An idea and a reason for the post below?

I just remembered that yesterday I was talking to someone and mentioned the old tradition of women being able to propose to men on February 29th. The custom supposedly stems from St. Bridget complaining to St. Patrick that men take too long to ask, he, therefore, allowed that women could ask men once every 4 years. Or it goes back to the pagan Brigid, after whom many think St. Bridget was patterned.

Therefore, Hugh Laurie had no right to turn me down! So, if you see him, mention it ok?

Foreshadowing? Psychic? Weird?

Wednesday, I was talking about the CIBC, (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce,) recounting how in the '80's they had a big piece of the Olympia & York debacle and lost all that money. They then sent out "hatchet men" to collect demand loans from small companies to make up the money the big guys lost them. (I won't even talk about the Enron thing!) Thursday, CIBC announces it lost 1.46 BILLION due to the US sub-prime market!

This morning I was all the way downstairs about to have a bath when I turned around, went back upstairs and grabbed the portable phone. Mich is on slack week, Bob's on afternoons and both were still sleeping. I was no sooner in the tub... the phone rang! No one calls me at 8am but today, someone did and I was ready. ha!

The reason I'm writing this is the dream I was having when I awoke this morning. It is so bizarre that I seriously think you will assume I've lost my mind. (Comments are moderated so don't waste your time!)

Ok, here it is. I was walking up a set of stairs, outdoors, with Hugh Laurie, Dr. House on tv. I think I was trying to convince him that I was the love of his life and that I knew I could only make his life better. He, however, had other ideas and let me down "gently", in his oh so, Dr. House way! We reach the top of the stairs and he tells me to go do my job.

So where are we? Let my try to describe it. It's a reservoir. One side is a natural & rocky slope. There are people standing all over the slope, a woman is on a cell phone and her voice is echoing across the reservoir. I don't remember what she is saying. There are guards everywhere, (dressed in Nazi uniforms- it's a dream, who knows?) People are picnicing, some are reading and all of them are angry with the loud woman on the cell phone. The guards are staring at her.

Hugh Laurie is still standing there and is miffed that I haven't left to go do my job but I don't know what my job is. He points to the other side of the water. It's the University of Western Ontario student centre. Then my alarm went off.

So I'm really hoping none of that comes true, except the meeting Hugh Laurie part!

The down and dirty of the end run.

"I Have Never Been a Muslim" Obama Battles False Rumors What's Fact and What's Fiction? I don't really think it matters what is fact/fiction and that, my friends, is the saddest part. By virtue of an unfortunate name, (unfortunate at this time in our history,) he is being branded. McCain, an American through and through is now facing a "can he be president" question as he was born in Panama. Why was he born there? His father was serving in the US military! His family was posted there! He was born on a US base!

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! You actually have a chance of having a President that is not a fear monger. I'm not naive, I know that threats exist, I know it's not the world we knew before but stop, enough is enough. Let a man/woman win on merits, on their record, on their basic decency. The more garbage you throw, the stinkier it gets for everyone.

American Idol, 2008; David Archuleta

American Idol is the only "reality show" that I watch. I don't even consider it a "reality show" as such as these kids actually have a skill. I've watched AI from season one. This year I am absolutely blown away by David Archuleta. 16 years old and stupid good! I mean the kid is so good it defies definition. They should just end the show now.

(ps. Jason Yeager & Robbie Carrico should be going home, "just my opinion" as a certain black clad judge would say!)

2008 flu season

Looking at the people around me and how I've been feeling, that cartoon is right! I've just read that this year's shot only protects agains 40% of the strains circulating. The lowest percentage ever.

Ok, I have to go blow my nose now.

On the road again...

(Isn't this lovely? It from www.morethanagiftonline.co.uk)










Ann, Joey & Tyler are in Israel. Patty & Dan are in California, Rodney is in Florida. My youngest sister Sarah, Claude & Patrick are visiting London, from Montreal. Allison is in Toronto as is, according to her facebook page, my sister Sandra.

Me, I'm here, at home. I spent part of the morning scanning some of my stamps and emailing some of the pictures to people. I organized them some more, it's a big job!

I'm listening to CBC radio, Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe. I just finished making a big pot of stew. (With the onion cuts in huge chunks so Michelle won't inadvertently eat one!) I'm making home made biscuits to go with it. The ones Bob lovingly calls "hockey pucks." I think I'm feeling the urge to make a batch of cookies too! I've only stepped outdoors to fill the bird feeder early this morning.

