Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
A walk along the Grey Canal
The Winery Tour
We drove all day on Thursday after leaving Calgary with a wet cell phone. Yes, a wet phone. Apparently leaving your BB in your dressing gown pocket and putting it in amongst other things of similar colour like wet towels in a pile in the laundry room for your wife to launder exempts a certain marital unit from responsibility when the cell phone gets washed. I suffered the slings and arrows for about 6 hours on the highway. I am still confused about whose fault it was….how could it be mine? I was just doing a last minute chore.
Anyway, lesson learned. Oh, I don’t mean a lesson about searching pockets or any thing like that. I mean that I learned a lesson about doing other people’s laundry. So, now I don’t.
However we have a cure for a wet BlackBerry. Take heed. After you have dropped your phone and as quickly as you can gather your wits, take the battery out and shake out as much water as you can. Then place the cell phone with the back off along with the battery into a bag of rice. The rice acts as a decicater and after 48 hours you can remove the phone and put it together and hopefully it will work. For the first two or three minutes it read a date back in 1979 and then all of a sudden it came back to life. Better than new because it was cleaner.
This morning we drove to a little cottage winery in Westbank, the first on our winery tour. We learned that although the winery might be small the vines were old and produced a very nice wine.
We went to Mission Hill, what a view!!! and then to Quail's Gate. Seems to be a wealthy, pretentious and profitable business....who knew?
Saturday
The day is glorious, the temperature is perfect and the trees are budding and even tiny leaves are showing. We went for a walk along the Grey Canal on the north side of Vernon.
I don't know what this tree is but the clusters of tiny brow flowers had attracted hundreds of bees. The buzzing was audible for several yards around the tree.
Ihad forgotten the camera on the day that we went to the winery but just as well, the wind was blustery and a the temperature plummeted. However, the next day we went to Kal lake park and walked the hill and the warm sun woke up the birds and the trees began to bud before our eyes.
Sherry is cooking a turkey and the incredible aroma is wafting through the living room. Guess I better go help or I might have to do the dishes
We drove all day on Thursday after leaving Calgary with a wet cell phone. Yes, a wet phone. Apparently leaving your BB in your dressing gown pocket and putting it in amongst other things of similar colour like wet towels in a pile in the laundry room for your wife to launder exempts a certain marital unit from responsibility when the cell phone gets washed. I suffered the slings and arrows for about 6 hours on the highway. I am still confused about whose fault it was….how could it be mine? I was just doing a last minute chore.
Anyway, lesson learned. Oh, I don’t mean a lesson about searching pockets or any thing like that. I mean that I learned a lesson about doing other people’s laundry. So, now I don’t.
However we have a cure for a wet BlackBerry. Take heed. After you have dropped your phone and as quickly as you can gather your wits, take the battery out and shake out as much water as you can. Then place the cell phone with the back off along with the battery into a bag of rice. The rice acts as a decicater and after 48 hours you can remove the phone and put it together and hopefully it will work. For the first two or three minutes it read a date back in 1979 and then all of a sudden it came back to life. Better than new because it was cleaner.
This morning we drove to a little cottage winery in Westbank, the first on our winery tour. We learned that although the winery might be small the vines were old and produced a very nice wine.
We went to Mission Hill, what a view!!! and then to Quail's Gate. Seems to be a wealthy, pretentious and profitable business....who knew?
Saturday
The day is glorious, the temperature is perfect and the trees are budding and even tiny leaves are showing. We went for a walk along the Grey Canal on the north side of Vernon.
I don't know what this tree is but the clusters of tiny brow flowers had attracted hundreds of bees. The buzzing was audible for several yards around the tree.
Ihad forgotten the camera on the day that we went to the winery but just as well, the wind was blustery and a the temperature plummeted. However, the next day we went to Kal lake park and walked the hill and the warm sun woke up the birds and the trees began to bud before our eyes.
Sherry is cooking a turkey and the incredible aroma is wafting through the living room. Guess I better go help or I might have to do the dishes
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Teaching Sherry to Blog
Sitting on the couch with Sherry setting her up with a blog spot account so that when she and Bob leave on their great transcanada trek in the big blue truck they will be able to keep us informed along the way. Uploading photos and telling us of their adventures.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Old Dogs
Ginger is looking better. She has perked up somewhat and is enjoying her meals again. Plus, she is working us over for weiners and we are such suckers for her that we oblige. We hide her antibiotics in bits of veggie weiner. She works the pill with her tongue and thus gets four of five more weiner pieces as we endeavour to rehide mushy pill pieces. We all know what she is doing but we all play the game.
We were vigilant for the first couple of days and now we have lapsed for as much as two hours sometimes past her pill time. Fourteen days is a long time.
We go for short walks and mosey around the neighbourhood, she seems happy not to take long galavants right now and I am happy not to put her into my car as I have clients who I am sure don't want to share their space with dog hair. Now that I have de dog haired the thing.
We will take Ginger back for her follow-up x-rays after the antibiotics but I already know the results. Her recovery will not be what a young dog could do. Ginger is 13 years old. If we are lucky we will have eliminated the infection but this process will not reverse the heart valve damage.
All the tooth brushing in the world won't reverse the problem in her blood vessels but may prevent further infection. Her old teeth hardly do her any service anymore she has a cracked tooth no doubt from chewing on bison bones in her salad days but it doesn't seem to be causing her any gyp. I won't put her under anesthetic to remove her tooth, it would be too hard on her.
