triumphgal

March 25, 2021

What a strangely wonderful day! On Tuesday, Patrick, the manager of the Granville Street Fluevog store put my shoes in the mail and I arrived to them already at the office this morning!! What a perfect day to get to wear my new Dr Henry shoes as I had a hospital and Dr appointment. Of course I had not planned clothes to wear with them and that didn’t matter, as it happened I was wearing my flamingo scarf and mask! He’s even gifted me with some fun swag!

I really do believe I was supposed to have these and am glad the other ones didn’t fit after all.

Off I went to the hospital to the respiratory department where the amazing Neal and Pam spent a good amount of time and tenderness testing my breathing, sharing their knowledge and experience and giving me options to what may be going on with my ability to breath. The test triggered coughing like a seal, tears and that drowning feeling and shakiness. They proved beyond doubt it has nothing to do with my lungs which overwhelmed me with gratitude as I was very afraid of COPD. They felt there may be a cause for the bile and inflammation if my CPAP machine is not adjusted just right for me. They thought I should continue taking my acid reducer twice a day and get referred to the sleep clinic here. Apparently an improperly functioning machine can cause a suction effect which draws bile up through the hiatus hernia. It can also cause me to swallow air and cause excessive bloating. I will definitely be talking to my Dr about it. I also got my report from the Ultrasound and there is not 1 but 2 cysts of some sort that are fairly substantial in size. I can’t wait to talk to Dr Sanregret about it all but she was called into Emergency to deliver babies today so my appointment was changed to tomorrow late afternoon. A few minutes later my dentist called to see if I wouldn’t mind changing my appointment from mid afternoon tomorrow to today so that all worked perfectly. I went for my cleaning and the hygienist was very grateful as I was his only appointment tomorrow so now he can go skiing, lol. It was another perfect moment when my dentist did a check of my mouth and the x-rays and there was nothing at all wrong for the first time in a long time. Glad I got all the crowns taken care of last year.

I had deposits to do at two different banks for two different societies and I was so glad when Maureen kindly offered to take care of both of them for me. I got back to the office and filed some more tax returns before deciding I needed to get busy on my own books and filings. I was shocked when it was 8 pm as it was so light out still. I didn’t get it all done but it a good start on it. My contractor who is supposed to come on Saturday so we can re and re the bathroom fixtures is now unable to and the following weekend is Easter so that is stalled once again but I am ok with it. I will get more done on my own. And maybe get outside as well. And I can always work on my books so I feel that pressure is gone.

March 24, 2021

Cool things happened today. I recruited Sean to help me take a sample of each of the lights we have for sale from the theatre to the most popular second hand store in Cranbrook, Twice Is Nice. Brad put them on consignment and I hope to clear them out and make a little for the theatre and them as they have regularly loaned us furniture and decor for our shows. It amused me when he noticed my shoes and commented on my ‘fancy blue suede shoes’. I was wearing my newest Fluevogs. I hope to fall for a man who notices my shoes.

There was a press release today that I was unaware of until Keri came and told me and then it was so funny as my son sent me a text from Vancouver. I must say I am so happy to get this grant that I can handle my chubby self being all over the news! Even my son, living in Vancouver texted me he had seen it!

https://www.e-know.ca/regions/cranbrook/trust-funding-widens-cranbrooks-door-to-the-world/

It is an exciting time for our theatre as we have super applicants, Maureen and Peter who apply for grants and we make sure we have our wish lists ready. I have mine, as the Tech Director and they came through!!

There are things like pizza night and ‘arguing’ over details, to clear the air that ensure you are really friends. One of the things anyone in my life knows is that if we are to continue in relationship, I need to be heard. That is as simple as it is, just hear me out. If I feel heard, I can let it go. It is important to understand that I will not waste my breath on something if it is truly done. If we are ‘in relationship in any way I will be my true self and you won’t always like that but we will always be true.

I ordered from Amazon as I needed bar soap and my mind remembered how much I used to love wandering through China Town in Victoria and purchase Sandlewood soap. For a period of time I was even able to buy it on Salt Spring. I had to buy an expensive case of 12 and that was a sting but the second I opened it and had a whiff, all the memories flowed and I was so grateful!!

This morning on the treadmill I discovered and began watching my new fave! Love Death Robot is a must see on Netfix! It really moves between CGI, regular and video game style graphics. And freaking great in the wit and references. Listen carefully!

March 23, 2021

Hi, I hope you are doing well. I have been thinking about you today. This is such a one sided relationship. You know so much about me, well, at least the amount I let you see. I know nothing about you. All I know is what you show me… fess up, the curiosity to follow may involve what the fuck will she say next. For you who are in my circle at any part of the orb, I wonder how much you follow to see if I will say something about you. I try to write without a filter, much like the way I share my pictures. I sometimes pull my punches or deliberately leave things out but some times I just want to let it all go. The “problem’ is I was brought up with the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Sometimes that is freaking hard!!!! Thanks Mom.

I spoke to her today and am happy to hear she is getting her first jab this week. I look forward to seeing her again. I wish she could be here for Emmy’s birthday at Easter but it is too soon.

Before i accepted the invite to a family outdoor get together Easter weekend, this was what my schedule looked like.

I enjoyed a delicious leftover lunch of the sausages my client gave me from their ranch.

I was very thrilled to get an email from the Fluevologist I have been dealing with to tell me my shoes had arrived returned and my credit was available to apply to my Dr. Henry’s he had set aside. He said to call which I did and he must have been on lunch. A while later I received an incoming call that I nearly missed as I was taking a screen shot that I was getting a phone call from my favourite shoe designer. I answered Hi Patrick and had a lovely conversation resulting in my order for the shoes I really wanted in the first place. Part of the sale price of the shoe that commemorates our wonderful Dr. Bonnie Henry will go to Covid relief. I can’t wait to try them on!!

I went at 5 and put down a batch of Pomegranate Wild Berry wine. It was my fave of the three batches I made for the kids at Christmas. After that I was back at my desk and completed a whole bunch of tax returns I had prepped today before the CCT Board meeting at 7. We got a lot done. It was a meeting that made all the stress getting ready worth while.

March 22, 2021

It is the first day of Spring and the first day of a new year of blogging about life during a Pandemic. It didn’t start all that well as I was annoyed by the fact there were vandals in our community green space play ground. The new swings were undone from one holder, damaging the bird spikes and tied in knots. It’s a pretty easy fix but just such a waste of time and it is the first weekend of spring break. I feel like I should leave my front lights on and keep an eye out but.. I won’t. I did send a picture to Maggie on the council as I know she wouldn’t see it over here.

Got a lot done today and met with Kevin who is Danny, my contractor’s boss, to get another quote on my expensive furnace replacement. He seems like a good , earnest guy. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with. I signed a quote on January 19th I believe it was worth another company who told me it would be two weeks to installation, and here we are…

I feel good about meeting all my obligations at the moment and had a good chat with Ashley, the partner at the firm I used to work for. They are very busy as usual and I am grateful for the boundaries I have set to protect my couch time. I think I am still pretty great as multipurpose Marnée but it wears me out sooner now. By the time I get home, I just want to catch up on my big screen shows, do puzzles and mostly ignore the small screens. I know this can frustrate some people but I am ok with it. It is saving my sanity, literally.

There is a third wave of Covid happening in BC right now and I want to pull back again. I can’t have had this complicated last year to lose stride at this point. I need to keep safe for Jake and Emmy to stay here in two weeks. I also need to have more tests done and don’t want to have any symptoms that will conflict. When I was in the hospital I was consistently low in Potassium. When I noticed I was losing more hair again, I looked up the symptoms of being low. Surprise, surprise, most of the ones I am experiencing. Maybe that is why I feel so much better after being on IV and getting a boost. Time to find the right multivitamin as I am only currently taking B12 and Salmon Oil.

Long day tomorrow with the Theatre Board meeting so I’d best get rest. I can’t stop thinking about a friend from the past who shared their struggles with suicidal thoughts lately. I messaged my number and told them to call or text or message any time, period. Do not struggle alone. I promised I would do the same. It is good to know you have a buddy who will understand.

March 21, 2021

On March 22 2020 I packed up my office at the Firm on a Sunday afternoon and moved home so as to feel safer about the Pandemic we had all heard of. My life has been on its own trajectory of change since. I thought today that before I wrote the 365th blog in a row, I would read about the year and process what I had written along the way. The day had other plans for me though and I have no regrets. I still plan to do that, read my own crazy, but not on this Sunday that involved connecting with two people who are part of my bucket list brainscars and make my heart happy to see their faces and hear their voices. In my life there have been places I would like to see, three I would like to see and two I must see. Little did I know that the same two people I met in Peru would become the ones to enable the fulfillment of my second on the list, visiting London and a bonus to Paris. There is hope that they will want to visit (or have not already visited) Belize, The Galapagos and Easter Island. Those trips would complete the top of my lists and the rest would be gravy. They are very active people so I don’t think a cruise of the Mediterranean with stops in Italy and Greece would be on their list and we all have fear of ships now.. but a girl has to have a dream.

After a lovely FaceTime visit with Linda and Nigel, I headed to Twice Is Nice looking for coat hook ideas and a musical jewelry box for Emmy who turns 4 in a couple weeks. I took a long time wandering through all three floors. It was the closest thing to travelling I can imagine. So many things reminded me of other people and places. I managed to find a board with coat hooks that had just arrived and a pair of walking poles just my mini size and it all cost only 16.50! I also spoke with the owner and he is interested in my bringing in the stage lights we are selling for the theatre on consignment. I made a date to bring them for him to see on Wednesday.

From there I headed into the office and spent several hours working on the books and reports for the community Theatre board meeting on Tuesday night. Having two titles is a lot of work. I will see how long I can keep setting boundaries while meeting my commitments. I would love to direct and or be in a show but I fear I will not be able to do it all.

I made the decision to be fiscally responsible and advertise a pair of my Fluevogs for sale. They are the most I have ever spent on something to wear including wedding dresses. I hope to get a reasonable amount of the cost back. They are beautiful and if you are interested, please reach out… I am asking $300 Cdn pls shipping, but will take offers.

I may regret that I came home so late from the office as I had to clean George’s tank, have some dinner, do some chores and then my puzzle got the best of me. I should be in bed, the 21st is nearly done and my year under the umbrella of Covid-19 is complete. What a year it has been.

March 21, 2021

I had set an alarm just in case but as it happens, there was no need. I was up and showered and ready for our monthly ABC’s zoom gaggle. Not everyone was able to make it this time … oh my Lord, just as I was about to type here that The Hearnden’s missed knowing we had a time change and couldn’t make the session, my Google Home out of no where started playing a funky version of the Winnie the Poo song . They are the ones who took me to the 100 Acre Wood in the UK. It was honestly one of my best days, but I really didn’t need Google to start reading my mind now!

The Zoom was great as always. Poor Colleen shared pictures of the newly lowered shrubbery in her yard after I inquired about the final results of the terrible winter storm they were hit with in Oregon. Such devastation. We spoke of jabs or lack of them, Ruth’s Hyperbaric Chamber appointments, Carol-Anne and my similar jobs doing mystery shopping, Lynda’s non-cancerous nose, the soon to be closed New Mexico senate (?) and North Vietnam. There is such a wealth of experience in this group that there is always something interesting to share or hear about. I like this monthly check in, honestly never thought I would but I do.

Yesterday I had asked the Campbell’s to come for dinner as they are in the middle of a major kitchen renovation and we hadn’t all gotten together in a long time. I took meat out of the freezer and got busy finishing the kitchen, just ready to have Danny do the trim. The wallpaper turned out better than I had hoped. It is so sturdy and stuck well. I am pretty pleased with it and decided to accept all the beautiful compliments Diane gave when they got here.

Sean, Diane and Zoë came for dinner. I really deked out by preparing frozen Macaroni and cheese, chicken thighs and beef sausages in the oven. We enjoyed a good framily meal together and then Diane and I played a game of Patchwork while Sean and Zoë watched Futurama. Diane won as usual!

After that we played three handed crib for a couple games before it was time for them to go home to make beds ready. Was fun to hang together again. I settled into sorting for a new puzzle and watching Crazy, Not Insane on Crave. It is an interesting documentary about serial killers. It amazes me that the woman the movie is about has been able to stomach all of the details she has dealt with.

March 19, 2021

Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing that went wrong with this day. It was simply made up of too many hats, too many plates in the air and too many people with questions. I appreciate that they all need me and I want to please them all. When all cheques are signed, data entered, the last email and phone message responded to, when that 3 hour and 3 minute call to CRA and the 2 hour streaming course on streaming is completed, when you have made sure the money is in the bank, all you can do is…

..take on a mystery shop at a Cannabis store!

It was interesting and I was earnestly able to ask about the different products. A wee purchase later and I was in the Dairy Queen drive through before heading home.

I have placed no more expectations on myself for this week. I am plain and simply done. I don’t want to do anything at all tonight except sit here and watch my shows. I want to take a respite from the whole world, but instead I will allow myself this moment. (I know , I take them regularly)

March 18, 2021

I returned my Johanne Fluevogs today as the right foot was too tight in an unusual way and Patrick said I could. Once they reach Toronto I will be given a credit as they were sale items and in Vancouver at the first store on Granville where I bought my first two pairs decades ago is a gorgeous hot pink pair of Dr. Henry’s set aside in my size. They should arrive in time for my birthday in the middle of the pandemic still.. perfection!

I was in a good mood hen I got home and had the doors open, letting the fresh air in as I ripped off all of the faux tile I had installed in the kitchen. My guess that the ones I bought from the neighbour across the street may not have been stored properly was likely true as the section of ones I purchased were the hardest to remove and many others were already curled and released. I am so thankful I found this amazing mildew resistant washable wallpaper from England and was able to order it through Wayfair. I got the paste and brush through Amazon and Keri lent me a smoother. I have never used paper that wasn’t needing to be soaked in water and applied. This was so much easier and the paper is such good quality that I am thrilled how it went. I used the panel door with the original damage as a work station. Upside down it worked perfectly. I made it two thirds of the way round before it was time to relax. I love it so much. When I first put up the tile I was happy with it but when I sat on the couch all I could see was the imperfections. Now I look over and am quite chuffed. It is very 60s which I love and matches my light and colours perfectly. I will finish the rest this weekend and Danny will be here to do the trim work next weekend. He also suggested I get a furnace quote from the place he works as the $7K I was quoted seemed high to him. I also approached the other company before Christmas and still no furnace.

While I was busy removing the tile, Danika messaged to see if I wanted to meet her and Emmy at the park. I did and we all had a great visit. That was also how I found out Jake is coming for Emmy’s 4th birthday Easter Monday. I called him and he will stay here, yay!

Brett brought his new daughter to work today and it is always interesting to see all the Moms get Googly over a baby. I think I am not that way as a rule because I have sensed ‘issues’ in peoples kids before and it is awkward. When I do have a child in my arms though I am usually the baby whisperer. It’s quite the conundrum.

Jamie, the past and acting president of the Fisher Peak Performing Artists Society came by the office today and we had a great discussion about the bookkeeping and all other things Treasurer related. I went and paid for a Post Office Box so that things don’t go to his rural address any more. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the easily overlooked ones. I am glad to serve. I look forward to us presenting music again soon.

March 17, 2021

Yesterday I was grateful that someone I had been in contact let me know that they woke up with a fever and had taken a Covid test. I tried hard to not stress about it but I was very concerned for two reasons.. they have a chronic condition and I was scheduled for a long awaited ultrasound today. Fortunately for both of us, later this evening I was informed the test came back negative. I was able to honestly tell them at the hospital that I have not been in contact with a confirmed case and get my test. The radiologist (?) was lovely and made it comfortable to go through. He also answered any questions I had but I didn’t ask if there was anything scary. It was a bit unnerving when he moved up from the mass behind my bladder to check both my kidneys and then decided he needed to do an internal ultrasound. I got ready while he called in another professional so there were not just two of us in the room. I must say the full internal tour today was pretty cool and also amazing to me that they can see anything and diagnose from it. All in all it took over a half an hour and it will take a couple days for results I was told. Once again I will try to stay off the anxiety wagon and hope I hear something before the weekend. The woman called in, Candace, had a good laugh with me when I was offered to put the wand in myself but I said it would feel much more clinical if he did it. In times of physical vulnerability, I always default to random jokes. I am grateful to our medical system though.

March 16, 2021

Struggling today, even hit snooze for an hour and didn’t get on my treadmill for the first workday since Feb first. During the day I became so overwhelmingly tired that I sat in my chair and snoozed for ten minutes. I ate three meals and drank water and got work done but I am having a day. I strangely had no emotional response to getting a message that someone I had contact with recently has a fever today and went for a swab. I have a promise to be kept in the loop and I have not been close to anyone since seeing them. That is all fine as long as I wasn’t a carrier. I would be horrified if I shared something bad. I will continue to distance, as always use my mask and hand sanitizer and be as always, locked away in my office, car and home. I was going to have the carpenter come this week but will wait until I hear the results.

Ever have one of those days when you just want to press pause and not experience anything at all for a while?

On the up side I claimed over 24K in subsidies today so, there’s that

March 15, 2021

So often I worry how much I should be worried about the weight on my chest. Today I have been struggling. I worked and got as much done as I could, came home and made dinner, cleaned up my cat’s vomit of undigested food and have been sitting on the couch gurgling. I am going to take an antihistamine and go to bed.

the great part of today was that I was still pretty zen and relaxed after my lovely weekend away. I really do wish they would test somehow to see if I had something that caused this. I know the struggle grinds down my state of mind. And like this time last year, I could barely keep my eyes open at work. If it is seasonal, I’d like to know what the cause is.

These ladies at the workspace do manage to amuse me though, when their loud crazy personalities don’t distract and annoy me that is! Ha-ha!

March 14, 2021

Had a delicious sleep in the ultimate guest room. Awoke refreshed and ready to get on with the day. Of course Pam made a full spread breakfast following The best coffee thanks to Al! They also introduced me to hash browns in a carton from Costco and sent me home with a case. So easy and sooooo delicious! It was hard to say good bye but off I went with a plan to to Trail via Nance Greene Provincial Park and Rossland to use more gas along the way. I remember always being so thrilled to drive through Rossland on the way to Kimberley as a kid because they used to have cross country skis crossed on the streetlamp poles. I though it was soooo cool.

Did my gas stop review in Waneta, on the outskirts of Trail. The lady there was so happy when I told her she was the first one to do all the right things. I love making people happy! From there I had only a short drive into Fruitvale to my client’s house where I stopped to trade paperwork. It was lovely to see his home and meet his wife and one of his children.

Next was Salmo where I was fortunate to have enough room to purchase the requisite fuel. When I was done I went to the attached Subway and got lunch. The young man there was lovely and we talked about how to lose weight when our work lives seem to fight against it. It is possible to make small connections if we look for them.

I worried the whole time driving to Creston that I had no room to put first 10 and then 5 dollars of gas in my tank. I pulled up to the pump and a woman pulled up on the other side. There was a rather awkward moment as I asked if I could but her $10 of gas, no strings, pay it forward if she felt like it. I don’t think she believed me but I went in and paid for her and when I came out she said I made her day. that was all it took.. ten dollars… I may just do that more often.

As I drove I kept asking Siri to make list to remind me of my thoughts. I randomly stopped and took pictures and all of that is randomly below..

Part of the fun was paying attention to signs for interesting, clever and or amusing business names such as.. Sleep is for Sissies Café, A Man and His Dolly Moving Company, 2 Scoop Steve’s and 2 Pump Paul’s.

I once again listened to my own music collection all day and I am still blown away by the variety and the breath of genres and levels of popularity and greatness. Music just makes me so happy and touches so many memories.

Interestingly, I noted in a few places the last three days that behind the roadside row of trees there was what looked like a Christmas tree farm all properly laid out. I realize now it was probably clear cut and then deforested by tree planters. Beautiful in its own way.

I passed through so many beautiful little towns on this three day loop. Many of them I would be interested in living in. If I knew I could make a circle os support and friends I would live anywhere this gorgeous province has to offer. I have always thought we were being a bit pretentious saying we are the most beautiful place on earth.. but maybe we are pretty close.

Animals, I didn’t see many but when I did! The first was a herd of Turkeys along Kootenay Lake. Oh I know it is a rafter or a flock but these were so big they were definitely a herd. Unfortunately there was no place to pull over to take a picture that first day on the road. Today as I was pacing Moyie bluffs I spotted a herd of Elk. I did pull over to take a couple pictures but was baffled that there were no antlers so I reached out to my hunter kids to ask. Seems they lose their antlers each year! Fancy that.

