I haven’t stopped blogging.

The past couple of days I have not been 100%. Maybe not even 50%.

Some things needed to be done, of course; my beasts and bird would not be impressed if they were not fed, the fires have to be built and, because I had promised speed, the first steps of the contract I accepted were on a priority list. Anything more than that was touch and go.

My boys and my Little Flea are to come for spareribs tomorrow afternoon, so I’m thinking I’ll forego the hockey game tonight and see if Morpheus will play nice. A long, sound sleep could only help.

I will be back, folks, and I will be SMILING!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC

The day got away from me yesterday. I was full of good intentions when first out of bed, my to-do list strategically placed …but things happen.

I have accepted a work contract and there were calls to be made with the purpose of gathering information needed by the client; unfortunately most of it from government sources who, because of Covid, are not immediately available. Messages were left but not much was really resolved.

I did manage to belatedly deliver the birthday cheesecake to my 81 year old lady, spending some time to chat, of course, and to deliver another food package to a housebound friend; more chatting there. It had been scheduled for last week but didn’t happen for health reasons, and I was feeling guilty, so catching up was called for.

Not long after I arrived home, my son dropped by to carry in some wood, and to tell me that his oncology appointment has been brought forward to Thursday (Yes!!), which is good news. The sooner the better! Then the telephone – a very dear, old friend who I do not talk to often enough, and no way was I going to miss out on that!

My widow with the cellulitis/sepsis problem? She is back in the hospital where they are trying to control the infection with antibiotics by intravenous, and many texts flew back and forth, encouragement the only thing one can offer at the moment.

I made the mistake of checking on Facebook, read about the unvaccinated truckers protesting their lack of ‘freedom’, and couldn’t help but put my two cents in there, which ended up costing several useless minutes of discussion. Like Sassyass wrote today, people only want to hear THEIR opinion coming out of YOUR mouth. It actually ended okay for me; because of the rant I exchanged some views with one of my sisters on Messenger, always enjoyable conversation with a decent exchange of ideas.

I was looking forward to the hockey game at 8 PM. My enthusiasm for the sport is like an escape from the daily chuff.  Not last night. My team was so badly out manoeuvered that I turned off the TV before it was over. UGH!

Bedtime it was. A stint in the Jacuzzi, then crawling under the warm blankets and feeling the 3 beasts cuddle up around me… and there it was. Another reason to SMILE!

Sharing with y’all, and I’ll be sure to find more SMILE occasions today!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC

It was 8 AM when Mummy arrived with Little Flea; earlier than usual so to enable setting up the laptop for the tele-school Grade One class. It was my initiation to online learning because Mummy usually works later shifts, when school is already over for the day.

Although I did think to put the beasts in another part of the house while the morning class was being held, I belatedly realized that I should have settled Little Flea with the window behind her, instead a view of the whole dining/kitchen area, nor did I remember to click on the microphone to keep whatever noise was happening here out of the classroom. Pistache, the mouthy parrot, was into her morning screech before I heard the teacher ask Miko to please close her microphone, this amid the sound of the giggles of other children participating in the class.

Oops!

I reached over Miko’s shoulder to click the sound off, and it was then I saw what the teacher and kids were seeing; my granddaughter’s sweet little face with a background scene of a sleepy granny, garbed in a chunky housecoat, morning hair askew, eye glasses on the end of her nose, and coffee cup in hand. The only thing missing was the curling rollers. As I ducked as quickly as I could out of view, I wondered how long they had been watching me waddling around the counter, measuring out ingredients for the bread making, wiping down the stainless garbage can, snatching up the rear of my housecoat to attach the heated beanbag around my lower back….

Great Scott!

When the afternoon session began, you can be sure the laptop was facing the opposite way, and I had instructed Miko how to manipulate the sound. It was mathematics, and questions were shown on the screen with each child to give their answer when the teacher called their name. Until the calculations to be done were not to be answered vocally. Instead the kids were to do the action shown in a little picture beneath the correct amount. One of those amounts pictured the child doing pushups. Miko jumped out of her chair and onto the floor. It took 2 seconds for Sam (Damn – I had forgotten to shut the beasts away) to join her, thinking she was playing. Even the teacher was laughing by the time I could get Sam away from his favorite playmate and she could get up again. It was 10 minutes earlier than scheduled when the poor lady decided to call it a day, telling the children she would see them online tomorrow. I guess the attention span had been disturbed by the antics in the bush.

