SPCA....GOOD AND BAD

 I am pretty annoyed with the spca right now.  Since when was it okay for a society that purports to save animals and broker them to the public, pass on dogs with permanent disabilities and doesn't disclose them?  Basically it would cost me five hundred bucks a month to keep Floppy comfortable.  Well that ain't happening.

The spca here had Floppy for two full months.  The previous breeding owner went in after he was surrendered voluntarily to visit him.  And it was clear within one day when we brought him home that he had problems.  I googled it and made the discovery that due to his skin issues and smell and infected ears he had a massive yeast infection.  The first loser veterinary clinic was expensive and useless.  The second one was amazing.

His issue is inherited and permanent.  The vet was pretty angry.  She said that when a dog has this genetic inherited issue you absolutely can't let them breed, which of course is exactly what the jerk was doing with him.  And the spca was well aware of the yeast...and they did NOT tell us.  I am pissed off at that blatant irresponsibility.  We are left holding the bag, thank you very much.  Fortunately this vet understands and is doing everything she can to minimize his horrible discomfort and the depletion of my pocket book.  Not happy about that but very happy with the dog.  He is probably the best most fun smart dog I have ever owned....with the exception of his health.  (shovel list)

Ewwwwww....my house is really smelling odd.  The three prominent odours are Floppy himself, his awful terrible farts and his cooking dog food.  He will NOT eat his new tofu based dog food.  It seems dogs are also resistant to vegan meals.

He likes carrots so I chopped up three big carrots and mixed it with a couple cups of his dog food and I put that in the steamer and I am steaming them both together.  When they both are soft enough I will cool it and mash it and see if he will willingly eat it.  And the smell of cooking vegan dog food really sucks.

I promise I will not talk about the dog again.  I really get bored and tired of dog talk.  The only one that is worse is horse talk. Jeez...what is there interesting to say about freaking horses? Now cat talk is okay because cats are crazy and cross the line constantly and that makes cat talk funny.  And do not even bring up pet bird stories. I get visions of fly swatters or hammers when I hear endless bird talk.

I just heard from Cookie, and I see she left a message down below, she will be home after Xmas and I can go visit!!!  I can't wait!!!  I just love those two people.  And I love the way Brian tells such funny jokes and poor Cook gets so annoyed with him.  Probably if he was my husband I would be annoyed too but when it is them it is just funny.  Don't tell her I said this!!!  Hahahaha!!!!

Have I mentioned metformin on here before?  It is a very good drug for controlling blood sugar and something else to do with diabetes but I don't remember what.  For the vast majority of people it is like a miracle drug.  It is made from lilac trees in France or something like that.

Well for another bunch of us it is evil.  When I first started it I was in Maui.  In Costco doing our just arrived shopping, my stomach started to visibly grow, and grow, and my baggy shirt got tight, and it grew some more.  I became scared and ran to find Spod.  (I feel like I have already told you guys this).  I found him and in a panicked whisper showed him my extremely tight, you could have bounced a ball off of it, stomach.  He said that that is what metformin does when you first start taking it.  I thought I was going to explode open right there in the store so I waddled out to the car.  I figured I would explode in the car....still painful but not so embarrassing.  

As the months, then years passed by I turned out to be one of those that continuously had ridiculous side effects.  Sudden explosive you know whats, (I would have to dash into the sugar cane when we were driving around, now we call it sugar cane runs). Even the wee visiting grandchildren called it that and knew what it was.  And I single handedly am keeping Gravol 100's in business...and none of that ginger crap, straight up knock you out stuff.  I have gravol in my wallet and every outdoor pocket and every nook and cranny in the house and both vehicles.  

Okay enough of that.  I need to go mash carrots and vegan dog food.  Fortunately Monte has taken the dog out.  When he gets back it is Floppy bath time.  Should be a hell of a ride...bathing a 100pound (48Kilos)  reluctant dead weight dog.  (shovel list)

Gotta go.  TFL and TTYL

did I tell you I am going to hell?  All thanks to that asshole company Telus.  I have said every swear in the world dealing with them.  My swear jar overflowith.  I have to phone them tomorrow.  I hate them.

IF YOU ARE A SWIFTY BETTER SKIP THIS ONE

 I can't even say sorry to those that like T Swift.  I honestly cannot stand her music.  It is the most boring forgettable pop crap on the radio.  I can honestly say I can't think of one song she has sung.

That being said, I am completely appalled at how much money has been spent on tickets to see her.  Shame on her!!!  At this time when everyone is whining about not enough money in their pot they can pull out thousands of dollars for two hours of bad music!!!!  Where are the parents?  Would this not be a good time to teach kids priorities?  What an indulgent spoiled world we westerners live in!!!

I guess a Swifty could launch back at those of us that cruise.  On average cruises cost about five thousand dollars.  But it is two weeks of fun, not two hours.  And just think, five kids could have gone to a concert for that amount of money.  I get the kids...I had kids who were gaga over Guns and Roses or Backstreet boys or Mars Volta, the same level of fervour.  But the tickets were maybe a hundred dollars, not thousands.  They were cheap enough the kid could kick in half easily.  But Swifty tickets?  I don't think so.

Anyway, enough of that.  I am sounding like an old curmudgeon which is fine because I am.  One thing about aging, you get smarter and you get waaaay less tolerant with stupidity.

The next thing on my list is laundry.  I have garbage bags, the extra large ones that are hard to find, full of dirty laundry.  Before I leave for Vancouver I must get most of it done.  I am going to let the household know that I will be usurping the machines for a couple of days.

When I bought that washer and dryer set I purposely purchased extra huge and gargantuous ones.  I had duvets and Monte's jeans in mind.  The first time I used them I discovered a true disadvantage to this.  It had to do with my stomach.

Due to the size of my gargantuous stomach, bending over to reach the suctioned to the bottom clothes (the spinning cycle is like a turbo hurricane and sucks everything to the bottom of the barrel) I found I could not reach the bottom.  My stomach was a definite impediment. What the hell?  My only defence to this silliness is that I bought them online, sight unseen so no chance to try them out, not that I would have.  Like who bends into a washing machine to see if they can reach the bottom before buying?  That would be no one!!!!

