The Demise of the Ipod

I got my first ipod 2 years ago and quite enjoyed it-although it was not used nearly as much as the ipods of many younger people. But alas, last summer it got dunked (along with me) in a beautiful lake. Ipods do not like getting dunked.

I bought my second ipod 3 months ago but had to return it because the battery was defective.

The third ipod was purchased a mere 2 weeks ago. I set everything up on it (by myself, with no help from any tekkies) and began using it almost right away.

Three days ago I was informed that I had washed my ipod, with the laundry.

Sigh.

I am tempted to return it to the store and tell them that it is not working. That would not officially be a lie because it is definitely not working.

Sigh. Can't do that either.

I think I am destined to be ipodless for the rest of my life.

Some days, don't you feel like you're just going around in circles?

Chickens in Winnipeg?!

It may be happening in your own neighbourhood.

If the chicken lobby group is successful, we just may be enjoying our own fresh eggs before too long.

Here's keeping our fingers crossed!

Don't Be Calling Me

Several weeks ago there was a message on my voice mail from a local TV station asking for my opinion on something. It reminded me of another time when Ben and I were invited to come to a "town hall" meeting. The provincial government at that time held several meetings during the election to give voters a chance to voice their opinions and concerns about various issues that were important to them.

In the discussion that I had with the producer before the meeting, I was told that I could ask questions of the 4 politicians on stage but I was absolutely not allowed to give an opinion. Ben (who was 13 or 14 at the time) and I came up with several carefully worded questions. This particular town hall focussed on education and we were told that there would be an open discussion on private vs public education. My children attended an independent school and I knew the controversy that surrounded this debate so I was prepared for some lively debate.

Unfortunately, what happened there was not at all what I anticipated. Half way through the meeting I realized that the facilitator knew exactly what she wanted to happen and directed the questions and her comments in such a way that no matter what was said, she would get her point across. She was very good. I don't recall the question she asked Ben but it had something to do with how the 2 school systems were different.

In my mind, this was such an unfair question. I wanted to ask her how Ben could possibly respond because he had never attended a public school. Ben shared something about how great his school was and then I heard an audible groan coming from the audience. I learned later that the "average people" in the audience were almost all teachers in the public school system. This group has always been vocal in their criticism of the independent schools.

I was then given an opportunity to ask one question of the politicians. Three of the four politicians did not answer my question at all; they simply stated their party's official stand on the debate. Only one of the four answered my question honestly and even though we had differing opinions, I felt that we could have had an honest discussion. Other people in the audience did not follow the "only ask questions" rule and there were a number of comments made about independent schools that were just wrong. But I was not given an opportunity to respond.

There have been other occasions over the years where the same television station called me to ask if I would be part of some discussions pertaining to education. I have always declined.

I returned the phone call to the station of a few weeks ago but I suppose that they found someone else to speak with. I'm happy that I didn't find myself in the same situation of years ago but it also made me sad. I'm sure I'm not the only person who has had this experience. How many other sane, reasonable people decline to be interviewed, knowing that their words will be twisted and changed just to get the story that the journalist wants?

disclaimer: I didn't write this post to start a discussion about public and private education so if you want to comment on that, write your own post on your own blog!

My bike

I love my bicycle. Together, we are a fat burning, heart pumping, ecofriendly team.

Today, this fair-weather bicycle team was out for the first time in 2010.

"For as long as Earth lasts,
planting and harvest, cold and heat,
Summer and winter, day and night
will never stop."

Genesis 8:22

Spring is coming!

Twenty years ago that I swore I would never diet again. That was also the time that I gave away my weigh scale.

My first diet was "Counterweight," the Canadian version of Weight Watchers. I was 15 years old, 5' 7" and weighed about 140 pounds. I lost 10 pounds and then promptly gained it back plus a few more pounds.

So began my life as a yoyo dieter.

A few years later, Weight Watchers came to Canada and thanks to a Home Economics teacher, there was a WW class in high school for us fatties. I weighed about 150 then. Two weeks later, I quit and then gained about 15 pounds for a grand total of 165. I spent the next few years trying to lose weight and trying to prove to myself and everyone around me that I was NOT fat, ugly and stupid.

