Another house viewing - another hot day.
This house was SO high in the sky - the views were awesome. The sea, the city, the golf course spread out before us.
Inside the house was also spectacular. Huge windows everywhere - something vaguely "oriental" about the color scheme.
I like to see a place unfurnished. Realtors say this is unusual - "Oh no, they can't imagine the place with no furniture".
I have trouble getting past the "stuff" - beautiful choices in art, or bedspreads, or carpets. I even scan the library to see what they like to read. And that's not what we're there for. If the place is empty, you know exactly what the product is, exactly how it's going to look when the furniture arrives. Speaking of which, the grand piano gets a "lot of press".
"She's got a beautiful grand piano", he says. From then on, everyone is picking out the perfect spot for the grand piano. I'm vaguely uncomfortable with this, convinced that they are imagining me whirling up and down the keys with extreme precision and talent. I find myself trying to change the subject.
Today the realtor says "It's easy to show you a place - you're so enthusiastic. Lots of folks never make any positive or negative comments". Hmmmm. Could this be that I lived for too long in one house? Could it be that I don't get out much? Could it be that I don't want to hurt his feelings?
Yesterday I said to him. "You keep asking us what we're looking for. Don't you have people who give you all those answers, and then end up choosing something completely off the chart?"
"Oh yes, there's always some of those".
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Movin' On -HEAT WAVE!!!
The golf course at 4 in the afternoon strikes me as a dangerous place to be. "I won't walk today. It's too hot"
But the seat on the golf cart is too hot, and I go back to walking. There are shadows along the tree line, and that's where I try to shoot my ball. I do surprisingly well on the first nine, considering my state of mind. Which is "What am I doing here?"
Yes, there's a major heat wave here. Records are being set, and people are starting to tell their "I was so hot that . . . . ." stories.
I bought a tube of sun block - my first one in a long time. Where I come from, it's been so cool that by the time you found a day to use your sun block, it was way out of date.
I bought hot weather clothes - my first such attire in a long time. No need.
Our vehicle lost it's air-conditioning a while back and we wondered whether to spend the money to fix it, as we're getting rid of it soon. Thank goodness we went through with the repair. Our car is one of the coolest places to be right now.
I feel sorry for the people who have to tidy up their homes so that a possible buyer can look at it. That's what we're doing right now a lot of the time, and what a hassle it must be for them.
My sandals have left marks on my feet, so if I wear other shoes, it looks funny, and I have the feeling it will take a year to get rid of this dark tan.
People are sitting outside of an evening visiting with friends - such happy voices. Others just enjoying a book, perhaps, or doing a bit of gardening, saw a lady knitting yesterday. It occurred to me that we never did this in our other life. Either too hot, too cold, too windy, too many bugs.
The beach is busy right now. At 5:30 this morning a woman sat in the wooden chair on the lawn taking pictures of the sun rising. I never saw her before.
But the seat on the golf cart is too hot, and I go back to walking. There are shadows along the tree line, and that's where I try to shoot my ball. I do surprisingly well on the first nine, considering my state of mind. Which is "What am I doing here?"
Yes, there's a major heat wave here. Records are being set, and people are starting to tell their "I was so hot that . . . . ." stories.
I bought a tube of sun block - my first one in a long time. Where I come from, it's been so cool that by the time you found a day to use your sun block, it was way out of date.
I bought hot weather clothes - my first such attire in a long time. No need.
Our vehicle lost it's air-conditioning a while back and we wondered whether to spend the money to fix it, as we're getting rid of it soon. Thank goodness we went through with the repair. Our car is one of the coolest places to be right now.
I feel sorry for the people who have to tidy up their homes so that a possible buyer can look at it. That's what we're doing right now a lot of the time, and what a hassle it must be for them.
My sandals have left marks on my feet, so if I wear other shoes, it looks funny, and I have the feeling it will take a year to get rid of this dark tan.
People are sitting outside of an evening visiting with friends - such happy voices. Others just enjoying a book, perhaps, or doing a bit of gardening, saw a lady knitting yesterday. It occurred to me that we never did this in our other life. Either too hot, too cold, too windy, too many bugs.
The beach is busy right now. At 5:30 this morning a woman sat in the wooden chair on the lawn taking pictures of the sun rising. I never saw her before.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Movin' On - morning
The crows wake me up. 7:00.
