Category Archives: Playtime

It’s A Conspiracy; Seventy-Seven Weeks In

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I find anything to do with the 1918 influenza pandemic fascinating; in part because it ended, and that gives me hope, and in part because I realize that we also will be a footnote in history. This week I read the book Gilead – more on that later – and came across this passage:

I read it over and over again. There’s just so much in here that fascinates me: people wearing masks to church, if they even went, and sitting as far apart from each other as possible, just like today, but I think what is most fascinating is “there was talk that the Germans had caused it with some sort of secret weapon, and I think people wanted to believe that.” Conspiracy theories abounded even in 1918, it seems.

Earlier I had made the mistake of peeking at my Facebook and seeing a local yoga teacher – who I unfriended long ago – posting YouTube videos about Covid on a friend’s wall, and how “natural immunity” is better than being vaccinated, and how she got the Delta variant and is just fine, and that the pandemic itself is a conspiracy created by the wealthy, who have just got wealthier, and you know what, I’m glad they didn’t have YouTube or Facebook in 1918. All I know is if this woman lived a century ago, she’d be accusing the Germans of launching viral weapons of mass destruction. It’s boggling how people can dismiss the top minds of the world for the likes of YouTube, but here we are.

It’s been an eventful week here in the Boyhouse, what with school starting and getting back into routine. I generally dislike school starting before Labour Day, but it’s also kind of nice to have this little break to ease back into things. The boys are happy with their classes and seeing their friends; my younger son is in Phys Ed, which, in Grade 11, is basically “all fun outings all the time.” I don’t think they are actually in the gym itself at all, they are busy kayaking and playing pickleball and bowling and going to golf simulators, and after a year of intermittently taking gym class online and in his bedroom, it feels overwhelmingly exciting. I do not remember gym class as being remotely fun, but then again, I didn’t take Phys Ed when it became optional, in Grade 11. Good lord, no. Maybe it was just as fun back then; maybe that’s the reward for sticking it out for a decade.

In any case, he’s happy, and my older son is happy, albeit with a fairly heavy workload.

The first day of school coincided with us getting – wait for it – our furnace ducts cleaned. One of the guys, in the midst of the cleaning, brought this to me with the words “There was a sheep in your vents!”

I clearly remember my younger son dropping that sheep down the vent while playing farm animals, which goes to show you how infrequently we get our vents cleaned. That sheep has been missing for at least ten years, probably closer to twelve. When did my kids stop playing farm animals? I can’t remember. In any case, the fellow in charge of the duct cleaning gave me some stern words about the state of things, and how the ducts need to be cleaned every two years rather than every sixteen years, and how our furnace filters are too thick for our furnace and don’t allow the most efficient airflow, all of which I am sure I will forget in due time.

In other news, my husband and I went on a beautiful hike to the Big Beehive at Lake Louise, which is where we got engaged twenty-one years ago. Returning to the scene of the crime!

Classic photo of Lake Louise, angled so that there are no crowds visible. Because, hoo boy, there were crowds. This viewpoint, around the Chateau, is always filled with visitors, and it was not easy to keep distance from people, even with our very early start.

Next stop: Mirror Lake. That’s the Big Beehive in the background, and we’re going up!

Lake Agnes, isn’t it beautiful?

Don’t go chasing waterfalls…

View of Lake Louise from the top of the Big Beehive.

View of the glaciers on the way back, looping through the back way.

Almost back! You can see the Chateau in the background. Why is it, when hiking, that the last couple of kilometres feel like they last forever? We saw a bridal party just after this, getting photos done, and it was so lovely.

Pandemic Reading

Good Company. A few weeks ago, Ally (HI ALLY) asked what my favourite genre of book is, and, if you read that post, you will know I had a hard time defining it. Female protagonist, slice-of-life, the ordinary written as extraordinary. Or something like that? I know it when I see it? Well, I will tell you this: this book is exactly what I love in a book. It’s near-perfect to me. Flora discovers her husband’s supposedly long-lost wedding ring, and secrets unravel. A book about love, friendship, marriage, and motherhood. I loved this so much. You may note that the author also wrote The Nest, and I can tell you that I disliked The Nest greatly, and if I had realized the author was the same I probably wouldn’t have picked it up, so I am glad that I am somewhat vacant when I put books on hold.

Gilead. I tried to read Home by the same author years ago, but I could not get into it. I recently found out that it is second in a series, Gilead being first. Perhaps that is why I couldn’t get into it, and I had recalled that friends had raved about it. I took this out from the library sight unseen – and if I’d read the synopsis I wouldn’t have at all. See what I mean about vacantly putting books on hold? Sometimes it works out for me and sometimes it doesn’t. This one DID, although the synopsis sounds super dull – an elderly man writes a letter to his young son, explaining his life and that of his father and grandfather, all three of them preachers. Boring? Strangely enough it wasn’t boring to me. Maybe it’s my churchy background, or my summers spent in small prairie towns. I liked it quite well and found it beautifully written, so I will give Home another try.

Single, Carefree, Mellow. Is Katherine Heiny my new favourite author? Maybe! I’m 2/2 for her books – the other one being Early Morning Riser – and this collection of short stories is an absolute delight. What a witty and smart writer! This is absolutely my jam and I loved it so much. If you love short stories, particularly short stories about women and their lives, you will love this. One of the stories was a bit hard to read, because it dealt with a dog with cancer, and of course I read that on a day that three separate people asked me about Barkley’s extremely large lump, but it too was a beautifully written story.

