Conserving Water

For the last two years I have wanted to get a rain barrel for the back yard to collect rain water (duh?) to use on the growing garden scape instead of overusing tap water. The barrels are incredibly expensive in my opinion, $100 and up. And I wanted something designed specifically for collecting rainwater not just a container that would become a nesting site for mosquitoes.

In early spring Jeff found an ad in the local paper about a Waste Reduction Day where they would be offering the city rain barrels for the bargain price of $45 including tax. I thought for the price even if it was small it was a good deal so we headed out the next morning to pick one up. Let me tell you, it is fricking huge. Bigger than the ones being offered for the $100 plus I mentioned. And it was a nice beige that blends in with the scenery. It will hold about 55 gallons of rain water.

Yesterday Jeff was able to take some time to set it up (hello exam time). Hence this post and the photos. Jeff said I had to include his best side. You can figure out what side that is. One of the things I admire about Jeff is that he is not one to do things half way. I would have put down a couple bricks and plopped the barrel in place. Jeff? Well, he built a cedar table for it to sit on, dug a whole to stick the legs of the table in to bury them so the table can't tip over an then engineered the eaves to drain into the barrel.

Now, not only do we recycle and compost, we conserve water too.

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Topic Links
* Systern Rain Barrel

Cider House Rules

No, I'm not talking about the movie. I'm talking about a new beverage I had last weekend at a family wedding (Jeff's cousin). We had to travel four hours to the Thornbury area on Georgian Bay. Beautiful area if you are looking for a holiday destination.

One of the best things about the reception was that I was able to try something new. Thanks to the photographer who sat at our table (sorry I forgot her name). She's from the area and told us about the local cider house and she recommended we try an iced Cider peeler before we go.

I immediately ordered one from the waiter. Basically it comes in a large beer glass that has been totally iced (seriously this was the best part for me because I like my drinks iced). It doesn't foam up like a beer but it fizzles like a seltzer. It tastes like a wine but like a beer but like apples. In that order. It is 4% alcohol.

The company offered take home bottles as wedding gifts to the guests hence the picture of me holding a bottle. I can't for the life of me figure out why I didn't take a picture of the beverage at the wedding. Maybe the glass of red wine I had before that made me forget.

So if you are ever in a Thornbury restaurant or bar ask for a Iced Cider Peeler. And be sure to drive by the cider house that produces them.

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Topic Links
* Peeler Cider

Supporting Women Entrepreneurs a World Away

My friend Lisa has been singing the praises of Kiva for well over a year. And while I thought the concept sounded wonderful I never really did anything to contribute until March of this year.

If you are not familiar with Kiva they are kind of like a business bank for men and women in underdeveloped countries but unlike banks their loan recipients don't have to worry about interest and foreclosures.

In a nutshell, Kiva takes money ($25 increments) from people like me (and maybe you) and puts it into the hands of men and women trying to start up a business (or grow their business) so they can be self sufficient and take care of their families. They then work at paying the loan back. It's very low risk for both sides. Once they start paying the loan back, there is the option of removing the funds or resubmitting it for another business loan for someone else in need.

Part of the process is deciding who you want to loan your money too. They have a listing of entrepreneurs who share their business needs, family situation, a photo and loan repayment plans. The people donating have the option of choosing who is most affected by the $25.

Today I received an email from Kiva letting me know that the two women who I made loans to have started to pay it back. I know from personal experience, having paid back a heafty student loan, what a great feeling this is to be close to the end of a loan repayment. I am so happy and proud of these women -- Ana from Lima, Peru and Bola from Lagos State, Nigeria.

It will be a while still before the complete amount is paid back, but I plan to reinvest the money in someone else (or again with these ladies if they take out another loan).

I highly recommend you check out Kiva and join in the process of helping an entrepreneur a world away.

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Topic Links
* My Kiva Lender Page

New Tenants

With April comes rain. With rain comes tulips. With spring also comes my little garden helpers -- Robins. I love robins. I love their singing, their red breasts, the way they zip across the yard. How they play in the sprinkler when I'm watering. They are just an all around cute bird.

