Earl Came and Earl Went

Well we have once again survived the annual hurricane that we always seem to endure (although the predictions are usually for 4-5 per year). Generally by the time they hit our province they are downgraded to tropical storms.

This one, Earl, hit Nova Scotia at a category 1 (our last actual hurricane that hit 7 yrs ago was Juan a category 2). We didn't lose any trees this time (most went down with Juan), although we did lose power for about 8 hrs. Which I know is a drop in the bucket compared to what places like the Bahamas and Florida have to endure, but when you are not used to losing your power at all for most of the entire year, it tends to cause some "drama" (especially when you can't flush the toilet, the one draw back from living in the county rather than the city). And what to do to occupy your time(eek! no TV, no INTERNET what will we do!)

The only really unfortuneate part of Earl was the loss of one our friends who after helping out a friend in trouble with his boat and then making the decision to swim back to shore drowned in the rough waters.So sad that this kind of thing happens when performing a good deed.

Buy Local

We took in the new Halifax Seaport farmers market that was once located in the old(and I do mean old) Alexander Keiths Brewery spot. Although the old location was what most would probably call "quaint and unique" it was what I would call musty, dark and laid out in such a maze you could go round and round and still miss certain parts of it. The new one is bright, airy, has a really nice view of the water, and even has free parking(albeit very limited).

It is still just as crowded as the original one used to be,(which I thought was due to the narrow windy hallways with 2 lines of people manouvering in a single lane hallway). Maybe as time goes on  it will be less crowded, although with all of the advertising lately for "buying local" maybe not.I guess in one sense that is a good thing, means people are actually wanting to buy locally produced items.

Not sure why people insist on using the market as an "outing" for the family though, really if you have to bring your little ones, perhaps leaving the stroller in the car might be the smarter choice to make, just saying! I watched some of the faces on the little ones in strollers and all they could see were peoples butts in their faces! NICE Mom!

It sure pays to make the round once before deciding what to buy and from whom, as I noticed 4 different prices for the same item from various vendors(hubby wanted a blueberry pie, the berries ranged from $3 to $5 per box, even from vendors parked right nex t to each other(hmmmmmm do they really think people aren't going to notice? And PEOPLE really, didn't your mothers always tell you never buy the first thing you see?)

A Laugh For the Neighbors

Okay Picure this:
                    Here we are 2 middle aged (LOL) people, just took our puppy for his nightly walk (so far so good). We are just coming up the driveway and hubby drops the leash,  you would think after having been gone for a walk the pup would be a little lax now in the observation of  the freedom department, wouldn't you, really?
                   Not so our little monster! The leash had not even hit the ground and he was off and running! Across over onto the neighbors lawn, heading straight down to the roadway, then back up, around and around in circles just as fast as those little legs could carry him! Hubby goes down  to the road, I stay at the top calling out his name (loudly, so as all the neighbors by now know he is loose!), trying to coax the little imp up and away from the road. Meanwhile he just squats down low and looks at me with his eyes all lit up, running towards me, then veering off again running more cirlcles.

                I run to the house, call out for "D" to come out and run back to calling for "Buddy". Poor "D" runs out thinking the worst has happened, only to realize she just needs to hunker down and call for him. And YEP he comes running into her lap at full tilt!! The little */?!

               The true test is going to come when he gets away and no one is home to help gather him up! I can just picture one of us trailing around behind him for hours on end til he tires out!

Looking Back

This picture was taken a very long time ago. It was sent to me from a friend also from very long ago.

That's me on the left. I hardly recognize her anymore.

 Oh how I miss those carefree days, when your hardest decision to make was whether to go hang out at the beach or not. Your biggest care was whether or not you were going to be invited or not.

You didn't have to worry about where the money was going to come from for the mortgage, how you were going to help your loved one cope with life, or get your children out on their own. It's probably a good thing that you had no idea what was to come, although had I been able to have a little peek I might have tried to enjoy those days just a little more.

Buddy?

Oh just look at those eyes! Buddy got a haircut. I miss that scraggly face!

After, now you can see those adorable eyes!

Before -Looking all scraggle and cute!

Good News (well not bad news)

Had my follow up with Dr E today to discuss (kinda one sided actually) my results from my latest cholesterol work up.

