I couldn’t get too deep into my June ‘Accent the Positive’ challenge without sharing some moments with our precious Cavalier Kat. Our lives would not be the same without her. 💞
When Dan and I decided (ok Dan agreed😂) to get another dog, I wanted something small and manageable. Dan wanted a ‘real dog – not a pocket-size accessory’. We decided on a Cavalier – sight unseen. When I picked her up, she was so tiny. She could fit in the palm of my hand. I was a little leary about Dan’s reaction to her size, but she snuck right into his heart – and she quickly grew into a fair size dog (15kg.)
Kat’s first ride home. Early June 2013Kat & her big sister – the late and so great Casey. (Casey was an American Eskimo/Pomeranian. She was intelligent, empathetic, and protective of our grandbabies, our elderly parents, and anyone human or animal who was sick, injured, or fragile in any way).Discovering the garden planters. I have no idea how she got up there. 🤷Taking a dip with Genie, Dom, and I in one of our smaller monster pools.Who let the dogs out? (Song of the day🎶). Visiting at our son Dan’s with Baccardi and CorneliusLooking for a snack. Always!Out walking – sort of. We have to stop to check out every tree, gopher hole, fence post and the like. 🙄And, Kat’s favourite pastime – nap time. 😴Thank you for dropping by! Have a great day💞
Two days down! Twenty-eight to go. See you tomorrow. 🌞
After much deliberation, I decided to kick off my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ blogging challenge with a salute to our province – The Land of the Living Skies (Saskatchewan).
In Saskatchewan, our skies stretch forth as far as the eye can see, unimpeded by mountains, or skyscrapers, or the like. Our winds also blow unimpeded by such natural or man-made windbreaks. Thus, we not only see anything in our skies, chances are it is moving and constantly changing – giving one the impression that they are in fact ‘Living Skies’.
A nearby park, covered with blue sky and wispy clouds.Summer sky over Wascana CreekCloudy skies 😢Double rainbow after a summer shower.A clear blue sky beaming down on the Jag we used to have. It was gorgeous – the Jag and the sky. 😂😳Sky in the Water – I think that used to be a song🤔I love it when that happens. 💞
One down, twenty nine to go! Have a good day and I hope to see you tomorrow! 🌞
I have kept things pretty free and easy since I retired last spring. What can I say? I have gotten a bit slack and have possibly (probably) developed commitment issues. 🤔
Anyway, the time has come for me to step up and challenge myself. Sooo…. for the month of June (2021) I have decided that I will post a blog EVERY day! Not just any blog. I will post a blog that ‘Accentuates the Positive“. 😊
If you need a smile, a virtual hug, or an occasional snicker, drop by (any day in June) and hopefully I will not disappoint you. If you have the urge to challenge yourself likewise, feel free to join me on my mission! Tag me or send me a link to your blog in the comment section and I will keep an eye on how you are doing throughout the month. 👀
It is too funny that I am nervous about embarking on this challenge. For decades, my life revolved around countless projects, responsibilities, and implausible deadlines. Now, committing myself to a few minutes each day for a month has me in a tizzy. 🤣
To kick off this big undertaking, I turn things over to the great Willie Nelson and this particularly positive little tune!
With our recent rains and a couple of days of sunshine, our plant life seems to be taking over.
Our little cat is still holding his ground but Grandpa’s Bleeding Heart has obscured the bike riding frog.Little frog trying to fight off a fern.Wild flowers trying to take over the birdbath. Yertle the Turtle is looking a bit nervous.The chives are done sharing their pot with our metal mushrooms.Buddha gone into retreatA couple of weeks and the rocks will be struggling to peak out through the ground cedar.Even our houseplants are starting to go after our elephants. 😯
The Saskatchewan floods and frigid weather have passed. Most of our plants have survived so far. We will see how many make it through the hurricane strength winds today!
All of the pepper plants seem good – sweet bell, mini bell, and hot varieties. 🌶️Kat’s Tiny Tim tomatoes and our Roma, San Marzano, Beefsteak, Better Boy and multicolor all look good. Except for one multicolor plant – I think Kat ate it. 🙄The petunias are still small but starting to bloom 👍The wildflowers under our bedroom window seem to be fine – a bit messy, maybe 😉I just loved the color of these plants at the garden centre but not so sure now. Will see once they have a chance to grow a bit.
Dan is back to work – at least for now. He has taken a temporary position in the melt shop in the steel plant at Evraz. (He usually works as lead hand on the legacy spiral mills in the pipe plant but they are currently shut down). From all accounts, and a little imagination, the melt shop is about as close as one can get to hell on earth. But, steelworkers are a special breed and Dan is a steelworker, so when the opportunity arose he took it.
