It's BEGINNING to feel a alot like Christmas

I was going to blog about my parents and how much I have been missing them both, but I have read a few blogs where friends are missing their loved ones, and well, it brings tears to my eyes. So instead of writing about how much I miss them I will dedicate this blog to both of them.

I’m slowly getting into the Christmas mode. Yep that’s right, I said slowly. I used to cuss myself for waiting so long to get things done and then having to rush to do things. In all honesty, and my friends can vouch for me on this, I do my best thinking and am able to get things done so much better when I do things on the spur of the moment. This year it’s going to be a wee different than our so called “traditional” Christmas. This year our Christmas Dinner will be held on Boxing Day. All the kids have moved on to start their own lives and over the years I have been spoiled by having Christmas with my kids all to myself. Well this year things are changing and I’m ok with it. All the kids have announced that this Christmas Day dinner will be spent with their significant other’s parents. I knew it would happen one day and I was prepared for it. So changing my schedule a bit and giving up earning overtime pay to work on Boxing day I will be setting the table for the usually feast with the kids and their other halves. It’ll be a bit different for sure but hey, life is too short to not accept changes to routines every now and then.

This weekend if all goes the way it’s supposed to. I will be shampooing my carpets to get ready for the holiday season. I have a short work day on Saturday which makes things a lot easier, since Sundays workday is a long one. The following weekend we will be setting up the Christmas tree and putting out the holiday décor. I have no doubt that Bentley will be in his glory and will be straining at the bit in order to explore the newest addition to the living room and then do the “doggy snatch and run”. I can already picture a few more of the decorations that I was able to pry from his jaws last year, being consumed while in flight from his capture.

I hope everyone had a wonderful week and I hope your weekend will be filled with fun and excitement.



Phyllis Muriel Josephine(Smith)Dawes…May 30th 1938 – November 24th 1987
William Albert Morris Dawes ….January 27th 1934 – August 9th 2009

Mindless Chatter

Well I was certainly questioned in a round about way in regards to my previous blog. It was nothing to serious but it WAS something I had to get off my chest. I am tired of following the so called way and telling people straight out how I feel, because it does no good. The ones that I am aiming my so called daggers at seem to always look for a reason why I feel as I do. They don’t acknowledge that they could be the one that hurt me, instead they turn around and say wow, you really are P.M.S’ing and then laugh it off. So I keep my mouth shut, smile my purrrrrty smile and then rant and rave through my typing up a blog. It works for me and that’s all that counts. Anyway I feel a whole lot better and even though my eyes had bolts of erratic sparks flying from them on Sunday as I ranted and raved, one of the usual hockey players said I smelled nice. I can laugh now, but the poor guy was terrified to come in and pay me…lol




Tuesday night was rather a fun night at work. Even though my P.I.C and I were not really in the Christmas spirit, we got to work setting up the Centers Christmas Tree. I tried like heck to download a Christmas music cd in time but well, I had to bring 2 cd’s that were not to the liking of a certain Partner In Crime. I can’t get pissy though because she did pick up the hint hint of bringing coffee. We gossiped, giggled and chatted as well as passed a few whispers as the Center began to fill with patrons. There was one older gentleman that grunted like the Grinch when he saw our project in action, and teased about how he didn’t like what we were doing, but in the end, he compliment my skills in decorating and winked while giving a growl about still not liking Christmas. In all honesty the night passed quickly for a change. I just wished all my late nights would go by that fast.

I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. I know I am, since I am done making change for a while!!!!!!!

PMS or things that needed to be said....you choose

Steps up onto the podium of self indulgent rantings about anything and everything. Looks out over the calm colourful pages of my blog. Every so often I decide that I need a good self indulgent pity party and since this is my weekend to work and very long hours at that, I have to hike up those big girl panties so far that I have a wedgie! Instead of letting loose and having my tongue work over time, I have to write my rantings down. Good grief, when the mind is thinking faster than the fingers one sure does make a lot of typos. Thank goodness for spell check. Taking a deep breath I begin to feel the different letters starting to form words and the huge bust of air that spills the words from my mouth like a flooding river. Over the last little while I have had to bite my tongue to keep sarcastic comments from spewing past my lips. Oh lord how I want to just go off on a rant and not care what I say or who gets hurt. I am tired of always being the one to be over looked. I’m tired of people saying just ask and when I do nothing ever comes out of it. I’m tired of having to ask if I can tag along with others, having them say sure and then not informing me that they have gone and did the exact thing that I was hoping to be included in. Hells bells if you don’t want me to tag along just tell me up front. Don’t lead me on thinking that I will be included and then just sneak away. I’m tired of other people whining and bitching about anything and everything they can just so people will notice them.

Inhales deeply…wow, that really felt good!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, now I had that bit of time to let loose, I feel like smiling again. Friday night I was able to get out and buy a few newer more modern decorations for the centers Christmas tree. On Tuesday night my P.I.C and I will be setting it up and decorating it. I am in the process of making a new Christmas music cd so that we can hopefully bring the spirit of Christmas to the center as well as into our own hearts as we go about decorating, drinking coffee (hint hint) and doing the usual gossip…that’s work gossip…geeee…do you really think we would gossip about anything else?????. I’m sure that will make Tuesday night fly by. A few days ago I spent a bit of time talking to an old friend. We reminisced about old times and even had a tear or two thinking about the past. Then last night after I got home from work and was relaxing on the couch I was talking with a friend that has been in my life a short time, but have made our own memories of things we had done recently. A while ago I made a comment to someone that I have many friends, but less than a handful of friends that I can say actually have a place deep in my heart. Those friends deep in my heart will always be there. I know that no matter what I can turn to them and they know they can turn to me when the chips have fallen. I guess since the big one is fast approaching I have begun to take a look at where I have been, and where I am going. I haven’t done anything on my bucket list recently, but come the New Year I intend to attack it full force.

The weekend hasn’t really been too bad thus far. I worked all day yesterday, and will be working all day today as well. It does make for a very long weekend having the hours drag but, but hey, that’s life. I can’t complain since I am getting the hours. Like I said in a previous blog, I won’t start bitching and complaining until the snow flies and the bitter winter is in full swing. Yesterday the center was pretty busy with the different rentals as it will be today. The weather is really dull and damp, but at least the temperature is rather mild. As of right now I am sitting in the office, looking out the window, the radio is on and Phil Collins is crooning out “In the air tonight”. I can’t help but think back to an excursion I did on my own a little over a year ago. It’s funny how one song can make a whole web of memories flood back into your mind out of the blue. I guess that’s just the mystery of ones mind. Anyway, onto a new week filled with, well, hopefully only good things!

Happy November!!!!

Well after trying like hell to find someone to cover my shift on Sunday I was finally able to. It’s nearly impossible to find anyone to give up their Sunday of relaxing so that I can tend to things in my personal life that need to be taken care of. Thank goodness the need to have someone cover my shift wasn’t an emergency situation. But low and behold a sainted angel said she would. I really do owe her big time. Since Christmas is coming and the lack of hours and money has stretched her far beyond her limit she jumped at the chance. There will certainly be something extra slipped into her Christmas card this yr.

Another Halloween came and went. Since my kids are all grown and so have the neighbourhood kids our street has become very quiet on Halloween night. We had roughly 25-30 tricker treaters this year. It was a few more than last yrs count, but still very quiet compared to our friends street who had reported over 100 kids before the 8:00pm mark. The next morning low and behold I counted 4 Christmas commercials on T.V and that was just during the morning hours.


Yesterday I had the full day and night off and it was so good. I cleaned most of the day so I could just sit back and relax during the evening hours. As it turned out that was a good thing since I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning chatting with a friend online. We hadn’t connected in a long time and it felt so good catching up on what each other had been doing over the past few months. I ended up spending most of today dozing on the couch since I am not used to staying up as late as I did. Now, here I am at work as per my usual Tuesday night shift. It’s one of the longer nights I am here since the last team finishes up at 10pm. By the time the center empties, I lock up and go home it’s usually well past 10:30. I’ll take the dogs out, change into my jammies and sit back with a glass of wine unwinding before I go to bed. I can’t believe how quiet the house is when the other half is working nights and there is no snoring rattling the doors and windows. Even the dogs seem to be resting more comfortably for a change!



This is the last week that our Supervisor will not be sitting behind the office desk when we arrive in the mornings. She comes back next Tuesday from her vacation. Oh joy! I am certainly going to milk every last bit of “unsupervised” time and enjoy it to the fullest.

