Damn! It’s noon already, and I just got out of bed. It feels as if I’ve wasted most of a beautiful day. I do realize that my getting up earlier wouldn’t have been useful; then I would be a zombie for the whole day instead of just the first half, LOL! I was asleep by 10:30 last night, but wicked nightmares woke me around 2AM. I don’t usually remember my dreams, and I can count on one hand the number of times during my life that I’ve had really BAD dreams. These were dillies – very disturbing.. I got up. As upset as I was, there was no way I would get back to sleep. Besides, I worried that the same theme would repeat itself if I did.
I used micro-waved, yesterday’s coffee to clear the cobwebs in my head. I have been wanting to catch up to the writers in Blogit for some time, so I linked onto the site and started to read. That did the trick. After an hour or so, the emotions caused by the nightmares were beginning to fade. It’s amazing how a good storyteller can whisk me away into his/her world; I became totally absorbed and forgot my own bogeyman. Well, it was maybe too much of a good thing, because I kept reading until 7 AM this morning. There are many awesome writers in Blogit; you have to practically FORCE yourself to shut it down unless you have hours and hours to spend in there. It’s a mental dragging yourself away, kicking and screaming, pleading, “No – just one more post…I want to read just one more…”
Seeing that I’m already late getting to the various tasks I had planned for the weekend, I’m cutting this short. Maybe I’ll have a chance to come back in tonight and write some more. I swear, if my Grandma had ever caught me in P.J.’s at this time of day, she’d be rightfully scandalized!! Before I feel her swat on the back of my noggin, I’ll get my butt in gear.
Have a great day, people! Sending you SMILES!!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A VIRUS?
The day before yesterday, Line, the only other girl left at the office, was not feeling up to par. I caught her looking at my futon with longing, LOL! Yesterday she called in and I could tell she was sick. Line is a bouncy person – yesterday she was dragging her heels. I told her to stay in bed. Last night, by the time I got back home, my heels were in the same state. It was not late, and I was already struggling to keep my eyes open. I gave in and went to bed, sure that I would wake up within a couple of hours, then be unable to sleep for the rest of the night. How wrong I was! I vaguely remember Grump-puppy disturbing me at 3 AM, wanting to go out, and me telling him to go away, lie down! He finally succeeded in getting me out of bed at 5:30 this morning, and I’m still not 100%. I’m not complaining – I’ll take any hours of sleep I can get – it’s the feeling that I could use more shut-eye that is bothering me. I feel slightly dizzy too. Is this a new virus going around? There seems to be a new one popping up every other day – unless it’s just the media using scare tactics (in cahoots with the pharmaceutical companies, probably). I guess we’ll see as we go along.
As I was crawling into bed, my associate called. His mood was hopeful – his business ventures viewed with a little more optimism. I know he’s working his butt off to make things right, and I’m sending him all the positive vibes I can muster. We should know more by tonight. This is really the ‘make or break’ week, and if he ever tries something like this again, I’m gonna kill him! I’ll probably have to stand in line, LOL!
We have another beautiful, sunny day, and it’s not the heavy humidity we been experiencing lately. Great for those on the last week of the annual construction holiday here in Quebec. I expect Kilroy will be eyeballing his vélo, planning a bit of cycling. Yours truly will shortly be hopping into her truck and heading for the city office. Another day and, hopefully, another dollar!
Have a good day, folks! Sending you a SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
As I was crawling into bed, my associate called. His mood was hopeful – his business ventures viewed with a little more optimism. I know he’s working his butt off to make things right, and I’m sending him all the positive vibes I can muster. We should know more by tonight. This is really the ‘make or break’ week, and if he ever tries something like this again, I’m gonna kill him! I’ll probably have to stand in line, LOL!
We have another beautiful, sunny day, and it’s not the heavy humidity we been experiencing lately. Great for those on the last week of the annual construction holiday here in Quebec. I expect Kilroy will be eyeballing his vélo, planning a bit of cycling. Yours truly will shortly be hopping into her truck and heading for the city office. Another day and, hopefully, another dollar!
Have a good day, folks! Sending you a SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
MONSTERS, BE GONE!
My daughter brought me back a bottle of rum from Dominican. Good stuff! When the Bird and Fran came over for a visit last evening, we poured some into our glasses, each doctored it with ice and cola or water to personal taste, and the sampling began! It goes down like silk.
LOL – reading that paragraph over, it gives the illusion that we tied one on – but no. After their one drink they went home. I poured myself a second one, and went out onto the gallery to enjoy the night air. The doggies were with me (always!), Ozzy was singing away on the radio, and I started to dance, much to the doggies’ delight. It doesn’t sound like anything important, except I realized that finally, in spite of the turmoil going on around me, I’m finding myself again. It is so much easier to face the monsters in one’s life when, at one point during the day, you can turn away from them and just dance for the sheer pleasure of doing so. It gives the body and mind and emotions a healthy respite; it reminds one that, no matter how bad things get, there’s a little flame inside called hope. If you take the time to fan it, it flares up and turns into joy. It may not chase away the monsters, but it can keep them from dominating your life. Dancing, singing, belly laughs – all arsenal for the anti-monster campaign. It was nice to remember they were there and free for the taking.
There is, of course, a physical aspect – a body without sleep magnifies the size of those monsters. My friend, Kilroy, extolled the benefits of short naps in the afternoon. Heeding his words, I installed a futon in my office, hidden between my desk and the wall. After lunch each day, I have a short 45 minute meeting with Mr. Murphy (Morpheus), and any callers are told that I will call back; I cannot be disturbed. It took me a few times to get the knack, but now, as soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m off to la-la land. I get up, refreshed and ready to tackle whatever. A very wise investment, suggested by a very wise person. Thank you, Kilroy!
The sun is shining – we’re in for another hot, summer day. I think a lot of us are imitating our neighbours from the south; getting things done in the morning or evening, and restraining activity during the sticky heat of the afternoon. Unless, as is the case of yours truly, you are in an air-conditioned office.
Whatever your plans for the day, don’t forget to wear that SMILE! It, too, is part of the anti-monster arsenal!
Luv from the bush in Quebec.
LOL – reading that paragraph over, it gives the illusion that we tied one on – but no. After their one drink they went home. I poured myself a second one, and went out onto the gallery to enjoy the night air. The doggies were with me (always!), Ozzy was singing away on the radio, and I started to dance, much to the doggies’ delight. It doesn’t sound like anything important, except I realized that finally, in spite of the turmoil going on around me, I’m finding myself again. It is so much easier to face the monsters in one’s life when, at one point during the day, you can turn away from them and just dance for the sheer pleasure of doing so. It gives the body and mind and emotions a healthy respite; it reminds one that, no matter how bad things get, there’s a little flame inside called hope. If you take the time to fan it, it flares up and turns into joy. It may not chase away the monsters, but it can keep them from dominating your life. Dancing, singing, belly laughs – all arsenal for the anti-monster campaign. It was nice to remember they were there and free for the taking.
There is, of course, a physical aspect – a body without sleep magnifies the size of those monsters. My friend, Kilroy, extolled the benefits of short naps in the afternoon. Heeding his words, I installed a futon in my office, hidden between my desk and the wall. After lunch each day, I have a short 45 minute meeting with Mr. Murphy (Morpheus), and any callers are told that I will call back; I cannot be disturbed. It took me a few times to get the knack, but now, as soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m off to la-la land. I get up, refreshed and ready to tackle whatever. A very wise investment, suggested by a very wise person. Thank you, Kilroy!
The sun is shining – we’re in for another hot, summer day. I think a lot of us are imitating our neighbours from the south; getting things done in the morning or evening, and restraining activity during the sticky heat of the afternoon. Unless, as is the case of yours truly, you are in an air-conditioned office.
Whatever your plans for the day, don’t forget to wear that SMILE! It, too, is part of the anti-monster arsenal!
Luv from the bush in Quebec.
Monday, July 26, 2010
LEARNING THIS STUFF
I did get a few things on that list done yesterday. My BBQ is spik ‘n span; there’s one less pile of paper in my office; I cleaned the bathrooms….. then I decided to wash my truck. I’ve never worked the pressure washer, so it was a new experience. A very wet one. I was trying out all the buttons AFTER the hose was connected to the faucet, and with the nozzle in just the right position, I discovered that one of the buttons was the trigger. It was quite the little dance when the cold water blasted my feet and legs and…well…let’s just say a little higher up on my anatomy. Fortunately, the doggies were the only spectators, and they only seemed curious about the sudden, strange noises the mistress was making!
I went back upstairs and changed. Determined to win, I returned and, with my new knowledge, took the equipment cautiously in hand and did a darned fine job on the truck, even if I do say so myself! When I had finished with the exterior, I vacuumed the inside, then grabbed the various sprays for the dash and the leather seats and the carpets. I turned the key enough to have the radio blare tunes to accompany all my rubbing and polishing – I was having a great time! When I finished, the doggies and I stood and admired the result – I was doing a mental pat-my-back! Until I went down this morning to leave for work and…the truck wouldn’t start. The battery was dead. With all my polishing, I had hit the dome lights. They had stayed on all night. Fortunately, I have a charger, although I wasn’t sure how to set it up. I just remembered my son once telling me ‘red with red, Mom’. I called him, and although the poor dude was sitting on the toilet at that hour, he patiently coached me over the phone. It was successful, so now I not only know how to use a pressure washer, I also learned how to use a battery charger. I enjoy learning new things, but I think I’ll take a couple of days break before having a go with the weed eater or the table saw.
My highlight today was a visit to the office by my friend, Kilroy. It’s always a pleasure to chat with him, and it doesn’t happen often enough with both of us so busy. We sat over a cup of tea, catching up on things, and it reminded me of when we used to work together a few years ago. His stay was far too short, of course, but I’ll take whatever I can get. We meet many people as we go along, and some of those become dear friends. Kilroy is one of those I hold close to my heart.
It’s nearly midnight now. I stopped on the way home to hug my daughter and to hear about her vacation. I was still thinking of her as I later made an apple crisp (her favourite dessert) to take for lunch tomorrow. It’s cooling on the counter, under one-eyed surveillance by the doggies. They’re already snoozing on their cushions behind that invisible line between kitchen and door. The scent from warm water in my Jacuzzi is calling, so I’ll wish you all sweet dreams and take my leave. Sending you a sleepy SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
I went back upstairs and changed. Determined to win, I returned and, with my new knowledge, took the equipment cautiously in hand and did a darned fine job on the truck, even if I do say so myself! When I had finished with the exterior, I vacuumed the inside, then grabbed the various sprays for the dash and the leather seats and the carpets. I turned the key enough to have the radio blare tunes to accompany all my rubbing and polishing – I was having a great time! When I finished, the doggies and I stood and admired the result – I was doing a mental pat-my-back! Until I went down this morning to leave for work and…the truck wouldn’t start. The battery was dead. With all my polishing, I had hit the dome lights. They had stayed on all night. Fortunately, I have a charger, although I wasn’t sure how to set it up. I just remembered my son once telling me ‘red with red, Mom’. I called him, and although the poor dude was sitting on the toilet at that hour, he patiently coached me over the phone. It was successful, so now I not only know how to use a pressure washer, I also learned how to use a battery charger. I enjoy learning new things, but I think I’ll take a couple of days break before having a go with the weed eater or the table saw.
