FIGHTING FOR POPPIES

It happens each year at this time; some corporate ‘so & so’ makes the idiotic decision that his/her shopping mall will no longer allow Canadian Legion members to sit there and sell poppies for the two weeks before Remembrance Day. Hey, I go out of my way to buy those lovely, red, flower pins, often one for each member of my family too. While I am handing the money to the smiling seller, I say a silent word of thanks and appreciation to our veterans, AND to our present day soldiers, that I am still Canadian, living in a free country, due to their efforts.

The people sitting quietly behind those tables are usually elderly volunteers who in no way harass you by word or deed to contribute. The money accumulated after hours of their time is totally used for the needs of our armed forces personnel who have come home wounded, in body and/or mind, either from past or the ongoing war.

When I heard the news on the radio yesterday morning, the first thing that came to mind was sending the corporate ass over to the Middle East to live with our soldiers for a couple of months. That wouldn’t resolve the problem; there is always another pompous manager to fill the shoes. What probably would put an end to it would be shoppers boycotting that particular shopping mall for at least the two week period. Money, or in this case, the lack of money, has a way of grabbing attention. So does bad publicity. By the time I was driving home, those responsible for the refusal had turned about. After a day’s derision by the media, they have now decided to welcome the veterans with open arms. I should hope so!!

Someone else who was welcomed with open arms yesterday was my grandson, who arrived home from northern Abitibi on his 20th birthday. His mom (my daughter), invited us over for a fondue supper to celebrate. He is here only for five days, then will be returning to work another 16 day stint. Mom and family got to coddle him only a short time this first evening; friends were waiting in the background and, at his age, are far more interesting, LOL!

It worked out fine for me. I was home for the start of the hockey game, and cheered on my HABS as they beat the Islanders. When the dancing was over, the doggies and I went for a short walk. The moon was bright, the weather perfect for a light jacket, and we roamed around outside for a good half hour. Maybe it was the fresh, mountain air, or it could have been that sleep was short the night before; whatever the reason, Morpheus was ready and willing when my Jacuzzi ritual was over. My snooze only lasted until 5 AM, but it was a deep snooze, so no complaints here.

Today I’ll be working from home, so both the doggies and I are SMILING! I’m sure at least one thing will give you reason to SMILE too this Thursday. There you go – we’ve got something to share! Have a good one, folks!


Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

A FUN AGENDA

Guess what? I’m going to Saskatoon, finally! My friend, Karen, has been living there for years, and this is a first visit. Even better is that another friend, Dawna , is flying out with me! The three of us hung together when teens (how long ago was that, again??), and I know we’ll have great fun. My DIL, Yoshiko, now works for a Travel Agency, so she does the shopping for the best rates, and takes care of all those annoying little details required at the airports. What’s more, when Karen told me the hockey games televised out there are Toronto games, I checked the schedule, and guess who the HABS are playing that weekend? Yep! The Leafs! I swear that I did not pick those dates especially for the game! It just happened that way. Talk about a good omen!

Before the trip, we have the Halloween party to organise. This started out as plans for a get together at my home with my Cuban friends, Dawna & Malcolm, and my kids, but has bloomed into a full-fledged celebration of ghouls and goblins. My son, B, invited the many friends who attend our birthday parties each year, and now the idea is disguises for us all, decorating the site, and bags of treats to be prepared for the numerous little tykes (my grandsons included) who will be accompanying their parents. The supper will be what we call ‘pot-luck’; each guest bringing a dish to contribute to the meal. It’s happening this coming Saturday, and will be great fun, I’m sure.

It seems that the past weekends have kept my house very busy. Thanksgiving, then my bro’s daughter, and last night I had guests for supper too. Looking ahead, with the party and the trip out west, then the cooking and baking to prepare for Christmas, I have this gut feeling that, once more, I’ll be doing my shopping on the eve of the main holiday. One thing certain; with all this going on, together with the extra work at the office, there is definitely no time to be bored! In fact, I’ll probably be searching for a little hole to hide away now and then, LOL!

