Toto, this sure ain't Kansas!

Sometime while I was busy with puppies, Vancouver Island must have floated north and we are now anchored just a few miles south of Alaska. At least, that's what it feels like. Crofton is said to have one of the most moderate climates in Canada, protected as it is by Saltspring Island and Maple Mountain to the east and south, and a smattering of other small mountains stretching to the west and north.

But for the past couple of days, the wind has been blowing from the ocean right to my back yard, the ground is a mess of very hard, cold ice chunks, and I can hardly keep the house warm enough with the inefficient electric heaters. A five hour power outage the other day didn't help, but since then the power has only flickered off once or twice. Thank goodness, because the windchill factor last night brought the temperatures down close to minus 20 according to the radio.

It occured to me last night that I haven't shut off the two outside faucets, so I went scrambling around with a flashlight to find the turn off thingys. I found what I thought was one under my kitchen cabinet and far to the side through another little cut out, but there was no way that this chunky body was going to fit through a 14 x 14 inch space to reach it and my arms just aren't long enough. Besides, it looks like it also controls the water to my kitchen sink, so maybe it isn't even the right one.

The other shut off should be in my hall closet. I remember that is where the plumber told me it was when I first moved in and thought to ask about these things (of course, I failed to write down the answers, so now I don't remember most of what he said). My hot water tank is in the same closet. Again, flashlight in hand, I searched and searched but there is no shut off. Unless it is behind the drywall. Which I am not about to remove. I did have a bunch of bathroom renovations done last year, which changed the plumbing adjacent to the closet, so maybe that also changed the shutoff location.

So, failing to find any way to shut them off, I wrapped both taps in comforters and bungy cords, and will keep my fingers crossed that pipes don't burst. When I think back over the 25 years or more that I have lived alone as an adult, I don't think I have ever shut off outside faucets in the winter - even during the three years I lived in the Northwest Territories - so either I live a charmed life, or the threat of busted pipes isn't as great as people seem to think. And now I have probably just jinxed myself.

I did inquire about alternate heat sources for this place - a lovely little woodstove that costs $699 will cost another $2,900 to install. And then I have to chop wood, take out ashes, and do all that other dirty stuff that I don't care for. I don't have gas, and both gas and pellet stoves are going to run about $5000 to install. But Home Depot showed me a unit that fits outside like central air, runs off propane, and is wired directly into the home so it comes on automatically when the power goes out. The really big ones come with REALLY BIG price tags, but a smaller one that runs eight circuits is about $2300 plus an electrician's installation - which sounds like it wouldn't be much more than the other options. Today I make some phone calls. It would really be nice to have a source of heat and light and cooking potential around here if this really is going to be the worst winter in fifty years. We live in an area that gets lots of power failures, and Crofton is the last place on the grid to get repaired as we have no urgent services here.

And who likes this cold? Ms. Lucy! She goes crazy every time she is outside, and she constantly wants to go outside. And since Ms. Lucy can't be left alone outside (if I disappear back inside the house, she jumps the gate to the carport to try to get back to me, instead of just coming to the back door and asking to be let in!) , that means I stand out there in the blowing wind and freezing cold, impatiently watching her run, jump, dig, sniff, and just plain sit with her head into the wind and her ears blowing back like some sort of strawberry blonde movie star on a photoshoot.

I want spring to come. This is just toooooo darn cold. I'll even welcome dreary dark days of rain.

Oh Noah......Another ark please!

I have two collie crosses and two shelties who need to come aboard!

It is raining. Understatement of the year. Up island from me, a state of emergency has been declared due to flooding. Closer to home, the only road between Crofton and Chemainus was also closed due to flooding. There are lakes where no lakes existed, rivers threatening to flood their banks, and approximately 2.2 tonnes of mud in my mudroom (courtesy of four sulky, soggy doggies).

I had a covered deck built last week so I can get the dogs in and out the back door without getting soaked to the skin. I used the same man who had done most of my bathroom renos - except he was a subcontractor on that job and this time I hired him directly. Big Mistake. He obviously needs a general contractor to do his listening and thinking for him. The ramp (for Princess Belle and Oliver who cannot do stairs) was supposed to be under cover. It is not. So now there is a lake at the bottom of the ramp. The ramp is also 10" narrower than I specified - too narrow, so wobbly arthritic Princesses are falling off it. The downspout, which should have been sunk into a pit of pea gravel, empties right onto the lawn and has formed another lake between the back door and the gate from the carport. In other words, we have to swim to the house or bring muddy dogs right into the living/dining room via the patio or front doors. And the ground-level deck is 6" higher than I was told, making it dangerous for little bouncy dogs named Oliver, who have little sense of depth.

