Scratch and win lottery tickets

   Come on, you know it’s your guilty pleasure too, those damn lottery scratch and win tickets staring at you at the cash while you’re paying for whatever it was that you originally came in for. Normally you can resist the temptation walk out and feeling proud for not breaking down and buying one, but occasionally that itch inside you just gets the better and the next thing you know you’re walking out the door proud that you think you have picked the winning ticket it was just screaming your name. Out to the car you march and put it away for later all the while the thrill of hoping and wishing you did indeed pick the winning ticket or at least one that would pay out a couple hundred dollars.

   Hours later or whenever you pull out the ticket and begin to once again get excited maybe you’ll win. Last night I broke down and bought one of those scratch to win lottery ticket I hunkered down and chills of expectation and excitement coursed through my veins. Eagerly I scratched the ticket to reveal letters I needed to complete the cross word. With three words only revealed the best I could hope for was a lucky letter in the bonus section to give me that one crucial letter that would at least afford me a new ticket. With abaeded breath and anticipation the bonus section was revealed, but what I saw did not please me at all.

   Normally in the bonus section when scratched you could reveal an extra letter “Conrad’s you win $2” or “Good Luck”. These are all things I am very use to seeing and have come to accept, but what I scratched last night appalled me. Instead of the usual bonus phrase the bonus section I scratched out said, and I quote. “Bonus, you helped raise millions for the gaming corporation.”

   Are you kidding me? Really?

   I mean the descent thing to do would have been to say “Good luck, or Try again”. Instead they rub your nose in the fact that you were once again fool enough to buy their product, and worse than that they are basically thanking you for making them more “rich”.  

The Visit

   When you go to the Dr.’s office you expect to wait at least a little while right? 15 maybe 20 minutes before you get into one of the exam rooms than what usually another 10 minutes before the Dr. actually enters the room. On a good day let’s say the total time spent at the Dr.’s office is almost an hour. Not too bad, I think an hour out of the day. Anyone can handle that right?

   Normally the office has a side table full of out dated magazines and a few children’s book.  That at least is what I am use to. You know the routine sit down get comfortable and try to read an article or two from a magazine that you care absolutely nothing about. This is what I expected our first visit in the new Dr.’s office to be like, but instead of magazines on a stand we found novels. Yes my friend that’s right novels. Thinking it was a joke I sat down only to sadly find out that the novels were needed. It actually is an outrageous amount of time to spend waiting for a 3 minute visit.

   But what if you enter the office, your first time seeing a new Dr. Of course your nervous, you don’t know this Dr. and they don’t know you yet here you are in the office with your health at their hands. Around the waiting room you begin looking, hoping to find some clue as to how the Dr. is based on the patients they see. At least that’s what I do, but the waiting room; regardless of where you are in the world all seem to be the same.

   As I look around what I saw the same thing that I see in every Dr.’s office. First you’ve got the old couple, they sit closest to the door to make sure they see you as you walk in, than they spend the entire time starring you down like you just stole their last $20. Then you have the couple that talk so loud I’m positive people outside can hear them and by the time they are called into an exam room you already know their entire history, how they met, who their related to, what they like and what they like and don’t like. Then you have the people who weigh triple what a normal person weighs. Now don’t get me wrong I have nothing against overweight people, but if you are overweight than the least you could do is where some cloths. There is always that one person who shouldn’t be but of course is wearing the smallest possible pair of shorts they can find to go along with the skimpiest shirt they can find. Are you for real? Please I really don’t want to be able to make out every roll on someone’s body. People really need to learn what acceptable attire for the public is. My favorite people in the office are the ones who are convinced they’re your friend despite the fact you have never seen them before, but that doesn’t stop them they just continue speaking. They tell you why they are there and the next thing you know you know their entire medical history than if there is still time out with the wallet they bring out and have to show you all their pictures of everybody they know.

