Yvonne's New Job

Blogging every day can be a challenge! Today, because nothing much exciting happens in my life, I will blog on behalf of my dear sister, Yvonne. She says every now and then that she should start a blog but has never started one. She is what we bloggers call, "a lurker." She reads a number of blogs regularly.

"Yesterday, I started a brand new job.

It was amazing how it all worked out. I was talking with a friend at church who was sharing how the receptionist in her husband's dental office quit, the day after she had finished all of her free dental work. I think that they were feeling used. Linda was saying that they wanted someone responsible and reliable and would I like to work for them?

I gave it some thought, talked to my husband George, kids and my sisters and went for an interview on Friday, November 3. Monday (yesterday) I started my training.

I have never done anything like this before. I have worked in retail for many years at quilt shops and was a favourite teacher at quilting classes*. As a matter of fact, I'm a very gifted quilter.* But I'm pretty smart* and learn things quickly*. I am also very responsible and reliable*.

This is a full-time position for me and I'm looking forward to it. The benefits are great and I will get every other Monday off so that I can still go to Winnipeg Harvest to prepare lunch with my sisters, Linda and Michele. One thing that sucks is that I will not see my sisters as much during the week and Linda will have to haul her butt to the gym on her own.

Last weekend, I cooked 5 meals, baked cookies, a dessert and bought some work clothes. Of the 3 sisters, I am the most organized one* so I think, with some help from my family, this new job will work out really well. And Brad and Linda will be great people to work for."

A great* picture of Yvonne and George. (Yvonne's on the right)

*Because this is MY (Linda's) blog I can include what I want. Yvonne is much too humble to say these things herself.

November 6

Gotta post today. As Dale so kindly reminded me, I did not post last Friday but he (and others) may not have noticed that I posted TWICE on Saturday which makes up for the lack of Friday post. Harrumph.

The house is pretty quiet now except for the sound of the dishwasher and Tim playing his guitar. Pleasant sounds after a busy day. I don't have a lot of energy now and there's laundry that has to be folded but here are a few thoughts flitting through my mind right now.

• I'm sorry the Bombers lost yesterday. It would have been so cool to have the home team playing at the Grey Cup.
• We had Monday night dinner here today. Have I mentioned how much I love Monday nights? The whole, extended family comes here for dinner and even the girlfriends and boyfriends are great.
• Kim performed a couple of songs for us tonight. Beautiful.
• Michele and I volunteered at Winnipeg Harvest today. Yvonne usually does too but she just started a new job and wasn't able to come. I love the people at Winnipeg Harvest. I worked there for about 4 years and a couple of days after I quit the kids said that I didn't have any good stories to tell them at the supper table anymore. At Winnipeg Harvest there was always something bizzare, odd, hilarious or gross happening. Every day.
• We now have 2 international students living with us. Medardo is from Mexico and Nik is from Germany. I was afraid having 2 would seem a little overwhelming but I actually really like it. They get along and they are both great guys. I'm enjoying having them around.
• The weather today was warm (for November) cloudy and a little rainy. It reminded me of winter days in S. Ontario, where I grew up. Give me a cold, sunny day anytime.

That's all folks. Nothing too exciting happening here but life is good.

Church

I love my church community. Sunday mornings I often can't wait to get there to see what our musicians will sing, what our pastor (my BIL) will say and what other interesting and creative things the Service Planning and Implementation team has added.

The building is nothing to look at except for the amazing mural we have painted on the side of it. It has no steeple, pews or organ and the carpet is so stained, it's starting to get to me. It's kind of cluttered and the walls have scuff marks and scratches from the wheelchairs. The kitchen needs a lot of work. And it seems to me that on many Sundays, I end up with a broken chair. Sometimes, I dream about a beautifully decorated building with new chairs, new carpeting and a new kitchen.

But then I remember the church that I used to attend and the day that all the children (only the kids mind you) were told to remove their muddy footwear because they would dirty the carpet. And the feeling I would get when I walked into the place and wasn't sure if I was allowed to sit on the couch.

Give me a dirty carpet any day. Give me a place where kids are allowed to run and play; a place where the participants of Community Venture (a Salvation army program for mentally and physically challenged adults) can play floor hockey; a place where an amazing costume party can be held on Saturday, followed by an inspiring service on Sunday.

I love the people including John, the old bachelor who doesn't usually smell too fresh, the family from Nigaragua who can barely speak English, the pastor's wife (my dear sister) who doesn't look or act like a pastor's wife but is one of the most spiritual, honest and funny people I know. I love my blogger friends (you know who you are) and all the broken people who make up our motley crew of people. Some are long time born again Christians, some are brand new Christians and some (quite a few actually) aren't really sure where they stand on the God and Jesus thing. They only know that they like what happens in our building and want more of it.

More than anything, we encourage people to ask questions and to wonder about God and spirituality. We don't try to fit them into any kind of a mold or force them to dress or act in a certain way. We don't tell them that once they become a Christian all their problems disappear. Most of us have experienced too much disappointment, loss and pain to believe that for a second.

What we try to do is to laugh with each other, cry with each other and support one another in any way we can. And in doing so, we reflect the incredible love that God has for everyone of us.

We are far from perfect. There is a lot that we don't do well but there are enough things that are good about this place that keep me coming back. Never does a Sunday go by where I don't learn something about God or myself.

It is a place where I experience life, love, community, joy and peace. A place where Jesus is becoming more and more real to me.

A place where I belong.

New Boots

Yesterday, I left my new boots by the back door and when Tim, my 19 year old son came in and saw them, he said, "I see Kristen bought a new pair of boots."

I am one cool mom, wouldn't you say?

Back in Canada

Most times, when I am in a strange city, I'm with Wes and he does the driving. He doesn't mind and I'm just as happy to sit in the passenger seat and keep my eyes open for whatever it is we're looking for.

This last trip in Fargo, I did all the driving. Kristen, like me was happy to let me do the driving and she just watched for street signs and such. Most of our driving was good and I was feeling comfortable in this city. It helps that the laws, signs and traffic are much the same in the US as in Canada. We did have a moment though where I was afraid that we might not make it home without a serious mishap.

We were looking for a restaurant for supper and when we saw it, I went into the left lane to get into the parking lot. Once I got there however, I realized that this was not the right entrance and I had to go to the next opening in the boulevard.

So I kept driving. Everything seemed okay until I noticed the left turn sign, painted on the road was upside down and pointing in the opposite direction that it should have been. And while the boulevard was on my left earlier, it was now on my right.

Have you ever had a moment where the truth of what was happening to you dawned on you very slowly and suddenly you realized you were in a very vulnerable position with no way of getting out? That's what happened to me. I was in the left turn lane alright but it was the lane for oncoming traffic. Cars that had to turn left were coming towards me and there was nothing, absolutely nothing I could do. I calmly said to Kristen that I thought I was in the wrong lane and WHAT SHOULD I DO? I CAN'T MOVE BECAUSE ALL THE CARS ARE COMING TOWARDS ME AND I SHOULD TURN THE THING ON!

Without missing a beat, Kristen turned on the hazard lights. (It's a good thing she understood what I was trying to say.) She remained very calm, a character trait that reminds me of her dad. I think she even told me to relax or something but I was too busy being hysterical to rememeber what exactly she said.

We stayed there, in the wrong lane for what seemed like a long time, but in reality was probably only 15 seconds and when there was a break in traffic, I did a quick U-turn. Whew.

And that was enough excitement for that day.

November 2

Today, we shopped till we dropped.

As you can see, there were quite a few purchases that Kristen and I made. I'm afraid we'll be over the $250.00 per person that we are allowed tax free. Hopefully we'll have a friendly customs officer who will wave us through. I got a pair of boots and a coat, 2 things that I was hoping to buy. Kristen got some jeans, a cute pair of shoes and some work pants. Both of us were able to purchase the things that we had hoped to get so it has been a pretty successful shopping trip thus far.

A few more things we've noticed about North Dakota:

• Kristen noticed that the guys who work at Abercrombie and Fitch are generally quite hot.
• I discovered a store that I love. Coldwater Creek . Too bad it's not in Canada.
• We saw very few visible minorities. Almost everyone we saw was caucasian.
• In Canada, when you are carrying clothing that you'd like to try on, a salesperson will take it off your hands and start you a change room. They don't do that here. You carry all the clothes you want to try on and take them to a fitting room yourself.
• When it comes right down to it, West Acres Mall is not all that different from any mall in Canada.

That's all for now folks. I think we'll visit Abercrombie and Fitch again either tonight or tomorrow.

Just to look.

Happy Hallowe'en

Hello. My name is Linda and I hate hallowe'en.

That's right. I hate it. My creativity does not extend to making costumes out of popsicle sticks and cotton balls and everytime October 31 came around, I was reminded of my inadequacies. My procrastination would find me going nuts in the morning of the 31st, trying to find something that would fit over a snowsuit in case of cold weather or not, in case of warm.

And the candy. How can a candy addict possibly hand out candy to children and not eat at least half of it? My stomach would be aching and my tongue would be hurting from all the sugar.

