"Blank" is not the same as "None"

I am a bright person. I consider myself adept at using most common software applications. Today, though, I was reminded of how a seemingly insignificant change will gum up the works and take a long time to unwind. (Non-geeks may want to skip the rest of this post.)

I reset the default email account in my MS Outlook email. I checked to make sure my email signature was applied to the new account. I also browsed at the stationary options, thinking I might tart-up my email a bit. After browsing, I decided to stick to just plain email, no stationary. Or so I thought. In fact, I had reset the stationary picker to "blank", instead of the previous setting which was "none." I messed up the signature, made some mystery attachment appear on the email and spent almost an hour to troubleshoot what I had done.

When people ask how I spend my days, sometimes it would be a mistake to reply with the truth.

Two redecorated rooms

Following our path to a serene and lovely inn: we have redecorated two of our rooms.







One, the Playa del Norte room,
is Mexican inspired.





















The other, the Yama Shoken room, is Japanese inspired.

Secret 4's

My former neighbor, friend and dedicated blogger Anna tagged me with the secret 4's. See Anna's secret fours (and lots of other fun stuff) on her blog, Three Sneaky Bugs .

Lori's 4's are:

4 jobs I’ve had - Puppeteer for the Edina Park Board, Wardrobe mistress for Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Realtor, Lawyer

4 favorite movies - Man who would be King, LOTR (all), Shakespeare in Love, Shawshank Redemption

4 places I’ve been - Skye, Scotland; Isla Mujeres, Mexico; Paris, France; Meat Cove, Nova Scotia

4 places I’ve lived - Minneapolis, MN; Honolulu HI; London, England; Sooke British Columbia

4 favorite tv shows - Don’t watch tv but have enjoyed dvd’s of Six feet under, Soprano’s (for awhile), Ballykissangel and Grey’s Anatomy

4 favorite radio programs - As it Happens, The Splendid Table, A Prairie Home Companion, The morning show with Dale and Jim Ed

4 favorite foods - Curry, macaroni and cheese, salmon, wine

4 places I’d rather be - in Mexico on the beach, in the Scottish Highlands, in balance with work and leisure, in better shape.

New Eagle Nest

HOORAY! The eagles have rebuilt a nest. And it is more than we ever could have hoped for, as it is in plain view of the dining room window. Basically right above the hot tub. Can you say WE ARE THRILLED. Both eagles have been in/near the nest for the last couple days.

We are exploring the possibility of an eagle cam in a neighboring (neighbouring for you Canadian spellers out there) tree. Stay tuned.

Left-over haggis

We enjoyed our 1st annual Robert Burns Supper at the inn last evening. The guest of honor, of course, was the haggis. The highlight of the evening was the Address to the Haggis (given brilliantly by guest Wylie).

Now that the guests have gone home and the washing up is done, the burning question is what to do the the left over haggis. HLTs (haggis, lettuce and tomato) or haggis pizza? One web site suggest that you can eat haggis for dessert with a splash of Drambuie... Recipes suggestions would be gratefully received.

Even more that exciting than usual...

There are two professional, experienced, dedicated whale watching companies in Sooke. The captain of one of them, Captain Jeff Lorton of West Coast Wildlife Adventures, and his guests had a more exciting than usual whale watching adventure last May. Captain Jeff responded to an emergency call about a marine fire near Pillar Point. The rescue was captured on video and available on YouTube.

We were fortunate to enjoy two whale adventures last year (without the at-sea rescue) and highly recommend the trip. West Coast Wildlife Adventures and Sooke Coastal Explorations will be open for tours from May until October.

Eagle's Nest

Last year, a nesting pair of eagles had two fledglings in their nest on our property. We had the fun of watching the eaglets learn to fly and hunt. The nest came down in a huge wind at the end of the year. The eagles have been talking for the last week (hopefully about starting reconstruction).