House photos

Hello Everyone,

So, here's my new place. Still very disorganized but it's coming along.

Front of house.

Backyard photos.

So, here's the lay-out. go through front door. On your left is an archway to the livingroom. Straight ahead is the kitchen. The hallway then also branches right to 2 rooms and the bathroom.

One in the livingroom, there's another arch that leads to the diningroom. The diningroom is linked to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, you can go downstairs to 2 more rooms, the laundry room, a second bathroom and the storage room.

kitchen

livingroom

View of the livingroom from the dining room

The diningroom (viewed from the livingroom)

Have a great day!

$40

for a china cabinet

Hello Everyone!

So, I found a china cabinet on Kijiji and it's now in our dining room. Definite 80s look but it's huge and will provide the storage we need. Both Jerry and I have china and were looking to get a cabinet sometime in the future. When I do get a proper one, it will be a nice antique one, which is not in my budget over the next few years (maybe matching the other furniture in the dining room too). So in the meanwhile, we have a 6 1/2' high cabinet, 4' wide, 1 1/2' deep cabinet. The base comes just below my waist and the whole upper part is a glassed in area. 3 glass shelves and a light. The base has 1 shelf in it. It's pretend wood and there's a gold strip around the curved front edge (yep - 80s) but I'm quite happy with my find.

I've used Kijiji a few times - apartment hunting, sold my piano, gave away some stuff and now bought something. Search engine could be improved but you can find some great deals.

Have a great day!

Things coming along

Hello Everyone,

The livingroom and dining room are starting to come along. It's hard since Jerry doesn't have all of his things here and I'm trying to create a balance of not too much "Karen" stuff in these common areas. They have their own "cave" downstairs (which I call a "den" since it sounds cozier) for playing video games, beer fridge, guy stuff so they're quite happy.

The kitchen is crazy disorganized and will be until this weekend. I think that's when they'll finish up their main move. Jerry's in charge of the kitchen and the problem we have is duplicity in both kitchen items and in food. But Jerry also mention "yard sale next year" so I have no trouble putting some stuff in storage downstairs until spring. And we have lots of plates and utensils. Great for entertaining but we want to keep it limited upstairs since it forces dish washing.

I think tonight will be continuing in the main rooms and then also start on the spare room. Basically, everything's been dumped in there and there needs to be some space for things being moved this weekend. The other big thing will be starting to clear some space and assembling shelving downstairs.

Still walking to work - find it very relaxing. I grab my coffee in the morning and have a leisurely walk down the hill. No stress. No having to be super alert for dumb drivers. Walking home is a bit different. In my ideal world, I'd walk to work and ride home. But since that's not possible, I'll likely end up biking a couple days a week to keep my urban skills up and walking the rest of the time. Until there's snow on the road - and then I'll just walk. Centre Street hill/bridge is not the most pleasant in bad weather.

Hoping to get more sleep in the evening but I find I get caught up in something and the next thing I know it's 11pm. I did take a short nap with Whiskers last night though that was rather nice. The furry family seems to be adjusting well. And Jerry only starts getting stuffed up when I'm moving boxes around (dust) rather than when he's petting Mike. I think the shampoo may be helping.

Went grocery shopping Monday night for produce and got a pumpkin. It was a heavy sucker and I had to stop several times on the way home to rest my arms. The grocery store isn't far though and I think he'll be a great jack o'lantern. Will carve it next week. Also need to get candy or treats for the kids. In past years I gave out Mr. Freezies but I don't know if I can still get them in the store. Any suggestions other than the expensive mini chocolate bars? I can always fall back on candy and lollipops if need be. There's a courier race (an "alleycat", which is a race throughout downtown with a waypoint list - similar to what couriers do when they pick up and drop off items) on Hallowe'en so I have to give out candy by myself but will meet up with Jerry later at the party.

Overall quite happy with the new house. The bathtub is high to climb in and it's small but it's still a bathtub. Still trying to figure out how to program the thermostat. The double sink is small but I could fit my dish rack inside last night. Ceilings are quite high so looking for ways to create vertical interest.

Have a great day!

So tired...

Hello Everyone,

So, my household got moved on the weekend. Rented a Kia Rio (not bad - didn't make much of an impression one way or the other), which was a hatchback so I got 9 packed-to-the-brim carloads of stuff done. Had 2 truckloads for my heavy, bulky items. I still have 1 truckload to do but it's for outdoor stuff and it wasn't high on the moving priority for the weekend. I would say Jerry & Keith's (roommate) household is half done. I think Keith is fully moved in but Jerry was doing a lot of work stuff this weekend and was too stressed to do much moving. It'll slowly get done over the week and next weekend.

