The Six C’s of 2024/25… Let’s Get Hygge With It!

It’s birthday time again.  Time to take stock of what is working, what needs to change and to figure out exactly what I want to happen in this chapter of my life.   

Have I mentioned how excited I am about stepping down from a supervisory role?  Last year felt very anticlimactic, as I toyed with the idea of steeping down in the Spring.  Made the final decision to do so mid-May, with the formal announcement going out to others mid June. However, the actual stepping down was not scheduled to happen until Jan 2025.  It has felt like an eternity of waiting, but my patience has finally paid off.  It is finally January and I am released from the supervisory chains. Over the next month I will get to discover the actual ramifications of my decision.  My best hopes are an improved work/life balance aka less work more life and an infusion of consistent joy, as what I am doing finally fully aligns with my passion.

As posted in “What I Want, What I Really Really Want… On The Road To Joy” I had a ton of productive fails in attaining goals in 2023/24.  Reflecting on what worked and what didn’t, I realized that I wrote down my goals on my birthday but then did not re-read the post until just before my next birthday. Iwas able to remember the general gist of what I wanted to accomplish, but totally forgot about the nuances.  Learning from my mistakes, I am going to apply my management acquired quality improvement skills to this year’s effort.

What will be different?

1) I’m going to the Gemba.  I am incorporating what I want to improve into what I already do.  This will increase the likelihood of success.

2) I have only penned absolutes into the calendar.  Planning for the possibility of having to modify my plans, I have added all the negotiable tasks to my calendar using sticky notes.  That way I have the ability to move things around or eliminate them all together if they prove not to serve the higher purpose of bringing me joy. 

3) I have scheduled in quarterly reviews.  Dedicated time to review wins and to be faster at identifying when plans are sliding south.   

Without further ado here is what I hope to accomplish in this chapter of my life:

Goal #1 Cash 

I’m at a point where it can’t be denied.  I will need a new vehicle sooner than later.  My current vehicle is a 2009 and 2024 ended up being a year of ridiculously expensive repairs.  I spent so much time at the mechanics I got to really know the Shuttle Drivers and all the Service staff.  Like who knows when the person who books their service appointment is travelling to New Zealand… I do!  

If anyone had asked me about my finances, prior to looking at new vehicles I would have said I have a comfortable living.  I make just enough money to save a little and can afford the basics in life and my day to day lifestyle.  It doesn’t hurt that my interests, other than competing in dog shows, are low cost and I abandoned my need to be up on fashion years ago, so my monthly purchases are minimal. 

Then I started looking at vehicles in late summer and I realized that in all actuality I am poor… very, very poor.  There is no way that I would be able to afford groceries, a vehicle payment and day to day living costs for me and the herd.  It was a humbling exercise.  

I thought I had a sizeable down payment saved. Unfortunately it was sizable for 2009 vehicle pricing not 2024 vehicle pricing.  What was even more unthinkable… used vehicles are not that much cheaper when you factor in deals and financing options for new vehicles.  

All this to say, I need to save a lot of money in a short period of time.  I also need to make a decision as to what the next vehicle will be.   I was leaning toward an SUV, a modern day land yacht to fit me and the 5 dogs; but the snowbank gifts that the City keeps leaving at the end of my driveway this winter and the general state of the roads when there is a huge dump of snow has me rethinking that plan.  I have been witness to too many SUV/CUV’s and cars stuck and needing to be pushed out over this last month.  That is one thing that I have not had to worry about with the 4X4 on the truck.  

The other thing that I also need to take into account is my income is dropping starting this month.  The one drawback of demoting myself.  What will this mean for me?  It means I need to be more proactive in grocery shopping, eating breakfast at home and making meals for myself.  Yes, Tim Horton’s you better prepare yourself for a decrease in revenue for 2025 as this chick is off the easy breakfast and lunch train! 

It will also possibly mean less dog shows this year.  This will have a side benefit of meaning less wear and tear on the vehicle.  Frankly, as I type this out I am not entirely tied to this decision.  I fully enjoy the thrill of competing with the dogs and would hate to miss shows.  Let’s park this option for now and revisit it, only if it is really, really needed. 

Goal #2- Comfort/Cocooning

The Captain of Hygge

The Norwegian’s have a word called hygge.  It is describes a feeling of coziness that brings contentment and well-being.  This is my big hairy audacious goal this year.  I thought my house provided me with the ultimate hygge feeling, until I stayed at my sister’s new house.  Now her place is hyggefied!  So much so, I have been yearning to return to it since I pulled out her driveway to come back to my house in the fall 2024.  

Knowing my fantasy of living in my sister’s basement is a pipe dream and there is no way that I can afford to move to a pre-hygged house such as hers, that leaves me with one option… I need to hygge-up my house.  

Things I love about my sister’s house are the window and light.  Luckily I have a house that also has amazing light and lots of windows.  Cleaning the outside of the windows in the spring will most likely help with letting in even more light… BONUS! 

I also love that she has minimal tchotchkes and everything has it’s place which means no piles of  “I will deal with that latter”.  It most likely helped that she moved from another province, so paired down what she was bringing with her prior to moving in.  It looks like I need to do some more Marie Kondo’ing this year and I need to start purging what I own, only keeping what I need and that which brings me joy.

Lastly, her house is a new build so everything is done.  My house is quickly approaching its century birthday and is an eclectic mixture of finished, in progress and need to do projects.  I made a list of everything that I wanted/needed to do to the house a few years ago and quickly put if aside.  It was too overwhelming to even contemplate.  Therefore the plan this year is to deep clean and purge a room a month and to complete at least one project that needs to be done in that room.  Each room has now been assigned a month in my calendar to help keep me on the hygge track. 

I also plan on hyggeing up the yard.  2025 will be the year I finish the fencing, put in flat patio stones and install backstairs, so that the dogs and I will have easier access to the back yard and can spend more time in nature. 

Lastly, I will be adopting my sister’s practice of buying herself weekly flowers.  Yes, this flies in the face of saving money, but I can always look for deals and in the summer I can use wild flowers and flowers from the garden.  There is something about flowers that makes me smile and brightens my day.  So in the immortal words of Miley Cyrus “I Can Buy Myself Flowers” and trust me, I will!

 The four projects that I absolutely must finish this year includes:

• Hiring a millwright to make trim for the front entrance and installing said trim once it is done.
• Crack fill the walls going up the stairs and paint.
• Finish the dining room remodel.
• Fencing and patio stones in the backyard

Goal #3- Creativity

I am borrowing my from my goals from 2023/24, as I didn’t do so well at meeting them.  The plan is to continue to grow my writing and painting skills over 2025.   With this in mind I am committing myself to producing a minimum of 15 posts for 2025.  With a few posts for January already in the books that means I only have 11 more to go.  The thing I like about blogging is I can also use it as a challenge to create photos to augment the narrative.  Double the creativity, double the fun!.   

As to painting… As God is my witness I will get New Beginning done in 2025.  I also aim to complete 5 more paintings over the course of the year.  As trees seem to be mesmerizing me lately, the plan is for the 2025 Collection to be inspired by the Tree of Life- Yggdrasil. I just had a frisson of excitement as I typed that out, so the universe must agree that trees be where it is at for me in 2025. 

