Excuse me if we are a little late but....

This morning I was busy calculating the number of coupons and purchases I would have to make to get the most out of my airmiles with the least amount of money spent. ( I mananged to calculate 350 airmiles for $100.00) I was so enthralled in my useless thinking task that I forgot to tell the Pip to get ready for school. I need a trusty assistant in the morning some days, other than the little four legged furry one that acts as the mechanicmans trusty assistant duties). On top of that we had to gather the Pip's Halloween costume, and do her fancy hair do thingy. I asked Pip why it is that her and I just aren't capable of "getting it all together somedays". Her answer was that we are girls, with things to do, and not necessarily in a timely order. I do know one thing: Her and I are very good speed walkers.

Happy fall day!

 

Lovers and huckers not welcome!

We went to visit Harrison Hot Springs this weekend. I don't think I am a hotsprings kind of person. The squealing children scared me from the out door family pool, and the lap pool was far too desolate. Then there was the 98 degree pool for adults only. Sometimes warm pools can be overly scarey for all those that wish to sit......

In keeping with the ying and yang, some people believe that clearing your throat from the bottom of your gut, and then spitting it into the catchbasin is acceptable. HOLY SHIT NO IT'S NOT!!

But then of course you have the warm and horny lovebirds that enter the waters, and insist on sitting next to you. It is once again a great thing to have the happy-go-lucky-and-take -anywhere-stalker-sister to tell happy horny lovebirds to "get a room", of course noting that she wouldn't be too far out of line to say that, since that would be the reason they would be visiting in the healing hot waters anyways. But you can not stop there... it is imperative that the stalker sister then point out that they are making fools of themselves, and all the people that are sitting in the pool are staring at them, and are also not impressed with their virtual love making practices.

Sing me a leaf song.

Hey wait... what the heck is this... if you look nice and careful, you will notice oblongs blobs amidst browny chunks. These would be the spawning salmon. Although to look at this you might think it was me experimenting with my art kit again.
This is leafmud season... where Mother Nature insists she's still in charge, and upon her command has the ability to remove the withering leaves from their hosts. She summons the wind, and as it takes hold, the wind manages to catapult the leaves into the air. Just as the leaves get a hang of their new found freedom, a nasty thing called gravity and poor aerodynamics send them spiraling down to the ground and heaves them onto the roadways, where we insist on driving over the newly arranged orange carpet, and turning them into leafmud.

Good or not good?

Here's something that all those mechanicey people would want to know. Toyota Forerunner had a recall on their head gasket things, so I happened to find out. The husbandman found this out yesterday, by his mechanicman friend. The husbandman was told that it was up to 180,000 kms. I read later in the evening that it was for any year vehicle.

I suggested to the mechanicman that we could put all the parts and pieces in a couple of my many trillions of shopping bags and tow the car over to Toyota. I said that I would number the plastic shopping bags if that would help. I am overly helpful somedays, although for the moment, the mechanicman has not taken me up on the offer.

He seems to know what he is doing, so I will leave the happy model building man at his station.

The cutter, the edger, and the slapper.

I went scrapbooking with "the Debbie's" last night. That was an adventure. Before I even left the Pip told me that I had to be back before her bedtime. "Wrong Pip, wrong" I said to her. Fortunately she left the mechanicman's and mine bedroom to tell me this, which gave me the opportunity to go into the husbandman's side drawer and steal the rosebud's (swirly cheap chocolate type thingys, but nonetheless delicious, almost kind of!) he had just bought the night before. Score for me and the Debbie's!

I packed all of my equipment in the new bag that I got when I purchased the husbandman some cologne back in the summer time. Of course I picked the cologne based on the type of free gift bag that I was going to get. It's sort of a duffle bag thing, but it's great for holding all my scrapbooking crap when I walk down to "the Debbie's". It worked out well last night... as it was just PISSING out. Normally I would drive the five houses down the street, but with the vehicle a little under the weather at the moment, I had to use my own power... it's just the rain that is ick. It is on nights such as deep dark rainy nights that the bears come to visit, not that I would think that is a bad thing...I would just be pissed that I would get caught up with a bear in the dark, minus the camera. All the same, the duffule bag did a good job of keeping things dry.

I hadn't done any scrapbooking in so long, I had to reaquaint myself with my scrapbooking crap, right down to the pictures. But once I got started, I was slapping things to together. Only kind of slapping... as I wasn't into gluing last night apparently. The Debbie's amused me with their cutting and edging. I stick with corner rounding... it's my thing. Clean lines, combined with colour. It's very simple.

