Thursday…the unofficial can’t wait for TGIF

January 29, 2009 at 10:19 PM (1)

I am so bloody tired.  Worked like a dog today.  Literally.  Didn’t get home until close to 6pm.  Todd has today and tomorrow off cause his work is moving, so he was home, which allowed me to stay at work and do the night feeding.  Have I mentionned that my co-worker hurt her back so she is off for a few weeks?  So another boarder and I are doing all the turn out, feeding, etc…plus today I did all the stalls in one barn.  I don’t know how full time working Mom’s do it.  And I don’t have the luxury of being sick, which I am at the moment.  Plus I had my knee surgery done finally, in office but still counts as surgery as knee was sliced open, removal of a  very large cyst (gross) so have 9 stitches and a painful knee.  So I’m feeling sorry for myself.  So I am exhausted, dirty, (not allowed to get knee wet, so still trying to decide how to proceed to take a shower), sniffly, ouchy, and grouchy.  I sound like one of Snow White’s compatriots.

So I’m going to play Sleeping Baggy Eyes, and go to bed now.

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Biting the Bullet…

January 26, 2009 at 10:26 PM (notes and thoughts)

I finally did it.  I asked my boss for a raise.  I was tired (bad night sleep again), cold, grumpy and a little fed up (for reasons I won’t go into right now).  Now you would think that is not the time to do it, but for me, that was the push I needed to get up the gumption (what a word!).  So I marched right over and paused outside the barn door for a few minutes to collect my thoughts.  I went in and we discussed what I wanted, what was reasonable and fair and came up with a good compromise for both of us.  I am very glad that a) I finally got the nerve to do so – and -    b) it was much easier that I expected – and-  c) she is very happy to have me working there.

I really do like working with the horses, but sometimes the people drive me a little nuts.  I bitch about it to Todd and basically it’s office politics, except it is at a barn.  I get along with pretty much every one there, or at least I think I do but that doesn’t mean anything, really.  So I try to stick to two basic rules.  To be truthful and to try not to be mean.  If I say anything about anyone, at least if it’s true then it can’t come back to bite me in the ass.  Sometimes when the gossip session or the bitch session starts, it’s hard to keep your own mouth shut.  But if I stick to the truth, and not be mean or spiteful, then I’m doing pretty good, I think.  I’ve not said anything to my knowledge that I woundn’t be willing to say in front of that person.  Except perhaps to Todd, and I am pretty sure he won’t say anything!  It’s good to have a sounding board, someone who is totally uninvolved, so that you can vent without hurting anyone’s feelings.  Anyway, don’t mean to sound  uppity or nicey or whatever I sound like, I’m just thinking/writing out loud.

I’ve also got another occasional job lined up, just mucking out some stalls.  Every little bit helps.  If I can get my credit card paid off in the next couple months, and salt away some of the money, then I’ll be well on my way to getting my horse next fall.  Mr. Sensible (Todd) keeps telling me I should try to have at least a year’s board saved, just to be safe.  Realistically, he is absolutely right.  It is just so tempting because right now is such a great time to buy a horse, economically speaking, and I am not one for patience.  I am also well know for my creative financing, aka rob Peter to pay Paul, and a horse is a huge risk and financial burden, so in this case, I think I’ll be Ms. Sensible.   And it will give me time to really really think about this.  Do I really want to make such a huge commitment?  Right now I truly believe I do, but I’ve been known to jump in head first without checking to see if there’s any water in the pool.  (In University it was English? Psychology?  PoliSci?  then a break for the real world……and Uni again…. PoliSci?  Lawyer?  Politician?….real world again…..Landscaping?  Violins?  Brugmansias? Tomatoes?)   PS.  This is also the only time I will ever use my husband’s name, without pissing  off the independant female in me.  Don’t ever call me Mrs.

Anyway…

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So it’s the end of January.  I’m starting to think Tomatoes and Gardening and Seeds again. I got a Baker Creek catalogue last week, and there are some real purdy pictures in there.  I wonder if we’ll have a better summer this year for growing.  Now that I have access to all the horse manure, I really have no excuse.  I may start some seeds in the next week or two, just to start something.

Now I’ve got to go and pretend to get a decent sleep.  These last few months have been driving me crazy.  I never know if I’ll sleep through the night, have a cat wake me, or wake up cause I’m dying of heat at 3am, and keep waking up every 30 minutes thereafter, because I’m going crazy!!!!or through perimenopause or some nutty hormonal thing cause it’s just fraking great being female.  I just want to know what do men have to suffer through the way women do?   Honestly!  Do blue balls really compare with getting your period at 12 or 13?  The cramps, the pimples, the mood swings, on top of adolescence?  Losing your virginity (ouch), getting pregnant, morning sickness, giving birth, nursing,  still all along with the cramps and the mood swings most of the time, and then perimenopause, the peep show for menopause, and the grand finally, MP.   Really, is it fair???  Maybe God, if he exists, really is a man.  Men seem to get the better deal and  I’d take blue balls over the female shite anyday.  But don’t get me wrong, I still love men.  I love my sweetie.  I just think women get a bum deal is all.

Enough thinking out loud.  Time for bed.

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Six…

January 25, 2009 at 10:43 PM (1)

I won’t be too wordy today.

My beautiful little sumo wrestler baby turned six on Friday.  Today was her party.  My little snuggle baby.  My most loving child.  My giver of extreme hugs, ever since she could hug.  My sulker till you make her smile child.  My take your time girl, even if you are in a horrid hurry.  My baby. Six.  How the hell did that happen???megs-bday6-024megs-bday6-005megs-bday6-011megs-bday6-017

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Who made this rule???

January 22, 2009 at 11:46 PM (notes and thoughts)

Where in the parenting bible does it say that Mom has to make the cupcakes for the birthday girl’s class while Dad plays his computer game?

Please, someone, point that one out to me.  Also, please point out the one that say Mom is responsible for wrapping the presents, and organizing the bday party.  We all know that Dad works hard for the money.  We also know that Mom works hard for very little money.  Very hard for very little.  Thereby making it a hobby.  According to some.  Because she actually likes her job, and puts in extra time without pay, doing silly things like riding.  Therefore, hobby.  Riding = hobby=waste of time when could be cleaning very messy house – cause like I’d rather clean than ride and I don’t see anyone else cleaning thank you very much.  And mess=my mess because children are mine-house is mine-dishes are mine-laundry is mine-etc……..

Both had some say in the fact that children were brought forth from this union.  And before said children, Mom was actually making decent money.  But now that the circs have changed, Mom is feeling a tad put out sometimes.  Because she has a job now too.  Even if it doesn’t bring in the big bucks to count as a real job, even so,  a little help would be nice. Once in a while.

End of rant.  Just had to say it.  Although I am not done.

And Eva, I guess you were eating pretty much what my dog eats.  One person’s dog food – another’s dinner.  Many times Todd comes home and smells Sasha’s dinner cooking, and asks what’s for dinner?  I’m tempted to feed it to him sometimes.

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Weekend???What weekend??

January 18, 2009 at 10:12 PM (1)

Where on earth did it go?  Last time I check it was Friday afternoon…lots of time…all of a sudden it is Sunday night and the kids are almost in bed.  Time flies when you need it to stand still.

Friday night started out with a bang, or a fizzle, as we went through a power outage.  It was actually very nice.  We closed all the doors to the bedrooms and the tv room, and camped out in the living room with candles, a roaring fire, and sleeping bags.  And of course we could still watch a Planet Earth dvd on my laptop.  But it was really cozy and quiet, and we all enjoyed it.

Saturday was Todd’s bday.  We had a delicious brunch, he opened some presents, got to play Eve undisturbed for hours (he got his 200th kill-which is apparently a high point for him), then we took him out for dinner at Montana’s, which was not so great but turned out okay in the end.  We waited for our food for almost an hour, the waitress was very apologetic, we were served some garlic bread while we waited, we got 25% off our bill plus a free fantastic dessert – Mile High Mud Pie.  The food was great, the service was too, it wasn’t her fault the kitchen was so slow and so busy.  So although it wasn’t the best time, they did try and make it up to us.  I would go again.  When we got home, the kids were already passed out in the van so they went straight to bed, and we watched Heroes.  Which I am loving.  It sucked at first, but the writing has gotten a lot better, and the one liners are great.  This is the second season that we are on, we are renting it, not watching it on TV.

