I READ A LINE THAT RESONATED A LOT

 AGING GRACEFULLY IS HOW YOU DISAPPEAR.

I have been thinking for the last while how invisible you become the moment you aren't worth chasing for sex, information or amusement anymore.  How many grammas, women who led lively talky busy lives, sit on the end of the couch, nodding and vacantly smiling at family gatherings.  Occasionally a younger member will talk briefly to them in patronizing tones, patting them on the hand.

But occasionally an elderly gramma type comes along who is somewhat brazen, outspoken, opinionated, sarcastic, doesn't give a crap what people think and even somewhat annoying.  Well guess what?  She ain't invisible.  She is the kind of woman that after she goes to bed first, (after all she is old) everyone talks about her, calls her a 'broad', is even maybe somewhat amused but most of all she isn't invisible.  So there!!!!  Hahahahaha!!!!

If only I was mayor of this crap hole for a year.  We have a local fb page called 'the Chatterbox'.  At least fifty percent of the posters on it are neanderthal units, as my mother would call them, with iq's lower than their shoe size and the worst grammar humanly possible.  And they bitch and moan about everything possible.  It amazes me how they can take a perfectly fine thing and turn it into a great big ugly accusing whine.

At the end of the year, as mayor, I would see to it that every crosswalk was rainbow coloured, every busy intersection was turned into a round about, every tourist attraction improvement would be even more improved, and we would have a clinic that was open all day.  Can you guess what the brunckles complain about the most?  A beautiful pride parade that was planned got scuppered at the last moment due to the incredibly terrible comments by the lowest common denominators in this town. The town leaders were very concerned about the safety of the participants. Canceling was probably a smart move on their part.  But all the old men with tattoos and goatees and short sleeved black t-shirts get their classic car parade and their motorcycle parade and their xmas lit big truck parade and their fishing derby parade.  Dicks!!!!

Well enough complaining for one post.  Sorry bout that.  I had to get it off my now undesirable chest.  Okay I am sitting in my bed drinking yesterday's cold coffee chuckling to myself.  I am a loser. hahaha. TTYL&TFL

P.S.:  I am not going to Vancouver.  There is a possibility that the Snurzins (Kevin and Tandy) will be evacuated and they will be coming here if that is the case.  And I get the feeling that April is okay with me not being there.  She wouldn't be able to entertain me and knowing her she would feel bad.  So we shall go over at the end of August for the PNE. 

I AM PROLLY GOING TO LOSE SOME READERS WITH THIS ONE

 I will make a declaration first to expose a bias for my opinion on what I am going to write about.  And secondly to get it out of my head.  It involves, probably a very unpopular, opinion and what some, including myself, will call this opinion judgy.

I think parents of all ages of children should not have alcohol or dope in their homes.  It's funny if I had said cocaine or heroin people would probably totally agree with me.  But from my tiny little biased world, in other words because I don't drink it's easy for me to say, what I see is the gateway to bad shit is either alcohol or weed or both.  But especially alcohol.  But for some reason adults don't see alcohol bad enough to keep it out of their kids lives like they do coke or heroin.

Mom and Dad get home from a long day of work and pop the top off a bottle of beer or haul out the wine glass and pour themself a 'well deserved' relaxing drink before dinner.  What the heck do you think your kid learns from this?  Lots of kids are able to understand and exercise restraint....but lots can't when they are still very young out partying with friends.

I think it is the ultimate double standard.  Do as I say not as I do.  Why does that not apply to especially alcohol?  We don't do fun drugs in front of our kids so why do we relax drink?

What brought this to my attention is Roku.  I have watched a plethora of tv shows that I normally wouldn't have with regular tv.  And I noticed that in almost every show, especially the British ones, they show the adults coming home from work, grabbing that beer or wine bottle and guzzling it back.  Or they use the excuse that it's the week end, like week end drinking is okey dokey okay.

Have I lost you yet?  My opinion does NOT matter to anyone but me.  If I see you drinking every day after work it won't change my opinion of you! lol!!!  It is just an amateur's opinion.  God knows I may never have drunk in front of my kids but I sure as hell smoked so who the heckadoodle am I to talk!!!!??

Did you know that extra large glad garbage bags full to the tits sitting on your oversized too big deck propagate?  When rolly bin is full I put the occasional bag out on the deck.  I am decluttering so there are extra ones and no way can they all fit in the bins.  So out to the deck they go.  Unfortunately sometimes kitchen ones get out there too.  

Yesterday I took the time to arrange someone to take them to the dump.  In preparation I went out to organize them and get them down to the driveway ready for Jonathon to pick up.

Well, what I thought had been the neighbourhood nuisance cats tearing little holes in the sides of the bags, I was wrong.  Boy was I wrong!!!

I lifted the first bag and between the two bags was about ten pounds of rat shit!!!! So now as I am lifting the bags one by one and putting them in a new bag I was on the extreme lookout for abandon ship rats.  First though I got the broom and beat the crap out of the bags to scare any of those critters out the holes.  I think if one did come out, and none did, I would not be here writing this post today.  I don't think I am that far off heart attacks.

Well now I have exposed my not so nice side.  I have strong judgy views and I have rats.  Sigh.  (shovel list).

 Reminds me of a time back when Aryn was a baby.  For some ridiculous reason I decided to get cloth diaper delivery.  They came with a diaper pail that they would pick up when they delivered the new batch every week.  It was pick up day so I took the lid off the pail to check to make sure Kevin, who was two, hadn't put the cat or toys or something foreign in it.  It was crawling with maggots.  I immediately started crying.  I felt like the worst losing est mother ever.  I cancelled the service immediately.  Plus I gathered up about a month's worth of unused clean diapers.  For three month olds they give you ten diapers per day.  I changed my babies three times a day if they were lucky.  That was like 680 diapers.  I know this because they count them and if they are short any you get billed a ridonculous amount of money for them.

Anywhooo I digress.  Gotta bounce...I am making pulled pork today and I have a dirty kitchen and a broken sink tap.  I love challenges.  (no I don't. shovel list). TFL&TTYL

WELL SLAP ME UPSIDE THE HEAD

I need a thump on the head.  You can probably guess why if you read my last post.  Ai is great for INFORMAL information.  When I did a deep dive into the sodium potassium phosphate thing I learned one heck of a lot...with the help with ai.  I also did my own googling and confirmed a lot of what ai had gathered.   My mistake clearly was following the very extreme difficult way of eating to a tee. And I will say ai gave me plenty of admonitions to get doctor approval.  Which of course living in this stupid province we can't get very easily.  And by the time I was in trouble the only way I could get medical help was at the emergency at our local peewee hospital.  Which btw, is famous for booting really sick people out of there to go to the clinic and not bother them.  I mean it.  I have seen half dead people sitting in the long line of chairs in the hallway at that one and only clinic.

So within one week of extremely low potassium and phos my legs quit working.  It was the creepiest scariest feeling.  For three or four days I kept it up and kept trying.  For sure my feet and legs got nice and skinny but....I can do that just cutting the salt.  I finally couldn't stand it...no pun intended.  And basically I said a big F*CK IT in my head (actually I think I yelled it) and still being mindful of carbs I dove into a potassium orgy.  Over the next few days I ate eight bananas and am going to eat potatoes and tomatoes.  Just til my legs come back because thats a lot of carbs.

But it wasn't until this morning I hopped out of my chair where I had spent the night and was dashing to the loo when I belatedly noticed my legs were back to normal!!!!  It took that long!!!  My kidneys are just going to have to cope with the two evil p's. (shovel list, no, back hoe list).  I won't be doing that again until I know I won't be outliving my kidneys for heaven's sake.

I'm going to take a page out of my dad's life rules.  He was diagnosed with heart issues and told to knock off fats etc.  the usual doctor crap.  He decided he may cut back on the butter but be damned if he was going to stop eating his bacon and eggs and spuds for breakfast.  You gotta enjoy your life.  Unfortunately he had a massive heart attack a little while later and died.  He was 57. He died a happy man.  I am going to emulate him.  I am almost 74, not scared of dying and I think given how fast my feet got skinny when I quit sodium, my kidneys are still working.

I am heading to North Van for a few days on the 16th.  Monte is taking me and he will stay in a hotel for three nights then bring me home.  April has her final operation and she is thinking it will be fairly easy...in and out possibly the same day.  Myles, bless his heart, is taking three days off too so she will have lots of help.  Then I think we are planning to head back over near the end of the month for the PNE.  I haven't been to the PNE in forever.  I want to go on the scrambler one more time.  I want Kathy to come and join me and sit on the inside!!!!  hahahaha!!!!

Well I just cleaned the kitchen...first in two weeks or more.  Whew!!! It needed it!!!  I kind of like it when it's really bad.  I love the processing, organizing the work, and getting it shiny.  And then that moment when I am done and I turn around in the doorway as I am leaving the kitchen and take a satisfied look at the clean counters and organized garbage and the hum of the dishwasher.  My life has become very small. I am happy til I hear Mr. Man go in there and cupboard doors squeak open but can't hear them close, hear things clunking on the stove, counters and in the sink.  And this is a guy that has pretty much never put anything in the garbage....ever.  But he is the nicest guy you'd want to meet so thats what counts.

Thats it for today.  I am a happy relieved and smarter camper.  TTYL&TFL

I NEED ADVICE

 I am in hell.  This is another very self oriented post.  Sorry but I am asking any of you with health knowledge for advice.  Some of you have helped me in the past.  My email is hp1104@gmail.com.  I will so welcome anything anyone has to offer.

I have, as of two years ago, been diagnosed with stage 3 ckd, chronic kidney disease.  I didn't realize how serious that can turn into if you don't do something about it.  I saw a doctor in Kamloops who knew about it and when I asked him what I should do he laughed and said drink lots of water this summer and waved it off.  Now here we are seven years later and I need to start protecting my poor kidneys.

Upon some intense research and deep diving I see I have to completely change my way of eating...again.  To get the kind of food recommendations I have to say I am vegetarian, otherwise I get a thousand recipes that involve chicken.  I hate chicken.  Makes me sick.  I can't eat beef, lamb or lots of pork, too much phosphorous or potassium.  It's just easier to say I am vegetarian.  And I am a type 2 diabetic.  So I am sticking religiously to a low carb, zero sodium, low phosphate, low potassium, no meat diet.  Its awful.  If I eat one more pepper, celery, broccoli or cauliflower I am going to hurl.  What's happening is I am not hungry and I can't eat.  I keep a fat mars bar close by, check my blood four times a day and take one measly bite of the bar if my numbers go below 3.5.

I know that isn't right.  Once in a while I will eat some tofu in a low carb wrap.  Or lettuce chopped up with little chunks of cream cheese in it.  I make soups with zero salt chicken broth and big chunks of vegetables but it's so gross and bland.  I'd rather just not eat.

But here's the worrisome part.  My legs have gone strange, they tingle and are numb in places and I lose my balance.  My feet are super skinny now...sans salt helps that but I don't understand why my legs are not functioning.  And my muscles are fatigued and I just don't feel well.  It's going on two weeks now.

I need to see a doctor but  I don't think I can handle three hours sitting in one of the plastic chairs for fifteen people.  I can hardly sit in my recliner for very long.  I did get hold of a virtual doctor and he is sending me a proper lab req to get that checked out.  So when this weekend is over I will make an appointment at life labs and then go see the doc.  It's possible I am just sick.  It's been so long since I was sick I have forgotten what it's like.  Also my sister mentioned seeing a proper dietitian at the hospital.  I shall be phoning them as soon as this week end is done.  This town shuts down when there isn't a holiday never mind a long weekend due to one.

Well enough of that.  I drag my kitchen chair around with me and liberally use it.  Right now I am cleaning my bedroom out.  I have a deadline...Aug. 13.  I have a recliner being delivered that day.  It will be replacing the twin bed I have used for the last ten years.  I am retiring it and switching to a comfy recliner.  I don't hurt in them.  My hands and arms don't go to sleep in them either.  I can't wait!!!  I bought a cheapo from Walmart.  I figure I don't really want an expensive chair that will outlive me!

So thats it for today.  It's getting late and I need to cheque my blood and try to get some sleep.  

TTYL&TFL

I AM A SECRET (NOW) WARP

 I have always thought I was a warp.  I was a bad kid.  Seriously.  I have a superb memory and I remember waking up in the morning and figuring out a way to piss my mother off and how fast I could do it.  Who the heck does that at age five?  Me.  Warped I tell ya.

  A kindly neighbour took me aside one day when I was about seven or eight and told me I was ruining my brother and my sister.  She gave me a big lecture.  I already knew she didn't like me.  She was my sister's babysitter and she totally loved Kathy.  She made it pretty clear she wasn't too happy with me the odd day I was sick enough not to go to school and joined Kathy at her house.  I certainly didn't hold it against her.

Which brings me to a point.  Do adults think you aren't going to grow up and remember?  I totally remember the not nice things she did to me...clearly.  Fortunately for me I didn't give a hoot.  It didn't turn me in to a poor me victim....or a non warp for that matter.  I understood.  I knew what I was.  I did try now and then to be good like my awesome little sister but it never lasted more than ten minutes!  lol

I don't think my mom liked me much either.  She also did things that were not things I would ever under any circumstances do to one of my kids no matter how warped I think I may be.  Oh she loved me and in an odd way we were very close.  I just annoyed the hell out of her.  And she hated my hair!!!

