Day 347 - The Kettle & The Power Outage

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but my Mother is hard of hearing. This morning I woke up to the sound of the kettle whistling. (Our electric kettle broke & we haven't replaced it yet, so in the meantime, we're using an old school one that whistles on the stovetop when it's boiling) The kettle whistled for, I kid you not, 30 minutes. Yes, half an hour. I'm at one end of the house with the door closed, in peaceful slumber. I hear it right away - wide awake. How can you NOT hear it for 30 minutes?!?! 


After that lovely start to the day, I finally attempted to start catching up on the blog. Jaco & I sit in bed like a cute married couple, with our matching Macs & type & surf away. Aren't we cute? :oP 


We started watching some of The Office in the afternoon, with the intention of not watching any in the evening & actually going to bed early for once. We were in the middle of an episode when the power went off. Hmpf. Oh well. Guess we'll take the dogs for a walk. Jaco was a bit concerned about why the power was off, but I told him not to worry. Chances were someone severed the power line, a bird landed on the wire, a tree... it could be anything. I reassured him that it would be up & running in no time. 


We walked the dogs to the highway & back & threw the ball for Valentina. When we got back to the house, Mom asked us if we would give her a hand. Apparently Jim, the fellow who owns the ranch & is 86 years old, had switched off the power after he got tangled up in the wires & he needed our help to climb up a ladder & untangle the wires. Rrrrright.


We walked down to investigate. Oh my. He was trying to do something with his septic tank in his yard with the Farmhand. (A Farmhand is kind of like an old tractor that has a lift on the front end & 'claws' for picking up bales, etc.) When he backed into his yard the 'claws' were lowered. When he was finished in the yard, he drove out, not realizing the 'claws' were up. He somehow managed to entangle the power lines, snap two wires, pull over a power pole, knock the line off the insulator on his house & in all of that, he didn't electrocute himself. 


Needless to say, we were NOT touching a single wire. He called his friend, who is quite handy, but now needs a walker to get around, to come out & help him with the wires. Supposedly they taped the wires back together & they are on the ground now. Looks like we won't be walking the dogs to the barn anytime soon! 


In all of this, we found it quite humorous. Nobody got hurt, miraculously, and thinking about the entire situation, that in itself is funny. There were cables all over the place & it was CLEARLY NOT a job for amateurs! Jim was too 'thrifty' to call the power company to come & fix it. Thankfully our power is back on! When we got back to the house, Jim had left us a phone message. I've pieced it together with the photos. In case you can't understand him, he's saying: "Jim calling. I had to shut the power off." No doubt!


Have a safe night!
xxxxMJV&O

Just in case you couldn't see the wires clearly on the video...

Jaco assesses the damage 

 The cable comes from the barn to the pole on the ground to the Farmhand to the house to the main pole

 Pole on the ground!

 Wire from the barn to the pole

 From the pole to the Farmhand

Exposed wires! 

 From the house to the Farmhand

 WAY too many cables!

 Wrapped around the Farmhand & then some!

 1-800-DIAL-B4U-DRIVE!!!

 You need an expert!

Expert help arrives. (kind of)

Day 279 - The Jameses Arrive!

Wheeeeee! I haven't been this excited to see somebody in, well, I can't remember when!!!! The Jameses arrived around 1300 & they were as handsome as ever! I was giddy to have them here! Finally!!! I hadn't seen them for 53 weeks! It's about time!


Big James & I worked on a few ships together & spent my best & 2nd last contract sailing around Europe. He is one-in-a-million & I am so happy that he has found his one-in-a-million to spend the rest of his days with! Little James is an incredible Dancer & actually calls Grand Prairie home! He is one of those people that you feel like you've known them forever from the first time you meet them. 


Additionally, Big James' Dad, who is also named James (!), was the Pastor at our wedding in South Africa! I met Jim when he turned 60 & visited his son on the ship for our Egypt cruise. I know where Big James gets his wonderful personality & kind heartedness from! 


The Jameses are on the next leg of their honeymoon, as they just got married in Vancouver! I'm very happy that they will be in Canada more often - hopefully we'll have more get togethers! 


We visited for a bit in the house & then I took them down to Elbow Falls & Forget-Me-Not Pond. The weather was stunning, so it was great for taking a few snaps & showing off the beauty of Eastern Kananaskis. We sat on one of the benches at Forget-Me-Not & caught up on all the happenings in their life for the past year or so. 


One of my favourite things about working on ships is meeting up with people you are never quite sure exactly when you will see them again. It makes the times extra special. They have no idea what their stay means to me! Truly 2 of my most cherished friends. 


After our visit to the tourist attractions, we headed for town. I was treating them to ice cream. Of course, our drive to down was rather wet & cold! It hailed half way & POURED rain the other half of the drive! They were quite excited to see the ice cream choices & I'm pleased to say we all enjoyed a scoop of chocolate peanut butter, among other flavours. Big James is enjoying the truly Canadian flavour of Tiger. :o) Btw, if you're in Bragg Creek, the little ice cream shop on Whyte Ave gives the biggest & best scoops in town! 


We headed home to find Mom whipping up a storm for dinner. We were barbecuing some big ol' steaks, corn on the cob, greek salad, pear & blue cheese salad, mint potatoes, and of course, baked brie with pecans for an appetizer. Oooh & blueberry crisp for dessert! It was a feast! 


The Jameses & I walked down to the barn before dinner to bring the truck back, but as we were driving back, Jim (also a James & owner of the ranch) asked us to give him a hand with some panels to stop the cattle from the park crawling through the fence. We drove out to the field & loaded up the panels. Oh my word. The mosquitos are out in FULL FORCE! I haven't seen them this bad for a VERY LONG TIME! We were all swinging & swatting & itching like crazy! I think I had about 12 new bites in a matter of a few minutes! They are thirsty little critters! UGH! We were moving as quickly as we could! Jim commented on finding a dead calf the other day. I asked him what happened to the calf. Jim replied, 'He stopped living.' He's a funny guy for 86 years of age! I also admired his bailer twine suspenders! :o) Still practical after all these years!


