Perspective

I'm working out of our office in Saskatoon this week.  I drove up on Monday in the bitter cold and was grateful when I arrived at the hotel to learn my room was ready early.  I checked in, dropped off my bags and walked the four blocks over to the office.  I wish there was parking closer but at least the car can stay plugged in and warm, even if I'm cold.

Tonight I came back to the room feeling chilled to the bone.  I took a detour away from the office to find a place to grab something to eat, which meant instead of four blocks I walked more than a dozen. While there is a restaurant in the hotel, I don't particularly enjoy eating there alone and I've never been enamored with the menu.

When I first walked into the room, it felt like an oven.  I turned down the thermostat, settled in at the desk to have my Tim Horton sandwich and complete my daily crossword puzzle. It didn't take long for me to start to feel the cold again.  The desk is up against the window, which from looks of it hasn't been replaced since the hotel was built.  I know there have been renovations, the bed and bedding are plush, the carpets have been replaced, but apparently energy efficiency measures weren't high on the list.

I turned up the thermostat a few degrees, then a few degrees more, and then still a few more degrees. I still couldn't get warm.  So I filled the tub and soaked in a hot bath, reading my novel until the water started to cool down.  With my pj's on I'm finally starting to feel warm.  There still seems to be a slight breeze from the window but with my feet tucked under me I'm comfortable.

It's almost time to crawl into bed and I know I'll be turning down the heat again. This morning when I woke up my nose and throat were so dry from the air in the room.  Tonight I'll put a glass of water on top of the register with the hopes it will help add some humidity to the air.

On the other hand, my hot flashes have come in handy...if I could only just get them to come on demand!

Hope you are having a comfortable week!

Wacky Weather

This winter has sure brought some incredible weather extremes to our area.  This weekend was a microcosm of the entire winter.  On Friday, we had above freezing temperatures and wind, that melted the snow and made the roads slushy.  I drove my car to do a bit of shopping at the nearby mall and by the time I got home the car was covered in mud and slush.  I think I went through half my supply of windshield wiper fluid trying to keep the window clear.

On Saturday morning we got snow, but thankfully only a couple of centimeters. I went out around noon and cleared the walks and driveway before heading out to the grocery store.

By evening the temperatures were above the freezing mark again and the wind was blowing at about 30 km/hr.



These photos were taken about 24 hours ago.  Take note of where the recycling bin sits in front of the garage.

Overnight the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped.  When I got up this morning, it -19C, it has since dropped to -23C and we're forecast to reach -31C by morning.

The winds are gusting up to 80 km/hr and the snow has been blown around.  The area that was cleared by melting on Friday, covered in snow on Saturday has now been blown clear again by the wind.

I went out this morning to plug in the car and found my garbage bin had been blown over.

And as this picture shows, the wind has blown the recycling bin away from the front of the garage.

We're in for some more cold weather, just in time for my trip to Saskatoon for work this week.  I was planning to leave early tomorrow morning, but I'll make a decision based on the reported highway conditions.  I'm not a fan of driving in the wind and less so when there is blowing snow.  I like to be able to see where I am going!

Of course, we're not the only ones dealing with this weird winter weather.  Between the polar vortex, the Alberta Clippers driving further out of Canada and into the US, and flooding in various parts of the world, winter 2013/14 is truly a winter of extremes.

Sigh...it will be months yet before we'll see a robin in this area.

Until then all I can do is dream of spring.

Hope you all have a great week, without major weather woes!

Friday Funny

Or maybe I should say...wishful thinking!

Still feeling poorly

I think I've said this before I don't do sick well.  I don't like the feeling of being under the weather, especially the tinny mouth and tiredness of having spend most of the night coughing up a lung or two.  Unfortunately that's how I'm feeling right now.

Sleeping in a prone position seems to aggravate my cough the most, so I've attempted to sleep in a more upright position. At some point during the night, I tend to roll out of that position and end up on my side. Then the coughing starts, just a couple of quick barks, and then the spasms start.  I'm feeling muscles in my sides that I haven't used in years!

I got up this morning at 5 and called in sick to work, then went back to sleep until 8.  I could have slept longer but I have to try to get back to a normal routine.

During the day I've been spending a lot of time resting on the couch. Sasha has been doing his part to keep me there. :)

Tomorrow I'll go back to work for certain.  I'll make sure I've taken a dose of cold and sinus medicine (daytime formula). We've got interviews planned for new potential employees, and I can't let my boss down.

In the meantime I'm going to relax for the rest of the day, stay upright and keep fighting this cold.

Have a great day everyone!

Random Saturday

Looking back, I thought Monday was going to be the worst day of the week; I certainly didn't want to go in that day. But it wasn't.  