Nature’s Work of Art- Windswept trees

To inspire me to meet this goal, I plan on varnishing my 2023 collection and hanging them up in the house, as a reminder that I some talent at painting , as long as I listen to my inner voice and don’t get hung up on painting the way other people do.  

Goal #4- Conditioning

Ommmm!

A goal that I have had since 2018 has been to hike the West Highland Way.  The plan was to hike it with my brother to celebrate his 45th birthday, but Covid got in the way of that plan.  We keep tap dancing around when we plan to reschedule, but my ability to keep injuring myself in new and fantastic ways keeps buying my brother a reprieve.  

With the ultimate goal of some day hiking WHW, 2025 will be dedicated to improving my overall balance, flexibility, strength and stamina.  I will accomplish this through yoga, at home workouts, biking and gradually working up to hiking and dare I say it back-packing.   

Success will be measured by:

• Increased Gumby like flexibility.
• Completion of the DRT 12 week program.  I have made it up to week 8 X 3 times over the last three years and end up with an injury which puts me back at Week 1 every time.  This will be the year that I will make it to the end, as I have banished the word injury from my vocabulary.   Hence from this point going forward that word will be know as the “I” word which shall not be named. 
• By the end of the bike season I will have completed one of the Red Pine Mountain bike trails.  These trails are rated as intermediate to hard and there is also one black diamond trial… which I will be avoiding like the plague.    
• I will also like to spend more time hiking with the dogs.  Maybe this can be a fantastic end of the day activity, once the snow melts.  
• I will also use the Yellowstone spin-offs as carrots to get me on the elliptical more regularly. 

J you better start saving your pennies as the WHW is going to happen!!!

Goal #5- Connections

I can almost smell the campfire!

My ultimate goal in 2025 is to spend more time outside.  That means more walks with the dogs.  Finishing the fence so that I can paint and write outside while the dogs frolic.  I also desperately need at least one camping trip this year, that is longer than an overnighter.  How many dogs will come with me on this trip will remain to be seen.  

I also want to get back to the ‘BA least twice, to spend time with family and the OG’s.  Okay, to spend time with people but to also visit Chicken Chef!  The side benefit of traveling to Manitoba means I have access to many, many acres to roam, which guarantees I will be outside a ton and it also means the dogs will get at least one bath this year, to wash off the poison ivy residue.  

I vow that I will only miss Blah, Blah. Blah Night if I have scheduling conflict.  Be prepared Ladies, as there is the potential that I will occasionally be attending with my cranky pants on!

Lastly I will commit to doing something uncharacteristic for me and will invite others to join with me while I hike, bike, etc. My fear of rejection means I tend avoid asking others to join me in my escapades. By going alone I save myself from the possibility of a “No” and the eventual fretting about “Maybe they are mad at me! What did I do?” that quickly follows the rejection..  Well this year I will risk the “no” and if  the invitee can make it great!  If they can’t, I am secure in the knowledge that I am equally as happy doing things on my own and the reason for the no has nothing to do about me… at least that is what I will tell myself! 

Goal #6- Competition

HELLO…. I had if first!

My best hopes 2025 is for Ferg to finish off his RMX and Champion title before he retires.  This will be the year I will try for a PCD or CD title for him and if we can get the weaves and tunnel we will also try for his CARO Excellent title.  

Lyndy’s goal this year is to work on a quick settle and improve her focus and engagement with me. 2025 will be a competition free year for her.

Hazel goals are up in the air and will be dependent on when her heat cycle,  if she is heavily pregnant or whelping.  All I need is for her to be available for 1-2 shows, and she could potentially finish off her RM and RAE titles and earn her CARO Advanced title. I have my fingers crossed everything aligns for this to happen. 

Brie-  If I can get her to remain settled in a crate while I do things with the other dogs and she can get over her “WHAT THE FUDGE!!!” Reaction to finding out there are people or dogs behind her in and around the ring,  we will try for her RN, RI and CRN titles this year.  

Well there you have it everyone… my plans in a nutshell for this chapter in my life.  It is going to be one jam packed year, but what’s the point of coming up with goals if you are not going to make them big, hairy and audacious!   

What I Want, What I Really Really Want… On the Road to Joy!

Instead of taking stalk of my life on New Year’s Eve, I like to do it on my birthday.  I find reflecting on the previous year and fantasizing about the next, makes the climbing numbers more tolerable. Last year I decided to use self-coaching to figure out what I wanted to see happen in 2023/24 and this post has been sitting in draft format since then.  Here is my stream of consciousness at that time and what I had hoped to accomplish.  The italic sections are an update on how close I got to my projected outcomes.  In some areas I did really well, and in others, well, let us call them productive fails.  There is definitely room for improvement in 2024/25. 

2022/23 Done… Prepare Yourself 2023/24

The problem is I don’t know what I want… or maybe I do, and the problem is my wants exceed what I have available for ability and time.  Christ it shouldn’t be too hard to figure this out, break it down into smaller chunks and work out a plan to accomplish it all, but I find myself dragging my heels.

Why?  What is getting in my way?  

Well obviously me… but why?

I’m scared??? That’s a possibility.  It seems that every time I make plans something happens to derail them and then I end up disappointed.  

What else?

Hmmmm what if my goals are too lofty?  I don’t like to fail.  

You have a point there, but maybe there is a different way to look at this.  What if you place more emphasis on the journey vs the destination?  I know it will be hard, as you have been conditioned that the destination/outcome is what matters, but for other people the opposite is true and they are healthy and happy.  Could adjusting your perspective help overcome this barrier?

It would be worth a shot.

Okay what else???

Too many wants and not enough time!!!

True that could be a problem.  Maybe what you need is to prioritize the wants.  If you accomplish your list you would have back-up options to pull from.  

Well when you put it that way I feel slightly less stressed.  

Anything else????

Thinking…. Thinking… nope that feels like those are the main things.

With that in mind what would leave you totally disappointed if it remained the same as it is right now?

Goal #1

If I don’t continue painting.  In fact I would be willing to sacrifice some social media/TV time to paint. You already have the theme for this year- Gratitude and you finished 9 paintings last year, so are you going to aim for 9 or 10 paintings.  Ultimately I would love to do a painting a month but I think that will be unrealistic, so the goal is to meet or beat last years total of 9.   Given after work commitments it looks like painting opportunities will be Thurs- Sunday.  Hmmm I just thought of an option for 2025’s painting series… hike a trail and paint a picture from that trail.  Planning this series can be my back-up option if I finish the 9 paintings early.  

Waiting for divine inspiration to finish

End of year update:  This was the biggest productive fail of the year.  I started off excited to complete my “New Beginnings” painting but this is as far as I got and then I abandoned it.  It mocks me every time I enter my living room.  In fact, over this last month the dogs keep turning the easel to point to where I am sitting.  Could this be a sign that I need to get back to painting?  I choose to view it as such, and this goal is being reaffirmed for 2025.  

Trying to figure out where it all went wrong in 2024 led me to two conclusions.  I shouldn’t watch YouTube or Reel painting videos and try to base my work off of what I am watching.  The painters made it look so easy peasy and when I tried their techniques it was a disastrous flop.  The typical joy and serenity that I felt when painting was replaced with an inner itchy, scratchy, clenchy feeling.  Who can paint when their insides feel like wearing wool.  Not this lady!  

The other thing that got in the way was lack of time.  I had decided to dedicate Thursday- Sunday as painting time, but invariably I would work late on Thursday and Friday which meant there was little time left for painting after taking care of essentials such as eating, caring for the dogs and basic maintenance on myself and the house.  

How to guarantee greater success in 2025?

I’ve been contemplating this and here is what I came up with.  I was consistently delivering blog posts up until my summer schedule upended my routine.    Borrowing from the success I had with writing last year, in 2025 I will dedicate two solid weeks a month to painting and two to writing vs flipping between each during the same week. Expect the grand unveiling of New Beginnings in Feb/March!

Goal #2

If I don’t go to dog shows.  My ultimate hope is Ferg obtains his CKC RM, RAE, RCH and PCD titles and CARO Advanced.  My ultimate hope for Hazel is her CKC RA, RE, RM, PCD and CARO Advanced.  The hope for Lyndy is her CKC RA, RE and  RM and CARO advanced titles.   Shows that I want to attended:  Muskoka, Sudbury, Portage, Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury.  Other possible shows are Kenora and Thunder Bay.  Dog days will be Mon- Wed with the option of some training on Sat/Sun. 

End of year review:  Well there was better success with this goal.  We didn’t achieve it all, but definitely made head way. We managed to get to Muskoka X 2 and to Portage.  The Sudbury show conflicted with the Portage show, so we substituted Kenora for Sudbury.  As there was no Sault Ste Marie show this year we did Powassan and Thunder Bay to round out the year.  

Ferg ended the year as the 4th highest ranked Golden in Canada and 26th overall in all Breeds.  I’ll take that!  He also managed to get his RM, RAE and CARO Advanced MCL.  He is half way to earning his RMX and a third of the way to his RCH tile.  I wasn’t brave enough to enter any formal obedience trials so no PCD title.  Maybe next year.  

Ferg’s Achievements for 2024

Hazel ended the year as the 9th highest ranked Golden in Canada and 69th overall in all Breeds.  She achieved her RA, RE titles and needs two more legs for both her RAE and RM titles.  Our one CARO trial was a flop, so no Advanced title for her this year.  As with Ferg, I wasn’t brave enough to try for a formal obedience title with her.

Hazel’s Achievements for 2024

Lyndy ended the year as the 15th highest ranked Golden in Canada and 98th overall in all Breeds.   She also achieved her RA, RE titles and needs two more legs for her RM title and 5 more legs for her RAE title.  The one thing that held her back this year was her tendency to get overexcited/stimulated by other dogs.  After the Portage show I made the decision to give her a break from competing, to allow us to work on developing her calm and focus skills before returning to the ring. Fingers crossed training and motherhood will help mellow her out.

Lyndy’s Achievements for 2024

All and all I am pretty pleased with what the herd achieved this year and I am grateful for the amazing people I have met through Rally.  It was really inspirational to watch the top 6 teams across Canada compete.  We were witness to some spectacular runs.  I have already started planning our 2025 season which I think will be Ferg’s last before retiring.  

Goal #3

If my physical status remains the same.  Ideally I would love to be able to run up the stairs two at a time and to go down them reciprocally.  The other main change that I would love to see, is not to have difficulty breathing when bending over to tie my shoes, due to my wayward gut is jamming up into my diaphragm.  Lastly would it be too much to ask to have slightly bendier hamstrings???  

You were able to establish a good routine over your vacation, the question is how can you keep it up when you go back to work?  You know all too well that it is easy to fall back into the habit of not getting groceries and then relying on take-out/fast food to bridge the hunger gap. Helpful in the moment but not in the long term.

Looking at this realistically, if you are out of bed by 5:45 that gives you 45 minutes to do 20 minutes of strength or cardio, 10 minutes of yoga and 15 minutes of meditation.  On days when you have to shovel snow you can substitute shovelling for strength or cardio.  You could also save time in the morning if you  do overnight oats that can come with you and have a lunch packed already.    

Now for the hard part.  If you leave work on time at the end of the day you would have 5-10 minutes to dedicate to mediation and could have 30-45 minutes to train dogs or get in another workout.  

End of year lament:

This was also a goal with loads of productive fails.  I started off strong and then May ushered in the wave of dislocating fibulas, muscle tone and out of whack joints. It started with my left fibula, which was initially jammed forward and kept wanting to return to this position.  Countless trips to PT got it back into position and then I had the fun of working the tone out of my muscles.  I had just reached a point where I could walk sans cane/crutch and an hobbling gait when I tweaked my left MCL.  

More cane time… lucky/unlucky me.  

Leftie finally healed but Rightie said not so fast bucko… and that fibula decided to dance around as well. 

Frig!

Now before you start panicking that your fibulas might start spontaneously dislocating, save yourself some angst.  99% of you will never, ever have to worry about this.  It is a joint that rarely dislocates, but I somehow got blessed with two that like to take walk abouts.  The odds are definitely not in my favour when fibulas are involved.

All this time with unstable shins resulted in shifting at the pelvis and hips.  I spent the later part of Nov and most of Dec at the Chiropractor to get these joints back in place and aligned.  I am happy to report I will be entering 2025 with all my joints aligned and stable.  May 2024/25 be  the year of joint stability!

I did not make gains in the ability to leave work on time, which contributed to a general lack of availability to get groceries and make food.  Ultimately I ended up scarfing down whatever I could quickly find to eat, usually while driving to and from work appointments and/or after work commitments.  Definitely room for improvement on this front.   

I can tell you improvement did not include taking the stairs two at a time.  I was just thankful to be doing stairs at all.  For most of 2024 I had to take one step at a time going both up and down, but I am happy to report, as of the last few days I have managed reciprocal descent! Ending 2024 strong. 

PROGRESS!!!

I am also pleased to report that I am able to put on my shoes and tie my laces while maintaining the ability to breathe.  Whoo hoo 2 goals on the list…achieved. 

2024 also became the year of dusting off “Shrek” my Trek bike.  Physio insisted that I needed to move my knee as much as possible and prescribed biking as my go to activity.  He pointed out biking is low impact and resulted in more RPM’s of the knee than walking.  By the end of the season I had biked a 24 km paved trail in one go and had even started mountain biking beginner/intermediate dirt trails.  My knees, legs and butt thanked me, however the lady bits cursed me every time I was on the bike longer than 15 minutes!  I’m hoping 2024/25 brings more bike adventures my way. 

I also realized too late that I could have/should have been doing chair yoga as much as possible during the time that I was incapacitated, as it could have helped maintain just a little bit of flexibility.   I have spent that last 4 weeks trying to regain just a semblance of the flexibility I had at the start of the year.  It has left me wondering if there is a joint WD40 on the market that might help this tin woman out.  

Sigh!

I just have to keep reminding myself that slow and steady wins the race.  Maybe 2024/25 needs a patience goal… I say this, but I don’t mean it.  Impatience is my toxic trait and one that I don’t think a bazillion years will change. 

Goal #4

If I don’t maintain connections with friends and family.  It has been very easy to maintain contact with J as I am at the farm so often, but what about other friends?  Should this be the year that you travel down to Virginia and if yes what time of year?  The other idea you had which I thought was great was writing letters.  What if you treat it like a bit of a game and put names in a hat and select a letter recipient at the start of the month with the goal to send the letter by the end of the month.  LOVE IT!  DONE!!!!

