Sunday May 24th
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What do you say to your daughter when she calls you and tells you in between sobs that her beloved dog has died? You mostly cry along with her, tell her how sorry you are, and offer her whatever help she needs. I'm heartbroken, too. She was only six and will be missed. RIP Sheba

I have a new housemate, her name is Amber and she’s a tempermental, eight year old feline. She’s been strutting her stuff around here for a week now and has settled in quite nicely. I went back and forth with the decision to take her in and after having her on a “trial only” basis, I said a big, hell yes to keeping her. She won me over in no time at all and besides, how could I look into those pretty blue eyes of hers and say no? She does have a temper though and can turn on you with a snap of a finger. One minute she’s on my lap begging for her ears to be scratched, and 10 minutes later she’s hissing and swatting at my feet for no rational reason at all..unless merely walking past her is justification enough for her. Miss Amber doesn’t much like it either when I shoo her away from something she shouldn’t be getting into, but, at least she isn’t one to hold a grudge for too long. I, myself, on the other hand, could probably benefit from a lesson or two in that. Aside from her multiple personalities, she really is a sweet girl and is good company. Hmmm...I wonder if it’s too late to rename her…Sybil comes to mind. Miss Amber

Sunday April 26th
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So, my daughter and I decided to take a spur of the moment trip to Michigan yesterday afternoon to do some shopping and as usual when my vehicle got up to the gate on the US side the camera snapped a photo of my license plate. No big deal, it’s standard. I commence to pull up to the booth and the friendly, American border guard says, “I’m sorry ladies, but, your vehicle has been randomly chosen for further inspection and you will have to go inside to answer a few questions. ” Egads!! My first, scary thought was, “ strip search” I had to pull over to the Immigration building, hand over my keys, and we both had to fill out a form which asked too many questions. While we were doing that, the agent was checking our profiles out on his computer. He looked over at us, smiled and said, “well, so far you’ve managed to stay out of trouble over here, “ I smiled my best smile right back at him and said, “so far”…hoping to hell he had a sense of humor. He did not fail...thankfully. After about 15 minutes he let us go and we had to retrieve my keys from another guard. When we got back into the car we noticed our cell phones were in a different spot, our jackets that were in the back seat were rumpled, and the stuff in my glove box was re-arranged. It was all good, though…I got the groceries that I wanted and a fabulous pair of new, black, strappy sandals. Those alone would have been worth being poked and prodded for. In other news, it’s a morning of mourning in my household. My trusted, loyal friend of the last three years died…expired…just like that. He was there for me through good times and bad, never let me down, and I could always count on him to get me through the day. But, something was different this morning. I couldn’t even get a little dribble out of him. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring him back to life. He was deader than dead…RIP Mr. Coffee. No offense, but, I need to replace you asap.

Friday April 17th
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Oh happy day! Ever have one of those mornings when you wake up and feel like a million bucks and are rarin' to go out and conquer the world? That’s precisely what came over me this fine April morning. At the very second I opened up my eyes I felt like a brand new person. I feel great, no aches, no pains, no worries and ready to face whatever surprises the gods have in store for me today. Are those happy beams shooting out of my eyes? Oops...gotta run…I see a mountain in the distance that needs moving.

Friday April 10th
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Tuesday April 7th
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My, we really are a bunch of polite folks and I most certainly do live up to that particular rumour. Someone made a comment to me the other day about the number of times we say “thank you” throughout the day, not something I usually paid attention to or even gave any thought to before...until now. So, take this morning for instance….I stop at the drive thru to pick up my usual coffee before heading to the office. I give the girl my order, and after she quotes me the amount I owe her, I say "thank you." She then proceeds to tell me to drive on up…another "thank you” is sent out to her. I slowly inch my way to the pick up window, she hands me my coffee and as I’m reaching out for it, I give her a polite "thanks” Nice girl at window then says, “it’ll only be a minute for your hash brown” “Ok, thanks,” I say. A minute later she hands me a bag with my hash brown in it….yep, you guessed it….another “thank you”…it’s not even 8am yet and I think I’ve already used up my quota of “thank you’s” for the day. I’m going to squelch that nasty rumour if it’s the last thing I do…hell, if I’m going to have a reputation, it sure as heck isn’t going to be for being too nice. Oh, and btw, before I forget, “thank you” for stopping by. Got coffee?

