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Wednesday 19 September 2007

West Nile Virus

Lately I don't know why but I am always feeling tired. I am getting 8 hours or more sleep a night but when that alarm goes off in the morning I have the hardest time dragging myself out of bed. I have noticed that I have been this way ever since I was sick in August. I was home from work for a week with what ever it was I had and the next week after was still not quite right. I have tried to recall the last time I was that sick and for the life of me I can think of only one that was close but not like I had this time.

Up to 20 per cent of those who become infected will display mild symptoms including fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last a few days to several weeks. These are some of the symptoms that I experience when I was so sick.

About one in 150 people infected with West Nile Virus will develop serious illness, with high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and/or paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.

The incubation period for West Nile Virus is three to 14 days and there is no specific treatment. People with mild symptoms such as fever and aches tend to get better on their own. Those who contract the severe form of the illness will be hospitalized.

So after reading this about WNV I called my doctor and made an appointment to be tested for WNV.

Saskatchewan has the highest rate of WNV in Canada for 2007. Last I heard on the news there was over 1000 cases of West Nile in Saskatchewan with about 1800 cases in all of Canada and 4 deaths related to WNV. When ever you see these commercials on TV about WNV they always say if you experience any of the symptoms for WNV to contact your physician, it would be easier to know if you are experiencing these symptoms if they would list them so one would know what they are.

Had I known what the symptoms were for West Nile Virus when I was so sick, I would have had my daughter take me into the doctors then and had the tests done instead of now.

Monday 17 September 2007

Sunday Drive

Yesterday afternoon my husband and I decided to go for a drive. So we headed down towards his hometown of Yellow Creek. It was a beautiful day temperature was 24 C which we haven't had in a while. We checked out our Canola crop, our renter took a test by the looks of it combined about 100 feet or so. Crop is looking good. We figured we'd stop by to visit Todd & Michele but no such luck as they were away. I was hoping to see the new baby....a boy!

So we said we're going to stop and see our friend Darryl. Darryl and my husband were good friends through school and after and now Darryl is battling Cancer. We hadn't seen Darryl in just over a year and we keep saying we have to get down to visit him and Della one of these days. The days come and they go and we just stayed at home. So yesterday was the perfect day to go for a drive and visiting.

Like most people we are great procrastinators, it is so easy to say we have to go visit these people or these people one of these days and it never happens until either a wedding or funeral and we always say we should try to get together just because.

I am glad that we met with our friends yesterday afternoon. Hopefully we will be able to get another visit in with them and others at the fall supper in October.

Saturday 15 September 2007

Back Skating.....

This morning my youngest daughter was quite excited as it was the first day of our regular Figure Skating Season. She has decided to skate 5 days a week this year. Meagan missed attending summer school this year but is alright with that in the end. Sometimes things just don't work out the way we plan. One thing that I can say for certain is that I am very aware of what my daughters addiction is...that's right addiction......and it is skating. Many people say oh that is so expensive and I just say no its peace of mind, I know that this addiction doesn't require rehabilitation or a criminal record like other addictions do. Meagan is at her happiest when she is lacing up her skates. She puts up with the blisters and sore feet for the first few days as she says that's nothing as long as I can skate.

Meagan has had the opportunity to meet and work with a couple of Canadian Champions. In 2005 she met Jennifer Robinson and in 2006 she met Jeff Buttle and his coach Lee Barkell. Our skating club brought these skaters into to do a seminar with the kids. Last year when Jeff Buttle was here there was time that both Jeff & Lee worked with the skaters one-on-one. Meagan had been struggling with her Double Salchow, Jeff worked with her and before she new it she fine tuned it and was well on her way to landing it successfully.

With her skating comes preparing for competitions, choosing music, remembering your programs and allot of discipline to train hard so you are prepared for those couple minutes on the ice in front of the judges.

Meagan is her own worst critic when it comes to her skating. I have learned from experience to not say anything when she comes off the ice until she says how she felt about her skate. Made the mistake one time telling her how well I thought she did and to her it was the worst skate of her life and I should have known that because I am there for all her practices and know what she is capable of.

