I had a really tough time sleeping on Friday night because Ev is still getting over his cold and so, well, there's no easy way of saying it...he's snoring. Really bad. So I finally switched beds and tried my luck downstairs. I think I hit the hay at 230hrs. He was off to work early Saturday and I was up by 730hrs. I wanted to get an early start on my day as I had a million and one things to get done. Around 830hrs, I came downstairs to switch the laundry around and I swore I heard Ev's truck outside. Gotta love a diesel. So I open the front door and peak my head out and sure enough, he's home. This can't be good. And then I see how slowly he's moving - painfully. Ah, yes. there are now two people in our household with injured backs. I am still dealing with my issues from over a month ago.
So, we got him propped up in the bed. Pillows - check. TV Controls - check. King Cole Tea - check. The SNUGGLER (Ernie) - check. DRUGS - PRICELESS! Of course, the drugs only added to the snoring so how I started my day, I ended it. Time for me to reciprocate his kindness toward me when I was completely down and out.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Really? Could it have been 3 weeks since I posted something.....anything?
I don't know where the time is going. Before you know it, Christmas is going to be here. In my own defense, it has been a busy three weeks. We've been furniture shopping which has taken us to Summerside (west of us), PEI and Montague (east of us), PEI twice. And miracle of all miracles, I, yes I, actually made a decision. Believe me, it was not easy! Decorating is not an easy thing. I know what I like but I'm not great about pulling an entire look together. We certainly have the bulk of our furniture but we did sell off our old couches from our family room before we moved to the North so we definitely needed to fill our basement. As for the rest of it, it's the finishing touches we seem to be missing. Window coverings....what to do? Blinds, shades, curtains? Art on the walls. Lamps. While I love some of the Northern art we bought, it isn't going to cut it in a seaside (almost) home. Good news is, I think we are officially unpacked and 99.9% of the stuff has found a home, even if it is just stashed away. The one thing I will definitely admit, we are in desperate need of a garage sale but it's just not the best time to get it done so it'll have to wait until the Spring.
What else has been keeping me busy....hmm....I've spent some time out in the garden clearing it for the Fall. Two beds down and one to go. The weather has been phenomenal. It's 13 degrees right now and it's only 900hrs! I've had time to visit both our local library and the one downtown and am fast planning a garden or two in my head. I've been reading up on "Lasagna Gardening", particularly for small spaces. It's a method of gardening where you don't actually dig your bed. You start by placing a layer of wet newspaper on your future garden sight and then place layers of compost, peat, mulch, grass clippings on top of it. You continue to stack it until you've reached your desired height and then it "cooks" down. When you plant, again, you don't have to dig. You basically part your layers and place your plants in and it is supposed to not only simplify the planting process (no digging...aka, not having to ask the hubby for help), it also eliminates weeding. Yeah! As time goes by, you just continue to add more layers. Ideally the time to start prepping is now, but I'm not organized enough to get on with it yet. Still haven't figured out where to get mulch and peat. But the leaves....I don't have to go far for those. There are leaves everywhere! I've also been doing a bit of research on what plants do well here. No need to worry about the deer eating your entire garden here. There are no deer on the island. I've found a great blog written by a woman who has the most amazing garden I have ever seen. I'm going to have to figure out where it is so I can see it in person.
I have been doing a bit of knitting at night time. Nothing big. Just a couple of small projects. A pair of heavy wool socks for Ev, a toque for myself, and a helmet liner for Ev.
As for the rest of my time, it appears to be eaten up by tending the boys - two walks a day, messing up, then cleaning my house (I know my parents are laughing right now), getting caught up on some household paper work (bills) and just getting final details of the move settled (expense claims for the move & damage claims..argh!). Doing my wifely duties and then crashing out at night. As we have no couch with a TV placed in front of it, I spend my evenings watching TV from the comfort of my NEST, um, bed. I can't wait for those couches to get here!
What I'm guilty of is neglecting a few friends. So I apologize to those that are wondering where the heck I have disappeared to. I'll be back. Promise!
Ernie spends his day chasing sunrays around the house. I'd swear he's part cat. Here he is on the stairs trying to squish in the last minutes of the sun before it leaves his resting place.
He's faced quite the dilemma. Most of you know that he is attached to my hip which has made the unpacking process a nightmare. He is not content to just sit in one spot. He ALWAYS has to be where I am. So every trip I make up or down the stairs, he makes - even when I command him *cough, cough* to stay. Well, the other day I was upstairs settling my office/craftroom away and he was completely torn. Now that he'd discovered this idyllic little perch, he was reluctant to leave it but his separation anxiety got the best of him. For two hours, he would stand in the sunny spot, glaring at the top of the stairs, willing me to present myself. About every five minutes or so he'd run up the stairs, hunt me down, make eye contact and then run back down and resume his standing position. Seriously?! The dog needs drugs!
What else has been keeping me busy....hmm....I've spent some time out in the garden clearing it for the Fall. Two beds down and one to go. The weather has been phenomenal. It's 13 degrees right now and it's only 900hrs! I've had time to visit both our local library and the one downtown and am fast planning a garden or two in my head. I've been reading up on "Lasagna Gardening", particularly for small spaces. It's a method of gardening where you don't actually dig your bed. You start by placing a layer of wet newspaper on your future garden sight and then place layers of compost, peat, mulch, grass clippings on top of it. You continue to stack it until you've reached your desired height and then it "cooks" down. When you plant, again, you don't have to dig. You basically part your layers and place your plants in and it is supposed to not only simplify the planting process (no digging...aka, not having to ask the hubby for help), it also eliminates weeding. Yeah! As time goes by, you just continue to add more layers. Ideally the time to start prepping is now, but I'm not organized enough to get on with it yet. Still haven't figured out where to get mulch and peat. But the leaves....I don't have to go far for those. There are leaves everywhere! I've also been doing a bit of research on what plants do well here. No need to worry about the deer eating your entire garden here. There are no deer on the island. I've found a great blog written by a woman who has the most amazing garden I have ever seen. I'm going to have to figure out where it is so I can see it in person.
I have been doing a bit of knitting at night time. Nothing big. Just a couple of small projects. A pair of heavy wool socks for Ev, a toque for myself, and a helmet liner for Ev.
As for the rest of my time, it appears to be eaten up by tending the boys - two walks a day, messing up, then cleaning my house (I know my parents are laughing right now), getting caught up on some household paper work (bills) and just getting final details of the move settled (expense claims for the move & damage claims..argh!). Doing my wifely duties and then crashing out at night. As we have no couch with a TV placed in front of it, I spend my evenings watching TV from the comfort of my NEST, um, bed. I can't wait for those couches to get here!
What I'm guilty of is neglecting a few friends. So I apologize to those that are wondering where the heck I have disappeared to. I'll be back. Promise!
Ernie spends his day chasing sunrays around the house. I'd swear he's part cat. Here he is on the stairs trying to squish in the last minutes of the sun before it leaves his resting place.
He's faced quite the dilemma. Most of you know that he is attached to my hip which has made the unpacking process a nightmare. He is not content to just sit in one spot. He ALWAYS has to be where I am. So every trip I make up or down the stairs, he makes - even when I command him *cough, cough* to stay. Well, the other day I was upstairs settling my office/craftroom away and he was completely torn. Now that he'd discovered this idyllic little perch, he was reluctant to leave it but his separation anxiety got the best of him. For two hours, he would stand in the sunny spot, glaring at the top of the stairs, willing me to present myself. About every five minutes or so he'd run up the stairs, hunt me down, make eye contact and then run back down and resume his standing position. Seriously?! The dog needs drugs!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
What a day!
I got up around 8:30, took the dogs out for a pee, brushed my teeth, made coffee, quickly checked emails, trimmed Ernie up a bit, bathed & blowdryed him and quickly got myself ready and out the door to the vets we go. I spend an hour with the vets and leave Ernie there for more tests and they tell me to call at 3:15.
I then drive home to meet up with Ev so we can go out. I pick up the mail. We stop by the previous owner's of our house to exchange some mail and off we go again. We head back into town to our insurance agent to insure my car & our utility trailer and get some information about our house insurance.
We then drive to Access PEI where we register all three vehicles & get plates and exchange our old driver's licenses for PEI licenses.
We go out to the parking lot where I call the vet...it's 3:30. He's done. So I drive there and Ev goes home to get ready for work. Once I get there, I take some ibuprofen because I feel a killer headache coming on. I meet with the vet to discuss Ernie's situation which only leaves me more confused. They prescribed some ointment for his rash and I head back out to the front to settle up the account, wait for the prescription to be filled and book a return visit for a month.
Out we go, drive home. I see Ev didn't have a chance to make himself a lunch but notice he stopped at Sobey's on his way home so I'm guessing he picked himself up a sandwich or something from there to take to work. I feed the boys. Walk the boys. Send Ev an email. It's 5:45 and then it dawns on me...I haven't eaten a thing all day. No wonder I had a headache. I heat up some borscht that's in the fridge and finally sit down to eat.
Once I'm done I send Ev an email at work to call me to discuss what the vet said and he informs he didn't take or buy anything for dinner that he's going to come home and....wait for it....eat the soup....that I just ate! Oops.
I then drive home to meet up with Ev so we can go out. I pick up the mail. We stop by the previous owner's of our house to exchange some mail and off we go again. We head back into town to our insurance agent to insure my car & our utility trailer and get some information about our house insurance.
We then drive to Access PEI where we register all three vehicles & get plates and exchange our old driver's licenses for PEI licenses.
We go out to the parking lot where I call the vet...it's 3:30. He's done. So I drive there and Ev goes home to get ready for work. Once I get there, I take some ibuprofen because I feel a killer headache coming on. I meet with the vet to discuss Ernie's situation which only leaves me more confused. They prescribed some ointment for his rash and I head back out to the front to settle up the account, wait for the prescription to be filled and book a return visit for a month.
Out we go, drive home. I see Ev didn't have a chance to make himself a lunch but notice he stopped at Sobey's on his way home so I'm guessing he picked himself up a sandwich or something from there to take to work. I feed the boys. Walk the boys. Send Ev an email. It's 5:45 and then it dawns on me...I haven't eaten a thing all day. No wonder I had a headache. I heat up some borscht that's in the fridge and finally sit down to eat.
Once I'm done I send Ev an email at work to call me to discuss what the vet said and he informs he didn't take or buy anything for dinner that he's going to come home and....wait for it....eat the soup....that I just ate! Oops.
Monday, October 26, 2009
I am a bad doggy-mama!
OMG! I am such a bad doggy-mama! Everytime I take Rookie for a walk by myself at the park next door, as soon as I take him off leash he bee-lines it toward the grass and trees. Not sure what keeps catching his interest - other dogs, squirrels, foxes? But it is nose to the ground and off he goes. Well, after he gets about 100 yards away, he suddenly realizes I am not there and even though I am in direct line of sight, his vision is so bad that he can't see me, even when I'm jumping up and down doing jumping jacks. He whips his head left, then right and then I think he's looking right at me but there is no recognition and panic sets in. He starts running, and most of the time he runs close enough to where I am that I eventually get his attention and the relief is palpable.
Well today while Ernie and I continued down the path I kept glancing back at Rookie. After he sniffed whatever he's sniffing and rolled in the grass, he stood up, shook off and then, once again, the terror sets in and he starts running. Unfortunately it was at the same time that Ernie decided to do a "big job" and he was running the wrong direction...back toward home. So I start running after him, clapping my hands, leaving Ernie easy pickings for any foxes watching from the nearby woods. As soon as Ernie saw me running he starts chasing me, not having completely finished the task at hand. As I neared Rookie (thank goodness he doesn't run very fast anymore) he finally heard me clapping and turned around.
