Complaints, memories, and the backyard visitor

I'm starting this post earlier in the week so I can recall what I did.  Am I getting older or is it simply that the days run together? If it weren't for my FitBit, which displays both time and day/date I'd have a hard time differentiating one day from the next. 

Monday started with the arrival of a new crew to finish the touch-ups on the interior painting.  Today's pairing included two young men named Mark.  Made it easy for me to remember, :p.  Even more interesting though is the Mark 1 lives just a few doors down from me.  We've been here for ten years so I've seen him grow up.  He is a twin and I recall seeing he and his brother playing basketball on the driveway, and a few years ago, watching them learning to drive.  Both young men are planning to go into policing. Mark 1 is just a year into his program while Mark 2 is done and will be looking to join the RCMP.

It could be a difficult time to enter policing, but I anticipate there will be retirements in both the local police department and the RCMP.  With the focus on racism within the forces there will be those who will decide to leave, rather than face potential sanctions.  For those who aren't aware my brother R is a police officer, and I worked for a few months at the RCMP depot many years ago.  Based on our experiences and observances, racism and misogyny are part of the culture of these organizations.  As my brother has said, while the number of officers displaying these attitudes are a minority unfortunately management tends to protect them.  Police departments tend to be old boy's clubs, you either play by their rules or pay the price.  R has not always done so, and has faced discrimination and harassment as a result.  I won't say more than that, because the cases are with the human rights commission...and besides it is his story to tell not mine. (I know not everyone reading this will agree with me.  That's okay.  I agree that not all police officers are bad apples. But as I've read, would anyone want to fly knowing that there could be a bad pilot at the controls?)

Back to my less than exciting life - the guys were here for a few hours finding more areas that needed touch-ups than I or Maria had noticed.  They fixed the railing on the stair as well as the first crew hadn't done it quite properly. After they left, I started painting the trim. Here's a shake of the head moment for you.  I have lived in this house for nearly 10 years.  While I was standing in the living room looking into the kitchen I noticed that the baseboards on one side of the room were different than the other side.  First time I've ever noticed it.  The baseboards on the dining area side are three inch white MDF baseboards, while the kitchen side were 1 1/2 inch stained oak.  Well, shoot!  I'm not about to start changing out baseboards so I went ahead and pulled the oak trim off and painted it white before replacing it.  There were only a few short pieces and it isn't nearly as noticeable now.  

Tuesday ought to have been grocery shopping day, but of course, I'd forgotten my wallet at my daughter's last weekend.  So I took a drive there and back, spending a couple of hours with her and Eli.  We walked to the park with her friend A, and A's children, Eli and Brinn.  Yes, Eli...two of them, both three years old and energetic as all get out.  Brinn is just six weeks old and slept through most of it.  On our way back from the park the boys insisted on holding hands.  We had used hand sanitizer both before and after, I'm sure they were fine.  

Wednesday was a frustrating shopping day, as I wanted to pick up some bird seed, a dutch hoe, a micro SD card, and cat litter in addition to the groceries.  Neither Peavey Mart or Canadian Tire had the first two items, so my next store was Walmart where you can get everything, right?  Nope!  I did get the SD card and some groceries there.  Next up was  Co-op which had Nabob coffee for $10 a can and bread for $2.50, both almost 50% off.  I was frustrated when I reached the car because I realized the bread didn't ring up properly at the sale price.  I could have returned to the store but I was so annoyed at that point, I wanted nothing more than to go home.  However, I had to make one more stop at Safeway as I was looking for ground beef since the Co-op was too pricey.  I shouldn't have bothered...the meat in the cooler was gray!  I know it's simply oxidized but it looked so unappetizing I gave up.  On the way home I made one more stop at the PetSmart to pick up some Nature's Miracle.  I definitely left the store happier, not only was it on sale, but I had $7.50 in Treat rewards!  It's the best cleaner I've found for reducing and eliminating pet odors.

At home, I put the groceries away and did a load of laundry.  That was it for me, I was done for the day. The weather was cool and damp so no time outdoors.  In fact, it was so cool the sunroom was closed up too.  Thursday, was much the same.  I went out early to Home Depot to pick up some paint supplies, and then to PetValu to pick up the cat litter I hadn't purchased the day before. It is the only place that carries the brand I prefer.  At home, I started more laundry and painted the inside of the exterior doors.  I thought I'd need two coats but with just one they look good.  Finally I prepped the bedroom so I could finish painting those walls. (After several weeks of living with them, I could see roller lines on the one wall, and the places where I'd run low on pain on the other).