Later, when Mummy came to pick up her daughter, I told her about the rather eventful school episode. “And Sam can come to Grade One now,” declared Little Flea. “He answered the question correctly too!”

Yes, we both agreed. That, he did!

And Mummy and I both SMILED.

Sending our SMILES out to y’all, with a Sam tail-wag!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC

I never used to pay attention to coupons and sales all that much while I was working; usually being in a hurry, I would just nip into the grocery store, grab what I wanted, and that was that. Karen, the good influence, introduced me to the habit of checking the flyers, paper or online, making a list of what was on sale in which supermarket, and buying in bulk when the price was worth it.

So, before leaving this morning, I checked and noted that some of the things I needed were listed at a decent price. It was when the cashier told me the total that I decided to do what I rarely do, and stop at the door to make sure the reduced prices had been the ones charged. They were not, so back I go to my very nice (and new) lady who had served me to show her the error. She couldn’t explain what had happened, but called another store employee to do so, and I was flabbergasted to learn that some of those products required a coupon with its barcode loaded onto my cellphone. ONLY that method would allow your discount. Even more frustrating, each barcode could only be used ONCE, so no stocking up from the advantage of a good sale.

WHAT?? Since when?

This patient, sweet person took the time and effort to scroll with me through my cellphone, download the app, and register the barcodes I needed while listening to me whine about neglecting those who needed the best prices most, such as the elderly and those families with a very limited budget, maybe not having access to cellphones, or not being tech-savvy enough to work with this kind of application. She agreed with me when I mentioned that during this dangerous Covid nonsense, some of the elderly or injured mandated others to do their shopping. Were they supposed to hand over their cellphone (if they have one), give that person their passwords, therefore access to all their information, to enable their benefiting from a penny saved? And how did it work for pickup orders?

Being just an employee she evidently couldn’t answer me, but suggested I contact the administration with my concerns, before directing me to the customer service for my reimbursement. The young girl at the service counter gave me attitude when I told her I only wanted the articles covered by the barcode coupons – here, you can take all these back. I quickly explained what had happened, and she snarked back “Well look, everybody carries their cells with them!” A senior man waiting beside me declared, “Says who? Never could figure out how to use those damned things!” He appeared more insulted than yours truly!

The girl-child harrumphed, then turned away to calculate the amount of my return. She no sooner had her back to us than the man slipped just the edge of his phone from his pocket, winked at me, then slipped it away again.

“We never know where we’re going to find a champion.” I told him, and we two dinosaurs SMILED.

Sending it out to you folks. Hope it warms your day a little!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC

My son’s golf tournament did happen, and her mommy brought Little Flea to me before she went to work at 3:00. The child has some imagination! She is really into a Japanese cartoon called Pokemon. There are over a 100 characters involved and she knows them all, what they do, how they evolve, and all sorts of information that leaves me way behind!

The first period of hockey was just starting when she began telling me which of the Pokemon characters suited each person of the family. Her dad, of course, then her mom, then herself and certain of her friends.

“Which one could I be?” I asked her, my eyes glued to the game.

“Well, what do you like to do? Your most favorite thing.” She answered. I didn’t have to think about it much.

“Sleep!” I told her. “Which one sleeps whenever they want?”

“Hmm.” She pondered for a few minutes, then came up with a name which, for the life of me, I can’t swear on now. In my defense, I was trying to watch the TV at the same time. I do believe the name was Snorlax.

“He loves to sleep!” she declared. She took my face between her 2 hands and turned it away from the television and towards her. Looking into my eyes, she giggled. “He also loves to eat!”

“Okay! I can handle that!” I decide. “I like to eat.”

