Sue's blog

Bella's story

2011-12-09T13:27:00.000-05:00

I didn't want a dog! A dog is a lot of work, responsibility, and is very time consuming. When Lady died, I bought a kitten to be my companion. A kitten is fun and playful, and quickly becomes an aloof cat, which doesn't thrive on your constant attentions, yet will be there to greet you when you come home.

And so, for the last 8 months, Wimsie and I have been comfortably cohabiting together with no intention of changing our status quo in any which way.

But fate has a wry sense of humor, and I find myself sitting on my couch tonight, with lovely Bella curled up beside me, occasionally letting out a little sigh of content.

This is Bella's story:

Bella is an English Cocker Spaniel, and up until two weeks ago, she was part of a happy little family somewhere in Coteau Landing (close to the Ontario border). For Bella, life was good, but for the little family, although Bella was loved, she didn't fit in with their lives and they had decided to give her away, hopefully to someone who would give her the love and care that she truly deserved. They put an ad on Kijiji, describing her as a pure bred Cocker female, not yet sterilized, looking for a home, and on and on... The lady answering the ad seemed nice enough, but in fact, it was Cruella Deville! Her only interest in Bella was her ability to churn out little Cocker Spaniel puppies. She picked up Bella and took her to her home, where she kept all her dogs in cages outdoors behind the house. But Bella is smart and quick, and when an opportunity showed itself, she escaped. Far from home, cold, hungry, full of fleas, coat all matted and full of burs, this brave little dog showed up at the home which houses our offices, about 6 kilometers from her captors. She still had her original collar on, with her name and a phone number on the medal hanging from it. Debbie at the office carried the dog upstairs and into my office, asking me for help with this doggie. It was hard to understand how an owner would let their dog get in such a terrible condition, yet put a lovely pink collar on her. Something wasn't right, and once I got the original owner on the phone, we were eventually able to piece her story together. The puppy mill will be investigated by the authorities and hopefully shut down. Meanwhile, Bella's fate remained with me. I brought Bella home to Farnham on the weekend where she officially became part of the Gillett household. Welcome home, Bella! May you spend the rest of your life happy in our midst - we will never let you down.

Turns out we get along amazingly well. Bella is highly energetic and loves to run, so she has become my daily running companion. She is sweet, gentle, loving, quiet, clean, and loves to play with Wimsie. She is also the reason that I have to leave work on time every day, if I have to do extra work; I must bring it home with me. Not a bad deal! I could get used to not working overtime so much…..

Let it snow, let it snow...

2011-11-23T20:42:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I broke out the winter running gear since I woke up to a chilly minus 9C. Winter coat, pants, long johns, double layer socks, new warm gloves, hat - I had a great run and never suffered the cold.

But today, it was winter that was out in full gear! Cold yes, but with the added bonus of a bitter driving wind complete with ice pellets that really stung my face, 4 inches of unplowed snow to run through, and icy patches to challenge my balance here and there. Looks like winter has finally arrived, a little late maybe, but in full force. I didn't miss it, but it's all good. I sure got a good workout running through that snow, and I although my outdoor runs will be much more dependent on the weather conditions (no running in freezing rain or on icy roads), I'll be running all winter. I might as well get used to it, and today was a good start. (note to self - must get some kind of face cover hoody thingy)

I love plants...

2011-11-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

I have a window the lenth of my counter at the appartment in St-Timothée where I live during the week. When I first moved in, it had a curtain, but I decided to do away with the curtain and instead filled the window ledge with plants - all taken from plants I had at home. With a little time and a lot of nurturing, my plants have become a real curtain. This picture was taken this morning - my Christmas Cactus in full bloom!

A beautiful November

2011-11-16T18:52:00.000-05:00

It almost sounds like an oxymoron, but not this year! Last year at this time I posted a blog on how I hated November with its freezing rain, icy sidewalks, short dark and damp days. That must have been on another planet. This November has been nothing short of glorious! Cool crisp mornings with beautiful sunrises, warm sunny days - perfect Sundays for long slow runs. Please, let it last just a little bit longer....

On the other hand, I just got my winter tires put on my car and a full tune up done. I am ready for winter - so bring it on if you must (however, lets not rush into winter too soon, November is doing just fine as it is)

I can see clearly now....

2011-11-09T13:13:00.000-05:00

The month of October ended on a terrific note for me! This was the month that I finally convinced myself that I deserved the luxury of fixing my myopia. I started wearing glasses in elementary school, when my teacher noticed that even though I was sitting in the front row, I still couldn’t make out the writing on the black board. She sent a note to my mom and the whole world became sharper when I was fitted with my new blue glasses. I hated wearing glasses, but I hated not seeing even more. At fourteen, my first summer job bought me a pair of contact lenses (it took my entire summer earnings) and it was a love/hate relationship with my contact lenses also. When laser eye surgery came out, I was skeptic, and not sure I wanted anyone to fool around with my eyes. But laser eye surgery has now been around for 20 years, and the results are astounding. So, if I can run a marathon at 55, why not get my eyes fixed? I have been spending every evening doing extra accounting work for my niece’s company – and decided that I would put the extra earning to good use – me!

So I found myself on October 28th at the LasikMD clinic in Pointe-Claire, feeling a little nervous, but determined. The surgeon sat down with me and asked me if I had any final questions – I didn’t since the staff had been extremely thorough in explaining every step and answering all my questions before hand. What I was really thinking was that if the last thing I would see in the unlikely case that I lost my vision, would be this surgeon, then at least it would be a pleasant memory – real eye candy he is. :o) I was offered an Ativan to soothe my worries away, and I gladly accepted (it was a good idea). About 10 to 15 minutes after taking the Ativan (I already had started losing track of time) I was brought in and asked to lay on a table. The surgeon taped my right eyelid open and used spreaders to keep it that way. He asked me to look at the red light above not to move. A couple of drops in each eye to anesthetize them and within 10 minutes he had completed both eyes. Totally painless – just a queasy feeling when he peeled my cornea back (yechh). A pair of very dark wraparound sunglasses where put on my face, and I was asked to wait in the waiting room for 45 minutes. Thanks to the Ativan, I promptly fell asleep on my chair, so the wait lasted mere minutes for me. A quick check by the doctor to make sure that everything was OK and I was sent home.

My sister Brigitte, who lives nearby, (thank you ever so much!) was the one who drove me to the clinic and picked me up. I arrived at her apartment on Friday after the surgery and went straight to bed, waking up around 8pm. No real pain, just a scratchy feeling in my eyes, as if my contact lenses had been in there too long. But behold, I could see! Even through the dark sunglasses I could see! Wonderful! I was only up a couple of hours that evening, it was the next morning that I truly realised that I had 20/20 vision, which was confirmed at my follow up checkup that day. I took one day off work (Friday) and was back at my desk like nothing had happened on Monday morning. I was even able to do a pleasant 12k run on the Sunday before!

Ten days later, I still can’t believe that I don’t need any glasses or contact lenses. Running without glasses or contact lenses is a joy – and little things delight me, like waking up in the middle of the night and actually being able to make out the time on my alarm clock. Of course, we must not forget that I am in my fifties, and that means that I still need reading glasses. Laser surgery will fix Astigmatism and Myopia (both of which I had) but will not fix old age (too bad!) Still, I was pleasantly surprised. I can function fairly well without reading glasses – I bought a pair at the pharmacy and use them at work when reading small print. I do not need my reading glasses to work on the computer.

If you are interested in finding out more information here is the link to LasikMD http://www.lasikmd.com/ All in all, I would recommend laser eye surgery to anyone who wears glasses – it feels great to toss them! Actually, they collect all the old glasses and donate them to charity. Someone somewhere will be wearing my old glasses soon enough, and I am glad it isn’t me!

Marathon blues? Not me!!

2011-10-01T17:13:00.001-04:00

I've been reading up on Marathons (something I should have been doing before I actually ran one), specifically post marathon recovery. To my surprise, the experts warn us about post marathon blues as opposed to post partum blues. They say that after months of training, the deed done, what is left! I say, there is plenty left - glad to have my Sundays back! No blues for me, thank you. But I am following all the post-marathon suggestions, and so far everything is going very well. I have no more soreness and the chaffing sores are healing nicely. I have started running again and no - none of my runs will be posted on Facebook anymore. These runs are for my own pleasure and welfare, and until I start training for another event, (which will probably be for a cause) you will not hear about them.

Here are a few pictures taken on the run....

At the departure, just before the run starts.

About halfway into the run

Still running....

Crossing the finish line...

I did it! My first marathon at age 55!

The Montreal Oasis Marathon

2011-09-25T19:50:00.000-04:00

I have been probably driving my friends and family nuts with all my DailyMile posts on my training for the marathon this summer, and you can all relax now - it's officially over and done. On January 1st, I made a commitment to myself to run a marathon this year, then I went and told everyone so I had to go through with it since I am way too proud for my own good.

Picture taken before leaving for the Marathon.

Running a marathon is hard. It is probably the hardest thing I have ever done, and I gave birth naturally twice. Sure having a baby is hard, but you have no choice once labour starts you can't walk away, and the reward is so much better when you have a baby that it outweighs all the pain and effort. But I digress.... back to the marathon, it's very hard. 42.2 kilometers hard. Hard because you have to train for it for months ahead of time, and by the time you are in it, you start realising that you didn't train enough! Hard because you can walk away at anytime from the training or during the marathon itself, and no one will try to convince you to stick it out. (about 150 runners did that today). Hard because you can't really keep up with all those twenty and thirty something kids on the run with you - especially the tall one with legs up to there. Hard because after 30 kilometer, you start to really hurt. Your feet hurt (new blister) your muscles hurt (big leg cramps kept me from running for a couple kilometers - I could barely walk!), your clothes hurt - because they are soaking wet, they rub on your skin and chafe you, and that's despite all the balm you applied before the race (thanks to Eric for the Butt Butter), so you hobble on your sore feet and tell yourself that you will NOT walk off the course since you have done 3 quarters of it. But it is hard. I learned a lot today. I learned that I don't know enough about the science of diet for this type of competition - I could have probably avoided those cramps with more potassium in my diet (and I hate bananas - so those bananas they were handing out to runners, I totally ignored) I learned that you can never overtrain for this kind of commpetition - and most of all, I learned that I can really push myself to the limit. I don't ever want to stop running, but now, those 5-8 kilometer runs will feel fun - maybe I can work on my speed! Will I do it again? Not sure - I've got to heal my bobos first. One thing for sure... I am not running tomorrow!

Les Vacances...

2011-08-25T22:10:00.000-04:00

There are two reasons why vacations exist. The first and most obvious reason is that we all need a period of rest, a little R'n'R, a change of pace - at the very least once a year. It helps us put things in perspective and makes us more productive when we come back to work. In many businesses, vacations are mandatory and must be taken whether you want them or not. Which brings me to the second reason why vacations exist. Vacations exist to make you realise how effective (or in some cases, ineffective) your co-workers are. I have spent the last 2 months working in an office where there was consistently someone absent - away on a much deserved vacation. While this has not helped me with my workload in any which way or form, it has openned my eyes to how important every job is. I have had to replace our HR person while she went to France for 2 1/2 weeks and I missed her everyday! When she returned, I had to give her a big hug, I was so glad to give her back her work - this is one employee that really deserves an accolade! (plus I like her and I missed having her around). The administrative assistants downstairs have also taken vacations, but have been able to replace each other to a certain degree. For them, this is a quiet time of the year, so it seems to have worked out. Still, I am not getting my statistical reports, or needed credit notes because someone is away on vacation; of course, none of this is urgent and it can wait a couple of weeks. But this week, my trusty accounting assistant is off for her well deserved vacation. Despite her efforts to do as much as she could in advance so that I wouldn't have to take over all her tasks, I find myself doing her work for more than half my days. That's because she is the day-to-day person. She is the one that handles all the immediate stuff and she is irreplacable - someone has to print those cheques and make those deposits etc... Of course, my work is also important, and according to my boss in France, urgent, but the day to day stuff takes precedence and I am finding myself working a lot of extra hours to compensate. I realise how much I rely on Manon, my assistant to take care of all those little things I never have time for, and I realise that I haven't thanked her enough for her help. I will have a gift for her when she returns, I truly believe that she deserves to know how much she is appreciated. So that's what vacations are for - to make your boss really appreciate you! Let's hope that my boss really appreciates me when I go for my vacation next month! On a beach in North Carolina, I won't be missing my co-workers, but in a strange way, I hope that they miss me!

Marathon training - halfway through....

2011-08-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

Me and my big mouth! I had to tell the world that I was planning on running a marathon, didn't I? Whose bright idea was that? Sure, I knew it was going to be hard, I knew that I would be pushing myself to the limit, but I never thought it would be this hard!

Don't get me wrong, I love running - running is my way of staying fit, staying sane, and connecting with nature. But running a marathon is a whole different ball game! Nice'n easy Sunday runs have become cruelling 2 1/2 hour runs - and if you think that there is such a thing as a runner's high - forget it! The only high I get is when I jump in the pool at the end of the run. My whole summer is revolving around this marathon training. So far, I have run 4 semi-marathons in the last 6 weeks, and now I need to run further and longer. Insanity! Anyone who is presently training for a marathon is one of these 3 things: young, certifiably nuts, or very determined.

But on the good side, I am in better shape now than I was 20 years ago. I have tons of energy, I feel great, and yes, I have lost a few pounds - although according to those millions of calories burnt I should now be a size 0 or less!

So, this crazy old lady here will continue the training - I'm not young, but I feel young, I'm definitely nuts, and I am really determined. I guess that makes me a good candidate for a marathoner.

