So, it has been a few days since I have updated my blog! Bad me! Yogi and Boo Boo continue to be uninvited guests on our patio, but I am not there anymore so it is only Dan whose life is at risk!
Edison and I boarded the plane to Manitoba on Wednesday morning after a fairly sleepless night. All that adrenaline just before going to bed doesn't make for a peaceful nights sleep! I still can't believe we have bears in our yard!
Our plane ride was great. For once I didn't have to sit beside someone who was bitter that they had to sit with a dog. That whole bitterness thing ticks me off because Edison never even makes a peep. The children on the plane are much more annoying! The lady I sat next to was really nice, and we discovered that we had a lot in common, including loving spending time in Point Roberts, WA. She has a family cabin there, so maybe I will run into her again one day.
I went directly from the plane to my sister's day spa. The before look practice is so last week. This week, I am working on the after look! I am almost hairless! No more caterpillars over the eyeballs at least! My hair has been coiffed and dyed a lovely purple to match my dress! Not everyone loves it, but I do, so that is all that matters!
Today I took my dress to the seamstress to alter again. It looks like I am going to end up spending more on the alterations for my dress than I actually spent on the dress! I am not complaining, because I have had to have it taken in twice now, which was part of working on the after!
I am just sitting by the pool, having a glass of wine, waiting for friends to arrive. I love holidays!
Next week is "shower time". Two showers, so that should be a lot of fun as well!
Ciao friends for now!
Kirsty
Friday, 15 July 2011
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
A Beary Scary Night!
One more sleep until Manitoba, and I am very excited about getting home. So far it had been a really quiet night. I was enjoying the fact that I was organized and ready to go. Before I retired for the evening I made a quick call to a co-worker, who I wanted to say a proper goodbye to.
While on the phone, my dog Edison went to the door, asking to go out. I assumed he needed to have one last constitutional before going to bed for the night. Wrong. I opened the door to find that our garbage was everywhere, and there were animals there. I assumed at first they were raccoons because of past assumptions. Wrong again. BEARS, two of them. And Edison took off after them like a shot.
Poor Brooke (my co-worker/friend) got to hear me yelling in his ear and hanging up on him, then I yelled to Dan to come. Dan came running out attempting to get dressed while running. (He didn't necessarily accomplish this goal!) Both of us ran out the door after Edison, but he was on the hunt!
Edison has the two bears trapped across the creek (yes we have a creek in our back yard) and they are hissing their disapproval from the top of the fence. Eventually the bears retreated and much later, so did Edison. My heart is still racing and I am thinking I need to rename this blog!
Thank the lord I am leaving tomorrow with my little bear hunter and when we return, the bears should be nicely settled up country!
Hopefully, my next post will be about the wedding.
While on the phone, my dog Edison went to the door, asking to go out. I assumed he needed to have one last constitutional before going to bed for the night. Wrong. I opened the door to find that our garbage was everywhere, and there were animals there. I assumed at first they were raccoons because of past assumptions. Wrong again. BEARS, two of them. And Edison took off after them like a shot.
Poor Brooke (my co-worker/friend) got to hear me yelling in his ear and hanging up on him, then I yelled to Dan to come. Dan came running out attempting to get dressed while running. (He didn't necessarily accomplish this goal!) Both of us ran out the door after Edison, but he was on the hunt!
Edison has the two bears trapped across the creek (yes we have a creek in our back yard) and they are hissing their disapproval from the top of the fence. Eventually the bears retreated and much later, so did Edison. My heart is still racing and I am thinking I need to rename this blog!
Thank the lord I am leaving tomorrow with my little bear hunter and when we return, the bears should be nicely settled up country!
Hopefully, my next post will be about the wedding.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Nature's calling!
One more day of work and two more sleeps until I get to Stonewall! I must admit I am getting a bit giddy! Since I am so organized, all I have to report about the wedding is that I am getting excited!
But you might be interested in the fact that my dog saved my husband's life tonight.
Edison's evening walk is for him and his Dad. It is their bonding time per say. So tonight, just like most others, they set off for a walk by the river. I should preface this story by telling you that I am always on Dan's back about letting Edison off leash by the river. It is a horse trail, and Edison is not above trying to attack a horse, and we all know who would win that fight. So Dan gives me the big pacifier and tells me that he never lets Edison off leash. He is lying. And...he thinks it is quite funny.
