Fogged In

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Mama Cormier

When I was leaving Moncton, yesterday I knew that Southern Ontario was experiencing very dense fog. As I boarded the plane I wondered if the pilots had more up to date information on the state of the weather over the island airport that we had to land on.

When I left Moncton, it was sunny and very mild. Once in the air we were above the few clouds that hovered over the east coast but one had a nice view of the land, rivers and lakes below. As we neared Toronto we were all of a sudden above a completely white blanket of clouds. Fifteen minutes before we were to land the pilot came over the speaker and informed us that the airport in Toronto was too fogged in to safely land so they were going to circle above the lake for 40 minutes to see if the fog would lift.

After about 30 minutes the decision was made to fly into Hamilton instead because it looked like the fog would not lift until well into the next day. As we approached Hamilton I was relieved to see land below again. We landed safely but now we needed to get back to Toronto. Some people were suppose to get connecting flights to elsewhere and others had conferences they were scheduled to attend.

111-C1-FC9-354-D-4-F01-8-C06-E088-A3-ABA590

Normally our luggage is on the tarmac when you fly with Porter and you grab it as you leave the plane. In Hamilton, however, they had a different system and because so many flights had been rerouted there over the course of the day and because they were understaffed we had to wait about 30 minutes to get our bags. Then about 70 of us headed outside to catch a shuttle bus.

The bus didn’t arrive for at least 30 minutes and then it was only a small bus. The next bus was on its way so I allowed others who had connections to make to board in front of me. The unfortunate part was that the bus was nowhere near us and we ended up waiting another hour. When it did finally arrive there were only four of us left waiting. Twenty or more people had ordered taxis and Ubers to get them to where they needed to go. The funny part was that the second bus was a full size coach. By this time the fog had rolled into Hamilton.

The trip to Toronto was very comfortable and the driver, although a tad heavy on the accelerator, got us safely and very quickly back to Billy Bishop Airport. Of course the place was deserted because the fog was so heavy and no flights were coming or going. I ordered an Uber and luckily I was picked up two minutes later.

This morning when I woke up the fog was still over the lake and the city. The photos that I took from the park at the bottom of my street normally show a clear view of the city and the lake. As you can see there is not much to see beyond the trees.

87-BDEE28-B0-E1-408-E-B34-B-73-D87563-FC36

04148588-CF5-F-4-A00-8083-6-E5222-A84-E04

A4-D53516-BD5-D-4636-A42-A-856-E9-E26-E997

FE595651-5-FDD-4-D3-B-9-F3-F-3-A8-BF9-C1-CE73

Lens Artists Photo Challenge – Waiting

Posted on November 17, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Lens Artists Photo Challenge for this week’s theme, ‘waiting’

Waiting for permission to get on the couch.

Waiting to start kindergarten

Waiting to see what Olive will do

Waiting in line

Waiting to be seated in the restaurant

Waiting for me

Just waiting for his turn to touch the car

Waiting for the pizza to come out of the oven

Waiting for her pizza

Black and White vs Colour – November 27, 2017

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…join the fun and change your colour photos into black and white

Thanks to the Maine Paper Pusher for hosting the Black and White vs Colour photo challenge.

Which of the two do you prefer?

Standing in the rain, waiting for Santa.

fullsizeoutput_7aa7

fullsizeoutput_7aa8

Who Does That?????

Posted on July 26, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..if I sound a bit angry, I am ! ! !

Yesterday was suppose to be a lovely day with a birthday celebration and attending our final Pan Am Games event.

The day started off well. I finally had an appointment to get my hair cut and I left the salon in a good mood. I walked to the Farmers’ Market and bought a delicious cheese and herb bread and then made my way to the gas station to fill up before our trip to Hamilton. All good!

We picked up the girls from the subway station at 1:00 and then headed out to the highway. We got into the HOV lanes because we had four people in the car and we were flying down the highway and making great time. All went well until……everything slowed down, even the HOV lanes.