Was test-driving cars on Saturday. Well, Jerry was driving and I was a passenger. It was for his work since they need a new car and Jerry got nominated to do research. The focus was hybrids/great fuel economy. Honda hybrid crappy. There seemed to be an audible clunk when shifting up in gears and not a lot of oomph to it. Prius was a lot of fun. Handled well, has a spot to set your purse, great interior. Ford hybrid drove like a regular car but I hated the looks of it (both interior and exterior), was more expensive and it reminded me of an old person's car. We also tried the VW golf (diesel). Not sure about the look but wow did it ever handle well. Jerry still wants to try a Smart and then he can report back his findings.

There are boxes everywhere and I'll likely take pictures starting on the weekend. I at least know where my camera is. Mike seems to like the place, Whiskers' pen isn't set up yet but she's been patient in her cage. I'll get it set up tonight when I start putting together the living room and dining room. The kitchen is completely Jerry's department to organize as he likes. Phone is now working (according to the message Telus left this morning) but internet can't be repaired until next week. They're giving us a free month of service for the inconvenience. It's more than a bit inconvenient though. Jerry does a lot of work in the evening that requires internet access so he has to use the more expensive Bell stick (which according to him is a good portable option).

My official move-out date for the basement suite is the 29th. I'll maybe see if I can move it to the 28th. Not a lot of stuff I need to do but there is some yard stuff that will take some time.

Very tired. Not a lot of sleep this weekend (aroudn 5 hr each night) and I'm sore from lifting. I did something to the muscle on my left shin (like a shin splint) that has bothered me since Saturday. Walked to work this morning - 40 minutes. Good bike route even though traffic will be a bit heavy. The main road has a dedicated lane to buses, bikes and HOVs (which in calgary "high occupance vehicle" means 2 or more in a vehicle - absolutely riddiculous) during rush hour so I'll bike when it's nice and walk when it's crappy. There's a hill so I'd rather not deal with it when there's snow/ice. I sound old - creaking everywhere and moving stiffly.

Anyways, I'll let you know how everything progresses. Have a great day!

Hooray!

Hello Everyone,

Got to do my happy house dance last night. Signed the lease, got the keys. Setting up utilities today and starting to switch my address on everything.

I'll send out an e-mail with the new address. If you don't get one in the next couple days, send me a message here and I'll let you know.

Giddy and giggly all evening.

Busy weekend moving boxes.

Have a great day!

A House!

Hello Everyone,

So, this week I dropped off a holding deposit on a house before we get possession and sign the lease on the 15th. It's a great house with everything we were looking for.

Big 4 bedroom house (2 on main floor, 2 in basement)
hardwood/lino throughout
nice kitchen layout with good counter space and a double sink
2 bathrooms (with one bath - little but it's still a bathtub)
laundry room with washer, dryer, wash tub
huge storage area downstairs to store things and to store bikes in winter
oversized single garage to store bikes, bike shop
big yard with areas for garden, firepit
great neighbourhood - safe, close to groceries, close to downtown
big windows. Peep hole in front door
corner lot so lots of street lighting
lots of storage, closets
front door closet
fireplace (but no gas). Maybe can modify it to a candle fireplace or an electric one
dining room
no problem for the furry family
rent in our price range (although in the higher end of it - but more than reasonable)

So I'm quite happy. And Jerry's household started packing this week. I'm not getting involved with that except to move boxes. But something could still fall through between now and next week so I won't do my happy dance until the paperwork is done.

Which means we'll be moved in before Hallowe'en. Picked up my costume this week - Rennaissance lady. I'll take photos. And no U-haul needed now.

Off to Lethbridge for Thanksgiving. Have a happy holiday!

Photos from Ontario Trip - finally!

Hello Everyone,

So, I'll just post a handful without commentary. There will be more on my Facebook but if you have questions, just let me know!

A possibility

Hello Everyone,

So, we have viewed 4 houses so far.
1 - amazing perennial garden in back. House too small and poorly laid out
2 - great house, lots of people interested. I think landlord was looking for a family rather than a group of adults
3 - great for gardening. House small but do-able. Neighbourhood not so great - I'd be wanting a waist-high dog if we moved there
4 - great house, everything on our list. We meet with them again tonight to exchange more information.

So, hopefully everything goes well. It's empty so we could get it Oct 15 and do a slow move-in. Also would mean no u-haul rental. Cross your fingers for us please!