   Now I don’t know about you, but when it comes to having to go to the Dr.’s office I would much rather be left alone, because aside from your own problems that brought me there in the first place the office also has its own distinct things wrong with it that you have to somehow learn to deal with.

   The sterile smell that always seems to be the same in every office. That same smell that guaranties if you weren’t feeling sick when you first got there you sure did by the time you left. If that’s not bad enough you already feel sick, yet somehow some way the office makes you more tired annoyed and feeling worse.

   Can somebody please explain to me why with all the technologies we have today why we can’t make the Dr.’s office a place you want to visit instead of a place to be afraid of and dread knowing that you have to go. Come on people it can’t be that hard to make a Dr.’s office inviting. Maybe even inviting???

Is it that hard??

  

The yard sale

   Yes, it’s that time of year again.

   Yard Sale season. The time of year when most Mother’s and house wife’s or Dad’s haul out all their junk they have been collecting to earn a little extra dough. You know the saying somebody’s trash is another person’s treasure.

   Because we live in the country a yard sale isn’t the best way to go about it, so instead we head of to the local flea market. We rent our table and sell our things.

   Now my kids are more than generous, don’t get me wrong, on many occasions they have donated toys to the hospital, woman’s shelter’s and value village without a single complaint. They did it very happily, but we usually donated whenever the kids out grew something so that it was almost immediately out of the house, but just in the past couple years they have been wanting to go to the flea market. That way the money they raised from selling their old toys (Which by the way are very well taken care of) could go towards doing things during the summer they want to do, like going to the carnival, store or just to have.

   The problem however is not the storing, but when I actually book the tables and have a date. In the storage room I go and haul out all the things throughout the year the stuff we don’t want anymore.

   I bring it all out and begin the long cleaning process. Anyway upon getting everything cleaned and somewhat organized in boxes, girl stuff, boy stuff, kitchen stuff, odds and ends, is when the trouble begins.

   The kids come running into the room and see boxes filled with shinny toys. At once they HAVE to check it out. Going through the boxes they find things and get made “What why are we selling this? I love it.” they cry despite the fact that they handed it to you just a few months earlier, and it’s the toy you had been waiting forever to get rid of because whether it’s on or off every time you pass it the toy makes it’s annoying noise and makes you nearly jump out of your own skin.

   The next thing you know have of what you had in boxes lands back into the rooms and how can you fight them it is after all theirs right? Then in walks you significant other and they to feel the need to go through everything. “Why are you selling this? It can be useful.” They say regardless that before it landed in the box for the flea market it spent three years in a cupboard in the kitchen never being used.

   Before you even leave the house you have already gave back nearly half of what you had been waiting all year to get rid of. Well at least half of it is going that at least makes me happy. It just really gets under my skin when I do all this work get everything ready just to have it returned to the stuffed room it came out of.

   Most years we do sell over 95% of what we bring but then the husband or kids decide to walk around the flea market, just to see what there is and before you know it they have gone out and bought more junk to replace what we just got rid of…

   YARD SALES, FLEA MARKETS WHATEVER THE METHODE IT’S ALWAYS A FIGHT AND YET EVERY YEAR YOU CONTINUE TO LOOK FORWARD TO SELLING YOUR STUFF…

   I JUST LOVE FLEA MARKET’S as long as I’m not trying to sell anything and have a ton of room to bring home what you know will end up in the trunk of your vehicle by the end of the day.

Is she really a he?

   A few weeks ago, my daughter Cassandra brought home a cute beige coloured kitty. “Can we keep her?” She pleaded. Being a sucker for animals I agreed, and checked the kitten over. She was just about 7 weeks, clean, and eating on her own.

   Perfect we thought. Now we could even out the male to female ratio in the house. You see we already had two male cats and a male dog, our latest addition before the kitten was a female puppy. My daughter was ecstatic a girl kitty all her own. The kitty moved in and very quickly made its home in Cassandra’s room. (Which by the way is painted a very bright pink colour.) The kitten was named Rascal and just as faithful to Cassandra as a golden retriever is to its owner. 

   Recently we discovered fleas had moved in and we now are in the process of getting rid of them. Our two dogs and three cats were all treated with a flea product that goes directly on their skin, the medicine guaranteed to get rid of all fleas and eggs and tics. Unfortunately that was not the case so because we need to wait to treat them with anything else for at least a couple more weeks, it is for now a routine to wake up and each morning and every night go over the animals with flea combs trying to get rid of them.

   Cassandra came screaming into my bedroom this morning. “Mom, Dad says that Rascal is a boy.”

   “That can’t be.” I assured her

   Quickly I talked to Tim who said yes Rascal was a girl, we made a mistake. Not believing him over to Rascal I run, and sure enough I flipped the poor kitty on its back and starring boldly at me are what can be described as definite male parts.

   That’s right for almost two months now our poor kitty Rascal has been called she and treated very girly like even living most of her time in the girlish bedroom.

   And there you have it: SHE REALLY IS A HE!!!

What do you think?

   I thought maybe you all would like to know just a little bit of my life, so here I go a glimpse into the life of Kimmy.

   I started this blog for two reasons. 1 because I love writing and I love to share what I write. 2 Is because well it’s my dream to be a well known published author.

   As of right now I am an author or at least consider myself to be one. I was a published author I was thrilled the day I got the call from the publishing company (which shall remain nameless) called to inform me that they loved my manuscript and wanted to print my first novel.

     Tales from Areallia: The Keepers. It’s a great story for children of all ages a place you can go to escape the realities of life, but anyway I’m not here to promote that. (Not right now anyway.) I am working on re-writing it to make it better. And I do have to say in all honesty the book never should have been published but alas it was. I can’t take it back now. The good news is that I received my rights back and I am now free to do with it as I choose.

   Like I said I love to write and consider myself an author. To me an author is ANYONE who takes the time to sit down and write something. A poem, a short story, a novel, or even just a limerick.

   It doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad as long as you write.

   Me, I have the ability to come up with great stories but when it comes to writing them the way I see them in my head I can’t. I disparity need to learn the English language to become an even better writer.

   Why am I writing this? You may ask yourself, but the answer is simple really. Just recently I was in an argument with a couple of friends. One friend sat there and said you are not an author until you have been published and the book is available in stores to by. My other friend disagreed saying that an author is anybody who writes.

   Then I asked what they would consider me as. I write all the time, everyday in fact about nothing and everything. I have two novels written one was briefly published and the other I am in the process of editing. My friends looked blankly at me and didn’t have an answer.

   So I ask you (not that it really matters) but am I an author because I briefly had 1 book published or because I love to write.

   Or is it the opposite am I nothing because I have nothing in print.

   It amazes me how differently people can think and see the world. This is just an example of how people se the world differently 

    

The Local Animal Shelter

   What do you think of when you think about your local animal shelter?

   I use to think how sad it was that places like that existed, but at least caring people who loved animals worked there and looked after them, well like I said that’s what I thought. Since then my opinion has drastically changed.

   My first dealings with our local animal shelter was nearly ten years ago. Tim and I had gone there to adopt an animal. We wanted an older dog, one that was trained, and scheduled to be put down. We wanted to save a life.

   Inside the shelter our hearts broke for all the animals in there, but we were happy to be able to save one. After walking around the kennel area we found our dog a year and a half old Golden Retriever. We found an attendant and asked to take him outside for a walk, just so we could see how he acted out of his tiny little cage. At first the dog jumped and yelped and barked and rolled over. He was a bit of a handful, but you could very easily see that he was very happy, his tail was wagging and he couldn’t stop giving us doggy kisses. That was it the dog had won our hearts and we wanted him.

