Where the Fur Flies

The Best Spot

2012-01-27T17:23:00.001-07:00

There's a war going on in my house, and it's over the best spot in on the bed. It's the spot in front of the pillows on the other side of my bed (where I don't sleep). It's where the sheets are exposed, between the pillow and the top fold of the comforter.

This is traditionally Cotton's spot to sleep. It's his favorite spot in the whole world, and he watches me all day to look for clues that it's time to go there. If it even looks like I might be going to bed - if I go into my room to change socks - Cotton runs into my room, jumps on the bed and curls up on his spot. Except, he needs me there with him or the spot's no good. If I'm not in the room, he refuses to stay.

Until this year, when the weather was cold, Cotton would start in that spot and then shift under the covers after a few minutes. He'd be a lump under the comforter for the rest of the night, until I pulled back the blankets in the morning and forced him to come out and go outside. This year, for some reason he's not telling me, he doesn't want to be an under the cover dog anymore. This year, he's staying in his spot all night long.

The problem is that Winter has noticed this change in Cotton's habit too. It used to be that shortly after the little dude crawled under the covers, Winter would curl up in Cotton's spot and he'd usually stay there most of the night. With Cotton not vacating the spot anaymore, Winter's habits are having to change too.

Every night for the last week, I've found Winter in Cotton's spot when it's time for me to go to bed. He jumps up on the bed, is rudely presented with a cat in his place who is ready and willing to defend the territory, and Cotton gets thrown into a tizzy. If I go to bed and let Winter stay in Cotton's spot, Cotton will be very upset. More than once when I've tried to convince him to find another spot on the bed to sleep, he's worked himself into a full-blown panic attack... which is hell, for everybody involved.

As a result, I've been having to be the meanie and move Winter to another location before I go to bed. He's not happy about this, and is not shy about telling me about it - or lashing out at Cotton to show his displeasure.

So, I've taken to finding excuses to lure Winter out of my room. Yummy food. Cool toys. Strings. Or, sometimes I'm just mean and lock him out of the room until Cotton's settled in. Each night, I've been making Winter move. Each night he's been parking himself in the spot a little bit earlier. Wednesday, he was there by 8:00. Thursday, he was in place by 7:00. I moved him numerous times, but each time he returned. Ultimately, bedtime came and the cat had to be cleared out - but not before he hissed and spat at Cotton, who had just arrived on the bed.

Today, I looked into my bedroom at 2:00, and the cat was already there. I'm thinking that maybe I'll just sleep in the spare room for a while.

Christmas in January

2012-01-26T19:44:00.001-07:00

I feel like I've been on a roll for buying stuff, but I really haven't spent very much of my own money.

First, as a result of my recent Chocolate Party (which was actually a very successful way to lure people in and help my friend sell Pampered Chef products) I got an incredible amount of free stuff. I just put in an order for a full set of stainless steel cookware, a couple of non-skid cutting boards and a flurry of kitchen doodads. It's good to have friends with deep pockets!

Last night, I cashed in my Airmiles. I've been collecting for about 3 years, to save up for a Kitchenaid professional grade mix master. I finally had enough points, but then I realized that I didn't really need one that badly. I wanted it because a bunch of my friends had one, but my mix master is pretty good. It's a Sunbeam stand mixer, and it's older than I am. It's a workhorse. It's got a bigger capacity and a stronger motor than the Kitchenaid professional machine, so I realized that I'd be downgrading if I replaced it. I'm a little worried that it'll die soon because of its age, but I decided to take that chance. Instead, I ordered two rain barrels, which I've been eyeballing for ages. Most people probably think I'm crazy, but I'm ridiculously happy with the choice.

Finally, I went out to do some damage on the insurance claim. I haven't submitted receipts for a few months, so it was time. I bought a couple of things that are unexciting and useful, but yesterday I picked up a memory foam mattress cover. I really need a new bed, but since that's not in the budget this will have to do. I've only slept on it for one night, but it's comfortable - and my hips weren't sore this morning, which is unusual.

While looking for a replacement down duvet, I cut through the luggage section at the Bay. These little lovelies caught my eye.

I'm hoping that the London Fog name means that they are good quality. Plus, they were 70% off so I managed to get a set of three for less than what the insurance company was willing to pay for one (big) suitcase.

Saturday, my dad and I are driving up to Edmonton in his van, to buy and haul this home:

It's going to act as my basement closet, to hold my out of season coats and outdoor gear. Note the feet, which will make it flood proof.

Finally, since I was on a roll and really felt the need to spend some of my own money, I bought myself a new treat: A Cuisinart Panini Press. As much as I love my gas stove, it generates a lot of heat - so much so that it has destroyed the vent portion of my over-the-range microwave. What that means is that I set off the smoke alarm somewhat frequently at my house. As a result, I've gotten into the habit of using my George Forman Grill quite a bit, and I hate how hard it is to clean. It can't be submerged in the sink, but the grill plates aren't removable. It's a pain in the patootie, so it's been replaced. I made a burger for dinner, and bought the ingredients for a panini tomorrow. I've really very excited, but I suspect I'm also very easily amused.

It's a pretty great haul, eh?

Unexpected

2012-01-22T16:14:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine is celiac, and it can be hard to find food that she can safely eat. When I invited her to yesterday's chocolate party, I promised that there would be something for her. So, I set about making my flourless chocolate cake, which I have long considered to be fail-safe.

This cake is baked in a bath in the slow cooker for two hours. When it comes out, it's still liquid, and it goes into the fridge for 12+ hours to set. Last night, I mixed everything up, put it in the slow cooker and then turned it on. I remember seeing the lid steam up from the heat shortly after that. Then I went to the store, and took the dogs for a walk. After an hour and a half, I kept catching myself trying to turn off the slow cooker. I know I stopped myself at least three times, thinking there was time left. 15 minutes before the time was up, I sat down to watch tv and promptly blanked everything out. An hour and half later, I jumped up and ran to turn off the slow cooker.... which was unplugged and completely cold.

I know I plugged it in, but have no idea when I turned it off. And, since the cake is usually liquid after having been in the slow cooker anyway, I had no way to tell if it was cooked. I put it in the fridge and hoped for the best, but of course, it was still liquid in the morning. So, I put it in the slow cooker for another hour (turned on) and then moved it to the fridge to set. An hour before the party, it still had a pudding consistency, so I poured it into a bowl and called it chocolate sauce.

While some of the girls cut up the fruit, three of us made crepes. When we were ready, we all had crepes with vanilla custard and fresh fruit filling, drizzled in "chocolate" sauce. It turns out, that was one of the biggest hits of the party.

ps - I like to use parties as an excuse to buy flowers. Long stem roses were on sale, so I bought a mixed bunch and chopped them down.

Aren't they pretty?

Death By Chocolate

2012-01-21T19:08:00.002-07:00

It happened. I found a trait that I have inherited from my mother. She goes crazy with the cleaning before she has guests, and as a result has grown to hate having company because of all the work. Today I had a "Death by Chocolate" party, and went a little crazy with the preparation. Some was reasonable - I did a little bit each night last week, and planned to do the vacuuming and dusting today (some of the guests are allergic to cats).

Last night though, I may have gone a little overboard. I found myself up on a ladder, polishing the crystal chandelier. Then, I got out the paint can and painted over some of the marks and dings on the walls. After that, I reminded myself that it was friends who were coming over, and that they aren't the type to notice imperfections or judge. So, I made myself relax and have a good time.

We had brownie batter chocolate cupcakes, chocolate pumpkin loaf, Toblerone fondu with fresh fruit, chocolate martinis and crepes with more fruit, custard and chocolate sauce. We laughed, we told stories, we ate too much chocolate.

I, for one, and pretty sure that I'm done with the sweets for a good long, time.

Justified

2012-01-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

It was -34C (-29F) here this morning, -47C (-52F) with the windchill. Cotton chose not to go outside, and pooped in my living room instead . My instinct was to be mad, but the truth is that I can't really blame him.

He used to be paper trained when he was a youngin. It might be time to remind him how that works.

Never Trust a Skinny Cook

2012-01-16T16:35:00.001-07:00

I am having a party on Saturday. To clarify, I am having a "Death by Chocolate" party on Saturday. I'm not sure why, but I had the crazy idea to do this last November. I was going to do it then, but my brother got sick, and with the family coming to town and the related drama; a chocolate celebration didn't seem appropriate.

People were understanding at the time, but I 've been on the receiving end quite a few prods since the holidays. People wanted their chocolate! So, family drama behind us, I rescheduled. I've got a number of chocolate treats planned, 6 of which I've ever made before. What that means is that I have a lot of testing to do. Or, Taste Testing.

Have I mentioned that I'm trying my very hardest to lose weight, and that I have some making up to do after the holidays? This is going to be a challenge.

Yesterday, I went to a friend's house, and we worked together to make Brownie Batter Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes. We followed the recipe exactly, and they taste divine, but each and every one of them collapsed into a crator after they came out of oven. A little bit of playing and experimentation later, we think we found the solution. So, tonight I try again. In the meantime, I've got 30 failed cupcakes that are too good to throw out, but I can't serve.

I hope the other recipe work out better than this, or my freezer's going to be full.

Territorial

2012-01-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Somebody has spent a lot of time on the new dresser lately, hissing at any four-legged trespassers who dare to come near.

He even looks cranky in this picture, doesn't he?

The hissing is not cool. I'm starting to think that the dresser might have to go to another part of the house, because I need to do something. If I can't change the behaviour, I might have to change the surroundings that encourage the behaviour.

You never know 'til you try

2012-01-12T16:54:00.001-07:00

Are you on PInterest? I am, and it's a huge time suck for me. It's a website where you can store links to anything that you might ever want to come back to, and you can browse links that others have stored to get even more ideas. Looking to decorate a room? Create a board for that, and post links to ideas that you find inside. Then poke around at other people's office ideas and see where it takes you. Like to read? Create a Library Board for books you want to read someday. Do you like to cook? Create a recipe board, then watch it grow... this one's the big one for me. I don't often post external recipe links, but I routinely go there for ideas.

PInterest is where I found this link, for "Birds Nests" The picture looked so cool, I had to give them a try.

Except, the comments in the PInterest link gave a slightly different recipe than the original link. I ended up doing a little of both, and frankly, I think they'd have been better if I'd followed my intuition and tried something else on my own.

One recipe said: Bird Nests! 3/4 C chocolate chips, 3/4 C butterscotch chips, 1 C peanut butter, 3/4 chow mein noodles. Form in muffin cups!

The other (Credit goes HERE) said

Birds’ Nests - Servings: 12

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, for greasing the muffin pan
6 ounces (1/2 bag) of semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 ounces (1/2 bag) of butterscotch chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 ounces (1/2 of a large bag) of chow mein noodles
36 mini Cadbury eggs

Instructions
1. Generously grease the wells of a muffin pan with the butter (this will help later when you are taking out the chilled nests).
2. In a large microwave-proof bowl, heat the chocolate and butterscotch chips in 30 second intervals until thoroughly melted, stirring after each increment.**It only took me two 30-second intervals.
3. Once melted, add the peanut butter to the chocolate/butterscotch mixture, mixing well until smooth and completely combined.
4. Carefully add the chow mein noodles, stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until completely coated.
5. Using a large spoon, mold the mixture into the wells of your muffin tin, indenting the tops slightly with the back of the spoon.
6. Chill the nests until hardened, about 1 hour or so.
7. Once chilled, gently remove the nests from the muffin tin.***I used a butter knife as a lever to pop them out-this seemed to work.
8. Place three eggs (or colored jelly beans!) on the tops of each nest.

Here's the thing, though... I don't like chow mein noodles. The first recipe says to use 3/4 of a cup, but I ended up using about 2 1/2 cups, just to fill them in.... too many for my taste.

I also don't like messy food, which includes chocolatey things that melt in your hand before you can eat them. I think these need more stuffing, so that they'd be less melty. I think that I should have used at least a cup each (maybe more) of coconut, peanuts and stick-pretzels instead of chow mein noodles.

The recipe itself was really easy. Melt the chips and peanut butter, add the solids and dump them into greased muffin tins. Where it because complicated was making the indent in the "nest", because the chocolate was still pretty liquid at that point. I made indents, but they filled themselves in pdq. So, I had to wait 15 minutes for them to cool in the fridge and then go back and muck about in them with the end of a spoon. It was messy. And maybe not so successful.

If I was more patient, I might have waited until the whole mess had cooled quite a bit, then made freehand nests on a cookie sheet to avoid the flat edges on the sides from the muffin tins.

Whoever photographed the Bird's Nests from the other site did a better job They hid the sides by shooting directly over top. (Good photography tip!) Their's look like birds nests. Mine? Well, they kind of look more like cow patties to me.

FYI - Another photography suggestion would be to not take a bite out of the sample, until you had finished taking the pictures.

Boys Confuse Me

2012-01-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

There's a group of us that meet most Wednesday nights for dinner. One of the guys from the group was at a car rental shop earlier to rent a car. Being the single guy that he is, he chatted up the girl behind the counter and ended up inviting her along for our weekly chat and chew. She arrived a few minutes after us, ended up sitting beside me and joined the other girls and I as we joked around and gabbed.

At the end of the night we all got up, paid our bill and left. The one guy who had invited this girl to join us was the first to leave. He walked away without acknowledging her. In fact, he didn't talk to her at all - or make eye contact, that I saw - even once all night. Granted, I am admittedly at least a little bit socially inept, but I'm a little bit perplexed about why he bothered to ask her along.

Nothing to talk about here

2012-01-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how blog entries ebb and flow? Sometimes, I've got so much to say that I have to consciously withhold information, lest I overwhelm. Other days, I can hardly come up with anything worth mentioning. This would be one of those days.

A friend of mine does aesthetics out of her home, and I usually go to her for whatever I need done. I cheated on her a week or so ago, and went to get a pedicure at a nearby shop. There, the lady cut the nail on my big toe too short, and I've been in pain ever since. I know without a doubt that when I tell my friend this, she'll say it serves me right.
I cashed in a gift certificate recently and ordered "The Inconvenient Truth" book. It just arrived, covered in mark down and sale stickers, which I've been unable to remove. In fact, when I pulled the one sticker off, it tore the cover. As unreasonable as it may be, my nose is seriously out of joint over this. The book is now damaged, before I've even had a chance to read it. And why would a Mail Order company need to slather its products in price tags???
I went to a birthday party on the weekend for a friend's two year old. She made a beautiful farm-yard themed birthday cake for him, using fondant and chocolate figurines that looked better than some of the professional cakes I've seen. When it came time to blow out the candles, the birthday boy didn't show much interest, so each of the many two year olds in attendance took turns to blow (aka spit) them out. Not wanting to be a stick in the mud, I waited until they were cutting from the far side of the cake before I took my piece, and then planned to only eat the unexposed parts. However, shortly after I sat down, the little girl beside me (who spat out way more cake than she swallowed) needed to be changed. Her mom took her out of the high chair, held her up over the table, and shook all of the regurgitated food off of her lap and onto my plate before she laughed and walked away. That may have been the first time in my life when I sat with a piece of cake in front of me for a good half hour, and felt absolutely no desire to eat it.
I'ma gonna crawl back into my hole now.

