Day 2

Another lovely day in Chicago. I woke up at some point in the night, hearing rain and lots of it. By morning it had stopped and we actually saw the sun by late afternoon.

We walked to the Art Institute and wandered around there for a few hours. On the way back, we came upon this famous sculpture, "Cloud Gate" or more commonly known as "The Bean" or "That Big Shiny Thing in Millenium Park." It is very cool. One thing I like about outdoor public art is that you can touch it.

We passed by some places that I thought Tim

and Kristen

might appreciate.

This evening, for dinner, it was wine and cheese purchased from an amazing little shop that we happened upon called Pastoral Artisan Cheese. Mmmm.

We have walked miles and miles and enjoyed every minute of it. This is a great city and the people are incredibly friendly. Tomorrow should be another stellar day.

Our Road Trip

I could write about all the stuff we're doing but I'll let Michele do it for me.

We're Already Taking Pictures

Carolyn, baby and the 2 grandmas.

Must update. But what to say? Not much has happened around this place lately. I am looking forward to a road trip with my sisters to Chicago. The last time we went away together was about 12 or 13 years ago so it's about time, wouldn't you say?

I won't post anything for about a week but that's pretty normal for me these days anyway...

Bye!

Thanksgivng 2008

Most of the time, I find myself wishing that this house was already sold and we'd be preparing to move into something smaller. This weekend though, with 8 of Kristen's friends and another 20 or so for dinner, I was grateful that we have a house big enough for everyone.

When they saw this shower, the young people saw a wonderful photo op.

Happy Thanksgiving

50 things I'm thankful for, in no particular order:

a warm dry house on a cold wet day
family
friends
a big house that makes it easy to have 8 extra guests for a whole weekend
enough resource to be able to feed them all well
good food
wine
apple juice
socks that stay up
slippers
a yet to be born grandchild
peace
democracy
books and people with whom I can discuss them
music
the piano
this computer
laughter
my faith community
the ability to practise what I believe without fear of persecution
the opportunities to practise tolerance
new underwear
stuffing and gravy
hot water
good coffee
vacations
my bicycle
comfortable jeans
the dog
2 ovens so that we can cook a stellar Thanksgiving dinner for almost 30 people
the digital camera
my ipod
my most amazingly comfortable bed
a place to go when I can't sleep
the changing seasons
the people who lent us their mini van this weekend
wes. we make a good team

the dog cousins who always provide us with a good laugh

potable water

sisters with whom I who love to cook
the colours of fall
the saturday crossword puzzle
brand new babies
adorable toddlers
public health care
good, strong coffee
taekwondo
good health
a pain-free back
outdoor walks

What Did You Do this Weekend?

We had 8 of Kristen's friends here and these are some of the things they did...

Kristen was home for dinner on Saturday evening. Along with the other 29 people of Site 2, South Africa, she spent the weekend in Winnipeg in what she referred to as an Urban Plunge. She worked with an organization that has had a presence in Winnipeg's downtown for a number of years and it seems to me that Kristen and her new friends have already had their ideas and beliefs challenged. She told me that after spending time in this Urban Plunge, her preconceived notions of homelessness and the disadvantaged have changed. It is neat to see her willingness to learn and grow and to be open to having her thoughts and ideas challenged.

I asked her if it seemed strange, being home on Saturday night while everyone else in her group was together someplace else. She told me that it felt like they were her family, her community. I understood what she was saying and acknowledged that it was a good thing.

And I felt the apron strings unravel further.

It is all good.

A New Dream

When I joined a Taekwondo club about 10 years ago, I thought I'd get my black belt by the time I was 50. After 2 years, I had to quit for various reasons and so the dream fizzled out.

A few weeks ago, I met someone who had been a member at the club and told him about my plan, how I was one year beyond 50 and how I had never reached the goal. His response to me was, "Why don't you make a new goal for yourself?"

And that my friends is what I'm doing.

Tomorrow I start.

I'm a little nervous.

Who Doesit?

Most mornings when I come downstairs, this is what I find...

