Day 3 - Lazy Sunday

Up early this morning to feed the cats. My daughter D was caring for her friend's wee boy last evening and poor Sasha wouldn't come out to be fed. As a result he started pestering me early this morning. At first, I tried to ignore him but somewhere in the sleepy brain of mine came the realization that he was probably starving very hungry.

Went for brunch with a friend, to Wally world for a few items and then home to relax. So that's what we're all doing.

Saku is so good cute when he's sleeping!

Sasha relaxing in his bed

Silas chilling on the coffee table - maybe the glass is cool?

Couldn't get one of Sami sleeping under the loveseat, so here she is hanging out on the back of the chair.

Now I'm going to relax out on the deck because we've got another weather watch in effect. I'd best enjoy it now!

Day 2

I meant to get to bed early last night but shortly after I crawled into bed, I heard the wind pick up, and quickly realized a storm was blowing in. I called to my son C to come upstairs to watch it with me. It was raining so hard, I could barely see across the street, and there sheets of rain coming in sideways. The lightning was brilliant flashing across the sky and lighting up the night. At a few points, it even colored the sky, orange, green, or blue. I've never seen that happen so had to google it!

This article explains that the colors are created by high altitude lightning that flare above the clouds at the same time as lightning discharges in the cloud. I wish I had thought to take some pictures but probably could not have been quick enough with my little digital camera.

After all of the excitement last night, I went to bed and crashed within minutes. Sasha tried to wake me at 6 a.m. but I ignored him and they all let me sleep until nearly 8:30. I spent much of the day outside on the deck or hanging out in the sunroom. Despite my lazy attitude I managed to get a couple of loads of laundry done, vacuumed the main floor, made potato salad, and cleaned cat litter (not in that order!).

I even started crocheting an afghan. It's been years since I've done any kind of knitting or crocheting and at first I couldn't recall the stitches. Luckily the book has pictures and once I got started it came back easily. It's funny how our memory works, even though my mind was uncertain, my hands seemed to know what to do.

Here's the start of it beside the pattern, hopefully it won't be too long before my efforts look similar!

Start of a long weekend

The cats woke me up early this morning, wanting to be fed, as usual. I had thought I'd sleep in since today is the start of a four day weekend. Monday is a statutory holiday and I took today as an earned day off. I had some errands to run this morning anyway so decided sleeping in could wait until tomorrow (hopefully).

I went downtown to renew my passport. Since this is usually a lengthy process I made sure I put enough money in the meter for a couple of hours. It was a pleasant surprise when I was able to get in and through the line up in less than 20 minutes. Someone else got a nice surprise too since my meter still had lots of time on it.

After picking up a few things at Canadian Tire, including a few new plants to replace my wave petunias, I came home to relax outside in the sun. I was reading the local paper when I noticed today was the opening for the new Smurf movie. I've always had a soft spot for the little blue men (and Smurfette), so decided to spend an afternoon chilling in the theatre.

I had fun! The story line is a little weak and the characters aren't overly developed but it is a children's moview after all. With the 3D effects (which I'd never seen before), the few lines that were meant for the adults in the audience, and the giggles from the children around me, it kept me laughing for the entire movie.

Today was a great start to my long weekend!

Thinking of winter

While the air conditioner works to cool down the house, I'm thinking ahead to January. Don't get me wrong, I'm not wishing for winter to arrive anytime soon, it's just I've been busily checking websites for winter vacations. You can never start planning too early, right?

Until today, we'd been torn between two options; either 11 days at an all-inclusive at St. Lucia, or a 10 day Eastern Caribbean cruise with Princess Cruises. We really wanted to get to St. Lucia, because my friend K has never been there, and since she's so well travelled it's hard to find many countries she hasn't been too before. Both options put us in St. Lucia although the cruise would only provide one day on the island.

Today, K came up with the most brilliant idea. She suggested we should look at a week in St. Lucia and pair it up with a week long cruise. I did some research and on my first try came up with a fantastic pairing, and even better the entire trip came in a less than our original pricing for 11 days on St. Lucia!

