Suntanning Anyone???????

We have been having some beautiful weather here in the north, of late. Yesterday I had the kitchen and patio door windows open to let in the fresh air. Now, if you are a regular reader of my blog, you will recognize the area in the next couple of photos as Bassoon's perch!!!! Lately, Oscar has taken a shine to it too and has been sleeping there quite often. He also will sit there and look out the window. I guess that yesterday Bassoon got fed up with Oscar hogging her perch and this is what happened....





Joanne, you can see that Oscar is doing quite well. He is getting quite fat on his special diet, isn't he????? Soonie is not getting any smaller either.

Soonie also likes to sleep on the top of her 'cat house'. I can never figure out how it can be comfortable for her as there is a hole on the top of it. She just curls up around it and sleeps there. After her nap last night she decided to sort of play there and roll around. It's hilarious!

I've Been Told!!!!..............

I guess it's time to write something in my blog. I was told that I have been neglecting it of late. I guess that's because not a whole heck has been going on here. The weather has warmed up and the leaves are just starting to POP out on the trees. Bruce and I have got to get busy and start cleaning up the yard. It will be really weird this year not having our 'little white shadow' following us around. I have been thinking a lot about 'Puppy' today. It could be that the city phoned and asked about his license today and I told them that Radar had passed away in December. I still miss the little guy, but I know that it was best for him to go when he did.

The pussy cats are all doing well. Oscar has become quite affectionate with me the last couple of weeks. He comes and curls up either on my legs or in the crook of my legs about every 2nd night! Considering that he hasn't done that since he was a baby, it's progress. We've had a strange tabby cat hanging around the last couple of days. It is a long haired grey tabby that I don't know where it belongs. Anyway, it was on the front steps tonight when Bruce and I were having supper. I had the door open and the window up a few inches, both Oscar and Soonie were really interested in this strange cat. I was a little concerned that it might try to attack Oscie through the screen, but it just sniffed at him and Oscar just sniffed back. Clara is enjoying the 'great outdoors' once again!!!!! It's funny how she can sense when the weather has warmed up enough for her to go out for longer periods of time.

Bowling is almost over. We just have Thursday night to finish this week. Last night was the end of Monday's league. Neither Bruce or I bowled though. My fingers have been bothering me again (arthritis) and Bruce pulled a groin muscle a couple of weeks ago. His team didn't do well on Tuesday nights this year and we finished in either 7th or 8th in 'A' division on Monday. I am certainly looking forward to the break from bowling, although there is going to be a 'Buckshot' on Wednesday nights starting in a couple of weeks.

It's my 'favourite????????' time of year again..........Everynight hockey. I certainly can see why women who don't enjoy sports become cranky these days. Both Saturday and Sunday there was hockey on the tube from morning until night!!!!! Playoff fever has once again hit this city, with the Oilers being in the race for the first time in 3 years. I am tired of it already! I just putter around the house while it's on. I have lots of plans on doing things around here, but I just don't know where to start! It's a terrible habit of mine, putting off things that I want to do.

Bruce and I are thinking of going on a bit of a vacation for a week or 10 days in June. We thought we might drive out to the coast and see our friends Betty and Brenda in Gibson's and probably see Ryan's folks when we are there too.

I guess that's about it for now. I will try to be better at writing in here for the next while, at least.

The New Arrival

This is Daisy, Jen and Trev's puppy. she is the newest addition to the family. Yesterday Jen and Daisy were out for a walk and stopped by to see if we were at home.

I was a little afraid of what the cats might do to Daisy, so we left her on her leash. She wasn't too thrilled with that idea so I went and found her a couple of Radar's toys. She carried that silly candy cane around for quite a while, like it was a treasure!

Oscar was too sure what to think of this puppy. He stood here (long enough for me to go get my camera and take these 2 photos) and the hair on his back was standing up. Can you see it in the pictures? The other 2 cats disappeared. Clara went outside and Soonie hid in the basement.

