No one looks good in online dating pictures. Also, we all sound ridiculous. Bottom line: Everybody wants somebody to love. It apparently helps the quest if you love to ride motorcycles, camp and shoot things. I am doomed!
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Prairie skies
One of the beautiful pieces of the Canadian prairies is the sky. It is high and wide. On a clear day it is scattered with fluffy white clouds on a soft blue background. In the winter it can be gray and low wrapping the land in a silent cool embrace before the snow falls. Today as I drove with newly seeded fields on either side of me, the clouds rolled in. Dark rain clouds with spiky lines of rain travelled both sides of the sky. I was driving in the center of them underneath blue. The sun broke open a space in the rain cloud to the west of me. A beam of light shot through right to me. At least, it felt like it was directed to me. I take it as a sign. It was a sign to remember that even in the darkness light shines. Light and dark need one another, but the Light always triumphs.
Monday, 28 May 2012
Trip planning
Every time I leave home for an overnight stay, it is a production. First, the laundry has to be done. Let's face it. My laundry is never caught up. I am not my mother's daughter in that respect. After the clothes are clean comes the difficult decision of what wardrobe will be needed . This process can take quite a while depending on the length of the stay. Only once I have erred on the side of under packing. The sister trip to the Galapagos for three weeks found me wanting another couple of tee shirts and a least one more pair of shorts. Now I know: back to taking more than I can possibly wear.
Once the contents of the suitcase have been determined, the house needs to be cleaned. Since I have two canine friends, they have their own live in sitter. I cannot in all good conscious leave a messy house for the dog sitter. I don't really have much to clean but I manage to turn it into a long drawn out affair. Of course, sitting down every thirty minutes or so to do something completely unrelated to the task at hand, does add to the time line.
I have spent the evening getting ready to head out of town for five days. I am exhausted before I even leave. Everything seems to be relatively under control. Tomorrow will tell. It is two weeks before I leave for Europe. At least I have the sense to start getting ready now. I have a feeling that the house may look like a tornado hit it before I have my one lone suitcase sorted out. It will be interesting to see how much can fit in the expandable case. The shoes maybe the problem.
Once the contents of the suitcase have been determined, the house needs to be cleaned. Since I have two canine friends, they have their own live in sitter. I cannot in all good conscious leave a messy house for the dog sitter. I don't really have much to clean but I manage to turn it into a long drawn out affair. Of course, sitting down every thirty minutes or so to do something completely unrelated to the task at hand, does add to the time line.
I have spent the evening getting ready to head out of town for five days. I am exhausted before I even leave. Everything seems to be relatively under control. Tomorrow will tell. It is two weeks before I leave for Europe. At least I have the sense to start getting ready now. I have a feeling that the house may look like a tornado hit it before I have my one lone suitcase sorted out. It will be interesting to see how much can fit in the expandable case. The shoes maybe the problem.
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Purple toes and scratchy eyes
My body has had a hard day. Work went well this morning. There were two meetings after worship which I attended. I survived. When everything had been discussed and decisions made, we all headed out into the rainy cold. Most folks were going home, I went to pick up a trial pair of contacts. Up until recently for people who need progressive lenses the only option in contacts was one for distance in one eye and one for close up in the other. Supposedly they would work together. My eyes must be odder than I thought because combination just me dizzy. Now they have progressive contact lenses. I must admit I was skeptical. However, I ordered a pair to try.
I raced home and headed up to the bathroom. Opening the first package for my right eye, I discovered a problem. Fishing out very thin plastic from its small saline filled bowl with gel nails is difficult. It it even difficult to put said lenses in eye with said fingernails, or try to get the lenses out once they are in. At one point I thought I was going to have to wear the contacts until they disintegrated in my eye because removing them with the long nails almost put my eye out. I finally did manage to get that tricky issue resolved without ripping the very expensive lenses or damaging my eyesight.
To my utter amazement, they work. I can see and read with them on. The only problem was dry eyes which I am not sure whether is a result of a dry climate, ageing eyes or the fact that I had them in too long for the first time. I will try again tomorrow.
In all the wandering around my bedroom trying out the new contacts I managed to hit my toe on the bed frame. Not an uncommon occurrence. I thought nothing of it after the pain subsided. About an hour later I went to put my socks on. My toe looked funny. How did it get so dirty, I wondered. Taking a wet facecloth I tried to wash it. No luck. I peered more closely with my new and improved eye wear. My toe was purple. A lovely bruise which covers the whole toe had appeared. A charming sight, just in time for sandal season. Do you think purple toes might be a new fashion trend in Europe this summer?