Neither a Filing Cabinet nor a Microwave Cart

2012-01-06T21:12:00.001-07:00

Two items that I'm looking to replace after the flood are a filing cabinet and a rolling microwave cart. The microwave cart was actually used as a make-shift printer holder from my college days. The filing cabinet was stored in the basement due to its lack of.... aesthetic appeal. That meant I hardly ever used it, and my filing got way behind.

Right now, I am in need of both a place to store the printer and a place to keep my files. I don't have to buy exactly the same as what was damaged, but I kind of sort of have to show how they are related. And, I'm trying to stay within the amount that insurance is willing to pay.

I've been looking for a cupboard of sorts that would be big enough to hold a printer or upright files. I wanted it for the window nook in the library, so it had to be a specific height and size. I haven't been having a lot of luck. Anything that fits the criteria tends to be out of my budget.

I found this today. It's too small to hold upright files, and much too small for the printer; but I think it looks pretty good.

It squeaked in at at just below the amount that I had budgeted. I got a discount, because there was a wee little chip in one of the corners under a drawer. The little piece wasn't even quite chipped off, so I got out the wood glue when I brought it home. When the glue dries, nobody will ever be able to tell.

The price tags are still on it, so I guess it's not a done deal yet, but I think it'll probably stay. Now I just need to decide if I'm going to try to pass it off as a microwave cart or a filing cabinet.

Nap Time

2012-01-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

The other day, Cotton begged and begged to go out for a "walk". Every time I turned around, he was running for the door or doing his funny little hoppy dance that he does when he wants to head out. Finally, I put on the sling, popped him inside and then took the dogs out. We were out for an hour, but it was maybe only 5 minutes before this happened:

The Dude fell asleep.

And he stayed asleep until about 10 minutes after we got home.

Forts

2012-01-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

If you build forts, they will come.

In one form or another.

Things I know to be true

2012-01-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Days when your dog steals and consumes both a bar of soap and a bowl of brussel sprouts may seem frustrating, but they don't hold a candle to what you'll experience over the next 24 hours.

Tallulah Belle Poodle has done more than her fair share of contribution towards global warming today.

Year End Round Up

2011-12-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

In January, I officially transitioned to my new job. I've now got the best boss ever.
In February, I paid to finish off a $3000 project that revolved around having the basement waterproofed.
In March, I had surgery. Just like that, I was healthy again. Before, I thought that I hadn't felt well for a couple of years. Now that I remember what healthy feels like, I realize that I'd been sick for much longer than that.
In May, I started keeping track of what I eat. I'm not dieting, really, just aiming to eat healthier and limit the treats. So far, I've lost 23 pounds.
In July, the house flooded. (See February)
In August, the nephews and their parents moved to BC. I miss them like crazy.
In September, my dad and I replaced the stairs on the back deck, making them easier for old dogs. After two years of being carried up and down the stairs, Cotton can get on and off the deck on his own again.
In October, I bought a piece of original art. My girl's a star.
In November, the insurance claim from the flood was finally processed. I could start replacing things that were lost.
In December, I could look back and say that I'd had a pretty good year. I hope you could too. May 2012 be prosperous and happy for you, and may your blogging be abundant.

Making progress

2011-12-29T14:58:00.004-07:00

I've spent the last week working in the basement. Having an unfinished basement leads to the very strong temptation to store 'stuff', and I'm determined to get rid of it. I thought that I'd done a pretty good job of cutting back when my basement flooded, but there's a long way to go. I want to pare down until everything is put away and organized, so I've been going through a lot of boxes. I'm being brutal and getting rid of a lot, and it hasn't been easy.

One good thing about taking the time to go through all the boxes is that I've found a whack of books. I had (and lost in the flood) quite a few boxes that were specifically for storing books, but it seems that I had a bad habit that's now paying off. Rather than putting books where they belonged, I often tossed them into piles and random boxes; I'm finding them now.

I also cashed in a couple of gift cards by scooping up any classics that I could find in the discount sections at book stores, and adding those to the newly 'found' books means that my Library is starting to have a fairly good selection. I've got them sorted by gendre for now - mysteries, classics, romance, general fiction, comedy, language, gardening, art and children's books each have a section. The library has a ways to go before it's full, but it doesn't look empty anymore.

I still need a table, console or something to go in front of the window. I also need a file cabinet, so I'll be heading over to the Habitat for Humanity's RE store. I'm hoping that I can find something with a little bit of history to clean up or maybe refinish and then put to good use.

Then I'm going to start saving up for a new closet door.

Do you...

2011-12-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

...Hula?

I call this picture "The Tallulah Hula".

I've been looking for new, interesting ways to get exercise lately; and being a cheapskate of a homebody, I give extra credits to things that I can do without leaving the house.

I decided to give the old Hula Hoop a try. Not having done this for the last 30 years, I'm a wee bit out of practice. For the first twenty minutes or so, I couldn't do better than spinning the hoop around myself 3 times before it dropped. But, I'm figuring it out. I have to lose the hip swivel that I learned in dance class, and go for the full body fluctuation. I worked on it for about an hour on and off, and I'm up to 28 rotations without dropping the hoop. And holy cow, could I feel it. I had no idea that a childhood game took so much work.

Tallulah likes the new hoop.
Apparently, it reminds her of early agility and obedience days, where she was trained to go to her "place" (usually delineated with hula hoops).

For obvious reasons, the dogs are not allowed in the room while I'm doing this. I don't want anybody to get knocked in the noggin by a flying hula hoop, so I make them leave the room and close the door.

I also close the curtains, because I wouldn't want anybody to see my wild, gyrating attempts to overcome gravity. But, after I had been at it for about 10 minutes, I happened to notice something.

I had an audience.

It was the snickering that gave him away.

Randomosity

2011-12-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

I am completely addicted to advice columns. It doesn't matter how stupid the questions are, I want to know the answer. I have a list of them that I have bookmarked and read all the time, and I'm happy to report that I just found the archive for one that's new (to me). It's been published for years, so there's lots to catch up on. Even better, it's written by a straight shooting comedienne. If I go missing next week, that's where I'll be.
I am happy to report that after three an a half weeks with a raging ear infection, it's finally gone. That constant ringing in my ears was no fun at all.
I have a friend who struggles financially, despite working three jobs. I hire her to do certain jobs for me when I can, but she'll only take what she considers to be a reasonable fee. (We 'fight' about this all the time.) Every year, I try to give her money for Christmas, but every year she refuses. I wish I could find a way to help her out without stomping on her pride.
My snow elf came around again today. I made the mistake of looking out the window when I heard the shovelling, but they must have seen me before I saw them. The shovelling promptly stopped. My driveway is currently half shovelled, but apparently the elf's desire to remain anonymous is more important than my desire to know who they are. Note to self: stop looking out the window
Bookless Bookshelves make great playgrounds for kitties.

Size matters

2011-12-19T18:10:00.001-07:00

I got a new purse last fall.

It's bigger than I'm used to, but I thought I'd give it a shot. It's got lots of pockets, so I figured I could be all organized and keep everything in a specific spot.

Let me tell you, I've been throwing things in this purse. Spare cloth bags, in case I ended up in a store unprepared. Hand sanitizer, for when we eat out. Epi pens. A toothbrush and toothpaste. My Blackberry. A book. My wallet. A half empty bottle of pop and a full sized chocolate bar.

And the bag seemed empty.

I'm really not sure when those last two were thrown in, but I found them over the weekend. I've concluded that if I can carry a bottle of pop and a chocolate bar around for an indeterminate amount of time without knowing it, my purse is too big.

All I need is room to carry my wallet and an Epi pen, and anything more is temptation. (Kind of like getting a cart when you run into the grocery store for three things.) Methinks it's time to dig back in the closet and find something smaller.

Library Fail #2

2011-12-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

The chaise lounge chair is 6' by 3' (and a bit).

The library room (once you consider the bookshelves and the new desk) is 7' by 8', minus a little bit at one end, where there's an angle and a bay window.

While the lounge chair technically fits, it kind of fills the room. I had figured that I could place it across the one end of the room, but the angle and the location of the door make it awkward. So, after a not-very-little effort to haul it into the room this morning, I hauled it back out.

The new chaise lounge chair will reside in my living room for now. I'd be more upset, but I've laid on it for the last month anytime that I've watched tv, and I've got to admit that I kinda like it there... even if it doesn't quite match.

In summary: Bookshelves, curtains, granite table/desk, chaise lounge chair

Library: 2
Me: 2

In other news, I've decided to take up yoga.
It seems that I have a (mostly) vacant room that will be the perfect place.

One Time Offer

2011-12-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Not everybody's got my sense of humour, and I'm OK with that. But, when somebody has the same sense of funny as I do, it really makes my day.

Do you remember this?

I still have it. I was going to use it as a coaster, but really it's sat on my desk all this time, making me laugh when I notice it.

Moosepants totally made my ~~day~~ week with the awesomest of all Christmas Presents. It's gafa worthy.

TWO ROLLS!

In the spirit of Christmas, I'm prepared to share. If you, too, would like to know how the other half lives, send me your address. I'll ship you a couple of squares.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2011-12-12T22:16:00.000-07:00

Wanna see my new table???

I don't think that I can say I made it, but I put it together.

The base is from an old singer sewing machine table base. I cleaned it up and spray painted it black.

You can't see this, but I raised the top a bit by making a 'spacer' between the iron base and the granite. Basically, I screwed a couple of two by fours together to make the top higher.

Finally, the top came from a 'Bone Yard' for the local granite and tile shop. It's a leftover piece from somebody's kitchen counter, and they considered it waste. They didn't charge me for the granite, only to polish and smooth the edges.

So, nothing I used to put it together was new, but it's all got a whole new purpose. Pretty cool, eh?

I was blind, but now I see

2011-12-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

I got my first "I'm getting old" glasses last week.

I think I liked it better when I couldn't see the dust.

Fitting In

2011-12-09T17:46:00.001-07:00

My 9 y/o niece is the victim of bullying. She's a sweet, funny little girl who simply dances to a slightly different tune that the popular girls in her class couldn't hear. Because of that, they teased and taunted her so much that her parents have made the decision to home school her.

I thought of her when I saw these guys, so I bought them for her.

The card they come with says:

Who wants to be just another one of the herd?
Look at Bartley the Black Sheep. He's not baaaaashful at all.
Aiden, Liam and Finn prefer to flock together, but Barley's proud to stand out.
What about ewe?

I figure we're all black sheep, in our own way. Some of us just manage to hide it a little better than others.

Suck it up, Buttercup

2011-12-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

There are two very different responses to what I'm about to say. One will come from the Canadians, and the other will come from the Americans. You know which is which.

It's -10C outside tonight, with a -17C windchill. I walk (carry) my dogs every night, regardless of the weather, but tonight I really don't want to go. I want to stay home tonight. In fact, I want to stay home until spring arrives.

That's enough now.

2011-12-07T15:09:00.001-07:00

The plague continues to hang around the house. Although I'm no longer on the precipice of death, I'm still sick.

My throat is better, and the laryngitis is (mostly) gone. I can finally sleep now too - it's been a couple of days since I've woken up in the middle of the night choking through a coughing fit that can only be stopped with a hot shower and a room full of steam. The problem is that my ears are infected. Still. My ears have felt like somebody shoved tennis balls inside of them, almost since I caught this cold two weeks ago. And I'm tired, like I could sleep for a week.

So, today I called in sick today and went back to bed. I felt a little guilty doing it, considering how much better I feel than I did last week, but it needed to be done. This little bug needs to move on and visit somebody else.

Overlooked

2011-12-05T17:49:00.001-07:00

In my excitement, I may have let a detail or two slide. I realized this a few weeks ago, but it took me a while to decide that the humour in this situation outweighs my embarrassment.

Ever since my house flooded last summer, I've been scheming to make a library. You know that. You have all had to read many posts about the various stages of my plans. Really, though, those barely touch on my obsession. You have no idea how many hours I've spent combing through stores and the web, planning which pieces I'd use where.

The chaise lounge is the star of the room. I love it, and the granite table that's almost ready for its grande entrance. I'm still looking for the perfect side table and floor lamp. The bookshelves, even though they took 4 hours each to put together, are really quite great. The little detail that's preventing the new library room from coming together?

I forgot that almost all of my books floated away in the flood.

That's right. My library has almost no books. I've got a few of the goodies that I kept upstairs, but they fill maybe three of the cubbies in the new bookshelves. Until then, the shelves are bare. I am an idiot.

Culinary Genius

2011-12-04T18:32:00.001-07:00

I'm not usually a fan of peppermint because it reminds me of toothpaste, but something about the Christmas season always gives me a yen for it.

Tonight, I took a chance and tried something new. It worked out really very well, if I do say so myself.

First, I made brownies. I used my go-to brownie recipe that never fails, even when I try.

What I did differently tonight is to spread half the batter into the pan before I unwrapped some mini York Peppermint Patties and threw them into the pan before coving them up with the rest of the batter. I baked this for 25 minutes at 350, then added a few drops of peppermint extract to the chocolate glaze before topping them off.

Yum, is all I can say. I think I've figured out what I'm going to make for this year's Christmas baking exchange.

Brownie Recipe:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven @350
grease/flour your 8x8 pan
Melt butter, and set aside to cool a little
In a separate bowl, mix sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Add melted butter.
Add flour, cocoa and baking powder
Spread into pan - bake for 25-30 minutes

Note - Mix brownies by hand, unless you want them to have a cake-like texture.

Once the brownies come out of the oven, make a chocolate glaze with ~3 tbsp melted butter, 3 tbsp cocoa powder, a tbsp of honey, a tsp of vanilla, a cup of icing sugar and a few tbsp of milk. Mix it all together and pour on top of still-warm brownies. Let cool.