It's a good day! :)

Canada / USA "emergency" cross border troop sharing deal.

This was signed February 14th, Happy Valentines day! We hear about it on the 23rd. No one asked us, I did not hear this debated in Parliament. This MAY not be a bad idea. Living in Windsor, we have helped Detroit, Detroit has helped us Fire trucks, ambulances all have crossed the border in aid attempts. Notwithstanding, we should have been consulted prior to such a blanket agreement!

In the 70's I read Rhomer's book, "Ultimatum," in which the USA was running out of water... they invaded. The book ends with the US President on Canadian tv beginning a speech with "welcome, my fellow Americans." He was right, the next war will likely be over water, or the "porousness" of our border, depending on who the next President is.

The U.S. military does not allow its soldiers to operate under foreign command so there are questions about who controls American forces if they are requested for service in Canada. I have BIG questions about this. Foreign soldiers on Canadian land NOT under Canadian control? Who defines "civil emergency?"

If they can do this without letting us know what the hell else are they doing? Harper is a danger to Canadian Sovereignty and obviously does not feel the need to consult with the very people he supposedly represents prior to agreeing to something of this magnitude!

The more I think about this, the more I fear this is going to turn out to be a human version of the US/Mexico fence currently being built!

lunar eclipse inverted!

It actually looks kind of cool, showing the progression with the colours inverted for the four pictures! (like a negative, for those of you pre-digital days!)

My lunar eclipse pics

full moon, teensy bit of shadow showing
shadow starts
almost gone
just a sliver

I was only using a regualr digital camera. Click the pics and scroll, you can see it better. I did have Michelle's binoculars too but I can't take pictures with those!

An exciting Wednesday!

(google pic)

A lunar eclipse... hopefully the Windsor sky co-operates; and I won another $7.00 in Mega Millions! I was only a couple of numbers off from having 5 of 5 numbers... I'm getting closer every time! No one won so it's a stupid, ridiculous amount of money now! If it weren't for day 5 of this headache, life would be grand!

MSN; a few days late

12 days ago I posted about Walmart opening 400 clinics. Today this is MSN's opening page.

Hello in Israel!

Tyler & Zayde at the Kotel in Jerusalem. Thanks for peeking in from time to time to see what's happening here.

Have fun, we miss you!

My adsense ad this morning

I had a chuckle when I saw this at the top of my posts this morning. I don't need any basement plumbing installations, I had all the free flowing water I needed running right down the middle! Oh, a day later, so did my friends Jim & June in a completely different city.

Perhaps I'm a jinx? My furnace gets sick, Robin gives me the portable heaters from work, the next day, the furnace in the warehouse dies! Sunday I blog the water in my basement, Monday Jim emails me he too has a river running through his. hmmmmm

Let's just hope my Mega Millions post comes true too eh?

Mega Millions! Today's the day!

Last week I won $7.00 so I have 7 tickets for tonight's draw. I'm feeling lucky today...

More basement woes!

I'm pretty sure Mr. MacLean didn't mean my basement! I went into the back part of the basement and found a raging river! Ok fine, maybe more a trickling stream but still, it's a basement! There shouldn't be anything running through it! Frozen ground, snow, rising temperatures, melting snow & rain do not add up well for a 100 year old foundation! (Sorry, correction, it's the addition that's leaking and that's ONLY about 90 years old.) It seems to have slowed down and is somewhat drying up. If it soaks my newly repaired furnace I'm gonna be po'd!

Poker party... I'm a loser baby

I think that says it all! Good thing I have 7 tickets, for Mega Millions on Tuesday, it's at some stupid big amount now like 220 million dollars! Even given the current exchange rate for US$'s... that's a lotta green! And of course there would be sharing involved, thanks for picking it up for me! :)

How did you get here? Please let me know

97 people in here within 20 minutes? You are all very welcome but what's with the sudden surge? I noticed on the weekend, 36 and thought that was huge! Is there something going on I don't know about? Please leave me a comment and let me know how you got here.

Thanks! :)

What happened?

What takes a person from this...










To this? (photo:CNN)

There are no words...

I know it's Valentine's Day, but I cannot ignore this.

Valentines Day in my world.