The only way to solve that is to use Bill's grabber.  If you don't know what that is google image 'grabber'.  Those are for people who can't bend over...like Bill was.  I went to get it and couldn't find it in this house that bares/bears the name "I CAN'T FIND IT'. So over the rim of the barrel, legs kicking in the air, I repeat until all has been removed.  Later I find laundry bruises on my said impediment.

So now it is packing time.  I leave on the 23rd and come home on Jan 3rd ish.  I firstly go park on April's street somewhere and then Arnie will pick me up to go to hers until the 28th.  Then I go to April's.  I am hoping they plan to go out New Years Eve.  I can babysit Leeloo.  On the second I am meeting Graeme for lunch or supper depending on his work hours.  Then probably home on the 3rd.

  I am really looking forward to the holidays.  I don't like to leave the Port family for too long but I would love to go see Cookie.  I don't even know if she is busy or not.  She travels a lot and still does the Granny Nanny thing (lucky girl!) sometimes.  For a best friend I hardly ever see her.  It is time.  We have lots of family gossip to catch up on.  A bff is one person where gossip isn't really gossip.  It is unloading crap in a gossipy healing way!

Thats it for today.  Mr dog has to go out and it is blowing and raining like crazy out there.  He will have to be pushed down the deck stairs.  So talk to you in a few days.  Have fun getting ready for the holidays!!!!  Do some baking and EAT IT!!!!!! 

TFL and TTYL

MY THREE FOOT 600 LIGHTS TREE

 

A POST ON THE FLY!!!

 We are having an unusually busy day today.  Normally we are sitting around, drinking coffee, rocking the ol' rockin' chair, brushing the dog, reminding someone to take the stinking garbage out, watching Judge Judy.  (It used to be Jerry Springer but he seems to be gone)  Just your average day.  But today is busy.

One thing on the list is taking Floppy to the vet....again.  (freaking shovel list). The last vet charged us 185 bucks for two little bottles of drugs for his yeast infection (we think).  I wasn't there and Monte was the one to hear what the vet had to say.  He doesn't remember much.

Well as long as the dog was taking the drugs he improved and got better.  The minute the drugs stopped it came right back.  He is insanely itchy to the point where he has scratched and licked all the hair off  his 'down there'.  I would keep a cone on him but he knocks everything over and he is just plain miserably itchy and sore.  One of his ears also has now become infected.  I am NOT happy with that vet.  If this is what has to be done every two months to keep him happy, well I just might entertain the idea that he will have to go back to the spca.  I cannot afford to keep drugging him but he can't be in misery forever either. 

The other thing, that vet charges a hundred bucks for a missed appointment.  They tried to tell me I missed an appointment on Oct 15, when I was out in the middle of the ocean on a cruise.  Like hell I did.  It will be a cold day in hell before they see another dime out of me.

So we have made an appointment at a different vet.  I am going this time and I have some pretty direct questions.  I think I will tell them that if they can't cure it please just tell me and our next stop will be the spca.  Actually I don't think I would actually do that.  We are now bonded with that stupid animal but I don't have endless pots of money to keep trying to fix an unfixable problem.  I think I will give him one of the anti yeast pills women take.  They are only 25 bucks, not two hundred.  Grrrrrr.....  We will see.

I have bought two new piano books to work on.  I am excited.  But my problem was my eyes.  One eye is good...the other not so much.  It transposes whatever is on the right over to the left, but it leaves the original placement there.  So it is a warped double exposure.  When I read I either shut my bad eye or cover it with something, a piece of paper or my hand and then I can see the printing properly. 

In the past I have purchased eye patches but I really do not like them.  They are uncomfortable in unpredictable ways.  Like when you blink.  Who knew scraping eyelashes could feel so gritty?  And who knew eyelids could get super sweaty?  No.  I do not like them.

I was looking at them yearningly on Amazon once again just in case there was some kind of new invention when BOOM!!! there it was!!!!  An eye patch that fit over your glasses!!!  It took Ange and I half an hour to figure out how it worked but when we did it was magical!!!!!  It doesn't bother me and I could read properly.  So now there is no excuse!  Piano is back on the to do list!

Well thats enough about me....(hahahaha....when you write a blog it always ends up being about the me writing it).  If I can figure out how to put a video on here I will post my first accomplished song!!!!  Lucky you guys!!!  I promise it won't be a xmas carol.  TFL and TTYL

OH GLORIOUS ME...SIGH

 

SAD BUT OKAY

 As promised I shall update.  It turns out that Kevin and family cannot join us at Xmas.  We, the family, are so so sad and disappointed about this.  We haven't all been together since.....you know what?  I can't even remember.    Maybe we never have.  I am not sure.

They are having issues...that are not mine to tell.  They will be fine but it's going to be a struggle.  Those two never seem to get a break and it isn't fair or right.  Eventually one needs that easing up of worry.  I feel so bad for them....and us.  We were all so looking forward to spending some fun time with them.

Well something happened to Ange that I live in fear of!!!  LOL!!  Actually it isn't funny.  Her one pair of ancient glasses broke.  Irrepairably (is that a word? the red line says NOOOOT). Her eyesight isn't great.  It isn't as bad as blind Bob here, but bad enough I am glad she doesn't drive and attempt it anyway.  I have often dwelt on that thought of broken glasses.  If that happened to me I would be totally hooped.  I do have old ones around but I can't see very well with them.  Now and then I try them out and no...just no.  Instant nausea.  Yikes!!!!

So today we are heading over to Walmart to look at reading glasses.  She can't get new glasses til January so she thought she would give readers a try.  Could work, you never know.

Got my tree up finally.  It's been laying on the floor since the beginning of November.  But now it is all decorated.  Lol!!!  All I did was wrap 300 colourful lights on it. Keep in mind it's only three feet tall.  And those lights are not LED's.  They are hot.  Oh well.

If the tree catches fire I think I would get peeps and animals out, grab my technology and let'er rip.  I am so tired of stuff stuff stuff. I have three sheds. a large area in the laundry room and one bedroom full of crap.  I would attempt to sell some of it but that is such a chore.  I have no trouble selling April's stuff as her stuff is desirable.  Mine not so much.  And a lot of my stuff is big and awkward to get unburied.  I remember clearly feeling this way four days before our big house burned down.  It was the fastest easiest downsizing ever.

