Fun at the Military Museum

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….who knew?

Last Friday when we went to Dundurn Castle in Hamilton we never dreamt that the Military Museum would hold the attention of our almost two year old granddaughter.

The staff at the ticket office encouraged us to go to the museum because there were a lot of hands-on artefacts that Winnie would enjoy. We were somewhat sceptical but admission was very reasonable so I bought the tickets and we started to walk towards our destination. Unfortunately we ended up going in a circle and I went back inside to get directions again. We went right when we should have gone left.

When we got to the small museum we were greeted by a very nice young woman who reassured us that the museum was definitely hands-on. In the first room there were military costumes and hats to try on. I think the adults had more fun in this room.

The second floor definitely was a big hit with Winnie. In fact my daughter, Gaelan thought that this floor was better than the Children’s Museum (also in Hamilton). Winnie immediately went to the musical instruments and then entertained herself by emptying the cook pot of it artificial food and then filling it up again. She also enjoyed exploring the tent with her Papa.

When we had exhausted the novelty of this interesting place the rain had stopped and we headed back outside where Winnie headed for her favourite part of the park, the ‘dinosaur’ playground. More about that in a day or so.

Cheers!

Hiding From the Rain

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….walking through the garden at Dundurn Castle in Hamilton

It was another odd weather day. The morning started out sunny and then the clouds moved in. The rain came and went and then came again. The sun reappeared and then disappeared again. Did you know that honey bees take cover from the rain? I never really thought about it until I saw this little fellow today.

Tree Trimming by the Lake

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..clearing overhanging branches and wild shrubbery

I’ve lived in my neighbourhood for over 38 years and I can’t say I’ve ever seen the city sending work crews to trim the trees by the lake. I’m sure they have; I’ve just never been there to witness it. It’s quite the operation and it took several days to prune and manicure the trees in the park at the end of my street.

I’m glad they weren’t taken down completely. Toronto really prides itself on the amount of green space we have and the natural canopy that the trees provide. Many years ago it was rumoured that some of the residents discouraged the planting of new trees because they took away their view of the lake and in the dark of night they went in and cut down any new trees that were planted. Attitudes certainly have changed over the years. Last year the city went in and planted at least 20 new trees in our park alone.

Food at the C.N.E.

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….every year the C.N.E. features some wildly delicious food

The food vendors get very creative every year at the Canadian National Exhibition. This year was no exception. The crazier the better just to get to get your food dollars. If you only attend the C.N.E. once you have to pick and choose carefully or you’ll end up with a massive tummy ache.

The first thing that my daughter, daughter-in-law and I did was venture into the Food building and make our menu choices. The girls had decided ahead of time to check out the Japanese Street Food booth. An order of Dirty Fries and a Samurai burger didn’t disappoint.

If there was one common and unusual ingredient this year it had to be activated charcoal. I chose a slice of pizza called Carbone. The crust was light and airy and delicious.

For dessert the girls lead me through the midway to find the vendor that sold a soft ice-cream made from grape and charcoal and served on a slice of watermelon; also very delicious.

Thanks Andrea and Josie for a great day!

My Dad’s Love

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..even at 90 Dad gets excited about my birthday

Days before my birthday, Dad went shopping and picked up two dozen red roses that he kept hidden in his apartment. On the morning of my birthday he got up early and brought up the roses, a box of chocolates and a birthday card and set them on the kitchen table. When I woke up an hour later I was greeted with this lovely gift.

Later in the evening my husband, Dad and I went out for dinner at a new restaurant in the neighbourhood. Actually the restaurant has been there for ten years but it was our first visit. We had a lovely meal together.

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I’m truly blessed that Dad is still so vibrant and healthy. He really has a zest for life.

Reflecting on this Past Year

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..today I’m officially a senior citizen

There has to be a better designation than senior citizen when you turn 65. I know there are many perks when you reach this age but it also comes with labels such as golden oldie, old fart, grandma, oldster, senior, geezer, geriatric, old-timer and blue hair. Even though I’m a proud grandmother to Winnie I don’t feel old.

I look back on this past year and am proud of what I’ve done and happy to have such amazing friends and a wonderful family. I knew that this was the year to retire from teaching. I still loved the job but there were days when I was just plain tired and sometimes I didn’t feel that I fit in anymore. I didn’t want to be one of those crotchety old teachers that criticized younger teachers for doing things differently. Sometimes I didn’t like what went on but I wanted to leave on a happy note so I kept quiet for the most part. The only people I would share my views with were people closer to my age and those who were also retiring. I have to admit that some of my favourite teachers were those much younger than me. I loved their humour and zest for life.

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Of course the students are what kept me going as a teacher. They weren’t always easy to teach and over the years the job grew increasingly more difficult but in the end the love and gratitude I received in the form of cards, art work, letters of appreciation and countless hugs made it all worthwhile.

This past year I’ve seen my own children continue to grow into responsible and amazing adults. They are all married now and our one and only grandchild is growing like a weed. She is my pride and joy. Last night she kept saying Oma birthday, Oma birthday while rolling around in her crib. She clearly knows everyone in the family now and can say everyone’s name. She picks up at least 10 new words every day and we have to be so careful what we say in front of her.

