Nick and Bev

Today is Nick and Bev's wedding day and there's not one family member that isn't thrilled to death with his choice.  We all love Nick so very much and, as a family, we want only what's good for him and that's what we see in Bev.

I won't talk about Nick...he's a treasure in our family and he knows it.  I'd like to say a few words about Bev, though.

From the very first time I met her, she has appeared to me to be such a happy and confident woman.  It might sound corny but this lady's personality shines.  You rarely see her without a smile on her face and, in turn, Nick smiles with happiness now.

When I first meet someone, I watch them carefully to try to determine exactly who they are and Bev has never disappointed me.  I saw how she stood back in the beginning and didn't discipline Nolan and Nash, but just allowed them to get to know her.  They grew to love her.  I've noticed lately that she now does speak to them to discipline them and that's such a good thing.

I see how she befriended Matt and Kellie...but she seems to befriend everyone and there doesn't seem to be a speck of meanness in her.  Kim adores her and I see that the feeling is mutual.  Kim often says that Bev is the daughter-in-law she always wanted...a friend, too.

For me it would only have taken a woman who would make my Nick happy but Bev is that and so much more.  She is a quality lady who will never be anything but the wonderful person she is today.  She has lifelong friends and that is a telling point, too.

I often tell Bev how much I love her and want her in our family but it starts to sound too mushy so I'm hoping she reads this blog some time.

Bev, you're everything I ever wanted for Nick and I can guarantee that Nick will be the perfect husband for you.

Happy Wedding Day!

Slippery Reglazed Tub

When your tub is reglazed you can't put suction cup mats or stick ons or it will damage the new finish.  This had worried me because I'm terrified of falling...especially naked!

When I had my first shower in the new tub, I noticed that the surface wasn't as slippery as an enamel finish and began to be confident in my footing.  The second shower was also fine but, after the 3rd shower, I slipped badly as I was getting out of the tub but managed to keep from falling.  What I think happened is that either some shampoo or shower gel fell into the tub and that's what I slipped on.  Now I knew I had to do something to insure that didn't happen again.

Donna suggested just laying a hand towel on the floor of the tub so I'm going to try that and hope it doesn't move and trip me up.  If that doesn't work, I'll have to find another solution.

Dinner For 10

When Kim first told me we were going to have Chinese dinner delivered to my apartment today for 10 people, my first thought was wondering how many seats I had.  When you live in a house, you can always keep extra seating, like folding chairs, stored away in the basement for extra seating but living in an apartment is a whole new ballgame.

Lo, and behold, I happen to have exactly seating for 10...3 on the sofa, my chair, 2 balcony chairs, 3 diningroom chairs (1 is wobbly and can't be used), and my desk chair.  It's almost like it was planned that way!  The diningroom table is already set up with drinks and the Chinese food will sit out buffet style on the kitchen counter.  It will work out fine!

Since being in the apartment, I've had pizza parties and teensy dinner parties for 2 or 3 but I'll never cook for a large group again.  I do love having company, though, so I'm happy to be bringing in Chinese food for our group tonight.

Shelley, John, and Jake fly in this afternoon for the wedding on Saturday.  Kim, Cindy, Don, Matthew, and Nick will be here tonight, too.  Bev is doing something about the wedding and can't come and Kellie is out with friends.

I love my family!

Destressing

Analyze yourself and learn what the triggers are that stress you out and work to minimize them.

I know world news stresses me out by making me angry.  Life can be so damned unfair and the news points that out quicker than anywhere else.  Wars, evils, greed...one person or one group determined to gain what isn't theirs over the bodies of everyone else.  We are a flawed race and, even though the good outnumber the bad, the bad seem to be becoming more evil.

When too much world evil gets me down, I have to back away from it and make a conscious decision to stop stressing over what I can do nothing about.  It makes more sense to do more good if and where I can than to beat my head against the wall wondering why we can't have a kind and peaceful world.  It apparently is never going to happen.

