Counting Down

Speechless Pause

Day by day we’re getting a little closer to Christmas and the end of another year. I just did a quicky browse through my posts for the year thinking I might re-post a few favourite pictures as a Top 10, or Top 5. Out of slightly more than 40 posts for the year I found only a few pictures I would put out there again. Is it because so few of them have people in them, I wonder? Less emotional connection perhaps. In any case I’ll try to pull a few together here and maybe post a couple that didn’t make it to the pages here. Lemme see:

Autumn Colours

Our four-legged Godsend, Milo.

Sunset Reflection

…a warm, bright place to work full of warm, bright people.

Mountain, Sun, Cloud

… a reminder of travels and the massive grandeur of nature.

I (heart) Tree

 I DO have a sentimental side…. see!

Caitlyn Isabel

A joyful addition to the family…. a wee, big blessing.

Visual Impact

Ridge banked by cedar

Our two-legged Godsend, Owen. Lynda’s nightly phone buddy has helped her keep her sanity.

pox upon hand

There I think that should be about 10. I’m actually surprised there are that many that still stand up for me. I’m adding one more (if I can find it) of the prettiest young lady I know.

Madison

 .. and the one fave lady in my life – unfortunate about the hand / arm placement but it was to see her having such a good time.

Auntie Lynda; 4 nieces

 I’ll likely be back again before Christmas but just in case that doesn’t happen I’d like to extend my best wishes for a very happy Christmas season to everyone.

Wood, Trees, Leaves

Progress against the tide

It’s been a busy week here so far between work and working around the house before going to work. We had our yards cleaned up a couple of weeks ago as the willow and birch shed their leaves early. This past weekend though we had a long gusty rain storm that blew our neighbour’s maple leaves into our yard, completely carpeting it. How many leaves does a 70 foot maple tree have? About a kazillion.

FoxyFace

This one? Well, when you’re sorta daydreamy from a long period of raking you start to notice the small details around you. To most people I suppose this is just a board on a fence.

Line, Shape, Tone Jumble

Last night around dinner time the wind started blowing from the north and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees in 2 hours. Today it looks like we’ll get up to maybe 6 deg C and it’s still gusty as anything. Apparently there is supposed to be a big dump of snow today further north (which is fine; it can stay up there). We have a few threatening looking clouds whizzing by ourselves.

for Kel

This is getting to be an annual thing but…. as I raked there were continuous V’s of Canada geese going over. Probably around a thousand a minute spread across the sky, every which way you looked…. and Lord, they are noisy as they flew with all their honking. If they fly low enough you can hear the swishing of the air through their feathers, too. Our dog Milo just sits and stares with a very worried and puzzled look on his face. Speaking of…. here’s my boy now. 

 

Autumn Colours

 

Reflections

Industrial-ites

Okay, so I got carried away when I said I’d be around here more frequently…. I lied, but with the best of intentions. Seems all I’ve done lately is work which, after all that time off, is a good thing. Trouble is I never know where I’ll wind up working, or when.

Lemme see – I’ve worked in a hospital, at a railroad siding, a retail store, had a few weeks at an office building which houses the project mgmt / engineering / design drafting facilities for a nuclear power plant (that was interesting), the last few nights at an EMS station. Mostly a mixture of afternoon shifts and nights with a day shift or two thrown at me to keep things spicy and off-balance. Am I coming or going? Who knows; not I for sure.

Mirrored Horizon

Lynda and I are mostly like ships passing in the night catching the occasional meal together or a couple of hours planted in front of the TV before one of us is off running again. Things have been busy. We had Milo back to the clinic in Toronto where he had his surgery for his final check-up and we’re told we’ve done an excellent job with him. There has been good bone growth around the plates and where the bone was cut. We can finally breathe a bit easier but have to introduce full activity levels incrementally.

Since I last wrote here I have finished Eric Clapton’s autobiography which managed to diminish my image of him…. a writer he ain’t. (but gutsy to have a stab at it and lay it all out there) I’ll continue to admire him for what it is he does best – write and play great music. Following that I read a really humourous book called “The Hypochondriac’s Guide To Life. And Death.” The author had me blowing pop out my nose with some of his lines. Shouldn’t drink and read at the same time, I guess – dangerous and messy.

