First Long Weekend of the Summer!!!

I hope everyone is havining a wonderful Victoria Day weekend. I have to say mine was busy and fun. We were invited out for dinner Friday night and it turned out to be more enjoyable then expected. We went to Sherwood Restaurant and helped celebrate a friends 60th birthday. Enya and her hubby both came from Ireland 15 years ago and their accent is still very pronounced. It was very hard to understand them, but it didn’t stop people from laughing when Enya and Sean started into the Irish brogue and chastising each other in fun. I just love the Irish accent and try as I might I was not able to roll my tongue when I spoke even though Enya tried to teach us women. The guys were having a hard time keeping their laughter in check as she gave some quick lessons on how a lady should curse the Irish way. The food was wonderful and many laughs were had during the evening.

Saturday was a fabtabulous day. Summer was definitely here as the temperatures soared into the low 80’s. The back yard was groomed and ready for the barbeque so I was able to sit outside having my morning coffee watching Bentley chase the squirrels’ and birds. I chatted with neighbours and caught a few morning rays of sun. It’s hard to believe that even at 10:00am one can get the pinkish kiss of the sun on their skin. It didn’t stop me from slipping on the sunshades and catching up on some much missed reading. Company started to arrive around 2pm and from then on time seemed to just slip by. The meal was great and the company was entertaining which made for a perfect day.

Sunday was wonderful since this was the first Sunday of the summer season that I didn’t have to work. I chatted on facebook for a while and then headed out to do some grocery shopping. The rest of the day was spent just enjoying doing absolutely nothing! Today it’s basically the same as yesterday. It is calling for rain but by the looks of it right now, it may turn out to be another nice day ahead.

Saying goodbye to old friends

Pine Valley, Llanview, and Port Charles are places I used to visit all the time. In fact, I went to all 3 of those towns almost daily. I rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, thanks to my good friend Erica Kane and joked around with Tadd Martin during my time in Pine Valley.

It was always hard to leave such good friends, but I had others to visit so off to Llanview I went. It always warmed my heart to visit with Viki Lord Riley and listen while she updated me on the newest sins, scams and schemes of her Step Mother/town bitch Dorian Lord. Sometimes my visit would be filled with anger and sometimes tears, but I knew one thing. I’d always come back since it felt like home when I was in Llanview.

The rest of my days were spent in Port Charles. I never knew what to expect in that small city. There was always something happening, be it bullets flying because of yet another mob war going on or Sonny Corintho’s going on one of his many tirades. My most memorable visit was when I was invited to attend the wedding of Luke and Laura. Now that my dear friends, was a wedding to put even Kate and Andrews wedding to shame. It was simple yet so romantic and yes Elizabeth Taylor was there. It was amazing watching her peek around the corner of the building watching the nuptials of two people who definitely fought long and hard to reach that special day.

It’s been a while since I saw all my friends, so today I decided to visit them. It was amazing that even after all this time, not much has really changed. I did hear that all the friends have made will be moving onto bigger and better things. I’m hoping that I will see all of them as they embark on different travels. So, here’s to everyone that made me feel like one of them. Cheers to each and everyone of you.

What a nice surprise!

Wow, there is nothing like receiving praise from the “Higher Up”. This morning I was checking my work email and as usual there were a few from my Supervisor. One of those emails made me smile and boy did I puff up like a peacock. There was a rental last Thursday night and I treated it like any other rental I have. I do my best, use the costumer service skills I have learned over the years and be as helpful as I can. Well this particular rental was for a group I have never heard of before “LHINS” and the majority of people that were coming in were in suits and ties. It had something to do with the Governess to Governess Health Care system in the Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand and Brant areas. Anyway, they needed a small amount of equipment such as the P.A system and although I have never set this up before I did my best. After a few tries I got it working and they were good to go. The meeting was only a few hours long and as the people were leaving they all smiled as they passed the office and said a thank you and good night to me. I returned their smiles, said good night and wished them safe travels. It was like any other rental I have and thought nothing of it. Well this morning when I checked my email as I said there was an email from my Supervisor. She’s not really big on words and she is sometimes hard to understand in both her decisions and ideas but she does have her good moments as well. This email only contained 3 words, but it was easily understood. It simply said “Good Job Dawn”. Now that may not mean a whole lot to some, but it certainly meant a lot to me. It’s not often one gets a pat on the back from a Supervisor when your job is to make the public happy with the service they are provided. In all the years I have worked for Parks and Recreation and under my Supervisor, I have never received this kind of praise. This certainly has made my day!

