No news is '?' news.

Well, still nothing from CN. Except that the nurse (from their medical office in Edmonton) called to ask how the appointment went.
 
But other than that! Nada.
 
Trust me, as soon as I know, there will be an update.
 
Because I will probably be freaking out.
_____________________________________________

Marley is back from the vets. I was so anxious about her getting knocked out to have her teeth cleaned, even as necessary as it was, that I think I made her nervous before she had any idea she would have to go to the vets.
 
I was cuddling her the whole night before, and then when we took her food away, she stared at us for the rest of the night.
 
This morning we dropped her off, and as we went through all of the paperwork, we decided to get the pre-anesthesia blood screening done (results in minutes, and they'd call us if there was a problem) to see if there is any liver, kidney, etc. disease or dehydration, or just anything that might cause complications during the dental procedure. It cost us a little extra ($40) but just the thought that they would call us if there might possibly be anything that could cause a problem made me feel a little bit better about the whole thing.
 
We also decided to get her microchipped while she was under. They put the chip between her shoulder blades, and aside from a small scab on her back, I don't think she cares. But, at least if she runs away/ gets lost/ whatever, we have a much higher chance of getting her back. (We'd still put up posters EVERYWHERE!!! :) That's the kind of overly anxious 'parent' I am to her...)
 
So the microchipping was another $40, but it's a one time fee, and it is free to update addresses. By the way, Mom 'n' Dad, you are an alternate contact on the sheet. :)
 
The vet decided that Marley didn't need any teeth extracted (YAY!!! I know first hand from very recently that it sucks. And she wouldn't get Tylenol. Or whatever else.) so I was very happen to hear that she didn't need any after care besides love and maybe softer food if it seems to hurt her to eat.
 
She's doing great. She was still wobbly when we got her home, and stayed that way for awhile, and she sat on the couches staring at us, half dopey, half 'whoa, man' kind of look...
 
It was super cute.
 
We encouraged her to eat, we figured getting some food in her system might help the anesthesia to wear off quicker. She was still a little dopey after 9, but I am sure she'll be back to normal soon.
_________________________________________
 
I think I have a pinched nerve in my left hip.
 
I slipped on some ice in the driveway about 12 days ago, and aside from what felt like a minor torn muscle, I thought I was fine. I relaxed in the tub that night, and felt better over the next few days.
 
I started to notice that the skin above my left knee felt like it was burning, and was very sensitive to hot and cold, touching, walking, etc. (Pants hurt. Bad.) And my knee started to get sore. And then my hip. If I bend a certain way, or lift my leg, or go up the steps to the house using my left leg first, it really freaking hurts. The pain in my knee is dull, achey, throbbing, kind of like a bad bruise, and the pain in my hip is sharp, stabbing, 'hot' pain, that extends into the joint and up my back if I bend the worst way possible.
 
My last 2 shifts at work have been worked through the miracle that is Tylenol. I took the maximum daily amount of extra strength Tylenol in 8 hours. Both days. I felt kinda dopey at work, but my hip didn't hurt, just felt stiff. I have a feeling I am going to get told I shouldn't have done that, that it might have made things worse, and I know. But we are getting extremely short staffed at work, while we are getting busier (cashiers are quitting left right and center, 3 in the last week alone, leaving myself, a full timer, a part timer who can only work 6 p.m. till midnight who is also thnking of quitting, and a casual weekends only person. Yeah, totally not enough. Need another 3 people. FT. At least.
 
Anyway, back to the hip thing, meaning the hip-knee injury thingy.
 
I am going to see the doctor tomorrow morning, and hopefully this is something that will heal relatively quick, and preferably so that I can still go to work while it heals, maybe just with limited movement or something.
 
As a result of all the people quitting (one was by a phone call - with good reason, her father has just gotten news he is dying and she is moving to Edmonton to be with him. It really sucks, and we all feel so terrible about it.) the schedule has been rearranged a few times, and now I am closer to 40 hrs/week than ever before.
 
Oh, did I mention I am now considered a senior cashier? I started in November. How bad is that!
 
Oh, we also have the head cashier, who is pregnant and leaving for mat leave in ~4 months (?), but half of her shifts are in the office doing the cash up while the normal cashup person has days off. (Oh, the normal person who does the cashup is thinking of leaving, too.)
 