My highlight today was a visit to the office by my friend, Kilroy. It’s always a pleasure to chat with him, and it doesn’t happen often enough with both of us so busy. We sat over a cup of tea, catching up on things, and it reminded me of when we used to work together a few years ago. His stay was far too short, of course, but I’ll take whatever I can get. We meet many people as we go along, and some of those become dear friends. Kilroy is one of those I hold close to my heart.
It’s nearly midnight now. I stopped on the way home to hug my daughter and to hear about her vacation. I was still thinking of her as I later made an apple crisp (her favourite dessert) to take for lunch tomorrow. It’s cooling on the counter, under one-eyed surveillance by the doggies. They’re already snoozing on their cushions behind that invisible line between kitchen and door. The scent from warm water in my Jacuzzi is calling, so I’ll wish you all sweet dreams and take my leave. Sending you a sleepy SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
SUSIE & SUSY
Both Suzie and Susy called me yesterday (I’ve changed the spelling for my Cuban Susy – easier to follow, LOL). Detroit Suzie is already making plans for me to visit her; she’s hoping for sometime in September. Lucky for her, she lives right beside a Barnes & Nobles, because I wouldn’t even consider the long drive! (Kidding!!) Her sister has decided to tag along for the visit and is available whenever I decide, or can afford, to go. A project to work on for the near future.
My Cuban Susy invited me to spend the day at her home – they were celebrating the birthday of her oldest son, who is now the ripe old age of 24. A few of his college friends were attending, besides her brother & his wife; two people I haven’t seen for a year, and whose company I also enjoy. I decided to feed the doggies early, then made my way to their home; 40 minutes with windows wide open, music jacked up…groovin’!! We sat outside, laughing, watching both the wild ducks and the young lads jump in and out of the water, munching on cheese and veggies, and corn and hamburgers – all washed down with liberal quantities of beer and wine. I indulged much in the food, easy on the booze, knowing there was a drive back home. It was a fun time, as is usual with that bunch. And, as happens everyday, I learned something new. I’m a cheese lover, and it seems there is a store called ‘Bourassa’, situated in St-Sauveur, where one can buy all kinds of cheese, breads, and huge amounts of vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, etc) for dollars less than anywhere else. The place is not fancy, they tell me, more a warehouse style; but the produce is fresh and varied and cheap. Who would have thought it? In St-Sauveur – the home of the ‘elite’?
Before going to the party, I called each of my boys (see yesterday’s post), and made things right; although it seems neither of them were at all ruffled by my whining. They assured me that they know I am going through a difficult time; I was allowed a few complaints, and that they hadn’t really noticed – it was no big thing. I don’t know how many times I have said it, but I repeat again – if ever I did anything right in my whole life, it was having and raising my three children. The proof is in the pudding!
And oh, on arriving home last night, I found a weird note taped to my door from the renovation dude, who was to start tomorrow the work needed on the house exterior. In it he tells me he refuses to work here because he doesn’t want to get involved. ????? If my name wasn’t on the paper, I’d think he got me mixed up with someone else. However, he is a friend of my ex-tenant, so maybe something happened there. It’s a bit of a pain, because my present financial situation won’t allow paying much, and we were to exchange backhoe work on his land for the renovations. Eh bien – everything happens for a reason. I’ll be looking for another to do the job.
Today is going to be ‘home’ day. There’s always housework to be done, doggies to play with, office to tidy…and a BBQ to clean, LOL! I want to catch up on my friends’ posts in Blog-it; I still have a final chapter to write for one of my stories; and my daughter is coming home from her week vacation in Dominican. I’m not sure of the time, but hopefully I’ll get to see her later. And I bet half of what is on this list won’t get done, LOL!
It’s a beautiful day; I’m on a lovely place in this beautiful country, and I’m SMILING! Sending it out to you, and I know it’s contagious, so grab it and share!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
My Cuban Susy invited me to spend the day at her home – they were celebrating the birthday of her oldest son, who is now the ripe old age of 24. A few of his college friends were attending, besides her brother & his wife; two people I haven’t seen for a year, and whose company I also enjoy. I decided to feed the doggies early, then made my way to their home; 40 minutes with windows wide open, music jacked up…groovin’!! We sat outside, laughing, watching both the wild ducks and the young lads jump in and out of the water, munching on cheese and veggies, and corn and hamburgers – all washed down with liberal quantities of beer and wine. I indulged much in the food, easy on the booze, knowing there was a drive back home. It was a fun time, as is usual with that bunch. And, as happens everyday, I learned something new. I’m a cheese lover, and it seems there is a store called ‘Bourassa’, situated in St-Sauveur, where one can buy all kinds of cheese, breads, and huge amounts of vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, etc) for dollars less than anywhere else. The place is not fancy, they tell me, more a warehouse style; but the produce is fresh and varied and cheap. Who would have thought it? In St-Sauveur – the home of the ‘elite’?
Before going to the party, I called each of my boys (see yesterday’s post), and made things right; although it seems neither of them were at all ruffled by my whining. They assured me that they know I am going through a difficult time; I was allowed a few complaints, and that they hadn’t really noticed – it was no big thing. I don’t know how many times I have said it, but I repeat again – if ever I did anything right in my whole life, it was having and raising my three children. The proof is in the pudding!
And oh, on arriving home last night, I found a weird note taped to my door from the renovation dude, who was to start tomorrow the work needed on the house exterior. In it he tells me he refuses to work here because he doesn’t want to get involved. ????? If my name wasn’t on the paper, I’d think he got me mixed up with someone else. However, he is a friend of my ex-tenant, so maybe something happened there. It’s a bit of a pain, because my present financial situation won’t allow paying much, and we were to exchange backhoe work on his land for the renovations. Eh bien – everything happens for a reason. I’ll be looking for another to do the job.
Today is going to be ‘home’ day. There’s always housework to be done, doggies to play with, office to tidy…and a BBQ to clean, LOL! I want to catch up on my friends’ posts in Blog-it; I still have a final chapter to write for one of my stories; and my daughter is coming home from her week vacation in Dominican. I’m not sure of the time, but hopefully I’ll get to see her later. And I bet half of what is on this list won’t get done, LOL!
It’s a beautiful day; I’m on a lovely place in this beautiful country, and I’m SMILING! Sending it out to you, and I know it’s contagious, so grab it and share!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
POOR LITTLE ME
I had a ‘poor-little-me’ day yesterday. One of those times when my grandmother would have patted my shoulder in sympathy; say to me “There, there, now.” give me 10 minutes alone to dwell on how unfortunate I was….then follow that up with a verbal boot in the butt. “Get moving! Nothing is gained by sitting around whining!!!” What a lady she was!!!
I know she’d had given me a swat on the back of the head if she’d heard me talking to my sons last night. A well deserved swat, too! The thing is, I was aware even as I speaking that I was acting like a spoiled brat – an ungrateful wretch – a grumpy old lady – but did I stop? Fat chance. I was too caught up in my manufactured misery. In that kind of mood, one should NOT pick up the telephone!! It’s a sure thing that you’ll have to pick it up again the next day to apologize. This is exactly what I’ll be doing later – as soon as they’ve had time to get out of bed.
The work day ended badly. My associate, who has bigger problems than I do, was unable to keep his end of our agreement. It left me scrambling big-time to cover bases at the office, with only partial success. The nagging suspicion that he was holding back didn’t help. I’m probably wrong about that too, but sometimes intuition wins out. The uncertainty bugged me. One thought led to another, then to another. Instead of anger, which is a healthy emotion when used correctly, my frustration degenerated into self-pity. You know the kind? The ‘what did I do to deserve this?’; ‘I’ve worked so hard and it’s not fair’; ‘Nobody cares’….YUCK!
I was totally in the sob-basket by the time I got home. My son and grandson had returned my BBQ (it had been lent for that terrific birthday party last week), but forgot to return the propane tank. Poor little me had to go pick that up. The BBQ was used all week by my teenaged grandson & his cronies, and was not cleaned. Poor little me will have to clean it. The dog food bag was empty. If poor little me didn’t have to feed the neighbour’s dog (the beautiful Lucas), poor little me would not have to buy more dog food. You get the picture?
While at the house, my son left my belated birthday gift (from the 3 kids) on the counter. It hadn’t arrived in time for the big day, and he was all excited to call and tell me where to find it on arriving home. It was a KINDLE (i-book), which he had plugged in to prepare it for use. My children know I’m an avid reader; they’ve carried box after box of heavy books each time I’ve moved. It’s a wonderful, thoughtful, useful, and spectacular gift; one that IS enormously appreciated. SO…I called and was effusive in my heartfelt thanks, right? Wrong!
I spoke to each of my sons (my daughter is still away on vacation), and to each I used the same lament: oh yeh, thanks, nice gift, but I can’t use it here. You know there’s no wireless reception in the bush, right? So I’ll have to lug it to the office. And I have to register it – but it’s not in my name. Could be a problem. Also have to pay to download books – not free, you know. Pretty broke right now, so I’ll just put it away and wait until whenever….yada yada….. DOUBLE YUCK!
I’m thoroughly ashamed of myself. But shame is a negative emotion too, so the sooner I call my sons, the better. Maybe the pain on the back of my head will disappear then too. I think Grandma stopped by in my dreams last night.
It was one of those days. And why did I write it here? Because misery loves company, of course, LOL!
I’m back with the SMILE this morning, and maybe this post has put your smile on too. If so, try wearing it for the rest of the day – it’s the best thing we’ve got!!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
I know she’d had given me a swat on the back of the head if she’d heard me talking to my sons last night. A well deserved swat, too! The thing is, I was aware even as I speaking that I was acting like a spoiled brat – an ungrateful wretch – a grumpy old lady – but did I stop? Fat chance. I was too caught up in my manufactured misery. In that kind of mood, one should NOT pick up the telephone!! It’s a sure thing that you’ll have to pick it up again the next day to apologize. This is exactly what I’ll be doing later – as soon as they’ve had time to get out of bed.
The work day ended badly. My associate, who has bigger problems than I do, was unable to keep his end of our agreement. It left me scrambling big-time to cover bases at the office, with only partial success. The nagging suspicion that he was holding back didn’t help. I’m probably wrong about that too, but sometimes intuition wins out. The uncertainty bugged me. One thought led to another, then to another. Instead of anger, which is a healthy emotion when used correctly, my frustration degenerated into self-pity. You know the kind? The ‘what did I do to deserve this?’; ‘I’ve worked so hard and it’s not fair’; ‘Nobody cares’….YUCK!
I was totally in the sob-basket by the time I got home. My son and grandson had returned my BBQ (it had been lent for that terrific birthday party last week), but forgot to return the propane tank. Poor little me had to go pick that up. The BBQ was used all week by my teenaged grandson & his cronies, and was not cleaned. Poor little me will have to clean it. The dog food bag was empty. If poor little me didn’t have to feed the neighbour’s dog (the beautiful Lucas), poor little me would not have to buy more dog food. You get the picture?
While at the house, my son left my belated birthday gift (from the 3 kids) on the counter. It hadn’t arrived in time for the big day, and he was all excited to call and tell me where to find it on arriving home. It was a KINDLE (i-book), which he had plugged in to prepare it for use. My children know I’m an avid reader; they’ve carried box after box of heavy books each time I’ve moved. It’s a wonderful, thoughtful, useful, and spectacular gift; one that IS enormously appreciated. SO…I called and was effusive in my heartfelt thanks, right? Wrong!
