THE TRADITIONAL MOVE YOUR CHILD AFTER SCHOOL TRIP

I'm sure many of you are not at that stage of life, where you find yourself moving your son or daughter nearly every spring and fall. 

We've been doing this for over 10 years now. Yesterday was our final "move your child after school trip". Adrian is finishing his Thesis for his Masters in Civil Engineering and then he is off to be married. Rather poignant, to be at the end of this part of our life journey. So for all of you who are not quite there, here are a few pointers!

Start that trip off right! 

Tim Hortons beckons! 

It will make going through Toronto that much more uncomfortable while you are aiming to get to the other side before attempting to get off Hwy 401 to pee!

I gotta tell ya, I won't miss driving through Toronto too much!

Find the biggest vehicle you can and stuff as much as possible into it to limit the number of transfers required. 

Adrian let us off pretty easy while he was in University. For one thing, he's a minimalist so not much to move (not like another sibling, who shall remain nameless..) plus we were only moving him a short distance into another place; a temporary measure until the big wedding day. 

Welcome to the new digs! A great room in a loft, the only problem was the 3 flights up to get to it. My Fitbit was pretty happy with my stair climbing stats.

Sustenance is essential, both to fuel up and cool down any frayed nerves from moving!

Adrian took us to "Williams Fresh Cafe" on the Hamilton waterfront. This sandwich should tide you over. 

And by all means, load up on the sugar! We took a walk down James Street and stopped into a Chocolatier called "Chocolat on James" (chocolatonjames.com)

These will keep your motor runnin'

We then hunted down a Portuguese Bakery called "Ola", also on James Street. This has the homey feel of a family-run business. It's full of custard tarts and all things portuguesey. 

They were also incredibly cheap. We loaded up a box full of treats that only cost us $10!

Are you worried about all the calories?? Please....remember, you are walking, lifting, climbing, unpacking all day. Those calories will barely have time to sit for a cup of tea. 

A quick trip to drop off a pathetic love seat for another university student and then to the dump to wait in line for our turn to toss all that particle board stuff.

Then, the long drive home. 

If you are lucky, you will plan these excursions on fine days - not too hot and not too cold with no rain in sight. 

And when you finally turn back into your driveway, your stiff and achey muscles will give an audible sigh of bliss when you slide under the covers and turn off the light. 

That, my friends, is the traditional move your child after (or before) school trip. Depending on how many kids you have will greatly affect your trip numbers. So enjoy the quick hike up your stairs for a bed time story and tuck into bed. You will be heading down the highway before you know it! 

READY TO RIDE

Finally....finally we have spring. Temperatures have reached the goal of double digits, sun is shining, flowers are prepping for the big entrance. And most importantly, I'm ready to ride my bike!

But, safety first kids so before you "get on your bike and ride" (for all you Queen fans) it is best to give her a dusting off and good once over. 

I pulled my bike out of the back shed, to check how she faired her winter's hibernation. Already, I'm apologizing to the spiders I know will soon be hanging around in there 

I pumped up the tires.
Added some oil to the chain.
Checked all the nuts and bolts to see if anybody was loosey-goosey.
Checked the brakes. 
All A-O-K. 
Except I needed a new bike helmet so it was off to Canadian Tire for me.

Naturally I started with adult size helmets.....as I am an adult; 52+ years of adult in fact. But what was I thinking...I come from a long line of small headed-humans. Really, you should see my Dad. The outcome being there was no way one of the Big Girl helmets were going to come close to fitting.

So I moved over to the kids section. Hence my dilemma. Choices for helmets were as follows:

There was a minion helmet - I do love yellow...

How about this one? The pink bow and kitty ears would be a nice touch

Olaf? Can you imagine a 52-year-old woman zooming through town with this on her head?? Worse, I must be one of the only humans on the planet who have yet to see this movie!

I'm happy to say, I finally found something in the 8 year old section which was more suitable. A basic black number with no pointy ears or carrot nose. 

My bike is ready to go. I blew the bike seat last year so I fixed it with Skull and Cross bone duct tape (thanks Kelly). I may have to invest in a new seat but I think the duct tape is a nice and very Canadian touch. That's Lulu in the background, pretending she doesn't know I'm taking a picture. 

So keep an eye out all you car-driving folks. The bikes are back! We will be manoeuvring our way along side you, and pumping along, burning calories behind you. 

We are ready to ride!

LULU, YOU'RE BETTER THAN NUTHIN'

I really love having a dog! The house just is not the same without  that jingly sound the dog tags make as they clip along on the hardwood floors.

But then....there's Lulu...let me try to explain....

You know how dogs (most) love everybody and are happy just to be in your company? Lulu, not so much..

Here is Lulu when we first picked her up

Look closely into those eyes and there is a hint of "I'm not sure if I like you" in there

Pretty adorable, I know

And you just want to snuggle those ears!

She was a typical puppy looking for trouble

Sometimes dragging Frodo into it

And she's pretty good about greeting me at the door, which I love

But she has her Lulu-Lemon moments.

One time on a dark and early winter's morning we were walking along. Suddenly I'm jerked off my feet and the next thing I know I'm staring up into the morning stars as I lay on the cold ground of somebody's yard. Apparently there was a rabbit, or something. 

She will bark fiercely and randomly at anything. My billet calls them "the bark-ups". Enough to give you a minor heart attack.

She has this incredible ability to want out AS SOON AS I sit down, With a coffee, 

Or a glass of wine, 

And a blanket

And probably a cat on my lap. 

That's when she is sure to ring that blasted cowbell we attached to the door for her convenience.

And she still has that, "I'm not sure if I like you" look in her eyes. Especially when  

a) anyone comes to our door that she does not know or 

b) anyone who I happen to come across when walking her. 

Even though we have done our best to socialize her and give her nothing but love and attention, she is pretty touch and go as she sizes you up. 

In fact, she still gives ME, her Mom and Master, that look. This morning as I'm heading out the door I go to say goodbye to Lu.

See?? She's assessing if I'm going to put her in her kennel before I leave, something I have not done in over a year. But she hasn't forgotten....oh no....I don't get any of that "I will be pining until you return" look!

And here she is staring me down, waiting on the deck. Basically saying "you had better let me in or there will be hell to pay, sometime after midnight, probably close to 3:00 am"

I have a friend and as we catch up I will ask 

"How's your wife?" and he always reply (very tongue in cheek)

"Oh she's better than nuthin!"

I love having a dog...I really do. And Lulu, you're better than nuthin!

TAKE CARE!

The other day I was at the bank, doing my thing at the banking machine and two people were catching up on each other's news - you know, how's the wife, how's the kids etc. etc. They were wrapping up the convo and the one fella says "take care!".

Not that I was eavesdropping, cause I wasn't, but the ending stuck with me. I heard it again between two elderly folks in McDonald's while I was picking up a latte.

But wait....there's more. I often say "take care" at the end of conversations I'm having with our palliative patients and/or their family members because, well it just makes sense giving their situations. Last week I was talking with a woman who had recently lost her mother. I was arranging for some equipment to be picked up that was still there. As I'm hanging up she says to me "take care." Wait a minute...that's my line.

So that got me musing: is this a Canadian thing? Do we/you often end conversations with a sincere Take Care? 

So I did a little investigating. I checked in with an American friend of mine. He tells me Americans often end conversations with "take care" second only to...actually I can't write what he REALLY said cause there were expletives involved. But I LOLed. 

The on-line community said the folks down south will end with "take care y'all" as opposed to our more northern "take care eh". 

In the UK - "Cheers" or "Tara" is more up their alley. They also mentioned "Catch", short for "catch you later" or "See ya."

Bye, or buh-bye is still pretty popular, especially with those under ten! Haven't heard too many 7 year olds say "take care" lately..

From what I'm hearing around this ole town, we Canadians just want everybody to be OK, to have fun but be cautious about it, to look after themselves, regardless of who ends up being President!

So let me end this by saying, here's a.....

And with utmost sincerity - Take Care!

A CANADIAN EASTER STORY

I hope you have all had a wonder Easter Weekend! I'm one of the lucky ones who happens to have Easter Monday off which gives me time to write up this blog for you. In fact, I want to tell you an Easter story, Canadian style.

There is a great sermon called "It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin!" by Tony Compolo. Most church folks will know it but if you have never heard it check it out on You-Tube. Basically, Tony tells the story of how he preached up a storm during what he calls a "preach-off" and the congregation was high fiving and yelling amens all over.  He smugly sat down beside his pastor and basically said "see if you can beat that!". The pastor nonplussed, started slow with "It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin!" and in no time the whole church was eating out of his hand.

But this is Canada. We folks are not nearly as demonstrative eh. So here's my Easter story, Canadian style. 

In Ontario, we woke on Good Friday to a cold, ice covered landscape.

My deck chairs were nothing more than icicle holders

My crocuses were bravely trying to stay alive encased in ice

IT'S FRIDAY.....BUT SUNDAY'S COMIN!

The Easter story is one of remembering that on Good Friday Christ sacrificed everything for us. He bore all our sins, past, present and anything you care to screw up in the future. ALL of em. He paid the price and we are now free. 

Our Good Friday was imprisoned in ice, unable to grow or thrive, much like you and me.

IT'S FRIDAY.....BUT SUNDAY'S COMIN!!

And indeed, on Easter Sunday, we Canadians (at least where I live) now had a completely different landscape to behold.

My deck was now warm and inviting! 

The crocuses are alive and blooming!

So, if you are feeling frozen and numb, take heart. There is new life and warm sun waiting on Sunday. In no time at all a miracle can happen and life is suddenly worth living. 

Remember - IT'S FRIDAY....BUT SUNDAY'S COMIN!

Happy Easter everyone!

HAVEN'T A CLUE

It's always a good idea to try something new when the opportunity arises. So when friends of mine, Tom and Tara, were throwing a Curling Bonspiel on Saturday I thought...hey, what the heck! Never Curled or Bonspieled before!

The night before my daughter Randi and her husband Dan wanted to play a game. Much to my surprise, they scrounged up the game "Clue". 

Do you remember this game? I think the last time I played was about 20 years ago. I'm not even sure where the kids found it in the basement. I didn't have a "Clue" how to strategize so no, I did not win. And it was Miss Scarlett, my own player, who was the killer! 

But this was some weird foreshadowing, because the next day was the Curling Bonspiel. 

Look - yellow stones! I LOVE yellow

I thought my husband had great form. He kept that stone on the straight and narrow. 

He was not on my team. He also had the Yellow stones...Randi and I played against him and Tara's husband Tom. But even though I did not have a clue, Randi and I held our own! 

At one point the stones were very close so they brought out this crazy contraption to measure which was closest. 

Figures....yellow was closer.

At the end of it all, Randi and I came out the winners. The way one keeps track of scoring in Curling is beyond me. But I took a picture of the score board and since we were the Red team, it's pretty clear who won.

I came home and did something I was much more familiar with - cooking.

Mushroom risotto with peas.

Thanks to Tara and Tom for inviting us to Curl! It was something I've never done before and I had fun! 

But Frodo kinda summed it up for me..

Haven't a Clue

MY SHOPPING/GET SICK/TRAVEL/ EAT BLOG

I think I take this multi-tasking thing too far. I had a couple of days off and wanted to look for a dress for my son Adrian's upcoming wedding. But I did soooo much more. Hence the title of this blog. So, in between coughing fits, I will get this typed up for you!

It was a misty-rainy day when I started off to Picton to check out some dress shops. My throat was cottony feeling, but I felt I was staying on top of it. It was soon pouring. No luck on the dress but I did find my book, "Growing Up Quinte" was still stocked on the shelves at a popular book store! 

The next day I met a girlfriend for sushi and afterwards we stopped in the Vintage clothing store. This is where I picked up my dress for my daughter's wedding two years ago. Lo and behold, I found not one but 2 dresses! A silvery late 1960's cocktail dress and the other a sea-green elegant number that needs a little nip and tuck for me. The owner gushed about how amazing my backside looked in it. I generally ignore by backside (it's all behind me). By that afternoon, someone was dropping razors down my throat. Talking or swallowing was excruciating! I had succumbed!!

On Saturday, sick or not, we were travelling to Hamilton with my daughter and son-in-law to hang out with Adrian and his fiancé. I was pretty much voiceless! But I can still take pics, so here they come!

We stopped at Bitten, a local bakery that specializes in Cupcakes and whoopee pies. 

If you are on Locke Street, by all means, stop in!

They are worth every bite!

We went to the Botanical Gardens where the upcoming wedding will be and checked out the grounds. It will be a beautiful spot for a wedding!

Adrian, being silly...

Silly, but great taste! He has been trying to get us to a local restaurant called "The Bread Bar" and now I know why. We had made reservations, only available if you have 6 or more people otherwise, I suggest you put you name in for a table a good hour before you want to eat, cause that's how long it will take to get in. 

Carolyn, Adrian's finance and I, shared our meal. We started with an appetizer of roasted brussel sprouts mixed in a hoisin sauce and sprinkled with sesame and shaved apple. 

Blow. My. Mind.

Baby, hit me one more time

I really did not need anything else. 

But, we also ordered a pizza to share. Ours was a squash and mushroom with sage and sweet caramelized onions. 

It was also the size of a small planet!

All ingredients were fresh, and the sourdough crust thick and chewy. 

The rest of the family ordered a meatier pizza, also the size of a small planet!

We have this very silly thing in Ontario where we move our clocks ahead 1 hour in the spring and back 1 hour in the fall. Sorry, we are usually very practical....But in the spring that means you lose an hour's sleep and last night was the allocated time. I spent most of the night coughing and I'm pooped.

So for dinner, I warmed up the rest of the sprouts and a piece of pizza. It was delicious with a glass of red wine. 

Tomorrow it's back to work and I'm hoping the coughing stage I'm now in will soon move on. 

This was a lengthy blog and thanks for hanging in and reading the whole thing! Now excuse me, I need some fresh kleenex! Or, another order of those sprouts. BLOW. MY. MIND.