And we have temporary help from a woman who works in the deli (they call it the micro kitchen), who can't work in the deli because she has a broken wing. She's still faster than some at cashing, though. She is so high energy. She cannot sit still for a moment. (Both good and bad at the same time, but interesting!)
 
But basically, after everybody who has already quit is done, there will be 4. Maybe.
 
I am tired. Going to go to sleep. :)
 
Blaine

Cross your fingers and toes

 
And maybe braid your hair for good luck, too!
 
Chris and I went to Edmonton on tuesday for his final appointment that was needed so that the chief medical guy at CN would be satisfied that his tourette's is not an issue (in relation to the job!)
 
The two appointments that he had to go to went spectacularily well, and Chris's dad found out he was apparently their first pick after the exams (logic) and interviews. No wonder they are spending money on fancy schmancy doctors to prove he's okay!
 
Well, he's more than okay, he's great!
 
We should hear within a week from CN, and Chris would be training in Edmonton for 5 weeks starting the end of March... meaning Blaine will be in an Empty house, but whatev. I have Marley.
 
The only potential issue we've been dealing with, is that he'd be working out of Edson, and so he'd have to drive an hour each way before and after his ~14 ish hour trips (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. And that's one way, with a rest period in between.).
 
And since I worry enough as it is, and that particular stretch of HWY 16 has taken more than it's fair share of lives and vehicles during the winter months, it looks like we'll be moving to Edson before the fall. Hopefully before September 1st, because we'll be busy then...
 
I just heard that C+G set a date of September 1st! Whoop whoop whoop! Cool!
 
But I have to go now, Chris is outside, he has been working on getting his powered remote controlled truck running, and it sounds like he did! And he wants me to go see.
 
:)
 
 

 

Wow!

 
It's been over a month since we adopted Marley, and it feels like we've known her forever.
 
Already she knows that I am her Mommy, and Chris is her Daddy. Apparently, like all the other strong, independant Alpha-type females in my family, I am The Boss.
 
She listens to me more than Chris, basically.
 
But she sleeps more with him, and if he stays up late, will sleep on the couch in the living room until he starts to turn off lights.
 
:) Many things to talk about, all about Marley!
 
We've kind of settled on feeding her the Purina Beneful Healthy Radiance dog food, as opposed to the Purina Pro Plan 18.1 KG bag that she's eaten maybe 2 lbs. of. She'll eat it if she's really hungry, but she actually likes the other stuff.
 
So, either we mix it in (and watch her eat around it), or donate it to friends or a local SPCA. Do they accept open bags of food? I sure hope so!
 
She actually has a pattern when eating the food she does like. (It's comprised of several different shapes, and I'm guessing they are different flavors, too.)
 
She eats the red ones first, then the clover shaped ones, and works her way through it, leaving the little brown ones, and the dark green ones until last.
 
I'm doing well, am getting trained in several different things at work, partially because they are impressed with me, partially because one of the more experienced girls just gave her notice, and the 'Head Cashier' (which I am pretty sure the job description reads: "know lots, able to authorize cashing checks and refunds, but basically do nothing else. At all. Distract other workers from their duties as often as possible, and stand around and gossip. Oh, and be High and Mighty about it, too.") is about 3 months pregnant and will be going on maternity leave soonish. (She might have to go earlier than usual, apparently she was told 7 years ago after she had her son and then went in for emergency surgery that she wouldn't be able to have any more children, also know as, don't get your hopes up to have any more. Something like that. So she's super happy to be preggers, and we all think it's cool - and she glows - but with the hours being cutback, and people leaving left right and centre... it's getting crazy!
 
So, that's my job. Well, the more gossipy side of it. (I HAD to tell someone. Chris listens, but I don't think he really cares about all of this gossipy stuff. I don't blame him. It's just that, or talk about Marley even more. (We talk about her a lot.)
 
Speaking of, (go figure), we've now determined that Marley needs to socialize. She seems to have a nervous stomach when it comes to company, and so we want to try to get her de-sensitized before May.
 
Our plan is to try to get 'strange' people (to her) to come over, so that she will start to feel less  overwhelmed when more strange people come over. And, we also want to get her to the point of knowing that's she's safe in her kennel, or in our bedroom if she decides to go into either while guests are here. That way, she can feel safe in May when we go to the cabins (with the kennel). She'll have a place to hide from Patches!
 
