WE HAD A GREAT TIME!

Sadly can't say the same for the Riders!



They did play a great game!


We came ready to cheer...

Jd was ready to cheer for the opposing team but changed his mind...

AJ was practicing her cheer leading...

Me looking normal...

Our half time entertainment...the AIR BUDS [Trebor & JD]...

But to lose cause some idiot couldn't count?



Happy to add...the OTHER TEAM only won because of stupidity! They played crappy and really didn't deserve to win!



What a disappointment!



I feel sorry for all of those die-hard Rider fans who have watched their team all year long only to have them lose by too many players on the field?


All I can say...I'm sure glad I am not a sports fan! TOOOOOOO stressful!


But I would like to thank them for the great entertainment...the time just flew by.

Except for the last 2 minutes!


We at least had fun!


This was PoD's, JD & AJ's first Grey Cup game...actually their first football game period!


Hopefully they will want to see another?


It was also the first time we all sat down [kids included] and played Dominos. We had planned on finishing the game after the football was over but we were all too depressed!



It was sure quiet when I went home.....no horns blarring like other years!



I guess one has to look forward to another......?

Will be watching the game from the Ex's place today along with PoD and her family. BillyRoo is busy working and won't be there.

I am NOT a rider fan normally...I grew up rooting for the Edmonton Eskimos and prefer them. But seeing as this is a contest of the east vs west, I will naturally be rooting for the west! I don't like anything from Montreal!

I am also not a sports fan and only watch the final games.

Hopefully todays game will be exciting!

This will be the first grey cup game that the grand kids will see so I hope they enjoy it.

Wishing the Riders the best of luck....everyone says they are the underdogs?

GO UNDERDOGS!


I always cheer for the underdog!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY

to all of my American friends!

 

 

My ultimate favorite....

SNOT FUNNY....or is it?

As you all know I have been fighting the lasting effects of my SWINE FLU journey from hell!



Am now finally recovering from the horrible flu shots...my arms hurt for about 5 days!



The only thing hanging on is this agonizing cough which creates MOUNTAINS of mucous! One coughs and coughs until you bring up the annoying "Mucus Monsters"! Then the face starts to run!



Then comes the sore ab muscles from this cough!



Not to mention the sore throat, ears, toothaches which lead to the killer headaches!



But I swear the most annoying is the running SNOT!



I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS ALL COMING FROM!

One might think they were visited by...

I haven't been busy at work lately which is a good and bad thing...good, cause I don't feel much like working! Bad, cause I need to work to be able to afford all of the tissue needed to help dispose of all of the excess crap running from my face!




Needing some amusement....I googgled snot cartoons...

I might have found a new outlet for my excess mucus...

This might be better...

Or even this...

This is a real product [hair gel]...might have used a better name..

I could even sell these...

For all I know I might have some untapped resources here...



All one has left is their sense of humor...hope mine hasn't turned you off

;)


Medical update:

Once again poor PoD had to drive me to the hospital last night!



It's been pretty windy [cold] here lately and I haven't been able to go out walking. With my son back at work [:)] his car is no longer available for my errands. With the headache from hell driving me nuts and me without pain killers [gone through a lot of them] I decided to go get some. While I was at it...get the mail.


That was longest walk ever!


I was okay at first but as I got farther away... I couldn't breathe!


Then the coughing started...


Thus, why I had to go to the hospital.


2 hours later...


Seems my asthma is back!


Can't use a ventilator...makes my heart pound!


Doc's advice...


Take two codeine and make an appointment to get a ventilator that doesn't use a heart pounder in it!


Why didn't he write a prescription then...


?


Believe it or not...codeine pills helped stop the cough last night and I got a full 6 hours sleep!


Still coughing but not as bad...

Still have the mucus...

ARE WE SAFE NOW?


PoD had to drag me to get my flu shot on Monday!


I wasn't feeling that great when I watched the kids...my throat/ears/sinus and cough was still lingering from my episode with the swine flu. By Monday things hadn't gotten any better but also not any worse.


Thinking this shot just might help get rid of these annoying hangeroners I went.



My grandson had gotten his shot earlier in the week and had complained of his arm being sore...PoD told him to suck in up ;)



Sorry JD





This is what the needle felt like...

The swine flu shot hurt like hell!



Then they talked me into getting the regular flu shot....




That one hurt worse!



Today is Wednesday and both of my arms are still throbbing like crazy...the soreness even extends to my wrists!
Pod had the same shots and arms feel the same way...except that her thumb joints ache?



As for my cold symptoms....no better



Still coughing my lungs out and my stomach hurts like I've done 100 sit-ups! Sinus range from stuffed to running excessively!



Happily NO fever!




Decided to keep working as much as I can...can't afford not to!






So all I can do now is wait for myself to get better...

THA-A-T'S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS!

FRIDAY THE 13TH...?

Started Thursday evening around 4:30 or so with Trebor rushing PoD to the Dodge Emergency room!


It seems the discomfort she was feeling in her right pelvic during the day had suddenly became unbearable!


Prognosis....possible appendicitis or small bowel problem? Not being too sure, the doctor sent her into Saskatoon for further testing/operation?


Happily the Ex drove them into the city while I dusted off my babysitting skills. Thankfully my grand kids aren't babies anymore and are never any problem...they are very self sufficient!


My biggest problem was the pets...2 small lap dogs, 2 big cats and 2 MONSTER kittens!


Being allergic to most animals...is hard for me!


That wasn't the biggest problem...it was the KITTENS!


They were cute when sleeping but holy terrors when awake! Especially when I wanted to sleep!


JD has been fighting a cold for quite awhile and was complaining of headaches. During the night he was up every three hours and even slept walked once...which always scares the crap out of me. Not once complaining of being ill...just needing to use the bathroom and get more water. I chalked it up to being worried about his mom...AJ seemed to be okay about her being gone.


After a long night of JD and annoying kittens...morning finally came!



I guess I got used to my lonely [?] existence, cause I was looking forward to sending the kids off to school and me off to work! Especially...no more KITTENS!

JD was sick!

His head ached in the frontal area, his sinus were plugged and complained of his throat feeling raw?


Sounded like swollen sinuses to me?


I'm a sufferer, so it sounded all too familiar to me!



I got to teach my grand kids how to gargle!



Man...it's been years since I've had to dust that skill off!



Instructions are funny....take a small mouthful of warm salty water, tilt your head back and sing aaaaaaaa...longer the better!


You know the kid feels better when they start hamming it up...;)



Headache, stuffy nose and sore throat went away!



Kids were able to go to school and I went to work...



Work was busy with customers picking up their orders, making changes to errors [theirs] on banner and a lost order....a very FRIDAY THE 13th type of day! This day is usual just another day to me!


At 1:30...JD calls...he's sick...pick up at school and bring back to work...I am open til 3:00!


The HAPPY [sort of] news of the day turned out to be PoD's prognosis...a cyst on her ovary had burst!


No bowel problem.....always the dreaded cancer worry!


No appendix removal....it might still have a bit of involvement and she has to keep a watch on it.


So it's anti-biotic for the nasties that might still be in her body!


It was a very happy Mom that greeted her daughter & son-in-law when they got back...


Trebor was there to look after my daughter & help her see to their kids... and the MONSTER kittens!

BUT MOSTLY THAT MY DAUGHTER WILL BE ALRIGHT!

I got to go home to peace and quiet [except for the annoying cat who missed me]...




The last FRIDAY THE 13th of the year was finally over...

I'M SOOOOOO happy that's all that happened!

POTATOES?

I thought I knew a lot about potatoes and have formed an opinion about what I like and didn't like about some of them.


What surprised me was... there are lots of different types out there that I don't know about?


Growing up, my world was small in what we saw in potato types...we grew the white variety only. I remember my surprise when I first saw and tasted the red ones.


My favorite is the white potato with the light yellow skin, especially the baby ones. I love them boiled with a little butter [Becel] with an added touch of garlic & Mrs. Dash table spice...yummy. Leftovers are fried later. Don't need meat or anything else...just them.


Baked potatoes [Russets] are too dry and have to be drowned in sour cream/butter/spices but are a must with steak!


Love the red ones for potato salad [must be peeled] and boiled like the white ones. I don't care for the skin...even though it's supposed to be good for you.


Hate the yams or sweet potato! Doesn't matter how it's cooked...besides don't need extra sugar...;) They remind me too much on how I hate turnips! I kind of lump those two together in taste & texture.


Last summer was the first time I tasted the golden or yellow ones...I kid you not!


They kind of looked like the white variety and I was fooled [actually didn't look closely] by their similarity. Found out I was not too crazy about their taste and the yellow color reminded me of a turnip, so the visual part was hard to get by.


I guess I'm kind of a visual & texture type of person?


Small town grocers tend to carry the usual types I like and as I seldom get to an area that does have different varieties I don't get to see what's now out there...

Like this...

Purple Potatoes?

 PoD had picked some up and wanted to see how they were...



They are supposed to be cooked like the regular types.


She brought one over and I got to taste it raw...tasted sort of the same as a regular potato, maybe a little nutty side



My turn off was the color!



I love the color purple...but not in my potatoes!


This old dog doesn't like learning new things...I'm happy with what I know!



Boring as that may be!


PoD wasn't too crazy about them either.



This potato variety is supposed to be blight free and is a favorite of the organic community...as for the price, I don't know?


They won't be going on my table any time soon!



Can you imagine purple mashed potatoes with brown gravy....;(



 And I thought purple ketchup was bad enough...




Can you imagine fried purple potatoes with red or purple ketchup...?

Hopefully..."Never to be Repeated"

Thank You For Being There For Us!

HALLOWEEN DISAPPOINTMENT

This year Halloween was a disappointment for me!


If it wasn't for me putting my display up early it wouldn't have got done and I would have been like the rest of the unimaginative ones in this town!


If it wasn't for them having to rake their leaves and have to put them into something their decor would be nil!


I guess that's better than nothing?

I guess one has to advertise a money prize for anyone to get into the spirit of yard decorating! Xmas decorating is a big thing here and the big spenders have to out do each other...maybe thats why they can't afford to do both?


The swine flu made sure I didn't get to enjoy this season!


I hated turning on my lights to show my Halloween spirit because I couldn't hand out candies [I did send some up to PoD for them to hand out for me]...why advertise if you can't hand out! But Halloween is MY TIME so I lit up anyways! Sadly NO kids came down this far for hand outs?


Before my illness hit, I had already given out candies to those who just had to see whether I decorate inside or not. Two women and 4 kids came all of the way from Kindersley to see my place but they were disappointed that it wasn't a haunted house layout. Somehow they had heard that it was? Happily they were the only ones who had heard that!


I do decorate inside as well as outside. Inside decor is for my enjoyment only! It's a business so customers get to see it as well and it's my hobby so I get to see most of my collection [not enough room to show all] and yes, I do play with them!


This is what greeted them...

This is the entrance to the main area which is a small foyer and I would have normally hung bats from the ceiling...

The entrance to the shop in the garage...

The left of the entrance...

The exit from this nightmare...

Inside office area...This is a small area and looks cramped to most but to us, it works better than a big space...which I used to have.

The coffin [its under all of my toys & has the word STOP written on it] is a permanent fixture year round and those who ask...its a customer waiting for his order...;)

All might wonder if that's all of my Halloween collection and I will have to admit...NO.

I remind all that I have enough stuff to decorate 3 floors of the courthouse! I even lent decorations to the group hosting the Halloween dance [had to miss] and they had more than enough to cover their hall. When it comes to Halloween I throw nothing away. My latest dream is to throw a haunted Halloween party for my grand kids someday. The thought of scaring the crap out of teenagers really appeals to me...;)

Normally the monsters make their appearance a couple days prior to the day...I was too sick to care. All stayed cutesy...

Here's what the place looked like outside on the first snow storm [it was beautiful out this year for Halloween]...

I remember saying that I was sure I was going to get vandelized...I was right!


I awoke Nov. 1 to minor destruction...

The tower of pumpkins next to the bench had broken off at the second pumpkin...it's fixable


All of the gravestones were GONE...except for the one at the door that said..." WILL BE BACK"...which I thought was kind of funny. I'm not sure they saw that one...it was the only one that wasn't staked or screwed down...easier to take yet they didn't?


I believe it was a quick grab-and-run sort of thing as they tried to take the large lit skulls. I found them laying close by yet still attached to the house...too many stakes held them in place...ha,ha,ha!


They did steal one of the smaller skull heads...I still have 3 left. I was too lazy to secure them properly...no real loss there. It did look like they tried to take these but like I said...they were all staked excessively.


They even took my flag pole/vinyl flag attached? This wasn't fastened anywhere...who would of thought they'd want a flag pole?


All of my lights, Creepy Hollow and blow-up cat survived!




So in all I lost 6 grave stones, one small skull/stake and flag pole!


The nice thing was NO DESTRUCTION! No egging or TPing...:)


I would have taken pictures but camera was still dead from the courthouse and somehow the battery charger is missing?


As of today all of the decor is down and waiting for me to put it away properly...



Next is Xmas...



I will start with LOTS of RED...



Last year was red & gold...this year will add lots of white...



HOPEFULLY IT'S NOT SNOW!



...until Xmas day that is!

HOTTER THAN HELL...Part 2

After the scary episode in the old dentist/RCMP room my nerves were a little jumpy and I had to calm myself down before I could attempt to journey out to investigate more. I had told myself that I wasn't going to let myself sense anything else and just ignore the hairs that like to stand up on ones arms/neck!


Easy to say...


Next hair raising event for me was the doorway to the Judge's chamber and the main entrance.


I was in the courtroom with Miles, the contest winner and her friend. Miles was busy explaining the technical stuff that they employ to do some of their investigations while I was just wandering around in the dark. Miles had set up a sensor in the middle of the doorway [between the Judge's bench & his private quarters] on the floor. This device is supposed to be able to sense any change in any energy levels around it.


I had been standing fairly close to it and it would make these strange clicking noises every once in awhile. I asked Miles why it was doing that and whether my standing next to it would be affect it? He said NO...it only make sounds when it sensed energy changes close to it and he showed me by passing his hand over it and around it to show that he was not changing anything. In other words...humans weren't setting it off!


Miles and the girls had decided to sit in the Judge's living room and try to sense...whatever, I stayed where I was next to the doorway on the courtroom side, infront of the window. There was NO draft coming from the window [which I would have enjoyed the coolness] to affect any monitors.


All of a sudden I got this uneasy feeling that I wasn't alone any more! The hairs on my neck was doing it's heeby-geeby dance! It was pretty dark in the courtroom yet I swore something was standing right in front of me!


The machine had stopped making any noises up til then, until I asked whether there was something close to me?


What noises came out of it scared the crap out of me! It wasn't a constant sound...it fluxuated up and down!


Then it would be quite!


I would wait for a bit then ask for something else...


There would be a long pause...then it would go off again!


This happened 4 or 5 times!


These machines creep me out!


I would happily accept the fact that it was me setting it off but Miles states that it wasn't me!


I also have to go with my sensors!


They were telling me that all wasn't well in that area!


Happily Miles and the girls decided to explore elsewhere and we left the courtroom to investigate the creepy hallway next to the witness room [which has been changed to a lawyer's office] and old library.


While they wandered around there, I hung back and stood in the main doorway to the courtroom. It's kind of a safe area for me as it isn't as dark as the rest of the place.


Well it lost it's safe feeling!


Again...I felt something hanging around me!


It wasn't a good feeling!


All I felt was this urge to get out...almost like something shouting it at me!


Miles and the girls were close enough for me to not be alone...yet I felt like I WAS!


I GOT OUT!


The whole time I was rushing down the main stairs I felt like there was something trying to push me!


Earlier I was able to stand in that area taking pictures and even spent some alone time...not once feeling afraid and now I was fleeing the area?


I checked my sugars...all was well!


I wasn't feeling ill...


The heat wasn't that hot up in the courtroom so it wasn't that!


I could not shake my uneasy feeling about the place!


Other than telling PoD, I kept these feelings to myself!


Jen, PoD and I did make another trip to the basement. I had wanted to see how far the museum had got in their clean-up. Seems they had redone the Custodial Quarters. The walls had been freshly painted and set up with furniture and such. It looked quite good in the dimly lit atmosphere [our flashlights] but still held it's creepy feel...especially the back bedroom! Which was made into a nursery...very creepy nursery! Still don't like that room!


The heat down there made it impossible to stay for very long so we got out.


It was way after midnight when JoAnn called it quits for her...she also had an early morning trip to make it back home for another appointment. She's a very busy person. PoD and I did manage to talk to her and asked her opinion on the place and she happily agreed that this courthouse was definetly creepy!

Group pictures were taken...

Again I cursed my cameras!

The next group to leave was the other paranormal group. They had enough and even chose to drive back to the city [Saskatoon] instead of staying in the room they had rented.