Finally made it home, before dark.. thanks to the time change. The weird part is last night going to bed to tonight settling at home there is a two hour difference due to the time zone change and the Spring Ahead part. Not sure if I am tired or not! Watching the Grammies and winding down as I wait for my cat to come in. She was seemingly happy to see me, came in and ate, had a snuggle and then cried to to go out and hasn’t come back in yet.

As I reflect on the weekend I once again have to be grateful that somewhere along the way I have been the kind of friend to earn the kind of friends I have. To live my life mostly as an open book and to have people who hold their privacy as sacrosanct share delightful memories and photos, stories of their pasts and welcome me into their inner circle is something I will always hold dear and respect and be grateful for.

Today I saw a Facebook post alluding to another death on Salt Spring Island. I started receiving personal messages from various people letting me know who it was. This kind and wonderful soul, Thomas Brainerd is no longer with us. I believe he is just turned 40. Far too young and leaving a young family behind, such a sad sad loss.

March 13, 2021

The day began in intervals during the night and ultimately I may have gotten 3 hours sleep. I forgot a piece of my CPAP machin ta home and couldn’t use it… sigh. Tonight in Slocan Valley however, Alan has engineered the perfect fix…

My friend made me waffles this morning and we played “you play me yours and I’ll play you mine. Dueling playlists between smart items. After I was ready to leave we played and completed a section of our most played game. I love the laughter and the jumping around upon winning (the characters that is) It was hard to say see you soon when you don’t know when that will be again. Good friends are good at that though.

There was so much beauty and so little traffic today that I was able to make quick stops and get some awesome pictures. There is nothing but gorgeous driving through the Kootenays so you can only feast it in and I am so grateful for the Change of scenery, literally.

I love when I experience synchronicity and today it happened as Small Glories song Johnson Slide came up in my playlist and just as there was reference to Kaslo, I see ahead a road sign with it’s name on it!

As always I have had lots of thoughts this trip and I plan to share them soon but for now I am wafting on the joy of the incredible hospitality at the Layard’s. An amazing Sunday roast with Yorkies on a Saturday, complete with cherry cheesecake, delicious red wine and just the right amount of fun and conversation around the backyard fire pit nicely distanced. I truly am blessed to pick up these side jobs that allow me to see friends that I haven’t seen since their daughters wedding in May 2019. And now to sleep, perchance Not to dream

March 13, 2021

What an incredible day to have to head up around Kootenay Lake for work. I do Mystery Shopper gigs and was recruited to do 2 places in Creston, and 1 each in Kaslo, Nakusp, Trail and Salmo. Today I manage to do one in Creston and the one in Kaslo. I found the fruit trees in Creston interesting this time of year as they seem to be shaped for picking.As it happens my car is too economical and I didn’t have room to put the amount of gas required in. the weather was lovely and the tunes were great. I stopped for a quick picture and came to realize I was stuck following a semi with a load of building supplies. It is a lovely windy road along the lake but not so great when you can’t pass. I made it to Crawford Bay at 2:15 to find the ferry had left at 2 and the next as not until 3:40. It was beautiful though and I went and sat by the water for a while. If it weren’t for the fatc there was no smell of salt air I would think I was looking at the ocean. I took the time call the optometrist and let them know my glasses did not come with tinting as they were supposed to . They are ordering a new pair. I am curious what they will do with my current ones.

It really did feel like old times from my vantage point. I made it up to Kaslo and did the shop there before heading to my friend’s home where he’d prepped for a feast of home made pizza. It was so great to have good food, good laughs, a great evening of games and most of all hugs, endless hugs, just what a body needed. The pie was a hit, phew!

I did enjoy the ice cubes!!

All in all it was a lovely day and I was thrilled to have time to listen to my tunes, a massive collection of randomness.

