Tuesday, July 28, 2009

FINDING MIMI

Mimi & I finally got together after work last Friday. It seems neither of us have changed all that much – we slipped right into conversation as if we had last met only two weeks ago instead of the real time lapse of fifteen years. A lot, good and bad, has happened in both our lives since then – we had much catching up to do. Yet it was just so easy to chat and hug and laugh – there was no hesitation whatsoever. Maybe that is the test of real friendship – long periods of absence make no difference – you just pick up where you left off. I am lucky enough to have a few friends like that. It’s more precious than gold.

The rest of the weekend I spent holding hot compresses on my eye. Saturday morning I awoke with my left eye nearly swollen shut. I expect driving with the windows open caused it, especially at night without the protection of sunglasses. The pharmacist gave me antibiotics with which to dose the culprit, and by Sunday evening I could see again. A very quiet weekend – I only managed some housework…and excessive whining. I admit it – I’m a big baby where pain is concerned. I would be the worst possible candidate for torture!

I miss reading Kilroy’s blog each morning – he’s on the boat cruising up to Alaska as I write. I was thinking that I could read Wicked Wendy’s posts instead but..??? No new writing in there, maybe she’s busy with her gazillion doggies. Puppies are cute, one at a time. Taking care of a couple of batches is another thing altogether, I imagine.

Shan’s house is definitely sold. All should be notarized on August 7th, the date she was to renew her mortgage, therefore no penalty. Now she is taking steps for the purchase of her new house – still in the same area, but smaller, so less upkeep.

It’s that time again. The drive into the city is easier this week, probably because of the construction holiday here in Quebec. Those poor folks – once again they have had mostly rain for their yearly vacation. Maybe the people responsible for forcing construction workers to take their holidays the last two weeks of July (I am totally AGAINST this, by the way ) should look at changing it to August which, for the past three years at least, has had better holiday weather. Who wants to work their butt off all year then be forced to take your vacation when you just KNOW it’s going to rain most of the time?? Bah! Humbug!!

Yours truly is not on vacation, so off I go to prepare for my daily commute. Have a great day, y’all – they’re predicting sunshine in this area at least – so get out there if you can and take advantage of it while it lasts! Sending you all big SMILES!!!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

Friday, July 24, 2009

FRIDAY MORNING MUSINGS

My bed is so comfortable, especially so when I have to get out of it in the morning. Time off is becoming a necessity now. I have to sing to myself to keep from nodding off during the drive home each day. Not a good thing when I’m the one driving, LOL.

It was really late when I finally did get home last night. A client who was supposed to show up at 4:30 was delayed, and finally made it around 6:15. At least the rush hour was over by the time I left the office, already a plus. I stopped off to see the Bird on the way home, chatted with him for a bit, and it was past dark when I pulled into my own driveway. Ugh! The damage was done - I was ‘over the hump’ so to speak, meaning that I was too tired to sleep, or unfortunately, to do anything else either. I have to call my cleaning lady – I want her back. It’s becoming a necessity instead of a luxury.

The good news is that another person will be starting a job because of our efforts, and a permanent one too. The guy was real happy when I called him with the news yesterday. That is a bonus for our work – we spend time making people happy, and get paid to boot!! What more could you ask?

I’ll be anxiously waiting to hear from Shan today. The papers are to be signed for the transfer of houses, and she’ll be more relaxed when all is official. The uncertainty and waiting is a pain.

Off I go – into the shower before hitting the highway. At the risk of jinxing my plans, I am still going to say that we’ll shut the office down early today. Keep you fingers crossed for me, please, and don’t forget those SMILES. They’re the most important thing you can put on each morning!!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec

Thursday, July 23, 2009

QUEBEC CITY FOR WORK

We were in Quebec City yesterday, or rather, Vanier, a nice little town on the outskirts of our province’s capital. It’s a pretty place, and the drive up displayed beautiful scenery, in spite of the road construction crews everywhere. Heinz should be leaving in October to live there for a few months while completing his Heavy Machinery Operator course. It will give him a leg up on a well paying job. I will, however, now have to arrange for someone to come and clean the driveway when it starts to snow. I can drive the backhoe, but am not too crazy about skidding down the icy hill. A recipe for disaster. Besides, I wouldn’t have the time. In this area you have to contact the snowploughs early enough, or you’ll be left until the last to be cleaned – and four wheel drive alone just doesn’t do it. I don’t mind being snowbound some days, but it wouldn’t be good for business if it happens too often.