Now if that doesn't prove me a bad doggy-mama, this sure will. It has been just over a month since Ernie was diagnosed with kidney failure. He goes back to the vet tomorrow to have some tests completed to see if the meds he is on are making any difference. Well, Ev and I have been so busy unpacking and then had company for a week that I have not been snuggling Ernie like I usually do. If I had been, I would have noticed that he has broken out in sores and bruises all over his belly. I found a sore on his back on Friday but last night he was boinking around wanting to get up on my lap. I picked him up and flipped him on his back like you would hold a baby. As I started scritching his belly, I noticed a big bruise like sore on his belly. Then I noticed another sore, and another and another. The more I looked the more I found. There must be about 6 of them in different stages of healing. OMG! My poor little baby. Of course I googled the medication and its side effects and sure enough, skin eruptions are a side effect. Well, shame on me for having my head in the sand. And thank goodness he goes back to the vets tomorrow.
I'll keep ya posted!
Well today while Ernie and I continued down the path I kept glancing back at Rookie. After he sniffed whatever he's sniffing and rolled in the grass, he stood up, shook off and then, once again, the terror sets in and he starts running. Unfortunately it was at the same time that Ernie decided to do a "big job" and he was running the wrong direction...back toward home. So I start running after him, clapping my hands, leaving Ernie easy pickings for any foxes watching from the nearby woods. As soon as Ernie saw me running he starts chasing me, not having completely finished the task at hand. As I neared Rookie (thank goodness he doesn't run very fast anymore) he finally heard me clapping and turned around.
Now if that doesn't prove me a bad doggy-mama, this sure will. It has been just over a month since Ernie was diagnosed with kidney failure. He goes back to the vet tomorrow to have some tests completed to see if the meds he is on are making any difference. Well, Ev and I have been so busy unpacking and then had company for a week that I have not been snuggling Ernie like I usually do. If I had been, I would have noticed that he has broken out in sores and bruises all over his belly. I found a sore on his back on Friday but last night he was boinking around wanting to get up on my lap. I picked him up and flipped him on his back like you would hold a baby. As I started scritching his belly, I noticed a big bruise like sore on his belly. Then I noticed another sore, and another and another. The more I looked the more I found. There must be about 6 of them in different stages of healing. OMG! My poor little baby. Of course I googled the medication and its side effects and sure enough, skin eruptions are a side effect. Well, shame on me for having my head in the sand. And thank goodness he goes back to the vets tomorrow.
I'll keep ya posted!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Some pictures from the past weeks adventures
North Rustico, PEI
Red Cliffs at Cavendish Beach, PEI
Cavendish Beach, PEI
Cavendish Beach, Prince Edward Island
My pal Deb @ Cavendish Beach
Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
More Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
Ernie does Peggy's Cove
Ernie bearing down so he doesn't get blown away in the wind!
Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick...home of the highest tides in the world.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Where is it that I got this sense of direction...or lack thereof
and when am I going to get this town figured out?
My childhood friend arrives today from Vancouver and it's up to me to show her PEI and probably the rest of the Maritimes, but how am I supposed to do that if I don't know where I'm going? Ev gets off at midnight tonight and I have to pick Deb up around the same time so we decided I should go in to work with him today and then pick him up after I pick up Deb. No problem right?
Well it would be no problem if I would have dropped him off and then come home but I decided to drop him off and do a bit of running around...and now I have no idea how to get to his work? I have completely forgotten.
It seems I am able to get from Point A to Point B to Point C but the minute I add anything into the middle of that mix and have to get back on route I am hooped? And that damned GPS...well it isn't helping me. It just confuses me because it can't make up its own mind.
I can hardly wait to hear Deb laughing at my idiocy when I pick her up and can't figure out how to get to Ev's work. He may be taking a buffalo cab home;)
My childhood friend arrives today from Vancouver and it's up to me to show her PEI and probably the rest of the Maritimes, but how am I supposed to do that if I don't know where I'm going? Ev gets off at midnight tonight and I have to pick Deb up around the same time so we decided I should go in to work with him today and then pick him up after I pick up Deb. No problem right?
Well it would be no problem if I would have dropped him off and then come home but I decided to drop him off and do a bit of running around...and now I have no idea how to get to his work? I have completely forgotten.
It seems I am able to get from Point A to Point B to Point C but the minute I add anything into the middle of that mix and have to get back on route I am hooped? And that damned GPS...well it isn't helping me. It just confuses me because it can't make up its own mind.
I can hardly wait to hear Deb laughing at my idiocy when I pick her up and can't figure out how to get to Ev's work. He may be taking a buffalo cab home;)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
We are back....
We arrived home several hours ago from our friend's wedding. We left on Friday and went to Moncton, New Brunswick to do some shopping and then drove to Nova Scotia on Saturday. The drive to Moncton was spectacular. The Fall colours are breathtaking. Funny, someone on facebook told me to post lots of photos and I commented that my photo ops are dictated by the chauffeur. The reply back from a third party was 'get used to it and just point and shoot'. Well she doesn't have any idea how true that is. We took a bit of a detour because Ev is still looking for a vehicle for himself so we went to Bouctouche, NB to look at something he found. Since we didn't have the exact address, we finally had to pull over to consult the GPS and I was overjoyed that I had a brief photo op...except until the batteries on my camera died...after only 2 shots! We still haven't found our charger in our unpacking so I was out of luck until we could buy some new disposable ones.
Once we arrived in Moncton, it was all about shopping. Furniture mostly. And then we went right into downtown Moncton for dinner. I know I said it before, but I will reiterate, New Brunswick is amazingly beautiful. While my allegiance remains with PEI (and of course, BC) New Brunswick is one of the most spectacular places I have ever visited.
Friday late afternoon the rain started. And it poured and poured. When we got up Saturday, the rain continued. The entire drive from Moncton to Kentville, we could barely see the road and we commiserated for our friends on their special day.
On a side note here, the area that our friends got married in was the area we were meant to be transferred to originally so it was doubly exciting for us to see where we might have ended up. We even took a drive by the house that we had fallen in love with online and discovered, as is the disadvantage of looking at real estate online, that it was perched at the top of a very, very steep hill and the lot was much, much smaller than it appeared in the photos. Photography can be so tricky! It still warmed our hearts to see it in person. The other endearing thing we discovered in Kentville was that it goes by "Home of the Pumpkin People". There are Pumpkin People everywhere! Picture a scarecrow, of sorts, and replace the head with a pumpkin. Actually, most of them are dressed in normal street clothes and partaking in such things as soccer, curling, hockey, farming...you name it. Here are a couple of links:
http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-386952-Proliferation-of-Pumpkin-People-line-streets-of-Kentville.html
http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=kentville%20pumpkin%20people&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
It reminded me of when Ev & I drove to Tofino, where & when we got engaged. As we were driving through the Cathedral Forest there were all of these carved pumpkins hidden throughout the forest - behind trees, in trees, on rock cliffs - anywhere and everywhere.
Back to the wedding - as the day progressed, it continued to pour rain. The ceremony was to begin at 4:30 and even when we got into to car to drive out to the Berwick Heights Golf Club, it was still raining. But miracle of all miracles, as we arrived the rain stopped and while we waited for the ceremony to begin, the sky brightened!
Their ceremony and reception were both held at the Golf Club and let me tell you how absolutely amazing it was. The club sits high above the course so as the happy couple were saying their vows, you could see the magnificent fall colours showing in the distant background. The clubhouse was decorated in roses, lilies, cranberries, all complementing the surrounding landscape. How beautiful! I do have some pictures - by request I can't post any of the bride and groom, but I will of the background...in a bit...once I'm out of bed. I'll get to that later.
The evening was filled with a lot of laughter and love and just warmed your heart to be in the presence of two families that were so proud of their loved ones and shared in their happiness. What was a bit funny - since they both met up North - J worked with Ev and Christie is a nurse, there were very few people there that have had the honour to spend time with them as a couple. For a lot of those attending the wedding, it was the first time they'd met the other half of the couple, where Ev & I have spent many nights sitting around with them, having great chats and lots of laughs.
The food was magnificent as well. While they left to have their pictures taken, they served hors d'oeuvres. Prawns, smoked salmon provided by J's dad, Indian vegetables with tamarind sauce, roasted vegetables in pastry with goat cheese...num...num! Dinner was salmon baked on a plank, rib eye medallions with mushroom ragout, garlic mashed potatoes (not the ones out of the box like J loves). Dessert was a chocolate cheesecake with coconut and oatmeal crust served with fresh berries and a rum sauce. How could anyone top that? It was a fabulous evening and we would have stayed much longer if we didn't have the dogs sitting in the hotel room. We packed it in somewhere around 11pm.
As we started to walk to the car, I started feeling like a bit of a cold was coming on and it seemed to get worse as we drove the 25 minutes to the hotel. Throughout the night it continued to get worse. On top of that, my back has been giving me some issues. It has not been right for months but with all of the unpacking and moving, it has really been taking a beating and it has now decided to give out on me....combined with a somewhat stressful drive home today, I am now confined to bed with 4 pillows behind me and 2 under my legs.
The stress, you ask? Well, I am supposed to be the navigator but I do not live up to my mother's expertise. I plugged our address into the GPS and confirmed it was following the highway I wanted, as opposed to the back road we took through Nova Scotia. There is a difference between fastest and shortest route!
We both commented when we saw the sign for Pictou County which is where my Dad's family emmigrated to. It just didn't dawn on me at the time that this was not how we came into Nova Scotia...that is until I saw a sign that said PEI ferry....and then it was too late! My navigation skills had failed and instead of heading to the Confederation Bridge, we had driven to the ferry. Needless to say, the chauffeur was disappointed, at the least. Good news is that we just made the ferry crossing and literally drove right on without even putting the car into park. The crossing takes about 75 minutes. The only thing was that Ev went up above to smoke and I sat down below and overheard someone say we were on the ferry to Pictou Island - not PEI! How was I going to break this news to Ev who was already not my biggest fan. I approached, head hung low, back seizing with every passing minute and gave him the news and the disappointment was apparent. Not only had I completely failed my mother, I have failed my husband.
He headed inside to find an employee while I tried to find somewhere private so when he came back and I had a breakdown that no one would bear witness to it. I saw him chatting with the woman and then stoically approached me while I braced myself. "No.", he said. We are on the right ferry! Well thank God! But the tears still came. A different kind. Relief.
Unforunately, my back did not partake in the relief and seized as we drove home. Within 20 minutes of being home, I was lying on the floor with Ev attempting to stretch it, to no avail. I was hopelessly stuck on the floor with tears streaming down my face. Eventually, with his assistance, I was able to get to my feet and make it to the bed where I lie now...with Ernie snoring by my side, doped up on pain meds and muscle relaxants, 4 pillows behind me, 2 under my knees, an icepack on my back and my husband spoiling me rotten bringing me miso soup for dinner, hot chocolate for my stuffy head and now lying on the bed keeping me company. I guess he still loves me despite my bad navigational skills!
Once we arrived in Moncton, it was all about shopping. Furniture mostly. And then we went right into downtown Moncton for dinner. I know I said it before, but I will reiterate, New Brunswick is amazingly beautiful. While my allegiance remains with PEI (and of course, BC) New Brunswick is one of the most spectacular places I have ever visited.
Friday late afternoon the rain started. And it poured and poured. When we got up Saturday, the rain continued. The entire drive from Moncton to Kentville, we could barely see the road and we commiserated for our friends on their special day.
On a side note here, the area that our friends got married in was the area we were meant to be transferred to originally so it was doubly exciting for us to see where we might have ended up. We even took a drive by the house that we had fallen in love with online and discovered, as is the disadvantage of looking at real estate online, that it was perched at the top of a very, very steep hill and the lot was much, much smaller than it appeared in the photos. Photography can be so tricky! It still warmed our hearts to see it in person. The other endearing thing we discovered in Kentville was that it goes by "Home of the Pumpkin People". There are Pumpkin People everywhere! Picture a scarecrow, of sorts, and replace the head with a pumpkin. Actually, most of them are dressed in normal street clothes and partaking in such things as soccer, curling, hockey, farming...you name it. Here are a couple of links:
http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-386952-Proliferation-of-Pumpkin-People-line-streets-of-Kentville.html
http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=kentville%20pumpkin%20people&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
It reminded me of when Ev & I drove to Tofino, where & when we got engaged. As we were driving through the Cathedral Forest there were all of these carved pumpkins hidden throughout the forest - behind trees, in trees, on rock cliffs - anywhere and everywhere.