So, I fired the guy (still haven't paid him either - but then he hasn't provided me with a bill for the work he did do), bought some deck railing that cost almost as much as the deck and cover together, bought some more boards, and now yours truly is building steps and ramps and fighting with bad instructions for installling railing. Not my favourite pasttime - especially in the rain.

And so we are cranky. We are all cranky. Wet dogs. Frustrated mama. Only the cat is her usual pesky, funny self.

I shouldn't complain. Hearts on Noses potbellied pig sanctuary is moving in this weather - trying to set posts for new pens in holes that fill up with water before cement can be poured, trying to pack and clean and feed and arrange trailers and flatdecks,, dealing with no-show tradespeople, etc. Check out their blog. They still need help, if any gum-booted volunteers can lend a hand/trailer/flatdeck/strong back any time between now and the end of the month. I'm heading over this weekend to lend a hand - I'd love to see you there!

A wee little rant....

..... or This is why I'm retiring early!

Totally not critter related, but I just have to share this before my voiceless scream reverberates across the valley.

One of the reasons I want out of my job is because of the increasing sense of entitlement which so many youth seem to hold today. Somehow their lives are so much busier than ours and so much more stressful and WE, the instructors, are supposed to bend over backwards to accomodate them.

In severe weather conditions, students can find out if classes are cancelled from several sources, the most obvious one being the radio. At the beginning of term, students are told which radio stations will carry an announcement if my institution is closed due to weather. Today I received this email:

"...If the school is closed, not all of us listen to
the radio so I'm not sure how to find out unless you email us."

EXCUSE ME???????? I should email a class full of students because you are too friggin' lazy to turn a radio dial????????????

That takes the cake.

Okay, rant over. I will go back to staring at the phenomenally beautiful but really irritating sunshine-on-a-foot-of-snow.

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

NO MORE WINTER!!!!

I left for work amid a few wet sloppy flakes; by 2:30 I had a lot of nervous students worrying about driving home. The road report wasn't good, and as I still don't have my voice they were just watching a video and discussing it among themselves, so I let them out early. Turned out to be the right choice - the campus announced it was shutting down and cancelling classes shortly thereafter. There was only a few inches of slippy slidey stuff over at the campus, but by the time I reached my driveway across the river and up the side of the valley, I was greeted with eight inches of snow and a miserably cold blizzard-like wind.







Even the dogs were not impressed (though perhaps that had something to do with the fact I forgot to put their warm, dry coats on them!). This is what they looked like after just two minutes outside:



They tried to follow me down the drive to check the mailbox, but their show of enthusiasm left something to be desired.






I think Oliver had the right idea - he just stood at the back door and barked. LET ME IN! I don't know if he didn't realize I was still outside, or if he really thought Allie the cat had developed opposable door-knob-turning thumbs.







I hope this latest snowfall goes as quickly as it came. Robb the Plowman is away, and this is far too heavy and wet for my arthritic spine to manage even when I am healthy, let alone with this dratted flu hanging on. I have to have a bank draft to the lawyers in the morning so the final papers on the house can be signed. And my first year students have a midterm tomorrow afternoon. And I have an appointment to see my Emma for my 30 minutes, once a month visit tomorrow evening (which I forfeit if I don't show at the appointed time). And I'm supposed to head for the island Friday to pick up the house keys and drink a celebratory glass of champagne with my friends.

So, snow, GO AWAY!!!! YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!

HUMPH! Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble......

My Turn

Well, now that all the dogs and one piggy have had their turn being ill, it is my turn. I brought it upon myself though - yesterday I bragged to someone that I hadn't had the flu or a cold in nearly three years, not since I started getting regular flu shots and taking Cold FX daily. And I added "now I've probably jinxed myself".

Yup. Woke up in the night with achey bones and congested chest. Now have a full blown cold and a fever and feel like cr*p. And I have four more chapters of a VERY boring text to extract exam questions from before tomorrow morning. BLECH.