I am so glad that I don't have to deal with any of that anymore. Last year only very few children came by our house so yesterday, for the first time in my life, I did what all the grouches do. I turned out the lights and pretended I wasn't home. I know. I'm an ogre. Too bad. I hate hallowe'en.

I was also a lazy mom. Allowing them only 2 treats per day as the "experts" recommend seemed to require far too much time and effort on my part, so, I allowed them candy eating periods. They were allowed as much candy as they could eat in 15 or 20 minutes. This way, all the candy was gone within a week. Hallowe'en was quickly forgotten.

I really admire all the people who can enjoy this holiday. Many of you enjoy the challenge of creating a unique and inexpensive costume. You have a creative bent that I can only dream of. But now, as I am dealing with an impending empty nest and the hard things that come with it, I know that hallowe'en is one thing that I never have to sweat about again.

So there.

November 1

This month is NaBloPoMo month and like ccap, I will attempt to post every day. There is a good chance that you'll get bored because interesting things don't usually happen in my life daily. I will try to keep most of these posts short.

Today, I am writing from the Best Western Hotel in Fargo, ND. I am not in the habit of cross-border shopping but for Kristen's 18th birthday we thought it would be fun to have a "girl's" outing. We did a bit of shopping this evening and will shop till we drop tomorrow. Friday morning we'll be heading back to Winnipeg.

Things that I have noticed so far:

• North Dakotans are generally a very friendly bunch.
• Male salespeople welcome both of us into their stores but they look at Kristen, not me.
• The roads in the US are much better than the roads in Canada. But I always remind myself that if we didn't have public health care, the government would have more money for roads.
• There was almost no snow south of Grand Forks.
• The lattes at Starbucks taste the same.
• Alcohol is a lot cheaper here! (hic)

That's all for now folks. Good night.

Happy Birthday Kristen!

Kristen turned 18 today. My youngest child is now 18-able to vote, drink and make her own decisions without my consent. I am glad that she has made and is making wise decisions these days so I don't really need to worry. Still, as a mom, I do.


Although she was born on October 31, her due date was October 14. She was 18 days overdue. Eighteen looooooooong days overdue. On October 28, I went to the hospital to be induced. I was put on the drip and after 7 hours, nothing was happening so I was sent home. That was depressing. A few days later I was induced again and thankfully, after a rather intense 4 hours, she was born.

Kristen and I have had some tough times but I think the worst of those times are over. We've both grown, changed and compromised and that makes for a much more harmonious relationship. Her health is still very good and we are so grateful for that.

So, happy birthday Kristen! I love you.

Sammy's bad hair day

In my last Thursday Thirteen, I mentioned that I bought a dog grooming kit for Sammy. We used it yesterday with some success. The dog looks like he's got a bad haircut. Sammy was pretty obedient but he did not enjoy the process. Neither did Wes nor I. By the end of the evening we had all inhaled enough dog hair for a lifetime and were covered in dog hair. We needed a shower, our clothes had to be washed and we could not stop sneezing.

We are giving the grooming kit away.

Before.

After. (Notice how one ear is longer than the other. I must admit that this is one bad haircut!)

The Second Time Ben Kept Me Up All Night

In my previous post, I wrote that Ben has kept me up all night long only twice in my life. The first time was the day of his birth-my water broke around midnight and he was born sometime between 6 and 8 in the morning.

The second time he kept me up all night was when he was 18 years old. At this time Ben had been going out with friends and staying out till midnight or so for at least a year. Most of the time, I'd stay awake until I heard him come home but sometimes, I'd fall asleep before that. Generally, I'd wake up at some point in the night and if I hadn't heard him, I'd just go downstairs and see if his shoes were by the back door. It was a good system. I didn't have to go into his room and wake him up if he was asleep and I could go back to sleep knowing he was safely in bed.

One particular night I had fallen asleep early and sure enough, it was around 1:00 AM when I woke up and hadn't heard him come home. I went downstairs to look for his shoes but they weren't there. I was a little annoyed because it was past his curfew. I was wide awake by this time and decided to stay in the living room and wait for his arrival. I made a cup of tea and began reading my book but by 2:00 I could no longer concentrate. I began to worry. Then, I began to pace. By 3:00 AM I was trying to tell myself that if something happened, the police would have informed me by now. At 4:00 AM I considered calling all the emergency wards in the local hospitals. I also considered calling his friends but was concerned that if he wasn't with them, I would have awakened them needlesly. And then they would worry (probably not but I was not thinking too coherently). Finally, at 5:00 AM I fell into a fitful sleep.

It was a Saturday night and I had to be up early to get to church on time. I was usually involved with the service so I'd often leave early and Wes would come later with the kids. I was pretty tired and stressed so the music practise that I led didn't go too well. When we finished, people started coming in as they usually do and at one point, Wes came in with our children, including Ben. To my sleep deprived eyes, it looked like Ben was swaggering. Because we were in church and there would have been witnesses, I decided not to kill him. Instead, I hissed, "Where were you last night?"

He looked at me, puzzled and replied calmly, "In my bed."
I hissed again, "What time did you come home?"
"I don't know, around 12:30 I guess."
Less hissy, but still angry I asked him, "Where were your shoes?"
He was very puzzled by now, wondering what his shoes had to do with this conversation.

"I don't know. I wore my boots."

Happy Birthday Ben!

I was going to begin this post by saying, "This post should have been written on October 6..." but I am trying my best not to use words like "should, must, have to" and others. They are often referred to as "absolutes" and I use them far too much.

It was Ben's birthday on October 6. My oldest son was born on October 6, 1981 at approximately 8:00 AM. That was the first of only 2 times he has kept me up all night. The second time was not his fault. I suppose the first time wasn't his fault either.

Ben's always been a great son. (Oh no. My first "absolute." I'll keep it in though. Even though we've had our differences, he's always been a great son.) I remember in the year he was born we had a beautiful fall and we spent many happy hours together, he in his pram (Yes. I had a pram) and me pushing it. For about 2 years Ben was an only child and he went everywhere with Wes and I. As long as he had his blankie (yeah, can you imagine Ben with a blankie?) he would settle down and fall asleep anywhere.

Ben was unique from most other children in that when it was time to clean up, he actually did. The caregivers in the church nursery would often tell me that when it was time to clean up, Ben would actually listen and clean up. All the other children would put one or two things away but Ben would get right into it. He's always been a really hard worker. I remember the time when he was probably 8 or 9 and we were expecting Wes's parents for a visit. They were driving from Ontario and ended up coming one day sooner than we expected. I was in a panic. Wes' mom is a dear, sweet woman and she keeps an immaculate house. My house was (is) never immaculate and that day especially, it was a mess. I gathered up the kids (ages 9, 7, 4 and 3) and told them that grampa and gramma were coming IN TWO HOURS. They must have sensed that this was a huge deal for me and they all cleaned up like troopers. Ben however, led the way and I was amazed that he actually saw what needed to be done, without my direction, and then did it. I will always be grateful to him for that.

Ben was involved in volleyball and basketball while he attended school and excelled at both sports. His work ethic was apparent in the way he played sports too. He was focussed and worked hard at doing what had to be done in order to win games. His attitude was good too. He was not in the habit of bad mouthing other teams, refs, or people. In that way Ben has a very balanced attitude towards everything in life. A great character trait to have.

This year, he has turned 25. It is wonderful to see many of the positive character traits I saw already so many years ago develop and grow. He is married to a lovely woman, works hard at his job and volunteers at church. I see him at least twice a week and still enjoy his company. Our relationship is changing. I feel less like a mother who has to take care of him and more like an equal, although sometimes I'd like to take a comb to his hair and razor to his whiskers...

It's been quite a trip. When I held him in my arms 25 years ago, I never gave a thought to what life would be like having an adult for a son. While much about him has changed, it amazes me that my love for him remains as strong and fierce as it did the day he was born. I think that will always be the same.

And so, I'd like to wish a happy birthday to Ben. It is my hope and prayer that this year will bring you great joy, happiness and peace. That wish will always be the same.

Thursday Thirteen

1. Wes and I ate leftover Chicken Caesar Pasta for supper.
2. Sammy, the dog, had duck.
3. Sammy has developed an itchy, uncomfortable skin rash and the vet thinks he’s allergic to his food. Now we need to buy (very expensive) specialty dog food from the vet. As a result, we’ll be noshing on noodles and no name products while the dog dines on duck.
4. Pure bred dogs tend to get skin rashes.
5. I spent 2 ½ hours at the gym today. I feel good but a little tired. I don’t do this every day.
6. I met with a woman this afternoon that lost her husband when she was only 42 in a tragic accident. That was about 14 years ago.
7. Today I bought some dog clippers at Canadian Tire because they were on sale and I thought, “Hey, I cut the hair of my husband, sons, nephews and occasionally my brother-in-law, I can do the dog too.” It came with a DVD which I will watch after I’ve finished my Thursday Thirteen.
8. It was another, absolutely gorgeous fall day today.
9. We had our elm trees trimmed yesterday. The people who were climbing the trees looked like they were having a lot of fun.
10. Several weeks ago my neighbour was getting water in her basement and thought that she would have to replace her water line. It turned out it was our water line that was leaking and WE had to replace OURS. Ouch. That was expensive. She was happy but we weren’t although we now have much better water pressure than before.
11. Today, I took a day off of painting. I was getting pretty bored and tired of it. I’ll get back to it next week.
12. If it wasn’t for Yvonne, I would not be going to the gym as often as I do now. I would have probably quit.
13. We have 3 teenagers living with us and not one of them were here for supper today. That’s why Wes and I had leftovers.