My other family - The Gilletts

2011-08-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

Thirty-six years ago today, I legally changed my last name to Gillett, but this family has been part of my life and in my heart for much longer. I was seven years old when Keith and his family moved to Cambrai street in Sherbrooke, just one house over from our house. We had nothing really in comon. I was a girl, and spoke only French, Keith was a boy (this kind of detail is very important to a seven year old), spoke only English, and to top it all, he was much older - he must have been at least 8 and a half or 9 (we are18 months apart)! But despite these friendship defying odds, there was something that attracted each of us to one another and we became inseparable friends. Keith taught me how to ride a bike, how to ride a home made skate board, how to play ball - my friend and buddy was fun to be around and he had a great family - little brothers (I remember Paul as a little toddler), a sweet little sister that I remember totally ignoring since she was my little sister's friend and so far out of my own age range (let's see, a good 3 years younger), and oh, there was the unforgetable Mrs. Dyer who scared the living daylights out of me! I was in total awe of Keith's dad as a child and I think I was a little afraid of him too. But I totally loved Keith's mom - for the simple reason that she accepted me despite my being a girl and French and because she took me along with all the kids to see my very first cinematic movie. I had no clue where we were going since I spoke no English, but everyone was happy and giggling and it sure sounded fun. When we got to the Granada Theater and I was seated in those plush red seats, I was totally wowed by the experience. Then the curtains opened and the Sound of Music started. I still get chills when I recall that specific moment! (To this day, it is still my all time favourite movie - I must have seen it dozens of times.) Thanks Jean for including me with your kids in your Saturday afternoon outings! Time flew and kids became teens and we went to separate schools and made different friends, but we never ended our friendship despite everything. Keith & I married real young - I now know that I had no clue what marriage was all about then, and I am sure that Keith didn't either. We just knew that we were in love and wanted to be together all the time. Today I would advise anyone not to get married before 25 - and strangely enough, that is exactly what Keith's parents kept on repeating to us - they really knew what they were talking about! Gee I wonder why at the ripe old age of 18 I couldn't understand that! But our marriage has that one magic ingredient that is key to any lasting relationship. We are first and foremost friends. We talk, we share, and we connect on so many levels. We belong to each other, and we belong to our extended families. I have felt connected to the Gilletts for over 43 years - and for better of worse, they are as much my family as my own family is to me. Happy Anniversary darling Keith (out there on some highway tonight)! And to my second family, thank you for being part of me - all of you have helped shape me from childhood to grandmotherhood.

So let it out already!

2011-07-19T23:18:00.000-04:00

I had a good laugh when I opened up my blog to write and entry! I was venting last Wednesday about working late - Hah! I ended up working all weekend! Saturday til 8pm, Sunday till 8 pm (although I took Sunday morning off to do my long run, some laundry and a small grocery). And today my boss from France was piling more on! I told her that it was physically impossible unless I could clone myself and said no. Enough already! I guess I am still venting a week later! My morning runs are my salvation, they help me to focus, and to enjoy the sheer fact of being alive and well. There is no time in my life right now for much else. Work, sleep, run and grab a bite to eat while working. Something's gotta give....

Need to vent (just a little....)

2011-07-06T22:46:00.000-04:00

It's past 10:30 pm and I am just finishing up at the office. Argh! Looks like my entire month of July is going to be like this - I am preparing the fiscal year end files. I love my job, but this is insane! My boss from France has no clue to how much time it takes to do what is demanded of me. I hate year ends!
Lucky for me I get to go out tomorrow morning and run all this frustration away. This morning I was treated to a rainbow on the last leg of my run - hopefully tomorrow's run will be just as enjoyable.
See, I'm smiling already!

Ah, le weekend....

2011-07-05T22:21:00.000-04:00

I so love long weekends! I'm sure everyone does, but for me, they are like a gift - a wonderful break from a very hectic lifestyle. When I can, I try to stay away from my computer (not always possible) and just enjoy life. This past weekend was such a weekend. OK - I do admit that I spent Friday doing some accounting work, but after Friday, I didn't sit at my desk at all. Saturday started off with a run, then a swim, and a shopping trip for groceries & pharmacy stuff - so far so good. Saturday afternoon, a wedding. And the weather was really cooperating! Since Keith was on the road somewhere in the US (as usual), it was Lydia who accompanied me to the celebration of my nephew's marriage. We gussied ourselves up and drove together to the wedding, Lydia thankfully acting as navigator with the help of my iPhone GPS maps app. It was a good time to spend with my grandaughter and we had fun. After the wedding, which was held outdoors under a big white tent, we mingled with the family and Lydia got to see her second cousins again after a 2 year hiatus. I could see that she was uncomfortable at first, but it didn't take long for her to loosen up and have fun. After a sumptuous dinner, we danced all evening thanks to a great DJ who knew just the right music to play. To my surprise, Lydia loves to dance! She was unstoppable! Maybe there is a little bit of me in her after all! We got home just after 1:00AM, but neither one of us was tired, so we decided to go swimming. We just threw off our dresses and jumped in the pool in our undies. At 1:00 AM - who's gonna see? or care? It was great - I had never done this, but having a teenager around does make you do crazy things. When my head finally hit the pillow, I was out like a light. The next day, Lydia left to go to the cottage with her dad, and since Patrick was gone for the weekend, I found myself in the house all alone with Keith (who had arrived late on Saturday night from his trip). What a treat! We spent the day together doing groceries, cleaning the pool, swimming and having a candlelit dinner on the porch, watching a huge storm slowly rolling in. A perfect day! I could use a few more weekends like this!

All in the family

2011-06-24T17:15:00.002-04:00

Lydia this afternoon June 24 2011

It's hard to believe that the young lady in this picture is actually my granddaughter. She is a full head taller than I am, and bigger boned, with an ample bosom (something I was never able to brag about - especially at the age of 14). Yet I do see some family resemblance - mainly on Keith's side in her facial features - but that's about where simalarity ends. Somehow, before having one, I had always imagined a blond, blue eyed, delicate little granddaughter, and what I got was a Lydia, 5'9, dark haired, loud and very opinionated. Of course, just about every 14 year old is opinionated and we actually are getting along quite well so far. It just feels foreign somehow. Even my son David (her dad) seems a bit mystified at the daughter that he brought forth - she is way bigger than he, and last night. as we arrived from the airport, he just stood there and stared at her - as if he was trying to establish whether she was really his child or not. You see, we hadn't seen her for 2 years, and a teenager grows a lot in 2 years! Sure, she was big and loud 2 years ago, but now she is even bigger and louder (if that is possible) - but not as bratty - she is quieter that way, we haven't really heard her all day so maybe I should take that 'loud' part back after all. She certainly was entertaining all the way home in the car - I couldn't get a word in edgewise! And she is a poet - funnily enough - a bookworm , artist, and a poet - it doesn't jive with her physique, but it certainly feels more familiar to me. So, for the next 2 weeks, we get to know Lydia all over again, as a 14 year old daughter, grandaughter, and as a niece. Should be interesting. I hope that she will like us, I know that I already love her.

Le Tour du Lac Brome

2011-06-20T21:54:00.000-04:00

Today I am not running. It’s my day of rest. Recuperation is as much part of the training as endurance repetitions and long runs, and I know that. But although I woke up this morning feeling a little relieved, as the day wore on I couldn’t help feeling a little off. It’s like something is missing in my day. Those precious moments of total freedom, being one with nature and feeling on top of the world are absent.

This day of rest follows my first 20k run yesterday. Le Tour du Lac Brome is a great event http://www.tourdulacbrome.com/photos_et_videos.html. Only 40 minutes from Farnham, the event takes place in Knowlton – around Lake Brome – literally! We run all around the lake. It’s very hilly – hence the challenge, but it’s also very beautiful. The weather was absolutely perfect. The racers were all smiles – I did not hear anyone grumble. We were all there to test our mettle on the hills and to challenge ourselves to go further. I arrived at around 7:30 AM and was guided to my own special parking spot in the middle of a hay field along with a few thousand other cars. I made it to the pre-registration desks under a big tent and got my number, my chip, and a bag of goodies including a nice new running shirt. I hadn’t had breakfast so I decided to go back to the car, drop off the bag of goodies, attach my number, get a couple of toonies out of my wallet, and get a coffee and muffin before the start of the race at 9 am. I still had plenty of time. Except that, in the sea of cars in the field, my plain brown Honda disappeared – it took me forever to find it! But I did find it and made my way back to the little tented breakfast place. Yum a home baked blueberry muffin and a coffee – wonderful. Except that as soon as I put my coffee down, a strong gust of wind blew the Styrofoam cup, spilling coffee all over me. Ok, skip the coffee – but now my white shirt is covered in coffee – so I head back to the field and try to find my car again for that new shirt in my goody bag. But time is running out, and my car is deep undercover and won’t come out of hiding (If you are wondering why I didn’t just beep it – I had only the valet key with me since I had to lace it up in my shoe during the race) . I gave up and made my way, coffee stain and all to the starting point with only 8 minutes to spare. I haven’t seen the pictures yet – everyone gets a photograph of themselves as they arrive at the finish line, but I sure the coffee stain will be prominent. Of course I will post the picture when it becomes available. To be honest, while at the starting line, I totally forgot about the stain, I just wanted to start already – those 8 minutes of waiting lasted forever! But sure enough the race started and we were off. The first 10 kilometres were a breeze – I was doing well and maintaining my pace depite the hills, but at the 15th kilometre we hit THE hill. It’s a groaner- puff puff, up up the hill. But somehow I made it up and then back down, and then up and down again to the finish line. That finish line seemed to back up from me the more I ran towards it, but I would have followed it for a few more kilometers anyway – I was that determined. There it is – 2 hours, 10 minutes, 24 seconds – not a great time – I came in the 978th runner, but good for a first race. No pain, just good sweat and maybe a little out of breath. I’m hooked!

(Funny thing - I found my car instantly on the way out...)

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T15:56:00.000-04:00

Friday morning, I woke up early to the radio announcer asking listeners to call in and describe a favorite moment with their dad in five words or less. What came to my mind immediately was - Qui veut voir les lions? (Who wants to go see the lions?) These little five words evoke such great and very old memories of my childhood. To give my mother a well deserved break from being at home caring for nine kids, my dad would take us out on Sunday afternoons when the weather was right. He would always start with 'Qui veut voir les lions?' Of course we all did, but I do recall the older ones groaning from the repetitiousness of the joke, because, of course, Sherbrooke has no lions. No live ones anyways, but there, on Belvedere Street was a couple of stone lions adorning the entrance of an extravagant home. My dad would drive slowly in front of the stone lions and we would all laugh with glee. Then we'd go to the petting zoo (no lions there) or the park and spend a couple of hours there. I must have been four of five years old at the time, but to this day, whenever I see stone lions, I smile and think of my Dad.

Papa - June 2011

Bonne Fête des Pères, Papa! I love you!

A Rare Family Reunion

2011-06-13T22:03:00.001-04:00

Me with Mary and Gerry

Last Friday my mom's remaining family got together - and considering the great distances that they had to travel, it was a great occasion worthy of celebration. My mother's brother Gerry and his wife Mary drove up from Halifax, my mother's sister Marielle and my cousins Johanne and Raymond flew up from Texas, and met up with my Aunt Suzanne who lives in Sherbrooke. My sister Louise in her wonderful style prepared a celebration to commemorate my Aunt Mary and Uncle Gerry's 50th wedding anniversary. My Aunt Suzanne wrote a song and which we all sang (many times) and my mother's cousin Florent and his wife Ingrid also joined in the celebration. My second cousin is a retired opera singer who spent a lifetime singing on the stage, mostly in Europe. It's always lovely to hear him sing. All in all, it was worth the Friday afternoon rush from Valleyfield to Sherbrooke. Who knows if we will see these aunts and this uncle together again - they are all close to and around 80 years old and they live very far apart! I felt my mother's absence acutely, I think we all did - after all, we would have celebrated her birthday this past weekend. We all lifted a glass of wine in her honour - and if she was looking down, I am sure that she was all smiles. Happy Birthday mom!

My dad and my aunt Marielle

I hadn't seen my cousin Johanne in over 20 years! Apart from the greying hair, she looked the same! I would have recognised her on a busy street anytime.

My cousin Johanne

entre guillemets - in brackets

2011-06-13T18:58:00.000-04:00

my little kitten is fast asleep on the caps key - so i have to type this blog without caps. i noted to my son on the weekend that i thought she was very smart and knew the time of day since she was right at the door when i got home every night. he wisely suggested that maybe she spent the day waiting for me at the front door. today, i came home 2 hours early and sure enough, there she was - i guess david is right. once i am home, she is never more than a few inches away. i ll write my real blog when she shifts and liberates the keyboard. later.....

Running the extra mile....

2011-05-31T21:12:00.000-04:00

Spring training is now turning into summer training for my big event marathon in September. Actually, at the moment, I am training for a half marathon on June 19th - which will go a long way into letting me know if I can do the marathon at all.

Up until now, I was just a runner - I ran for the pure pleasure of it and to keep fit. There was no gear, a old t-shirt and a baggy pair of jogging pants were fine with me. A pair of running shoes were a must, but I didn't buy any particular brand - anything old shoe was OK. But then I started running in the winter, and had to get a running jacket, reflective clothing, a wrist ID tag. I soon realised that with proper clothes my runs were more comfortable. Just changing my shoes for dedicated running shoes made all my blisters go away - and I realised that I never had to live with blisters again if I changed my shoes every 800 km. ( Bet you are glad your car tires do better mileage!). I began to read about running, started to get running magazines, and they tell you all about the gear you should have to make your runs easier, faster, smoother etc. Runnning can be an expensive sport after all! Good quality running clothing is expensive! Now, whenever I get a gift for Christmas or birthday - it usually involves running - and that's fine, I need all the motivation I can get!

Becoming a modern runner is not always a smooth transition.....My son told me about an app for my I-phone called Nike +GPS. I downloaded it and set it up. It keeps track of your run and your pace with the help of the GPS from your phone, and you can listen to your music all the while. Sounded great! I put on my shorts with pockets this morning, thinking I would give this new app a try - I usually listen to my running music with a tiny little Ipod shuffle that clips on my shirt (last year's bday gift from Keith) but I have the same music on my I-phone . Once arrived at the park, I realised that I had trouble reading the I-phone screen. Of course. I do not wear reading glasses to run! So - all this nice technology and I can't read it. I play with what looks like the right icons and get it started. But the phone is heavy in my pocket and threatens to fall out. In frustration, I end up carrying it in my hands - not ideal when you have to climb fences (at 5am the park is closed and locked up). At one point, the phone drops and the whole program shuts down. I manage (while running) to start it up again but it starts up at zero. Then the music disappears. So here I am running with my stupid phone in my hands - no music - totally inacurate running time and distance and wishing I had my wristwatch and little clip-on Ipod. So much for technology! Then I thought -Hey! They should make a wristwatch for runners with a GPS built in so that you don't need to carry your phone around - now that would be neat! Of course, if I think this, it must already be on the market. Sure enough, I went on-line and found a whole range of GPS watches for runners complete with downloadable programs to keep track of all your runs etc... (starting at $250 no less) Hum, ok, maybe I'll stick to my plain sportwatch for now. But I did find a web-site that keeps track of all your runs called the Daily Mile. It's linked with Facebook, so that whenever I enter my run, it posts it. I wasn't sure about doing it at first, but then I realised that getting comments and `likes' really motivated me to keep on track. So I will. And if you see my `Daily Mile`posted, send me an encouragement - I'll run that extra kilometer just for you!