Just a typical end to a not-so-perfect day. It began with a sleet and snow storm which saw me stuck in the driveway despite snow tires and four wheel drive; it progressed to a not-so-helpful visit to the vet with Belle, who is doing poorly again and has little or no feeling in her back legs; I spent about three hours gathering some paperwork and faxing it off for some personal time-sensitive business; I carried Belle in and out of the house, in and out of the car, and in and out of her basket a kazillion times; and all the while, I felt the flu taking a firmer and firmer grasp on me.

I do not do sickness well - at least, not my own. It's a good thing there was a beautiful sunset to gaze at while the three healthy dogs ran in the pasture, and a chorus of piggy voices to listen to as I fixed the evening feeds, and a pot of hot and healthy stew ready for the eating.

And now I better tackle another chapter of the boring book with the tiny print.

Anyone wanna send me some homemade chicken soup??????

Morning Report

It is snowing. Again. Still. End of Report.

Today I must venture out in it as Oliver has a vet appointment - he has developed a growth on his lip which needs to be checked out. Hopefully it is just a wart or something equally benign. Charley has been having bowel problems for several weeks now, so I am also taking in a stool sample for testing before putting her through more rigorous testing. Sadie's results from blood tests earlier this week should be back - just a check on her previous off-the-wall thyroid and liver counts to see if we have her at the right level of meds. Between the vet and Rob the Plowman, the budget is blown for this month.

And I'm down to one half bale of hay and one half bale of straw, so that means I better pick up a couple of bales of each (all that can fit in my vehicle) until I find someone with a truck and a cost-efficient supply to bring in a larger quantity. With the continual snow and cold, I am going through much more than I customarily would.

Off to feed barn crew and shovel yet another path through the white stuff.

The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly

Good: The weather is milder and the precipitation is rain, not snow.

Bad: All the snow slid off the barn roof last night, forming a four foot high pile around the barn and effectively blocking ALL entrances. That meant shoveling a tunnel through it in order to access the pigs this morning. And today I need to move some of the snow from the big barn door and the pig yard so the pigs can get outside for a little exercise, light, and fresh air. They have been cooped up for too long.

Good: My house is almost back to normal, save a few Christmassy things to be carried up to the attic, and the outdoor lights which will have to wait until the snow is gone.

Bad: The knee high slush everywhere makes feeding Martin the alpaca even more difficult, especially since he refuses to move off the path into the deeper snow so I can get by with his food and water. He kicks out with his wicked back feet whenever I try to shoo him over or slip past him to reach the stable. Today I just dumped his straw and grain on the path in front of him and told him to get a life! Bad alpaca! Bad mama!

Good: I have the most awesome slip-on boot treads from Lee Valley that prevent slipping and make it easier to walk on the frozen slush leading to the barn.

Bad: The boot treads only fit my SHORT bog boots, which are not sufficient for the deeper areas of snow. My tall, winter farm boots are great for the snow but a lot larger even though, technically, they are the same foot size as my bog boots.

Good: The milder weather means the animals, all the animals, are breathing easier. Birds are hovering around, the coyote is back to his hunting, the dogs are chomping at the bit to get back into the field.

Bad: The cold and snow and now flooding have driven the rodent types into the dirt crawl space beneath the house – I can hear them chewing in the walls at night. I can’t reach the access, which is outside and buried under a ton of wet, heavy snow, and even if I could I’m not sure what I will do. Poisonous bait, while a sure fire way to resolve the problem, is a cruel way to die and dangerous for the other animals who might eat the carcass.

Downright Ugly: Dead rats/squirrels/mice in the crawlspace or walls ummm…well……to put it politely…..STINK! Which means I need to get the rodents out of the crawlspace before they die - or multiply, for that matter, which will cause a bigger problem.

Good: The university is closed this week, which means I don’t have to leave home if I don’t want to.

Bad: Classes start in one week, and I have a course I haven’t taught for a few years, and which now has a new text with quite a different focus. I better get busy researching and rewriting my lecture material.

Good: I am in my usual “start the new year off by simplifying” mode – seems like this time every year I get really ruthless with reducing and recycling stuff that I don’t really need/don’t use/don’t want/doesn’t fit/ etc. I have a real boost of high energy and just want to clean, sort, sort, clean, reorganize, sort, run to thrift store, clean…..

Bad: Repeat: Classes start in one week, and I have a course I haven’t taught for a few years, and which now has a new text with quite a different focus. Forget the reducing and recycling and get on with the rewriting!

Good: Christmas is over and life gets back to normal.

