Wilsonworld

Where does the time go...or how i plan to spend the thirty days.

We have reached the end of October..I can't believe how fast this year is flying by...soon it'll be time for Christmas trees and lights...and of course the snow count-down is almost upon us.
BUT
Before any of that can happen....THIS does.
Yes, that is right...Nanowrimo is back.
50,000 words..30 days...
Gotta love it!

I have finished all of the things i needed to...the kitty costume is done..i will of course post pics once she has it on and is ready to go out begging for candy. Does it look like a cat? I don't think so, but BUG does..and that is all that counts.

Monday we carved our pumpkins....and i thought i would share them all with you.
We each get our own pumpkins here at Wilsonworld..that way we can all be as creative as we want to be. This year, i think Keith wins with his creative use of power tools. Yep, he used power tools to carve his pumpkin. "A" for effort and ingenuity.

SO here they are..the wilsonworld pumpkins.......

                                                                                                                                                             

This is my pumpkin...i thought that the textured pumpkin  would be a nice twist...and the minute i saw it i thought...RODENT!

this is Munch's pumpkin....Not sure exactly what it is...but i love the uni-brow!

                                                                            Miss Bug's pumpkin...of course we can all see that it is a Vampire Kitty Pumpkin.....she is planning on adding drops of fake blood right before we light it.....                                                             
                                                                                    
Keith is actually using power tools to create his pumpkin masterpiece. I thought he was kidding when he said he had to go and get his drill.....I should have known better!

The Muppet Gorilla. That is what Keith's pumpkin reminds me of. At first i thought gorilla, and then muppet, so i just combined the two together...and voila...MUPPET GORILLA was born! 

All the leaves are brown....

And the sky is grey...
Not sure why but this song has been in my head for the last few days...maybe because it appears that fall has finally arrived. We still have way above seasonal temps, but the leaves are finally turning colour and falling..and there is a "bite" in the air once the sun goes down.

I am starting to feel better, the drugs the doctor put me on seem to be working....Yes, i finally went to see the doctor, after a coughing fit that had me literally gasping for air. I have never felt that way before..like i had drawn my last breath. Turns out i had a respiratory infection, as well as a sinus and ear infection. Guess that is why the OTC drugs weren't helping.

But my energy is returning slowly...which is good cause i still have about a gazillion things to do before tomorrows Trick-or-treating starts.

Many years ago, i was the "home-made costume" mom. Munch's Dumbledore cape and costume...sewn quickly together....it took me no time at all...
BUT>>
This year seems to be different.
Poor Bug wants to be an orange and black tabby cat.
Simple i thought....
We found an old black body suit, and i went to the fabric store and bought orange fur...I would just "whip" up some patches to sew on her costume and it would be done...easy-peasy.

WRONG.

First of all, being sick i have had no energy to get this little task done. Bug is starting to worry. I reassure her that it is NOTHING for mommy to just sew on some patches...don't worry darling....

I sat down with material in hand and began the easy task.
But there must be something wrong with the lights in the living room, as it seems to be to dark to sew. I try my office. Nope, the lighting is bad there too.
Finally i settle into Keith's office (the library) and i begin. At least that was the plan. But it took me 20 minutes to thread the damn needle. When did the hole get so small?

After what felt like an eternity, i started to sew on the first patch..a lovely swatch of orange fur, wrapped around her wrist.

And that is the only patch that was done.
It took me an hour to sew that little patch on....apparently my eyes are not what they used to be..neither are my fingers, which had other ideas about how they wanted to spend the evening.

Halloween is tomorrow, and this morning as Bug got ready for school she was all teary eyed..worried about her costume not being done...I assured her that it would be done before she came home from school today. With a hug and kiss, out she went...happy in the knowledge that Mommy would not let her down.
And i won't....

Now where did i put that glue gun and stapler?????

Mind over matter

For the last few days i have been fighting a bug (no not the child, a germ-type bug). I have been in denial, but have put up a good fight. Yesterday i had to admit that i was losing, and for the first time in i can't remember when, i came home from work. I worked 2 hours, but in the end, the germs won out.
My head is pounding, i can't breathe, and i feel like i have been run over by a Mac truck.
I am drinking fluids, taking medicine, and sleeping lots.
What i am not doing is getting all of the little things i need to have done...well...done.
I am the leader in charge of the Church's "Devil Night" Halloween party....there are games to be organized, volunteers to contact, goodies to make and buy. As well as a lecture this evening by a Youth Pastor who has willingly fit us into his busy schedule.....I haven't even started Bug's costume...while it is an easy one, it still requires that i be able to concentrate for an hour or two....
There is laundry to be done (i swear i just cleared out all the dirty clothes...where did THAT pile come from?) and i have soup that i want to make (gotta love comfort food in the cold weather).
There is a family night at the school tomorrow night, and a bake sale tomorrow afternoon....and Bug has a Track and Field competition tomorrow....