Whoo Hoo, dropped it by 20%, very well done if I do say so myself! However before I pat myself too hard, I still have some more improvement warrented to stay off the cholesterol meds. (I guess if I had added in some exercise with my changed diet that might have done it.) Even Hubby's cholesterol has shown an improvement (although he isn't so keen on expanding on the salads for supper!)

So I guess my little garden is going to come in real handy.

 

Bring on the Salads

Gardening has never been something that I was very good at, mostly because I really, really hate to "weed". The one garden that I did try was so overrun by weeds you couldn't tell what if anything was growing!

But it seems each year the cost of produce keeps climbing higher, and everytime I decide to have a salad (mostly during my "need to slim down periods") and dig out what I have in the crisper it has gone to "slime" (yuck).

So this year I decided to give it a go again, only this time I filled some containers and planted something different in each one. And take a look the lettuce, beans, tomatoes and green peppers are actually growing great, and NO WEEDS! Bring on the salad!

Puppy Skills

Training update: We didn't quite make it through the full four weeks of "Puppy Play N Train", although I stuck out 3 sessions. That was just too stressful (for me!), Buddy enjoyed it thoroughly! There was just too much off leash time for me, trying to chase around behind him, and gathering him up for a "time out" (of which he seemed to require alot of) was not my idea of play. My "little Buddy" has turned out to be quite the little aggressor (too bad I didn't gather that bit of information first).

So we have moved on to the "Skills Training" sessions. They are going somewhat better (mainly because he stays on leash), although he is a little Jekyll and Hyde! His training at home is coming along slow but sure, and as soon as he gets to class he pays me no attention what so ever!

He is definitely your typical Terrier though, very sure of himself, afraid of nothing, especially me when I find him outside "digging" his way to China! He's actually taken a liking to June bugs and grubs, and hunts them down at night and digs them out of the ground (as well as eats them-Yech! and oh so Gross!).

 Buddy taking in some sun.

Buddy finding a little shade where ever he can!

911

There was a recent renovation completed for our major ER center here, and we got to have a look see first hand this weekend, not that I had planned on doing that in the near future, or EVER!

Have to admit, I was a pretty cool cucumber considering the mess my husband made of his knee, in which I mean slicing it wide open, which was a two fold problem. Aside from falling in the first place, and slicing open his knee in the second place, he has an artificial knee and falling down and landing straight onto one is highly NOT recommended! Especially at 1:30 in the morning when your wife is fast asleep and a very sound sleeper to boot (heard a thump but had I not heard a moan as well I may not have gotten up at all!)

The only good thing (if such a thing can be gotten out of this) is that because he has an artificial knee there was very little bleeding, cause of course then I would have been a basket case!

Anyway as I said we got to see the new Emergency unit fist hand, not a bad renovation (for the money they spent!) at least you are no longer on a stretcher with a curtain around you listening to every other patient, or watching all the Dr's and nurses standing around doing nothing, cause now they put you in a room of your own.
We got there at 1:30 am  and were  xrayed and stitched up and gone by 3:30! First time ever we were out in less than 8hrs! Although it could have been the 1:30 am arrival time.

First Session Down

Well,, we made it through our first of four "Puppy Play n train" dates. WOW, is all I can say.

First picture 8 puppies in one room, off leash. (Scary picture isn't it?)

Then picture me huddling my puppy close to me (but not touching him) and spreading my arms around him to keep other puppies at a distance so he didn't get too overwhelmed! Talk about overwhelmed (and I mean ME).

I have to say it didn't go too bad all things considered, except for maybe when the 3rd off leash play time came and Buddy decided he would be the aggressor this time! He had more time outs than any of them!

And after scrounging all around for loose puppy treats,(too bad that  wasn't one of the things he was being trained for) he decides mine weren't good enough anymore, which meant he wasn't so enticed by them to do what he was supposed to do.

Next week we bring his blanket and favorite toy for training (can just picture him stealing all the other puppies favorite toys, oh my!)

I Must Be Nuts!

It is so easy to forget how much work a new puppy takes, especially after having a dog as part of your family for 9 years, you tend to forget the first 2 years! Those years must fall into a part of your brain that you have only limited have access to! Otherwise why would I go through this again, (call it a lapse of judgement, or big time forgetfulness).