I went to bed with grand plans for Friday, painting in the bedroom in the morning and weeding in the afternoon since it was supposed to warm up.  Ha!  Best laid plans and all that.  I woke up with a wicked headache.  I tried extra strength Tylenol, coffee, ate a banana, and finally gave in and tried going back to bed. By 11 a.m. I started feeling a little better but still not up to par. At this point, I threw in the towel and spent the afternoon dozing on the couch, watching a bit of television, and hoping for an end to the pain. Later in the evening, I felt hungry enough to get up and make a bit of supper, an omelet with peppers, green onion, and cheese with bacon, toast and tomatoes on the side.  It tasted good after a day of not wanting to eat or drink anything.  

Thankfully Saturday I woke up feeling much more normal. (or at least as normal as I ever get). Despite having napped much of the day before away, I slept nearly 7 hours!  I guess my body needed to recuperate.  No painting was accomplished but I did get the floors washed in the kitchen, living room, and hall.  I worked on my knitting - I'm back to working on my tank top.  It was another gray day until the evening when the sun finally made an appearance. We've got one more day of cool weather forecast before we start seeing some warmer weather.  

I watched the 2001 Roar of the Rings (Olympic curling trials) women's final on Youtube.  I was actually at the event as it was held here. On the first day of the event I had written my final to complete my designation as an accountant in the morning so missed the first draw.  But I'd bought a ticket for all 17 draws as well as the championship weekend.  It was my reward for having made it through my program, pass or fail.  Watching the final today brought some really great memories...and yes I passed the exam though I wouldn't get the results for nearly 8 weeks.  That year, though the results were to be posted on-line there was a glitch so I actually received a phone call from the association with the news.  I was such an emotional mess after the call, my boss actually sent me home early that day.  Isn't amazing how our memories work?

That pretty much wraps up the week.  No rain is expected tomorrow so I'm hoping to get outdoors and mow the lawn, do some weeding, and pick lettuce and thin out the radish. If the morning is too cool, I'll try to get that painting out the way.  I'll be so happy when it's all finished and I can put all the tools away.

To end the post, I'll share some of the photos of the bunny who has taken up residence in my yard.  All the photos were taken with my cellphone from inside the sunroom so the quality is meh but you get the picture.

These first three photos are of the bunny having a wash. They remind me of the cats bathing techniques...except the brushing of the long ear. :)

In this photo, it had finished it's bath and settled down for a break on the lawn. 

This last photo is my favorite, as the bunny is stretched out and fast asleep.  It was taken a day or two later while the sun was shining.  It's pretty clear that this bunny feels safe in my backyard.  And I enjoy seeing it so relaxed.  

Have a great week everyone!  Take care and stay well.

Week 7 - Survival of the fittest

After what has seemed to be a never ending winter, spring has finally arrived in earnest.  This week had temperatures that made my heart sing.  It was cooler on Tuesday but only because it was overcast and raining.  Yes, rain not snow!  Even though we didn't have much snow this winter I'm glad to see precipitation I don't have to shovel.

At the bird feeder, the juncos appear to have moved on.  The English sparrows continue to feed, along with finches, and those darn grackles.  There's also the neighbourhood squirrel who makes an appearance once or twice a day.  Unfortunately the Merlin falcon is back, actually there are a pair of them, and sadly that means there are less song birds around.  

I've been walking every second day though I don't always take my camera with me.  Since you've all seen photos from the pond, I won't bore you with a separate post this week.  I will, however, share a couple of ones I thought were interesting.  

Based on the Ducks Unlimited website, this appears to be an American Wigeon.  The duck had a very interesting call, more like a peep than a quack. 

I believe this may be the female of the pair.  She was busily finding something to eat and paid me no attention.

I spotted something in the grass but wasn't sure at first what it was.  I didn't get too close and with my zoom lens I was able to determine it was a hare. I didn't realize there was a difference between the two but after a Google search, based on the length of the ears I'm guessing it's a hare.  Thanks to those who pointed out what the appropriate term for the rabbits I was seeing in the park.

On Friday I woke to rain, but it cleared up by mid-morning and was a lovely day.  Just before noon I heard a loud bang from the sun room, and when I went to check I found a robin doing circles on the deck just outside the door.  I left it be, hoping it would recover or alternatively die without me watching.  Well, it was tough bird, although at one point it had dropped onto its belly and the tail feathers were fanned out, because every half hour or so I would check and it was still alive. Most of the time it was sitting still with its eyes closed, but occasionally I would see its head move and the wings ruffle. This went on for hours and finally when I checked again just around 6 p.m. it had flown off.

This photo was taken about 3 p.m. As you can see I've got some cleaning up to do, as it pooped several times during its ordeal.  I didn't know if it would survive, but since it was safe from any predators while it was on the deck I was prepared to leave it, overnight if need be.  

