Home James

Just take me home he says...........

As I watch them unload the pickup and put his things into the garage, I feel sad that another year has passed and now my 'Special Little Man' will be going home for the summer.....or perhaps longer (the jury is still out on that yet).

Aaron had some trials getting his things packed away and moved this time.......he wasn't able to get a U-Haul (end of the month and all).......he was finally able to rent a pickup truck which served his purpose well. So he loaded up and brought his stuff to our garage for storage.

This has been a trying year for Aaron I think & he is looking forward to going home for a while.......(home; the place we long for when things are not just what we think they should be). I hope this summer will provide him the breather he needs, time with old friends, time with family, time to recharge & be able to make decisions about his next year of education (where he wants that to be).

From a purely 'personal' perspective I will be extremely sad if he decides not to return to Simon Fraser University in the fall. We came to BC near the same time & it has been wonderful to have him here close by. If he decides not to return he will of course have my support for whatever his choice.........it's just that I will feel very sad without him here. We have so enjoyed being able to see his games, have him & Katie over for dinner & visits, go to movies etc. Together we have made many fond entries for our memory book!

So.....onward you go young man with our love and support. Enjoy your summer!

Who We Can Count On (For Sure)

Recently I was reviewing some of my old Newsletters and I came across a story about a situation I would like to revisit........

When I first went to Virginia in July 2005, I stayed in a motel for a short time until I found an apartment. One evening I was taking a shower and I heard through the adjacent wall, someone calling for help. At first I wasn't sure if I was hearing someone in trouble or just a TV. The voice was saying "Help, please help me, can someone please help me".

I tried to connect with the person through the wall to let her know I was going to call the office and get some help. I wanted to offer some assurance but wasn't sure my attempt to communicate with her was successful.

The man who answered the phone when I called the desk to report what I was hearing, said he would send someone down right away. Some 15 minutes went by and the person was still calling for help so again I called the desk to find out if someone planned on checking the situation or if I would need to call elsewhere for assistance. The person said he had been very busy but assured me that it would be taken care of so I waited.......all the while I could still hear the person calling for help. About 15 minutes later (when I could still hear cries for help) I walked down to the motel office. There didn't appear to be any immediate urgency to check out my report; I again asked that someone please check the unit; the man again assured me he was going straight there now. I returned to my unit. It was probably about a half hour following that I heard sirens coming into the motel property........so it had been over an hour by now since I first reported a problem. Mike & another guest had determined where the cries were coming from & directed police to the unit.

Thinking that the lady would now be helped I was satisfied to stay in my own place & not clutter up the rescue area with my presence. Usually sirens will attract enough onlookers without me adding to the crowd. Mike did stay to see what was happening though. Soon he returned to ask if I would assist the police..........

.........the lady had fallen in the bath tub and couldn't get out. The police wanted someone to enter the suite to hand the lady in the tub the leashes for the two dogs which she was holding by their collars. It was unclear if she was clothed & the police wanted another woman to go in.

When I arrived I saw three police cars, an ambulance and a firetruck all sitting outside her unit. There were police officers at the open door of the suite with guns drawn, looking inside. An officer asked me if I would go in, first to get the leashes, then to advise them if she was dressed. Inside the lady told me where I would find the leashes & assured me the dogs wouldn't hurt me. In hindsight, although I was a bit apprehensive at the time, if they had wanted to harm me she wouldn't have been able to hold them.......they were huge. So, leashes handed over, dogs in check, lady clothed, big brave police & rescue people enter the unit, I go back to my place.

Estimated two hours passed before someone finally got in there to help this lady out of the tub. She did indeed get out of the tub because later that evening she called me on the phone to thank me for "saving her life" she said.

Now as it turned out the woman was not seriously hurt; there are some buts & what ifs though.......I don't need to list them all here; I'm sure you know what I mean. In the time it took to rescue her she could have died.

I hope never to be in a similar situation waiting for some brave policeman (with a gun) to come to my aid.

Have you had similar experiences where people just seemed to drop the ball all along the way? I know that generally rescues are handled in a responsible manner but this particular situation certainly had me wondering right from the word 'GO'.

They Say.........

THEY say the dog did it..........No, NOT ME!!

Who is THEY.........?

The wise one who has all the correct answers, knows all the right people, can fix anything that has gone wrong, can explain away mistakes......
They used to live in my house and was the constant companion of the person I was once married to........'They say that you should always eat your bread with the buttered side down'. He would drop comments like that one whenever he was stuck for an answer or had to offer back up for something he had just stated as fact. A conversation might go something like this......"You should always go to the bathroom before you eat or you might attract flies"......"hmmmmm" I would comment "and where does this wise advice come from?" "Well I don't know that's what they say." I would ALWAYS ask and NEVER get an answer "Who the heck is THEY?" That question hung in the air a lot. The stupid comments claimed to have come from THEY hung in the air a lot as well.
THEY, I'm sure must be kin to NOT ME, who gets blamed for many many things that happen and shouldn't have. You know the one....."Who left the frying pan on the burner with the power turned on?".......followed by replies (all identical) from three kids "NOT ME".
I would surely like to meet those in the group THEY as well as NOT ME. I could get some things clarified!

Who is Murphy?

Murphy's Law in general says 'If something can go wrong it will go wrong' and a few other laws that fall under or support that premise. I wonder about 'Murphy' and his law.......or wherever or by whoever it REALLY originated (there seems to be some confusion about that). Even though I have grumbled about 'Murphy' on several occasions, when I really think about it I'm so happy I can credit unfortunate occurances to some witty saying. If I couldn't I would have to accept some responsibility of my own (heaven forbid I'm already responsible for enough happenings without being responsible for the occurances that fall under the responsibility of Murphy!).
Regardless of what I think, unfortunate occurances do take place. I wonder in comparison how many happenings occur without a hitch?

If I examine the possibilities (in number) of something going wrong before, during or after any given activity the list could be endless, depending on the complexity of the activity or happening. A further law says however that if one covers & allows for everything that could go wrong (let's say there were five things) then a sixth thing will arise & go wrong and it would be impossible to circumvent this wrong without reversing a fix on one or more of the others. Interesting!

I want a new law...........oh shoot there is one.......it's Yhprum's Law and it says "Everything that can work will work.

I want something more foolproof so I think I will coin the law 'Turbo Granny's Law'......in general it will say "When Murphy's Law comes into play it will be overturned without question". There that should stop Murphy's Law in its tracks.......shouldn't it?

We'll Just Have to Cut Off Your Arm!

Writers Foundation Saturday writing prompt "Clarice was the kind of kid who picked out the soft insides of the bun.........."

......brought to mind a time many years ago when as a kid (grade four I think) I fell while skating (actually I was pushed down by one of the bigger boys) and broke my arm (for the second time). This resulting hospital stay would prove to be most memorable for me (not necessarily pleasantly so).

My arm needed to be set so I was put to sleep with ether; a horrible experience; rather like being suffocated as the mask was placed over your face so that you could breathe in that terrible gas. During the operation to set my arm I envisioned (a dream I guess or nightmare) myself on the operating table surrounded by nuns; their habits were white and covered with huge brightly colored dots. I tried desperately to get out from under this circle of nuns who hovered over me to no avail; I couldn't budge. I did finally wake and they then moved my into my room.

The following day rather unhappy & feeling sorry for myself, one of the nuns brought me my lunch tray on which there was a slice of bread. I don't remember what else I had to eat but I do remember the bread.....because.....I removed the crust & and was eating only the soft inside part. I never ate the crust from bread.

The doctor was making his rounds & stopped in to see me, taking note of the fact that I wasn't eating all of my slice of bread. Well he wasted very little time telling me that if I didn't start eating the crust from bread & I should happen to break my arm again, then they wouldn't be able to fix it; no sir they would just have to cut off my arm!

That is the honest to goodness truth & exactly what he said to me.

Can you imagine a doctor saying something like that to a kid? And after the nightmare with the nuns in spotted colored dresses; good grief!

But you know what? I have eaten the crust on bread every since. I love the crust & I would you fight for it now (especially home made bread).

I hope Clarice had occasion to realize the benefit of the outside part of the bun (assuming she ate the soft insides she was picking out) but of course in a much more gentle way than I learned to eat crust on bread.

I Dare You to Spend the Day in Your Nighty

So give it a try..........I dare you!
Spending the day in my nighty! yes I am......and here I am! (I only wish to look like this) he...he....

Actually, I am spending the day in my nighty but my nighty looks more like the first picture. Nursing a boil, I decided it was more comfortable (& less painful) to be unrestricted by clothing.

