Sun Dec 12	I did wish Happy Birthday's on facebook for Jenn (Dec 4), Pam (Dec 8) & Roger (Dec 9).  Haven't much been in the mood to update latley, but thought I should post something here, so you know we're all ok.  Been busy at work.  And I've been busy at home.  Now that we're in a new place without threat of mice attacks on the things I bake, I've been experimenting with different cookie recipes.  Not all came out great, but some I will add to my list of things to make more often.  I spent all day yesterday putting up Christmas decorations.  I was pretty worn out by end of day - I usually take a few days to put things up, but just wanted to get it over with.  Roger took us out to dinner.  Today, I have a new recipe to experiment with - this one for a Dutch Almond Ring.  If it turns out well, will make some to take to Ma's for the family Boxing Day get-together.  Jenn arrives in just 10 days & I have arranged to be home the entire time she is here (with Stat holidays & the few days of vacation I had left over)!  I also have 1 sick day left, so David gonna go Christmas shopping with me on Friday.  Now you're all caught up.  Love you all, take care.
Fri Nov 26	Happy belated Thanksgiving to my family & friends in the U.S.  Sorry, I missed yesterday.
Sun Nov 21	Ya, I know, I've been told haven't updated in a while.  We're all ok here, but been busy.  Pictures have been put up, some knick knacks re-arranged & the place is almost done.  We did go out & buy a cat tree for the kitties.  It's a tall pole, with 3 shelves, covered in carpeting and goes from floor to ceiling.  Ray likes being up high, so he's the one who's made use of it the most.  I figured it might take his mind off being up on top of the freezer.  No such luck, one of these days, he'll get the idea that I don't like him up there.  Only reason for that is he jumps up on the table to get up & sometimes jumps down on the kitchen counter to get down.  We've also had to cover up the wires & plugs under Roger's desk.  I think Ray just liked all the attention he got when he started pulling at them.  Hardly ever goes under there now that we don't have to worry about the wires anymore. Scooter has been in the country for a few days now, visiting with Jenn.  He did not have any problem crossing border.  And for that, we are all happy.  I am very glad for them both, that they can spend a week together & hope they thoroughly enjoy. This past week, David made an appointment with a private college that he found in a job listing paper.  He found a program they offered that's called police foundation.  He's interested in finding a job in the police/security field.  He told me yesterday he was amazed that he'd even consider going back to school.  lol  Anyhow, the interview at the college went well, but when I looked over the paperwork he brought back, I decided a little more research was in order.  They want $13,000+ for him to take a 1 year course.  Ouch.  I did find a government website, that displayed all the fees for the same course at several other different private colleges as well as public colleges.  Some of those want him to have drivers license as part of course acceptance.  We talked about that some & I suggested David look over the websites I found this week before he makes a final decision.  Whatever he decides for schooling, we will most likely apply for OSAP (government assistance) for him & see where that goes. I've got some cleaning to do today, and I bought a new bookshelf that was on sale.  Our big movieshelf has become somewhat unstable & because it's right beside kitty tree, I am concerned that one day I'll come home & find everything crashed on the floor.  I didn't think I could fix it, so replacing was our best option.  Today I will put new shelves together & dismantle the old one.  It's still crazy busy at work, so don't be surprised if I don't do another update next weekend.  Love you all, take care of yourselves.
Sat Nov 6	I've been pretty tired out the last couple of weeks.  It's been real crazy at work, so by the time I get home the boys are lucky to get dinner.  I only managed to get one big picture put up in the livingroom in the last 2 weeks, oh & did, with some rearranging, find a spot for all the plastic junk to go.  This week, when we went to do our big shopping at Costco, David sweet-talked me into getting a Magic Bullet blender system.  Yes, well it was on sale.  He was sooooo happy & later that nite gave me big hug.  Very sweet.  Today, we experimented with trying to make chocolate sauce.  When the container started leaking, David discovered that we had the wrong part on the container.  Holding the container over a big bowl, I unscrewed the bottom & poof - we ended up with a lot of the chocolate sauce all over counter.  Switched containers & finished mixing the ingredients & then put whole thing in the microwave.  My chocolate sauce recipe says that everything has to boil.  Note to self for next time - chocolate sauce at 3 minutes in microwave makes a great BIG boiled over chocolate mess!  By the time we were done with it, amidst much laughter & a lot of cleaning up, I think we ended up with 1/2 of what we should have had.  David will test it later to see if it turned out ok, after it's cooled down a few hours in the fridge. Tomorrow I will once again try to do a little decorating & put pictures up.  We'll see if I actually manage that.  Have a great week everyone ... love you all!
Sat Oct 23	Curtains were put up last weekend ... and ... stayed up.  I'm not sure I mastered the use of stud finder, it has flashy lights when you find stud, flashy lights when it's not set up right & solid light - haven't figured out what that means.  It was an adventure. Sunday nite, we took a quick trip to Walmart to get Roger's desk.  After he picked up the big box & finally managed to get it into the shopping cart ... you guessed it ... I looked over & saw the one in a black & cherry finish.  Definitely a whole lot nicer looking than the maple (almost white) one that was in the cart.  We talked a bit & decided to get the black one instead.  Of course, no black one in stock.  We left the store with no desk.  Monday, Roger phoned the store that is close to his work, but they had no black ones either.  Sales lady that works with Roger volunteered to check the Walmart close to her home (Pickering - about an hour or so east of us).  And on his way to bowling Monday nite, Roger found one!  Lucky for him, next day, Sales lady told him there were no black ones in stock at her store either (or we would have had 2 desks lol).  After work Tuesday nite, I started to put the desk together ... was finally finished just after the 11 pm news came on.  Lots of little pieces & things to figure out ... I was glad to go to bed.  lol  Wednesday nite, it took the 3 of us to move it into place.  It's a BIG desk - L shaped & fits just nicely into the corner where he had his other desk.  Thursday & Friday nites were for resting - it's also been crazy busy for me at work this last week & will stay that way for a couple more weeks at least. Today, I had planned on putting up pictures and trying to figure out where to put plastic bowls & stuff like that.   So far though, it's a little after 2 now, I haven't had the energy.  Maybe once I get moving, it's that first step that's slowing me down & now distracted by race on tv.  At least I don't gotta go to work tomorrow, so maybe I'll change plans & make tomorrow picture putting up day.  lol  Have a great week everyone.  Love you all!!!
