Tuesday, June 27, 2006

I heard about this on the Colbert Report... and HAD to look it up. The Top 50 Conservative Rock Songs. Check it out!

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Camping Fun

On the one hand:

- mosquitos and wasps
- icky water not really good for swimming (lots of weeds and slime)
- canoe rental was not operating so no canoeing
- we forgot to bring lots of things, including a grater and chairs
- there were 2 "new" girls and 3 "new" boys (think about it)

On the other hand:
- camp fires late into the night with guitar enhanced sing alongs
- smores and other wonderful camp food
- bonding with friends, old and new

Overall a good time was had by all. I think the highlight for me was meeting Richard's wife, Carole, as we have a lot in common.

Poor Oliver, he tried so hard to impress the 14 year old pair of girls, including climibing a tree, challenging the other boys to wrestling and telling lame jokes... but they did not find him desirable at all, instead preferring the two boys named Eric. Maybe now he will start showering and brushing his hair.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Oliver and I are going camping with our youth group this weekend. This is our end of the year retreat.Tonight he went shopping with another youth advisor for the groceries, while I bbq'd the chicken for fahitas for tomorrow night's meal after we get the tents set up. Then we found the tent, the coolers and other stuff we might want to take with us.

Tomorrow I have to go to court in the morning, and then attend a memorial service in the afternoon. Afterwards, I will go pick up my dad's van, then pick up various youth and get stuff from my place. We are camping in a local campgrounds on the Rideau River, not too far away so it won't take long to get there.

It is calling for great weather... sunny, warm and no rain. (Knock on wood)

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

We Love Origami



Owen, Zoe, Dorothy and I did some origami last night. Like, balloons, cups, boats, fish and birds... then we looked at an interesting web site that has origami.

Isn't this amazing? We are in awe. Origami is a true art.


Thursday, June 15, 2006

You Are Teal Green
You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you.Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible.While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks.Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.
What Color Green Are You?

What is behind the window?



I saw this picture on Terri's website. I think it is very interesting - kind of mysterious. I find myself wondering who or what I might see if I look inside the window.

Terri is always taking loads of interesting pictures of places in Libya, where she lives.


Puppy Information

Suki, our cocker spaniel, is getting noticeably fat, which is ok, since we are pretty certain that she is expecting puppies. Her due date is in about two weeks and we are making preparations for the new arrivals. It will be perfect timing, as the kids are off school in about one week so can help to look after them.

The father, Oscar, is a miniature poodle and is as gentle and sweet as the mother. We are sure that the pups will have excellent temperaments and it will be interesting to see what they look like.

I am educating everyone around here about the special needs of a pregnant dog, including diet, exercise and what to expect when she is in labour.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

update

We had a great weekend away with our friends David and Margaret. Although it was very cold (ie. we wore at least three layers at all times) the company and great food made it all worthwhile.

We saw Ospreys in their huge nest - flying around, catching fish and defending against any nearby invaders. As well we saw a huge heron fly by, and some loons. While walking around the island, I also saw deer prints.

It looks like I may be going on a camping trip two weekends from now with the youth group. We are just getting it organized and have to see if we have enough adults to go. I may just be a driver and daytime supervisor.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Weekend Getaway...

Eric and I are going to our friends' cottage. It is on an island, very relaxing and isolated. We leave tomorrow morning and will come back on Sunday. The worst part is that the weather is calling for rain and cold temperatures. But I don't mind. We can read, light a fire, play cards, eat good food and share nice company with our friends. It is ok if we can't go swimming, boating or walking because of the weather. I am really looking forward to getting away for a day.

long day

What a day!

7:30 - get up, get Owen going...tell him to eat breakfast while I get ready...
8 am - Owen is not ready to go to school! He hasn't even eaten breakfast... so I take Oliver to some special leadership program he is going to in the west end and return to the house to get Owen at 8:20
8:30 - take Owen to school - he is only 15 minutes late... could be worse
8:40 - stop at the office to drop off files that I took home to work on last night
8:54 - leave the office for a meeting with another lawyer at 9 am
9:11 - arrive at the meeting - just slightly late
10:15 - meeting finishes early, head back to office
10:30 - work on immigration file submissions, affidavit for motion next week, consent order for the morning meeting file
10:45 - student volunteer arrives - she works on two letters and one bill - faxing them out later on when they are ready
10:55 - call Family court to ask about two court appearances next week re: scheduling
11:45 - new client shows up who had an appointment yesterday - what to do? we don't have time for this today! I decide to give her a few minutes, which turns into over an hour long meeting
12:30 - meet with Robin to discuss this new case - decide to ask the woman to collect evidence of her claims - we make a plan to meet again next week
12:45 - realize that photocopy/printer is down - fix it guy is in office taking the whole thing apart!
1 pm - receive emergency call from client - police involved in situation (ack!)
1:20 - 2 pm appointment shows up early - this is for a transfer of a home between ex-spouses
2:45 pm - write two wills quickly for people leaving the country at 4 pm!
3:10 pm - receive phone call from Court to reschedule Monday's appearance to Tuesday, as Judge is sick - get answers about my scheduling questions
3:14 pm - another Court staff calls to return my call!
3:20 pm - talk to new client on phone - make an appointment for next week.
3:30 pm - finally see 3 pm appointment to go over crisis and response to current situation
4:05 - speak to client from early morning meeting about consent order - hurray! she agrees.
6 pm - speak to client whose case has been moved from Monday to Tuesday
6:10 pm - finish the summary of arrears for early morning file, and fax it as well as draft consent order to other lawyer for feedback
6:45 pm - finally go home - pick up Dorothy, head to the store to get some things for dinner.

