Yikes! $3800 for squirrel removal!!

It ain’t gonna happen. I’ll look into an estimate to redo the roof instead; the money can be better applied there, seeing it has to be done eventually anyway. It would be renovated during nice weather, so those little scoundrels can escape and find another home to raise their families. The roofers will be warned to CLOSE it up right this time, avoiding any more move-ins. The person who came to do the estimate was very nice, honest, and knew what he was talking about (plus he likes dogs, that alone an A in my book). He suggested that only a new roof could guarantee that they won’t just gnaw another entrance.

It’s a beautiful, sunny day here. I heard my first flock of Canadian geese flying over this morning; I look forward to that each year even if it means my winter is gone, although you wouldn’t know it looking around my place. We still have plenty of snow on the ground, but there is none in the village. It seems I’m always the last person wearing boots. Everyone else at work has been arriving wearing shoes for the last two weeks.

Late last year I went to an optometrist where I was told that I had the beginning of glaucoma. They made an appointment for laser surgery. That was done in December, but it seems to me that my eyesight has deteriorated more since then. When I contacted my usual optic place today, I was told nobody could see me before July, so I called around and finally succeeded for a booking for the end of May. Is that a COVID thing too?  Does it take longer to see any type of professional than it used to? Or maybe I notice it more because I didn’t need them as often as I do now? Is this another benefit of getting older? (sigh) Them’s the breaks, I guess.

It was great to spend the day home with the mouthy bird and the beasts. I cleaned up some outside and they were happy to romp around, carrying their bones from one end of their yard to the other – zommies incorporated. The bird gave me her morning cuddles and has been reasonably quiet otherwise. I rewarded her by playing some parrot calls on YouTube for a half hour or so; she preens and answers them.

Tomorrow is another work day, then I am off until Sunday. Wouldn’t you know it – the forecast is for rain right up until I go back to work? Ah well, right now I’ve switched my YouTube to Rod Stewart’s velvet voice, poured a glass of wine, and the Jacuzzi is calling…so I’m SMILING!

Sending them out to y’all, wrapped in some soul music!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC

Yesterday’s work was MUCH better! Even if I was up since 3:30 AM, I had ingested Tylenol before leaving, another dose halfway through the shift, and gratefully finished just a little after the 2:30 PM scheduled. Little Flea was waiting for me with her mummy. She clambered into the car seat with a huge smile but, once again, coughs and congestion. As we drove home I warned her that Mémère wanted no more of her cold germs, so cuddling today was out of the question.

Like that happened! I admit she did do her best, but she had so much to tell me and show me, all of which is impossible to achieve with a distance between us. There was also the dog hugging; she sympathized with their having to stay alone while I was gone. Extra pats were called for. I wasn’t going to wash down each beast, so if the germs were distributed there, we’ll take the consequences.

Daddy arrived earlier than usual. I prepared some steak subs for supper, then off home they went, carrying some take-out for mummy, who would finish work later. Karen and I messaged a bit, but I was into bed early and slept like a log. I’ve been up since 2:30 AM, but I only go in this afternoon after 3:00, so all is good. There is still some dog pooh to pick up outside, but I did most of it on the weekend, whatever wasn’t still frozen into the ice, so it shouldn’t take long, and I’ll have time to visit my bed again before having to dress and go in.

I like the late shifts, mainly because of my irregular snooze habits, but it means I’ll be late for both tonight and Thursday night’s hockey games. Tomorrow I am off – there’s just the squirrel removal dude who should show up ‘between 9:00 and 1:00’ (don’t you just hate when they do that?) –  so unless I’m too tired, I’ll be able to catch the game later this evening on Express.

My daughter and her SO had to empty his mother’s condo last night, and it’s the first time they’ve been back since the funeral, so we knew it would be an emotional issue. They didn’t finish too late, but she still begins work at 5 AM, and tells me she has a headache. The poor girl inherited migraines from her dad, so we really hope that isn’t what is happening now. Anyone afflicted with those knows how debilitating they can be.

Dishes were not done after supper; first task on the list this morning. I’ll get to it now, and I haven’t quite completed the plan for the International Company’s registration that I want to get back to them before noon. Wishing you all a good day, and sending out the SMILES, hoping they contribute!

LOVE FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC

I worked today. I was once able to leap out of bed, grab a shower, and have some sort of breakfast before traveling whatever distance to the office, all within a reasonable lapse of time. Not anymore. The older I get, the longer I need just to become aware of my surroundings. I’m up, but not awake. Function capacity is near zero until at least one coffee is consumed; sometimes it takes more than one. I’ve been setting my alarm for 3 hours earlier than I really need to be mobile. Granted, there’s caring for Bird and Beasts before leaving, and verify that nothing is lying around to be grabbed and chewed by Elie, but I used to do these things with 3 kids to prepare also.  This slowdown is frustrating, but gotta live with it.

