Close to Nature

Thanksgiving weekend was absolutely glorious. The weather couldn't have been better....40C, perfect for dinner Al fresco. During the day, I needed to run into town to pick up some last minute fixin's. I had borrowed my brother's camera, and got sidetracked by the beauty of the Grand River.
The town of Fergus was originally settled in 1833 by Scottish immigrants. Many of the original stone building and homes still exist. These old homes all have historical placards at the front door, describing the positions, or careers the home owner held in the community. My favourite is 'Elizabeth Smith, Housewife.' I like the fact that she was the homeowner, there aren't very many women listed on these placards. So, here are just a few of the pics I took last weekend. It's made me realize just how much I miss my camera, and how I rely on it to get me in the blogging mood.

I like how I can play around with different settings and edit pictures. How's this for autumn colour?!

And how's this for getting close to nature?! I discovered an exotic pet store and this was the owner's pet boa constrictor, named Kahn. One thing weird about me...I kind of, sort of like snakes. And reptiles in general. Believe it or not, this little guy was really social, and slithered his way right up around my neck...rather like a feather boa...only not as fluffy.

All right, it's 10:30 am, and on that happy note, I must go to bed. Three more night shifts to go...

I honestly didn't realize how much time had gone by since I last posted. I've been on the graveyard shift for so long, I've started to forget what day of the week it is. So it's September 26th. Wow.

Last time I entered anything was Sept. 13th, my brother's birthday. The past 2 years my mom and I argued bitterly. 2005, it had to do with my wedding and how her friends thought it was a stupid idea that we get married in Vegas. Last year, we argued (I think) about my mom is not doing my brother any favours and that she is preventing him from having a life. I learned that that was none of my business, and not to expect the same inheritance. Whatever.

This year, we decided that we would go to a restaurant (that way, we would hopefully not scream like Banshees at each other.) (Banshee's---Ha!---I've been reading too much HP.) I made a reservation at a restaurant that my mother chose for 6pm. An hour at 5:30, my brother called to say they would be a little late. I changed the reservation. At 6:15 I was standing at the end of the driveway letting Buddy go pee and thinking that my mom and brother would soon arrive. They didn't, but my elderly neighbour came over (unasked) to keep me company, which immediately set Buddy off barking at Old Wife-Beater-Shirt-Iggy. Iggy immediately reminded me that his son also had a Husky, upon which I had to ask if that dog looked anything like my Husky, Buddy. (I honestly did ask, because it is about the 10th time he has told me this, leaving me wondering if he REALLY thinks that Buddy is a Husky, or, is he just so old that A Dog Is A Dog Is A Dog.)

I digress.

My mom and brother never did show up. My mom got mad at my brother because of his OCD need to check and make sure that the cats are inside the house, and then, once he is in the car, he has the need to get out again to check that he really did lock the door, but once again see if the cats are in.) My mom got pissed off, and decided that she didn't want to go out for dinner anymore, she stormed to the door and unlocked it, which relieved my brother because he then knew that the door was really locked and that there was someone home to let the cats in, in case they were still outside. (This is their relationship, which last year I learned was none of my business.)

My brother, Greg and I went out for ribs and my mom got the Doggy Bag, lest she go hungry.

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It's now October 2nd, and I am sucking at blogging. I found an old draft and thought I would include it today. I worked a week of days, and now I'm back on the vampire shift. Work is going well, and if anyone is wondering, I am the only person who applied for the educator position and my manager has already indicated to me that the job will be mine. I still have to go for the interview, but I'm not as freaked out as I was. My job partner is presently on vacation so until she comes back, I am covering our full line of shifts, which takes me to the end of October. Just two more weeks of nights and hopefully that will be the end of it for a while.

There is something that is kind of bugging me at work lately, and it has to do with how my colleagues are reacting towards one of the newly hired nurses. This woman has a deathly fear of elevators and absolutely refuses to step foot in one. Most of the time we are not required to accompany patients back to their rooms, the exception is when patients are going to an ICU bed. Some of the ICU's are located on the 4th and 5th floors, so of course, this nurse is unable to get into the elevator with her patient. Which means, that she asks another nurse to go, while she gives a telephone report. On a rare occasion, when some of my colleagues refuse to go, she has no option but to let her patient ride the elevator with a porter, while she runs up the stairs and meets them at the top. This, is unacceptable. At first, I was also kind of rolling my eyes at this phobia of hers, and in agreement with everyone else that she shouldn't be working with us if she is putting her patients in danger. But then, I started thinking about it differently, playing Devil's Advocate when the conversation came up again. In our Recovery Room, we are extremely short staffed, with no end in site. Three nurses are going on Mat Leave in the next 6 weeks, and no one has been hired to replace them. This nurse with the elevator phobia, is really a good nurse and other than the elevator thing, there is no issue with her nursing ability. So, I started thinking, that as nurses, shouldn't we be a little more understanding? Isn't it better to have a capable nurse do her job for 7.5 hours a day, and if she is unable to go in an elevator, can't one of us ride in the elevator with her patient and meet her at the top? It would take as long as a pee break to do this.

I feel particularly bad for her because she is new to the city, new to the hospital and other than her boyfriend, has no friends here. What a warm welcome she has received from us.

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Oct 3rd now.
It is Thanksgiving this weekend, and we are closing the trailer as we always do on this weekend. Two-Four and I have a big dinner planned for Saturday, and Sunday we'll seal the shack up. Greg still hasn't got around to the repairs and I've stopped caring. I'm secretly hoping that a tree will fall on it this winter, or maybe it'll snow so much that the roof will finally cave in. We'll see. I'm sure that next summer I'll still be bitching that the repairs haven't been done.

Buddy has finally gone into the lake to fetch his sticks. He's not actually swimming yet, but he'll go out as far as he can while still having his paws on the lake bed. It's very cute, and he can catch sticks, Frisbees, balls for hours! I guess that's the Border Collie in him.

BTW, the cats still hate him.