In my early 20s, I met and fell in love with Wes. I was lovesick and managed to lose 20 pounds which I successfully kept off for at least 5 years.

5' 7" and 145 pounds. And I still believed that I was fat, ugly and stupid.

I have spent at least half of my life controlled by the belief that I am fat, ugly and stupid. I can't tell you how many things I didn't do because I was so self-conscious of my weight. People talk about their bucket list. Well, I have a bucket list of all the things I didn't do because I was too fat. And folks, I'm not even that fat but when I look in the mirror, I see someone who is grotesque. I really only need to lose 30 pounds to be a healthy weight but you may as well say 100 pounds because that's how it feels to me.

Last year in January I discovered the "Harcombe Diet." It begins with a 5 day cleanse-only proteins (meat) and veggies. Its purpose is to help you get rid of the cravings that you have and help you jump start a new way of eating. Then there is a Phase II and III. This was my first diet in many years and once again, I successfully lost 25 pounds and thought my years of yoyo dieting were over. Sigh. They're not. The weight's been creeping up again.

Maybe this is my "thorn in the flesh." There an apostle in the bible, named Paul. He was a well known preacher and lover Jesus. He wrote several books of the bible and is known for his wisdom and passion. He is also known for something he called his "thorn in the flesh." Scholars don't know exactly what it was but it was enough of a challenge for Paul to pray fervently to have it removed. It could have been some kind of weakness that he felt kept him from being more effective. Maybe it was a sore foot or leg that made travelling painful. Maybe it was a lisp that kept him from being understood when he was preaching. No one really knows.

Maybe this food/eating thing is my "thorn in the flesh." I have prayed to God that he/she would remove the cravings, I've done the counselling thing, I've read all the books, I stopped dieting, I started again. I've done it all. There are those lists of the things you need to do about food and eating that help you and your children stay at a healthy weight. You know them:

• eat a healthy breakfast
• sit down for family meals
• cook from scratch
• don't eat fast food
• exercise
• etc.

I practise them all. Honestly, I do. But I just enjoy all kinds of food so much that it's hard to say no when there's more stuff I want to taste.

So now, maybe it's time to throw in the towel and accept the fact that this will always be part of my life. I'm not ready for that just yet but maybe this is the direction I need to go.

I'm always hesitant to talk about this much less to post about it. I get tired of people complaining about this sort of thing all the time. I get tired of myself! It takes up too much of the space in my brain and it doesn't seem that there's enough room left for more important stuff. It's also an extremely sensitive subject for me and I feel very vulnerable posting it. But somehow, I feel I must. And now that I don't really have any readers left, maybe it's a safe time for me to post it.

Oh God. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

Note to self

When you put something into the freezer, remember to label it.

I took something that looked like pumpkin puree out of the freezer a few days ago and thought I'd make a pumpkin pie with it. As I mixed the ingredients together, I noticed some little red flecks but didn't think much of it. Kristen suggested that maybe it was a bit of pumpkin peel that got more red while in the freezer. It smelled good while it was baking although there was a definite curry smell to it. Someone suggested that it might taste good with a little mango chutney and sour cream.

Anyone want some pumpkin soup pie?

Bathing Suit

Wes and I were at Superstore today browsing the Joe clothing. At one point Wes drew my attention to a bathing suit and commented on how it was nice. A few seconds later, he showed me another one. I found this a little odd and asked him if he didn't like the bathing suit I have.

Ever see a man squirm? I could see all the synapses in his brain on high alert. (If I say no, I don't like her bathing suit, she'll be offended. If I say yes, I'd be lying. What am I to do?)

I let him squirm for just a little while.

He made some lame comment about my current suit being not very chic. He didn't actually use the word chic but if he had said old fashioned, he would have been in big trouble. Believe it or not, I actually like my current suit and have absolutely no desire to buy another one.

Wes was happy, I think, that I found the whole exchange funny. And I really don't care what he thinks about my swimming attire because I'd rather have a tooth filled than go bathing suit shopping.

Memories of the Renovations

Before Rob and Michele moved into the basement apartment this past fall, we had already removed a wall which opened the apartment up to the rest of the basement. Rob felt that it had to be re-erected so that his family could be a little separated from the construction. It also kept the dust down.

