Father’s Day – Part 2

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..honouring my husband with a little fun at a local pub

After spending lunch with my father yesterday, my husband and I drove back to Toronto and got ready to go out a second time. We made reservations to have dinner at a local pub and watch the Italy vs England game with our daughters.

We knew that the real action would be down in Little Italy but it would be next to impossible to get a table reserved unless we were willing to arrive four hours before the game. My husband is not keen about driving downtown or waiting for anything so we picked a pub closer to home. We knew that when we went there that we would probably be in the minority cheering on Italy in this part of Toronto.

We arrived 30 minutes before the game and the place was pretty empty but it started to fill up quickly. Luckily the table next to us was also filled with fans of the Azzuri but the rest of the place was clearly filled with English fans. Before the game started my husband opened up his Father’s Day gifts from me and his daughters. Unfortunately we couldn’t convince him to wear his Italian jersey. He said it was too small but when he tried it on this morning I thought it was fine. During the game J wore the shirt so that there was no doubt which team our table was cheering for.

The game itself was fantastic. So well played. No dives, dirty tricks or unfair calls. Yeah Italy! This afternoon I’ll be cheering for Argentina and tomorrow I’ll be wearing my Germany shirt and supporting my birth place.

Today has been a glorious day weather-wise. We’ve done a little gardening and our grass was cut and trimmed by D and his dad who will be coming all summer to keep our yard neat and tidy. Our son called from the Netherlands to wish his Dad a Happy Father’s Day and he spent some time speaking with me as well. Thanks B!

Happy Father’s Day to my Dear Old Dad

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..87 years old and going strong

Today my husband and I packed a lunch for four and got into the car and drove over an hour to visit with my Dad and his wife, G. Knowing that he would be cheering for Germany during the World Cup I bought him FIFA World Cup shirt.

When we arrived I was surprised to see my Dad sporting a Germany soccer jersey that he had bought for himself earlier in the week. I was glad that I chose a white shirt and one with a slightly different design. We set up the table in the dining room for lunch and enjoyed some cold cuts and salads and for dessert G had baked a lovely apple cake. We ate the later part of the meal outside on the patio. It was nice and warm and we were sheltered from the wind and the sun.

We spent a few hours with my Dad before we had to depart. In a few more hours my sister from Chatham will be knocking on his door and I know that she has plans to take him out for dinner.

My father is in pretty good health for his age. Despite carrying a bit too much weight and not hearing as well as he used to he is remarkably fit. Having a dog has helped as it gets him out of the house two or three times a day for walks. Toby, unfortunately, is also aging and is starting to resist going on walks but despite Toby’s reluctance to walk more than 10 feet, Dad has started leaving the him at home and goes for walks on his own. He also golfs and does about nine holes at least once a week. He still sings in a choir and he gets out and plays cards with his friends at the German Club. His other hobby is gardening and he loves to tend to his flowering shrubs and plants. He keeps his mind sharp by playing a lot of word games on his iPad and filling in the crossword puzzles in his German magazines.

The last couple of times that I’ve spent time with my Dad he’s talked about moving into a senior’s residence. I’m glad that he’s thinking about his options for the future but after today’s discussion I’m not so sure that he’s quite ready for that for at least another year.

Apparently there’s a nice place not too far from where they live and they go there for some social events now. They both highly praise the place but I’m not sure that’s where they’ll end up.

I’m happy that they are managing quite well in their little split level house but sometimes the stairs get to be a little difficult. At the same time the stairs have probably also helped keep them in shape.

In an hour from now K and I will be heading for a pub where we’ll meet up with our daughters to watch the Italy vs England game and celebrate Father’s Day some more. We’ll treat my husband to a some brews and dinner and shhhh…don’t tell him but I’ve also bought him a soccer jersey. Today I’ll be cheering for Italy and on other days……the Netherlands, Germany, Iran and Argentina. I can’t just pick one team. Go World!!!!!!!