I spoke to each of my sons (my daughter is still away on vacation), and to each I used the same lament: oh yeh, thanks, nice gift, but I can’t use it here. You know there’s no wireless reception in the bush, right? So I’ll have to lug it to the office. And I have to register it – but it’s not in my name. Could be a problem. Also have to pay to download books – not free, you know. Pretty broke right now, so I’ll just put it away and wait until whenever….yada yada….. DOUBLE YUCK!
I’m thoroughly ashamed of myself. But shame is a negative emotion too, so the sooner I call my sons, the better. Maybe the pain on the back of my head will disappear then too. I think Grandma stopped by in my dreams last night.
It was one of those days. And why did I write it here? Because misery loves company, of course, LOL!
I’m back with the SMILE this morning, and maybe this post has put your smile on too. If so, try wearing it for the rest of the day – it’s the best thing we’ve got!!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Friday, July 23, 2010
WHEN HONOUR EXISTED....
It is quiet at the office, not only because of the lay-offs, but because many companies are on vacation, running at half-staff, so the calls are far and few between. I note that, as happens each year, it is also an excuse to delay paying invoices. A lamentable habit adopted by businesses now-a-days. There is not much honour in it, but running on credit has become a way of life.
I can remember hearing my grandfather argue with the man at the creamery (he sold milk from his jersey cows there) when payment was not made on time. It provoked, and still does, a chain reaction. If my grandfather didn’t get paid, he couldn’t pay his own bills; it was a situation he abhorred and, although a man of few words, he made sure the creamery pay-man felt the brunt of his disgust. He received his money; he wouldn’t budge from the place until he did. I can’t remember them ever trying that with him again. Being a strict, non-nonsense Scotsman, he’d have accepted the first time as a mistake; a second try would result in him stubbornly taking his excellent milk to another factory, no matter how much further away it would be located. It seems honour has flown; shy-locks and fast-talkers, who would have been shunned in those days, are now the norm, and in most cases, admired by today’s society. Scary.
And are those not serious thoughts for a sunny Friday morning? LOL! They’re the only ones I have time to write about at the moment. I did another 8 hour snooze night, so am pedaling to get to the office on time.
Have a great day, y’all! No use looking back when it’s forward we’re headed. No matter how difficult a moment seems, it’s always easier if you meet it with a SMILE! I’m wearing mine – don’t forget to put yours on too!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
I can remember hearing my grandfather argue with the man at the creamery (he sold milk from his jersey cows there) when payment was not made on time. It provoked, and still does, a chain reaction. If my grandfather didn’t get paid, he couldn’t pay his own bills; it was a situation he abhorred and, although a man of few words, he made sure the creamery pay-man felt the brunt of his disgust. He received his money; he wouldn’t budge from the place until he did. I can’t remember them ever trying that with him again. Being a strict, non-nonsense Scotsman, he’d have accepted the first time as a mistake; a second try would result in him stubbornly taking his excellent milk to another factory, no matter how much further away it would be located. It seems honour has flown; shy-locks and fast-talkers, who would have been shunned in those days, are now the norm, and in most cases, admired by today’s society. Scary.
And are those not serious thoughts for a sunny Friday morning? LOL! They’re the only ones I have time to write about at the moment. I did another 8 hour snooze night, so am pedaling to get to the office on time.
Have a great day, y’all! No use looking back when it’s forward we’re headed. No matter how difficult a moment seems, it’s always easier if you meet it with a SMILE! I’m wearing mine – don’t forget to put yours on too!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
CURIOUS LUCAS
Ahhh…8 hours of sleep! It took two little Usana pills to do it, and they worked just fine. It’s wouldn’t be something to adopt as a habit, whether natural products or not. Now and then, however, they give that extra little push so that one succumbs to Morpheus for more than 2 hours at a time. When I find myself nodding off for 15 minutes here and there while sitting on a chair, I know it’s Usana time.
And UGH – skunk! Not my dogs, although Grump-puppy has been a bug about going in and out since I got up at 4 AM. He’s back in now – I called him as soon as the smell started to waft through the open windows. I should have known; Grump is the most cautious pit-bull I’ve ever seen when it comes to approaching other animals. I expect it’s Lucas – she seems to get into everything, while Grump stands well back to see what will happen. Because of her thick fur, her master has Lucas sleep outdoors in a shelter – it’s too warm for her inside. Of course, that means she hears whatever is moving around in the bush during the night. Being young, she is very curious, and rushes headlong at anything new out there. So far she has experienced what happens when one disturbs a porcupine, or a moose, or a very angry wild cat. I have a feeling the little black and white creature has been added to her repertoire.
Now it’s time to prepare for the new day. The sun isn’t up yet; it’s still dark out there, but I want to get a head start in the office, so will be on the road shortly. Although there is less traffic, the ride in is still at least an hour.
Have a great day – remember to notice whatever you learn new today. There is always something, however insignificant it seems to be at the time. Sending you my SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
And UGH – skunk! Not my dogs, although Grump-puppy has been a bug about going in and out since I got up at 4 AM. He’s back in now – I called him as soon as the smell started to waft through the open windows. I should have known; Grump is the most cautious pit-bull I’ve ever seen when it comes to approaching other animals. I expect it’s Lucas – she seems to get into everything, while Grump stands well back to see what will happen. Because of her thick fur, her master has Lucas sleep outdoors in a shelter – it’s too warm for her inside. Of course, that means she hears whatever is moving around in the bush during the night. Being young, she is very curious, and rushes headlong at anything new out there. So far she has experienced what happens when one disturbs a porcupine, or a moose, or a very angry wild cat. I have a feeling the little black and white creature has been added to her repertoire.
Now it’s time to prepare for the new day. The sun isn’t up yet; it’s still dark out there, but I want to get a head start in the office, so will be on the road shortly. Although there is less traffic, the ride in is still at least an hour.
Have a great day – remember to notice whatever you learn new today. There is always something, however insignificant it seems to be at the time. Sending you my SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
TO SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP
I actually managed to get some work done yesterday, in spite of having spent the night chasing the ever-elusive Morpheus. (Note – I finally got the name right!).
With the construction holiday, and probably the early hour too, the drive into work was a breeze; exactly 60 minutes from home to office. The place does seem so empty without the employees. They are a young and cheerful bunch; I miss the ambiance.
The first tasks were those usually done by the girls; invoicing, time-sheets, etc., and the time passed quickly. When Line arrived, I was ready to go over a couple of files we do together. Right after lunch I shut off the lights in my office, crawled onto my futon, and snoozed for an hour. It did a world of good, but left me somewhat dozy for the afternoon. Instead of tackling anything complicated, the rest of the day was spent on routine stuff that does not require much attention.
I think you can all guess that bedtime was early. It was 7:30 when I got back home, so the walk down the lane with the doggies was short; then feeding time, then Jacuzzi, then pillow! Yes!
I heard nothing until 2 AM, when the dogs woke me up by barking. They were insistent about going outside. Fifteen minutes later they were back at the door wanting in, and by that time Morpheus had made his escape. There is no use going back to bed right now; tossing and turning is just too frustrating. Kilroy tells me that, as one gets older, one sleeps less. I don’t think I’ll dwell on that for the moment. Too scary! Then again – in about 15 years my youngest grandsons will be teenagers, and we know teens can rock ‘n roll all night. How do you think they’ll react if their little, old granny tags along with them? There’s an enchanting idea…LOL!!
I have some dishes in the sink, and haven’t yet completed the sorting of the papers in my home office, so I think I’ll tackle those jobs now. If I’m lucky, I’ll squeeze in another hour of shut-eye before it’s time to leave for the city.
Hoping you spend the day SMILING, folks. Like they say – one size fits all!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
With the construction holiday, and probably the early hour too, the drive into work was a breeze; exactly 60 minutes from home to office. The place does seem so empty without the employees. They are a young and cheerful bunch; I miss the ambiance.
The first tasks were those usually done by the girls; invoicing, time-sheets, etc., and the time passed quickly. When Line arrived, I was ready to go over a couple of files we do together. Right after lunch I shut off the lights in my office, crawled onto my futon, and snoozed for an hour. It did a world of good, but left me somewhat dozy for the afternoon. Instead of tackling anything complicated, the rest of the day was spent on routine stuff that does not require much attention.
I think you can all guess that bedtime was early. It was 7:30 when I got back home, so the walk down the lane with the doggies was short; then feeding time, then Jacuzzi, then pillow! Yes!
I heard nothing until 2 AM, when the dogs woke me up by barking. They were insistent about going outside. Fifteen minutes later they were back at the door wanting in, and by that time Morpheus had made his escape. There is no use going back to bed right now; tossing and turning is just too frustrating. Kilroy tells me that, as one gets older, one sleeps less. I don’t think I’ll dwell on that for the moment. Too scary! Then again – in about 15 years my youngest grandsons will be teenagers, and we know teens can rock ‘n roll all night. How do you think they’ll react if their little, old granny tags along with them? There’s an enchanting idea…LOL!!
I have some dishes in the sink, and haven’t yet completed the sorting of the papers in my home office, so I think I’ll tackle those jobs now. If I’m lucky, I’ll squeeze in another hour of shut-eye before it’s time to leave for the city.
Hoping you spend the day SMILING, folks. Like they say – one size fits all!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
MORPHÉE'S ABSENCE
I did not sleep one wink last night. Damn! It’s bad enough when I get only a couple of hours in, but nothing for the whole night? I’m going to be a waste case at the office today, and it’s really not the time for it. GRRRR!
I have good news on two fronts. The first is that the PET scan showed only scar tissue on Bird’s lymph nodes, not tumours as they had suspected. An enormous relief!! The second is that today is my oldest son’s special day, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOW!! But don’t even think about asking your mom out to supper to celebrate with you. She’ll be running home and into bed straight after work!!!
Bird and I got back from the hospital around 2:30 yesterday. After I dropped him home, I stopped in to see Jo’s family. The 3 boys were awake, and Jo is on vacation, and May is on parental leave, so I got to spend time with the whole crew for few moments. At the risk of repeating myself, nothing is as sweet as cuddling a grandchild. I got plenty from each of them, and together with Bird’s good news, it made my day.
The doggies were happy to have me home early. We walked around to check on the apple trees (yep – we’ve got some!) and did the tour of the land. Lucas joined us, of course. I carry a long stick around with me just in case she decides to fight with Bud again, but she has been listening very well lately. She’s maturing, is more obedient – and a beautiful animal!
There is forever housecleaning to do, then I went through some papers that have been lying around my home office for ages. I gave up before finishing the piles, but did make some headway, so that was encouraging. I had a story to finish for Blog-it, chatted for 30 minutes or so to the nurse who works for our agency (but is presently on CSST), then ate a huge spinach salad before relaxing in the Jacuzzi. My plan was an early bedtime, to be in good shape this morning. That didn’t happen. I tried reading, writing, cleaning some more, then just relaxing, then reading again…... Nope! Every little sound outside disturbed me. I watched the sun rise, and THEN I began to feel a little sleepy. Bah! Humbug!
