Do you know true terror?

So, THIS happened!

Jessie and I went to Canadian Tire today to do some long awaited stuff shopping for yard thinks and such. We also needed to buy a new lawnmower as the landlord had promised a new one in the lease. We decided to go to the new Canadian Tire at 7th and Cambie since the road work is pretty much done down there and you can finally get around a bit. We parked in the rooftop parking area and walked in to the store. I will admit we were pretty stupefied by all the shiny lawn furniture and assorted yard accessories. When we first walked in we saw some really nice fire pits for the yard and we kind of fantasized about how cool it would be to have one. When we got to the place that they were stacked on the shelf it looked like they might be on sale. I grabbed the big box and stuck the UPC code under one of those price check thingies and sure enough it was half price. The regular price was $99 and it was on for $49.99! Well shoot, I'd buy it.

We piled all our purchases into a couple of buggies and eventually went to check out. They have a self serve check which involved several episodes of a clerk coming over to help us continue, much lifting boxes and finding codes and other pain in the ass stuff until finally we were checked through.

We piled the stuff into the car, swung through the Wendy's drive through and headed on home. Once we got back to the yard we decided to sit in the sun and eat our lunch and then unpack all of the goodies from the car. When I grabbed the box for the outdoor fire pit (some assembly required) I noticed there was a hole in the back of the box. I took one look and recognised it right away. Only one thing makes a hole like that. Rodents.

After I started to cut the box open we could really see all of the damage, tons of chewed up styrofoam and shredded paper and plastic and to our relief, small droppings from a mouse, not a rat. We started picking the pieces of the fire pit out of the box when it happened. Mouse running around in box! I screamed like a little girl and ran the opposite way and the mouse started running towards Jessie who was kind of frozen in place but no less freaked out than me. The mouse headed straight for the stairwell towards Jessie's apartment door, luckily it was closed or it would have run straight in. So now we are just shitting ourselves trying to think of what to do.

By this time Superman had come out to see what was going on and while him and Jessie made some sort of plan I decided to call Canadian Tire and see what they had to say. The first guy I spoke to in the outdoor living department responded by saying "Holy Shit, no way! He suggested I bring it back for a refund but I told him I wasn't touching any of it, it was full of mouse shit and urine, you could see it on everything. I asked to speak to the manager and when I told him what happened he said, "Jesus Christ!" He suggested I call pest control they would be happy to pay for it. By this time I could tell the the mouse wasn't going anywhere and had wedged itself between two layers of rugs. I told him that it looked like we would be able to catch/kill it and we wouldn't need pest control so he told me to bring in the receipt and he would give me a full refund but I could keep the fireplace. So, free fireplace, that's cool.

Superman conducted some rather gruesome maneuvers involving his big Dayton boots and a garden hoe which resulted in the death by squishing for Mr. Mouse. I hid behind Jessie the whole time prancing in place like a prized pony.

This is a picture of the box with all the nest materials and delicious styrofoam, mouse shit and mouse pee. Gross.

This is where he ran and eventually lost his life to a well timed boot heel.

This is where he is now along with the two mats he was rolled up in.

This is the nasty bag of styro feces and pee pee that was left in the box.

Bottom line, Jessie and I were traumatized for a couple of hours and now we have no faith in our ability to handle any type of stress or excitement ever again. That mouse was in the box when I lifted it in the store put it through the checkout and rode home with us in the car. I'm not scared of spiders and insects but rodents do me in.

Tomorrow it's back to Canadian Tire for our refund and possibly a dry cleaning bill because Jessie may or may not have peed her pants a little.

Now excuse me while I go wash my hands again and try to recover from the adrenalin rush I just experienced.

I wonder if I should sue?

Modern convenience?

http://www.cleanistry.com/2009/04/earth-day-guilt-trip/
I thought I would re-post this link from Modern Gear TV all about dishwashers and hand washing and the amount of water used. Surprising results.
I forgot to wish the Earth a happy day. Happy Earth Day to you all too!

Who do you love?

My Mom and Dad came to town for a visit today and it was so good to see them! It was fun showing them the new house and having Mom take a tour through the garden with me so I could figure out what has to be done out there. We had a yummy lunch and took a little drive around the neighbourhood to see all the pretty flowers and buds. They also brought me this cute little table that fits perfectly in the kitchen. It has a fold down table top so I can adjust it to any size I need. The cool folding chairs the old owners left us work really well with it too. My Mom brought me some of my old photos, some I would like to scan and show you one day. She also brought me home made buns and hand made cards from my niece that are super cute, some candles, some red glass candle globes a pottery ring to put flowers in and a crystal heart candle holder. All in all it was such a great day. I miss my Mom and Dad a lot sometimes but we always enjoy each others company when we are together. I'm a lucky girl.

Here or there?

I didn't do much this weekend , just hung around the house. I enjoy that more than most things these days. I am so loving living here. I took some time out on Sunday afternoon to get some things sorted and organised. I brought up this old dresser from downstairs to put in my dining room and now I have a place to put all of my papers and other assorted crap. I think I had to live with things the way they were for a while to see where the piles were forming. Now there's a place for everything and everything in it's place.

