Tuesday, June 30, 2009

An excellent video for those of us who listened to this record in the basement of Joe and Beth Sivak's house

Saturday, June 27, 2009

No biking visitors

Sam and Grace, we just heard that Steph and Rem will not be travelling through Rocky next week. So you can eat that lasagne anytime you want.
We had a good day today, went to a picturesque town called Elora. We walked for a while then had lunch on a patio by the river then walked some more and had drinks on another patio. The weather is still good. It's hotter than we are used to so we are a bit pooped out.

Friday, June 26, 2009

We just got here so haven't done too much except have a nap, but I just wanted to say what a great place Anne has. Her apt is really nice, older and spacious with hardwood floors in part and tiles like at Tim's in the rest. And the garden! I am totally impressed. It's huge and has everything you could think of growing there. Tons of tomatoes. The view from Anne's living room is over all these beautiful trees as far as you can see. And of course it's great to see Anne. We will be having a great holiday.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Case of the Bedazzled Feline

I sometimes let Natasha out at night to run around and catch small mammals. She is usually waiting at the door the next morning, ready for food and sleep. Last week, I did let her out, and in the morning she wasn't there; I wasn't worried, though, because she is a smart animal and always shows up. After work, she still wasn't there. I was outside, doing a little bit of gardening, and saw her on the step. She had something around her neck. I looked closer, and it was a little heart-shaped necklace with fake diamonds on it. 

Two days later, she had disappeared for a while and again showed up at the door when I was outside. This time, she was wearing a set of multicoloured beads. 

Who is doing this?? I think she might leave me. 

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The Battle Rages On

Saw orthopedic Dr. today. I need arthroscopic surgery to cut away cartiledge that is torn. He is hoping that WCB will fastrack, I can have surgery next week, then off for 2-3 weeks after for recovery. So, I am off work for a while. Feeling badly about this, but can't do anything about it. I got back from the ortho clinic and there was a message from another ortho surgeon's office saying that they had a cancellation, could I come in tomorrow? Suddenly they're available. Sorry, I'm already taken.
I believe I have won in the area of treatment-surgery trumps Tylenol, but in terms of on-going issues- not sure. Surgery should solve the problem, but I read that cutting cartiledge can lead to arthritis, though they aren't sure about this. So, Theresa may win for longevity of knee problem, it remains to be seen...

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Knee Wars

My dr called yesterday to tell me that the x-ray on my knee shows that I have quite a bit of arthritis in two spots. So I guess I conceded knee victory to Lisa too soon. You didn't know you were in a war, did you Lisa?
Now I have to find out what to do next. The dr just left a message. Am I supposed to take medication? Can I use it without damaging it? Maybe the nurse in our group could help me with this.

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Sunday, June 21, 2009

Holiday soon

I am getting excited about our trip to Ontario. We decided that it would be fun to spend Canada Day in Ottawa so have booked a place there for two nights. Geoff's dad's cousin, who we really want to visit, doesn't live far from there so we will be able to fit in a visit with them. Geoff wants to go to Niagara Falls so I think we will stay there the night before we fly home.
Talked to Anne yesterday and she is going to try to get lots of work done this week so she can be with us during our visit. She says there is a lot to do around there and she is looking forward to doing some things she can't do without a car.
Geoff has a course in Edmonton this week until Thursday. Not very good timing. However we have worked all the travelling details out.
We finally got some rain. I never thought I would be saying that. But things are quite dry so the rain is quite welcome. The trouble here is that once it starts it doesn't want to stop. But it is supposed to be nice later in the week. I swear the peas grew two inches since last night.

Injury Update

On the good news front, I am progressing to using only 1 crutch, which makes navigating life considerably easier, I am anxiously awaiting the ortho clinic, which I hope will 1) pop my knee back into position-giving me the ability to walk unaided. 2) tell me I can return to work 3) tell me that if I need surgery they will do it next week.
Knee is not hurting nearly so much-can sleep much better. I kind of get grossed out when thinking that there may be a piece of cartilage caught inbetween bones in my knee, but don't know at this point if that is even the case. Self-diagnosis. Though a couple doctors have also mentioned that they think this is what it is.
Crutches are uncomfortable on armpits, I have discovered. Who knew?
Mom did our grocery shopping for us, while I sat on bench waiting for her, as I chauffeured her and then Richard met us after work to unload groceries. Many hands make light work. I was also able to weed front bed that Richard made this spring by plopping myself down and scooting along the grass, throwing crutches and implements ahead of me as I made my way along. I didn't need the crutches to weed, but if I needed to get up in a hurry, didn't want them at the other end of the yard.
We have several roses in our yard! Some shrub ones, and tea roses-dark red, pink, yellow-pink, red, mauve (seriously-who thought mauve roses were a good idea?), yellow, apricot. They really are quite beautiful and I have discovered that they are not as intimidating as I had presumed they were. We have stuck with hardy shrub roses before as other kinds seemed overwhelming, but they are actually pretty easy care-other than me having to go out regularly and kill aphids with dishsoap.
I am also participating in a research study to determine other costs attributed to workplace injuries-like family help, taxi fares, household help. I like to feel that I am helping a greater cause-plus I really like filling out surveys. I am excited when I get the big census form, not just the general one.

