AND MY RETURN

I’m back. Actually, I finally arrived home around 10:30 PM on Wednesday night. The drive back was slower, caused by a mix of intermittent rain and construction. I dropped Suzie’s sister at her apartment, then stopped in at my daughter’s place. In the ordinary, we chat nearly every day; after me being away we needed to catch up.

The doggies were ecstatic when I walked in the door. They both milled around me for an hour ….I was tripping over one or the other, LOL. I must say they looked fine; the dog sitters, who showed later the day of my departure, were exemplary in their care. Of course! It was my brother, Bird, and Fran who stayed at my place while I was gone, and Bird has a way with animals. Fran also completed the staining of my kitchen windows, and that was a bonus!

A stint in the Jacuzzi was the perfect answer after the long drive. No hot water. Damn! I reset the tank again (now I know I’ll have to buy a new one) and waited 30 minutes. Success! Ten minutes later the electric power flicked, then flicked again, and went off. I decided I was past caring, crawled into bed with the help of a flashlight, and Morpheus claimed me. How sweet it was!

The ring of the phone woke me at 8:30 the next morning. I was to return to work only on Monday, but that didn’t happen. Although I didn’t drive into the office, I was busy, busy, busy all day, alternating between computer, cell phone, and the land line. I didn’t get to attend my granddaughter’s 18th birthday party that night, but I managed to see and congratulate her, and meet her new gift (a Chihuahua puppy) during the day. I was exhausted by 9 PM anyway, so an outing was not in my cards.

Friday was much of the same, except I finally stopped everything around 5 PM and began to prepare a beef bourguignon for my supper guests. This date had been scheduled well in advance, and I was looking forward to it. I was running late, but so were they, so all turned out fine. My guests were Dawna, my friend since high school, and her husband, Malcolm. We spent a most enjoyable evening chatting and looking at slides of their trip to England. The scenery in the pictures was spectacular, particularly Wales with its rugged terrain. I’ll have to go there someday – just seeing the pictures pulled at my heartstrings. Maybe it was in a former life…..

This morning was another rude awakening by the telephone – a problem with my associates. We fixed it best we could, and it is now 1:30 PM on Saturday. I’ve finally had the time to unpack my suitcase and start a washing. Thank heavens the Bird and Fran cleaned the house before leaving, because I think I’d just run away from home if I had housework to do too.

It’s a beautiful, sunshiny day out there. I’ve disconnected the bothersome telephone, and am going to walk down the drive with the doggies. My apple tree, situated near the bottom of Bud’s hill, is sporting delicious McIntosh fruit and begging for admiration, and possible picking. Then tonight I fully intend to sprawl on my gallery with a bottle of red wine, maybe some Pink Floyd, and hug the heck out of my doggies. Next on the agenda are a long Jacuzzi, and an early meeting with Morpheus. I know he’ll be around. I handcuffed the elusive fellow to the bedpost, LOL!

Have a good weekend, folks! Sending you out SMILES!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

AND TODAY...

I wasn’t wrong about it being a busy week, or maybe it just seemed that way because I was alone at the office. Not that there was a multitude of calls, but anyone doing accounting will tell you that interruptions often cause you to go right back to the beginning once you return to those columns of numbers. It takes a few minutes to find your concentration – then the phone rings again, LOL! In spite of being continuously occupied, at the end of most days I couldn’t put my finger on what, if anything, was actually completed.

My associate has not yet returned, so the future of the companies is still up in the air. He usually does land on his feet in his ventures, and seems confident that this time will be no exception. The numerous and unforeseen delays keep us all on tenterhooks. It is supposed to be resolved by the end of next week, but the deadline has been changed so often now that I’m resigned to just waiting it out – and whatever happens will happen. In the meantime, evenings have been used to gather information we’ll need to acquire and open our home-away-from-homes for seniors. Later this morning I’ll be meeting the real estate agent and a civil engineer at one of the houses we are considering as a purchase. It’s a beautiful, huge, old residence, ideally situated but, because of its age, the basics (plumbing, wiring, well and septic tank, etc.) need to be thoroughly inspected before making an offer.

