Wacky Weather!

This happened a few days ago and now we're into a cool rainy period. I thought the juxtaposition of winter and spring in this shot showed perfectly what is our Crazy Canadian weather! Some will tell you that if you don't like the weather here, either just wait 15 minutes or go look in your BACK yard!

Things have turned green in a short time thought and some of the golf courses are open. It can still be miserable when the wind is up and it's cloudy. UNCRATE the sun please!!

You could write a little verse about this picture...I should.....maybe later!
But you go ahead!

People In Our Lives

I once knew someone who was distressed over the fact that he had never found the perfect life partner "to go the distance" and that he never had or would have someone to travel the road with to the end. It got me thinking whether in the big scheme, this mattered.

Together Alone

some people walk together over the long journey
with one person
perhaps even a soul-mate

some walk with many

sharing parallel paths for awhile
facing each one in its chosen place
that is special to just those two
while it belongs to them
on no path do we need to measure its distance
but rather the happiness that flows
when we share
the precious,
sometimes simple things in our lives
with one another
-diving in synchronized pairs
swimmers in the same sea
meeting again further down the road
filing in and out of those lives
that really matter
this cycle confuses some
may sadden others –
and it should not,
for in the end
we all file out alone
and when our search here is over
we all join again
in The Together Place

Mother of Invention, still pondering this at times...

This is an ode to the yearly Tim Horton's Coffee roll-up-the -rim-to-win contest written about a day a few years back that still haunts me!

Haunted By Horton's!

The Unrolled Rim!

I am obsessed by this! I can’t stop thinking about it! I am in the re-training process of Roll up the Rim to Win and sadly, I have forgotten to play the game once already. (And everyone knows you can’t win if you don’t play!)

The image of that empty cup with its rim still intact, sitting at the top of that small wastebasket in the hallway at school is indelibly etched in my mind. Unthinkingly, amidst the excitement of the last day before March Break, I tossed a winner - and you’ll never convince me otherwise. In my mind, it is the car for certain, well okay, maybe a bike. No lousy biscuit to be sure!

Let’s face it – usually your efforts rolling up the rim (inevitably by your teeth) are rewarded with that annoying, "Re-essayer S.V.P." for which the English translation is (and I’ve even got my Gr. 13 French!) "You Are A Loser!" This is not a good way to start your day and does nada for your self-esteem!

I will no doubt have to succumb to the irresistible urge to peer into that same wastebasket as I pass it in the hallway on the way into my room on Monday. And by the way, if you see our custodian driving a fabulous brand new car into our parking lot, you’ll know she unrolled the Grande "Gagner L’auto Magnifique!" on MY cup!

Mother of Invention, still getting nauseous every time I think about it!!!

Foiled Plans!

For those of you who don't know the stupid thing I did to my brand new self-clean over, I put an aluminum foil liner in the bottom and it got melded on to the bottom the first time I used it. Nothing would work to get it off.

The foil saga turned out well...the part is only $30 and they're sending it
up to by Fri.!! Meanwhile, don't you think we could put the old
bottom plate in an art exhibit and make about $4000 on it?!!! It could be
titled, "Foiled Plans"!

I'm going to send it to a local arts curator for fun and ask if
she could get it displayed at our art centre in a show show! Maybe people could see different things in it like foil Rorschach Ink Blot tests!
I can almost see it in one of those stories in the Toronto Star!! Once they found out it was just me being silly with my botched up new stove, it would have to be re-named, “Curses, Foiled Again!” Who knows? It could pay for my appliances!

What do you see in this picture?!!

Odds and Sods

We lost a huge lilac this winter.


No snow to be seen!



But things sure look dull and grey...just like Mooky!

We better not be 10 bricks short of a load!! (Socks had to inspect them!)

Window sills waiting to happen.

Bet we have more spring yard clean-up to do than you do!!!

Goodbye to all things yucky! (Carpet!)

Wonder if we'll ever see the grass or eat at the picnic table this year?

BUT....I love my "new" "old" rustic cupboards!

Poetry Friday: Negative

Mona's being negative today and I have licence to be as well, even though I don't like to be! Today, the glass is half-empty!

Stupidest thing I've ever done, bar none!

I put an aluminum foil sheet at the bottom of my one-week-old self-clean oven and when I used it, the foil got melded right to the bottom! Why didn't they tell me not to do that?! Why didn't I read those small print safety precautions??

Will this small patch of winter never disappear?!!

Will this reno never end??!!

Why am I so fat after this winter?!! NOTHING FITS!!

Why didn't I take piano lessons?!!

This isn't what I ordered!

I'm really bummed out and just want to be left alone...

Well that's as negative as I want to get today...unless you count that I still have really sore knees, can't exercise and have to get a huge brace for my knee, some physio and another skyline type x-ray...it's going to be a dull, rainy, cool weekend....my place is dusty as anything after this reno thing...we're not quite finished yet either...

(Man, I really can be negative when I try!)

Poetry Friday: AWAY

Mona wishes she were far away so gave us the word!
This is dedicated to people who have ever had a monkey on their back at work or just hanging out wherever. Can you relate? Luckily, this is a distant memory for me!

STAY AWAY!

I can not seem to shake this horrible monkey off my back

Seems it loves to tell me about everything I lack!

Maybe even "lives" to tell would be the proper word

And I can make no sense of it because it's so absurd.

Seems that I am always in its perfect line of vision

This primate then can set to make an accurate incision!

The knife is deftly held and it slices very deep

And I am trying hard not to crumple in a heap.

But just when I get standing tall to get on with my day

The monkey gets a firmer grip and will not go away.

Sharpening the tool again for just another cut

It thinks it hasn't done enough so twists it in my gut.

I pull it out and wipe it off and throw it out the door,

Give monkey time to settle down and bother me no more.

It could be that I think it's there when it is really not,

And all those dreaded matters weren't as bad as I had thought.

So if a monkey's on your back, hang in a little longer,

It's sure to take a giant leap once you're a whole lot stronger.

Floor and Kitchen Reno

***I just added today's updates with the floors.

The denim blue island....well, technically, it's a peninsula!

Good-bye to the old counter! We actually kept the old stainless steel sink because the builder said it's a better one than they make these days.


See what the scraped and verethaned old pine cupboards will look like!!

This is the living room with just one coat of straw paint and the oak floors all sanded, awaiting stain. I love the pocket oak glass doors! (That sander is darn noisy and has scared my cats away!)

This is looking towards the new room with an old pocket door we had. We decided to hinge it instead so you can see it open or closed. It swings from left to right. The old pump organ is going beside it to the left.

The after! Beauty job on the original oak.

HA! Below, is the very old maple kitchen floor. Man, does the floor guy have his work cut out for him! There is not much left of this floor to sand and there is even a spot where one nail shows. He is scraping a lot of it by hand. Then, we are mixing the stain (Early Puritan Pine) with the verethane to help cover the absorption problem.

The after! Lots of character where the flaws couldn't be sanded down any further!

Good-bye to the 28 year-old Admiral stove!! The 70's Almond Vintage so nicely adorned with the 1970 carpet! If you want it, ya gotta clean it! SEARS is taking it away for $15 when they deliver our new black smooth top.

Will this never get completely done? It started the 3rd week in September!