On the way into work yesterday, I decided to call my Cuban friends to see if the ‘Christmas tree decorating’ evening was still happening, and to confirm my attendance. It was a shock to be told that their young nephew, 17 years old, died this week with a brain aneurysm. The boy’s grandmother is still here on vacation. She is very close to all her grandchildren, and it is painful enough to live through something like this. Being so far away, and unable to return in time for the funeral, makes it even harder. The poor lady has not slept much since she got the news. It was all I could do to hold back my tears when I hugged her last night. The child’s father is also here in Canada, living with his second wife in Ontario. I imagine he is not having an easier time of it. Because he is Cuban, he has to go through multiple, time-consuming procedures before returning to that country, so he wasn’t able to make it to the funeral either. It is so sad.
More than once, I have found these friends are extremely resilient. Maybe it comes from their nationality – Cubans learn very young to deal with situations that most Canadians never have to experience. Last night was no exception. Everyone participated in the Christmas preparations; some decorating the tree, others putting together the traditional winter jigsaw puzzle, and still others installing lights and mistletoe on the house ramps and walls. Soft Spanish Yuletide music played in the background, wine and cheese were consumed before sitting down to gorge ourselves with fondue. The Grandmother would be found silent and musing on occasion, but was quickly drawn back into conversation and laughter by one or another of the family members. Life goes on, and is for the living.
I got back to the house early enough to watch the review of the hockey game, then fell into bed around 1 AM. Grump-puppy woke me this morning at 9 AM, warning me that I’d better get up and open the door, or get out the mop, LOL. Hey, I slept 8 full hours, already a bonus! Now there is washing to do, and I have to go into the office for a short while. Tomorrow morning I’ll be in Gatineau, and I need to finish preparing things for the others in the Montreal office. Rey, my Cuban friend, told me last night that I still had not learned his motto “Work to live; don’t live to work.” He’s right. Old habits die hard.
Have a good Sunday, people. Sending on my SMILE, which will soon be decorated with mistletoe too? I love Christmas season – the traditions, the music, and all that love spread around! I’m grinning. Life is good.
Luv from the Bush in Quebec
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
NEW FRIENDS!
I’ve got my truck back! It looks and runs like it was brand new – they shampooed inside it too – a bonus! I’ve been driving a truck for so long now that I really didn’t feel secure in the little Honda Accord. The garage is one of our clients, so the repair costs were more than reasonable, and the loan of the Accord was thrown in free. This lady has no complaints!
I have already told you in here about my joining an internet site for writers. It has been a year now, and many of the writers in there have become friends. We comment on each others work, offering encouragement, constructive criticism, and congratulations when due. I was more than delighted when a couple of these writers contacted me, saying they were coming to Montreal, and asked me to join them for supper. I accepted, of course, and last night after work I met them at Moe’s restaurant on the West Island. The lady is from Australia, while her husband is a native of Montreal. They are both published writers, and extremely interesting people. We sat, chatting and laughing for hours, and could have gone on for many more. Because we already knew each other through our many stories read on the site, we just naturally slipped into an easy familiarity. It was as if we had been friends for years. I wonder if Kilroy’s ears were burning, because he came up in our conversation, as did my children, grandchildren and Dawna & Malcolm’s travel experiences in Mexico. Beware of what you say when you talk to an aspiring writer – your words are sure to be repeated, LOL!
Because I had to pick up my truck before the garage closed at 3 PM, I had left the office early. The location was in the same area as the restaurant, so instead of returning downtown, I used the free time to visit ‘Chapters’. I love that store! For over two hours I wandered around, surrounded by stacks and stacks of books, browsing here and there….and ended up spending too much money. But hey! I actually did some Xmas shopping before December 24th, which, unfortunately, is my usual day for that hectic venture.
Today I need to drive into the office and catch up on some work. I was to join my Cuban friends this evening – the traditional Xmas tree decorating – and my daughter is having a small party at her house. If I’m not too tired, I’ll attempt to visit both places. At the moment there is a lot of noise happening here at home. The guys are installing a snow fence on the roof. I don’t want my gallery ramp knocked over again. The sunshine out there this morning is just a ruse – the snow WILL come!
