I “saved” this story... didn't even tell Shawn... ok, truth be known I FORGOT to tell him last night.... but this way its new content for everyone!
Yesterday after I stopped at the JD dealer for maintenance supplies, I decided I would go to Stittsville to the Dollarama... just to kill some time and avoid the bit of construction (and the traffic backup!!) going on on March Road.
I wander around the store... got some more poop bags to clean up dog crap... got 2 aluminum foil roasting pans that I like to use when roasting stuff and I'm too lazy to clean my real roasting pan... bought some chocolate bars because Shawn noted that all the good treats got shipped off with Jess....I browsed the Halloween stuff... really just wandering and killing time.
The dollar store is remarkably busy for the middle of the day... mostly Moms with kids buying some back to school supplies. I head down another aisle... it contains things like head phones, telephone cables... cds... that sort of thing and I notice a young woman (maybe about Jessica's age-ish) farther down the aisle looking at phone cables, but I don't think much of it.
I wander down past her and suddenly she turns to me and says “What's the difference between male and female ends on these cables?” While she's saying this she points to the packaging in her hand and points at the words “male end” “female end”. I stop and kinda look around... ok, clearly she's talking to ME. A little panicked by the question, I say “Errr... well I don't work here, but I can try to help you, I guess.”
Instead of answering HER question, I go into tech support mode and ask questions of my own. “What is it that you're trying to do? Do you just need an extension cord for your phone to make it reach?” I notice she's also holding a phone jack splitter, so I add “Or are you trying to turn one phone jack into two?”
She answers, “I have a computer that needs to plug in to a jack and a fax machine that also needs to plug into that jack.”
So I think and say “Well, depending what you're doing with both those machines, it might be tricky to share the same phone line...” and she cuts in and says “I don't know! My boss just sent me over here to buy this stuff, I don't really know what he's planning to use them for.” She seems kind of upset and confused now.
I ask her “What did he tell you to buy, exactly?”
She says “He told me to buy something to change the phone jack into 2 and also something to make one cord longer”..... “But I'm confused what it means when it says “male” and “female on the cords.
To her credit, the dollar store DID have an odd collection of cables... some had “male to male” , “female to female” and of course the “straight” forward (haha! bad pun!) “male to female” ends.
So I start to explain that the cable they have will plug in here, and make it longer and then it plugs into the splitter. She seems to understand how to attach everything now but she doesn't really seem quite “done” with the conversation.
For a moment or two, I'm not sure if I should just walk away or what... so I kinda stand there uncomfortably while she is clearly thinking about this.
Then she says “So the female plug receives the male plug...?” She stops talking and immediately turns 18 shades of red and then a few more of purple.
I stammer and say “Um yes, when they refer to the gender of the cable ends, its really just the same as, umm, sex.”
She blushes and says “Oh gosh, I'm sorry... I had no idea.... I went to Catholic school!”.
At this point, I'm sure there MUST be a hidden camera somewhere and someone is playing a joke on me so I look around all panicked... but no, its just business as usual in the dollar store.
I say nothing more than “Good luck, I hope those are the parts you need” and I bolt to the other side of the store while she heads to the cash register to pay for her phone cables.
At this point, I'm torn between laughing hysterically and feeling kinda sorry for her... I'm SURE she was at least 16 and I would GUESS closer to 19!! (She was old enough to have a job, for instance) Its one thing to not realize about gendered cables etc.... but what the heck ARE they teaching at Catholic school these days?! haha
Overall, it was an entertaining, though uncomfortable exchange. I hope she ended up with the right parts... and that'll teach me for agreeing to play tech support / sex educator at Dollarama!!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Mower Maintenance... Jess Update...
Yesterday I went and picked up the maintenance supplies from the JD dealer to change the oil etc on the lawn tractor. Last night, Shawn helped me change the oil, put on the new filter, load the grease gun and grease the fittings. It took us longer than was reasonable, but we got it done. :) Next time will go much faster I'm sure... I won't have to go search for something to catch the oil in and stuff like that... that makes the process seem like it'll never end!
Bottom line, the mower is ready to go again and hack back some of the wild... maybe later today once the dew dries up, I'll start cutting again.
We heard from Jess last night (as I posted to her blog) and she sounds like she's doing ok... she's been very busy and still hasn't entirely unpacked. Her roommate moved in and Jess says she seems nice. This part of university (orientation week) seems a little bit more like a summer camp than school, but I'm sure that'll change soon enough, once classes start and there's actual work to be done.
As I posted, Jess's internet seems to be down... some issue with Rogers... hopefully it will be resolved quickly. So don't panic if she doesn't reply to emails etc for a while... she's just not able to check them. If you're in need of reaching her for some reason, you can either call her cell or leave a msg with me (via email, phone) and I will make sure she gets it.
Tonight, Shrek 3 is playing at the Carp drive in. They are calling for rain later, so we'll see... I dont think I want to bother if its raining... I mean you can sit in the car and all, but then the wipers will have to be going to see... and we really enjoyed sitting out last time... we'll have to see what the weather is doing after dinner and then decide.
Bottom line, the mower is ready to go again and hack back some of the wild... maybe later today once the dew dries up, I'll start cutting again.
We heard from Jess last night (as I posted to her blog) and she sounds like she's doing ok... she's been very busy and still hasn't entirely unpacked. Her roommate moved in and Jess says she seems nice. This part of university (orientation week) seems a little bit more like a summer camp than school, but I'm sure that'll change soon enough, once classes start and there's actual work to be done.
As I posted, Jess's internet seems to be down... some issue with Rogers... hopefully it will be resolved quickly. So don't panic if she doesn't reply to emails etc for a while... she's just not able to check them. If you're in need of reaching her for some reason, you can either call her cell or leave a msg with me (via email, phone) and I will make sure she gets it.
Tonight, Shrek 3 is playing at the Carp drive in. They are calling for rain later, so we'll see... I dont think I want to bother if its raining... I mean you can sit in the car and all, but then the wipers will have to be going to see... and we really enjoyed sitting out last time... we'll have to see what the weather is doing after dinner and then decide.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The House Sure Is Big and Empty
So today is my first day at home alone. So far, so good... but it DOES feel big and empty, in spite of all the unpacked boxes, etc.
I posted some new pics this morning to the Four Horse Haven album (link to the left) "Goodbye Dead Tree", "Stone Dust" and "Living Room Shake Up" are all new.
The tree removal guys came yesterday and got rid of our dead tree that seemed to be threatening to fall on our house since we moved in. They did a great job and I'd be happy to hire them again anytime. They did a good job of trimming up the branches that we on the roof of the house as well. I thought they did a great job of clean up... there was not much evidence of them being there, other than the tree being gone and a stump... a little bit of sawdust, but not much, as they'd raked up as much as they could before they left. They took all the wood from the tree, like we wanted... they worked really hard. I'm so glad that job is done.
Shawn has more pics of the tree removal on his camera... I'll have to remind him to post them later as well. I took many of mine out the kitchen window, so the screen is kinda in the way.. but it was a good view from there. Shawn took a bunch outside, so his will be nicer.
While they were removing the tree, Shawn and I were doing stuff inside... mostly moving stuff around the living room again. Its been an ongoing issue with how to best setup the living room. Its a long narrow room and we have a long couch. We've pretty much given up on making the projector and giant screen work here... the dimensions just aren't quite right. This is the 3rd wall I've had the couch on since we moved in... and really the last place we can try it... it cant sit with the back against the staircase as the wall there isn't quite long enough and has a cold air return on the floor.. .and it would block the door way into the vestibule on your way to the kitchen and mudroom.
With this orientation, we can at least have end tables again, which we like... place to put a laptop... or drink... or plate of food... the couch is a lot less usable without end tables... at least for us.
I think we're gonna set up our old tv at some point and see how that works... we've been just watching dvds on the mac book since we got here. We like that convenience.. we can watch on the couch... in the mudroom... on the bed.
We also discussed getting cable service... and right now, we're leaning towards not bothering. It was different when Jess was here... she liked to watch tv... but other than a few shows, we hardly watch tv at all... we prefer to watch stuff on dvd. So if I can just get through one season without watching the shows I like, then we can catch up on them next season when they come out on dvd.
Not getting some sort of cable service saves about $50 - $100 a month, depending on what type of service and how many channels you want... not huge money.. but enough money for something you dont use much. I dunno that i an justify it for 3 hours of entertainment per week. If you work it out, it costs me $4 - $8 per hour that I watch it. That seems really pricey to me. So we'll see how it goes... it could all change yet, I suppose.
I have a bunch of things I should be doing this morning... I need to run to the JD dealer and pick up some stuff to do maintenance on the mower... needs the oil changed, etc. Nevermind the unpacking I should do and the stuff still at the storage unit... ugh.
My neck / shoulder / collar bone are all messed up... and have been for a couple days... since I got home... I'm sure its not stress related *eye roll* or anything :) I even took some muscle relaxers last night, but I don't think they helped enough. Shawn's been working on it for me too... I imagine in a day or so it'll improve a bit. I reached for the squeezy bottle of honey this morning to make Shawn's honey on croissant sandwich that he loves and I almost dropped it. I could lift my arm up to the first shelf to get it, but then i had no strength to hold it... scared me a bit... I was afraid if I dropped it there would be a big sticky honey mess everywhere.
I'm sitting in the livingroom on the couch and the window is open.. and I can smell something yummy on the breeze... not sure where its coming from... but it smells like waffles or vanilla cake mix or something yummy! The dogs also smell it and are both standing there inhaling like maniacs! Maybe we should drive up and down the road and invite ourselves in to help eat whatever it is!!
Ok off to get something done!!
I posted some new pics this morning to the Four Horse Haven album (link to the left) "Goodbye Dead Tree", "Stone Dust" and "Living Room Shake Up" are all new.
The tree removal guys came yesterday and got rid of our dead tree that seemed to be threatening to fall on our house since we moved in. They did a great job and I'd be happy to hire them again anytime. They did a good job of trimming up the branches that we on the roof of the house as well. I thought they did a great job of clean up... there was not much evidence of them being there, other than the tree being gone and a stump... a little bit of sawdust, but not much, as they'd raked up as much as they could before they left. They took all the wood from the tree, like we wanted... they worked really hard. I'm so glad that job is done.
Shawn has more pics of the tree removal on his camera... I'll have to remind him to post them later as well. I took many of mine out the kitchen window, so the screen is kinda in the way.. but it was a good view from there. Shawn took a bunch outside, so his will be nicer.
While they were removing the tree, Shawn and I were doing stuff inside... mostly moving stuff around the living room again. Its been an ongoing issue with how to best setup the living room. Its a long narrow room and we have a long couch. We've pretty much given up on making the projector and giant screen work here... the dimensions just aren't quite right. This is the 3rd wall I've had the couch on since we moved in... and really the last place we can try it... it cant sit with the back against the staircase as the wall there isn't quite long enough and has a cold air return on the floor.. .and it would block the door way into the vestibule on your way to the kitchen and mudroom.
With this orientation, we can at least have end tables again, which we like... place to put a laptop... or drink... or plate of food... the couch is a lot less usable without end tables... at least for us.
I think we're gonna set up our old tv at some point and see how that works... we've been just watching dvds on the mac book since we got here. We like that convenience.. we can watch on the couch... in the mudroom... on the bed.
