Day 548 - Rain! Precious Rain!

Thankfully today was a rainy day. I'm not lovin' the damp weather, but grateful for the moisture. The local dam is at 20% full, so water is a precious commodity about now. In fact, the cost of water was supposed to go up this weekend, so hopefully this will keep the price increase at bay. We'll see. 


Jaco & I took a little drive around town. We stopped at the Checkers to pick up a few things & then headed home. Petro made a wonderful dinner - this amazing mushroom & garlic cream sauce with rice, beans & a big salad. There was meat too, but neither Jaco or I took any. I think Sis is happy about that, but not so much Petro! 


I spent a while fixing her computer for her. The Internet Explorer isn't working so well. The display looks really antiquated, so I have swapped it over to Google Chrome & now it looks a bit more normal.


Hennie & I watched Carte Blanche. Usually it's a show about stirring up trouble amongst businesses/government in South Africa, but today it was about the Royal Wedding. I suppose that's all we'll see for the week to come. I'd like to know how much money people will make off of the wedding of these two! Ridiculous! Doughnuts, candies, fridges, the list is endless... 


After Carte Blanche, I watched bits & pieces of Invictus. I was Skyping with Andy, a friend from back home, so I was only half paying attention to the movie. We haven't spoke for a LONG time, so it was great to catch up. Of course, the rest of the night was spent on the blog. I'm nearly caught up! I can almost taste the freedom! Ha ha! If you're out there reading, let me know! I'm beginning to wonder! 


Happy Easter
xxxxMaria

Day 488 - Grenada

This morning the four of us went on a Catamaran snorkeling tour. We weren’t sure if we were actually going to dock, as there was a strong swell & we couldn’t dock at the usual pier. We ended up tendering into the harbor downtown, which is a little more sheltered. Mom2 was slightly nervous on the tender boat. I did my best to be understanding & remember that it was her first time, but it was hard not to giggle as her eyes turned to saucers each time the tender bumped into the side of the pontoon.

Thankfully we were in the Caribbean, as it pretty much poured rain the entire time! We were supposed to snorkel at an underwater sculpture park – the first of its kind in the Caribbean – but with the heavy rain, we wouldn’t be able to see anything!

We carried on a little further down the shoreline & stopped in another cove. There was a heavy swell where we stopped, but we got in the water regardless. The visibility was quite poor, due to the rain. When you mix fresh water with salt water, you get these strange swirls as the two waters mix. It makes it very difficult to see clearly. We did manage to see a few fish, but not much. M&D2 were happy to be in the warm water either way!

After our snorkel was over, we headed back down the coast & went to Grand Anse Beach. The catamaran anchored just off shore & we hopped into the water & swam around – both to the beach & around the ship. M&D2 found a stray dog on the beach & fell in love. They also found a beach peddler & bought a few necklaces for friends back home. Mom2 & I rolled around in the surf & I came out with sand in places I didn’t know I could have sand! In fact, after I washed my swimsuit in the evening, it STILL had sand in it!

We headed back to the pier, signaling the end of the tour. The boys went back to the ship, while Mom2 & I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. Mom2 bought cans of tuna & lovingly fed the stray dogs in the back alley. We also bought spices from the stalls outside the pier area. Grenada is known as the Spice Island, so the prices were reasonable & the quality high.

Back onboard, M&D2 spent the night together – enjoying a nice dinner at the Steakhouse, and Jaco & I spent our evening together. Tomorrow is a Sea Day & their first formal night, so we’ll go for dinner & have some portraits taken. As you do!

Having fun in the sun! Or rain!

xxxxMaria

Heading out to sea!

The scary tenders!

Mr & Mrs Happy At Sea

My favourite fish!

Sergeant Majors

More of the same

Downpour! Doesn't matter! We're already wet!

Wheee!

Enjoy the swim!

Ridin' the waves

Trying not to drown next to my fish.

That's better! (I can touch the ground here!)

Chillaxin' on da beach

Puppy snooze

Hagglin'

Heading home

Cheese

Feeding the locals

Dinner at the Steakhouse

Cheers!