Meagan has made many good friends since she has been skating. She has awesome coaches and enjoys her time on the ice. Sometimes they have to remind her to breath before she steps on the ice at a competition. That's right BREATH......Meagan forgot to breath part way through her program a couple of years ago at competition. She got so into what she was doing, she new what she had to put into her program but forgot the choreography of her program, she was concentrating so hard to put everything in the right place that breathing just wasn't on her mind at the time. She ended the program with probably the best spin I have ever seen her do. She place 3rd and brought home a Bronze Medal that day.

Meagan has been blessed ever since she started going to competitions by placing in the top 3 many times. She has a collection of Gold, Silver & Bronze medals from various competitions over the years.

Meagan has truly accomplished many challenges with her skating. I know this year I will busy sewing a new dress(es) for program(s).

Meagan has set a new set of goals for this year and I am sure she will work hard to accomplish as many of them as possible.

Planning for the future

At 17 years old it is difficult to try and determine what you want to do with the rest of your life. When you are nearing the end of your high school years it becomes more important to try and fit the classes in that won't limit your post secondary education classes.

The one thing Brittany my oldest daughter has a desire for is to model and the dream to one day live in New York City NY. Together we watch America's Next Top Model and Canada's Next Top Model. So one night Brittany started looking into Modeling schools in Saskatchewan. Well she found one agency located in Regina that will be having a one day modeling session. Sort of an introduction to the world of modeling. We have sent an email to register her, now we are just waiting for confirmation that she will have a spot in the class. Regina isnt' that far to drive and it will be a good way for her to find out more about something that she is so interested in.

This morning Brittany told me of something she would like to do after she graduates from high school. Something that I would never have expected. She is thinking she would like to travel abroad and teach English as a second language. She knows a girl through her best friend that is doing this. I found a class through the U of S that offers a one month course for just this thing. She is going to look into this with her school and with this girl she knows.

Like Brittany says I can't just hope to be a model, I have to have a back up plan as well. Teaching English as a second language will be a great way to experience another culture. I am glad that she is setting some goals for her future and starting to plan out a start to her future.

Wednesday 12 September 2007

Life is Too Short

Human nature can be classified as strange at times & at other times it is what it is.....Human Nature~

On the evening Tuesday September 12th my sister-in-law called me around 9:30 pm, my first reaction was I wonder who died. Now you probably wonder why I would think that right away...well first off it was later that night and it was a week day and usually Marie calls when Allan is at home so they can catch up on things. As it turned out their Uncle Clair passed away in the early hours of that morning. In many ways it was a blessing that he passed from a heart attach as he suffered from ALS. Uncle Clair had suffered with it for 4 years, but he still worked up until his last day. We are all grateful that he won't have to suffer with ALS as it is a cruel disease and from my understanding of what I read can be very painful. There is no cure for it either.

So Friday Al and I head to Humboldt for the funeral. You have to know Uncle Clair was one of my husband's favorite uncles and mine too. Even though we didn't see him and Aunt Ann often other than a wedding or a funeral we thought a lot of him and feel bless to have had him in our lives.

Like most funerals family come from all over. We drop what we are doing to be there to pay our respects to the deceased and support the grieving family. So why is it we are always too busy to just drop what we are doing and go for a visit...it doesn't have to be for long, it can be for a couple of hours or a day but we should just do it before we are there to pay our respects. It doesn't even have to be a physical visit......just pick up the phone and call. I know from my own experiences with my family we are going and going and going, by the time we have a few minutes to pick up the phone to call it far to late so we put it off for another day. Well another day comes and it goes and still we haven't made that phone call or stopped in for a visit.

Life is too short to keep putting off till tomorrow what we can do today..... Before we know it we will be heading off to another funeral somewhere for a friend or a family member and saying the same things, "Why is it we can always meet up for a funeral or a wedding, but never seem to have the time to just get together for the visit with each other."

