Gone, Gone, Gone!

Finally, we caught them! And I don’t even feel bad about it being such an inhumane way either since I did not invite them into my house in the first place. So since they were uninvited house guests who overstayed their welcome (I don’t remember sending out an invite) I am now oh so happy that they have been vacated, never to return (thanks due to the “sticky trap things” used since the poison food did not seem to work, at least not fast enough for my liking). I did have to plug my ears while hubby removed the unwanted and captured rodents all while trying to keep Buddy locked in the bedroom with me :)

I am sure Buddy is Oh so happy too, because he wasn’t a happy camper at night when they disturbed his sleep and then he couldn’t get at them! I think they reveled in that fact too.

Birthday Wishes

Twenty-six yrs ago today I gave birth to my second little bundle of joy (ok some would say not so little @ 10.2lbs, but he was .3lbs less than his brother). So long ago, but it still seems like yesterday, not sure where the time has gone, but gone it has.     Happy Birthday!

God's Little Joke?

OMG- the HEAT!

They left for awhile, it was like heaven not having them, not that I can even say when they left, it just hit me later on that I hadn’t been having any of my dreaded “tropical moments” anymore.

But I can say when they came back!!

 About 2 months ago they started up again, and this time there was no calling them “tropical moments” it’s more like “tornado minutes!” They swoop in so fast and furious, last for a few minutes, wreak as much havoc as possible in such a short time, and then take off just as fast.

You no sooner get the house temperature feeling just right, then all of a sudden your drenched in sweat (and that’s no exaggeration!) and you have to peel off whatever you can, turn on the fan, grab a glass of ice water, then ten minutes later you have to go put on something a little warmer, turn off the fan, only to repeat the procedure over again sometime during the next hour!

At bedtime I turn the fan on (pointing only at me cause I’m apparently the only one who is hot) and then sometime through the night I have to grab the blankets from the bottom of the bed (where I through them earlier cause I was too hot), fight to move the dog so I can pull them up, and then by the time I do that, and get covered up, I’m sweating again and have to throw them off again!

If this is “Gods Little Joke” I’m not laughing!

Neighbors

What gives with people? Whatever happened to showing respect for your neighbors?  I don’t think it’s asking too much to at least do the necessary things to keep things like “rodents” from taking over your property! Really, how hard is it to remember that Wednesday morning is garbage morning (ok I realize you do have to put some thought into remembering which week it is, garbage or recycle, but come on it’s not rocket science).

We had gone 25 yrs without seeing any signs of “rodents” (and by “rodents” I am not talking field mice or squirrels, no siree!!!) on our premises. Now for the last 2 yrs we have had signs of them (the dogs ritually circling the shed was a dead giveaway), the same 2 yrs that our neighbors on one side have lived there and repeatedly missed garbage days for 2 and sometimes 3 wks in a row (which because it is collected every second week means that garbage stays out on their deck for 4 to 6 wks!!). So tell me that isn’t reason enough for the buggers to find a home under our shed!

I would have continued to just shake my head at it until the other day when my hubby went to take the green bin down to the end of the driveway and a rat landed on his arm before scurrying off into my garden!!!! (Now just imagine if I had gone to take down the green bin (which I had intention to do that morning before going to work)! But it was raining so I left it….every neighbor on every side of me would have heard me, and I most likely would have been done for the day!

Now it really is going to be the “man’s” job to take out the garbage!!!!

Back In The Groove

I haven't been blogging in quite awhile (just in case anybody noticed, no, oh well then it will be as if I had never stopped then) not sure why. I could say it was because not much has happened except the same old, but that wouldn't be quite true. Maybe it's because of the fact that spring pretty much skipped us by and summer doesn't look like it wants to come and stay either and that tends to give people the "blahs" (well me anyway).

Although we had a very wet, windy and cold spring, we did manage to get a few things done, like a new load of crushed stone on the driveway (didn't have to do much for that one except dole out the $$$). Then we had some rocks pulled up out of the back yard so that the ride on mower didn't have to do so many weaves trying not to hit them every time and leaving tall grass all around them (and yes I know I could have pulled out the regular mower or the whipper snipper and gone around them, but there was a reason we got a ride on mower!).  So anyway after doing that which again didn't involve much hard labour on our part (except again the emptying of my pocket book!), but then we had to get a load of top soil to cover everything over and reseed.