Sun Oct 17	Bus station we took Jenn to last week, was wayyyy downtown Toronto.  And for a long weekend, was an extremely busy place.  After Jenn got on her bus, we waited across the street.  We were amused with the antics of the people who were parking in the bus only lane to drop off someone leaving & with the buses who were constantly honking their horns at them when they had to park.  When Jenn's bus finally left, we all stood up & waved ... I hope Jenn saw, bus windows were tinted & we didn't know where she sat, but we waved anyway.  After getting home we went to the laundry mat - it's just down the street & we were happy to find this one is open 7 days a week and on all holidays. Tuesday afternoon, my freezer came home.  David decided an empty freezer is a sad thing, so he went to the store & got some ice cream to put in it.  Wednesday nite, we went shopping to fill the freezer.  Thursday nite we took a trip to hardware store for supplies & another trip to Walmart - our 20 year old alarm clock finally quit working last week.  Friday nite, I pretty much rested while Roger went out bowling.  Yesterday, I got some cleaning & more unpacking done.  We're still figuring out where things should go, so haven't put anything up on the walls yet.  I believe that will be a job for next weekend.  Today, I will concentrate on getting curtains up.  Last weekend, the ones we put up in the livingroom, kinda fell down.  Roger did fix the hole the fixture left behind.  I am learning how to use a stud finder, so our curtains will stay up ... well I hope anyway.  I still haven't found my camera yet, when I do & after it's been recharged, then I can take some pics of the place for you. It will be another busy week for us here.  Roger's desk needs replacing & there's one on sale that he likes.  I will have to put that together for him sometime next week (after we get it).  We knew some of our furniture would need replacing, but desk especially didn't like being moved very much & is a bit wobbly (and a lot warped).  Other than that, we will continue with the unpacking & some day that will be done & then I can relax.  I hope you all have a good week.  Love you all!
Mon Oct 11	HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!!!!  Enjoy!!!! Happy Monday to all our U S family.  Not often I can say happy monday, so I hope you enjoy! Congratulations to Lisa & Danny - expecting their 3rd child, due sometime next July.   It was an extremely busy week for us here last week.  Unpacking in between the grocery shopping, freezer shopping, more stuff for apartment shopping & work ... yikes.  We were out most every nite last week until around 8 pm - hitting stores like Walmart, Zellars, Leons, The Brick, Sears & Costco.  At Leons, freezer I wanted was on sale but poor customer service got me so mad, we walked out the store & went somewhere else.  I will be sending them an email later telling them that & that we eventually bought pretty much same model at Sears.  Sales guy at Sears was great & our stand up freezer will be delivered sometime tomorrow.  David is pretty excited about that - we'll be able to buy some ice cream after delivery.  lol Jenn came home for the weekend.  She arrived Friday nite, spent some time with Roger at the bowling alley.  She spent Saturday with her best friend, who also came home from Sudbury for the weekend.  Yesterday, we spent the day together with Danny, Lisa, Jorge & Peter.  We decided Sunday to cook turkey dinner.  It was a very nice dinner, if a bit late because we waited for Roger to finish work.  Jenn leaves for home this afternoon.  We'll be driving her to the bus station in Toronto to catch her 2:30 bus home.  And after that, we need to find laundry mat (I miss my washer/dryer) - it'll take some time to adjust.
Sun Oct 3	We have now moved!!!!!!!!!!!!  A great BIG THANK YOU to Danny & Lisa for all their help!!! I am happy to say, the move went very well.  I took Thursday off to get better organized & Roger got the moving truck Thursday nite, just after 5 pm.  We had all the boxes & a bunch of furniture put into it by around 7 pm, when it got too dark to put anything else in safely.  Friday morning, we were up early where we finished packing.  Around 10 Danny & Lisa arrived to help us load up some more in the truck.  Danny & Roger decided not to load truck up to the roof & would make a second trip for the rest of the furniture.  We were allowed to start moving into the apartment after noon, so off we all went.  Poor Jack was not a happy camper, he was pretty stressed out all day.  Ray took everything pretty much in stride.  Lisa & I stayed mostly in the apartment shifting boxes to make room for stuff that was coming in.  The cable guy showed up an hour early (wow) and I couldn't find everything he wanted to test, so we ended up with a new power supply for the modem.  lol  I was surprised to find out that we'd get another tech for the phone - same company - and he showed up around 5 pm.  We all worked very hard moving things & Roger barely got the truck back on time (it was due back at 5 pm & I think he had a few minutes to spare).  After dinner, we took one last trip back to the house to do some last minute cleaning up & a quick check around to make sure we didn't miss anything.  And then back to the apartment.  Pretty much the only things we unpacked was the coffee pot & everything needed to make coffee for next day ... I gotta say, boxes packed at last minute were not labelled very well & it took us a while to find them.  It was a very hectic day. Roger went to work yesterday, David & I started the lovely job of unpacking.  Kitties have already settled in nicely, which is good to see.  We did make a quick trip over to the dollar store for shelf paper.  And David decided after that to take a walk - he wanted to find out how long it would take him to walk to the library & the mall.  I think in future he will be taking the bus, it took him 1/2 hour to walk to the library & another 20 minutes to the mall from there.  In the meantime, I cleaned & lined the shelves & unpacked a bunch of boxes.  Roger came home early - move took it's toll on him & he was pretty tired out and sore.  So far, the only thing that got broken in the move was my bedframe.  We couldn't fix it, so out in the trash it went & we'll have to get another one this week.  After dinner, much to David' delight, I set up computers & internet.  It was another long day. Today will find me finishing up in the kitchen & maybe unpacking some of the livingroom boxes.  I have strict instructions from Roger to not work too hard.  Uh huh - that won't be easy when there's so much to be done still - but I will rest when I need to.  Thanksgiving is next weekend & Jenn coming for the weekend to visit, so I'd like to have things all put away by then.  In case you were wondering, I am back to work tomorrow - I can rest well then.  lol  I hope you all have a good week.  Love you all!
