The life of an educator

The life of an educator.

Thank God, the end of the academic year is almost here!  Let me count the days...under twenty to be exact.  I know that from the outside looking in, most of you will think the working life of those in post-secondary education is pretty slack.  Compared to the life of those of you working on the front line, it probably is.  For all of us though, working hard all year to make everybody succeed and to meet their needs, to support and encourage them, to role model for them, to teach, befriend, and take them under our wings (if they will let us...without smothering or creating dependence) is an all-consuming effort. It takes a team of like-minded, enthusiastic and knowledgeable instructors to deliver a program of excellence.  The responsibility is awesome and mentoring and socializing newcomers to the field of health care and nursing takes guts and energy like you can't imagine.   Our preceptors feel it when they take on a student for several weeks.   A preceptor is someone from the front line, such as a nurse.  The person works in the field and buddies up with a student who is on the verge of graduating from the same discipline.  The idea is to provide a transitioning period and to give the student a taste of the front line for real.  Even though the preceptor volunteers to do so year after year, they too know and understand how draining, yet fulfilling, the whole concept can be, so we absolutely identify with them. 

By this time of year then, in June, we are nothing if not bone tired. Yet we continue on.  We've already received the list of accepted applicants for next Fall and you would think that would weigh us down. Strangely enough, it does just the opposite.  We are excited again and chomping on the bit to get everyone jumped into the stream and pointed in the right direction...I guess it's because we must love what we do.  We know that without a continual influx of new graduates, into any field, the system would soon become shaky and possibly crumble.  We know that there have been more years than anyone would like to count when nurses and other health care workers  have foregone their breaks and holidays simply because there was not enough bodies to replace them.  This is the grain of truth that provides a somewhat grim reality.

This is the time of the year then when we are facing grad. Grad is a celebration of achievement and a time to give credit where credit is due.  It is a formalized time to bestow distinctions, usually for any one of the following, certificate, diploma, baccalaureate,  master's, or doctoral degree. Grad is a time for happiness, enthusiasm, and excitement.  Success is in the air for students and their families as much as for the program personnel who put them through their paces.  The idea abounds that a new world has opened for each student.  Where doors were previously closed they are suddenly flung wide open and the sky is the limit for opportunities.  Yet everybody is weary by grad, including the students.  On the one hand, the people involved in their training know what it's like to work in the real world.  We think to ourselves, "look what we've gotten them into... Real World 101!  Here they come, "ready or not".  Don't get me wrong, programs have rigorous standards and upon graduation, we are saying they are qualified to practice because they have passed every manner of testing we could reasonably throw at them.  Does that mean all graduates are created equal?  Of course not.  We all know of exceptional professionals in every field, but we also know of others  who are not quite so brilliant, not so likable, and not so reliable.  It has always been and always will be a facet of human nature, since human beings remain imperfect.

We understand what the new graduates will go through with their "graditis", after all, they've just learned the latest and most up-to-date, evidence-based information available.  Graditis or being a "know-it-all" is a condition that happened to all of us.  More seasoned professionals generally roll their eyes and bide their time until this phase passes.     Ironically, the leap is made.  From yesterday as students, to today as graduates, they now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their former trainers, teachers,and peers.  Suddenly as our new colleagues, they deserve our congratulations and respect.  We knew them only a short time and must say good-bye, but we will meet again somewhere along the line and hopefully it will be as part of their new capacity.   For now, we're off to bring forth the next group to help make sure there will always be enough of you, that new graduate who promises to forever sustain the system.
 

Trees, beavers and gardening

I was sent a forward from a friend not long ago that showed the most beautiful tree tunnels in the world.  Amazingly, many of them were made from the same trees as where I live.  :-)  Shortly after, as a I drove to work one morning, I realized the trees that canopy Spadina Crescent East between 33rd and Queen Street could rival any such spectacle in the world.  The old elms that line the street, just having budded out look pink with their blossoms overhead as you gaze upward to see the sun shining through.  I could slow down and drive at a snail's pace down that street every morning if there was nobody behind me.  You just pass the weir which is so enticing and then you enter into this tree-lined lane.  Every morning I have to fight myself not to stop and just stroll around taking pictures.  I could get so used to that.  See the photo on the right hand side?  That's somewhere in Brazil.  Well Saskatoon's is even nicer ;-).

A place of interest from my childhood is found if you drive about four miles north of Melfort and turn left off the highway (which is also west).  There you will find a very old road...It's a trail really  because the farmer whose field it is adjacent to seems to have disced it up, then cultivated it at certain points in time over the years.  I expect he had to due to flooding and a big drastic mess when somebody time after time with a 4x4 thought they could get through right after a rain.  You know those ruts...they are miserable to drive on when things dry up.  This old road too has a canopy of trees that envelope it just as you drive around a nice curve and just before you cross over a small, wooden bridge.  My grandparents always called it lover's lane and I expect that was for a reason.  The little bridge is an interesting place to hang around because of the wildlife.  Beavers generally build their big house somewhere along that little creek and they are usually hard at work trying to dam up the water somewhere.  This of course gets on the nerves of the local farmers at times and they tend to bring out the dynamite or the gun or both...at least my grandpa and some of the neighbours used to.  Poor beavers.

Have you ever seen a beaver's teeth?  If you haven't, honestly they are worth seeing.  If you can find the time, Google a picture.  Their teeth are massively long and extremely yellow.  I almost posted a picture that I found, but when I looked again, it was just too gross.  The poor things, if they don't keep gnawing on wood, their teeth will continue to grow.  These creatures are part of the rodent family and you can recognize the rodent features the minute you get up close.  I mean you don't want a close up when they're still alive and moving.  Their tails are broad and flat and actually the animals themselves can grow to the size of a small dog or larger given half a chance.  I've seen one up close that my brother trapped.  Although I felt very squeamish around him, it was a good experience..and there was no need to fear because he was stiff as a board and wasn't going anywhere..please use your imagination.  I understand even when they're still alive that they won't bother you if you don't bother them. I have never heard of a beaver who was aggressive.  One year when we arrived at the cabin, a few beavers had been busy all winter and mowed down almost every tree along both sides of the lake for probably over half a mile.  Little buggers!  Be that as it may, the Beaver is a part of our Canadian heritage and you will find a picture of it imprinted on the back of Canadian nickels, our five cent coin.  Oh, I thought I could upload a picture of a beaver on the back of a nickel, but it flopped....so you may have to find your own.

I'm amazed to see that the country leading the way this month in reading my blog is France of all places.  The blog keeps stats of the readership.  In the "for all time category" which is since I started writing  December 31, 2011, Canada is first with over 2,300, France surprizes me by being in second place with over 1,900.  The U.S. is third at over 500.  There are probably 10 or 12 countries showing up, with over 6,500 readers....so I remain in awe that somebody wants to read this stuff!  My most popular posting is "Singing the Praises of Christmas".  That seemed to whet the appetite of alot of people in alot of other countries.  They truly seem starved to know how we celebrate an age-old tradition in this part of the world. Who knew?

