Holidays Part 2

Just scrolling back in my blog, I have noted that I mentioned sitting back and relaxing on this version of my summer holidays. So far, I would classify that last sentence as EPIC FAIL. The sleeping last night was not good, as we have no AC and we fought over the fans. So I was up at 5 and out the door at 6 to swim. Due to the price of gas, whenever I am near the city, I feel the need to pick up supplies. So groceries was the second thing on the list today. After handing over $110 of my hard earned money for 5 bags of groceries, it was home again home again jiggidy jog. Now I sit, wondering what to do next? Do I prep for my radio show tonight? Do I prep for my radio show on Wednesday morning? Do I get off my butt and clean the house? Maybe I will find a penny and flip it...heads: Do nothing tails: clean

Last week just flew by. Billy and I made sure we stayed busy busy. Unfortunately we are running away from memories. Memories of a tabby cat we brought home from the horse barn, where our son once rode. We named her Emmy, after the fair town of Emerald, Amherst Island. At that time in our lives, we spent a large part of our summers at our friends cottage in Emerald. It was like the place that time forgot. We loved the fact that we could look across the water and see our house. It felt like we were escaping all of life's problems, running away to our Emerald City.

The year was 1995. We had just lost our first cat * Tony * . I spotted him in the window at the pet shop in the Cataraqui Town Centre and felt compelled to bring him home. Home to our first apartment; we were newlyweds for a whole 2 weeks and I felt the need to surprise Billy with our first pet. Tony moved many times in the first 10 years of our marriage and always adapted well to his surroundings. At the ripe old age of 15, he couldn't out run a cement truck while crossing highway 33 (Bath Road) Bill called me at work that afternoon to give me the news. It was a sad day indeed. We buried Tony behind my favourite flower garden.

Our son Bryce started riding horses that same summer. Of course, spending so much time at the barn, he was bound to discover the nine new kittens in the hay loft. One thing led to another and we had 'replaced' Tony with another tabby. She was just 8 weeks old, when she arrived at our door under the premise that she was MY mothers day gift. She took a liking to Billy and they bonded instantly. Emmy became Bills cat, plain and simply. When our son left home to go to college in 1999, we were once again reduced to a family of three. There was a morning and evening ritual between Bill and Em, and rarely was it missed. As early as last year I mentioned "It is going to break your heart to put her to sleep..." Gruesome as it sounded, it was in the futile attempt to face reality. Yes, we inherited another cat 9 years ago, but Emmy was always our 'favourite' ... (Dont tell Jehtro that, please)

Last Saturday morning we grabbed the cat carrier out of the garage,bundled up our frail old girl and off to our 930 vet appointment we went. It was so unusual that Emmy barely made a whimper. Any other time she went to the vet, she yelped and howled to the top of her lungs. Once the vet evaluated her and gave us the news that she had a mass in her belly (probably a cancerous tumour), renal failure, dehydration (despite her love of our free flowing water container) and a high possibility of feline diabetes, we shuddered. The cost of the first step of treatment was over 1K and it would cause her undue stress, and probable pain. Our second option was Euthanasia. (Greek for 'Good Death') No pain, just peace in leaving this world in a painless fashion. Bill decided it was time to let her go. When the vet came back in and we told her of our decision, she had a tear in her eye. She went and prepared for the procedure as we said our last good byes to the old girl. They wrapped her in a fluffy yellow blanket and we watched as they put the needle in her. The we heard the vet say "Shes Gone..." I am unsure of how long we stayed in the room, petting her and telling her she was finally free of her pesky little brother Jethro.

Not a fantastic way to start last weekend, and we spend the next two days running away, trying to forget. Sunday night we crashed.

Now its a new weekend, Billy and I are on holidays together, and we plan on relaxing and enjoying each others company. Emmy is in kitty cat heaven and Jethro is still moping around the house, trying to find her.

Sorry for the downer post. I had to write about the experience to try and get it out of my system.

Radio Ga Ga

My *fun* job


It was kind of ironic how it happened. I had been posting on my Facebook and Twitter accounts about my bi-monthly radio show for quite some time now, never expecting that anyone besides my close friends and family were actually listening. How shocked/surprised I was to read that a long-time local DJ Jim Elyot was listening and even requesting tunes. To say I was honored was an understatement.

Seeing as the world is so small, I suddenly realized that this listener once worked with my sons’ Godfather, Greg Hunter, who has also been a local radio celebrity for over 30 years. When I suggested that the three of us do a radio show together, I never imagined that they would say yes.

Friday July 8th was the night we decided on. Greg met my husband and I at our local Legion at 5PM for dinner first. Then over to the island we went. Jim met us at the ferry as he rode his bike all the way from Kingston. The conversation immediately reverted back to the 70’s and some of the crazy things that happened at CKLC-AM, where they had once worked.

Jim was kind enough to bring the music, so all I did was put the two men in the production room with a microphone and my hand written advertisement for our sole sponsor and let them loose. I don’t think I had ever laughed so hard in all my life. To me, it was like time stood still, and I became that teenager with her portable radio, worshiping the local radio Gods.

Then the phone rang. It was one of their old co-workers, who had been reading Jim’s Tweets from the last week about the show. How shocked do you think *I* was to hear that it was Chris St Clair from the Weather Network! He loved the show and just wanted to call and talk to the boys.

The next day I received an email from Mr. St Clair relaying his compliments on my show. I was chuffed.

Thank You Jim & Greg (and Chris too) you certainly brightened my night.