Ok, I started the day calling the makers of my bedroom ceiling fan and ordering both the receiver and the remote so I can see which one is the problem. I did get confirmation that I can disconnect the light wires and wrap them so that I can still use the fan until the new parts come. Off to the office I went and got a good amount done. My elbow is getting better even with the building of the carport which turned out to be harder on my left hand as I cut it on the second to last row we did. It turns out the cut was deeper than I thought and it was awkward to keep my right arm off the chair arm, and my left hand lifted off the edge of the keyboard table. Sigh. It will all heal soon enough.
I had people who wanted to come see and take my couch and chair for only $100 and we communicated several times in the day making the arrangement that I would see them at 5:15. I left the office and raced to Home Depot to pick up concrete deck footings to hold down my carport safely and then back home. I had just gotten there when I got a message that they got a free couch… oh well, it seems Rae may want it for there place as the kids have killed theirs and she just wants one to get them through until they are all a bit older. I told her just to come get it .
I put the weights in place but of course they are made for 2x4s and lumber is not true to size. The bottom rails are 2”. I put them in place on top of the rails for now. It is raining hard so I came in and made dinner, changed into my jammies and curled up to watch a little TV before I intend to tuck in early.
This morning I lit up the gift Ashlée found for me and they are so cute that they shall sit on my collector shelf to bring me joy all year, not just Halloween.
I slept fairly well, got up and made coffee and went back to bed to binge the third season of Only Murders in The Building. I usually can’t stand Martin Short but this show is brilliantly written and so entertaining. I am enjoying it very much. I hope they keep making it.
After that I got up and started doing random chores like trying to fix my ceiling fan over my bed. The remote is not making anything change and if I turn on the wall switch the fan and the light come on. I previously slept every night with the fan on and I have been overheating. Unfortunately I couldn’t get it to work even using the YouTube videos and the info on their website. I will have to call during the week. I changed my bed after taking photos of the antique frame and posting it on all the Facebook marketplaces. I ordered a new frame and side tables on sale from Wayfair. I also relisted my couch and chair.
I reached out to family and to Tracy to see if I could stir up some help to finish the carport. We had to wait for a bit of rain to pass and then just as Tracy and I started, Rae showed up with Will and Sawyer. The three of them raked 4 bags of leaves which was awesome. Tracy and I finished the carport just as it was beginning to get dark. It was a lot of work, but so satisfying. Somehow due to the uneven ground, it ended up skewed a bit. I had to work with it and let go of my need for it to be perfect just to get it done. My arms and hands are sore.
I finished taking the Halloween decorations down, took out all the garbage and came in to make some dinner. It was delicious and while I was making it I got a message that a couple is interested in my furniture. We will make a plan for them to come see it this week after work. I cleaned up and ran a bath. It was a special bath bomb and I relaxed through two episodes of Loki, watched Sister Wives and am now ready to tuck in to that fresh bed. It is an hour early but we did fall back to standard time last night so I had to change all my clocks and my system hasn’t adjusted yet.
I awoke to messages from ‘the guy’ and they were going well until I asked a few pertinent questions about his daughter and who looks after her while he is away working. The answers didn’t make sense. We had agreed to finally talk today. I researched where he said he is working, did a deep dive to try to find a sign of him or her online and even searched for obituaries of his wife and parents as he had told me where they had lived and died and how old he was when those things happened. There was zero online. This rang allll the bells. I did ask him about when he was born again and he told me the month and day but not year so I said “what year? Are we the same age?” And there was a very long pause in the conversation before he answered that yes we were both 60 but he didn’t say the year. It was a straightforward simple question. This was just another of the small oddities. There had already been times when I noticed an accent in his writing and others when there was none, as if it was two different people. He professed to be born in the states and moved to Canada when he was 3..
He hadn’t answered a question in a bit and I needed to get to a client’s so I said I was going to jump in the shower as I was getting annoyed waiting. Suddenly my phone rang through WhatsApp and I said Hello. On the other end was a rather high pitched, younger voice with what I think was a Dutch accent. He said he was surprised how low my voice was and I told him I was surprised by his accent. He tried to say that he had told me he lived in Italy for 4 years (when he was 15) as if that was to explain it all. I cheerfully said, “oh that’s something I have never asked you, how many languages do you speak?” And he hung up. I was not surprised, I just don’t understand what the point was. He never asked for money, in fact offered to pay for things. He did want to come here straight from his job in Belgium. I thought that absolutely ridiculous as he supposedly has a 13 year old daughter staying with his 85 year old aunt in Elora Ontario who he said he hasn’t seen in 5 months. He told me he sold his house there and will move to Edmonton in December. He said his daughter was fine with that but I don’t think any 13 year old girl wants to move, mid school year, away from her friends. Also, his reasons for moving to Edmonton were easily found on a website of the 10 best things about the city.
The part that made me question everything early on was when he said he couldn’t Video call me as it was not allowed with his contract for work, only to family for security reasons. He also said he was the boss on a project building a 4 story hotel out in the woods near Namur, Belgium. I questioned that early on as I had never heard of that being part of a contract and he jumped on me for wanting him to risk his job. This morning, I asked him what his favourite parts of Namur were after I researched it. He said he only saw it on his way to the site and that they aren’t allowed to leave the site without security so he doesn’t. The story just got weirder and weirder to the point that I have to wonder if he is in jail, but also how he has access to contact me.
I am glad I was so cautious and there was never any sexual talk. That was the interesting part as it was mostly getting to know each other conversation, and laughs. Such a shame and so, so pointless.
I shall brush the dust off from that Asshat and move on but it really was quite the timing. I have always believed that evil is connected in the world and it was just another layer of ugly laid on a weekend that reminded me that it has been 30 years tonight that I was raped and impregnated. I will state again that I do not wish it to not have happened or I would not have my amazing son, and granddaughter, but really???
I spent 7.5 hours at a client’s today and that was fun and took my mind away from it, mostly. I popped home to feed Missy and then grabbed cash and headed to Landon’s for a small group poker night. There were 8 guys, Landon’s Nona, and me. I was big stack right up until I was taken out 3rd, that and my bounties sent me home $55 up and I had my faith restored by a small group of good humans.
I wonder what it was in me that he thought he could manipulate. I have been beaten and bruised and psychologically damaged by way bigger monsters. I will not accept that treatment from anyone, ever again. I am my own best company who makes the life she wants. You can come along for the ride and have all the fun, but you can Not drag me down.
Last night after I blogged I realized I was hungry so I made shrimp tacos and they were delicious. I had the second serving when I got home tonight.
I received a text from Danika that they were in town for an appointment so I got ready and went and had coffee and a visit with her, Emmy and Gwen as Malcolm was running errands and Thea was sleeping. I am hoping to get up to Elkford for an overnight visit soon. It will be nice to spend some time with them.
After getting a bit of work done, I headed to Encore for the Founder’s lunch. Only $20 to enjoy all the new menu items coming up and pitchers of beer. I sat with Lallah, her husband and son, and Deanne as Bill was out of town. We had a great visit and I hope they do more of these. I wasn’t able to be at the last one, so this was a great experience. I like Lallah and getting to know her. She is a kindred spirit about volunteering. I nominated Steve Knowles for a community volunteer award from the Knights of Pythias. He is the backbone of FPPAS and I think well deserves recognition.
New veggie taco was delish!
After lunch I went back and spent some time chatting with the guy and got some things off my plate, work wise. I then went home to get changed so that I could volunteer at Key City for the Mt. Baker Band and choir night. My darling grandson, Gene, was in three of the performances; Senior Concert Band, Jazz Band and Choir. He is an amazing, good natured, caring human. Oh, and he got his learners today! How is it possible that I have a grandchild that can drive?! I managed to only get one decent video and a few pictures as I was working a door and we are not supposed to have our phones out. It was good to see some familiar faces, get a few hugs and support Gene and KCT
Slept better after smudging last night. It could be placebo effect as it calmed me and put me in a good space, but in any case, it worked.
I woke up to a good amount of snow on the ground and it still coming down. I headed to a client’s for the day and had a lovely view out the office window as we got a lot done. I plan to go back on the weekend and finish it off.
Came home and shovelled a bit, fed Missy and headed to pick up Lukas and Will, the two middle grandsons as I had, months ago, purchased tickets to Dogman the Musical at Key City. We all agreed it was a great show and Lukas pointed out that he was probably the oldest kid there (I may have been), but he was glad he came and enjoyed it. It really is the hardest kind of theatre for actors, all energy, comedy, singing and dancing, quick costume changes, etc. The are award winning for a reason.
It was a good day, even though I had terrible nightmares that woke me up twice last night and I couldn’t get back to sleep right away. I was very weary most of the day although I did get enough done to be able to go to a client’s tomorrow and help them transition to new software.
I went to the retirement for Laura today from the Chamber where she has been for decades. It was at Heidout and there was a good turnout. I sat in an overflow booth with another attendee, Chris whom I had not met before and we talked motorcycles, travel and investments. Helen sat with us for a bit and that made me happy as she is one of the reasons I joined Chamber. She is always so full of enthusiasm.
Now it is only 6:30 and I am ready to go to bed but am going to watch Big Brother and still go early. I have begun to dislike immensely the time change between me and the guy. We are only able to chat more deeply while I am in my workday , or he is in his. Today I did get his full name and email which is next step. I truly hope this is the beginning of something and that I will be able to let my guard down and enjoy the conversations.
I got myself ready and headed to the office. It was a day of payroll and necessities but mostly, gratitude to get all my obligations done.
I was finished in time to get home and set up everything for the evening. I moved my fire pit to the front, got the fire going, put my Jack light under the carport, masks on my lights, candy in my Darth holder and invited Tracey over. We had around 60 kids between 5:45 and 8:30. It was nice to see everyone appreciating the fire and coming to warm up. Really, it was a great night.
I did it, short of payroll tomorrow and a few random client assists tomorrow, I have completed all I had to for October. I worked until around 7 as I had to talk long with a client to get him to figure out some of the details so I could post and reconcile. I did take a break to carve a pumpkin or more accurately Drill a pumpkin. I also had my lunch that I made last night. Then I buckled down and got it done. I am relieved.
I am tired, but also content. That is a very good feeling.
I did have a sleep in and a relax and a chore time before heading off to buy cat food and get to the office. I thought it would be best to alleviate some of the stress of tomorrow. Well, over 7 hours later, I made my way home. My car was very frosted up when I went to leave and I hadn’t realized how cold my feet had gotten. It took a while to get them feeling normal again once I was home. As it was 9 pm, I decided to make food but not eat it tonight. I made a snack and it was tempting to eat the meal I prepared as it smelled so good but it was too late at night for that. I am looking forward to tomorrows meals. And, I am very grateful I got as much done as I did today.
Oh, and I had the weirdest email style comment on an old post on Facebook, it was so long that I couldn’t even capture it in one screen. He is blocked and reported… just so random
I relaxed for the morning, drinking coffee and watching my shows. I was trying to decide what to do next, go to the office or build my carport when I laughed and accepted the suggestion by the guy that I take a day off and not go to the office.
So, that is what I did, got out in the cool fall air and started working. The dentist called to see if I could come early as they had a cancellation.
Before that I drove through A&W, picked up lunch and went to visit Mom. While I was there, I paid her bills and took care of outstanding things. It was good to catch up.
The change in the dentist time worked out perfectly as I ran to get my cleaning after lunch and then came back to get building. I was part way into it when my neighbour, Tracey, became available and I truly couldn’t have done it without her. It is not perfect, but half is done and I am so thrilled. I am also in a lot of pain. It was hard on my hand and elbow. Self drilling screws do not always go in easily.
I made a nice dinner and then headed to the The Stage Door to see Don’t Dress For Dinner. I was very impressed with the show. It is awesome when I can honestly say that all performers carried their roles with aplomb. It was also interesting as the play was done in black and white, like an old time movie. This is something I have always wanted to try. It is interesting how much the actors mouths show in colour!