Another Note - I never measure for glazes, so these are estimates.

Last note for now - I skipped the vanilla entirely when I made the peppermint version of this.

Ok, last note, I promise - If you eat more than 1/16th of this recipe in a sitting, you're almost guaranteed to gain 10 pounds. You might choose to take this risk, but if you do, please don't try to claim that I didn't warn you.

The Admin Assistant

2011-12-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

(Crappy quality cell phone pics)

She's not very handy with paperwork, but she does make for good company.

If only she could learn to file, I might just find a reason to keep her around.

Adult Truths

2011-12-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

I stole this off of a friend's Facebook page. It needed to be done.

The Snow Elf

2011-11-30T18:28:00.001-07:00

I don't know who, but three times this year, somebody has come over and done my shovelling. I live on a corner lot and I have a rather large driveway, so this is no small task. It generally takes me about an hour to complete.

Last night we got a big dump of wet snow. Since I've been working from home, I often go out and shovel before starting work in the mornings, but today I decided that I'd wait until noon (when the neighbours are more likely to be awake) and then use the snow blower. Shortly before lunch, I heard somebody shovelling. I looked out the back door, and could see a silhouette of somebody working on my sidewalk, but I couldn't see who it was. I went around to the front to thank them, and to let them know that I have a snow blower (shovelling wet snow is no walk in the park), but whoever it is skedaddled when they heard me coming. They stopped, mid job, and left with about half of the sidewalk shovelled before I could see them.

So, I finished the job myself, contemplated who my snow elf could be and wondered why they won't let me know who they are.

By the way, the snow blower did NOT work. Apparently, snow blowers don't like wet snow either... go figure.

I forgot to tell you...

2011-11-29T19:52:00.001-07:00

The painting arrived last week.

I know it needs a fabulous frame, but beyond that, I have no idea where it'll go.

Random thoughts

2011-11-28T18:20:00.001-07:00

I'm still sick, but I think I'm on the mend. The pain that I had in my ears and throat were like nothing I've felt before, but it's mostly gone. Now, I've got a run of the mill nasty cold. And laryngitis. Because a cold always turns into laryngitis for me. (It's been suggested that this might be a good thing. A person only gets so many words in their lifetime, and if I didn't pack so many in all the time, maybe I wouldn't have these periods of enforced silence.)
I went to the eye doctor last week. Although my eyesight isn't bad, my left eye is choosing not to work unless it has to. The eye doctor has got a funky machine that measures the amount of effort eyes are putting into focusing on things, and apparently my left eye is acting like the partners I was always assigned in college - it does nothing, but takes half the credit. Long story short, I have to get glasses. I really don't know how they'll change anything, but I'm happy to try this over wearing a patch.
I have a bee-you-tee-ful piece of granite in the back of my car. It's too heavy for me to get it out on my own, and my recent illness has delayed my preparation for it. So, I'll wait until the table base in ready and in the meantime, the granite is going to stay in the car for now. Call it extra weight for the winter driving, if you will... and it's a good sight more attractive than a bag of sand.
The neighbours down the road moved in a few months ago. As far as I can tell, they've acquired and gotten rid of three pairs of dogs since their arrival. Their current pair has been here a few weeks, and one of them has this awful, nasally high pitched bark. I hate it. HATE IT. They leave it outside to bark whenever they're not home. I want to complain, but I'm worried that the dogs will be punished, either with shock collars or being sent to the (kill) shelter. Instead, I've been listening to music at really quite a loud volume.... and envisioning ways to torture the new neighbours.
Men confuse me. This isn't a new conclusion; it's pretty much par for the course. But. Today, I have a new source of confusion. A while back, I signed up on an online dating website. I've looked a lot, but not sent out many messages, smiles, winks, nudges or anything else. Today, I got an email from a guy whose profile I'd seen before, and I think I marked it as one that I'd be interested in. (I thought doing that was private, and only used for the website to find other compatible profiles.) He basically said that he was sorry for taking so long to reply, but he's been busy. He also pointed out that he's looking for a casual/dating relationship and that I'm looking more for a long term relationship. I went back and checked, and I haven't done anything more than to mark his profile as one that I might be interested in, so I'm not sure what he's replying to. As far as I can tell, I think he initiated contact with me to say that he's not interested. That might be taking the art of being pro-active a little too far, if you ask me. And then there are the men who send me instant messages of "Hi there", and then don't respond when I say Hi back. Why contact me, if you're not going to respond???

Things I Know to be True

2011-11-25T13:41:00.001-07:00

Today, I gave in to the flu and general exhaustion that's been dogging me for a few weeks. I called the boss, agreed to check in every few hours in case anything urgent came up and then declared today to be a sick day. After standing in a hot, steaming shower, I had a glass of hot ginger ale and then went to bed.

Cotton lay down, right beside my head. Tallulah lay sideways, across the bed, with her head resting on my tummy. Winter sat on the other side of my head and lulled me to sleep with his purrs. When I woke up three hours later, they were still there. My ears still ache and my chest still wheezes, but the fever is broken. I'm starting to think that I might just survive.

The point of the story being:
Sometimes you need more than just rest. Sometimes, you need the moral support of your loved ones too.

Chocolate. Raspberries. Vodka

2011-11-23T19:23:00.001-07:00

Enough Said.

But, I'll give you some background and a recipe. Cooking club was a few nights ago. Each month, somebody is tasked with buying the ingredients for the drinks, and this month it was my turn. I made chocolate martinis... of a sort... well, we drank them out of martini glasses.

2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups of half and half
10 frozen raspberries in light syrop, defrosted
vodka
ice

to make them, we heated the half and half in the microwave for a few minutes (stopping to check every minute or so) until it started to simmer. Then we poured the chocolate into the warm half and half and stirred until they melted.

We strained the raspberries by pushing them through a sieve, until only the seeds were left, then added 2/3 cup of that "juice" to the chocolate mixture. This made about 9 drinks, which each got a shot of vodka and then was poured into a glass of ice. I seriously doubt that these actually qualify as martinis, but they tasted good and they were pretty. I had two... thought about more, but I didn't want to be a glutton.

Pets are stinky

2011-11-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

I love my pets, I really do. But it's a fact of life that where there are animals, there will be stink.

My area rug has been out of commission for some time now. It had been smelling doggy for a while, and none of my attempts to get it clean would clear up the scent. Long story short, it's been rolled up in a corner of my basement for a while, as I mulled over possible plans of action.

I ended up finding a recipe online this weekend for a carpet deodorizer powder. I tried it out Saturday, thinking I had nothing to lose.

I mixed up the powder, sprinkled it around on top of the rug and left it for 24 hours. When I vacuumed it up the next day, the doggy smell went with it.

Seriously - the stink is gone. I lay down on the rug, and moved around with my nose to the ground. I sniffed all over that rug, and I don't smell dogs anymore.

Since most of you who read my blog have pets, kids, husbands or other forms of stink, I thought I'd pass this on. It doesn't remove stains, just smells. But it does a really good job at what it does.

Carpet Deodorizer

1 cup baking soda
1/4 corn starch
1 tsp ground cloves
3 bay leaves, crumbled

Mix well, sprinkle over affected area and leave to sit for 24 hours. Vacuum to remove.
It couldn't be much easier or much cheaper.

This came from the David Suzuki Foundation Website. I suspect that David Suzuki is known mostly amongst Canadians, but his foundation website is a great database for natural, earth friendly solutions like this.

Things I know to be true

2011-11-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

It doesn't matter if the packaging on your mascara says it is water proof. If you take your dogs out for a walk on day that's so cold and windy that your eyelashes freeze shut, you will look like a raccoon when you get home.

It doesn't really matter, though, because nobody can see you under your (fake) fur lined hood, toque and the three scarves that you have wrapped around your head.

Gotta love the Canadian winter.

I win! I win!

2011-11-19T19:31:00.001-07:00

Five sets of curtain hardware later, I finally found a double rod that *almost* works. It's not perfect, but the curtains are up, looking like they belong there and unlikely to fall down.

I was so excited that I woke up this morning and put them up at 7:00am. (I should probably apologize to the neighbours. They didn't want to see my pajama's that up close and personal so early in the morning.)

Old

New

I got these because the old white sheers didn't provide enough privacy and were about two feet too short. The new sheers don't give a huge amount of privacy, but now I can pull the outside layer closed to avoid the fishbowl feeling after dark. Plus, they're a full 9' long, so they don't look like I'm expecting another flood. You don't get to see that, though, because there's currently a pile of cables and cords swirling around on my floor.

Also, as a side note, there's some more unexpected casualties of the flood. I had to patch the walls last night after I took the old hardware down. When I tried to open the paint can that was left over from the last time that I painted this room, I discovered that it'd rusted shut. I tried a few more, and it appears that they've all rusted shut. I've got 18 cans of paint - good lord, that's a lot - and they're all rusted shut. I did manage to pry a few open, but they ended up with flakes of rust floating around inside them. I wonder if the insurance company will let me enter a late submission to my claim??

Stage Four of the Library

2011-11-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

The forth step towards putting together the new library was the one that I thought would be the easiest. It's the replacement of the curtains. I found the curtains right away, but oh my good lord has it been hard to find the hardware.

I've purchased and returned four (!) sets of curtain rods, all for ridiculous reasons. A double curtain rod set that's supposed to fit between 45-78", except the second rod isn't telescoping and only fits 45" spaces. Rods that come with mismatched finials. Double curtain rods that only have 1/4" between the first and second layer of curtains (Yeah - that's going to make it easy to open and close the curtains.) It boggles my minds that stores can sell products like this, charge as much as they do and think it's OK.

Part of the problem is that this is a bay window that I'm trying to cover. The bump-out is about a foot deep, and the window goes all the way to the very top, with very little space on either side between the glass and the wall.

I suppose the curtains could go on the outside of the bump out, but the room is so small that I don't want to give up any real estate that I don't have to.

Long story short, tonight I head out to the Mecca (AKA Home Depot) to see if I can buy some dowels and somehow jury rig a couple of them to make curtain rods. Wish me luck.

The Nest Chair...

2011-11-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

...didn't happen.

As much as I love the idea of the nest chair, I had too many questions. I've learned that when I have a lot of questions about a purchase, those questions are actually doubts. And, there really were a lot of questions.

After insurance finally processed my claim, I went to the store (again) and sat on the nest chair (again) to mull it over. I realized that I had something else in mind. I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew I had to look. So, I hit a few stores.

Eventually, the heavens did open and the angels did sing. I found what I'd been picturing in my mind. Right away, I knew that's what I wanted.

So, I picked out the material, decided on the wood finish and went to make the order... only be to be told that somebody had already custom ordered exactly what I wanted. They'd paid a deposit, made the order and then walked away. What's the chance of that???

Meant to be, I tell you. So, I made it mine.

Behold, the new lounge chair:

Already, the fluffy ones are fighting over who gets to sleep on it. This thing is uber comfy, folks. All it needs is a cozy throw blanket, a cup of cocoa and a good book. I can't wait until the new "library" is ready for it so that I can settle in and begin my hibernation.

Library - Stage two.

2011-11-12T12:56:00.001-07:00

Now that I have the go-ahead from insurance to start replacing my stuff, I moved on to the next step in the Library project. I bought some book shelves. Believe it or not, they came from Home Depot. They're solid pine, and were dirt cheap.

It took me four hours - each - to put them together.

I'm generally leery of any furniture that starts off in flat pack form, and these proved me right. Screws were bent. Pilot holes were drilled in the wrong spot. The instructions made no sense. But. These were the closest that I could find to what I had in mind, and the price was right. I think they look OK now that they're together.

I'd appreciate input on a few things:

There are wood panels to go across the backs of these bookshelves (seen in this picture). Structurally, they aren't necessary, and I can't decide if they'll make the room seem to dark without them. What do you think, put them on or leave them?
Cotton's picture is going in the same general area, only nailed a little higher instead of propped against the wall. With that in mind, should I get rid of the airplane? It has sentimental value, but could probably be moved somewhere else if it makes the wall seem too busy.

Other than the shelves, I'm replacing the curtains in the room. Currently, there are white sheers hanging in the window. They're too short, and don't provide enough privacy. Yesterday, I stumbled upon some pre-made 9' high curtains that will go perfectly with the new seating in the room.

Oh yeah, I picked out the new seating for the room yesterday. I realized when I saw it that it was exactly what I had in mind and decided then and there to put in an order. You kind of have to see it to believe it, but I'll give you a hint... it's not a nest chair.

Now, I need to start gathering the books that are spread all over the house and turn this room into a library.

A little difficulty

2011-11-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

Something appears to be blocking my view of the screen.

I'm not sure who that might be.

Insurance Sucks

2011-11-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Warning - I'm going to rant. Feel free to back out now.

I got a voice mail from the Claims Adjuster responsible for processing my insurance claim yesterday. She said that she had submitted a request to have a cheque cut for me, for approximately 15% of what I claimed. Apparently, that request will be processed over the next 6-8 weeks and then I should hopefully get a cheque sometime after that.

I phoned back today for an explanation and the news improved even more when she realized that she'd miscalculated the total, and will actually only be requesting even less of what she'd said my refund would be the day before. Once they take off my deductible, I get bupkis.

YEAH!

So, four months after the flood, they calculated what the "book" value of what my belongings were worth. Since the book value equals my deductible, I get nothing. I just consider myself lucky that they paid for the restoration company that did boatloads of damage.

To clarify, I get nothing if I choose not to replace the items that were damaged in the flood. However, if I replace items, insurance will refund me the difference between the amount I pay and the book value. I guess that means that I'll be replacing things I didn't really want, so that I can sell them on Kajiji. (Keeping in mind the pace at which they've worked until this point, and considering how long I'll likely have to wait for a refund... think of the interest all that would wrack up on a credit card if I didn't have the money to pay up front.)

Don't get me going on the damage that the restoration company did. The claim's adjuster came out tonight to inspect the damage that I reported back in August and "supposedly" arrange to get it repaired. However, once reviewing the damage, she determined that insurance would not get involved. Her excuse is that they couldn't possibly have done the damage I say they did. According to her, the job that would have caused the damage was never done. No, they didn't put vapour barrier behind the electrical outlets, so there's no way that they could have damaged or moved the electrical outlets. All I know is that the electrical outlets were vapour barriered and straight before the flood. Now they're crooked. And, apparently, there's no vapour barrier behind them.

