Heard it all? Seen it all? Done it all?

The start of another school year brings me back to the above questions, every year.  Well, I haven't, and you haven't! You must be a life long learner in order to survive in this world, to grow and to flourish.  Every day you should do something that scares you, even if only a little bit.

Seen it all?  Many times in my teaching career, I thought I had. Then something happens, and you realize there are no limits to what can happen in a classroom or a school.  i.e. an eight year old can throw a desk halfway across a room, necessitating an immediate evacuation of the other students out of the classroom.  A parent will bring in his daughter's bike, wanting you to teach the child how to RIDE that bike.  You will accompany a child home in a taxi, because the EA has to have a certified teacher with her.  She alone cannot accompany the child. I could go on and on with too many school tales.

Heard it all?  I recently had a conversation with a child, that even ten years ago, I couldn't have imagined. "Is it your Mom or your Dad coming to pick you up?"  Reply?  " I don't have a Dad. I have two Moms."  Right on I say!  I have taught too many children whose fathers, or mothers died young... in snowmobile accidents, car accidents, to cancer or heart disease.   Families come in all shapes and sizes, and compositions.  Let us embrace and celebrate them all!

Done it all?  This summer was a summer of FIRSTS!  I drove a jeep for the first time! I biked 50 kilometres in one day.  I kayaked on the Baie. I went to Harvest Jazz and Blues and soaked up the incredible street music and atmosphere. I became a grandmother! I lent my home to total strangers.  My son got married for the first time.  It was ALL SO wonderful and SO much fun!

In mid-July I bought a lovely dress for my son's wedding.  I knew as soon as I walked into that ladies clothing boutique, that I would buy my dress THERE!  I don't know why I thought that.  As I paid for my purchase, I found out the owner's name.  It was EXACTLY the same as mine. It was spelled the same way, both the FIRST NAME AND LAST NAME. She was even born in September.  KARMA... and a first.  I have never met anyone with my name.  Ever! Except I did see one in the obituaries this spring. :(

Sometimes though, you can’t learn from your mistakes the FIRST time around. I once AGAIN left my keys in TT ´s truck, when we went canoeing, so that when we arrived at our destination on the beautiful Nepisiguit River, Jiminy Cricket was there waiting, but my keys were UPRIVER. Thankfully, we were in a busy area, so TT was able to hitch a ride back to his truck, while I sat under the bridge in East Bathurst, with the horse flies and the canoe.  Do you think I will forget my keys a THIRD time?  Will I EVER learn?

I try to be ready to learn new things, to hear new things, see new things and do new things, every day.  I am LIVING MY DASH!!!  Are you? 

A DIY I am NOT!!

Or so my Hermanita tells me.  She is right! A DO IT YOUR SELFER, I am NOT! I really am not one to easily figure how things work, nor how they are put together. That pretty much applies to everything mechanical, industrial, electrical... YOU KNOW, the right side of the brain that gives us those skills? I didn't get any.

Which explains what happened to me earlier.   Remember my $900 windfall, from my Nounoune clever mistake. Well, with that windfall, I decided to buy myself a new bike. This is the first time I have had a NEW bike since Maman and Papa wheeled a beautiful, green bike into my bedroom, when I was ten years old.

I very carefully picked a solid, white, Giant made bicycle at our local bike shop, on a grey, rainy morning.  So much for really trying it out, but I relied on referrals, and the expert service provided by the owner.  I wanted a bike whose front wheel I could easily remove, as I wasn't about to buy a bike rack, nor get a hitch put on my car, in order to travel with my bike. THIS frugalista had spent ENOUGH money.

I very carefully watched the store owner remove the front wheel, and the brake gauge.  He did it several times, and I practiced. I even took a video!  So after throwing in a bike helmet and a safety chain onto the bill, I carefully put my new (as YET unnamed, but I am working on that!) bike into Jiminy's small hatchback trunk. The owner wanted to help me, but I wouldn't let him.  He remarked, "You women are very independent." The look on my face prompted him to add, PDQ, "And THAT'S a good thing!"

Well, I got home and put the front wheel back on. Of course, it didn't LOOK right, it didn't FEEL right, and it didn't turn properly.  Several frustrated phone calls later, and having spent fifteen minutes rummaging around Jiminy's trunk in a futile search for a teeny, tiny spring, I gave up.  I found one spring, not two.  Apparently, I had unscrewed the bobbin, or whatever you call it, too much.  No one told me that... to NOT unscrew to the end. 

I couldn't drive my bike, so I had to put it BACK in the car and take it BACK to the bike shop three days later, to have the wheel put BACK on properly.  

