Friday, June 30, 2006

Just now

I got up from my desk chair
To wander into her room
To write a poem
A sonnet
A love song
About her sleeping
Quietly
Rhythmically
Hair matted to her head with the heat
Something that would help explain
The catch in my breath
My exploding heart
Something more than a photo this time
I stood
I watched
I smiled
I wrote a few words
And I left
Crumpled paper
Returned to my chair
Words dangling
To balance my chequebook
Sometimes it's just best to know your strengths

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Road trip.

Yesterday I got to see this (hope it works, if not, let me know. Yes, I know I shouldn't be videotaping while driving. I couldn't help myself.)

And today, on the drive home, I got to pick this.

Life is good.

Monday, June 26, 2006

June 26, 2004.

Two years ago we were having a better day than we are today. But, I'm going to try hard to forget about our van troubles and the fact that we have to get it towed when it was just at the shop last week. And I'm not going to get too grouchy about the road trip we were going to make today but can't now due to said van. And, I'm hoping J-L will forgive me for being short with him this morning when I had to go pick him up with my car. And, I'm going to forget that I threw a bit of a temper tantrum about half an hour ago when I couldn't find either my wallet or his glasses (which we've been looking for for about 2 days). And if all we can afford to celebrate is a sandwich at a coffee shop tonight so be it.

Surely the day can only get better, right?















Happy anniversary, Moodge! Still one of the best decisions I ever made.

"Marriage hath in it less of beauty but more of safety, than the single life; it hath more care, but less danger, it is more merry, and more sad; it is fuller of sorrows, and fuller of joys; it lies under more burdens, but it is supported by all the strengths of love and charity, and those burdens are delightful." - Bishop Jeremy Taylor

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Sigh.

You are going to be sooo jealous when you hear about my Saturday plans.

This Saturday the three of us are heading out to my boy's boss' cabin.

Ah yes, a FULL day spent with people I barely even know.

But wait, it gets better. The guys are all heading out golfing from there. Mmm. You're getting jealous now, aren't you? I get to spend a day at someone's cabin that I barely know with a bunch of women that I know even less.

I might add, "and don't care to know" but that would just be really mean of me.

Yes, I know, it will be what I make of it. So, I suppose this bad attitude isn't a very good start, hey?

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

The post that wasn't.

Just started hunting for a daycare.
Just tried writing a post about going back to work.
Just deleted it as it was jumbled and disjointed.
Just finished crying for about 10 minutes.
Just sometimes wish that life were simple and clear.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Happy Father's Day!

If I never do anything more important in life I was able to be a part of making this man a father and for that I am forever grateful.
In the hospital

Father and Daughter
-Paul Simon

If you leap awake
In the mirror of a bad dream
And for a fraction of a second
You can't remember where you are
Just open your window
And follow your memory upstream
To the meadow in the mountain
Where we counted every falling starGoing for a walk

I believe the light that shines on you
Will shine on you forever
And though I can't guarantee
There's nothing scary hiding under your bed
I’m gonna stand guard
Like a postcard of a Golden Retriever
And never leave till I leave you
With a sweet dream in your headAbby and her daddy at Christmas.

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loves his daughter more than I love youIn Red Lake.

Trust your intuition
It's just like going fishing
You cast your line
And hope you're getting a bite
But you don't need to waste your time
Worrying about the market place
Try to help the human race
Struggling to survive its harshest nightWalking around Corydon.

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loves his daughter more than I love youFirst time in the swimming pool.

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loves his daughter more than I love youFirst Father's Day - June 18, 2006

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Happy Thoughts.

In an attempt to change my mood, Peanut and I went for a long (nearly 3 hour) walk. And thought happy thoughts. Well, I did, hopefully she was too. Here (along with a few others from today) are those happy thoughts:

- Seeing peonies.
- Hearing a robin sing
- The hot-pink beaded shoes of a fellow pedestrian.
- An unexpected, spur-of-the-moment lunch date with my husband.
- Saying "hello" to the old people out for a walk in the sunshine.
- The river.
- Climbing into the crib with my daughter to chat for a bit.
- Branches bent over from all the flowers.
- Watching the old man pause on the bridge.
- Chatting with the old man.
- 4 families of geese on the river. One with 5 goslings, one with 7, one with 3 and one with 11!
- Little community parks.
- Beautiful lawns and gardens.
- 5 cent candy and some cold water for my walk home.
- The teenager wearing a message shirt: "I’m naked under this shirt"
- My new black shoes. Cheap but check out what they’re called. (Although, I may still return them. Seems silly to buy shoes mainly because of what they're called.)
- Coming home to see my husband’s truck in his parking spot.
- Coming home to some crazy hair on my daughter. (Too much time under a hat.)

The Blues.

Ever have one of those days? The kind where you're just blue all day and can't quite figure out why? 'Cause when you look at your life it would appear that everything is about as good as it gets? AND it's summer and you get to enjoy it more than ever?

Yeah, I've been having those for about three days now. It's nothing serious or anything, just that I'm not finding a lot of pleasure in the little things like I normally do. Sigh. I'm sure if I analyzed my cycle I'd be able to chalk it up to PMS or something but to be honest with you, I get sick of that being an excuse for every time a woman gets a bit low.

I hope it passes soon and that in the meantime I don't eat my weight in bad food.

P.S. And the winner is (drumroll please): Dwight! His comment about looking at the pictures has me laughing still. I'll get your personalized prize in the mail this afternoon.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Thank you, zoom lens.

My second favorite moment at last week's university graduation (the first being obvious: seeing my b-i-l graduate) was the moment I spied the following scene [click on photo to enlarge] off in the distance. And so, I think it's time for a contest. Hit me with your funniest caption. There's even a prize in it for the person who makes me smile/laugh the most. A good prize. (And, if you've never commented before, here's your chance. Just click on the word "comments" below and follow directions.)

Friday, June 09, 2006

Space for rent.

Abby is only using a small amount of her crib for sleeping. J-L and I have talked about it and we are thinking we'll use the rest for storage or something.

When a simple morning routine goes awry.

Step 1: Bathe.
Step 2: Dry off.
Step 3: Climb out of tub.
Step 4: Brush teeth.
Step 5: Apply lotion to face.
Step 6: Apply hair gel to hair.

This morning:
Step 1: Bathe.
Step 2: Dry off.
Step 3: Climb out of tub.
Step 4: Brush teeth.
Step 5: Apply lotion to face.
Step 6: Apply hair gel to face?!

Oh no. Is this a sign as to what kind of day it's going to be?

i carry your heart with me

I needed to ask J-L a question last night. I kept calling his name from the bedroom but he wasn't responding. Finally I walked into the living room to see why. There it is, folks, my heart, asleep on the couch.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Fascinating people

I read the following about a week ago and I can't seem to stop thinking about this woman. I am intrigued by her. Frankly, I think I'd like to meet her. 10 terms?! Still wanting to work at 85!? 92%?! Wow.

Mississauga residents have long revered 85-year-young "Hurricane" Hazel McCallion - in her tenth term she won 92 percent of the vote! McCallion is loved for her energy and her accomplishments, all while transforming a few towns and cities into our sixth-largest city. This multi-cultural centre of nearly 700,000 people has been rated the safest largest city in Canada and has a strong, debt-free economy, thanks to McCallion's pay-as-you-go philosophy. The World Mayor organization recently named her No. 2, after the mayor of Athens.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Mmm.

Does it get any better than this?
Abby down for her nap.
Coffee in hand.
One of my three favorite coffee cups. (Heather, the one you bought me with the artwork of the flatiron building from the Art Institute of Chicago.)
Cool breeze coming in the window.
Perusing blogs.
Nearly all my favorites have recent posts.
Ahh.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Baby steps.

Sometimes it seems rather discouraging but I suppose I need to look at the bigger picture.

My humble garden.

This one's for Dwight & AP (but the rest of you can look too.)












Monday, June 05, 2006

The days that I'll remember well
Have a simple kind of wonderful
-Amy Sky

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Trying to be a problem solver, the best that I know how.

Folks, I have a problem. Well, okay, more than one problem.

Problem #1: I enjoy gardening. I've enjoyed gardening for as long as I can remember. I have vivid memories of helping Mom in the garden at a very young age for many hours at a time. No, I suppose this isn't really a problem but it is in light of some of the forthcoming problems.

Problem #2: I don't own any land to pursue my love of gardening. This wasn't a very big problem until 2.5 years ago when my mother sold her farm and moved into the city. Up until that time I would quell my problem by gardening at her home at least once a month.

Problem #3: I am addicted to garden centres. I've always enjoyed seeing them pop up in parking lots in May but this year, with more time on my hands, I can't seem to stop myself. I have been in a gardening centre or two or three nearly every day now for the past couple of weeks. Just wandering through. Happily. Aimlessly. This week I haven't had a car and yet I am STILL finding my way into garden centres - even if it means walking upwards of an hour to get to them.

Problem #4: I love organized, thought out gardens. I like it when there are plants of varying heights and colour. When there is drama and dimension. This year, I have a balcony and the desire to plant a balcony garden of sorts. I even went to the bookstore and perused books on ways to make a balcony garden interesting and dynamic. I had ideas. I had creativity. I had imagination. And then I got to the gardening centre and it all fell apart. I couldn't stop myself. The colour palette went out the window. The organization gone. It all came down to buying as many pretty flowers as would fit into my humble window boxes.

Alas, no dreamy balcony garden. Nobody will pause outside my balcony gazing upon the wonder; the drama, the romantic setting. Nobody, except for me. Because, you see, it is my little garden and for now, that is enough.

P.S. Before any of you offer, I realize that you would probably happily have me come over to weed your gardens if I'm so desperate. Believe me, it's not the same as having my own. Not even close.