Shan should have confirmation on her house deal by tomorrow. If it all works out, I’m planning on taking a week vacation in August to help her pack, and to do some badly needed cleaning of my own place. I still have a lot of Mom’s stuff down in the basement and in various closets here. I wasn’t ready to choose and discard, but it’s time to do it now. Not that there’s anything of value, mostly just things she collected over the years. She was a bit of a packrat. Maybe someone else can use it.

That’s all I have time for now, folks. Off to work I go – I’m sure my desk is loaded with paper because I didn’t get to the office at all yesterday, although I was in constant touch by phone. Today will be catch-up.

Have a good one – don’t forget those precious SMILES!!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

AND THE WEATHER IS HOLDING....

Finally – two nice days in a row! I’m sure those presently on vacation, which only comes around ONCE a year for most folks, are enjoying the sun.

I’m waiting on Shan’s okay to pack. We will know by Friday if the sale of her house has definitely gone through. If so, her offer for a smaller place has already been accepted by the other owners, and we’ll get to collecting boxes and filling them up with everything one seems to collect during the years. Moving…it’s a lot of work, but also fun if you look at it as a change for the better.

I have promised myself that I will write at least once a day – even if only for 15 minutes. One of the authors in my writing Blog has told me that you need to force yourself for 10 hours per week, for 10 years. Apparently it becomes like melting butter after that period. Hmmm…10 years? That will make me…..ah, never mind how old! Only Heaven knows what kind of stuff I’ll be spouting off by then, LOL!

Bow has put the pictures of the Birthday party up on Facebook – there are some really nice ones, then also the ones where my boys pull their monkey faces. Dawna sent me a couple of good ones too…one destined especially to Karen. Fortunately it was taken before we opened the 8th bottle of red wine, LOL!

Wicked Wendy has started her own Blog. I read it yesterday, and we seem to have another aspiring writer in the family. Kool!

Even with most places being closed, or nearly so, for the vacation period, we managed to find jobs for 2 people yesterday. It’s a great feeling when you can call someone to offer them a position. It cheers our gang at the office as much as it does the candidate on the receiving end.

That’s it for now, folks. I’m off to face the traffic which, surprisingly, has not seemed to lessen all that much in spite of so many people not working. It still took me over an hour to get home last night. Bah! Humbug!

Have a good day, y’all. The sun has put your SMILES on, I’m sure. Maybe if we smile at it nicely it will stick around for awhile!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

Put a group of fun people together in the same place, mix them up with a liberal dose of gleeful, healthy, swimsuit-and-floater clad small fry darting around and about, open a few bottles of good red wine, laden the table with chili and guacamole and platters upon platters of mouth-watering food, and what will you get? Definitely a memorable birthday party!

It was just one of the nicest days! We started to gather at my daughter’s house around 3 PM. Within a short time we were 25 strong, and people kept arriving. Lo and behold, a delightful surprise – my cousin Wicked Wendy, and her Rob were standing in the door! She and Shan (my daughter) had put their heads together and, I must say, they are both very good at keeping a secret. My Detroit Suzie was there, and my bro, the Bird, of course, and Rey & his Susie (my Cubans) who are important regulars in our festivities. Dawna & Malcolm – another happy surprise, and their daughter Dee with her kids were also part of the gang. Even Line drove all the way from Trois Rivières to spend a couple of hours with us before driving all the way back again! Wonderful! Now we’ll work on getting Karen and Kilroy to participate next year!!!

My son, Bow, and I have celebrated our birthdays together since he was born, although he’s more aware of it now than he was then, LOL! In fact, you can pretty much say he has become the star of the show. A natural comedian, he kept us all laughing heartily.

The summer event is perfect to gather with family and friends. Bow's guests consists of boys he has know since he learned to walk. Most of them practically grew up in my home. I’m not sure they realize how much pleasure I get from seeing them all on an annual basis; meeting their spouses, watching their children grow up in turn. The youngest member at our party yesterday is only two months old (and I got to cuddle him for a good while!!), then the ages vary from two years to my grandson, Fred, who is eighteen and who was there with some of his own cronies.