Sexxy shoes!

Day 283 - Long Weekend?

I'm sure you'll all disagree with me, but this weekend seemed extra long! Probably because I'm rather bored (not for lack of things to do, just lack of motivation!) & I don't have a job to 'look forward' to after a long weekend! It was quite a rainy weekend, with a lot of thunder. I LOVE listening to the rain fall & the thunder roll. Tonight was quite spectacular. I counted for 40+ seconds of consistent thunder as it rolled on down the valley. Sweet!

I visited Shauna at EVIC & Dave, one of the Conservation Officers, happened to stop in. I haven't seen him since the end of June. He was going to shave his head at the party, but his scheduled was swapped around, so he couldn't make it! :o( In any case, he's a sweetheart & he always brightens my day! Rumour has it he'll be around this fall & I have yet to meet his new girlfriend... Gotta love romance in the East Kan! I'm excited for his happy heart! His girlfriend spotted the dogs & I the other day. She was driving on the highway & said she saw a girl with a shaved head & 2 wiener dogs in matching raincoats. I guess that fits our description! :o) Well spotted!

Valentina was excited to visit Shauna & Dave & her excitement peaked when Shauna picked up the pen/laser pointer. Shauna didn't even turn the laser on, but Valentina knew it could happen at any moment! What a dog!

We walked home & I threw the ball for her. It's a new ball & quite heavy. She kept dropping it out of her mouth, as it was slobbery & wet. She runs so fast by the time I get ready to throw the ball, I nearly hit her on the head! I'm not a great pitcher (yet) & yes, I throw like a girl! I always chuckle how she'll have the ball in her mouth, but pop her tongue out the side after she has ran for awhile.

I managed to jog to EVIC today! I was quite pleased I could actually do it! I haven't done much (any) exercise as of late, so I am quite unfit. Yesterday I fumbled through my yoga/ab video. I'm anxious to get back in shape, but a long ways from it! Sigh. The road to health is long & winding, not to mention challenging. In any case, I'll get there!

Alrighty, tomorrow is my only day in the city to run around. I'll end it here...

Sweet dreams,

Maria & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Dave the CO

Tweet Pea & her ball.

Slightly blurry (my bad), but note the tongue out the side of her mouth!

Day 281 - Nothin' Like A Good Ol' Thunderstorm!

Another relatively uneventful day... Wake up, check messages, have breakfast, sit outside & read for a bit... Not too enthralling.

I had been up late last night helping Mom rescue one of her hard drives & this morning I took it to her first thing. She seemed quite ungrateful that I'd helped her out - not sure where her head space was at. But then later, all was revealed. She wants to give away Oceana. 

Yeah, I'm pretty much devastated. She hasn't even had her for 3 months & she's already trying to pawn her off. Worst of all on some fellow from her past that treated her like junk... What's he going to do to the dog??? Over my dead body will she give poor Oceana to him!

So, now it looks like I've got 2 dogs. I haven't done any training with Oceana because she's Mom's dog & I didn't want to interfere. I dug out my 51 Puppy Tricks book & the training will commence tomorrow. I get so frustrated with my Mother sometimes. I feel like she tries to 'fix' an area of her life, but gets confused at which one is the most important! The saddest part of all is poor Oceana! She is very submissive & has latched onto Mom like no dog I've ever seen. Mom can't go anywhere without Oceana hot on her heels. 

I'll start taking a list of anyone who wants to dog sit while I'm visiting Jaco this winter! :o) 

I joked with a friend of mine today that I'm sure Mom would have pawned my brother & I off had she been given the chance... Now that I think of it, I do have that one girlfriend who looks A LOT like Mom & she's a few years older... Hmm...

Needless to say, I wanted out of the house, so I put the girls' matching raincoats on & went down to EVIC. The thunder started to roll half way there & we arrived just in time for it to start pouring. We sat inside & observed the flashes while Joe counted the time between lightning & thunder. Some of them were pretty close!