Last night Bob said to me, "do you want to order in tomorrow night for Valentines Day?" I was thrilled, Tunnel BBQ ribs, my favourite food! Of course I want to! He followed this up with, "ok then 'cause it's not like I'm going to go out and get you flowers or something!" What a romantic eh? Later, he asks, "are you going to want fries with your Whopper?" Funny guy! Well this morning there's a lovely card about my being a "perfect wife" that Michelle picked out, bought and brought home for him to give me. It was signed, "don't let this go to your head, haha." I think I like him better napping!

The neighbours delivered peanut butter squares, (my favourite) and home made fudge.

Michelle and I exchanged Valentines gifts this morning. I delivered a Valentine to someone's mailbox and came to work. I found a Valentine on my desk and handed out mine to everyone here. I brought cupcakes; and then candy apples and more cupcakes were dropped off for us!

I think I'll just sit here all day, eating candy, chocolate and cupcakes waiting to see what else comes my way!

It's gett'in hot in here...

4 hours later and the furnace is working like the day it was born! Ok, can't blog gotta go change into something a little less... less! hehehe

The furnaceman cometh! (Hopefully he wards off the iceman!)

click to read!
click the pic to read!

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(actual, real time photots of my furnace... in pieces!) He's here, he's here... he's cutting my furnace apart... there's sawing sounds and a compressor running in my basement... but he's here!

My sad sad day so far! (sorry it's a long one!)

The furnace lasted the night. It's still running, off and on every 5 minutes, but running, so that's good. However...

Michelle sat down at the computer, tried to log onto the University website and... nothing, zip, nada at which point she exclaimed, "can't anything work in this house!" Followed by "I have three mid-terms this week, if we have no heat, no internet; I'll be living at the library!" I told her it was just a blip, try another browser and another site. Nothing. Then I remembered that we have cable phone now. (No, not my doing.) I go to the phone... nothing, zip, nada. This is not good. The furnace guy is supposed to come between 8 and 1pm. What if he calls?

I decided to call the cable company and see what's going on. I have three options 1 for cable tv problems, 2 for cable internet problems and 3 for cable phone problems. I don't know what to do? Really I need to push 23 but that isn't going to work, so I picked the phone one. While I was on hold they so kindly told me to visit www.cogeco.com for all my needs, just click techincal support! How cute are they? If I had frickin internet I wouldn't frickin need to click it. Oh it's cute too how if you do go online and click "phone problems" it says to call 611! adorable eh?

Ok, back to the furnace issue, I get my cell phone. I call the toll free number of our new furnace contract company, (No, not my doing... I didn't know we changed companies,) I dial and push my way through 754 options until I get a human.

Well, human she was but ummmm... let me put it this way, I finally asked, "where are you?" She tried to dodge, I asked again, "she averted." I specifically asked "in what fricking country are you?" She couldn't avoid that one and replied, "the phillippines!" Now... language issues aside, what the heck do they know about fricking furnaces in the fricking Phillippines? From Alabat to Zamboanga it's between 72 & 82 degrees fahrenheit! I demanded a local number, she couldn't stray from the script. I was getting firmer, she couldn't stray from the script. She finally offered to transfer me to someone in Canada... and cut me off!

So... I'm thinking heck I'll have to use a fricking phone book as we have no internet. I never use the phone book anymore. Mostly because of the teeny, tiny print and my old, old eyes. I find another number... I dial... I get the same 754 options, a new voice answers. "thank you for calling...blah blah blah." My first question? "In what country are you?" Ha! Toronto, Canada! Much closer to me than the tropical Phillippines. So we've made some progress. I tell her my phone's dead, give her my cell number, settle the appointment, get a confirmation number and all is well right?

Not so much! I call Bob's work to tell him to call my cell, I leave a message. He calls back, I answer... "you have one minute left on your card" is what I hear! I have a pay and talk, I never use it... well except today. I quickly tell Bob what's going on and hang up.

I need to put minutes on my card. I decide to call #123 (a free call to my lovely provider,) and do it on my credit card. Nope... Something in my neighbourhood interferes with the signal... #123 is a long distance call from here and I don't have enough minutes! Michelle takes my phone, my money and goes to the store, buys a card and drives around the neighbourhood until she hits a spot that will let her call #123 for free and add my minutes!

The cable's back working... the phone... the tv. The furnace I don't want to talk about!

Oh and I'm off to go have a mammogram! oh yay... it just gets better and better!

Of course!

I noticed yesterday that the furnace was having trouble keeping up but then again, it was freezing cold with a gusty NW wind. The back of my house faces West and never stands up well to winds of that direction.