We'll fly out of Miami to St. Lucia for seven days at Bay Gardens Inn in mid-January. While it's not an all-inclusive, neither of us care to drink a lot, and there is a fridge in each room to keep some fruit, milk and cold drinks. This hotel is part of a group of three hotels, including the Bay Gardens Resort and we'll be given access to the beach at the resort. From what I've read in Tripadvisor it's a mere 15-20 minute walk away, or a short shuttle ride.

After a relaxing week on the beach, it's back to Miami overnight, and a short trip over to the port in Fort Lauderdale to board the Crown Princess. From there we'll spend seven days cruising the Western Caribbean with stops in Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize City, and Cozumel. After the cruise we'll head back to the cold and snow...brrr.

Ain't life grand?

Wordless Wednesday

The more things change, the more life changes

I was looking back at some of my earlier posts, both from an editorial perspective and to refresh my poor memory on the topics I'd dealt with previously. Menopause memory truly sucks!

I was laughing a little at my post of May 29 (which if I knew how to create a link I would). I was writing about the impact of depression on my life, and how it creates the need to create change in my life. With the benefit of hindsight, over the last few weeks there have been changes in my life, most positive, and each one has created a new opportunity for me.

The first change in my life was creating this blog. I had no idea whether anyone would ever read what I wrote, and yet I was hopeful someone might. Well, not only do the statistics show that there are views almost on a daily basis, I actually have two followers! Thank you both, it's so nice to know I'm not talking only to myself.

My work is changing as well, not only have I been asked to coordinate this newest project, but it appears the composition of my team will change soon as well. Three of my staff are currently involved in a competition which may take one of them to another area in the office while another individual has been assigned to my group for the duration of the project. And still another staff member, although he won't know about it until tomorrow, will be given an opportunity to move to a different section.

The thing about change is that it is constant. In the moment, it's not to see but looking back provides a new perspective.

A good kind of tired

Last night was another rough night. I tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable cooler spot in the bed without disturbing the cats. Why do I care? Because from their perspective, if I'm awake, it must be feeding time at the zoo. So I'm very careful, sliding one leg at a time out from under the covers, and arranging the blanket so no one has to move. I'm sure to an outside observer it would be hilarious to watch.

Although I sleep with a fan on, take my herbal pills, the night sweats are annoying. Thus far, I haven't had to change sheets but it isn't unusual for me to tear of my nightgown and fan it in the air. Again, probably humourous to watch, but not great to live with.

As a result I went to work feeling tired and a little out of sorts. With so many of my staff away on holidays I thought it would be a quiet day with few tasks to keep me busy. Boy was I wrong! Last week I agreed to help out another manager by gathering information for a project. Then while I was off on Friday our office received word we'd been granted funding for another project. Our management group decided it would be my responsibilty to coordinate and monitor the project through it's completion. As is often the case, the information provided is limited and we'll learn as we go. I know I'll be working with some great people so I'm sure we'll meet the challenge!

Then there were the normal Monday issues, answering messages, reading and responding to e-mails, reviewing timesheets, and weekly meetings with staff. I came home exhausted though I hadn't even noticed feeling tired all day. When I look back I see a lot was accomplished, the work was interesting and challenging and I have more to keep me busy tomorrow. I might be tired but I feel great!

Renovations

Part of the reason I bought this house was for the three bathrooms. Although our little house had two bathrooms, both were small and my daughter and I shared one. In this house, I would have a three piece ensuite, my daughter would have the main bathroom to herself and my son would have the basement bathroom. Although we were given to understand that all the basement bathroom needed was to have the shower (already purchased) installed that was not the case. My plumber explained to me the bathroom was too small for the shower stall and needed to be extended about 15 inches. Luckily a portion of the basement is unfinished and the space is available.

It's just taken me a very long time to get around to the work that needs to be done prior to having the wall moved. This morning I started removing carpet underlay, not an easy task, because whoever put it down originally glued it directly to the concrete floor. I'm using a paint scraper to remove it little by little, and while it isn't a big area, at the rate I'm going it will be the end of summer before I'm ready to call in a carpenter.

This mini-renovation is reminiscent of another job I took on when we moved here. The former owners had foster children and when I viewed the house the spare bedroom on the main floor looked like this:

I'd removed wallpaper before so the lovely clouds and gingham didn't concern me. Hah! It turned out that whoever put up the wallpaper had the same propensity for glue. It took me nearly two weeks, evenings and weekends, to remove it.