Our day and half of meetings on Tuesday/Wednesday were meh.  No kindergarten dancing or Lego to be seen and our posters...well, let's just say a marker and a flip chart DO NOT a poster make.  Our quote was "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care if you get the credit"   Oh this will make you laugh, the quote as it was given to us was credited to Abraham Lincoln, but I've checked a couple of places and it actually should have been credited to Harry S. Truman.  Someone wasn't paying attention to detail and our poster certainly do it the quote credit either.

Tuesday evening, I went for dinner with one of my co-workers from our Saskatoon office.  That was definitely the highlight of the week.  She and I started together just over 16 years ago, we even sat beside one another in training.  But I worked in the Regina office and she in Saskatoon so until recently we've not had a lot of contact.  I feel like I've made a new friend,

*****

I learned a hard lesson this week.  I needed an update for Java in order to play on online game site (no gambling just for fun).  Well, when I uploaded the update, an add-on program hi-jacked my computer.  All of my browser settings were no longer secure and although I tried I couldn't get rid of the program. My searches revealed this add-on (Tuvaro search) would find it's way into my settings and could find private information.  I immediately shut down the computer and called for my son's help.  It took some time but he was able to get things back to where they ought to be.  He gave me supreme heck for failing to update my Norton at least once a month, and reminded me to be cautious in what I upload.  To up-date or not to up-date....

*****

I've spent much of the last 42 hours sleeping.  I felt slightly ill, a little achy and stuffed up, on Thursday morning but I went to work anyway.  By the time I got home I was feeling dreadful.  I went to bed shortly after eight, and woke up feeling worse.  I called into sick to work (being Friday I suspect my boss thought I was faking it) and spent the day on the couch or in bed.  I think I slept more than the cats did!

I'm feeling somewhat better today but quite weak.  Even taking a shower and drying off left me with shaky legs.  The only positive - somehow or another I've lost 6 pounds in three days - which I expect will reappear when I get my appetite back.  I've been drinking lots of fluids though so I shouldn't be dehydrated.

*****

But the worst part of the week has nothing to do with me.  I was reading the on-line news and came across a story out of Calgary, Alberta.  A Siberian husky and a six-month-old kitten were found dead in alley.  Both had their nose and mouths taped shut.  It is a horrible case of animal cruelty. I have included the link but I do warn you, the pictures are heartbreaking.  I'm glad to see that people are taking this seriously and there are funds being raised for a reward.  I hope someone will come forward and these sick individuals will be   punished.

******
On a happier note, the weather has turned balmy with above zero temperatures.  The snow is melting and the sun room was warm enough at 12C to allow the cats out this afternoon.  It'll drop below freezing again tonight but I'll take the days of sunshine.

Hope you are all having a wonderful, sun-filled, healthy weekend!

Monday Update

First of all, my daughter made it home safely from Lethbridge.  As Bellen commented the wind blew her home...yeah, I'm going to go with that...she wasn't speeding at all.  No, not my daughter!

She wasn't competing (that ended when she was 17) but rather judging a boys' competition.  I'm thinking they probably could have found someone else in closer proximity  to judge but what do I know?  She's all excited because they will be paying her for travel time and costs.  For my part, it isn't worth the worry but again, what do I know?

Work turned out to be as frustrating as I feared it would be yesterday. I went out with one of my staff to an interview this morning and the person we needed to see was a no show.  The person who was there was basically useless...what a waste of an hour!  More frustrating is the fact she had confirmed the appointment last Thursday.

Back at the office, I was bombarded with dumb questions.  I don't care what anyone says, there are dumb questions and I think I answered 43 of them today!  I tried sending a couple of them to my boss to answer, but he sent them back to me.  Actually he is one of the worst, because even when I give him an answer he always me to check with someone else to confirm.  So instead of one e-mail or phone call I have a series of conversations to sort through to give him what should be a simple answer.  Just to give you an example, the other day he e-mailed me to ask me, to ask another area  in our office, if they had a piece of equipment we needed.  So instead of him sending the e-mail directly, I forwarded the request on, got a response, forwarded it back to him, only to have him e-mail me back to ask if I'd pick it up.  By the time he responded, I already had the item in my hand as one of the staff from the other area had delivered.  

 

Then late in the afternoon, I got a call from my boss's boss to come see her.  I don't know about you, but generally that's not a good thing.  Especially when they ask you to close the door behind you when you enter the office.

But it turned out not to be as bad as it might have been.  I was informed that another opening will be happening in another area that I had expressed an interest in, but the position will be given to someone else. She did assure me the next permanent position in that area would be mine....of course, that isn't likely to happen for another four years until the next retirement.  That wasn't great news but I'd already figured it out for myself so was not surprised.

On the other hand she did share with me, another opportunity to be involved with more challenging work in the next few months.  It would be in addition to my current workload, but wouldn't be (or rather shouldn't be) overly time consuming.  Instead it would be a chance to learn something new...which I always enjoy.

