We have added a new member to our little family. She is a Pyrenees sheep dog. I have been wanting an Old English Sheep Dog but they are hard to come by in these parts. Maybe they are not up to dealing with our weather. 🤷
She was very good this morning, despite separation anxiety from her Mom, siblings, and human family. She is not house trained but does her business when I take her outside. She has not been trained at all (she is barely nine weeks old) but is obviously highly intelligent, understands what I want her to do, and ignores me when she has other plans.
She loves to play outside, nap when she is inside, and she ate her lunch with no hesitation. 👍
The only downside so far was when I did my dance workout. She likes to chew on things and apparently when I dance, I am her everything. It was hard to concentrate with a twenty pound pup chewing on my toes, ankles, knees, and butt. When that didn’t get her anywhere, she decided to howl – louder than the music I might add. Finally, she got bored and decided to drag her blanket from one end of the house to the other. It was too adorable but awkward when she would go between my legs. Now that my workout is done, she is exhausted, so sound asleep in the middle of the livingroom floor.
Her ‘pillow’ was Kat’s bed. 😳
That is it for my big news of the day! Take care a have a great day!
(Ps – She doesn’t have a name yet. We are still debating. 🙄)
Today is the 9th anniversary of the day my mother passed away. She was 95 years old and even at that advanced aged – over the course of 95 years – she had not reached perfection. She was still human with human flaws and foibles.
That bothered me at the time. I had this idea that mothers were supposed to be perfect – superhuman. Mothers were there to raise, protect, support, and cherish their children – because that is what mothers did. That is what my mother did. Obviously, mothers were supposed to have their own lives figured out and all of the kinks ironed out before taking on the lofty position of motherhood. My mother had a few kinks – despite being a mother, a grandmother,and a great-grandmother. I had valid reason to be bothered.
Not only was my mother supposed to be perfect but (in my mind) by the time I became a mother I would be a responsible, mature, all knowing, kinkless, perfect super human.
I am pushing 67 years old, a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and shockingly – my life is still a work in progress! I am still learning, still changing, still growing up and still a flawed and foibled human being. What the hell?!
Mom & I – mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers.
I can’t believe that it has taken me this long to realize that everyone is human and has their own path to travel through this life – their own thoughts, dreams, strengths, weaknesses, challenges, disappointments, and kinks – even mothers who are doing their level best to raise, protect, support, and cherish children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
I wish I could call my mother and tell her it is okay that she wasn’t perfect, that she never reached perfection, that I finally get it and appreciate her humanity. But I am sure she knows …..
Rest in Peace, Mom 💞
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day. 💞
I have been rather MIA on WordPress for the last few weeks. This bothers me, because I do enjoy posting and reading everyone else’s news and views of the day. It is hard to explain, but I have gotten so caught up in my spring fitness plan, that I have rather lost (or found) myself in it. 🙄
When I met Dan, I had a little Terrier named Scraps. She had this wierd habit of becoming totally mesmerized at random moments. She would be walking across the room and suddenly go off into her own little world. We referred to these episodes as ‘Scrapsing Out’.
Mark and Scraps
Anyway… For the past few weeks I have been ‘Scrapsing Out’. It started innocently enough when I realized my fitness level was not going to cut it when spring (and spring yard cleanup) arrived. I started dancersizing for half an hour a day. The results were almost impressive. I am looking and feeling much better. I even have muscle tone in my arms!
I noticed that I was feeling mentally sharper and emotionally grounded – so I started engaging in more mental exercise and meditating on a regular basis.
When our snow and ice melted (currently it has temporarily returned), I started walking everyday. I also got focussed on spending more time preparing healthier meals.
Every day, I am feeling better, am more energetic, and am more active. But, I have kind of lost that time that I used to spend blogging. Since, that was quality time for me I am definitely trying to get back to fitting it into my new lifestyle. It may take a while but I am working on it.
But… I am also really enjoying feeling more fit everyday! And I am totally impressed that I have kicked up my dancersizing routines. This is one of the You Tube ones I use now. Obviously, I do not look like these girls but I am doing a pretty amazing job of keeping up with them. 😊
It’s Dan’s birthday today but since he had to work we celebrated last night. Just a quiet evening at home but it was nice. A little food, some tv, and a nice supper.
My sister Elaine and her husband John sent Dan the prettiest card. She makes cards for all of the family for birthdays, anniversaries and the like and they are all so special. I am sure she has everything down on a calendar of sorts but I would still lose track. (My Christmas cards from 2015 are still waiting to be sent.)This beautiful card was the one she sentto us for the loss of our Kat. The inscription was touching, as well. 😢Dan’s birthday supper – with a side salad. He didn’t get a card from me but I did tell him if he wanted any new golf gear, he could definitely buy it from me. 🙄 It is hard for me to buy the right sports equipment for him but I am all for him having whatever adds to his enjoyment of the game. 💞And I made him a cake. Actually, it was Brownies with cream cheese icing but it was cakish. 😊
Today is also Dan’s sister Joan’s birthday – four years apart but on the same day. 🎂 They also have two cousins born on April 12th – a few years apart. That seems like such a bizarre coincidence to me. I come from a largish family, that came from two very large families, and none of us share birthdays. 🤔
That’s about it for today. I got my dancing and walking in today so I am feeling pretty darn good about myself. I haven’t missed any workout days since February 14th. Pretty impressive. 😌
Our weather has improved to the point that I have added an outdoor walk to my daily fitness routine. 🚶
Yesterday I ventured far enough to take in Patricia Park. Due to health issues, I never made it that far last summer, so I was pretty excited about this excursion.