Food!

2011-05-11T19:45:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I flew in to Toronto with the new Porter airline - the one that lands at the downtown island airport in Toronto. What a great way to travel, land in Toronto, take a ferry for a few minutes, on to a shuttle bus for a few minutes more, cross the street and voila - arrival at destination within 2 hours of arriving at the Montreal airport. I am writing this blog from my hotel room, at the Strathcona Hotel, just a couple of blocks from the Metro Convention Centre. This is not a vacation, although it feels like one. I am the token anglo of my little group from Périgord attending the SIAL. The SIAL is an international B2B (business to business) food show. It boasts 544 exhibitors (of which we are one) from over 60 countries, and the show is hosting over 12,800 professionals in the business. The show is not open to the public, and after one day at the show, I can understand why - there is so much food to be tasted!

I am certainly no stranger to trade shows. With the Scrapbookerie, we attended trade shows in the U.S. for our purchases, and we hosted trade shows ourselves for our customers. But although this trade show is pretty much the same as all other trade shows, the fun part is the food - every booth has someone more than willing to make you taste the specialty that they are promoting. Even the booths selling kitchen equipment feel that they must offer something for the palate in order to entice people their way. Time for lunch? Getting hungry? Just take a stroll down the Italian section - you can nibble on mini pizzas, salads, noodles, breads - whatever. Want to satisfy your sweet tooth - just stroll over to that chocolate specialty booth, or reach over to the booth next door that specialises in pastries. It's easy to see why this is not open to the public at large - they would go nuts for the food! But the goal of this show is not to stuff ourselves with all this deliciousness that surrounds us, but to make new clients and contacts and to sell our product. As much as we all enjoyed sampling the foods in ajacent booths, we had as many people rolling their eyes in sheer enjoyement of our foie gras, magret (duck breast) and patés that we had laid out for them to taste.

Sometimes it's good to get out from behind my desk and walk in the shoes of the marketing and sales staff. I will be here for the next 2 days - hopefully I won't gain too much weight!

Meet Wimsie!

2011-05-02T20:26:00.001-04:00

She's not the Maine Coon I was wishing for, but she is the next best thing. This little bit of cuteness became my new roomate last week and has enlivened my solitary life at the appartment a hundred fold. For one thing, because of her, I have to leave work on time (if I must work evenings, I now do it from my laptop at home - with my kitten nearby. She's so well behaved for a 9 week old kitten - always using her litter box properly, not making any messes. I know this may change as she gets older and bolder, but I'll enjoy her as a little kitten for a few more weeks. Wimsie is all black, except for a dusting of white on the paws and she has white eyelashes, so that when her eyes are closed you only see a white line to delineate her eyes. She loves my shoulder - she sits on my shoulder for the car rides back and forth from Farnham to St-Timothée (a perfect little passenger) and will sit on my shoulder as soon as I am sitting down. But at the moment, my shoulder is getting a break - she is too preocupied with a wad of rolled up paper (her favorite toy) to notice that I am sitting down. I've had a pet with me for all of my adult life, and I so pleased to have a little ball of fur to take care of again. I hope Wimsie will be around for the next 18 to 20 years - she & I will become great pals.

March TOP TEN

2011-03-29T18:44:00.000-04:00

What we really DON'T want, need or appreciate this spring:

10.           Water in your shoes/boots
9.             Telephone sales of any kind at any time of the day
8.             Freezing rain
7.             Pot holes
6.             Power failures
5.             Paying taxes
4.             Loss of internet, satellite or cellular signal
3.             Snow
2.             Flooding
1.             A federal election

Look who's 50!!

2011-03-28T19:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my hunky fire-fighter brother-in-law Hal turned 50. We weren't able to make it to Oranville to help him celebrate, but that doesn't mean that we didn't think of him. Hal - if you are reading this, please know that we are celebrating with you in spirit! We raised a glass of wine in your honor last night, and it was very good. Here's welcoming you to our elite club! It comes free, at the cost of a few white hairs and a pair of reading glasses. But if age is only a state of mind, then you are really 35 or less. Happy Birthday!

Gasp! She takes the evening off! And on a week night!

2011-03-21T20:06:00.000-04:00

It's pretty ironic that I came home from work tonight before 6pm, with nothing on the menu to do but relax and watch TV, only to discover that there is no service on the satellite system that my landlords have so far graciously provided for me. I have no clue what I am missing - probably nothing - since I never watch TV on Monday nights. I opened up the laptop with the idea of then catching up on my income tax return only to discover that I had forgotten the manilla folder at home in Farnham. Plus - I forgot my mouse at work. Man, I hate that pseudo mouse thingy on a laptop - give me a computer clicky mouse anytime! But I digress.... Here I am, no TV, no work to do - totally at a loss - but not to worry! I have a stack of unread books nearby - nothing better than curling up with a book right? But first, just for fun, I think I'll attack the LA Times crossword on line. There you go! I can take it easy! There is hope for me yet!

2011-03-16T18:43:00.000-04:00

On this bleak rainy day in March, I can't help but be grateful for everything that I have. I am constantly drawn to the latest news about the Japan earthquate, the Nuclear reactor situation, watching all those little videos of the Tsunami as it sweeps the cars and homes away like a big hand just sweeping a pile of little Hotwheels and plastic toy homes. But those aren't toys, and the hand sweeping them away is the hand of nature at its fiercest. None of us are immune from this. This could have been my home, my car, my place of work, my life. For all we know - who is to say that we will not one day be faced with a natural disaster of a similar magnitude. Just ask someone from Haiti or New Orleans... What these people are facing is such total devastation - I can only imagine the horrors, but now another threat even worse than everything looms above them. The threat of radiation. I am not religious. I don't do praying. But you know, I might just send a few prayers in the stratosphere tonight for the people of Japan.

Good times..

2011-03-14T18:06:00.000-04:00

My boss insisted that I take a day off work last Friday and go home to see my husband. That's the kind of boss that I have - he's a real gem! Keith had been gone for 3 weeks and was finally arriving home on Thursday night - so needless to say, it didn't take too much convincing to send me on my merry way after work on Thursday. It was great to get together - we had all missed him, and the weekend went by in a flash. Lots got done though - laundry, shopping, cooking sure, but Keith managed to grout the backsplash tiles in th kitchen and fix the electrics (he added 4 spot lights in the ceiling). We even went out on Saturday night on a 'date'! Sure could use more weekends like this!

Back to Monday, sigh... Keith is now headed to Mississipi with Harrison, and I have month end financials to deliver this week. At least this trip will have him back home for the weekend - even if briefly. So, it's roll up my sleeves, get the work done and look ahead to good times!

Introducing the Road Runner blog

2011-03-14T17:48:00.000-04:00

My husband drives a truck. A very big truck. And he goes far - very far. I have been bugging him for a while now to take pictures and to write about his travels and this weekend, he finally started his new blog. I have put the link right on my own blog so that you may access it quickly. Hopefully he will be better than I am at writing in it regularly - but be warned, he doesn't have internet most times while on the road, so he will probably post once he gets home - and his posts will probably consist of a few blogs. I told him to take pictures - which he did. Today he sets off for Mississipi - a smaller run than the last one, but it should be interesting for him nevertheless. Bon voyage, chéri!

Running out of time...

2011-02-24T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, it's time I crawled out of the woodwork and surfaced a while. Almost a whole month since my last blog - what was I up to? Winter has a way of doing that to some people - they go into hibernation - at least I did. I was busy at work (nothing new there), and when I made it to my little appartment (often late) I simply wrapped myself up in a blanket and curled up on the sofa with a good book. I just finished my 3rd book this month and I have to admit that this is one guilty pleasure that has made the winter so far bearable. While my husband crisscrosses the continent (he just took the BC Ferry to Vancouver island this afternoon), I work, read, and run. That pretty much sums up the last 2 months. But... as sure as the Oscars will run into overtime on Sunday, spring will eventually arrive and I have great plans for spring. Spring training! And what does one workacholic bookworm need to train for? I have given myself a new challenge - and this challenge will require a lot of training - it's the Montreal marathon in September. Forty-two point one six five 42.165 kilometers to be exact. Thats quite a stretch from my regular 8 kilometers - so ya, this will require training. But I am confident that I can do this, and by putting it in writing and letting all of you know, I am sealing my fate and making my commitment real. You see, I have been considering a marathon for years, but always gave myself all kinds of excuses, the main one being I am too old. And I sure am not getting any younger - might as well do it this year before I get there.

So I`ll be blogging about my progress and how running this much is affecting this middle age body - but training will only start in April - so for now I am still in hibernation - now where's that book...

Just a little dip into Pityville, then I promise not to go there again!

2011-02-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

I know I shouldn't spend any amount of time out here in Pityville, but I am having a hard time with this relentless cold. I have been pretty good about running outside so far, but Sunday I really felt the cold. It was the dampness that got into my gloves, and the rest of me. Despite working up a sweat, I still felt cold. Running in -15 to 20 degree weather is just not comfortable. Maybe I need better outdoor gear - I sure need better gloves, my fingers hurt from the cold for at least 3 kilometers before warming up. I must be a pretty sight - shaking my hands while running to keep them from becoming popsicles.

Just looked at the weather forecast for tomorrow morning, sigh, - 20 again - I can't hack it - I think I'll just sleep in an extra hour.....

Just thinking outloud....

2011-01-26T20:33:00.000-05:00

My husband says I need a dog. I know. I already have a dog. What he really means is that I need a regulator -something or someone to have to take care of at specific times of the day so that I won't get so involved in my work that I don't see the time pass. Harrison, sweetheart that he is, doesn't do it for me for the simple reason that he is not with me. I am in St-Louis-de-Gonzague, and he is in Farnham. But I can't have a dog out here - I work too late everyday (hence the need for a dog says Keith). Um - he may have a point. When Lady was alive, I took care of that by bringing her to work with me. Because she was a little tiny mute dog, my boss was kind enough to allow it. Still, I needed to take regular breaks to take her outside, and walk with her. I miss that, and somehow I don't finish any earlier for not taking those breaks now.

I am beginning to think that I really am a workaholic. If there is no one waiting for me (and there never is) at the apartment, I just keep going like the energizer bunny. My boss is happy! But even he realises that this is not the best for all concerned.

So - dog or not, I need to make a concerted effort to change my overworking habits. I should just head home right now - I am technically not working (it is after all 8:30 pm) but I am still at work. Sure I have tons of work to do, but it will still be here tomorrow morning - sigh.
I wonder if American Idol is on...

2011-01-09T17:20:00.000-05:00

I love this family! Each year we make an effort to get together and connect. If you think there are a lot of people in this picture - there are, but almost as many are absent. With a family this size, it's really impossible to get everyone together during the holidays. And every year, we all take a little something back home with us. Something really tiny, like a virus or a germ. And if we are tired, or stressed, we incubate that cold virus and a few days later some of us are coughing and hacking and wondering if maybe we should have stayed home this year. But we don't learn. I know that I'll be there again next year, kissing and hugging all those little kids and babies again, and praying that I won't catch a cold.

The cat's out of the bag....

2011-01-04T22:05:00.000-05:00

Harrison & Nero

Yes, we have a cat. We've had a cat now for 6 months. But this little guy is not my cat - he belongs to David - however, since David lives with us and his cat has the full run of the house, I guess I can safely say that we have a cat.

Let me introduce you to Nero, a handsome cat given to us as a small kitten back in June. Nero was living at the cottage, and he was the last of his litter to be given away. My heart was set on a Maine Coone, I tried to resist his obvious charms, but this little guy purred his way into our home and into my heart. Even Harrison fell under his spell - OK, well maybe not immediately, but a friendship has developped and both animals are happy together. Nero seems to be modeling himself on Harrison - he is definitely developping some doggie traits - like begging at the table. Funny thing is that as Nero matured, his tail became long and very bushy, he grew tufts on his ears, and he became a very big cat. In fact - he really looks like he might have some Maine Coon in him., He is totally fascinated by water and will lean over the toilet bowl to watch the water swirl as long as it's moving. He plays with his water bowl often spilling the content. And Nero just loves bags - any kind of bag. Leave a shopping bag on the floor and he will climb in. Life is never boring with Nero around!

Can we lick the bowl?

For now, I've put my search for the Maine Coon aside - one cat per household is fine with me. When David moves on to his own digs, he will bring his cat with him, and then I will start looking for my Maine Coon cat. Meanwhile, we are all enjoying Nero's company. I am sure that he has adopted all of us and he is now in the process of properly training us to obey all his whims. Smart cat!

A New Year Begins...

2011-01-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

New Years morning, 8:30 AM, here I am, sitting on the living room couch, a little tiny black Yorshire Terrier curled up tight against me, typing on my computer. What? A black dog? Yes, I know, not my dog, but my friend's dog, Tinkerbell, a real sweety! My guests are fast asleep upstairs and the house is super quiet. I was up early to see my husband off - he is headed down to Georgia this morning. Safe driving hon! But back to my couch - what a pleasant way to start the year, the chance to just sit in the calm of the morning - all animals making little grunting happy sounds - Harrison on his bed, the cat curled up, and of course little Tinkerbell up against me. It's unseasonably warm outside - seems like unseasonable weather is here to stay. Last night, we went out for a good long walk with our friends, mainly to work off that big dinner, but it was so pleasant to walk in the town that was all lit up with Christmas lights - crossing the little footbridge across the river. Farnham is really quite lovely!

We had the best intentions. Champagne in the fridge ready to pop at the strike of midnight, countdown to 2011 on the TV, but the guys fell asleep and New Years kind of rolled over in this household without any fanfare. But that doesn't really matter does it? We have all day to celebrate and ring in the New Year. And we are so lucky! Our house is warm, comfortable and inviting, the fridge is bursting with food, our friends happy to be here with us and us happy to be here with them. No floods, fire, storm or any horrible thing happening here on this day.Today, I will drop in at my brother's home and wish everyone gathered there a Happy New Year. Oops! I hear stirrings - the guests are up - I must tend to them - I'll continue my blog later....

In the meantime, Happy New Year!

All I want for Christmas...