Eric and his Hot Newish Car

When Eric started school, we gave him our 1991 Oldsmobile to drive. We had purchased it for $5,000 in 2001 and it was a good car. Old Betsy finally died near the end of August of 2006 and was promptly sent to the wreckers. This is Eric's new car. A Cavalier. As you can see, he is very proud of it. He bought it at the MPI auction for $800.00 and spent about another $400.00 in fixing it up (thanks Uncle George).

I'm told that it is not exactly a "hot" car. Eric will have to wait for that when he's finished school.

Happy travels Eric!

Darlene

I should be painting instead of blogging but it has been almost a month and I’m sure all my blogger friends are wondering just what it is that I am doing that is so important. I really want to get the painting done because the paint cans, brushes, ladders and other paraphernalia do not fit with my idea of décor.

But blog I must because I’m finally ready to tell you about Darlene.

Darlene has been a part of my life since I was born and while I always knew she was there, it wasn’t until I was an awkward and (I thought but really wasn’t) fat teenager that I began to notice her and hate her. It was Darlene that kept me from ever feeling beautiful and sexy. She would always get in the way of everything I was trying to do. She made it hard for me to put on my shoes, or find pants that fit. She kept me from buying clingy dresses and bikinis. When I walked or ran, she kept wiggling and jiggling long after the rest of me stopped. I tried my best to keep her out of pictures that were taken of me. She has embarrassed me many times and about 8 months ago, I decided that it was time to stop letting her do that.

So, I started going to the gym regularly and faithfully. I am mostly happy with the results except my stomach doesn’t seem to be shrinking much. I am 49 years old and have had 4 pregnancies, all resulting in healthy babies. One was almost 11 pounds. I am beginning to realize that my belly will always hold a prominent place in my body and in my life. I could continue to hate it and let it hold me back but instead, I’ve decided to name my belly Darlene and actually show her the love and respect that she deserves.

I have decided that I will no longer try to hide her. I shall wear clothing that shows her in all her glory. And I will no longer be embarrassed by her. I will accept her as she is. And should she shrink a little more, I will be happy but I will not obsess about her if she decides to stay around.

Darlene is like battle scars or old sports injuries. Pregnancies, unsuccessful attempts at dieting (which only caused me to gain weight) are all part of that lumpy, bumpy, jiggly stretch-marked flesh that is mine. I can let her embarrass me or I can be proud of the fact that she and I have survived and thrived through 49 years of living.

So Darlene, welcome. You may stay. However, the less I notice you, the better I will like it. I promise that I will no longer compare you to others. I will not be jealous of those cute, skinny women who have no idea what it is like to have a companion like you. I will no longer stare at my teenaged daughter and her friends, looking for their companions. And when Wes tells me that he loves Darlene too, I will believe him. And maybe, just maybe, I'll buy myself a biki...

Maybe not.

More Worms

We took out the baseboards so they'll need to be repainted and reinstalled.

The reason for Derrik's "Oh s***" is the fact that the island in the kitchen is crooked. Very crooked. We knew this before but the old floor had been installed before we noticed it, of course. The people who installed the old floor didn't seem to care much about how it looked. They just wanted to finish it. Fortunately, Derrik is a little more particular. What this meant is that last night Wes removed the island, or at least most of it as one cabinet couldn't be taken away because it is attached to the plumbing lines.

The island will be straight. That's good. Everything will look almost as good as new once it's all done but we've got a bit of work ahead of us, that's for sure.

I'm hoping that the can is empty now.

This Old House and a Can of Worms

Oh yes. The proverbial can of worms has been opened. We are supposed to get a much needed new kitchen floor. It was going to be easy. One day was all it would take.

Yesterday Derrick and his side kick (don't know his name yet) arrived at 3:45, just as I was going out the door to pick Kristen up from one job and take her to her other one. I asked them if they were here to start on the floor and Derrick responded by saying yes. His body language said, "Of course lady, what did you think I was doing here?" They were supposed to have come at 9:30 that morning.

(An aside: I have met a few floor installers over the years as we've done renovations a number of times in the various houses we've owned. Most of them seem to be pretty tough. Wes tells me that when his company is doing a job where criminal record checks are required, they often have trouble finding carpet layers who don't have a record. It's a hard job and I suppose somebody's got to do it. I feel perfectly safe with these guys around though. I've got Sammy to protect me.)


My protector.












In an older house, I can say without exaggerating, that every single time you do anything, it never goes exactly as you planned. Today is no exception. When Derrick and the other guy lifted the old vinyl flooring, the worms began spilling out of the can. They (Derrick and the other guy) were appalled, I say appalled, at what they found. The sub floor was not properly attached to the other part of the floor (I really don't know the proper terms for all of this). It was attached with, horrors, drywall screws. That's why there was so much squeeking (I hadn't really noticed. It's an old house after all. There are lots of squeeks. That's part of the charm.)

Anyway, this means that the kitchen will probably take 2 more days to finish and then the carpet that they will be laying will not happen until Monday. And this was all supposed to take 2 days.

Bill, the boss, came and checked things out and now, after consultation with the homeowners (me and Wes) we have decided to replace the sub floor too. It will be the cheapest way to do it. (Ha Ha. Cheapest. That's a good one. There won't be anything cheap about that.)
Oh well, we'll have a great sub floor. I think it's kind of like buying underwear. You spend a lot of money on something that people will not see but you really notice if it's not there or not the right kind.

I just heard Derrik say something like, "this is going to be a long drawn out process." Then he said something that sounded like, "Oh s***."

Oh dear. Maybe I'm looking at 3 more days before I have my kitchen back. I'll keep you posted (as if you care).

Happy Birthday Wes!

Forty-eight years ago today, the man who would most impact my life as an adult was born. I didn't know him until 19 years later and didn't really "know" him (in the biblical sense) until the day I married him, almost 27 years ago.

I'd love for Wes to write a "100 Things About Me" list but I'll just have to write something on his behalf. I won't try for 100 but I'll do my best to write a list to help you know him a little better.

1. Wes is the only person in this household who never loses socks. I have at least half a dozen singles in my drawer, hoping that their other halfs will show up. Wes has none.
2. He is a hard worker.
3. He often finishes up things that I have started and gotten bored with.
4. Once, when I was helping him move something heavy, he said to me, "Don't worry, it's not heavy, just awkward." Now, anytime anything has to be moved, people in our family use that line. Wes will never live that one down. It has become family legend.
5. He laughs out loud at movies. And I mean OUT LOUD. The rest of us are giggling silently but Wes guffaws.
6. He owned a blue volkswagen when I fell in love with him.
7. He was wearing brown, double knit pants when I first fell in love with him. I looked past the pants and saw the man underneath. (No smart comments on this one. You know what I mean)
8. I taught him that you could buy stuff at stores other than Woolco.
9. He was not too proud to wear the free shirts that you used to be able to get at SuperStore when you spent $250.00.
10. When the kids were young, he would almost always put them to bed.
11. He cleans up the supper dishes.
12. He used to do almost all the grocery shopping. Now, I'm in charge and he does only some of the grocery shopping.
13. He seldom complains.
14. He's only crabby when he's hungry so I try to make sure that supper is ready for him when he comes home.
15. He makes his own lunch.
16. He knows how to barbeque a rare steak.
17. He is very strong.
18. He always kisses me when he goes to work even if I have peanut butter in my mouth.
19. I can almost alway guess what he is going to order at a restaurant because it's usually the most unique item. I generally go with the more predictable choice. I often like his better.
20. He's neater than I am.
21. Sharing a dessert with him is good when I'm on a diet. He can eat a piece of cheesecake in 5 bites while I tend to eat it more slowly.
22. He is very willing to remove dead mice from traps.
23. He loves my sisters and their families.
24. He loves me, our children and our daughter-in-law.
25. When we go on trips, he makes sure that he has booked a hotel. We have only one story of being stranded late at night without a hotel to go to. If a car needs to be rented, he does that too.
26. He has never complained about my messiness.
27. He has taught me to slow down and to think before I speak. If I ask him a question, he often thinks about it for a while before he says something.
28. He has incredible patience, especially with cranky babies.
29. He has incredible patience, especially with a cranky wife.
30. He signed up to do the baking at church for a Sunday morning.

I could come up with 100 but I'll leave it at 30 for now because I want to post this today and I need to get some work done too.

Happy birthday Wes!

Waiting...

This morning, I got up early, anticipating the arrival and installation of my new kitchen floor. Last night Wes and I worked hard to get everything ready and now, the washer, dryer, frig and stove are in the dining room, the kitchen table and chairs are in the living room and other things can be found in strange places in my house.

Right now, it's 1:04 PM and my anticipation is waning. They're not here yet. I do not think that they could finish the kitchen in one afternoon so we'll be living in this disorganized mess for at least 2 days.