This year they have set up a nest on the sill of my office aka dining room window. I'm almost as glorified as the cat who spent two hours watching the Mrs. build and the Mr. eat. Ok, I probably watched for a good 30 minutes too. I'm pretty sure they knew we were there but she didn't seemed concerned.

It's not what I would call an ideal place to put a nest. Especially once you get some wiggly jiggly babies in it and a good wind. Jeff is trying to think of a way to offer some protection without disturbing the nest and without making it easier for something to climb up and get the eggs.

I'm actually pretty stoked to see baby eggs and eventually hatchlings. I hope things work out for our new tenants.

The picture isn't so great but it gives you an idea of the proximity and actually shows a bird. I also have some excellent video footage but I still don't know how to upload that to the computer so I'll have to wait for tech support.

Small Talk Six - Getting Naked

Toni posted this meme at The Mud Bug this weekend and I just had to join in this week's dish. The Mud Bug shares a weekly meme under the guise of Small Talk Six. Every weekend something new and scandalous to blog about. This week:

“6 things you would like to do naked if you lived alone”

If you participate you can be just as verbose or as terse as you like about your answer list.

I've never lived alone, alone but growing up in my household was pretty much like being alone at least until the party started around 3 a.m.

Up until I was about six I loved to run around in my panties. At least until a neighbour came over and squealed at me, "I can see your titties". I highly recommend not doing this to your neighbour's kids. It's mortifying, even at six.

So if I wasn't so emotionally scarred from that incident and lived alone (with blacked out windows in the boonies) I would like to do the following six things naked:

1. run around (inside) the house
2. dance to my favorite songs whenever I wanted
3. lounge in my favorite chair while I read
4. occasionally sunbath (need a huge peek free fence of course)
5. fall asleep on top of my bed (it's so soft)
6. do the laundry

Toni mentioned she'd like to cook naked and I thought at first that might be fun but I'm a dangerous cook so decided against it.

So what would you do naked in your house uninterrupted (besides the obvious)?

Baby Dreams

I'm getting close to the use or lose stage of life but I never thought I would be having baby dreams like this:

I'm pregnant. The baby is sitting really really low in my abdomen and it is quite painful. The doctor is looking, you know, down there. She says she's going to reposition it. Next thing I know she's holding my baby boy. Who to me, someone in the waking world who has assisted in births as a nurse, notices the baby is quite large for a newborn and his eyes are wide open.

The eyes are a big issue for me in this dream. Bright blue and glazed over... unresponsive. I ask the doctor about it and she says it's too early to tell if there are any mental defects. Only time will tell.

I ask if I can hold him and she gives him to me and I wrap him up. She tells me I can have a few hours with him before they stuff him back in my belly so he can finish his term. He hasn't finished the whole nine months thing. For some reason I'm fine with this.

I proceed to go around town showing everyone my baby boy and asking about his eyes. I'm concerned about some kind of mental defect (I'm assuming because I'm over thirty-five).

Now here is the really good part. I go back to the hospital and we're in the usual medical type room with doctors, nurses etc getting ready to perform the procedure of stuffing the baby back into me to finish his term. The baby boy is on a tiny table and they unswaddle him.

Before my dreaming eyes the center of the baby from neck to pelvis splits open and is filled with rows of gigantic razor sharp teeth going deep inside. His body flails once popping him into the air where he bites off the doctors head. He this becomes at least ten times his size (he kind of reminds me of one of those fly catching plants except not a plant and no stalk and totally huge) and begins eating the rest of the hospital staff while I watch from the corner.

At this time I decide it would be prudent to wake up.

What do you think? Stephen King complex? Baby issues? Age issues? Or too many horror movies before I was ten years old?

