Hello Everyone,
Mike passed his second major hurdle with toilet training. After a week of using the full tray, we cut out the first hole. It has gotten a lot of giggles from us. It looks a lot like a sex toy depicting a certain part of the female anatomy.
So, I brought Mike into the bathroom last night, set him up on the bathtub and showed him the change. I mixed cat nip into the litter and soon he was up exploring. The first step was a bit scary for him since the tray flexed a bit (vs completely solid). And he sniffed a lot around the hole. And after some investigation, he jumped down and got a kitty treat.
This morning, Jerry got up and checked to see if Mike had used the tray.
Nope.
He then got dressed and checked again.
Yep!
Mike very proudly came into our room for cuddles and treats.
My dumb cat has us trained very well.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Jack
Hello Everyone,
Our household went very quiet this morning when we saw the news that Jack Layton passed away. I may not have always agreed with him but I had a lot of respect for his passion and committment to making Canada a better country.
Text of Jack Layton's letter to Canadians
By The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – 2 hours 40 minutes ago
..TORONTO - Jack Layton's family has released a letter the federal NDP leader wrote just two days prior to his death today at the age of 61. The text of that letter follows.
August 20, 2011
Toronto, Ontario
Dear Friends,
Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.
Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.
I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.
I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.
A few additional thoughts:
To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don't be discouraged that my own journey hasn't gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.
To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.
To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.
To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.
To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.
And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don't let them tell you it can't be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
All my very best,
Jack Layton
Our household went very quiet this morning when we saw the news that Jack Layton passed away. I may not have always agreed with him but I had a lot of respect for his passion and committment to making Canada a better country.
Text of Jack Layton's letter to Canadians
By The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – 2 hours 40 minutes ago
..TORONTO - Jack Layton's family has released a letter the federal NDP leader wrote just two days prior to his death today at the age of 61. The text of that letter follows.
August 20, 2011
Toronto, Ontario
Dear Friends,
Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.
Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.
I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.
I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.
A few additional thoughts:
To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don't be discouraged that my own journey hasn't gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.
To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.
To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.
To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.
To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.
And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don't let them tell you it can't be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
All my very best,
Jack Layton
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Couch!
Hello Everyone,
Yes, after months of waiting, our couch is now in our livingroom. It is very comfortable. When I sit on it, my feet don't dangle and when I stretch out, my feet don't fall off the end or get squished by the arm. We took the night off from apartment stuff, rented a movie and had popcorn.
It was wonderful.
The apartment is coming along and I hope to have photos in the next week or two.
Mike has gone to the bathroom on the toilet! We have a tray that sits between the toilet and seat that has litter in it. Progressively, we remove a ring inside until he is able to go using the seat itself. We're still at the first stage. This morning, while getting ready for work, Mike jumped up and went (which I thought was very odd cat behaviour). But he gets fish flakes every time he does so...
The bike frame I wanted to order didn't have the colours I wanted this year (end of season). So, I picked up a track frame for the same price on eBay. I have some parts on order with the bike shop so once everything arrives, I'll have a new Polly. I'm very excited. She will be very dark green sparkly with chrome on the fork and end of the seat stay. I think I will rename her to "Mary" since it is a Mercier frame. We'll see.
Jerry re-applied for Canada Post and passed the first stage. He has an interview next week. It's on-call part-time to start but it's how you get started with them.
Have a great day!
Yes, after months of waiting, our couch is now in our livingroom. It is very comfortable. When I sit on it, my feet don't dangle and when I stretch out, my feet don't fall off the end or get squished by the arm. We took the night off from apartment stuff, rented a movie and had popcorn.
It was wonderful.
The apartment is coming along and I hope to have photos in the next week or two.
Mike has gone to the bathroom on the toilet! We have a tray that sits between the toilet and seat that has litter in it. Progressively, we remove a ring inside until he is able to go using the seat itself. We're still at the first stage. This morning, while getting ready for work, Mike jumped up and went (which I thought was very odd cat behaviour). But he gets fish flakes every time he does so...