The tide is way out - the beach and sand spread far. One lone walker way off in the distance.
I stand on the deck and before long a young man comes running with his dog. The dog is in "sheer delight" mode. He runs fast, then stops looking back at his master, tail wagging mightily. Then bounds off again and becomes so joyful he lays down and wiggles on his back in the sand, gets up again and bounds off. This is a happy dog.
On the other side, another dog walker. This is a small dog - on a leash. I kid you not. Acres and acres of virtually empty beach, and this gal has her little dog on a leash. Do you suppose she lives her whole life on a leash? Views her actions narrowly, carefully, and seriously? Maybe she doesn't laugh a lot? Act silly? Take a chance? Who knows? Perhaps the dog is completely content to be on the leash.
I wanted the happy dog and the careful dog to meet, but they went their different ways.
Little kids out on the beach - So early! - each with their little styrofoam pink, blue, and yellow "rafts" - pulling the string and the raft coming along so obediently behind them. They start out slowly, and then one of them does a little hop. The other one skips a bit, and suddenly the three of them are bounding with abandon across the sand. This beach works magic at every moment. The kids seem to quickly fill up their "joy juice" tank, and they are smitten for the rest of the day. Wow! They must sleep so well at night.
The tide is way out - the beach and sand spread far. One lone walker way off in the distance.
I stand on the deck and before long a young man comes running with his dog. The dog is in "sheer delight" mode. He runs fast, then stops looking back at his master, tail wagging mightily. Then bounds off again and becomes so joyful he lays down and wiggles on his back in the sand, gets up again and bounds off. This is a happy dog.
On the other side, another dog walker. This is a small dog - on a leash. I kid you not. Acres and acres of virtually empty beach, and this gal has her little dog on a leash. Do you suppose she lives her whole life on a leash? Views her actions narrowly, carefully, and seriously? Maybe she doesn't laugh a lot? Act silly? Take a chance? Who knows? Perhaps the dog is completely content to be on the leash.
I wanted the happy dog and the careful dog to meet, but they went their different ways.
Little kids out on the beach - So early! - each with their little styrofoam pink, blue, and yellow "rafts" - pulling the string and the raft coming along so obediently behind them. They start out slowly, and then one of them does a little hop. The other one skips a bit, and suddenly the three of them are bounding with abandon across the sand. This beach works magic at every moment. The kids seem to quickly fill up their "joy juice" tank, and they are smitten for the rest of the day. Wow! They must sleep so well at night.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Movin' On - the beach
We just signed on to a miracle. A cottage in the forest looking out on a huge ocean beach!
We couldn't quite figure it out last night. We arrived late to sign into this place we'd booked a few days back.
We looked out on the beach at 9 in the evening, and there was a group of children having a ball swimming in the ocean. They seemed so far away and vulnerable somehow, but not a parent was to be seen, and they were laughing a splashing about. The water seemed so shallow, and their footing completely comfortable.
This morning I looked out again at 7:30. Long, long beach. Where the children were swimming last night was all sand. People were out for early walks. A boy was trying to get his little surfer going in the shallow water.
Then I noticed that the sand were disappearing and the tide was coming in fast.
In an hour, the families were appearing with the sand pails, and floppy hats, and rubber dingies, and all the paraphernalia of a day at the beach.
What a thrill to have it so quiet. Little cottages all in a row. A perfect washer and dryer just down the road. Golf clubs being loaded next door - a big smile on his face. Friendly faces asking how they can help. "towels? Oh, laundry! Yes, right over there". Is this heaven or not. And we're here for a week.
Realty things today, but tomorrow I'm promised myself a walk on that beach - We even have the different tide times for high and low on a chart in the room. It's amazing how different they are each day. As he says "Yes, this is something we're going to learn about now - the tides. That's what it's all about here - the tides".
Way off in the distance. Children laughing. A breeze in the trees. That's it. The laughter and the breeze.
That's the agenda - to keep those miracles comin' on!
We couldn't quite figure it out last night. We arrived late to sign into this place we'd booked a few days back.
We looked out on the beach at 9 in the evening, and there was a group of children having a ball swimming in the ocean. They seemed so far away and vulnerable somehow, but not a parent was to be seen, and they were laughing a splashing about. The water seemed so shallow, and their footing completely comfortable.