Nothing exciting

Warm flesh is being pressed out first by a firm hand and then a remote is pushed and a wall of classy modern looking steel pushes down on the said warm flesh. After being given directions the other side is done. Another set of instructions are given and as the walls of this machine tilt and move closer I am forced to snuggle up to the body of this machine. After what seems like an eternity but in fact was only 13 seconds on each side, I was told to sit. Although the person was friendly and very caring I still wanted to get back into my top and escape into the mild night air of an October evening. Yes my dear bloggers I had the wonderful experience of a mammogram. Although it isn’t all that painful I am glad that I don’t have to feel the discomfort of it for another 2yrs.

After spending a nice lazy relaxing day at home I was able to drag my arse into work. There were a few items that were left on the desk by one of the main office staff and since our Supervisor is away on vacation I tended to those items first thing. The first ball hockey group is now on the floor and the center is quiet. Wow, that’s usually not a thing I am able to claim here at the centre. I think I am just going to bask in the glory of a very mild night at work!

sweeping out a bit of dust

What a tiring weekend. Yesterday I covered the centre for my P.I.C and spent all day down there. Everything ran smoothly and nothing exciting happened, so it seemed like the minutes just dragged by. I was at the center by 9:30am and by the time the rental group upstairs had vacated; it was 6:00pm. With the supervisor off on vacation there is no usual pile of work left on the desk. I was able to do a few things to have ready for next weekend and straightened a few things here and there. I spent a bit of time talking with a good friend on the phone and even gossiped a bit on Face Book, but the minutes just crawled by. It’s funny how tired one feels when they are not doing anything except sitting. When I got home it was the usual chores of making dinner and straightening up with a few choice words as an appetizer to a certain person who also did nothing all day except watch T.V. When I win the lottery, not only am I moving to the tropics, but I am also going to have staff to wait on me hand and foot. I have been the waitress for years and I would dearly love to feel the luxury of being waited on for a change.

Ok, there is nothing worse then a whiner so I will stop right there, pull up my big girl panties, blow my nose nice and loud and put on a smile since I am at work again. When the first sports group arrived this morning it helped my mood a bit since every one of them said good morning with a smile as they passed the office on the way to the gym. The second group is slowly arriving and as usual I have a few chatters from that sports group who always seem to stop by and spend a few minutes talking about how the past week went. It makes me feel good that they feel comfortable enough to spend some time talking with me and yes, some talks get rather personal. (I can just imagine the gasps of shock on some faces when they read that). Oh well, if your jaw is open and dragging the floor, please close it and take it how ever you want. Oh and if you decide you need to gossip about my last statement add a bit if spice into it please, I enjoy colourful and steamy gossip.

Ok, I guess I’m done for now so have a wonderful fun filled Sunday and remember…..

Be thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of your nose!

Happy Day after Turkey Day

What wonderful weather we had this year for Thanksgiving. The temperatures were a bit above normal and the sun was shinning. I couldn’t ask for a better fall Sunday to have the big feast. All turned out well and everyone had more than enough to eat. After desert was consumed everyone pitched in to clean up and then we all sat back with a glass of wine and relaxed. My brother came into town and ended up staying for dinner which was an added bonus. With mom and dad both gone now it makes us siblings even closer. Well it makes my brother and I a lot closer now. My two sisters…well that’s another story. Sometimes there just isn’t any fixing to family links that have rusted and spread apart and we just have to except it and move forward.

Today I had my first physical in more than 13 yrs. I know damn, stop gasping. I shocked the Doctor as well, but it was not my fault that my old Doctor retired and I wasn’t able to find another. Anyway, even after 13 years I was given a clean bill of health. Yes P.I.C., my iron is a taaaaad bit low, but not enough for medication. Daily iron pills should take care of it. (If I take them on a daily basis) even my cholesterol level was good! Anyway, I did have a slight scare with my blood work. It seemed that after my initial blood work, I had to go and have another blood test. It seemed there was a problem with my electrolytes and the Doctor wanted to double check. Well after all is said and done, everything is fine. Everything is in tip top shape. It seems the lab took a bit more time than usual to run the different tests and when blood sits in the vial to long, the blood starts to separate and all sorts of different and funky things happen to it. Now I am doing the happy dance, because well, for some odd reason they did not do the usual dreaded “Pap Smear”. I’m not sure if they forgot, or whether the physical is kept separate or just what, but I was not going to remind them. I’m sure when I least expect it, I will get a call and when my eyes focus on the caller id I’m sure my woo who will spasm in despair. I am also scheduled the “breast crusher” test at the end of the month so that will be a joy in a half….NOT. This is the time of year when people start getting excited and start planning their Christmas holiday cheer. Me…I have this poem AND vision in my head I just can’t shake. It really is haunting me. T’was the night before my mammogram when all through my head, visions of flattened udders followed me to bed……

Tonight I am sitting here at work. My supervisor left nothing for me to do, so hence my blogging and facebook log in. Thank God the City has not banned facebook on city computers………yet.

Oooopppps a facebook message just came in…time to chat for a few….got to go….. ttyl….lol

Have a good night everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving

Not much has really happened lately, well not anything worth writing about. I’m back into the routine of working and as the colder weather approaches so do the busy hours. All the groups have returned and when I’m not home I’m usually here. I’m not going to complain either. Well not yet anyway. I’ll give it until the nasty bitter cold winter nights are here and then you’ll hear me bitch, but until then, all is good.

Things seem to be on an even keel at work since one co-worker has yet to come back. It’s good not having to control the muttering of ones words quietly under ones breath as a certain person complains and bitches about every little thing. Hopefully she has finally decided that it was time for her to move onto the next stage in her life. Our Supervisor finally got around to the dreaded “Job Evaluations” and low and behold I had an excellent one. Usually there was something she said that I needed to improve on and even though I have always done the best that I could it was never good enough. Over the years I was constantly compared to others and that pissed me off a lot. This time as she talked to me she did say she was impressed with my work ethics and that I have come a long way. She said she was very pleased at the way I have grown within my duties and that she knows I will continue to do so. The funny thing is, I haven’t changed anything. I am still me and even my co-worker would agree, there is nothing different about my work ethics. I really was impressed when she noted that I have a good rapport with all the user groups. I guess the customer service smile really does pay off!

Time seems to have just flown by. Here it is almost mid October; I’m sitting here at work, looking out the office window and seeing all the trees that where filled with green leaves 3 weeks ago have now turned to brown, red, orange and yellow. Our back yard is usually covered in early morning sun, but this morning, even the sun didn’t keep the frost off the grass. Yes fall is really here.

This morning before heading off to work, I stuffed my turkey and set it in the oven to start cooking while I do the customer smile thing down at the Centre for a few hours. I know I’ll come home to a house full of the wonderful aroma of turkey cooking. All the kids will be here this year and that’s a really nice feeling. This year I was able to escape the “Out-Law’s” coming to dinner. I have no idea why the “God of Sanity” spared me this year, but hells bells I owe her big time and will be secretly smiling and giving thanks for this years reprieve.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Scritchen my head

Wow...I really don't know what to say...so I'll say nothing.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaackkkkkkkk...to work that is!

Hi Hoe, Hi Ho, its back to work I go….and in all honesty I am glad I am. I have spent enough time sitting on my ass doing absolutely nothing. It was heaven for the first 40 days or so, but then I really started to get into the *couch potato* routine. I can’t say that I was bored, because I wasn’t. I did find things to keep myself into trouble. You know what they say, “A well behaved woman never makes history”. Anyway last Tuesday night I was back sitting in the office with my customer smile and chatting with one of the usual Tuesday night patrons. The sports teams are slowly making their way back as baseball and gulf season are wrapping up and the Camera Club had their first meeting. Wednesday night was another of the usual sports rental groups and today yet another sports group started. Turn out today wasn’t the greatest with this group but a coffee was still delivered to my desk with a smile saying it was good to see me again. I will say it IS good to be back.

It doesn’t look to promising for the preschool program, and that’s ok by me. I guess maybe I am slowly fading out from this part of my job. I have been doing this for 15 yrs and even though it usually adds more than a bit of humor to my life I can see this coming to an end, especially in this particular centre. Oh I’m not saying I am going to give this job up, I’m just preparing myself for the word to come down from the higher powers that preschool programs will no longer be available in our Centre.