................but spending the day in my nighty is proving to be a bit of a challenge. I don't know if you have ever done it or not but I'm finding that I feel very guilty.....keep thinking I need to get dressed and get something done......I just can't be satisfied to sit here 'n write......no I figure I need to be doing something........something; (what is something & what is writing if not something?) Good grief I don't know; I just know I feel like I'm playing hookey or some such foolish thing!

I look out the window to see the sun shining (many days it doesn't shine here) & I scold myself saying "grace, just look at what a beautiful day it is out there & here you are spending the day in your nighty.......wasting it away; for all you know the sun may never shine again!"

Starting over in the corner I see a fuzz ball rolling along the wall & slowly moving its way out into the middle of the floor as Mocha swishes her tail in the air looking questioningly at me. I tell myself "Look at that floor grace, needing a sweeping & the furniture needing a good dusting & here you are spending the day in your nighty.......this house needs cleaning & who knows when you may get a chance to get it done if not today!"

Mocha (nearing the time for her walk) follows my every move (even my eyes) wondering when she can reasonably expect me to get my buns in gear & get her leash, the baggy, my jacket & shoes and get her outside. Another scolding that goes something like this "Just look at Mocha; she needs her walk & here you are spending the day in your nighty........if she doesn't poop today she might be very uncomfortable......how do you feel when you don't poop?" (As if the sky will fall if she has to go out in the yard on her own for one day!)

The phone rings..........."Good grief grace it is 11:30, the phone is ringing & here you are spending the day in your nighty, what will people think?" The last time I checked our phone wasn't equipped with a camera to let the caller see whether the person answering the phone was clothed or not!

It's lunch time. I'm hungry. What shall I eat? "Good heavens grace it's lunch time and here you are spending the day in your nighty. You had breakfast in your nighty; now you expect to eat lunch in your nighty toooooo?"

Unable to really settle down to write, I think I will watch a bit of TV. On goes the TV to a show about learning to love your body or something. "It's 3:00 in the afternoon and here you are STILL in your nighty grace; you can't watch TV at 3:00 in the afternoon in your nighty for goodness sake!"

Well then, I've struggled through lunch, taken my antibiotices, still can't settle myself down to the fact it's ok to spend the day in my nighty; maybe..........Come on Mocha, let's take a wee bit of a nap. Off we go to the bedroom blanket in hand; I lie down; Mocha cuddles up close & falls asleep immediately; I on the other hand lie awake worried about spending the day in my nighty & thinking about all the things I should have done (if nothing else I could have made cookies).

That's it I could make cookies!! I jump up, go to the kitchen, find my favorite recipe, get out a few of the ingredients, look at the clock...........it's almost time for George to get home. I really don't have time to make cookies before he gets home plus how can you bake cookies when you are in your nighty? Not to mention the fact that I had spent the whole day in my nighty...........what would George think?.......even though it was he who told me I should take it easy, not get dressed & just spend the day in my nighty.

Whew! What a trying day!

Have you ever spent the whole day in your nighty? I dare you to give it a try!

Visit to My Other Home (Third Week)

Last week at my other home..................

Thursday (25th).......pizza lunch and visit with Shelby.........tacos for dinner with the family & Shelby's buddy (Mitch) and the fun preparing all the veggies and other ingredients........Beji(e)'s riding lesson after dinner.......(seemed a rather busy day).

I have lost track of Friday but I must have done something!

Anyway Saturday was lunch with Faye & Klause (very old friends) who I haven't seen in many years. It was great to see them and catch up on the "what's happening in your life" issues. That evening I visited and had tea with Joan in front of a nice fire in the fireplace.

Sunday (28th) was lunch with Shelby (again). Was nice to get to spend a bit more time with Shelby this trip. That evening I had dinner and another nice visit with Carl & Shirley.

I have lost track of Monday tooooooo (my goodness)!

Tuesday, Tam & I picked up the computer from Al's and not too much else going on. Tammy was getting ready to take Benji(e) to the farm for his Easter break so she was busy with that.
Wednesday (31st) Tammy & Benji(e) left for the farm.......I packed up my things & got ready to leave for Surrey and home. Shelby was driving me to the airport (her friend Sarah came along) so we stopped at Boston Pizza for dinner before we headed out. She got me to the airport safe 'n sound; plane was on time; arrived home at around 8:30; George (& Mocha) were there to meet me; I was glad to be back home.
I have concluded that 'visiting holidays' are more tiring than 'other' kinds of holidays. I have been home almost half a month & still can't get with it! I do need a gentle push I think!