It’s 6 AM now, so I’ll just get dressed and go ahead into the city. I expect I’ll be making use of that futon in my office before day’s end. Oh, well. Everything happens for a reason, so I’ll just SMILE and get on with it. Have a great day, people!!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
I have good news on two fronts. The first is that the PET scan showed only scar tissue on Bird’s lymph nodes, not tumours as they had suspected. An enormous relief!! The second is that today is my oldest son’s special day, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOW!! But don’t even think about asking your mom out to supper to celebrate with you. She’ll be running home and into bed straight after work!!!
Bird and I got back from the hospital around 2:30 yesterday. After I dropped him home, I stopped in to see Jo’s family. The 3 boys were awake, and Jo is on vacation, and May is on parental leave, so I got to spend time with the whole crew for few moments. At the risk of repeating myself, nothing is as sweet as cuddling a grandchild. I got plenty from each of them, and together with Bird’s good news, it made my day.
The doggies were happy to have me home early. We walked around to check on the apple trees (yep – we’ve got some!) and did the tour of the land. Lucas joined us, of course. I carry a long stick around with me just in case she decides to fight with Bud again, but she has been listening very well lately. She’s maturing, is more obedient – and a beautiful animal!
There is forever housecleaning to do, then I went through some papers that have been lying around my home office for ages. I gave up before finishing the piles, but did make some headway, so that was encouraging. I had a story to finish for Blog-it, chatted for 30 minutes or so to the nurse who works for our agency (but is presently on CSST), then ate a huge spinach salad before relaxing in the Jacuzzi. My plan was an early bedtime, to be in good shape this morning. That didn’t happen. I tried reading, writing, cleaning some more, then just relaxing, then reading again…... Nope! Every little sound outside disturbed me. I watched the sun rise, and THEN I began to feel a little sleepy. Bah! Humbug!
It’s 6 AM now, so I’ll just get dressed and go ahead into the city. I expect I’ll be making use of that futon in my office before day’s end. Oh, well. Everything happens for a reason, so I’ll just SMILE and get on with it. Have a great day, people!!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Monday, July 19, 2010
THE BIRTHDAYS
I LOVE our birthdays’ party!! No, that’s not a grammar mistake – it’s plural birthdays. There’s me (yesterday!) and my son, Bow, on the 20th, and Susie (the Cuban one) on the 15th. Then this time we had Kelly too – hers is the 17th of July – which, this year, was also the actual day of the annual joint celebration. It happened at my daughter’s place on Saturday.
It starts in the afternoon, all the children are running around, in and out of the pool (my grandchildren included, of course!), and it is just so NICE! My youngest, Jo(father of 3 sons) had promised to sing American Woman for me – it is one of my favourites – and he & the boys got out the guitars after the BBQ and did the honours. We bugged them to keep playing, so they did, skipping from tune to tune, with all of us harmonizing. Well, we thought we were anyway; there were quite a few beers and a bottle or two of wine and/or rum under our belts by then. Maybe the neighbours would have a different term for ‘harmonizing’, LOL!
Sitting around in the back yard, surrounded by family & friends, teasing and giggling, lulled with the music, a fire pit burning, kiddies laughing and playing until tired enough to be tucked into bed…. Tell me – does it get any better? I don’t think it does.
My hitting the big 6-0 was fodder for my boys. Little Bali, my 3 year old energizer, came to cuddle M’Mère, still dripping from the pool. When he jumped down, my sons used my now very wet jeans as an excuse to launch the ‘Depends’ jokes. For those of you who don’t know, Depends is a brand of adult diaper. Then Bow made me his star in his speaking-to-a-forgetful-granny-with-a-bad-hearing-aid pantomime…it was all hilarious!
It ended about 2:30 AM. When I got back home, the doggies and I sat out on the gallery, enjoying the night sky, watching its many stars playing hide-and-seek behind flimsy wisps of whitish clouds. I finished the bottle of wine (now, now – there was only a glass or two left!) while, as is my habit, I reflected on the day’s activity. All those warm, smiley feelings were still with me when I went to bed, and I slept like a log!
A phone call woke me at 10 AM – more birthday wishes. It was the first of many throughout the day, one of which was from my daughter, Shan, who spoke to me from her car while driving to the airport. She had just enough time to clean up her yard before leaving on a week vacation to Dominican Republic.
I managed to get a little housework done, a trip to town for dog food, a short walk with the doggies…and the calls kept coming. (A note to Karen here – I saw your number on the list when I scrolled through them late last night. It must have come in while I was walking the mutts…sorry! Taking a rain check on that!!). There were e-mails (including a beautiful e-card from my friend, Kilroy) expressing the same; and numerous Facebook friends who took the time to paste ‘Happy B-day’s’ on my cyber wall. Wonderful!!
This morning I’m going with Bird to the Cancer Clinic to get the results of his scans. The doctors have already told him that his lymph nodes are showing tumours; today we expect they will outline the procedures needed.
Line is holding the fort at the office. With most of Quebec on vacation, it is the right time to complete files, then set up a plan to get the Company back on its feet. We’re in for a rough ride, I imagine, but none of us are afraid of a challenge. It gets the adrenaline going, and yep – that’s still there even when 60 years of age! It may flow slightly slower between the head and the heart, but flow it does!!
Have a great day, y’all! It’s raining here, but we need that too, so there’s another reason to SMILE! Share it!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
It starts in the afternoon, all the children are running around, in and out of the pool (my grandchildren included, of course!), and it is just so NICE! My youngest, Jo(father of 3 sons) had promised to sing American Woman for me – it is one of my favourites – and he & the boys got out the guitars after the BBQ and did the honours. We bugged them to keep playing, so they did, skipping from tune to tune, with all of us harmonizing. Well, we thought we were anyway; there were quite a few beers and a bottle or two of wine and/or rum under our belts by then. Maybe the neighbours would have a different term for ‘harmonizing’, LOL!
Sitting around in the back yard, surrounded by family & friends, teasing and giggling, lulled with the music, a fire pit burning, kiddies laughing and playing until tired enough to be tucked into bed…. Tell me – does it get any better? I don’t think it does.
My hitting the big 6-0 was fodder for my boys. Little Bali, my 3 year old energizer, came to cuddle M’Mère, still dripping from the pool. When he jumped down, my sons used my now very wet jeans as an excuse to launch the ‘Depends’ jokes. For those of you who don’t know, Depends is a brand of adult diaper. Then Bow made me his star in his speaking-to-a-forgetful-granny-with-a-bad-hearing-aid pantomime…it was all hilarious!
It ended about 2:30 AM. When I got back home, the doggies and I sat out on the gallery, enjoying the night sky, watching its many stars playing hide-and-seek behind flimsy wisps of whitish clouds. I finished the bottle of wine (now, now – there was only a glass or two left!) while, as is my habit, I reflected on the day’s activity. All those warm, smiley feelings were still with me when I went to bed, and I slept like a log!
A phone call woke me at 10 AM – more birthday wishes. It was the first of many throughout the day, one of which was from my daughter, Shan, who spoke to me from her car while driving to the airport. She had just enough time to clean up her yard before leaving on a week vacation to Dominican Republic.
I managed to get a little housework done, a trip to town for dog food, a short walk with the doggies…and the calls kept coming. (A note to Karen here – I saw your number on the list when I scrolled through them late last night. It must have come in while I was walking the mutts…sorry! Taking a rain check on that!!). There were e-mails (including a beautiful e-card from my friend, Kilroy) expressing the same; and numerous Facebook friends who took the time to paste ‘Happy B-day’s’ on my cyber wall. Wonderful!!
This morning I’m going with Bird to the Cancer Clinic to get the results of his scans. The doctors have already told him that his lymph nodes are showing tumours; today we expect they will outline the procedures needed.
Line is holding the fort at the office. With most of Quebec on vacation, it is the right time to complete files, then set up a plan to get the Company back on its feet. We’re in for a rough ride, I imagine, but none of us are afraid of a challenge. It gets the adrenaline going, and yep – that’s still there even when 60 years of age! It may flow slightly slower between the head and the heart, but flow it does!!
Have a great day, y’all! It’s raining here, but we need that too, so there’s another reason to SMILE! Share it!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Friday, July 16, 2010
ANOTHER DAY ON THE JOB
It was late enough when I got to bed last night. Bow & Yoshiko stopped in around 10:30 PM to pick up my “Diable” and straps, and I don’t even know what it’s called in English. It’s a steel contraption on 2 wheels used to move heavy articles. The kids purchased a BBQ – must be large enough – because they needed the “Diable” to unload it from the truck. It was a ‘come ‘n gone’ visit, taking all of 10 minutes, LOL. I read for an hour or so, then slipped into sleep, the fans running merrily. I woke at 1:00 AM to no hydro…therefore no fans, then nothing but tossing and turning in the heat, 15 minute snoozes here and there until everything came back on at 5 AM. When it was time to get up and at it. Hummm…one of those nights. It’s raining out there now. I can practically hear the grass growing; Kilroy won’t be the only one with a lawn to mow this weekend!
One of my associates came to the office yesterday. The girls had already started cleaning their desks, so it was rather quiet. He didn’t have anything good to say about the employees, which seems to be the way when in his position. (I can write that here – none of them even know I have a blog, let alone read it.) I listened, but understood why and where he was coming from, so just let him rant without me showing much reaction. Any comment would have just added fuel to the fire. He hasn’t been sleeping much either…and no darned wonder!!! My position is bad enough, but his is a lot worse. If we’re calling a spade a spade, it could be said that he put us all there, yet that’s beside the point. We can’t fault someone for trying, and he’s making every effort to get out of the mess. However, I intend to use the weekend to decide to what extent I’ll hang on for the ride. I won’t throw it over completely, of course. One doesn’t do that to a partner…or a friend, when trouble rears its head. I’ll help as much as is feasible, but I AM stepping back from some of his methods. I don’t need the headache that will surely follow. I can use my changing decades this weekend as an excuse – i.e. I’m too old for this, LOL!
Now that I’ve mentioned the ‘decade’ thing, the big birthday bash for my son & I is being held tomorrow at my daughter’s house. I love these parties – all the young couples bring their little children and we watch them jump in and out of the pool, run around yelling and playing; reminding us what fun it is to be alive! Shan is leaving the next morning for a week holiday in Republic Dom., so we’ll do our best to help her clean up at the end of it all…which usually turns out to be the next morning! If I’m not too tired (or hung-over, LOL), I’ll tell you all about it in Sunday’s blog.
Have a good one, people. Let your SMILE shine, sun or no sun. It will surely brighten someone’s day!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
One of my associates came to the office yesterday. The girls had already started cleaning their desks, so it was rather quiet. He didn’t have anything good to say about the employees, which seems to be the way when in his position. (I can write that here – none of them even know I have a blog, let alone read it.) I listened, but understood why and where he was coming from, so just let him rant without me showing much reaction. Any comment would have just added fuel to the fire. He hasn’t been sleeping much either…and no darned wonder!!! My position is bad enough, but his is a lot worse. If we’re calling a spade a spade, it could be said that he put us all there, yet that’s beside the point. We can’t fault someone for trying, and he’s making every effort to get out of the mess. However, I intend to use the weekend to decide to what extent I’ll hang on for the ride. I won’t throw it over completely, of course. One doesn’t do that to a partner…or a friend, when trouble rears its head. I’ll help as much as is feasible, but I AM stepping back from some of his methods. I don’t need the headache that will surely follow. I can use my changing decades this weekend as an excuse – i.e. I’m too old for this, LOL!