High Tea With Mrs. Cormier

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….an item that was auctioned off at the Fun Fair

Today I hosted a high tea for one young lady and three of her friends. Her mother had bought the item, “High Tea With Mrs. Cormier”, for her at the auction. She was allowed to bring up to three friends. She chose one girl and one boy from her class and her older brother.

Two days ago I ordered special tea sandwiches that I picked up today during my lunch hour and I purchased cookies and squares. I set the table with my mother-in-law’s tea set from Ireland which I inherited over 30 years ago and I placed fresh cut flowers in the centre of the table. A couple of my teacher friends and my principal came into the room and surprised the kids by serving us our sandwiches and sweets and pouring our first tea.

Earlier in the week I told the kids that they had to dress appropriately and bring their best manners to the table. The girls changed into dresses at the end of the day and the boys put on button down shirts and slacks. They were all so charming and well behaved. One of the girls started the conversation by asking most respectfully how I felt about the outcome of the election that had been held the night before. Everyone participated in a very pleasant conversation for about an hour at the end of the school day. They were extremely polite and went through 2 large pots of tea, a litre of milk, three dozen sandwich triangles and about two dozen squares and cookies. When the second pot of tea was emptied and only a few squares remained the parents started to arrive and everyone said thank you and good bye.

Just before the tea ended the conversation changed direction and the children were discussing how they were going to do this again next year when they are in grade 5. Of course they assumed that I would offer it again and they assumed that there would be another silent auction. They planned out a strategy so that they would be sure to win the tea again. This year they had the only bid but after the success of the event they figured that more children would get their parents to bid on it next time. One strategy was to tell everyone that the tea was awful so that no one would want to bid on it but after I pretended that such an action would hurt my feelings and make me not want to offer it again they decided they might need to come up with another strategy.

Not only did the children have a good time but so did I. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

A Challenge – Doing Their Best

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….but it wasn’t quite enough

Today we drove to the east end of the city to participate in the Girls’ Soccer City Championships. The sky was overcast but for the most part the predicted heavy rain held off. It was humid and during the second game we experienced a brief light shower. Earlier in the day the two teams that we would face off later played against each other. The team that lost challenged us to play if we didn’t win our first game.

Unfortunately our first game was difficult. The team we played against was our toughest competition to date and we lost 3 to 0. It was our first lost of the season. An hour later we played the second team to determine who would come in second. We were pretty evenly matched. In the first half no one from either side scored. In the second half they scored first and then we scored. The game ended in a tie and went into overtime. Have I ever told you how much I hate overtime, especially ‘golden goal’. The first team to score would win. The girls fought hard but it wasn’t to be this year.

You’d never know from the photographs that the girls were disappointed. Their sadness was brief and they walked away knowing that they had come a long way just to get to the city championships. We, their coaches and parents, were very proud of them. Bravo girls!

Fun, Fun, Fun

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….last week’s Fun Fair was a huge success and of course a lot of fun

Last Saturday our school council hosted the school’s 15th annual Fun Fair. Over 500 wrist bands were sold which allowed the children unlimited access to the rides and carnival games. Hundreds of cakes were donated for the popular Cake Walk and this year the silent auction was brought back. Each class made an art object that was auctioned off and numerous businesses in the community donated products and services for the auction as well. It was a huge success.

The day was perfect. The weather cooperated. Parents and high school students volunteered their time to run events. Injuries were minor, a few scrapes that were quickly treated with bandaids. Music was provided by our OA and her husband. The police and fire department let the kids sit in the police car and the fire truck. At least this year the truck wasn’t called away in the middle of the fair. Dads manned the barbecues and the food was delicious.

The fair was easily attended by at least 1000 people. For every child at least one parent or significant adult accompanied them. Teachers came to show support and every year former students return. It’s always nice when they greet you and are sincerely happy to see you again. It was truly a day of fun, fun, fun……..