Lesson learned? Don't take your front wheel off, unless you are with someone who can help you put it back on, if you are a DITZ like me!  Or... only bike locally, where you can hop on your bike the minute you step out the door. 

What in the name of heaven am I going to do, when I get a pet carrier for the back of my bike, so Vimy can come along? Somehow, I don't think reading the manual, and watching every, single video available on YouTube, will be of ANY help to me.  Poor Vimy, he may end up whizzing by me. :)

PS:  My new bike has been christened ZIP ZIP!  I can't very well use ZOOM ZOOM, now can I? 

Stranger Danger?

I tend to get myself into jams, or pickles (LOL) when I don't have enough to occupy me in body, mind AND spirit. That happens easily, especially when I am not teaching during the summer.  I have more time to get myself into situations that could go either way, meaning, they could go WELL.... or they could go BADLY.

Such was the case, when I had an unexpected encounter with a TOTAL stranger, one beautiful summer evening on the beach this July, while out walking with Hermanita (little sister).  A woman, with two teenagers,  approached us and started asking questions about the area. They were looking for nice beaches, attractions, and places to stay.  They were French, tourists from Montreal, so Hermanita and I obliged by doing such a WONDERFUL job pitching the Chaleur area, the lady, whose name was Annie, told us we had done a better job than the staff at the Tourist Information Centre they had visited.  High praise indeed!

We convinced them that they should stay in the Chaleur area, and not travel further, so Annie then went on to inquire about accommodations. Did we know any good B and Bs or inexpensive hotels?

A light bulb went off in my head, though not IMMEDIATELY.  We didn't know any B and Bs, but then it suddenly dawned on me that M*Y house was EMPTY.  I was staying with my sister overnight at her cottage.  So I told Annie that she, her daughter and her nephew were welcome to stay at my place.  I told them where the key was hidden.  Now,  I admit I had had a glass of wine, but I WAS in possession of ALL my faculties when I made the offer.

I didn't know this woman from a hole in the ground, as we say, but I trusted her instinctively. She works at Ste. Justine Hospital in Montreal.  She was sweet, so I thought, "Why not?" This is an offer my dear father would have made, had he still been with us, and I told Annie that.   She was definitely incredulous, I could tell. She kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to do that.  She offered to pay: I was adamant that I did NOT want any money! NO WAY!

So off they went, calling me when they had settled into my house.  I could tell she was still in a state of TOTAL disbelief.  I told them to enjoy the "little water view" from my balcony.

I had no qualms whatsoever.  I slept well, went shopping and out for lunch with Hermanita the next day, and only returned home late in the afternoon.  Hermanita was the anxious one, wanting me to text her as soon as I got home, to let her know if my place was okay.

HOW did I find my house? It was in PERFECT condition, exactly as I had left it, which included a dirty mirror in the bathroom. You wouldn't even have known three people had slept there. However, there was a nice bottle of wine on the table, and this lovely, lovely note, that brought tears to my eyes. It was probably one of the most beautiful thank you notes I have ever received.  I shall treasure it always.

In giving, we often receive SO MUCH MORE than we give. Such was the case for me.  I had the warm fuzzies for days.  It made me grateful that I could help these good people.  I have a wonderful memory and the knowledge that Annie, Vincent and Jade experienced true Maritime hospitality.   I hope that when they are back in Montreal, they will tell others about their  "TOTALLY WONDERFUL New Brunswick vacation."  Who knows? Maybe we will get a slew of Québecois down here next summer, looking for a free place to stay. LOL  All kidding aside, Annie will no doubt never forget her stay in the Chaleur area.

Please don't tell me what a wonderful person I am. I am not looking for praise. That is NOT the point of my story. I want to hear your stories of sharing, of being kind, of paying it forward.  How did your experience make you feel? I hope it made you feel good, way deep down inside your heart. 💗💗💗

One good turn too many?

I have been totally lulled into summer's slow, sweet days, (when I haven't been gallivanting around the province that is,) but today was one of those days when everything seemed upside down.

My lawn boy is late, so I am late taking my shower.  I have a lunch date at 11:30, so I climb into the shower at 10:30. Vimy is always on my heels, so I leave the door open, so he can flop down on the mat. I have no sooner turned on the water, that I hear him scurry down the stairs and start barking his head off. Well, he does that when ANYONE walks by, so I am not concerned. However, he KEEPS barking.  Now I think, "Um, someone around? Did I lock the front door?"  I scoot out of the tub, to close and lock the bathroom door.  Just in case! You never know. Vimy keeps barking while I take my shower, and wash my hair, at a fast clip!   I keep thinking he is going to stop barking at some point, but he doesn't.  Five minutes later, wrapped in towels and bathrobe, I hurry downstairs, only to see my dinner companions waiting for me.... an hour early!  One is sitting on the bench in the garden, and the other won't get out of his car, because now Vimy is running up to the car and barking his head off at HIM!

