BILLY THE BULLDOG

June 22, 2019

Hi and welcome to my blog.Or actually Billy’s Blog… I am just Billy’s Mom!The picture above is Billy, our rescue Bull Dog. He has been with us for about 2 years. And really is a huge part of our family. We have 2 children and my hubby is a contractor in Edmonton, Alberta. Our condominium has a nice backyard, so that Billy has room to exercise. Although, he can be a bit of a lazy guy! We had put him through some dog obedience classes when we first got him. And he is actually a pretty smart fellow! He loves to go for a walk but not in the winter! We get some pretty cold days here and can have pretty heavy snow from time to time. I can totally get why he is reluctant to go out. He loves the car! I try to get him to a dog park at least once a week. Always on leash. I am not comfortable with him being off leash, as I do not know the temperment of other dogs there. I would assume owners would keep aggressive dogs away from others, but you read and hear about dog attacks happening. Better safe than sorry! Because we love this guy so much! Anyways, while in the car, he always rides in the back seat. I attach his leash to the seatbelt so he is secured. Again, as part of this family, I take his safety seriously. He does not like going to the vet. Just not a fan of the poking and prodding, I guess. Although the vet is a really sweet guy! Billy is always happy when we leave the office! Billy gets really nervous when there are thunderstorms. He whimpers and tries to get right under my feet. It’s ok buddy, mommy’s here… Billy is a bit of a picky eater. We had to try several brands of dry dog food to get to the one he prefers. His favorite is always the wet food but we keep that just for special treats. I hear too much wet food can be bad for him.Anyways, that’s it for now! Will keep posting updates on Billy and his forever family!

September 5, 2019

So we just got back from a short family vacation.We went to visit my parents in Toronto for a week. Had to leave Billy here in Edmonton. I was going to leave him with a boarding place but a friend offered to take him for a week. Super nice! I really preferred leaving him with someone in their home. And my friend, Stacey, she loves dogs! They went for plenty of walks and had tons of cuddles!

October 13, 2019

Billy continues to be a joy here! Lots of love to the fam and lots of love right back at him!We just finished doing some clearing out of old furniture (yes, I am getting some new stuff delivered...Yay!) and had the furniture pickup done by a local company called Edmonton Junk Removal Service. They were awesome guys! Billy took a real shine to one of them! Billy followed this fellow around wherever he went! And the guy obviously loved dogs! Said he would be willing to take him home...and I said “over my dead body, you will!” Anyways, I wanted to give a shout out to this company. They came and removed the sofa, coffee table, and the recliner for us. And they were very reasonably priced. They donate unwanted items like this to Goodwill, etc. So I know that my old stuff will find a new home with someone who needs it. It feels good to let go of the older furniture and be ready for the NEW pieces to arrive! Win Win!! I told them I would leave a good comment once they have their website up and running.Good job, you guys!

November 19, 2019

Billy is doing fine and the rest of the family is good. But what a crazy day!Our complex has had a water line break! No water for most of the day here. At least my hubby was able to get his shower done before they shut it off. But it is a pain in the butt! Can’t even make coffee...lord help me! The condo board was able to get a truck out here to expose the water line and make it so the workers were able to get at the pipe and fix it. Interesting process they have going on. I have never seen a hydrovac truck in action before. My neighbour explained the process to me (he also brought me a cup of coffee from Timmies...love ya James!). They use high pressure water to soften up the soil and then they vacuum it up. Quicker than digging up the dirt.And...get this! The company is called Bull Dog Hydrovac! Hey Billy, they named a company after you! Good Boy!!

December 27, 2019

Well, we have survived Christmas!Actually it was a really good one. Hubby had time off and we were able to host a family Christmas with my brother and his family. Too bad my parents were not able to make it this year. But we talked on the phone and we will plan another trip east to visit them in the summer. Billy got spoiled this year! He got a new dog bed from Santa and a bunch of chewy toys. He is such a good boy! We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas, and if I don’t have the opportunity to post before then, all the best to each and every one of you for the New Year!2020 is going to rock, people!

February 14, 2020

Happy Valentines Day! Hope everyone had a great day! I know I did!My hubby surprised me with a nice getaway planned in the upcoming weeks! We are going to be going to Banff, Alberta for a weekend in April. And staying in a 5 star resort! I guess the guy still loves me! I got him a nice shirt and a jacket. I feel I could have put a bit more thought into that now! Billy got his valentines day treats as well. Home made doggie cookies! He ate all of them! Well, he must have really enjoyed them!

April 13, 2020

Well, I don't know what has just happened to the world.
You know exactly what I mean. COVID-19.When I look back at my earlier posts, I am stunned. How quickly everything can turn on a dime. This pandemic is serious and we all must observe the health instructions that are coming out. But the online world has become extremely difficult to handle. I am trying to stay away from all of the bad news and focus on good news only. Easter was nice but not the same as being able to gather with friends and family. This is the new norm, for the time being. I had a bit of a scare last week when my oven seemed to just simply stop working. Apparently the heating element in the oven finally had enough and died. I was nervous at first, bringing in someone to do the fix for us. But it had to be done! So I was able to get Edmonton Home Appliance Repair in and they were great. They were health-minded and very careful, which put me at ease some what. This is a crazy world we are living in right now!Time to go give Billy a big hug. He is so comforting to have around.

April 26, 2020

I have to say, that the spring weather could not have arrived at a better time! I can already feel the weight of winter coming off of me mentally and I am looking forward to springtime.Even if isolation is to continue, it is at least and option to sit outside and get fresh air on your own steps. Nice to see neighbours doing the same thing. Billy is always wanting outside now. And super eager to go for a walk, which is still allowed as long as we maintain a safe distance from others. The parking lot sweeping company was through the lot today and all that dirt and debri is gone from the parking lot. It is really starting to look and feel like spring is here and summer is on it's way. Thank Heavens!

June 12, 2020

Still trying to keep going with this blog right now.We are really experiencing history in the making right now! Never have we seen the world almost come to a stand still. All at the same time. It is mind blowing to think on that. But, as we are now getting ready to reopen up everything in calculated stages, I pray that we will not trigger something that will cause us all to take a step backwards. Billy is doing great! His wonderful self as always. The condo board is looking into replacing some concrete steps around the complex. The board president was telling me today that a lot of the concrete contractors in Edmonton haven't even had any downtime due to all of this. It's good to hear that at least some folks are keeping busy with work!

June 19, 2020

Recently we had to have court papers to be served on someone, so we found a local company here that does that stuff for you.They were really helpful and considerate. It wasn't something that we wanted to do, but we felt we had no other choice. Sometimes you can let things slide and sometimes you can't. Anyways, they do all the leg work so we don't have to go and confront this person. Which in its self, is well worth any cost associated. I was told to not go into any detail about it so I can only leave this as is.

June 22, 2020

Have you ever thought about becoming a Security Guard?I have a cousin who is thinking about pursuing this. Security Guards are found in all kinds of places now. Office buildings, malls, events, personal protection service, venues, airports, just to name a few. And the need for security continues to grow. Thus, this could be a very advantageous career choice, for someone looking to find a new career. Training is required, though, to become licensed. You will have to go through training for security guards. I am curious as to how this works out for him.

July 21, 2020

How is everyone doing? I am sincerely hoping that you all are doing ok.We have so many things to be thankful and our health needs to be right up there on our list. These current times, with this crazy illness that seems to be the center focus in many of our lives, makes me think about how important it is to know what to do when an emergency arises. Because knowing what to do can save someones life. You know what I mean? Like if someone actually had a heart attack, would you know what to do? I don't think I would. Of course, call 911 is an obvious thing that has to happen. But what do you do while waiting for an ambulance? Could you keep from panicking? I am going to go for some Emergency First Aid training. I think it is absolutely beneficial to know what to do. For everyone concerned.

August 19, 2020

OK I am going to go off a little bit here... I am not a political person and I do not normally get swept up in debates etc about this or that. But something I have come across has left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.I was listening to a friend recently, who was telling me about a young woman who had to fight her insurance company in court to get benefits for her rehabilitation. Once her SGI Claim Appeal was awarded, she was out of pocket the cost of the lawyers she needed to represent her. I don't understand how SGI can justify having lawyers on staff, to fight claims they deny to claimants. Are they not suppose to support rehabilitation? Isn't that the reason for No-Fault Insurance? To save premiums for people and provide them benefits for rehabilitation. Something off here. She should have been awarded her court costs. I mean, she wouldn't have had to go to court in the first place, if SGI would have done what they should have. The court even agrees with her on that. But the clause limits the amount that SGI will have to pay for legal costs if they lose their appeal. This really should be looked at.Oh and Billy says HI to everyone!!

September 18, 2020

Hey everyone!Well I guess we can safely say that summer has left and fall has arrived. At least by the weather, that is. I am hoping to be able to enjoy a few warm days still but I am also fully aware that the winter months are starting to creep up on us! I don't know about you but I like to get my car cleaned really good before winter comes. I use a company that does the interior and the exterior cleaning, to bring the car right back to looking and smelling super fresh! It's kind of a treat for me! I love Billy but my car can get a lot of dog hair and dog scent. The company I use is a mobile car detailing service. They are awesome and super affordable! Since they come to you, their service is super convenient. I would suggest checking this service out!

October 31, 2020

Happy Halloween Everyone!Were their many trick or treaters out in your are? We noticed a real drop in numbers where we are. There were a few parents out with their little ones. All wearing masks, which by the way, I mean face masks. Such is the reality we live in, isn't it? Anyways, there were maybe 10 kids in total. That's about 90% less than last year, by my estimation. At least Billy wasn't getting super excited every time the door bell would ring!