Off I go! Sending you all a big SMILE – hoping you are out there enjoying your Saturday!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
I have already told you in here about my joining an internet site for writers. It has been a year now, and many of the writers in there have become friends. We comment on each others work, offering encouragement, constructive criticism, and congratulations when due. I was more than delighted when a couple of these writers contacted me, saying they were coming to Montreal, and asked me to join them for supper. I accepted, of course, and last night after work I met them at Moe’s restaurant on the West Island. The lady is from Australia, while her husband is a native of Montreal. They are both published writers, and extremely interesting people. We sat, chatting and laughing for hours, and could have gone on for many more. Because we already knew each other through our many stories read on the site, we just naturally slipped into an easy familiarity. It was as if we had been friends for years. I wonder if Kilroy’s ears were burning, because he came up in our conversation, as did my children, grandchildren and Dawna & Malcolm’s travel experiences in Mexico. Beware of what you say when you talk to an aspiring writer – your words are sure to be repeated, LOL!
Because I had to pick up my truck before the garage closed at 3 PM, I had left the office early. The location was in the same area as the restaurant, so instead of returning downtown, I used the free time to visit ‘Chapters’. I love that store! For over two hours I wandered around, surrounded by stacks and stacks of books, browsing here and there….and ended up spending too much money. But hey! I actually did some Xmas shopping before December 24th, which, unfortunately, is my usual day for that hectic venture.
Today I need to drive into the office and catch up on some work. I was to join my Cuban friends this evening – the traditional Xmas tree decorating – and my daughter is having a small party at her house. If I’m not too tired, I’ll attempt to visit both places. At the moment there is a lot of noise happening here at home. The guys are installing a snow fence on the roof. I don’t want my gallery ramp knocked over again. The sunshine out there this morning is just a ruse – the snow WILL come!
Off I go! Sending you all a big SMILE – hoping you are out there enjoying your Saturday!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
BACK AGAIN...
I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the date on my last blog. October 27th!! My, my – that culprit, Time, is not only flying by – it has gained speed!!
And we are nearly there – our first goal! Within our 4 companies, there are close to 100 people with jobs now, working regularly between 25 and 40 hours per week. If this keeps up, we will have reached our goal before Christmas. Ain’t that just so cool? It’s worth every extra hour the owners have to put in to keep things going up and up….
In between the extra time in the city, and the running back and forth to our office in Gatineau, I was flat on my back for 5 days, 2 of which were the weekend, of course. H1N1? I hope so, cause that will mean I’m immune now, won’t it? I huddled up in my blankets, head-sick, stomach-sick, chest-sick, and heart-sick…hiding away from the world in my little alcove upstairs, only getting up to feed the doggies and rock in my mom’s old wooden rocker, whining to myself. It’s no secret that I’m a big Baby (yep, that’s a capital ‘B’) when I’m sick. Fortunately it doesn’t happen often.
There’s a lot to tell, but no time this morning to do so. I slept in, and have to get my car to the garage to get it winterized and to fix the little gift left by the hit-and-run driver. I’ll be back tonight. In the meantime, have a great day, everyone! Sending you all a big, warm, fuzzy smile. Please pass it on!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
And we are nearly there – our first goal! Within our 4 companies, there are close to 100 people with jobs now, working regularly between 25 and 40 hours per week. If this keeps up, we will have reached our goal before Christmas. Ain’t that just so cool? It’s worth every extra hour the owners have to put in to keep things going up and up….
In between the extra time in the city, and the running back and forth to our office in Gatineau, I was flat on my back for 5 days, 2 of which were the weekend, of course. H1N1? I hope so, cause that will mean I’m immune now, won’t it? I huddled up in my blankets, head-sick, stomach-sick, chest-sick, and heart-sick…hiding away from the world in my little alcove upstairs, only getting up to feed the doggies and rock in my mom’s old wooden rocker, whining to myself. It’s no secret that I’m a big Baby (yep, that’s a capital ‘B’) when I’m sick. Fortunately it doesn’t happen often.
There’s a lot to tell, but no time this morning to do so. I slept in, and have to get my car to the garage to get it winterized and to fix the little gift left by the hit-and-run driver. I’ll be back tonight. In the meantime, have a great day, everyone! Sending you all a big, warm, fuzzy smile. Please pass it on!
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
LOVE IN CYBER-SPACE : Part Two
“You heard what happened to the lady in Quebec, didn’t you?” I turned to look at my co-worker. It was lunch break, and I had mentioned my daughter’s plans to meet her internet contact at the airport that weekend. I should have known better, but I asked anyway.
“No, I didn’t hear. What are you talking about?” Mistake.