“But he’s got a big round belly, Mémère! He’s chubby.” She was watching me for a reaction, leaning with her elbows on my knees by now, totally obstructing the TV, of course.

“My belly isn’t that big. Little Flea. Not yet. Maybe I’m Snorlax on a diet?” She was thinking about it, then shook her head no. That wouldn’t work. She didn’t want me to be disappointed in Snorlax, though, and grinned at me as she began to dance around my chair.

“But he dances when he’s awake, Mémère. And…” her eyes sparkling with glee, she added in a lower tone, “he’s psychic!”

Darn – did Gally just score a goal?

“Well then, that’s definitely me, Little Flea! I’d like to be a psychic.” Her increased dancing around and giggling told me I had the right answer. “And with my psychic abilities, I just know that Karen wants to be a Pokemon character too. Maybe you should find out which one she is?”

That’s all it took. Karen, who was sitting at the table, ignoring us and intent on her cellphone, had no choice but to lift her head and engage, and I could finally concentrate on the game, where the first period was just ending.

I do believe that it took all of the 2^nd period for them to determine which of the Pokemon personages would suit Karen. I never did find out who it was. By the 3^rd period, all this talk about it decided Little Flea to watch the real thing on the IPad, so I was able to watch my HABS terminate the game with a win, by which time mommy was here to have some supper and bring Little Flea home for a very late bedtime.

“Sorry, Mémère,” said Mommy. “I know there was a hockey game tonight. Did you see any of it?”

“Yes, some of it.” I looked at Little Flea and winked. “Anyway, I knew they would win. I’m a Pokemon, so I’m now a psychic.”

Little flea giggled, and we all SMILED.

Sharing it with you, Folks, delivered on the wings of Pokemon!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.

The weather station is calling for a full day of rain, so I’m wondering if my son’s golf tournament will be cancelled. My little flea was to come to spend the night here, because the tournament is being held far out of town and daddy will be back late and her mommy is working until 9 PM. I suspect the plan will fall through, but I’ll make her favorite dessert of rice Krispy squares anyway, seeing that my son tends to come for supper whenever his wife is not there. He’s not much of a cook himself, and with his mother living so close it’s an easy decision. I usually send back a doggy bag for the lady of the house; always nice getting home from work and your supper is ready.

The cooler temperatures gave me the excuse to start my box stove the other night. The beasts enjoy it with their sofa being right in front of the fire. I wait until the last minute possible to turn on the breaker for the electric heating. This house is huge, hydro is expensive, and I can’t put a sweater on that mouthy parrot, who is the one who needs the heat the most.

We bought a small electric fireplace for Karen’s apartment downstairs yesterday. It isn’t costly to run, and it gives a nice ambiance. She is up here most of the time, but will have it to use whenever she is down there. The lady was a geologist and spent lots of time in Canada’s north, so doesn’t chill easily.

Lentils are simmering on the stove for the doggies’ breakfast, and squawking is coming from the corner telling me that Missy wants the cover off her cage, so I’ll get to it.

Wishing you all a great Saturday, and sending out SMILES to y’all. They may smell of wood smoke, but that just makes them warmer.

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.

Ahhh! This is the weather I really enjoy. It was just 4C here last night, which would be 39 for those countries that use Fahrenheit. It means an extra blanket under which to snuggle on the bed, no griping at the doggies for cuddling because you are too hot, and cooking as much as you want without the house feeling like a sauna. The air is nippy when I step outside onto the gallery, encouraging deep, satisfying breaths instead of the sensation of suffocating in liquid heat such as we endured this summer. Apparently the temperatures are just going to get warmer (not climate change, of course not!) so I’ll need to grin and bear it. Or move somewhere up in the Artic. Maybe I was an Inuit in a former life.

Karen, my co-tenant, planted a garden in the spring, and now we have tomatoes in abundance, enjoy buttery yellow pole beans, and will soon be roasting squash. There are also pots and pots of herbs and I’m having great fun coming up with recipes to use with them. No wonder the super-chefs insist that fresh is better than dried; it does make a difference in the taste.

