Renovation and Computer Blues

Posted on May 13, 2017 by Mama Cormier

,,,,,it seems like forever since I wrote a post

As some of you know we’ve been undergoing a renovation in our home so that my 90 year old father could move in with us. During the renovation our phone lines and internet connection went down. We were planning on switching our service provider once the renovation was done so we didn’t call anyone in to fix the problem during construction.

Little did I know that I would feel so disconnected from the rest of the world. A couple of times I would drive to the nearest Starbucks so I could use their WiFi and check for important messages and do my on-line banking. The first time I did this I only had 10 minutes to check my mail because the store was closing earlier than I thought.

For weeks we lived in chaos to get ready for the renovation and then for the actual job. We had to move my husband’s office from the basement to the room where I had my art studio and we moved all the art supplies into the master bedroom (the largest room in the house). My daughters helped me purge and get rid of a lot of stuff. That part felt good but we still have more things to move. Some of the cabinets and the microwave have to be returned and my husband still has more files to go through. Luckily my father is in Calgary for three weeks visiting my sister.

I had a great contractor and he did a wonderful job. He started with the bathroom, fixing the plumbing, repairing the drywall, waterproofing the walls and installing tile in the shower, on the shower floor and on the floor itself and putting in new pot lights. He also put in a new toilet and grab bars and painted.

In the living area he boxed in the duct work, installed 6 new pot lights, added new baseboards and trim and painted the ceiling and walls.

In the old office the floor was pulled up and a new floor put down, the plumbing was retrieved from behind the walls, built in shelves were removed and new pot lights were installed. A fresh coat of paint brightened up the room but the cabinets, counter and sink weren’t put in place when my Dad moved in. Luckily it took only one extra day to move in the new refrigerator and affix the new cabinetry to the walls.

I’m happy to say that our new phone lines are in and the internet is once again working. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks I’ll bring you up to date on all the goings on here at Mama Cormier’s.

Till then, cheers!

Volleyball, Toilets and Trad Music

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..exciting two days

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about my personal adventures and daily routines. I don’t know where the time has gone but being sick and dealing with family members who are also under the weather has definitely put my writing for this blog on the back burner. I’m also trying to get my house ready for our new addition. No, we’re not expecting another grandchild or taking in a foster child. My 90 year old father has decided he wants to live with us. Of course, we couldn’t say no.

Since the March Break I’ve been sick with an ear infection and then with a sinus cold. My hearing has suffered greatly and I feel like I’m under water. I can’t tell you how many times I have misheard what people are saying. Sometimes it can be quite comical but it’s also frustrating. I think I’m getting better but in the evenings my throat gets quite sore. Other than that I feel okay and I haven’t taken any time off from work.

Earlier this week, my friend and colleague, P, asked me if I wanted to be part of a volleyball team and play in a tournament against teachers from other schools. I agreed to do it as long as I felt well. By Friday, three people dropped out and that left us with only six players. Regardless of how I was feeling, I just couldn’t drop out, so I went to the tournament.

When I got there I felt somewhat intimidated by the players from the other teams. I think there was only one other player out of 45 players or more who was older than me. On our team, we had two 26 year olds, two 31 year olds, one 50 year old and me, the almost senior citizen.

Once we started playing, I quickly lost any inhibitions and just had fun. My serves were terrible but by the last game I finally worked out what I was doing wrong and my serves improved immensely. There were six teams in total and to my amazement we made it into the finals. In the seventh and final game we played against one of the teams we had lost against. At that point I was happy to place second. It was in that game that I took some chances and I actually dove for a ball and landed on my knees (no knee pads, of course). OUCH!

I got up quickly and assured everyone that I was okay. I kept playing (there were no substitutes) and in a very close game we ended up winning it all. I think we were all a little surprised but ecstatic. Not bad for a group of people that had never played volleyball together. Afterwards we went out with the team we beat in the finals (they were great sports) and had a drink.

Later that evening when I got home I had a bit of a headache and a sore throat. The latter was from the cold and the former might have been from the fall. I think I jostled my brain when my knees hit the floor. Today, however, the headache was gone and I haven’t suffered any aches or pains from the activities of the previous night. Maybe I should look for a senior’s volleyball team to join when I retire. 20170331_201317_resized-2

On Saturday, my husband and I spent the day looking for toilets and kitchen cabinets. When we agreed to have Dad come and live with us we knew that the basement would need some major renovations. We bought a toilet, a grab bar and at Ikea we started to plan out the kitchen. They have an amazing computer program for planning out your kitchen. I think we spent a good hour or more just playing around with different configurations for our tiny little space. When you’re done it gives you a parts list and the total cost of your kitchen.

In 8 days our contractor is coming to the house to start the job so we still have a little bit of time before we make our final decision. The tiles for the bathroom are purchased and the living area is mostly cleared so those two areas can be started on right away.

In the evening Kevin and I went out for dinner at a restaurant not far from our house. In the last year we have become quite close with Will, the owner of Sugar for my Honey. He is always trying new things to bring customers into his restaurant. Last night he hosted a great musical event with live Trad music. The group, Nua, is a Canadian trio, featuring a guitarist, a bodhran player and a fiddle player. If music is food for the soul, this group filled the bill. The event sold out and the crowd loved the food and the music. Here is a video of one of their selections from their new CD, Flow.

Flow (click to open)

Computer Woes

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….it’s been a strange couple of weeks

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything in over a week. I took my computer to the Apple store to see if there was anything that could be done to fix the lack of speed and the freezing problems that I had to endure. This is how the journey began. I say journey because after the initial visit I returned at least four more times and spent countless hours on the phone with Apple Support.

None of this is a criticism of Apple. I’ve always loved their products and their service is very professional and friendly. The staff at the store and on the phone spent at least 8 hours with me and it was all free of charge.

After the first visit it was decided that a cable would be replaced, the hard drive would be wiped clean and the newest operating system would be installed. This should have fixed the slowness and freezing problems. My job was to back up the hard drive. When I went home I had to find the external hard drive that I bought three years ago. Just as I was about to give up I found the never opened box in a most unlikely place. I quickly opened the package and plugged it into my laptop and the process began. Four hours later the job was done.

The next day I returned to the store and left my computer with the technician but the job wouldn’t be done until the next day. It was odd not having my computer that night. I even returned to the store close to closing on the off chance that it was ready. No such luck!.

The next day after work I went back to the mall to pick up my computer. Now I had to transfer all my data back into the computer. I thought I knew how but soon after starting the process I ran into difficulty. One more night without my computer.

On the following day I made another visit. This time I had to wait to see a technician. I walked around the mall and grabbed a coffee and a bite to eat. After an hour and a half of waiting my issue was resolved. Well, at least I thought it was resolved. Before I left the technician explained all the steps I had to take to complete the transferring process and then how to log back on.

Once home, I started the transferring process right away so I wouldn’t forget the steps and then I waited for the data to be brought back over to my newly refurbished and improved laptop. Success! Not so fast.

After the data was returned, I tried to log back on and this is where a whole new set of problems started. I typed in my password, pushed the return button and waited. All I got was the spinning wheel and it didn’t stop. I phoned Apple support. They guided me through a recovery process which would take a few hours and they told me if that didn’t work I needed to go back to the store.

Of course, it didn’t work, and I went back to the store again. This time I stayed there for four hours. I was the last person to leave. To the credit of the three technicians who tried to help me, they were determined to find a solution to my problem. I was so afraid that I had lost all my photos (over 4000), even though I had them backed up. In the end they put a screen shot on the laptop so that I could see the steps I needed to take when I went home and they they arranged for Apple Support to call me next day to make sure I was able to carry out the steps.

I wish I could say that was the end of it but it wasn’t. When Apple Support called they were given permission to visit my computer so that they could see my screen and together we tried numerous other options. I’m happy to report that we were able to retrieve all my data. When I saw my original desktop screen saver come up and all my folders I was relieved. I’m not sure if the slowness issue has been resolved but right now I don’t care. I’m just happy to be able to write on my blog again.

The reality is that my computer is almost five years old. I know that I’ll need to buy a new one in the near future but I was hoping to put it off for at least a few more months. Hopefully, all this effort will have been worthwhile. I certainly learned a lot about computers over this past week.

Time to catch up and share some more stories, art and photos.

Cheers!

A Few Days Off

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….from blogging that is

Tomorrow I’m driving 2 1/2 hours north east of the city to go camping with 60 Grade 5 students. We’ll be sleeping in cabins but we’ll probably spend most of our time outside. I’ve got my long underwear, two pairs of boots, three pairs of mittens, scarves, extra socks and woollen hats packed and ready to go.

I’ll be driving with one other teacher. I’ve got my snow tires on and I had the transmission fluid topped up yesterday. After I pack up the car in the morning I have to stop and get gas before I head out to school. Once at school I have a couple of classes to teach in the morning and then we’ll load up the buses with the kids’ luggage and get the kids settled into their assigned seats.

It should be an interesting 3 days and 2 nights. Hopefully we won’t have a lot of kids coming to our cabin in the middle of the night because of home sickness. The fact that they have to leave their cabin, in the dark and in the cold will probably deter most students from making that trek.

I’m not sure that there will be any WiFi or internet connection so I probably won’t be posting any stories until I get back on Saturday. Besides, I think that we’re all going to be very busy during the day and early evenings and will probably be too tired to do anything but sleep later on.

See you Saturday. Wish me luck!

Camp Kawartha Outdoor Education Centre

Four Years and Still Going Strong

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….yesterday was my 4th anniversary with WordPress

If I didn’t check my notifications side bar today I would have missed it.

4 Year Anniversary Achievement
Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!
You registered on WordPress.com 4 years ago.
Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

It’s hard to believe that four years ago I started this blog to help me lose weight and get healthy. Four years later I’m still trying to lose weight but I’m healthier than I was then. I’m thankful that I didn’t gain back all the weight that I had lost (32 pounds) but it was getting painfully close when I finally started back on my weight loss journey. So far it’s been easier because my husband is doing it with me. I’m down 10 pounds and my husband is down 11.

My blog quickly morphed into a eclectic mix of photography, art, memories, recipes, teaching moments and my life experiences with my friends and family. I’ve met more than 1000 people who now follow me. I’m sure some have fallen by the wayside but many have stuck with me and comment regularly. For that I am truly grateful.

In the last four years you’ve seen me and my family change, grow and experience the ups and downs of life. I ran my first 5k, lost 32 pounds, turned the big 60, stood by my husband as he battled one illness after another requiring 4 separate surgeries and then I shared my son’s accident with you just last December when he needed surgery. I also shared with you my aunt’s prolonged stay in the hospital before she passed and how my 89 year old father fell, not once but twice, but lived to talk about it. I’ve spent way too much time in the hospital.

Not all hospital visits were for sick people. Last October I became a grandmother for the first time. That was the best hospital visit ever. IMG_2885-2

When I started this blog only my youngest daughter was married. Since then our oldest daughter got married a couple of months ago and our son is getting married this summer. Needless to say it’s been and continues to be a busy year.

Taken two year Christmases ago when they first got engaged.

I’m still teaching. I thought this blog might help me prepare for retirement but I loved my work and my colleagues too much to even consider it. Now, I can say for certain that retirement is just around the corner and I look forward to my last year of teaching starting next September.

I’ve really enjoyed sharing my students’ art work on this blog and they love knowing that people really like what they’ve done and that they make comments about their work. I can always tell when my viewing numbers are really high that my students have found their way to my site.

One of the things that I’ve grown passionate about is photography since I’ve started this blog. I participate in a number of photography challenges and I take my camera everywhere I go. I’ve enjoyed sharing photos of our cottage and the beautiful parks in our neighbourhood and photos I’ve taken on our vacations.

