Ann’s Weblog

Liezel looks grumpy, but is a cheerful, comical young schnauzer. She takes the grooming process with aplomb and never holds a grudge. Afterward she and our dog, Lady, romp and tumble outdoors and in the house, until Liezel’s smooth and silky coat is wild and tousled and both dogs are panting. I interrupted this “playtime” to set the little one on the chair to take her picture.

After the morning’s “work”, Gary and I went to the funeral of a friend. The church was full to capacity, with more than 300 chairs filled, and I’m not sure if perhaps some folks were standing. It was a pleasant service with a lovely “tea” served afterward.

Our friend was 86 years old, and in his last days, friends and family heard him say that he was “ready” to go, accepting the end of his life in peace. I knew D. for more than 30 years, and there was a time that I visited and saw more of his family than I have in recent years. He was a joy in many, many people’s lives, and to have him say that he knows his life was well-lived, also brings comfort. Farewell to a good, good man.

So I feel quite drained at the moment. Supper will be simple… homemade chicken soup and maybe a fried egg sandwich for supper (do in TWO generations of chickens at once!). I’ll probably go check out the Yahoo Garden Chat room!

Take care everyone. Thanks for reading my blog!

~Ann 

I don’t have too much to say about this day except that I’m happy to be “back in the land of the living”! If I’ve managed to get rid of my cold this fast (about three days) I am lucky, but on Friday i was feeling very sorry for myself. I’d either cough almost until I choked or fainted, or took enough medicine that I could hardly function. Makes me appreciate my usual good health.

I took this picture out our front door this morning; it’s such a bright, beautiful day, and mild. So much of our snow has melted, leaving bare batches in the yard and fields, and a LOT of ice on our driveway. On my way home from our Sunday brunch, I almost slid into a snowbank, instead of making the turn at the bottom of our road. The tires grabbed at the last second and the truck veered back onto the correct path. I was going about 5 miles per hour so I wouldn’t have been in TOO much trouble, but at least I didn’t end up stuck.

On Saturday morning, the “outdoor” dogs were barking furiously, and I wondered who was calling, and hadn’t expected company (I was in the shower!). I threw on some clothes and opened the back door: there were two large coyotes trotting through the field behind our house, and then into the neighbours’ pasture. The coyotes would stop and stare in our direction, unafraid. Our dog, Lady, leaped from the porch and tore across the yard, but as soon as I spoke her name, whirled around and came back. Best not to start anything with even one coyote, let alone two.

Half an hour later, there was a commotion outside AGAIN, so I went to look: there stood a MOOSE in the bush atop “our rock bluff” behind my grooming shop, just browsing and very unconcerned. We (Gary and I) have no reason to disturb or harm any wildlife, and it is a blessing to see them around us.

Gary has been shoeing horses in Ft. St. James this weekend, a few hours’ drive from here. He’ll be back this afternoon.

There is nothing much else that I can write about in a public weblog. “Breakfast Club” was busy and noisy and somewhat bizarre today, in “real life”. Those who know me in “chat” will realize that some of the commotion which goes on (in the room I usually visit) has been upsetting me, but I’m still addicted. I will just busy myself with other things today.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Ann

Here’s another small dog acting bashful for the camera. Brandy is part maltese and has beautiful irridescent fine fur… it’s like playing with a “Barbie Doll” to groom her. She is gentle and patient and particularly good with getting her toenails trimmed; her humans didn’t let her get at all matted before this grooming, so neither of us were stressed by the procedure!

I had another dog, after Brandy, which was well behaved but in a matted condition. His owner didn’t want him clipped short, just a bath and clip his head, neck and butt; the rest of him really needed shearing off but I did what was asked of me. I felt that my grooming job made the dog look ridiculous, and so I felt very insecure and almost depressed about my work with that one. The owner agreed that her dog looked “silly”, but will bring him back at a later date (when it’s warmer outside) to have the rest of the dog’s coat clipped. In the meantime, I KNOW that the dog feels better!

