All I am saying…Is give PEACE a chance…..(John Lennon)
Peace
Category: Seasonal
2019 These Are A Few of Our Favorite Things
Just a few of My Favorite Things
My nephew and Wonder Boy
2018 These Are A Few of Our Favorite Things
Have A Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year
Snowflakes
We all know all the world’s a stage and our bit parts are not to be taken seriously folks so best to keep your sense of humour forefront or you might be blindsided and bitter ….and that will get you nothing but the curse of high blood pressure and ulcers.
So it came to pass one Sunday morning, maybe late September, Momma was walking me and right at our intersection there were city vehicles parked haphazardly, up and down the street, blue lights rotating, walkie talkies blaring…it seemed we had sprung a water leak and Sunday was optimum time to fix it….the diligent contractors would get triple time for Emergency Weekend Work…but heck, the council could raise the taxes to cover costs…so it is all good. Even as night fell, daylight turned in to dark, more vehicles came, crowding every side street, bright lights, illuminating the interior of every home for blocks, we suspect.
Now two months later, winter on the way, in the dead of night, a letter is slipped in to every mailbox announcing the water would be turned off at 2am that very night for 12 hours to make routine maintenance…so tell me, in what world do city folk live….
Wouldn’t spring, summer, or even early fall be a better time to do routine maintenance…like when the ground it not frozen….just asking….
Momma pulled an RIP Daddy and called City Hall…were they really going to do it tonight…with the 1st snowstorm moving in to dump 15 to 20 cm of snow? The chirpy administrator said, oh yes, …if there is a change we’ll let you know….Momma’s thinking about Maintenance vehicles all over the street, side-walk and road snow ploughs trying to move through…chaos, it’s called, chaos.
Being highly organized and practical, Momma went in to 1st gear, (does she have any other), filling buckets with water, pots and pans with water, my little white grooming tub to the brim with water, jugs with water, even the kettles got filled with water…having watched some Walking Dead, she was prepared for Armageddon…one that never came, I must report, because although no notification of cancellation to the routine maintenance came, the snow storm showed up….like, did City Planners not have the Weathernet App? And so all the water, captured in vain, wasted actually, went down the drains, probably overloading an already compromised system, oh and remember….conserve, conserve, conserve water in a world where so many live without it.
As life spun out other challenges, the routine water maintenance was pushed to the back of Momma’s mind…but then front and centre, a couple of weeks later at 2am on a Sunday night, the crews moved back in. Momma woke to the sounds of heavy-duty vehicles, like army tanks, out front, breaking the nightly silence with their insistent running, chatter, the bright white lights bathing her home like the Yankee Stadium…..but no notification???? Well, they had snuck a note in the mailbox sometime Sunday but who checks their mailboxes when there is no delivery that day…so you guessed it…no water harvested….
Somehow, we made it through, hallujah…. somehow the City completed their work within 11.5 hours…so it was all good….I know, I know, so first World Problem…because well… we are such snowflakes, piling high and melting at the first hint of heat. Yes, those Third World Problem Solvers are pointing a finger, busting a gut laughing at us as they struggle with thirst, hunger, homelessness and war zones…so it is our little Secret… (our dirty laundry???), we got to keep our Pride in tact…especially when the Two Footed can’t shower, make coffee, wash dishes or horror of horror….or even flush their toilets for 12 hours….Truth be told even the Four Footed of the First World are snowflakes that melt at the hint that their life is disrupted…by anything…
May God Have Mercy on Snowflakes.
2017 These Are A Few of Our Favorite Things
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
All His Jewels
In the Good Ole Winter Time
From Morguefile.com
IMG_0240.JPGBy preetnan
It was a relentless month …it snowed and snowed, then it snowed some more, then just when you thought we had enough, well, it snowed again… Kept Momma hopping, even with a contractor that cleans out the driveway and shovels the walkways…
But then there are those noisy-good-for-nothing sidewalk ploughs, driven by the idiots (so says Momma, who can be harsh and judgmental) whose one passion in life is to cut up your front gardens, chewing and spewing bits of our brick hedges like a hackman on speed and if that is not enough, after your gateway has been ploughed….they are back…(like a poltergeist) heaving heavy slabs of ice in absolute mountains, blocking any chance of exiting with a car… until spring comes or Momma gets out her shovel.
One day, like a cowboy, Momma decided to take a chance, ride the wave, scale the mountain. It did not go well….because well, how do I put this delicately…she is a woman driver.
I mean, I, the Ultimate Earth Dog could probably have done it…but Momma…not so much…even with a fairly new car (well 2 years old but hardly driven) and top of the line winter snow tires. Momma got stuck… she could not go ahead, she could not go back, her goose was cooked and it was 7:00am…like who in their right mind is up and about at that ungodly time of day to help her?
Oh, but God is Good and Momma has no shame. She’ll ask, she’ll beg for help…that is the positive thing about being a female…we can suck it up, shake it off and never feel any the worse for it.
And so Momma went to our neighbour next door. He is a sweet♥ says Momma…but alas a sleeping sweet♥…he either didn’t hear or didn’t answer because maybe he did not feel like pushing another car this blankity-blank month.
Just then, across the street, in that house where Momma is not really sure what goes on… We just know important looking men usher middle class folks in to sign on the dotted line for high interest loans that banks refuse to give them because they are new to the country or single parents or high credit risks. Also ensconced in what is listed as a residential home so their taxes stay low (hey, the city was told but they would rather fight with the residents than turn away any business, legit or fishy), is an apartment that a very young, beautiful couple live. The Little Lady leaves the house at 7:00am everyday, hi ho, hi ho…it’s off to work she goes…she is as regimented as Momma, it seems. But Momma has talked to the Young Gent, who is what every Mother dreams her son will be….polite, friendly, helpful…the list goes on and on and on.
Like quick silver, Momma rushed over, explained her predicament and the Little Lady was very understanding (considering the number of times she had talked to Momma – Zero…but they had waved at each other, friendly like). In no time, the Young Gent was out and being a construction worker, cautioned Momma that it would take some revving.
Like, having grown up with, around Cousin Buddy, Momma understood heavy-duty revving….Cousin Buddy revved motorcycles, snowmobiles, cars or anything with an engine, till it saw it his way and cooperated.
In no time the Young Gent with the many piercings and severe tattoos, strategically placed, had the car unstuck, told Momma, anytime…and was off…We are hoping that Momma learned her lesson but being a cousin to Buddy, we make no promises.
And that Virginia, is what makes winter… fun…. well…sort of!
Ode to the Dying
Don’t you go dying in the Winter…We have commitments you see…My child is winning Gold Medals...And just can’t do it without me…No hockey brawls for us…Figure skating full-time.
Now don’t you go dying in the Spring time…. That’s when the glamour shows hit the ice…I expect my kid to be the show stopper…To miss it would not be right….No swimming team for us….Figure skating full-time.
And you can’t be dying in the summer …We’d be frantic fitting you in…Summer skating pays the coach wages….We’ll be there, it’s a sure thing…No baseball bats for us…Figure skating full-time.
We can’t have you dying in the autumn…The judges are depending on you...We pay them even if we skip it…So what do you think we should do??? No tossing around footballs...Figure skating full-time.
So don’t go dying on us anytime…We’ve got a busy schedule to keep…In an arena, freezing our unmentionables….With time off if the Coach says we can sleep...No family life for us…Figure skating full-time.
Love Thy Neighbor
♥ thy neighbour, as thyself… especially if you are an 80 pound weakling…like Momma.
It was a crazy month, December…it snowed, then it snowed some more, then just when you thought we had enough, well, it snowed again…Kept Momma hopping, even with a contractor that cleans out the driveway and shovels the walkways…
But then there are those noisy-good-for-nothing sidewalk plows, driven by the city clowns (so says Momma) whose one passion in life (it seems) is to cut up your front gardens, chewing and spewing bits of our brick hedges like a Pac-Man on speed…and if that is not enough , after your gateway has been ploughed….they are back…(like a poltergeist) heaving heavy slabs of ice in absolute mountains, blocking any chance of exiting with a car…until spring comes or Momma gets out her shovel.
One day, like a cowboy, Momma decided to take a chance, ride the wave, scale the mountain. It did not turn out well….because, how do I put this delicately…Momma is a woman driver. I mean, I, the Ultimate Earth Dog could probably have done it…but Momma…not so much…even with a fairly new car (well 2 years old but hardly driven) and top of the line winter snow tires. Momma got stuck…she could not go ahead, she could not go back, her goose was cooked and it was not even Christmas Day…and 7:00am…like who in their right mind is out and about at that ungodly time of day to help her?
Oh, but God is Good and Momma has no shame.
She’ll pray to the Virgin Mary and Sweet Baby Jesus, and if that doesn’t work, she’ll beg for help…that is the positive thing about being a female…we can suck it up, shake it off and never feel any the worse for it.
