~~~~~~ HAPPY HALLOWEEN!~~~~~

YIKES! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!!!!!!

Happy Halloween Everyone - hope you have a safe and happy night.

Here's the pumpkin JP and The Kid carved - yup, he's at that stage already - it says AC/DC on it.
I'll be handing out candies and trying to prevent Jazzie from being scared of the fireworks, what'll you be doing? (oh yes, and Happy Anniversary Cynthia and Norm)

And look at this gorgeous Dahlia from my garden! Still blooming! How wonderful!

Have a spooktacular night!

Boo!

Knitting, Crochet, Cross stitch - it's all the same thing

So my neighbour just came back from Manchester, England but before she left she asked me what I wanted her to bring back. Since she was on vacation and already seemed to have a list of items to bring back for others, I declined the offer. However she insisted (several times) that she wanted to bring something back for me, so finally I asked her for some knitting magazines figuring they'd be light and easy to carry back and it would be great to see these magazines since I don't buy them here as they're around $15 + because they're imported.

About a day after she got back she told me she'd get me the crochet books as soon as she could. Okay - knitting/crochet - I'm thinking - not the same but no biggy, that would be fine.

So she invited me over for tea and presented me with a basket full of goodies. Now before you think I'm an ungrateful sod, I really do appreciated the items she had for me, however, in the basket was these books:

Yup - not knitting OR crochet.... cross stitch :-) Isn't that cute? I guess to the unintiated, it's all the same. It's a good thing I also do some cross stitching too.

And yes, I really do appreciate her thinking of me during her trip and bringing these items back for me.

The horse, the horse, the horse is on fire!

Here's my latest contribution in the Tea Towel Tour - there isn't a theme for the towel, but I figured I'd add a man since there were two girls on it, going for a cowboy theme. He's riding a black steed with silver hooves and a mane and tail that is on fire! (using red, orange and yellow thread). He's doing a bit of a rodeo to show off for the girls - who are showing off for him!
Here's the whole towel:
(The pattern came from Flickr's Hoop Love vintage pattern pages - I didn't draw it)

The Weekend in Review

I will admit that I had a good weekend, however, once again, Monday came too soon. Besides the usual tidying/cooking/cleaning and dog walking, I did work in the garden on Saturday mowing the lawn and putting away garden ornaments and lights etc. On Sunday I worked on the embroidery for the Tea Towel Tour on Craftster - photo to follow after I iron it.

I also finished the baby sweater and a John McCain "finger" puppet for one of my managers who'll be a grandpa for the first time in a few weeks. I thought that grandpa could teach the baby all about his political choice, you know because nothing helps you bond better with a baby than politics.

I also put up some Halloween decorations. Just like stores, I have to keep things behind glass because things go missing from my yard - so only the Dollar Store decorations that I don't care so much about can be outside.

Here's the Gateway to the Burning Bush (it sounds kinda scary doesn't it?)

I also received the BEST POP-UP CARD EVER! Thanks Bro - very cool!

When you open it up the headless horseman moves his arm waving the pumpkin - awesome!




One night last week, I let Jazz out into the back yard and she immediately picked up a scent and then ran around the yard trying to find it, once she ran to the base of my maple tree and barked but then kept searching. I took a flashlight to the tree and this is what I found - the cutest raccoon just waitin' things out.

Can you see him?

I tried to take a better shot but I just couldn't, he was too high up for the flash. Perhaps if I had put it on a tripod then maybe....

Also, I made this yummy dish

It's a spaghetti but the topping is like a cheesy souffle and that's what sold everyone in my house on it. Yum! An intant hit - which is a good thing because lately someone hasn't been too happy with my cooking.....

Pet Love

On Fridays Jazz goes to the vet from 8am to 12:00pm for her chemotherapy injection. But while she's gone, I just want her back and keep looking at the clock waiting for noon and the call from the vet so I can pick her up. For four hours the house is empty and quiet. I'm not keeping one eye on the clock so I can let her out, I'm not refilling her water and she's not behind me in the doorway of my office or hinting it's time for her chewy bone and she's not jockeying for position with JP (which can be both frustrating and flattering).

But Dang. I like this dog way too much.

Last February when I lost Maxx it was hard, but the blow was softened a bit because I still had Jazz. As we battle for her health and I'm reminded of her looming mortality I start to become upset and all sorts of feelings cause a lump in my throat. Dang! And I need to literally give my head a shake and tell myself that it hasn't happened yet, and that I must enjoy the present. Why ruin my moments with her now thinking about future emotions?

I have known people who felt that losing their beloved pet was way too painful to ever go through again and they've never owned another. But I've always felt that the years of joy from my pet outweighs the pain of loss. But most importantly when it comes to situations such as this, it helps to remember the good times and to enjoy the moment and put those ugly future thoughts out of your head.

Now, could please give your dog or cat a hug and tell them it's from me?

Punkin' Head

With only 9 days left before Halloween, some of you are just getting ready to start carving your pumpkins - for some inspiration, you must check out this website!