I have also changed a bunch of my art around to try to find the perfect home for each piece. I think I am getting close. I moved a mirror to a spot directly across from my front door and I was positive that it was bad feng shui so I looked it up. I turns out that having a mirror facing your front door can ruin your reputation. I can't risk that because I am still new in this neighbourhood. I still have neighbours on one side of us that won't make eye contact. I'll win them over yet.

Just being a homebody right now. I'm off to spend the day with T. I understand she is very weak. We will just "be" together for a while today. These times are both scary and precious.

I had no intention of taking such a long break from the blog, it just happened.

On another note, one of the girls from our "T- Team" took it upon herself to send an email around to raise some cash for T's family. Mostly so her husband could stay home from work and care for her in these final days. There is something very wrong with the system we have for compassionate care in BC. Financially there is very little help available for someone in the family to stay home from work and care for a dying loved one. When you think of all of the money that is not being spent by having her hospitalized it would be nice to think that we could support the caregiver better. Of course friends and family have opened their hearts once more and it looks like he will be able to leave work now. People can be so awesome.

What looks like a penis but isn't?

I just had to get a shot of this. I have been driving by this apartment complex for the last few weeks and it totally cracks me up. Lorna says I have the sense of humour of a 12 year old boy. I tend to agree. But, come on! I have a feeling this gardener is male but I could be wrong. I just can't believe that at some point someone didn't think that pruning the bushes like this would just look like a huge line of cocks and balls. Is it just me??? Or are they happy to see me? It gives a whole new meaning to the term twig and berries.

Behold Bone-Henge!

You heart your WHAT?

I managed to shoot this picture yesterday as I was stopped at a light. I have edited the photo to protect the guy but geez. Yes, the thing hanging off his rear view mirror says I Heart My Penis. I am surprised I haven't seen this on t-shirts and bumper stickers before. Don't all guys love their penises? I believe that they do. Good for you guy! Now the tough part is finding someone else to love his penis too.

Good luck with the little fella!

How cool is this??

Yesterday I went to Winners/Homesense and had a good look around. It's tempting to spend money on household things now that we are in the new house and there is so much room. I don't really need a lot though and I need to save my money for the wedding so I didn't get much. I picked up a cookie sheet, a pair of pants and this pretty baking dish. I just love the colour and it's a perfect size for our household of two plus whoever. I made a yummy Shepherds Pie and invited a friend to share, she brought a delicious dessert. We had a nice evening as she also brought her big floppy, puppy dog over. I really like dogs and Cooper is no exception but I sure can see how much work they are and how much happiness they bring.

I also picked up these cool ice cube trays that make an acoustic guitar a electric guitar and a bass! I couldn't wait to fill them up and pop them out of the silicone trays. They look really cool, they are quite big and you use them in your drinks instead of ice cubes. We were thinking they would look great if we made them with iced tea or something red or blue. Easily amused, we are.

I started this post this morning and now I'm finishing it after dinner. We had the leftover Shepherd's pie with homemade biscuits and had fresh fruit for dessert. Just in case you were wondering. What did you have for your Tuesday dinner or supper or whatever you call it?

We are starting to plan the wedding, we talked about it during dinner. I think we've come up with the style of wedding we want, now we better get going. I will share details as they emerge.

Are you feeling it?

Six o'clock on a Friday. That might be my most favourite time of the week. The sun is still shining in the yard, the buds are popping.

This is the view from my computer.

I've made myself a yummy Caesar and the dinner is in the oven. This weekend holds no real firm plans beyond playing music and hanging out with friends. Juicey and her boy and I went to The Superstore this morning and stocked up on good food for the week. Her son helped me pack my groceries in to the house, just to be nice. God! I knew there was a reason I should have had kids. I think I might just have to borrow J's kids. There already fully formed well adjusted humans and so much cooler than me.

I did make it over to the coast the other day. Here's a shot from the ferry taken from my drivers seat. With a parking spot on the ferry like this why would I want to get out of the car?? I didn't.

I did a little work and then hit the pub for a beer and a bite of food. Good food, good beer, good company. I left there and headed over to my other friends place where we watched the new James Bond movie. I highly recommend it. Had another great visit with my dear friends and hit the sack. When I awoke it was April Fools Day and I sure thought someone was having one over on me. My friend works in the film industry and when I accused him of creating some sort of movie effect he assured me that it was real fucking snow I was looking at. Not cool.
I headed back to the city early in the afternoon. Confused.

I had a visit from my friend Karin today too, she came by to do some shopping in my store and she also brought me a present! It's a Christmas/Easter gift or something like that. Karin loves giving gifts and I love getting gifts so we get along pretty well. She gave me this funky purple Japanese tea pot that I had once admired when I was with her, a beautiful tin of Indian Nimbu tea (Darjeeling Tea with Citrus and Caramel) I can't wait to try, and this super cute green , felt bag with cool dingle balls. A thoughtful gift from a thoughtful person. It was great to see her today!

I choose to focus on all that is positive these days. My life is far from perfect and the illness of my close friend shadows everything I do right now. Now more than ever I need to absorb as much love and joy as I can so I have the strength to give it all back.

What are your plans this weekend? Hope it's all good.

LOVE, xox