Today is housekeeper day.  I spent the day yesterday preparing for her, in other words cleaning the house.  I want her to not only spend her very expensive time actually cleaning, but I want her to see it, not junk laying around.  She is booked solid and she makes 35 bucks an hour.  That's more than the educated and trained friends of April...a lot of them in the medical field.  Doesn't seem right.

Well before I head into a rant I shall stop here.  TFL andTTYL

'The only time I enjoyed ironing was the day I accidentally got gin in my steam iron.'  Phyllis Tiller

OUR AMAZING KEEPER OF OUR VILLAGE

TELUS HELL

 Honestly Telus is endless trouble that follows me around.  Plus they are robbers.  It forces you to read your bills super carefully.  I am constantly having to phone them (I say so easily ....  shovel list) for bill fixings or optic (worst thing to happen to tv) or screwed up tv due to power outage or whatever.  They are going to send me a new pvr box and I just got an email with a mile long list of what I have to do with the old one.  And...there is a flipping mail strike.  So no tv in the other room til the strike is over.

Speaking of...I have decided to hold off on the xmas cards.  If the strike goes past mailing time for people to get their card before xmas, then I am saving them for next year. I loved my last year's cards so much I bought another box of them..on sale.  They aren't exactly xmas cards per se, so maybe I will send out Happy New Years cards instead!

I started this post yesterday then crap happened.  It seems to be like this a lot of the time.  I got a pretty disturbing text from one of the family with their promise to call me back. And they haven't yet.  Now I am operating with a rock in my stomach.  It's hard to think when that feeling is weighing you down.  In fact I am going to sign off here.  I am sorry to be so obscure but I don't know any more than you do.  If it isn't too personal, when I find out I will tell you what's up.  Sorry about this not so interesting post.  TFL and TTYL

FOR ME

 If there was one phrase in our arsenal that I would remove it would be 'for me'. Whatever in the world  you are going through would make you think you are the only person out of eight billion humans on the planet to have the negative experience you are suffering through.

Oh I know there will be times, positive times, or taking responsibility times, that the two words are appropriate. I am not sure why it bugs me so much.

  Our mother raised us so so strongly to not ever be a victim. (shovel list..I am making myself a victim of two words...lol!!)  Like Monte taught me, it's a choice.  And 'for me' at the end of a whine is so narcissistic and....well whiny.

 Eg: In an unhappy group situation, ' This is so painful and it is so uncomfortable for me.'  Well what about everybody else in the group?  Everyone is in pain and uncomfortable.  If you are one that does say that phrase, next time instead of  saying 'for me', substitute  'only me', because that is what you sound like you are saying.  How can you tell I am watching  Naked and Afraid?  lol!!! In the words of Tim Conway, 'STOP IT, JUST STOP IT!!!!!"

Well now that that rant is done, on to happier thoughts.  My housekeeper is back!!!!  I am sitting on my bed, drinking coffee and blogging whilst my house is getting cleaned.  I do go around and completely put everything away, clear off the table, do the dishes, super clean every inch of the whole kitchen and get the floors ready to be vacuumed and washed.  She cleans and scrubs the sinks, stove and microwave.  Then lastly, after scrubbing the bathroom, she vacuums and washes the floors.

Right now Floppy is locked in the other bedroom.  He is NOT happy.  But he is shedding so extremely it is kind of shocking.  He is my ninth shepherd but he is by far the worst shedder.  They should call them shedherds.  Its ridiculous.  One run of the vacuum through the house and my thirty dollar Miele bag is full.  In his defence he is blowing his coat.  They do this four times a year so the worst of it will end soon.  It's so difficult for me.  hahahaha!!!!

Monte doesn't sleep at night. He sleeps during the day.  He has been like this since he was a baby.

Last night around ten he went out for a coffee and then to Canal Beach/Park to practice swording.  (we don't know the proper word for that).  Eventually around two am he parked outside the house and cleaned out the car.  Then he exercised in the front yard.  I was afraid the cops were going to show up, called by a neighbour, thinking something nefarious was going on at the ugly shit box house on 11th.  It was almost pitch black so all you could see was a super huge hulking man lurking and moving about.  If I saw that at a neighbour's house I would be inclined to think nefarious stuff was going on.

Ah jeez, I am rambling on about nothing you guys could possibly be interested in.  I'm hangin' her up.  TFL and TTYL

BROTHER TIME

We had a fantastic visit from Stan and Antonia.  I managed to get the house free of dog hair.  Floppy is blowing his coat right now and it is shocking how much hair can come out of him.  He spent the entire time stuck in my bedroom.  I think he would have been fine with their dog, but he is way over enthusiastic with people.  He goes nuts, trying to climb into their laps and jumping up.  If we had people here ever, I would be able to train him with a shock collar. He has ADHD and I think I will sneak someone's Ritalin and put it in his food.

I made a massive stew the day before.  It was delicious!  I don't make them too often but it was a miserable day out when I made it and now it is cold enough at night outside to put it out overnight.

Monte does runes.  It is kind of like tarot but he uses stones with symbols on them.  Antonia was super interested in rune reading and Monte and she were going to do a reading.  Unfortunately there wasn't time.  So on Nov. 27 we are going to make a trip up to Campbell River for lunch and a rune reading.  Should be interesting.  He is super good at it!

I am looking forward to going out to the shed with all my storage unit boxes.  I need to make sure rats aren't getting into any of them.  I am anxious to get my native statues and my lamp for the kitchen.  I don't even remember what is in all those boxes. 

 I do know that Bill's giant fifty pound salmon, mounted on a board, is leaning on the carport wall out back.  It needs to be either hung up somewhere in this house or put into the shed.  Maybe I will hang it over the fireplace.  It would fit perfectly!  At least it's mouth and head don't move as it starts to sing 'Take Me to the River".  Jeez...kill me now!!!