End of year reflection:  

The OG’s

I made progress in this goal.  Although I didn’t end up going with the letter writing idea, I did manage to meet a number of connection goals this year.  There were multiple Pho nights with B and M, along with bike adventures at Hiawatha, the Hub trail and to the ice cream parlour. 

There were two trips home to spend time with family and friends.  The first trip offered a chance to spend an evening chilling with some of my OG friends.  It was like opening a time capsule; as it doesn’t matter how much time passes since we last saw each other, we always fall into the easy conversation and laughter that surrounded us in high-school.   There is something to be said about maintaining a relationship with those that knew you as you were still figuring yourself out!  

The second trip home was a surprise for my parents and the bonus was my Aunt C, who I haven’t seen for over 20 years, was up visiting from the USA.  Good times and great stories always follow Aunt C who is known for her pranks and overall hi-jinx!   If she ever asks you, do not take her “compatibility” test.  Consider yourself forewarned!

I also made a lot of new connections through the dog trials.  People who kindly offered advice, cheered us on and joined me laughing/commiserating about the palm to the forehead/head shaking “Did that just happen?” moments that occur in the ring.  

The Saltzberg- BDI

I particularly loved the time I spent being a basement dweller at my sisters new house in the Fall.  We hadn’t really had a lot of time together over the last five years, due to Covid and our busy schedules, but Fall 2024 offered some great quality time chilling at the Dog Park with our pack of 5 dogs (2 Labs, 3 Goldens) followed by trips to BDI or Tall Grass Prairie Bakery.  Many laughs were had and many toes were toasted by the in-floor heating in the downstairs bathroom. 

Did I make it to Virginia to see M?  Unfortunately the answer is no, but the sun, moon and stars aligned and we were both at the same place at the same time so managed a quick catch-up.  

Did I make it to all the monthly Blah, Blah Blah nights? That was also a no.  Scheduling didn’t always align and there were a few nights when I was either too exhausted from the work week or accidentally fell asleep on the couch and didn’t wake up until 2 hours after I was supposed to be there.  

There is definitely room for improvement in the connection realm.   My 2024/25 connection plans will also expand to include spending more time in nature/outdoors, as that is what truly puts a smile on my face and warms my soul. 

Other notable mentions to change/growth that 2024 ushered in:

In January, Brie came to live with us. The plan was she would come for training and would then return.  I found myself needing a reason to take breaks from work, to head home on time and to take my mind off of work.  It didn’t hurt that she was dang cute and a spitting image of Ferg at that age..

Breezy Brie

Ferg and his Mini Me

As I was going through the potty training phase, yet again, I realized I truly needed a new coping mechanism.  Getting and raising a puppy every time I was having difficulty disconnecting from work or needed a spark of joy, would not be a feasible long term solution.  Besides I am running out of space in the house and there is no way I am fitting another dog into the back seat of the vehicle.  

Short of buying a bigger house and a livestock trailer to transport the herd, I knew I needed to make some life alerting decisions in my pursuit of JOY.   It was time to Marie Kondo the crap out of my life; only keeping the things and practices that brought me consistent delight.  

When thinking about what sparked joy in my life it was hard to ignore the elephant in the room.  Work… the place where I spend most of my waking time.  Work has not been sparking consistent delight for a very long time.  Yes there are parts of my job that are awesome and leave me feeling chuffed or elated at the end of the day, but there are also large portions of my job that have the polar opposite effect.  Parts that leave me having to pull out all the stops to replenish my energy to face another day.  I don’t even want to know how many times I have cried in my vehicle over the last decade, trying to steel myself for the what the day had in store for me.  

If that which does not kill us only makes us stronger, than I am one of the strongest biatches out there!  It’s not that I work in a heinous work environment, nothing could be farther from the truth.  My colleagues and leadership are as supportive and understanding as one could ask for.  The problem has always been a disconnect between my role and my passion.  

When I started at my place of employment, my only responsibility was providing good care to those who were assigned to me, well that and the occasional development project.  That morphed into a role where I took on additional responsibility for researching and implementing evidence based practices.  These were the happy years, as I love researching, developing and providing care.  My role and my passions were sympatico. 

Life changed when there was a restructuring and my role changed to include a management component.  I do not have a thick enough skin for managing others.  I knew that from my previous job, but I stepped up  and assumed the newly assigned role, as the agency needed my help.  

What do I mean about not having a thick enough skin?  

As an introvert it is hard enough for me to stand up and talk in a room of people, let alone room of people who have the capacity to be the judge and executioner at the same time.  When you manage there is always judgement about your performance, how you handled something or a decision you made.  Those judgements are made by those who are impacted by your decisions and those who you report to.  For me that hardest judgements to handle tend to be from those impacted by my decisions, as these judgements are often passed without knowing all the information that was considered before making the decision. I know, as I was once there doing the same thing.  

Wearing the other shoe, I now realize, as a front line employee I didn’t know what I didn’t know.  There are things that front line workers and users of services don’t and can’t always know, that impact how decisions are made.  Often times leadership has to make a decision about a crap situation and all the choices have a degree of crap associated with them.   The best hope in this type of situation is the least heinous option, that offers the best possible outcome, wins out.   

Once a decision is made and communicated I quickly flip into reflection mode.  In fact, I spend a lot of time in reflection mode, a continuous loop of trying to figure out how I could have improved on a situation, thinking about unforeseen options that I had not considered, pondering the wording I used to communicate, etc.

For me, reflection mode is surround by a slippery slope that if broached, can lead me skidding down the bank into a whirlpool of self-reproach and doubt.  “You are inferior!”is the story that plays out in my head as I work my way to the bottom of the whirlpool. It doesn’t help that I actively seek "proof” of how sub-par I am.  Subtle hints, such as I walk by an office and all of a sudden the fevered talking stops and everyone is staring at me or people skittering between offices to have closed door conversations after I have communicated something.  Over the years there have also been not so subtle hints such as 0 and 1 scores from an employee on an anonymous 360 evaluation, the occasional comment made during an exit interview or workplace gossip that has made it's way back to me, that had me saying and doing things that I definitely never or would ever, every say or do.

Each occurrence has left an indelible mark on my psyche and is stored in my "I Suck” playlist that comes out whenever I start having doubts in my ability.   Trust me, anything anyone says about me is probably infinitely kinder than the mind lashing that I am prone to giving myself.  Hours of my life have been spent dissecting and running imaginary “redos” to see if I missed a better way to handle or communicate a situation. 

My “I suck” spirals often led to brief periods of feeling lonely and alienated… not so fun…but have also been my greatest impetus to learn and grow.  A curse and a blessing all wrapped in the same package.   I am eternally grateful to those who have offered or provided a shoulder to lean on and words to snap me out of the spiralling when it has happened.  If it wasn’t for you the spiralling could have taken over and growth wouldn’t have been possible. 

I really envy the people who can have the same experiences that I have had, and who quickly learn, adapt and move on.  These are the ones that are well suited to leadership roles.  Ones like me, who tend to get hung up in the "what if" end of the pool, can still be successful in supervising, but ultimately, it takes a toll. 