On the weekend her old buddy Nikki came by for a visit. Ginger had been in the land of nod for hours before they arrived and when Nikki came into the house Ginger sprang into action, trotting right to her food bowl to eliminate any traces of kibble just in case Nikki thought about having a snack. Funny thing I think that kibble had dust on it for having sat in her bowl for days as she sniffed haughtily at it and worked us over for her favourite food, chicken soup.
So maybe she has another summer in her and hopefully another car trip.
We were vigilant for the first couple of days and now we have lapsed for as much as two hours sometimes past her pill time. Fourteen days is a long time.
We go for short walks and mosey around the neighbourhood, she seems happy not to take long galavants right now and I am happy not to put her into my car as I have clients who I am sure don't want to share their space with dog hair. Now that I have de dog haired the thing.
We will take Ginger back for her follow-up x-rays after the antibiotics but I already know the results. Her recovery will not be what a young dog could do. Ginger is 13 years old. If we are lucky we will have eliminated the infection but this process will not reverse the heart valve damage.
All the tooth brushing in the world won't reverse the problem in her blood vessels but may prevent further infection. Her old teeth hardly do her any service anymore she has a cracked tooth no doubt from chewing on bison bones in her salad days but it doesn't seem to be causing her any gyp. I won't put her under anesthetic to remove her tooth, it would be too hard on her.
On the weekend her old buddy Nikki came by for a visit. Ginger had been in the land of nod for hours before they arrived and when Nikki came into the house Ginger sprang into action, trotting right to her food bowl to eliminate any traces of kibble just in case Nikki thought about having a snack. Funny thing I think that kibble had dust on it for having sat in her bowl for days as she sniffed haughtily at it and worked us over for her favourite food, chicken soup.
So maybe she has another summer in her and hopefully another car trip.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Old Girl
Our old girl Ginger is still hanging in there. A couple of weeks ago we thought she was starting to go down hill and indeed I suppose she was. She is 13 1/6th years old and that is old for an large dog. A mixed breed however seems to be more resiliant to aging complaints than pure breds. Our mostly shepherd girl comes from a long line of reserve dogs which must surely by now be a breed unto themselves.
She was lethargic and her breathing came heavy. She would go out for pee and poo only and straight back to her bed. She was exhausted.
After multiple xrays and another physical it was determined by her vet that she has a very stressed heart, some infection in the lungs and heart and spondiloza in her spine.
All of which after lengthy consultation with her doc can be fixed with a careful and exacting extraction of our wallets.
So today, first day in the process she is on antibiotics and a mouth rinse (after brushing), this will progress to an ace inhibitor and a diuretic. The good news is that she doesn't have an enlarged heart or congestive heart disease. I suppose we could put her through the dental cleaning and extraction process, but that would mean an anesthetic and I can't put her through that. I would rather chase her with her toothbrush and rinse her mouth out with this incredibly expensive (69 bucks) mouth wash. You would think you would get a pail of mouth wash for that price, or several pails but we got about 4 ounces. I will always complain about the prices but the truth is there is no ceiling except discomfort for my dog. I will not keep her on this planet on this plane after she wants to go.
Anyway we still have our old love and she will feel better on the antibiotics.
Tomorrow is bath day. The weather will be warm and she can roll outside on the lawn after her bath. She loves that.
She was lethargic and her breathing came heavy. She would go out for pee and poo only and straight back to her bed. She was exhausted.
After multiple xrays and another physical it was determined by her vet that she has a very stressed heart, some infection in the lungs and heart and spondiloza in her spine.
All of which after lengthy consultation with her doc can be fixed with a careful and exacting extraction of our wallets.
So today, first day in the process she is on antibiotics and a mouth rinse (after brushing), this will progress to an ace inhibitor and a diuretic. The good news is that she doesn't have an enlarged heart or congestive heart disease. I suppose we could put her through the dental cleaning and extraction process, but that would mean an anesthetic and I can't put her through that. I would rather chase her with her toothbrush and rinse her mouth out with this incredibly expensive (69 bucks) mouth wash. You would think you would get a pail of mouth wash for that price, or several pails but we got about 4 ounces. I will always complain about the prices but the truth is there is no ceiling except discomfort for my dog. I will not keep her on this planet on this plane after she wants to go.
Anyway we still have our old love and she will feel better on the antibiotics.
Tomorrow is bath day. The weather will be warm and she can roll outside on the lawn after her bath. She loves that.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Official Shower Details
Well, it is now official that Shelley's baby shower will be on Saturday the 27th March at 3pm at Erin's. You all have your e-mail invitations and we are looking forward to seeing you there. I just know that it will be a lot of fun.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Skyping with Kat
Olympic hockey nights have been a special treat all week...Kat calls. Heidi and Bryan e-mail back and forth and then the call. "Wenny Wenny! USA USA!" or if appropriate,"Can a Da" then "Where Bryan?". After which we get a fashion show of either her American flag dress or her Canada shirt.
Then her charming little toothy grin as she runs off to do something else that has grabbed her attention.
I am still amazed at Skype and so grateful for it. She just takes it in her stride, just another amazing electronic invention for her personal use.
Tomorrow's hockey game will begin, her father assures us with the Canada shirt on the family room floor and the USA dress on the kid.
I don't care who wins, I am just love the call after the game.
Then her charming little toothy grin as she runs off to do something else that has grabbed her attention.
I am still amazed at Skype and so grateful for it. She just takes it in her stride, just another amazing electronic invention for her personal use.
Tomorrow's hockey game will begin, her father assures us with the Canada shirt on the family room floor and the USA dress on the kid.
I don't care who wins, I am just love the call after the game.
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