Sunday December 28th
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Ahh...home sweet home. There is nothing better than flopping down into your own bed at the end of the day. My trip up north far exceeded my expectations and went better than I hoped it to be. I had loads of fun, laughed til I cried, even did some cleaning and cleared out the cobwebs. Granted, I froze my butt off for the first couple of days, but, all in all, it was one trip that I thoroughly enjoyed and it did my heart and soul a lot of good to get away. I don’t know how he did it, but, even Santa managed to find me..I have enough reading material to last me a long, long time. Yay!! Note to self: Buy a pair of longjohns for next northerly, winter excursion. WARNING: The following may contain scenes intended for mature audiences only and all names have been changed to protect the innocent. Remember the brother-in-law? Well..he did manage to corner me once or twice. *sigh* I had no choice but to sit there and listen to the follies that go on at the car dealership. Sally is a receptionist there, husband (now ex) Tom is (was) a salesman, and John (who was married to Mary) is the owner’s son. Sally and John began to have an affair (a year long one) right under Tom’s nose and who had no clue this tomfoolery was going on. Eventually Tom found out…Mary found out..Mary sent Sally a huge bouquet of flowers with a thank you note attached to it. She got the house, a pile of money, and a new car to drive every year in the divorce settlement. Tom left the dealership and happily tips back a few now and again..and again and again. Sally and John are still together, but, times are tough and he is no longer bestowing lavish gifts upon her. This makes Shallow Sally very unhappy and according to her friends, she too, will soon be flying the coop...or maybe driving off in the coupe...who the hell knows. I guess they’ll be looking for a new receptionist soon...hmm..now there's food for thought. While the above took only a few minutes to read, in real time I had to sit there for almost 45 minutes to listen to this pitiful tale. I have more, but, I’ll save them…and you from further anguish. [att=1,1] [att=2,1]

Monday December 22nd
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Mittens: Check Hat: Check Scarf: Check One must never leave home without said items when embarking on a trip to the near north…ok, maybe not quite exactly that far north, but, in my opinion, it's close enough. It probably wouldn’t hurt to own a pair of snowshoes or at the very least some mukluks in order to better trudge through the snow and merrily o'er the hills. Ok, ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a wee bit, but, my fragile bones aren’t used to that kind of snappy cold anymore. Spending the week with family should be interesting and I am looking forward to spending some time with them. Never mind that my brother-in-law will talk incessantly into my ear about cars. That’s when I politely nod my head and pretend like I know what he’s talking about...all the while plotting my escape from his evil clutches...or if I'm really lucky my sister will come and rescue me. I’ve resolved to stay off the computer as much as I can possibly stand to this week. Not sure how that will work out and it might be a bit painful, but, I’m going to give it my best shot. Well…maybe a few minutes in the evenings won’t hurt. Au Revoir and Merry Christmas!

Saturday December 20th
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Sunday December 7th
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Saturday December 6th
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As I stand at the crossroads of my life, Not knowing in which direction to go, I struggle to find my way to the other side of something. In spite of all the chaos of the season and recent ups and downs, I’m starting to look forward to Christmas this year...well, kinda, sorta..I do still have some lingering issues that I need to sort out for myself. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, especially at this time of year. I read somewhere once that a problem was really only a solution waiting to be solved. Well, math was never one of my strong points, so I'm thinking what's needed here to find the answer to my problem is a little more time. More time to peel back the layers of my past so I can see where I’ve been, more time to better understand my present, and more time to see my future more clearly...tick tock...tick tock... The girls and their sig others are coming over for dinner on the 20th. I may have two other guests, but, as of yet that hasn’t been confirmed. Even though we all live in the same city, it’s not very often that we all get together at the same time. The nice part about it is the kids have offered to bring some side dishes to help me out…they know my fridge isn't very roomy and doesn’t hold a whole lot... so, for that I'm very grateful. Christmas day will actually be spent up in the frigid north country with my sister and her family. For some peculiar reason I have this unexplainable compulsion to re-connect with them, but, please keep in mind I do reserve the right to retract that statement at any given time. Merry Christmas! WARNING: Country song to follow: »www.youtube.com/watch?v=82MMqpENr_U