It’s hard to believe that the first day of autumn is only 11 days away. Sitting here, looking out the office window I can see the leaves starting to turn colours and the chestnuts scattered over the walkway. I’m looking forward to all my supervising hours and I am sure I will find many interesting happenings as another fall season begins.

The end to a good summer

With a glass of tea in hand, slippers on my feet (cause damn it’s cold out) and covered up in a nice fluffy blanket I will now finish off the Summer 2010 Blog.

After the trip horseback riding with some good friends I knew I was hooked, so when I was invited to go 2 weeks later I didn’t hesitate. Sis in law wanted to go so off we went. Last time I went, I was given a horse named Rosy to ride she was laid back and very calm although she and the other female horse Maggie seemed to be having female issues with each other. This time Bob the guide said I was ready to tackle Baize. He was a cream colored male and rather feisty at first but he calmed down after about 15 minutes. Again we trailed through the meadow and into the wooded area. Once again I had a ball and I look forward to our pre-planned fall ride with my co-workers.

The trip to Casino Rama was excellent. The weather was crap, but seeing Kris Kristopherson live was well worth it. He is amazing. It was just him, his guitar and harmonica. He had no back up band and spent an hour and a half singing ballads to the hushed audience. Everyone was in awe of this 74 year old singer. His voice just seemed to carry everyone away. He was gracious enough to come back for 2 encores as the entire theater continued with standing ovations. He was definitely the high light of Casino Rama that weekend. After the show we all decided to chance Lady Luck in a few hands of “Three card Poker”. Well let’s just say Mr. Visa will not be getting any extra payments since Lady Luck must have been on vacation that night. A few people did hit the mark on the slot machines, but there was no way I was going to chance losing any more money. Besides, I was born in the wrong year and the Irish Horse Shoe certainly is not riding up my arse.

I did a few day trips to Port Dover to indulge in the famous Arbour dog and to quench my thirst with the equally famous drink the Golden Glow. Anyone who visits Port Dover knows that you can not leave without walking along the pier. Every time I was there the pier was crowded with fishermen and women of all ages. Even the youngsters were having a ball casting out their lines. There was the odd pier jumper and people soaking up the sun as the hot August heat baked their skin. To me, Port Dover is one place I can never get tired of visiting. I'm hoping to make it back a few more times before the Port closes up for the winter season.

It's hard to believe that the summer season is drawing to a close. The last major celebration that brings my summer to an end is our annual fish fry. Mother Nature really tried to rain on this event and suceeded on our first attempt so much so that we had to cancel.But as the last long weekend of summer came to a close She missed raining on one day. Anyone who knows me, knows that I work best under pressure so after carefully eyeing the forcast I manage to through together another attempt at the Fish Fry. Granted the weather was not the greatest and rain did threaten to fall on my parade, we marched on. The grill was lit, the fire was burning and food was cooked and enjoyed by all ending off the Labour Day holiday of 2010 on a happy note.

One more crossed off.........

Humid air, clouds and sun, the smell of a stable, the whinny of horses and the old song “Raw Hide” playing over an outside speaker greeted us as we pulled into the riding stable. There were 4 of us on this excursion and all of us had excitement in our eyes. Well except for one who’s face was filled with panic at the mere thought of what she was about to do. She knew she could back out, but deep inside she knew this was something she wanted and needed to do for her own sake, so she pulled up her “big girl panties, sucked it up like a princess” and signed the papers that needed to be signed.

It was time for the horses to be led out into the mounting area and with more courage than I have seen in my P.I.C she was the first one to enter and was the first one that mounted her horse! Kudos to you P.I.C. since I know what courage that must have taken.
It took a bit of time for all of us to be introduced to our horsey companions and then after that our guide Bob led the way down the trail. It was down a stony hill and across a vey small creek, up over a grassy meadow, through a beautiful forested area and across another meadow before slowly making our way back to the stables. I have never felt so peaceful and serene as I did on the back of my horse Rosy. She did all the work; I just had to guide her every so often to stay on the trail. I can honestly see how the love of horses can happen so easily.

We did make tentative plans for a ride in the fall. That trail will be absolutely amazing when the leaves change colours. After the ride it was off to have a bite to eat at Boston Pizza since we had all worked up a huge appetite. It really was an amazing day spent with some wonderful friends. Life is great when you don’t worry about the little irritating bumps along the way!

Another Link added

Omg! I’m writing yet another blog and so damn soon after my last one!
I just happen to be in an extremely good mood. This summer has been a very good one for me and aside from accomplishing not much of anything I was still making fun and exciting things happen. This blog will be short and sweet since another will follow with in the next few days.
Last night my circle of friends grew by one more. We all went out for dinner so I could introduce her to everyone. We all had a great time and the night quickly passed with a few drinks and many laughs. It’s great to add one more link to my circle of friends.

The Lazy-Crazy-Hazy Days of Summer 2010

Steps up the rickety stairs to the door of my blog. Lordy it’s been ages since I was up here. Oh well, hopefully I was missed, or I should say my insane blogging was missed. Well let’s see…pulls up a dusty old chair and cleans the cobwebs away so my eyes can actually see what my fingers are telling you as they glide along the keys of my keyboard (and stop laughing at what I’m typing. I haven’t even got to a laughing part……….yet!)
Anywhoooo, I feel like I should be lying on a couch in my shrinks office since I’m going to blabbering away for a while, so go make a tea… coffee or depending on your choice of drink (mine is a margarita) sit back and read the insane ravings of D.M’s summer thus far.

Ok, stepping back to the beginning of summer I really didn’t do too much except laze around watching T.V during the day. It’s really easy to become a couch potato given the right frame of mind and honestly my mind has been on hold for a long time now. The only thing missing from this couch potato scenario is the chocolate bon-bon’s. Oh yes I forgot. I did receive a small box of chocolates on the last day of the programs, but I ate em all up that day. Yep that’s right I did. One must never have chocolate around when one is watching T.V because they will never last. So to make sure I would not get into the habit of needing the said sweets I ate them when I got home from work. There that problem was solved. I really am good at problem solving when I need to be. So to end this section of my summer, June passed by in a rather un-eventful way.

Now stepping up a bit, the month of July held a few funtastic things. The first being the Canada Day bash in the back yard, but I already posted about that so no use in tiring my fingers telling you about it again. The next event was the Out-laws family reunion. Oh good lord, that was NOT fun. I hiked up my big girl panties so high I walked around with a weggy for the entire day. It was the most uncomfortable butt wiggling thing I had to do. And yes, I am talking about my weggy as well as attending this event. They have this thing every year and it never changes. (be right back I need another margarita….cue the theme from Jeopardy while I go make one)
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** ok I’m back. Now where was I? Oh yes the reunion from hell…err I mean the other halves family event. The nightmare began when I woke up on the day of this event. I swear Mother Nature did it on purpose. By that I mean she made the day so frigging hot that it actually did feel like I was in the deep bowels of hell (temperature wise). Anyway, like the nice person I am, off we went to this non-blessed event. We did arrive a wee bit on the late side (accidentally on purpose) but hey that was all good because apparently we missed the first part of the usual drama. It turned out that someone was left off the guest list (I could only be so lucky!) once again, but came anyway. This didn’t go off to well when the said person and his spouse arrived. They were not sent away but we were told it was like the parting of the Red Sea as they walked into the back yard. I’m not sure how this couple rates when crowds part for their arrival. Hell I just get the silent treatment. If the Out-laws ever part for me I have it all planned out. I will surely walk through the crowd doing the Queen’s wave! I really must talk to this couple and find out what they did to have such an honour bestowed upon them. Aside from literally melting from the heat, the day dragged by ever so slowly. I got the usual silent treatment, a few quirked eyebrows when I did speak and even received a fake smile from dear old mom in law, bless her heart! Oh the joy I am feeling as I look forward to next years reunion (time for another margarita….cues the theme from Jeopardy again)
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
The next major even was my side of the family’s annual barbeque. We stopped calling it a Family Reunion a few years back since my family has grown smaller over the past decade. Anyway this year my cousins from the States were able to attend. As usual Mother Nature tried to rain on my parade and she did succeed with a day full of major downpours, but I was not going to let that stop me from having a good time. Yes I had to squish about 45 people into my house, but it turned out ok. Even my other half enjoyed the day(which by the way he bitched about for weeks prior to the event). My Aunt and Uncle from Sharbot Lake even surprised us by knocking on the door. Now my Uncle well, he’s a story all on his own and made us all laugh by memories of our past. You see, Uncle Jim was born with an eye affliction. He’s not really cross-eye’d but his pupils wiggle back and forth constantly. As children this freaked the majority of us kids out. When Uncle Jim is looking at you, you never know since his eyes move constantly. He purposely did things to each and every one of his nieces and nephews just to freak us out. By the end of the day we all had a turn at Uncle Jims glances. The house finally emptied around mid-night and I stayed up talking with my cousins (who spent the night) till about 2am. We all were a bit groggy and hung over the next morning, but managed to go for breakfast at Cora’s a Family Breakfast/Brunch Restaurant. After we finished my cousins took the exit to the highway and headed home. I spent the day cleaning up and then fell into bed at around 8pm that night.

