the flower bed

In January, after too many months of temping, I saw an ad for an office in Vancouver. Normally I skip over those ones because of the distance, but this one caught my eye because it mentioned they were an office of women in their 30s and 40s who valued their home life as well as their work life. I made some changes to my cover letter - stressing that while I was fairly new to the profession, I was within their age range - and e-mailed my resume. That evening I got a call from the dentist, and over the course of the hour-long interview, I learned that she had recently fired her entire staff and was looking to start fresh. Normally that's a big red flag, but I had enjoyed my conversation with her, and she seemed very nice. She stressed that she wasn't worried about my relative lack of experience, because she was looking for someone with great communication skills.

A few days later I went in for a working interview, and was pleased to see it was a modern office with great patients and an excellent dentist. She had recently gone digital, so it was a challenge for me to learn a whole new system, not just charting but taking x-rays as well. She hired me for a p/t position, then called a few days later and asked if I could work full time, as she'd let the other CDA go (yes, another red flag!) I said yes, and went to Safeway to pick up a book of fare-savers for the bus.

One of the main draws for some of the patients is the "hostess" - a cute little maltese/shih tzu who greets the patients and cuddles up on their laps during the procedures. Many people find this very relaxing, and most hope she spends at least part of the time with them... which she does. She loved me though. If I was standing, she'd sit between my feet. When I was sitting, she'd stand on the patient's lap, put first one paw then the other on the arm of my chair,...

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I had coffee with a wonderful gentleman I've known for years but met for the first time today.

We've been chatting and arguing and laughing for about 4 years now, and I've long admired him for his positive outlook. He has the most interesting life experiences... I don't know why he doesn't talk about them more, as any one of his stories is far more interesting than the boring tripe he past... I mean.... posts. He's generous with his support and praise, and kind with his criticisms.... in other words, he's the ideal friend that everyone should have at least one of.

The hour we had flew by, and I'm looking forward to the promised beer and burger sometime in the future.

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I always wanted a diary when I was a girl. I had visions of filling the pages with my innermost thoughts and feelings, and then rereading the words later in life and being in awe of the insights that were sure to be within. The reality, of course, is that days and then weeks and months would go by between entries, and even that was mostly the day to day minutiae of childhood.

Still - a lot of what we know of history comes from personal writings - diaries and letters between friends and allies. I doubt people would learn much from reading my little journal... perhaps a little more from my blogs and writings such as this, but still it's mostly just whatever thought pops into my head. Some of it is interesting, and some is just me working through my thoughts. I enjoy it though - for the most part, I find it helpful, and I'm usually cheered when I read back through previous entries.

One thing I've been thinking a lot about lately is friendship, and how it affects our various relationships. There are a lot of different kinds of friends, of course. There are your lifelong friends... those people who knew you way back when, that grew up with you, and share your history. They're the ones who understand and will reminisce about things that others simply can't.

Then there are the friends that share the now. They might work with you or have kids the same age as yours. Maybe they're neighbours. They will listen to your stories and share their own, and maybe they will shift into the lifer category too... with any luck.

Finally, there's the last kind of friend, and for me, my least favourite. They're the ones who will gleefully point out all your faults... for your own good, of course. They won't want to listen to any explanation from you, nor are they interested letting you know they've noticed your good traits. They pride themselves on their brutal honesty......

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I thought I killed my dog yesterday.

It's Thanksgiving weekend, so I headed up to Squamish to have dinner at my sister's. I stopped in North Van to pick up my niece and her baby - they'd arrived from Alberta the night before, and were staying at her in-law's. It was nice having company for the drive, especially since we don't get a chance to see each other much anymore.

When we arrived at Mum's, Randi ran into the house to get rid of some of the Venti Iced Tea Lemonade she'd been drinking, so I took the baby out of his car seat and with him in one arm and my puppy in the other I walked toward the back gate. Just as I was reaching for the latch, Willy jumped out of my arms and landed with a sickening *splat* right on his side. He didn't move. I quickly sat Kaden on the driveway and carefully picked the dog up, worrying at the same time that I shouldn't, but not wanting the last thing he knew in this life to be cold wet pavement.

Randi picked Kaden up and we went into the house, where we checked the dog out. He held his head out at an awkward angle, and didn't move. Eventually we noticed he rolled his eyes a little, so I put my hand on his chest and was relieved to feel a heartbeat and breathing. I put him on the floor to see if he could move, and I don't know if I was relieved that he could or even more scared to see him drag himself in a circle, much like the hamster we used to have.

I think he must have winded himself, because about a half hour later, he was back to normal, but even a day later I can still hear the sound of him landing on the ground.


Dinner that night was great. My sister hosted this year, and everyone was there except my oldest brother's family and my kids. It's getting harder to gather everyone together at one time, so it's nice to have as many...

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Well, I've been in my new place a few months now and I no longer have to make a point of not turning onto my old road - one of the pitfalls of moving only a few blocks. We've met many of the neighbours while out and about, walking the dog, getting the mail... even hanging out on the back patio. My daughter and the neighbour kids are equally comfortable at our place or theirs and we've even arranged a ride share to and from football practices.

They say neighbourhoods are not what they used to be, that people don't know the people who live around them beyond waving as they drive by. Part of the fault lies with the transience of people today. We no longer live in the same house and work at the same job for years at a time... we're always looking for bigger and better. Added to this is the design of the modern home, with the automatic garage doors. We drive in, close the doors behind us and walk into the house without even a friendly "hi" to the man next door watering his lawn.

I was fortunate to grow up in a very stable environment. My parents still live in the house we moved into when I was 3, and I lived in my last place for 20 years. We knew all our neighbours because most of them had been there for years too... many are still there.

My new place won't be quite the same. Many people are starting out or downsizing. Others are in the same situation I am... single parent with a couple of kids. I know some will move on and the face of the neighbourhood will be constantly changing, but for now, I'm enjoying getting to know those around me better. Some I know only to smile and say hello to, others I think will become friends.

Shortly after we got back from our holidays and really settled in here, one neighbour brought over a plate of freshly baked cookies and muffins... they were still warm. They drive my son to football on the days I can't and they knock...

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