Today was a lazy morning start to the day.  Fed the cats early and made coffee, then wondered what the hell I was doing up on a Sunday at 7 in the morning, so crawled back into bed for a few more hours.  Went for the buffet at the Bamboo, and did a RAOK.  Finally.  Been meaning to for the longest time, but for some reason haven’t.  A Random Act Of Kindness.  Paid for a couple who came in shortly after us, for absolutely no reason.  Felt pretty good, and I’m not telling you (Giselle, Sarah, Eva and random readers) to make me look good, I’m telling you cause it made me feel good.  It’s like the person in front of you at the drivethru paying for your coffee.  Ever had that happen?  Ever do it for someone?  I’m going to more often. 

Emma and I went for a ski on the frozen Ottawa river after we came home.  Her first real X-country, with real skiis.  It was so much fun.  When we got home, we grabbed Todd and Meg and went sledding at the Marina, which was also great fun.  Came home, made Sasha dinner (disclaimer – gross – cow heart, liver, chicken hearts, carrots and rice – she inhaled it!!) and fed the cats chicken hearts (which they looked at as if poison, as usual, but Mina and Simon ate a few pieces), fed the girls not dog food – sandwiches and bagel with cream cheese and raw veggies.  And there goes my weekend.  Poof!!

Call me crazy but I’m thinking about getting another job on top of the one I have.  There are a few stables that are looking for part-time weekend help, and I am seriously thinking about it.  I have already applied to one place that is looking for Sunday help, have to see if they pay enough to make it worthwile driving wise.  We’ll see if it pans out.  I want to ask my boss for a raise, but am stuck on how/when to do it.  Future blog spew.

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It is so frakking cold…,

January 14, 2009 at 11:55 PM (Random Political Thoughts, notes and thoughts, politics)
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That my eyeballs froze solid.  Okay, not literally.  But it is mindboggingly, breathtakingly cold.  We have not had a cold like this in a few years, so one tends to forget what -30 or below actually feels like.  Now that we’ve had our little reminder, I won’t complain about -15 again!  That is positively balmy in comparison!  Too cold to ride, and too cold for the horses to stay out very long.  The condensation from their breath was forming little icicles in their nostrils outdoors.  At home the cats would step foot outdoors, think about it for a second, then turn to look back at me as if it was somehow my doing.  Of course, they would try first the front door, decide that was too cold, and then head for the back door, as if it might possibly be warmer out there.  Too funny sometimes.  They do the same thing when it’s raining or snowing.  Just in case the back yard has a different weather system happening.

I really feel sorry for the homeless on a night like tonight.  Not just the homeless people, but also the homeless animals.  It is hard enough to survive on the streets, but when this kind of weather hits, deaths start happening.  And Canadians are so kind to the homeless.  I heard recently that 75% to 85% street people are mentally ill.  So obviously we take really good care of people with mental illness as well.  And no, I don’t have any easy answers.  But in a strange and retarded look on the bright side kind of way, that number is almost a good thing.  At least we seem to have a good enough social safety net, that people who are poor don’t usually end up on the streets, or living in their cars, the way they do in the US.  (And yes, I do know how politically incorrect it is to use that word – retarded.   I am not always a PC person – maybe more of a Mac.  Get that dumb pun?)

Anyhoo, needless to say all the animals are inside, well fed on their new transitional diets heading towards absolutely no more crack kibble.  Sasha had a chicken leg for dinner.  Bones and all.  And some left over from yesterday’s doggy dinner: beef/barley stew.  Which coincidently, we also had for dinner last night.  Yes, it is true.  My dog is eating as well as we are, which seems to be only fair.  Or you could say I am feeding my family dog food.  Although I don’t think I’ll go so far as to throw the kids a slighlty cooked chicken leg and pronounce it dinner.