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My camera has been in the repair shop for weeks now, and I'm getting really frustrated. I love this time of year, and so many times I've seen things that I've wanted to take pictures of. To be honest, the thing I like the most about blogging is posting pictures, maybe that's why I've been at such a loss lately. It would be nice to have a camera this weekend, maybe I'll borrow my brother's.

Things are quiet on the family front. My mom is in China right now. She has been a travel maniac this year! Believe it or not, we have been getting along all right lately. Buddy seems to bring out the best in her, and he is an excellent buffer when we all get together. She really loves him, and secretly, I think she likes being called Oma. Two-Four is also getting used to being called 'Buddy's Granny.' At first she was pissed at being called Granny, but I think she kind of likes it now, too.

Yesterday, I received a long-awaited-for book from Amazon. One of the blogs I read everyday is Crazy Aunt Purl who I think is extremely funny and always sees the lighter side of situations. Her sense of humour is what dragged her out of the muck when her husband left her. That, and knitting (which I haven't attempted since Brownies 35 yrs ago.) It is a quick, enjoyable read and made for a great afternoon in bed with the kitties and Buddy. I should have been sleeping, but this was more fun. Alright, that's it for now.

Something kind of funny happened last night at work, well funny to me and I had a huge giggle inside my head.
When I was in highschool I was extremely shy, self-conscious, and awkward with low self-esteem. If a boy ever looked my way (which wasn't often) I'd shrink and turn my back. It's no great wonder I was the invisible wall flower. If I could turn back the clocks I would change that about me when I was younger. Younger, including the years well into my 20's, which is way beyond highschool.
Last night I worked in the ICU and I spotted this absolutely stunning speciman of a young buck resident. Let me tell you this: I am not one of those women who normally checks out every man up and down, in fact, on a whole, I don't find most men all that attractive. (And YES! I do find Greg incredibly handsome, and kind, and a whole bunch of other good things) Last night I found myself OOGLING. This young resident might have been 25, maybe 27 at a push, but OMG he was Hhhhawt! I can not even begin compare him to any actor, or model because honestly, he's way better. Tall, dark hair, hadn't shaved in at least 2 days, turquoise eyes and dark lashes...
So, I'm reading my patient's chart, minding my own business, and this hotty doctor stops by my desk to make sure everything is ok. He introduces himself as Shane and I immediately am transported back into time and turn into my 17 yr old self. I am aloof, can't maintain eye contact, and mumble 'Hi. I'm Ramomum." I look and feel like an ass. He literally backed away! No kidding. He backed away... and now he thinks my name is Ramomum.
He left, and I could have thumped myself in the forehead because I immediately realized how I must have come across. OK, let's get this straight, I am 42, old enough to be his mother for christsake! I am still a dork.
Anyway, a little while later I found myself covering a patient who needed to be intubated and Hotty was in the room too. The patient was on isolation precautions and things were a little tense. I was busy pushing meds, hanging blood, doing my professional nursing things, and being professional. When everything had quieted down Hotty and I and sedated patient where in the room alone. I was sweating and sucking air through my mask, when Hotty turns to me and says: You have the most beautiful eyes!
Bahahaha!!! I didn't know what to say except 'Oh, thanks!' But that immediately broke the ice and I became 42 again, although I didn't tell him that. But I did manage to worm into the conversation that I was married, lived in the suburbs, had a dog and two cats before I made myself shut up.
I am quite sure he is crushed.
Because Ramomum is quite a catch. (Tee-hee!)

It ended up being a quiet weekend in the end as we had to cancel our plans to go to the out of town wedding. Unfortunately, little Buddykins was hit by a car on Friday (don't worry, he's ok.) My brother had called Friday afternoon and asked if he could take Buddy down to the Bluffs for a walk. The wind was picking up and he wanted to see how rough the lake was. He parked the car, got out, and opened the other door for Buddy. Another dog came running up and within seconds, Buddy got spooked and started running. My brother said he took off like a bullet and even after he jumped into the car, he couldn't keep up with the dog. We live about 1.5 kilometres from the lake and there is a busy intersection with 8 traffic lanes to cross to get there, never mind the steep hill from the top of the bluffs to the lake. Buddy raced up this hill, ran through a subdivision, then crossed that intersection during rush hour traffic without looking or thinking and ran right into a car. He picked himself up off the road and kept running through the school yard and all the way home. He was trembling and obviously scared, but not nearly as scared as my brother, who arrived shortly after the Buddy did.
We went to the vet right away, and luckily there were no broken bones. Some blood work was taken to make sure that there was no internal bleeding, but we were able to bring him home and just had to monitor him overnight. Honestly, it's amazing that other than a bit of road rash on one of his hindquarters, there were no injuries. Also incredibly amazing that a puppy would know how to race home the distance that he did! He is a smart puppy.
So, we didn't end up going to the wedding, and neither one of us was upset about missing it. We were glad to hear that it was a backyard wedding with about 250 guests and it was buffet-style so hopefully we didn't put anyone out.

I came across this quiz today:
Check out your Real Age and predicted Longevity
I wonder if there is one for dogs...

8 hours later...

...resume is done!

A week later...

...and not only is my resume still not done, I didn't get around to colouring my hair either! I did clean the house, and I did give myself a pedicure. And I'm still working nights. I swear that I am turning into a vampire!
I have 8 hours before I have to leave for work, and today I WILL FINISH MY RESUME come hell or high water. The position has been posted now, so I really must get a move on.

Procrastion...

...is my middle name. (Actually, it's Manuela, my mom had a thing for Spanish names.)
I still have not started working on my resume, although I have paid to become a member of the Ontario Perianesthesia Nurses Association and the Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses. I can add these memberships to plump up my resume. I've also decided to go to a Perianesthesia Conference in October which actually sounds quite interesting, and a Pain Seminar led by some Anesthetists with whom I work. This, is the most involved I've been with my career in years. Sad, but true. And, definitely time to change that.
But first...I must colour my hair.

Catching Up

So, it's been over a month since my last real post. I think about my blog every day, but I don't make time for it. I have a day to myself today and other than cleaning up my pigsty of a house, my projects include updating this blog, and working on my resume.

