Take me OUT OF the ballgame....please

'Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks....' lalala lalalalalala.............

I think that was a ballgame we went to today. The Toronto BlueJays put on a lacklustre performance, but at least they won. We missed the one and only run of the game...through a series of unfortunate events we didn't make it to the Roger's Centre until the top of the 4th inning! In less than 2 hours, we were leaving again. But nothing tops the ballgame we went to when our kids were much younger....

It started with a police officer pulling us over for speeding when we'd detoured to a suburb to get some gas. The nice officer let us off with a warning. We only missed the top of the first inning...but believe it or not the Jays were already losing by 13-0! They hadn't even been up to bat yet!!! Other late comers around us were incredulous at the score. It was a premonition for the rest of the day I think.

Our kids had each brought a friend. My son's friend ate an entire large bag of popcorn slathered in butter. Suddenly.... he ejected his stomach's contents all over a spectator who sat directly in front of him! I will spare you a descriptive picture of that scene. You've never seen people clear a section of seating so quickly! Staff at the (then named) Skydome were kind enough to present the poor recipient of the 'chunky' (sorry) shower with a free T-shirt as he went to the washroom to change. He was thankfully very patient with the whole thing. It was good for my son to see the cleanup crew in action at the Dome so he won't pursue that as a full-time career. No one sat anywhere near us after that. We left soon after. There was obviously no hope for the Jays...I have forgotten the final score. The ride home was not much better. Our poor sick little friend threw up into a bag all the loooong way home....while my daughter and her friend (and us!) thought that trip would never end!

So hey, today was not so bad at all! It was a beautiful day and we took advantage after the game by visiting a park we've come to love in Toronto. Here's some snaps. Enjoy. And a little advice? Never eat popcorn at a ballgame. It don't look too good if you see it again.

Dishwasher of Death

I've never met a dishwasher I didn't like....until I met my aunt's dishwasher. It all began with a visit to the Capital city of Canada during Christmas holidays one year. If you love having your eyelashes freeze shut as your breath turns to icicles, and the cold air is so bitter it hurts to breathe...then you'd love Ottawa in the winter. (But bring a block heater for your vehicle!) We had a wonderful visit with relatives and stayed at my generous aunt's vacant house....she's the smart one in the family who lives in Florida for the duration of the winter.

On the last evening of our visit, I decided to wash the towels we had used so no one else would have to. I put the towels in the washing machine in the basement and went back to the kitchen to load the dishwasher. When I came down again to check on the towels, water was pouring out of the laundry tub all over the floor! I called to my husband who quickly figured out that you have to flip a switch by the tub to start the sump pump. It thankfully sucked the water away and as we mopped up the floor we were relieved the basement is unfinished and the valuable stuff was at the other side of the room. No harm done. Floor would be dry by morning. (Choke!)

NOTE!!

For best cleaning results, place dishes
on floor before operating.

It was very late by this time. I turned on the dishwasher and we all went to bed. I tossed and turned for quite a while, and finally asked my husband if he would go down to the family room and turn down or turn off the TV that my son and nephew had left on. I couldn't sleep with the noise. He was gone for several minutes. Then he popped his head in the bedroom and exclaimed...'the dishwasher's overflowing!'...and he disappeared. I really thought he was kidding because we'd already had the laundry tub overflow. Cute joke. He's probably getting something to eat.

But he didn't come back.

I went to the kitchen to find the floor quickly filling with water and edging towards the rugs in the adjoining rooms! The obvious thing to do would be to turn off the dishwasher. I thought my husband was losing it. I mean, you just open the door and it will automatically shut off. Anyone knows that. I quickly found that with this dishwasher it didn't matter what you did! You turn it off.....you open the door....it mattered not. The water flowed continuously, spewing out all over the floor.

Dishwasher may be run with or without door open.

Next course of action....shut off the water under the kitchen sink. Nope. Turning the valve under there did nothing! By now I was rolling up my pyjamas, wading through water and getting very panicky. My husband ran down to the basement to find the main water shutoff. He couldn't find it anywhere! I phoned my cousin but got an answering machine. She had left me the phone number of the neighbour in case of emergency (could she have known????) ...so at 1:30 a.m. I am waking a poor neighbour to ask her where the water shutoff valve might be in this house. "Oh, yes, she was having problems with that dishwasher.....". But no, she didn't know where the shutoff was.