This morning is a cold, rainy start to the week. Part of autumn, and inevitable, but it is so much nicer when the sun is out there, isn’t it? I know the traffic is going to be arduous – rain or snow incite uncertain drivers to slow down to nearly a crawl. I going to take the time now to hunt up some old CD’s, music I haven’t heard for awhile. It doesn’t shorten the ride into the city, but does make it more enjoyable.

Have a good one folks, no matter the weather in your area. There’s nothing like a huge SMILE to brighten anyone’s day. I’m wearing mine. How about you?

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

SMILING!!!

Snow!!! When I got out of bed this morning my gallery was sporting a thin blanket of the beautiful, white stuff. Immediate good mood! I was a child on the farm again, gazing with glee at the first snowfall of the year ; images of toboggans racing down the hill, playing stick hockey on the bumpy river ice and, of course, Christmas - all dancing through my mind! I opened the door for the doggies and laughed out loud as I watched them lift one paw, then the other, their heads down – sniff, sniff – ah yes! We remember this now! It was melted away by noon, but my day was already made.

My ‘happy-ball’ was rolling. The appointment for 11 AM called to postpone until Monday, which allowed me to work from home instead of going into the city office. Yippee! Later, while in town on errands (including reserving a time for winter tire installation), I heard someone call my name, and turned to see a lady smiling at me. It took a moment before I recognized her. It has been years since we’ve seen each other, and it was great to block the aisle (sorry, sir!) and catch up. We exchanged e-mail addresses, and made plans to meet again on her return from Hong Kong at the end of November. She’s a fashion artist, creating new clothes from old, and will be doing a ‘shoot’ there, then she and her husband will spend the rest of the time enjoying the vacation of their dreams. Her passion for her art was so evident that the air sparkled around us. I’m that happy for her!

There is no better way to end the day than with hugs and kisses from my rug rats. On my way home, I made a detour to drop in on my son J. and his family. The three boys do it to me every time – and I guess each grandparent knows exactly what I mean. The joy has no bounds, and I don’t think the love could swell my heart any larger.

I had one last stop; my rural mailbox up the road from the house. I do it just once a week. Since e-mail has become the current method of correspondence, it is mostly only advertising and/or bills anyway, so why spoil each day? This time there was a package. A precious gift from special friends, and they know who they are, and what it was. Suffice it for me to say that it is so very appreciated.

My doggies were ecstatic on my arrival. Their enthusiasm nearly knocked me back down the stairs! I had an armful of wood too! I wonder if I could train them to carry it up for me? If fireplaces burned rocks, I would have no problem at all – Bud would be ‘the man’, LOL!

Now it’s Jacuzzi time again. Contrary to yesterday, with its icky, depressive mood, (even the HABS got it in the neck!), today was right back where life should be: joy and friends and love!!! In French they say ‘Il n’y a rien de trop beau’ which translates as ‘Nothing is too good’.

I’ll take that. Bring it on. I’ll greet it with a SMILE!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

POSITIVE THINKING?

I should be sleeping right now. I have a meeting at 1:30 PM this afternoon with my ex-associate and his bankruptcy lawyer, and I’m not looking forward to it. Unpleasant at the best of times, it’s even more so when it touches your own affairs – like amounts due that risk disappearing within the labyrinth of negotiations and paperwork. I’ve been told that there is a chance his company will be saved. I highly doubt it, but what do I know about that kind of wheeling and dealing? Lawyers have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves, so…maybe. Time will tell. My office spent hours preparing the necessary documents yesterday, and I continued from home during the night (long live the internet!), much to my doggies’ disapproval. There was no walk, and very little attention from the mistress. How do you explain to a mutt that the hours you are spending at the computer is putting food into their bowls? Grump-puppy gives me the ‘look’ each time I go to refresh my coffee, and Bud is ignoring me completely after being pushed away the umpteenth time, LOL. Fortunately they don’t hold a grudge; just a sign that I am available for their affection will be all it takes to make them happy again. Gotta love doggies!

My head is a jumble of numbers, and my body oozing coffee, so any attempt to catch a snooze before leaving for the city will probably be futile. I have to try though, because I’ll be limper than a dishrag and probably brain-dead by noon if I don’t get a least a couple more hours of sleep. I’m hoping the change by writing this will help lull the frenzy. If my words don’t make much sense, put it down to my present zombie status, LOL. I’ll post it anyway, and apologize tomorrow if I find any errors while reading it over.

Next year, when I look back on 2010, I won’t be able to say it was a good year for much other than learning some hard lessons and, hopefully, for overcoming all the sh*t that has been going on since the month of January. I’m not speaking just for myself either. It seems that many of us are not having an easy time of it. I hope the stars of the universe are better aligned in the coming 2011. If not, I’m going to be investing heavily in some ‘positive thinking’ reading material.

Okay, after a paragraph like that one, I know it’s time to quit writing now. I’ll leave it in here, because it’s what I’m feeling at the moment, but tomorrow is another day. I’m off to cuddle my forlorn doggies for a few minutes, then hit the sack for a bit. When I get up later, the first thing I’ll put on will be my SMILE. It may be dozy, but it will be there; I can never keep it off for long. Beside, the HABS are playing tonight……and there we go!

Have a good day, y’all!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec

BANKS AND CLICHÉS

My bank was waiting on me with ‘une brique et un fanal’. The expression translates into English as ‘a brick and a spot-light, or lantern’. It means that the bank was expecting me, and they were NOT happy, so I was NOT well received. This is the fourth time there has been a problem, they stated, so the privilege of direct deposit from my business account is discontinued. Not only does it affect the pays of my employees, but it was also a service offered to other clients, for which they paid, and which I can no longer sell at the moment…so money lost. The bank official was very sympathetic, but very firm. It doesn’t matter who or why – the account is in my company’s name, so my company is ultimately responsible. I can’t say I was surprised. I had warned my ex-associate that it could happen, that his deposits had to be on time. Once again, it was late, and short.

I realize that he is wrapped up in his own dilemma. I repeat again – I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes. However, when I gave him the news, he didn’t even apologize. Not that it would fix anything, but it would at least let me know he is aware that his actions, although not completely in his control, are causing me havoc too. Instead, he continued talking about something else; maybe because, even knowing that his hands are tied, I stressed that it was HIS fault. I couldn’t stop myself from saying it; my feelings were running so high at the time. I’m sure he already felt bad, and didn’t need the extra little push from my side. I abhor kicking a man when he’s down, but damn it! I still think he should have said ‘I’m sorry’!!

Okay – enough said. More clichés can describe this fiasco: two wrongs don’t make a right, and it’s no use crying over spilled milk. One just has to be more careful in the future. Another lesson learned. It will take some time, but we shall build things back up and make my bank smile again. Quite fickle, are our banks. It doesn’t matter how the money is obtained – deposit it with them and they are happy, happy!

With a change of subject, my niece missed her flight this morning. We left for the airport quite early, but the rush hour was particularly dense. She managed to book another that was leaving 3 hours later, and is now back in NB. My whole family, especially my bro, is still glowing from her visit!

Speaking of my bro, his appointment at the hospital was faster. The doctor prescribed antibiotics for pneumonia, and Champex, a cease-smoking aid. He mentioned a meeting to be held with his colleagues where they’ll try to find a way of repairing the hole in my bro’s throat. The hole, caused by radiation treatments, allows food particles to go down into the lungs when he swallows, therefore the lungs are continually susceptible to infection. We’ll be advised further when we return for the lung scan in November.

Now, believe it or not, it is only 8:00 PM and I can feel Morpheus lurking around the corner. He has impeccable timing tonight. Is it the near-full moon, I wonder? I need to rise very early to complete the work on a project for the office, so will bid you sweet dreams, slip into my warm, bubbly Jacuzzi, and grab that Morpheus tight before he disappears. If he sticks around for awhile, you can be sure I’ll be SMILING!