Let me think about what has gone on this past month. Work has been good. An unexpected situation has arisen which could be a very positive thing for me. There is an opportunity for a one year position as Clinical Educator within the Recovery Room, that also extends to the Pre-assessment Clinic, the Same Day Surgical Centre, the IV Team, the Phlebotomy Team, the Transfusion Centre, and the Autologous Blood Centre. My manager and present Clinical Educator have approached me to apply, and are willing to help me prepare for the interview, including updating my resume. The disaster interviews I've had in the last few years have made me realize that Interviews are much more in depth and designed in such a way that I need to really learn how to apply my answers in a specific way to sell myself in a positive manner. Gone are the days when as a nurse, they were just looking for a warm body who wasn't a complete idiot. In speaking with people, I can now see why I didn't get particular jobs that I applied for because I answered questions with a negative outcome. For example, in the last interview I went to the interviewers asked me about my Anthropology degree. I kind of flippantly answered that as a young adult I didn't know what I wanted to do so that's how I ended up with that degree. I went back to nursing school to get a real job. Which, is always how I had thought about it, but it does sound negative, doesn't it?

In speaking with the Clinical Educator last week, the light bulb suddenly went on to the point where I CAN make that degree count for something! In fact, I am inspired to try to get into an on-line Masters Programme. That will be an autumn project. I am also inspired to start getting more involved at work in committees to start networking. In muddling through my personal issues this summer, I've realized that all of these 'problems' have been building for the past few years. I've chosen to just show up for work without being truly involved. Working in the Recovery Room has made that very easy because honestly, I don't find it very challenging. And, if I am truly honest, it has also allowed me to increase my wine consumption to the point where I admit it's become problematic. I'm not proud of that, but there it is, out in the open. I did talk to my doctor about it and realize that it has been a way of self-medicating to cope. I'm going to work on changing this, which will be a challenge of it's own.

I really want this job, so I am trying to stay focused, think positive, and be prepared for the interview. I will gladly take any advice for successful interviewing tips.

Things with my mom and I are okay lately. We have both been behaving ourselves.

I have had some really nice visit with out of town friends this past month. Pez was in Toronto visiting with her family, and we were able to see each other a few times which was great.This past weekend, my friend KD who lives in Ottawa, came for an impromptu visit which was also wonderful. She brought her cute little poodle Roxie, who is Buddy's new girlfriend. The dogs got along really well.

Speaking of Buddy, he is pure joy. He is smart and knows quite a few commands. He is terrible on the leash and is afraid of the lake but he is great with other dogs and children. I think he has a great disposition and he fits in well with our little family. Well, the cats would prefer if he wasn't around, but I'm hoping that as time goes on, they will resent him less.

We have had a few surprise birthday parties this past month. Two-Four turned 60, and had the time of her life at her party. Louise turned 40, and was very surprised at the party we had for her yesterday (especially since her birthday was 2 weeks ago!) My brother, who has been sober since last November, is turning 39 in a few weeks, and Greg and I thought we would throw a little party for him at the trailer. He has impressed a lot of people this year with his kindness and consideration and I think he'd be quite pleased if friends and family celebrated with a nice dinner in his honour. I might even invite my mom up.

Let's see...what else have I been up to? Greg's vegetable garden is growing like crazy. We have loads of vine-ripe tomatoes, hot peppers, and onions. This year was experimental, and we have a few different ideas for next year. I've been working on a perennial garden, which I'm hoping will fill in nicely next year. We have had a really hot, dry summer here so watering has been quite a chore, but all-in-all we are happy with the results. I have not done much with the trailer this summer, I still have dreams of getting it repaired this year and there are a few men who have volunteered to do the job. No plans to get rid of it any time soon. We have not spent as much time up there this summer, but when we do go, it is still very enjoyable. Mao loves it, and he has made numerous friends throughout the park.

I spent 10 days at the trailer earlier this month and had a very nice, relaxing time. I read the first three Harry Potter books, and I have to say that I am hooked! Always late to get on the band wagon, but better late, than never. They are truly creative, engaging books and I'm even glad that I haven't had to wait years in between to read the on-going adventures.

I'm sure that there are many other things that have happend this past month, but these are the highlights. Captivating, huh?!

It's been a while...I promise I'll make time to catch up later this weekend.

The last couple of times I've had planned visits with my mom they have actually been quite nice. (I hope I haven't jinxed myself now.)

I never wrote about a HUGE fight we had back in March where my mom called me a F@*&ing A$$hole and stormed out of the house after Greg called her on it. The whole fight was about me standing up for myself and my mom's opinion that you never talk back to your elders, you give them respect no matter what. When I disagreed with her she called me names to gain my respect.
The timing was particularly bad because she was going on a 5 week cruise as a birthday gift to herself for her 70th. I was pissed off, and did not acknowledge her birthday. No card, no gift, no party. And, I know that I hurt her but at the time, but I was hurt too. We have never again talked about this fight that we had, but it's been a slow recovery. There is also no point in trying to talk about it, because we'd end up just rehashing it all over again.
So, in the past few months I don't call as much as I used to which was every day, but I do call about every third day and we have our 2 minute phone call. She never calls me, I'm not even sure she knows my number by heart. I'd go by maybe once every two weeks for an hour visit, that's all I could trust we could handle before one of us would get upset.
I have a feeling that my relationship with my mom is one of the reasons my emotional status took a nose-dive. I've always had a sense that my mom can't be happy for me. She's extremely critical of my life and I think that there is also a good amount of jealousy thrown in. In all honesty, I don't think that she was truly happy for me when Greg came into my life, and when we decided to get married. She looks positively grim in our wedding photos. He has always been warm towards her, makes her feel special, makes her laugh. He is my brother's best friend. Never mind, that I think he is a really great husband. On more than one occasion when we've been talking on the phone, (when she even bothers to ask,) she'll say 'and how is your husband?' I'll say 'do you mean Greg?' She'll say 'all these names are so confusing for me' Uh, ya. There are 4 people in our family, including Greg. That's it, no extended family on our side.
Anyway, I got off on a tangent that I didn't really mean to. But that's some of the background story about what my mom is like.