More panic. It was now looking like Niagara Falls in the basement as the water from that devilish appliance was showering through the floor boards above... and we still couldn't find the shutoff! We eyed the computer sitting on a desk not too far from Niagara and wondered how long before it would be on a Maid of the Mist voyage - hopefully near and not under the Falls. My cousin finally returned our frantic phone call and she was hysterically laughing on the other end. I tried to explain that we would need a wet-vac to suck up all this water that had now reached the rugs and showed no sign of stopping. She said we could just throw down some towels. Well, this would not only take every towel in the house, but every blanket, bedsheet, and maybe the drapes too! My husband triumphantly proclaimed he had found the shutoff valve and to our profound relief the water flow stopped.

This appliance washes both dishes
and floors simultaneously.

We spent the next hour or two mopping and mopping to prevent damage to the rugs. Later when we got up after a few hours sleep, we held our breath as we turned on the main water supply again. Thankfully the dishwasher had finished its rant and did not start up again on its own. More hours were spent mopping in the basement with my cousin helping....and still laughing. Apparently the basement of this house she'd grown up in had seen its share of floods and this was just another.

I have tried not to imagine the horrible damage that would have incurred had I not been bothered by the TV and we had slept through the flooding of the house. It has taken a long time for me before I could really laugh about it. This story has become a recurring joke in the family and even my aunt thought the whole thing was very funny. We recommend people wear lifejackets if they sleep at her house.

This past weekend we went back to the scene of the crime to that very house for a surprise birthday party for my aunt. I didn't go near the kitchen. We presented my aunt with a gift of water wings, dishwasher soap, sponges, and towels. In her card we enclosed magnets with the various illustrations you see in this blog. I'm glad she thought the whole incident was hilarious...I can laugh now....but I won't get anywhere near that dishwasher! It's possessed!

CAUTION!! Use only while lifeguard on duty! Keep lifesaver nearby!

Saturate me

Being a gardener, I was giddy like a kid when it started pouring rain yesterday. The ground has been so dry and dusty. Plants were wilting from the humidity. Our rain barrels were almost empty. I'd been watching the dark clouds pass us by for days now.

But now I stood on the front porch watching the glorious rain saturate the earth. What a wonderful sound and smell! The child in me wanted to just run out into the warm downpour and dance....but the adult in me had great respect for the lightning bolts!

...Living Water
Spirit of God in me....

Saturate my soul
Closest friend...

Here in Your presence
Is fullness of joy overflowing

Welcome in This Place - Hillsong United

Lacking direction in your life?

Then git yerself a GPS........Global Positioning System for those of you not up on somewhat recent technology. My husband took a trip to Montreal with a co-worker who had a GPS in his van, and he came home from the trip 'needing' a GPS of his own because it was so cool and useful. Not only will it guide you to your destination, it knows where you are and will tell you where the nearest coffee shops, restaurants, malls, businesses, etc. are!

My mouth dropped open when he told me what he paid for this top of the line device which he reasoned since he never spends money on himself (true)...and father's day was imminent...and he was getting a bonus from work....he could afford this one luxury that would assist us on trips, of which we seem to be taking a lot since getting the new car. Well, we got a lot of laughs out of this device when we first used it - mainly because we jumped right into using it without learning about all of its features first. Having Ginny GPS in your car telling you where to go is a little weird. We wondered if she would start giving us orders and making decisions for us.

Our first real excursion with portable Ginny was in a caravan of our daughter's friends going to her 'out of town' birthday party to join other friends for the celebration. Since her friend's car had broken down, we were driving some of her friends in a rented van with Ginny GPS, while our daughter drove our car behind us with more of her buddies. My husband very proudly entered into the GPS the address of the girl we needed to pick up on the way. We knew the way to her city... just not how to get to her house.

Well, Ginny tried to direct us off every single ramp there is off of the main highway, when we were nowhere near the city of destination. We finally had to turn the GPS off altogether until we got to the city our way, then Ginny helped us get to the friend's house. When we left there, we should have listened to our senses rather than Ginny's directions. We went the opposite way to what logic told us, and got farther and farther from our final destination. After many kilometers out of the way, we realized Ginny was trying to get us to the toll highway which we were trying to avoid! I didn't know how much longer I could endure Ginny's electronic voice... "re-cal-cu-la-ting"! Then Ginny told us to turn left, but my husband ended up being in the left turning lane to a Wal-Mart! As I suspected would happen, the cell phone rang. My poor daughter following behind us as we drove into oblivion, was phoning wondering why we were driving through a Wal-Mart parking lot, when we were going to be anywhere near our city of destination, and informed us she had to go to the bathroom!!! My husband was close to losing it by that point, while I stifled giggles. Normally we have no problem at all driving to this city.