Thursday November 13th
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Sunday November 9th
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Well, it was now or never! For months I’ve been thinking about my present job situation and how much I’m in dire need of a change of pace and scenery. After 20 years, I no longer feel secure working for the company that I currently work for and decided that now might be a good time to take a bold leap of faith and make a move. I’ve been looking around online for a while at the various job sites out there, but, not all that seriously….until…a few days ago when I noticed that a position popped up at one of the local hospitals. The deadline to apply for it is on Monday (tomorrow) It immediately grabbed my attention, because, unlike so many of the other listings, this one is a full time, unionized, administrative job with benefits. Something stirred inside of me and my gut told me to go for it. So…that's exactly what I did!! I sat myself down the other night and spent a couple of hours revising my resume, then anxiously hit the SEND button and off it went. I’m not really expecting a call to go in for an interview since I have no experience whatsoever working in a hospital setting, but, I do happen to possess all of the qualifications they are looking for. Well, all, except for one. It's a program used that I'm not familiar with...but, hey, if they can teach an old dog new tricks..I'm sure I could be trainable, too. I’m fairly certain the job will go to someone internally as they usually do, but, I figured, what the hell, I have nothing to lose. It won’t hurt to try and who knows…I may even get lucky enough and manage to snag an interview. If it doesn’t pan out, then, that’s ok, too. I’ll just keep my eyes and ears open and keep on looking…but, IF it does….then that means I'm going to need a whole new wardrobe…what a shame…*sigh*

Friday October 24th
(jump earlier later)

Saturday September 27th
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Slap my hand…I am a bad Canadian. While this country is also on the eve of a federal election I must admit I really don't have much of a vested interest in it. How fast can you say boring? I seem to be more enthralled with the upcoming US vote…even more so now after watching Katie Couric interview Sara Palin. OUCH! That was painful…..although it probably hurt her more than it did me. I’m eagerly awaiting for the Palin/Biden debate to take place on October 2….as is that other neighbouring country, I'm sure. Now, the question is, does the Pitbull have enough fight left in her to charge forward and make a triumphant comeback? Will she pick out and wear the right shade of lipstick? I'll be watching..

Sunday September 21st
(jump earlier later)

Today is a good day, so was yesterday come to think of it. As a matter of fact the last two weeks have been simply awesome..That’s all.

Sunday September 7th
(jump earlier later)

Another week of vacationing in Houston has come and gone. Those days go by much too quickly for me…but, I suppose that’s testament to my having a great time. Before leaving I was a little worried about Gustav and the weather being rainy for the better part of the week, but, au contraire, the sun was shining, it was steamy hot, and not one drop of rain was to be felt. I met up with some nice folks from Louisiana who were evacuated and one of the ladies was telling me how what would normally be a four hour drive for them to come to Houston took twelve hours in bumper to bumper traffic. They left at 3 in the afternoon and arrived at 3 in the morning. Unfortunately, their truck was broken into at the hotel shortly after they checked in. With a heaviness in her voice all she said was, “ I just want to go home.” It was quite sad and I felt badly for her. I imagine all of the other evacuees shared the same sentiment and I hope that when she finally did make her way back home that her and her family were faced with only minimal damage done by the hurricane. While my favorite Texan was hard at work one evening, my eyes were riveted to the television set watching the Republican convention and listening to all of the speeches. I never paid much mind to them in the past, but, Sara Palin and John McCain caught my eye and grabbed my attention for hours on end. I'm fairly certain I was probably somewhat responsible for the ratings on CNN going up last week. Go figure… Morning really is my favorite time of day. Happy Birthday! [att=1]

Friday August 15th
(jump earlier later)

Saturday August 2nd
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Sunday July 20th
(jump earlier later)

How hot was it? It was so hot that the birds were laying their eggs sunny side up and the trees were whistling for the dogs. I think that would be an accurate portrayal of what the temps were like this past week in Houston. So, I came up with what I thought was an unquestionably, brilliant idea. With great enthusiasm in my voice and rarin' to go, I said, "let's throw on our bathing suits, take a dip and frolic in the pool a while to cool off." HAHAHA….this is Texas!! Unless you are going to throw some ice cubes into it there is no cooling off. What the hell was I thinking? The stifling, oppresive heat was affecting me more than I realized...I was no longer able to think rationally. Only now can I fully comprehend the meaning of the raised eyebrow and look of amusement staring back at me from across the room. I swear the temperature of the water had to be at least 87.4 degrees…and climbing with each passing moment. Will I someday return to that vast frontier known for its ten gallon hats and breakfast tacos in the dead heat of summer? Maybe…maybe not…Oh, who am I kidding? If the invitation includes cheesecake I am so there... Coffee? Upstairs?