2010-12-25T17:38:00.000-05:00

This year, I gave myself the best Christmas gift of all - I went out for a 50 minute run on this beautiful cold crisp winter day and enjoyed the uplifting solitude it provided me and marvelled on how I was able to run for 7 or 8 kilometers on a regular basis and actually enjoy it. This gift is not a spur of the moment gift that one picks up as a last minute, nor is it an expensive gift that one saves up for months in order to afford it. No, this gift of physical fitness is something that is purchased little by little every day with nothing but determination and the will (and sometime a swift kick to oneself in the butt) to move. But the rewards are wonderful - good health, clear mind, and a sense of well being. It took me years to understand that health, something we take so much for granted when we are young, is the most precious thing that we own. What use is anything else if we are not well enough to enjoy it? And, just so you don't think of me as too fanatical in my fitness sermon, I do confess that I have already eaten many more calories than I burnt off while running today - hey, it is Christmas after all - and that turkey in the oven sure smells wonderful!

Heres wishing you all the gift of health - so go out there and move it, move it!

Merry Christmas!

Winter!

2010-12-15T20:40:00.000-05:00

Eight thirty pm, and I am sitting at my desk at work, knowing that I need to go home now. I am wiped, mostly mentally since I have been sitting all day - but somehow feel tired too. I wanted to bring my laptop home and write my blog from the comfort of my couch - but one look outside the window at the snow blowing out there makes me want to stay here just a little bit longer! Winter has really hit us like a brick this year - no softly creeping in with a little snow, a slowly declining temperature. No - just buckets of snow, cold winds, and bone chilling cold weather. The usual.

I know I have to be brave and face the snow - but this will involve digging out the car, and driving on a windy country road to my appartment - if only I could teleport myself over!

But hey - it's December! My Christmas shopping is almost finished, and I already used up my time for gripping. So, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Modern Times

2010-12-07T22:47:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, my husband and I finally hooked up after 3 weeks of missing each other in the respective coming and goings that our work demands. As we settled down at the kitchen table on Saturday afternoon for some quality tête-à-tête, we both opened our laptops and started sharing what new web sites, new apps for our phones, new tunes from itunes we had discovered. Meanwhile, the two tenant sons were busy upstairs playing some Diablo computer game on 2 laptops and one desktop computer. According to them - the game is better played with 3 computers. So at one point, while I sat back listening to one of Keith's newly discovered artist (Coeur de Pirate) I looked at the table with both laptops side by side, the iPhones attached, and heard the guys exclaiming upstairs while playing and I thought, wow - I wouldn`t have imagined that scenario 20 years ago. Back then, one computer per household was a luxury. Now we have 6 ( there is a neglected iMac in the upstairs office - unlike all the other computers, the older iMac is tethered by a blue cable, poor thing...) When did we get so computerised? Then it occured to me that we are not the exception here - most modern families have multiple computers - sort of like having a TV in every room (funny, cause we never did have that many TVs). Wonder what things will look like in 20 years from now?

Strike one!

2010-12-02T22:23:00.002-05:00

The unionised employees at my company went on strike this past Monday. It was all over a technicality - a misunderstanding between both parties - management & union - seems the union rep didn't relate much to the employees. The strike was a surprise to all of us since the union rep had assured my boss (the general manager of the plant) that we had a very good work contract and was certain that it would sail through.Not!

Monday morning 5:00 AM. A handful of sleepy eyed managers meet in the back offices of the "abattoir" - (sounds nicer than slaughterhouse). We have a couple thousand live ducks being trucked in within the hour and we are to replace the 40 unionised employees on the production line and produce duck ready for cooking. These ducks are already sold - grocerie stores, butcher shops, restaurants throughout the country are waiting for them to be delivered within the next 48 hours. We have no choice. Soon, our employees will show up and form a picket line at the entrance of the road down to the abattoir. The abattoir is modern - it was build 3 years ago and boasts state of the art equipement. Still, manpower is a must and today - we are it. Our plant follows all the governmental controls for sanitation and is certified HACCP (the food safety equivalent of ISO). After doning steel capped rubber boots (boots that are not alowed to be worn outside the building), lab coats, gloves, hair nets, and a big rubber apron that in my case goes down to my ankles, we take our places on the production line and wait for the first duck to arrive. It's mind-numbing and bone chilling work - boring beyond belief. The chill part is because we are working in a refrigerated room. I am wearing long johns and two pairs of socks, but eventually the cold seeps in. Duck after duck after duck after duck after duck ---- hours on end. We have to work fast - we are each doing the work of 3 people, I won't go into detail as to what exactly I was doing on the production line, needless to say, it wasn't pretty. Or fun. Or interesting. Normally, the staff is rotated every 30 minutes in order to avoid doing the same repetivive movement for too long. We don't have that luxury. We work endlessly until all the ducks are processed. Then we go to the cutting room and cut up some 200 ducks that are to leave the next morning. By 6PM, we have tocall it a day. No one is capable of doing any more. Thank goodness the cleaning crew is subcontracted to a cleaning company, so we don't have to worry about that. Exhausted, sore,and shivering, I drag my sorry ass back to the appartment and pour myself a very hot bath. I stay there for as long as possible. My hands are sore and swollen, and it will take 3 days for them to return to normal. My bed never felt so good. I learned a lot that day but the lesson that stands out the most is that no matter what work I do from now on, it's never going to be as awful as the work I did on Monday.

The strike was over by the end of the day. Everyone got what they wanted - management and unionised employees alike.

Tuesday morning, 8:15AM, I walk into my office and kiss my desk. I love my job!

A work in progress.

2010-11-26T13:35:00.000-05:00

My first idea for this blog title was "the little project that keeps on growing". but that is not quite accurate. This started at the onset as a big project, and it hasn't yet stopped growing! I am talking about my kitchen - yes the kitchen that I have wanted to renovate so badly for the last 3 years.

It all started in April, when my sister suggested that I didn't have to spend that much money to redo the kitchen "just repaint the cupboards" she suggested, " and maybe put in a new counter". It was an excellent idea! Keith & I decided that since money was rare - we would setlle for that.

This is the original kitchen circa 2007

But.... since the cupboard doors where old and damaged beyond repair, we ordered a whole new set of cupboard doors off the internet. They arrived (looking perfect and Keith proceeded to paint them (3 coats of paint each side plus sanding between coats). Between painting the doors, he emptied, repaired, repainted the cabinets. My contribution in all this was mainly monetary - in order to afford the new doors, I took a one week contract at my old job during my summer vacation. While I was working during my vacation, Keith was working away at the kitchen. With the newly refurshed cabinets the kitchen was starting to look good, but the counter was a real problem. We shopped for new counters and finally decided on a granite counter (more extra hours on weekends for Sue) Once we purchased the counter - well gee, can't leave the old dented stainless steel sink in - need a new sink. Might as well get a sink worthy of our nice new counter.... Then, of course, the backsplash tiles needed to be replaced, but with a lovely granite counter, you need to put up something that is also worthy of it. Since the project had now spilled well into the fall, and work on it had slowed to a crawl due to lack of time, we waited until just a couple of weeks ago to order the tiles - after all, no use in having tiles sitting around costing us interest on our credit card. So, November comes around, and now I am tired of having a half finished kitchen, but I love the result so far. I guess Keith is equally tired, cause he decided after working through 2 weekends on the road to take a few days off and concentrate on the project. Finally, all the doors are hung, the counter & sink are in place - time to put up the tiles right? Not! No, time to tear down the entire wall separating the kitchen and the dining room. The result is dramatic and wonderful, but now, we need to repaint the entire dining room - and who knows from there where the project will continue....I guess it really is a work in progress.. Pictures of new and improved kitchen to follow - stay tuned!

The Bitter bus to Pityville

2010-11-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

I came across this article in a business magazine today. It had to do with human resources and hardships for employees facing layoffs - the article was good, but what stuck in my head was the line"You can take the Bitter bus to Pityville, it may even be good for you, but you can't stay there".

So I decided to take this wise advise and to take my own little tour on the Bitter bus to Pityville - just for a few minutes - to get it out of my system. Then I can turn around to the Bright side of the road.

My particular beef is November. The month of November. Ask anyone living in Quebec (or Canada for that matter) what their favorite month is, and you can bet your bottom dollar that the month of November is not on the list. November is when you realise that the green house effect is not in effect this year and that you're about to spend the next 5 months freezing in the dark. November is cold, wet, icy, windy, bare,gloomy and dark, and cold. November is when you start paying great attention to the weather reports on the radio because you haven't had time to put your winter tires on your car yet, and heaven forbid should there be an early snow storm. November is when you are all set for a nice early morning run, but wake up to hard freezing rain and head for a hot shower instead. There are no holidays or long weekends off during the month to ease the drudge that is November. November just sucks.

OK - back on the bus- I'm getting out of Pityville. Ah - there's the Bright side! November is almost over! By this time next week we'll be in December. I love December!

A book review

2010-11-23T19:48:00.001-05:00

Oh, my intentions were so good last night! I actually arrived at the appartment before 7pm, something which hadn't happened in a long time, and decided to treat myself with a few chapters from the new book I had just purchased the week before at Costco. I had some work to do, so I told myself, just 1 hour of reading - shouldn't be hard, this is not a thriller, nor a sci-fi novel, just a book about real life - I can put that down after an hour, can't I? Not! I ended up reading the entire book and yes, I know, I went to bed very very late. Was it worth the effort in getting up this morning? Yes! I'd definitely do it again.

The Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, is a story about 2 families, one in India, and one in California, and the daughter that changes their lives. It's about motherhood, love, loss, and identity. It is one absolutely lovely book. I recommend it to anyone, however, there are serious side effects experienced while reading certain passages of the book. Readers (especially mothers) will find their eyes watering, and their nose will run. A box of kleenex nearby is a must. If you have an important appointment, please be aware that you may suffer from puffy eyelids for a few hours following reading said book. But don't worry, symptoms will soon disapear, but the story will remain in your heart and soul for a long time.

New Laptop entry...

2010-11-21T15:57:00.001-05:00

I just got a new laptop! Oh, it's great all right, but it does mean hours of re-loading your programs & favorite web sites onto it. That's when I discovered how long I have been without blogging - whoa! Where was I? Obviously too busy to blog! Truth is, I haven't had much down time, and the little down time that I did have was not spent in front of my computer. But winter is in the air, and with this new laptop to play with, I may well get back to my writing.

I have lots to catch up on, but will leave that for another day. Why do today what you can postpone until tomorrow? I'll be back, you can count on it!

Fête de la Saint-Jean

2010-06-24T15:27:00.003-04:00

Saint-Jean-Baptiste day has been around for centuries. It was celebrated in old France as a Midsummer feast way before the colonisation of Canada. The first celebration of Saint-Jean-Baptiste day in Quebec occured on the shores of the St-Laurence river in Quebec on the evening of June 23, 1636. A huge bonfire was lit and there were canons shot. History doesn't mention this, but I'll bet a few troublemakers got totally drunk and broke windows or something...

The holiday was mainly a religious holiday, with bonfires and parades depicting young St-John-the-Baptist as a curly haired young boy with a lamb, an only started taking a patriotic tone in1834. ( I actually remember going to a parade as a young child and seeing the float with little St-Jean and the lamb - but that was long after 1834 ;o). On June 24th 1880, the song Oh Canada, which was commissioned by the St-Jean-Baptiste Society, was heard for the first time during the Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebration. It took a few more years before English words were added in 1901. Oh Canada became our national anthem in 1980.

Today, they call it Fête Nationale du Québec. The holiday has become purely political and is celebrated with parades, bonfires, fireworks, and shows. As always, there are always rabblerousers who get drunk and break things - nothing new there. Such a waste of public funds that could be better spent on important stuff like medicare. All this patriotic stuff leaves me cold. The only thing I like about this holiday is the fact that it's a paid holiday. A lot of people are with me on this!

So today, I can sit back, relax, and rest my shoulder without worrying that the world is continuing on without me. In Quebec, the world is at a standstill - everything is closed tighter than on Christmas Day.
Bonne St-Jean!

A shoulder to cry on

2010-06-23T19:40:00.000-04:00

: Shoulder bursitis occurs when the shoulder bursa is impinged.Image © Medical Mulitmedia Group; It started very gradually with a sore shoulder, nothing serious that a good run couldn't limber up and that lasted for a couple of weeks. Then the soreness became a dull ache that didn't go away anymore. By last Sunday, the ache became a full blown unrelenting pain that didn't go away with Advil, Aspirin, or Tylenol. All of a sudden, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't move my arm - I became immobilized. No choice - must see Doctor (argh! - I don't have a family doctor so this meant hours of waiting in a walk in clinic). The diagnostic, Shoulder Bursitis. Now, I am no stranger to pain, having had more than my fair share of surgeries, and having given birth naturally, and I can tell you that this pain is a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Of course it would have to be my right arm. For now, I am on a cocktail of meds: anti-inflammatories, pain killers, and muscle relaxant. I must make an effort to move my arm before it turns into Frozen Shoulder. You don't want to ever have that! That's when an immobilized shoulder gets so stiff that it takes months of physiotherapy to undo the damage. So what happened, how did this happen? It wasn't one thing, I think it was a series of movements - washing windows, moving furniture etc just banal stuff. Maybe my body is forcing me to take a break. The doctor also prescribed physiotherapy for me. Looks like I am not out of the woods - but at least the pain killers work - I have regained just enough mobility to write this blog (with my arm firmly glued to my torso). The pain killers and muscle relaxants knock me out totally, so I have been sleeping for the last 24 hours. I am due for another dose now - so I will sign off and go back to lala land..... Good thing tomorrow is a holiday.

Loopy for Fruit Loops

2010-06-17T23:05:00.001-04:00

Fruit Loops. It's supposed to be a breakfast cereal - but it's too sweet and fruity, and I never let my kids eat the stuff when they were little. So why is there this big huge box in my cupboard? Because one fine day, I thought they would make a good snack, and I was right! When I get that sweet tooth craving, I pour a cup of Fruit Loops and eat them like candy. No milk, just little bits of sweet fruity cereal - and it has much less calories than a couple of cookies. I still wouldn't give it to kids as a breakfast food, but as a snack, yummy!

Scrapping the Scrapbookerie...

2010-06-10T22:33:00.000-04:00

Today was the public announcement of the end of a dream. Of course I knew it was coming for a long time, but somehow, to see it in writing, announced out loud, well, it did something to my psyche. That is why I am here, sipping on a glass of wine in front of my blog, feeling a little sorry for myself. Hey, I'm entitled to - especially on this occasion. My sister and I put all our passion, time, and energy, an our business, but it wasn't enough. Two years ago, we opted to close 2 of our 3 stores in the hopes that the 3rd store would manage to hang on. Alas, not so. The passion is gone, the energy is lacking, and the time is not available anymore.... Today we announce the final liquidation sale, everything must go - the end of our dreams. We won't make a dime from any of the proceeds, they will all be swallowed up into the business loan we will still be paying years from now.

