As I am writing this I am flushing my eyes out every five minutes. I guess it is very easy to take your eyes for granted since really you only look at them only when you see your reflection. I mean we look out of them minute by minute and hour by hour but we don't really see them. Today Daughter #1 came in through the door with a hornet sting on the back of her neck so I proceeded to the medicine cabinet for the Afterbite to put some on the bite site. Problem is that Daughter #2 had two bites last week. She used the Afterbite and did not put it back in the medicine cabinet. We were frantically looking for the Afterbite when Hubby remembered that he had some in his kit from the JCR's. The first thing I noticed was that it came in a tube of gel rather than liquid form which was different from what I normally used. I opened the tube and tried to squeeze a small amount onto the bite site of the neck of Daughter #1. Hmmm it wouldn't come out.... hmmmm! So like a a fool I turned the tube to see why it wouldn't come out and squeezed at the same time. That's when the accident happened.
Somehow a small amount had dried in the opening of the tube and was blocking the liquid gel below. It popped sending a spray of ammonia straight into my eye. I was blinded instantly. I'm not sure what I did but I think there was a scream involved and Daughter#1 was panicking and trying to get Hubby to come quick. Next thing I know I'm stumbling into a wall as I try to get to the nearest water source. Hubby is grabbing a glass of water and trying to force me to the floor of the deck.... "My Deck" and drowning me with water as he pours it over my face. I for the moment can't breath both from the shock of having water pured over my face and also from the water that went up my nose. At this point it would have been funny except that I was in serious danger of burning my cornea to pieces. I grabbed the water and sat up and started to carefully pour the water into my eyes flushing them as best I could. It was, in all honesty, one of the most scarey things that have ever happened to me.
Both eyes were burned but only one eye still hurts. That was about an hour ago. Don't you know it.... our clinic was closed at the time. The medical profession are never available when you need them. I am able to see but I must say that I am worried that I have done permanent damage. As soon as the clinic reopens I'm off to have it checked ... stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
75 Years Young Today
Pops is my father and he is turning 75 today. He has had a lot of health problems in the last little while and so it is a wonderful thing to have him turn 75.
I have watched him over the last year go in and out of the hospital for various health problems mostly to do with his heart. He has had low blood pressure a number of times and several infections that have been an issue. He has a slipped disk that gives him great pain and is inoperable. Last year a couple of times I thought I had almost lost him. It is hard to watch your parents health deteriorate. When I was little I always felt that Pops was invincible but as an adult I realize that this is not so.
Pops started researching his genealogy several years ago and has been able to trace my family name back to the times of William the Conqueror. He is very proud of the work he has done and has been writing that history down in a book form that he hopes to leave to his grand children. Unfortunately he had no sons and so the family name will end when he ends. I think that is what prompted him to write his book. The book is well over 700 pages, and tells all about his life, his father's life (who was a fishing merchant and owned a successful business) and continues down through the family history with all kinds of notes on the history of Newfoundland, which is where we are from, and even contains notes on the socio/economic history of England and what brought my family to Newfoundland and eventually Canada in the first place.
Dad is a trooper and it amazes me the amount of work and time he has put into this book. It amazes me how many times he has pulled back from ill health where we wondered if he would come out of the hospital. Just yesterday he went swimming in the local outdoor pool. He loves his children and he adores his grandchildren. We will pick him up later and take the guy out for lunch. He will enjoy it I think. What a better way than to spend his day with his grand kids who love him immensely. I look forward to this day with my Dad because he is someone who I think deserves the best.
Happy Birthday Dad. I hope this is a good year for you.
I have watched him over the last year go in and out of the hospital for various health problems mostly to do with his heart. He has had low blood pressure a number of times and several infections that have been an issue. He has a slipped disk that gives him great pain and is inoperable. Last year a couple of times I thought I had almost lost him. It is hard to watch your parents health deteriorate. When I was little I always felt that Pops was invincible but as an adult I realize that this is not so.
Pops started researching his genealogy several years ago and has been able to trace my family name back to the times of William the Conqueror. He is very proud of the work he has done and has been writing that history down in a book form that he hopes to leave to his grand children. Unfortunately he had no sons and so the family name will end when he ends. I think that is what prompted him to write his book. The book is well over 700 pages, and tells all about his life, his father's life (who was a fishing merchant and owned a successful business) and continues down through the family history with all kinds of notes on the history of Newfoundland, which is where we are from, and even contains notes on the socio/economic history of England and what brought my family to Newfoundland and eventually Canada in the first place.