Tonight, the joke was on him. Shortly into the walk, Dan heard some crashing in the bush. It soon became apparent that the source of the noise was a black bear in the bush. The bear appeared on the path right in front of Edison and Dan. Dan was horrified and was trying to figure out what the next move would be. Edison on the other hand, did not think twice, he just went after the bear. By "going after" I mean he started barking in his highest pitch bark. I am not sure if the bear was annoyed or scared, but he high tailed it out of there. Dan grabbed Edison and ran, just as fast in the other direction!
Now you are probably thinking that here I go again, taking artistic license to basically lie about what happened. I said that Edison saved his Dad's life tonight, and you probably thought I meant from the bear. That is not true.
When Dan saw the bear, he panicked. He readily admits that he believed the best course of action would have been to let Edison go, and the two of them could run for their lives, every man (or dog) for themselves. Edison on the other hand took action and made sure that the bear was out of the equation. Now had Dan had the opportunity to test his plan, and something happened to my dog, HE would be dead when he got home! So literally, Edison saved Dan's life! It's all in how you perceive it!
I am happy that both my boys are safe, and soon I will be in Manitoba where all I need to worry about is whether the mosquitoes take my dog away!
Kirsty
But you might be interested in the fact that my dog saved my husband's life tonight.
Edison's evening walk is for him and his Dad. It is their bonding time per say. So tonight, just like most others, they set off for a walk by the river. I should preface this story by telling you that I am always on Dan's back about letting Edison off leash by the river. It is a horse trail, and Edison is not above trying to attack a horse, and we all know who would win that fight. So Dan gives me the big pacifier and tells me that he never lets Edison off leash. He is lying. And...he thinks it is quite funny.
Tonight, the joke was on him. Shortly into the walk, Dan heard some crashing in the bush. It soon became apparent that the source of the noise was a black bear in the bush. The bear appeared on the path right in front of Edison and Dan. Dan was horrified and was trying to figure out what the next move would be. Edison on the other hand, did not think twice, he just went after the bear. By "going after" I mean he started barking in his highest pitch bark. I am not sure if the bear was annoyed or scared, but he high tailed it out of there. Dan grabbed Edison and ran, just as fast in the other direction!
Now you are probably thinking that here I go again, taking artistic license to basically lie about what happened. I said that Edison saved his Dad's life tonight, and you probably thought I meant from the bear. That is not true.
When Dan saw the bear, he panicked. He readily admits that he believed the best course of action would have been to let Edison go, and the two of them could run for their lives, every man (or dog) for themselves. Edison on the other hand took action and made sure that the bear was out of the equation. Now had Dan had the opportunity to test his plan, and something happened to my dog, HE would be dead when he got home! So literally, Edison saved Dan's life! It's all in how you perceive it!
I am happy that both my boys are safe, and soon I will be in Manitoba where all I need to worry about is whether the mosquitoes take my dog away!
Kirsty
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Mission Accomplished!
Git er done! I am finally done! And with two days to spare! My suitcase is packed and Dan's is partially packed. His can't be really go much further because he isn't leaving for another 2 weeks. I have given him instructions about what else needs to go into it so he should be fine.
I am very proud of my suitcase. One medium sized suitcase, and that is it. I whittled down the pile into a manageable amount! I do have to take a second suitcase, but in my defense, none of that is my personal stuff. Some of it belongs to Edison and the rest is wedding related. I would also like to note that all of this was completed by 11:30 this morning, despite waking up to a crazy morning.
One of the things that makes me love this place more than anything, is the birds. We have a number of bird feeders and Dan and I spend a great deal of time enjoying watching the many different birds. Lately, there has been some visitors to the feeders that really were not invited. One of my feeders was purchased at Wild Bird's Unlimited and was insanely expensive. When I bought it, I wanted something that would ensure that I was feeding the birds, not the squirrels. The clerk assured me that this would do the job and it was guaranteed for life. I didn't even have to keep the bill of sale because they make them and all I would need to do was bring in the feeder and they would either fix or replace it. Sounds good right?
In the past couple of days, it seemed like the squirrels had outsmarted the expensive feeder. The bird seed was going down in record time and was all over the patio. Somehow they were getting in, despite the claims that this was a "squirrel proof" feeder. I have noticed that we have more squirrels lately, and they seem like they may be fairly young. I came to the conclusion that it must be young and light squirrels that were robbing our feeder. I was wrong.