The folks in our van were laughing and joking that we were carrying all the food for the party... so perhaps we should just give up, let Ginny guide us to the nearest restaurant, and maybe the chefs would cook our food for us and we'd party there! Well the evening was still young when we did finally get to the amazing 'party' house with wonderful bathrooms for my daughter, a huge deck for entertaining, beautiful weather and fabulous friends. Ginny has settled down for us now that we've gotten to know her better, although she has led us to a couple of phantom restaurants!

Here's my advice if you buy a GPS. Be sure you program it to find the shortest route, to ignore toll roads and dirt roads, etc. Don't follow the GPS blindly - know where you're going first (does that make any sense to you?) And don't ignore the warning you find everytime you turn it on to use it. It's a very distracting device. Keep your eyes on the road....even if it's the wrong one!

This road

A million miles away from anything familiar

a thousand places I would rather be

so I choke back the tears and try to find the bright side

though I find it hard to see beyond my suffering

in my heart I know your plan is so much bigger

but this small part is all that I can see

and I believe you haven't left me here to wander

still I can't help but ponder where you're leading me

(chorus)

and I ask why this road

why this way and this load

tell me how far must I go till I see

till I know why this road

A million miles away from anything familiar

what was it like to be so far from home

though you came in love

the world misunderstood you

there must have been some days when you felt so alone

but you endured, cause there was joy before you

joy that came because you sacrificed

Since you gave yourself just to spend forever with me

surely I can trust you'll lead me through my darkest times

when I ask why....

(chorus)

From here I can not see

why you'd choose this path for me

but I don't have to understand to believe

that you know why

You know why this road

why this way and this load

you know how far I must go till I see

till I know why this road

'This Road' by Ginny Owens

Happy Canada Day!

I live in the greatest country on the face of the earth.

Long live peace and freedom!

Happy 140th Canada! We love you!

I'm a spring chickee!!

I know I complained a little when I turned f-f-f-fifty. It was a difficult time for me to step 'over the line', which apparently is on the 'other side of the hill'. Last week I filled out an on-line application and had to check the box '50-65'. You have no idea how much that hurt! I mean three months ago I was in the '35-49' group. That group I can tolerate. But to shift over to the 'senior' category is just unfair! They should just have groups up to 48, and then the last group should be '49+'. Think how gratifying that would be for those in their 80's! Perhaps I'm doing all this ranting because my body many days feels more like it's 80! I'm now exercising and drinking a Greens drink every day to build up my bones and get my menopausal joints feeling younger. If you don't shake the drink product good enough it's kinda like drinking green sludge, but hey, it's the antioxidant equivalent of 6 servings of organic salads, along with tons of other wonderful things!

Lately, I've been visiting with older neighbours across the street. They all raised their children on this street, and now their grown offspring visit with kids of their own. I remember when my children were young, watching these parents gather together on warm summer evenings on their lawns and chat...and thinking how 'old' they looked. I had a flashback to that image last week as I visited outside with the now widowed woman across the road and her elderly neighbour shuffled over and joined us. There we all sat - the old ladies.

Last week I made good on a promise to do some weeding for this widowed lady who has been having back problems and can hardly get around. She adores beautiful gardens and hates looking at the weeds she isn't able to pull. As I began labouring in her garden, she eventually came out of her house and was joined by the neighbour ladies from either side of her home. Two women would be in their early 80's, the other, late 70's. They watched me as I crouched over, crawled under bushes, pulling weeds and laying down mulch. My joints were aching. I could hear their conversation about how nice it was of me to be doing this. Then the oldest one in her shaky voice said, 'Wouldn't it be nice to be young like her and be able to do all that?!' I stifled a choke. I chuckled into the mulch. Young!! I am just a 'youngin'!! A spring chicken!!

I realized later that I had actually been put in my place for all my ranting. Age is a relative thing. To my kids, I'm old. To these ladies, I'm young. But we are all alive and breathing. The 20 year old is not guaranteed one more day to live than the 80 year old is. In this moment, we all have something we can do for someone, or something we can say to encourage another, even if all our body parts aren't functioning as we'd like! I can wish to be younger all I want, but it ain't happening. I must be thankful for who I am, where I'm at, and be content with what I have. And today, I can truly say that I am. (and I'm a youngin!!!)