Back to the wedding - as the day progressed, it continued to pour rain. The ceremony was to begin at 4:30 and even when we got into to car to drive out to the Berwick Heights Golf Club, it was still raining. But miracle of all miracles, as we arrived the rain stopped and while we waited for the ceremony to begin, the sky brightened!
Their ceremony and reception were both held at the Golf Club and let me tell you how absolutely amazing it was. The club sits high above the course so as the happy couple were saying their vows, you could see the magnificent fall colours showing in the distant background. The clubhouse was decorated in roses, lilies, cranberries, all complementing the surrounding landscape. How beautiful! I do have some pictures - by request I can't post any of the bride and groom, but I will of the background...in a bit...once I'm out of bed. I'll get to that later.
The evening was filled with a lot of laughter and love and just warmed your heart to be in the presence of two families that were so proud of their loved ones and shared in their happiness. What was a bit funny - since they both met up North - J worked with Ev and Christie is a nurse, there were very few people there that have had the honour to spend time with them as a couple. For a lot of those attending the wedding, it was the first time they'd met the other half of the couple, where Ev & I have spent many nights sitting around with them, having great chats and lots of laughs.
The food was magnificent as well. While they left to have their pictures taken, they served hors d'oeuvres. Prawns, smoked salmon provided by J's dad, Indian vegetables with tamarind sauce, roasted vegetables in pastry with goat cheese...num...num! Dinner was salmon baked on a plank, rib eye medallions with mushroom ragout, garlic mashed potatoes (not the ones out of the box like J loves). Dessert was a chocolate cheesecake with coconut and oatmeal crust served with fresh berries and a rum sauce. How could anyone top that? It was a fabulous evening and we would have stayed much longer if we didn't have the dogs sitting in the hotel room. We packed it in somewhere around 11pm.
As we started to walk to the car, I started feeling like a bit of a cold was coming on and it seemed to get worse as we drove the 25 minutes to the hotel. Throughout the night it continued to get worse. On top of that, my back has been giving me some issues. It has not been right for months but with all of the unpacking and moving, it has really been taking a beating and it has now decided to give out on me....combined with a somewhat stressful drive home today, I am now confined to bed with 4 pillows behind me and 2 under my legs.
The stress, you ask? Well, I am supposed to be the navigator but I do not live up to my mother's expertise. I plugged our address into the GPS and confirmed it was following the highway I wanted, as opposed to the back road we took through Nova Scotia. There is a difference between fastest and shortest route!
We both commented when we saw the sign for Pictou County which is where my Dad's family emmigrated to. It just didn't dawn on me at the time that this was not how we came into Nova Scotia...that is until I saw a sign that said PEI ferry....and then it was too late! My navigation skills had failed and instead of heading to the Confederation Bridge, we had driven to the ferry. Needless to say, the chauffeur was disappointed, at the least. Good news is that we just made the ferry crossing and literally drove right on without even putting the car into park. The crossing takes about 75 minutes. The only thing was that Ev went up above to smoke and I sat down below and overheard someone say we were on the ferry to Pictou Island - not PEI! How was I going to break this news to Ev who was already not my biggest fan. I approached, head hung low, back seizing with every passing minute and gave him the news and the disappointment was apparent. Not only had I completely failed my mother, I have failed my husband.
He headed inside to find an employee while I tried to find somewhere private so when he came back and I had a breakdown that no one would bear witness to it. I saw him chatting with the woman and then stoically approached me while I braced myself. "No.", he said. We are on the right ferry! Well thank God! But the tears still came. A different kind. Relief.
Unforunately, my back did not partake in the relief and seized as we drove home. Within 20 minutes of being home, I was lying on the floor with Ev attempting to stretch it, to no avail. I was hopelessly stuck on the floor with tears streaming down my face. Eventually, with his assistance, I was able to get to my feet and make it to the bed where I lie now...with Ernie snoring by my side, doped up on pain meds and muscle relaxants, 4 pillows behind me, 2 under my knees, an icepack on my back and my husband spoiling me rotten bringing me miso soup for dinner, hot chocolate for my stuffy head and now lying on the bed keeping me company. I guess he still loves me despite my bad navigational skills!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Today's F- Double-Ya.
This morning was beautiful. The sun was peaking through the clouds. No wind. Just calm. Since we could hear the mowers going at the park next door we decided to head to the other beach within walking distance.
This is the start of our walk. The beach is directly ahead. If you look close enough, there is an arch in the distance and you can see the water beyond it.
This face says it all. Although I'm not sure if he's happy because he just had such a great walk or that he actually made it home;)
This is the start of our walk. The beach is directly ahead. If you look close enough, there is an arch in the distance and you can see the water beyond it.
And when you arrive at the cliff's edge, this is the view. The tide was in so we couldn't get down to the beach. Tought to take, hey?
Then we start home. It's a small loop to return. Love, love, love this little tree covered road!
Just about home. That's our home and Ev's shop in the distance. Ernie and I are trailing behind.
This face says it all. Although I'm not sure if he's happy because he just had such a great walk or that he actually made it home;)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
I told you Ernie loves cows!
What can I say? The dog doesn't like sheep, he digs cows. No cows were injured during the making of this movie, however, Ernie's gimpy knee was responsible for his near catastrophic fall down the nether region between seat and door. Great recovery Noodles!
What goes around, comes around.
In follow up to yesterday morning's post, when Ev sat down to read the blog, all he had to do was read the title and the headshaking started. Well. All I have to say is what goes around, comes around.
He wasn't meant to start his shift until 5pm but decided to go in early and get a work-out in. I sat back and watched him prepare for his day. After packing for what seemed like hours, I wondered out loud, "Where are you going? Are you leaving me because you've packed up enough stuff to last you a week?" He had his uniform, work out clothes and and a lunch box. He packed one bag. Didn't fit. Packed another. Eventually he walked out the door.
About 5pm I sat down to do a little surfing on my laptop and some movement through the window catches my eye. There is Ev, wearing his civies and sheepishly tapping on the door. He walks in, head hung in shame. Seems he forgot part of his wardrobe. The most important part. Socks, undies and the required undershirt. There they were, neatly folded and placed on a chair in the living room.
So instead of me screwing up his 4th day at work by calling him out of his course to come open the door for me, he did it himself! Basically a good half an hour late for work! I wonder how embarrassing that was?
He wasn't meant to start his shift until 5pm but decided to go in early and get a work-out in. I sat back and watched him prepare for his day. After packing for what seemed like hours, I wondered out loud, "Where are you going? Are you leaving me because you've packed up enough stuff to last you a week?" He had his uniform, work out clothes and and a lunch box. He packed one bag. Didn't fit. Packed another. Eventually he walked out the door.
About 5pm I sat down to do a little surfing on my laptop and some movement through the window catches my eye. There is Ev, wearing his civies and sheepishly tapping on the door. He walks in, head hung in shame. Seems he forgot part of his wardrobe. The most important part. Socks, undies and the required undershirt. There they were, neatly folded and placed on a chair in the living room.
So instead of me screwing up his 4th day at work by calling him out of his course to come open the door for me, he did it himself! Basically a good half an hour late for work! I wonder how embarrassing that was?
Monday, October 5, 2009
You know when you comment out loud, we should hide a spare key outside somewhere....just in case!
Well you should heed your own advice...or at least I should.
It is pouring rain today bringing back fond memories of rainy days in Vancouver. Ev has a split shift as he had to go in for a course so he left at about 8:15 with a "I should be back around 1:00, 1:30ish." I set to work with visions of grandeur on all of the tasks I was going to accomplish. Oh yes, I was going to blow his socks off when he got home with all of the progress I planned on making. My task today - sort out all of my clothes - which is a whole other blog topic. I had several loads of laundry to do and I was also going to make homemade Doukhobor borscht.
I went upstairs and sorted some piles of clothes, made a couple of trips downstairs to bring up the last couple of boxes and around 9:30, I headed downstairs to switch over my laundry and fold the stuff from the dryer. All the time, I kept glancing outside for a break in the weather so I could take the boys for their morning walk. I won't lie. I crossed my mind that I should just attempt to encourage Rookie to do his business in the back yard but Ev tried that yesterday, without success.
You see, when Ev first moved to North Vancouver with Rookie, some 13 years ago, his landlady, Jill, didn't want pets in her basement suite but made an exception on the condition that Rookie not do his business in her back yard. So Ev trained Rookie to not do his business in the yard and we have never been able to break him of the habit. When we moved to our second house with our pal, Portia, she was not opposed to him doing a big job in the back yard. She actually had a company that came in and cleaned up the dog poop in the yard so we decided we might save ourselves at least one long walk a day and made an attempt to break Rookie of Ev's hard training. The only problem was Rookie was more determined than us. He held it in for 4 whole days. Occassionally he would make his signature helicopter turn indicating he was about to relieve himself, only to walk away before completing the task at hand. Finally, we conceded and returned to the routine of twice daily walks.
So at 10:00, with no sign of letting up, I pull on the closest thing to a rain jacket I own. I put on my baseball hat and the boys leashes and proceed to the front door where we have the usual traffic jam while the dogs decide who is the alpha male of the day and gets the priviledge of walking out the door first. As soon as Ernie took one step out, I could see he was not amused by the prospect of walking in the deluge. I wasn't too crazy about it either and if I had to go, so did he - I nudged him out. I turned to shut the door and it didn't catch, which is something we have noticed needs adjusting. I gave it a good slam and as I go to double check it - Oh Sh#t! It's locked! What the hell am I going to do? As I stood there for a few seconds contemplating the bashing I was going to take from Ev when he did get home, I just decided to take the boys for their walk and think it through.
I could go introduce myself to a neighbour to borrow their phone. But...I don't know Ev's number at work and I certainly don't know where he is taking the course at. I know how pissed he'd be if he got pulled out of the course when it's only his 4 official day on the job. I can't sit on the deck and wait until 1:30 for him to get home. Ernie was already shivering. I could check, once we got back to see if his workshop is open. I suppose I could go on a treasure hunt in there to find what items I appear to be missing from the main house - like the drawer from an antique pot cupboard I found out there the other day that Ev swore he hadn't seen....except he'd filled it full of tools and was using it as a storage unit?! I figured I could take the dogs for a romp on the beach but Ernie was already anxious to turn around and we were not even half way through our regular routine so I turned around and headed back.
I mounted the stairs and scanned the windows with the hope that one of the windows was left partially open. No luck. I tried my hand at the sliding window on the door itself to see if it had engaged when last closed. Nope! Tried to door handle - nope, still locked. And then I gave the door a nudge. Thank God! It still hadn't engaged when I slammed it the second time. I made it in and Ev would be no wiser for knowing my idiotic mishap...that is, until he reads my blog! My secret is safe for the time being.
So...the next time you tell yourself you need to stash a key outside, somewhere safe, heed your own advice or at least call the damn locksmith and have him fix the lock on the door.
It is pouring rain today bringing back fond memories of rainy days in Vancouver. Ev has a split shift as he had to go in for a course so he left at about 8:15 with a "I should be back around 1:00, 1:30ish." I set to work with visions of grandeur on all of the tasks I was going to accomplish. Oh yes, I was going to blow his socks off when he got home with all of the progress I planned on making. My task today - sort out all of my clothes - which is a whole other blog topic. I had several loads of laundry to do and I was also going to make homemade Doukhobor borscht.
I went upstairs and sorted some piles of clothes, made a couple of trips downstairs to bring up the last couple of boxes and around 9:30, I headed downstairs to switch over my laundry and fold the stuff from the dryer. All the time, I kept glancing outside for a break in the weather so I could take the boys for their morning walk. I won't lie. I crossed my mind that I should just attempt to encourage Rookie to do his business in the back yard but Ev tried that yesterday, without success.