The bike frame I wanted to order didn't have the colours I wanted this year (end of season). So, I picked up a track frame for the same price on eBay. I have some parts on order with the bike shop so once everything arrives, I'll have a new Polly. I'm very excited. She will be very dark green sparkly with chrome on the fork and end of the seat stay. I think I will rename her to "Mary" since it is a Mercier frame. We'll see.
Jerry re-applied for Canada Post and passed the first stage. He has an interview next week. It's on-call part-time to start but it's how you get started with them.
Have a great day!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A lovely weekend
Hello Everyone,
So we had a nice time in Ontario. We flew in on the Thursday before the long weekend and the airport shuttle dropped us off right at the cottage. We were able to take transit to the airport, which was a nice budget break. The water was wonderful and it was great to see everyone. On Monday we arrived Chesley. Tuesday was Keady and it was super hot. It was nice to get fresh produce at a proper farmer's market, not what we have here. We have cheaper prices in the grocery store and most of the produce is celophane packaged and imported. We went up to Tobermory on Thursday and played on Flowerpot Island.
Saturday was the afternoon social and I enjoyed catching up with everyone. AndvJerry had fun too, putting faces with names and stories I've told him.
We flew back on Sunday. Mike missed us terribly and I think Whiskers did too. We came to an apartment filled with boxes and we are working through them slowly. Our new couch is scheduled for delivery on Wednesday and I will be very happy when it does. It will make it much easier to tie the livingroom together.
I have sold Sasha the roadbike and put the money toward Polly 2.0 Although Polly is a great ride, the frame was designed for gears which means there are guides on the top tube. They cause bruises on the inner thigh if you're not paying attention. My new frame will be clean lines, grey with a pink fork. I'll take most of the componentns from Polly and maybe a few from Charlotte to build a fabulous new bike. I'm very excited. It'll probably be a month or so before everything is done.
So after we visited BikeBike, we went for a leisurly ride along the Elbow River, went around the Stampede grounds, through a couple parks and then went home along the Bow River. It was very relaxing to do a ride like this - it's been a long time since we've done one and we hope to make it part of our regular routine.
Today we floated down the Bow on inner tubes.
A lovely weekend.
So we had a nice time in Ontario. We flew in on the Thursday before the long weekend and the airport shuttle dropped us off right at the cottage. We were able to take transit to the airport, which was a nice budget break. The water was wonderful and it was great to see everyone. On Monday we arrived Chesley. Tuesday was Keady and it was super hot. It was nice to get fresh produce at a proper farmer's market, not what we have here. We have cheaper prices in the grocery store and most of the produce is celophane packaged and imported. We went up to Tobermory on Thursday and played on Flowerpot Island.
Saturday was the afternoon social and I enjoyed catching up with everyone. AndvJerry had fun too, putting faces with names and stories I've told him.
We flew back on Sunday. Mike missed us terribly and I think Whiskers did too. We came to an apartment filled with boxes and we are working through them slowly. Our new couch is scheduled for delivery on Wednesday and I will be very happy when it does. It will make it much easier to tie the livingroom together.
I have sold Sasha the roadbike and put the money toward Polly 2.0 Although Polly is a great ride, the frame was designed for gears which means there are guides on the top tube. They cause bruises on the inner thigh if you're not paying attention. My new frame will be clean lines, grey with a pink fork. I'll take most of the componentns from Polly and maybe a few from Charlotte to build a fabulous new bike. I'm very excited. It'll probably be a month or so before everything is done.
So after we visited BikeBike, we went for a leisurly ride along the Elbow River, went around the Stampede grounds, through a couple parks and then went home along the Bow River. It was very relaxing to do a ride like this - it's been a long time since we've done one and we hope to make it part of our regular routine.
Today we floated down the Bow on inner tubes.
A lovely weekend.
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