Ann’s Weblog

Millard came over to continue work on the bathroom today, finishing the vanity and installing two other units… a medicine cabinet and and an “overjohn”. We are absolutely delighted with his work.

The cabinet that is over the toilet is much like the medicine cabinet shown above, only bigger. There’s lots of cupboard space in this small bathroom now!

This is the shower stall/tub:

There are only a few things left to do in the bathroom renovation department. We’re pleased with the way it has turned out.

Last night we “took in” a dog which had been in a car accident. I can’t say more in this weblog at this time, but we have learned that her name is Sasha. She is very stiff and sore today, but she has lost the wild-eyed look that she had overnight. What a beautiful animal she is, and she will be picked up by a family member soon.

I haven’t taken very many pictures of our boarding pets this season. Here is another pretty face, a little dog Jazz which is an American Eskimo X Coton de Tuleer (mix) who is sweet:

Jazz wears a bright jacket so that he can be seen in the snow!

I haven’t done very much today other than take care of Tia, Heidi, Chico, Smudge, Ryder, Duke, Duchess, Sasha, Raina, Leizel and our own pets. It was fun but exhausting watching Millard work hard on the bathroom project. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll pick up speed again.

Love, Ann

Aside from two of my wonderful daughters Kim and Shelly, and Shelly’s fiance Merv (such a great guy), we have other guests this Holiday Season. They just happen to be four-legged ones.

I haven’t been taking pictures, because of the “real” work of feeding, watering, scooping and custom loving. Yesterday quite a few went home: Jet, Mint, Jose, Tess, Spot, Jack, Tucker and Kenya. Then Chico arrived. This morning Jas came … he is an American Eskimo & Coton de Tuleer cross (I’ll have to Google that myself to make sure I spelled his breed correctly!). Liezel will arrive later.

As well, we have Tia, Smudge, Ranger, Annie, Duke, Duchess, Raina and Muskwa. There are two cats boarding, Allie and Heidi. So, eight went home yesterday, but we’re back up to eleven dogs and two cats. Everyone seems content.

We’ve had a wonderful Christmastime, with a great deal of food, a little alcohol, and shared company. I hope you are well, and are now looking forward to a happy New Year.

Lots to do… will talk to you later! ~ Ann

Our cabinet maker friend arrived yesterday with the vanity, sans doors and drawers, which are getting stained and varnished. Gary and Millard then got the countertop out from behind the sofa and installed that, and the sink and taps.

In the photo, the mirror is a “temporary” one until we put up the original one on the wall, and the window will be replaced too. There are still tiles to cut, place, grout and seal.

Though we feel that we chose, or were pressured into buying, a sink that “dominates” the small space and obscures much of the granite, we’re pretty happy with how this project has progressed.

Hope everyone has had a pleasant Christmas Day, as we have. Love, Ann

Jubilation! The horses have walked out, and have been trailered to a safe haven.

We had contact with friends on the morning of December 24, and they confirmed that, not only had the horses been freed from the “bowl” (the area in which the trench was dug), but that the horses had been led all the way down the path, almost 20 miles. Though it is well recognized that the horses are in weak condition, they nearly ran over the human foot traffic walking out on the same trail. They must have recognized their freedom! One of our friends who helped with the rescue had frost bite on his face in several places, and stated that he knew others who had much worse injury.

We might not hear much more about this saga, this tale of abandonment and suffering, discovery, liberation and relief. There are dozens of horse lovers willing to adopt and care for the two animals, and we also hope to hear that some retribution has come to the original owner. He stated on the radio yesterday that he had done what he could for the horses, however, no one we talk to accepts his story. He told someone in McBride that he was ready to come and get his animals “once they’re out”, and of course that will not be allowed.

I tried to post some links today, and it didn’t work as expected. Google “Renshaw + horses”, without the quotes, to find news articles from McBride, B.C., to Montreal, Quebec.

~ Ann

There is a drama unfolding in the Robson Valley. The story has many versions now, and it’s the talk of the town. I’m going to post some links below the pictures, and if you Google “Renshaw + horses” you get those links and others. It’s a tale of heroism, of people who wouldn’t give up on the lives of some innocent animals. The cad who left his horses behind to starve in the wilderness WILL be prosecuted.

