High School Prom

It is July 2nd and my daughter has just left for her high school prom. I am sitting on my lazy boy feeling the way one feels when something impossible has been accomplished. I would be happy just sitting here for about 4 hours just doing nothing and thinking nothing. Only a parent with a daughter who has gotten ready for prom will understand how I am feeling. This event involves buying a dress, buying shoes, buying the tickets, stressing about the dress not being right, buying a second dress that is right, returning the shoes for the 1st dress, buying shoes for the 2nd dress, buying the clutch and hairpiece, having the 2nd dress altered, finding out you can't return the 1st dress, buying the after-party dress, buying the after-party shoes, booking the after-prom room at Grand Bend, getting makeup done, getting hair done, and finally finding out at 3:30 that you are supposed to be ready at 4:30, not 5:30. Today is 10 days after my daughter's 18th birthday and as I sit here, trying to make sense of this whole prom thing, I find myself thinking about the day 10 days after my own 18th birthday.

It was April 24th 1974, the day I got married for the 1st time. I was a young girl, and I hadn't even had my high school graduation ceremony yet. There I was..... 18... married and working full time at a nursing home. I made my own wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses too and I remember my sisters wearing yellow floppy hats. There is no way to explain how wrong the whole thing was, but it happened and I can't say that I remember it as a happy time in my life. But I can use my own life experience to give me a different perspective today.

I saw my daughter today looking so beautiful in the most stunning prom dress ever... hair and makeup perfect and she was smiling and I knew she was happy.... and that we'd pulled it off. Yes, I do allow myself to take a lot credit for the successful outcome of these preparations! And my heart is happy just knowing that my daughter will have a high school prom that she will remember with great joy :) Was it all worth it? Darn right it was! Would I want to do it again? Ask me in 3 months after I forget!

Happy Friday

Today is my Happy Friday off work. I get every other Friday off and I appreciate you all paying your Union Gas bill so that I can keep working there because my job is pretty great. For a long time I was telling people (and myself) that I hate my job, but I no longer do. I always feel unhappy going to work when I think I'm being useless, but right now I am doing some pretty cool stuff and loving it.

Years ago I would have slept until noon on a day off, but 7:00 AM.... there I am eyes wide open and excited that I have a hair appointment at 9:00. Daisy has other ideas about going for a very long walk, but she'll have to wait. Rose of course is still asleep and thinks that since I'm not going to work than she should not go to school. School is winding down nd another year has gone by. Which brings me to the point.... ROSE IS GOING TO BE 18 NEXT TUESDAY!! My last baby is getting all grown up!

Many changes are happening in our family life. NINO AND AISHAH ARE GETTING MARRIED IN 3 WEEKS!! Yes, the cutest couple in the world are tying the knot and we will all be celebrating together on July 8th. We are having a bridal shower for Aishah tomorrow and drinking tea (yum). I wonder if we are playing games.

GIANNI IS GOING TO COSTA RICA TO WORK WITH SEA TURTLES!! The world may tell you that it is an irresponsible thing to do Gianni..... but many days I wish I could throw caution to the wind and go live in Costa Rica for a month. So I say do it! You'll get a job later.... (well you'll have to unless Nino and Aishah are going to adopt you) :)

JENN IS COMING HOME FROM ARGENTINA!! If you have not seen Jenn's pictures in Facebook from her current trip, well you really need to! They are amazing. Jenn will be back for the wedding and bringing Carlos with her too (her very patient boyfriend who has developed a relationship with Skype) and then she will be leaving for Peru a couple weeks later.

GRACE!! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO? Haven't talked to Grace in a while, but last I heard she is liking her new job and moved to a new apartment in Toronto. I think I am due for a road trip to visit you Grace and we'll go out for dinner.

Lots of changes ..... Life keeps happening ...... It's all good :)
.... Now for that HAIR APPOINTMENT!

Walk to the Dog Park

Daisy and I went for a long walk tonight, along the river trail and ended up at the Adelaide Dog Park. It was a perfect night since it was cooler and not humid at all. There's so much to see on the bike\walking path; boys fishing, girls roller blading, old men on bikes, young men on bikes, families walking, mothers with baby carriages. Most people pass and say Hello, or at least smile.

When we got to the dog park Daisy took off like a bat out of hell. She never does that! I am always proud of how she listens and doesn't go far from me. Well we have not been to this particular park for quite some time and she remembered! The thing she remembered was the huge lake-size pool of watery MUD that is at the far end. She could not get to that mud fast enough. I don't know if you have ever seen a dripping wet, muddy golden doodle, but it is not a pretty sight. Or I suppose you might think it was very funny if you weren't her owner! There seems to be different social rules at the dog park than those on the walking trail. People don't talk to people much.. it is all about the dogs. There will be a group of people standing around, not saying a word to each other, all just looking at the dogs .... standing guard in case there should be a 'humping' incident.