January 10, 2021

Can you believe it? We survived 2020! What an insane year that was!Looking forward to better times in 2021 - and that's not too hard to accomplish. We really hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I am sure it looked very different than years past. But it will bet better! Our holiday season was good! We had some difficulties with our vehicle though. The starter went on it and of course, it happened at the mall while I was finishing up my shopping! It wouldn't start after I was done. As a lady, it is really stressful when this happens! But the towing service was wonderful and they were able to get me towed over to the garage safely. Hubby had to come down and meet me there because I don't know anything about mechanics! But we got it all fixed up and now it shouldn't happen again! Billy had a great Christmas, with the usual treats and new chew toys! He really is a delight to have and great company for the cold winter days ahead!

January 21, 2021

Do you guys use anybody do to your income tax?I am curious if you have someone who does it for you or are you going to one of the national tax companies you see in the malls? I have used those guys in the past. While they did the job, I am getting a bit more complicated tax situations now. I found this lady who does bookkeeping in Edmonton. She has years of experience with both accounting and bookkeeping. And she prepares tax returns as well. Her rate is not that much more than the other guys. And she can help out with a lot of items that might need someone looking over them. I do have a little home based company that I do need some guidance on how to set up and keep my financial information straight. I am going to see if she has any tips on how I can write off Billy. Not "write him off"... I mean claim him as a dependent or something? She might laugh but it's worth a try.This dog eats his weight in food daily! Goodness me!

February 11, 2021

Do you guys ever get tired of cold floors in the winter?Right now we are in one of the worst cold snaps this city has seen. My darn car is not starting and I am so sick of winter, even though it really just started! We had laminate throughout our main floor. And we just decided, enough. We want carpeting back! Not the whole main floor, but the area that we use like our living room. So we did it! We hired a local carpet installer and he did such a great job for us. No more cold feet while watching television in the evening. I think Billy likes it too. He is way more comfortable on the carpeting by our feet, than he was with the older stuff.

March 16, 2021

Have you guys noticed that it is getting warmer outside?I bet you have! Could it be that spring is just around the corner? Lets really hope so! I don't know about you, but I could really enjoy some outside, fresh air time! We sure have been cooped up here for the longest time. When the sunshine and warmer days start coming around, it really helps everyone with their spirits! We are planning on redoing our deck this year! I am excited about this because the older one has definitely seen better days! It will be really wonderful to get our patio furniture out and have it set up on a nice new deck! We have found some deck builders here and have started the planning conversations with them. They say, once we have the ground unthawed, they will be ready to get cracking on it! We can't wait!

October 29, 2021

OK, so here we are on the cusp of another Halloween! Goblins and Ghosts will be knocking on the door very soon! Billy gets so excited when the kids come to visit!
We have been busy with another renovation project in the house here. We had our bathroom re-tiled. The flooring was in dire need of a refresher and we ended up doing the shower enclosure as well. I just love how fresh everything looks now! It's my private oasis, right in my own home now. The company that did our tile installation was super good and finished right on time! They were really polite folks while in our home. And we just have to say, they did a wonderful job!

April 16, 2022

Happy Easter Everyone!! I can't believe we have survived this last winter! Well, as soon as it stops snowing here! This has been a really cold, miserable winter!! All of us, including Billy, can't wait for the warmer weather that is bound to arrive eventually!
When it does, I want to start planning to repaint my living room and dining room. We are having guests at our place for Easter this year and just noticed that it is time to get some fresh paint on these walls!! No time to do it before hand but I have already contacted the Edmonton Painters I want to complete the job for me and can't wait to see what they are able to do for us! The company is Painters Enterprise and they do residential painting through out the city.
And you should see the wonderful cabinet refinishing we had done! Our kitchen cabinets look fantastic! It's kinda feels like a renovation has happened around here, less the mess!! If you are looking for cabinet refinishing in Edmonton, I suggest you contact these guys!

September 19, 2022

One of Billy's favorite things he likes is watching the kids coming home from school. He climbs up on the sofa at the front window and watches them on the street. But he makes a mess of my windows! After cleaning up the interior pane, I noticed just how dirty the outside of them are! So I decided to hire a professional window cleaning service this year and get them all cleaned up for fall and the upcoming winter. We called Capt. Clean and they did just a fantastic job on them. Such nice young men and very professional! I would recommend them to anyone looking for a window cleaning company.

February 11, 2023

Time is getting away from me here! I am trying to keep things up to date but it does get away from me from time to time!
Since I was last on here, Billy continues to be a delight in and around our home! He's such a blessing to us!
But I did have a dear cousin of mine encounter a situation in their home that was not so delightful or blessed! They had taken a trip to Mexico and, upon their return, they might have brought back a hitchhiker or two of the pest type. Yes, they had a situation of bed bugs in their home. They can't say for sure where they came from, but they did make their presence known. They did end up hiring a bed bug pest control company to finally get rid of them. They had a really good bed bug treatment plan that seems to have worked well for them. I am really hoping that they are gone for good! Not something anyone should have to go through. If you do find any, just get in touch with a bed bug exterminator right away. And move past it all quickly.