Prairie Dog Blog

Is Gary the only one who remembers how to blog????? It is nice to stay in touch. It makes me feel connected. Come on, folks.


On Friday I planted five dwarf European cranberry shrubs (see picture above). I went to Ron Paul's garden place and these were recommended as being low maintenance and don't grow too much. Apparently they only grow to about 2 feet and all I have to do is prune them once in the early spring to shape them. Hey, that's the kind of gardening for me. Notice the extreme pruning I did on the honeysuckle bush. By next week I will probably have to prune it again. Danged thing grows like a weed.

On Saturday I went to help out at the "Students Without Borders" yard sale. I worked from 9:00 till 12:00 and had a lot of fun. I also bought a computer desk at the sale. It's a lot sturdier than the one I have the laptop on. I will sell the old, rickety one in my yard sale.

Then it was off to the Manitoba Theatre Centre to see "Driving Miss Daisy" with the Trivial Friends. They aren't really trivial; we just called them that because we played trivial pursuit with them so often. We all agreed the play was well-done. Then we went off to dinner. Of course I made his common toast: "To good food, good wine, good friends." Everyone came back to my place. They left early, though. I guess the friends are getting older. Can't party like we used to.

Today I did laundry and went to see the movie, "Take The Lead." Antonio Banderas teaching NYC inner city kids how to ballroom dance. Pretty predictable, but the dancing was fun to watch. I love any movies about dancing. I used to take many kinds of dancing in my younger years. I have signed up for another series of Hip Hop dance at the Reh-fit, but it will probably be cancelled. As of last Friday I was the only student registered. Crap. I was looking forward to it. I'm not very good, but I'm enthusiastic.

Only 17 more days till Margot arrives. Tomorrow is May 1, a new month! And I have a subbing job in the afternoon.

Well, tata and peace.

A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing. - Clive James
Dwarf Cranberries, Yard Sale, Driving and Dancing, Dancing, Dancing

It's been a busy few days. On Sunday I drove out to small town Elma (population, unknown, but estimated to be about 45) to visit friends Jim and Debbie. They run the corner store. It was nice to see them after such a long time. Jim told funny stories about his days working with Dennis at Versatile and the weekend fishing trips. Now, I know those trips were just an excuse for a good booze-up, but they did actually go fishing. Jim had pictures to prove it. A trip down memory lane. Nice BBQ steak dinner and wine. I made his toast:"Good food, good wine, good friends." We were thinking what a shame it was that we had not been so close the last few years. Well, one gets busy with one's life and as Deb said, "You always assume your friends will be there and you can get back to being close later." Yeah, sad. Don't put things off. I am here to remind all of you - make an effort - keep in touch.

Monday they finished my basement wall. They did a great job, too. It actually looks better than before, because they straightened out the concrete blocks in my sidewalk. Well, so they should - it cost enough.

After the Reh-fit I went to friends, Doug and Diana for dinner. Doug had cooked a wonderful pot roast with lots of veggies. And with a couple of glasses of wine, a good time was had by all.

Tuesday I went to an open house at the Western Canada Museum. They have a new lounge with carpet and furniture, pretty snazzy. Then I went to dinner with my friend Jess. It is good to connect with someone who is going through the same things as I. This time she had pictures to show of her husband, Gordon.

Today was a sad day. I spent about six hours on yard work, cutting back the bushes and trees. All day I kept thinking about all the things Dennis knew how to do that I don't. An example: how to tie a knot that you can tighten when you pull it. I saw him do that, but I don't know how it's done. It would have been a good skill to have for tieing the bundles of cut branches from the bushes and trees. And how to cut larger branches, and whether you have to paint the wounds from cut branches. He knew about all those things.

And I wanted to turn on the outside water tap again, but my friend told me that I should be careful to turn off the bleeder valve near the tap in the basement or I would have a basement full of water. I couldn't find the valve, but when I tried turning the spigot, it started leaking, so I turned it off. My neighbourhood angel came over and showed me how to do it. Even he had to use a wrench to get the bleeder valve closed. Dennis, why did you tighten everything so tight!