Stepping into this month (August) the final event I will write about on this blog is our camping excursion. Well damn it was fun. I wasn’t sure if this ole body was going to be able to withstand sleeping in a tent for 2 night’s but I did it! We went to Pinehurst Conservation Area campground with good friends of ours and even before the sun set we were in stitches. Our friends had not used their tent in 10 yrs and omg they forgot how to set the damn thing up. Even my other half pitched in trying to erect the thing but to no avail. That led to a quick run to Crappy Tire in Paris to purchase a cheap tent. By 10pm we had the campsite all set up and were finally able to relax with a few beers and coolers. Mother nature again tried to ruin my fun by sending the temperature down to a very chilly 10 Celsius. Little does Mother nature know that when one has consumed “some” alcoholic beverages the cold does not affect you. So haha Mother Nature…no brownie points for you this time! The guys spent their time out fishing and catching up on old times while us women sat at the campsite reading, laughing and getting to know each other better. All in all it was a fantastic weekend. Old memories were renewed, new memories were made and we all promised to do it again next year.

My next posting will be about an event that I am sure will make history as well as a few sore bottoms…….stay tuned for the next chapter……….smiles all sweet like thinking about my P.I.C

Great Friends = Fun Celebrations!

I hope everyone had a great Canada Day Celebration. The weather was absolutely wonderful. The sun was shining and it wasn’t to hot. The night did get a tad bit cool, but that didn’t hamper any ones fun. I spent the day straightening up the house and organizing the back yard since the celebration plans took a small detour. We did attend the festivities, but not until late afternoon. We went to see our good friends perform on the main stage and Nancy sure can belt out some wonderful sounds. Her vocals kept the crowd dancing and singing along. The band was absolutely amazing as they accompanied her through 45 minutes of classic rock, blues and a bit of jazz. We wandered the park for a bit with some friends and then left to go have a quick bite to eat. We were supposed to stay and watch Michelle Wright, but had decided earlier in the day to have a get together of our own at the house. So it was off to Wendy’s to get some food and then made our way to Mohawk Park and had an impromptu early evening picnic. It was wonderful to spend time with good friends laughing and joking around for an hour or so. We all went back to the house to settle in for a night of fun, music and drinks. As the night cooled down we lit a small fire in the chiminea and poked fun at the silly things we did as kids. We were a group of 10, but we must have sounded like a huge gathering as we laughed and joked around. Frank and Nancy stopped by and poor Nancy was talked into giving us a private show, although it didn’t take much to talk her into it. She loves to sing and belted out one of my favourite old time classic songs “Born to be Wild” along with a few more. Our celebration finally started to break up just past midnight. We are planning another get together on Labour Day for our annual fish fry and corn roast to end the summer of 2010 with a bang.

Ok, now I have procrastinated long enough. It’s time to get the backyard cleaned up. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Happy Happy Summer!

Well I think enough time has gone by and now it’s time to get serious with my blogging. Well not too serious since I’m not really a serious person. Ok I can be serious but most times I like to add a bit of comedy to my life. Ok a lot of comedy since I really don’t have too much to blog about. But here I am blogging about nothing really to serious.

I’ve now been done work for 2 weeks, although I did go in last Thursday night for a rental. I have let my Supervisor know that I will not be able to cover any more summer rentals. There comes a time when giving rest to ones mind and body comes first and I think I am do for some major rest and relaxation.

Canada Day is fast approaching and for a change we’re going to attend a few of the celebrations. Our good friend Frank from “The Frank DiFelice Band” will be playing a set of Jazz music and his wife Nancy will be singing. A few more stage shows are scheduled after that and then Michelle Wright makes an appearance. I’m sure the Merlin Ontario born country singer will keep the crowd enthralled. I for one am looking forward to this years Canada Day celebration. A few days after, that I will be attending the “obligatory” family get-together on the “out-laws” side. That’s sure to bring many grumbles…err I mean laughs making the day seem never ending..errrr I mean it will be a good day.

I do have a few things I am looking forward to during the summer and one is my family reunion. We started holding them every summer about 10 years ago and then decided every other year would be a better idea since a few are quite a distance away and a few are even from out of country. My State side relatives are coming this year, well at least my 2 cousins. Their spouses don’t have their passports yet so they may have to stay State side unless their passports come through in time. Either way it will be wonderful to see my cousins again. I’ll have to stomp, holler and start the silent treatment if the other half won’t give up his “guitar room” so I can once again make it into a weekend guest room. Just in case he refuses I do have a few invisible fairies fluttering around here and he just might come home from work and find his prized instruments set up downstairs in the basement, safe secure and well away from the “GUESTROOM”

Another outing I am looking forward to is a night away in August. We will be checking into The Casino Rama Hotel, taking in a Kris Kristofferson show and then trying our hand at a weeeeee bit of gambling. I’m not one for gambling, but hey it’s something different and it could be fun. All credit cards and debit cards will be left at home, with only a certain limit of cash on hand. We’ll spend the night in the hotel and then make our way back home the next day. Maybe, hopefully Mr. Visa can be fed a little bit extra soothing his ruffled feathers a tiny bit, or maybe not! I guess I’ll just have to see if “Lady Luck” will be shining down on me.

Until next time fellow bloggers…enjoy life and if life hands you lemons, make a margarita and enjoy!!!!!

Time to catch up......

Ok so here is another dive into my corner of the world. As everyone has noticed, I’m not like most who blog and post everyday. Number 1 sometimes I just don’t feel like blogging and number 2, sometimes it’s necessary to keep my thoughts inside until I can straighten them out in my mind. Oh don’t be presuming there is something wrong because there isn’t…. I’m just me and that’s how I’m wired! Now, that’s been cleared up hummmm, let me think…what HAS been happening in my corner of this great big world.

Over the May 24th weekend I was hostess to the Out-Laws 55th Anniversary Gathering. There were more than a few tense moments and even a moment or 2 when I honestly contemplated a few rather criminal acts upon some of the Out-Laws, but than thought about Big Bad Bertha. You know the one you always hear about leading the Women’s Prison cell block and I took a time out instead. Damn good thing I had placed a bottle of chilled wine in the workshop out back! It poured buckets, but I was snug as a bug in a rug inside the workshop. I did have to make a showing so as sweet as I am I snuck back inside, did the hostess thing for a bit and then took Bentley outside into the pouring rain to have a wee bit of exercise. All I can say about that weekend is…”thank god it’s over!”

I do have to say though, that because of this Out-Law Gathering it added many steps to my over all total in the Walking Challenge. At the end of week one Doug’s Diva’s were in 12th place out of 23. That’s not too shabby at all. I’m just waiting for the last walker to send me her totals and then I’ll submit the totals of week 2 to the one in charge. Hopefully we will move up on the scale since I’m working my butt off to keep my totals as high as possible. As I said before I have put a challenge upon myself and I am striving to keep up with my own personal wager. It does help that have a dear friend who keeps the encouragement going.

Work is coming to a seasonal end for me and I could not be happier. Yes I do enjoy my job, well at least one aspect of it, but in all honesty I’m starting to feel worn down. The Supervisor has told us that we are due for our evaluations and I’m not really looking forward to that. It doesn’t matter how hard I bust my ass for this place for the programs I never get the evaluation I think I deserve. I can almost recite word for word what it will say, but this year I’m not going to worry or become upset. I’ll smile and sign the paper without batting an eye. The next evaluation will come from a different Supervisor so it will be done fairly. By fair I mean that the new Supervisor (the one that has been recommended for this posting) seems to take an interest in ALL areas of the centre not just how much revenue they can pull in. She is more a people person and will be a welcome addition to the centre.

