Update on the Painting Project & What’s Next

May1

I just realized that I left you hanging about my paint colour.

Alpaca went on one wall – two coats – and was left to dry while the rest of the main level was being sanded, patched and readied for painting.  IT WORKED!!

I’m not quite sure how to describe it – it is soft taupe with a hint of grey – absolutely no pink or yellow undertones (YEAHHHH!!!) and it suits my decor very well.  It looks very different on the actual walls than it does on the little colour strip you pick up at the paint store and, yes – it looks different in different rooms and under different lighting conditions.  I’m happy with it and that’s the main thing.

On to the next project – landscaping the grass right out of my front, side and back yards!!!  I’m going to cash in my future and do some sort of combination of shrub and perennial gardens with dark mulch, riverstone and artificial grass.  Yes – fake grass.  I have HAD IT with grubs, skunks digging for grubs, cinch bug, and weeds of every variety.  With the “no chemcals” rule – you just can’t win.

Take a peek at www.perfectturfgrass.ca or at www.synlawn.ca.  It even has little brown bits and thatch in it – so very real looking – and feeling.  Expensive though – thus the landscaping to reduce the amount of “grass”.  I’ll keep you posted on this one.  Waiting (waiting forever) for a couple of designs and estimates.  I’m hoping this will pay for itself in 6-8 years and it is warranteed for 10!

 

 

Love my I-Pad

Apr28

I am so lucky!  Last week I was gifted with an  I-Pad……now that’s the way to make a person feel REALLY appreciated!

I have always said that old dogs CAN be taught new tricks – but as each year goes by, it takes longer and longer for things to “sink in” to the old noggin.  My favourite techie (Steve) just assumes if he tells me once, it is forever remembered.  Not quite.  Usually I have  to keep crib notes – visual is always better.  I just have to remember where I put them!

This world of the tablet includes a whole new language……”apps” is my favourite – it even has a store for shopping!!  Now that I know how to do!  Another cool one (and it’s free)  is called “AroundMe”.  Somehow this little “app” knows exactly where you are and finds all of the things of interest around you – bars, restaurants, theatres, hospitals, pharmacies, etc.  Can’t wait to try this one out when I’m not at home!!

Thank you Kris!!

LCBO Votes to Strike

Apr11

We are lucky here in Ottawa.  If our source of wine is turned off, we can always slink across the bridge to La Belle Province and stock up – and likely with better choices and better prices!!

Workers in the LCBO want more money.  SAY WHAT?  They already earn, from what I read, more than just about any other retail job on the planet.  What is so special about putting a bottle in a bag, or stocking shelves?  What is unique about these retail workers  is that they are provincial government employees…….and, therein lies the problem.  Back to the trough – but – the trough is US!!

Let’s privatize this monster for once and for all.  I know it is a profit maker for an already strapped provincial government – but I’d rather have some competition in this arena than it be used as a source of tax revenue.  It must, however, be privatized without a myriad of government rules and added taxes (I must be dreaming!!).

At the very least, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to pick up the bottle of wine for dinner along with the groceries you are purchasing to make the meal!!

I think I’ll make an LCBO run while I can!!

Sue

Choosing a Paint Colour

Apr6

After looking at and dealing with chalky builder’s paint on the walls for 5-1/2 years…..and figuring that having the interior of the house painted isn’t going to get less expensive over time….. I decided to bite the bullet and at least start the process.

In an open concept style of house – there aren’t too many options when it comes to managing a large job in phases – and phases it will have to be for budgeting purposes.  Phase 1 will have to be the Great Room, Kitchen, Dining Room, Hallways and the wall heading down the stairs to the Lower Level + all trim and doors in these areas.  Since one runs into the other, you can’t stop once you start!!! The Main Level Bedrooms, Bathrooms and Laundry can wait until Phase 2 and the Lower Level until Phase 3.  Closets may end up being in Phase “infinity”.

Now that I had determined how to proceed, I had to find a painter.  My regular guy is meticulous, does a fantastic job, but is slow and therefore expensive.  I interviewed 2 other painters and settled on one who comes recommended by neighbours – and who provided a very reasonable estimate – besides – I liked him.  Feeling comfortable with somebody who is going to be in your home for an entire week is important.

So – now I know what is going to be done and who is going to do it.  All that is left is to choose the paint colour.  Oh My God!  All I want is a neutral with “some colour” to provide contrast with my white trim and ceilings, trending toward the taupe vs the beige.  Well – easier said than done.  Those little colour strips you can bring home just do NOT tell you how the paint will really look on your walls.  I have to be sure – it’s a lot of wall and a lot of money to end up hating the colour!!  There are so many undertones to these neutral colours….some are pink, some yellow, some green and some purple……yes, purple!!!

