Sophie's Story

                  The broiler on our trusty stove finally gave out a couple months ago. Although we could still use three of the four burners and the oven worked apart from the broiler, I felt it was time to replace it. I had been working a lot of extra hours so there was room in the budget.          We had looked at several stores and found one that we liked. C wanted to look at the model we chose a bit more closely and do some research. I eventually got frustrated and told him we needed to get moving on it. He said he wanted to look at one more place. I told him the features I wanted and that it needed to be white to match the rest of our appliances.           Last week I got a text from C. He had found a stove and purchased it. He was looking at a local appliance store and found one with the features that we both wanted. It would be delivered on Wednesday of the next week.  ...

           Last week I wrote a column about why I celebrate my birthday. My original intent was to write a birthday version of things I've learned. That happens sometimes. I may have an idea for a column when another presents itself. Today I'm going with the topic of things I have learned birthday edition. As always these are in no particular order.          I learned that if Barnaby is brushed regularly we don't have as much hair on the floor.  You'd think I'd know this already since I've lived with cats for over 25 years. Experience has taught me that not all cats shed the same. Barnaby is a long haired cat with a soft light coat. When it comes off it tends to form dust bunnies. It also clings to any piece of cloth like iron filings to a magnet. Grooming Barnaby means less hair everywhere else. It also has the added benefit of making his already soft fur even softer. Good thing he likes to be petted.      ...

                I watched a video on You Tube a few weeks ago commenting on the actions and decisions of a celebrity business owner. The comments were about public relations and advertising mistakes along with critical remarks about sales, inventory and merchandise quality. One of the things discussed was a social media post wishing the founder of this company a happy birthday. The presenter talked about how the founder had probably wrote and published the post herself and that it was strange and inappropriate. Once the video was done, I read the comments. I sometimes enjoy reading the comments more than watching the video.          Most of the comments were about how it's really silly for grown women to making a big deal about their birthday. Several of them suggested that while it is ok to have a celebration for milestone birthdays, other birthdays should be celebrated privately if at all. If you have been reading c...

           I am aware that a golden anniversary is 50 years. However, if a golden birthday is the year when the day of your birth and age match, why can't it be the same for anniversaries? Just a thought that came to me.          There are many things I have learned over 21 years of marriage. Today I thought I'd share a few with you. These are, of course, in no specific order.          You do not know what you are getting into when you get married. You may think you know and if you've lived together you may have a pretty good idea, but until you actually take the plunge, start down the road or climb into the ship of marriage together you don't really know. You can discuss and plan and do all the things they tell you to do in the pre wedding marriage class, it's helpful but it won't cover everything that can and does come up during marriage. Hopefully you have the kind of relationship that allows you do deal ...

  I don't have pet peeves like some people. I have whole kennels of irritation. Whoopi Goldberg          Whoopi and I agree on this topic. Most of the time the pet peeves that I have stay nicely in their kennels and don't bother me much. The past few weeks it seems like the things that irritate me are around every corner. I'm grateful for the gift of self control that allows me to handle these things. I'd like to share a few of my pet peeves. Some of them of them are due to technology and one is work related. They in no particular order.          Pet Peeve number one: Responding to a message that has a question it it with a heart, thumbs up or a hundred points emoji. I don't believe that every message needs to be answered right away so I understand using an emoji of some type to let me know a message has been read. If I send a message with a question in it or something that clearly requires a response, respond. Answer the question, ...

              This past week was the last part of a stretch of six working days in a row. The reason why I can do  a stretch like that is because Sunday is the first day of the work week. That means a when I work from Thursday to Tuesday it's only three days in a row each week. Before my boss went home for the day on Tuesday, I asked her to give me my second shingles shot. I knew I had the next two days off in case I reacted badly to it which I did. (This is normal for me which I'm perversely grateful for. At least this means I have a working immune system.) Wednesday was spent feeling sick except for a few hours in the afternoon when I fortified myself with ibuprofen and a Coke Zero so C could take me out to lunch at a nearby Indian restaurant. It was delicious.               Thursday I felt better and went to visit my parents as usual. Yesterday I was back at work for one more day. I have the weekend ...

