Vaccinated - One Down, One to Go

 Thursday, May 20/21

Today was my first Covid-19 vaccination and so far so good.

Other than a sore arm I'm not having any kind of reaction to the Pfizer vaccine that Ottawa Public Health is using along with that from Moderna as well.

No, this isn't an attempt on my part to sway anyone one way or the other when it comes to getting vaccinated.

Whether you get vaccinated or not is strictly a personal decision and my only hope is that you make it from an informed stance that is based on real science and not a bunch of YouTube videos, Instagram posts, or Tik Tok clips.

No matter the decision you make, I respect your stance, may not agree with it, but I acknowledge your right to take that stance and hope you return the same respect towards those you might not agree with.

Holding opposing viewpoints doesn't make anyone a bad person.

Please be safe, take care of yourself, and no matter our differences, let's get past this and get our lives back.

My name is Marcus and this blog is nothing more than my own observations of life around me and my experiences as I try and navigate being single in my 50's, spending time with my grandkids, striving to break 90 this season, and maybe, just maybe if the stars align perfectly, having my very last first kiss.

Today's musical suggestion is "Wouldn't It Be Good" by Nik Kershaw.

Questions and comments are always welcome, reach me at ooasm2018@gmail.com

I'm Getting A Puppy And Need Some Help

 Sunday, May 09/21

So as many of you know from previous blogs I used to have a female Schnoodle named Moki that we had to let go of in September 2019 after she developed lymphoma and made it almost 6 months longer than they thought possible.

Her loss hit me really hard and I wasn't sure I could ever entertain the thought of getting another dog as it just felt like I would be dishonouring the love and affection Moki brought into my life for almost nine wonderful years. My kids both told me to never say never and that Moki wouldn't want me to go through life without another pupper in it so I've tried to keep an open mind the last few months.

Over time I've come to realize that my heart is big enough to have love for another puppy and the time was right to begin thinking about it again.

I've been researching puppies the last few months but the prices people are asking and getting just blow my mind, I know we are in a pandemic but it honestly feels like some folks are taking advantage of things and boosting prices to obscene amounts.

I had resigned myself to waiting until things calm down a bit when I was told by my son's girlfriend that her aunt's Shi Tzu was pregnant with a litter that would be due around early May and she was asking for one for me.

Lily, the aunt's dog, had a litter of 7 puppies last weekend and all of them are females!

When I was looking to get a new puppy I had been leaning towards a boy and had two names picked out to choose from Kashe and Giggsy.

Now my dilemma is that I don't really have any female names picked out, though I have come up with two this weekend that I'm considering, Miko and Nolly.

The puppy I am tentatively getting will be a brown female so I'm opening up the blog to name suggestions and would love some help from my followers.

So what say you?

Send suggestions to ooasm2018@gmail. com and I promise to post an entry with a list of all the names submitted and we can debate the pros and cons of each, though the final selection will be mine and mine alone to make, given I've never gotten to do so in the past, my ex or my son named the last couple of dogs I've had in my life.

Thank you in advance for the help :-)

Marcus

Happy Mother's Day

 Sunday, May 09/21

I'd like to take the moment to offer up my sincerest thoughts and wish all the mom's out there a very Happy Mother's Day.

Being a parent isn't easy nor does it garner the recognition that it should, being a mom is even harder as you are usually the glue holding things together behind the scenes.

We aren't issued a how-to-guide when we become parents but somehow instinctually we seem to know what needs to be done, well at least the female part of our species does as I'm the first to admit when we had my son I turned to my ex more times than I care to admit with what had to be that proverbial "deer in the headlights" look on my face whenever something new came up.

To this day I still remember the panic I felt when she told me she was going out with her girlfriends and leaving me alone with him and asked her "like are you sure that is a smart thing to do babe?"

She laughed and said I had it this and don't stress too much, use it as another opportunity to bond with him, which I did and continued to do from that point onwards.

I've sent out Happy Mother's Day texts to three women today:

My ex as she is an amazing mom and did a wonderful job helping to raise our children into the adults they are today

My daughter who has followed in her mom's footsteps and makes Jack and Solara feel so loved and wanted in this crazy world we call home 

My son's girlfriend as she now carries the next generation and will hold him in her arms this coming August

There was a fourth that I wanted to send but held back as it's no longer my place, though not a day goes by that I don't wish it was and I could send texts as they popped into my head.

My name is Marcus and I hope today finds you sharing warm thoughts and reaching out to loved ones to remind them of how much they mean to you and saying those precious words we all want to hear "I love you"........................