Nice weather

 Clear sky. It's been very nice lately. I just would like to see more rain. The Nopiming wildfire continues to grow. I feel for the people of Bissett. The fire hasn't smothered the hamlet yet... but that time is coming. Meanwhile, Wallace Lake hangs in the balance. We haven't heard owt but the fire is potentially in place.

  The summer might be ruined for the cabin-goers. Anyway, I have been feeding an acquaintance's kitties for the past week. They are adorable lads. I would post a pic but I don't have permission. I hope the few who still follow my blog are doing well and keeping cool.

BYE.

Lovely

 Best way to kick off Spring Break? Get a cold and follow that up with a sprain! So I slipped on one of the steps in my unit and bent my left ankle weirdly. Now it's bruised, swollen, and not at all pleased with me. Urgent Care is currently at a 6-7 hour wait and the nearest minor injury clinic is booked all day today and all day tomorrow.

  Absolutely chuffing marvy, innit? So all I can do right now is elevate my ankle and ice it. I also have tylenol and ibuprofen on hand. If I straighten out my foot, no complaints. If I bend it so I can stand upright, the crying begins. My cold is less of a concern as a result of this mess.

  I elevate my foot and ice it until my foot falls asleep. Then I put the ice pack back in the freezer. Already my right leg complains about needing to take up the slack. Meanwhile, the beast is wondering about this whole thing. Oh, and dinner's in an hour for her.

  So yeah. Lots of wonderful stuff going on. At least I didn't take a full tumble. I honestly doubt I'd still be around to complain if that happened. Stay safe, folks.

BYE.

Austen

 So I started reading 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen. The last published book by most authors is usually worth looking into. Perhaps not Robert Jordan's last efforts (but Sanderson took over that ponderous task), but I haven't wasted my time with Wheel of Time since 'Crossroads of twilight'. I think that's what it was called

 But back to Austen. Before I took up 'Persuasion', I read a book called 'Victorian religion'. All the authors of the time discussed vicars and curates in their novels. Austen was no different. I wonder if she mentions them in this novel. Oh, and I hope the two or three followers still wasting their time have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 We celebrate it in October, y'see. My cat is getting peckish. Pain in the butt. About an hour to go before breakfast.

BYE.

The stuff and the other stuff

    All the walking I've been doing has lead to me getting dry and cracking heels. I can lotion them until the cows come home and it does not seem to help. I've had suggestions on better lotions - more foot-specific but far more expensive lotions. Perhaps I will one day crack - puns, yeah - and purchase that incredible foot-specific stuff for my withered heels. Oh, and my cat just met the neighbour's dog a moment ago. My furry little turd hissed at that decent little doggy - bit of a jerk, eh?

    So here we are in September. The kids make their triumphant return this Friday. Gotta love the school system. Well, at least Goertzen took over from that insufferable piece of garbage Pallister. Yeah, another miserable Tory, but he proved he's at least human by trashing the loathsome Bill 64. We don't need such a miserable amalgamation gumming up the works. So, the last time I posted, I mentioned three books that had caught my eye. I also said something about mentioning three books I'd read in August. So here we go, ye awesome few!

 

 I don’t read LGBTQ+ titles very often; nor do I read coming-of-age stories very often. I chose to fill both gaps with Chris Gill’s “The Nowhere”. Seb and his crusty, grumpy father live out on the Outback – an isolated existence until Jake moves next door with his family. The story starts in medias res with Seb in his thirties and feeling a little lost. It jumps back to his teens and forward again as Seb strives to reconcile his feelings about the secrets he keeps.  (5 out of 5 stars)

 

Grace Lin’s “When the sea turned to silver” is a phenomenal read, and I  wanted to read more of her works. “Where the mountain meets the moon” is stellar as well. Young Minli goes on her story-telling quest to find the Man in the Moon and ask for his help. Warm, wise, and exciting, readers will be enthralled by the cast of immortal characters from Chinese legend.  It’s aimed at middle-school but would be great for nearly anyone. (5 out of 5 stars)