I waited awhile before I walked back home in the rain. The girls didn't really like their raincoats. At one point, I felt like I was dragging both of them, instead of them walking on their own. I turned around & sure enough, I was dragging them! Their hoods had fallen down over their eyes & they couldn't see a thing! All I could see was a red or pink coat with a little black nose poking out the front end & a tail out the back! 

They were both caked in mud & dirt by the time we arrived home, so I carried them straight to the tub. A quick rinse & towel dry & they were good as new. They had a blast ripping around the house playing & drying off. One excited wiener dog is fun, never mind two of them!

I decided to bake something this evening. I found a recipe for banana bread in my Caribbean cookbook (Thanks Winners!) that sounded good. Of course, I don't use the regular ingredients & well, I think I'll have to bake it a few times to perfect it. I used raw sugar instead of light brown sugar, coconut flour instead of self-rising flour, almond milk instead of milk... The flour made things pretty dry. I added more milk & an extra egg. Additionally, it said to grease the tin, so I put olive oil on it. Then added the parchment paper. I'm not sure how it happened, but the bottom of the bread is oily & there was a bunch of water & oil in the bottom of the tin. Let's just say it's edible, but heavy. Next time, I'll cut out some flour & perhaps use butter instead of olive oil?

Seriously, someone needs to invent Culinary Bootcamp for people like me. I could be a Fruigivore like my husband. He'll eat oranges, I'll eat cherries & berries. Lord help us come winter! :o)

In any case, I decided to make myself a routine last night. It works for kids & dogs, so why not me? As I type this entry, I'm about 2 hours behind schedule, but I'll see what I can do to catch up! :o) Part of my schedule includes meal planning for the following day. I liked the look of a lot of the recipes in the Caribbean cookbook, so I'll see what I can find that's yummy! (& healthy!)

I finally hooked up my Magic Jack, after giving my husband grief about not having his set up! :o) I'm pretty excited about it! If you leave me a message, it emails me the message & I can listen to it in my email program! How cool is that? I love Magic Jack! (Did I mention you pay $20/yr for long distance anywhere in Canada & the USA?) And you can take it anywhere in the world & call Canada/USA for that same $20/yr??? What a great invention! **It costs $40 for the Jack, $20/yr or $70 for 5 yrs, plus $10 for a Canadian number** See website for details. Okay, my infomercial is done! :o)

I caught up with a girlfriend from Saskatchewan last night. I haven't spoken to her in awhile & it was great to hear her voice. She has two adorable boys, Buster & Huxley. She has caught a lot of flack for naming her first son, Buster. Agreed, it's not a common name, but it TOTALLY suits him! Last night we Wikipedia'd 'Buster' & there are a lot of famous 'Buster's' out there. Even I was impressed! One from South Africa & one from the UK who was involved in the early developments in IVF! Crazy! I hope her mind is at ease, knowing her son has a unique & meaningful name.

Our conversation was cut short when the lightning returned & every flash I saw made a click on the phone! Okay! Time to go! I fell asleep to the sound of the rain hammering down outside my window.

Have a great Sunday everyone! xxxx

Maria, Valentina & Oceana

Matching jackets for the sisters.

Please, Mama, play with me?

Tangled up!

I've got it!

Tug o' war!

Day 280 - The Jameses Leave. :o(

Wah. Boo. I'm sad! I didn't want the Jameses to go. I kept hoping they'd decide to stay another day. But, sadly, they had to make there way to BC today. We had a simple breakfast & they were off on their way. Sniff, sniff...


My spirits were rejuvenated from the wonderful visit, but my body was telling me another story. The 0500 bone pain was leaving me feeling like an 80 year old! I had to do my 2nd shot at noon again today & I took another Tylenol right after & did my best to chill out for the afternoon. 


Of course, this was after I helped Mom unload 45 boxes of day planners out of the back of her truck! Minor detail! Good thing we did, as shortly after the rain started pouring down! I decided right then it would be a great day to laze on the couch & watch a movie. I watched It's Complicated, which was quite complicated! It was al-right. I certainly wouldn't zip out & pay to rent it, but it was cute. Both dogs cuddled with me on the couch while the movie played. 