    The guy got the leash and on our way outside the guy informed us that the dog was to be put down that day. When first outside the dog was extremely excited. After playing with him the dog began slowing down and was very well behaved. Back inside the shelter we went to the desk. We were ready to do all the paper work and adopt this greatly friendly dog. The moment we told the lady that this is the dog we wanted she began arguing with us. “This dog, you can’t adopt him.”

   “Why not?”

   “Because he is scheduled to be put down later today.” Was her reply.

   “But why are you going to put him down? We want him. We’ll adopt him and he can live with us.” We argued.

   “The dog is being put down because he is too friendly.” Was the excuses the woman gave.

     Hearing the commotion and us arguing with the woman to let us adopt the dog, a man from the back of the shelter came forward. After inquirering what all the fighting was about, the man agreed to come outside with us to see if the dog would be suited for us.

   Back inside, the man quickly told the woman to stop arguing the dog would be fine with us. “But, but, but.” The woman tried to argue. Standing firm on his and our decision the man said “These people want the dog, they like him and the dog seems to like them.” He pointed out. “Fill out the paper work the dog is going with them” He said. With no response she put her head down and with a big chip on her shoulder she finally filled out the adoption forms.

   What are you serious? You would rather put the dog down than give him a chance. Why, because he is too friendly? Correct me if I am wrong but isn’t friendliness in dogs a good thing?

   How can anybody who works with animals want to kill them for being too friendly?

      Like I said that was nearly eleven years ago. We named our dog Duke and today he is a happy go lucky care free thirteen year old. Since then we hoped that the people working there had changed, but we were wrong.

    Last night while talking to a friend I heard the most disgusting thing and again it has to do with the animal shelter.

   A friend of mine ended up with a cat having a litter of kittens under her front step. Afraid they would get cold or something her children brought the family of cats into the house. They looked after the cats, fed them and began looking for homes for them. Unfortunately when one of the kids was leaving the house he accidently caught one of the kittens in the door. With the kitten injured my friend didn’t know what to do or how to help the poor kitten. Thinking she could get some help or answers she went to the animal shelter.

   The kitten is playing eating and for the most part fine, the only problem is the kitten’s hind legs were damaged in the accident and the cat can’t use them.

   My friend explained the situation to the people at the animal shelter, and this was their response.

   “You need to put the litter of cats back where you found them. It’s not your problem. “

   My friend than explained that she couldn’t leave them and let her kids watch them die.

   “Then put them somewhere, where the kids won’t see them. It’s not our problem. We don’t take them.”

   She then went on to explain about the injured kitty.

   “Well, you have to put that one down. It’s cruel to let it live.”

   Outraged my friend says I’m going to the vet.

   The reply from the animal shelter was “If you leave here with the kitten we have to call the cops it’s too cruel to take it with you.”

   My friend replied. “You just told me to throw them back under the steps. Call the cops and we’ll see who they think is the one being cruel.”

   With no reply she left with the kitten and went straight to the vet.

   The vet confirmed that the kitten did in fact have a broken tail and some damage to its spine, but also said the kitten because of its age could also heal just fine. It is now a waiting game. The vet also believed the kitten wasn’t in much pain.

   Today the kitten although still can’t walk it is beginning to move its legs and flip its tail. The kitten seems VERY happy.

   Will update when I learn more.

What is the world coming to?

   In Norway a man goes to a children’s summer camp dressed like a cop, he called them all over to him, pulled out a gun and began shooting. 80 children died what is the world coming to?

What a day.