This morning we woke up to a disaster on the patio. The feeders were all on the ground, in pieces, my plants were all beat up, and somebody had gone into our freezer and stolen the bag of suet that was in there! It only took a little bit of detective work to figure out what happened. (I am actually known for my detective skills - I am called "deputy Dawg" in some circles!) It was a varmint all right, but not of the squirrel variety! This varmint was a lot more cagey than that, he was a raccoon! He left his little bandit tracks all over the place. And that greedy critter was able to open up our freezer and remove the bag of frozen suet! Left everything else, just took the bird food!
So we were left with empty broken feeders and no suet! Dan started throwing the feeders in the garbage, but we decided that we would collect the pieces of the expensive one and take it back. They said it was guaranteed, and it cost a whole bunch, so I figured I would try. If they said "no" then nothing was lost. So that was the plan. But as we looked at the feeder, we started to think...is it really broken beyond repair? Long story short, it was not! It actually took about ten seconds to put it back together in perfect condition! So it is back up and Dan has been spending his afternoon dreaming of how to get rid of our critter bandit! Don't worry folks, I have told him that no animals can be hurt during this blog, so whatever happens to our masked little buddy will be peaceful justice! Personally, I think he will likely get the best of us and not the other way around. They are known for being pretty smart!
I am very proud of my suitcase. One medium sized suitcase, and that is it. I whittled down the pile into a manageable amount! I do have to take a second suitcase, but in my defense, none of that is my personal stuff. Some of it belongs to Edison and the rest is wedding related. I would also like to note that all of this was completed by 11:30 this morning, despite waking up to a crazy morning.
One of the things that makes me love this place more than anything, is the birds. We have a number of bird feeders and Dan and I spend a great deal of time enjoying watching the many different birds. Lately, there has been some visitors to the feeders that really were not invited. One of my feeders was purchased at Wild Bird's Unlimited and was insanely expensive. When I bought it, I wanted something that would ensure that I was feeding the birds, not the squirrels. The clerk assured me that this would do the job and it was guaranteed for life. I didn't even have to keep the bill of sale because they make them and all I would need to do was bring in the feeder and they would either fix or replace it. Sounds good right?
In the past couple of days, it seemed like the squirrels had outsmarted the expensive feeder. The bird seed was going down in record time and was all over the patio. Somehow they were getting in, despite the claims that this was a "squirrel proof" feeder. I have noticed that we have more squirrels lately, and they seem like they may be fairly young. I came to the conclusion that it must be young and light squirrels that were robbing our feeder. I was wrong.
This morning we woke up to a disaster on the patio. The feeders were all on the ground, in pieces, my plants were all beat up, and somebody had gone into our freezer and stolen the bag of suet that was in there! It only took a little bit of detective work to figure out what happened. (I am actually known for my detective skills - I am called "deputy Dawg" in some circles!) It was a varmint all right, but not of the squirrel variety! This varmint was a lot more cagey than that, he was a raccoon! He left his little bandit tracks all over the place. And that greedy critter was able to open up our freezer and remove the bag of frozen suet! Left everything else, just took the bird food!
So we were left with empty broken feeders and no suet! Dan started throwing the feeders in the garbage, but we decided that we would collect the pieces of the expensive one and take it back. They said it was guaranteed, and it cost a whole bunch, so I figured I would try. If they said "no" then nothing was lost. So that was the plan. But as we looked at the feeder, we started to think...is it really broken beyond repair? Long story short, it was not! It actually took about ten seconds to put it back together in perfect condition! So it is back up and Dan has been spending his afternoon dreaming of how to get rid of our critter bandit! Don't worry folks, I have told him that no animals can be hurt during this blog, so whatever happens to our masked little buddy will be peaceful justice! Personally, I think he will likely get the best of us and not the other way around. They are known for being pretty smart!
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Edison in his Stroller
What's my excuse?
So, today I don't even have an excuse other than "it's the procrastination gene"! I woke up early and thought that I would have all day to get things done. I was hopeful. And wrong.
Edison was antsy to get out and it was a beautiful day, so we headed out to the dog park. When we arrived there was only one other dog there, which surprised me because it was so lovely out. I hoped that Edison would at least get some runs in with the one dog, but they both seemed to be low on energy. I was about to give up and go home when in walked an old man with a white wolf. Full blooded white wolf with ice blue eyes. He had a ton of energy! Then along came the cutest little African besenji named Gerry, and then a great Pyrenees cross and a Schnauzer too. Then the running and chasing and playing begin full throttle. By the end a little boxer named Kelly had also joined in on the fun and a great morning was had by all, dogs and owners alike!