Now that I’ve mentioned the ‘decade’ thing, the big birthday bash for my son & I is being held tomorrow at my daughter’s house. I love these parties – all the young couples bring their little children and we watch them jump in and out of the pool, run around yelling and playing; reminding us what fun it is to be alive! Shan is leaving the next morning for a week holiday in Republic Dom., so we’ll do our best to help her clean up at the end of it all…which usually turns out to be the next morning! If I’m not too tired (or hung-over, LOL), I’ll tell you all about it in Sunday’s blog.
Have a good one, people. Let your SMILE shine, sun or no sun. It will surely brighten someone’s day!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A BAD TIME
This lady is not happy.
It’s now official – I had to lay off all of my office employees, my Yoshiko included. The only person staying on…for the moment…is Line, who does client visits outside the office. Most of them finish this Friday; Yo has one more week to go, then will be gone too. It’s breaking my heart. The only consolation is that summer is here – so maybe they can make believe that they’re on a long vacation. Right.
Pointing fingers anywhere else is useless. I’m the one at fault. I should have taken steps to correct the situation a few months ago when I saw the way it was going. I took the risk without calculating; without having a backup plan; putting all the eggs in the same basket. Unfortunately everyone pays, myself included. Not only morally, but most definitely financially. It’s macaroni for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as they say. And maybe we’ll skip lunch to be certain there’ll still be enough for dinner…..
However, sitting and whining, although a normal human reaction isn’t going to help. One doesn’t hit the ripe ‘ole age of 60 (yegads! This weekend!!!) without having experienced setbacks along the way. I had been thinking to take it easier this summer – working a 3-day week, resting up – but that isn’t on the agenda now. I foresee a heavy schedule for the next few months if the business is going to get back on its feet. And believe me – I’ve been reminded that one must keep eyes open and especially NOT depend on anyone else. This time around I’ll go with my own instincts. It may not work out, but at least there’ll be less frustration.
My grandma had a term for it – she would call it the “count your blessings” time. I’ve been repeating it over and over since I realized that the decision could no longer be delayed. One of the blessings is that the employees are all eligible for unemployment – good. Another is that I am still healthy enough to work – good. Then one can add that I live in a country where second, third, and even more chances are feasible options. I won’t even get into the “happy family” bit, because it goes without saying – the most important things in life are still there and I’m much more fortunate than many people in this world. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Grandma was right. The sun is still shining.
Have a good one, folks. Sending you a SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
It’s now official – I had to lay off all of my office employees, my Yoshiko included. The only person staying on…for the moment…is Line, who does client visits outside the office. Most of them finish this Friday; Yo has one more week to go, then will be gone too. It’s breaking my heart. The only consolation is that summer is here – so maybe they can make believe that they’re on a long vacation. Right.
Pointing fingers anywhere else is useless. I’m the one at fault. I should have taken steps to correct the situation a few months ago when I saw the way it was going. I took the risk without calculating; without having a backup plan; putting all the eggs in the same basket. Unfortunately everyone pays, myself included. Not only morally, but most definitely financially. It’s macaroni for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as they say. And maybe we’ll skip lunch to be certain there’ll still be enough for dinner…..
However, sitting and whining, although a normal human reaction isn’t going to help. One doesn’t hit the ripe ‘ole age of 60 (yegads! This weekend!!!) without having experienced setbacks along the way. I had been thinking to take it easier this summer – working a 3-day week, resting up – but that isn’t on the agenda now. I foresee a heavy schedule for the next few months if the business is going to get back on its feet. And believe me – I’ve been reminded that one must keep eyes open and especially NOT depend on anyone else. This time around I’ll go with my own instincts. It may not work out, but at least there’ll be less frustration.
My grandma had a term for it – she would call it the “count your blessings” time. I’ve been repeating it over and over since I realized that the decision could no longer be delayed. One of the blessings is that the employees are all eligible for unemployment – good. Another is that I am still healthy enough to work – good. Then one can add that I live in a country where second, third, and even more chances are feasible options. I won’t even get into the “happy family” bit, because it goes without saying – the most important things in life are still there and I’m much more fortunate than many people in this world. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Grandma was right. The sun is still shining.
Have a good one, folks. Sending you a SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
THE SOUND OF THUNDER
That was a wicked thunder storm in the bush last night! I enjoy them. It seems every storm gives me a story to remember, and this one ran true to form.
I finally had the meeting with one of my associates, and got home later than expected. The doggies were hungry, and more hyper than usual, which, the Weather Network or not, should have warned me what was in store. After doling out their food downstairs, I went up and began chopping and seasoning, creating the spaghetti sauce that had been planned for the night before. While in the midst of this delightful occupation, my closest neighbour stopped by. He was on his way to the store, he said – did I need anything? With him was his wolf-husky, Lucas, and his huge and lovable Rottweiler, Sally. I decided a bottle of wine would compliment my cooking (or at very least the cook), and offered to keep Lucas inside while he left. She has a bad habit of following his truck when he drives away.
About 5 minutes after his departure, the storm let loose. Poor Sally was at the door, not looking happy, so I invited her to come in too. Electric storms scare my dogs, and I figured Sally would be happy to join us in the cosy, yum-smelling kitchen. I was right. Sally was just as wary of all that flashing light and crashing going on outside as the others were – but now there were 4 very large beasts dogging my every step, each trying to get closer than the other. They all respected my refusal to let them track me into the kitchen, although Lucas, who is still quite young, was harder to convince than the older hounds.
So here I am, walking over to the stove to stir the sauce every ten minutes, each time being surveyed by a pack of good-natured canines, all bunched together behind the invisible line, and watching me avidly, tongues hanging to the side, noses twitching as they sniffed the air, tails wagging slowly…and each wearing his/her unique expression. Sally, calm and respectful; Grump, very interested but obedient; Lucas just itching to run to me; and Bud…well, Bud with his dead stare, certain in his arrogance that none of them would move unless he did!
Precious!!! LOL! I loved every minute of it!
When my neighbour arrived with the wine, I was in between stirrings, sitting at the dining room table, totally surrounded. He laughed, and I agreed with his comment that one couldn’t ask for better bodyguards. Definitely safe as a bug in a rug was I! Sally & Lucas left with him a few moments later, the storm was over, and my two doggies settled down now that the competition was gone.
Yep – a little thing, but something that makes me SMILE when I remember! Hope it made you SMILE too!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
I finally had the meeting with one of my associates, and got home later than expected. The doggies were hungry, and more hyper than usual, which, the Weather Network or not, should have warned me what was in store. After doling out their food downstairs, I went up and began chopping and seasoning, creating the spaghetti sauce that had been planned for the night before. While in the midst of this delightful occupation, my closest neighbour stopped by. He was on his way to the store, he said – did I need anything? With him was his wolf-husky, Lucas, and his huge and lovable Rottweiler, Sally. I decided a bottle of wine would compliment my cooking (or at very least the cook), and offered to keep Lucas inside while he left. She has a bad habit of following his truck when he drives away.
About 5 minutes after his departure, the storm let loose. Poor Sally was at the door, not looking happy, so I invited her to come in too. Electric storms scare my dogs, and I figured Sally would be happy to join us in the cosy, yum-smelling kitchen. I was right. Sally was just as wary of all that flashing light and crashing going on outside as the others were – but now there were 4 very large beasts dogging my every step, each trying to get closer than the other. They all respected my refusal to let them track me into the kitchen, although Lucas, who is still quite young, was harder to convince than the older hounds.
So here I am, walking over to the stove to stir the sauce every ten minutes, each time being surveyed by a pack of good-natured canines, all bunched together behind the invisible line, and watching me avidly, tongues hanging to the side, noses twitching as they sniffed the air, tails wagging slowly…and each wearing his/her unique expression. Sally, calm and respectful; Grump, very interested but obedient; Lucas just itching to run to me; and Bud…well, Bud with his dead stare, certain in his arrogance that none of them would move unless he did!
Precious!!! LOL! I loved every minute of it!
When my neighbour arrived with the wine, I was in between stirrings, sitting at the dining room table, totally surrounded. He laughed, and I agreed with his comment that one couldn’t ask for better bodyguards. Definitely safe as a bug in a rug was I! Sally & Lucas left with him a few moments later, the storm was over, and my two doggies settled down now that the competition was gone.
Yep – a little thing, but something that makes me SMILE when I remember! Hope it made you SMILE too!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
Monday, July 12, 2010
A LAZY SUNDAY
Yesterday was a quiet day. I have to admit that I slept through most of the morning, having been awake from 2 to 6:30 AM; blogging, a little cleaning, reading, watching the sunrise. I finally fell back to sleep, leaving the doggies on guard duty outside. They were quiet, and my snooze lasted until 11:30. It feels like it’s a morning wasted when I crawl out of bed at that time, and I have to force myself to remember that sleep is important, no matter when it happens.
I ran into town for a few things – for some reason I had a craving for spaghetti sauce, and needed some ingredients to complete my mom’s recipe. While unloading my bags, the renovation dude came by, and we strolled around outside to look at what I needed done before summer’s end. My budget is severely limited at the moment; most of the work will be paid for by barter; he has need of the backhoe, so we negotiated a method of exchange. While this was going on, I heard my telephone ring, but I knew I wouldn’t get to it before the voice mail answered. Both times were long distance – the 3 rings – and I imagined it was Suzie calling to tell me she had made it safely home to Detroit. I was right for the one of the calls; Suzie rang again as I stepped back into the house. It had been a long drive – 11 hours on the road. There was a lot of traffic in Toronto, she told me, and near London, Ontario she ran into a storm much as we saw last week; heavy rain, hail, strong winds. She was obliged to pull into a rest center and wait it out. She had finally arrived, exhausted and very happy to be there.
The second call I had missed was my friend Karen, from Saskatoon. She and I don’t talk often but, when we do, it lasts for a couple of hours. Fortunately she has a long distance plan, so I rang her back, then she rang me back, and we chatted from about 6 to 10 PM, breaking off just long enough for my daughter to tell me that my grandson, Raphael, had won his soccer tournament. Needless to say, the spaghetti sauce never happened; it’s on tonight’s agenda, LOL.
It’s another beautiful day out there – the birds are trilling away, and the doggies already making the rounds, sniffing out whatever may have happened on their territory during the night. Because I never did get to see my associates as planned this weekend, I’m heading into the office now, intent on catching up to them before doing anything else at the office. I expect I’ll have to lay off most of my employees for the moment, and I’m NOT happy about it. If there is any way at all to avoid it, I’ll use it; but I need some answers from my associates before making the decision.
That’s it for now, folks. Hoping you have a good day, find lots of reasons to SMILE, and don’t forget to share it!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
I ran into town for a few things – for some reason I had a craving for spaghetti sauce, and needed some ingredients to complete my mom’s recipe. While unloading my bags, the renovation dude came by, and we strolled around outside to look at what I needed done before summer’s end. My budget is severely limited at the moment; most of the work will be paid for by barter; he has need of the backhoe, so we negotiated a method of exchange. While this was going on, I heard my telephone ring, but I knew I wouldn’t get to it before the voice mail answered. Both times were long distance – the 3 rings – and I imagined it was Suzie calling to tell me she had made it safely home to Detroit. I was right for the one of the calls; Suzie rang again as I stepped back into the house. It had been a long drive – 11 hours on the road. There was a lot of traffic in Toronto, she told me, and near London, Ontario she ran into a storm much as we saw last week; heavy rain, hail, strong winds. She was obliged to pull into a rest center and wait it out. She had finally arrived, exhausted and very happy to be there.
