Life in Aylmer Quebec

Okay, I know it’s been more than a week since I’ve posted anything.  Really just haven’t had much to say and I’ve been so busy and tired lately, that I’ve just  had not much time nor inspiration.  Not that I’m inspired now or anything, just feeling guilty.

So…Sunday was a beautiful day.  So beautiful that it felt like spring.  I spent some time shoveling out the back yard a bit, and digging out my seed starting trays.  Yep, it’s almost that time.  If you follow  moon planting or the astrology calendar, February 14 is actually a pretty good day for planting seeds.  Not as good as near the end of February, after the new moon, but still an okay day especially if you are getting a little anxious to start, as I am.  Why not make Valentines’ Day extra special this year?   Plus that makes it an easy date to remember!

I haven’t been able to ride for a while now.  We’d had really cold weather for about a week.  ThenI had the thingy removed from my knee.  I got the stitches out on Friday, and the incision split wide open on Saturday.   I’m sure I’ll have a wonderful scar on my knee now.  It is healing up, and I have an appt to see my doctor on Wednesday, which by then will probably be too late to put stitches back in!  Hopefully we won’t get another cold snap once it is healed, or riding will be on hold even longer.  Poor North, we were really starting to click when I rode, and now it’s been almost three weeks.  We’re gonna have to start all over again, which is much harder on an older horse like him.  But he still gets his carrots, and brushing so at least he doesn’t feel totally ignored.  It will be nice to start riding again though.

I wonder sometimes.  I’m usually a pretty nice and happy person (I think…I could be wrong!)  I’ve been trying to smile a lot more, especially at the grocery store or whatever store I’m shopping at.  Yes, I have no life, shopping is pretty much the only time I get out of the house outside of work.  I’ve read that smiling makes you feel better, even if you don’t feel like smiling, so I’m trying.  I actually do get a lot of smiles back, which  really does seem to improve your mood!

I was standing in line at my local IGA, behind two older women, one who was visually impaired, the other was obviously there to help.  Watching them slowly put their groceries on the counter, and thinking to myself, isn’t that sweet.  I wonder if she is a volunteer, or just a helpful friend, or what.  And made me realize that I had nothing in my cart for my foodbank challenge!  Oops.  How could I forget so quickly?  So I left my cart in line, ran to the pasta sauces and pastas and grabbed some.  Took me maybe thirty seconds, I knew exactly where they were.  Back to my cart, the two women are almost done, just figuring out how to pay, etc, loading their groceries, and I realize there is another older woman standing in front of me, with her groceries on the conveyor belt ahead of me.  WTF???  She had butted right in front.  While I was doing my karmic good deed, this old biddy figured she could butt right in.  Yes, I know I’d left my cart unattended for two bloody seconds, but really!!  I started to say something, but then I figured that would be pointless.  So I smiled, shook my head, and grumbled a bit under my breath.  What would you have done??

How much is a lost tooth worth?  When I was a kid, I’m pretty sure it was only a quarter.  We didn’t have dollar coins in common circulation, the way we do know.  Now, according to Emma, some kids are getting diamonds from the tooth fairy.   Sorry, kid.  This tooth fairy doesn’t have any to spare.  Hell, I don’t have any period!!   Long story, lots of reasons…but I digress.  I figure a toonie is pretty damn good.

Emma lost her fourth tooth last night, while brushing her teeth.  I had to be sure to exchange the tooth for a toonie, especially cause last time I forgot – bad, horrible mummy!!!  I did manage to sneak in and do the exchange while she was in the bathroom that morning, explaining that the tooth fairy probably just hadn’t come yet, seeing as Emma was up super early, and the Tooth Fairy is obviously one busy lady.  She bought it, but I wasn’t sure she would a second time.  So last night I rememebered (good mummy!) to do the switcheroo.  Somehow, this morning, there wasnot only a toonie, but also a loonie (for anyone not Canadian, that is $2.00 and $1.00, respectively.)  I am responsible for the toonie, but not the loonie.  I asked my lazy still-sleeping husband before I left for work if he was the second “tooth fairy”, and once he got over the confusion of being awakened with such a weird question, assured me he was not.  Hmn.  Maybe the tooth fairy is real.  Now if only her cousins, the housecleaning fairies, would drop by.