I’m not going to tell the story beyond what I’ve been told by reliable sources. I understand that a wannabe outfitter, who is a lawyer from Alberta, came out to our valley with several horses for a “pack trip”. When he was ready to go home, he either decided not to take all the horses or was unable to catch them. This was many weeks ago, before there was snow in this location, or very little.

Where he left the horses was more than 20 miles from the main road. He didn’t make sure that someone was informed, as I understand it. Whether he came back to look for them is unclear to me. So now this is what the rescuers have to deal with: 6 feet of packed snow, temperatures that approached -40˚, and the distance, which now has to be travelled by sled/snowmobile.

The horses are not strong enough to withstand airlifting, and there are not trained people available to facilitate that. There are people who would donate and fundraise to pay for a helicopter, but it is a moot point because of the animals’ condition. Kind farmers have donated hay, and sledders have been taking people up to the site and helping to shovel the snow.

My understanding is that the horses would be led through the trench to the harder-packed snowmobile trail by end of today. Hopefully then, they can be walked the 20 miles to safe transport. The SPCA and the RCMP are involved now, along with dozens of caring people.

Should these gentle creatures simply have been euthanized when found? I think that would have given many people such a sad feeling this Season. Even though the effort has been huge, there are many who will feel virtuous when the rescue is finally accomplished, and rightly so. When I see the pictures of the horses, my heart turns over; I feel that they needed the chance to live, having survived as long as they have on their own.

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/20081220166971/local/news/sledders-attempt-to-save-horses.html

As well, people can follow the thread on one of the popular sled forums:
www.snowandmud.com/forum/f3/horse-rescue-up-renshaw-10308.html

~ Ann

The bathroom reno continues. The cabinet maker says that he is bringing the vanity and other cabinets tomorrow, Christmas Eve. In the summer time, we all joked about having the bathroom done “hopefully before Christmas”, never thinking it really would still be in-the-works at this time.

Here is the grouted floor, ready for the vanity… we don’t piece the rest of the tile baseboard until that’s done:

Also pictured is the shower stall/tub surround, and the new “throne”. The potty is a sleek unit with a choice of “light duty” (low water volume) flush, or a 6 litre flush.

Shelly and Merv are coming up from Calgary today, and Kim will arrive tomorrow. Susan is staying in Calgary to watch over Granny over Christmas and get some papers written, and avers that she’ll be fine.

We will have lots of pets to board over Christmas, and I’ve had to turn some away. Gary and I, if we can ever get some more money saved, will try to increase the capacity of the Pet Hostel for these busy times, especially in the cold weather. We have to protect every animal guest from the bitter temperatures, which can be expected at the peak boarding time of the Holidays.

I would like to wish all my blog readers a Merry Christamas. Also, I hope that the year 2009 is healthy, happy and prosperous, especially if you have endured sorrow in the past year. I know that some of my friends have really “had their butts kicked” by life lately (I’m not trivializing anything; I’m quoting someone). My heart goes out to you. Do call on us if we can help.

Love, Ann

Today we got the floor tiles put down. Tomorrow is “grouting” day.

Below is “Axel”, who is a favourite. This handsome basset hound is gentle and willing, and is treated like “one of our own”. He just goes in and out of the house with our dog, Lady.

We’ll be busy over Christmas… there are still folks phoning for “reservations” and we will take as many more as we can.

Today I groomed “Pikachu”.

… and tomorrow I’ll groom the little dogs “Magic” and “Cloe”.

Thank you for stopping to look at my blog. My mind is troubled tonight… as we were coming home from visiting friends, we came upon a bull moose on the highway immediately after it had been hit by a truck. As we stopped, the poor animal hobbled off the highway and through the ditch with one of its legs broken. No conservation officer (or any other officer) will attend the scene of an injured animal if it is still mobile, and this moose was on his way into the bush already. It is -30˚ Celcius tonight; who knows how long an animal would suffer after being hurt this way. We reflected that we had seen this magnificent creature earlier this evening. If only they could be kept off the highway.

~ Ann

I can’t say we’ve really been busy… both Gary’s and my businesses are quiet at this time of year. However, while the temperatures have been bitter, we don’t mind just keeping the home fires burning. Today it was MUCH warmer.. about -15 Celcius, which felt balmy.