This morning I looked out again at 7:30. Long, long beach. Where the children were swimming last night was all sand. People were out for early walks. A boy was trying to get his little surfer going in the shallow water.
Then I noticed that the sand were disappearing and the tide was coming in fast.
In an hour, the families were appearing with the sand pails, and floppy hats, and rubber dingies, and all the paraphernalia of a day at the beach.
What a thrill to have it so quiet. Little cottages all in a row. A perfect washer and dryer just down the road. Golf clubs being loaded next door - a big smile on his face. Friendly faces asking how they can help. "towels? Oh, laundry! Yes, right over there". Is this heaven or not. And we're here for a week.
Realty things today, but tomorrow I'm promised myself a walk on that beach - We even have the different tide times for high and low on a chart in the room. It's amazing how different they are each day. As he says "Yes, this is something we're going to learn about now - the tides. That's what it's all about here - the tides".
Way off in the distance. Children laughing. A breeze in the trees. That's it. The laughter and the breeze.
That's the agenda - to keep those miracles comin' on!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Movin' On - summer wedding
The summer wedding - out in the country - the wonderful easy feeling of a Saturday afternoon with friends and family bound together in this ritual of love.
The flower girl empties her basket of rose petals with a squeal of delight just as the bride and groom start their vows. Their baby boy in a miniature tuxedo is upside down trying to reach the daisy decoration on the wheel of his wagon. We're sure he will fall out and start wailing just as his Mom and Dad start the "I do"'s.
Cameras everywhere, but nothing bothers this man and woman as they proudly proclaim their promise to "honor each other" forever. We smile, and squeeze the hand of the loved one next to us.
The giggles and hugs, handshakes and toasts continue till sundown.
The next day we meet again with stories of the day before. We've left the stillness of the country and join in the din of city life.
Off in the distance the dragon boats slice the water, the bicycles spin their wheels, and the dogs seem attached to invisible leashes - who would believe there are so many different kinds of dogs!
We meet for lunch outdoors the next day on the wharf. The warm sunshine has made everyone a bit giddy, and the lunch crowd is noisy and talkative.
We are lucky. We are a lucky country to be able to live this way in security, and freedom against this stunning background of the mountains and the sea.
We're sorry to see it end with all the goodbyes "until the next time". Such great family. Such great friends.
Next day we leave the city again and head back to quieter roads and highways, back to our search for "home".
The flower girl empties her basket of rose petals with a squeal of delight just as the bride and groom start their vows. Their baby boy in a miniature tuxedo is upside down trying to reach the daisy decoration on the wheel of his wagon. We're sure he will fall out and start wailing just as his Mom and Dad start the "I do"'s.
Cameras everywhere, but nothing bothers this man and woman as they proudly proclaim their promise to "honor each other" forever. We smile, and squeeze the hand of the loved one next to us.
The giggles and hugs, handshakes and toasts continue till sundown.
The next day we meet again with stories of the day before. We've left the stillness of the country and join in the din of city life.
Off in the distance the dragon boats slice the water, the bicycles spin their wheels, and the dogs seem attached to invisible leashes - who would believe there are so many different kinds of dogs!
We meet for lunch outdoors the next day on the wharf. The warm sunshine has made everyone a bit giddy, and the lunch crowd is noisy and talkative.
We are lucky. We are a lucky country to be able to live this way in security, and freedom against this stunning background of the mountains and the sea.
We're sorry to see it end with all the goodbyes "until the next time". Such great family. Such great friends.
Next day we leave the city again and head back to quieter roads and highways, back to our search for "home".
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Movin' On - the neighbors
He has lots of white hair. Good looking guy - he's up early every morning standing on the deck in front of his room - smoking.
The guy downstairs is also standing in front of his room in his stocking feet - he's standing right where his car should be parked - smoking. He's a happy cat - loves watching the world - the planes taking off, the dogs heading out for their walk - the gardener with his hose.
The woman is big - a big good looking woman. Blond hair, white shorts, blue shirt. She's standing behind a parked car - smoking.
The tough guy is standing beside his truck with a cup of coffee. Big work boots, heavy pants, bit of a belly. He's smoking in a hasty sort of way and gulping his coffee as if he were late.
The woman's guy appears. Long white hair - surprisingly beautiful white hair. He holds out his hand to her and then lights his cigarette. Next time I look she's gone, and he's taken her place. Just standing quietly - smoking.
Now this is a nice place we're in. Perhaps a bit blue collar. But immaculate, well managed, beautiful gardens, happy staff, often full to the brim of a summer evening. So where does all this smoking come from?
And they all seem to know that under the stairwells leading to the second deck, there is a secret place for the cigarette butts. I wonder how come they know this?
The beleaguered smoker. "This room has been serviced for our non-smoking guests. A $200 cleaning fee will be assessed if anyone smokes in this non-smoking room".
It must get cold standing outside in the winter time. They must feel as if the teacher had told them to go stand in the corner for mis-behaviour. And they all hold their cigarettes in a furtive sort of manner, as if they were trying to hide it, as if they weren't really smoking -
The guy downstairs is also standing in front of his room in his stocking feet - he's standing right where his car should be parked - smoking. He's a happy cat - loves watching the world - the planes taking off, the dogs heading out for their walk - the gardener with his hose.
The woman is big - a big good looking woman. Blond hair, white shorts, blue shirt. She's standing behind a parked car - smoking.
The tough guy is standing beside his truck with a cup of coffee. Big work boots, heavy pants, bit of a belly. He's smoking in a hasty sort of way and gulping his coffee as if he were late.
The woman's guy appears. Long white hair - surprisingly beautiful white hair. He holds out his hand to her and then lights his cigarette. Next time I look she's gone, and he's taken her place. Just standing quietly - smoking.
Now this is a nice place we're in. Perhaps a bit blue collar. But immaculate, well managed, beautiful gardens, happy staff, often full to the brim of a summer evening. So where does all this smoking come from?
And they all seem to know that under the stairwells leading to the second deck, there is a secret place for the cigarette butts. I wonder how come they know this?
The beleaguered smoker. "This room has been serviced for our non-smoking guests. A $200 cleaning fee will be assessed if anyone smokes in this non-smoking room".
It must get cold standing outside in the winter time. They must feel as if the teacher had told them to go stand in the corner for mis-behaviour. And they all hold their cigarettes in a furtive sort of manner, as if they were trying to hide it, as if they weren't really smoking -
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Movin' On - the real estate guy
This blog thing of mine has been compromised a bit. I've got a new computer, a new email address, and a different ISP connection every few days. It's daunting. But we struggle along.
We love talking to real estate guys.
And the guy yesterday was very perceptive.
He said "You know, if you guys like to golf a lot, you should concentrate on that when you're looking for a place."
He's right. We've been noticing that there isn't a lot of golf around here. Yes, there's an ocean view, a "laid back" environment, so on and so on. But, like the real estate guy said - FOCUS!
So, we're going to do that. We're looking more closely at what we're looking at. This is a good thing.
As far as the size, and the shape, and the color, and the newness - there's a lot of stuff out here. Greater Victoria - as it's called - really DID overbuild back in 2007.
So the roof over our heads won't be the problem. It's time to find out what to put down in the one, two, and three most important things categories.
He was a nice guy too - had some good properties - and all that. But he didn't try to sell us them. He gave us good advice and we thanked him for it.
Who would have thought?
We love talking to real estate guys.
And the guy yesterday was very perceptive.
He said "You know, if you guys like to golf a lot, you should concentrate on that when you're looking for a place."
He's right. We've been noticing that there isn't a lot of golf around here. Yes, there's an ocean view, a "laid back" environment, so on and so on. But, like the real estate guy said - FOCUS!
So, we're going to do that. We're looking more closely at what we're looking at. This is a good thing.
As far as the size, and the shape, and the color, and the newness - there's a lot of stuff out here. Greater Victoria - as it's called - really DID overbuild back in 2007.
So the roof over our heads won't be the problem. It's time to find out what to put down in the one, two, and three most important things categories.
He was a nice guy too - had some good properties - and all that. But he didn't try to sell us them. He gave us good advice and we thanked him for it.
Who would have thought?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Movin' On - Sidney
We like this town.
It's right along the ocean. It's not super busy. Yes, there's a lot of gray hair, but they're a lively bunch.
Right at the wharf, there's a little shop that sells fish. It's the busiest place in town.