Now had a woman been the one ordering and delivering the top soil things would have been much simpler all around with a lot less hard labour, however it wasn't. So instead a very large truck delivered way too much and couldn't get back in the yard with it to dump it on top of the site we dug out the rocks from,, so it got dumped just inside the fence and we had to shovel and shovel and shovel loads and loads of fill! The one saving grace was the tractor has a cart attachment that could be loaded up and driven to the spots and dumped (good thing because the top soil may still have been sitting there to this day!).

And last but by far not the least, we have started renovations on our basement (now that it is back to being our basement and not a living space for son/girlfriend and dog). At first it was going to just be a repaint job, but was convinced we needed to pull out everything and seal up water leaks so it has become a much bigger job.

• Floor has been ripped up, back to bare cement
• Wall coverings (all 3 of them!) have been removed
• Some new gyprock was put up and walls are starting to be crack filled
• Then soon we will be at the painting stage,,,, and then the new floor (ceramic tiles) will be laid after that

So maybe, hopefully it will all be done by Christmas and I can once again put my Christmas tree downstairs instead of upstairs crammed into a smaller living room. Can't wait!!!

So anyway that's what we've been up to on the labour end of things over the past few months. Although I have procrastinated with my blogging I have been busy!!!

It's The Little Things

The one thing that really burns my a** is when people in the customer service industry fail to use “common sense” when it comes to deciphering promotions. And it always seems to be the younger generation that fails to be able to use this common sense, why is that??

Case in point- Tim’s has a promotion running this week “Get a bagel for 69¢ with the purchase of a beverage”. Seems pretty simple, right? Apparently this is not so.

You can have your bagel for 69¢ so long as you have it either toasted or at least buttered, if you choose to take said bagel and toast it once you get to work (so it is hot instead of cold with congealed butter by the time you get to eat it) then you are buying in “bulk” and you will be charged the full price for said bagel (do I sound just a little peeved!).

Not a great way to start off my morning folks! And yes, I did fire off a “online comment card”!

Short Term Pain, For Long Term Gain

The prospects of what this yard upgrade is going to bring in the future is a little sullied by the prospects of what it is going to bring to us before the grass comes back! 

A Little Perspective Required

It's funny annoying how some people take the time to reach out to others in need, but those same people on the receiving end are not able to do the same for the people who are there for them. Obviously they failed  to remember that that same person offering comfort, advice and understanding is also in need of the same.

Some people need to "think" before offering their words of wisdom!

Thought for the Day

“It is not fair to ask of others
what you are not willing to do yourself.”

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Reject vs. Spoil

I have been so disillusioned by ALL of the Parties in Government these days, that I had decided I was not going to vote this time (especially since it is something like our 4^th or 5^th  time for an election in less than 4yrs (actually I have lost count)and because there has been absolutely nothing for the so called “middle class in any of them!

And because each time I see an ad on TV (I want to throw something at it, except for the fact that we have a fairly new flat screen, I probably would) or an article in the news I want to scream “ENOUGH ALREADY”! This acting like children and or bullies (actually I think they act worse than children ever thought of) is just such a huge turn off!

That is until I saw this commentary while watching our local news station one night last week:

A rejected ballot is a 'none of the above' option.

To make a ballot rejected simply make no mark on it. Return it blank. That's it. A jump in the number of rejected ballots will be a far more productive outcome than any vote for the status-quo parties.

Solves my dilemma quite nicely I think!  

From The DOG

I received this in an email and thought it was too cute not to pass along to other DOG  persons!

Dear God: 
  Let me give you a list of just some of the things I must  remember to be a good  Dog. 






