Feeling Overwhelmed

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Mama Cormier

….not sure why but it has affected my blog

I’ve been writing and posting on this blog for over 10 years. I rarely miss a day and as of late I’ve been missing a day or two a week. Sometimes the issue has been with internet connections not working because of severe weather or just being crazy busy with life. This last week however I had not posted in a week and I left my emails go unanswered. Yesterday I finally responded to over 50 comments that were left on my site. I feel that I’m letting my followers down.

Yesterday I told my husband that I’m feeling overwhelmed. I’ve been cat sitting for a sick neighbour since Mother’s Day and we were dog sitting for 10 days while our daughter and daughter-in-law were on holiday on the East Coast. This holiday weekend I stayed home from the cottage to attend the Lawn Bowling Canada Day BBQ and be around when Andrea returned to pick up Olive. The cat and dog situation did not go well because they just didn’t get along so Tober spent more time in his house and didn’t come over at all. Today he is back.

88-AAEDCE-4565-4-CDC-9383-A8577-CD41-DA1 — *Tober before the arrival of Olive*

A76-B8-B0-F-51-E3-4-D4-D-8559-6-F7-B626-E0851 — *Kevin with Olive…Tober is back in his house*

Summer has barely started and I feel like it is almost over. Two days a week I’m baking at the Montgomery’s Inn, I belong to a book club and our meetings keep getting changed because of conflicts with people’s schedules. When a date was finally agreed upon I was the one with a conflict because our evening meeting was changed to the afternoon and I had already made a date with a friend. I told the group to go ahead without me. Lawn bowling is taking up some of my days as well. I’m part of the Golden Girls and five times this summer I’m scheduled to play in a tournament. Earlier this week when we played we got caught in a sudden storm and I was drenched. We had our Canada Day BBQ on the weekend and that was fun and much drier. I also play bridge with my neighbours and Mary wanted to host a garden bridge party. Unfortunately all the dates selected didn’t work for me and I had to decline.

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I could go on about the BBQs I’ve attended , planning a trip to go to Calgary in two weeks, trying to maintain my garden, going to the dentist, and trying to keep the house somewhat clean but I don’t want to bore you. What I’m not doing is making art and I think that is part of my problem. I love all the things that I do but the most creative activity has taken a back seat. Kevin is painting up a storm but I haven’t been able to pick up a brush or pencil. I have to learn to say no and I have been doing that more often but I’m still busy. This weekend I’m making time to go to the cottage and I’ll bring a book and some art supplies.

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44-AC68-A1-F147-4-DB6-942-F-0093-C18-A104-B — *Some of Kevin’s abstract landscapes inspired by his trip to Ireland last fall*

So I’m sorry that I haven’t been getting to my emails but I’ll try to do better. I’ll try to post at least one story a day. It might just be a photo of a flower or my husbands weekly art challenges but I need to get my groove back.

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Busy

Posted on May 15, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/05/13/weekly-prompts-weekend-challenge-busy/

The last two weeks have been very busy for me, mostly with my art show. Preparing the art itself over the last two months has been a busy time but hanging the show, preparing for the opening, driving to the gallery six times to meet with friends, and then taking the show down and packing it up has taken up hours of time. Now I have to deliver the pieces that were sold. I’m exhausted but in a good way.

Of course life goes on in between trips to the gallery. I started baking again at the Inn, I played Bridge with a group of friends, attended a Zoom meeting for the Exhibition Committee at WAAC, paid bills and for three days in a row I helped prepare the lawn bowling rink to get ready for the opening of our season. Things that didn’t get done were housework, laundry and gardening. This morning I started to clean up the back garden and filled up one bag of yard waste. It’s a start.

