The Next Day

Curbs went in yesterday. And in celebration of that momentous event I decided a colon cleanse was in order. (Okay not really due to that momentous occasion...) Word of advice: clean colons are super, fabulous, and all that jazz but surely they should recommend on the bottle's side that taking pills the night before needing to do ANYTHING more than a dozen feet from a porcelain throne isn't for the faint of heart...

Celebrate....Curbs!

Some disheveled hard-hatted fellow came to the door this morning as we readied the wagon, tricycle, and backpack for school announcing the need to remove all vehicles from the property (well, any that we wanted to be able to use in any location other than our driveway for the next two days)...

Everyone CELEBRATE! The curbs went in today! Looming, perfectly-formed greyish-cum-white as the day crept into evening, slabs of cement!!! Never has stone and gravel mulled in powdery cement looked so wonderfully inviting (and invited)!

Tunic Trouble

When looking for information on tunics (because it is such a common item to seek after all!?) be aware of the fact that you may discover a little too much information about feline vaginal infections. I am not kidding. Did you know (and you may if you are a vet or a person hyper-aware of his/her cat's anatomy) about "tunic vaginalis"? Saving you the detail and picture (apparently anything CAN be found on the internet), I will only share that it involves nasty repercussions after an injury/infection and that no cat, let alone person surfing the net (save for afore-mentioned vets or hyper-knowledgeable anatomy studiers), should have to uncover or experience this.

Crazy internet. Just a few weeks ago a few of us, post-meeting, were exchanging tales of people's bold statements that "this will NEVER get off the ground..." (Yes, it was a church meeting and yes the main discussion was change!) One woman's story of her grandfather laughing hilariously about how anyone could ever think a TELEVISION would ever get into every household in North America, let alone ONE home was topped only by another's uncle stating firmly that "what are they thinking? This crazy ole computer thingie won't ever hit it off...waste of money, time, and energy!" (Which may very well be true - about the waste of time, money, and energy -and yet still...)

Why the search for tunics? I am not learning to sew (my peach and burgundy velour jumpsuit, sewed inside-out for a public school 4H project, should have been warning enough about my personal tailoring abilities). I am not becoming a fan of medieval fashion. I have decided that this distribution "career" of mine needs some sort of "title"....now just wait: LEGAL distribution, and not simply my Epicure Selections business. Since children arrived in our home I have become (willingly) some sort of central location where items (mainly baby and kids' clothing) arrive, are organized by yours truly, and then re-distributed for free to people who need them. Everything from training potties to baby bikinis have temporarily habituated in our basement.

This is our attempt to assist in a solution to many issues: lack of funds (it has certainly aided us), saving of the environment through efficient re-use of items otherwise destined for landfill, responsible stewardship...

So why tunics in the title? Two Tunics (and perhaps "trading" in small letters underneath? Still to be determined.). Luke 3:11 "John answered, 'The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.'"

So, tunics and vaginas...who knew?!

A Laugh A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Why set that full coffee beside the computer keyboard when you just have that teeny inkling that something horrid could occur? [Which would answer why this blog will take slightly longer to type due to very sticky keys - especially most-used "delete" and "backspace" buttons.] Why set boundaries that no one is willing to observe? Why have a blog you rarely write? Why NOT eat birthday cake before the main meal? Why worry about stain removal? Why NOT live in squalor? (Proceeded by: why then is the mess and chaos and endless piles claiming squatting rights on the kitchen table driving me batty?)

Just some of the thoughts plaguing me right this moment...

De-cluttering would involve much more than a day....Peter Walsh's book "Enough Already!" adorns my bedside table and Jeff and I have been working through it - Walsh's premise being that removal of clutter from all areas of life (relationship, spiritual, financial, family, work) involves forming visions, clarifying issues, and not simply removing items (as more will only take their place until the issue is resolved). So guess that one is off the fix-it-today chart!

How about the idea that maybe, just maybe, we need a good laugh today? Well, here's a joke for you:

In the days when you couldn't count on a public toilet facility, an English woman was planning a trip to India . She was registered to stay in a small guest house owned by the local Schoolmaster.

She was concerned as to whether the guest house contained a WC..

In England , a bathroom is commonly called a WC which stands for 'Water Closet'.

She wrote to the schoolmaster inquiring of the facilities about the WC.

The school master, not fluent in English, asked the local priest if he knew the meaning of WC.. Together they pondered possible meanings of the letters and concluded that the lady wanted to know if there was a 'Wayside Church' near the house . . . a bathroom never entered their minds.

So the schoolmaster wrote the following reply:

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Dear Madam,
I take great pleasure in informing you that the WC is located 9 miles from the house.

It is located in the middle of a grove of pine trees, surrounded by lovely grounds. It is capable of holding 229 people and is open on Sundays and Thursdays.

As there are many people expected in the summer months, I suggest you arrive early. There is, however, plenty of standing room.

This is an unfortunate situation especially if you are in the habit of going regularly.

It may be of some interest to you that my daughter was married in the WC, as it was there, that she met her husband. It was a wonderful event. There were 10 people in every seat. It was wonderful to see the expressions on their faces. We can take photos in different angle.

My wife, sadly, has been ill and unable to go recently. It has been almost a year since she went last, which pains her greatly.

You will be pleased to know that many people bring their lunch and make a day of it. Others prefer to wait till the last minute and arrive just in time. I would recommend your ladyship plan to go on a Thursday as there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent and even the most delicate sounds can be heard everywhere.