So i am going to do what any good mother would do.
I am taking more drugs and going back to bed.
Maybe it'll all look better this afternoon....

Or not.
If you need me i will be buried under the blankets.....just follow the trail of Kleenex and cough drops.

Could it be?

Could it really be the 22nd of OCTOBER? The children just left the house armed with light sweaters for the cool air...a balmy 17ºC. The high today is supposed to hit 27. IN OCTOBER????  My roses are starting to bud and bloom again...surely a joke, since you know, i may not have mentioned it is OCTOBER. And i live in the GREAT WHITE NORTH. (ok, the area i live in is also known as the banana belt, but that isn't the point...i did have a point somewhere....).

Keith has returned form his trip, where he and new found family went searching for dead people.
Yep you read that right.
See one of our hobbies is genealogy, and this new family member (hi Shae!) is a result of a search that is on going. So they did a 3 day tour of graveyards and archives, and had a lovely time (really it is fun..i have done it as well, and it is humbling to stand and read stones of family who walked the earth 150 years before you were here)
Today, i am joining in on the search. Shae has not been in the area for 40 years, and there is a lot she wants to see...mostly dead people, but like i said, it is kind of a family hobby..and since we are all one big happy family, and Keith has to work today...Shae, Jo and I are going a hunting.....that and it is supposed to be GORGEOUS out today (see 27 above)..and rainy tomorrow, so tomorrow will be inside archive research day.

Keith left early for work this morning and left me alone with the children.

ALONE
IN THE MORNING
ON ONLY ONE CUP OF COFFEE.

I am not usually part of the morning routine here in Wilsonworld, since you all know my previous job had me out of the house at 3:30am. My new job however allows that i am home 4 days in a row...and so i must learn the ways of the morning.

With a kiss and a "don't let the kids pull anything over on you" warning...he was out the door.
And i turned to see two angelic children smiling at me.
I think they were smiling.
It might have been leering....
The way a two headed monster smiles just before they eat you alive.

With only 3 major meltdowns, one over hair, one over how it IS fall but it is warm out and "NO you DON"T have to wear that winter coat that i pulled out of storage just in case because it is October-22-any-you-never-know-around-here" and one over a lost agenda, which was right were i told Bug it was...i kissed them both and sent them out the door.

That wasn't that bad, i thought to myself.
I can do this.
I walked into the kitchen to pour myself another cup of coffee.

And that is where the nightmare came true.

THE POT WAS EMPTY.

Maybe i am not cut out for this morning stuff.

I am off to converse with some dead relatives.
Hope there is coffee.

Home again...back where i belong!

The party was a huge success...we figure that from 2-4pm on Saturday, over 200 people came to help celebrate Gramma's 90th. A testament to the love that she has shared with so many over the years. It was a busy few days. I survived the train ride, having lost wi-fi just after i posted...i turned to one of the novels that i brought with me...that and yet another cup of really bad coffee from VIA and got me through the rest of the ride. Once Mom picked me up at the station we headed off to Gramma's for breakfast and yeah..more coffee!
We spent the day traveling and finishing up last minute things..cake and veggies and balloons and a dozen other stops. By noon we were ready for a nap.
Friday we spent the day pouring over old photographs...90 years worth....i put together albums and sorted pictures for the tables...but i did come across some photo's that we couldn't identify. So i was resourceful. I created a spot in the album called WHO AM I? and invited everyone to give us their answers....It worked well and most of the people have now been named.

Saturday....up before the sun. Left the farm for the 45 minute drive to Gramma's...complete with Timmie's stops (2). Stopped at Gramma's for food (we really like to eat in this family...food=love..yes i have issues..) and then off to the hall to decorate. The sun was up by now, and Keith and the kids were on their way. They called me form the highway, to let me know that there was a small glitch in their plans....in rushing out the door that morning, they had left all of the hanging clothes in the closet. Bug and Keith would have to go shopping for dress clothes.

When they arrived, i took a break from working at the hall to run to Sears. Problem solved. Clothing purchased...it was time to party.

And party we did.
The thing you have to remember is that i come from a large Irish Catholic family.
I mentioned that there were over 200 people in 2 hours come through the hall.
Then the family gathered for dinner.

We ate. And ate. And ate some more.
We caught up on our lives, since i do not live with most of them..I am one of the only grandchildren to have left the area...they all still try to get together for dinner once a week. We were a VERY close knit family..and although the miles separate us, i like to think that we still are.
Bug thought it was great that she had cousins...LOTS of them. As every single person in that hall was related.

We headed back on Sunday, and took our time driving home..stopping along the way to explore the Southwold Earthworks, and then having a picnic (ON THE 14TH OF OCTOBER?????? who woulda thunk it?)
It was a relaxing end to a busy weekend.   After all we have to rest up...only 10 more years until Gramma's 100th! And you KNOW that that will be a party!

The birthday girl blowing out the candles..she needed help...that is me in the pink.