~~~~~

And remember the little baby hat I knit for a co-worker in Toronto? Well I just received this photo of little baby Nathan wearing it - he's just over four months old. Isn't he cute?

Livin' Da Hobo Vida

You know how every couple of years there's a new fashion, diet or beauty fad modeled after some movie star, has-been or other? Well I have an idea for a lifestyle - The Life of a Hobo. Come on think about it - despite eating crap food, and consuming other seemingly un-nutritious foods, many of them seem to be able to live on the street for a long time. And they certainly aren't fat. And many have bountiful masses of hair without the use of all those $30 shampoos and conditioners that our hairdressers tell us we must have for healthy hair. Maybe we should take a good look at their lifestyle?

And the part that I'm most impressed with is their dogs - many of these dogs don't have leashes, they don't seem to get into fights with other dogs and in most cases seem to be very well behaved. Is it because these dogs get more exercise that the more well-off dogs? Or that their masters/owners spend more time with them? Are they taught who is master and don't get fed treats all day long? Ever watched shows like At the End of My Leash or The Dog Whisperer? These people seem to have fairly comfortable lives with nice, neat homes but out of control dogs. Or have you seen Downsize My Pet? Talk about obesity and killing your animal with kindness! I like how the owner has to eat the human equivalent of what the pet eats in one day to get the point across. There are some tired, stuffed and lethargic people after that day!

Do the dogs that live on the street go through a natural selection? Perhaps the dogs that run away - run away and aren't found and the ones that are problems are discarded? I'm not sure - but do you think I can write a book about it and make millions on my new 'fad'? What other life lessons can we learn from people who live on the street?


PS. I mean no disrespect for our homeless, I do believe it is a serious issue that our government and politicians are not handling the issues well.

Cleaning Up

Saturday morning was cold and damp and we started it out by renting a cargo van and loading all those tree branches in it for a trip to the dump. The limbs were so wet and green that they soaked through my suede gloves and then we got to touch every branch again to wing them out of the back of the van at the dump. Nice and yucky.

When I was getting dressed to go outside, I wore my good jeans actually thinking I wasn't going to get dirty. I don't know why I don't listen to that voice - whenever it says "I won't get dirty" or "I'll remember" the exact opposite happens yet I continue to believe it. Please tell me you don't always listen to that voice either.

Then we came back to the house and loaded stuff for recycling, donating and more garbage. It really bothered me when the thrift store rejected several items including one bag that not only contained good clothes but also a terrific 1 gallon fish tank including rocks, plants, filter cover, light and extra light bulbs - all you'd need was water and fish. All the way to the dump I was wrestling with the thought of throwing it (and the other items) in the dump, but when we got there I just couldn't do it. We took it home and I'll take it to another thrift store. This, I think, is going to be a trend for the future - thrift stores are so full they can afford to be picky and it's going to get worse (but I'll stop before I go into a long speech containing my ideas of economics, sociology and other related topics).