It's the middle of May and Spring is finally here.  Believe it or not, there are still traces of snow in places that don't get much sun.  I see the evidence of these little white patches across the river on it's banks every day.  It warmed up to 28 degrees celsius one day, but has stayed in the mid twenties for the most part.  At night, I don't think it's freezing any more but the ground still seems a little cool for planting.  Since May 24 is supposed to be when you have your vegetable garden planted, it seems risky to go ahead and plop things into the ground, even though the long weekend is here.  We get a holiday because all of Canada celebrates the British Queen's birthday.  It's called Victoria Day and we certainly look forward to the break.  May long is traditionally a time to open up cabins and for a few years became a weekend for youth to travel to lakes and campgrounds and party hard.  The vandalism and rowdiness got so out of hand that finally the authorities have clamped down and things are somewhat back to normal.

I know there are some die-hard gardeners who will be sure to plant their potatoes or have already done so...you see they are usually the smart ones.  I'm not quite done raking leaves yet and that could have been done weeks ago if the weather would have cooperated.  I won't be planting my bedding plants and flowers until the first week of June.   It's weird, I'm not done raking, yet the grass is growing like crazy and I definitely have to give the lawn it's first mowing soon.

The garage sales have started and they are a huge draw for people.  I should consider having one myself, but I have so many other things to catch up on its ridiculous.   Sleep being one of them, which I'm heading for right now.  Sweet dreams to all!

Ramp Up the Red Tape

Ramp Up the Red Tape

The beuracracy, the red tape, the pure b.s.  Everywhere you go these days it abounds, but try breaking into a thriving and lucrative, well-established industry and see what happens.  The number of announcements coming across the wire for newcomers to the business every week has me raising my eyebrows.  No wonder there is an air of "oh yeah, right" to a few of the first people I have had dealings with.   Now I know what my students go through.  It's old hat for those on the inside and they really don't seem to show alot of patience for newcomers who are expected to come onside and then leave like a revolving door.  Statistics say that apparently.  Although there have been at least a half dozen newcomers since I started, a couple half-day, but mandatory training sessions I was signed up for had the dates changed with no recourse for me.  Apparently, there was a lack of participants and only I could attend then.  Even though the new dates don't work for me whatsoever, that is of no consequence to anybody but me.  In fact, I am told if I don't comply, I will lose my new license.  As you can imagine, I am quite frustrated.  Even so, I can see where these agencies are coming from.  Organizations tend to circle the wagons and over-compensate because they have been burned once too often.  It's basically a sign of the times and what has gone on in the industry in the past.

I finished the course two years ago and now it's time to get going or start all over again.  So, aside from all the glitches and new deadlines I am hanging in there come hell or high water. I have had an electronic key that didn't work and had to leave a house unlocked.  I have been given directional signage that had the arrows pointing the wrong way.  I have had people say rude comments, that I have largely ignored.  I have had pretty much anything that could go wrong, go wrong.   My name tag was spelled wrong.  I just missed the cut-off date to have to do the yearly continuing competency class. So even though I just started March 13, I had to do the 2012-13 review.  Luckily,  I could do it online, but for some unknown reason the whole course refused to load and I had to get help to sort that out.  It was an interesting course and I had it completed not too long after (Did I say about eight hours?).  I couldn't figure out how to turn off one set of the lights at one of the ultra modern new homes after an open house.   It's the little things.  My day job in the last month has been busier than it's ever been and I was also asked to cover another portfolio at the same time if only for a short while I hope.

So what am I talking about?  As you may or may not know, I have always wanted to try my hand at real estate.  I'm telling everybody once they ask if I've left my day job, that this is my "freedom 65 plan", and no, I haven't left my day job at the moment.  I hope you get the irony of the freedom 65 statement. Not that long ago, people pushed for 'freedom 55'.  A year or so ago, there would be no joke to 65 at all, but now it's early retirement. Today,  it's not really a joke, because it's not really funny.  I'ts simply common knowledge that people will be working longer than 65.  I joke that I will have to work until I'm 95, but that's not a joke either, I'm serious. So I hope to be well established in real estate by the time I'm ready to retire from my nursing career.  I couldn't see making that leap after retirement and once I get stymied by a fixed income.  It's an expensive business and they say you can sometimes go the first six months without a sale.   Please friends, relatives and countrymen...lend me your ears.....don't let me go that long!  Surely somebody I know, knows somebody who is looking to buy or sell a home?  If not today, how about tomorrow?

Talking about bureaucracy.   After several decades in the workforce, I'm beginning to recognize patterns,   Back in the day....in the 70's sometime I guess, if you worked somewhere you did a whole lot of different jobs.  For instance, I had worked in an office in a small town and was the receptionist, the typist, the banker, the mail person, the bookkeeper, and everything.  Upon moving into the larger city, I discovered that now there was a single person doing each of these jobs in the same place.  Of course, it was a much bigger organization.   For instance, one person did all the mail, another was the receptionist etc.  Nowadays, almost four decades later, the breaking apart of the workload is much more pronounced. People complain because of "communication problems" in the workplace.  Well no wonder.  There are so many people making up all the links of the chain, so does anybody really know what anybody else does?  Especially if they're in a different department, in a different building, and in a different city than you.  When businesses increase in size and the population continues to grow, you can expect it to happen.

Speaking of an exploded population.  This reminds me of when I visited China in 1998.  The modernization differences between the city of Hong Kong and mainland China were very evident.  Hong Kong had just changed it's status - no longer under communist rule right around then.  I had arrived in Hong Kong after about a 14 hour flight to the oppressive heat and humidity of the airport.  I met a friend and overnighted in a fairly posh hotel. I thought I could handwash a few clothes and hang them to dry, but that would have taken a week if ever, so eventually wrung them out by hand and wrapped them in plastic bags wet as anything for transport.  Hong Kong was glitzy and rich with ultra expensive cars, a Hard Rock Cafe and a beautiful harbor.  It was with the times, but then we travelled by plane to the mainland  city of Hangzhou and that became another world...one living about twenty years in the past. We had flown on the Red Dragon (maybe Golden Dragon)....but some kind of Dragon Air.  (Maybe my memory is being influenced by some of the names of the Chinese restaurants in my own city!)  The colours alone...bright yellow and pink fortrel (I seem to remember, maybe it was red and white) is what the stewardesses had on with little pill box hats. Maybe my memory has been influenced by that movie with Gwyneth Paltrow....hmmm even if that was faulty...I do vividly recall being met by armed guards at the airport and wondering about the long rows of Mig fighter planes. No question about my memory of the words 'knee how' that mean hello as they are forever stamped into my brain.

Once on land, and after reaching our rural destination, we eventually travelled back to Hangzhou another weekend.  Walking into a big department store in a country under communist rule was quite the experience.    The number of salespeople in that place set me back.  They were young women who each wore a matching flourescent green polyester uniform.  They were nothing if not pleasant.  The merchandise was on shelves in short rows, interrupted with a spot for one of them to stand at either end.  In one row then, there might be eight or ten clerks ready to serve you.  There would be several rows so there would be no less than 50 people expected to spring forward and be available to help at the drop of a hat. (Maybe I'm exaggerating, but you get my drift).  I don't believe there was any sort of high pressure sale tactics going on, just big smiles.  It was inspiring how EVERBODY got put to work there.  I wondered if they had people on welfare and unemployment insurance in that country or not.  I wondered how that concept would fly on my side of the world.  The puzzling part was that with so many clerks available, I was not mobbed when I went to buy my one loaf of bread.  I was left totally alone.  Perhaps they are in such high numbers to act as watchdogs?  To curtail theft?  Who knows?  Is it just that they are given a job to do and do it, no questions asked?  A sort of, "this is my lot in life and that's it?"  At any rate, the place was a dry goods store by the looks of it with food, clothes, small appliances etc.  I remember all the different packaged foods like marshmallowy, pink glazed puffy cookies and that whitest of white bread... maybe made of rice. It tasted good. 

Well, speaking of food..You know the concept of decorating a place with aquariums?  You know all about having all sorts of exotic fish, plants, and other water creatures swimming in and out of sunken ships filled with gold and treasure chests ....all placed strategically around your home or office?  Even restaurant?  There used to be a beautiful one at the now demolished Venice House in Melfort.  As you entered and waited for a table, you could be entertained by watching all the beautiful varieties of fish swimming around or coming up to the glass to take a look at you.  There was one who looked exactly like Nemo and he and I were friends.  Well, at a restaurant in China we also saw aquariums, or better yet, glass fish tanks, some with water, some without.  There were plenty of tanks and they lined the walls.  Some held fish or other shellfish which seemed quite reasonable, but others held snakes, frogs, kittens and other small animals, apparently available to eat... Sheesh!  Yes, I did say kittens and no, I did not make friends with any of the things on the menu.  There was also a daily market in the rural community where you could buy fresh farm produce.  One of the vendors had dog meat for sale.  You've heard the rumours and yes, it's true.  Dogs tended to run at large and in packs in that little town, so if you went for a walk, you had better pick up one of the many large bamboo poles lying around, just to fend off the dogs.  Again, the Chinese joke (at least I thought it was a joke) that they eat anything that doesn't have "Boeing" written on it.

Enough about China, but just one more thing.  If you ever do go to Hangzhou, be sure to go to the Night Market...Haggling is expected and you are laughed at as stupid if you pay full price, so get with it.  Remeber also, that you are nobody if you don't have a trinket with a picture of Chairman Mao on it.  Have you ever been to Arizona in the winter?  It is wonderful, but that will be for another year and another story.  So many places to see...so many cultures to experience.

Back to the real world of today and speaking of the opposite of slotting into a time clock,  I have a pet peeve.  I've noticed a situation changing over time to the point that I think it is an issue.  In several workplaces, including mine are workers who seem to have lost the concept of taking breaks.  They just don't bother.  I tend to be one of the worst offenders even though I don't expect others to work that way.  Some do expect others around them to do what they do, but I don't think that's fair.  What happens is pretty soon everyone in the vicinity has no respect whatsoever for a time during the day to stop or the need to eat.  If you are in your office with the door slightly ajar, and God forbid, eating your lunch, you can expect to be fair game for anyone who has the need to talk to you.  You seem to have to physically remove yourself from the building to get time to yourself.  The other thing is working until all hours of the night because you have so much to do and deadlines looming.  I gave myself an ultimatum a few years ago that sixty hour work weeks were going to be a thing of the past, unless they were for my own business.  I have tried to keep that promise for the most part, but sometimes there's no choice.  If I can give you any advice, I would say that the work will always be there and you will never get to the bottom of it.  Even though you want to succeed and advance in your workplace, remember, you will only live your life once.  If you have a family at home waiting for you, please stop and think about getting some kind of balance into this realm.  You have evenings and weekends scheduled away from work for a reason.  Remember what that reason was.  Try to think about how things went historically.  People didn't get a weekend off and they worked from dawn to dusk and often much longer.  They had to claw their way to get and maintain a forty hour work week, so let's respect what was won for us by previous generations and not throw it away.

Speaking of chickens with their heads cut off, as you can see, this post is totally unfocused and jumping all over the place.  I will try to do better next time.  I want to say that suddenly this week, I have 45 readers from France.  How does this happen?  Do they all know each other or is it entirely random?  How did they happen to find my blog?  The same thing happened with a whole pile from Sweden.  Another time it was Russia and Latvia.  I get a number of posts from people who want me to check out their websites.  They ask me questions and I don't know whether to answer or not, because it could be a scam.  I would rather these anonymous commenters not clog the blog so to speak.  My answer to all these inquiries about how I do the blog and how I set it up is...happenstance.  There is no grand plan and no expert abilities here.  Just basic randomness...anybody can do it.  I hope one and all has a good Spring...that is if it ever gets here.  As I keep thinking to myself every morning and every night as I bump along the roads....holy pothole Batman...


 

Property for Sale? Need to Buy a House?

Property for Sale?  Need to Buy a House?

I need your help.  I'm about to launch myself into business as an independent contractor.  I'm working on a strategy and a marketing plan and a business plan and a GST number to name a few.  I took the education in 2010 and had two years to sign on.  Well the two years are up this Spring and I have to use it or lose it.  You're wondering what I studied?  Well, it was real estate.  Yes, I read and studied and poured over the books to pass Phase I and Phase II - Residential.  I got good marks by the way. I am awaiting a more current criminal record check to arrive and then presto,  off I will trot to the local real estate commission to pay for my license and a bevy of other fees.  That's about a week away.  Right after, I will have my second meeting with my designated broker and off I will go into the wild blue yonder, or is that into the wild blue sunset...either way, I'll be off. 

Recently, I've done a little search of real estate companies to see which one might work best for me.  It seems the best one to fit my needs and theirs is Royal LePage Varsity on 8th Street.  (They used to be Prudential Realty).  Their location couldn't get much better.  Can you believe that back in the 1970's I used to live one block away on 9th Street in a basement suite?  I could walk to the university where I was attending first year university.  Seems like I keep going back to things  and places from my past.  In those days, I also travelled by bus, and the bus stop was on the same block as the real estate office (which wasn't there yet).  I feel like I'm in a movie called "Back to the   8th Street Location".   I feel quite at home in the neighbourhood at the very least.  I see the book store on the corner of Clarence Avenue and 8th Street is still there.  There used to be a big restaurant on the opposite corner called "Tiffany's", if memory serves me.  At any rate, in the next block is the turn off to Tim's, so there is always a steady stream of traffic driving by, reading the sign, deciding if it's worth stopping in.  At least that's my initial impression of the premises.

I'm not sure how long I've wanted to get into the real estate business, but it's been for several decades.  I have always been fascinated with homes and as anybody who knows me or my family will understand, we all like to help people.  I know that when you buy a house, it's probably the most money the majority of us will ever spend at one time on one thing.  We all definitely want to get our money's worth.  You will want to choose a home that matches your family.  We all have needs, wants and desires, and it all comes down to making simple choices.  Make a list of what you want and try not to deviate from it.  That may change based on your mortgage limits, but it sure helps to look at the right properties to start with.   Better yet, start out with the banker and find out how much you can be pre-approved for.  It makes life so much easier than finding out after you make an offer that you can't swing the purchase price.    I have been involved in the buying and selling of a number of homes in my life and always find it exciting.  Over the course of several years, I have talked to a number of people in the business and honestly, they all seem to love it. I haven't met one who said they hated their job and didn't know why they stayed with it.  The concept of house and home is close to my heart, so I can't think working in the industry would be any different. 

I have honed my administrative skills over the years, and got exceptionally good with the Microsoft Office Suite having learned to type on a manual typewriter way back when.  I worked in banks, law offices and other offices with good training as a legal secretary.   I have owned my own retail business, and been involved in home-based businesses over the years when I was a stay-at-home Mom.  My educational training lead me to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and finally a Master's of Science in Nursing.  I have been in the helping profession as a nurse educator and manager for a number of years...I hesitate to say the exact number  lest you think me a dinosaur.  Let's just say I'm seasoned yet I look and feel very youthful. ;-)

Every person I have met lives somewhere.  Some because of life's good fortune live in off-the-charts homes.  Others may be just starting out and finding that with a growing family, their place has become too small.  Some always wanted to live on the riverbank with a river view.  There are millions of scenarios that has ordinary people just like you and I wanting to move to a new home. Maybe you're downsizing and trying out a condo.  I own one so can tell you what I know about the ins and outs of living in one, buying and selling one.  I also own a house, so have many experiences there.

Many are renting and would love to stop that and get into being a home owner.  People don't always know that a mortgage payment might be in the cards for them.  Further, they may not realize that a mortage payment could be even lower than paying rent!  As a young person, I was one of those.  I assumed I would never even qualify.  Not all people want to try to pretend to understand the red tape that goes with things like purchasing a home or paying income tax.  They shy away from it, because they don't know a realtor, a banker, an accountant, or a lawyer.  Someone like me can help you through the rough patches as you make one of the best decision of your life.  Buying a house is a great decision. In addition to what I have already studied, I will have excellent additional training available to me upon registering as an agent.  I will have the value of mentors and seasoned administrative people to double and triple check all of my transactions.  That's just the way this particular agency works.  As well, this real estate agency has it's own university training system and tried and true realtors for me to rub elbows with.  If you know me, you know that I work hard no matter what I do.  I hope you know that I will do everything in my power to earn your respect and your trust. My hope is that you will be exceptionally happy with your sale or your purchase.  If you're thinking of making a change, try me.

If you're someone who wants a brand new home, totally or partially finished, you should be able to look forward to shiny and squeaky clean, at least for awhile.  You may run into issues you might not have thought were a problem such as the mud that gets tramped into your house because it rained before the grass you planted even sprouted.   These new houses are usually all in the same boat, so you see every manner of boardwalk path thrown helter skelter on the ground leading from the sidewalk or driveway to the house.  If the place is completely done that's one thing.  If it's not, the more you can finish before moving in, the better.   Those baseboards might lay there waiting to be nailed on for months otherwise.

I have gone to countless open houses over the years.  I look for cracks in foundations, and basements for one.  I look for uniqueness and little exemplary finishing touches.  I have this super-douper sense of smell that has me noticing right away whether there's been water in the basement.  If I have a cold, this might backfire... I may not be an electrician, but I can tell whether the wiring looks like a dog's breakfast or not.  I've been in huge houses that had so many rooms, alcoves, closets and secret passageways that I almost got lost.   Remember when you're finishing basements or renovating that less is usually more.  Kids however do love these hideaways in the making of their forts, so that might be your family's thing.  If there's a closed-in deck outside at the back of the house, it might be the perfect place for a fort...especially if there's a dryer vented into it....that could make it a heated fort!  The only thing is that everything in it will be covered with a fine layer of lint over time.

In the 70's they used to have whole blocks of brand new homes for the public to walk through and admire.  Honestly, each house would be a colour scheme using one colour only.  Can you imagine one house that was entirely decorated in different shades of pink ?  Next door might be all yellow.  Then all purple.  It was certainly fabulous and extraordinary, but not necessarily permanently livable.  I vividly remember the last house I went to on one occasion which was nothing if not gorgeous in green.  Now don't get me wrong, green is one of my favorite colours (the other is purple).  After walking through an entire brand new two-storey house with every shade of green known to man, I was absolutey nauseated.  I couldn't believe a simple colour would make me sick to my stomach, but it really did!  That was the end of looking at open houses that night and I thought I could never have green walls in my own home ever again.  Not true, I have one vivid green wall in my kitchen, believe it or not.  One wall is okay, remember, less is more.

How is the landscaping and slope of the property? Hopefully away from the foundation, not towards it or caving in. How are the eaves?  Separated and springing away from the fascia?  Useless when it rains?  Totally plugged and in need of repair?  Is the property full of overgrown trees whose leaves and twigs constantly keep the eaves full and the downspouts plugged?  If you answer yes to any of these questions, like Ernie from Sesame Street, you may be the one out on the ladder in the middle of a rainstorm hoping not to get struck by lightning.  Remember trimming a tree you can do yourself, but if you're going to pay somebody, it will cost you.  Removal of mature trees can cost several thousand dollars.  They say poplar trees are one of the worst for roots that grow through the underground sewer pipes.  It is said that the amount of root system a tree has is as much as you see above ground.  In other words, they are everywhere!

Does the roof leak?  Are all the pipes on the roof tarred around the base?  Those brand new shingling jobs might not be as great as you thought if the roofers didn't do the fine tuning required.   Again, if water pours into your basement every time it rains, perhaps the chimney didn't get sealed properly when the new shingles were applied.  If you need a whole new roof (i.e. shingles), that could cost about $5,000 just for the front half.  Are the windows in need of replacement because the casings are rotten?  Has the plumbing under the kitchen sink been leaking so long it smells like mildew?  If so, it's probably because it is mildew.  If it looks like a skunk and smells like a skunk...it's probably is a skunk.  How much does a new kitchen cost?  I don't know, but I would guess upwards of somewhere between $10,000 - $30,000, depending upon what you want.  I need one.  About two years ago, a new furnace, hot water heater, air conditioner and garage heater would have set you back about $12,000.

A new picture window can cost another couple of thousand dollars especially when you discover you need to replace the window coverings because they no longer match.  Exterior painting which includes heights if you're in a two-storey and mega scraping can also add up to several thousand dollars if you aren't careful.  I expect many people are physically capable of doing these kinds of jobs themselves, so that will save plenty of money.  Look at me, I did my deck one summer and my garage door last summer, all by myself.  Also, all these types of repairs can often be done over time, so that's usually why folks will opt to buy a fixer-upper because they're a little cheaper.  They say the average cost of a house these days in Saskatoon is around $330,000.  That's the average.