At times I even resorted to tweezers to pull small pieces off the wall!

After painting the entire room, replacing the window, installing furniture, and decorating my guest room looks like this:

I hope the bathroom renovation turns out as well!

Determination and perseverance

With Silas on his special diet, the other cats get fed only twice a day since I can't leave their food out all the time. As a result, the moment I stir in the morning, one or more of them is letting me know it's time for breakfast.

Saku has discovered that knocking my eye glasses off the bedside table is usually enough to get me moving. I'm always worried if I doze off, I'll forget, and step on the glasses when I do get out of bed.

This morning, however, I was just too tired to wake up and ignored his first effort. I didn't get to sleep much longer though because he figured out something else.

I guess he thought since I normally wake up to the alarm clock knocking it off the night table would work as well as the alarm! He was right. :>)

Stuck

I'm stuck...I don't anything interesting or funny to share, nothing I've read or seen in the last couple of days has caused and "aha" moment or sparked any passion. So I'm hanging out, watching the television because that's stimulating for the brain, right?

I've been feeling aimless all most of the day. (Since the day is barely half done, how can I say all day?) I had several things planned for today, my EDO (earned day off) but until a few minutes ago I didn't even recall those tasks. Menopause memory strikes again!

However, I've got some housework done, taken out the garbage and recycling, and mowed the lawn. Written down it sounds fairly organized and normally I'd have a list of things to do and I'd move from room to room. Today's tasks were accomplished with no sense of purpose. I saw the dishwasher needed to be emptied when I made coffee this morning so did that. While I waited for the coffee to be made I wandered into my bedroom and picked up a few items. After my coffee time I noticed that something got spilled in the sunroom so I grabbed the vacuum and since I was started kept going on the main floor. Emptying the vacuum made me realize that the garbage and recycling needed to be taken out. While I was outside doing that, I saw that it is looking like it might rain and my lawn needed mowing.

On the other hand, I haven't cleaned the bathrooms, removed any of the carpet underlay from the basement floor or done any of the research on xeriscaping I'd planned to do. Thank goodness I still have the rest of the day!

Wordless Wednesday

Photo by: Ross Carter, Regina, Saskatchewan

It's official

It's a heat wave but it appears it will be over soon. A cold front is currently moving into our area of the province. I'm currently watching the radar which shows that the storms are closing in on the city quickly though so far nothing is looking too severe. My brother in Alberta wasn't so lucky, check out his tent that took a beating in a hail storm earlier this week!

I spent a good part of this evening on the deck, enjoying the heat and humidity. It was a beautiful evening with enough of a breeze to keep the mosquitos at bay. I felt as though I was back in the tropics; this weather is very different than our normal dry heat!

I must admit I'm looking forward to a little cooler weather since our air conditioning died at work today. By 4 p.m. it was in excess of 24C (75F) on the 4th floor and by the time I left at 5 p.m. it was getting close to unbearable especially since I was dressed in business attire! Requesting a service call requires calling a central telephone number somewhere in the country of Canada from which a call is dispatched so I don't have a lot of hope that it will be repaired by morning. I guess I'll have to hope that Mother Nature cools things down overnight!

Hot, hot, hot

It's been awhile since it's been this warm hot here in Saskatchewan. Today's high in the city was 36C (over 90F) and with the humidity it felt several degrees higher. For the weather forcasters, this is day two, one more day and we'll be in an official heat wave. Hard to believe that in June our temperatures were below normal and we even had frost warnings overnight at times.

There is a saying, used in various places in the world, that if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes. Our weather hasn't been quite that changeable but we're definitely in the midst of a real major change. With the extreme heat comes the chance of storms; currently there is a tornado watch in the northwestern part of our province. Hopefully it will not develop any further!

I love this weather and, in particular, the humidity. I'm fortunate in that it doesn't cause my hair to frizz but my skin is less prone to being dry and flaky.

And of course, the temperatures remind me of my winter holidays in the Caribbean. I do find the heat more oppressive here because I don't live near water. There is nothing like an ocean breeze to cool one off, especially when combined with a tropical drink!

Here's a picture from my seat at a local restaurant in Curacoa last January, since I have no local water pictures to share.