A little note about the young real estate agent. When he first showed us the place, we discovered that there are two elderly men who are still living there. Because the owner’s husband passed away last year, and she herself had a stroke shortly after, the other six seniors had been relocated elsewhere. We were discussing how we could set things up; where to put the elevated gardens (to avoid a lot of bending); the common room, the parking space for visitors, and so on. The agent stood listening, then asked me how much we were planning to charge each resident. When I told him the rate we were thinking of, he looked genuinely worried. With questioning, I learned that the two men still there were paying slightly less. The agent feared that we would make them move away from what has been their home for the past couple of years. His empathy was surprising; these men are strangers to him. Warming to him immediately, we both assured him that things could be worked out; no-one would be forced to move. Needless to say, his attitude won our respect. It was one of those unexpected bright spots in our day.

And another bright spot for this day – later this afternoon I’ll be babysitting two of my grandsons. The youngest will be going to the family supper with the parents, because mommy is breast-feeding (Nope! Granny can’t do much there!), but I’ll get to play with Nalou and Bali for a few hours. I imagine I’ll have a lot to talk about tomorrow!

I’m going out to watch the sunrise now. The doggies are standing in the window giving me the ‘What’s taking you so long?’ look.

Hoping you have a good weekend, full of interesting moments and many SMILES!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

THE BACKHOE

I never did make it to the office yesterday.

I was right about the backhoe tire venture. It wasn’t just the tube, but the tire itself, so it needed to be replaced. It took forever for the garage dude’s second truck to show up when this was determined, and we sat there waiting…waiting. When he finally did arrive and unloaded the replacement, it was not at all the same as those already on the machine, except for the size. This, of course, gave us two choices: leave the backhoe sitting there on the road wearing one tire until we could phone around and find the exact match, or have this one installed and purchase the second one to complete the pair. Because of the time already involved, and realizing that eventually the other one would have to be replaced anyway due to its age, I took the second option. It was well past 3 PM by the time the men finished, and then….the machine wouldn’t start! Fortunately one of my neighbours was able to bring his big truck to give it a boost, and by 4:30 PM we were back at the house, backhoe and all. Too late to head to the city office. Then, not upset enough about falling behind in my work, and the forced purchase depleting my bank account, I discovered that some idiot had decided to televise my hockey game at 2 in the afternoon instead of its usual Saturday night spot. Yep, missed that too. GRRR!

Not getting to the office yesterday means I need to go today, instead of working from home as had been planned. I’ll be heading there in a few minutes. At least there is no rush hour to endure – just the regular Sunday drivers.

An update on one of my former blogs – remember the e-mail pen pal from New Year’s Day? The one who asked us to pray for her husband after his open heart surgery? I received a message from her this morning. He is doing well, and the pacemaker is functioning as hoped. Did our prayers and positive waves help? No doubt. I am happy for them both, and extend a sincere thank you to all the readers who answered the call.

Gotta go, folks. There is no sun here today, so it’s easier for me to turn my back on this winter wonderland and shut myself away with columns & columns of numbers, LOL!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend – am sending you all a SMILE as my contribution!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

BACK TO WORK

I could have used another week at home. It seems I was just winding down, beginning to absorb my stress-detox, and it was time to return. I did work from home during last week, but it wasn’t the same – it didn’t feel so much like a race against time. The girls held the fort well, and now it’s Yoshiko’s turn. She and Bow are leaving for Japan early tomorrow morning; he’s staying a week, and Yo will be back in mi-February. She’s just glowing with the anticipation of seeing her family again. It’s cute to see her go, excitement dancing in her eyes, LOL. Tonight Bow will be bringing their car to park it in the office garage where it will stay during his absence. He has no driveway at his apartment, and each day the car has to be moved from one side of the street to the other or it will be towed. They have made arrangements with ‘Uncle Bird’ (my brother), to take care of the cats, AC & DC. Bird has become the official, what he calls ‘pussy-watcher’, while they are away.

During my break from the office last week, I found myself sleeping from 8 to 10 hours at a stretch. So-o-o NICE! But now I’m back, and so, it seems, is the 4 hour max snooze. Murphy wouldn’t stick around for long these past two nights. Eh, bien, we shall see how it works out. I’m still planning on working from home each Friday, starting this week. That may help.

Because I will be staying late at the office tonight (I’m driving Bow & Yo home), I will take an hour this morning to stop by the car-wash. By necessity, there is a lot of sand put on our roads out here in the bush. I think half of it stuck to my truck – one can’t even tell what colour it is at the moment, LOL! There’s a lady in town who does the job, cheap too, and they say she’s quite good.