Happy Labour Day, friends! I hope you get a restful day before the bustle of the week begins. xo

Summer’s Almost Gone; Seventy-Five Weeks In

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I don’t think I can adequately describe the relief I felt when I received an email from the Calgary Board of Education, stating that not only would masks be mandatory for students K-12, but all other health protocols would remain in place. With the Delta variant of Covid cases skyrocketing, again, and the general mask mandate dropped in the province, I was somewhat concerned about in-person school. I just want my kids to go to school for the year, and maybe even see my oldest have a graduation ceremony, is that too much to wish for. But I was so happy to get the email about masking; masks kept us all so healthy last year – we’ve never had such an illness-free year – and with all of us fully vaccinated, I feel even better.

I was feeling less happy to see that school starts not on September 7, like I thought it did, but September 1, which means this is the last week of summer, I’m not ready. I am just not in the headspace yet, but I’ll get there, and meanwhile, our hot summer weather ended abruptly and now it’s cool and rainy and it feels like fall. The universe is trying to prepare me, is what I’m saying.

August is a month where I always feel a little glum and melancholy and Landslide-y, and the grey, chilly, rainy days are exacerbating those feelings. Well, these days are good for getting things done in the house – when it’s warm and sunny I spend most of my day outdoors, and there were a few things I really did want to get done before school starts (NEXT WEEK OMG) and I get back to teaching yoga and we are all busy with our fall schedules. Like making jam.

My husband reminds me that we have air conditioning, if I want to make jam on a warm day I can, but I never do want to do that. Jam making is for chilly days, I will die on this hill and also we have many months of chilly days, but few warm ones.

So Many Empty Boxes

One of the things I have wanted to accomplish practically since the pandemic hit was to clean out our storage/ furnace room. My husband, god bless him, likes to keep the original boxes of any electronic equipment while said equipment is under warranty, just in case there’s an issue. The problem is that he never gets rid of the boxes after the warranty expires, and therefore we have perfectly good storage shelves that are jammed full of empty boxes. We still had the PS4 box from Christmas 2014, for example, along with boxes for stereo equipment we no longer own.

Summer is coming to an end, the pandemic has been going on for seventy-five weeks, I go back to teaching in two weeks, IT IS TIME TO CLEAN OUT THE FURNACE ROOM. I took out every single box, rearranged everything, and was able to put all the bins full of childhood art and school projects, bicycle gear, and assorted sports things ACTUALLY IN THE STORAGE ROOM instead of behind my son’s drum set. He’s thrilled that he no longer hits his elbow on the bins when he’s practicing.

This is the van full of cardboard my older son and I took to the recycle depot, and doesn’t include the three garbage bags full of packing materials, RIP our earth, that came out of the boxes.

Not one day after The Big Cleanup, my husband – in a typical act of service to make my life easier – had ordered some new windshield wiper blades for my car. As he grabbed his keys for the garage, he said “Don’t throw out these boxes, just in case these blades don’t fit.” Dear reader. I answered him with a look only and, fortunately for our marriage and everyone involved, they DID fit and my husband subsequently recycled the boxes.

No YouTube Videos On How To Break In To Your House

Speaking of the garage, a couple of weeks ago older son went to get out the lawn mower, and couldn’t unlock the garage door. We typically lock the person door with just the knob, rather than the deadbolt, and while the key fit in the knob, it wouldn’t open. Obviously the automatic openers for the big car door were in the cars that were locked in the garage, and the keypad has not worked for years. My husband searched up YouTube videos but to no avail: all videos instructed what to do if you were locked INSIDE a house, rather than outside, because I guess YouTube doesn’t want to advertise how to break into someone’s home.

Anyway, it was either call a locksmith or actually break down the door, and we took the former option. We now have a garage door that locks by deadbolt only, in case such a thing should happen again. Unfortunately, we are all in the muscle memory mode of just twisting and locking the knob, and the number of times I’ve thought oh yeah, I need the key to lock the door over the past couple of weeks is extensive.

Burn Baby Burn

Remember how my son, after his braces removal, wanted to burn all his orthodontic elastics, and, failing that, his masks? This is what happened on the Annual Boys’ Camping Trip:

Pyromaniac dreams do come true, I guess. You are still going to need masks! I admonished him after seeing these photos, but he countered with a) it was just one mask, and b) that mask was unravelling anyway. Was it? Was it really? Well, he does have at least eight other masks, and it’s not hard to get masks now anyway, and what happens on the Annual Boys’ Camping Trip stays on the Annual Boys’ Camping Trip.

I Have Found My People

You all know how I feel about Thoreau and, also, many of the widely celebrated male authors/ fictional characters (Jay Gatsby, I’m looking at you). So I was so excited to discover this podcast:

The Fuckbois of Literature! If you, like me, think that maybe a person can’t claim to be self-sustaining while living intentionally in the woods when his mother is bringing him sandwiches and doing his laundry, then this is the podcast for you.

I’ll Take The Rapists For $500, Alex

On Peloton, people have the option to add a hashtag to their user profile, and those hashtags are used to connect with other people. Sometimes the hashtag has to do with a favourite instructor – I, for example, am part of the #yestoyoucrew and my son is a #denismenace – sometimes it concerns career choices, interests, or life in general, like #teachersofpeloton, #pelotonmoms, #peloforwine, #pelotonsingles.