 

 

 

 

Chellamuthu’s journey from India to the U.S. and then back to India is heartbreaking and powerful. I’d never heard of him, but I was entranced by his story with Camron Wright’s “The orphan keeper”. Chellamuthu’s life as a child was hard, but losing his parents and his world crushed him. His reinvention as Taj Khyber Rowland when he reaches his new family in the U.S. is just something he has to do to keep himself together. It’s a potent, tragic story and one I am glad I got to read. (4½ out of 5 stars)

 

 

      

 

        So that is the book update. No, I don't plan to post my three favourite books for September. This was just something I said I would do. I need to post more entries here, don't I?

BYE.

Ambivalence or Apathy

     I should be excited for Xmas; but thanks to the pandemic, I'm feeling immensely meh. Not sure if this is a sign of ambivalence or plain old apathy. Does one term follow another? Anyway, my tender feelings to the few that follow this blog. I wish you nowt but the best for the end of this whole miserable year and nowt but the greatest hope for 2021. 💕

     I've been playing some Skyrim of late and watching a Youtuber/Twitcher named Rufert play Morrowind. The scenery in Morrowind looks gorgeous but Rufert played an unarmoured, hand-to-hand Argonian. My play style in Skyrim has been that of a sneaky archer. I'm nearly topped out on sneak in that game. A sneaky orc chick; not summat one sees very often, eh? 

     It's crazy cold today and I've been grumpy and in dire need of a hug. It's been months since my last hug. Okay, enough griping. The pandemic will end eventually, and then I can go back to hugging my family until they run from me. Now, should I post a few pictures that have nothing to do with the season? Yeah, why not.

Whoa, where did this last pic come from?

BYE.

Matters

     Matters are coming to a head. To wit, stuff is falling apart but I cannot afford to get it fixed or replaced right now. Many thanks, coronavirus. Anyway, I need to buy a new couch as my futon is falling to bits. The glue in the frame is shot on the right leg and stuff is all crooked. I moved the mattress this evening. My cat was suitably bewildered. Oh well. As long as I don't look at my frame funny it should not continue to fall apart. This is just one of several things that I let go and now, when I have time to care about them, I don't have a steady income to do anything about them.

     In September, when I'm back to work, I will have NO EXCUSE. Anyway, my cat is bewildered and I need to clean out her litter box. Also, my back hurts because my chair is no longer suitable. Yeah, just another thing that I should have addressed some time ago. Besides that, my life is all right.

BYE.

I have to make an announcement

Now hear this!


      My cat is a brave and deadly hunter!

     For point of reference, this is my cat.

     She made a triumphant kill this morning around 4. Sadly, she had to wake me to do it. Trilling, meowing, chirping. I'm sure that's what woke me. At first I thought she was just being needy.

    I got the light on and saw her prey - a hapless moth that had somehow gotten into the condo. She jumped after it, swiping the air with her paws.

    After a momentous struggle she trapped it in the bathroom and devoured her prey.





     I managed a few weak cheers and went back to bed. Yeah, I am unappreciative of all her hard work in keeping us both safe from low-flying moths. Right now she's on top of the cupboards having a nap. A well-earned rest, no doubt.


BYE.

Yeah... got distracted.