Dad is a trooper and it amazes me the amount of work and time he has put into this book. It amazes me how many times he has pulled back from ill health where we wondered if he would come out of the hospital. Just yesterday he went swimming in the local outdoor pool. He loves his children and he adores his grandchildren. We will pick him up later and take the guy out for lunch. He will enjoy it I think. What a better way than to spend his day with his grand kids who love him immensely. I look forward to this day with my Dad because he is someone who I think deserves the best.
Happy Birthday Dad. I hope this is a good year for you.
Monday, July 20, 2009
What A Weekend!!!
I dyed. I dyed and went to heaven.... what a way to go! What an amazing bunch of ladies. We almost all of us dyed and went to heaven. This weekend eight ladies came to my house for the annual Frankie's Mid Summer Retreat and we enjoyed three days of all the things that fibre artists love to do. We spun. We drop spindled. We knitted. We wove. We swapped ideas. But most of all, we dyed. Playing with colour in the middle of the summer has to be one of the most satisfying play activities a spinner and weaver can do. (I never write last names here and I try to avoid first names so I will just use initials to protect the identities of friends and family alike.) MW from three and a half hours away showed up on Friday afternoon and right away we started talking shop and showing off new spindles and new fibre and of course the house renovations were at the top of the list too. It was such a joy and a pleasure to have a like minded person with which to share the projects of the last year. Then later in the evening the next vehicle pulled into the yard carrying NC and FE and the furry friend Mokie.
Supper was soon on the go and fibre chat began in ernest. Later AM showed up and out came wheels, spindles, looms, and knitting needles as the activities began. We gabbed and chatted and shared ideas. We laughed and relaxed and that was what the retreat was all about. Too soon yawns became apparent and AM made her way home because she lives only moments away and didn't want to camp out considering that she is 86 years of age. Then shortly after NC and FE followed with Mokie as they were staying at AM's house with the intention of arriving once again in the morning. That left MW and myself to spindle and relax for another hour or so before directing ourselves to our respective beds. MW stayed in her vehicle as she had a snuggly bed set up in there and I headed upstairs to my pallet.
5 a.m. in the morning my eyes popped open in anticipation of the day ahead (I was really excited) and while I really wanted to get up and get going I knew that some more sleep would be good since I didn't want to fade out when the real fun started to happen. By 6:30 a.m. I knew I was a goner. I gave up trying to visit the back of my eyelids and I removed myself to the shower to spark myself for a day of activities and fun. By 7:30 a.m. MW and I were enjoying a breakfast beverage while a pot of oxalic acid stewed on my hot plate and a fire merrily crackled in the fireplace. We planned our crowded pot and began soaking out the fibre and skeins that would make their debut in a new colour later that day.
Our choice of colours was to use the primaries in an Ashford palette. So out came the dyes and we began to mix colour.
MW had never done this crowded pot dying and so I led her through the steps with ease. She's a quick learner and so began the day. We played with colour all throughout the day and when our results were not what we envisioned we made other plans to sharpen up colours or try a new concept in dying. It was fun.
I have primary colours in acid wash dyes and there came a point when MW and I decided we wanted to try something different. By that time NC and FE and AM had shown up and we were patiently waiting for a couple more people to show, one of whom owns a store in FSJ where she sells all sorts of supplies for fibre nuts like myself and my friends. When she called slightly before noon to say that she wouldn't make it till the next day I jumped on the opportunity to suggest she bring some of the lovely dye colours that she carries in her store. With that in mind we decided to put off any more dying until we had more colour. My fingers by that time were red and yellow and blue.
The rest of the afternoon was spent seeking shade and shelter from the hot sun and then later the showers while we diligently all worked on separate projects. Along about early afternoon MW and I were fading fast and NC and FE were needing some exercise so FE and NC went for a walk while MW and AM went to their respective vehicles for snoozes and I headed for my pallet above for a much needed snooze too.
Hubby and Daughter #1 had headed off earlier in the afternoon for some much needed hay and Daughter #2 and her friend were playing on the computer. All was quiet and so I dropped off for a 45 minute reprieve.
Later the spinning and weaving began again. MW was spindling with a lovely spindle that had an interesting purple marbly looking stone-ish type whorl. It was small and compact and she was spinning a lovely lime green concoction. Very pretty! FE was diligently working on a lovely tapestry
and NC was working back and forth between a tapestry and then some spinning. 
