Confessions of a techie

Well it would seem that winter has arrived on the Wet Coast. We had the first storm of the season a couple of nights ago and it resulted in a power outage for several hours here at The Swamp. I do not cope well when the power is out. Actually, I don’t cope when I don’t have access to any of my creature comforts. The worst part of a power outage for me is the boredom. With no TV to watch and no computer to surf the net I am bored. There is not enough light to read as usually these outages happen at night.

When we first moved to The Swamp at the end of October 2006 we had several power outages within the first couple of months. That was the year, to end all years, in terms of storms. We had at least 5 pineapple expresses and had search and rescue at our door long before the welcome wagon.* We were also flooded in courtesy of the North Allouette River at least 5 times that winter. With the power going out so many times that year I needed to come up with a solution. Plus I have sleep apnea and I need to have some way to run my CPAP at night so that I can sleep.

So, we headed off to Canadian Tire and looked into the back up power boxes. I bought one for my CPAP immediately. I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do about the boredom part of power outages now that I knew I would be able to sleep. I did some research and I bought another back up power supply for the modem and the router. This way when the power goes out I can still connect to the internet as long as my laptop is charged. Once all the gear was in place we have not had a power outage for any length of time until last Thursday.

I was not all that enamoured of my laptops until I got a MacBook Pro. Part of the problem with the other laptops is the batteries would not last more than an hour two. The new MacBook Pro has a battery that will last 7 hours! So, I was all set for the big power outage of 2009. It all worked perfectly! I was able to get on the net with my MBP and the network worked perfectly.  L was thrilled that we still had internet access even with no power. I was a very happy techie that night!

I was kind of sad that the PVR was unable to record Grey’s Anatomy and Survivor but you can’t have everything! Or maybe I will get another power box for the PVR at some point. I don’t think they make them big enough to power our tv though.

 

*Actually the welcome wagon never came. Perhaps they weren’t thrilled about more dykes moving to Maple Ridge!

Chicken Soup

We have been eating a lot of chicken soup lately as we battle H1N1. I thought I would share the recipe in case anyone else wants to make some.

4 chicken legs with back attached
2 onions
a couple of leeks
4 celery stalks and leaves
garlic – either puree or cloves 1 tsp of puree or a couple of cloves
poultry seasoning
frozen veggies
1/2 cup of dry pasta

In a good-sized pot combine the chicken, one of onions cut into quarters, the leeks, garlic, celery stalks, and poultry seasoning. Boil for about 2 hours until the chicken is cooked and you have a good broth.

Remove the chicken and veggies – discard the veggies. In the broth add frozen veggies, a diced onion, and diced celery. Once it boils add some pasta – not too much or the pasta will take over the soup. De-bone the chicken and add the meat back into the soup. Once the veggies are soft the soup is done. You can add some chicken bouillon if your soup still needs some flavour.

Charles & Camilla

Apparently Charles and Camilla* are wending their way towards BC at this time. This Royal visit, as with all Royal visits sparks off the call-in shows asking whether we should abolish the monarchy all together. The problem with the question is that many people do not really understand the role of the monarchy in our political system.

Most countries have a head of state and a head of government and usually, these 2 positions are held by 2 different people. For example, in Canada the head of government is the Prime Minister and the head of state is the Governor-General who is the Queen’s representative in Canada. In Canada, if the Queen were here she would take over the responsibilities of the Governor-General, for example reading the speech from the throne. In most cases, the head of state only has ceremonial powers. In the United States, the President is both the head of state and the head of government.

Those who advocate abolishing the monarchy do not generally have anything in mind to replace the head of state functions. Having a separate head of state allows that person to rise above the politics that would otherwise hamstring a head of government. It means that the greeting of dignitaries and other heads of state can be done on behalf of all Canadians rather than it devolving to a partisan event. Although the Monarchy is completely out of date, I believe that there is value in retaining the monarchy.