We also discussed getting cable service... and right now, we're leaning towards not bothering. It was different when Jess was here... she liked to watch tv... but other than a few shows, we hardly watch tv at all... we prefer to watch stuff on dvd. So if I can just get through one season without watching the shows I like, then we can catch up on them next season when they come out on dvd.
Not getting some sort of cable service saves about $50 - $100 a month, depending on what type of service and how many channels you want... not huge money.. but enough money for something you dont use much. I dunno that i an justify it for 3 hours of entertainment per week. If you work it out, it costs me $4 - $8 per hour that I watch it. That seems really pricey to me. So we'll see how it goes... it could all change yet, I suppose.
I have a bunch of things I should be doing this morning... I need to run to the JD dealer and pick up some stuff to do maintenance on the mower... needs the oil changed, etc. Nevermind the unpacking I should do and the stuff still at the storage unit... ugh.
My neck / shoulder / collar bone are all messed up... and have been for a couple days... since I got home... I'm sure its not stress related *eye roll* or anything :) I even took some muscle relaxers last night, but I don't think they helped enough. Shawn's been working on it for me too... I imagine in a day or so it'll improve a bit. I reached for the squeezy bottle of honey this morning to make Shawn's honey on croissant sandwich that he loves and I almost dropped it. I could lift my arm up to the first shelf to get it, but then i had no strength to hold it... scared me a bit... I was afraid if I dropped it there would be a big sticky honey mess everywhere.
I'm sitting in the livingroom on the couch and the window is open.. and I can smell something yummy on the breeze... not sure where its coming from... but it smells like waffles or vanilla cake mix or something yummy! The dogs also smell it and are both standing there inhaling like maniacs! Maybe we should drive up and down the road and invite ourselves in to help eat whatever it is!!
Ok off to get something done!!
Monday, August 27, 2007
We All Survived
Twas a BIG weekend... and I'm still attempting to recover! I successfully dropped Jess off at university yesterday... we had a short and only mildly teary goodbye... there were people all around watching us cry.... we both LOVE that!!
The university drop off was quite a bit different than any of us expected (Jess, Kyle or myself). Being a smaller residence, they were not very busy, but still had a large crew awaiting new arrivals. In less than 10 minutes, they had emptied my van and taken everything up to her room... well including my SWEET CORN!! I had to get that brought back down :) Its MINE and you cant have it! Nyah nyah ;)
I guess I had expected much waiting in lines and then carrying stuff upstairs and generally just hanging out. But they were done quickly... then they asked that I move my van, in case another arrival came... and I asked where I could park it for a while... and then I was told they were discouraging parents from sticking around. So I went up to Jess's room, had a VERY quick look around and told her I'd better get going. Then we went outside, had our short goodbye and off I went.
I really felt like I'd just dumped her there... its just impossible to do anything without mother guilt apparently! I only made one stop on the way home in Port Hope and made it home in about 4.5 hours. I was exhausted and I headed almost immediately for bed where I slept for a good 2 hours.
We heard from Jess last night and she sounded like she was doing ok, then I was able to relax a bit.
Shawn and I had a delicious supper of Herrle's corn and tenderloin steaks and mostly just sat around all evening, web surfing and watching tv. It has cooled down here again... yesterday was lovely... today seems pretty good so far too. The hills are really clear, so I know its not humid :)
This morning, we slept in a whole bunch... then now we're waiting for the tree guy to come and cut down the dead tree and trim the other branches. I imagine he'll be here soon. I'm glad Shawn took the day off, then we could both sleep in today... which we both really needed :)
I had a lovely weekend visiting with my parents, my aunt and my sister and her family! Thanks for putting me up for the night Mom and Dad :) It was nice to go "home" again... That HOME word sure is confusing these days! :) We ate lots of delicious food on Saturday.. it was awesome! Thanks for a great weekend!
That's it for now... just wanted to let everyone know we survived!
The university drop off was quite a bit different than any of us expected (Jess, Kyle or myself). Being a smaller residence, they were not very busy, but still had a large crew awaiting new arrivals. In less than 10 minutes, they had emptied my van and taken everything up to her room... well including my SWEET CORN!! I had to get that brought back down :) Its MINE and you cant have it! Nyah nyah ;)
I guess I had expected much waiting in lines and then carrying stuff upstairs and generally just hanging out. But they were done quickly... then they asked that I move my van, in case another arrival came... and I asked where I could park it for a while... and then I was told they were discouraging parents from sticking around. So I went up to Jess's room, had a VERY quick look around and told her I'd better get going. Then we went outside, had our short goodbye and off I went.
I really felt like I'd just dumped her there... its just impossible to do anything without mother guilt apparently! I only made one stop on the way home in Port Hope and made it home in about 4.5 hours. I was exhausted and I headed almost immediately for bed where I slept for a good 2 hours.
We heard from Jess last night and she sounded like she was doing ok, then I was able to relax a bit.
Shawn and I had a delicious supper of Herrle's corn and tenderloin steaks and mostly just sat around all evening, web surfing and watching tv. It has cooled down here again... yesterday was lovely... today seems pretty good so far too. The hills are really clear, so I know its not humid :)
This morning, we slept in a whole bunch... then now we're waiting for the tree guy to come and cut down the dead tree and trim the other branches. I imagine he'll be here soon. I'm glad Shawn took the day off, then we could both sleep in today... which we both really needed :)
I had a lovely weekend visiting with my parents, my aunt and my sister and her family! Thanks for putting me up for the night Mom and Dad :) It was nice to go "home" again... That HOME word sure is confusing these days! :) We ate lots of delicious food on Saturday.. it was awesome! Thanks for a great weekend!
That's it for now... just wanted to let everyone know we survived!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
New Four Horse Haven Logo
I've made a rough first draft of Lisa's logo idea for Four Horse Haven - it's over in the sidebar to the left.
I think it turned out ok.
I think it turned out ok.
And...they're off.
Lisa and Jessica left this morning (very early - we were up at 5:am) to make the long drive to the Toronto area to drop Jessica off at Ryerson. We packed the van with all sorts of stuff for her last night, so this morning they mostly just needed to hop in the car and leave.
There were many tears shed this morning when Jessica left to start her new life. (btw - she has a blog of her own where she plans to chronicle her adventures away from home). It's sad she's leaving, but exciting too - I remember going off to university, living away from home for the first time. I think it'll be the time of her life.
I'm staying here at Four Horse Haven, looking after the dogs. I considered going back to sleep after they left, but I couldn't imagine sleeping, so I've been puttering around here with the dogs, doing little jobs that have needed doing for a while.
I fixed the dog run where bad dog Buddy had a conniption and almost disassembled the door and escaped. I've reworked the wire so everything is linked together, and added new wire so he shouldn't be able to pull a stunt like that again.
I started removing the bolts on the back step: we've got these precast cement steps at the front and back steps of the house. They used to have railings, but they've long rusted and been removed. The back step still has bolts protruding from the cement. It's shockingly hard to remove them: the bolt cutters didn't dent them, so I ended up using Dremel cutoff wheels, which was fun enough other than shattering two of them. I got 2 of the 4 bolts removed, after much time and effort. I may go back out later and do the other two.
There were many tears shed this morning when Jessica left to start her new life. (btw - she has a blog of her own where she plans to chronicle her adventures away from home). It's sad she's leaving, but exciting too - I remember going off to university, living away from home for the first time. I think it'll be the time of her life.
I'm staying here at Four Horse Haven, looking after the dogs. I considered going back to sleep after they left, but I couldn't imagine sleeping, so I've been puttering around here with the dogs, doing little jobs that have needed doing for a while.
I fixed the dog run where bad dog Buddy had a conniption and almost disassembled the door and escaped. I've reworked the wire so everything is linked together, and added new wire so he shouldn't be able to pull a stunt like that again.
I started removing the bolts on the back step: we've got these precast cement steps at the front and back steps of the house. They used to have railings, but they've long rusted and been removed. The back step still has bolts protruding from the cement. It's shockingly hard to remove them: the bolt cutters didn't dent them, so I ended up using Dremel cutoff wheels, which was fun enough other than shattering two of them. I got 2 of the 4 bolts removed, after much time and effort. I may go back out later and do the other two.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Packing, Strays & Sushi
Its been a busy few days around here, as usual! The stone dust arrived the other day... we got about half of the machine shed done that night, but haven't gotten back to it... between the weather and trying to get things organized for this weekend, there's just not been enough hours in the day.
We've pretty much got Jess all packed up.... we'll load the car tonight and just throw the last few last minute items in before we hit the road. My goal is to be on the road by 6am, we'll see how that works... leaving earlier gives me more time to visit back home... especially being as its kind of a short visit. I'm also going to attempt to make it to the bank in Kitchener before it closes so I can close our safety deposit box there. Its already empty, and I would've closed it before I left, except I forgot one of the keys was tucked away in a filing cabinet that had already been moved. Now I have both keys with me... so we'll see if I can make it before they close!
Jess and I have been riding the emotional roller coaster all week... clearly, going off to school is the right thing... she has to go start her life, doing what she loves and is so good at... but neither of us is really *ready* for this either. I know I speak for both of us when I say that we're both working hard to constantly maintain our composure... if either of us lets our guard down just a bit... there's tears. Should be a *FUN* weekend. We're pretty sure that we'll both be shriveled up and dehydrated by Sunday night. So needless to say, NO I don't want to talk about it... I'm sure we'll both survive... time is a good healer.
I'll be heading back to Ottawa Sunday night... leaving from Toronto... Monday, Shawn's taken the day off to spend with me, since we wont get to hang out this weekend together... the tree removal guy is also coming on Monday. Of course, Shawn is staying here with the dogs all weekend... someone's gotta hold down the fort.
Its rather hot and humid here again.... after all that nice cool weather... I've got the AC on today... it was unbearable without it, especially since we're doing Jess's laundry today.
Yesterday when we were about to leave to pick up Shawn from work and go have Mexican for supper, just as I was about to take the dogs out, I noticed there was a stray dog running around our yard. (This is stray #3 and I've only lived here not even 2 months yet!) So out I went in the pouring rain (without MY dogs!!) to try to catch the stray... he was kinda nervous, but friendly enough looking... unneutered male, likely a lab X border collie cross... mutt.
** Some time passed**
Ok, now to continue... I caught the stray dog in the dog kennel... locked him in there with a few dog cookies and called animal control. Since I was in the midst of taking my dogs out and they were in need, I decided to take them out one at a time. Buddy first of course... he initially barked meanly and was unpleasant. If he was polite, I just let him sniff through the fence.. if he was rude and aggressive, then he caught hell from me. Soon he just ignored the stray in his normal "I'm better than everyone" sort of way.
The whole time Buddy and I are out, Pixie is in the house with Jessica going NUTS. Angry barking, the whole bit. Jess and I switched dogs at the dog and it was Pixie's turn. For a cute, dumb, soft headed lab, she sure has a nasty side. Her tactic is to walk up to the fence and then snarl when the other dog looks her way. So, same as with Buddy, as along as she was polite, she could interact through the fence, but as soon as she was unpleasant, she caught hell from me. Well... in the end, she never stopped catching hell, even though I escalated her punishment. Nasty, poorly socialized animal.
Its funny though, she always used to be the more social dog at the dog park... friendly with other dogs and people... somehow that's changed... I'm sure its our fault somehow... but I blame Buddy :) He always makes antisocial noises and stuff, but when it comes down to it, its all beneath him and he ignores the other animals.
