March 30 - We And All The Other Waterlogged Victorians Grab This (Mostly) Sunny Day And Make The Most Of It

Action day with goats
"No kids!" says R; I get that
Chelle twists her ankle

March 29 - The Biggest Hurdle To Enjoying The Kiddie Pool At The Crystal Is All The Adults Without Kids Taking Up Space In It

Weird that there's a man
Floating in the kiddie pool
R wades tippy-toes

March 28 - A Mediator Moment To Help Out Someone I've Know For A Long Time

I've been here before
Soothing voice, ears wide open
A few careful jokes

March 27 - An Easing In The Housesit Schedule Has Paul And I Drinking Prosecco

Together again
Tula and I snatch some sun
I work, but for who?

March 26 - Note To Self: Don't Walk A Headstrong Dog And A Nervous Toddler At The Same Time On A Cold And Windy Day

One arm for the dog
The other for R, windblown
Stumbling our way home

March 25 - I Get A Lot Of Small Catch-up Things Done While Maximizing Even The Briefest Moments Of Nice Weather

Hey, is that the sun?
Let's grab it, Atlas. Later,
Rena cooks good food

March 24 - And Home I Go, Hung Over And Somewhat Disgruntled To Be Giving Up The Sunshine And Warmth

Like all travel days
Best you can hope for is bland
A three-dog welcome

March 23 - How Three Hours Of Wandering At The McDowell Sonoran Preserve Let Me Feel Virtuous Enough To Overdrink At The Farewell Party Later That Night

Sun is in hiding
We hike among the cacti
Then drink much vodka

March 22 - More Hanging Around Before We Head To Superstition Springs Boulevard To See "Lion"

Off to a movie
Still a bit crisp from the sun
Night winds blow in change

March 21 - In Which The Centrepiece Of The Snowbird Experience Goes Down For Mysterious Reasons And Upsets Everyone. Oh, And We Go To Another Party With Shrimp

Crisis: The pool's down
The Canadians rebel,
swimming anyway

March 20 - In Which I Learn That The Moose Javians Have Transported Themselves En Masse To A Trailer Park In Mesa And Throw Big Parties

Bacon-wrapped scallops
Booze. Crab dip. Booze. Cajun shrimp
Laughs. Dancing. Quarrels

March 19 - A Walk With The Moose Javians, A Walk Through A Truly Enormous Market, And Then Three Heavenly Hours Doing What I Do Best

Market shop, then pool
So sun-starved, I overstay
When was I this white?

March 18 - On My Way To Phoenix

Oh, lucky me, picked
for extra airport screening
They joke me through it

March 17 - Off To The Storage Locker For Summer Clothes, Then To Do A Bunch Of Errands And Apply For Work In That Way I Have Of Needing To Close Things Up Before I Leave Town

Always lots to do
the day before some time off
Happy on my bike

March 16 - A New Adventure For The Dogs After A Near-Miss With A Double Brown-Out At The Pool

Me and my trio
roam Anderson at day's end
Chiclet seems quite chuffed

March 15 - How Can A Two-Year-Old Fling Herself Into Swimming With Such Enthusiasm Yet Refuse To Nap To Prepare For The 65th Anniversary Party?

The damn kid won't sleep
That makes the party tricky
Though the meatballs help

March 14 - Interesting Just How Often Those Cuso Qualities Of Being Flexible And Adaptable Turn Out To Be Useful

Bank meeting messed up
when my co-exec forgets
Glad I'm not anal

March 13 - Growing Up In A Resource Town Serves One Well When Interviewing Older Guys From The Resource Industry

Go ahead, say "Fuck"
and call me a pretty girl
I'm from Courtenay

March 12 - A Leisurely Hike On Mount Doug To Celebrate A Lack Of Routine

We climb the mountain
Atlas loves the forest smells
Inhaling deer stink

March 11 - First I Meet The Zany Pair Of Dogs We'll Be Sitting This Summer, Then We Head To Vic West To Do Our Best In Presenting What We Hope Is A Realistic But Not Discouraging Viewpoint To Potential Cuso Volunteers

I bring treats. Mistake.
Though the dogs stay close, looking
like they adore me

March 10 - Walking The Chis Is A Bit Embarrassing But At The Same Time, Cute

Tiny, mincing dogs
Tula hangs back; Chiclet struts
Though she's scared of stairs

March 9 - Harvi's Fun And Unusual Gathering At Paparazzi's Addresses A Lot Of Questions I've Had

A racy party
We try "shatter," feeling as
cool as old gits can

March 8 - You Know The Kid's Sick When She Can't Even Last For More Than A Few Seconds On The Gyro Park Swings

R has what Paul has
Which I think is what I had
This damn winter plague

March 7 - One Of The Odder Aspects Of This Dogsit Is Meeting Strangers Every Morning At 7:30 AM At The Park So Our Dogs Can Play Together

Day starts at Windsor
So cold! My hands struggle to
pull treats from the bag

March 6 - A Work Project Addresses My Journalistic Hankering To Find Out Things And Unearth Truths, If Not For Media Use Than For Whoever Is Paying

Nothing I like more
than digging up cool info
I serve all masters

March 5 - And As One Householder's Health Star Rises, The Other's Begins To Sink

Not great, but better
Atlas and I hike the hills
Though Paul's looking rough

March 4 - The Gypsies Travel From Oliver To Monterey - Streets, That Is

Adieu to Charlotte
We move to the three-dog house
With crabby Chiclet

March 3 - The Day I Recognize That This Is No Common Cold But Some Kind Of Badass Infection

My lungs are ablaze
Doc gives me drugs; I'm grateful
Grey day suits my mood

March 2 - Hoping That No One I Know Spots Me And A Small Child Parked At The Beacon Hill Washrooms Asleep In The Cold Rain

I should be in bed
But no. Must sing and dance, work
Then sleep in the car

March 1 - It Would Be A Normal Day Of Museum Trips And Japanese Food With Rachelle Were It Not For Falling Deeper Into The Pit Of Lung Badness

I'm getting sicker
No time to rest, but the drugs
get me through the day

Feb 28 - For Rent At A Good Price: Aging Pair Of Wandering Gypsies

Facebook plea for homes
fills in a number of blanks
A complex jigsaw