Today was just one of THOSE days. I was tired, achy, and very busy. Nearly anything that could go wrong DID go wrong. I wished I was home in bed.

I’m home now. I received a boisterous and loving welcome from my animals (including the bird), soaked in a hot Jacuzzi to ease the pains, a bit of supper, and am savouring a glass of red wine. There’s no hockey tonight, so bedtime won’t be late. They booked me for 5 days this week, but happily tomorrow it’s an early shift so that I can pick up Little Flea after school and we’ll enjoy magic together until my son comes to get her after his route.

And now it is snowing out there, so I’m SMILING!

Sharing the SMILES. They may be yawning, but are sincere.

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.

Karen messaged me late Thursday to tell me she had arrived safely at her destination. The last trip she had travelled by train, but on Wednesday, because winter is hardly a threat on the highways now, she decided to drive down on her own, wisely stopping over for a night at her brother’s, which is halfway between here and her son’s place in Toronto.

Her youngest is into sports; in fact, it was while staying with him a short time ago that Karen rekindled her enthusiasm for Basketball (which she, in turn, passed on to me), but her oldest has different interests, therefore no sports channels. Like many our age, she is not that adept at streaming over the internet, so it was agreed that I would keep her up to date for both Basketball and Hockey. It seems her youngest did the same, for The Raptors game last night anyway, so she knew the score already when I sent her a text about their win. Instead of discussing the highlights of their play, she had other news.

The daddy of her twin grandchildren had gone to Miami, Florida at the beginning of the week on a necessary business trip. When he got home on Thursday, he tested positive for COVID. He immediately self-isolated away from home, went to the clinic today for more testing and….well, both Karen and the maternal grandmother are already there to stay with the twins while he and his wife were to fly out on Monday for a 10 day vacation, the first time in five years, since the twins were born actually, that they would be away on their own.  How disappointing!

Everything is up in the air now, of course. Karen has not seen her son, they have been communicating only by text, and I guess he is waiting on news from the clinic to decide what can be done. It’s certain that they can’t leave the country as planned, but maybe spend the time away from the house in a local destination? No matter what takes place, Karen will get tested before coming home as a precaution, and has the intention to isolate downstairs for a two week period when she gets here. We both laughed, thinking of the beasts’ reaction when they hear us communicating by Facetime, with us being in the same residence but one upstairs, the other down.

Other than that, my son and Little Flea were here for supper, the regular Friday night visit, and that little minx left me stickers of her two favorite Pokémon characters, a subtle hint that I should maybe read up on it so that I would know what she’s always chattering about? I had to write down their names so I could remember to research the right ones; there are so many of them in that series and she knows each of them, so I have to get it right. There will be no winging it – Little Flea will not be fooled. That child never fails to make me SMILE.

Sharing the SMILES, folks. Wishing you all a great weekend!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.

I carried my laziness a bit too far. After doing not much during the daylight hours, I watched the Basketball game last night, then went into Netflix and binged on 4 movies. Yep, you read that right. FOUR! Back to back. So…ended up getting to bed at 6:30 this morning, knowing already that I would be quite useless for the rest of the day.

And yes, it was ‘sucky’ movies, the feel-good ones. Anything with animals will make the grade, as long as the animal is alive at the end of it. Comedy, rag to riches, or from arrogant riches back to basic goodness, people surviving odds to come out a winner, most sci-fi  – all those can hold my interest. Once upon a time I would enjoy the war or mafia stuff, but maybe the age card is changing what I want to do with my wasted time. Give me laughter or tears, but not fears and disgust.

Speaking of war… I don’t believe that I told you about the incident with my mouthy bird on Monday? I was just leaving for work when I realized that I hadn’t refreshed the water in the cage. I knew Karen couldn’t do it, Pistache still tries to bite her if she’s even close, so I quickly walked over and reached in to remove the bowl. Too quickly maybe? My hand was no sooner there than she flew at me, squawking, and bit me HARD. It HURT, and was bleeding from both puncture marks. Shocked reaction on my part, I yelled then immediately doused her with the water that was left in the bowl. I was furious, scolding her all the while I doctored the bite, then walked back with the bowl full of water and doused her again. She was screeching at me and I was screeching back – fishwives or what? My temper didn’t do me any favors – I had to hurry to change and clean the bottom of her cage before I could go, and finally got to work with only 5 minutes to spare. I felt guilty for the rest of the day, of course; no matter how nasty her behaviour, she is only a bird. I am supposed to be the all wise human caretaker here. When I got home that night and approached her, she backed off, not coming for any cuddling at all, so I let her be, knowing that it could take a day or two for us to regain our trust in each other. The next morning I talked to her softy as I opened the cage doors, then stood quietly. She was hesitant, but slowly came to me to offer her morning loving, rubbing her head under my chin, mumbling ‘Hello Pistache’ over and over, as usual. She got a few more treats than normal that day. Apologies done, and amends have been made, and that makes me SMILE.

