The stove saga ends ( I hope)

A few weeks back I decided it was time to have one of my big dinner get-togethers with some good friends. We seldom seem to be able to co-ordinate busy family schedules, so I get a little nuts when we can and cook big meals for us all. This time was ethnic, I decided to make Indian food.
So, of course, Monday evening, the stove I had been babying for months quit altogether.
Great.
Fourteen dishes on the menu and no stove.
HAhahahahaha.
What to do? Cancel? Postpone til I got a new stove? na....
I did it!
One two-burner hotplate, one one-burner hotplate and several crockpots later it was dinner!
And it was good!
But, hooray!!
I am very happy right now. Sitting in place of honour, all shiny, black and new! A stove! Yahoo!!
It is just what I wanted. Well, actually a little more than I wanted.
Full sized, coil top and matches the rest of my kitchen. That was my request. IMAG insisted that it NOT be a Frigidaire for reasons obvious to those who have followed this saga.
What I got is a GE lift top, coil top, great looking, matches perfectly......YES I do get overly excited about silly things like that. The rings and drip pans are black too! The oven floor even comes out for cleaning. How great is that? It has a programmable oven! Self-cleaning, even though I don't use that function. (too much hydro for me) And it was at a factory clearance sale so fantastic price!
So thanks to DJ and Josh for going shopping for this lovely new addition to my kitchen while I finished getting that dinner ready. You did great! And thanks to the guys from TA Appliances for letting us know about this sale when we were looking around earlier this week.
It's going to be great to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner next weekend. Which in this house may just mean barbequed turkey!

Support your troops

Last year at Christmas time I had the pleasure of putting together a luncheon for the family members of our troops over in Afghanistan. We had some food, some laughs, a few tears and a fantastic visit from Santa himself. There were some small gifts for the children and all of the families got to take home a lovely yellow poinsettia donated by the gracious people at Nicol Florist.

I want to do it again!

This year there are 27 troops with families in our area.

Time for some shameless begging. If anyone can help out with a donation to help offset the cost of this day please, please, get in contact with me. Gifts for the children, flowers for the families, even cash to help pay for the food, all will be gratefully accepted. Have a few hours to spare to help out? Call me!! Email, Facebook, snail mail...

It is such a great thing to see the families relax and share thoughts. A few hours together makes such a difference for them at the hardest time of the year to be apart.

Do something nice for another. Trust me it makes you feel good.

Rants for a Monday

I have decided to start a new fund. I haven't quite decided what I am going to call it yet. Open for ideas!

Here's my plan. Get people to donate money to cover myself and my co-workers for those days when we just can't take it anymore. When we have to say what is truly on our minds. When our filter button is malfunctioning. When we forget to mute!

Just once I would like to be able to say what is really on my mind when people call with some of their complaints.
Your four year old child is out of control? Smack his behind. Do you really need that officer to come over and tell him off for you? What is going to happen when he is a preteen or teen and bigger than you? Yikes. Be the parent.

Your neighbour looked at you 'funny'? Toughen up, buttercup. Maybe he wasn't even looking at you at all. Maybe he is having a bad day and just has that expression because he is in some kind of personal agony. Maybe his life sucks, too. Maybe you aren't the centre of the universe!

Mom and Dad won't let you go to that party? Perhaps instead of pitching a fit and throwing items around the house you should stop and consider that they love you and may, just may, be trying to protect you and keep you safe.

You want to run a store but not have to deal with the kids who come in to BUY, yes, buy things. Sure they hang around. Sure they may sometimes steal from you. But not all kids are rotten. They are not all thieves. They are not all destructive. I worked in enough convenience stores to know if you treat them like human beings they usually act like human beings. If you don't want them around open an adult store. End of issue.

Tired of the vandalism and mischief in your neighbourhood? First of all call the police when you see something happening. Have a description handy. Know which way they went (and saying down there doesn't help).Don't wait four days and then call and accuse the officers of being lazy, useless, donut eating......well you get the idea.