When we got home I was grubby and filthy and my hands were as rough as a lumberjack's. The boys took off for some paint ball thing and I had a bit time to clean up because, thank goodness, I had a spa party to attend. Yup - a SPARTY! (that's my new word, I'm claiming it!) Hosted by the wonderful Cynthia, our consultant Lorna was awesome - and guess what? Those lumberjack hands were gone ! No, I don't receive any endorsement bonuses, but the product worked really well.

Just to be cheeky I asked if there was a door prize, so Lorna created one and then asked us to guess her birthday - well shucks, I don't know I just keep hearing the word "April" in my head and this time I listened - and I was right! But now I feel like a schmuck because I asked for the door prize and then I won it. I hope the rest of the group doesn't think I'm a schmuck!

And Cynthia served the cutest little party picks with a piece of meat/a piece of cheese/ and a cocktail onion - so teeny, so cute, and so perfect! (there are pictures on her blog) We had yummy cucumber sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches and the naughtiest cupcakes I've ever eaten. They put so much icing on top, they should have been called Mt. St. Helen's cupcakes! I gained two pounds. Really! I weighed myself this morning and I gained weight! Dang cupcakes.

But seriously, consider hosting a party yourself - the products are terrific. And with my hands being smooth again I can continue to cross stitch and knit without snagging the thread or yarn, which is pretty much what I have done today(knit and cross stitch that is, not snag yarn or thread). I know it's a nice sunny day, but it's a bit cold for my liking so I've been sewing most of the morning.

I did take Jazz out for a walk and I'm happy to report that she's regaining her stamina - we went for about a 45 minute walk and she had enough energy to complete the walk and wasn't even panting that much! Yay, I have my dog back! A couple of firecrackers went off while we were out and she was rather skittish after that however, being on the street when they go off can sometimes help them cope with their phobia.

Over the last couple of days the leaves on my Burning Bush (it's a shrub - really!) changed from green to bright red - it's very striking. I'll have to take a picture the next time I'm on a walk of a tree just up the street from me that is a very gorgeous yellow - one of the nicest fall trees I've seen so far this year. I know I'll have to hurry before all the leaves are gone - there's always a deadline with nature, isn't there?

....and that's all I have to say about that.

Sweetest Day - October 18th

Have you ever celebrated Sweetest Day? Here's a brief history:

Observed the 3rd Saturday in the month of October, Sweetest Day observance
originated in Cleveland in 1922. Herbert Birch Kingston, a philanthropist and
candy company employee wanted to bring happiness into the lives of orphans,
shut-ins and others who were forgotten. With the help of friends, he began to
distribute candy and small gifts to the underprivileged.

On the first Sweetest Day, movie star Ann Pennington presented 2,200 Cleveland newspaper boys with boxes of candy to express gratitude for their service to the public.

Another popular movie star, Theda Bara, distributed 10,000 boxes of candy to people in
Cleveland hospitals and also gave candy to all who came to watch her film in a
local theater.

Primarily a regional observance celebrated in the Great Lakes region and the Northeast, Sweetest Day is gradually spreading to other areas of the country. People tend to take the Sweetest Day tradition with them when they move. Ohio is the top state for Sweetest Day sales, followed by Michigan and Illinois. Texas, California and Florida are among the top 10 states in sales.

Over the years, Sweetest Day has evolved into a time to express romantic love and also to show appreciation to friends

Years ago, my boyfriend (at the time) and I drove out to the town he grew up in and parked at his mom's house. We then hopped on our bikes and rode from to his elementary school. He told me where there used to be sheep that they'd pet on their way to school, and took me to the place where he'd play hooky in Junior High - what a perfect day - he'd lay on the banks of the dyke and when he was hungry - why, his mom had packed him a lunch... and then he would ride home around the same time school was out. We rode around for "A Day In the Life of __". It wasn't done on sweetest day, but that would be a nice way to celebrate - taking your mate to your old digs and showing them around and sharing stories.

