Zaz is obviously thinking that whatever I decided was important enough to disturb her rest had better be good.

It is, Zaz. It's Caturday! Your favourite.

Happy Caturday to all who celebrate.

#EllieKPosts #catsOfMastodon #Zaz #ZazTheCat #caturday #CornishRexCats

Price increase of ~15% at podiatrist = decrease in the number of visits annually. Simple.

I can do math.

#gouging #healthcare #CorporatePriceGouging #EllieKPosts

Nova Scotia Health

NS health (re)mandated mask wearing in all public health facilities on December 18, 2025.

Currently there are outbreaks of COVID, Influenza A and Influenza B in my local hospital (Kentville), in wards on the same floor as the radiology department.

I had to visit the hospital today for an X-ray and was shocked to see the number of staff who were ignoring this mandate. Of course many patients were, too, but whose example would they follow? One person I spoke to didn't even realize it was a requirement (she was masked herself). She hadn't read the signs, or thought they were left over from the past.

One of the technicians hastily and sloppily masked when he came into the room and pulled it off while walking out.

As I was finishing with the X-ray and putting on my outdoor things. I mentioned my shock to the other (masked) technician. I told her that this lack of compliance is a clear message to the vulnerable and all patients that those staff members don't care. They don't care about us, their patients. And they don't even care about themselves.

So disappointing. But what's to be done? You can't make people care.

#EllieKPosts #Zeroes #CovidIsNotOver #WearAMask #NovaScotia #FloMaskPro

Night all!

I actually got out this afternoon, the first time in days and I did a short walk with Joni. I was so glad just to be out that I did a lot of just standing and looking. Looking at the clouds, the light, the trees... Everything. What a joy. It was cold but I was not.

It's an early night for me. See you tomorrow. You're all amazing.

#EllieKPosts #sunset #landscapePhotography #NovaScotia #countryside #winter

Old fashioned (French) pressure cooker question/help request

(Update: I found this
https://www.le-sav.com/cocotte…

Which says (translated) the part is out of date, and no longer made nor available. "Attention Pièce Epuisée et plus fabriquée".

I guess it was a vain hope. But worth a try.)

Some might remember that my Breville instant pot type pressure cooker broke down a few weeks ago. I sent it to them following their instructions, and they will apparently repair it and send it back to me. But in the meantime I am a bit stuck cooking so many things.

Back in about 1994, when we lived in France, I purchased a regular pressure cooker. It was the SEB Sensor brand and I used it all the time.

Fast forward to the late 20teens, 25 years or so after moving back to Canada, I bought an Instant Pot and rediscovered the joys of pressure cooking, but this time with automated functions. This is not kitchen jewellery. It got regular use, to the point where it failed regularly, within the warranty period. Each time it was replaced, and the last time I was sent an Instant Pot Pro.

Some will remember that the pressure release valve failed and I had to give it up, as they don't have any replacements for it. They keep saying that it's out of stock, which I think is just their way of getting around the right to repair laws. They still sell the machine on their site.

In the end I replaced this with the Breville version of the same thing. And now we are back to a few weeks ago when that failed, and I have now had to start reusing the French regular pressure cooker. The problem with that is that the lid seal is very old and probably needs replacing. It does drip a little in use, but I have made it work as best I can.

I can see no way that this seal would possibly be available now, but with the Fediverse #hivemind, you never know, so I'm reaching out on the off chance that somewhere there might be a means to purchase a lid seal for this.

#help #franceHelp #SEBSensor #PressureCooker #EllieKPosts #assistanceSVP

Are there any wildlife experts who would care to hazard a guess as to what this might be? Bobcat? Lynx? Very poor quality short video and first comment contains similar poor quality image. It's larger than the fox. But doesn't look like a coyote. And no visible tail.

Edit: the consensus seems to be bobcat. Thanks for all the input!

Location: Nova Scotia

@danmccullough ?

#EllieKPosts #wildlife #trailcam

Battle of wills.

Zaz is so cross! She really didn't want her picture taken and did her best to make it almost impossible. She pretty much fought tooth and claw to make it hard to get this photo. She had just been fighting with a tail that didn't want to be bitten and legs that refused to be cleaned and then I came along with my phone and caught her out of sorts. She was going to make me pay and so it took about 15 photos to get this, finally! (Happily I got off mostly unscathed, don't worry.)

Have a happy (and hopefully peaceful) #caturday all!

#CaturdayEveryDay #catsOfMastodon #ZazTheCornishRex #CornishRexCats #EllieKPosts #Zaz

(The long read. )
Dogs are amazing.

I know that's something most of us agree on.

Here is Joni, 12 years old, a Border Collie, and the least well behaved dog who's ever lived with us. She is beloved of Zaz who will be devastated when she goes.

One of her more annoying habits is to bark constantly while I'm making supper. Or vacuuming. Or snow is being cleared. Or any time, really.

The other day when she was doing just that. I said to her "stop barking and play the 'hide the blue ball' game." In that game one of us hides her blue ball in the kitchen and she tries (or if she's hidden it, I pretend to try) to find it.

She stopped barking, went straight for the blue ball and 'hid' it in the cupboard, standing in front of it as a clue for me to ask her where it was then to praise her lavishly when she 'found' it, which I did, of course.

I was pretty impressed. Steven was also as he was there. Fluke?

Last night the same barking for nothing was going on, but this time I said in a rather conversational tone (barely over the din) "why don't you stop barking and play hide the blue ball instead?" She stopped and picked up her blue ball and did exactly as I had suggested.

Not a fluke. They know so much more than they let on.

Have a Happy Friday, friends.

#EllieKPosts #JoniTheBorderCollie #BorderCollie #fidoFriday #DogsOfMastodon #dogs