P.S. I have no idea how to spell 'youngin'. It's an old word, and Spellcheck won't assist me. :-)

Good ol' summertime

There is nothing....and I mean nothing in the food category that I love more than freshly picked Ontario strawberries. Yesterday was the first day of summer and today I decided to celebrate the new season. I have a favorite farm I will drive a few miles to several times each summer just because I enjoy wandering around looking at their wares. They have two dollar perennials and three dollar lilies and beautiful hanging pots and garden stuff and bird things and water features and pies and eggs and STRAWBERRIES!!! I have not tasted better than at this farm...and they top up the flat for you with juicy, luscious, mouth watering, heavenly berries. (Not those crunchy, sour berries we put up with through the winter!) I purchase one flat initially for 'freezing'. Of course they never quite get to the freezer. I will admit my gluttonous tendencies....I eat as many of these berries as I possibly can while they are fresh. I mean the strawberry season is usually only about 3-4 weeks out of the whole year. And they're loaded with vitamin C...and fiber, so it's important to eat a lot, right? I will go back for another flat (or two) within the next week or so.


Having the day off work on this perfect summer afternoon, I popped my newly purchased bumbleberry pie in the oven, filled the bird feeders, then brought my tea, reading material, and camera, and plopped my tummy full of strawberries onto the porch swing cushions to sit by my garden and listen to the water splash into the pond. As I lounged, my eyes kept leaving the printed page to watch chipmunks darting behind my swing, birds bathing and eating, baby bunny munching, squirrels scampering, fish swimming, and toad basking.

Yes, this to me is summer. I have no yearning for a visit to a cottage or a vacation away from home. Give me a day off work with some shade on a warm sunny day, an iced tea, a good book (which might never get read for the distractions), my camera, my swing on the front porch, and a large bowl of STRAWBERRIES...and as far as I'm concerned....I'm on summer holidays!!
"All God's creatures got a place in the choir,
Some sing low, some sing higher;
Some sing loud on the telephone wire,
Some just clap their hands, their paws or anything they got now!"

A Place In The Choir, by Bill Staines

Top Ten Things I Love About My Daughter

In celebration of my daughter's 21st birthday, I list below the Top Ten Things I Love About My Daughter. What thrills me to no end is that I'm not just making this stuff up to say something nice about her. They rolled off my keyboard with little effort and every single one of them is absolutely true and visible in her life. I cannot believe how blessed we have been to watch these qualities maturing within her from a young age to the ripe old age of 21.

10. She laughs. She giggles. She smiles a lot. She's almost always cheerful. If there are moments of uncheerfulness, there is a reason and she will quickly determine not to let it get her down.... even if she hasn't had her morning coffee yet or is not feeling well.

9. She loves kids...especially ones who struggle with difficulties that are no fault of their own. She sees potential in them and is thrilled with any small breakthroughs in their lives and in her relationships with them.

8. She's a peacemaker. Her brother (unfortunately?) almost always got his way because she would rather have peace, than what they were fighting over.

7. She perseveres. She doesn't allow sickness, tiredness, or disappointment to keep her down for long. She'll have a good cry (like a good female should), then picks herself up with determination to carry on.

6. She uses her failures, disappointments, and heartaches as stepping stones leading her to a much better place, and considers them wisdom for the journey.

5. She does not envy others. She has come to dislike the masks people wear, but admits her own shortcomings. She wants to be 'real' and is becoming confident in who God made her to be. She has specific goals and she recognizes that dreams don't just drop into your lap. They require prayer, decision making, action, and discipline. She sees the bigger picture, beyond her own desires for the moment. She knows she needs to work hard to reach the goal...and if that means not being careless with money, and sometimes setting aside social times (gasp!)....so be it.

4. She is kind and has a heart of compassion. Her heart tugs at her when she sees the 'down and out' around the big city. She's been known to give away her last 5 dollar bill to the homeless, only to receive it back again the same day.

3. She is grateful. Even in the smallest things we have done for her or given her, she has always responded with sincere thanks. She doesn't take her blessings for granted.

2. She has a sensitive conscience. If she heads down a wrong path or makes a wrong decision, she knows it almost immediately and cannot be peaceful until she gets turned back in the direction she needs to go. There is a risk of being misunderstood by others, but she is determined to avoid that which drags her down or takes her focus away from the peace and contentment in her relationship with God.

1. She wants to grow and learn and thrive with excellence, and is not content with mediocre. It is her number one concern to love her God with all of her heart, all of her soul, all of her mind, and all of her strength. She knows when she focuses on that, there's no room left to be wrapped up in herself. When my daughter had to 'preach' in class, she chose the sermon title, "It's Not All About Me". I think she's on to something here.