JP listens very well especially to some of my very subtle comments (you know, like, "we should go there.." or "let's try this restaurant") stores them in his vault (brain) and then a couple weeks or even months later, he takes me on an adventure. Now I admit that I much prefer to plan my day, but I have enjoyed these surprises (usually afterwards) when he's parked in front of a store I had mentioned I want to visit - and I suddenly realize what he's done. Sometimes he brings me home magazines (including knitting or crochet-which is harder for a guy to buy) or chocolates that he knows I like. So I think I get 'sweetest day' throughout the year!

When I was in the flower business, we'd push it to sell more flowers, and you'll find it listed on some calendars but it still hasn't really caught on internationally. You can find out more here including some suggestions on how to celebrate the day. It's a nice way to brighten up the fall days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What do you think would be a good way to celebrate sweetest day? Do you think you'll celebrate it this year and start a tradition in your relationship? Or perhaps instead of an "expression of romatic love" you could use it as a day to show your appreciation of friends or even customers? Wouldn't that be fun?

7 Random Things

On September 6th, I was tagged for 7 Random Things about me, and I've been tagged again - which is kinda good because I have so much to tell you! This time I was tagged by Cynthia and Lorna and Barb:

Here are the rules: Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Write six random things about yourself. Tag six people at the end of your post. Let each person know he or she has been tagged. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1. I've had 3 pet rats - only beige ones with a 'saddle' because I didn't want them to look like a wild one. First there was Cindy-Puddin' Pop (you have to close slowly blink your eyes when you say "Puddin") and then I had two sisters - Baby Jane and Madelaine.

2. I've also had 4 canaries. I used to hate birds because I didn't trust them - I used to jog on my lunch hour into Stanley Park and just hated having to run by all those Canada Geese! But canaries beaks are so small they couldn't really bite me. First I had Josh - a yellow canary who turned out to be a girl. Then I had Redbird - a red canary, then a white one- which I didn't even name, and now Mr. C who is handicapped and 12 years old!

3. We try not to kill bugs in our house (like spiders) and try to do a 'catch and release' where they get sent out to the back yard, however every now and again I get scared by one and my first reaction is to squish it. I guess I still have a long way to go with the 'live and let live' concept.

4. I had long hair, all the way past my waist up to the week before high school grad and then I cut it all off and had it tightly permed. I grew it back after that and had it long until about 10 years ago.

5. My first rock concert was Iron Maiden. I know! I was a metal head during my mid-teens. AC/DC, Queensryche, Van Halen, traditional heavy metal. I bet you would never have guessed that.

6. And, after an (almost) near drowning in Okanagan Lake, I decided to face my fear of water and took adult swim lessons - I achieved the blue level. I actually really liked the water and people would tell me my form was so perfect. "You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it." (quote source here)

How's that for random?

Halloween Mania

For all you Halloween fanatics - check out this site.

And for some laughs, here's some bloopers from Martha Stewart:

Embarrassing Moment

For a Grade 9 English assignment we had to write about an embarrassing moment. I couldn't think of one (or was so embarrassed I couldn't write about it in school), so I made up a story about accidentally tucking the back of my skirt into my pantyhose after leaving the washroom at a shopping mall.

I've had other embarrassing moments since then - most involving my mouth. Have you ever seen a young dog or a young child run so fast that their legs outrun their brain and then they wipe out? (It's quite odd to see but often a very funny sight). Well that's what happens to my mouth and brain - I'm in better control these days but still things just slip out of my mouth and I say something really stupid, or really mean, or ....? (I don't even know). Usually JP tells me about it afterwards and then I'm horrified because I hadn't meant a comment to be interpretted that way and feel awful about saying something mean to that person.

Anyway, the other day JP and I were driving to the store when he stopped at the gas station to fill up. I saw this really good looking guy and decided to make eye contact with him for as long as I could. When JP returned to the car, I told him about it and he wanted to know if the guy seemed to look at me for a longer time. Why yes! Yes he did! I still got it! And we continued to drive. As we were approaching the store I pulled down the visor to check myself in the mirror and discovered that I still had a curler at the back of my head!

"Were you going to tell me?" I shrieked. Laughing, he promised he wouldn't have let me go into the store with it.

But now my brain raced back over the past 10 minutes and it made sense why that guy looked at me that way and I remembered how JP looked at the top of my head twice which I thought was odd at the time - but didn't act on 'the why'. It all made sense now.

That would have made a good story for English class, don't you think?

Thank you Thanksgiving

'Scuz me, can I have another day puh-lease?

Well I am thankful for a long weekend and feel pretty good about it. Saturday I worked on cutting down and bagging all those tree branches we cut 2 weeks ago. Apparently cutting down the branches was the easy part! And JP worked on cleaning out a storage room so we could move a bunch of work stuff that was clogging up our living room to the storage room. Of course now our carport is full of stuff to go to the dump, to charity and to recycling. He suggested we rent a pick up truck to do so and I'm all for that - let's get it out of here!

Sunday we had our Thanksgiving Dinner, and we were thankful we didn't have to have it with 21 semi-relatives, with all the other stuff that goes with it. We enjoyed a nice candlelit dinner for the 2 of us - with a baron of beef, garlic roasted mashed potatoes and brussells sprouts. Thank you!
I am so focused on getting the food on the table, I forget to take a photo before we've touched it.

Yesterday was more sorting and decluttering, for me it's a bit draining - it feels like I've been in an intense therapy session and can only do so much per session. But I'm getting better at letting more things go. I finished the zig zag socks and I started knitting with a yarn called "Sprinkles" - when I've knit it up it looks like terry cloth, and I'm making a little sweater for one of my manager's daughter's who's having a baby next month - the pattern's called Baby Yeti - isn't it cute?

Jazz is on week two of Chemotherapy. Here she's relaxing - see her cute shaved belly? I just love her little spots!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you everyone for the kind comments in my previous post - very much appreciated. So far, Jazz is doing really well. If you saw her trotting down the road, you'd think I made the whole thing up because she doesn't look like a sick dog. And the girls at the vet assure me that most dogs go through chemotherapy very well. God bless them, they are such sweet creatures (both the vet techs and dogs... giggle).

~~~~~

Well! I am so glad today is Friday and I am soooo looking forward to this long weekend - Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

With all my running around this week, I've barely had the time or the energy (or both) to do anything creative. So far I haven't even feel like decorating for Halloween - yet. I haven't bought Halloween treats either - but that's probably a good thing since I'd most likely be eating them all and have none left for the kiddies.

Here's the only thing I have managed to do this week, craftwise - a couple of hours of knitting. Here's my progress on the Jaywalker socks. The interesting thing is that this pattern takes almost TWICE the amount of yarn I used for the same sized sock in stockinette(plain knitting). This is quite intriguing! I guess that means they'll be a fairly warm and durable sock.

This morning I had to run Jazz out to the vet for her Friday injection and I had to scrape the windows on the car! Yesterday I got out the scarves, today the gloves - I guess tomorrow it'll be the winter coat. I think tonight I'll go through my closet putting all my summer clothes on the top and in the back and bringing the winter clothes to the front for easy access.

And a bunch of houseplants that are in my carport better make the trip into the house today before I lose them. And, I still haven't put everything away in my garden so I'd better bring in all the wind chimes and other decorations that don't survive the winter.

Oh man, there goes my long weekend, I have a lot of stuff to do! I am thankful for all the abundance in my life.

Do you have busy weekend plans?

Oh man, it's only Wednesday?

I woke up at 5:15am and looked at the clock and thought about laying in bed for a while because it's Saturday. But then my brain started to wake up and realized "oh man, it's only Wednesday!".

Last night at dinner I did mention to JP that it felt like a really long week, so I'm not surprised my half comatose brain was also fooled so early in the morning.

You see, Jazz was at the vet on Friday, Saturday, and Monday getting x-rays and ultrasounds, blood tests and aspirates which finally revealed lymphoma. She started chemotherapy yesterday. Now the part that I think is a bit comical is that dogs don't tend to lose their hair during chemotherapy like people do, however, since they needed to take x-rays and do other tests, they've shaved her tummy so she is bald before even starting the treatment.

So far she's doing very well and this morning she's a very happy girl. I think getting out of all those vet clinics and not having anymore pokes and jabs from IV needles etc also makes her happy and it's a good thing she likes car rides because we'll have to go to the vet on Fridays for a weekly injectable treatment. Otherwise she's enjoying chicken broth with her food and other treats she'll be getting over the next couple of months!

I asked JP to make me dinner last night because I was so drained of energy. And I was so tired last night, I couldn't even knit. The thought of picking up and holding the needles was just too much work! I'm up early today and aiming for a productive and more energetic day.

Sunday, Sunday

When I had to tell my friends that I wasn't going to be able to make our planned shopping day, did I feel like a schmuck! So many people flake on other people today I just didn't want to be one of those people. As well I sort of felt like a kid who was grounded - my friends were going on a fun shopping day and I couldn't go. I was glad when I was able to join them mid-way through the day! I felt so much better for them and about myself.


Since it was rather blah outside yesterday and I couldn't take Jazz for a walk I stayed indoors and was lazy! Although I did run to the store for some groceries so I could make the boys some chocolate chip cookies with Rice Krispies (his nanny's recipe). After that I worked on my second Jaywalker sock. And this time the kid went home after dinner which was nice for all of us, except JP who had the lonely drive in the dark (it's about a 2 hour round trip). The kid likes it at our house, and we got to have one more dinner with him, which was also nice since we won't see him next week for Thanksgiving. (next weekend? yikes!)


Are y'all still watching Mad Men? It's a pretty good show. I'm just wondering, do you think people will have Mad Men themed Halloween or other parties? Do you think anything will spin off from it like the Cosmopolitan cocktail did from Sex and the City? Will domesticity return or drinking in the office? What will it be?

A shopping day which almost wasn't

Today was a planned shopping trip with Cynthia and Carol but it almost didn't happen.

I had taken Jazz to the vet on Friday and they needed to x-ray her chest but the x-rays didn't work and so I had to drop her off again today. Friday, I told Cynthia I wasn't coming. However, all was not lost as I was able to meet up with them after dropping off Jazz and so I joined then 1/2 way through the day and we were still able to go to:

• the wool shop (where I bought sock yarn and yarn for a baby gift)
• the quilt store (where I bought fabric for a quilt for the kid, and some remnants)
• the farmer's market (where I bought kettle corn, for everyone)
• a cute home decor store (where I talked Cynthia into buying the cutest picture frame for her new pup)
• lunch (where I had a quesadilla.... that didn't agree with me at all, just in case you wanted to know)
• The Apple Farm to pick our own Jonagold's and buy other items such as ornamental gourds, pumpkins and peppers (where I bought apples [duh] and corn on the cob, and apple cider, and tea and honey sticks)

Despite the rain today, we still had a good time.