No harm done. At least he didn't chase HIM up a tree!  They leave to do errands and we meet up ninety minutes later. I had done many errands in that time, as well as made myself presentable.   I continued to run more errands after our enjoyable dinner date, thinking how I would not be relishing the fact that on a 28 degree day, I had to lug THREE thirty pound bags of dog food into the house, and down into the basement, when I got home.

I was still running errands, when Mamacita called me, not once, not twice, but THREE times, and left me a voice message.  I don't answer my cell when I am driving, or when I am at the checkout counter in the NBLC!   I can't answer the call, listen to the message AND do what she asks, all at once. Jeepers!  I listened to the message. She had forgotten something somewhere, so I immediately went to retrieve the item she had left in a store downtown.  When we finally did speak, there was no explaining this to her, because by now she was in a bit of a tizzy. Pauvre Mamacita.  She hung up on me but did call back, with apologies.

I finally get home.  I no sooner have all my stuff lugged into the house, including all those bags of dog food, when a friend calls.  He needs my help, again.  I helped him register on POF on Sunday, but he doesn't know how to navigate his way through the website.  I am NO expert on online dating website sites, mind you, but he OBVIOUSLY thinks I am. I feel badly for him, so although it is almost six o'clock and Vimy and I haven't had supper, I tell him to come over.

I don't want to be logging in on his profile, but he really wants me to show him how to use the site. He has never been on POF.   I am so uncomfortable doing this, cruising through people's profiles, showing him how to respond, and search, since all this info should be so PRIVATE.  He insists he is fine with my seeing all these profiles.  So what happens?   I go into MAJOR PANIC ATTACK MODE!  I haven't had one this year, and suddenly I am clutching my chest, trying to breathe through the pain.  Meanwhile, he is totally enthralled with scrolling through the profiles.  Tout nouveau, tout beau, comme qu'on dit!  I don't know whether the attack has come on because I am so uncomfortable doing this for and with him, or because we are both looking at endless profile pictures of some gorgeous, single MEN!

I SHOULD have been prepared!

I wasn't... at all!  I should have been. I was a Girl Guide. I am organized.  However, what transpired this morning really could not have been prevented, I think. It was a P+E+R+F+E+C+T storm.

Mamacita and I were strolling back to her apartment, after having enjoyed a lovely coffee and French "biscuit sablé" outside on the patio, at the local bistro/café.  I was in a very Zen, relaxed mode, not Energizer Bunny mode like I usually am.  It was too warm and humid for that. Vimy had come along; I had him on an old leash, which turned out to be very unfortunate.  His good, expensive retractable leash is always hanging at the back door, ready to head out for a walk anytime.  His second, older retractable leash is always in Jiminy Cricket's trunk, but NOT today. I am going camping; I had already packed away this leash, with all my other gear, in the house, ready for our trip.  So, all I had was this relic, which I mistakenly thought would do FINE.

We rounded the corner to Mamacita's and were maybe 10 steps from the front door, when Vimy spotted a big, fat cat on the driveway of an apartment three doors up.  I had absolutely NO time to react, as Vimy took off like a bat out of hell, after that cat.  He pulled SO HARD, and so SUDDENLY, that the leash ripped in two. Vimy is a SPEEDING BULLET when he runs.

What followed was TOTAL BEDLAM!  Despite my screaming his name over and over,Vimy chased that cat all around the house and yard, with me in hot pursuit.  THAT male cat managed to get away by scrambling up a tree, but then a SECOND younger, declawed, female cat appeared. Vimy started tearing after that one,  like the mad dog he had suddenly become! THAT poor cat had a much harder time scrambling up the tree.  I watched in horror as Vimy pulled it down not ONCE, but TWICE, while HIS claws took what I think was fur, and perish the thought, chunks of flesh, out of THAT cat's backside. Vimy, who has never even so much as NIPPED at anyone or anything, had become a killer on the loose!

I am NOT the only one screaming. The landlady, whose in-law suite tenant was THE actual owner of the cats, was yelling at me!  WHY?  The actual owner of the cats, a sweet, little old lady, was hiding behind the screen door, terrified.  I managed to grab a hold of Vimy by his collar as he stopped to sniff around in some hedges.  I was so upset with him as I proceeded to lug him back to Mamacita's place. Another little, older white haired lady, across the lane from the rampage, is telling me (she is also hiding behind the screen door!) to bring Vimy to her to fix his leash.  I keep telling her, as I pull Vimy along, that my mother is just three doors up.  She finally says, "But you are CHOKING your dog."  I was, but by this point,Vimy is lucky I haven't choked him to death!