The sun is coming up over my mountain now, so I’m off to get my morning dose of nature’s splendour. Wishing you all a good day and sending you my warmest SMILE. Don’t forget to distribute your own – someone out there will be needing it!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

SATURDAY - OFF OR NOT?

Ahh...I’m a new woman! I do like my own hairdresser, but she is so far away from the city it was a hassle to keep my appointments. Line, my co-worker, had used the one downstairs from our office and, although the lady’s social graces leave a little to be desired, her work is fine. I decided to try her out, and yesterday slipped away for an hour to let her do her stuff. I have hardly any fashion sense at all, therefore usually depend on the eye and knowledgeof those with experience in the field. Hair should be darker for the autumn, she told me. So now I’m back to being a brunette (my original colour) instead of a redhead, and the hair is slightly shorter. I have had no comments other than “you’ve changed your hair?” from Yoshiko, but I think I like it. It always takes me a couple of days to absorb the change.

My puter doc will be repairing my own machine next week. This laptop is limited in its functions, and takes too much space on my home office desk. I’m looking forward to getting my own computer up and running again (damned Explorer 8!!!). There are stories and articles saved in there - my plans to stay home and make money with my writing – which I am unable to access and which still need alot of work before any attempt at publishing. Things are put on hold again. Ah well, everything happens for a reason. It must not be the right time for revision, or I will be needed for an extra year or two in the business, or I am going to win the loto and buy a small helicopter to overcome the drudgery of traffic...... Ya see? An imagination like mine should be used to good advantage, LOL!

I was planning on going into the office today to catch up on some work, but I can’t seem to get my mind in the proper set for it. It’s dreary, foggy weather out there...perfect for curling up with a good book (I’m reading “Roots” again) and doing the escape thing. Will I go? I know that once I start the work, I’ll get into it and time will fly past. I’ll end up feeling as if I’ve accomplished something, instead of the guilt for having spent all that time only reading. Maybe I’ll find a coin and flip “heads or tails”. Let Lady Luck make the decision. If I win, and get to stay home, I’ll flip again to determine if I do some badly needed housework, or let everything slide and dive into the book. An interesting way to cop out, don’t ya think? To be continued...

However you people are spending your day, I hope you’re enjoying it. If it helps any, I send you all a big SMILE. It’s difficult to stay bored or angry when we’re smiling, so let yours shine!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

SHORT & SLEEPY....

I arrived home too late,then was too tired, to watch the season’s first Canadian-Leaf hockey game last night. It had been a long day – I was in the office from 6 AM, and by 21:30, I was practically sleep-walking. I wonder when I’ll learn that I just can’t handle those long hours anymore? Anyway, “vive le net” – because I checked out the write-up on the computer this morning and was happy to learn that the Habs won in overtime. I imagine that my son,Bow, is smiling ear to ear. I wonder if he called his Uncle Bird, who is a big Leaf fan? Each winter they banter back and forth and, with both of them being quick on the tongue, some of their remarks are hilarious!

Even at the late hour, the traffic on the 15 was still heavy last night. The good thing is that it kept me awake – you have to really pay attention. You can be rolling along, jiving to your music, then,bang! Brake lights in front! ARRG! Most of the time I am very patient, but it now seems the drive back and forth to the city is more difficult. It should only take an hour, but more often than not it lasts from 1 ½ to 2 ½ every day.... each way. To avoid it you leave the house before 5:30 AM, and sometimes that isn’t even early enough; the end of evening rush hour is anybody’s guess. It’s never the same time from day to day. Still, not much use beefing about something you can do nothing about, right?

The fires were lit in both the boxstove and the fireplace when I arrived home, so I was able to relax with a glass of wine, the doggies curled up on their over-stuffed cushions at my feet, the only sound the crackling of the wood...and Bud’s snores, LOL. Heinz came upstairs for a few minutes to see if the fires were going okay, then went back down to watch his TV. He’ll be doing his whole course nearby instead of Quebec City as planned, so will be around to help with the wood, the snow, etc.. That’s not a bad thing, especially when you drag your tired butt home and the house is warm already. It was much appreciated.

I’m still in slow mode this morning, and now need to prepare for another jaunt on the highway, so will wish you all a good day. There’s a big, sleepy SMILE going out with those wishes...hope you pass it on!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

A PLEASURE WORKING WITH YOU...