And so Momma went to our neighbour next door. He is a sweetheart says Momma…but alas a sleeping sweetheart…he either didn’t hear or didn’t answer because he did not feel like pushing another car this blankity-blank month.
Just then, across the street, in that house where we are not really sure what goes on (Momma sees everything)…We just know important looking men usher all manner of folks in to sign on the dotted line for high interest loans that banks refuse to give them because they are new to the country or single parents or high credit risks. Also ensconced in what is listed as a residential home so their taxes stay low, (hey, the city was told but they would rather fight with the residents than turn away any business, legit or fishy), is an apartment where a very young, beautiful couple live. The Little Lady, who has the beauty of an Angel, leaves the house at 7:00am everyday, hiho, hiho…it’s off to work she goes…she is as regimented as Momma, it seems. But Momma has talked to the Young Gent, who is what every Mother dreams her son will be…polite, friendly, helpful…the list goes on and on and on….so cool with all those tats and shiny earrings.
Like quick silver, Momma rushed over, explained her predicament and the Little Lady was very understanding (considering the number of times she had talked to Momma – Zero…but they had waved at each other, friendly like). In no time, the Young Gent was out and being a construction worker, cautioned Momma after surveying the situation, it would take some revving. Like, no worries, having grown up around 1st Cousin Buddy, Momma understood heavy-duty revving…Cousin Buddy revved motorcycles, snowmobiles, cars or anything with an engine, till it saw it his way and cooperated.
In no time the Young Gent had the car unstuck, told Momma, anytime…and was off…We are hoping that Momma learned her lesson but being a cousin to Buddy, we make no promises.
So…. Best Practise: ♥ thy neighbour, as thyself…because you never know when you might need them.
2016 These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Things
Happy and Blessed New Year
My Boy’s Gonna Make It In the Big League
Momma says even more demoralizing than the Annual Christmas Brag Sheet Card, depicting the birth of Sweet Baby Jesus, born long ago in a Manger, is that Social Media Message that pops up, unsolicited, from someone you knew, ‘in the day’ (as Baby Boomers say), left behind because well, she had a different incomprehensible agenda.
Let’s call her Miss High School Sweetheart, not interested in attaining an education….no, she had a nesting instinct…kind of old-fashioned for the Flower Power Children of the ‘60’s but to each his own. Now Momma, she was all about leaving (what she considered) her Godforsaken, claustrophobic, bucolic town behind, to meet and conquer the world. (LOL)
Kudos to Miss High School Sweetheart for having Plan–Check–Do Act before businesses even threw three day conferences to bring it to the masses. Her strategy must have trickled down from her father who had a prestigious executive position. Although more Girl-Next-Door than a Beauty Queen, Miss High School Sweetheart had the advantage of being from Snob Hill, which made some guys look twice (well, at least one Good Ole Country Boy).
Like bees to the honey, Miss High School Sweetheart trapped her unsuspecting-hockey-playing-never-saw-it-coming Good Ole Country Boy. They walked down the school halls hand-in-hand. They stole kisses when teachers weren’t looking. Apparently they also did much more when no one was looking because in no time they came along pushing a baby carriage….no more talk of higher education. Upon graduation Good Ole Country Boy got a job at the local mill while Miss High School Sweetheart became what is known today as a Stay-At-Home-Mom…sacrifices all around or was Plan–Check–Do Act a success?
So… what would Miss High School Sweetheart, want with Momma, at this stage, you wonder…well, to Brag, of course….that Baby in the Carriage had made it in the Big League, (National Hockey League) which is more precious in small town Canada than all the green tea in China, all the Crown Jewels…you get it….it is BIG…oh, and the Baby in the Carriage was in University on a scholarship because of his hockey prowess.
From Morguefile.com
File 1532482557 By: Drummerboy
Oh…and one more thing…did Momma have any contact with Ms. Doctor-in-Chief, (born with a stethoscope around her baby neck), also in the same grade as Momma and Miss High School Sweetheart ….also from Snob Hill. Miss High School Sweetheart was desperate to let Ms. Doctor-in-Chief know the Glad Tidings which was all rather strange to Momma… Ms. Doctor-in-Chief, was so dedicated to her future success that she would never hang out with fluff-on-the-road-to-nowhere.
Momma shot off a quick reply to Miss High School Sweetheart and to date has not heard from her again….too bad…so sad…and, oh Congratulations cause…
My boy never made it to the Big League / My boy never turned some heads / My boy never made it to the Big League / My boy never knocked some heads…in the Big League (Paraphrase Tom Cochrane).