When the show was over, I headed to Encore for the Halloween Bash with Pretty For the People. It was a lot of fun and great to hang with my daughters and son-in-law. Roger came in second in the costume contest as The Chicken Man and our friend Maddi and her friend won as the Step-Brothers. I decided to go wearing my Founder’s jacket and act like I owned the place. The funny thing was, I lined up for a drink and a server way down the bar saw me, waved the Crown Royal bottle and said I’ll start you a tab. The rest of the night went that way, I didn’t have to wait at all. Membership has it’s privileges, lol.
My friend Ireland
All in all, it was a great day and I think I shall enhance my evening in order to get a good sleep.
I woke stupid early, chatted for a bit with the guy and then fell back asleep for two hours. That was a deep sleep that I could have stayed in for days. Unfortunately, the alarm went off…
I managed to get a great deal done, including picking up Mom’s pills before heading home to get on a dress and prettied up. I went back to the office and wrote my speech in case we won. Fisher Peak Performing Artist Society is up for Excellence in Arts, the first year it is being awarded. I felt strongly that the Community Theatre was going to win it.. and they did. I am happy for them. I did have a good speech though, lol. Rae-Anne got up to accept the award for FireHall Kitchen and Tap. She did a good job. It was exciting to see Aleatha win two awards for Ella’s, a Jamaican restaurant that they began just as Covid hit. Surviving that and even moving into a gorgeous new location, employing around 25 people in the community was rewarded as Business Person of the Year. She is a lovely human and I am so happy she got the recognition.
It was funny when Morchella Market won for new business, a category that Encore was in, and when the group went up, Blaire, the kitchen manager when Encore opened, was carrying one of their beer with her. It was clearly on purpose and a great shout out to her previous crew.
I am so looking forward to no alarm in the morning, must go see Mom and have a visit and do a few chores, deliver her pills etc before going into the office again until my dentist appointment.
I got up and made my meal from Hello Fresh so that I would have food today and tomorrow. I was glad I did as I worked my tail off and ate a late lunch which was so god that I am looking forward to tomorrow already.
Just before I left for work I remembered that my car gives stats. It is a monthly report. I was surprised it was slightly less Km than I had calculated but there is no doubt I put a lot on this month and it isn’t even over yet.
I was amused by a woman who works in the building modeling her costume. Not something you look up from your desk to see just any day.
I raced to my brow appointment and then popped home to feed Missy and brush my teeth before heading to Key City Theatre. Seems they needed me tonight. I am one of the few who can run a busy bevie and snack booth single handed. It was a sure test of that as it was a country show and those fans do like to drink, lol. I had a blast, got lots of great love and connection and I could hear Tim Hicks who I do not know but he’s hounded good. By the end my arm was super hot and throbbing so I didn’t stay to watch. Galen needed a ride home and since he runs the joint, it was my opportunity to head out. I am not sure whether heat or ice or anything at all would help so I am going to rest it and put some Indian medicine on it for the night.
Today was also spent getting into deeper conversation with the man. I think I will want to video chat this weekend if he is available because I want to be sure there is something to follow up on. There are a few things that scare me but also many that intrigue me. Plus I just happen to think he is a Silver Hottie. I hope he doesn’t have a squeaky voice, lol.
I had a weird and interesting day as I was communicating off and on with a guy for a while now who is working in Belgium but moving to Edmonton in December. I have had great communication until I asked him to take a selfie with a landmark so I would know he is who he is. He got offended… I don’t want to go into the details until it is either proven he is not who he says or it is a funny story we tell years from now. Don’t worry, I have all my spider senses working.
After a long day of data entry, I went to the rental group meeting I have been peripherally involved with. I was glad I did as there was the Mayor and several top city officials there to explain the city plans coming up as to revitalization and housing. They were very informative and I was so glad to be there. I look forward to reading all the new info coming out soon as to our Official Community Plan, etc.
Mayor Price
I spent the last couple hours updating my YouTube channel with the music videos I have taken. It was instigated by the musician from last night reaching out to see if I would send him the video I took! I said yes in exchange for permission to post on my channel. I still have to upload my Vegas trip videos but got caught up on everything up to then. I forgot how much work it is if you leave it go too long, lol
I do feel like I have broken the back of the work I have to do this month so that is comforting.