Long Walks on Weekends

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….now if only I could do that every day or at least every other day

I started this long holiday weekend with a long, 8.6k walk. Last Sunday I managed two walks totalling 9.0k but in between I didn’t walk at all. Granted it was a busy week at school and when I was on yard duty I purposely kept walking for the entire 15 minutes. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday I was out with the girls for soccer practice and on Wednesday night I went with the junior choir to the baseball game at the Rogers Centre where they sang the national anthems at the beginning of the game. They sang beautifully but the Blue Jays lost miserably against the Cleveland Indians, 15 to 4. It was a very late night and I didn’t get home till 11:30. I was also out on Tuesday night with friends and on Thursday I had one final appointment with the oral surgeon after school. Everything on that front looks good and I’m ready to be fitted for my dental crown next week.

All of this of course is extra over and above my regular teaching day. I also met with the board designer to have the library measured up for some renovations and the assembly that I organized for this year’s Jump Rope for Heart took place Friday morning. It always feels good to be able to check another thing off the ‘To Do List’ this time of year.

This brings me back to walking. Last week I installed a new app onto my iPhone called Strava. It tracks my distances, times, calorie output and maps out the routes that I’ve taken. I just push start at the beginning of my walk and stop when I’m done. It does all the calculations for me. I love it and on Mother’s Day, A and J bought me an armband to put my iPhone into when I’m running so I don’t have to carry the phone in my hand or worry about it falling out of a pocket (if I have one).

Walk on May 17th, 2014

If you click on the link you’ll notice that it calls my walk a run. I haven’t figured out how to change that to walk but I did for the first time in a long time run part of today’s walk. It wasn’t far, maybe 1/2 a kilometre but it’s a start. During the walk I stopped a few times to take some photos of the birds in Sam Smith Park. There’s a bird sanctuary there and it is nesting season so there’s lots of activity there. One of the highlights for me on today’s walk was seeing one of the male swans building up the nest and the female sitting on her eggs. It was a bit cool today so she never got off the eggs but the last count had her sitting on five eggs.

I have to admit that I got a bit carried away with today’s walk and completely lost track of time. I was gone for over two hours and my husband called me on my phone to make sure I was okay. The nice feature about Strava is that is only records the time you are actually moving.

When I did finally get home it was time for lunch and then I spent about two hours working in the garden. Our beautiful White Pine has died and it is slated to be cut down in the near future. One of the jobs that I tackled today was removing the river rock that surrounds the tree. We’re having the stump removed right away so everything around the bottom of the tree has to be cleared away. It’s a much bigger job than I thought and I’ve only removed about half of the rocks. My husband was building a new raised garden bed today so I volunteered to start tossing rocks (literally tossing them across the path and into the side garden).

Here are a few more photos from my morning walk. Enjoy!

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….in Canada we’re honouring our Mothers today

My daughters and their significant others treated me to a wonderful day on Ward’s Island yesterday. G made a fantastic meal that included a rabbit and apricot terrine, homemade sour dough bread, cured salmon infused with beet juice and cheese cups with hot pepper jelly and those delights were the appetizers.

After a bit of nourishment we went for a long walk and explored the beaches and neighbourhoods of Ward’s Island. I’ll post more about this amazing community in the coming week. When we returned to the little cottage that G’s mother-in-law was renting we enjoyed part two of our Mother’s Day Extravaganza.

For the main course we were treated to chicken legs, a faro salad and green beans and snow peas garnished with chopped hazelnuts. Dessert was a delicious panna cotta topped with rhubarb.

At the end of the meal the table was cleared and we played a family game of Apples to Apples. It was a lot of fun but apparently I’m not very good at it. Either my answers weren’t clever enough or they were too embarrassing.

Photo courtesy: http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/getreligion/files/2009/01/apples.jpg

This morning my husband surprised me with a very special present…..a brand new ukulele. What a nice surprise. I guess I’d better learn to play better than I play now. After a nice breakfast, also prepared by my husband, I connected with my son and his fiancé in the Netherlands via Skype. After some minor glitches with the volume we spent 35 minutes catching up on the news and sharing plans for the future.

All in all it was a perfect way to spend Mother’s Day weekend!

A Day of Reading and Quiet Reflection

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..my road to recovery has been painless

After icing my jaw all day long yesterday I was happy not to have to do that today. There was little to no swelling this morning so I guess the ice paid off. I started the morning with a delicious peach mango smoothie that my husband made for me and for lunch I had some creamed soup and leftover mashed cauliflower with an egg mixed in for some protein. Both meals were somewhat satisfying and I wasn’t as hungry today as I was yesterday.

