Category Archives: Day to Day

Today was the first of two days off.  The last bit of my summer holidays that I had deferred for reasons that have since changed, not the least of which is that the retreat we considered holding this weekend became impossible.  I seem to have already filled these two days up so that the time will be gone way too fast. 

Today Massa, Yaunde and I went down to the multicultural centre to arrange for an interpreter for the written driver’s test.  That took a whole lot longer than I had planned.  The woman filling out the forms was soooo slow – she could have done the hunt and peck technique on an old typewriter in the Congo faster than she filled the forms out by hand.  But it is all arranged.  Now the guys are studying like crazy!

A good part of this day has been spent doing homework.  Finished one more book review.  Posted my first journaling exercise.  Worked on some more stuff.  There will not be enough time in just two days I’m afraid!  Well, I have till Oct.1st.  Time goes more quickly than it should when there is homework to be done.  I had forgotten that fact since school days.

I did get my hair done today – nothing unusual or radically different.  Just less grey and a bit less hair.  Tomorrow I get the eye’s checked.  Will see if my ptosis is severe enough to warrant getting my eyelids lifted from where they hang over my eyes.  I wonder if my old eyes are still changing.  Some days I get very frustrated by my forced dependance on glasses. 

The last few days seem to have had an abundance of birthdays.  I was just counting up the people I know and in the last four days there have been at least five and this next weekend will be my Aunt’s birthday as well. 

Yesterday we celebrated some important ones – Birdie’s eightieth and Massa’s thirty-fourth. 

A thirty-fourth usually doesn’t rate a big party but in actual fact this was the first birthday party ever thrown for Massa.  We got a big cake – way too big for us to finish in one eating.  Since there are leftovers, you would be more than welcome to stop by for a taste. 

Massa loves music so the gifts he received kind of centered around that – a CD player and a years worth of guitar lessons. 

So, tonight the lesson’s begin. 

I will admit to some ulterior motives – I start taking lessons on the string bass tonight at the same time.  It will be handy having someone to help me manipulate my bass from house to car, in to lessons and back to home again.

There is really nothing sweeter than hugs and kisses from a grandson.  Zaka loves to give them out to me and of course I love to get them.  He lays his little head down on my shoulder when he gives hugs.  And he puckers up his little mouth and gives out kisses.

The only thing is that he loves to give kisses to the cat and dog even better than he loves to give them to grandma!  I think he likes the softness of their fur.  He certainly has no fear of them whatsoever.

I should be having a visit from my other grandson tomorrow.  Grandmothering is really a pleasure.

Tonight was my debut in the strings orchestra.  Am I ever a rank amateur!  I have so much practicing to do to even begin!  I know the D Major and the G scales but these people actually played music rapidly with those notes and changed keys and …  well I was fairly lost.  But the other two women playing bass assured me that it was fine, that I should keep on coming out and trying and that it would get better.  I am sure it will get better.  I can’t get much worse!  I have absolutely nothing to lose so I will keep on.  As long as they let me stay.

And when I got home, I think I realized where I know one of the other woman from.  I will see when I go for coffee at the Bison next.  If she is who I think she is, I will see her there someday.

Had a near miss with a truck this morning on the way down the hill.  He seemed to come out of nowhere and I was just pulling into the traffic lane to make a left turn into the office.   

Mishap was avoided but maybe it is not safe to ride a bike when fatiqued. 

It seems that the last month has been one of the busiest that I can remember.  Work keeps me busy from 7:30 till 5 or so and then I get home to start my evening job.  Supper is usually ready by 6(or later) then clean up which I sometimes stick around for and sometimes have evening commitments that require me to be out of the house by 6:30 or 7.  My house is full of people.  All the beds are full and sometimes the couch and someone is on the floor.  I love having all my kids around but I am sorely missing some peace and quiet and space. 

This morning I came down to my favorite quiet spot.  No one was sleeping on the couch so that was good.  Things looked promising for spending some quality time with God.  I had my usual devotional readings and stuff but I am finding it very difficult to quiet my mind and “be” with God. 

I am hungry for some time alone with him not worrying about when everyone else will start moving around, when I need to grab my few minutes in the shower, just thinking about the inevitable needs of the day, making lists of the things I need to do today. 

This weekend will see the rest of my kids around my house.  I want them to come but I have homework for my course to do and need some alone time too.  Last week I didn’t even get my Saturday grocery shopping done so that will need a couple hours of my time this weekend too.

As a result I haven’t been blogging much.  What I have had to say has not been very profound for sure.  I will survive but I would rather live than just survive!

Tonight the group of women that I have been meeting with for the past few years began our season of reading together again.  One newcomer to the group makes it extra good. 

This year we are reading The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren.   I chose the book because I really liked what I read of it so far.  The book provokes me to think and I like to be made to think.  I guess we all did because we sat and talked for a long time.  I think it’s going to be a good read. 