Today I came home and Bob mentioned that the house had dropped 3 degees in the past hour. I went downstairs to check on the furnace. It was just sitting here, doing nothing, quiet as a stone!

Bob came down, re-set it and it started. Then we noticed that it's running for about 5 minutes, shutting off, re-heating the Chamber and running for 5 minutes, shutting off... you get the idea. (Can you spell thermocoupler? I hope as the alternatives are NOT pretty!)

Called Union Energy, they'll be out tonight or tomorrow between 8am and 5pm! How convenient is that eh?

I've shut down all rooms we don't use. Blocked all draughts I can get to and am drinking copious amounts of wine whilst hoping for the best.

UPDATE! Furnace is still turning on and off every 5 minutes or so. To envoke Murphy's Law... Robin brought me two radiant electric heaters, my neighbours brought me a ceramic one. My theory; "if you have 'em, you won't need 'em!"

To help warm you up.

So no matter how bad you think it is here... Kugaaruk, Nunavut formerly known as Pelly Bay. (Oh and about 7 hours of daylight, from 8:30am to 3:30 approximately.)

Michelle's shopping list...

I decided today was too ugly to go out for something as trivial as grocery shopping. I made do with what we had and made peanut butter cookies, from scratch!

I asked Mich to write down anything she needed from the grocer. Above is her list. I asked her "why do you need a million dollars?" She replied "to buy stuff." "Like what," I asked. "I don't know... shoes?" I immediately asked, "would you stay in school?" "Yes, what else would I do with my time?" was the reply. "I'd just be wearing really nice shoes in class." Ah... and to elaborate... "Maybe some nice Louis Vuitton, then my smartness wouldn't leak out my toes."

I have 5 tickets for Thursday's Mega Millions draw in the USA. The prize is $150 million! Cash option... $92.5 million. I think I'll be able to handle a pair of Louis' n'est pas? (Even given the current exchange rate.)

Oh Canada... our windy frozen land

Our windchill today is -26... technically, we're purple! We might as well be living on Baffin Island!

Awwwwww... Orphaned baby hippo adopts 100 year old male tortoise as mama!

Downy Woodpecker, the movie!

Ann, you specifically said, no more bird pictures! You never mentioned movies... ha!
(He's hard to see actually, I need a real video camera, not just a digital that takes short movies. I just posted this to bug Ann! hehe)

Driving me squirrely!

I'm going out armed with vaseline! I swear the thing should join Cirque de Soleil!
p.s. Ann, I'd like to point out, the pic is NOT of a bird, but a squirrel! ha!

Detroit skyline, today, February 9th, 2008

Went shopping in Detroit today, courtesy of my kind neighbours. (thanks!) This, however, is NOT what Detroit looked like when we left for shopping as it was 6:30am! Detroit was still sleeping...

except at the bridge crossing where there was already a huge line up, at the Customs booth where the guard smiled/laughed and asked "shopping at 6:30?" At Home Depot where they smiled told us to "come on in", Walmart where the greeter gave hugs! Meijer gas station, where they laughingly greeted us over the speaker, Meijer store, where the smiling greeter said "hi there folks, come on in and take advantage of our great deals!"

I'm telling you, at 6:30am, people are pretty friendly in Detroit.

Ok, I'm off for a nap.

Over 5000 visitors!

Thanks for stopping by!

Last month's post on the Tata Nano, $2500.00 car brought my numbers up hugely! Who knew I was one of the first people to blog it? I sure realized it when I saw my numbers go wild!

I enjoy sharing what's going on in my world, glad you all stop by to check it out. :)

One stop shopping, to the extreme!

and now along with cheap candles, pie in a box, 899 varieties of candies and woodpecker suet... (all the things for which I love Walmart,)

you'll be able to get a pap test! whooo hooo!

Wal-Mart expands health clinics: World's largest retailer to open about 400 walk-in, in-store clinics with Wal-Mart brand name by 2010.

"clean up, in aisle 9" is going take on a whole new meaning!


"Associate from clinic, code blue, aisle 4"

Confusing ride home

On my way home, in front of Devonshire Mall, I witnessed a very confusing accident. It involved a yellow light, a red light, a right turn, a swerve, a side swipe, a clip, 2 cars and a van, one driver starting to drive away then parking and walking back, an unimpressed man, a fairly old woman who limped...

