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...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Song for Friday...bad luck

Usually when I go into the city I have a pretty good time.
Thursday I had to go to the dentist for a cleaning
and I was planning on a bit of thrift shopping then home.
All went well in the dentist until...
I went out on the street and my vehicle was GONE!
Disappeared into thin air...
Until I saw the fine print sign ABOVE the 2 hour parking sign
that read...
TOW AWAY ZONE
between 4 and 6 p.m!
Now if I had got into the dentist chair at 3 (which was when my appointment was for)
and not 3:15 (because they were running behind)
I wouldn't have come out to my vehicle at 4:07.
Yup, 7 minutes late cost me $107 for the tow
PLUS another $30 for the actual PARKING TICKET!
SWINES!
Anyway, when I got there I remained calm and collected
knowing that the girl behind the counter was only doing her job
and that she probably gets some pretty rough language thrown at her
on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I was upset but like the
saying goes...
Shit Happens.
So today I dedicate this song to the towing company.
A good old Steve Goodman song .
Have a great weekend all!
(keep an eye on the time!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=389Rk1jzPMk
 
 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Remember when?

Today is the first day back to school for most.
Do you remember that day?
Not so much the 'independant' teenage years but
those younger days in elementary, primary school?
The excitement of putting on the new clothes your mom
bought only a few weeks back?
The brand new shoes?
New knee socks?
Here's a picture my dad took on one of those days...
I remember this day in particular because my mom had bought me a new dress and when
I went to put it on, I felt awkward and 'stupid' looking.
It probably wasn't the dress but my awkward stage of the tween years.
So I grabbed my most comfortable jumper (unironed!)
and went to my first day of grade 5 wearing that.
On my walk this morning I was reminiscing about the feelings
of the first day back after what seemed to be an endless summer.
Nervous.
Excited.
The smell of new books and pencils.
Printing your name so neat on everything you owned?
Here is my daughter on one of her first days back to school...
She was pretty excited because she was old enough to ride her bike.
I made her tie the bike lock key around her
neck with a day-glow orange ribbon so she wouldn't lose it.
I remember walking, pretty much everyday, with
my older brother and sister.
We lived in one of those new suburban neighbourhoods
of Toronto where all the kids walked to school.
Here we are on a cold school morning...
Tracy and I were so proud of our matching 'midi' winter coats!
Although we're quite happy here, I was jealous of the kids who
got to ride a bus to school.
Yeah, the big yellow school bus.
WE had to WALK.
That was until I realized (through school field trips) that school buses were puke smelling,
seat saving, name calling hell on wheels.
It was only a few blocks to walk, but it felt like those stories you
hear of Prairie kids who had to walk 20 miles in a snowstorm without
shoes or a coat to get to school.
When I was about 10, my mom went back to school one year.
Here she is after graduation a few years after...
While she was becoming a nurse, my dad was Mr Mom.
He was much better at it than Michael Keaton was in the movie.
We always had a parent at home.
When mom went to school, and later to work at the hospital,
my dad woke us, fed us breakfast (Usually puffed wheat with powdered milk)
got us off to school and then had lunch (grilled cheese sandwiches and soup quite often)
ready for us at mid day. He would work evenings.
I don't think I knew any 'latch key kids' in those days.
In fact the only single parent household was my friend Kathy Daly
who's dad died one year of a heart attack.
My daughter learned to come home on her own when she was old enough
and has been pretty much independent ever since.
So here's to all the kids on their first day back.
 To all the mom's and dad's who get them up and going.
And to all those teachers who keep them going all year.