Understand that when you want to report something, almost anything, we need to send an officer to take a report. We cannot go to someone else and ask them to stop harassing you without telling them who you are. We cannot accuse someone of taking your stuff without a theft report, oh yeah, and some proof! You would not appreciate it if we came to your door and accused you of things you had not done, or things we could not prove. So why do you think it's okay for us to do to that to those you think have wronged you?

Know important pieces of information when you do make that phone call. Someone stole your car? We need the license plate, please.

You think you saw a wanted person. A name and description would be very helpful.

Your boyfriend just beat you up? Last name and age would be good.

You saw someone driving that you are sure was impaired? Some help please. Where? When? Any kind of info on the vehicle. Which way did it go? Anything on the driver? Even the smallest details are useful! Color, driver, how many in the car. Big car? Little car? Even a partial license plate will help.

Oh yeah. My personal favorite. When you call 911 and we ask you "Police, Fire or Ambulance?"
Don't answer "no". Don't say "this isn't really an emergency". Don't tell us you need a phone number. Don't call to put in a parking, noise, barking dog, my neighbour has more trash out than allowed type of complaint. Not life or death emergencies here. Not a crime in progress either.

Ok, enough ranting for today.

I am looking for suggestions for the name of my fund! Any good ones out there?

hey that was my twenty TAKE TWO

I want to thank Bob and Matt from the Esso Gas Bar at Colborne and Puleston. They went above and beyond to talk to the owner of the car wash and got me back my twenty!

Thanks, guys! I know you are not in anyway connected with the wash and really appreciate you taking the time to do this.

the oven ate my dinner!

I am so not having a good day, lol. Those of you familiar with my history with appliances will love this one.
About five? years ago IMAG and I gave up on used appliances and splurged on a kitchen full of lovely, sparkly, brand new, state of the art black ones. They were fantastic. I have an all fridge beside an upright freezer, a range hood that matches and a ceramic top stove. The stove was my big splurge. After years of a very ugly avocado green monstrosity with never clean electric rings, completely rewired by my Father in Law at least a million times, I was sure I wanted the ceramic top. Should be easier to clean, right? Was told by someone I knew who had one that I would love it. Think it was her way of getting even with me for some terrible thing I must have done to her in the past. Hate it. Have since day two. Thousand dollar stove. Never clean no matter what I do. When it was less than a month old IMAG hit it when it was hot and it shattered. Four hundred plus dollars later I had a new top on my new stove.
But I loved the oven. It has a computer! You can set it for what time you want dinner to be ready, leave the house and come home to a perfectly cooked roast or whatever makes you happy.
Yup.
Did I mention it has a computer? So, a few months back I put a roast in the oven. It starts to cook. The stove starts to beep. The display says F1. F1? WTF? I run to find my manual and look up F1. It isan error code for some kind of control for the oven. Meanwhile the oven door locks itself and my roast is trapped. Yikes! What do I do now? IMAG will be home soon and supper is locked in the oven.
So I go to the internet and look up said control. It is over four hundred dollars and then you have to pay for a repairman because it is a computer part and just a bit out of IMAG's range of expertise.
Grrrr. Eventually it relented and released my dinner. Funnily enough the roast was cooked just the way IMAG likes it.
So it only does this if you try to run the oven at high temperatures. Solution? Don't use the oven at high temperatures! Until today.
*Sigh.*
Trying to cook some pork chops for IMAG to take over to the hospice to share with his Father for dinner. I put the oven on at 350 degrees. This is not what I would call high temperatures. The oven ate my pork chops. Yup. They are locked in there for good I think.
*sigh*
Guess I will have to start saving my money for another stove. Not going to spend another four hundred plus dollars on this one when Home Depot has a lovely one for six fifty! With the added bonus of good old fashioned chrome rings and the ability to get it clean even if it does require a little bit of scrubbing once in a while.
Meanwhile, here's hoping it relents and lets me have the pork chops before dinnertime.

hey that was my twenty!

