Waterfowl...

Blue Winged Teal Duck

Greater Scaup

Ruddy Duck

Spotted Sandpiper

And anyone know what this last duck is? It has red above its bill so it doesn't match any of the ducks in my Alberta book of birds.....

Red Winged Blackbird

Lloyd and I were supposed to go kayaking for datenight on Wednesday but with the children sick and both of us not feeling well either, we didn't want to risk it, so we just went for a drive instead and took the camera out. We drove over to the wetlands on 225 and took some pictures of the waterfowl there.....and we took some pictures of the redwinged blackbirds that so many of you like. We thought maybe we'd buy some of the plants they love so much..the rushes...and see if we can attract them to our pond next year........

My Thursday...

.......started at 3am when I started dreaming about a spider on my arm...I kept brushing it off only to awake realizing t wasn't a spider but a mosquito that had been feasting on my arm and I had FOUR nasty bites on my arm!!! BIG ones!!! It had also bitten Lloyd twice on his back! It was then swollen and on the ceiling so I woke Lloyd up and he squished it and it was FULL of blood YUCK!!!

Get up early and dye my hair and shower it off and then atruck pulls up when I am NAKED!!!! Rush to get some clothes on and go down stairs and the carpet layer is here WHAT?????? he is not due for three weeks!!!! He hasn't even confirmed a date with Lloyd - he said he would phone Lloyd and confirm a date ut that it would not be for at LEAST three weeks as he is fully booked up!!!!!

So he comes to the door and I go downstairs brushing my hair as I go (which is wet as I just got out the shower). He has opened the mudroom door and sees that Lloyd has not done the prep work on the mudroom floor for the linoleum (obviously as it is like cheap plywood and the kids will get splinters so we are not doing it until like two days before they are coming to do the linoleum and he said NOT FOR THREE WEEKS MINIMUM so Lloyd has not done it yet - so this guy is NOT happy and he comes to the door all agitated and says why ahs the floor not been done and they are here to do the floors and it was all booked and my husband knew it was today and he has spoken to my husband several times and it was on the board at work to come today and why was it on the board if it was not today and why did I not know it was today and he starts ranting and starts acting all weird and looks ready to start throwing things and OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!

The young guy he was with was so calm and looks so used to this behavious and was just watching my hummingbirds at the feeder and was obviously used to this guy getting it wrong and losing it lol!

There was no way Lloyd got it wrong and I explained that he had not phoned Lloyd back the way he had promised he would and he had not confirmed a date with Lloyd and I had no idea why our address was on the board at work but even if they ahd suggested today we would not have agreed as I already had plans for the 29th (I was supposed to have breakfast with Val and her Daughter today which was planned WEEKS ago and had the children not been sick I would have been there but I don't want to give Vals Grandson their germs) . Anyway the younger guy agreed that it was the older guys mistake and that they could take the linoleum back the warehouse and rebook! The older guy didn't back down and admit that it was his fault at ALL but a couple of hours later he left a message on Lloyds machine saying ther was a 'mistake' on the board at work and that he would rebook for two weeks time!!!! But what pisses me off is he did NOT apologise!!! Yet he was so aggressive and he was rude about lloyd and blamed Lloyd for it all yet it was HIS mistake!!!! He should apologise not least for his behavious yesterday and how rude he was - I am so glad that young guy will be here when they are here! I think I will be out while they are here in two weeks time as I do NOT want to be here while they are here! I am so glad we can lock the house and they can only access the mudroom and not the house so I can go out and leave the mudroom open for them.

So that was the start of my wonderful day!

Then Lloyd came home and we had to take Rosie to the vets so Lloyd dropped me and the children in town at the track meet so we watched Laurie in his race while he went to the vets to drop Rosie. After the race we went to the mall as I had to get some birthday gifts for parties the kids are going to the next few days. Then Lloyd had not eaten at all so we went to get something to eat but just as we were about to order, all the lights went off in the mall and the fire alarms started going off. Within seconds all the stores stared to lock their doors and the mall had to close quickly and we all had to leave the mall! Turns out the power grid in Sherwood park had gone off! No idea how or why. But all the fast food places in the north end of Sherwood Park had to close and all the traffic lights stopped working so it was chaotic everywhere ad emergency vehicles started rushing off to some place....

So we ended up having to drive down to Wye Road to Dairy Queen to get Lloyd something to eat.

I have no appetite any more so I can't eat much so I ended up eating just the fudge lumps out of a small Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard - I can't even eat half a blizzard any more....a small one - just the lumps is about all I can manage lol - last year I could easily eat a whole medium one lol! YUM!!!

Raced back to pick up Laurence. Raced back to the mall which was finally re opened. Got the presents. Raced home. Laurie showered after his trackmeet. Packed Chris's camping stuff up. Fed the kids. Picked Chris's friend up from South Cooking Lake. Drove out to Miquelon Lake and got them settled at the campground. Drove home and got the dog crate. Drove into Sherwood Park and got Rosie from the vets. Drove home and watered all the plants outside. Can't believe that it rained by our mail box and in South Cooking Lake yesterday but NOT at our house!!!!. Exercised the dogs and saw to everything outside. Bathed Sam. I soaked in the bath.

Bed.

Still not herself...

Abigail still isn't herself.....today she is whining constantly....driving me crazy...yesterday she had no choice but to go wherever we went and because we had to go out here there and everywhere all day because of the way the day evolved, she just had to come along....but as you can see, she wasn't quite herself. Luckily Lloyd came home from work mid way through the morning so I had help to get everything done.

Brothers and friends..

Knights of Columbus

Yesterday Laurence ran in a trackmeet in town against oter schools in the Catholic school division. He was in the 'throw in' and and the 200 metres. Yesterday was such a bad day for us that we weren't able to stay and watch both of his of his events but while Lloyd was dropping Rosie at the vets, we were able to stay and watch the 200 metres. Laurie ran really well but there was tough competition and despite running as fast as he could, he came 4th. Abigail raced over to the side of the track to give her brother some kind words of support!

Beetle

This beetle was climbing around my honeysuckle yesterday so I caught it while it was looking at me on the frame the honeysuckle is attached to!

Go home mom!

Last night we dropped Chris at the campgrounds at Miquelon Lake - he's camping there with his grade 9 class as part of their Farewell Festivities and graduation. It looked so much fun! I snapped this shot as we were driving off and it was funny! I was teasing him and blowing kisses and the girls were laughing and Chris was telling me to go and telling his friends 'Don't encourage her'!!! :) They have all kinds of activities planned from fishing at a trout farm to orienteering, swimming, learning to light fires, games, soccer etc, ghost stories and hikes etc etc but mainly just making memories!!!

Next week we have the graduation and farewell dinner and Chris is the MC :) Considering he only arrive at the school last February he hasn't done badly :) I am very proud of my little guy :) Although I shouldn't call him that any more as he isn't little any more is he??? :) although saying that - aren't girls tall these days????? :) geez I felt so small next to them all hahahahaha!!!!!

Poor Rosie Posie....

Poor Rosie met a porcupine on her walk late Wednesday night. We managed to get quite a few of them out of her but as the top picture shows (after Lloyd had got most of them out) several were still left in, so yesterday morning she went in to the vets to have the rest removed under anaesthetic.

When we picked her up last night, she was still quite sleepy and groggy, but looked much more comfortable and happy. She has two staples in her nose as she had one embedded in her nose - she has to go back next week to have her staples removed.

Amber was so happy to see her Sister back again! They are so used to being together that she was lost without Rosie with her all day!