Progressing Nicely….

Thanks for the check-ins gang…..

Milo is coming along pretty well and we’re confident we made the right choice regarding which sort of surgery he should have. This first week we’ve kept him as still as possible – one of us has been at his side at all times, virtually. He gets carried outside to attend to business and schlepped back in again. Meals served; water slung…. he’s quite enjoying being waited upon.

He will continue to be on pain and anti-inflammatory meds for another few days. We allow him brief walks under very tightly controlled conditions within the house. I do a few physio sessions with him each day and then lay cold packs on the leg afterward.

Just starting yesterday I’ve begun putting him in his crate for brief periods of time. He feels secure in there and the danger of him licking the wound open is passing. Aahh, back at the computer a wee bit. I’ve seen umpteen movies during the last week and have done some reading. Finished ‘Late Nights on Air’ – very good; and might re-read the first 100 or so pages as I started the book in fits and starts months ago. Now I’m into the ‘Story of Edgar Sawtelle’ – a novel.

I’ve missed getting out to a few meetings including two that I was supposed to chair but managed to attend my home group meeting last night. Lynda is holding up well, generally, but is stressed to the max with all that is going wrong. There is other stuff happening besides the dog…… life continues unabated.

Me…. cabin fever in a nutshell although this forced inactivity is a respite from the stress of job hunting when there are no jobs. I’m trying to focus on the positives. I’ve begun watching a TV evangelist by the name of Joyce Meyers and find her messages very positive – I like the way she ties everyday life to scripture. She’s on each morning.

Maybe I’ll have a chance to catch up on friends blogs in the days to come; I will try.

Liberty comforting Milo

Murphy’s Law…

…..states that anything that can go wrong…. will. That pretty much sums up our lives these days. Our younger dog Milo injured himself last weekend; we got him to the vet Monday; then referred to the surgeon today; he goes in Monday morning for his operation. Exactly the same thing that happened to Freedom last May; a torn cruciate tendon in the back left knee. We’re opting for the TPLO route – plates and screws – as he is just 2 years old.

Anyway, with the way the house is set up I won’t have ready access to the computer. (One of us has to be with him pretty much all the time.) I’ll put up a post here and there when I get a chance but basically I’m on hiatus.

Milo (front) - Freedom (rear)

Catch you all on the flip side.

Chief Cook….

… and bottlewasher.

fractured vision

I’m doing a pretty good job at staying away from blog cruising and have only indulged briefly a couple of times this week. Mostly I have set aside a couple of blocks of time in the late morning and late afternoon devoting myself to the job search. I find I need a break from the computer screen…. and also the frustration and associated anxiety at the paucity of jobs. I have sent out a fair number of CV’s but without any resulting invitations for interviews.

Besides that, it is me that largely takes care of things here on the homefront; hence the title of this post. Laundry, vacuuming, dishes, cooking, looking after the animals…. I’m your guy. Yesterday I threw together a nice beef stew in the slow-cooker and that’ll be tonight’s dinner; beef, potatoes, onion, carrots, garlic, sherry, a little tomato soup and browning sauce. Mmmm, mmmmmm…. good.

What else?? The weather has been unseasonably mild (daytime highs around 8 or 10C) but lots of grey skies with some drizzle and rain. On the bright side…. I prefer this to below zero temps and snow. The trees are completely bare and all the songbirds have flown off south for the winter. The last of the migrators – Canada Geese – have been over flying the house in continuous, enormous flying Vee’s.

With Lynda on afternoon shift this week I’ve had a few hours out of the house in the mornings to run around town. Yesterday I blew a wad of cash on a new set of tires as the old set had little tread left and were beginning to show some cracks. No way they’d have been of any use in heavy weather. There have been some problems with the documents regarding my unemployed status which is holding up my benefits. Lots of phone calls between me and my former employer; then to the employment benefits outfit. It’d be nice if things could go smoothly especially at times like this… but no.

Generally Lynda has been pretty good about it all but had a couple of off days where she was pretty snappy and strange. Likely because she spent a couple of hours talking with her #2 son, C. He is what we refer to here as a ‘shit-disturber’ and he’s damned good at it, too. We aren’t one another’s biggest fans, he and I.

