This is for Wajihah

So, it has been well established that I am not a reliable blogger. I'm not going to apologize anymore. If I could making a living doing the blogging then I would be better but since the people who make a living doing the blogging do the blogging so much better than I, it's just not gonna happen.  So, I have let that go. Poof. 

Onto life since 2014. My puppy is still crazy and sweet, my kids are still healthy, I'm still married and living in Manitoba. These are all big deals, but onto other stuff. Be warned, it's been more than a year so this might get long. Brace yourself...

It's winter. I am not in Mexico. I am in Manitoba. Let us have a moment of silence to let that sink in. ... Ok. 

This winter has lacked the soul crushing cold of some of the other winters we have endured experienced here in ManiSNOWba. We have only had a couple of days of temperatures below -30 and that is significant. So, yay!

In Manitoba, we have something called "Louis Riel Day". In other places, it is called "Family Day". In other places yet, it does not exist. It's just a Monday off, but as any Monday off is awesome, we decided to make the best of it. We went to Falcon Lake with friends and snow shoed

and snow tubed and it was a balmy -2 and therefore of the awesome.





There were puppies to snuggle

and goofballery abounded.

Our winter tends to go by in a blur due to our children's steady diet of hockey, curling and...more hockey, so it was nice to take a break from that and do other winter-ey stuff with friends. But let us not forget the fun of skating in -22. Cuz, well, that's something.

And, well, hockey...

But spring is coming! For true! I saw crows. Lots of them. In a creepy tree. At dusk.

The end is nigh! 

In closing I will leave you with a gratuitous picture of my sweet Cali puppy and her buddy Oreo the Kitten...

   and, the inspiration for this blog post: the lovely Ms. WAJIHAH!

 and me. 

Yay. I blogged :). 

Why human babies are easier than puppies

I love my puppy. She is cute and sweet and for a lab puppy, she really is very good. That said, she is still very much a puppy and as such, is rather like having an energetic toddler on crack. So many people have informed me that puppies are easier than human babies and while this is true in some instances, in many, it is not. For your perusal, I submit: Ways Human Babies are Easier than Canine Babies

1. Human babies wear diapers: They do not leave crop circles on your grass and you do not have to search for baby doo doo bombs in your yard. Rarely do you find a new human baby poopy spot with your foot.

 

2. Human babies do not dig holes in your yard: At least not while they are babies. Finding new holes with your feet while chasing energetic puppies through your yard is really not fun for anyone involved.

 

3. Human babies do not have teeth: Human babies and canine babies both chew on things but human babies are seldom as destructive as canine babies. When human babies chew on your hands, seldom do they draw blood. Vampire babies are different, but for the sake of clarity, we're not discussing vampire babies.

 

4. Human babies stay where you put them: This is definitely variable and is highly dependant on the age of said human baby, but for the most part, you can put a 3 month old human baby in a crib/enclosure secure in the knowledge they will not vault out of or dig/chew their way out of said crib/enclosure. The same cannot be said of 3 month old canine babies.

 

5. Human babies do not chase cats: They certainly try, but they're really not up for actual chasing for at least a couple of years.

 

6. You do not have to get up at 5 am to let human babies outside to pee: And when they get outside, human babies do not decide that every 5 am blade of grass smells different than all other Godly hour grass and must sniff every blade individually.

 

7. Human babies do not get so excited every time a new person enters your house that they feel the need to jump all over/lick/nibble/piddle said new person: This really bugs me. It's a typical puppy thing and I know that someday it is possible she won't do this, but it is vexing. Calm down already puppy! New people really aren't that exciting.

 

8. You do not have to leave human babies outside when you go into a public place to do stuff: In the olden days, they used to, but that's not ok anymore.

 

 

But yes, there are ways in which canine babies are easier than human babies. So, I submit for your perusal: Ways Canine Babies are Easier than Human Babies:  

 

1. Canine babies sleep better/longer than human babies: Again, this one is variable and if your newborn slept a solid 6 hours at 13 weeks, I prefer to believe they are the stuff of myth, like unicorns and leprechauns. My puppy sleeps from 9-11, goes out to pee and then sleeps through til 5ish. My human babies slept in 3-4 hour chunks at this age regardless of what I did. When she does wake, I have only to let her out for a pee (which she takes care of on her own) and put her back to bed.

 

2. You can leave canine babies home alone in a kennel for several hours with various chew toys: I probable don't have to tell you this, but DCFS tends to frown on this in the case of human babies. Nuff said.

 

3. You only have to feed canine babies 2-3 times a day and bottles/breasts (after 8ish weeks) are not involved: This one really doesn't need elaboration. Sometimes self-feeding is awesome. 

