http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/index.html imaginaryfriend's Blog en-us © 12:26:08 Greasy.com All rights reserved. Sat, Jul 12:26:08 5 GMT 30 http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/fleeting_summer_days_.html It's very rare that we manage to be at the cabin on a good HOT day. Hot enough to actually swim in this frigid mountain lake. Sunday was one of those rare days. The 6 of us went down to the beach. Me, DH, the kids Eric & Leah, and BIL and SIL. I took along the little sit-on kayak that I bought myself last year. My winter of yoga/pilates class twice a week paid off when it came to kayaking. This little 8 foot kayak takes a fair bit of core strength to hold it straight in the water. I had a ... Wed, 2 Jul 2008 02:45:12 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/need_good_smack.html My husband needs one. I'm on the computer in the basement. He comes running down the stairs, and I start thinking, OMG! Something is wrong (or maybe he's just being annoying...). He's all upset, THERE ARE HUGE HAIL STONES AND YOUR HORSES ARE RUNNING AROUND TRYING TO GET INTO THE SHELTER!! I run upstairs and outside... There is no hail. It's barely sprinkling rain. The horses are not upset. I turn to him and say something about giving me a heart attack for no reason. He sputters and starts ... Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:41:12 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/troops_descended_weekend.html The MIL and SIL had decided to come out to our place last Sunday to view the new colt. Huge pet peeve of mine that they only ever come over when there is something new to see. They never come just to visit us. They are bringing lunch. Two frozen pizzas. Whoop-de-do-da. (I'm grumpy. You bring lunch, but make it crappy pizza?) The night before, DH mentions that his brother will arrive just before noon. HUH? You didn't say that he was coming! What, are your aunt and grandma coming too? His an ... Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:54:11 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/expensive_mistake.html I got my first ever ticket. In the mail. I've been hearing the uproar in the local town about the new photo traffic enforcement. They are lurking around the 3 traffic lights and at stop signs, just waiting to mail you a ticket for the smallest error. Of course, if you run red lights, you deserve to get a whopping ticket, but the complaints are coming from the stop sign tickets. If you don't come to a complete stop (wheels stop turning), then you get a ticket for failing to stop. Truly, it ... Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:39:14 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/yikes_phonecall.html I picked up Eric at school today, since I needed to drop off books for their book sale this week. I also volunteered to help organize the books for an hour or so on the day of the sale... Anyway, at about 4:15, I get a call from the neighbour. "Do you have my daughter?" Um, no, I say. She says she sees the kid on the next farm over is home (he's on the same bus as our kids), and she thinks she missed the bus! The bus usually arrives between 4:20 and 4:25, and she got home her usual "barely ... Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:59:52 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/keeping_neighbours.html I live in a rural area, and have only one close neighbour. And they have a daughter only 6 months younger than my son, so the 3 kids play with each other often. Although I really like the neighbours (NB), they are different than us. Their DD was a oops, 15 years younger than their son. Both NBs have their own business, and the house they live in is probably 40 years old and has issues. Our house is only 11 years old is much larger. Their yard is constantly under construction, with wood pil ... Sat, 7 Jun 2008 01:52:45 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/compliments.html I was paid two compliments this week. And it's a big, big deal to me, because I rarely receive compliments. (Husband's don't count, he has motive!). The first compliment was at the local library. I started volunteering there last week, just 2.5 hours a week, and my "boss" introduced me to the "big boss" and said that I catch on quickly. They like me! They really like me! LOL! I'm actually quite enjoying shelving books. It's both stimulating and calming, and I'm coming across TONS of new bo ... Sat, 7 Jun 2008 01:09:34 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/good_today.html Today is our 12th wedding anniversary. DH took me out for dinner. We dropped off the kids at my parent's house, along with a pizza! DH didn't tell me where we were going, so I was kind of worried... We passed 7-ll (LOL!) We passed Red Lobster, Swiss Chalet, A&W... We passed Tim Hortons... We passed the McDonald's in Walmart... We turned towards the mall with a carnival in the parking lot... I had visions of cotton candy and ferris wheel rides... nope, passed that too. And stopped at a litt ... Mon, 2 Jun 2008 02:22:00 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/baby.html I'm totally freaked out. I checked on the mare at 11pm, 3am and 6am. At 6am there was a wet foal in with her! It's a boy. He's healthy, but has a few minor issues that will probably work themselves out. Mare came through the delivery fine, but the stupid me, fed her a bucket of not quite soaked enough beet pellets, and she choked on them. Emergency vet call! Vet cleared out the blockage. It was a bad one. Then a few hours later, mare is coughing, shivering and not looking happy. UGH! Not a ... Sat, 24 May 2008 21:20:49 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/finally_mothers_day.html Usually Mother's Day for me is DH and the kids making a nice breakfast, and getting whatever presents and crafts they have for me. Then, we head out to MIL's cabin, where they (DH, SIL, BIL), make supper for everyone (including DH's aunt, and Grandma). They then shower the other 2 mothers (MIL and GIL) with gifts, while I sit there, feeling like chopped liver. I might get a plain envelope shoved at me with a $10 bill in it. Blah. I've taken to removing myself from the room because I feel s ... Sat, 10 May 2008 01:51:14 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/got_milk_got_zaps_got_childcare.html Got milk? My seriously exciting news (to me, probably boring or even gross to you), I can now milk my pony! This is exciting because the colour of the milk can be used to predict foaling. It's clear, which is the first stage of about 5 or 6. If you wish to see my poor pony looking like a black ball with legs, I've put up new pictures on my good side: http://prairiehorses.