When it was over, I decided to go to bed. At 1900! My earliest yet, I think! Okay, so I laid in bed for a few hours & chatted with my dear friend, Sarah. We hadn't had a long visit for a LONG time, so we were well overdue! She is such a clever girl! Whatever I need to learn more about, I can call Sarah. She is a wealth of information! Perhaps her most exciting information is her upcoming wedding! She's getting married this coming April & I am tickled pink for her! She has her fingers in many pies, but one of her creations is the Vancouver Artists Collective. If you're in the area, check it out!


After I finished chatting with Sarah, I read a few pages in my current book & then it was lights out! Okay, so I only fell asleep around midnight, but hey, even that's early for me! 


See you tomorrow!
xxxxx
Maria & Valentina

The sunrise at 0500 when bone pain kicks in.

The girls & I watching It's Complicated. 

Day 277 - Errands.

Wow. I'm realizing that today is day 277 - it's nearly a year since I started this blog! Where does the time go? I mean, July is pretty much done! Life is whizzing by at an incredible pace... No wonder I get dizzy!


Today was low key, compared to the action & vibrancy of yesterday! I muddled around most of the day at home. I'm not too sure what I did, but it took me most of the day! I left for town at 1600 & went to Calgary to get some groceries. I picked up a toy for Valentina. It was a cute crocodile. With a squeaker. It didn't last long. Poor fella. Even after I picked up the pieces, she still whiled obsessively & contemplated a way to climb up the table legs! 


It poured rain in town tonight, but it was nice & warm. I was at Costco in the northeast when it rained & they have a bunch of cedar shavings in the parking lot. They were wet (obviously) & they smelled wonderful! 


While I was checking out at Costco, the clerk was grabbing for a hair she felt stuck to her lips. I commented & said I don't have that problem anymore. She said she never thought of it that way, but maybe she'd give it a try (shaving her head). I told her I was going to lose mine anyways, so I might as well shave it off. I explained that I had cancer. She then says, 'Well, I suppose, it could be worse.' Um, pardon my ignorance & maybe it very well could be, but isn't the more 'worse' than cancer death? Before I had time to contemplate it any more, I hear the clerk behind me getting yelled at by some guy 'with a funny accent' who tried to sign with his wife's credit card. His wife was standing right beside him. Why couldn't she sign for it? Oh these cultural differences really get to me... Especially when they put down women... But I need to sleep, so I won't get started on that! :o)


Tomorrow is a cleaning day, as James & James are coming to visit! I'm very excited to see them! They are ship mates & have been traveling around western Canada these past few months, so I'm grateful I get included as a stop! 


Okay, I'm wiped & I'm am flat out of things to say... Lekker slaap & see you tomorrow! Oh, Jaco comes in 17 days... FINALLY!!!! It feels like I haven't seem him for 12 months, not 2! 


xxxx
Maria & Valentina

Terrorizing the croc

The croc gets a breather

He looks happy, but...

Some vital anatomy is missing!

Day 228 - Receptionists.

This morning I continued my quest to find out more & more information. The Oncologist's nurse called me back & was quite friendly. I still hadn't started the fertility drugs, so my start date of 18 June wasn't looking promising. My stressful day yesterday was feeling further & further away! She informed me of my Doxorubicin dosage, which I will need to clarify if I take the same dosage all the way through or if it fluctuates. If it does, that is great news, because if it doesn't, I'll be nearing the lifetime dose! Yikes!


She also told me my WBC last time was 8.9, which is normal. I asked about the Sedimentation Rate (ESR) & it said on the report that my blood didn't clot... Which I call a great big bull poop on, as my blood clots fine. If you recall, that was the day I had the lady who used my hardened vein, couldn't get a good flow into the vial & had to change the vials a bunch of times. She didn't take enough blood to do the test! Grrr! I'll make sure I get someone different next time. 


The Nurse bumped me to the end of the day's appointments, as I had a lot of questions for the Oncologist. She was very understanding & said that it was okay that I wanted to find out as much as possible. She said it was my life & I had to make the best decisions for me. I was impressed that she said this! Of course, it will still be a challenge to convince the Oncologist that I don't need another CT scan & Bleomycin...