Through the British Monarchy we are part of the British Commonwealth. We share closer relationships with other, former British colonies. These relationships may increase our ability to trade with other member nations. The Monarchy also provides a degree of continuity – while political heads may change, the head of state does not. It does cost money to support the monarchy however most of this is borne by British taxpayers. Canadians do pay to support the office of the Governor-General.

Having a separate head of state can be indispensable in times of political crisis. In times of unstable government, having a head of state who can make serious decisions and intervene if necessary is priceless. The Governor-General and the presence of the monarchy help to stabilize countries and provides guidance and a final decision making process.

Before we can entertain plans to eradicate the monarchy in Canada we would need to have serious discussions about what would replace it.

*Huh! I bet you all thought I was incapable of blogging about another subject other than H1N1 and dogs!

 

 

Dispatches from the Swamp

I woke up around 3 am and realized that I felt ‘different.’ I cautiously mused that perhaps I felt ‘better.’ But I did not want to jinx it so I stuck with different. I can now say that after 17 days in H1N1 hell I am on the mend. My head is no longer swimming and my limbs no longer feel like they are moving through cement.

I love the day after you have been really sick when you suddenly feel better. Everything is brighter, you have more patience, everything tastes better and you are just happy to be alive. The contrast is so striking between the illness day before and the recovery today. I am still taking it easy and I am still eating soup but I am hoping to graduate on to something different soon!

Deb is still down H1N1. I feel so bad her. This flu has been exceptionally difficult because she is mourning Mackenzie who we lost a couple of weeks ago. Whenever she was sick or had a migraine, Kenzie would spend the day in bed with her. Deb is really missing this comfort. When I went down this morning I left her with Gemma and Zoe cuddling with her. Hopefully she will get some comfort from their presence. L still seems to be immune to the virus and is holding down the fort.

All of the dogs are doing well. Kiefer is sleeping in our room right now because A is away dog-sitting and he keeps leaving big chunks of his hair all over the floor. Tucker goes to the vet on Saturday and hopefully we can get one of his meds increased because he continues to have anxiety issues.

We have really noticed a void in the house since Mackenzie has been gone. The little girls seem to be ’scrapping’ a little more often than they did before. I suspect it is likely that they think there is a power vacuum however they would be wrong – none of them will be alpha in our house as it is the humans who occupy that position. Probably the fact that 3 of us have been down with the flu means that we have not been as ‘alpha’ as we would normally. I think that will change soon as we recover.

Resilience in Rescued Dogs

As many of you know we are quite involved in dog rescue. Currently of our 9 dogs, 8 are rescued or former shelter dogs. One of the things I enjoy most about having rescued dogs is watching them as they grow and change and discover that they are safe. Most dogs when they come to us are coming via a rescue. Most of our dogs have come from SAINTS and Turtle Gardens but we also have dogs from shelters too. One of the things most of our rescued dogs have in common is that they have been neglected (some were abused), many have been starved and several of them lived outside. All of these issues impacts the dog as he or she tries to integrate into our family.

A dog who has spent its entire life living outside never learns to hold their bladder. When these dogs first come in it can be very difficult to toilet train them. In some cases, it is more difficult than puppies. These dogs require a great deal of structure and patience to learn to hold their bladders. We find frequent trips outside and the liberal (or would that be ‘liveral’) application of dried liver treats to be very helpful. We also find that crating them at night helps them to learn to hold their bladders which then translates into them being able to hold it for longer and longer periods in the day. We also lean towards supervising them outside and teaching them to pee on command. Of course there will continue to be accidents and these are handled with patience. If we find the dog in ‘the act’ we will generally take them outside to finish the job. Some dogs will never be toilet trained and may require some other kind of incontinence products.