We weren’t surprised when we slowed down because we were approaching the part of the QEW where Hwy 403 merges with it. In past trips to Hamilton, London or Niagara Falls we’ve experienced these slow downs before. A couple of times traffic literally stopped in all the lanes.

Unfortunately the last time we stopped the Jeep behind us didn’t and slammed into our rear bumper. Luckily no one was physically hurt but I was emotionally scarred from the experience. Now before you think I’m a complete wuss let me explain my situation.

This is the third time that I’ve had an accident with this car. All three times I haven’t been at fault. Twice, including this time I was rear ended and the other time a dump truck backed into me in a turning lane. The first two times the drivers exchanged information with me and apologized for their mistake. Damage to the car totalled over $9000. for the first two accidents.

After the Jeep hit us yesterday, my daughter and her partner, declared that the driver was laughing at us. They turned around after the impact and they saw both the driver and his passenger point at the car and start to laugh. I was sure that they had to be mistaken. Who laughs after they’ve caused an accident?

I pulled onto the shoulder, to minimize the traffic jam that would occur because of this fender bender. To my shock and horror the Jeep passed us and kept going and the driver was laughing at us. What??????????

We managed to get the license plate number or we thought we did. It was a New York State plate. We called the OPP to report the hit and run and they suggested that we stay safe inside the car and wait for a police officer to arrive.

An OPP officer did call us soon after but he was about 20 minutes away and he advised us to move to the other shoulder, four lanes over. By this time, however, traffic had picked up again and was moving very quickly. We stayed where we were until another accident took place about 100 metres ahead of us. Of course traffic slowed to a crawl, so with my husband sticking his head out of the window and directing traffic with his hands, I managed to move over the four lanes to the ‘safer’ side.

After waiting for 30 minutes and being passed by four separate OPP vehicles we were worried that our officer had missed us. Then I saw a fifth car about to pass us but I managed to get his attention as he was driving by. I watched him put on his lights and pull over to the outside shoulder and back his car to where we were parked. Well it turned out that he wasn’t the officer assigned to our case but he stayed with us. In the next five minutes two more officers arrived, one on a motorcycle and one in a cruiser. Now we had three OPP vehicles around my little blue car with all their lights flashing.

The last car to arrive was the officer we had been waiting for. He took all our information and then he gave us the bad news. After putting the license plate number into the computer it came back null and void. That number didn’t exist. I thought the girls had given him one wrong letter so I suggested that he try a ‘c’ instead of a ‘d’. This time he got a hit but it wasn’t for a Jeep. The girls were sure of the numbers but not the order. The officer wasn’t comfortable playing around with the numbers. The last thing he wanted to do was accuse the wrong person of hitting our car. I don’t blame him.

Everyone felt badly for not getting the plate numbers right but the last thing we expected was that someone would actually ‘run’ from the accident. We were in a panic and not thinking straight. I just remember swearing over and over (something I don’t normally do) and my husband was shaken up and the girls were appalled that the Jeep occupants were laughing at the situation.

So I guess in the end the Jeep driver got away with this one. The damage to my car will be at least $1000. and who knows what will happen to my insurance rates. The good news is that no one was hurt, we made it to our game and we managed to have a nice birthday dinner for my daughter-in-law.

Small Stones – January 11, 2015

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Mama Cormier

Waiting

I sit here procrastinating

Waiting for tomorrow

Work surrounds me, waiting to be done

Things need to be sorted and put away

But I wait

Why?

Is it the unknown of what tomorrow brings

or do I need this time to reflect on happier times

or just be thankful for every precious moment

Waiting!

….time to get back to work

It will make the waiting go faster

—————————————————————————

© rgb for “On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea”, 2011 – 2015

What are small stones?

A small stone is a short piece of writing (any style) that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment for you. The process of discovering small stones is as significant as the finished creation. Searching for small stones encourages you to keep your senses on the “alive and alert” status. Involve yourself with a new set of eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind. In short … OPEN, OPEN, OPEN!

