game six

Again ..
we pre-empted potential disappointment with plans last night. .
 hoping the  Canucks would not come home empty handed.
Over at Scot and Kathy's the game was set to PVR while farm work was finished at our end of the valley.
The freeway signs that are normally flashing warnings were set to  "Go Canucks".

I did notice on the way there that horns were not honking and folks were not hanging out of their windows . . .waving like fools.
That was our first hint that things were not going our way.
Driving through their subdivision. .
we had the right of way . .
all the time  ..
since all cars were parked in driveways.

We knew fairly early on once the game began that this was not going to be Lu's night.

And yet.  ..
we had a great evening.
We never have to wonder if it is going to be a good evening at Scot and Kathy's.
She's always on her game for getting a yummy dinner on the table.
We sat row style and plowed our way through the "supper on the skillet".

We came home in a great mood .. .
looking forward to game 7.

all for now. .

game six

Again ..
we pre-empted potential disappointment with plans last night. .
 hoping the  Canucks would not come home empty handed.
Over at Scot and Kathy's the game was set to PVR while farm work was finished at our end of the valley.
The freeway signs that are normally flashing warnings were set to  "Go Canucks".

I did notice on the way there that horns were not honking and folks were not hanging out of their windows . . .waving like fools.
That was our first hint that things were not going our way.
Driving through their subdivision. .
we had the right of way . .
all the time  ..
since all cars were parked in driveways.

We knew fairly early on once the game began that this was not going to be Lu's night.

And yet.  ..
we had a great evening.
We never have to wonder if it is going to be a good evening at Scot and Kathy's.
She's always on her game for getting a yummy dinner on the table.
We sat row style and plowed our way through the "supper on the skillet".

We came home in a great mood .. .
looking forward to game 7.

all for now. .

Game three

Since we had commitments the first two games of the final series. .
we made a quick decision yesterday around noon to make a party of of game three.
The last time we did this with Scot and Kathy .. .
the Canucks lost.
We were so glad we had preempted the disappointment with a fool proof plan of good times.

Yesterday. .we had Herb and Anneliese over, and again ..
the Canucks lost.

We shook our head in disbelief as our team was giving a good lickin'.

Regardless of the outcome. .
we went to bed happy and wondering who we could invite over for game four.
I'm so glad their winning or losing doesn't depend on our plans.

all for now. . .

Game three

Since we had commitments the first two games of the final series. .
we made a quick decision yesterday around noon to make a party of of game three.
The last time we did this with Scot and Kathy .. .
the Canucks lost.
We were so glad we had preempted the disappointment with a fool proof plan of good times.

Yesterday. .we had Herb and Anneliese over, and again ..
the Canucks lost.

We shook our head in disbelief as our team was giving a good lickin'.

Regardless of the outcome. .
we went to bed happy and wondering who we could invite over for game four.
I'm so glad their winning or losing doesn't depend on our plans.

all for now. . .

tent parties and turning 30

Here in British Columbia we are having some kind of serious fever.
Warm weather has been slow in arriving but now that the temperatures are edging towards tent weather .. .we are spending our dinners outdoors.
Our Canucks are in a new series against the San Jose Sharks and we take our hockey pretty seriously.

My beloved sorted out the issue of whether we should be outdoors for dinner . . .
or  ..
inside watching the game.

We watched the game and as they began to lose interest in playing hard. .
we spent more time talking ..
and less time watching.

Saturday morning the drizzle began again and when Grandgirlie came to spend a few hours she was unconcerned with the danger of melting . ..
even though she is made of mostly sugar.

After toting around a small pullet for the better part of an hour . .
she helped herself to some fresh eggs from the hen house and suggested I get some hash browns going to pair them with.

While I made us some lunch.  ..
she listened to kids music through the outdoor speakers and sat in the tent waiting for lunch.

Kids are brilliant . .
they know full well that coming in for any reason at all might constitute remaining indoors on a drizzly day.
She took no chances and offered to pick some flowers while she waited.

From the kitchen window I saw her look of complete and utter disbelief when her gentle tug at a English Daisy stem rewarded her with the entire plant.
I smiled at her  . .."sorry Grammie". . .
as it was such  small matter between girls.

With one hand grasping my camera. . .
I took the unrooted plant and gave it a firm reminder where it was to be.