The second call I had missed was my friend Karen, from Saskatoon. She and I don’t talk often but, when we do, it lasts for a couple of hours. Fortunately she has a long distance plan, so I rang her back, then she rang me back, and we chatted from about 6 to 10 PM, breaking off just long enough for my daughter to tell me that my grandson, Raphael, had won his soccer tournament. Needless to say, the spaghetti sauce never happened; it’s on tonight’s agenda, LOL.
It’s another beautiful day out there – the birds are trilling away, and the doggies already making the rounds, sniffing out whatever may have happened on their territory during the night. Because I never did get to see my associates as planned this weekend, I’m heading into the office now, intent on catching up to them before doing anything else at the office. I expect I’ll have to lay off most of my employees for the moment, and I’m NOT happy about it. If there is any way at all to avoid it, I’ll use it; but I need some answers from my associates before making the decision.
That’s it for now, folks. Hoping you have a good day, find lots of reasons to SMILE, and don’t forget to share it!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Sunday, July 11, 2010
GRANDCHILDREN'S HUGS
What a beautiful day! Now that’s the kind of summer weather we think about when shovelling snow! Not too hot, breezy, blue sky with fluffy white clouds…perfect!!
I was up at 6 AM, then it wasn’t long until I got into the cleaning mode. With the satellite tuned to classic rock music, and the doggies outside looking in, the house (main floor, at least) was dusted, vacuumed, floors washed and kitchen waxed, washing done…and I took breaks drinking long glasses of cold water, admiring the scenery from my swing on the gallery. It was completed by 2:20 PM – nice!
My granddaughter and a friend dropped in for a few minutes, although she wouldn’t get out of the car. She’s wary of the doggies who, of course, were showing off, prancing around me as I stood outside and chatted.
A little later I ran up to say goodbye to Suzie, who is heading back to Detroit. While I was there, my son, Jo, drove by, saw my car, and he and his two oldest boys stopped to say hello to M’mère. I got my hugs and kisses in, but I’m greedy. When I was on my way back home I decided that I hadn’t seen his new baby either for a couple of weeks, so arrived at his home to get…more hugs & kisses!! There’s nothing quite as nice as a grandchild’s chubby arms hanging onto your neck. Bali had just finished his supper, and his hands were a little sticky – LOL – and like that bothers me?? Nope!
The baby, Tao, has put on weight. He was sleeping away in his little chair, in spite of Bali’s excited yelling beside him – a sign of a good baby – and looks more and more like his big bro, Nalou. I mentioned it, and Nalou smiled; I could tell he was pleased as punch that this is so.
After a short hop to see my brother, Bird, I came home to my clean house and my hungry doggies. They were fed, and I dined on old fashioned English ‘fish ‘n chips’ while listening to the highlights of the World Cup Soccer game; Germany won, as I had thought they would. My foot was too swollen to take the usual walk with the doggies. It’s getting better, but is still sore when I use it as much as I did today.
I was nodding off by 10 PM, but woke 4 hours later – and it seems Murphy sneaked out the back door. Instead of tossing & turning, I got up and here I am, posting on my blog at 2:30 AM. I’ll try some reading to entice Murphy to join me again. The meeting with my associates didn’t happen today, and I want to make sure I’m awake enough tomorrow to catch up to them.
All in all, an uneventful but fine Saturday for me! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, people. Just the weather alone has to make you SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
I was up at 6 AM, then it wasn’t long until I got into the cleaning mode. With the satellite tuned to classic rock music, and the doggies outside looking in, the house (main floor, at least) was dusted, vacuumed, floors washed and kitchen waxed, washing done…and I took breaks drinking long glasses of cold water, admiring the scenery from my swing on the gallery. It was completed by 2:20 PM – nice!
My granddaughter and a friend dropped in for a few minutes, although she wouldn’t get out of the car. She’s wary of the doggies who, of course, were showing off, prancing around me as I stood outside and chatted.
A little later I ran up to say goodbye to Suzie, who is heading back to Detroit. While I was there, my son, Jo, drove by, saw my car, and he and his two oldest boys stopped to say hello to M’mère. I got my hugs and kisses in, but I’m greedy. When I was on my way back home I decided that I hadn’t seen his new baby either for a couple of weeks, so arrived at his home to get…more hugs & kisses!! There’s nothing quite as nice as a grandchild’s chubby arms hanging onto your neck. Bali had just finished his supper, and his hands were a little sticky – LOL – and like that bothers me?? Nope!
The baby, Tao, has put on weight. He was sleeping away in his little chair, in spite of Bali’s excited yelling beside him – a sign of a good baby – and looks more and more like his big bro, Nalou. I mentioned it, and Nalou smiled; I could tell he was pleased as punch that this is so.
After a short hop to see my brother, Bird, I came home to my clean house and my hungry doggies. They were fed, and I dined on old fashioned English ‘fish ‘n chips’ while listening to the highlights of the World Cup Soccer game; Germany won, as I had thought they would. My foot was too swollen to take the usual walk with the doggies. It’s getting better, but is still sore when I use it as much as I did today.
I was nodding off by 10 PM, but woke 4 hours later – and it seems Murphy sneaked out the back door. Instead of tossing & turning, I got up and here I am, posting on my blog at 2:30 AM. I’ll try some reading to entice Murphy to join me again. The meeting with my associates didn’t happen today, and I want to make sure I’m awake enough tomorrow to catch up to them.
All in all, an uneventful but fine Saturday for me! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, people. Just the weather alone has to make you SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Friday, July 9, 2010
Well, most of my plans for yesterday worked out, except for the computer doc who came early this morning – like 7:30AM!! The problem? My modem was lying on its side, making it difficult for the fan to work well, and the extra heat was causing it to throw a safety switch. DUH! He checked the angle of the satellite too, but all was okay there. He left, warning me to make sure the modem stays upright. Huumm – an expensive lesson.
My own office has no windows, so I didn’t see the afternoon’s heavy rainfall. The other girls noticed, and my son, who drives on the south shore for Fed-Ex, called to tell me that it was terrible; “Armageddon” was the word he used. All the cars were pulled off to the side, they could see nothing, and there was hail coming down to complete the scene. I guess it was pretty bad in the bush. The doggies weren’t talking – just very happy to see me home again. But that’s a usual thing. For sure the rain is most welcome, if only to give us a break from the heavy heat we’ve been dragging for the past few days. I can feel the cooler breeze blowing in through all my open windows. That, together with the sound of the drops hitting the tin roof, predicts a good snooze tonight.
Suzie’s house in up in the hills too, and she was saying she saw a ball of fire with one of the lightning bolts. There was a thunderous CRACK and when it was over, she noticed that her sound system no longer worked. Too darned close for comfort! Nobody wants a fire.
Tomorrow is housework time. I let my helper go because I don’t want my Jo, who has his own business and three little kiddies, having to run over here every time there’s grass to cut, or things to pick up outside. I’ll use what money I save from the housekeeping to pay a young lad to help keep up the exterior. It makes more sense. The doggies’ feet are not so dirty in the summer weather; they make less of a mess. Then with me picking up as I go along, the house stays reasonably clean. So tomorrow morning on goes the music (wonder if my neighbours like AC/DC with breakfast??) and out come the mops & dust rags. I’m kind of looking forward to it!
I also have a meeting with my associates. The hour has not been determined yet, but this girl IS determined that we do meet. There are things to iron out – the sooner the better. It’s “bite the bullet” time! In fact, it seems to be “bite the bullet” month!!
Then it will be up to Suzie’s place to baptize the “Still sexy at 60” wine glass she gave me for my birthday. She won’t be here for the party next weekend; she’s returning to Detroit on Sunday, but it’s a given that I do the first toast from it with her! Just one, because after two or three, we tend to reach for the tequila, and she wants to leave early the next morning, LOL!
My Jacuzzi awaits, so off I go to luxuriate in bubbles of Tamanu. Happy dreams, folks; ones that make you SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
My own office has no windows, so I didn’t see the afternoon’s heavy rainfall. The other girls noticed, and my son, who drives on the south shore for Fed-Ex, called to tell me that it was terrible; “Armageddon” was the word he used. All the cars were pulled off to the side, they could see nothing, and there was hail coming down to complete the scene. I guess it was pretty bad in the bush. The doggies weren’t talking – just very happy to see me home again. But that’s a usual thing. For sure the rain is most welcome, if only to give us a break from the heavy heat we’ve been dragging for the past few days. I can feel the cooler breeze blowing in through all my open windows. That, together with the sound of the drops hitting the tin roof, predicts a good snooze tonight.
Suzie’s house in up in the hills too, and she was saying she saw a ball of fire with one of the lightning bolts. There was a thunderous CRACK and when it was over, she noticed that her sound system no longer worked. Too darned close for comfort! Nobody wants a fire.
Tomorrow is housework time. I let my helper go because I don’t want my Jo, who has his own business and three little kiddies, having to run over here every time there’s grass to cut, or things to pick up outside. I’ll use what money I save from the housekeeping to pay a young lad to help keep up the exterior. It makes more sense. The doggies’ feet are not so dirty in the summer weather; they make less of a mess. Then with me picking up as I go along, the house stays reasonably clean. So tomorrow morning on goes the music (wonder if my neighbours like AC/DC with breakfast??) and out come the mops & dust rags. I’m kind of looking forward to it!
I also have a meeting with my associates. The hour has not been determined yet, but this girl IS determined that we do meet. There are things to iron out – the sooner the better. It’s “bite the bullet” time! In fact, it seems to be “bite the bullet” month!!
Then it will be up to Suzie’s place to baptize the “Still sexy at 60” wine glass she gave me for my birthday. She won’t be here for the party next weekend; she’s returning to Detroit on Sunday, but it’s a given that I do the first toast from it with her! Just one, because after two or three, we tend to reach for the tequila, and she wants to leave early the next morning, LOL!
My Jacuzzi awaits, so off I go to luxuriate in bubbles of Tamanu. Happy dreams, folks; ones that make you SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Thursday, July 8, 2010
HEAT & INTERNET PROBLEMS
Arrrg! My satellite dish has slipped, and I have internet flashing off and on – more often off than on. Luckily (for my sanity) my puter-doc will swing by tomorrow afternoon and fix things up. I also have the Alarm people coming in to update the alarms (they were removed during renovations & never re-installed) and a dude to remove trees lying in the driveway. I’ll be in the office real early tomorrow morning, because I’ll have to leave at noon to meet these people. It isn’t the right time to be absent, but some things can’t be helped.
That PET scan was hard on the Bird this morning. After 3 hours he came out of there looking like a wet rag. We were both grateful that the air conditioning was functioning in my truck as we made out way back up north. Now we need to go back on July 19th for his results.
It is somewhat cooler outside tonight – not much, but enough to be comfortable sitting out on the gallery. BTW – isn’t this kind of heat supposed to kill mosquitoes? I have never been so pestered by those little varmints when up on the gallery; it seems the heat has tripled their numbers, and as soon as it’s dark, they zero in. Annoying little mites!