My new toy

There tends to be a little of my Scottish ancestory come out in me when I'm shopping. I rarely buy anything at full price, always looking for a deal, and then relishing in my "savings". I'm sure I've been taken in by the "just reduced" items because I don't always know the original sticker price. What can I say, I'm a fool for a bargain!

Here's my newest bargain purchase

The original price was $42.97 and I got it for $31.97. That didn't include the propane tanks (2 for $7.98) and the table (less than $10). NOR does it take into account the time it took me to read (and understand) the instructions to put it together. Who writes those manuals anyway? Little dotted lines that lead to nowhere and diagrams that look like a five year drew them! Okay, rant over, at least they did package the little screws and fittings separately and the actual pieces looked like the drawings. Since I'm not mechanically inclined, it took me less than an hour to put it all together and test it...and it works!

Guess how we're cooking our dinner tonight!

Time flies when you're having fun!

This is where we used to live a year ago

Today we've been living here for a whole year

My kids call it a garage house, so here's a picture of the front entrance

Out front is the only flower bed, because the back yard is filled with a sunroom, two-tiered deck, and two small buidings. I gave up yardwork for a whole lot more housework!

R E S P E C T

I haven't blogged about my work, except in general terms, because I can't feel totally free to express my feelings for fear of someone finding this blog and reading my thoughts. That would imply that I'm not happy at my work, which is not the case, however there are frequent frustrations that make my days challenging.

Today was one of the rare terrific days because I got a reminder of why I do the work I do. My current position is managing and coaching a team of worker bees. I spend a lot of time discussing issues and ideas with each person, reviewing their work, and challenging them to learn and develop their skills and abilities. One of my current team members came to our group about 9 months ago with a overwhelming amount of work that he simply wasn't managing well. He was considered by his former manager to be a performance problem and frankly, I think that manager had washed his hands of P and just left him to sink or swim.

At first it was obvious he didn't trust me and wasn't certain about working on my team. In fact, just a month or so after he came over he shared with me that he'd been told I'd be very difficult to work for because I was so demanding. I explained to him at the time, my goal is to encourage my staff to do their best in every instance; as a result I have high expectations.

However, together we perservered with many conversations and he will soon complete the last of his old workload and is beginning to work on new projects. Over the past few months, I've commented to him how impressed I've been with his willingness to put into practice my suggestions and that I have observed a real desire to learn and improve.

Today this same individual shared with me another story. A cubicle with a window had come open earlier this month and he asked me if he could move from his interior spot. I agreed and he moved this morning. Someone from another team asked him what he had to pay me for such a nice spot and he answered "what she deserved". When he was asked what that was, he responded "respect". How nice is that?

I've tucked this event away in my memory bank, to bring out on those days when things aren't going well, and I'm questioning my abilities and even my career choice. Thank you P...you truly made my day!

Two more sleeps

A good friend of mine will be here for a visit in just two days. Actually she arrives tomorrow evening but has to visit with family first! What the heck is that all about? (LOL) We're planning to get together Friday afternoon perhaps to a little shopping and definitely for drinks first, and dinner afterward.

I'm so looking forward to our visit, not only for the chance to catch up, but because every visit means lots of laughter and fun. T and I started working together 14 years ago here in this city. Being single and mobile, she's since moved twice and is part of our Headquarters staff.

I started my job a few months after she and T was the first to invite me to join her group for coffee. Not unusual I expect for most offices, except T is nearly 15 years my junior. At the time she was 21 years old, fresh out of university, with a sense of self assurance rarely found in a young person. Today, 14 years later, that confidence is still going strong and I can always count on her to be there for me, no matter what.

She has a lot of great qualities including the ability to laugh at herself. T always has an event to share where she innocently got into some sort of predicament, and although it ends well, there's always a hilarious story to go with it. We also share a sick sense of humor that not everyone appreciates. I expect Friday will be no different and I'll wake up the next day with sore ribs from having laughed so hard and so long.

We only get to see each one or twice a year but we certainly make the most of it. No matter how long it's been we're always able to pick up where we left off as if we saw one another the day before. I can hardly wait!!! Aren't good friends great?

