My week so far

well.... this has been a busy week so far....

Spent the last two days up north ( Burnt River ) inspecting.... it's really peaceful up there.... but no coffee shops, NO BATHROOMS, and no place to eat... since I don't pack a lunch, I've had to mooch from customers this week!!

My girls are adjusting to summer life... Anna landed a full week baby sitting job ( 8:00 am to 4:30 pm every day ) .... and since Taylor had classes Monday and Tuesday, Abby was home alone for those days....... she was pretty bored and we have talked often on the phone...

There was a thunder storm on Monday.... and she got pretty spooked and ended up talking to me on the phone a whole bunch of times. It was sweet. Her fear of thunderstorms is pretty understandable...
just after we moved to Brantford ( it was the summer of 1999 I think ) the girls and I were on our way back to Brantford from St Jacobs one Saturday.... we were driving cross country, down all the back roads!

We had stopped at a little mennonite bakery in Conestoga.. just after we left there, with Anna riding in the front with me, and abby on the first bench seat in the back of the van, a huge thunder storm hit... OUT OF NO WHERE.... it was unbelievable....

Abby was kind of spooked sitting alone in the back, so Anna moved back to sit with her.....

within two minutes, the storm got worse... to the point where i could barely see because of the rain..
the thunder cracks were unbelievable... all of a sudden.... CRASHHHHHHH..... the glass blew out of the side window, where Anna had JUST vacated, and a huge tree branch came crashing through the window... smashed the side window to pieces, broke the windshield in a zillion places ( though it stayed intact miraculously ) .... it was a very very freaky experience.... I screamed for the girls to get down on the floor and STAY DOWN..........I pulled off to the side of the road, afraid of another tree crashing into us, and more afraid of a vehicle hitting us....
But since the window was open and copious amounts ( i love that word ) of rain was coming into the car, I began driving again...with my head out the window so I could see, and pulled into the first driveway I found... desperately hoping someone would be home... the people there let us inside, called a tow truck, etc etc.... dried the girls off.... it was a very traumatic experience for Abby and for all of us really... ( Abby was almost 6 at the time ) .... so ever since then, thunder storms and she, do NOT get along!!

aaaaaaaanyway.... now that I've said that.. abby was home alone Monday when the storm hit, and she was spooked.... poor little kid.... I talked to her a bunch of times, and the storm passed, Taylor got home from school and that was that!

Tuesday at lunch time, she called... I was between Fenelon Falls and Burnt River, driving back towards town.... she called cause she was hungry. I felt like saying.... umm.... if you'll WAIT 3 HOURS....> I'll bring you a SUB!!! poor little squirt!

I started making suggestions as to what she could cook...

how about an egg? nawwww... I don't like eggs...

How about making pancakes? no, I'm not in the mood for pancakes ( HOW CAN THIS BE? YOUR FATHER IS ALWAYSSSSSSS IN THE MOOD FOR PANCAKES ) ...

How about making soup? No, i don't know how... ( oh dear )

Why not make a grilled cheese sandwich?

How do I do that? so by way of Rogers wireless, I taught my daughter how to make a grilled cheese sandwich.... it was actually kind of fun... a bonding time.... and when she was done, she was SO proud of herself... phoned her mother as soon as she got done, to brag! it was SO cute!

I'm proud of you Abby... you are NOW as good a cook as Grampa!!!



Today was a good day over all.... went to Burnt River again ( had an 8:30 appt there ) for CRYING OUT LOUD... Don't these people know I"m NOT A MORNING PERSON?? JEEZ
anyway, I was done inspecting by Noon, and headed to Belleville for a Doctor's appt.

On the way, I stopped at a Strawberry farm in Omemee ( Jacky, one of the underwriters from Farmesr, and her husband, operate a fruit/vegetable farm ) .... and I picked a 5 litre basket of fresh strawberries.... OH MAN WERE THEY GOOD!! I ate half the basket on the way to Belleville......

to quote scripture..... and of the fragments that remained, they collected HALF a basket!!

Anyway, after picking strawberries, I drove to Stirling..... my trunk spring broke Monday... I was pulling my suit case out of the trunk, and managed to pop the spring out of its cradle.... and the lid of the trunk has been crashing down on my head all week!... I took my car to Wells Ford and for $18, they fixed it for me... best $18 I've ever spent!

then I went to the Podiatrist.. what ever THAT is .... actually its a foot doctor... I go there to help get the cracks in my feet taken care of, so that this infection thingy won't come back

His tactics are a little unneverving : He cuts away at the callouses on my feet,
with an X ACTO KNIFE ( seriously, he did... it was AWFUL.... and I'm TICKLISH MAN.. BE CAREFUL! )

When he was finished, he sent me to get some Compression Socks...Since the leg got infected, the left leg/foot/ankle has been swelling up really bad... mostly in the evenings....

It is fluid and blood that collects in the foot, and because the veins have been damaged because of the infection, the "fluid collection" is not getting back up the leg into the blood stream properly... Their suggested treatment is to have me lie on the floor with my foot on the couch for hours ( can you imagine! ) ... and that allows the " grunge" to seep back OUT of my foot.... ewwwwwwwwwwww.....

anyway, he told me to get these compression socks..... they are socks that are designed to uh.. compress the LEG?? and in so doing, it forces that fluid back up into the leg.

I went to a Home Health Centre place..... the first pair the guy tried to sell me... : get this.... BLACK FULL HEIGHT NYLONS.... $119.95 .... are you NUTS MAN??? thats like Sixty Bucks a LEG! I don't THINKS so!!!! I could buy Hip Waders and two rolls of DUCT TAPE cheaper than THAT!

As he pulled them out, in very broken English, he said...

well actually, you should ask the Dr how HEAVY a compression you need... and then come back...

actually, it sounded more like this :

bell ackyually, jew shoot ask dee DOCKTER how mush compreeesshion you shoot hab"

I felt like saying... How much compression can I get for $9.99?????

anyway, to make a short story long, I phoned the Dr, got the specs, and went to another store where they spoke better english ( thats not a slam, honest )

I bought a pair of Compression socks for $32 ... that's only $16 a foot.... a LOT better eh?!!

From, there I went home to my folks house.... and we headed down to the Presbyterian church downtown for a Strawberry church supper... I LOVE THOSE.... ever since I was a kid, going to church suppers is something I love!

it was kinda funny... Dad pulled up near the door, to let my mom and me out, then he went to find a parking spot... as we pulled up and were about to open the door, a lady came running up : OH YOU CAN"T PARK THERE>>> YOU HAVE TO MOVE so that the Ambulance can get out!

We looked over and there's an ambulance backed up to the door of the church... how comforting!

As mom and I walked in, an older gentleman took down the " CHURCH SUPPER " sign, tucked it under his arm and came running past us into the church....
Just as we walked past the ambulance, he passed us....with the sign under his arm...... I looked at him and said....

uh........... So You're taking the sign down, and there's an um... AMBULANCE sitting here... is there anything you would like to TELL US???

He smiled and said.. "yes, the food is REALLY GOOD " and kept right on walking!

DADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.... don't lock the car... we're COMING BACK!

anyway, we went inside, and got there just as they ran out of food ( thank GOD ) .....so we came home and BBQ'd hamburgers!!!

and THAT.... is how my week has gone so far!