In honour of our imminent confinement on a wintery Saskatchewan farm, Chris has finally had one lifetime dream come true...a 50" plasma screen TV, PS3, media centre...and a few other things that rocked our credit card.
Since our shipment arrived four days ago, Chris has been lost in a blur of cabling and hardware. Several frenzied trips into town, a smoking credit card, the heartbreak of the first TV being damaged and the drama of not knowing if we'd get a replacement have all culminated of a newly minted Man Cave aka our living room.
And truthfully...I like it too.
So, we threw open the doors to our neighbours to enjoy the Greycup game tonight. A magnificent canvas to watch the sporting drama unfold for a group of the best fans in the world...Roughrider fans.
And they lost.
Because they can't count.
But the TV was great!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
A REALLY Big Truck!
So began our morning with Dexter running to the front door for the dramatic arrival of the HUGE moving van into the front yard.
Mom sucked in her breath when the truck rolled onto the 'nice' lawn in front of the house to position itself just right, but inspection upon its departure revealed no dramatic craters. Can cross lawn repair off the list of spring must-do activities.
So a lovely few hours was spent checking off tracking numbers and directing placement of boxes and furniture.
At last (okay, it's been barely over a week since we've seen our stuff, but hey, it seems like an eternity...) we are able to fluff our little nest.
We have our bedrooms operational - yay! Our coup for the evening was finally finding the mislabelled 'kitchen' box containing our favourite pillows - or as Dexter, for some mysterious todder-reason calls them, tillows.
It's beginning to feel cosy and familiar in our little part of the house.
Good night!
Mom sucked in her breath when the truck rolled onto the 'nice' lawn in front of the house to position itself just right, but inspection upon its departure revealed no dramatic craters. Can cross lawn repair off the list of spring must-do activities.
So a lovely few hours was spent checking off tracking numbers and directing placement of boxes and furniture.
At last (okay, it's been barely over a week since we've seen our stuff, but hey, it seems like an eternity...) we are able to fluff our little nest.
We have our bedrooms operational - yay! Our coup for the evening was finally finding the mislabelled 'kitchen' box containing our favourite pillows - or as Dexter, for some mysterious todder-reason calls them, tillows.
It's beginning to feel cosy and familiar in our little part of the house.
Good night!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Bureaucracy is alive and well...
Minimal progress to report today...
Sasktel spontaneously changed their service call to tomorrow instead of showing up today and didn't send us the memo...
An attempt to sort out getting the car insured locally resulted in a long list of required documents and DNA testing to prove we are worthy of being included in Saskatchewan bureaucracy...but Dexter got a candy AND a lollipop from the nice lady at the SGI office.
And the cherry on top...a mortgage payment was withdrawn from our bank account yesterday, for a mortgage we no longer have on a house we no longer own. Perfect.
Still, our stuff is arriving tomorrow and the tree in the driveway has been trimmed to allow it to roll up to the house.
Another minor coup was manhandling the golf cart (glamourous estate transportation) into the far, far corner of the garage to make room for our car. Sweet! Indoor parking. Necessary, given that our eastern car doesn't have a block heater.
Tomorrow's goal is to retrieve my sense of humour and find my touque.
Oh...and the snow has arrived! :)
Sasktel spontaneously changed their service call to tomorrow instead of showing up today and didn't send us the memo...
An attempt to sort out getting the car insured locally resulted in a long list of required documents and DNA testing to prove we are worthy of being included in Saskatchewan bureaucracy...but Dexter got a candy AND a lollipop from the nice lady at the SGI office.
And the cherry on top...a mortgage payment was withdrawn from our bank account yesterday, for a mortgage we no longer have on a house we no longer own. Perfect.
Still, our stuff is arriving tomorrow and the tree in the driveway has been trimmed to allow it to roll up to the house.
Another minor coup was manhandling the golf cart (glamourous estate transportation) into the far, far corner of the garage to make room for our car. Sweet! Indoor parking. Necessary, given that our eastern car doesn't have a block heater.
Tomorrow's goal is to retrieve my sense of humour and find my touque.
Oh...and the snow has arrived! :)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Weather report
So our last couple days in Toronto were spent doing various errands, one of the most important of which was buying Chris some serious winter boots.
Having discussed it with me, confirmed it with my sister and having had previous Christmas-visit glimpses, he knew that Saskatchewan farming meant nose-hair-freezing-lung-burning-why-does-anyone-live-here COLD.
He researched and chose his boots in Toronto and then reserved and picked them up in Winnipeg. Take that Centre of the Universe!
They are called Baffin Antarctic, good to -100C...serious cold. Serious trekkers/researches/people-more-accomplished-than-me take them to the South Pole. He's set!
So, what the hell?!?! There is not one flake of snow on the ground here. The biggest 'weather' Chris hit driving over was a bit of rain and fog. Where is winter?!?!
Judging from glimpses on the national news, it's looking pretty sparse all over Canada. We are in serious jeopardy of losing our bragging rights about being SO tough with cold weather.
What is with this? Oh....right...Armageddon approacheth. As Mayans predicted and Hollywood is reminding us (with the last big theatre movie we went to in Toronto - Chris' choice NOT mine), the end is near - winter solstice 2012.
Is the lack of winter a sign of the End of Time? Will Chris' Uber Boots go to waste? Or is this just a pleasant, gentle entry into a regular, cold winter that is a little late to arrive?
I guess time will tell. In fact, just a little over three years to go...
Having discussed it with me, confirmed it with my sister and having had previous Christmas-visit glimpses, he knew that Saskatchewan farming meant nose-hair-freezing-lung-burning-why-does-anyone-live-here COLD.
He researched and chose his boots in Toronto and then reserved and picked them up in Winnipeg. Take that Centre of the Universe!
They are called Baffin Antarctic, good to -100C...serious cold. Serious trekkers/researches/people-more-accomplished-than-me take them to the South Pole. He's set!
So, what the hell?!?! There is not one flake of snow on the ground here. The biggest 'weather' Chris hit driving over was a bit of rain and fog. Where is winter?!?!
Judging from glimpses on the national news, it's looking pretty sparse all over Canada. We are in serious jeopardy of losing our bragging rights about being SO tough with cold weather.
What is with this? Oh....right...Armageddon approacheth. As Mayans predicted and Hollywood is reminding us (with the last big theatre movie we went to in Toronto - Chris' choice NOT mine), the end is near - winter solstice 2012.
Is the lack of winter a sign of the End of Time? Will Chris' Uber Boots go to waste? Or is this just a pleasant, gentle entry into a regular, cold winter that is a little late to arrive?
I guess time will tell. In fact, just a little over three years to go...
Daddyyyyyyyy!!!!
Dexter woke up from his afternoon nap to find a familiar face smiling at him. "Daddy!!!!" had arrived.
Cruising into the yard early in the afternoon with the requisite Tim Horton's debris in the backseat and grid road dust coating the back bumper, Chris emerged, stretched and declared himself good to keep going. Apparently once he found his groove, he was good to make it to Vancouver. :)
Nonetheless he decided to stay here and was treated to a tour of the rooms which have been cleared out to make way for all our stuff which, incidentally, is arriving on Wednesday. Two more sleeps until we can nest.
Dexter then set a blistering pace on his battery-powered ride 'em tractor on an excursion to go see the cows. He has yet to manage to steer and hit the 'gas' pedal simultaneously, but hey, baby steps.
Sadly, the cows had wandered too far into the bush to be viewed and we had to settle for watching Uncle Peter bringing the big tractor in for the day. Again....ooh..aah.
Today's noteworthy moments...ordered a phone line, to be activated tomorrow...set up an appointment to go visit a daycare as we begin the Relentless Pestering step of working our way through the waitlist...and Dexter has entered his I Love to be Naked phase.
Tomorrow...we tackle car insurance. Wish us luck. And...I will attempt to get some pictures posted.
For now, all is well. Daddy's home! :)
Cruising into the yard early in the afternoon with the requisite Tim Horton's debris in the backseat and grid road dust coating the back bumper, Chris emerged, stretched and declared himself good to keep going. Apparently once he found his groove, he was good to make it to Vancouver. :)
Nonetheless he decided to stay here and was treated to a tour of the rooms which have been cleared out to make way for all our stuff which, incidentally, is arriving on Wednesday. Two more sleeps until we can nest.
Dexter then set a blistering pace on his battery-powered ride 'em tractor on an excursion to go see the cows. He has yet to manage to steer and hit the 'gas' pedal simultaneously, but hey, baby steps.
Sadly, the cows had wandered too far into the bush to be viewed and we had to settle for watching Uncle Peter bringing the big tractor in for the day. Again....ooh..aah.
Today's noteworthy moments...ordered a phone line, to be activated tomorrow...set up an appointment to go visit a daycare as we begin the Relentless Pestering step of working our way through the waitlist...and Dexter has entered his I Love to be Naked phase.
Tomorrow...we tackle car insurance. Wish us luck. And...I will attempt to get some pictures posted.
For now, all is well. Daddy's home! :)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle
"Where are you headed?" he asked. I'm going to a farm just outside Yorkton. I'm going to spend a year there I said. It's a cattle farm. "Beef?". "Yes Sir". "So, your going to castrate them, cut their balls off, slaughter em?" As far I know, someone else handles that, I said. "So, your going to herd them" he said. "You know how to lasso?". "No Sir." "Got a horse?" "No Sir, but we have an ATV". "Well, I guess that will do", he said. "Well if you ever need some help son, let me know. Me and my horse would be glad to lend you a hand."
This was the oddest conversation that I have ever had in my life with a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Larry from Newhart. You know "Hi I'm Larry and this is my brother Darryl and my other brother Darryl" fame. All the while I'm thinking "You've got a horse?" Come on you work in in a Motel. Now what you can't see at 10 o'clock at night with no street lights, but, what is very easy to see in the morning at 8am is that Larry had his horse tied up out back. Huh!
This was the oddest conversation that I have ever had in my life with a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Larry from Newhart. You know "Hi I'm Larry and this is my brother Darryl and my other brother Darryl" fame. All the while I'm thinking "You've got a horse?" Come on you work in in a Motel. Now what you can't see at 10 o'clock at night with no street lights, but, what is very easy to see in the morning at 8am is that Larry had his horse tied up out back. Huh!
Silver fox sighting
Outside with the kids and brother-in-law, Brent.
As we pass through a sunbeam, he exclaims "My god, you're grey!"
Finding local hair stylist has now arrived at the top of the To Do list.
As we pass through a sunbeam, he exclaims "My god, you're grey!"
Finding local hair stylist has now arrived at the top of the To Do list.
Memories...misty 80s-coloured memories...
Feeling slightly more prepared for the arrival of the moving van in the next day or two. Cleared out space for our stuff in our zone downstairs - furniture has been reshuffled and the Salvation Army is getting more donations.
The highlight of the afternoon was pulling open a drawer, looking in and finding baby-faced Simon LeBon and Roger Taylor peering back at me...my boys!!!!
Oh the time and money that went into idolizing Duran Duran...worth every second and penny! To this day am in touch with friends who became friends due, in no small part, to our shared passion for D2.
Shout out to Gill, who during the course of a cocktail party revealed that she was actually KISSED on her cheek by Roger Taylor (or was it the other way around?) thus cementing our newly-minted friendship forever. And let's hear it for my pal Summer with whom I spent almost an entire teenaged night shrieking and hitting the rewind/fast forward/pause buttons on the VCR (remember those?) to memorize and forever burn in our minds each gyration and smoldering look dealt out in The Reflex. Rarely was a night so well spent. :)
And of course, to my sister Nicole, who is responsible for keeping the torch alive and ensuring that we have seen six Duran Duran concerts, one of which was chauffeured by Mom driving us from the farm five hours to Winnipeg to let us watch the boys open for David Bowie and who personally endured the event by waiting patiently outside in the parking lot (the bass was too much for her). Ah...good times!
Anyhoo, the dresser containing this power packed flashback has now been moved and the van is welcomed to arrive.
Oh...and Chris has reported in from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba...only 5 hours left tomorrow. Quote of the evening - "It's far!"
The highlight of the afternoon was pulling open a drawer, looking in and finding baby-faced Simon LeBon and Roger Taylor peering back at me...my boys!!!!
Oh the time and money that went into idolizing Duran Duran...worth every second and penny! To this day am in touch with friends who became friends due, in no small part, to our shared passion for D2.