This is "Buddy" our new Cairn Terrier, who is definitely a very strong willed, albeit loveable new addition.  I have been reading up on every site and following blogs for tidbits on training that works for others.

So far we have the "SIT" command working not too shabbily, and "Fetch" (so long as there is a treat involved), however "Stay" and "Come" are in need of work! Lots of work!

So we are attending our first night of "Puppy Play n Learn". That should be interesting. Will follow up on that tomorrow (that is of course unless we don't make it through the first night, or get invited back!)

Hateful Worm

I finally have my PC back after getting infected with this wonderful thing! UGH! What a pain in the you know what! Had to get my PC wiped clean so that the little bugger didn't hack into my important stuff! Nasty! Shame on people for being so dispicable, I am wishing nothing but spiteful, hateful things for them! Now to catch up on all that I have missed for the past week.

What Happened to Spring?

While we were in Cuba it was apparently 18-24 degrees here in Halifax most of the time we were gone. So now that we are home it went back down to normal 10 degrees or so... only today we have mega snow! Yes SNOW! And it's accumulating even! Looking out the window is like looking out in mid January not mid April. And of course my winter tires have been removed (we thought we were doing good having them removed while we were away, yeah real smart!) The lilac tree has buds, and the maple trees even have there starting buds too. Good thing the snow blower still has gas in it,, ha didn't catch us there!

Meet Buddy

Meet "Little Buddy". Our new addition to our household. I really wasn't sure about getting another pup so soon after losing our beloved Goliath to diabetes, but I also new that one day my husband would just do it anyway, so I gave my 2 cents on what he could have this time (they always seem to just come home with one before, and then how can you say no once they are staring you in the face!)

Anyway Buddy is a 12 wk old Cairn Terrier. He is definitely the dominant male from his litter! We are fighting a hard battle right now with the biting and house training! Not sure who is going to win this battle! I had so forgotten what housebreaking a pup took, it has been so long since we had a little one around.

He is definitely a rough and tumble 5lb bundle of energy! And as you can see from below he is not afraid of my son's big brute Moses. Poor Moses has his nose out of joint a little, he is not happy about having this little monster around, stealing his toys, biting at his feet and having no fear.

We have a big job ahead of his with this little one, and since I am off to Fredericton for a conference it will be my husbands job to go out every half hour, keep insisting "no biting!" and so on for the next 4 days. Love it!

Back to Normal

Ok, I'm back! Shame on me for being so lax, but there are times you just fall into a rut and just doing some of the simple things like updating my blog seemed to be too much trouble and bother. I have no idea why, maybe it was the winter blues or something like that.

Anyway, April has turned out to be a much better month. To begin with I had a great trip to "Cuba". My very first. It was certainly an eye opener! The best part of course was the beach, all that glorious white, soft, clean sand, and of course that sparkling blue water! Even for someone like me who can't be considered a "beach" person it was heaven!

For someone who doesn't travel very much (ok, never) going through the Cuban airport was a very unnerving event! Especially when we had to go through the check point spot where the man behind the glass just glares at you, never smiles, never says anything except look at the camera (the one you can't even recognize as a camera!) and then continues to look at you, look at your passport, look at you again, and so on,,,, I was starting to have a melt down when he finally said "go".

I was warned beforehand what to expect, but it is still a startling contrast from home. I just wish I had followed the advice to pack some Ketchup and Coffee! A whole week without coffee was stretching my limits a bit! But we did manage to find a pizza place that was actually like home (especially since the originator came from our own province of NS! How cool was that!)

Since it was our first (and most likely not our last) we did some excursions this trip. Loads of fun! All in all it was a great week! It certainly has put me back on track now, ok well maybe it was a start to getting back on track!

Giving In To This

Ok, I gave in, I caved, and rather quickly too I might add! Our poor Goliath has only been gone a month and we are now getting ready for a new addition to our household! In one sense I feel extremely guilty and on the other am excited too! Of course having seen him I fell in love with him so that didn't help. I can only hope that G Man is looking down from dog heaven and saying good for you. So anyway here he is (although we don't actually pick him up until we come back from Cuba). We haven't quite decided on a name as of yet, but we do have a week to decide.

COUNTDOWN Has Begun!

14 days and counting til we board the plane to sun, sand and relaxation. The countdown to our first ever Cuban vacation is on!

The one bad thing to this countdown? It seems each day closer brings me a little more nervous. For one thing I am not the world's best traveller, for that matter I could probably be considered one of the worst ever travellers!

I think I have googled everything I possible could about what to bring, what not to bring, what to do, what not to do, what to look out for, etc, etc.....

By the time I actually board and land I am so going to need that vacation!

January Ramblings

I haven't been a very consistent blogger so far this year (but then again, so far this year has really sucked!)

I promise to get better at it, blogging and reading blogs has been somewhat of a life saver for 2009, and although 2010 has  started out "sucky", I am really hoping with a little (OK maybe a big push) I can get my mojo moving again.

Hey, I just noticed my blog now has spell check! Yeah! Great! (I really, really needed it).


In 2010 so far our cat succumbed to kidney failure, our dog lost his battle with diabetes and we have just gone through a horrendous weekend of gale force winds and rain that knocked down our chain link fence (that we just finished repairing this summer I might add, kinda makes you think they didn't do such a good job). So guy is coming out tomorrow (next day if I don't get this posted tonight) to have a look at it, but since the deductible  is $500, not sure it will be worth it or not, although with our luck have a feeling it will be double that at least.

And after my son put the chimney cap back up on the chimney (thanks once again to those gale force winds) he noticed a few shingles are torn and possibly missing! He did say there was no wood showing, I guess that was the good part of the bad news. Have I said how much I hate wind, snow, rain, etc,etc. Or maybe it's just owning a house and the constant, never ending stream of money that seems to go out!

There is a bright spot (at least I hope that's what it turns out to be), as we are heading to Cuba for 8 days at the end of this month! Sun, drinks, sand, drinks, (get the drift). And I am so hoping that it will be the turning point for a much smoother and nicer 2010.

Message for "GMan"

Hey Goliath,

You were more than a dog, a true friend.You were there when I was down,and up,,some how you always found a way to cheer me up.

RIP,, my friend and companion

This is a request from my hubby to add to my blog. As you can guess they were a formiddable twosome!

Lost Battle

He was a part of the family, a companion, a best friend.

Diagnosed with diabeties in January, he faded fast. We thought he was showing so much more liveliness and youthfulness  since going on insulin (twice a day, poor thing), but his frail body gave out today. He couldn't maintain that energy anymore as hard as he was trying (for us I think).

So we said our tearful goodbyes today. RIP Goliath, we will miss you!

Long Lost Friendship

I was am (not sure which is correct, as my Dad has been retired from the forces for some time now), but then again do you ever stop being an "army brat", an armed forces dependant, oh anyway, as anyone who grew up on Army/Navy/Airforce bases knows you or your friends tend to move around every 3 years or so. You get used to making short term friends, and then you move on to make new ones, if your lucky you keep some as lifelong friends but I think overall they are far and few between the ones who moved on every other year.

I just recently was contacted (believe it or not through Classmates.com) by one of those long lost friendships.

What a great feeling it is to renew friendships with someone who had meant a great deal to you, to find out how their lives panned out and to be able to carry on a current relationship (even though it is mostly through Facebook! But then again now my facebook isn't just for games and farming anymore!)

During one of our recent conversations I learned something I never knew about back when we were friends hanging out together. We were 10 the year her mother died (which is now 43 years ago, from open heart surgery) which I do remember and always will remember the helpless feeling I felt during that time not knowing what to say to her. She told me my Dad had gone to the funeral (which was not held locally). She had been feeling very alone and scared among relatives she barely knew and when she saw him there she went over to him and he picked her up and kept her on his lap the entire afternoon. She said she felt safe and secure and to this day had always wanted him to know what that had meant to her.

I passed this along to my Dad and he was deeply touched by her words and now she also feels better having been able to pass along her feelings to him after all these years.

 Sometimes life throws out some good curves too!

My Opinion Counts

Parties mum on spending details- after Auditor General gave his report on excessive and inappropriate spending.

Our local newstation has a facebook site where sometimes you can give responses to some of the news items of the day. This was the first time I chose to actually send in a response. So here I was tending my "Farmville" (can't let my crops die, or forget to gather the eggs and milk!), when I hear my name, mine! COOL!