One of the benefits of staying home and having restrictions as to what I’m allowed to do is that I was able to get a lot of reading done. I’m all caught up with my emails and I’ve finally started a new book, Road Ends, by Mary Lawson which I’m about a third of the way into. I’ve also been able to research some great art sites for ideas for upcoming art classes at school.

We also got some good news today. My husband went for his quarterly check-up at the hospital this morning and his blood count is still in the normal range. It’s always a little stressful for my husband on those days coming up to his appointments.

Ese’s Weekly Shoot & Quote Challenge – Pleasure

Knowing that we don’t have to worry about the return of my husband’s cancer for at least another three to six months brings us both a great deal of pleasure.

Pleasure is Nature’s test, her sign of approval. When man is happy, he is in harmony with himself and with his environment…..Oscar Wilde

As we get older we appreciate the simpler things in life. Here are a few things that give us pleasure:

Tonights dinner. Yum!

My sister with ‘my three girls’.

For more quotes and photographs about pleasure check out Ese’s Weekly Shoot & Quote Challenge.

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge – Week 9

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….it was such an honour to be one of three blogs featured for last week’s challenge

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/04/27/cees-odd-ball-photo-challenge-week-9/

This week I’ve chosen three photos that I took when I was in Calgary back in March. We took a walk downtown and my sister and brother-in-law took us to a couple of their favourite gift/art stores. They were full of wonderful works of art and artifacts from all over the world. Here are three of my favourite pieces; an odd looking duck, a painting of a steer done on metal and a sculpture made from water bottles.

Share Your World – Week 15

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..I can’t believe it’s already week 15

For your blog do you basically use Windows or Mac, laptop, desktop, pad, or phone?

I’m an Apple user all the way. For my blog I work on my MacBook Pro…

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was a very young child I remember wanting to be a nurse but when I was 12, I changed my mind and wanted to be a Family Studies teacher. I was asked to attend an open house at the school and demonstrate how we were using the sewing machines in class. I was hooked. In high school I toyed with the idea of being a doctor but I kept going back to being a teacher.

Did you grow up in a small or big town? Did you like it?

For most of my childhood I grew up in Toronto. We lived in Oakville for about four years but we moved back to the big city to be closer to my father’s job. I have fond memories of living in Oakville because it was like living in the country at the time. Our house backed onto a field with a creek running through it. We lived in a new housing development and I recall playing in some of the unfinished homes. Pretty crazy when I think of the dangers we encountered daily. We were also allowed to go to the creek without adult supervision and we rode our bicycles through the field and onto busy streets on our way to the plaza. I had one nasty spill onto the gravel road and still have the scars on my knee to this day.

When we moved back to Toronto I was 10 years old and we lived directly across from the school. There was a huge park that surrounded the school and right across the street from us was a skating rink in the winter and a tennis court in the summer. A few years later they also built a public outdoor swimming pool right next to the rink. We lived in an apartment building but I was so close to so many recreational amenities that I never missed not having a backyard. In the summers we went to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) and as I went from being a pre-teen to a teenager I started taking the subway to the downtown area. Basically, I loved living in the city.

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

I always think of myself as younger. I work with a wide range of ages but I guess I’m now the oldest person at my school. Our caretaker might be a bit older than me but not by much. If I had to put an age to myself I’d say I feel like I’m only 45. I actually feel better now than when I turned 50.

On my 61st birthday.

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 the the warmer weather we experienced last week and for all the snow melting. Unfortunately we’re suppose to get colder temperatures tonight and tomorrow morning we’re expecting 5 to 10 cm of snow. Yikes!

Later this week I’m looking forward to visiting my sister in Chatham. My new brother-in-law really wants to see my husband who was unable to attend their wedding in January because of his fall. On Monday we’re spending Easter Monday at my daughter’s (A and J) place and will be enjoying a delicious Easter brunch.