I guess our cats aren't too pleased with the new addition!

My Top 10 Pet Peeves

Since nothing too much has happened since my great fall earlier this week, I decided to let you all know my pet peeves. Here they are................

10. Parents not paying attention to what their children are doing in public places.

9. Telephone solicitors, especially at dinner time.

8. Children playing on escalators! This is soooooo dangerous.

7. Cyclists, either you get off your bike to cross the street or don't expect cars to stop for
you so you can get across the road. Either you are a vehicle or a pedestrian, not both!

6. Idiot drivers who think that they are the only one on the road that needs to get
somewhere. Everyone on the road needs to get to where they are going too!

5. The big television networks repeating weeknight programs on Saturday nights.
This is a new thing, don't they know that there are people out there that would
like some original programming on a Saturday night?

4. The non-english side of lables always being the one on display on store shelves.

3. Long line-ups at the tills in all stores and banks. Having just a couple of check-outs
open and then making the customer wait in long line-ups for service.

2. Those stupid little shopping carts for children, although I have noticed that there are
not too many left around. Everyone must have despised them also. Now some of the
supermarkets have these other gigantic carts that hold both the kids and groceries.
These are a pain in the a$$ for regular customers as well, as they take a whole lot
of room to maneuver.

And my #1 pet peeve is..............

Rude people, whether it's the one who lets a door close in your face, a driver who cuts
you off in traffic or the person who interrupts or doesn't listen. They all drive me
bonkers.

The Bigger They Are....or Like Daughter Like Mother

For anyone that truly knows me.....knows that I am terrified of falling. I'm not sure if it's that I will get hurt or the embarrassment of someone seeing me fall. Well it happened yesterday...........

After a week-long battle with sciatic nerve trouble and finally getting over that, last week was pretty good. I bowled and then I worked the 'Edmonton Open' all weekend. Although I was tired on Monday, I was feeling good and looking forward to bowling last night. I left home and stopped at the ESSO by the bowling centre for cigarettes and a 'Tim's' and went to the bowling centre. Then it happened......................

I was approaching the down escalator and the toe of my shoe caught the rubber at the end of the carpet runner (it was coming away from the rug) and SPLAT down I went. Flat on my face! I think that the first part of me to hit the floor was my left (good) knee and then the XL double/double went flying out of my hand and I fell forward and just layed there splayed out about 3 feet from the top of the escalator. Luckily there were 2 people in the office (where the pro shop used to be) and they came running. Then Jess came running up the escalator because she saw them looking at something on the entrance level. I was pretty sure I was okay, but I asked Jess to go get Bruce. Then the 2 cooks that were outside, having a smoke, when I came in the building arrived. Now I had a audience of 4. I was still afraid to move. I finally managed to roll over and sit up. My good left knee was throbbing. I was sitting up when Bruce and Patrick came flying up the escalator. I was now sure that I was okay, but I wasn't sure I was going to be able to stand up. Bruce grabbed one arm and Pat the other and got me to my feet. I was alright and nothing hurt too bad until I sat down for an hour and had dinner.............then I knew that I had wrenched my back!!!! I bowled 2 games quite terribly as I couldn't throw the ball out onto the lanes and packed up my stuff and came home. I layed on the couch with the hot water bottle all night and although it is still sore I can move around and it's not as bad as it was last night!

You know how funny things come to mind at strange times? Well as I was laying face down on the entrance level looking at my now empty coffee cup right at the top of the escalator, I had a vision of it rolling onto the step and taking a ride down. Tehehehehe!!!!!! I then thought of how lucky I was to have not tried to not fall. I think that if I had really tried to stop myself from falling I could have landed right on the escalator and really done some damage to myself. That would have been a disaster as I am deathly afraid of falling on an escalator!!!

Like I said in my title.............The bigger they are.....the harder they fall! Or as another saying goes "Like mother, like daughter' or visa versa, since Joanne was the first to fall!!!!