It's List-Time

I think I have to accept it
I'm getting old(er)
My mind is no longer "tarp as a shack"
And I have to start making....
Wait for it.......

LISTS

It seems that wherever I go, whatever I do,
I forget things
My husband says...make a list
My mother says...write it down
My sons say....you're getting old
(thanks, I needed that)

Even this blog,
I had a wonderful idea yesterday
I was going to write it down
But I thought...
No, that one's to good to forget
I'll remember it for sure
But, I can't remember what it was.

I tried picture/word association
There was something I needed to tell my hubby
And I had an image to associate it with him
So I wouldn't forget
But, I forgot.

Whenever I visit my mother for a few days
As she lives 500 km away,
She has lists everywhere
Post-its, scraps of coloured paper, fancy notepads
And I would think
Can't you remember anything??
She wasn't ashamed of it
I would never have to do that!!

As usual, mom knew best
And as I was searching through Flickr for the perfect photo,
(because my camera is still out for repairs)
And by the way, I really wish I knew how to write
"click here", and the here would be underlined
to credit the photographer,(http://www.flickr.com/photos/28307215@N07/2811807545/)
I found this photo
It was not my first choice,
The first two were protected
But this one...I looked at it further
And I thought...
If I have to makes lists,
they're going to be all in one book
they're going to be creative
And one day I'll look at them with my sons
And they'll say....
Sheesh mom, can't you remember anything?

Monday Crazy Questions

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwff8iaRWLtMQ4nof_Or_x2jazwq8E75BMMxGNJdAMrEx74QhElwX3OgmkWTze-vbY8JTrGXzOLNLY9jb1H6dfMs-8emN40BdPR8Zrkon_j5Xeb479ReopKETabckAB7lTjLErHHbeCVS/s1600-h/mondaycrazyquestions+purple.jpg

Thought I'd give this a whirl, not sure how it will work out! I see though that the above link doesn't look like it should.
I actually followed it from Lani's site, but I still don't know how to properly insert a link.http://lanisramblings.blogspot.com/

1. what would you say is your biggest blessing ? My kids
2. do you shop on line...Home goods or personal items? Can you tell us what personal items you look for?? Very seldom, once in a while on EBay, or VistaPrint
3. Name a song from your past that you have always loved. what year was it recorded? American Pie & Paradise by the Dashboard Light.....don't know when they were recorded.
4. If you found out there was a pedophile living in your neighborhood, would you take any action or ignore the fact?? Have to think about this one....I guess it would depend on what he'd done, some poeple are labelled as pedophiles for a single sexual act with an underage, but still basically adult, teenager. But if he really was a bad guy, I guess I'd ensure that everyone knew he was here and keep watch on their kids and everbody else's kids.
5. If you could live in any city In the USA...what would it be. I wouldn't live in the USA. (Sorry to all the Americans out there!)
6. what is the one city you wouldn't live in even if you were paid to!? Tokyo
7. If you were strapped for cash would you ask a parent or sibling for money? If I needed to do that, I would ensure that there is legal documentation setting out the fact that it is only a loan.
8. what is your most favorite thing to do to relax when you are not working? Crafts

Six Word Saturday

Idle hands are the devil's workshop


From Lani (lanisramblings.blogspot.com)

....the idea is to describe your life in exactly six words. Sounded like a challenge to me. So, after much contemplation and inner sould searching (not really, actually just had to find the words for what was already in my mind), this is what I came up with. Those who know me know that I am always doing something , sometimes my son askes...can't you just sit here and do nothing?" To me, doing nothing means time with nothing accomplished. With respect to myself...others like to just relax and do nothing, and that's okay too. But if I don't keep my mind busy, its not good for my well-being. Anyhow, so there it is. Anyone else care to join in?

The originater asked to post a Mr. Linky when you do it, but I have no idea how to do that, if anyone knows - maybe a hint?

And this is the flickr pics link, I don't know how to do that properly either!
1. Busy Hands, 2. Busy Hands, 3. busy hands, 4. 100dpi not my busy hands, 5. Busy Hands, 6. Busy hands

Mrs. Baynton & the Stars

This is a tribute to someone who meant the world to me when I was child, growing up in small town southern Ontario. It may get a little long, there's so much to say about this woman, and her husband, I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. They were like a 3rd set of grandparents, but they didn't live halfway across the world. As a child, there were 4 main things that occupied my time, baseball, my treefort, reading, and visiting my neighbour, Mrs. Baynton. This picture is from the last time I saw her, before we moved across canada, when she made a special dinner for us.

She loved gardening, and I was allowed to pick the rhubarb and throw the leaves into the compost pile, long before compost was fashionable. And kohlrabi!!! Its a turnip-type vegetable, kind of uncommon, but she grew them and let me eat them raw & whole, like an apple, and to this day, when at all possible, when I serve raw veggies with dinner I have kohlrabi in there. And I think of her every time.

