As I've mentioned before, I do a weekly boxing training class. I've done it for eight years, and I'm never sore. Never.

I also go to the gym - usually three times a week. I'm rarely sore from that - although when we do a different strength training workout, I get a little sore.

So anyway, last Thursday I did the strength class as usual. On Friday at boxing,I noticed that my right shoulder was tight.

I then forgot about it until body toning on Monday, when it was still off. I decided it was time to do something about it, so I booked a massage for yesterday.

My shoulder is better, but I am so very sore. It hurts to lean back against a chair, or lie down, or move.

Apparently massages are my kyptonite.

There have been a lot of sirens today

If you live in the world, you e probably heard that a soldier was murdered in Ottawa today, likely by the same person who then went into the Parliament Buildings.

I don't work downtown, really, but I'm both close to downtown and near the Queensway, and the first sign we had was one of my coworkers saying "there have been a lot of sirens today".

It turned out that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Much of downtown was under lockdown most of the day. We had updates from federal politicians ad provincial politicians and municipal politicians. The three police forces were all involved.

And now, almost twelve hours later, there's still a lot we don't know.

Two people died. Three were injured. Thousands were scared or worried. Hundreds were busy performing first aid or investigating or helping in some other way.

And, in the end, most of us made it home. Prayers for those who didn't.

Zzzzzz

I haven't been sleeping all that well lately.

Part of the problem is that I'm having odd dreams, the kind that combine snippets of work with bits of the rest of my life into something that makes no sense at all. (Apparently a lot of people are having odd dreams lately - is it the weather?)

The other part is my night guard. I got a new one in February, and I'm finding it hard to use. If I manage to fall asleep with it I my mouth (which is rare) I wake up with it somewhere else. I think part of it started when I got the new one - the plastic took a while to taste in-plasticky. And then... It just never got better.

The problem is that I know I'm supposed to use it, so I wake myself up wondering where it is.

Since it's been more than six months, though, I'd better figure it out.

Meet the meat

Back in July, I ordered a quarter of beef from a local farmer. It was estimated to arrive in September.

Three weekends ago, I cleaned out the freezer in preparation. I found a steak from 2008, some Girl Guide cookies so old I didn't recognize the box, and lots of ice.

The weekend after I cleaned out the freezer, I picked up the meat.

Let me tell you, a quarter is a lot of meat. I filled up the chest freezer and put more meat in the fridge freezer. The day after picking up the meat, I opened the freezer and Wanda yelled "if you're not looking for meat, good luck!"

But ... It's so nice to be able to pull something out of the freezer. We've had stew and steak and a roast and ground beef. I will still buy chicken and pork, but we've got enough beef for a long time.

With a freezer full of meat and vegetables delivered every two weeks, grocery shopping should be minimal, as well. Which is good for everyone, because I go after boxing when I'm all sweaty and gross.

Countdown

A couple of nights ago, my brain decided it would enjoy waking up at midnight. And I mean wide awake, not groggy and likely to fall back asleep. 

Since I needed to get up in the morning, this didn't seem like a good idea. I'd heard somewhere that one of the things that can help you fall asleep is if you count backwards from 100. I decided to try it.

100

99

My eye is on fire! (Rubs eye)

98

97

Why is my wrist bent like that? It hurts. (Moves wrist)

96

95

94

93

92

91

90

Where was I? Oh, right.

90

89

88

87

86

Look at me! I've got the hang of it now.

95

Wait. 95? Didn't I already say that? I've been counting for a while. It's probably 85.

85

84

83

...

...

...

Wait, I was counting? Why did I stop? Why am I still awake?

Pinterest

When I was sick in July, I joined Pinterest. (I couldn't do anything, so I figured I might as well spend time looking at things I couldn't do.)

It's a great place for ideas on how to repurpose things you no longer need, or to find recipes, or even for quotes and pictures.