Before I close I’d like to thank all of you who follow me and all those who pop by once in awhile for giving me a purpose to write. Knowing that people read my words and look at my photography gives me incentive to continue with this blog. Here’s to the next four years!

Cheers!

2015 in review

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Mama Cormier

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 21,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 8 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 50

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Cee for 50 weeks of great questions

Favourite thing to photograph? Write? Or Cook?

I love photographing nature. When I discovered the macro feature on my camera I’m became somewhat obsessed with taking close-ups of flowers and seed pods and when an insect appears on the subject, I’m in heaven.

I like to write about my daily life. It’s like keeping a personal diary that I share with the world. I’ve dabbled in Haiku which I quite enjoy.

I like baking but I don’t do very much of it because I would eat it and be even heavier than I am. I’ll probably do some Christmas baking because I like to give it to my neighbours and friends.

Did you like swinging as a child? Do you still get excited when you see a swing?

I’m not sure that I really liked it as a young child but when I got older (preteen) we used to hang around the swings and challenge each other to go as high as possible. I can’t say that I get excited when I see the swing sets in my neighbourhood. The thought of going on one actually makes me a bit nauseated.

What has surprised you about blogging?

The biggest surprise about blogging is that I’m still here, almost four years since I started. I’m also surprised how my focus has changed and how many photo challenges that I take part in.

List at least five favorite desserts.

I have to admit that desserts are a weakness. When I’m good I can go without for a long time but once I start eating sweets it’s a slippery slope. Here are some of my favourite desserts:

Anything with fruit – apple strudel (authentic is the best)

– apple or fruit crisp

– fresh fruit torte with whipped cream

Poppy seed cake

Creme Brule

Key lime tarts

Bread pudding

Ice Cream with fruit and whipped cream

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 for a wonderful dinner and time spent with a group of friends last Friday. On Saturday I got out for a long walk with my husband and dog and I managed to log over 15 000 steps for the entire day. On Sunday my family and I drove out into the country to a Christmas tree farm and cut down three trees for each of our homes. It was a cold and dreary day and the first time that I’ve done this when there was no snow on the ground. Afterwards we went back to my youngest daughter’s place in Hamilton and warmed up with coffee, gluehwein, hot home-made soup and grilled sandwiches.

Today the girls played in the West Conference Finals for basketball. They won their first two games and in the final game they lost in a very good game, 16 to 14. It was a difficult loss for them because it was so close and they missed out going to the city championships because of one basket. On the plus side they earned a second place banner for the school.

This week I’m looking forward to hearing the choir sing at the Holiday Concert. We’re having our staff party on Wednesday and on Saturday I’m attending another Christmas dinner with another group of friends. Friday is the last day of school and I have about a week to finish my Christmas shopping and get the house ready for family get togethers. The thing I’m looking forward to the most is seeing my son on Monday. He’ll be flying in from London, England and spending about two weeks with us.

What’s the Significance of the Number 1337?

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..the other day WordPress notified me of a milestone

When I started this blog three and a half years ago I had no idea that I would still be blogging this far down the road, never mind posting 1337 articles.

Congratulations on writing 1337 posts on Mama Cormier!

My question, however, has to do with the number 1337. Why is that number a milestone in the blogging world or at least at WordPress? When I think of milestone numbers, 500, 1000 and 10 000 come to mind. Am I thinking in metric terms? Is 1337 an important number in the Imperial system?

What am I missing? If anyone can help me I’d be most appreciative. In the meantime I’ll celebrate this recognition doled out by those wiser than me at WordPress.

Upon doing further research I did find in Urban Dictionary that 1337 means ‘elite’. Is this the answer?

No More Excuses!

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….well I can always find more excuses

I’ve been looking forward to going to the cottage for months and I’ve been off school since Friday and I still haven’t made it up there. What’s wrong with me? Well nothing actually. I have some good reasons for not being there yet.

On Sunday my very good friend, AB, was having one last party at her house before she moves to her new condo. She’s been in that house for over 30 years and we’ve had many a celebration there. It was great seeing a lot of the old faces from past parties and we also celebrated AB’s birthday.