Also facing the wharf is a huge, huge complex. "The Pier". Huge apartments/condos going up 10 floors. Huge hotel right beside it - also going pretty high. It's kind of ugly. We stayed in the hotel last year. Beautiful modern room. I think all of the inside of the place is much better than the outside of the place.
Last night when we checked into "Cedarwood" I had a chance to ask the girl at the desk about Sidney.
"Oh yes, it's a great town. 20 years ago is was a dump, and today - whew - it's just jumping. So much money around here!"
We asked her about "The Pier".
"There was lots of going on and on about it. Lots of people didn't want it to be built. But in the end, it was all about money, all about what it would do for the town. Yes, it's not the prettiest place in the world, but we've come to terms with it".
Now, in mid-summer, the motels and hotels in Sidney seem to have "no vacancy" signs quite often.
Our suite has glorious big windows - all facing the ocean. I have difficulty staying away from them. The walking of the dogs, the children playing in the garden outside, the big boats from across the water, the jets taking off every so often, the long long walk along the ocean - everyone seems to walk along the ocean.
We had fresh bacon fried just right and wonderful toast and fruit and good coffee. Sat outside for our second cup.
Time to start the rest of the day. No golf today. Time to get back to the business of finding a new home.
It's right along the ocean. It's not super busy. Yes, there's a lot of gray hair, but they're a lively bunch.
Right at the wharf, there's a little shop that sells fish. It's the busiest place in town.
Also facing the wharf is a huge, huge complex. "The Pier". Huge apartments/condos going up 10 floors. Huge hotel right beside it - also going pretty high. It's kind of ugly. We stayed in the hotel last year. Beautiful modern room. I think all of the inside of the place is much better than the outside of the place.
Last night when we checked into "Cedarwood" I had a chance to ask the girl at the desk about Sidney.
"Oh yes, it's a great town. 20 years ago is was a dump, and today - whew - it's just jumping. So much money around here!"
We asked her about "The Pier".
"There was lots of going on and on about it. Lots of people didn't want it to be built. But in the end, it was all about money, all about what it would do for the town. Yes, it's not the prettiest place in the world, but we've come to terms with it".
Now, in mid-summer, the motels and hotels in Sidney seem to have "no vacancy" signs quite often.
Our suite has glorious big windows - all facing the ocean. I have difficulty staying away from them. The walking of the dogs, the children playing in the garden outside, the big boats from across the water, the jets taking off every so often, the long long walk along the ocean - everyone seems to walk along the ocean.
We had fresh bacon fried just right and wonderful toast and fruit and good coffee. Sat outside for our second cup.
Time to start the rest of the day. No golf today. Time to get back to the business of finding a new home.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Movin' On - the real estate guy
We see this place we like. We call up the real estate guy whose name is on the sign.
Don King. "Don's not here right now. I'll have him call you right away".
We go to "The Breakfast Place" for food. They have 15 seats in the place, and there's a constant line-up. Bacon and toast and dark roast coffee. Pretty well perfect. The cook comes around to compliment Merv's golf cap - He's wearing one exactly the same.
Don calls. We meet him at this place where they are just finishing some great looking condos. We get the tour.
Don limps. He's on his third knee. At 14 years old it started - juvenile arthritis. His feet are half the normal size. Scars on his hands. We don't value our health the way we should. But he's very upbeat and a good salesman.
"But you called me about this other place. Come on, let's go look at it!"
Whew! Very fancy! Looking out to the sea. Owner is building 10,000 condos in Mexico right now. These condos are superb - and very expensive. Don emails us other stuff to ponder.
Victoria realtor calls us with an idea for temporary housing. We're tired of changing rooms every 2 nights. We drop in there and find a good space with a little kitchen.
Now we're here at our computers going over and over our choices.
We like this town. If we've accomplished nothing today, we've decided we will concentrate on this town, and see what we can find.
Another thing. Everything costs more in British Columbia. We complain constantly about the taxes. And guess what? The people here complain about this too!
Onward and upward.
Don King. "Don's not here right now. I'll have him call you right away".
We go to "The Breakfast Place" for food. They have 15 seats in the place, and there's a constant line-up. Bacon and toast and dark roast coffee. Pretty well perfect. The cook comes around to compliment Merv's golf cap - He's wearing one exactly the same.
Don calls. We meet him at this place where they are just finishing some great looking condos. We get the tour.
