Telling stories

I'm horrid at telling stories.  I forget important details, I get lost and go off on different tangents, and never seem to find my way back to the original point.

It happens here on the blog frequently.  I decide to blog about something and by the time I finish the post it is totally different than I intended in the first place.  Sometimes, s, it ends in a better place than I expected. This seems seems strange to me and I don't understand.

Today I had to tell a story at work.  No, it wasn't a fairy tale, or a tall tale, but a story about an incident at work.  Why do you ask?  Because I'm trying very hard to get all of what our employer calls "competencies".

Basically competencies are behaviours or abilities to do...something.  For example, a competency might demonstrate decisiveness, teamwork and cooperation, or conflict resolution.  Today I was working on my effective interactive communication.

I had to describe a time when I had to deliver a message to my team, explain why the message was important, how I felt about it, what I thought, what was said, how I responded, and what was the result.  I don't think I did very well.

The interviewer kept asking for specific details about the conversations. My menopausal memory,
hell my memory in general, doesn't allow me to remember conversations I had nearly a year and a half ago.  I told her that (not the part about the menopause memory). But she kept asking...I kept saying I don't remember details, but I do recall the general discussion about...

Hopefully it will be enough to get me the level I need.  I won't lose my job if I don't but I'll have to wait six months to take another go at it.  At this point, I don't feel like I want to go through the process again.  Having said that, six months from now I know I'll do it again. Persistence is my middle name.  At least it is when I really want something.

I know some of my readers have an incredible ability to tell a story, in just a few words, and with humor and passion, and all the things I think I lack.  I'd welcome some advice on how to become a better story teller, to be less formal in my writing style (the notes I use to tell my story) and how not to get lost in my thoughts and lose track of where I want to go in the end.

And sometimes I get to the end and I don't know how to finish.  Like this post.

So I guess I'll just say, "she lived happily ever after"...at least she might if she gets the competency.

What a waste

Be forewarned, there is a bit of a rant that goes with this story.

This weekend, six teenagers died in a car accident near Lloydminster.  There isn`t a lot of information available yet, but those who died have been identified, and the grieving process has started for the families.

What we do know is this:
The teenagers ranged in age from 13 to 17, three girls and three boys.  The girls were 13, 14, and 14, while the boys were 15, 16, and 17.  There is no known relationship among the teens.  According to other news reports, the six were crammed into a two-door vehicle, and it is possible none were wearing seat belts.  The accident happened sometime around 4 a.m.  No alcohol was found in the vehicle.  The accident occurred near an intersection, with one road marked with a stop sign.

Some suggestions have been made that the young driver (believed to be the 17 year old) failed to stop at the intersection, probably distracted by his passengers.  Their vehicle collided with a semi truck hauling oil; both vehicles ending up in a nearby slough.*  The driver was thrown from the vehicle, the other five were trapped in the overturned vehicle and likely drowned.

Questions that arise include (and this is where the rant comes in) is how it happened a 13 year old and two 14 year old girls were out at that time of night with the boys?  I don't about you, but there would be no damned way my 13 or 14 year old daughter would be permitted to be out this late at night.

Regardless, the driver would have been operating under the graduated license program.  During the initial phase (after getting his license) he would have been limited to no more than one unrelated passenger, or if related to the maximum number of seat belts in the vehicle.  In the latter phase, the number of persons in the vehicle (related or not) could not exceed the number of seat belts.  There are a total of five seats in a Pontiac Sunfire.  Did he know this?  Did he assume he was exempt from these or was he simply a foolish child?  Did his parents have any idea how he was using the vehicle they (likely) provided?

Frankly, the cynic in me says having no alcohol in the vehicle simply means a) they had finished it already or b) they were smoking something instead.  I may not have started partying and hanging out at 13 or 14 but I know what we did when I was in my teens.  When my children were teens we talked about what they might do instead of getting into an overloaded vehicle with a tired or drunk driver.  No matter the time of night they knew they could call and I would pick them up, and both of them used that alternative at least once.  We'll never know but I have to wonder if their parents had a similar conversation with these children.

I suspect there will be some answers later in the week.  The autopsies and toxicology reports should identify the cause of death.  Accident reconstruction personnel will take their measurements, make their assumptions and explain how the accident occurred.  We may the how and the what, but the why will likely never known.

What a waste of six young lives.  Any potential existing in these children is lost forever, six families will never be the same, and the truck driver will live with this memory for the rest of his life.  My feelings of sadness mix with anger at the lapses in judgement that seem apparent.

* In case you didn't know, a slough is defined as:

an area of soft, muddy ground; swamp or swamp like region.