AM had a lovely cream and gray Icelandic sweater on the go. I was spinning thick yarn for a woven shawl on the triangular loom.
We ate a lovely repast of barbequed salmon, with bean salad, green salad, coleslaw, and fruit for desert as well as a sugarless and gluten free rhubarb desert which though it was sugarless and gluten free was delightful all the same. We spinners and weavers never go hungry! Fruit abounded all weekend. The food was not a priority but it sure added to the pleasure of the whole affair.
After NC and FE had followed AM off to her house in HH, MW and myself sat down for a light snack before turning in for the night. By this time Daughter #2's friend had gone home and Hubby and Daughter #1 had showed up with a large bail of hay and Hubby had headed off to the river for an evening of fishing. Just as it was getting dark, in the driveway came MF, whom I had given up on showing up. So though MW and I were about to fall off our feet from fatigue (remember I was awake at 5 a.m. and MW comes from a different time zone) we decided to keep her company and chat awhile with her. Finally MW looked like she was a goner so she headed off to bed and so I waited a little longer before crashing myself. Hubby came in with narry a fish and kept MF company till she was ready to crash at which time she headed out to our trusty old tent trailer.
In the middle of the night it started to rain and knowing that we had all of our stuff spread around I decided to go and check out if there were things getting drenched in the rain. As I headed out onto the deck I discovered that our big dog had discovered a bag of garbage and chewed through to the garbage and proceeded to spread it over "My Deck" Grrrrr! Hubby and I were cleaning up garbage at 4 a.m. in the morning in the pouring down rain.
I was actually able to get back to sleep after this incident and so I was feeling pretty good this morning when all things fibre started again. MF, MW and myself started out on the North deck with spinning and spindling. I even managed a little weaving on the Weavette. So when CP showed up with the dye from her store around just before lunch we all jumped on the opportunity to pick out some very pretty colours. That's when we all dyed!
Actually, I'm not sure that AM and FE dyed but that's ok..... not everyone among the fibre junkies is perfect. Out came pots and rice steamers and slow cookers and vinegar and yarn and fleece and silk hankies and then the serious dying began. People were dying all over the place..... here's the results of our day.
All in all we had a great time. We showed off our nifty weaving....
We showed off our stickers that Granddaughter gave us... thanks Hallie for Grandma's My Little Pony.
We showed off our toe nails
And most importantly, we enjoyed every last minute of our opportunity to just be with like minded people. We dyed, we spun, we wove, and we knitted and what a time we had. I can't wait till next year when we do it all again...... I'm already planning what kinds of dying we can do. Hmmm..... maybe we can get some nature dyes on the go.... maybe we can dye some self striping yarn.... maybe.... maybe.... maybe....
To all you fibre enthusiasts.... maybe you can come and join us. Then you too can dye and go to heaven.
Supper was soon on the go and fibre chat began in ernest. Later AM showed up and out came wheels, spindles, looms, and knitting needles as the activities began. We gabbed and chatted and shared ideas. We laughed and relaxed and that was what the retreat was all about. Too soon yawns became apparent and AM made her way home because she lives only moments away and didn't want to camp out considering that she is 86 years of age. Then shortly after NC and FE followed with Mokie as they were staying at AM's house with the intention of arriving once again in the morning. That left MW and myself to spindle and relax for another hour or so before directing ourselves to our respective beds. MW stayed in her vehicle as she had a snuggly bed set up in there and I headed upstairs to my pallet. 5 a.m. in the morning my eyes popped open in anticipation of the day ahead (I was really excited) and while I really wanted to get up and get going I knew that some more sleep would be good since I didn't want to fade out when the real fun started to happen. By 6:30 a.m. I knew I was a goner. I gave up trying to visit the back of my eyelids and I removed myself to the shower to spark myself for a day of activities and fun. By 7:30 a.m. MW and I were enjoying a breakfast beverage while a pot of oxalic acid stewed on my hot plate and a fire merrily crackled in the fireplace. We planned our crowded pot and began soaking out the fibre and skeins that would make their debut in a new colour later that day.
Our choice of colours was to use the primaries in an Ashford palette. So out came the dyes and we began to mix colour.