The best part was, when I disagreed with her assessment, she suggested that I ask my dad to explain it to me. I wonder how many 40 year old men she tells to confer with their fathers when she hands them her line of crap. This was the point that I told her our discussion was over, and suggested that she leave.

Hanging In There

2011-11-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

I didn't say much about it, but the Cotton Dog wasn't doing so well this fall. He couldn't seem to settle down, and and kept popping up every few minutes to rearrange himself in another position. He stopped lying on one side entirely, and often seemed stiff and sore. I've been worried about arthritis, so I've cut down on his activities.

What that means is that the Dude doesn't go for nightly walks anymore. Or, to be more specific, the Dude doesn't walk when we go out anymore. He gets a free ride. This isn't unusual in the winter, but I suspect that it'll be a permanent arrangement. I think Cotton's days of long walks are over.

Now, when we go for walks, he hangs out inside of a baby sling that I wear it under my coat. You'd think that he'd want down on the ground to sniff and explore, but he's as happy as a clam. Even better, he hasn't seemed nearly as uncomfortable since he stopped walking.

Obviously, I want to keep him as comfortable as I can for as long as possible. I'm still experimenting with doggie massage, and will inquire about medication if necessary. I'm hoping, though, that it'll be little changes like this that will help him out the most.

Crankiness, Kindness and Silliness

2011-11-06T16:17:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd do the fiscally responsible thing today and get my groceries at the slightly-cheaper Superstore instead of where I normally go. I went in with a reasonable mood, but very quickly ramped up from zero to bitch. The crowds were crazy - Every person there was acting like they were King Poop of Turd Island. They owned the place, so to heck with anybody else who might need to get past. I couldn't believe the number of people who parked their carts in the center of the aisle and walked away. Or, the people who pulled out in front of me - so close that I had to stop my own cart or turn to prevent myself from running into them - and then come to a complete stop. Needless to say, it took me forever to get what I wanted. I ended up grabbing what I needed without comparing brands and focused on getting the heck out of there... which didn't work out so well. Usually, my grocery bill comes to about $75. This week, it was $97. Next week, I'm going back to the slightly more expense, much less populated (and way less stressful) grocery store where I normally go.

On the way home, I came upon a loose dog that was running on the road. We weren't very far from the main drag in town, so I stopped to see if I could catch him. He was super-friendly and let me put him on leash. We walked the three blocks to the address that was listed on his tags, only to hear that he didn't live there anymore. The owners had recently moved and hadn't gotten his tags updated yet. Luckily, the lady at his old house offered to help. She called the phone number on his tag (which hadn't changed) and when the owner said it would be a "bit" before they could come get him, she took him into her house with her own dog and kept him safe until he could be retrieved. People like that make up for the hoards of idiots that I'd encountered at the grocery store. My mood was restored.

I stopped to get Tallulah her winter boots for the season. She wears boots on our nightly walk, from the time that the snow flies in the fall until it melts in the spring. There's a particular brand that I like, but they tend to last only a year before she starts to wear through the soles. Really, only one or two of the boots wear through, but I have to buy them in sets of four. In the past, the only colour of these boots that I could get were red. Last year, they were purple. This year, the only colour that I could get was black. Next year, I'm kind of hoping that they will come in a different colour. That way, for the year after next, she can wear the leftover good boots from past sets, and have a different colour on each foot.

ahem

2011-11-04T16:19:00.000-06:00

Watch This Video

Order the app.

Let's Review:

2011-11-03T16:56:00.000-06:00

The horrible cat tree

The butt ugly half pipe

The nest chair

... and the cat decides to sleep on a worn out old face cloth.

Randomosity

2011-11-02T19:56:00.000-06:00

I called my insurance broker yesterday to inquire if it is normal for insurance claims to take 3+ months to process. Apparently, she called the insurance company, who called the claims adjuster that was contracted out to process my claim. From the tone of the voice mail that the claims adjuster left me, she's not impressed. I sure hope that doesn't reflect on the results once my claim is finally processed. I know, I should probably relax and just wait for it to happen, but I'm impatient. I also have a very low tolerance for poor communication and/or a lack of effort when it comes to customer service.

I ordered a slab of granite today. I'm very excited about that. It will top the iron table base (which actually turns out to be a Singer sewing table) that I spray painted a few weeks ago.

Supposedly, there are no cockroaches in Alberta. That's what they say, anyway - kind of like there aren't any rats here either. However, with all of the ethnic food and produce imported here, the cockroaches have been sneaking in. I've seen them here or there, with hasn't really bothered me in the past. About a month ago, though, I was walking the dogs after dark. I noticed something that was reflecting light on the ground, and when I stooped down to get a better look, I realized that it was a huge cockroach. I've been having bad dreams about cockroaches ever since.

Houston, We Have a Problem

2011-11-01T16:57:00.000-06:00

This is my spare room, which I've turned into a home office. It's working out well for me. Because I didn't spend much time in here before, it's easy for me to be in work mode when I come in and tune out the distractions.

This is my little work corner. The furniture is make-shift until the insurance company processes my claim and I can get something new. (The new stuff is going in another room, and then the desk and chair will be moved in here.) It's pretty tight in this corner, but it works for now.

It's also pretty tight for the White Fluffy Dudes, who have a bunk bed behind the door.

(Cotton was off chasing sunbeams this afternoon)

Tallulah has her own bed, which she uses most of the time.

In other news, an interesting development has been the observation that the balance ball that I sit on always rolls to the far side of the room if it's not wedged under the table.

Yes, I'm aware that this probably means the floor of the bedroom in my six year old house probably slopes.

No, I don't want to think about it.

The point being, if I'm not seated at the desk, the ball usually rolls over and blocks the door. The white fluffy dudes can slip around it, but not Tallulah. Tallulah, for some reason known only to her, is afraid of the ball. There have been many times during my lunch hour or at the end of my day when I've gotten up and left the room without thinking about it. Later on, I'll hear a quiet woof, which quickly becomes a large WOOF if I don't respond.

Tallulah Belle Poodle is calling for help because the big, bad balance ball is blocking her in the room.

Somebody, give that dog a haircut!

Boo!

2011-10-31T07:13:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween!

This is an old picture - back from before digital cameras and crazy poodles were in our lives.

Today is my favorite holiday - it's all about gluttony and greed! Actually, to me, it's all about watching and enjoying the excitement in kids' eyes. I'm not all that much of a kid person, but I do really enjoy watching their faces when they come to my door. I, and many of my neighbours, like to get into the spirit of things. Many decorate their houses, and most of us are known to give out a fair bit of loot. That, and the fact that we're in a fairly large close (read - safe) near a whack of schools has meant that we've expanded from 30 some odd kids the first year that I lived here to about 150.

Which, I've got to admit, can be felt in the pocket book. I shopped around some, but ended up trying something new this year. Normally, I give out a bag of chips and two small chocolate bars to each kid. But, the chips and bars are getting smaller and the prices are going up. What used to be a generous serving seems pretty puny to me, and it costs about a buck a pop. So, when I compared prices and realized that it wasn't any more expensive to buy full-sized chocolate bars at Costco, that's what I did. I now have a pile of 150 chocolate bars in my front foyer.

Please, God, don't let this be the year that I only get 12 kids.

Some people are all scroogey about Halloween. They resent having the kids tromping across their lawn and knocking on their doors. Me? I'd prefer that they stay off of the lawn, and I'll be quick to tell them to get the heck out of my gardens. But, with all the bad things that kids could be up to lately, if they want to come to my door and ask for candy once a year, I say that they are welcome.

In Recovery

2011-10-28T22:19:00.000-06:00

Winter had his teeth cleaned today. They were looking pretty bad - enough that we figured a few would need to be pulled. We got lucky, though. It it turns out that his mouth was in pretty good shape for a guy who hasn't brushed his teeth for 12 years.

He was some pissed off when he got home. I had to lock up the dogs for their own safety. But, he eventually went to have a good long nap and now he seems to be on the mend. I suspect that by the time he washes off all the vet cooties, he'll be back to his old self.

Until then, he's not in the mood to pose for the camera.

Area Rug Angst

2011-10-27T18:19:00.000-06:00

Apparently, my dogs read the Zadge's blog. Harry has taught one of them bad habits from a distance.

A few months ago, I went to Edmonton for the day. When I came home, I noticed a distinct doggy (urine) smell in the living room. I couldn't find any puddles, but figured it must have come from the area rug. I tried all sorts of ways to clean it, but the smell didn't go away.

A few weeks later, I rolled it up and removed it from the room. The smell was gone, so my next step was to take the rug to a company that specializes in cleaning area rugs. They said they'd use a black light to find the stain and get it cleaned. Worst case scenario, the entire rug would have been peed on and it would cost $300 to clean.

One. Month. Later. They called me (after I've called them multiple times) to say that the owner of the business - who apparently has a bionic nose - had sniffed my rug, and he didn't smell anything. They could clean it for me for $100, which wouldn't help with any urine enzymes, or if I was really worried about the smell, they could do the full $300 clean. When I asked about the black light to find any spots, they said it would take another month or two before they could do that - and then they'd still need to clean it

I thought of tossing the rug, but it cost me over $800. Replacing it with a cut of basic bound carpet would cost $500. I'm not spending a lot of money on a new rug when I've got an old dog who is losing control of his bladder. And, not having a rug isn't an option I like either.

Needless to say, I'll be picking up my rug tomorrow. I called a friend who has a carpet cleaner, and I'm going to use that.

Probably should have done that in the first place.

How to Freak Out Your Roommate

2011-10-25T20:10:00.002-06:00

The girls and I ended up talking about dreams last night, and how some people remember them when they wake up, or some people can figure out mid-nightmare that they are dreaming and turn things around. Me? I can't usually remember my dreams. Nor can I tell that I'm dreaming when it's happening.

Actually, I used to have a bit of a problem with waking up, not realizing that my dream is over and then acting on it.

Case in point: I will probably never live down the time that I scared the snot out of my roommate. I used to live in this old historical house in Downtown Edmonton. I shared it with two guys and another girl. Two of them were frequently away, but the one guy almost never left. His name was Marcel. Marcel was, to put it nicely, a very lazy guy. He did not help out with house work. He didn't cook, and he certainly didn't do dishes. He mooched our food, let us do the dishes and thought nothing of letting the others clean up after him wherever he went. It was a problem.

So, when I had a dream one night that there were a treasure in our house, it should come as no surprise that everybody in my dream helped out with the search but Marcel. I don't remember the specifics, but in my dream we had been informed that a large pile of money had been hidden somewhere in the nooks and crannies of the house. The two roommates who were rarely home and I started a thorough search in an effort to find it, but Marcel did nothing.

That was the dream. It ended when I woke up at some point around 2:00am. I didn't realize that it was a dream, though, so I continued to act it out. I got out of bed, went to the door of my room and opened it up. I called out in a whisper "Marcel. Marcel!" until he woke up and came out of his room.

The exact moment when Marcel opened his door was when I realized - in real life - that I was wearing the ugliest pajamas on earth, and that I shouldn't let Marcel see me like that. So, I slammed my door closed. Marcel called after me, wanting to know why I'd woken him up. Still on a mission to find the money but not wanting him to see the hideous sleepwear, I opened my door a crack. I whispered urgently "Check the house!" before closing the door, going back to bed and falling into a deep sleep.

Not being in on the dream, Marcel had no idea that I was chewing him out for not assisting with the search for the treasure. No. He thought I'd heard noises and wanted him to check the house for prowlers. And amazingly enough, he did. Even better, when he got to the back foyer, he realized that the door was unlocked.

Marcel got zero sleep for the rest of the night. I slept like a baby with the knowledge that I'd finally convinced him to step up and help around the house. And that, folks, is a most excellent way to screw with your roommate's head. And probably another one of many reasons why I should live alone.

Sheets

2011-10-23T19:21:00.000-06:00

I'm all for quality sheets. In the summer I like 600+ percale sheets, but there's something to be said for flannel in the winter. When the temperature drops, nothing makes you sleep better than warm flannel sheets.

Even when the idiot with the camera won't stop with the flash.

Roller Derby Recap

2011-10-23T11:14:00.000-06:00

Last night was an adventure. I was invited by an old friend from Edmonton who has recently moved to town to join a group of her friends to go to roller derby. Before we went to the roller derby, we met at one of their houses for a finger food pot luck, and then we took the party bus to the event.

I ended up bringing another friend along with me, (which was a really good choice, if for no other reason than the fact that she brought homemade ice cream balls dipped in chocolate to the pot luck). It was funny, because there were only nine of us that got together. When my friend Michele and I arrived and were introduced to the others, one of the guys and Michele started eyeballing each other like they'd met before. It turns out that they both used to live in Grande Prairie. He was a car salesman up north, and he sold her the SUV that she drives now. We just finished laughing over what a small world it is when another lady arrived, and it turns out that I know her. We both work at the hospital, and were in the same office until last year.

The pot luck was great. Everybody brought something yummy, and I'm not ashamed to say that the food there (including the dishes brought by the men) was better than a lot of the food that's often served at my cooking club events. This was a group of gourmands. Where cooking club can sometimes focus a little too much on speed and convenience, this food was made to impress. There were ham an pineapple potato skins, blue cheese guacamole amuse-bouch, three different flavours of the ice cream balls mentioned above, meatballs in a spicy mustard sauce and homemade crackers with a selection of dips that were amazing. The food was so good, my bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers almost seemed a little pedestrian by comparison.

After an hour or so, we all loaded into the party bus. I can see the draw of party buses, in the sense that it's convenient and a much better choice over DUIs, but it was kind of a non-event. The windows are blacked, so it's really dark. The music was loud. The stripper poles had been removed. And, probably more importantly, we only about about 10 blocks to go. We got in, we laughed a few times, we got off.

Roller Derby is confusing. They skated around this really tight circle, almost as small as my living room. The goal was for the skater at the back of the crowd to push her way to the front of the crowd, and then lap them. There's one girl for each team that does this, and the rest of the team focuses on blocking the other team's way. There were almost as many participants and refs as there were audience members, so we spent a good half of the night figuring out who is who and which team we were supposed to cheer for. Roller Derby, I think it's safe to say, is not my thing. Although, the inappropriate comments from the people around me were pretty funny (which may be the point of the whole thing). Also, the costumes and the skaters' names were entertaining too.

There were also a few merchants set up on the outskirts of the arena. I figured "when in Rome" and had a look... and ended up picking up a couple of groany glow in the dark bug necklaces for the nephews. From a guy with a mohawk, no less.

