The Neighbours

Our neighbours have lived in the house next door for about 3 years. When the previous owners told us they sold their house to an exotic dancer, we were a little concerned, although her occupation was just a rumour. I met her briefly that first summer and grew more concerned when I realized that her brother, who she had left in charge while she was in Toronto working, did nothing to curb the weeds or the grass. The house was looking run down and in disrepair.

By the end of the summer, the brother had been kicked out and Angela invited 2 friends of hers to live in the house and care for it while she was away. One of the men lives on the 3rd floor, in his own suite and the other in the basement. The main and second floors are designated for Andrea and her son.

I was a little concerned about this turn of events too. There were always all kinds of people coming and going, men mostly. But I began to notice that when they came, they worked. Slowly, the house began to look like a home. They painted the trim, opened the pool, planted flowers, mowed the lawn and fixed and painted the garage.

Another thing I noticed was that these people were friendly. If I was outside, they would often come over and we'd talk gardening or weather or dogs. They were hard workers. When Andrea was home, we'd often chat about the challenges of owning a home, the behaviour of our dogs and all kinds of things people talk about. Another thing I noticed was that these men LOVED Andrea. They adore her and this summer, I asked her how she did it. She just smiled and proceeded to tell me about how wonderful her friends are.

Andrea is down to earth and friendly. Somehow, she has created a home for John, a chubby bartender with bad teeth and Ted, the manager of a video game store. A couple of men who have had some hard times and their friend, the construction worker who is there almost every day doing construction work.

Before she moved in, I worried about what kind of neighbour this would be-an exotic dancer of all things. Now, I can say that these are some of the best neighbours we have ever had. Certainly more friendly and approachable than the previous owners who, on the outside seem more "normal." And far better than the neighbours in the house we lived in before this one.

Today, they just did the greatest thing. John, Ted, the construction worker guy and another person I don't know, just cleared 10-15 cm of snow off our whole driveway! They must have spent almost 2 hours at it. First snowblowing and then cleaning it up with shovels. Wes said they did a better job than he'd ever do.

Can't ask for better neighbours than that, don't you think?

I think I'll bake them some cookies tonight.

Piano Tuned

Oh sweet music.

I just got my piano tuned and I just love it. It's a little like washing your sheets and then getting into bed and feeling like the sheets are new.

I will go and play my piano now.

November 26

So, I gotta post something today. I've failed at Noblopomo or whatever it is. I had every intention of posting every day but then my life got boring.

I could give you a short synopsis of a typical day but you'd be rolling your eyes by the time I got to 11:00 AM. While I am quite content with how my life is playing out these days, to write about it would be boring.

As some of you may have noticed, Wes, my husband read my Thursday Thirteen blog and left a comment suggesting that he would like to look at the chair I loved. We did that yesterday and... we bought the chair! I can't post a picture of it yet because it has been ordered and will get here in several weeks. Maybe I should post my Christmas list on line and Wes will read it...

Today, we put new hardware on our freshly painted dressers. They look great, don'tcha think? For less than $200.00 we got what looks like brand new dressers. I am thrilled and very thankful to my BIL George who sprayed them for us.

Thursday Thirteen

1. I have attended a centering prayer time at the University of Winnipeg several times over the last few weeks. It is a good time to slow down my mind and think about God and other things holy.
2. Thursday is my "big gym" day. I do a power class with barbells and weights and then a class called "centergy" which is a combination of pilates and yoga. I am amazed that I can actually get through them.
3. Tim didn't have classes this afternoon so he's home. You can always tell when Tim's home because he is either whistling, singing, listening to music or playing the guitar. Guess what Tim is passionate about.
4. Supper times are becoming fun again. For much of the summer, Wes and I ate alone. Now, we have 2 international high school students living with us and Tim and Kristen are frequently home for supper too. I love the conversation that we have around the table.
5. While the weather has gotten a lot colder, today was still a beautiful day. Cold, crisp and sunny.
6. I planted about 120 tulip, narcissus, anemone and other assorted bulbs yesterday, November 22. I didn't think I'd get any of them planted.
7. I bought a large metal star the other day, spray painted it white, added some glitter and garland and will be putting it on my front door. I am very pleased with my creation. I am also a little surprised because I am not very crafty.
8. Sammy, our cocker spaniel had a bath yesterday. He doesn't stink today so I don't mind if he comes up to me and rubs my leg.
9. I went shopping with Kristen yesterday, at Osborne Village. It was a gorgeous day to be outside and we had a good time together. I also saw a chair that I LOVED! Sigh. I am usually more content when I don't shop.
10. Thursdays we run a food bank at our church. I just love working with the people there and serving the clients who come. We serve soup, coffee and cookies because it starts at 6:00 PM and several of the clients come directly from work or school. We have made some good friends and good soup.
11. I started knitting myself a scarf out of silk yarn. The colours are just beautiful.
12. Today, I'm going to help friends with some painting. They are moving this weekend and want to get the painting done.
13. When I am home on Thursday nights, I watch Grey's Academy and ER. I will miss them both tonight.