My cousin Rob was on the other side to help  just in case the two of us couldn't do it.

Munch and Bug with their Great Gramma.

We took Gramma out for dinner on Friday night, her actual birthday. I hope i look that good at 90.

Keith and I with Papa. He came up with Keith for the party...and teased Gramma about being a young pup. He is 87, and out lasted us later that night. he stayed up to watch the ball game, while the rest of us fell dead asleep...... Wish i had a fifth of their energy.

Time off for good behaviour.

One would think that catching a train at 6am would ensure a quiet ride, however I can assure you that today that is not the case.
I do believe that due to cutbacks, they were afraid to open more than one car.
Normally this would not be a problem, since large crowds on the first train are not the norm.
Today however there seems to be some kind of trip...when I arrived at the station i thought to myself...WHY ARE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE HERE?
I take the first train because it is quiet and usually empty...making for a nice ride.
NOT TODAY.

There is not an empty seat in this car...and they wouldn't open up another one.
We have a screaming child a few seats behind me....and most of the people are speaking in a language that is not my own....and is not pleasant on the ears this early in the morning, after only 2 Tim Horton's coffees.
(disclaimer....I have great admiration for these who speak different languages....just not loudly at 6:30 in the am, and not in such an enclosed space.)

Where was i?
Oh

SO i am on the train, with everyone else and I am heading off to my Mom's for a few days....
This is not a get-a-way...well i guess it kind of is......i am going to get ready for our celebration on Saturday.
Just a small get-together...200 or so of our family and friends....to help us celebrate my Gramma's 90th birthday.

90.

And she still luvs her some Vegas Casinos!

While some people have show surprise when we tell them how old Gramma is, it isn't a surprise to us. The family has been blessed with the gift of longevity. We are already talking about planning her 100th birthday.

To have seen the things that she has...to watch the world evolve..in a way that we can't understand.
I love to hear her talk of her life before technology.
The stories of her youth...an era that we just cannot comprehend.
The story of our family....my Grandfather going off to war, the loss of 2 pregnancies, raising her children and fostering others....it actually doesn't matter what she is talking about, i just love to listen to her.

SO this Saturday, we will all gather and help her celebrate this milestone in her life.
And to do this...there must be food.

And that is why i am coming early.
We have 2 days to gather and prepare food for all of the well-wishers.

Keith is at home with the kids...they will join me later.....

For the next few days, it is just me and my Mom and Gramma....

A chance to hear more stories..and create more memories.

This is my favourite picture of my Gramma and I.

I will have to post it later...apparently VIA doesn't want me to post anything....it has taken a painfully long time just to post this...I will borrow some bandwith from my Mom once i arrive.

Edited....

Forgot that i was staying in a place that still has party-lines for their phones....had to add picture when i returned to civilization. It is still my fave pic. I was around 1 1/2 yrs old, so it was summer 1969.

Ch-ch-ch-changes....

SO you may have noticed that I haven't been here for the last um....10 or so days. Sorry about that.
I have been busy training at my new job, as well as still working at my old one...darn loyalty.....so my hours have been pretty full. But as of 11am this morning....I am done with the company from hell.

I enjoyed the people i worked with, and my own boss was very good at her job, but the company on the whole....i could do without.

So although i started the new job last week, tonight is my first night of what will be my regular shift.
Midnights. 4 days on, 4 days off. No responsibilities outside of working my 10 hrs and going home.

YEAH!

Thanksgiving Day was yesterday, and the one thing i can say i was truly thankful for was screen windows.

It has been unseasonably warm here....no...damn hot would be more accurate. I have done many things on Thanksgiving weekend...I have snowmobiled, skied, ice fishing, regular fishing...but up until this year....i HAVE NEVER GONE SWIMMING.
Saturday one of the neighbours decided to have a pool party. ON-THE-6th-OF-OCTOBER???????
She called it "R U MAN ENOUGH"
Well, we were.
It was 90, the water was in the upper 70's and it felt great.

Screen windows allowed me to catch what little breeze there was, to try and cool the house down, since we removed the air conditioner a few weeks ago.....it was September, and we figured it was a safe bet that around here we wouldn't be needing it.
Boy were we wrong.

Screen windows also allowed me to take some great pictures of a visitor we had yesterday.
I don't know how often people get to see one of these...but i can honestly say i have never seen one up this close. It was hanging off of the neighbours house, and he more than a little freaked out...not sure if it was the visitor, or all of the strangers that were gathered taking pictures of it (we called a friend who is a photographer...thought he might be interested in taking some shots...he was. GO check out his blog...he may or may not have pictures up of our find)

I don't know how to put something "under the fold"..so for the squeamish...i so apologize....

Here is our visitor...and the reason i am thankful i have screen windows......

    

I swear he is smiling.
Yep..I am REALLY THANKFUL for my screen windows...and the double pained glass...and the curtains......

Hope your Thanksgiving Monday was as filled with excitement as ours was!