I raced home and headed up to the bathroom. Opening the first package for my right eye, I discovered a problem. Fishing out very thin plastic from its small saline filled bowl with gel nails is difficult. It it even difficult to put said lenses in eye with said fingernails, or try to get the lenses out once they are in. At one point I thought I was going to have to wear the contacts until they disintegrated in my eye because removing them with the long nails almost put my eye out. I finally did manage to get that tricky issue resolved without ripping the very expensive lenses or damaging my eyesight.
To my utter amazement, they work. I can see and read with them on. The only problem was dry eyes which I am not sure whether is a result of a dry climate, ageing eyes or the fact that I had them in too long for the first time. I will try again tomorrow.
In all the wandering around my bedroom trying out the new contacts I managed to hit my toe on the bed frame. Not an uncommon occurrence. I thought nothing of it after the pain subsided. About an hour later I went to put my socks on. My toe looked funny. How did it get so dirty, I wondered. Taking a wet facecloth I tried to wash it. No luck. I peered more closely with my new and improved eye wear. My toe was purple. A lovely bruise which covers the whole toe had appeared. A charming sight, just in time for sandal season. Do you think purple toes might be a new fashion trend in Europe this summer?
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Love still exists
Wedding season is upon us. My calendar is filled with weddings for young couples who have decided they want to be married and share their lives together. They have also decided that they would like to pledge themselves to each other in an historic church building, that is where I come in. I am part of the package, the one who will conduct the service. Often as I stand there with a couple on their wedding day, leading them through their vows, I am amazed that people let me do this. My denomination and the government agree that I have legal status to perform weddings. It still boggles my mind.
A vast array of couples have stood in front of me. Some I look at and wonder what will become of them; if they have the stamina and fortitude to weather what life will bring them. Most of them don't have any idea of the challenges that living with another human being brings. Even if they have lived together for years something intangible changes when the vows are spoken, when a public commitment is made. I worry for some of them. Others I know will be alright. Those are fewer than the other category.
Believe it or not, it is easy to get jaded about love when faced with lots of weddings. Sometimes I think to myself, "If you just wanted a big party and to wear a beautiful gown, just do it and skip the marriage part." Don't worry, I don't say it out loud.
Then there are moments that come along and remind me, that love still exists and is possible. Today held one of those moments. Our music director, who is in his mid thirties, got married two weeks ago. From the initial date to the wedding ceremony was about six months. No one is pregnant. They are Mormon and Mormon weddings are a bit different. Lots of planning but not the same kind of planning. They pulled it off and today the choir had a party for them to celebrate. The love radiated out from them. They sat beside each other holding hands and telling stories about their courtship and the big day itself. There was a sense a peace and completion in them. You could tell they had found the place in the world where they are supposed be; beside one another.
It is always good to see love in the faces of two people as they look at each other. May the years be kind to them and when they celebrate their twenty fifth anniversary may they still look at each other the same way as they did today.
A vast array of couples have stood in front of me. Some I look at and wonder what will become of them; if they have the stamina and fortitude to weather what life will bring them. Most of them don't have any idea of the challenges that living with another human being brings. Even if they have lived together for years something intangible changes when the vows are spoken, when a public commitment is made. I worry for some of them. Others I know will be alright. Those are fewer than the other category.
Believe it or not, it is easy to get jaded about love when faced with lots of weddings. Sometimes I think to myself, "If you just wanted a big party and to wear a beautiful gown, just do it and skip the marriage part." Don't worry, I don't say it out loud.
Then there are moments that come along and remind me, that love still exists and is possible. Today held one of those moments. Our music director, who is in his mid thirties, got married two weeks ago. From the initial date to the wedding ceremony was about six months. No one is pregnant. They are Mormon and Mormon weddings are a bit different. Lots of planning but not the same kind of planning. They pulled it off and today the choir had a party for them to celebrate. The love radiated out from them. They sat beside each other holding hands and telling stories about their courtship and the big day itself. There was a sense a peace and completion in them. You could tell they had found the place in the world where they are supposed be; beside one another.
It is always good to see love in the faces of two people as they look at each other. May the years be kind to them and when they celebrate their twenty fifth anniversary may they still look at each other the same way as they did today.
