Anybody Miss Me???

Yeah, I missed all of you.... aw, shucks. I woulda, coulda, shoulda posted last night but thought I'd best concentrate on getting myself set up for a fresh week here at work. Then I caught myself up on all my regular blog reads; if you all wouldn't write so much I might have had some time left to write something myself. Ahem..... er.... maybe not.... by then my eyes were too tired. First night back is always a long one.

So, no really big news here except Lynda had arranged for her brother to install some hardwood flooring in one of the main floor bedrooms. That worked out well. He and his son made a beginning on Friday night, worked away on it all day Saturday and finished up around 9 that evening. By days end Lynda had decided to bite the bullet and fork out the cash to buy an equal amount of flooring for the bedroom right next door. That installation is supposed to happen this coming weekend. It's so nice to have family close by who are handy. I managed to lend a hand occasionally but otherwise stayed out of their way. Now Lynda can apply some of what she has learned from watching hundreds of hours of home improvement and decorating shows.

Toward the end of last week I spent much of my time outside working around the house and yard. We had a couple of sunny, chilly but wind-still days that made for good working conditions. I was able to strip off a couple of the usual layers of clothes and still work up a bit of a sweat. A good deal of time was spent raking the front and back lawns and getting all the leaf debris bagged. Most of it had gone into a neighbours trailer for a trip to the dump but late in the day Saturday I headed back out to do a bit more before the sun set. Foolishly I left a few bags sitting in front of the shed door. Early Sunday after letting the dogs out I heard Lynda freaking out and shouting at Milo. I ran for the nearest window in time to catch him body slamming and tearing into one of the bags with his teeth. He managed to demolish two of them before even letting on he heard us hollering at him to STOP IT!! Then he gave us a look that said 'What's the matter with you two?? I was just having a bit of fun here!!' Lord, leaves everywhere again!! Gotta love him!

One thing about blogland is that over time you come to think quite a lot of, and about, the people you come to 'know' here. Sometimes I comment pretty freely on topics that are written about; other times things can seem too close to the bone and I find myself holding back. I get in a dither wondering if input is welcome at times, or not. Every once in awhile I extend myself in hopes that what I have to offer will be considered in the light and spirit it was intended. Hell, I'm no authority on most stuff but hey, I've been around quite a long time now and been through some stuff of my own. There were many times I could have used some unbiased advice about many things. Anyway, it's nice when those things get acknowledged in a positive way when I've offered some encouragement or let someone know they are being thought of. A feel-good situation, to be sure.

Last night I had kind of an odd conversation with a woman who I thought initially was looking for treatment information. Then it got twisted when she said she had been led to believe we offered aid to abused women. I thought at the beginning of the conversation that she was drunk which wouldn't have been at all unusual for our callers. Something seemed wrong though so I kept her on the line instead of redirecting her. Seems she had been calling a variety of resources during the night and kept being passed off from one agency to another and she was getting increasingly frustrated. It turned out that she wasn't drunk at all; she had a historic brain injury that affected her ability to form thought, translate those thoughts into speech, to speak clearly and be fully understood. Slowly, over the course of an hour we explored the resources she had plugged into and had lined up; reviewed her medical conditions, medications and their side effects; checked into what other local resources might be of help in her situation; and had a plan together for her to follow up on come morning. She was able to go to bed with some clarity of direction and the knowledge that she had been heard. God bless her - I hope she finds the most appropriate help.

Cool (as in cold) Pictures

Here are a few that have been taken over the last couple of weeks.

This is dog tracks frozen in the ice and snow.






















This was taken while it was still snowing. Shot from our kitchen/patio door toward the greenbelt.

A wider view from the same spot that shows more of our yard. Birch tree, willow, grape vines, wind mill.

A couple of shots got lost here so I'll publish these and try to track down the others.

Slow Motion Man

By the time I got home this morning I had been up for 21 hours and surprisingly felt pretty good. I had gone through a tired stage through the night and that was why when I posted I kept it on the short side and to the point - a bare bones account of the weekend. It seems that tonight is when I'm paying the price. The dogs had me awake around mid-day and I've been up and around ever since. Ever feel like you're slogging along wearing a heavy damp cloak long after your energy has run out?? That is me tonight on 4 or 5 hours sleep. During the day I kept busy with household stuff - laundry, dusting and vacuuming, and cooking - and managed to get away from the house to make it to work a bit early.

Primarily for our youngest dogs benefit (Milo), Lynda and I have adjusted our work schedules so he is well tended to. We had a talk tonight and decided we've done this long enough, he is grown enough that this shouldn't continue to be necessary. So, at long last she and I will have some common time at home instead of an hour here and there spotted through the week. Hallelujah!! Lynda will go back to her regular day shift and occasional rotation into a week of afternoon shift instead of every other week. We will enjoy having the chance to actually go out and do things together again.