Her other love was baking, a love I learned from her. I can't count the times I "helped" her make cherry struedel.
Rock collecting was a hobby she and her husband shared, and taught me. Sometimes I would be allowed into "Clyde's room", a dark, den-type room where the collection was kept, and once in a very blue moon I was allowed to pick out a rock to add to my own collection.
Clyde was Mr. Baynton, a huge shy guy who spent all his time in his workshop.
Every Christmas though, he would produce some kind of homemade wooden toy for my brother & I. A toy boat, a wooden rifle that looked so real it would never be allowed as a toy nowadays, a sword & scabbard, and this little sewing kit.

Yes, she taught me many things, but the thing that stuck with me the most was her "stars".I had a nasty habit of picking at my mosquito bites, and she used to say "Don't do that, you'll have stars all over your body (meaning scars) and when you grow up the boys won't like you." Well, having stars all over me sounded way cooler than having the boys like me, so I scratched & picked at every mosquito bite I got!
I have no idea whether or not she's still alive, but Mrs. Baynton.....thank-you for your everlasting friendship which I will never forget.
Until we meet again.....

Track of No Return

I like trains, which is a good thing.

because
I live really really close to the tracks,
a fact which the realtor who showed us the place,
6 years ago,
did not disclose.

In the morning's wee hours we'd hear it
It woke us up every time.
And we said....
Things not fit to print.


But I digress

Have you ever wanted to just hop onto a flat car
as it swooshed by you, (it's quicker than it looks)
Just to see where it would take you?
Me too.
Where would I end up?
Where is the end of the line?
Would I even still be in my own province,
in my own country?
And how long would it take?

But, I suppose,
ignoring the fact that it's probably illegal,
it's also not the responsible thing to do
A parent,
I suppose, must be responsible
at least some of the time.

But I can imagine.
Maybe it would be a good theme for a book,
or another item to add to my
"things to do before I kick the bucket"
bucket list
For now, I guess I'll just walk.

His bike

My son, like most boys, has always loved his bike. So today, this post is about him. It may not be interesting or inspiring to you, but, this is a journal of sorts that I would eventually like to print for myself, and it's important to me. So bear with me for today.
Today he had to sell his most prized possession:


He saved his wages for a year to buy this bike, finally, in the spring he was able to. He was so proud of it, the first time he had been able to get a brand new bike, as these types of bikes are extrememly expensive. It's specially made for jumping. He was able to take it to "The Bike Ranch", a popular place for teenagers to hang out & practice their jumps in Kamloops, one time, then the following weekend he had a terrible accident which resulted in no more of that type of biking for him. He finally accepted that he should probably sell his bike.

I feel so bad for him, it hurts my soul. My son, I love you.

Crayons' Lessons

We could learn a lot from crayons.

Some are sharp,
Some are pretty,
Some are dull

Some have wierd names


Some are broken
Some are whole,
Some are old,
Some are new

And all are different colours
But they all have to live in the same box.

Teenagers ('Nuff Said)

This is my youngest when he was still a sweet little darling.
People would say...boy, he's sure got devilish eyes,
gonna cause a lot of trouble when he's a teenager!
And I would be proud and say...yeah, I'm sure he will!

He would pull all the tape out of cassettes,
Empty my paint bottles on the floor
Take books away from his older brother
All in the name of fun.
He even fell through a floor vent from upstairs
and landed on the couch beside me.
Somewhere I have pictures.


Now he's that teenager.
He's 14.
I should've bought stock in "Nice 'n Easy" hair colour,
Cause man, I'm getting gray!
And his dad is totally bald.
He has retained his love for cuddles,
He can be my little sweetheart,
Hold my hand on the couch together,
Lets me tuck him in at night,
Looks to me for reassurance that all is well
When he's in the mood.

Last night, he was in a different mood altogether
I would gladly have posted him on EBay
Sell to the highest bidder
Hell, to the first bidder!
Is this payback for my teen years?
Surely I wasn't that bad??
Was I Mom?

Nothing to Say

I have absolutely no inspiration
But feel I must write something
Its been days since I last posted

They've been good days,
Make no mistake.
Work, play, relax, & sometimes sleep

Weather's been great,
Hot & sunny till midafternoon,
Then clouds & thunderstroms with rain every evening
Blowing over through the night
Sunny again in the morning

I need to send my camera in for repairs...
How will I survive a couple weeks without it?

Have been trying to fill it up with pictures,
things to write about,
Tried to take a little walk through our property last night with Monty
But the pictures are blurred,
mosquitos swarming over me with every 5 second stop
they need a lot of editing,
which I don't have time for right now.

Must work, must work, deadlines, must work
Time will come later.
This has taken too long
And write, I will
But not today.

(ps, these pics except for the koolaid guy came from flickr)

Introducing .......