MW had never done this crowded pot dying and so I led her through the steps with ease. She's a quick learner and so began the day. We played with colour all throughout the day and when our results were not what we envisioned we made other plans to sharpen up colours or try a new concept in dying. It was fun. I have primary colours in acid wash dyes and there came a point when MW and I decided we wanted to try something different. By that time NC and FE and AM had shown up and we were patiently waiting for a couple more people to show, one of whom owns a store in FSJ where she sells all sorts of supplies for fibre nuts like myself and my friends. When she called slightly before noon to say that she wouldn't make it till the next day I jumped on the opportunity to suggest she bring some of the lovely dye colours that she carries in her store. With that in mind we decided to put off any more dying until we had more colour. My fingers by that time were red and yellow and blue.
The rest of the afternoon was spent seeking shade and shelter from the hot sun and then later the showers while we diligently all worked on separate projects. Along about early afternoon MW and I were fading fast and NC and FE were needing some exercise so FE and NC went for a walk while MW and AM went to their respective vehicles for snoozes and I headed for my pallet above for a much needed snooze too.
Hubby and Daughter #1 had headed off earlier in the afternoon for some much needed hay and Daughter #2 and her friend were playing on the computer. All was quiet and so I dropped off for a 45 minute reprieve.
Later the spinning and weaving began again. MW was spindling with a lovely spindle that had an interesting purple marbly looking stone-ish type whorl. It was small and compact and she was spinning a lovely lime green concoction. Very pretty! FE was diligently working on a lovely tapestry
and NC was working back and forth between a tapestry and then some spinning. 
AM had a lovely cream and gray Icelandic sweater on the go. I was spinning thick yarn for a woven shawl on the triangular loom.
We ate a lovely repast of barbequed salmon, with bean salad, green salad, coleslaw, and fruit for desert as well as a sugarless and gluten free rhubarb desert which though it was sugarless and gluten free was delightful all the same. We spinners and weavers never go hungry! Fruit abounded all weekend. The food was not a priority but it sure added to the pleasure of the whole affair.
After NC and FE had followed AM off to her house in HH, MW and myself sat down for a light snack before turning in for the night. By this time Daughter #2's friend had gone home and Hubby and Daughter #1 had showed up with a large bail of hay and Hubby had headed off to the river for an evening of fishing. Just as it was getting dark, in the driveway came MF, whom I had given up on showing up. So though MW and I were about to fall off our feet from fatigue (remember I was awake at 5 a.m. and MW comes from a different time zone) we decided to keep her company and chat awhile with her. Finally MW looked like she was a goner so she headed off to bed and so I waited a little longer before crashing myself. Hubby came in with narry a fish and kept MF company till she was ready to crash at which time she headed out to our trusty old tent trailer.
In the middle of the night it started to rain and knowing that we had all of our stuff spread around I decided to go and check out if there were things getting drenched in the rain. As I headed out onto the deck I discovered that our big dog had discovered a bag of garbage and chewed through to the garbage and proceeded to spread it over "My Deck" Grrrrr! Hubby and I were cleaning up garbage at 4 a.m. in the morning in the pouring down rain.
I was actually able to get back to sleep after this incident and so I was feeling pretty good this morning when all things fibre started again. MF, MW and myself started out on the North deck with spinning and spindling. I even managed a little weaving on the Weavette. So when CP showed up with the dye from her store around just before lunch we all jumped on the opportunity to pick out some very pretty colours. That's when we all dyed!
Actually, I'm not sure that AM and FE dyed but that's ok..... not everyone among the fibre junkies is perfect. Out came pots and rice steamers and slow cookers and vinegar and yarn and fleece and silk hankies and then the serious dying began. People were dying all over the place..... here's the results of our day.
All in all we had a great time. We showed off our nifty weaving....
We showed off our stickers that Granddaughter gave us... thanks Hallie for Grandma's My Little Pony.
We showed off our toe nails
And most importantly, we enjoyed every last minute of our opportunity to just be with like minded people. We dyed, we spun, we wove, and we knitted and what a time we had. I can't wait till next year when we do it all again...... I'm already planning what kinds of dying we can do. Hmmm..... maybe we can get some nature dyes on the go.... maybe we can dye some self striping yarn.... maybe.... maybe.... maybe....
To all you fibre enthusiasts.... maybe you can come and join us. Then you too can dye and go to heaven.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Up Up And Away
I'm so excited! Phase one of the bathroom renovation is just about complete. The plumbing and electrical is done and ready for the washer and dryer to make a one way trip upstairs. Hubby has lined up some people to help him move the dryer up the steps today. No small task I assure you as the washer and dryer is a stackable and so both get moved at one time. The Electrician/plumber is coming back today to help Hubby take out the shower and plumb the shower for upstairs. I can't wait!
