I think Roddy Frame was onto something when he said, "the closest thing to heaven is to rock'n'roll."
Happy Saturday kids.
Saturday, December 07, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
keep calm and shovel (maybe)
Twas the night before the first forecasted large-ish snow storm of the season
And all through the town
Some folks were freaking out
Others were playing it down
Seriously folks?? We live in Canada, in Southeastern Ontario. This particular part of the world does get snow. Every year. We had some arrive on Saturday afternoon – it didn’t stick around very long but it was here for a few minutes. Just because the folks on the weather channel are all worked up into a lather right now, that doesn’t mean that you have to be as well.
Just stay calm. We may not get that much snow. Even if we do, there is really no reason to crowd the grocery store tonight. I doubt very much that too many of us will be trapped in our homes due to heavy accumulations of the white stuff. Right now, my front lawn is green and it's raining a bit. I suspect I'll still be able to see some blades of grass in the morning and am really not stressed about the "storm."
If you’re feeling anxious about the impending “storm,” here is my advice to you:
And all through the town
Some folks were freaking out
Others were playing it down
Seriously folks?? We live in Canada, in Southeastern Ontario. This particular part of the world does get snow. Every year. We had some arrive on Saturday afternoon – it didn’t stick around very long but it was here for a few minutes. Just because the folks on the weather channel are all worked up into a lather right now, that doesn’t mean that you have to be as well.
Just stay calm. We may not get that much snow. Even if we do, there is really no reason to crowd the grocery store tonight. I doubt very much that too many of us will be trapped in our homes due to heavy accumulations of the white stuff. Right now, my front lawn is green and it's raining a bit. I suspect I'll still be able to see some blades of grass in the morning and am really not stressed about the "storm."
If you’re feeling anxious about the impending “storm,” here is my advice to you:
- Enjoy the peace and beauty of the freshly fallen snow (if we get any).
- Try not to grumble too much if you have to shovel in the morning (think about how awesome your lungs will feel as you do that cardio in fresh, clean, cold air).
- Remind yourself that whatever falls tonight will likely be gone by the weekend, if not before.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
5 years
5 years ago today, Gracie came home with us. She was a tiny, frightened, timid girl. When I carried her into the yard that first time and introduced her to Sam, she started to relax a little.
It took a long time for her to be completely comfortable with us. In her previous home, I think she was yelled at. A lot. She's a sensitive girl and that must have been very difficult for her.
Five years later, she's evolved into a brave, confident girl. Gracie struts around the house and yard with her tail high and swinging. A working dog, she likes to be the boss and tries very hard to herd us whenever she can. She's also very sweet and if she likes you, won't leave your side if she can help it.
Happy Anniversary Gracie. It's been a wonderful five years. Thank you, so much, for adopting us. We love you.
It took a long time for her to be completely comfortable with us. In her previous home, I think she was yelled at. A lot. She's a sensitive girl and that must have been very difficult for her.
Five years later, she's evolved into a brave, confident girl. Gracie struts around the house and yard with her tail high and swinging. A working dog, she likes to be the boss and tries very hard to herd us whenever she can. She's also very sweet and if she likes you, won't leave your side if she can help it.
Happy Anniversary Gracie. It's been a wonderful five years. Thank you, so much, for adopting us. We love you.
Monday, October 28, 2013
How in the world were they making that sound?
Was so sad over the weekend to hear about the passing of two amazing, talented people: Marcia Wallace and Lou Reed.
They both died at the age of 71, after periods of poor health. Marcia was a long-time survivor of breast cancer, Lou had recently received a new liver. When we heard about Lou Reed yesterday, I thought that perhaps it was another hoax (there was a widespread hoax about his demise in 2001) but sadly, it was true. They are both gone now but have left us so much to enjoy while we miss them.
Mark shared this on his on his Facebook page and I thought I'd share it here. Jonathan Richman says it better than any of us ever could.
They both died at the age of 71, after periods of poor health. Marcia was a long-time survivor of breast cancer, Lou had recently received a new liver. When we heard about Lou Reed yesterday, I thought that perhaps it was another hoax (there was a widespread hoax about his demise in 2001) but sadly, it was true. They are both gone now but have left us so much to enjoy while we miss them.
Mark shared this on his on his Facebook page and I thought I'd share it here. Jonathan Richman says it better than any of us ever could.
Monday, October 21, 2013
attempting kindness
I’ve been exerting a lot of effort lately to be kinder in general and less snarky in particular. I wouldn’t have thought that being generally nicer would have been all that difficult. I realized recently that a lot of what I tweet, or sometimes write here, isn’t very nice. It’s sometimes downright mean and frequently snarky. It’s so easy to react quickly with a negative tweet or snide comment on facebook. Counting to 10 and cooling down a bit before I hit “send” it tough but I am feeling good about it.
A couple of times, very recently, I’ve had many snarky and mean-ish things to say about a couple of local contractors we are working with (one for our home and another is a vendor we use at our income property). I’ve been less than impressed with the customer service I’ve received from both. In one case, the contractor has actually endangered our dogs not once, but twice. Rather than name and shame, for the moment, I’m going to take a page out of the “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” book. Honestly, more often than not in the past, I was more inclined to take a page out of “Steel Magnolia” and live by, “If you can’t say anything nice, come sit by me” instead. I’ll say nothing at all for now, until the issues are dealt with and I can share a complete story, not just a bitter bit in the middle.
Now, rather than rant and rave about how frustrated I am, I thought I share something good instead. We are presently selling our rental property. It’s a great little house in a terrific neighbourhood and we’re had a terrific city councillor, Sandy Berg. Today, I contacted her about an issue with our driveway (the street has been ripped up a couple of times over the last year to allow for water and sewer works). She got back to me almost immediately about the issue and has put in a request with the appropriate folks to get in touch with me about resolving it. How nice was that? Kudos to you Sandy Berg. I think you’re doing a terrific job representing Kingscourt-Strathcona and would like to say thank you for everything you do District 8 in the City of Kingston.
A couple of times, very recently, I’ve had many snarky and mean-ish things to say about a couple of local contractors we are working with (one for our home and another is a vendor we use at our income property). I’ve been less than impressed with the customer service I’ve received from both. In one case, the contractor has actually endangered our dogs not once, but twice. Rather than name and shame, for the moment, I’m going to take a page out of the “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” book. Honestly, more often than not in the past, I was more inclined to take a page out of “Steel Magnolia” and live by, “If you can’t say anything nice, come sit by me” instead. I’ll say nothing at all for now, until the issues are dealt with and I can share a complete story, not just a bitter bit in the middle.
Now, rather than rant and rave about how frustrated I am, I thought I share something good instead. We are presently selling our rental property. It’s a great little house in a terrific neighbourhood and we’re had a terrific city councillor, Sandy Berg. Today, I contacted her about an issue with our driveway (the street has been ripped up a couple of times over the last year to allow for water and sewer works). She got back to me almost immediately about the issue and has put in a request with the appropriate folks to get in touch with me about resolving it. How nice was that? Kudos to you Sandy Berg. I think you’re doing a terrific job representing Kingscourt-Strathcona and would like to say thank you for everything you do District 8 in the City of Kingston.
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