This photo was taken about 5:30 so shortly before it flew off.  It has its eyes opened and while it didn't try to fly away while I took a photo, it was definitely aware I was there.  

Isn't nature amazing?  Although it took about 6 hours, what must have been a horrid concussion, the robin's system allowed it to recover sufficiently to fly off.  By the way, I do have stickers on some of the windows that are meant to be a warning to the birds but unfortunately every year I have a few bird strikes.  Usually it means a certain death but this time both the robin and I were lucky.

Buds are opening!

Saturday morning I headed out for a walk, but left my camera behind. Of course, that would be the day I saw the most wildlife.  Over in the school yard were two gophers.  Actually they are Richardson's ground squirrels but we call them gophers. The two were sitting still as can be while a Merlin circled above.  Apparently it didn't spot them as it eventually flew off.  It flew right over my head at a fairly low altitude ...darn I wish I'd had my camera.

As I walked through the park, I heard the song of the blackbirds but wasn't able to spot them in the trees nearby.  I did see a magpie and later it flew across the field as I walked by.  There was a rabbit running about (not a hare this time), and several robins. In the creek were a pair of mallards.  I made my way over to Riverbend where I spotted another new duck, this one with a white bill, which I believe was a coot.  There were a few geese, some ducks, and a couple of gulls but not nearly as many birds as I often see there.  

On the home front, I did a bit of shopping on Friday and placed a small order for items that weren't available for Monday.  I cannot find yeast in any of the stores unless I want to pay $10 for organic yeast.  I think not!  I have enough left for one more batch of buns so hopefully I'll find it again in a couple of weeks. The regular household chores were done this week and I continue to work on my knitting.  I started on a second knitting project, a balaclava (ski mask) for my brother for Christmas.  It should be complete by the end of day Sunday and I'll post a photo next week. A memory: when my son was about three years old, he wanted a "warm facer".  I had no idea what he meant until we were shopping at a local store and he spotted one in a bin.  Aha!  It is now a inside family joke.  

Speaking of three year old's, I have to brag a bit about my grandson Eli.  His mom bought him a couple of apps that help him to learn English and French. One of the games is to match letters to spell certain words in English - he's able to do so with up to eight letter words.  The other evening she posted to Facebook "he was using his French app on his iPad. It kept saying “le poulet est en colere”.  She asked him if he knew what this meant and he said, the chicken is angry.  AND yes, that is what it means.
She is functionally bilingual and I'm sure he will be too.

Of course he's not perfect and can be a naughty child.  Later in the week, he opened the fridge and changed the dial to freezer.  D was definitely not happy with him, as by the time she realized it, all of her fresh vegetables were frozen solid. Oops. He is so curious but sometimes it doesn't work out all that well.

On that note, I'll wish you all a good weekend.  Back to my knitting.  Take care and stay well!

Enough Already!!!

This is a post with much whine (no cheese) so if you feel the desire to pass by, go right ahead.

I had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend and with a short work week ahead, all looked well in my world. That is, until yesterday morning.  I woke up with a headache which is never how I like to start a day.

But I figured I'd power through, took some meds, a shower, dressed and got ready for work.  As I went out to the garage, I thought perhaps it wasn't a good idea, but I had a meeting booked with part of my team so after a few minutes of uncertainty I headed off down the street.

I made it about half way to work before I had to pull over.  I'll leave it to your imagination, but suffice to say I'm sure a few of my fellow commuters were a little shocked by my quick exit from the vehicle.  Once I felt up to it I headed back to the house, called my boss to advise I wouldn't be in, texted one of my staff to let the others know, and headed back to bed.

I slept for a few hours, then got up - with my headache feeling worse.  I attempted some additional meds, with food and within 20 minutes all of that lost.  That pretty summed up the rest of the day....lots of sleep and occasionally try to have something to eat or drink...I even tried an anti-nausea drug...nothing stayed down.  When I wasn't sleeping I was curled in a ball on the bathroom floor or writhing in pain on the couch.  

I seriously thought about having my son take me to the doctor, but I figured once the headache dissipated I'd feel better.  It took until nearly 10 p.m. before I felt any real relief.  I was certain I wouldn't be able to sleep but by 11, I was fast asleep and slept until nearly 5:30 a.m. 

At that point, I was still feeling wobbly on my feet and definitely dehydrated.  I now have a fool proof method to lose 3 pounds in one day....just not one I'd recommend.  I decided to test my tummy with a sip of milk and it stayed down, hallelujah!!!  I called into work to say I needed another day, I felt like I'd been hit by a Mack truck, every part of body ached (except my head, thank goodness).  