Right now my current project is Monte's bedroom.  There is so much piddlyass stuff in there with nowhere to put any of it.  I also have a zillion dollar store containers that I think I will start sorting his stuff into.  Then I will stack them in the corner.  I really don't know what else to do.  We aren't dresser people. I know that the drawers would remain empty.  (shovel list)

That is it for today.  Got stuff to do!  (not really.  I just want to watch an upcoming episode of Naked and Afraid!). Take care...TFL and TTYL

OUR AWESOME COFFEE SPOT. 'STEAMPUNK CAFE'

BUNS ALL READY TO BE BAKED

WINTER STEW

WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING ON A GREY RAINY DAY

THE GREY FOGGY DAY OUT MY WINDOW

 

WHAT THE HECK? THE NINTH? OKAY I GOTTA SET A BLOG ALARM

 I apologize once again.  I haven't even been all that busy til the last four days.  Company is coming and all you normal folks will understand, leaving out the ocd anal clean freaks, its frantic cleaning time.  And I am finding it tougher than years ago.  I can't use my right arm properly and my balance is crap.  Plus I am half blind.  How good do you think my cleaning effort is going to be?  lol!!

I think you all know by now that Monte was diagnosed with high functioning autism/aspbergers (sp?).  Probably how he can play the piano like he does.  But I tell ya life with him is very interesting and unexpected.  But I am learning!  If it wasn't so targeting I would write a humorous book about antics and life with Monte!!!  Here is an example.

Stan and Antonia are coming for a couple of nights tomorrow night...thus the frantic cleaning.  I decided to make a proper beef stew for dinner tomorrow night.  I actually did something I never do...I looked up recipes for stew.  I mean I have made a million in my history but I thought I would just read some.

 Of course I found one with some interesting quirky differences and decided to try it.  It calls for tomato paste, horseradish and root beer.  I will leave out the horseradish.  But I asked for Monte's opinion on the root beer.  We had a discussion...pros and cons.  He is all for it, says it would be good.  He convinced me.

This was yesterday.  So I popped into the store and bought one bottle of sugared barks root beer.  I am excited to see how it turns out.  I am making that stew today as per the recipe.  It says it needs to sit in the fridge overnight for better flavour.  So following the recipe exactly I came to the root beer step.  I reached over to where I had put it yesterday and....it's  not there.  (shovel list). I have a habit lately of losing EVERYTHING!!! So I hunted and hunted and finally found the empty barks bottle, beside Monte's chair.  Jeez!!!!  We discussed it just yesterday for heaven's sake.  I should have hidden it!!!! 

He has a memory like a sieve.  It isn't really his fault.  he was highly overdosed with lithium by a dr. in Kamloops, who by the way no longer has his licence due to too many screw ups. 

 One of the unfixable side effects of that overdose was memory problems.  Another example we took a load out to the dump, one being my kitchen garbage container.  This was a few days ago.  Well guess where that garbage container still is...I have asked him repeatedly to bring it in with him when he comes back from wherever he has gone.

  What I don't like most though is how he beats himself up every time he forgets stuff.  Mind you it's only short term things.  Anything past a week or two he NEVER forgets, even when you would prefer he would. 

I rehired my housekeeper.  I just can't keep up with the dog hair on the carpet.  I can't vacuum properly with my right arm giving me grief.  She said she didn't have a spot anymore so I put it out there on our local fb page that I was looking.  Eventually, after a couple of interesting responses, my last housekeeper got hold of me and said she could come back.  But before that....

I did hire one lady who sounded really great.  Until she told me she didn't have a vacuum cleaner!  What the hell?  I went to her fb page and I feel I escaped a potential disaster. 

 She has seven kids, all of which she just got custody back after a long stint in rehab.  She has a very scary looking boyfriend, a fairly new one.  She just moved into a new housing place and she doesn't have any beds, or any furniture for that matter.  Poor thing but I really need someone with a vacuum.  My Miele bags are like forty bucks a piece and fill up too fast.  My housekeeper has a big dog herself and understands. I am going to ask her to dust every time and do the microwave.

Well enough.  I have to go cut up potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions, turnips, golden beets and peel shallots and garlic.  I will take a picture.  I bought a new giant Brown Betty bean pot to put the stew in.  The buns I will be baking in the cast iron frying pan.  And it will all go with Kathy's amazing awesome pickled beets!!!  I think Antonia is bringing a cake for dessert.  It is Stan's birthday tomorrow.  I bought him a book that is supposed to be delivered today.  It had better!!!!

Til next time (hopefully a little sooner than nine days). TFL and TTYL

I DO NOT LIKE HALLOWEEN....NEVER HAVE

 Do you remember when we were kids how intensely exciting holidays were?  The anticipation was beyond bearable.  Then we grew up.  And when I say 'we' I am talking about women.

Birthdays in families always end up being up to mom to make happen.  We clean the house, go shopping for endless food, we bake the cake, clean up the mess again, go to the dollar store and get all the paraphernalia one needs for kid's birthdays, get the candles, find the lighter, plan the games.  Then when the dust settles and everyone is gone, who is it picking up all the trash, getting over excited kids into tubs then bed (and the little blighters still want stories), standing at the sink washing dishes, then doing the night time routine, feeding the dogs, making sure all food is in the fridge, finding the aspirin for your aching back.  What the hell is exciting about all that?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, road trips, beach days, over night(s) company.  All exciting.  All exhausting. And all not as fun as when as a kid you slept somewhere strange in the house, giving up your bed to company.  

It's great seeing the joy on your family members face..for sure!  But does it make up for the utter exhaustion at the end of the event?  For your family yes...for myself?  I am not so sure.  The real excited magic is definitely gone and it's due to the colossal amount of work it takes to make a super successful dinner, party, Christmas or day trip to the beach.

And that brings me to halloween.  I can admit it now.  I absolutely hate halloween.  I mean think about it.  What is there to be excited about?  Costumes?  I think NOT!!!  Either the kid wants something impossible to conjure up or impossibly expensive or the 12 year old wants to go out on this most dangerous night with his/her friends...sans parents.  Then a damaging fight ensues when you say no.  And the younger ones bring home an obscene amount of candy...judging the neighbours by how big the bars are.  And face it.  No matter how you spin it to your little offspring how one shouldn't negatively judge according to the size of a freaking chocolate bar, in their head they are still judging, the greedy little critters !  (shovel list).

