So lately we've been hearing the spooky sound of coyotes yipping and wailing at night. Back in the early '80's when I lived way out in the boonies with my ex-husband, northeast of nowhere in an area known as Blackwater, we heard coyotes all the time. The cowboys who helped run our cattle told me under no uncertain terms it was pronounced 'kai-yoot', not 'kai-yotee'. That was for city folk and Americans, who tended to be lumped together for some reason. Anyway, back then we had a wonderful dog, who we never worried about around the coyotes. And I never worried about my own safety around them either... just enjoyed their singing under the stars.

But it seems something has happened to the Canadian coyote in the intervening decades. Maybe it's rising unemployment, a sense of alienation, or pack mentality, I don't know. What I do know is they've got a bad reputation. Dogs, cats, and gerbils disappear and people blame the coyotes. There are rumours of children and old folks being attacked. People walk quickly, afraid of being perceived as lame or weak. Even Paul (wildlife and animal lover that he is) glanced nervously over his shoulder on our first evening family walk after the coyotes showed up. I saw one down at a neighbours' a few weeks ago; he was leaning up against a fence, smoking a cigarette and checking out the chicks in the coop. We said 'hey' to each other and I continued on my way. Didn't seem so bad to me-- maybe a little sad and lost under all the bravado.

Kidding aside, we try to keep the cat in earlier in the evening, and Billie's after-dark pee-breaks are definitely supervised. It certainly hasn't deterred the two of them from wanting to do the evening stroll. Here's a picture of them lined up at the door, waiting:                                                          

Our walks are pretty hilarious. With Paul leading Billie on leash, we start out, and soon Cassius appears behind us. At certain points along the route (always the same) Billie lies down on the road and waits. Ice, snow, mud, doesn't matter. Which means Paul and I stand there and wait as well, while the cat takes his sweet time (as only cats can do) to sashay on up close to Billie. Sooner or later Billie twitches and then Cassius takes off (sometimes leaping over her)-- at which point Paul and Billie run like mad after the cat. Then Cassius darts off the street into a yard, and the whole routine starts over. It's pretty funny watching a 50 year old man running down the street in the dark with a dog, chasing a cat, and usually laughing his head off. I've asked him if he does it when I'm not along for the walk-- silly question, of course he does.

Here are some pictures of the progress on the house. Remember the upstairs hallway?                           

Here it is as of this week. New windows have been installed throughout the upstairs.

Here's a shot looking back the other way, toward the master suite and the new stairs.

Here is the kitchen, and below, the dining area to the left. I absolutely adore the light in the main living area. I am still obsessing over paint colours, and time is ticking away, as you can see. We should be ready in about ten days, and one of the carpenters and I will tackle painting while Paul works.

Speaking of which... for those who don't know, Paul has been a very busy boy. He's been hired on as a temp with Selkirk College, meaning he fills in at any of the campuses in Castlegar, Trail, or Nelson. They're booking him up fast-- right now he's working mornings in Trail, then coming home to work on the beekeeping business... which is going great guns! He drove across the border last week and picked up our first order of equipment (which is sitting in our 'livingroom' here in the workshop... this place is doing triple duty for us at this point), and we have customers! Check out our website at www.kootenaybeekeeping.com. Our byline as of today: "Kootenay Beekeeping Supplies: Taking Care of Buzziness since 2012".

Sigh. Stay tuned, there's plenty more where that came from...