A bit of a crazy week

1 Tula is having a rough time of it with sneezing and coughing. We've discovered that the SPCA gave her the wrong vaccination. She was given a vaccination for dogs not cats so she will need that and possibly the Bortadella. Poor Tula. She's very tired and lethargic and this morning is spending her day in her cat carrier (her choice).
2 Mr P talked to the SPCA and this is their remedy: feline vaccine and refund on the ear medication.
3 The coyotes were busy in the early hours this morning. We woke up to yipping and howling right below our bedroom window. Mr P took a flashlight out on the deck and we saw three of them heading up the road. Their eyes were shiny and reminded me of a horror movie.
And now for the rest of the week.
Our Tula has been very ill. She developed an irritation in her trachea and it created dehydration along with lethargy and a deep shuddering cough. Mr P took her to the vets and we had her evaluated then hydrated. She returned to us and it's been a slow road to her recovery. For a few days Mr P was giving her fluids with a small syringe and he even slept with her one night. She is mending slowly, eating some and drinking again. Our little lovely will soon been chasing our ankles again and be  back to herself. 

that day has come, kitten tales, and J

1 I knew the day would come when I'd be passed in seniority because, well, I just didn't want to chase the seniority list. And now that it's happened I'm filled with mixed emotions. Part of me wants to be angry for letting it slip away and now I'm left with less shifts, but a bigger part of me is happy about my choice. I didn't like how it felt to be that hungry, and that cutthroat. Don't get  me wrong, I like this job but I like feeling good about myself more. My tool, "Radical Acceptance."
2 Our little Tula is much more playful off of her pain medications. She attacks legs and ankles, chases her play mice and toys balls and is basically full of beans. Exactly like a wee kitten should be. 
3 J calls and we make our arrangements for her visit. She's here with just us for a few days in February so we want to make the most of it. What are the plans? Lots of touring about, house and foreclosure looking, dinners, hikes and yes, definitely we need to go to the spa! I'm so looking forward to hearing about her latest shenanigans! 

Tula, scratch this, blown over, fixed up, Whiplash, and talk to me

1 Tula is taking up lots of our time these days. She's sweet, gentle and settling in quite well. She's on a bit of medication for pain from the spaying so a little more sleeping than might be expected in a kitten. 
2 Mr P is making her a scratching post. It's going to be unique because he's using carpet samples. A quilted scratching post. Pictures to follow after construction is completed.
3 The wind blows in spurts and gusts  and then Mother Nature takes a deep breath and the trees bend and bow low to her from the force.
4 A trip to the vet for a check up and we find she's in very good health but has ear mites. Poor little girl has to get drops in her ears and isn't all that pleased with it. Just a few more days and it's over.
5 Our vet is a lovely woman with an amazing affinity with animals. Soft spoken, gentle and willing to take the time to talk with us. It's not about time or money with her, it's all about fur friends.
6 Whiplash. Now that's a movie. It's also been nominated for an Academy Award and rightfully so. There's a plot and a made up story but really not much of a moral to this one. When the movie ends I'm surprised that I still feel tense from the drama in the film. 6a I'd love to hear feedback if you've seen it too.

Tula - our new fur baby~

colder, busier, and he did it

1 It's getting cold again. Our driveway is icy and slippery. Izzy says it's like a skating rink and desperately wants to put on skates!
2 We work independently to get our workouts done and then it's time for errands, sharing another hot dog and home to a movie. It's great to have busy full days.
3 He didn't want to go to his toastmaster's meeting but does it anyways. That deserves an attaboy!

playschool, two of a kind makes three, Pandemic, and role play

1 Izzy and Kes loved playschool today. Sand tables, circle time, painting, snacks and playing outside. Kes was pretty much done as the class was ending but Izzy really wanted to stay and play longer. Her teacher made this transition very simple, very easy.
2 One parent says to us, "One or both of her parents must be really outgoing!" We smile and reply, "Both!"
3 Pandemic was worth the wait. I loved playing it. Great teamwork and we won. Funny after all the card shuffling, there were two epidemic cards on the very bottom of the pile! I suspect further games may be not so easy. 
3a Each character has his/her own abilities either medic, dispatcher, quarantine officer or operations manager, and more. Every game we choose a card to determine what our roles are. It's interesting to see who leads and who follows despite their role.