We couldn't get the party bus home, so we grabbed a couple of cabs. We had the cabbie crank "Black Betty" on the radio and pretended that his mini-van was a party bus. We gave him a good tip, and headed back into the house to drink, eat and tell stories.

So, it was a fun night. Good food, lots of drinking (Note to self - jello shots taste good but sneak up on you faster than you think.) and great company. There are already plans for us to get together again, but I suspect that it'll be a while before we go back to the derby.

Random Friday

2011-10-21T20:05:00.000-06:00

There was freezing freaking rain last night. When we woke up the deck (and new stairs) were covered in a layer of wet ice. Tallulah fell ass over tea kettle down the stairs, and then wiped out and cracked her noggin on the way up. I think she's OK, but it was pretty scary for both of us. In an effort to avoid future injuries, I ran out at lunch and bought 15 yards of non-slip tape for the stairs.

Did I mention that I ended up buying the Tallulah Painting? I did, and I'm pretty happy about it, if somewhat stressed about the money. When I finally made up my mind and contacted the artist, she gave me a "collector's" discount and offered to let me set up a payment plan.

Tomorrow night I am stepping completely out of my comfort zone. I agreed to go with a friend and a group of her friends (none of whom I've met) to watch roller derby. Like that Drew Barrymore Movie. We're taking a party bus to the event, which is something that I'm really not looking forward to at all. So, why would I agree to do something that is so far out of my element, you'd ask? For a guy. My friend thought it would be fun to set us up, and from what I hear, he sounds very much like the kind of guy I'd like to meet. She's the one that wants to go to roller derby. Apparently this is outside of both his and my comfort zones, but she can be pretty convincing. Except, I was sure she said this was happening on the 20th, which was a Thursday. I was stressed out about the party bus part of things, and then having to get up at 5am the next day for work so I bowed out earlier in the week. By the time we figured out that we're actually going on a Saturday and not a Thursday, he made other plans; so now I have to go on this crazy night all for nothing. But, who knows? Maybe I'll be surprised and it'll be fun.

Insurance Companies are Omniscient

2011-10-18T16:42:00.000-06:00

Summary of an email string between the insurance lady and I today:

Me:
I received the first cheque for $X today. Thank you! Unfortunately, it did not come with an explanation for how this amount was reached. So far, I've sent you four receipts:

Receipt 1 for $_______
Receipt 2 for $_______
Receipt 3 for $_______
Receipt 4 for $_______

No matter how I add up these items, or combinations of some of these items, I don't come to $X. Can you please break it down for me to explain what this cheque was intended to cover?

Insurance Lady:
Hi, Janice, That was for the receipts you submitted.

The mystery has been solved, people. You can all relax now.

An observation

2011-10-17T18:48:00.004-06:00

Sitting on a balance ball while you work on a computer is good for your core.

Sitting on a balance ball while a cat perches on your lap and you try to reach around him to work on a computer is even better for your core. And it's probably good for his core too, not that he cares.

I'm going to feel this in the morning.

New Old Desk

2011-10-16T17:11:00.000-06:00

Working from home as presented to me a new problem. My work computer and monitors have taken over the desk, so my personal computer has had to move to the kitchen.

I hate having the Mac on the kitchen counter. I can't comfortably sit there, and the mouse and the keyboard keep getting gummed up with cat hair and kibble crumbs. (Winter's feeing station is directly above the computer.)

I've been looking for a small desk to use, without much luck. Either they are too big, or their prices are too high. I thought I was going to have to keep the computer in the kitchen for a while, but yesterday I had an idea.

Yesterday was Dump Day. When my parents moved about a year ago, I took a lot of their stuff that was otherwise headed for the dump. Over the last year, I've given away or sold most if the stuff, but not all. I asked my dad to come over and haul the few left overs to the dump, and that's when we found an old iron table base again, hidden in the back corner of the garage. I'm not sure where it came from, but I suspect that it used to be at my great-grandfather's farm.

It's been painted many, many times. Paint chips were flaking off and rust was starting to show in a few places. I washed and sanded it down, and then sprayed it black with a can of paint.

I forgot to take the before picture. It used to be white.

I thought of stripping off all the previous layers of paint, but the truth is, I suspect that this is so old, the paint may be holding it together. And, I kind of like the idea of keeping the existing lumps and bumps, and celebrating its age. Especially if I can find the top I'm thinking of.

Depending on the price, I'm hoping to get an end cut of granite or corian for the table table top. (Something small - max 2x3'.) Or if that's too expensive, maybe I'll sand and varnish a nice piece of wood. Either way, I'm hoping to have a new computer desk soon.

Ladybugs

2011-10-15T18:36:00.000-06:00

This is where I reiterate my desire for a macro lens.

Or castigate myself for being too lazy to go inside and get the telephoto lens.

I love ladybugs. I don't know why, because I generally dislike bugs. But, ladybugs make me happy. I get excited every fall when the congregate in the yard. This year, they're hear in groves. There are thousands of them, everywhere you look.

This one was an oops shot. The sun was coming down, and the flash didn't go off, so all I got was a silhouette. Even so, can you count the lady bugs? I don't know if I can find them all, but I took that shot because there was at least 15 in that plant.

To cut, or not to cut

2011-10-14T16:33:00.000-06:00

So, I'm 38. It's starting to occur to me that I'm not a spring chicken and I'm making some changes to accommodate.. I sometimes rule out clothing that I might otherwise like because it's maybe not so age appropriate. That hasn't been a hardship, but now I'm wondering if my hairstyle might be a little young for me too.

My hair is getting pretty long. It's just about down to the bottom of my shoulder blades. It's very thick and pretty wavy, so it's got a bit of a life of it's own. I stopped wearing it down about 6" ago, when I started to feel like Medusa whenever my hair was loose.

I read something a while ago about braids and messy buns being in style, and so I embraced them. Lately, my hair is either in a long braid down my back or in a bun (with a few loose tendrils at the front that don't like to be contained) . If it's a weekend or I'm doing something casual, it's a pretty messy, loose bun or a simple braid down the back. If I'm somewhere more formal, it's a less messy, less loose bun or a french braid down the back. Or, sometimes I twist it up the back and let 6-8 inches hang loose over the top.

I've thought of cutting it, but other than the effort that goes into washing it all, or the length of time that it takes to dry, this is the easiest hairstyle I've ever had. It doesn't get easier than this, other than super-short hair (which doesn't suit my face). But, I don't want to be one of those women who looks like she's still trying to pass as a high school student.

So, what do you think. Should I cut it off, or let it grow?

I can't afford

2011-10-11T21:38:00.003-06:00

This painting.

And somehow, I can't stand letting it go. I have never in my life spent this much money on art. And yet, this is a once in a life time purchase that I can't go back and buy later if I don't do it now.

I'm scheming. Although there is a refund on the way for the computer equipment that I bought, the insurance claim in general has not be processed. I'm expecting a substantial cheque... eventually. Here's the thing, though - I get replacement value on the items that were lost. The insurance lady told me that I would get a cash settlement for the smaller items, but would have to go out and buy the larger items and produce receipts to get any money back for them. I don't know what they consider smaller items or larger items. Come to think of it, I don't trust the insurance company, period. (They're in business to make money, after all, not give it away. No doubt that they'll be looking for any means possible to reduce my claim.)

If you're having to scheme to come up with money that you haven't yet received (aren't sure that you'll get), then you probably shouldn't spend it, eh?

But, most of the items that were in the basement were down there because I don't use them. If I used some of the cash settlement to buy an original painting of my dog, would that be a bad thing?

I just sent an email to the artist, asking her to please wait a day or two for me to fight with my conscience before she sells the painting. I can't imagine finally deciding that I'll buy it, only to find that it's already sold.

Success!

2011-10-10T17:57:00.001-06:00

The stairs finally went today, after much preparation and delay.

We took a break between getting the stairs up and adding the bannister, and tested them to see what the dogs thought.

Cotton hates changes. HATES it, so it'll be an adjustment for a while. The first time down, he needed some assistance from my dad at the top while I cheered him on from below.

Tallulah wasn't thrilled the first time down, but seemed to love how easy they were for her to run up. As soon as she got to the top, she turned around and went back down so that she could run up them again.

Cotton's still objects quite strongly to going up the stairs, which is the main purpose for the upgrade... to make them easier for him. It's the change that he objects to, though, not the stairs. I know, because if I put him on the first or second step, he finds his way to the top pretty quickly.

Flying puppy!

Later, after we finished, I tried bribing him with cookies to see if he'd start the stairs on his own.

Maybe mind control will bring the cookie to me?

Nah, you better come get me.

I am sorry to report that at his point, he's willing to wait longer than I am. I know it'll come eventually, but dangit, I worked hard today! I just wanted to go in and put my feet up, so I went down and got him.

I'm going to order some glow in the dark non-slip tape for the stairs. I'm hoping those will help him even more.

PS - If you're on Facebook, look up Kimberly Kelly Santini - she's painting a portrait of Tallulah from a photo that I took, and has the in progress shots posted there. Or, the finished piece is HERE on her blog.

Long Weekend Ramble

2011-10-07T20:35:00.002-06:00

Today was the sad day that I packed up all my sandals and open toed shoes, and pulled out the cold weather - I can wear socks under these - shoes.
I came upon a woman this afternoon who was standing in the rain beside her car and madly waving me down. When I stopped, she explained that she'd locked her purse and keys in her vehicle, and asked me to call her husband for her. I did. After she got off the call, she offered me money. Who would think that a payment would be required for something as simple as that?
As much as I love the Nest Chair, it occurred to me today that a day bed might be the more responsible choice.
I am somebody who always runs a little cold, and I'm very sensitive to the temperature. If it drops even a degree or two in the house, I know. I wish I could be one of those people who could keep their house at 18C all the time, but I can't. It doesn't matter how many layers I wear, I can't stop shivering at anything less than 21C (Room Temperature).
It's been cold outside lately, about 10C most days. All week this week, I've been Freezing. Cold. I keep checking the thermostat to confirm that the temp was at 21C, which it is, but it's been so bad that I've been giving serious thought to wearing a toque and some mitts. I can't decide if I've been that cold because of the drop in the weather outside, or if the new spray foam insulation isn't working. I hope it's the weather, and the cold is all in my head. If the thermostat says 21C, then it wouldn't be the insulation, would it?
Today, I went up the chain with the insurance company. I talked to four people in Quebec, a lady in Ottawa, somebody in Calgary and then a very nice lady in in Vancouver. She promised to look into my concerns and call me back, which she did. She can't promise me how long it'll take to process my claim, but she did track down a copy of the receipt from when I bought the computer equipment to work from home (which is replacing items destroyed in the flood.) She promised me that I'd have a cheque in 7-10 days.

Let's Talk TV

2011-10-06T18:14:00.001-06:00

I have a slight addiction to tv, so the beginning of the new season and the introduction of new shows is pretty exciting for me. A few weeks ago, I spent about 2 hours, rejigging the schedule on my PVR to record all my old favorites, plus to try the new shows too. Since I can have only basic cable and can record only two shows at once, this was no easy feat.

First, the new shows:

I called Crap on Charlie's Angels, right out of the gate. It took 30 second or less for me to rule it out.
The Playboy Club was also quick to be ruled out. I like looking at LeAnn Rimes' guy, so I may have given it a few more minutes. Either way, I had no choice but to eventually call Crap on it too.
I didn't even bother to watch Whitney. I'm not a big fan of sitcoms with canned laughter, and this one seemed like junk.
I don't think Ringer will last. The premier wasn't bad, but the following shows weren't so good.
Revenge is iffy. I can't decide if I like it.
Pan Am is too slow. I find it a little boring, actually.
Free Agents is the only new sitcom that I bothered to watch, and only because I have a secret crush on Hank Azaria. It's not doing much for me, though, so I think I'm going to rule it out.
I don't think A Gifted Man will last. It's OK, in a so-so way, but I think it'll get cancelled.
Person of Interest is good. I like the twists and turns. Although, I can't decide if the main character is extremely attractive or ugly as sin.
Unforgettable is good too, in a formulaic way. I hope it lasts. (I was a big fan of Without a Trace)
I like Prime Suspect. So far, it's good. I didn't see the original, so I can't make comparisons.

Returning Shows haven't Impressed me so much.

I can't watch Dancing with the Stars anymore. Not even for Maksim.
Glee, which I loved during the first season, has been getting steadily worse. I don't think I'll watch it anymore.
The Mentalist has been deleted out of the PVR Schedule. I don't enjoy watching a rude and lazy guy manipulate people that way.
The big surprise to me is that lately Criminal Minds has been too disturbing. This has been my favorite show for years, so that's kind of upsetting. They're taking a darker approach this year, and I'm finding that I'm anxious for the show to be over.
Castle's iffy. It seems a little too formulated, to the point that the episodes start to blend together.
Grey's is still the same. I'll probably stick with it for now.
I thought I was going to have to give up Law and Order, SVU without Christopher Meloni, but so far I'm liking his replacements. I liked that guy in Cold Case, and the woman who was in Chase last year before it was cancelled.
I'm still sticking with Flashpoint, which is a Canadian show. It's not great, but it's entertaining.
I still love the Good Wife. Long live the strong and accomplished woman.

I think that's it. It appears that I'll be cutting back on tv this year. I hope I can find some great books to replace them.

Stage One

2011-10-03T21:09:00.000-06:00

I'd like to show you my new library, but this is a very slow process. The insurance company hasn't processed my claim yet, and they're choosing not to return my calls, so I'm at the planning stage.

In the decision about the chairs, I was leaning towards the Nest Chair, but still waffling a little bit. That is, until I found Winter a nest chair of his own.

At the drug store, no less. On sale, for 40% off.

And so, because I'm so easily swayed by pet decor, I've decided to go with the Nest Chair. I'm thinking of something in a deep red, or olive green to best show off my angora cat's white hair.
(Please God, let me come to my senses between now and when the insurance claim is processed.)

I already had pet portraits in the room, but thanks to some assistance from the Zadge, I have a new addition:

It's still on the floor because I'm waiting until the room is furnished before I hang it up.

Since I'm going to turn the room into a library, I've been looking at shelving. I'm thinking of something about 40" high, almost all the way around the room. I really like cubbies, but am worried that some items or books won't fit into a 12" by 12" square. So, right now, I'm thinking of making something myself... something that's a mix between this:

The second picture came from Ana White.com, where she has free patterns for DIY Furniture. I'll probably make a few variations of this, to work in both cubbies and shelves, but three layers high.