The thing about the dry food, especially the cat food, that really bugs me is that I never used to feed it until I heard a vet say it is good for them.  Lower fat than canned food, and good for cleaning their teeth.  So I actually thought I was depriving them of healthy stuff by only feeding canned food.  Now, looking at the labels, I realize that no matter how crappy the canned might be, it is still a million times better than dry food.

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So are we ready for our new president?  What is it about Barack Obama that Canadians like so much?  It’s gotta be more than simply he is not W!!! We seem to be so enamored with him.  We’re like a highschool girl, who is so exited to get asked on a date,  because his first official state visit will be to Canada.   How dja like them apples, Mexico!   If he’d run in our next election, he’d probably win, hands down!  Mind you, he’s got a lot on his plate already, I don’t know if he’d be able to find the time to run Canada too.  And our system is a bit different.  Political corruption and bribery and scandal must be conducted in both official languages!  Unless you’re Jean Chretien, then you can savage both languages, still engage in corruption, bribery and scandal, and we will love you even more.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved JC as much as the next Canadian (well, one who thought he was pretty cool – plenty didn’t!).  But really, nobody could hold a candle to him, in French or in English.  Harper can slaughter french, but his english is excellent.  Dion was great at making english look like Swahili, but his french was immaculate.  JC made both languages look like  the ancient lost tongue of Betelgeuse 5. And I realize if you are RC, then calling him JC is also un-PC.  I don’t care.

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Battlestar Galactica is coming out with it’s final ten episodes.   On the SciFi channel.  Which we don’t get.  Frak!!!  (My substitute swear word, which I stole from the show, thereby making me very cool a real geek.  I also try to say Snap (from My Name is Earl- love that show) but I always forget, so I end up saying shit, and then my kids go all: ‘Mom said a bad word!’- but I digress.)  Todd thinks they’ve jumped the shark, but I still like BG, and I can’t wait until they show it here (which will probably be ten years from now!!)  But if you’re Jonesing for some cool sneak peaks and recaps, check this out.  Tres cool not geeky.

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The most delicious doggy food dinner…

January 12, 2009 at 9:40 PM (animals, notes and thoughts)
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According to Sasha, my cooking reins supreme.  She cleans her bowl beyond spotless, and she is actually eating real meat and veggies, not the scary stuff I’ve been reading up on.  I followed one of the links provided by Sarah to this absolutely fantastic site.  There is so much valuable, scientific information there, it’ll take me a while to get through it all, but needless to say, I think I’m on the right track here, changing the dog’s and cats’ food from canned and especially eliminating dry, to home cooked/raw meat/make it yourself diet.  It’s downright disgusting what has been passed off as pet food, and reading about the dry food, well, let’s just say I’m totally going to try and eliminate or at the very least, minimize it, from their diets.  We think we are doing what’s best for our pets, buying the ‘completely balanced’ and ‘nutrional’ stuff, and it turns out we are probably harming them intstead.

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This is my recipe for one of Sasha’s doggy dinners.

Broccoli/Carrot/Rice/Liver/Chicken/Garlic Goulash

1 large Broccoli (floret and stalk)

1 large Carrot

1/2 cup rice

1 1/4 cup water

1/2 cup chicken hearts (chopped)

1/2 cup liver (chopped)

1 tbsp minced dehydrated garlic (if using fresh, I’d use a lot less, maybe one or two cloves)

Bring rice and water to a boil in a large pot.  Dice broccoli and carrot in the meantime, bring rice to low heat and add  veggies.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Add chopped liver and garlic, simmer for another 2 minutes.  Rice should be done (I don’t think you’d want to taste it to see, but if it needs a bit more time, simmer for another 2 minutes).  Turn off heat, add chicken and mix, letting it stand on the burner.  This will just very slightly cook the chicken (Sasha will not eat raw meat – yet).  Let the entire mixture cool before feeding.

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I will try to start adding more raw meats once her system has adjusted to this meal.  So far there have been no problems, her stools are good (something I never thought I would be posting about!! – my dog’s poo!!) and she is cleaning her bowl like I’ve never seen.  I start cooking this around 4:30 or 5pm, and she is lying right there in the way, just watching and waiting.  Supper time can’t come fast enough.  And garlic, you may ask?  It’s good for them, just as it is for us (plus it cuts down on the smell of the liver!)