littles, what's that on your lip?, and pandemic

1 The littles are sleeping over tonight. Their room is ready with fresh sheets, new blankets from Christmas and a few books and toys. 
2 Izzy's hilarious when she finds the glow in the dark mustaches. Each time she puts one on she says to us all, "Look at me! Look at me!" and then laughs loudly and heartily before racing to the bathroom to look in the mirror at herself and laugh even louder!
3 We're playing Pandemic. Not too far into the game and it's pretty intense and fun. It's great because we are building teamwork and learning about each other and how we operate together.

leafless, running again, and snowing again

1 Willows in winter.
2 It's been fun getting back onto the treadmill. I'm trying to do it every other day alternating with gentle yoga but my head wants it every day. 
3 Another snowfall, another 4 inches! Winter just seems to have settled in and in making itself very comfortable, too comfortable. Mother Nature needs to step in and sort this one out fast!

blue on blue, chomp, and it was worth it

1 The skies are so blue not cloudy. That's scheduled for tomorrow. Today we get in the truck and drive about, doing errands and exploring new places. Mr P really enjoyed finding new places like the industrial shops, and I enjoyed sitting in the truck and sipping my tea.
2 We shared our hot dog. Who got the first bite?
3 Boyhood. A definite must see. The movie has no bling, no explosions (other than emotional) and is not flashy but it is real, inviting, and surprisingly we were both a bit disappointed when it ended. You can find the trailer link here.

sing-a-long, movies, Boyhood, and thinking of you

1 I have an ear worm. "Life is a highway. I'm gonna drive it all night long. If you're going my way I'm gonna drive it all night long" Life is a Highway
2 Mr P has been busy. He's gotten us some movies to watch. Special flicks, Oscar nominations!
3 Our first movie is Boyhood. Interesting concept because it was filmed over the course of 12 years so it is interesting to see each person evolve in looks, in size, in maturity. It's almost 3 hours long so we break it up into 2 parts. So far my favourite actor (which surprises me) is Ethan Hawke.
4 It would have been my parents anniversary today. I look through a few pictures and my thoughts take me back to times we celebrated together. Miss you Mom and Dad,

hang out with me, back to back, and don't open that!

 1 We spend the morning and early afternoon talking, drinking tea and coffee, dining on leftovers and generally just hanging out.
2 Sam has my back, I have hers. Thanks for looking out for me sista!
3 The cat saga took a new twist. We placed an ad online looking for our beauty. I got a text message on my cell and made the mistake of clicking on a photo link. Thankfully when I ran the anti virus it was clean but it could have been terrible. Note to self: DO NOT OPEN ANY UNKNOWN LINKS ON MY CELL!

snip, snip, and BBC

1 I cut my hair! Well, it's not that radical really. It is the same style just layered. I like it a lot. I'm growing it a bit longer so it'll make that process much easier.
2 He fixed the bangs I had decided to cut myself. Will I ever learn to leave it to the experts? I keep saying I will be when desperation and hair in the eyes sets in, I cave.
3 We are a BBC documentary series called "Wild China" It's amazing what kinds of animals live only in the deep regions of this huge country.

cleaned up, fun in the snow, and let's do it again sometime

1 With no work happening for the next little while I have time to catch up on things around the house. A dusting here, a wash there and soon things are looking much, much better.
2 A quick bit of fun in the snow with the grandkidlets. Grampa made them a little sled out of some rope and a rubbermaid container! 
3 Dinner out with new friends. How much fun is it learning about each other!? Can't wait to get together again. Thanks Sam!