Dogs who have been starved can be especially difficult particularly when it comes to resource guarding. Quite often these dogs never know where there next meal is going to come from and so they can act aggressively with food and treats. It takes a long time to teach them to take the treats nicely. One must also safeguard the other dogs against the aggressiveness of the resource guarding. We try to minimize this kind of aggression by ensuring that there is no food or treats readily available. We feed raw so everyone gets their portions and the resource guarders are separated from the others. Generally this works well but it does require vigilance.

Dogs who have been neglected often do not associate humans with anything good. It takes them a while to begin to trust us and rely on us to provide a comfortable life for them. Once these dogs do begin to attach you can expect that they will have a touch deficit and need a lot of attention. In fact, the revel in the love! As they get more and more attention their confidence soars and they begin to experience positive feelings.

This post has been prompted by something Zoe did yesterday which indicates some of these qualities/behaviours. Deb dropped a package of melba toast in the living room and all of a sudden it was gone. I was down the hall and I saw Zoe strutting down the hall with something in her mouth. Her tail was up and she looked very pleased with herself. Zoe was a starved dog at some point in her life. Right now she is in the touch deficit phase of her recovery. Zoe is also a very resilient dog. She has overcome so much in a very quick time period. She is able to trust us and she is no longer starved. However, she still behaves like a starved dog. Likely she always will. Tucker was also a starved dog and he will literally dive for any food anywhere, any time. It does not matter what it is he will eat it with gusto. Giving him treats is quite difficult because he snaps at your hand. Tucker can be quite dangerous to humans and other dogs when it comes to food.

Adopting a rescued dog can be quite difficult. It does require commitment, a whole lot patience and hopefully wood floors! However the rewards are many and varied. Watching them grow and change is a fulfilling experience. Not all rescued dogs are capable of this resilience. If you are going to welcome a rescued dog into your life it is important not to have any great expectations. The ability of the dog to adapt depends on many things. Length of time the dog has lived in less than ideal circumstances, age, breed, and health status are all factors that can have an impact. Having no pre-set expectations of the dog’s ability to meet your needs will give the dog the space he or she needs to reach their potential.

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Dispatches from the Swamp

In celebration of NaBloPoMo I have decided to start a new series on the blog: Dispatches from the Swamp.* This new series will focus on the antics of the residents (human, canine, feline, guinea porcine and hedgehog) of Chez Shihtzustaff. It will also serve as a reminder that we live in a swamp – so here goes.

All H1N1 all the time!**

The main news from the swamp is that we are sick (except for L, and more on that later), very, very, very sick most likely with H1N1. Now this in not a flu to trifle with. It can kill you and if it doesn’t kill you, you will wish that it had. It is hands down the worst flu I have ever had. I pretty much lost 2 weeks of my life to the pandemic virus and its long list of symptoms:

Fever – I had a moderatley high fever at 100.6. It is considerably worse when you count in the fact that I tend to run 2 degrees below normal (thanks to the sloth like metabolism I seem to have. I only had the fever for one day. That was enough.

Joint Pain – basically moving was not possible. I was in agony for about 2 days. They don’t make ibuprofen in big enough doses to take on this level of joint pain. I am used to joint pain as it is one of the symptoms of ulcerative colitis. I am used to having it in a couple of joints but not every single one. Crap, even my hair follicles hurt.

Sweating – Anyone who knows me knows that I do not sweat. I hate sweating and I take it as a personal insult when it happens. I had been getting better about sweating when I was on the treadmill (oh to be strong enough to get back on!). I have never sweat like I did with this virus. This was one of the longest lasting symptoms. Then there was being cold and sweating and being even colder. Fun times I tell you.

Stomach issues – I have not been hungry in weeks (except for the small hunger pang I felt yesterday). Every time I would try to eat, I would take 3 bites, get overheated and start to sweat. Don’t ask me why but it happened often enough for me to string it all together. After 3 bites my stomach would rebel and tell me in no uncertain terms what I could do with that food.

Dizziness - I have been dizzy for days. In fact I don’t remember most of week 1 due to dizziness, fever and sweating. The dizziness has been coming later and later each day. I am hopeful I will not be dizzy today.