     A few mumbles from me to make up for a very long silence. So since I went silent in July I've been to Nova Scotia with La Madre and then I got back to work at the close of August.
     I will start with my adventures in Halifax. First off, stay away from Air Canada as much as you can. They screwed La Madre and I royally concerning our flight east. The connecting flight was outright cancelled - thus pissing off a multitude of people. That flight was supposed to land in Montreal and from there a whole bunch of people were going to a variety of places. Air Canada seems to be controlled by a sub-human society of idiots.
     Then we reached Halifax and got screwed over by the Delta Barrington. Stupid, thoughtless morons that never told La Madre and I we were supposed to be in another hotel. Nobody told us anything and I blame Delta Barrington wholly for this snafu. Our replacement hotel I call the No Point Sheraton. You can figure the real name out. Meanwhile the harbour and surrounding restaurants were great. I highly recommend McKelvie's by the water - amazing food.
      Things got better when we made the trip to Sydney. Seafood chowder became my friend while we were there. Sydney has a beautiful walkway by the water as well. The best restaurant of all was in North Sydney. If you are ever there, go to Lobster Pound and Moore. You will not be disappointed. Oh, and for the first chowder I ever tried (and LOOOOOVED) was at Governors Pub & Eatery. Amazing.
       Are you a Rita MacNeil fan? Be sure to go to Rita's Tea Room. I teared up walking around there; looking at all the newspaper clippings, the anecdotes, and the many, many hats. Her voice, her presence... just a wonderful experience. I would have gladly skipped Halifax altogether if it meant going straight to Sydney. Sadly we had to go back to Halifax but this time were stayed in a hotel near the airport.
       I greatly recommend going to Nova Scotia. Just avoid Air Canada, the Delta Barrington, and the Four Points Sheraton. Halifax is not that bad and Sydney is wonderful.
       So here we are in October. I cannot say that I won't get back to posting. I've lost interest in telling my sims stories. I am definitely playing the game still but my priorities have changed. Anyway, my cat got her paw stuck in one of my runners just a moment ago. What gets into that beast's head? That is all for now.

Pics or it didn't happen

      It's summertime and the living is reasonable. I know I've been royally distracted of late but with a really cool place to post my shoddy videos and the like (also, I haven't felt a need to write anything here)... sigh.

       The weather has been incredibly humid of late but us merry spinsters are getting by. We even hung out with a special visitor.

      The little one would have like to see our visitor up close and personal but that wasn't going to happen. I posted a video of our encounter with this famous mosquito-hunter and you get to hear the frustration, the longing, in my little one's voice. Then again, for all I know, she's probably telling it all about her day.

The Welcoming Thaw

      This wondrous and goodly thing has come at last? If not, at least I can take comfort in the approach of Spring Break. We've had some plus temps this month and the snow is starting to melt. Not fast enough for some people but we need to take care that it doesn't melt too fast. One of the last things we need this May is a flood. Bad enough the outskirts are going to get the mess this Spring (as usual), but we've had enough water this winter as it is. Watermain breaks here and frozen pipes there... yes, this city is more than ready for a nice slow thaw.

       As you can see, even my indoor cat's ready for a change in the weather. Some news if you're interested. After years of withstanding the temptation, I finally broke down and got a YouTube channel. I'll be posting my videos there from now on. If you're looking for something to bore you to tears, look on YT for the Wry Zone - also doing business as WryAlways. I'll keep posting the pictures on here. Pictures like this one.

Later Days!

The winter unending

   Who ever heard of a -49 windchill at the dawn of March? We're supposed to be having a false return to spring garnished with a few blizzards. The weatherfolk promise it's a dry cold that will keep the impending floods at bay this spring but that, to pardon the pun, is cold comfort to even the hardiest winterphile. The fine folks around here are dog people for the most part, and it hurts the heart to see them out there walking their poor pups in such icy circumstances.

    At least my pet's strictly indoor. Perhaps if I weren't so lazy I would have gotten a dog. On the other hand, most of the folks here have more time during their day to walk the dog. If I were to win the lottery that would be another case. Meanwhile, the merry spinsters continue to hang out and try not to get on each other's nerves. At least, one of us is trying....

    I'm continuing with something I messed around with in previous years. I hope to keep it going.
20 years ago...