1.  I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they  throw it up. 
 2.  I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc., just because  I like the way they smell. 
 3.  The Litter Box is not a cookie jar.  
 4.  The sofa is not a 'face towel'. 
 5.  The garbage collector is not stealing our  stuff. 
 6.  I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the  toilet. 
 7.   Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable  way of saying 'hello'. 
 8.  I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the  coffee table 
 9.  I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house  - not after. 
 10.  I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt  across the carpet. 
 11.  I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my  crotch. 
 12.  The cat is not a 'squeaky toy' so when I play with him and he  makes that noise, it's usually not a good  thing. 

Waging War

I am waging "WAR" again for the second year in a row! Last year was the first time we ever had a mouse in our house (yes actually in our house, invading our space! Don't they understand that their space is that vast area called the Outdoors?)

Last year we had a cat who at  least was able to notify us when the little bugger had made his way into my cupboard(not sure why but I just assume it's a he). Thank god he chose the cupboard (although chose is probably not the right word), it was the cupboard next to the kitchen sink which I believe is where he came out after climbing up the plumbing pipes from downstairs) which is the one where I keep Tupperware stuff mostly. The main reason I know we have one upstairs is because I found a pile of pink plastic shavings. After carefully moving things around I found the cover of a dish that now had little holes arranged all around the entire circumference (like

that one?).

So anyway as you can see I rushed out and purchased a multitude of wares to  wage my war! I bought a live trap so he could be put back outdoors (and that's only if someone other than me has to pick it up, cause if it's me(and I really hope it isn't) the whole thing is quickly going into the garbage can!) I also bought the snap ones cause if he is too stupid to  go into the one that could save his life, then he's left me no choice but to go the other route (and we all know what that means!)

I also bought the ones where they go in and eat poison and then eventually DIE from it! The only thing with that  is where they are when they succumb to it?? I don't really relish the thought of the resulting smell.

Image via Wikipedia

I know one thing for sure, if I happen to run into it in close quarters I am not sure which one us will be more scared!

A mouse (plural: mice) is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (Mus musculus). It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles. They are known to invade homes for food and occasionally shelter.

Ok the "popular pet" thing is beyond me, why would anyone want it as a pet, eeewwww!!

"Good things come to those who wait."

There's also that saying:

"Good things come to those who wait."

My question.
Just how long are you supposed to wait?????

Rewarded

"Getting an excellent performance review but then no raise is like being told you get dessert, then learning the dessert is celery."

I probably don't need to say much more than that. As you can probably tell I had a performance review done recently. Came across this saying in Readers Digest and thought just how appropriate it was(for me anyway!) It's not that I don't like to get good or even great performance reviews, and yes I know that some would consider the praise as reward enough, BUT STILL.....Just Saying.!

I should have just stayed home yesterday!

Image via Wikipedia

I tried to do my community duty and donate my blood yesterday (give me a pat on the back).

 I drove there (cause they no longer set up actually IN my community now due to a lovely new facility in the city) at my designated time, checked in, they did the prick your finger bit (and yes that hurts, brings tears to my eyes) only to be told “your iron level is low”.

I thought ok, they said that last time too but after doing a second check it came out ok, so let’s just check it again shall we. They did. It came out even LOWER the second time!

So it was a wasted trip, other than the fact that I learned I need to eat more green vegetables.

 They suggested an iron supplement but that just makes you constipated and then you have to take something for that, so no thanks, I will stick with increasing my greens a little bit (cause too much greens also causes you know what) and if that doesn’t work well then my blood donating days may have come to an end.

So anyway I figured since I came into the city (sounds funny since really it is only about a 20 min drive from home) I would kill another errand now that I had not filled an hr with donating my blood.

I drove over to the mall to return a digital cable box to our provider’s store. We had received a new box from them for HD Digital Recording to replace it but had to return the old box.

When I got there the nice young girl at the counter turned the receiver over and checked the serial # (what?) and said very sweetly “this is the box you own you need to return the other one you have at home”. OH COME ON, Really? I said very nicely (considering I had just driven 20 min and been turned down for my blood donation), couldn’t you just switch the serial #’s? No, we can’t do that; you’ll have to return the other one, sorry.

I should have just stayed home yesterday!

Sleeping Beauty

Poor tired baby! Had a rough day today. He was left at the groomers most of the day (so guessing he didn't get any naps in!) for his quarterly haircut.