If you're the seller, I can team up with you to make your home "presentation ready", tailor-making it to reflect its beauty, but within reasonable limits, of course. We can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but we can certainly try.  We both know your home is like no other.  You are selling homeyness and comfort as much as love.  The buyer wants to fall in love with your house the same way you did.  They want to be excited and have ideas about how to keep on loving it.  You'll know you have captivated them when they start talking about whether their furniture will fit in this corner or that!  Oh joy!  Start to clap your hands then!  Our goal is to make yours the most sought after property on the market because you have worked to make it the most beautiful and welcoming space possible.  I know a few tricks (not all) to share with you that have worked for me and mine.  I can research other ideas too until we find an angle  (I'm dreaming now) that will take the buyer's breath away and have them lining up to make their offer. This is what we strive for!  In turn you can teach me what you know about home decorating and together it will be a thing of beauty!  :-)   I know you want to make the most profit possible, so let's do a proper assessment and don't overprice the place or it could sit like a stone for far too long and that is never a good thing.  Unlike God, neither you nor I can move mountains. 

Buyers who are met with a pleasing aroma for instance, are far more taken than if they're met with the smells of something rotten in the fridge!  Smell is everything.  You can never clean too much when showing your home.  If you can't get all the cleaning done before placing it on the market, just keep cleaning as often as possible and before you know it, the place will be spotless.  You also need to box up a whole pile of trinkets and personal things to make room to breathe.  You can store your treasures in whatever containers you like. It's just for the time being and they will wait for you to get them out again once you move into your new surroundings.  Think of it as getting one step ahead of the packing which will be a huge job!  If you can store the boxes or containers somewhere out of sight or in one corner, it looks better.  Off the property at your relative's or friend's place works too. 

While sorting through your stuff, try to have a pile to donate and definitely hold a garage sale.  You can sell bigger items for free on Kijiji or in the newspaper under classified ads.  Most radio stations have times to phone in with items for sale so keep your eyes peeled.  I know you love your pet, but if at all possible have them out of the house when the home is being viewed.  Your dog especially will do what it takes (like bark his head off) to protect his property when strangers walk right into his domain. 

Many people in rural communities have children leaving home to attend post-secondary educational institutions in Saskatoon.  Some families have kids spaced like stepping stones who go to school one after the other.  Like my family, first it was the son and his friends, then a year or so later, the daughter and her friends.  These families sometimes look into buying a house rather than paying rent.  Smart cookies.  If you are someone from any of the communities where I have lived in the past, (Melfort, Hudson Bay or Prince Albert)...let alone any other  community, please think of me as your connection in Saskatoon.  I will be set up with a new cell phone business number within the next week and would be most happy to hear from you.  Stay tuned.   In the meantime, you could inquire at the Royal LePage Varsity office, 1106 8th Street East and ask if Jean has started with them yet.  The phone number there is (306) 665-3600.

If you are someone who is moving to Saskatoon for a new career, I would love to show you around the city.  Over the years I have lived in Lawson Heights, College Park, Lakewood, Varsity View and Confederation Park. I have come to know many areas of the city quite well and am continually amazed at it's level of continual growth. If you are someone who is associated with one of the hospitals because of illness, think about purchasing a second home if the stay is going to be an extended one.  I can help and I know many families, including my own who have had to scramble to find suitable accommodations at a very stressful time. With the new children's hospital being built, God forbid, but this could be an important decision for you and your family to keep in mind one day.

You may not believe this but I have had recurring dreams about houses all  my life.  I have always pondered their significance and I guess that is the real reason I became interested in real estate in the first place.  I think someone has been trying to tell me something all these years and it's now that I am heeding their suggestion.  For the time being, I will not be retiring from my current job, but one day that too will be a dream I hope to fulfill.

 

Adventures With a Mouth Guard

Adventures With a Mouth Guard

I was at the dentist for a checkup and he remarked that the back of my front teeth were worn smooth.  I was surprized because I had no idea I ground my teeth at night.   He asked if he "had me in a night guard yet?"  I said, "no".  He said, "well, you really need one and what do you think about getting fitted for one?"  Without even thinking, I snapped back quite hautily (like I had the choice), "I wouldn't wear one anyhow!"  I went on to say something to the effect that I couldn't even imagine trying to wear one...what with my mouth full of some foreign object all night, I would likely choke to death in my sleep or worse yet have slobber running down the corners of my mouth into my ears or directly out the front of my mouth onto my chin and splashing onto the pillow.  Not a pretty thought. I have seen telltale signs on the pillows of known slobberers and I definitely never want to start going down that path at the ripe old age of 58.   I even portrayed for him and his friendly assistant what it would sound like if the phone should happen to ring in the night if I forgot about my mouth guard and accidentally tried to talk..."Herroo...who isth thith? 

They both laughed but neither gave up there.  The dentist went on to describe very firmly, but nicely that there are only two situations occurring in my mouth environment.  Pressure on the teeth due to grinding force and bacteria making their way into places they wouldn't normally go because of how things get loosened or cracked.  He went on to say I should have been into a night guard years ago and that in itself was the only reason for the multiple crowns I have in my mouth today.  I was dumbfounded and said, "nobody has ever told me this before, how come?"  He had no answer to that, since I am a new patient of his over the past couple of years.  Talk about throwing good money after bad.  Those crowns cost a fortune and I have had several.  The best one of all is a gold one.  The others my gums seem to react a little to. 

So, I reluctantly asked what would be involved.  Well, at the top of the pros and cons list was that even though they take impressions of both top and bottom teeth, I would only have to wear the bottoms.  That did make me feel a little better.  I would need two more appointments, one for taking the impressions and one for the fitting once the guard was made.  I asked the cost...."only $400".  I sighed and thought to myself, "Oh great, just what I need, a nice, cheap mouth guard...that I don't want to wear".  Geez...

I went home and phoned my mom and told her I had the day from hell, being told I have to start wearing a mouthguard on top of all the other b.s.....you know the drill, four needles a day, diet for life, ten foot high snow piled on either side of my driveway, being the fricking boss all the time and on and on. It was obvious I was whining, but sometimes you just have to.  It's like a dog that just has to get so many barks out a day to meet his quota....if he doesn't he's just not happy.   My problems pale in comparison to hers so I'm not sure why I thought I should lay this all on her, but she's my mom and that's what kids do.  She's darned near 80.  She just had hip surgery and only now, nine months later, has started to feel less pain thanks to physiotherapy.  She listened like a trooper anyhow and didn't let on that I was being ridiculous.

The next day, my co-workers regaled me with stories about people in their families who wear nightguards.  I guess they were trying to make me feel better.  In fact, several have had one for a long time...and, "it's not that bad".  Inevitably, though, at some point, they all chew right through them.  In fact, one husband chewed right through his on the very first night.  One chewed through hers and had to get a metal one, oh joy.  As a sidebar, she said she doesn't wear the thing that often.  I can see why.  Degrading.

When I told one of them my fears about the slobber and the choking, she said, "look, it's not some big hockey mouth guard, it's only a thin piece of silicone that lays over top of your bottom teeth!"   I said, "oh."  I couldn't fathom it regardless.  I could however think of some other words starting with the letter "f" that would better describe what I wanted to say.

So the days went by and the first appointment came for me to get the impressions.  It's like putting your teeth in this cold, metal trough full of thick, pink gum that hardens up.  It's very fast, but the time gets long if you start choking or something, which I usually do.  You do this procedure twice for tops and bottoms and then you can go home. 