Fatigue – I suffer with chronic fatigue because of my ulcerative colitis. Generally this means I need 9-10 hours of sleep every night. Since I got H1N1 I have been sleeping in excess of 14 hours per night, when possible. I never sleep like this! I would normally have a headache if I stayed in bed that long. I had to settle for 12 hours last night because I could not figure out how to get in the 14 I wanted and still make it to work before it was time to come home.

On Friday, A came down with the flu. I felt so bad for her because I knew how horrific she felt. Then on Sunday night, D started to show symptoms. She spent most of Monday in bed wishing she were dead (see above). The only one who has not been felled by this virus on steroids is L and we think that is because she was born in 1956, when, apparently there was an outbreak of H1N1 and she may have some immunity. I hope she is immune because if she goes down I don’t know how we will make it!

*All of my other series have gone so well….not

**I stole this line from one of my FB friends’ status line

The “Strait of Juan de Poocha”

Great title eh? I would totally like to credit for it but, alas, I did not think of it Deb did. Now, you might be asking yourself, what the hell is a “Strait of Juan de Poocha?”* It is a place in our bed. The middle of our bed to be precise where the dogs congregate at night. Yes, three of them, mostly sleep in a line down the middle of our bed. I would regale you with pictures but alas our bedroom is a camera free zone.

Now you might be thinking “what good little dogs to all sleep in a row” but you would be wrong. If we had any chance of ever getting pregnant we would not need birth control because the three little saints that share our bed make sure we never get within a foot of each other.  Instead we lay in bed, looking longingly at each other across the “Strait” rubbing dog belly. Trying to cuddle means that we need to, simultaneously, shift 3 dogs and try to come together. This is a little bit like 2 fat women trying to do gymnastics. We do not have enough hands, speed or agility to make this happen very often.

Most nights we just settle for touching hands or something but even then the dogs get annoyed because we, their staff, have stopped petting them. Generally when this happens we are rewarded with a paw pushing somewhere we would rather it did not. Last night I came up with a great solution. Deb went to bed early because she now has the dreaded H1N1 (more on that for another post) and I am still trying to recover from H1N1, so I followed and left the little darlings downstairs. We got to cuddle without the gymnastics! Once the little girls came up the “Strait” was back and we did our duty.

*For my non-Wet Coast readers it is a riff off of the Strait of Juan de Fuca which is somewhere in the ocean between Vancouver and Vancouver Island….I think.

Why I love Shihtzus

I must confess, of all the breeds, Shihtzus (or shihtheads as I like to call them) are my favourite. I became a breed afficianado through an accident of fortune. My grandmother got a Shihtzu after her Maltese died. The reason she chose a shihtzu is because my mother had mentioned that she might get one. My grandmother always did everything my mother did. As a family (with the exception of my brother) had decided that we would not help her get another dog because she was slipping into dementia and had always been abusive towards her dogs. Finally she convinced my brother to take her to get a Shihtzu. Enter Twinkie.

My grandmother knew nothing about shihtzus. She especially did not know they were stubborn as hell. After she had the dog for a couple of months she ended up in the hospital and Twink came to live with me. I will spare you all the horrible details of what she had done to that dog – suffice it to say it took about 5 years with me before the dog did not cower at the sight of a broom. I completely fell in love with this little dog! And who wouldn’t? Look at that face!

The Chunk was quite the hedonist!

Twink was re-named “The Chunk” when Deb met her and it suited her much more.

Without further ado – here is my list:

1. Shihtzus are hedonists – they live for pleasure whether it is food, comfort or attention.

2. Shihtzus make an amazing array of human noises. They belch, fart, and snore.

3. Shihtzus have special noises they make when you are petting them. It is almost like a cat’s purr. Zoe has happy shihthead noises down to a science.