He's definitely catching up now!

Company and Buddy

My dad came to spend the night last night, on his way back from visiting friends. I knew Buddy would be all jacked up for awhile when he first got there, trying his hardest to get to sit on his lap and lick his face. He doesn’t seem to understand that not everyone likes that sort of thing, go figure? So we left his indoor training leash on once Dad got there so we could keep him from invading Dad’s space.

After a multitude of “No Buddy”, “Down Buddy”, “Stay Buddy”, he finally resigned to just looking at him and whining.

He had a great time when I put the bed down (ok it’s not really a bed, just a futon which is ok for one person, but don’t try putting two people on it!), he thought it was meant for him to rough house on and go wild! I knew this was going to be a problem once we retired for the night….. And for sure there he was scratching at the door to get in once Dad had gone to bed. Little bugger thought that was a game too when I yelled at him to get away!

This meant we had to make sure our bedroom door was shut tight, which also meant Buddy was up then down off the bed a number of times before my “angry” voice finally settled him down.

In the morning Buddy usually likes to laze in bed until 9ish (he’s quite the lazy puppy), however because he remembered there was “company” he barked at every little noise figuring it must be Dad and that he should be allowed to go and investigate (cause that’s what dogs do isn’t it?)

And that was only one night! Now you know why we prefer not to have company too often!

And now that company is gone, guess whose catching up on his sleep!

I Don't Know About You...But...

Every morning after reading the newspaper (maybe it's time to stop) I find another headline that just makes me "cringe with anger"! For example these are just this weeks ones that ticked me off:

• Higher food prices here to stay, says economist
  
  
  "I think the prudent thing to do is to count on their grocery bills and their fuel costs climbing for quite some time yet. Because emerging markets are not going to go away," he said.
  "I think grocery bills could easily climb 10 to 15 per cent –- maybe even more -- over the course of next couple of years."

I hate , hate , hate grocery shopping at the best of times, let alone knowing that I am going to be paying that much more as time goes on. Especially hate it knowing that my pay is not going to have any increases for the same next 4 years!  No wonder so many kids and seniors are not getting their fruits and veggies!

• Kicked to the curb: HRM abandons new trash bylaw

HRM halts garbage changes

Halifax regional councillors had been preparing for a long night of debate about garbage, but a public hearing was cancelled at the last minute Tuesday.

For those of you not familiar with our local group of councillors (your not missing anything except a laugh!) they have once again hummed and hedged their way out of making a decision on something!  I really don't see what the problem is with using clear garbage bags (they said you could have 1 green one for your bathroom garbage) and a limit of 4 bags every 2 wks. The sole purpose is to get people to reduce, reuse, recycle. (People it's no biggie! You need to come down off your high horse if you ask me!)

• Voters disenchanted with ruling NDP: poll

  Nova Scotians are not happy with the NDP.
  
  However, they aren't particularly enamoured with any of the other parties either

You can definitely include me in this, I am so "disenchanted" (I voted for those idiots figuring I had no where else to go and they deserved their  chance- oh how disappointed am I!)  I am no longer going to VOTE as there is finally no where else to go.

And one last one ( I left the worst one for last)

• Cancel disgraced commissioner's cushy severance package: advocacy groups
• OTTAWA

Really, just how gullable does this government think we are? OK VERY I see.

Pancakes for Supper!

Image via Wikipedia

Mmm,Mmm,Mmmm the pancakes were nice and fluffy, the sausages and bacon nice and crunchy! Gotta love Pancake (Shrove) Tuesday! Now to figure out what to give up for the next 40 days.....

Sure Sign Of Spring

The surest way to know that spring is just around the corner; Buddy went out on Sunday and dug his first big hole in the backyard! Just as soon as a large patch of wet soggy grass showed up he went for it (little bugger)!

Sounds Easy

Wise old man once said ...There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the DRAMA and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, FORGET the bad, and FOCUS on the good. So love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be ANYTHING but happy. Falling down is a part of life, GETTING BACK UP IS LIVING.

This was posted by someone on my facebook site, it sounds so easy, but for some it's the hardest thing in the world to accomplish.