Now you might be thinking that doesn't sound like fun?  Why would you willingly stay in the role feeling that way?  

Both excellent questions.  

 

 What can I say, my love language is acts of service and I love the people I work with and the people we serve.  When I was told my role was going to change, all those years ago, there was no one else on staff who could fill that role at that time.  I knew I could passably perform the supervisory functions of the job, so agreed to the change for the greater good, even though I have never truly fallen in love with this part of my job.  

 Over the years changes have been made to the role to try and help improve the "love your job" part.  These changes were successful in helping my peers love the role, but did not have the same effect for me.

My epiphany came this year when two different journeys collided… my quest to add more joy into my life and leadership development.  The world went silent when the facilitator of a development session uttered these words “ Even if you did not actively seek out a leadership role in the organization, accepting the position means you chose to be a leader."  The ripple of that reframe, along with my quest for joy set a tidal wave of change in motion.  I couldn’t get it out of my head.  

Does being a leader resonate with me?  Does it bring my joy? 

When was the last time that I found pure unadulterated joy at work? 

When was the last time I was eager to return to work after a weekend or vacation?

The answer:  I have never identified as a manager.  When I introduce myself at meetings I always start with my clinical role and tag the manager title on as an after thought. If I’m being totally honest, I have not felt balanced since I assumed management duties.  The only time that I have been consistently content over the last decade + has been when I am involved in the client care part of my job, researching, leading change projects or interacting with families.  It was abundantly clear that I needed to make the monumental decision, which I did… I demoted myself.  

Starting in 2025,  I am no longer a Manager and will re-join the ranks of front-line staff.  My best hope is a return to a role that fully aligns with my passion, will flood me with consistent warm fuzzies each day. My other hope is I will find it easier leaving work on time and work at work. Freeing up hours that can be redeployed to other euphoric inducing activities, 

May my 2025 Joy Cup be overflowing!

I end this post with gratitude for the life lessons I have learned during my tenure in management.  These lessons will serve me well across my various roles in life. I have also decided to bid my "I Suck" playlist and associated self-doubts adieu.  I will forever carry the psychological blemishes this playlist created, but going forward I choose to view these imperfections as a testament to my perseverant nature, ability  grow and overcome adversities both big and small vs a mark that I am lacking. I enter into this chapter of my life energized and excited to see what is in store. 

I am thankful for the strength of all the teams I work with and the leadership skills of those who are taking over.  It would have been a way harder decision to make, if there wasn’t such a strong safety net in place.  To the dedicated, phenomenal women who I pass the torch to… you are the future and will take the team and services to summits we never ever would have dared to dream of!

Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret… I Mean Max

I’m betting every female of a certain age had an immediate flash back when they read the title of this blog.  Most of the Dude’s are mystified,  unless they have sisters or raised daughters and then they might have a semblance of where this post is going.  I could just let this play out with a devil may care type of attitude and let those unsuspecting Dudes find out the significance of my chosen title naturally, or I could insert a disclaimer to forewarn them. 

Hmmmm what to do???????

Disclaimer:  This post is about lady bits and associated functions.  You have been forewarned!  Read at your own will and peril. Aren’t you lucky the holiday spirit is still alive and well in me!  Non-holiday me would have been too tempted to pull you into the story to the point of no return and then would have dropped the bombshell, which would have left you regretting your choice read this post, but also wanting to know how it ended. 

Grade 5 was the year in which I and my peers officially learned about puberty.  All the girls were ushered into Ms. G’s classroom and the boys into Mr. F’s room and once settled we learned about the horrors/beauty that would soon await us.   Lucky us, hair would be growing, sweat glands would be maturing, boobs would start reaching for new peaks, dreams would start getting wetter and for the ladies menstruation would commence.  

It was a lot of material to cover in one afternoon and I am sure the School Board didn’t want to overwhelm our little brains, so we were only taught the specifics that applied to our gender.  This left room for a lot of speculation and theorizing, at recess, as to what the other group talked about and learned.

Our sponge like brains and avid curiosity hungered to find out the deats as to what the other group was told.  In typical fashion it wasn’t long before double dog dares were thrown down… “I double dog dare you to ask so and so (insert the working theory of moment).  We cobbled together the factoids we were told to get a better appreciation as to what the boys had in store.  

It was inevitable, our bodies as we knew them were going to change. There was nothing we could do about it.  Nature would be taking over and for those of us who did not like change, the worst part was, no one could answer when it would happen.  

Puberty felt like a ticking time bomb.  On one hand I didn’t want it to happen and actively willed it to be years away, but on the other, I also didn’t want to be the last one to go through it.

Time went on.  As curves arrived for the Ladies, voices dropped for the Dudes.  We all became familiar with essentials such as razors and deodorant… some faster than others.   

Playground banter changed from “You’re a poopy head!” “Nah uh… boys aren’t better than girls!!!”, to gems such as  “Are you related to Sasquatch?”, “Listen Pepe le Pew you need industrial strength deodorant!”  Of course the latter was said while nonchalantly trying to sniff your own pits to make sure the offending odour wasn’t emanating from you. 

It was around Grade 6/7 that one of the girls discovered Judy Blume and her original how guide on navigating the pitfalls and angst of puberty… “Are You There God?  It’s Me Margaret.”  That book became the sacred bible for the girls in my Grade. Reverently referenced and used to plot out the trajectory of and to usher in our womanhood.  Who could forget such classic lines such as “We must, we must, we must increase our bust!”. Seriously it is seared in my memory along with the hours spent doing the described exercise to increase said bust line.  

If the proof is in the pudding the size of my bust from junior high through to university would totally discredit that I spent hours doing this exercise, as it did absolutely nada to increase my bust line.  Maybe I wasn’t as dedicated as I thought I was or maybe the exercise was totally bollocks, regardless that book was a game changer!  

One by one we would hear through the grapevine that another classmate had her first visit from “Aunt Flo” and those of use who were still waiting, were on tenterhooks wondering if we would be next. Although I could no longer get away with wearing an undershirt and had graduated to full on bra, starting one’s period was the ultimate sign that you had entered the Ughville district of womanhood and would be stuck in this zone for an eternity.  I remember pondering if it was possible to skip straight to menopause, as that seemed like the best alternative given all the choices. 

Science class burst that bubble.  The inevitable was going to happen, so I doubled down with preparing myself.  I convinced my mother to allow me to practice inserting tampons, so that I would be prepared when “IT” finally happened.  She rolled her eyes while shaking her head, but agreed to a limit wastage of feminine hygiene, as she ultimately she is as much of a sucker for preparation as I am.

Armed with the paper “How To” instructions, I tried to figure out exactly what the diagram was trying to depict and where exactly it was supposed to be inserted.  For those who have never seen this guide, it showed the user inserting the tampon into a cross section of the female body.  Not very helpful for confirming and referencing body parts when what you see in the mirror is full on lady bits!  Oh yes, there were multiple mirrors involved in the learning process.  There were trips out of the washroom armed with the insert to question what exactly is this?  Where should I be looking for that?  My mother patiently answered my questions and went about what she was doing before I interrupted her.  