I was riding the other day and the person on the leaderboard ahead of me had the hashtag #therapistsofpeloton and friends, it took me a really long time to realize that it was therapists of Peloton and not the rapists of Peloton. I spent some time being shocked that a) someone would cop to being a rapist, and b) there was a whole group of rapists, connecting through exercise.

In my defense, it was pretty early in the morning and I hadn’t yet drank my whole pot of coffee.

Outfit of the Week

I’m really glad I posted all those summery outfits, because SUMMER IS OVER and it’s time to pull out my jeans, socks, and long-sleeve shirts. This top dates from 2016, and I bought it in the small town where my parents live. Isn’t it cute? It’s great for this kind of weather as it’s too thin for winter, but great for a typical Calgary summer day!

The whole reason I have started the Outfit of the Week was to appreciate and express gratitude for my wardrobe; I am thinking about taking it off the blog and onto Instagram only, where outfits of the week belong. You all know I love clothes; I love reading fashion blogs and I love seeing Outfit of the Day posts. If you, like me, also enjoy seeing what people are wearing, you can check it out on Instagram. If you’ve hated my OOTW, lucky you! No more scrolling by to get to my weekly reading list.

Pandemic Reading List

The Soulmate Equation. I have read and enjoyed a few books from Christina Lauren, and this one did not disappoint. It’s just a very sweet and fun romance with very loveable characters. The main character is a single mom and freelance statistician (how often does that happen in a romance book, the statisticians are highly underrepresented in fiction) who is matched up with the founder of a DNA-based matchmaking company. Throw in her energetic seven-year-old and her romance-writer best friend, and you have got yourself a feel-good read.

Think Like A Monk. This book was so inspiring! As you know, I love the idea of living a peaceful and purposeful life, and this book deals with the kind of mindsets that work towards such an ideal. From feeding your brain positive material to finding your life’s calling, this book is full of wisdom and inspiration.

I discovered that I have a LOT of internal work to do. I enjoyed this book so much I started listening to the author’s podcast, and the first one I listened to had an interview with an absolutely lovely young woman, who spoke intelligently and with great enthusiasm about overcoming trials in life, the biggest being the death of her mother when she was a teenager. She was witty and smart and spoke about her work to empower young girls and women, and after the podcast I looked up the show notes to see who this remarkable young woman was. The link took me to her Instagram account, and people: if I had seen her Instagram first, I would have never listened to the podcast. I would have completely dismissed her as having nothing to say, and I would have been very wrong. It was a wake-up call that I need to examine my own biases as a person. Well, it’s a journey. We all have work to do.

And on that note, it’s Monday of the LAST WEEK OF SUMMER and although it doesn’t feel summery, I am going to embrace it. I hope you do too. xo

You’ve Got Questions, I’ve Got Answers

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Last week, I asked you to ask me questions, and ask you did! Thank you so much – this was really fun! Here we go!

Books and Reading

Ally asked: My question is: given your druthers, which book genre is your favorite? And why? I will put this question together with one of Suzanne’s, which is What are, in your opinion, the best books of all time?

I’ve been thinking about Ally’s question all week, because I’m not sure if there is a specific name for my favourite genre. For my entire life, I have strongly preferred books that feature a female protagonist, and that follow that protagonist’s life. I like books that delve into the details of people’s lives; I think people are endlessly fascinating, and that everyone has a story. I am also a “Can Lit” girl, and to that end, two of my favourite authors are Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro; I love a good solid short story and I love books about women. I vastly prefer women’s writing over men’s, and I prefer a deep dive into an individual’s life, rather than a grand epic. In terms of genre, it’s almost easier to say what I DON’T like: I don’t like dystopian, fantasy, horror, or sci-fi, and I don’t tend to like mysteries much, although I’ve read a few lately and I do like to keep my mind open. In terms of best books of all time, the ones that I have loved the most are: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood, Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro, Diary of a Provincial Lady by EM Delafield, and Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Any of those would be my “desert island” books, along with this really great meditation book I’ve been reading called Wake Up To The Joy In You, although if I was on a desert island, I am not sure the life advice in it would be necessary. Still, an excellent book about becoming your best self and embracing life.

Anna asked: My questions are when do you read and how do you read so fast!! I’ve always been a fast reader, and I generally block off time to read every day. A few years ago I discovered the “screen time report” on my phone and I was appalled to see how much time I wasted mindlessly scrolling, and so I’ve tried to take that time back to concentrate on books. I generally read a solid hour in the evenings, sometimes more, and then I read in little chunks throughout the day – when I’m having lunch, or if I’m waiting for an appointment, or if I’m stirring pasta sauce. I think it probably all adds up to about two hours a day of reading, sometimes more, sometimes less. This summer, with my yoga teaching on hold, I have been reading more than that.

These Are A Few Of My Least Favourite Things

Suzanne asked: What are some of your top pet peeves? OMG PEOPLE WHO DO NOT RETURN THEIR GROCERY CARTS TO THE CART CARREL THOSE PEOPLE ARE MONSTERS. Grocery carts are, of course, my trigger, but I also include actions that would make someone else’s life easier but are left undone, and that would require only a tiny amount of effort: not holding a door or elevator for someone, not allowing a car to merge into a lane, not gesturing to the mom with a baby and only a few groceries to go first in line. I also hate when a job is 99% done but LEFT UNDONE: as an example, the people I live with are excellent at changing the toilet paper roll or putting another bar of soap in the shower, but then they LEAVE THE EMPTY ROLL AND SOAP BOX ON THE COUNTER INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT IN THE RECYCLE BIN, THAT SAME RECYCLE BIN THEY ALL WALK PAST DOZENS OF TIMES A DAY. The same goes for the juice container that sits, rinsed out and empty, on the kitchen island.

