Journey & Adventure

Nope, I'm not homeless yet, but this little girl is. She stumbled into our front yard last evening.  We had just been on the front porch saying goodbye to J's parents when we hear a "mew, mew". We turn to see the source of the noise and there she was...looking for love, attention, food and water. My conscience would not let me leave her outside.  We live on a busy highway and have lost a few "strays" that we have tried to keep as outdoor cats.  So needless to say, she is living in my laundry room at the moment.  Although we have one other cat, I don't want another one.  The one we have is The Boy's and although he started out with good intentions, J and I have ended up being the cat's primary caregiver.  Nope not interested.  I'll endeavour to find a home for it, but I'm not very hopeful - cats and kittens are everywhere and shelters are overrun this time of year.  In the meantime, I...

Well, it’s been almost 3 weeks since the beginning of my poison ivy, oak or sumac outbreak and the itching is finally starting to subside. I only have a few remaining itchy spots – mostly on my neck and hairline. That was without a doubt, the worst experience of my life.  It certainly was not painful, but extremely exhausting both mentally and physically. I honestly thought I was going to lose my mind (more so than usual).   Approximately 1 month ago J and his employers came to a mutual decision to “part ways”. I guess that’s a nice way of saying he is now unemployed. Believe me – we are both extremely happy with this decision. I’m happy because I have a built-in maid, cook and contractor. J’s happy because he is no longer working for morons (unless I count of course). The house to-do list is dwindling and we have come to the realization that if it weren’t for him being able to work away on all the projects now, we would never be ready to sell the house and vacate the...

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a one-day seminar in Washington, DC.  Unfortunately I had only planned for a half day of touring, but by the time I arrived, after flight cancellations and other delays, my half day turned into a couple of hours - in the rain.  Oh well, I made the best of it and powered on.  My hotel was within a 5 minute walk to the White House, so that was my first stop. J came along for the trip and spent the following day touring around while I was attending the seminar.  Maybe he'll share some of his photos with me so I can share with you. The highlight of my trip (besides all of the sailors at the Naval Memorial) - I saw the Presidential Motorcade -sirens, secret service men, dark glasses, black SUVs and all.  Very exciting! One day certainly is not enough time to see everything DC has to offer.  J and I can hardly wait to go back. Back Lawn of the White House Secret Service Squirrel ...

So, you may recall that a couple of weeks ago, we were busy with cleaning up the trees that we had cut down in our side yard. Well, I’m happy to report that is was finally completed on the May 25th weekend. Last Thursday, May 30th and out of nowhere, a small red rash appeared on the inside of my right elbow. I thought I had been bitten by a spider because it wasn’t like any mosquito or black fly bites I’ve received before. Within a couple of hours, I had another spot on my knee and then on my inside of my ankles, then on my thigh. Overnight, the amount of spots had doubled. By this point, I’m thinking a rogue mosquito had a feast on my ample body during the night. The itching had also started by this point in time. Over the past week, the spots have shown up on my arms, legs, hips, shins, but have stayed away from my torso, back, stomach and chest. Did I mention the itch?  Finally today I was able to get into see the Doctor. I had already scheduled an appointment for ...

I’m not a fan of costumed characters - never have been.     Mascots of any type could easily warrant a kick from me if they stray to close and want a hug.     Photos are not an option.   As much as I like Walt Disney World, the costumed characters roam a little too freely for my liking (sorry Krystyn ) and I want no part of them.   I don’t like clowns either.   Yes, apparently I have issues. So imagine my dismay, when Kraft changed the bears on their label.   This is the one I know and love.   Non-threatening right? I eat a lot of peanut butter with toast, but now I’m not sure I can stick with Kraft peanut butter any longer.   These bears freak me out… I’m not sure if they truly intended to go for the “stalker vibe”, but honestly that’s what I’m feeling.   Guess it’s time to find another less threatening breakfast treat.

Over the course of the past month, I’ve taken the following series of photos of the wildlife here surrounding my work building. We actually are located in the middle of the city, but on a large landscaped property with beautiful courtyards and a manmade pond out front - a perfect haven for some wildlife. Can you spot the kildeer?  She made her nest amongst the tiny pebbles/gravel.  I would walk by her every morning and would have a hard time finding her. The large planters typically make great nests for the Canada Geese; however this year our custodian decided to kybosh the idea and strategically placed sticks in the majority of the planters. If you look closely you can see a planter in the background with the sticks. This goose however was one step ahead. Then, last week...I came to work to see this little surprise.  She had 6 babies (goslings). Then by the next day...they were moving out of the planter, into the world beyond. Da...

By the end of this week, we will be pretty darn close to checking two major items off of our “house to-do” list.     The major work on the spare room is almost complete.   We still have to paint, install closet doors, light fixtures and new carpet, but in my opinion those are minor items compared to gutting, wiring, dry-walling, mudding and sanding.   The other major item almost accomplished this week has been the removal of 4 very old pine trees from our side yard.   The trees have been there a long time and were quite large; however because of their age, they had started to die from the bottom up and had become a very large eyesore.     Knowing I would be losing my privacy once those trees were removed has caused me a great deal of anxiety this week because our back yard is now visible from the road that runs alongside our house. *sigh*     Here are some before and after pictures.   There’s still a lot of cl...