Happy New Year!!

I certainly won't be feeling nor looking like this, seeing that we are staying in New Years Eve and I am finishing off a bottle of home-made wine that we received from our new friends Mary and Diane. After a few days of rain/sleet/ice and HIGH winds it is glorious sunshine today, even though it is only about 40 degrees. We are supposed to meet Dixon's mother and her husband, who are vacationing in Victoria, January 1st to spend the better part of the day with them. Of course there are wind warnings posted for tomorrow so we'll see how the weather is. I'm sure we can meet them and I was planning a trip up to Sydney for lunch at a great little waterfront restaurant we've been to a few times. Here is a view from the restaurant that I took a couple of years ago when we were here on vacation - this is the SUNRISE at some ridiculous hour of the morning.




We are looking forward to the new year in our new home. The job hunt will kick into high gear after the holidays so wish us luck! We've been told to be patient but I'm starting to wonder if I'll have to take some part-time job, in the interim. Oh well, if I have to then I suppose I'll have to.

I'm already getting anxious to get the greenhouse up and running. I SO just want to get a small bag of potting soil and plant SOMETHING! I think I get that from my Grandfather on my Mother's side. He and his wife came to the US from Russia in the early 1900's and even though we was a master carpenter in Russia he spent many years farming in the Midwest. I just love the smell of good soil and have no problem getting my hands dirty in the garden. I also have a yen to do some woodworking, again probably from Grandpa, but the gardening bug is stronger and that takes priority. I've had a new compound miter saw in the box for probably more than 3 years (I got it on sale at a REALLY good price!) and just NOW managed to unpack it and start reading the instructions. There is a large workbench in our garage and the end of the bench will be the perfect place to mount the saw but of course I have to get bolts to hold it down! If it ain't one thing it's another, eh? Of course, as another excuse, it's pretty cold in the garage so the saw will have to wait until it warms up a bit.

With the impending visit from Dixon's mother and her husband we have managed to get our butts in gear and get more of the house in order. Now, understand, the house is not a mess, it's just that there are certain things that, due to low priority, have been sitting in boxes and not found a proper home. We have tackled some of those issues, hung numerous pictures/prints on the walls and spruced up the bathrooms. It is really starting to look like home, finally, and I can't wait until we are working and I can start spending some money on this place. The things we brought with only go so far.

Well, Happy New Year to each of you and we wish you a very happy and prosperous 2008!! I know we are certainly looking forward to it!!

Thanks for tuning in...