I know we are not alone, but it's not really any comfort - this is the reality of many small businesses out there these days. Everything was done by the books - great business plan, budgets, meticulous accounting - and still...internet orders and the store purchases shrank in value as the recession settled in, and they never really bounced back. What was a normal sale in 2006 would be a huge sale today.

Am I bitter - no. Am I sad, yes - when we were hot, we were really hot - having the time of our lives, and those memories will remain with me forever. I do miss the people, Claudia, Myriam, Gisèle, Josée - pictured below with me at the cash counter in the Laval store - they were a great bunch, as well as Teresa, and the entire team in Candiac - all those employees now on to other jobs - and now the Scrapbookerie will soon be just a paragraph on their CV. sigh..... Will I survive - of course! I have a great job that I absolutely love and a family that is standing by me despite everything. After all, I'm not the one dying, my business is, and I won't miss it - it has been on it's death bed for so long that I feel it's like a mercy killing. Now my evenings will be my own - no more coming home after a long day at the office to piles of accounting for the Scrapbookerie.

A little more time for myself, sounds like a good idea.

RIP Scrapbookerie!

Meow Mix

2010-06-01T21:57:00.000-04:00

I wasn't always a dog person. I used to have a cat - a beautiful calico cat named Pepper. She was given to us as a tiny feisty kitten, and spent her life (almost 19 years) charming us with her wit and and letting us know who really was the boss. We didn't own Pepper, she owned us. When she passed away an old lady, we were sad, but at the same time, we knew that she had had a good life and that her time had come - that's the way it goes. We then got dogs! First our handsome Harrison, then Miss Quirky Lady. And now Lady is gone, and I sure miss that crazy little dog. Funny how they get under your skin these furry little things. Even Harrison misses Lady - there is a sadness about him, and since he can't talk and confirm this, I'll interpret the sadness to be the loss of his companion.

I guess I can't live without a pet. Harrison is away travelling with Keith and I have nothing to pat and hold and talk to. So, I have decided to get a cat. A very specific breed of cat. A Maine Coon cat. Maine Coons are big cats - and they have tufted ears and long long tails. They are very hardy and live for 20 years. That is good. They are the most dog like cats that there is, and they are the least allergenic ones too (except for the hairless cat). So, I did my homework, I read up on the cats and found a suitable breeder. Now I am on the waiting list. Might take a while, but I am patient - I'll get my little kitten and love it for a long time. Hopefully Harrison will warm up to her (I asked for a female) - I know Keith & sons will fall instantly in love - they are all cat people. I guess that is the best of both worlds, a dog and a cat - why not?

8 week old Main Coon kitten

Rest insured..

2010-05-31T22:11:00.000-04:00

I have always been wary of insurance and have often had the feeling that I was over insured for everything. Too much life insurance (only good when I am dead - what kind of investment is that?) too much home insurance, too much new furniture & equipment extended warranties, and most of all, too much car insurance. But this time, I am so happy that I have a super duper top of the line insurance policy on top of another policy! I discovered today that I have no deductible to pay, I have a free loaner for the week while my car is being fixed with new Honda parts - all given to me with a smile. Of course nothing is free, that policy cost a bundle, but not as much as the repairs to my car will cost. Insurance -0, Sue -1.

Oh deer!

2010-05-30T19:39:00.000-04:00

Last week, while running through the Island Park trail in St-Timothée in the early hours of the day, I came across 3 deers who scampered away as I approached them. It made my day! What a beautiful sight on a lovely crisp morning!

This week, I came across a deer who jumped out of the ditch and into my path while driving home from work. It ruined my day to say the least, and the poor beast was killed in the process. What a tragic ending for this little deer - yes, to make things worse (or maybe I should say 'thank goodness') the deer was young and small. A young gentlemen stopped and asked me is I was all right (pretty shaken up, was I) and told me that a large mother deer had been killed the day before on this very road - this was probably her offspring. What a family tragedy! Not only that, but just a little further in the field from the dying deer was a smaller deer with spots, looking at me accusingly - I had just killed his buddy or worse his sibling - and he certainly had the right to stare. We called the police who arrived within minutes and I filed a report. By the time the police arrived, the young deer had died. My car - well, see for yourself....

New Toy!

2010-03-27T22:45:00.000-04:00

I waited a long time before getting this new toy, and I feel like it's Christmas morning and I have just opened the perfect present! What's in the box? It's an iPhone! Yeah! Actually, this is our Christmas presents - we just delayed getting it until now. We were waiting for our Bell phone contract to expire so that we could jump ship and go with Rogers - which is what we did. And it was worth the wait...

This little piece of modern technology is fantastic. It automatically connected with our wireless network at home, and within minutes, both Keith & I had each downloaded our Outlook contacts, our music, and our favorite pictures into our respective phones. It's an iPod, a camera, a phone, and an internet browser with e-mail and texting all rolled up into one, not to mention that you can download tons of apps for utilities, and let us not forget a few games (which are great when you are stuck in a waiting room somewhere) I downloaded the neatest app that is called a ToDo - it's a to do list and it synchronize with my laptop's outlook task list automatically without even connecting the iPhone. It does it through the WiFi network. I have just spent the last 4 hours playing with this little time waster and now my bum is sore. So - off I go, I need to move!!

Thanks for listening - I just had to tell someone how happy I am with my new toy.

A whole season later...

2010-03-23T22:55:00.000-04:00

When I logged in to my blog to write Lady's obit, I was shocked to realize how long it had been since my last blog. A whole season has gone by and not a word from me. It's amazing anyone is still checking in! So, to get the ball rolling again, I thought I'd go over that list of lofty goals I set out for myself and see how it's going after 3 months (see the January 4th blog).

1) Yup - still at the same job - loving it even more.
2) Yup - still at the same address, but to be totally honest, I did move from my original little apartment to a much better apartment in St-Timothé a couple of weeks ago. At least I am containing my gypsy tendencies to my secondary residence (for now). If you have no clue what this is about - you have to go back to my December 22nd blog. The little basement apartment had little in the way of charm, and when something better came available - I did not hesitate to move on. This current place is adorable - tons of charm and it's much bigger too.
3) Indeed, I do weigh a few pounds less then I did in January - I ran every week outside in the snow, the ice, the rain, sleet, wind - all through the winter and I am very pleased with myself. (this is where I take a big bow)
4) Wedding anniversary only in August - but it's still on...
5) Ok - this is were things start falling apart - haven't done a thing about my new kitchen - except clean it. Still hoping though....and bonus - it's clean!
6) The painting upstairs will probably happen this summer during our vacation... I hope.
7) Haven't been to the cottage yet this year - but plan on it at Easter at the annual Partie de Sucre.
8) Haven't touched my photos yet except backing them up - at least they will be intact should something happen to my computer. But the year is not over....
9) Tattoo? What the heck was I thinking? No way! David just got 3 new tattoos, and man, did it ever look painful! I am just not enough of a masochist for this. Scratch this one off!
10) Haven't been to a concert yet this year - but like I said, the year is still young - plenty of time....

Winter was busy - more of a blur of activity. I spent the first 3 months of my new job with my sweet little Lady at my side. She quickly became the mascot of the office. It makes her passing all the more painful, but she left me with many happy memories. When I think of her now, I imagine her running in fields with her original namesake, a golden retriever who lived next door named Lady - who we also loved.

And now spring is here (at least the calendar says so - even if the weather doesn't) - I will not wait till summer to blog again - promise!

2010-03-20T20:23:00.000-04:00

Lady K - Jan 2002 -Mar 2010

Today was a hard day for our family, we lost a small but important member. Here is Lady's obituary:

Born deaf, our adorable little dog came to live with us at the age of 12 weeks. She was the cutest little thing and we were so taken by her. It took us a while to discover her hearing disability, since she always took cues from Harrison and acted pretty much like a hearing dog - but a very peculiar dog. She had little quirks, she walked crooked - a little sideways like a crab, she had crooked eyes, and bad teeth but for all her physical faults, she was still beautiful, and she had an inner beauty that made you constantly wonder what was going on in that little head of hers.

For 8 years, Lady delighted us with her little quirks and habits. She hated wet grass, she loved the snow - she didn't like crossing lines - she loved television etc.. She never barked - except when totally excited (when a cat walked by - or when faced with the prospect of a car ride) When she did bark, she sounded so funny - her bark had that deaf quality to it. We knew she was special, and we just loved her.

This winter, Lady developed a cough, at first we didn't think much of it - she had a cold - maybe? But the cough got worse and she started to loose weight. When we took her to the vet, the X-rays showed us what no pet owner likes to see. A big mass, pressing on her bronchi - therein the cough. The vet prescribed medication - she said it was temporary, that the mass would not magically disappear, but the meds would make her more comfortable. But we knew that the day would come when the meds had lost their effect. That day was today. With broken hearts, we said our final farewell to our beloved little Lady, and with a little assistance from the vet, she passed on to a better life.

RIP LadyK

Ok - so it's the New Year....

2010-01-04T16:59:00.003-05:00

2010 - (twenty ten) rolls off the tongue a lot better than 2009 - and it will hopefully be a better year for many of us. We've all had it up to here with the Recession, H1N1, and whatever scandal the celebrity of the day is up to. Time for new scandals, new flu bug scares, and time for an up-swing in the economy and an end to all wars. Right.

I am making a little list of things that I personally want in 2010 - not really a list of resolutions, but I suppose that to get what I want, I have to make a commitment of sorts...and the first step towards realizing my goals is to share them, so here goes...

1. My first goal is to end the year still working at the same job and still liking it.

2. My second goal is to end the year still living at the same address with my family and still liking them! ;o)

3. Third, end the year fit and strong - with maybe few pounds less - which means, don't stop running!

4. Have a great 35th wedding anniversary with Keith.

(so far so good - should be easy to do... now the next part will require a lot more effort)

5. This is the year were I want to redo my kitchen - I so desperately NEED a new kitchen!

6. This year I want to repaint the bedrooms upstairs and change the carpets. (not as urgent as the kitchen and way less expensive - so these may come first... but I want the kitchen more)

7. This year, I would like to go to the cottage more often (even though I realize that I can't have 5 & 6 if I am always at the cottage - but since I only went twice last summer for an afternoon each time - it won't be hard to go "more often".

8. This year, I want to actually do something with all the photos in my computer - I need to get them printed - this is the year I plan on doing it....or at least get started.

9. This year, I desire a small tattoo like my sister in law Maureen had done on her ankle - I just feel too chicken for it at the moment; still, I chose to put it in my wish list - so maybe....

10. Last - this year, I would love to go to at least 1 concert - I love concerts, but never seem to find time or money to go - so I need to commit to at least 1 concert per year - starting with 2010.

That's it! Oh yes, I forgot... like all of you - I want to win the lottery - this might require I purchase a ticket once in a while - so I'll try to remember to do that.

For all of you readers - I wish only the very best in 2010!

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday to my dad!

2010-01-04T16:42:00.003-05:00

Today is my father's 84th birthday. Not only I am lucky to have such a wonderful person as my father, but to have a father who at his age is still healthy, active, and happy is truly a blessing. My dad worked so hard while we were growing up to provide us with everything a large family requires. We never went without - no matter how hard the times might have been, we always had plenty of food on the table, our house was always warm and inviting, and we knew that we were loved. My dad has always had a generous nature, and never held back. He is warm and emotional - never afraid to be seen with a tear in his eyes. I love that about him. In my eyes, my dad is a giant, even if he is only 5'4" tall. May he live for many more happy years....Bonne fete Papa!

Did it again...part 2

2009-12-22T20:58:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture of the house where my new office is. I am there on the second floor - with patio doors and a full balcony. On the first floor is a small gourmet boutique open to the public, very nice...

I am writing this blog from my new little apartment in St-Timothé - just 10 kilometers from my new job. What? Did you really think I was going to commute 1 and 1/2 hour twice a day to and from work? With our winters? And driving on Québec roads? Not for me! And since Keith is driving in the United States all week, and since we have 2 grown men living at home fully able to take care of the house - I have rented this little 2 room apartment (and my new employers pay my rent as part of my hiring package) and spend the working week here.

The apartment is really just the finished semi-basement of a home that is rented out, but it is complete with bedroom, full bathroom, and kitchen/living room. I have set up my desk here and spend what little is left of my evenings catching up on e-mails, writing my blog and doing accounting for La Scrapbookerie. In the mornings, I get up early and go running outside in the beautifully scenic bike trail which goes from island to island in the St-Laurence (although I have to admit that I have not seen the trail in daylight yet - but it looks good in the moonlight!). Just this past week I have had to stick to the streets though - too much snow on the bike path.

And the best part? I have Lady with me! That was part of my hiring package too! I get to bring my little four legged assistant to work with me. She has her little bed under my big desk and spends 80 percent of the day there fast asleep. When she is up, she goes from desk to desk to say hello and get a pat from all my co-workers, and of course, has made friends all around.

Yes, this was a good decision. I love my new job, I love my little apartment, and most of all, I love weekends! That's when I get to go home and hug everyone and leave all my work behind, both the work at the office and the work at the apartment. This weekend will be the best - it's Christmas, and I will be home in Farnham with my family. It doesn't get much better than this!

Perigord ducks in the summer at one of our farms.

Did it again...

2009-12-16T23:02:00.002-05:00

I am a gypsy of sorts, or so says my husband, and I guess after all these years of putting up with me, he should know. I love change – that must be why I have moved 13 times since I left home to live with Keith, and the scary part is that I have changed jobs as many times – my resumé is so long that I have cut off the last 15 years of my working career out of it altogether. I seem to have trouble settling down to the perfect home or the perfect job. There are constants in my life – after all, I still live with my husband and both my grown sons, and still enjoy the precious friendships I have made throughout my childhood and as a young adult. But I am a gypsy, I admit it.