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html Got zaps? Since I've been joking about electric fences lately, here's a picture of ... Mon, 5 May 2008 02:33:07 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/wear.html On Saturday, DH's work is having their year end party. Which is very strange since their last year end party was just in September or October... Huh? Anyway, I'm now confused about what to wear. It was always easy before since all the fancy parties I ever went to were in the fall or around Christmas. I know what to wear for that season. But spring? Do I wear flower prints? Can I wear black? My choices are: Spaghetti strap cream/pink flowered dress, just below the knee. I was actually going ... Sun, 4 May 2008 17:41:54 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/shopping_extravaganza.html I got the cheque my mom has been telling me she was giving me. She's been saying that for about 6 months now, and I finally got it. For my RRSP only. (Yeah, right). First thing I did was hit the liquor store and got some vodka and whiskey. A mommy has to self-medicate after the kids go to bed. A few days later I hit my favorite thrift store and found a reel mower (the kind with no motor). Funny, I saw they were on sale in a flier, and was thinking about buying one. And I find two at my thr ... Sat, 3 May 2008 22:48:43 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/tag_it_walkwithgrace.html If you opened it, you have to do it. Then Tag another Greasytown resident. Two names you go by: 1. Mom 2. Jennifer Two things you are wearing right now: 1. Home sewn shirt 2. "Rodeo" hoodie from Lammlies Two of your favorite things to do: 1. Ride a horse 2. Eat Two things you want very badly at the moment: 1. Sunny, warm weather 2. Twinkle to have an easy delivery and a healthy foal Two favorite pets you have had/have: 1. Dizzy (horse) 2. Twinkle (pony) Two things you did last night: 1. Dr ... Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:34:21 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/world.html Solitaire (Randy) long ago told me about the book "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. When the local library opened, I put a hold on the book, and didn't think I would ever get it. It had 28 holds! Yikes! It took about 3 months, but I got it last week, hooray! It was worth the wait. This book is fascinating! Basically, it's about what would happen to the earth and all the man made structures, if all the humans disappeared. The book starts with New York City. Did you know that the water ... Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:04:10 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/short_sleeves_snowpants.html What a beautiful weekend we had! It was warm! Yes! Warm! Really! And I saw the sun! Wow! I've missed that guy! I kept throwing the kids outside. LOL! I told them to go play in that snow because there won't be snow like this until November or December (if we are lucky). My garden has a huge snow drift in it, so I've been letting them play in it. It's normally off-limits (especially since I put down 4" of composted manure on it this fall). The drift was to the top of the 4' fence, but it's m ... Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:19:56 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/resistance_fertile.html I've been reading again. This time it's "Guerrilla Gardening: A Manualfesto" by David Tracey. The theme of this book would be it's easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. Basically, the book is about taking over unused land in cities, public or private, and planting on them. With or without permission. It may be planting trees on the sides of city streets, taking over a vacant lot and creating a community garden, throwing "seed bombs" into fenced lots, or working with the ci ... Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:50:05 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/thrift_score.html JanetK mentioned the book Thrift Score to me, so I got it from the library. It's an interesting books about a thrift store loving woman. I think she is crazy though! I shop at thrift stores to get quality, useful items for much less than buying new. The author seems to use thrift stores as entertainment and buys absolute junk! She goes on and on about printed polyester shirts, and collecting them! Seriously? Collecting shirts?? LOL. It was a good read though. Especially the parts about thr ... Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:12:12 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/weeks_down.html As of tomorrow, it's been 2 weeks that I've had a plugged ear. I can't hear from it, and I'm constantly dizzy. I had an appointment today with my doctor's substitute while she's away. She was a very young doctor, but oh so nice and understanding! She says I have a viral ear infection. Nothing she can do. If it lasts more than 4 weeks, then I can go to an ear specialist and get the fluid drained. I can't get it done before that. She was very sympathetic and understanding. It's so nice to ha ... Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:59:17 GMT http://greasy.com/imaginaryfriend/fair.html It's spring. This sucks. Here's the view and stats from a local road report camera: Air Temperature: -11 °C Pavement Temperature: -1.9 °C Wind Speed: 38.88 km/h Wind Direction: NNW Relative Humidity: 81 % It's been snowing since Friday morning. We have snow drifts 4 feet high. I have to climb over the pasture fence to check the horses because the gate can't open. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:18:02 GMT