4. Shihtzus like to cuddle – and as they cuddle they engage in all of the above behaviors.

Zoe is the new Shihtzu in my life (courtesy of Turtle Gardens). She is a former puppy mill dog. Like most shihtzus she is very resilient. Although she has lived a crap life up until now you would never know it to look at her. Now that her teeth are fixed, her foot has healed and she has a full belly she is a happy and contented little shihthead!

Zoe right after her 'welcome shave.'

I cannot imagine my life without dogs. I know that something had been missing since The Chunk died in 2006. I needed a shihtzu in my world to make it complete!

For more info on Shihtzus.

One other interesting Shihtzu fact – Stephen Spielberg George Lucas used their faces as inspiration for Ewoks.

National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo)

I have always wanted to try blogging every day – so this seems like a good opportunity to give it a try! Don’t expect brilliance please!!

NaBloPoMo

H1N1

The Herd

I spent the whole week at home, sick with what is most likely H1N1. The virus sucks, seriously sucks. I have been so fatigued that staying awake at times has been a real struggle. I have no appetite so having to eat in order to take medication has been a challenge facilitated by much generic gravol. I have had the fever (100.6 – doesn’t seem that high but when you consider that I usually run 1-2 degrees below normal it was bad), the sore throat, a little coughing and the headache. Then there is the sleep. I have slept the better part of the clock for the last 4 days. Twelve to fourteen hours at night and still waking up tired. The virus did not make it into my lungs and this morning when I woke up I had a glimpse of feeling better. I think Tamiflu helped but I cannot be sure.

So I have had a long time to ruminate about H1N1. I have other serious medical conditions like ulcerative colitis and asthma. My asthma is controlled, my colitis not so much. For all intents and purposes I seem to have survived this bout with the flu and I didn’t even get dehydrated or need a ventilator as the scare-mongers seem to think some of us will. I know people have died as a result of getting this virus but that happens every year with the seasonal flu.

This week has also seen the introduction of the H1N1 vaccine. Talk about confusion! Do you get adjuvanted vaccine or not? What should pregnant women have? Oh wait, they haven’t tested the vaccine on pregnant women. They haven’t even run clinical trials of the vaccine approved for use in Canada, by Health Canada, on Canadians! In a normal year, the seasonal flu vaccine would be tested on Canadians before approval goes out. The Canadian government has purchased millions upon millions of doses of vaccine to be put in the arms of every Canadian who wants it. Except no one bothered to check – only 1/3 of Canadians say they are going to get the vaccine according to a Maclean’s article this week.

Entitled “Swine Flu Fiasco,” Macleans tries to make sense of the virus, the risks and the vaccine. They try to make us all understand that for a virus to be called a ‘pandemic virus’ it does not have to be more lethal than regular flu virus. All of this is good except for the ending which you would have thought was written by Health Canada. They go on to explain why it is necessary for at least 70% of the population to get the vaccine – apparently it creates something called ‘herd immunity.’ At least they were finally being truthful. Our government bureaucrats sees us sheep, who can be herded together to take this concoction that we are not even sure we need. As I was reading this article I was reveling in the fact that I would not have to have the vaccine as I likely have had the flu already. Apparently I was wrong. They are recommending that people who have already had the flu get vaccinated too! Seriously? On what planet does this make sense? We are talking about the H1N1 virus, which has not mutated as of yet, vaccine. Why would anyone want to introduce more of it into their bodies along with all the other chemicals and adjuvants etc?

I think the truth is more along the lines that the government (and all Western countries and the WHO) have over-reacted to this virus. They have been waiting for a pandemic and when H1N1 appeared they all could not have been happier because now they can try out all their plans, manufacture a bunch of vaccine and hope that the little sheep will all take it. I think they are going to find that they are wrong this time. I only know one person who is going to get this vaccine and for him it makes sense. Clearly they are going to have to study ‘herd immunity’ somewhere else as normally complacent Canadians do not seem to be willing to be sheep and roll up our sleeves this year.