Happy Days

  .... are just here and now.  Loving being off work and hanging out at home.  Sitting on the deck or swimming in the pool.  Even having my mother here overnight.  Made cookies today to show my family that I still love them.

    It has been a long few months, no REAL health concerns but feeling unhappy about work and letting it fall into the laps of my family.  I feel so much happier just being home and not having to worry about all the varied situations at work.  I know I need to find a new scenario at work or a new work scenario.  I am thinking of a job share, at least temporarily.  It would mean a big change, working half as much, but also earning half as much.  However a sound and happy mind would definitely be worth it.

Going camping in a few days for 3 days, up at Craigleigh Provincial Park, one of our favourite spots.  It has a shale beach and can be a lot of fun if there are waves. The water is very clean with no sand and one can see very well underwater.

                     Collage from our Craigleith trip in 2006, Beach and Scenic Caves

I image we will still "rock bungee" - a game that the boys made up on our first trip there six years ago.   The levels of shale go out for 20 meters or so, then abruptly drop down a foot or two.  They do this several times and eventually we reach a point where we can stand up but the next level down drops us way over our heads and the water is so cold at the bottom but still very clear. So we carry out large rocks to the deepest we can still stand then dive down, letting the big rock pull us down to the cold water, then try to push off the bottom to get back to the top before our air runs out.  So much fun!

Now that I've written it down, it sounds a little scary too, but that is part of the fun.  No one is allowed to rock bungee without a buddy, and we parents are always close by.  I guess now that I am the shortest the whole parent thing is less important but the buddy thing is still a good idea.  Sometimes you can get turned around down deep and the waves can push you out further, so a helping hand close by is nice and reassuring.

New Kittens

Yes, it is true.  We got two new kittens.  The orange one is Jake's, his name is Leo.  The grey one is Noah's and her name is Kiwi.  They are much fun to watch.  Poor Leo has a wee cold, which makes him sneeze a lot, but otherwise they were deemed healthy from the vet.  They are from our local Humane Society.

Kiwi to the left, Leo to the right and here I am stuck in the middle with you!!

Letting go.....

of old thoughts, beliefs, practices and doing is not as hard as it sounds.


    Summer solstice has come and gone and I did not one thing that I usually attempt to do to celebrate or at the minimum observe for this important sabbat.  It's not that I'd forgotten but simply chose not to do....


    I'm glad summer is finally OFFICIALLY here, the days are longer, so when I get home from work at 8:30 pm, it is not completely dark.  It is warm, both when I leave at 7:30 am or pm, so I don't have to cart around several changes of clothes.

   I've observed that people are generally appear happier in summer, whether it is due to the sun or vacation time, I can't say, but it does feel different.  They still complain about the weather - too hot, too muggy, too wet, but I believe complaining about the weather is a National Pastime, it doesn't matter the season, someone is always ready with a complaint or two.  I think the weather is what it should be, we are very fortunate with our mild, relatively normal weather patterns.  I'd hate to be a Winnipegger!!  They can't seem to EVER catch a break in the weather, no matter the season.


    So Happy Summer to all, Solstice celebrants or not.  Enjoy your sun, your heat and thunderstorms!


Learn to let go with ease and simplicity.  It is like the weather, you can't change it, so just enjoy it.

"Normal Day"

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. 

Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. 

Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. 

Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. 

One day, I shall dig my nails into the earth, 

or bury my face in the pillow, 

or stretch myself taut, 

or raise my hands to the sky and want, 

more than all the world, 

your return."

by Mary Jean Iron

Dids and didn'ts ...

for this first long weekend of the year.


1. We did all manage to be home together, but didn't get into any arguments or fights.
2. We did have two big meals - in a row, but I still did end up doing most of the dishes.
3. We did clean various parts of the house and property, but didn't have full cooperation.
4. We didn't do any laundry but did prepare for the onslaught, once the new machine arrived.
5. We didn't hide and hunt for chocolate eggs - for the first time in 20-odd years but did still have candy and chocolates, but they were just left out on the table.
6. We did have my mother's husband here for dinner - he did manage to be insulting again, but we didn't allow ourselves to be sucked into his game.
7.  We did play a game of "Settlers of Catan" and I did manage to win - for the first time!


All in all, the "did and didn'ts" add up to growth and maturity.  Not just for the boys, but for the parents as well.
The boys are all growing up and getting to be more accepting of their brothers differences.  They are seeing that the parents do need help and are willing - to a certain point. They are willing to let go of some of the younger aspects of celebrations.
The parents are beginning to let go of aspects childhood and embracing maturity and accepting the eventual adulthood of the boys.  It is not an easy transition.  I loved being a mother to young boys and do miss this part of my life.  However, I do love being a mum to young men and watching them develop their own personalities and life experiences.  Best of all, I love being a mum - doing dishes while listening to the four of them while the play a game and talk.  Just to hear them converse, whether it is family memories or politics or friends or school or their futures is so fun.  Not being involved in the conversation is even more fun.


Motherhood, although vastly both overrated and underrated at the same time, can be so rewarding.

Noah, in a rare stance of approval, gives me a "thumbs up".
Maybe it is for giving him three older brothers or just for being such a
great mum (hmm, wishful thinking). It was probably just for the candy.
Doesn't matter, I'll take it as a sign of appreciation.

Oh Wow ....

    this is finally working again.  For the past several days, whenever I came to my page there was no dashboard at the top, so I couldn't make a new post.  Whatever the problem was appears to have passed, so on I go.
    My black kitty, Blackie, has decided to expand his horizons and now is not only an indoor kitty, but an outdoor one as well.  We felt it safest for the kitties to keep them as full-time indoor cats and this has worked well for three years.  All of a sudden, Blackie got a yen for the outdoors, he began escaping as often as he could.  The dog goes in and out fairly often, so Blackie would lie in wait by one of the doors, usually hidden until the dog wanted out, then flash out he went too.  Not always a good trick as he got squished more than once as we quickly tried to close the door to stop him.  So now we open the one door to let him out and usually within 5 or 10 minutes he comes to the other door to come back in.  So far, so good, he is staying close by, in the back yard, but the big scary road waits patiently out front.  We've already lost two dogs to that road and didn't want any more pet deaths, which was why the kitties were supposed to be strictly indoor cats.

    Blackie is funny, he sometimes stays out a little longer but needs to come in quickly to use the litter box.  He has not realized that the outdoors is one big litter box.  Please be careful little cat, may the goddess of small creatures watch over you and protect you from the dangers of the outdoors.
    Tiger or Tiggie, does not like the outdoors.  She was accidentally put outdoors two summers ago and got lost for three days.  She was caught in a live release trap put out by neighbours and thus found her way back to us.  She likes to sit by the window, in her safe kitty loft and observe the wonders that exist beyond the windowpane.

Look what the kitties are so close to!!

Oh, my, this is a rather large and interesting BIRD at the feeder!!

No wonder our seed disappears so quickly!! Happy spring little creatures, no more seed for you!

I really wanted to show....

.... my photos of my purple crocuses from Saturday.  It was a fairly nice day, a little sun, a little warmth and second son Sam was home for a few hours.  We were outside as he needed to change his winter tires to summer ones, actually one of the biggest reasons he came home.  All of a sudden I noticed that a few of the earliest spring flowers had started to bloom and more were on the way. Unfortunately, I can't get the photos to upload today. 


     Here is a photo from the internet, very similar but I don't have nearly so many.  Wish I did!!

    I know this means that Spring has officially arrived, but the weather does get rather frustrating.  Yesterday evening, we had SNOW!!  Mind you it all melted by morning, but still did put a damper on my spirits.  On Saturday while the sun was still shining and my enthusiasm was high, I dug out our deck furniture, the table and chairs, all in hopes of basking in some afternoon warmth.  However, it shortly clouded over and turned a wee bit too chilly to sit and enjoy the air.  I'm not asking for much, mid-teens and sun, but today it just rained - Boo!  

    Well we all know that April showers bring May flowers, but holy cow, let's turn up the temperature!!

Here are two photos from my wee garden.

And another view.

Too pretty......

for words, too pretty to use, but just lovely enough to dream of......

    I've never been to a Neiman Marcus, actually never even heard of them, except from one, very creative and exceptional friend.  So when she mentioned about having fun shopping at one, I naturally had to Google the store.
    There is an online version of the store and after spending too much time and not nearly enough time exploring their website, I came across these most perfectly and pretty of purple pillows.
    Now, purple is my most favourite of colours, always has been, always will.  I had a deliciously purple room as a spoiled child in the seventies.  I had a mixed purple shag rug, it almost looked like a heather field in bloom.  I had groovy purple wallpaper, complete with flowers and vines, lovely to view and annoying for my dad to install. I had a "mod" bedside lamp, one of those mushroom shaped lamps that was, yes, purple. However, my "pièce de résistance", my absolute pride and joy was my overhead ceiling light, it was one of those blown glass, spaghetti string multi-hued purple orb lights. 
    Of course, I matured, I grew out of this idyllic princess bedroom and my interests changed and grew with me.  The shag rug, once so lovely, did not fair well against a sloppy and cleanliness-challenged pre-teen.  Out it went, rather sad but definitely necessary for my overall state of health  - I can't even begin to imagine what sort of germs, molds, dust, etc. would have been caught up in the luxurious long fibers of the shag.  The wallpaper was next, my eye being caught by a pattern of black and white geometrical designs, which I loved, but made my dad burst out in some fairly graphic language as he put it up, trying to match without his eyes popping out of his head.  I knocked down the table lamp in a fight with my brother and it broke beyond repair, so Dad said, secretly I think he was happy to be gone with it - perhaps as payback for the wild wallpaper that was permanently etched on his corneas. However, I never gave up my love of the ceiling light, it only went when our house sold and I was told, again by parents probably wanting me to give up the purple, that anything attached to the house must stay with the house.  I'm sure we could have saved the wondrous purple orb.
    So, now we are at the mature grown woman who still craves a wee splash of purple throughout the house and life now and then.... and these pillows would be PERFECT!!

My body is happy now.....

..... that it has had an hour long massage.  It really needed it.  I have been working so much just to make some time off to be with family that it has taken a toll.  Plus my usual Monday twelve hour day shift was stressful and chaotic, so much so that I ended up staying an extra hour just to write up my notes.  We don't get overtime, and I didn't even get supper, so was totally exhausted, hungry and frustrated by the time I got home.
      My body complained all day Tuesday, refused to go to the gym, so I agreed to wait a day.  When I got up today, my body was still aching all over and stomped its foot about working out at the gym, so I gave up and went for a massage.  Now my body is thanking me, but wondering why we have to go in for a night shift tonight, work a day shift on Friday, then a night shift on Saturday.  Why?  Haven't I made it work enough already?
     Oh, yes, that 'family' thing.  My pride and joy, Sam, practically begged me to get Saturday afternoon off work so we could spend quality, not quantity time together.  Thought it was sweet and rearranged mine and others schedules to accommodate his request.  I get an email today from said darling son telling me that he would prefer not to come home Saturday after all.  ugh, arg, poo!!  Children, aren't they peachy.
     Well, all I can say is what my mother always said to me: "Wait until you have kids of your own"!!

..... still I do hope he pops by, even for a quick visit....  I am such a sucker for my children ......

You know that your life is bursting with excitement....

... when you are extremely excited to find a new cereal at the grocery store.  Not just any store but Costco.  Yes, I am a proud member of this elitist store, I am a card carrying member and I shop proudly.  Unfortunately, I also shop expensively.  Everything is in bulk and we only go every few months, so our receipt has never been below $250, usually more in the four to six hundred dollar range.  Mostly we just get groceries and the odd gift, but there are so many interesting things that Terry gently tells me I need to leave behind.  I do tend to get a wee bit carried away by the excitement of the offerings, but need to be reminded that we really can't afford to let whimsy get the better of me.
     Back to the cereal, very practical and necessary item for our pantry.  Costco often has the new cereals before the mainstream stores or at least the Food Basics where we do our mundane shopping.  We are a family of cold cereal eaters, morning, noon, and bedtime, and any other time we need a quick snack.  We go through cereal by the box-loads - (small pun there) - so a new cereal to add to our already large variety is bound to garner some notice.
    Oh, yes, the actually name of said wondrous cereal, it really is quite delicious and fun to eat - is by Post "Cherry Almond Crunch".  The box reads "sun-ripened cherries, oat clusters, sliced almonds and multigrain flakes".  I have been eating it for over a week now, it is a very large box, and absolutely enjoying every bite.
     Ah, cereal, a simple, yet necessary, joy in my life.

     What is too funny, is that this cereal has been reviewed and is posted on Amazon.  It has a 4.5 rating and others are raving about it as well!!

Funny thing about Facebook....

is that sometimes people that you haven't heard, seen or thought of in eons contact you!  
     Earlier this week, I got a message out of the blue from an old, old boyfriend.  We "went together" way back in grade 10 and 11, not all of it, but for many months.  He was my most delinquent of boyfriends and I always wondered what happened to him and how his life turned out.  NOW I KNOW!!
     We met in Air Cadets in Fredericton, New Brunswick, now we both are in Ontario.  Many miles apart, but still interesting enough.  I have had great fun catching up with him and letting him compliment me and feel all silly and blushy and teenie-bopperish.  Terry doesn't look like he is enjoying this reunion half as much as me.  No creepy badness, just remembering whens....
I can't believe that I had forgotten so much.  I apparently made a big impression on his life as a teen, he said he was "madly in love with me", then I dumped him for another.  He was always so protective of me, even after we broke up, he still watched out for me at high school with the new and different crowd I tried to belong to.  So far, I'm happy to be "chatting" on Facebook with him.  It feels good to remember and to giggle.

Crest of 333 Lord Beaverbrook Squadron
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

And now for some input....

     So, now it is Day 2 and I'm back here trying to learn new lingo and how to maneuverer in this new environment.  I usually like learning but as I age, it gets trickier with each new technology.
     So far, I've found pretty new "wallpaper", but it is no longer called that....hmmm, many years ago, my dear friend and I set up a messageboard, and there the background was called "wallpaper" and I loved our pretty wallpaper backgrounds on each page.
     Now to add a photo or two ..... these are from our recent trip to Ottawa on March break.

This is eldest son, Benjamin (23) sporting a "Green Lantern" shirt, 

myself and my hubby, Terry - he is the one with the goatee.

Guess where we are??

Were you right?

We are sitting in the "Peace Tower" observation deck.

 It is right below the clock on the center block of our Parliament building in Ottawa.

The views from all four directions were very lovely.

Now I photograph the scene, in front of Parliament and the Centennial Flame,

there is Terry, Benjamin and third son, Jacob (age 15).

What is the Centennial Flame all about? 

On January 1, 1967, Lester B. Pearson launched Canada's 100th anniversary celebrations by lighting the Centennial Flame for the first time. Surrounded by the shields of the Canadian provinces and territories, and joined by the water of the fountain, the Centennial Flame symbolizes Canada's unity from sea to sea.
The years inscribed on the border of the fountain, indicate when the province or territory joined Confederation.

     We loved the trip to our Parliament Building: the Peace Tower, the War Memorial and the free guided tour of Parliament.  Too bad Noah, our youngest son, age 13,  refused to join us - so he went to the Rideau Centre Mall on his own.  Samuel (age 21) wanted to take the tour but had to work that day at his student placement at the Ottawa Airport.

  

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.........

.... and so it begins.  This is my first post to this new arena.  I am not familiar with the landscape here in "Blog-land", but will soon adapt.

     As I walked into my shared office a few days ago, I was more than a little surprised and delighted to find those words:

     Today is the first day....
                              of the rest of your life.

pasted up on the wall.  It was a breath of fresh air and I felt happy and inspired to be at work for the first time in a long while.  A couple of our new, young, temporary counsellors had found this expression printed on easy peel-able paper and stuck it up.  It is meant to inspire us, as well as our clients - we counsel those in detox and treatment from addiction to drugs and alcohol.  It is a diverse population and we tackle a variety of other life problems that tend to accompany these people so afflicted. It is an interesting job, but can be very difficult at times. I've been at this work for more than seven years now and have met a diverse population with even more varied range of life problems and experiences.  I have grown and am grateful for many of these people that have touched my life.  I have gratitude and hope that I can lead a life of grace.