Otherwise, a longish weekend. It snowed off and on and was rather grey. Jerry's coming down with something so he was feeling under the weather. Did garden stuff. Lost the tomato plants (even though they were covered) but I picked the tomatoes so hopefully they'll still ripen. Pulled out the plants, transplanted some plants into pots for the move. Raked up leaves & apples. So, at this point, we just have the swiss chard in the garden. It can handle cooler temperatures so I hope it survives until the weekend. That way we can harvest it for thanksgiving with Jerry's family. We also need to pot the rhubarb and raspberries but I'll need Jerry's help for that. And after that, we just have one raised bed to remove and the garden is done for good. Overall, I was pleased with the results.

Continuing packing. Have all my boxes filled again (grabbed a few from work) so I'm at a standstill. At this point, I'm about 3/4 done. So if we get the place, I'll have my stuff moved first and unpacked so the guys can use my boxes. Depending on how everything goes, I may rent a car for the weekend of the 24th-25th to finish my move since that'll involve my house plants and the furry family.

Good news - Mike's showers seem to be helping. Jerry didn't react last visit and Mike even came up to him on the futon for petting. Mike's also enjoying this moving/packing. He's usually banned from the bedroom but with all the showings at my place, it didn't make sense to keep everything closed up. As well, the people upstairs have been blasting the heat so by keeping the door open, I don't need to run the more expensive electric heater in my bedroom.

A bit worried about Whiskers. Really noticing the grey show up in her fur. She's been fully shut in her cage (rather than her outer pen) for showings and she seems to be spending more time in there even with the door opened. Have been doing extra cuddle times with her in the evening. She's still eating though so I'm chalking it up to old age. She's nine which is extremely old for a bunny - especially a dwarf variety. Gilbert seems to be doing fine. He still has the growth on his foot but after a year, it still doesn't seem to be bothering him too much and he's a squeaky and cute as ever.

Have a great day!

House Hunting

Hello Everyone,

Ah, the search for a new place. We have a couple leads so far and I'm waiting for a call back to set up an appointment to see a house.

Our criteria:

- a house (rather than a suite, duplex etc. - I'm fine with a duplex but Jerry would prefer a house)
- under $1400/month (with the other 2 being more comfortable with under $1200/month but it would mean compromises in size, amenities)
- allows pets (non-negotiable, the furry family comes with me)
- garden
- garage (negotiable but would be nice)
- 2-4 bedrooms (depending on square footage. They'll be 3 of us in the house)
- basement for storage
- bikeable to downtown (and not too far away since winter can be tiring)
- nice, safe neighbourhood, with character
- reasonably close to grocery store or store on the way home from work
- available November 1 (can't afford rent at 2 places for October)

So, we've got our work cut out for us. Doing the search online as well as word of mouth from friends. There are a few in a neighbourhood that I like who are writing down phone numbers for us.

There has been one showing at my place already and another one set up for tomorrow. Have most of my boxes filled and I'm collecting more at work. I think that was what caused so much headaches last move. That and too small of a vehicle with Jerry's parents coming into town the same day I was moving. I have the truck booked - had to make 2 bookings since it was over a weekend at the end of the month. It's one of the huge 26' ones but it'll mean both households can be loaded and awkward items like cargo bikes can also be loaded with plenty of room.

But I'm feeling calm and I like the non-rush of packing.

harvest

Hello Everyone,

So, weather's been funky warm this week. We beat the year high temperature. The backyard was covered in apples and leaves so I spent last night (before Grey's Anatomy - yes Amy, I'm a fan too) doing yard work. Had the urge to dig out the potatoes. Filled a basin - I'll include photos later. Also dug up the onions & shallots that didn't do anything, removed wood from 3 beds and replanted my marigolds. Moved the dill to a pot.

We still have the raised bed, the tomato bed and the yellow beans and peas (both very tiny plants that refused to die). I'll harvest the carrots this weekend and maybe some beets. We did 2 plantings of beets so the extra room will be good for the new plants. I'm leaving the beans for Jerry to take care of. They're all of the variety that you dry so it won't harm them to stay on the plant.

The cucumber plant now has 2 - 1 is about an inch long and the other is about 2 inches. Silly cucumbers. The temperature is going to drop this weekend so I'll need to remember to cover them at night. We may get cucumbers yet - after 4 tries.

I'm giving my notice today so I'm spending the weekend tidying the house for potential viewings in October. Plan to move at end of October since the 31st is a Saturday and the 1st is a Sunday. That way, none of us needs to take time off work and we'll have time to get the apartments cleaned. Nothing yet but since I've been looking, there seems to be a handful each month that suit our needs. The ideal would be a house with a garage but since $ is an issue, I suggested we may need to compromise and find a duplex.