So, those are the plans. I'm raring to go, but am waiting for the insurance company. If anybody knows how to light a fire under them, I'd sure appreciate some ideas. Until then, the front room of my house is empty, taunting me with ideas.

Shrinkage

2011-10-02T09:18:00.000-06:00

I bought some pj's last week. I struggle to get pj bottoms that are long enough, so often end up wearing men's pyjamas... and then struggle with covering up the open fly. I paid extra to get these at a specialty shop, but told myself it was worth it to have some feminine pj's that are long enough. They fit in the dressing room, but this is what happened when I washed them in cold and hanged them to dry.

Being tall sucks.

I should buy a lottery ticket

2011-10-01T17:09:00.000-06:00

It seems that I'm on the gov't statistical radar lately.

A few months ago, my name was randomly drawn for a census of sorts. I received a letter from the federal gov't, stating that I'd soon receive a visit from one of their own who would be asking me questions about my employment. I was legally required to answer those questions truthfully then, and during the next four monthly followup calls as well. I guess it hasn't been too horrible; I just have to answer a bunch of silly questions, like if I've changed jobs, taken any vacation or sick time or what shade of blue my socks were on Tuesday.

I'm not sure that I understand the benefit of collecting this information, but that's fine. There's only one more of these calls coming in, so everything will go back to normal... nobody will care about the details of my job but me.

Except, I picked up the mail today, and saw that I had a letter from the Health department in the Provincial gov't. My name has been randomly drawn again. This time, I've been chosen as a lab rat of sorts, wherein the gov't will be gathering any and all data collected regarding any cervical cancer screening that I have done over the next three years.

They sent two pages of info about cervical cancer, its prevention and the importance of regular testing. I understand the purpose of the study, but can't say that I agree with their tactics. Apparently, I don't have to answer any questions or take calls; they'll just snag the info directly the labs and dr's offices that I visit.

If I don't wish to take part in this study, I've been instructed to contact my family doctor so that they can explain the importance of cervical cancer screening. That's the only option provided. No where in those two pages does it provide me with a way to opt out of this study. Except, there's a catch: I ~~wouldn't~~ couldn't participate, even if I wanted to.

As of last March, I no longer have the necessary parts. So, the gov't is not just going to invade my privacy, they're doing it all for nothing. That's our tax dollars at work, folks. It makes me so proud.

Walk in the Park

2011-09-30T19:15:00.000-06:00

A friend and I took our dogs for a walk in a local park, and the leaves are so pretty when they're changing, I brought the camera along.

This is the oldest house in the city. At some point - 30+ years ago - it was lifted up and hauled across the river. Now it's in the middle of this park.

I love this bench. O'Canada

I wanted a pictures of Tallulah with the flowers. She wanted to go play.

No real explanation of this one. I just thought it was pretty.

Hey, Strangers

2011-09-28T11:39:00.000-06:00

So, I've been away from the blogosphere. Actually, I've pretty much been staying away from the whole inter-web thing. It's not that I've been avoiding it, just that there's been a lot going on.

Work on the house has been going like gang busters, which is good and bad. It's good because we're making - very slow - progress. It's bad because it's unsexy work... the kind of work that costs a lot, that shouldn't have to be done in the first place, and that nobody notices if it's done properly. It makes me cranky that I have to do it at all. And it makes me crankier that preparation for this work uncovered a bunch more problems.

I had the basement spray foamed in an effort to make this place a little warmer. As a new house, it should be fairly air tight, but there are definite cold zones and breezes in the winter. And I suspect that I found the reason for some of the cold zones. When I pulled down the fiberglass insulation to get ready for the spray foam guy, I discovered things like this:

Apparently, the guy that built this house didn't want to let a pesky water pipe get in the way

of his chosen route for the heating vents.

Also note - everybody knows that duct tape isn't supposed to be used on ducts.

Except, apparently, the guy who built my house.

It was falling off like that when I found it.

I discovered this on a Sunday afternoon, the day before the spray foam guy was booked to come. So, I had the honors of scrambling to learn to reroute air vents in 4 hours or less. Luckily, my dad came to help and we figured it out in time.

The spray foam was done, and my basement walls now look like yummy purple marshmallows. It's still warm outside, so I thought it was too early to know if it had worked.

Except, the house got kind of cold for a few days after the work was done. Not horribly cold, but a few degrees colder than I like. I kept jacking up the temp on the thermostat without paying much attention, but couldn't seem to warm up. I was starting to wonder if I was sick, and then noticed that the furnace wasn't turning on, regardless of what temperature I set it for. This morning, after spending an hour reading the furnace manual, learning all about pilot-light free furnaces but getting no where, I was about to call in reinforcements. Then, I had an aha moment, remembered that there is a power switch a few feet from the furnace and that it was currently switched to the off position. I flipped it to on, the furnace fired up and the house is finally warming up again.

It gets down to 5-10C around here at night, so if the house has managed to maintain a 19C temperature for three days, I think it's safe to declare this little project a success.

The "Old Dog Project" (aka - the new stairs off the back deck) is still in the works, but the guy I hired to make the stairs doesn't seem to have much sense of time. I kept hearing great things about this company that makes stairs. It's actually cheaper for me to have him make and deliver the stairs than it would be for me to buy the wood and make them myself. But, he doesn't seem very good with his time management. What he said would be a few hours to build the new stairs and deliver them has been a few weeks. He got his last chance phone call this morning, and promises that they'll be here tomorrow. I'll stain them, and hope to put them up/build a bannister right after that.

Don't tell anybody, though. I learned this week that apparently I'm supposed to have a building permit to replace stairs that are falling off the deck. I'd have been tempted to ignore that, but I'm changing the length and height of the stairs to make them easier for Cotton. That'd show up on my real property report, so I headed down to City Hall where I answered a bazillion questions and signed over my first born. I'm told that a city engineer will review my plans and if they approve I'll be called to come pick up the permit. I suspect that they're going to be amazed with my efficiency, because the stairs will be installed and finished approximately 5 seconds after I get the go ahead to proceed.

My insurance claim for the flood has still not been processed. I'm a little annoyed by this delay.

Having expected to have received my insurance money by now, I had a shopping day planned with a good friend in Calgary yesterday. We couldn't do the power shopping that we'd hoped without the insurance cheque, but got together anyway. I've had a moratorium on new purses in place for some times, but since two old purses were destroyed the flood, I thought an exception could be made.

I am very particular about purses. I don't like them too big, and I don't like if they only have one pocket that everything gets thrown into and mixed up. My friend Kat was very patient as we went to all sorts of stores and I looked for a multi-pocketed purse that called my name. It took a while, but I finally found one that I like. As a girl who usually carries coloured purses and then has to coordinate her clothes to match, I thought I'd try something new and go with a neutral one.

Even better, having a slightly larger purse than what I normally carry allowed me to hustle down to the Fossil store and get me a new wallet (also a replacement for something damaged in the flood). I like to have a wallet for each purse, and I really do love Fossil. Also, Kat talked me into it.

I've got the rest of the week off. I had hoped that the insurance claim would be processed by now, so that I could go out and get replacement storage shelves and cupboards and then start cleaning up the basement. Everything is still in a big pile down there (even more so since the spray foam guy was down there) but there's no sense cleaning if I don't have anywhere to put things. So, instead I might spend the rest of the week making crank calls to the insurance company.

Tallulah thinks that might be kind of fun.

Things I Know to be True

2011-09-18T20:48:00.002-06:00

Beets are very, very red.
Beets are very, very red going in.
Beets are very, very red coming out.
That is all.

Spaghetti Pie

2011-09-17T20:41:00.000-06:00

It's cold outside and windy, so I made comfort food for dinner tonight.

It's a fairly fool-proof recipe that I fall back on at least a few times a year, so I thought I'd share.

Spaghetti Pie

Go ahead and use full-fat items if you deem them appropriate, but I'm limiting my fat intake as much as possible.

4 cups cooked spaghetti
1 tsp oil
1 cup of chopped fresh mushrooms
1 cup of diced low fat, low salt ham
1 cup of raw peas or chopped green beans
1/4 cup diced onions
1 tsp minced garlic
12 oz of fat free evaporated milk
1 cup shredded low fat swiss cheese
ground black pepper, to taste

preheat oven to 425
cook the spaghetti according to instructions on box and then drain
add oil to skillet on medium high, then sauté mushrooms, ham, onions and garlic until cooked through
add evaporated milk and cheese, stirring continuously until it starts to thicken.
Add cooked pasta, pepper and peas/beans and mix well. (If your skillet isn't oven proof, you'll need to shift everything over to a pie pan at this point.)
Bake for 15 minutes

This makes eight pie wedges. Word to the wise, though: let it cool a few minutes before you cut it up, or you'll have slop.

I used peas in the recipe today. I served my "pie" with a side of roasted beets and steamed green and yellow beans. It was a really good and filling meal that was low in both fat and calories.

This does not freeze well unfortunately. So, if you don't have anybody to share it with, be prepared to eat it for a many, many meals.

Guilt

2011-09-16T22:26:00.002-06:00

I have been stressed out for quite a while that I had portraits of all the pets except Cotton. It bothered me so much that I've been keeping my eyes peeled for an artist who could paint him. Then I came upon an artist whose work I really liked. The dogs in her paintings seemed to show such personality and character, I thought she could paint what I was looking for. I sent her an email.

We talked a bit, I told her I had between $200-250 to spend.... if she had an amazing idea, I might be able to go as high as $300. She asked for stories and pictures of him. I explained that his dementia has left him afraid of the camera, and that most of the pictures I have already are inside (she wanted photos in natural light). So, I took him outside and bribed him with lots of cheese. Then I went through scads of pictures that I had from before so that she could his true character, when he was relaxed and having fun instead of being stressed out by the camera.

(This is about the time when I posted that other pic of Cotton, and the Zadge stepped in to fix it for me)

A few days later, she responded and suggested painting a picture of him based on a photo, in which he looks really stressed. Maybe she could alter the photo to give him a more relaxed expression, but I wasn't feeling it. I didn't get the impression that she understood Cotton's character.

I considered bowing out - I had a photo for the portrait now - but I felt guilty for having I'd taken up her time. She made a comment about Tallulah, so I suggested that maybe she start by painting Tallulah. I sent her some pictures, she picked one out that I love and I thought we were on track. Then she told me that my budget of $300 would get me a 6" by 6" painting.

Yikes.

First, I was tempted to ask if that came with a built in magnifying glass.
Next, I wondered when we'd shot past my preferred budget of $200-250.

Once again, I consider bowing out; but at this point I'd taken up even more of her time and so was even more reluctant to disappoint. I'd seen what she calls sketches, which are really paintings with less detail. They're good though, in an almost art deco sort of way. They start at $47 each, so I suggested that maybe she can paint me a sketch of each of the pets. I listed the pictures I wanted the poses based off of, and asked her what she thought.

She responded that she thought that was a good idea, except she'd want to do different poses. She sent me the pictures she'd base the poses off of, and I didn't like two of the three. She was still wanting to use the picture of Stressed out Cotton, and she picked one of Tallulah that was really unattractive. Oh, and the price was $300.

I lost sleep over it that night, but finally decided that I had to bow out. It sucks, because I feel like I've disappointed her. Even more, I'm disappointed myself. Once we started talking about it, I got my heart set on having portrait paintings done of the pets. Looking at her work, I would expect that they would have been amazing, but I'm not confident that they'd be a reflection of my dogs. Aside from that, they are beyond my means.

You know what sucks the most? Somebody out there is going to have a portrait painting of Tallulah. That photo of Tallulah from that I love? She loves it too, and asked my permission to paint it. The painting will be significantly larger than 6x6, and will be displayed it in an upcoming show. Somebody at that gallery with much deeper pockets than me will get to take home a portrait of my girl.

Nuts.

Things I Know to be True

2011-09-14T21:44:00.000-06:00

Tufty Toes

Fuzzy bums

Hairy Ears

Long and flowing beards

Soft and floppy bellies

All are attractive features in a cat.
They are not so attractive in men.

Working from Home

2011-09-13T19:42:00.000-06:00

The commute can't be beat. I haven't filled my car up with gas in a month.
After much fiddling and rearranging, I have the office set up for now. I had to move from the old office into the spare room to get away from the sunlight, but then I had to move the desk to make room for the armoire to go back where it was before all this. A certain cat was scratching it up while trying to launch himself to the top. Now the desk is wedged in the corner against the bed, but that's not all bad. As a trade off for the tight space, I almost always have a critter sleeping on the bed, within arms reach as I work.
The one thing I really missed from the office (besides the people) is the two monitors that I have at my desk there. Insurance said that I could replace the monitor that was damaged in the flood, and get a second monitor instead of another computer. What I really didn't expect is for technology to have come so far, and prices to go down so low. The items that were damaged are no longer available, and so I got bigger and better for less than half the original price. (And Insurance pays anyway.) Not bad!
One example of an upgrade was that my crappy dot-matrix printer has been replaced with an all in one wireless Kodak inkjet printer. My dad got one a few months ago and has never managed to get it set up on his network. I opened mine up, read the directions, and had it set up in 5 minutes thankyouverymuch! Next stop is to go to my dad's place to help him read the instructions.
Another example would be my monitors, for which I had to search pretty hard to find "only" 20" screens. The only downside of the two bigger monitors is that they take up so much room on my desk, the Mac (my personal computer) had to move to the kitchen. I'm currently sitting on the far side of the island, typing this with a wireless keyboard that's so far from the computer, the words are a blur. Please excuse any typos.
As a means of dealing with my own wandering mind and tendency to multitask, I am keeping a running list of things I'll do on my breaks. Anytime I'm tempted to pop up and do something that's not work, I write it down. I've never looked so forward to breaks in my life.

A Good Story

2011-09-11T21:26:00.003-06:00

I wasn't going to say anything about today's anniversary, because I figured that everybody else would be. I took a few moments to remember, watched a few of the documentaries on A&E... until I had to stop because I was getting too emotional. I've never been so profoundly affected by an event, as I was by the attacks on Sept 11, 2001.

But, a friend of mine said something today that I think is very right. He said that the terrorists tried to take away our ability to smile and laugh, and so we should do both to thwart them. And so, when I came upon this short documentary, I decided to repost it here. It's a good story, of ordinary people stepping up and helping out. I'd never heard it before, and I don't think many have. It's a little longer than 10 minutes, but I think it's worth watching.

Old Dog Project - Phase One.

