Call Me a Fan

"How about you going to buy milk? And a coffee for me?"

Big Bear's request this morning was accompanied by pleading eyes , which, along with his constant hard work at home over the past three weeks, softened my normally stony heart. So I popped off in my one-year-old car (Happy Birthday, sweet Rogue!) to Safeway.

The milk quickly became a little more. I couldn't resist the large container of local blueberries. They would definitely require cream. If I wanted to bake a pie-type thing with those blueberries, I'd be needing more butter. And that to-die-for potato salad with green olives that I had last night came from the Fine Cooking magazine - got to get that. Oh, speaking of potato salad, we're out of mayo...

After buying my "milk", I lugged the three bags over to the conveniently located in-house Starbucks. One grande decaf americano misto for the Bear, and a chai tea (hold the milk) for me. No thanks, no tray; I can carry it all.

I was fine across the parking lot, unlocked the car without a problem, and even started to open the door. But it was then that disaster struck.

The grande decaf americano misto tottered, then did a delicate swan dive onto the pavement, splattering my car door and even my shirt in the process.

(the remains of the coffee)

I said a bad word, loaded the rest of my treasures into the car, and went back to Starbucks. After all, this coffee was the real reason I'd been asked to go out (the milk was obviously a smokescreen).

And those lovely baristas in Starbucks no only commiserated with me and made a new cup, they didn't charge me for it!

Now I have never been a real live coffee drinker; I just dabble in lattes and frappucinos. But there's something about Starbucks. The atmosphere, the clean and creative graphics (I always look forward to their Christmas designs), the upbeat employees, the fact that you can sit for hours in comfie chairs with one cheap cup of tea, the free drinks, it all comes together for me. They've really got a good thing going, and I'm an unashamed sucker for it!

A Mystery Partially Solved

Give a boy a shovel and a mysterious buried object, and guess what will happen?

He will dig!

Several years ago, I discovered something strange buried in a garden bed. What was it? First I thought it might be an old oil tank, but the neighbours told me the house was never heated with oil. Then I wondered if it was some old hazardous waste.

As I have been in a ruthless state of mind recently and ripping apart all kinds of beds (garden), I decided it was time for this one to go.

My nephew, Liam, came over today with his friend, James. And I handed them each a shovel. What a loving auntie I am!

The boys set to work with excitement and ripped apart the wooden sides. As they began to dig, they quickly decided that the mysterious object was a hot tub.
And they were right! It even has a little light in it! But can you imagine wanting a hot tub this small?? And why was it buried in my garden?
When Big Bear and his bro came to see it, they immediately knew that it was a demo.

Know-it-alls.

But it still doesn't explain why it was in my garden.
I listened to Liam and James as they dug; they were telling each other how fun this was. Next time I ask my boys to dig, maybe I should tell them there's something buried.

And now, I am taking my little garden elves out to lunch!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I had a lovely, low-key birthday yesterday.

I took a stack of books out of the library, bought a sweet cake at the bakery, had dim sum with Big Bear, went shopping for a birthday present (the leather Pandora necklace with two beads), had my parents over for dinner, and was generally pleased with the day.

The only thing I didn't do was to meet Tim 'n' Lea at the beach for fireworks. So sad... but in the end, the weather clouded over and wasn't nearly so nice.

And the last thing I did before turning out my light was to have a delightful phone conversation.

Thanks for topping off a lovely day!

Five Things

Yay, summer has arrived! Everyone is very

happy, especially as the summer weather really took its sweet time to get here. Nevertheless, here we are. And I can't seem to figure out the formatting of these photos. They're supposed to be beside each other...

Anyway. Here are five things that I have enjoyed so far.

1. Little Bear and I went to see Charlie Winston in concert. It was his first time in Vancouver, and we thoroughly enjoyed him! I am still a little amazed, though, that a young man would be willing to go to a concert with his mother! I'm sure that people thought I was a cougar. Hee hee!

2. I spent the day with a group of teachers at a leadership course, telling my "leadership story" and giving my meager input. Later, we all drove up to Mount Baker (this was across the border, in the US) and had some fun in the snow. It was spectacular, as you can see!

3. My dad had his last chemo treatment and we decided to have a party to celebrate life! We hired a jazz trio, who performed on Tim 'n' Lea's deck overlooking the ocean, and surprised him with dinner, friends, and music. It was one of those magical evenings that we won't forget.

4. My lovely colleague, Hannah got married last weekend. She's one of those people who thinks of the details that wouldn't ever occur to me, and it was very evident in her wedding. It was a lovely wedding, but honestly, I have no idea how she was able to plan so much, so soon after school ended! I really hope they will have a restful honeymoon, as I think they spent the past week at family dinners and gatherings.

5. Big Bear and I went camping for three days at my very favourite place, Point Roberts. It's a tiny little bit of the USA that is only accessible through Canada. Best of all, it's on the ocean!
After two stormy nights, the weather brightened up and I drank in the sunshine. This is what I love; everything is blue! I really do think that I was meant to live on the beach. The sound, the smell, the feel of the breeze (and the sun!), the colours... it's all part of the ocean package.
And now it is finally time for my garden to get straightened out. The resident weeds must think that they have free rein to grow as much as they want. Now that school is out, though, it's reckoning time.

Life is good.

Musical Talent

Southern Ange, I am always so impressed by the musical talents of your amazing boys. So focused, so skilled, so... civilized! And the beautiful music that just flows from their fingers...

I have wished and wished that I, too, had an impressive video to post that would show my sons' amazing talents. And now I do!

Little Bear, as part of an application for a TV show called Wipeout Canada (can't you just picture it...?), created a music video with Little Joe and a couple of friends. And just for you, here it is!

(I sure hope there aren't more of those difficulties with accessing Youtube from Down Under.)

("It's ripping time" is the phrase he chose to be his signature motto for the show. Should he be chosen. And for some reason, they asked if he believed in life on other planets. Hmmm...)

I'm so proud!

Sigh.

(The side of the video is partly cut off on the blog, but if you double click on it, you'll see the whole thing. More quality viewing pleasure for you!)