Wish I'd penned these words, but Steven Curtis Chapman beat me to it for his daughter!:

Aren't you the little one That hid in my arms afraid of the thunder?

Are these the little hands That held so tight to mine

Didn't we both agree you'd never grow up

And now here we are And here you go

Of all the things I want to say The thing you really need to know is...

I believe in you Yeah, I believe in you

Everything you are Everything you are becoming

And I believe in youYeah, I believe in you

So spread your wings and fly On the winds of knowing

I Always believe in you

So many prayers we've prayed So many dreams to get to this moment

Now this is where we stay While you go change the world

But I'll be where I have always been

Up in the stands cheering you on and

Singing this song A song the very God who made you Has been singing all along

I believe in you Yeah, I believe in you

So spread your wings and fly On the winds of knowing

I Will always believe in you

And when you rise and when you fall I'll still believe in you

Just close your eyes and hear me calling

I believe in you Oh, I believe in you

(I Believe in You, written by Steven Curtis Chapman to his daughter)

Homeless??

What is it with these chipmunks? They live in everyone else's home but their own!! LOL!




This is Chip....not to be confused with Chips who lived in our house for a while. The two of them have chipmunk races outside because Chip does not like his territory invaded. That suits me just fine....one is quite enough! Wish I could harness their energy!

Subway Sandwiches

My daughter phoned me last night to relate her adventures that evening on the subway train. Living in a city of over 2 million...you meet a few 'interesting' people while taking public transit. Yes, she met a couple of 'choice' ones last night! Speaking of weird people who ride in public...

I remember when I first rode the subway train. We've grown up in a relatively small city. Before my (baby) daughter moved to the big city, I wanted to ensure she could find her way around and know what to expect on her first day of college (not to put my mind at ease or anything...). So we rode the subway together a week or so before college began (you know...so I could help her). She was quite confident in where she was going, and always had to redirect her mother who would automatically go west if she should be going east. After I flustered a subway cashier insisting I wanted a transfer even though we didn’t need it (but what IF we did???), we found our way to the boarding platform to wait for the next train. I observed how quickly you have to bound onto the train before the doors automatically shut, and of course there’s a rush of people coming out when you want to go in. It’s great fun. Especially when you’re trying not to lose someone you’re with. We boarded the train and I immediately learned that men no longer give up their seats for women. It was standing room only. So I stood hovering over a young ablebodied man as I dug in my feet and clung to a pole, acting as though I had a good sense of balance as the ‘red rocket’ shot down the tracks. I erased all thoughts of falling headfirst into his lap each time the train jolted. Another thing I observed is the silent rule--- you do not look into people’s faces or smile at anyone. That rule in itself could send me into fits of laughter - it doesn't take much. (My daughter now sometimes rides with a friend who breaks that rule - he takes snapshots with his camera phone of passengers in humorous positions who are falling asleep, while another friend makes interesting poses beside the unsuspecting dreamer. At least it gets a few laughs out of strangers!)

Anyways, on this day, my daughter (holding to another pole) and I chatted about the route map that was posted near the ceiling and took note of how many stops we had left before we would 'detrain'. I continued to attempt to not fall into the lap of the young man who was definitely ignoring me. I noticed again how quickly the doors opened and shut. I had a mental picture of myself being the one whose purse would get caught in the door, and I would be flattened against the train like ‘Coyote’ of Roadrunner fame.... and the train would speed away with my body plastered to the outside of it.

Finally, our stop was next. I turned away from the young man, who was still ignoring me, and I readied myself directly in front of the door which was beside him. With the ‘Coyote’ image seared in my brain, I determined to pounce off the train as quickly as possible. I suddenly had that feeling you get when someone is staring at you. I glanced at the young man and turned away quickly as he was staring intently up into my face. It was rather unnerving. Why now would he suddenly choose to stare? I began to get uncomfortable as he wasn’t turning away his glare. The train stopped, and there was a flood of passengers to the doors as they rushed off…..away from me in the opposite direction to what I was facing. The door before me remained tightly closed. I peered through the window of the door at a brick wall as the young man continued to look up into my face. Ohhhhhh. Another lesson learned. The side of the train you enter, may not always be the same side you disembark. I hugged my purse and turned with an ‘I MEANT to do that’ facade, and exited the train on the opposite side, hoping to never see that man again. The roar of the train speeding off drowned out our peals of laughter.