Listen up, all you women out there. MAKE YOUR HUSBAND SHOW YOU HOW TO DO ALL THE JOBS HE DOES THAT YOU THINK YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO DO. You just might have to do them some day.

Stay tuned. Coming next week, the siding is replaced, the fence is rebuilt, the bathroom reno estimates will be in. Isn't it exciting?

Later, gators.

Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it. Plan more than you can do, then do it. Anonymous
Work, Work, Work, and Lots of Food

Here are some pictures of the work being done on my house. The digger dug out a trench and the crack was patched. Then a waterproof primer was put on the wall. Today a worker put a layer of tar on. It has to dry for at least 24 hours, so they will be back to finish the job on Monday. The owner of the company has assured me that they will clean up so well that no one will be able to tell they were even here. I will lose the plants in my flower bed. Then all I have to do is plant a few shrubs et voila! Better than brand new.

I also hired my neighbour, Frank to cut back my shrubs at the front. Since he retired he doesn't have enough to do and he really needs to keep busy. Hey, anything to help others. I worked for three hours this morning, cutting the grass and pulling some dandelions. I am just a wee bit sore in spots. Not yet used to yard work.

Only 25 more days till Margot!

Hope everyone is well. My pizza just arrived. Toodleoo.
Fixing Basement Wall and Pulling Dandelions

That Sue Mosley writes a funny blog. I'm enjoying reading it. She has a great sense of humor. I laughed out loud several times.

I bin workin on the railroad, all the livelong day...no, I've been subbing for three days. When I got home today I noticed the company I hired to fix my basement wall has parked a trailer in front of my house with a bobcat digger thingy on it. I would guess that means they will start digging tomorrow. Yippee! I can stop worrying about my wall caving in. The estimator said it would take four or five days, so by this time next week it should all be back to normal. Then I'll just have to plant some new perennials. I'm wondering if, since they've got the big machine out here already if they can take out an old stump and that freaking huckleberry bush I hate so much at the corner...hmmmm.

Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman were just on CBC doing a special with some historical background. It was very enjoyable. Some new stuff, some old stuff. Some of it made me cry. I am sorry Dennis did not get to see it - he loved their music. There's a link to Randy Bachman's home page at the bottom of this post.

The hit counter on this blog is at 9554 already. Maybe it'll hit the big 10 000 before the middle of May! I should have a big celebration when it does hit 10 000. Let's see now, maybe music, balloons, fireworks. That's probably overdoing it, huh?Actually, maybe I'll just give Suzie a dog biscuit and have some chocolate.

Hey, all you Ousey nieces and nephews, get blogging!

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. -Aldous Huxley
Workin, Diggin, Celebratin

Hey, Jack blogged again! Great stuff. I'm glad everyone had such a good time last weekend. Now how about everyone else!!!!

I subbed at one school in the morning and another one in the afternoon. The afternoon school (which shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) was a grade three class. I'm glad it was only for the afternoon. I don't think I'd have survived the whole day. Ten minutes into the afternoon I suddenly remembered why I crossed this school off my subbing list last year. I can't believe some eight and nine-year-olds can be this angry. I sent one kid to the office after about ten minutes, then another one who was giving everybody the finger and using foul language. Then there was a palace revolt: two other boys decided they wanted to go to the office, too, so off they went. By the end of the day one boy had destroyed a bridge built by another boy out of drinking straws and the victim was so angry, he was literally shaking. I tried to talk him down by getting him to take deep breaths, but he left at the end of the day threatening to beat the crap out of the bridge-breaker. Needless to say that school is off my list permanently now. I don't need the high blood pressure.

Tomorrow I go to my favourite school. Also a grade three class, but they are little darlings compared to the one I was at today. Then Thursday afternoon a grade seven class, not my favourite, but I've had worse.

