Dogs are actually like trees. They shed because of the amount of light not the temperature. Our vet told us this many years ago and it sure explained why our dogs seemed to shed all year round. Of course they are spoiled rotten, more indoor than outdoor dogs. I have to shove the Husky Cross out the door to pee when the temperature is 25 below or lower and then he gets really cross. In fact I should get an honorary degree in the science of automatic door opening since I spend so much time letting them in and out.

Out door dogs do not shed in the winter but indoors do. Their coats do not recognize the difference between natural light and light bulbs. In the winter the light is on for at least 18 hours a day (daylight plus the lamps) just like in the summer time so their biological clocks get completely messed up. Then of course we throw daylight savings time at them and their shedding goes into overdrive. Isn’t having to reset all the clocks and VCRs punishment enough?

A funny thing we noticed is that in the spring the ravens and the squirrels go nuts collecting the shed hair. We never saw this behaviour down south. A ranger we know told us that they use the hair to line their nests. So of course I decided to help the poor little creatures by spreading my surplus hair all over the trees in our yard. Stupid beasts never touched it so now all our trees look like they have a fungal infection. The Hubster said it is probably because I mixed cat hair in with the dog hair.

How do you handle the vet bills? We used to have a credit card that was just for the bills and it was always maxed out. The older the animals get the more vet care needed. We paid it off and now we put aside a set amount each month in a savings account. Still not very satisfactory because one illness or injury can be ruinous but the insurances we had never seemed to cover what we needed while costing a fortune. But we are not the kind of pet owners who can give up without a fight for life.

Years ago we worked out a barter system with our vet. Sadly none of the vets here are interested. Our old vet would give us an invoice for his services and then he would phone us when he needed something done. When his regular staff was away we cleaned cages, fed and walked the inmates of his boarding kennels and cattery, cleaned up around his farm barns (who knew horses and cows pooped so much?) and I did some bookkeeping for him. Even baby sat his brats for a weekend while he and the wife went off on a dirty weekend. We would keep track of the hours we worked and he would “pay” us the same rate he paid his regular staff and just subtract our “earnings’ from what we owed. It was truly great because we were never afraid to take the pets in. Felt free to panic and over react. Now we hesitate to spend the money (the cost of veterinary services is horrific now-a-days) and try to wait out the symptoms to see if there is really something going on. A couple of times it nearly cost us dearly. But I now understand why the people in the USA who do not have health insurance delay going to the doctor and so many have no yearly medical care at all. Just walking in the door of our vet clinic costs $40 and an emergency after hours visit has a $120 price tag before any treatment is even administered. Thought that tacking that $120 onto the euthanasia fee was just a little cold. Just saw on the news that with the recession in the USA the Humane Society has taken in over a million and a half animals more than usual. Money affects everything.

My Mom shrank with old age and osteo to the point that she could disappear behind a speed bump in the grocery store parking lot. Not only did we threaten her with a hat and flag but the Hubster actually made her one – as a joke – and she turned the joke back on to him by insisting on wearing it! He kept trying to disappear down different aisles but he could not escape that bobbing flag.

I never got the chance to camp with Mom during her senior years – did lots before – but I did make the fatal mistake of convincing her to join a gym with me. Beware of those BOGO deals. So hard to resist the bargains. I didn’t actually save any money because if it was only Buy One Get One I wouldn’t have stirred my lazy butt to join at all so I would have “saved” a fortune. She sooooo totally embarrassed me. The first time I rode the exercise cycle my speed thingy didn’t even register and she (aged 80) was whipping along like Lance Armstrong on the Tour de France. And did the hunky trainers help me? NO. They were too busy flirting with her and never left her side.

All joking and funny memories aside I am glad that I was there to look out for her as she aged. Especially financially. We all need to be on guard for our old folks. Old people are very vulnerable because they are very trusting. That is why con men/women target them. My Mom was a savvy business woman who could really take care of the money but as she aged she lost interest and since she knew everyone whom she dealt with she thought she was safe. And she was with most.

When we moved back to our home town I gently started running an eye over her finances and some things I discovered were clearly just mistakes – both on her part and on the part of others – but there was also some serious negligence and crooked stuff going on. At that time we hadn’t yet started to deal with our financial mess – hadn’t a clue or a care- and yet I watched her finances like a hawk. Go figure.

I quickly found out that the young men who were doing her yard work and whom she had known since they were kids were ripping her off. Fortunately I was there one day when they dropped off their invoice and could stop Mom from handing over a practically blank cheque.

I didn’t want to upset her so I took the “boys” outside and asked why they were charging her for 4 weeks of grass cutting when they only came three times. They said it was a clerical error and that they forgot that one time they couldn’t come because of the rain. In the Okanagan in August? It’s a freaking desert. With rattlesnakes!

They tried to laugh it off so I also asked why they charged her so much for trimming the hedge. They said yes they had done it 5 weeks ago and look how good it looks. I said I would pass the compliment on to my husband since we moved back home at that time and the first thing the Hubster did was trim the hedge because it was so overgrown. Mom wouldn’t let me fire them so I enjoyed myself by following them around every time they came to do the yard work. Even put on white gloves and checked the cherry trees for dust. One developed a twitch and the other kept looking over his shoulder and muttering so my work was done.

Over the past 30 year we have probably spent a couple thousand dollars trying to find a dog and cat brush that actually works. If the Furminator works and costs only $69.99 it is worth every penny. I have worn out five!!!! vacuum cleaners trying to keep up with the shedding. Cats, dogs, rabbits, husbands – it’s endless. Up here there is a lady who actually collects dog hair, spins it and then knits sweaters with it. She charges a fortune and cannot keep up with demand even though they smell like wet dog when it snows. I wanted to buy one for the Hubster but he said not to bother since with his luck the Rottweiler next door would probably fall in love with him.

Maureen, you should try taking your mom camping!! We (teenage son and I) took 71 year old mom to Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, and many interesting places along the way a few summers ago. She was a trooper, hiking, etc, sleeping out under the stars the one night we were too lazy to set up the tent, and of course cooking over a fire, her favorite part. The funniest part was when she wanted to borrow $20 from me, so she could buy us supper!!! We gotta enjoy them while we still have them. Mom won’t be camping with us again, since she broke her hip last summer, but I think she will remember that holiday for a long time.

I don’t know if you are having this problem. Not only did it take elderly Mom forever to examine each purchase which gave me a lot of boredom time in which to also examine new, unwanted and unneeded items and stick them into my cart – but I kept losing her. Worse than trying to keep track of 12 kids at the zoo.

For someone with restricted mobility she could vanish in the time it took me to read the label on a box of cookies. And not just down the next aisle but I would find her miles away making new friends with the guys in the produce and bakery departments. Then of course the next time we shopped we had to stop by to see if Bill the produce guy had had his baby yet and then find out if Raphael had yet managed to bring his family over which of course took even more time but then again what did it matter because we had to pick the longest, slowest line at the cash since SHE was the only cashier who could be trusted not to bruise the fruit. But boy do I miss the aggravation.

And you said it perfectly. For us it is a chore that we want to get done as quickly as possible. For the elderly Moms it is an outing and social activity. In the end I gave up and decided to make it the same for me. Did my grocery shopping on my own and chose a separate day to go to lunch with Mom and do her shopping. Unfortunately that meant also going to the bank with her and since the GIRLS were her BFFs the job of simply cashing a cheque took at least an hour. And heaven forbid if she wanted to go into her safety deposit box to “just check to make sure her Grandmother’s pearls were still there.” !@#!!$%%% it’s a VAULT with a two foot thick steel door!!! And a guard with a !@#!!$%%% gun!!! I did try to teach her to use the ATM but I don’t remember how that turned out. I think I had a stroke.

I went to the cash counter and she rung through my order. When I went out to my car, I decided to look at my bill (which is rare for me). To my surprise, the item I picked up for me showed the regular price. So back into the store I go, and I ended up getting it free!!!…store’s policy states if the price is wrong at the cash, it’s free up to $10.00.

Loved it!…I saved $4.51 (including tax) .. It was a fabulous day.

I meal plan for the week and create lists based on the meal plan. Groceries seem to be much more expensive in BC than some regions of Canada. I know that when I visit my brother in Toronto I am always blown away at how cheap groceries are there. So when I make my list, I always plan at least two meatless nights (beans and lentils are usually our protein) and it is much cheaper. I try to plan one “exciting” meal, like lasagne or pad thai or a good stir fry, which may be more costly, but can usually be stretched to two nights or give leftovers for lunches.
Eggs also make a good protein source for creative dinners.

My biggest impulse buying usually occurs with frozen foods or meats in bulk. I also take issue with Costco! Last week I was in there to pick up bread & kitty litter. I actually was repeating those words in my head as I walked to the back to get those items. Unfortunately a pair of running shoes jumped out at me. They were my $120 shoes on sale for $29.99… and I haven’t bought new shoes in 3 years so it seemed like a good splurge.

My other tip, when I have the shopping bug in me is to come onto your blog! It gets me out of the shopping mood:)