Erin's Journals

Just a thought… Advice from a Dog: Unleash your talents. Chase your dreams. Have a happy attitude. Wag more and bark less. Love with all your heart. Learn new tricks no matter what your age. Show lots of affection. Shake it off. [Author unknown]

You can watch a video version of this journal (it includes a little clip of video and more pictures!) on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

Welcome to our first time together this new month. It was back in March that a furry little sweetheart joined our lives. In case you missed it, Dottie, whose registered name is Lily Elise Dot Calm, came to us through a breeder about an hour up the road called Misty Trails. A one-year-old Havanese, she has turned out to be the absolute perfect dog: she sleeps all through the night, uses pee pads when she needs to go and we can’t get her outside for a walk (we don’t have a yard we can access from the main floor of the house), she lets us know when she needs to go, she doesn’t bark, she is attached to me and is just a little bit shy.

She was in her final show on Mother’s Day weekend and flunked four days in a row: instead of allowing judges to examine her on a table after she had strutted her stuff, she would just lie down on her back becoming all submissive. It seems that being around new people (us) changed her disposition. She’s become a more timid dog, and while we don’t love that she shakes more, we’re hoping she’ll come out of that. I promise you it’s nothing that she did, but she was chased when she and her leash got loose on a busy street one time, and that may behind a fear of men, as it was a man who ran after her? Who knows. 

Anyway, I promised you before and after pictures of her grooming. This is Dottie when we first got her…all show dog pretty.

Between then, two months ago, and this past Wednesday, Dottie was lucky to get a trim from Auntie Brooke, our daughter-in-law who has a natural talent with scissors and clippers. She did a great job, and here’s how Dottie looked: all eyeballs and sweetness. Oh and eyebrows, too!

But Dottie’s do-over isn’t the only big news around here. When Rob and I went away for 8 days last month, Dottie made such an impression on Brooke, Phil and our grandkids Colin and Jane that they really missed having her around when she came home to us. That’s where we all got lucky: it turned out that right after the Mother’s Day weekend shows, Dottie’s breeder had a one-year-old, who was born just a few months before Dottie in 2022, who was going to need a home.

Her name is Sammy – short for Samara – and she, too, comes from a long line of show dogs and champions. Honestly, we don’t care about the pedigree, although both will still be in a breeding program and may well be mamas together. But the most important thing is how well the two get along. 

It’s a little bit crazy the way they run around together when they see each other in Phil and Brooke’s yard and, yes, in our house, too, where Dottie even whines and looks at the front door after Sammy’s been here. She truly misses her “sister.”

Last week, Dottie and Sammy had a girls’ day out and both got their puppy cuts. If you can stand this cuteness overload, here they are.

So, life is good. We have a family who loves to keep our Dottie when we travel – which we are always ready to do, last week to Sooke and this week when we head over to the mainland and visit my Dad in Kelowna for a few days. Dottie has a sister she loves. And everybody is getting along just great. Right Uncle Phil?

Thanks for coming by – and we’ll talk to you again next week from the road. Kelowna’s a beautiful place and we’re very much looking forward to reconnecting with Dad and two of my sisters again. Enjoy your week.

A reminder that a new Drift sleep story awaits you tomorrow (yes, two weeks in a row – something I’m trying to make a habit again) with a second chapter from Winnie the Pooh. This Thursday, Lisa Brandt and I drop a new Episode 23 of Gracefully & Frankly and I can promise you that we take you in a direction that we’ve never gone. Do catch up with all of our previous episodes including and especially #21 where we look inside Lisa’s summer at a nudist resort. It was an amazing chat and I only hope I asked all of the questions you would have. Take care. 

Join me for a DIFFERENT kind of journal today: it’s a sentimental journey that you’ll need to watch – and it may even include a godwink from my late mother. See what you think….

You can watch it on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

Talk to you next week.

Just a thought… Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember – the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you. [Zig Ziglar]

You can watch a video version of this journal on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

I was writing today’s journal and an email came in from a site called Chartable. Having absolutely no attention span, especially when I’m trying to write, I opened the email. I think I was enrolled in Chartable back when my Drift with Erin sleep stories first came out through another company almost exactly two years ago. Through it, I get reports of rankings of my stories, how many downloads in the past week, if I have risen or fallen in the standings, that sort of thing. So here we are after last week’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Delightful!

Unlike when I was in radio, and where we stood determined whether the show was a success and would keep going, or the powers-that-be would give us performance bonuses or start making changes, the rankings for the podcasts I do don’t really matter. I know the RealTime one I do for the Canadian Real Estate Association is out of my hands, so I can only hope it’s hitting the target: realtors.

Gracefully & Frankly, which I do with Lisa Brandt, is growing now with our 21^st episode about to drop on Thursday (we talk about the nudist camp Lisa worked at as a teen, medication for hot flashes and information every woman over 50 should know about a faulty study, plus more). But we saw a bit of a drop last week when we ever-so-slightly dipped our toes into politics and it was heard first in the teaser clip. Just that one segment about passports had a woman posting on my Facebook that she hoped I didn’t support Trudeau as he’s, in her words, a “monster.” I thought: Okay, let’s just not mention anyone’s name again, ever. Don’t want to alienate anyone, right?

With Drift, the steady climb towards 200,000 downloads shows me that I’m going in the right direction and I have numbers and comments like the beautiful ones on Facebook the other day, to confirm that. While I was poking around in Chartable, though, I saw this as my overall ranking: 

There was this lovely recent one that I’m reluctant to share because it’s so nice. But I will. 

Then, because I’m me, and I have to find something to make me feel unworthy, I scrolled the ratings a bit. I found one – yes ONE – from last November. And once I got over my surprise, I thought, oh, you’ve gotta see this.

One star in one review. And that’s the one I gave more time to than any other as I scrolled through. Then I remembered a nasty exchange via email that I had with someone who had seen me on CTV’s The Social at about that time, who called me all kinds of names. I basically told her to go away. I mean, that had to be it, right? Not definitely, but most likely.

It does happen. People who don’t like another’s politics go on to slag their book without having read it. Envious competitors – and to be clear, I don’t think there are mean people in the sleep community – go on the sites of others and try to tank their ratings. In the movie business, if someone has a near perfect ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, some so-and-so will post a negative one, just to keep them from the cherished 100% Fresh rating.

But then again, maybe, this person thought that my telling of, oh, Cinderella, The Frog Prince or Alice in Wonderland was disrespectful and arrogant? What part: the five minutes of relaxation with spa music, the gently-told story or the five minutes of waves at the end, I wonder?

Clearly, I have given this far too much thought. But it happens. Someone will always try to put you in your place. I was inadvertently slighted by a CBC piece I stumbled upon (and since haven’t been able to find again) on sleep podcasts that didn’t include Drift, and as far as I could see at a glance, excluded any Canadian podcasts. That was disappointing, as I’d love another chance to spread the word of our sleep stories on which I spend about 30 hours each re-writing, recording, editing and then producing – all a one-person crew here – but it’s not personal, I know.

What’s important is that you’re there, and I’ll keep putting these stories out as a labour of love. It’s not to get rich, that’s for sure, but because I always wanted to do something like this, and I love it. So, if this person decides she wants to take me down, let me ask you to help me out. It’s easy to leave a rating for a podcast on Apple, for example: just scroll down any show page and select a star rating, then type “write a review.” You can leave one per story if you want. The next tale (tail?) to come next Tuesday is The Little Mermaid, the Hans Christian Andersen version, just in time for the movie’s release next week.

In the meantime, I thank you. For being here, for listening to Gracefully & Frankly and, of course, for joining our Drift sleep community. And I thank Chartable for reminding me “NEVER READ THE REVIEWS!” You’d think I’d know by now, right?

Have a great short week and we’ll talk Monday.

Just a thought…If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning. [Catherine Aird]

You can watch a video version of this journal on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

Now I have a story for you today that, as it was happening, I’m thinking: I can’t wait to tell Lisa about this on ‘Gracefully and Frankly’ this Thursday and I probably will. But then I thought: no, journal readers and watchers deserve to get the full story first…and although Lisa and I have great conversations and laughs, I know you may not be familiar with how to listen to a podcast. Just Google Gracefully and Frankly podcast and it’ll take you there. Or go to g-and-f.simplecast.com. Join the over 25,o00 people who’ve enjoyed our first 19 episodes. And they’re all free, thanks to our friends at enVypillow.com.

Now the story. On Saturday, as our area of Vancouver Island hit the mid-to-upper 20s, our local fire department brought out a truck to cool off residents without AC, and in these parts, there are a lot of them. I thought it’d be fun to take our grandson Colin to run through the plume of spray.

I put on the top to a tankini: one that used to fit, but is now too big. What to do with the sad little cups up top? I popped in two silicone pads known as chicken cutlets… 

…and away we went. It was great fun, although that water was COLD. But when we got home I had an awful discovery. Sometime during this…

…one of my bosom buddies fell out on to the grass. We searched the car and retraced my steps in the house, but no cutlet. So yesterday Rob and I went back.

The pools of water were gone and so was the cutlet. I did find this mask…

…which might have fit poor tiny lefty, and some kid left a jacket and another, a hat.

I thought I saw it, but it was just a wrapper…

…and here’s a juice pouch which might have worked for me in a pinch, I suppose.

There was this t-shirt…

…and the makings of an entire outfit or two left near the Buddy Bench.

But alas, none of them was my boob enhancer. So I guess it’s a mystery as to what happened. I can only imagine some child finding it and the mother yelling, “Hayden! Graydon! McFayden! Kayden! Braedyn! You put that down NOW!” or – and this comes from puppy experience – the more likely scenario: some happy dog like ours…

…(and there are a lot of them that play on the school field) found it and proudly brought it back to its mom or dad or kid. Whatever happened to that little bit of silicone? I guess we’ll never know. But if I do learn, I’ll keep you abreast.

New story tomorrow for you on Drift – Alice in Wonderland with no flying boob replacements – and don’t miss Lisa laughing with me and at me this Thursday on Gracefully and Frankly. Talk to you then!

Just a thought… Hope is being able to see that there is light, despite the darkness. [Desmond Tutu]

You can watch a video version of this journal on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

Now, in case you think “sadness” is that feeling, you’d be right, but it’s not strange to us. Plus, we’re fighting off the May 11th and Mother’s Day emotional minefields in a different way (or ways) this year. Stay with me – this’ll be fun.

So Rob wakes up yesterday morning and says, “I had the most vivid dream: I dreamt the Leafs made it into the second round of the playoffs and beat Tampa Bay to get there.” Of course I laugh with him, because being the Leafs fan he is, there have been plenty of nightmare scenarios. And given that he remembers their last Stanley Cup win, back when Canada was celebrating its Centennial, and the most recent elevation to the second round, which was in 2004 before I even started working with Mike Cooper, it’s been a long time.

Superstitions are a funny thing. Rob isn’t overly cautious, but he does make a point of wearing his hockey fan gear – a shirt or fleece Giant Tiger pyjama pants – each game.

But on Saturday night, as the Leafs and Bolts were getting ready for overtime, he chose that break to take Dottie for a quick walk to relieve, well frankly, both of them of the pressure they were feeling for entirely different reasons.

The walk wasn’t so short after all. When he hadn’t returned, but overtime had started, like a good wife, I paused the game. While I continued to edit my Drift with Erin sleep stories on my laptop, he kept walking. And then, the final score popped up on my screen via a Toronto Star breaking news tweet:

They’d won. I got up and ran to the door, looking for Rob to return. When he finally did, I had taken away his phone in case he was texted (which, it turns out, he was, by his diehard Habs/Leafs fan brother in Montreal). But the surprise was not ruined and Rob hooted loud enough for all of the neighbourhood to hear through our screen doors when the Leafs scored to win the first round.

But here’s the very important realization that Rob came to: having gotten out of his jammie pants to walk Dottie, he watched the extra minutes in his street clothes. And guess what? They still won.

This is quite a revelation.

It turns out – and hear me out here – that it doesn’t matter if we have jerseys or pants on, hats backwards, inside out for a rally or no hat at all, the game is going to go as it goes, without any interference or help from those of us urging our team onward.

It reminded me of a tweet that Jamie Campbell, who is one of the Blue Jays Sportsnet team, put out a few weeks ago after someone tried to lambaste him for saying the Jays could sweep. They did not, as it turns out, and this chucklehead blamed Jamie, since his mere mention of the possibility obviously affected the outcome LOL. I tweeted in response that if Jamie had that kind of power, would he please just say “lottery winner Erin Davis” and I’d be grateful. Now, I could meet him halfway and buy a ticket, but if Jamie truly has those kinds of powers, he can make a ticket fall into my wallet.

Sports fans are weird. We are. We plan our days and weeks around game schedules and try to stay in a cone of silence if, by chance, the big game is on the PVR. But here’s where we kind of messed up: we are going away tomorrow for 8 days to a place with lots of TVs but too many distractions to watch them. Yes, Las Vegas. It’s been a long, long time, and with our travel schedule being curtailed in the most delightful ways by lots of summer fun here at home, we decided to bite the bullet and go. So, before the win Saturday, I tried to calm Rob’s nerves saying this: “If the Leafs lose, you still get to go to Vegas. And if the Leafs advance (which they have) your biggest problem will be finding the game. Poor you.” Maybe they’ll even have the coronation on somewhere, too. After all, people will bet on anything.

Here’s the thing: whatever the Leafs do, they’ll do without us. Fortunately, this means that Rob won’t have to wear his pyjama pants when we’re out seeing the town. I mean, he wouldn’t be the only one in ‘em, but still, not my husband.

So, enjoy your May and I’ll be here on Facebook, Insta, Twitter and the usual haunts while we’re gone. It’s all good. The delightful Winnie the Pooh is the latest story on my Drift with Erin sleep podcast and this Thursday, Lisa and I have a fresh episode 18 of Gracefully and Frankly for you, so yeah, I can use this break. And thanks for being here one more time. Talk to you again soon! GO LEAFS!