After our big fight, I managed to keep my distance for the longest time. She was away for 5 weeks, then Greg and I went to Europe. Like I said, I managed a few short visits, without Greg at, her house.
Since Buddy's arrival, he has taken on the role of icebreaker. One of the nicest qualities about my mom is her love for animals, a good trait that her children inherited. I'm not sure if it's pet therapy, but now when I go to visit my mom there is a distraction and the conversation is not as stilted. The visits have gotten longer and she seems genuinely happier, which of course, I find more tolerable.
I know that I will never have a fabulous mother-daughter relationship with her, but at the same time it is important that I have some sort of relationship with her, and that is not stressful. Peaceful would be good. Greg (my very own Dr. Phil) says that she can't change who she is, so I should just accept her as she is, and it'll bother me less. Is this the same thing as "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?" You love the dog, hate the behaviour, but they have that behaviour so ingrained you just give up, but keep loving the dog. (Ooops...did I just compare my mom to a dog?! I didn't mean for it to sound like that.)
Anyway, things are slowly improving, we are both making an effort at getting along.
And Buddy is a young dog learning new tricks. Apparently, he as already won his Oma over, so he's ahead of me.

Just couldn't resist!

Showers and Babies

In keeping with my theme of being the world's worst blogger, I will try to catch up on what seems to be my once weekly entry. A rather uneventful week, but all in all, not a bad one. My BIL seems to like coming to stay with us during the week which I'm not seeming to mind all that much as it does help out with Buddy. There are distinct advantages to having an unemployed brother and BIL and Buddy absolutely loves both of them.
We have had the driest summer on record in 9 years but we did have a crazy lightening storm last week which the flowers and vegetable garden desperately needed. Greg was quite proud of his artistic photo he took trying to capture the crazy sky.

One of my friends is expecting her first baby in September and I put this basket together for the baby shower. I got the idea from Pez who is always coming up with creative and crafty ideas. This is the third time I've made one of these baskets and I like this one the best. The idea is to make it look like like a baby sleeping in a laundry basket (it's filled with diapers, shampoo, wipes etc.) Unfortunately, my friend didn't 'get' it until after I told her what it was meant to be, but I had fun putting it together all the same.

A highlight of the weekend was spending some time with my god son Liam, who is cute as a button. He is just sprouting some new teeth.

He seemed to really like Buddikins, although it might not be so obvious in this picture!

In case some of you are wondering what has become of Mr. Mao, he has gone into hiding. I bought this cat cave for him way back in March when I was in Seattle and when I brought it home, he was terrified of it! At the time I was quite disappointed that he didn't love it so it ended up in a corner. Mao rediscovered this little hideaway a few days ago and now seems quite content hiding from Buddy. I should mention though, that it was Buddy who found Mao first in the cave...Greg and I had been wondering all day where he had disappeared to!

Last, but not least, I want to share a Google 3D tour of Berlin which I think is totally cool. It is the next best thing to actually going there. Check it out!

Had a really nice weekend at the trailer and I was pleasantly surprised at how well Lou and her family behaved, even though they kind of invited themselves to stay with us. Last year, remember how upset I was?
Well, this year it was a completely different story. Perhaps because I haven't really felt like doing much in terms of cleaning, cooking, entertaining (so I didn't!) everyone pitched in. Lou cleaned up the trailer thoroughly at the start of the weekend which was desperately needed. She moved furniture, swept and washed the floors, tidied up the counters, put stuff away. I couldn't believe it! At dinner time, Greg was in charge of the barbecue, Two-Four made a potato salad, and Nan showed up with a salad and coleslaw. After dinner, Lou did the dishes, while I worked on the puzzle! LOL! I guess if one plunks one's ass down and decides not to be a control freak, everything gets done (eventually.)
Lou's 7 yr old daughter was a doll and Buddy fell in love with her. She walked around the park so many times with Buddy, and various adults who all wanted to walk him, that her little feet hurt at the end of the day. Needless to say, both she and Buddy were exhausted and slept very well that night.
Sunday morning we awoke to serious thunderstorms which were desperately needed. I love the sound of the rain on the trailer roof, and we ended up staying longer than we usually do because it was so cozy.
All in all, a very nice weekend.

May 28th, 1948

The three people who read this blog know how much I like to check out thrift shops, garage and church rummage sales, and the occasional garbage-picking. Due to an elderly population in our neighbourhood, it seems that every month there is another house up for sale. Many of these homeowners have lived in their houses for over 50 years, so you can imagine the goodies I find at garage sales. (One person's junk is another's treasure!) A few weekends ago I happened upon one of these sales and I bought a few things, among them some hand-painted glass globes that were wrapped in newspaper dated May 28th, 1948. I couldn't resist reading through these few pages and some of the ads made me giggle, so I thought I would share. Click on the pics to read the fine print.

Imagine being a young lady in 1948, getting ready for your first date. Etiquet Deodorant Cream requires that one merely dabs one's armpits with the first two fingers. It is "fluffy-light and soothing, goes on easily and disappears in a jiffy! It actually ends under-arm perspiration odour-safely-surely! "
And to get more fun out of your work and play, a lady must always keep herself "clean inside, because real inner cleanliness can put a new spring in your step, a brighter twinkle in your eye." Andrews Liver Salt cleans your mouth and tongue (no halitosis!), it sweetens sour stomach and corrects excess acidity (no burping on that date!), works on the liver to check biliousness (no farting!!!) and gently cleans the bowels (no need to go #2 while you are on that date!)

Your extraordinary personal hygiene has Chuck enraptured and before you know it, You are a June Bride! And the best wedding gift a gal could want, would of course be A NEW RANGE! After all, from the day you are married, it is You who gets to do all the cooking. And don't forget to send your best guy off to work with a thermos full of piping hot Tender Leaf Tea. It'll come in handy during his tea break with all the other working boys. Do remind new hubby to roll up the cuffs of his overalls so he can show off his ankles.