We haven't had any sun since getting that dumping of new snow but I did get a couple of pictures that could be alright to post. There also hasn't been a breath of wind so everything has an 8 to 12 inch hat of pristine snow atop. Looks pretty damned cool. Really must get back into posting photos on a regular basis again - there's a worthy goal.

Today marks 6 years since Lynda quit smoking; or 2192 days.... and she has never looked back. Doesn't miss it and has no cravings. Pretty remarkable since she went along with my sister and I to the hypnotherapist not really intending a serious quit attempt. Right time; right place; right outcome. Sister Linda is coming up on a year soon via a different method. I'm back pretty well where I started; smoking daily but not as heavily as before.

Shotgun!!

Just sayin' - this will likely be a mish-mash of everything, all depending on how long I can continue typing away here.

New Years..... a couple of people have asked. We were undecided about which option we might choose and it was the weather that eventually determined we would stay in to celebrate. Through the day I went food shopping and picked up a small roast of beef. I slow roasted it along with some onion, garlic and sweet potatoes in a simmering sauce I threw together; did up some beets for a side dish. Lynda was home by 4; we ate around 6. I kept popping outside with the dogs and the temperature kept on dropping through the evening until it was down to about -20C. If we had to park and walk to the arena we had planned to go to we would have frozen by the end of a couple of blocks. We decided quite happily to stay in. Lynda was asking me where all our games had gone. Neither of us could remember if we had thrown them out back when we split and I moved, or if I had taken them with me to the townhouse where they would be gathering dust in the basement. So no Yahtzee, no Boggle, no cards, nothing.... we watched a 2 hour show on TV, then headed to the basement for bed. Lynda found the event we were going to attend being broadcast on the local cable station so we got to see the festivities and music acts anyway. Unfortunately we were both so tired we didn't manage to stay awake until the countdown at midnight.

New Years Day was full with some housework, a bunch of phone calls to family spread across the country, and packing my gear for that overnight shift Friday. I tried to find time to post from work Friday but that idea didn't pan out. I was the guy on the bubble here that day; short staffed to boot. My workload was actually light as my admission didn't show and the guys due to be discharged had left a day early. I ran one afternoon meeting session and hosted the in-house evening meeting. After 17 hours on the floor I was burnt and ready for bed. Unfortunately, as often happens to me here on those shifts, I was unable to sleep with the details of the day swirling through my brain. Back up at 6; woke the clients at 7; ran the census meeting at 8:30 with the Saturday cousellors; home by 10.

As I was getting in Lynda was on her way out on a mission for a couple of hours. Within a half hour her eldest son J arrived with his son Owen for what we had expected was a day long visit. We were happy and surprised they had packed to stay overnight. Once Lynda had arrived back home and we all had a chance to visit together for a couple of hours I wound up crashing into bed for a while. The bunch of us had a late pizza dinner while we watched hockey. The moments leading into the game held one of those incredibly precious snapshots when Owen's dad told him that the anthem wouldn't be sung until the end of the game because it was a Juniors tournament. He promply stood up and sang the entire Canadian anthem with his hand over his heart. Lord, times you wished you had a video camera!! Following the game Owen decided he wanted to sleep with Gramma and Pops so all three of us headed down to climb into the king sized bed. When he has done this in the past he has lasted at best half an hour before heading back upstairs to sleep with his parents. This time he made it right through the night; Lynda on one edge of the bed, me on the other and Owen lying horizontally between us. His feet on Lynda's belly and his head firmly planted between my shoulder blades; so comfy. The child slays me.

Owen turns 5 next month and he is as sharp as a whip. (Brag, brag, brag...) Counts past 100, knows the alphabet, recognizes letters and letter combinations and associated sounds, picks pictures that start with the appropriate letter, adds simple sums. He sat down with a couple of books Lynda had bought him for Xmas and was quite happy and interested to work away on them. Wait til he hits kindergarten.....

When we were up Sunday morning the bunch of us drove over to the townhouse for breakfast with stepson #3. He was foolish enough to ask us; we took him up on the offer. Bacon, eggs, sausage, home fries, toast, coffee and tea. It was all great. All it cost was Lynda's and my time doing up the dishes afterward while the two brothers had a visit and played with Owen. J and Owen split for home and Lynda and I had a full afternoon until I laid myself down for an hours rest in preparation for tonights shift. We had leftover turkey - hot turkey sandwiches - before I came to work.

More food - there is always a dinner left for me here; whatever the guys in-house eat, I also get. So, besides all that other food I've eaten since Sunday morning I also had a quarter chicken dinner a few hours ago along with dessert and a few sweet goodies along the way. I won't be losing these few extra pounds anytime soon if I keep this up.

