It's been too long...

 It has been a long while since my last post, and yet it doesn't feel like that long ago...  Time does fly, even if we're not having fun, it has one speed, one motion: forward.

Health wise I'm doing good overall, nothing worst than the usual pains and aches which often come with aging...  The last few days I've been having one "symptom" that is bothering me...  After coming in for outside, it's been twice now that I'm really having some vision issues.  You know after you've been "flashed" and you see spots for a few minutes?  It started like that yesterday afternoon, after having spent some time outside with the pooch, when I came in I was seeing spots.  Given that it was sunny and bright out, I didn't think much of it until the spots started changing to stripes, like zebra lines going and going.  I could walk and such, but could not really read nor look into a mirror - it made me dizzy.  After an hour or so I didn't notice it anymore.

Today, I sat outside some, in the shade (I can't do sun much anymore... the joy of getting old...er, urgh) and when I came in I was seeing "stairs" like pattern, but mostly in my right eye... that lasted a good 45 minutes to an hour...   I just got back from being outside, and my eyes are ok, I'm wondering if it is related to my glasses as both previous times I was wearing my glasses, which are for reading and do transit darker whenever in the sun...  Anyway, I've made a note of these "events" and will tell my neuro when I see him next... could be nothing or something related to MS.  We'll see. Ah!

I don't have a migraine, I'm feeling good, no nausea... just seeing weird moving patterns in one eye... fun!

During my last outing with the pooch, I lay down under the gazebo and listened to the noise around us.  Since living here, we've noticed that during the day it is VERY quiet as well as after 9pm...  Summer noises are very different from Winter ones, and this goes for smells as well.  Hubby often calls me "bloodhound"... I smell things... must have been a dog in a previous life...  

Rather than hearing the humming of the A/C, I heard the 640 traffic a few streets over...

Rather than hearing ice cubes falling in the ice bucket, I heard a kid plunked in a pool...

Rather that hearing my husband blow his nose for the xth time, I heard birds chirping...

After hearing the loud noise of a mower, I could smell the fresh cut grass... nothing says summer more than that.  After hearing my neighbor coughing, I could smell the joint he just lit... oh wait that's not just a summer smell...  After hearing the nails of my pooch going up and down the stairs from the patio to the door, I could hear her bark at the neighbor's cat taunting her by the fence...

So, life is good.  Despite the heat wave and humidex through the roof, I will take that over winter any day  Love having my toes out, in flipflops, and this even if my feet are always cold.  I'm not crazy about doing sweet nothing and sweating, or sweating so much my glasses fog up or slide down my nose... I will admit not being a big fan of gardening, I hate bugs and this year my lilies have been eaten, almost cut all of them off... beurk...  My planters are doing well and love seeing those colorful flowers, so pretty. 

Keeping busy with the few clients I've kept and doing this and that... like painting rocks, organizing a virtual meetup to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Postcrossing... yep, I still do the postcards thing.  I will admit that I'm sending less these days since the prices of stamps went up... it's getting to be an expensive hobby, but I still enjoy it!  Still selling postcards as well.  I'm importing less from the States since things are nuts over that side of the border since their last election it did NOT get any better!  Haven't traveled and not planning anything either... Home is the place to be for both (or rather all three) of us!

And voilà, this was my little update in the world of Stinkypaw! 😏

Pleasant Surprise

Update: Have not yet cut/clipped my hair.  It will happen, that much I know.  Hubby suggested for me to wait a little longer so that my roots show more... better guideline or something.

As you (most likely already) know, not only do I send and received lots of postcards, but I sell some as well. I've had an online shop for a few years now and each year it is doing better.  Will it be my retirement income? I doubt that very much, but it is fun for me to sell my creations and other cards.  I even recently partnered up with someone also making her own cards, so that is good.  The last two years I've noticed that some of my clients were from abroad, not only people I knew were buying some cards, but I'm getting foreign orders more often.  The prices of our postal services are quite expensive, and yet, some people do order.

Yesterday morning I received this one line email on my email account with the title: Order received.
My first thought was: "Crap, something went wrong..."  I read the email and started grinning.  The client (a new one from QC city) wrote:

Hi, I just wanted to let you know I have received my order and I am really happy, thank you! Really nice quality postcards, will definitely purchase again :)

Can you say that made my day, or so I thought, until I went to pick up the mail.  Even if it was dark, because I went around 8:30 pm since our mail person does his/her round very late these days, I noticed an envelope coming from the States (from the return address). Actually what I noticed was the fact that it was addressed to my shop and the address was a cut out of my shop's address label that I use when I ship out orders.  I was wondering what the heck this could be.

When I got home, after washing my hands (what did you think?), I opened the env. which contained a letter, an Easter card and a First Day of Issue Env.  I started reading the letter, and immediately noticed *Fan Mail*

WTF?

The letter came from a client, from Arizona, who received her second order!  She loved my postcards and mentioned how important it was for her to support small businesses.  She loved my cards! Wow!  She wrote about herself a bit and offered some cards suggestion.

The Easter card she also included dates back to 1911.  It has a one cent stamp (yeah, one cent!!) and a cancellation from St-Louis, MO.  It is addressed to an address in San Diego, California.

The First Day of Issue Cover dates back to June 6, 1974 in Washington, DC.  Funny how before doing Postcrossing I knew nothing about First Day Covers, etc.  Now I'm getting more and more familiar with them, and so much more in the philatelic world.  I've developed an interest in stamps.  Some countries really do have some pretty gorgeous stamps, we used to in Canada, nowadays not so much. 

Every postcard I create has this little tag line at the bottom saying: Sending a little love today.
Feels like not only am I sending some, I'm getting some back! Yay!

Little recap

It's been a few weeks since I last was here, so let me bring you up to speed in the Challenging Life of Stinkypaw!

1. Re. Condo:  Nothing yet has been done, BUT we now have a start date!  Woohoo!
   
2. The expert in HVAC came and within the first five minutes he looked at the unit, he found the issue.  It was missing a little cap. $30K worth of damage for a little cap that cost $1.15, imagine that!
   
3. Because of all the delays and little fights we've had to deal with, Hubby decided that he doesn't want to do any upgrade anymore.  Boohoo!
   
4. I got my new wedding ring last week.  It's huuuuuge.  It turned out great.
   
   

   

   from idea to wax to a beautiful new shinny ring!

    
5. In a month of business I did manage to sell two hundreds cards!  Crazy, and since I haven't sold any...I have a feeling I won't become a millionaire with that...
   
6. The Québec Meet Up was a success.  It was a bad drive.  It snowed all the way there, so it took me longer than anticipated to get to Québec. Good thing Hubby had changed the tires on our car the night before.
   
   
    
   
   
   Other than that I feel like we're both about to crack... we manage to do our things, Hubby goes to work, but he's running on a very thin sheet of ice.  He could slip at any time... His fuse is getting shorter by the day, which is not a real good thing.    We have to be moved out by Saturday next week.  If everything goes well (yeah, right) the work on this place should be done within three weeks.   Time will tell...

Hoping and hopefully...

Nineteen days since I last came by here, and to be honest not much as changed.  The work has not begun in our condo yet, some issues with the kitchen estimation. The insurance company sent their guy to re-appraise the work to be done earlier last week.  I'm hoping to hear from them soon.

Our moron of a neighbor didn't provide a written confirmation that his unit is working correctly and that the issue which caused the damages has been resolved correctly.  We had to get a lawyer involved, and mandate a professional consultant to confirm everything.  Hopefully that guy will come by this week.

When the cabinet guy came by last week, I did ask him about how we would proceed if we were to do some upgrades, like changing our counter top.  While he was measuring and examining our cabinet he did mention a possible problem we might have with doing so.  Our current top is shaped and set a certain way and replacing it might not be as easy task.  We will have to see a professional and make sure it can be done... I'm hoping it will be a possible project, since it would be a superb upgrade in our place.

We went to see our jeweler and he showed us the new rock that will be on/in my new ring, which he had a wax mold of.  It will be quite a change from the ring I had for fifteen years.  Hopefully it will be even better in gold and meets all my expectations.

My postcard online shop is up and running.  I've made three sales this far.  It would be a lie to say I'm not disappointed.  I'm waiting for a few more new designs from the printer, which will broaden the types of cards I offer.  I've also created another few, but haven't sent them to the printer yet.  I'm hoping to sell some at the Québec meet on Saturday.

I've organized a Postcrossing meet in Québec city.  I was planing to drive there with Hubby, but he mentioned not being too hot about spending time alone while I was at the meet up, so I've asked a member if she wanted to share my room.  I didn't want to drive there alone and turns out that I will be driving there with two women, so it all worked out.  At the moment we are about ten postcards addicts attending, should be interesting.  Hopefully it will be a nice day, hate to drive in the rain.

As you can read, these days I'm going on hopes... hopefully it will all work out... one can hope, right?

Not all bad...

Well, in ten days things have been moving, or I have... whichever way you want to look at it.  On the condo front though, nothing moved.  No repair insight just yet, we are awaiting the moron's confirmation that it has been fixed correctly and it seems like he's ignoring the requests from the condo association...

My new wedding band is in creation and we actually got a nice credit for our old gold jewels. A nice chuck of that came from Hubby's mother, may she rest in peace.  I had kept her charms bracelet, you know the old style with huge charms, and that puppy weight 111 gm in gold! Between that and my wedding ring, with its diamond, it added up, which is nice since the new ring will be a little more pricey... Yeah this girl likes purdy and shiny things!

Speaking of shiny things, while at the jeweler, I had noticed a pendant he had made, and last time I was there I could no longer resist it.  It is so me, Stinkypaw!

Chuk's Creation

As you may have noticed, on the sidebar, there's a new gadget pointing to my new online store!  I've decided to take the plunge and open an online shop where I would sell postcards.  For now, as I'm building my portfolio, the selection isn't grand, but I'm working on it.  I have some strictly related to Postcrossing and since the selection of Montréal postcards in local stores is not only lame, dated and always the same, I've contacted different people I know and asked if I could use their photos.  The answers have been coming in slowly.  Things are moving and I'm excited about it.  If you have a chance go visit my little shop and let me know what you think.  There's also a blog on my store.

Today, I actually was pleasantly surprise by Canada Post.  I've been collecting pictorial cancels.  What is that you ask?  It is a cancellation stamp that some post office have to commemorate something of the area, like there's one not far from here of the Notre-Dame Basilica.  Here's what it looks like.

Some are really pretty, some are funny and it's an inexpensive souvenir.  I've started that because of Postcrossing, same as with the stamps.  Some countries have gorgeous stamps, like Russia, Finland for example. I've been contacting different post offices asking them to cancel my stamp (on a postcard, of course) with their postmark.  I will say this, Canada Post's website isn't up to date for this at all.  I had contacted this post office in Ontario, which had a postmark showing Canada's First Polish Settlement.  Today I get an envelop from Canada Post addressed with the label that I had put on when I had sent my request.  When I opened it, it contained my postcard, stamped as requested but with another cancellation, and on the note I had attached (my original request) there was a hand written note from the Postmaster in which she informed me that the Wilno post office had closed down, and their stamp was taken out of circulation.  She, instead, cancelled my card with her post office's special stamp.  How sweet was that?  I was really surprised, especially since I've started this, many were simply returned with no explanation.  It is nice to see that some people still care about their clients.