I napped for another hour or so, then got up and got a little breakfast, just peanut butter toast and a glass of milk.  I've spent much of the day tucked in my bed, watching multiple episodes of Flipping Vegas, and Flip or Flop (various locations), reading and cuddling with the cats.

The older I get, the more difficult I find being ill.  When my children were young, either I never go sick or I simply powered through it.  There was no one else there to help so I had to manage.  To be honest, I don't think the cats would have been fed last night if my son hadn't been here.  I could barely move between the bed and bathroom, and I suspect the smell of the cat food pate would have been more than I could have handled.

And being sick twice in less than a month is too much.  I haven't quite kicked the mother of a cold I came down with shortly after my trip. I'm feeling beaten up, hence the whine - I just want to feel normal again.  

Okay, enough of that.  Tomorrow will be a better day.  Not least of all because I have Friday off, so I'll only be at work one day this week. I'm thankful I have paid sick leave (lots of it that I won't ever use or be paid for); I'm grateful my son was here to help, and the cats made the best napping buddies. 

If you made it this far, thanks for listening!

Weekend Wrap-up

Another weekend is nearly over...and I really don't want it to be.  Though I had Friday off, I ended up going into the office for a meeting to deal with another situation that came up on Thursday.  The person I needed to meet with was leaving for Mexico this weekend and I didn't want to wait for two weeks until he returned.  

So Friday ended up being a busy day. After the meeting I ran some errands, picked up some groceries, went home to put those away before heading to the salon for my nail appointment.  From there I went shopping for a new pair of dress slacks as I had tossed out a pair this week that were simply worn out.  Of course I found tops instead of slacks - though managed to snag a pair that will do...they were pretty inexpensive so I expect they will wear out sooner rather than later. 

Back at home, I had time to watch a bit of curling before heading back out to pick up my son from work.  Home again to feed the cats before I went out for dinner with the Friday night crew.  When I got home I was feeling a bit off, but just put it off as being tired. 

Well, I guess I was actually feeling the preliminary effects of a migraine.  I woke up about 4 a.m. in such pain that I could barely see. I stumbled out to the kitchen to find some pain meds.  Though there are several choices in the cupboard, in the state I was in, I could only find Advil night-time which contains a sleep aide.  I took two pills and headed back to bed, tried to relax and wait for the meds to kick in. They apparently did, as I slept until nearly 9:30.  Sami and Saku both tried to wake me before that but I just couldn't do it.

Saturday was pretty much a write-off.  I was still feeling the effects of the migraine - I always feel off, a bit woozy, and not all there the day after - and didn't feel up to doing much.

I spent much of the day watching curling, and between ends and games, got my laundry done.  I can't just sit and watch television - I have to have something to do, so started knitting a scarf.

I wanted something simple, this is a rib pattern (similar to corduroy) that takes little thinking.  I'm using up scraps from various projects of similar weight yarn.  The hardest part is estimating when I've used up about half of the leftovers.  I'm not concerned though as I really won't care if it is exact...this isn't meant to be fashionable, just functional. 

This photo looks a bit washed out as the colors are darker than shown.  

Today, I've been a bit more ambitious.  I went to bed early but still managed to sleep until 8 a.m.  Sami did try waking me earlier, but I kept dozing off.  Poor cats will be off their routine...at least until I go back to work tomorrow.

We've been getting lots of snow today.  Big fluffy flakes, though it has been tapering off some in the last hour or so.

I gave my son a choice, clean cat litter or shovel the driveway.  Guess which one he chose?  Hint...it had nothing to do with the cats.

From what I can see we probably got about 2 inches of fresh snow.  It's light so I'm thinking it won't take long to clear it.  Hopefully it will pack into the ruts on the street...we won't see a snow plow until spring.  If the forecast is correct, we'll be above freezing by next weekend.  Maybe we won't even need that snow plow.

I watched most of the Pinty's Grand Slam women's final this morning. In between ends I caught some of the Saskatchewan Men's Tankard (provincial).  Both were good games.  This afternoon will be the Men's Grand Slam final and at the same time the provincial Tankard final.  The remote will get a work out again!

When I wasn't watching curling and knitting, I prepped some chicken for tonight's dinner, put away my laundry from yesterday, made the bed, baked a loaf of banana bread, and did dishes. 

I make my banana bread with peanut butter instead of margarine or butter and I cut back on the sugar.  I couldn't take it to work, as there are co-workers with allergies, but we sure enjoy it.  In fact, I think that is why my son finally got out of bed....the smell woke him up.

It's just about time for the start of the next round of curling.  I should have just enough time to clean the cat litter.  Guess I'd better get at it.  

Have a great week everyone!