What a wonderful weekend!

Even the rain could not dampen my spirits yesterday. The temperature was fairly mild even though the day was filled with bouts of rain and then drizzle, and I had to work for a few hours in morning, it was the perfect day.

A friend of mine from the States decided to come into Canada to take part in this years Friday the 13th bike rally. It was a spur of the moment idea, but as they say, those kinds of ideas are the best. So, after work yesterday, I went home to change and then I was off to visit for the rest of the day. We met for coffee at Tim Horton’s by the casino so that we could watch the parade of bikers return from their ride to raise money for The Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation. We chatted about all the bikes and the fun that was had in Port Dover. It was my friend’s first visit to the Friday the 13th Bike Rally here and Canada, and was amazed at the turn out. I myself have never attended the Rally’s, but I do hope to attend at least once. After the bikers rode back into the Civic Center parking lot, we left and made our way to Mount Pleasant. We had a late lunch at The Windmill, a wonderful and friendly restaurant. The food was excellent as usual and the company was great! We spent most of the day driving around so they could take in the famous landmarks here. My friend was more than thrilled to visit the Bell Homestead and walk around the museum. Of course we were the only visitors there so we had the museum to ourselves. We spent time chatting and catching up on things that have happened in our lives and it seemed like only yesterday since we seen each other, but all too soon it was time to head home for the both of us. We did promise that it would not be another 3 years before we visited again.

Today I’m at work and it’s a fairly busy day. I have one sports rental in the gym, after that there is a family birthday party, than a Wedding Shower taking place upstairs. It’s raining again and has turned pretty chilly, but that ok, it is spring after all! This coming week is going to be dedicated to cleaning the house and washing up the sheers and curtains. I’ll be keeping an eye on the long range forecast since the long weekend is almost upon us. I’m hoping the weather will co-operate and make at least Saturday a rainless day since there is a major barbeque planned. Everyone has been warned that if it’s a rainy day then everything will be cancelled. Here’s hoping that all works out the way it should!

Have a great Monday everyone!!

Just this and that.....

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers Day. Mine was a very good one. The weather was wonderful, I spent some time with my kids and it felt good. For some reason I did miss my mom more than I have in many years. It was pointed out that maybe it’s because I have grown and matured over the years and that deep inside myself I was needing and wanting her guidance. My mom was the Queen of “I told you so’s” and growing up I hated when she would say that line to me. Now, being the age I am I would give anything to hear her say that again. In all honesty, if I listen close enough I can almost hear her whispered words, “I told you so!

Now that Spring has really sprung and the buds are starting to explode into tiny leaves everything seems good now. It’s a new beginning; time to shed the old blanket and open up the window of my mind. I’m still writing in my own personal journal and it’s cleared a lot of the haze that’s been covering my thoughts. There’s still a lot that has to be cleared, but it’s getting there. Some of those thoughts have cob webs on them while others are still fairly fresh. Who would have thunk my lil ole mind could hold so much? Someone told me recently that I am classified as a work in progress, so that’s what I am going to think about myself from now on. Not yet complete, but I’m going the distance.

Yesterday I did a little bit of laundry and then got caught up in re-arranging the one spare bedroom. A few things had to be disposed of and other things had to find a new place in the basement. Someone wasn’t happy about that but oh well, they had to pull up their gotchees and act like a big person…lol The chaise sofa lounge has been moved against the one wall allowing other things to be moved away from the window. It looks like a nice inviting room for someone who needs to escape the loud rumblings and snorting of night. It’s amazing what you can find when you’re not even looking for it. I came across some pictures of a few years ago. They were pictures of a weekend trip I took a while back with a friend. I had to smile as memories came back to me. That was a trip I do not regret taking and will never forget. We still talk about how much fun we had and we have talked about doing it again. I guess only time will tell!

Have a wonderful day and remember…

Humor isn't for everyone. It's only for people who want to have fun, enjoy life, and feel alive.” - Anne Wilson Schaef

The Letter Z

Todays blog is brought to you by the letter Z

Z is for Zip it



Sometimes silence really is golden!

The Letter Y

Todays blog is brought to you by the Letter Y

Y is for Being Yourself

Be true to yourself

Man in the glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn't your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
He's the fellow to please ' never mind all the rest
For he's with you, clear to the end
And you've passed your most difficult, dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the man in the glass.


He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.
~Raymond Hull