I don't know who is responsible but here are the suspects:

Wes

MeEric

Dixie the dog

Laughing and Crying

We had a wonderful time, celebrating Wes' birthday. Lots of laughter and joy. Old friends and new. He had the opportunity to do something crazy. How fortunate.

It was only a few days later that we heard some devastating news. A dear friend has just been diagnosed with a serious brain tumour. We are waiting to find out more but the prognosis does not look good. He is only 50 and should have many more years to live, enjoying his wife, children, grandchildren, extended family and friends.

If you are a praying person, please pray for Gerald. Pray for a miracle.

Happy Birthday Wes!

We celebrated a milestone in Wes' life on Saturday.

Watch the video to see what he did to usher in his 50th year!

Oops

We thought they were coming on Thursday night so imagine my surprise on Wednesday when the phone rang and it was Wes' dad, wondering if anyone was coming to the airport to pick them up.

They are both fine and have forgiven us.

Our home (Winnipeg) to Lockport, 23.8 km.
Average speed: 18 km per hour

Time in the saddle: 1 1/2 hours

We DID let a little rain stop us today.

I've been thinking about anxiety and growth lately. Both in the same thought, mostly because I thought I had "grown" enough to be able to deal with anxiety in a more healthy way.

Have I got a long way to go.

We have not yet sold our house. I knew it would not be as easy to sell this house as some of the other houses here in Winnipeg. I knew that. But in my heart I hoped, prayed, begged, that it would sell in days. What a testimony that would be! "We put our faith in God, knowing that he would take care of us blah, blah, blah..., and the house sold in one week! God is good!"

Well, that testimony's no good anymore as it's been almost 4 months and we have not yet had one offer. It keeps me awake at night. I'm beginning to feel anxious and I thought that I was way beyond that. If I go to the doctor and ask her for some anti anxiety meds, she'll suggest that I try non-prescription ways of dealing with it like meditation and exercise, which I'm already doing. But I still obssess. I just can't seem to turn my brain off.

I have faith that it will sell sometime but I'm tired of living in limbo, waiting for my life to start once this place is sold. I want to be able to live and enjoy life, even in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty. I want to move forward, to grow and expand my brain but it seems to be stuck, like the needle on an LP player that stays in the same groove.

It's not just the house that's on my brain these days. It seems that I have begun worrying more and more about stuff that I have no control over. And at three o'clock in the morning, all of it seems to be insurmountable.

I thought I was further along in my emotional development. I thought I had more faith. I thought I could rise above these petty, relatively small inconveniences. After all, there are people who have no homes or possessions, have lost their families and friends and live where there is little to hope for. And here I'm obssessing about selling a house.

One day I will be able to look at this time in my life with a little more perspective. I will be able to see that even though things didn't happen the way I wanted, everything worked out. I'm hoping that new perspective will happen soon. Until then, I'll enjoy the days when I don't obsess and try to get through the days that I do.

Minnesota Bike Trip

Greatest Birthday Gift

My daughter-in-law Carolyn is one of those people who give a lot of thought to the gifts she gives. One of the very endearing things about her is the fact that she cannot wait to give her presents away and it is not unusual for me to receive something early.

So when Ben and Carolyn came by on Saturday with my birthday gift, I wasn't too surprised. A couple of bottles of wine and some delicious cheese. They knew that with selling the house and all, I didn't want anything that I would have to move. But the real surprise was in the card they gave me:

Yup. That's right. I'm gonna be a grandma, for the first time. Woo hoo! The whole family's thrilled!

Greetings from Minnesota

This post comes to you from the C'mon Inn of Park Rapids.

We've been here for a couple of days, enjoying the beautiful bike trails of Minnesota. Yesterday, we biked 18 km in Itasca State Park. It was only 18 because the day before, we biked 100 km which was stupid. We were feeling good and thought we'd go to the next town. We weren't thinking about the return trip. That was kind of stupid. Today, we'll try for about 50 km and see if our butts can handle it.

The weather is gorgeous, the biking trails are lovely, and the people are friendly. Everytime we pass people on a bike trail, they say hi.