Any person applying for a position in accounting at our Agency is required to complete a short test. It helps us to determine the level of ability and allows us to be as accurate as possible when matching the applicant to a potential employer. For those who need it, we offer a one-day revision course, and our first was held on Wednesday past. Because he works mostly from another location, my associate’s mouth fell open when he dropped by the office. There were two ‘stagiares’ labouring, plus all the people in the reunion room for the course, our own employees, and another two persons in the process of being interviewed. It was a definite mix of nationalities, of gender and age, and a bevy of activity. He agreed that the ambiance in the place was exhilarating – full of hopeful excitement and, even though the work was serious, there was much laughter and good humour. So far, each ‘stagiare’ who has spent the temporary two or three weeks with us has mentioned that a job within our agency, in our office, would be first choice. It warms my heart, and affirms my belief that work and pleasure CAN be mixed, as long as it is done intelligently. We all know that a happy employee is more productive, so everyone wins. There IS stress and long hours when building a business, but those kind of days, and there are many of them, make it all worthwhile.

For a change of pace – the Dunany Demons have been extremely kind this week. Sunshine brightening the days, cooler night air for sleeping, and the Weather Network is predicting the same for the long Labour-Day weekend. Suzie will be returning to Detroit next Wednesday, so we plan to celebrate by attending the annual Cuban Festival in St-Sauveur. It’s a gala of smiling friends, great music, good food and, of course, plenty of ‘mojitas’. However, before that can happen, I need to get through the list on today’s agenda. It’s one of those 8 ½ by 11 inches books. I really need to look into buying a smaller one for next year, LOL!

So I’m off to brave the traffic and the world of business. Y’all have a great day; do whatever you need to do with a SMILE and with as much enthusiasm as you can muster. This is where we build the memories – make them good ones!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

SHOW & TELL: VACATION

Sunday – a beautiful morning. As I slip quietly out of bed, I glance through the French doors where Grump-puppy is keeping vigil on the gallery. He turns his head; he has heard me. Good. That’s part of his job, after all. Bud doesn’t move, seemingly blissfully unaware, but I know he has heard me too. Why move when the youngster is gung-ho is prove his stuff? No fool, Mr. Bud will save his energy. He’ll use it to show off, pushing rocks twice his size up and down the hills, when his human steps outside.

Tomorrow I go back to the office. The short week of vacation is over. Let’s see….how did it go? MMM…Monday was a lost cause – my leg was swollen and painful, although I did manage to read a whole book. Tuesday was the event at my doctor’s office, certainly not helping my mood, but that was offset by the cuddles from the grandsons. Because I didn’t sleep many hours the first 2 days, I spent most of Wednesday morning in bed, only rushing to get dressed when I received the call that one of my associates was on his way to my house. Yep – that was for business which couldn’t wait, so I worked, albeit from home, Wednesday afternoon into the evening. On Thursday the phone started ringing early - more office things needing an immediate response – and this went on until Thursday night. I took a break by going to one of my ‘used-to-be-favourite’ restaurants for a late supper, only to find that its 5-star meal has fallen to a 1-star category, but still charging the same high prices. How disappointing! Friday morning was a funeral, and the afternoon spent taking my bro, Bird, to the hospital for x-rays of his lungs. We think he has developed pneumonia again and, because he knew I was on vacation, he waited until he could hardly breathe before calling to tell me about it – the dummy! Back from the hospital I fell into bed, and slept for 14 hours!!!! Man, did I feel good when I got up yesterday!! I did some writing, some washing, then went to visit Suzie for a couple of hours, stopped off to see how Bird was doing and chatted there for a bit, then came home and hit the sack again, sleeping another full 8 hours! I awake to bright sunshine, my leg is far less painful, and this vacation, although on its last day, is beginning to look much better. LOL!

Okay, so I’ve learned my lesson. The next time I book days off, I’ll visit the doctor a month BEFORE the allotted period, I will unplug the phones, I’ll tell all and sundry that I am going to Timbuktu, then keep my head down. Right now, at this very moment, I’ll stop my whining and get my butt out into this invigorating mountain air and join my doggies, who are waiting patiently for my company.

I hope you are enjoying the day too, y’all! I’m sending out my SMILE, humming “My, what a beautiful morning…” Sing along with me, and please send that smile on….

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.