What my mother failed to tell me was how painful it would be to try and insert a tampon when you are not menstruating.  Well in fairness, she was probably never dumb enough to try it and might not have know. There is only so much discomfort one can endure in the name of progress and I eventually gave up and decided to put faith in my ability to naturally figure it out when my period finally arrived.  I did wonder if the pain was a sign Aunt Flo would be visiting me soon enough. It wasn’t.  I had another two years before I was finally ushered into Ughville… I mean the beauty of womanhood.

Now you might ask, why not start with pads?

No way, no thank-you.  

I had born witness to the atrocity of pads when my older sibling started menstruation.  At that time the only option for pads was to wear this elastic garter system which you had to insert the ends of the pad into.  It looked cumbersome, uncomfortable and just plain nasty.  I vowed that I would never, ever, ever be subjected to this horror show… NEVER EVER!

By the time Aunt Flo finally paid me my first visit, the “new and improved” peel and stick pads had arrived on the market.  Although the garter was gone… BONUS… nothing had been done to reduce the overall bulkiness of this odious product.  All I could imagine was how obvious it would be wearing one under my painted on jeans, and how it would negatively impact my ability to do what I wanted to do,  so pads remained a HARD pass. 

Bet you didn’t think you would get a history lesson on the evolution of modern day female hygiene products.  Well I never thought I would be providing one, but age has a funny way of removing the filters that prohibited discussing my period and the impact it had on my life. 

I will say the arrival of Auntie Flo was as crap a$$ as I thought it would be.  Something else that needed to be tracked and attended to.  Sigh… Growing up is a hard thing to do!

It did not help that I consistently had extreme cramping on Day 2/3 of my period and that I always seemed to have commitments on Day 2/3 of my period.  I swear to God my Dad had a spidey sense as to when I was entering the zone of maximum pain, as without fail, that was the time when he always decided that it was time to shovel grain.  Coincidentally it was also either the hottest or the coldest days of the year when grain shovelling happened.  Picture it, having to perform extreme physical labour, in hot and dusty conditions, while you feel like you have gnomes trying to pick-axe out of your innards.  Not fun in the least bit.  At least the grain acted as a “Magic Bag” that I could lay on and take the pain levels down a few notches, while Dad was delivering the grain to the elevator.

Probably the worst cramping I have ever had was when I was doing a  placement in Ponoka. I was in the middle of treating a client and I broke out into a cold sweat, the pain was so bad.  I couldn’t move without grimacing.  I felt like I was being cleaved in two, and there were a couple of moments when I almost passed out.  My supervisor, thought I was getting sick and made me take the rest of the afternoon off, even though I was game to solider on.  As intense as this monthly pain was, it was over as quick as it started and I had a 28 day reprieve to look forward to until it returned.  

Reflecting back on this, I just had a “Ah Ha” moment.  No wonder I have such a high threshold for pain.

• Shockwave set to the highest setting… merely annoying.
• Walking on a broken bone… uncomfortable but doable.  

Nothing has come close to period pain for me, and if I can live through that, I can live through any other type of pain. 

As the years progressed I continued to long for menopause even knowing all the wicked symptoms that were associated with it. Those prayers were finally answered at the start of Covid.  One day Aunt Flo decided to quit visiting and never came back. So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen!

I admit I have been feeling a little superior with how my body has been handling the dreaded menopause, as it has been very anti-climatic.  I didn’t have to suffer through “surprise” visits from Flo.  Leading up to menopause I had a few occasions where I felt a surge of power that made me feel like I could shoot fire out my finger tips, but no hot flashes.  Absolutely no anxiety, heart palpitations, sleep problems, brain fog, bloating, change in taste, burning tongue or night sweats.  The only thing that has occurred has been the dawning of my “beard years”, but hey a beard will keep my face warmer in the winter!  I couldn’t ask for an easier transition to this next phase of life and have pranced through these last few years doing a happy dance. 

Well that lofty attitude appears to be coming back to bite me in the butt.  This was the year of the bi-yearly physical, which means blood work, mammogram and the poo test.  I used my extended time off to get all my medical appointments completed, as work weeks tend to be too busy to fit in non-work related appointments.

First up… the mammogram.  This is my second round with the mammogram machine and let me tell you there has been a change in the elasticity of the patagajellies.  The first time round, my breasts were perkier and quickly sprang back to life after being squashed by the machine.  This time not so much.  It was very hard not to burst out laughing when the Technician uttered these words after the first scan “You can now lift and remove your breast from the plate.” Yup, lift and remove!  The squishing action had deflated my fun bag so much that it had lost the will to live and couldn’t muster the strength to spring off the plate by itself.  The same line was repeated 4 times over the course of the visit and each time it was hard not to titter like a juvenile or cackle like a deranged hyena. 

The other thing that became apparent during my mammogram was I really need to work on flexibility.  You have to be positioned in a very specific way to get a good scan.  Your hips and feet pointing straight forward, your shoulders in a different direction and the inside shoulder dropped.  The Technician commented that if I felt uncomfortable at any point in time during the “trash compactor” process,  I could bend my knees to relieve the pressure.  There was absolutely no way my knees could have bent, even if I wanted them to.  It seems spending a year recovering from dislocating fibulas has caught up to me.  Yes my new name is Tin Woman. 

How can one top a mammogram?  Why one can book a physical.  I can honestly say I have reached my quota of exposing parts of my body for people I don’t know, for few years at least. Initially there was some concern, as my blood pressure was high on the first reading, but it turns out it was only because I was answering questions while the reading was being taken.  The second reading was infinitely more like it.  I left the appointment with a script for blood work.  I figured in for a penny, in for a pound and high tailed it over to the lab to get it all done.  

Sadly the blood work came back and it seems I am no longer cuspie hypothyroidism and have silently transitioned to full blown, your thyroid is on strike status.  I say silently, as I didn’t have any of the well know symptoms such as fatigue, unexplained weight gain and hair loss.   I have had weight gain, but that can be explained by my need to treat myself for performing basic functions such as showing up for work and not swearing outloud!!!

Well done you! 

I have now spent a disproportionate amount of my vacation Googling and reading about the thyroid.  I have also started medication which is what inspired this post. See the surging feeling is back after a ten year hiatus.  It has left me wondering if the reason I have not had hot flashes, is because I have been hypothyroid this entire time.  One of the symptoms of hypothyroidism is cold intolerance, as in that your body typically runs on the cold vs hot side.  What if the hypothyroidism has been counterbalancing the hot flashes and has created a net neutral effect in my body.  What if starting the medication obliterates this equilibrium and hot flashes and night sweats commence.   That will make me very, very angry indeedy!

On the other hand if the surges allow me to practice and perfect my ability to shoot fire out of my finger tips, I will be very, very excited.  I’ve always wanted a super power and if I can’t teleport, being able to channel fire would be frickin’ awesome!!!!   I’m just a little bit of a Pyro!  I guess time will tell, what life has in store for me. 

Fingers crossed the wheel of fortune lands on Fire Fingers!

PS I wonder why Judy Blume never wrote a book about Menopause?  