My next call was to Dr. Lategan. He is the Oncologist that my friend Andrea went to. He is South African & arranged for Andrea to be treated at Peter Lougheed instead of Tom Baker. She said he was really nice & pleasant to be around. When I had spoken to my Oncologist's nurse, she mentioned that the Oncologist would be gone for the month of July. I thought I would take the initiative to find out if Dr. Lategan was taking patients & perhaps I could ask my Oncologist if I could be seen by Dr. Lategan for the month he was away. Oh my, oh my... did I get an earful. I'll include the conversation at the bottom of this post.


I was completely stunned. I felt like I'd just stepped out of a bad movie scene or experienced something out of the twilight zone. I have NEVER had such a rude interaction with anyone, even the grumpy passengers I used to have to please on the ship were angels compared to this gal! I was so upset! I called the Medical Registry to find out the procedures for filing a complaint. I found out (the next morning) that if I filed a complaint with the Medical Registry, it would be filed against Dr. Lategan. I don't really want to do this, as I've never met him, but I'm sure he's very nice. My other option was to notify Dr. Lategan of his receptionist's attitude & let him deal with it. I will definitely do the latter, but I'm waiting to see if he'll even see me first! I did send him an email telling him of my intentions, with a small comment about his receptionist's 'ill' behaviour. 


When I spoke to Jaco about it later on, he agreed that the behaviour was over the top & very uncalled for. I felt better, hearing that someone else thought the lady was crazy!


Lawrence stopped by & boosted my car, so I'll see about a quote tomorrow to have the repair work done from the accident. Poor Contemplate! She's no bumper car! 


I spoke with Jenn, finally! She's a busy girl! Sadly, their financial support has fallen through & even though she is working, it's still not enough for them to make ends meet. Mike's paperwork to work in Canada most likely won't be finalized for another 3-5 months, so if you know of any odd jobs & handyman work, leave her a note on the blog. I feel terrible for them, as I can't imagine what it's like to finally have some stability in your life, only to have it pulled away as quickly as it came! 


Her husband, Mike, is traveling to Texas this week to collect the rest of their belongings & bring them back to Canada. Jenn will meet him on the weekend in Montana & then back to Cochrane. She is on her own this week, so I told her if she needs any help, let me know! I haven't babysat since I was 14, but I'll do my best! :o) 


Today was another rainy day, with a nice dump of hail. It did stop raining by the end of the day & the clouds were pretty amazing. I'm still waiting for the heat of summer to come. I love the sunshine! What can I say?


Enjoy your evening... I am!
Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxx

At least it's not snow!

Little pea-sized hail

Mr. Bull is taking a pelting!

Pretty clouds!

Tucked in bed

Also tucked in bed!

------------


Here's a recap of the conversation & tail end of my letter to the Doctor:

The receptionist didn’t identify herself & seemed reluctant to talk to me from the moment she answered the phone. It wasn’t until she informed me that I had dialed her direct line that I understood her reservations. I told her I’d found the number online. When I asked to speak with you, she inquired about who I was & what I wanted. I explained my situation and she was immediately defensive.

I asked if you were accepting patients. Her reply was laced with exceptional sarcasm & rudeness:

“Well, you can’t just make an appointment. Your Oncologist would have to discuss it with Dr. Lategan & they would decide what would happen.”

I explained that I was aware of that &, as I had been informed before, I wanted to know if you were accepting ANY patients at all.

Rather than typing impatient, sarcastic, rude, harsh, aggressive & nasty over & over again, just keep in mind those tones for the duration of the conversation.

“Yes, he is taking patients.”

My next question was an inquiry as to how long you’ve been practicing medicine.

“Well, I don’t really see how that is relevant.”

I explained that I certainly did & obviously you are qualified, but I would also like to know how long you’ve been practicing for.

“Long enough”, was her reply.

Okay, is long enough 1 year, 5 years, 10, 20?

“I really don’t see where this is going”, she said. She eventually said she thought you had been in Canada since 2001.

I explained that I have taken the initiative to research & find out as much information as I can about my treatment & that included the Doctors. When she didn’t want to share any information, I asked where I could go to find out.