Then there is always one guy who brings a ball for his dog. He brings it there to throw for HIS dog even though there are 30 other dogs ready to steal that ball. You stand there and hope that your dog is not going to be the one snag it so you have to do the whole 'drop it' thing and pass the slobbery ball back to its owner. I often wonder .... when dogs and humans are all there together behind the fence.... if the dogs are thinking that we all look stupid and boring just standing there watching them. I believe if they served alcohol in dog parks the owners would loosen up and have a lot more fun. It's a thought.

House Maintenance

It is Sunday morning May 16th and I can hardly move for the stiffness in my body. Yesterday my physical activity was comprised of pulling dandelions, cleaning up dog poop, cutting front and back lawns, pulling out the many weeds that were growing around the bushes and throwing down some mulch. I’d like to point out that I am not a ‘gardener’. I will procrastinate week after week until I realize I have about the worst looking house on the block and then I start out of sheer guilt. But once I get started I don’t stop because I know that I may never get started again.

On the dandelion subject…. I wonder how long it will be before we embrace the lovely yellow flowers and stop trying to rid our lawns of them. I see that many people already have reached that point, or given up maybe; not sure which. Pulling dandelions is tedious, back breaking labour and I don’t care if you have one of those pulling thing-a ma-jigs, its still hard on the old bod. I bought the thing-a-ma-jig at Home Depot yesterday thinking it was a great thing because it had a 25 year warranty. Will I be pulling dandelions when I am 80? NOT! So if any of my children want to place dibs on a great dandelion remover that will last a good chunk of your lifetime you can have it now …… but only if you are willing to pull my dandelions too.

Someone ….. I don’t know who yet ….. put the wrong kind of oil and too much of it into my lawn mower. When I went to start it up so much green smoke came billowing out that I half expected the enviro police to show up. There was only one thing I could do at that point…. Knock on my neighbour-the-mechanic’s door. I wheeled my lawnmower across the street, explaining to the gawking old guy next door my situation. His only response was “it’s a good excuse anyway”. What is up with some people’s brains that they would think I broke my lawnmower so that I could get layed? Some people are so creepy!!

I am having my roof done tomorrow. You can believe that my roof is in a desperate state for me to be doing this because I have not been very pro-active and willing to spend $1000s of $$$ on this annoyance. I have already given a contractor ½ of the money and the shingles have been ordered. Why is it that once you’ve taken that step that everyone and their dog tells you they know a guy that would have done it for a lot cheaper. For two weeks I went around asking people for advice on this and nobody was very helpful; but NOW I’m getting all sorts of stories and tsk tsk remarks. All I can say is…. Whatever….. I’m getting a new roof.

Today??? I’m painting my front door and how knows what else I surprise myself with!

Earth Week

This week a life event has been taking place for my sister and her life partner Blaine. As I have mentioned before, Blaine has cancer and each day his health has been declining more. It looks as if the end may be very near and they are together now sharing their last hours. I read a quote today that goes something like; 'Life is great, death is peaceful, it's the transition that's so troublesome.' All of my loving thoughts and compassion is with them at this time.

This past week has also been Earth Week. I did my best to get involved and do take reducing my carbon footprint very seriously. As I was walking the 8 km home one day I kept thinking about how far it was to my house and getting very tired and frustrated. When I realized that all my thoughts were focused on arriving, I switched to just thinking about the walking. I looked around and noticed everything around me more clearly and even found a new path along the river. Of course this parallels life in general; being able to live each moment, each day to it's fullest. I am grateful for today.

Over My 1st Hurdle

I have not said much lately about this walking thing, because all I have been able to think of is the pain and I’m not much of a complainer. The pain, that moved from my left arch to my left knee, then to my right knee and then seemed to find a permanent home in my right arch. Every step included a sharp jab through my foot, not to mention the stiffness that was making me move like I was ninety. A couple of weeks ago I decided that orthotics would help, so I ordered some and the pain continued, along with the strange feeling of these foreign things in my shoes. Falling back on the old life lesson “just when you get so frustrated that you want to quit, don't give up because things are about the change” I kept going. Today I am elated to have just walked 2 kms at lunch and NO PAIN! Not a single jab  It took a month and 150 km, but I am sure that I’m over this 1st hurdle. The next challenge will be hills. Currently everytime I see one I walk in the other direction.

Yesterday was my 54th birthday and I’m feeling pretty positive about being another year older. I feel grateful for everyday that I am given the opportunity to experience life, whether in easy or challenging times. Next year at this time I plan to be walking across the Pyrenees from France to Spain. The 1st mountain is a steep walk through wooded areas from altitude 50m rising to 1400m. I need to start walking towards those hills!

London's Walking Trails

What a great discovery! How have I never been aware of the great walking trails right near my house? London is just full of wonderful walking\bike trails and there is a map of them all here. I'm still struggling with pain quite a bit though and I have some orthotics ordered. I'm sure hoping they help the situation.
What a beautiful Easter weekend it was! Happy Spring to all.