The next thing I knew, it was 1:00 pm! We had arrived at 10:30 am! Edison has been running for over two hours! To say that he was tired might be this week's biggest understatement. And we were supposed to be going to the Caribbean Festival to meet folks at 3:00 this afternoon!
We were walking to the festival, which normally is no big deal, it is about a 20 minute walk (all uphill!) but I was concerned that Edison wouldn't be ready for that so soon after his big morning. I remembered that we have a dog stroller that we used for Emma, at the end of her life, so that she could join us us on walks. Dan was mortified! He has only recently accepted the fact that Edison is part poodle (apparently not the manliest of breeds) and now he was going to be pushing a poodle in a carriage. "I won't do it!" he proclaimed. Anyone who has met me knows that being told no really doesn't phase me a whole lot. Usually it just makes me more determined to do it anyway and today was no exception.
So into the crawlspace I went to retrieve the dog stroller. You may remember that the crawlspace is also where the suitcases are stored. I walked right past those! I got the stroller out and got it set up and dusted off. Edison was quite interested in the stroller, and as soon as it was set up, in he went, and sat there proud as a peacock! So now there was no negotiations, we were taking the stroller.
As we set off for the festival, Dan was still grumbling. I would like to say that he was grumbling under his breath, because that would have made it easier to put him on "ignore", but he was full out grumbling, telling me that people were going to snicker and point, and all of us were going to look like idiots.
Everyone that we met stopped to look at Edison, pointing out how wonderful his stroller was considering the heat of the day and how busy the festival was. He is so small, only 8 lbs, that in a crowd he can easily be stepped on or accidentally kicked. And it was so hot out, and the stroller had a covered shady area! Dan would not admit that it was a good thing we had decided to use the stroller, but I could really tell that he was revelling in the attention the stroller was getting! We were able to enjoy the music at the festival and bought some Jamaican food to bring home for dinner and walked back home without having to worry about our puppy dying from exhaustion or heat stroke.
So now we are fed, watered, and exercised and everyone is ready to drop! Apparently, packing will start tomorrow! Now that I have walked past the suitcases once already, maybe next time, I will bring them up and fill them! Now I am trying to figure out if I will be able to bring the stroller with me to Manitoba on the plane!
Edison was antsy to get out and it was a beautiful day, so we headed out to the dog park. When we arrived there was only one other dog there, which surprised me because it was so lovely out. I hoped that Edison would at least get some runs in with the one dog, but they both seemed to be low on energy. I was about to give up and go home when in walked an old man with a white wolf. Full blooded white wolf with ice blue eyes. He had a ton of energy! Then along came the cutest little African besenji named Gerry, and then a great Pyrenees cross and a Schnauzer too. Then the running and chasing and playing begin full throttle. By the end a little boxer named Kelly had also joined in on the fun and a great morning was had by all, dogs and owners alike!
The next thing I knew, it was 1:00 pm! We had arrived at 10:30 am! Edison has been running for over two hours! To say that he was tired might be this week's biggest understatement. And we were supposed to be going to the Caribbean Festival to meet folks at 3:00 this afternoon!
We were walking to the festival, which normally is no big deal, it is about a 20 minute walk (all uphill!) but I was concerned that Edison wouldn't be ready for that so soon after his big morning. I remembered that we have a dog stroller that we used for Emma, at the end of her life, so that she could join us us on walks. Dan was mortified! He has only recently accepted the fact that Edison is part poodle (apparently not the manliest of breeds) and now he was going to be pushing a poodle in a carriage. "I won't do it!" he proclaimed. Anyone who has met me knows that being told no really doesn't phase me a whole lot. Usually it just makes me more determined to do it anyway and today was no exception.
So into the crawlspace I went to retrieve the dog stroller. You may remember that the crawlspace is also where the suitcases are stored. I walked right past those! I got the stroller out and got it set up and dusted off. Edison was quite interested in the stroller, and as soon as it was set up, in he went, and sat there proud as a peacock! So now there was no negotiations, we were taking the stroller.
As we set off for the festival, Dan was still grumbling. I would like to say that he was grumbling under his breath, because that would have made it easier to put him on "ignore", but he was full out grumbling, telling me that people were going to snicker and point, and all of us were going to look like idiots.