I have a lot of good people in my life, most a little flawed just like me but all with good hearts and good intentions.  Maybe that speaks for the majority of the people in the world...sometimes it's hard to remember that.

Anyway, I'm going to put the bad behind me for a while because we have family flying in over the next few days and a wedding we're all so happy to see happen on Saturday.  I'm going to just love my family and let the world take care of itself for a while. 

Key's Locked in Keyless Car

Kim, Cindy, and I had a pretty horrible drive home from cottage country yesterday morning.  We'd thought traffic heading west through Toronto wouldn't be bad on a Saturday but it was miles and miles of bumper to bumper traffic that took us many more hours than we'd anticipated.  

W'ed planned on being able to get to our own homes and prepare for Nolan's party at Bev and Nick's but there just wasn't time.  Cindy dropped Kim off at her house because she need to pick stuff up but I stayed with Cindy and headed to the party.  We arrived and found a good parking spot but somehow Cindy left her keys in the car, locked it and we walked away.

I have a keyless car also and you are not supposed to be able to lock the car with your keys in it (locking and unlocking is only possible when you have the keys on your person).  Mine will buzz to warn me and Cindy's will honk to warn her.  None of this happened so, when we went to leave Nick's, the car was locked and Cindy thought her keys must be in the house.  Everyone searched to no avail and Cindy phoned Don to bring down her spare set.

Matthew, while checking around the perimeter of the car, spotted the keys in the cup holder.  We were all shocked because this was something that shouldn't have been able to happen.  What Matt figured out is that, if you leave the keys in the car, it won't lock for a while but it will in time.  This sort of makes sense because it prevents theft of the car.  I do think the warning honks never happened, though, because there's no way we could have not heard them.  

This blog is a warning to people that it is possible for your keyless car to be locked with the keys inside.

Aeron and Jake..Engaged

I've watched all of my life how the way you choose to live your life brings you joy or sorrow.  I chose a very long time ago to take part in my grandchildren's lives and it has brought tons of joy into it.  I know people who ignore their grandchildren for one reason or another and I feel very sad for them and what they're missing out on.

Aeron and Jake have been dating for a couple of years and I've come to know what a wonderful choice he is for my Aeron.  First I saw how Kyle and Tyson felt about him...they've become good friends.  Then I watched how Momma Bear Cindy came to love him and I knew he was the right one.  I also know my Aeron well enough to know she will never suffer a fool so I am comfortable with the man she's chosen to spend the rest of her life with.  Jake is smart, hard working, and comes from a close and loving family.  These are qualities that matter in a good relationship.

Jake called Cindy and said he was going to propose to Aeron on Friday night at the cottage where his family was vacationing.  He wanted Aeron's family there, too, so Cindy, Kim, Tyson, Kyle, Dennis C., Sarah, and I drove 4+ hours to be there.  This is the kind of thing we do in our family for the people we love.  No question!

Unfortunately we got lost for a while and arrived after the proposal but it was a fantastic time for meeting Jake's family (Cindy already had, of course).  Aeron was overwhelmed with happiness to see her own family support at this important moment in her life but she already knew how much we all loved her.  There were tons of tears, hugs, and laughter to celebrate our sweet girl's engagement and so very much appreciation for the choice she'd made.  Like all families, we've seen some of our loved ones make poor choices in mates over the years but this was a perfect one.

We stayed for just a couple of hours because we'd gotten up there late and everyone but me were also tired from working all day so Kim, Cindy, and I left and went to the bed and breakfast we were staying the night at.  Tyson, Kyle, Sara, and Dennis made the long drive back home because Kyle had to work Saturday morning.  

What mattered most of all was that, by being there, we showed Aeron how much she mattered to us.  All the family love Aeron has received all of her life has made her the confident woman she is today.  It's also made her a woman who knows how important a good family is in her life.

2017 has and will be a banner year for our family.  Nick and Bev will be married this coming Saturday, Nicole and Sam are marrying in November, Aeron and Jake are engaged, and I got a health reprieve from what I worried might be pancreatic cancer.  All of those blessings are momentous ones.