About a week later was the appointment for the fitting.  The same assistant that I had made friends with the first time was there and seemed happy to see me.  She had a mask on, but I think she was smiling...at least with her eyes.  She told me everything there is to know about the night guard.  First off, always return it to it's green case when not in use so as not to be hunting all over the place for it.  Apparently, most people unknowingly remove their's in their sleep and they can wind up almost anywhere in the bed...mostly under the pillow.  The second reason to return it to its case is if you have a pet, especially a dog.   I guess the mouth guard winds up smelling like you and the dog gets all excited that you bought him a new chew toy with your scent on it.   It is very important to brush your teeth and floss before putting it in your mouth because otherwise a new warm, dark, moist environment is created for bacteria and other bugs to grow between the mouth guard and the bottom teeth.  She advised wearing it around the house for awhile, you know, doing dishes, watching TV, just to get used to it.   Verra cute.

The next step was to run it under warm water to heat it up.  I put the nice warm guard in my mouth and felt the unusual sensation.   It was big and flat on the top.  I began to realize this must be what false teeth feel like and said as much once the dentist arrived.  I even jutted my bottom teeth out to prove my point.  Again they laughed.  He had me open my mouth so he could see how it fit.  He also asked if I thought it fit.  I said I had nothing to compare it to so wouldn't know if it fit right or not.  Sort of the same reasoning why I don't buy Tofu.  I wouldn't know on purchase if I was buying the rotten one or the good one because they all look the same to me.  He encouraged me to wear it as much as possible and I made a pact to at least give it a try.  After he left, the dental assistant gave me a special treat...my impressions ... both sets.  They were all wrapped up in bubble wrap and put in an envelope.  She said to keep them in my sock drawer, because, and got quite vague at this point, but that I might need them again.  (I was onto her though, because I already know people chew right through them).

So last evening after supper, I put the thing in my mouth for practice.  I did everything I was told, including brushing, and flossing.  At first, I was all mouth, no denying it.  Then I got involved in a TV show and forgot about it twice.  I thought to myself, "one thing about having a mouthful of plastic, it sure helps cut down on the late night snacking".  I kept it in all evening and then went straight to bed.  I even had a drink of water over top of it. I read my book as usual for a little while after climbing into bed and didn't have any initial problems.  I started falling asleep and woke myself up when I realized I was chewing the living hell out of the night guard.  It made me laugh because it was for all the world exactly the same as a dog chewing on a bone.  All I could think was that if my brothers could see me they would be killing themselves laughing.  I did go to sleep waking up once about 3:00 a.m. to marvel that I hadn't choked to death and another when the alarm went off.  As I dozed back to sleep, I realized that I was giving that chunk of plastic the workout of it's life...again!  I actually had to force myself to stop the chewing because I discovered it is  really a highly pleasurable activity.  Must be that centre in your brain that looks after animal instinct.  So, as you can see, I'm definitely identifying with our four-legged friends.  Unbelievable, but this is how our lives progress.  Normal one day, ... chewing on a hunk of plastic the next.  Oh, the irony.





 

Communication Train or Bane?

      Communication should come naturally and flow smoothly like a gentle river, right?  The other person should know implicitly what you are meaning, no matter what you say, right? Not so much and not always.  Some people seem to be born communicators, at least in their own eyes and possibly in the eyes of others, but some people have a much harder time.  Some people have a self-image that is perfect, yet others around them see things quite differently.  The person with the perfect self-image tends to have a skewed idea of how they behave.  They will tell you the perfect way to communicate and yet not follow their own rules.  (I hate to say it, but we can all be lumped into this category at some time or another any time in our lives).

     The most difficult people I find to communicate with are those who won't listen.  Remember, we all want the floor and lots of it, right?  Personally, I want people who will listen to me and so do you.  Selfish, you say?  In the training to become a nurse, communication lessons take up a fair chunk of the curriculum.  We are taught that we should listen more than we talk.  After all, we were given one mouth and two ears for just that reason.  As a result of this type of training; teaching communications classes; doing health counselling; being a manager/supervisor/mother/daughter, and friend, I tend to have attracted certain people in my life who want me to listen to them.  Apparently, they find my therapeutic listening skills helpful in some way. I'm not saying I know anything about communication more than the average person, I'm only saying I know when it feels good and when it doesn't.   Unfortunately, a minute number of the people I have attracted don't seem to understand that their communication style although working for them, is not working for me.   This is called immediacy and needs to be addressed when it happens.  Immediacy describes what's happening at the moment between the two communicators.  If you don't say anything, you become part of the problem.  What happens when I want to have a say?  Can I get what I want to say in when I know I'll be interrupted before the end of the first sentence?  What happens when I need some empathy?  If the person has no idea what the word empathy means, then it's pretty tough to get them to try to walk in my shoes.  What happens when I just need support and encouragement and not have them taking over my whole problem and telling me what to do and how to do it?  If I don't get my needs met, this is when the friendship/acquaintance/relationship could begin to break down.

     To communicators out there, please ask yourself some simple questions.  Do you find people who seem to stiffen around you?  Do they sometimes get mad at you for no real reason, or avoid you altogether?  Have you ongoing relationship issues with coworkers for instance?  Perhaps you are one of these types of questionable communicators.  Do you seldom let the other person finish a sentence, let alone a story, before you interrupt to get back to your own words and train of thought?  Do you find yourself not hearing what the other person is saying because you are too busy planning what you are going to say next?  To me this could be a sign of  poor self-confidence or over-confidence, but I'm not sure which. Worse yet, do you consider others stupid?  Listen to yourself.  Do you actually talk about people and say they are stupid out loud?  Do you "suffer fools all around you" so to speak so that nobody seems to know anything but you.  You don't have to say this out loud because actions speak louder than words. 

     When you do allow the other to speak, are you criticizing their every action and topic to the point that only your way is the right way?   Do you hold yourself out as the most experienced on a subject such as finances, or the most educated on the law, or the best judge of everything including child rearing, driving, which restaurant to go to, purchases, or how to act in public?  (What about the best at communicating?)   As for you and I, who appointed either of us judge and jury over anything?  Do you discount your friend or child to the point that they quit telling you anything of importance or interest?  If you are overly talkative, do you notice your friend or others withdrawing from you?  If you are usually the listener, do you find yourself withdrawing from the speaker or speakers because they are becoming too large in numbers and you are withering away?  God forbid any of us are like that, but sadly we all need to take a good look in the mirror and see if we are that person.  Are you the type of person that upon meeting up has to update your friend/coworker about everything that has happened in your life since you saw them last, even it takes two hours of you talking non-stop?  Although you might get away with it, you might not.  Sometimes whoever you are talking to is considered a captive audience because they are too polite to walk around you to get out of the situation.  After all, they are your friend, right?  They don't want to hurt your feelings.  If it's a social setting and you are hilariously funny, you might get away with it,.  The practice gets old fast in the workplace, and especially if it involves running others down.

     Another type of person not only does not allow you to finish your sentence, but goes off on a tangent of their own.  They may not be admonishing you, but simply making sure that they 'one-up' you at every turn.  Your story, in every single, solid instance reminds them of one with someone in their life.  They talk over top of you and louder than you in order to get you to stop and give it over to them.  I find people from large families tend to have developed this strategy in order to be heard throughout their lives.  The only difference is their story is much richer, their situation much more grave, much more interesting, their illness much more profound, their accident far more emergent than yours.  After awhile, there's not much point in sharing, because you can predict the outcome and may find it laughable or have your nerves jangled one more time. 