Friday night they had all wanted to sleep in the courthouse and tried...

Miles had tried to sleep in the Judge's chambers but said that he felt something push his head into the pillow when he was lying down?

The heat made it harder?

They got rooms for the next night!


I'm not kidding when I say I won't sleep in there!


Anyways, all were pretty tired and the heat does take it's toll...


It was a bedraggled group that had met us and they looked worse by the time PoD and I left at 3:30 am!


Normally I would have stayed to help take down but we weren't needed for the set-up...




The courthouse didn't disappoint me...


Hopefully it wasn't a disappointment for the others...



IT'S STILL THE CREEPIEST PLACE I HAVE EVER BEEN!

I SURVIVED THE DEADLY SWINE FLU!

I can happily say the worst is behind me!



That was the nastiest illness I have ever been through and hope never to repeat it!



Think of your worst flu episode, then add your worst cold symptoms to the mixture and how you think you would feel if you fell down a long flight of stairs...that is what the swine flu is like! Now add some heart damage [what was left after my stent implants] and Diabetes to it which complicated things.


Not trying to be over-dramatic there were times that I felt like someone should put me out of my misery!


I'm glad they didn't...cause the light at the end of that tunnel was final relief!


I still am having some bad moments but I can live with those!



You know what was the worst was?



The media hype on the virus!


Just the words "Swine Flu" causes panic in everyone...including me!


Being told I had it was....HORRIBLE!


Having added complications didn't help either!

My biggest disappointment was our doctors in this town!

Being told to stay at home and wait for myself to start panting [trying to breathe] was terrifying!
It affected me psychogically!


Not once was my heart problems or Diabetes taken into any consideration by them! My sugar levels alone were being effected and making me feel worse!


THANKFULLY I have a daughter that wouldn't take NO for an answer!


Between her and her father [the EX] they dragged me off to Kindersley on Sunday [Nov 1] after getting no response from our doctors here [Iwas in bad shape by then]! In fact they were told to seek help elsewhere if they weren't satisfied with them...so they did!


5 hours, chest xrays & blood work-up, later...we finally had some answers I could live with!


Xray's showed some of the lung filling up but not tooooo bad as yet!


Sugar levels needed to have the insulin adjusted to the fact that I WASN'T eating! The doctor was able to write me out a sliding scale used by Diabetics to adjust their insulin intake to their food intake...our doctor doesn't know how to do this [this is a fact, as he always sent me to a dietitian to change/adjust it]? The Kindersley doctor was A LOT younger than ours, yet knew just what to do! I was in NO condition to be able think of the dietitian's help in the sugars...I rely too much on the doctor knowing what to do! Silly me!


This doctor also took the time to lay all of my fears to rest!

He took the time to answer all of my stupid questions!

He never once looked at the clock...like ours does!



Upon hearing of my getting the swine flu, both PoD and I heard from our doctor that the "Tamiflu" pills [that fights this virus] would NOT be available to me as it had to be administered to the victim within the 48 hrs of contacting it. Swabbing and confirmation took longer! I didn't qualify!


Wrong information!


Kindersley doctor tells us that I do fit the criteria to get the viral cure! Seems you have to be SERIOUSLY ILL for more than 48 hrs to have it prescribed for you!


I WAS!


I GOT THE CURE!


As of this morning I will have completed the dosage and can say that things are looking so much better!


Would I be feeling this way without it?

THANK YOU PoD & the EX for dragging me to safety!

A BIG HUG TO THE KINDERSLEY DOCTOR......you have a brilliant future ahead!
Guess where I am going for doctoring...until we get someone better! Will never see our new doctor as he should go back to school!





My words of advise to those who are thinking of getting the shot for the virus...


If you are a normally healthy person with no medical problems...you will be able to fight it with no problems! You will probably feel like hell for 5 - 7 days...but you will survive! The worst case being the monster headaches! Your choice to get the shot?




Those of you who do have under lying problems...GET THE SHOT!




As of yet I haven't heard of anyone coming down with the virus from getting the shot?



As for me, if I am not cured of this flu and can get the shot...I will!



I was also not getting the anual flu shot but that is going to change...

I. AM. NOW. A. BELIEVER!

I NEVER WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS ILLNESS EVER AGAIN!



A BIG THANK YOU to those of you who gave words of comfort....Your The Best!