Treasures from Craigslist

I love Craigslist!!!! I have found many treasures on Craigslist over the past several years.  I have two foster birds that came to me through Craigslist.  Our livestock guardian dog, Jake, was posted on Craigslist.  Our two new rescue goats were posted on Craigslist.  And so it goes....

The other day, I took Dad with me to North Vancouver, where we picked up my latest Craigslist treasure.  It's so lovely and I have been looking for one like it for YEARS.  I have a couple of places in mind for it, but can't decide quite yet.  Here's a photo (courtesy of Moe, as you know my camera is MIA).

My latest "Craigslist" treasure!!

This cabinet is taller than me!  It's solid pine, and has SO much character.  I got it for a great price, too!  Thanks again, Moe.

I LOVE Craigslist!!!

Washing Dishes

Well, the guys came on Friday and tore out the entire bathroom - right down to the concrete.  They left it all done up in plastic so the room was totally contained in a "negative airspace" with a fan blowing out the window.  That left me with no hot water to my kitchen or laundry room.  Luckily, we still have hot water in our master bathroom and the small bathroom near our front door.  They have their own hot water source.  So, I got to wash dishes by hand this weekend - woohoo!  Haven't done that in awhile.  Keeps you grateful for what you DO have, I guess.  :-D

Luckily, we have two other bathrooms - not sure how that would have played out if that had been our only bathroom, as it was before we built the additions to the house.  Oh, well, I guess I don't need to think about that.

The restoration company will be back again today.  They still have not found how far the water damage goes.  It will cost more than was thought since they couldn't finish in one day.  Nice.  At least they are available to do it - for that I'm very thankful as DH is far too busy to be able to do it himself.  Too bad the house insurance doesn't cover it, though.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right now as I have THREE extra birds in the house.  Xena, the foster Quaker, Casey the foundling, and my Senegal, Cubby has come back after being placed in her new home last year.  Really noticing it with washing dishes by hand and the extra noise. Quakers really seem to feed off other Quakers' noisiness, and bird dishes really add up.

Had a good day yesterday.  Cooked lots of food for the birds so I could freeze it.  It just helps me to get going a bit quicker in the mornings.  Spent a lot of time on my feet, which had my back hurting pretty good last night, but it could have been worse.  Glad that I'm feeling better these days!

Watched the hockey game last night - game one of round three of the Stanley Cup final.  Our Canucks won over the San Jose sharks.  Hopefully they can get past this team to the final.  Go, Canucks, go!!!

Have a great day, everyone.  Another day of demolition here.

Water, Morning and Foster Feathers

We have a water problem. Not just a little water problem, but a BIG water problem.  We were going to renovate our bathroom.  We knew there had been some leakage behind the tiles around the bathtub.  We just didn't know how MUCH leakage or how MUCH damage has been caused because of it.  Hubby pulled up the floor last week in front of the tub as the tile had broken and the wood underneath was rotting.  I just had the restoration company in this morning and the water comes out into the hallway, the wall is WET up to three feet (according to the moisture meter) and who knows what's behind the tub as it's still in there.....  and there's MOULD - LOTS OF MOULD - you can smell it - Yuck! The fellow said that there could be a very slow leak, which could have been going on for up to 10 years.

It's a little bit stressful not knowing what's involved with fixing a problem of this scope.  We will be getting a detailed estimate, of course, but the fellow said roughly $4,000-$5,000 JUST TO TAKE EVERYTHING APART and fix it.  Then it will cost more to actually get a new tub/surround, fittings, flooring, etc.  Hubby was going to do it himself, but because it's so much worse than what we thought, he just doesn't have the time.  We are going to have to bite the bullet because the mould, now that it's exposed, is now a health issue.  Insurance doesn't cover it either.  They will only cover "sudden and accidental", not a slow, insidious leak over many years.  :-(

On the subject of morning, I am again becoming the morning person that I once was.  Since I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December, 2008, it seems like it's been a struggle to get out of bed every single morning.  Well, when I was diagnosed, I immediately stopped being able to sleep.  The doctor prescribed a sleeping pill - the mildest one available.  Let me back track a bit here.....

Chemo will send some women into premature menopause - this seems to have been the case with me.  Good in some ways, others - not so much.  Two of the not-so-nice things are the hot flashes and the insomnia.  The sleeping pill helps most of the time with the insomnia.  There is little that can be done with the hot flashes - suck it up and get on with it!  The insomnia I've been experiencing can be caused by menopause - it's one of the side-effects.  I am also on a drug called Tamoxifen, which lowers the recurrence of breast cancer by up to 76% over five years.  This is a wonder drug of sorts, an old drug, but it's not without its own side effects.  Hot flashes, bone pain and insomnia, to name a few.  So, I'm fighting the insomnia on two possible different levels.