 

4. It is perfectly fine to put a collar and leash on your canine baby and no one feels morally opposed /the need to debate it on Facebook: Yeah. I said it. Human babies with leashes tend to spark philosophical debate. Not so canine babies. Also, no one bats an eye when you harness up your canine baby and go for a bike ride while she runs alongside. Substitute a human baby and I suspect things would be different. Note: this is not an invitation to try it. In fact, I urge you not to try it. I know I shouldn't have to actually voice this, but as this is the interweb, I really do. 

 

5.  It is absolutely fine to give your canine baby a huge bone to gnaw on so that you can get shit done: This one is a little nuanced. I mean, we frequently give our human babies stuff to gnaw on so that we can do stuff, but they tend not to be things they can actually consume and they don't tend to buy us a lot of time. Canine babies can be presented with Kongs filled with peanut butter, or big, hardened, stick-like versions of dog food and they'll be happy for up to an hour until they manage to completely demolish them. You can also use food to train your canine baby to do all manner of tricks. This doesn't work for human babies. They're just underachievers when it comes to learning tricks unless you consider crying, panting, laughing, babbling or excreting (drool, poo, pee, puke) to be tricks. But then, they rarely do any of these things on command.

 

6. You do not have to push around or strap a canine baby to your person for outings: Some people choose to do so, but in general, it is not a requirement.

 

7. You can leave canine babies outside/in vehicles (*****PROVIDED THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IS APPROPRIATE!******): No one bats an eye if you tie your canine baby up to a telephone pole (well away from traffic) or in your car with the windows down appropriately while you run into the store to grab some milk. Do not attempt to do this with a human baby. It will not end well for anyone involved.

 

So there you have it. The list is made and set in stone. Human babies are easier. I have declared it to be so. I concede it was a close one. Both human and canine babies are incredibly cute and there are distinct advantages to having one or both. I will say, it is a good thing they're both cute. Just a little anecdotal data for your Monday morning perusal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, blogger, it's been awhile...

I haven't blogged in more than a year. I really like to blog and I have wanted to blog but haven't felt like I've had the time to do so. A lot has happened in a year and a half. I'll update you in bullet form because bullet form save times and gives the illusion that I am not randomly rambling:

- We put Elliott cat to sleep last October. At home, in my arms, peaceful. It was time but it was sad.

 

 

- We got a baby kitty. His name is Percy, but he also (sort of) answers to Purdy, Purder, Perfy, Perforation, Puff ball, Purd Bird and other assorted and sundry names.

 

 

 

- We moved! Unexpectedly, on a whim, put an offer in on a house (WITH A POOL!! I mean, ahem, with a pool), they accepted and then we had to get our house ready to put on the market in 10 days because on June 27th...

- We went to Nova Scotia! It was amazing. Soul soothing.

 

 

And if that wasn't chaotic enough, we got a puppy.

Her name is Cali, she's 11ish weeks old, a pointer/lab cross, and a sweetie pie.

Having a puppy seems very much like having a newborn, but without the breastfeeding. I love her, but boy, is she a lot of work. I knew she would be and they boys have been really great about helping with her and I would adopt her again in a heartbeat, but yeah. So different from a kitten.

I'll update more later. I think this is enough for one post.

This was not a good morning.

Today is Valentines Day. Happy Valentines Day! Now that that's out of the way, onto my whining.

Today started like any other morning. My alarm went off at 5:45. I ignored it until 6:01. At 6:01, I lept energetically out of bed and crept quietly downstairs to shower. Usually I shower the night before so as not to waste precious sleep time, but I decided to forgo that bit of wisdom last night. Not that it would have saved me otherwise, but it meant that my time would be more pressed. Whatever. So, I did the regular stuff one does in the morning: cleaned and arranged myself. Made lunch for the kids. Set out little Valentines treats for them to find when they woke up. Chocolate of course. I don't have to be the morning parent, so I figured I'd let Dennis deal with the consequences of chocolate in the morning. Muah ha ha. I left gummy tarantulas for him. I'm just that good of a wife. Don't be jealous.

So, my clothes were in the dryer. At this point I was already running a little late, so I was in a bit of a rush. I bounded down the stairs and made the split second descision to skip the last one. I was looking over at the drying rack and in the process of deciding that I should put it away lest some small human trip on it, or decide to use it as a Tarzan swinging device (it has happened, I'm not gonna lie) when suddenly I found myself on my back on the floor. What the...? I'd fallen? Slipped in a puddle of something wet and liquidy. Legs gone completely out from underneath me, head on the floor. Dammit! Had Dennis left a puddle from his wet boots? I'd already found muddy, melted snow puddles in my kitchen the night before. This is such a no no in my world. Punishable by with holding of desert and kisses! No, there was just too much of whatever it was for it to be boot melt. What could it be? Had a pipe leaked? No, there wasn't anything else around. I was covering all of whatever it was. And then the horrible truth dawned on me. There was only one other thing that it could be. WARNING: what is to follow is not pleasant. It's actually really, really, really gross. Really. Proceed with caution.



