45 minutes later, the animal control guy showed up and loaded the dog into the van. Obviously this wasn't the same dog as before from across the street, but those people moved away and left their dog (the one we were maybe going to get) with the new tenants. The new tenants brought at least 2 other dogs... and maybe this one was one of theirs, I dunno... they are set back a ways and we can see some stuff going on, but its too far to really identify a dog.
I told the animal control guy that it was possible it was their dog... but that I didn't go over... they now have a gate across their laneway, as they let their 2 ponies have the run of the place... I didn't want to open the gate and wander in there with a dog that may or may not be theirs... with ponies running loose. They also have a large pack of kids, but they weren't visible at that point, probably due to the rain.
When animal control left, he went across the road and read their sign, but didn't go in... so I don't really know what happened... I guess he took the dog to where ever they take them here when they are waiting to be claimed.
Tonight was Jessica's choice of meals... I told her I would cook anything or take her out anywhere she wanted to go. She decided she wanted sushi and had looked up reviews of various local restaurants. None had glowing reviews... so she decided instead of taking a chance on unknown sushi, we would get it from Farm Boy and bring it home. Farm Boy makes their sushi onsite and makes it fresh... we've eaten it a bunch of times now with no ill effects.
After we picked up Shawn we went and bought a whole bunch of sushi and some sandwiches for tomorrow's trip. We pretty much ate all the sushi that we could... had there been more, I couldn't have eaten it... and I think both Shawn and Jess were full! I get the vegetarian sushi (no fish!) because I'm still not eating fish since I had a minor allergic reaction to shrimp a few yeas ago. Its good enough and the only "fishy" thing is the seaweed which doesn't seem to bother me at all.
We loaded everything in the car that is ready to be loaded... there are some more things that will have to wait until morning... like pillows :) Otherwise, I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be!
I know Jess is looking forward to going to school... and I'm looking forward to hearing about her adventures... in spite of all the tears and worries... its a good thing and we'll survive.
We've pretty much got Jess all packed up.... we'll load the car tonight and just throw the last few last minute items in before we hit the road. My goal is to be on the road by 6am, we'll see how that works... leaving earlier gives me more time to visit back home... especially being as its kind of a short visit. I'm also going to attempt to make it to the bank in Kitchener before it closes so I can close our safety deposit box there. Its already empty, and I would've closed it before I left, except I forgot one of the keys was tucked away in a filing cabinet that had already been moved. Now I have both keys with me... so we'll see if I can make it before they close!
Jess and I have been riding the emotional roller coaster all week... clearly, going off to school is the right thing... she has to go start her life, doing what she loves and is so good at... but neither of us is really *ready* for this either. I know I speak for both of us when I say that we're both working hard to constantly maintain our composure... if either of us lets our guard down just a bit... there's tears. Should be a *FUN* weekend. We're pretty sure that we'll both be shriveled up and dehydrated by Sunday night. So needless to say, NO I don't want to talk about it... I'm sure we'll both survive... time is a good healer.
I'll be heading back to Ottawa Sunday night... leaving from Toronto... Monday, Shawn's taken the day off to spend with me, since we wont get to hang out this weekend together... the tree removal guy is also coming on Monday. Of course, Shawn is staying here with the dogs all weekend... someone's gotta hold down the fort.
Its rather hot and humid here again.... after all that nice cool weather... I've got the AC on today... it was unbearable without it, especially since we're doing Jess's laundry today.
Yesterday when we were about to leave to pick up Shawn from work and go have Mexican for supper, just as I was about to take the dogs out, I noticed there was a stray dog running around our yard. (This is stray #3 and I've only lived here not even 2 months yet!) So out I went in the pouring rain (without MY dogs!!) to try to catch the stray... he was kinda nervous, but friendly enough looking... unneutered male, likely a lab X border collie cross... mutt.
** Some time passed**
Ok, now to continue... I caught the stray dog in the dog kennel... locked him in there with a few dog cookies and called animal control. Since I was in the midst of taking my dogs out and they were in need, I decided to take them out one at a time. Buddy first of course... he initially barked meanly and was unpleasant. If he was polite, I just let him sniff through the fence.. if he was rude and aggressive, then he caught hell from me. Soon he just ignored the stray in his normal "I'm better than everyone" sort of way.
The whole time Buddy and I are out, Pixie is in the house with Jessica going NUTS. Angry barking, the whole bit. Jess and I switched dogs at the dog and it was Pixie's turn. For a cute, dumb, soft headed lab, she sure has a nasty side. Her tactic is to walk up to the fence and then snarl when the other dog looks her way. So, same as with Buddy, as along as she was polite, she could interact through the fence, but as soon as she was unpleasant, she caught hell from me. Well... in the end, she never stopped catching hell, even though I escalated her punishment. Nasty, poorly socialized animal.
Its funny though, she always used to be the more social dog at the dog park... friendly with other dogs and people... somehow that's changed... I'm sure its our fault somehow... but I blame Buddy :) He always makes antisocial noises and stuff, but when it comes down to it, its all beneath him and he ignores the other animals.
45 minutes later, the animal control guy showed up and loaded the dog into the van. Obviously this wasn't the same dog as before from across the street, but those people moved away and left their dog (the one we were maybe going to get) with the new tenants. The new tenants brought at least 2 other dogs... and maybe this one was one of theirs, I dunno... they are set back a ways and we can see some stuff going on, but its too far to really identify a dog.
I told the animal control guy that it was possible it was their dog... but that I didn't go over... they now have a gate across their laneway, as they let their 2 ponies have the run of the place... I didn't want to open the gate and wander in there with a dog that may or may not be theirs... with ponies running loose. They also have a large pack of kids, but they weren't visible at that point, probably due to the rain.
When animal control left, he went across the road and read their sign, but didn't go in... so I don't really know what happened... I guess he took the dog to where ever they take them here when they are waiting to be claimed.
Tonight was Jessica's choice of meals... I told her I would cook anything or take her out anywhere she wanted to go. She decided she wanted sushi and had looked up reviews of various local restaurants. None had glowing reviews... so she decided instead of taking a chance on unknown sushi, we would get it from Farm Boy and bring it home. Farm Boy makes their sushi onsite and makes it fresh... we've eaten it a bunch of times now with no ill effects.
After we picked up Shawn we went and bought a whole bunch of sushi and some sandwiches for tomorrow's trip. We pretty much ate all the sushi that we could... had there been more, I couldn't have eaten it... and I think both Shawn and Jess were full! I get the vegetarian sushi (no fish!) because I'm still not eating fish since I had a minor allergic reaction to shrimp a few yeas ago. Its good enough and the only "fishy" thing is the seaweed which doesn't seem to bother me at all.
We loaded everything in the car that is ready to be loaded... there are some more things that will have to wait until morning... like pillows :) Otherwise, I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be!
I know Jess is looking forward to going to school... and I'm looking forward to hearing about her adventures... in spite of all the tears and worries... its a good thing and we'll survive.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
More Pics Posted & Other Stuff
I posted a few more pics to fourhorsehaven's album... Jess and I did a bit of work today, getting the machine shed ready for stonedust (which is supposed to be delivered today!). I'll post more later :)
**LATER**
My stonedust hasn't arrived yet... I'm supposed to be getting 8 cubic yards of it (which is 12 tons!) It was CHEAP! $189 for the load, delivered, tax in... bottom line! Its supposed to arrive some time today before 6pm. I'll take a pic of it when it arrives, but on the phone they told me its about 120 wheelbarrow fulls, depending on the size of the wheelbarrow and how full you make 'em. Yikes... that sounds daunting to me!!
It's been a weird week... and yes, I'm aware its only Tuesday afternoon! Yesterday, the guy that's coming to address moving my water softener backwash out of the septic system didn't get here. I was in touch throughout the day with the office and found out that their first call of the day was to fix someone's septic and they found some cylinder part (??) was PLUGGED SOLID with poop.
The woman I spoke to during the day went into great detail about the thingy plugged with poop, it was rather entertaining. I guess they waited too long to have their tank pumped and this cylinder part is maybe supposed to stop anything backflowing from the tank into the house... well, when it got plugged then apparently poop was coming out their toilets, their sink drains.... all over... you get the idea!! Lesson of the day: Pump your septic BEFORE its full!!
By late afternoon, they had both their teams working on this problem plus they had called in another company to help them... so me and 8 other people got their appointments bumped. I told the woman at the office that my problem is not a big deal and is certainly not an emergency, so maybe we could reschedule for next week. We both figured that one more week of the softener backwashing would not really hurt anything :) And compared to the solid poop plug... well that certainly takes priority!!
Then today, I took my car up the road to the mechanic to have the timing belt and water pump done. All was good, until he called me to say that the dealer had delivered the wrong water pump and wouldn't be able to get back here until late today or early tomorrow with the replacement. So now my car will go back tomorrow and hopefully get done. The guy DID give me a price quote and its about half of the price quote I got from my old mechanic in Kitchener... whether he added in all the parts and labour, I don't know... I'll find out tomorrow.
I did get Jess's linens all washed this morning... her sheets, her new duvets and the duvet cover.
Jess and I also went outside and did a bit of work... I cut some grass... she cleaned out the machine shed... some was garbage, some of the stuff is boards that are still in good shape and we'll likely use for something. I think its mostly ready now for the stonedust!
While we were out there, we started ripping off some of the red siding off the machine shed... it was kinda gross, there were bug eggs between the boards and siding... I didn't clean them off yet, I'll deal with them another day! We got the front face mostly done except for the parts where there are things attached to the building, like the hydro insulators and fuse box. It looks dramatically nicer now. Can't wait to work on the one next to it too! :)
It wasn't too hard to remove... I love my crowbar :) There are lots of nail heads that will need to be either removed or pounded down though before I can paint or whatever I'm going to do to the outside of the building.
Jess and I worked hard enough and we got hot and *gasp* sweaty & dirty!! so we stopped... came in and showered and are now enjoying the breeze flowing through the mudroom and awaiting my stonedust :)
**LATER**
My stonedust hasn't arrived yet... I'm supposed to be getting 8 cubic yards of it (which is 12 tons!) It was CHEAP! $189 for the load, delivered, tax in... bottom line! Its supposed to arrive some time today before 6pm. I'll take a pic of it when it arrives, but on the phone they told me its about 120 wheelbarrow fulls, depending on the size of the wheelbarrow and how full you make 'em. Yikes... that sounds daunting to me!!
It's been a weird week... and yes, I'm aware its only Tuesday afternoon! Yesterday, the guy that's coming to address moving my water softener backwash out of the septic system didn't get here. I was in touch throughout the day with the office and found out that their first call of the day was to fix someone's septic and they found some cylinder part (??) was PLUGGED SOLID with poop.
The woman I spoke to during the day went into great detail about the thingy plugged with poop, it was rather entertaining. I guess they waited too long to have their tank pumped and this cylinder part is maybe supposed to stop anything backflowing from the tank into the house... well, when it got plugged then apparently poop was coming out their toilets, their sink drains.... all over... you get the idea!! Lesson of the day: Pump your septic BEFORE its full!!
By late afternoon, they had both their teams working on this problem plus they had called in another company to help them... so me and 8 other people got their appointments bumped. I told the woman at the office that my problem is not a big deal and is certainly not an emergency, so maybe we could reschedule for next week. We both figured that one more week of the softener backwashing would not really hurt anything :) And compared to the solid poop plug... well that certainly takes priority!!
Then today, I took my car up the road to the mechanic to have the timing belt and water pump done. All was good, until he called me to say that the dealer had delivered the wrong water pump and wouldn't be able to get back here until late today or early tomorrow with the replacement. So now my car will go back tomorrow and hopefully get done. The guy DID give me a price quote and its about half of the price quote I got from my old mechanic in Kitchener... whether he added in all the parts and labour, I don't know... I'll find out tomorrow.
I did get Jess's linens all washed this morning... her sheets, her new duvets and the duvet cover.
Jess and I also went outside and did a bit of work... I cut some grass... she cleaned out the machine shed... some was garbage, some of the stuff is boards that are still in good shape and we'll likely use for something. I think its mostly ready now for the stonedust!
While we were out there, we started ripping off some of the red siding off the machine shed... it was kinda gross, there were bug eggs between the boards and siding... I didn't clean them off yet, I'll deal with them another day! We got the front face mostly done except for the parts where there are things attached to the building, like the hydro insulators and fuse box. It looks dramatically nicer now. Can't wait to work on the one next to it too! :)
It wasn't too hard to remove... I love my crowbar :) There are lots of nail heads that will need to be either removed or pounded down though before I can paint or whatever I'm going to do to the outside of the building.
Jess and I worked hard enough and we got hot and *gasp* sweaty & dirty!! so we stopped... came in and showered and are now enjoying the breeze flowing through the mudroom and awaiting my stonedust :)
Monday, August 20, 2007
New Pics Posted
I'm in the process of posting new pics, both to the lwilder album and the four horse haven album, for anyone interested :)
svincent.com
Thanks to my Dad for letting us know that svincent.com and Shawn's blog are currently down. :) It may take a couple days, but we'll get it back online.. its a hosting issue.
All the recent updates are here, anyhow, I don't think he'd made any updates there in a while. :)
All the recent updates are here, anyhow, I don't think he'd made any updates there in a while. :)
Sunday, August 19, 2007
A Little TOO Much!
So if you recall from yesterday's post, I said that we'd go out and just do a BIT of work with the new chainsaw.... well... really, we did a little too much!! Jess and I dragged all the already cut trees and branches to the back brush pile, where Shawn had the chainsaw and was cutting them into a reasonable size to be thrown up and into the pile.
You might ask why we didn't cut them down where they were and then move them... well, because I didn't want to move MORE pieces... they weren't that bad to move... Jess moved most of the bigger ones for me.
When all the big ones were dragged off, then I hooked up the JD cart to the mower and we picked up all the little stuff, so when I mow next it'll be clear of sticks. Shawn worked very hard with the new chainsaw... which kicks BUTT by the way!! He seems to think its pretty awesome and made short work of making the big pieces small enough to toss in the pile!
Now that doesn't sound like too much work, particularly, unless you also take into account all the friggen walking we'd already done that day through the mazes. I mean, we WALKED and WALKED... Many miles.... we walked much longer than that day at the provincial park, even!!
So needless to say, today, we're wiped... Shawn and I managed to move the dog run this morning, to make room for the tree removal guy to come in when his schedule allows. (We had a huge wind storm on Friday and many people had trees down, so he has some emergency work to do before he gets to us... which is ok, we're just happy none of our trees came down on their own! I was getting worried, lemme tell ya!)
We also made a trip to Home Depot today to pick up a few small items. By the time we were there for a few minutes, I told Jess and Shawn to finish up, I had to go sit down in the car. We're all sore today and not very ambitious. After HD, we stopped at the chip wagon in Dunrobin and got lunch, then came home and Shawn and I went to lay down... we slept for over 2 hours!
Soon, I'll have to figure out something for dinner... might be a night where we just heat frozen dinners or open a can of something. I need to go shopping, but was too tired to do that today... maybe tomorrow.
Tomorrow the guy the septic guy recommended to look at making our water softener discharge somewhere other than into our septic is coming to see what the best solution for that is.
Tuesday, I'm taking the car up the road to the mechanic to have the timing belt and water*something* (I can't remember now!?) replaced. Honda recommends having it done at 100,000 km, so it is due... and I decided that perhaps it should be done before I make the big trip back to Kitchener next weekend. I dont want to be that poor person at the side of the road, broken down!!
So we didn't get as much done this weekend as we hoped, but I think that's always true... and really, it'll still be there, waiting for us! Funny how that works! :)
You might ask why we didn't cut them down where they were and then move them... well, because I didn't want to move MORE pieces... they weren't that bad to move... Jess moved most of the bigger ones for me.
When all the big ones were dragged off, then I hooked up the JD cart to the mower and we picked up all the little stuff, so when I mow next it'll be clear of sticks. Shawn worked very hard with the new chainsaw... which kicks BUTT by the way!! He seems to think its pretty awesome and made short work of making the big pieces small enough to toss in the pile!
Now that doesn't sound like too much work, particularly, unless you also take into account all the friggen walking we'd already done that day through the mazes. I mean, we WALKED and WALKED... Many miles.... we walked much longer than that day at the provincial park, even!!
So needless to say, today, we're wiped... Shawn and I managed to move the dog run this morning, to make room for the tree removal guy to come in when his schedule allows. (We had a huge wind storm on Friday and many people had trees down, so he has some emergency work to do before he gets to us... which is ok, we're just happy none of our trees came down on their own! I was getting worried, lemme tell ya!)
We also made a trip to Home Depot today to pick up a few small items. By the time we were there for a few minutes, I told Jess and Shawn to finish up, I had to go sit down in the car. We're all sore today and not very ambitious. After HD, we stopped at the chip wagon in Dunrobin and got lunch, then came home and Shawn and I went to lay down... we slept for over 2 hours!
Soon, I'll have to figure out something for dinner... might be a night where we just heat frozen dinners or open a can of something. I need to go shopping, but was too tired to do that today... maybe tomorrow.
Tomorrow the guy the septic guy recommended to look at making our water softener discharge somewhere other than into our septic is coming to see what the best solution for that is.
Tuesday, I'm taking the car up the road to the mechanic to have the timing belt and water*something* (I can't remember now!?) replaced. Honda recommends having it done at 100,000 km, so it is due... and I decided that perhaps it should be done before I make the big trip back to Kitchener next weekend. I dont want to be that poor person at the side of the road, broken down!!
So we didn't get as much done this weekend as we hoped, but I think that's always true... and really, it'll still be there, waiting for us! Funny how that works! :)
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Whew! Busy Saturday!!
Its only 4:30 and I'm WIPED!! The day started out pretty good, we slept in til around 9am... fed the dogs, all the usual stuff.
Then by 11:00 - 11:30, we were ready to venture out into the world... we went over to Carp to McNeely's, where we bought our weed whacker and talked about chainsaws with the guy. Ended up buying one, of course! Its a Husqvarna, not a huge one, but should do what we need it to do. Its got a 16 inch bar and is 37 cc, I *think*... if that means anything to anyone!?
We also managed to find Shawn a hardhat that also has a face shield and ear protection for weed whacking and chainsawing... it ACTUALLY fits his head, if you can believe it!
Then after that, we headed down towards the town of Munster to a place that does corn mazes and stuff. But its not just small lame corn mazes, its permanent hedge mazes and stuff too! Its actually really neat. We also had a wagon ride, which was nice .... a chance to sit real still for a while :) We didn't even get all the mazes done... we did a really big one called something like the Mile Maze... it seemed like a gazillion miles long... but that happens if you take wrong turns :) This place also does the whole Halloween attraction thing... so we're planning to go back for that. From what we saw today, it should be a decent thing to see!
Before we actually went to the maze place, we were hungry, so we looked on the GPS for somewhere to eat. There was some Country House restaurant in Munster (according to the gps) so we thought we'd go there, it was right on our way. Well, when we "arriving at destination on right" all we saw was a skanky looking bar and grill. So we again looked at the gps and headed into Richmond to have different food options.
The place we ended up going to really looked like someone's house from the outside. I actually drove through the parking lot at first and left out the other side, because I thought it couldn't really be a restaurant. Then as we were driving out, we saw some ppl leaving, so we came back around and parked and went in. Inside it was more restaurantish, but definitely a *funny* place... we had a lovely meal though (not as tasty at the Eating Place) and it was reasonably priced.
Now we're back at home, tired!! Shawn is poring over the chainsaw safety manuals and I'm waiting to go do a bit of work outside with the chainsaw. Nothing too strenuous though... at least that's the plan :)
Its a very cool day... sunny... but breezy... I wore my jacket for most of the day and was just about right. A big change from needing the AC last weekend!! I even have many windows shut as it just gets too cold in here with them all open. Just a couple open a tiny bit for fresh air.
Dunno what we're doing for dinner tonight, but I already told everyone I'm not cooking... after walking all around mazes all afternoon, the last thing I want to do is go to the store and get something for dinner and cook and clean up! No way!!
** Back track to last night**
We went to the Eating Place for dinner... twas very yummy. Before we went in, we saw a sign on the sidewalk for a sale on Halloween stuff. Of course we went in and we managed to get some plastic and styrofoam grave markers for 50% off! Very exciting :)
Then by 11:00 - 11:30, we were ready to venture out into the world... we went over to Carp to McNeely's, where we bought our weed whacker and talked about chainsaws with the guy. Ended up buying one, of course! Its a Husqvarna, not a huge one, but should do what we need it to do. Its got a 16 inch bar and is 37 cc, I *think*... if that means anything to anyone!?
We also managed to find Shawn a hardhat that also has a face shield and ear protection for weed whacking and chainsawing... it ACTUALLY fits his head, if you can believe it!
Then after that, we headed down towards the town of Munster to a place that does corn mazes and stuff. But its not just small lame corn mazes, its permanent hedge mazes and stuff too! Its actually really neat. We also had a wagon ride, which was nice .... a chance to sit real still for a while :) We didn't even get all the mazes done... we did a really big one called something like the Mile Maze... it seemed like a gazillion miles long... but that happens if you take wrong turns :) This place also does the whole Halloween attraction thing... so we're planning to go back for that. From what we saw today, it should be a decent thing to see!
Before we actually went to the maze place, we were hungry, so we looked on the GPS for somewhere to eat. There was some Country House restaurant in Munster (according to the gps) so we thought we'd go there, it was right on our way. Well, when we "arriving at destination on right" all we saw was a skanky looking bar and grill. So we again looked at the gps and headed into Richmond to have different food options.
The place we ended up going to really looked like someone's house from the outside. I actually drove through the parking lot at first and left out the other side, because I thought it couldn't really be a restaurant. Then as we were driving out, we saw some ppl leaving, so we came back around and parked and went in. Inside it was more restaurantish, but definitely a *funny* place... we had a lovely meal though (not as tasty at the Eating Place) and it was reasonably priced.
Now we're back at home, tired!! Shawn is poring over the chainsaw safety manuals and I'm waiting to go do a bit of work outside with the chainsaw. Nothing too strenuous though... at least that's the plan :)
Its a very cool day... sunny... but breezy... I wore my jacket for most of the day and was just about right. A big change from needing the AC last weekend!! I even have many windows shut as it just gets too cold in here with them all open. Just a couple open a tiny bit for fresh air.