My retirement is not quite working out the way I thought it would. I was hoping to do more travelling but it is still early days. Last May my father moved into our house. At 90 he’s still very independent but we’re a little worried about leaving him for too long. So far the longest we’ve left him alone is four days. We’re hoping to travel to London, England in November to visit with our son before he leaves to live in New York City in the coming year. Someone recently asked me if Dad was coming with us. We’ve tried to convince him to make at least one more trip to Germany to visit his brother. It looks like that won’t happen for at least another year, God willing, and I’m not sure if a trip to London would be in the cards for him as well. We’ll have to wait and see.

So as I turn 65 today I can honestly say that I’ve had a wonderful life. Now I look forward to my next adventure and hopefully I’ve inherited my father’s genes so that I can enjoy the next 30 years of my life with the same joie de vivre.

People Watching

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….something I’d like to get better at

Not just watching people but taking pictures of people going about their normal lives. I’m somewhat hesitant to take pictures of strangers but I getting better at it. As for the quality of the photos, well that’s another issue. I’m not likely to try to get a shot more than once if the first one isn’t to my liking. I’ve tried cropping some but sometimes using the zoom on the iPhone doesn’t always produce the best quality photo.

New Baby, an Anniversary, a Book Launch and a Pedicure with Dad

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….what an exciting week

My middle sister became a grandmother for the first time. Her daughter had a little baby boy on August 15th. Mom, Dad and Baby Jale (pronounce Jah-lay) are all doing well. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we’ll make the four hour drive to the farm to welcome the new little guy into our family.

On the 16th my husband and I celebrated our 42nd anniversary. We opted to celebrate with a special lunch. Being on a Wednesday we didn’t think that we’d need reservations but when we got to our first choice we couldn’t even find a place to park. We quickly decided to go to our second pick which was closer to home and luckily it wasn’t busy. We love this restaurant, Pulcinella, and the only reason it wasn’t our first choice was because we wanted something other than Italian food. In the end we decided that it was the perfect choice. We had wonderful service and the food was amazing.

The next day, quite by accident I discovered that a friend from long ago had written a book about the CNE and she was having a book launch in a bar just up the street from where I live. I was walking the dog at the time so I couldn’t go inside but I went home, dropped off the dog, grabbed my wallet and walked back up the street to support Lee. It was nice meeting some people that I had lost contact with and meeting some new people. One of the people that I met was a former editor of Canadian Living magazine. I knew of her and where she lived which surprised her. In the end we exchanged phone numbers and addresses and I should be getting a call in November to help with make-up for the Lakeshore Santa Claus parade. I guess this is how it starts. When people know you’re retired they quickly recruit you to do volunteer work.

Earlier that day Dad and I went to my favourite salon for nails and we both had pedicures done. It’s very interesting sitting next to your ninety year old father while having your feet worked on. The owner of the salon worked on Dad and she was wonderful with him but we couldn’t convince him to paint his nails purple. Of course we were only teasing him. He laughed but firmly said no to colour.

Thursday Doors – August 17, 2017

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks to Norm for hosting Thursday Doors

My neighbourhood seems to change daily. My house was built in the 1940s as were many of the homes on my street. Some I dare say are even older. Thirty years ago we had to make a decision. Our tiny two bedroom bungalow was too small for a family of five. The kids had the bedrooms and my husband and I tried to set up a bedroom in different locations of the house. We set up our queen size bed in the living room and the tiny dining room became the living room. We also tried sleeping in the partially finished basement for awhile.

So we had to choose between moving to a larger house, probably in Mississauga or staying and building up. We chose the latter. Not many people were putting additions on their homes back then but now when homes in this neighbourhood sell they either come down and a new house is built in its place or a major addition is added. Many people have opted to go for a very modern look. A lot of the old timers don’t approve of this look but both my husband and I quite like it. Unfortunately some of the new owners are taking some liberties and building homes that are considerably taller than the average two story home of 30 years ago. Too often the committee of adjustment turns a blind eye to the changes made to the approved variances. The most serious consequence for not following the approved plans is that construction is halted for a short time but it eventually resumes. The days of tearing down the offending building are long gone.

Here are some of my favourite modern additions and the doors that go with them.

Ink and Toilet Paper Art

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..that’s right, toilet paper

As part of Carla Sonheim’s on-line class, 365: 2017 Year Long On-Line Class we were shown how create drawings using liquid ink and toilet paper. First you fill a dropper with ink and then use it to draw an object. The lines will be thick and thin and sometime bubbly. Once the drawing is complete (the simpler the better) you take one ply toilet paper and place it carefully over the drawing. Let the ink absorb through the paper and then remove it. You should notice that the line quality of the drawing changes. Once it has dried completely the fun really starts. Using a fine tip black marker you can now add details to your drawing. If you have a white gel pen you can also play with it by adding detail on the black lines. Here are some of my creations. I warn you that this can be very addictive.