I changed lanes and just drove home! I'm really NOT sure what the heck I saw. (Everyone was fine and the damage was fairly minor.)

Seriously, I'd be a lousy witness for this one. I couldn't swear to anything except that the woman driving the van turned right on the red, I'm not even sure where the one car came from?

The interesting part of this is that my theory of carrying latex gloves in the car to ensure I never have to pull someone out of a car wreck again, works!

Really, it does, pre gloves I pulled people out of wrecks three times. Post gloves in the car, zero!

Before anyone says anything about moving them... 1 was a smashed car; (hit by a dump truck,) smoking, ruptured gas tank, gas running across the pavement - did I mention it was a gas station parking lot that the car got pushed into? 1 was a smashed car, smoking, ruptured gas tank on the express way - wait that accident had 2, but he really was just shaken up and needed a hand to get out. The third time was a smashed, smoking van, the kids were ok, the woman not so good, two guys helped me that time. That's when I started carrying the gloves!

Bless those French guys!

You know the ones, the ones that brought coffee over to North America. My morning elixir without which I am only 1/2 booted up. I'm betting they're the same guys that brought wine, the little geniuses!

I've been up since 6am, it is now 7:35 and I'm leaving for the stupid blood tests. Really don't you think in this advanced technological age they could figure out a way to do this without making me go without? A Nobel for the person who comes up with a new way!

Super Tuesday!

photo credit: ABC (Google)

Tomorrow will be one exciting day! (My blood tests aside!)

The democrats will have either nominated their first woman or first black man as candidate for President of the U.S.A. At this point in US history, this is not a job I would want; trying to fix what George broke is a formidable task. Whatever happens tomorrow, short of a non definative vote, will be amazing! Acutally, it's already amazing just in the two candidates that there are but either way, one just has to remember that not too many years ago, women were chattle and Black persons had to have the National Guard to take them to school.

Speaking of which, I havae a real problem with the push to have "Afro-centric, (read: segregated,) schools... can you spell turn the clock back 50 years?

Things you should know about turning 50 that they don't tell you until it's too late!

Apparently when you turn 50 you must undergo a battery of tests. Now, some of them are so icky I shall NOT share the details. The one that really pisses me off is the cholestoral test. I have successfully avoided it for years! I had one in the 80's, didn't like it, well, didn't like the results and following instructions, so I changed Doctors! (Well, that and he shot his wife, he actually didn't mean to shoot his wife, he was aiming for his daughter's boyfriend, but still... how can you take diet advice from a guy with such bad aim? Seriously think about it, how do I know he read the results properly? As an aside, Bob called him "quick draw," to his face! But that's another post)(aside #2, yes he's still practicing in Windsor!)

Back to being 50. I now must have a zillion bloods tests, regular Mamograms, ("we compress because we care") and a litany of others. So, I was to have them last Thursday. I thought I was good. Nothing to eat or drink after 12. Normally I wouldn't anyway after about 6:30pm but Patty came over at about 8:30pm so out came the wine. Actually, she brought it with her. I, therefore, drank until around 10pm. I get up, forgo my morning Tim's (not happily) and trot off to the Doc's office where I learn it was 12 hours , not after 12. So, no tests.

Tonight I cannot have anything after 8pm until I get my tests at 8am!

As I sit here, the bottle of wine right here, beside me, at the computer desk, (it really is, though only because I forgot to bring my glass to the kitchen so to save a trip I brought the bottle to the glass,) I am cooking a feast and will NOT eat/drink after 8pm!

Do not talk to me until AFTER the stupid blood tests tomorrow as I will NOT have had my morning Tims.

This turning 50, other than the great surprise party... sucks!

ps... my spell check is not working, I did mention the bottle here on the desk right? Please excuse any typos.

Please disregard the post below! (It's NOT a chickadee!)

It's a Nuthatch! oops :P



Well don't disregard the part about Ann's anti bird sentiments, cause that still stands as true! ha!

Our first Chickadee, even though "SOME" of you... (read: Ann) have implied "enough birds already!"

When Mich first started with ornithology, she wanted to get a chickadee at our feeder. Finally today, when she's in London, we get one! I told her by phone and she was very excited! So I'm blogging the little bugger so Mich can see him online.

No whinging Annie! Remember it's my blog, I can blog about whatever I want! ;þ (I love you xo) ps, the male woodpecker is here right now too but I'll spare you more pics as that's the bird you specifically complained about!