So it goes

5 am this morning lemur_catta was woken up by distressed kitten noises. The kitten with diarrhea was very weak and very distressed, We got to her to the emergency vet but they couldn't save her. Apparently her blood pressure and temperature had both dropped to critical levels and she had become dehydrated. I can't say I'm really surprised. I strongly suspect that she had a serious problem with her whole digestive system and simply wasn't absorbing any nutrients from her food. It's still sad to lose a kitten though. Maybe Death of Kittens could give us a break just for a little while?

Answers to Canadiana quiz

Who was McDonnell and where were "the heights"?

There was a major McDonnell on Brock's staff at the battle of Queenston Heights. After Brock was killed he took local command of the British counterattack that threw the Americans back across the river. I don't think he was officially Brock's 2ic though.

Which province is noted for riparine piracy?

According to the Arrogant Worms, this would be Saskatchewan.

Where might you be invited to kiss a cod (bonus points for why)?

Newfoundland of course. "Because they are nuts" seems as plausible explanation as any.

Who wears (wore) number 66 (bonus for why?)

Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins because it is "99" upside down; 99 being Wayne Gretzky's number.

With which countries does Canada share an international frontier?

Canada shares a land frontier with the United States and its territorial waters march with those of France (St. Pierre et Miquelon) and Denmark (Greenland). It could be argued that there is a 'point' frontier with Russia and Norway at the North Pole but I think the pole lies well outside any legally recognised territorial waters.

Why do many westerners object to the current Canadian flag?

The flag features a maple leaf and maples don't grow in the west. 1/2 point for suggesting it's because westerners have a chip on their shoulders.

Which Canadian town still has a predominantly Icelandic population?

Gimli, MB

Which Canadian city lies due south of the lower 48 US states?

Windsor, ON

What was the former name of Regina SK?

Pile O'Bones, though having been there, Moose Turd seems quite appropriate.

What was the former name of Kitchener ON?

Berlin. The name was changed in 1915.


And so, using my extremely arbitrary marking system, the leaders are:

curtana and forthright with 10.5 points
lakme with 10 points
commodorified with 8 points
melted_snowball with 7 points (not bad for a fairly new Canadian)
ann1962 with 5.5 points
redbird with 5 points

Way behind them came:

lemur_catta with 2 points
f4f3, ironed_orchid and sabotabby with 1 point
helianthas with nul points (typical American!)

A positive post

It's not been the greatest of days but sometimes one needs one of those to remind oneself how good life is for the most part.

Good stuff:

lemur_catta

Friends who are a great comfort

Awesome Asian supermarket. This weekend not only did I get 'fresh' no MSG kim chee but customer service too. Anyone who shops in Chinatown and doesn't speak cantonese knows how hard to find that can be. On this occasion I asked a young lady where to find green papaya. She didn't know what I meant so she found someone who spoke better English who translated to someone who knew where to find it.

Jane, Leela and Padmini.

Kate will be here in six weeks time.

Easy delicious food. Last night we had Thai grilled chicken with sweet chilli sauce, papaya salad and sticky rice. Simple, classic, delicious.

A kitten who looks to be on the mend.