On Tuesday the electrician installed the pot lights, fan and switches, and today the tiles got started. Friends came to help… more accurately, we helped a great couple who did most of the work. Tomorrow the bathroom floor will get tiled; there is less square footage on the floor than the area of the tub surround. Also, the floor tiles are all 12.5 X 12.5… whereas the tub tiles were 2″ squares (plus we added a detail of bigger tile), making the tub project more finicky.

That’s about all we’ve been up to! Keeping warm, working on the bathroom, doing a little paying work, getting ready for Christmas, watching TV… that’s it. I can’t get in the Christmas spirit for some reason, but certainly look forward to spending some time with family and friends. We will have some extra pets for guests over the Season.

So… until we visit again. Love, Ann

Today the little pomeranian “Cinder” went home to Prince George. Oh my goodness, we will miss her sassy and sweet presence. Here she is sharing Lady’s chair:

The bathroom renovation is coming along as it should. The gyproc got finished and primed on Wednesday and I stayed up late putting a coat of paint on after Gary did the “trim”. Then this afternoon I put another coat on. We debated about putting a rich, dark, rust colour on the walls, to more closely coordinate with the tiles, but since I had already bought this paint along with a similar grout, we thought we’d give it a try:

It looks very different with the light off and the light on…

Tomorrow the electrician comes to complete the work on fan, pot lights, and switches and then Gary and a friend can do the tiles (when schedules permit). That small window will be replaced one day soon. A vanity and coordinating cabinets are being built and the countertop is stashed behind our sofa. A new “Toto” dual flush toilet will be installed once the tiles are done. It feels like “coming down the backstretch”.

Christmas? I can’t believe it’s mid-December. I can’t feel the Christmas spirit. I don’t feel like even putting up a tree, let alone other decorations. I’ve been quite content with most of my gift choices, and hope to see all 3 daughters over the holidays, but that’s not a “given”. Up until and including the Holidays, we will have extra pets to board, which is always what I want.

Things have been fine, but today I had a minor meltdown when my sewing machine refused to sew! I have cleaned it, changed needles, changed bobbins and threads and consulted the manual. There isn’t a “sewing machine shop” closer than 200 km.. So… it might be that I can’t get some Raggedy Anns completed nor a project for a gift for one of my daughters. I cracked under the strain and cried; perhaps an idea will come to me or the damned machine will magically smarten up. If I feel ready for it tomorrow, I will try again.

We have our friends’ little Havanese dogs with us, so I’ll try to get some current pictures posted soon. The owners have gone on a Mexican cruise.

Talk to you all soon. Love, ~ Ann

Winter means quieter times, with not as much pet boarding, grooming or horse shoeing. And no gardening or nursery sales except planning for the Spring. This leaves time for reading, sewing, chatting and TV watching. I did get some Christmas baking done this week.

We’re still working on the bathroom, or rather, having it worked on. Here is the progress on the gyproc (sheetrock, plasterboard), and the cement board which we chose for around the tub. Cement board is three times the price of regular gyproc, but is a superiour product for around tubs expecially where tiling is planned. Just before the gyproc was installed, we decided that we shouldn’t have that old window, and ordered a new, slightly bigger one. Much easier to get that put in now than later.

This afternoon, the fellow who is building the vanity and other cabinetry came by to re-measure and consult with us about some details. We have the countertop stored behind the sofa, so he could also check some measurements from that.

One afternoon, enjoying the cosy house, I took some pictures of the guests Nestle, Katie and Cinder:

Pictured above… Cinder trying to get Katie to play on the couch, Cinder and Nestle deciding who is boss, Nestle trying to get Lady to come out from under the coffee table to play. There’s a closeup of little Nestle, who is mostly chocolate lab (and what a darling pup), and our Lady, who for some reason looks quite “put upon” at the antics of the other three.

We’ve been getting some real winter conditions lately, so Gary has put his “new” tractor to good use (clearing the road and yard). There have been no days of bitter cold, but we’ve had the wind, sleet and snow. Looks like Christmas will be white, after all.

That’s about all the updates for the day. Will talk to you soon. ~ Ann