And I still love my haircut. I fell asleep on the couch last night and all I needed to do was a quick brush and it fell back into place.

Have a great day!

new hair cut

Hello Everyone,

So, with today being the first day of fall, I got my hair cut.

It works well with my bike helmet, I can tuck it behind my ears and it will be very easy to style in the morning. I'm happy!

crabapples

Hello Everyone,

So, there are 2 crabapple trees in my yard and they were loaded with fruit. Jerry & I spent 2 hours on Saturday picking apples and we ended up with approximately 60 lbs of fruit. So, Saturday night and all Sunday was making jellies, preserves and juice.

All I know is that it's less apples for me to pick up when raking leaves.

And a couple of Jerry's friends may be over for apples.

Have a great day!

Photos from camping

Castle Falls provincial campground. We were here on the last weekend of August for the Huckleberry Festival at Castle Mountain.

It wasn't a big waterfall but it was very pretty

Didn't catch anything. Jerry is (attempting) fly fishing and I have a spinner rod. Finally getting the hang of casting.

New Polly Photos

And here is Polly with the new bar tape.

Whisker's Enclosure

Hello Everyone!


So, here is her new set-up










Lots of room. She has 16 square feet.

She was acting like a rabbit today. When I fed her, she hopped into her cage and started eating hay. She's never done that before. And when I opened her treat container, she hopped over to say "Hello!"











Yes, she's more than capable of hopping over but she only did it once (on the first night) and hasn't done it since. Mike has not attempted to jump in either. I think she enjoys having her own territory

I passed my final exam!

Hello Everyone!

Happy dance!
Passed my final exam so I get my professional designation "Payroll Compliance Practitioner"
No more school that involves math in a while

Did up my study notes on the weekend. Basically retyped the review sections in my text books. I don't do well memorizing things and the only way I remember is to physically recopy info over and over again.
But it worked - 85% (needed 60% to pass)

So great mark and I'm very happy, relieved and tired.

Jerry got back from Toronto fine. We spent yesterday watching original Star Trek episodes and eating chocolate chip muffins. They had a viewer's choice top 10 countdown and then showed the Canadian premier of the original pilot. It was terrible!

My apartment can start going back to a regular dwelling rather than a student's place.

Whiskers has a new enclosure. I think Mike was bullying her too much. With the hardwood floor, she doesn't have as much grip to hop away and there were few hiding spots. So I bought some wire shelving (4' in length) and zip tied them together. She hopped over it once the first night. I put her back in and she hasn't come out since. And Mike hasn't tried to get in. I think both realize it is her territory. She seems a lot more relaxed. Lays down in the front corner so I can reach over and pet her. That way, I don't need to pick her up (which she dislikes). And she has toys in the pen. I've also been putting Gilbert in there for 5 minute intervals. I think it does them both some good.

Got Polly's new bar tape on. Will take pictures to show you. The colours tie everything in and she looks great.

Hope you have a fabulously wonderful day!

Messenger killed in Toronto

Hello Everyone,

So, with Jerry being in Toronto this week, he's gotten all caught up with the issue. For those of you not reading the papers, there was an altercation between a bike messenger (courier) and a well-known business man/ex politician Monday night. The altercation escaladed and the bike messenger ended up dead after being dragged a couple blocks. Jerry's too close to the situation so I've been on the other end with logic and calm. Not an easy thing to do as both of us are passionate about cycling advocacy.

Whatever the final outcome is (let the court decide), in my opinion, fault lies with both parties. It should never have escaladed past the first incident. I still haven't read what that initial incident was but it likely involved vehicular contact between the two (and I'm not speculating to say who was at fault). In a perfect world, if it was two cars, drivers would have gotten out, exchanged information and depending on the situation, notified the police. Unfortunately, most bike couriers who were injured or had their bike damaged have not had a similar experience.

When Jerry got doored last year (driver opening door without looking and knocked him down), the guy tried to pull him off the road (was on conscious momentarily and yes, was wearing a helmet) and then tried to leave. Witnesses stopped him from leaving. Police refused to respond because the damage to Jerry's bike was less than $1000. He tried to file a police report but they refused. He can't sue the driver. Jerry was several months before back to full strength (bruised ribs), bike was in shop for few days, had day off work and had to take it easy for about a week while other injuries healed.

With messengers not receiving justice when accidents happen, I can understand why things did escalate. I often hear about the aftermath - motorist and courier get into shouting match. Driver tries to take off - courier breaks window, mirror, scrapes side of car etc. Or, shouting match, driver gets out of car (which is automatically assault) and things get physical.