They read my response during the newscast (a long with a half dozen others). It's kinda cool to hear them say your name and read what you have to say.

This was my response to the question- Do you think names should be listed for the public to see of those MLA's who had very questionable spending using tax payer money.

I think all MLA's should be ashamed of themselves and their conduct, especially with the economic devastation that has recently occurred. So many taxpayers are feeling the pinch and yet the MLA's put themselves above everyone else, taking what isn't theirs to take. To use the excuse that the guidelines were not clear is also shameful, common sense tells them it was JUST WRONG.

And get this, not only did they read it once, they read it again when talking directly to the leader of one of the parties! Wow, I just may have to put forth my opinion more often!

TOO FUNNY!

I came across this site in Readers Digest: http://www.foundmagazine.com/find/14778
Way cool site!!

This was one of the notes I saw as I was checking out the site.

 I couldn't resist showing you as I am sure there are many of you out there who (like me) have a fear of spiders!

I sent it to my sister cause this is definitely something she would do, and this was her response!

Haha . . . I can certainly relate!

When I was living in the trailer after we were married there was a huge spider on the wall above the couch and I spent ½ hour standing there with a shoe trying to will myself to kill it and then I finally had to call mom to drive out and get it for me J

and then there was the time there was a spider on my bedskirt when I was living upstairs and mom had to come up and lift the mattress off the bed and then turn the bedspring over cause it had crawled under the bed. I was standing in the living room watching her do it.

I could write a book . . .

My Memory Fails Me

It’s probably mostly due to “old age” but if that’s the case then I have to assume by the time I reach my 60’s,70’s I will have absolutely zilch ability to remember people’s names! Maybe there is some chemical imbalance or something like that going on that is getting worse as I grow older.

 I never had much of a memory when it came to remembering History or Geography in school (which is likely why I hated those subjects with a passion!). And now that I am in my 50’s (early 50’s that is), I find I cannot remember names at all, not only the new ones that I recently get introduced to but I find myself searching in vain for names from my child/teen/early adult time frames. It gets exasperating really! Very annoying and very embarrassing too!

Sometimes a lightbulb will go on days later when a name suddenly "POPS" into my head of some name I had been searching for, then as quick as it came, it's gone again! (I really think I have a chemical imbalance!)

I could see people from my school days forgetting my name, as I was always that person who was neither in or out of “the” crowd, I always seemed to be on the edge, teetering, not quite part of the “inner circle” although not an outcast either. I was just there with them, though if I wasn’t around I would not have been missed! I was that person who people would say “Oh yeah, I think I remember her” but only if you showed them a picture but wouldn’t if they only heard my name.

"Keep Up With Me!"

"Keep up with Me!", that's what the little voice keeps saying everytime my steps tend to slow down a little while watching TV and doing my step aerobics using my WII fitness plus.

Every now and then I get this little reminder that she's still there counting my steps!

I haven't progressed past a 45 min workout yet, but I figure any kind of workout compared to none at all must be a good thing, right? And I have managed to do one every day so far this week! (High Five!)

Bring on the Motivation

The "Winter Blues" has made it's usual return once again, you would think I would grow accustomed to that! But no, I have not, and I am once again in need of a kick in the butt to get myself motivated to do much of anything.

As of yet (and I know you will say get real, it's only Jan 19, what did you expect) 2010 has not started out as I had hoped it would after dragging my ass through 2009! I had to buy a new dryer, my gorgeous 7yr old Zues's life was cut short, and a dear cousin has had a mastectomy. Maybe it has all come at once and now 2010 is ready to bring on the good stuff? Right? (I said RIGHT?)

Anyway, I did start to exercise (and please don't put a damper on my idea of exercise). I got a WII fit plus for Christmas, and finally got it set up (set up meaning I can now turn it on and off without my son's assistance!). So while watching TV I do a 30min step aerobic workout! YEAH for me! I usually always manage to start great and drop off quickly, however since we have just booked a trip to CUBA at the end of March, I now have a very good reason to keep pushing myself. Because if you go to CUBA, you obviously have to wear some beach wear, right? That pretty picture should certainly be enough to keep me motivated!

