Ann’s Weblog

I meant to wish you a very Merry Christmas, or a peaceful Christmas, or Blessings, if you are struggling. Now Dec. 25 has come and gone, so I’ll send you best wishes for a wonderful New Year.

We’ve had a great time around here. Gary’s daughter couldn’t visit this Season, but all three of mine have been around. They have kept us company and also have seen other family members and friends. As is a mother’s prerogative and joy, I’ve tried to ensure they had enough to eat while they were at our house, including favourites. I was able to take some not-great pictures:

Left to right, this is Susan, Kim, and Shelly… in age, middle, youngest, eldest.

These were wonderful days, visiting the girls and our friends, and being in touch with other family members and friends by phone.

Also, I had many great dogs to take care of for the holidays. I’ve always taken some pride in operating a “kennel” which doesn’t require much notice as long as I have the space. This Season I actually ran out of space, and when some faithful customers wanted dog boarding at the last minute on Christmas Eve, I absolutely could not take two more. As it turned out, some new potential customers made a mistake and made reservations with US when they meant to make reservations elsewhere, and didn’t show up… I knew I had let my friends down for nothing. It was too late to get the business back, and I was very disappointed; I’m resolved to double check that new clients at least know which TOWN they’re going to!

I get busy with the “real” work of caring for the pets and forget to go back out with the camera. I didn’t do so badly this time, though the camera has a long “delay” in shutter speed, if that’s what you can still call it when digital; it SUCKS for taking animal pictures, as the pet hears the click and/or sees the flash, and has moved by the time the photo registers. Here are my attempts anyway:

This is Timon, a large Akita who sports a beautiful champagne coloured coat and a pleasant attitude. Each time I told him to “sit”, he whirled around joyfully and plunked his butt on my feet, looking up at me. He, like many dogs, loved being stroked with my rubberized garden gloves, and walked, and brushed. He’s a new friend who is welcome to stay anytime:

Here are regular canine guests, Makalu and Shyloh. Makalu is always trusting, and Shiloh, who is usually composed and happy, is very camera shy:

And then we have Smudge, who is always pleasant too. We’ve watched him grow from a puppy to a fine grown-up:

Here is Ryder, who is another regular guest who has visited since he was a wee adorable pup. Hasn’t he become a handsome guy, too?

This is Ben, who we are just getting to know. He’s a loving and gentle young Golden Retriever from Edmonton, and his owner has gone into a remote area to “heli-ski” and enjoy a beautiful lodge which belongs to friends of ours. On the right is Jules, who is an Australian Staffordshire Terrier; it’s his first time here and he has seemed okay with everything… EXCEPT the camera:

Below is Tika, who has become a long-term resident (while her owner works), and is treated as well as Lady, our own house dog. She is no trouble and makes a person smile just to look at her fuzzy little face:

Here’s a portrait of Lady, who thinks she has done something wrong when asked to sit and stay by the Christmas tree:

That doesn’t even bring me up to date, really. Dozens of pets have come and gone while I haven’t had time to get out the camera. There are other dogs still boarding that I haven’t photographed or introduced you to.

We’re enjoying a new washer and dryer here, after years of toughing out the laundromat scene. It seems to be working out well for us, with sufficient water and a good-enough filter too. What a relief it is to have a laundry “team” here; I guess its time had come, once the high-efficiency front loading washer became affordable, with of course, the matching dryer. I don’t really miss the pedestals that much, and a Sears representative has not called me as promised, to find out why we were so disatisfied with the buying experience.

After most of the doggy guests have gone home, and after New Year’s, which will be quiet at our house, I’ll get back to some sewing, including the Raggedy dolls, and bookwork and other “winter” work. I enjoy winters and the “hibernation” which goes with them, though I can look forward to Spring when I buy more trees to sell and get back to gardening. One of these years we might work harder to plan a winter vacation as well.

Again, Happy New Year to you and yours, may it be enjoyed in good health and prosperity. Thank you for visiting my blog.
~ Ann

This little girl has been created for someone who has waited MONTHS for me to get back into “raggedy” production:

As usual, please click on the photo to enlarge.

Well, back to the drawing board. Or rather.. the sewing table and the ironing board.

Have had dogs to groom and it’s getting busy for the Christmas “spa” days for many peoples’ furry family members. There’s a lull in boarding, but we expect it to be busy starting next week until the New Year; still, all pets will enjoy custom care and loving.

Talk to you later! ~ Ann

I’ve been working on Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls, for which people have been waiting patiently for MONTHS. Click on the pictures to enlarge:

I have to say, the photos don’t really do them justice. They’re so huggable.

Oh, and by the way, we’ve left the “pedestals” (see last entry) at our local Sears depot,  for return. I also wrote an email to Sears, admitting that although the original error was mine, it was frustrating to find any advice by phone. My letter had a bit of a cutting edge to it, saying that if I invested in major appliances in the future it might be from somewhere which provides a degree of service. Is that passive aggressiveness? Who knows, I just needed to vent.

I’m off to take my turns in “Scrabulous”, which is the version of online Scrabble offered in Facebook.

Love, Ann

Okay, “Hi, Everyone”. Though I haven’t been too terribly busy, I’ve somehow neglected my blog again.

I’ve been grooming one or two dogs most days, only totalling six or eight per week, but it’s my joy and it keeps me “afloat”. It’s a slow time in the kennels, too, but Christmas season will be busy.