While we spent the afternoon playing games of teasing .  ..hiding and finding. .
her Daddy was easing into the reality of being 30.

Stuart is the little one.
Grandgirlie saw my picture of my friends and was most impressed with the number of friends I had ..
wanting to know all their names.
I said. ."can you tell me about your friends.  .honey?"
She said. . ."yup"
I said. . ."okay ...tell me their names"
She tilted her head in serious concentration . .listing them off.
Noting she didn't name her little sister I asked her. . .
"what about  . . . . "
She answered rather sadly . ."no  .she's my sister".


I thought then of the picture of her Daddy and his big brother.
Little boys. . .
full of hugs . ..squabbles ...scraps . . then and still ...connected because of parents in love.

Had I known. ..when that picture was taken that 30 years would fly like the wind. . .
I would have surely hung on for dear life.

If I could .. .
I would not go back and do it over again.
I'm happy with the outcome.. ..
and find great joy in seeing all Stuart has become.

all for now .

tent parties and turning 30

Here in British Columbia we are having some kind of serious fever.
Warm weather has been slow in arriving but now that the temperatures are edging towards tent weather .. .we are spending our dinners outdoors.
Our Canucks are in a new series against the San Jose Sharks and we take our hockey pretty seriously.

My beloved sorted out the issue of whether we should be outdoors for dinner . . .
or  ..
inside watching the game.

We watched the game and as they began to lose interest in playing hard. .
we spent more time talking ..
and less time watching.

Saturday morning the drizzle began again and when Grandgirlie came to spend a few hours she was unconcerned with the danger of melting . ..
even though she is made of mostly sugar.

After toting around a small pullet for the better part of an hour . .
she helped herself to some fresh eggs from the hen house and suggested I get some hash browns going to pair them with.

While I made us some lunch.  ..
she listened to kids music through the outdoor speakers and sat in the tent waiting for lunch.

Kids are brilliant . .
they know full well that coming in for any reason at all might constitute remaining indoors on a drizzly day.
She took no chances and offered to pick some flowers while she waited.

From the kitchen window I saw her look of complete and utter disbelief when her gentle tug at a English Daisy stem rewarded her with the entire plant.
I smiled at her  . .."sorry Grammie". . .
as it was such  small matter between girls.

With one hand grasping my camera. . .
I took the unrooted plant and gave it a firm reminder where it was to be.



While we spent the afternoon playing games of teasing .  ..hiding and finding. .
her Daddy was easing into the reality of being 30.

Stuart is the little one.
Grandgirlie saw my picture of my friends and was most impressed with the number of friends I had ..
wanting to know all their names.
I said. ."can you tell me about your friends.  .honey?"
She said. . ."yup"
I said. . ."okay ...tell me their names"
She tilted her head in serious concentration . .listing them off.
Noting she didn't name her little sister I asked her. . .
"what about  . . . . "
She answered rather sadly . ."no  .she's my sister".


I thought then of the picture of her Daddy and his big brother.
Little boys. . .
full of hugs . ..squabbles ...scraps . . then and still ...connected because of parents in love.

Had I known. ..when that picture was taken that 30 years would fly like the wind. . .
I would have surely hung on for dear life.

If I could .. .
I would not go back and do it over again.
I'm happy with the outcome.. ..
and find great joy in seeing all Stuart has become.

all for now .

Craigsfriends

 Or, how I learned to stop worrying and trust the Universe when it comes to my social life. (But I thought that title was a bit long, don't you?)

The merits of Craigslist are many. So, so many. Used bikes, secondhand baby stuff, apartments you never would have heard of, jobs you never thought you had a chance at getting. But friends? Craigslist for friends? I think the answer might surprise you. 

One day, while living in Arizona, in a fit of mild desperation over the fact that I didn't have friends whose interests overlapped in all the right places, I posted an ad to Craigslist that went a little something like: "I'm looking for other homeschooling moms. Who are also kind of nerds. Who are also Pagan.  I'm kind of looking to start a whole nerdy pagan homeschool thing. Can you help me out?" I was really optimistic. I mean, there are roughly eight billion people populating the Phoenix Craigslist. How else would I be able to get rid of my IKEA stuff so fast?

But I only got one reply. It was Sarah. She was great. We got along famously. We met for coffee and playdates. Her little boy enjoyed my little girl, and it seemed like the start of something swell. Really swell. Until I found out I was moving back to New York. Pbbt. Thanks a lot, Universe.