The fire starter

I sent an email to the boy's teacher today. It explained the facts as to howcome I was NOT interested in building chocolate chip cookies with the boy at home, since he missed the 'DEMO' of building the cookies in class with the "foods" teacher. The foods teacher told me three times over that they have policies in place for missed demos. When she was about to tell me for the fourth time about the policies, I interrupted her and said I had gotten it on the first time around. If the kids miss the demos, they are not allowed to cook, it's that simple. I stated to her that the boy was on a school based field trip that day, and I don't believe that he was allowed to miss out on that either. The tiny but very perky sounding "foods" teacher told me that her sole job was to teach foods, and she didn't have anything to do with any of the other parts of the program. ANYTHING. Yes, I was figuring that out rather quickly. That is when I sent an email to the "core" teacher, and explained my "riff" to her. Someone is lacking in some communication somewhere, and the end result is that the process that was missed has to now fall on the backs of the parents to complete. I don't think so!

I am thinking that I am going to watch the boy make a milkshake, and observe his fine technique involved in that process.. and detail those observations on the sheet provided for the parent to complete at home about their child... I don't know about you... but that boy of mine has the ability to obtain a fair level of EXCELLENCE in chocolate banana milkshake making. The "foods" teacher detailed to me about the fact that it isn't the END RESULT of the chocolate chip cookies baking, but rather the PROCESS. So, when it comes to ticking off the texture portion of the assignment.. once again that boy will range in the pursuit of EXCELLENCE catagory.

I don't need to borrow a light... I am pretty good at starting fires all on my lonesome!

wandering around the world...

Me, the rainhater girl of the world.... is out traveling the globe under the cover of clouds, that produce RAIN!!!! I have managed the past couple of days, and I have not melted. I am most impressed with myself. Although... the clouds look greyer now than they did earlier... ick.

How's that speech working for you?

As I make my way around this world I meet all kinds of interesting and diverse characters. I am ultimately intrigued by the decisions that people make for themselves, and ultimately the end result of their decision making. I am currently undertaking the great wonders as to howcome people insist on peircing their tongues. Why is that?

I mean, I know as a mother I worked hard at assisting both of my chicklets to speak in regular boring english. (Although for a great many years I never corrected the boy when he used the word "video". He always called it a "bideo", and that was just too damn cute to correct. Of course there is the term that the girl used for a number of years instead of the word "breast", somehow she had come up with the word "elbows", with precision enunciation, and I just couldn't correct her. I figured she would eventually learn, and she has).

Many years of speech therapy poured out for kids, and they end up with their tongue pierced. Nice.

My trusty assistant.

I have had the interesting adventure of going car shopping. It's a highly annoying undertaking to say the least. Smiley faced fellows who are happy to shake your hand and spill out their knowledge of cars, or not.

Fortunately for me I have had the good sense to bring a weed wacker with me. This helps to keep the overly wordy weedy enthusiasts at bay. I just turn it on, and the wordy sales guy get all chewed up, and spit out across the parking lot. It's all true.

The weed wacker also doubles as "the stalker sister". A very handy service I do say!

A field trip to Burnaby Lake

Neat tree sitting in the sunlight, calling to me to snap a photo.
Pausing to feel the peacefulness of the surroundings, it was assignment, they had no choice!
A blond Canada Goose
The boy, and his favourite buddy from elementary school to his left, and further ahead in the centre of the photo.. the boys newest buddy in class. These three were inseperable. Interesting thing is... the buddy to his immediate left is a girl, who he has gone to school with since he was three years old.

 

Other things of interest:

This would be my extreme talent... taking a picture sideways. Yes, I will accept your applause and exclamations of wild admiration. Of course while I was waiting to take another shot of the surgical theatre I turned to my little buggy that I used to play with when I was a girl. The little wooden crib was found by my Dad, who had a great knack for finding things and dragging them home.. of which... somehow that trait has rubbed off on me, much to the husbandmans unhappiness. He has SPACE issues.

 

what is going on here!!

Here is the husbandman turned mechanicman. The almost 17 year old smudgy white toyota developed a nasty habit of "taking on water" over the past while, so the hubandman turned mechanicman has set up his surgical suite in the new-found garage. He also was able to put down the fluffy pillow bed for his trusty assistant, who never really takes her eyes off of him... except when she needs a nap...
The mechanicman doesn't have the same sterile field in his surgical theatre as someone that would be inclined to worry about infection. He feels that the placement of parts on the ground to have a rightful place.
Her eyelids where getting heavy here.. and when I made the mistake of saying to the working fellow... are you coming in soon... the almost sleeping little dog was up, and ready to leave her sidekicks side... I couldn't believe that move, perhaps she doesn't really love him that much after all.. I don't think so..!
Here's the twenty zillion pieces that have come out from underneath that hood, which all seem to have some place to go. I asked the mechanicman husband how it was that he knew what to do with all these pieces.. he paused, then spoke: " I just know ". Alright then fellow... go crazy out there!

 

Less is More!

It took me the whole week to think up the post from Monday. That abundance of words won me two comments... I think I will post like that more often.

In other things of a lesser point:

I am currently drinking DE-caffeinated INSTANT coffee, with hot milk.

NOT SURE WHY.

I am waiting for a car dealer to call me with a price which is less than what I want to pay.

UNSURE OF WHY.

Have managed to drive about town in a vehicle that is currently using water for oil.