I watched the clouds roll in over my mountain – the muted colours were something to see. We are supposed to get a thunder storm, and the temperatures should be back to normal on Friday, so says the Weather Network. But tonight is going to be another toss & roll, I know. In spite of all the fans going around the house, it’s still way too warm for this menopausal lady! The water in the Jacuzzi will be just lukewarm, you can be sure of that!! I’ve heard the wives’ tale about taking a hot shower to cool off and I say poppycock! I’ve tried it and believe me, it’s not true!!!
That’s it for tonight, folks. I’m not sure I’ll be able to post it before the morning – the lights on my modem tell me I’ve lost the airwaves again. If that is the case, have a good day y’all. If okay tonight, then sweet dreams!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
That PET scan was hard on the Bird this morning. After 3 hours he came out of there looking like a wet rag. We were both grateful that the air conditioning was functioning in my truck as we made out way back up north. Now we need to go back on July 19th for his results.
It is somewhat cooler outside tonight – not much, but enough to be comfortable sitting out on the gallery. BTW – isn’t this kind of heat supposed to kill mosquitoes? I have never been so pestered by those little varmints when up on the gallery; it seems the heat has tripled their numbers, and as soon as it’s dark, they zero in. Annoying little mites!
I watched the clouds roll in over my mountain – the muted colours were something to see. We are supposed to get a thunder storm, and the temperatures should be back to normal on Friday, so says the Weather Network. But tonight is going to be another toss & roll, I know. In spite of all the fans going around the house, it’s still way too warm for this menopausal lady! The water in the Jacuzzi will be just lukewarm, you can be sure of that!! I’ve heard the wives’ tale about taking a hot shower to cool off and I say poppycock! I’ve tried it and believe me, it’s not true!!!
That’s it for tonight, folks. I’m not sure I’ll be able to post it before the morning – the lights on my modem tell me I’ve lost the airwaves again. If that is the case, have a good day y’all. If okay tonight, then sweet dreams!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A TUESDAY NIGHT "OOPS!"
It wasn’t too difficult to slip right back into the work routine – especially since the office has air conditioning…and the house doesn’t. This weather, fine if you’re living beside a swimming pool or lake, is a little much - for me anyway. The hot flashes just seem to last longer, most evident when you’re trying to find the already elusive slumber. A fan, even on high speed, just doesn’t do it. Bud is having a hard time of it too. His respiration isn’t easy to begin with, but the heat and humidity make it worse. Extremely audible. He insists on lying close to wherever I am, and I haven’t the heart to chase him away, so I hear the poor fellow all night. NOT music to sleep by.
I received the cutest phone call at the office yesterday. My son, Jo, was kind enough to stop after his canteen run and cut all my grass. When Bali, the 3 year old, woke from his afternoon nap and heard that Papa was at M’mère’s place, without taking him, he was not happy. Believe me, he knows how to show it! He finally quieted down after his mummy let him chat with me on the phone. Although I could hardly understand a word he was saying, knowing that M’mère was his main objective for a few minutes was so nice, and made my day!
I‘m off to the hospital with Bird tomorrow – his last scan found more tumours in his lymph nodes. Now he does something called the PET (?) scan, to see what’s what, and we are back at the clinic again on July 19th pour the results. Thankfully I have AC in the truck, so at least the ride in & out will be comfortable enough for him. Apparently the scan takes approximately 3 hours, prepping included. The Bird warned me to bring a good book.
And now – should I tell you about the huge dumbass thing I just did? And it’s going to cost me too!
I have a bad habit of getting distracted when doing household chores. maybe ‘cause it’s not my preferred pastime. Tonight, just before sitting down to write the first 2 ½ paragraphs of this post, AND before I went outside to make sure the noises I heard were not a fight between Lucas & Bud, I put dishes into the sink and turned on the hot water. I usually fill the sink with the hottest water possible, let the dishes soak a bit, then do the washing. I bet you can guess what happened.
Yep. I forgot all about turning off the water!! And so…in reference to my first paragraph, I nearly CREATED a swimming pool in the apartment downstairs. It was Grump who alerted me; he came running into the office giving every sign he wanted to go out. I walked into the kitchen to open the door and….get this…I actually wondered what the sound of water was from!! Then…OH SHIT!
I guess the positive sides (there always is one) are:
1) I was putting off cleaning down there – this gave me a huge nudge in the right direction – at least floors in that bedroom are shining now!
2) Because the apartment is cooler, I considered sleeping down there tonight if it’s too hot up here. I had washed all the bedclothes, but had not yet made the bed, so the huge, thick blanket was still folded up on the bottom part. The bed would have been soaked if it had been done up right. As it is, the top part of the blanket kept the water from sinking through. The mattress is dry.
3) I’ve also been procrastinating about bringing in an electrician to do some needed work. I can’t neglect it any longer, which is much safer, of course. The water went through the ceiling where the light fixtures and wiring are; that’s what I meant about costly.
I also expect I’ll know enough to stay by the sink from now on when preparing to do dishes, or any other action that requires turning off a tap at one point, LOL!
Time for me to hit my Jacuzzi (yes, I’ll remember!!) then get some shut-eye. In spite of the extra work and cost, my experience is rather amusing (I know my sons will find it funny) so I’m SMILING! Sending it out to you all – and wishing you sweet dreams!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
I received the cutest phone call at the office yesterday. My son, Jo, was kind enough to stop after his canteen run and cut all my grass. When Bali, the 3 year old, woke from his afternoon nap and heard that Papa was at M’mère’s place, without taking him, he was not happy. Believe me, he knows how to show it! He finally quieted down after his mummy let him chat with me on the phone. Although I could hardly understand a word he was saying, knowing that M’mère was his main objective for a few minutes was so nice, and made my day!
I‘m off to the hospital with Bird tomorrow – his last scan found more tumours in his lymph nodes. Now he does something called the PET (?) scan, to see what’s what, and we are back at the clinic again on July 19th pour the results. Thankfully I have AC in the truck, so at least the ride in & out will be comfortable enough for him. Apparently the scan takes approximately 3 hours, prepping included. The Bird warned me to bring a good book.
And now – should I tell you about the huge dumbass thing I just did? And it’s going to cost me too!
I have a bad habit of getting distracted when doing household chores. maybe ‘cause it’s not my preferred pastime. Tonight, just before sitting down to write the first 2 ½ paragraphs of this post, AND before I went outside to make sure the noises I heard were not a fight between Lucas & Bud, I put dishes into the sink and turned on the hot water. I usually fill the sink with the hottest water possible, let the dishes soak a bit, then do the washing. I bet you can guess what happened.
Yep. I forgot all about turning off the water!! And so…in reference to my first paragraph, I nearly CREATED a swimming pool in the apartment downstairs. It was Grump who alerted me; he came running into the office giving every sign he wanted to go out. I walked into the kitchen to open the door and….get this…I actually wondered what the sound of water was from!! Then…OH SHIT!
I guess the positive sides (there always is one) are:
1) I was putting off cleaning down there – this gave me a huge nudge in the right direction – at least floors in that bedroom are shining now!
2) Because the apartment is cooler, I considered sleeping down there tonight if it’s too hot up here. I had washed all the bedclothes, but had not yet made the bed, so the huge, thick blanket was still folded up on the bottom part. The bed would have been soaked if it had been done up right. As it is, the top part of the blanket kept the water from sinking through. The mattress is dry.
3) I’ve also been procrastinating about bringing in an electrician to do some needed work. I can’t neglect it any longer, which is much safer, of course. The water went through the ceiling where the light fixtures and wiring are; that’s what I meant about costly.
I also expect I’ll know enough to stay by the sink from now on when preparing to do dishes, or any other action that requires turning off a tap at one point, LOL!
Time for me to hit my Jacuzzi (yes, I’ll remember!!) then get some shut-eye. In spite of the extra work and cost, my experience is rather amusing (I know my sons will find it funny) so I’m SMILING! Sending it out to you all – and wishing you sweet dreams!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Sunday, July 4, 2010
BOW'S HOUSE & SHOPPING WITH SUZIE
On Friday, my brother, Bird, and I went to visit Bow & Yoshiko. Their new house is situated on a residential street in old Longueil, surrounded with mature, beautiful trees. It’s a cozy little two-story place, with plenty of plants and flowers in the back yard, well fenced for privacy, and a swimming pool. A couple of Bow’s friends were there helping him to set things up. It was a nice afternoon with plenty of good natured teasing and laughing; reminiscent of days when my children were all still at home in our big, white house; where there always seemed to be a few friends around to keep things lively. I could tell my son was right in his element. He was grinning from ear to ear! Yoshiko was exhausted, with plenty of unpacking and installing to do yet. My daughter had already been there the day before and, whirlwind that she is, had the kitchen all set up before she left. Once that is done, the rest of the boxes can be emptied slowly, whenever Yo feels inclined, so she relaxed with us, enjoying the day and showing off her new home. We shared pizza and Mexican pie for supper, sitting outside, then Bird and I made our way back up north. After I let him off at his place, I came back to the bush and passed a quiet evening with the doggies. Saturday was already scheduled to spend time with Suzie, and I wanted an early night.
Suzie and I usually go shopping at least one day during our time together, whether we are here or in Detroit. It’s not one of my favourite pastimes, unless we’re in a furniture store, or a place like Stokes. There is, however, a Dollar Plus store in St-Jérôme where we make a regular stop. It’s huge, and things cost more than a dollar, but it has many interesting art objects, cards, household articles, etc. I picked up some wooden jigsaw puzzles to keep Bali amused when he comes to visit M’mère, and a drinking glass with a cover; those made especially for wobbling youngsters. Happily, the grandchildren are coming around to the house more often now, so I need to stock up on things like that again.
In less than two hours we had seen all we wanted to – there was NOTHING in the way of decent clothes anywhere we went – so we decided to have something to eat. We went to Nickels, sat out on the terrace, and I filled my face with giant shrimp Papillion…YUM! Mind you, I smelled like garlic for the rest of the day, but I had nobody to impress, so didn’t really give a damn!
We stopped back at the house to let the doggies go outside and run around some, and I showed Suzie the pictures my daughter had put on Facebook; she had caught our last tequila binge on camera, the little bugger, and we look terrible, but we’re able to laugh at ourselves, and did a lot of that, LOL! I drove her home and we sat and chatted for a good while, and I finally made it back to the bush around 3 AM. It was a lovely warm night, and I sat out on the gallery with the delighted doggies for a little while before going to bed. All in all, a great day, although I didn’t get around to any of the multitude of tasks waiting to be done. What the heck, it was one of my last days off, so I refuse to feel guilty! The work isn’t going anywhere, that’s for sure!
I’m planning to wash my truck this afternoon – it’s long overdue – and whatever else my foot will allow me to do. After all the walking yesterday, it’s swollen and a little painful. I don’t mind lazing. It’ll be back to the office tomorrow morning, and we need to apply all our efforts to keep things going after one of our bigger clients closed down last week, and another on the verge of going the same route shortly. Rock ‘N Roll!
Hope y’all are having a good weekend – loving this summer weather! Sending you a SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Suzie and I usually go shopping at least one day during our time together, whether we are here or in Detroit. It’s not one of my favourite pastimes, unless we’re in a furniture store, or a place like Stokes. There is, however, a Dollar Plus store in St-Jérôme where we make a regular stop. It’s huge, and things cost more than a dollar, but it has many interesting art objects, cards, household articles, etc. I picked up some wooden jigsaw puzzles to keep Bali amused when he comes to visit M’mère, and a drinking glass with a cover; those made especially for wobbling youngsters. Happily, the grandchildren are coming around to the house more often now, so I need to stock up on things like that again.