again, winter, and still looking

1 The grandkidlets stayed for another night and we had a lovely time of it! We managed to get in extra stories and lots of snuggles.
1a Kes decided that sleeping is for losers and fought the good fight, but in the end sleep won the battle.
2 It's still winter out there. The snow piles just aren't melting and the driveway is icy. Good news is that the snowman isn't melting either.
3 We are still looking for a cat. It's strange how we thought it would be easy but somehow the right one just hasn't come along. We can wait for our beauty.

a few quick stories to catch up

1 After my fall it's decidedly smart to take it easy. A little puttering, a little movement and lots of rest.
2 The day passes quickly despite the resting or maybe that's because of it. Lots of heat/cold, heat/cold processes and a good book.
3 I've missed book club two months in a row. December because of work and January because of the fall. I'm determined to get to February's meeting. We are reading the Book of Negroes. I've deliberately not read the reviews on it so I can have it fresh and new to me.
4 The chiropractor pulls and stretches out my neck, upper and lower back areas. It feels like he's pulled it in many directions, each time just a wee bit more. Lastly he does an adjustment on my neck that feels like it's going into my skull with instant relief.
5 The car repair ends up 30% more than estimated. Car is fixed and we can defer the other fixes for another time and possibly another shop.
6 Mr P works on the driveway again so that Chris can drop off the grandkidlets. They're here for a sleep over! Kes is reserved but Isabelle runs to us with open arms and gushes her hellos.
7 Blueberry muffin makers. We have three bowls so that each of us can make our muffins. Only mine get the seal of approval for cooking! Kes decides to wear his in his hair!
8 Later when it's bath time I wash his hair only to discover that he's painted his head with a marker. The suds are BLUE!
9 After baking and lunch we lie down to read our book and soon both of them are making light snoring sounds and have their arms over their heads, so I know it's safe to sneak out of the room and get clean up started.
10 Mr P gets all the dishes done for me. Thank you.
11 A pink play dough spider with eight bendy legs. Izzy loves play dough. Kes observers and eventually comes over to play but is happier with his Leap Frog.
12 Izzy and I made a board game out of some scrap wood from Grampa. We put lots of squares on it and each one gets a number, letter, or picture in it. You roll the dice and Izzy does the counting then we move randomly from one end of the board to the other. She's excited to win but in subsequent games she's very concerned that we all win and even skips her turn to others can move to the finish line! Very sweet thinking for a 4 year old.

unbroken, on the couch, and fixed up

1 We enjoyed a late breakfast at one of our favourite spots this morning but on the way out the slush attacked me. My feet went out from under me and I hit the ground hard. I'm bruised and sore and grateful nothing is broken.
2 Sunbursts, or trying to burst through the clouds.

3 Thankfully the chiropractor squeezed me in after he saw Mr P. He did an assessment and stretched me a bit and we decide I'd better see him in a few days. For tonight he prescribed a hot bath, then cold on an off and then more rest.
3a Mr P is taking good care of me.

snow, rescued, and oopsy

1 Yes, we got snow!  And we got lots of it. Schools have been closed for two days now and the snow has gone from light and fluffy to wet and heavy. Tonight's it's supposedly freezing rain.
2 Mr P to the rescue. He shovels and sands a pathway for the neighbour to get out of her driveway and get to work. He comes in afterwards, hydrates, changes his boots and is out the door again. This time he shovels our concrete section then takes the big truck and flattens our driveway (it's too long to shovel) and the parts he can't flatten he shovels all the way up the shared driveway to the main road. Whew!
3 I thought homemade lamb lentil soup would be a good choice today. BUT, I did learn a valuable lesson when pureeing. Never overfill or the lid and the insides will explode. I held on to the lid really tightly and hollered help to Mr P. He came a running, pulled the plug to stop the blender and never laughed, not once. I love him.

workload, driving Mrs P, and shine!