It's extremely frustrating that the police don't respond to these situations. For some people, if their bike is damaged, they can't work. I'm lucky to have a back-up but I have few choices of getting around. My place isn't well positioned for transit and it's over an hour walk to work. As well, although I have medical insurance through work, it doesn't cover everything. Without a police report, you can't sue for additional compensation and the driver's insurance does not go up (so no penalty for them).

Vigilante justice doesn't work either.

When the situation reached the point where the driver took off, the cyclist should have backed away from the situation, got the license plate and called 911. It would have meant still being alive.

For whatever reason, the cyclist ended up on foot and was dragged for two block. According to one witnesss, there were sparks coming from his shoes (cycling cleats). How do you go that far unless someone is hanging on to you?

And now in the media, there's a big hype that stirs up emotions and doesn't solve anything. The courier's being dragged through the press as a scumbag and the ex-politician as a clean family man. Their backgrounds have no bearing on what happened - why are they reporting so much on it?

There's tension between cyclists and motorist all the time and it looks like this incident has brought things to a head. Better education on both sides and adequate infrastructure is needed. Cycling is a viable (and often faster) means of transportation in a downtown or high density area. It's also very safe when you look at the statistics. Average rush hour speed in NA is 17km/hr. My average riding speed is 25 and I can bring it up to 33 when it's safe. Sidewalk riding is extremely dangerous because of the speed differential between cyclists and pedestrians, blind alleys, sidewalk conditions etc. Road riding is much safer.

We need to find a way to share the road.

...and that's why I love him

Jerry sent me an e-mail back. He understood, told me he didn't want Mike to leave and had a couple more suggestions to try. So, I'm happy again since I get to keep both males.

And yes, Jerry likes cats - it's just the allergy thing.

I'm too soft

Hello Everyone,

So, I couldn't do it. The ad lasted 12 hours before I pulled it. And I e-mailed Jerry about the struggle I had. And I'll try a couple more things.

Since my futon needs replacing anyways, a (used) leather couch may be easier to clean. And I could retry the allergy lotion. It was me that had a skin reaction to it (didn't bother Mike). I had put it on with my hands so if I try using gloves it might work. And a weekly shower. I'll try it out this week. Mike hates water but maybe he'll get use to it.

As well, something needs to be done with Whiskers. She had several accidents on the futon this weekend and Mike is starting to get more bossy with her. It's been getting worse over the summer. I think she needs a fence to reduce her play area and give her her own space. I could still pick her up for cuddle time and play time. By doing this, I could get rid of the rugs. I have them because she has trouble hopping on hardwood floor.

And I'll look at HEPA dust busters to augment the cleaning regime.

I don't know about allergy shots for Jerry. Not sure if he did them as a kid. It seemed very complicated and I don't know about side effects. Do you think I should bring it up?

September

Hello Everyone,

Wow, has time ever flown this summer. So much I wanted to get done and so many other things got in the way (but in a good way).

Computer is still acting up so I don't have vacation photos yet. I'm not sure if it's a virus or something else - it's not recognizing drivers, won't do the MS updates etc. And since I was thinking about it anyways, I've ordered a new netbook to replace her. She'll arrive today. Also got a new printer since my current one is over 8 years old and can't print photos.

I have my final exam next Tuesday and I'm a bit nervous. Need to get 60% to pass and get my certification. I squeaked through last time. Jerry's in Toronto this week so I've got the evenings to study and most of the weekend. He comes back on Sunday. He's very good about studying. I spent the weekend at his place with my books and he was completely nice about me ignoring him and his burrito adventures/rhubarb canning. I tend to focus better when not distracted by the furry family.

Speaking (or writing - lol), I have some happy/sad news. Jerry and I have decided to move in together in November. Jerry's also very allergic to cats. I've tried various things but short of Jerry taking antihistimines when he walks in the door, nothing has helped. Oil supplements, allergy baths, hardwood floors. So, Jerry's cheeks turn pink and his breathing changes when he comes to visit. Mike's unhappy because he can't curl up with us for a cuddle. I'm unhappy because both of them are. I've decided to see if I can find Mike a new home. Jerry and I have discussed it a couple times and he's told me he doesn't want me to get rid of Mike because of him. However, I don't see any other options to ensure both have a good quality of life. Do you have any other suggestions of things I could try?

So, I'm a bit down today (made the decision last night) and haven't told Jerry yet. I'll wait until I find a great home or until another option comes up. Mike's a senior but being indoors - he could easily live another 10 or so years. He doesn't have problems allergy-wise with Whiskers so he knows I come into any household with some fur with me.

Hope your day is better than mine!