Lynda’s brother has now been living with us for 6 or 7 weeks and everything is going really well. Well, except for one minor complaint (natch). Ed is a really big fan of all the low-brow shows on the Fox Network and will plunk himself down in the living room and watch all these crappy shows back-to-back, by the hour. Lord, give me strength. I have to leave the room and find somewhere else to be else I’d be in full rant about Judge Judy, Family Court or Jerry Springer. Ed quite enjoys them and laughs like a loon at all the foolishness he sees. Me… can’t stand any of it. Patience, tolerance, understanding…. it’s an exercise, right?

Otherwise; the kid’s mother flew Sarah and Zeph to Calgary last weekend so that Zeph could meet his cousin Madison. Sounds like a good time was had by all. My Mom is good – spoke to her this afternoon. Mother Mary is still a concern and is waiting for more diagnostic tests. Freedom is coming along slowly and we’re concerned about how she will fare once the snow starts falling. Will she blow out her leg? Hope not. Milo and I have been having some fun in the yard as I’ve spent some time training him to do a few things… and burn off a little energy at the same time.

Having some difficulty focussing on reading these days; can’t seem to get into an Anne Lamott novel I borrowed; same with the Vonnegut compilation of early short stories. Listening to a lot more music lately as a way of moderating moods. Today’s ‘ear-worm’ is Billie Holiday’s ‘Willow Weep For Me’. Not the most upbeat tune but better than ‘I Wish I was an Oscar Myer Weiner…’, fer sure. 

Time for dinner and the news. Later…..

shadow and flare

Me & Milo; Milo and I

I'm doing my best to ignore you

The other day Milo had just comfortably settled himself into the corner of the couch when I leaned over and whispered in his ear that he needed to ‘get down’. His response? ‘Yo! Talk to the paw, bro!’ He got down – when he was good and ready.

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Last of the season's roses

Some areas around here have had their first frost so I’m not holding my breath to see if the last few buds actually bloom or not. Fingers crossed and here’s hoping but….

Next week it’ll be time to trim all the plants back to stubble height, turn the earth and mix in some loam and peat/fertilizer mix. This year I think we’ll get a bale of hay or two to spread over the flower beds. Autumn wind down time.

Down TO The Wire

Okay, so… mea culpa. It’s getting near the end of my shift and I had this post in mind to write but I was distracted; by work of all things. Well, for a while at last. Then on to roaming the blogs and catching everyone’s recent posts. Best laid plans and all…

Alien visitor – There I was in the shower yesterday and I happen to look out the window. Yoiks….!! Looking back at me is a Praying Mantis and he’s really watching, too. I move my hand this way – and his little triangular head swivels this way, too. Wave it over here – back it comes again. A little creepy, hmm? I named him Tom but it could just as well have been Bob. I don’t think the pictures I took turned out very well, what with the steamy window and all, but I’ll post one if it’s any good. There was no sign of him today. I sure hope that big-assed spider hunkered over in the corner didn’t get him.

Had the dogs in the yard and I spy a Wooly Caterpillar lumbering through the grass. I wave Milo off cuz that dog’ll eat anything that moves and I’m pretty sure caterpillars wouldn’t agree with his not-so-delicate system. The weather prognosticators claim they can predict what winter will be like based on the caterpillars coat. If this one is to be believed (or copied) we’re going to need nice long, thick, warm coats ourselves to get through this one. Ditto with the pictures; as above.

Yes, the dogs. I had Freedom back to the vet last week for another check up with the surgeon. No real concern – just getting his opinion. Both he and the vet are seeing signs of progress; Lynda and I somewhat less so. We’re continuing to be very cautious and one of us is with her 24/ 7. Freedom’s recovery is so incremental, so slow that the improvements aren’t terribly apparent to us. We need some outside perspective periodically. Milo is getting ripped off; not getting the attention and exercize he needs. He’s as smart as a whip and a bundle of repressed energy. Quite the personality.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Meant to mention that I caught a documentary (/interview) about (/with) W.P. Kinsella, writer of ‘Shoeless Joe’ which became the film ‘Field of Dreams’. You know – ‘If you build it, they will come.’  The documentary was a nice piece of work that covered his entire life and career. I was especially glad they visited on an earlier section of his writing that I loved which involved a series of books about life on a native reservation in Western Canada. He created a colourful cast of characters including Frank Fencepost and Mad Etta, the medicine woman. Kinsella’s writing ended when he suffered a head injury and was in a coma, bed-ridden for 3 months. A long convalescence. Since then he has editted (with the help of his wife) his previous output for collections but written very little.

