The cat came back

They thought he was a goner but the cat came back...just not the next day.

Check this story out! Wow, is all I can say - go Kitty.

Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press

Wordless Wednesday

Noooooooooo

I'm certain I've mentioned this before - in Saskatchewan the weather is a constant topic. It's either too hot, too cold, too windy, too wet, or too dry. We watch the sky and the thermometer with a fanatical delight, comparing the temperatures to the years prior, marking calendars so we'll remember. Our fascination with all things weather has a great deal to do with the extremes that can occur.

Today is one of those days. This past weekend, we had temperatures in excess of 30C (86F), well above the norm for this time of year. It was great! Today's high temperature was 11C (52F) and tonight is forecast to bring

FROST!!!

I may have to change the setting on the thermostat to heat!

I know someone is out there!

Someone in the neighbourhood allows their cat to roam. I disagree with their decision because I fear what might happen if kitty happened into traffic or tangled with one of the many dogs on the street. And then there is the whole issue of unwanted litters - I don't know if it's male or female - either way it only takes two cats to create a whole lot more.

Kitty likes to make a trip through my yard on occasion. A few nights ago, Saku was sitting in the window when Kitty went wandering by. Saku sat up, tail twitching and as the cat carried on past the window towards the back of the house, he jumped down to the floor and ran to the back door. He couldn't find the other cat so he raced back to the window. This pattern repeated a couple of times before Saku realized he couldn't find get to the other cat.

Today he was checking out the front window again.

He gave up for a little while and had a nap on the couch. After his zzzz's he was back on guard duty.

Kitty still didn't show up so Saku went for a bite to eat, because who knew how like this vigil might take. Still waiting...

Sami came along and chased Saku away, I guess it was her turn to watch for awhile.

Sasha just chilled in the armchair with Mom. Cat, what cat?

Where is Silas? Oh, of course, he's hanging on the kitchen island.


As for Kitty, he (or she) never did show up!

I shouldn't watch

I'm sitting here with tears running down my face as I watch the documentary 9/11 - 10 Years Later that was being shot that fateful day. These are pictures, words, and sounds that are so painful to watch, knowing as I do, how it will end when the towers fall.

To watch the firemen as they start their long walk up the stairs, while their chiefs strategize how they might fight this awful fire, the look of shock, anger and confusion so evident on their faces. All the while the camera man keeps recording the images.

I remember how eerie it looked after the first tower fell, with the dust coating everything and everyone within blocks of the towers. It is even more frightening now, seeing it from the perspective of the men and women who had rushed to help when the first call came in. There is so little to be seen, simply a desolate haze with the calls of Mayday, Mayday coming from numerous radios.

As the second tower collapsed, the cloud of dust got more intense, and the radios were silenced. Paper and debris cover the streets, the vehicles, the buildings and fires burn. People walk through the cloud looking like spectres incapable of any understanding. There is no joy in being alive at that moment just disbelief.

To see what these brave men and women saw, to hear what they heard, and to know they were helpless to do anything to change what was happening is nearly overwhelming. This documentary has evoked feelings of anger and yet also of hope. There were survivors of this horrible time who will continue to make this world a safe place, or at least as safe as they can.

For those who did not survive, we will not forget, we will remember you.

Where were you? Where are you?

I know I don't have tell anyone that tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Most everyone over the age of 25 will recall when and where they heard the terrible news. I was at work, it was just before eight a.m. here, and I heard the news from a co-worker. Initially, I didn't believe him and made a flippant remark about what he might have smoked for breakfast. Once he convinced me that he wasn't lying, I believed it must have been a small aircraft that somehow had gone terribly off course. It wasn't until we went to the restaurant next door for coffee that morning that the horrible truth was revealed.

We were in training that day and I took my radio into the classroom so we could listen for the updates. At home that evening I watched incredulously as the news reports showed the aftermath in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. I was horrified as I watched the second aircraft make its way inexorably through the sky and crash into the second tower. Worse yet was the sight of people jumping from the building, and the worst was watching the buildings crumble and fall. How terrifying it must have been for those still in the building and those within view of them. It was surreal, I could not look away, and yet I was sickened by what I heard and saw that day and the days that followed.

In the past few days the television stations and news reports have been carrying stories from ten years ago. It is no less horrific today thanb it was then. I know my memories of the events will last a lifetime and I only imagine the pain of those who were left to pick up the pieces.

At the sam time, Canadian news reports have also carried the story of three year old Keenan Hebert. Keenan was abducted from his Sparwood, B.C. home on Wednesday. The police have named a suspect in the case, Randal Hopely, a man who was once convicted of sexual assualt.

Hopley is believed to be driving a brown 1987 Toyota Camry with the licence plate 098 RAL. The Amber Alert has been extended to the next province, Alberta, however there have been no confirmed sightings of either the man or the child.

We should not forget those who lost their lives that terrible day in September 2001. I sincerely hope, however, the story of little Keenan will not be overshadowed by the events of the past. My dream is he will be brought home safely to the arms of his loving parents.

Added September 11, 2011 - Keenan was returned home in the early morning hours, he is alive!

Be careful what you wish for

I've been complaining suggesting at work that I need more to keep me busy. My group is smaller than it has ever been since I became a supervisor - in fact in my first few months in this role I had a group nearly double the size of my current group. I guess they thought it would be trial by fire or sink or swim. With fewer people, I have less to do, fewer reports to review and approve, and fewer questions and requests for assistance. Some days I feel bored and restless.

I spoke with my manager a few weeks ago, with the suggestion that he assign more staff to my team or alternatively to find me projects. Well, he certainly found projects. I've been tagged to attend a training session in mid-October with the expectation I will train our staff in the next few months. In addition, I was already scheduled for a training session at the end of October, as a requirement for my supervisory position.

Then yesterday I met with him again about the staffing process. (I still don't think it is the best idea but senior management has decided to go ahead.) It turns out that the other supervisor he wants me to work with is not going to be available. He's not retiring yet, but will be away on vacation, so I've been asked to take a lead role in the process and will have two others assisting me. I have a meeting set up for next week to discuss the details and timing of the process.

All of this comes as annual reviews and current year goals are to be discussed with our teams. I'm ahead of the game in one sense, as I didn't take summer holidays and did a lot of the preliminary work already. I did so knowing that October is a busy month with our fundraising campaign and I would have less time. I still need to find time to have two meetings with each of my staff in the next few weeks.

Now I'm busy! I love it - I feel useful, productive, and just a little stressed. A sense of urgency energizes me and already looking forward to getting back to work on Monday. How weird is that? Even the training will be great as I'll be travelling to two other offices, both in larger cities, where I can visit with friends and go shopping at my favorite stores after class. Life is good!