March 4, 1994

Today when I got home, I was told by my parents that actor John Candy had passed away after having a heart attack. It really shocked me to hear that, I have been a fan of John Candy for a long time. However, his weight was higher than it should have been, the doctors think that’s what caused the heart attack. Not only was this actor very good, he was also a Canadian, and that adds to my sorrow. Needless to say, this has been a sad March the fourth evening Goodbye John Candy, I miss you.

    Later days... and hopefully warmer days!

 

While the parents are away

     They left for Mexico this Friday for their yearly two weeks away from the very nasty weather. Yesterday the weather was nice enough but this morning the ruthless windchill returned with a minus 44. It was 20 or better where they are right now. I take comfort in the fact that the snow is giving us a break.

       Neko loves my computer chair for some reason, and many of the pictures I take of her will find her right here, as you can see. She also likes my bed and the futon. One question for the few viewers I have; is she more Burmese than anything else, and which type of Burmese is she? She looks like a British/Oriental over an American one, but I really don't know. It's just something I'd like to know. I'm sure she wouldn't win any contests - not a very nice personality around other cats.

       I apologize that this video is so dark - I like it more for its audio than anything else. Our family cat was a master at purring - you could hear him from the other end of the house. Then again, he was enormous and the purring probably could be felt through the floor. He passed on in June 2012 after almost 15 years of greatness. My sister's cat is not one for purring and I was glad to get a cat that purrs.
      That's all I have for you for now. Hopefully February cuts us some slack and brings us better weather.

In Winter's icy embrace

         For the merry spinsters it's our first Xmas in the condo. I just got the tree up and it looks downright ridiculous. Considering I haven't put the tree up since I first moved into my apartment (Xmas 2009) I think it's a passable effort. Neko sees the tree as just another thing to chew on, and now that I've gone to the trouble of decorating it she takes great delight in playing with the pretty balls. Good thing they're plastic - I learned that lesson while still living at the house and observing the venerable Mr. Schneider.
         Speaking of the house, I usually spend Xmas Eve and New Year's Eve with the family on the couch downstairs. Since I don't feel right about leaving her alone overnight I have no choice but to bring her with me. In 2012 Mr. Schneider passed away and was succeeded by Dende. Last Xmas and New Year's Eve Dende took pleasure in keeping me sleepless for a while. This Xmas Dende's sharing his space with an intruder.
         For the record, this is Dende.

         As neither cat's spent much time with their own kind, my family's worked to try and bring them together. Main goals; avoid a screeching bloodbath and try to get some sleep in heavenly peace. Experiment #1 lasted a few hours and ended with Neko hating her pet carrier. Experiment #2 was grounded in 'out of sight, out of mind' and lasted for half the day. Experiment #3 was our longest attempt to date - a whole day of hoping there would be at least tolerance. I've come to understand that my cat's a little bully around other cats. She was spoiling for a fight and all Dende wanted to do was be friends. Poor Dende.
        Xmas will see Neko spending time in the basement and Dende upstairs while we're away with the extended rels. This way she won't be able to kill the poor dude. Next time I post I'll try to get a good pic of my abysmal tree.

First winter in the new digs

It rained a little yesterday evening but overnight the magic happened. I looked outside in the wee hours and saw the first signs. By this morning, the view outside my window had wonderfully altered.

I got a better view of the parking lot and this is what I saw.

Neko's a year old now, so she's seen the winter before. Today also marks 4 months that she's been my beloved roomie. Based on the video below, I think she's glad to be an indoor cat.

Cats!

This is strictly about Neko and her adventures. Here she is relaxing and sitting on my chair.

 

Cats like watching other cats - or so it's said. She does seem to like watching little fights between other cats. Must be the movement, as she also enjoys Let's Plays.

Neko's like the little girl in the nursery rhyme. "When she was good she was very very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid." Please observe the video below...

 

I don't think she got a lot of sleep after I banished her from the bedroom. Now she's trying to get some sleep on the futon. We have a meeting with the vet for Monday. Those claws need clipping.

Augh. Cats.