     If you like story-telling as a way to teach a lesson (as many women do), remember this needs to be done in moderation.  After awhile, one more story especially from some remote time in your life might just be enough to send everybody over the edge..Teachers are really bad for this and I should know, I was one of them.

     Even though I've been trained to listen to you, remember, I am a person too.  Conversations and communication need to be two-way.  Just because you like to hear yourself talk and know you know far more than most other people, please don't discount the other person's input.  I agree, some people talk out their you-know-whats....they're full of b.s......they distinctly have no clue what they're talking about, but they deserve a chance to have their say, just like you.  Sometimes you meet someone who rants and raves about life, society, or current events.  They are racist and bigots and offend you with their language and swearing.    Others seem to have a type of verbal diarrhea...not the bacterial type that you can take an antibiotic for, the viral type that has to run its own course (Just kidding).  You couldn't get a word in edgewise if your life depended on it, because they don't appear to stop for a breath. 

     If you are this type of communicator, why not try a pause at the end of your sentence?  Just calm down and see what happens.  Try not to be so filled with anxiety and/or rage and disgust for others.  From my experience hard-core, red-necked comments about the plethora of others in our society that don't fit your bill tend to do more harm than good. Try to stay off of band wagons, since you get left stranded when the wheels fall off.  Conversations about personal choice including politics, religion and sexual preference to name a few are best left alone.  They are inflammatory to say the least, and usually offensive and hurtful to someone listening to you.  Remember, you don't know the entire story of every person in your audience. This type of talk could be considered rude and mean-spirited and taken the wrong way, even if your intention was not to harm others.  Keep these feelings and ideas to yourself. 

     Don't be afraid to take a short break from talking.  Remember, if the person has listened to you this long, they will let you have another turn in a little while.  Perhaps the other person would like to interject something here other than a grunt or a nod.  The bobbing head is generally a dead giveaway that you are with a "conversation hog".   Just because they're nodding or even making eye contact doesn't mean they agree with what you're saying!  If you could stop long enough to take a couple of breaths, it might give the other person a chance to collect their thoughts and make a reply.  By talking non-stop, you take away the thoughts of the person trying so hard to listen to you.  This is a strategy used by some people to dominate others, so don't let it be you by default.  The intent and effect is to suck the other person's energy dry, and it works. The listener in this case almost always has to become a broken record to try to have their say.  This takes the fun out of it altogether.  Maybe the conversation is not that important to the listener, so it's no big deal.  In fact, if you're on the phone ranting and raving, you might be put on speaker phone so the listener can go about their business while you ramble on...did you ever consider that?  I guarantee though, that if the listener has told you something personal that is important to them, THEY want to talk about it, not the other way around.  When the other person is talking, try forcing yourself to be quiet and respectful and to actively listen.  Active listening means to to listen between the lines to try to understand what the person is REALLY saying.  It's a bit of an art, but you will never develop that skill if all you do is talk.

    Shut off your own self-talk for awhile and just listen to what they are really saying to you.  If you will notice, they might give a short pause at the end to let you reply.  That's how a normal conversation works.  Ask anybody.  Do not be afraid of silence, it gives everyone a breather and a chance to think of what they will say next.  It's not a time when someone has to fill in the void...please, and especially not you!!  I promise, nothing bad will happen!

     Practice S-O-L-E-R......it means, face the person squarely, have an open posture (not crossed legs and arms), lean towards them showing your interest, make eye contact and relax.  My biggest beef with a communication hog is that even if they do give the other person a chance to speak, they will go off on a tangent of non-verbal behavior that shows they absolutely could care less about what the other person has to say.  If they don't interrupt, they will check their watch, they will tap their foot, or drum their fingers.  They will turn away, look away, read something,  check their phone, or overdo it on the grunts and non-verbal responses, or the worst which is to keep saying "no" in order to divert you back to something else they have to say.  These types of disrespectful communication techniques are very obvious to the person trying to get the message across.  Ask any teacher, any chairperson of a meeting, or any minister...they know when their audience is raptly listening and when they're not.  If you can't even recognize non-verbal behavior because you are too busy talking then this is exactly what I am talking about.  Learn to recognize the signs that you have talked too long and that now it is someone else's turn.  If you go to a workshop and you notice you are the only one asking questions or imparting information...It may not be because you are the only one who thinks outsie the box, you just might be talking too much.   Remember, if you get a chance to talk, don't hog the floor.  These are basic rules we should all have learned as children, but just like math and spelling, some did and some didn't.

     Some people don't know how to control their own voice volume. They are turned up on "high" for everything. You might have to resort to out yelling them and then softening your voice by gradually dropping it down to almost a whisper so they will unconsciously mirror you. This is a behavioral strategy used that might work if you can get the chance to use it. It's often done with music, depends on the environment.  It does tend to work on children and some folks suffering from dementia.  

          They say there are differences in communication styles between the genders, but both styles are needed and lead to some very satisfying interactions.  Women want to talk out their frustrations and have someone listen to them. Men think women are telling them the problem so they can fix it.  Women can fix their own problems and men can generally survive without sharing all their problems. If we need each other's  help, we will usually ask for it and neither one of us is a mind reader.  Communications across cultures can also be challenging but can work when we remain respectful. Some make far more eye contact than we do, some find it rude with too much eye contact. Some use alot of touch, some use none. Some cover their face and believe you should address their husband, some want to speak for themselves.  We can do this, we just have to understand where the other person is at and not take anything for granted.   We need to address the immediacy of the situation.  For example, "In my culture, we do this....., so that when you do such and such from your culture, I find it difficult to communicate with you". 
    
       I have met communicators that are warm and loving  that I absolutely want to pour my heart and soul to.  I know men, women and children from my culture and others where I find myself hanging on to their every word.  I want to hear what they have to say, because they are so full of knowledge and wisdom and I desperately want to model myself and my life after facets of them.  They are mentors, who will teach me.  They are the kind of person I aspire to be.  They walk beside me as my friend.  They say wonderful, insightful things or let their actions amaze me.  Their feelings match their body language.   They don't say one thing and do or mean another.  Their actions match their words.  They convey a soft-spoken demeanour and are respectful of me and the life I have lived and am living.  They are non-judgmental, and very genuine.  They know how to laugh and how to make me laugh.  They know how to empathize and forgive.  They do not lie or attempt to be underhanded in any way.  They do not think that they are the only ones who know anything.  We all make mistakes...even those who have ranted and raved about what they don't like about others....including me at times in my life when I thought I was holier than thou.  I empathize with these mentors and the majority of the population who may be in the same boat.  I understand the frustrations everyone feels when poor communication occurs.  It causes a great deal of stress and problems when it doesn't need to.