And it has it's share of silly people - for example, the person who built a frame to cover her thermostat. There are several things wrong with that. The first one is that the average thermostat is out of the way and doesn't need to be covered.

The second thing is that by covering it, you're making it harder for it to measure the temperature I. The room, which is its whole reason for existing. Silly, silly people.

Lazing around

I've wanted more backyard furniture for a while, and once I bought the screen house, it was time.

I considered a bunch of options, and eventually decided to use the two pallets left over from the raised garden beds I made a couple of years ago. I started by building legs out of 2x4s, then I sanded down a pallet and painted everything.

I attached the legs to the pallet. This also gave me the advantage of being able to use the pallet as a workbench.

I added the frame for the back. (Did I mention that this was my first time using pocket holes?)

It took me a while to decide what I wanted to do for the back. Eventually I decided on 2x2s.

Then it was just a little paint and it was done.

Tales from the backyard

It feels like my summer has consisted of being sick, being sick, having company, and being sick. Not my best summer, is what I'm saying. (Because of the multiple viruses, not because of the company - the company was awesome.)

I did manage to do a few things around the house, though.

First of all, I planted tomatoes. We're right in the midst of tomato season, and they're awesome. 

 

 One one side of the house is an area that traditionally has been filled with weeds. It also contained the wheelbarrow I found behind the shed. After looking at it, I decided it was trash, and got rid of it this year. Then I pulled the weeds, put down newspaper, and covered it with mulch. Hopefully that will keep the weeds down for a while.

The backyard faces south, and it's usually too hot to use, so I started thinking about getting a gazebo. They're expensive, though, and a lot of work, so while I'm deciding what I ultimately want to do back there, I bought an awesome umbrella.

The visit

My mom and my niece B came to visit about ten days ago, and this time they brought my cousin's two girls, Star and Sky.

They had barely arrived when Star managed to get a nail though her shoe into her foot. I got to call her parents and say "they arrived. Also, for no particular reason, has Star had a tetanus shot?"

Day two we went to a paint-your-own-pottery place,  then my cousin arrived from Toronto. We spent the rest of the day close to home. I believe this was the day B skinned her knee.

Day three we went downtown (some of us on the bus) and saw the changing of the guard, toured the Parliament Buildings, and went to the market. No injuries.

Monday was Calypso, even though it was cold. (No lines!) Star scaped the bottom of her toe just before we left. Oh, and Wanda hurt her feet and spent the next few days hobbling around.

Tuesday morning, Sky woke me up around two because her ear was hurting. I gave her a painkiller and sent her to bed. It was better In the morning, which was good, because it was activity day. We made marshmallow catapults, bouncy balls, doll blankets, and rain. We stuck skewers in ziplock bags of water, stood on eggs, and blew up balloons with nerds and soft drinks. Also, B's mother joined us for supper, as she was unexpectedly in Ottawa for work. I think this might be the day Star stubbed her toe on the grass.

Wednesday, we went shopping, then out for supper one last time before B's mother went home.

Thursday, we went out to Star and Sky's great aunt's cottage. A lot of their relatives from that side of the family came out, so they were able to meet them, and they got to go in the kayak and inflatable boat in between rain showers. Just for fun, Sky stubbed her toe badly enough that it had to be taped up. I don't know that it was broken, but I don't know it wasn't. (Her great aunt is a nurse, so she did the taping.)

Friday, we went ringette shopping, stopped at Black's rapids for a few minutes to walk over the locks, and Wanda got stung by a wasp. After that fun, we went to the museum of science and technology. I got all the girls passes to the Saskatchewan science center for Christmas, which meant they could get in for free here. They made water rockets, ran on the hamster wheel, stumbled thorough the crazy kitchen, and walked through the trains. We then stopped at Hog's Back park, where they climbed an awesome climbing tree and no one got hurt.

And then Friday night, my niece and Star went to the park and B banged her foot on a metal bar. She hopped home, and I put ice on it. After fifteen minutes, I took the ice off and told her to stand up. There was an audible pop and she screamed.

