Garbage? I Think Not

What you need to know about Max is that he doesn't make much sound. His meow is pathetically faint and if you don't see his mouth move, you might think the floor squeaked.

There wasn't a sound when I tightly fastened, then lugged the heavy bag of Christmas debris down the hall on its way out to the curbside garbage.

As I got into my coat the bag rustled. I thought of mice. I have that kind of mind.


You might be fooled by the look but I think he's glad I rescued him.

life as a Single lady

Twenty Decembers ago on my first Christmas without Hal, I thought I would never laugh again, or have a reason to get up each day.

We'd had a co-dependent marriage, frowned upon now but pretty common back then; we did most everything together.

I had it in my head that he had to know a lot more about everything than I did because he went out in the world and mingled with other adults every day.

Me, I mingled with my six kids all born in less than ten years, and there was little energy left over for much else, although I managed to crack two or three books a week.

I got an inkling of the life I thought I missed when when the kids were all reaching their teens and I returned to the work force.

I discovered that:
You can get most of your work done by noon if people would leave you alone and not insist on coffee breaks.
People make the same silly observations during coffee breaks at the office as they do at a neighborhood coffee klatches.
Turns out it wasn't so different from life at home.

I never learned how to cut off long-winded phone callers so I left any calling as well as heavy-duty house repairs to Hal.

After he died,I learned to handle any kind of phone call as well as how to not only turn on his computer but use it to do more than type a letter.
Then there was the VCR--I didn't know how to use it, or virtually anything electric except the kitchen appliances.

Along the way I carved out a new life and built a closer relationship with my kids; they are unique individuals and made their way into adulthood with grace and energy.

And something else--Hal used to worry about what would happen to me without him and it turns out there was this whole different person waiting to burst out.

There was so much to learn that I made a conscious decision not to marry again and I've stayed away from situations where I might meet someone who might alter my plans.

I learned to handle money quite well, never to drop in on the kids without phoning to see if its okay, to pay the taxes four times a year or they dun you, find a plumber when I can't do my own repairs and I'm pretty good with a lot of power tools.

I had the best of two worlds--I married a good man who worked harder than most to provide for his large family and I had the privilege of staying home to raise my kids.

After the kids moved on, we travelled whenever we could and that was a dream come true.

Now, it's another Christmas without Hal but I'm with our family; life's lessons have been sometimes awful but mostly sweet.

One thing I know--something fresh and new will happen tomorrow and it's fun to anticipate.

Never give up.

Merry Christmas.

First Snow

Okay, the first snowfall is sort of pretty.



After that, unless you ski or do other outdoor things to invite broken bones, you kind of hang around thinking about spring.

I do manage to get at a lot of things I put off because the garden beckoned, so it evens itself out.

But spring is better.

Danny

He's my newest great grand kid and a real keeper.
His mom is the size of a minute and how she managed to birth that little lump is beyond me.
He has gained a couple of pounds in the six weeks or so he's been around and he's very mellow.
Sure, pick me up; rock me if you want; I'll let you know when I'm ready for the next meal.


I held him for the first time when I visited his other great grandma in Richmond Hill and Danny was the guest of honor. My hostess tactfully held the cat while I got dibs on the little guy.
That's his grandpa on the left, the new grandma beside him and the parents on either side of me.
His parents are of the hush puppy side of the family--very quiet and soft-spoken. The other side is more verbal and fond of center stage so this yin/yang works out well for both. One side gets to perform and the other side becomes the audience.
Funny-when Hal and I started out as a married couple I never visualized this moment.
Such a bonus.

Is Winter Necessary?

The first snowfall waited until last night to appear and don't think we aren't appreciative.
That it waited, that is.
We got through the month of November with nothing more wintery than heavy frost.
Last night the wind rattled the windows followed by banging sleet and that was followed by quietly falling snow. Now it's spitting ice pellets with a promise of plain old rain to follow.
It's also garbage day.
I'd already stacked it in the front hall last night so it had to go out, slippery walk or not.




The fish snuggled around the pond heater and I can relate to that.
So winter has happened. It pretty well had to some time.

Final Curtain for the Season

This rose bush is about twenty years old and likes to show off after his cronies have packed it in for the winter.

The giraffe came to me in an auction job lot box and the two of us have made many house- moves over the years.

I can see this clock/thermometer from my kitchen to verify how bloody cold it can get, although the surrounding snow, sleet and icicles pretty well prove the point.
Is it just me or shouldn't the zero be at the top instead of to the left?
Just asking.

Can spring Be far Behind? Yep.

The deck was so welcoming not so long ago. The perfect place to hang out with a book or idly gaze at the fish playing under the water fall.

Now that same cozy spot is wrapped up like pork chops for the freezer.
I'm so grateful that we haven't had our first snowfall yet.
Last year at this time was another story.

The Best Kind Of Grass

I love the kind of grass you don't have to mow.
The first thing I did when I moved into my new house was to plant three little clumps of ornamental grass.
It looks so ethereal pushing gracefully through the snow and believe me, ethereal is good when the ice is beating against the window and that's the best it will get all day.

I planted some at the side of the house to hide the air conditioner and this was the most perverse grass I've ever met; it wants to grow tall and gangly and doesn't really hide the air conditioner. What it does is get in the way of people heading for the back gate.

You know I'm in serious prep-for-winter mode when the a/c is wrapped and ready. The chipmunks take this as a sign it's time to set up housekeeping deep inside where it's cozy and wind-free.
I just have to remember to remove the nest in the spring.
and spring will come.
It always does.

Creeping Closer To Winter

If you use your X-ray vision you'll see ice on the fish pond.It didn't stay long and the fish seemed nonchalant about it all.

The pumpkin took its sweet time ripening and this is about the best it will do since this is mid-November in Ontario.
I consider any day without snow to be a stellar day and so far so good.

Oprah'shoes

I was intrigued with these shoes at a party the other night.
Seems the person attached to the shoes attended an Oprah winfrey taping last month and everyone in the audience was given $500.
That would brighten my day.
Oprah also has a shop at the studio where she sells her clothes and shoes with the proceeds going to charity.
You can't try anything on in advance, you just hope for the best and buy it.
So my pal dropped her winnings and more and had a great time.
Fascinating shoes and a good story to go with them.

Garden Short- Cuts

I may feel twenty inside but the outside tells the real tale.
That's why I take liberties with the end-of-season garden clean-up.
Squeeze the summer stuff in the shed, throw the garden debris into the raised beds, and prepare to face the reality in the spring.

I read recently that the bags of dirt we buy are simply decomposed leaves, so my thrifty self says, "why not do the decomposing yourself?" Why not. Here's the test run, the berm. I stole a lot of earth from here to fill the new raised beds so the berm must build up once more, to do justice to the squashes I plant there.
A visiting son scooped a front yard's worth of fallen leaves into this space and we dumped a couple of bags of store- bought earth on to help the process along. Leave it alone for a couple of rainfalls to soak them, then the tarp is on and will remain until spring.

The fish will try out the new pond heater this year. Other than that, they are completely self-sufficient, my kind of pet.

Max Is the Man

Max took his haircut with reasonable grace.
He sat still and endured the sound of the electric razor and the combing out of his tail, but I wouldn't describe him as impressed.

Lucky for us we don't have to do this for another five months.

Next time I'll Have A Plan

After five years I'm pretty sure the basement is never going to have finished walls and I reasoned that at least painting the stairs would be a help.
There are two fuzzy cats on the premises and it would have been a good idea to carefully plan how to keep them at bay because simply closing the door at the top of the stairs won't do the trick.
At the last minute I took a "what-the-hell' attitude and began painting.
Every other step, so I could get up and down.

So far so good.
The cats were interested but stood their ground at the top and simply watched me.
Until I got to the Urethane.
The good news is that cats move so fast there was hardly a wet footprint to be seen.
And judging by the bottom step, a lighter paint would have been better to hide adult footprints

My New Baby

This is the newest addition to my orchid collection, a miniature.

I'm off to the hydroponic store to buy T5 lights to see if my flowering gang will thrive under them over the winter.

It's always embarrassing going to that store--no, I don't grow pot in my attic. I grow orchids.
Really.

A New Family

I'm a great grandma again and this picture says it all:
Exhausted mom takes picture of exhausted dad holding thriving infant.

He took his sweet time to get here--three days of knocking on the door but refusing to enter until a surgeon intervened.

Welcome little Daniel--with your sense of drama you'll fit in nicely.

COLOR ME PROUD

Son #5, has had his first book published.

Garden Variety Flying Saucer

The sunflowers have been thoroughly picked over by the birds and now they're looking for a hobby while they wait for winter.

mother nature adapts

Here is the champ of all the fruits in my garden. A neighbor gave me a couple of cuttings of this raspberry a few years ago and the berries are orange.The best part is, they're sweet and they grow new fruit until frost and slightly after. I was munching some of these this morning.

For me the summer weather was lovely--hardly ever humid, enough rain to help the growth and mild enough to go about one's business, fully energized.
But--the garden was confused. this little bit of greenery in the center is my supposedly hardy hibiscus. This is as far as it got this season. I may move it to the back into a raised bed to see if that will help it along.

These mums apparently figured that smaller is better and this is the best they can do for now. Truthfully, I don't like Mums but they do add a bot of color in the fall. I guess these guys got my message and they refused to cooperate.
And look at the ornamental Kale. they happen to be sharing their space with an active underground hive of bees (my son the expert says they're mud bees) and I shudder to think what those poor little roots are enduring.

The Morning After

Fall has marched in without notice.
Morning mist clings to the pond mirror and the hollyhock leaves are already showing mildew.

On the other hand, the sunflowers don't care what the season might be --they're big and tough and know how to grab the spotlight.
Personally, my eye is on the bee.

So This Was Summer

Buddha patiently waits the next hot spell. We only had a couple so he may have to try again next summer.
It was okay growing weather for all of us dilettantes. Rain when needed and moderately warm. God knows the zucchini flourished.



This little guy drops by several times a day to guard against hunger pangs. He doesn't seem to care how many squirrels are in his way; he eases in, goes about his business and scuttles off.

Paradise

The garden has peaked now.

For a while the place was firmly held captive by an army of new weeds that apparently sneaked in with a new plant. Feathery leaves, pretty blooms and a will to rule the world. Those things had roots originating way down and across to the other end of the earth.

Enter my daughter the Earth Goddess. Her will was no match for them.



I'm bemused by the oriental rhubarb. I love plants with big leaves and this one delivers the goods.Leave it long enough and that will be the entire garden.

In time I can rent the place out for Jungle Games.

What to Eat?

A tourist in Cuba won't see what the average citizen eats but we spent one day touring Havana and this is what we were served.

The fish is red snapper, the veggies were crunchy and the rice is always just fine. I like food to be well seasoned and they have the knack.

Friday night at the resort was declared Lobster night and the staff went all-out to prepare and display the food. The lobsters are smaller than those in Canada and their shells are pale and freckled. Delicious.


I planned to photograph the chef around an array of lobster but he misunderstood my fractured spanish so here we have number five son with the chef and one lobster.

This is what I think of as the"all-purpose" area, catering to Canadian, Spanish, French and Italian palettes and this presentation is a bit of everything, just as long as it is grown or caught on the island.
there is a strong Spanish influence in the people here as the chef indicates.

This artisan created the viola while we dined.
I wonder when people were allowed to dismantle it? Now that would be a real chocolate high.