We enjoyed a hearty meal & more wonderful visits. I was surprised to hear about Little James' Champion Mutton Buster & Steer Riding past! I guess I thought I was a rarity in working on ships with a 'western' background! I knew something was up when he was so prompt to get the gates & knew which way to swing it! 


They plan to work a while longer on ships, as Big James has recently been made Manager of the Photo Department. I'm so proud of him! It's difficult for the two of them to snag the same ship together, so say a little prayer they both end up on the same ship. I know what it's like to be away from the one you love & it's NOT FUN. 


Today was also my first Neupogen shot. I was feeling a little rusty, as it's been a month or more since all the fertility shots. But, I managed to get it all in my leg & didn't keel over. I took a Tylenol straight away to keep any bone pain at bay. I didn't feel anything until about 0500 the next morning. I felt like I'd been riding a Clydesdale all day. My hips & lower back ached like crazy! UGH. I hope it passes soon!


Anyhow, what a great day. I can't sing the Jameses praises enough... I love them to bits & can't wait until our next visit... Travel safe & enjoy what's left of you holidays... Sending you love & hugs...


OH! I forgot to mention... Big James' little brother is a professional Wrestler - Leo Kruger. He's just started in the US, but next season he'll be on the reality tv show, NXT. If you're into that scene, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for him!


Maria & Valentina
xxxxxxx

There were a bunch of artists painting at the falls today.

Always time for a touristy pic!

A James Sandwich

Forget-Me-Not Pond with Nihahi Ridge in the background. Apparently it's the ridge that Christopher Reeves flies over in Superman.

Forget-Me-Not's famous reflections

I'm so happy you guys made it here!

Uh-oh! Storm clouds are coming!

Oceana gets a lift!

Shufly & the Jameses.

The old truck in evening light.

Day 243 - Another Hmpf Day.

Righty ho then. I had originally titled this post 'Not my favourite day', although when it actually came time to remember WHY it wasn't my favourite day, I couldn't really remember anything too terrible! Isn't is funny how life works? That whole saying of 'in 5 years time, today won't even be a memory' - well, I guess it's true! It only took a week & I've already forgot why it was such a crappy day! Imagine that! Hope the same happens for you!


I do remember sleeping in. I remember making some phone calls. I had decided it was high time to have my teeth cleaned before I started chemo. They had told me not to have any dental work done once we started treatment, as some of the chemo is blood thinning & also wounds would be slow/difficult to heal. (I guess learning how to rollerblade on gravel is out of the question?) 


I phoned Bragg Creek, Okotoks & Black Diamond. Surprisingly there was a lot of difference in the cost of a cleaning! Black Diamond won out as the most cost effective, so I booked myself an appointment for this afternoon! I was the last opening (ha ha) they had. I had just hung up the phone when Dieter & Jim pulled into the yard. Poor Dieter. He bottomed out on our terrible road & the oil pan went. For the 3rd time! He called AMA & it took forever for them to show up!!! We had a cup of tea & some toast while we waited. Eventually I had to get in the shower & get ready for my dental appointment. I left Dieter at the house & took Jim to his house on my way to Black Diamond.


Oh dear. My teeth were in pretty rough shape. I hadn't had a cleaning for 3, yes, three years. My gums are receding from aggressive brushing, so it is VERY painful to have a cleaning done. Much to my horror, the Hygienist told me I had gingivitis & pre-periodontal disease. Great! She was only able to clean the bottom teeth since she had to do it all by hand & couldn't use the ultrasonic cleaner with water. She put heaps of numbing gel on, but it wasn't enough! Looks like I'll be back Thursday morning to finish up. 


At least the Hygienist was a riot! Her name is Lois & she was a total sweetheart. She asked me heaps of questions & by the end of the cleaning, I felt like I'd known her all my life! Don't ask me how she could learn so much about me with her hands in my mouth, but hey, she did! She's that good! :o)


I had taken the back way to Black Diamond, but thought I would head home through Turner Valley & stop by Scott & Shauna's place. I couldn't exactly remember where it was, but I drove around long enough - I eventually found it! Shauna & I went to pick up Scott at YWAM. They gave me a quick tour & then we drove back to their house for a visit. Shauna's parents were on their way to stay for a few days, so I didn't want to stay too long - I'm sure there was plenty to do. They were going on a 4 day backpacking trip into Kananaskis tomorrow morning! Shauna told me later, she carried a 40 lb pack & Scott carried a 50 lb pack! Crazy! That's like lugging 5 Valentina's up a mountain! 


As soon as I hit the highway, I knew something wasn't quite right. My car was making a click, click sound & my steering wheel was giving a tug, tug simultaneously. It became worse as I increased my speed. I pulled over several times to check my tires & they looked fine. No flats. I kept it at 80 km/h the whole way home. Mom & I drove it to EVIC & back & it did the same thing for her. Sure enough, when we got out of the car at home, there was a hefty bulge in the tire. I knew the tread was wearing down, but I had no clue it was THAT bad!! Great. Now what!? Mom was supposed to be leaving for SK on Thursday & tomorrow is surgery. 


Mom decided to drive it slowly to Cochrane tomorrow at 0800 & have the front tires changed. She would be back by 1130 when I had to leave for surgery. When it rains it pours.


Here's to a successful surgery & fantastic tire change!
xxxx
Maria & Valentina

No wonder my neck has been getting cranky! It's nearly a full moon!

What a pretty sight! Wild ponies outside the door!

I've missed them!