Tues Sept 28	Kitchen was pretty much packed up over this last weekend.  I've been going like crazy trying to get just about everything done in the washing machine - did a few loads Saturday, 3 loads Sunday, a couple more Monday nite & the last one this morning.  Who knew we had so much to wash.  Of course, that included all the winter coats & all the curtains etc.  I also made arrangements at work to store a few things from our freezer until after we move (there are 3 refrigerators in our lunch room at work).  And just a little while ago, the fridge, stove, washer, dryer, freezer & busted dishwasher left here.  Wow ... I didn't know how much room we really had until they all left.  lol  There is now a bunch more cleaning to do, but I've taken the rest of the nite off.  I do need to take a rest.  Not sure when next update will be - most likely after the move is done.  So until then, take care & I love you all.
Sat Sept 25	This past week, we've been battling nasty cold.  I stayed home from work Tuesday & Wednesday.  Took some non-drowsy cold pills that knocked me sideways - finally got some rest though.  By yesterday, I was starting to feel almost human again.  David has it now too & he stayed home from work yesterday.  The other day, we took a van load of stuff over to Value Village for donating - instead of book store, we had more than just books, so got it done in one trip.  We also made a trip to recycling place - a whole van load of stuff.  And we worked several hours Thursday nite, getting stuff out to the curb for recycling & garbage guys.  We were very impressed when we got home Friday nite to find everything gone.  One of Roger's friends dropped by the house other day too.  He is part time scrap metal collector & has agreed to stop by again Tuesday to take away Fridge, Stove, Washer & Dryer.  I hope he has enough room on truck for freezer too - Lisa phoned other nite & their van in the shop so now can't take it.  This, our last weekend here, is for packing up the kitchen.  And on his way to work this morning, Roger is gonna stop off at hazardous waste disposal place to drop off a boxload of outdated meds & aerosol cans.  Still lots of odds n ends to do, but - cross your fingers - that we get those done in time.  Moving day is coming up fast! I hope you're all well.  Love ya!
Sun Sept 19	I meant to post an entry here yesterday, but didn't turn computer on until well after 3 pm.  By that time, I had been sorting through the mess that is my bedroom for around 4 hours.  Mind wandered quite a bit during the day - I was thinking of ya Pam.  Last week, Roger called the gas company & confirmed that they will shut off our last day here (they never sent me email confirming, so I wanted to be sure).  And I was searching online for somewhere to rent a dolly (to move boxes).  What I found was a sale on them at Cdn Tire ($13.00).  We dropped by a store after work one nite, but they were sold out & told us the only stores that had loads of them was in Toronto or in Aurora.  Both of those options were no good, considering it was rush hour & really too far away, so we went to the store that was close by Roger's work in hopes that the 1 they had listed in inventory was not a floor model.  We were pleased to find out that inventory was wrong & they had 4 of them (3 after we walked out the store).  David dropped of his letter of resignation to McDonald's last week.  He couldn't get a transfer to the store in Richmond Hill.  He's decided to start looking for a job doing something else after we move. Roger has generously shared his cold with me & I noticed several people at work last week that were feeling pretty much the same way.  I am in good company then.  Today, sick or not, I must finish packing up my bedroom.  There's still quite a bit of stuff to go through - boxes from the last move we made, the closets & the dressers.  That should pretty much take care of my Sunday.  For the rest of the week, a trip is planned to a used book store to drop off the enormous amount of books we have.  And, yet another trip to the recycle place - disks & cd's, some assorted wires & cables, and we'll be able to drop off some stuff for Goodwill that's located in the same place.  Busy busy busy - can someone tell me why I started this move in the first place? I hope you are all well - love ya.
Sat Sept 11	I took off Wednesday afternoon, so Roger & I could go and straighten things out with the cable company.  They sent a very confusing work order that we'd not yet asked for, it outlined charges for this month & next - as well as nothing about phone.  Took us a whole 5 minutes to clear things up.  Aparently some day they will remove the automatic email with that junk on it ... as some of their customers were confused by it.  *rolls eyes*  Our cable, internet & phone service will be up & running the evening of our move.  And ... they did call & give us our new phone # already.  We do have to confirm with gas company & bell phone to have things shut off & that will take care of all the utilities.  We were very impressed Friday after work to find out that garbage guys took away the mountain of garbage that David & I put out for them (was 35 bags .. wow ... 2 full trash cans & 3 mattresses).  Originally I was planning to go through my bedroom this weekend, but on further thought this morning have decided to do livingroom first ... that way we'll have room to put all the boxes without blocking furniture that needs to go into truck first.  As there are only a few drawers & shelves to clear off, hopefully won't take me all weekend, & I can find sometime to relax.  Love ya all. Pam, have a safe trip ... take care of you ... I'll be thinking of ya.
Mon Sept 6	I had no idea the closet upstairs was soooo big & could hold soooo much.  I spent 3 hours yesterday disposing of junk & trash.  I was pretty worn out afterwards.  For my children ... there were 3 tv sets in there + computer monitor, assorted clothes & junk ... along with evidence that mice have made a comfy cozy home for themselves in there.  Yuck.  Roger gave me a hand this afternoon, and for the most part, closet is now empty.  And ya, we'll definitely have to make another trip to electronics recycling place.  David has decided he wants to pack up his own room & did spend the better part of one nite sorting through stuff.  Not as cleaned up yet as I'd like, but it's a start.  He'll be working on it himself the rest of this week.  I have a few odd n ends to finish up today, but will definitely take it easy.  Love ya all.