My neighbour, Glen, was just here to talk over the fence-rebuilding project. Apparently the neighbour on the other side of him, Frank, who is a retired but bored seventy-something, is chomping at the bit to get started. But the frost isn't completely out of the ground yet. So we've tentatively decided to start at the beginning of May.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall, that wants it down.
Good fences make good neighbours
Spring is the mischief in me... - Robert Frost.
Grade Three Miscreants, Mending Fences: Waiting for Frost

My car, a 1997 Taurus,(Dennis called it a Tore-Ass) is number 144 on the list of 150 most stolen cars in Manitoba. So Manitoba Public Insurance paid for the installation of an immobilizer system. Apparently, if everyone who has a car on the list gets the system installed it will save MPI millions of dollars a year. That's gotta be good for the citizens of Manitoba, right? I also get a break of $40 off my insurance every year. I had it done today. In case you're interested click on the title at the bottom of this post to see the list.

While they were installing it, I went to see Ice Age 2:The Meltdown. It was just as funny as the first one. I love going to movies. I can really lose myself in the worlds created by the moviemakers.

I have work all day tomorrow, and a half a day Wednesday, and a half a day Thursday. I will probably take the work if I get a job on Friday, too. I'm hoping for lots of work next week, too. Hey, I gotta pay for all those trips out to BC somehow! Not to mention the crack in my basement, the fence that's falling down and the upgrading of the electrical system. And I think it will be easier for me if I keep busy.

Now, would the rest of you bloggers out there get busy! Lyn, Noni, Mike and Charlene, get cracking! And anybody else out there who reads this. Why haven't you got your own blog? It's easy as falling off a log. If I can do it, anybody can.

Why is dyslexic so hard to spell?
Why is it so hard to remember how to spell MNEMONIC?
Immobilizer, Meltdown, Get Cracking, Mnemonic

Today Mother and I went out for dinner. I quite enjoyed it. I ate salad and three desserts. Always eat dessert when you go out for dinner or at any celebration. That's my policy. Mother said, "It's a good thing you don't have diabetes." Then we played some cribbage and Scrabble. She skunked me three games of cribbage! She's good.

I have two half days of subbing for this week. I hope I get some more. I want to keep busy.

Today it is four months. Seems like a lifetime. Mother and I shed a few tears as we remembered. Missing you, Dennis. I'm going to reread some of his blog entries. They are so evocative I can almost hear his voice when I read them.

31 more days till Margot, but who's counting!

The deep pain that is felt at the death of every friendly soul arises from the feeling that there is in every individual something which is inexpressible, peculiar to him alone, and is, therefore, absolutely and irretrievably lost. ~Arthur Schopenhauer
Dessert, Cribbage, Four Months

I met two across-the-street neighbours today. I was out raking up the boulevard when one came over, introduced himself and offered to de-thatch the grass with his lawn mower. It was so much easier to rake after that. Then another neighbour came later to see if I needed any more help. He gave me his card and told me to call if I needed help with anything. Isn't it funny - we lived here for 26 years and that was the first time I met either of them. Of course they knew Dennis had died, but it was nice of them to offer to help. I worked for an hour and a half and got two blisters even with gloves. I wonder why we work so hard to make the grass grow and then grouse about it when we have to cut the lawn.

I will just have to break down and buy a new mower. The old one is on its last legs. Another neighbour, Gordie, laughed at it last summer when I was cutting the grass. It sounds like a sick cat. I see by a flyer that Sears has some on sale. I'll probably go take a look some time this week. I think I can hear the weeds growing already.

I called up my friend Jess and we went out to Oceana for dinner tonight. She's the friend whose husband died the same day as Dennis. It is great to be able to talk to someone who is going through much the same thing. She has two dogs, huge black labs. Just a bit intimidating for anyone who doesn't know them. I guess they would be good guard dogs. Suzie wouldn't be much of a guard dog - if she met up with a robber, she'd probably whine them to death, or beat them to death with her wagging tail.

Tomorrow Mother and I are going for dinner to the buffet at the CanadInn. I bought her a potted mum. A mum for a mum - har dee har.

Well, good night all. Have a great weekend.

