What a Life

Imagine being able to run like the wind?
Running up front leading the way, flying along without a care in the world.

Having had many children and they all excel in what you were born and bred to do?

The adventures that were seen, the many different trails that led in so many wonderful places.
The thrill of the race.  The joy that it would bring making you leap and strain to get going 'right now!'

Then as you age you move to a new home with less noise, less craziness yet are still able to play with and boss around 3 young ones as though they were your ow

As you age and your joints get stiff you are allowed to come and lay on the soft cushions that are set out just for you, an extra helping of meat or even better two cookies in one night!

It was a good life.

Two homes with many who cared for and loved you.

Our Oaky... the Oakinator... My pokey Oaky....
The funny way you used to rub your head all over my hair..... the way you hated your head touched, well unless you said it was okay.
You used to love going for walks, smelling everything you could... and pooping while you walked making us humans step in it when we had not realized you were going (I'm pretty sure you did that on purpose!).
You loved to lay in the sun and your face almost seemed to smile in the warmth.

My Oaky... the girl who saved my boy... led him on many wonderful adventures.. some with tangled memories of pups and line all mixed together while they all awaited help.. Oaky so patient just sitting there.
Oaky who led my boy on a few races himself.. .taught him how to mush.  Taught him how to care deeply after she ran away for 2 days, coming back covered in oil.

You will be missed Oaky.

                                                   Oaky July 1996 to October 2010

What I am MOST Thankful for

Being that it is Thanksgiving and all I have been thinking a lot of what I'm thankful for.

The list is endless... from the small and obvious.. like being thankful for my thumbs to the roof over my head and the food in my cupboards.. to my family and friends and good health.

There are not many things I am not thankful for... apart from mice in my house and spiders that have moved indoors for the winter I cannot think of much to not be thankful for.
I am one lucky 'dudette' that is for sure.
Sure I could use money in my bank account... a working car would be nice... new glasses to see better would be a bonus too... but these are all material things that one day I will have... or not... whatever.

In all this thankfulness thinkings I started reflecting on my life and what I've had to be thankful for over the years.
And the memories came flooding back.... my brain, my dreams began reminicing the past.... Faces and names pouring in making me smile and feel sad all at once.
It opened up my endless list of thankfulls and created more to be thankful for that it almost became overwhelming.
So I wondered.. what am I MOST thankful for.  It was hard, but this is what I discovered about me.

1. If it were not for the medical breakthroughs available in our modern world I would not be here today.  Neither would my daughter for that matter.... we would have never made it through the birthing experience... and IF we had then it is most definite my son wouldn't be here today.
I am MOST thankful for the miracles of modern science, the doctors and nurses.  Because of them I am still here and have just spent the last 22 1/2 years in the company of 2 beautiful children.

2. My patience... I am most grateful for this attribute... without it I don't think I could have survived normal family life..... I LOVE my family, but you must admit I grew up in a very eccentric household (who hasn't), the trials of life consumed our family... then I had teenagers... and owned a business made up of teenage staff... I now own 5 dogs... should I go on?  Without patience there are events within my life that would have overwhelmed me.

3.  Creativity... I love the 'difference' that is my family.. how I grew up and how I've raised my own family.   I do not enjoy being like everyone else.  My house screams creativity (my excuse for a messy house), I like that we (my family) want to explore and try new things .... singing Indian Raga's, Dreds in the hair, Wearing lime green suits to Grad, dog sledding as a hobby... shall I go on?

4. Family.... this tops my list of what to be thankful for.... always.... and lately I've become aware of family from all over the world.  I would love to connect and re-connect with them all.  Which brings me to being thankful for Facebook. A source that has made it amazingly easy to connect with family and stay connected....

5. Bringing me to Friends... I am blessed to have so many, from so many areas of my life.  Each and every friend means so much to me.
I have friends from the young age of 15 to 80.
I have friends whom I've known since I was 8 and friends who I've actually never even met, yet talk to almost daily on facebook.
I need to have many friends in my life... it is what makes me who I am.

AND all of this brings me back to #1.

Modern Science.... without it I would not be here to enjoy any of what life has to offer... and for that I am most thankful for.

The Splinter

It's in the base of my 'pointy' finger.

Deep in the flesh, under the skin.... way under the skin.

Red, swollen and throbbing... and big too.  I can feel it when I run my finger over top.
But darned if I can get the thing out... I've dug at it with pins and needles.. and even tried using an exacto knife.
It just won't come out.
So last night the hubby put his moms poultice trick on it... bread soaked in warm water wrapped around my finger to stay on until morning.

Stupid splinter is still in there.... guessing it's Celiac.

Well... my lesson for the day... what I've learned from a splinter.

Splinters do not care if you are black or white, male or female, or what background you have come from.
They will 'stick' by your side through thick or thin.

We could all learn from a splinter.

Ten Things I Learned from My Dogs

I've been thinking lots about my life lately... and how lucky I am.

However due to some 'bad' luck I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself.... so I started to create lists of why I should be thankful.. happy..
Lessons in life to keep me on the straight and narrow so to speak.

I thought I would start sharing them here in my blog.... rather than keeping them locked up in a journal, here they may help others in a 'funk' too.

I am going to start with one that is close to my heart right now.....

Ten Things I Learned from my Dogs

1. Enjoy each meal as though it was cooked by a top chef, enjoying each mouthful even though it is the same day after day.

2. While on the topic of food....Love and I mean LOVE the other treats that come your way, even if it is a dried pigs ear!