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Thursday, June 18, 2009

june 18th

Happy birthday to yoooou - happy birrrthday tooo you - happy 53rd tooo yoou dear Jude - happpy birrthday tooo yoou
Have a good one Jude

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

I want to ride my bicycle



I bought a bike on Saturday! Thanks for bike store advice, Steph. They were awesome.

Store is in Capilano so I thought walking made since. However, I forgot that sometimes we aren't really on a grid system here...much crossing and recrossing of freeway. Two hours' walk. I got into the store, which was closing in 10 minutes and said: I need a bike, to ride to work, I never go long distances, and I only ride in the city. They pointed this one out, I took it for short ride, and bought it right there. Rode it today! It was awesome 1/2 hour ride.

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how does my garden grow?

I am eating a fresh rocket (arugula) salad out of the garden! Oliver said to thin the plants, so it is more likely baby rocket. SO GOOD. We have now planted so many things that I can't keep track of them, but the most exciting are the rows of tomatoes and peppers. (OUTSIDE!) And the eggplant and okra, of course. The salad things and the peas are doing best so far. At the end of the garden Oliver has planted watermelon and cantaloupe, too! Of course everything will probably be ready to harvest just as I'm in the UK for two weeks, but it is still fun to watch everything grow.

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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Too Many Girl Guides







As part of the role of Father Reynard, I get to lead the cemetery tour for Barkerville. This is one of my favourite parts of the job, as I have always liked both cemeteries and history, and the tour combines the best of both. It also gets me out of the church for an hour in the afternoon, which can be nice. The job is great, but time can drag a little in the afternoon when the park isn't too busy. I'm getting better at going out on the street to talk to people and walk around. It took me a while at the beginning to figure out how much I'm allowed to be out, and how much I should be in, but then I realized that I'm my own boss, so I'll go out as much as I please. Also, it helps that I get sick of telling people the same thing about the church, so I go out until I'm ready to be helpful again.






On the cemetery tour yesterday, 50 girl guides and 10 leaders showed up. Yep. Fifty girls between 8 and 12. They weren't too bad, actually, and the leaders took the worst ones back early. The main trouble was that sixty people is just way too many on that tour- the paths are narrow, and everyone wants to crowd around to be in the front. The leaders complimented me on how well I projected my voice, which was nice to hear.






I tried fishing the other day with disastrous results. I went with a guy who works in Chinatown in Barkerville, who has the same days off as I do. He doesn't know how to fish either, but he has a licence, and borrowed a rod. Every time we tried casting we tangled the line, and spent ten minutes untangling it. Needless to say we didn't catch any fish. We did get to wander through the forest, and spend a couple hours by a lake, so it's not like it was a waste of time.






These pictures of me leading the cemetery tour, and one of the cemetery. The other is me with Mr. Mundell, who is the schoolteacher three days a week. The schoolhouse is right next to the church, so I see quite a bit of him when we are both out sweeping the steps. They were taken by Karin Lee, who is the granddaughter of a Chinese merchant in Barkerville, who was here around the turn of the 20th century. Nan, the guy I went fishing with, is playing her grandfather this summer. She is a documentary maker, and was in town taking pictures. She came along on one cemetery tour, and took pictures, but every time I started talking I got nervous seeing the camera clicking away, so I didn't smile much. All the pictures are Karin's, which she kindly sent me.

