…..in the eyes of children
We hate them but children all over the world love dandelions, especially when they go to seed. My granddaughter is no exception.
In an open area next to my daughter’s house is a grassy lot that hasn’t been mowed in awhile. It is a haven for dandelions. Last Saturday my granddaughter and I went for a walk or should I say my granddaughter took me for a walk and she led me straight onto this field of joy.
…..thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World
List 2 things you have to be happy about?
There are many things to be happy about, good health, being mortgage free, being married for 41 years, having a great job, etc. but two things do stand out for me. The first is that all my children are in happy, loving relationships and the second is the joy that our granddaughter brings us.
If you could take a photograph, paint a picture or write a story of any place in the world, what and where would it be?
There are many places that I would love to paint, photograph and write about but the one place that I seem to blog about a lot is the cottage. Our little residence in paradise has brought us much pleasure and fond memories and I look forward to my stay there every summer.
Should children be seen and not heard?
Children should definitely be heard but there is a difference between being delightfully vocal and miserably disruptive. We were always very lucky with our own children. We could take them out to dinner and they knew how to behave in public. Too often parents ignore bad behaviour and often condone it and have no regard for the people around them who have come to a place to relax or enjoy a quiet meal.
List at least five of your favorite first names.
Girls names I like:
Winnie, Katherine (Kate, Katie), Abigail, Lydia, Willow, Josephine, Christina, Alessia
Boys names I like:
Michael, Brendan, Mark, Paul, Peter, William, Jack, Christopher
Names that can be either male or female:
Gaelan, Andrea, Josie, Avery, Morgan
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 small but wonderful birthday party that my children and husband hosted for me. It was just the immediate family but the food was amazing and the gifts that they showered me with were very thoughtful and generous. More and more, time spent with family is becoming increasingly important to me as I get older.
I’m also grateful for four days spent with my daughter and daughter-in-law at the cottage. We swam, sun bathed, read, played board games and cooked up some great meals. We also attended the Pow Wow and stopped at the Cookstown Antique Market on the way home.
This week I’m looking forward to getting my nails done with my good friend L and hopefully having my hair cut and coloured before I start back to school next week.
….thanks Cee for this challenge….I’m always taking pictures of my husband’s back because he’s always in front of me
Before you think that this is a cultural thing, it’s not. When we go on our walks I always stop to take pictures and he keeps going.
…..these were LH’s words early this morning
Today the parent council from our school hosted a community BBQ. After arranging for the delivery of the BBQ, and organizing the food and drinks, LH couldn’t help but worry about the attendance. It didn’t help that people were surprised when she reminded them that the BBQ was tonight. I have to admit that it slipped my mind and I had to call home to let my husband know that I wouldn’t be home for dinner.
The weather was perfect and when I went outside to lend support for the event the line-ups for food were huge. Luckily people were patient and everyone seemed to enjoy the party. The meat was donated by Maple Leaf Food and LH’s husband did all the cooking. A group of moms and dads assisted with delivering and serving of the food. Clearly my help in this department wasn’t needed so I was asked to be the official photographer.
So with my camera and LH’s camera in hand I walked about and took a lot of photos. Here are a few of them.
So it turned out to be a very successful event. Just goes to show you that if you organize a complimentary event “they will come”. Thanks parents!
…..didn’t reach 20 cm of snow on Wednesday but made up for it today
With all the hype of more snow or lots of rain I had a feeling it might be the latter. Sure enough on Wednesday morning there was very little snow but it had been raining and sleeting all night long and the end result was slush. Yuck!!!
I was on yard duty Wednesday morning and the kids were jumping in the puddles and sliding through the slush. By the afternoon we had to keep them indoors because too many of them had wet feet and damp clothing. The parking lot at the end of the day filled with water in the low lying areas and some of the staff had to wade through calf deep water to get into their cars.
Last night it started to snow again and this morning we woke up to a winter wonderland. The snow was heavy and clung to tree branches and hydro lines. It was pretty and made for great packing snow. Today the kids had a great time building snow forts and getting very wet again. Our poor caretaker was mopping floors all day.
The ground is so wet that the mud is starting to seep through the snow. The temperature, however, is suppose to go down overnight and all the puddles and slush will freeze over. It should be an interesting drive tomorrow morning but I fear that those of us who like to walk will face more challenges. Here’s hoping that my husband doesn’t fall again.
Cheers!
….time to slow down? I don’t think so….
Turning Sixty
Today I’m 60
A new milestone in my life
What does it mean?
Retirement?, maybe, eventually
I still love what I do
Teaching doesn’t allow me to slow down
There’s too much to do
Too much I want to do
I’ve only just started running
Blogging and writing
and experimenting with photography
Time to slow down?
I don’t have time to shift into low gear
I want to take more art classes
and improve my painting craft
I love teaching art to children and
sharing books and reading to them in the library
I’m becoming more techno literate and
want to take more computer classes and
experiment with apps and new programs
Time to give my brain a rest?
I don’t think so
I want to read good literature
and focus on my writing
I love playing with words and
have started playing Scrabble again
both on the traditional board and on-line
Is it time to become less physical?
I don’t think so
I need to keep up my strength
to work the soil in the garden, mow the lawn
and prune the hedges
My dog needs her exercise
and gets me out for long walks
I want to run and I mean really run more 5 k races
Is it time to care less about my appearance?
I’m too vain for that
I need to cover the grey in my hair
and apply day cream and night cream
to slow down the wrinkles
I like the new thinner me and want
to take it further
I feel better, younger and more alive
than when I was 50
Retirement?
It is near and I look forward to
more travel
I want to see the world and
spend more time with my sisters
in Calgary and Merlin
I need to spend more time with my Dad
who will soon be 86
His new goal is to live to be 100
but I need to enjoy his company now
I want to give back to the community
and volunteer my time
I just don’t know how
I need to continue learning
Taking another university course is a possibility
or maybe
a photography class or two
and a cooking class with my husband
and maybe, just maybe enjoy the company
of some grandchildren
Is it time to retire to the couch?
I couldn’t even if I wanted to
There’s too much to do
Too much I want to do
Carol Cormier / August 28, 2012
Mama Cormier 