Saturday night was not a lucky one for me! Went to the car wash, fed the machine a twenty for change. It ate it. Swallowed that bill like it hadn't been fed in weeks. No change. No return of the bill. Just gone.
Searched all over the building for a phone number to contact somebody. Anybody. Checked with the guy working in the gas station. They have nothing to do with the car wash. Doesn't even know who owns it. Just that someone from Toronto comes by once a month or so to do some maintainance.
Tried the phone number for the security company that is supposed to have 24 hour surveillance on the building. That got me a phone number for a pager. Tried that. Got a phone call from a male named Hasim who claimed he didn't know how to get a hold of the owner. Hmm. 24 hour security but can't get in touch with anyone? Somehow I don't quite believe his story holds water!
So, I did what any normal, sane, completely in control person would do! I made a sign. I posted it on the car wash. It disappeared in a matter of hours. Someone obviously responsible for this business saw it and took it down. But I have a picture!
Tried phoning the pager yet again today. So far no response.
So I am now warning y'all.......if you try to use the car wash at the Esso station at Colborne and Puleston, bring your own change. The machine is a monster that will steal your cash!
After twenty years of washing my car there and several years of watching the property at night when I worked in the taxi office next door, I won't be going back. And that's a promise!

pure love

What is pure, true love?
It is unconditionally accepting what you must do even when it is destroying you. It is letting someone go even though you aren't ready to say goodbye. It is knowing in your mind that you must honour anothers wishes when your heart is screaming in pain.
Today the family honours the living will of IMAG's mother. She made it clear to all for as long as I can remember that she never wanted to be dependent on any kind of medical machinery. Since her aneuerism she has had the best medical care available, but, has not recovered. It is time to do the unimaginable. It is time to say farewell.
To IMAG I say, be strong. We will always be here for you.
To the family I say, my thoughts and love are with you.
To those who don't agree with what must happen I say, agree or not it is her wish. She made it clear and had it in writing. It is her decision and must be honoured. To ignore it would be selfish. We cannot put our pain before her choice.
To the friends that have supported us I say, thank you. You will never know how much we appreciate you and all you have done.
To Muriel I say goodbye. You will be missed. We love you.

swine flu

I tried to ignore it.

I really did.

I wasn't going to say anything about the latest health scare that seems to have the entire world up in arms, or at least face masks.

The unbelievable behaviour of some other persons and countries has taken away my mute button.

I heard of one case where a parent called a school to say "Johnny Soandso is in Mexico with his parents right now. What are you going to do when he comes home?" (Lock him up of course and throw away the key!). Why are we (as a race) so quick to quarantine people who may, just may, have been in contact with someone who had this virus?

Why are some of us willing to slaughter pigs just because they are pigs? Has anyone heard of any real, scientifically verified cases of people getting this flu from eating pork? I haven't.

Why are we so surprised at the spread of this virus? We place ourselves into small tin cans and ship ourselves all over the world. It is bound to happen that illnesses will be shared and spread and even cause some of us to lose our lives. It is no longer a great big world. You can get anywhere in a matter of hours or days. Bugs only take a while to develop and spread.

But an even bigger question in my mind is this. If we could only get the WHO and governments and media types world wide to spend as much time and energy on worrying about and fighting AIDS as they are on this flu, how soon could we put an end to that condition?

diet diary update

Yay!!

I have been going to the clinic since the 6th of March.

I have had my meal plan since the 26th.

Yay!

I have lost fourteen pounds so far. This is exciting. It hasn't been the easiest thing to do, but, no where near as awful as one might have thought.

I am still having trouble eating as often as they want me to. Three meals and five snacks a day is a lot of food. And it is mostly good healthy fresh food so there is always some prep work involved.

I still think it is worth it. Yes, it is a pain in my backside having to measure and write down and track everything I eat. Yes, it is annoying having to drive into Hamilton so often to get weighed and poked and measured and attend lectures.

But my sugar has been great the last few weeks and now my blood pressure has dropped by a significant margin. This is why I am doing this. This is my reason for starting all of this in the first place. The weight loss is just a very happy side effect!

emergency

It's communicators week!

I could bore you with long rambling statements about when and why to call 911...

I could regale you with tales about my co-workers...

I could complain about the stress of my job...

Not gonna do it.

Nope.