“The Medical Registry.”

“Okay. Do you have a number?”

“No, I don’t.” Nor could she offer anywhere to find a number.

I then chose to inform her that some of the receptionists I’ve encountered have sure made things difficult. She took this very personally. She made sure I wasn’t indicating just her. I told her, no there were several receptionists that were difficult to deal with.

“I’m NOT a receptionist. I’m a Medical Secretary.”

She went on to explain that there was a difference & she has been doing this job for 28 years, at which point I brought to her attention that it was a bit odd that she could tell me the number of years that she has been working, but could not elude to the number of years that you have been practicing!

After that statement she told me, “You know, I really don’t like where this conversation is going.”

“I really don’t like where it’s come from!” I replied, in complete & utter shock!

At this point she terminated the conversation abruptly.

Additionally, at some point, she asked for my name. I gave her my first name. She asked for my last name. I gave her my married name, which is not on any Canadian paperwork. She inquired about the number I was called from & why it was a different last name. I didn’t bother to tell her I wasn’t calling from my regular phone. When I asked her name, she refused to even share her first name, citing that it was for ‘Privacy reasons’.

I understand that everyone has bad days. However, considering the job she does, she should be accustomed to dealing with people in a FAR GREATER compassionate way than what she did with me. I am fairly tough skinned, but I don’t appreciate being disrespected for asking a few simple & completely relevant questions. There is no reason why I should be treated by a complete stranger. I have every right to inquire about someone’s experience, especially when my health & future are at stake.

If I were a Stage IV cancer patient with a few months to live, that stressful phone call would have cut out a month for certain! That is one of the reasons why I wanted you to be aware of her unacceptable conduct. I would hate to have anyone else go through the same experience that I did.


--------------


What do you think? Was I out of line or was she just plain rude & crazy?

Day 217 - Running Around In The Snow

Okay, so last night I fell asleep to the sound of rain. I love to hear the rain & have a nice cool room while I'm snuggled deep under the covers. I have a window right next to the bed, so I opened it up a little bit & listened to the drops come splashing down. 


I woke up to the sound of rain & admired at how green everything looked. I love the miracle of Spring & how quickly things transform. Sadly, my admiration turned to disbelief as I looked out the window a few hours later & saw the rain transforming to SNOW! Ugh! Seriously? Yup.


It snowed all afternoon & through the night. Blah. So not excited about that! Mom & I went to town for the late afternoon & luckily it was only raining in the city. I managed to tick all the things off my list (on my handy iPod!). I picked up my engagement ring, as the stone was loose & luckily it was just a prong & not a chipped stone! Gasp! They polished it up & it looks brand spankin' new! Feels like I'm newly engaged again!! :o) 


I stopped at the bank & the teller was so sweet! We visited about wigs & weaves & she's going to include me in her prayers. How thoughtful! I told her I'm going to come back & show off some of my wigs... :o) I haven't been banking at the TD very long, but they are so friendly! I have yet to have a negative experience there! And they're open late & on Saturdays!!! Is there any question I've found a good bank? Especially after the CIBC omitted a digit on my cheque! Ha ha... That will keep my chuckling for a long time!


Next stop - Chinook. (For those of you reading from overseas, it's actually pronounced 'Shin-ook' (ook as in hook)) (It's a warm dry wind that blows down the east side of the Rocky Mountains during winter months.) If you're lucky, it melts MOST of the snow & then refreezes as slippery ice & then it snows again, leaving parking lots & streets a disaster to navigate! One of Calgary's bigger malls is called Chinook Centre. I popped into SportChek to see what kind of stuff they had for the World Cup. It's in South Africa this year & I thought I could find Jaco something with the South African flag on it. All they had was a t-shirt in a hideous shade of yellow. Never mind. Their flag is really pretty...

