If I Had A DIME...!

Chatting via email this morning (with my very fave Business colleague) made my day ten times brighter than Mother Nature’s generous post long weekend UV offering. I don’t know about you, but I love laughing via email. As silly as it sounds, I can hear the other person’s voice speaking to me as I read, just as I’m certain they can hear my laughter in return.

As I was playfully multi-tasking my phone rang. In the instant that I read the call display, I said their name aloud. Another former client; one, that most definitely is etched on my short list of all-time favourites.

Oh, I remember it well. It was the week leading up to Easter in 2013. He was starting a ‘small’ renovation and wanted to meet with me face to face so that he could better understand his options. I agreed, only to have him lose my number. Boy, if I had a dime for every time a man claimed they'd lost my number...  I’d be retired and definitely be living large by now!

Chuckles aside and long story short: he and I never met that day. AND... his small renovation, ended up being not so small. As his project progressed, we talked on the phone (sometimes daily) for months until his contractor pulled the boats out of the water for the season in November.

Working the 2013 Fall Cottage Life Show, I heard a very familiar voice announce “I just wanted to say hello..”

Without hesitation I turn and yelled his name and hugged him. Today, I heard his voice again. It'll be weird not dealing with him and his contractor this summer but he sent me something to remember him by. The view from his dock I helped to enhance.... So to speak.

Thanks for the call Dr. C.

Now that you're a reader, we'll always effortlessly keep in touch.

ALL PHOTO RIGHTS RESERVED. 

My Unexpected Record Scratch Moment

I've always found the sound of a needle being dragged across a vinyl record to be one of the most effective sound effects ever. No matter what is happening around you, when you hear that very distinct sound, it’s like time stops.

Errrrrrrrr….. Imagine hearing that sound for a solid three seconds, combined with me shaking my head back and forth quickly in disbelief, for at least the same amount of time. THAT, is what I consider a ‘personal record scratch moment’. I had my very first in years last weekend.

Here's EXACTLY what a personal record scratch moment looks like!
(...Except I wasn't smiling.)
Taken: DECEMBER 2008

I was standing in my kitchen and words were spoken. Words I never thought I’d ever hear again. 

It was like I was immediately jolted to another day and time. It was so long ago that there were covered wagons in the street and my pretty petticoat was covered to up to my knees in mud. 

Seriously, I mean (as an example) why couldn't this defining personal moment whisk me away to a one of those really sexy and erotic times I've dreamt of? You know, the type they always play out for women in the movies?  I'm totally fecking due!

Instead, good ole practical and romantically delusional me, gets transported back to a time of harsh reality. Not gonna lie, I'd take any When Harry Met Sally moment over bamboo shoots underneath my toenails any day!

What have I done about it? Picked myself up and dusted myself off. 

Glass half full?

Maybe my moment didn't have me pass go: Lord knows I didn't collect $100. But... It most certainly DID NOT have me land on Boardwalk, with a hotel on it, and no money in the Bank.

HA! 

Take THAT glass half empty!!!

My Mom....

Happy Mother's Day Mummy.... I miss you very much.
Taken: July 1947

This is my Mom. 

If you haven’t met her via a previous post, allow me to introduce you to my mother Inez.

She was 17 years old when this photo was taken and the only one I own that was taken before she was married.

Though I have very few pictures of her, that doesn't mean that all of my  life long memories aren't vivid, colourful, and still very much alive.

She was a fighter.

She won most every battle she set her mind to, but sadly, she eventually lost the war. She passed in 1987 of ALS (more commonly known to the masses as Lou Gehrig's Disease).

Any sadness in my reflection aside, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that today is OUR day. The one & only that is dedicated especially to the both of us for a job well done.

Happy Mother's Day Mummy...

I love and miss you very much.

'WELL THERE IT IS. A LIFE'...

This afternoon I logged onto my Facebook to find this amazing homage, posted by my very favourite Comedian, on his personal Facebook page. It moved me so much that I wanted to share. I immediately asked his permission and Ron enthusiastically said YES. 

Rest In Peace Farley.... Very well said Ron!

Ron James with his dear friends Farley & Claire Mowat.
This photo is personal property of RON JAMES.
All rights reserved.

I don't make a habit of posting the ubiquitous photo of me with my arm around celebrities mugging for a 'selfie' but when that 'celebrity' (and the term seems so tawdry and trite given his status in 'Letters') was one of Canada's literary lions, who recently passed into the 'Big Mystery', I make an exception. 

