Wednesday, December 31, 2008

What a Great Day!

Today my friend, Cathy T. and I went downtown Toronto. We had a blast.

The drive down was slushy and it was extremely cold, but the sun was shining and company great. Parking was a breeze since it just wasn't very busy where we were looking/shopping!

I had only one goal. Find ferric chloride to etch copper. Canada and chemicals.... in the States I'd probably be able to find ferric chloride in the corner store, but even The Source I checked didn't have any. Anyway, we stopped at T.G.W. on Victoria St. to check and they said they didn't handle it. Of course I can't go into a jewelry supply without poking around and I found this on a shelf: Mordant for Etching.

I don't have a clue what it is, how old it is or how toxic it is. It says it contains muriatic acid and to chase it down with milk of magnesia should I feel the urge to taste it! I know the company that manufactured it is owned by Grobet, so I sent an email to them asking for information. Time will tell... I also got a sheet of 24 g copper. I would have preferred 22 g, but I take what I can get!

We left the wholesale district and headed over to Queen St. W. and I couldn't believe that Arton was closed. Arton is the candy store of inexpensive findings/beads (cheap and cheerful). We passed up The Beadery since it is just too overpriced and went into Bling Bling. They were having an end of year sale and I picked up some plastic shaped beads that appealed to me for my Little Princess line. Cathy said there was a newer bead store down the the street and we found it.
It is called Bead It and it is a clean/bright shop with the usual fare. I wasn't planning on buying beads... I was on a thwarted quest for ferric chloride... but I had to bring these home. I wanted a strand of every color, but stopped at a strand of hearts and the lemon candies. The hearts are foiled with frit floating on them under a smooth glass cap. I got the burgandy based ones. The lemon squares make me think of Dick and Jane readers, summer days and candy.... How could I leave anything behind that evoked those feelings? LOL Anyway, they are supposedly Italian. In this day and age, I wonder, but the line does have murrini encased in them and they don't "look" Chinese.
Anyway, what a great day to end the year.... shopping for jewelry supplies. Life is good.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Happy Birthday to MEEEE!

Today is my day and I am blowing my own horn! I'm happy and fortunate to be in good health, married to a good man, and have good friends....

I was very lazy and fell back to sleep this morning and woke to the phone ringing.... It kept ringing so I got up to answer and I heard "Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday!!!!" I was pretty foggy and didn't recognize the voice and asked who it was....? "Faye!" More nanosecond head scratching when she said she always wishes everyone happy birthday and since I wasn't at work, she had to call me at home! AWWWWW!!! Lightbulb goes on! It is Faye, one of the super dispatchers from work. Talk about warming the cockles of my little black heart!!!.... What a great way to start out the day...

The rest of the day was spent working on drying out the basement and talking to friends and family. It was a great day.

This picture is of Len and me tonight after coming home from eating fish and chips. Sure did taste good!

I truly am blessed!
Happy 53rd Birthday to me!



Monday, December 29, 2008

My Boys


These are "my boys". Bilko (on the right) was our first. We "inherited" Chance this past May. Someone had dumped him alongside the road and animal control picked him up. I was called since animal control wondered if he was Bilko. Long story short, we got him a week later. I don't think he had a life outside of a crate and the vet thinks he was used for breeding. He was not house trained, marked his territory, hated the crate and fell down the stairs. After two days he could navigate the stairs. Within a month, he was house trained. We had him neutered and the marking stopped. He still hates the crate. We bought him a fancy bed and he'd only sleep in it if I put him in it and went to bed. He had to sleep with us. His idea of sleeping with us is with his head on the pillows between us and Bilko at his feet. We named him Chance, as in "last chance". Animal control would have put him down if we would not have come forward since his manners weren't that wonderful.


Chance learned his name fast. I learned fast not to try to hand feed him. Evidentally food was of utmost importance to him since he would wolf his down and go look for Bilko's. That caused a massive problem.... He started bleeding from the front of his lower gum one day. He bleed for two + days. We thought he was a goner. The vet didn't think he was going to make it either. We still don't know what caused this, but we think he got into some type of poison since he would try to eat anything. He was on steriods for a month and got better. We weaned him off the steriods and the house accidents stopped. We were glad he was alive.


Chance is my dog. I go to the kitchen, he's right behind me. I go downstairs, he's there. I sit here at the computer and he lays on the rug beside my chair. When he goes outdoors he doesn't wander to far from the back step. When I call, he comes.


Chance knows I drive the school bus. He doesn't try to go out with me anymore since he knows I'm coming home. Len says Chance starts barking when I pull up in front of the house and get ready to back in. He is waiting for me at the back door. He is a good dog.


Chance has adapted very well to his new life. He knows how to sit and takes treats without me loosing a finger. He doesn't rush Bilko's food and doesn't always eat all of his in the first minute. The biggest change has been in the car... he gets in and sleeps. Before he'd stand in a corner or try to get under my feet on the driver's side. That has stopped. I don't know what we did before Chance. I don't think Bilko does either. I'm glad he has come into our lives.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Uh-ohhhh

Since I'm of that age of taking nightly trips to the washroom.... I encountered one of my worst nightmares at 4:30 a.m.... flooded basement! For some reason the sump pump didn't come on. I must have jiggled something when I was looking into the hole and it came on... Unfortunately the basement floor isn't level.

I have spent this day mopping and slogging water. The carpet is still wet.... I can only hope that I can extract more water from it tomorrow. I have pains in my body that shouldn't feel like this! LOL

There is no one to blame but myself. I can't even blame it as an "act of God"! I knew it rained inches yesterday and melted feet of snow so I should have checked it before I went to bed, but....

Guess I'm going to get a head start on clearing/cleaning out the basement this week.

If there is an upside to this mess, it is this.... Leonard spent the night at his son's house and I was asked to stay also, but the dogs were home and I didn't want them to be by themselves, so I went home. If we would have come home at 3 p.m. today, OMG! I don't want to think of mess! Nope this post doesn't have anything to do with wire, but it is about living.