Speaking of the centre one co-worker in particular had her evaluation and as expected it was not good. In all honesty she has surpassed her time as one who can perform her job in an efficient way. I feel bad for her but on the other hand there needs to be a point when one has to admit to themselves that they have earned the right to enjoy life after work. She has admitted that she will not go quietly so during the next couple of months there may be tension filled hours. Thank goodness my work season will be finished in 2 weeks. Hopefully everything will be settled come September when we return. The Supervisor we have now will be there when we return but will be finished at the end of 2010. She did say she may have to come back a few times a week until everything gets settled with her replacement. Oh goodie goodie…NOT! Oh well…we will survive!!!!

Well I guess I have rambled on enough and it’s time to sit back with my feet up and a glass of wine in hand to watch the last few minutes of the second period of the Hockey game. GO CHICAGO…..

A Renewed Agenda

She huffs and she puffs and she tries with all of her might, but it’s certainly not to be able to blow a house down. Its day 3 of the Walking challenge and although it might seem like nothing to some, I never realized that when one counts the steps or rather when one has their steps counted then it’s harder than what it seems. It has to be noted that among the 6 walkers on our “Walking Challenge Team” I am the oldest so therefore I have something to prove to myself. One of our walkers spends 1 hour at the gym everyday, 3 other walkers are young Parks and Recreation employees and are constantly flitting around town every day of the week and one other walker uses her elliptical machine every morning. I’m the oddball out. I gave up my stationary bike years ago and opted to just be myself but included in “when and what I eat.” Well thanks to this walking challenge I had to dust of that old stationary bike and with a few modern “homemade comfortable alterations” I have been doing a daily 1 hour ride first thing in the morning. The first morning I felt like I needed to crawl up the stairs and slither into the bathroom since my legs felt like they didn’t have any bones or muscles in them at all. During the day for some odd reason my butt cheeks decided to protest by having every muscle there clench up and hold tight making it very difficult to walk let alone sit! By the end of the first day the pedometer registered 9,007 steps. Only 5 weeks and 6 days to go! The second day I awoke to screaming muscles but I forced myself to get back up on that bike and crank out another hour of stationary riding. I took Bentley on a walk and then turned around and took Abby for a walk. I don’t know whose tongue was hanging out the furthest by the time Abby and I returned. I had to work last night and since the upstairs was the area in use I manage to do 7 laps around the gym. One of the members of the rental group last night is a good friend of mine. When the group broke for a break my friend came down to chat a bit with me. I told them about the challenge that I was taking part in and this friend accompanied me on a few laps. They suggested that maybe, to make it easier, to set a goal for myself. They suggested that I should try and exceed each daily total making this challenge easier and more fun. I took this into serious consideration. It turns out that my friend was just elected Vice President of this rental group so we celebrated by walking a few laps! By the time I got home and got myself ready for bed I had exceeded my last day’s pedometer reading. My total for last night was 10,583 steps. I awoke this morning still very stiff and sore but with a renewed agenda on my plate. I decided that my friends suggestion was a good one so that’s what I intend to do. Each day I will find different things to do to keep my feet in action. I intend to exceed each daily total. It’s funny but this morning’s bike ride was still painful, but not as bad as the 2 previous mornings. I just glanced at my pedometer and broke into a smile. It’s just past the middle of the afternoon and I’m already close to equalling my last night’s total! I maybe the oldest but don’t count me out just yet!

Happy Saturday!

What a beautiful day today. The sun is shinning and it’s not as warm as I’d like it to be, but I’m not going to complain. My hours have gone way done so unless there is a new rental that comes in, I won’t be working Saturdays anymore until the fall. I do work the last Saturday of this month and it’s an all day shift, but I can handle that. Yesterday my supervisor asked if I could work the next 3 Wednesday nights for a hockey group and without hesitation I told her I couldn’t. I have to pat myself on the back because I was able to say no. I figure enough is enough and to be honest I think I have worked these tired bones right down and I do need a bit of down time to be able to do what I “want” to do, not what others want me to do. The pay checks will definitely start to suck, but as the old saying goes “ you can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

I really don’t have any plans today and that’s just perfect since I can do what I want when I want and not worry about anything. My house was volunteered to be the host house of an impromptu gathering for the *outlaws* 55th Wedding Anniversary next Saturday, so I guess I will have to make sure the back yard AND the inside of the house is cleaned. Dear God, I am praying the weather will be good so everyone can gather outside. I am not looking forward to the lip curls of the *outlaws” because there is a stray dog hair or cat hair somewhere.
Tonight we are going out for dinner with a group of friends and that’s sure to be a few hours of fun and laughter. It’s weird when you think about it. We all have friends yet there is only a small handful that you feel you can really count on. That’s not to say the other handful are people you can not count on, I just mean that with certain ones I feel included, not just a second thought on their mind. Most times I am the one making phone calls and saying “hey lets go for a coffee, or hey lets get together for a night of fun”. I’ll be honest, it makes me feel wanted and loved when a friend calls ME and says say’s
“ hey lets do this, or go here.” So here’s to tonight. A night of fun and laughter!

Tomorrow I have another full day at work. The Sunday contracts do not end until the end of the month but that’s only 2 weeks away. I’ll then have my whole weekends free! Whatever will I do with my free time? ( that was typed with a huge assed grin on my face).

I hope everyone enjoys this beautiful Saturday (holds up my coffee mug in a toast to everyone) and here’s to a wonderful Sunday to follow!

I'm a Diva...or at least one of Doug's Diva's!

Ok so here is a new one for me. I was asked to participate in a Walking Challenge for City Employee’s and with a wee bit of hesitation I decided to join. Each Team will consist of 6 walkers and each walker will be given a pedometer and a record sheet for recording their steps each day. At the end of each week they will tally their steps and send the Team Captain their tallies. This will go on for 6 weeks and at the end of the 6 weeks the team with the highest amount of steps will receive high praise as well as a small gift. Well now, I was asked to be Team Captain and agreed and wished the challenge started today since I had to walk up to our Human Resource Centre and collect the different things that would be needed and walk back home. It might not seem a huge distance but believe me it is. Anyway our team name is Doug’s Diva’s and with a pedometer clipped to our bodies we will be counting every step we take starting Monday for the next 6 weeks.

Proud to be called a Mother

Mothers Day 2010 turned out to be one of the best so far. Over the course of the last 5 years there has always been some sort of drama in my life putting a damper on this day. This year there was nothing, at least nothing that I couldn’t handle. All 3 of my kids were able to gather in the same place and at the same time to spend time with me and let’s face it, if it wasn’t for the kids I wouldn’t be celebrating this day. It’s hard to image my kids in the same room at the same time without having some sort of spat but (hark…cue the singing angels) it happened! Not only were they in the same place at the same time, they actually joined forces and made my favourite dinner…. lasagna. I had no clue this was happening since I did have to work, but upon arriving home I was pleasantly surprised finding all 3 kids laughing and joking around as they cleaned up while dinner baked in the oven. It felt wonderful coming home, relaxing with a glass of wine just listening to their playful banter. With dinner over it was onto a very calorie-filled desert, a slice of my all time favourite sweet pie was served, Mississippi Mud Pie. This is the type of pie that one can only have maybe once a year since the sugar clings onto ones hips for weeks after. After this dinner and desert I will certainly have to try and wash out the sugar by downing lots of water today! All in all my kids gave me the best Mother’s Day in years. I’m not sure how long their “friendliness” will last but it sure felt good and it was really a proud moment in my little corner of Motherhood. I hope all Mothers across the globe were able to enjoy their special day.

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!