Meanwhile during the time that Hubby and E/P have been working on that little project I have been doing what I can as well. I have been working on the deck. Yes "My Deck"! This weekend, I will be holding the annual Frankie's Summer Retreat. I am expecting a bunch of ladies to show up for the retreat and here I am working on the deck. The deck was built two summers ago and it should have been stained at that time.... but like all things Nichols (at least this bunch of Nichols) it was put off till the following summer. At which time it was put off till this summer.
The wood of the deck has been deteriorating in the weather over the last few years like any wood does and so this year splinters in tender feet have become an issue. Thus the reason for working on the deck. I started staining the deck two days ago. One day stain, then the neighbour who shot the bear last week suggested I would get better results from the stain if I treated it with an overcoat of Linseed Oil. So yesterday I did that.
It is tacky this morning and only one half is done yet. This is the other half!!!
(I sometimes wonder if I am mad. I wonder if everything will be back in place by the weekend.) But so far so good. It is definitely looking.... well.... shiny.... and like it can withstand some rain. I just wish I had started it a few days ago.... in time to finish it for the retreat, but I don't think that is going to happen. We will no doubt be using the deck a lot this weekend.
What it means is that some of my list of 40 + jobs is getting done slowly and surely and that puts a smile on my face. So does the fact that I will be spinning..... and dyeing..... and enjoying a good time with friends, this weekend.... I like that... meanwhile.... up up and away with that washer and shower!
Meanwhile during the time that Hubby and E/P have been working on that little project I have been doing what I can as well. I have been working on the deck. Yes "My Deck"! This weekend, I will be holding the annual Frankie's Summer Retreat. I am expecting a bunch of ladies to show up for the retreat and here I am working on the deck. The deck was built two summers ago and it should have been stained at that time.... but like all things Nichols (at least this bunch of Nichols) it was put off till the following summer. At which time it was put off till this summer.
The wood of the deck has been deteriorating in the weather over the last few years like any wood does and so this year splinters in tender feet have become an issue. Thus the reason for working on the deck. I started staining the deck two days ago. One day stain, then the neighbour who shot the bear last week suggested I would get better results from the stain if I treated it with an overcoat of Linseed Oil. So yesterday I did that.
It is tacky this morning and only one half is done yet. This is the other half!!!
(I sometimes wonder if I am mad. I wonder if everything will be back in place by the weekend.) But so far so good. It is definitely looking.... well.... shiny.... and like it can withstand some rain. I just wish I had started it a few days ago.... in time to finish it for the retreat, but I don't think that is going to happen. We will no doubt be using the deck a lot this weekend.What it means is that some of my list of 40 + jobs is getting done slowly and surely and that puts a smile on my face. So does the fact that I will be spinning..... and dyeing..... and enjoying a good time with friends, this weekend.... I like that... meanwhile.... up up and away with that washer and shower!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Rest Before The Storm
Yesterday Hubby and I had a day of rest. We stayed in bed late and then leisurely got up and ate a nice breakfast before sitting out on the deck which is where we stayed until it was too cool to stay out any longer. We had a great deal of rain and thunder yesterday and Hubby and I were able to stay out and watch the whole thing on our new covered North deck. So it literally was the calm before the storm.
The Daughters relaxed and laid around reading their books until the cows came home (actually in our case it was sheep)! All in all it was a lovely day. Today however, Hubby and I wasted time. It was not a day of rest and it was not a day of work. It was a day of frustrations. First the compressor that I bought to help Hubby get the wall paneling up for the air nailer, was without the right connection. So off to town to get a connector Hubby went and he was gone for quite some time. Then when he came back, he brought along some movies which distracted him while I was snoozing. In between it all, I was weaving blocks for my level three project. If I have enough blocks then I am going to make a shawl. Suffice it to say that the house renovations were not on our priority list today. Hubby finally managed to get two sheets of paneling up by 8 p.m. We then ate supper and I washed the dishes while Hubby put away the power tools. Not what I would call a productive day.
Tomorrow a friend will be coming at 9 a.m. to help install the plumbing for the new laundry closet. I expect to see progress tomorrow, because he will not let Hubby sit around and do nothing. Meanwhile, while they are working on plumbing, I will be staining the paneling that was put up today. I will also be staining the trim boards around the entry to the sunroom. It is high time that we got some more work done on this joint. If it is warm enough and dry enough.... we've had a lot of rain... I will try to get some of the deck stained too.