Have you ever had just one of those days? You know the ones I mean where you know you shouldn't get out of bed yet for some dumb reason you do. I had a day like that.
   For days we had been planning to go hiking out in our favorite place, it’s a mile long hike but we sure have a lot of fun. It was supposed to be just a fun family day, me, my husband Tim and our two children Dustin and Cassandra. Believe me you'll hear me bitch about them more lol.
   Anyway back to the day from hell. We woke especially early that morning. We were determined to make the best of it, you see our original plan was to hike out and spend the night, but unfortunately our dog Storm broke out in a horrible rash so we squashed the idea of camping.
   We probably should have put the whole trip on hold, but as stubborn as I am. I wanted to have a great day so out we marched.
   We waited days for the weather to clear up waiting for the rain to stop and sun to shin, finally the weather cooperated. It was supposed to be sunny hot and high humidity, a great day for swimming and playing.
   Upon getting out of the van and beginning our walk straight away we noticed the cool brisk breeze that was blowing "Oh hats nothing, its early morning still that will wear off and it will be hot." We said to ourselves.
   Carrying heavy packs and walking the mile out to our spot we were all eager to set up and relax. Even though the wind still hadn't died down and the sun was still behind the clouds we could have fun regardless. After our very long tiring mile long hike finally we made it to our rocky beach. The place we've been hiking out to for years. Exhausted we were just about to walk down to the beach when we saw the strange colour of the Ocean water. All the way out in the water was purple, the waves were purple even the beach was purple.
   Jelly fish.
   The entire beach was covered in jelly fish. We couldn't stay there, no way not with our two dogs. All it would take is for them to step on one purple Jelly fish and they could be seriously hurt. Then what would we do a mile from the car and a forty minute drive from the vet, we had no choice. We had to leave, well that beach anyway.
   Where we go is a large rock point that sticks out in the Ocean. The new plan was to pick up our packs and walk a bit farther to see if we could find a beach were the kids could swim and there were no jelly fish. We found a beach about fifteen minutes later. A cute little rock beach with large ragged rocks in the water, not a safe place to swim but the kids could find something else to do. We were happy to see that this side of the point was in fact jelly fish free.
   Soon we set up. Pulled a large log over where we wanted it, took out bowls for the dogs so they could get something to drink, and the kids found a great little brook running into the Ocean to play it. Yep we thought it was going to be a great day.
   The moment we became comfortable the wind picked up, and I don't mean just a little. It was a gail force wind strong enough to knock us off our feet if we weren't careful. Because of the wind we thought we should begin walking back, head over to the other side of the point where the wind wouldn't be so bad.
   It didn't take long before we found another good spot, a place where we were sheltered from the wind, jelly fish free, and a place where we could have a camp fire. Quickly we unpacked yet again.
   As the kids played, climbing up and down the large rocks, Tim and I went for a walk of our own.
   I knew we should have stayed home that day, just had that gut feeling.
   Tim and I found a couple of flat rocks to sit down on and have a break. Tim sat down comfortably first. As I turned around and got ready to sit my foot slipped in the rocks and instead of gracefully having a seat I fell. The worst part, I did not fall onto that flat rock. No no no, I fell back and hit my tail bone hard a jagged piece of rock that stuck out in a triangle shape.
   Yes, that’s right. The klutz that I am and a mile away from the van I break my tailbone. In excruciating pain I picked up my pack and soon began the long hike back.
   I really should have stayed in bed. It's now the end of July the warm weather is finally here and I hurt so dam bad that I don't know if we're even going to be able to do half what I had planned this summer. For now I have been a week on the couch looking at the hot shinning sun though my picture window wishing I listened to myself.
    What a day.
   So here we are with the best of the summer days to come and I had to go and break my ass. What a summer this is turning out to be.
  

Caper

                                                            Caper

                            Together, we were hardly ever apart,

                                 I relied on you and you on me.

                You helped me, and I loved you from the very start.

               Together we stayed, you cried as I held you through

                                          The rolling thunder                                               

                  I watched you grow, played with you and fed you.

                                       You were good as gold,

                                      But sadly you had to go.

                 I knew something was wrong, you weren’t being you,

                         Instead of staying here to Toronto I flew.

                              Now every day I live with the fact

                                            That I was away.

                                   Caper you were a great dog,

                                      Silly, fun, and full of play.

                        Caper ALWAYS in my heart you will remain.