It was nice to get some SMILES back!!  A repeat?

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC

A beautiful day out there – sunny with blue, blue skies and temperatures just right for a light jacket or bulky sweater. The forecast would spoil it though, calling for freezing rain all night leading into a wet couple of days. On the bright side (for some) that will probably rid the area of the snow still lying around. There isn’t much left in town, but out here in the bush we still have banks of the once white stuff, now mostly a dirty brown. All good things come to an end.

Karen was leaving for her two week grandchild sitting at noon, so last night we sat and chatted after the hockey game. I had listened to the second period on the way home from work, arrived in time to see the third and, even if we lost, we played hard and it was fun to watch. The chatting began when it was over; you would think we would run out of things to say, seeing each other so much every day, but no.  And if we repeat ourselves, as older folks tend to do, well…neither of us complains. In fact, we get a good laugh about it.

Karen: “I think I have told you this already…”

Me: “Only about a dozen times, but that’s ok…”

Karen: “Yeh well, like you told me about blah blah blah a dozen times too….”

Me: “I think it was 14 times – I’m a couple up on you…”

Karen: “Two of a kind…”

Me: “Except I talk louder…”

Laughter. This all accompanied by a glass or two of red wine. How precious are moments with close friends?

I’m off now until Sunday, but the people contacted me again about setting up the Canadian branch of their International Company. I had sent them the information and the links if they wanted to do it on their own, but they have requested that I take care of it, so it will be a busy 3 or 4 days to complete the paperwork. Today, however, is a lazy, recuperating day.  I did some cooking, read a bit, slept a bit more and spent much of the time with my hot bean bag tied around my waist, soothing my back. Days like this make me SMILE!

Sending the SMILES out to you, umbrella and all!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.

Yesterday was much better, even if I didn’t get the extra hour of sleep. I dosed with Tylenol before leaving for work, and the humidity was lower, so all in all the shift went well. I had been careful to put most of the cabbage from last night’s beef stew aside; I love the stuff but it makes me toot, not such a good idea to consume before spending time in public. Fortunately the couple of forkfuls that I did eat only began to take effect shortly before I was to leave the premises, and the industrial fans there are running continually and loud enough to camouflage any noise I emitted; even more fortunate that there was no smell associated, right?

When I arrived home, my Little Flea was already here with Karen, and she told me about the naughty boy at her school who threw ice onto the street. It reminded me of when my 3 were little tykes and the stories I would hear then; a pang of nostalgia for a fleeting moment. No, I wouldn’t have the energy to go back and do all that over again, but the memories are wonderful.

My son stopped in to pick up his daughter and he joined us for supper. I had prepared chicken fajitas (Karen had already prepped all the veggies, so it was easy and quick) and they left early, taking a doggy bag to his wife, who would be just finishing her late afternoon shift too.

The Canadian Raptors were playing basketball against Boston, so we watched our team pull off a difficult win; difficult mostly because of the blatant anti-Raptor officiating which, according to Karen, who gave me the bug for this sport, is a regular thing against the only Canadian team in that league. One of the reasons this post is mostly about my ordinary day is to avoid my getting on a soapbox and saying exactly what I feel about such a display of prejudiced conduct by the referees. Well, except for this paragraph anyway – a very short stint on the soapbox, we’ll say.

I finally got to bed around midnight, then woke at 3 AM, and toured Blogit to read, and to write. I go in for 2:30 this afternoon, so I intend to catch more winks after chatting by Messenger with my daughter, a regular habit each morning at 5 AM.  She is a very busy lady and it’s one way of keeping in touch daily.

That is done, and I’ve just signed off with her, so I’ll do the same here, and send you my SMILES, wish you a great day, and now attempt to chase down Morpheus!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC

Yesterday was harsh! It has been raining and cold for the past 3 days and humidity hovered around the 100% mark for the duration, causing every bone in my body to remind me about the many knocks they took with the contact sports I played in my youth. Ouch!

My poor Mommy, the oldest beast here, has some dementia, and she woke me at 3:30 AM, whining; I imagine she got down to get some water and couldn’t find her way back to her cozy spot. It didn’t help that Elie growls at her for the disturbance. By the time I had things settled, I was awake, and there is no use staying to toss and turn under the blankets. I got up, but paid for it the rest of the day by being tired and sore while attempting to smile nicely at the customers.

Before leaving in the morning I had loaded my slow cooker with beef and veggies. Sunday nights are a regular supper with my Little Flea and her daddy, and the meal would be ready when I got to the house just before they were scheduled to arrive. My son offered to call their visit off but no; I won’t let work interfere with my home life more than absolutely necessary! That happened too many times in the past, and I’ve vowed to myself that it wouldn’t do so in the future.

A hot Jacuzzi, a couple of cups of coffee, and the chatter over a good meal had desired results. After their departure. I managed to stay awake to watch a great hockey game, but begged off for the finals of the curling tournament, swallowed some Tylenol and crashed into bed with the beasts. We slept soundly until 4 AM. I’m up now, have started a fire, noted that the humidity is only 68% (I didn’t really have to read it – my bones had already told me), and will attempt another hour or two of snooze time before starting my shift at 10 AM.

Life is good, and that makes me SMILE.

Sharing that SMILE with you, as always.

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.

How is the seating around the table done in your home? Does each person sit in that one place for meals, or maybe even every time you gather together?

When we were kids on the farm, my foster grandmother would sit at one end of the long kitchen table, with my grandfather at the head. Come to think of it, for some reason he sat with his back close to the cooking stove, while Grandma, even if she was doing the stirring and serving, would be at the end farthest away. The rest of us, all foster children of various ages, would be spread out on each side, but not just anywhere; each of us had a specific place at that table, and we would stare aghast at anyone who dared sit in OUR chair. Guests would be allocated a space that was not already designated for one of us. I don’t believe there was any set rule; that is just the way it was.

The question came to me when I wrote yesterday about the squirrel’s attempt to work its way through the ceiling, and the ensuing mess that fell on Karen’s chair. There are 10 chairs at this table, but that one is where you’ll find Karen when she comes upstairs. I’m at one end, the one giving me a view of outside, the whole dining room area and the kitchen, the stairs going up to the guest bedroom, and the bird cage and the dog couch, as well as the television. My choice is more or less a necessity.

When my youngest son was living here with the 3 Rugrats, they also tended to gravitate to the same place, meal after meal, as did my children when they were little. On occasion I would find one of the boys on my chair, and I suspected it was a bid for attention; most of the time I was right. Even now, my Little Flea will slip into that one place, Mémère’s chair, knowing that we will share it (she cuddles on my knee), or when she is waiting for me to finish whatever I am doing because she has something to tell me and wants to make sure that I listen.

I doubt this is unique to our family. Do you always sit in the same place at your table? What about other members of your flock? Is it restricted to meal times, or do you have a specific place when in your living room too?

It comes down to habit, I suppose, and as is my habit when I sign off, I’m sending y’all SMILES, hoping they will warm your day…or your chair.

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.

Karen came upstairs, carrying coffee, and was making her way to the dining room table. She stopped short. “What is that?” she asked, pointing towards the chair she uses whenever up here. I leaned over to get a look. The seat in question was sprinkled with what looked like crumbs of drywall but, on closer inspection…

“Oh no!” I answered, then warily, I looked up. Sure enough, there is the beginning of a hole in the beehive ceiling – the squirrels have decided to extend their territory. Within seconds a reel of imagines spun in my mind; the squirrel making it through the opening, crawling down where she would find a prey driven Elizabeth (Elie for short) who, like a cat, would stand there silently watching until the little rodent would be more or less in reach. The ensuing chase would demolish my house. Elie is my youngest female Pitbull, and as sweet as she can be, she is not only very fast, she is extremely intense, especially on a chase. She would probably excel as a well-trained pursue dog in the Police Canine Unit; she just won’t give up.

Needless to add that I did an immediate search on Google for help. I found a company who promises to remove the little rascals safely, without killing them, then will clean and disinfect the area where they’re squatting before sealing up any hole that could encourage a return. I spoke to the owner by phone and they guarantee their work, assuring me that even baby squirrels found (it’s that time of year) would also be rescued without hurt. Someone will come to check out what needs to be done on April 6^th, then give me an estimate, and I’m not looking forward to the cost of it all, but needs must. It may require a second part time job. UGH!

If my youngest is reading this, I know he can suggest a much cheaper way, as well as he knows I will refuse his method. He, being a hunter, is very pragmatic about existing with our wildlife whereas I’m a big softie. Besides, they are only trying to survive, and I enjoy watching them scamper in the yard. I just don’t want to share my living space with them. Knowing they are relocated without harm will let me sleep with a clear conscience, and that makes me SMILE.

Your share of SMILES is being delivered by the Dunany Demons today, so I propose that you unfold your umbrella before catching, please!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC