One Part Inspiration...

I lament that in the age of technology, when contact is so instant, people can still be so distant. They confuse pressing 'like' on a Facebook status as having input into someone else's life.  Or they sit in the same room and totally block out the other person by looking at their phones or other devices. What are the answers to re-building relationship in a technological society?  I think the answers lie in the decisions we as individuals must make.  We must make deliberate efforts not to default to technological means such as texting and messaging as our only means of connection. In 2013,  I decided that I would make an effort to send actual snail mail letters to people.  I set no boundaries for myself.  I did not limit nor did I consign myself to an impossible objective.  I simply committed to writing a letter to someone, or send them a card, as I thought about them. In anticipation of this goal, I bought some note cards and put them in a con...

Summer days.                                                                                       Summer daze. Summer daisys. Summer is slipping through my fingers . It has been a blur of activity . And I haven't made it to the beach once. Every day seems to be packed with things to do, people to see and places to go .   I am trying to stay in the moment.   Enjoy what is at hand - like taking some time to geocache with my son. Found it!  Signing the roll before we hide it again Or stopping for ice cream on the way to...

When we were making plans for the Christmas season, I had to make a hard decision.  Staff party, or accept an invitation to attend an AHL hockey game from the comfort of box seating.  It didn't take too long.  The invitation, to watch the game and see how the other half lives, won. What made it even easier is that the hosts were people with whom we'd enjoyed a long-term friendship.  Our kids are similar in age, and we share other bits of history with them.  It had been a long time since we had socialized.  [Don't worry, we didn't forget how.] The game started at seven, but the invitation said to arrive at 5:30.  Dress was casual, which was nice, because it was a Friday night, and usually I'm in my jammies by 5:30 on Fridays.  [Don't worry, I didn't wear jammies.] We were treated to nachos and ribs and drinks and lots of junk food.  So far, so good.  We met the other game-goers and got acquainted with them.  Every fif...

"Fast away the old year passes."  It certainly has. "Fa. la. la." It has been a year of settling in. There were grey days,  and days of beauty. There were days of celebration, and days of grief. There were surprises and routine. There were new and interesting experiences, Story telling at  "Deaf, Deaf World" Day at my daughter's school and plain old 'get-the-laundry-done' days.  There were projects started; some were completed, and some were put on hold. Preparing for phase #2 of building projects Water feature by the back corner of the house There were connections made. Some will be long-term; others will be added to the memory bank for occasional future reference, but will be brought out to enjoy - like hosting the Japanese students.  サーモンの実行を参照してくださいに旅行 A trip to see the salmon run with the Japanese students Beach day - last weekend before school Once again, I am remin...

tour·ist noun \ ˈ t u̇ r-ist\ one that makes a tour for pleasure or culture (Miriam/Webster)  The other day I had an unexpected adventure.  A friend from work and I signed up to do a little project together for an upcoming birthday. We agreed to meet half way so neither of us had to drive to the other's town.  Neither of us had spent much time in this little town, even though it was close to where we lived.  We felt like tourists.  First we wandered into the town thrift store to see what we could see. We wandered through two aisles (that's all there was) perusing the bits and pieces.  She bought some succulents for her garden. That reminded us we were a little hungry, and since it was lunch time, we went a little deli that served up lunches, and then made our way to the local park and set up at a picnic table. I brought my computer to take minutes, but had no luck trying to hook up to WiFi.  Suddenly she had a good idea...

Every year, one of my girlfriends and I exchange ideas for our yearly goals. When I told her that one of my goals was to 'give back', she asked me how I planned to do that. Then she invited me to join her in volunteering at The Gleaners. I asked what that entailed, and her description was so inviting, I had to say yes. They start at 8:30 every morning, and work until noon. Most of their volunteers are seniors who, by the sounds of it, have been involved for a number of years. They take donations of food from the community that might not be 'retail friendly' or overstocked and make it into dried soup mix and send it to people around the world that need it. My #1 son decided he would come with me. He was a seasoned volunteer - having spent time there during his high school career with various missions classes and leadership classes. I was proud to walk in with him, as various people greeted him by name and asked him what he was up to now. My friend had already arr...

My Dad has been here visiting working. He offered us "ten working days". He's put in way more hours than that. And I keep telling him not to work so hard, but he is a little stubborn and won't listen. I wonder if he knew what he was in for, when he arrived. Mostly, he's taken on the light work. Nothing major. He tucked in all this insulation - from bits and pieces we'd stacked up in the cubby. Then he insulated the cubby, while he was at it. (He might have to change his name to "Gumby") Lifted layers of flooring from the kitchen. Rescued the floor boards and piled them up. Then pulled up these boards in preparation for the plumbing. You know, little stuff. Nothing strenuous. Every once in a while, he takes a break to go and chase the sheep back into the pasture, where they should be. Then he takes up the shovel/hammer/nail puller again, and away he goes. And every day that he returns to the condo, he repeats the same phrase that my optimistic husb...

What do: 18 pairs of socks , 20 pairs of underwear, 1 surf board, 3 backpacks (no carry-ons), 2 cameras, 5 soccer balls, 2 boxes of Gravol, 1 houseful of chaos, 3 bathing suits, and 2 bottles of sunscreen Have to do with each other? An airplane I am not boarding. An island I will not be visiting. A passport I don't have to pull out. A bathroom I won't have to share. ....... Party at my house!

We have begun the "process" of moving. Maybe I should say, the "pieces" of moving. There seems to be so much to remember. I keep making lists. And then losing them. Some of what we are doing, is paring down. We need to fit inside a smaller place, where we will live, while we renovate the permanent abode. I suddenly woke up this morning and realized, that I have moved many of the kitchen items, except for the dishes, cutlery and pots and pans, and we will have to find a place for them too. Some of what we are doing it moving items we don't need immediately, to the Pokeaway. Workshop, camping, Christmas, crafts, books, music, good dishes, pots and pans, blankets, tablecloths.........the list seems to be growing, rather than diminishing. It is good to have older kids who can carry boxes and put them into the van and take them out again. They have many ideas about the best way to do this - so I have to remember not to be too efficient with carrying out boxes, becaus...

The first of October came. And went. The renters moved out. A cursory look revealed more than we bargained for. Although they managed to take the washer and dryer which were written into the bill of sale for us to keep. At least they left the fridge which doesn't work because 'a mouse ate through the cord.' The fifteenth of October came. And went. Hours and hours were spent clearing out junk and debris. We called for the bin to be taken away. The bashing in of walls and burning all that purports to be wood continues. The thirty-first of October looms closer. An answer must be given. Others are waiting on our decision. There are so many factors to weigh before we can give the word. We need sheep for the pasture. A greenhouse for the tax break. A mobile home, so we have a roof over our head while renovations continue. There is fencing to take down and fencing to put up. What to do? What to do? Go to the soccer game and watch the boy play. Make sure there are ...

They went camping. The boys. Just the boys. Vague invitations were issued,....But I read the signs, and decided to give them the freedom to be boys, without mom peering over their shoulder worrying about how close they were to the fire, or mentioning in just a bit of a panicky voice that the edge of the cliff was just a half step away. I did help them get their gear together. (Make that the food). They packed the rest of it in the truck and the trailer and off they went. They waved goodbye and tried to make it seem like I would be missed. However, once they were on the road, I knew there was nothing stopping them from 'wahooing' and 'high-fiving' their opportunity to get a taste of the open country they love. I waved too, and then went inside and 'wahooed' and 'high fived' myself, and began a 'Mom's Weekend Off'. I made a pretence of going to town to do 'errands'. Once there, I wandered over to and used my gift card to en...