PSS The poo test is the only thing I didn't accomplish over my vacation, as it has to be sent by mail and the Postal Strike put a wrench in getting that task ticked off my 2024 To Do List.  I guess the powers that be wanted to ensure I had something to look forward to in 2025!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 

Just in case you were wondering what the common symptoms are for hypothroidism… go see your Dr if you have: 

“Atlas of Human Anatomy”- Netter

• Fatigue
• Hoarseness
• Weight gain
• Muscle weakness or soreness
• Numbness or pain in hands
• Brain fog
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Dry, coarse skin
• Confusion
• Hair loss, sparse, course or dry hair
• Constipation
• Slow speech
• Dull facial expressions
• Drooping eyelids or puffiness around your eyes
• Inability to tolerate cold temperatures
• Muscle cramps and/or joint pain

Doesn’t this list just scream fun, fun, fun!!!  

Up Schitts Creek- But Rallying On to Kenora

How does one spend a particularly dismal couple of days?  I could be lamenting about the rain followed by a snow storm and my slushy, soupy driveway turned ice rink OR I could reflect on the journey to our third Rally Competition of the Year.  I chose the latter.  

As I have aged I have found it increasingly harder to balance my committments.  Have you encountered this too???  Has it always been this way and I was just oblivious?  Or maybe I have just blindly added to my list of obligations over the years with little regard to time management.  Anyhoo, for 2024 I had a lofty goal of attending as many Rally Competitions as I could; as long as the competitions had minimal impact on my work schedule, my ability to farm sit on the weekends and did not eat up all my vacation time, so that I still had time to visit with the family.  

Looking at the Rally event schedule I figured out there were exactly two weeks between the Kenora and Portage Dog Shows.   Hmm, in three weeks I could attend two competitions and fit in a visit with family and friends.  Sign me UP!  

As I registered for both competitions I may or may not have had a small panic attack when I realized how much the fees were going to set me back… did I mention dog shows are not for the faint of heart… and do you know of anyone who would be interested in being a corporate sponsor? 

Up until then the Ladies were only eligible to compete in one level at a time, but now they have graduated to the big leagues and could compete in both Advanced and Excellent at Kenora and Advanced, Excellent and Masters in Manitoba.  Well you can imagine how fast the entry fees rack up with you have three dogs running 3-4 trials per level per dog.  EXPENSIVE… even with the multi-run discounts. 

I had the option to travel right through to Kenora, same day, or to break up the trip.   I decided to spend one night at Pukaskwa for a well deserved night of camping.  I must admit it wasn’t the competition or the thought of seeing family that got me through the weeks of work prior to vacation, it was the thought of reconvening with nature, that had my cup running over with excitement.  As I drove that morning, I found myself randomly squealing “EEEEEEeeeeeee!”… every 30-45 minutes.  The frequency increased the closer we got to the campground.  I was even more delighted when we managed to snag my all time favourite campsite.   

It had been raining off and on for the 5 hour drive to Pukaskwa.   Luck was on my side and the sky’s cleared up as we pulled into the campground and registered for the eventing. With the Herd staked out on tie out ropes, I set up the tent and unpacked everything we would need for the night.  That done, it was time to explore. 

Before they decided to play Tie Out Twister

The plan was to go for a short hike down to the shores of Superior where we could look at the interesting pieces of driftwood that the Lake had deposited on the beach.  Nature had other thoughts.  We had just started down the trail to the beach when the skies opened up and it poured down upon us.  

NUTS!

I had left my rain jacket at the campsite and I really didn’t feel like spending the night with soaking wet dogs.  We weren’t far from a comfort station and I decided we would make a dash for it.  What I didn’t plan for was my foot landing weird when coming down a small hill.  The weird landing in combination with three dogs pulling on the leash resulted in a pop in the knee and excruciating pain.  I pushed the pain aside and hobbled triple speed to keep up with the dogs, who seemed to be equally intent to get out of the rain.  

We made it to the comfort station only to find out it was locked.  Thank-goodness for an overhang that we could huddle under waiting for the rain to lighten up.  The storm lasted no longer than 10 minutes, but it felt agonizingly longer as I couldn’t put weight on my left leg without pain shooting down to my toes and up into my hip.  Eventually the rain lightened and we slowly made our way back to campsite.  The dogs exuberantly bouncing about in the puddles and me swearing under my breath and growling at them to knock if off, as each jostle of a leash brought on a new wave of pain.  

Hiking was now out of the question, so I decided the next best thing was stretching out on the King Mondo air mattress to chill and read a good book.  I read, Ferg slept and the Ladies kept guard.  I had a moment of panic when a bunny decided to hang out at the entrance to the tent.  I don’t think it knew it was taunting death, sitting where it was sitting.  There was only a thin layer of mesh separating it, from three big dogs, one of which has shown an extreme interest in chasing down rabbits.  Luck for the rabbit the Ladies held it together and Ferg slept through it all.  It seems sleeping for 5-6 hours while someone else is driving can be tres exhausting!

Waiting for a break in the rain

What is that???

Travel can be soooo exhausting!

Mum, the Bunny is looking at us!

Ummmm nature!

Where is our supper? PS you have some ropes to untangle. Tee Hee!

We were up early the next morning to pack-up and head the rest of the way to Kenora. It’s a good thing I gave myself extra time to pack-up, as I had to figure out how to solve the Tie Out Tetris puzzle the dogs had created while I was packing up.  Ropes untangled.. swears kept to a minimum,  we were on the road.  

There was a quick stop in Terrace Bay for gas and a chance for us all to tap a kidney before we were on the road again.  Around Kakabeka Falls  I needed another pee break.  I typically “air” the dogs when I stop,  but this time I decided against it.  I don’t know why.  Maybe it was the thought of trying to manage all three dogs with a sore knee, while another dog was also out being aired OR I was trying to save time as they had already had a break a few hours before.  Whatever the reason it was a decision that I would regret in a few more hours. 

We were travelling down the highway and I ended up behind a semi carrying a load of livestock.  It was fragrant and I was biding my time until I could pass it and get out of the cloud of funk.  I passed the semi but the cloud of funk didn’t dissipate, in fact it was getting stronger.  I glanced over my shoulder at the three in the back and commented “That better be gas… ha ha!”.  It had to be in my imagination right?  The smell started to fade away… it was totally my mind and nose playing tricks with me.  Then all of a sudden it came back more pungent than ever!  What in H E double hockey sticks was going on?  I saw a side road and pulled over.  The smell was getting stronger.  Please tell me what I think happened, did not happen???

I open the back door and my nostrils and eyes confirmed that my worst fear was actualized.  Lyndy had a diarrhea accident in the back.  Ferg was huddled in the corner traumatized.  Lyndy looked chargrined and was trying to escape from her oops.  Meanwhile Hazel was dancing about… in and out of the diarrhea spill zone, excited to see where we were and what was up next on the docket.  I clipped leashes on all three and got them out of the vehicle to further survey the damage.  There were two main liquid poo piles on the mat,  but tails and paws had managed to paint poo on the door, back of the seat, etc.  As I turned around my rage scream lodged in my throat as I finally got a good look at Hazel.  My normally white dog was splotched with diarrhea brown.  

Christ all mighty she had laid down in it.  That explained why the smell had started to reduce for a short period in time, she was smoothering it with her body.  

Lovely! 

There was no way I can show up to a hotel with poo encrusted dog??? Not to mention there was no way I could compete with her poo stained self.  What could I do?