It was









Cat vomit. A huge puddle of cat vomit. Cold, stinking, wet, runny, cat vomit. Luckily my clothes were still in the dryer. Clean. Vomit free. I peeled off my robe, wiped my feet on it (guh) and tiptoed NAKED upstairs. Most of me was vomit free, but I didn't even want to check my hair. I got back in the shower. I shudder as I type this. Then I had the distinct pleasure of going back downstairs (in a towel this time) to clean up the offending puddles. I may burn my robe. I haven't decided yet. I don't do well with vomit clean up. I spend most of the time trying very hard not to add my own vomit to the pile, and this morning was no exception. But I did it. It's done. I am vomit-free. Sore in many places, but vomit-free.


The day can only get better from here.

To the two people who read this...

Please forgive the lack of blogging. Life has been hectic. I started a new job and my kids went back to school and it snowed a lot and my husband left to go chase caribou, moose and wolves. And it's -30, but that's not really worth mentioning because this is Manitoba.

But it's great. I love it. Awesome. Bring it on.

I got a new car. Did I mention that I got a new car? Because I got a new car! One that has an intact head gasket and does not overheat. Yay! His name is Mr. Grey. Because he's grey. I love him. He is an '09 Honda Civic. I do miss Lucille Blue car. Let us have a moment of silence for her.

Okay, that's enough silence. I don't really want her back, but she was (mostly) a good car and one must forgive and move on.

School has been cancelled 2 times in the last 3 weeks due to the cold. If the ambient temperature is -35 or less OR the windchill is -45 or less, school is cancelled. Yep, we hit that. Global warming, my buttockal region. Let me just go on record and say that -45? FUHREAKING cold! Unnatural. Unnecessary. Uncalled for. But it's Manitoba, so really, whatever.

Work is good. I have been renewing my animal certifications. Surgery, blood collection etc. I don't love animal work, but I do it because it is necessary. I feel comfortable in doing what I do because the protocols set in place by the university and the CCAC are very stringent and are strictly adhered to. Animals are not in unnecessary pain and they are treated as humanely as possible. I still don't like poking little ratties, but I feed them fruit loops and they forgive me.

Dennis is gone again. Berens river this time. The worst part of this for me is that I don't know exactly when he is going nor exactly when he might be back. I have a nebulous sort of idea but I don't know exactly when the events will come about. I don't do well with this. Uncertianty is not my friend. Especially when I have 2 little people's schedules + mine to juggle and work out. Ol' Wildcard Dennis gets to galavant as he pleases and I am left to pick up the pieces. Nothing new there. I love him and it is his job and he can't help it and it's not his fault, but it's not my favourite part of his chosen profession. He's lucky he's cute.

So, that's about it. Nothing much else to report. Did I mention that it is freaking cold? I'm sure that I must have. The thermostat in my house stopped registering humidity and just started saying "Lo".  Whatever. It's awesome. I love it. I'll just go on and get down with my bad self.

Stupid Manitoba

It is cold. Freaky deaky cold. The ambient temperature isn't really even that low, but the wind is blowing so it feels like something stupid like -30. It's sunny, but it's too cold to go outside. I am bitter. Manitoba summer is awesome. Manitoba winter? Not so much. Blergh.

I got a new duck. One that won't try to bite!

Not really. I actually got a new car and that Weird Al song has been knocking around in my head every since. How strange is that?

 

But yes, YAY! I have a new car. So now I can truly say RIP Lucille Blue Car. You were (mostly) a good car and you served me well. Now that you have been replaced with a new(er), sleeker, more reliable model, I can look back on the good times. I'm sorry it had to end this way, but you really left me no choice. I hope that you will be repaired and loved by some one who will appreciate you. It's better than being pushed over a cliff, which is what I really wanted to do to you. I feel bad about that now, but only just a little.

 

New(er) car does not have a name yet. He or she is a 2009 Honda Civic and is rather a pretty, grey, little thing. Roomy and zippy and reliable with remaining warranty. All very good things. So, everything is falling into place. This is good.

 

I don't have any good pictures or either Lucille Blue car nor New Grey Car, so here is a random picture for today: