the farm

Photographer unknown

Rain is usually a good thing, but if it keeps up this afternoon I won't be able to plant anything out at my parent's farm. I've had plans all week to dig a long flower bed beneath my brother's window (wild flower mix, some perennials) a couple smaller beds beside the gazebo (vines, one is beans the other an annual purplish flower) and a few small beds around the out-buildings for Lupines, which I started in April.

Yesterday I planted my own seedlings! There are Bachelor's Buttons, Blanket Flowers, Malva, Purple Bells and Hosta (that came as five seedlings in a plastic bag for $10! Usually I pay a minimum of $6 for one.)

I hope that most of them survive.

I'm also getting nervous about the farm because this year, I am calling Animal Control for help. Longtime readers might remember that since my parents' health has declined, they have not been able to handle the cats that are reproducing at an alarming rate - at last count, there were over fifty coming in & out of the house and another fifty outside. This is up by 100% from last year! My brother works away and has been providing food but cannot keep up with medical intervention. In the past he has taken various animals to be spade or neutered; he also gives them shots of penicillin at home but there are outbreaks of worms, mites, fleas and disease.

I've informed my sister but not my brother because he will be the one to fight me on it. I think he's trying to avoid a kitten massacre but at this point it is more humane to euthanise. I just hope that the govt. body understands that my parents have had no control over it - we do NOT want them to be shamed publicly, either on the news or in the local papers. My mum is 84 and very fragile.

If I do go out there today, I might bring it up again just so that they know we're serious about it. We need to make sure that they can stay in that house until they die, which is their wish. It's the only way it's going to happen - even now, the air quality is questionable due to all the dander and waste. BUT we can do a big clean once all the animals are removed (with the exception of Lucy, the border collie that was Dale and Jamie's and two other cats that are fixed.)

*sigh*

Enough of that!

This is May long weekend, so I have tomorrow off as well. If I can't plant today, there is always tomorrow. Have a good one!

Spring is in the air. Sort of.

photographer unknown
In the last year, I've become extremely addicted to gardening magazines and landscaping. This isn't a good thing for someone who owns postage-stamp size front and back yards, but I do have access to my mom's yards and that'll go a long way in keeping me from withdrawal, lol.

This year I'm planning on planting a LOT of flowers and perennial plants in and around their deck and to help me save on costs, I have started a crop of seedlings inside my house.

Right now I have Lupines, Blanket Flowers, Bachelor's Buttons, Phlox and Globe Amaranth growing in containers on every window sill in the house! I also have packets of seeds for all kinds of vines and poppies, which can be sowed directly to the ground.

I'm looking forward to May 25th, which is when the threat of frost is completely past.

Work is work, and while I still enjoy taking care of my clients, my boss is still a dink. Even when he's seemingly nice, you know that it's coming eventually.

Yesterday I got a call late in the afternoon from a woman that had moved into a supportive living facility. In the past, we were told that we'd lost the oxygen contract and that we must pick up our eqipment if one of our clients moves in there, so when she called, I was apologetic but firm.

"I'm so sorry Ella! Please talk to your nurse."

That nurse called me back ten minutes later and gave me the go ahead to deliver O2 and explained that her wing fell under a different government agency. Yay!

"If you want to keep this client," she advised,"you'd better show up today. And bring some better equipment! That concentrator she has is too loud."

Damn. This means a call to the dink.

In our company, anyone that wants to deliver the smallest, newest concentrator has to get special permission from the area manager. We think that our company is afraid of making these machines the new "standard" because even though they're nicer, quieter and smaller, they break down a lot more. Still, since other companies readily supply them, we're under a lot of pressure.

"Kat-ty," Omar says in this Middle Eastern/French accent. "You do not have the medical expertise to deliver this equipment."

"What?! I deliver this kind of thing several times a week. I do equipment education almost every day!"

"Where is the respiratory therapist?"

"She's doing assessments an hour away."

"Why is she out of cylinders?"

"Because she just moved."

Twenty minutes later (all in overtime by the way) he relents and "lets" me go. *sigh*

Bill's parents are still here, they're staying out at Cathy's place. We're going out there tomorrow for Mother's Day and for Em's 14th birthday (hard to believe she's 14 already!!)

I believe we're going out to see my mom this afternoon.

Happy Mother's Day!!

corporate peon

The featured photo is an oxygen regulator, since I am at work this morning.

I finally got over last Thursday, which was ruined by my boss. He was here to give my co-workers their evaluations and to humiliate me and put me in my place.

At least, it seemed that way.

At one point, he interrupted a drop in visit from our tire guy to tell me I did not have time to speak to him; then again thirty seconds later to "insist". Even when I tried to explain that I was trying to save us over $120/month in service fees, he still ordered me back to my computer in front of the guy. The tire guy had no idea what to say or do!

Ten minutes later, while I was trying to load my van, he came out to the warehouse and asked me to come back into the office with him so that we could "talk." Basically, he held me responsible for the fact that one of our new RRT's is not as "dominant" as I am and that if I do not back off, there could be "serious ramifications" for her. Then he reminded me that I am only "temporary."

Temporary for nine months now.

My temporary contract runs out on July 15th and he says he wants to be able to offer me a permanent position, but I think he's going to miss being able to threaten me, to keep me in line.

I really have no one in power to support me or help me in any way. If I go above his head, I'll be labeled a troublemaker. If I let him threaten me or abuse me I lose my self worth. I dunno what will happen next. Bill says he wishes we could both quit at the same time so that they know just how much we do, but we're just now getting back on our feet.

Tyranny really sucks.

the more things change pt 2

webcam pic, 2003

I've been pretty worried about my weight lately.

In the pic, I was twenty pounds lighter than I am now and had a handle on my hunger. In fact, due to the anorexia I was suffering from at the time, I welcomed the hunger; looked forward to hunger!

Then things normaled out.

Bill arrrived in 2005, Em arrived just two months later. Jamie and I stopped eating Lean Cuisines and started buying beef, chicken & pork. I stocked the once-empty pantry with cookies and muffins for lunches, bought potatoes, rice and cheese for family dinners.

In 2007 I went on Jenny Craig and lost that twenty pounds, but the cost of food was extremely cost prohibitive at $510/month. I quit and slowly gained it back over the next two years.

Last summer I started working at the same company as my husband Bill, as a Customer Service Technician. I look after O2 equipment like concentrators, regulators, and compressed air cylinders. I do homecare deliveries, some administrative work, and oxygen starts for the hospitals.

For the first six months I was so busy that I didn't have time to eat and I was much too tired to cook! Also, we were so poor for so long that even if I had a five dollar bill in my pocket, I was afraid to spend it.

It was easy to lose that twenty pounds.

At this point I am twelve pounds up and last week I vowed to lose at least two pounds but that didn't happen. I'm going to try again this week.

Really!

the more things change

...the more they stay the same.

Since Em is getting ready for Band Camp (she leaves tomorrow and comes back on Friday) I bought her some clothes last night. Very reminicent of what I used to wear, inspired by Flashdance! The ripped/cut sweatshirts, the skinny jeans, tops hanging off one shoulder.

I have to bite my tongue to keep from saying "I used to wear this stuff..." every time. I remember rolling my eyes at my mother and I won't have her doing that to me.

At least to my face, lol.

one minute post

Photo courtesy of Jim Donaldson Photography

I had such a busy weekend that I didn't have time to blog! One of these days, I'm going to get an iPad then you'll be seeing way too much of me :P

I'm at work right now and don't have time to write very much, but here's the most important piece of info: the snow is melting and the temps are 7°C. Yay!

Back later.

the angel closes her eyes

my "Simpsonize Me" pic from a few years ago

If you happen to be a JSer, then you know that we lost one of our own this past week, likeisaid, or Betty. I was completely gobsmacked when I read that Betty had passed on in her sleep - it seems as though she'd just lost her beloved husband, Paul. My heart goes out to her two sisters, Sally & Paula. Some of my favourite posts were from these southern sisters! Old black & whites from the 60's and 70's (loved those little shift dresses!) blurry coloured pics from the 80's, posing with their men and their cars.

Paula and Sal - if you're reading this, I am so, so sorry.

As always, work is really busy and we spend our time trying to get more things done than we did the day before. I'm used to this kind of pace and it doesn't stress me out very much. I do get stressed by my boss, though.

He's calming down a little (dare I say, he's even getting a little beat down by the amount of work?) and he's lightening up a little. Yesterday when he called me about another conference call I was late to he actually laughed when I said "holy crap, another one?"

At home, the big project involves a visit from Bill's parents and his younger brother, Craig, In April. They'll be spending the odd night at our house here in the city and that means painting the downstairs, converting the downstairs living room to a studio apartment for Em, getting Jamie's room ready (she's moving back after the last semester ends and staying until July or August) buying a new bed for Em's old room and getting the carpets cleaned. So far, we have the new throw rugs, lol.

I'll be waking Bill from his nap in a few moments. What is everyone else doing?

ABC

photographer unknown

Swiped from Silvertag!

A. Age: 46
B. Bed size: King
C. Chore you dislike: cleaning the bathroom
D. Dogs: One Bichon-mix named Lola
E. Essential start to your day: Coffee
F. Favorite color: Cobalt Blue
G. Gold or silver: Gold
H. Height: 5' 7"
I. Instruments you play(ed): Nothing.
J. Job title: Customer Service Technician
K. Kids: Jamie; 22 Emily; 13
L. Live: Love & Laugh
M. Mom’s name: Olive Mathilda
N. Nicknames: Kate
O. Overnight hospital stays: tonsils, Jamie & gallbladder
P. Pet peeves: Drivers who change lanes w/o checking mirrors, drivers who don't signal, people that don't flush, young teens that dress provocatively, TV's blaring, neighbours that park in front of your house but don't like neighbours parking in front of theirs.
Q. Quote from a movie: "Get busy living or get busy dying..."
S. Siblings: One older brother, one younger sister
T. Time you wake up: Weekdays 6:45 am Weekends 9:00 am
U. Underwear: low rise briefs
V. Vegetables you don’t like: radish
W. What makes you run late: Blowdrying and/or flatironing my hair
X. X-rays you’ve had: On my teeth!
Y. Yummy food you make: Curried chicken
Z. Zoo animal favorites: Love big cats!

Love the Weekend

Tokyo, in happier days. We still miss her a lot

My job keeps me so exhausted each day that I barely have time to make supper and collapse on the couch. It's just not good for blogging!

Here's my week in bullet points.

- We have one client whose daughter wants her to use a POC (portable oxygen concentrator) purely as a status symbol, yet her mom is most comfortable using the cylinders. We're not sure how to handle it because our boss has said he wants us to keep this contract no matter what, but they've been high maintenance since day 1.

It wouldn't be an issue if we didn't have clients who are aged with health problems. Some people need the POCs due to weakness in their wrists (it can be difficult opening the valves on the cylinders) or problems with their vision. We can't always provide them due to the ones that want them for convenience. Of course, those are the ones that threaten to vendor switch and they get priority. Frustrating.

- I spent several hours doing safety reports for my boss on Wednesday, who then bitched me out for getting a late start on my deliveries. *sigh*

- Lola got a haircut last week, but it may have been a bit premature. With the cold weather, we've been having to put a hoodie on her before she goes outside to do her business.

- I bought two winter coats on Wednesday; purple wool with an empire waist and black wool with zipper/toggles. Each one was $30 and I love a good sale!

- Jamie's loan is coming in soon so she won't be a broke college student for a few weeks.

- Em is participating in Science Olympics today and we expect her to kick butt against the two other schools competing.

- I have to do some cleaning before my SIL arrives. Mostly the floors, it's a good thing we have laminate.

Happy Saturday!