    If you recognize yourself as being in any of these communication dilemmas, don't despair, there is plenty of time to work on what has probably become a bad habit.  Bad habits can be broken and this too shall pass.  These situations tend to move along on a continuum and eventually disappear.  Just like a kidney stone, they're painful, but they do go away.  Unlike the kidney stone we want to rid ourselves of, communication is here to stay and something we can improve if we really want to.  Most of us will do whatever it takes to make ourselves loving and lovable, we just need the tools to do a better job and lots of love, forgiveness and respect to move forward to a better place.  Remember, communication remains the key, like it or not.

Winter - the love-hate relationship

     This week I am amazed that there are 32 people from Sweden reading my blog...that's clearly even more than a regular month when the highest numbers are from Canada.  I wonder what the Swedes found likable or objectionable  about my posts? Could be that they were mentioned in my Christmas post, or that they know my great grandmother was from their country.  Once again, I have to say that blogging brings joy on so many levels...at least for the blogger!

     Here in Saskatchewan, we have been waiting patiently for the arrival of Spring.  The snowbanks on either side of my driveway are at least two feet higher than I stand.  Trying to hoist the snow on the shovel to the top of them has become almost impossible.  I've had to resort to starting two new piles of the white stuff on the street (which I understand is technically against the law). The garbage truck has a difficult time making it around to our residential neighbourhoods some days, possibly because of the infrequent clearing of the sidestreets by the city.  The driver has no choice but to drive overtop of my one little street pile, but that is a small price to pay.  Main thoroughfares get done often, but sidestreets only if you call in apparently.  The first snow was in early October and it was one of those that caused huge rutts that froze and didn't go away.  All winter long it's been like driving on a cord-wood road.  There have been plenty of overnight snows with polished-up, glistened roadways in the morning.  This is life as we know it in this part of the country for as far back as I can remember.

     Driving in these conditions is like learning the finesse of throwing just the exact draw weight of a curling rock.  You have to calculate the speed of the slide, knowing exactly when it or you and your vehicle will stop.  Good tires, anti-locking brakes and 4x4 certainly help, but there's no stopping on a dime in this part of the country.  I've decided that most drivers, especially at rush hour, are practiced at the glide stop and courteous so that they give you enough room to maneouvre.  There are exceptions to every rule and don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of accidents.  On the whole though, I have found the rush hour drivers to be quite predictable and cautious (at least those who frequent the less-travelled routes like I do).  (Touch wood, because this could change).  I do try to avoid the freeways unless it's a severe storm though.  I know the freeway will have the snow cleared first, so a better bet all around in that event.  However, regardless of side road or express route, there are still vehicles and drivers that don't do well in snow.  Smooth tires are tricky and don't do well with hills or stopping and starting at intersections.  Those who fail to clear their snow-covered vehicle windows are also a hazard on the road.

     I was whining to myself driving home from work one day this winter that I was just about over the daily trudging back and forth from home to downtown.  Then I saw a taxi driver and felt instantly ashamed of myself.  Think of the life of bus drivers, delivery personnel and all those who work from their vehicles.  They have something to complain about, yet, for the most part, stay silent on the subject. The city says it does not have a budget for snow removal.  So if the piles of snow are smack dab in the middle of everything in the residential areas, that's likely where they're going to stay.  Some people resort to hiring their own contractors for snow removal, but few neighbourhood streets get cleared right down to the pavement on a regular basis. We know, live and understand that some winters are much worse than others, and like this one, the money is drained early with alot of robbing Peter to pay Paul.  It's our tax money after all and there are only so many people to pay.  Some winters are mild with very little snow, to allow for a chance to build a nest egg for another bad year down the road.  A bit of a crap shoot I believe, but there's only so much money and so streets are cleared on a priority basis.  Where  boulevards are so high with snow that motorists can't see oncoming vehicles the boulevard itself might be cleared...especially if an accident has occured at that corner.  I can think of two boulevards at the moment, one cleared and one not.  Both had zero visibility for months this winter.  The one cleared was near a high school and there was an accident.  One is still left piled high with snow and is an approach to the road that runs along the riverbank. Not a good combination.

        One morning this week, I found water all over my kitchen countertop beside the sink.  I stood there confounded and felt splashing on my neck and arm.  At the top of the kitchen window were three large droplets forming over and over again.  To say I went outside and investigated is an understatement.  The snow is thigh high.  First I had to get the back gate opened to even get into the back yard.  Then I had to physically plow through the snowbanks to get to the deck and do the same all the way up the steps.  I was able to stand on top of a  chair covered with several feet of snow to chip away part of a thick layer of ice covering the whole eavestrough and extending for about six feet along the length.  I used a tire iron and it worked pretty good.  My elbows are still burning a few days later, so not the best exercise, but what the heck.   Back inside, I rigged up a water catching system using a long narrow planter (with a drain) strung up with blue super-cord and suspended the whole thing from the roman blind hook.  Next, I precariously perched a huge Tupperware container on two ice cream pails and the edge of the faucet and handle in the hopes that the water would drain into it.  Prior to that, I had two butter dishes sitting on the window sill that were filling up entirely too quickly. (I'm nothing if not ingenious LOL).  After all, it was a work day and I was on my way out the door.  When I came home in the evening, the centre of gravity for the planter had shifted so it had one end down and the other up.  The water had pooled at the low end, but wasn't enough to be anywhere near the drain hole.  Even so, the dripping had stopped and has not returned several days later.  Even with the warm day yesterday, there is no more dripping.  Yippee!  My son-in-law came and took a look and we both agree there's not much else to be done for it except to wait for the Spring thaw.  A co-worker told me there is some type of warming apparatus you can buy to put on your roof.  I guess it looks like a really thick extension cord.  Both my son-in-law and I are in the mood for holding off on this idea, at least for the time being.

     Apparently, this type of ice damming has caused grief in many places to the point I have seen Facebook ads at $150/hour for an 'expert' to come fix the problem.  Oh brother...On the one hand the ambulance personnel are advertising daily on TV for people to please stay off their roof.   Time after time, you see or hear of people up shovelling, some get away with it, but some don't.  They say a fall from over six feet can be fatal.  The people with a flat roof are also complaining of drips. They tar around every spot  and pipe they can think of it, and still the roof leaks (flat being somewhat safer to walk around on than the peaked type, I would think).  In the next breath, we hear of a roof that collapses under the weight of the snow.  Red River Roping and Riding Arena in Prince Albert had this happen within the last couple of weeks. 

     So what a relief when yesterday, the streets were wet and the low spots full of water. I went to Giant Tiger and bought a few things.  The sun was glorious and I was too hot in my winter coat.  I even pushed the shopping cart clear across the parking lot to return it to the collection site (over the rutts and slush).  I was astounded to see several feet of snow inside where the carts should sit because I guess NOBODY does that there...

     On the way home,  I was almost hypnotized into going for a car wash, but snapped out of it when I realized the futility.   Even with Spring Fever just right around the corner, not only me, but many others are talking about their uneasiness that the melt will happen fast and the result will be flooding. Regardless, I'm enjoying the warmer weather and pretty soon that sun roof will open.  I will be happy to drive in the evening after the streets were wet all day because I will know the sun has dried the pavement, leaving no slippage.   Then again, there's black ice.     

     Awwh..... winter....we have a love/hate relationship with you.  :-)