Back to school!  Meg is enjoying her days as a kindergardener, and loves taking the bus to and from school.  Emma’s is happy to be back too, and pleased that she has two of her good friends in her class.  Her best school friend is no longer in the french emersion program, but her best neighborhood friend that we’ve known pretty much since we’ve moved here is finally in her class.  So it’s all good!

I’m really enjoying my new job.  I keep pinching myself, it’s just so perfect.  The people are great, the horses are fab, and the hours are soooo convenient.  I swear it must be Karma.  All those courtesy ‘cut in front of me’s’ I let people do when I’m driving, all those ‘you’ve only got two items, go in front of me’s’ at the grocery store, the smiles at people just cause, the squirrels that I slow down and stop for so they can boot across the street – I think they’ve paid off.  I try to be a nice and positive person, but I do believe in Karma in a way.  Who knows?  Maybe Earl’s gotta a point!?!  I love that show.

I’ve got lots more to say, the upcoming election (s), kid news and funny things, thoughts of my own, garden updates, new recipes to share, I just need to find some time to write it all.  And time is becoming a bit harder to find nowadays.  I always seem to rediscover the joy of reading in the summers, and have been an avid library goer this year as well.  I love sitting outside in my backyard with a good book, which is not something I can do in the winter (obviously), so I’ve been reading a lot lately.  It’s nothing for me to read a book in a night or two.  So I’ve been spending a lot less time on the net, and much more time with my nose in a book.  And with the new job, and school starting for the kids, I’m trying to be good about going to bed early and keeping on top of the laundry, household chores, etc…Which leaves much less time for other things.  But it’s getting late, the kids have school tomorrow, and I have to work (yay!!!!!!!!!did I mention I love my job???)   So I’m off to bed!!

This has not been the best year for tomatoes, but I’ve been getting enough lately to make a big bowl of yummy bruschetta topping/tomato slurpey salad. Pictured in this bowl are some of the valiant tomatoes that have ripened despite our record rainfalls and lack of heat and sun. These soldiers would be (in order of best production) : Cannabec Rose, Vova Yellow, Black Pear, Bloody Butcher, Box Car Willie, a mystery Orange (a mix up somewhere along the line but a very nice tomato), Cherokee Purple, Silvery Fir Tree, Galina X, Zigan, Jaune Flamme. Overall, it’s been a pretty disappointing year. Production is not at all what I had hoped for, and it looks like I’ll be buying tomatoes this year if Todd wants any Salsa made! But at least we’re getting some! Better than some other gardeners have been complaining about! And the silver lining is tons of zucchini.

I will be leaving soon again for our final summer trip before the start of school. I’ve decided to take the girls back to the Sault for a week, to see Mom and Dad, and some of Todd’s family. He has a lot of Aunts and Uncles and Cousins, along with his Dad and his Grandma still living there. Hopefully we’ll be able to get out fishing with my Dad, and get out to swim somewhere along the North Shore of Lake Superior. The Ottawa river is a kiddie pool in comparison!

When we get back, we’ll have a day or two, and then school starts for the girls! Then summer is truly over.

We returned last night from our annual camping trip to Silent Lake, dirty, smelly, damp and bringing home a ton of dirty laundry. It was a good trip, despite the extraordinary amount of rain we endured. Our tent held out fairly well, and we learned first hand the true value of a good tarp, slung high between the trees, sheltering our picnic table from some of the downpour. We had three good sunny days, including the first day that we arrived. After that, it rained and rained and rained. But we hiked, and fished, and swam anyway. But it’s good to be back.