Tricia's Musings

Random Thoughts about life in general, living in the big city of Toronto



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Christmas with the in-laws!

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How is everyone on this lovely Christmas Eve?

We’re having a quite Christmas here this year. I don’t think we’ve celebrated Christmas on Christmas day with Chris’ family in years! It’s always a day or two before Christmas or the following weekend. It seems that no one can manage to get together on Christmas day for some reason.

When my parents were around we had this problem too of course, but we tried to alternate Christmases between the families.

Anyway … Yesterday we went to Brantford to have Christmas with Chris’ parents and his two sisters, their spouses and their kids.

It didn’t quite work out that way though.

Chris’ younger sister had been to Sarnia the night before seeing friends and as they returned home they discovered that their young daughter was very sick so they ended up in a walk in clinic. My niece has strep throat so bad she won’t even drink any liquids! I don’t envy my sister in law at all today!

Chris’ older sister and her husband didn’t make it either! It turned out that she had a cold or the flu and since they are going to Hawaii on Christmas day she wanted to rest and get better before their flight.

So as it turned out it was just Chris and I, Chris’ parents and one of his aunts.

Chris nephew was in the basement with a friend while we were visiting, but for some reason he didn’t want to eat dinner … so that dinner for 12 or 13 people ended up being for only 5!

So that was Christmas with the in-laws.

Oh and I’ve said before that my mother in law can’t really cook … I think she said she cooked the turkey for 10 hours. It was good but it was very dry.

We brought Midnight along for the day so she could meet the family. She was afraid to go in the house when we first go there! I coaxed her in and then we kept her on her leash for a while as we led her around the main floor showing her the house and introducing her to the in-laws. She did pretty good while she was there. No accidents (actually she hasn’t had an accident for close to a week so she might be housetrained!) and she didn’t jump on people too much. Over all I’d say it was a good experience for the puppy. (and us)





Man that guy can talk!

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The other night Chris was on the phone for well over an hour. No it wasn’t one phone call, I think it was about three phone conversations. Our phone just kept ringing all night.

He talks so loud when he’s on the phone it’s hard to concentrate on anything and forget watching TV … unless you turn it up quite loud you can’t hear it as he talks louder to compensate. Sometimes I wonder if he’s got a hearing problem.

Before we had a DLP TV we used to have a Sony Trinitron and when Chris would get on the phone and start talking loud while I was trying to watch a tv program (remember this was long before we had a PVR that would let us pause or record a show) I’d sometimes just switch the TV to the captioning service and read the close captions if the station or channel provide them for that program. At least I could still follow the program!

Do any of you have that problem? Someone at home that talks so loud you can barely do anything in the same room if they are on the phone or talking to someone in person?

There’s too much money flying out of our pockets lately!

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I can’t believe how much money we’re spending on things lately!

Of course buying a puppy and all the items necessary to make her comfortable in our home was quite a hit to the wallet. So were her unexpected extra vet bills! She’s been to the vet twice and she’s only been with us 14 days! Remember she had a bacterial infection so she needed antibiotics and medications to settle her tummy?

Well we went to the vet on Tuesday evening for a check up and she got her second set of vaccination shots. Her stool was also checked again and this time the vet discovered Round worms! So she’s on more meds. She also has a slight infection in her left eye so we have to put ointment in her eyes twice a day.

I think the vet bills have come to about $600 so far.

Then, on Tuesday when Chris was driving to the other side of town to pick up the replacement light we needed for our DLP TV (that was $300) the drivers side window’s motor failed and the window was stuck half open.

Our cars been at the garage since Wednesday morning. They had to order a new motor for the window and that costs $400.

This is nuts!

We’ve also still got to buy a number of gifts for Christmas and then my niece, who’s having a baby in February, will be having a baby shower in the first week of January.

Ah the bills! The bills!

Putting aside my hopes of travel

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I was hoping now that I got Chris to go on a trip, and since he did ok with flying this time, that we’d be able to start traveling more.

Then we got a puppy.

I can’t seem to get much of anything done now that we have this energetic ball of fur running around!

I’m so tired and my Crohns is starting to act up bad – probably from the lack of sleep and increased activity.

Well, I guess we can still go on trips to places that we can drive to at least.

I had been hoping to get out to Vancouver sometime in the New Year – perhaps in the Spring or early Summer, but driving there takes four or five days so we’d have to take at least three weeks to make a proper trip of it. Might as well plan on going to one of those Hawaii bed and breakfast. It’s just not going to happen right now.

The puppy won’t even be a year old until the end of August and that seems like forever to me right now. The way she chews things and goes into what I call parana mode (all mouth!) I don’t think we’d even bother to ask any of our friends to look after her until she calms down some.

Do I sound like a new mom or what?

Puppies and hot kitchen stoves don’t mix!

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Trying to cook is very difficult with a puppy following you around everywhere you go! Well, attempting to do anything is a little harder than it used to be.

I don’t know how many times she’s sat down right in front of me as I was walking from one room to another or cut in front of me causing me to trip in an effort to avoid trampling her! Silly dawg!

We’re having meat lasagna tonight and I’m heating it up in the oven. I just went to check on the food. Pup was lying on Chris and she was looking mighty sleepy so I thought I’d have a moment to myself in the kitchen.

No such luck. She’s very motivated by food since we’ve been giving her treats when she does something good. Basically saying the word good makes her think a treat is coming her way! Good pee, Good poop, Good sit and even Good walkie to get her to walk beside us when we go for walks (it works!).

Anyway, she followed me in to the kitchen. I got the oven mitts out and tried to block Midnight with my body and legs as I attempted to open our gas stoves door. Of course she thought it was a game and tried to leap towards the slowly opening door of the stove. It doesn’t help that the stove door squeaks.

I tried to open the stove three times without luck before Chris came to my rescue and held her back so that I could check on our food.

Yes, we have a crate and I could have put her in the crate, but to do that just for a moment doesn’t seem all that fair. On the other hand, if she got badly burned by the hot stove I’d feel terrible and I’d wish that I had put her in the crate.

I’m so glad that everyone suggested we get a training crate when I was talking about getting Midnight and shortly after we brought her home. She loves her crate – it’s filled with toys, and sometimes I hide a treat or two in her bedding – so what’s not to love?

The crate has helped me have some much needed time to myself for an hour or two each day, and it’s given her a safe place to sleep at night.

So how do you protect your pets when you are doing things in the kitchen or around the house that might be dangerous for them? Like keeping them from hot stoves?

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