The newest addition is a bell which rings every time a person enters. We are holding a bazaar to provide plush seats for all, since many feel it is long needed.

I look forward to escorting you there myself and seating you in a place where you can be seen by all.

With deepest regards,
The Schoolmaster
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The Woman fainted reading the reply.......and she never visited India !!!

What should be done with...???

As I have been sorting through kids clothing, weeding out the too small or seasonal summer gear, I have come across several pieces with which I do not know what to do? Good quality jeans with broken zipper; lined jacket with, again, broken zipper; t-shirts too stained to pass down (bleach and I are not companions). Hating to see them simply tossed in the trash, but unable to do the necessary repairs (and knowing the cost of newly installed zippers is excessively high for what were free pieces of clothing), with an already overflowing rag bucket, and unwilling to donate un-saleable items to the local secondhand shop (and thereby leaving it with them to purge), I question their fate?

While visiting with my inspirational, funky friend Faye this morning, I revealed this dilemma. "Well," she said thoughtfully, "Sometimes I put them in separate bags with a note on it and give them to Value Village - they say they have someone who takes the damaged items...or if they're not toxic or plastic-y I remove buttons and zippers and shred them for the fire pile and toss them on...do you have a backyard burn bucket?" The answer being "no" we don't. As I glanced at her she knowingly held up her hand, palm towards me, "I do NOT want them for my firepit," she stated firmly, winking in a mischievous almost-maternal manner as though she thought I honestly would leave a box outside her front door (which I probably might have had she not unflinchingly denied me the opportunity).

Hmmmm...the burning/fire idea got me thinking. Could I compost them? The cotton denim atleast? And what about that company I had previously heard of that makes insulation from old jeans?



Planetgreen.com had some suggestions for old denim: area rugs, coasters, etc.
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/delightful-denim-great-crafts-that-reuse-your-jeans.html

So, hmmm, what shall it be? Considering I am attempting to declutter, the idea of holding on to them to possibly, someday in the future, maybe recycle them into some sort of unneeded coaster, means I am choosing compost for the jeans and stained shirt and neighbour fire (if they say yes) for the double-lined jacket...Thanks, Faye!

Soap Finally Made!

Yes, it has happened. We finally managed to get our homemade soap done. And simple enough was the process: melt it down, add some food colouring and some essential oil of your choice (ours was saje's "unwind") www.saje.ca, dump into containers (we used silicone muffin tins), and let dry. A few hours later and we had our creations complete!



I think that from now on, since fancy schamncy shades and designs (rounded soap with marbles in one, the letter 'g' in another, and a teeny horse romping through a larger rectangle), though fun and funky, really don't need a consistent home on our bathroom shower stall shelves, that I may just chop the soapbase into smaller sizes (ours came in a 2 pound block) and use "as is"...

Brain Drain Games

Avidly I have been reading, whenever a moment arises and allows, Norman Doidge's The Brain That Changes Itself...fascinating stuff in down-to-earth language. Defying scientists' previous beliefs that the brain could in no way be plastic (a word so taboo that some research papers weren't originally published due to its use) in its ability to change and grow as the body ages, Doidge shares post-stroke victims' tales of mental and physical recovery; the existence of pain as emulating from the brain rather than the injured body part; a young woman born with an empty cavity where her left hemisphere should have been and her successful experience with "re-wiring"...

We learn that walking barefoot encourages stability, learning new languages and taking dance lessons ward off cognitive decline, and that, yes, high vegetable and fish intake, along with exercise and brain games, encourage neurological growth and mitigate the onset of Alzheimer's. Studies on people who actually physically exercised, as opposed to those who merely spent equivalent time merely visualizing the very same activity, demonstrated that the 'doers' muscle mass and strength improved by 30%whereas the 'thinker' muscle mass and strength improved by 22%. Wow. The power of our minds!

"We must be learning if we are to feel fully alive" (p.116).

Honestly it scares the pants off of me in terms of raising children: are we stimulating them enough? The first six years are so critical...as well as the fact that the more education and experience one has the better chance of living life without dementia (as well as the fact that if a brain injury does occur, positive results are much higher/better when higher education is involved). Are we filling those little brains as best as we can?

Tonight I completed Day 2 of Luminosity's 40 Day Brain Training. FREE! Luminosity.com (Check it out!) Having jumped on to my lap to observe, Gavin asked about playing. His first desire was a game that involved making as many words as possible with the first three letters (e.g. "som" and "ele" were two of today's) and though he tried it was obviously beyond his developmental level. However, "monster garden", revealed a savvy little memory. A 5x5 grid displays 3 monsters before hiding them, then shows a farmer who must reach a specific flower without treading on a monster. After completion of the 'path creation' bonus points are awarded for clicking on the squares where the monsters hid. He was amazing!

Luminosity.com, as well as an orchestrated effort at mental exercise and reading more challenging material, is my current attempt at a solution to temporary memory loss and neurological shutdowns! ("Baby brain", or "Placental Drain" as my friend Laurie calls it, eventually ends does it not? Our daughter is almost 3! Where is my brain? Who has taken it hostage? When shall it return?) And today's morning at the beach followed by a trip to Bruce County Museum's "Sea Monster" exhibit is my attempt at filling up those kidlet cranial cavities. http://www.brucemuseum.ca/calendar/sea-monsters-predators-of-the-ancient-seas/