THE STORY OF GUS

Gus Layland-Yarnell

Born Mother's Day 2005

Beloved little guy to his pappas Stewart and Derek, Gus died unexpectedly in his sleep Friday May 3rd, 2013.  He was one week shy of his 8th birthday.

He leaves behind his sister Maddie who was his litter mate, as well as Derek and I, who will remember him always as our cute little guy.

He left us too early.

Without real children to call our own, our lives were forever transformed for the better when Gus and Maddie came home with us on Father's Day 2005.  We were on a long drive home from a dear friends wedding, when we came across 5 little puppies in a brown cardboard box.  The puppies were for sale by owner for $20 each in Bancroft Ontario.  The owner also had the mum (an American Eskimo) and the father (an Australian Shepherd).  The puppies were a beautiful accident and in need of homes.

Three puppies were a dark brown and white, while two were mostly white with tan markings.  The two that were alike seemed so paired together that we knew they could not be separated--two was never our intention but will forever be our blessing.

We brought them home in the same cardboard box that they were resting in...and to this day, we use that box to keep their toys stored in.  That box has moved with us from house to house, province to province.

As the pups grew, they started climbing stairs and playing together, eventually being big enough that they could play in the backyard without being blown off their feet by a slight wind.  They were growing up.

Gus is on the right.  Maddie to the left.

When the pups were 1.5 we moved to Sackville St. in Cabbegetown, where a wonderful neighbour accurately observed how different Gus and Maddie were, despite their near identical appearance.  She commented that Gus was 'an old soul' while Maddie was clearly anything but.  Gus seemed to have many more years of emotional wisdom in his young body than we had ever seen in a dog before.  Whereas Maddie can easily spend time with other people in our absence, Gus always looked for us....waiting and worrying for our eventual arrival home.  Indeed Gus was a vocal worrier and few could escape his endearing attentiveness.  If you were sad, Gus knew it.  If you were happy, he wanted his share.  He would follow you from room to room....never settled in one spot until you were.  And he walked around so quietly behind you that if he wasn't careful, he could easily be left behind in the laundry room or even the garage---where he would sit patiently staring at the door until you realized his absence.

Gus and Maddie changed Derek and I from 30 something Torontonians --living wild and crazy Toronto lives to being full time parents.  Our routines immediately changed forever and became dictated by feedings and walkings and playtime.  We were an instant family of four.  And we did everything together.  Where the dogs were not invited, we did not go.  For most dogs, travel means going to a kennel--but not Gus and Maddie.  We had travel crates and blankets and would routinely fly west for visits to Victoria or Vancouver, as well as many visits to Winnipeg before our eventual move here.  Did they like airplanes?  Probably not, but they sure preferred a few hours in a plane to a few weeks being kenneled.  We got to share with them in holidays with family and friends.  They were our kids; we knew no different.

He left us too early.

Gus and Maddie had an incredible sense of routine together.  They knew 'breaky time' vs. 'chow time' and had their walks timed perfectly.  And at 10pm if you weren't heading for bedtime, they were heading off without you. Our dogs were never accustomed to backyard living, plus 40C or minus 40C we had our walking routines; modified as appropriate to our recent WPG move, to include booties and burberry coats as required.  In the days and weeks ahead, we'll need to learn to parent Maddie on her own, who until Friday had never slept more than 10 feet away from Gus for her entire life.

Raising and training litter mates brought special challenges to our home.  We made every effort to observe and manage those behaviours and for a time, Gus and Maddie even had separate walks, trying to ensure they grew up well adjusted with other people and dogs.  But Gus never really brought himself to allowing other dogs too near, especially larger dogs.  But he did make dog friends over time, in particular Emma, Hazel, Nalah, Sparkie and Diesel were dogs he loved to see.  While Gus didn't immediately take to other dogs, if he allowed them into his world, they were lifelong friends, no matter the distance nor their time apart.  He would recognzie these particular dogs from a full city block and pine to get closer to them.  Being an old soul, he knew the value of these very real friendships and carried them with him wherever he went.

Maddie on the other hand, never much bothers with other dogs either way---but for Gus, it was all or nothing.

He left us too early.

Gus is on the left.

In Dec 2011, Gus started gaining weight and clearly was not himself.  He was diagnosed with Cushings Disease and Diabetes.  He had wonderful long term care and the illnesses were manageable with meds and insulin.  He was first under the care of Dr. Jeff Grams of Blue Cross Medical in Toronto and more recently by Dr. Jonas Watson of Tuxedo Veterinary Hospital.  Both of these doctors and their teams ensured we had the best medical attention possible, as well as practical advice.

I'll never forget Dr. Grams telling me point blank, for Gus to survive, it would take a tremendous investment of time, patience and money.  He wanted us to know what we were up against and what it would take for Gus to survive longer term.  And what is an investment of time, patience and money if not love?  Gus was loved by us unconditionally.  He was our little guy, who asked nothing from us in return.  I immediately took a leave from my work and spent the next four months getting him sorted on meds and insulin.  We did blood charting/curves and started to manage his diabetes with insulin shots twice daily as well as meds for the Cushings.  Provided Gus was not suffering, we were not going to let him go without a fight.  He eventually started to respond to his meds and started to look and act like his normal self again.  Our lives continued forward, happy and fulfilling, albeit augmented by the new routines of pills and insulin.  This was our reality, and we again modified our routines to fit our reality.  It was what had to be done and by all accounts we had beat the odds of his early demise.

In summer of 2012, I returned to work and Derek took a posting in Winnipeg.  We were moving our family to a destination we had talked about many times over the years.  Gus' medical file was transferred to our local Tuxedo Vet Hospital where we started working with Dr. Watson.  I'll never forget our first meeting where the Dr entered the room with a medical file 2 inches thick.  I immediately did what all good Scottish folk do and apologized for being so much trouble.  Dr. Watson welcomed the challenge, sat on the floor with Gus and Maddie and immediately became Gus' saviour.  We continued Gus' medical regime and also tried addressing Gus'  dislike for larger dogs.  Despite our unconditional love for both Gus and Maddie, we were always saddened that we couldn't mix them more easily with other dogs...and here we were moving to a dog friendly neighbourhood where Gus was going to miss out on so much.  Maybe there was more we could do to get him to like other dogs more?

Enter Jen Gower from Tuxedo Vet who also does behavioural work with dogs.   The first time she met Gus she was so surprised that he had bahaviour issues with other dogs.  She saw in him a gentle dog, very responsive to Derek and I and perhaps not as she had imagined.  We did some work with Gus but in the end she proclaimed that we were mostly on the right path with him, but some dogs just don't like other dogs.  So we had given it a try but there wasn't much more to do...Gus was an old soul and did not like the attentions of other dogs.  Plain and simple.

As the months passed, Gus developed another health issue that required more regular appearances at Tuxedo Vet.  We became weekly regulars.  Everyone knew us.  Everyone knew Gus.

Last week, both Derek and I opted to extend business trips in Southern Ontario so that we could meet for a few days at our cottage.  It was so strange to be there without the dogs.  It was so strange for us to both be away at the same time.  Our enjoyment did not last long.  Within 24 hours of us leaving, Gus stopped eating and had to be taken to the vets.  Given his various health needs, this was not extreme as his meds needed to be managed with food.  At the vets, enter Jen Gower again who cared for him, took him for a walk and ensured he was well looked after.  He was discharged at the end of Thursday as all seemed okay and he went home to his grandparents--a home he knew well and where we had lived for three months when we first arrived in Winnipeg.    

At 6:30 am Friday Gus simply did not wake up.  Jen Gower again came to his aid and brought him back to the vets to see what, if anything, could be done.  But there was nothing to be done.

He left us too early.


We had our last visit with Gus on Monday morning.  Tuxedo vets had him wrapped in blankets so that we could say good-bye one last time.

He left us too early.

We weren't ready.

Stewart, Derek and Maddie, May 7, 2013

A NEW KIND OF SPELL CHECK

I have spell-check on PC and grammar-check on my PC. How absurd that they are two separate actions when one would so clearly benefit from the intelligence of the other.  What we need is a spelling/grammar/style review all-in-one.

Many-a-time I have wished that my spell check could understand what I was trying to say...to take in more context when making its best guess as to what I was trying to say.  It seems incredibly limiting for it to so often assume that the first letter in my mis-typed word is the correct letter. Perhaps that is what the numbers would tells us if we were to analyze data on spelling errors, but I doubt it is that simple. 

(Microsoft, if you are not already collecting data on the most common spelling errors and using that info to improve your programs, it is time to do so. I for one would allow you to collect data on my spelling if you were to use it only for that purpose vs. the all-encompassing 'collection of personal data for improving programs' agreement you would like me to enter into now.)

And how about learning from my idiosyncrasies? I often hit the space bar one character too soon, sometime sfo rman yword si na row.  How wonderful it would be if you could pick up on my flaw! I share it generously with you; it is not like I have not given you the opportunity to catch on.

I am not dreaming of tech that is beyond our reach. Find it or fund it, but realize that in our world of the browser becoming more important than the OS, it is time to up your game.  Make this a reason to use Bing again. 

***

And while you are at it, can we get our e-mail subject lines reviewed as well? 

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENTS - Microsoft Word

A handy improvement from Microsoft to its flagship Microsoft Office Suite would be to          integrate search.  

While it is not the end of the world to have to copy and paste something from word into a search bar, we have learned from using our browsers that a right-click option directly to search is in fact very handy.

Could Microsoft find it be problematic if people do not have Bing as their default search engine?  

They shouldn't.  

In that case they should allow whatever the consumer's choice is to run.

Easy-peasy.

I submitted my feedback here for Word.  I am going to trust that they can make the leap and apply the same thinking to Powerpoint and the rest of the crew.
It is hardly as interesting as Dell's crowdsourcing IdeaStorm, but at least it is out there and showed up easily enough in search rankings.

Will I ever hear back?  I'll keep you posted.

POOR DESIGN - excess packaging

Too much packaging.

It bothers all of us with an environmental bent, but packaging that has to be replaced once you get it home is really over the top.

Non-resealable foods fit into this category.

I'd like to buy ham from Maple Leaf, but I am afraid I just feel horrible about throwing out their plastic and adding my won to the mix.

How much more can it cost Maple Leaf?  

I will pay the difference. Have you surveyed customers to see if I am alone?

I would like to say that I will never buy a product like this again, and by and large that is true.  But until I find bacon that comes in a resealable pack, I will.

WINNIPEG HOME

Stew and I are thrilled with our new Winnipeg home.  

You could could almost fit 4 of our Toronto Cabbagetown lots into this lot.  No, seriously our previous lot was 20 feet and this is 75.

Lots of lawn to mow? Perhaps.  I see lots of space to eventually turn into gardens.

Enjoy the pics below, but keep in mind it is not full of our stuff yet because we are too excited to share with our friends to wait until October. 

The 15th is our current move-in date.  

We are in Tuxedo, close to Assiniboine Park, (about 30% bigger than Central Park in NYC with loads of gardens and other stuff to see), and a bike ride away from my parents.

Main Floor

When you first come in there is a spacious entrance and the wide staircase leading up, but we forgot to snap a photo.  The living room is 22'x13' with a wood burning fireplace, crown moldings and original (but refinished throughout the house) pegged oak floors.  

The bay window has a combo of original leaded glass + new side windows that open to let air in.  A colour change to something more neutral, like a taupe, or perhaps slate, will be near the top of our to-do list.

The dining room is a spacious 15'x12 with another bay window, this one with a built-in seat in front (that I picture having a white-leather cushion on it to match our dining room set).  It has the same pegged oak floors and crown moldings, interesting plaster work on the ceiling and paneling on the lower half of the wall.  

The very first thing I may do inside the house is to paint around the panels with some white paint to make them pop (see below) and put artwork on the walls to see if we can make this (mustard?) colour work, at least while we tackle the rest of the painting.

(Thanks for the idea, mom)

Our panels are already a shade or two lighter, so let's see what some white trim will do.

I like to think the white trim in our last dining room worked rather well against our white furniture.

This shot is taken from the doorway to the dining room.  The kitchen is small at 13'x10', but well designed and the space feels maximized.  The only eat-in space is a stool height counter that faces a blank wall, but Stew and I thought "Why would we sit here, when we've got such a gorgeous view from the dining room table a few feet away?".   We will figure out what to do to that space, if anything, at a later date. Not a huge priority, though it might be nice to paint the blank wall with blackboard paint in the interim...

We lucked out on the double oven, not only is it cute, but apparently St. George is a premium brand. 

Here's hoping I learn to take advantage of all the bells and whistles.

Switching the nobs and pulls to brushed nickel to match the faucet and appliances can happen on day one -   I already have the counts so we can shop.  

The back-splash will eventually be replaced with something like a glass subway tile but it is not high priority.

Right behind the photographer are the back exterior entrance and door into garage, which is where we will come in most often since the driveway and garage are back there.  

There is a good amount of space, especially for winter boots and parkas.  

Also back there, a wooden staircase to the basement.

Basement

The basement stairs open to the 20'x13' rec room where someone really allowed themselves to get creative with the stone fireplace, which we love.  You cannot see it well here, but there are about a half dozen flat stones that protrude like slabs from the wall that candles could be rested on.

Very unique.

Potlights and pegged oak in the basement?  More than I expected.

Loads of potential for cozy down here and Stew and I have already secured a sofa bed and area rug that will warm it up.

The rest of the basement consists of a pine lined 2-piece and various clean and well lit laundry and storage rooms.

Electrical: 175 amps, all new last year.

Furnace: 5 year old high efficiency

Yippee!

2nd Floor

The master bedroom (13'x16') has an en-suite and a walk-in closet (right) both with windows, as well as another smaller closet (for Stewart).

Underneath the drapes, and all throughout the house, are some pretty fine Roman blinds.  

Nice material and subtle colour that will go with anything.

Expect a colour change here, perhaps clean, bright white?

That's not wallpaper but large shiny tiles with blue stripes.  Blue would not have been my first choice but the tiles are quite something so I will adjust.

The walk-in closet has a window, a built-in dresser and a double row of hangers.  

I will manage just fine.

The panoramic taken from the threshold of the master bedroom is not perfect but it gives a good idea of the layout of the upper floor.

Stewart, pleased with the stone tile in the bathroom.

Bath and lighting fixtures are great. No changes required.

From bathroom looking down the hallway toward the cavernous family room.

Guest bedroom at front of house (13'x12').  Great floors, great blinds, built-in shelves in the closet and an interesting ceiling - all the corners in the ceiling are rounded in all the bedrooms.

Using a panoramic view as a 360 view does not yield perfect reults, but helps somewhat to understand the family room (20'x13') on the second floor landing

Built-in shelves on south side near entrance to landing.  Big bay window with built-in seat on west side.

Gas fireplace and loads of highly polished built-in shelves on north side.  

Yes, that is a cable outlet above the mantle.

The living room furniture we had in Cabbagetown is likely to go in this room.  

But no, we will not paint the new fireplace white.

Interesting ceilings are ~12'-14'.

Love it.

Exterior

I'll have a much bigger post about my plans for the yard in my gardening blog.  In fact, I am sure it will become a recurring theme as there will be a lot to observe and plan over the next year.

For now, this is just a tour from the outside.

South living room window and garage.

While you can only see one garage in the above, but there are two and Stew couldn't be happier. I have to admit I'll be glad to park inside in the cold winter months too.  

We are both particularly glad that they are tucked behind the house instead of visible from the street.   

 

There is even a little spot to turn the car around.

The wall on the right is a patio with 2 walls.  It is curiously facing the driveway rather than the backyard.

The grape vines growing o'er top of it (which I wasn't expecting in Winnipeg) combined with the stucco gives it a mediterranean feel.  

Maybe a cantina one day?

Gate from back lawn to the 'cantina' patio.

Can you spot the cool feature?

A large circular window with the same metal grating used for the gate to the back yard.  

Just need to cut back some vines to show it off.

Are grapes too messy to have above a hot tub?

That is about it.  

(I will spare you the photos of the attic insulation.)

Thanks for taking the time to check it out.  

(please feel free to leave comments if you have not already)

Derek (& Stew)

EYE TEST APP

An app that could help you detect if you are colour blind.

The test used to detect colour blindness in a person consists of them being shown a series of images, like numbers, hidden in a circle of dots.  The numbers are distinguished by the colour of the dots and a colour blind person just sees a circle of dots, or sometimes a wrong number. 

Here is a YouTube video that demonstrates.

Here is an online demo.

Other than the interactive voice element making the test more interesting, and adding links to related resources for colour blind people, like immediately being able to connect to an opthamologist in your area through voice command, I'm not sure how much value the app would deliver over the options above for the development costs.

I've just Googled it and found they already exist, no surprise.

There just appears to be one on iTunes currently with some easy ways to improve and launch something better, including Siri integration, after all some empathy from the 'tester' would be nice when giving someone the news they are likely colour blind, and need to follow up with a doctor.  

Does 26 thousand ratings mean it could get enough traffic to pay for its development with ads?  

Doubt it.  Next idea.

'Why not check the app store first?', you ask?  

I prefer to noodle the idea and let it come to fruition naturally first.  It is an interesting process to allow an idea to germinate on its own - a work-out for the mind.  This may not have been the toughest work out, but each and every one counts.

If I check too quickly if an idea already exists (before sitting down to put pen to paper) I rob myself of an opportunity for some fun thinking and good mental exercise.  Then when a really good idea does come along, I've got a process to capture it.

That's the plan anyway.