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.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
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.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Fun For Friday
So yesterday I had a horrible headache. I think part of it was weather related, part of it was not enough caffeine (which I didn't realize until today, d'oh!) and part of it was caused by a noisy leaf blower which was blaring outside my office window all day long!
I resisted taking anything for it because I was afraid I'd fall asleep at my desk and opted to drink lots of water and be as quiet as possible. Late in the afternoon, the leaf blower stopped and my head ache disappeared. Nice!
Today, my head has been fine, I've had a couple of cups of coffee here at work and I've been listening to some fun music from what I can only describe as my guilty pleasures playlist.
Thought I'd share one of my guilty pleasures with you. If this doesn't get you dancing in your seat (or better, on your feet), nothing will!!
Happy Friday & Boogie Oogie Oogie!!
I resisted taking anything for it because I was afraid I'd fall asleep at my desk and opted to drink lots of water and be as quiet as possible. Late in the afternoon, the leaf blower stopped and my head ache disappeared. Nice!
Today, my head has been fine, I've had a couple of cups of coffee here at work and I've been listening to some fun music from what I can only describe as my guilty pleasures playlist.
Thought I'd share one of my guilty pleasures with you. If this doesn't get you dancing in your seat (or better, on your feet), nothing will!!
Happy Friday & Boogie Oogie Oogie!!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
thank you, sincerely
I know that events like BlissDom Canada need sponsorships to survive. Each year that I’ve attended BlissDom Canada, the sponsors they partner with have impressed me. One which stands out in particular is Chevrolet Canada. In 2011, I won a trip to Orlando, Florida (courtesy of the folks at Visit Orlando and Chevrolet Canada). We planned to take the trip during our regular vacation time during the summer of 2012. Because of Mark’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery, we were unable to make the trip. Both sponsors, upon hearing that we were unable to go, stepped up in a big way. The Visit Orlando folks sent us a huge box of Florida related swag and the Chevrolet Canada folks offered us the use of a Chevrolet Orlando for two weeks anyway. We happily took them up on their offer and, in conjunction with the Taylor Auto Mall here in Kingston, we picked up a shiny new Orlando and drove it around town for 10 days.
When I attended in 2012, again, Chevrolet Canada impressed me. Not only were they an on-site sponsor (providing once again their AMAZING re-charge lounge) but they provided transportation throughout the weekend. I’m always impressed with the friendliness of their staff as well as their generosity. This year, it was nice to see them back at BlissDom Canada, doing all of their amazing sponsor-y things (shuttle service, test drives, re-charge lounge, general awesomeness) AND promoting their wonderful hockey helmet program. I told one of the lovely Chevrolet Canada reps in their booth that the ads I’d seen on television (and I don’t watch many ads) always make me cry. When a big car company can make ME cry over a hockey helmet, they are doing something right! Thank you to Adria MacKenzie and the folks at Chevrolet Canada for everything you do for those of us who participate in BlissDom Canada!
The other sponsor I’d like to thank is Sleep Country Canada. My first interaction with Sleep Country Canada happened last year when I met Christine Magee at registration. Until that moment, all I knew about Sleep Country Canada was that there was a store in the west end of Kingston and they had that oh-so-catchy jingle! I spoke with one of the Sleep Country consultants about pillows and neck pain I was experiencing. I was given valuable advice (and a gorgeous pillow!) which has completely eliminated my neck pain. I also had an opportunity to speak with Christine Magee. We discussed the research her company is doing into sleep disorders and I was very impressed. In the year since that first encounter with Sleep Country Canada, I’ve recommended them to several friends and we do plan to purchase our next mattress from them.
This year, I was happy to see that Sleep Country Canada had returned to BlissDom Canada. I enjoyed chatting again with their representatives and I received an amazing Tempur Pedic pillow as a gift. As soon as I got home, I started using that pillow as a lumbar support when I’m in the living room or at my desk. Until I started using the pillow, I didn’t realize that I was having mild lower back and shoulder pain. The extra support from this tiny pillow has made all the difference in the world for me. These two small items from Sleep Country Canada have definitely improved my physical well-being and I don’t think I would have discovered them had it not been for BlissDom Canada. Thanks so much to Christine Magee and the folks at Sleep Country Canada for supporting this very special conference!
When I attended in 2012, again, Chevrolet Canada impressed me. Not only were they an on-site sponsor (providing once again their AMAZING re-charge lounge) but they provided transportation throughout the weekend. I’m always impressed with the friendliness of their staff as well as their generosity. This year, it was nice to see them back at BlissDom Canada, doing all of their amazing sponsor-y things (shuttle service, test drives, re-charge lounge, general awesomeness) AND promoting their wonderful hockey helmet program. I told one of the lovely Chevrolet Canada reps in their booth that the ads I’d seen on television (and I don’t watch many ads) always make me cry. When a big car company can make ME cry over a hockey helmet, they are doing something right! Thank you to Adria MacKenzie and the folks at Chevrolet Canada for everything you do for those of us who participate in BlissDom Canada!
The other sponsor I’d like to thank is Sleep Country Canada. My first interaction with Sleep Country Canada happened last year when I met Christine Magee at registration. Until that moment, all I knew about Sleep Country Canada was that there was a store in the west end of Kingston and they had that oh-so-catchy jingle! I spoke with one of the Sleep Country consultants about pillows and neck pain I was experiencing. I was given valuable advice (and a gorgeous pillow!) which has completely eliminated my neck pain. I also had an opportunity to speak with Christine Magee. We discussed the research her company is doing into sleep disorders and I was very impressed. In the year since that first encounter with Sleep Country Canada, I’ve recommended them to several friends and we do plan to purchase our next mattress from them.
This year, I was happy to see that Sleep Country Canada had returned to BlissDom Canada. I enjoyed chatting again with their representatives and I received an amazing Tempur Pedic pillow as a gift. As soon as I got home, I started using that pillow as a lumbar support when I’m in the living room or at my desk. Until I started using the pillow, I didn’t realize that I was having mild lower back and shoulder pain. The extra support from this tiny pillow has made all the difference in the world for me. These two small items from Sleep Country Canada have definitely improved my physical well-being and I don’t think I would have discovered them had it not been for BlissDom Canada. Thanks so much to Christine Magee and the folks at Sleep Country Canada for supporting this very special conference!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)