My daughter’s house was perfect – lots of room, a fenced in backyard with a pool and a trampoline – and the weather, although somewhat fickle, was still nice enough to spend most of the time outside. My youngest, Jo, worked hard for two days preparing the buffet. He’s an excellent cook, so the result was delicious, a good thing to soak up the numerous glasses of wine being passed around, LOL!

I finally got home around 3 AM, the last to leave after giving Shan a hand to put some stuff away. I sat outside on my gallery for a bit, petting the doggies, still enveloped in the warmth of the pleasant hours I had just experienced. Once again I said a silent but heartfelt Thank You for the fortune of being surrounded by a beautiful family and caring friends. I’m sure I was still SMILING as I later fell into the arms of Murphy…...

Luv from the Bush in Quebec

Saturday, July 18, 2009

RELEXIONS ON A BIRTHDAY

Some years back I followed a course with the Children Writer’s Institute. Because I was in a full-time job, and my kids were quite young, the only way to focus on the studies without interruption was to be an early riser – very early. Before turning in for the night, I would set the coffee machine for 3:30 AM and prepare whatever project I was to tackle the next day. Beside the typewriter I would stack a thesaurus, a dictionary, piles of paper, and many, many corrector tapes. I can still remember my small portable typewriter. I had saved up for months to buy it, but couldn’t afford to spring for the deluxe model with its auto-corrector. My typing left much to be desired, so any work was done repeatedly before it could be deemed presentable. I’m sure I’ve gone through yards and yards of corrector tapes in my day. I can also remember reading about ‘word-processors’, and dreaming of owning such a handy machine. It would save me hours of labour. With it I could concentrate on the actual story subject instead of the grunt work.

Et voilà! Today I’m sitting in front of my computer, that miracle of miracles, writing in ‘Word’. The program has its own dictionary, allows me to erase, correct, displace sentences or full paragraphs...and corrector tape is now only a vague memory. The ‘grunt’ in the work has been greatly diminished, therefore the stories should be pouring out, right? Ummm – not quite.

My friend, Kilroy, whose Blog I read on a regular basis, mentioned how sometimes he can sit for hours trying to write a short piece. It wasn’t that easy, he told me. Anyone who writes will agree. Computers have facilitated whatever is required for the presentation, but the transfer of your thoughts to the page still demands work, and plenty of it. All along the ‘grunting’ has been the task of my imagination. Go figure!

Today is my birthday. Another one. It used to be just a cause for celebration. As I get older, it tends to also become a day for reflexion. Am I where I wanted to be at this age? Probably not, at least not exactly. I’m not griping, mind you. There is so much good in my life that I count myself extremely lucky. Everything that is important to me is pretty okay. That, therefore, should give me time to concentrate on making the other things better. One of those things is writing. I’ve been doing it off and on since learning how to string together the A-B-C’s; sometimes diligently, sometimes not. My excuse was that the need to make a living got in the way, but I suspect the truth is mostly my being lazy. Corrector tapes aside, writing, however pleasurable, still IS hard work.

I’ve promised myself that I will try harder. I will write something each day. To be continued.

Right now I’m going to celebrate with my family & friends. There’s some story material! How easy is that?

I’m sending you all a big, warm SMILE – when you catch it, please pass it on!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

Friday, July 17, 2009

UPDATE ON BIRD & SHAN'S HOUSE

Whoops ! It was one of those sleepless nights,. I was too restless to write, so I spent some of the hours doing much needed housework, then logged into my writing blog to read up on a few of my favourite authors in there. Murphy claimed me around 4:30 AM. It goes without saying that I didn't hear the alarm when it rang at 6:00 AM. I only regained conscious at 9:30, and it was Bud's barking that woke me.

There was already heavy traffic winding its way out of the city as I drove to work. The drive home tonight is going to be extremely SLOW! I was planning on leaving the office early anyway, with hopes of beating most of the jam. No such luck. They're away ahead of me!!