I do love Christmas though.  I absolutely love the tree and the lights.  I put them on the beginning of November and don't turn them off til spring.  I am a light freak.

I already have my xmas cards and my address list out ready to do my cards.  I love planning the tacky gift party we all are going to do instead of presents.

  I love the xmas carols in commercials and random stores and radio stations.  This time of the year I super use google just for Mariah Carey and Elvis Pressley and sometimes Frank Sinatra and for sure Boney M.  But the real crazy core excitement isn't there anymore.  I guess we just grow up and reality kind of kills it a little.  And for sure the massive amount of planning and work and exhaustion.  The xmas tree makes up for that though!!!!

I think I have mentioned this before but my favourite xmas memory is one year when my Arnie was still tiny enough o be rocked in the rocking chair and  Kevin was eating mandarins and popcorn over on the couch.  The tree was beautifully lit up and the tinsel icicles were shimmering in perfect rows on the branches.  And on my mickey moused together stereo Abba was playing and I was singing and rocking my little one and occasionally Kevin would climb up too.  Life was perfect.  I love this memory.  Soft and dark and shimmering xmas lights, my babies, a rocking chair and awesome music.

I hope you all have a wonderful xmas this year.  Some of you are attempting new normals or dealing with scary health diagnosis's or losing a loved one.  Reach out.  There are lots of us out here with open arms ready for you.  Now I am going to dive behind the couch and haul out my tiny but loved xmas tree!  Hibiscus gotta moooove!!!!!!  TFL and TTYL

VAN IS STILL FULL (SHOVEL LIST)

 I have been thinking..and maybe observing.  It is just afterschool time right now.  Kids walk by outside heading home.  I have observed that if the kid is under 11 or 12, they are with friends, they stop to talk to and pet the neighbourhood cats,  they stop and pick an apple or two off the block's free tree,  they slow down and quick chat with older neighbours outside raking leaves.  Anyone over 12 is basically alone, head down, phone in hand, totally oblivious to anything they are walking past.  They are missing so much.

Well until today it has been raining.  And raining.  And raining.  We cannot empty that over packed van until it isn't raining.  And every night it sits out there the cargo is in jeopardy.  Plus Floppy can't go for car rides with Monte.  I am anxious to get my hands on some of the stuff in there!  It has been six years since packing that stuff up!!!

Ange and I are doing our exercises every single day!!!  I mentioned sometime ago the seven minute bite YouTube I used to follow.  It's great.  It's for old fat people, except for not fat or old Ange!, so there is no floor stuff.  You get five seconds between twelve  55 second long exercises to adjust and be ready for the next one up.  Now if I were on the floor finishing some leg thing or whatever, I would need longer than five seconds to get ready for the next one.

Firstly, I would have to get onto my hands and knees and if I am on my back that might take a few more seconds than five!!!  All these exercises happen in the kitchen so I would have to gingerly, gingerly because of old knees, crawl out of the kitchen, through the dining room, into the living room to my recliner to help climb up to the standing position.  Then a quick step walk back to the kitchen and by then he is at the end of the exercises completely.  No floor exercises!!!

In the interest of the extreme budget I am currently on I decided to supplement Floppy's expensive dog food by making some.  Now I buy his food at Costco and a fifty pound bag is sixty bucks.  So I am checking out the cost making him his supper.  Four cups of rice, beef broth, two thirds of a pound of ground beef and half a bag of frozen peas and carrots.  It makes a lot!  And let me tell ya...he loves it!!!  I am not really sure yet if it's cost effective but I shall figure it out. 

 He has one of the dog dishes with a maze of little walls in it to slow his eating down.  Well you should see him eat this homemade stuff!!  We pack it down into the wee canyons and it is really hard for him to get it all out!  It totally slows him down!!!!  As you know I love cooking and if I can't cook very often for the peeps in the house, then I will cook for the dog.  Jeez, I just have a loser life. Sigh.

I need to get the housekeeper back soon or rather another housekeeper.  As much as I liked Caroline, she didn't dust or empty garbages.  She did a great job on the kitchen but that just wasn't enough. Plus she charged 35 bucks an hour.  I can't afford that.  Milly, who was amazing and did a fantastic job and did a full two hours was only 20 to start and near the end it went up to 25.  I need to check out current prices.

So enough about my boring humdrum life.  I shall check out here.  Be happy!!!  TFL andTTYL

ANGE AND A CRAZY DOG

HE HAS BECOME A COUCH POTATO

MY GRANDSNAKE SMOOCH

BIRTHDAY AWESOMENESS

 Well 72 isn't as exciting as 69 but this day is turning out wonderfully. This whole weekend has been amazing.

April invited her five bridesmaids, maid of honour and myself on Saturday for a planning party.  We had sooooo much fun!!!  Those girls, every one of them was a huge hoot.  It started at one pm and ended at one am!!!  I will put some pics below of the food April prepared.  Unbelievable!!!!

On the 16th Bill's death anniversary, we decided to go up to a pub that he and I used to go to.  We had Yorkshire puds and roast beef and a gallon of gravy. But the best part was the singer!  He looks about the same age as me and boy could he sing!!!  And it was all the oldies, a lot of them the very songs Bill loved.  It just couldn't have been a better memory night.

And today, my birthday, I am getting a million awesome messages on Facebook and Aryn and Bradley picked me up and took me to Milestones for a birthday lunch.  What a fun time that was!!!!!!  We caught up on all our newsies and told stories and ate awesome food and drank Caesars!!! 

 Arnie is looking fantastic!!!  She is so skinny and in shape.  She is running a marathon in April and getting ready!!!  I am so proud of her.  You would never ever know she is fifty, not even looking at her up close.  She is absolutely loving her job!!!  She measures, cuts, pastes and preps wallpaper for Bradley to put up on the wall.  I am talking heavy duty commercial grade wallpaper...both thicker and way way longer cuts.  She also helps organize the job.  She is also Bradleybe's only roadie when he is dj'ing.  Such a funny and entertaining girl and one hell of a story teller!!!