The greatest benefit of meeting together still is always the talking together.  And the prayers for each other.  I have learned to depend on them.

This is one part of starting up the fall schedule that I look forward to with a lot of anticipation.  I don’t twist anyone’s arm to come or to participate and believe me that is a relief! 

I’m thinking I need to be adding a few more hours to my day.  Then I could become truly exhausted.  Which is probably all that more hours would add – unless of course they were sleeping hours.

Today it was hard to get up knowing that most of my day would be spent doing this garage sale we have been gearing up for around here.  This morning by 8:30 I was about ready to quit this mothering job(which includes telling your fundraising children that you will “help” them with a garage sale) and call in a large dump truck to haul all the stuff away.  By 9 when the sale was to start we were finally ready and the people started to come.

It wasn’t a huge success as far as making scads of cash off the stuff but we got rid of a lot of my aunt’s items – hankies and doilies, towels and trinkets.  I think it was enough work with a small enough return that I won’t be talked into doing one again.  The memory of all the time and work expended will fade slowly.  I hope.

The rest of the day – more flat tires – this time Grace’s car in our driveway.  Leo got the assignment of looking after that job and of picking up my repaired tire from yesterday.  Only problem was that the tire place I took my tire in to was closed.  Good thing the Hondas have a full sized spare. 

Then the best part of the day.  We spent time with a friend at her home at the lake for a barbecue.  Good food, lots of laughs.  A long day ended well. 

Well it hasn’t quite ended yet, I guess.  But my chicken curry for the church potluck is in the slow cooker and I am off to bed. 

The day started out early.  Leo had a meeting in Saskatoon at 9 am so he was up early.  Actually, I forgot to turn the alarm on but my built in alarm went off at 6 am so there was no problem.  He said to me after he put on his socks and was sitting on the bed, “If I am on the road by 7 I will have lots of time at this rate.”  Then he sat there for what seemed to me an endless amount of time – just sat there, contemplating who knows what.  So I replied, “At this rate you will still be sitting here at 9!”  Men!  Leo moves slowly in the morning.

I have a day off from work today so have made all sorts of plans in my head for what I will get accomplished.  There is a lot of office stuff to do with Yaunde – SIN #, open bank account, visit Randall to get introduced, visit Francophone school for intros, shop for toiletries, etc. 

Coming out of the gov’t building, task accomplished, SIN number in hand, we see that my vehicle has a flat front tire.  This should be no problem.  I have all the necessary parts in the back of the car, an instruction manual plus a guy who has done lots and lots of mechanical type work in tow.  Why bother CAA, right?  An hour later, the job is finally done and the CAA tow truck departs.  The jack supplied with my Honda and the slant of the pavement somehow are not compatible with changing a tire.  We could not raise the car high enough to get the tire off.  The CAA guy had to do the job.  He had a block of wood.

So now, half a day later, Yaunde and I have made it back home.  Missions accomplished.  As we have travelled around today, I could see that he was getting more and more uncomfortable.  His nasal passages are not used to this dry air.  Our last stop was to purchase saline spray and nasal jelly.  But by the time we got home his nose started to bleed. 

I assured him that if he didn’t die from the nose bleed he would get better. 

This summer has been one of the nicest I can remember, as far as weather goes, for a long time.  Tonight I went out for a ride just before sundown.  The temperature was just right, the sky was a gorgeous orangy pink.  A jet stream reflected gold in the west.  And the number of gulls gathering to migrate was simply incredible.

And there were clouds of little black insects.  I wasn’t too bad off on a bike but everyone I passed was swatting wildly.  I just kept my mouth closed!

Tonight I rode home from work.  The 5 minute bike ride is hardly a big physical effort but it is better than nothing.  I like the ride, especially the part on the river bank.  The geese, ducks and gulls are gathering.  a sure sign that the seasons are changing.  leaves are also starting to fall and today with a strong wind there were almost as many branches as leaves on the path. 

I had a roast in the oven cause I had no idea if I would be having 7, 8 or 10 for supper.  I had green beans that I picked up at the farmers market on Saturday and I wanted to cook them as well as some more of the corn on the cob.  We ended up having a pretty substantial meal.  The last of the stragglers came home and ate around 9. 

Massa wrote his drivers test today for the second time but was again unsuccessful.  I know he knows the signs well.  I suspect it is the way questions are asked that is hardest for him.  I guess we will have to work harder with him on this.  I imagine he is more disappointed than he lets on.

I had time to run up to the church to help set things in order for the funeral tomorrow.  Then back home to clean up from supper. 

And then Sara needed to discuss the assignment she has – to write down her philosophy of life. 

Right now my philosophy is to get off my aching foot and into bed.  Tomorrow will be another day.