Success!

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

• 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

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

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

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

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

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.