           One of the blessings that comes with age is the appreciation of simple things. I've discovered that little things can be really satisfying. Here are a few of them.          I like pulling weeds in the garden. I know for most people it is a dreaded chore. For me it is instant gratification. I can look at the spots that are cleared of weeds and see the flowers that I planted looking happier and less crowded. When I pull weeds around the carrot plants I have the satisfaction of knowing the carrots will have room to grow. Pulling weeds is also a good way to deal with anger in my opinion. it gives you something to do with your energy which can help to settle you down.          Doing laundry and washing dishes are also satisfying tasks. You can see your progress. I'm always thankful when I put away clean dishes and clothes. I'm grateful to have them and also grateful to have a place to put them.  ...

           Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon on the couch. I wasn't sick or anything like that.           My original plan was to sit on the couch, send a couple texts and sip some water. Then I was going to start on the things that needed to be done. There were clean dishes in the dishwasher that needed to be put away. There was a laundry basket of clean clothes in our bedroom that needed to be folded and put away. The kitchen floor needed to be swept and mopped and dust bunnies were running rampant in the living room.           I sent the texts first using the Ipad. Sometimes Willow would come up to me looking for a head scratch or to sit on my lap for a bit. Eventually I got my messages sent.           I noticed a book that I had started sitting on the bookshelf. It was a book I owned but hadn't read in several years. I thought it would be nice to relax and re...

           You never know what you are going to get when you adopt a kitten (or cat). I imagine it's much like having a child. They come into the world with their own personality and as they grow you can see how they develop.          We've had some cats that were interesting to live with, but I think Barnaby may be the most interesting of all. I think he might be a dog in a cat body.          The woman who was fostering him described him as "starving for attention". That's an unusual description for a cat. While cats can become attached to their  humans, they generally don't act needy for attention. With a description like that I had to meet him.          I met his fosterer at her home. She took Barnaby out of his carrier and handed him to me. He was a couple days past a neuter operation and his tipped ear was still healing. Her curled himself into my shoulder and began to purr...

           Last weekend I gave in to C's pleas to down size my music collection. I had bought a lot of CDs over  the years and most of them were in a plastic bin in the storeroom. I understand that we need to get rid of things we no longer want or need and have no trouble getting rid of some things. Books and CDs are much harder for me to get rid of. My fear is that I'll get rid of something that I'll want later and it's actually happened to me a few times. There are two books that I got rid for the I wished I'd kept. I was able to find one of them at a used book store. The other I haven't been able to find.           The first thing I did was go though all the CDs that are in the entertainment center with the stereo. There were a several that I knew I no longer wanted. Then I went to get the big bin downstairs. I was afraid that it was going to be hard to decide what to keep. I had decided that all Frank Sinatra, Bobby Ca...

           When my dad was getting rid of things in preparation for his move to this area he had a Technics turntable that he no longer wanted. He offered it to me and I accepted it. For nearly a year it sat in the basement until the upstairs TV finally died. We put the turntable where the TV used to sit. For several months it sat there until last night when we finally had time to hook it up to my stereo.          At this point a bit of backtracking is in order.          After I got my first job and apartment, my first big purchase was a stereo. I didn't have time to watch much TV and music was my chief form  of entertainment. At that time my small music collection was on cassette tapes. CDs were just starting to become available. My stereo consisted of two large speakers, a receiver, twin tape deck and a CD player with room for five discs. I didn't get a turntable because it seemed that form of music r...

           When some people get to be "a certain age", they tend to reminisce. Things were better then including the food.  While that may be true about some foods, there is one that has improved over time. It is ice cream.          When I was young, we always had ice cream in the house. Most evenings after supper, my dad would eat a scoop of vanilla ice cream with nutmeg sprinkled on it. Sometimes we would buy it in plastic buckets, most of the times it was in rectangular cartons that we kept in the basement freezer. I remember that ice cream came in very basic flavours vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. If you felt fancy you could get Butter Brickle, Moose Tracks or Mint Chip.          I'm not sure if ice cream making technology has improved in the last 40 years, but for some reason ice cream tastes better to me now than it did then.           There could be a couple reas...

           The past few years it seems like we get a lot of rain in the spring. I've never checked to see if my feelings match reality. I've taken to calling it monsoon season. Last year, there was so much rain that our sump pump was working constantly to keep the water from our basement. I gained a new appreciation for sump pumps.          We got our garden planted before the rains started. I was happy that I didn't have to water the carrot and wildflower seeds we planted. I got concerned as it seemed there were no days without rain. I hoped that my seeds would take root and would not be washed away or rot.          Tuesday there was no rain in the forecast so we loaded up and went to our favourite trail for a ride. It felt good to stretch our legs and get some extended time outside. The river was high but not overflowing the banks. Once the weather gets warmer it will be a fun place for people to tube. ...

           In January 2009, Jeffrey R. Holland, member of the Quorum of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for president of Brigham Young University returned to that campus to speak at a devotional. The title of the speech he gave is 'Remember Lot's Wife'. As it was the beginning of a new year, Elder Holland spoke on faith and the future.           One of the things he talked about was wanting to live in the past. The "good old days" when life was better and everything was easier. Having a "I wish I were eighteen again" attitude.  Nothing in the future could be as good as the past. He claimed that this demonstrated a lack of faith in the future.          Then he brought up the tendency to remember past mistakes, our own or someone else's. He referred to it as "the worst kind of wallowing in the past" and said that when someone has repented of their mistakes and is tru...

           Last week C and I did some much needed shopping. The tennis shoes that C wear for pickleball were getting worn out and I needed to replace some clothes that were getting worn out.           The first place we went was the shoe store. While C was talking to the salesman about the right shoes for pickle ball, I looked around. The first thing I looked at was tennis shoes. I was thinking about buying a pair to wear at work. Most of my coworkers wear tennis shoes to work. The shoes that I have are pretty comfortable but I wondered if a good pair of tennis shoes would be more comfortable especially on days when I work long shifts. An employee approached me while I was looking. I hadn't planned on trying anything on, but figured it couldn't hurt.           A bit of background might be in order here. When I was younger, I wore tennis shoes to work. I had a white pair specially designated for thi...

           C and I have been doing a little shopping for new cat tree. Barnaby and Willow liked to chew on things as kittens and have chewed on the cat trees we have now. I can put towels and blankets over the trees to cover the chewed parts, but we wanted something taller with places for them to climb. Some of the trees we looked at had things the cats could play with.           Last week while shopping at Costco we found one. It was tall, sturdy and had several levels for the cats to sit. There was also a little cat condo that they could use to hide in or nap. It was the right price so we bought it.          The box with the pieces was too heavy for either of us to lift. C decided we would open the box in the garage and carry the pieces into the house. We put them in the music room. They stayed there for a week.               I must admit, I'm always nervous abo...

                     YouTube is a wonderful invention.  While I was eating lunch on Monday, I watched a live stream video of a funeral. The funeral was for the daughter of my cousin Miri who lost her battle with cancer at age 36. I haven't seen Miri in over 20 years and I never met her daughter but we are family and I've covenanted to mourn  with those that mourn. Even if they don't know I'm doing so.           From the obituary and the homily given at the funeral, Amber seemed like an interesting person. She liked to climb things from mountains to trees, she played several instruments and she loved horses. Her hobbies included blacksmithing, leatherwork and sketching. Where would anyone learn blacksmithing anyway?  From the comments I read she was funny, kind and adventurous.           On the front row of the church to the right of the silver casket dra...