You see, when Ev first moved to North Vancouver with Rookie, some 13 years ago, his landlady, Jill, didn't want pets in her basement suite but made an exception on the condition that Rookie not do his business in her back yard. So Ev trained Rookie to not do his business in the yard and we have never been able to break him of the habit. When we moved to our second house with our pal, Portia, she was not opposed to him doing a big job in the back yard. She actually had a company that came in and cleaned up the dog poop in the yard so we decided we might save ourselves at least one long walk a day and made an attempt to break Rookie of Ev's hard training. The only problem was Rookie was more determined than us. He held it in for 4 whole days. Occassionally he would make his signature helicopter turn indicating he was about to relieve himself, only to walk away before completing the task at hand. Finally, we conceded and returned to the routine of twice daily walks.
So at 10:00, with no sign of letting up, I pull on the closest thing to a rain jacket I own. I put on my baseball hat and the boys leashes and proceed to the front door where we have the usual traffic jam while the dogs decide who is the alpha male of the day and gets the priviledge of walking out the door first. As soon as Ernie took one step out, I could see he was not amused by the prospect of walking in the deluge. I wasn't too crazy about it either and if I had to go, so did he - I nudged him out. I turned to shut the door and it didn't catch, which is something we have noticed needs adjusting. I gave it a good slam and as I go to double check it - Oh Sh#t! It's locked! What the hell am I going to do? As I stood there for a few seconds contemplating the bashing I was going to take from Ev when he did get home, I just decided to take the boys for their walk and think it through.
I could go introduce myself to a neighbour to borrow their phone. But...I don't know Ev's number at work and I certainly don't know where he is taking the course at. I know how pissed he'd be if he got pulled out of the course when it's only his 4 official day on the job. I can't sit on the deck and wait until 1:30 for him to get home. Ernie was already shivering. I could check, once we got back to see if his workshop is open. I suppose I could go on a treasure hunt in there to find what items I appear to be missing from the main house - like the drawer from an antique pot cupboard I found out there the other day that Ev swore he hadn't seen....except he'd filled it full of tools and was using it as a storage unit?! I figured I could take the dogs for a romp on the beach but Ernie was already anxious to turn around and we were not even half way through our regular routine so I turned around and headed back.
I mounted the stairs and scanned the windows with the hope that one of the windows was left partially open. No luck. I tried my hand at the sliding window on the door itself to see if it had engaged when last closed. Nope! Tried to door handle - nope, still locked. And then I gave the door a nudge. Thank God! It still hadn't engaged when I slammed it the second time. I made it in and Ev would be no wiser for knowing my idiotic mishap...that is, until he reads my blog! My secret is safe for the time being.
So...the next time you tell yourself you need to stash a key outside, somewhere safe, heed your own advice or at least call the damn locksmith and have him fix the lock on the door.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
I gotta poo....
What are you supposed to do when your husband, yes husband, states publicly, "I gotta poo."?
After a long and exhausting week, we decided to get KFC for dinner last night so we piled the dogs, aka donkeys, into the car and off we went. We first took them to the beach for a walk and Ernie, the bird dog, chased all of the seagulls away. I think he'd do the other birdman in my life proud...lol!
We order our food and as the young man loads our order into a brown paper bag, Ev turns to me and says, rather excitedly, "I gotta poo." And I'm like, "What?" He repeats himself a little more emphatically, "I gotta poo!" to which I reply, "So we need to drive home fast? Can you make it?" And he starts laughing at me. Turns out KFC has a campaign on right now where they give out those little plastic figurines and they are The Simpson figurines. Well Ev got the Indian character APU, the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart. Well I just about pee'd my pants laughing!
All I can say is WHEW!...at least we didn't have another case of ED to deal with!
After a long and exhausting week, we decided to get KFC for dinner last night so we piled the dogs, aka donkeys, into the car and off we went. We first took them to the beach for a walk and Ernie, the bird dog, chased all of the seagulls away. I think he'd do the other birdman in my life proud...lol!
We order our food and as the young man loads our order into a brown paper bag, Ev turns to me and says, rather excitedly, "I gotta poo." And I'm like, "What?" He repeats himself a little more emphatically, "I gotta poo!" to which I reply, "So we need to drive home fast? Can you make it?" And he starts laughing at me. Turns out KFC has a campaign on right now where they give out those little plastic figurines and they are The Simpson figurines. Well Ev got the Indian character APU, the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart. Well I just about pee'd my pants laughing!
All I can say is WHEW!...at least we didn't have another case of ED to deal with!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Are you wondering where we've been?
We've been noticeably absent for a few days. We were on a bit of a push to get stuff done around here before Ev went back to work and now he's almost finished his first block. While he's been working, I have been trying to get at least one room finished but still haven't. Close, but not one room done yet. We seem to be out of space?!
What I don't get is where did all of this stuff come from? We had a garage sale before we left Grand Forks and we had a yard sale before we left Ulukhaktok and we still are filled to the brim. We also made the mistake of having everything that was delivered from Ulukhaktok put into our basement. Well now, as we are sorting, it means that we are having to take everything to either the main or second level. So, much to Ev's dismay, everyday he comes home there is a pile of rubbermaid containers stacked at the bottom of each set of stairs. Going up....going down. I'm hoping we should be done that part of it by the end of this next set of day's off. I keep telling myself that I can't do anything fun until I get all of this done, but I seem to be losing steam.
The weather has been phenomenal here. It's was 30 degrees on Wednesday and 28 yesterday. I have been passing a bit of down time during the day watching the birds feed. Ev & I mounted a bird feeder on our deck so we could watch the bluejays, which are different than the bluejays we have in BC - they are light blue. Since putting it up, we've also had something that looks like a dove come as well. And, it isn't afraid to stand its ground. The bluejays are a bit more timid so take off at the slightest movement. The dove just sits there. There was a traffic jam there yesterday - 2 bluejays and the dove.
I know that's kind of boring, but so is life right now. I promise, things will get more exciting soon. Ev and I are going to Nova Scotia on the 10th for a wedding and then my childhood pal, Debbie, is coming for a visit and I'm hoping we are going to take some trips around the island so I should have some pictures.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Boys and their toys
Nothing better than ridin' on your John Deere. The "V" in the trees is our small view of the ocean. A bit better view from the deck and our bedroom.
These are pictures I took on our Family Walk the other night. The bottom picture is taken from the park which is directly beside us and the other two are from the beach that runs in front of our house.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Someone had a serious case of ED last night....and it wasn't me.
Yesterday was a day for Ev and I to absorb our news about Ernie. I woke up with a start, and thought the whole thing had just been a bad dream but quickly came to the realization that it was not.
The movers arrived with our Northern belongings early in the morning and spent a couple of hours unloading. As usual a bit of a glitch. We are down one box and gained someone else's box. Go figure. Now the game begins....what was inside the damn thing. The packer's description on the inventory - CARTON! That helps a lot. So damn frustrating, but to me, it just didn't seem quite as important.
Spent some time unpacking while Ev drove into town to pick up Ernie's meds and did a few errands.
Around dinner time, we went for a drive. First we sat in awe at the ocean for a while. The sun was just starting to set so the light was spectacular. Just sitting there, I said to Ev that I feel like we hit the jackpot. We've discovered a bit of heaven that no one seems to know about.
On our way to a neighbourhood park, we passed a pumpkin stand. I don't know if I've mentioned that the farmers in PEI will leave their wares at stands at the end of their driveway, or in this case, in the middle of a fork in the road. Nobody mans them. You help yourself and leave the money in a container. In this case, a plastic Folgers coffee container. Where else? You know anywhere else, someone would help themselves to that money.
At the park, we walked the two baseball diamonds. The grass was slightly wet from the showers we had earlier in the day and it was quite thick so Ernie was bounding through it like a deer in a field. Every few feet or so, he'd spot a blossom from a clover and he rip the head off of it and chew it. He loves, loves, loves to eat flowers? Always has.
While he plowed the field, Rookie proceeded to roll in the grass...and roll...and roll. We finally got tired of waiting for him so we started walking away. About 100 ft later we stopped to wait for him. He did his signature Bambi on ice imitation getting up, shook off the grass and then looked for us. Again, we are in directly line of sight, 100 ft away! He can't see us. The panic sets in. Head turns to the left. Head turns to the right. Nothing. Ev is clapping his hands together as hard and loud as he can. Nothing. Rookie starts to run. Thank goodness it's in the approximate direction, but he still doesn't see or hear us. The panic is growing. We are both standing in the field bellowing at him, jumping up and down, waving our arms and he's still heading for us, sort of. Finally Ev starts to walk toward him and he's now only about 30 ft away and he finally recognizes his Dad. I tell ya, if a dog could smile...
Driving back home we drove past a bald eagle perched high in a tree and then stopped to watch a field of sheep & lamb grazing. Ernie, who thought they were cows...and he loves cows....gave each one of them their own special bark.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening and gave us yet another beautiful memory of time spent with our boys.
The memory I didn't need arrived at 4:00 this morning. I heard Ernie rustling around in his crate which is at the foot of our bed. I thought he was just remaking his bed and then - that dreaded sound - projectile liquid. I couldn't immediately tell if it was pee, puke or what but as I stumbled to his cage, the odour overwhelmed me. I carried him and his crate into my bathroom telling him the whole way to stay still. As I turned on the light, Holy Crap, literally. ED! EXPLOSIVE DIARRHEA everywhere. It was on his bedding, it was on the crate floor, on the left side and the right side. It was on the roof. It was dripping down the outside of the peekholes. It was even on my foot!
I don't know if it was the medication or the clover but holy freakin' cow. He was like the exorcist only it came out the other end. Needless to say, he's been a bit under the weather today. No more clover for that little cow. Lesson learned. Cute does not equal smart.
ps. T....thanks for the ED acronym.
The movers arrived with our Northern belongings early in the morning and spent a couple of hours unloading. As usual a bit of a glitch. We are down one box and gained someone else's box. Go figure. Now the game begins....what was inside the damn thing. The packer's description on the inventory - CARTON! That helps a lot. So damn frustrating, but to me, it just didn't seem quite as important.
Spent some time unpacking while Ev drove into town to pick up Ernie's meds and did a few errands.
Around dinner time, we went for a drive. First we sat in awe at the ocean for a while. The sun was just starting to set so the light was spectacular. Just sitting there, I said to Ev that I feel like we hit the jackpot. We've discovered a bit of heaven that no one seems to know about.
On our way to a neighbourhood park, we passed a pumpkin stand. I don't know if I've mentioned that the farmers in PEI will leave their wares at stands at the end of their driveway, or in this case, in the middle of a fork in the road. Nobody mans them. You help yourself and leave the money in a container. In this case, a plastic Folgers coffee container. Where else? You know anywhere else, someone would help themselves to that money.
At the park, we walked the two baseball diamonds. The grass was slightly wet from the showers we had earlier in the day and it was quite thick so Ernie was bounding through it like a deer in a field. Every few feet or so, he'd spot a blossom from a clover and he rip the head off of it and chew it. He loves, loves, loves to eat flowers? Always has.
While he plowed the field, Rookie proceeded to roll in the grass...and roll...and roll. We finally got tired of waiting for him so we started walking away. About 100 ft later we stopped to wait for him. He did his signature Bambi on ice imitation getting up, shook off the grass and then looked for us. Again, we are in directly line of sight, 100 ft away! He can't see us. The panic sets in. Head turns to the left. Head turns to the right. Nothing. Ev is clapping his hands together as hard and loud as he can. Nothing. Rookie starts to run. Thank goodness it's in the approximate direction, but he still doesn't see or hear us. The panic is growing. We are both standing in the field bellowing at him, jumping up and down, waving our arms and he's still heading for us, sort of. Finally Ev starts to walk toward him and he's now only about 30 ft away and he finally recognizes his Dad. I tell ya, if a dog could smile...
Driving back home we drove past a bald eagle perched high in a tree and then stopped to watch a field of sheep & lamb grazing. Ernie, who thought they were cows...and he loves cows....gave each one of them their own special bark.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening and gave us yet another beautiful memory of time spent with our boys.