Waiting for News…..Any News

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…….took our grand dog to the emergency vet clinic yesterday

I just got off the phone with daughter number one on Saturday when the phone rang, literally seconds later, and I could see that daughter number two was calling me. I cheerfully picked up the phone and greeted G with an exuberant ‘Hello’. My mood turned instantly when I heard her sobs on the other end of the line.

G and her husband, B had made plans to go on a vacation cruise and they were due to leave today. Earlier in the week their dog, Lucy became quite ill and they had made a couple of trips to the vet’s office. X-rays were taken but the vet couldn’t see what the problem was. If she didn’t get better she was suppose to have an ultra sound done but lo and behold she started to eat and every one thought she was on the mend.

All was well till the wee hours of Saturday morning when Lucy took ill again and kept her family awake for hours. With very little sleep under their belts, G and B called a taxi and took Lucy to the emergency vet hospital in their neighbourhood. When G called me she was exhausted and had just been told that Lucy might need surgery.

My husband and I drove to the north end of the city to lend moral and financial support. We sat in the waiting room for awhile and then got some food for everyone. We waited 4 hours before Lucy had an ultra sound done and then another hour to get the news that she required a hospital stay and possibly surgery.

We convinced G and B to go on their trip. They would have lost all the money if they cancelled and B needed that vacation. We signed on as Lucy’s guardians and would be the contacts if Lucy’s condition worsened. Sure enough the worst case scenario happened and Lucy requires the surgery.

Now we’re waiting by the phone. Lucy is in surgery while I’m writing this post and our daughter is thousands of kilometres away waiting to hear from us.

Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well.

Sitting by the Dock of the Bay

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…...waiting for the ferry at Cedar Point

As I drove down Cedar Point Road I had 10 minutes to spare before the ferry departs; however, today there was no ferry waiting to take on cars or cruising through the waters towards the dock. Today the ferry is at least 30 minutes behind schedule.

On the way here I debated about stopping to get paraffin oil for my lamps at the local hardware store in Lafontaine. I knew that stopping was risky and it could mean missing the boat. It wouldn’t have been a problem today. Hopefully I have enough oil left in my lamps for the next few nights, otherwise I will be totally dependent on candles or my one solar powered lamp. Of course the other option is going to bed early. This might be a good opportunity for me to catch up on my sleep.

I decided to take my laptop with me to the island so that I could do some writing while I’m up here. I made sure it was fully charged and I’ll have to be extra careful to shut it down when I’m not using it. It’ll be interesting to see how much I can do on one charge.

I’ve had mixed messages from followers as to whether I should take the laptop or the iPad with me to Ireland. I’m still undecided. I’m sure my husband would rather that I didn’t take either. I’ll have to limit my time blogging, maybe setting aside 30 minute blocks of time first thing in the morning or last thing at night. I must admit that I’ve become a bit addicted to writing this blog, following other blogs and checking out new sites. I think I’ll have to forgo reading everyone else’s blogs until I return home.

Well, the ferry finally arrived. We all ‘backed’ onto the boat (my least favourite way to board the boat) and we finally departed, 36 minutes behind schedule.

Girls on the Run 5k

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….today was the day

I woke up early, 6:07 to be exact. I put on my running clothes and made my way downstairs to make coffee. I checked my emails as I enjoyed my Crema and protein bar. It was lovely and quiet in the house, just what I needed before heading out to meet my fellow coaches, L and C.

We had decided ahead of time to meet at L’s house and go together in one car. There was very little traffic at 7:30 on a Sunday morning so we made good time getting to the race venue. The race this year was being held at the Vaughn Mills mall. When we got there, there was already a sea of pink t-shirts.

Our school was assigned a flag where our girls had to meet us. We handed out their numbers and safety pins and the moms and dads pitched in pinning the numbers to the fronts of their shirts.