About a year ago, after having been back in New York for one full year and realizing I'd grown out of most of the friends I'd made here before leaving, being a Mom now and knowing way too many people who just really, really don't like kids, I decided (in another one of those fits of mild desperation) to try the Craigslist tactic again. Except this time I wasn't so hopeful. Albany only has one hundred thousand people in it, give or take. Compare this to Phoenix's one and a half million and you have a recipe for sadness.

But again, I got one reply. I was starting to get the hint. The Universe was laughing right at me and saying, "Darlin', just ask and ye shall receive." This time I received Kelly, and she was great! We got along famously! We met for coffee! (Not so much playdates, as our kids are four years apart- as in, hers was newborn and mine wasn't.)

I was really starting to think I'd caught onto something. Like- could you imagine for every lost soul mom who's just moved to a new city and knows no one? While Craigslist is daunting, sometimes creepy, and not exactly a place where you can easily filter your results, I think it's something else, too. A true hub of a community, on a larger scale, and a place where, if you just trust it (and yourself, and the Universe,) you can make a friend or two.

Originally written for Kids Fun Plaza magazine on 12/31/2011. Yes, I own my content.

Craigsfriends

 Or, how I learned to stop worrying and trust the Universe when it comes to my social life. (But I thought that title was a bit long, don't you?)

The merits of Craigslist are many. So, so many. Used bikes, secondhand baby stuff, apartments you never would have heard of, jobs you never thought you had a chance at getting. But friends? Craigslist for friends? I think the answer might surprise you. 

One day, while living in Arizona, in a fit of mild desperation over the fact that I didn't have friends whose interests overlapped in all the right places, I posted an ad to Craigslist that went a little something like: "I'm looking for other homeschooling moms. Who are also kind of nerds. Who are also Pagan.  I'm kind of looking to start a whole nerdy pagan homeschool thing. Can you help me out?" I was really optimistic. I mean, there are roughly eight billion people populating the Phoenix Craigslist. How else would I be able to get rid of my IKEA stuff so fast?

But I only got one reply. It was Sarah. She was great. We got along famously. We met for coffee and playdates. Her little boy enjoyed my little girl, and it seemed like the start of something swell. Really swell. Until I found out I was moving back to New York. Pbbt. Thanks a lot, Universe.

About a year ago, after having been back in New York for one full year and realizing I'd grown out of most of the friends I'd made here before leaving, being a Mom now and knowing way too many people who just really, really don't like kids, I decided (in another one of those fits of mild desperation) to try the Craigslist tactic again. Except this time I wasn't so hopeful. Albany only has one hundred thousand people in it, give or take. Compare this to Phoenix's one and a half million and you have a recipe for sadness.

But again, I got one reply. I was starting to get the hint. The Universe was laughing right at me and saying, "Darlin', just ask and ye shall receive." This time I received Kelly, and she was great! We got along famously! We met for coffee! (Not so much playdates, as our kids are four years apart- as in, hers was newborn and mine wasn't.)

I was really starting to think I'd caught onto something. Like- could you imagine for every lost soul mom who's just moved to a new city and knows no one? While Craigslist is daunting, sometimes creepy, and not exactly a place where you can easily filter your results, I think it's something else, too. A true hub of a community, on a larger scale, and a place where, if you just trust it (and yourself, and the Universe,) you can make a friend or two.

Originally written for Kids Fun Plaza magazine on 12/31/2011. Yes, I own my content.

Perfect Light

Perfect Light

Birthdays, Babies and Besties

Tomorrow my oldest little boy is turning 4 years old! I can't believe it.. Not that it didn't seem like a lifetime ago that I gave birth to him... Because it really does feel like more than 4 years have passed by. I just can't believe that he's that old! Only 1 and a half more years til he starts Kindergarten. Four years ago it was really hard to imagine him at this age.

He and I have been

Birthdays, Babies and Besties

Tomorrow my oldest little boy is turning 4 years old! I can't believe it.. Not that it didn't seem like a lifetime ago that I gave birth to him... Because it really does feel like more than 4 years have passed by. I just can't believe that he's that old! Only 1 and a half more years til he starts Kindergarten. Four years ago it was really hard to imagine him at this age.

He and I have been