Visit to My Other Home (Second Week)

Thursday (18th) off to Edmonton to see Al with the computer; dropped it off; back to Sherwood Park for dinner; off to the University for the workshop "The Terror of Writing"....informative and thought provoking....striking some good cords and striking some not-so-good cords (for me). Plan to do a bit of research on line for at least one of the authors who presented.

Lunch with Tam on Friday....picked Benji(e) up from school then went to the farm....back to Sherwood Park for dinner....tea and visit to Joans in the evening.

I went with Bob & Tammy to the Boat & Sportsman's Show on Saturday (20th), (also George's birthday which I am missing)....home for a nap....then dinner while we watched a movie.

Sunday was a Shelby & Granny day. Shelby finished an essay assignment, then we made rice pudding and a 'granny' dinner she wanted us to make (with sausage) and one that Tammy won't make because she doens't like sausage. Had a great day & the pudding & dinner turned out good.

Couple of lazy days for reading 'n relaxing on Monday and Tuesday.

I spent a very nice Wednesday afternoon with Kersten and the twins........Sam & Corbin; what a pair of cuties they are & it was great to visit with Kersten again to get caught up. Wednesday evening was dinner at Swiss Chalet with some writing buddies; another enjoyable time. I miss the group!

End of another busy week!

Visit to My Other Home (First Week)

Imagine having no place to go at the end of your day........

Home........many & sometimes elusive words to define HOME.......I live in Surrey (my home now) with my love & partner. I visited my 'Other' Home (where I used to live, where I have family, where I have many friends, where a piece of my heart still lives). I call it my other home, not to take away from my home in Surrey but because a piece of my heart will always call Alberta 'home'.........many & sometimes elusive words to define HOME. Enough about that (maybe a topic for another blurb)!

I had a wonderful visit and I first of all all have to thank both Tammy and Shelby for letting me use their vehicle from time to time. Also to the others who so generously picked me up to have a visit or attend some function or other......Karen, Twilla, thank you so much!!

We arrived in Edmonton about 4:00 Thursday Mar 11. From the airport we went to Tammy's for dinner then to watch Benji(e)'s riding lesson, back to Tam's for a short visit then to bed & sleeeeep.

A kind of lazy day was Friday; lunch with Tam then out to see Benji(e)'s foal. Benji(e) won a foal at a fundraising event out in the community where their farm is. He was overjoyed with that & very excited for us to visit his horse which he named 'Bolt'. He is learning to care for his horse; hopefully he will enjoy many happy hours with his 'Bolt'.

Saturday we attended the get together in celebration of Consorcia's life. The tribute to her brought back memories of times with her. She will be missed by many people and especially her family. After the celebration we had a nice visit with Carl & Shirley. (Slowly George was getting to meet all the folk from my other home.)

Joan (on Sunday) made us a wonderful vegetable stir fry to go with rice and shrimp......yummy good! As well we had a nice relaxing visit with her.

Lunch on Monday with Sherran & Gordon, Vi and Ruth (Judy to me) to catch up on on all the news in the Carr family. It was great to see them all again since years have past since visiting them. After lunch George & I drove to Rosalia's (my hairdresser when I was in Alberta) & luckily she was open (on a Monday) and she was working so it was wonderful to see her again as well. Esta, her daughter who works with her was not in. That was disappointing but so far we were lucky to hook up with as many people as we had......(doing good)!

Karen & Ross met us for lunch at Kelsie's on Tuesday.......another nice time & enjoyable visit. That evening after dinner Shelby drove us to the airport so George could catch his flight (wish he could have stayed longer) & he was off back to Surrey & home. After dropping him off at the airport I joined the Writers' Group at the library for their second (informal) meeting of the month. I got to hear a varied group of writers as well as read a couple of my own poems......enjoyed the time with them.

Twilla picked me up on Wednesday & we had lunch and again another nice visit. A trip to the farm to see 'Bolt' in the afternoon & that took care of Wednesday.

Phew.....a busy week......time was just zippin' by!