The dogs

I walk my moms dogs almost every day.

Almost.

And the routine is very specific.

First we have to walk through the school field,

then I let them off the leashes so they can have a race.

We then have to cross the busy street and visit the horse and goat.

And the chickens.

Walk around a neighborhood, without the leashes.

Go to another park, and race again.

Back to the school field, where we then Have to play baseball with a stick.

In the fenced baseball field.

With me at the pitchers mount.

After that, we go find some water.

And then we Have to walk to the ponds where the ducks are.

Chase the ducks around the pond, repeat, repeat, repeat.

The ducks LOVE being chased and keep coming back for more.

I then finally get to sit on my favorite rock, while the dogs talk shop with the ducks.

When they are ready to walk again….bark bark bark.

And we take the long long long way home because they are not done walking, peeing, and being dogs.

It is my favorite time of the day.

 

 

 

The stick…throw it please!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mom duck brings her babies over to see the dogs Every time we show up!

The all love each other very much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                        This is what happiness looks like!

Animals Update

The horse and goat.

They now run to the fence to greet me and the dogs.

Pretty sure it has more to do with the apples and carrots then just us.

Either way, I am always happy to see them.

The goat finally ate some of the carrots!

He is a picky goat, who apparenetly prefers to eat pine and cedar tree stuff.

The chickens are happy as always to see the dogs, and the owners of said chickens love the dogs.

“We enjoy watching the dogs play with the chickens, and listening to you greet them with hellos.”

That’s right.

I talk to the animals…out loud.

Don’t care what people think, I do believe that animals like my side of the conservation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children listen

  

 

 

This is my pappa at two different schools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My pappa asks me to come with him when he does presentations.

What he is wearing is called Regalia. Not a costume. This is his traditional clothes from his people.

He did the opening prayer and gave some teachings about self worth.

He loves to remind the kids that they are very smart, very special, and very loved.

When my pappa talks, people always listen.

In this case, I stood in the back taking pictures and watching the reactions of the kids and the teachers.

The children just seems to get it right away. They are quiet, they are truly listening to every word that is being spoke.

My pappa says you don’t need to talk down to children, they are just short adults.

Children still have the gift of the Creators voice being heard, so listen to what they say.

The second school was very hot. My pappa finished speaking, and was looking out of breath.

I went to the front and made sure he was okay.

We stood by the door so he could get some cool air and watched the rest of the presentation together.

After it was over, we held the door open for the kids to leave the gym.

What amazed me about this….

all the kids shook my pappas hand and thanked him.

Nobody told the kids to do that.

They did that on their own.

They asked him questions, and some kids asked for a hug.

A little girl said to me “You took good care of your daddy. I saw you.”

She shook my hand.

Aho.

This was a good day for all.

 

 

Quiet too long.

Three years ago I walked into a hospital and volunteered myself into the mental ward.

I was diagnosed with paranoia and depression.

…

Here is what led up to that day.

I was in a relationship, had a full time job, and was unhappy.

So unhappy I was smoking weed everyday.

Morning, noon and night smoking weed.

My rent was late, my hydro had been cut, and even though I was working full time, I was broke.

I lived without hydro *hot water, electricity* for almost a month.

Rolling cigarettes from the butts broke.

Eating rice, because that is all we had.

Just rice.

Going to work everyday and putting on a smile, while inside I was numb.

And because we couldn’t pay the rent at the apartment,

we moved into a hotel.

He was working, I was working.

We lived in a hotel for three weeks.

It was then that my mental state began to crumble.

My existence felt like a lie that I had to keep living and hiding.

Couldn’t tell my friends or family.

Lost my job.

It was just too shameful, until it wasn’t.

Going to the hospital was scariest choice I had made.

And then after leaving the hospital,

I went to a homeless shelter.

Lived there for a month and a half.

After that I went to a woman shelter for a month.

Then I went and lived in a resident for abused women for a year.

…

So I watch the world with a different view.

I spent two years of my life in a deep dark hole inside of myself.

These last two years have been climbing out.

Taking pictures of flowers is climbing out.

Taking the dogs for walks is climbing out.

Breathe.

Through the lens…

So much has happened that just can’t be spoken of  yet.

Instead I will share photos of spring progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be the example

This man went on a hunger strike to get our provincial politicians to realize that the people in the Downtown Eastside need help.

He stood up for those who were too broken.

He stood up for those who were too hungry.

He stood up for those who were too cold from sleeping outside.

His name is Dave.

The people know his as “Hungry Dave”.

A dinner was given in his honour, and the only politician to show up was our provincial Aboriginal Representative.

What are you willing to do to be heard?

What are you willing to do for others?

 

Wordless

 

 

Look closely…

So almost every night I take the dogs for a walk to this pond where all the ducks hang out.

The dogs are blue healers, and they LOVE herding the ducks.

The other day we went, and surprise! Baby ducks with their mamma.

Then today….

The mamma and her babies are just sitting enjoying the sun on the rock!

THAT is the sweetest site today.

P.S. Yes I did show my pappa the picture and pointed out that you never know what will show up!

 

Perspective

No matter how many times I go to Vancouver, which is only 45 minutes on transit from where I live…

each and every time it is a joy.

There is always something new to notice.

I will purposely go down a street that is new.

My pappa always asks me “why do you take so many pictures?! You have seen that city a hundred times!”

I tell him, as I show him the pictures, that there is stuff I never noticed the last time.

“What do you do with all these pictures?” he asked me today.

I put them on my computer, then I save them, and eventually I will share them with the world wide web.

Putting pictures on my facebook account has always been fun.

Until one day I noticed that someone had taken one of my pictures and it was on a website.

It took my awhile to realize that the whole point of my taking pictures was to share them.

So now I have a twitter account just for sharing pictures everyday.

And I still share them on facebook.

And I do my best to share them with you, the ones who read this blog.

Yes, you are very right. I do need to put more effort into atleast getting a post in every second day atleast.

That all being said…

These two pictures are on the same street. One way shows the ocean, and the other way shows the mountains.

To me, that is just an amazing wonderful thing about this city.

You get the mountains and the ocean all in one city.

       

Glad to be home

It is so nice to be home.

Got greeted with pure joy from the dogs.

Having dinner with mom and pappa.

Watching movies and laughing till tears are rolling.

Getting up at 7am and having coffee with mom and pappa.

Happy me.

And I love taking the dogs for a walk and seeing all the flowers that have progressed.

I am powerless over my addiction to taking flower pictures. **And am totally okay with it!**

There.

Now that I have confessed that, we can progress to looking at my flower pictures!

YAHOOEEEEEEE.