49-A0-B553-1-F78-4-BF9-8624-D246-DA165797-1-201-a — *Curating the show from home before hanging with Andrea*

2-A404-E8-C-8-A85-4-A14-ABB6-85793-D1-B26-D4-1-201-a — *Visiting Max Cameron’s show at Bau-Xi Gallery the first week my show was up*

7-CB937-A4-34-CE-4-BDC-94-B0-3-E968523-D20-C-1-201-a

6-E1-FAD70-25-BB-4-A7-A-98-F7-26-DCF7-C561-E2 — *Getting the lawn bowling greens ready for playing*

7-E9240-F2-54-BE-44-B2-8-F09-325-EB0509101-1-201-a — *Baking at the Inn*

8-BB65-BFB-D87-E-412-A-A3-E2-E165-B180-CE7-B — *Made two new pieces after the show was hung*

35-C5-F1-B8-6-D00-43-E2-9-D39-B5685-AF31-A65 — *Weaving one more rock before the end of the show*

Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Neighbours

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/03/15/weekly-prompts-wednesday-challenge-neighbors/

Neighbours mean the world to us. Not only do we help each other out in times of need or to carry out a goal, we also have become friends and celebrate special times in our lives together.

Trish and I picked up garbage in the neighbourhood for a month when COVID first hit. It was her idea but I was right there with her for 30 days.

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4-BB38-E86-04-D7-4-A8-C-977-A-99-D202994-FC8 — *…she even got one her daughters and her friend to pitch in*

5-F17-BE9-F-D587-4-ACC-AF5-E-DE7-A497-B8560 — *For years we shovelled snow for our neighbours and now they help us out when we’re not able*

D3376-F57-7697-4-E75-989-D-CDB0888-BD4-DE — *This is our neighbourhood lawn bowling club and many of the members are my neighbours. I’ve met a lot of great people*

0-EFE3-F52-113-C-40-CD-9-A91-D4-C02191-A69-E — *Friends since high school and neighbours at the cottage…always there to support me*

670-D8-CF4-6-D18-4-A99-9538-CD6-DCA435753 — *Neighbours and friends helping me celebrate my ‘big’ birthday*

B57-A2-A59-7-E1-D-4-EDD-95-F1-B0-F16-AD9-C9-F4-1-201-a — *Neighbours pitching in to help clear the leaves on the corner lot*

Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Belonging

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/02/01/weekly-prompts-wednesday-challenge-belonging/

Before COVID I belonged to a group of bakers. Every week, twice a week, we got together to make dough and bake bread in the wood burning oven at Montgomery’s Inn, one of Toronto’s Historical Museums. When COVID hit in March 2020 all volunteer jobs were eliminated and bread baking ceased to exist for almost three years. I loved belonging to this group of men and women who came together every week and I look forward to the day that we can once again get together to make bread.

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I also belong to an organization of mostly women artists but also some men and that too has reduced it’s in person activities considerably since COVID hit. I love belonging to such a creative group that shares knowledge and ideas so freely and openly. It’s given me the confidence to pursue my art journey and I even hosted my first solo art show in 2022.

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I also belong to a lawn bowling club and this past year we’ve been able to get together in person to play ‘normal’ games where we can have three people per side and use all the lanes at the same time. We were also able to celebrate Canada Day and we had a year end dinner. A great group of people that I’m happy to call friends.

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The most precious of groups that I belong to is that of my family and friends. COVID has been difficult but thanks to ZOOM and WhatsApp, I’ve been able to stay connected. In the past year we’ve been able to travel again to visit family overseas and on the east coast and we’ve even gotten together for celebrations to acknowledge milestone birthdays.

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Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Bend

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting the Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/01/21/weekly-prompts-weekend-challenge-bend/

Bending implies that you or something is flexible, either physically or mentally. When a person bends mentally they are able to see both sides of an opinion or argument and can ‘bend’ or change their own way of thinking. Bending physically is easier to demonstrate in photographs.

A8-B1-E32-E-D2-CC-41-F8-ADE7-167-B430-F3770 — *A bend in the path*

29-F6-F208-3166-474-C-9-D59-9591-F64-B7-A67 — *Bending over to pick up a stool*

9830-A104-B343-4811-900-A-B5-E98-C223768 — *Bending over to get in the picture*

19-CA6-A4-F-85-B1-489-C-90-E7-7419-F8051901 — *Bends in the wooden stairway at the AGO*

C5-DABF70-5-E91-430-B-826-D-7-AB5-B402-A7-A7 — *Bending beams at the AGO*

7-CDEE983-F107-4-AEB-BB1-C-116-D02-BB5682 — *Gargoyles bending over at the castle in France*

496-B6-FBD-0-FB5-4-E9-F-B577-F7-A45-FACD516 — *Bending in for a kiss*

45-E0-FD67-1-BC9-4927-BB67-166-EC0-FA4-A72 — *Bend and stretch*

5-A726-C29-8654-437-F-AD61-B108-F9-AE5-E4-C — *Bending her body coming down the bend in the slide*

5-DED7577-726-F-4508-A7-C4-5908-AE5-D3-C49 — *Bending over to bowl*

The Last Night of Lawn Bowling

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….what a great season

This was the first year, since 2020 where we were able to play a full season and with fewer restrictions. Many of us, including myself, had the experience of playing in tournaments with other clubs and with the addition of 30 new members in our club alone we made a lot of new friends.

Thursday evening was our last opportunity to play. It was cold and windy but enough members came out to play on three rinks. Today the city came by and laid a layer of sand to the pitch which prevents us from playing into next week. In a couple of weeks we will have one more opportunity to get together and share a meal at a local restaurant.

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One Word Sunday – Summer

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Debbie Smyth from Travel With Intent for hosting OWS https://travelwithintent.com/2022/07/10/draft-one-word-sunday-ows/

Summer for me is the cottage. With preparing for the my solo art show, hanging the show, attending the gallery to greet people and now closing the show I have yet to get to my summer home. There have been other issues as well, such as not being able to get to the island because the the ferry broke down, was repaired and then broke down again. Even though the passenger ferry is running and a barge was provided I couldn’t bring myself to open the cottage on my own. This coming weekend, my daughter and daughter-in-law are able to help me. In the meantime I’ve enjoyed ‘Summer’ from the city.

As many of you know I live down by Lake Ontario and am blessed with a string of beautiful parks in my neighbourhood. Here is summer so far, this year, for me.

6-A5-E6-B74-9419-4911-8522-7-A569-E9-C9521 — *Watching and playing lawn bowling down the street*

6941097-C-4773-4-A2-A-B3-C7-ABBCA8-F2-D5-F3 — *Walking to the little beach at Rotary Peace Park*

567-A9-F67-B2-C3-44-F7-964-E-84-A1-F5-D4301-C — *Enjoying the flora along the lake shore on my walks*

2490165-C-6109-4-B75-9-CAC-24-DAF2-DE8921 — *View from the park at the bottom of my street*

I’m a Fan of……Lawn Bowling

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Jez for hosting I’m a fan of…..https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/06/06/corbies-fan-of-159/

Down the street from where I live we have a lawn bowling club. It’s been there for 120 years. It was established June 24,1902 and is the oldest lawn bowling club in Toronto. I’ve been walking past the greens for decades and never gave playing the game a second thought until my neighbour across the street recruited me and two other neighbours to join. This happened shortly after I retired from teaching.

Even during COVID we managed to keep the greens open with a very limited number of players. This season we’re back in full swing and hoping to bring more members into the club. People laugh when I tell them I’ve joined the club but after our open house last week where the public could try lawn bowling for free, more people, young and old, saw a new side to lawn bowling. It is not just a sport for the elderly. It is challenging but not too cumbersome and it’s a lot of fun.

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Thursday Trios – Lawn Bowling Trios

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…..sorry for the late submission of my own challenge

I really have to learn to post my trios the night before or early in the morning. These photos were taken on Thursday evening when I was playing lawn bowling.

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If you have photos of trios post them on your blog, title it Thursday Trios, copy my link and paste it into your post so that I get a pingback and I’ll be sure to comment on your post.

An Eclectic Collection of Trios

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….for this week’s Thursday Trios I have a variety of subjects

Sorry for the delay for this week’s Thursday Trios. I had every intention of posting right after I returned from visiting a friend who is convalescing in long term care. While I was there the city was hit with a massive rain storm and when I got home I discovered that our internet was out. It took hours before it got up and running again.