I just get the feeling that we might run out of strange people before she becomes de-sensitized. (I'd rather it be people WE trust, so we don't feel weird, too. She'd pick up on our nervousness, too. She really reacts to it if we're cranky or sad or frustrated, so we are trying to make sure to send positive energy to her.)
 
Anyway, my back is sore, it's late, and I want to go soak in the tub. I will try to upload pictures soon, I have a couple of cool ones from when Joy and Mat and Willy came to visit.
 
:)
 
Lots of luv, Blaine

 
 
 

Common Sense is dead

R.I.P.

 
 Today we mourn the passing of a beloved
>
>old friend, Common Sense,
>
>who has been with us for many years.
>
>No one knows for sure how old he was,
>
>since his birth records were lost long ago
>
>lost in bureaucratic red tape.
>
>He will be remembered as having cultivated
>
>such valuable lessons as knowing
>
>when to come in out of the rain,
>
>why the early bird gets the worm,
>
>life isn't always fair,
>
>and maybe it was my fault.
>
>Common Sense lived by simple,
>
>sound financial policies
>
>(don't spend more than you earn)
>
>and reliable parenting strategies
>
>(adults, not children, are in charge).
>
>His health began to deteriorate rapidly
>
>when well intentions but overbearing
>
>regulations were set in place.
>
>Reports of teens suspended from school
>
>for using mouthwash after lunch;
>
>and a teacher fired for reprimanding
>
>an unruly student,
>
>only worsened his condition.
>
>Common Sense lost ground
>
>when parents attacked teachers for doing
>
>the job they themselves failed to do,
>
>in disciplining their unruly children.
>
>It declined even further
>
>when schools were required
>
>to get parental consent to administer
>
>Panadol, sun lotion or a
>
>Band Aid to a student -
>
>but could not inform the parents
>
>when a student became pregnant and
>
>wanted to have an abortion.
>
>Common Sense lost the will to live
>
>as the Ten Commandments became
>
>contraband,
>
>churches became businesses,
>
>and criminals received better
>
>treatment than their victims.
>
>Common Sense took a beating
>
>when you couldn't defend yourself
>
>from a burglar in your own home
>
>and the burglar can sue you for assault.
>
>Common Sense finally gave up the will
>
>to live after a woman failed to realize that
>
>a steaming cup of coffee was hot.
>
>She spilled a little in her lap,
>
>and was promptly awarded
>
>a huge settlement.
>
>Common Sense was preceded in death by
>
>his parents, Truth and Trust;
>
>his wife, Discretion;
>
>his daughter, Responsibility;
>
>and his son, Reason.
>
>He is survived by three step-brothers;
>
>I Know My Rights,
>
>Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm A Victim.
>
>Not many attended his funeral because
>
>so few realized he was gone.
>
>If you still remember him,
>
>pass this on.
>
>If not, join the majority and do nothing.

 

Gah!

She pooped in the computer room.

While I was in the shower.

About an hour after I took her outside because she wanted to go outside (she didn't do anything).

About half an hour after she ate (I should have known.) Dogs that aren't free fed usually have to go within half an hour to forty five minutes of getting their meal. Dogs that are free fed (bowl is kept full) it is harder to know when they will need to go. (Thanks to google.ca for the search on animal behaviour and a bunch of other information related to the attempted training of an older dog to not go in the house.)

I think we'll have to buy a crate. I just feel so bad when I put them in it.

And then, if we use it for punishment, we can't use it for travelling or anything else, because she'll think she's been bad.

Oh well.

Yeah, so life is pretty good.

Joy, Mat and Willy are coming to visit us this weekend!

Pretty sweet, especially since it was just last weekend (8 days ago) that Mom and Dad came to visit!

YAY!!!

Now, I just need to get Jarrod out here. (HA! Wild horses might be needed, I hear! JK!)

Apparently, the best way to get everyone to visit is to add a family member. Four legged or two is up to you, I guess! We're sticking with the four legged kind.

We've been in a bit of a cold snap (people from Cold Lake, please don't attack me!) It's gotten to -15 Celcius during the day, and it gets to about - 25 at night. We've gotten more snow lately than in most other weeks of this winter. (Chinooks help to melt it all.)

But we, in this 'lucky' part of the country/province, are also paying for it in other ways. The roads in and out of town are extremely dangerous. HWY 16 has seen many accidents this winter (though I don't know if it's more or less than normal ? just moved here, don't know the stats so well). The road to Jasper was closed a lot before December, and now I keep hearing that HWY 16 is bad from Edmonton to Hinton, the absolute worst being between Edson and Hinton.

So, anyone who talks to Joy, Mat, or Willy who reads this, please tell them to be careful driving, especially at night! And have charged cell phones! I am sure that they won't listen to my warnings, just like other people, when it comes to the roads here!

Lots of hills, lots of traffic, lots of animals, lots of friggin idiots...

All that plus a speed limit of 110 km/hr = DANGEROUS!!!

So yeah, if you ever some out this way in less than perfect conditions, please!!! Please!!!! PLEASE!!!! use caution. Plenty of it. Do the speed limit, or less. Chris and I have driven to Edmonton from here going between 60 km/hr and 90/hr depending on what the roads are like. There is two lanes, so anyone who wants to go faster can go around, and unless the visibility is squat, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to see you in time to slow down or go around. (Unless they are complete idiots and like to drive really fast in basically the kind of conditions that make you feel blind!

Yeah. So my little lecture about driving to Hinton to visit me in bad weather conditions and the idiots you will face while driving is over. Maybe. For now.

I read a meme that I think might be interesting, but am trying to come up with 6 weird things about me. That I can describe in less than 3000 words.

:) Maybe next post.

Marley is doing great. Her eating schedule is weird. She'll eat lots one day, a little the next, practically none the next, then kinda go back up again. And of course she poos like crazy during the part where she isn't eating very much.

I think she's just a little weirdo.

But I love her anyway!

I am making her little booties (the snow gets in between her toes and then she wants to come in because it freezes her poor little paws) since we haven't found any that would be anywhere near her size.

Going to go straighten my hair... trying to leave it down more, to see if having my hair up was the reason for my more frequently occurring headaches.

:)

Blaine

I don't know what to do.

Marley seems to think that several rooms in the house are for peeing, and even pooing, which she did once. She has gone 3 times in my computer room, once (today) in Chris' computer room, twice on the bath mat in the bathroom, and twice in the spare bedroom. Basically every room except the small bathroom (door is kept closed) and the rooms she sleeps/eats/plays in.

Save for making her sleep in all the other rooms, and playing and eating in them one by one, I don't know what to do.

Plus, a messed up sleep schedule has my meds side effects working overtime.

I feel like crap, and am on the verge of crying/freaking out/crying every time any little thing happens. Plus, the depression kicks in soon after that stuff, and it's really hard to deal with it all.

It's exhausting.

Plus the fact that if I don't clean up her messes (when I am on lunch and have very limited time), it apparently won't get done.

I am also frustrated. Can you tell?

On the plus side, I got the raise I was supposed to get at 30 days, plus the retroactive pay...

Still barely breaking even with bills and C. O. L. up here.

Gotta go eat something so I don't feel sick later.

:) Blaine

Marley is doing excellent

save for the 'accident' in my computer room earlier today (it probably still smells like cats- this is the room they were in for 3 months) (keep in mind this is her third accident in this room, out of four total). and then there was the accident in our bathroom that I found when I got home from work.

I wondered why she didn't have to go when I got home (she was only alone for 4 hours) and found it where I least expected it. Not surprising it's in the place where we go, I guess, but still.

It's kind of frustrating that she pees in my little sanctuary whenever she gets the chance... But at the same time, I don't blame her, and other than stern "Bad girl" type talking, I don't really punish her. (Not sure any other way. Besides physical, which I can't and WON'T do.)

About a week ago, Marley started getting sick, and she vomited twice after coming in from having a large bowel movement. We called the vet to see if they had any suggestions, and after giving a few more details, they said to bring her in right away. The vet checked for abdominal sensitivity, and tightness, and a million other things, and was impressed at what all we had done for her since we'd gotten her. He determined that she just had an upset stomach, and gave us a syringe (not needle) with which we were to give her Pepto Bismol. A few times.

For the record: She doesn't like it.