Then I accepted another dog for grooming, even though I had invited company for dinner. I didn’t get a picture taken of “Winnie” but she is a darling, small shih tzu x poodle. I have groomed Winnie several times; she has a new owner who is a young woman not very familiar with the whole “professional dog grooming” scene. My friend seemed quite tentative about leaving Winnie with me (and she’s a shy person), but pleased with the work I did.

I managed to pull dinner together; it was Indian Butter Chicken, Basmati rice, Vegetable Korma and papadums. For dessert we had “Ben & Jerry’s” and chocolate sauce and coffee. It was a lovely evening with our friends who board their two border collie puppies with us.

For much of the night, I was congested and coughing; eventually I took enough cold medicine to sleep well. Even so, today I don’t have much energy and feel like I can’t think because of headache, earache and stuffy nose. *Sigh* I guess I’ll just have to take things easier today and try to hex this cold away.

Gary has gone to Ft. St. James to trim & shoe horses for the weekend.

Take care, everyone. Thanks for stopping in! I’m going back to watering and walking dogs.

~Ann

This is Oreo, a pretty little Shih Tzu who is as good as gold to groom. She has a plain and simple “pet clip” which is easiest to maintain and comfortable for the wee doggy as well.

We had our Ukrainian dinner last night: borscht (which I had frozen previously), smokies and sauerkraut, perogy, and nalysnyky. Nalysnyky is a dish consisting of “cheese blintzes”, smothered and baked with thick cream or sour cream… just a LITTLE rich! For dessert we simply had fresh pineapple, grapes and blood oranges.

The dinner with friends was a very nice visiting time.

Today, I feel like I’m falling ill (NO, not with digestive upset!). I’ve managed to feed, water and walk boarding dogs, and groom little Oreo, but I’m glad I’m not booked with more real work. I think I’ll drag my butt to the laundromat and that’s about all I’ll manage for the rest of the day. There’s enough food in the fridge that supper will be “no big deal”.

Thanks for visiting; I hope I don’t give you my cold ! 

~Ann 

Here are Rowsar, Taffy, and Sophie. Rowsar and Sophie seem bashful of the camera (though otherwise very comfortable with us!) and Taffy appears to enjoy having her portrait taken.

Other than grooming Taffy and otherwise caring for dogs, I’m just working around the house and getting ready to serve a Ukrainian dinner to friends this evening.

Will talk to you fine folk later.

~Ann

This is Laddy.

On Sunday night, friends phoned and asked what to do about a “stray dog”. I hadn’t heard that anyone was missing a dog of ANY description, and I don’t usually consent to taking in such dogs or cats. My business, after all, is for vaccinated family pets, and is not a “shelter”, nor is it subsidized as such.

However, as my friend described the dog, who had been wandering and apparently disoriented, AND who was sporting a tag with a vet clinic name on it, I relented and told them to bring this sheltie. Secretly, I thought that if the dog NEVER was claimed, we would keep him, but I would try my best to find the rightful owners.

This morning I phoned the vet clinic in Ft. St. John as indicated on the tag. Their records indicated that the dog belonged to an elderly couple from that town, and gave me a phone number, but that voice mail box was “full”. I made several other phone calls locally and was having no luck, so I took this picture and started to print posters.

On a good tip from someone, I phoned another friend who has relatives in Ft. St. John. She WAS looking for her sheltie!! Her daughter had adopted the dog from the said “elderly couple”, though evidently when Laddy was left at home by himself, he had decided to go looking for his mistress.

We don’t know whether Laddy might have found his own way home, but since he was picked up on a country road, he was perhaps spared from being hit by a car; he spent the night indoors at our house and was fed and watered, while his owners fretted. I am so glad that we found Laddy’s people so promptly!

Other than taking Laddy in, our Sunday was fairly ordinary. Some dogs went home (and other ones came today). We had our usual Sunday brunch in town and shared lively conversation with our friends. A dear friend visited in the afternoon, and I visited with chat friends online after that!