There were many things that I forgot to do today. Blah. Tomorrow is another day.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Death Visits

I heard about the deaths of two women this past week. The first was June, the almost lifelong companion of my Great Aunt Violet in Toronto. Her name was June and as long as I can remember, she lived with my Aunt. I never did meet my Aunt's husband (he had died I think). Violet died about a year or more ago after several years of decline with Alzheimers. Violet was my mom's favorite Aunt - and they were in touch several times each week. My mom would visit her in Toronto at least once every year, although this became difficult once my mom's own health deteriorated in recent years. Even when Violet didn't recognize my mom anymore, she was comforted by her phone calls. Once Violet was gone, my mom kept in touch with June. June was very lonely without Violet - and Violet's family was not kind to June. Although Violet wanted to leave everything in her apartment to June, apparently this did not happen, and June died alone, lonely and very impoverished. I believe they were both close to 90 when they died.

The second death that I heard about was my long-time friend's mother, whom I will call "Betty". This woman was also over 90 and not in great health. She was surrounded by a good sized family who made sure she was well cared for. In fact, when she moved into a seniors facility last fall, it was the nicest one in town. Her obituary was beautiful, describing her friends, her history, her grandchildren and other family members and what she meant to them. She lived a rich, full life. Interestingly, I had just redone her will for her a few months ago, so this will be my first estate case that I work on.

What I noticed the most is how differently our seniors can be treated by family, friends and society.

Shiloh

How could I miss this news? Apparently Angelina and Brad had their daughter ten days ago!! Her name is Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt. What an interesting name. "Shiloh" can mean a reference to the Messiah, and Nouvel means "new". Imagination yet not too weird.

They sold the first pictures for 4 million to People magazine, but apparently are giving the money to children's charities. If true, good for them.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Camp Hope in Ottawa

Many people at my church are involved in ongoing activism surrounding the detention of suspected terrorists. There are many men being held without bail, without their lawyers or themselves being able to get disclosure about the evidence against them.

There is a huge protest all week as the Supreme Court of Canada hears their cases. There is a lot more information here. Check it out - it will open your eyes to how Canada is abusing suspects and their families - violating their rights to a fair and speedy trial.

Toronto: Canada's Heck

Sorry Todd, I wasn't trying to insult anyone who lives in Toronto. Yes, it is a much nicer place than many American cities. But how many other Canadian cities and towns have you been to? For example, Ottawa is amazing, as is Vancouver and Montreal. And they are just as diverse and have great transit!

One of the reasons I choose not to live in Toronto is that it is just too damn big and crowded. With way too many cars (and traffic), and pollution. We have the exact same diversity here in Ottawa on probably a one quarter scale (our pop. is about 1 million). I used to work for the School Board, and we had over 100 different cultures represented in the school that I worked in. In fact, I am very happy that my children are attending schools where diversity is celebrated and encouraged.

I think what this Toronto terrorist news has brought back to me is the huge change in NYC since 9/11. I was there in May of 2001 with two of my daughers and we had a wonderful time. We felt totally safe, even late at night.

I have since been back last summer and this past spring. On every subway we say army guys with machine guns - they were in every building too. I can't believe people live like this. That living in a police state has become normalized. Thus my comment that I wouldn't want to raise a child in Toronto, as I am worried that it will become like NYC in the very near future.

I would not want a child to be raised in a place where it is normal to carry a gun to feel safe, or to have the police on every block so that the people feel safe from gangs or terrorists.

That scene in Bowling for Columbine where Michael Moore walked into Canadian homes in Toronto is so REAL for most people I know. Canadians don't all lock their doors, as they feel safe.

As I commented on your site - I totally agree with your comments about the war in Iraq/Afghanistan - and I don't trust Stephen Harper at all. You are probably right - perhaps this whole thing is just a way to get Canadians to accept more invasion of privacy and letting go of our freedom of expression, as well as permitting detention without trials, etc. for so-called terrorist suspects.

As our grandparents probably said... "the world is going to hell in a hand basket". Whatever a "handbasket" is...???

Monday, June 05, 2006



This is the God of my lawn. All who gather here, walk gently and do not disturb the power of the God.

Toronto, Canada's Hell

Wow. I can't believe what's on the news about a terrorist group in Toronto. All the anti-terrorism stuff that has been going on for five years has seemed so surreal. It is just crazy. Not in Canada.

Toronto has been going to hell for a while now. There are tons of guns and violence there - just like any American city. Blech. I would never want to raise a child there. Maybe we do need to throw some people out.

If only people could just be nice.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Mexican Chicken Soup

My mother got this recipe while she was visiting my sister in California. I have had it twice at her place and it was delicious! It is easy to make in a slow cooker.

Layer the following in your slow cooker:
4- 6 medium sized chicken breasts, cut into pieces.
1 sweet potato chopped
1 large sweet yellow onion (Vidalia or other)
3 cans (14 oz)
3 cans chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
(Cook in slow cooker for 5 hours on high)

Then add:
1 dark green pepper chopped
1 small bag of frozen corn
(Cook another 30 minutes)

Serve into bowls with:
handful of grated sharp cheddar cheese
corn tortilla chips (stick into the bowl!)
sprinkle of fresh cilantro
Some people also like sour cream!

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