And, thinking about it, how much of this joy would have escaped me if I hadn't chosen to be part of my grandchildren's lives.  You make your choices and you reap what you sow.

And We're Off

Our family is in a very good place right now.  Everyone seems to be happy and healthy and we have a truly wonderful marriage coming up next week.  I enjoyed and suffered through a few family marriages but the upcoming one with Nick and Bev will prove to be one the most important blessings in my life.

Nick is my first grandchild and he is marrying a wonderful lady, Bev, that we all love.  I've seen Nick go from sad to completely happy since Bev came into his life and that makes me love her all the more.

Not all marriages are made in heaven but I'm thinking this one will be all we could have hoped for.  

CPP and OAS Pensions

I have a very well read and very intelligent grandson who must not know that the pensions that seniors receive are those we or our spouses have paid into all of our lives.

I posted a photo on Facebook jokingly saying that we all are owed nothing in life and he responded commenting on my CPP payments.  I told him then that Canada Pension Plan is funded out of every paycheck.  OAS (Old Age Security) is funded by our income tax.

Every once in a while a millennial will disparagingly speak about the government pensions that seniors receive and I always wondered why.  Now I know.  Most don't even know that these pensions are funded by our years of working.  My husband contributed to both funds for 46 years but only collected for 6 1/2 years before he passed away.  I worked part-time for many years and contributed then so I'm now benefiting from my husband's years of labor.

My daughter replied that the people still working and paying into these funds are worried there won't be any money in them when they reach retirement age.  Unfortunately, that is a reasonable worry but the fault doesn't lie with the seniors collecting today.  It lies with the government agencies who were somehow legally allowed to draw money from those funds for purposes other than pensions and that is what is depleting them.

The sadder side of this is that, unless a senior has an additional pension source, CPP and AOS will leave them living in poverty.  When Dennis retired early from the fire department and went to work for his brother where there was no pension plan, we saved and invested the maximum allowed every year into an RRSP (Registered Retirement Income Fund).  If it wasn't for that we could never have afforded going to Florida for the winter and buying cars and car insurance.  Young people often fail to understand this.

Seniors should not have to keep explaining to the younger generation that our pensions are not "free money".  Every penny was earned!

   

Bathroom Done

I'm very happy with the way the bathroom turned out,  very white and very clean looking.  The new taps were put in first, then the tiling, and then the tub was reglazed.  It looks brand new.  I think it makes sense to take photos of your room because the last photo of the finished bathroom tells me I need to replace the green and navy baskets with white ones.

The young man who did the reglazing removed the shower head and the overflow cap for some reason and didn't put them back on.  I called my good superintendent, Soren, and asked him if he'd come up either yesterday or today to put them back on and he was here in the early afternoon to do it.  I very much appreciate how well kept up this building is and how efficient our superintendent is.

Update:  I was a little concerned about how slippery the tub might be because suction cup mats or decals are not allowed but I found the surface of the tub (first usage) to not be slippery at all.  This might change with use but so far so good!  

Tub Reglazing

The tub will be reglazed today and I have to be out of the apartment because the smell will be bad.  I'm still amazed that all this work is being done as a matter of course while I'm still living in the apartment, though.  Whoever is in charge of renovations here is doing a good job.

My plan is to wait until the worker gets here and then go to Faye's for the day and overnight.  We'll come back around 3 P.M. to see if the work is finished and if someone locked the apartment door.  I don't worry too much if the apartment is unlocked for a short period but not overnight.  If the worker is still here, Kim will stop by on her way home from work to lock the door.

I've been very happy in my apartment since the day I moved in 4 years ago and there has been nothing to make me regret the move.  The building and grounds are well kept, the tenants are quiet, and my rent is very reasonable.  I made a darned good choice by moving here!