The wall was a very clever use of use found and scavenged material. The door was most unique. It used to be the door to the closet under the stairs, a little narrow and short. It is the most fun door I'd ever seen. Every morning, when I walk down the stairs, this is what I would see:

If you look very carefully, you will see Dixie just to the right of Jed. They never made it through the little opening but they really tried!

Peace in the middle of chaos

Every now and then a thought pops into my head that there is something I need to work on in my life.

When I was a teenager, I read a poem by Rudyard Kipling called "If." "If you can keep your head while all those around you are losing theirs..." was the phrase that caught my eye. This past year the phrase kept coming back to me and I felt that God, in the gentle way that God works, was telling me that this might be the year that I could focus on those words. And so I gave God permission to lead me along a path that would teach me about being a calm, peace loving influence in the middle of chaos.

The interesting thing is that if you ask for patience or the ability to remain calm and peaceful during chaos, God doesn't often just "give" you calm and peace, he tends to send chaos so that you can learn the things you ask for.

To say this has been a chaotic year would be a pretty good description of the last 8 months or so. The chaos that has been most prevalent has been the renovations of this old house. It is a much bigger project than any of us anticipated. We've lived with mud, plaster dust, drywall dust, tradespeople, hopes and expectations of a completion date, moving boxes, beds, appliances from one spot to another and then back to their original spot. I think that the biggest challenge for me has been the fact that home has not been the sanctuary that home usually is for me.

I was asking God one day how I could keep perspective and a peaceful spirit in all of this chaos. And then it hit me. I am getting exactly what I have been asking for. Have I handled it in the calm peaceful way I would have liked? Sometimes.

I'm glad that life is almost back to normal. I think that I have learned a thing or two about tolerating chaos. I think that I was able to "keep my head" most of the time. I appreciate more than ever the peace and security of a home, something that so many people in this world do not experience.

And to be honest, I'll miss having the workers around. A little bit of chaos keeps life interesting. But just a little bit. I'll enjoy the peace and quiet for now.

Some Christmas Surprises

Kristen spent a week in a small town near Knoxville, Tennessee with Andy's family. She came home with this beautiful, unique bowl, made from a beech tree. Carved into the bottom of the bowl. Thanks Kristen, Andy and Mark!

And, on Christmas morning, a surprise from Sinterklaas. He visits homes in the Netherlands on the 6th of December so it's no wonder it took him until the 25th to get to Canada. Sinterklaas knows what I like: Chocolate, red wine, an iTunes card and an orange. The Guinness is for Wes.

I think it was Eric who let him know our new address.

Grandma Linda Days

I must get back to posting a little more regularly but it seems that for the last 6 months, all I could think of was renovations. And that gets old, really fast. How many times can I complain about the dust and mud before I lose all of my faithful readers?

So...what to write about.

My adorable granddaughter will be hanging out with me one day a week starting in March. I am looking forward to spending time with her. Oh the things we will do!

Many years ago, I would hang out with my 2 nephews one day a week. The boys called these days "Auntie Linda days." Those were fun times. They'd watch a movie, play with different toys, read and create with glue, tape and markers. We usually managed to get out once a day, to visit the mall, go to a pet store, or, weather permitting, go to a park.

I am looking forward to creating memories with Aryana, to starting "Grandma Linda days."

I will post a picture of the lovely Aryana but I need some help from our resident tekkie first. For now, you will find a photo here.

Got a new computer

It's a Mac. One of the people who live here has convinced us that Apple is the way to go. We were having lots of trouble with our old lap top and needed something faster and more up to date. Now, we're just trying to figure things out.

This computer is faster than a speeding bullet. Wow! All I have to do is figure out how to work it. There is a CD that I stuck into the CD spot but I don't know how to make it work. Have to wait until the house tekkie gets home. Micah has been mighty busy setting all of this up for us in addition to supporting and advising others in this house about everything related to technology.

Handy to have someone so willing to help out living so close by.

I wrote this post about 3 weeks ago...

Well.