Last week, I started a new job (yes – job no. 13). I left my job at the publisher as chief accountant because of what I consider a terrible injustice towards my former boss by the CEO of the company (the father of my ex-boss) I won’t go into detail here on this public blog, but let’s just say that I could not work for someone who treats his own son the way he was treated – and I wasn’t the only one who left – five others handed in their resignations at the same time as I did. I wasn’t too concerned about finding another job – after all, I have always been able to find something quickly enough. I put my CV up on Monster and waited for a few days until I got my first call for an interview. It was a Placement Agency and they were looking for someone with my varied profile for their ever so picky client. I say picky, because I have since found out that my new employers had been looking and interviewing and rejecting candidates for the last 2 years! I just happened to fit the bill. The position is Business Manager – and it involves supervising the accounting (working closely with the accountant there, supervising the human resources, research & development, subsidies, and providing important analysis and feedback to the administrators of the company. This company is a French company – and the president resides in France, so I have yet to meet him.

Their product? Ducks. Yup, ducks, ducks to eat – foie gras, duck à l’orange, roast duck, duck legs, duck breast – Ducks. Like Keith says, I am now the “quack lady” (that's why I fit the bill ***groan***). The name of my new employers is Élevage Périgord, and they are situated in St-Louis de Gonzague. What? You don’t know where it is? Don’t worry, no one else does…. It’s just south of Valleyfield in Quebec’s pantry area – nothing but farms as far as the eye can see. I tried to post a map but haven't succeeded yet - I'll try again later.

This company imports ducks from France, the male ducks are “canards de Barbarie” and the femaile ducks are “canards de Pekin”. These too species are raised out here and coupled to create hybrid duck called a “mulard”. Like the mule, these hybrid ducks are sterile, and are raised for the one and only purpose of ending up on your plate. I know – sounds awful, but hey – if you eat chicken, pork, or beef – guess what – they come from places like this, that raise the animals for the purpose of ending in your hands wedged in between two pieces of a sesame seed bun. Duck is a little less common – not found at your local greasy spoon, but very popular at fancy restaurants and in gourmet food stores. My new employers export their products all over the world – although the mother company (which I refer to as the “mother ship”) produces 20 times more than we do – they eat a lot of duck in Europe. So, I am learning everything I never knew or cared to know about ducks and the entire process from egg to paté de foie gras. I have visited the farms where the ducks are raised and was pleasantly surprised to see them in large heated and well ventilated barns wandering freely . I witnessed little ducklings coming out of their shells at the hatchery where hundreds of eggs are incubated. It’s a never ending wheel – ducks are born, and on the same day, ducks are (how do I put this in a politically correct way…) well, hum, terminated – and the cycle continues. I am not a vegan, I have nothing to say about this cycle, but I can tell you that these ducks are not mistreated (unless you mean terminated, and then well, yes, they are done for, aren’t they, – but so yummy!)

OK – that’s enough for starters ----I’ll continue later – stay tuned!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T09:48:00.012-05:00

Well, the day certainly didn't look very promising for the children! It was terribly windy, and by noon the rain was coming down in sheets! Wehad tons of candy ready, but I had a feeling that we would be stuck with most of it with this awful weather. But, as the sun started to set, the clouds cleared and we were treated very briefly to a rainbow (which I caught on camera). The sunset was beautiful, and the street filled with witches and goblins within minutes. We ran out of candies before 7 pm!

David carved a beautiful pumpkin which was lit up and put on the porch.

This little guy was carved earlier in the week and the teeth started to go bad, but it only makes him look better!

Happy Scrapbooking Retreat!

2009-10-24T23:42:00.005-04:00

Last year, around this time of the year, I posted a blog about the disgruntled ladies at our Scrapbooking retreat. Nothing seemed to please them, and it was pretty discouraging. Here I am, once again doing the night shift at our annual Scrapbooking retreat this year, (we don't give up easily) but the mood is totally different. First, we changed venue to a much nicer place - Le Castel - a 4 star hotel just 5 minutes from our actual store in Granby. The ballroom we are using is big and bright and roomy! The food is delicious. The hotel rooms are clean and wonderful. No one is complaining - everyone is smiling and there is that feeling of contentment in the air. What a difference! My sister really outdid herself this year by making sure that the store would be packed with nothing but the hottest new products, and the ladies, (despite the fact that they all showed up with the equivalent of a mini store each) are buying! We set up our own little store within the ballroom and we are making sure that it is kept full for the ladie's enjoyment. This is a good! The recession really hit us hard - but this weekend gives us reason to smile again.

Now, if I could only find time to do a little scrapbooking for myself!!

Summer's over

2009-09-28T12:26:00.012-04:00

I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog! I must have time travelled or something! Not only does it feel slightly overwhelming to bring things up to date since my last blog in July, but for sure by now no one is interrested anymore.
Oh well, for the sake of keeping things short and in perspective, here is, in no particular order, a list of things I have learned since my last blog.

In this picture: Lydia Gillett
1) Having a 12 year old granddaughter doesn't make me feel old half as much as make me happy that I don't have a pre-teen to deal with on a daily basis. Hat's off to all parents of pre-teens and high school teachers out there!

2) Running everyday does not necessarily make you loose weight (unless you also diet) but NOT running is guaranteed to make you gain weight - for those of you contemplating on starting to run every day, remember this rule.

3) Planting a flower (or vegetable) garden in the spring is easy compared to the hours spent weeding and watering throughout the summer. If you can't maintain it - don't bother.... sidebar-- thank goodness for David with the green thumb because without him, my flowers would have been totally overrun by weeds!

4) No matter how hard you work, unless you are working for yourself, your boss will never truly appreciate your extra effort. I should really stop putting in all that overtime and spend more time doing things that I like - like updating my blog.

5) I still haven't made that pumpkin pie I promised from last year's Halloween pumpkin that David was so kind to cut up and freeze for me. I vow not to make any such silly promises anymore - who has time to make pumpkin pie anyway? (I bought him one from M & M - it was just as good)

6) My Honda CRV was such a great car to drive, but what a gaz guzzler! I drive 100 kilometers a day, so when I traded it in for a little Honda Civic, I really noticed a difference. Just don't ask me to move your furniture though...
In this picture - Lydia, washing the new car - Thanks Lydie!

7) Friends are precious! I will always need them in my life - no matter what. You know who you are... and I will make time in my busy schedule to be with you because I really do care.

8) Family is precious! My family keeps growing exponentially (4 new babies born this year - more on the way...) but I find room in my heart for all the new additions.

9) With a husband away for days on end, I am grateful to have my 2 grown sons living at home, but I really do miss Keith.

10) And last but not least,if someone knows a single lady out there who needs a man - please! - introduce her to my sons... I always thought that as soon as a lady would come in their lives they would move on, but it would seem that there are not that many ladies in Farnham....seems like they have hunkered down for the long run.

Bye bye Keith....see you in a week!

T-4 and counting...

2009-07-17T12:50:00.002-04:00

My lunch break is almost over, and there are just 4 hours left before my vacations start. Well deserved vacations, I may add. I could probably sleep for the next 2 weeks, but that's not likely. With my grandaughter Lydia arriving next Wednesday, the house will surely become much livelier than it is now - even though we are already 4 living at the same address. Somehow, throw in a pre-teen, and the level of talk, laughter, sighs, and splashes from the pool will climb to new heights. And I am really looking forward to it!

Just a little pep talk to myself

2009-07-15T12:16:00.003-04:00

This stuff seems so trivial to me in the larger scale of things, but it makes up my "raison d'être" (reason for being - for all you Anglos) at the office. What I mean is that spending hours and hours pouring over data looking for discrepancies in the financial records only serves to reassure the company administrators and owners - it doesn't serve any grand purpose towards world peace or help cure the greenhouse effect -(although a little warming up would actually be nice thank you....). At the end of the day, what have I accomplished? The books are balanced. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. What a banal job! It would probably be more fun to do the accounting for a movie - or some more glamorous company - but really, it ends up being the same job no matter what - numbers, numbers, numbers. And once the financial statements are handed out and taxes are paid - they get filed away, and on to the following year.

I suppose that any job seen in this sense can make someone want to just give up, but I have to keep in mind that it's all these banal and every day stuff that makes a company thrive and survive. Without balanced books, banks won't lend, Governments will come sneaking around to audit, administrators won't know where the company is headed. Besides, what the heck am I complaining about - this is a job, this is a job that I get PAID to do. Good, steady employment - a lot of people would love to have my job. There, I feel better already. Now, back to work...

Asleep on the job...

2009-07-13T12:43:00.002-04:00

Waking up this morning required a guargantuan effort. I shlupped to the shower in the hope that the hot streaming water would wash the sleep away. It didn't. The drive to work was done on 'automatic' and despite multiple coffees - I can't stop yawning. You'd think that I partied hardy all weekend - but I didn't! It was a pleasant weekend where I relaxed and went to bed at the same time as I do every night. I can't concentrate, I am totally useless. Someone please wake me up!

The Countdown's on....

2009-07-09T13:12:00.002-04:00

Six more days of work (not counting today) until "les vacances". I am so due for a total break from this desk. Hopefully, the summer that has yet to fully kick in will be in full gear for the rest of the month. Like everyone else in North America, I could use a little more sunshine. The pool is awaiting....

A relaxing weekend

2009-07-06T12:35:00.003-04:00

Amazing how easy it is to take a simple weekend for granted. I haven't had 2 days off in a row for over 4 months and so it felt like a holiday! Saturday was totally relaxed - late breakfast, crossword (2 of them) and lots of coffee. Then a grocery (we still have to eat). Keith decided not to pass up the opportunity to make strawberry jam with all the fresh berries for sale, so he spent the afternoon in the kitchen. Meanwhile, between loads of laundry, helping out in the kitchen here & there, and some gardening between rainfalls, the afternoon quickly became evening. A great movie from the movie channel (free!) that we hadn't yet seen, and bed - ahhh. Then Sunday, Keith took off for Ohio, but not until we had croissants with home made strawberry jam (yum!)and the sunny day just called for a clothesline full of laundry. I love hanging laundry out to dry - so I washed all the beds. I spent the afternoon in the garden - now weedless (until tomorrow anyway). I realize that I don't need a lot to be happy - this was a great weekend!

RIP - M.J.

2009-06-28T22:12:00.002-04:00

I wanted to write this blog the day Michael Jackson died. But, I found out about it late in the day, and have not had a minute to myself until now. I am sitting at my desk upstairs on a Saturday evening, while my significant other is watching Hellboy downstairs - I really can't get into these comic hero movies... not even Batman. Maybe because the only comics I read as a child were Archie comics.

But I digress.... I really wanted to talk about the gloved one. I know - he got real strange and real weird in the last part of his life, but boy, he could sing! And dance! You got to give him that... You know, MJ & I had a lot in common, surprisingly enough - don't believe me?

Here's a list of things I have in common with Micheal Jackson:

1. We both share the same birthday - August 29
2. We are both in our fifties ( Ok so maybe I am a year or so older)
3. MJ was the 7th child in his family, I am the 7th child in my family
4. MJ came from a very religeous family - ditto here
5. MJ wore make up - Me too! (although not as much as he did)
6. When MJ sang "Beat It", fans screamed for more! Whenever I sing, everyone around me screams "Beat it!"
7. MJ had a big ranch called Neverland where he never wanted to grow up and lived with a chimp called Bubbles - I have a big house where I live with Grumpy and from where my 30 something year old kids never want to leave... close enough!
8. MJ might have had a lot of cosmetic surgeries, but he never had a boob job done - neither did I!!
9. MJ loved the color red - he wore it often - so do I!
10. And finally, last but not least, MJ was a human being (regardless of what anyone says) and so am I.

Micheal, you were part of my life growing up - I love watching your videos and your dance moves - may you never be forgotten. R.I.P.

2nd post of the day

2009-06-24T18:39:00.002-04:00

As the "do nothing" day draws to an end, I feel a little ....bored! I am not used to all this inactivity! I confess that I actually did a little bit of accounting, a little bit of weeding, and gardening, took a nap, did 4 loads of laundry that I hung up on the clothesline - and still feel restless - like I should be rushing around doing stuff. Should I seek a professional help?

Meanwhile, Keith took off around 3:30 pm for a couple of days, but before doing that, he actually worked on his long lost blog for a while. Check it out - he's foaming at the mouth again - this time it's those damn French separatists.....Everyone is entitled to an opinion - his is just...grumpy!

A much deserved day off!

2009-06-24T12:32:00.002-04:00

I just love June 24th! It is Québec's national holiday and everything is closed - and everyone is sleeping in from partying late the night before. The temperature is hot, and all the windows are open in the house, but the outdoors is strangely quiet, minus all that truck and car and lawnmower activity that you would normally hear on a regular week day. I wisely decided to what most Quebecers do on a day like this - nothing. Well, ok, almost nothing - I am blogging after all....

I plan on doing a little gardening, trying out the pool for the first time this season, and generally taking it easy. It's been a while and I am rusty at it ( taking it easy) but I'm sure I'll be able to cope. Tomorrow is a usual work day and I have tons to do, but for now --- ah que la vie est belle!

She's back!

2009-06-23T12:44:00.002-04:00

I am taking an extra few minutes off today to update my poor neglected blog. I knew that I was heading into the busiest period of the season at work, but I had no idea that it would become so hectic. I am the controller for 3 different publishing companies, and they all have their fiscal year end on May 31st. My bosses are real task masters when it comes to getting the financial statements out - they must be delivered by the 15th of each month. That does not leave one much time to work on them. I have a great team - we all roll up our sleeves and get to work and usually are able to deliver the goods - but a year end is special. We have the auditors in and they take a lot of our time.... Is this an excuse for not writing my blog... no, but maybe an explanation as to why I haven't taken my full lunch break for the last month. I get home at night late, and exhausted, and unless I have important work to do for the Scrapbookerie, I do not want to go near my computer. I know you understand.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! Summer vacations are 3 weeks away, one of the 3 companies is now finished, and things are moving along well. You'll be hearing from me again real soon!

Clean clothes at last!

2009-05-13T12:35:00.003-04:00

Well, needless to say, we all wasted time in front of the new front loading washing machine last night, watching it go through its cycles (it has a glass door, so you see what is going on). Those front loaders take much less water & soap, but they also take much more time to wash. Still, the laundry came out clean - that is what counts. In the end, the idea is to have a clean pair of something to wear, clean towels and clean sheets. Amazing how you take that for granted when your washing machine works well, and how it can be a pain if your machine in on the fritz and there are no laundromats in town...

Excitement abounds...

2009-05-12T12:21:00.002-04:00

For me, anyways, if not for anyone else in the family. I'll explain...