It was great seeing so many parents get involved, not just by being there but also registering for the run so that they could run with their daughters.

There weren’t as many pre-race activities as last year but some of the moms had brought along coloured hair spray so that the girls could have racing stripes put into their hair. Even some of their teachers got into the spirit.

I’m not sure how many times I’m going to have to wash my hair to remove the pink dye. One mom, who’s a hairdresser, said that it might take three or more washes. Hmmmm!!!!!

Two hours after arriving at the mall, the race finally started and about 1000 little girls and their coaches and parents started on the 5k run.

I had set a goal for myself to run the 5k without stopping and try to do it in 45 minutes or less. Last year I think it took me about 55 minutes and I walked at least half of it. It was very warm and humid today. Before I left my husband asked me not to overdo it and to be careful not to get caught up in the excitement of the race. I know that the recent heart attack of a very close friend who lives out west was leaving him feeling a little apprehensive about me running today. I have to admit that the our friend’s heart attack was also in the back of my mind. The attack was a mild one and she’s doing much better but she’s the last person we would ever have suspected of having a heart condition.

I set a very reasonable pace for myself and was able to run the first half without stopping to walk. When I did stop it was at the water station but I started to run again almost immediately. The heat did bother me and I walked a couple more times but never for more than a minute. In the end I finished in a time of 47:27, 2 1/2 minutes slower than I hoped for but this year I felt so much better than I did last year. I didn’t experience those moments of dread like I did last year and I wasn’t as emotional….no tears.

Now that I have an official time I can work on getting that number down. I should plan to do another 5k sometime this summer. It’s good to have a goal.

Time to work on my art piece.

Cheers!

We’re Half Way There

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….to winning the West Conference Finals

Today I took 16 girls from the soccer team to the Esther Shiner Stadium to play in the West Conference finals. Our first game was at noon and we arrived 40 minutes early so that we could warm up.

It was a beautiful day and the temperature was perfect for playing soccer, warm but not hot. The girls played extremely well and put in place all the skills that they’d been taught over the last 6 weeks. They won their first game easily, 6 – 0.

We have new rules in soccer now that require teams to take a one hour break between games. After the first game we had to wait until 2:00 before we could play again. The winner of this second game would be crowned the West Conference champions.

An hour is a long time and even though the girls were suppose to rest they played on the field and even practised some more of their soccer moves. When 2:00 arrived the other team still hadn’t shown up. By 2:10 the convenor called the coach of the other team and we discovered that they had gone to the wrong soccer field. Now this field wasn’t down the block or a couple of streets over, it was on the other side of town. Before they could get to Esther Shiner we were looking at another 40 minute wait.

We contemplated waiting but then the organizers realized that all the fields were booked at 3:00 and we wouldn’t be able to play anyway. Now the decision was mine. The other team asked if we could play the game at our school later in the week and they would pay for the ref. I could have said no and but I kept thinking about the girls on the other team who didn’t get to play through no fault of their own.

When I got back to school I checked our schedule and discovered that the only time slot that would work for us is Thursday at 9:00. I wrote to the other team about the new day and time which is completely contingent on whether or not we can get a ref at such short notice.

So that is why we are only half way to being the West Conference champions. Unfortunately on the same day that we might play, the boys from our school are headed to Esther Shiner to play in the West Conference finals for boys and they will be wearing the Rosethorn jerseys. One of the parents is looking into getting enough pinnies, all in the same colour, for the girls to wear on Thursday.

I was hoping that would be one more thing that I could cross off my to do list but it wasn’t to be. Tomorrow I have to finalize what we’re going to do for our Forest of Reading Celebration. Today I got a lead on an author who is willing to come to Rosethorn to talk to the children. That would be a perfect way to end our special day.

Till tomorrow, cheers!

Stressed to the Max

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Mama Cormier

… I wasn’t worried until I got the phone call

I always feel that no news is good news. It had been two weeks since my surgery; I was feeling good; the doctor who did the surgery hadn’t call me.