Bird and I were in for his check-up last Monday. The doc studied his throat, told him things were looking pretty good, but that he must gain weight, and he must quit the cigarettes, if he wants to make it to his 2-years-following-treatment-still-around point. That seems to be the magic duration for the majority of people with throat cancer; if they make it to there without any other tumours showing up, they can be reasonably assured that they have won the battle. Bird is on his 18th month - 6 more to go – so needs to be even more careful. I'm shopping around for laser treatments. It's the only 'stop' effort he has not yet tried. It works for some. Who knows? It may be the ticket, and there's sure no harm in trying. The doc also told him to keep his stomach tube in until he gained more weight. The bro is finding the tube irritating, but understood, and agreed.

Shan shook hands on the sale of her house last night. She has one month to find another home within her price range, pack everything up, and hand the key to the new owners. She also works 45 to 50 hours per week. We know the buyers well – the fellow is one of Bow's many friends who spent a lot of his childhood hanging around our home; experienced his first drunk there, (maybe other first things too, but we'll not get into that!), learned the computer basics there, knew exactly what was in our pantry and where to find the pots to cook if he was hungry. He & his huge family (5 kids) will be at our party tomorrow, as he is every year, so Shan told him that, seeing the house was now his, he could control the crowd, LOL!

Aha! I can see that the backup on the server has terminated, so I can get out of here before the auto route becomes a REAL parking lot!! Enjoy your day, people, and will catch you later. I'm sure you all have SMILES on – the sun is up in all its glory. A rarity this summer!

I need to go shopping for Birthday presents! Ciao!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

THE NEW BLOG

I was up early, looking forward to getting back into my morning routine. All went well until I attempted to blog on Blog.com. Nothing. Nada. I decided to try it from the office, thinking that maybe my satellite connection was to blame (my apologies to hughes.net). The office ultra high-speed didn't bring up the page either. Two days later I made the decision to move my Blog to Google. So here we are. I'll send out the new address to those I know read it regularly, and maybe post it on Facebook for those who read, but of whom I am not aware.

Today I'm posting here what I was trying to put in my usual spot on Blog.com. Things are looking up, and I should be back to regular posting from now on. Sorry about the time-lapse!

Et le voici!

I knew I was missing my home, but didn’t realise how much until I stood on the gallery this morning. The sun made the view of my mountain so perfect. I gazed at it, absorbing the beauty, one hand fondling Bud’s ears, the other holding the inevitable cup of steaming, sweet, black coffee. Isn’t it weird how joy can bring on tears? You’d think we would have enough of that when bad events are happening. Joy should make us smile. Contrary things, us humans.

This weekend is our birthday party. My son Bow & I always celebrate together. Our b-days are within two days of each other. He was my gift 36 years ago. The party will be held at Shan’s place, and my youngest, Jo, who has canteen service, is making food for the gang. His chili is terrific! Bow’s childhood friends, who spent A LOT of time at my house as they were growing up, usually all attend. It is so much fun to see them each year – keep tabs on what is happening in their lives, meet the newest offspring…The evening ends with us sitting around rehashing old times. I learn about events that had happened under my nose without me being aware…teen pranks. It’s a great deal of fun, and our bellies hurt from laughing by the time we straggle to our beds. A perfect way to mark another 365 days of maturity (note the word I used, lol!).

Yoshiko is back from Japan (until September, when she will go again – with Bow this time), and Line has returned from Paris. Now it is the partners’ turns. They are leaving this weekend for 2 weeks vacation. It should be quiet enough at the office though, seeing that most of the province is doing the same thing for the construction holiday. It is already apparent during the morning rush hour – even with ongoing road repairs, traffic isn’t so dense.

Speaking of which – it’s time for me to leave for the city. Hope you all have a great day and, LOOK!! The sun is out there! You can’t help but SMILE when you see that.


It isn't hard to guess that the above was previously written, 'cause there is no sun out there this morning! It has been a wet summer so far, hasn't it? Personally, I don't mind it all that much - but I'm working inside all day, so what do I know, right? We'll keep our fingers crossed that the Dunany Demons be nice for the next two weeks when a lot of folks will be on vacation.

In spite of the wet weather, have a great day, folks! Don't forget to give someone the gift of your SMILE today! It could be more important than you think.

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.