2011-09-10T19:18:00.001-06:00

The stairs off the back deck at my place are rotting and have been on the brink of falling off for a few years. I have to get them replaced before I run out of luck and they fall off. I figured that since I was putting in new stairs, I might as well make them more accessible for a certain aging and almost blind dog.

I'm having them made with as short a rise as code will allow, and doubling the run, so they'll be much longer, but at a much lower slope. They'll be old dog friendly.

The company that makes them does only that - makes and delivers the stairs- so today my dad and I took the first step; we put in concrete blocks to make a landing at the bottom of the stairs. First we had to remove the 5 inches of pea gravel that was there, and then dig out the clay and replace it with compacting gravel, tamp and level that out, and then an inch of sand. Finally, four hours later, we had level patio blocks, upon which to set the bottom of the new stairs.

I think today was the hottest day of the year, so I was exhausted when we finished. I decided to leave the big pile of pea gravel (that needs to be spread out throughout the rest of the dog pen) and the tools, and go inside. The dogs, who hadn't been allowed outside all afternoon, quickly went outside to use the facilities and were pretty surprised when they got to the bottom of the stairs.

Both are absolutely convinced that they can't pass over the new concrete blocks.

If anybody would like to volunteer to come lift them over the evil obstruction until the new stairs are in place, please speak up soon. Until then, my dogs will be crossing their legs.

Best. Fundraiser. Ever

2011-09-09T16:27:00.000-06:00

The lady who grooms my dogs also raises chicken on the side. This has become a passion of sorts, and she's a big supporter of humanely raised chickens - ie - they don't live in little tiny cages all their lives. She's become active with local groups in the area and is helping to organize a big poultry show.

They need sponsors for the show and were thinking of ways to raise money, and I think they came up with a great idea.

It's called "Pass the Rooster".

One of her roosters is particularly ~~chatty~~ ~~loud~~ obnoxious. They'll be working with the local radio station, and dropping off the rooster at places of businesses first thing in the morning. The radio station will give them a call (on the air) and they'll be informed that the rooster has to stay until they raise $300 to have him removed. Until they do, it'll be nothing but cock-a-doodle doo. People can then call or go in to the businesses to make donations to help remove the rooster, or they can call into the radio station, who will be checking in with the business regularly during his stay.

They plan to do this every day for a week. Obviously, they'll have the approval of the big-wigs at the business, to make sure that nobody gets into trouble, but I think it's supposed to be a surprise for the rest of their staff. In the meantime, the poultry club makes some money, the businesses get free advertising on the radio, and the radio station gets some laughs. I think it's genius.

Moosepants - do you know of a medical clinic that might enjoy a rooster for a few hours in their reception area?

Finicky Feline

2011-09-07T19:19:00.001-06:00

Winter's kidneys are borderline. They don't cause him problems, but tests have always come back so close to the problematic line that vets are surprised that he's as healthy as he is. So, last week when the vet asked me what he eats, I hung my head in shame. He eats a popular brand of kibble that isn't great for him, especially with his kidneys.

I excused the poor nutrition by explaining that He Won't Eat Anything Else. He won't. He has his fairly healthy canned food, of which he'll eat *one* flavour. But, he's eaten the same kibble all his life, regardless of how many other brands I've brought home and begged him to eat. He'll eat what he likes, and that's it.

So, when the vet said to me that I should try this other food because it'd be better for him, I scoffed. No way he'll eat that, I said. Just try it, she said... see what he thinks. I really thought (and said) that taking home a sample was a waste of her food. It was just going to go straight into the garbage.

Keeping in mind that Winter refused to come out of the crate for the entire vet visit, and wasted $50 of my money, you can understand that he wasn't in my good books. I cleared his feeding station of his kibble and his canned food, and left him a few morsels of the new kibble.

The damn cat ate them all.

Then he went on a hunger strike and refused to eat anything else but the sample food..

Today, I finished off the last of the sample kibble, and he wouldn't even look at the food he used to eat. So, I begrudgingly drove across town - during rush hour - to buy him some more. They were out of the smaller bags, so I had the choice of driving home empty handed and letting my cat starve, or dropping another $50 on a 10 pound bag of kibble that will last 6 months.

Guess who turned his nose up at the new food once I got home.

We are not amused.

Trying Something Different

2011-09-06T16:24:00.000-06:00

You just can't win a battle against the sun. I tried for a while, but short of tinfoiling the room, I wasn't making much progress.

My ~~office~~ former office is a sun trap. It's hard to complain about a plethora of sunlight, but that's what I'm going to do. It's hot, and the glare off of the computer screen is really bad. It has worked fine in the past, but now that I'm in there for 8+ hours a day, that glare is headache inducing.

This morning, I started off in the office. I ended up moving into the dining room, but as the sun moved west across the sky, light started pouring into the dining room windows too. That's when I had an Aha! moment. My spare bedroom - a room that I barely use - is on the north side of the house. It never gets direct sunlight, regardless of the time of day.

And so, I present to you my new office:

Don't judge me for my phone. Mickey never runs out of batteries.

It comes with its own problems. That's a tight space, and there isn't room for my two monitors and docking station that I usually use for work.

Making room for the desk meant displacing the armoire and leaving the bed with no side tables... I suspect the armoire is going to end up being moved down to the basement. This setup also gives the cat the opportunity to launch himself onto the armoire, which would be fine if he didn't use his claws when he doesn't *quite* make the jump. The armoire may be going to the basement for now, but it's a nice piece of furniture that I don't want to see covered in scratches.

It also leaves the other room without a purpose, although that might be more a positive than a negative. I'm thinking a Nest Chair, a few shelves full of books across the back wall and a tiny desk to hold the Mac could make that room into a nice library.

I hope this works

2011-09-05T09:50:00.000-06:00

I continue to rejig the front office, while trying to find the still-elusive location for my desk without sunlight and glare. One thing that I was stumbling over was the plant in the room, which has grown so large that it had to remain in a corner so that the walls could support it.

Old picture.

This plant is one that I picked up while I was in college, and it was 6" high. It didn't have flowers at the time, but started blooming a while later. It hasn't stopped growing or blooming since.

It's gotten so big that even the longest stakes I could find were too short, and it was in danger of toppling over. I've been waffling about what to do for some time, and putting off what I thought was going to be the inevitable - throwing it away.

While trying to make room in the office, I ended up propping the plant in the dining room corner, had an idea and jumped on it without much thought. A few minutes later, I had teacup hooks screwed into the wall, and the plant had found a new home. I suspect it'll look better when it grows large enough to go up and across the wall.

Or not. I keep getting flashbacks of the 70's. It reminds me of when people had ivies hanging in macrame hangers with big wooden beads, and the branches of the plants stretched out across the room.

I also think the light fixture looks too busy in front of it.

It'd look better with a simple hurricane lamp, but new fixtures aren't in the budget.

Either way, the cup hooks screwed into the wall make this little experiment something of a commitment. I'll live with it for a while, and if I decide that I hate it, I guess I'll take it down... and repaint the wall.

Randomosity

2011-09-04T07:21:00.001-06:00

These are the things rumbling around in my brain

It blows me away that, years later, Cotton Dog's Story still averages 5 hits a day.
I just hired somebody to spray foam the top part of my basement walls. No, I didn't hire this guy. The next guy that came around was intelligent and respectful. And his quote was 25% less. I like him.
I need to hire somebody else to build new back stairs onto my deck. The original builder placed the stairs directly on the soil, so in addition to rotting, they have sunk significantly. Currently, they are held in place with three screws, and I'm afraid that they're going to snap off every time I go up or down.
I was hoping to go back to California again this Christmas, but all these expenses are interfering. It's times like this when I wish I was in a rental.
I could probably do the stairs myself. My goal in early August was to rebuild them with a lower rise and a deeper run to accommodate a certain little white dog who is growing old and going blind. Then the house flooded, and I ran out of steam.... and I'm not going to get it done.
I know three people who know people who would like the job, but now the decision about who to hire is slowing me down. Whichever guys I don't hire for the job, I somehow feel as though I'm insulting the people who introduced them to me.
Back in July some time, I decided to get serious about weight loss. I gained a lot of weight over the last couple of years, but now that I don't feel sick anymore, I don't have any more excuse. So far, I've lost 15.5 pounds.
I met a friend for lunch today. We sat at one of three active tables in the restaurant. Normally, this restaurant chain has about 50 active tables, but they had no staff. There was one cook, one waitress and a hostess, so they shut everything else down. It seems really odd to me to live in a place where it's not unusual for businesses to close or limit their available services because of staffing shortages. And yet, I know people in Eastern Canada or the US who are struggling to find jobs.
I have to rearrange my office again, because of plethora of sunlight and glare in the mornings. The desk is going to be facing the window again, but I don't want to rejoin the neighbourhood watch. The current curtains are too sheer to block my view, so I've jigged up my own version of redneck window covers. Yep, the lower windows are now covered with waxed paper. I'm such a class act.

Cranky Old Man

2011-09-03T11:08:00.004-06:00

Winter had an appointment for his annual checkup at the vet today. I stopped vaccinating the pets a few years ago (personal choice, and with the support of their vet), so the annual checkups involve them going to the vet's office, being weighed, being checked for unusual lumps or soreness under the guise of getting pats and cuddles, and then me answering questions. Not so stressful you'd think, eh?

Himself had other thoughts. When I put the crate at the front door, he climbed into it on his own as he usually does (it's really Cotton's crate, so that was a little underhanded on my part). He didn't cry or meow on the car ride. He didn't make peep in the waiting room. But, when we went into the exam room and opened the crate to take him out, he drew the line. Winter would not come out of the crate.

He hissed. He spat. He swatted. When we reached in to pull him out, he bit. When I tried to take the lid off the crate, he did all of the above.

I'm sure we could have donned ourselves in chainmail and forced him out, but neither the vet nor I wanted to do that. She reminded me that he had been in for a checkup in March when he'd had a bladder infection, and said that she'd done a fairly thorough exam then. We decided to leave him there.

Winter got a free pass, but I didn't. I spent $50 and 90 minutes on this little adventure.

Insider Trading

2011-08-31T16:08:00.008-06:00

Collect your pennies, folks. It's time for you to go out and buy stock on cheap pillows.

A certain little white dog has realized after eleven and half years that he's a terrier, and that terriers dig. He's got a lot of catching up to do, and he's on a mission.

With the threat of being skinned to repair any of my furniture that he damages hanging over his head, our little white hero has concentrated on digging his own bed. His crate, which is the preferred hangout, is the perfect size to house a standard pillow. In the past, cheap $3 pillows from Zellers have lasted a year before being replaced due to *ahem* a certain doggy smell.

In the last couple of weeks, he's been digging through the pillow cover in a day. Even if I flip them over - yes, I'm cheap - I can only get a couple of days out his pillows before the stuffing flies everywhere.

At this rate, I am going to single handedly finance a pillow factory.

I wonder if anybody makes chain link pillow cases?

The Zadge Rocks

2011-08-30T18:46:00.001-06:00

I posted a few days ago that I wanted a portrait of Cotton, but I wasn't thrilled with the photos that I have of him. The Zadge and I got to talking, and she did some Photoshopping magic.

I was going to save it until I got it framed and on the wall, but this is me talking... I have to wait until there's a sale at the framing shop, and that could be a while.

So, without further ado, here's the photo.

Nobody's cuter than Cotton, but the Zadge's mad Photoshopping skills make him look even better.

Hostile Work Environment

2011-08-29T16:17:00.002-06:00

CAN YOU SEE THE ABUSE I TAKE?!?

Also, I don't know why all those pictures were different colours. I think my flash kicked in for the middle two, and I didn't take the time to fiddle.

Portrait options

2011-08-27T08:11:00.027-06:00

It's bugged me for a long time that I have portraits of all my pets on the wall except for Cotton. Unfortunately, he's become afraid of the camera recently, so I doubt I'll have any opportunities to take any new portrait shots.

He's had periodic problems with gooby eyes - like he does right now because Natural Balance changed their ingredients without telling anybody - so that narrows the selection of photos down by about half. Most of the pictures that I have of him are in fairly low resolution as well, so that limits my options even more. Eventually, I decided to go with this one. I just can't decide if I should go with the SOOC (straight out of the camera) shot, or if I should brighten it.

I like the SOOC because the background is muted and the furniture doesn't stand out as much.

I like the brightened version because....well, it's brighter, but I find the armoir in the background to be somewhat distracting.

Which one do you think I should go with?

Lemon pasta with blackberries

2011-08-26T17:41:00.029-06:00

I'm not ready to give up on summer just yet, so I'm making a favorite hot weather meal for dinner tonight.

Carb heaven, this is.

Lemon pasta with blackberries, which is a Pioneer Woman recipe that I switched it up a bit.

In a pot of boiling water, toss in enough pasta to serve two people. (I prefer spaghettini for this dish.)

In the meantime, drizzle some oil in a hot skillet, and toss in a few tablespoons of diced onion - green onion works well here too - and a clove or so of minced garlic. Sauté for a few minutes, until they start to turn translucent, and then squeeze the juice of a lemon into the skillet. Add a few tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs - I've used parsley, oregano, basil or chives here, and anything goes. Sauté for a few more minutes, and then add about 1/4 cup of cream or half & half. Once everything is well blended, take off the heat. Toss your pasta into the sauce, and then add a cup or so of fresh blackberries. Top with shredded parmesan and some freshly ground pepper, then serve.

This recipe serves two, but you'll want to taste it before you share. I suspect you'll want it all for yourself... Leftovers of this dish are good, either hot or cold.

Say what??

2011-08-25T16:10:00.003-06:00

Since my basement is a mess with everything piled in the middle, I decided to take the opportunity to have the space between the mud sills and the first floor spray foamed. The builder made a lame attempt to stuff that area with insulation, and hardly bothered with the vapour barrier. I'm sure it's been a huge source of heat loss in the winter.

I called two companies for quotes. The guy that owned the second company called me back within a few minutes. He immediately gave me the hard sell, and tried to convince me to spray foam the entire basement wall instead of just the top (exposed) portion. I swallowed my annoyance with that, booked an appointment to have him come to give me a quote (that night!) and prepared myself to refuse the hard sell.

Later on, the guy arrived. I showed him to the basement and right away he could see that I'd had problems. He started to tell me that he was in the renovation business before, but got out of it because nobody ever did the job right. But, he felt that he had to tell me that he could see that a number of things had been very clearly done wrong. He started to lecture me about how they had to be repaired, and I had to interrupt him to remind him that he was there to give me a quote to spray foam the tops of the basement walls.