Dog Day Afternoon

We drove to Ottawa on Wednesday to meet with the oncology surgeon at the Alta Vista Animal Hospital who would be working on Shelby. Jeff and I both got a good vibe from Dr. Julius Liptak. He had a look in Dog's mouth and told us he thought it was a fibrous tumour coming from the ligament in the roof of her mouth. This kind of tumour does not require aggressive treatment like removing part of the palate so we were obviously thrilled by that. After our visit we confirmed the next day's surgical appointment with the receptionist and went to the hotel.

We checked into the Monterary Inn and Resort. Jeff found them online through Mapquest. It was one of the facilities listed as close to the animal hospital. It is definitely going on our list of places to stay at in Ottawa. It cost us $119 per night for two large beds on the ground level with a river view and two continental breakfasts (cereal, toast, bagels, fresh fruit, juice). They have a number of buildings for lodgings. Ours was the furthest from the road and was also considered the "pet" rooms. But we were seriously impressed. If you ever visit Ottawa and need a place to stay please check them out.

On Thursday Dog was dropped off at the Alta Vista Animal Hospital for her oral surgery around 7 a.m. She went under the knife and was waking up from her anaesthetic by 11 a.m. They called us around then to let us know how it went and what to expect when we picked her up. The assistant let us know what had transpired during the operation: they cut out the tumor, used liquid nitro to freeze the tag, then caterized for bleeding. They wanted to keep her for a few more hours as she was still partially sedated but coming out of it nicely. We eventually picked her up about 3:30 p.m.

She was so incredibly anxious to see us when she came around the corner. She nosed us both and then headed for the front door. She wanted out. No goodbyes were wasted on the staff. I was dragged out while Jeff paid off our bill which came to just over $1000.

We stayed another night in Ottawa ordering pizza in so we could keep an eye on her. I worked for a bit and then read some more of Breaking Dawn (fourth book in Twilight series) before heading to bed. We were jolted awake early by the sound of barfing cat. Luckily I remembered to pack the pet spot remover and paper towels. Since we were up we showered went for a continental breakfast then checked out. I'm not ashamed to admit I slept most of the way home.

We are home, oh-so-happy to be home. And oh-so-happy that puppy dog had a successful surgery. Here are a few pictures (click to enlarge)--the front side of our building, view out patio doors, dog before surgery, cat checking things out, Jeff looking for directions to food (wearing his Threadless birthday tee I bought him):

Dog Going Under the Knife

As you know, a few weeks ago Jeff discovered a tumor on the roof of our 8 year German Shepherd's mouth. She had just been to the vet not long before but it was well hidden. DH only found it because she rolled over for a belly rub with her mouth open.

The tumor came back non-cancerous when biopsied but it is still one that is common for becoming invasive into the bone.

Since it's on the roof of the mouth we are quite concerned about it. Instead of leaving it to see what it does we decided to have it removed at which time they will send it for further analysis as well as be able to see how much underlying tissue is affected. She will probably lose the adjoining canine tooth and husk surrounding it.

Apparently these kinds of tumors are common in senior dogs and often go unfound because of lack of mouth care. By the time they are found they are usually quite large and obstructing breathing or eating as well as having invaded the bone. This requires major surgery usually removing part of the dogs jaw or worse euthanasia.

It is incredibly important that senior dog (6 and above) owners realize the importance of mouth care. It's not just about brushing the teeth. It about doing an oral exam. Don't just leave it up to your vet. Once a month you should be opening your pets mouth to check the gums, teeth, back of throat and one of the most overlooked spots -- the roof of the mouth.

We are headed for Ottawa tomorrow for a three day layover. We'll meet the animal oncologist/surgeon the first day, she'll go for surgery the next and hopefully we'll pick her up on the third. I'll be taking the laptop with me and hope to do an update.

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Topic Links
* Poor Puppy
* Puppy Update

Puppy Update

We just came back from a second opinion vet about Dog's mouth (aka couch potato) and the going consensus is that she'll need surgery to have the tumour removed. It will also involve removing the tooth (possibly teeth) and socket(s) involved.

We were referred to a clinic and oncology surgeon in Ottawa and it will involve a three day layover. The first day will be an exam, the second day the surgery and the third day recovery and follow up. It's going to happen during the March break so it will kind of be like a mini vacation... but not.