To keep Chuck interested and bragging about you to the other fellers, you must "Youthify" yourself with the "Amazing new Secret of Eternal Youth." It guarantees to normalize your figure problems and you will have a satisfactory silhouette in revealing play clothes and bathing suits. No need to disrobe, and leaves you with no bruising. Hmmm...I wonder what the Big Secret is? It had better not be exercise!!!


After all of Chuck's long hard tea-drinking days at work, he has managed to save a little money for that promised Honeymoon. First, he must trade in all of his United States money he earned under the table at the nearest bank. It is illegal to retain more than $10 United States money, as it must be spent in Canada in order to make the funds available for the payment of goods and services.
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Never mind, because for your Honeymoon, you are headed to London, England for the 1948 Olympics! Flights are very flexible (leaving every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and very affordable at $604 Canadian money (probably the equivalent of about $6000 pp in 2007!)


Hope you enjoyed this little blast from the past.
Oh...my other 'Find' from the garage sale was this little beauty which cost me $2 Canadian money!

I met a moron yesterday.
I was meeting my friend and her family at her son's soccer game so I brought Buddy along. He was a bit nervous at first because it was a new situation and there were a lot of people, but he settled down after a few minutes. No sooner had I gotten him settled down, when this woman turns to me and tells me she doesn't like dogs, that she felt they belonged in the country were they could run free. I was a bit taken aback, but I offered to leave. I think she realized her tactlessness so then started saying that she didn't really mind dogs that much, that she had had a guard dog when she was a child that ripped an ankle off an intruder. Okay...
Then she says that what she REALLY hates is cats! She HATES them so much! They are sneaky and dirty and arrogant and she couldn't understand why anyone would want them in the house. And that's why she doesn't want dogs either. You always have to clean up after them, and do stuff for them, they are so NEEDY! I thought I'd shut her up by saying "Ya, that's why I don't like kids." (I DO like kids, I was just trying to shut her up!)
But that didn't work either. Then I had to listen to her go on and on and on about how great her 12 year old son was. He cleans the house, makes her breakfast, does her laundry, shovels the neighbours snow, takes out everybody's garbage blah-dee-blah-dee-blah. It was on the tip of my tongue to say that it sounded like she had her own little slave, but as she was Afro-Canadian I thought that would be in really poor taste.
Thankfully my friend suggested we go for a walk and when we returned, she was gone.
What a moron.

Adventures in Dogwalking

Greg and I have an agreement that the last one out of the house has to take Buddy for a walk around the block before heading off to work. It's usually me. You'd think that this would be a fairly simple task, but apparently for me, it's not.
Yesterday morning I had this great idea that I would enjoy a cup of coffee while I walked Buddykins. I had Buddy on a short leash, poo-bag and coffee in hand. We set out and shortly thereafter I noticed that Mr. Mao was also coming on the walk with us. I smiled to myself thinking "oh, how cute...Mao wants to come along!" Three houses down Buddy took a big poo. No problem. I put the coffee cup on the sidewalk, held on to Buddy's leash, deftly picked up the big load, and tied my one bag in a knot. Surely he was done.
Nope, next house another poo. Okay...a little trickier as I only had the one bag. Coffee cup on the sidewalk, reopen bag, juggle old poo but do manage to get it all in the bag. Mao watched curiously from a distance, probably wondering why I never clean the litter box every time after he and Dutchie use it.
Back to the poo. I thought he was done, but nooooo...he had to squeeze a little more out. Coffee cup on sidewalk, this time even trickier with the poo so I had to let go of the leash. Which is when Buddy saw Mao and the chase was on! First Mao, then Buddy, then me (with my 2lb bag of poo) racing down the street, and of course witnessed by the mailman.
I managed to get Buddy in the house, then had to go back and retrieve my coffee cup which was still sitting on the sidewalk at this point cold and being stepped over by the kids on their way to school.
On my way home from work last night I bought a Bright Red flexi-leash with a 16 foot lead. Paid $40 for it, but figured it would be worth it. It would give Buddy a little more freedom and maybe I could handle the poo situation better.
We set out this morning but I decided not to bring the coffee.
We made it halfway around the block on his new leash before he got tangled up around a hydro pole. Stupid me let go of the leash and the automatic recoil set in motion. It recoiled all right, and scared the shit out of Buddy! He started running but the handle just kept following him. He was terrified so ran even faster! The handle followed him faster! That dog can run like the wind! So can the flexi-leash handle. I ran too, although not like the wind...
I passed a man I had said hello to three minutes earlier while he admired my new puppy. He now shook his head and tried not to laugh.
Buddy was sitting on the front lawn out of breath. The brand new Bright Red flexi-leash also looked tired. It also looked like I've had it for ten years.

I can only thank god that the mailman didn't witness this.

Buddy and I discovered a gorgeous place where we could walk and he could be off-leash. It is located on top of the Scarborough Bluffs and overlooks Lake Ontario. There were a few other dog walkers there but really was quite isolated.

The only critter that made me a bit nervous was this fox that we met on our travels! I think if you click on the pic you might be able to see it better.

Pet therapy is a good thing. So is a two and half hour nature walk!

A Little Overdue...

...for a post!


I think the medication is starting to work. I'm no longer crying for no reason and the tennis ball in my sternum has dislodged itself, for the most part. Buddy has been a great distraction and we've all been going on long walks which is great because it gets us out doing things. He is really good off-leash, he stays close and comes when he is called. I think this is pretty good for a 6 month old puppy that we've only had for three weeks. Mr. Mao is slowly getting used to him, he must have realized that Buddy is here to stay. Dutchie couldn't give a crap, she's happy as long as she gets fed.


We've opted not to crate train him, mainly because we don't have a crate for him, but also because he's pretty good at playing with his toys and hasn't wrecked anything. I did catch him chewing on the fringes of one of my carpets, so I just rolled it up and put it in the closet for now. When we go to work, we leave him in our bedroom with the door closed. My brother (38 and retired for the past 12 years) has a little extra time on his hands so he has become our dog-walker. Which breaks up both of their days. The only glitch I've made with leaving Buddy in the bedroom, is that twice I've also inadvertently left Mr. Mao in the room with him, too! Poor Mao!