Now I am looking forward to getting home.  Monte is picking me up tomorrow and we are heading right back.  I am anxious to get that van unpacked and take some time to check things out. Also I am pretty sure the floor will need cleaning.  Ain't no one else is doing it.  And I desperately need to get back to my proper way of eating.  I just can't eat diabetically when I am not home.  It simply isn't possible.  And if I go for advice from a nutritionist she/he had better be a type 2.  Otherwise they just don't get it.

Well I am going to sign off here and try my best to post a few pics.  No guarantees though with blogspot.  It def has a mind of its own!  TFL and TTYL

AT THE PUB FOR BILL'S SUPPER

SLURPING UP CHEESY ONION SOUP

OUR MASSIVE YORKIE AND BEEF

SIX HAPPY GIRLS

CHARCUTERIE

SO MUCH WORK

SALMON AND SURIMI

 

SOOOO MUCH FOOD

My stomach is still groaning.  I didn't even eat that much.  Craig kindly offered to cook the 2.5 kilo prime rib, thank goodness.  He gets the oven ripping hot, 500 degrees.  He seasons the meat then puts it into the oven for 5 min per pound.  He then turns the oven off and leaves the roast for three hours and absolutely NO opening the oven door at any point.  That meat turned out perfectly!!!!  It was beautiful!  Medium rare and gorgeous.  I stuffed and cooked the turkey in my electric roaster...my ancient roaster.  It did a fantastic job.  In fact Craig asked if I had brined it it was so juicy.

Once again Kathy provided the little suite downstairs for Monte and I.  It was a lovely amazing time...the biggest part of the family all together.  I don't get to see my kids very often so it was pretty special.

  The day after the big dinner, everyone dispersed to various places.  Kathy and I stayed home for most the day and we played a game called Code Names.  Jeez it was so much fun.  Then Myles April Kathy and myself went for a drive.  Firstly Kathy took us to a spot called Truck Chillin' Park.  Two old trucks and one grader, really old grader are parked in the loveliest spot and decked out with flowers etc.  It was a great spot for pics!  Then we went out to the airport.  They have built a lovely monument to honour the Snow Bird pilot death.  Plus they added two rocking chairs, right smack at the end of the runway.  It was amazing and I got pics!

Most everyone was gone by then, back to their real lives.  Myles and April were the last to leave early Tuesday morning.  I spent the day with Anne.  We had such a lovely time.  We went out to lunch at our fave spot and I had yet another chef's salad.  I can't seem to get them out of my system!  I think this is the fourth one since getting off that boat!!!  By far the best one I have ever had was at Smitty's just before we left.  Holy mackerel!!!  It has set the bar very high in expectations!!!

When I get home I am going to attempt to make one, maybe.  But, I just might just hop down to Smitty's now and then and get it there.  It would probably be cheaper.  I don't have salad stuff in my house anymore.  I was throwing too much out.  It's cheaper to just go get one now and then and theirs is beyond what I could make!  It isn't just different proteins on top of lettuce.  They make a real salad with cucumbers and tomatoes and green onion and peppers etc then pile the proteins on.  And I eat it with Thousand Islands only.  Mmmmmmm....I want one right now and it isn't even 8 am!.

Well April is at Super store right now getting stuff for the gathering this weekend.  It's her bridesmaids and me and wedding planning and bachelorette party planning.  They, for some reason, are flying off somewhere for the bachelorette party.  Man back in the day someone, a rellie or best friend would bake some goodies, make some awesome sammiches and a punch, plan ridiculous fun games and buy a ton of turlette paper to have a wedding dress making competition.  That doesn't seem to cut it anymore.  Sigh.  They all must have more expendable income than they complain about.  Okay peeps I am talking about people in general not specifically the ones coming this weekend.  They are a fantastic bunch!

Well I am going to attempt to put some pics on here.  This site doesn't always cooperate!  I hope you all had a wonderful familyish turkeyish week end too!!!  TFL and TTYL

MONTE DOING HIS THING AT THE KITCHEN ISLAND

FROM THE FRONT LEFT AND AROUND THE BACK AND BACK UP TO THE FRONT ON THE RIGHT:  TINY SLICE OF KATHY, KERRY,JOCELYN, MYLES, STIRLING, CRAIG, AUNTY DOROTHY, UNCLE DAVE, ME, MONTE, DREW, EMILY, (ANNE INVISIBLE) APRIL, KEVIN, DOROTHY, AINSLEY AND ELISE.

APRIL GOOFING OFF WITH LEELOO

THE STUNNING HOMAGE TO THE PILOT

ONE OF THE TRUCKS

APRIL AND MYLES WENT OUT AND SHE WENT CRAZY.  I STUCK HER IN MY SHIRT AND SQUEEZED HER

E

EARLY SUNRISE...AND THAT IS EXACTLY THE COLOUR THE WORLD WAS

THIS IS HOW THE DISHES GET DONE!!!

CRAIG AND KEVIN

THIS IS EMILY'S BOYFRIEND DREW WITH MONTE MAKING BRUNCH.  I WANT TO SAY A QUICK WORD HERE.  I AM PRETTY SURE, EVEN THOUGH EVERYONE KNOWS MONTE IS DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM AND TOURETTES, I AM PRETTY SURE THERE WAS THE ODD PERSON IN THE GROUP THAT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANT AND JUDGED HIM ACCORDINGLY.  HE DID COME AWAY PRETTY HURT BY CERTAIN THINGS.  BUT DREW AND EMILY WERE UTTERLY AMAZING WITH HIM.  THEY TOOK THE TIME TO VISIT WITH HIM AND DREW INVITED HIM TO HELP HIM MAKE BRUNCH.  IT WAS TRULY THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP FOR MONTE.  AND EMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A WONDERFUL FRIEND TO HIM...FAR MORE THAN JUST A COUSIN.  AS HIS MOTHER AND THE ONE WHO LIVES WITH HIM, I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO ANYONE THAT TREATS HIM WITH RESPECT AND KINDNESS.  THERE ARE TIMES I FEEL I NEED TO CARRY AROUND THE DIAGNOSIS HE RECEIVED FROM THE PSYCHIATRIST  ON A PAPER REPORT.  MAYBE THAT WOULD HELP.  I KNOW I AVOID TAKING HIM TO A PEOPLY GATHERING BUT THIS TIME HE HAD TO COME FOR THE STORAGE UNIT.  IT'S FUNNY HOW HE KNOWS HE IS 'DIFFERENT' BUT STILL GETS HURT.  GO FIGURE.  POOR GUY.