However, after The Apple Farm I went to pick Jazz up and found out she's got fluid in her chest cavity. They even took a sample of it to go to the lab. oh-oh. They've also referred me to a clinic in Vancouver where she'll either see an Internist or a Criticalist on Monday or Tuesday. She's been prescribed antibiotics and diuretics.

We've also been told to keep her calm, so no more walks at the moment. Doctor's orders, she must stay calm.

She had a bland dinner of broth, plain white rice and a bit of kibble. Now she's resting on her pillows in her kennel. I'm going to leave her there but I'll keep checking on her so she'll stay nice and calm tonight. And, I'm actually happy that it's windy and raining so hard because that means the chances of fireworks to upset her (she's very noise phobic) are a lot less as well.

And now I'm going back to knitting my Jaywalker Sock.

Did you have a good weekend?

Treats in the Mail!

Coolio! Swag received! I heard the mailman stuffing something into my mailbox a few minutes ago and I found a package that contained this awesome sock yarn, stitch markers, sock pattern and a magnet addressed to me! Thanks Secret Pal! That's so awesome of you (I left you a message on your home phone#). Quel surprise!

I love knitting socks, especially ones with stitch patterns! The kit is from Robin's Nest ! Very awesome. Thank you so much! Now I'd better finish my Jaywalker socks so I can start on these!

In other crafty news, I finished the tea towel - here's my BC girl, complete with the provincial flower and an image of logging, I also marked the provincial capital and added our established date:

And the whole towel with 2 other people's contributions:

Let's do lunch!

Normally I live a pretty quiet existence, free to do as I please - after work of course! But in the last couple of days I've had appointments here and appointments there even a vet appointment for sweet Jazz (this afternoon). It's just so different for me, having to check my day book before I go to bed and first thing in the morning to make sure I don't forget something - I am just not used to that anymore!

JP laughs at me whenever I have a work appointment or when I talk about getting a job outside of home because he doesn't think I could handle the commute anymore. I still think I could handle it, since I did it all through my twenties including commuting from downtown to Burnaby or New Westminster, or from Vancouver to Coquitlam even - yes, I've lived in all those communities plus a few more. And I am a much calmer driver now. I would not like to commute because it's such a big waste of time which is one of the reasons I put up with the craziness of my job because when I walk away from my desk at quitting time, I can immediately start on whatever it is the I want - and that's a very good thing.

I do miss the lunch time shopping and being able to get some errands done at lunch, plus actually going out for lunch which when I think back, I'd do at least 2-3 times a week. Now, a lunch out may be 5 times a year and usually with my husband or girlfriends.

I remember when I first started working in downtown Vancouver - I think I spend an average of $50/day at lunchtime on clothes and other items. It was so much fun to be downtown! I think my family loved it too because I'd bring home very unique Christmas and birthday presents and also very unique bakery items for special occasions. Oh and all the great restaurants we had on speed dial - Joe Fortes, Le Crocodile, Alberto's, Cin Cin's and more! (sigh) back in the day... back in the day when our manager would take us out for a MONTH END lunch and drinking wine with lunch was acceptable and seemed to be encouraged, and we've have lunch for a couple of hours. At the company I work for now - we're lucky if we get a Christmas dinner once every three years - because we're all working from home offices. However, sometimes I'm glad I don't have to sit with work people and 'make conversation' because the only thing we have in common is our job and we don't want to talk about that. So I get questions like "how's your dog?" or "done any gardening lately" because that's all they really know about me. And then the boys start talking about fishing or hockey and I start flirting with the waiter or chit chatting with the waitress.

Is it still like that out there?

Some people are mean!

Today I was at the medical lab for some blood tests, etc. No worries... my doctor is proactive and just wants to see how I'm doing. One of the tests requires me to fast - which is really hard because I'm up at 5:30 and the clinic's not open until 8 and that's a long time to wait for breakfast! But I took a book with me and didn't think too much of it.

But while I was sitting in the waiting area, a couple of times I thought I heard someone swearing so I'd look up and scan the room but didn't see anyone in action or anyone that looked like they were ticked off about something, so I went back to reading. A short time later I was called to the back for the blood sample and heard a nurse/technician say to a guy a couple of chairs down from me "well we can take it if you want, what would you like?" He he was swearing at her/at the situation. Again she tried to accommodate this guy, but to no avail, he stormed out of the lab. I said cheerily "you can take my blood" to make light of the situation but the lady was still shaken up a bit so I said "It's not your fault". She acknowledged what I said, repeated it and thanked me.

I'm not telling this story for a pat on the back, rather in sympathy for the nurse/technician. I realize I have no idea of the man's story, but really, do we need to treat others this way? The poor lady was just doing her job. I hope that I helped a bit to make the rest of her day go better. I think many people forget how their actions affect other people, and sometimes quite dramatically. One comment said can be easily and quickly forgotten but the recipient can carry those words for many years.

The good part is that I know all my readers are the good people but I know that some of them have been victims of these other people and that is truly unfortunate. So on this beautiful and sunny October 1st I wish you all a glorious day and many positive thoughts.

(gee do I sound a bit preachy? maybe I should not write after I've fasted for 10 hours and they've taken a bunch of blood out of me! oopsy!)