3. Forgive and Forget

4. Greet your family and friends as though they are the most important person in your life at that moment

5. Be loyal to family and friends

6. Take time to lay in the sunshine.....everyday!

7. RUN ..... always.... and like the wind... but stop quickly if you see or smell something that catches your interest.

8.  No matter how annoying the train is... sing along with it to make it sound better.

9.  If something smells good... roll in it so that you will smell it all day long... it will keep you happy.

10. Always be happy no matter how hard your day may have been or how nasty that person was to you... smile and move on.

Owning a dog... many dogs... has filled my life with much love, happiness and joy.
But also sorrow as sadly dogs do not live as long as us humans.  This end comes much too quickly and it is so hard to say goodbye.

Just last year we said goodbye to my girl Emily... my sister dog Rosie.... and now time is too quickly approaching for my old girl Oaky and brother dog Barkley.
Even dogs get that big C which makes life so sad and hard..... but no matter how tough it is Oaky smiles through it all loving the cuddling on the couch and that extra cookie each evening.

My Mugs Family

I'm really missing my Mugs family today.

I had a great visit with one of the members last night and woke up this morning sad that I was not joining her in opening the store today.

In fact it is not just my staff that I am missing lots, but the customers as well.

Over the years I built up not just a business, which was doing extremely well by the way.. .my coffee supplier always commenting on how my orders were growing so quickly over time was my one gauge of how well we were doing and how much 'people' loved to stop by visit and have a cuppa... but I built up a friend base as well.
I met some incredible people, made some wonderful contacts and walked away with many many new friends who I will know for many years to come.
I count myself as one lucky person for sure!

Customers and staff.... they were all like my family.... and I am really missing them all today!!

Mugs was all about team work/ a family to me... the staff all worked together to run the store as smoothly as possible, yes, even without a dishwasher!!
With the exception of a few I always felt blessed that the staff felt the store as theirs too, they would bring things from home, fix stuff without asking, do much needed chores without asking,  phone or message me after hours with ideas or reminders to not forget things myself... gives me a warm feeling thinking about it now.
Even my customers... they would fuss over frozen doors... try to help fix broken items.... shovel the front walk... help clear tables... and ALWAYS brought smiles to my face and that of my staff.

Open Mic is another event I miss horribly... it brought the staff AND the customers together with some amazing talent and sometimes not so amazing, but entertaining always. 
I loved the kitchen feel I had at these events, and we even at times carried on our fun at homes of some of my customers who I now proudly call friends!

I love you all.. and miss you very much... lets NOT lose touch!!!

Hello Toronto!

A large tin box with almost 200 people crammed into little seats... all strangers except perhaps the one person you have chosen this torture with.
4 hours of being crammed in next to sweaty, gas prone strangers..... on this particular tour of hell we had the privilege of sharing this space with many spawns one who decided to cry.... no wait.... scream the entire 4 hours.... oh what joy!

We arrive at our destination tired and relieved to be away from that particular set of humanoids.

Toronto.... I always forget what it is like here until I arrive..... people... so many people... everywhere.
It is a people watching heaven!
I was tickled to see a scruffy looking dude in his late 40's perhaps wandering down the street talking to himself... and happier yet when his conversation turned into an all our argument with his imaginary buddy... I couldn't get a clear shot to take his picture... but I wanted too.
And I chickened out when it came to taking the hookers picture who was stationed around the corner from our hotel.

I also forgot the size and amount of office buildings in the downtown core.  You get used to little ole' Calgary and then get here and it is almost overwhelming... like a forest of metal, glass and concrete.
I'm excited to be  here and wish we had at least one more full day to explore the city center... expose the memories from the recess of my brain.  This was after all my stomping ground from a very long ago past.

One memory and experience that I could do without is the humidity.
Our bodies definitely become conditioned to where we live.... and I am having way too hard of a time getting used to the constant feeling of being sticky and wet.
The heaviness of the air making it hard to take a deep breath.... however when that deep breath is taken you are sucking in the smog that surrounds this city, and with the humidity there is tons.

Ah Toronto.... like a long lost friend.... other than a face lift and a tummy tuck to make surface improvements you are still the same girl I left behind all those years ago.
By the way.. thanks for the Blue Jays game last night... too bad they couldn't have won!

Java Joys

So this opportunity arose that I just 'couldn't' say no to..... even though my mother kept asking what was in it for me and that I 'better' get a job out of it.......... a volunteer experience at the  Prairies Regional Barista Competition.

I was given the job of score keeper.
At the time I was thinking I would just be adding up numbers that were handed to me and that would be that.... and I was just handed numbers.
However I would enter these numbers into a program on the computer and then compare my entries with a buddy who was doing the same..... we then recorded the correct totals to a score sheet......

Our position at the Championship gave us the honour of looking like we were in a huge position of authority............ and we kinda were.......... with knowledge!

We were the ONLY ones in the entire building who knew, KNEW, who was in first place or last place.. not even the judges had this information.
It was great.

But what was even better was being able to see the score sheets and read all the comments from the judges.  I felt like I could get up there and compete myself that very moment knowing what they were looking for.
I 'learned' so much.. and from the best top Baristas in our area...

My mother was wondering what was in it for me.... experience, knowledge,connections, and a sense of belonging... that was what I got out of it.
I am going to miss this community of 'coffee' very much... and my time at this Championship had me questioning my motives for selling my business (only briefly).
But I do know I want back in the coffee industry somehow..... not owning my own place, but perhaps working for one.
I would love to either work for Fratello OR a trendy coffee shop that sends it's well trained Barista's to competition and focuses on latte art and extreme coffee knowledge.
There are some incredible high end roasters in this province, Fratello, Transcend, Phil and Sebastian and Kienna coffee, and they were all present at this competition, we are lucky to have this quality available to us Albertans...... Time to go on a province trekk and hunt out the shops that were competing this weekend.

I think for me it will always be about the java... how could it not... it has been who I am for the last 6 years.