 

IT'S DONE!!!

 Well Kevin, Elise, April, Myles, Monte and I all converged on the storage unit.  OMG!!  What an emotionally exhausting endeavour that was.  Initially I had thought Monte and I could do it but there would have been no way.  I would have walked in there, looked around, started crying and walked away.

There was trouble to begin with.  It occurred to me in the middle of the night that I had picked up my keys at home last thing, and made the fateful decision to leave them home as I have no van key on them.  But guess what is on them.  The keys to the storage unit lock.  Effadoodle!!!!!  So before we could even begin we had go to Princess auto and buy bolt cutters.  

I have a wooden sturdy round large container...like an oversized hat box.  I plunked myself down onto it.  Elise, an amazing helper!, would hand me the next box and I would sort through it.  She worked like a trojan!!!  And she slung the heaviest boxes around like a pro!

About the tenth box I opened had my native statues in it!!!!  I was so relieved and happy!  In fact there was quite a bit of native art.  I think I may keep this stuff.  Every box was such a huge reminder of Bill.  Most of the stuff I kept of his I am so glad I did.  One thing I kept is a lovely carryon size roller suitcase...full of his RCMP uniforms.  In another box we came across, randomly, a wee red shoe.  It was Jennifer's when she was tiny.  I never could find the other shoe but I have always kept that one.

  Myles or Kevin, I can't remember which one figured I threw out about half the storage unit.  As Kerry put it when I put that stuff in there I was just kicking the job down the road!  A good way to put it.

But it is all done now.  The storage unit was completely empty and clean.

Now let me tell you about the tetrising job Kevin did packing the van! Omg!!!  It is literally packed tight  to the tits.  The last thing to go in was Bill's stuffed fish!!!  It is laying across the top of the tightly ingeniously packed boxes right up at the roof. And all the stuff is coming to my house.  Sigh.  (shovel list). We do have a storage room fairly empty that we will put all the boxes in.  And from there I will sort again...maybe.....some day. 

 I gave April all the pics which I don't think she wanted as she has zero room for them all.  But she picked up an old old photo album with pics of Bill and his family going way back, and she says 'I am taking this.  Mom will just lose it.' or something like that.  Well fine then...you can be the keeper of all the pics.  Hah!!!  The only reason we still have all those hundreds of pictures is because they were not in organized albums, they were all in boxes in the cold room downstairs in the big house.  The one that burned down.  But the cold room was made of cement, did not burn and everything in there was perfectly safe.  

Today is turkey day.  There are a lot of people here.  Kerry, Kathy, the three girls, Drew (Emily's squeeze..awesome guy), Jo and Craig, Ainsley and Stirling, Auntie Dorothy and Uncle Dave from Seattle.  Uncle Dave turns 100 next summer and Auntie Dorothy is just about 90.  They are so vibrant and amazing.   He actually worked up until he was 94.  He was a psychoanalyst.  And Monte, April and Myles.  And they have an enormous table so we can actually all sit down to dinner together.  And believe it or not...we all get along super well.  No fights...no angst of any sort.  Lots of laughter and eating!!!  

The storage unit only took two hours.  Many hands and all that.  So around one in the afternoon they all headed towards Tunkwa Lake above Savana for a weiner roast.  Monte and I stayed behind.  I was totally knackered.  I am still battling the leftovers of the virus I had on the boat.  We are pretty sure it was covid.  Dorothy, Kathy's Dorothy, also had the same thing and is having trouble totally shaking it.  I did NOT feel well so I sat in the rocking chair, had a wee snooze and watched BritBox.  Monte stayed behind too.  His brain needed defragging so he had a nice long nap.

Now it is early early morning and I am waiting to hear people milling about so I can go upstairs and get a coffee.  Time to get this day started!!!

TFL.  TTYL

pics in a couple of days

MORE PLANS AFOOT

 More packing to do.  I am looking at my open suitcase on the couch.  There isn't even an inch in my bedroom to put it, unless I don't want to sleep in my bed.  I could put it on the bed.

I really need to sort out the summer clothes and get them packed away.  As I said before they are unworn and clean.  Then I need to repack it for the trip to Kamloops.  I don't know why this seems like such a chore.

I am sitting in my 'Fraser's Dad'sesque' recliner, complete with big hole (duck tape actually does not stick to recliners) looking at boxes of Halloween candy spread around on the floor.  Plus an Amazon box full of things for Ainsley and Stirling, and garbage and shoes.  Honestly anyone else would just be disgusted if their place ended up like mine seems to always end up.  (shovel list).

But...my kitchen is organized and clean and my dining room is all clean and table clear.  All I have to do is put the candy out of sight, pack a few things I want to take to Kamloops and empty my suitcase.  I will feel much better after that.

I think I am feeling guilty because I did fish out the bagged Mars Bars from a full box of candy that has nuts in it, thus the bagged mars.  I have been sneaking the odd teeny tiny Mars Bar.  Ohhhhhh they are so good.  My all time fave bar.  Always has been!  I'm not checking my blood sugar tonight.

So on Thursday we are on our way to Vancouver.  We are staying in the hotel we always stay in in North van.  Monte is going to a concert downtown that night with his friends Nordio and Graeme.  He will be coming back to the hotel and in the morning we will be leaving for Kamloops.  Busy week end happening up there.  Clearing out a storage unit, packing the van, trip to the dump, turkey dinner at Kathy's Sunday, on Monday Monte and I will finish up the unit and I really want some time to visit Anne.  I asked Kathy if I could invite Anne to dinner and she very graciously agreed.  

It will be a big crowd up there.  April and Myles, Kevin and family, Kathy's three girls and significant others, grand children, an ancient uncle and aunt from Seattle and Anne.  There is a hot dog roast happening on Saturday but I think Monte and I will have to take a miss on that one.  The whole purpose of going up there is to empty the unit.