Welcome Lurkers

I would like to welcome a couple of lurkers that I have just learned about.

They are not particularly computer savy although one of them has taken a computer course. They probably didn't know what a blog was until they started reading mine. Together they make a pretty good team. One of them knits while the other reads the blogs out loud. One of them has a few useless fingers but is quite able to use the good fingers to turn on the computer and find his way around the keyboard, albeit slowly, in the hunt and peck manner.

Their computer isn't particularly powerful and they are still on dial-up so if you try to call them and their line is busy, they're probably on-line.

I never thought they'd ever read my blog. I didn't think that people in their 70's, who have never been into technology (you should see their TV) would actually read blogs.

I guess you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

Welcome to the blogging world mom and dad!

Novmeber 18

Grey Cup Sunday!

I actually gave my ticket away to CJ, Kristen's boyfriend. Instead I was at the MTS Centre where 500 people who receive food from Winnipeg Harvest were able to watch the game on the Jumbotrons. The caterers from the centre donated a fabulous buffet (which we helped serve) and there were many other sponsors who gave door prizes, snacks and other fun stuff. It was a great party.

So, I still was able to watch the game and managed to stay warmer than the rest of the family too.

This one made me laugh

I don't have much energy to write a new post today. I was at the Prairie Leadership Development Network weekend. It was just great but I am a bit tired. I will leave you with a great joke that Jae told me this weekend.

What do you call a bad Mennonite poet?

Corny Reimer

guess where we're going on sunday!

My Favourite Piece of Jewellry

Heather posted some of her jewellry and I thought I'd show you my favourite piece. It is not expensive but I love the setting. My parents gave it to me for my 16th birthday and it is one of the few things I own from my youth. I am not into saving things and I am not terribly nostalgic about stuff so it is pretty cool to still have it. The stone is a Peridot, very pale green, which is the birthstone for August.

Wednesday's Wonderings

1. I wonder what a tower crane operator does if he has to go to the bathroom. It's an awfully long way down and then back up the crane.
2. I wonder if I should do something when I see a drug sale happening right in front of my nose.
3. I wonder what will happen to the cute little girl in the stroller whose father was being escorted out of Portage Place Mall by security this afternoon.
4. I wonder if there is something wrong with me when I need to wear a coat and hat or if there is something wrong with the crazy guy who is walking downtown with only a tee shirt and jeans.
5. I wonder if I'll ever get the painting done in this house.
6. I wonder why Eric never leaves me a comment.
7. Or Micah.
8. I wonder if we'll have snow for Christmas.
9. I wonder how long the island in the kitchen will remain clear and uncluttered.
10. I wonder how often I should mop my new kitchen floor. You cannot see the dirt on it at all so I don't know how dirty it is. And I don't want to mop unless it's absolutely necessary.

I read this today and thought that it was profound.

at the centre of our being is a point of nothingness

which is untouched by sin and by illusion,

a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to god...

this little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty

is the pure glory of god in us...

it is like a pure diamond,

blazing with the invisible light of heaven.

it is in everybody, and if we could see it

we would see these millions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely.

thomas merton

and...

"Let there always be quiet, dark churches in which people can take refuge....Houses of God filled with his silent presence. There, even when they do not know how to pray, at least they can be still and breathe easily."

Introducing... Alisha, my niece, to the blogging world.

What's Your Favourite Meal?

A few days ago I was talking with Michele about a favourite meal. We both like to cook and enjoy trying new flavours and foods so it was a little hard to know just what would be my favourite.

I think for me that it doesn't really matter what is actually cooked. I just love anything that someone else cooks for me, as long as it's from scratch. It can be as simple as meat, veggies and potatoes.

For a few years, when our kids were playing a lot of sports, I would often be the parent who spent Saturdays in the gym, watching the tournaments while Wes would be at home, "holding down the fort" as it were. Frequently, especially when our team was doing well, we wouldn't be finished playing until late afternoon or even early evening. On our way home, we would be hungry and tired and when we walked in the house, supper would be cooked, the table would be set and there might even be a glass of wine by my plate. Those were the best dinners for me.

There was another time when Wes, Rob, Michele and I went to an out of town funeral. Yvonne and George had not yet moved to Winnipeg but they were visiting. When we got home from the funeral, around 7:30 PM, Yvonne had prepared a delicious, lovely, tasty meal for us. All I remember is that she made an amazing chef's salad. I don't remember anything else. It was such a wonderful thing to come home to after an emotionally draining day. It also happened to be my birthday that day and so the gift of the meal was doubly special.

I'd like to encourage all my blogger friends (and even you lurkers) to tell me about your favourite meal. It could be one that you've already had or maybe you have an idea of "the perfect meal" and you can blog about what that looks and tastes like.

Lest We Forget

Happy Birthday Eric!

Wow. Michele already posted about Eric's birthday so I better get going here.

Eric is 23 years old today. It's interesting when I look at him and all my children. I see the young man that he is but I also see the baby, toddler, adolescent and teen, all in the same package. It's hard for me to exactly describe what I see in my children. There is a love that is different for them than for anyone else; there is a sense of awe that these are really my offspring and, how did it happen that I have 4 adult children? I still feel like a kid myself!

Last year I posted for his birthday and in some ways, not much has changed except for a few things. He has a new car. He's in his final year of college. He's still living with Justin and Nicole. He still plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar and mandolin but even better than last year. He and Thomas made some amazing potato guns this spring.

And there are lots of things that I don't know about him too. That's a good thing. A mother really doesn't want to know everything about her kids. I prefer to be in denial.

Eric's always been really good with younger children. He has been part of our Children's Community at the church for a long time and I think kids know that when he hangs out with them, he's having as good a time as they are. He's playing with Aslan's Child again this year and is really excited about that.

Tonight, we'll be having a dessert party around 7:30 for Eric. If you're in the neighbourhood, or even if you're not, take a trip down to our place to wish him a Happy Birthday! I'll leave you with a few pictures.

Don't ya just want to eat him up?

This is when Eric got really cool. Notice the amazing belt buckle he is wearing.

Last Christmas, Eric was thrilled to receive this cookbook. A man who enjoys cooking is a pleasure to have around.

Taking Some Time to Thank Someone

About 7 years ago we had to sell our cute little 5 speed Honda and the truck we owned. It's a long story that I won't go into but our income was cut in half overnight and we had to make some big adjustments. We ended up with a 10 year old Cutlass Cierra (the good car) that Wes drove and a 15 year old Toyota (my car).

I liked the Toyota but after owning it for a few months, we had to replace the engine as well as deal with several other expensive repairs. Once we had a new engine, the car was great and I really enjoyed driving it.

About 2 weeks after all the work was done, I was heading to church on a Sunday morning when someone rear-ended me at a stop light. He was going very fast and actually pushed my car across 3 lanes of traffic. I remember calmly looking at the cars coming towards me and thinking, "So, this is how it's going to end." I was not so calm when I stepped out of the car and started yelling at the idiot who did this to me. (Note to Michele: I think this was a time when you'd agree that yelling was an acceptable response.)

Obviously it didn't end because I'm still here. Surprisingly (miraculously) I didn't even have any whiplash, nor did Kristen or her little friend who were in the back seat.

No, what I was worried most about was how I was going to replace this car. Money was very scarce for us at the time and I had heard of so many bad stories about MPI (Manitoba Public Insurance) that I was certain that I would not get enough money from them to purchase another vehicle.

When I met with the insurance adjuster, I brought along all of the car repair receipts and told him that I felt the car was worth $5,000.00. He took the receipts and told me that he'd call me in a few days.

Sure enough, he called me in a few days and told me that I would get $5,ooo.00. I was ecstatic, never expecting that I would get exactly what I had hoped for. The adjuster was a compassionate man and my experience was so positive that I wrote a thank you note to him.

One day there was a message on our voice mail from the adjuster. He called to thank me for the thank you note. He actually gushed a little. I don't think insurance adjusters get many thank you notes. They get mostly criticism (at times, well deserved). But this time, I was treated so well and received a fair price for my car, I thought that a thank you card was in order. I'll bet he still has that card stuck on his bulletin board at work.

The point of this story? I think that a thank you note is such a small little thing but it can make someone's day. Especially someone who seldom gets positive feedback from the people he deals with. And writing these kinds of notes gives me a good feeling too, a feeling that I am somehow passing on a small bit of kindness to someone who needs it.

Does writing comments on other blogs count for nablopomo? I hope so because that's all I'm doing today.

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.