Sat Sept 4	For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, obituary was put in the paper last week ... online link Legacy.com.  I haven't been able to sign the guestbook as yet, too much emotion. It has been another difficult week here.  I got most of Scooter's room cleaned out last weekend - that took a long time.  David, ever watchful, made me stop a few times when he decided I should take a break & rest some.  Hydro sent us an email this week confirming that they'll turn off electricity on October 1st.  Bell ... guess they don't want to keep us as customers, never bothered to get in touch with us.  Hmmmm ... wonder if that email I sent scared them so much they were afraid to.  Roger went over on Sept 1st to Roger's cable & talked to them about phone service.  No new phone # yet, though they were supposed to call him back with one - but we did get email giving us billing & work order info for moving cable/internet services.  *rolls eyes*  They weren't supposed to do that (I wanted to do online to get a discount), so we'll be going over to the head office Wednesday afternoon.  It's a very confusing bit of paperwork they sent us, so I need to get someone to explain and to give us a new phone #.  We went & arranged for a truck this week too - a 16' one.  Crossing my fingers that we won't have to make more than 1 trip with it.  This morning, we drove over to the recycling depot I found online.  We dropped off a bunch of old computer stuff, towers, monitors & assorted electronics.  That went very well & I'm sure, once I've gone through packing up the rest of the rooms, we'll have to make another trip there.  As for today, I'm finishing up with Jenn's & Scooter's room, then will be going through the closet that's full of junk & has rarely been opened since we've been here.  We are afraid of what we'll find in there.  lol  Tomorrow, David's room.  And, if there's any energy left Monday will start on livingroom.  That's my weekend, I hope you all have a good one.  Love ya all.
Sat Aug 28	It is official ... we are moving into the new apartment October 1st.  All we have left to do is drop off the last month's rent cheque ... and ya pack up to move.  I have kept really busy this week both at work & at home.  Have been working online to cancel utilities for Sept 30.  Some places want a new phone # before I can submit request online & we're still waiting on Bell to call Roger.  They did leave a message on our answering machine Thursday - it was all in French.  *rolls eyes*  I sent them nasty email about that, gave them to the end of August to call us or we will cancel & go with another phone company.  We'll see how that goes.  I did do a little bit more packing - which pretty much stopped when I dropped some shelves on my foot the other nite.  A couple of my poor toes were black & blue yesterday - feels much better today, so now I know I didn't break anything.  I've planned to pack up 1 room a week & if I do an hour or so every nite, won't have so much to do on the weekends. If we follow this plan, we should be set by the end of next month ... I hope.  I've also decided that the freezer is too big for us to take & when I was talking to Lisa the other nite, mentioned that to her & she will be picking it up in a couple weeks or so.  No offers yet to take the fridge, stove, washer or dryer.  Roger will be calling a used appliance store for them to take those away during our last week here - so you still have time to let me know if you want.  Other than that, I've been zoning out with tv watching when I need to rest ... still having a little trouble playing online games ... memories keep getting in the way.  I'm sure that will resolve itself in future, but for now am thankful I have so much to do with upcoming move.  Love you all ... take care.
Sat Aug 21	I had thought about doing an update earlier than this, but haven't been much in the mood for it.  I know you all understand and I thank you for that.  Just so you know, I am still working on trying to deal with things, but I am ok.   I did win our office lottery of a Friday afternoon off (that was the 13th) & because I didn't want to sit at home & cry all afternoon, was forced to ask boss John if ok to delay the afternoon off.  He understood & has kept me very busy ever since.  I took off Wednesday afternoon instead - Roger's day off.  We went apartment hunting, filled out an application form for a very nice 2 bedroom unit & found out last nite, we got it.  Finally finally, it's been a long time coming in finding something suitable.  Some good news after a very long day was much appreciated.  We have to go back on Monday to finalize things.  And, will be moving into the new apartment October.  Roger took David & I out for dinner at our favourite restaurant last nite (which, by the way, in the very near future will be within walking distance).  As we were waiting for our meals, little old lady who was sitting at the table next to us (she must have been 80 or so), poked me in the shoulder to get my attention.  Told me I have very pretty hair.  She rambled on for a few minutes more, and before she left, told us all to enjoy our breakfast (guess she overheard David ordering pancakes).  It was a strange encounter. Today, I will be looking at everything and trying to decide what we will not be able to move with us.  If anyone needs a fridge, a stove, a washing machine or dryer let me know.  I haven't decided yet if we are taking the big freezer or getting another smaller one.  Anyway, they are all over 10 years old, but still work fine & will be available to haul away end of September.   Love you all.
Thur Aug 12	It is with a very heavy heart that I must pass along the news that my dear dear friend Bill passed away yesterday afternoon.  I am thankful that he doesn't hurt anymore but will miss him terribly. My dear Pam, we are all sorry for your loss.  You know we are here for you should you need anything.  Love you.
Tue Aug 10	This update is for you, Bill.  It is with sadness that I read Pam's update tonite.  Please know that while I write here, I will try to choose my words wisely.  I still hope & pray for you both. Not sure I ever told you how grateful I am when, over the years, you helped me the times I was down & just needed someone to listen to or laugh with.  I hope that I managed to return that favour at least one time or other.   You have come to mean a great deal to me.  And, on reading the entries in facebook this year, and through all the various websites we've all visited together, I know that I am not the only one who feels that way.  You are highly thought of & much loved, my dear dear friend.
Sun Aug 8	Yesterday, we did go to the other 2 places that were on my list of apartments ... but ... caretakers take the weekends off.  Imagine that.  We will have to put our names on waiting list during this coming week instead. When we were in Windsor with Jenn, we bought a 1 year membership for Costco that we shared with her (I missed the buy-in-bulk Sam's club that shut it's doors in the last few years ... this will be good substitute).  Friday we visited the local store here, bought a new blanket for the couch.  We liked it so much, since we were in town yesterday anyway, went back & picked up 2 more (1 for us & 1 for David).  I need new clothes & looking for new shoes, so we also went to Walmart, Payless Shoes & then Zellers.  Figures, when we go shopping just for me, can never find anything I like. Roger went out to visit friends last nite, Dave went to work.  I just sat at computer, watching tv & missing everyone.  Too much time for mind to wander all over the place, I guess. Today, we are slowly working on housework.  We both need to rest inbetween things, Roger picked up a summer cold this week (I kinda gave that to him) & I haven't been sleeping real well.  So we are taking it easy. Love ya all!