The walk there was a little treacherous because some sidewalks are still covered with snow, ice, and water – not to mention coffee cups, masks, and disposable gloves. 😒But I made it to the park, which will look way better once the grass is green and the trees have their leaves.There were a few little puddles. 🙄And a couple of big puddles. 😳And a spiffy new bridge over the water channel. 😊There is a new playground that I passed on McKinley. 🤗This is what was left of a beautiful wooded Par 3 golf course. The trees were annihilated to make an off leash dog park – because, you know, dogs have an aversion to trees. It is all part of our city’s 12.5 BILLION dollar plan to be a renewable Net Zero city by 2050. 🤦
That was it for my walk. It will be way nicer in a few weeks but for now it is great to get out in the fresh air and sunshine – and my future body will thank me for the exercise that I am getting now. 👍👍👍
It has been seven weeks since I started my spring fitness program! The time is flying by and I am seeing some results.
Physically –
I have lost a whopping TWO pounds, but I continue to tone and tighten up 🙂
My balance is way better
I feel much better
My blood oxygen level is up and my pulse is slower and stronger
I started walking this weekend. I am starting with a goal of 5000 steps per day but I plan to increase as I am ready. I have read lately that 7500 steps is optimal.
Mentally –
I am doing better at the little puzzle games that I play 🙄
And… I installed a router extender to our wifi AND set up our security camera this morning! 💃💃💃
Emotionally – This is where I have noticed the biggest difference lately. I honestly thought, that with spring’s arrival and my efforts to improve my health and well-being, that my life would really get better! I was wrong. In the past few days, we have had family DRAMA, we have been BLEEDING financially, and we lost our little dog, Kat. Our life is one old country blues tune. BUT… I am doing ok. Seriously ok. My family are still the loves of my life, our finances will turn (as they always do), and despite the absolute heartbreak of losing Kat – I am okay. I am not trying to contain or control the pain in my heart. I am just letting it go with the flow of tears and staying grateful for the years we had. 💝
On a side note, my little seedlings are starting to take. I add a few more each week and thin out the ones that are getting a bit too crowded. Our weather is improving, but it will be a while before I can start moving my little garden outside, even for a few hours a day.
That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day!💞
PS… Thank you again for all of the kind and compassionate messages following our loss last week. We were very touched by each an every one. 💞💞💞
Following a few weeks of what seemed to be an on again, off again, up and down doggy cold, our little Kat took a decidedly bad turn for the worse. I took her to our vet clinic for x-rays and examination to get to the bottom of her health issues. Fortunately, the veterinarian I was able to get her in to see was the very competent and compassionate, Dr. Broberg. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was devastating. Our little Kat was suffering from catastrophic congenital heart failure and her lungs were filled with fluid.
Dr. Broberg put her on oxygen and tried diuretics to clear her lungs, to give us a few more weeks or possibly months, with our sweet little girl. Unfortunately, things did not go as hoped for and the next step was a twenty-four hour hospital. We were not willing to put her through the anxiety and suffering that this would cause our Kat, for what would inevitably be our short term gain. We chose to let her go now – sooner than later.
Last night, Dan and I were with Kat, as she was put to sleep. She went quickly and peacefully. We were and remain devastated. But we are also grateful that the end came as gently as possible for all of us, grateful that we had the means to provide the care our little girl deserved to the very end, and ever so grateful for the countless memories that we have to cherish.
Nine years of tail wagging, squirrel chasing, snack sneaking, snuggles and cuddles fun wrapped up in one little King Charles Cavalier named Kat:
### Warning… Some days I feel the need to vent. This is one of those days. 😉
I live in Saskatchewan. We are one of the largest provinces in Canada by area and we have one of the smallest populations. So far, we are sitting in third place for the number of Covid fatalities per capita in Canada.
Our health facilities have been overwhelmed during every wave of this pandemic. At one point, our ICU’s have been overwhelmed to the point of sending critically ill and dying patients to Ontario, two provinces to our east, for care. For those lucky enough to survive the trauma of being admitted to our hospitals and ICU’s, there is no aftercare to assist in recovery, save what can be found in regular medical clinics, therapists, and the like – which have been overwhelmed by community needs and scaled back to allow for social distancing of clients and staff. There are no special clinics that have been set up to work with those who suffer from long-haul Covid, as has been happening in other jurisdictions in Canada and around the globe. This week, our provincial government released a new budget adding a six per cent provincial tax to gym memberships and services, golf memberships and fees, park fees, sports venues and the like. This, at a time when the cost of eating healthy is rising. This, at a time when adopting and living a healthy lifestyle is more important than ever, if we are to recover and move past this pandemic.
There are people in Saskatchewan who would like to see an official review of what went right and what went wrong during this pandemic, to determine can be done now to best insure that we can deal more efficiently and successfully in the event of future pandemics. Our Premier and his cohorts have vehemently refused to consider any such review.
There was an article in our newspaper this morning, regarding this situation. In it the author noted that there have been mistakes made throughout this pandemic, that should be looked at to insure that they are not repeated.
Why is everything that goes wrong nowadays a mistake or an accident? Whatever happened to decisions and choices? Whatever happened to consequences and accountability? Whatever happened to taking responsibility for the decisions and choices that we make and taking steps to deal with the consequences?
This isn’t just about politics. It is about all of us as parents, professionals, partners, drivers, employers, human beings. The decisions and the choices we all make matter! Even when we decide or choose to do nothing in a situation, it matters. There are consequences that matter. And, none of us are hapless victims. We have the responsibility to make conscious, intelligent, reasonable decisions and choices and we have the power to deal with the consequences when we fail to do so. Life does not get any simpler than that.
Deep breath here. 😌
That is it for today. Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment.
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 