It is high time that we start tackling some of those 40 something jobs I listed off on my to do list last week. So the only thing I can do is consider this the rest before the storm.... I just wish the storm would hurry up and pass.
The Daughters relaxed and laid around reading their books until the cows came home (actually in our case it was sheep)! All in all it was a lovely day. Today however, Hubby and I wasted time. It was not a day of rest and it was not a day of work. It was a day of frustrations. First the compressor that I bought to help Hubby get the wall paneling up for the air nailer, was without the right connection. So off to town to get a connector Hubby went and he was gone for quite some time. Then when he came back, he brought along some movies which distracted him while I was snoozing. In between it all, I was weaving blocks for my level three project. If I have enough blocks then I am going to make a shawl. Suffice it to say that the house renovations were not on our priority list today. Hubby finally managed to get two sheets of paneling up by 8 p.m. We then ate supper and I washed the dishes while Hubby put away the power tools. Not what I would call a productive day.
Tomorrow a friend will be coming at 9 a.m. to help install the plumbing for the new laundry closet. I expect to see progress tomorrow, because he will not let Hubby sit around and do nothing. Meanwhile, while they are working on plumbing, I will be staining the paneling that was put up today. I will also be staining the trim boards around the entry to the sunroom. It is high time that we got some more work done on this joint. If it is warm enough and dry enough.... we've had a lot of rain... I will try to get some of the deck stained too.
It is high time that we start tackling some of those 40 something jobs I listed off on my to do list last week. So the only thing I can do is consider this the rest before the storm.... I just wish the storm would hurry up and pass.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
A Day To Remember... Or Two....
Hubby and Daughter #1 are finally home. Daughter #2 and I had a great day in FSJ yesterday, as we waited for THE FLIGHT to come into the airport. We started out with lunch at Boston Pizza and then some shopping at Reitmans where Daughter #2 got some much needed peddle pushers. Then between all the jigs and reels, we ended up at the furniture store where I spied a really nice mattress and box spring. We ended up checking out new couches and bedroom furniture with wardrobes too. (Let me tell you wardrobes are a thing of the past.) Then we went to a hardware store and bought a compressor so that Hubby and I could carry on with our home renovations by using an air nailer.
We mosied out to the airport and got there in plenty of time to pick up Hubby and Daughter #1. Then Daughter #2 and I just waited until Hubby and Daughter #1 arrived. It was a good reunion though more reserved than I expected. Daughter #1 is growing up and throwing your arms around a mother in public is not cool. So I got a quick kiss and hug and then Hubby looked like he was going to fall over from fatigue. I think he hugged me because it was a momentary reprieve from standing independently. It didn't really matter as I was glad enough to see them for all of us.
I wanted to stop at the furniture store to have a look at the mattress and box spring with Hubby in tow. I really wanted the mattress as we have been sleeping for the last two years on this.
This is the combination of the two mattresses from our tent trailer. When our cat defecated on our mattress two years ago it made a quick one way trip to the dump since the stink was enough to knock you backwards. Enter the mattresses from the trailer. Now these mattresses are really comfortable. Of course, they would have to be to be able to sleep on them for two years. But there comes a time when even really good tent trailer mattresses can not stand up to the wear and tear of nightly use all year round. That is why with this new renovation, a new mattress was definitely in the works.
Hubby was in a good mood after his flight home. This was good. And he was tired. This too was good (especially for unannounced mattress shopping. And most important of all HE HAD JUST SLEPT ON AN INSTITUTION MATTRESS FOR TEN NIGHTS!!!! What could be better at this most opportune time than to go to a furniture store to try out decadent, wonderful, comfortable mattresses.
We pick up our new mattress and free memory foam pillows and mattress cover on Thursday.
Hubby also got to have a look at the different bedroom sets with wardrobes. I will have to wait till he is sick and tired of not being able to find his clothes and hit him up for the new wardrobes and furniture. I'm not really that calculating.... but it does seem so lately.
Never mind... our reunion was much more satisfactory in the privacy of our own home. Daughter #1 came to tears when I gave her a really nice hug once there were none of her peers to see. And Hubby, well.... lets just leave that to your imagination..... I'll just say this, I'm glad we are getting a new mattress.