So the day wasn't an entire waste after all.  I can't speak for tomorrow though...we've got an all day meeting planned.  I read through the agenda and was so excited to see the first item on the agenda is arts and crafts! Seriously, we'll be creating posters to hang on the walls to inspire ourselves throughout the day.  I didn't read much further, but I'm really hoping we'll get to play with Lego and do kindergarten dancing too! 

Okay, it's pretty obvious I'm tired.  I stayed up waiting for the daughter to return home last night and while she arrived home earlier than I expected it was well past my bedtime. Time to turn in and get some sleep. 

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Worries, watching and winter

Goodness, the weekend has flown by.  It's just after 1 p.m. on Sunday and I am already dreading going to work tomorrow.  More on that later.

I did have a long weekend as Friday was my earned day off.  I spent the morning cleaning house, then picked up my friend C and her son R for the evening.  She is the midst of a messy divorce and custody battle and the courts have decided she cannot be left unsupervised with her son.  It's a sad situation, as C means well, but sometimes puts the needs of others ahead of her own family.

We had a wonderful evening with R.  I had brought out the chest of Lego; it was my son's and now it is here for any visiting children.  C and R built a pirate ship and an airplane before blowing them both up with the toy cannon.  After dinner we pulled out the game Sorry! I haven't played the game in over 30 years, I'm sure...what fun we had!  R is a character and quite enjoyed sending C and back to the start!

We dropped R off at his dad's about 8, and it was clear we'd tuckered him out as he was fast asleep in the back seat.  C and I made a quick stop at the store for a few things before I drove her home.

Saturday was a relaxing day, with lots of television....it's curling season... some reading, and a nap on the couch with the cats.  I did go out in the morning for my manicure appointment.  My manicurist L, arrived back from her New York vacation on Wednesday...four days late...as they were unable to get out on Saturday as planned due to the storm.

My daughter left for Lethbridge yesterday afternoon for a gymnastics competition.  She called on arrival to say the roads were good except for a short portion about an hour outside Regina.  But other than that, the roads were dry as the temperatures were above freezing.  We had some local blowing snow yesterday and she'll be getting home late this evening, so it may not be as good driving as yesterday. What can I say, I'm a mom and I worry!

Today has been quiet, lots of curling on television, though I did got out this morning to shovel the walkway and driveway.

Apparently we had a visitor overnight as these prints weren't there when I went to bed.  The temperatures were just below freezing last night, but I still wonder at the owners who allow their cats to wander. There are too many risks.

While it wasn't too cold out I still was chilled when I came in.  I'd picked up some chicken and sweet potato at the store on Friday, and thought what could be better than a a bowl of homemade soup?

I chopped up onion, garlic, sweet potato and carrot, then sauteed these in olive oil, until the carrots and sweet potato had a bit of color.

The vegetables were added to a liter of chicken stock simmering on the stove.

 I cut up a chicken breast, seasoned it with salt and pepper and sauteed until it was cooked through, then added it to the soup.  Less than a 1/2 hour later I was sitting down with my bowl of soup...yummy!

This was actually a casserole recipe that I adapted - it obviously called for less chicken broth but also had white wine and cream, neither of which are in my pantry.  I thought about adding noodles but decided I would like it without.  Better still there is enough to take to work a couple of days this week for lunch.

Which brings me full circle to my opening statement, but since this post is already lengthy I'll leave the complaints about work to another day.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend everyone.  I'm back to watching the curling!

Friday Funny

Okay, maybe it's not so funny!  But it sure is true...

One down....??? to go

I finished cleaning up the desk yesterday. It looks much better and definitely more organized.  I might even think to check there before I go buy more candles or note paper and envelopes or picture hangers.  Oh and glue sticks too!

I rid myself a significant amount of clutter, but some items I simply moved to other places in the house.  Need a key chain?  I have a tin full...some from my various trips and others that were received as gifts.

In the piles of paper I came across the purchase and sale agreements for my the first two houses I bought here in the city.  The paperwork brought back a lot of memories so I tucked the folders away for another day.  I'm not quite ready to toss it out just yet.


It was a good task for a cold day.  This photo taken from just inside the front door is deceiving.

The sun might have been shining but there was no warmth to it.  I only ventured out briefly to drive my son to work and home again (his car is temperamental and doesn't like the cold - me too!).

Yes, that says it felt like -48C but take note the UV index was low!  Good thing because I didn't have my sunscreen on, :p

Thankfully the forecast is for warmer weather later this week.  Of course it means more snow, but a few more days of this bitterly cold weather and I think I'd snap!  

One more decluttering task out of the way, and one more day of cold out of the way.  I guess that means only four more months until spring!  Better still it is only 46 more sleeps until my next vacation!