The memory I didn't need arrived at 4:00 this morning. I heard Ernie rustling around in his crate which is at the foot of our bed. I thought he was just remaking his bed and then - that dreaded sound - projectile liquid. I couldn't immediately tell if it was pee, puke or what but as I stumbled to his cage, the odour overwhelmed me. I carried him and his crate into my bathroom telling him the whole way to stay still. As I turned on the light, Holy Crap, literally. ED! EXPLOSIVE DIARRHEA everywhere. It was on his bedding, it was on the crate floor, on the left side and the right side. It was on the roof. It was dripping down the outside of the peekholes. It was even on my foot!
I don't know if it was the medication or the clover but holy freakin' cow. He was like the exorcist only it came out the other end. Needless to say, he's been a bit under the weather today. No more clover for that little cow. Lesson learned. Cute does not equal smart.
ps. T....thanks for the ED acronym.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Looks like I am going to need to change the name of my blog:(
My heart is broken today.
I didn't sleep much last night, in part, because my Dad was to receive some long awaited information with respect to his health. This darned time difference East to West is really throwing me for a loop. By the time he was to get home from his appointment yesterday, we would have already been in bed so we had to wait until today.
Meanwhile, we had to take Ernie back in to the vets today for a urine test and an ultrasound. They wanted to catch his morning pee so we had to attempt to get him downtown with a full bladder. Not as easy as it sounds given the weakness of his bladder. We carried him from the house to the car and from the car to the clinic. As we passed the grassy patch outside of the hospital, I wondered - when a dog looks at grass is it the same thing as a human listening to running water? Does the sight of green grass make their bladder twitch?
We were to be there by 8:30 and we got home at 4:00. That should give you an indication of how it went. We have been blindsided with the worst possible news and are both having a difficult time absorbing that our devoted little friend may not have much time left with us, or us with him. It seems Ernie is in kidney failure. He has a growth in his bladder that has already caused one kidney to shut down irreversibly and the other kidney is showing some abnormal signs. Since he just had bladder surgery in May, it appears this growth has come on rather fast and without further diagnostic testing, they can't determine whether it is a benign or malignant growth. Either way, his prognosis isn't good and our hearts are truly aching tonight.
In usual Ernie fashion, he won over the hearts of the staff at the clinic which made it difficult for us to privately absorb our situation. Not knowing our dire news, the front desk staff all wanted to fawn over his adorability (and who wouldn't?) while we were desperately trying to hold it together. While I have tears running down my cheeks they all want to say hello and I sure can't blame them for that. He was all wig-waggy, saying hello to the peoples, running up to a Golden Retriever who he thought was Rookie, making friends with two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and then attempting to to encourage a kitty in a cage to play. The kitty, by the way, was not impressed and certainly let Ernie know.
As for my dear old Dad, the news was far more encouraging and he has been given the green light to head South for the winter on the condition he return a month earlier than usual. Despite both his condition and Ernie's, it appears we have both received exceptional care - a perfect balance of superior medical care combined with a well-needed dose of humanity, that I know, we are all grateful for and has gone a long way to helping us all cope just a little bit easier tonight.
Hug, just a little bit longer tonight, those you love most - whether they have two legs or four, furry or not.
I didn't sleep much last night, in part, because my Dad was to receive some long awaited information with respect to his health. This darned time difference East to West is really throwing me for a loop. By the time he was to get home from his appointment yesterday, we would have already been in bed so we had to wait until today.
Meanwhile, we had to take Ernie back in to the vets today for a urine test and an ultrasound. They wanted to catch his morning pee so we had to attempt to get him downtown with a full bladder. Not as easy as it sounds given the weakness of his bladder. We carried him from the house to the car and from the car to the clinic. As we passed the grassy patch outside of the hospital, I wondered - when a dog looks at grass is it the same thing as a human listening to running water? Does the sight of green grass make their bladder twitch?
We were to be there by 8:30 and we got home at 4:00. That should give you an indication of how it went. We have been blindsided with the worst possible news and are both having a difficult time absorbing that our devoted little friend may not have much time left with us, or us with him. It seems Ernie is in kidney failure. He has a growth in his bladder that has already caused one kidney to shut down irreversibly and the other kidney is showing some abnormal signs. Since he just had bladder surgery in May, it appears this growth has come on rather fast and without further diagnostic testing, they can't determine whether it is a benign or malignant growth. Either way, his prognosis isn't good and our hearts are truly aching tonight.
In usual Ernie fashion, he won over the hearts of the staff at the clinic which made it difficult for us to privately absorb our situation. Not knowing our dire news, the front desk staff all wanted to fawn over his adorability (and who wouldn't?) while we were desperately trying to hold it together. While I have tears running down my cheeks they all want to say hello and I sure can't blame them for that. He was all wig-waggy, saying hello to the peoples, running up to a Golden Retriever who he thought was Rookie, making friends with two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and then attempting to to encourage a kitty in a cage to play. The kitty, by the way, was not impressed and certainly let Ernie know.
As for my dear old Dad, the news was far more encouraging and he has been given the green light to head South for the winter on the condition he return a month earlier than usual. Despite both his condition and Ernie's, it appears we have both received exceptional care - a perfect balance of superior medical care combined with a well-needed dose of humanity, that I know, we are all grateful for and has gone a long way to helping us all cope just a little bit easier tonight.
Hug, just a little bit longer tonight, those you love most - whether they have two legs or four, furry or not.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Look who came hunting for Ernie!
This little fella was on our lawn this weekend! Best keep Ernie close.Okay so back to the boys....Ernie went through his exam first. A bundle of nervous energy as always. He is to undergo a cystoscopy on Wednesday and when the vet advised that he would have to be slightly sedated, I said that's fine, as long as it's not the same sedative Michael Jackson was using. That stuff can be deadly.
They tried to get a urine sample from him but he pee'd too quick. It's a long way to bend down with a little cup and made more difficult by the fact that he likes to travel while peeing.
Rookie endured his physical like a trooper. For the first half he did it while lying on the floor asleep. There is something to be said for an aging dog. Apparently he doesn't sweat the small stuff anymore. Used to be a day where he was just as nervous as Ernie. Today, not so much. Three of us ended up sitting on the floor with him because, well, it was just easier that way. I'm sure she had to double-check for a heartbeat. Then we had to convince him to sit up so she could check his temperature...in his nether region. Once again...a trooper! When she was done, Rookie turned around and gave her this huge bellowing bark and she looked at us for a translation. Apparently he figured a treat was in order for having to go through the indignity of having his temp taking out of his arse. Wouldn't you? The whole visit was rather comical.
We ended up leaving them there for a bit so they could run further tests. Rookie has gotten quite lumpy over the last couple of years, mostly fatty lumps, but she was a bit concerned about a lump he has growing within his abdomen.
Ev & I are both in agreement that when it comes to Rookie, there isn't too, too much time left for his future but whatever there is we are going to do our darndest to make it as comfortable as possible. There will be no intrusive surgeries in his future. At 14, he's beyond his life expectancy and he is doing exactly what we have promised him for the past 3 years. Hold on, old buddy, and you can pass your days lounging on the deck watching life go by. It's a blessing to us both that he lived up to his end of the bargain, now it's our turn to happily return the favour.
Okay...I'm back to work. Enough lolligagging.
I'm back!
Who would have thought the day would come when one goes through withdrawal from not being able to use a computer. Seriously? I think I know now why I don't get as much done these days. I obviously spend an awful lot of time on my computer on a daily basis. Although...it has been slow going around here. I have seriously not been able to get my rear in gear and the arranging is not going as quickly as it should.
Ev assembled his new...Arr...Arr...Arr...GRILL yesterday while I did MORE laundry. After having linens in boxes for 3 years, everything needs to be washed. Add to that that we have purchased new towels, dishclothes, etc. which also need to be washed otherwise they leave the dreaded white fluff on everything...including on peoples.
While Ev did that, I bathed Ernie because the boys had a trip to the vets yesterday. There is a veterinary university here and a teaching hospital so it does take a bit longer but we never expected it would take 5 hours from start to finish, not that we had anything better to do. We met with the student (8 months left to go until she has completed her 8 year education) who happens to be named Jennifer MacLean (which happens to be my niece's name for those who don't know her except ours is a Mc not a Mac). And once we had completed that, she then briefs the vet and they come in together to discuss what to do next.
Ernie has been having ongoing bladder issues since July. In May he had an operation to remove monsterous bladder stones and then put on a prescription dog food, which took us a couple of months to get him switched over to but he's doing well on it now. Unfortunately in July, new bladder issues started to arise - I won't get into the details.
Rookie hasn't been to see a vet, other than the two ear surgeries he was flown out for while in the North which were Ernie's fault. Over the course of the past three years Rookie has lost about 90% of his hearing which wasn't too bad as he still followed hand signals. We thought we were losing our minds, but it appears he is losing his as he might be suffering a bit of dementia. The vet says that more and more that they are becoming aware of older dogs suffering the same fate as our elders. I ask, does that mean I can send him away to the same old folks home I'm gonna send my parents too? I've found them a beautiful (my parents, that is) one here nearby...even sent them a brochure but they aren't biting...LOL!!! Rookie is becoming quite lame in the hips and knees apparently. Turns out he has the same ailment with his knee that Ernie has. He has mainly been relagated to life on the main floor and can only attempt stairs with the assistance of his mom and dad. Combine these three issues with the fact that Rookie is now losing his vision and we are only now having a communication problem.
Example 1 - Bad dogs beg and their behaviour gets or should be corrected. Dogs suffering dementia, deafness & blindness...they unabashedly beg, without excuses; you tell them no, they continue to beg because, guess what Rookie says, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"; you give them a hand signal to lie down, they think you are signaling them to come get their treat!
Example 2 - Old dogs with bad hips cannot attempt to climb the stairs on their own. How sad is it that our TV is in the basement? Who in their right mind would leave their dear old furry companion upstairs by himself? So we escort him down. Fine. But come time to head back upstairs and only one parent is doing the escorting of an afflicted old guy and the second anxiety ridden, attached at the hip, pain in the arse other fella. I start to carry the little one to the top of the stairs and while nearing the top hear Rookie getting antsy. I turn and give him the hand signal to stay. He thinks I'm telling him to come and he does his little tap dance at the bottom of the stairs. (Last year he had an episode of Geriatric Vestibular Sydrome which has given him double vision and thrown his balance off so he has a difficult time getting started up the stairs. As a visual, picture one of those show horses that high steps, prances and paws and that's what he looks like). I place Ernie at the top of the stairs and run down to help Rookie. Ernie follows me. I tell him to go back up. He doesn't. I chase him back up and I hear Rookie attempting a second ascending. I run downstairs. Ernie runs downstairs. I pick Ernie up and attempt to bring them up at the same time but Rookie is fearful and I don't have enough hands to hold his collar and tuck a hand under his rear to add support. I run Ernie upstairs and run downstairs. He runs part way down the stairs. I get Rookie up the stairs to that point and he freezes again. I finally get frustrated and yell for Ev who just laughs at me for being the idiot and allowing the dogs to walk all over me...ONCE AGAIN!
Example #3 - Rookie is now banished to sleeping on the main level of the house. Our room is on the third level but we can't take the chance that he gets up in the middle of the night and attempt the stairs on his own. Because he's so old and groany, he tends to do a lot of rearranging positions and moving positions throughout the night which in all honesty, has affected our sleep while in the North. He ain't quiet about it! It's a moan as he gets up and a huge grunting, groan getting back down. So now he has a bed on the main level. First night, we get him settled and head upstairs. Minutes later, we hear the clickety clack of his nails on the hardwood which continues for five minutes as he paces back and forth between the bottom of the stairs and his bed. Ev heads downstairs, gets him settled and comes back up. Repeat! Finally Ev turns on a light for him and he settles. Next night....same performance. Today....Ev goes to the hardware store to buy Rookie his very own nightlight just like his Grandpa uses for making unexpected trips - hmmm...or expected I guess, if you have a night light? - to the bathroom during the night.
Okay....I seriously have to get on with the day so I'll finish the update later....
Ev assembled his new...Arr...Arr...Arr...GRILL yesterday while I did MORE laundry. After having linens in boxes for 3 years, everything needs to be washed. Add to that that we have purchased new towels, dishclothes, etc. which also need to be washed otherwise they leave the dreaded white fluff on everything...including on peoples.