..................MONTY
I thought my days of babysitting, getting up at all hours of the night, and toilet training were over.
I'm a sucker for punishment I guess, but who can resist an adorable little guy like this?
When the only name perfect for him pops into your head before you even ask yourself for ideas?
When his giant paws are way out of propration with the rest of him?
Not me, I guess.
He was just too cute.

Exploring his world
Doing the shuffle
Sharpening his teeth (which don't really need sharpening!)

Having a scratch,
and a much needed snooze!

The Other Side of Nature

nature doesn't live forever
its mortal, just like we
there can be beauty in its remains,
dignity
food for thought
images to capture

now i don't mean to be depressing
disheartening
dispirited
or discouraging

that wasn't my intention

this stump caught my eye though
its been here longer than i have
i've walked or driven past it hundreds of times
never gave it a second glance


just now, on my way to a different mindset of photos
i passed it, had to climb through the bush over and around it
and i thought
hhmmmm

Canadian eh?

Okay, its not Canada Day yet, but the other day I unwittingly did something so stereotypical I had to laugh at myself afterwards. I was in a parking lot and the closest empty space was being blocked by a fellow in a big pick-up happily chatting away to a friend through his window. Since I knew him, I called out my window, jokingly of course, "Get out of the way, eh!" He smiled & waved & drove off. Then I realized what I had said...the stereotypical canadian "eh". I laughingly mentioned it to my son, who was with me, (hoping I knew the guy and was not just being rude cause he has reason to be wary of big guys in big trucks, but that's a story for another day), and he gave me this question..or statement, "I'm sure americans say "eh" too."
So this is my question to you....do any other english speaking countries say 'eh"?

A Day at the Races

I'm happy to say I got almost everything on my list done on saturday, and so yesterday was able to take my oldest boy & a friend to a Canadian National Dirtbike event in Kamloops. (A 2 hour drive). It was hot & dusty & noisy & fun. We had to take a little ferry across the river, just a two-car rinky dink thing attached to a cable which was fun because the boys made it fun. I wanted to take a picture of it but didn't want to embarrass my son. Now I wish I had. As we were leaving, J asked
me..did you like it too mom? He's anxious that I had a good time, that it was not just for him that I went. Of course I had a good time....even if I hadn't enjoyed the races I enjoyed spending the day with him & getting to know his fairly new friend. (Who is quite talkative I must say!) Anyhow, here's some images, in hindsight I should've taken more of the surroundings....the crowd (maybe of the guy sitting next to me who had the most delightful irish accent...I could've listened to him talk all day), the lemonade stand that I didn't find until the end of the day, along with the washrooms with cold running water that I soaked my hat in cause I was so darned hot, the little guy who looked barely 2 years old in full dirtbike gear, the huge bike trailers and the Monster energy drinks everywhere you looked.

Yes, I guess I didn't do my duty as a photographer, now that I think of it. Oh well. Better luck next time.

Climb Out of the Hole

Today I have to get my ass in gear,
Climb out of the hole I've been hiding in.

There's things I have to do;
Clean the van, shampoo the carpet, laundry,
go to town, yard work, finish making the
silly card that's taking me way too long,
and other odds & ends.

I may not get them all done,
But I have to make an effort
Get back to the good me,
And bury the bad me.

For now anyways.

The Yellow Weed

Feeling uninspired,
The great photo spread in my mind didn't work out
The great verse in my thoughts disappeared into the hazy breeze

The photos just don't do justice to the brilliance of the vivid yellowness I see,
The close-up is borrowed as mine was just a blur.

Things don't always work out as we plan
Must be a lesson in that
Which is no comfort at the moment.

Coffee - My morning staple!

I have a coffee conflict:

I was cleaning out my "over the stove" cupboard, and found 3 opened jars of no-name instant coffee. And one half empty container of yummy Tim Horton's Fine Grind. What to do?

The practical side of me says..use up some of that instant, at least get down to one jar. The self indulgent side of me says...toss the instant, at least two jars of it. (It is handy for camping.)

Well, in this instant, which is a rarity, my practical side won, and I am now enjoying a cup of instant. I don't actually mind the taste, but it's not coffee. Its like a totally different substance, like comparing juice with pop, (or soda, as you americans call it). They're both good, but each has its place.

As my Opa sang "Koffie, koffie, lekker bakje koffie, jongens wat is dat een feest"
Here's to you Opa!

A Glimpse of Nobility

I'm so thankful that thanks to blogging I'm carrying my camera with me almost all the time. I turned out of our driveway on my way to town and had to stop short. This is what I saw:

This handsome fellow munching on a roadside of dandelions. (I would think they'd be quite bitter!)
He looked up at me and I expected him to turn tail and hop over the fence....I was surprised!

I slowly inched closer and he still kept on eating, occasionally glancing up at me, more out of curiousity than alarm. Then he crossed the road in front of me, I guess the pickings were better on the other side.

I was so close I could've reaced out and touched him if I'd have been in the passenger seat. I took one last picture and went away, leaving him to his lunch.