The apartment is light and bright because of all the large windows and, since I face the east, I get the morning sun but have shade in the afternoon.  Perfect!  Each floor has a laundry room and mine is right next door but no sound from it carries through to my apartment.  Perfect!

Well, I'm packed and ready to go to Faye's.  We're going out for dinner and then I'm hoping she'll make me a nice gin and tonic before bedtime.  Life is good!

We Shopped and We Ate

We shopped at ToysRUs and it was just like always.  He was polite, not demanding and understanding when his eyes caught something we couldn't afford.  It was a pleasure shopping with this little man.  He did choose some Power Ranger toy that I didn't approve of but it was his birthday and his choice so I accepted it.

We then went to the grocery store to get him some snacks...I don't keep snacks like that in my home because I'd eat them all.  Then off to "Mother's Pizzeria" for dinner where we both ate too much but still had half a pizza to bring home.  

I was thankful that Nolan seemed to be pretty tired because I hadn't had my afternoon nap and I sure was.  We forced ourselves to stay awake until 9:30 watching a movie and we both hit the sack and were probably asleep 5 minutes later.  We were both up by 6 A.M. but that's fine.  I like lazy, not busy mornings and that's what we had.  I'll let him play until around 11 A.M. and we'll go out for lunch...he has to be home by 1 P.M. because he's going to a family reunion on his mother's side.

How lucky I am to have lived long enough to be able to enjoy this time spent with my precious and much loved greatgrandson.

Babies Left In Cars

We tend to assume that mothers and fathers have a bit of common sense and wouldn't deliberately put their children in danger but, even with all the publicity, parents are still leaving their children and dogs unattended in cars.  We hear most of the stories on hot days when the children or animals are spotted by passersby who take matters into their own hands and either call police or break into the car.  Rarely are their caring efforts appreciated by the offending parent who will rant and rave about how they were only gone a couple of minutes and even been thoughtful enough to leave a roof vent open.  Good grief!  They will argue with police and public and say everyone is over-reacting even though the child is sweating profusely and sobbing.  The children are never taken away and the parent is allowed to drive away with the helpless child.

Once when I was babysitting Tyson (Kyle and Aeron weren't born yet) I had to go back into the bank for something so I left Tyson locked in the car for what I knew would only be a couple of minutes.  It was still winter and cold outside but sunny.  I came back out to the car to see Tyson with a big smile on his face but sweating like crazy.  Even though it was cold outside, the sun had heated the car up quite a bit.  Tyson was in a snowsuit, too.  This would have been in 1987 when the world was a bit safer but I learned then to never, ever leave a child alone in the car.  The unexpected wasn't worth the moment saved.

I'm very happy that the public has started taking the situation into their own hands when they see children or animals in danger like this.  It almost makes up for the stupid and neglectful parents.  

Shopping With Nolan

My greatgrandson, Nolan is coming to stay overnight with me.  His 8th birthday is on the 10th and I'm taking him to ToysRUs so he can choose his own present.  We've done this a few times before and I thoroughly enjoy it...he does, too!  I tell him how much money he can spend and he chooses his gifts carefully, asking occasionally how much money he'll have left if he chooses a particular item.  He never complains, whines, or asks for more but I'm not strict about the limit.  He doesn't know this.

Up until this year I'd take either Nolan or Nash for the day about twice a month but once I started having times where I fall asleep unexpectedly I stopped because I felt it was too dangerous for me to be caring for them.  Nolan and I will have a busy day today and tomorrow morning so I hope I won't have that problem.

I always wanted grandchildren but never thought ahead to the day I'd have greatgrandchildren.  What a beautiful bonus in life!  Being in the precious presence of innocent children is one of the most wonderful experiences one can have.  Of course, it's best if the children are well behaved and mine are.

I told his mother that she can bring him any time today but I haven't heard when they'll be coming.  No problem, I'll patiently wait for my sweet little man.