Nite y’all!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

AND THE BEAT GOES ON

My family showed up, but the BBQ didn’t happen. We were all into chatting and laughing, the older children either watching football or on the computer, and the rug rats racing around trying to dodge being grabbed and hugged every 10 minutes, LOL! It was getting late; tomorrow a work day for most of us. The oldest son and daughter decided to gather their group and stop at a restaurant on the way home. My son J. and his lady let the little ones bathe in the Jacuzzi before donning their p.j.’s and heading back to his own place; he still had plenty to do after being away hunting most of the week. My bro and his daughter left with them, and the doggies and I were alone. I attacked the routine little jobs that one usually does on a weekend; laundry, cleaning up, bring in wood, preparing garbage for pick-up tomorrow (actually, later this morning). It’s all very well to spend hours visiting now and then, but the work DOES sit and wait on you. Eventually it has to get done.

I didn’t get much sleep; my head was too busy. Saturday I learned that my ex-associate was unable, once again, to meet his obligations, and, as feared, it has left my own company in a financial lurch. There was nothing I could do about it during the weekend. Fortunately, with all the family action going on around me, I was able to file it away in the back of my mind, but now plans need to be made. I will have the unpleasant task of contacting, and probably meeting, my bank later this morning. If there is no other way out, I’ll have to dip into my pension savings again. I’m past being upset about it for the moment. It helps that changes are being made at the office and, although it will take time and enormous effort, we all (the employees and I) are feeling very positive that we’ll make good things happen. As my friend, Kilroy, commented, I have my health, I am surrounded by a loving family and friends, so I count my blessings. The most important things are still there.

With that said and done, I’m going to try copping another hour or two of snooze before leaving for the city. My bro and his daughter will be returning here later this afternoon, and tomorrow will be spent dropping her at the airport, and then at the hospital with him. First things first.

It’s to be sunny here today, according to our Weather Network, and that alone tends to make me SMILE. I’m sending it out to y’all, and hoping you pass it on!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec

A SPECIAL GUEST

My brother had never been up to Mont Tremblant. Even with the constant rain during our long drive, he was able to appreciate the spectacular beauty of the mountains and lakes in that area. Then again, we were on our way to meet his daughter, and his mood was such that it could have been a blizzard and he’d have still been jubilant. J. had finished a series of meetings at the Chateau, and was to spend a few days with us before returning to her home in NB. It had been over two years since we had last seen her. She’s a cheerful, giggling person, and having her around is a pleasure.

Both J. and my brother have been staying at my home since her arrival on Friday. There was much catching up to do, and we sat chatting into the wee hours of the morning. I knew my bro needed some alone time with her too, and it just so happened that the HABS were playing hockey both last night and tonight, so it all worked out. I was at one end of the house hollering and dancing as I watched the games, and they sat at the other end trying to hear each other over my noise, LOL! Tomorrow (I should say later today) the rest of my clan (my children and their children) will be joining us for a Sunday BBQ. J. will spent one night with my daughter, then be back here with my bro for Monday. On Tuesday morning I’ll drop her off at the airport for her trip home, then continue on to the hospital for my brother’s appointment with the lung specialist.

Missing two days work will take its toll, of course. I am aware that next weekend needs to be reserved for the business. Believe me, just seeing my bro so happy is worth it. His battle with cancer has been difficult; anything that makes him smile this much is okay with me!

In the meantime, it is nearly 6 AM and I’ve had about 4 hours sleep since yesterday morning. Having company didn’t cure my insomnia even if it did keep me from using the vacuum at 3 AM, LOL! I want to be partially alert when my gang shows up later, so will sign off and attempt finding Morpheus one more time before the sun rises.

Have a good day, folks. It’s a sure thing that it will be fine for me; my family will be here, and that never fails to bring on my SMILE! Sending it your way ……

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.