As we made our way to the college, I realized why the young man had been staring at my face. He had been peering at the word ‘Dork’ written on my forehead! It's why I faithfully wash my face everyday!

Over the (H)edge - Conquest of the Verminators

I've been apprehensive about being at home the last day or two....knowing a mouse was probably watching my moves from hidden vantage points. Last night I knew from my dog (who has been sincerely forgiven), exactly where this rodent was hiding. This time it was behind the stove - the dog whined and sniffed beneath the oven. As I did the dishes, I heard the odd little shuffle behind there. I figured he was now probably amongst my baking pans in the bottom drawer of the stove. Ewwww. I supposed it was better than not having a clue where he was hiding. My husband didn't seem to want to tackle getting him out, choosing to rely on the mousetraps.

My daughter called me after 11 pm and I sat in the living room and chatted with her. My son, as is his custom at this hour, began to make supper all over again. He preheated the oven as I continued to chat with my daughter. Then he asked me what pan he should use. I explained he'd have to get one from the drawer below the stove, but to watch out for the mouse who would probably be feeling a little baked by now. I heard him slide open the drawer, then heard him loudly proclaim, "ITS A CHIPMUNK!!". I jumped up and by the time I reached the kitchen, the little critter had run through the kitchen and scampered under the couch in the living room. My daughter was laughing hysterically on the other end of the phone. I put the dog outside, informed my husband we had a chipmunk on the loose, and the Terminators (Verminators?) sprang into action. Hubby got the broom, baseball gloves, and some boxes; son got batting glove and camera phone. I ran around like a chicken, squealing every time this very frightened creature ran by me. My daughter continued to laugh. The game plan was to guide Chips out the front door. By this time he'd run back under the door of the closet (his personal dining room I had discovered... by all the sunflower seed shells I had cleaned out earlier in the evening). We made a wall of shoes and backpacks to prevent him from moving anywhere else, then shooed him out of the closet. So much for the barrier! Chips scaled the wall of shoes in a milli-second, missing me by an inch, and tore down the stairs to the family room. It was a little disconcerting how well he seemed to know his way around the house. I wondered if he'd already checked out the bedrooms, and perhaps explored the kitchen counters. It did explain why my African Violet had been knocked off the plant stand earlier that day! Well, the next half hour was interesting. I provided play-by-play entertainment to my daughter, while the other two tried everything in the book to catch a critter who can move at the speed of light. I had grabbed my camera and stood on the second step to the family room. I couldn't capture a photo as Chips would run from place to place in split-second intervals. Every time he ran by me, he would jump up to the first step and I would involuntarily scream. He would back away and be off to the races again. At last we agreed that since Chips wanted to go upstairs, we'd let him, and block off the kitchen at the top of the stairs. I laid an empty garbage can and a large water bottle in the path. In no time flat, Chips was up the stairs, whisked through my barrier and was back under the stove (as my daughter laughed)! Before long he was once again back in that closet and it was now after midnight. This time, we made the barrier higher and impenetrable with two of us behind it, and my husband scared the critter out of the closet. Finding no escape through the barrier, Chips quickly shot out the front door and off to freedom! I went out to say goodbye to him but he was nowhere to be seen. We were VERY relieved and I was so glad that 'no animals were harmed in this exercise'. I thought of my cousin's story of their experience with a chipmunk in their bedroom and remembering the critter had ended up on her husband's head and he threw it out of a two-storey window...I thought we got off pretty easy! Now the trick will be to find out where Chips got in and make sure he doesn't come back. I mean, maybe he liked it here. Plenty of dog food, water, birdseed, etc. Perhaps he watched TV and ate 'chips' while we were out. He could be telling his family and friends how cool it was, (of course he'll play up the story that he was the hero...) and maybe they are planning a vacation....over the hedge. I had been contemplating taming the other chipmunk, Chip, who lives in my front garden. I had tamed his mother, Chipper, last year and she ended up meeting her fate in a mousetrap in our attic! Maybe it's not such a good idea to be best buddies with wildlife. They just might want to move in permanently....and in that case, there would be no living with our dog!

Our dog's not so stupid after all!