I keep having to remind myself that in a few days, everything will be neat and tidy and all of my stuff will have found it's proper place.

I hope.

More Homemaking News

In my post yesterday I suggested that there was somthing else I wanted to share with you. I just remembered. Did you know that people are beginning to do more of their own housework again? Yes. That's right. They are getting rid of the cleaning services and are finding value and a sense of accomplishment in doing their own housework. And what's more, THEY ARE POLISHING THEIR OWN SILVER AND DOING THEIR OWN WINDOWS.

Oh for the good old days when we had other people polishing our silver and washing our windows.

Tim washed a few windows for me the other day. Does that count as "doing your own?" Maybe I should pull out my silver and start polishing it.

Wait... I just remembered. I don't have any silver.

Linda's Decorating Tips

I normally go to the gym 5 days a week. No, I'm not one of THOSE kinds of people. I just know that it needs to be part of my daily routine or else I will not keep it up.

But this post is not about the gym. This post is about a television show you just may want to watch if you have the good fortune of being at home with nothing better to do than watch TV at 10:00 in the morning.

I don't watch much TV at home-usually the 10:00 news and if I can stay awake, the local news at 10:30. I am however, able to watch TV at the gym. I'm on the cross-trainer around 9:00 in the morning and I usually have several television show options. They are the Sports channel, children's TV (why that channel, I don't know. There isn't anyone younger than 18 there at that time), some entertainment show and something call City TV.

None of those shows really interest me but I generally end up watching City TV. It reminds me of the women's magazines that Heather loves to hate but it is in the form of a TV show. They usually have a guest on the show who talks about fashion, home decor, the latest plastic surgery available, food and anything else people (women) might find interesting. Today, I learned a great decorating tip that I would like to pass on to you, my blogger friends.

When you have a party at your home you would hate to run out of toilet paper, wouldn't you? (Collective nod of the head) Some people have a type of cylindrical holder by the toilet but that hides the toilet paper and your guests might not know that is where the extra TP is kept. (What kind of friends does she have?)

Well, our designer has come up with a cute fun way to keep your TP in plain sight. I have attempted to duplicate this but it wasn't easy. Designers always make things look so easy but really, they tend to be difficult to copy. Here is my effort:

To brighten it up, you're supposed to put silk flowers in the holes but I didn't have any. I've gotten rid of a lot of my junk so there was nothing I could put into the holes to show you just how attractive this might look in YOUR bathroom for your next event.

Actually, I was thinking of buying some OHenry bars and putting them in the holes. My guests might appreciate that.

There was one other tip that I found particularly interesting but I can't remember it right now. If I do, I'll post that at another time.

Eat your heart out Rena Nerbass!

Mouse Invasion

Every morning for breakfast, I eat half a bagel with peanut butter and jam. I've been having this for breakfast for more years than I can remember but I'm still not tired of it. Yesterday morning, this is what I found:
It was the last bagel in the house because yesterday was grocery day so I had to eat A PIECE OF TOAST INSTEAD! I was so disappointed!

Last year I wrote a piece about the vermin that comes into my house every fall season. I thought I'd re-post it for you all.

"The invasion has begun.The army that would like to conquer, chew and destroy has already sent at least 2 sentinels. We know they are still in the area because we have seen some evidence of their presence. Early one morning, Tim actually saw them but as it was 6:00 AM and he was moving a little slowly, he was unable to track them down.

You'd think they'd learn. You'd think their fathers and mothers, grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles and cousins would have let them know that although they might find some sustenance in certain locations of this house, they would eventually meet their demise here.

And so we begin the battle yet again. I pull out my arsenol, all nicely packaged together in a plastic bag. Death Traps, check. Sticky traps, check. Poison, check. Humane traps, check (although I still can't understand why my own husband would buy a mouse trap that allows the rodent to live so that it can be released-Where? Back into my house!) A plug-in thingy that apparently makes noise that only a mouse can hear. This one particularly takes the cake as I'm convinced that the sound attracts rather than repels this army.

I suppose that you can't really blame the poor critters. It's getting cold outside and like us humans, they like to live at ease, where the food is plentiful and the temperature is comfortable. They get all of this in my house. I have been told that I have a gift for hospitality and the mice seem to sense this. The food can easily be found in the bedrooms of certain residents of this abode, in the family room couch or under the fridge and stove in the kitchen. Mice really don't need much to keep them going-chocolate bar wrappers, cracker crumbs, even empty slurpee cups can seem like a feast to a cold and hungry mouse. We even leave nesting material around for them like clothes, blankets or paper on the floor. Last year, they spent some time in the boots of a teenage guest who was living with us but then decided to take up residence in her gym bag because the food and clothes, readily available, were preferable to the footwear.

The year we moved into this house we caught 17 mice in the fall. We had never had mice in any of our previous homes so we were unprepared for this onslaught and it was too late when we finally began fighting back. I think that was the year that word got around in the mouse community that our house was party central.

But I've learned. My nephew Joey frequently tells the story when "Auntie Linda killed 4 baby mice on the stairs with a toilet plunger." Actually it was a toilet brush and there were 5 mice (but who's keeping track anyway). As sickened as I was about this brutal murder, I just knew that if I didn't get them when I saw them, I'd be battling with their offspring in a few short months. And boy do they know how to procreate.

Today, I can say with a measure of certainty that I am smarter than a mouse. I have discovered tricks that will get a mouse every time or at least most times. This year, I'm ready. I've got traps loaded with my prefered ammo-peanut butter. I've laid them out in strategic locations and eagerly look forward to asking Wes or Tim to check the traps every morning before they leave for work. (I am a fairly independent, liberated woman. But when it comes to emptying mouse traps, I believe that it is a man's job. Fortunately both of the males I live with are willing to do this rather unpleasant job.)

So, the battle will continue until the snow falls or things freeze up around here. But I'm ready. Bring 'em on. I'll take care of 'em. Maybe they'll be smarter than their forefathers and foremothers and will tell the younger generation that the neighbour's house is far more appealing than mine."

ATM Etiquette

Yesterday I read a story in the Free Press about someone who had found money in a bank machine. The previous person must have forgotten to remove it and the finder was trying to track down the person who lost the money. Apparently, the bank can't even track it down.

This reminded me of a similar story that happened to me several years ago. I was in the car with Michele and we decided that we would go to one of those drive-thru ATMs. I had never used one before and was driving slowly as I was trying to figure out just where I had to go in and how close I had to be to the machine to reach the buttons.

There was an older model car behind me and the person driving it seemed very impatient with me because I wasn't moving too quickly. I thought he needed to learn a lesson so I slowed down even more and really took my time at the ATM. He seemed to be losing his patience with me but I didn't care. I figured he needed to learn to slow down.

Finally, I was finished my transaction, put the car in gear and started driving away towards the parking lot. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the man who had been behind me raced out of the stall at the ATM machine and began following me. I was frightened because I had heard stories of road rage and this guy, with his long stringy hair and dirty clothes fit my idea of a man out of control.

He began honking his horn and swerving around, and at one point I began to realize that he wasn't angry, he was just trying to get my attention. I slowed down and opened my window. He rolled down his window and handed me some cash-the cash I had left in the ATM machine. I thanked him, he nodded and went off to do his transaction.

I was embarrassed at my insensitive actions and wished that I could speak with the man and buy him a coffee but of course, that was not to be.

Who do you think learned a lesson that day?

For Tom and Becky

That Black Cloud

I went to the doctor today. The good news is that I am 13 pounds lighter than I was last year. Yippee!

The other good news is that she has extended my anti-depressant medication for another 5 months. I have been on this medication for about 2 months and I was not ready to blog about it until now. I figure if RLP can blog about depression then I can too.

It’s hard to know when it all actually started but I had been fighting a black cloud since the fall of 2005. It is likely longer than that but it was in September that I began thinking that this was more than just “the blues.” I hadn’t been sleeping well, I was having trouble controlling my eating, I had little energy and just felt kind of empty. What really troubled me though was that I couldn’t remember the last time I really laughed. Anytime something good would happen, or I’d have some fun, I just couldn’t appreciate it. I felt anxious and guilty all the time. I used up any energy I had in order to remain positive and upbeat.

I thought that anti-depressants might help and I spoke to a psychologist about it. She agreed that it was likely that I was depressed and that medication might be helpful. I don’t know if depression is genetic or not but my grandmother was on medication and I really think that my mom has been depressed so, it really should be no surprise to me that I too could be depressed.

Things at home were mostly pretty peaceful. Except for a few incidents with Kristen that I am not proud of, I did not yell or carry on too much. I did not cry a lot and I wasn’t suicidal. My greatest fear was that I would take medication and it wouldn’t help because I wasn’t depressed, I was just feeling sorry for myself and had to “suck it up.”

Within a week of starting my medication, I began to feel better. After about 2 weeks, I really began to notice a difference. I was laughing, I was having fun, I was sleeping and I began to feel happier. I did not have to use all of my energy to stay happy. Wes says that I’m more engaged at home now. Before, I was pretty quiet and chose to spend my time at home alone-reading or watching TV. Everything seemed to be a chore.

I am grateful for the many medications that are available these days. The one I’m taking has a few minor side effects-things I can easily live with. I have been enjoying the summer and have not been thinking too much about the fall. Hopefully I’ll be willing and ready to jump in and begin my work at the church. I just feel that this summer has been one of healing and joy. I’m enjoying my time at home and feel that I have become more balanced and content.

I was really hesitant to start down this path. It seems that depression is very common among women in North America. It seems strange to me that there are so many of us who need this kind of help. Why can that be? Are we just a bunch of wimps who just need to snap out of it? Are we so self absorbed that we cannot deal with a bit of stress and anxiety? Are we unable to deal with an imperfect world and so need to depend on a pill? Can I not accept the fact that life sucks sometimes and that I don’t always feel great?

I wonder how many people in Africa need to be on anti depressants. They say it’s a chemical imbalance of the brain. I’m sure that a chemical imbalance happens just as frequently in an African brain as in a North American brain.

I have no answers but I do know one thing. The pills are working and I am a happier, more content person today than I was a few months ago. I will continue taking them for as long as necessary and perhaps some answers may come to me as my brain becomes less fuzzy and I am able to think more clearly. I know one thing. My family has their mom back and I think that’s pretty important.

Depression is a tough thing. I am grateful that mine is not as debilitating as it can be for some people. There have been no thoughts of suicide or of hurting myself. But in its own way, this has been a hard road to follow. It is not something that you can see, like a broken arm or a bad cut. But it’s there and only the person who is experiencing it can really tell what it’s like. For me, it wasn’t too obvious. I was able to function fairly well. But the energy it took to remain positive was extreme. I’m getting my energy back and I’m grateful for the people around me who I’ve told who have given me so much encouragement and support. To have that kind of community around me is the best thing I could hope for. They know who they are and I am so thankful to them.

Okay. Last cute dog picture today. The dog cousins are bunking together although Jed is definitely more relaxed than Sammy-and it's Sammy's kennel!

I'm Alive and Doing Fine

This will be short. I just wanted to let all of my blogger friends know that I'm alive and doing fine. I haven't blogged for quite a while-there has been much other stuff to keep me occupied this summer. Like...

• the beautiful weather;
• the fact that we have a pool and when people come over to swim, I need to sit out there and provide them with stimulating conversation and companionship;
• watering my garden-It's been so dry here that it's hard to keep up;
• going to Assiniboine Park to watch "Ballet in the Park";
• renovating and fixing up the back porch;
• spending time with Kristen*
• enjoying time with Glenda and her family;
• reading. I've read 2 books (Time Traveller's Wife and The Twins of Trebeca) although I didn't really enjoy either one of them too much. They were okay but just okay. (I know that there will be some people who do not agree with me, especially with The Time Traveller's Wife.) I still love reading and even books that don't really grab me can still be entertaining.

*Until now, Kristen has been home quite a lot this summer. She hasn't been getting many shifts at Esprit, the store where she works. We have had a great time! We've been going to the gym, doing some shopping and just kind of hanging out. It's been just wonderful. She's still feeling well and I too am feeling content.

She just got another job at Aqua-Tech, a pool store. Eric's been working there for quite a few years and now Kristen is there. That means we will get our pool chemicals at a discount for a little bit longer. That's great and it's a good place to work. And Kristen will have a full time job until the middle of October. That is a good thing.

Monday night Jed came over to our house for a week. He's actually doing quite well. The mop and pail have been put to good use but as it's only in the kitchen, I don't mind too much (except when I step in it). And for Micah's information, there has been very little mounting going on.

Here's a picture of the dog cousins:

As you can see, Jed is howling as only a coon hound can howl and Sammy is looking rather pathetically at me. When I leave the fenced area of the back yard, they wait for me there, in the corner and look very sad until I return. Jed has taught Sammy how to whine and Sammy has taught Jed how to pace.

Oh well, at least they're getting along.

Meeting another famous person

Here again is another picture of me (and Michele) with a famous person. If you are a fan of Canadian Idol, you will recognize the man on the far left of the photo. That happens to be Rob James, the first Winnipegger to crack the top 10 of Canadian Idol. I have not yet watched this show but I know that he is in the top 10 because I read it in the Winnipeg Free Press today.

Michele and I had the opportunity to be involved with "The Huron Christmas Carol" one year. Our job was to be in the "green room" (or is it the blue room?) where the entertainers could come and relax and have something to eat. It sounds like a much more exciting job than it is. We were quite bored and not too many people stopped by to say hello. But these guys did. They called themselves "McMaster and James" and I really liked the way they sounded.

Rob James has NO idea who I am but was gracious enough to pose for this picture. I think I just might watch Canadian Idol next week to see how he does and to remind my kids that *I* have rubbed shoulders with someone famous.

Much has been happening in my life over the last couple of weeks but I haven't felt like blogging about it. It seems that many of my blogger friends are in a similar situation. The summers here in Winnipeg seem so short that we really try to make the best of them and we'd rather be outside than inside, on our computers. Today, my life in pictures.

The $50.00 hairstyle that Kristen promptly washed out as soon as she got home. At least she was in good enough humour to take this picture!

Kristen and C.J. before her graduation banquet.The Grade 12 graduate with her dad. One of my favourite pics.

From left to right, Ben, Eric, Kristen and Tim.

We also went to the Folk Festival. What a great time we had! You can read all about it on Heather's blog. I couldn't describe it any better than she did. A highlight for me was meeting Fred Eaglesmith. While his music isn't really the kind I tend to listen to, Fred is a friend from way, way back. We went to elementary school together. I was certain he would remember me but I was unprepared for his exuberant reaction when I told him who I was. We had a great (short) time of reconnecting and will get together for coffee when he comes into town next month.

My flower garden is growing and lovely, my vegetable garden looks very, very sad except for the tomatoes. The weeds are doing well too. So far, it's been a close to perfect summer.

Our Visit to the Naturopath

It was probably 2 months ago that Kristen and I went to see a naturopathic doctor. As I have blogged before, we were at the end of our rope with her frequent nausea and dizzy spells. We had been to all kinds of doctors including a neurosurgeon who we will never see again. So for the first time in my life, I went to see a naturopath.

Dr. Schrader was as kind, considerate and compassionate as any professional can be. He listened carefully, asked intelligent questions and I was very impressed by him. We spent close to an hour with him and when we were finished, he suggested that Kristen take a test that we would have to send to the US. The results would likely show us what the problem is and also, what we could do about it.

For the test, Kristen had to provide 3 stool and 2 saliva samples. According to her, taking the stool samples was "gross." I won't go into details about what she had to do but she took care of it like a trooper.

Finally, last week, we could see the doctor for the results. It seems that she had candida (too much yeast in her intestines) as well as a kind of parasite (something he had suggested as a possible cause at our first visit). Apparently there is some disagreement in the medical community about this particular parasite. Some believe that it is harmless, some think that it can cause problems. Regardless, we are going ahead with a regime that includes taking 5 large capsules twice a day. She has not had an attack in the week since she's been on this regime and her energy level has certainly improved.

One other challenge is that she's on a pretty strict diet. No sugar, dairy products (eggs are okay) yeast, mushrooms, dried fruit, bananas or peanuts. She can only have 2 fruits per day but lots of veggies. Considering that she has been surviving on bagels, cream cheese and bananas for months, this diet is quite a huge change. Almost all prepackaged foods have one of the forbidden ingredients so everything needs to be made from scratch.

Suppers won't be a problem but there will be no more bagels, or cereal for breakfast-all the quick, easy foods that teenagers are accustomed to eating. She also LOVES cheese and is already missing it. We did find some bread that is okay for her to eat and she says it's not bad so she'll be able to take sandwiches to work if she needs to.

We are hoping that once the levels in her intestine get back to more normal levels, she'll be able to add more foods to her list, perhaps in smaller quantities than before. I suspect however, that this is something she'll be dealing with for the rest of her life.

We see Dr. Schrader in 2 weeks and hopefully, he'll be able to give us some more good news.

We were at SuperStore yesterday, looking for things she can eat. Wes, Kristen and I must have spent an hour just reading ingredients and trying to figure out what we could buy. I am so grateful to be living in a place where there are options! If this were 20 years ago, it would be much harder to find something for her. Next week I'll buy some soy cheese to see if she likes that.


She's got a pretty good attitude towards all of this now as she was ready to do anything to stop the attacks. Thanks for all your words of encouragement, thoughts, suggestions and prayers.

Okay. Time for a new post. Even I'm getting tired of looking at those 2 lobsters! Problem is, I don't feel I have much to write about. The housework fairies have not yet found my house so I did the housework for most of the morning.

Yesterday I helped Kristen and her friend Kim study for an exam. I was very aware of the fact that this will probably never happen again. Even though the material was hard to understand for all of us and the girls were getting frustrated, I enjoyed myself. It's great to be needed and to hang around with my daughter, even though it's just studying. It reminded me of the many times when she would come home from school and do her homework while I was cooking dinner. I enjoyed those times.

I am keenly aware of the fact that I am entering a new phase in my life. My youngest child will be graduating from Grade 12 in a few weeks and it's been a hard adjustment for me. When my 4 children were young and I was feeling overwhelmed with them, I used to dream of the day when I'd have the house to myself and lots of time to do what I wanted to do. Now I don't even know what I want to do even though I've got the time. I never thought I'd have a mid-life crisis because I've always had interests and involvements outside of my children. I suppose we never really know how we will handle a crisis until it actually happens. Thankfully, I have a huge support network of people who love me and support me and I am confident I'll get through this.

I will leave you with a few photos of my garden. I am simply amazed at how these plants and flowers grow. From this:

And this:To this: And finally, this...

What's For Dinner?

We get to eat lobster once a year. It's too expensive to purchase but once a year, Wes is invited to a dinner put on by one of the sub-trades he works with that includes according to Wes, "The best Caesar Salad you'll ever eat," lobster and dessert. He finds that the hardest part of the dinner is deciding which dessert to choose because he is so full from the other delicious food. (He gets no sympathy from me)

One year, he ate so much lobster that he smelled like a garlicky lobster when he came to bed.

Anyway, there's always way too much lobster so those who would like, may take some home and Wes knows that this makes me very happy.

Tonight, lobster, pasta with sundried tomatoes and if I feel like it, a salad.

Yum, yum.

The Story of 2 Potatoes

It all started innocently enough with 2 potatoes. Ben and Carolyn decided to barbeque some steak and have baked potatoes for their dinner on Sunday night. Ben went out to light the barbeque and shortly thereafter, Carolyn went out to put the potatoes on. Kristen was home too, watching TV and doing her homework upstairs. A peaceful, relaxing Sunday evening.

Suddenly, the doorbell started ringing incessently. Kristen, hoping someone else would answer the door took her time in coming down the stairs to answer it. Sammy was barking like a crazy dog and she chased him into his kennel before she opened the door as Sammy has a tendency to run outside as soon as the door is opened. There was the unmistakable sound of fire engines in the distance but that was not unusual as we live just a few blocks away from a fire station. However, when Kristen opened the door she was not met by a person as she had expected but by a wall of fire.

She ran down the stairs to tell Ben that the fireplace was on fire (she actually meant the barbeque but she was in a state of panic and not making a lot of sense). Ben raced up the stairs and tried to put the fire out with the garden hose but was unsuccessful. Trying to put a fire out with a garden hose is not much more efficient than spitting on it. He then ran into the house to get the fire extinguisher and was able to put some of the fire out. (*Note: Fire extinguishers need to be charged more often than once every 12 years.) Just as he realized that this was more than he could handle, 3 fire engines came screaming into our quiet little bay with a crowd of fire fighters. They had the fire out in no time.

It seems that the hose where the propane goes into the barbeque got pulled away and propane started spewing out onto the floor of the porch. The barbeque is toast, the whole lower part of our deck needs to be replaced, the garbage bin is burned although the plastic garbage cans are still intact and not melted.

We'll make an insurance claim and hopefully get a better looking deck out of the deal. We didn't tell the insurance adjuster that Wes was out that very morning measuring the deck because it needed to be replaced. Wes had also prayed that God would provide the funds for us to replace the deck. Hmmmm.

Incidentally, even with all the fire and smoke, the potatoes are still raw.

We're selling the tent trailer

Yesterday I took a little walk down the proverbial “memory lane.”

We have a tent trailer that we are planning to sell and Wes and I had to clean it out last night. We brought a broom, bucket and cleaning supplies and I was approaching this as a job that had to be done. I have never loved this tent trailer but going through the stuff in there brought me back to our days of camping and I was a little surprised at my feelings of nostalgia because truthfully, I don't really like camping too much. I don't like having to use public washrooms and showers, I don't like the cold, clammy feeling you get when it rains in the night. I don't like the fact that you can never keep things neat and organized (at least I can't) or that laundry needs to be done in a laundromat.

I think that it was the items that I found that brought back the feelings of nostalgia although as you will see, the events were not necessarily enjoyable at the time. I think it was a little like going through all your stuff before you move and knowing that everything you touch at one time, had a purpose and therefore could evoke some strong memories.

I found at least a dozen bungee cords which reminded me of a very unique feature of the trailer. On one of our first trips we discovered that the door popped open when someone weighing more than 75 pounds slept on one of the wings. The first time this happened was at (you guessed it) 2:00 AM. I heard the door pop open and hopped out of bed to close it, thinking that the latch had simply not caught when we first closed it. I had just gotten settled when sure enough, it happened again. It was a sleepless night. Someone would roll over and POP there it would go again.

The next day we had a solution figured out using a web of bungee cords. I just hoped that if anyone had to go out during the night they’d remember the bungee cords, otherwise there could be some trouble. Imagine a slightly uncoordinated 6 foot tall 14 year old stumbling around in a tent trailer, slightly larger than a kitchen table.

When we first bought the trailer, the ad suggested that it could sleep 6. That is a bit of an overstatement as the largest bed was somewhere between the size of a twin and a double. I love Wes and don’t mind sleeping with him but sharing a bed that small results in a fitful sleep. I was always sleep deprived on my camping holidays.

I found several decks of cards and was reminded of the time Michele and Kristen were playing some crazy game. They are aunt and niece and have the very same competitive streak. They were getting more and more animated as the game progressed and our friends were getting a little concerned that it wouldn’t be long before they would come to blows.

The blue tarp reminded me of the last camping trip we took about 2 years ago, at Clear Lake with a group of friends. That was the coldest, rainiest trip in my memory. One night we managed to get a wood stove going in one of the shelters. It was windy and rainy so we got a few tarps and used them as a wind break. We spent a lovely evening in the shelter, huddled around the wood stove. We melted pennies, roasted hotdogs and marshmallows and had a great time.

Going through the drawer (yes, there was one drawer) I found sunscreen, mosquito spray and “After-Bite.” We’ve never had really bad mosquitoes on most of our camping trips but we’d never leave home without our mosquito spray. As I was wiping down the ceiling, I found a number of mosquito carcasses and remembered my nightly ritual of death where I pursued every bug with all my power so that nobody would wake up in the morning with a fresh bite.

We took out our dining tent too. I LOVE dining tents and a few years ago we had to replace ours. The only one we could find that was high enough to accomodate the height of Wes and our sons looked like a circus tent with blue and white stripes. It’s a great dining tent and stands out like nothing else in a campground. I remember spending lots of time in it on rainy days. I also remember eating in it. When we camp, Wes does most of the cooking and we generally eat very well.

I found the green coffee pot that I just love to use and was reminded of how good coffee tastes when you’re camping. And the glass wine glasses. Wine does not taste good unless it’s in a wine glass and we made sure that the glasses were well packed so they wouldn’t break.

There were lots of things about that tent trailer that I didn’t like but somehow, with the passing of a few years, those things don’t seem to matter so much. I’m glad that I had the chance to spend a few hours in it again and gain a new perspective. It’s in the yard at Wes’s office and last night, briefly, VERY briefly I thought, perhaps, I wouldn’t mind spending a night in it again. Sanity prevailed and I knew that I could loose any fond memories I have if I were to spend a night in it again. And I sure didn’t tell Wes.

There are aspects of camping that I like very much. Although my children wouldn't all fit now, I loved the snug as a bug feeling I had when we were all tucked into bed in the trailer. One year we listened to Stuart McLean CDs before falling asleep, first giggling and eventually, laughing out loud at his hilarious stories. I enjoyed camping with friends and family and remember walking from one campsite to another with my coffee cup, always finding someone who would have a pot brewing. I'll miss the campfires too.

These days, we're finding that we really love to stay in Winnipeg during the summer. There are festivals and events happening all summer long, right in our own back yard and if I go away, I'm afraid I'll miss something here. We won't need the tent trailer, that's why we're selling it. So for now, we won't be doing any camping.

I'll just be content to remember the great times we had.

Changes

Ben’s moving out-again.

Ben married Carolyn in the summer of 2004 and like all good, healthy couples, found an apartment of their own. While their marriage was a happy occasion, it was also a time of re-evaluation for me. My children are growing up, becoming independent and are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

Eric moved out just a few short months after Ben. About 6 months after that, Ben moved back to our house-with Carolyn. They live in the basement. It’s not as bad as it sounds and I find that when I tell people that my 25 year old son lives in the basement of my house with his wife, I find myself speaking faster and faster so I can explain that it really isn’t as strange as it sounds. “You see, we have an apartment in our basement
itsaselfcontainedsuitewithitsownkitchenandbathroomand
theydoalltheirowncookinganditsnotreallyasstrange
asitsoundsandIkeepmynoseoutoftheirbusiness…”

Well, I will no longer have to explain myself. Ben and Carolyn are moving out again, into their own house. It’s an exciting time and I’m really happy for them but I’m going to have to deal with Ben moving out again and the fact that my children are growing up and they don’t need me the way they used to. Sigh.

The good news is that we already have someone to rent the apartment in the basement. The fact that we have such a low vacancy rate in Winnipeg is good for us although not good for those people who are looking to rent.

So, my life changes once again. Change is good. It keeps me on my toes. I'm looking forward to getting to know Briane, our new tenant (and her dog!).

Kristen's Visit to the Doctor

I just got back from a neurologist’s office with Kristen today. I don’t remember his name but let’s just call him Dr. A.R.Rogant. Or maybe Dr. M.Y. Shitdoesnotstink. Needless to say, he didn’t help us at all.

We got there at 8:55, for our 9:00 appointment. He had us wait for 20 minutes although there was nobody else in the office. I know this because we had to leave our shoes at the door so that we wouldn’t mess up his new carpet and our shoes were the only ones in sight. So, there we sat for twenty minutes, both of us barefoot, patiently waiting for the good doctor to call us when he was ready.

When we entered his hallowed personal corner office, he looked at me and said, “This is Kristen?” I smiled and answered yes. He then asked Kristen to explain why she was there and as she is in the habit of doing, suggested that I give the history. Dr. A. R. Rogant believes that because it is Kristen’s problem she should be the one talking and he told us so. We decided to ignore his wise counsel and I proceeded to give a brief history of what has been going on for the last 3 years. He then asked Kristen a number of questions and she answered them all for him as best she could. We assume she passed the blood pressure test although Dr. A.R. didn’t say anything about it. I also assumed that she passed the tests for dizziness because she did them successfully and didn’t fall over once. Her reflexes are excellent. (He didn’t say that but I could tell) He typed something into his computer while Kristen sat with the blood pressure cuff on her arm and I sat on my chair wondering if I could sit on my feet because they were getting cold.

He asked her if she drinks coffee or coke (No). He asked if she liked school and how her grades were (Good and honour roll). Medications? No. Birth control? No. He asked if she ever tried taking Advil when the episodes happen and she told him that she had tried it but it didn’t help. The fact is, Kristen is in good general health, does well at school and to look at her, you wouldn’t think there was anything wrong.

It was then that the good Doctor looked at her and said something like, “So this really is a minor inconvenience, isn’t it.” There was a moment of dead silence. I looked at Kristen and the shock in her eyes, I'm sure, mirrored mine.

Being the tolerant, friendly Canadians that we are, we assured him calmly that this was NOT a minor inconvenience and that this was affecting her life (and mine) in a pretty negative way. I told him that she had missed a lot of school and in Grade 9 missed a number of her exams and I knew she couldn’t do that in Grade 12. I wanted to yell at him: “THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM! A VERY BIG PROBLEM. WHY DO YOU THINK I WOULD BE WASTING MY VALUABLE TIME IN THE OFFICE OF A SHITHEAD LIKE YOU!” But, I controlled myself.

Dr. M.Y. Shitdoesnotstink then suggested that it could be a type of migraine. That was the most intelligent thing he said during the entire appointment. He told her to avoid caffeine and take a couple of Advil. I was thinking of suggesting that perhaps he needed to see an ear specialist to see if his hearing was good because she already told him that SHE DOESN’T CONSUME CAFFEINE AND ADVIL DOESN’T WORK! HOW MANY YEARS DID YOU HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL TO BECOME A NEUROLOGIST WHO PRESCRIBES ADVIL TO A DESPERATE TEEN?

Thankfully he didn’t try to shake my hand when we left-probably thought that touching me was beneath him. Besides, he gave me the heeby geebies and I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

As soon as we got out of the door, Kristen announced in no uncertain terms that she would never, ever see him again and I concurred. NOT IF HE WAS THE LAST DOCTOR ON EARTH!

We are none the worse for wear after this episode and we are grateful that other doctors and specialists we have seen are very different. As a matter of fact, we saw a naturopathic doctor a couple of weeks ago and he was wonderful! I’ll write more about that another time, when we get the results of a test he recommended.

The health care system here in Manitoba has flaws, there is no doubt about that. But I have found in almost all cases, the people we have dealt with are friendly and compassionate. Even my own doctor, who seems rushed most of the time, is a kind woman. Unfortunately, it is people like Dr. A.R.Rogant who give many of the health care professionals a bad name. I’m glad I won’t have to deal with him ever again.

A Disclaimer

Some of you may have read Michele's blog over at the laundromat. I must tell you all that I did not read her "I'm From" entry before I wrote mine. When I read hers, I was amazed to see how alike they were.

Well, she is my sister (the one whose life I saved by my screams) and we are similar in many ways. I think it's cool that we are from the same place.

I Am From...

I read Heather's essay and thought it would be fun to do my own.

I am from a shiny blue bike with flowing ribbons and a plastic handlebar carrier. I am from rattling old Ford Trucks that smelled of electrical tape, WD 40, and chicken barns.

I am from the big brick house on Ontario Street with a back kitchen, sloping floors and draughty windows. I am from Saturday renovations, falling plaster and “I can’t stand living in this mess anymore” cries from my mother.

I am from the heart of the Niagara fruit belt. From glorious, fragrant Blossom Sundays to chilly Thanksgiving Mondays. I am from dusty roads and hot, muggy summers. From the cool and quiet of the Bruce Trail on humid afternoons and Kinsmen Pool and family drives out to the country. I am from flying down Mountain Street at crazy speeds and always grateful that I
didn’t fall.

I am from birthday presents in the early morning, Sunday afternoon fires in the living room and silly April Fool’s jokes. I am from Berendina Heremina and Arend Jan, Lina Wilhelmina and Englebertus, Johanna and Johannes. I am from Wikkerink, Hoornenborg, TeBrake, Bierman.

I am from heavy smokers and big eaters. I am from lovers of good food, Dutch chocolate and homemade wine. I am from relaxing Sunday dinners, chili on Friday nights and Saturday night hamburgers. I am from jam making, vegetable freezing and fruit canning. I am from the first family on the block to own a gas barbeque.

I am from chasing birds with a salt shaker and saving a family of baby squirrels. I am from the cottage and "dadmade" motorhomes. I am from Florida at Christmas time, from tent trailers and Walt Disney World and freshly squeezed orange juice.

I am from going to church twice on Sunday, from hard pews and singing harmony. From church organs and out-of-tune pianos. I am from the church with a hole where the bell should be. I am from waking up to the sound of the church bell next door and watching the beautiful, blushing brides on Saturdays. Peering from behind the curtain in the dining room, dreaming of the day it would be my turn.

I'm from Holland where life was hard for my parents and grandparents but became harder still with the WWII occupation. I am from a grandfather who died as a result of “friendly fire” to Oom Henk who never stepped foot in Germany even though the border was so close he could spit into it. I am from a mother and father who left their country of birth, knowing that they would never live there again. I am from the Queen of Holland who visited my uncle in his home and used his toilet.

I am from the family whose dad was in the Lions club, the family who owned the only Laundromat in town. The father who “picked up” a swimming pool “for a song” and supplied us with shovels to start digging. I am from red clay soil and mosquito bites. I am from the mother who got mumps when she was 35 and slammed her finger in a car door when she was 38. I am from the father who had a snow laden tent trailer fall onto his head just before leaving on our vacation. I am from busy Ontario Street where my hysterical scream saved my sister’s life.

I am from shoe boxes filled with pictures, a crazy poodle and pretty birds. I am from green shag carpeting and macramé light fixtures, orange flooring and a lime green kitchen, a freezing toilet and an uninhabitable rec room. I am from the back room, full of junky memories.

I am from the growing shade of the maple tree in the backyard, the smell of freshly mown grass and weedy gardens. I am from the parade route in town and the veranda at the front of the house. I am from love and tolerance, pride and prejudice. I am from many who have gone before me. I am a daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother.

I am from all of these things. I am me.

Happy Birthday Carolyn

In honour of Carolyn, my daughter-in-law.

there was no morning sickness
no stretch marks
or varicose veins
no pain of labour
or ecstasy of birth
no episiotomy
or prenatal depression

but as surely as ben is my son
and by virtue of your love for him
you are my daughter

when i look into the mirror
i see all of my children
the furrows on my forehead
the laugh lines around my mouth
the greying hair

and i see you
in the small diamond i wear in my ear
the diamond
your birthstone
that will remain there
in sickness and in health
until death do us part

Spotted in my garden on April 18, 2006...

Happy Anniversary to Me!

As of yesterday, April 13, I have been a blogger for one year. I must thank Heather for putting the idea into my head.

It's been fun getting to know some of you by reading your blogs and receiving your comments. As I read through my year of blogs I realized that this has been a great way for me to record my thoughts and responses to what's happening in the world around me. I think it will be really good to read this blog when I'm 80, to remind myself how I've grown (and stayed the same).

Unlike my journal which has stuff in it that I would not want anyone to read, I have been able to share some of my journey through blogger.com. It has been personal and goofy; painful and (dare I say?) profound at times. It has helped me to focus my thoughts in a way that writing in my journal does not.

It's been a great trip and I intend to continue this part of my journey.

A Solution of Sorts

Sammy is unfortunately, not afraid of the 1.21 m. Picta Dieffenbacia. It actually looks pretty good up there on the landing so I think I’ll keep it. The following photo shows you our solution to Sammy’s sneaking upstairs. I wish I had thought of this earlier because it would have saved me some money and a trip to WalMart.

You may see that there is a spindle missing on the back of the chair. Tim seems to have miscalculated the distance between the 5th step of the stairway and the floor.