Today I have another issue that is boggling my brain...

Why don't people move over to the side of the road to let emergency vehicles pass?

I can't understand this.

What if it was your house that was on fire? Your loved one in a car accident or having a heart attack? Your business being robbed?

Wouldn't you want the fastest, safest response possible?

I know I would.

diet update

My entire reason for starting with the diet clinic was to get my blood sugar and blood pressure levels under control. For some time I had been getting readings that while not terrible were higher than I was happy with.

Imagine my surprise when I met the diabetes doctor this week to be told my sugar was fine. It's my glucose meter that has a problem!

Does this mean I am going to revert to my old lifestyle and quit the clinic?

NO WAY!

So far I have lost about ten pounds. I feel better. I have a little more energy. And I am still concerned about my blood pressure. The testing I have undergone so far also discovered that I have a heart condition. Nothing too serious, my heart just runs too fast. So, yet another pill I am now on for life. And increased doses of some of the others. Too many more and I won't have to worry about counting calories or carbs, there won't be any room for food.

Florence Y'all!

A few years back I took IMAG on a trip to Ohio. See I owed him for a wager we had made when I was pregnant with Thing 1. Bob Seger was touring again so off we went.

What a trip. The November weather was perfect. Sunny, not too much snow! It was Thanksgiving weekend so the roads were not too horrible on the Friday. That's cause all of the people were shopping. Black Friday and all. The hotel was great. The people we met were all friendly, even the ones who realized we were from a foreign land, Canada!

We got lost on the way to the hotel. See the concert was in Cincinnati, Ohio. The hotel (which turned out to be about ten blocks away) was in Kentucky. We stopped for directions in a rather dangerous looking hood. But the only problem there was our own sense of misgiving.

We did some exploring and found my next home.
A perfect little cottage in a ravine. TLC required.

Went for dinner at a local pub/bar in a little town in Kentucky. We asked the waitress for directions back to the hotel and she couldn't help us at all. We were less than 20 miles from the place but she had never been there. In fact she had never left her hometown. Ever. Entire life. She had to be in her mid twenties. The owner however was very helpful. He wrote us down directions that started by asking which way the van was facing and telling me to turn around!
I think he even put in the name of the Officer who would have the radar gun operating in a obviously well known speed trap. Two and a half pages for a ten minute drive. But they were perfect! Landmarks and all.

Saturday daytime we decided to go exploring and shopping. If you ever wondered what the survivors of a nuclear bomb look like, go to a K-mart on the day after Black Friday. Not only did the store look like it had been the victim of a raid, the staff were all shell-shocked! But, again, friendly.

Off to the concert that evening we asked the reception at the hotel to call us a cab. She suggested that we take the tank instead. The tank? Ok. Little scared now! Turns out the tank (Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky), would pick us up right at the door, drop us at the concert and do the reverse after the show for only two bucks each. I am not the worlds biggest fan of buses, but, hey, this is supposed to be adventure so off we go.

At the concert hall I found a new kind of coat check, this one was for your guns. Seriously.

The show itself was amazing. Beer in glass bottles right at your seat. (at the ACC they take away the lids from your plastic water bottles so no one gets hurt). Seger hadn't lost too much for all the years and Alto Reed was phenomenal. We had brought glow necklaces and bracelets along and shared them with the people sitting near us. Three rows on the floor were lighting up the night for all to see! IMAG and I were waving our little Canadian flags proudly. This actually prompted someone to inquire if we had come all the way from Canada to see the show. IMAG responded in his typical fashion with "no, we just like the flag". Another person on seeing same flags invited us, complete strangers, to come party with them after the show. We graciously declined as we were due to check out of the hotel early the next day.

Took the tank back to the hotel. Imagine if you can over 40 drunk and loud over 40's together on a bus. It was just about the most entertaining trip I have ever had, being the only completely sober one, apart from the driver (I hope he was anyway). We accidentally got on the wrong bus and ended up with an extended tour of the area. The last couple off of the bus actually apologized to us that they had only brought the two seater car that night or they would have gladly given us a ride back to the hotel. Have I mentioned yet how friendly everyone was?

