Life in Quotations

New Blog announcement

2012-11-04T21:53:00.003-05:00

Although I haven't posted for a while I fully intend to keep blogging, I'm just not sure what I want to write about here. I want to let you guys know that I'm collaborating on a new blog with my good friend Leila, from A Story of Growth and Reflection.

Our blog As You Are came about because we both have a strong interest in some of the most important issues that people face today. I wanted a space to generally cover the heavier topics that some of you talk about with me outside my blog and this seems to be the perfect fit, for both of us. We hope it will become an interactive space where people can share their stories and experiences.

Click here to link, we hope to see you there!

Chillout Video

2012-08-11T09:08:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've been here but I want to share what is probably the most beautiful video I've ever seen. Hope you like it and that all is well.

An Update of Sorts

2012-07-22T14:38:00.001-04:00

This is the longest I've gone in a long time without posting. I don't know if it's been because I've been feeling uninspired or not much new has been going on. But I'll take a few minutes and see what I come up with.

I got a pedicure last week. I can't believe I got a pedicure, never thought I would and never gave it too much thought. And now that I have?...I liked it!

So yeah I'll go back.

Against my better judgement I picked up Fifty Shades of Grey a while ago. Pretty much every review I've read has painted it as mediocre, yet it's the best-selling paperback in history. Go figure. I had no intention of giving E L James my money, she doesn't need it. But a friend in Spain who enjoyed it has been asking me to give her my opinion so I bought it. Fortunately with the points I had earned I saved five bucks on it so I was kinda happy about that.

After three weeks I'm only forty pages into it, partly because it's very slowly fleshing out the characters and setting the stage for them to meet. I think most of my reason for not getting more into it is I have a friend who's on a very similar journey to Anastasia; I find listening to her experiences infinitely more interesting. She told me that many in the BDSM community find the book laughable, from my point of view (even just forty pages in) I find the writing rather immature and wish it had been written by someone who had lived this first-hand. I can't imagine someone with no sexual experience being immediately immersed in this lifestyle.

Many take issue with how Grey and Anastasia are portrayed. The way her submissiveness is presented doesn't sit well, not because she's in this role but because she's shown as completely unempowered. A victim. My friend shared this link from one woman's viewpoint of what a healthy submissive is. I found it interesting.

In other news at the beginning of this month I began working for a new company. My team provides outsourced mail room services to a large client (I manage the operation). Recently the company I worked for lost the bid for the contract, we were offered the option of working for the new company and all of us accepted. The downside is I lost sixteen years seniority with nothing from the company to show for it. The good news is it looks like my new employer will be better to work for. I certainly hope so.

On August 11th Sandy and I are having our annual deck party. It's an all-day affair that starts early afternoon and runs until 2 or 3 in the morning. You're all invited.

F'real.

Secret Sunday

2012-07-01T20:31:00.002-04:00

Goodbye by Sugar grl14

It's been a while since I featured this so welcome to the 115th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.

Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...

Quest For Cheese

2012-06-29T21:50:00.000-04:00

here

Today was one of the busiest I've ever had at work. I'm not in the frame of mind for anything cerebral but I do feel like posting, so I'll share something I wrote on Facebook about our trip to the supermarket tonight.

Sometimes too many choices at the supermarket isn't a good thing. Why is it so easy to find Tibetan Hairy Elk cheese or Norwegian Midget Double Aged Beaver cheese but it takes literally ten minutes and two staff to help locate a block of plain friggin' Swiss? They even put holes in other cheeses just to fake you out, to make you THINK you've finally found it. That's what the security cameras are really there for. They don't give a damn if you set off the alarms for the razor blades, they want to watch you go apeshit trying to find a specific cheese.

Happy weekend everyone!

Love Story

2012-06-25T08:05:00.002-04:00

This is a poem I wrote for my first on-line friend, Anna, who I met shortly after I started blogging in 2009. I was charmed by her writing, especially about her boyfriend; it was passionate but refreshingly innocent. Over time we got to know each other and formed a close bond.

This piece has always held a place for me because I've never captured the spirit of someone's relationship more completely than I have here. It's also the first poem I've written of a story seen through someone else's eyes. Anna still has the original I sent in her room somewhere, thousands of miles across the ocean. I've watched her grow into a woman over the years and we're still friends today.

Posted with her permission.

Love Story

So come to me on bended knee,

And calm my insecurity.

We’ll lay beneath the Aussie skies,

Fight the dark and greet sunrise.

With stained-glass rays to warm our face

We’ll run each day’s uncertain race.

Love’s moments spent near or apart

With you forever in my heart.