The last time I recorded snow this year was April 4th, which means we have made it just over 6 months between snowfalls!
This morning I was stepping out of the shower when I heard my friend’s voice. I was impressed with the message she delivered
I had a phone call appointment with my Dr who was pleased to tell me that my levels pointing to Diabetes were extremely good. No issues with my liver either. The cholesterol level is right on the line between low and moderate. He said he put all the stats into a calculator and i have a 10% chance of stroke or heart issues in the next decade. I feel really good about those odds and will make any diet changes and fully quit smoking which will drop the percentage by a good amount. Not bad for a 60 year old broad, lol.
I did a few chores after work and then headed to Encore to meet with Rae, Ash and Dee-Anne to see Leeroy Stagger. He is the grandson of my dear, dear friend, Patsy (RIP) from Salt Spring Island. I made sure to wear my MusicFest T with his name on the back from 2022 when he played there. It turns out that he and the band are staying at Ashlée’s apartment! I went up to him and before I had an opportunity to explain who I and she was, he said Hi! I know you, what is your name. That made me happy and I showed him the last picture we took together before taking another. The evening was lovely and there was a good crowd for a Tuesday night in Cranbrook. He gave me a button for my bag at the end of the night.
I also ran into Tyrel Hawke who is always ready with a great smile
My Dad, who’s 84th birthday it would have been today, had he not been killed when his floatplane crashed at the age of 64, didn’t want me to keep it. He understood that abortion was not my personal choice, but he was worried, as a Dad, that I would be reminded every day. He wanted to help me find a family for adoption… he was wrong and he recognized that, long before he died. He loved my Jake and would have been just as proud as I am of the man he has become.
I was a 30 year old divorced woman who decided to treat herself to a big trip with a co-worker. 21 days in Florida and the Bahamas. I won’t go into the details tonight, but on day 5 in Freeport, I was raped. I had been celibate and off birth control for a couple years and just knew I would be pregnant. When I saw the Dr in Florida a couple days later he offered me a pill to take care of it, just in case, but I knew that if I was, it was meant to be. The literature said there was a 2% chance of a pregnancy in that situation… I knew before I even came home that I was carrying.
I found the hardest part initially was making everyone else okay with my decision.
It is single-handedly the best decision I have ever made and I am proud of overcoming all the things; depression, poverty, loneliness to have raised a good man. He is far from perfect, just as I am, but he is successful and loving and true to what he believes in.
I am proud of him, grateful for him choosing me to be his Mom, and I am proud of me for stepping up to the challenge.
I got up and worked my way through a rainy day doing laundry and other household chores. My nails were way too long so I called at noon when the salon opened and made an appointment for 3 to get a fill. My arm is feeling no worse for using it so much yesterday and seems to get a bit better each day, thankfully.
When I headed out for my appointment I noticed that there were no long pieces to finish building my carport. In my hurry, I thought at least four pieces had been stolen and I was gutted. It really hit me hard emotionally as I tried to come up with an affordable solution. Once my nails were done, which I love in orange and sparkly black, I reached back home to check the direction book. I was truly relieved to find that Monica had read the directions wrong and we had put the ‘missing’ pieces onto the two arches we already made. My adrenaline made me undo them and build the other two arches before I went in the house. i made dinner which helped as I hadn’t eaten properly, likely contributing to my over reaction.
I was at Key City for 6:45 to run bar for a comedy show. IT was three indigenous comedians and most of the audience were from Ktunaxa Nation. I had a great visit with the two main acts before hand, laughing that they have always wanted to stay at the Clown Motel and will make a point of it after our talk. I enjoyed all of the show, they had toned down the crudity and it suited the audience well. I felt bad for them trying to get interactions going though, tough crowd. OF course it being a Sunday night 8 pm show, there wasn’t a lot of action at the bar, but they were great tippers and I was sure to let them know it was appreciated as it goes to our volunteer party.
Mary hopes I will be available for a couple gigs this week, but I will have to make sure all my work is done first.