How many times have you laughed so hard you actually pee’d your pants? Well today I did just that (thank god for extra absorbency panty liners) OMG…what a morning it was today at work. You really had to be there to appreciate the full sequence of events, but I’ll do my best to tell them the best way I can. Today is the one day that we have a very small class and by small I’m talking only 4 children in this class. 99% of our Thursdays are calm and quiet but there is the 1% where we just can’t seem to keep our wits about us. Whether we completely lose control of the 4 children or those small innocent bodies gain control over us is something we just can’t figure out yet. Anyway, today’s craft was one of the usual spring time crafts I have been doing over the last 15 yrs of working at the centre. We crafted our own version of a chia-pet, only we call it Mr. Grass Head. The craft is simplified by using a marker decorated Styrofoam cup filled with dirt and topped off with a layer of grass seed. Well this week I decided to use googly-eyes, small pompoms for the nose and a smile made out of coloured crafting rice only instead of telling the children it was really called, I called it coloured sprinkles. The first 2 children did their craft no problem and they had fun doing it. The third child is a miniature drama king and well with a few other ummm, I will be polite and call them “oddities” is always adding a bit of comedy to his weird behaviour. Anyway I sat down with this child and begun to explain the craft. I named everything that we would be using and turned my head for a split second to wipe my hand on the cloth. I turned just in time to see the child scooping a bit of the “coloured sprinkles” into his mouth. I immediately told him not to do that and told him that even though they would not hurt him they were not to eat and that they taste yucky. Well OMG…the look on his face was priceless! His eyes grew very wide and round, he wrinkled up his face and his head started to spasm and jerk. He immediately tried to gag and spit the “sprinkles” back into the container and then his whole body started to shudder and jerk as though he were having a complete out of this world body seizer. I tried to stay in control of this situation but it was just to damn funny. I was laughing so hard I was crying and peeing at the same time. He looked so funny twitching and jerking and said as plain as can be that it was not funny. Well hells bells P.I.C was laughing hard and so was I. I couldn’t stop. I tried…honest I did. In order to calm him down I hate to eat some of the “sprinkles” to show him that he was going to be ok. Well damn they DO taste yucky and I tried like hell to NOT wince and shudder myself. I sat for a good twenty minutes with the gritty crunchy “sprinkles” caught in my teeth and with a smile on my face all to keep this child calm and happy. Well we succeeded in having this child complete his craft and with a smile on his face to boot. This day is definitely one for the books!

The Last Few Days

Hummm, what have I been doing over the last week? Well not much but that’s ok since I needed the break of work and stress. I passed my First Aid course with flying colours so that was a load off my mind. I really don’t mind the actual written test but it’s the “practical’s” part that I have a difficult time with. I dislike being the center of attention but in order to pass that part of the course you are given a life saving scenario from the Instructor. You are given no information other than what the Instructor visualizes in her mind and in a speedy and efficient manor you have to perform first aid as others watch your every move. I’m just happy that I don’t have to go through that again for another 3 years.

Friday I went and had my hair done since it really needed to be cut again. The high lights are a bit blonder than usual but hey it hides the silver/grey strands that are trying so hard to reveal my age. Every so often I get a compliment on how one can not believe I am as old as I really am. Now that just might be politeness on the other person’s part, but hells bells I’m going to bask in those types of compliments as long as I possibly can. I am eating my own words since I was a big advocate about growing old gracefully. Holy creaking bones batman, there is no grace in creaking bones, crows’ feet and that damn made-up name of laugh lines. All I can say is thank goodness for firming creams and toners to hide those frigging wrinkles and crevices!

Saturday I had the full morning to myself since the other half went fishing. Yahhhhhhh! Fishing season has now begun. I do send my condolences to the different species of Trout but if push comes to shove I’ll stock the damn rivers and creeks with fish myself. Anyway, I spent most of the morning chatting with a friend online and then spent some time on the phone talking to another really good friend. Saturday afternoon after the other half came home and cleaned up we were off to Port Dover with good friends to have dinner and a few hours of fun and laughter. Boy the memories sure flooded back as I sat next to the window looking out over the lake. As always the perch dinner was to die for and we all left the restaurant stuffed and content. It was rather windy and cold as well as drizzly but I just could not leave Port Dover until I took a walk on the pier.

Sunday morning I was off to work. It was good since finally the sports groups are ending and the usual first group were not coming so I didn’t have to be to work as early. The second group are still active for at least another 3 to 4 weeks and the third group that have been coming are still booking week by week so I’m not sure when they are ending. Unless there is a booking that comes in I will finally have my Saturdays free. There is one rental coming up at the end of May but that’s about it. Sunday night after dinner I sat back with a glass of wine and just watched whatever was on T.V. Now I could really get used to that.

Monday was dedicated to housework, and with my music cranked I boogied with the broom and sang into the mop handle at the top of my lungs as the 2 dogs and cat sat watching with puzzled looks on their faces. It was a good day over all and I topped it off during the night with another glass of wine and my eyes glued to a rugged, nasty, foul mouthed moody yet sexy man. Yep that’s right. My eyes where riveted to Hugh Laurie A.K.A…Dr Gregory House.

Today I had to calm the clothes hamper down by doing laundry. The expanding and bulging sides were crying out for relief. So being the caring person I am, I dragged the over flowing hamper down the basement stairs only to find out that the 2 long fluorescent bulbs hanging above the washer and dryer were burnt out. Taking the flashlight that I always keep handy, I was able to fish out a small table lamp from the pile of misfit odds and ends at the back of the basement. It really is rather spooky being in the dark basement with only a small 40 watt lamp giving off dim lightening so I can do laundry. Any how, I managed to ease the burden of the hamper and I think I actually heard a sigh of relief as it collapsed back into its normal shape. Between folding laundry and watching T.V today I think I had a very hectic day. (please humour me and picture the woman on the commercial sprinkling flour and water over her face to appear she has been very busy).

I am now at work with my bestest customer service smile, greeting all that walk through the doors. I’m here till 10 tonight, and then it’s home for yet another glass of wine before I go to bed. Ok, stop saying another night of having wine? I have a few ready excuses. Wine goes flat fast. It’s a big bottle and well I don’t want the wine to suffer so I need to finish off the bottle!

Just my thoughts.....

Recently a subject came up between a good friend of mine and my self regarding the issue of trust and deciding on whether one could trust or keep quiet. It was a good conversation to get into since we both have our own experiences with trusting others. It took me a while but in the end I gave my trust to this person and have not been disappointed or hurt by them. I am one who watches, looks and listens not only with my ears, but to the subtle or not so subtle topics of conversations and have learned to read between the lines. I do want to make it understood that this blog is in no way related to any one particular person and is only for the purpose of my thoughts and feelings to this topic.

We all need an ear and or shoulder from time to time, some more than others and that’s where the issue of trust comes into play. Not all of us have the means to seek help from a professional. Whether it’s because of funds or just plain mistrust it’s just not something everyone is able to do. That’s why I watch and listen to people I feel close to. Read between the lines and then take the scary step into confiding to them. There are a few parts of trusting someone that I have a problem and those are judgement and voicing ones “advice”. Maybe it’s because I have been judged on my actions one to many times and in a way we all are, but it’s the vocal judgement of not being understood. Damn does that make sense?

To me and again this is my thoughts and do not pertain to any single individual, when I need a shoulder and someone to talk to or confide in I may need a gentle nudge to get me on the right path again, but one thing I do NOT need is ones vocal opinion telling me how and why something should be done. Even if I ask for someone’s input that person should be able to read my mood and demeanour especially if that person is classified as a truly dependable good friend. Honesty is NOT always the best policy in my book. That’s just how I feel. I might tick some people off but oh well, that’s life. I have found a true friend that I feel comfortable confiding in and although it took a bit of time to trust that person I could finally see that they would not judge me nor offer advice even if I asked for it. Is this sugar coating? I don’t think so. I believe that if a person is truly seeking advice, they know deep down what should be done, and they are only looking at the confidence as a means of getting prepared in their own way to deal with the situation at hand. It was said once that a good friend should listen with their hearts and not by the ears or lips.

Ok, steps down off my soap box and wishes everyone a weekend filled with fun and relaxation.

Oh what a morning!

I’m not sure what is going on within this mind of mine but for the last few days I have not been with it. I’m losing track of my days as well as feeling like small pieces of my brain are shrivelling like a died up prune! Maybe it’s because my P.I.C covered for me on Tuesday night while I attended the first half of my First Aid course. I have been told that once you hit a certain age any change can screw you up big time and I now have to agree. Tonight I finish the last 4 hours of this damn course and as long as I remember SAMPLE……RICE….A.B.C and 2x30x5 I’ll be ok. I will be able to work out my frustrations on the dummy and chest compressions, so that will be an added bonus.

