My Obsession

I wish I was ten years younger - I don't want to go back to my teens...I don't even want to go back to my twenties ...or thirties. Give me a good solid forty and I would be happy with that!! Back before I started to ache and complain about my shoulder and neck, back just far enough that I still held out hope for paying off the farm, just back far enough that I seemed to be able to stay up all night, and still be productive during the day, back when I had the most energy, but was uber wise from all of my forty years on the earth. What would I do if I was forty again?

I would be brave, I would be daring, I would be well off enough to know that I could take a big chance and know that I could make it pay off. I would...
BUY A RESTAURANT!!!!

We, as a family, are lamenting the fact that one of our favorite restaurants is closing down next week, due to health issues with the principal owner. Separately, a few weeks ago, every one of my three kids came to me with the proposition of "us" buying the place. "Us" means that they wanted to invest in the project, but I know that "us" does not extend to doing any of the work. What they really meant was that they would chip in some money, but they expected me to be the chief.

I thought about a little. Probably more than a little. Probably more than I should have. I already had the color scheme picked out before a big jolt of reality hit me and knocked me out of my day dreaming ...I mean day scheming. I had already solved every objection that Mike had. I had fixed all of the problems. I had even done some calculations on paper. But, all of a sudden I got a picture in my head of what life would really be like if you were married to a job like that, and even more scary was the thought of having my grown children as partners.

How's this for a thought process: Andrew playing pool all day long in the lounge, buying drinks for all of his friends...Daniel, who can eat his body weight at every meal, ordering three appetisers and two mains, three times a day...Megan busy socializing with everyone, Mike phoning every day asking when I am coming home...

I decided that cute decor and color scheme aside, I was going to have to let this one pass. It is just good that I am ---ty and not forty!

Piles of Junk!

This is a little glimpse into my life these days.



How can I go from my cleaning frenzy in December - my annual purge of all things unnecessary - to this...in less than 60 days?? Where in the hell did all this stuff come from? Do people drop this crap off when I am not home?





Last night, everywhere I looked, there were piles, virtual piles of overflowing, thorn in my side, crap. It was like I was alright one minute and less than a few seconds later, I was a raving idiot. I guess I just snapped. My living room pushed me over the edge.



Imagine this. West wall. Megan's piano with a few nice decorations on top, appropriate sized painting hanging above... looks pretty good - except: IT IS COVERED WITH 20 OR SO MEDICINE BOTTLES, KLEENEX BOX, TOOTHPICKS (used), TWO SETS OF CRUTCHES, TWO ARTIFICIAL LEGS, ALL THE CLOTHES MIKE HAS WORN IN THE PAST THREE DAYS, COFFEE CUP, THREE DRINKING GLASSES, BOWL FOR CHIPS (empty), TWO STANDS FOR LIMB LINERS, OVERFLOWING GARBAGE CAN, USED KLEENEX ON THE FLOOR, AUTO TRADER MAGAZINE, EMPTY WICKER BASKET WHERE THE MEDICINE BOTTLES SHOULD HAVE BEEN...



North wall. MIKE'S EASY CHAIR, LIFT CHAIR FROM MEDI CHAIR, THAT I HATE. MIKE. NICE SIDE TABLE THAT IS NOW PUSHED OUT OF THE WAY, INTO THE CORNER BECAUSE OF THE LIFT CHAIR THAT I HATE! OVERFLOWING WICKER BASKET OF COOK BOOKS.



East wall. TOTALLY COVERED WITH MY SCRAP BOOKING SUPPLIES. CAN'T EVEN SEE THE FLOOR, BECAUSE I HAVE NOT HAD TIME TO PICK ANYTHING UP SINCE I STARTED MY LATEST PROJECT (scrap booking cruise album). TELEPHONE ON FLOOR, WCB PAPERS ALL OVER THE TOP OF MY SCRAP BOOKING TABLE, FOUR ESTIMATES FOR ROOF PROJECTS THAT ANDREW LEFT BEHIND, PHONE BOOK, AUTO TRADER, PACKAGE OF HALF EATEN CHIPS ON TOP OF THE ESTIMATES, CALCULATOR, UNIDENTIFIED VEST (probably Andrew's), EMPTY POP CAN Note: ANDREW'S FAVORITE BRAND, TWO UNPAID BILLS IDENTIFIED AS ANDREW'S



South Wall: NICE WOODEN CALENDAR ON WALL (still set to January), WELL DECORATED SIDE TABLE THAT IS OVERFLOWING WITH MORE COOK BOOKS, SEARS CATALOGUE, LEATHER SOFA WITH COATS DRAPED ALL OVER IT, COOKBOOKS UNDER IT, OPEN NEWSPAPER, EMPTY POP CAN, DIRTY PLATE WITH A FORK (???)



That was the final straw. I just snapped.



This was just one room. Needless to say, after my melt down and subsequent trip to the bathroom to cry in private, I marched right down there and took the bull by the horns. Mike was already cleaning by the time I finished my outburst. He just knew...



Two hours later, a Corona with a lime to settle my nerves and one very large black garbage bag later, peace is restored.



Tomorrow, watch out spare bedroom!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Canadian winters = ice, snow, frozen fingers, mind numbing cold, cars that won't start, liquid things that explode in your vehicle when you forget to take them out, frozen water pipes. Remind me again, why do we live here???? This past week has been a constant reminder that there has to be somewhere in the world where we could be at this time of the year, rather than down here in the frozen south!

The -35 weather has sorely vexed my soul. I hate winter!! I am perfectly content to watch hockey on the tube, love the wood burning stove (my scrapbook table is set up just about on top of it) and I could care less about going outside. I don't enjoy any winter sport - unless drinking hot mulled wine counts for anything, and I would be content to hibernate until spring, if given half the chance. Winter does not even make it into my scrapbooks, unless someone takes photos for me and shares them! So, thanks, Tracey for these wonderful photos.

My Canadian winter pastime is scrap booking - it does not require the likes of gloves, scarves, snow boots, it can easily be accomplished without shoveling or chipping ice, you do not get frozen fingers or toes. Just inky ones!