With Vimy safely locked in the car with the windows down enough, I returned to the scene of the crime to assess the damage.  The landlord has calmed down, realizing Vimy's leash broke. The older, male cat is back safely in the house, probably about to have a major CORONARY!

I ask the landlady to please let my mother know the outcome of Vimy's rampage through her back yard.  As I drive away, I am filled with CHAGRIN, MORTIFICATION and WORRY! The second cat has climbed even FURTHER up the tree, and she is NOT coming down.  What could I say? Call the fire department? That is what they do in the movies, isn't it?  Oh dear....

Encounters of the THIRD kind!

Road trips in Canada are so interesting, because you never know what you are going to see when you look out that window, as your beautiful country whizzes by.

I have just returned from a thousand kilometre journey through two provinces, to feast my eyes on my first grandchild, sweet Sophie, born June 30th.  Bewilderment, amazement, wonder, euphoria... you name it, I felt it.  There was a constant rush of emotions as I held that tiny bundle of perfection in my hands.  I was transported back more than thirty-three years, when I held her mother in my arms, and felt that SAME WAVE OF ALL CONSUMING LOVE.

I am still in Lalaland.  I digress... back to the topic at hand!

I saw so much looking out my window.  Roadkill?  You want roadkill????  I saw your usual, the skunks, the crows, the porcupines, the groundhogs, and myriad other smaller, non-identifiable animals.  I always feel saddened to see these poor creatures, crushed to death. Our roads are on THEIR turf.  How unfair that they meet their demise on hot, black asphalt, and not naturally in a beautiful spot in a leafy glade, under dappled sunshine.  Oops... that is a BIT Utopian.  It IS a jungle out there, but maybe no more so than on OUR major highways.

What saddened me immeasurably were the two, young deer, poor "Bambis, that I quickly glimpsed on my way to Dartmouth, in two different places. Both had been hit by a vehicle, and tossed onto the grassy median closest to the passing lane.  I wondered where the mothers were, that their poor babies died alone. :(

I had left Sackville, NB, behind, when I spotted a half ton pickup, parked on the right side of the divided highway. The driver was bent over what I thought were a few bags of garbage.  He then stood up, head between his hands, in what struck me as a gesture of frustration and despair.   I am guessing, because what was lying at his feet, I suddenly realized, was a HUGE, BLACK bear that he must have just struck.  I was gobsmacked!  I debated stopping, but I really didn't want to.  The scene was just too upsetting and sad.  I was still debating whether I SHOULD turn around, when on the closest exit ramp to the accident, I saw a small car parked to the side, with its flashers on.   Two young men were quickly jogging back towards the truck.   I have to hope that they, in true Maritime fashion, were going to offer help and support to that other young man, who was obviously in distress.

I reflected on what I had seen, for many, many kilometres down the road.  So may I offer a gentle reminder to everyone?  While you are out driving the major highways and minor roads of our beautiful Maritime provinces this splendid summer season, p-l-e-a-s-e be on the lookout for ALL of God's creatures, great and small, wise and wonderful, bright and beautiful, the two legged kind and the four legged kind.  They need, and deserve, our care and protection. 

I did go BACK in the woods...

but NOT to the same place.  I love being outside, in nature. It is like a drug for me.  It is also proven  to stave off depression, and when you are sleepless, being physically active, especially outdoors,  keeps the blues at bay.

What did I see in the last four days since I ran into the bear cub?  I was hiking at Daly Point Reserve, with a friend, when we started crossing a boardwalk type bridge over a marsh.  I looked to my left, and there, staring at me, maybe twenty metres away, was THE most beautiful doe.  She and I locked eyes, as I stood there a*w*e*s*t*r*u*c*k. When I came out of my daze, I quietly pointed out this magnificent beast to my hiking partner.  The tawny coloured deer suddenly turned tail and quietly bounded away, her white tail bobbing up and down among the marsh ferns.  Ah..... what a moment, one which I captured in my heart forever.    A Canadian moment! Which leads me to this...

Did you ever hear this classic Canadian joke?  Canada COULD have had French culture, British government and American know-how.  Instead, we ended up with French government, British know-how and American culture.  I would say we did alright!  Which leads me to ....

wishing you all a WONDERFUL Canada Day this July 1st.  BONNE FÊTE Canada!  I hope you will be celebrating Canada's 151st Birthday, with family and friends, in the spirit of love, community, strength and diversity.   We are a nation of immigrants, and for that reason alone I am grateful and proud. Namaste!