Then on Tuesday night when I got home from work there was a message on the phone to call my family doctor. It could only be one of two things; something showed up in the pathology report after the surgery or something showed up after my mammogram.

The next day from my office at school I called the clinic to find out why I had to see the doctor. The problem, however, is that you don’t get to talk to the doctor or even a nurse for that matter when you call the number they give you. All appointments are routed through a main switchboard and you speak to a phone receptionist who is nowhere near the actual clinic.

I know that you shouldn’t “shoot the messenger” but it was so frustrating trying to get any information from the receptionist. I knew she didn’t have access to my files and all she could tell me was that the visit had something to do with reviewing the results of the surgery.

The next problem was setting up an appointment that didn’t require me taking off an entire day or even part of a day to see the doctor. As I’ve probably told you before I’ve lost all my accumulated sick days because of a provincial government bill and I’ve already used up 3 of my 10 days for the year. The other complication is that my so called family doctor has moved further away to an area that is a little sketchy and the clinic he did work from has shut down.

My frustration on the phone was obvious and the receptionist, to her credit, was trying to help me find a solution. Apparently it doesn’t matter which clinic you visit your records can be accessed by any of their doctors. After being close to tears, we finally figured out that there is a clinic much closer to home and that I was able to get an appointment on Friday after work.

When I hung up the phone I turned around to find a small group of my library helpers standing at my door looking a little concerned. They told me I sounded a little stressed. What an understatement. I smiled and assured them that I was fine and gave each of them a job to do.

On Friday I left school early (4:15 instead of 6:00) and drove to my appointment. My friend, L, made me promise to call her as soon as I found out what the problem was. I thought I had left myself plenty of time to make it to my appointment but I ran into some unexpected traffic and I arrived 15 minutes late. It didn’t seem to matter though because the doctor was running late as well.

I had made reservations to meet friends for dinner that night for 7:00 and when I still hadn’t gotten in to see the doctor by 6:00 I started to fret about being late. I tried to call my husband but my phone had died so I hooked it up to the doctor’s outlet while I waited. As soon as I had enough juice to make calls I started calling my husband but he wasn’t picking up anywhere. Another thing to worry about.

When the nurse came into the room to see me she asked me why I was there. I explained the phone message I had received and she looked through her records. She then asked me if the appointment was for the breast screening results. There had been no mention of that before, so now I started to worry that maybe something had shown up on the mammogram. She repeated the same question and when I told her that I didn’t think so she told me that the doctor would be in to see me after one more patient.

I think that the next 15 minutes were the longest 15 minutes of my life. It’s funny how you think the worst and how many bad scenarios take hold of your mind. What will I tell my friends at dinner that night? Will I have to take more time off of work or will I just retire early?

Finally when my ‘new’ doctor arrived he put me at ease immediately. He went through all my charts, the letters from my surgeon and the breast screening results and couldn’t find any reason for me being there. The surgery went well, the mammogram was clear and I appeared to be very healthy. He double checked everything and couldn’t figure out why my last doctor underlined and question marked some of the details of the surgery. He asked me if there was anything else he could do for me while I was there so I had him give me my flu shots.

When I finally left the office I had 10 minutes to get to the restaurant. There was no time to go home first so I called my husband for the 3rd time, still didn’t get through to him so I left another message and told him to meet me at the restaurant. When I got there our friends were already waiting and the restaurant owner offered to called K again. Still no answer. A new worry! Eventually we did connect with my husband and he finally joined us at the restaurant but that’s another story for another time.

At least I was able to enjoy the rest of the evening and I didn’t have to tell people that I had a new health issue. I’m not sure I could have stayed quiet if there had been a problem. Unfortunately I forgot to phone my friend L back and I caused her some stress for a good chunk of her evening. She did eventually reach me at the restaurant and she figured out that everything was okay.

So what did I learn? …..that no news is good news!