While Ev did that, I bathed Ernie because the boys had a trip to the vets yesterday. There is a veterinary university here and a teaching hospital so it does take a bit longer but we never expected it would take 5 hours from start to finish, not that we had anything better to do. We met with the student (8 months left to go until she has completed her 8 year education) who happens to be named Jennifer MacLean (which happens to be my niece's name for those who don't know her except ours is a Mc not a Mac). And once we had completed that, she then briefs the vet and they come in together to discuss what to do next.
Ernie has been having ongoing bladder issues since July. In May he had an operation to remove monsterous bladder stones and then put on a prescription dog food, which took us a couple of months to get him switched over to but he's doing well on it now. Unfortunately in July, new bladder issues started to arise - I won't get into the details.
Rookie hasn't been to see a vet, other than the two ear surgeries he was flown out for while in the North which were Ernie's fault. Over the course of the past three years Rookie has lost about 90% of his hearing which wasn't too bad as he still followed hand signals. We thought we were losing our minds, but it appears he is losing his as he might be suffering a bit of dementia. The vet says that more and more that they are becoming aware of older dogs suffering the same fate as our elders. I ask, does that mean I can send him away to the same old folks home I'm gonna send my parents too? I've found them a beautiful (my parents, that is) one here nearby...even sent them a brochure but they aren't biting...LOL!!! Rookie is becoming quite lame in the hips and knees apparently. Turns out he has the same ailment with his knee that Ernie has. He has mainly been relagated to life on the main floor and can only attempt stairs with the assistance of his mom and dad. Combine these three issues with the fact that Rookie is now losing his vision and we are only now having a communication problem.
Example 1 - Bad dogs beg and their behaviour gets or should be corrected. Dogs suffering dementia, deafness & blindness...they unabashedly beg, without excuses; you tell them no, they continue to beg because, guess what Rookie says, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"; you give them a hand signal to lie down, they think you are signaling them to come get their treat!
Example 2 - Old dogs with bad hips cannot attempt to climb the stairs on their own. How sad is it that our TV is in the basement? Who in their right mind would leave their dear old furry companion upstairs by himself? So we escort him down. Fine. But come time to head back upstairs and only one parent is doing the escorting of an afflicted old guy and the second anxiety ridden, attached at the hip, pain in the arse other fella. I start to carry the little one to the top of the stairs and while nearing the top hear Rookie getting antsy. I turn and give him the hand signal to stay. He thinks I'm telling him to come and he does his little tap dance at the bottom of the stairs. (Last year he had an episode of Geriatric Vestibular Sydrome which has given him double vision and thrown his balance off so he has a difficult time getting started up the stairs. As a visual, picture one of those show horses that high steps, prances and paws and that's what he looks like). I place Ernie at the top of the stairs and run down to help Rookie. Ernie follows me. I tell him to go back up. He doesn't. I chase him back up and I hear Rookie attempting a second ascending. I run downstairs. Ernie runs downstairs. I pick Ernie up and attempt to bring them up at the same time but Rookie is fearful and I don't have enough hands to hold his collar and tuck a hand under his rear to add support. I run Ernie upstairs and run downstairs. He runs part way down the stairs. I get Rookie up the stairs to that point and he freezes again. I finally get frustrated and yell for Ev who just laughs at me for being the idiot and allowing the dogs to walk all over me...ONCE AGAIN!
Example #3 - Rookie is now banished to sleeping on the main level of the house. Our room is on the third level but we can't take the chance that he gets up in the middle of the night and attempt the stairs on his own. Because he's so old and groany, he tends to do a lot of rearranging positions and moving positions throughout the night which in all honesty, has affected our sleep while in the North. He ain't quiet about it! It's a moan as he gets up and a huge grunting, groan getting back down. So now he has a bed on the main level. First night, we get him settled and head upstairs. Minutes later, we hear the clickety clack of his nails on the hardwood which continues for five minutes as he paces back and forth between the bottom of the stairs and his bed. Ev heads downstairs, gets him settled and comes back up. Repeat! Finally Ev turns on a light for him and he settles. Next night....same performance. Today....Ev goes to the hardware store to buy Rookie his very own nightlight just like his Grandpa uses for making unexpected trips - hmmm...or expected I guess, if you have a night light? - to the bathroom during the night.
Okay....I seriously have to get on with the day so I'll finish the update later....
Friday, September 18, 2009
Calmer minds prevail....
So after sleeping on it and actually being away from the house my rage has subsided slightly. Not sure how I'll feel once I get there and of course, once the boxes, many of them crushed, are unpacked but I'm going to try and control myself. Ten deep breaths, right?
So this will be my last post until possibly Monday peoples. I'll do some offline over the weekend and post them when we get our new equipment. Hope you all have a great weekend and talk to you soon.
Hugs....xoxo....Kim
So this will be my last post until possibly Monday peoples. I'll do some offline over the weekend and post them when we get our new equipment. Hope you all have a great weekend and talk to you soon.
Hugs....xoxo....Kim
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Codeword - Percy!
Our stuff arrived from long term storage today! That's the good news.
The funny news is, and if I talked about this when we were on our househunting trip, please excuse me. The last time Ev & I bought a house was a bit stressful. It seems that no matter how much you discuss your "want list" when it actually comes to picking a house, you can still be at polar ends of the spectrum. Since nobody likes couples bickering in front of them, we decided this time we would have a code word that we would utter to notify each other that they were nearing a line they shouldn't cross. My code word for Ev was Percy. (His isn't very nice and contains profanity which defeats the purpose, I think.)
Last night we were anticipating today being difficult and who should have to play the heavy if the movers gave us a hard time. We had to have that conversation that most men just truly don't grasp. If it's the woman who tries to straighten out the movers we are The "B" and we are either complaining, making life difficult, or worse. If it's the man, it's constructive criticism and they are generally respected. The mood does not alter for the balance of the day as it would if the female commented. Ev won the responsibility. We reaffirmed our codewords and did a team cheer before we headed off to battle.
Here's where the issue becomes somewhat muddled. What do you do if the mover happens to be named PERCY? No word of a lie. PERCY from New Brunswick with Summer Teeth....Sum 'er there, sum 'er not. What the heck was I going to use as a code word now and how was I going to convey it to Ev? As soon as he said his name, we just gave each other a knowing look and a bit of a giggle.
So that's where the good news ends because the beginning of the unload was disastrous. The mover that brought our stuff from Kelowna did not like the manner in which the company that collected it from our house in Grand Forks and stored it in Kelowna completed there inventory. So he decided to re-do it. So let's count here. The first move had one set of numbers on it. Then Ev and I added 10 items to it when we were there in the Spring so that's two sets. This mover started a third set and realized, a little too late, that he didn't have enough numbers on the roll of labels he used (that makes three) so he had to use another series which had a different lot number but had the same inventory numbers just to confuse me even more. That makes 4 sets of labels.
Since most moving companies seem think we are all somewhat ignorant to the rules we sign under our contract, some will attempt to pull any number of fast ones on you. Today's was that we shouldn't complete our "bingo" sheet crossing off the boxes that were inventoried because it was just going to be too confusing given the mess that had been made of the inventory, Wrong...and unfortunately that set the tone. After a couple of items were brought in that were missing numbers (1, 2, 3, or 4) or a combination of 1, 2 & 3), things got a bit hot for a few minutes until we all came to a mutual agreement on how we would handle the situation. Then after another ten minutes, in came the top off of a sturdy pine table we own...except it no longer resembled itself. It was green and grey and black. Then came the, "Oh Yeah....there was a flood in the storage locker and your table and sofa are badly water damaged."
OH YEAH! Our two couches that were basically brand new before we put them into storage and were in pristine condition because no one ever sat on them. They were in our "formal" living room. Then came the top mattress from our king sized bed that we spent a small fortune on. It was black, and basically bent in half and squished around the middle, kinda like a sausage.....and I can go on and on and on. Let's put it this way. Anything that was truly important to us or that we indulged in when we purchased it, is damaged. Our hutch that Ev & I painstakingly hand crafted...damaged. Soft table, damaged. Wheels and feet missing off of things. How does this happen? How can someone come to your house, pick up your stuff, drive it directly to a storage facility and off load it and then 3 years later load it up on a truck and deliver it to your door...how does so much damage occur? And how does anything get lost when your stuff is the ONLY stuff on the truck?
I seriously want to take the most valuable possession that anyone that ever worked on our move(s) and drop it off a 10 story building and see how it makes them feel. Where is people's pride in there workmanship? And seriously, why do they all point fingers at one another and in the end, no one assumes appropriate responsibility for the physical and emotional damage that's occurred? Why do they all tell horror stories about other movers and never admit that they have made their share of bad decisions when it cames to someone else's treasures? I mean, if they are all innocent, how is it that the damage occurs?
What's worse is that the boxes aren't going to be unpacked until tomorrow so we have no idea what horrors lie within. AND, we still have our final shipment of possessions from the North to arrive.
We are trying to take pleasure in rediscovering things we had long forgotten we owned, but it's a little difficult when you know the worst is yet to come. We now have to do battle for compensation for damage they inflicted. It's a good thing my record keeping is meticulous but it's only going to help if the boxes with all of our financial records arrive.
Whew....I suddenly feel a bit better having gotten that rant off my chest. Hopefully tomorrow runs more smoothly.
Oh yeah, btw, after tomorrow morning we are without internet until a replacement modem arrives from the internet supplier. Seems somewhere along the line they lost our order for a WIRELESS modem and sent us a hardwire one. Doesn't make much sense having a wireless laptop if you have to be tied to an ethernet cable and telephone jack?
I think it's time to go to bed;)
The funny news is, and if I talked about this when we were on our househunting trip, please excuse me. The last time Ev & I bought a house was a bit stressful. It seems that no matter how much you discuss your "want list" when it actually comes to picking a house, you can still be at polar ends of the spectrum. Since nobody likes couples bickering in front of them, we decided this time we would have a code word that we would utter to notify each other that they were nearing a line they shouldn't cross. My code word for Ev was Percy. (His isn't very nice and contains profanity which defeats the purpose, I think.)
Last night we were anticipating today being difficult and who should have to play the heavy if the movers gave us a hard time. We had to have that conversation that most men just truly don't grasp. If it's the woman who tries to straighten out the movers we are The "B" and we are either complaining, making life difficult, or worse. If it's the man, it's constructive criticism and they are generally respected. The mood does not alter for the balance of the day as it would if the female commented. Ev won the responsibility. We reaffirmed our codewords and did a team cheer before we headed off to battle.
Here's where the issue becomes somewhat muddled. What do you do if the mover happens to be named PERCY? No word of a lie. PERCY from New Brunswick with Summer Teeth....Sum 'er there, sum 'er not. What the heck was I going to use as a code word now and how was I going to convey it to Ev? As soon as he said his name, we just gave each other a knowing look and a bit of a giggle.
So that's where the good news ends because the beginning of the unload was disastrous. The mover that brought our stuff from Kelowna did not like the manner in which the company that collected it from our house in Grand Forks and stored it in Kelowna completed there inventory. So he decided to re-do it. So let's count here. The first move had one set of numbers on it. Then Ev and I added 10 items to it when we were there in the Spring so that's two sets. This mover started a third set and realized, a little too late, that he didn't have enough numbers on the roll of labels he used (that makes three) so he had to use another series which had a different lot number but had the same inventory numbers just to confuse me even more. That makes 4 sets of labels.
Since most moving companies seem think we are all somewhat ignorant to the rules we sign under our contract, some will attempt to pull any number of fast ones on you. Today's was that we shouldn't complete our "bingo" sheet crossing off the boxes that were inventoried because it was just going to be too confusing given the mess that had been made of the inventory, Wrong...and unfortunately that set the tone. After a couple of items were brought in that were missing numbers (1, 2, 3, or 4) or a combination of 1, 2 & 3), things got a bit hot for a few minutes until we all came to a mutual agreement on how we would handle the situation. Then after another ten minutes, in came the top off of a sturdy pine table we own...except it no longer resembled itself. It was green and grey and black. Then came the, "Oh Yeah....there was a flood in the storage locker and your table and sofa are badly water damaged."