Don limps. He's on his third knee. At 14 years old it started - juvenile arthritis. His feet are half the normal size. Scars on his hands. We don't value our health the way we should. But he's very upbeat and a good salesman.
"But you called me about this other place. Come on, let's go look at it!"
Whew! Very fancy! Looking out to the sea. Owner is building 10,000 condos in Mexico right now. These condos are superb - and very expensive. Don emails us other stuff to ponder.
Victoria realtor calls us with an idea for temporary housing. We're tired of changing rooms every 2 nights. We drop in there and find a good space with a little kitchen.
Now we're here at our computers going over and over our choices.
We like this town. If we've accomplished nothing today, we've decided we will concentrate on this town, and see what we can find.
Another thing. Everything costs more in British Columbia. We complain constantly about the taxes. And guess what? The people here complain about this too!
Onward and upward.
Movin' On - computers
The Apple Store in the Mall is just humming - the salesmen all look kind of like the guy in the Apple commercials. They're chatting earnestly with wide-eyed buyers - male and female, backpacks and canes - heads bending down at every counter checking out the MacBook Pro.
"What can I help you with today?" He's tall and young and "in control". "You're interested in the MacBook Pro? Let me send someone over to help you".
Darryn appears forthwith and the conversation begins. After some time, we tell him we'll be in tomorrow to buy. It's July 1st tomorrow. Will you be open?
"Oh yes, the Mall is open from 11 to 6. And yes, I'll be here".
The next day at 11 sharp we arrive to find the store looking exactly the same. Lots of salespeople and lots of customers.
Darryn is not in till later, but another earnest young fellow is sent our way. He's a bit taken aback by out readiness to buy. We have a golf date. We pretty well know what we want and after choosing the golf cases, we want to be gone. He's convinced we should have this and that program, but we're not interested. He gets it added up, calls over his supervisor for the handshake, and we're out of there.
All smiles, we load our big white Mac Bags in the car and head for the golf course.
Three days later we finally have the chance to dig into these beauties. Let's face it. There's nothing like a brand new computer to get your head really working.
It's taken us a while to get to the Apple world. It will take us a while to feel that we really belong.
But we're movin' on - and the new Mac computer is movin' on with us.
"What can I help you with today?" He's tall and young and "in control". "You're interested in the MacBook Pro? Let me send someone over to help you".
Darryn appears forthwith and the conversation begins. After some time, we tell him we'll be in tomorrow to buy. It's July 1st tomorrow. Will you be open?
"Oh yes, the Mall is open from 11 to 6. And yes, I'll be here".
The next day at 11 sharp we arrive to find the store looking exactly the same. Lots of salespeople and lots of customers.
Darryn is not in till later, but another earnest young fellow is sent our way. He's a bit taken aback by out readiness to buy. We have a golf date. We pretty well know what we want and after choosing the golf cases, we want to be gone. He's convinced we should have this and that program, but we're not interested. He gets it added up, calls over his supervisor for the handshake, and we're out of there.
All smiles, we load our big white Mac Bags in the car and head for the golf course.
Three days later we finally have the chance to dig into these beauties. Let's face it. There's nothing like a brand new computer to get your head really working.
It's taken us a while to get to the Apple world. It will take us a while to feel that we really belong.
But we're movin' on - and the new Mac computer is movin' on with us.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Movin' On - New Life
She's only a couple of weeks old. So it was quite astonishing. She was laying on her father's outstretched arms. I came close and started talking to her. She turned her head ever so slightly, but enough to show that she heard me and was listening! And when I stroked her head she responded again.
The Mom sent a picture of her dad singing to her and it was obvious she was listening.
I've never put much stock into those stories about playing classical music or some such when the baby is still in the womb. But I'm starting to wonder. This baby had music played to it often. Could it be possible that they become better listeners somehow?
New life. The baby is starting her new life (and her Grandma and Grandpa heading out to try the same). Her Mom and Dad are starting late with this. They're far from their twenties certainly. But they're in complete control. At least as much in control as any brand new parents are. They are going to do just fine.
What a miracle is the birth of a baby. It's one of the greatest of miracles - even though it happens all the time. I could see that the mom and dad were still in that miracle glow.
And we felt it too. We felt the glow of the miracle.
The Mom sent a picture of her dad singing to her and it was obvious she was listening.