I also hate when the grocery store changes their product layout and I find myself walking down each aisle, looking for my everyday items and wondering why the cereal is now with the aluminum foil, and why the peppermint extract is now with spices and not with baking needs.

Love and Marriage

Ernie asked: I’m wondering how you met your husband and maybe what your first date was, or if you knew right away he was THE ONE? Oh, ho, this is funny. So, I met my husband when he was a grad student and I was a fourth-year honour student preparing to be a grad student, and we were both studying economics. My first thought was “He’s pretty hot to be in economics,” which I still stand by. At the time, I had an on-again-off-again boyfriend, but we became friends and went out frequently for coffee and to movies. This went on for almost TWO YEARS, and I had broken up with my boyfriend and gone out on several dates with other guys during that time, and he dated some girls as well.

At some point, when you’ve been friends with a guy for almost two years, you just figure that nothing is ever going to happen between the two of you, even if there’s all sorts of sexy tension and you find yourself looking into each other’s eyes a lot and finding excuses to sit close to each other and accidentally touch each other on the knee and whatnot. God, I can’t stand it, I said to a girlfriend, It’s just never going to happen and I have to accept it.

Three weeks after that statement, we started dating, and by “dating” I mean basically going out like we always did, but also, um, having sex. Hilariously, the night we started “dating” we were supposed to go see the movie The Full Monty, and I guess I did actually see A Full Monty, but not The Full Monty.

Suzanne asked: What are your secrets to a happy marriage? Lots of Full Monty! Ha! I kid. Well, I’m not totally kidding – I do think intimacy is very important, and during a pandemic with teens at home all day every day things get…challenging to schedule, if you know what I mean, and I think you do. Honestly, I think one of the keys to a harmonious marriage is to really calmly communicate and to think before speaking, which can be challenging when people leave empty toilet paper rolls on the bathroom countertop. I also think it’s really important to accept the person your spouse is – empty toilet paper roll notwithstanding – and to realize that people express their love in different ways. My husband, for example, is a person who carefully and thoroughly researches everything, and makes purchases based on things he thinks will make my life better or easier, and those things always DO make my life better or easier. I, on the other hand, am not great at choosing gifts but I am good at doing things that make our life smooth and harmonious. My husband would never buy me flowers – he’s allergic – but when I mentioned, years ago, I was thinking about getting a dehydrator to make kale chips, he carefully looked into it, read every review, and then the Excalibur ended up on my doorstep one day.

You never really know what goes on in someone else’s marriage, and what makes it tick, but I think that putting yourself in your spouse’s shoes and being empathetic is important, as is not taking each other for granted, which, as we know, is easier said than done. Sometimes I get all up in arms thinking no one is appreciating my efforts, but then I think did I appreciate HIS efforts lately? and when I do, I find that he also does.

Family, Etc

Suz asked: Do you have any siblings? If you don’t have siblings, do you have cousins that are like siblings? I have two brothers, and between them I have a wonderful sister-in-law, eight nieces and nephews, and one great-niece! To paraphrase my friend Trudy (HI TRUDY) I knew I was good, but now I’m GREAT! I also have thirty-one first cousins! So, it’s a large family.

My husband has been watching Ted Lasso, and at the end of the season there’s a line about the family you’re born with, and the family you create along the way. I am so lucky to have friends who are like sisters to me – you girls know who you are!

Food, Etc.

Gigi asked: As for my question – what is your most decadent indulgence – the one that no matter the cost (or calories) it will always be in your home? I always, always have red wine in the house, usually a case worth at least. I always have baking on hand, and chocolate, but those are more for the guys than for me – wine is my indulgence. I hesitate to write this, because it sounds absolutely obnoxious, but in terms of cost, I never skimp in the produce aisle. I like to make dinners the way I like them and while I loosely stick to a grocery budget, when it comes to vegetables I am willing to pay whatever the cost. I have paid $10 for a tiny head of cauliflower, and if peppers are $6.99 a pound, I will still buy ten of them. I know what that sounds like – vegetables are my indulgence – but I guess I’m not willing at this point in my life to go without the things I like.

Suzanne asked: Desert island foods, films, books, music? Do you ever get weirdly obsessed with something? Like, I kept thinking what kind of desert island, would it be like Lord of the Flies or Blue Lagoon? Or Gilligan’s Island? Are these things I would take on a three-hour tour or what? Anyway, weird thoughts notwithstanding, I answered the books piece above, and as for films, I’m going to go with When Harry Met Sally, the single greatest movie of all time. I would take my “Nicole Karaoke” Spotify playlist, and as for foods, my number one favourite, I-could-eat-this-every-day meal is Greek salad with hummus and pita. Also coffee. If there’s no coffee, I would be 100% alone on the desert island due to murder.