OH YEAH! Our two couches that were basically brand new before we put them into storage and were in pristine condition because no one ever sat on them. They were in our "formal" living room. Then came the top mattress from our king sized bed that we spent a small fortune on. It was black, and basically bent in half and squished around the middle, kinda like a sausage.....and I can go on and on and on. Let's put it this way. Anything that was truly important to us or that we indulged in when we purchased it, is damaged. Our hutch that Ev & I painstakingly hand crafted...damaged. Soft table, damaged. Wheels and feet missing off of things. How does this happen? How can someone come to your house, pick up your stuff, drive it directly to a storage facility and off load it and then 3 years later load it up on a truck and deliver it to your door...how does so much damage occur? And how does anything get lost when your stuff is the ONLY stuff on the truck?
I seriously want to take the most valuable possession that anyone that ever worked on our move(s) and drop it off a 10 story building and see how it makes them feel. Where is people's pride in there workmanship? And seriously, why do they all point fingers at one another and in the end, no one assumes appropriate responsibility for the physical and emotional damage that's occurred? Why do they all tell horror stories about other movers and never admit that they have made their share of bad decisions when it cames to someone else's treasures? I mean, if they are all innocent, how is it that the damage occurs?
What's worse is that the boxes aren't going to be unpacked until tomorrow so we have no idea what horrors lie within. AND, we still have our final shipment of possessions from the North to arrive.
We are trying to take pleasure in rediscovering things we had long forgotten we owned, but it's a little difficult when you know the worst is yet to come. We now have to do battle for compensation for damage they inflicted. It's a good thing my record keeping is meticulous but it's only going to help if the boxes with all of our financial records arrive.
Whew....I suddenly feel a bit better having gotten that rant off my chest. Hopefully tomorrow runs more smoothly.
Oh yeah, btw, after tomorrow morning we are without internet until a replacement modem arrives from the internet supplier. Seems somewhere along the line they lost our order for a WIRELESS modem and sent us a hardwire one. Doesn't make much sense having a wireless laptop if you have to be tied to an ethernet cable and telephone jack?
I think it's time to go to bed;)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
A Better Day?
I'm trying to sound optomistic here people but I'm really draggin' my arse.
On our new phone, you can assign specific ring tones to the important people in your life, so I associated my mom's ring with the sound of the Schwann's ice cream truck coming into their community in Lake Tamarisk, California. Actually the truck doesn't have music playing like the old school ice cream trucks, he just goes down the road honking his horn, but the music is a great reminder of our time there, and of course, eating my parent's stash of Schwann bars while we were there.
So yes, when my mom called, the ice cream truck jingle started playing. I vented to my poor Mum the woes of my daily grind wearing me down and quite frankly draining me of every ounce of energy I have. I'm find that I wake up fine, but by the time we start driving over there my energy level drops and by the time we arrive, I am in serious need of a nap. That feeling continues until we leave.
The good news is that tomorrow our stuff arrives from long term storage. The rest of it from Ulukhaktok, we aren't too sure about its ETA. It'll be nice to have some furniture to actually sit on. Right now I sit on the stairs when I want to take a break, that or lie on the floor in our bedroom.
The highlight of the day was the arrival of our new JOHN DEERE ride-on mower! I got to break it in and mowed the back forty!
Other accomplishments of the day....finally got the keys to our community mailbox but realized I might have used the wrong postal code? I think there is a postal code for the physical house and a postal code for the mailbox so I'm just not too sure which one we are supposed to use. Anyone? In our mail...a card from my Ravioli friend Christine ;) - our modem for our wireless internet and our first utility bill! How exciting! We haven't even lived in the house yet and we already have a bill and made our first mortgage payment.
Oh, and speaking of better days....Rookie's tummy seems to have settled and now Ernie has the trots. His tummy was grumbling all day long and when the end of the day "Family Walks" aka "FWs" came time, he was pure liquid. Poor sweetums. We even took him with us when we went out for dinner because we were afraid he'd have an accident in the hotel room. Hopefully today is a better day for all of us.
On our new phone, you can assign specific ring tones to the important people in your life, so I associated my mom's ring with the sound of the Schwann's ice cream truck coming into their community in Lake Tamarisk, California. Actually the truck doesn't have music playing like the old school ice cream trucks, he just goes down the road honking his horn, but the music is a great reminder of our time there, and of course, eating my parent's stash of Schwann bars while we were there.
So yes, when my mom called, the ice cream truck jingle started playing. I vented to my poor Mum the woes of my daily grind wearing me down and quite frankly draining me of every ounce of energy I have. I'm find that I wake up fine, but by the time we start driving over there my energy level drops and by the time we arrive, I am in serious need of a nap. That feeling continues until we leave.
The good news is that tomorrow our stuff arrives from long term storage. The rest of it from Ulukhaktok, we aren't too sure about its ETA. It'll be nice to have some furniture to actually sit on. Right now I sit on the stairs when I want to take a break, that or lie on the floor in our bedroom.
The highlight of the day was the arrival of our new JOHN DEERE ride-on mower! I got to break it in and mowed the back forty!
Other accomplishments of the day....finally got the keys to our community mailbox but realized I might have used the wrong postal code? I think there is a postal code for the physical house and a postal code for the mailbox so I'm just not too sure which one we are supposed to use. Anyone? In our mail...a card from my Ravioli friend Christine ;) - our modem for our wireless internet and our first utility bill! How exciting! We haven't even lived in the house yet and we already have a bill and made our first mortgage payment.
Oh, and speaking of better days....Rookie's tummy seems to have settled and now Ernie has the trots. His tummy was grumbling all day long and when the end of the day "Family Walks" aka "FWs" came time, he was pure liquid. Poor sweetums. We even took him with us when we went out for dinner because we were afraid he'd have an accident in the hotel room. Hopefully today is a better day for all of us.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Oh Sh*t!
Have you ever thought about the phrase, "Oh Shit!"
It can be used to describe GUILT, for example, when you're husband walks in and finds you sorting wool he didn't know you'd bought....or perhaps when he caught you munching away on chocolate truffles when you are supposed to be watching what you are eating.
It can be used to describe SHOCK, for example, when you get up in the morning to go pee in your northern home, where the windows are blacked out because of the 24 hours of sunlight and you can't see 2 feet in front of your face and walk right into your husband, who you thought had left for work hours ago but he's quietly trying to pull socks from his drawer without waking you.
It can be used to describe REGRET, for example, when you are new to a province and you take a wrong turn onto a one way street.
It can be used to describe DISBELIEF..."Oh Sh*t. Where has the day gone? It's 5:00 and we've got nothing done."
Or....it can be used to describe just that....Sh#t. Like when you bust your butt all day and decide to treat yourself on the way back to the hotel with a stop at the kitchen gadget outlet shop and when your feet are aching so badly you cut the trip short and walk back to your vehcile. Your perturbed husband points out that your sweet little dog has made it from the back of the vehicle to the front. As he opens the door, I'm not sure what hits first, him saying "Oh Sh*t" or the overwhelming stench or the vision of a massive pile of gelatinous dog crap - ROOKIE'S, I might add - with his huge paw print in the middle of it. So a bit of a double entendre here....is it, "Oh Sh&t?" or is it "Oh, Shit!"
All I can say is Rookie is lucky that he had a blanket in the back of our brand new vehicle although I couldn't stop laughing. We've been so busy dealing with Ernie's residual bladder issues that it was laughable that Rookie would be the one to pull a stunt like that. It's no wonder Ernie hightailed it to the front. The poor thing was trying to get some fresh air! And you all thought he was dumb.
It can be used to describe GUILT, for example, when you're husband walks in and finds you sorting wool he didn't know you'd bought....or perhaps when he caught you munching away on chocolate truffles when you are supposed to be watching what you are eating.
It can be used to describe SHOCK, for example, when you get up in the morning to go pee in your northern home, where the windows are blacked out because of the 24 hours of sunlight and you can't see 2 feet in front of your face and walk right into your husband, who you thought had left for work hours ago but he's quietly trying to pull socks from his drawer without waking you.
It can be used to describe REGRET, for example, when you are new to a province and you take a wrong turn onto a one way street.
It can be used to describe DISBELIEF..."Oh Sh*t. Where has the day gone? It's 5:00 and we've got nothing done."
Or....it can be used to describe just that....Sh#t. Like when you bust your butt all day and decide to treat yourself on the way back to the hotel with a stop at the kitchen gadget outlet shop and when your feet are aching so badly you cut the trip short and walk back to your vehcile. Your perturbed husband points out that your sweet little dog has made it from the back of the vehicle to the front. As he opens the door, I'm not sure what hits first, him saying "Oh Sh*t" or the overwhelming stench or the vision of a massive pile of gelatinous dog crap - ROOKIE'S, I might add - with his huge paw print in the middle of it. So a bit of a double entendre here....is it, "Oh Sh&t?" or is it "Oh, Shit!"
All I can say is Rookie is lucky that he had a blanket in the back of our brand new vehicle although I couldn't stop laughing. We've been so busy dealing with Ernie's residual bladder issues that it was laughable that Rookie would be the one to pull a stunt like that. It's no wonder Ernie hightailed it to the front. The poor thing was trying to get some fresh air! And you all thought he was dumb.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Day Whatever.....I need the Grand Forks cleaning fairy to come visit!
Our day was busy, busy again. Ev went to his office while I got ready. When he got back, he called the movers he advised our stuff from storage in Kelowna is in Moncton already and that it will be delivered on Thursday. Once we got going, we went to Home Depot to pick up Ev's new baby.....a sparkly new BBQ and to Staples to look for a new wireless printer (no success). Then we headed to the house and started cleaning. I don't know what the heck has been washed in the washing machine there but it can't be laundry? It's spewing out dirt. I scrubbed the entire tub and drum out and as soon as I finished a load, it was all full of crap again. Looks like I'm getting a new set!
Our phone also got hooked up but it appears they took the liberty of adding voicemail to our phone and I had no idea how to work it. And of course, I couldn't make any outgoing calls until I cleared the voicemails from the phone. It took me about 45 minutes to figure out...thank goodness I brought the phonebook from our hotel because it had the codes to access the function.
I am happy to report that Ev contacted the dreaded satelite company to set up our new receiver and had NO ISSUES! That'll be done on Wednesday.
Somewhere in there, we also went out and ordered a new dining room set, went back to Home Depot to buy a step stool so we could get up to the tops of our cupboards to clean and stopped in at another furniture place to attempt to find a little bistro table for our nook. We found an adorable set but the table was too wide;(
Did I mention I need a visit from the cleaning fairy? When Ev & I moved to Grand Forks, my parents came the weekend we took possession of the house and my mom and I cleaned out all of the cupboards. Not only did it take less time, it was a lot of fun! Ev took care of the kitchen today, while I did the bathrooms and bedrooms but he had his ipod and headphones on. Not too much conversation going on. Meanwhile, Rookie was out on his porch "stoopin'" and Ernie slept on a pile of dirty laundry.
I told my mom I had $100 to put toward cleaning costs. I gave her the option....I could give her the money toward her flight OR buy her flight with points and pay her $100. She wasn't biting! I don't think I would either. Soon enough we hope they'll be out for a visit.
ps....We are wondering why dogs don't qualify for a per diem. Every day we are stopping to buy them something to add to their one meal a day. If children get one, why don't our furry babies?
Our phone also got hooked up but it appears they took the liberty of adding voicemail to our phone and I had no idea how to work it. And of course, I couldn't make any outgoing calls until I cleared the voicemails from the phone. It took me about 45 minutes to figure out...thank goodness I brought the phonebook from our hotel because it had the codes to access the function.
I am happy to report that Ev contacted the dreaded satelite company to set up our new receiver and had NO ISSUES! That'll be done on Wednesday.