I was returning a luggage weigh scale that I used once in Mexico & then it broke. The lady wouldn't give me a refund & offered me a credit. I told her I had great luggage & enough handbags & wallets to last a lifetime. (Don't tell Jaco the handbag thing - a gal can NEVER have too many!) :o)  Mom had went to a restaurant to order some supper to go. I left the shop without my refund or credit & also forgot my keys there! I found Mom sitting at Starbucks. The restaurant was closed for renovations! Doh! I realized the keys were missing about now. We walked all the way to the other end of the mall & sure enough, there they were. As we left the shop, Mom pointed out the kiosk outside. They sold wigs. I told Mom, 'Nah, they're not my style & they are fake & they are expensive.' She said, 'No, come here. Look.' She pointed to the name of the kiosk - Oceana. Hah! Imagine that! We made our way back to the car & left the city.


We headed towards Longview. Tonight was Fawna's evening with some spiritual speakers from Australia. Of course we arrived late. I wasn't sure where exactly it was & I phoned Fawna's house to see if her husband was home & could tell us where to go. Her daughter answered the phone & I nearly bust a gut from laughing. Here's a recap of the conversation:
'Hello?'
'Hi, Fawna?'
'No, she's not here.'
'Oh, is your Dad there?'
'No, he's with my Mom.'
'Oh. We're supposed to be going to the event your Mom has arranged this evening, but I'm not sure of the location. Do you know where it is?'
Okay, this is the one that got me. In a totally posh British accent, she says:
'I'm not sure of the specific location of the exact event you are referring to.'
Are you kidding me?? I'm sure she's only about 8 or 10 years old!!! Too funny!


Anyhow, we found the place & of course, we were only 40 minutes late. The couple that were speaking were most talking about the Course In Miracles & how it had changed their life. The wife had just wrote a book & the husband did most of the talking. He was quite entertaining! We finished up about 2230 (!) & then headed home.


Before we left, we let the dogs out for a wee. While they were sniffing around, I hear this REALLY LOUD 'CRACK'! behind me. I turn around to see that someone has just SMASHED into my car!!! Oh no!!!! Poor Contemplate!!! I go over to inspect the damage & sure enough there is a big dent in the back bumper & there were bits of shattered plastic lying on top of the bumper from the license plate area. The trunk was also open. I tried to close it. Nope. Again. Nope. Again. Repeat 60 times. Nope. Oh dear. I know it gives me hassle from time to time, but NEVER this much!!! Finally it closes. The lady gives me her address & phone number & I am to call her with the cost of repairing the damages.


We drive home. It's a freaking blizzard. The slush is lying on the road & splashes up over the car, pulling it all over the road & making visibility zero. Add in the falling snow & the visibility is less than zero. (Negative visibility?) We drove about 60km/h the whole way home. I chatted with Jaco for a large chunk of it.


I just don't think he gets it. I tell him it's snowing (on the 27th of May) & he says, 'Oh, cool. That must be beautiful. You must enjoy it!' Are you kidding me? Does he have any idea how stressful driving in this 'stuff' is?!? Pretty? It's dark out & you can't see a bloody thing!!! And this is why I don't want to live in Canada!!!! I'll take an Australian dust storm any day!!!! And the debate goes on...


We arrived home about midnight, with a fair bit of organizing to do before the 0530 wake up call for tomorrow... Wish me luck, it's going to be a short sleep! xxxxx


Maria & Valentina

Oh so pretty.

Blah.

Not cool for the end of May!

Day 199 - Mother's Day... Awhhhhh!

We're not talking a lot of sleep here folks. My mother decided to pull an all-nighter yesterday. Her favourite Uncle sadly passed away & she didn't want to miss the funeral. This meant driving to central Saskatchewan & back in the same day. Yup. 1100+kms. She arrived home at 0430, expecting to leave for Wainwright at 0900. 

I didn't want to wake her, as I knew what a full day & night's drive is like & what you feel like after it's finally over with. But, come 1230, I figured I better wake her up if we were going to go at all. 

In true Mom fashion, she freaked out at the time & quickly got ready. I, on the other hand, was not so speedy. Hey, I was up half the night worrying about her! We left at nearly 1500, just as the snow began to fall. We had hail, rain, sun & snow within the first 20 minutes of driving. She wanted to turn around & go another time, I insisted we go. 

