast as a thank you and payment to keep quiet. Those were the days! I look back fondly and laugh and realize how nuts we were and oblivious to the world around us. Now, Lana has a beautiful little bistro in Gold River, BC and I am happy to say I just built her a website. www.donovansbistro.com Check it out and if you ever go to Gold River, order a deluxe gourmet pizza for me will you?

My daughter is now living on her own, in a beautiful new basement suite in a safer neighbourhood than we had. She does not have much used furniture and has decorated her home much more tastefully than we could. She even has a car so no pushing grocery carts of food home for her. She is well under way in her course in Vancouver and decided she needs to start to promote herself so we got her some business cards, Facebook page and a website. Follow her journey as she starts her life much more street smart and savvy than her mama was. www.rachelbethellmakeup.com 

I have built a few websites in the last month, updated another and hope to get some more work over the next few months before summer hits and I have no time to do anything but bake. Speaking of summer, it's warmer now, about -12C so back to work, time to promote some more web work and plan ahead to the spring day when the snow is melted and I can type without gloves on and a blanket on my lap. Have a great day!

My parents 40th Anniversary - 2003
Owen, Me, Chad
Mom, Dad