I picked up Monica just before 11 and off we went to bottle 4 batches of wine. One for each of us and 2 to split. We had a fabulous time, catching up and getting it done. After we dropped hers off we headed to my place to unload. There was an extremely strong smell of gas so I called the emergency line again. The Fortis guy showed up in short order to discover the the hose connection on my side of the meter was damaged. As he had changed the regulator last week, he felt that one did not necessarily cause the other but he fixed it for free which was a blessing and again, I didn’t go boom!
Monica stayed for a couple hours to help me start building my carport and wow is it solid. I definitely got the good quality one I had hoped for. It has a few scratches that I am sure happened in transit as the three boxes were so heavy (glad I got free shipping from Wayfair) but I will touch it all up with the proper paint when it is done. We got a good start on it and recruited Tracey to come help us hopefully finish it off tomorrow as we both feel it will take three of us to get it together. I am so looking forward to my car not being covered in snow every morning and it will be good coverage for the jeep come next summer. Monica and I work well together and we called on all our girl power to get things done.
After I dropped her back home, I relaxed for a bit and then headed to Key City Theatre for ‘Walk me to the corner, an evening to celebrate Brent Carver’ I am so glad I got a ticket. I was blessed to have been the only non-family member at his family gathering when he passed during August of 2020, the height of Covid restrictions. I ran lights and sound for it and from the booth I was very moved. It took over three years to make tonight’s event happen and I wish everyone could have made time to be there. For a boy from Cranbrook to have soared to the heights of the Theatre world as he did is astonishing. The whole evening was top notch with film clips from producers and even Chita Rivera! Nora McLellan, currently in Son of A Critch, came and gave a beautiful tribute, sharing a funny story sent by a friend of theirs. Jim Cameron and Barry Coulter, two local actors gave the intros and did a spectacular job. It was all very impressive and well showcased Brent’s success on TV, in movies, at Stratford, in Toronto, on Broadway and in London. They had all his award out and I was gobsmacked. The Tony award was the most stunning, something he and Chita both received for Kiss of A Spiderwoman.
And my favourite pic of the day that I received by text, my kids in Vancouver together
I mulled on why I am so happy when on the road, no matter where I live or where I am at in my life.
It suddenly occurred to me that in the company of complete strangers I am none other than my own true self, and she is a happy, energy sharing, uplifting human. I don’t have to have my brain working 100 miles an hour, don’t have to try to figure out if I know you, if I should remember who you are, should know the details that prove I was listening and care.
The reality, being stuck in an empath (and concussed) brain makes me let things go as quick as I can often. This makes it complicated to live in a small city. I worry constantly that someone will be offended that I don’t remember them, especially when they greet me with enthusiasm. I am involved in many things and sometimes… it’s just too much. I want to engage, to enjoy, to just be…
and so I go away, and I engage with strangers in an even swap of intellect and energy that fills both of us. So, that is how it is, I have my one person, the one who will remind me who the other is and how I know them, who will hold my memories with me.. or I be straight up and just tell people I am sorry but how do I know you… to often horrible reactions… or I roam and leave memories and gather positive energy wherever I go… THIS, this is what fills my tank. This is why I blog so I can be in the moment, write it down to revisit, and really, just be me.
This is also one of the reasons I left Theatre school as I figured out that to be a success, it was all about networking. Schmoozing, this I can do, deep talk, also, but the in between, this I struggle with.
The month is slipping away but I am getting a lot done so am trying to keep the stress at bay. My guts are very unhappy with me for the last 7 days at least. I even took a Covid test tonight just to be sure. I suppose I could have picked up a bug of some kind on the journey, it’s just not something I usually experience. I am drinking lots of water and eating properly though, the weight has even started to come off again, yay!
Dinner didn’t look as great as the picture but it did taste good and is pretty healthy. I am tired, so I will rest well tonight I hope. My arm wasn’t as bad today. That’s a win.
I feel bad for Rae-Anne and Ashlée as they planned a sister trip to see Pink in Vancouver. They flew out yesterday to return on Sunday. Today Pink announced she is sick and the shows are postponed or cancelled. What a disappointment when they have been looking forward to it for months and months.
