Author Archives: Mama Cormier

From Winter Straight Into Summer

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….after months of complaining about the cold we can now complain about the heat

We never get much in the way of Spring weather here in Southern Ontario. It is usually very short lived and then we’re straight into summer. This year April was unseasonably cold and May has started out with very warm…..no high, temperatures.

This Mother’s Day weekend, my husband and I and our daughter, A, and her partner, J, drove to Hamilton to celebrate Mother’s Day with our other daughter G and her husband BT. It was so hot that I brought a change of clothes in case what I was wearing was too warm.

After our lunch at a local restaurant (we stayed inside where it was air conditioned) we took a walk to Bayshore Park where we saw people fishing, wading in the lake, cycling and having picnics. The ice-cream trucks were out and people were applying sun screen to their arms and legs.

There were lots of birds in the park and the mating rituals and bird chatter were abundant. The geese and seagulls were hovering close to the picnickers, as they always do and the dog walkers were out in droves. Most of the trees were in full bloom here and some were already losing their blossoms. Tulips were also in full bloom but the daffodils were already finished for the season.

Today my husband cut the grass for the second time this year and is now starting to get the vegetable beds ready for planting. Normally this would be too early here but these unusually high temperatures are saying otherwise.

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable Mother’s Day weekend.

Cheers!

Owls, Owls and More Owls – Part 2

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…..after printing several owls each child had to choose one for the library wall and another for their chalk pastel tree

From the beginning of this assignment I told the children that they had to have at least two good owls; one for the Forest of Reading wall in front of the library and another one to glue to another piece of art.

I wanted each student to experience using chalk pastels. After a quick lesson on how to blend the colours and how to draw a somewhat realistic branch I gave the children a choice of black or dark blue construction paper. The concept of creating a realistic looking branch was a little foreign to some students and I had to encourage them to look out the window and study the trees outside.

A few students decided to have a family of owls sitting in their tree. One student accidentally glued his owl upside down on the branch and decided to call him an owl bat. I love the variety of owls that were created, from very realistic to very whimsical. Enjoy!

Share Your World 2015 – Week 18

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….thank you Cee for another four great questions

What type of pets do you have or want? Or do you not want pets?

I have a lovely little mutt. She is a cross between a Dachshund and Australian Shepard. We inherited her 8 years ago when our daughter discovered that a new job made it impossible for her to raise an 8 week old puppy. My husband agreed to look after Frances (a name that our daughter picked out) until A could find a new home for her. To make a long story short, my husband bounded with Frances so quickly that he couldn’t give her up and she’s been with us ever since. P1040191

What was or is your favorite cartoon?

Before I read Cee’s answer I immediately thought of Casper the Ghost which I used to watch as a child. When I was a bit older my favourite cartoon had to be the Flintstones. I don’t watch cartoons anymore.

Courtesy of: https://yuq.me/tv/03/344/5785.jpg

When you’re alone at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?

I do all of the above. On a cold winter morning or when I sleep in a lodge I like to wear slippers. When I enter my house I usually leave my shoes on. I never worry about my floors or carpets. When I know that I’m in for the evening or when I’m on the computer like now I like to wear socks and when the weather is warmer, go barefoot.

Are you a traveler or a homebody?

I’m not really a homebody, even though I do like to spend quiet evenings at home. I would love to be more of a traveller. The only thing holding me back is the money to travel and my full time job. I’m hoping to travel more when I retire and when the mortgage is paid off.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that our daughter and her husband moved safely and without incident to their new home in Hamilton last week. We had an opportunity to drive there on Saturday and check out the neighbourhood.

This week I’m looking forward to spending Mother’s Day with my daughters, their significant others and my husband. I’m also looking forward to more warm weather. It seems like we’ve gone from winter straight into summer.