Pickled in a pool.

It's hot. Really hot. And here in Prince George if we get 30 degree weather for 3 days in a row we consider ourselves having had a decent hot summer. But three weeks of 30 degrees? We just don't know how to deal with it, or so it seems. People are grouchy. Not me, but other people.

I work in the swimming pool industry. It is my job to make sure your water oriented leisure activities are safe and enjoyable. Don't bite my head off because I don't have an odd-sized 13' custom fitted cover for your hunka junk $149 pool you got a Walmart.

Don't get me wrong, you are free to buy what you wanna buy and you can get your water care advice there too. Then you can join the woman who purchased from Zellers and 2 weeks later came to me because she can never get a chlorine reading in her pool and the water is irritating to her children's eyes and skin.

"How much salt should I have to add to a 15 foot pool to get a chlorine reading?" she asked, then added, "I keep adding it and can't get a reading to show up on my test kit."

"What brand of chlorine generator do you have?" I asked.

"Generator? I didn't know you needed a generator. The girl at Zellers just said I could use salt. I've added eight bags so far."

I tried, but failed to hold back laughter. Uh, salt is sodium chloride, not pool chlorine. I can't imagine why the kids eyes and skin are burning. But they probably have no problem staying afloat - it's a mini dead sea. And if somehow the kids did manage to sink and drown, there'd be no need for a casket or cremation - they'd pretty much be pickled in brine.

I found Lisa!

I rounded the corner of an aisle at Walmart on Wednesday and nearly bumped into a woman with two kids walking beside her cart which held a third.

"You!" I screamed as I pointed a finger into her face, nearly poking her eye out.

I could see terror in her eyes for a brief moment and then recognition rolled across her face and she gave me a haggard smile and said, "Oh, hi."

This was my Lisa.

It had taken me a few hit-and-miss attempts before I stumbled upon Lisa the hairdresser after Kerri moved to Texas. Finding a hairdresser you love and trust is akin to finding a decent spouse.

Not long after vowing to a long an committed relationship, Lisa broke her shoulder and couldn't work for quite a while. When she did get back to work, she was pregnant shortly thereafter. A difficult pregnancy. One in which she was only able to work a few hours a few afternoons a week - pretty much the exact hours I was at work, making it difficult to align our schedules.

Then she decided to work from home after the said child was born. She gave me her number. It was disconnected when I tried to call. And I lost my Lisa.

Wednesday morning I had awoke with an overwhelming feeling of just needing some alone time. I have a fairly large bubble of personal space which I pack with me and I have recently been feeling this bubble being squished.

There have been a number of reasons contributing to this, none of which I feel at liberty to discuss in a public blog. Not the least of which, I'm sure, is the fact that I had been taking an anti-hormone for nearly a year, and have recently quit taking, in preparation for surgery. (Blood clots is a known side effect of this drug.) So as the hormones are free to course through my body once again, I'm feeling like a fourteen year old again - but without the body and energy of a fourteen year old.

I had a shower and got ready to spend the day in retail therapy just to get out.

As I looked in the mirror at my hair that morning I thought, "Oh Kerri, why don't you come home for a visit."

Followed by, "Oh Lisa, where are you?"

This is why I was so thrilled to find Lisa an hour later. I can hardly wait for next Tuesday at noon.

Redneck deck.

We decide to replace the small back deck with a larger one, with a garage underneath, before the new siding gets finished.


Alb and Ken decide it's the perfect size to fit Ken's house down the street so off it comes in one piece. This will eliminate the work entailed in dismantling and reassembling:

Jed puts his hard hat and stop sign to good use, ushering the deck movers down the street. Crowds gather to watch the redneck show:


Big boys have big toys:

Ohhh ... it's starting to come together. I can already imagine my little black Jetta spending the night in her new bedroom.

The floor/roof goes on. The Marathon Duradeck man visits us. The railings go up. Seating for adults and Xander get put in place:

Xander gets a mini pool:


Granny gets a mini pool:




Xander gets a mini playground:


Granny gets a mini playground:




Let the BBQs begin...

I found Jimmy!

Jimmy had been missing for a day but thanks to the rain storm, I found him! But alas he was dead.

Jimmy is the kitchen phone. His partners are Bob Evans and Beddy. Doesn't everyone name their phone handsets?? Apparently only if you live with Jed.

I went to use the phone and when I turned it on, I could hear recording saying "Please hang up and try your call again." Weird. My hubby was sleeping and I hadn't called anyone yet.

Even after hanging up, the display indicated the line was in use. And so the hunt was on to find all three handsets. Beddy and Bob Evans were easily found, but Jimmy was nowhere to be seen. And because it was "off the hook" the handset pager wouldn't work.

But the weird thing was each time I turned on one of the two handsets I did have, what I heard alternated between hearing background noises (but being unable to determine what I was hearing) getting a dial tone, hearing a recording telling me to hang up and that awful beep-beep-beep that sounds like a fire engine.

If I happened to get a dial tone, my phone indicated that it was on a conference call, but it still worked.

I went to use the phone in the afternoon and when I turned it on, I heard water running. Then a thunder crack. This was a dead giveaway - Jimmy was outside in the rain.

It's sad, but he drowned.

Being practical minded...

I spoke with my surgeon's receptionist today. She suspects my surgery date will either be August 6th or 10th ... either of these would be perfect, just perfect. This will be after our big brouhaha on the long weekend at Vivian Lake, yet leave me fairly recovered, but still off work, by the time we board the houseboat on September 21. And I'll be back to work by the time one of the other girls goes off for mat-leave in October. Good news all around.

But before I can go spend a few days in the hospital, of course I need new pjs, robe and slippers. And so my quest in the mall began...

Being practical minded I decided my robe should be short and not too heavy. This will be easier to slip on while sitting on the edge of a bed hunched over an incision. And I don't want one that's too thick because I anticipate that hot flashes are sure to follow eventually and I'll get more use out of something not too toasty.

I found myself looking at things that zip or button. Many lightweight robes are made of that bumpy seersucker fabric with little flowers on them. I actually had one in my hand when I was suddenly hit with the shockingly harsh realization: WTF!! I have become an old person!!

I rebelled and came home with a T-shirt I can wander around in without a geeky-old-person robe. And if you happen to visit me in the hospital and you see my bare butt hangin' out, don't tell me, just shake your head and forgive me - I'm an old person in denial.

We made the headlines!

They also posted the photo on the Free Press website.

If you want to see more photos from our Cutting family reunion you can click on this picture to be whisked off to my facebook album.

Entertain yourselves...

I've just returned home from our Cutting family reunion in Kamloops. I don't have the ambition or insight to construct a blog tonight. But I know "The Uncles" have been waiting for 10 days for a new entry, so here... entertain yourselves....