Thank goodness the weather has warmed a bit… it was -28˚ Celcius, or about -20 Farenheit, for several days, and now it’s MILD, not very many degrees below freezing, no matter what scale we’re reading.

A washer and dryer project has turned out to be quite a saga. I chose a very good set from Sears, plus what I thought were matching “pedestals” which have a drawer in each. Right after I ordered, Gary pointed out that the information in the catalog seemed to indicate that those particular pedestals were not designed for that laundry pair. I refused to believe it, though I can read plain English: I had made my choice based on the dimensions listed for all the pieces, and not some other fine print. The OTHER pedestals in the catalog did not have drawers, so I didn’t want them.

So, after the order was placed but before we received the goods, I got on the phone to Sears departments… ordering, parts, service, repair, and then the actual Sears store Appliance department in Prince George. Each person on the phone either didn’t know at all if those pedestals would fit those appliances, OR ASSURED me that they would!

We got our laundry team and the pedestals and left them in their crates until we had some other work done for the space they were destined for. Eventually, we got them out of the boxes, and it did appear that it would all work out. However, once I installed the brackets on the pedestals and Gary had a look, we had to agree that nothing was going to fit as planned. No brackets matched any holes in the appliances. I feel so disappointed. Yesterday we had a friend visiting who was also determined that we could make everything “fit”, and he thought we should just drill holes to fit the brackets. Drill holes in brand new appliances? YIKES, it just doesn’t seem right. I had double checked in the meantime with a salesman in Prince George, and he said, “YES, absolutely those pedestals fit that model of appliances.”, but he could not tell me HOW it’s done. Now, if we lived anywhere NEAR the Sears store, or if the local Sears repairman had any clue about this, we might have a solution.

If I can’t convince Gary that the washer and dryer would be stable enough without the brackets and bolts, we are sending the pedestals back. I’m so disappointed. We’ve considered building a “cabinet” with drawers, for underneath the heavy appliances, but somehow I just don’t think it could look as elegant as those drawers which match.

So there’s the saga of the laundry team. We’re waiting for a plumber to put in the supply lines for the washer, and everything else, I think, is “good to go”. I guess as far as life’s little disappointments go, this is pretty minor.

~ Talk to you soon, Ann

Almost a month has passed since I posted an entry… apologies to any who keep checking.

My zeal for the project of buying something to “rent out” in McBride has pretty much burned itself out. I still feel that I’m in a “watching and waiting” mode, but I’ve started spending the savings that I had set aside, for other things. What we buy with those funds will enhance our lives over the short term AND the long term.

I found out that the office building “gem” which I had my eye on would need rezoning; it’s zoned Commercial, but not Commercial Residential. All levels of government have their hands out, always. I also looked into the “upgrade” to the heating system and found that it needs a BOILER replacement, for $10,000. With the purchase price of that building already somewhat out of my comfort zone, I’ve had to let go of my vision of buying and renovating it.

The small houses that I had my eye on have not become available; they are tied up in probates or whatever you call estate resolution. I do agree with friends who say, “If it’s meant to be, it will happen.” even while I think, “I have to MAKE this happen!”. And, “If I build it, they will come.”. However, I don’t want to get into financial trouble, and if I had sprung for a mortgage and then had a shortage of work (and these are relatively quiet times for animal care), I would have been panic stricken.

I finished paying for this acreage in 1998, and celebrated quietly, by myself. At the bank, the financial officers gleefully suggest putting THIS place up as collateral on a second property, but I will NOT.

It’s with a feeling of relief that I let go of my vision, or at least put it on the back burner. Thank you to all who felt that they were behind it.

The Pet Hostel work has been steady, not hectic. Not so many owners get their house dogs clipped short at this time of year, and it has been -20˚ Celcius (about -4˚ F.), but I have enough work anyway. The thing is to be available for pet sitting, and for those who agree that regular grooming keeps the animals happier and even more huggable. We are already almost booked up for Christmas for indoor and outdoor accomodation for pets. It’s all good; it’s my priority and my joy.

I should start taking pictures again! For some reason my website won’t accept new pictures, even though I have taken some off to make more room. But I’m still able to add photos to this blog, as I paid for an upgrade.

Have been making a few new jams too. I couldn’t list all I’ve made in the past, and I keep dreaming up new ones. This week I made Cranberry Orange Sauce (jellied condiment for Christmas turkey!), Mango Conserve, Yikes Hot Pepper Jelly and other pepper jellies. I have a a good time doing the jam & jelly thing, and a friend who is the NEW owner of the Beanery sells many jars at her coffee shop. She sends out “samples” with orders of toast as well.

I’m not sure if that brings you up to speed. Every day is different around here, but I forget from one day to the next what has happened, until I go back through my daybook (or, when I keep it up, this blog!). Things happen in lives, all of ours, which we couldn’t or shouldn’t write in a public diary, and that happens to me as well. I have some shock and sorrow about a friendship that has waxed and waned over a span of decades, but in general, life has been excellent. Except for the lack of tropical weather, I usually feel like I’m living a holiday.

If I can quit playing Scrabble online so much, I will get some Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls made, more jam invented, and Christmas prepared for. However, there are about 15 people waiting for me to take my turn in Scrabble in different games, so off I go!

Stay well everyone. Be cool or stay warm, depending where you are! ~ Ann