On crashing beach and windswept plain,

Through winter’s chill or summer’s rain,

We’ll act like fools for all to see

Or be content to simply be.

Stolen nights entwined as one

When passion’s dance has just begun,

Your deep blue eyes and tiger skin

With every breath I’ll breathe you in.

Then hand-in-hand we’ll face the day,

Climb obstacles that come our way

And thank the day that we both met

My shining Prince.

Your Juliet.

Our Anniversary Celebration

2012-06-16T22:50:00.001-04:00

Thursday marked fifteen years that Sandy and I have been married. We rarely get extravagant when celebrating special occasions, instead we decided to book a day off work and spend the day together on a trip into the city. We centred it all around a tour of the Picasso exhibit at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) in Toronto.

We took the train downtown, joining the morning rush-hour crowd as they poured into the city. But we were in no hurry and made a few stops along the way.

Our first destination was a cafe/ bistro that Sandy recently discovered. We both have a weakness for a good latte and weren't disappointed.

isn't she adorable?

From the cafe we headed up the street to the art gallery...

"Large Two Forms 1966 and 1969" by Henry Moore

Some of my favourites:

"Violin" (sculpture)

"Sacre Coeur" (sketch. Sandy and I fell in love with this one)

"Musician"

"The Kiss"

"Man With A Guitar"

"Reading"

"The Farmer's Wife"

"The Supplicant" (this was a small piece, with amazingly fine detail)

"Three Figures Under A Tree" (heavy African influence in this work)

gift shop

From the art gallery we went back to the cafe for lunch (the prices in the restaurant at the gallery were crazy). Afterwards we took a stroll to Sandy 's office so I could meet some of the girls, then we continued downtown.

Yonge/Dundas Square, in the heart of Toronto...

Our last stop downtown was the St. Lawrence Market. It opened in 1803 and was named the world's best food market in April by National Geographic. Sandy goes fairly often but I hadn't been there for years, so it was a perfect opportunity to do a little meat and produce shopping. I also got a chance to meet some of "her boys", who take such good care of her when she shops there. Yeah, she loves the attention!

We left the market mid-afternoon and caught the train home. We had a quick shower then headed out for dinner at...

We both ordered steak topped with crab, shrimp and bernaise sauce (Sandy skipped the bernaise) and got THE best server we've had in a long time. Shauna was amazing, her service was great and when she found out it was our anniversary she took time to talk with us. She asked us how to make a relationship last and was full of questions.

Sandy and I both agreed it was one of the best days we've spent together in a while. Everything was perfect!

More random photos from our day...

sculpture in a park

these looked pretty hot

I thought some of you might like this

setting up for the MMVA's (Much Music Video Awards)

I loved this bike!

in the park...

Secret Sunday

2012-06-10T16:27:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, I hope wherever you are you've had a good weekend! It's time for the 114th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.

Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...

Home Improvements- Freshening Up Our Front Porch

2012-06-07T13:07:00.008-04:00

Okay so I know the title isn't terribly creative. Put it down to my brain being in neutral because I'm fighting a cold.

Originally our front porch was covered in a bright green, fake grass carpet that for whatever reason used to be popular. If you're too young to remember it count yourself lucky, suffice it to say it came with the house and wasn't our choice. Years ago I pulled it all up, prepped the concrete and applied a granite finish which we were very happy with. It wore extremely well, and after about eight years started to develop a few cracks and a hole. It was time to refinish it.

Sandy suggested we get rid of the railing, which I agreed to since it was dated and wasn't serving any purpose (it wasn't required by code since our porch is very low to the ground). So, out came the cutting wheel...

There were plenty of fireworks as the sparks showered everywhere...

No more railing...

I bored out some rotted wood that was in the bottom of all four holes with a drill and spade bit then cleaned them up. This would give the concrete that was to follow the best possible adhesion...

Supplies for mixing the powdered concrete. Limestone gravel is in the clear container, it has to be mixed in since the holes were so deep....

Here it is after two applications. Once this was dry I trowelled on some concrete with no limestone and levelled it off. I did this for all four holes...

When the concrete was dry I primed the repairs with a white surface primer...

It was time to resurface. I began trowelling on the granite finish, the same stuff I used years before. It's water-based and easy to work with, just a time-consuming fiddly job. Think of it as a very thick paint with sand in it...

I couldn't believe I ran short of the stuff! And being a holiday Monday the store was closed. So I had to put the rest of the job on hold until the following weekend. Okay. So if you went to somebody's house and saw their front porch like this in the photo below what would you think? There's probably some construction going on right? Yeah. We ordered take-out and Sandy specifically asked the person taking the order to request that the driver come to the back door. We even left the gate open and you CAN'T miss it when it's open. Our front doorbell rings and there he is, he had walked up the narrow foot-wide part of the porch on the left that isn't blocked by the flower planter. Awesome. Fortunately there was no damage or they would have heard about it. ..