Progress halted

I spent Friday afternoon and most of Saturday cleaning house.  Not my normal surface cleaning, but the decluttering that happens about once or twice a year when the mood strikes me.  I'm not sure where this comes from, probably the same place that says I can't stand the length of my hair one second longer, and I get a haircut.

I've made good progress thus far, the kitchen counters and dining room are clear of clutter.  The paper work has been sorted, filed or recycled.  In the living room the items on the end tables and cabinets have been reduced to a manageable (and reasonable) level.  My next goal is to clear the desk.

This desk was my paternal grandmother's desk.  I don't how old it is or when or where she acquired it. I do know that the drawers were not nailed together but are dovetailed and glued.

Through the years the drawers have gotten less easy to open.  So much so, that I don't use the bottom drawer at all. 

I do, however use the top portion of the desk for storage. Oh boy, do I ever.  It really needs a clear out doesn't it?

But before I get to that task, I started thinking about my grandmother.  I don't have a lot of memories of her as she passed when I was only 9 years old.

What I do know is this:  Grandma was born Henrietta J B. on March 14, 1875 in Bryson, Quebec.  She married my grandfather in March 1899, and the couple moved with their infant son to the Saskatchewan prairies.  There they homesteaded, built a home and raised their six children.  

Grandpa passed away suddenly in 1924, at the age of 53 of a gallbladder attack.  Today that would never have been fatal but in those days the distance to the nearest hospital was simply too great.  My Dad told me he and Grandma were visiting her family in Ontario and he recalls her receiving the telegram advising her of his death. My dad was only 14 years old.

This photo is the only one I can find of Grandma. She is standing with my Dad when he was young man, probably in his mid to late 30's. 

The family continued to ranch after Grandpa's death but eventually relocated in 1931 to my hometown where Dad and two of his brothers purchased land to farm.  When I was a young child, my Grandma and Aunt M lived in a little four room house a half mile north of our farm.  Dad and his brother B rented the land from another farmer which happened to have a yard site with a house and buildings on it.

My memories of Grandma are few and may be more the result of stories heard, than reality.  When I was four, I went about putting spent shot gun shells up my nostrils (I don't know why). What I do recall is Grandma holding me down, while my mother used the tweezers to remove the objects.  

As she aged, Grandma lost her hearing and eventually her sight.  The last few years of her life, she spent her waking hours in a rocking chair in the living room of the home she shared with Aunt M.  She passed away just a few days short of her 93rd birthday in 1968 and she was buried next to Grandpa near the original homestead.

Grandma's desk remained with Aunt M until her death in 1981 when it was passed on to me. It has made several moves since then and always has a prominent place in my home.  Thankfully it closes so no one sees the mess it is in most of the time.  On that note, it's time to stop procrastinating and get back to the task at hand.

Have a wonderful day everyone...stay warm where you are.

2013 in review

As I spent the day relaxing on this first of 2014, I spent a little time thinking back over the past 12 months.  If I were to sum it up in a few words, 2013 was the year of travel.  

It started in January with a repeat visit for me to Saint Lucia, and the first for my friend K.  

Here she is walking along Reduit Beach in Rodney Bay.  Our rental cottage was located just to the left and up the hill a bit at the far end of the beach.  

The second trip saw us visiting Hawaii in April. K took this photo of me at Al Moano beach in Honolulu on the last day of our trip. It was cool and rainy that day - which made it easier to leave.

September found me on Vancouver Island off the west coast of British Columbia.  This photo was take in Campbell River, about a hour drive from where I was staying with my cousin B and her husband G.  

My last out-of-country trip took place in November, when I travelled to Jamaica with my friend T from Ottawa.  While there we attended the wedding of our friend G.

As I look over the photos, I realized they all have something in common (and not just me).  In every case I am drawn to the water.  Living where I do there is little water, and for at least six months of the year it is frozen solid.

I realize it is near the water I find my peace. Nothing makes me feel so still inside, so at rest, so content than spending time on a beach or a dock.

It all started 35 years ago, with my first job working in the office of an air charter service in Northern Saskatchewan.  I loved living on the lake and hearing the float planes overhead.

It is not surprising then that my dream is to eventually retire to a place where I live and spend time near the ocean.  

In the meantime I'll continue to find opportunities to travel where the water is water, not ice. More to come on that in the next few weeks.

Whatever 2014 brings, I'm sure it will include unexpected challenges and frustrations, as well as anticipated excitement.  Having this space to express myself, my thoughts, concerns, and worries combined with your words of encouragement and support, assures me I am ready to face whatever comes.

To all of you, thank you for your support over the past year.  I wish you all the best in 2014, good health, happiness, and most of all contentment.  May you find your peace.