Fri Aug 6	Smart boy went to the mall today with his "found" money.  A lot of new video games were purchased. Ahhh well, guess you can do that when you have no bills. lol We did some more apartment hunting today.  After some internet research, we thought we'd check out some apartments in Brampton.  By the time we got there & realized how far away that really was (not as close as I remember when Ma & Dad lived out that way) ... once a week, I do have to find my own way home & that would have been over an hour by bus - assuming I'd make all 4 connections on time ... and darn cold during the winter, we turned around & came back.  We did stop back into one of the places in Richmond Hill that Roger phoned earlier in the week & put our name on a waiting list, after a tour of the building.  This place won't save us any money, but is a heck of a lot nicer than where we are now.  This one, for those of you who know the area, is a very short distance from Hillcrest Mall.  Tomorrow, we may also put our names on waiting list with a couple other places in Richmond Hill.
Thur Aug 5	Now we've gone & done it!  Today we corrupted David ... took him to his first ever visit to casino.  He played a couple of machines (ran through money really fast too) ... then we had buffet lunch.  Another first for me ... tried lamb (it was cooked with gravy & vegs).  I will not be trying it again.  lol  After lunch, we wandered around a bit & found some machines that looked interesting.  The machine I was sitting at, was paying out a little bit ... but the ones David & Roger sat at did not.  I let David take over for me (wanted his first time at slots to be fun).  He had fun alright ... won $250.00  Smart boy - he saved most of it, we played a little more after that & then went home.  It was a nice afternoon out.
Wed Aug 4	Happy Anniversary, Pam & Bill!!  I have thought about how to put this all day.  I am glad you got to share the day, I know how much that meant to you both.  Love ya! Yesterday & today, Roger & I have been out apartment hunting.  Haven't found apartment yet, but I now own new vacuum cleaner & Roger has new fan for livingroom window (he's been very hot last few days).  Vacuum cleaner worked wonderfully & the amount of dirt it took out of livingroom rug, showed just how much we needed new one.  This one has attachments (oooooohhhhh that's a first) to clean off new couch that Jack & Ray both like to shed all over & also cleans out icky spots along baseboards.  Yahoo!!!!!!!!  Roger's new fan is double fan that fits in window & can either blow air in or out of livingroom - we're both impressed.  It also has temp control, but because this old house not that airtight, we'll just use the fan part of that.   We went to Lowe's to shop for the fan tonite.  On our way out of the huge monster store, we saw a couple trying to load their tiny little car with great big box (turned out to be bathroom vanity).  I suggested to Roger to see if we could help - we have the van you know.  They were very thankful for the help & we ended up following them to Thornhill.  When I climbed out of van, the lady gave me great big hug.  She told me they'd had the most awful week (found out her new daughter-in-law has breast cancer) & everything was going wrong with their bathroom renovations.  She said we had restored her faith in people & it was first time she'd smiled all week.  Almost made me cry to see how happy they were.  A "quick" chit-chat (with Roger chatting we were there for about 15 minutes) & refusing the money they tried to give us, we left.  It is my wish that everyone in the world do just a little good, then this world would surely be a better place. Love you all.
Sat Jul 31	For everyone who needs one ... a big HUG from me to you.   Jenn, missing you lots already ... I was ready to hop in car & come out there late last nite.  It takes a lot of courage to start out on your own in a place where you don't know anyone yet.  You are much loved dear & we are proud of you.  Always here for you ... if you need us.  Note for both of us ... hang in there, it will get better.   Roger & Dave wrangled the old couch out of the house other day.  And then brought in the big box that held my new couch.  You should have seen them - was funny to watch.  The futon was in a million pieces & it took us several hours to assemble.  We were surprised to find pieces not exactly the same as Jenn's ... but managed just the same.  Both Ray & Jack have claimed a spot.  I'm gonna need something to clean it with - part of couch is already orange from Jack.  As for those two, we left them out together last nite, with no problems.  There was a mutual face washing session last nite & today they were cuddled close together for nap.  It was very very nice to see.  I'm still keeping a watchful eye on them, but I think ... I hope ... we won't see any more attacks. Not sure what we're doing today ... yesterday was a bit more housework & a lot more resting.  Hope you all have a good weekend.
Thur Jul 29	Jenn would like to send a big THANK YOU to everyone for housewarming gifts received & for all the help with her move. There were a couple little glitches with the move Saturday ... Danny's babysitter was late - so we were a couple hours late getting started.  We took some of that time to load up Amanda's car & our van, so it wasn't all wasted time.  Cargo van was packed very full, but we managed to get everything loaded - just barely.  Lisa was done work by the time we were finished so made the trip with Danny too.  We did have to wait around 1/2 hour for landlord to show up with the keys to Jenn's apartment.  Had everything unloaded in about an hour.  Apartment was not as cleaned up as promised, but we couldn't do much more than set up bed - it was a long day.  Danny & Lisa left after dinner for the long drive home.  Next few days were spent cleaning, unpacking & re-arranging things the way she wanted.  Furniture that landlord said she could have - well - couch just needed too much cleaning & we think infested with spiders, so we ended up getting rid of it.  The "kitchen table" must have been made for midgets - it's now an end table.  Wireless internet was not as simple as instructions said - Jenn ended up calling tech.  Was a problem at their end, so even if I'd managed to get things done the way instructions said, would still have had to call.  An hour later she was up & running, but someone was supposed to stop by late yesterday afternoon to check things out there because connection not as great as it should be.  We did a lot of shopping over the last few days.  And ya, I finally gave in at the end of one day & used one of the instore motorized chairs.  We did find great bargain on futon couch for her (also turns into bed, so great for company).  It took an hour & 1/2 to put together & I liked it so much, we bought one for me too.  On our last nite in Windsor, we decided we all deserved a break, so Roger & I took the girls to bingo.  Didn't win, but we all enjoyed.  Drive home was long (too much time to think), but no problems along the way. Today, we are gonna rest up.  Most likely, put together the new couch, do a bit of housework, but nothing major.  Then the hunt continues for an apartment for us.   A big THANK YOU to Dave for looking after both kitties.  A few days of continuing to let them out together for most of the day only resulted in one "fight".  He wasn't sure it was real fight or play one, so we're taking the safe route & separating them at nite for now until we're sure.
