Random discoveries this week
1. I discovered where the nearest laundromat is to us. Birdland Plaza in Elmira, about 15 minutes away. This is a very good thing because . . .
2. We discovered that our dryer has gone all Maytagzilla, Destroyer of Fabrics on us. Not only does it leave black streaks on the articles being dried, it also gnaws little holes out of the material here and there. Lovely. It's like living in the middle of a Steven King short story.
3. I discovered today that among the lists of Ontario's major doctor shortages, ophthalmologist loom large. I've been waiting to hear about a referral for several weeks now because I'm starting to see some definite side effects of the plaquenil, and it just came through today. My appointment is for August 21. I'll probably be blind by then, but hey, at least I'll get to have a guide dog. Doggie!
4. I discovered that wearing my Canada baseball cap out into the paddock to Cria sit Satine is an absolute guarantee that the temperatures will tumble and a stiff wind will come swooping down out of the northern ice fields. And freeze my ears right off my head. Even though a few hours earlier when I went out there dressed for winter is damn near balmy. I don't get it, but I'm learning to respect it.
5. I discovered that if you have a soda bottle that's been filled with water and then frozen, and you put that frozen bottle up against the butt of a cat in heat, the cat will do a crazy little Butt Dance of Temporary Release. It's cute and pathetic at the same time.
6. I discovered that Earth Hour really only requires turning off lights for an hour tomorrow night at 8PM your local time. I thought it was supposed to require a shutdown of all electric usage in the home {probably barring fridges and water pumps). I was kind of surprised at the simplicity of it, but it's a good way to increase individual participation. Live in a multi-person household and not everyone agrees to the lights out? Then turn off your lights - you'll still be participating and still making a statement. Win-win.
7. I discovered that I can never get too co,mfortable with lupus. The past week has been mostly OK, but today was horrid. I had some errands to run (bringing a cat-pee-soaked comforter to the laundromat), and I was barely able to get it done. Then there was the debacle at TSC while trying to buy some textured ration for the alpacas. That included doing wheelies with the shopping cart because I couldn't center the heavy bag of feed so the cart was tipped over on two wheels. It looked like it should be sporting racing decals of flames as I manhandled it on two wheels around the corners of the aisles. Then I had a nearly incomprehensible conversation with the clerk about Jester. Not only did I pause, sputter, make up words, and ignore most rules of English syntax in trying to explain Jester's breed and history, when I got home I found I'd had it all wrong so the gibberish I was poorly spouting at the increasingly weirded-out clerk turned out to be all lies anyway. And then when I went to put the feed bag in the trunk I wrestled with it so badly - still off balance and the cart still mostly on two wheels - an elderly farm man asked if I needed help. "Oh, no," I cheerily replied. "I just have to slip the bag off the carriage and into the trunk." At which point the carriage fell over and the sack of feed started to do a slow slide out of the trunk and down my bumper. I managed to manhandle it back in the trunk, then I uprighted the cart and dragged it back into the store. To the barely contained giggles of an open carriage over brimming with young Mennonite girls.
8. And lastly I discovered that hoping to go to sleep at a reasonable hour isn't the same as actually being able to accomplish that. Wicked nausea, bloating, pounding headache. It's mostly gone now. Maybe I can sleep now. Hope so.
2. We discovered that our dryer has gone all Maytagzilla, Destroyer of Fabrics on us. Not only does it leave black streaks on the articles being dried, it also gnaws little holes out of the material here and there. Lovely. It's like living in the middle of a Steven King short story.
3. I discovered today that among the lists of Ontario's major doctor shortages, ophthalmologist loom large. I've been waiting to hear about a referral for several weeks now because I'm starting to see some definite side effects of the plaquenil, and it just came through today. My appointment is for August 21. I'll probably be blind by then, but hey, at least I'll get to have a guide dog. Doggie!
4. I discovered that wearing my Canada baseball cap out into the paddock to Cria sit Satine is an absolute guarantee that the temperatures will tumble and a stiff wind will come swooping down out of the northern ice fields. And freeze my ears right off my head. Even though a few hours earlier when I went out there dressed for winter is damn near balmy. I don't get it, but I'm learning to respect it.
5. I discovered that if you have a soda bottle that's been filled with water and then frozen, and you put that frozen bottle up against the butt of a cat in heat, the cat will do a crazy little Butt Dance of Temporary Release. It's cute and pathetic at the same time.
6. I discovered that Earth Hour really only requires turning off lights for an hour tomorrow night at 8PM your local time. I thought it was supposed to require a shutdown of all electric usage in the home {probably barring fridges and water pumps). I was kind of surprised at the simplicity of it, but it's a good way to increase individual participation. Live in a multi-person household and not everyone agrees to the lights out? Then turn off your lights - you'll still be participating and still making a statement. Win-win.
7. I discovered that I can never get too co,mfortable with lupus. The past week has been mostly OK, but today was horrid. I had some errands to run (bringing a cat-pee-soaked comforter to the laundromat), and I was barely able to get it done. Then there was the debacle at TSC while trying to buy some textured ration for the alpacas. That included doing wheelies with the shopping cart because I couldn't center the heavy bag of feed so the cart was tipped over on two wheels. It looked like it should be sporting racing decals of flames as I manhandled it on two wheels around the corners of the aisles. Then I had a nearly incomprehensible conversation with the clerk about Jester. Not only did I pause, sputter, make up words, and ignore most rules of English syntax in trying to explain Jester's breed and history, when I got home I found I'd had it all wrong so the gibberish I was poorly spouting at the increasingly weirded-out clerk turned out to be all lies anyway. And then when I went to put the feed bag in the trunk I wrestled with it so badly - still off balance and the cart still mostly on two wheels - an elderly farm man asked if I needed help. "Oh, no," I cheerily replied. "I just have to slip the bag off the carriage and into the trunk." At which point the carriage fell over and the sack of feed started to do a slow slide out of the trunk and down my bumper. I managed to manhandle it back in the trunk, then I uprighted the cart and dragged it back into the store. To the barely contained giggles of an open carriage over brimming with young Mennonite girls.
8. And lastly I discovered that hoping to go to sleep at a reasonable hour isn't the same as actually being able to accomplish that. Wicked nausea, bloating, pounding headache. It's mostly gone now. Maybe I can sleep now. Hope so.