We are trying to decide if we prefer biking on flat or hilly terrain. Going up the hills can be challenging but there is always the reward of coasting down. On flat terrain, you never get a break. You're always pedalling. We'll have to do a little more biking in order to discover what we like best. I do know that I prefer beautiful vistas and scenery. Today, we're off to Cass Lake because I have it on good authority that it is a lovely area to bike around. Stay tuned for pictures!

Cool is as cool does

I walked to the hair stylist yesterday and remembered the ipod. As I ambled down Henderson Hwy. I thought that I was looking pretty cool. Fancy Darfur bag over my shoulder and ipod earphones in my ears. They kept falling out but I discreetly stuck them back in every time.

At one point I came up to a window and thought I'd try to catch a glimpse of my cool self. Strange, I thought. The earbuds are sticking out in a strange way, not like anyone else's I've ever seen. I pulled them out and noticed that I had the L side in my right ear and the R side in the left.

I don't think I'll ever be cool.

Must write something...

For some reason, I have not felt much of a desire to post anything on this blog. Last week I was reading some of my older posts and was reminded that updating is a good thing.

All I can muster now are some random thoughts.

The house is not yet sold. I'm usually pretty okay with that but sometimes, it's hard not to be a little discouraged. On the positive side, it sure is nice living in a house that is always clean and tidy. I have always valued a clean and organized place but have not ever, until now, really been able to pull it off. They say it takes 6 weeks to form a new habit. I've been at it for almost 12 weeks now. I think that's long enough.

Kristen's the only one living here right now. Eric will be moving back to Winnipeg in a few weeks and will be staying with us until he finds a place to live. We may or may not be empty nesters in September.

We have an interesting catering job to do for a wedding on the weekend. The menu includes butter chicken, palak paneer and curried chickpeas. We did a successful test run on Monday for the family and the bride and groom. Now, if we can only figure out the amount of food we'll need for 100 people without having tons left over...

I purchased an ipod nano several weeks ago. Tim set it up for me and Micah downloaded a bunch of stuff for me too. Now all I have to do is remember to take it with me when I walk the dog.

This will be the last summer that we will have a pool. I'm optimistic that the house will be sold before next summer. Unfortunately, the weather has not been very cooperative for us pool owners, except for last weekend. It was glorious.

Profound Question for July...

...because that's the best I can do these days.

Who was the wiseguy who came up with the idea of having busses and bicycles share the same traffic lane?

If Gavin could speak...

“Well, yesterday with Auntie Linda was okay, I guess.

Tolerable.

She gave me a bottle. She gave me a few spoonfuls of peas but didn’t make me finish them because I think they’re gross. She read me a story, changed my poopy diaper, played that cause and effect game that I like so much-you know, I drop the toy, I pick it up. I drop the toy, I pick it up. She got bored of that after only 15 minutes. Man, I could play that game for hours. .

I got a little fussy and we played outside for a while and then I got tired and she tried to put me back to bed. Well, a little screaming from me and she took me right out of my crib again. She put me in the stroller and we went for a walk. I had a nice nap then too.

She kissed my head and my cheek-a lot but then again, I am pretty irresistible.

Yeah. It was okay I guess.

I think she’d like to do it again. I’d be willing to try it once more, I suppose. But not too often. I’d rather hang out with my mom and dad.”

Cute Kids

There are a number of people I know with young children and I am thrilled to hear/read their cute kid stories.

I have one of my own, except my cute kid is 21 and shaves on occasion.

"I know Gavin is family and all but that guy really is the cutest kid around. Like even if he wasn't part of our family, I'd still think he was that cute."

Because Alisha asked me...

Two names you go by:
1. Linda
2. Mom

Two things you are wearing now:
1. Canker worms (yuk)
2. Feminine earrings because I think my new haircut makes me look like a man

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Go out for dinner
2. Read

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. For my house to sell
2. For Dixie to learn a new trick

Two favorite pets you have had/have:
1. Dixie
2. A canary

Two things you did last night:
1. Went to the Bomber game. Go Blue!
2. Slept all night.