And best of all, hockey has started! I cheered on my Habs as they beat Toronto last night, and will now revert to my hermit status by shutting off the phone, declining any invitation that interrupts a game night, and discouraging visitors too unless said guests are avid fans like myself.  For the same team, please!! I can’t be responsible for my actions if you are encouraging opponents, especially if they are winning over my Habs!

Because my Little Flea is often here, and there was worry about her hearing my occasional profane language (I was raised with a bunch of boys remember), my kids came up with the solution that any (occasional) swearing be done in Spanish. Little Flea is trilingual, English, French and Japanese, and wouldn’t recognize the words. So far, so good. My parrot, however, just repeats what she hears, language has no bearing. I’m pretty sure her muttering this morning included one of those Spanish words. Well, it was hockey night yesterday, and her cage is in the same room as the TV…

Maybe I should get parrot sized ear muffs? Just the picture of her wearing them…no, scratch that – just the idea of me attempting to put them on her is comic enough, and it makes me SMILE.

Sending one out to you, folks! May it bring you wonderful weather!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.

“Oh Memere! Look at the fishes!!” My little flea was gazing up at the small aquariums on the counter. She had accompanied me to the pet shop where I buy the food for the dogs and parrot. I stopped beside her, so she turned to look at me, and I still haven’t figured out how her eyes can dance and plead at the same time.

I have to admit it was a pretty sight, little bits of assorted colours flitting around in those glass bowls. She put her hand in mine to pull me closer.

“That one!” she pronounced while pointing. “The pink one. It’s so cute!!”

“Very cute” I agreed, although it’s not a term I would ordinarily use for a goldfish.

“Can I have one? I don’t have any at home.” I seriously thought about buying one until I saw the price of the large aquariums. Oof!

“They’re very expensive, sweetheart. And lots of work to clean. Maybe we better ask Daddy first.” The salesperson advised us there were smaller models on another shelf, and I had no choice but to follow my granddaughter, who was on the lady’s heels, as she led us to said shelf. The hopeful expression was back and I was directing an evil eye at the helpful (?) person, who thankfully got the message.

“But there are no tops for these versions, so if you have cats…”

BINGO!

“Yes Mimi, You have 2 cats. When you are at school and Daddy and Mommy are at work, the cats will see their chance and bye-bye fish!”

It took some convincing, but she finally agreed to wait because maybe Daddy would buy a bigger aquarium eventually so that both fish and cats would be able to coexist in her house safely.

I was belting her into her booster seat when the salesperson, who was loading the dog food into the back of my truck, realized that she had the wrong bag.

“I brought out lamb, but you wanted fish, right?” she asked me. When I agreed, she ran back into the store and emerged with the right kind.

“There you go! This is the fish” She did the exchange and waved goodbye.

We were a few minutes into the ride home when my little flea broke her unusual silence.

“Memere” she asked, her tone worried. “Why did that lady put my little fish in that bag?” It took some self-control to explain the difference between cute little goldfish and what was in the bag without laughing.

You have to love the innocence of a little child, and the way it can make you SMILE. And you know that I’m sharing it with you!

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.T

Our two Michaels are released in China!! YES! Thank you, President Biden for the part we KNOW you played in ending the farce and getting our boys on their way home. May it NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!!! Wishful thinking, I know, but this thing about politicians playing with people’s lives is abhorrent! Lots of repairs needed in the world today, and hopefully the present leaders of USA and Canada will initiate some of those repairs.

Our newly re-elected Prime Minister was chastised by the press and his opponents because they found he was not putting his whole effort into campaigning before the elections which were held on September 20^th. They accused him of being over-confident. All the while he was working intensively behind closed doors (with others, of course) to end the drama surrounding the Meng Wanzhou affair. All I can say is that if Prime Minister Trudeau found doing that more important than being out there throwing around political promises, hats off to him! And success is his!

Just knowing those men are presently on a flight and will be home tomorrow morning after 1000 days in China’s prisons THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN has plastered a MEGA SMILE on my face!!

Sharing it with you, Folks! It’s a biggie this time! J

LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC