Just Jump In

Get your feet wet!

Friday, May 26, 2006

And Now For Clara

Clara and I are looking forward to a lovely girls' weekend, with lots of girly, girly things. Tomorrow after ballet, she and I are going shopping for a birthday present. Lola's daughter turns 6 in June, and her party is on Sunday. Corwin picked his part of the gift, and Clara is adamant that Lady B would like a nightie. Or pajamas. So that's our quest tomorrow.

Oh - of course we'll be doing our nails tomorrow evening. What's a girls' weekend without a pedicure?

Corwin's Song

I'm H-A-P-P-Y, I'm H-A-P-P-Y,
I know I am, I'm sure I am
I'm H-A-P-P-Y!!!


Repeat times a million.

Cute, then annoying, then just hilarious. He and Hubby leave this afternoon (Corwin's even getting picked up early from school) to go to the big Scouting Camporee. I'm taking bets as to what time he is able to fall asleep tonight - he's SOOOO excited. If he hasn't burnt off his extreme enthusiasm, leading to an immediate crash at bedtime, I'll venture that he stays awake at least until 10:30. Which will drive Hubby insane. Tee hee!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

So There!

For all those homophobes out there who claim that "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve", my kids came up with a new one all on their own.

Jack and Bill went up the hill. . . because, as Corwin put it, "maybe Jack was married to a man".

I love my kids.

Guilty Pleasures Meme

A fabulous meme that I found at Dr Brazen Hussy's blog. Wanna play? Either post your answers in comments, or leave a link so we can visit!

Four Guilty Pleasures in Reading
1. Cosmo, Glamour, Allure, Wish, etc (but all such good bathtub reading material)
2. Decorating/Gardening books and Magazines (I subscribe to a couple, and joined a decorating book club. Hubby is appalled. I have a stack of kitchen/bath idea books. Should I ever win the lottery, I will be able to have my ideal kitchen. Until then, I can dream!!
3. Shopaholic and other girly books (not Harelequin!!)
4. kids' books. Like Arabel's Raven, the Narnia Chronicles (esp The Magician's Nephew, which is the FIRST book no matter what anyone else says), Harry Potter, Hotel For Dogs, Charlotte's Web, Charlie and the chocolate Factory, etc

Four Guilty Pleasures in Movies
1. 80s teen movies like Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller
2. British movies, or movies that have good-lookin' men with Brit/Irish/Scottish accents (Sliding Doors, Four Weddings, Love Actually, Bend It Like Beckham)
3. Fantasy/fairytale movies that aren't Oscar nominees (Willow, The Neverending Story, Ever After)
4. Big-budget action movies that are really only for the special effects (Armageddon, The Day After Tomorrow, War of the Worlds, etc)

Four Guilty Pleasures in Food
1. Cheez Whiz in celery (I feel kinda healthy if I use "Light")
2. movie theatre popcorn - yes, with butter or "topping"
3. Dill pickle chips (although I indulged last weekend after a very long time, and felt hungover the next day. Salt + MSG = bad, very bad. I'm too old for this. And if I feel hungover, there should at least be alcohol involved!!!)
4. poutine (for those unfamiliar with the Quebec delicacy - french fries with white cheese curds, smothered in gravy. A veritable heart attack on a plate!)

Four Guilty Pleasures in Music
1. Duran Duran (old and new. Ah, Simon)
2. Ice, Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. (What?!)
3. 80s dance/pop music. I just found Kiss Me by TinTin - the extended remix!!
4. new country (Shania, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Lonestar, Toby Keith). Have had to listen with clients, and now I'm a convert.

Four Guilty Pleasures in TV
1. HGTV & TLC decorating shows
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Desperate Housewives
4. What Not To Wear

Four Guilty Pleasures in Booze
1. Blender drinks. (strawberry daiquiris, pina coladas, margaritas, etc)
2. Sangria in a bottle
3. Mixing - as in, trying many different cocktails when out at a bar (not that I get out to bars often)
4. coolers. ( I miss Canada Cooler in the 2 litre coke-style bottle,the lemon-lime wine based drink of the summer before university).

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The Evolution of Dance

My client's mom sent me this. Prepare to laugh.

Divide and Conquer

A very big thank you to Lola for the perennials she was dividing, and letting me take. She called and left a message on Sunday "This is a time-sensitive call. I will be dividing a whole bunch of plants, mostly groundcover, and you're welcome to them. Come soon, because I'm not saving anything". She must have called just before we got home. I phoned as soon as I got the message - "I'm coming, don't throw anything out!!!!" She laughed, as she knew I'd get in touch quickly - the siren song of the garden is a pretty strong pull for me.

Lola's crescent runs into ours, divided by a road that is the main egress from our community. I can see her driveway from Corwin's window, and can see her yard as soon as I turn the corner. She was outside, as was her hubby. He chuckled and said "Here comes Canada". He couldn't see me, but he could sure hear me - I was pulling my trusty garden cart along. Man, the plastic wheels are even louder than the kids' wagon wheels! Obnoxious, yes, but it didn't deter me in the least.

So we went to work, cutting and digging. I ended up with a load of creeping thyme, lemon thyme, sedum, and forget-me-nots. And a toad (there was a tiny one in Lola's garden, and we have a toad house. I must check to see if he's still there). I got the tour of her garden, and she updated me on her planting plans. This week, I will be dividing some of my perennials and contributing to her landscape design (I have too much yellow, she wants more. Happy all around). Then Lola walked home with me so she could check out my new trees (the magnolia is blooming!), and see how well my Acer Palmatum "Bloodgood" (Japanese Maple) is doing this year. As we walked back, we both commented on how the temperature was dropping. Right after completing the grand tour, it started to rain, so Lola headed off home to a warm bath. And I started randomly planting groundcover divisions in the garden, just so they wouldn't dry out and die. Brrr!

Later the same evening, I heard the forecast - frost and wet flurries possible. Which prompted me to run about in the rain and wind to move all my annuals into the garage so they wouldn't be killed before getting into their earthy beds. Luckily, the weather is supposed to improve in a few days. Forecast - me, up to my elbows in dirt, with a smile on my face!

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Whaaat?!

We may have wet flurries overnight. FLURRIES!!!!!!! Ugh, that's it, I'm goin' to bed.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Bushy-tailed Peeping Tom

It's Saturday morning. The kids are at ballet, the husband has taken the dog for a walk (against her will - it's raining, and godforbid she should get wet!). Peace and quiet, interrupted only by the swish of the washing machine and the click-clack of Corwin's overall hooks in the dryer. Except I keep hearing this other noise. It sounds like something banging on the side of the house, but there are no trees that close (or that tall). And it isn't raining that hard, just a persistent drizzle. What on earth could it be?

After hearing it a few times as I made the beds and folded laundry, I finally went and looked out the window. As I was on the second floor, you can imagine my surprise to see a little face staring in at me!!! There was a little black squirrel scampering around the roof over the garage and the porch overhang. I guess he was looking for a dry place to hide from the rain. Sorry, Mr Squirrel, there's no room for rodents at this inn!

Thursday, May 18, 2006

The Affair

Lately, I feel like I have been cheating. I make excuses not to go to the park with hubby and the kids. I claim that I have too much laundry to do, but they should go ahead to the sister-in-law's to go swimming. I don't get everything done that I intend to, because I keep sneaking in these little trysts. No, it's not another man. It's music.

In the past month or so, I have been playing my flute more and more. Lately, I am completely obsessed. I have been working on pieces that I've loved and played well in the past, Mozart and Bach (J.S. and C.P.E), Gluck and Debussy. And I have been taking my time, slowly working on pieces that have intimidated me in the past, from Boehm, Quantz, and Kuhlau. I've even been doing etudes and studies and tone excercises. I have an "oh, just through this section" mentality, then "oh, I'll just play this page". It's like an addiction, I can't make myself stop. I was even a few minutes late to a client's yesterday, because I just had to play both the Minuet and Badinerie from J.S. Bach's Suite in B minor. With repeats.

The weird thing is, I'm so happy. Not that I wasn't happy before, but now I am just . . . content. I don't think I realized how much I missed music in my life, since I use music with clients on a daily basis. But using music therapeutically for others is quite different than creating it yourself, as I'm finding out. From singing in the choir, to the recorder ensemble, and now back to my flute, I have been rediscovering the joy of music in my life. And loving every second of it. Even the wrong notes. I'm not so worried about those, maybe because I'm not getting graded on my performance.

Although I do still have performance anxiety (in public), I have taken a giant leap (for me, at any rate), and joined the Ottawa Flute Association. I am planning on joining one of their flute choirs. Soon. I just need to make the call. After I play just one more part of this concerto.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Best Wishes

Happy 2nd Anniversary

Peaches and Petunia!!!!


Here's to many, many, more.

Who Is Your 80s Teen Movie Persona?

You are Ferris Bueller





Bueller... Bueller... You are the coolest kid in high school and you have all the connections. You are able to lie your way into anything and get away with it… although people are very jealous of your gifts.


Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

I'm Sure His Opinion Will Change!

The other day, as we were driving somewhere, Corwin saw two people kissing. It wasn't a get-a-room kind of kiss, more of a goodbye, as the young woman was about to get into her car, and the young man was obviously staying behind. It was a loving kiss, on the lips, but not overly passionate.

Corwin's reaction?

"Kissing is Be-sgusting!"

LOL. I wasn't sure whether to tell him that the word is "disgusting", or to say "no, it's not".

Monday, May 15, 2006

Grey's Anatomy

Season Finale

They even killed off Doc, the dog,

Where's the kleenex?

damn.

Acorn

I went to the same, wonderful summer camp from the age of eight until I was sixteen. I started at daycamp, and finished as a Junior Staff. When I was in grades 7 and 8, I would go out on the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) in the Spring and Fall to groom horses, clean tack, and help on trail rides. Circle R Ranch was my favourite place in the world, and I still think of it often. I met my very best friend at camp when I was 11. She was the maid of honour at my wedding, and is Clara's godmother (even though they have never met - she lives in Calgary, more than halfway across the country). I'm still in touch with several other people, too.


The thing I loved the most about Circle R was riding. And the horses. Beauford, my first horse, was a buckskin. He was older and very placid. Next, I rode Gambit. She was a horse with a bit of attitude. She was a bay, had a hackamore bridle (no bit in her mouth, just a woven band over her nose), and she liked to rear. Show-off that I was at the age of 9, I liked to make her rear when I was riding bareback. I thought it looked impressive that I could stay on with ease. Ride 'em, cowgirl! Then I started riding Acorn. He was a gorgeous chestnut with a wide blaze that tapered to a slightly crooked stripe on his face, and two long socks on his back legs. He was spirited, but sweet. He loved carrots and apples, and I would sneak him treats every day. His canter was smooth and fast, and he responded to the lightest touch of the reins. His withers wasn't too high, so he was comfortable to ride bareback. On the spring and fall weekends when I helped out, I could spend hours just grooming him, and talking to him. As I got older, I did ride other hoses. Margarita was a beautiful, tall bay with long legs who loved to run. Unfortunately, one time she slipped when we were just trotting, and she fell on me. She was fine, and I appeared to be at the time, but I ended up with knee surgery that winter (a kneecap out of alignment is not so good). Athena was a staff horse because she was a little wild, and had incerdible acceleration with tempermental "brakes" - whoever rode her had to be quite strong in order to rein her in. Just as I was about to be CIT (counsellor in training), and old enough to ride her, she was put down. She had developed cataracts in both eyes, and fell down an embankment. She wasn't hurt, but it obviously wasn't safe for her to be wandering around the fields, and not fair to her to keep her confined. I cried for days when I received the news. Amidst all the other horses I rode, Acorn was still there, and I would ride him when I got the chance. I remember planning to ride him on an evening bareback ride and S. stole him from me. When our group met his, I dismounted and made him switch (S. had just done it to make me mad - ah, the courtship rituals of youth!). In third year university, my parents moved back to London, and S. took me out to the Ranch one day. I was overwhelmed to see Acorn, to stroke his nose and to rub his favourite spot under his mane by his ears. I was I was 21, and he was 22. I thought that it would be the last time I would see him.

A few years ago, Circle R Ranch started an Alumni website, complete with pictures, lyrics to camp songs, and a password-protected Message Board and Story Board. It has been amazing to reconnect with people who were so much a part of my life. There have been a few Alumni events - a couple of mini-reunions, Christmas parties, and Alumni Campfires during camp season. Unfortunately, I have been unable to attend (the Ranch is a 6 hour drive from here). But last year, there was the reunion to end all reunions. It was Circle R's 40th year in operation, and they had a 40th reunion for all of the staff. It was over Labour Day weekend, and it was beyond fabulous. Describing the reunion would be a whole other post.


Except for Acorn. Seeing the corral full of horses was like so many other times in my life. The scene was familiar, but the players had changed. Beauford and Gambit were long gone, and Margarita was put down a couple of years ago. But my baby was still there. Old and grey, no longer ridden, he's living the high life now. He has the run of the Ranch, and at 38, his days are few. It was wonderful to see him, but bittersweet. I was sure I'd hear that he hadn't made it through the winter. I even had a dream where I got to see him again, and say goodbye. But so far, so good. If he is still around, I think I'll make a trip this fall, just to groom him and talk to him once again.

Friday, May 12, 2006

The Trees Are Here

And the black walnut weighs about, oh, 500 lbs. Yikes! Hope Hubby and the neighbour-man have been working their biceps. I'll do the digging, but they've agreed to the moving. (heh heh - they had no idea, did they?)

The Trees Are Coming!!!

Yay, today is delivery day!!! My trees are coming from the garden centre, so I can start digging and playing in the dirt. Of course, it is absolutely miserable out, chilly and pouring rain. I think I'll have to hold off on the digging, or I'll be knee-deep in mud!

When we moved into this house four years ago, there was snow. When the snow melted, it revealed dead sod. And weeds. Lots and lots of weeds. We are on a corner lot, and it was completely embarrassing! This was a former model home, and the people who bought it lived here for about two years. Unfortunately, they didn't take care of anything very well, particularly the grass. The garden consisted of masses of builder shrubs that had not been pruned, and the aforementioned "grass". There was no fence, no deck or patio, just the concrete builder-supplied steps from the back door. And the ugly, uneven cement slab walkway. Granted, as there was documented domestic violence occurring here, the other people may have had more pressing issues to deal with other than landscaping (they sold because they were getting divorced - she finally left him, and took their baby daughter). We knew that the grass was going to need some help (we bought the house in October, took possession at the end of January, and moved in on March 12), but didn't realize the extent.

After many consultations, we discovered that best course of action was to scrape off the dead crud and start fresh. One backhoe, two truckloads of topsoil, a whole bunch of sod, and $5000 later, we had a yard that wasn't an eyesore. Add a fence, a deck, a new walkway, some flowers, and we were on our way. So far, regarding trees, we have a ginkgo, a mountain ash, a horsechestnut, a serviceberry shrub, and there was once a magnolia. It was a short, more shrub-like one. It was going to bloom last year. The neighbourhood rabbit ate the blooms. And then it ate the leaf buds. The magnolia died. The rabbit is lucky that it didn't meet the same fate! (rabbit stew, anyone?) Seriously, I don't mind sharing my garden, and it's cute to see the nibbles out of the bluebell leaves, but I draw the line at the expensive stuff.



So, when I went to buy my new magnolia, I had two criteria - cold hardy (I'll still coddle it and protect from the wind in the winter, but the hardiness rating is important), and tall. That was the only tree I was planning on buying this year, until I discovered that Make It Green, my favourite garden centre, was having a sale on caliper trees. Those are the slightly larger trees that come with the rootball in burlap and bound with wire. So, the approximately $400 black walnut that I had been coveting was on sale for a reasonable $100. Well, of course I had to get it - I had planned on buying one next year or the year after, but c'mon - what a deal!! I also found a tall, cold-hardy magnolia called "Daybreak". It's similar to the Magnolia Soulangiana that I had at our old house, but the flowers are deeper pink. And it's tall!


While waiting to arrange delivery, I made the mistake of browsing. Somehow, I ended up with a Sargent Crabapple as well. It was in the caliper tree sale, and since it had some die-back on a few branches, I scooped it for $25. Like I could pass that up!!! It's a smaller crabapple, and I thought I had the perfect location. And then I looked it up. It seems that this particular crabapple is shorter than most - only 8 feet tall. But it gets about 12 feet wide. Twelve!! Obviously, the original spot I pictured isn't quite going to be large enough, so I'm scouting out new locations. Guess I'd better pick one soon - the trees will be here in a couple of hours!

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Five Factor Personality Profile

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

You have high extroversion.
You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends.
You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation.
Enthusiastic and fun, you're the first to say "let's go!"

Conscientiousness:

You have medium conscientiousness.
You're generally good at balancing work and play.
When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

You have high agreeableness.
You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.
Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.
You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:

You have low neuroticism.
You are very emotionally stable and mentally together.
Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly.
Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is high.
In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.
You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.
A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.


What?! I'm not neurotic?! Gee, I'm kinda disappointed about that. Maybe I just hide it well. :-)

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

A Great Weekend

Even before the weekend began, it started well. Friday afternoon, I gave a talk to a friend's grade 5 class and another teacher's grade 6 class all about music and recorders and flute and music therapy. I brought my flute, piccolo, and soprano recorder (you know, the $8 instrument that you learned a few notes on in elementary school, the one you now hide from your kids/nieces/nephews/etc because of the piercing whistle it makes when they blow in it?). The kids are learning soprano recorder, but I also borrowed from the recorder ensemble I belong to (did I mention that previously?) an alto, tenor and bass recorder. I was nervous, but the kids were interested, and I even played (beyond a few notes to demo the sound) something on the soprano, the piccolo, and my flute. They were so pleased that I have been asked back to present to the other 2 classes who are learning recorder. Coming soon to a school near you!

Friday in the early evening, I went to the barn where my friend's mother boards her horse. I had never been before, but I was so thrilled to be asked to go. The other horses there are all trotters (standardbreds), and several still race. I got to groom Fanny, who never raced because of a broken knee when she was a foal, but went on to produce winning racing progeny, including Annie, who still resides there, and still races. The highlight was getting to sit on a bed of hay in Beauty's stall, next to her 2 day old foal, a colt called Dude (definitely a stable name, not his registered one!). He was gorgeous, and so soft. Beauty was very calm and placid, and was happy to allow me in - once I'd paid her cover charge of a carrot! Dude stood up on his impossibly long, spindly legs, and let me stroke his neck. Heaven.

Friday evening was capped with a movie outing with V. We went to see Mission:Impossible III (her pick). As much as Tom Cruise annoys the crap out of me (I've never been a fan), the movie was entertaining - good action, etc. And Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. (great lips! And an Irish accent)

Saturday was wonderful. Clara went to ballet, Corwin went to a birthday party. After lunch, we all went to bid Hubby's parents Bon Voyage - they were leaving the next day for their Alaska cruise. And then we dropped the kids off at Hubby's Middle sister's for their first sleepover. Woo hoo!! They were SO excited, but not nearly as much as we (I) were. (Hubby's a little bit of a worrier. Not that I'm not, but they're five and a half, and his sister is completely awesome). We came home and I grabbed a shower while he got a few things done, and then we went out for dinner to Pancho Villa. We hadn't been there since we had the kids, although we drive by it every Sunday on the way to church. It was busy, but we got a table right away, and had a lovely dinner (mmmmm, guacamole. mmmmmm, Sangria), and then we even managed to go to a movie. Hubby picked RV, very funny in a National Lampoon's Vacation way.

Sunday morning was so peaceful. There was no mad rush to get the kids fed and organized and ready for church. I even got to sit at the table to enjoy my coffee. Hubby dropped me off at 9:30 (choir practice, the service is at 10:15), and went for a walk. The service itself was really cool. There was a "Non-Wedding". You see, since the Anglican Church is still hashing out policy, the clergy had to agree not to perform same-sex marriages until this decision is made. I think that the church will split over it one day, but as that hasn't happened yet, our Ministers are following the rules. Technically. So, this couple, who have been together for 30 years, decided they wanted to get married. Since the wedding can't take place in the church, but they are very much a part of the congregation, they scheduled their wedding for the afternoon at a nearby community centre. And invited 200 of their closest friends and relatives to attend church beforehand. It was packed!! All of the wedding-goers were very dressed up. It was beautiful. Garth, our minister, talked about the nuptials-to-be during the sermon. And at the end of the service, both Garth and Linda (an associate minister, who is herself a lesbian in a same-sex marriage) asked the gentlemen to come forward for a blessing. Yes, standing up at the front with the choir, I was surreptitiously wiping my eyes. Ah, weddings.

Oh yes. . . Corwin and Clara had a fabulous time at their sleepover, but Corwin was so excited, he didn't fall asleep until about 10. And woke up at 5:30. Too excited to go back to sleep, he woke up Clara. They were well and truly grumpy by the time they came to pick me up from recorder ensemble (I include Hubby in the grumpiness - it's contagious). Real life. Every great weekend has its Monday - some just seem to arrive earlier than others!

Friday, May 05, 2006

Of Bees and Bones

Who knew that a person could dislocate their thumb by squishing a bumblebee? Not me, that's for sure! I mean, I don't make it a habit to squish bumblebees. Au contraire, I entice them to my garden, those wonderful and buzzy pollinators that nature made. I enjoy the delightful "bzzzzzz" drone as they merrily careen from flower to flower, sampling the nectar of each. However, when that sound is heard at the bottom of the basement stairs, accompanied by "Mom, there's a bumblebee in the house", all bets are off!

Yesterday, Corwin alerted me that such an event was occurring. How the stripey beast had come in was beyond me. It was buzzing around the ceiling light fixture at the bottom of the stairs, confused, but at least it was not inside the playroom. I called out to Clara, and told her to go into the basement bathroom and shut the door. I instructed Corwin to remain upstairs, and I slowly walked down and closed the French door into the playroom. Still issuing instructions, I informed Clara that she could come out of the bathroom, and asked Corwin to watch from the top of the stairs to see if the bee came up. Then I ran for supplies.

Supplies? What kind of supplies, you may be wondering. Well, in the case of flying insects that sting, hairspray is your best defense, preferably aerosol. I don't use a lot of hairspray. I still have the same, jumbo can that I had in undergrad - and I graduated in 1991. It's very close to empty, so I also grabbed this sparkle spray (don't ask!) that adheres a fine mist of glitter to your hair with hairspray-like adhesive. I also grabbed a big towel, and then I ran back downstairs.

Corwin informed me that the bee hadn't come up, and I could hear it still buzzing, in what seemed to be a rather perplexed fashion. After removing the cap and shaking the can, I took aim and . . . . . s-s-s-sprayed the bee. It lost altitude immediately, and I kept spraying until it hit the floor, and I threw a towel over it. Then the buzzing took on a decidedly more pissed-off tone. Great, just what I needed - an angry bee. I wanted to scoop it up in the towel and get it up the stairs and outside, but it kept crawling out from under the towel, and I kept covering it. The last thing I needed was a pissed-off bee getting loose as I tried to rescue it, and attempting to exact its revenge. Particularly as our very spoiled dalmatian is allergic to bee and wasp and hornet stings, and I wasn't sure we had any Benadryl in the house.

Suddenly the bee got out from the towel and became airborne again. And the hairspray I was holding died. I was out of ammunition!! Thinking quickly, I grabbed the other can - the sparkle spray. With a mental prayer that this would work, not just get the bee gussied up for a night on the town, I sprayed. It took quite a bit more spray, but I finally wrestled it to the ground with glitter swirling around us. (fyi - the stuff smells nasty when you use that much of it!) I threw the towel over and yelled for Corwin to bring me a really big book. Which he did, kind of. Not the really nice, heavy books that the kids have but one of my gardening books. The coffee table variety, complete with book jacket (fyi - book jackets are slippery and highly impractical in the squishing of bees). I tried valiantly to smush it with the book. It wouldn't die. Damn, bumblebees have nine lives, too! Finally, after the book slipped yet again, I resorted to holding it along the side and trying to squish it with the spine. And that's when the book jacket slipped again, and I felt a funny "pop" in my right thumb. Adrenalin kept me going until the task was complete. I felt guilty as I flushed the little corpse, yet I also had the urge to giggle, as the song "Bringin' Home My Baby Bumblebee" kept going through my head ("Ooh, Eee, he STUNG me!")

All day yesterday, the slightest movement of my thumb cause me excruciating pain. Wow, opposable thumbs really are highly useful - I even had to start the car by putting my index and middle finger knuckles around the key to turn it! I managed to pop it back in the evening, so although it is tender and swollen, I can move it without feeling faint or nauseous. Again, thank God for Advil!

