Simon Says: Cats Rule

Simon isn't the cover cat for the 2008 SPCA calendar for Yellowknife. But he couldn't care less. At 15 years of age and a weight in excess of 20 pounds, he's happy to hang around on the furniture, eat, and drink water out of the bathtub. And he definitely had no interest in making friends with me.

Simon's servants are Mark Solnoky and Gabby, who invited me over for a barbeque this afternoon. And what a glorious afternoon it was--summer reappeared, allowing us to enjoy the outdoors, including an after-dinner walk around Rat Lake. It's yet another interesting neighbourhood, near the old Con Mine site, the last of the gold mines.

Their house is two trailers, stacked on top of one another, and nestled into the boulders.

We ate in the screened gazebo, though bugs weren't a problem, nor have they been an issue in Yellowknife this summer. I have used neither my bug juice nor my bug jacket.

It was pleasant to spend time at someone's home, sharing food, stories and laughs. I'm starting to get cabin fever at the hotel.

Mark is the senior producer of Northbeat, the daily TV supper hour show; Gabby teaches special education. They came up from Toronto two years ago, where Mark worked on CBC News Sunday.

While Mark is proud of his manicuredgrass lawn, a rarity around here, his next door neighbour has a zen-like pebble and rock front yard. The owner does pottery, and here you can see it used as lawn decoration. Sure beats gnomes, and those carboard cutouts of women bending over in the garden...