Almost Finished

It takes quite a long time to create a Swedish weaving afghan but the one I'm just finishing is a lap afghan and has taken about 3 weeks.  I sure don't make these things to get rich but work on them as a form of therapy for myself.  Like most crafters, I enjoy watching the project develop from imagination to plan to fruition and it doesn't really matter to me if it sells or not.  I give most of my work away as gifts, anyway.

I've participated in many crafts in my lifetime and I think that quilting comes a close second to Swedish weaving.  Quilting requires more dedicated time, though, where you can pick up a Swedish weaving item and work on it for 5 minutes if you choose.  I like that.

I've given away all of the quilts I made except one that I made for myself.  Unfortunately, I can't use it because it's too warm in this apartment when the heat is on in the winter.  I have a very lightweight coverlet on the bed and sometimes it's thrown back and not used in it's entirety.

The lap afghan is about 99% finished and I'm already wondering what I'll work on next.  I have tons of fabric and tons of yarn so that leaves me with tons of options.  Thank heavens I also have tons of time to use any way I want!

Confessions of a Gambler

I love to gamble even though I'm not very lucky when I do.  Because I lose almost all of the time, I wonder what it is about gambling that I enjoy...the following is it.

I like the teensy thrill I get when I hit the spin button because there is always the chance I'll win something.

I like the happy atmosphere of the casino.

I like the lights and sounds of someone else winning.

I like the anonymity when I'm at a machine and not conversing with the strangers next to me.

I like the short conversations with the people sitting next to me.

I like the silly bonuses because they always mean more winnings.

I like the colorful games.

I like that I can control my love of gambling by only going once a month and by leaving when I've lost my allotted money.  I rarely fail confining myself to these rules.

Today I'm meeting Dee at Fallsview and that's a double enjoyment because I love her company, too.  We meet at Fallsview a few times over the summer but can continue our love of gambling when we both get to 3W in the winter.  Dee, like Mary, wins regularly while I win rarely.  Regardless, we love to gamble and that's fine as long a we know our limits.

Gambling isn't a sin, it's entertainment!

Getting It Done!

When I told my superintendent that I'd wait to have the taps and tiling done before having the tub reglazed I thought it would take months.  I was wrong.  Soren knocked on my door last night around 8 P.M. and said the taps would be installed today, the tiling done on Thursday, and the reglazing on Monday.  And I always thought that nothing is ever done to an apartment until the tenant moves out!!

Mind you, my only problem with the bathroom is the tub because I can't get it clean.  The tiling and new taps is just a bonus as far as I'm concerned.

Cindy asked me the other day if it made sense for her to go into debt for a house at her age or to just keep on renting.  I've always felt it was important to own your own house but Cindy and Don are both in their late 50's so buying a house now presents some problems.  As far as renting, they'd have to continue renting a house and not an apartment because they have the three dogs and one, Toby, is going to be HUGE!  A lot of the tenants in my building have dogs and some are big but I don't think anyone has more than one dog.

I knew when it happened that I was very lucky to get a 2 bedroom apartment in this building.  I was impressed with the landscaping and how well this old building is maintained.  What I didn't know is how lucky we are to have a superintendent like Soren. 

Arlean Replied

My friend, Arlean, is a fine American lady who loves Trump and she replied to my Facebook request for Americans to tell me what they think of Trump's tweets.  As I expected from my American friends, her answer was very interesting.  She believes that his tweets are cunning and that he does them to get a designed response.  Hmmm!  I think she's right in a way.  She also thinks he doesn't even want to be president but will resign and hand over the job to Pence.  Hmmm!  I think she's probably right here, too.  I'd thought he'd resign rather than be impeached but who knows?

I really love the outlet Facebook provides for discussions like this and they can be done without drama and disrespect for the differing views that people have.  One of the things I tried to get across to Tyson, who admirably contained himself and remained respectful unlike some others, was that we shouldn't confine ourselves solely to the company of people who think just like we do.  We need to hear other's express their views even if we don't agree with them.  Who knows, maybe we're the wrong thinkers!