So, one little sleeping pill does help me to sleep.  I've been wanting to wean myself off of the sleeping pills, so about 4 months ago, I started breaking them in half and only taking a half pill at bedtime. Still works for me pretty well.  On Saturday night, I started cutting the half pill into another half, so now only take a quarter of a pill.  Well, surprise - I started dreaming again.  Apparently, sleep meds do not allow your brain to hit REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, so you DON'T dream.  My dreams the past few nights have been very vivid and it's obvious I haven't dreamed in a very long time.  I also am waking before my alarm at 5:45 a.m., which I did all my life until the cancer hit and then I was stressed by that and on the different medications since then. I was then dragging my butt out of bed, and having to lay down again once the kids left for the bus.  Today I feel good.  It's early still, and I feel good and not like I'm dragging my butt and wanting to go back and lie down.  It's the sleep meds.  There are so many side effects of drugs.  It's so nice to be able to enjoy morning again. It felt horrible not to be able to enjoy the morning as I had before cancer came to visit.

On to foster feathers.  I currently have two extra foster birds and one of my own birds that I re-homed last year is also returning.  It's difficult some days as two extra cages (it will be THREE shortly) does make a difference.  There's also the extra dishes to fill when making breakfast and supper, which involve cooking and chopping. Extra cages to clean, too.  It all takes time. 

I am blessed that I am a stay-home-mom and have the time to care for the birds, as the kids are now in middle and high school.  I wasn't able to foster for a few years, but now I can again and it's nice to be able to help out. There is a season for everything in our lives.

I am enjoying the busy-ness of life again.  It reminds me that I am well again.  Halleluia!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to all of you in blog land!  Can't believe it's 2011 already!  Time is flying by so quickly.  I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season.

I am doing really well.  I'm feeling good and almost back to my pre-breast-cancer self.  Of course, cancer will always be a part of my life, but it really has taken a long time to get back to feeling "normal" since diagnosis, mastectomy, chemo, tamoxifen, prophylactic mastectomy, expander and implant procedures and surgeries.  What a roller-coaster ride it has been.  Today I am healthy.  Today I am feeling good.

I have asked my sister to update my website and will be incorporating my blog into that.  My website is TERRIBLY outdated, and so, it is time.  I will let you all know when the changes are made.  Not sure if my blog will stay here or if I will be moving it, but I will post at that time.  I see a LOT of cutting and pasting in my future!

I'm sitting at the computer tonight and am home all alone.  DH, ds and dd have gone to see a movie.  It's just me, the dog, the cat (sitting on my lap and trying to use the keyboard!!) and the birds.  The birds are telling me it's supper time, so I'd best be feeding them pretty quickly.  Birds make no bones about letting you know when they want their meals!  Tonight is no exception!

My Congo African Grey parrot, Abby,
enjoying her breakfast!

I would like to share with you a fabulous website I was directed to today.  The site is http://www.parrotnation.com/ . What a wonderful lady.  Her site is so full of information on parrots and the best part is her "recipe posts" area.  Great to have so much information on feeding parrots well.  One never stops learning about these wonderful creatures we have chosen to spend our lives with.  Society has tamed these creatures, so it is our responsibility to try to care for them the very best way we can.  Thanks to Patricia for helping to educate us all!  That reminds me - I have a great photo of Abby, my CAG (Congo African Grey) taken a couple of years ago while enjoying her breakfast (left).  Thought it was a great photo!!!

Foster Bird "Dudley"

Below is a photo of the current foster bird I have.  He will be looking for a new home soon through the Greyhaven Program (http://www.greyhaven.bc.ca/).  His name is Dudley and he is a very cheeky, sweet boy who talks and whistles and steps up (he's a bit nippy still, but we're working on that!) and just LOVES to look at himself in his mirror.  Can you say NARCISSIST?  LOL! UPDATE: Dudley has been adopted and has a wonderful new home with cockatiel brothers and sisters!

"Talk" soon!

MOVING ON....

A lot has happened since my last post.....  It seems that life is moving on.

Our foster bird, Lucy, has
returned to her mom after
three years

My long-term foster bird, Lucy, has returned to her mom.  I knew from the moment she came here (in November of 2007) that she would return to her mom at some point.  Lucy was with us for one month short of three years.  That's a long time....a long time to get attached to a sweet little green face and body and adorable chatter.  We miss you, Lucy!  We all came to love you.  I did my job and now she is where she should be.  That doesn't mean that it wasn't difficult to give her back.  I spent an entire half day crying when I was packing up her things.  Most people would think I'm nuts, I'm sure, but that's how I am.  I see, I love, I get attached, I cry.  Ask anyone who knows me - Connie, Robin, Jenny, Lorraine?  Just ask them!