Putting The Om in OMG

Suzanne asked: Do you have any life mottos you return to often? Or maybe the best/most useful advice you’ve ever gotten? My favourite motto, and one I try to live by, is “Bloom where you are planted.” Throughout my life, through different stages, jobs, and positions, I try to bloom. Two recent mottos that I have adopted are “Embrace the season” and, from my recent Anne reading, “If you can’t shine like a star, shine like a candlestick.” One of my favourite pieces of advice is from my dear friend Allison (HI ALLISON), for when I’m in a difficult or uncomfortable situation: “There will be a time after this.” It has helped me get through many awkward times.

Anna asked: When you do your AM yoga do you follow a plan or do it on your own? Namaste! I have been a long-time Ashtanga practitioner, which follows a set sequence of asana. Up until the pandemic, I practiced Mysore-style Ashtanga, which is essentially a “practice at your own pace, and a teacher helps you when you need it” kind of practice. It set me up perfectly for a pandemic home practice; after years of practice I just automatically flow through the postures, so it is truly a moving meditation. Until 2019, I practiced into the second series, but after injuring my hip while running I focused on healing and gentleness with myself, and now I mainly practice a modified primary series, omitting six postures which are hard on my hip, with extra planks and backbends thrown in. Some days I only do the standing sequence followed by a long meditation, some days I do a restorative practice, but I always get on my mat, whether it be for five minutes or an hour. It sets me up for my day.

Well, this was very fun! Thanks everyone for your questions, and, blog friends, I encourage you to put the “ask me anything” question out to your readers, it is a fun way to connect. Until next time! xo

Bits and Bobs; Seventy Three Weeks In

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Bo Duke Channels Elvis

On the long drive home from vacation, I learned that John Schneider – of Dukes of Hazzard fame – had a hit song in the 70s, covering Elvis’ It’s Now or Never. Not only that, but he had a fairly successful career as a country singer AND co-founded the Children’s Miracle Network in 1983. WHO KNEW.

Does anyone else remember, in the late 80s, when Bruce Willis had a hit song under the alias Bruno, and it was a cover of Respect Yourself? I actually didn’t even know it was a cover until I recently heard the original, to be honest. And, of course, Eddie Murphy rocked the charts with his Party All The Time, and Patrick Swayze dominated our junior high slow dances with She’s Like The Wind.

The 80s were a magical time.

Put Your Records On

Not a day goes by that I don’t feel immense gratitude for Spotify. What an age we live in. Back in those magical 80s, we either had to buy whole albums, or create our own mix tapes from songs on the radio, and inevitably those radio-recorded songs had the jingle for the station or chatter from the DJ at the beginning or end. There were, of course, hit mixes available for purchase – remember those old informercials on TV that would offer six or eight albums worth of hits from different eras and genres, all for a weirdly prohibitive price? Ultimately, if you loved a song, you had to pay for it in some way: either through purchase of an album or with your time, finger poised on the “record” button of your tape recorder during the Top Ten at Ten.

Now, of course, any song is available to me at any time. Yes, I still pay for it – Spotify isn’t free, or not the version we have – but our family gets more than its money’s worth.

However, and I find this interesting, my older son is very into listening to WHOLE ALBUMS on Spotify. He listens from beginning to end and appreciates the artistic flow of the songs, and album themes. It’s very fun to discuss albums with him, like Dark Side of the Moon or The White Album.

When the boys were very small, I would listen to Kanye West’s Late Registration in the car almost constantly, so much so that one day my two-year-old said to my mom, “Grandma, I ain’t got no money so I ain’t got no ho’s,” and my one-year-old said to that same long-suffering mother of mine, “We want prenup.” After that I didn’t listen to it quite as much, at least when the kids were in the car, but the CD has been in my glove box all this time, the discovery of which by my son and his music-loving friend reinforced my status as The Cool Mom. Apparently, it is One of the Greatest Albums of All Time, and we listened to it on the long drive home from vacation.

You guys, it’s really good! Say what you will about ‘Ye, but that album is truly a creative masterpiece, with so much social commentary. You know the best medicine goes to people who paid, if Magic Johnson got a cure for AIDS, and all the broke motherfuckers pass away.

Speaking of Which

My sister-in-law discovered that her and my husband’s late grandma was a huge fan of Jackie Kennedy, as being the first Catholic First Lady. This discovery was made when my sister-in-law found stacks and stacks of magazines and newspapers featuring the style icon, and let me tell you, going through them was an experience.

This one was probably my favourite, not because of Jackie but because of this:

Rock Hudson! Crazy games he plays with women! Perhaps those crazy games include not having sex with them. God, how sad. Once again I am thankful to live in the modern age where, not only can we call up John Schneider’s Greatest Hits at will, but people can be free to be themselves.

Also, you don’t tend to see matches like this anymore:

She was 19 and he was 50! Hoo boy. Although I just found out that Cary Grant retired from acting at age 62 to spend time with his first and only child. At age 62. You know, biology is cruel. Here we women are, hot flashing all over the place in our forties, considered by society to be well past our prime, and then men are fathering children literally any time in their adult lives. Not that I would want a baby at 62 – I certainly don’t want one NOW, in my forties – but still.

Calendar Girl

“Hey, the girl on the calendar looks just like you!” my husband said, looking at an Investor’s Group promotional calendar. The boys gathered around and expressed their amazement at my doppelgänger.

I mean. IS that me? Did someone from Investor’s Group photograph me in secret? In any case, this means I could have a whole career of calendar modelling ahead of me! I could be a pinup girl! Perhaps this will be my future.

Outfit of the Week

We are still having A Summer; the weather continues hot and dry. I am getting so much wear out of my skorts this year. This is just a nice, cool, comfy outfit: black skort and yoga tank, both from lululemon, plus Skechers sandals.

Also, I got my hair cut this week! Possibly I should have taken a “before” photo, but I got an inch and a half of frayed, dry, rough ends cut off.

Pandemic Reading

When You Are Engulfed In Flames. My love for David Sedaris is well documented, but what is up with the cover photo? I don’t know. Anyway, this book of essays is a great mix of laugh-out-loud anecdotes mixed with thought-provoking stories. About a third of this book is one long essay about quitting smoking and moving to, of all places, Tokyo for three months.

Songs At The River’s Edge. About twenty years ago, I read an excerpt from this book in a women’s travel anthology; the excerpt dealt with a village woman’s marriage and subsequent move to her husband’s family’s bari, or homestead. After reading that, I wanted to read the whole book but alas, it was out of print. Something made me think of it again and through the magic of the internet, I found a used copy on Amazon. It was so worth the wait! In 1987, the author, doing post-graduate work in social anthropology, lives with a family in rural Bangladesh for sixteen months. I found this incredibly fascinating. I love reading about the lives of women in other cultures, even when some of the stories are heartbreakingly sad. The main theme for women is shame; to be a woman is to be naturally mired in shame. They are essentially powerless; the marriage that first intrigued me is arranged, but the woman doesn’t find out that she is to be married until it’s almost her wedding day. Women get married and then must live with their in-laws, only returning to their own families when they are about to have babies. So the women are powerless, but in some ways they are powerful, the women truly look after each other and have strong bonds which we don’t really see in our culture. The family life is so rich and intertwined, and the people live truly based on the seasons. I just loved this book and, if you are interested in Bengali culture and traditional Islamic beliefs, I recommend it to you.

The Anne Series – Part One.

Since I was pausing my library holds for vacation, I extended that pause until the 10th in order to read a few of the books on my shelves, like the ones above. I decided I was going to reread the Anne series, a childhood favourite of mine. Will I finish before my holds come in? Spoiler alert: no. I accidentally ended one of my pauses on the 3rd and a book has already come in, however, I shall press on and do my best. So far, this is what I’ve read:

Anne of Green Gables. The OG! This book details Anne’s accidental arrival at Green Gables – Marilla and Matthew wanted a boy to help with the farm work, but famously ended up with Anne. Just like my adult reread of Heidi, a few pretty grim things struck me: the families who took Anne in prior to the Cuthberts were using her just as childcare, even though she was only 11 by the time she went to Green Gables, and one of those families included an abusive alcoholic husband, the idea that you could go to an orphanage and just pick yourself out a child based on nothing, and then treating them poorly is pretty gross, and Matthew dies because of heart trouble, yes, but heart trouble brought on by the failure of the bank at which all his money is kept. Still a very lovely book with lots of gorgeous nature descriptions and life lessons, and I found that I really empathized with Marilla, which was unexpected.

Anne of Avonlea. I remember this as being my least-favourite in the series, and I can see why. Anne becomes a teacher at the Avonlea school and is quite involved with a very precocious young boy; she is instrumental in getting his widowed father back together with his first love, who never married after they quarreled 25 years prior. Lover’s quarrel, man gets married, woman pines for him forever, man becomes widowed, man comes back to Avonlea and marries woman who has been pining for him forever. Huh. Also, there is a storyline with twins that come to live at Green Gables, and it feels just like old 80s sitcoms when the cute child actors would grow up and be replaced by new cute child actors.

Anne of the Island. Oh, this is probably my favourite of all the Anne books! Anne goes to college in Nova Scotia and lives in a sweet house called Patty’s Place with three other girls and one of the girl’s aunts. It’s just such a lovely book about “coed” life, friendship, and romance. After she turns down Gilbert, she starts dating this very romantic, very handsome, very rich, very eligible bachelor, Royal Gardner. Spoiler alert: she does not love him! Spoiler alert: after Gilbert, who finishes his own BA and starts med school, gets really sick and almost dies. ANNE LOVES GILBERT AND IN THIS BOOK SHE FINALLY CAPITULATES TO HER FATE.

It’s going to be a fun week, I can feel it. Here we are heading into mid-August already; I am going to continue to Embrace the Season and soak up every minute. Have a great week! xo

Vacation, Mostly; Seventy-One and Seventy-Two Weeks In

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Hi!

On Saturday we returned from almost two weeks away, staying in our vacation house, spending time with family and friends. It had been almost ten months since my mother-in-law had seen her only grandchildren, so it was really lovely.

It was a pretty busy two weeks, as we are doing an extensive addition and renovation to our place, which meant that every morning we had an appointment with a tradesperson or a big reno-related errand to run. Well, I say “we” but mostly it was my husband meeting with our contractor and various tradespeople, whereas I was more the “celebrity shopper” brought in for final decisions. This was both fun and also at times incredibly tedious. One morning we spent over two hours at the tile store, choosing six different but coordinating tiles for the bathrooms, and by the end of it I felt like this:

But afternoons were spent at my SIL’s pool or the beach, and it was just wonderful. We had clear blue skies until about four days before we left, when the forest fire smoke blew in to stay.