We enjoyed visiting with my husband's family that night. We feel very blessed to have the wonderful families and the good friends that we have. We enjoy our times spent with family and friends, we just need to try and spend more time with them when we can hopefully the next time we spend time family or friends it will be just because.

Human nature being the way it is we say we are going to try and change things but we seem to just get back on that fast track we call our lives and go full speed ahead.

Thursday 6 September 2007

Enough is Enough Already

Enough is Enough already......okay I do believe that we have had more than our share of rain this last while...the month of August was nothing like summer usually is and September doesn't seem to be getting off to a great start. It is like we are teased with a day here and there of sun shine and warm weather.

Last night like a fool I worked a midnight Bingo....didn't get home until 2 am...alarm goes off at 6:30 am so the 4 hours of sleep that I was going to be getting was precious....well be darned if I just don't settle in nicely for some much needed rest when the pitter patter or should I say splitter splatter of rain wakes me from my much needed slumber. Normally I like the sound of the rain but not when I am only getting half the sleep I need. It took a minute for me to realize that it was the sound of the rain that awoke me at 3 am, wasn't sure what it was at first someone drilling holes in the walls of my house or what.

When I looked outside this am I was greeted by rain and lots of water lying on the road. It took me just over 15 minutes to drive the 4.5 miles to the highway that normally only takes a few minutes. Not wanting to end up in the ditch I am driving slowly and carefully when all of a sudden the school bus is behind me and right on my rear end especially where the road is quite soft and in places where the road is decent the driver pulls back to a comfortable distance. Nearly called in to the school unit this morning but decided to leave well enough alone for now...still might call.

Well I hope that couple of nice days we had over the long weekend wasn't fall......I am hearing rumors of the Great White Combine may be coming next week.....I hope that we don't get the dreaded snow next week, even if it doesn't stay I don't want to see any of the fluffy white stuff until just before Christmas.....I am still waiting for what my grandparents used to call Indian Summer to arrive.....

Tuesday 4 September 2007

Rider Pride

Saskatchewan Roughriders are having an awesome year....new GM, new Head Coach, some new players and the best fans in the country. The Saskatchewan Roughriders played their first season in 1910 and they are on top of their game and currently in 1st place in the West. In the 97 years that the Roughriders have been around they won the Grey Cup 2 times first in 1966 and the last time in 1989 and were the Western Division Champions in 1951, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1976, 1989 & 1997.

Many say that the Labor Day Classic game between Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers was
preview of what we will see at this years Grey Cup. The game was awesome, wish we could have been there to watch it. Winnipeg 1st in the East was a good match for Saskatchewan, our guys had to work for the win and they did. The Roughriders were sold out for the 4th time this year and their game against the BC Lions on September 22 is also sold out. Former Rider George Reed was in attendance for the Labor Day Game.

Looks like we may even have a home play off game......Tickets to a Roughrider game are a hot commodity. Games are being sold out. The heart of Saskatchewan Fans is huge. Nice thing when the games are sold out, those of us that can't be there to watch the game in person can watch it from the comfort of their living room where the beer is cold, the excitement is building and the food always on.

On game days my husband and I are glued to the tv set. I am sure they can here us cheering all the way down in Regina on Taylor Field at Mosaic Stadium. Our son is also watching the game from his home in Lampman and cheering just as loud. Even our two daughters get into the football game.....they would have liked to be in Regina for the Labor Day Classic as well.....maybe next year....we'll have to buy our tickets earlier this year so we don't miss out like we did this year.

The Banjo Bowl to be played in Winnipeg on September 9th should prove to be a good game. The Blue Bombers will be looking for revenge after being so close to a win last Sunday. My husband and I will be watching and cheering for the Riders on the 9th. The beer will be cold, the wings will be hot and the excitement will be high. Go Riders Go....Go Riders Go

The Saskatchewan Roughriders keep racking up victories and each week the wins continue to get more miraculous.

GO RIDERS GO.