News from Away

Farmer Geb reports that the tractor has been retrieved from the bog and is safe at home in his backyard. That'll teach him to try to use farm equipment to rustle his own cattle.

Kathy has a new job with Yanke property management doing commercial properties out of Saskatoon so they will be moving to the house in Rosthern (about a half hour outside of 'Toon) in November. This means that I won't be spending Christmas at the farmhouse, but the Rosthern house is still huge, a two-storey plus basement on a quarter-acre lot big enough so Dad can keep his ride-on mower, but not big enough for Dad to keep Chuck, Winston, and Ralphie.

I asked Dad today what happens with the cows since they're moving in November, and he said that they'll all be going to auction. Actually, the answer I got was "Burgerfest!" but after some discussion we agreed that we would not want to sit down for dinner and have "roast Ralphie," we'd rather have anonymous beef than remember the face it came from. Turkeys, however, are a different matter since a) turkeys are stupid and b) they're mean bastards.

This also means that Dad's Christmas-tree expedition will be drastically different. I don't imagine it'll go over very well to be driving through the suburbs to cut down a Christmas tree out of someone's yard, they're more likely to see us and call the police.

But Christmas will be a new adventure... new house, lots of bedrooms (apparently I get to decorate the one I'll be staying in), and something new for Dad..... neighbours.

This should be interesting.

Ahem...

To the guy in the SUV riding my bumper while reading a book with his child in the backseat at approximately 6:04pm on September 17th on 168 Street southbound to 64th Avenue....

PUT THE DAMN BOOK DOWN AND
WATCH THE F*CKING ROAD!!!

Thank you.

And now back to your regularly-scheduled ranting.

Home Sweet Home.....?

I am home. Back in my own house, my own bed, and my own cat. The parentals have gone on their holidays up to the Kelowna area and taken the dog - happy cat!! - as well as several other household items.

Now don't get me wrong, I am perfectly capable of going to the store to pick up milk and bread - I like skim & soy milk and multigrain bread anyhow - and anything else I may want or need. The odd part came about when I read on their note that they packed the dishwashing soap from upstairs but that there was more in the cupboard in the garage.

Oh sure, a six-litre refill bottle from Costco. Ever try to get one little drip of soap out so you can wash one coffee mug from a six-litre bottle? Not so handy.

I didn't even have a little squirt bottle in which to pour some of that six litres into! So I bought dishwashing liquid. But then the question becomes which brand to buy? Palmolive is on sale but comes in overly-fruity scents of orange, pear-violet (as far as I know violets don't have a scent), and the ubiquitous "you're-soaking-in-it" original green. Method the biodegradeable brand only had two scents available, mango tangerine (too fruity) and french lavender. I have the french lavender biodegradeable cleanser cloths, but the interpretation of lavender in the dishwashing liquid was still too floral somehow. So I bought Sunlight in grapefruit scent, which was both on sale, a bonus 18% more (woohoo me!), and it smells very clean and bright. Interesting how one can have this much choice just for dish soap!

But the best part of being home has to have been my first night back home in my own bed, hearing the sounds I haven't heard in over three weeks like the white noise of traffic, the faded whistle of the freight train, and the giant SUV slowly roaring through my neighbourhood with the drunk guy yelling out the window, "DAAAAAVE! DAAAAAVE! WHAT HOUSE ARE YOU AT??? DAAAAAAVE!"

I got up, knocked the cat off the windowsill (YEOW!), and yelled, "SHUT THE F*CK UP AND GO HOME!!"

God I love Surrey.