I have not yet felt comfortable with eating in restaurants, and I am glad I followed my instincts because while we were there, there were several restaurants closed due to Covid outbreaks and, in fact, a mask mandate was re-instituted for that area. I had talked to a friend the night before the mask mandate, and expressed wonder at the maskless-ness of the area. I had gone to the grocery store a few times by that point and had been one of only a handful of people wearing masks, and that includes the grocery store staff. It was almost like there was no pandemic at all, and I felt a bit like I had landed on some other planet.

Therefore, I was kind of happy to see the new mask mandate; I felt the response to a spike in cases was appropriate and incredibly responsible and made me feel even more sad about my home province’s weird and unprecedented announcement that as of later this month, isolation will not be required for individuals testing positive for Covid. It will be “recommended,” but not required, which, what. The province has said that they are planning to treat Covid just like any other respiratory virus, which, what. Anyway, the whole idea has left me filled with fear, despair, and impotent rage.

I cannot control other’s behaviour, I cannot control the decisions of those in authority, I can only control my own behaviour and decisions, and on that note, I think I may indulge in a little retail therapy and buy a few kicky new masks. I am keeping my own mask mandate, let me tell you.

That’s enough of that depressing information, let’s get back to vacation! I do love having access to a full kitchen on vacation, even in non-pandemic-at-the-disco times, as I don’t really love eating out that much. I mean, I can’t really remember. The last time I ate inside an actual restaurant was early February 2020, and I ate lunch on a patio last August. But I think I don’t love eating out that much? Anyway, the only problem with eating all our meals at home was that I was still meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking while on vacation, which made me feel a tiny bit like this:

My husband grilled a lot of the time, which helped immensely, but of course one cannot live on grilled items alone, so when he grilled I inevitably prepared salads and side dishes, which is how it goes.

All of which is to say it was a great two weeks, and after 36 hours at home I finally feel unpacked and caught up on everything – how is there so much laundry, I did laundry almost daily on vacation – and it’s back to reality, albeit Summer Reality. My garden has been productive in my absence, although in need of weeding, and so it’s back to my super-expensive salads! I even had a tiny cherry tomato ripen, and I can tell you, that tomato was goddamn delicious.

Outfits of the Week(s)

“How many bathing suits do you HAVE, and are they all black?” my sister-in-law asked me one afternoon. The answers are “a lot” and “yes, essentially.” I like to buy bathing suits when they are on mix and match end-of-season sale, and since they get very little wear – I wear each one maybe a couple of times a year, since the boys are too old for me to take them to the pool anymore – they don’t wear out. Therefore, the outfits of the week are my three favourite bathing suits and my very favourite beach cover-up.

I have many beach coverups, but this is my number one favourite. It has pockets! It also can almost pass as regular clothing.

I bought this cute embroidered suit when one-shoulder suits were going out of style, I think I paid about $30 for both pieces. I love it so much.

This suit is one of those “cute for sitting around the pool, not great for actual swimming” suits. Those sandals are new, from the end-of-season (in July? What the what.) sale at Skechers, and they are so comfortable, they are like walking on clouds.

As my friend Sara (HI SARA) says, if you see a tree on a beach and you don’t immediately pop into tree pose, can you even call yourself a yoga teacher? I love polka dots and rarely get a chance to wear them.

All suits and the coverup are from La Vie En Rose, and if you’re in Canada I really recommend them for quality swimwear – check them out this month as they are sure to have some great sales!

Pandemic Reading, Vacation Edition

I read a ton of books on vacation, so many that I will make my reading list into a separate post. I have some great titles to recommend and one controversial opinion.

I hope you all had a brilliant end to your July – omg, it is August already – and I hope you too can enjoy some downtime! xo

Refreshed and Rejuvenated; Sixty-Eight Weeks In

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Thank you all so much for weighing in on last week’s question! I am cautiously optimistic and hopeful, and also clinging to my mask collection.

I did take advantage of the Big Reopening in one way, and that was to visit my parents for four nights. It’s interesting; I am a person who thrives on routine and yet having a pandemic-length constant day-to-day routine has worn me down mentally. Just like everyone else, it has been a real drag to just keep trudging along, day after day, with nothing to really look forward to and no enjoyable distractions.

All of which is to say, after four nights up at the lake, with beautiful weather and even a birthday celebration for one of my nieces, I feel like an Entirely New Woman. I am so refreshed and rejuvenated! We spent so much time on the boat, swimming, paddleboarding, being outside, and drinking margaritas; it was absolutely the mini-vacation I needed. My parents have hardly seen us in the past year and a half, and it just felt So Good.

It’s back to reality this week, but I feel like I can really face reality once again! A while back, I was listening to a guided meditation, and the words Finding Magic in the Mundane came up. I have been thinking about that a lot; given that we have had sixty-eight weeks of Mundane, I think that lately it’s been hard for me to Find The Magic. My ability to Find The Magic has been fading, without me even realizing it. “Find The Magic In The Mundane!” I would say to myself, and then I would stare blankly at the pile of laundry or the dishes in the sink or the groceries to be put away.

In any case, I’m excited about a fresh new week, even the mundane parts. I have tiny little peapods in my garden, tiny little zucchinis and tomatoes, the lettuce and kale are going wild, and the daylilies and roses are all starting to bloom. Life is good. Maybe even magical.

Outfit of the Week

This week’s outfit is slightly ridiculous, but it’s not every day you see a thirty-three year-old inflatable Olympic Mascot while on your morning constitutional.

Remember Hidy?