This morning I came downstairs to see my husband standing at the front hall closet with a perplexed look on his face. He had just put food in the dog's bowl - we store the dog food and birdseed in that closet. I asked him what was wrong. He didn't say anything for a bit...just kept looking around. Then he finally spoke. "I think something just ran out of the closet." SOMETHING???? My heart stopped for a minute. Then he assured me that it might have just been a tumbleweed of dog hair that flew across the floor. He might have convinced me...except he set a mousetrap in the closet....to catch dog hair with a piece of cheese I guess. I caught a glimpse of the chipmunk outside, so I knew it wasn't him in our house! When I got out of the shower, the dog was whimpering and busily rooting around trying to sniff behind the love seat in the living room. All of sudden it made sense...the ending to the perfect mother's day (see May 14 blog) when the dog drove us all crazy in the night...she was not just being stupid after all! (It wasn't the only night she did that either). My son says he saw 'a mouse or rat' come down the stairs to the family room this afternoon. Sooooo somewhere in this room where I type, there huddles a rodent...perhaps watching our feet walk by....perhaps eyeing the nearby trap. Shudder. This all freaks me. They climb stairs. They eat your food. They chew electrical wires. And if there's one.....are there more? Oh, and speaking of more......I sat outside this evening to watch the mother rabbit feeding her 5 youngsters again. When finished, mom hopped across the lawn and the babies all jumped out to scamper behind her. Yowie! There were 7 of them!! No wonder the dog's been so whiny and hyper - scampering little rodents inside and out!

I know that experts suggest you get rid of birdseed around your property to help curb the mice problem. But I need the birdseed to feed the rabbits and squirrels because they eat less of your plants that way. Make sense? I just hope my daughter doesn't stop coming to visit us. I mean, she's gotten accustomed to living with centipedes that used to freak her out....and mice have far fewer legs!

Silly Wabbit!

What possesses a mother rabbit to build her den in a city backyard where a golden retriever lives? Like...why not the front yard where the dog doesn't go? We had a lot of yard and garden work to do this long weekend, and ended up creeping around so as not to disturb a momma rabbit and babies in our backyard. We first noticed the rabbit didn't seem to run away from us, then my husband spotted two tiny bunnies. Unfortunately, the dog spotted one too, and went snakey chasing the poor thing through all the groundcover in the gardens, and almost caught it. So all weekend we had to check out the yard and make sure the bunnies were not moving about before letting the dog out. The 'den' is right beside our deck stairs, so my husband and I had the unique privilege of standing just over a yard away watching momma feed her babies which are only 6-7 inches long. After their milk, she would go and chew up some grass for them and bring it back for them (yum!). If we got in her way, she would stop and look at us, we'd move out of the way, and she'd hop by us without fear. Saturday we thought there were two babies. Today I grabbed my camera when I saw mommy gathering grass in her mouth.

I sat on the deck stairs and caught sight of the babies...I counted sets of ears...one, two, three........four...oh my gosh.....five! So tiny and adorable! But where are they all going to live?? And how are we going to keep our dog away from them all? The babies were a little uncomfortable with me so nearby, and although they were all cuddled together, they began to scatter in every direction into the gardens as momma watched. I don't know how she keeps track of them or how she communicates with them - they seemed to be doing their own thing! My neighbour with the vegetable garden next door is really excited about our news. I swear every lawn in the neighbourhood has a rabbit and at this rate of multiplication, there will be nothing left of our gardens. Don't even suggest rabbit stew to me. They're way too cute. For now I will feel privileged to get such a close look at these little critters in my own backyard!

My hero still amazes me....

The hero whom I've never met is still amazing me. I wrote about Heather in my post dated April 30th. At that time she was about to undergo brain surgery and didn't know whether she would live or die, be paralyzed, or ever be able to speak or reason again. Well, she's back...not just getting around, but able to blog again with the same wonderful spirit she had before the tumour was removed from her brain. She has a long road ahead of her....but I'm so glad she is the same person inside as she was before the surgery - and able to express it as beautifully. You can read about her progress here and pray for her and her family. I have other heroes in my life as well whom I personally know...people who persevere through hardship, without complaint, knowing where their strength comes from, and finding peace and even joy in the midst of suffering. They don't consider themselves heroes....but they are. And they have no idea how much strength and encouragement they provide just in the way they live their lives. Do you know any heroes? Consider yourself blessed if you do.

Recovering from Mother's Day

I must say Mother's Days are getting better now that I'm older! Oh, I miss all the little homemade crafts and cards that were always a part of this day, and I'd give anything to go back and enjoy an hour or two of cuddling my babies. (My 18 year old son doesn't like cuddling anymore - I don't understand it!) But let's face it....mothers still end up doing stuff for their kids on mother's day and don't truly get a break from all of their duties. No offense to those who are still in the diaper stages or running your kids all over the planet....but I'm enjoying my kids being adults now! I think it's just because my body is running out of steam. I can actually truly enjoy a relaxing day on 'my' day. And that's what I did. The restaurant dinner was enjoyed Saturday night, and Sunday BBQ was cooked by my husband. I enjoyed my easy chair, my tea, my birds and chipmunk, my magazine, the beautiful weather, my family, my kids' friends who dropped by, an NHL playoff game. Twas nice indeed. Until bedtime. The first mistake was staying up until almost 2 am talking with my daughter. (That's what you do with adult children.) I crawled into bed, trying not to wake my husband.