I think my wee suitcase may be happy to be on a journey finally as well

March 11, 2021

One year ago today the Province of BC via Dr Bonnie Henry announced that the World Health Organization had declared a Pandemic. Today I watched Dr Bonnie choke up and be unable to continue for the moment during her press conference. She must be exhausted. She and Adrian Dix have been the face of all of this for BC for a year now. 11 days later I decided I was unable to trust in the system of my employers and moved home to work. The bonus today was the relaxing of restrictions to allow gatherings of 10 outside. Emmys birthday is Easter Monday so I suggested to Rae that we have a Sunday Easter hunt and birthday party. It will be 12 with Ashlée and I but 7 are in Rae’s family so I feel we will still meet the criteria.

I have become a judgy cow. I am aware as I speak or think unkind things. I need to put my filters back in place, think before I speak, or rather stop thinking about other people’s business. I called a co-worker tonight to apologize and own my stuff. Of course she was kind and let me off easy.

Today was a lot of volunteer stuff again. But I got enough done to be ok with going away for the next three days. I am prepped for my jobs to do, have even contacted a client in Fruitvale to stop at his house on Sunday and drop paperwork as well as pick up the next round. I have done 4 tax returns so far and all were refunds. I like to tell people they are getting money back.

I came home from work and decided I had a mission to get some projects finished before I leave tomorrow so I took the time to reinstall my ceiling fan to flush mount. I admit to cursing and talking to it. It was heavy and hard and it took many tries to get it mounted but it is now and I think it is wonderful.

And then I decided that Gage needs a pie. I seem to remember that he loves pie so I made a Green Apple pie. It was satisfying to do so.

Grey’s Anatomy was very sad this week.

March 10, 2021

7 years ago today I began working full time for the Bella Bella Community School Board. 4 years ago I awoke to a large dump of snow that required a snowblower here in Cranbrook. That same day I received a letter that I was accepted into the Bachelors program at the local college. Today I remember all I learned and experienced living in a First Nation, I am grateful for small flurries and no snow on the ground, and realize I don’t need a degree to have what I have and feel successful.

I was reminded this morning that yesterday was the anniversary of the release of the U2 album The Joshua Tree. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the effet it has had on my life. I even got a tattoo to signify how much this album moved me.

I have always joked that some day this would’nt be my favourite song. I suspect however that I will go to my grave wondering what I will miss. I was born with a sense of FOMO.

I had a most extraordinary experience today meeting with the electrician who will be doing the work in our theatre renovation. I was able to say, this is on my dream wish list and he can make it happen. It’s a Tech Directors wet dream. He suggested I look on Pinterest and find my dream booth and let him know. It was funny as we took about 10 minutes before we were speaking the same language and he was calling me Marn. Made me laugh inside. I really want this project to be my legacy after all the drama and issues out of my control in the past. Another thing I had to do today was write a cheque to transfer the money for the grant to our investment account. It was so strange to have to think how to write in longhand 178000.00 Our President, Peter picked up the cheque to go invest it.

The Tech Director position has been challenging as I have no capacity to retain how to run and program all the equipment. I do however have a great ability to see a finished project and was able to point out all the wee things that add up to a theatre to be envied going forward. We will be wired and set for decades to come. It isn’t all about me, it is just my gift to guess what we will need going forward and my ability to communicate well with sub trades. Bonus, prior career building houses. I serve the future and am grateful for the money coming in to make these changes when the theatre is at rest.

I am going on an adventure for work the day after tomorrow and will be staying with a friend on Friday night who values his privacy more than anything else so going forward I will only be referring to his pseudonym, Gage Blackwood. This will allow me to tell my tales without infringing. Truth be told, he has a great personality and I want to shout from the rooftops all he is to me. I shall however respect his wishes and likely barely check in Friday night as I will be playing games and enjoying his company.

March 9, 2021

I called my Dr yesterday because I woke up to painful abrasions under my breasts from the Mammogram. I was told she was booked up for two weeks but when I mentioned what was hurting the receptionist said she would message my Dr and get back to me. I was called this morning to come in at 3:10 which I did and I was blessed by her caring and reassurance. She told me to put Zinc ointment on and it would heal. I laughed when she said it is like Frank’s Red Hot, she puts that (blank) on everything.

I have been dealing off and on with a complicated client and I guess I stayed calm and competent as she called and asked me to take on one of her portfolios until her new employee is up to speed. We were musing over the fact that there are so few good bookkeepers out there. The last one she had overstated their credentials. I have always said just because you bought a tool belt doesn’t mean you can call yourself a carpenter. So many people think buying software and doing data entry makes you a bookkeeper. I stopped being offended by that and am comfortable in my ability to keep learning and do what I do.