Some people just don't learn

Just last week, a basefall fan died in Texas after falling through a gap in the stands. Shannon Stone was trying to reach for a foul ball thrown by his son's favorite player. His young son, age 6, was in the stands, and witnessed his father's fall. Mr. Stone was trying to give his child a special treat as memory of their but unfortunately lost his life in the process. What a sad memory for his little boy.

On Monday, another man, Keith Carmickle nearly suffered the same fate. He, his brother and a friend were attending Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby in Phoenix when he stepped onto a metal table trying to snare a high ball. Luckily for Mr. Carmickle, the quick reaction of his brother and friend saved his life. They were able to get a good hold and pulled him back to safety.

Michael Chow/Arizona Republic/AP

I'm certain Mr. Carmickle is grateful that his life was spared, but I have to wonder what he was thinking. I assume he thought getting the ball was worth the risk, and the likelihood that he would slip and fall wasn't likely. How wrong he was! As for the Stone family, I'm certain they wish Shannon would have been as fortunate.

Where to go from here?

Spent the evening checking various travel sites for cruises and vacation packages. Decisions, decisions...good thing I have over 5 months to decide! Especially if we go last minute!!!

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Our goal is 10 days to 2 weeks, somewhere in the Caribbean. If it's a resort it needs to be all inclusive, perferably close to a community (for shopping and time off resort), clean, good food and drink. (No Mexico, Dominican Republic or Haiti) I've travelled on Princess Cruise lines, and my travel buddy has also been on Carnival. If you've had experience with any other cruise line and have comments I'd love to hear them.

I love the hunt for a winter vacation. At the moment, the weather is lovely here at home, a little cooler today but warmer weather coming tomorrow, but I know that winter will come again. Planning to get away from it all for a couple of weeks is the best treat!

Here's a photo from Princess Cay beach in the Bahamas and our cruise ship, the Grand Princess. LOVED IT!!!

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Spoiled rotten

He may be sick, but he's spoiled rotten - I'm talking about Silas, of course. Since he was diagnosed with a tumour this srping he's had to be fed a special diet because his tummy gets upset very easily. We've discovered he likes the soft food, venison and rice, with a little hypoallergenic kibble thrown in for good measure.

The need for different diet from the other cats has meant a change in routine for everyone. I can't simply leave the food dishes on the mat and allow the cats to nosh at will. Silas tends to vomit react poorly to the regular cat food. It's not pleasant to clean up at all, and for some reason, I've found the cats prefer to mess up the carpets rather than the hard surface floors (better traction, maybe?)

Anyway, now I feed them seperately. Twice a day, morning and evening, I fill Silas' bowl first and take him and the food dish to my bedroom. Then I return to the kitchen to fill the other three dishes, much to the delight of Sasha, Sami, and Saku, who have been waiting impatiently for their turn.

So why do I say Silas is spoiled rotten? It turns out that Silas ia social eater; he doesn't eat, or at least not very well when he is left on his own. Since getting some weight back on him is so important, after putting the bowls down for the other cats, I head for my bedroom to hang with my buddy. He's happy I'm there to hang with him while he eats and I'm grateful he's here at all.

Water, life and death

This spring has been a season of water in all its forms. Between flooding from snow melt and run-off from the mountains, continual rain and thunder storms, and most recently hail storms, we've been inundated throughout the Prairie provinces. It is so different from 80 years ago, when the same areas were suffering through the drought of the dirty 30's. While I was not alive at the time, my Dad described his family's life on the ranch before they gave it up to move north to homestead.

I am reminded water can be life-giving but unfortunately it can also be deadly. Early this week, the body of a 77 year old man was discovered in a local lake. Somehow he fell or slipped into the water and was unable to climb to safety. In the last few weeks, there have been ten drownings in our province, including three young boys in separate incidents. I wonder, did these events occur because of increased water levels or the result of complanceny around water? When the waters are calm it can be so easy to disregard what might happen should caution not be taken. My thoughts go out to those impacted by these deaths; they too are likely questioning how these tragedies could happen and wondering "what if?"

We cannot live without water. We rely on it for drinking, washing, irrigation and food production, for heating and cooling our homes and businesses, producing the electricity that lights our lives (and runs ours computers), and in waste treatment plants. In our cities and towns, we take it for granted that when we turn the taps, the water will run. In recent years we've become more aware of the impact our lives have on the water we use, recognizing how truly important this resource is to our quality of life.