Whew! Nice Knocker

who's there?

(a nod to Stevo)

So, what’s new?? We attended that wedding on Saturday. Ya know when you’re all revved up for something and looking forward to a night out…. and then things don’t turn out as planned?? Yeah, a bit of a let down, it was. Lynda was feeling a bit off & I was still resetting my clock to regular hours. The ceremony was nice but then there was a big block of time to kill while the wedding party and family had pictures taken. Dinner was late, toasts and speeches dragged on and the dance didn’t start until 10. By then the enthusiasm for the event had seriously waned. Ah, well… c’est la vie.

Mom took possession of her condo apartment the other day and Lynda and I got over to see it last night. Nice space! I think she’ll settle in there very nicely. The movers come Friday and then she has an additional week to clear her present house of anything left.

Most of my time spent these last few days the computer have been devoted to a renewed job search. (I know it’s ongoing and has been going on forever but…) The official jobless stats for this area are pegged at just over 10% but don’t include those whose unemployment benefits have run out and those who have given up on looking for work through gov’t channels. I keep looking and hoping that my skill set can be put to use elsewhere.

I’ve been reading for pleasure more lately. Finished Hunter S Thompson’s ‘Rum Diary’ and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I’m into Canada’s ‘lady of letters’ Margaret Atwood’s “Moral Disorder”; a collection of stories exploring a family history. It has been some years since I read anything of hers but as I was reading I felt I hadn’t enjoyed reading anything so much for a long time. I could likely use the aid of someone parsing the stories and showing me the devices she uses so well in the telling of them. Good stuff.

Time to head out into the yard with the dogs before it gets too hot for them. We still have that high pressure system hanging about and keeping this run of fine late summer weather happening. The grass and flowers are getting sunburnt but that’s okay by me.

What’s Bugging You??

It can range from little pests and annoyances right on up to major fears and phobias. Things that make your skin crawl and you shudder.

gnarly winged creature

I spotted this loverly bugger the last week I was on nights resting on the seat of a molded plastic chair. He was 3/4’s the size of my hand with those out-stretched legs. One reason I’m sorta glad summer is winding down is that it’ll spell the end of so many creepy crawlies. One of my pet peeves, especially working nights, is walking into spider webs and having them draped across my face, in my hair and beard. Gack! Stutter and spew!

Last week Lynda decided to take Freedom down into the backyard for the first time since this most recent surgery. It was a nice leisurely stroll until Lynda spotted a good sized black snake threading it’s way through the grass. She found herself in the uncomfortable position of having to remain calm for the dog’s sake, all the while shrieking on the inside. Lynda is positively phobic about snakes and would gladly walk across burning coals than cross paths with a snake. This one was probably a water snake that had roamed the 100 yards or so from the creek running behind the house.

Friday I was out there roaming with the dogs and nosing about the yard when I spotted another one amongst the grapevines and sunning himself atop the fence rail. Knowing how Lynda feels about them I considered whacking him with a shovel and declaring myself the hero… but, one of God’s creatures and all… who am I to take a life, etc., etc. After I took a few shots of him with my cell camera and my digital I brushed him into the long grass over the fence and watched him depart. Looking at an on-line field guide it was probably a Corn snake. Very lightly marked; sandy coloured.

digital - snoozing snake

cell - another view

When I told Lynda what I’d done she became a raving lunatic, cursing me out and declaring she’d never set foot in the back yard again – why hadn’t I killed it?? So far as I know she’s been good to her word. Lord, she’s ready to list the house! Me, I would have just as soon caught him and put him in a terrarium for a few days.

So, what gives you the willies??

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And on the plus side ++++++++ Lately I’ve seen:

– on two occasions – hummingbirds. One checking out our roses; the other zooming over the neighbours house at top speed.

– a crane lifting off from the creek and gaining altitude over the greenbelt. Great lumbering sweeps of his wings getting him aloft.

– one of the largest and most beautiful dragonflies I’ve ever seen. A brilliant, shimmering neon bronze colour.