1 A very long 12 hour day of work. Or rather two works. I spent the better part of the day at the Public Works job fielding calls from rather angry people wanting immediate or better than expected service.. sigh The second job was loads of people, smiling faces, and shenanigans! Love my peeps!
2 Mr P was my cab driver today. He ferried me about from one job to another in our diesel four by four. Not that he used that feature much. He had much more fun skidding and sliding. He's fun that way.
3 She asked me to help her choose a word for the year, for her intention. For Sam, it's shine. It describes her perfectly.

shineSHīn/
verb
1 (of the sun or another source of light) give out a bright light.
"the sun shone through the window"

synonyms:

emit light, beam, radiate, gleam, glow, glint, glimmer, sparkle, twinkle,glitter, glisten, shimmer, flash, flare, glare, fluoresce;

2.be very talented or perform very well.
"she shines at comedy"

synonyms:

excel, be outstanding, be brilliant, be successful, stand out

noun
1.a quality of brightness, especially from reflected light

more equipment, cactus, and cookin'

1 The neighbours drop off an elliptical machine for Mr P. He plans where he will place it in our mini gym. It appears one of the weight benches will be relocated to another home! whew
2 We take a walk in the wooded field with the dogs and enjoy the snow. Roxy gets a cactus in her foot. She sits with her foot up and quietly waits for Andrew to come to her rescue. Imagine finding a cactus in the middle of winter.
3 I am feeling a bit out of sorts still with the new no carb diet so I do what I do best. I get the pots and pans humming and make a spaghetti sauce. It feels good to chop and dice.

mousetraps, storm warning, being neighbourly, and hummus

1 The mousetraps are working and Mr P has caught mouse number two.He walks into the foyer with it still in the trap and when I look over I do the typical mouse shriek! lol Too funny!
2 There's a storm warning in effect here for the next few days. At the moment though, it's sunny, windy and cccooold.
3 We haven't spent much time with the next door neighbours since we moved in. All four of us are busy people so when they invited us over it was special. What a lovely young couple! So fun to find out that despite the age differences we have so much in common.
3a I loved the hummus that she served so much I had to take a picture of the jar! Totally perfect.

a brief synopsis of days gone by

1 We had company! My brother in law and his wife arrived in the early afternoon. They were a bit under the weather and a bit weary but we had a fine time of it despite the coughing and sneezing.
2 Our meal was an assortment of Indian foods. Meat pies, butter chicken pies, vegetable samosas and chutneys followed by home made mango lassi. Oh and though it's not part of the theme, we enjoyed apple pie and whipped cream.
3 We used our wine infuser for the first time. It's perfect and definitely makes the wine lighter and much more welcoming on the palate.
4 Monday morning and I headed to work while the rest of them slept and dreamt of a lazy day.
5 They had that lazy day. Some go for a drive, while the other read a book and slept on the couch near the fire.
6 It was cold. Too cold for doing much of anything outside without getting frostbite.
7 A dinner at the local German establishment and it was so very festive there. Our food was delicious, fast and exactly what we ordered. The restaurant is still decorated for the holidays and we watched a group enjoy their medieval feast.
8 More work and more shenanigans at the office. There are too pups that come with their owner to work each day but that day they were focused on me. I don't think it was me really, I think it was the bag of treats that were sitting on my desk shelf that they really were attracted to.
9 The mouse traps are set and one mouse bites the dust. Time for a cat.
10 We spend some time looking for cats on the internet, find the one we liked but she's already found a forever home. We keep looking.
11 Work shifted and I worked at the hospital. I love being able to change hats for different jobs.
12 Mr P and I started our 2 week no carb induction program. I think he's cheating but he's happy to go along with me and my new years start.
13 I looked out the window and it was sunny with some clouds pushing their way along the mountain ridge so I turned my head and thought of sunshine and warm days but when I opened my eyes again it was snowing! Gotta love Mother Nature's sense of humour some days!
14 By the time I got home the roads were slick and icy. It feels good knowing there's no place to go but to a chair to relax and unwind.
15