           This past week I worked 40 hours because part of my duties are to cover vacations and time off requests. I like this arrangement because it benefits everyone. Working part time allows me to get housework done, spend more time with C and our cats and visit my parents regularly and help them when needed. It's good for the pharmacy because I know our computer system, our customers, the area doctors and the tech staff. There is no need to bring in a relief pharmacist and all the expenses that hiring from an outside agency incurs.          Many times when I cover a vacation the schedule is one eight hour day with alternating 12 hour days. I don't mind working 12 hours once in awhile. When I worked full time I worked one a week. This was the first time that I can remember where I worked every day of the week like a normal person.           I enjoyed it. It was good to be able to come in and know wh...

                          Yesterday was sunny and warm. A good day for the first long ride of the year.  We put the bikes on the back of the car and headed for our favourite trail.          We decided it would be good to take it slow and enjoy the scenery. Since the trees and not fully leafed out we saw flowers growing along the trail. We saw birds and rabbits. While many of the small stream beds were dry, the Cannon River was flowing on one side of the trail. In a few weeks the river would be full of people tubing and canoeing.          We stopped once for a water break. I watched the birds fly around in the trees. It felt good to be outside. We rode through the fields that were ready for planting. The grass on the side of the trail was neatly cut. The last time we had ridden it was a couple of feet high.          We ate lunch at a c...

           One of my favourite roles in a Toastmaster meeting is Table Topics Master. To help members practice speaking without preparation, the TTM gives random questions to those attending the meeting. The member then has to fashion a 30 second to two minute answer.  It's a helpful skill to have, especially when job hunting. I like being the TTM because I enjoy asking good questions and weaving in why I asked. This is helpful when we have no speeches as it takes a bit of pressure off members to do multiple questions.          One of the questions I posed at yesterday's meeting is, "What two things don't go together?"           The answer was celery and peanut butter and eggs and ketchup with an explanation as to why. It was a fun answer and made me think of a recent trip to a restaurant.          Last week we went to a bar and grill about 30 minutes away from where we liv...

           This week started with the announcement that Pope Francis died. The news mad me very sad. I was happy when he was released from the hospital a few weeks ago, glad that he survived a few close calls. I had hoped he would recover at home and when strong enough return to more public duties.          Things turned out differently.          For the record, I'm not Catholic so the fact that I'm mourning the pope may seem strange to some. It seems strange to me too. While I have great respect for the work of Saint Pope John Paul II, I didn't mourn him like I do Francis.          I remember the excitement around his election. He was the first to take the name Francis, the first pope from outside Europe and the first Jesuit to be elected. He chose to live simply all his life and that did not change after his election. He seemed to eschew the trappings of his office in favour of pla...

           Last year I was visiting my friend, Dana. During the visit she offered me a cinnamon roll to try. She was pleased with how the batch had turned out and told me they tasted like the ones from Cinnabon. It was a very good roll and I told her so. I also told her I'd never had a roll from Cinnabon. She told me I'd have to try them sometime.          For those of you who may be reading this and are either not from the United States or have never been in a shopping mall, Cinnabon is a small chain bakery that makes cinnamon rolls. Many times you know you are walking near one by the smell of cinnamon and baking dough. They have cinnamon rolls topped with various things, small bite sized rolls and boxes of rolls to take home.          Most of the time when I've been in a mall, it's closer to lunch time. Since I believe cinnamon rolls are either breakfast or teatime treats I've never sampled one. I must adm...

           Turns out I was wrong about my amaryllis plants. This year we will enjoy two flowing plants.  The buds starting showing up early this week. One bud is showing part of a stem and the other seems to be deciding if it should peek out of the bulb. I'm grateful and surprised. Getting amaryllis to flower is not something I'm good at. I did not inherit the green thumb of my mother or father.          At this time of year I have an itch to put seeds in the ground. There is something about seeds that has always fascinated me. Seeds don't look like much. Sometimes they are small brown and dry. Sometimes they are tiny specks almost too small to see. I like acorns with their jaunty brown caps and maple seeds with their wings that help them to sail on the wind. I even like the black walnuts that fall off the tree in our back yard, unless I accidentally step on one. Those things hurt.          No matter wh...