And then she said "Auntie Colette, my foot is going numb".

It turns out the line between "suck it up" and "we are going to the hospital now" is just past "my foot is going numb and I can't wiggle my toes". I googled the address of the children's hospital and piggy-backed her to the car as Sky said "I'm dizzy."

As we checked in, the person registering us out me as a contact on B's file, since B's mom was back home. I said "good, I'm her favourite auntie", and B said - as always - "nope, you're not even on the list". The woman registering us gave me a bit of a look, and we had to explain that this is normal.

Less than two hours later, the doctor explained that it was a sprain and should be better within a day. Frankly, I didn't believe him. (I was ok with the sprain part, but who has ever heard of a sprain healing in two days?)

Saturday morning, Sky again complained about being dizzy, so we were off to the medi-clinic to deal with her ear infection. B came with us, hopping all the way, and sometime while we were getting Sky's prescription filled, B's foot got better - not 100%, but enough that she could walk. Yay! (Also, apologies, CHEO doctor.)

We had a little time in the afternoon, so we headed to Brittania beach. Since there was a Muslim festival going on, we had to park a ways away and take the shuttle. Luckily, the shuttle was a double-decker bus, so that was fun.

Sunday we took the train to Montreal, where we walked through Old Montreal and went to that science center. B's foot was hurting, so we didn't get to see as much as we might have otherwise, but they enjoyed it.

Monday, we played glow-in-the-dark mini-golf, and then decided to go back to the beach. Sadly, that's when the thunder storm hit, so Wanda took the girls to a movie instead. (No one got hit by lightning.)

This morning, everyone packed, then we took the bus downtown to meet Wanda for lunch, because she went back to work today. After lunch, we had a bit of rest time before it was time to go. We were halfway to the airport when we realized B forgot her ipad. I dropped them off, and mom got them checked In and in the line for security while I raced home. I made it back and gave the ipad to mom, who made it through the line for security with minutes to spare.

I'd better be on the list now.

Fan of the fan

This weekend, I bought a new fan.

I know, the excitement never ends around here.

(Personally, I found it exciting that I was functional all weekend, but I understand other people are not as thrilled with that as I was.)

Anyway, I love the fan. It's my favourite thing. It's a tower fan, and it's quiet, which makes the timer function really handy so it isn't running 24/7.

I don't run the air conditioning during the day when I'm not here, so it's nice to come home and turn on the fan.

It even makes shredding less awful. I really need to start doing that every year or so. (I am currently shredding cheques with my old address on them. I moved 14 years ago.)

I've had my blood pressure taken 14 times in the last three weeks

Two and a half weeks ago, I fainted in the shower. My first though was "something really bad has happened". My second thought was "I was in the middle of doing something, what was it?" My third thought was "wait ... Am I lying down in the shower?"

This is, apparently, a big deal.

I went to the doctor, and she ordered a bunch of tests (and ran me though six cycles of the blood pressure machine). I was banned from driving, as well.

I'd fainted on Sunday, and it didn't get in to the doctor until Wednesday. (Yes, I should probably have gone to the ER, but ... I didn't.)

On Thursday, I had book club, and I wasn't really feeling well, but I was tired, and I figured that's just how it goes.

On Friday, I went to work, and I lasted two hours. One of my coworkers drove me home. I spent the rest of the day resting.

For the next five days, I felt like someone had reached into my abdomen and squeezed my stomach every time I sat up or stood.

In the meantime, I had figured out that whatever was going on was something I'd caught. And I remembered that the three weekends immediately before getting sick, I had been outside. 

In Wednesday, I felt a little better so I went back to the doctor to make sure it wasn't West Nile or Lyme disease. The doctor agreed that it was a virus but didn't think additional testing was required.

 (Did I mention that I was off work last week? I was.)

For the next few days, I could sit up a little, but I had no energy.

On Sunday afternoon, I finally felt better.