And here we are. I still have to apply a sealer coat this weekend if the weather's good but this is it! In a few years we'll replace the porch with interlocking stone which I hope to do myself.

We've been busy around the property so I'll have more home improvement posts soon!

Secret Sunday

2012-06-03T16:16:00.000-04:00

Time now for the 113th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.
Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...

My Head Is Spinning (And I Love It)

2012-05-31T22:42:00.005-04:00

I haven’t written much here lately but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing. A few of you, my blogging friends, are going through some stuff and thankfully you’ve let me be a part of it. I’ll try to give the rest of you an idea of where I’ve been spending my time without revealing too much about anyone’s situation that hasn’t been posted publicly.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. There was the loss of a loved one that was very unexpected and just devastated me. But Jamie’s doing the best she can, day by day, and I know she‘ll get through this. JJ if you’re reading, my thoughts are always with you.

There was a birth that was nothing short of miraculous and I’m convinced was meant to be. I’ve been friends with Becca for over two years, she’s wanted a third child for as long as I can remember and I was overjoyed to see Timothy come into the world healthy after the struggles she went through. It was definitely one of my happiest moments this year. Isn’t it amazing how we can feel so close to people we’ve never met?

I can’t count the number of e-mails and messages I’ve read and answered lately about relationships. Talk of boyfriends and husbands, break-ups and affairs. Questions about sexual identity, new experiences and feelings. Giving advice that brought two friends back together, or talking about a situation with a roommate.

I chatted through Facebook with Jamie Lynne Grumet, recently on the cover of Time magazine’s issue on attachment parenting and extended breastfeeding. (Sweet person by the way). A friend approached me on how to handle unwanted sexual innuendo from an unknown commenter, another asked me to review the first few chapters of her novel.

Happy to read, happy to listen, happy to be here.

Always.

Secret Sunday

2012-05-27T15:02:00.001-04:00

It's been quiet here but very busy in my day-to-day life this past week, I'll fill you in a bit more in the next couple days.

Time now for the 112th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.

Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...

Secret Sunday

2012-05-21T00:31:00.001-04:00

Wow it's been such a busy weekend I just realized I'm late posting Secret Sunday. So here it is.

It's time for the 111th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.

Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...

Attachment Parenting- The Time Magazine Controversy

2012-05-17T23:11:00.012-04:00

Time magazine

It would seem the latest media controversy to sweep through North America (temporarily stealing some spotlight from the same-sex marriage debate), has been brought to us courtesy of Time magazine. For those of you who haven’t heard the buzz yet the May 21st issue features a cover photo of Jamie Lynne Grumet breastfeeding her three-year-old son Aram. As soon as I heard of the story I knew I wanted to write about it, so I picked up a copy the day it hit my local news stand and began reading.

On a broader scale this centres around attachment parenting or AP, a concept currently being advocated by Dr. Bill Sears. (For his seven B’s of attachment parenting read here ; some of them I agree with, some I don't). What bothers me about all the hype is that this presents a perfect opportunity for open discussion on how best to raise children in Western society, yet all the focus seems to be directed on a provocative front-page photo. Neither Mrs. Grumet nor Dr. Sears are happy with Time’s decision to use this particular shot for the cover; a picture of her cuddling her son close would have better represented the story, but Time knows as well as anyone that an attractive young woman with her breasts half exposed in a defiant pose such as this will draw attention. In this sense the cover has done what it’s supposed to, and that’s to sell magazines. I have not so much a problem with the photo itself as the way in which it's being used to deliberately spark controversy.

The cover headline also provokes a strong reaction by asking, “Are you mom enough?” It’s sensationalistic and insensitive, as if suggesting that women who are unable to breastfeed as often as they’d like (or at all) somehow fall short as mothers. Attachment parenting to this degree is almost a non-issue anyway; how many women are in a position to stay at home and nurse their children for this length of time even if they want to? The vast majority of mothers don’t take AP to such extremes but this message is overshadowed.

If I were to break down Sears’ seven points of attachment parenting and give my views on each, I’d have to spread it out over several posts. So, since public attention is being focused on the issue of extended breastfeeding that’s what I’ll talk about here.

I just don’t understand what all the fuss is about. I admit that I was a bit unsettled by the photo at first, mainly because it’s not something we’re used to seeing. Only 15-25% of North American mothers continue nursing their children past six months, where from every article I’ve read the international average is much higher. Why do so many feel breastfeeding into the toddler years until a child self-weans is wrong? And how many more mothers, given the chance to stay at home for years and raise their children, would choose to do the same?