Rae-Anne and I went to Boston Pizza for Pasta Tuesday. We both ordered the same dish: Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine. This is what showed up…

Not sure how mine had all the mushrooms and hers had all the tomatoes. Was tasty though. And it was nice to be out together. Funny that we both found it kid noisy though.

After work I returned to Safeway to pick up my prescription for an antihistamine that has found to help when my inflammation is at it’s worst. Dr S was very encouraging about my lifestyle changes. She said the exercise and Dryish Feb and small changes along the way will be rewarding in the long run and to avoid and serious diets. I used my gift cards that I bought for Gene’s fundraiser and stocked up on groceries. My favourite find was yogurt on sale… called my name, it did.

I sold my old ceiling fan for $5 on the bid wars site. Pretty sure one of the three bulbs is worth that but it was bought by someone I have sold to in the past and am glad she can make use of it as hers broke down. I still haven’t raised my new one up to flush mount but will soon. I just noticed that my Christmas cactus is getting ready to bloom again. It is always so gorgeous when it does. Something else to look forward to!

March 8, 2021

I believe my kid’s are raising an amazing next generation. Emmy is strong and self aware and caring, and big picture, like her Dad was at that age. The boys are generous and caring and giving. Gene at nearly 14, standing taller than I, asks if he can give me a hug, masks up and doesn’t let go until I do. Tonight after barely settling in after work there was a knock at the door and I opened it to a grinning 9 year old William holding a beautiful plant and wishing me a Happy International Women’s Day Nana! Close on his heals were Lukas and Sawyer with big love hugs to give. I am grateful for them. And that I was one of their choices to gift.

Earlier in the day I got an email that my replacement panel sliding door had arrived. There was a patch on one of them so the store reordered for me. Sean took me to pick it up and like last time we had a good laugh at the lack of common sense. There were no mirrors involved. They were packaged and crated as if there were though, complete with fragile signs etc. This time they uncrated it for us at the store thankfully.

I liked the hand written sign on a chest in Home Depot. Nice gesture

Had a bookkeeper’s win today. I took on a new client for a personal tax return and upon reviewing his prior year so as not to miss anything, I noted his last year was incorrect. I filed this years and got him an extra 1500.00 from last years. As I was leaving the office at 5:40 he and his family showed up with a bottle of Vanilla Crown. Sweet moment!

Can I just say, I love Harry and Meghan. I started watching the Oprah interview this morning, and finished it this evening, grateful that the radio didn’t spoil it as it was a hot topic all day. I was moved several times and admire their relationship. They are classy. They are straight up. And they are having a girl!!! I look forward to finding out what my UK pals think. I also learned that they live in Santa Barbara! May be time for a visit..

March 7, 2021

I had a great sleep as I chewed a gummy before an early tuck-in last night. Slept until 9 and then was up and making plans for what to do next on my kitchen reno. I worked on the crazy Cats puzzle and then got ready as I had a mammogram at 1 at the hospital. It was odd to shower but not put on deodorant or lotion or anything. The whole process was simple. Had to just think nothing of a strange woman touching my breasts and arranging me just so as the plate clamps me to the contraption. It’s just a regular scheduled one since the last was in 2018. The one before was in a van (motor home)in a gravel parking lot in Bella Bella. I was thrilled to find free parking at the hospital for a change. On the way home from that I stopped at Home Depot and picked up a ceiling fan on sale and some panels to cover the stretch of ugly in the ceiling. Roger then met me there later to pick up primed wall board which we took to his place and cut to size for the wall above the counter and the ends of the cabinet. I came home and after eating decided I would install the fan. It looks great but when I got down off the ladder I realized I should not have used the down rod so tomorrow night I will I install it flush. I do really like it though. It has 3 wind speeds and 3 types of LED lighting, bright, warm and daylight as well as dims. After spending so much time working over my head I was worn out. Am now on season 7 of SHIELD as season 6 was shorter than the previous ones. I can see that the series needed to end as the time jumping stuff is getting silly. Must see it to the end though.

Oh and chocolate whiskey is delicious over ice… just saying.