I may not agree with Arlean's political bent but it's very interesting to see where she's coming from.  I had understood for a long time that many Americans were totally disillusioned with the way their country was being run and absolutely had to have a change even if that change involved voting for Trump.

It helps to know that my American friends are all good people...not hateful or revolutionary...and they want what we all want and that's to live in a safe and prosperous country.  It's how we go about it that might differ.  There was and is a lot of fear concerning Muslim immigration and that's understandable because of 9/11.  9/11 traumatized many Americans and took away their sense of security.  To see so many Muslim immigrants entering their country now is a real concern to them and we have to respect that concern.  I'm sure that things will calm down once we all become more familiar with the everyday Muslim and stop equating them all with the terrorist faction but that, unfortunately, will take time.

I'm looking forward to reading some more responses to my Facebook post.

  

Trump's Tweets

Trump's latest tweet is an altered video showing him punching out a person with a head that's marked CNN.  The press is justifiably horrified that the president of their country is advocating violence against them but I think there is a much more frightening message here.

A stable, mature man wouldn't take time away from the issues the president of the United States is facing right now to do something like this.  A stable, mature man wouldn't have the time to play the games that Trump has been playing on Twitter for a long time now.  The president of the United States should be dignified and mature.  This hasn't been what we see in Trump and it's frightening to know this very immature bully is in charge of the most powerful country in the world.

I love my American friends and know most of them support Trump and voted for him so I don't want to insult them.  I am deeply curious about how they feel about the tweets.  I asked them on Facebook to tell me what they make of the tweets and I'm really interested in hearing what they say.  My American friends are decent people who voted for him in good faith because they were terribly unhappy with how Obama ran the country.  I know that none of us give up too quickly once we've made our choice but I'd love to know if any of Trump's behaviours have changed their minds.  If they still support him, what more would it take to make them question him?

None of us has ever seen a U.S. president behave the way Trump does.  It certainly isn't dignified and it borders on juvenile which isn't how the U.S. wants the world to see him.  The strength of a country is often reflected in the leader but Trump is making himself appear ridiculous.  This is unacceptable and shouldn't be tolerated by the citizens.  They need a leader that is respected, not ridiculed and the only way he'll shape up is if his party forces him.  

Pictures or Reality

I often laugh at the people I see taking pictures of an event rather than watching and enjoying it with their own eyes.  Well, I joined that dumb crowd last night when I decided to take photos of all the fireworks displays I can see from my balcony.

Almost every photo I took showed a blur or nothing because the burst of fireworks disappears too fast for my camera to catch.  By the time I realized I wasn't going to get any quicker at capturing a good image, I'd missed a lot of pretty fireworks displays.  I won't do it again.

There were 7-8 places that put on a display I can see from my balcony.  Because of the huge trees I don't get to see them all fully but I see enough to make it a lovely (and cool) evening sitting on my balcony and enjoying a gin and orange juice.  The day began with tons of rain but the sky was clear in the evening, perfect for the fireworks.

Canada Day 2017 is over and the American Independence Day is about to start on Tuesday.  Two great countries!  

Canada Day 2017

I seem to recall a time when holidays like Canada Day were spent celebrating and not protesting for whatever reason.  Not so these days.  It's as though some people will take every opportunity to make themselves heard but can't there be a time just for praising what is good in your world?  I see more respect for this country from new immigrants than from the people who have lived here for generations.

I remember when funerals were events that were always observed with respect and honor, especially military funerals.  Not these days.  Some groups have chosen to picket and chant evil and hateful messages at the families of fallen soldiers.

We have become a society lacking in respect for others and fervently believing our rights, needs, and wants supersede anyone else's.  I'm left wondering how this came about.

One of the constants in Canada Day is that it is a family day and many families will still be enthralled with the fireworks that will flash into the sky at dusk.  We'll ooh and ahh and ohh just as we've done before I was even born.  Most of us will have the sensibilities to understand how very lucky we are to be Canadian citizens but some won't.  In any case, I'm a proud and thankful Canadian and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world.

Happy Canada Day!