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Saturday 28th January 2006
It has been a very strange January. Today the temperature is probably warmer than in England. My snowdrops came out a couple of weeks ago. They were promptly frozen, but it's amazing that they came out at all. At this time of year we are usually shovelling numerous feet of snow - and the pile at the back of the house usually is as high as the deck (about 8') This year - nothing.
I was encouraged by the sunshine to do some cleaning. Now I'm paying for it. My back is killing me! It's the left hip - that's the one which took years of levering up into the saddle and many crashes to the ground. I guess we all pay for our pleasures in the end. I have been taking glucosamine, which is very good for joints. The vets and the doctors are all prescribing it.
On a day like this I could really use that sun-room. Must get around to calling them.
Tuesday 17th January 2006
I see my web-site is getting up to space again. That's the trouble with an on-line diary. Have to erase a lot of the earlier stuff and print it out I suppose.
Several years ago I attended a really good evening class on html. The problem was that the web-site provided 21 meg of space. The instructor had told us to down-load pictures etc. Unfortunately he didn't say the space limits. Of course I had the most time and most experience with downloading ... so I did too much of that and, shortly before the end of the classes, I (and the woman who sat beside me) managed to crash and destroy the instructor's web site. Naturally he was hopping mad about this, and you can guess how many marks I received for that course! He asked me what we had done, but at the time I really didn't know. So, apart from an abject apology I could do nothing but feel terrible about the whole darned thing.
I was hoping to get some kind of an all seasons sun room put at the back of my house where the deck is. At least I wouldn't have to keep shovelling the snow off the deck in winter. It would be too hot in the summer, so I have been emailing two companies in California about their solar-power systems: Sun-Power Corporation and Evergreen Solar Inc. They both have web-sites. They haven't replied though, so I suppose they are not interested in Canada. I just thought the panels would work in summer to power some kind of air-conditioning or a fan.
Today I had an appointment to have my hearing tested. The hearing in my left ear was ok, but I think it may be failing. The right ear is about 90% deaf.
However, the temperature is hovering around zero and we have had quite a lot of freezing rain; I avoid driving on that, so had to cancel until next week.
I stood in the front porch and watched cars passing by at about 15 mph .. even at that speed on sheets of ice it is not safe.
This morning I walked with my Yak-Traks - they were good. So long as I was careful I didn't slip at all .. but it wasn't so bad first thing this morning. I guess I will skip my evening walk. I try to keep going for the poor dog doesn't get enough exercise. She's up to 90 lbs. again. I have cut her rations down, but this morning she had a number of ginger snap cookies and a large marshmallow and something else I didn't see because it was gone on an inhalation. (Canadian children throw their food about on the way to school). Too much chat .. on days like this I get lonely and bored! As my boss once said "At this time of year I cry a lot!" Well, he had to drive to Guelph from Fergus and had gone into the ditch several times that year already. That road is treacherous, with frequent white-outs in snow. On days of freezing rain it is impossible - being steeply cambered smooth tarmac. Even in summer I feel as though it is trying to empty me off on either side.
Wednesday 10th January 2006
Continues to be mild here. About 7 above today. Wonderful for January. Had to take my coat off when walking this morning. Certainly great not to be slipping all the time and not having to shovel day after day.
Yesterday had to get my cats' claws clipped again as he kept hooking threads in my clothes and on my furniture. I have cooking foil taped on most things, as cats don't care for that. (Looks such a mess though). They didn't charge me this time. I wasn't sure before, but cats' claws grow beneath each other like onion skin. When they claw things they are not sharpening their claws, but pulling off the old ones. So, I suppose it won't be long before a new set comes through.
Did I tell you that I've been diagnosed with senile sebborheic keratosis? It's a build-up of the outer skin layer. Dr. Gifford Jones (in his weekly column) said that there's a cream which helps, so I went to the pharmacist this afternoon to get some and she gave me a couple of free samples. It's $28 It's called Reversa.
I have also just had a bad bone scan .. back to severe osteoporosis again. So, my doctor has let me start on the Fosamax again. This time it's the new type, which only has to be taken once weekly.
Visit a site for many photographs of North American Birds and animals.
Rhona Raskin Home Page at http://www.rhona.com.