That is how I ended up deep cleaning the back of a truck and bathing a dog on the side of the highway,  while also holding onto and trying to control two other dogs. I thanked my lucky stars that I had to foresight to pack extra paper towel and garbage bags. I removed as much fecal matter as possible from the mat before rolling it up and depositing it into the box of the truck.  That would need to be a problem to solve on another day. 

Once everything was cleaned and sanitized to the best of my ability, we were back on the road again.  I did have a moment of  worry that history repeated itself when we caught up to the livestock truck in Dryden.  But the funk quickly disappeared when we passed.  Thankfully Lyndy lived up to her promise to keep all remaining poop in her body until we made it to Kenora.

The next snag in the plan was I couldn’t remember the name of the hotel that I had booked and I couldn’t find the email with the confirmation.   There I sat in the Tim’s parking lot looking at the list of Kenora hotels hoping that something would flag my memory.  It didn’t help.  I was drawing a blank.  Luckily my sister had recommended this particular hotel, as she had stayed there for work.  One text later, I Google mapped my way from the Tim’s parking lot to the hotel. 

WE HAD ARRIVED!

Nature’s Inn turned out to be the home away for home that we needed for the weekend.  The staff were friendly, the room was large enough to fit all the crates and still have room to walk around.  There was even a small table and chairs to use for meals.  The other bonus was it was close to the venue. 

Once unpacked we went for a short walk to unwind and coax more poo out of Lyndy.  My knee ached as I walked and there was intermittent sharp pains.    I wondered what the next day would be like, but hoped that Aleve would work its magic and get me through the evening and weekend.  

The next morning had both Lyndy and I popping Pepto.  Me for my nervous stomach, her to ensure there were no Hershey squirts in the ring.  I arrived early to set up and had a momentary panic when it did not look like there would be space on the floor of the arena to crate the dogs.  The only other alternative was to crate them on the upper mezzanine which would mean doing + + stairs, something that would be difficult to do quickly and ad nauseam with an injured knee.  But in true Rally fashion some of the competitors moved over so that I could tuck in my three crates.  

At the beginning of our Rally season we had been competing with the top three Rally teams in Canada.  Kenora introduced us the Teams ranked 4th and 5th.    Both dogs were owned by the same person and she and her two lab mix’s had an amazing weekend with perfect scores on most of their runs.  Man it is something else to watch a flawless run, let alone multiple flawless back to back runs.  Very impressive!!!  The Kenora club also did something that I had never seen before.  They presented High in Trial rosettes to the teams with the highest aggregate score over each trial run. This is something that tends to be offered in formal Obedience but this was the first time I had encountered it being offered for Rally.  Needless to say the Lab Mix teams went home with a plethora of well deserved rosettes!

On Day 1 Ferg managed to earn two legs in Masters, despite the handi-cap of having me as partner and finished off his Master’s title.  He would have had higher scores, if I had not continued to mess up signs. Duoh!!!

Hazel was all over the map on her runs. Sometimes she was ultra focused on me, other times she noticed everything around her.   At one point she got overly excited by the Shepherds running in the conformation ring that was adjacent to ours.  There was a moment where I thought she was going to jump the barrier to go and join them, as she really, really , really wanted to run vs having to do boring things like sitting, standing and backing up.  Thank goodness she managed to hold it together and she earned one leg toward her RAE title. 

Lyndy was lack luster in her performance on both runs.  There was a dog and a half between us when heeling (almost like she didn’t want to be seen with me😆) and she would follow through on commands but at her own pace.   Even though it wasn’t her best work she did manage to make it through all 4 runs with no poo accidents in the ring and with qualifying scores in both her Advanced and Excellent runs for two legs toward her RAE title.

Is that a human or elephant knee?

I wish I could say that my knee also held out, but it didn’t.  Sadly, Aleve was not enough to combat the hell of prolonged walking and pivoting on an injured limb.   By the end of the day I was walking like a pirate with a peg leg, complete with a grimace with each step.  I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel and put my leg up.  It wasn’t until I got back to the hotel and surveyed the damage that I realized me knee wasn’t just a little hurt it was FUBAR!  It had ballooned up to double its normal size, with swelling in my calf and up into the thigh.  In a desperate attempt to reduce the swelling I started a contrast bath for my leg, sitting in hot water for a few minutes and then as cold as I could stand it water for a few minutes. Repeat, repeat, repeat.  It helped a little, as did the Tylenol and second Aleve, but I still had difficulty walking.  Thank goodness I conveniently had not removed the cane from the back seat of the truck after my last round of dislocating fibula.  Procrastination for the win!  

As I didn’t have it in me to go out for food I ordered in from Spice N Nice Indian Food Hub.  Man was I impressed with their butter chicken.  It was hands down the best butter chicken that I have ever had.  I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are ever in Kenora.  

Spice N Nice… Yummmmmm!

Lyndy took advantage of my impaired mobility to try and claim the bed.  She knows full well that I don’t allow dogs on the bed in hotels but that doesn’t stop her from trying her luck.  I guess she thought I would relent as she was also feeling under the weather, but it doesn’t work that way.  She was banished right after I snapped this shot.

Nice try… OFF THE BED!

Despite the contrast bath, anti-inflammatories and sleeping with my leg elevated on pillows, my knee was still double its size the next morning.  Now a sane person might have just taken it as a sign that was time to go home to be loved up by my Mom, but I am not a sane person, I am cheap, determined Mother Fudger and there was no way I was going to forfeit all that money and not compete.  Tylenol, and Aleve were added to my Pepto cocktail and cane in hand I loaded the Herd into the truck for our final day of competition.  It didn’t take me long to realize that the only way I was going to make it through the day was to use the cane.  I brought it into the ring for Ferg’s first Master’s run, but quickly realized that although it aided my mobility it caused the dogs to panic and mess up the signs.  I quickly compromised and used the cane to get to and from the ring but would leave it on the chair with the leash while we ran the course. 

The second day of competition proved to be Hazel’s day.  She managed to get two more legs toward her RAE title, even with some jumping, running and hopping around the ring.  One of the judges commented “I know she has been naughty in the ring, but I just love her personality!”.  That sums Hazel up very succinctly… naughty but lovely!

Lyndy and Ferg both petered out by the last run.  Neither qualifying for their Advanced, Excellent and in Ferg’s case Master’s run.  Ferg became progressively slower with each run, to the point where I think he was walking backward in the final run of the event.  Even with this set-back, Ferg still managed to earn enough points to become the #1 Golden in Canada after that weekend.  It was short lived… but it happened🙌🎆.

I tell you, you have not lived until you try to load three dogs, three crates and all the accoutrement’s that go with dog shows into a vehicle while needing a cane to help with mobility.  It was trying, but I managed to get it done.  It was a quiet ride to my parents.  The dogs were conked out and did not stir until we pulled up in the driveway.  Even at that they barely lifted their heads from their slumber, but life was breathed back into them when they heard Grandma’s voice.  We had made it and were…

HOME FOR A REST! (As if!!!)

I’d like to shout out to the:

• Kenora & District Dog Club for providing a fantastic venue for the competition. 
• The Ring Stewards and Organizers for all their hard work and assistance.  Without you we would not have a show to compete at!
• The other competitors for their words of wisdom and for cheering us on and
• The Judges Mary Monteith and Diana MacKenzie for their well thought out and challenging courses.