I am not a lover of lawns. Rather would I see daisies in their thousands, ground ivy, hawkweed, and even the hated plantain with tall stems, and dandelions with splendid flowers and fairy down, than the too-well-tended lawn. ~W.H. Hudson, The Book of a Naturalist, 1919
De-thatching, Lawntalk with Neighbours, Oceana Restaurant

I see that Jack has blogged again. We live in an age of wonders. Seriously, it is so nice to hear all the ordinary news in the lives of my little brother and his sons. Sounds like everyone had a great time at Chuckie Cheese.

I went to see Nanny McPhee with my friend Gail. We both enjoyed it. I discovered that the screenplay was written by Emma Thompson, who also played the title role. I have worked my way through the first three Harry Potter movies - I just have the latest one to see. Lately I have been gravitating to children's movies. What's up with that? I also finished all the Inspector Clouseau movies. A couple of them are really funny. Go see a movie. Have a blast.

Our mayor, Sam Katz, is in hot water because of a comment he made. He was standing on a stage with five female Olympic medal winners and he said, "Now I know how Hugh Hefner feels." The Free Press is full of letters, comments and columns about this gaffe. It seems everyone feels very strongly about it - some are aghast at the sexism displayed by the comment, others say it was pretty innocuous, leave the poor guy alone. I'll bet there are even a few younger people out there who are wondering: who the hell is Hugh Hefner? While I don't think his comment was appropriate, in the scheme of things, this is not one of the important issues. How about poverty in South America? How about AIDS in Africa? How about global warming? Those are issues. Where are all the outraged people about those issues? And that's my rant for the day.

Today is a beautiful, sunny day, 17 degrees Celsius. I just spent a couple of hours raking the front lawn. I managed to get the main part of the lawn done, but the boulevard will take another couple of hours. And then there's the back yard. Oh, no, do I have to do that, too! Gotta spread those chores out a bit. At least it'll take the place of the workout I can't do today because of the Reh-fit being closed. It seems there's some sort of religious holiday today.

Well, gotta go take a shower and have supper. Later, alligators.

You know what your problem is, it's that you haven't seen enough movies - all of life's riddles are answered in the movies.
Steve Martin
Movies, Sam Katz, Raking the Lawn

Well, it's been a busy couple of days. Yesterday I took Mother to see her doctor. She is well. After my usual workout, I stopped in to visit friends D. and D. He is healing after a triple bypass.

Today I was up at the crack of dawn. The electricians were here to upgrade my wiring. They will be back to finish tomorrow and my electricity will be off for at least the morning. That means no computer, no TV, no electric lights, no fridge, no stove, no microwave. What am I going to do? Remember that primitive technology called "books." I'll have to read by natural light. I hope it's sunny tomorrow. I may do a word puzzle or two. I may even take a nap Woo hoo!

After the electricians left I took my little canine daughter for a walk. And I did some raking to get the thatch off my lawn. I noticed there were little tunnels in the thatch and three little holes in the ground. You know what that means. I have a furry litttle creature whose name rhymes with hole under my lawn. Who knows maybe more than one. I hope it doesn't damage my lawn. I wouldn't like to have to get an exterminator in.

I see by Gary's blog that there were multiple celebrations in Victoria last weekend. Happy Birthday Chelsea. Hope it was a good one. And Happy Birthday to Jamie, also. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Victoria this summer. Airline tickets have been purchased online. Ain't technology grand.

Bye for this time.

Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills. ~Voltaire, letter to Count Schomberg, 31 August 1769
Electricians, A Low-tech Solution, Voles, Moles and Holes

Yesterday I called 1-800-GOTJUNK and they took away almost a truckful. The old BBQ that was making a loud noise whenever it was turned on, three old oil drums, some peeling fence boards, 13 bags of leaves and the old kitchen benches with the tooth marks from our old dog, four VCRs that didn't work, a delapidated round yard table, about a hundred burnt out fluorescent light bulbs, some old wood scraps, in short, anything that won't sell in my yard sale. It gave me a chance to clean out part of the basement and the shed in the back yard. Now I have room to store the things I want to keep in some order. But it was sad, too. I remembered that Dennis filled up some of those bags of leaves last October.