.Two things you ate/drank today:
1. Pizza
2. Wine

Two people you've talked to today:
1. Alisha
2. Tim,

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Playing the piano
2. Going to the grand opening of Pollack's Hardware

Longest Car Rides you've been on:
1. Ontario to Winnipeg
2. Ontario to Florida

Two favorite holidays:
1. Thanksgiving
2. Victoria Day

Two favorite Beverages:
1. Coffee
2. Wine

Two people who will fill this out:
1. Tim
2. Joey

This Old House

It's been on the market now for about 6 weeks. We've had 7 or 8 showings but none of them have resulted in an offer.

I'm usually okay with that. I've always known that this is a unique house and that it will not sell as quickly as other smaller homes. And yet, all too often I find myself worrying and wondering.

A few weeks ago, Michele and I were talking with some friends and Michele said that she had a thought that popped into her head that was something like, "The timing will be just right." What was really neat is that I had almost the same thought the day before. The fact that we both had the same thought, almost word for word has been a real encouragement to me

So now, everytime I begin to worry and obsess, I remind myself that the timing will be right. I just hope that the right time will be sooner, rather than later.

I can always hope, can't I?

Well, it's dead. Totalled. Irreparable .

It's strange though. All I remember is being hit on the passenger side, which is where Michele was seated. But the worst damage is on the driver's side of the car.
I know it's only a car. I had no emotional attachment to it.

So why do I feel like crying?

Newest Member of our Expanding Family

Jaela Jacqueline Tena Smith.

You can read more about her on my niece's blog here.

And one photo of her adorable cousin Gavin. It's hard to choose which one to post but the cool dude one is one of my favourites. Gavin is about 5 months old now.

My Current Favourite Flower

Anemones. The white flowers look so cheerful, bouncing in the breeze.

And another thing...

When the police visited Michele in the hospital, they gave her information on Victim Services.

I guess because I was one of the drivers, I don't get the same treatment.

Right now, I'm feeling like a victim.

I Can't Believe It

I just spoke with my insurance adjuster and she told me that the guy who hit me is not claiming responsibility. What a jerk!

There were lots of witnesses but none of them gave me a name or phone number. I wanted to run across the intersection after it happened to get names and numbers of the people in the cars who were stopped at the red light but nobody would let me. I was in shock so I could not think clearly enough to ask someone else to do it.

So, now, it's my word against his.

I know how this will end. At the very best, I will be found 50% responsible, which is a likely scenario. At worst, I will be fully responsible. Most often the person turning left is the one charged because he/she has to make sure the intersection is clear. Well, I had the green left turn arrow and the intersection was clear until he blew through the red light.

And he seemed like such a nice young man.

A Much Too Eventful Day

On Wednesday, Michele and I were involved in a car accident. I think my car is totalled. We are mostly okay, except for Michele's broken ankle, my whiplash and a few assorted bruises.

We were on our way to drop off groceries for a rather large catering job on Thursday. Most of the groceries survived except for one litre of cream that exploded and the watermelon that was cracked and bruised. I was shocked when I saw the coffee tin with the huge dent in it too and realized that we were very fortunate to get away from there with only minor injuries.

The catering went very well as we had some excellent help-Joey and Chelsea who stayed home from school and Kim, who had a day with nothing planned. We couldn't have done it without them.

Michele is at home, resting with her foot up and learning how to use crutches. I am icing my shoulder and neck and today, I'll take it easy too.

And in case you're wondering, it wasn't my fault. I had the green left turn arrow and was proceeding into the intersection when someone in a small car (thankfully it was small) blew through a red light and hit my car.

Ouch.

And just a few more...

Taken from the 2nd floor.

Updates

Well, they decided they didn't want to buy the house.

Sigh.

There are 2 more showings on Monday and then Tuesday. All of us living here are finding this whole process a little unsettling and tiring. It is always on my mind. I do like the back to back showings though. Less work for me.

My computer has been unbearable slow so I finally deleted a HUGE virus protection program and installed one that doesn't require almost all of my RAM. It's going faster and today, I will be getting some more RAM installed. I won't know what to do with all that memory!

Took a few pictures of my gorgeous spring garden.

I think it's the garden that I will miss the most.

Had a showing last night and the same people want to come to see the house tomorrow morning. That's promising, isn't it?

Now I'm just not sure if I should go ahead and plant my vegetable garden.