Friday Funny

I'm haven't got it quite this bad....yet!

Recently, I was diagnosed with AAADD: Age Activated Attention Deficiency Disorder.

Here's how AAADD manifests itself:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice on the porch table mail that I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the rubbish bin under the table, and notice that the bin is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the rubbish first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the rubbish, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my cheque book off the table, and see that there is only one cheque left. My extra cheques are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of cola I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my cheques, but first I need to push the cola aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The cola is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the cola, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye - they need water.

I put the cola on the bench and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the bench, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the lounge room where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

the car isn't washed,
the bills aren't paid,
there is a warm can of cola sitting on the counter,
the flowers don't have enough water,
there is still only one cheque in my cheque book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

Blink and you'd miss it

Another storm came racing across the sky this evening.  It started with dark clouds blowing in from the northwest.

All of a sudden, a flock of birds began calling and flying in circles.  My camera is simply not good enough to focus in, but it was scary listening to them.  I called to my son and daughter to come see and we stood outside until it began to rain.

We moved around to the back deck where there is an overhang where we were sheltered from the rain.

It just poured and the sound of the rain on the roof of the sun room was so loud we could barely hear one another.

In less than 20 minutes the storm was over.

This photo was taken from the front door, the sky to the northwest had a few clouds but the sky was blue again and the sun was setting.

I certainly won't need to water the containers or the garden tomorrow.

Oh well, at least it wasn't hail!

Stormy Sunday

I woke this morning around 7:30 a.m. to the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. I lay listening to it, as the sound moved closer, until it seemed to become one continual rumble.  If I hadn't known better I might have though a train was passing by.

I got out of bed then and as I walked down the hallway, there was a loud of flash of light followed by the thunder.  Our power went out immediately.  I took at the front window in the living room and watched as the storm passed from the northwest to the southeast. My daughter joined me and we watched as the rain began to fall, softly at first and then pouring out of the sky.  Thankfully, today there was no hail.

We moved out to the sunroom as the storm passed over.  Wrapped up in blankets, we watched as the flashes of lightening and the sound of thunder moved further away.  When it was over, we both headed back to bed.  Without power the house was dark and quiet and I slept until nearly 9.

We still had no power, so I took my book and pulled up to the window to read.  It wasn't 15 minutes before the power came back on and I was able to make a pot of coffee to start my morning.

It's still overcast, though the sun has broken through the clouds now and it seems to be clearing off. The radar shows the rain and storms have moved off to the east. Hopefully the sun will stick around for the rest of the day and we'll get some heat as well.

I'm curled up in my chair watching Steel Magnolias and enjoying a quiet house.  The cats are sleeping, my son C is still in bed, and my daughter D just ran to the store.  The day may have started out stormy but it's turning out quiet differently.

Of course, later today it will noisy again.  Our Riders are playing the Hamilton Tiger Cats this evening. It's a guarantee there will be yelling at the television, regardless of whether they win or lose. Go Riders!

Hope you're having a wonderful Sunday!

Grateful

I had a short day at work yesterday so arrived around 1:30 p.m.  Although I'd planned to change and head out to buy groceries I decided to have a bit of lunch before I left.  I'm glad I did.

Before I had a chance to get away, the sky began to darken.  I went out to take a few photos but was soon chased indoors.  The storm started with rain which quickly turned to hail as a cold front clashed with the heat of the day.  The photos tell the rest of the story.

The sky was dark, the clouds low above the trees

At first, the rain started to fall

The hail began and piled up very quickly

It piled up on the back deck

It was piled high in the front flower bed

After the storm passed I went outdoors to assess the damage.

It piled up against the garage

These chunks of ice broke my heart

The front garden was destroyed

Some of the containers were sheltered by the overhang and came through with minor damage but I'm certain a few are unlikely to bounce back from the beating they too.  I had just thought on my into the house, how well all the plants were doing this year.  Sigh....mother nature had other plans.

I took this last photo at 10 a.m. this morning - the hail still hadn't melted yet. 

I keep reminding myself it could have been much worse.  In other areas of the city there were reports of vehicles with broken windows, none of our cars had any damage.  Some streets flooded, ours did not.  While there are lots of leaves and debris laying about my neighbourhood came through the storm relatively unscathed.  No one died, as happened in Quebec during yesterday's storms.  I am truly grateful.

There is more rain forecast for today, but the current radar isn't showing any major storms heading our way. It is also much cooler today.  I'll leave the clean up until tomorrow.  For today I'll try to get some housework down and not look outside too often!

Hope the weather is behaving itself wherever you are.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Friday Funny

While it's been cool here lately I know many of you have been experiencing the heat...these are for you.

You know it's hot when......

Passing through

I know I've mentioned before that if you don't like the weather in Saskatchewan, wait five minutes.

We've been under a weather advisory all day, with tornado and thunderstorm watches early in the day, and later a severe thunderstorm warning.  I hurried home from work expecting we'd get a serious dump of rain, but in the 15 minute drive home the skies started to clear.

I was talking to my brother who lives just north of the city.  He said they'd had threatening looking clouds but nothing came of them, in fact the skies were clear and sunny there too.  We chatted for about 20 minutes when I noticed the sky was dark outside.

When I went outside a couple minutes later I took these photos.

 Scary looking clouds were building up to the north and west of us, and I was sure we were in for a storm.

Fifteen minutes later.....

Fluffy white clouds in the sky to the west and not a cloud to the north.

I'm happy to see the storms pass through but I'm hoping the southeast corner of the province doesn't get hit too hard.

Time to water the containers!

Have a great day everyone.

Simple Sunday

It's been one of those days, where I'm not in any rush to do anything, and yet things are getting done.  The cats let me sleep late (after I got up briefly to feed them at 7:30), and I've just been puttering about most of the morning.

After doing a quick tidy of the kitchen and living room, mostly putting things back where they belong, I went outdoors to tidy up the back yard.  There is an area beside the shed the former owners used as a dog run.  It has a base of rock, with a lot of debris from the trees, branches, leaves, and since I've done nothing with it for a long time, many weeds.  I took a couple of garbage bags, the rake, a garden spade, and went to it.  After 20 minutes of work, it's looking a lot better though there is still more clean up needed (hence no picture yet).  My back said no thanks!

I'm hoping at some point to clear it out and plant ferns and hostas beneath the trees and create a small woodland garden back there. I had something similar behind the garage at the last house and I miss it.

This photo shows the irises, ferns, and bishops weed.  I'm not sure I'd put the latter in again as it is quite invasive.

The front bed still needs some weeding, but I thought I'd show you a recent photo.  When I look at it, I think of Sesame Street's "one of these things is not like the others".

The lily was a gift at the Regina Humane Society's Garden Party a couple of years ago.  I tucked it into the garden, even though I knew it would look a little out of place with the colors I generally choose.

I love lilies as they remind me of my mom.  She had close to a dozen different varieties in her sunny garden.  Unfortunately I don't get nearly enough sun for lilies to thrive, but this one seems to do well.

By the time I finished in the yard, the sun was hidden again from sight.  I expect we'll get more rain today, though hopefully not the downpour we got yesterday afternoon.  Here was the view from my front window.

I appreciate the rain, as I won't have to water the plants. I just wish it wouldn't come down in 20 minutes!                                                             Speaking of water, the laundry is calling my name. The sun has come out again, so once that's settled I'm heading out to the deck to enjoy it while it lasts. Have a great week everyone!

The beginning and the end

I love Saturday mornings because once the cats are fed, I can relax in bed with a cup of coffee and a book. After their breakfast, the cats often join me for a nap and a snuggle.

This morning was no different.  I was reading my current book, Steig Larsson's The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  I'm nearing the end of the book and I'm already hoping there will be fourth in the series.


Sasha was lying on the end of the bed by my feet. Saku jumped up and came to lie on top of me.  He loves to butt his head against my book, asking for attention so I put down my book to give him some rubs and scratches.  After a couple of minutes I retrieved my book, when something startled Saku.  He immediately leapt from his resting position and scrambled away from me.  In doing so, he did a little damage.


Not only do I have this scratch on my collarbone, but he also scratched my neck. When I got up to go the bathroom to check it out, Saku came too.  As he went to leap to the counter, I moved slightly to my left and ended up hip checking him into the toilet.  It was totally an accident but sooooo funny!  I don't think he found it nearly as amusing.

Since I don't want to scar you with the memory of my shoulder, I'll share the photos I took last night at sunset.

The slogan on Saskatchewan's licence plates is Land of Living Skies.  I hate it because we only have one sky!  But my, what a sky, especially at sunset.  

Have a wonderful day!  I'm off to do some shopping before laundry, housework and late football on tv.

Funny Friday

I put a piece of chalk in the car. You never know when you'll need it.

Bad Dream

I dreamt last night that my younger brother died on a family canoe trip in Northern Saskatchewan.  Horrible enough as that is; I also dreamt that I found out by way of an obituary in a newspaper sometime after his passing.  While I doubt either of these things will ever happen, it was disquieting to awake with these thoughts in my mind.  Out of curiosity I did a search on the meanings of dreams and discovered the following: 

“To dream about the death of a loved one suggest that you are lacking a certain aspect or quality that the loved one embodies.  Ask yourself what makes this person special or what you like about them.  It is that very quality that you are lacking in your own relationship or circumstances.  Alternatively, the dream indicates that whatever that person represents has no part in your live anymore.”  www.Dreammoods.com

This wouldn’t have been my initial interpretation but when I consider the characteristics I like about my brother, they include his incredible sense of humor and his athleticism.  R is a comedian; he sees the absurd in everyday events, and never fails to make me laugh.  My own sense of humor tends towards the sarcastic, and while I’ve been told I’m quick with the wisecracks, those people have never met my brother.  Put him and two of our cousins in a room and if you haven’t wet your pants from laughing in the first ten minutes…you haven’t got a sense of humor.

He’s also the athlete in our family.  At 6’3” he weighs less than I do – for good reason.  He runs as often as he can; I run only if someone or something is chasing me.  His runs are measured in miles or kilometers, I can’t really remember but I think I ran a block once.  Lately he’s modified his diet and begun to eat more salads and less meat.   I tend to eat whatever is handy and easiest to prepare.  So perhaps there is an element of truth to the dream.  Is my mind telling me I should start exercising?  If so, how long can I ignore it?

The other element of the dream, not being told of his death, I think relates to not having the relationship I’d like to have with his family.  R and I chat on the phone once or twice a week, but I rarely see him and his family more than once every 3-4 months even though we live within 30 minutes of one another.  I consider his wife P a workaholic; she travels for work at least once a week, and often comes into the city on the weekends to put in additional hours.  She has transferred this ethic to her children by involving them in a multitude of activities throughout the year.  During the school year, this includes music lessons, dance class, hockey, Tai-Kwon-Do, additional language tutoring, and swimming lessons.  This summer I think she’s signed them up for at least three week-long camps. This is in addition to the family’s vacation plans, camping last week, and the annual canoe trip in August.  Weekends are generally spent at her family’s cottage at a nearby lake.

As a result, it is rare for us to find the time to get together.  This makes me feel sad, as I feel I am missing out on watching the children grow up, and frankly I’m a little jealous of the time they spend with her side of the family.  I am grateful that R tries to include me as often as he can, even if it is a phone conversation.

 The interpretation for the feelings of sadness reads:  “To dream you are sad, suggests that you need to learn from your disappointments and just be happy.  Try not to dwell on the negative.  The dream may be a reflection of how you are feeling in your waking life”.  Just be happy….if it was only that simple. 

And in case this dream interpretation stuff isn’t accurate, I think I’ll tell my brother to be cautious on his trip in August….just to be on the safe side.

Totally Random Saturday

This morning's sleep-in was interrupted by the sound of thunder in the distance.  For the next half-hour or so, I drifted in and out of sleep to the drumming of the rain.  Even the cats seemed not to want to leave the comfort of the bed.

Eventually I crawled out of bed, and after feeding the cats, I grabbed a book and light blanket and went to the sun room to relax in my easy chair. There was definitely no sun in the sun room this morning.

I am currently reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, the third book of the Millennium Trilogy.  I've found this book harder to get into than the previous two, but now 300+ pages in, I'm enjoying it!

 The storm let up for awhile, and I headed back into the house to do some dreaded housework.  After cleaning up the kitchen (I swear there are evil elves at work in the nighttime who mess it up as there always more dishes than I left the night before), I decided to use up some of the berries in the fridge.

Since it was cool in the house I decided I'd do a bit of baking.

These were  so simple to make.  I used frozen tart shells which I baked in a 375F oven for 12 minutes.  After cutting up the fruit (cherries, raspberries, and strawberries), I made a simple syrup of water and sugar, added 3/4 a cup of fruit and brought it to a boil.

I thickened the syrup with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch in a 1/4 cup of water, stirring until it had thickened, about 2 minutes or so.  After allowing it to cool for about 20 minutes, I mixed it into the rest of the fruit, and filled the tart shells (overfilled...).  I popped the tarts into the fridge to chill for a bit.

The sun was starting to shine so I decided to run and do a few errands.  My primary goal was to get a haircut!  I've allowed to grow longer than I normally would, and with the heat these past week or so I've been ready to tear it out.  I'm too cheap to go to a salon so take my chances at the less expensive, Magic or Ultra or something else Cuts.  Today's hairdresser was a fellow originally from the Philippines who told me he had his own salon for nearly 22 years.  He'd gotten a very good offer to come to Canada and has been here for only 4 months.  I'm very pleased with the cut and I'll definitely go back to him again. 