Then I went to the Humanist Association of Manitoba's monthly dinner meeting. The speaker there was a medical doctor who is also a naturopath. He talked about all kinds of "alternative" treatments. I am very skeptical about such things. I believe that some herbs and food supplements may be helpful, but in my opinion, 90% of them are either a waste of money or dangerous. And I know Chinese traditional medicine has been around for thousands of years, but that doesn't mean it works. There have not been enough good scientific studies on it. I won't be convinced that any of those things work until it can be shown that they are more effective than the placebo effect. The human body is a wondrous thing and it can often heal itself without any treatment. Look at Mother's lymphoma - it disappeared on its own. That's my rant for the day.

Today I went to my friend Helen's and she showed me how to do some neat things with EXCEL. She taught me how to customize the tool bar, how to merge cells and freeze panes. I also learned how to print just part of the data and how to set up the page to print the title of a column even if you only want to print part of the information in that column. What a good teacher she is. It is so great to have good friends.

Tomorrow I take Mother to see her family doctor, the famous Dr. Hildahl. He's the one where even if you have the first appointment in the morning, the staff puts out a sign saying the wait is 45 minutes, and as the day goes on, the wait time gets longer, sometimes two or three hours! Luckily his office is in a Superstore, so I can do grocery shopping for myself and mother while she's waiting to see him.

So far it hasn't rained since I noticed the crack in my foundation. For the next few days the forecast is for "scattered showers," whatever that means. No hard rain, please.

Must go now and work on the other computer. 38 more days until Margot!

Do not condemn the judgment of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong. ~Dandemis
Had Junk, HAM and other Alternative Treatments, EXCEL

Hey, Margot blogged! Click on a link to the right. It is great to blog. I have always believed in the power of writing. I think about everyone who might possibly be reading this blog. Family and friends, of course, but there are people who don't know me who stumble on this blog in cyberspace. The adventurous, the curious, people who don't have enough to do...no, I don't mean that...I'm just goofing around. It's inevitable that I am revealing my personality through the blog entries, or at least that part of my personality that is my public persona. Some would say that is a mask. I don't buy that. I'm not being false; I'm just not telling all. Everyone has secrets they don't tell. "We do not always tell in the marketplace what we do in the woods." (The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne) Dennis' blog entries didn't tell all, either. His true feelings were often more complex than his blog entries revealed. But one is always conscious of the reader when one writes a blog.

I called my Dad this evening. I was perplexed that he was sounding quite sloppy, slurring his words. Had he been drinking? Had he had another stroke? I was beginning to worry when he told me that he "always takes out his teeth when he goes to bed." Whew, what a relief. It was only 9:30pm when I called him and he was in bed. I thought I went to bed early! Well, he is 82!

Then I had a nice long phone conversation with my sister. We were commiserating on aging and going downhill. She said she thought she was going to be 53 this year, but she realized she's going to be 54. She seems to have lost a year. I know the feeling. She and I both hope that some day I can move to BC. It would be nice to just go for coffee or a glass of wine with her.

Happy Anniversary to Gary and Carolyn. I think they married in 1961. That means they are celebrating 45 years this year. Congratulations! Wonderful!

I am performing a wedding on May 27th. It's the second for her, the first for him. I am really looking forward to it. I love helping people celebrate the good times in their lives. Here's to love and marriage!

Well, must go.

In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways.
- Edith Wharton
The Power of Writing, False Teeth, Happy Anniversary

I was so sure that I didn't have any jobs this week that I forgot to check my book and the substitute clerk called me to see why I hadn't reported to the school in which I was booked. Aw, crap, no excuse, just forgot. I went to the school for the last hour of the afternoon, anyway.