They are expecting that it will cost around the $1000 range but are not committing to a total yet until the surgeon has a look.

Jeff and I are still having emotional issues about the whole thing even though we both know that logically it's a good thing that it was found so early. I hate the waiting part.

Poor Puppy

Here is a picture of our beautiful German Shepherd dog:


Here is the picture of her mouth tumor. Jeff found it simply by accident about a week and half ago when she rolled over to have her belly rubbed. Her mouth was open and he happened to see it. It's a good thing too. At the time it was about the size of my pinky up to the second knuckle.

Within a few days we had her in to the vet to get it looked at and have a biopsy done ($300). Of course we go online as we wait the week out for the results and see all manner of horror stories. Don't worry, we've stopped doing that.

We found out yesterday that it is a fibrous growth. It's not cancerous but it could become invasive to the bone on the roof of the mouth if left unchecked. We'll be talking with the vet again in a few days about going to Toronto to have it removed. Jeff would like to get a second opinion but regardless, common sense tells me it should be removed.

She's an eight year old dog and if it's something that is going to continue to grow and potentially cause bigger problems in the future then I would rather have it done when she's a skippy senior instead of a decrepit senior.

Half Our Lives

Jeff and I went out for the combination Valentine's Day slash Birthday supper tonight (pasta Tuesday at Boston Pizza). He is going to be 40 on Thursday. Which means I am not far behind. What? Who said that?!

While we were chowing down on some fabulous pasta (I had seven cheese ravioli and he had Italian penne) we got to talking about feeling old, or not, and the number of years we've been together.

We've now come to the point in our relationship where we have been together for more than half our lives. I've always known he was the most important person in my life. And it may sound cliche but he is my best friend, it's also a good thing he's my husband because honestly no one else would put up with me and my drama. The man has already taken care of me through three major catastrophes and all the minor ones (real and imagined) in between.

But to actually contemplate "half our lives", it some how seems surreal. It's amazing how time plays games with us. We're always in so much of a hurry to get to where we want to be then when we get there we are surprised that it's over and are wishing for more time.

It was an interesting evening. We filled ourselves with enough pasta for two while we talked and still had enough for leftovers. Then we popped over to the pet food store to pick the cat up a water dish before going home. That's right, an old married couple at forty. Well, him, not me. I still have a ways to go and if time is on my side it won't happen for a few more years.

This picture of us was taken over the winter holidays after a hike in a provincial park that shall remain nameless, not because I don't want to reveal its whereabouts but because I can't remember the name of the bloody thing. And no, that isn't a sign of old age. It was beautiful and we just finished having a good laugh at my expense because I did a face plant into a pile of snow covered rocks. Balance also becomes an issue as we age.

Juggling, Badly

A very poor example of my juggling skills. Perhaps it's the fact I have no make up that made me nervous. Ha!


Juggling Badly on 12seconds.tv

Historical Day

I'm watching the inaugeration of President Elect Obama online at the Washington Post while I work. I probably won't get as much work done but I can't see missing such a historical event.

Snickerdoodles are Evil

The other day I followed a blog link through a twitter account and came across a recipe for snickerdoodles. Besides being cute, there was something familiar about the name but I had never baked or eaten them before. The recipe was a simple enough, mostly sugar, butter and cinnamon but it was the blogger's adamant praise (and that fact that she was known to her friends for making them) that made me print it off:

"I started making these when I was pregnant with Ethan as I craved cinnamon sugar so badly! And well, because the name Snickerdoodles is just to fun!"

I made them up last night and I can safely say the little buggers are evil. Evil I tell you! They were super easy to make and really pretty as you can see from the picture. But they are completely addictive. I swear Jeff ate 12 of them before he went to bed. I swear! He couldn't help himself. He's laying off them today a little. Me, yes, of course I over indulged. I definitely won't be making these for a long time but I think if you haven't you should at least do it once. I like to spread the evil around don't you know.