 I had my (hopefully) final reconstructive surgery this past Monday.  The hospital experience was great, as usual.  The Abbotsford Regional Hospital is wonderful - at least all MY experiences have been (and I had a few TOO many experiences, in my opinion).  I'm so grateful that we live so close to such a great hospital where we get such great care.  My surgeon, Dr. Brown, is great - I highly recommend him and he is outstanding in his field.  Recovery is going well, but it seems that each time I have anaesthetic, it knocks me down for a bit longer.  I don't get sick or anything, just VERY tired.  I guess that's normal, in a way, but frustrating when you want to be up and doing everything.  It's difficult to just lay on the couch and rest as the body heals.  I still have the bandages on - will until Tuesday.  Can't shower until then, either - YUCK!  :-)  I saw the surgeon on Thursday and he said that things are looking good and healing nicely.  What more can I ask for?  This is the way I can move on from breast cancer.  My body will be somewhat complete again, even if things aren't as they were originally and I have some saline implants where my real breasts used to be - at least they won't try to kill me!  LOL!  And, for the record, they are a fair bit smaller than what I was expecting, but that's OK!!  Many thanks to DH for his love, support and help while I'm down and unable to fulfill all my duties as a wife/mom/whatever.  I want to thank my friend Lorraine for getting up at 4:30 a.m. so she could be here to drive me to the hospital for my surgery and for being there for me.  Thanks also to my sister, Karen, who was also there while I went "under the knife", and then drove me home.  Then, my dear friend, Connie, who was there while I was recovering, then brought dinner over later for our family.  Thank you to all of you.  I am so blessed.

And so, life goes on.  As I think about life going on, I am reminded, at this time of year of an anniversary coming up.  November 14 will mark one year since my friend, Wanda, died of her cancer.  Wanda was a wonderful lady, so full of life and optimism.  She loved her family, she loved her birds, she loved her friends, she loved life!  What a special lady she was, and what a lucky person I was, to have known her.  I miss you, Wanda.  I miss your contagious smile and positive attitude.  You were a blessing to me and I wish we'd have been able to spend more time together.

As life goes on, I encourage you to enjoy each and every day.  Each and every moment.  For every moment is a gift and that's why it's called the 'present'.  A cliche, for sure, but very true.

Catching Up!

A lot has happened since I posted last.  I had another birthday yesterday too.  Can't remember now how many times I've hit 29 AGAIN!!  LOL!  Since having had cancer, I figure that each and every birthday now is a bonus!  Sounds a bit grim, but unless you've been there, you won't understand.  Each day is a gift.

So, yesterday was my sister's birthday as well as mine.  She's five years older than me.  Yep, I was born ON her fifth birthday!!  Imagine being a five-year-old and having to share your birthday - not only that day, but all the birthdays for the rest of your life!  I must say that my sis, Karen, has been very gracious about it - she is never anything less than gracious and I thank her for that.  DH and I and the kids and my Dad met Karen and her DH last night at a restaurant in Langley and we had a yummy dinner at the best fish & chip joint around.  It was just nice to spend time with family - another thing some people don't appreciate until faced with a life-threatening illness.  Karen quilted me a gorgeous table runner and gave me a beautiful tin mini pie plate to keep the little dried miniature pumpkins in that she also gave me.  Thanks, sis!

My friend, Connie also gave me a wonderful gift yesterday of an autumn spray of pip berries, mini pumpkins and primitive stars - just beautiful.  She also gave me a lovely autumn dishtowel and a bowl of my favourite chocolate/butterscotch and marshmallow squares that she baked.  Mmmmmm!  I don't really have to share them with my family, do I????  She had me stop by on our way to dinner last night to pick up my birthday gift and between when I spoke to her in the morning and when I stopped by, she had picked up a gorgeous flower arrangement for my sister!  Talk about thoughtful!  Thank you, my dear!  My sister was thrilled  and the flowers were just gorgeous!

DH and the kids got me a beautiful pot of Chrysanthemums - my favourite flower - especially in the fall!  What a great birthday it was!!!

Smokey, our new kitty!

Oh, I almost forgot!  I gave myself a kitty for my birthday!  That's right!  A KITTY!!!  In March of 2009, we lost Thomas, our last remaining cat.  It was a horrible accident, and a horrible time because I was going through chemo and really not feeling well.  Losing him was very difficult.  He was an awesome cat, and we miss him so much.  He really was one in a million PLUS he didn't mind the birds.  It's not easy to find a cat that is OK with birds.  I mean, it's REALLY NOT EASY!  Our cats were here BEFORE our birds, so they just kind of grew to accept them.  Yesterday, Smokey the cat was brought here by her previous owner.  I posted an ad that I was looking for a bird-experienced cat.  I posted an ad three different times over the past six months.  I got some strange responses.  I ended up not responding to any of them until....last week.  A lady responded to my ad for a bird-savvy cat.  This lady has birds and said this cat was very good with all their animals.  They have several types of animals in their home and she said the kitty is great with all of them.  To make a long story short, we now have Smokey.  She is a sweetheart and even Lucas seems to like her.

So, Smokey is a little shy and will take a while to warm up to everyone.  She hides a bit, but has been out quite a few times to visit with us.  She just needs to get used to the sounds and smells of our house.  She's an indoor kitty and knows where the litter box is, so that's the biggest thing.  She seems like a lovely, clean, well-mannered little girl.  She certainly loves attention and head scratches!  She will give you a head butt in the hopes that you will give her a head scratch or two.  She even does it to Lucas, who just doesn't know what to do with that!  So funny to see the surprised looks in his eyes when she does it!!!  I'll have to try to capture it on video!

On a bit of a sad note, my foster bird, Lucy, will be leaving us probably next weekend.  The beginning of November marks THREE years that I will have had Lucy.  Her mom and dad moved to New Zealand for a work stint, but were unable to take their three birds with them because of New Zealand regulations regarding their native birds.  No outside birds are allowed in.  So, all of the birds were placed in foster care.  I took Lucy.  Lucy's mom is a fabulous lady and I love Quakers, so it seemed only natural.  Seems like we haven't had Lucy that long, but it IS almost three years.  It's gone really fast and Lucy has been such a joy to have here.  Yes, I've gotten my share of good bites from her, but really, when you have birds, you are going to be bitten.  No different with Lucy!  So, we shall all miss Lucy when she goes to live with her mom again.  I'm happy for her AND her mom, though, as they belong together and I know Lucy's mom has missed Lucy terribly! 
So, while we are thrilled to welcome Smokey the kitty, we will be sad to see Lucy leave us.  Such is life and especially life with critters.  Each one holds a special piece of our hearts that can never, ever be replaced by another one.

Speaking of kitties, have a look at my OTHER sister's blog to see their new kitty.  What a face!  Her name is Izzy - is she not THE cutest little one?????  And to think that she was DUMPED by somebody!!!!!

Fall has arrived here - on the calendar anyways.  We've had beautiful weather and very warm - almost like summer all over again!  It's been warm and humid.  I'm sure that fall and winter will be here soon enough, so we'll enjoy this nice weather while it's here!

Love,

Foster Birds, Friends, and Summer Gardens...

Amos & Andy (Pacific Parrotlets), current foster birds

They are SO cute!!!


Right now I am fostering two wee parrotlets.  Parrotlets are tiny little things - about half the size of a lovebird.  To look at them, they seem small, but generally Parrotlets think they are the size of a Macaw!  These two are just so cute and I'm so enjoying having them!!!

Had a busy day today.  Took DD to soccer camp for 9 a.m., had coffee with a friend whom I haven't seen in about 10 years, took my Dad to Tim's for his soup and coffee, then came home and made lunch for ds and I.  We had yummy black forest ham sandwiches with lettuce from OUR OWN GARDEN, tomato, cheese and mustard and mayo!  Yumm-o!!!  How nice it is to be able to pick fresh things from our garden.  Not a thing that I'm used to.  It's beyond description knowing that there are no sprays or nasty things on whatever comes from our place. After lunch we made smoothies with our new "Bullet" food processor.  Wow, what a little machine that is!!  It makes short work of any blending/mixing jobs.  Mmmmmm, those smoothies were yummy!  Picked dd up @ 3 p.m. with a yummy sandwich and a smoothie for her.  She was glad for the nice cold smoothie and the sandwich didn't last very long!

Speaking of the garden, I have several tomato plants that are in bloom.  They were set back by a REALLY cool June (we jokingly call it our JUNE-uary!), so hopefully they are just delayed and the tomatoes will be fine.  I have gathered a few strawberries from plants that I planted quite late.  That's OK, it's just nice to taste a few.  We also had a cucumber from my single plant last night with dinner.  It was very good.  There are a few more cukes coming, but the plant also got set back from the cooler weather we had when it was first planted.

Can't believe it's the 21st of July already!  The kids have been out of school for almost a month - it's just gone so fast!

Connie and I did a bit of shopping yesterday and then she bought me lunch in Fort Langley.  My windshield was being repaired and Connie picked me up from the place that was fixing it.  We had a lovely few hours together - makes me realize how much I miss her.  Our lives just seem busy and we don't get together as much as we'd like.  :-|
We are enjoying some absolutely gorgeous weather here on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada this week.  It's absolutely gorgeous.  Not so hot that you feel sick, but just nice.....  :-)  :-)


July 21, 2010 - a look out my back door

Here is a look out our back door today....

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Love,