The day was full of flashbacks of the last few days of Dennis' life. Painful. I couldn't stop myself remembering. I don't know why - maybe there's no reason. Then I cried all the way to the Reh-fit Centre because a song from the sixties came on the radio -Herman's Hermits "Dream On" used to be "our song" right after we first met. I try to remain cheerful - nobody wants to read a blog written by Sad Sadie. But the truth is I still cry every day, sometimes several times a day. Even the worst day with Dennis still here was better than any day since.

Sorry folks, my heart isn't in this one.

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From the television show The Wonder Years
Forgetfulness and Sadness

The Prairie Dog Blog has had 9242 hits since it began. I remember when Dennis got all excited when it reached 5000. I calculate at about 130 hits a week that it will take...let's see...multiply by...divide by...carry the...about 5 and a half to six weeks to reach 10,000 hits!!!! Which means sometime around the middle of May. Won't that be fun?

And only 44 more days till Margot.

And for those of you who live in Victoria...only 93 more days to the Ousey summer reunion.

And for those interested in even more numbers, and I know there are some of you out there in blogland, it is -2 degrees Celsius in Winnipeg right now. That's 28 dgrees Fahrenheit for those living in the deep south (south of the 49th parallel). I don't care, as long as it doesn't rain!

Just one little paragraph about a new project I'm getting involved with. The high school Margot attended has a group of students who raise money for a village in Senegal, Africa. I spoke with their teacher, Diane Plamondon today. She was wearing a very colourful robe from her recent visit to Africa. She was telling me about trying to check her email while in Africa while trying to shoo away a goat. I think it must have been trying to eat her mouse pad. Anyway, check it out at this address: http://www.afrique2007.org/ You just might be able to think of a way to help.

Now that it's all over, what did you really do yesterday that's worth mentioning? ~Coleman Cox

Well, I don't know about yesterday, but today I helped a village in Africa to get supplies for their school. Feels good.
Numbers, numbers, numbers and a Village in Africa

My foundation is still cracked, but not leaking. It hasn't rained again, but I know it is just a matter of time. Well, I had another estimate and the advice from the second company is to forget about the braces on the inside. Sooo, not being able to talk it over with my husband, (missing you, Dennis) I talked to brother-in-law, Gary. It helps to be able to talk it over with somebody. Thanks, Gary.

I will keep checking over the next few days to see if there is any evidence of leaking behind the cedar wall in the den. If not, I'll probably go with the first company, but leave out the braces. They can always be put in later if needed.

The strangest thing happened early this morning. The phone rang at about 9:00. It was a frantic lady with an accent telling me that she was calling from the restaurant and the water heater is leaking in the kitchen and the kitchen is full of water! She didn't know Brent's or Jason's number, so she was calling me -and WHAT SHOULD SHE DO! Well, I thought she either had the wrong number or she had a couple of screws loose. Then she mentioned the "Rain City Grill," and suddenly, the penny dropped. Aha, I thought that's where Margot works. Suddenly it all made sense so I told her I would call Margot and get her to deal with it.

Well, Margot only has a cell phone, no land line, and I knew she would still be asleep at 7:00 Vancouver time. Now, Margot usually can't be wakened by a bomb going off, so I knew I would have to leave a message on her voice mail. As soon as I did that I thought of trying Joel's cell phone, too. I'm glad I thought of that because he did hear the call and checked his messages right away. He got Margot up and awake and she took off to deal with the crisis. It turned out to be not as bad as expected. A pipe over the water heater was leaking, so a plumber was called and all was well in time to open the restaurant for brunch. Whew, thank goodness. There was just one puzzling thing - how did Judy, the cleaner, get my phone number? Well, it turns out Margot had left a note for the staff when she came here before Christmas with my phone number on it, and it was still there. Happy ending all around, hooray.

That reminds me of the earthquake plans. Apparently the West coast Ouseys have a protocol to call me here in Winnipeg if there is a disaster there and they can't reach each other. It seems that it might be easier to call someone long distance than to connect local calls. But that will never happen, right!

Well, good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite.

Weather forcast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning. (Just as long as it doesn't rain)
George Carlin (1937 - )
Still Cracked in Winnipeg, Leaking in Vancouver