Anyhoo, the third and final dose we were told to give her, she vomitted right back up, and then within about ten minutes, she vomitted another two times. (Once, very abruptly on my blanket, and then she jumped off the bed in time to go again on the carpet.) This was at about 2 in the morning, and I had to work at 11, but started to get really upset. I was worried, and didn't know if I should call the vet's emergency number (especially since they would charge us a lot more for an emergency than the regular exam (which was about $55. Is that a reasonable amount?) and we were running a little low on extra funds.)

We figured that we would wait until the morning, try giving her some baby food (vet's recommendation for after a bout of stomach upset - start her on bland meat flavored baby food that contains no onions. Onion powder is fine, but onions are apparently toxic to dogs.)

She ate the 3 Tbsps of baby food I gave her, and so an hour later, I gave her another 2 Tbsps, which she readily gobbled and looked at me expectantly. I waited another hour to give her a little more, and went and had a shower. When I was just about ready for work, I stepped in yet another little pile of, you guessed it, doggie vomit. This one was obviously the last bit of baby food I gave her (I had three different kinds, and they were pretty distinguishable). I changed my sock cleaned it up, consoled her a bit, and went to work.

She has been fine since.

Yesterday, we brought her down to the vet for the free checkup that came with the adoption (the vet honored it) and we asked the vet just shy of a million questions.

Not only was the vet still inquiring about how she did after the last time he saw her, (they called a couple of days after the first visit, too!) but he answered each of our questions very thoroughly, and even complimented us on asking the right questions, and said that Marley is in a good home. (I wasn't in the room for that part, halfway through the visit I was overcome with nausea and had to leave. I was fine, but after he showed us one thing: the draining of the @n@l * sacs (this website's blog entry describes it pretty clearly for those who seriously want to know), I started to feel a little ill. Which was weird, because I've never become sick to my stomach from a sight or smell, and it wasn't really that bad.

The vet reassured me that it is a fairly frequent reaction. **

*I'm hoping using the @ symbol will stop any extra traffic that might be looking for something else.

Yeah, so the visit went overall very well, and we learned an awful lot (like Chris can take her for that part of the visit from now on, or if he so chooses, can do it here... blech) and the best part is that it was free.

The only thing that might eventually become a concern is a lump centered right between the corners of her jaw on the bottom of her chin, which right now the vet is not concerned about, but mentioned to keep an eye on it, and if it gets bigger then we will get it checked.

There is only one thing that is already a concern, and that is her teeth. She will need to be knocked out to get them cleaned, and the vet already knows that a few of them will have to be extracted (poor puppy). She's got black cavities on a few different teeth, and he cleared some pus from a part of her gum, so he figures the sooner the better, but that it's not yet urgent.

Until she gets it done, we have been soaking her food in water. She won't eat it when it is hard unless she absolutely has to (practically starving) and I think that's why she seemed so underweight when we got her. (She gained at least a pound!).

She will pick up a piece of hard food, taste it, do a test crunch (lightly) and spit it out. We end up with more food on the towel her dishes are on than in the dish, and she rarely eats any of it. So, to make it easier on her overall health, we figure softening it is the way to go. She readily eats way more food than I thought she would when it is softened, and until she starts to get pudgy (she gets a fair amount of exercise), we aren't going to limit her food intake. (We only put down so much, softened, and then if she doesn't eat it within an hour or so, we throw it out (don't want it to go bad then eat it. We think that may have been what happened before, in combination with a lot of stress from the day before.)

So. Yeah.

Marley's good. I'm good. **No, I am not preggers.

Chris is good, too.

I'm cold right now, but other than that...

yeah.

Will post a few more pictures soon. Have a cute one of her in her jacket that she only wore once, and shakes quite violently if we try to put it on her again.

:) Will post more soon... need to go get socks on, and a sweater... make some tea... curl up on the couch... maybe clean the house....

:) Blaine

We got a dog!

Chris and I have been talking/thinking about it for quite awhile now, and I have been looking at the various websites of the different SPCA/Humane Society/Shelter/Pound/Whatever's that I could find.

Well, out of all of the shelters in Alberta, there were 3 possible dogs we could adopt, all in the same 'society'. S.H.A.R.E.S. (Safe Haven Animal Rescue Edmonton Society) is the one we found Marley, Lexus and Mason at. Both Lexus and Mason were cocker spaniel crosses, female spayed and male unaltered, respectively.