A disturbing story. The lady had been chatting with a man over the Net for a couple of months, and had finally agreed to meet him alone at a restaurant in Quebec City. She did take certain precautions: the meeting was to be in a public place, there would be a coded telephone call from her best friend, she had pepper spray in her purse. The call to her best friend happened, and all seemed well at the time. They found her car in the parking lot two days later, her purse and cell phone intact, but she has disappeared. According to my co-worker, she has not been seen since.
As is usual with this kind of thing, others in the lunchroom suddenly remembered having heard of similar experiences. Whether they were fact or fiction is anyone’s guess, but each telling only augmented my insecurity about the whole affair. I needed to talk to my daughter!
When I stopped in at her house that evening, she was sitting at the kitchen table, having coffee with a friend. I would have waited until we were alone, but the subject came up, I interrupted her friend’s warnings by blurting out what I had to say.
“I’m going with you to the airport.” Both girls looked at me in surprise, but my daughter said nothing. She wouldn’t, of course, which is why I had wanted to tell her in person instead of over the phone. I needed to read her expression. Unlike my two sons, who are very vocal about their wishes, Shan tends to keep her thoughts to herself. Arguing aloud has never been her forte, even as a child. She does, however, get this set look on her face which we’ve learned means she’ll just go ahead and do exactly as she pleases anyway, whether you like it or not. The look was there now, but I could tell she was considering my words.
Maybe it was the excitement of this first venture, or maybe her friends talked her into it, but she did pick me up on the way to the airport when the day arrived. We were there far too early, of course, and our long wait afforded numerous nervous trips to the bathroom by my daughter. Her anxiety that the potential suitor not find her to his taste was soothed by a total stranger walking over to us, excusing himself, then proceeding to tell her that he and his group of fellow crew workers, who were sitting near us in the arrival section, decided that she was stunning; that she had the most beautiful eyes they’d ever seen! Wow! What more could one ask as a morale booster?
Needless to say, the dude showed up, was okay with ‘mama’ being there, and my concerns were laid to rest by the time they dropped me off after the long drive home. I still called her later that evening – just to make sure. They had a nice weekend together, he has flown back to his own place now, and it looks like that is the end of it. Some things just don’t work out.
In the meantime, this mother returned the pepper spray to its storage place. I know exactly where to find it if cyber-romance rears its head again.
“No, I didn’t hear. What are you talking about?” Mistake.
A disturbing story. The lady had been chatting with a man over the Net for a couple of months, and had finally agreed to meet him alone at a restaurant in Quebec City. She did take certain precautions: the meeting was to be in a public place, there would be a coded telephone call from her best friend, she had pepper spray in her purse. The call to her best friend happened, and all seemed well at the time. They found her car in the parking lot two days later, her purse and cell phone intact, but she has disappeared. According to my co-worker, she has not been seen since.
As is usual with this kind of thing, others in the lunchroom suddenly remembered having heard of similar experiences. Whether they were fact or fiction is anyone’s guess, but each telling only augmented my insecurity about the whole affair. I needed to talk to my daughter!
When I stopped in at her house that evening, she was sitting at the kitchen table, having coffee with a friend. I would have waited until we were alone, but the subject came up, I interrupted her friend’s warnings by blurting out what I had to say.
“I’m going with you to the airport.” Both girls looked at me in surprise, but my daughter said nothing. She wouldn’t, of course, which is why I had wanted to tell her in person instead of over the phone. I needed to read her expression. Unlike my two sons, who are very vocal about their wishes, Shan tends to keep her thoughts to herself. Arguing aloud has never been her forte, even as a child. She does, however, get this set look on her face which we’ve learned means she’ll just go ahead and do exactly as she pleases anyway, whether you like it or not. The look was there now, but I could tell she was considering my words.
Maybe it was the excitement of this first venture, or maybe her friends talked her into it, but she did pick me up on the way to the airport when the day arrived. We were there far too early, of course, and our long wait afforded numerous nervous trips to the bathroom by my daughter. Her anxiety that the potential suitor not find her to his taste was soothed by a total stranger walking over to us, excusing himself, then proceeding to tell her that he and his group of fellow crew workers, who were sitting near us in the arrival section, decided that she was stunning; that she had the most beautiful eyes they’d ever seen! Wow! What more could one ask as a morale booster?
Needless to say, the dude showed up, was okay with ‘mama’ being there, and my concerns were laid to rest by the time they dropped me off after the long drive home. I still called her later that evening – just to make sure. They had a nice weekend together, he has flown back to his own place now, and it looks like that is the end of it. Some things just don’t work out.
In the meantime, this mother returned the pepper spray to its storage place. I know exactly where to find it if cyber-romance rears its head again.
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