  

After a couple of more stops it was home for lunch.  A nice wrap filled with meat, cheese, and veg, and a lovely tart for dessert hit the spot.  I have to say, these tarts are like summer in your mouth, yum!

The clouds are back, the rain is starting to fall, and that dreaded housework is calling my name.  Sigh...I'd rather read my book!

Have a great day everyone! 

Friday Funny

I'll preface this by saying I shop at Walmart....a lot!

To all Southern Wine Lovers:

Wal-Mart announced that sometime in 2013 it will begin offering customers a new discount item: Wal-Mart's own brand of wine. The world's largest retail chain is teaming up with Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery of California to produce the wines at affordable prices in the $2 to $5 range. Wine connoisseurs may not be inclined to put a bottle of the Wal-Mart brand into their shopping carts but, 'There is a market for inexpensive wine,' said Kathy Micken, professor of marketing at University of Arkansas , Bentonville.
 
'However, branding will be very important.'

Customer surveys were conducted to determine the most attractive name for the Wal-Mart wine brands and varieties. The top surveyed names in order of popularity were:
 
10. Chateau Traileur Parc

9. White Trashfindel

8. Big Red Gulp

7. World Championship Riesling

6. NASCARbernet

5. Chef Boyardeaux

4. Peanut Noir

3. I Can't Believe it's not Vinegar

2. Grape Expectations

1. Nasti Spumante

The beauty of Wal-Mart wine is that it can be served with either white meat (Possum) or red meat (Squirrel).

 P.S. Don't bother writing back to tell me that this is a hoax. I know squirrel is not a red meat.

More garden pics

 The nicotiana and vinca surround the hosta.  Maybe this will keep the slugs away?

This one is a total surprise, it almost looks a little like a rose, but I have no idea what it is or where it came from!

Happy July 4th to our American neighbours (or should I say neighbors?)

Have a wonderful day!

Enjoying July

Wow - what a day!  I`m currently sitting in my front yard at my bistro table, enjoying the evening. There are a few mosquitos hovering about but having no grass seems to be keeping them at bay.

It was 8:15 pm. when I took this photo, and although I know part of the reason it is still registering this high is due to proximity to the brick exterior of the house...it`s been that kind of day.

I can tell the humidity is high, which odd as I am, I truly enjoy.  It reminds me of my time in the Caribbean!

It`s a little noisier though with the sound of the neighbour`s a/c running, the neighbour across the street just just mowed his lawn, and now is using the weed whacker.  Not the sound of ocean waves, but still a lovely spot to enjoy the evening breezes.

The containers are loving the heat too!

Out in the very front yard, they are filling in nicely.  The lime colored potato vine is one of my favoritesas it grows like a weed.

I didn't take a closeup because the gazannias are closed for the night and aren't as pretty.

The next door neighbour hasn't yet decided what she is doing with her yard.  She's had a number of individuals over to draw plans.  I think she's getting close to making a decision but I suspect she'll find her next chore of finding a landscaper to create her dream will take even more time.

She did buy a clematis about 2 weeks ago, which she intends to plant near the a/c to act as a barrier.  But it is still in the pot, and had it not been for the rain (and my pity) the thing would have died by now as she has yet to come out to water or plant it in the ground.  I notice she bought a trellis for it to climb (it showed up yesterday)...except the trellis is only 3 1/2 feet tall, and the clematis should grow to at least 6-8 feet.  The poor thing (the plant I mean) hasn't a hope of surviving the winter at this rate.  Makes me want to plant nap it and take it to someone who will care for it. (To be fair, I know she isn't much of a gardener but I want to point out the tag is attached to the plant!)

On another note, I went out for dinner this evening with two current and one former co-workers and their spouses.  We all started together about 16 years ago, and the one woman was here visiting her family.  For the one former co-worker this is the first time he's seen her in nearly 14 years.  Boy does time fly!  We sat out on the patio at a local restaurant, enjoying the sun and having a good visit.  There are already plans to meet again next year.

There is something intrinsically relaxing about July.  Maybe it is so many people are off on vacation through the summer so the office is quiet. Or it might be the long days and the time it allows for outdoor living.  In any event, I truly enjoy July especially after the long hard winter we had this year. Of course I`m not dealing with flooding, extreme heat, vicious storms and the like.  I might appreciate it less then!

Have a great day wherever you are!

Happy Canada Day!

 I'm heading outdoors to enjoy the sun and heat of this glorious day! Have a great one everyone. 

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