Speaking of Mr. Mao, he was almost abducted at the trailer park by a couple of well-meaning cat lovers! For the past 5 summers we've let him wander about, but he always stays close by, and our trailer-neighbours know him well. In fact, they always tell us how much they enjoy his little visits. It's never been problematic, and if it were, I'd make sure he stayed inside. One Sunday night, we decided that we would extend our weekend and leave the next morning instead. We were making dinner and a woman stopped by to tell us that someone had found a Siamese cat, was ours missing? Sure enough, when we called him he didn't come running like he usually does. We were told the cat was at the office but when we got there, they gave us two site numbers and advised us to check there. The first trailer site was literally two sites away, but it was across a little road. The site was empty. So, we made our way to try to find the other site. Jesus! It was all the way down by the lake! No wonder Mao didn't hear me call him. Turns out, that the people at the trailer closest to us 'found' him and decided to show him off to their friends down by the lake. He was wrapped up in a red blanket but you should have seen him jump to me when he saw me! The couple was just getting ready to leave for their home in Cambridge which is 45 minutes West of the park. They had a big German Sheppard in the car, and Mao had already scratched the woman's chest to shreds. Their intentions were good, I guess, and they had already called Greg's cell to let them know they had Mao, but I couldn't help thinking that I wouldn't have reacted the same way had I found a cat. He had a collar and tags on, and honestly, did they think we had gone home and left him behind? Seriously, he was missing for less than an hour. When I found him, the people were concerned because he had this red mark on his forehead. They thought it was blood. They asked me if I knew what it was. Uhhh...yep...it's lipstick, I had kissed him not long ago. MYSTERY SOLVED!


Well, this has turned into a Pet Post, but seriously, that is the most interesting thing going on in my life.
Oh, I did turn 42 ten days ago. Buddy was my gift from Greg. Did I mention that before? It was otherwise a very low-key birthday, which was how I wanted it.


I've lost 18 lbs since January, so I actually weigh less now than I did on our wedding day. My size 16 clothes are all too big for me. Yay!

Here's a pic of Mama, and Mama's Boy:

Buddy's Weekend at the Trailer

Little Buddy had a funderful time last weekend. He raced around with the Australian Sheppard and Border Collie who live next door and was having a ball!

He socializes very well with other dogs which I'm very happy to see.

Being a pup he tends to take little cat naps throughout the day and he claimed this Hosta as his very own personal "Palm Tree."

At night we were all a little konked out and cozied up in bed. Needless to say there was very little room left over for Greg, but he did manage to squeeze in too.

Not much of a post, but things are slowly getting better.

Our Fur Family

I've struggled this weekend with feelings of anxiousness and opted not to go to the trailer and hid out at home instead bonding with little Buddy. No doubt, Two-Four is upset with us, but her intrusiveness was part of my issue. We are giving serious thoughts to selling the trailer as I think it's too much work handling both properties. As I've mentioned in the past, weekends at the trailer are really just more work for me. So, the issue at hand is, that we decided to give Greg's sister first dibs on the trailer, in case she was interested. We gave her a ballpark figure, which believe me, was a steal. In a casual conversation she had with her mother asking questions about park fees etc the price of offer came up. Well! Two-four left a nasty message on Greg's machine saying that she thought it was deplorable that we were even going to ask money from Lou, that he should be disgusted trying to make a buck off his own sister! Lou, had no idea of this, and she herself certainly has no thoughts akin to her mother's. But, I just didn't want to deal with it this weekend, not even a smidgen of conversation about it. It just stresses me out. And I don't want to deal with it right now.

My mother has made some secret promise to herself never to step foot in my home again. So, once a week, I will visit with her for an hour at her home, until she smartens up. She likes the dog, but doesn't like his name, was trying to get him to bark (which I'm trying to prevent) and was ready to feed him a leftover pork chop, which again, I'm trying to prevent. Thankfully the puppy was tired and there was my excuse to leave.

So yesterday, instead of going to the trailer, I finished my gardening here at the house all the while with the Ball of Dread growing bigger and bigger in my chest. I must admit, my pets (and of course Greg) are the shining stars in my family life. Buddy is so anxious to play with the cats, but they really don't want much to do with him. Dutchess has lived with dogs before, but she is really not interested in starting up a new friendship. She basically ignores him as much as she can. Mao is particularly nervous, but he will spend time in the same room and I've noticed that he lets Buddy come a little closer each time. The orange chair that Buddy is sleeping on has a special memory attached to it as it was the dog's chair when I was growing up. When I moved out, I needed a computer chair so I took this from my mom's house. Buddy decided yesterday to adopt this chair, so we moved it into the bedroom with us.We were going to have to buy a new bed for Buddy as he picked apart the foam of the first one that Greg bought. We don't have a crate for him yet, but someone from work has one for us if we need it. I'm not quite sure what I think about crating a dog. The first day we had him we left him in the bedroom while we were at work. He was alone for 5 hours and the only damage he did was to eat his bed. No other accidents. We've managed to potty train him this weekend, he sits on command, and shakes paws. He knows NO, and he does not bark at the cats. I think that this is all pretty good for a four month old pup, I'm impressed. He has also gotten us out and on walks. Today we went down to the bluffs and had him off-leash most of the time. He stayed right near us and not once did he run away, or even chase after the geese. We were down at the lake and as it was quite a windy day the waves were quite noisy and he was a little afraid. The world is a whole new big place for him, and he is very tired at the end of the day! He starts puppy-classes on June 18th.

I did capture a cute little shot of Mr. Mao, the Caterpillar Killer. Well, he thought he killed it, but I think the caterpillar outwitted him by playing dead. As soon as Mao was out of the way, caterpillar hurried off. I like how Mao's ears look like big moths in this picture.

That's all for now.