Response to Jamie Lynne Grumet’s cover photo has ranged from overwhelming support to threats of Child Protective Services being called under allegations of child molestation. This infuriates me. It’s a fire fuelled by ignorance, those who feel this way would do well to speak with a survivor of child sexual abuse. On her Facebook page Jamie has linked to an excellent article written by Mollie, a blogger who is both a survivor of abuse and a nursing mother of two children, one of them a three year old. It’s very well-written and I feel worth a look.

Much is being made of how traumatized Jamie's son will be when he's older, that someday his fellow twelve year old friends will taunt him with images of this cover photo. I highly doubt this is something kids or anyone else will be dwelling on years from now, and it's unlikely most children who know him at the peak of all this publicity are aware he's on the cover or have any capacity to understand the controversy surrounding it. I've also heard almost no mention of his older brother Samuel, whom the Grumets adopted from an Ethiopian family. What life would this child have had if he had stayed there? Surely not the same as he has now.
It’s been pointed out that Aram looks more like a four or five year old in the cover photo. He’ll be four in June, and this to me speaks to his state of health. The benefits of breastfeeding are widely documented. Beyond twelve months breast milk changes to suit the development of a child, I came across this article which explains further and argues in favour of extended feeding.

Breastfeeding is beautiful and natural and I fully support any woman who wishes to (which includes publicly). I also realize many women don’t do it, either by choice or because they can’t. I’m not saying that giving a baby formula isn’t acceptable, I just don’t understand why anyone would encourage a nursing mother to remove her child by a certain age when the benefits of breast milk have been proven.

Let’s wean a child before he or she is ready and put them on formula or cow's milk. Let’s trade the safety and warmth of a mother’s body for the security that an inanimate object such as a blanket provides. Let’s break this emotional attachment not because mother or child are ready but simply because society says it’s time.

Show me the logic in that.

(UPDATE: Since writing this I'm very pleased to say that Jamie has asked me to provide a link to this post on her Facebook page, which can be found here . She added: "The only thing I disagree with on you is about my son (Samuel, who is actually older than Aram) and he is better off in America than Ethiopia. Ethiopians raise wonderful human beings, and we could learn so much from them! (just wanted to clear that up! I hope I didn't come across mad or attacking you...not meant that way at all)." No offence taken Jamie, my statement was probably misleading. Thanks for giving me the chance to share this post with your readers!

For more pictures from Time’s photoshoot see here

Jamie Lynne Grumet’s Facebook page

Jamie Lynne Grumet’s blog

Articles referenced:

What AP is: 7 Baby B's by Dr. Bill Sears

Out of the Mouth of Babes by Eric Michael Johnson, Evolutionary Anthropologist

The WEIRD Evolution of Human Psychology by Eric Michael Johnson, Evolutionary Anthropologist

A Natural Age of Weaning by Katherine Dettwyler, PhD

Breastfeeding Past Infancy: Fact Sheet by Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC

How Breastfeeding Benefits You and Your Baby reviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board

Secret Sunday

2012-05-13T11:11:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms (and moms-to-be) out there! ♥

It's time for the 110th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.

Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...

Climbing for the Cause

2012-05-09T23:15:00.003-04:00

here

I've been meaning to write about this for a while. On Saturday April 21st Sandy and I headed into downtown Toronto to meet a challenge: climb the CN Tower. The climb is an annual Spring event on behalf of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada and attracts thousands of people of every walk of life.

We arrived shortly after 8:00am and joined the line outside. It was a windy, chilly morning but everyone was in good spirits. After about ten minutes of shivering our asses off we were told that since we had already pre-registered we were in the wrong line-up. Awesome. We did a short sprint around the building and up a big flight of stairs until we reached the enclosed walkway to the main area. Down another flight of stairs and we were there...

The main area was in a big long building filled with tables of volunteer staff checking off names and issuing wristbands...

After signing in we changed into our shorts and T-shirts then went to check-in our coats and bags...

We knew we wouldn't be able to bring our phones and camera along with us during the climb so we elected to leave them at home. The photos in this post are from WWF's website (unless otherwise noted). All rights reserved by WWF Canada, I claim no ownership of these pictures.

Excitement filled the air as we made our way over to the tower, you could feel the energy and anticipation. Groups of girls sang and chanted along the way, loud music pumped from speakers everywhere filling every walkway and corridor. It brought back memories of the two climbs I made here as a teen. Most of the crowd were still in their teens to late twenties, but every age group was represented. Fathers and sons, the fit and not-so-fit...people of every background you could think of were here with one common goal: to make it to the top.