On Monday we had to wait for the guys from the appliance store to determine if our new washing machine should be replaced. They were there less than 5 minutes but it was at the end of the day. They delivered the new machine today.

Before the appliance guys arrived I did some shopping and I purchased flowers for my containers in the front and back yards. I don’t know why but I always leave my planting till well into June. Of course I couldn’t go to the cottage with that weighing on my conscience. I also renewed my membership for the concert series and mailed the cheque.

Today I filled up the car with gas. Tomorrow is a holiday in Canada so I wasn’t sure if the Costco gas station would be open. The store is closed for sure. I also filled one of our propane tanks to take with me and I purchased two large bottles of water and a few supplies that I will need for my trip.

At home I cleaned the bird cage, cleaned the debris off my lawn (branches and leaves that had fallen during Sunday’s rain storm), pulled a few weeds, and swept the porch, sidewalk and the street in front of our house. Actually I couldn’t believe that I was compelled to sweep the leaves off the street. It seems that I kept finding jobs to do that kept me from getting in the car and driving north.

After the new washing machine arrived today I did a couple of loads of washing. It seems to be working just fine. I went for a long walk with the dog, helped my husband make dinner and then watched the FIFA Women’s World Cup game.

Well I think I’ve run out of excuses to not go to the cottage. Except that my oldest daughter called tonight and thought I was driving her to the airport tomorrow night. She’s okay with me not doing it but I’m feeling a little guilty.

My husband won’t be coming with me tomorrow and I hate opening the cottage by myself. I have to take the board down over the main door, move the fridge and connect it to the propane tank and set up the BBQ. Then there’s checking all the rooms for evidence of rodents and possible water damage from all the rain. I have to clean out the water barrel and fill it up and put away the food, make the beds and sweep the floors.

Once this is all done I can relax, assuming that no problems are lying in wait for me to fix. Of course I could stay home and not go up until my husband is able to join me but that could take another week or more. I think I’ll have to chance it and go up on my own. Wish me luck. By the way, I have no electricity or wifi connection so it may be a few days before I can post another article.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 8

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks to Cee for this week’s challenging questions

Your favorite blog post that you have written? (add link)

I’ve written over 1000 posts. This is a difficult decision you’re asking me to make. One post that comes to mind is the story I wrote about the birth of my baby sister, some 56 years ago. My Fondest Memory of Christmas as a Child

What do you feel is the most enjoyable way to spend $500? Why?

I like to spend money on clothes, buying for other people and travelling with my husband. I like to shop in small boutiques, especially when I travel but I like a good bargain so Winners and Marshall’s are usually my go to places for clothes. I also love buying books and because I’m given a budget for the library I can spend money that’s not mine. Even better.

If you could know the answer to any question, besides “What is the meaning of life?”, what would it be?

This is a difficult question. I used to think that I’d like to know what the future holds for me but I’m not ready to know or really want to know how my life or anyone else’s life ends. I think I would love knowing how to bring about world peace.

Where do you eat breakfast?

Most of the time I eat breakfast at home. If I’m running late I might pack or pick up a breakfast and eat at work. I rarely eat breakfast at a restaurant unless I’m on vacation.

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

Last week I was grateful for spending a day skiing with a couple of classes from school. One of the teachers had a conflict with the date and couldn’t go so I was happy to step in, even though we experienced -30 degree weather. I only fell once and the only thing I hurt was my pride. Luckily I was able to get up and the rest of the day went without a hitch.

I also took the boys’ basketball team to their tournament. They didn’t win one game but they played well and for the most part were really good sports. I’m also grateful for time spent on making some fun art pieces for my on-line course.

For the rest of this week I’m looking forward to visiting my Dad and helping him move some of his things to his new apartment. He finally sold his house and is now ready to embark on a different lifestyle. My oldest daughter and her partner are joining me for the visit and my husband is staying home to prepare homemade pizza for us to enjoy when we return home.

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