Dunno what we're doing for dinner tonight, but I already told everyone I'm not cooking... after walking all around mazes all afternoon, the last thing I want to do is go to the store and get something for dinner and cook and clean up! No way!!
** Back track to last night**
We went to the Eating Place for dinner... twas very yummy. Before we went in, we saw a sign on the sidewalk for a sale on Halloween stuff. Of course we went in and we managed to get some plastic and styrofoam grave markers for 50% off! Very exciting :)
Friday, August 17, 2007
Where On Earth Did This Week GO??
I mean, its been a short week and all, since Shawn took Monday off, but jeepers! its Friday already!! In some ways, its seemed really long... like during all the hours Jess and I spent shopping this week! Ugh. There was clothes shopping... school supply shopping... household item shopping (plates, cutlery, that sort of thing). Apparently we still have grocery shopping, to buy pantry type items that don't need refrigeration and toiletry shopping... and oh yeah, cleaning supply shopping!! Is there no end?? :)
Last night, we "pulled a Daddy" and went nuts with the hand saw out around some of the outbuildings. We didn't drag away all the trees and branches yet, maybe this weekend. Though, after our little cutting expedition like possessed people, my husband has requested a chainsaw, if you can imagine! Apparently hand sawing is not that much fun... who knew? :)
I think tonight we're off to Carleton Place for dinner at the Eating Place. Its been a whole week since we've been there and I'm tired of cooking!! (Not just cooking, but deciding what to eat, shopping for it... preparing it... cleaning up from it, etc etc etc!) It'll be a nice end to the week.
Not sure what's up for the weekend, but it may well involve shopping for a chainsaw and then hacking the downed trees and limbs into manageable pieces... perhaps some more weed whacking.
Its Jessica's last weekend at home and I told her if there's stuff she wants to do, to let us know and we'll do it... I haven't heard anything yet, so who knows what might happen yet!!
Last night, we "pulled a Daddy" and went nuts with the hand saw out around some of the outbuildings. We didn't drag away all the trees and branches yet, maybe this weekend. Though, after our little cutting expedition like possessed people, my husband has requested a chainsaw, if you can imagine! Apparently hand sawing is not that much fun... who knew? :)
I think tonight we're off to Carleton Place for dinner at the Eating Place. Its been a whole week since we've been there and I'm tired of cooking!! (Not just cooking, but deciding what to eat, shopping for it... preparing it... cleaning up from it, etc etc etc!) It'll be a nice end to the week.
Not sure what's up for the weekend, but it may well involve shopping for a chainsaw and then hacking the downed trees and limbs into manageable pieces... perhaps some more weed whacking.
Its Jessica's last weekend at home and I told her if there's stuff she wants to do, to let us know and we'll do it... I haven't heard anything yet, so who knows what might happen yet!!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Poop and Drive Ins
Our septic guy came today... he arranged for the pumping and he made the few repairs / upgrades that he recommended at inspection time. All went smoothly and everything seems to be functioning appropriately. All good news :) One pipe did break during pumping, but they easily repaired / replaced it without further incident, thank goodness!! He suggested we get it pumped again in 2 - 3 years and at that time call him back to inspect it and check the filter he put on it today. $850 later, we're good to "go"! haha :)
Tonight was drive in movie night at the fair grounds in Carp. They were playing Night at the Museum, which we'd already seen, but we decided to go over anyhow. It was $5 a person and they were selling hotdogs, popcorn, pop, etc. It was a lovely cool, clear night, the bugs weren't awful... it would've been hard to special order an evening of nicer weather really. We did need sweaters though and I had a jacket on and one over my legs... chilly enough. The sky was really clear and the stars very bright! :)
After the main attraction was over, a local director wanted to play his short film. A warning was announced against language and horror content for the small kids, but they started playing it right away.... until the first F word. They then paused it and waited for more of the small kids to exit... after about 10 minutes they started it again, but stopped it about halfway (the whole film was only 7 minutes long!) saying that the organizers felt it was inappropriate. We actually spoke to the young guy that was the director... he was obviously disappointed that they wouldn't allow him to play it all... we were also disappointed.
Found out it was still online, so we downloaded it and watched it... a fun little film with a scary trike.... "Death Trike"... it wasn't actually scary, just kinda fun, really! And it was filmed at the Carp fairgrounds.
Seems like the citizens of Carp just aren't ready for their up and coming new talent! But you just wait, if that director ends up famous, they'll be the first to turn his house into a museum or something!! What a funny world!
Tonight was drive in movie night at the fair grounds in Carp. They were playing Night at the Museum, which we'd already seen, but we decided to go over anyhow. It was $5 a person and they were selling hotdogs, popcorn, pop, etc. It was a lovely cool, clear night, the bugs weren't awful... it would've been hard to special order an evening of nicer weather really. We did need sweaters though and I had a jacket on and one over my legs... chilly enough. The sky was really clear and the stars very bright! :)
After the main attraction was over, a local director wanted to play his short film. A warning was announced against language and horror content for the small kids, but they started playing it right away.... until the first F word. They then paused it and waited for more of the small kids to exit... after about 10 minutes they started it again, but stopped it about halfway (the whole film was only 7 minutes long!) saying that the organizers felt it was inappropriate. We actually spoke to the young guy that was the director... he was obviously disappointed that they wouldn't allow him to play it all... we were also disappointed.
Found out it was still online, so we downloaded it and watched it... a fun little film with a scary trike.... "Death Trike"... it wasn't actually scary, just kinda fun, really! And it was filmed at the Carp fairgrounds.
Seems like the citizens of Carp just aren't ready for their up and coming new talent! But you just wait, if that director ends up famous, they'll be the first to turn his house into a museum or something!! What a funny world!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A Super Weekend!
Saturday, around noon, my parents and Kyle arrived at our house for the weekend! This time it was for a long weekend.... my dad took Monday off work so they stayed until Monday just before noon! Thanks Dad for taking the day off!! :)
It was so nice to see them again... that's definitely the worst part of moving out here, is not seeing them a couple times a week! It's been a big adjustment... for all of us! We ate lots, talked lots, laughed lots, just like always :) Thanks for bringing all the yummy treats Mom!! (Herrle's corn, beef tenderloins, homemade peach pies, homemade pound cake (which I finally tried last night and it was YUM!!) an upside down rhubarb dessert, loads of containers of homemade cookies!! Probably other things I just can't recall this morning!!)
They also brought many cases of Dasani bottled water that Mom got on sale... I think there were like 19 cases of 24 bottles!! My house is slightly tilted from the extra weight :)
Mom and Dad stayed in Kyle's / Guest room which now also makes it Kyle's/Mom and Dad's/ Guest room... I think I may have to shorten it to *gasp* just Guest room! They said the new bed was comfy enough and the room was ok. It worked out fine having 6 people in the house. I was surprised the house didn't feel more crowded, but it seemed like there was enough room for everyone.. It confuses me, because in our last house, having that many people in it felt more crowded than here. And spec wise, the houses are similar, 3 bed, 2 bath, both have a similar sized living room... the old house had the rec room downstairs... this house has the large mud room (that we use as a dining room currently). Maybe its the large mudroom...we spent a fair bit of time in there and its a BIG room.
One night we played 3 games of Scrabble... Jess and Kyle played a Scrabble team and won a game... I can't remember how the other 2 turned out!!! Too long ago now :)
The other night we played Cranium, which made Jessica very happy... she loves the game and we never get to play on teams (as the game is intended to be played), as we never have enough bodies. Somehow, Shawn and I managed to win Cranium, in spite of all our problems with the green cards!! It was a very close game and we just got lucky I think :)
The weather was not near as cool as they had forecasted, so I had the AC on all weekend and the 2 big commercial fans going. It was tolerable. Monday morning when we got up it was much cooler and the humidity went away and there was a a good stiff breeze, so I shut it off and opened the windows, which was a relief!
Yesterday was very windy all day.... so windy that in the late afternoon I was fixing a snack and we were going to eat it outside.... but then I thought maybe it was too windy and our food would blow away, so we ate in the mudroom where it was breezy.
Monday morning before they all had to go home, we had breakfast at Cora's in Kanata. They make all sorts of crepes, as well as more "normal" breakfast foods. We were there once before and it takes a long time from the time you order until the time you get your food, but the food IS very good and worth the wait!
Mom, Dad and Kyle left from there and headed back... we left from there and went home where I suddenly realized I was tired! So Shawn and I laid down and had a nap (he took Monday off work to hang out with our guests) Jess watched DVDs on her computer. I slept for a couple hours, then when we got up, Shawn went out to start clearing more of the long grass. I didn't get the big mower out to go over what he cut down (yet). With it being so windy, I was afraid it would all just blow all over me and in my eyes... maybe I'll do that later today when it dries up from the dew.
While my parents were here, we cut down a few branches off the trees at the front that were in my way for mowing. My dad worked like a man possessed! :) We eventually had to hide the saw so all our trees wouldn't just be sticks in the ground ;) haha just kidding!! We dragged all the branches back to the back of the property where people in days gone by had put similar things. It'll be nice to mow there now, I won't have to scrape up my back trying to duck under! Yay :)
It was really cool last night here, went down to about 13 C. I left the windows open, some I only left open a couple inches and the house cooled down really well... it was 63 F when I got up this morning! :) Looking at the forecast, it looks like it will be cooler for the next while... not much over about 25 C, which suits me GREAT! For ME, THAT's summer :)
Jess and I will be heading back to Kitchener and Toronto in just under 2 weeks... we'll stay with my parents for a night, maybe two... and Kyle and I will go get Jess set up in residence. I have mixed feelings about that trip... on one hand, it'll be nice to go back to Kitchener, I lived there all my life!! It'll be nice to see my parents without them having to make the big journey. But its also a little sad... I'll be coming home alone... leaving my girl behind.
I know its way time for her to go, do her thing and shine in her new environment... time for her to start living HER life and all that jazz... but she will be missed... big time! Its funny, when she applied for university last Christmas, it didn't seem all that real. At that point, we were just living our lives... we didn't know the big changes that were just around the corner.
At the time she applied, I expected to be still living in Kitchener while she went to school... I'd only be an hour away, which meant I'd be able to visit regularly (maybe TOO regularly?!) and still be able to "look after" her, if she needed. Then just a few weeks later, BAM! It was all different! Then a couple months later, it was truly all different.
I think it'll be ok, in spite of all the changes. Kyle is planning to visit her whenever he can... my parents are only an hour away from her and would certainly drive the hour if she needed anything, I know. Its just me being a control freak... feeling outta control... no surprise there :)
And I know logically she'll do just fine without me... she's a smart girl with a very strong sense of self preservation and compulsion to follow the rules to the letter that I know she'll be fine... I expect she'll really blossom in this environment and I hope she has a great deal of fun while she's there. After all, she dang well better get my money's worth ;)
It's almost impossible for me to talk about it without bawling... even really hard to just think about... or type!! I said to Shawn and Jess yesterday that it was no wonder Nam and Pop had to bring us so many cases of water... this move to Ottawa just might dehydrate us all with all the bawling!!!
Somehow, I got way off track... as usual.... Thanks Mom, Dad and Kyle for a great weekend!! Come back anytime :)
It was so nice to see them again... that's definitely the worst part of moving out here, is not seeing them a couple times a week! It's been a big adjustment... for all of us! We ate lots, talked lots, laughed lots, just like always :) Thanks for bringing all the yummy treats Mom!! (Herrle's corn, beef tenderloins, homemade peach pies, homemade pound cake (which I finally tried last night and it was YUM!!) an upside down rhubarb dessert, loads of containers of homemade cookies!! Probably other things I just can't recall this morning!!)
