We are the chosen called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again, to tell the family story - who am I and why do I do the things I do? It is pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish, how they contributed to what we are today. It is respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up. It is a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us that we might be born who we are and that we might remember them - they are the sum of who we are.
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Renovations:
The basement ceiling was painted on Sunday and still needs another coat, hard to paint tiles that are uneven and do a good job with a roller. Started painting walls on Monday - as walls had been painted before we thought a roller would do a good job but no, we had to use a brush and paint each and every groove in the room and then roll. Thought I would not make it out of bed on Tuesday morning but after a couple pills for pain and cough medicine for my cough (had for about a month now) we tackled a second coat. Today the baseboard and trim should be completed and tomorrow we have to figure a way to get all the furniture out of the room (oh my back) for the rug folks to come in on Friday. The next time I get so inclined to tackle an area this big please lock me up until the feeling goes away!!
Signed our life savings away yesterday for the renovations to the kitchen. His quote was good and within the amount we had envisaged. Cannot have the corner sink unless we go with granite countertops so will have to settle with it below the windows and a little off center. We will be busy picking out cabinets, countertops, backsplash, floor tiles, sink, etc. Cabinet man to come in tomorrow to do exact measurements. Hopefully the job will be completed by end June.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
So sad another little boy killed on a ATV - you would think parents would learn from past tragedies these adult machines are not toys. It is hard to imagine allowing a young 8 year old to drive such a large and powerful machine without supervision and without a helmet no less. They say the parents and family are devistated and should not be blamed - legally because of the present laws they cannot be charged but in my opinion they are irresponsible parents who failed to provide for the safety and well being of their child.
When we removed the rug from the basement room below the stairs we were surprised at the mess that ensued as half of the foam back remained on the floor and the whole area had to be scraped and cleaned - some of the foam had disentegrated into a powder which managed to find its way onto and into everything. Laying the tiles was fairly easy except of course for the doorways and around the stairs which took some time and a whole lot of patience. We then decided to remove the rug in the family room which turned out to be even more of a mess and the entire floor had to be scraped - the powdery dust was everywhere. These two areas are quite large, about 12 by 22 ft each so it was a tiring job for two not so young folks. Anyway, the ceiling in the family room has been painted today and we now have three days to paint the walls before they come in to lay new carpeting - so much fun. Then we can look forward to the demolition of our kitchen. We looked at fridges last week and came across a fridge that will suit our kitchen just fine. It is 24 inches deep, 24 inches wide and 74 inches high with the freezer at the bottom and it has no handles just a grove in the doors to pull open - it is made by a foreign company GL and is a special order item. Our fridge will go to the basement and our old freezer will go out. Hopefully, the dishwasher can be built in and we are keeping the stove which will be moved to where the sink is now. The sink will be fit in the corner and the fridge moved down next to the small closet we now have and which will be taken out and a pantry to match the cupboards will be installed with slide out shelves. Granite countertops, way to expensive for our budget, the laminates are quite nice and there is a lot of selection. We will have ceramic tiles on the floor and tiles as a backsplash. We may just gain a few inches in our galley, but every inch counts!!
Friday, March 17, 2006
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
The Demise. Have you ladies ever noticed couples where the male half looks like an umade bed and said to yourself "if that were my partner I would not let him out the front door" spoken as if we had that kind of control which we all know exists only in our dreams! But I do wonder sometimes - most of my career was spent working with the military and on Fridays which was TGIF military were permitted to wear civilian clothes mostly in order not to disgrace the uniform at the local bars but one could spot the military out of uniform a mile away - the infamous tweed sports jacket with sleeves too short and a little shy of material around the waist likely bought with their first paycheck, the high water polyester plaid/checked trousers they purchased a century or two ago, the various polyester and nylon shirts from the 50's and the ties that were very small, very large or whatever was the rage back at the time of purchase. The handsome officer in uniform during the week was sometimes a real turnoff on Fridays. Talk about a comedy of errors - don't get me wrong there were some and I use the term loosely that were smartly dressed and up to date and those who wore their uniform constantly, likely because they did not own civilian clothes or their wife wisely discarded them. When I first met George he was new in the civilian sector having left the Navy and I was impressed with his three piece suits but when I checked his closet, good Lord, there they were the tweed jacket, polyester plaid/checked trousers with the wide belts and the 50's polyester shirts! Himself is not really a clothes horse and if I did not buy him clothes or drag him out to buy clothes, well, let's not go there as it is not a pretty picture. Fortunate for me he does not usually remember what he owns so items can be discarded easily and he never knows the difference EXCEPT those rare items that he has taken an unreal attachment to like a winter coat which he bought for a few bucks some years ago at Giant Tiger or Boutique GT as he refers to it and as much as I nagged about the disgusting condition of said jacket and having perfectly good and suitable ones he would/could not give up his attachment to this particular item. Would you believe this week unbeknownst to me a burial service was held out back and said jacket was put to its eternal rest. I really should have been informed of this emotional and heart wrenching ritual as I have a new black dress that I could have worn and perhaps recited a few words on this sad occasion!!