I do have to give myself a wee bit of credit after this morning. My P.I.C had to leave early due to an appointment, leaving me to end the last half hour of the program myself. When the program started at 9:15 this morning I was busy doing my famous improvised craft of the day. I wasn’t really paying attention to the little girl and her mother when they arrived. Little did I know that the mother had asked my P.I.C if it was ok if her daughter kept a few tiny toys with her for the morning? Of course it was ok and my P.I.C eased the mothers mind as well as made the little girl happy knowing she could have her favourite toys with her. Well to make a long story short. I had no idea these toys were with this child and when it came time to clean up and have the parents pick up their children those 3 tiny toys were no where to be found. The mother was upset as well as the little girl. The mother kept telling me how sad it is that her daughter’s toys were not going home with her. So me being me, I tore the bins apart with no luck. It was getting late so the mother had asked that we try to find them and then call her so she could come pick them up. I assured her we would and she walked out hand in hand with her daughter mumbling about how sad it was that her child’s favourite toys were gone. Hearing this I could not leave the building until I had found those so called cherished toys so I tore out all the toy bins that were placed out for the program and dumped them out on the floor. I had no idea what the toys looked like and we do have many small toys. Well my mind seemed to have kicked in and when I ran across 2 toys that just didn’t seem familiar to me I went running out to this mothers van to see if these were the M.I.A toys. Sure enough they were…BUT…there was one more that just HAD to complete the set. So back in a I ran, rummaged through the toys again praying that I would find it. Well low and behold I found it and with seconds to spare I made it back out to the van to hand over the toy to the mother. They drove off happy as sin as I walked back into the building muttering quietly to myself “if the toys are cherished so much then leave them home!”

Ok now I have ranted a bit I feel soooooooooooooooo much better!!!!

Sunny Sunday

Wow, the sun is out once again and is helping to warm the dampness that seems to have burrowed deep into my bones. It’s supposed to be a good day with temperatures reaching16c. The nights are still supposed to be chilly, but we are still averaging above normal temps so that’s an added bonus.

I have finally come out of the funky funk I was in and I feel like my old self again. It helped having a shoulder to lean on and empty all my garbage onto that shoulder. I was never judged nor questioned and that made me feel a lot better. I’m just going to chalk everything up to the end of the winter blues and now that spring is here I can get on with bigger and better things!

I have seriously started to write about myself. I’m not being conceited nor do I want attention, but it is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. Oh I have always loved writing and have started many times to write about my life, but for some odd reason and without me realizing it my words become fiction and take on a whole different version of events. Maybe it’s the romantic side of my self and the way I wished things had turned out, but never the less it becomes fiction. But no more. I am starting at the very beginning of the trials and tribulations of what’s gone on inside the world of D.M. I have no idea how long it will take, or if the content will be suitable for public reading, but I will continue. Hey maybe one day I may become a published writer, but if or when that day comes, I will be writing the truth as see through my eyes.

Today is a regular work day for me and with the sun shinning into the office and the friendly faces coming and going I can tell it’s going to be a good day. My usual Sunday morning coffee was just delivered with a smile making it an even brighter morning thus far. I was told once that I seem to always write about my work days and I have no excuse to say about that. I don’t have a group that I sit and chat with while doing a much enjoyed hobby, nor do I have a place that I can go to weekly to offer my services to a cause that is important to me. So there for my blogs are irregular and are mainly about my work life since I seem to be here more than any other place. At least for a little bit longer. The majority of rentals will be ending by the end of this month giving me some much needed personal time. I think I have finally come to grips with what’s important to me. This job by far is not going to make me rich, and as far as Mr. Visa goes, he’ll be squawking every month whether I work or not. I have even turned down some extra hours that have been offered to me with no other excuse except I just don’t want to work them. My kids have all grown and moved out of the house to begin their own journeys so I have the house pretty much all to myself. Well, not really since the children I just mentioned seem to come back when they are hungry or laundry needs to be done. I just hope they remember me with good intentions when I’m old and grey and when it’s time for the roles to be reversed!

A Wonderful Holiday Weekend

Easter weekend 2010 has come and gone, and what a wonderful holiday weekend it was. The weather was absolutely amazing and with having my Sunday off it was extra nice. While the other half was doing his weekly church routine, I was out soaking up the sun. It was cool but in the sun it was pretty damn warm. Warm enough to sit on the back deck in my jammies having a coffee and watching Bentley run off some of his morning energy. I was able to catch up on some chit-chatting with my next door neighbour and make plans for summer bar-b-ques. We both caught the rainbow that followed the slight rain the evening before and in fact a few of us had our cameras out. I was able to get a picture of the first rainbow of 2010.

Easter dinner turned out exceptionally well considering the in-laws blessed us with their presence. Along with the usual ham and all the fixings that go with it, I was able to keep room for a slice of warm blueberry pie and a scoop of ice cream. I figure to hell with the diet for this day!

My foot is continuing to heal although the swelling and bruising seems to be taking it’s time. I received an email that made me laugh regarding the pride that seems to get stronger as one gets older. Although we all hate to admit it, we are not as agile as we used to be. The pain we might have after taking an unexpected spill does not compare to the pride that seems to flood every nook and cranny of our inner selves. I’m not sure why that is, but at least my pride was able to take the brunt of the first 5 minutes of the pain.

Happy Easter Weekend!

Wow, what a wonderful Easter Weekend so far and with the forecast predictions it’s supposed to be a wonderfully sunny and warm Easter Sunday. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend and may the chocolate fantasizes of this weekend be a good one for all!

Between the cloud and the sun the day looks promising even though I am working today. I had a coffee delivered to me by a friend who was in the neighborhood and decided to drop by for a bit of a chat. The usual Saturday morning hockey group is in the gym and an upstairs rental is here to decorate for a birthday party later in the day. It’s days like today that I really don’t mind working since everything seems to be falling into place the way it’s supposed to. Even though the weather is breaking some warm weather records, I’m sure Mother Nature has a few surprises in store. The end of the sports rental season is slowly drawing to a close as some of the groups have cancelled the remainder of their bookings until the fall season. That in it’s self is a good thing. At least for me it is. Yes the pay will suck, but I will finally have some time to myself. I do have my days off, but it seems that those days are spent doing all the household chores that I’m not able to complete throughout the week. So far it’s only been wishful thinking that I can sit in the sun and relax having my morning coffee, my afternoon tea or a glass of wine on the front porch watching the early evening sun slowly sinking into the horizon. I’m really looking forward to that!

Accident, clumsiness or just plain careless. I haven’t decided which it is yet. Yesterday I was going down the basement steps taking a load of laundry down to the washer. One minute I’m holding the basket the next minute I’m on the floor trying to figure out what the hell just happened. It would appear that wearing slippers is not a good idea when one is walking down carpeted stairs since the sole of my slippers are damn slippery! Damn did I land hard. My wrist is rather tender since I instinctively caught most of my weight by breaking my fall with my hand, but my foot seemed to want to go in a different direction causing it to turn outward. Damn that really does hurt. Thank goodness I didn’t hear a snap or a crack, but my foot is 2 sizes thicker than what it was only moments ago. I now have a really colorful bluish tinge starting from my ankle all the way to my toes and damn, I’m limping….. son of a &***&. Getting my shoe on to go to work today took a bit of careful maneuvering, but I did it. It’s damn tender, no let me correct that and be as blunt as possible. It hurts like hell! But I will hobble my way through the day with a smile pasted on my face.

Last night I spent a good 2 hours icing my ankle and chatting on the phone to a good friend of mine. We both started reminiscing about the days of long ago and how things were so different back then. We chatted about our kids, our lives and things we wished we would have done and other things that we would have done differently. It’s amazing all the little memories that we have tucked away in our minds that seem to appear out of no where. We shed a few tears from laughing so hard and spilled a few tears of pain and sorrow as we talked about the rough times in each of our lives. My foot was killing me by bedtime, but oddly enough I had a good nights sleep. It felt good to be able to actually feel like I have connected with someone

A Mind-Set Change

I’m pretty much back to my normal self and feeling a lot better. I’m not sure if the mental and physical domains of my self combined, was what was making me feel so yucky, but I was going through the whoa is me attitude thinking that I wasn’t really important to anyone and no one really wanted me around. It felt like people didn’t want to include me in on anything making my hurt feelings ten folds bigger thus making my physical wellness suffer. If anything, I have learned that I have to conquer my own feelings and suck it up since complaining and whining won’t get me anywhere. There is no room for pity parties anymore since it does no good in the end except make me feel worse. Even if I stood up and said what had bothered me it wouldn’t do any good since there would be reasons and excuses and that in turn would just hamper my feelings of needing validation. So I’ll do the next best thing and tug up those big girl panties I always boost about and just continue on as usual. Now, onto a better topic.