As with everything Mother Nature provides us, water brings good into our lives but can turn deadly when we fail to show it respect. Be safe, this summer!

Changing my mindset

I'm not feeling well today, woke up with a headache and a stiff neck, while I took some medication it hasn't alleviated much. On that note, I realized that whatever I wrote today was unlikely to be cheerful or uplifting. Being in pain has a tendency to cause a person me to feel grumpy and out of sorts.

With determination, to change my mindset by focusing on the good, I've decided to list some of my favorite things.

Food items - pizza and beer, ginger beef and lemon chicken, fresh coffee, a bagel and cream cheese, taco salad, my mom's potato salad, salmon, ravioli, and pretty much anything I don't have to cook!
Smells - fresh mown grass, after a rain, fresh baked bread, baby powder, vanilla and citrus.
Plants - lilacs, lilies, gazinnias, sweet potato vines, begonia, freesia, baby's breath, impatience, pansies, sweet peas, and the list is endless
People - my children, my friends, my family, George Clooney, Thomas Ulsrud, and Sam Waterston.
Places I've visited - in the Caribbean - Cuba, Curacoa, St. Kitt's, Grenada, in Canada - Victoria, B.C., Ottawa, Ontario, Missinipe, Saskatchewan, and my current city of choice, Regina, Saskatchewan.
Television and books - Law and Order, Criminal Minds, Big Bang Theory, House Hunters, anything by Diana Gabaldon or Maeve Binchy, true crime books, and biographies.
Sports - football (Go Riders!), curling, and gymnastics

Phew - that's quite the list! What are some of your favorite things?

Wordless Wednesday

Missing but not forgotten

Today marks the 7th anniversary of the disappearance of an innocent child from our community. Tamra Keepness was only five years old when she disappeared sometime over night on July 5, 2004. A barbecue was held in a park near the rental house where she vanished from for family and friends to come together to remember a little girl lost.

The picture of the smiling little girl belies the life she lived. While no one knows for certain, or at least those who do are not forthcoming, it appears that Tamra lived in a home of turmoil. It has been reported that her mother last saw Tamra around 10:30 that evening; the child was watching television with her siblings while her mother prepared to go out to a friend's house for an evening of drinking. Lorena Keepness states that she left the five children in the care of her eldest daughter Summer, aged 11. However newspaper reports at the time suggested the children were left in the care of Lorena's common-law husband Dean McArthur and a family friend Russell Sheepskin. According to witness reports, the two men were drinking heavily that evening and at one point early the next morning there was an altercation between the two just outside the home. We know that violence was not unusual in this home, as Dean McArthur had only recently been released from prision for beating Lorena while in a drunken rage. He was arrested again a few days later for his part in the fight between the two men.

When the story was first reported by the local media, there was an outpouring of sympathy and concern throughout the city and the province. Posters and ribbons appeared on light standards in the downtown and local vicinity, while searchers looked through empty lots, back yards, back alleys, garbage bins, and local parks. Throughout the city, people checked their own back yards hoping against hope that the child might be found alive and safe. Tips poured into the police of Tamra sightings and suggestions of who might be responsible for her disappearence. The City Police set up a task force to investigate to look into each of the tip. Despite a $25,000 reward no one has come forward with the key piece of evidence needed to locate Tamra and to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.

Someone knows where Tamra is today but they're not saying. In a bid to try to get the key piece of information needed to solve this case, the Missing Children Society of Canada has posted an additonal $10,000 reward. The reward will expire on August 5, 2011 and my personal hope is that greed will finally prevail and Tamra Jewel Keepness will be found. For the sake of our community, and for those who remember her, I beg those who know her whereabouts to finally break their silence and let this little girl lost come home.

Happy Independence Day!

My daughter D works for the American division of a company based here in our city. As a result of her employment I've become more aware of the holidays south of the border since her statuatory holidays are based on U.S. laws rather than Canadian.

While my awareness has increased I must admit my ignorance has not seen a corresponding decrease. I've done some research and this is a little of what I've learned.
The United States of America came into being on July 4, 1776 when the representatives of the thirteen original states signed the Declaration of Independence;
The United States are comprised of fifty states and one federal district;
The most recent state to join the republic was Hawaii in 1959;
The United States also possesses five major overseas territories: Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; and American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific;
Juan Ponce de Leon is the first documented European explorer to reach the mainland (I always thought it was Christopher Columbus!);
The culture of the U.S. has been described as a melting pot;
The official language is English;
The current president of the United States is Barrack Obama; and finally
from my own observations
There are no more fiercely proud people than the citizens of the United States of America.

