Happy Birthday Canada!

So, today marks birthday number one hundred and forty-five for Canada and I swear, she doesn't look a day over one hundred! Happy birthday old girl! We love you for your acceptance, your freedoms and your world-wide reputation for being just plain "nice." :-)

<<<Canada Rocks :-)

And happy twenty-fifth birthday to our "Loonie." Our federal government's way of telling us that our dollar wasn't worth the paper it was written on, and was instead, reduced to pocket change.



The reason behind ripped pockets, heavy purses, and longer waits at check-out counters. "Urgh I know it's in here...nope, it's a toonie not a loonie..." <Sigh.>

And finally...

I may not be a drinker, but who wouldn't appreciate this creative tribute to Canada?

It's in the CAN...:-)

Simply Sarah

Mom and I hit Toronto to see Sarah McLachlan on Friday night...what a treat! It's an outdoor facility (always a gamble for seeing concerts in these parts.) It was gorgeous! Or first official day of summer and they weather held true. The bonus was the occasional plane seen/ heard in the background. (Island Airport is right there) Planes, stars and Sarah with the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra. It was truly a gift at a time when I really needed it. The music floated around us as day slipped into night, the crowd alternating between a quiet hush and thunderous applause.

The review in the newspaper the following day mentioned that they didn't feel that Sarah made enough use of the orchestra in the first half of the show (Mom and I did notice them sitting on stage with nothing to do) but I think Sarah was trying to get her bearings on stage. It's her first tour since the split from her bass playing husband (a split that re-defined her band) and I think she wanted to make sure that she could still go out there and carry a show on her own. The verdict is in---she absolutely can. Such a clear/melodic voice....simply beautiful. She pulls you in, and somehow never lets go. Don't let her diminutive stature fool you, little body, big voice, as she quietly takes control of the performance. It's clear that each number is carefully selected to fit into the context of the show. It was also clear that she was emotional, nervous, and humbled all rolled into one.

It was hard to miss her shining excitement as she took centre stage. She may not get to do it as often anymore (two small children will do that to you) but she really did seem to revel in it with a quiet intensity that I envied. It's a true gift to watch someone spread their wings and figure out that they can still fly, even if life tried to clip their wings. It was a night to remember if for that reason alone.

Well done, Sarah. "I will remember you..."

Surprise Beach Day

This past Saturday Mom surprised me, picking me up and taking me to the beach that we both love so much. (Port Dover) She had originally just talked about MAYBE going for a drive, so this was a real treat. We grabbed our Timmy's Coffee Mugs, hit the local market for some apple cider donuts (surprise number two---sooooo good) and headed out.

What a beautiful drive. Blue sky full of billowy clouds, cows grazing in green pastures, horses eyeing us from their pens, everyone out in full force to enjoy our first REAL summer day.

The beach was teaming with swimmers, CRAZINESS. I had checked the water temps before we left and Lake Erie (where we were) was a whooping 63 degrees. Mom walked in, swearing it was like soup but I think it was just in the shallow parts because one girl came out shivering/blue and said it was freezing. Good to know I wasn't missing much!

I walked from the car to the beach in my bare feet. We got a great parking spot so I made the attempt and managed not to scrape my feet to shreds. Those of you who can go barefoot every day are sooo lucky. Normally, with any kind of distance, my foot would drag, scraping my toes until they were a bloody mess. I just kept reminding myself to pick my feet up and did okay, but man, the sand was HOT.

We hit the restaurant on the beach for supper (another treat, I hadn't been in years) It was really good and we played "eye spy" watching what dishes other people choose and just how much they ate. (Wow--we had a window seat and watched one couple scarf down about six dishes, including mussels, hello big bill!) Lucky for us, they didn't catch us watching them as our convo went something like this. "Did you see how he just shoved that roll in? OMG, here comes more food...Can you believe it?" LOL Hope they enjoyed, and kudos to the boyfriend for not batting an eye as he picked up the cheque. :-)

No room for ice-cream, but believe me I wanted to find room. Does anything taste as delicious as that first scoop of summer ice-cream? Hello, peanut butter chocolate..next time!

All in all, a great day!

Thanks Mom for making an ordinary day something to remember.

Nik at night does the Falls...

I just finished watching nutbar Nick walk across Niagara Falls. Who stops in the middle to answer questions/hold a press conference? Talk about a publicity stunt. No doubt it will "go down in history," but I still don't like the guy. Apparently humble isn't in his vocabulary.

And P.S. Who sticks their kid on a highwire at the age of two? Interesting family no doubt, right up there with

Evel Knievel.

The families probably do lunch. :-)

"I walked the Falls"

"Well I jumped over fifty buses on my Harley..."

"What should we do next?"

"I know! I'll walk over the Falls, while you hurl your bike over my head and land on the rope just in front of me, while balancing a ball on your nose!"

"Sounds good! If we both live to tell the tale, I'll spring for the next round."

"Great! Have your people call my people and we'll set it all up. And Dude? We can't forget the book deal this time because these stunts require some serious coin.."

"Not a problem. See you soon man!"

:P

Smart Dogs and another radio adventure...

I don't need kids to give me grey hair, selling stuff on kijiji does it for me. The upside is the extra cash, the downside, the constant hassle from people that have no respect for you, your time or your desire to sell things at a REASONABLE price. Yesterday I was offered eighty dollars for tickets that run one hundred and three EACH. <Delete.>

New radio story to come....just need to finish my weekend selling bonanza...bbl!

Here's a cute little clip of yet another smart doggy to keep you entertained until I can finish my story....

Can you believe how smart this little one is?

Ahhh yes, my latest radio experience...

People always think winning on the radio is all about luck. I'm here to tell you that it's not. The regular radio announcer told his listeners that he was going to be away the following morning and that his "fill in" host would be on location...translation? The people working at the station would be answering the phones for Lady Antebellum tickets. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but in short, it means they have no clue what's going on, so, if you take the time to explain it to them, they will often just give you the prize because you're the first one to call in.

It worked. The annoucer at the remote location said the "winning" phrase and away Mom and I went. It turns out, Mom was the first one through, but she didn't explain it well enough so the girl hung up on her. Cue me. A full minute after she says the phrase I call in and when the girl answers I say "That's the winning Lady A phrase, I thought you'd be really busy..."
"We were" she says,  "I just picked a random line." No doubt she was tired of being told what had just happened. "Hang on, I'll get a pen for your information."

Hello 250 dollars for one carefully planned phone call. Taking advantage of chaos works for us!

Would you like some ice with that? Shaken, not stirred...

Glacier does a somersault...

HEAR, HEAR!

Made my day to watch this. Isn't technology wonderful? The great equalizer.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/05/31/cooper-toddler-hears-moms-voice-for-first-time_n_1560277.html?ir=Canada+Living&icid=maing-grid7%7Ccanada%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D166099

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZDD7Ohs5tAk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=v1TA_AbhqA8