Saturday was my day off and usually I use that day to do housework and laundry, but this Saturday I helped my son move into his apartment. I can only hope that he has finally lost the extra 230lbs called his ex-wife for good and has gotten back onto the right road again. Sunday was a regular shift for me but the day seemed to fly by. My Supervisor had left some work for me to do and even though it was a tedious task it made the hours fly by. Today I had the entire day off and to be honest I didn’t do a damn thing. I know the housework has been calling my name, but hey…my selective hearing seems to be starting to develop again. I’m sure all the pet hair, dust bunnies and the blanket of dust that seems to be attracted to every surface in the house will be there tomorrow. Oh well, time to curl up in my jammies with a glass of wine and enjoy a night of relaxation watching tv.

Yucky last few days, but feeling better now

Sometimes I wonder how much the human body can take when it comes to being ill. The last few days I have felt like absolute shit. It started Thursday afternoon and today is the first day I have actually felt a wee bit human. Thursday night I had to drag myself to work but ended up spending the majority of my shift in the upstairs bathroom. Friday I spent all day on the couch fighting off the chills. Saturday was another day when I should have stayed home but was unable to due to work. It’s a good thing it was a short day and I was home by 2:00pm. I spent the rest of Saturday snuggled on the couch with a big thick blanket. I must have fallen asleep in the early evening because next thing I realize I am being awakened saying I had to get up for work. I looked at the clock and wow it was 7am. After a quick shower I was off to work to be greeted by a co-worker who does nothing but complain about how shitty her life is. Sometimes I just feeling like saying “shut the hell up”, but I keep my mouth closed, nod and smile and listen with one ear. Thank goodness the first group started to file in and I was able to concentrate on work. The morning hasn’t been too bad and was made even better by a smile and a coffee from one of the usual Sunday morning patrons. As I glance at the clock I see I only have a little over 3 hours to go. Then it’s home to change into some old sweats and my slippers and just relax since my next shift isn’t till Tuesday night! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!!

Just Memories!!!

I’m not sure what made me think about different blasts from my past but it happened. Some of those blasts are wonderful memories while others are filled with sorrow and hurt. I think I have come along way and even though I have not, nor will I ever forget the hurtful and sorrow filled memories, I have come to terms with them and laid them to rest. I think the time during my dads brief illness and then his passing, brought to light a few emotions that I didn’t want to deal with but ultimately had no choice. I have spent many countless hours piecing the so called puzzle of my life together and now I can say with confidence I have succeeded. I can not say what the future will hold, nor would I even want to know, since life is only as good as what you want it to be. I am the keeper of my stars and with that being said, on to more happier memories………

My first kiss. Wow when I think back I have to smile. A boy named Arthur. At 10 years old he was my first kiss. I’m not sure if it was fireworks I was seeing, or the thought of feeling the slap upside the head from a very strict mother if she ever found out.

My first slow dance. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Warren Edge. His arms wrapped clumsily around me and we danced to The Beatles song “Hey Jude”. At 13 years old I thought the song was never going to end.

Then high school started and my life took on it’s own personality. In other words at 14 years old I began the rebellious stage. I smoked ground up tea leaves rolled in cigarette papers and felt guilty as hell when my girlfriend and I snuck beer out of her dad’s fridge and drank it. I did feel guilty, but damn it was fun! We went to un-chaperoned parties and threw a few of our own. My body felt the stinging scratches of falling into bushes when I was so drunk I couldn’t stand let alone walk.

I then joined the Sea Cadets and was seriously going to join the Navy. I did some pretty outrageous things during that period of my life. The main one being a group of cadets, including myself went on an unsupervised weekend camping trip to Brant Park. Needless to say there was alcohol and guys. It was that weekend that I lost my virginity. Being 15 at the time, I thought I was all that and more. Wow did I have a lot to learn about life back then! I felt teenage love and cried nights on end when I thought my broken heart would never mend. Its funny how often your heart can be broken and mend. It may hurt for a long time but down the road when one has matured to a certain degree, you can look back at all the heart breaks and actually smile thinking about them as you shake your head and say “what the hell was I thinking?”

I look back now and can smile as I recall the countless bike rides I took with friends along with my true and devoted friend Mr. Crud. May he Rest in Peace somewhere at the bottom of the landfill site. I have come along way down the path of life but Robert Frost says it all “ I have miles to go before I sleep”. I know the path of my life is mapped out before me and I might take shortcuts and do stopovers on this path, but all in all I AM the keeper of my stars.

A Sunny Spring Like Weekend

What a beautiful weekend it has turned out to be. It’s been fairly mild and the sun has been shinning non stop! Even though I am working as usual my work days couldn’t put a damper on my mood. Thanks to the shinning sun and the warmth along with a couple of very long phone conversation I am feeling great. Can you believe that next Saturday night we turn our clocks ahead giving us more daylight!! Then the following week is the first day of Spring!!!!

Yesterday was a full day at work starting at 9am and ending at 4pm. I really have to laugh at the way some of the patrons try to get out of money owing from them. The usual Saturday morning hockey group has been promising to pay up on their “User Group Insurance” and yet each week there seems to be an excuse. They promised last week to pay the amount owing and then when all was said and done they only wanted to pay a meager amount. Our Supervisor has told us that the remaining teams must pay this week, no ifs and or buts. Well when this team decided that they couldn’t afford to pay the insurance this week I pulled a bit of weight and told them they may be risking their hockey time next Saturday morning. I informed them that our Supervisor has been told to collect the money or the ones owing will not be able to use the facility until the Insurance is paid. Well my goodness the money magically appears and this group IS able to pay the Insurance after all. Now don’t get me wrong. I think this Insurance idea is stupid and the majority of rental groups can not afford it, BUT, we do not make the rules. We are the so called front line and in that we are to enforce the rules and regulations sent down from the higher powers. Then I ran into a situation yesterday afternoon when a Birthday Party rental had insisted that they had paid for their rental by credit card. Now most times that is done, but in this case it wasn’t true according to the computer, the office receipt binder, rental agreement and my supervisor. There was a note stuck to this person’s rental agreement stating that she still owes. This note was written by my supervisor letting me know I was to collect payment. This person swore up hill and down that they paid, but the computer was saying” nope you didn’t…so pay up now!’ Again I pulled a bit of weight and told her that if there was an error and I am charging her again, then there would be an immediate refund. She begrudgingly decided to pay and left in rather snitty way. I smiled my best customer service smile and wished her a wonderful day. Now, as I said, my P.I.C and I are the frontlines to this facility and we are the ones that catch hell from the patrons when they are not happy. Because of this reason, I shifted through the trash and retrieved the note that was clipped on this person’s rental agreement that said they still owed for their rental and tucked it away safely. The note is written in my Supervisors hand writing so therefore my ass is covered if there WAS a mistake in the higher ranks of the “Booking’s and Payment’s” area. I have to pat myself on the back because I was able to handle both situations yesterday without breaking a sweat and worrying about whether I did the right thing or not.

Today has started out in a good note as well. Even though the sun is trying hard to keep shinning it’s still promising to be a sunny and warm late winter day. The first hockey group is on the floor now and the second group is starting to file in. I have to say that all the groups I do supervise during the weeknights as well as the weekends are a really good bunch of guys. They are always friendly, stopping into the office to say hello and if time permits they will start chatting away. Most of the people from all the groups that I do supervise have been coming to the centre for years. I myself have been employed here for 15 yrs come March 14th, and have seen many happy, sad and worrisome times for many of these people. I know sometimes I bitch about working here and how unfair things can be at times as well as challenging and maddening, but all in all I do enjoy my job as Facility Supervisor. Many times I have to fight back my laugh with certain complaints. Like when a regular patron came into the office this morning and asked if we had added more chlorine into our water. He said last week when he took a shower that the smell was over powering. Now I know this is a City Wide Public Facility, but we do not have any control over what is added to the city wide water supply. This complaint was coming from a man who refuses to use a cell phone due to the electro radiation field that could soak into his brain causing “God knows what damage to his brain cells” Needless to say there is never a dull moment when it comes to listening to complaints from patrons! Now I’m sure with a little help from the Baileys Company and Folgers; It will be “The best Part Of Waking Up” and I will love my other job classification as well! Especially on Friday.