He then went about telling me about the complex job of spray foaming, and why my basement in particular would be a big challenge. In the next ten minutes, he said - and I kid you not - "how do I tell this so that you'll understand" 13 times. Or more. I started counting that particularly endearing phrase after I'd heard it two or three times too many. I did try at one point to tell him that I am a somewhat intelligent human being Another time, I explained to him that I had managed to do a lot of the work around the house myself. He ignored that, and continued to talk down to me as though I was a complete and total twit.

The kicker came when I informed him that I would not be hiring him if my basement was 'so complicated' that he could only spray 2/3 of what I wanted done. We discussed temporarily removing two vents that were blocking his way, for which he suggested I hire somebody to do it for me. That way - and I quote - I can sit back with my feet up and watch my favorite soap opera.

He left shortly after that. I suspect the look in my eyes may have encouraged him to go. I doubt he noticed the relation to his statements and my walking to the door at the bottom of the stairs and waving him upstairs and out. Either way, he'll not be getting the job.

The other company ended up calling me back. They'll come out to give me a quote soon, and I'm wondering if I need to ask a male friend to be with me when they come. Apparently I'm too dumb to know what I want without one. Instead, I suspect I'm going to skip hiring this job out. I'm heading over to the Mecca (AKA Home Depot) tonight to inquire about the rental tools and materials that I'd need to do it myself.

Odds and Sods - working from home

2011-08-23T16:39:00.052-06:00

I need a bigger desk. 3 monitors (one Apple for personal use, and 2 Dels for work) and a laptop don't fit on my tiny 2' by 4' desk.
I have pushed or lifted a certain white cat off my lap ~~13864~~ 13865 times today.
It's surprising how many people really don't get the concept of my 'working' from home. Yes, I'm home. No, I'm not available to socialize.
At first, I had one simple rule that I gave myself for working from home - work during business hours. I've added a few that I've decided are non-negotiable: wear a bra, brush your teeth before signing in for the day. I discovered that if I didn't do that, I ended up spending most of my days in PJs with fuzzy teeth and foul breath. Now, I get up, get dressed (usually in normal business attire) and sign in as though I'd driven into the office. I'm surprised at how much the clothes I'm wearing impact my productivity.
I need to block my view from the front window. It really is better for my blood pressure to not know how many children swipe rocks from my rock gardens every day.

I can't decide

2011-08-21T21:37:00.001-06:00

Due to the recent house flood, I am shopping for a new chair or love seat. Insurance will pay for whatever I buy (within reason). I've narrowed my choices down to two chairs:

A Nest Chair, which is a huge circle (4' diameter). When you climb in, you have to push yourself to the back, as though you'd just climbed into a bed from the end. Ie - it's too deep sit on it with your feet on the floor and your back against the pillows.

Or a tufted chair (I can't find the exact model, but it's something like this one.)

Whatever I get, I want to use now. I don't want to buy something, only to store it in the basement.

The Nest chair is the perfect chair for what I have planned when I finish the basement, but I don't expect to finish the basement any time soon. It's sink in, curl up and read a whole book comfy. It does not go with my current decor. Until I finish the basement, I could leave it in the living room (where it would clash in style) or I could rearrange the furniture in my office to make room in there (putting my desk back to the "neighbourhood watch" position at the window). This is not a Classic. Chances are, it'll be an unwanted piece of furniture at some point.

The tufted chair is a style that I've always loved. It's a classic style that I doubt I'd ever regret buying. It would fit in with my current decor as well as just about anything in the future. There's a space in the living room, calling its name.

Whichever chair I got, it would be in a neutral solid-coloured fabric. If I got the Nest chair, I would have the option of of ordering the pillows in various coordinated colours and patterns.

I want the Nest chair.

I think the tufted chair is the more responsible choice.

Please tell me what to do.

Questions - of the etiquette variety

2011-08-20T17:17:00.004-06:00

You are invited to a new friend's baby shower. You don't know the host at all, or most of the other guests. When you offered to bring something, the host requested an appetizer - but not a fruit or veggie plate (ie - something hot would be nice). You'll also be driving the pregnant friend to the shower, which is being held a half hour away, so can't arrive early. Knowing this, is it an unreasonable imposition to ask to use the host's oven to heat your appetizer? Or, is better to heat it right before you leave and hope that it doesn't cool too much?

Speaking of baby showers. Say you're woefully unprepared. Say that you've hit no less than 5 stores in the search for the right gift over the last week, but remain unsuccessful. Say you finally find something that you think she'll like, but it's a generic brand at a discount department store. Do you: a) cut off all the tags and pretend like it's haut couture, b) leave the tags, but hope nobody notices, c) confess loud and proud - there's no shame in stretching your dollar, or d) find something else.

I am beautiful

2011-08-18T16:33:00.005-06:00

That's all you need to know.

Cast Iron is Forever

2011-08-17T16:52:00.009-06:00

I've wanted an enamelled cast iron Le Creuset pot for ages, but can't bring myself to spend the money. They cost over $300 each, so I suspect I'll never have one. Luckily, I came upon a knockoff at Costco that cost ten percent that amount about a year ago. I snapped it up, and have loved it ever since. My only complaint has been that the large size. More often than not, it's way more pot than I need.

Jump forward to a happy day last week, when I made a rare appearance at Costco again and found a skillet version of the not-a-real Le Crueset. I was there to replace an electric fry pan that was at the end of its lifespan, and decided that this would do just the the trick. It's better actually because, unlike electric fry pans, it doesn't have any teflon. I've looked high and low, and I'll be darned if I can find an electric fry pan that isn't coated in the stuff. (Teflon off-gases, scratches and eventually peels off. It doesn't last. Enamelled or well seasoned cast iron will last forever and is so much better for the environment.)

I've been cooking with my new skillet regularly since it came home, and all I can say is that you need one. Everybody needs one. Every kitchen should have these things. Food is better (crispier) coming out of it, with less oil... although, that might be the cooking with gas vs electric. It can take high temperatures without smoking. It's super easy to clean. And, as a bonus, it weighs a tonne and will double as a weapon, in case of intruders.

Get thee to Costco. You need a Not-a-real Le Crueset skillet. And a not-a-real Le Crueset pot wouldn't hurt you either.

PS - Don't judge my splatters. This is a working kitchen.

Want to See My Drawers?

2011-08-16T16:19:00.025-06:00

When I'm stressed, I organize... everything but what I should be organizing. Technical difficulties continue at work. The basement is still a gong show. So, I attacked the kitchen drawers. Believe me, if I'd have thought to take before pictures, you'd have been impressed with these after shots.

This next one's a work in progress, but I ran out of steam.

My question to you is, why are all drawer organizers exactly a half inch too big, or two inches too small for every one of my drawers? Does everybody have this problem, or is this yet another way that my builder screwed up?

Second Home

2011-08-15T17:20:00.000-06:00

is a term that means something else entirely on my street.

Objects in picture are larger than they appear.

Used to be, most of my neighbours had small trailers, a little bigger than their vans. Then one of these monstrosities showed up in the spring. Now everybody has to keep up with the Jones and trailers are as long and tall as a city bus.

To go camping.

Huh.

Day off today

2011-08-12T16:33:00.000-06:00

I haven't been able to get much done at work lately because of technical difficulties, so I decided to take the day off. I actually get a stupid amount of vacation days now. I carried forward quite a few that I didn't use last year, and when I went back to work after the surgery, my boss reminded me that I should aim to take 7 weeks of vacation. Between May - Dec. Now, I suspect you're all thinking that I'd be crazy not to take that time off, but we have a pretty big project going on at the office. If I'm away, my backup has to do my job as well as her own, and the project gets behind. So, I've been trying to fit them in here and there when things slow down.

Like now.

Also, I wanted a do-over on my sucky long weekend.

Why did my long weekend suck, you ask? Because the saga of the house flood continues. The restoration company that the insurance company sent out struggled to get the job done. Each time that they came, they had a list of tasks to complete and every single time that they left, they failed to complete some of the tasks. Primarily, I want the dang list of my items that were damaged.

The first day that the crew was here, the lady leading the crew took my list to make photo copy for herself - I don't know why - and left my copy in the truck when she came back. I asked her to bring it in for me, but she got distracted and forgot. The next day, something happened and she was fired.

I called the owner of the company, asking him for my list. He said he'd have the next crew to come out bring it to me. They forgot. They had to go back to the office part way through the day. I asked for the list, but they forgot. I called the owner, asking him for my list. He said he'd have the next crew to come out bring it to me. They forgot. Repeat the cycle another 5 times over a three week period, except make the owner of the company more belligerent with each call.

I really think that they lost my list. Or, they lost some of my stuff and they're hoping that if I don't have my list I won't notice. (They bring everything to the warehouse so that the insurance adjuster can double check my list to make sure I'm not claiming things I didn't have). For one thing, the guy who replaced the lady who was fired "accidentally" informed me that they had lost my couch. Seriously, they lost my couch. Maybe the lady that got fired is sleeping on it??? Luckily, I have pictures of it floating in the water, in case the insurance company needs proof that it was destroyed. Which is good, because without pictures or a list, I can claim for bupkis.

I called my insurance adjuster yesterday, and she said she'd follow up with the restoration company. So far, I haven't heard any more, but I'm sure you can understand why I'd be a little worried.

Today my plan was to sort out the gigantic pile of stuff that had been salvaged and try to put it away. (If more than half of the basement contents were thrown away, where did all that crap come from??? ) It's a daunting task, though, and I can't go downstairs without thinking about the gong show that is going on with the list.

So, instead, I'm making jam. There's nothing complicated about jam.

Horrible, horrible thoughts

2011-08-11T16:23:00.002-06:00

Lately, I've been working on getting my will in place. I'm feeling fine and have no expectations of expiring anytime soon; it's just been bothering me for some time that I don't have a will in place. I'm doing this because I worry about the arrangements for my pets. If I can't take care of them, I want to make darned sure that they go somewhere that they'll get the same level of care that they get from me.

Tallulah's easy. She' goes back to the breeder, who I've stayed in contact with and trust very much. Winter will go live with a friend and her family. I've seen them with their own pets, so I know they'd take excellent care of him. Cotton is the problem. I've been thinking about it for weeks, and I can't think of anybody that I'd trust who is in the position to take on an aging maltese that's going blind, has panic attacks and a raging case of canine dementia. Oh, and he's cat, dog and child aggressive too.

I haven't wanted to put the option that I'm leaning towards into words, but last night made me make up my mind.

Last night, there was an electrical storm that lasted for about 2 hours. Lately, Cotton's dementia has been causing him a lot of grief at night (he wakes up, gets disoriented in the dark and then gets upset) but he's always been fine with storms. Storms were the one thing that never phased him. Last night however, the constant flashing of lightning and booms of thunder pushed him over the edge and sent him into a doozy of a panic attack.

During panic attacks, Cotton thinks he needs to be as close to me as possible, but at the same time, he tries his hardest to escape. (I haven't figured out what he's escaping... the room he's in, his crate, the yard if he's outside. He just needs to run away.) He pants, and he drools copious amounts. He also digs. If I confine him in any way, he'll dig and chew until his nails and teeth are bloody nubs.

At first, I tried to sooth him. Then I got angry because it was 1:00am and I had to get up in the morning, so I locked him out of my room. Then I reminded myself that he can't help it, and swaddled him up in a blanket and held him as tight as I could for an hour. That kind of worked for a while, but then he started escalating again. When he started digging and biting at me, I put him on the floor. He went ballistic. I picked him up again and paced the house, trying to calm him down.

The light and sound from the storm was freaking him out. I couldn't take him to the basement to get away from it, because he gets too worried in unfamiliar spaces. We couldn't go to the garage, because the garage means a car ride, and car rides are the source of all horror. So, I put him in his crate in the bathroom with the door closed. He dug to get out until I thought he was going to lose a nail, so I let him loose. He ran to the backdoor, begging me to take him out into the storm - but I knew he'd then dig out of the dog pen and eventually the yard if I let him. It was now 2:30am, and all I could think to do was to curse, swear or cry.

Then I came to my senses and rooted deep into the drawer where I keep meds. I found a bottle of diazepam (previously prescribed to him for extreme situations like this, but avoided as much as possible, as per vet's instructions). It was a battle, but eventually I got most of it down his throat. I swaddled him up and went back to bed, where I held him tight until the pill kicked in. An hour or so later, the alarm went off and I had a happy, mellow old dog in my bed. He was pretty wobbly for the rest of the day, but you'd otherwise never have known that anything was wrong.

So, I've decided. I can't take the chance that Cotton would go through anything like that alone. If I die before he does, he's going to be cremated with me.

Randomosity

2011-08-08T17:52:00.005-06:00

There's a major brand of laundry detergent that has a new ad out. It says that 36% of women admit to washing their sheets less than once a month. That grosses me out. (I wash mine once or twice a week.)
I just found out that the Electrolux vacuum shop downtown ripped me off big time last year. What they told me was a complete engine failure ($400+ repair) was actually straightening out the belt on the powerhead ($50 max). They talked me out of the repair, and sold me a built-in instead, which cost significantly more than the expensive repair. I'm happy with the new vacuum, but pissed that they snowed me. Not sure if I should say or do anything, or if I should just let it go.
I am on week two of *almost* only whole foods. I've given up processed foods. (I still eat things like canned beans for now, and am finishing off the food that I already had in the house) It's not so bad, and I'm sure it'll be easier when I finish weaning myself off of chocolate. Although, it'll be more difficult in the winter when there aren't any local producers.
I also gave up eating at Subway about a month ago, which is where I used to buy my lunch at least 4 days a week. This is made easier by my working at home and having easy access to food, but I needed to stop going there. I can't justify supporting a company that chooses Michael Vick as their spokesperson.
I figured out that by working from home, I'm saving $40/week in lunch money. That doesn't take into account my gas money, or impulse shopping that happens when I run to the mall for a change in scenery over lunch.
I'm going to set up my bank to automatically apply that $40 to my line of credit every week. I was working to pay off the renovation loan within 3 years, but this will help me pay it off that much earlier. Then it's going into a travel fund.

It isn't always a bad thing,

2011-08-06T14:14:00.000-06:00

... to be forgetful.

This spring, I mixed sugar peas in with the sweet peas (flowers) along the trellis on the side of the deck. And then I forgot.

I went outside this afternoon to pick some sweet peas for my kitchen, and was surprised to find enough fresh peas for dinner tonight.

Well, there would have been enough peas for dinner tonight if I hadn't eaten them already.