They also brought many cases of Dasani bottled water that Mom got on sale... I think there were like 19 cases of 24 bottles!! My house is slightly tilted from the extra weight :)
Mom and Dad stayed in Kyle's / Guest room which now also makes it Kyle's/Mom and Dad's/ Guest room... I think I may have to shorten it to *gasp* just Guest room! They said the new bed was comfy enough and the room was ok. It worked out fine having 6 people in the house. I was surprised the house didn't feel more crowded, but it seemed like there was enough room for everyone.. It confuses me, because in our last house, having that many people in it felt more crowded than here. And spec wise, the houses are similar, 3 bed, 2 bath, both have a similar sized living room... the old house had the rec room downstairs... this house has the large mud room (that we use as a dining room currently). Maybe its the large mudroom...we spent a fair bit of time in there and its a BIG room.
One night we played 3 games of Scrabble... Jess and Kyle played a Scrabble team and won a game... I can't remember how the other 2 turned out!!! Too long ago now :)
The other night we played Cranium, which made Jessica very happy... she loves the game and we never get to play on teams (as the game is intended to be played), as we never have enough bodies. Somehow, Shawn and I managed to win Cranium, in spite of all our problems with the green cards!! It was a very close game and we just got lucky I think :)
The weather was not near as cool as they had forecasted, so I had the AC on all weekend and the 2 big commercial fans going. It was tolerable. Monday morning when we got up it was much cooler and the humidity went away and there was a a good stiff breeze, so I shut it off and opened the windows, which was a relief!
Yesterday was very windy all day.... so windy that in the late afternoon I was fixing a snack and we were going to eat it outside.... but then I thought maybe it was too windy and our food would blow away, so we ate in the mudroom where it was breezy.
Monday morning before they all had to go home, we had breakfast at Cora's in Kanata. They make all sorts of crepes, as well as more "normal" breakfast foods. We were there once before and it takes a long time from the time you order until the time you get your food, but the food IS very good and worth the wait!
Mom, Dad and Kyle left from there and headed back... we left from there and went home where I suddenly realized I was tired! So Shawn and I laid down and had a nap (he took Monday off work to hang out with our guests) Jess watched DVDs on her computer. I slept for a couple hours, then when we got up, Shawn went out to start clearing more of the long grass. I didn't get the big mower out to go over what he cut down (yet). With it being so windy, I was afraid it would all just blow all over me and in my eyes... maybe I'll do that later today when it dries up from the dew.
While my parents were here, we cut down a few branches off the trees at the front that were in my way for mowing. My dad worked like a man possessed! :) We eventually had to hide the saw so all our trees wouldn't just be sticks in the ground ;) haha just kidding!! We dragged all the branches back to the back of the property where people in days gone by had put similar things. It'll be nice to mow there now, I won't have to scrape up my back trying to duck under! Yay :)
It was really cool last night here, went down to about 13 C. I left the windows open, some I only left open a couple inches and the house cooled down really well... it was 63 F when I got up this morning! :) Looking at the forecast, it looks like it will be cooler for the next while... not much over about 25 C, which suits me GREAT! For ME, THAT's summer :)
Jess and I will be heading back to Kitchener and Toronto in just under 2 weeks... we'll stay with my parents for a night, maybe two... and Kyle and I will go get Jess set up in residence. I have mixed feelings about that trip... on one hand, it'll be nice to go back to Kitchener, I lived there all my life!! It'll be nice to see my parents without them having to make the big journey. But its also a little sad... I'll be coming home alone... leaving my girl behind.
I know its way time for her to go, do her thing and shine in her new environment... time for her to start living HER life and all that jazz... but she will be missed... big time! Its funny, when she applied for university last Christmas, it didn't seem all that real. At that point, we were just living our lives... we didn't know the big changes that were just around the corner.
At the time she applied, I expected to be still living in Kitchener while she went to school... I'd only be an hour away, which meant I'd be able to visit regularly (maybe TOO regularly?!) and still be able to "look after" her, if she needed. Then just a few weeks later, BAM! It was all different! Then a couple months later, it was truly all different.
I think it'll be ok, in spite of all the changes. Kyle is planning to visit her whenever he can... my parents are only an hour away from her and would certainly drive the hour if she needed anything, I know. Its just me being a control freak... feeling outta control... no surprise there :)
And I know logically she'll do just fine without me... she's a smart girl with a very strong sense of self preservation and compulsion to follow the rules to the letter that I know she'll be fine... I expect she'll really blossom in this environment and I hope she has a great deal of fun while she's there. After all, she dang well better get my money's worth ;)
It's almost impossible for me to talk about it without bawling... even really hard to just think about... or type!! I said to Shawn and Jess yesterday that it was no wonder Nam and Pop had to bring us so many cases of water... this move to Ottawa just might dehydrate us all with all the bawling!!!
Somehow, I got way off track... as usual.... Thanks Mom, Dad and Kyle for a great weekend!! Come back anytime :)
Friday, August 10, 2007
A small update from me...
Life's going pretty good here in Eastern Ontario(tm).
Work's going well -- I'm learning fast (and there's a LOT to learn). I'm enjoying being in a little bit more structured environment, I'm enjoying learning how team development works. It's a fun environment -- they're learning how to manage a software project also, and so it's a very interesting environment to learn about this stuff in.
I've started eating way more at work every day, and it seems to be working: i.e. - I'm not crashing so hard at the end of the day. Before, before I ate supper, I could barely function. Now, with all the extra food, I've leveled out a bit, which is a Good Thing.
I'm still enjoying playing with the fancy heavy duty weed whacker -- I should get some photos of the thing: it's awesome. With a grass blade and a gas engine, a pair of handlebars and a harness, and eye protection, it just chews through the grass and weeds and inch-thick bushes. :-) We're clearing a bunch of the land behind the house, so that we can get to the outbuildings, and have a bit more cleared space. It's looking nice.
Lots of stuff around the house: Lisa's mostly talked about this already. We're still learning how to attach things to plaster walls. Toggle bolts seem to work ok, but have their own issues. I'm thinking of trying Molly bolts next.
Still getting settled into the new house. But I'll say one thing: when you're sitting outside in the backyard on a nice night, with the breeze and the trees and the yard, looking out at the mountains in the distance across the fields, it sure is nice...
Also, on a geeky tech note, I made a few minor updates to the blog.
A link to Lisa's photos now appears on the left hand side of the page, in addition to the Four Horse Haven picture archive. I removed the script that cycles through the pictures: it didn't work well with multiple photo sites, was too slow, and was poorly written. Maybe one day I'll try to find one or write one that works better.
I also figured out how to make myself an administrator of the blog! Yay! :-) I had to do convoluted stuff before to update anything.
Work's going well -- I'm learning fast (and there's a LOT to learn). I'm enjoying being in a little bit more structured environment, I'm enjoying learning how team development works. It's a fun environment -- they're learning how to manage a software project also, and so it's a very interesting environment to learn about this stuff in.
I've started eating way more at work every day, and it seems to be working: i.e. - I'm not crashing so hard at the end of the day. Before, before I ate supper, I could barely function. Now, with all the extra food, I've leveled out a bit, which is a Good Thing.
I'm still enjoying playing with the fancy heavy duty weed whacker -- I should get some photos of the thing: it's awesome. With a grass blade and a gas engine, a pair of handlebars and a harness, and eye protection, it just chews through the grass and weeds and inch-thick bushes. :-) We're clearing a bunch of the land behind the house, so that we can get to the outbuildings, and have a bit more cleared space. It's looking nice.
Lots of stuff around the house: Lisa's mostly talked about this already. We're still learning how to attach things to plaster walls. Toggle bolts seem to work ok, but have their own issues. I'm thinking of trying Molly bolts next.
Still getting settled into the new house. But I'll say one thing: when you're sitting outside in the backyard on a nice night, with the breeze and the trees and the yard, looking out at the mountains in the distance across the fields, it sure is nice...
* * *
Also, on a geeky tech note, I made a few minor updates to the blog.
A link to Lisa's photos now appears on the left hand side of the page, in addition to the Four Horse Haven picture archive. I removed the script that cycles through the pictures: it didn't work well with multiple photo sites, was too slow, and was poorly written. Maybe one day I'll try to find one or write one that works better.
I also figured out how to make myself an administrator of the blog! Yay! :-) I had to do convoluted stuff before to update anything.
Disappointment... Frustration
Count me as part of the hair obsessed group! Got my hair cut... not as thrilled about it as when my hair magician in Kitchener does it... its a little shorter than usual, but that's ok, it GROWS!!
The worst part of this haircut? Not even the way it looks, surprisingly... twas the friggen HIVES I brought out in from one of the hair products he used and the VERY long 15 minute drive home from Centrum to get an allergy pill and another shower!!
After a hair cut its hard to resist touching it... well, everywhere I touched afterwards (my arm, my neck...) up popped a large horrible itchy welt!! Grrr!
I've just showered and it should soon calm down with the allergy pill and then maybe I'll be less cranky about the cut in general. Maybe.
The worst part of this haircut? Not even the way it looks, surprisingly... twas the friggen HIVES I brought out in from one of the hair products he used and the VERY long 15 minute drive home from Centrum to get an allergy pill and another shower!!
After a hair cut its hard to resist touching it... well, everywhere I touched afterwards (my arm, my neck...) up popped a large horrible itchy welt!! Grrr!
I've just showered and it should soon calm down with the allergy pill and then maybe I'll be less cranky about the cut in general. Maybe.
Disappointment or Relief -- Part Deux... Or... Because Enquiring Minds Want To KNOW!
Looks like I'm getting a haircut today after all. They called from the salon this morning after I left my voice mail last night refusing to have Little Suzy Snips cut my hair. I asked if they had ANY senior stylist appointments available today and they said no, but they DID have an intermediate stylist available at 2pm... the same one that did a nice job on cute little Jessica's hair this morning!
Now, I'm not real hopeful that mine will turn out as well... methinks you gotta start with the "cute" and "little"... that's not something a bit of shampoo, some scissors, a straight razor or gel or mousse can accomplish... such limitations on those things!!
And of course because I'm ME... I'm all stressed out about it. As decided during a phone call to my mom yesterday, its all HER fault ;) haha
Now, I'm not real hopeful that mine will turn out as well... methinks you gotta start with the "cute" and "little"... that's not something a bit of shampoo, some scissors, a straight razor or gel or mousse can accomplish... such limitations on those things!!
And of course because I'm ME... I'm all stressed out about it. As decided during a phone call to my mom yesterday, its all HER fault ;) haha
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Disappointment or Relief?
Just got voice mail from the spa/salon place where Jess and I had hair appointments tomorrow... and apparently the girl I was booked with is going to be sick tomorrow and is not coming in. They have offered me a *gasp* JUNIOR stylist instead. I called back and left voicemail saying no to the junior stylist but if another senior stylist had time at all tomorrow I would prefer that. Otherwise, I think I'll just reschedule... I'm not a big fan of having my hair done AT ALL... and suddenly being scheduled with a JUNIOR stylist just makes me unable to cope!!
At least Jess's stylist is still available tomorrow... she'd be extremely disappointed if he canceled!!