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This week

I had a very tough week at work, we were working issues that were not nice. At one point I went to 5 meetings in the morning in three places onsite, sawmill, planermill and the pulp mill. Seems sometimes that I should have lost 50 lbs all the running around I did. Did not happen that way, look the same as I did. Anne Giardini visited she is our president of Canada a very interesting woman. She is our lawyer and president, also she is a publised writer two books, I have read the first one and will watch for the second. Her mom was Carole Shields so kind of interesting. On Friday I participated in the relay for life. I was there from 6:00pm to 5:30am. It is a very moving experience and I am very glad I was there. Sure makes you tired the next day as it was hard to sleep. Henry is now finished classes and writes his first exam this week. He is happy and busy enjoying the summer weather. He is going to talk to a recruiter next week for the forces, and get the ball rolling on that. I also got my plants in and they look really good. It is supposed to be nice and hot all week here so that will be wonderful.. I hope this week is better at work but I suppose it will be more of last week. sigh

Friday, June 12, 2009

I'm In!!!!

I just found out I'm accepted into Nursing for next year! I'm very excited and feel like this a load off my mind, as I don't really want to do another year of General Sciences, which is what I would have done if I wasn't accepted. But I am, and I don't have to worry about that any more. Hopefully I won't change my mind about nursing after one year like I did science.

I finally got another summer job too. I quite enjoyed having my days free to laze around and read with the occasional tennis game thrown in, but there was always the thought lurking in the back of my mind that I would love to be able to afford to eat next year. So I started at Boston Pizza today. I watched two hours of training videos, got my uniform,did some paperwork, and spent the remaining five hours washing dishes. Which I actually kind of like doing. The big sprayer thing that you rinse them off with is very fun. I also weighed rice for a bit. But I am going to start doing salads next week, so will soon be moving up in the world. I also work at the theatre at night, but that isn't to strenuous of a job, and I like to be there for the most part, since nearly everyone I work with I get along with and like. The owner of the theatre is in Norway and isn't back until the end of July, so its interesting having a part in running the place. I put a whole movie together by myself last week, and it didn't even break.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Slightly Embarrassing

Doorbell rang at 1145, I debate whether to answer or not. I was in short bathrobe, working on assignment to finish up my course. I answer door. There is young man looking kind of awkward saying 'oh, I'm from Duradek-here to install' I try to explain why I am not dressed on a Wed at noon, saying 'oh, I didn't know you were coming, I'm just working on my course'
Uncomfortable for both of us.
On positive note, I am dressed and finished my course!!

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Monday, June 08, 2009

Flights to Glasgow

I booked flights for Mom and myself, to Glasgow, leaving November 7 on flight AC898 to London, then changing to AC6625 at Heathrow, to Glasgow. Flight leaves Edmonton at 17:45. Then the return flight is on November 21, flight AC6666 to Heathrow and then on flight AC899 to Edmonton. Flight lands in Edmonton at 13:15. I took the flight to Glasgow, so I could get a direct flight to London, and then direct from London to Edmonton instead of having to change planes.

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Sunday, June 07, 2009

ACL

I had my Rex Kwon Do episode a couple weeks ago and sprained my knee, but valiantly I carried on, wearing a knee brace, taking ibuprofen, and icing it. Then my knee kind of dislocated at work last Sunday. So I was wheeling myself around the nursing station on a chair and thinking that since I couldn't weightbear at all that someone would have to take me down to my car in a wheelchair so I could go to a walk in clinic. A psychiatrist came in and I asked her how she was at knees. 'not so good' she said. Then a hospitalist (for pts who don't have a family GP), came in, I asked him too. He laughed. He came back from seeing patient and the psychiatrist (who is quite a funny woman), said 'but you haven't fixed Lisa's knee yet!' So he popped my leg on his knee, felt around and popped it back into position. I went to my GP who said hmm, it maybe your anterior cruciate ligament and your medial cruciate ligament-torn. She is sending me for Xrays and to a orthopedist. This does not sound all that encouraging to me as generally surgery is the answer to these types of knee injuries, but I am hoping that physio will be the treatment instead of surgery. Also, because I work at this hospital, I don't really want to be operated on at it. 'No thanks, I won't need a catheter' It initially was painful, but now just kind of gets achy. I am icing it, taking ibuprofen, and wearing a knee brace. Turn 40 and now I get all these injuries-back, knee.
in other news, almost finished this damn mental health course, a presentation to do and then finito! This stupid thing has been going on for over a year.
We are almost finished redoing the walkway part of the deck. Just waiting for the Duradek people to come put that stuff on and we can now walk on it without fear of falling through it. Hello ground. It had 5 layers of plywood on it, each layer rotted through. 'Hey, honey our deck is rotted through! I know, let's put another layer of plywood on and cover it with indoor carpeting!' Main deck also reinforced as the roof was kind of not to code. Don't think it is up to code now, but at least we won't worry about it blowing off or crashing down with a snowfall now.
Saw both Angels and Demons and new Terminator movie. Of the 2, I recommend Terminator.

