Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Frolic

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/04/22/weekly-prompts-weekend-challenge-frolic/

Nothing says frolic more that young children and dogs playing.

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My Last Week at the Cottage

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Mama Cormier

….a Pow Wow, a birthday dinner and a flea market

My last week at the cottage before we closed up for the season was very memorable. For one thing I spent four lovely days with my oldest daughter and my daughter-in-law. A and J are great cottage guests. They are so laid back yet very helpful. We all took turns cooking and they usually got the dishes done before I could get at them.

J had never been to a Pow Wow so I decided that it was an event everyone should experience at least once. I, myself hadn’t been in several years. I was glad I went. The venue for the Pow Wow had changed from the school yard to a more scenic setting next to one of the two lakes on the island. We got there in time to see the little ones dance. We walked around the perimeter of the outdoor stage and checked out the vendors and their wares. We sampled some food, shared a giant lemonade and I bought a pair of moccasins for my granddaughter from Velma.

Velma is a long time resident of Christian Island and I have been going to her store for over 20 years. I always take my visitors to her so that they can see and buy her authentic indigenous crafts. She handcrafts the most beautiful sweetgrass boxes and hand stitches her moccasins. I bought a pair for myself almost 20 years ago and I still have them.

As we were leaving the Pow Wow I came across a booth where two lovely ladies were selling raffle tickets for more than 50 prices. I bought a sheet of tickets and two days later I got a phone call that I won a handmade cloth bag. More about my last four days at the cottage tomorrow.

Cheers!

Winding Down but Still So Very Busy

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..even though there are only 5 days left with students there is no slowing down

Yesterday we had our big annual outdoor extravaganza. Every class sang, danced and/or played musical instruments on an outdoor stage that the parent council rented for the day. We had a dress rehearsal in the afternoon and every class sat on the hill and watched the performances as they waited for their turn to go on stage.

In the evening the students stayed in classrooms and waited to be called to go on stage. It was very well organized and all 14 classes and two choirs completed their presentations in one hour and fifteen minutes. The weather this year cooperated. We couldn’t have asked for a better evening. The parents loved it and the students wished that it had gone on longer.

Today we started rehearsals for next week’s farewell assembly for the grade 5s. After school my friend L and I ran around to get the food organized for tomorrow’s tea with the students who bid on “High Tea with Mrs. C and Ms. C” at the silent auction a few weeks ago. I offered Tea with Mrs. C last year and it was so successful that my friend L wanted to go in on it with me. We decided to make it extra special and have the tea at L’s house where her very British mom could help us with the table setting. I just had these two photos sent to me. The table is ready for tea.

On the weekend we’re celebrating Father’s Day at our house. The ‘kids’ (my children, not the students) are coming over on Saturday for a BBQ. My husband is anxious to try out his new charcoal and propane combination grill. We’re also invited to a retirement party on the same day but it is just across the road so hopefully we can find time to drop in for a bit. On Sunday I’m hoping we can find time to visit my Dad in Oshawa.

Next week there will be more rehearsals for the farewell, the assembly itself that I’m emceeing, the grade 5 fun day and the school’s play day. On Wednesday evening we’re having our staff party (yeah!) and then on the last day of school there’s one more assembly. Somewhere in between all that we have to clean our rooms, order supplies for next year and store our computers and electronics in a safe place for the summer.

Rosestock or Rosethorn in the Rain

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….aka Rosethorn in the Park

Almost every year since I started working at my school we’ve put on some kind of year-end show. For most of the 15 years that I’ve been at Rosethorn we’ve rented a portable stage and parked it outside on the school grounds by the hill. For a few years we booked the local high school auditorium when the cost of the stage became too prohibitive.

There was always something very special about putting on the show outside on a warm summer evening. In all the years that we performed outside it never once rained during the show. Well the year we decided to bring back the show mobile we had rain. We were very optimistic and decided to go ahead with the show despite the forecast of potential showers. The sky was overcast for most of the day but the rain held off.

When we started the show there was no rain but after four classes had performed the rain began. When it looked like it wasn’t going to let up our principal gave the audience some options. Well actually she didn’t get past the first one which was to continue with the show. Everyone wanted to stay. The umbrellas came out and the children were pretty much dry under the roof of the stage anyway. Luckily the sound equipment and the operator were protected by a tent but our conductor/music teacher and the staff working with the children were exposed to the elements.

It rained for about an hour and stopped for the last few acts. Despite the soggy conditions the show was a hit and no one complained about getting wet. The teachers were glad that we didn’t have to come back the next night to continue the show and I think a lot of the families were glad as well.

Away ….(Continued)

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Mama Cormier

……the wedding and reception

After lunch last Saturday we all went back to the hotel to get ready for the church service. We were toying with the idea of taking a taxi to the reception so we wouldn’t have to worry about drinking and driving later on so I made the decision to not take the wedding gift with me to the church. Instead I would drive back to the hotel and then call a cab. It sounded like a good idea at the time.

On our way to the car we met up with some guests who we had met earlier in the day. They were also going to the church but had been waiting a long time for a cab. They had a similar experience earlier in the day when they waited 45 minutes before a cab picked them up. The van I rented could seat 7 people so we invited them to come with us and the hotel cancelled their cab.

The wedding ceremony was very moving. Of course I started crying when my sister came down the aisle with her 25 year old son but I pulled myself together quickly. It was a choral wedding which means that the church choir sang throughout the service.

: The three sisters taken 6 weeks ago.

Both my sister and her husband are members of this church and my sister also sings with this choir. The service was about an hour long and afterwards the families stayed behind so that pictures could be taken in the church.

The couple that we drove to the church needed a lift to the reception so I offered to drive them if they didn’t mind waiting while the photographer did his job. This, however, slightly changed my plans. After all the pictures were taken I drove everyone to the restaurant first but I still needed to pick up the wedding gift so I drove back to the hotel. My girls accompanied me so that I wouldn’t be alone and in the end we decided not to order a cab, considering how difficult it had been earlier in the day for the people that we drove. If we drank too much we would leave the van in the parking lot and order a cab from the restaurant.

The reception was a lot of fun. Instead of clinking glasses to make the bride and groom kiss, you had to take the cap gun and ‘shoot’ the new couple. It sounds a bit disturbing but that’s what they wanted. They both enjoy target shooting and D gets out with his brothers a couple times a year to go hunting. Living out there is quite different from the big city. In the end I only had one drink and really didn’t miss having more to drink. I danced all night with my sisters and nieces and nephews.

The highlight of the evening for my baby sister and I happened when our sister and our father danced together. My Dad is 87 years young and still loves to dance. He brought his dancing shoes with him and made sure to tell the DJ that he had done so. Everyone was in awe when they saw how spry my father is and how well the two of them danced with each other. My little sister cried. It was at that moment that we realized how lucky we are to still have our father with us.