Friday, 25 May 2012
Shopping Surprises
The morning was going well. I was up early and dealing with issue of an uncooperative internet. Before 11 am. I had gotten back online, made arrangements for a roaming package for my phone while I am in Europe, done two loads of laundry, made several work related phone calls, called to reorder a prescription and eaten breakfast. I was feeling kind of cocky. Ooops.
At 11:30 I loaded myself into my car and headed downtown. I had an appointment with my hair stylist to give me one more remedial lesson in how to make my new hair cut look like I have never run a brush through it. Thirty minutes later I was at the front desk looking trendy and young with a head full of messy curls. I reached into my purse to pull out my wallet and pay for the experience and one product to make the curls curl, no wallet. As big as my purse is the red wallet stands out. I looked at Sarah with horror. "I left my wallet at home." "No problem," says she. "I will put it on your account." Phew.
I immediately returned home to make sure that my wallet was indeed where I thought was. Thankfully it sitting very nicely on the bar chair at the kitchen counter, just waiting for my return. I picked it up, put it back where it belongs and headed out the door again.
The winter has caused me to put on a few extra pounds. It was the weather, not the chocolate and potato chips, that made my hips and belly rounder. This change in shape means my clothes do not fit well. Since I am off to France for a month in just over two weeks, I need clothes.
My destination was the mall. It was my lucky day. My favorite store had 40% off sale on everything. Woo hoo! I loaded up on pants and tee shirts. With my loot in hand, I wandered further afield. The next stop yielded two more necessities and a surprise.
I had taken my potential purchases to the fitting to see if they did fit. Two of the four did. Great! I went to leave the dressing room and discovered to my surprise the door was locked. Fiddle, fiddle, bang.
"Helloooo. Anybody there?" Some poor soul answered and said she would go get the fitting room person. "Oh, dear. I will go get the manager," she said when she arrived. I sat down. No way could I fit under the door. What would they do? Call the fire department? Hunky men was appealing, having to be rescued not so much. I stood up and went back to the lock. Fiddle, fiddle, success! The door opened and I was free! Good thing, because the manager said she didn't know what to do and the fire department might have been an option. Good grief!
Some days the surprises are quite something! Thank goodness it didn't involve men in uniform today.
At 11:30 I loaded myself into my car and headed downtown. I had an appointment with my hair stylist to give me one more remedial lesson in how to make my new hair cut look like I have never run a brush through it. Thirty minutes later I was at the front desk looking trendy and young with a head full of messy curls. I reached into my purse to pull out my wallet and pay for the experience and one product to make the curls curl, no wallet. As big as my purse is the red wallet stands out. I looked at Sarah with horror. "I left my wallet at home." "No problem," says she. "I will put it on your account." Phew.
I immediately returned home to make sure that my wallet was indeed where I thought was. Thankfully it sitting very nicely on the bar chair at the kitchen counter, just waiting for my return. I picked it up, put it back where it belongs and headed out the door again.
The winter has caused me to put on a few extra pounds. It was the weather, not the chocolate and potato chips, that made my hips and belly rounder. This change in shape means my clothes do not fit well. Since I am off to France for a month in just over two weeks, I need clothes.
My destination was the mall. It was my lucky day. My favorite store had 40% off sale on everything. Woo hoo! I loaded up on pants and tee shirts. With my loot in hand, I wandered further afield. The next stop yielded two more necessities and a surprise.
I had taken my potential purchases to the fitting to see if they did fit. Two of the four did. Great! I went to leave the dressing room and discovered to my surprise the door was locked. Fiddle, fiddle, bang.
"Helloooo. Anybody there?" Some poor soul answered and said she would go get the fitting room person. "Oh, dear. I will go get the manager," she said when she arrived. I sat down. No way could I fit under the door. What would they do? Call the fire department? Hunky men was appealing, having to be rescued not so much. I stood up and went back to the lock. Fiddle, fiddle, success! The door opened and I was free! Good thing, because the manager said she didn't know what to do and the fire department might have been an option. Good grief!
Some days the surprises are quite something! Thank goodness it didn't involve men in uniform today.
Thursday, 24 May 2012
New glasses
We were living in Japan when my first pair of glasses were purchased. At age ten it was exciting. They were plastic frames; reddish brown at the top and clear at the bottom. The color went well with my red hair. Little did I realize then that forty-five years later I would still be wearing glasses. Now instead of single vision low prescription lenses I need high index, high prescription, progressive lenses.