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Actually small town Alberta newspapers are doing OK. Even with the internet there is really no place to get local news like town and county councils, court news, etc. If you go to The Mountaineer's website you can get a free trial of the new online edition. The website has only some of each week's paper but the online edition has every page and it's available Tuesdays, the day the paper comes out.
Grace went to the rodeo in the snow. She said her new cowboy boots kept her feet dry.

Visit with Todd

After I finished feeding the cats on Saturday, I walked over to see Todd at the extended care. I thought he was at the Glenrose, but it turns out he he is in the Norwood, but that is right next store to the Glenrose. He has a private room, and a good view towards the city. The facility seems very nice. I was the only one there visiting, which was a bit different every other time I have gone, there has been loads of visitors. He has a pass to get out for two hours a day, and he went to opening at Latitude on Friday night. He said he also took the opportunity to sign some cheques, which made the artists happy. We had a good visit, and after I left his Dad and sister were coming to take him out for lunch.

Cats seem to be doing well, I saw all three of them so that relieved my mind, and Magda was very clingy, needed lots of scratching. Todd's were good too, I find it kind of funny that his two new ones are so much bigger than Magda, though they are younger. Everyone says meeow to you, Allison.

It was kind of chilly here yesterday, but no snow, and I did go to the market. I found it cool but not cold, but I could see other people there that looked like they were out in -30 temps, they looked so cold. Maybe it's menopause and I don't feel the cold as much.

Tickets to Folk fest has been purchased. This year they are putting on a concert on Wednesday night, to raise money for the Folk Fest endowment fund. Sarah Mclaughlin is playing. I thought about getting tickets for that for about a half a second. But I don't think I can do another night, 4 is enough for me. We will be a small group on the Tarp this year, I only bought 5 passes, Allison, Theres, Geoff, Grace and me. And Geoff is only a maybe. But we will take the Full 8x10 tarp, and have lots of room to spreadout. Laura, Boz Scaggs is playing on Thursday night, hope he does the Lido Shuffle. I think this year he is the person I am most excited to see.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

All alone

Not complaining, I like being all alone. Geoff is at work because there is a turnaround, Sam is at work and Grace is . . . not sure what she was doing, but she is going to the rodeo right now. It usually rains at least part of rodeo weekend but most of the time the sun shines at least during the parade. I didn't go but did notice at parade start time that it was snowing. Good thing those cowboys are tough.
So I made bread and did housework, two ordinary chores that I don't mind because I don't have to do them so often any more. Grace has been doing housework for me, but it feels kind of good to keep my hand in.
Busy busy at work. The paper has changed completely, they have done a redesign and lots of people have been phoning and coming in to buy subscriptions. A paper was delivered to every house in Rocky on Tuesday to show off the new look and there has been very positive reaction. A few negative ones, mostly people who don't want anything to change.
OK I see the sun is out again, think I will hang towels out to dry.

There's a Bathroom on the Right

Theresa came to town on Wednesday, and we went to see John Fogarty in concert. What a great show. The crowd at Rexall Place was pretty diverse, lots of people our age, but surprising number of younger people, twenties and thirties. Sitting beside me was a woman who looked to be in her twenties and she could hardly contain herself, she was so excited to be there. It is hard to believe that John Fogarty is 64, he has aged much better than say Mick Jagger. He sang all the old songs, and everyone in the crowd knew the words, and sang along, the people who were seated on the floor were on their feet the minute that he came out and stayed that way until the end of the show. We were in the stands, row 11, and had a great view of the stage, we were near the goal end of the building. I am so glad that we went. Theresa stayed overnight and got up early on Thursday to drive home.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Happy birthday, Allison. Too bad you have to spend it in the sun on Crete.

Monday, June 01, 2009

A Surprise


Thanks everyone for the beautiful tables. You can't see the tops very well here but they are very nice. Jude finished the oiling and screwing while she was here. I am lucky to have such a thoughtful family.
We did have a good weekend and the weather even cooperated. We had a great breakfast outside on Sunday before Jude left. Geoff had to go to work but I was able to make waffles and have everything finish cooking at about the same time.