Poking the bear

Smok'n hot, quite literally sums up our weather for the last two weeks. Forest fires in the interior have made for some interesting sunsets and very smoky air quality. In one of the pictures below (looking out the living room window) you can see that the mountains are no longer visible though the smoke.

I spent five days at The Haven for their "Come Alive" program. I'd have to say it made a notable impact on my life, (to say the least). I highly recommend it for those that wish to get to know themselves a little better. Thanks to the inspiring people I met there.

Straw Bale house update: The fir floor is nailed down in the upstairs "bonus room" (I still have the upper bedroom to do). It now needs to be sanded, stained, and finished, (a project for a rainy day) This entire room is backed up by generator power. It will contain TV and wireless router coverage for the multiple laptops in the house. Door painting and prepping for kitchen cabinets is on the agenda for the coming week.

Pictures this post are: (1) fir floor in the bonus room, (2+3) living room window detail from two directions, showing bales "hung" above the windows on the gable end.

It was a sad day for direct democracy last week when the HST petition was set aside pending court actions. I'm all for a VAT tax of sorts, (although not this one) but I think the latest blunder is a case of "poking the bear". People are pissed.