Waking Up

Breakfast

I made a dozen breakfast sammys this morning, hopefully they preserve well in the freezer. I used 2 lbs of pork sausage, 24 eggs and a dozen english muffins, added shredded cheese on top of the eggs.

We've been spending way too much money on store purchased single serve prepackaged meals and I'm fighting to keep our expenses down. Yesterday I also put 5 packages of stew into the freezer, each one is about a bowl full of yummy soup. I'll be on the look out for a small silicone baking pan like this one so after they are frozen I can store them better. The stew in in baggies and they're flattened but I can do better, one way or another.

I just know I need to get our expenses lower. Everything is going up but my paycheck won't, now for the next 2 years at least. Fucking state didn't even show up for contract negotiations yet the fucking governor got a goddamn raise. Fucking dickweed.

I finagled my way into getting 2 shifts this week, yesterday I offered to come in just in case Dave couldn't make it and he didn't, so I had the shift. Then I 'offered' to come in today for the same hours, JIC, and not only will I have a shift but I've been upgraded to seller. We make a few more bucks hourly as sellers. At our dock it makes a huge difference, as a lot of other docks its a huge difference. We're not as busy as Kingston, Bainbridge or Colman and their traffic people have to be outside in the weather ALL DAY.  

I took this photo yesterday, its kinda aery. 

The horse breeder suggested I take Ambleside into the vet to have another ultrasound done to see if she is pregnant but I can't afford it. I figure I'll be able to tell come spring time if she is and I know the due date. I also plan on having the vet check her out in May just to be getting ready for a spring breeding for an early 2028 foal. 

It's weird not having a dog at home and I miss Clare.

And Hagen, John Henry and Picabu too.

 

Live Cameras In Places I've Been

 Overland Hotel, Pioche, Nevada

Weather Cam | The Overland Hotel & Saloon

Annecy, France

annecy-tourisme webcam - Le Lac

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England

【LIVE】 Live Cam Newcastle - Central Station | SkylineWebcams

Mt Rainier, Washington, USA

Mountain Webcam (U.S. National Park Service)

Kaanapali Beach

Maui, Hawaii, USA

Kaanapali Beach, West Maui Webcam | Maui Kai

Whistler, Canada

We drove up to Whistler, its about a 5 hours drive, 275 miles.

Here's the Port Mann Bridge, when the loan was paid off, they removed the toll.

We go up to celebrate the Canadian Thanksgiving with Kari, Eldon & their family.

In Whistler Village

Namesake: Whistler was originally called London Mountain (named in 1932 for heavy fog and rain), but was renamed Whistler in the 1960s to honor the loud, piercing warning whistles of the local marmots and attract more resort visitors.

Here's a Photo of the Hoary Marmot.

We went on a 3 mile hike to the Ancient Cedars Grove, quite a nice UPHILL hike. The trees are up to 1,000 years old.

On the way up Lan had an 'episode', kind of like low blood sugar. He was sweating and light headed and had to stop a few times. We told everyone it was his back and leg but we both know. We NEED to change our diet, lose weight and get back to being healthy.

The participants in this years Thanksgiving dinner were:

Lan & me

Kari & Eldon

Jason, Jelaine, Wilder, Wynter and Harrison

Jolly, Quinton, Anna, Amelia and Louie

and Q's sister, Crystal.

All the kids are 6 or under, with both babies only a year old. It was loud & none of the parents followed through with their threats to their kids & the kids were brats. Jumping on furniture, throwing things, yelling, crying. 

 

Ah, Work

On Sunday Cathy & I had a little fun at work.  

It was a beautiful day and we decided to make it fun.

Took a bunch of photos and had Mike take a few as well.

We were even allowed into the wheelhouse for a photo but I can't show it here.

Then on Monday the MEBA engineers had a sick out with 23 people calling out sick and only 5 of 18 boats running. Most of the day was fine but toward evening an old lady got in my face & started blaming US. I tried to be nice to her, really did, but once you start blaming people who are actually AT WORK for the boats not running, that's BS. So I walked away and told her if she's going to be that way she can just leave. 

It was very stressful, just knowing that someone could/would start bitching at us and then a few issues with loading cars, nothing big but weirdness. Then we had SO MANY walk-on people coming to the wrong place. OPs called at 2:55 to cancel the 3:00, making it the 4:15, then we were supposed to have a 7:55 but it got cancelled at literally the last minute. That's the boat the old lady was supposed to get on and if it had run, she wasn't in her car and would have missed it anyway. Bitch.

I stand with the engineers and do not blame them one bit, they haven't had more than a 2% raise in the last 4 years and the state doesn't want to give them one for another 2 years. That's bullshit.

We're leaving Thursday to go up to Whistler, Canada for their Thanksgiving with Lans cousins. Last year we were there & they had a shit ton of drama, I hope the asshole DIL gets her shit together and can relax this year.

 

SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder

Its Fall, when everyone gets depressed & grumpy.

I try hard every fall not to let the changing weather affect me but sometimes it still does. 

I hope you all have a great Fall and Winter.

In horse news, Wifi and Amble are happy to be back together and eating pasture grass. There's a big storm rolling in and I'd like to have them in the barn but right now the truck & dump trailer are in there with a load of currently dry firewood. I do not trust the mares to leave the truck alone or not hurt themselves on the trailer so they will stay out front with protection for the weather under the huge Fir trees.

R2 & Sarah will be joining us for dinner, steak and salmon, I can't wait.

 

We Lost Clare Yesterday

 I'm sad that I can't find a single photo of Clare on my PC since my son 'cleaned it up for me'.

Clare was our English Mastiff, we'd gotten her when she was 4, and she had just had her 4th litter of puppies. She was a good girl every day but for the last couple years she'd had one issue after another. Icky ears, allergies, weight loss; lately she'd been puking up everything she ate so we made the decision to let her go.

This is the first time in many, many years that I woke up without a dog in the house.

Negative

This is what we wanted to see

But Amble is not pregnant. 

What we can do is have the stud owner gather semen and ship it over here, the vet said there was NO WAY she would have gotten pregnant at the time she was there because her body wasn't ready. He did say she would be receptive in 4-5 days... hhhmmm... that's exactly what the vet in Spokane said.

So I've got about 36 hours to decide what to do. I'll need to get in touch with the vet and ask him if he WILL do it, then tell the breeder and she would need to get the stud to the vet, collect him & get it shipped here, to be received Monday or Tuesday.

The expenses would be high, $250 to collect, shipping is $150+ and the vet said upwards of $1,500 for him to inseminate her. And still no guarantees. But AI is still cheaper than taking her back there at this point. I've just sent the breeder a text saying we'll try in the spring.

Amble weighs 1,294#. I NEED to get her measurements today and photos so I can keep track of her. The vet said she's about 100# over weight and that's not bad.

I should throw her saddle on her and start riding.

And wish for a 2028 baby.