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
An article in the newspaper re the historic Bank of Montreal building at Wellington and O'Connor streets being suggested as a place for parliamentary functions and events caught my eye. It was stated this building won the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada gold medal and is considered a shining example of the Modernized Classicism school which does not mean an awful lot to me but I was reminded of a time when I first came to Ottawa - straight off the turnip truck so to speak!! My first encounter with a bank in my life was at this very Bank of Montreal. I walked into this institution and stood there with my mouth agape and my eyes popping out of my head and was totally mesmerized by its grandeur. I don't know if it was a buzz word back then but the word that comes to mind was "Awesome". The thought ran through my mind "should I be here with my meager earnings and would they even allow me to open an account in this place"? I was taken in by all the marble, mosiac inlay, bronze fittings and stained glass windows that were so very high not to mention the spacious high decorative ceiling and beautiful lighting. Before I had a chance to run back out the way I came in I remember someone shoved me in the direction of a teller station which was lit with green banker's lights and surrounded by brass railings that sparkled and shone. I was speechless but finally was able to mumble enough to enquire about opening an account. Wow, I felt so important every time I walked through those big brass and glass double doors that seemed to reach up to the sky even just to withdraw a couple of dollars but always making sure I had enough left to keep my account open as this was "my" bank. Another memory was that it was so very quiet in there, almost eery, and people would talk in a whisper, strange what one remembers! This building may not be so impressive to most people but to me as a young person from a small coal mining town it was a sight to behold that has stayed in my memory forever. Sad that such a grand old building is left in a run down condition with cracked windows and bent or broken wrought iron window grilles and graffitti appearing on the side of the building.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA - 11 YEARS OLD TODAY
We met with a contractor this week and are pleased with what he has to offer. He did a survey and will be back next week with drawings and an estimate. He observed that because our kitchen was "so small" it limits what can be done and suggested we remove the wall and combine the kitchen and diningroom - well, you all know that was my burning desire for the past 25 years and he had my vote. Unfortunately, our limited budget will not allow for the costly renovations involved so back to the galley kitchen. He agreed with "my" ideas which pleased me to no end as normally nobody listens to me. Obviously, he knows who belongs in the kitchen!! We have to replace our fridge but hope to keep the stove and dishwasher. My mind is set on "granite" countertops but that remains to be seen. We were pleased to learn he could complete the job in two weeks (if you can believe contractors??) and that is an improvement over the two months we were quoted before. The carpet has been removed from the room below the stairs and the room has been tiled - no easy task with five doorways, a double closet and stairs to work around. On with the family room next, new carpet to be installed and we will do the painting - will we will survive it all????
Dr says my cholesteral is elevated and I need to watch my diet just when I began to believe that at my age it was wrong to deprive myself of delectable goodies and I may need to have B-12 injections - with our ongoing renovations that may be sooner than later!!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
If.... If you could see your ancestors All standing in a row, Would you be proud of them? Or don't you really know? Some mighty strange discoveries are made In climbing family trees, And some of them, you know Might not particularly please But here is another question That requires a different view. If you could meet your ancestors, What would they think of you?
Sunday, March 05, 2006
KIRPANS- "Schools must embrace Canadian values of religious tolerance and multiculturalism by letting Sikh students wear ceremonial daggers rather than banning them in the name of public safety, the Supreme Court of Canada says".Hard to believe when zero tolerance has been the law in this country in regard to weapons on school property. Kirpans are not allowed on planes or trains so why should they be allowed in our schools? This new law could in fact create feelings of unfairness among other students who feel they should be allowed to carry knives. I surprised there there has been no outcry from this new law especially from parents!!
On the subject of knives I feel the need to relay a tale from my past (yes, again). I was in grade 6 and the Ralphs were in high presence in the class (me, my older brother John and my cousin John) which has nothing whatsoever to do with my tale but there was a Jewish lad in our class named Sheldon, now Sheldon was somewhat slow or mentally challanged being the descriptive words these days. He was a short pudgy kid who always had a smirk on his face and nobody really knew what to expect from him. Of course, he was bullied and laughed at and sometimes his temper got the best of him. One day the teacher left the room and put Sheldon in charge!! Fun time, no no - when the students started to give him some flack he took out a knife and wielded it in front of the class grinning from ear to ear and daring anyone to challenge him. Needless to say, Sheldon was totally in charge. The teacher returned shortly - Sheldon put the knife away and sat in his seat still with a smirk on his face. Sheldon was praised for a job well done and the teacher commented on how quiet it was as he walked back down the hall to the classroom. Nobody said a word as we now had more insight into Sheldon and some things are better left unsaid. I don't know what ever happened to poor Sheldon and perhaps I really do not want to know but I am sure it is not good!!
Friday, March 03, 2006
Facial Shrapnel. The other day I was standing next to a beautiful young woman, her face was like porcelain and she had the most striking eyes I have ever seen but it sent chills up and down my spine when I noticed the ton of shrapnal hanging from her ears and face along with a bright red spiked hairdo and an outfit that I really could not begin to describe. There are times when I am soooo happy I have three sons!! What possesses a beautiful woman to deface herself? I can remember (here I go again) when it was not socially acceptable to have your ears pierced and I was in my 30's before I decided it was an okay thing to do (just one piercing with gold errings). I could not help but overhear a conversation this young woman was having with another young woman and I did wonder where and if they were educated: "Like, I only met him a couple of days ago and, like, we were so f....ing attracted to each other, like, how unreal is that?" I can remember (okay, just once more) when hearing someone speak like that you assumed they were likely mentally retarded or just crawled out of the slums. It may be understandable when you realize that young women have idols like Paris Hilton and anorexic Hillary Duff not to mention Britney Spears who places her baby in danger while driving (not exactly mother of the year) - dear Lord, how does one survive? Has Paris Hilton ever said more than the two words "that's HOT"? Joan Rivers is afraid to ask her a question at the award show, like what is your name? Hear the new "buzz" word is "tight" - at one time a person who was tight was intoxicated!!
Okay, time to crawl back in my hole - the generation gap is way toooooo wide.