The shin is healing nicely and the spindle has been added to the "things to do" pile.

My Springtime Garden

I planted a perennial garden last fall. I couldn't wait to see what it would look like in the spring so I was just thrilled when I came back from Florida a week ago to see the snow melted away. I am absolutely amazed to see new growth just after the freezing temperatures of the winter. It reminds me of the promise God made to Noah and his family after the flood:

"As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease."
-Genesis 8:22



My new garden is coming up nicely as you can see.

There's Always a Bright Side

In my last post I mentioned that Kristen got sick during our vacation. We had passes to Disney and wanted to take advantage of them so even though she wasn't feeling good, we went to the Magic Kingdom where we rented a wheelchair for her. That was the best thing we did because it allowed her to enjoy the day with us and it got us into the attractions, without having to wait in line!

Sick and Tired

It usually happens at night, when I'm asleep. I hear a knock on my bedroom door and a whispered, "Mom?" I know what's coming. This has been happening for 3 years.

I get up and ask her if it's pretty bad and she just nods. We go into the spare bedroom and open the window wide (even if it's -30 outside) because the cold air feels good on her face. I get some Gravol, a glass of water and the book we're reading and I settle down beside her. On a good night, I can go back to bed within an hour. Other nights it can last longer than two.

When I became a parent, I knew interrupted sleep was part of the deal. While I expected to be awakened regularly with young children, I didn't think it would be an issue with a 17 year old.

I remember the day 3 years ago when it all started. It was Easter Sunday and I figured that she had eaten too much candy. But the nausea and dizziness continued for several days so I took her to the doctor. She had a bladder infection so antibiotics were prescribed and I thought she'd be back to her old self in a few days. Little did I know that this was just the beginning of visits to doctors, specialists, internet searches and sleepless nights.

I am blogging about this because we are at our wit's end. We cannot figure out what is wrong with Kristen. Three years ago it was so bad that she didn't write most of her exams in Grade 9. She couldn't read without becoming dizzy and then the nausea would set in. I studied with her and that worked well but writing the exam would take all of her energy for the day and she'd spend hours in bed. For most of the summer of 2003, she hung around, had little energy and very little appetite. She lost weight and the sparkle in her eyes disappeared.

By September, she seemed to get a lot of her energy back and we thought that whatever it was, she had recovered. We thought that maybe, she had just pushed herself too hard that year and her body was simply rebelling.

For the next few years things weren't too bad except for weekly or bi-weekly episodes which usually happened at night, where she would experience nausea and dizziness. I would call these attacks because she would also get really anxious and kind of panicky. After several hours she would settle down and while the next day was hard for her, she usually recovered.

Last week, while we were on holidays, she got sick again-just like three years ago. She has eaten very little in the last few days and has actually lost some weight. Her energy level is extremely low and today is her first full day back at school. We went to the doctor who diagnosed her with Irritable Bowel Syndrome although I do not believe that is a proper diagnosis. She has none of the other symptoms (cramps, diarrhea) and the attacks do not seem to be linked to food in any way.

Is there anyone out in blog land who has experienced something like this? Can you give me some advice? Do you know of anyone else who has similar symptoms? We are so tired of dealing with this. It is heartbreaking to see her this way. She is finishing Grade 12 and has projects and exams to deal with now. She is planning to work next year, before she starts university but the way things are now, she will not be able to do that either.

I suspect that it is related to stress. I made an appointment with a naturopath, we have already done the psychologist thing and my doctor doesn't seem to have the time to sit down with us and figure this out. Gravol is about the only thing that she consumes these days along with bananas, yogurt and an occasional piece of toast.

It’s not Celiac’s, lactose intolerance, crohn’s or colitis. Contrary to my doctor’s diagnosis, I don’t think it’s IBS. She’s had blood tests (it’s not Mono) but it’s something and we’ve got to figure it out.

So my blogger friends and anyone else who reads this, I’d appreciate some advice. In the meantime, we’ll just try to get through this and I’ll keep you all posted.

There's No Place Like Home

Guess where I've been for the last 10 days? Even though you may have never been to Orlando, Florida, you probably recognize the castle in the picture. Yep. That's right. We spent several memorable days at Walt Disney World. The weather was gorgeous, the grass was green and the sun shone down upon us every day. We had a wonderful time.



I must confess, it was hard to leave the warmth and sunshine and come home to Winnipeg. I was thrilled to see that so much of the snow had melted while we were gone and even more pleased to see this:

Word of the Day

Today's word is "smenita." It could almost be someone's name except that kids at school would probably call her Smellnita. I've been trying to leave comments on some blogs and they all have that same word. I type it in, and get that blasted note telling me to type in the letters as they are shown. Aaaaaugh!

Of Dogs and Trees

I bought a 1.21 m (4 ft.) Picta Dieffenbacia Tree today at Walmart. Those of you who know me may be wondering why in the world would I do that? I do not have plants in my house and I do not enjoy shopping at Walmart. As a matter of fact, the tree is not even "real." The tag tells me that it is "new material only, content polystyrene foam."

I love plants and years ago I had quite a few of them in my house. When the kids grew up and I began working outside of the home, I found my plants were dying and the ones that were still alive, looked very sad indeed. Real plants need time and effort put into them to stay beautiful looking and healthy. I may start up my plant collection again but for now, there aren't any here.

Personally, I do not feel that "fake" plants belong in my house. It's either real or nothing at all. I know that there may be some of you who have them in your houses and that's fine. I do not condemn you. I just don't want them in my place. They get dusty and tired looking, just like the real ones so I'd rather not have them here. I'm a bit of a snob that way. If it can't be real, I don't want it. This goes for bacon bits, cheese whiz and carob chips too. Give me the real stuff or don't give me anything at all.

So, why did I buy the fake dieffenbachia?

Well, it has to do with Sammy. He's been with us for almost 3 months and we are getting pretty comfortable with one another. Wes and Sammy attended obedience classes and passed. (The certificate is on the 'frig, right next to Kristen's report card.) Sammy can sit, shake, go down and stay. We're still working on come. However, Sammy has decided that the landing to the 3rd floor of our house is a good place to do his business. We would find little "gifts" from him and Wes would dutifully clean them up and spray something on the carpet that would supposedly deter Sammy from doing it again. It seemed to work. No more brown turds.

Last week, I smelled something as I was going up the stairs and upon closer inspection of the carpet, noticed that there were yellow stains there. Sammy wasn't doing his big business there anymore but it seems that he felt that peeing was acceptable.

Not in this house.

I rented a steam cleaner from Safeway and cleaned up the mess.

Now that the carpet is clean, I want to keep Sammy away from there and this is where the fake tree comes in. Sammy is still very timid. He's afraid of the garbage cans on trash day, he doesn't like my gym bag sitting on the kitchen floor and he's skittish about the vacuum cleaner. I thought that perhaps I should put something "scary" on the landing to keep him away. Hence, the tree. I'm cashing in on his timidity and hoping that the tree will scare him away from the landing.

Hopefully, I won't have to buy any more fake trees.

This and That #2

Once again, it's been a long time since I've posted. Sorry to those of you who faithfully check this blog daily. It's just that I've been busy. Here are just a few of the things that have kept me going for the last month or so.

For the last six or so weeks, I've spent one day each week at Yvonne's place. We own 2 wing chairs that were in desperate need of reupholstering so I brought the chairs over to Yvonne's and we took them apart. George fixed them up so they no longer wiggle and squeak and I cut out the fabric and last week, finally finished making the cushions. If I have the time, this week we'll put the new fabric on the chairs and they'll be as good as new. I am particularly proud of the fact that the fabric cost me $40.00 for both chairs, I could use the old foam from the seat cushions and I just needed a few other things for my project. These chairs will cost me less than $50.00 each. Not bad eh? I'll post a photo once they're done. It'll be good to have something to sit on. All that's left in our living room is a couch and one chair that's not terribly comfortable.

Last Friday I was at a shower for a friend-Lee, who at 54, has finally found love. She is so happy and it was such a pleasure to celebrate her upcoming marriage with her and a group of incredibly interesting women who are lucky enough to call her a friend.

I started going to the gym! Yvonne and I joined a gym and we have been going 5 times a week. We frequently spend more than an hour there but it's worth it. Do I feel good! The endorphins just flood my body with their feel-good hormones and I feel that all is well with the world.

We just bought a new car. Wes and I were driving in the van one evening when it just quit on us. Wes thought it was the fuel pump but our mechanic had a different diagnosis. We needed an new engine! Yikes! The van is about 10 years old and had a number of other problems so we decided to get rid of it. While I love the new car (a Hyundai Sonata) I don't like the monthly payments.

This Sunday, I'm doing the "talk" at church. This is what many other churches refer to as the "sermon." I'll be preoccupied with that this week so I don't think I'll post until after it's finished.

I have come to the end of this little entry. I'm sorry if I've bored you with the ho hum facts of my life. I'm not feeling particuarly creative or inspired today. But I do know that there are some people who check this out and will be happy to read something new, even if it is a little dull.

I hope the rest of you keep writing because I always enjoy a new entry!