Day to day this is not an issue. However, when comes time to buy new glasses it becomes a problem. Being blind as a bat means that I can't see what I look in the frames unless I am leaving nose prints on the mirror. It is hard to get a good sense of the overall effect at such close range. Once I ventured out by myself to purchase a new pair of spectacles. The saleswoman and I agreed they were stunning. My sisters and my daughter disagreed, which resulted in a family decree. I am not allowed to go shopping for glasses without a fashion consultant with me. My daughter picked out my current frames. She did a good job. They are purple with no bling. She now lives two provinces away and I need new glasses.
Today I prevailed upon the kindness of a friend to help me with a major financial and fashion commitment in form of new glasses. At the first store, we found three pairs that would work. They were fun, in my price range and looked good. My friend dutifully took pictures that I could text to my daughter for final approval. Really, I am grown woman. Why on earth do I need my daughter to say ok? But pictures I have. I left the chosen ones on hold until tomorrow. I need to think and confer. I can't make such a big decision this quickly.
Then we went across the street. A charming man greeted us. He looked at my prescription, looked at my face and trotted to the other end of the store. He came back and handed me a pair of frames. I put them on stuck my nose up to the mirror. It was love at first sight. My friend agreed. "How much," I asked breathlessly. $369 came the reply. Gulp. My lenses are $500. Out of my budget. "They are hand made in Italy," says the charming man. "I have waited four months for them to come in." Ohhh. I could tell I was in trouble. My friend did not help. "I like those the best," says she. I look again. I take them off and put my own back on. I examine the object of my affection closely while the charming man extols their virtues. It was too late. They fit my face. They are fun and funky. "I'll take them," says I. "No pictures for my daughter" I tell my friend. She will have to wait and see them. I am expecting rave reviews. They are on the cutting edge of trendy says the charming man. How could I resist?
In ten minutes I decided to spend an extraordinary amount of money with the rationale that I wear them every waking moment of my life. They will grace my face for at least the next two years. Sounds good doesn't it? The deposit was paid. The glasses are ordered. Handcrafted Italian glasses and a new hair do. I have decided that I am officially a fifty-four year old diva. I am thinking that a tiara might look good with the new specs!
Day to day this is not an issue. However, when comes time to buy new glasses it becomes a problem. Being blind as a bat means that I can't see what I look in the frames unless I am leaving nose prints on the mirror. It is hard to get a good sense of the overall effect at such close range. Once I ventured out by myself to purchase a new pair of spectacles. The saleswoman and I agreed they were stunning. My sisters and my daughter disagreed, which resulted in a family decree. I am not allowed to go shopping for glasses without a fashion consultant with me. My daughter picked out my current frames. She did a good job. They are purple with no bling. She now lives two provinces away and I need new glasses.
Today I prevailed upon the kindness of a friend to help me with a major financial and fashion commitment in form of new glasses. At the first store, we found three pairs that would work. They were fun, in my price range and looked good. My friend dutifully took pictures that I could text to my daughter for final approval. Really, I am grown woman. Why on earth do I need my daughter to say ok? But pictures I have. I left the chosen ones on hold until tomorrow. I need to think and confer. I can't make such a big decision this quickly.
Then we went across the street. A charming man greeted us. He looked at my prescription, looked at my face and trotted to the other end of the store. He came back and handed me a pair of frames. I put them on stuck my nose up to the mirror. It was love at first sight. My friend agreed. "How much," I asked breathlessly. $369 came the reply. Gulp. My lenses are $500. Out of my budget. "They are hand made in Italy," says the charming man. "I have waited four months for them to come in." Ohhh. I could tell I was in trouble. My friend did not help. "I like those the best," says she. I look again. I take them off and put my own back on. I examine the object of my affection closely while the charming man extols their virtues. It was too late. They fit my face. They are fun and funky. "I'll take them," says I. "No pictures for my daughter" I tell my friend. She will have to wait and see them. I am expecting rave reviews. They are on the cutting edge of trendy says the charming man. How could I resist?
In ten minutes I decided to spend an extraordinary amount of money with the rationale that I wear them every waking moment of my life. They will grace my face for at least the next two years. Sounds good doesn't it? The deposit was paid. The glasses are ordered. Handcrafted Italian glasses and a new hair do. I have decided that I am officially a fifty-four year old diva. I am thinking that a tiara might look good with the new specs!
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