We have moved in. To our house. When we first moved 6 1/2 months ago, it was home. Then it became "the house." Later, we referred to it as "Dumoulin." Now, it is "our house" and in only 2 or 3 or maybe 4 or 5 weeks, we will once again call it "home".Our bedroom is mostly finished. We use 2 washrooms, one for the shower/bath and toilet and the powder room which has a working sink. The 100 year old floors have been refinished and are looking beautiful as is the newly installed cork that seems to fit in so well with the old/new look of this house.

The basement apartment is our current living/kitchen space which we share with Rob, Michele, Joey and Micah and the two dogs, of course. Almost every evening we sit together for a meal and talk about our day and any house related stuff that needs a decision.Before we began this restoration project, I insisted that I would not move in until EVERYTHING was finished.

Ha.

In retrospect, things have gone well. Most of the workers have been wonderful. I particularly like Greg, the floor finisher who prefers repairing and refinishing old wood floors to new ones. He gets it. There are many people who do not understand why we wouldn't just build something brand new, with level floors and straight walls. It's hard to explain the beauty and uniqueness of an old house. Fir floors that have a look about them that can no longer be duplicated. Tin ceilings that must have taken 100 hours to restore if you include removal, sanding and cleaning, reinstallation, caulking and finally painting. They are gorgeous. A stairway that we were able to save that is unlike any stairway anywhere.

Six or 8 months of renovations, considering I'll be here for at least 30 years doesn't sound too bad. We have certainly had our moments, times when we wondered what we were doing and if we'd ever be finished but now, the end is in sight so it's easy to be philosophical about it all.Will I ever do this again? Not on your life. I am going to live here until someone has to carry me out. This will be home, the place my grandkids will know as grandma's house.

No Apologies

I have not been terribly prolific with my posts this past year or so but I will not apologize. The worries of selling our big old house and then jumping into a renovation that has consumed my life and the lives of a good number of people around me has kept me from doing much outside of our home. This blog was begun for me to have some fun and to document my life and posts will come only when I feel that I want to write something.


Today we are not only moved in, we are actually living in our house. The kitchen is finished and everything except the dishwasher is working. I've been handwashing dishes for the last 6 months so a few more days will be just fine. The dust is still settling but there is less and less every day. And tomorrow, I call the company who has been storing our piano and that will be delivered by the end of the week. Oh joy! I have missed my piano!

While in Quebec Wes and I bought our second piece of original art ever. The new piece, created by a Quebec artist will be placed over the sofa in our new living room. It should be coming sometime this week.

There are lots of little things to be done before this place is finished but I am happy and content now to finally have my own place once again.

Quebec

I have fallen in love with this city. People who have been here before have told us that it is much like Europe and they are right. It reminds us so much of our trip to Italy. People seem to walk a lot more here than they do in Winnipeg (and believe me, it has been cold, so that is no excuse!) so there are usually plenty of people walking on the street, day and night. The shop keepers are friendly and do their best to speak English to us when they learn that we cannot speak French very well. Every restaurant we have visited has been outstanding. We cannot say yet which one we liked best. The service is excellent and the food, divine.

We are staying in a Bed and Breakfast in the old part of town where the streets are narrow and in the evenings we hear the clop clop of horses hooves. If I close my eyes, I can almost imagine what it was like around the turn of the century. The heat has not yet been turned on in the house so it feels pretty chilly but it is heated by hot water and we understand that kind of heat. If it were to be turned on now, the rooms would be uncomfortably hot. Hot water heat is the best in the winter but it is hard to regulate in the spring and fall.

Today, we spent the day driving around Ile d'Orleans, an absolutely charming island only 15 km from Old Quebec city. We stopped at a small village bakery and had a delicious croissant and a pastry simply called "pomme" which means apple in French. Chocolate from the chocolaterie, wine tastings at several vineyards and a number of apple cider tastings; a few pieces of cheese, a stop at a lovely old church and sightseeing, art galleries and apple orchards. I think the best surprise of the day was our visit to a maple sugar shack. There was nobody around when we first drove in and we were ready to leave when a woman came and asked us if we were here for maple syrup. She told us to wait a minute while she got her coat and then she proceeded to give us a tour of her maple sugar enterprise. That woman had maple sap running through her veins. She was passionate about maple syrup and we learned a lot about the work that she did. I think you have to be passionate about maple syrup to own a sugar bush and make maple sugar.