Somewhere in there, we also went out and ordered a new dining room set, went back to Home Depot to buy a step stool so we could get up to the tops of our cupboards to clean and stopped in at another furniture place to attempt to find a little bistro table for our nook. We found an adorable set but the table was too wide;(
Did I mention I need a visit from the cleaning fairy? When Ev & I moved to Grand Forks, my parents came the weekend we took possession of the house and my mom and I cleaned out all of the cupboards. Not only did it take less time, it was a lot of fun! Ev took care of the kitchen today, while I did the bathrooms and bedrooms but he had his ipod and headphones on. Not too much conversation going on. Meanwhile, Rookie was out on his porch "stoopin'" and Ernie slept on a pile of dirty laundry.
I told my mom I had $100 to put toward cleaning costs. I gave her the option....I could give her the money toward her flight OR buy her flight with points and pay her $100. She wasn't biting! I don't think I would either. Soon enough we hope they'll be out for a visit.
ps....We are wondering why dogs don't qualify for a per diem. Every day we are stopping to buy them something to add to their one meal a day. If children get one, why don't our furry babies?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
I don't know what day it is????
THE BOYS GUARDING THEIR NEW HOUSE!
So we've received a few emails from people wondering where the heck we are....where's the latest blog posting? Well, we actually arrived in PEI yesterday instead of today. I had suggested to Ev the night before that we push through instead of stopping in Moncton. Secretly, the grind was really getting to me. He didn't think much of my idea at the time but as we started driving yesterday morning, it suddenly made sense to him.
The drive was pretty foggy for the first bit of the day but burnt off shortly. New Brunswick is amazingly beautiful. Rolling hills, forests, and the occassional tree turning red. We have discovered that we are a bit early for fall colours although the further East we got, the more Fall-like the trees were. I think Ev & I both agree that New Brunswick was one of our favourite parts of the drive....although we didn't get to see any moose?
We drove over the Confederation Bridge into PEI which is just awesome. I couldn't imagine being on that bridge when the wind is blowing. For those who don't know, the bridge is 12.9 km long (8 miles). Spectacular. And as we drove through the communities on PEI, we were like two giddy school kids giggling the whole way. Wouldn't you know it. The whole trip we didn't have any troubles getting into hotels with the dogs. PEI...not so lucky. The hotel we stayed in earlier didn't have any pet rooms left so we stayed at an alternate downtown. Checked in, used the bathroom and drove to our new house! It was just as adorable as we remember and now the wait begins for our household effects to arrive.
Wouldn't you believe it, the weather has been spectacular the entire trip. We had a bit of rain when we first left Edmonton and that was it. It was anywhere between 24 & 26 the whole trip. Today we wake up and it's pouring rain and continued to do so pretty much the entire day. It was like being back in Vancouver again. Misty rain that seems to have no direction in mind which means it comes at you from every direction.
We took the boys to their new house and left them there to guard while we drove all over the place buying cleaning supplies and a few toys for the house. We attempted to get Rookie up and down the stairs. The steps on the staircase are quite short and steep so it wasn't an easy feat but he made it and was very proud of himself. Ernie has discovered the cat hole in the door that leads to the basement and was equally boastful. Of course, Rookie saw him going through it and got all curious. I figure we are going to come home one day and all we are going to see is a headless Rookie with his "backyard" wagging.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Jour Neuf - Nepean, ON to Edmunston, NB
La distance a voyagé : 737 kilomètres
Bonjour. Comment allez vous?. Je suis bon. Ev est très, très malheureux. Pourquoi? Puisque nous avons conduit par le Québec aujourd'hui et son Français n'est pas très bon. Le mien n'est pas que bon non plus mais je l'ai pratiqué dans ma tête la voie entière par la province. Ev a essayé de me convaincre que pour entrer dans un magasin pour l'acheter des cigarettes parce qu'il pense mon Français il est meilleur que le sien. Je figure s'il les veut que le mauvais, il doive entrer et demander elles lui-même. Veuillez excuser mon français pauvre. Je fais le meilleur que je peux.
If you want a translation of what I just said you'll have to copy the paragraph and paste it into the translator at this link....
Update...apparently the translator doesn't translate very well so here is what I said....
Hello. How are you? I am good. Ev is very, very miserable. Why? Because we drove across Quebec today and his French is not very good. Mine isn’t that good either but I practiced in my head the whole way across the province. Ev tried to convince me to go into a store to buy him cigarettes because he thinks my French is better than his. I figured if he wanted them so bad, he could go in and get them himself.
Please exuse my poor French. I did the best that I could.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Day Eight - North Bay, ON to Nepean, ON
It was another short trip today, but do you see how close we are to 484 Keppoch Rd?
The routine is becoming a bit of a struggle but we are all still pretty light-hearted. When we got into the car today, Rookie stunk to high heaven from the dip he took last night. We left the windows open for a while which served as a bit of a blowdryer as well.
We started a new game today...making lists. Lists of projects to do when we arrive in PEI. Lists of things we need to buy. Lists of maintenance we need to take care of....who knows what tomorrow's list will be.
We were in Nepean just after lunchtime so once we got settled into the hotel, we decided to have some downtime and take a nap, had a nice dinner at a Thai restaurant across from our hotel and then Ev finally found a Starbucks. We are actually staying in the same hotel he stayed in when he was here on some training many years back.
Well that's it for now. The sun is just setting now and we are settling in because tomorrow is going to be a long drive. We are cutting across Quebec and heading for Edmunston, NB.
Day Seven...Sault Ste. Marie to North Bay
Finally we saw some wildlife. We were wondering where all of the animals were hiding out. We have driven past countless signs warning of moose and deer from Manitoba on and yet we haven't seen anything...unless you count the dozens of road pizza raccoons and 2 deceased deer on the roadside.When we pulled into North Bay, ON, there were two fawns, bigger but still spotted, feeding on the side of the road, right in town.
The other thing we have noticed in our travels...where are all of the rest stops? In BC we have what seem like hundreds of rest stops. There were virtually none driving from Alberta to Sault Ste. Marie. We are starting to see more of them now. I guess it's because BC is such a tourist spot?
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
What is 35 minutes and 12 seconds?
Before we left Ulukhaktok, Ev & I needed to deal with our satellite service. I had attempted to deal with it on my own, but since Ev’s name was the one on the account, our service provider, who shall remain nameless, would not allow me to make any changes to our account.
The day before the movers arrived, Ev called. Now you would think our request relatively simple but there were definitely a couple of questions that required their expertise. Rather than pack our receivers and two dishes, we opted to sell them to the incoming member. He is not slated to arrive for several months, so the equipment would be awaiting his arrival. This is fairly common practice amongst the members and I suspect it is a fairly common question posed to the satellite company. So, firstly we wanted to enquire how to transfer the equipment over to his name. Secondly, we wanted to know whether we needed to cancel the account in Ulukhaktok and open a new one when we arrived in PEI – the underlying question...is the account tied to the piece of equipment – or could we suspend our service until we had the opportunity to purchase a new device and reinstitute service. All fairly yes or no answers, right? Apparently not.
I stood-by listening to Ev explain, in plain English, what we wanted to do. I stood by and listened while he re-explained for the second time what we wanted to do, this time with a little more frustration. When he corrected the customer service person on how to pronounce McLachlan, I knew things were not headed in a good direction. He re-explained a third time and told the customer service rep he could not understand what she was suggesting. Not so much that there was a language barrier, but because what she was telling him was not making sense. In a fit of fury, he finally told her that he could not understand what the hell she was talking about and advised that before he loses his temper on her, he is going to pass the phone over to me with the hopes that I can determine what it is she is talking about.
I get on the phone. She calls me Mrs. McLawlan. I correct her. I explain what my husband does for a living, that we are being transferred, and that the person replacing him, who will not be here for several months, is purchasing the equipment from us. This should have been simple because the CS rep I spoke with several days earlier advised that all we had to do was leave the replacement member’s name on our account and advise the replacement what name we had on our account under to make the connection. That’s it. This CS rep agreed...and called me Mrs. McLawlan. I corrected her. I also learned from my earlier conversation that you are required to give a full month’s notice when you cancel an account or pay a full month without service. (I digress here, but I was told it was in the contract we signed and when I pulled that out, it referred you back to their website for the terms and conditions which I suspect are updated frequently and without printing a copy off 3 years ago, we didn’t have anything to fall back on.) She said the other option was to suspend our service without penalty (this she stated numerous times) but that accounts had to be suspended for a minimum of 6 weeks. “But Mrs. McLawlan, you cannot suspend an account without an active piece of equipment tied to your account.” I advised that the equipment remaining behind would/could be tied to our account as it was going to be sitting unused for several months. We could remove the old equipment from our account and replace it with the newly purchased equipment and establish service. She repeated that we couldn’t suspend our account without a piece of equipment tied to our account. I repeated myself. Are you getting the picture here? Once she understood what I was saying we started to discuss the suspension again.
The CS rep advised that the minimum for a suspension was 6 weeks but that when we arrived in PEI, all we had to do was call and they would reconnect our service earlier than the 6 weeks. I agreed that sounded like a good plan. She then restated the suspension was an option, without charge, but it was for a minimum of 6 weeks. I repeated what she told me moments before-hand about suspending & it and calling in for an earlier reinstatement. She agreed and then put me on hold for a moment. When she came back on the line, she said, “Mrs. McLawlan....”. I corrected her, “I’m sorry, Mrs. McLachlan. Mrs. McLawlan, there is a fee of $10 or $15 to suspend your account.” “But you said before there was no fee?” “I was mistaken, Mrs. McLawlan.” “Fine.”, says Mrs. McLawlan. “So, Mrs. McLawlan, six weeks from now would be October 14th, shall set that as the end of your suspension?” I questioned her again about the early reinstatement. She repeated herself about the minimum of six weeks. I said, “What about the early reinstatement?” She said, “Call us when you arrive to reinstate your service earlier, but there is a six week minimum, Mrs. McLawlan”. That was the last straw. I vehemently told her that I wanted to speak to a supervisor and that we were moments away from cancelling our service with them altogether. I repeated back to her what she was saying and said that they were two totally different things and wondered if she understood that? She said she did. Finally I got it out of her that they needed to have a date entered into their system for reinstatement which couldn’t be set any earlier than the 6 weeks, but we were welcome to call back when we arrived and have our service reinstated.
Finally! As we were nearing the end of our conversation, she posed the question. “Mrs. McLawlan...”, to which I replied, “MRS. MCLACHLAN!!!” “I’m sorry, Mrs. McLawlan, is there anything else I can do for you today?” To which Everett and I started laughing, SERIOUSLY out loud. And my reply laced with sarcasm, “NO, THANK YOU”.
So what is 35 minutes and 12 seconds? It’s the time we spent on the phone trying to get the answer to a few simple questions. It is 35 minutes and 12 seconds off our lives that we will never get back. And it probably shortened our lifespan by an additional few minutes because of the stress and frustration we were forced to endure.
I think I need to subtract an additional minute once again. Revisiting this story has made me relive the experience all over again.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Day Six - Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie
Distance Travelled: 721 km.
We actually were on the road by 7am today and made it into Sault Ste. Marie around 3:30. Checked into a nicer hotel than we spent last night in, that's for sure. We know that those travelling with pets are put into lesser quality rooms but the minute I walked in, all I could smell was pet urine....even with my less than useful sniffer.
Anyway....we chose to drive the coast of Lake Superior so we could see some sights rather than drive inland. The only problem was that it was foggy until after noon so we couldn't see anything. We could barely see the car in front of us. Once the fog broke, it was a pleasant drive. Still have to say that Saskatchewan was my fave!
We reverted back to "Brownie" days and played the Alphabet game which I quit halfway through but Ev continued to play by himself. Then we played another game from trips to Brownie camp where one person starts a story by telling one sentence and then next person determines the next sentence and so on. All I can remember is that there was a tiger coming out of the forest (KIM's sentence) and saw the old COUGAR, Kim, to which the tiger replied, "Oh, another tiger"(EV's sentence). And the old COUGAR replied, "No, Dumb Ass. I'm a friggin' cougar, not a tiger" (KIM's sentence). That'll teach him for calling me a cougar, yet again. That was also the end of the story because we were laughing so hard I thought I was gonna pee my pants.
I'm off to Dairy Queen to get me a blizzard!!! TTUS people!
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