Sasha likes it warm, but you want to make sure there are no hot spots in the meat.  This makes two dinner portions for her, but I may start feeding it in the am as well, having decided to try to remove dry food/kibble from her diet.  She seems to be full enough after this dinner, that she is not even eating her kibble anyway.

I will have to look into what supplements she may need, if we continue this kind of diet.  Dogs are natural scavengers (just think of the coyote), so I think I’m doing pretty good with this kind of meal.  I do know they may need extra calcium, which apparently you can get from grinding up dry egg shells and adding to their food.  And too much liver can provide too much Vit A, which can be toxic, so I’m going to try and check out some local butchers and see what kind of cheap cuts/scraps/ etc … might be available.  Scraps? you may say.  Look at that link I posted and see what passes as meat in the canned food.  Your butcher may become your pets’ new best friend.  More research to do.

And please, do some research yourself, and do not rely on anything that I say.  I am not a vet, nor am I an expert in animal nutrition.  I am doing what I think is best for my pets.  I am not responsible for anyone else, nor am I endorsing any particular diet.  I just want to put it out there, for people who are interested, that there are options, and that you need to do your research.  That what you are feeding your beloved pet may not be what you think.  Labels are extremely deceptive, and what passes as meat for human consumption is vastly different than what passes as meat for our pets.  (I find this particularly disgusting, dishonest, immoral, and it should not be legal!!!! – although it is legislated as okay.  Makes me very glad that when my last two fur babies died, I brought their bodies home and buried them in a special place in my garden..illegal though that  was….yes, you are leaping to the right conclusion……) Rendering plants, which provide the PFC with their product, get their ingredients from many places, including dead animal disposal and road kill.

We should not follow blindly the pet food industry’s claims.  It’s always a good idea to talk to your vet as well.  She/he may be more receptive that you think, especially if you have some background research to back up your ideas/questions.

These are the reasons why I think this issue  is important.

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It was good enough for Lady and the Tramp…

January 8, 2009 at 8:37 PM (Food, animals, notes and thoughts)

Spaghetti and Meatballs that is.  So I’ve been asking myself why am I buying canned food and dry food for my dog and cats?

This has been on my mind for the last few days since a conversation I had with my dear sister, who recently lost a beloved cat.  There are many additives and preservatives in the canned and dry food that we feed our pets.  There was also a pet food recall recently, as well, the food having caused quite a few deaths in Canada and the US.  So I’ve been cruising the web (or the intraweb as Todd likes to call it – a techie joke I guess) looking for information on making your own, pros and cons, nutrition for cats and dogs, etc….  Know what?  There is a hell of a lot of info out there, and a hell of a lot of it is garbage.

What I have gleaned from my computer highway excursions can be summed up quite simply.

1.  There is very little scientific and acurate info out there, and most of what is there, is provided by Pet Food Companies.

2.  Vets don’t know a lot about nutrition.  What they do know is usually provided to them by Pet Food Companies.

3.  Pet food companies do almost all the research into pet food and nutrition, by various means that I will not discuss because it makes me sad.

4.  Although there may be some good commercial pet foods, most of it seems to be hogswill.

5.  We, as pet owners, seem to have been fed a lot of said hogswill, being told that feeding such-and-such is best for our pet.

6.  Table scraps may not be as bad for our pets as we have been led to believe.  Depending on the scraps.  If you’re eating the same kind of over-processed, preserved, full of fat and crap that your pet is, it may or may not make a difference.  But if you’re eating healthy stuff, it may be better for your pet that the crap they are eating!

7.  Cats are carnivorous.  Pure and simple.  They don’t eat corn, rice, wheat, soy, or by-products of corn, rice, wheat,  or soy.  They also don’t eat… well, a whole bunch of stuff on the label of the bag of Meow Mix in my kitchen.  Cats eat mice.  And birds.  Squirrels if they can get ‘em.  Big cats eat cows, lambs, gazelles, water buffalo (good luck to the cat trying), pretty much any herbivore they can catch.  I’ve never heard of a tiger or a puma aka cougar aka mountain lion (my fave animal of all) stalking an ear of corn, or a wheat stalk.  But watch them stalk some cute baby mountain goats (or not, if your squeamish when watching nature shows) and you’ll see a cat in action getting her dinner.  She doesn’t feed her babies Meow Mix.

8.  Vets sell premium cat and dog food.  For a reason.  Not the reason you might think.  Or maybe you do.  They have been ‘educated’, by the Pet Food Companies, about the superior product they have.  Which will prevent/help/cure almost anything.  Vets are not stupid, but they have overhead.  The Pet Food Companies have ‘research’ on their side.  It all sounds good.  Win/win all around.  Except for your pet.  Especially if it’s a cat.  Who really just needs to eat a bird.  Or a mouse.

So in conclusion, take everything I’ve said with a grain a salt.  Or a raw chicken heart.  That’s what my cats turned their noses up to at dinner time.  The dog ate a few.  And said that’s enough.  Literally.  So I cooked them up with some liver, and a bit of rice (for the dog – cats don’t eat rice – see point #7) and everyone was happy-almost (the dog loved it-the cats not so much).   I opened a can of crap crack cocaine cat food, and fed them.  End of complaints.  And end of post.

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And now for something completely different…

January 5, 2009 at 10:19 PM (Aylmer pool, Food, Horses, notes and thoughts, recipes)

Okay, maybe not completely, cause if you’ve talked to me recently, then I’ve probably mentionned this about oh, maybe a million times already!  But I am sold.  Totally and utterely sold.  In fact, I’m am so sold, that when I get my real live horse next fall, he/she will be on a hemp diet too.  I’ve heard all the jokes (mostly at work) but I’ve been eating hemp seed for a little while now, and I am convinced it is making a big difference in how I’ve been feeling.  Not just mentally (I’ve always been a tad crazy) but physically too.  Either that or it really is all in my head (which means I’m more than just a tad crazy!)  According to what I’ve been able to find out so far, hemp is pretty much a fantastic addition to almost anyone’s diet, including horses and other livestock, even dogs.  The only animal it is not recommended for is cats, because of their more carnivorous diet.

When I came home today from work, I was beyond tired.  I’d had a really bad night’s sleep, waking up at 3am with the sweats (yet again!! WTF – I am too young for menopause, but I’m starting to think this is the beginning of perimenopause) and tossing and turning for the rest of the night, till I finally fell into a coma just before my alarm went off.  Of course.  So I didn’t ride today, although North could have used an outing.  I was just too tired.  Brain dead tired.  Came home, had a bite to eat, turned on the puter to write some emails, and ate some hemp seeds as I was surfing a bit.  Twenty minutes later, I was resting on the couch, (I had planned on taking a nap as soon as I got home and ate), listening to ‘The Point’ on CBC and feeling a lot better.  I was still tired, but my brain didn’t hurt so much anymore.  And I was feeling relaxed, and comfy.  Yes, could have been the big comfy couch, the closing of my eyes, the full tummy, but been there done that.  This felt good beyond that.  So I’m going to give the credit to my new found miracle food for now.  And have I mentionned my swimmer’s knee?  It feels a helluva lot better lately too.  So I’m going to keep scarfing the seeds (recommended 3-4 tbsps a day) and even if it is my mind playing tricks (which I don’t believe for a minute), I’ll still feel better than I have been.  If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself. Give it a month and if it doesn’t work for you, what have you lost?  It is healthy, organic and even kosher (even if it doesn’t claim to be, it is – hemp is so easy to grow there is no need for pesticides or other chemicals), and not that expensive.  You can sprinkle it on your cereal or yogurt in the morning, eat it raw by the spoonful like I do, which is usually in the afternoon – I should eat breakfast, I know!!!!  (it tastes pretty good raw), add it to granola, pasta, pretty much anything.  I plan on making some pesto with it next.  And hummus.  You can even buy hemp butter, same as peanut butter, but actually good for you.

Alright, that’s my granola crunching, tree hugging, Berkenstock wearing, peace pipe smoking post for the new year.  Try hemp.  Support a new Canadian industry.  Keep it going and keep it legal.   Do something healthy for yourself.  Humor me.  Whatever your reason, just try it.

Lastly, on this subject, hemp is not pot, it is not cannabis, it does not make you high, it contains no thc, it is not illegal, it is easily grown with very little care making it an ideal crop environmentally speaking, it contains essential fatty oils for human development, has calming properties, helps with arthritis and joint pain, and oh, just about a dozen or more incredible things that you have to check out and try for yourself. And I don’t get any kick backs.  Although I would take them if anyone wants to send me any!

Now,for something completely different, I tried to sign my girls up for swimming lessons tonight.  There is always a mad rush, because there are limited spots.  So limited, in fact, that 24 lucky children in each level will learn how to not drown.  In this family oriented community of Aylmer (fuck you Gatineau you screwed us over) where we have massive housing developments, bringing in lots of new families whilst destroying any remaining semblence of the beautiful little town and the green spaces it once boasted, there are only 24 spaces per level in a swimming program with 8 levels.  Check my math for me but does that not equal 192 spaces?  Which equals less than two hundred children, over the age of six, who get to take swimming lessons???  That pretty much equals my kids’ kindergartens and grade twos thrown in together.  From one school. So again, I say, WTF!!!! Wake up Gatineau councillors, you shit eaters, do something for the people in your city.  That is ridiculous, and unacceptable.  I will be calling you.  Hoping others will to.

And finally, two of my favorite things lately.  As it is winter, I love a roaring fire.  But does anyone else see what I see in these flames?   Must be the hemp!

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Is my fire giving me the finger?  And are those two bunnies?  Or deer?

jan-014This little thing is the size of a matchbox, and it plays the radio!!!! I love it.  I’m a radio fanatic.  It also plays a bazillion songs, but it also plays the radio!!!! I’m love music, but I love radio, especially CBC, and talk radio, just find it more interesting sometimes.  Sure beats my walkman of olden days.  Although it does still play tapes and radio.  And I’ve still got one of those ancient portable cd players too.  I’m not ready for an Ipod.

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168…

January 4, 2009 at 5:37 PM (books and writers, notes and thoughts)

  • That is the number of posts I have written on this little blog o’ mine.  If the average post word count is around 100, that would be 165 000 words.  That is more than enough to constitute a  novel aka a book.  So why am I not writing a novel?  That is my question to myself.

When I was thirteen or so, I spent an entire summer out at our family camp – a real camp, complete with outhouse, no running water, or electricity – penning a story ala Enid Blyton.  Complete with three sets of twins (what can I say?  I was 13, people!)  I wrote it by hand, in a binder, which has long since been lost, unfortunately.  It would be interesting to read what my thirteen year self was writing.  And I’d like to know just where did that diligent little author go?  If she only took two months to write a book, what on earth is stopping me?  It’s not as if I have high hopes, penning a Harlequin would be just fine.  Or finishing anything literary that I have started.  Things that make you go ‘hmmmm’.

I have mentionned before that I am a book worm.  I used to think I would be a writer when I grew up.  I used to write.  A lot.  I still have diaries full of ridiculous teenage angst, essays that I’m sure were brilliant at the time, and dozens of notebooks with half started stories.  So what stopped me?  Or what is stopping me?  And if I can post so much dribble on a blog, why can’t I write a bloody manuscript?  (Manuscript does not equal book, but at least does equal completion! – even if it is shite!)

PS.  Whitey has been sleeping on a old baby blanket, cosy and warm, under my bed most cold nights.  Poor baby.  In the middle of the night, he’ll try to crawl up next to me, he has done so before on cold nights when he has been allowed to stay, despite Todd’s better judgement.  (Have I mentionned that my dearest better half  (in case he reads this) is a softie?  Just in case I’ve left the impression that he would be unkind to an animal, well, he really wouldn’t.  He just doesn’t want to be overrun by cats, particularly seeing as he is allergic to them.)  And I do have several cat house/waterproof organization box thingies outside, stuffed with hay, so that the cats can find a semi warm place to sleep.  His eye looks better, although not %100.

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