Marley, however, was a female poodle crossed with what they thought might be bichon frise. (Once I saw her... holy shamoly, definitely bichon frise). The website had no pictures of Marley, as she is camera shy (still is).

But Chris had an appointment in Edmonton this afternoon, so I went along, and we made arrrangements to meet Marley and Lexus. (Lexus had another potential adopter coming already, so they said that she might not even be an option. I was more interested in Marley anyway.)

Long story short, we now have her here at home. :)

Some of the bad to go with the good: her hair was very badly matted when we met her, and her tail was sort of matted to her body. She was therefore very lumpy, and we weren't sure if we were hurting her when we were carrying her... I spent some time trimming the mats, well, most of them, and now she is much healthier looking! We also gave her a quick bath, and hopefully the conditioner we used will help with what we hope/think was just dry skin!

She is white ish... and surprisingly looks kind of like Pookie did. At times. When she is laying down she looks like Pookie, when she's standing, she looks like a bigger, white version of Ember. Sort of.

I will post pictures soon!

She weighs (guesstimate) about 7 lbs. She's very light. And so far, is a picky eater.

She is about 7 years old, or at least that's the guess from the people at SHARES. She is very well behaved, rarely barks or whines, is excellent on a leash, and they suspect she has been spayed, but they aren't sure. They didn't have any background information on her, but she is up to date with her parvo virus vaccination, and we have a 'coupon' for a free vet exam within 14 days of adoption. If the vet says that she isn't spayed, SHARES will pay for her to be.

She is still getting used to us, and I can only imagine what thoughts are in her head as we are trying to pet her and get her used to us.

(She has so far been freaked out by the dishwasher draining water, the furnace several times (it's loud), and ?the house settling?... she barked for no real reason...)

She is very shy, but I think that will go away with time.

But I have to work tomorrow morning, and will be home after 5 p.m.

To play with our new doggy!

Yay!

An Inconvenient Truth

 
An Inconvenient Truth.

It's a good movie.
 
I just watched it. And it kind of scared me. To think about what the world might be like (or worse) by the time I am forty, let alone, seventy years old... It kind of makes me sick.
 
This movie shows the real data about Global Warning. I know that here in Canada, it's not quite as bad as some other (more to the south) countries, one in particular is absolutely horrible, but I still think that everybody should be doing absolutely everything they can to reduce the problems.
 
The website is www.climatecrisis.net and has a TON of information about how you can do your part.
 
I wish this movie had been made 20 years ago. I wish Al Gore had gotten Florida instead of Bush. I wish a lot of things, and today, they are changing. My mind is changed. I've been a recycler for some time, and other than because my parent's did it and it was a learned habit, I never really knew why. I have 'suffered' through ridicule when I told people I recycle. I have been laughed at when I take cans out of the garbage. I have not cared each and evey time, and never really wondered why. It was always just who I was, and if people didn't like that, then they could leave. 
 
I am trying to think of things to do, more things to do, to help out. I want to compost rather than fill garbage dumps (apparently composting is not really recommended around Hinton, as it attracts animals... like bears and cougars, which are already a problem.). I want to share these thoughts with as many people as I possibly can, and encourage as many people I know to watch this movie. Not just because I care about the issue, but because I care about you, our futures.
 
So please rent this movie the next time you go to the movie store. Or borrow it from a friend. Or download it, I don't care. Just watch it. It won't be time wasted, and it might save our lives, our kids' lives. (especially those not yet born, or even conceived!)  

And Just so you know, I love you!
 
:) Big Hugs
 
Blaine

 
 
 

Happy New Year

Hope it's shiny and wrapped in plastic, with the new car smell!

Or something.

:)

So... christmas was definitely rushed for us. After a long drive, we got to Mom and Dad's much earlier than they'd expected, and we ended up being so tired that we had to have a nap that night...

Christmas morning was good, lots of smiles, we played games later on, and Chris, Joy, Mat and I made fools of ourselves playing "Don't be a dork"... It's an interesting game in case you want to know, but I don't think I'd play it again.

(By some freaking miracle, I won the game we were playing, so I won't feel the need to accomplish that.)

Hmmm... my thoughts were totally derialed by a train, so gonna go...
:)