We had hot beef sandwiches for dinner (as the roast that I referred to yesterday had become so tender in the crock pot!). We pretty much “vegged” in front of the TV. in the evening, and of course I chatted until quite late.

Thank you for visiting this weblog. You do me an honour.

Love, Ann

P.S. Tonight we’re having roast chicken.. nothing exotic, but drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with our own garlic and onion powders, cayenne, and seasoning salt. I’ll chop up some potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and onions and roast them with other herbs and spices. The house smells great! Tomorrow night we’re having company and I’m cooking some Ukrainian food… with help from a recipe book that my dear sister gave me! If ONLY I could remember the NAMES of those dishes.

Okay, here’s the tile flooring, including the one smack dab in the middle (marked with tape) which is replaced but not re-grouted yet.

Yesterday morning, we moved all the kitchen appliances and other “stuff” back. In doing so, we made dents in the brand new hardwood floor, when the fridge didn’t “roll” as it should, and the casters dragged sideways. Only WE would know where to look to see the gouges, but we were certainly unhappy about that.

Gary left to help a friend on his farm, and I set about grouting the four tiles which had needed replacement (because we had walked on them before the mortar was solid). I mixed about a litre of the grout when I needed a cup!

That job went very well, such a small thing. I kept those tiles marked so that we wouldn’t damage the grout, but late in the morning, I stood at the kitchen sink on a tile that had been in place now about 48 hours and…. CRACK. What a sickening feeling. It’s not noticeable, so I made up my mind to leave it: the damned tile has found its own level, and it can just stay there. If, in the future, the cracked line shows, we can break out and replace the tile.

Later still, I set up a pot roast in the crock pot and sat down to have a cup of tea and “chat” online. As I rested, I heard another sound that was apparently another tile breaking. WTF ??? I hurried out to the kitchen, and looking accusingly at the fridge, wiped water over the tiles to see if the great weight of the appliance had broken the floor (like IT gouged the hardwood). No cracks were apparent, and I still wasn’t convinced.

I no sooner sat down again in the living room, when again I heard a cracking sound. Again I inspected the tiles to the best of my ability and did not find any problems. It happened AGAIN! I’m now convinced that what I was hearing was the sound of the LID ON THE CROCKPOT starting to jiggle as the pot roast began to simmer! But hey, just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean tiles aren’t cracking!

The contractor said that he believes this is a combination of factors… the subfloor with some imperfections, an inexpensive ceramic tile (not as heavy as some), and, in the case of the FIRST four broken tiles, walking on them while the mortar was still wet. What a learning experience. It’s all a learning experience. The net result is pleasing, though: I love it and it’s hard to remember how the “old” flooring looked, because one quits “seeing” that after awhile. And I was so blessed to be able to buy this house when I did, despite its “flaws”.

After gouging the hardwood and cracking the tile (and I broke a vase, which I didn’t mention), I felt quite sorry for myself, and poured myself a glass of wine. Eventually, I had poured myself a BOTTLE of wine, and though I somehow got dinner together for Gary and dressed for the concert we had tickets for, I almost had to stay home (pass out)!

We went to a fundraiser for a local “music festival” society; the star was a fellow who sang Johnny Cash songs all night. We danced and visited, and it was a wonderful evening. I was bright and sober by the time we went home! My friends thought it was funny that I had done that, as everyone knows I drink very little alcohol.

This was how Saturday went.

~Ann

This is our new living room floor. While I was in Calgary, I was quite enamoured with some hardwood flooring that I found, and it was even on sale. We had been looking at laminates, which also are beautiful, but I like this “Sunset Ash” even better.

So, I loaded the truck up with that, and some ceramic tile for the kitchen and lumbered home, so to speak: the truck was really weighed down!

Though Gary and I considered doing the work ourselves we decided to at least get an estimate from the fellow who built some cupboards for us last year. To our great surprise, our friend managed to fit this job into his schedule: he had another, more extensive renovation that would be done “in two halves”, with a few days in between.