Farley Mowat and his wife Claire were my friends, who kindly invited me to lunch at their home in Port Hope while on tour several years ago. Look at them in this photo! Beaming! Lovers until the end! They were SO cool!! Authentic. How could you not be, given the world they were born to and the adventure they lived together?! Snug in their cozy cottage, packed with totems of a life fully realized, they shuffled from room to room referring to each other as 'Mr. and Mrs. Mole'. The cantankerous rebel who did not suffer fools was hostage to his woman's twinkling eyes and she to his. 

Over lunch they spoke of their travels to the far points of frontier, like the Orkney Islands of northern Scotland! You won't find that destination on a Carnival Cruise Line itinerary! They told me how they'd walked beaches there looking at spear points, awls and primal scraping tools from the last Ice Age. No shuffleboard on the 'Fiesta Deck' and buffet for this pair of octogenarians! They were engaged in the wider world of wonders. Curious. Searching. Exploring. As betrothed to each other as the planet they loved.

I sat at the foot of this sage all afternoon enthralled. Nursing my second shot of London Dock none-the-less that he poured us...before noon! I remember thinking, 'This is what it would be like if Yoda drank!!’ His World War 2 Major's hat on the wall…caricatures from earlier days when his beard was full and shoulders broad…photos of he and Claire sailing...he and his Labrador retrievers…bawdy jokes in the bathroom…myriad awards…on a late model television set sat a dory Paul Watson hand carved for him in prison…original leather bound editions of Franklin's expeditions! And then his books. They sat high on a shelf in the living room. 48 of them! 48!! And it struck me: 'Dear God Farley', I said, 'the titles aren't in English!' They were in every language but Romulan! 'Never Cry Wolf' in Arabic…'And No Birds Sang' in German…'A Whale for the Killing' in Spanish...The Dog Who Wouldn't Be' in Chinese…'Lost In the Barrens' in Dutch...Siberia', in some tongue you'd be speaking while you milked a yak in Irkutsk! 

Farley looks at me with a humble sigh and says, 'Well, there it is. A life'. 

And his life inspired. Sitting in a dreary classroom at Chebucto Road School in Grade 7, reading 'Two Against the North' and 'The Viking's Grave', sired a desire to commune with the power of Canada's holy lands beyond the tree line. I actualized that childhood dream ten years ago and kayaked Arctic Finger Lakes in the Barren lands, three hours north of Yellowknife. The world Farley's words had painted in a kid's imagination still shone bright in memory. I joined a Dene elder from Fort Resolution who’d come to hunt caribou for a pot luck supper in Fort Resolution. Cresting a hill in the chill of dawn, I saw a raven flying low to the land and remembered Farley's words in 'Never Cry Wolf', that when you see a raven, wolves aren't far behind. Sure enough, there they stood, Javex white and splendid proud in morning's magic hour. 'Farley was right', I thought! 'Wolves and ravens are buddies in the hunt!' And to think the disparaging moniker of 'Hardly-Know-It' was applied to him. Only in Canada could the ivory towered dilettantes and philistines he held in such justifiable contempt turn so viscously on their own. I beg to differ with their slander readers. I saw those wolves as well as many other things, because Farley Mowat taught me how to look for them in this world, thanks to his books.

'Well there it is. A life' 

And what a life it was Farley. What a life. Thanks for sharing it with us. ~ RON JAMES

(c) Ron James. All rights reserved.

It's An Executive Decision…

Going through some legal and financial papers this afternoon, I realized that it’ll be two years this upcoming May 2-4 long weekend, that I moved to the cottage (and lived there) for the entire summer. Where the hell has the time gone?

Personally, I know that in that time I've worked my fecking ass off.  Matter a fact, there are patches of time in the above mentioned lapse, that I barely remember what I did with my spare time. Most likely because I know I rarely had any.

That said, this summer will be different. As an independent contractor, I'm not expected to deal with the day to day drama of disgruntled customers. It’s been an adjustment but truthfully one of the reasons I left my old job. Turns out, in my search for a solid challenge & truly happy customers... I hit the mother load !

My new home office view.
My old buddy Don gave me this flower last summer
... Proud to say he was the BEST co-worker EVER!
Taken: August 8th, 2013

Happy happy happy, I have decided to once again move back to the cottage for the summer. Truth is, it's been in the back of my mind since the very minute I changed jobs.

It seems like such a waste for me to sit in my downstairs office, when I can be working in the sun where my pups are happy, and my domestic skills are sharp. 

Believe it or not, the one things I've been struggling with is the installation of high speed internet. Today I made the executive decision to ignore those silly little voices and just get it installed.

With so many other stresses removed from my life, installing the internet is just going to make me that much more efficient. For instance, I know I will be able to handle a far bigger workload if I'm smiling AND have great tan. KIDDING!

The fact of the matter is that with over 300 DVD's in inventory, I can stop buying them out of the bargain bin and just use Netflix’s. That right there justifies all of this as a solid money management decision. 

Keeping this cat out of the WalMart video section?

Just paid for the installation of the Primus dry loop!

GIDDY UP.....

Pssst… Ya Got Any Rubbers?

I woke up at 4am this morn and hauled my ass out of bed for what turned out to be the rest of the day. Not because I’d had enough sleep, but because my hot flashes seem to have embedded themselves into a pattern of complete and total inconvenience. 

Anyway, it was no surprise, that by mid afternoon I was a great big bitchy zombie that was ready for a nap. Exhausted, I fought back. I got up from my desk, pulled on my rubbers, and headed straight for the gully.

Up to my ankles in gunk & loving it!
Taken: May 5th, 2014

For a million reasons, the silly ravine (just off the back of my yard) takes me back to my childhood. Not that I've ever lived with the luxury of such a haven in my backyard growing up, I just feel like a little kid whenever I venture out.

Where else can a single stick, some running water, and ankle deep mud deliver such an escape? ...Not to mention that it kinda sounds like a Super-dee-Duper fart machine as you tromp around in the sloppy gunk.

I know, I know, my girlfriend told me she suspects my enjoyment in the mud has something to do with some sort of rebellion. She says I'm "perpetuating a behaviour that wasn't deemed acceptable when I was child."

Who knows? Who cares! 

...I've simply labelled it a guilty pleasure.

I understand that some may not deem my behaviour proper. BUT... If you consider my playing in a ravine full of mud, in a pair of bright hot pink rubbers immature... I don't want to share what I'll be doing during the first midday summer downpour on my dock.

I fear THAT guilty pleasure (which I've labelled #482) may throw you over the edge!

She may look nice and dry... But I can assure ya she ain't!
Taken: May 5th, 2014

Z IS FOR ZOOOOOOM……

Just like that, the month of April is gone.

Having paid homage to the twenty six letters of the alphabet in thirty days, my annual A-Z Blogging Challenge is officially complete. As expected, I am completely exhausted.

That said, what a difference a year makes. I really struggled to finish last year. Had a big plan (including a spreadsheet, with multiple options for inspiration) that turned out to be complete and total crap. I totally focused on the goal of finishing, rather than enjoying the experience. I am not proud to admit, in search of the perfect post last year, my competitive nature produced tears.

This year, there were no tears. I didn't give a single letter the time of day until I woke up and my feet hit the floor. The bigger personal challenge, was trying to meld my chosen photo, to the letter of the day… & vice-versa. Today, I had a word, but no photo. So, before I began to write, with an appreciation for how quickly the month blew by, I asked myself, “…what was I doing exactly one year ago today?”

The Girlz making the best of seasonably
COLD North Myrtle Beach weather.
Taken: April 30th, 2013

Turns out that I was spending the day on the ocean with my three favourite girls. 

I looked at the photo's from that day and they were both amazing and memorable.

Oh, how the four of us ZOOOOM'd that day. 

Dogs after a Frisbee, my daughter and I after a couple of off leash bat shit crazy dogs... And me, back to my laptop to finish my final post of the challenge.

Thanks again for reading. It really does mean a lot to me and it truly is appreciated.

~Rhondi

Y IS FOR YUCK!

Today's effort is brought to you by the letter Y and the number 4!

My afternoon view from my home office window. Holy crap load of rain BATMAN!
Taken: April 29th, 2014

What a day. I diligently spent the majority of it on the phone.  Sitting at my desk, the sound of the torrential rain, was louder that the radio playing in the background at times. The trees were bending to-and-fro and I couldn't help but watch the dreary day slowly pass.

Dark and gray outside, I pouted about how badly I needed it to be bright and sunny. At least in the dead of winter, I got the benefit of the blanket of white, as the bright sun reflected upon it. Today was just one of those days that I wanted to take a spoon to my wrist.

You know deal? It's the only option I'll entertain. Just good cutlery rationale!

Never use a knife because it will cut, a fork with puncture and pierce, but a spoon gets rid of the pent up frustration looming inside. Best practice is to press the spoon to your wrist, then head upstairs and have a great big bowl of ice cream with it. If it's a really bad day, I suggest you go with a tablespoon rather than a teaspoon. Simply because it mathematically holds more ice cream!!

It’s my 25^th letter and my second last post. I truly wish I was sharing YIPPPEEEE.

Instead... YUCK will have to do!

X IS FOR XOXO’s

In this world we have created, that has a focus on what's written rather than what's spoken, X’s and O’s have to be what I look forward to receiving most. You may think it silly, but when there's distance between you and someone you love, there’s nothing better than a text message ending with a bunch of those silly little letters in a row.

Santa's Village -  Labour Day Monday (Photo Credit: Auntie Andrea G)
Taken: September 6th, 1993

Case in point, my daughter moved home last weekend. 

Well, not home per say, but back to our hometown, where her parents can pick her up for grocery shopping and return her to the comfort of her very own rented space.

Organizing the big move was a tad challenging, as it was done at odd hours and primarily using instant messaging. It was an  emotionally trying time all around and it was tough to let her know that there was no anger toward her in any frustration we may have been feeling. Let's just say that both our thumbs got really quick texting each other in the ‘xoxoxoxo’ lane.

It's hard to explain...

I don’t care if I’m in my office and I get a message from GOOB (who's upstairs in his bedroom) ending in a great big XO, or a quick Facebook message from Jukebox, (after sharing a bottle of red wine and some amazing music) reporting he’s made it home safe & sound.  Admittedly, instant messaging may not always be ideal, but it's an important part of how we communicate as a family.

My husband? Though he does text, he's not a big technology kinda guy. Instead, he kisses me every single day... and his hugs? Amazing! 

I am pleased to report that with those... He's got me on his unlimited plan!!!

W IS FOR WHO

V IS FOR VAMOOSE!

You heard me.... VAMOOSE!

What are you waiting for? Good riddance... Scoot, scram, zip and get the hell outta town!!

Friends... Meet my buddy John.
Taken: SPRING THAW 2008
(The above photo is property of North45 Communications)

CLICK HERE TO SEE JW's VIDEO OF THE 2014 ICE GOING OUT

Just so we’re clear, I'm not talking about my good buddy Johnny (JW) Wright: on the contrary. 

My bellowing is for the ice on the lakes to get the heck going, so that winter can officially be deemed over.

We all may be a little stir crazy here but JW has taken a different approach to the lunacy. He's made an effort to document the winter from hell from a positive perspective. You see, he's one of the lucky ones. He both lives & works here.

I've had the pleasure of dealing with JW professionally for about a decade and I consider him a personal friend. Out of sheer selfishness, I've been after this lad to start a video blog for what seems like forever. I may be what is considered a social media junkie but I never click on a link for the sake of clicking. My time is very valuable and online I use it wisely. Never once, have I not truly enjoyed what John's had to say and/or share.

If he were smart, we'd tag team and get him a segment deal on Cottage Life Television. Uh-Oh... I just heard his beautiful wife Pam drop a dinner plate on their kitchen floor.

What can I say Pam? We both know talent when we see it!

U IS FOR UNIQUE

That's  a buffalo behind me... NOT a horse's ass.
TAKEN P.A. SASKATCHEWAN:  JULY 1971

Simple question: what makes someone unique? 

Do you label the one person wearing red, when everyone else is wearing blue, unique? 

Have you given them such a label because of how they made you feel? Or, is it simply because you'd heard a friend of a friend call them that and you’re conforming? 

Seriously, I'm curious.

From a very young age I knew that I was different than others my age. I understood then, that my life at home was much more unique than most, so I guess I've always compartmentalized why my personality evolved the way it did.

I truly believed (at that time) that it was because my parents were so much older than I. Yet, all these years later, I believe that I am simply me, because I was born with a creative soul.

What can I say? Feel free to rib, label, roll your eyes and look at me anyway you see fit.

Because... Damn it... I AM UNIQUE....

Just like every other interesting person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting!