Oh. . . on the grocery list? Benadryl. And hairspray!

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Red Light Zone

My daughter has been flashing. Outside. At school. On one occasion, even at church. For a while, my son was flashing, too. My husband and I aren't flashers. Of course, we would be, if they made those shoes in our size! Clara's sandals even flash. I want some!

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Have Blender, Will Travel


Last weekend, I went on a Girls' Getaway to a cottage. There were seven of us in total, and I knew one of them (actually, I had briefly met another, but it was at a party and I wasn't sure I would recognize her at all). The cottage was near the town of Prescott - which is to say, practically in the middle of nowhere. But it was right on the St Lawrence River, and the weather was beautiful.

The first vanload - four of us - arrived around 6pm, and unloaded ALL of our stuff - which, of course, included a blender for the margaritas and daiquiris we planned to make. Once we got the tour from the owner, we put everything away and chilled out while waiting for the second car (from Montreal), and the third car (from Toronto) to arrive. We decided to get the fire going in the wood stove, because the evening was getting chilly. Not long after, the Montreal women arrived with the groceries, so we put stuff away, chopped fruit and veggies for the next day, and got the chicken for the next night's dinner in to marinate. It was about time to fire up the V's blender, and boy, what a blender it was!!! I want one (so does everyone else who was there). I became the official bartender, and whipped up a batch of strawberry daiquiris (Thank you, frozen Bacardi mixer), followed by a couple of rounds of frozen pina coladas. With dark rum. "Smooth" was a running joke all weekend, because that's how everyone described the taste of the drinks with the dark rum. Somewhere in between the daiquiris and the coladas, the last woman, Fleur, arrived from Toronto. We were all impressed that she managed the hill in the dark (it was VERY long, and you had to back down, unless you wanted to back up when you were leaving!). Nicely done, Fleur! We all hit the hay sometime after midnight, but before 1am.

Saturday morning, we were all up by 8. Coffee, breakfast, showers, lounging around - very mellow. Then we headed into the thriving metropolis of Prescott. Really, we should have driven the extra 20 minutes or so to Brockville, because there's even less in Prescott than I remembered. It's sad when the highlight of the foray into town is watching the courting rituals of mallard ducks at the boat slips. We headed to the Bridgeview Restaurant, so named because it has a view of the bridge to the US. The service was slow. VERY slow. But the food was good, and we weren't in a hurry - we were just hungry! After a quick stop at the grocery store for that night's dessert, we went back to the cottage. I whipped up a batch of margaritas, and 5 of us decided to play a rousing game of beach volleyball. The court is actually up the hill on a flat area where they have put sand. There is one big drawback to the location - if you mis-hit the ball, someone has to run down the hill to get it! Somehow, I don't think our team will be making an appearance at the 2008 Summer Olympics! It was a lot of fun, even though V's glasses got broken (just the arm, so she was able to repair with the arm to her sunglasses). We played for about an hour and a half, then decided that it was time to go canoeing/kayaking.

Fleur, who was our best V-ball player, decided to hang back and video the rest of us. Tamara and Nat went in the canoe, Ms C went in the solo kayak, and V and I went in the double kayak. Let me first say that these are the moulded plastic kayaks, not the kind with the skirt that you need roll-over capabilities. The water was COLD, so there was no way we would risk flipping. Do you know how drippy it is to paddle a kayak? Every time you lift to paddle the opposite side, water runs down and drips in your lap and on your legs. And V, who was in the back, kept splashing me. So I splashed her back! We were a little damp (okay, I looked like I'd wet my pants!), by the time we came back to shore. I jumped in the shower to warm up, and we hung out for a little longer, before finally starting dinner.

We ate around 9pm, but it was wonderful. The wood stove was ablaze, and we were all cosy, with full bellies. We decided to watch a couple of movies. Derailed, with Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston, is a great movie, and then we just put Hitch in for some late night laughs. In bed by around 2.

And up before 8! When I saw what time it was, I went back to bed! I crawled out around 8:20, and helped make breakfast. We had a relaxing morning before we all started packing up and cleaning, ready to head home. Can't wait until next year!