I went back to the doctor today to confirm everything was ok. I had to leave early to catch all of the bus connections, so I didn't sleep well. The good news is that shre gave me the go-ahead to resume my normal activities.

The bad news is that the lack of sleep means today was not a good day.

Apparently, there's a nasty virus going around. But then I already knew that.

Canoe camp

This weekend was canoe camp. We travelled on the Rideau canal: http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/map-waterway.html

We left on Friday from Edmunds lock station and paddled to Kilmarnock.

Saturday morning, we got up and went through the lock on our way to Merrickville. It was a little cold and it rained on the way, but we persevered. By the time we got through all three locks in Merrickville, it was 4:30. The girls went off on a scavenger hunt in town.

Sunday morning, we were back on our way. We went through three more locks on our way to Burritts Rapids and arrived before one. By 2:30 we had everything packed up and the girls started to leave.

It was a good trip.

Uninvited guests

When Wanda and I went to Florida, we came back to find the garbage can tipped over and the garbage bag ripped open. Wanda cleaned it up and discovered that something had chewed a hole in the lid.

I decided to do nothing about it.

The garbage has been tipped over a couple of times since then, which is more than usual.

And then tonight I was walking into the backyard when I heard a rattling sound. I look over at the garbage can, which was beside the BBQ. The can was upright but the lid was on the ground.

I walked over and nestled inside was a young raccoon.

I might have yelped.

I think it's time to buy a new garbage can.

(The raccoon was annoyed at being asked to leave, but he left.)

Two down, one to go

I mentioned that my Pathfinders were in Toronto last weekend.

That wasn't the end of our year - just the beginning of the end. This weekend was canoe training- 9-5 both Saturday and Sunday. 

Naturally, I started getting a cold on Tuesday. By Friday afternoon, I was miserable. Yesterday morning I woke up feeling ok, but by noon I was not doing well. I mad a point of doing my canoe over canoe rescue yesterday in case I didn't make it back today. (The hardest part is getting back in the canoe, but I did it!) 

This morning I felt worse, but the cold medicine worked well and I survived. It even waited until I was on my way home to wear off, which was great.

Next week: canoe camp.

And then we are done.

I told my co-leader that if she calls me on the 21st and tells me I have to do something for pathfinders, I will cry.

A wild weekend

This weekend, my Pathfinders travelled to Toronto for a rally with 8000 other Girl Guides. We left on Friday and stayed at a camp about 75 minutes from our destination. 

I typically don't sleep well the first night,so I was awake at 4 when some local cows started mooing. One of them sounded odd, but I didn't think about it too much since it was 4 am.

I also heard the crows, but I missed the coyotes.

When we got up in the morning, we found out that we had been visited by a moose - which when you are awake, don't sound very much like cows.  And then one of the girls got up and said that when she went to the bathroom in the night, she saw a dog come out of the woods. Apparently, it looked like a husky.

Probably not a dog.

All in all, more wildlife than I'd expected for a trip to Toronto.

This is my last free weekend until June 21.  The next three weekends are booked solid for Pathfinders.

It starts on Friday. We're getting on a bus and heading to Toronto for a province-wide rally all day Saturday. ("All day" means we leave the camp at 7 am and get back at 11 pm - it will be exhausting).

The next weekend is canoe training - 9-5 both Saturday and Sunday.

The weekend after that is canoe camp.

All of these are going to be good events, and I definitely want to  go to all of them, but man I wish there was a free weekend in there.

At one point, my manager was talking about us going to India on June 16 - i.e. the day after canoe camp - and I almost lost my mind. Luckily, that was moved to August.

I spent my last relaxing weekend finishing up the various house projects that I started before Easter. I hung blinds in the second bedroom, made another Roman blind, and put an empty bin downstairs. I even started getting organized for next weekend (although I'm not done by any means).

I also took apart a desk I made in high school.

I like it, but it takes up a lot of space. Wanda wanted the desk part, and it (finally) occurred to me that if I removed the sides, they could be used as separate book shelves.

Of course, it wasn't that easy. Each of the two sides had 2 casters, not four, so they wouldn't stand up without the middle section.  Thirty seconds after I realized that, I was on my way to Rona to buy 4 more casters.

Except, of course, I made the desk 25 years ago, and I suspect the casters were scavenged from somewhere by my dad, so they were even older. Rona had nothing the same size, so I removed 2 casters from one side and put 4 new casters on that side, then moved the 2 from that side onto the other side. Simple to do, and now most of the desk is downstairs (and one side remains upstairs).

It wasn't a super busy day, but I got a lot done.

Wednesday Walk

 

As I've mentioned before, the gym at work has classes at noon. I usually do the classes, but I don't really like the Wednesday class. I used to go anyway, but I don't like it, so I stopped.

That doesn't mean I don't want a break, though, so now that it's (finally) nice, I've decided to start going for walks on Wednesdays.

Today I walked over to Dow's Lake to see the last of the tulips.

  

 

The pictures turned out better than expected, considering that I can hardly see my phone display in the sun. 

The saga continues

Remember the table saga? 

After I got the desk together, I realized that the black futon from the other bedroom would look good in that room. It made sense, too - the newly painted room is bigger than the other room.

Except ... my mom is bringing my nieces and my cousin's two girls this summer. It makes sense to put the three girls in the bigger bedroom. But if I moved the futon, there would be no bed in the smaller room. I'm fine with the girls sleeping on air mattresses, but is didn't think my mom would appreciate it.

Ok, move the futon, and get another bed for the small room.

But before I could put a new bed in that room, I had to paint.

Again.

I spent a couple of nights painting, and then I went back to IKEA. I came home with a day bed. Wanda and I spent a couple of days putting it together.

Next I had to figure out the windows. When I painted the smaller bedroom, I took down some white blinds. They could go back up, so I started hanging the brackets.

One broke.

Did you know Home Depot sells extra brackets? Neither did they, but they helped me find them, anyway. I came home and hung the blinds, then decided to make roman blinds to go over them. I found these instructions: http://jenduncan.typepad.com/whats_new/2008/11/roman-blind-tutorial-in-20-pictures-or-less.html.

I went out and bought fabric, and wood, and the rings for the back, but the fabric wasn't wide enough, so I decided to make a scalloped edge - something like this: http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/tutorial-scalloped-hem.

On Sunday, I started making the first set of blinds. At 6:30, I realized I didn't buy eyelet screws. Naturally, this was the day before the holiday.

Tonight I stopped on the way home to buy them, and I finished the first blind.

I can't decide if I like the soft look or if I want more structure on the next one.

A very productive weekend

There is a tree right beside my driveway. Over the years, it has gotten bigger, as trees do, until it reached a point where it was invading the driveway space. 

If I parked the car beside it, Wanda would complain that I parked her in a tree. It made mowing the lawn difficult as well.

Today I cut off the lower branches so that I can now walk under the tree.

 

Wanda came out and helped me cut up and bundle the branches for pickup. 

 

And as you can see, there's still a lot of tree left.

 

Something is afoot

A couple of weeks ago, I went to buy new runners. This is always a challenge. They need to be cross-trainers, not too heavy, with a relatively flat bottom. Oh, and they have to fit.

Let me back up a little.

When I was in grade seven, my mom bought me a pair of size eight runners so that I could grow into them. I never did. I remained size 7, and wore out those too big shoes. In fact, sometimes 6.5 worked just fine.

Anyway, when the salesperson asked what size I wore, I said 7. She suggested that she measure me, which she did. She came up with normal width, size 7.5.

Oddly, that's what happened last summer when I bought shoes for work, so when I ended up with 7.5s again, I actually started to wonder whether shoe companies had randomly changed their sizes.

And then I came home and put the new shoes beside the old ones. They are noticeably bigger.

I don't understand why they both fit.