Fri Jul 23	Just a quick update for now.  Jenn is pretty much packed up (can barely walk in livingroom now & there's more boxes upstairs).  We're just waiting for Amanda to get here (should be here by around 5pm) & then all going out for dinner.  After that, we're driving up to Ma's so Jenn can get a quick visit in - had to make an appointment with Ma & this was 1st day we could get.  After Ma's, Jenn & Amanda will be dropped off at the house to finish up & we're taking David grocery shopping (I promised).   Assuming all goes well tomorrow, we'll pick up the cargo van at 9 am - pack it up & off we go to Windsor.  Shoud arrive around 1ish, if we're lucky.  The way things look now, we will be home again around Wednesday.  Nothing really planned after that - we'll just take one day at a time. Glad you're home again, Bill.  That's it for now, love you all - take care.
Sun Jul 18	Note to self ... next time let someone else scrub kitchen floor.  Last nite, I thought I had rested up enough beforehand to tackle that job - I definitely rested afterwards, slept for 2 hours.  lol A little bit of good news now for Jenn (and me too for that matter).  Danny has volunteered to be a driver for your move next weekend.  Now all that remains is to rent the vehicle - Roger will handle that this week.  Yaaaaay!!!  A great big thanks to Danny!!!! And one more piece of good news (well to me anyway).  Ray & Jack were let loose this morning to wander for about 10 minutes and ... sniffed around each other, then wandered off their own separate ways.  No noises, no hostile body language & happily no fighting.  We were impressed.
Sat Jul 17	I haven't really had much to say this week, huh?  I am just going day by day - still been overtired a lot lately.   Work doesn't help much - very slow, so I've been doing the boring stuff - programmed computer to do the work & I get to sit & watch.  Course that gave me time to listen to everyone else - they've had hardly much to do too, so a lot of yacking going on.  I hope next week is a little busier - computer is almost done.  Oooohhhh & for the 1st time in around 3 years - got a raise.  Not much of one, but every little bit helps. At home, I've been doing a lot of resting.  And ya, dishes.  Roger hasn't taken apart the dishwasher yet.  Maybe someday.  Ray & Jack are still making progress slowly.  I'm thinking next week will let them roam together & see how that goes.  Wish us luck. This week, the fella that had offered to help with Jenn's move, backed out.  Apparently, he mixed up dates & will be out of the province next weekend.  Guess it's a good thing we didn't find a deal on a truck yet.  We're pretty much resigned to having to make the trip to Windsor twice to get Jenn moved.  Drive out next Saturday, home again Saturday nite & then back to Windsor Sunday am.  I did get out measuring tape to check and see if Jenn's bed will fit in our van.  *sigh* it will - barely, but not much else will fit then.  Oh well, will do what we gotta do. Last nite after work, we went for quick visit with Lisa, Jorge & Peter.  Danny out on the road, should be back sometime today.  Driving in Toronto is no fun, and very easy to get mixed up & go the wrong way .... ya we did.  Luckily figured it out before too much time passed.  It was a nice visit.  Lisa had something for us to bring home to Jenn.  Won't say what it is just yet (Jenn will see on Monday) but it has picture of cookies on the box (among other things).  Jorge was very interested in the cookies, all smiles & cuddling with me ... waiting.  Poor baby was heartbroken when Grandpa showed him what was inside & it wasn't cookies.  Before we left, Lisa had to go find Jorge a cookie to munch on.  He was happy camper after that.  We went home, picked up David & then out for dinner.  It was a long day. Today I am working on housework ... most likely won't finish it all today (I am still recovering from this morning's grocery shopping).  At least I have the house to myself, both David & Roger gone to work early, so I can take my time - rest when I need to, and work without anyone underfoot.  Tomorrow, Ma coming for visit.   I hope you all have a great weekend!
Sun Jul 11	Not sure if I'll have anything to update tomorrow soooo ..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yesterday, spent a lot of time baling out the dishwasher.  *sigh*  It's not draining.  I was online yesterday checking the do-it-yourself websites to find out if it could easily be fixed.  I tried easiest thing first, ran it with vinegar.  When Roger got home from work, I showed him what he could take apart to see if strainer thingy was clogged (I'm not strong enough to twist the bolts).  After he did some cleaning, we ran it again ... and of course, had it half full of dishes to be cleaned.  So, more baling.  I have given up on having a working dishwasher.  Roger hasn't and says he's gonna pull it apart even more.  This will be my expensive dish drainer until we move. On a brighter note, we had Ray & Jack nose to nose last nite.  Only 1 loud meow from Jack when he first saw Ray.  He was purring the whole time I held onto him & even flopped on floor for bellyrub.  Roger wanted me to let them roam together, but I don't want to push our luck & undo the good that's already been done.   It will still be a while before I'm comfortable letting them both loose together.  It does look promising though.
Sat Jul 10	Heat wave is over .... awwwwwwwwwww.  It rained off n on all day yesterday.  And yes, of course, got teased some more for wearing sweater.  I can't win.  lol  Tony said he saw me without sweater twice this past week, so of course he had to go get his hair cut.  I wonder what he would have done had he seen me without it for the 4 days.  hmmmmm. Jenn left yesterday afternoon to go help Amanda move to Sudbury.  She'll be back a week Monday she said.  As you can see, her updated wish list is now scrolling across top.  I'll update that anytime she picks up anything else.  Her landlord called her last week & offered her kitchen table & couch.  Good, couple less things to haul & yup saves her a few $$$. Last nite, we stopped at home after work & picked up David.  Decided to go out for dinner, after MRI was done.  I had to wait 1/2 hour from the time they told me to be there.  I got into the room with the big magnet & had to lay on tummy for this one.  Tech gave me pillow & I rested head on arms while she took the scans.  It was noisy, even though all of me wasn't actually in the machine.  45 minutes later (Roger told me after it was that long - didn't seem like it though), I was allowed to get up - my arms went to sleep. Everything went fine & she told me results would be sent to both dr's in about a week.  I will try to get appt with dr week after next to find out results & see where we go from here.  Course I may not be able to get in then, and that'll be too bad cause vacation time is coming up quick too - may not find out till after that.  I'll let you know.