New Blogger

Check out Eric's new blog:
http://theciviltwilight.blogspot.com/

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things to think about before you decide to make cherry jam with those sweetened Bing cherries that have been in the freezer for a couple of years...

1. They're sweetened. You need to change the amount of sugar even though, on the package, they always tell you NOT to mess with the amounts of sugar.


2. Wear red.


3. It's not a good idea to try to make jam when your house is on the market and you want everything to look model home clean.


4. Keep the dog away from you when you're cleaning up the 5 pounds of sugar you dropped on the floor.


5. Don't tell the rest of the family that you managed to put 4 of the 5 pounds of sugar back into the sugar bin. They'll never notice the little bits in there anyway.


6. Cherry jam tastes delicious on a piece of toast.


7. When you decide that the pectin is not helping anyway, be sure you have 20-30 minutes to stand at the stove stirring the jam, for every batch.


8. Check your chin before you answer the door.


9. Make sure you have some Kirsch* to add.


10. Remember to put the little plates into the freezer so that you can check the consistency.


11. Be sure that you have at least 20 little plates available because you have to test often.


12. Check the glass jars and make sure that you haven't packed them all away.


13. Remember that you have a candy thermometer and use it for all 3 batches, not just the last one.

*I didn't have any but I will the next time, that's for sure.

The Way to a Man's Heart

For Mother's Day, Medardo and Gabriel, our 2 international students gave me some lovely scented lotions and creams from Vic*toria's Se*cret. It was a lovely gift and I must say, it all smells very expensive and lovely.

I had just put a little on before bed the other night when Wes came into the bedroom. I thought he'd find me irresistible, smelling so good. What man could refuse something as titillating as "Love Spell?"

He did notice something.
"Sniff, sniff. Hmmmm. "
"Sniff, sniff, sniff. Hmmmmmm."

"It smells like......

Froot loops in here.

Sus en So

Haven't posted in a while. My sisters and I just finished 4 days of catering this week and 2 days last week so we've been a little tied up. It was a great job. We'd start the day around 9:00 AM and be finished by 3:00, with enough leftovers to feed our families. Pretty sweet, I'd say. And it's always fun to hang out with my sisters.

Our lunches are usually buffet style and we serve. I just love doing that. And people are almost always appreciative-even the woman who didn't want to eat the Chickpea Curry because she didn't like curry. She happily ate more salad and took an extra roll. If she were my child, I'd tell her to try just a little bit because this chickpea curry is really good.

Had 3 showings for the house in the last couple of weeks. This house is clean! Before a showing, I get pretty anal about the house which is very much out of character for me. I like the clean and clutterfree look but we'll relax a bit once the house is sold. That will make everyone happy, I'm sure.

Tim moved out and has set his apartment up quite nicely. He has the important things a young adult needs, like a TV (no cable), computer, toaster and microwave. He also has a Playstation (and game chair) as well as a red and white Canadian lawn chair. I visited him today and was pleased to see him cooking Chicken Curry with Vegetables, one of his favourite dishes. He still could use a couch, kitchen table and some chairs but he seems very happy with what he has. I noiced that his bed was made too. That sure makes a mother proud.

Eric moved too. To Southern Ontario. There will be some adjusting to this by both Eric and me, that's for sure. I think he'll start a blog, just to let us all know how he's doing.

A week or so ago, Kristen found this note on the windshield of her car:

It says: I'm sorry, I did not mean to but your car. You did not leave me your phone number. How ever, my question is, are you perfect?

Do unto others as you want others to do unto you. I take that you are a Christian. I'll be praying 4 U

To say that this note is puzzling is an understatement. Kristen was afraid that she may have hit another car but did not notice it. She assured me that there was nothing on or in her car to show that she is a Christian. She was also worried that this person would take down her licence plate number and report this non incident to the police. I told her not to worry. All we noticed on her car is that there is a scratch on her brand new bumper, the one that was recently replaced.

What she should worry about is that someone as confused as this man or woman is, is out there, still driving.

A Few Pictures

These are a few pictures of our "model" home. They look so lovely!

One Lazy Dog

I thought dogs always stood while they ate their kibbles.