Last week, my trusty old Maytag washing machine sprung a leak. That's never a good thing, especially is the washer is not in the basement. Keith dutifully took the thing apart looking for the origin of the leak, and we then discovered that it would cost us between $250 and $300 to fix. That's a lot of money to put on an 11 year old machine that originally cost about $350.00. But, money is tight, and we hummed and hawed over what to do. Finally, we decided that we might as well spring for a new, energy efficient model, and simply send the defunct Maytag to the recyclers. This morning, my new appliances arrived ( we bought the set since the in store special applied to both only). They are beautiful, shiny, front loaders,and I just can't wait to do a load of laundry (not withstanding the fact that the pile dirty laundry is about as high as it has ever been at this point). Too bad I had to run off to work before they got hooked up, but I expect them to be fully functional (thanks to the handyness of David & Patrick) by the time I get home tonight. There will be clean towels in the Gillett home tonight!

Flowers for Mother's Day!

2009-05-12T12:16:00.002-04:00

Here they are! Two beautiful hanging flower pots for Mother's day hanging from our front porch. I took the picture this morning walking out to the car.

2009-05-11T12:44:00.003-04:00

No planting was done on the weekend....First, I had totally forgotten one little detail at the time that I wrote my last blog - I was scheduled to work at the Scrapbookerie on Saturday and Sunday! And next, it was pouring rain all day Saturday, and cold and miserable all day Sunday. So, no digging in the dirt for me. C'est pas grave (It's not so bad) since the temperature dipped dangerously close to zero during the night, and my new plants would have all been in grave danger of freezing. As it is, they will be planted a little later in the season, giving them a better chance of survival.

For mother's day, I received to beautiful hanging flower pots for the front porch from my sons & husband. Thankfully, David brought them in last night, so they weren't subject to the cold night. I was thrilled to receive these! Made my day!
I still haven't taken that before picture of my future garden - but hang in there, it will come....

Planting season...

2009-05-05T12:26:00.002-04:00

Yes! It's that time of the year! When green thumbs start itching to get good and dirty digging in moist black earth, planting flowers, vegetables, and herbs. My sons have tilled a little corner of heaven for me, right next to the side entrance porch, where I plan on planting some tomatoes, parsley, basil, chives and flowers. I also have about 20 flower pots to fill with flowers. The flower pots are distributed around the pool and the property. I only have Saturdays to do this, so I am hoping for a nice day - but unless it is absolutely pouring rain, I will be out there, digging away. In the meantime, I am busy planning in my head the types of flowers and the layout of the garden. I will be sure to include a picture of my little garden once it is planted - or maybe I should do a before & after.... Sounds like a plan, I'll take my camera out tonight and take the before.

2009-04-27T12:31:00.004-04:00

All right, I've been stuck in this loop where I start working on my blog during the few minutes that I have available during my lunch break, and then I end up flushing the whole thing due to lack of time. The problem is that I am trying to redo my blog template to something less wintry than my previous template. Those naked branches in the snow just didn't inspire me anymore. Anyway, for lack of time, I decided to break down and use a standard blogger template until I can set aside an hour or so to put in something that reflects me more.

On another note - my Hoya is in full bloom - over 20 flower clusters and when the sun sets, they emit a very icky sweet odor that fills the entire 1st floor of the house. It's not that bad, just very sweet. This plant is a member of the milkweed family, and is technically a rubber plant. It loves to climb and I have had it forever. Actually I have now many of them since I have used clippings to create new plants. I have one at work at the moment (it's not quite as happy as the one at home - no flowers) and 2 of them at home.

Today is absolutely gorgeous - I can only tell from the sun streaming through my window at work, but I plan on taking advantage of the weather when I go out for a run when I get home later this afternoon. There will be no overtime here for me!!!

Busy busy

2009-04-06T12:37:00.003-04:00

Yikes, I realize that I haven't blogged for almost a week! What is going on??
Well, to be truthful I just simply had a terribly busy week last week, with not even enough time to blog during my lunch break (lunch break--what is that??) I am in the middle of preparing reports for the authors' royalties. Because it is my first year and because there was no document which resumed all the terms of all the contracts available, I have to read and note each and every contract to make sure that no author gets forgotten. I am also preparing a document that resumes everything - very long to do, I have been at it for over a week, but worthwhile in the end. Of course, this is over and above my usual duties as controller.

On the personal front, I have been working in the evenings at home doing various income tax reports for others, and the weekend was spent working on the Scrapbookerie, and at the Scrapbookerie - so you see, I officially have no life these days. Thank goodness the men in my life (I have so many at this point!) take care of the cooking for me - otherwise, I'd be constantly eating peanut butter sandwiches!

Earth Hour

2009-03-31T12:18:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday was Earth Day. We all heard about it on the news, read about it in the newspaper, and discussed it at work. We all agreed that it was a noble cause, and on Saturday night, we celebrated the hour by shutting down our computers (we have 5 in our home running all the time - you'd think we were a company!) and all other electrical gadgets, as well as all our lights. K lit a couple of candles, and we sat back on the sofa to relax for an hour with light conversation. Well, the light conversation must have been very light cause we both fell asleep within minutes. At 10:30, our doggies woke us up, reminding us that they needed to go outside. So, once the doggies had done what they do before going to bed, we simply strolled upstairs to continue our sleep. What party animals! Not only that, but I slept in until 8:30 the next day. I must have been tired.....

Glad Earth Hour was a success - there are a lot of nice pictures taken from all around the world of the lights going out. I think in Farnham the only lights that went out was ours!

The haircut - follow up

2009-03-27T12:58:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I followed the advice my sister in law gave me, and went to work for the 1st time since I have started this job (now 9 months) with my hair down.

No one ran away screaming! I actually got a lot of compliments - everyone seems to like my new haircut (either that or they are all brown-nosers). So, the moral of this story is: things are never as bad as you imagine them to be (or :listen to the advice of your sil) My haircut is not that bad - I just need to get used to it. Today - I am wearing my hair back up in its usual style. No need for drastic changes.

It's Friday! Better yet, it's Friday afternoon! And, bonus! No meetings today! Lovely.....

Twitter - the follow up....

2009-03-25T12:34:00.002-04:00

Looks like Twittering isn't for me either... I guess it's a younger generation thing. When I want to stay in contact with my hubby, I use the old fashioned telephone - OK it's a cell phone, so not so old fashioned, but more personal than twittering. Still, it was fun to try it out and see what all the fuss was about. My life isn't that full of excitement (I am, after all, just an accountant) that I need to tell the world about all the daily details. If something monumental does happen to me, then, yes - I will twitter about it - on the other hand, without followers, what would be the point.....

I hate my hair!!!

2009-03-24T12:28:00.003-04:00

I burned my fingers on my curling iron this morning. Probably because I never use a curling iron - probably because until now I never had to! Last Saturday, I had my hair cut. This is not something I did on a whim - I had not had my hair cut for almost 2 years. Why? Because I hated my last hair cut and I needed it to grow out. This time, armed with a picture of what I wanted, I took the chance to try again. It's not complicated - just a below the chin bob - long enough to put up with my usual hair clip, but short enough to be able to wear it loose once in a while. The time I spend with my hair in the morning is approximately 5 minutes. Blow dry upside down, twist, clip and off I go. But no more.... I hate my new haircut! It's so different than the picture. Why can't my hairdresser give me what I want! Now I have no choice but to wear it tied back all the time because it looks so stupid loose. And I will have to wait at least another year for it to grow out. When I am ready for another hair cut - I will go back to my former hairdresser Ella in Montreal - now, she really knows how to cut hair.

At least, people around me can't really tell - since it is up in it's usual style, but when I let it down at the end of the day - yuck... just a plain bad haircut. I will NEVER let this hairdresser approach me with scissors again!

Monday morning....

2009-03-23T12:27:00.003-04:00

Despite the nippy cold in the air this morning, it still feels like spring - probably because it's so sunny! This means that I must change my blogger template to something a little more seasonal. I certainly do not have time for that during my short lunch break, but I promise to work on it this week.

The auditor is not in today, but he called and said he needed to come back to re-verify some data on Wednesday(groan) - still, I am finally getting work done today, so no complaining here.

Now I'll roll up my sleeves and get those numbers out....

Do you Twitter?

2009-03-22T14:46:00.003-04:00

All the hype about Twitter got my attention and I decided to investigate it. The web page - http://twitter.com - has a neat little stick drawing video on how it works. It's really just another time-suck, but what the hey.... I think it adds a little spice to blogs & facebook. My only problem is that no one I know is twittering, so I have no one to follow, and therefore no one to follow me. The solution? Well I have 2 choices:

1) try it out, let everyone I know that I am "twittering" and see what happens...
2) don't bother, never mind, give up

If you know me, you know that I am not the "give up" kind of person, so I will give it a try... I won't enter every detail of my personnal life, but I will try to keep it light and interesting.....

Yum...

2009-03-19T12:04:00.005-04:00

OK - I promise not to bore you with my ongoing (yes, still in Vietnam here....) audit today.

Instead, I want to concentrate on the lighter side of life. I decided to actually get out of the office and have lunch with the "girls". We are right next door to a "greasy spoon" restaurant, and every Thursday, the girls go there for a poutine. For them it's a long time ritual. So yes, I broke down and had a small poutine with the girls. My oh my, how I love poutine! I took the smallest portion they sold and it was enough for a full meal. I know I will pay for it, but sometimes, you just gotta go with the flow...I'll have a salad tonight.

Now, back at my desk, the real world is slowly surfacing again, but I am smiling and ready to tackle the work at hand.

Just when you though it couldn't get worse...

2009-03-18T12:32:00.004-04:00

Yes indeed, things are getting from bad to worse and from worse to hell here! Now I have my entire support team (4 dedicated ladies) helping me find stuff for our unrelenting auditor. He may be easy on the eyes, but today he is just not cute enough! Everyone of us as a pet term for what we are going through - and Annie made me laugh when she said that she was in Vietnam! as in... How's it going? I'm in Vietnam (we'll assume she means Vietnam 40 years ago).

But despite all the angst, we still manage to get a couple of good belly laughs in, so not all is lost. Someday (soon, please, soon...) the auditor will leave, and life at the office will seem better than usual. I think I will take the team out for lunch once this audit is over - just to say thank you.

Funny how this glitch in our work life affects us - meanwhile the world is still turning, and spring is still marching on. Gotta start concentrating on the "spring" event, but at lunch time, it's hard to ignore the stuff happening around me at the office. Maybe I should write my blog at another time, like in the evening when I am at home, relaxed... now that's an idea....

And the lump of coal goes to.....

2009-03-17T12:47:00.003-04:00

This is a very heavy week for me. I have a government auditor pouring over data from 2003 to 2006. This usually doesn't bother me, I am organized and have no problems finding data for auditors - it's part of my job. However, it is not my work that is being audited, but the work of people I have never met, who have long since left the company. And their work leaves a lot to be desired. If the auditor has trouble understanding how the numbers add up, I sure don't blame him, I don't understand it either! Nothing is backed up, the files are filled with documents that have the same date but different numbers and none of them match the numbers being audited. It is an accountant's nightmare! So much rides on this audit! If the auditor disallows expenses because I can not find the back up for it, then the company has to pay. If the company has to pay, the fault will be mine for not being able to explain everything. My boss just dropped by my office to see how the audit was going - I told him the truth - nothing pleasant. Reading the paper full of bad news tonight will be a refreshing break after a day like today.

On that note, I think I may take an idea I read on my sister's blog. She canceled her newspaper subscription because she was sick & tired of reading up on all the bad news in the world. Instead, now she reads pleasant stuff in the morning with her coffee. What a great idea! I might just do the same thing. I need all the positive energy that I can find in the morning these days.

And the lump of coal? I throw it in the general direction of those accountants that where here before me. There! I feel better already....

Happy Birthday Jackie!

2009-03-16T20:52:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated my younger sister's 50th birthday. Yikes, now that does a number on me! Of course, like the rest of her family ;o) she doesn't look her age at all! We all met at this lovely little French Bistro called "Entre les Branches" in Bromont . My sister and her family were down from Toronto for the March break skiing in Sutton which is close by, and Mark (her husband) had reserved the entire restaurant for our group at lunch time. It was great to see her face when she realized that this was not to be a quiet meal in a restaurant. We were about 30 well wishers there, including her childhood friend Chantal (in the bottom picture with her). The food was absolutely fabulous! If you are ever in Bromont, I highly recommend the spot. We started eating around 2pm, and literally rolled out at around 5pm. I couldn't eat another bite for the rest of the day!

Friday afternoon....

2009-03-13T12:39:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you, but I found the week just flew by! Probably because I have been so swamped at work. This afternoon will probably fly by too, and thank goodness, I am very ready for a full weekend. Yes sir! I am not working at the store this weekend - which means I get 2 days off in a row!

Yesterday, while watching ER (what a great episode with George Clooney!) I could hear my two sons laughing downstairs and joking around. They sounded like teenagers and it just took me back about 12 years. Especially since I was watching the same show I was watching 12 years ago. It was one of those warm fuzzy moments.

Well, must get back to my financial statements and spreadsheets! For now anyway - no overtime for me tonight!

I've been tagged!

2009-03-10T12:33:00.002-04:00

It's a simple game - you have to answer 10 questions and then tag 6 other bloggers in return. Thanks Mich (http://michpetit.blogspot.com/) for tagging me! Gives me something to blog about on this oh-so-quiet week.

1 - Diamonds or pearls?

I wear very little jewelery, but I love the genuine article. Little diamond-stud earrings or pearl earrings - I love them both.

2 - What was the last movie you saw?

It was a videotron rental - I haven't been to the movie theater in 2 years! It was a great little movie called City of Embers - loved it!

3 - What do you eat for breakfast?

Pretty much the same thing every morning... I start with coffee and then a bowl of natural yogourt with Harvest Crunch cereal sprinkled on top and fruit (whatever is in the fridge - blueberries are my favorite).

4 - What is the second first name on your birth certificate?

Elaine

5 - What are the foods you would never eat?

I hate bananas. The rest I could tolerate if I had nothing else to eat.

6 - Coffee or tea?

Depends on the time of day. Always coffee in the morning - at least 2 cups.
Tea in the afternoon - around 3:30 or 4:00 - (how English of me...)

7 - If you were a colour, which one would it be?

Red. I love red and wear it as much as possible. Today I am wearing a bright red blouse over black pants.

8 - Who was the last person you spoke on the phone to?

I spoke to our IT guy just a few minutes ago - he is coming over the office to fix some problems.

9 - What is your favorite day of the week?

Definitely Saturday! It's my only day off! So many things to do, and such a short day. I love bumming around the house without make up.