At least Jess's stylist is still available tomorrow... she'd be extremely disappointed if he canceled!!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Kyle's / Guest Room Pics
Last night I took a few pics of the guest room and now they are posted... none of the linens are on the bed yet, of course. (I'm just washing them today!) but it gives a pretty good look at Kyle's / Guest room :)
I'll take a couple more once the bed is made etc. I'm happy with the way it has turned out this far!!
(just click on the photos link to the left of the page, right above where the photos change automatically!)
I'll take a couple more once the bed is made etc. I'm happy with the way it has turned out this far!!
(just click on the photos link to the left of the page, right above where the photos change automatically!)
Poopie
Its a post about... poop! I finally got the septic guy to call me back! YAY :) He's coming next week (Wednesday) to get the system pumped and do the little bit of work he recommended having done at the inspection! He's a hard guy to get a hold of, it seems! Slowly but surely, maybe I'll get everything done! haha... as if!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Not A Bad Day, So Far
Last week in the mail, a flyer came for a new Car repair place just up the road on the other side of the village. My van has been overdue for an oil change for a short while and I thought, what the heck, I'll try this place out! Its convenient because its so close... I would love to support a small business rather than have to take my van to the Honda dealer in Ottawa. (Which was my original plan and I'd been putting it off, just because taking it that far is a bigger deal.. .stupid I know... but it wasn't THAT much overdue, either!)
The other attraction and I admit its stupid, is on their flyer, they had a horse logo! Guess I just proved that advertising is effective!
This morning, I called them and made an appointment for later this morning. I drove up... its only about 5 minutes away... its a small place... today, there were just 2 guys... one that owns the place and a younger guy that is likely apprenticing (I'm guessing). The owner took all my info and the van's info and then the younger guy took it in and started working on it.
The owner and I chatted for quite a long time... his wife and daughter are both into horses and have 7 or 8 on the property (He's not sure, he thinks that maybe there are more and they just get ones that look similar to fool him! haha I've heard of THAT trick before :) )
I learned more stuff about the area, horse wise, which I liked... his daughter (she's 20 ish) gives lessons to little kids on her old pony that she couldn't bear to part with after she outgrew it and does some training. He also filled me in on his hay supplier and their farrier... he couldn't remember what vet clinic they use though... apparently his wife forbids him from looking at the vet bills in order to maintain his good health.. she figures he'd fall over dead if he ever looked at them!
It turns out the horse logo on the flyer was actually taken from a picture of his daughter's horse jumping a fence and his graphic artist friend removed the rider and just did a line sketch using that photo. Kinda neat... sounds like something my husband would do :)
This place has only been open about a month now... but this guy was a service manager at GM for 20 years and a GM mechanic for about 10 years before that. I guess I wont hold THAT against him ;) We did have a short chat about Chevy Trailblazers and what pieces of crap they are (or at least the ones out the year we had one) and he didn't have anything nice to say about them.
He likes working on Hondas apparently and was not surprised to find out that we like this vehicle and that its been very dependable.
After we chatted a while, he asked if I was interested in making a deal... I asked about what? He has a few of those license plate frames with his info on it and he wondered if I would let him put one on my van, for advertising purposes... in exchange, he'd give me this oil change for free. The catch is that I have to keep it on as long as I'm happy with his services and would give him a good recommendation.
Of course, being born and bred a Hagey and therefore CHEAP (ha ha) I said sure! No particular draw back to me and if it helps him out, why not? I thought it was a really creative advertising idea and who knows how well it'll work out for him... but I was really happy with the way I was treated there today... I wasn't treated like a *girl* which is a bonus... and when I mentioned a few things that my last mechanic recommended being done he said he'd look up my maintenance schedule online and see if I'm really due for the work and that he'll call me and let me know.
According to the last mechanic, sometime soon I'm supposed to get a new timing belt and while they do that they are supposed to replace the water cooler? I dunno if those are the right words or not... but this guy still didn't treat me like an idiot and promised to look into it. Normally, I would just get this sort of thing done, but I was quoted just over $1k by the last mechanic for this work, so I'd rather be SURE I'm due before I have to shell out the big $$!
And if its time, that's fine, I'll do it.. .the consequence is if you don't do it, it can cause engine damage and be VERY costly.... something I'd like to avoid!! This is all stuff the guy this morning told me... all while NOT treating me like a dumbass!
Jess and I have taken the big step of making hair appointments at a new place here. There's a salon / spa in Kanata at Centrum that sounds very similar to the place her and I went in Kitchener. I made us appointments for Friday morning... we'll see... I'm hoping it'll work out as well as it did when we chose the place in Kitchener!!
Besides, my hair is getting to the point that any cut will be better than what I have... including shaving my head! :) And Jess is annoyed and irritated constantly by hers, as well.
We're busily reinstalling the operating system on Jess's computer today... we've been having some ongoing problems with internet connectivity that didn't get fixed by the usual means (changing ISP providers... replacing the router with an Airport Extreme)... the only constants in this battle have been my computer and her computer. We did an online virus scan of hers the other day and it did turn up one or two things... so we're hoping that a clean install will resolve the issue. We took her computer off the network for 2 days and had no connectivity issues, so it sure appears that its her machine.
Its reinstalled now and I'm just running all the windows updates... its on 45 of 63! Takes a long time... especially using just the wireless connection. So far, there's been no connectivity issues, even with the steady use, so I'm really hopeful :)
Besides, its likely good for her to head off to school with a clean install... that way it should last her the school year... and when she's done her first year, I can reinstall it again for her. Afterall, windows installs only seem to have a "life" of about 6 - 12 months... a little longer or shorter depending on what type of user you are and what you like to do and download online. Old tech support habits die hard, apparently :P
Over the weekend we got a bunch of stuff done.. .a new mirror, new TP holder and new towel holder in the bathroom / laundry room... New curtain hung in Kyle's / guest room... a couple other small things like that I can't recall right now... also got my "new" old chairs coated with polyurethane and man are they gorgeous!!
Only one fits in Kyles / Guest room as a beside table, holding a lamp and clock radio, so I have another to find a place for. We have a mirror to hang over the dresser in that room too... I just need longer toggle bolts to make it work.
We also have a small shelf unit to hang in the upstairs bathroom over the toilet that requires the longer bolts... we also have a neat metal medicine cabinet for the downstairs bathroom/laundry room (to hold a 2nd tooth brush for me!! I cant wait!!) that needs to be spray painted black and hung up.
Next weekend will be an exciting one again... my parents are coming back for a visit and they are bringing Kyle!! So everyone should be happy again :) Yay!! My parents are gonna try roughing it and staying in the guest room this time, instead of a hotel... hopefully its not too hot though, because there's no duct work in that room... so no AC. I think today I might go pick up another big commercial fan, if they still have 'em. They are the best!!
So as usual, I managed to turn a small, short update into a novel!!
The other attraction and I admit its stupid, is on their flyer, they had a horse logo! Guess I just proved that advertising is effective!
This morning, I called them and made an appointment for later this morning. I drove up... its only about 5 minutes away... its a small place... today, there were just 2 guys... one that owns the place and a younger guy that is likely apprenticing (I'm guessing). The owner took all my info and the van's info and then the younger guy took it in and started working on it.
The owner and I chatted for quite a long time... his wife and daughter are both into horses and have 7 or 8 on the property (He's not sure, he thinks that maybe there are more and they just get ones that look similar to fool him! haha I've heard of THAT trick before :) )
I learned more stuff about the area, horse wise, which I liked... his daughter (she's 20 ish) gives lessons to little kids on her old pony that she couldn't bear to part with after she outgrew it and does some training. He also filled me in on his hay supplier and their farrier... he couldn't remember what vet clinic they use though... apparently his wife forbids him from looking at the vet bills in order to maintain his good health.. she figures he'd fall over dead if he ever looked at them!
It turns out the horse logo on the flyer was actually taken from a picture of his daughter's horse jumping a fence and his graphic artist friend removed the rider and just did a line sketch using that photo. Kinda neat... sounds like something my husband would do :)
This place has only been open about a month now... but this guy was a service manager at GM for 20 years and a GM mechanic for about 10 years before that. I guess I wont hold THAT against him ;) We did have a short chat about Chevy Trailblazers and what pieces of crap they are (or at least the ones out the year we had one) and he didn't have anything nice to say about them.
He likes working on Hondas apparently and was not surprised to find out that we like this vehicle and that its been very dependable.
After we chatted a while, he asked if I was interested in making a deal... I asked about what? He has a few of those license plate frames with his info on it and he wondered if I would let him put one on my van, for advertising purposes... in exchange, he'd give me this oil change for free. The catch is that I have to keep it on as long as I'm happy with his services and would give him a good recommendation.
Of course, being born and bred a Hagey and therefore CHEAP (ha ha) I said sure! No particular draw back to me and if it helps him out, why not? I thought it was a really creative advertising idea and who knows how well it'll work out for him... but I was really happy with the way I was treated there today... I wasn't treated like a *girl* which is a bonus... and when I mentioned a few things that my last mechanic recommended being done he said he'd look up my maintenance schedule online and see if I'm really due for the work and that he'll call me and let me know.
According to the last mechanic, sometime soon I'm supposed to get a new timing belt and while they do that they are supposed to replace the water cooler? I dunno if those are the right words or not... but this guy still didn't treat me like an idiot and promised to look into it. Normally, I would just get this sort of thing done, but I was quoted just over $1k by the last mechanic for this work, so I'd rather be SURE I'm due before I have to shell out the big $$!
And if its time, that's fine, I'll do it.. .the consequence is if you don't do it, it can cause engine damage and be VERY costly.... something I'd like to avoid!! This is all stuff the guy this morning told me... all while NOT treating me like a dumbass!
Jess and I have taken the big step of making hair appointments at a new place here. There's a salon / spa in Kanata at Centrum that sounds very similar to the place her and I went in Kitchener. I made us appointments for Friday morning... we'll see... I'm hoping it'll work out as well as it did when we chose the place in Kitchener!!
Besides, my hair is getting to the point that any cut will be better than what I have... including shaving my head! :) And Jess is annoyed and irritated constantly by hers, as well.
We're busily reinstalling the operating system on Jess's computer today... we've been having some ongoing problems with internet connectivity that didn't get fixed by the usual means (changing ISP providers... replacing the router with an Airport Extreme)... the only constants in this battle have been my computer and her computer. We did an online virus scan of hers the other day and it did turn up one or two things... so we're hoping that a clean install will resolve the issue. We took her computer off the network for 2 days and had no connectivity issues, so it sure appears that its her machine.
Its reinstalled now and I'm just running all the windows updates... its on 45 of 63! Takes a long time... especially using just the wireless connection. So far, there's been no connectivity issues, even with the steady use, so I'm really hopeful :)
Besides, its likely good for her to head off to school with a clean install... that way it should last her the school year... and when she's done her first year, I can reinstall it again for her. Afterall, windows installs only seem to have a "life" of about 6 - 12 months... a little longer or shorter depending on what type of user you are and what you like to do and download online. Old tech support habits die hard, apparently :P
Over the weekend we got a bunch of stuff done.. .a new mirror, new TP holder and new towel holder in the bathroom / laundry room... New curtain hung in Kyle's / guest room... a couple other small things like that I can't recall right now... also got my "new" old chairs coated with polyurethane and man are they gorgeous!!