Where were we going? What's so special about Wainwright? Isn't today Mother's Day? Precisely! We were going to get a sister for Valentina! This one would be Mom's dog! Double the trouble, double the fun! 

Roxie, the lady I bought Valentina from, has had severe health issues for the past while & didn't have the energy to get rid of the pups, which were a whoopsie in any case. She had a female pup that she wanted to give to Mom awhile back, but Mom wasn't sure. Apparently she knew how bad I wanted her to have the pup, so she said yes. She decided to surprise me & tell me the news when I arrived home.

I was excited to meet the little pooch! She was going to be a lot of work, as she is nearly 6 months old & hasn't had any obedience training. Adding to the fact that she would soon be leaving her 'nest' & joining a home with a new dog, a giant cat & 2 women! She was in for a real culture shock! 

Thankfully the weather improved shortly after we left. The clouds were threatening, but we drove out of anything wet! The #2 hwy was a zoo! It was packed! I was happy to pull off at Wetaskiwin & head east. The traffic was much gentler - to say the least! 

Previously Mom had chosen Annie as a name for the dog. I talked to hear about it & we decided that Annie wasn't such a suitable name. Her niece had a dog by the same name, as does my friend, Roxy, who visits often. I could see the ensuing confusion. So we discussed name after name after name. I went through the Spanish & Italian words on my iTouch. Sadly they were mostly words for eating out & shopping, so that didn't help much! I forgot the Afrikaans dictionary at home, but even if I had brought it with, I wouldn't have known how to pronounce it in any case! We scanned the Atlas on the iPod... nothing. Finally I said, 'How about Ocean?' Mom said, in an unconvincing, 'Yeah'. Then I thought of a ship I once knew, 'How about Oceana?' Then Mom has her 'Anna' namesake & it's a funky name to boot! 'Yeah!' Mom liked it! 

Okay. Done! Oceana it is. We were about 3 kms out of Wainwright at this point! Uh-oh! She needs a middle name! Quick! Come up with something! Well, it's May, Mother's Day, how about 'Oceana May'? I can hear your eyes rolling... But it suits her! Just put on your best southern drawl & you've got the name down pat! :o)

We didn't get to Roxie's until 2000. Cohby answered the door & I could hear heaps of barking going on. Their GIANT Retriever, Lucky, was barking away. Cohby put Lucky into his kennel, but Lucky's head was sticking out the top! As Lucky barked away, I thought I'll just take Valentina over & he can meet her. I've never seen a Retriever tap dance! His feet were going a million miles a minute, clicking away on the kennel floor - it was priceless! Cohby then decided to put Lucky outside, but that was no small task! Lucky pretty much dragged Cohby out the door! He is a big dog! I think both Mom & I couldn't have handled him as well as Cohby did! Well done!

And then there was Oceana. Roxie brought her out & she wanted nothing to do with us. She played with Valentina & ran to Cohby & Roxie, but not Mom, nor I. We were there for an hour or so, visiting & just spending time with Oceana. Pretty soon it was time to go, so Mom scooped up Oceana & she clung to Mom like she'd known her all her life. And that was it. They were bonded!

I'm pretty sure Cohby was sad to see the puppy go, as I don't think the mother is having any more, but I told him to be sure & visit this summer. The dogs will be waiting for him! I'll be waiting for him & Roxie! :o) I know they'll remember him!

We stopped at Boston Pizza for a quick take away bite & then it was back on the road again. Traffic was much lighter this hour of the day & we took a new trail across the north end of Calgary - Stony Trail. It was super quick & easy to get from North Deerfoot to Hwy #1. Perfect! We got home about 0300. I was beat. A headache was settling in as we arrived home, so here's hoping it's gone tomorrow... I'm about done with headaches!

Sleep well! Valentina is snoring as I type! xxxx

Maria, Valentina, Nonna & Introducing... Oceana May

Good afternoon, this is your 1230 wake up...

Okay, I'm actually speechless at what to write for this one. Insert what you will...

Roxie, Cohby, Valentina & Oceana. She's much friendlier than she looks in this photo! :o) Valentina still has her pretty face!