Another death in our little family

Well, it's been a bit of a tramatic week and a half. My daughter had to get one of her cats put down as she was full of growths and tumors and had started to fade. Nothing could be done for her and she seemed to be suffering. She brought her out here and we buried her next to dear old Fred in a nice spot among the trees. It was a tearful goodbye, very sad. Then, Tuesday past I was ready to go into the city. I had about five minutes to get my luggage in the car and get to the highway to catch the bus. As I was picking up my suitcase to go out the door I heard one of the hens cry out. The three hens have full run of the property and never leave it and this noise was coming from the front of the house. I immediately looked out and saw a dog run around the side of the house. I went tearing out the back door to try and head him off. Dogs are not allowed to run free in this community so I never have this sort of problem. Anyway when I got out there were two great huge dogs there. They looked something like rotweillers but weren't although they had huge heads and big chests. They looked very well kept and well fed. I screamed at them to get out of here and they ran toward the gate. One turned around and started coming towards me. Now, was this dog in attack mode? Well, he came within a few feet of me and I yelled at him to go so he headed back around the property with me chasing him to get him out the gate. My partner yelled out that he had one out and I yelled back that the other one was coming his way. We got that one out and they both ran up the road. What a mess! I was panic struck because I couldn't find two of the hens and also because I had to catch the bus. It, going to the city only once a day. We searched all over and couldn't find them, I was sick about it all and had to go. Later that evening I phoned my partner and he said one of the hens had come back but he looked all over again and couldn't find the other one. He asked around to see if anyone knew who owned the dogs but no one did. I was ready to tear a strip off the owner when I got back if I ever found out who it was. I figured they must have belonged to some visitors. Then my partner phones while I'm in the city and tells me he is running a fever with horrendous pains in his stomach, then he phones the day before I am due to come home and tells me that one of our cats has been missing for two nights and three days. It seems everytime I go to the city for a few days everything falls apart here. Totally stressed out and worried about the cat I arrive home and thankfully the cat turned up just before I arrived. Lulu, the hen, must be dead so now I have to go out and look for a body. As much as I love animals, I'm afraid that if I see those two dogs here again I might go in a killing mode myself. Ah well, I suppose I can't blame the dogs but I can blame the owners.

My new Lawn Mower!

Well, this week my wonderful old beauty of a lawn mower bit the dust. I bought it off a neighbour about five years ago for the great sum of $20.00. He says it's about forty years old but it never failed me even though it was rusty and had bits missing. Every year I would haul it out of storage, pull the rope and off she'd go. The old fellow next door would just shake his head and in great amazement say he couldn't understand why it was still working. I guess everything just gave up inside it this week, a large peice fell off it and there was smoke and gas flying everywhere. So, now I had to get a new one. I heard they were on sale about an hours drive from us so Friday morning we hopped in the car and set off. I don't know what I was thinking, I thought it would come assembled, ha, ha. I was given a box and told it was just the wheels and handle that had to be attached. I can do that, I said to myself, so we put it in the car and made our way home. We got home in time for a quick lunch then out I went to open the box and see what I had. A lovely bright red machine. There were the wheels, the handle in two parts and a funny cable that went somewhere and of course the usual bag of nuts, bolts, washers and screws. I could see trouble on the horizon. Now, most times, I'm pretty good at getting my head around how things go together while my partner is absolutely hopeless at this sort of thing. Hence, we can never work together without me blowing up with frustration. He offered to help, but I said to stay away from me, I would manage it myself. lol. Now to the instruction book. I couldn't understand a word of it, might as well have been in another language and oft times these instructions are. I laid all the nuts and bolts out, looked at the book, the pictures and the parts. Tried attaching parts, no didn't go on right. After about an hour I was so frustrated I was at the point of throwing up. I had to break down and ask my partner for help. We were at it for about three hours and I can tell you it wasn't a pretty sight. Well, we finally got it together but couldn't figure where this cable went. I was beyond frustrated by now and after kicking the machine, said to put the bloody thing back in the box and take it back to the store. Right about then friends phoned and said they were coming for coffee and asked me what was wrong as my voice didn't sound right. I explained the situation, and my friend said maybe they could help as it sounded like the one they have. My friends husband looked at the machine and said that something didn't seem right. We had the handle on backwards for one thing. Anyway he knew how the cable went on and fixed things the right way around and finally pulled the cord and off she went. This little red beauty cuts the grass ok, but alas, it will never take the place of my dear old green one.

My weekend

Well, I got my camera working again. Such a silly thing really. Friends stopped by yesterday and I was telling them about the problem I was having with the camera. It telling me the batteries I was putting in were no good. So they suggested I try a couple of the re-chargeable ones that they use. One of them went back to their house and brought back two, put them in the camera and Yay, the camera worked fine. Guess who is buying a battery charger and batteries this week. In the afternoon I was going about taking pictures of all and sundry. It was great! What a feeling of satisfaction to have the camera working again. My brother stopped by on Saturday for a short visit. It was so good to see him. He is so witty and funny. We had a great time and caught up on a lot of things. We had a great meal, Asparagus pastry, pakoras, large veggie salad and stuffing, plus I might add, two bottles of wine. The day was perfect, warm and sunny. I was sad to see him go but so happy I did get to see him. He brought with him an old school chum who he has been friends with since they started school and that was a long time ago. Today the sky is black with cloud but I'm not complaining as the gardens need a good soaking. Everything is growing well and it all looks very pretty. The Blue Jays have been here with their young. Such a racket at times and the young on the tree branches shivering their wings in anticipation of the food the parents are taking from the feeders. Ah, isn't life grand!