Bad: Christmas is over and life gets back to normal.

Two "heads up"

Janice at Hearts on Noses has just found out that their mailboxes were broken into Thursday night. She customarily picks up her mail on the weekend, so any cheques that were mailed this week "might" have been among those stolen. She will get back to me with the names of any cheques recently received, but if you sent a check towards Penny's house please email me using the contact to the side of this blog, and send me your email address or phone number so we can contact you as soon as we check if yours may be among the missing.

Also, when my computer was invaded by trojans I lost ALL my email addresses and messages. If you emailed me and haven't heard back, please email me again. And if you are family or friend, please email me at my personal shaw address so I have your email address back in my file.

We are slowly regaining our sanity and our computer programs. I promise to share a critter story soon!

Whazza Matta Mama????

By Sadie, pup reporter.

Our mama has bin real cranky. She’s not usually cranky. And she shouldn’t be cranky no more. She gotz her car back, an’ she gotz her ‘puter back, an’ a vewy nice friend offered her a digital camera she’s not using.

And she’s got us, and she’s got the cat, and she's got the piggies and she’s got the ‘paca. So we asked her why she still cranky when there’s so much lovings around this place.

Mama: “Because when the university cleaned up my computer they also upgraded the word processing system and I DON’T KNOW HOW TO USE THIS VERSION!”

Sadie: “That’s okay mama. You just put your feet up and read a good book, and I will figure it out. I need to write my newspaper column because it is overdue, what with us having no computer last week.”

Mama: “Sorry, Sadie, but you can’t use the computer for a few more days. I have four sets of final exams to compose and a week’s worth of other computer work to do – and most of the stuff has to be done by Monday.”

Sadie: “Okay mama, I’m sure the nice people at Abbotsford Today will unnerstand. Can I have a cookie please?”

But instead of smiling and giving us cookies, Mama started pacing. That’s what she does when she’s stressed. She paces. And when she paces, four dogs and a cat try to follow along, just in case she happens to be going past the cookie jar. And mama pacing with four dogs and a cat on her heels in a teeny tiny house like this, well.....let’s just say it made her crankier.

So she went out to the barn to visit the piggies. Whisper made her laugh because he raised his snoutie and wiggled it at her with a big smile, and batted his blue eyes at her. And Soda told her she was being too slow with the food and tried to shove down the door to the feed area, and that made her laugh too.

But the laugh didn’t last long because when she came back into the house the computer problems got worse. When she tried to add her home email account back into the system, the internet company deleted all her university security system and replaced it with their own....and then just said “sorry, there’s no way for us to restore it”. And their system wouldn’t let her use the remote access to her work files at the university. I didn't know humans could make smoke come out of their ears. They can. Mama did.

So mama looked at us, and looked at the computer, and looked at us, and said:
“Sorry guys – I’m going to have to go into the office today.”

We moped. And sulked. And snarked at each other. And chased the cat. An sulked some more. And mama left the house and didn’t even take ONE of us with her!

But she came back a few hours later ‘cuz someone at the university was able to put her old word processing package back and reinstall the security system and so now she can use her ‘puter at home even if she dozn’t have time to blog or do any fun stuff. And she’s not gonna put her email on it, and so far she haszn’t bin able to get her printer to work with it but those things can wait.

She’s not pacing any more. She’s makin’ a cup of coffee, and she put some Christmas music on, and she’s home with us for the rest of the day, and she’s talking about retiring even earlier than she planned – and that would be a-okay with us 'cuz then she’d be home lots more!!!

So stay tuned and hopefully she will write a nice cheery blog piece sometime around Toosday. Or sooner. Or maybe one of us will sneak on here at night.

Meanwhile, we is watching out for some dude called Trojan .....’cuz we heard he started all this. He’s a spy and an evil little virus and he destroyed our ‘puter (and I bet he destroyed the car and the camera, too!!!) and he upset our mama. He better not come back to our house EVER, or he will have some mighty big bytes to contend with....canine bytes!

Yours truly,
Sadie

Aarrghhhhhhh!

No car, no computer, and now.....no camera! It finally died, ka-put, gave up the ghost completely.

The car is being repaired ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$); the computer is being repaired (but much of the material is likely unrecoverable - waaaaaaah!); and the cost of the car repairs mean there will be no new camera in the near future.

Would whomever is sticking pins into a voodoo doll replica of me PLEASE stop?!!