Wed Jul 7	Just a quick one tonite.  Our heat wave continues ... we've been in upper 80's & mid-90's the last few days.  And, if you can believe weatherman this will continue for another couple days at least.  I am enjoying the weather during the day ... but it's not the type of weather that promotes a good nite's sleep.  I figure eventually I'll be so worn out, that I'll just sleep all nite.  Ah well, I'll just enjoy the heat while it lasts.  And, as long as it does last, I'll keep getting the good natured teasing at work about not wearing sweater.  May be, pretty soon, they'll start a pool to guess when I put it back on.
Mon (almost Tues) Jul 5	Thought I'd share this with you ... I shocked a bunch of people at work - but mostly boss John today.  When I walked into his office this morning, his jaw dropped & he gave me strange look.  I thought I was in trouble for something.  He then smiled & said ... wow, that's the first time I've ever seen you without the sweater.  I told him it's a once a year thing, but our office is not as cold as other one, so it may be more than once this year.  It was nice n toasty warm out today.   After work, I took pity on Roger & Jenn (Dave was at work) & suggested we head on over to the mall for their air conditioning.  We had fun - did some price shopping for some of the things Jenn needs.  Didn't buy anything, but now she has an idea of what some things will cost so she can compare & find some bargains in the coming weeks.  Had dinner there & went over to visit with Amanda & her mom for a bit.  They had a dresser & tv stand for Jenn to take home - my living room getting a little crowded now (kitchen is full of empty boxes too).
Sun Jul 4	HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!! For all us Canadians ... Happy Sunday!
Sat Jul 3	As promised ... here is Jenn's apartment wish list (for anyone thinking of giving her a housewarming gift).  And yes, we know some big items on the list, but we wanted to make sure we thought of everything she might need. Set of dishes - Can opener - Pots, Pans, Frying Pan - Drinking Glasses - Measuring spoons - Flour, sugar, tea canisters - Toaster - Kettle - Towels (Tea, Hand, Bath) - Broom & Dustpan - Dish rack - Lamps - Dinette Set (small table & chairs) - Small Couch - Coffee table and/or end tables for beside the couch - Phone - Blender - Mixer - Flashlight - Shower curtain - Bucket - Mop - Toilet plunger - Toilet scrubber - curtains - Garbage pail (1 large for kitchen, 1 small for bathroom) - Paper shredder - Printer - Bath mat If you have any other suggestions, they would be appreciated - but just so ya know, Jenn has been collecting some essentials for a little while now.  Jenn is moving the weekend of July 24th.  She will also be helping Amanda move to Sudbury next weekend (staying with her for a week).
Thur Jul 1	HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!! For all our American friends ... Happy Thursday!
Wed Jun 30	HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mon Jun 28	I've been pretty tired lately - not much really going on here.  Jenn has been busy packing & I've been helping put together a list of things she'll need for her 1st apartment.  Be warned, we're gonna share that with you - and if you want to help, it would be much appreciated.  I've also been looking up rates for rental trucks & moving companies to see which would be best way for us to go.  Roger's been trying to find someone to drive rental truck (if we go that way) to Windsor & back. Last nite, we re-introduced Jack & Ray for a minute or two.  There were some strange noises coming out of Jack & Ray seemed a bit on the scared side.  We didn't let them stay together long enough for fight to break out.  This morning, Raymond, sneaky little devil he is, figured out how to unlock the carrier, while he was in it.  It was an unintentionl quick visit with Jack.  Loud meows from Jack but I was quick to put stop to anything further.   It does give us hope ... so we will continue with the minute or two visits every nite & *cross our fingers* that it gets better every day.
Wed Jun 23	Another first this afternoon ... and hopefully the last.  This is a link to story about it in the Globe & Mail ... earthquake.  There was a few who were unnerved in the office.  And, I wasn't the only one who thought it was a creepy feeling.   Jenn arrived home from her trip safe & sound this afternoon.  She said there was extra security for customs coming back - but that's just due to the G-20 conference going on in Toronto over the next few days.  As I've already said Pam & Bill ... wish I had more words ... love you both.  To everyone else - love you all too.
Sat Jun 19	I forgot to tell you that Jenn left for Nashville on Wednesday ... lots on mind I guess.  She took the bus to Windsor & another bus in Detroit down.  A long ride (18 hours I htink she said) ... but made it there safely.  She is visiting with friends for a week. It has been fun trying to get Jack to take his liquid meds.  Nurse said it didn't taste good & that I might have trouble.  She suggested I put in fridge to make it taste a little sweeter for him.  I wonder who did the tasting to figure that out.  Today was first time it took less than 10 mintues.  I am afraid of hurting him, so not as good a grip on him.  He doesn't want to open his mouth for me & keeps squirming to get away.  David watched yesterday am & was amused with Jack's acrobatics & mine.  I do manage to get it into him ... one drip at a time.  I haven't figured out how much 25 ml is in english ... but trying to get him to take it ... it's a lot.  We'll be having this fun twice a day ... until bottle is finished.  Oh joy.  On the bright side - he is back to his usual sweet self (other than medtime).  As soon as his mouth heals some more (he has stitches inside) I will try to reunite him with Raymond. *crossing fingers* Yesterday I was more stressed out than usual at work.  I even snapped at Noel (he's the pricing guy for our sister company - & sits one desk over & up from me).  boss John was working from home & kept sending emails to me to do this & that for him.  At least I was busy all day ... that helped.  But by the time I got home, was totally worn out.  Roger took pity on me & took me out to dinner at our favourite restaurant.  That was nice.  Later on, my computer gave me hard time & it took forever to get it to finally reboot.  By the time I had things back up and running, decided I was too tired for any more, so shut it down again & went to bed.  Still a bit tired today, but not near as bad as yesterday. Love ya all - hope you have a great day.