I love my Good Vibes tank top, and those silly shorts are at least six years old, from Old Navy; I wear them only when exercising in very hot conditions. I actually wore them to swim in. It was hot enough for me to want to actually jump into the water, but I was wearing a bikini underneath and I worried I would have a wardrobe malfunction that would send my kids into therapy, so I left my shorts on.

Every once in a while, I need to remind my kids that I’m a good swimmer and I need to remind myself that it’s fun to get my hair wet.

Pandemic Reading

Animal. This was one of the darkest, most disturbing books I have ever read. It is ROUGH. I cannot say I liked it, but I found it compelling. I wanted to see how it ended and, well, it’s DARK. The book synopsis said that it follows a woman who goes from prey to predator, and that’s sort of accurate, but also not.

I hope you all have a beautiful and magical week, even if it is mundane. xo

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Hearts and Chocolate Edition

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Valentine’s Day is NOT a huge thing in our house. Actually, it’s not really a thing at all. I don’t think my husband and I have ever really marked the day in a romantic way, with the exception of me telling him I choo-choo-choose him and will he BEE my Valentine, complete with buzzing noises.

Don’t you wish you were married to me? I’m a delight.

Actually our most memorable Valentine’s Day – probably our ONLY memorable Valentine’s Day – was in 2001, when we travelled through Egypt and, on February 14, found ourselves in the incredible Luxor, riding on donkeys and visiting the Valley of the Queens.

While Valentine’s itself is no big deal, I LOVE hearts. I heart hearts. If you were to look at my “most used” emoticons on my phone, the red heart is always number one. The single greatest thing, to me, about Valentine’s Day is all the hearts everywhere. Ooooh!

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Hearts and Chocolate Edition

Heart Sweater

My husband gave this to me…when? I don’t know. A couple of years ago? It’s my very favourite sweater and I try to “save” it for special occasions. What could be more special than wearing a heart sweater on Valentine’s Day?

Bonus: it’s snuggly and warm, and therefore perfect for a brutal winter day.

Heart Cake

I make this cake annually; it’s so easy. I have written out the steps before, which I learned from my sweet friend Maija (HI MAIJA). This year’s cake was vanilla with strawberry frosting; the strawberry frosting is essentially a buttercream but with mashed strawberry, and no liquid added; I learned that from my friend Steph (HI STEPH).

Heart Cookies

If there is a special occasion of any sort in the Boyhouse, it is marked with cookies. I have written out my mom’s recipe for sugar cookies many times – you can see it here – and it is completely foolproof. In fact, these cookies were made with leftover dough from Christmas (frozen, obviously).

Please excuse my cracked Reynaud’s hands; this is the result of much hand-washing and minus 30 temperatures with no humidity. No amount of lotion is going to help, believe me.

Heart Necklace

Some of you may recognize this necklace from a previous post. My husband gave it to me many years ago, and for a while it sat in my jewelry box, unworn and tarnished, until I discovered the magic silver-polishing effect of boiling water, aluminum foil, and baking soda. The magic silver cleaning method IS magic!

Heart Mask

Listen, I COULD get away with a couple of utilitarian masks, but why would I when there are so many cute ones to be had? I’ve always been a fan of accessorizing. My mom gave me this for Christmas, and not only is it adorned with hearts, they are BLINGY hearts! Does anyone say “bling” anymore? No? Sparkly, then. Get your sparkle on!

Heart Bookmarks

I feel the way about bookmarks that I do about masks: sure, I could use an old receipt or grocery list, but why? There is a young local artist who I like very much, have known since she was a toddler, and am watching grow into a talented and lovely young woman, and she makes the most adorable, whimsical bookmarks. She just finished a heart collection and of course I needed some.

I read a lot and each time I start a book I take a little time to choose a bookmark. It feels not unlike choosing an outfit and accessories, and it makes me happy every time.

Special Edition Lindt Truffles

OMG. You guys. After reading Swistle’s posts last year (HI SWISTLE), I really wanted to mark Galentine’s Day, which, for those of you not in the know, is February 13. I decided to deliver some little goody bags to my girlfriends in the ‘hood, and when I was at Superstore I noticed these:

Remember when you were a kid at Christmastime, and someone was always gifting someone with Pot of Gold chocolates? The best thing about those chocolates was the guide to what was inside each chocolate. I didn’t – and still don’t – like the ones with caramel, nougat, or nuts, but I LOVED the fruit-flavoured ones: orange, strawberry, and even maraschino cherry.

So I have always liked the Lindt truffles that are “strawberries and cream” but when I saw DARK chocolate with strawberry? Well, sold. I packaged some up for the girls, and, of course, left a couple for myself. I am happy to report that they are even better than you might imagine.

I have them hidden in the back of that cupboard, because they are mine, mine, mine! I thought I’d stock up when I was at Superstore this week, and while they had ridiculously cut-price heart chocolates, the strawberry Lindts were ALL SOLD OUT. If I had known how glorious they were, I would have filled my cart.

Truffle Kisses

Speaking of truffles, these Hershey Kiss Truffles are pretty divine! Hershey’s Kisses are so fun because they feel like an EVENT, so much fiddling with the foil wrapping for one little chocolate.

Now the Valentine’s aisle is completely filled with Easter treats – is it too soon to buy Easter treats? We are in Lent. – but I feel that we should celebrate hearts and chocolates all year round. Sending beams of love from my heart to yours, Care Bear-style. xo