Everyone that we met stopped to look at Edison, pointing out how wonderful his stroller was considering the heat of the day and how busy the festival was. He is so small, only 8 lbs, that in a crowd he can easily be stepped on or accidentally kicked. And it was so hot out, and the stroller had a covered shady area! Dan would not admit that it was a good thing we had decided to use the stroller, but I could really tell that he was revelling in the attention the stroller was getting! We were able to enjoy the music at the festival and bought some Jamaican food to bring home for dinner and walked back home without having to worry about our puppy dying from exhaustion or heat stroke.
So now we are fed, watered, and exercised and everyone is ready to drop! Apparently, packing will start tomorrow! Now that I have walked past the suitcases once already, maybe next time, I will bring them up and fill them! Now I am trying to figure out if I will be able to bring the stroller with me to Manitoba on the plane!
Friday, 8 July 2011
A Leopard and it's Spots
Packing Update: no packing completed today.
So you know what they say about leopards changing their spots? They don't do it! Me neither!
In my defense, I did have a busy day. And I did "prepare" to pack. Preparation is actually an art and I really think it makes you more organized. So technically, I am still on the right path! That's my story and I am sticking to it!
Right now my spare bed has a huge pile of clothes that I think I need in the month I am away. My next thing will be to weed it down to manageable. Honestly I have about 4 different outfits that I wear and just look at the other stuff. I did end up will one pile for charity, so I am proud of that. My green floral skirt is in that pile right now, so that is a first step. Well.....it is in there for now. Unfortunately, I have this habit of getting a charity bag ready and if it doesn't leave the house immediately, I start thinking about it. In the end, at least 50% of it goes back into the closet. Normally, I will wear that item within the next week and then never again. I guess that I am half way there in admitting my addition, now I just have to fix it. I will let you know how much of my bag makes it to charity in the end!
Since I am going to be in Stonewall soon, I am starting to fill my proverbial dance card. A community shower is planned for July 21 in Balmoral and now there is also a Meyers family shower two days before. Although I am not a card carrying Meyers, I will still be attending, and I look forward to two lovely evenings! On the 30th, the Oakford family and friends will get together to celebrate my birthday and also the birth of my twin nieces, Brooke and Rachel! It will be a pool party and I will be seeing some friends that I went to school with from grade school and some other special friends as well so I am really looking forward to that.
Before that, my mom and I are going on a road trip to Kenora, Ontario to meet with another close family friend. In short, this month is going to be action packed and full of adventure and I am so excited! The last time I was in Kenora, all of us girls went skinny dipping in the moonlight and got caught by the neighbours! Back then, I think they enjoyed it, this time, I think we might scare small children, so it is probably best if we keep our suits on! (even that might be scary to toddlers but they will have to deal with it!)
We will talk again soon! 4 more days until I am home!
Kirsty
So you know what they say about leopards changing their spots? They don't do it! Me neither!
In my defense, I did have a busy day. And I did "prepare" to pack. Preparation is actually an art and I really think it makes you more organized. So technically, I am still on the right path! That's my story and I am sticking to it!
Right now my spare bed has a huge pile of clothes that I think I need in the month I am away. My next thing will be to weed it down to manageable. Honestly I have about 4 different outfits that I wear and just look at the other stuff. I did end up will one pile for charity, so I am proud of that. My green floral skirt is in that pile right now, so that is a first step. Well.....it is in there for now. Unfortunately, I have this habit of getting a charity bag ready and if it doesn't leave the house immediately, I start thinking about it. In the end, at least 50% of it goes back into the closet. Normally, I will wear that item within the next week and then never again. I guess that I am half way there in admitting my addition, now I just have to fix it. I will let you know how much of my bag makes it to charity in the end!
Since I am going to be in Stonewall soon, I am starting to fill my proverbial dance card. A community shower is planned for July 21 in Balmoral and now there is also a Meyers family shower two days before. Although I am not a card carrying Meyers, I will still be attending, and I look forward to two lovely evenings! On the 30th, the Oakford family and friends will get together to celebrate my birthday and also the birth of my twin nieces, Brooke and Rachel! It will be a pool party and I will be seeing some friends that I went to school with from grade school and some other special friends as well so I am really looking forward to that.
Before that, my mom and I are going on a road trip to Kenora, Ontario to meet with another close family friend. In short, this month is going to be action packed and full of adventure and I am so excited! The last time I was in Kenora, all of us girls went skinny dipping in the moonlight and got caught by the neighbours! Back then, I think they enjoyed it, this time, I think we might scare small children, so it is probably best if we keep our suits on! (even that might be scary to toddlers but they will have to deal with it!)
We will talk again soon! 4 more days until I am home!
Kirsty
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