My experiences with our neighbours to the south had been limited to New York and Michigan prior to this trip. My opinion of all things American were radically changed! I can't wait until I can once again go off exploring parts of the U.S.A. It was one of those trips I will remember with a smile.

support?

Imagine trying to completely change your life.

Now imagine trying to do it all alone.

I was at the clinic last week for one of the many tests you undergo in the beginning. There were a few people in the waiting room but it wasn't too busy. I couldn't help but notice the woman who was there for her first visit. On this day you get weighed, measured and your breathing is tested. Then you are back to the waiting room. Lots of papers to fill out and you are off to meet the dietitian for the first time. No meal plans yet, just a check in and some more paperwork. Back to the waiting room until the doctor can see you. While you are waiting the reception staff try to book your next appointments so you can get your testing done quickly and get started with your new life.

There are a lot of appointments at first. This woman I noticed is doing her paperwork while her partner is sitting there looking all miserable. The receptionist is trying to book an appointment for her for the next day for some of the tests. She checks with this male and his response? "I was planning on sleeping in tomorrow, make it for some other day."

I feel for her. This journey is going to be tough enough without having someone sabotage her efforts. I wish her all the best.

I can't even begin to imagine how horrible this would be if I had to do it with someone negative around me. It is involved. You have to plan your day. You have to weigh and measure every bite you put into your mouth. You have to write it all down to show the dietitian.

But it works. I really think now before I eat anything. Is it carb heavy? Enough protein? Any fiber? And I thought checking for sugar content was a pain!

So this clinic is not at all what I was expecting. I go in thinking that they are going to sit me down and tell me what to eat and send me on my way with a list of expensive foods I must buy from them.

Nope.

This is serious stuff, folks. They are checking my breathing. They are checking my heart. My liver. How many calories I burn sitting still over a 24 hour period. They weigh you and check your heart every visit. They have doctors who meet with you and confirm you are healthy enough to do what you need to do. An exercise stress test! This is great fun for someone who has walking difficulties. Let's get on a TREADMILL!!!!

No special food to buy. A serious diet plan that you can actually live with!
I am supposed to eat 8, yes 8! times a day. This sounds great in theory. Hard to do. Somedays I feel like all I am doing is eating.
Is it working?

Yes.

My sugar is much better all ready and as of my last visit I have lost 8 pounds. Since the 6th of March!

It is a lot of work. I have been driving in and out of the city several times a week for the last few weeks to make all of these appointments. It is a big commitment. But, I think I am worth it!

And so apparently does IMAG as he has been nothing short of fantastic with all of this.

The diet diaries begin

About three and a half years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Not really a big surprise, it runs in my family. But I had been tested ad nauseum all my life and it always came back fine. So it was a bit of a shock when my doctor sat me down and said my sugar was so high he was surprised I wasn't dead.....hmm, can you say wake-up call?

We immediately started a regimen of pills and Yeah! started losing the weight that had been a source of much trouble over the last few years. Had a pretty good handle on it for about three years. Then all of a sudden the wheels fell off. Could no longer control the sugar and the weight loss had come to an almost complete standstill.

So off to the good doctor for help. Asked him to send me to a dietician to help me figure out what I was suddenly doing wrong.

And so begins my diary....I am now going to a weight loss clinic. They are going to help me lose the weight and control my blood sugar.

I am going to share my experiences with you as I make this journey.

If it is as successful as I am hoping and my quest inspires any of you to want to try this clinic, contact me and I will share the info.

A Hero

Frequently I hear the phrase "there's x number of minutes of my life I will never get back".

On Saturday I used some minutes of my life that I wouldn't ever try to retrieve. I stood along the Highway of Heroes and witnessed the procession for Corporal Tyler Crooks as he was returned to his family in Port Colborne.

I did not know him. I never met him. I was just one of what I hope was many nameless, faceless people who took the time to salute one of our finest, bravest citizens. Such a small gesture to make for someone who gave all. And yet such an important one. It was an experience I hope I never have to repeat but fear I will. And I will do so every time I can.