The view of the St. Lawrence river and the mainland beyond is beautiful even though most of the leaves have fallen off the trees. Apparently, we missed that by only 2 days.

The people are friendly and when I enter a shop I always say greet people by saying "Bonjour." Then they start speaking to me in what seems like rapid fire French and I have to hold up my hands and tell them I cannot speak French. I guess my "bonjour" sounds pretty authentic.

This evening we are having dinner at a restaurant called "Aux Anciens Canadiens" which is in the oldest building in Quebec City. I am consuming far more calories than I am accustomed. Good thing it's cold and we're walking a lot because I think the intake and output of calories is close to equal.

I have at least 15 posts that are partially written but have not yet been posted. This one I intend to post because I'm sick of my last post, which was a rant. An acceptable rant in my opinion but it's time for something more positive.

Yesterday we moved most of our furniture out of the SeaCan and garage and into our house! As I was sitting on the couch, I marvelled that this day has actually come to pass. We are mere weeks away from being completely moved in. It is a wonderful feeling. And the house looks BEAUTIFUL. Just gorgeous. I am so thrilled that I love the paint colours more than I did at first and that the tin ceilings look beautiful and the floors are gorgeous.

Pictures will follow. And we are going to have one doozie of an open house. I'll let you know when because everyone is invited.

What gets me REALLY MAD is those idiots who will not take their place in a line of cars when one of the lanes is closed. They go flying by all of us who have been waiting patiently in the right lane because it is obvious that the left lane is closed. Then they try to push their way in front of us.

Who do they think they are? Are they so important that they need to get to their destination sooner than we do? Do they think that we WANT to stay in the line? Grrrrrr. I'm still mad.

Randomness

Today is the first day in a long time that I have had the time or energy to sit at the computer to read up on the few blogs I follow. I realized that it has been over a month since my last post. So here is an update on my life for those of you who might be interested.

The house continues to look like a construction zone. A construction zone with a GREAT lunch room. I actually made chocolate chip cookies there one day for coffee break.

The mud at the house is just awful. There is no other word to describe the thick, sticky gumbo that gets tracked everywhere. I wish it would stop raining.

Spent a week in Ontario with my mom while my dad was working on our house. I haven't driven on the QEW or any of the 400 highways for years but it only took me a few moments to start driving like an Ontarian. 120 km per hour and people were still passing me.

I went on a canoe trip with 13 other women. It was great. We had 2 gorgeous summer days in Northern Ontario where the water is so clear that you can see to the bottom of the lake.

Michele has been taking care of Dixie for most of the last 6 weeks. I think Dixie likes her better than me.

We moved to another apartment in the same building at Ft. Garry place last week. It is a lovely apartment with a balcony on the 12th floor. I am enjoying apartment living very much although I'm sure that one day I will long for a real house. For now, this haven is suiting me just fine. It's just a little hard to have people over for a visit.

My granddaughter is adorable. I saw her today for the first time in 2 weeks.

I watched "Julie and Julia" last night and enjoyed it thoroughly. I read the book earlier this summer and still enjoyed the movie. You must watch it if you get the chance.

Tomorrow, I paint. Things are definitely progressing at the house.

New Digs

I suspected it would come to this. We have renovated before and have survived and I was sure I'd survive this one too. But this one is different. EVERYTHING is being restored. Every wall, every bathroom, every floor, every ceiling. And so it was that we decided we had to move out. Eric and Tim have found temporary places to live and Wes and I are now on the 18th floor of Ft. Garry Place, downtown Winnipeg. Kristen is still in the house with the dogs but I suspect she won't last long.

I can see the Golden Boy from my living room window and the rear of the Fort Garry Hotel from the bedroom window. If I stick my head out the window, I can almost see our house. This is a wonderful, peaceful, respite from all the construction and I am so grateful for it.

Indoor parking (great on a rainy day), washer and dryer, kitchen, internet, quiet, dust free and housekeeping on Mondays to boot. I am looking forward to the completion of the renovations and enjoying our new space but for now, this is a great place to be.