Wed Jun 16	We just got back from picking Jack up from vet.  Poor baby is still woozy - they didn't do his surgery until late this afternoon.  They pulled what was left of one tooth - found that it was infected and pulled one tooth from the other side of his mouth.  Lots of instructions ... and some more meds for him to take.  I didn't think I'd be able to get Jack to take pills, so we got that switched to liquid antibiotics instead.  Quote was $4 shy of what they told us ... and the switch from pill to liquid added $17.  Vet thought that maybe because of infection they found that might be what causing cat fight - we'll have to wait n see.  Diffuser has been plugged in since Monday nite & instructions say give it at least a week - so will wait till sometime next week to put them together & see what happens.  I hope it turns out well ... one less thing to worry about. Pam & Bill ... you both have my love & support.  You know where to find me if you need me.
Sun nite Jun 13	I have been thinking about how/where I could plug that diffuser in for the last couple days.  Think I've come up with something but gonna need another extension cord - will pick that up after work tomorrow.  Tonite, I was doing the kitty-switch from bedroom to  livingroom & visa versa.  Thought I had this down to a science by now ... except kitties have other ideas and sometimes quicker than I am.  Another big brawl before I could stop it.  It is heartbreaking.  I wonder if it'll ever be ok again.
Sat Jun 12	Just a quick update today - have been very tired this week. Vet called one day this week, talked to Roger.  Alternate therapy to try for Jack & Ray is a pheromone diffuser (it looks kinda like one of those air freshener things you plug into an outlet).  Aroma therapy for cats - that's a new one to me.  Instructions say we may see improvement within a week, but may take a little longer ... and not to say it doesn't work until after using it for a month.  Some may call me crazy for spending $60 for that, but at this point I'm ready to try just about anything to help my babies.  Now I just need to figure out where I can plug it in without blowing out the circuit breakers.  Roger asked vet for estimate on how much it would cost for Jack's dental work too.  That took a day or so for them to put together - around $590 more or less ... depends on how long procedure takes & what they find.  Jack had his blood test done last nite ... $75 for that & he's scheduled to get it done next Wednesday.  Yup, it's gonna be another expensive month.  Oh & while I'm thinking about it ... anyone want to babysit one of my little angels end of next month when we help Jenn move & go south for a week or so?  Love ya all ... hope you have a great week.
Tue Jun 8	Sunday am, opened bedroom door & Ray (fast sneaky cat) scooted out to encounter Jack.  Ya, *sigh* fighting again.  It was not a good start to the day.  Saturday, Jenn went out fishing with Amanda & got lovely sunburn, so on our way to Windsor, we pulled off 401 & went searching for drug store to get something to help her.  We got a little lost, but eventually found our way back to 401.  We arrived in Windsor just after 12:30 ... missing her first scheduled apartment viewing.  She couldn't get the guy on phone, so we just skipped that one & went on to the next one.  Jenn had made 5 or 6 appointments over the afternoon.  We had some time inbetween & Roger took me over to see a little bit of the Red Bull Air Race.  I've wanted to go see one since I started watching them on tv a few years ago.  Very cool ... next time though, we'll have to go when the event starts & watch until it's over.   We did go check out a few other apartments that had signs advertising availability.  The apartment Jenn decided she liked is a fairly big place (it was one of her appts), with lots of storage space and the landlord seemed very nice.  It's on the same street as the university - about 4 or 5 blocks north of it.  We went out for dinner at Swiss Chalet (chicken) & I was surprised to see they had the car races on.  I thought I'd miss it.  Because we ate slow & I talked Jenn & Roger into having dessert, got to see the last 50 laps of race.  lol  With dinner over, we hit the casino for a little while (after we got lost first, missed a turn in the dark).  Didn't win - awwww - & went back to hotel for the nite.  Early Monday we went to the university, was a lot of talking to everyone (place was very full - glad we got there early & had a place to sit).  Students were then taken off somewhere else & we had another presentation until around lunchtime.  After that, was a lot of wandering around talking to people in booths about different campus things & finally a walking tour.  Roger was a little concerned about me & asked about a golf cart.  *rolls eyes*  They did offer a wheelchair, but stubborn person that I am, politely turned it down.  We were slow, but I did manage (I knew I could rest on the way home).  Tour was the last thing we had to do at the university.  From there we went back to apartment Jenn wanted & she filled out all the necessary paperwork.  Then the long drive home. Plans are now in the works on getting her moved the last week in July.  Since Roger & I had both already booked that time off not too long ago, we will help her get settled for a few days, then head south from there.  At least ... that's how things look now.
Mon Jun 7	First off, we made it to Windsor & back, safely.  Jenn found an apartment, filled out paperwork & approved - she moves in the last week in July.  There was a lot of university information given to us today - for me, unfortunately, my brain doesn't hold that much info & most of it leaked out by the time we got home.  Thankfully though, we picked up a lot of pamphlets & they all have websites, so we can go over that again at our own pace.  And they will go over everything again with Jenn in September.  Phone message when we got home - MRI has been rescheduled to first week in July.  David did a great job looking after kitties.  Thanks Dave!!!   I will update again tomorrow, when I'm not so tired.
Sat Jun 5	It has been a very rough week here ... crazy at work, crazy at home.  I've been testing new stupid program this week & after all the bugs I found are fixed, get to test again next week ... oh joy.  At home - Jack attacked Ray a few times last weekend.  We tried to figure out why & ended up taking them both to the vet to get checked out.  Other than some dental work needed & Jack's ear infection, both kitties in good health.  Vet could find no reason why one would suddenly turn on the other.  We've kept them separated all week, switching them in & out of bedroom.  Ray is taking separation a little harder than Jack ... & think I'm taking it harder than both of them.   From what I read online the other day - this could go on for months ... or forever.  Either way - not a happy thought.  As for MRI that was supposed to be for this afternoon, phone message I got yesterday said it was for Monday.  I'm fairly sure I got the date right when called a few months ago.  I had to call & leave a message to cancel because we're taking Jenn to Windsor & won't be back until somtime Monday nite.  We're leaving early tomorrow morning for the long drive, apartment hunting for her all afternoon, University welcome thing Sunday nite & the University tour Monday - it goes on until around 3.  Drive home after that - it's at least a four hour drive.  David is staying home this time - he has something going on at the school Monday, so couldn't make the mini-trip with us.