CHEERS :)

T IS FOR TREAT

I’m not talking about my personal 12 Step Chocolate Program (the one where I'm never less than twelve steps away from a chocolate treat) I am taking about how spoiled my dogs are. Right or wrong, I've always given our four legged furry children people food treats.

Growing up, I had the pleasure of watching my Auntie Cai and her pack of pups. They literally shadowed her every movement 99% of the the time. As a tween, I use to stand in her kitchen at Camp, watching her strategically prepare their meals. It was definitely a site to behold.

I GOTTA TELL YA...
These girls know how to exercise restraint much better than MOI...!
TAKEN: MARCH 9th, 2013

Just as she did, I now do the very same thing.

Most teach their dogs to fetch and sit, I've taught mine the specific meals of the day, not to mention the name of all the treats that need to be refrigerated!

The human rule sets precedence here right?

You know the one, that anything in moderation makes any guilty pleasure acceptable? WHEW... Miss Vickie's just about lost a loyal a sea salt & vinegar customer!

Joking aside, no matter what stage of your life you're in, there will always be people that disagree with whatever personal choices you make. Truth is, you can't please all of the people all of the time. Which is the complete opposite to the fact that I've never met a single pup that didn't love one of the many treats I was dishing out.

Hmmm... Maybe I should start a human 12 Step Chocolate Treat Program. Don't laugh, it totally worked for Sheldon (with Penny) on Big Bang Theory.

OMG... Now I'm such a 'Poser'...!

Go ahead. Google both the episode and the funky italicized word ... I know you want to. :)

S IS FOR SOULMATE

I’m not a person that is easily shocked or surprised. I guess that's why this moment had such impact.

I hadn't heard from my closest confident in a few, so I fired them off an email to simply check in. I quickly got a reply. It didn't have a subject title, so I instantly knew that something was wrong. I opened it and read the news in disbelief.

After almost twenty five year of marriage (with two grown daughters, in the final stages of University) my soulmate announced that they were separating from their spouse. Apparently, one wanted things the other didn't and it seems that neither wanted to continue working in the same direction. I was shocked.

Worried, I automatically picked up the phone. I listened, yet offered no opinion; after all, this was ultimately their journey, not mine. Listening to the explanation of their situation truly broke my heart. I do feel compelled to share that this is the very same friend that listened endlessly to my woes, telling me that ‘communication's key’ and that ‘talking about what the issues are will get you through anything!’ 

I don’t believe we have any idea who will (or will not) impact our lives until it has happened. Right or wrong, I believe that we marry our true life partner and differing souls flow in an out of our lives as well. Zack is most definitely a soul mate. I will unconditionally support him on his journey, as he supported me on mine.

That doesn't mean that I couldn't slap the living crap right out of him for not taking his own advice but I love him just the same. Men: they can be so gosh dang stubborn sometimes.

UH-OH... POT... KETTLE... BLACK!!

R IS FOR REUNION

For the first time in more than three years, we hit the road (as a family) for a day trip this past weekend. I don’t know about you, but getting the exclusive time of five full time working adults coordinated, can be a real pain in the ass. We were going, we weren't… We were going, we weren't. Ay Carumba!

With everything finally aligned by mid-morning yesterday, I was excited. We were all going to have some serious family face time...and not the kind you receive courtesy of your iPhone.  

L'il ole me capturing a moment... While my husband captures ours.
TAKEN: APRIL 20th, 2014

You’ll be proud to know that even though I brought the camera into the restaurant where we had lunch, I held my extreme picture taking urges at bay.

A couple of hours in, with beautiful Lake Simcoe as our backdrop, I began to snap away like a drug addict in need of a hit.

The tricky part for me's that I never usually take just one picture with one camera. As I worked through the stash in my purse, I realized that my kids have become conditioned to my affliction. 

I just can't seem to help myself!

Being the last of four children with older parents, my mother passed and there was little evidence of my childhood. (The biggest item missing, was a family photo.) I'm not suggesting that my children live in the past... but I would like them to have the ability to reminisce together once we're gone. 

Besides, yesterday was an official reunion right?

Who the hell am I kidding... my kids could be embroiled in a full out round of fisticuffs and I'd still want to take their picture. Because in my books,  'remember the time when...?' 

Is always a PERFECT Sunday Supper conversation starter!

My final effort.... Aren't they all just absolutely amazing!!!
TAKEN: APRIL 20th, 2014