What else?? I'm looking incredibly scruffy these days because I decided to change the line of my beard. Normally I keep it trimmed just above the jaw line but I've let it grow all up my cheeks until I figure out where I want to crop it. 10 days to 2 weeks growth now and I can't get over how much salt is in amongst the pepper. Grey, white and silver with the dark brown and black. Nice....

Mood wise I'm good. Lynda and I are really good. Much as I enjoy the holidays I'm happy and relieved they are over. It was a drag working nights through Christmas week again this year.

Thinking wise, these days, primarily I am grateful. That I have a wife, family and friends to care about and who care for me. Many people don't have that. That I have a home, and warmth, and a bed to sleep in. Many people don't have that. Back to food - can't forget food - I have a refrigerator and cupboards full of food and drink to quench my hunger and thirst. Many people don't have that. I enjoy good mental, emotional and physical health (I know; the mental part is debatable). Many people don't have that. That although I'm displeased with my job I am happy in these times to have meaningful work. Many people don't have that. That my addictions to alcohol and drugs have been relieved, my obsession has been removed. Many people don't have that. I don't have to search very far or deep to find reasons to be grateful today. T.G.

Hmmm.... about an hour and a half typing. That's enough, that'll do. All the news that fits.

Mis(sed) Cue

Lynda and I got back to the house near dinner time Sunday and after we had shucked off our coats she had a look in the cupboard and the fridge.

'Hmmm... damn! There's no wine in the house. I could really go for a nice glass of red wine.'

"Yeah hon, so could I. Been awhile." Baa-doom-doom! Rimshot.

Blew that one. I think the response she was looking for was for me to grab the car keys and head back out to the liquor store to pick up a bottle. Men can be so thick sometimes. Ah well, she still loves me despite my shortcomings.

What I Like......

...about being home again.

1) Well, being with Lynda, of course.... she's changing, I'm changing, we're evolving. Looking after one another.... knowing how things ought to be. No holding back now.
2) Having extra time today to put some things away.... sorting clothes into dresser drawers and rearranging those hanging in the closet. Chucking the worn out duds; even the '94 Pink Floyd tour shirt - boo-hoo Division Bell.
3) Waking today to find one cat sleeping in front of me, one tucked behind my legs and Freedom snoozing on the floor beside the bed. We've moved the bedroom to the basement - the bed beside the lower patio doors. One mainfloor bedroom is being used for a dressing room; the other left for visitors staying over.
4) Having it feel like 'home'. The townhouse was a place to hang my hat, eat occasionally and sleep. I doubt it would ever have felt homelike. 'Home is where the heart is.'

I received an email the other day that wished me 'enough'; you may have seen it. That is what this list is for today - enough. Which is much better than the alternative, isn't it?

Reno update

For anyone who happens to care - the kitchen is coming together at last. The floor is complete; the painting done except a few touch-ups. It's been a trial because with the layout of this house, the kitchen really is the heart of things. You enter the house and are immediately in the kitchen; you get into the living room thru either of two doors from, you guessed it, the kitchen. Off the kitchen into a hall to the two mainfloor bedrooms and the stairwell leading to the basement. You literally can't get anywhere except by walking through it.

So we've had a large pantry, refrigerator and the stove all hunkered down in the living room taking up most of the space - looming over us as we try to watch TV. Poor Lynda has consumed more than a few bottles of wine and a couple of rum through this endevour. I'm still sober but sometimes wonder how -Arrrggghh!

Now it's a matter of sorting what stays and what goes; and cleaning room by room straight through the house the 1/4 inch of plaster dust that has filtered throughout. Dust bunnys galore!

If you care to see the project in progress, the fellow who did the floor has pictures on his website, on the projects 2 tab, Norm & Lynda's kitchen. It includes a pic of our cat, Buddy, who took a shine to Gord the contractor. It's at www.hunnydoo.ca/.

On the homefront

It must be at least 3 weeks ago that Lynda and I started reworking the kitchen; we're still mired in chaos and disorder. She and I managed to get the lighting fixtures down and the ceiling repainted. That damn near killed us - left us weary and aching. I got one of the new fixtures up so we had some light. Then we and stepson #3 scraped the tiles off the floor and got that all bagged up. We called in a pro for the new floor - ceramic - and he's to finish grouting it Saturday. Friends of #3 are supposed to re-mud the walls , patching up all the dings and then paint. I know it should have been done before the floor but..........
It'll be sooooo nice when it's all done, things are back to normal and we can look back on this and laugh or groan. And all because we wanted to freshen up the place; it was looking dingy. Lord, give us strength (and maybe a lotto win). Amen.