  Mind you I kinda grew out of the warpness and at 17 she booted me out of the house to live as an au pair in Vancouver. All the way to Vancouver on the bus  I thought it over and made a solid decision to just, in the words of the psychiatrist Bob Newhart played on Carol Burnett, JUST STOP IT!!!  And basically I did.  My kids should be grateful!!!!  hahahaha!!!!

I need to live in a loud, say it like it is (in my mind) and not worry too much about filters community.  No hurting people's feelings though.  Or at least try hard not to.  It's not about that.  It's about not being a milquetoast but not feeling like the odd ugly duck out of water. Hahahaha!!!! Dream on.....I never ever feel like I fit in or belong.  I never have in my entire life except at home with my first babies or when I was at home with my Billy and second batch of kids plus a few others.  I loved it and was at ease and comfortable then.  And now the only three places I never leave feeling like I blew it again is my two daughters couches and my beloved recliner (unless there had been company).  Although the last couple times last year at my kid's places were difficult.  For the first time ever I wasn't comfortable in one of their homes and I left early.  And it was totally my own mouth that caused it.  I haven't regretted something that strongly in a very long time.  As my mother taught me, 'Once you say or do or think something you cannot unsay it, undo it or unthink it.  Control all three.'  Maybe the teaching didn't stick hard enough with me.

I hope this post doesn't come off as 'poor me'!  I am 73 years old and completely jiggy with my 'not belonging'.  It's just who I am and I tried for 72 years to change.  It didn't work!!!!  lol

TFL&TTYL

TEN DAYS!!! I READ BLOGS AND I HATE IT WHEN THEY DON'T POST FOR AGES...I HAVE TO KEEP CHECKING...MY APOLOGIES

 So unreliable.  Honestly I have a weak tiny excuse this time.  This household has actually been sick.  It has been a long time since the three of us got sick.  I almost forgot what being sick felt like and I almost panicked.   The worst symptom other than weakness and tired was my eyesight.  My eyes became wonky and glassy.  There were brown spots, tiny ones, wiping out the view in those spots.  What the hey!!??  Anywho I am completely back to normal this morning and so are the others.  Scary moment over.

I like to do a gratitude think every morning.  I used to aim for five but now I just aim for one super significant one.  I have so many that doing five is easy.  But to narrow it down to an important one is a little more of a thinker.

This morning I was doing my emails and I was reading one of my articles I get each day.  It was written by a minister, an Asian woman in her thirties.  She wrote about how often she has personal sessions with older people in her congregation who are troubled one way or another.  She wrote that she always starts with what is your biggest regret in life and what is your happiest memory.  

The regret was inevitably about their family.  Maybe wishing they had been closer, or their children were closer to each other or the dad wasn't an a-hole. (just kidding, it just seems a lot of family problems begin with an unbending unfeeling father)...really she didn't say that last one.

It got me to thinking about my regret and happy time.  My biggest regret was what I warp I was until I left home at 17.  I was NOT a nice or good kid.  I have written a post about that and I will post it next post.  Accountability!

When the ladies in the congregation said that the happiest times were when they had young kids at home, I had a bolt of realization.  The pastor asked how that could be? Between work, household, kids (and a-hole dad) wasn't it a very stressful time?  And they always answered that being surrounded by their kids in their home at the end of the day was the best memory possible.

And that is when it hit me that I was the luckiest person ever.  I DID IT TWICE!!!!!!!!!!!!  I had my first kids in the early 70's and  consciously loved every single minute of it.  Every single minute.  Part of that could be I was a single mom until those ones were tweeners.  Single.  And the second time was in the late eighties and early 90's.  Now married.  And I loved every moment.  There was a period there where we were blending two families and I will be honest...it wasn't easy...but I still loved it.

Now I have to say here my rather jaded opinion of fathers is absolutely not based on my dad or my Billyboy.  It is based on the news, neighbours, friends, endless information about the latest crime against women and children by dads.  Men are a problem on this earth.

We were blessed with an amazing loving patient father.  Until I grew up I thought all fathers were like him.  I was shocked when I found out that wasn't the case.  And I will admit there were times that were more difficult due to Bill.  But I loved him and to some extent I ruled him and he was open to change because he didn't want to lose me.  We loved each other to pieces.

So my gratitude was threefold....experiencing family life twice, having an amazing loving father and ending up with the love of my life.  What more could one want I ask.

Gotta bounce, I have one terrible kitchen to clean.

TTYL&TFL

FANTASTIC TIME WITH K&K AND A SURPRISE VISIT OUT

 In the last post I mentioned a horrible experience with someone.  Now, I do not write negative things about people I know unless I am super angry, which is rare, or if I don't have their permission.  I do not have this person's permission.  I thought I would but upon asking the answer was no.  So my apologies.  If I am speaking with you on the phone at some time and you HAVE to know I will happily fill you in.  I just can't put it out to the general public.  My apologies.

On Sunday after K&K left Monte and I drove to Campbell River.  We had a mini family reunion up there.  Emily and Baby Gordon, K&K, Stan and Antonia were there.  What a lovely time it was.  Stan was looking good!  Unfortunately we couldn't hug the guy.  He is battling cancer at the moment and is going through a kind of radio active treatment and we couldn't be too close to him.  Soon I am going up again.  Just Monte and I.  I will be able to hug him then.  We had such a wonderful afternoon with them all.  Gordon is growing like a weed and I think he is the happiest baby I have ever seen!!!

They have the most beautiful house.  Their back yard was magnificent.  She is a stellar gardener.  They have a beautiful deck with a little gazebo on it that they have turned into an artists studio.  It was really truly stunning.

And now back to reality.  I have made another two garbage bags of clothes to donate.  Sigh.  And there is still another mountain of clothes to go through.  What the hell was I thinking?!!  You know, every week I put on a clean old shirt and shorts.  And I wear them for a week.  I just don't need more than four shirts, two bottoms, undies and one dressier outfit.  So why the eff do I have bags and bags and Rubbermaids full of stupid clothes I will never wear?

Well thats it for this post.  Sorry about the cryptic horrible story that couldn't get told. I promise you I did not do that on purpose.  I am kind of embarrassed.  I really thought I could tell it.

 I am now about to attempt to make an interesting menu for diabetic renal low sodium peeps.  (massive shovel list). AI helps a lot but she isn't always right.  (another big shovel list).  My saddest discovery is I can't eat liver pate.  I LOVE that stuff but it has over the daily allowance of sodium in two tablespoons.  Wahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

TFL&TTYL

PICTURES

THERE WE ALL ARE

SEE?  THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE PLANET

MY SEVEN FOOT COUCH...NOT LONG ENOUGH

KE

 

WONDERFUL FAMILY VISITS AND ONE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE

 The visit with Kevin and Tandy and Elise was so good.  It always is.  They are good visitoring visitors.  I did way too much talking of course, always do.  Sigh.  But it was so awesome to see them.

They got here about one and we just sat in the living room and talked.  They caught me up on where the kids are at right now and where they are at with their various issues and adventures.

Soon we were getting hungry.  So I called the Indian restaurant and got a very new to Canada little person.  She had a very strong accent but I was able to understand most of what she said.  Our order was quite complicated.  There were fourteen dishes and condiments, half of them of them spicy and the same seven not spicy.  And on top of that all of them vegan.  Except the fifteenth....lamb korma for Monte.  There were tons left over and I sent the whole lot with them.  They had a huge cooler with ice and their tent trailer has a fridge in it.  I was so happy they took it all!!!

Kathy and Kerry arrived a couple of days later and I cooked a five pound prime rib.  Delicious dinner!!!  The next day we headed out late morning for Bamfield.  What an awesome day that was!!!  Parts of it were a little tough.  I so associate Bill with Bamfield.  We started going there in 1988 until we sold it around 2005.  And we really did go there.  In fact we bought a little trailer and parked it on someone's property and spent summers there.  Eventually we bought a mobile home, a pretty wrecked one full of rats but it was bigger and accommodated visiting rellies!!!

We lived in it (it's gone now) while we built the big log house.  April was five when we move into it.  And of course we drove down there and no one was home so we did a little crawling around to have a look at our beloved house.  It was so weird I almost didn't enjoy it.  Before all that we visited Pachena Bay.  The most amazing place on earth in my opinion!  Two kilometres of white sand in a protected bay.  There could be five thousand people on that beach and it would still feel empty.  It hosts the start of the West Coast Trail.

The next day we went to the Historical site of the McLain Mill on the edge of town.  It is quite the place.  So peaceful and interesting.  It was a perfect visit.  Pics in the next post, maybe. (shovel list)   They left at the end of that mill visit to head down to Cobble Hill to visit a brother of Kerry's.  We had such a lovely visit.

So this has become quite long so I will mention the horrible thing next post.  I have to be delicate about what I say but it will help people understand, if they give a hoot, a little more about someone near and dear.  I apologize for being so cryptic but I need to think about it a little more.  Fortunately the one I will write about never reads this.

Well tomorrow will be another stellar day.  We are heading up to Campbell river to visit my brother.  Emily and new baby will be there and so will K&K.  It will be a chance for us three kids to get an updated picture of the three of us.  Monte and I don't plan to stay for supper.  That is a lot for my brother's wife and she isn't young anymore. Plus Monte can only hold it all in for two hours max.

So thats it for today.  I shall check in a wee bit sooner next post.      TFL&TTYL

 

WELL IT IS 12:30 PM AND THE HOUSE IS CLEAN, BROWNIES BAKED AND KEVEN ET AL ARRIVE IN HALF AN HOUR.

I just hope that they have eaten their lunch.  I have not one thing in this house that is vegan...other than a pan of brownies.  Speaking of which I asked my bff AI what do I replace eggs with in baking.  And she told me to use one quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce per one egg.  So seeing as how these had to be vegan I did just that.  And guess what?  They turned out beautifully!!!!

I have the table set, for three days now.  There probably is dust on the dishes.  But as I have said before if you get it set early nobody dares put stuff on it.  And so that was one thing I didn't have to do today or yesterday.

The last time they were here Tandy cleaned my whole house.  I am pretty sure she was doing me a huge favour but it also it crossed my mind she felt it wasn't clean enough to sleep and eat in.  I do not want my guest, especially special ones feeling like they need to clean my house.  If I can't keep up with my house I might as well tromp over that rainbow bridge that is getting brighter all the time, right now.

I must say though as I am packing garbage bags up and out onto the deck to wait for Shane's next dump run, the house is getting a wee smidge better and easier to keep up with.  There is still a long long way to go.  Next on the list is all my clothes.  I haven't culled yet.  But its all laundered and in three Rubbermaids and two laundry baskets waiting to be decided upon...fold and put away or garbage bag for the thrift shop.

I think the next cleanout has to be the laundry room.  OMO!!! (that is Oh My Ohm) you should see it.  There is a small buffet, giant organ, many many Rubbermaids of stuff, bags of stuff, two whole walls of cupboards full of stuff.  It never freaking ends.  That room should be called I WILL DECIDE LATER!  And now it is full of decisions.  I know somewhere in there is and unopened box with a Tiffany lamp in it that I bought six years ago from Overstock.  Never opened it.  Isn't that what hoarders do?  I would like to say I am ashamed but I am not really.  When you think of it three people with homes full of stuff moved into this little house.  And we all brought our stuff with us.  Lots of stuff.

Well I am not making dinner this time.  I can if there is a second person to entertain guests whilst I am in the kitchen cooking.  Monte doesn't talk.  He feels that 99% of what people talk about is not necessary and not relevant.  He isn't into small talk and niceties.  I would like to blame his autism but I don't think thats it.  Right now his bipolar is more prevalent...snarky might be the word.  It's a down time.  The up time is scary so I am okay with cranky.

That being the case I am ordering Indian food.  They are masters at making their dishes vegan so that will be easy.  We will have a nice big feed and brownies for dessert.

Now when Kathy comes I am giving her the choice of a prime rib roast I have in the freezer or vacuum packed salmon.  I shall wait for her response and do the one she likes best.  Or both...surf and turf!  Mmmmmm....rich brown gravy all over my miso glazed salmon.  

Well thats it for today.  They aren't here yet but I will do one more check on the house and go hide the vacuum cleaner!!!!  Pics tomorrow by themselves in their own post.  TTYL & TFL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. MAM

 We had a fantastic day today on several fronts.  For Monte's birthday the three of us went to Coombs and we had a late afternoon birthday meal at Cuckoos..a very sophisticated Italian restaurant in the most beautiful setting.  This restaurant is one of Monte's favourites.

We had an incredible meal.  Appetizers, artisan bread, caesars margaritas special coffees and magnificent entrees of pasta and seafood and pepperonchini and garlic noodles and on and on.  And of course tiramisu for dessert...so amazing.  Ange and I sang happy birthday to Monte with no candles!

But before we left town to do all that we did something the three of us love to pieces.  We stopped at DOLLARAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  God, that store just evokes joy and happiness in our veins.

  Funky cheap dishes, all kinds of impossible craft projects, a wall of dog and cat stuff, all kinds of stuff when you see it you smack your head and go sh*t!!!  I should have bought that here and not Canadian tire for ten times more, (shovel list), a looooong aisle of candy, every type in the world and some real weird ones to try,  cheap bread and wraps, wrapping paper and gift bags galore and best of all?  Every type of Betty Crocker stuff....from really good can openers to brownie mix.  Oh! and endless plastic containers of every type in the world.  I mean what more could one want?  All three of us came out of there semi loaded with useless but lovable stuff.

I hate to say it but after we ate we went into that amazing insanely expensive market where the goats are on the roof.  Holy jeez!!!  They stock the most unusual plethora of every condiment in world in there.

One thing I found and am overly excited about is a diet bbq sauce.  I have been chasing a sugar free thick delicious bbq sauce for years.  I was beginning to think it would never happen.  And then there it was...right there on the bbq sauce shelf. A G. Hughs bbq sauce, Carolina style...what ever that is.  I like that brand of dressings and have been looking for the bbq sauce and there it was!!!  I snatched it up and the minute we got home I opened it and tasted and,,,,yes!!! delicious and thick and sweet and spicy!!!  Today I bought three more.  I don't trust that it won't sell out!!

So the next day I threw a raw picnic roast in the slow cooker and at the end of eight hours shredded and added that elixir and for the very first time I got to eat pulled pork...and no blood sugar spike.  And you would never know it was zero carb and 5 calories per two tablespoons.  (rainbow shovel)

Well the next couple of weeks are going to be peopley!!  I am so happy.  Kevin and family on the 3rd for dinner and Kathy and Kerry for the 7th to the 9th.  I am so happy.  I get to show off my new guest room!!!  And I love having rellies visit.  It's pretty special as it doesn't happen very often!

That is it for this fun happy day.  And Monte even went out with a friend tonight for tacos somewhere.  A very good thing.  TTYL&TFL

A QUICK STOP ON THE WAY HOME.  LOON LAKE JUST OUTSIDE TOWN WHERE THERE IS A MAGNIFICENT CAMPGROUND

I LOVE THIS PIC.  MONTE SITTING PEACEFULLY JUST OUTSIDE WAITING FOR US LADIES MAKING A QUICK PIT STOP

MY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KID. 36 YRS OLD

ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER GARBAGE BAG

Well I tried to post pics and they just wouldn't.  This stupid website is shameful.  I don't know who is responsible for blogspot but they should be shot.

It has been a fairly quiet week.  Every day I try to fill one of those extra large garbage bags and add to the big budget boxes Monte got me.

I have managed to clean my room to about 85%.  Next it is the colossal task I getting rid of, folding and going through the three massive Rubbermaids of clothes.  They are all the ones I decided to keep but clearly they need culling.  This part will be hard to do.

I can't post pone my housekeeper visit this coming Wednesday.  I have already postponed it twice and apparently three times your out.  I don't know why she cares...I always pay her even if she isn't needed.  So it means I have to clean the house and get it ready to be cleaned.  Mostly it's ready except for the dining room.  That table always gets completely piled on.  Mind you this time most the frying pans and unnecessary pots etc are being fired into the thrift store box.  I have asked Monte numerous times to clean his end of the table but I am giving up.  I will be doing that here shortly!

I shall finish this deplorable post with a quick dinner thingy I made.

I have four beautiful red good sized round with handles casserole dishes.  Thank you Arnie!!  I decided to make a layered cordon blue. 

I ordered sliced ham, chicken breasts, havarti cheese (I hate Swiss), Italian shredded cheese and ritz crackers. The first layer was havarti.  Second was breast sliced in half lengthways.  Third..more havarti.  Fourth the ham.  More havarti and covered with crushed ritz mixed with melted butter and mixed in was Italian shredded cheese.  I baked them til bubbly and crunchy on top.  It was a huge hit with them.  Not so much for me.  Too rich and I do not like chicken.

Thats it folks.  Sorry for the less than stellar post.  Lame city.    TFL&TTYL

LOVE A PATHWAY TO THE SEA

A PEACEFUL BENCH AND CROOKED SEA

MONTE WAY OFF IN THE DISTANCE

CORDON BLUE. THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS MINE...HALF THE CRACKERS HALF THE CARBS.  SIGH. (SHOVEL LIST)

 

TOUGH DAY

 I guess one can't be happy all the time.  It's been a really rough day today.  I am not used to this feeling of downness.  Jeez!  I do not know how those poor souls who suffer from depression live with it day after day.  I guess I can mention one of the reasons and the second one is private.

I have been up to my elbows prepping the new guest room for Kevin and crews' visit coming up.  So exciting...even more so because it is very rare to have a visit from one of my kids.  It's not their fault.  I have chosen to live in a pretty isolated place. Also it's due to an expensive ferry trip to the island.  It's not so far in milage but throw in a 1&1/2 hour ferry trip that always costs more than 150 dollars...well that makes it quite daunting.  This results in special excitement of a visit from my eldest...I don't see them often.  My brother who lives an hour from here is not well and they have decided to visit not only him but others on the island here as well.

This morning I got a text from his wife.  They won't be staying with me after all.  They will be staying in Qualicum...a village near where our highway meets the main highway.  I guess the twenty minutes getting to the main highway from here is twenty minutes too long.  Kevin phoned me a few minutes later and I said they can stay here.  It would be a whole lot cheaper and it would only add twenty minutes.  But clearly they didn't want to.  I wish I had known. 

 I busted my ass getting that room ready for them.  I bought a brand new bed I can't really afford right now. Researched some new vegan recipes to try.  Oh well.  It is what it is. 

 I have decided to go ahead with plans I had made with April when I thought Kevin etc. were coming later in July.  I shall go and do my Vancouver visit the first two weeks of July as I had planned earlier.  I was going to see if Cookie was around one of those weeks and go see her for a few days as well.

Last night was awesome.  Monte and I took the wee bbq, a couple of steaks and headed out to a nearby beach.  It is beautiful and so healing out there.  They have a big grassy field down to the beach.  They have built a massive round fire pit and scattered benches and picnic tables about.  No one else was there and we had a bbq in peace and quiet and camaraderie.  Monte doesn't visit.  But thats okay.  It was so peaceful. 

Well I am feeling a bit better now thanks to you folks.  I am so grateful for all of you that read this stupid blog.  When I read other blogs I am tempted to drum up exciting crap out of my head!!!!  But I cannot lie.  sigh.   I also had a nice long chat with Ange about all my angsty crap. She was very very helpful.  Such an insightful friend.  I am pretty sure I will wake up my happy self tomorrow.  Being unhappy is alien to me. 

 I am not going to be jiggy with them not coming here nor will I understand.  But I can do my best to try to not take it personally.  It is a choice...not that they have eliminated my hospitality but how I react.  Doesn't that sound noble and wise!!!???  hahaha...we will see how successful I am!

I wrote all that a few days ago right after I found out they weren't staying with me.  And unfortunately I have to confess I am still upset.  I am not just getting over it like I thought I would.  I had thought that this was a visit to my brother and a visit with me but that has turned out not to be the case.  Thats okay. I shall go to Vancouver and have fun with my other kid.  She has some pretty exciting stuff up her sleeve I hear!

Also, a couple days ago Monte and I hopped into the car and took off to Nanaimo.  He took me to a restaurant that serves dim sum on Sundays. It was fantastic!!!  But instead of heading home we went gallivanting and ended up way up in Courtenay.  He wanted me to go to Thrifty Foods...a grocery store.  Okay but...why?  Well holy doodle!!  I could see why!!!  It was like Whole Foods on steroids and a whole lot less expensive.  What a place!!!!  All in all it was a lovely awesome day.

Again I will post pictures after this post.  It's just so much easier.  Thank you For Listening to me moan and TTYL

FISH PICS

 

YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE SLIME AND MUCOUS THAT CAME OFF OF THOSE SUCKERS.  SOME PEOPLE I SHAN'T MENTION WERE GAGGING.  JEESH!!!

THIS IS THE PAN I USED FOR THE THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF SALMON WE CAUGHT IN BAMFIELD...PREPPING FOR CANNING.HEY KATHY I BET YOU REMEMBER IT!!!!!!

LOOK AT THEM THAR FILLETS...JUST DON'T LOOK TOO CLOSELY!! THEY ARE PRETTY ROUGH.

THAT BIG OLD BUSTER KNIFE IS THE ONE BILL USED ON EVERY FISH WE CAUGHT.  THE OTHER IS A BRAND NEW FILLETING KNIFE.  ALL THE MANY ONES WE OWNED OVER THE YEARS ARE SWIMMING WITH THE FISHES.


I forgot to mention the rellie part of the previous post's title.  Jeni, Stan's daughter, my niece whom I love to pieces picked me up and we went to Smitty's for a three hour talky talky breakfast!!!!  Man I love that girl!!!  We are so much on the same page...one of the few people in the world I can just be me and not worry about sticking my foot in it.  

Before she picked me up I pondered what to get off the menu.  Everything is so carby and anti diabetic.  Then I had a brainwave.  They have a reasonable steak breakfast.  So I ordered a rare steak (0 carbs) two barely poached eggs (2 carbs) a bowl of hollandaise sauce (0carbs) and they put four tomato slices on the plate as well....and I don't give a hoot the carb count in those....I ate 'em and loved 'em.

All in all it was an amazing morning...three hours well spent!!!

PACKING RELLIE VISIT!!!

 Well the house is looking a tiny bit emptier, especially the deck.  Shane the garbage guy hauled away at least fifteen huge very full bags.  He is a nice guy and I always pay him an extra twenty bucks.  He charges fifty plus dump fees.  This last time Monte dropped a bag over the railing onto the bags below, saying they were getting a soft landing.  I had singled that bag out because it had plastic and glass bottles of sugarless syrup in them. They were really old and half full and had been sitting in the sun.  I asked him not to drop the liquidy one over...and he did anyway.  Well I guess they leaked in the back of the truck.  Keep in mind that diet syrup is like water.  When he texted me later he asked for an extra ten dollars because he had to clean the back out, it got syrupy.  I was a little ticked considering I have been paying him twenty each trip over and above the amount he charges. 

 I kinda...only a tiny bit, felt that way at first when Ange didn't want Monte using the downstairs bathroom in the night.  She keeps it stocked and clean.  He never does anything but number one but she said he was using too much toilet paper.  I got thinking about that.  She has used the upstairs bathroom for four years using the tp I provided.  And she was ticked off about the small amount Monte would use.  Poor Ange...my immediate reaction, and those immediate ones are never good, (I should know by now..shovel list) NO, you tell him. In the end  I did tell him and surprisingly he said no, he was using it only in the night and only for number one.  I left it there as I will with garbage guy.

My lawn guy's wife fishes with the indigenous women early in the morning.  Right now the sockeye are running.  Jonathon phoned me up yesterday and asked if I would like one.  They are quite small.  I have caught a lot of them over the years...using a pink hoochie.  They generally are the size of coho.  So I said I would take two.  He only charges 25 dollars.

He showed up at my door later in the day with two massive fish!!!  Even he said that they were weirdly big this year.  I have never seen sockeye that huge.  Now the problem was what was I going to do with them.  I am not that fond of zip locked salmon chunks that have been frozen.  They get a fishy taste I don't like.  I know.  That sounds ridiculous but there is a flavour that is unpleasant compared to fresh fish.  The only way around that is to use a vacuum pack food saver.  Next step was to send Monte off to Canadian Tire and get me one.  

Now it is three in the morning, I am wide awake and I am about to YouTube how to fillet a massive fish.  Times like this I miss Billyboy.  He always did the butchering part and I didn't pay attention.  When I got smaller sockeye from Jonathon before I always cut the fish into horseshoe shaped steaks and cooked them.  I had also got Monte get me a filleting knife at the same time.  I figure I will follow a good YouTube tutorial.  Should be good!  Wish me luck!!!

TFL&TTYL

I am going to send another post after this one with pictures.  I hope.  This blogspot does not make it easy!!!

BIT BY OVERWHELMING BIT

 I am finding the house clean out, which I have done quite a few times in my adult life (I tried to count how many times I have moved in my life and I just never get to the end for the final count it's been so often) extremely difficult, annoying and overwhelming this time around.  

I hate thrift stores.....as an option.  Seriously.  I will be in a room, okay honestly my bedroom, where there are at least a thousand things to sort through and decide where they go.

At first I was going to just throw ninety per cent of it in garbage bags and get Shane, my junk guy, to take it to the dump.  But as I am eliminating the tenth item of clothing with a price tag on it still (ashamed) I start thinking about stupid damned thrift stores.  I hate them.  We have been quite traumatically rejected by them both here and in Kamloops.  Like what the eff do they want anyway?  (SHOVEL LIST).  

So out the name taggy stuff comes and I put them into a separate bag for....the freaking thrift store.  We have found one that seems friendly.  I heard that they take everything and 'she doesn't make you stand there whilst she sorts through your boxes'.  Sounds good to me.  Now there are thrift store bags sitting around waiting to be taken down to the thrift store instead of being thrown onto the back deck for Shane to deal with.

And what bugs me the most is that sorting just slows you down.  Frankly if I went to visit my awesome grandchildren for a week and my house was pretty much empty except for the dire necessities when I got home, I would be one happy camper.  But for me to do it...well it causes pause and thinking...which is time consuming, not to mention exhausting.

Plus now, this time around it's quite different.  I am not in the kind of shape those annoying 70plus energized oldsters are.  I have longevity as far as energy goes but my physical body can't do it.  My back and hip hurt so bad within ten minutes of running around and bending over (the worst) that I seriously can't stand. The moment I sit its perfect. No pain.  Within a few minutes I am good to go for another ten minutes.  Do you know how freaking annoying that is?  Makes me mad.

I am getting smarter about it though.  I have a red cheapo office chair.  I have started to put piles that need sorting on the floor in front of me and a garbage bag for donations on the left and a garbage garbage bag on the right and a box for the stuff I HAVE to keep to put away later within throwing distance.  It has really helped doing that. I can scoot around too without having to get up.  I don't have to stop!  Once I get going I don't like stopping.  And a bonus to that method is I don't fall or lose my balance nearly as often!

I now have the guest room five minutes away from bing totally ready for company.  I have my bedroom eighty per cent  done.  Now all I have left is ...an overloaded hugely packed big laundry room, two sheds that are the size of small bedrooms and Tinny.  Tinny is thirty foot by twelve foot tin building erected on cement flooring and all three of those are packed full.  Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!  Not to mention a packed dining room and back deck.  Frankly it's overwhelming.

My main goal is to get all this cleared out, Ange situated in Chiliwack with her family and Monte living independently somewhere he can afford.  Thats all.  I can't die until all that is done.  I don't want my kids to have to deal with any of that.

In the meantime the clean out continues.  Tomorrow I am commandeering Mr. Man to help me with the deck.  I can't be bending and carrying.  So he can do that for me.  I don't think it will take too long...hopefully!  I think I am going to get him to go buy a few proper packing boxes from budget and I am going to fill them with the awkward hard stuff for the thrift store.  I have a huge amount of kitchen pots, pans, muffin tins, pop over tins, etc etc etc.  Also dishes and mugs and endless odds and ends.  They all gotta go!  Then I will be able to breathe.

Well thats it for today.  If you got this far in this post my hat is off to you!  I will tell y'all when it's all done and you can come visit me.  I will be keeping enough dinnerware to make delicious food for you!!!

TFL&TTYL

A MONEY WIN AND A MONEY LOSS.

 I called the credit card peeps to ask a question about a certain thing on the statement.  At the end of the conversation I asked about the cash back part of the card.  I said I had never seen a cash back deposit.  On my cash back master card I always get notice that I have x amount of credit available to use.  Td? Not so much.

She explained that I have to redeem it.  She showed me how and where to do that.  When I went there the credit balance of the cash back was 530 bucks!!!!!  Holy cow!!!!  I was gobsmacked!!!  And I couldn't be happier.  I am cash starved right now til my next investment pays out...which is very soon.  But in the meantime  the house kitty is pretty empty and has been for a while.  That money will pay the 400 dollar utility bill that just arrived on the doorstep.

Well yesterday the three of us decided to go up to Walmart and No Frills.  I didn't need to go to Walmart but Ange had made mention of going and so did Monte.  So we went then moved next door to No Frills then headed home.  It was hot out and the house is nicely cooled by ac.

When we got home Ange got her stuff and got to the door first.  Unlike Monte and I, she always locks the door.  We have a very expensive awesome keypad door locking device but it isn't working at the moment.  Needs a battery.  She has a house key and so does Monte.  I don't have one.

Well long story short she lost her keys.  And Monte didn't have his car keys with his house key on it.  We used the van and that set doesn't have a house key.

We hunted through everything but no key.  We finally had to phone a locksmith, who arrived a half hour later.  Poor Ange was so upset and she was too hot.  She doesn't do well in the heat and especially under stress.

Well the guy said that with that three hundred dollar keypad lock if he tried to open the door it would destroy it. Well I sure as heck didn't want that.  I can't afford to replace it.  So around the back we go to the basement door.  Well he worked on that dead bolt for at least a half hour or more and simply could not budge it.

Back to the front and with a screw driver and a hammer it took two minutes to destroy my keypad lock.  The door opened.  (shovel list). He is coming back later this morning to put in a dead bolt.  And now my beautiful red door is going to have a white patch where my fave type of lock used to be.  It was much bigger than a deadbolt.  And just like that my found money disappeared.  The utility bill will just have to be added to my exorbitant ridiculous property tax bill.

But to cheer us up I am going to make my all time fave thing to eat.  Chicken and dumplings.  I absolutely love planning it, shopping for it, making it and eating it!!!!!!  And I will try to make Ange feel better about the whole thing.  The poor girl felt so so bad.  Shit happens.  To all of us at one time or another.

Thats it for today...chicken and dumplings comin' up!!!!   TFL&TTYL

ANOTHER TRIP TO NANNYMO..AND READYING A HOUSE FOR LISTING

 Yup...made another trip to Nanaimo.  Monte's friend, another non driver, needed to go to the ferry.  So off we went.  We also made an appointment at the cpap store for Monte to sign papers and get some replacement straps for his ever breaking delicate  mask.

I have had to kind of draw the line, and this is pretty hard to do, at driving people around, especially to Nanaimo with gas prices what they are.

I mentioned to Ange that there seems to be an above average amount of people in this town who don't drive.  It's kind of amazing.  When I commented on that she got a wee bit huffy.  She said it was no different than any other town.  I beg to differ.

  I know waaaay less people here than I have in other towns I have lived in and never ran across people who didn't drive.  Here, when I first moved here I had twelve people to monthly dinners til covid hit.  Not one of them drove except Monte and I.  Thats a lot of people with no drivers license.  Our friend Graeme doesn't have a car, I understand that, but he does have his license.

As I said I hate saying no to people when they need help.  But unfortunately the needy Nanaimo peeps not only can't drive but they can't pay today's gas prices.  And guess what?  Til the next influx of money, I can't either.

Well slowly but surely I am getting the house ready to list.  I might pay for a proper appraisal when I am finished.  It's a matter of prioritizing all the projects.  Mostly judging it by which things wrong will the buyer want to take money off the asking price.  Those things need fixing first and maybe only those things will get fixed. 

 I have let Ange know that this is happening sooner than later.  I don't want her suddenly hanging.  Monte and I will help her move some of her stuff to Chilliwack where her family lives.  She can't take much so the big job for her will be getting rid of her bigger stuff and all the stuff she can't take.  I can't realistically list the house til she has moved.  I don't want to be here too much longer after we move her....I will miss her too much. I am kind of aiming for mid summer to beginning fall.

Randi, Ange's friend (and now mine too) is coming to dinner tomorrow.  I am making a giant shepherd's pie and coleslaw.  I make my pie with gravy and tiny chomped up carrots and onions and garlic.  The potatoes I make with sour cream, butter, Montreal steak spice, bacon on top, and sprinkle green onions when it's out of the oven.  The mashed potatoes end up tasting just like baked potatoes.  It's like magic!!!

For dessert I am making strawberry shortcake.  I am using Pillsbury grand biscuits (which aren't sweet, I just thought of that....dammit),  extra sweet then macerated strawberries from frozen, and sliced fresh ones maybe.  Walmart has just told me they don't have any for delivery (asshats!!!  you have no idea how often that happens with the W).  I bought a litre of whipping cream and a can of chocolate whipping cream.  Like why not?  Stawbs and chocolate go together.  We will see.  Hopefully they will be willing guinea pigs!!!!!

If I remember I will attempt pics here.  Stupid blogspot.  I am just sad that people can't comment.  I would so love to hear people's opinions and suggestions and questions and recipes to try.  Oh well. (shovel list...shame on you blogspot. we can put a man on the moon....haha)

TFL&TTYL

PICTURES TO GO WITH POST...ONLY WAY I COULD GET THE STUPID THINGS TO BEHAVE

HONESTLY YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FREAKING HARD PUTTING PICTURES HERE WAS!!!!  HERE ARE THE GOATS WHERE THEY GO WHEN THEY ARENT ENTERTAINING THE MASSES FROM THE GRASSY ROOF OF THE MARKET 

AS WE WERE LEAVING A MAN AT THE NEXT TABLE SAID TO ME THAT MONTE LOOKS LIKE AN ARTIST!  LOL

THE TRADITIONAL PIC OF A TALL PERSON

MY DESSERT.  A BURNT BASQUE CHEESECAKE.  IT DOESN'T HAVE A CRUST AND IS BAKED AT A VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE WHICH CARAMALIZES AND SLIGHTLY BURNS THE TOP, EDGES AND BOTTOM...CREATING ITS OWN CRUST.

THERE WERE TEN MASSIVE PRAWNS UNDER THE POMO...SOMETHING OR OTHER SAUCE

THE PLACE WAS HUGE AND BEAUTIFUL

WAITING FOR MY CAESAR

MY TURN UNDER THE WISTERIA

I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO PUT THESE PICS HERE.  BACK IN THE EARLY 70'S ONE COULD DRIVE TO THE TOWN DUMP AND DUMP THEIR GARBAGE...AND BROWSE THROUGH IT TO FIND TREASURES.  BEING ON WELFARE AT THE TIME I COULD NOT AFFORD A ROASTING PAN.  WELL THIS OLD BEAT UP BUSTER WAS SITTING OVER AT THE EDGE OF ALL THE GARBAGE AND I BROUGHT IT HOME, BLEACHED IT, (YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT PEOPLE USED IT FOR) AND I STILL USE IT TO THIS DAY.

THE OTHER DAY I LOOKED OUT MY FRONT ROOM WINDOW.  ACROSS THE STREET WAS A NEWER NEIGHBOUR WITH HIS NEW DOG.  AND THERE WAS HARRY, ON THE LEFT.  I THINK I HAVE MENTIONED HIM.  HE LIVES BY HIMSELF RIGHT NEXT DOOR AND BLESS HIM, YOU CAN'T BE OUTSIDE TWO MINUTES WHEN YOU HEAR 'WELL HELLO THERE!'  HE SO REMINDS ME OF MR. FLANDERS ON THE SIMPSONS!  HE'S THE GLUE THAT KEEPS THE NEIGHBOURHOOD CONNECTED.

THE SPECIALEST DAY OF THE WHOLE YEAR....TO ME

 Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries...they all pale into insignificance compared to Mother's Day.  I know that at my age and living in a pretty isolated difficult place to get to, I don't see my kids on Mother's Day.  But it is still the most important day of the year to me.

In the past I have had some amazing Mother's days.  One year when I lived in Kamloops after Bill died, about ten in the morning, the door bell rang.  When I opened the door there was Aryn standing there!  I was so shocked I almost didn't recognize her!!!  It was the first MD after Bill had died and she drove all the way up from Vancouver for one hour, she really had to turn around and go right back.  I was so happy to see her for that precious hour!!!

And April and Myles send me flowers frequently and the first year after Bill died beautiful flowers showed up at my door 'love from Bill'.  Brought me to happy tears it did.

One Mother's Day here there was a knock at the door.  Standing there were a man and woman I had never met.  They each were holding beautiful hanging flower baskets!  It turned out that she was a friend of April's who, with her husband had just moved to Port.  There are zero flower delivery places here so April had commandeered her friend to go to a nursery and buy the flower baskets and deliver them to me.  I was floored....and in tears.

But when I can't be with them I always get phone calls from every one of them. And that is awesome too.  We share our latest newsies back and forth and it is enough to know they are thinking of me that day.  This will be Myles's first Mother's Day since his mommy died.  It's going to be hard for him and his dad I think.  I will call him today or ask to speak to him when April calls.

But, and here is the goodest part.....I LIVE WITH ONE OF MY KIDS!!!!!  And I figured this year I am going to start a new tradition.  I love traditions.  They are the glue that keeps the continuity of the family alive.  (I feel that c word I just wrote makes up for using goodest with the big red line under it). 

As I was looking through a massive photo album book I have (see Cookie...I save pics in books too...sometimes) I came across a pic of Monte and I sitting on a street sidewalk makeshift patio outside a Greek restaurant on the Main Street downtown Kamloops.  It was Mother's Day and he took me out for dinner!  I was thrilled.  We got hit on continuously by street people...which was totally okay with me.  I love them.  In fact when I knew where we were going I loaded my purse up with ten dollar bills for the white people and twenties for the indigenous folks.  And that made that dinner special and most enjoyable.  It was the best!!!

When I saw that picture I decided to ask Monte if he would like to do a repeat at our lovely Greek restaurant here in Port.  It doesn't have a patio but it is by far the most Greek looking restaurant I have ever been to...including a bunch of them I have been to in Greece!  And it is run by a Greek family.  So as long as I am alive and kicking and we live in Port, every Mother's Day you will find us there...keeping up the new tradition.  My biggest hope is that one day as many as possible of my other kids will be there with us!!!

Now I have a bedroom to go regulate, as Voltaire puts it.  I have resolved to be brutal.  I have to have at least two massive garbage bags before I am done.  Maybe three.

I will take pics tonight and tomorrow before I post this post, I will attempt to put them here.

Well it didn't work out the way we planned.  This town is such a loser back water hole.  All the stores and restaurants close down from Sunday to Tuesday.  WHY??????????  And even on Mother's Day Orestes was closed.  Stupid me!  I should have known.  So Pivot time...and pivot we did.  We went to a much better restaurant...in Coombs.  

The place is called Cuckoos and it is just behind the market, the one with the goats on the roof.  We have been there before and loved it.  It's a traditional Italian trattoria.  The food is amazing, a little pricey but well worth it.  We actually had a lovely time!  I shall post pics now...Ohm willing and the creeks don't rise. Thanks for listening and talk soon. TTYL