Mother's Day

Finally a beautiful sunny and warm weekend.
The usual busy one as well.
Sunday was filled with lots of fun.

In the morning we met mom and dad and Adam and Yvonne and kids at the Royal Botanical Gardens. We had hoped to walk through the rock garden but seems us early birds were an hour too early to enter the grounds.  Instead we enjoyed a walk along the marsh.

We were surrounded by a symphony of nature sounds - the frogs and birds were chirping non-stop.  I was surprised when I heard something moving through the grass. A snake? Yes.  

And what did Evann and Leah find the most fascinating? 

On our way to brunch, we stopped in at the cemetery to pay our respects to Gramma and Grampa Hammond and Uncle Dennis.

The setting is breathtaking and it stimulated an interesting discussion with Evann on cremation vs burial.  I love walking through cemeteries and it seems that the girls found it more fun than they expected. Especially when they found Snape and Potter headstones a few feet from the other.   

Brunch at a local restaurant was delicious. Avry and Sydney kept us entertained.

Home to do a bit of laundry and hang it outside. Evann and I raced out the door when we received an invite to take a spin in Brigid's convertible. Five girls piled in and we cruised downtown Oakville. 

And just hung around the car a bit...

We did manage to tear ourselves away from the car and take in the busy little downtown and its ice cream stores and bakeries.

My oh my, that was a fun way to cap off a lovely Mother's Day.

City girls

A few weekends ago, Leah and I spent time in the big city.

We went to the preview of Hoodwinked 2

Took in some art at the AGO

And enjoyed ice cream a la Henry Moore

On our way to the AGO, we stopped into a little clothing shop that I used to frequent when I worked on University Avenue.  The owners, Gina and Marcia, would greet me by name and get me to try on (and buy) all kinds of outfits that I normally wouldn't consider wearing.  "Val", Gina enthused, "this would look great on you!" Yes their job was to sell, but they also steered me clear of certain styles and colours. Any time I reach for a boxy jacket, I can hear Marcia matter-of-factly state "Val, that is not a flattering look for you." I still wear just about everything I have bought from that place the past ten years.  And while I would not call most of the pieces classics, they certainly have stood the test of the fashion trends of the last decade.   

Over the years, the girls (Gina and Marcia) have heard about my girls so I thought it would be nice to drop in at the store and introduce them to Leah.  Gina was on her own that day, and immediately told Leah how much fun she had dressing me - I felt like she was talking about Barbie.  Gina then proceeded to go through the store and find a dozen things for me to try on. Not exactly what I had in mind, but with Leah's blessing, we held an impromptu fashion show.  Leah laughed along with us and seemed to enjoy the banter between me and Gina. I kept waiting for Leah to get bored and politely ask when we could leave, but instead, she sat and gave the thumbs up or down on the various dresses and outfits Gina threw at me. In the end, I didn't buy anything.  Gina knows that I will be back.

I keep wondering what it was that had Leah grinning ear-to-ear in the store that day. She seemed so happy to see me having fun.

I guess it is called retail therapy for good reason.

It's here!!!

I want to run up and down the street shouting "It's here, it's here! It's finally here!"

Instead I will:

show you my copy,

this picture of Ev who grabbed the book out of the carton as soon as I ripped it open,

and quickly log off, get ready for bed and crack open 

COUSIN KYRAN'S BOOK!!!

Uh oh, I think that I am going to cry...

A much better weekend thank-you-very-much

Opa made his triumphant return home on Friday.  We celebrated with beer and pizza. Already today he looks (and sounds) considerably healthier and happier.

Ev reports that her toe feels fine.  We made a good call leaving the wheelchair at the hospital last week:

We took a break from house showings this weekend.  It didn't take long for the place to look cluttered.  Tomorrow we are back to a pristine home to showcase to prospective buyers.  (We had an offer on the place this weekend, but could not find agreement on a selling price.  We will wait it out until we get what we want. We are buoyed by the recent listing of another home on this street - for way more than what we are asking.)

Saturday night I ventured out to the King Eddy hotel to attend an engagement party for a colleague.  It was a beautiful and busy night in the city. It took me 15 minutes to find a parking spot - the city and bars were packed with UFC fans.

My friend and colleague Alexandra is grace personified. She is smart, fun and wiser than her years.  She's also the youngest of three daughters and hence a great advisor as I try to do my mom thing without inflicting years of future psychotherapy sessions on my girls.

The ballroom was full of people thrilled to be celebrating Aly and Mike's engagement.  I had a great time putting together the faces to the people in the stories Aly shared about her family and friends.  All good - really!  The oyster bar sommelier - or whatever those guys are called - walked us through the oyster selections.  I tried not to overstay my welcome at that table.

I found a nice couple to chat with and if all goes well, Aly and I will be joining them at some fun, hip bar in Parkdale some Friday night in May.  They assured me that there would be people "my age" there. I don't think they were patronizing me....

Here I am with Aly earlier in the evening:

Sunday up bright and early.  A run to the airport, then up to Mt. Forest via Hamilton.  I dropped off Loretta at her aunt's, then spent a few hours with my other step-mom, Marie.  It's been four years since Dad died and it has been a difficult time for Marie to figure out how to live her life without Dad.  She is ready to move out of the home they shared and asked me to come up and go through some of Dad's things.  I asked if I could have some of his tools - they will be good to have when I'm on my own. There are some pictures and some old certificates and deeds that will be fun to go through with Dwayne some day.  Dad always had a pocketknife on him, and we now have a very old one of his.  There are a lot of his hats - Dwayne will get them all but the Yankees cap. I needed a new one for ball this year, and this one will work well. Cuff links and tie pins and clips. A straight razor and a travel bar kit.

There are a few things from his mom - his biological mom.  He was raised by his grandparents.  Another story for another time.

They are things. They tell a bit of a story. But there are two items that I look forward to using that will connect me to Dad every time.  One is a big blue leather rocker/recliner chair.  The chair has seen better days - the leather on the arms is worn thin.  But it is cosy and comfy and it feels like I am being hugged when I sit in it.  Dad would nap in that chair.  The day he died, Marie said that they had lunch together and then Dad went downstairs to have a quick nap before he had to head back to work.  He wasn't out of the house more than 10 minutes before he suffered a fatal heart attack.

I also have his slippers.  They would be parked beside his desk when he wasn't wearing them.  The last few years Dad played the stock market. He had a complicated formula that he felt would some day make him rich.  My most recent memories of him are sitting at the desk in front of the computer, slippers on, explaining how he bought and sold his shares.  I don't think he ever made any money.  But he did have a lot of fun trying to outwit "the system".

He is gone, but will never be forgotten.