We mosied out to the airport and got there in plenty of time to pick up Hubby and Daughter #1. Then Daughter #2 and I just waited until Hubby and Daughter #1 arrived. It was a good reunion though more reserved than I expected. Daughter #1 is growing up and throwing your arms around a mother in public is not cool. So I got a quick kiss and hug and then Hubby looked like he was going to fall over from fatigue. I think he hugged me because it was a momentary reprieve from standing independently. It didn't really matter as I was glad enough to see them for all of us.
I wanted to stop at the furniture store to have a look at the mattress and box spring with Hubby in tow. I really wanted the mattress as we have been sleeping for the last two years on this.
This is the combination of the two mattresses from our tent trailer. When our cat defecated on our mattress two years ago it made a quick one way trip to the dump since the stink was enough to knock you backwards. Enter the mattresses from the trailer. Now these mattresses are really comfortable. Of course, they would have to be to be able to sleep on them for two years. But there comes a time when even really good tent trailer mattresses can not stand up to the wear and tear of nightly use all year round. That is why with this new renovation, a new mattress was definitely in the works.
Hubby was in a good mood after his flight home. This was good. And he was tired. This too was good (especially for unannounced mattress shopping. And most important of all HE HAD JUST SLEPT ON AN INSTITUTION MATTRESS FOR TEN NIGHTS!!!! What could be better at this most opportune time than to go to a furniture store to try out decadent, wonderful, comfortable mattresses.
We pick up our new mattress and free memory foam pillows and mattress cover on Thursday.
Hubby also got to have a look at the different bedroom sets with wardrobes. I will have to wait till he is sick and tired of not being able to find his clothes and hit him up for the new wardrobes and furniture. I'm not really that calculating.... but it does seem so lately.
Never mind... our reunion was much more satisfactory in the privacy of our own home. Daughter #1 came to tears when I gave her a really nice hug once there were none of her peers to see. And Hubby, well.... lets just leave that to your imagination..... I'll just say this, I'm glad we are getting a new mattress.
Friday, July 10, 2009
A Case Of The Chickens
We have chickens.... we've never been what I would call successful chicken owners. We have them and it is a real love/hate relationship. Last year when our little flock got knocked back to 7 we felt it was time to buy a few more. The damn things wouldn't lay. Normally after about 6 months with new chicks they are old enough to start laying. But all winter we waited and watched as our old hens died off one by one and the new ones were being fed but with narry an oval globe to be seen. Mostly their butts were sealed. Finally Hubby blew a fuse and said, "I'm not feeding those useless excuses for chickens, anymore."
But feed them we did. Daughter #2 has a friend who loves chickens.... like normal people like dogs. So one day I looked out and noticed Daughter #2 and said friend sneaking off with chickens under their arms. I decided to find out what my chicken rustlers were up to. I carefully eavesdropped the next time they were close to me and discovered that they were liberating our chickens from the chopping block by sneaking them away to said friend's chicken coop where they could live in peace without fear of losing their heads. This struck me as funny, and so I proceeded to watch their efforts over the next few weeks as chicken by chicken disappeared. Finally we were down to twelve and I felt that this had gone on long enough. So I spoke to Daughter #2 and told her she had to leave the chickens alone now. That's when we noticed that the chickens were starting lay eggs. Damn chickens! Contrary that's what they are.
Hubby and I concluded that the buggers were overcrowded all winter and that we should have butchered a few.
Two nights ago I was sitting in my new sunroom with a lovely cup of tea and noticed that in the bushes by the chicken coop was our large Huskey dogwho happens to love gettin an odd egg from the chickens. Then I realized that the colouring was wrong. It was too light to be our dog. All I could see was the fur. That's when I noticed that it wasn't a dog at all..... I thought briefly it might be a coyote, which have been known to enter my chicken domain and carry off a few from time to time before. Then it lifted it's head and I saw that it wasn't a coyote either. No sirree, this chicken thief was a bear. A cinnamon bear. A young, obviously from it size, starving, and lonely bear!
Oh did I tell you I was by this time heading toward the chicken coop with a large stick in hand to get rid of the coyote. No I didn't think I did. Well Mr. Bruin came up on his hind legs and took one look at me and recognized me as a treat and proceeded to drop down on all fours and start walking most sedately toward me to check out if my stick was something good to eat. I turned and ran. Thank heavens there was still 30 feet between us. He didn't find me interesting when I headed for the house so he turned and ripped the ever living sh-- out of my chicken coop and fence and started to catch my newly laying birds one by one while I frantically tried to think of someone who might be able to come shoot the scoundrel, before he decided the lambs were on the menu too.
