For Crosby and Sidney

Stories like this break my heart.

I just don't understand how anyone could treat an animal in such a manner.

The animals in my family have always quickly become family members. My childhood dog had the propensity to be something of a pest at times, and sometimes I wished he would leave me alone, but I still loved him. It will be 10 years this March since he left us, and it still upsets me to think about the fact I wasn't there to say goodbye.

My parents now have two dogs - both of whom were rescued from the city animal shelter. Both dogs look as though they were well taken care of. Both had collars, but no tags. Yet, no one called to claim them. Perhaps their "owners" just set them free. Perhaps they ran away and no one cared enough to look for them. Either way, they now live in the lap of luxury. They have a safe, warm home, humans who take them for walks and to the dog park, treats, toys, and people who love them and treasure them. And they will be loved and treasured until well after they are no longer with us.

Don't burst my bubble!

Okay. I admit it. I have problems with people invading my personal space. If I'm in a large crowd of people, I'm prone to panic attacks. This is a result of some things that happened when I was a teen, and it's something that I'm currently dealing with.

However, line-ups at cash registers are a particular pet-peeve of mine. I don't want someone standing so close to me, I can feel them breathing down my neck. I don't want someone walking on the back of my heels as I move forward in a line. I especially don't want someone knocking me with their shopping cart, basket, or large purse.

This happens to me repeatedly. I've had bruises from elderly women ramming me with their shopping carts. One lady hit me with the cart on the hip, and when I stepped so the cart was no longer touching me, she rammed me with the cart again. I usually give people a dirty look when these things occur. I make sure I give the person in front of me plenty of room. I would hope others would afford me the same courtesy. Apparently, I ask too much.

Today, as I was waiting at the counter of a local take-out, minding my own business, I felt someone hip-check me. I thought it was a friend, playing around with me. I just rolled my eyes and turned to see who it was. I was quite surprised to see a grey-haired 75 year old woman standing next to me. Never mind the fact there was a good 8 feet of counter to my right. She felt the need to forcibly move me to the side. I took another step to my left, and she followed. Seriously, I felt like hip-checking this little old lady back. I'd have knocked her to the ground.

I like my personal space. I don't want strangers invading it. I don't want people I don't know in close proximity when there is absolutely no reason for them to be. Under certain circumstances, I understand there is no other choice. I just grit my teeth and deal with it. However, one of these days, someone is going to invade my personal space in public, and I'm going to lose it. I'm going to take their shopping cart and shove it back towards them, or knock their purse off their shoulder so it's no longer hitting me in the side of the head (I'm short). Have some consideration for those of us who don't want to get up close and personal with the general public.

Summertime

I miss home.

I miss summer.

This particular photo was taken during the summer of 2008, from behind my parents' summer home. I love the colours... the reflection of the sky in the water... and just how tranquil everything appears.

My parents' summer home is one of my favourite places in the world. It's a place to go to get away from everything. For the longest time, we didn't even have a phone. Unfortunately, that changed a couple years ago. However, so few people have the number, it's still peaceful. It's about a 90 minute drive from my parents' house, and about a 30 minute drive to any semblance of true civilization. Most of my time spent there is spent relaxing, usually with a book, and often with a cold beverage.

Last summer, for various reasons, I didn't get to spend any time there. However, I plan to rectify that issue this summer.

It's the time, not the money

So, this week got off to a bit of a rocky start.

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day. I was driving from one school to the next, listening to some tunes. There was nothing else on the road around me. Out of nowhere, I heard a rather loud pop and saw a line running across the windshield in front of my eyes.

At first I wasn't sure what had happened. I thought something had perhaps come out of nowhere and hit my windshield. However, upon closer inspection, the site where the crack started appears to be the spot where I had a chip repaired about two years ago. I'm assuming the repair failed, and with the nasty weather we had on Sunday, switching from cold to mild with freezing rain, back to cold, and then warming again yesterday with the sun, the windshield suffered as a result.

Thankfully, I have comprehensive coverage on my vehicle, which means this won't cost me any more than my deductible at most. Another option is the fact that Speedy, which repaired the windshield two years ago, supposedly offers a lifetime warranty on the repair. I'm going to check into this option first and see where it takes me. Either way, it's not a huge expense.

The time involved, however, is what annoys me. Wasting time contacting Speedy, the insurance company. Losing the use of my vehicle while the windshield is being replaced. I still haven't gotten all the work done from when my rear windshield was broken out in October. I still don't know how that happened. I'm still finding glass inside my car. For 5 days in late October/early November, I was relying on others to bring me to work, and home again in the afternoon. I don't relish the idea of giving up my car again to have the repair finished. So, between the repair from October, and the installation of a new windshield, it appears I'll be without a vehicle for several days again this spring.

I plan to wait until they've stopped covering the roads with gravel (that's what they use here in the middle of nowhere instead of salt). At this point it looks as though I might be without my car for Easter. I don't want to replace the windshield, only to have it covered in chips by the time May rolls around.