Candy is being missed

These are some pages I made many many years ago about Candy.

Goodbye Candi

I have a lori (type of parrot), for close to 20 years. During the summer she lost use of one of her legs, the vet was not sure why, we babied her all summer. Changed her eating areas, her cage LO, and tryed everything to help her. She never did regain use of the leg. Friday morning she was her normal self, I played with her, and she talked with me. At noon she did not have use of either leg. She was on the bottom of her cage suffering, like a bobble head, side to side, it was horrible to see. I took her back to the vet. He suggested that the prognosis was not good. We could have MRI'd her, x-rayed her, waited for a diagnosis, or upon his suggestion humanely put her out of her suffering. It was a horrible decision to make. DH was in tears, the two kids were bawling. My bird just coo'ed at us, and kept saying come here, come here, she wanted us. She looked at us. It was a horrible decision to make. I hate having someones life in my decision making power.

My kitchen is so so quiet without her talking to us, and calling to us. No more mimics of the microwave, no more Hello, no more come here. An integral part of our family is missing. It is horrible.

Happy Birthday to my Niece

My neice turns 29 today. She was born way back in 1980. Such a long long time ago. When she was a little girl, I had her so much of the time. When she was "little" her Mom would drop her off with my Mom and me and she would be with us for weeks or months at a time. When I left home at 17, for some reason my sister stopped dropping her off at Moms and started dropping her off with me. I worked, went to school, was a single parent in all intents and purposes to a child that was not my own. This continued for years. Once she started school, she would get left with me for the summer, or holidays. I often had to scramble to find child care in a city that I was not familiar with. At times I thought she would end up with me permanently. I took her places, bought her things, she went travelling and camping with us. I sent her to camps. Basically she was like my own kid. Or so it seemed.

Then I got hurt, I couldn't do the things I used to do. Money was more of an issue. All of a sudden I wasn't the cool aunt anymore. She didn't often want to come. I never pressed her. Then she started getting into trouble. A few vandalisms, a few shopliftings, and things just kept going downhill. Then the drug abuse, alchohol, and sex started. More trouble with the law.
Over the last 11 or so years, I have sent her to rehab, had her leave on more than one occasion. Had to bail her out on more than one occasion. Nothing was ever the same. She was with a dead end guy as a bootty call. Lies were told, accusations made, we drifted further and further apart.
In time I went on to have my own kids. The niece lived either with my Mom, or her Mom, or on the streets, or who knows where. It was hard. During a time period she was living with my mom she swore she was clean, not using in moms house, then one day Mom finds used needs stuffed down behind a cabinet in the bathroom, where my young children could easily have got them.
Last Christmas she phoned and wanted to come to our house for Christmas. I asked if she was clean, or at least not high, and that NO drugs come into my house. I go to pick her up, bring her up for the meal. Coats from all guests were just thrown ont he bed in my room. Well later that night, I find a baggie of needles and drugs on the floor. I was beyond furious. Beyond.
We have not spoken since.
Mom invites us down to her house for Thanksgiving. DH asks if niece will be there, not as far as I know. So we go. Well when we got there my sister was there, my Mom, and niece is in the bathroom, for probably 20 - 25 minutes. Comes out and immediately starts acting goofy, and eating. After the meal I go to the washroom, and yup right out in plain site is a needle and bloody swabs. arrrgggg.
Then her boyfriend starts phoning, and texting, and is all ticked off that she is at her families place for too long. She is carrying on, and it is just a disaster. A controlling, abusive, a-hole she seems to not be able to live without. Drugs in the bathroom, but swearing to her mom and my mom that she is clean. Yah right.

I have to let go, I have to keep her away from myself and my kids. It hurts so damn bad. I see the promise of that little girl hugging me and saying I love you Auntie S all those years ago and wonder where it all went.

Happy Thanksgiving

Monday is Canadas Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for:
1) Living in a country as great as Canada
2) Having my two children with me every day
3) Having a job
4) Having the ability to be creative
5) Thankful that I have those friends in my life that mean so much to me.

Pink Hair

In August I wanted blue streaks in my hair. Being a dark brunette the hair person said blue doesn't work that well so went with magenta. The magenta looks pink on me. WHen I had it retouched in September DD wanted hers done. We did it peekaboo so that most of the time it is not visible. A friend french braided it one day, and wow was it visible.

Monday Mayham

Kids off to school today, one of the few mornings DS didn't put me through the wringer getting ready to go.

Tony won the NASCAR race yesterday, woohoo, and Mark is still leading in points.

Girl Guides went camping Friday night, and Saturday night. Very cool weather around 2 degrees celcius, which is about 35 F. Although it didn't snow on me at home, it did snow saturday night on the girls. They moved from the tents into the eating building and slept in there. She loved it though.

I am seriously trying to cut out TV, I have eliminated all the CSI shows, the Law and order shows. I am trying to not even have a tv turned on.

Some are creeping in on me though. Dexter is riviting for me, I love the vigilante in it. Biggest Loser is still motivational for me. Then there is SUrvivor, and the same night in Flash Forward. I still like Flashpoint as well. Although I thought it was cancelled. Saturday nights are still Americas Most Wanted. If I am what I watch I must be one weird fat person. LOL.

Record Breaking temps

Calgary broke a recorded record temperature for a high for the first day of fall. Never in recorded history has it been that warm. It even made yahoo news. We are enjoying the hot temps, and the kids have been playing in the sprinkler. Lots of fun.