Honeydew, our llama was bugling by now, and Daughter #2 was beating sticks on walls to make as much noise as possible. That's when I thought of a friend who lives just up the road who would come and deal with this. I called and his wife answered. I explained the situation and let them know that Hubby was away (which is my usual line of defense). They were there in minutes but it felt like hours. Meanwhile Mr. Bruin had made the fence look like matchsticks and my chickens.... or what was left of them.... were headed for the house, which meant that Mr. Bruin would be following directly when he was finished with the chicken he was devouring. The friend with the gun showed up and shot above Mr. Bruin's head in an effort to get rid of him but Mr. Bruin who was starved from the look of his ribs and hips was not having anything to do with departing from his food source which was my coop. He would run away but circle back after a few minutes. Finally after 7 - 8 shots with no success of encouraging Mr. Bruin to leave permanently, Mr. Bruin met his maker.
My chickens eventually returned to the coop and we are now down to 10. Mr. Bruin ate 2. My chickens are so permanently scarred by this that there has been narry an oval globe since. Back to square one. At least Mr. Bruin didn't get my lambs.
I've noticed the crows and ravens have been quite happy for the last two mornings. Poor Mr. Bruin. Too bad he found my chickens.
But feed them we did. Daughter #2 has a friend who loves chickens.... like normal people like dogs. So one day I looked out and noticed Daughter #2 and said friend sneaking off with chickens under their arms. I decided to find out what my chicken rustlers were up to. I carefully eavesdropped the next time they were close to me and discovered that they were liberating our chickens from the chopping block by sneaking them away to said friend's chicken coop where they could live in peace without fear of losing their heads. This struck me as funny, and so I proceeded to watch their efforts over the next few weeks as chicken by chicken disappeared. Finally we were down to twelve and I felt that this had gone on long enough. So I spoke to Daughter #2 and told her she had to leave the chickens alone now. That's when we noticed that the chickens were starting lay eggs. Damn chickens! Contrary that's what they are.
Hubby and I concluded that the buggers were overcrowded all winter and that we should have butchered a few.
Two nights ago I was sitting in my new sunroom with a lovely cup of tea and noticed that in the bushes by the chicken coop was our large Huskey dogwho happens to love gettin an odd egg from the chickens. Then I realized that the colouring was wrong. It was too light to be our dog. All I could see was the fur. That's when I noticed that it wasn't a dog at all..... I thought briefly it might be a coyote, which have been known to enter my chicken domain and carry off a few from time to time before. Then it lifted it's head and I saw that it wasn't a coyote either. No sirree, this chicken thief was a bear. A cinnamon bear. A young, obviously from it size, starving, and lonely bear!
Oh did I tell you I was by this time heading toward the chicken coop with a large stick in hand to get rid of the coyote. No I didn't think I did. Well Mr. Bruin came up on his hind legs and took one look at me and recognized me as a treat and proceeded to drop down on all fours and start walking most sedately toward me to check out if my stick was something good to eat. I turned and ran. Thank heavens there was still 30 feet between us. He didn't find me interesting when I headed for the house so he turned and ripped the ever living sh-- out of my chicken coop and fence and started to catch my newly laying birds one by one while I frantically tried to think of someone who might be able to come shoot the scoundrel, before he decided the lambs were on the menu too.
Honeydew, our llama was bugling by now, and Daughter #2 was beating sticks on walls to make as much noise as possible. That's when I thought of a friend who lives just up the road who would come and deal with this. I called and his wife answered. I explained the situation and let them know that Hubby was away (which is my usual line of defense). They were there in minutes but it felt like hours. Meanwhile Mr. Bruin had made the fence look like matchsticks and my chickens.... or what was left of them.... were headed for the house, which meant that Mr. Bruin would be following directly when he was finished with the chicken he was devouring. The friend with the gun showed up and shot above Mr. Bruin's head in an effort to get rid of him but Mr. Bruin who was starved from the look of his ribs and hips was not having anything to do with departing from his food source which was my coop. He would run away but circle back after a few minutes. Finally after 7 - 8 shots with no success of encouraging Mr. Bruin to leave permanently, Mr. Bruin met his maker.
My chickens eventually returned to the coop and we are now down to 10. Mr. Bruin ate 2. My chickens are so permanently scarred by this that there has been narry an oval globe since. Back to square one. At least Mr. Bruin didn't get my lambs.
I've noticed the crows and ravens have been quite happy for the last two mornings. Poor Mr. Bruin. Too bad he found my chickens.
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