In less than two hours we had seen all we wanted to – there was NOTHING in the way of decent clothes anywhere we went – so we decided to have something to eat. We went to Nickels, sat out on the terrace, and I filled my face with giant shrimp Papillion…YUM! Mind you, I smelled like garlic for the rest of the day, but I had nobody to impress, so didn’t really give a damn!
We stopped back at the house to let the doggies go outside and run around some, and I showed Suzie the pictures my daughter had put on Facebook; she had caught our last tequila binge on camera, the little bugger, and we look terrible, but we’re able to laugh at ourselves, and did a lot of that, LOL! I drove her home and we sat and chatted for a good while, and I finally made it back to the bush around 3 AM. It was a lovely warm night, and I sat out on the gallery with the delighted doggies for a little while before going to bed. All in all, a great day, although I didn’t get around to any of the multitude of tasks waiting to be done. What the heck, it was one of my last days off, so I refuse to feel guilty! The work isn’t going anywhere, that’s for sure!
I’m planning to wash my truck this afternoon – it’s long overdue – and whatever else my foot will allow me to do. After all the walking yesterday, it’s swollen and a little painful. I don’t mind lazing. It’ll be back to the office tomorrow morning, and we need to apply all our efforts to keep things going after one of our bigger clients closed down last week, and another on the verge of going the same route shortly. Rock ‘N Roll!
Hope y’all are having a good weekend – loving this summer weather! Sending you a SMILE!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Friday, July 2, 2010
ABOUT DAY'S OFF
What a beautiful morning out here in the bush! The sun is there in all its glory, with just enough breeze to keep it from being too warm. The birds are singing their hearts out, my coffee is hot and delicious, the doggies are silent beside me keeping watch, and I stand on my gallery admiring nature’s view and thinking “What more could one want right at this moment? Thank You for this lovely day!”
The grass still needs to be cut, but my son will come early this morning and do the honours. He went down the hill on the lawn tractor yesterday, decided that he would sleep better knowing that his Mum wasn’t wrapping herself around a tree at the bottom, and said he would come back today and do it himself, LOL.
After he had left, on his way to do his errands for his mobile canteen, I made my way up to Suzie’s Canada Day party. There were many hugs and kisses from old friends who meet once a year for this celebration, retro tunes playing, the BBQ churning out hotdogs and hamburgers, tequila making the rounds…a perfect afternoon, in spite of the rain showing up now and then. Fran and my brother, Bird, arrived a little later to join us. I sat smiling as I watched my bro get up and dance – he was having such a good time. It made my day.
It wasn’t late when I returned home to the doggies – they were waiting patiently for their supper – and we went for a short walk just before it got too dark to see. It was cool enough, so I lit the wood already prepared in the fireplace, slipped into my Jacuzzi, and lay back to relax in the jasmine scented bubbles, gazing into the orange and red and yellow of the flames cracking away merrily. It was one of those special moments when you feel that it doesn’t get much better than this.
I actually slept through 7 hours! Feeling like a million bucks on this gorgeous morning! Later today I’ll pick up the Bird and we’ll go to visit my other son and Yoshiko; I’m looking forward to seeing their new home, as much as my son is anxious to show off his first house, I know. My daughter was there yesterday and tells me that nearly everything is unpacked and put in its place already, which means Mum can just enjoy her inspection, LOL!
There are a few business related things to take care of before leaving, but it shouldn’t take long. I’ll still have time to do the floors in the apartment downstairs, throw in some washing, and voilà! The rest of the day will be mine.
It has been years, literally, since I have enjoyed more than one consecutive day away from the office. Last week’s 3 days off (5 if you count the weekend) did much for my morale; doing the same this week is a bonus. I doubt if I’ll forget it soon, which means that I’m planning to make it a regular occurrence in the future. I had forgotten how important it is to play as well as work.
Have a good one, folks! My SMILE is all over my face this morning – hope yours will be there too!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
The grass still needs to be cut, but my son will come early this morning and do the honours. He went down the hill on the lawn tractor yesterday, decided that he would sleep better knowing that his Mum wasn’t wrapping herself around a tree at the bottom, and said he would come back today and do it himself, LOL.
After he had left, on his way to do his errands for his mobile canteen, I made my way up to Suzie’s Canada Day party. There were many hugs and kisses from old friends who meet once a year for this celebration, retro tunes playing, the BBQ churning out hotdogs and hamburgers, tequila making the rounds…a perfect afternoon, in spite of the rain showing up now and then. Fran and my brother, Bird, arrived a little later to join us. I sat smiling as I watched my bro get up and dance – he was having such a good time. It made my day.
It wasn’t late when I returned home to the doggies – they were waiting patiently for their supper – and we went for a short walk just before it got too dark to see. It was cool enough, so I lit the wood already prepared in the fireplace, slipped into my Jacuzzi, and lay back to relax in the jasmine scented bubbles, gazing into the orange and red and yellow of the flames cracking away merrily. It was one of those special moments when you feel that it doesn’t get much better than this.
I actually slept through 7 hours! Feeling like a million bucks on this gorgeous morning! Later today I’ll pick up the Bird and we’ll go to visit my other son and Yoshiko; I’m looking forward to seeing their new home, as much as my son is anxious to show off his first house, I know. My daughter was there yesterday and tells me that nearly everything is unpacked and put in its place already, which means Mum can just enjoy her inspection, LOL!
There are a few business related things to take care of before leaving, but it shouldn’t take long. I’ll still have time to do the floors in the apartment downstairs, throw in some washing, and voilà! The rest of the day will be mine.
It has been years, literally, since I have enjoyed more than one consecutive day away from the office. Last week’s 3 days off (5 if you count the weekend) did much for my morale; doing the same this week is a bonus. I doubt if I’ll forget it soon, which means that I’m planning to make it a regular occurrence in the future. I had forgotten how important it is to play as well as work.
Have a good one, folks! My SMILE is all over my face this morning – hope yours will be there too!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
THE DOG FIGHT
Well, my foot WAS doing better, but I spent most of the day swiping cobwebs (and their contents, ugh!) down from the ceiling of the garage, then doing a general cleaning and sweeping in there. The end result? Garage looks pretty good, but my foot has swollen right back up and I’m limping again. Going up and down the ladder is not recommended for healing.
Last night I was wandering around outside with my two doggies. Lucas, my neighbor's young female wolf-husky came to join us. I don’t know how it started, because I wasn’t looking that way, but suddenly she was fighting with Bud. I yelled and ran towards them – they totally ignored me, of course. Then Grump got into it too; now there were three! Conscious of my sore foot, I didn’t even think of kicking at them, but I knew I had to get her off poor Bud. He’s already sick, and his cancer has made him weaker, but he was still standing his ground. I reached and grabbed at Lucas’ neck kerchief (her owner uses that instead of a collar), screaming at the top of my lungs to “STOP!!”, and managed to pull her off and separate the three. It was only after I had finished scolding them all that I noticed my hand was bleeding. It had encountered a canine tooth during the fracas; who the tooth belonged to is debatable. It hadn’t been done on purpose; it was par for the course when stopping a dog fight. Thinking tetanus shots, etc., I hurried up to the house and cleaned it well, then soaked the area in iodine. It seemed fine, and wasn’t hurting too much. Until I woke up in the middle of the night and could hardly move it. Oh, no!! Once again pictures of tetanus shots ran through my mind – they HURT! I’ve had the experience, and didn’t relish going through it again. Fortunately, after moving the arm around some, I realized I had been sleeping on it. That was the cause of the pain. There was no swelling. Panic subsided. Saved for another day.
Tomorrow morning my youngest son is stopping by to cut the lawn, and to watch me use the tractor. He wants to make sure that I won’t end up head over tea kettle on the bottom of the hill, LOL! Later I’ll be stop to pick up my bro, the Bird, and we’ll go to Suzie’s annual Canada Day party. We never stay long, but it’s fun to meet old acquaintances once a year and find out how they’ve been doing.
My oldest son was moving into his new house today, and my daughter will be going into the city to give them a hand unpacking. I’ll head up that way on Friday (again with my bro, Bird) to admire his first home and to help anyway I can. There are many, many boxes to empty. Yoshiko, being Japanese, is a natural pack-rat and, although everything she collects is interesting, there is oodles of it!
It’s 3:45 AM, so time to think of going back to bed. I did snooze for a couple of hours earlier, but it seems sleeping more than 3 hours in a row is not in my cards at the moment. Eh bien, we take what we can get.
It’s going to be cool tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to coming back home at the end of the day and sitting by the fireplace, doggies at my feet and a good book in hand. Hope you all have a great CANADA DAY! It’s a beautiful country, and we’re certainly blessed to be living here.
Sending you SMILES!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Last night I was wandering around outside with my two doggies. Lucas, my neighbor's young female wolf-husky came to join us. I don’t know how it started, because I wasn’t looking that way, but suddenly she was fighting with Bud. I yelled and ran towards them – they totally ignored me, of course. Then Grump got into it too; now there were three! Conscious of my sore foot, I didn’t even think of kicking at them, but I knew I had to get her off poor Bud. He’s already sick, and his cancer has made him weaker, but he was still standing his ground. I reached and grabbed at Lucas’ neck kerchief (her owner uses that instead of a collar), screaming at the top of my lungs to “STOP!!”, and managed to pull her off and separate the three. It was only after I had finished scolding them all that I noticed my hand was bleeding. It had encountered a canine tooth during the fracas; who the tooth belonged to is debatable. It hadn’t been done on purpose; it was par for the course when stopping a dog fight. Thinking tetanus shots, etc., I hurried up to the house and cleaned it well, then soaked the area in iodine. It seemed fine, and wasn’t hurting too much. Until I woke up in the middle of the night and could hardly move it. Oh, no!! Once again pictures of tetanus shots ran through my mind – they HURT! I’ve had the experience, and didn’t relish going through it again. Fortunately, after moving the arm around some, I realized I had been sleeping on it. That was the cause of the pain. There was no swelling. Panic subsided. Saved for another day.
Tomorrow morning my youngest son is stopping by to cut the lawn, and to watch me use the tractor. He wants to make sure that I won’t end up head over tea kettle on the bottom of the hill, LOL! Later I’ll be stop to pick up my bro, the Bird, and we’ll go to Suzie’s annual Canada Day party. We never stay long, but it’s fun to meet old acquaintances once a year and find out how they’ve been doing.
My oldest son was moving into his new house today, and my daughter will be going into the city to give them a hand unpacking. I’ll head up that way on Friday (again with my bro, Bird) to admire his first home and to help anyway I can. There are many, many boxes to empty. Yoshiko, being Japanese, is a natural pack-rat and, although everything she collects is interesting, there is oodles of it!
It’s 3:45 AM, so time to think of going back to bed. I did snooze for a couple of hours earlier, but it seems sleeping more than 3 hours in a row is not in my cards at the moment. Eh bien, we take what we can get.
It’s going to be cool tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to coming back home at the end of the day and sitting by the fireplace, doggies at my feet and a good book in hand. Hope you all have a great CANADA DAY! It’s a beautiful country, and we’re certainly blessed to be living here.
Sending you SMILES!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
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