CAN'T IMAGINE WHY.

Will be going christmas shopping on the airmiles reward site any moment.

THERE IS NO WHY IN SHOPPING.

Bye bye kitchen.

I will not have my kitchen, and bake in it too. I am now going to drive my new kitchen. The now 17 year old smudgy white Toyota Forerunner with just about 300, 000 clicks on it, is now behaving quite badly. The contractorman turned mechanicman will set out on the fine task of ripping apart the top half of the engine this weekend.

In the meantime... I have gone shopping. I have decided that we need a 2006 Mazda 5 GT. I would have taken a GS, but there are none left in Western Canada... so the Mazda people tell me. Now I must wait to find out who I will get the best deal from... and of course with my "on a dime" budget.. it may be a stretch to see if people are willing to "put me into that vehicle". I am going to try tomorrow to smooth out the glitches that are keeping me from being in that vehicle, but of course in the meantime I have developed quite the twitch on the upper right eyelid.

This may not be a good thing... but then, either is the broken vehicle I currently own.

Pumpkin and spice

The day was going along at a lovely pace. The turkey was done and then onto the pumpkin pie which had just the right amount of spices, and a huge topping of whip cream to finish it off with. People were still gathered about the diningroom table, and others were lined up against the kitchen sink doing dish details.

From down the hall came a shreik "we're leaving!"

Then some crying and balling.

The mother screached down the stairwell for second child to get his shoes, then she turned to hiss at the diningroom table husband to fetch the keys. Then she marched back to hiss at the second child again to hurry up, which was about 15 seconds from the first shriek. A shuffle of children, shoes and coats, and then the front door slammed.

The sister and her troup were gone.

Leave it to her to spice up the night.

oh oh

Well, I think things have gone bad.... or brown, I am not sure what is worse. I replanted one of my colonade apple trees the other day... and now all the leaves are brown. One down, one to go. I just replanted my other apple tree, I will wait to see it's brown leaves tomorrow. I guess there is always next year......

Things that hum.

For a house that is sleeping, it is certainly noisy over here.

Things that are humming right at this time:

1. Fridge
2. Dishwasher
3. Coffee maker
4. Dryer
5. Bathroom fan
6. Computer
7. Ceiling fan
8. The dog's tail
9. My brain

Yes, it is all true!

Another thing....

My work friend called me early this morning to tell me that I had issues. Big ones. Beyond her realm of thinking. That was her complaint. I told her that I couldn't be "cured" in one simple phone call. It had taken me years to perfect my inadequacies. I accused her of being jealous, and that my issue was not really an issue at all, but rather her own sad self realization that she could never be like me.

She agreed.

She has no interest in organizing the space in front of where "we" sit at the nursing station. Yes, that is the "issue": exactly 12 pencils, 24 red pens, and 24 black pens, all tucked away in their allotted spaces. Not to mention the adequately filled holders for the yellow hilighter pens, and the black felt markers.

She wont even attempt to be like me.....

I wonder why.

MIA!

I have a friend that has temporarily left the planet. I haven't heard from her in weeks... she has disappeared to somewhere.. but I am not sure where. I am hoping that she comes back soon, as just a few moments ago I responded to the boy's Math/French/Science teacher.

I probably should have not told this teacher how to teach my son. I do not believe that the teacher is going to take that too kindly. But the email struck a bit of a chord with me; as in, she was whining about my boy not stepping up to the plate. So I told her how to get through to the boy... as in: that it is her job to get through to my boy, while he is at school. I gave her some pointers on how to do just that.

I also asked her to send me a detailed list of all the math/science work he has missed, because as I mentioned about the boy being very black and white, so is his mother. I didn't understand when she wrote to me about him missing "some" assignments. What does "some" mean?

Well, my MIA friend is currently unavailable to offer up some Grade 6 advice, so that's what happens. I emailed the teacher back with seven simple steps to the Hamsterson. I did however save myself by not writing "quit whining" about what he isn't doing.

Watermark

I have been re-working the resume. What a challenge, and it's not even being used to accomplish anything, but rather to apply to an association that requires one upon application. The watermark is the best part of the resume so far... and I am done writing it. It's quite attractive, even soothing really. Too bad the rest of the resume doesn't follow suit. Oh well, onto other things....

The gigs up!!

All of last week that husbandman of mine was off for his final vacation for the year. He is allowed three weeks off. Yes, overly generous, and I realize that. (OUCH!) I have quizzed the husbandman on asking his employer for some more time off... and the fellow just looks at me stunned. I don't think he can contemplate another week off from work, because... that would time off from working.. and he couldn't have that.

It's back to reality for me... no more clean kitchens, and emptied dishwashers, or tidied floors, or make that clean floors ((the PIP's room)), laundry folded, dinners made, and someone to walk the dog with in the morning. This will all have to wait for next year now.

Must go clean a counter now...not that it is dirty or cluttered... but it's something husbandmanish

Bear hunting is now over....

Now I spend my time staring at how the light hits the trees.