I've never put much stock into those stories about playing classical music or some such when the baby is still in the womb. But I'm starting to wonder. This baby had music played to it often. Could it be possible that they become better listeners somehow?
New life. The baby is starting her new life (and her Grandma and Grandpa heading out to try the same). Her Mom and Dad are starting late with this. They're far from their twenties certainly. But they're in complete control. At least as much in control as any brand new parents are. They are going to do just fine.
What a miracle is the birth of a baby. It's one of the greatest of miracles - even though it happens all the time. I could see that the mom and dad were still in that miracle glow.
And we felt it too. We felt the glow of the miracle.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Movin' On - Weather
When we went outside, things were very different. It was warm.
We noticed this immediately. It was easy. We hadn't felt "warm" for many months. So naturally we would look at each other and say "Wow, it's so warm!"
We go golfing. A favorite course we do every couple of years.
Merv's fairway shot goes in a fast moving creek. He starts running frantically along this creek following his bouncing white golf ball waving his 7 iron in the air, and lunging every so often to try and grab the ball. He's SO quick and SO dedicated and it's so much fun watching him. What a guy! He gets that ball back on the fairway and away we go.
And then the mosquitoes start biting, and the refreshing breeze stops blowing, and the guys ahead of us are golfing really slowly, and we drink the beer too fast, and we start snapping at each other. Welcome to summer, I'm thinking.
But here this morning, that summer air is coming through our open window and it's truly a miracle. Not being slightly cold all the time is a miracle.
Time to unpack that one pair of shorts I have, enjoy that new pair of sandals I bought and keep on heading for parts unknown.
We noticed this immediately. It was easy. We hadn't felt "warm" for many months. So naturally we would look at each other and say "Wow, it's so warm!"
We go golfing. A favorite course we do every couple of years.
Merv's fairway shot goes in a fast moving creek. He starts running frantically along this creek following his bouncing white golf ball waving his 7 iron in the air, and lunging every so often to try and grab the ball. He's SO quick and SO dedicated and it's so much fun watching him. What a guy! He gets that ball back on the fairway and away we go.
And then the mosquitoes start biting, and the refreshing breeze stops blowing, and the guys ahead of us are golfing really slowly, and we drink the beer too fast, and we start snapping at each other. Welcome to summer, I'm thinking.
But here this morning, that summer air is coming through our open window and it's truly a miracle. Not being slightly cold all the time is a miracle.
Time to unpack that one pair of shorts I have, enjoy that new pair of sandals I bought and keep on heading for parts unknown.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Movin' On -Home Town
We've lived in our home town for close to 40 years.
It was strange to say goodbye to it yesterday.
It's a good, strong town. A wealthy town these days. With road crews and house building crews, and maintenance crews everywhere.
"They just tore out those huge trees on Gaetz - I was shocked" says my hair stylist. "They tried to get a consensus on what to do - I filled out their form - and then nothing. So I thought the trees were saved. And now this".
Turns out that they couldn't get a consensus on the changes to the main street, so they went ahead and took down some of the trees.
The main corner looks so different, and the coffee shops are buzzing with heated discussion.
But this place is becoming a big, big, city. And that's what happens in big big cities.
Alberta is a great province. Filled with energy, and drive, and impatience. It's a province for the young, for people who want to get things done, keep things moving, take things to the next level.
It takes a lot of years to call a town your home.
I'm not sure if we'll manage that again.
But who knows. That's the great thing about life. Who knows?
It was strange to say goodbye to it yesterday.
It's a good, strong town. A wealthy town these days. With road crews and house building crews, and maintenance crews everywhere.
"They just tore out those huge trees on Gaetz - I was shocked" says my hair stylist. "They tried to get a consensus on what to do - I filled out their form - and then nothing. So I thought the trees were saved. And now this".
Turns out that they couldn't get a consensus on the changes to the main street, so they went ahead and took down some of the trees.
The main corner looks so different, and the coffee shops are buzzing with heated discussion.
But this place is becoming a big, big, city. And that's what happens in big big cities.
Alberta is a great province. Filled with energy, and drive, and impatience. It's a province for the young, for people who want to get things done, keep things moving, take things to the next level.
It takes a lot of years to call a town your home.
I'm not sure if we'll manage that again.
But who knows. That's the great thing about life. Who knows?
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