Thank you Everyone. I did go to the doctor yesterday and things are starting to get sorted out. A lot of this is hormonal peri-menopausal stuff but my coping skills are not the best lately. Ordinary day-to-day things feel like huge obligations and when I don't get around to them, I feel guilty and get this feeling of dread in my chest that makes me feel like it's hard to breathe. I start one thing, then another, then another, and nothing really gets done. Then, to make the dread go away, I have a glass, or two, or five of wine. Which works for a short time, but then the next morning it starts all over again. This is where the lack of coping skills really comes in to play, and why I knew I needed to do something about it. For the time being I'm starting a low-dose medication to get myself back on track.

Now, whether it's a good time for this or not, Kross-Eyed Kitty also has a big announcement! Yesterday we adopted a 4 month old puppy from a Rescue Centre. Introducing Buddy Ha**ett (rhymes with Racket)

We have been talking about getting a dog since we moved into the house and decided to wait until after our trip. Buddy is half border collie and half terrier and is a happy little guy. Mao is curious about him, but does get his hackles up when the pup gets too close. Dutchie couldn't care less as she is more comfortable around dogs.

Be prepared: you'll be seeing plenty of pics of our newest family member!

Ugh.
I'd like to say that I'm feeling better, but the bad/sad/blues have really got a hold of me.
Lately, a lot of bad memories have come to the forefront again and I think I need to deal with them.
Tomorrow I'm starting by making a doctor's appointment.
I'll be around, but I think I need some time to deal with all the crap I've kept bottled up that is eating away at me.

In the week or so since I've returned from vacation I'm feeling overwhelmed and everything is feeling like a juggling act. Work seems to get in the way of all the other things that I need to do. I'd love to be able to take a day to clean the house, do the laundry, go grocery shopping, work on the garden at the house and at the trailer, make time for friends and family, blog, get my vacation photos sorted and printed, recover my dining room chairs, etc, etc, etc. I'm feeling like I can only get jobs started and then I am pulled away because there is something else that needs to be done, or the phone is ringing, or someone is popping by. I'm not complaining (or not EXACTLY complaining) but I do feel like there is so much to do and nothing is getting done. Or, when it does get done, in a few days it needs to be done all over again. Maybe I'm just not organized enough, or maybe I just need a few more days in the week to get everything done. Greg is helpful and he worked hard this past week and sanded and stained our deck in the backyard which looks great. The patio lights that I bought in Seattle are also up and they look adorable. My terra cota clay pots have been hung on the fence, but are barren of any flowers.
I think, what it comes down to, is that since I can't quit my job, that this weekend we will have to stay home and do work around the house.
For the life of me, and I've said this before, how on earth do people with kids manage? Especially these days when you're running kids from school to baseball practice to dance recitals to piano lessons? I know, I know...you just do what you have to do.
Anyway. It's 8:18am and I have to leave for work in an hour. I'm going to put in a load of laundry (that I think Dutchie has already peed on because that is her latest trick. She wasn't happy that we went away for two weeks and has now discovered alternative litter boxes. Usually the bathroom rug, but since I took that away it's now the clothes pile in front of the washing machine.) Sigh.
And, did I mention that I did go for that job interview? A one hour interview where at the end, the manager said that she didn't have a job for me, but thought she would interview me as there might be jobs at the end of summer. The interview was much more in-depth than I'm used to, and I left with my self-esteem at an all-time low.
So, this has been my week thus far: over-whelmed and low-esteemed.
Or perhaps it's just post-vacation blues.

I'm back!

We had an absolutely WONDERFUL vacation and I'm very happy to say that Greg made an excellent travel partner! I have been to Berlin many times but this time I really enjoyed playing tour guide and showing Greg the sites of my birth city. It has changed so much over the years since the wall came down. We went to the Berlin Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie to learn the history of the Wall and the many escape methods used by people over the years to gain entry into the West. Some very innovative ideas including tunnels, hiding in shopping bags, suitcases, amplifiers and even surfboards. There is very little left of the Wall these days, but one of the pictures below is a small slab left as a reminder. No trip to Berlin would be complete for me if I did not visit my most favourite fountain in the whole world, Neptune's Fountain at Alexander Platz. I could spend hours examining this beautiful sculpture, there is so much detail involved.



After a few days in Berlin we took the train to Prague. I would totally recommend taking the train anywhere in Europe as it is extremely comfortable and reliable. We stayed at a couple's home in the outskirts of downtown Prague. I can not even begin to tell you how nice these people where! Charles met us at the train station and had already purchases tram tickets for us. He brought us to his home, 10 minutes later we were back on the tram and he brought us to Old Prague Town to make sure that we knew how to get there and home again. He gave us a fantastic tour of his favourite places in Prague which were a little off the beaten path. He brought us to his family Church which is heavy, heavy Baroque and has not been renovated yet. The gold gilt on the painting frames were blackened with centuries worth of dust and grime but that just made the goosebumps so much bigger. The organ in that Church had been played upon by Mozart and Bach.
Prague was absolutely beautiful, however if I could say one negative thing about it, it would be that there were SO many tourists, that it felt a bit like Disney World. Overall though: a must-see.




Amsterdam? What can I say? It is a beautiful city with it's canals and canal houses. Everywhere you look, is pretty. OK, maybe the red-light district is not so pretty, but it's worth a few minutes visit just to see what the hoopla is all about. We did visit Anne Frank's Haus which was for me, a very moving experience. I'm very glad that I read her diary last month and it was fresh in my mind. ~~~And Amsterdam...very relaxing ;)
We walked and walked and walked hours each day in all of these cities and I think we must have climbed miles of stairs, but none of the stairs were as crazy-steep as the ones in Amsterdam. OMG! It was 73 steps to our tiny, teeny-weeny room and by the time we got to the top we'd be huffing and puffing and fall onto our 3/4 bed! Greg could touch the walls when he spread his wings, that's how small this room was.
On our last day I had planned for us to take the train to go to Keukanhof to see the tulips. Unbeknownst to me, we were too late to see the spectacular bulbs so I was greatly disappointed when after an hour and a half of travel, we walked into the park and there were just a bunch of dead leaves. It was kind of like how The Griswald's must have felt when the rides at Wally World were closed!

This was the perfect vacation, the perfect amount of time and the perfect travel companion. We are already making a list of where to go next May...I do believe that hubby has caught the travel bug!