I have been with Dan for twenty four years and worked with him for several months before that. Dan is a good man and I know from personal experience that he is a good worker. He is dedicated, responsible, reliable, dependable, and capable. He takes pride in his work and demands respect for it – not simply for himself but for his fellow workers as well.
Over the years, I have found business interesting on many levels. Although I generally worked in administration, the production department was the heart of every company, in my mind. I have always been fascinated by the process, the equipment, and the skills and strength of the workers. I sat in my (climate controlled) office – supporting managers, serving customers, and doing everything in my power to ensure the production department had what they needed, to do what they did.
For a number of years, I believed that a business was all about the product or service they provided. During the last few years that I worked, I came to realize that the most fascinating part of any business are the people involved – owners, employees and clients.
There are people like Dan, who take pride in what they do and get the job done – regardless of any circumstances. Then there are others. The slackers, who show up (typically late and/or frequently not at all) and do the bare minimum. The desperately ambitious, who claw over anyone in an effort to better themselves 😂. The entitled, who do little of consequence, but blame others for their lack of performance and productivity. The arrogant, who regardless of position, have zero respect or consideration for others. And finally, the self sabotagers who are in a class of their own.
It takes a combination of factors to create a successful business – financial backing, quality product, proper equipment, and good people – Good people like Dan! 🌟
We got the garden in! Our plants all seem to have survived two days of +31 temps followed by three days of snow and freezing temperatures. (They did ride out the snow and cold by hunkering down under sheets and blankets). If they can get through the next week of rain without drowning we should be good!
Kat checking out the plants. Grandpa’s Bleeding Heart blooming like crazyThis year’s begonia for our elephant planter – love the color!Dan did major work on our welcome planter & lights. I planted the posies. Our white flower planter 😊Maple Leafs vs the Canadiens – Go Leafs! 🏒 🇨🇦 🏆
We still have work to do getting the yard cleaned up. I have to finish power washing the patio and outdoor furniture and get the steel planters painted. Dan is working on the front lawn and rebuilding one of the front lawn planters, plus cleaning up some lights and decorations. (Once everything dries up and warms up of course!)
Dan is out working on a few of our planters so I thought I would share shots of our latest yard acquisitions.
Great deal on a new birdbath from Canadian Tire. It will move to its permanent home once Dan gets water flowing through it.Dan picked up another little metal sign. 😊💞A friend for KatSame old Kat but she is sporting a new spring haircut.
We also have a variety of new holes in the sand around our garden planters. Our squirrels take the peanuts we put out for them and bury them in the sand. Kat smells the peanuts and goes around digging them up – leaving a new hole for every peanut she finds. Fun times! 🤦
Our grass is turning green and the trees have their leaves coming. By the time I post pictures of our yard again, we should have the garden cleaned up and the bedding plants in. Summer is coming! Yay🥳
I do my best to avoid being a burden to our medical system. Actually, I just do my best to avoid our medical system altogether. I should touch base with my doctor more often, but one trip to his office and all too often I have slipped down some wierd rabbit hole into the land of medical miracles and miscues.
My last trip down the hole started last January with a trip to emerg for pneumonia and bronchial spasms. This led to trips to my doctor for follow up tests and x-rays which resulted in a diagnosis of COPD on top of my asthma. This led to trips to a respiratory specialist, a CT scan, more tests, and a diagnosis of bronchiectasis. (I was also supposed to see a heart specialist and ENT but what with the Covid pandemic that never happened.) 🙄
In the meantime, after consulting with my doctor and respiratory specialist, I started working out to hopefully improve my lung (and possibly my heart) function. While that didn’t happen, it did lead to more trips to my doctor for not one, not two, but three hernias.
This led me to an ultrasound clinic – for the hernias and for a checkup on my abdominal organs. From the amount of pressure that the technician had to use, I am pretty sure she was working with the microphone from Barbie’s karaoke bus. (State of the art Saskatchewan medical equipment!) 😩
In a follow up with my doctor, I discovered that the ultrasound technician had totally missed the hernias in my lower abdomen, found a two inch epigastric hernia in my upper abdomen (No doubt a result of violent coughing fits last January and my workout efforts last fall). And, as a bonus, she noted that I have a bit of fatty liver.
Fourteen months in and I am on a surgical wait list for a hernia and my doctor has strong suspicions that I have a serious drinking problem due to the fatty liver thing.
I doubt that a couple of small glasses of wine a week at most, and the occasional Caesar is that big of a deal as drinking problems go. Personally, I think my love of KFC, Cheezies, and Smarties has more to do with the fat I have in my liver or anywhere else. 🤨
The bizarre thing is this is not the first time that my health issues have cycled around to a serious drinking problem! I must have been a heavy drinker in a previous life because it sure hasn’t been in this one. 🤦