The dog, who always sleeps on the bed with us (we can't change this habit of hers.....we've tried!!), stayed downstairs and just when I was nodding off, she began to bark. (This is a dog who only barks at other animals - if there were a thief lurking outside she would not bark!). I went downstairs and settled her down...rationalizing with her that there was nothing out there. Of course when I went back to bed, she started up again. She would not relent. Finally my husband in frustration, picked up the dog (no easy feat), put her on our bed and shut the door. He went back to sleep. The dog settled for maybe 10 minutes, then started whining and crying, and wanting off the bed. I settled her down. She started again. This went on for the next half hour. I was so exhausted and angry at her because this is so unlike her. Finally I took her downstairs and closed the curtains on the window- they normally remain open. She was finally quiet since she couldn't see anything out the windows. So I ask you. Do I not still have a baby in the house? In fairness to the dog, my husband has recently spotted a visiting skunk near our pond....can't blame the dog for barking at such a strange kitty. Thankfully, Mondays are my day off so I could sleep in a little today. I threw in a load of laundry before driving my daughter back to her home and found something in my son's shirt pocket that reminded me of mothering when he was little. Here's a picture of what I found.

If you're not sure what it is....it's a clam. Yes. A clam. He works at a seafood restaurant and had a very interesting smelling clam in his pocket. I am so grateful I found it before throwing it in the washing machine. Not too long ago I washed my son's wallet and all of its contents survived... but I don't know what kind of mess would have ensued from a clam!

All stages of mothering have moments when memories are made. Enjoy every one of them Moms!

"Before becoming a mother I had a hundred theories on how to bring up children. Now I have seven children and only one theory: love them, especially when they least deserve to be loved."- Kate Samperi

"Motherhood brings as much joy as ever, but it still brings boredom, exhaustion, and sorrow too. Nothing else ever will make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his own individuality especially while you struggle to keep your own."-Marguerite Kelly and Elia Parsons

Home Wrecker

We didn't mean to....but my husband and I kinda wrecked someone's home this evening. That someone is pictured here. Our little pond in the front garden had to be replaced, so my husband removed the waterfall and other rocks, piled them all around the perimeter of the garden, and discovered this little guy's home. His burrow entrance was directly beside the pond liner and beneath the rocks. Chip chirped angrily at hubby as he worked away, and then he disappeared. Chip is the offspring of Chipper, a chipmunk I tamed last summer to eat peanuts from my hand. More about her in a future blog.... Chip has it made in the shade in this garden. He has his own personal waterbowl, seen here.

He also cleans up the birdbath for me and guards the plants from invading rabbits.

We worked on getting the new pre-formed pond in place and some of the rocks moved, but we ran out of time, as nothing stops my husband from going to the gym every night. So there is still a mess of rocks and stuff everywhere that we hope to get back in place tomorrow. He left, and I moved the old pond liner around the corner to the end of the driveway. I suddenly jumped as a very loud 'chirp' rang out from behind the gas meter. Poor Chip! I had frightened him as he waited in there for us to vacate the garden. I can't believe such a loud noise is possible from such a tiny rodent!

I purposely went in the house to give Chip enough time to get back to the garden before dusk and get another entrance dug to his home. Alas, he did not return. Poor baby. Uprooted.... surrounded by the unfamiliar .... future unknown... deathly afraid....and alone.

Ever been there? Not behind the gas meter....but feeling frighteningly alone, even if there are others around? You've had the rug pulled out from under you. The comfortable and familiar have taken wings and flown, and you are left in a cold place you've not been before. You don't know where to go from here. You sit paralyzed...and you wait.

I wish I could make Chip understand that everything's okay. I have plans for that pond and garden that he can't see right now....but it will provide all that he needs and be even better than he's ever known. He can be brave, step around the obstacles that are there right now, and begin to build again. He can sleep in peace tonight because something better is just around the corner. I tell you....I learn more from chipmunks and my garden than you can imagine!

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." Psalm 4:8

(From the Bible - New Living Translation)