Whoo-hoo!

... just when I thought I had signed off for two weeks, I headed over to Kristi's at Interrupted Wanderlust and was very pleasantly surprised to learn that I had been nominated for a Thinking Blogger Award ! To be honest, lately I realize that my blog is merely filled with travel posts and cat posts and that perhaps there is not a lot of thinking going on, but I'm honoured anyway that Kristi thought of me!

In random order, I'd like to honour the following blogs for making me think:
Pez at Pez Blahg is not only my BFF, but I've learned that being a Stay At Home Mom to three boys is the equivalent of THREE FULL-TIME jobs. She is a fantastic mom who is a terrific advocate for peanut-free environments in the classroom. She is smart, funny, crafty...and did I mention she is my BFF?!

Amanda at Putting Out Fires is a fabulous photographer with an incredible eye for detail. She writes so eloquently about her mom's struggles with leukemia and what a brave lady she is. She is also totally, completely, passionately, madly in love with her husband and I totally enjoy reading about their good times. Many of my family and friends are going through rough times in their relationships and it is so refreshing to hear about a good one.

Begered at Beeshive also has a lust for travel and has gorgeous photos of her trips to Iraq and Russia. Her photos of Iraq remind me that despite all of the turmoil that that country has gone through, there is a strength and beauty in family roots that prevails. I'm impressed that she is able to share a side of Iraq that most people don't have the opportunity to see.

Sher at What Did You Eat? introduced me to Weekend Cat Blogging and she has the most hilarious photos of her cats Upsie and Sundance. She is a wildlife rehabilitator and has shared incredible photos of the baby ground squirrels she rescued. An incredible chef, she has inspired more than a few tasty recipes with her mouthwatering photos and diverse menus.

Moon at Moonbeams in Cyberspace is a compassionate woman who cares for disabled adults in her home. She writes from the heart and recently is sharing her experiences of weight-loss. I know how hard that is!

Your turn now to share the love! Here are the Rules!

Tomorrow we leave for Europe! I just finished working a week of night shifts and while I thought I could get a lot done outside of work, I've of course left it all until the last minute. Yesterday I spent a few hours at the mall buying some generic t-shirts, a teesie-weensie umbrella, a voltage converter and a few gifts. Turns out that my first cousin, and my second cousin are going to make the trek to Berlin to visit us. I have a very, very small family and these are virtually the only relatives I keep in semi-contact with. It'll be interesting to see them as the last time I saw my 1st cousin was 6 years ago, and my 2nd cousin was about 20 years ago.

Spring has finally sprung here in Ontario and we've been spending a lot of time cleaning up the backyard. The forsythia bush is in full-flower and Mr. Mao has discovered a new perch on top of the fence. He was able to get up there, but then needed help getting down. Silly Kitty.

Last night I was packing for our trip and I suddenly realized that I hadn't seen The Dutchess in a while. Usually she is giving us the googlie-eyes begging for food every few hours. We looked in every nook and cranny in the house and finally came to the conclusion that she must be outside, although neither of us could remember letting her out. We ended up walking around the neighbourhood looking for her and just when we were about to give up we found her! She was sitting three doors down at a house that looked very similar to ours. The people there must have taken pity on her as there was kibble and water there for her. She must have been wondering why we (they) wouldn't let her in! Poor girl! I put a thank-you note on their door this morning...there's a new way of meeting the neighbours!

So, I'm off to Europe tomorrow, expect tons of pictures when I get back mid-May.

Travel Tuesdays #14

...if it's Wednesday, we must be in Venice! Seems like I'm consistently a day late for TT these days. Should I start calling it Wandering Wednesdays instead? Nah...

Venice was one of the many places the Ex-bf and I traveled to. We were there for a week, and honestly 2 days would have been enough to get a good gist of what the Island is all about. It's very pretty and pedestrian-friendly. Every canal or bridge you pass is picture-perfect. The gondolas add to the romance of the city, but be prepared to drop $100 bucks for a short ride, more if you want the Gondolier to sing "That's Amore!" We were lucky in that our trip fell during the yearly Historical Regatta which really was the highlight of the whole week. The Regatta dates back to the second half of the 13th century and many of the locals were wearing historical costumes.

One of my favourite food memories is Insalata Gorgonzola It is quite possible that I had it every day. I think I am now inspired to make this salad on the weekend. Or maybe, it'll have to be tonight as I've just caught myself salivating!

Last week I mentioned that I planned to apply for another position at the hospital. I worked on my resume, wrote a great cover letter and submitted it on time. Then, I didn't hear anything. I called the manager of this department and left a message. Still didn't hear anything. 10 days later she finally called me at work only to tell me that unfortunately she was not even going to interview me, because I was not Critical Care staff, and that was where they were getting their pool of nurses from. I told her that I was very surprised at this because as mentioned in my cover letter, I had over 10 years of Critical Care expertise, and while I was now Recovery Room staff, I have a flexible schedule that allows me to work 12 hour shifts. As well, other team members of her Response Team had personally approached me and suggested I apply. She said she was sorry, but at this point, I did not qualify. I was pissed off but suggested she keep my resume on file.
An hour later, I was at the job posting board looking to see if there was anything new. The physician who runs the Response Team saw me and jokingly came over to tell me not to bother looking, there was nothing worthwhile for me. Let's just say he caught me at a vulnerable moment. I was still pissed and told him that I had just been turned down for his Team, and that I was "a little miffed." Of course, I said this with my face feeling all flushed and I'm sure my eyes were getting a little watery. (A terrible response when I feel frustrated at something I can't control in my personal life.)
He actually tried to offer me a position in one of the step-down units that needs experienced nurses but I told him that I was looking to try something new, and had been really interested in the Response Team.
Anyway, to make a long story short, the hospital just called wanting to set up an interview for the Team. I'm guessing that having had a good working repore with this physician he spoke with the manager on my behalf and they decided to at least offer me an interview.
Turns out that this would have been scheduled while I'm in Europe, so we'll see what happens. Hopefully an interview will happen when I get back.