Once I had selected a particular paint colour from the little colour strip, I purchased a “test pot” and painted two coats on two different areas of the house (different lighting).  I did this 6 times….and hated them all.  Now what?  Shares in Sherwin Williams ???   Bring in the experts!  I hired a paint colour specialist/decorator to help me solve my dilemma.  This sounded like $75 well spent.  She has recommended a grey/taupe.  It definitely doesn’t look pink, yellow or green – but once again, I have to paint a splotch on the wall to be sure.  She also recommended a matte finish vs eggshell or satin.  That set me back – I haven’t used anything but eggshell EVER.  Apparently paint quality has improved to the point that matte finish is washable.  Imagine!  I will have to think about that one though.

The proposed colour – called Alpaca – is now on the walls in both great room and dining room.  It is really hard to focus on my paint splotch (about 12″ square” ) and not look at all of the other colours that are up there, including the existing paint which tends to be a pink beige.  I have done 2 coats and will now let it dry really well – tomorrow will be decision day.   Hmmmmm – so far, not sure.   It’s pretty grey.

Decision made.  Alpaca it is.  My painter, though, is a smart guy.  He will buy 1 gallon and completely paint one wall to let me see it in quantity (and with the best quality paint) to be sure – before moving on.    We start April 15th.

Wish me luck!

Sue

April Fools

Apr1

Well – they almost got me!  I picked my newspaper (The Ottawa Sun) out of my mailbox and glanced at the headlines as I headed back to my coffee – “Trudeau’s Our Man”……Sun Media backs Grit frontrunner.

EEGADS!  What has the world come to?  Cancel my subscription!  This can’t be happening!!  Not The Sun…….NO WAY!!!

I quickly move to the editorial column on page 20 – and see the Header there……”Foolish not to go with Trudeau”……..my blood pressure continues to rise as I read on.

When I got to the part where they said “we have come to realize that he cannot be simply dismissed as a Shiny Pony and, although somewhat vacuous in both policy and substance, scientists tell us that all a vacuum needs to break out of its nothingness is a bit of air”………then I realized what day it was.  April 1st.  April Fool’s Day.  The word “foolish” in the column header should have been a dead giveaway!  They nearly had me!

Good one, Ottawa Sun.  I felt impelled to write a letter to the editor in which I said that the day Sun Media truly backs Justin Trudeau, I will start to look upward for flying pigs.

I like a newspaper with a sense of humour!!!

Sue

Happy Easter Everyone!

Mar31

The weather is improving, the sun has been shining, and the snow has been melting!  These are definitely signs of spring – not to mention the little bunny turds I can now see all over the yard!!!

Friday night I awoke in the middle of the night to a vile odour – SKUNK!  In my fog, I couldn’t figure out why the smell was so strong in the house – the cats didn’t seem unduly concerned so figured I would worry about it the next day.  It took me until late in the day to think of shutting off the HRV system…..DUH!!!  I guess a skunk got startled (maybe by the bunny??) between my house and that of my neighbour and let one go right near my fresh air intake.  NOT PLEASANT!  Two days later, lots of open windows and a half a can of Febreeze and things are pretty much back to normal.  Who would have thought of being “skunked” in your own house????

It is on days like this that I miss family.  There should be a turkey in the oven providing the right kinds of aromas and a gaggle of family and friends to help enjoy it.  My immediate family is strewn between Toronto, Vancouver and Orlando and extended family and friends all busy doing their own things.  Sigh.  OK – that’s enough!!  I’m over it!

Hope the Easter Bunny brings you all lovely treats!!

Sue

Just Bitchin’ – Nothing Better than Planning a Holiday

Feb22

Sometimes I think the planning and research is almost as much fun as the holiday itself – at least for me it is.

Just a few months away now from a fabulous holiday on the French and Italian Rivieras (no less).

Sometimes things happen for a reason.  Our original vacation package was cancelled – not enough people signed up – so our money was returned and it was back to the drawing board.  As luck would have it, we found something even better without spending more money!!  We will be spending 6 nights in Nice, 1 night in Genoa and 5 nights in Viareggio.  The itinerary is packed with lots of day trips – but how lovely to be coming back to the same hotel for multiple nights in a row.  I’m pretty much beyond the point of trying to pack up and move on every morning……at least not when it’s on somebody else’s schedule.

While in Nice, we tour St. Tropez, Grasse, Eze, and so many other beautiful places.

En route to Genoa from Nice, we will tour Monaco and Monte Carlo (we may even take the public bus from Nice – 25 minutes – to lose a few euros in the casino and oogle some spectacular yachts).

When we travel from Genoa to Viareggio, we will spend most of a day in Cinque Terre, walking between Riomaggiore and Manarola, then going by boat between Manarola and Vernazza and finally by train from Vernazza to Monterrosso del Mare – seeing 4 of the 5 quaint and breathtakingly beautiful little villages that make up this special place.  We will have covered all of the permitted modes of transportation – hiking, sailing and train – no cars allowed.

