Early Christmas present

I am excited because I got a little computer table so I can have my computer downstairs in the kitchen. I tried to make an office upstairs but the room was cold in winter and hot in summer. I think I will use it a lot more now and maybe even write more. That's the theory anyway.

Jason and Tara our nephew and his wife from the Edmonton area just left. They have three beautiful children - born in three years and a few months. She is a very busy mom but happy and proud of her kids. Jackson, Wyatt and Lily.

And I can't wait for our next grandchild to be born. Truly and advent season!

Confession

Its time to go back to school and I have to confess that this summer I developed an on-line addiction that I have to try to break. Its not Face Book - its a crazy kids game on the CBC website. Train Trax. I find it challenging and oddly soothing. Fortunately it doesn't run well on my school computer.

Check it out. www.cbc.ca/kids/games/traintrax/ (Sorry, I can't figure out how to make this a link.)

If anyone else gets hooked, maybe we can form a support group on Face Book!

August

Its a rainy and windy, sort of nice change.

This has been a busy summer. July flew by with visits from Scott and Margaret, Ryan, Steph and Ollie and of course, The Wedding. It was such a fun time. Its a little hard to imagine that Scott is married but he and Margaret are so good for each other. It makes me happy.

I also wrote a Kids Page for the Banner which will be published in October.

We just came back from a week in Minnesota. Two days with my brother and his family at a cabin on Woman Lake. Lots of fun - watching the kids play in the water, feeding ducks and tubing. My parents were there too. Its a tough time for them. Kev would have turned 50 last week and my dad's cancer is advancing again. It was good that we all could be together for a few days.

Then Hank and I went to Duluth and along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Foolishly we went to one of the most popular spots in Minnesota on a weekend with no reservations. We were lucky to get a place up by Tettegouche State Park. The downside was it was the LAST place available and probably shouldn't have been rented out. We survived and did see some beautiful scenery.

Now it is August. I always panic the first few days in August because it means summer is almost over but by the middle of the month, I am ready for the routine and challenge of school again. Hank goes back soon so the reality will hit then.

My coffee is gone. Time to go get another cup and watch the rain in the yard.

What a day!

I had a bad day yesterday. I biked to school but left the garage door open all day. Fortunately our golf clubs and the power tools were still there when we got home.

Then we decided to use a gift certificate and go to Moxie's for dinner. When we got home after doing a bit of shopping too, we discovered I have left the back door WIDE OPEN. Nothing was missing again.

Then I planted a few extra marigolds and decided to transplant a sucker from the Virginia Creeper to our now empty arch. (The clematis died this year.) So I crawled into the back of a the flower bed and tried to dig up the little plant with my trowel. It wasn't sharp enough to cut the root and as I was digging deeper I realized I had about 10 mosquitos on my legs. I jumped up, hit my head on the bird feeder sending bird seed flying which caused me to raise my hands, sending the dirt from the trowel onto my head and into my ear.

I decided to quit working in the yard, went inside, took a shower and forgot to call my parents for my dad's birthday and to see how my mom's cornea transplant had gone.

Today will be better.

Garden Things

Lots is happening at school but I am ready for summer so here are a few funny things happening in our yard.

Little bunnies are living under our sunroom. They like to sit on the warm stepping stones and when you go out in the morning, there are little rabbit turds on on all the stepping stones.

The birds in the feeders are very messy and there is a carpet of millet growing under the feeder. But the bunnies really like millet so they go nibble on it and are leaving my other plants alone.

The big ugly grey squirrel doesn't like me and the feeling is mutual. I yell at him and throw things at him when he is in the bird feeder. When I come into the sunroom now and it sees me, it runs up the elm tree and yells at me. This could get ugly.

That's all for now.

End of the year

Its been a long time since I posted anything. A lot has been going on but most of it busy, end of the year school stuff. And of course, there is this long list of things I have to do before the end of June but other important things keep popping up. Like extra supervision on a child because of family issues or creating a social story for a little girl who fights on the playground. I am screening all the students who will be new to our school next year and all the kindergarten students with late birthdays. (Fall months - in MB children can start school when they are 4. Not a good idea in my opinion.) Its all good stuff but takes a lot of time.

We are doing some great stuff in our yard which is a really nice diversion. Hank put a stepping stone path in on Saturday. I planted the annuals and moved around a lot of the perennials. We are going to dig up the flower bed in front and change it. You are invited to come to our place this summer, enjoy the yard and have a cool drink (alcoholic or non) in the sunroom.

Soon.....

Junk machine

I was at a public place today for an "information session"and couldn't figure out how to work their pop/candy/chip machine. I spent two loonies hoping to get a Diet Pepsi and got a Twix Bar and Peanut M and Ms. I finally did get my Pepsi with my third loonie.