Only one fits in Kyles / Guest room as a beside table, holding a lamp and clock radio, so I have another to find a place for. We have a mirror to hang over the dresser in that room too... I just need longer toggle bolts to make it work.
We also have a small shelf unit to hang in the upstairs bathroom over the toilet that requires the longer bolts... we also have a neat metal medicine cabinet for the downstairs bathroom/laundry room (to hold a 2nd tooth brush for me!! I cant wait!!) that needs to be spray painted black and hung up.
Next weekend will be an exciting one again... my parents are coming back for a visit and they are bringing Kyle!! So everyone should be happy again :) Yay!! My parents are gonna try roughing it and staying in the guest room this time, instead of a hotel... hopefully its not too hot though, because there's no duct work in that room... so no AC. I think today I might go pick up another big commercial fan, if they still have 'em. They are the best!!
So as usual, I managed to turn a small, short update into a novel!!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
"So Good To Have Real Food Again"
Today we were very fortunate that my sister, her husband and her kids were able to stop in for a short visit and meal on their way home from the east coast! (Hi Guys!!)
After my sister called, I did my best to transform into my mom and tried to put together a decent meal... potatoes done in foil on the bbq, beef tenderloin steaks from the freezer, a raw veggie platter from farm boy, a couple of garlic breads with cheese from farm boy and some ice cream, again from farm boy and some double chocolate sauce from Reids in Cambridge that my mom brought with her on her last visit. Turned out ok, no major failures, yay!!
After a late ish dinner, we braved the outdoors for a quick show off of the property until the mosquitoes forced us back inside!! They were just awful tonight! A few came in the house and we're working on killing them before bedtime!
My sister and her family didn't stay long, they wanted to get to their hotel for the night as they'd been traveling since about 9am to almost 7pm!! That's a very long day of driving... not a day I could do!! Tomorrow they'll head back home, should be a shortish day of driving compared to what they've had the last while.
Travel safe and thanks for coming out of your way to visit! It was great to see you all again.
Just as they were leaving, Scott relayed the message quoted in the topic said by my nephew Justin "So good to have real food again!" Glad it qualified as real food... glad it was enjoyed! Come back and visit again, anytime!
After my sister called, I did my best to transform into my mom and tried to put together a decent meal... potatoes done in foil on the bbq, beef tenderloin steaks from the freezer, a raw veggie platter from farm boy, a couple of garlic breads with cheese from farm boy and some ice cream, again from farm boy and some double chocolate sauce from Reids in Cambridge that my mom brought with her on her last visit. Turned out ok, no major failures, yay!!
After a late ish dinner, we braved the outdoors for a quick show off of the property until the mosquitoes forced us back inside!! They were just awful tonight! A few came in the house and we're working on killing them before bedtime!
My sister and her family didn't stay long, they wanted to get to their hotel for the night as they'd been traveling since about 9am to almost 7pm!! That's a very long day of driving... not a day I could do!! Tomorrow they'll head back home, should be a shortish day of driving compared to what they've had the last while.
Travel safe and thanks for coming out of your way to visit! It was great to see you all again.
Just as they were leaving, Scott relayed the message quoted in the topic said by my nephew Justin "So good to have real food again!" Glad it qualified as real food... glad it was enjoyed! Come back and visit again, anytime!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
The Great Disappearance!
Last night I uploaded some new photos... this morning... all the new photos and some of the older ones were gone! I did reupload some of them... but I might have missed some.... just in case you're looking for one you've seen and now its gone... that might be where it went! Craziness!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Scorching!
Enough with the heat and humidity. Its becoming a real downer!! There was some lightning last night in the distance, over the hills, but nothing came of it.
Yesterday I was extremely lazy and did almost nothing all day. I slept on the couch (where it was the coolest) for about 3 hours in the afternoon. I was just exhausted from all the heat and all the busy earlier in the week.
Its was over 40 C with the humidex, so I did not make supper... we drove to Carleton Place and went to the Eating Place... Shawn and I both had a rib steak which was surprisingly yummy! Jess had a cold sub, which she enjoyed. This weekend in Carleton Place is the big Riverside Jam, with the Roadhammers and George Canyon (and others) and it was already busier last night than usual.
It was a funny mix of people in the Eating Place... the regulars... which are an interesting group on their own... and then a bunch of young people that are camping for the concert. It was very busy and the waitress was running around and being her usual efficient self! So it was like dinner and a show.
We'll be staying out of Carleton Place this weekend... to avoid all the craziness... I had orignally thought it might be fun to go, but then ticket prices were kinda high (like $50 / person / day) and its been so hot... I dont think it would be THAT much fun :)
This weekend we have a few projects planned... I bought new lights for the mudroom... so it wont have to be so dang dark in there!! A couple hooks need installing here and there... we have fixtures for the outside lights that could be installed (weather permitting) and I have a shower curtain rod to install in the laundry / bathroom up high to hang clothes on when they come out of the dryer. Just odds and ends like that.
If time and weather permits, we'll likely go hack away at some more grass... Shawn made huge strides the other night with the weed whacker and got lots done again. I went over most of it with the mower... some areas look like they are ready to be raked and baled!
Its nice to clear away the long grass and see what's under there... so what parts will be usable... fence-able. Plus I'm sure it helps to clear some of the "critters" back away from where I want to be, which suits me fine! There's LOTS of places around here for them... they dont need to be real close by.
I'm expecting the guest bed to be delivered anytime, that'll be nice to get that set up and ready, just in case! I still haven't found curtains to go over the min blinds... but I'll keep working at it. I also have white roman blinds that exactly fit that window, if I cant find anything else. They wont darken it THAT much, but it'll help a bit, I imagine.
The dogs are pretty quiet these days, in the heat... they sometimes seem to forget its hot out... get all rammed up to go outside (woohoo!) and then step out and go "Oh... yuck"... they were being a bit crazy last night before bed in the house... wrestling and playing. They've settled in remarkably well here... its amazing. I really wasn't sure how they'd do this time.
And now, I'll likely jinx it... but we've been here a month and NO ONE has vomited!! That's remarkable in its own right, lemme tell ya! The last vomit threat was the end of our trip here, when I had to give pepto bismol... nothing since.
Oh the things that make me happy!! Good grief! :)
Yesterday I was extremely lazy and did almost nothing all day. I slept on the couch (where it was the coolest) for about 3 hours in the afternoon. I was just exhausted from all the heat and all the busy earlier in the week.
Its was over 40 C with the humidex, so I did not make supper... we drove to Carleton Place and went to the Eating Place... Shawn and I both had a rib steak which was surprisingly yummy! Jess had a cold sub, which she enjoyed. This weekend in Carleton Place is the big Riverside Jam, with the Roadhammers and George Canyon (and others) and it was already busier last night than usual.
It was a funny mix of people in the Eating Place... the regulars... which are an interesting group on their own... and then a bunch of young people that are camping for the concert. It was very busy and the waitress was running around and being her usual efficient self! So it was like dinner and a show.
We'll be staying out of Carleton Place this weekend... to avoid all the craziness... I had orignally thought it might be fun to go, but then ticket prices were kinda high (like $50 / person / day) and its been so hot... I dont think it would be THAT much fun :)
This weekend we have a few projects planned... I bought new lights for the mudroom... so it wont have to be so dang dark in there!! A couple hooks need installing here and there... we have fixtures for the outside lights that could be installed (weather permitting) and I have a shower curtain rod to install in the laundry / bathroom up high to hang clothes on when they come out of the dryer. Just odds and ends like that.
If time and weather permits, we'll likely go hack away at some more grass... Shawn made huge strides the other night with the weed whacker and got lots done again. I went over most of it with the mower... some areas look like they are ready to be raked and baled!
Its nice to clear away the long grass and see what's under there... so what parts will be usable... fence-able. Plus I'm sure it helps to clear some of the "critters" back away from where I want to be, which suits me fine! There's LOTS of places around here for them... they dont need to be real close by.
I'm expecting the guest bed to be delivered anytime, that'll be nice to get that set up and ready, just in case! I still haven't found curtains to go over the min blinds... but I'll keep working at it. I also have white roman blinds that exactly fit that window, if I cant find anything else. They wont darken it THAT much, but it'll help a bit, I imagine.
The dogs are pretty quiet these days, in the heat... they sometimes seem to forget its hot out... get all rammed up to go outside (woohoo!) and then step out and go "Oh... yuck"... they were being a bit crazy last night before bed in the house... wrestling and playing. They've settled in remarkably well here... its amazing. I really wasn't sure how they'd do this time.
And now, I'll likely jinx it... but we've been here a month and NO ONE has vomited!! That's remarkable in its own right, lemme tell ya! The last vomit threat was the end of our trip here, when I had to give pepto bismol... nothing since.
Oh the things that make me happy!! Good grief! :)
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Happy August!
August would seem much happier if it was just a bit cooler...a bit breezier and a bit less HUMID! I've had the AC running for days, just to get us *sane*... I wont go so far as to say comfortable.
Still no word on the dog across the street I offered to take. Its the first of the month, so I would assume the guy would be moved, but I'm pretty sure we still saw the dog and his vehicle there this morning... so maybe not? Who knows what, if anything, will happen with that. I did remember to buy dog food today though, which is good as we were getting low... and I was starting to be afraid that if I suddenly had a third mouth to feed I wouldn't have enough!
Jess and I went out today and did some errands.. got dog food... went to the storage unit and filled the van up with boxes... we went to home depot and picked up a few things, including some stain for my antique chairs I had stripped a while back. I'm trying to convince myself to go give the chairs a coat of stain... but I need to cool down from unloading the van first, I think!
I read on the news last night they caught that Jesse Imeson, about (ONLY!!) an hour from our house... glad he's been caught... I know last night while I was upstairs working and Jess was outside, I had a few minor panic attacks that I wouldn't be able to hear if anything was *wrong* and had to check out the window and make sure all was right with the world. And she's 18.5 years old for pity sakes! Guess old habits die hard. My hope for Imeson is that he'd get what he deserves, but since that won't happen here in Canada, I hope he at least gets to rot in prison for a very long time.
Well maybe I'll make a start on the furniture staining by at least bringing the chairs downstairs ;)
Still no word on the dog across the street I offered to take. Its the first of the month, so I would assume the guy would be moved, but I'm pretty sure we still saw the dog and his vehicle there this morning... so maybe not? Who knows what, if anything, will happen with that. I did remember to buy dog food today though, which is good as we were getting low... and I was starting to be afraid that if I suddenly had a third mouth to feed I wouldn't have enough!
Jess and I went out today and did some errands.. got dog food... went to the storage unit and filled the van up with boxes... we went to home depot and picked up a few things, including some stain for my antique chairs I had stripped a while back. I'm trying to convince myself to go give the chairs a coat of stain... but I need to cool down from unloading the van first, I think!
I read on the news last night they caught that Jesse Imeson, about (ONLY!!) an hour from our house... glad he's been caught... I know last night while I was upstairs working and Jess was outside, I had a few minor panic attacks that I wouldn't be able to hear if anything was *wrong* and had to check out the window and make sure all was right with the world. And she's 18.5 years old for pity sakes! Guess old habits die hard. My hope for Imeson is that he'd get what he deserves, but since that won't happen here in Canada, I hope he at least gets to rot in prison for a very long time.
Well maybe I'll make a start on the furniture staining by at least bringing the chairs downstairs ;)
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