Shout out to Gill, who during the course of a cocktail party revealed that she was actually KISSED on her cheek by Roger Taylor (or was it the other way around?) thus cementing our newly-minted friendship forever. And let's hear it for my pal Summer with whom I spent almost an entire teenaged night shrieking and hitting the rewind/fast forward/pause buttons on the VCR (remember those?) to memorize and forever burn in our minds each gyration and smoldering look dealt out in The Reflex. Rarely was a night so well spent. :)
And of course, to my sister Nicole, who is responsible for keeping the torch alive and ensuring that we have seen six Duran Duran concerts, one of which was chauffeured by Mom driving us from the farm five hours to Winnipeg to let us watch the boys open for David Bowie and who personally endured the event by waiting patiently outside in the parking lot (the bass was too much for her). Ah...good times!
Anyhoo, the dresser containing this power packed flashback has now been moved and the van is welcomed to arrive.
Oh...and Chris has reported in from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba...only 5 hours left tomorrow. Quote of the evening - "It's far!"
Deer Crossing
One thing that you fail to consider during your road trip out west is the large pools of blood on the highway and how normal that is...
Box full of bird nests
Was playing outside yesterday with Dexter and my nephews. Gained some Super Aunt points by daringly weilding a rake to poke, nudge and bludgeon an old nest out of the tree (Grandpa has proclaimed it the former Finch residence).
Dexter was shown how to carefully hold the little nest and was duly impressed. His awe and admiration went through the roof when we were led to Tanner's hidden box of bird nests tucked on the old truck seat in the machine shed to store the newly found treasure. Ooh...aah!
How cool was that?
Dexter was shown how to carefully hold the little nest and was duly impressed. His awe and admiration went through the roof when we were led to Tanner's hidden box of bird nests tucked on the old truck seat in the machine shed to store the newly found treasure. Ooh...aah!
How cool was that?
GPS Rant
By GPS is definitely the way to travel. If I want to find a Tim Horton's (and who doesn't, I mean really...), I just punch it in. Say I don't want to go to that one cause the line is too long, I get a list of the other Timmy's nearby. Beautiful. The amazing thing about these little devices is that it opens up the world to people like me, the direction challenged. Being somewhere you have never been and knowing exactly where you cannot be underestimated. Gone are the days of asking a strangers for directions and nodding politely as if I understood what they said. Meanwhile I'm thinking who else can I ask for the very same directions. Goodbye to the days of never finding you car again. Just save you current location and go! Oh sweet Jesus, my savior, my God, I thank you! We all thank you!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Motel rooms
There is defiantly something strange about motel rooms. Some smell like popuri, others like pine cones. Some have an apple clock on the wall. Some have a just cleaned and sanitary paper wrapped around the toilet bowl, others do not (got to wonder about that). Some have easily accessible power outlets, others have beds bolted to the floor. Some are run by some really nice people. Others make you wish you had a gun under the pillow and hope that there aren't any cameras installed. The point that I am trying to make is lock the door!
On Growth
I have always been the type of person that absorbs like a sponge, the things I find interesting. It's now time to broaden those things... The point that I am trying to make is that I get tired of absorbing to the point that nothing gets in. I need to rest for awhile. Only to fill up again and pass whatever limit I had before.
It's all seems circular. Before you know it you are right back where you started only now able to take things on in a new way that wasn't even possible just moments ago.
It's all seems circular. Before you know it you are right back where you started only now able to take things on in a new way that wasn't even possible just moments ago.
Lake Superior
The drive from Sault Ste Marie into Thuderbay was absolutely spectacular. It was like being in a painting. Awesome, calming but the word that I am looking for is Tranquil. If I ever do this again, I must spend the night in Terrance Bay. It's a quite little town on the edge of Lake Superior. A definite must see for any Canadian.
Scenic tour of the Shield
Turns out Chris is taking a scenic tour to get from Toronto to the farm (around 2800 km journey according to Google). Third night out and he reported in from Thunder Bay. Night 1 - Port Parry - barely into cottage country, Night 2 - The Sault (that it is pronounced 'Soo' is up there with Quay being 'key', but I digress).
This is when I am reminded of one of many sometimes subtle differences between westerners and 'easterners' (and yes, after nearly two decades away, I realize it is Central Canada, but am reverting back to The Old Ways). While I did leave a long time ago, my formative years were in Alberta and Saskatchwan, training me for long haul driving.
A long weekend meant an 11 hour drive to the farm for a two night visit. This was pre any car safety concerns, so road trips meant lying in the back of the station wagon with a supply of Harlequin Romances (damaged me for life) with mom periodically tossing bolognie sandwiches our way and passing a cooler of stale water with a shared straw. Ah...magical times.
In my day (I HATE that I am old enough for that phrase to be applicable to my life) western urban sprawl was in its infancy It meant that there was actually country/space between population centres. You left Calgary to get to Cochrane. It wasn't a continuous suburb.
I was in my teens and taking my first big trip with the school band to St. Catharines, Ontario before I knew distance driving could be any different. We were crammed onto a school bus to go visit the big city of Toronto and it was the first time I found out that towns were allowed to touch. We seamlessly passed through one municipality to the next...no space in between. Bizarre...
(This trip was also notable in that the planned trip to the CN Tower was thwarted due to cloud cover -I still, to this day, have not been up - AND our little motley crew of 13 year olds had our first encounter with a cross-dresser in the Eaton Centre. Let's hear it for broadening horizons.)
All this to say that by Night 3 any average prairie driver would be pulling into the farm yard running on Tim Hortons and a numb bum. We also would have very vague notions of scenic outlooks, descriptive roadside plaques or healthful, circulation-restoring rest stops.
Chris may be taking his own sweet time getting here, but he's also the one trying to show me how to slow down and enjoy the scenery.
This is when I am reminded of one of many sometimes subtle differences between westerners and 'easterners' (and yes, after nearly two decades away, I realize it is Central Canada, but am reverting back to The Old Ways). While I did leave a long time ago, my formative years were in Alberta and Saskatchwan, training me for long haul driving.
A long weekend meant an 11 hour drive to the farm for a two night visit. This was pre any car safety concerns, so road trips meant lying in the back of the station wagon with a supply of Harlequin Romances (damaged me for life) with mom periodically tossing bolognie sandwiches our way and passing a cooler of stale water with a shared straw. Ah...magical times.
In my day (I HATE that I am old enough for that phrase to be applicable to my life) western urban sprawl was in its infancy It meant that there was actually country/space between population centres. You left Calgary to get to Cochrane. It wasn't a continuous suburb.
I was in my teens and taking my first big trip with the school band to St. Catharines, Ontario before I knew distance driving could be any different. We were crammed onto a school bus to go visit the big city of Toronto and it was the first time I found out that towns were allowed to touch. We seamlessly passed through one municipality to the next...no space in between. Bizarre...
(This trip was also notable in that the planned trip to the CN Tower was thwarted due to cloud cover -I still, to this day, have not been up - AND our little motley crew of 13 year olds had our first encounter with a cross-dresser in the Eaton Centre. Let's hear it for broadening horizons.)
All this to say that by Night 3 any average prairie driver would be pulling into the farm yard running on Tim Hortons and a numb bum. We also would have very vague notions of scenic outlooks, descriptive roadside plaques or healthful, circulation-restoring rest stops.
Chris may be taking his own sweet time getting here, but he's also the one trying to show me how to slow down and enjoy the scenery.
Friday, November 20, 2009
The corner store
I woke up in Parry Sound today. The rain has stopped. It's a bit grey, the clouds are low and moving fast.
There was a nice lady at the MAC's corner store. I just asked for a pad and pen and she told me her life history of working at MAC's. She had been working at MAC's for nine years and was just transferred to this store. She has only been at this store for 4 months but everything is different! She's still trying to find her way around. The only reason she could find the paper and pens was that she put them there yesterday. She was hilarious and a sweetie in coke bottle glasses.
There was a nice lady at the MAC's corner store. I just asked for a pad and pen and she told me her life history of working at MAC's. She had been working at MAC's for nine years and was just transferred to this store. She has only been at this store for 4 months but everything is different! She's still trying to find her way around. The only reason she could find the paper and pens was that she put them there yesterday. She was hilarious and a sweetie in coke bottle glasses.
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