10 - If you could take off on a plane today, where would you go?

Trinidad - my friend Denise is vacationing down there at the moment - I'd go join her and have a blast - plus, it's sunny and warm - you can't go wrong with that!

So there it is!

I now tag my sister-in-laws, Terry & Mau, and my husband Keith. The others tagged will have to answer on their Facebook page because they do not have a blog.
I tag David, Patrick and Paul. Have fun!

Quiet Sunday

2009-03-08T16:07:00.003-04:00

I am writing this blog from La Scrapbookerie, where I am spending the afternoon moonlighting as a sales clerk. It's really quiet today, seems like everyone is sleeping in - especially since we lost an hour during the night. I had enough time to create a birthday card for my sister - and then then true to form, clients started to materialise about 1 hour later than usual.

I always get new clients on Sundays. People who heard of us but never shopped before and are now investigating the store. They don't always buy, but inquire about courses and scrapbooking in general. I give them all my attention and my sunniest smile. Never hurts to be nice - and I want them to come back!

I wonder what my boss would think if he saw his company controller playing store clerk on Sundays, not that it's any of his business, but I'm glad he doesn't scrapbook!

Keith left for Maine this morning, not long after I took off for Granby, he's going to be navigating winding country roads with his gargantuous truck - and I'm glad that the weather is cooperating.

Sorry this blog is a bit disjointed - I wrote in in between clients. It's five o'clock (feels like 4...) time to go home.

2009-03-07T23:23:00.003-05:00

Saturday night - we just moved the clocks forward before going to bed so it's all of a sudden midnight! My back is killing me tonight - too much lifting I guess, but the new den/office is officially settled and looking great (still needs that coat of paint though. Am gladly going to bed within the next few minutes. Later....

Anticipating the weekend...

2009-03-06T12:27:00.002-05:00

Ahh...Friday afternoon, my big meeting behind me, and a few short hours left to the weekend. I was stuck at this desk late last night getting ready for this morning's meeting, so for sure I will not be doing any overtime today. When 5 o'clock rolls around, I will be grabbing my coat and rolling out of here. Keith should be home from his week spent in the USA, and we will all be together to celebrate the end of the week.

I still have a lot of work to do at home in the newly moved office - putting stuff in its place and more in the recycling bin, then I have to do some accounting, for home, for La Scrapbookerie, for the Chalet, and our income taxes to file. Sunday, I am working at the store all day, and we have a special guest coming in from out of town on Sunday afternoon, so all this to say that the weekend will be busy!

But I won't be here - I will be where I love to be - at home and at the Scrapbookerie. Vive le weekend!

New boots

2009-03-05T12:52:00.005-05:00

My busy lifestyle leaves me very little time for shopping. When I need something, if it is not readily available in Farnham (not much is, apart from food), I order online and it works fine for me. But this winter, my 10 year old winter boots sprung a leak - a big size hole right on the top. Since I had no other boots and winter is far from over, I had no choice but to go shopping for boots. I hadn't set foot in a store since Christmas, and I was not looking forward to it. At least, all the boots at this time of the year are on sale, but you are lucky if you can find your size and the model you want. I tried at least 3 stores without luck before landing on Aldo shoes. There were my new boots! It was love at first sight and at half price too!! But wouldn't you know it, they did not have my size. Sigh... However, the friendly (aren't they all friendly?) sales lady suggested that I might be able to get these boots, for my size, on the internet. And sure enough, together we went on line, found the boots and ordered them (still at half price). That was Saturday. Yesterday, my lovely new boots arrived. Perfect fit! I love the internet!!!

Full house!

2009-03-04T12:14:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, our youngest son, Patrick, moved back home. After loosing his job late in the fall (everyone was laid off) other than temporary odd jobs, he has been unable to land anything permanent. Living alone was hard on him, and I guess a bit depressing. It was only a matter of time before he asked for help. Well, isn't that what parents are for?

So - the big move happened on the weekend, and we spend all day Saturday re-arranging the rooms upstairs in order to create a bedroom for him. We have a comfortably big house, and both Keith & I had taken each a room to set up our respective office. What we did was to combine both offices in the large guest room, set up Keith's ex-office as the new guest room, and give Patrick my ex-office for his bedroom. It actually looks good. I love the extra large den created by our combined offices, with both desks facing each other. Keith hardly uses his desk since he is out of town most of the time, and when he is home, he prefers using the dining room (with a wireless laptop, the office is almost redundant safe for all the junk we have accumulated....) Now, all we need to do is remove the old blue carpet and paint the room something other than pink!

Patrick is already liking Farnham (not withstanding the fact that the fridge is always full) and has spent the last few days handing out his CV all over town. I am sure that he will find employment, and the fact that he is surrounded will only help boost his morale.

I would have never thought that I would end up living with both sons in their adulthood, but it works for me. I love their presence around the house, the laughter at dinner, the help doing the chores etc... I know that this is temporary - one day they will find themselves in love and wanting to move out, and when that happens, I will gladly help them move, but until then, welcome home, Patrick.

Happy Happy

2009-03-03T12:40:00.002-05:00

The news are filled with tales of woe, the economy is circling the drain, winter seems never ending - but don't tell this happy plant! All it knows is that the days are longer, the sun is brighter, and it shows us its joy with beautiful red blooms.

These are a few of my favorite things....

2009-02-26T12:39:00.002-05:00

I just love it when Keith is home! This week, as opposed to the last few weeks, he has been doing local runs and has been home more than usual (ever second day). He takes great pleasure in cooking up a storm, and I am greeted to a gastronomical delight when I get home from work. It's great to sit at the table, the 3 of us and talk about our work day, the news, share jokes and laugh.

When David & I are home alone, we usually heat up leftovers, or have some pretty boring fare. Sure, we talk about our day and share jokes, but it's not the same, someone is missing...

Tonight, joy! Keith will be home from work in time to whip up his gourmet spaghetti sauce (with stir fry veggies). I am hungry just thinking about it - or maybe I'm really hungry cause it's lunchtime and I didn't bring my lunch so I have to run out and buy a sandwich next door. I guess I'd better get going...

An infamous anniversary

2009-02-25T12:30:00.004-05:00

As I have been hearing on the radio, and reading about all month, February is Heart Month. (http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/news/item/?item_id=104291) Today, as I was listening to a radio personality talk about some charity event for the Heart & Stroke Foundation, I remembered this infamous day back in 2005 - yes already 4 years ago! It was on this day that Keith suffered from a heart attack - and landed in the intensive care unit of the LaSalle Hospital. What a shock to everyone! Keith, young (hey - it's all relative, depending on how old you are when you read this), average weight, no sign of cholesterol or high blood pressure. It shouldn't happen to someone so healthy! But it did, and although Keith is absolutely fine today, it certainly put many things in perspective. Some things we just do not take for granted anymore (like each other...)

So, let's all pay a little more attention to the affairs of the heart, not just the emotional heart, but the physical heart. Now, everyone grab an apple and take a walk!

le weekend...

2009-02-23T12:26:00.002-05:00

Ah, the weekend! Went by so fast, why am I already back here at my desk?? Woke up to a snowy wonderland this morning, it having snowed all through the night. Somehow, by the end of February, snowy wonderland just doesn't excite me much anymore. After brushing the snow off the car and scrapping a good layer of frost off the windshield underneath, I made my way towards work. I left early, expecting traffic mayhem, but it wasn't so bad, the snowfall around Montreal being much less than Farnham. So, made it to work on time, and here we go again. Another week of budget analysis, spreadsheets, stats can reports, and of course, lets not forget that dreaded Friday meeting. Joy....

Let's get back to the weekend, a much better subject. Although I spent most of the weekend working for the Scrapbookerie, it's always more fun to work for yourself. Saturday was an accounting day from my home desk, and Sunday, I went into the store and did the Sunday shift as a salesperson. If only it paid as well as my controller job at my current job! I enjoy interacting with customers, and it's nice to be part of the Scrapbookerie on the front row, as opposed to only working on it in the background.

Came home last night to a wonderful dinner prepared by Keith and then we both crashed in front of the tube to watch the Oscars. We both expected to fall asleep, but we didn't, we watched the whole thing - commercials and all (we got to talk during the ads)! I really enjoyed the show, and I admit it, I only saw one of the movies nominated. Now I know that I have to see the rest. The gowns were gorgeous, although there were a couple of "what was she thinking?" It was a good end to a good weekend. Let's hope the week is as good as the weekend was...

It's Friday!

2009-02-20T12:52:00.002-05:00

Friday has a love/hate relationship with me....

I love Fridays because it's the last day of usually a work intense week and Keith is home almost every Friday night. (He will be home tonight).

I hate Fridays because of my very important administrator meeting at 11:00 AM. There is no getting around it, this meeting happens every week. I once tried to take Friday off hoping to avoid the "meeting", but they rescheduled it to Monday morning. Might as well get it over and done with on Fridays - - sigh...

I have just come out from such a meeting, and the first thing I did was take to liquid Advils for the migraine that started creeping in during the meeting. I can't discuss the meetings, safe to say that they are extremely stressful and confrontational. Even if I am not the one being confronted, I feel the stress since I absolutely abhor confrontations of any kind. Anyway, every Friday, I walk out with more work to do than there are hours in the day - as a result of these @()%&)#%&)* meetings. Every week, as I sit through what seems an interminable meeting, I ask myself what the heck am I doing here...then I remember that there are many people out there without a job, and I should be grateful for mine and stop whining.

On to more positive thoughts, it's Friday afternoon!! I WILL NOT work late tonight. There will be a nice cold Bloody Caesar waiting for me when I get home, and I plan on sleeping in tomorrow at least until 7:30 AM. Now that is something to look forward to!

American Idol - Sue's take...

2009-02-19T12:44:00.003-05:00

I've been so busy this week that I only got to watch American Idol after 11pm. How could I miss round 1 of the live section of the show? If I am yawning at work today, it may have a bit to do with going to bed after midnight 2 nights in a row...

It should be easy to pick out the 3 top contestants - or so I thought - I had 2 of them right, the 3rd being a bit of a toss up. My number one choice for now is definitely the widower Danny Gokey - his voice is hauntingly beautiful, and what about those funky glasses! Second runner up and very close behind is the pretty little Alexis Grace with her pink streaks. She really wowed me with her stage presence and her voice on Wednesday night. Both were picked in the top 3 last night - no surprise there. I thought for sure that the crooning voice of Ricky Braddy would earn him the 3rd spot - but no, he got voted out and Micheal Sarver the big hunky roughneck got him. Well, good for him! I am delighted that crazy Tatianna was voted off. She has a nice voice, but what a flake! And that dress! Wednesday, she looked like a piniata! Bye bye Tatianna!

So far so good, it's still early in the game - hopefully next week I will be able to watch the show a little earlier....

2009-02-16T20:50:00.002-05:00

How time flies! Now even my lunch breaks are taken up with calls to make (today the utilities for the cottage) and eating - leaving me little or no time to blog... Today, I looked up from my desk to see my assistant wearing her coat and saying goodbye - I couldn't believe it was already the end of the day! I had to double check my watch. I was grateful for the long road back home tonight, time to relax and clear my mind. I phoned Keith - who was driving around somewhere in Kentucky on his way to Ohio, and then just listened to the radio and sang off key as loud as I could. Good therapy! Tonight, daily newspaper crosswords, dinner with son ( he cooks, I clean up) a little bookeeping, blogging, and then bed. Tomorrow, same routine, except I need to throw in a run in there. Maybe I will find time tomorrow to blog at lunch....

Restaurant Review - Le Fumet

2009-02-14T10:44:00.003-05:00

It will only accept reservations - no walk ins, please, and you have to reserve a week ahead of time, no last minute reservations... They do not take credit cards, cash only, and please bring your own wine, and they are only open weekends. How can a restaurant hope to survive with all those restrictions! Somehow, Le Fumet in Farnham does!

Keith had attempted to make reservations at this establishment without success several times, but finally, yesterday, we had our valentine dinner date there. The restaurant is located in a turn of the century home in "downtown Farnham". It used the be the Farnham Pharmacist's home (upstairs) and Pharmacy (downstairs) way back when. The house is absolutely gorgeous, with high ceilings, brick walls, and wooden floors. We were seated upstairs in quiet corner next to the window. The atmosphere perfect for a quiet tête-à-tête! The waitress opened our bottle of red wine and poured us a glass. The menu surprised me, it is à la carte only, meaning that you have a choice of 1 each out of 3 appetizers, 2 entrées, 8 different main courses, and 5 desserts. All the food is local, as in local farms, orchards, etc.. We both chose the "velour de fleur" soup - a cream of cauliflower which was absolutely divine, then we both went for the Camembert chutney plate - all I can say is wow! For the main course, I had the pork and Keith had the duck - I don't remember the fancy names. The food was so well presented, and so delicious! We both agreed that this fared better than a $200 meal at Gibby's in downtown Montreal. So that is why this restaurant is so ostentatious! For dessert, Keith had the best Crème Brulée he has ever had, and I had a few bites of a dark chocolate cake. All and all, it was wonderful. We talked and reconnected for over 2 hours over fine food and great wine (we brought a really good wine to accompany all this). The cost? Not given away, but without the additional cost of the wine, it came under $70.00. We certainly will not be dining there every weekend, nowadays, who can afford it! But once a year - for sure!

All and all, a great evening! Too bad that today, Valentines day, Keith had to leave right after breakfast for a long haul to the states. I will not be going to the concert alone tonight. I told my boss as soon as I found out about Keith's trip, so the tickets were offered to someone else.

And that all she wrote....Happy Valentines day to all!

It's a date!

2009-02-12T12:37:00.003-05:00

I am pretty excited about going out on a date tomorrow with my guy. Yes, I know, we've been married forever, but these days, we hardly ever see each other, and up until recently, any outings to the restaurant was outside our budget. But things are looking up, and we are planning our first sortie out at Farnham's only posh restaurant,(hum, if you can consider a "bring your own wine" posh)Le Fumet. Reservations have been made - there is no turning back! This is our Valentine's day treat! Beats pizza delivery anytime!

Then, to my surprise,this morning my boss (the CEO of the company) offered me 2 tickets to a concert on Saturday night. It's a classical concert, and he will be there with his date (he is 83 years old -still comes to work every day). I accepted graciously (I think my boss is curious to meet my trucker husband). I will polish him up (the husband, not the boss) and bring him along. I love concerts of any kind, so this should be great. Another date! Lucky me!