Broken Hearts

Anyone who owns has brought a pet into their family will know why I am feeling sad and empty today. Yesterday we had to have our precious "Zues" put to sleep.

The poor thing was in such agony, his kidneys had shut down and because he had gone past a certain point he had no chance of surviving the surgery that needed to be done.

In hind sight now (oh how I wish we all had the ability to have it before we do things, or in my case don't do things), I should have taken him to the vet 2 days earlier, and then the outcome may have been a little different, but maybe not. In any case I didn't have hindsight, and now Zues is kept in a special corner of our hearts. (And of course our picture photo albums as he is in there quite alot!).

Gift Of Life

I finally got myself back on track, after a lapse of a few years (and yes I do feel bad about that, especially since it took me so long to start giving blood in the first place!)

I had started to go on a regular basis when I moved into my new job 10 years ago, they set one up where I worked every 2 months, so it was easy for me(and yes I know I should have been able to give anyway without it having to be in such a convenient spot, but come on, people like me don't always do what they should, unless someone pushes or pulls us there!). Anyway I lapsed when I moved out of that building into another spot much farther away (much to my chagrin, but that's another saga).

So when the Red Cross called to see if I wanted to Donate and gave me a place fairly close by that I could attend,I felt bad (really rather embarrassed )that I hadn't gone in about 2 years, so I said you bet, sign me up, get me back on track, make me a better person (ok going a little overboard huh?).

Anyway I did get there today, got through the first little finger prick to see if my Iron was ok, some people I know get to that  part hoping it isn't ,so they get turned away, and they can say they tried but weren't allowed (those would be the chicken sh@#t ones!) Shame on you, and you know who you are!

Then got through the questionaire (this believe it or not is the part that takes up more time than actually giving the blood! )They must ask you in a dozen different ways if you could have any possible chance of having Aids. She took my blood pressure, mine was fine, no thanks to that dang machine! It decided (YES it has a brain) to take a  second one (I think my shirt sleeve through it off, (remembering to wear a loose fitting sleeve would have been really good, duh!) nearly cut off my circulation! My hand was turning blue and I thought my arm would burst! The lady who was in the booth was getting a mighty worried look on her face!! When she asked which arm I preferred to have the blood taken from I said it would have to be the other one cause this one no longer has any feeling in it ! Geez people, way to make me glad I came back!


I do always feel good after donating (getting rid of some of that old tired blood seems to rejuvinate you! ) Well maybe not right away, was just a little Woozy for a few minutes when I first got up, guess that's why they give you juice and a cookie (and these weren't just your average packaged cookies, no sir, fresh baked cookies!) to take away the woozy feeling.

56 more days and I can do it all over again!

Prorogation For Me Too!

Prorogation

At Prorogation:

–Bills that have not received 3rd reading at the time a Session is prorogued either:

•Die on the Order Paper, or

•Are rolled over to the next Session

I want to Prorogate for 6 months , put all my bills on hold for that period so I can formulate plans on how to pay them off! Or perhaps they will just end, never to be seen again? Sounds like a plan to me!

Follow up- Vet Visit

DIABETIC!
That's what she said after the blood work she did, so for the next 2 weeks he needs insulin shots twice a day (and you can be sure it isn't going to be me doing them) plus on top of that we had to change his diet over to a special diet plan purchased from the vet store!

The poor thing had lost 11 lbs in a 2 week period.  No wonder he looked scrawny!

All you could see were those big brown eyes staring at you, his face was just ALL EYES!

Hoping that after 2 wks of insulin plus the diet change that he will be good to go with just the new food,(at least my wallet hopes that), but he is one of the family so you just gotta do whatcha gotta do!

Oh yeah, and the last thing she said was "Don't be surprised if he develops cateracts too!).

Where Did My Dog Go??

It happened over night, well it seemed like it anyway, because one day he was his usual slightly overweight self, (ok likely that part is our fault for feeding him people snacks) and then this one day it was "Where did all the weight go?"

 He is actually looking scrawny, his collar hangs on his neck, last time I checked it all you could get was the 2 fingers you are supposed to be able to fit under! And  since when did he have ribs showing (we hadn't seen those since he was a pup, 8 years ago!).  Like, when did this all happen? Where was I while he was wasting away, it's not like we haven't seen him in a long while?

This summer we had put him on glucosamene for his aching joints (just like mine) and he had gotten back some energy (he could once again jump up onto our bed (oh yah!- (it was heaven while he couldn't cause then I didn't have to share my side, not my favorite thing to do you see, not even with my husband, I like my space)).

 We knew he had had a bug over Christmas, he was a little listless and didn't gobble his breakfast down like he usually does until much later in the morning, but we didn't notice the weight loss so much (perhaps because he was laying around more than usual) and then he got his appetite back, except that he is still losing weight!

We called our vet but can't get him in until Monday.... so for now he is getting all this loving attention,(not that he didn't get it anyway) even has been allowed to sleep on the bed with us when he can make the jump.

You know he's not feeling well when he stays on the sofa instead of following you out to the kitchen (so not like him, you usually trip over him everytime you move cause he goes where you go, even if its to the bathroom,and then you trip over him again when you open the door!) He should really have been fit with all the up and down he does on a regular basis following everyone who moves, cause he was so afraid he might miss something (food), or that you might leave the house without him!

But OMG the snoring! That's really gotta go (well it's really not snoring, cause sometimes his eyes are still open. Can you snore with your eyes open? It's more like weird breathing sounds when he rests his chin down flat and seems to close off his airways). It's even worse when the other one (dog that is) starts snoring too, one on one side of you, one on the other, not even in sync!

Anyway, we're all hoping that it is just a bug and not an age thing (he will be 9 in March and his breed average is 9), but up until now he has always been quite healthy (albeit slightly overweight, but then so am I :(

Who Changed the Guidelines!

Ok, so today I had to go see my Dr so she could "discuss" my recent yearly bloodwork I had done last week.

Aside from needing my thyroid med changed (so I am less tired and sweaty, that will be nice!), and that my blood pressure was up a little (talking about weight will do that you know), we talked mostly about this:

Bad cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) / Good cholesterol: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) / Triglyceride (a type of fat found in your blood) levels

Most people usually have pretty good HDL (which is good) and not so good LDL (which is bad), confused yet, but me I'm a reversal, my HDL was too low, my LDL was still not good, and my trigliceride was too high- wouldn't you just know it,( you know where they do that test where they measure your waistline and if it isn't in the right range they tell you you're at risk for heart disease) she didn't even have to measure mine to know I was at risk in category! (Shame face showing now!)

Things were pretty much the same as they were last year except that HDL part, (although truth be told, last year's results were in need of improvement, but they weren't way out there) however somebody decided they needed to change the guidelines, and in doing so this now means that those results that were borderline last year have now put me in the "risky" category! So not fair!This means keeping the status quo won't cut it anymore.

 

Now she tells me I have 3 months to try to improve what needs to be improved upon through diet and exercise (and I soooo love to exercise,NOT!!), and if it doesn't improve then I have to add cholesterol medication into the mix. Three months (and during cold, wet, yucky weather months) to walk or ride my stationary bike and change my eating habits.

She said she should have bought stock in cholesterol medication pharmaceutical companies with this new guidline! Who knew!

Ok, so now we know what my New Year's resolution has changed to!

How the New Year Came In

This was Jan 1st later in the afternoon, first came the snow, then came the rain(as you can see I took this through the window!). We had intentions of going out to a Levy, but the dreariness outside changed our minds, so I stayed in and took down and packed away the reminants of Christmas instead.!


I was going through a few photos I managed to take during the holidays and thought this one said it all: "Is it over yet"?

Will This be a Better Year?

Well it's gone, all gone, moved on to 2010 (that's sounds so much better(twenty-ten rather than twenty- oh-nine)). I have to admit that I am not sorry to have left 2009 behind and that I am looking hoping praying that 2010 is a kinder year! Not that it was my worst year ever, but it can't be deemed my best year.

I made a resolution (not that I have ever made one and really kept it for more than a very short period of time) to try (notice I said try) to have a frugal year, spend less, pay off cards, that sort of thing. So of course yesterday my dryer decided to DIE on me! Yep, no heat, not much good with no heat! So now my frugal spending just went down the drain and I had to go out and buy a new one, and of course there was a deal on buying a set, washer and dryer, so yep, it only made sense to go that route! So much for this year's resolution! Maybe next year.