The men came and installed the hardwood flooring, and then asked if we wanted them to put the ceramic tiles down as well! The living room was done in a day (Wednesday), and yesterday they glued the kitchen tiles down. During the evening and night, Gary and I thought that it would be safe to just walk on the new tiles to get to the wood heater downstairs, but we were wrong, apparently. We broke FOUR tiles which had to be replaced today.

So, most of the kitchen floor is grouted now, and we will grout the “replacement” tiles ourselves, after 24 hours. I certainly hope that they are stable enough then! We’re all contrite and surprised, like wayward children, but it’s hard to live in our house without travelling through the kitchen!

*Sigh* I guess we’ll have to dine out tonight!

All else is well around here. We got several more inches of snow, which Gary is out blowing around. It’s wet heavy snow, and last night the highways were terrible, so Gary cancelled a trip to Ft. St. James, where he trims & shoes horses.

Dogs have been coming and going steadily though I haven’t had time to take many pictures. Will try to get back to it soon.

Tomorrow I’ll take a pic of the kitchen floor for you who care.

Hope all of you who check out my blog are also just fine and dandy.

Love, Ann

This day has taken an odd and nice “turn”.

I answered the phone a few minutes ago; it was a friend who had moved away from town about 2 years ago,and she is in town. Her father, a physician, has been maintaining L.’s home and her housecat, but now the property has sold. The two of them could not think of anyone to adopt the 17 year old cat, so they were ON THEIR WAY to have “Skitty” euthanized!

The doctor, who is also a friend of ours, commented to his daughter, “Oh, I didn’t check with Ann about this…” as they approached my driveway. They used a cell phone to call me, I replied that I WOULD adopt the sweet, elderly kitty, and they all turned in! A life was saved at the 11th hour! Poor Skitty would have been in cat heaven within 30 minutes.

So, there were tears all around, and I got thoroughly hugged by both L. and her dad; it tugs at my heart just thinking about this. I know… I can’t “save them all”, but Skitty is indeed a lovely old cat, and we can keep her safe and warm and away from certain stressors (dogs, mean cats, and wild predators).

It was L.’s dog who we boarded for a month last summer:

This is “Nala” who was just like “one of our own” while she was boarding, and lavished with attention from some young HUMAN guests that we had at the time.

Okay, I’d rather sit here and visit with you fine people, but I need to get some more things done around the house.

~Ann

I had a blog entry that I liked, and I’ve accidentally deleted it.

I was using this DELL laptop, and I MEANT to delete the “Post” that wasn’t working correctly to display a “YouTube” video that I enjoyed. So I went back to the list of posts, clicked on “delete”, thought it wasn’t working and clicked “delete” AGAIN… so, in the end.. TWO entries were deleted. Forever.

In the “Post” that I accidentally deleted, there were these pictures:

To me it’s completely remarkable and alarming that a natural formation as massive and majestic as the “Athabasca Glacier”, or “Columbia Icefields” has crumbled and been decimated within MY LIFETIME.

On the left is pictured the glacier as it is today. Beside that is the ice as it was in 1960. I remember the Icefields as they were when I was a small child, and that the souveniers for sale in the Columbia Icefields Centre all featured the glacier as you see in in the picture. It didn’t simply APPEAR huge because I was little!

In recent years (okay.. the last thirty) I have travelled the Banff-Jasper Parkway many times, but it was only about ten years ago that I thought “Whoa, what is happening to the Icefields?” and “Didn’t it come out right to the highway before?”. Anyone who wants to argue that global warming or climate change is not a reality should take note. For this to occur within one generation is bizarre.

We need to address the ways in which we can ensure future generations (starting with our own children) of clean air and water, and food, and it’s impossible to ignore; we SHOULD learn more.

Okay, so the other side of the conservation coin: also pictured above is Calgary pictured at night. Few would deny that this booming city is beautiful; with more than a million people, the downtown core has become a bustling place with a life of its own. When I left Calgary in 1976, the population was a mere 470,043.

I need to answer some phonecalls and go do some more sorting of books and magazines (what I am affectionately calling “spring cleaning”.

Thanks for reading my blog.

~Ann