To all who celebrate Independence Day, congratulations to everyone on your country's 235th birthday!

Oh the weather

The one constant in the province I live in is the weather will change. Especially in the summer a storm can come up with little warning bringing wind, rain, and as it did today, hail. It was hot and humid today with the temperature near 32C (85'ish F I think) so I wasn't surprised to see the storm clouds forming. I spent the morning watering plants on the deck and weeding the front flower bed before driving out to my brother's farm.

He and his family live in the Qu'Appelle valley, about 20 minutes from the city, in a beautiful old stone house. The valley was flooded this spring and the water is still overflowing the banks of the small river that flows through it. As I came over the hill this was the view in front of me:

The valley is lovely and green now, but I expect if we get the forecasted temperatures in the 30C's all week it will dry up quickly. My brother hopes so since he won't have to mow his yard as often!



The cattle and horses don't have far to go to get water this year.

After a couple of hours of heat and bugs, (oh the bugs) I decided it was time to head back to the city. As I drove home I could see the clouds building to the south and east; the closer I got the darker the sky. Once I got to the house I checked my weather channel and was disappointed to see no storms were being tracked. The website was wrong though, as it wasn't long before the lightening and thunder started in the distance. After a couple of loud booms, the rain started, large fat drops at first, and then a downpour. I was in the living room when I heard the ping, ping sound of hail hitting the metal roof of the sunroom. D and I ran outside to take my tomatoes out of harm's way but we had to leave the rest as the hail was coming down hard and fast.

Thankfully, the hail was only the size of large peas (at least where I live) so the damage is minimal. We live with the certainty that the weather can and will change especially in the short summer season. It keeps life interesting!

I wish I were someone who, when bored, got busy doing things...like housework. But that's not me at all. In fact, when I got bored, I tend to spend money. Today would be one of those days.

I had a lovely morning out on the deck reading and enjoying the sunshine. My daughter D was out this morning and came home with lunch for us. C showed up from a evening (and night) out with friends. I got a few things done around the house, emptied the dishwasher, did a load of laundry, and cleaned the oven. The last task was a "must do" since the night before when I heated the oven to make dinner the kitchen filled with smoke and I had to use the microwave instead to heat up my dinner. I haven't a clue what caused (or better yet who) the spill in the oven; all I know is it took three shots of oven cleaner and a lot of scrubbing to get it clean.

Anyway, for some reason I was bored this afternoon and decided to go shopping. I wanted to get summer clothes for work and since I usually wear a blazer every day at the office I wanted to see if I could find a lightweight bomber style jacket. I found one and several other items too!

It doesn't look like much on the hanger, but fits well. Along with the jacket I got a t-shirt and a pair of slacks. These are all from Tan-Jay/Alia...I used to think the clothes were old but like them now...maybe I'm getting old?

I checked in a Ricki's too and got another pair of dress slacks and a dress. When I bought one I got the other half off - I'm a sucker for a sale. Winners was my last stop; I found a dress t-shirt, a Calvin Klein skirt (for $10! did I mention I love sale items) and this purse.

In the meantime, my bedroom still looks like this!

Guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow ;>)

Happy Birthday Canada!!

Some facts about Canada:

Four provinces, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick joined in confedration in 1867 to form the country of Canada;
The word Canada is derived from an Iroquoian word meaning village,
The Norse were the first settlors of Canada, arriving around 1000 B.C., but their stay was brief;
Both England and France laid claim to portions of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec; today English and French are official languages of Canada;
The province of Saskatchewan (where I live) was originally part of the Northwest territory, officially becoming a province in 1905;
Newfoundland was the last province to join the Confederacy in 1949;
The people of Canada are as diverse as the geography; from the prairies to the three oceans that form our east, west and northern borders, Canada is home to peoples of many countries, languages, and cultures;
Today marks Canada's 144th birthday;
and finally
I am so very proud to say, Canada is my home!