One of my goals is to find the four carved native statues that were on Bill's funeral table.  I am dearly hoping they are in the storage unit.  I will put a pic below and if anyone of my family has seen them let me know.  Those carvings are the one thing of Bill's I really really want.

  I am also looking for a stained glass lamp I have always had in my kitchens.  I know it is in there.  I should really give it to Aryn...it is orange, her fave colour!

She had a friendsgiving last night.  She had fourteen people for turkey dinner with all the trimmings and more.  April and Myles were there and April said it was an amazing dinner and the most fun time.  It was a vintage theme so they all dressed accordingly and April said the music was fantastic!  Old school jazz and I think Bradley did a dj stint.  What fun!!!

What made me think of this is that they sent me a picture of the set table.  Half the table was vintage Wedgwood dinner plates and the other half was Noritake Nanking.  Both were Bill's and my dishes  originally.  I was one of the rare people with a daughter that actually really wanted them.  I couldn't pack them around with me, just wasn't practical so they have been passed to Arnie.  I am so grateful to have a kid that actually loves them.  So many of us boomers are getting rid of their precious dinner sets because their kids are simply not interested.  Times have changed.  Those dishes were in storage but now they see the light of day occasionally.  I will see if I can put a pic of the table setting below.

KATHY'S DOROTHY, ARNIE, APRIL, MYLES

Well thats it for today.  TFL and TTYL

=

 

A BEAUTIFUL TABLE

THE CARVINGS ARE ON THE RIGHT....TWO ARE OUT OF SIGHT..IF THEY AREN'T IN THE UNIT THEN SOMEONE HAS THEM...NEFARIOUSLY

THEY SAY HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

 Since arriving home and conversing with friends and family, I have been on the receiving end of a lot of sympathy for my ten days of sickness on our sixteen day cruise.  People have been so kind and caring, I have sucked it up and appreciated it all, except....

Time for honesty.  That cruise was one of the best cruises I have ever had and there have been a lot of them.  In retrospect I absolutely loved the lounging around in pjs, watching awesome tv and reading my many ebooks....taking advantage of free room service, even if it was sub standard.  I fortunately am not overly picky.  A tuna sandwich made with dry bread is still a tuna sandwich.  I didn't have to get dressed, the bathroom was ten steps away, Monte occasionally would show up with an awesome loaded plate of food from the buffet, once a day a lovely Filipino man would come in and clean the room, change the towels and sheets and take away dishes and garbage.  What on earth could be wrong about any of that I ask!?

Granted I will admit I felt super sick and coughed and sneezed my brains out.  I was doing a lot of holding my eyeballs in my head with my fingers but it was still a true holiday.

Thinking back over my recent life I find I am very much a fan of sitting around in my recliner, busy on my laptop reading or writing.  I spent many many years running around like a beheaded chicken from babies to teenagers to work to cooking and cleaning and teaching teens to drive to....well you name it!  It is time to sit and enjoy my sedentary life with no guilt or shame! 

 And I will let you in on a personal secret...I hate walking/hiking.  I find it unmitigatedly boring.  Even if there was zero pain involved  and fantastical scenery, I would hate it.  I remember as a kid I despised our 'family' walks to distant lakes and up mountains and down logging roads.  At four years old I remember asking myself 'why? why are we walking here?'

So I love love loved reclining on a soft comfy bed surrounded by umpteen pillows, over 300 ebooks personally chosen for my perusal, all you awesome folks out there at my fingertips to talk with, endless amounts of fruit (the fruit plates from room service were the best thing ever), double espressos also at my fingertips...sigh.  Name me one thing wrong about this.  You can't?  Me neither!!!!  Lol!!!

TFL.  TTYL

ALL I CAN SEE IS HOW UGLY I HAVE TURNED OUT TO BE!!!!  HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!  SO MUCH LESS WORK EVERY MORNING WHEN MAKEUP DOESN'T HELP SO YOU STOP PUTTING IT ON.  HALLELUJAH!!!!!

HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN JIGGITY JIG

Well we are home again safe and sound.  Other than being sick it was a great trip.  Every trip I take I come home with an overall super like of something and an overall super dislike.  This time I came home super liking margaritas!  With salty as heck rims and on the rocks.  Limey and delicious...ohhhh I want one right now!!!!  I could easily be a drunky on those things!

And I came home with an overwhelming dislike of slow vacuous old people.  The cruise this time was overloaded with them, a lot of them with wheels.  Two things I am glad about...my wheelchair/walker broke and I could not join the parade of wheels on the boat, and the fact that I had to spend ten of the of the sixteen days in my room, away from all those creeping people.  The other thing is due to the age group of the majority, pretty much all of them on meds that cause the runs, the bathrooms were always lined up.  And there is nothing slower than an old lady in the loo. 

 I am not there....yet.  I can go into a bathroom and from shut the door to throwing the paper towel I dried my hands on in to the garbage by the door as I exit is approximately 45 seconds.  Some of those wrinklies are up to five minutes.  Or more.

I try not to talk too much about Floppy.  I have actually unfriended people on Facebook who have attained a new pet and you end up getting a million endless pics and antidotes about their new addition.

But let me tell you when we got home that dog went crazy!!!  He actually in his excitement put my hand in his mouth and started to clamp down!  I did an almighty yank!  Out of all my endless line of dogs over the years I have never had a welcome back like that one.  That one was EPIC!!!!!

All the stuff is still in the van.  Monte is sick and in bed.  I can't lift the stuff to bring it in.  If it weren't raining I would start bringing in armfuls of clothes!  The suitcase is pretty much full of all summer stuff, most of it clean and not worn since I did laundry.  I spent most of the trip in pjs.  So those clothes are going straight into storage for next summer.  With my luck we will have a four week hot hot hot spell.  One last kick at summer and all I have are me long johns and heavy sweaters out!!!!

Alrighty I have to get busy.  I need to buy new underwear.  On Amazon.  And I need to make a blistering review about that stupid walker before another wrinkly buys one and gets dumped out.  TFL and TTYL