Then  5 nights on the ocean – and I mean right on the ocean – in Viareggio,Tuscany, with side trips to Florence, Pisa, Sienna and Chianti.

It all sounds absolutely wonderful.  So – now we’re pouring over information on what we might do with leisure time, looking at galleries of pictures, saving our money, practicing our wine drinking, making lists of our lists and enjoying every minute of it.

 

Just Bitchin’ – What’s Wrong with This Picture?

Feb17

Members of Parliament are paid by us, the public.  Why then are they charging us, the public, for speaking engagements?  If this isn’t a solid case of double-dipping, I don’t know what is.  What’s wrong with this picture?????

How is it that union negotiators or salary arbitrators aren’t given (or don’t need to care about) any facts relating to monies available?  What good does it do to come up with a wage decision that is completely unaffordable?  How often does anyone think they can “go back to the well” (the well being you and me) for more?  What’s wrong with this picture??????

How is it that Bilingualism is alive and well (not to mention extremely costly) everywhere in Canada EXCEPT FOR QUEBEC??? Was it not, in large part, introduced to give francophones – the greatest number of whom live in la belle province – access to services in their mother language?  What’s wrong with this picture??????

Health care expenses are on the rise yet services are being reduced.  Being proactive is slowly becoming a think of the past.  If it isn’t affordable to be proactive, how on earth will we ever pay for the major downstream problems?  What’s wrong with this picture?????

Speaking of Health Care – we continue to be told that there is only one-tier medicine in every province (except Quebec).  How is it then that Jason Spezza had immediate access to an MRI and back surgery to relieve disc issues?  Is it possible that the Senators PAID for this???  What tier would that be??  What’s wrong with this picture????

Many native Canadians spent days and days – and in some cases weeks and weeks – picketing or sitting in a teepee, being basically IDLE……….in support of an IDLE NO MORE movement.  What’s wrong with this picture?????

Across the river (in Gatineau), garbage is collected in one bunch – no need to separate out your leavings into green, black, blue and other bins.  It is done, somehow, after the fact (and probably with a higher success rate at that).  Here, we are asked to separate our garbage – yet several times now, I have seen ONE truck picking up both Green and Blue/Black bin contents.  What’s wrong with this picture??????

I invite you all to add to this list – send me your examples and I’ll add them to my blog!  I’m sure I have only scratched the surface.

Sue

Just Bitchin’ – Your Councillor Can Make A Difference

Feb1

I feel very lucky to live in Kanata South and to have Allan Hubley as my city Councillor.  This man is beyond amazing.

I have never been shy to express my opinion (now don’t all argue with me about this at once!!) – and I often email him if I want to express myself on any given issue.  He most often responds, personally, within 30 minutes!  Yes – within 30 minutes!!

I also call or email him when I have a request – a good example was when the changeover happened to garbage collection – nobody on my street had received new collection calendars.  It was taken care of immediately!

Most recently, I whined about how difficult it was to get a zoning question answered (and I do have a lot of those, working for a gaggle of real estate agents) – now I have a personal (and direct) contact in the planning department – thanks to Allan.  I have since had several zoning questions answered quickly and thoroughly.  Not only that – one of Allan’s admin people called me this morning to make sure the process was working for me.  Now that is SERVICE!

Allan Hubley seems to be a man with a very good head on his shoulders, who uses a lot of common sense (so sadly lacking in municipal politics), seems to truly care about his constituents – and he has certainly had his own share of life challenges.  I like him a lot.  The sad thing is he is only one voice and one vote on our City Council.  I wish we had more like him!

Sue

Just Bitchin’ – It’s been a while….

Jan20

Large gap in posts – sorry about that!  I came down with a very nasty cold bug…..much better now though.

I couldn’t help myself – I watched the Sens first hockey game yesterday afternoon.  They got off to a rocky start, but thanks to good goal-tending, we won our first game!!!  I’m still angry – mostly at the players – for the loss of half of the season so I probably won’t spend my money at the arena this year.

Much of what is still spinning around in the news is “old news” in my rants or in my raves – nothing has changed when it comes to “garbage” or “healthcare” or “Quebec” or “bilingualism”  or “unions” but now we have “Idle no More”.

Idle no More – because they are sitting on railway tracks or on Parliament Hill!!!  How much of my tax dollars has gone to first nations people?  What have they done – or are they doing – to help themselves?  They get my money and don’t feel a need to account for how they spent it???  There is something very wrong with this picture.  This one will get ugly before it gets any better.

Man – another thing – our long awaited trip with Collette Vacations to Provence, Monaco and Tuscay in May got cancelled – not enough people signed up.  Back to the drawing board.  We may have found something similar with SeniorTours – more research needed before making any decisions.

The snow just stopped and the sun has come out.  All is well (for now).