Within a short time we were at the base ready to start, and were lead through a doorway into a concrete stairwell. There was no music or hype, but a few encouraging words from staff as we set foot on the metal stairway and began to climb. One flight. Then another. Then another. Then, well...imagine climbing a 144 storey building in about half an hour. I took my focus off the floor numbers on the wall and we all just kept at it...

Some people try to beat a personal best, a few try to break the fastest record to the top (7 minutes 52 seconds). We decided to take our time and paused periodically between flights of stairs. Each landing was decorated with colourful signs hand-painted by grade school children, with slogans about saving the animals and the environment. Some had messages urging us on, "Come on you can do it", and "You're almost there!" They made me smile and really were encouraging to people...

Also along the way about every seven floors were trained paramedics. I didn't see anyone who needed help but it was great to see them there as I'm sure a few people needed them. Sandy told a couple of them that she wanted to kill me, because as we got closer to the top I kept jumping up and down like her personal cheerleader coaxing her on when she stopped. Annoying? Probably. But it seemed to help, and if nothing else I amused myself. I seem to do that a lot.

a climber passes the 142nd floor

And so, after just over 38 minutes we reached the top (we could have done it in 37-something but before we were time stamped I stopped to ask questions about when the event would be posted on-line). We were met by smiles and "Way to go"s as we hit the mark...

reaching the top

But the celebration had to be put on hold since we still had another six floors to climb before reaching the main observation level. This is where the energy returned; everyone we passed was clapping and congratulating all of us as we made our way into the crowd, and I mean CROWD. The place was packed with climbers waiting to make the return trip. After twenty minutes or so we were on a glass elevator, my ears popping from the pressure as we sped towards earth. I've loved that ride since I was a kid!

here

Once on the ground we took the walkway back and passed by tables where volunteers let us each pick out a stuffed animal...

Sandy's

mine

...then back to the main area where staff gave us T-shirts and wrote our climb times on them...

The event was really well organized considering the colossal effort it took to put it together, and the staff were just amazing. It was a fun way to spend the morning and we topped the day off by attending a birthday party with friends.

Sandy and I raised $250 between us, and we plan to raise a lot more in October when we do this again for the United Way. The goal we've set for that climb is 25 minutes or less.

The following summer we'll be getting some friends together do this. I'll definitely be posting after we do...

All's Well That Ends Well (again)

2012-05-07T21:26:00.012-04:00

Back in August of 2010 I wrote a post about a window well that I had to dig up. This past weekend I was at it again, this time on the opposite side of the house.

Our home is over forty years old and they're being built differently these days. For those of you who haven't seen one, a window well surrounds a basement window that's below grade (ground level). Its purpose is not to hold water but to allow it to drain so it doesn't enter the house. Quite simple. The problem we've been having is that over time silt and dirt has been washing into the wells and threatening to clog the drains. This happened with the last one, it backfilled with water until it seeped through the window and flooded our basement bathroom. You can also see it happening here on this one, it should be filled with only stones but dirt has been washing in. If I didn't fix the problem we'd have another flooding situation (we'd also have a maple tree growing as evidenced by the leaves sprouting)...

Notice how the metal surround is at an angle. That's because when our house was built they didn't take time to secure it to the foundation. Over the years due to frost heaving (ice forming below the surface of the soil), it lifted and eventually allowed dirt and silt to seep inside. You might notice the hole I've circled in red on the right, which is meant to be used to anchor the surround to the concrete. It wasn't. This was laziness on the part of the builder...

Here I've dug down to the bottom of the window well and removed the surround, which will be replaced with a new one. The drips on the flashing around the window was from an epoxy sealer applied to the foundation. Since this window is on the side of the house not normally seen (and surrounded by plants), I chose to leave it as-is. I had enough work ahead of me...

Digging down a few feet further. The black pipe in the middle is the drain which I've capped with landscaping fabric to prevent dirt from falling in as I worked...

It's not unusual to come across old building materials that were left behind when a house was constructed. Along with a bunch of big rocks I pulled out some bricks, metal strapping, a big rusty nail (I'm surprised there was only one), and some shards of broken glass. Awesome...

We had a local landscaping company drop off a big pile of 3/4 inch clear stone, which is kinda misleading since it's neither 3/4 of an inch nor clear. Who thinks of these names anyway?...

They also dumped a pile of fine limestone screening (dark gravel on the left in the photo above) which Sandy moved over to the bird feeding station in our backyard. You should see her use a wheelbarrow! Next weekend we'll be using that gravel to level off the paving stones beneath the pole that supports the bird feeders. Meanwhile back at the window I lined the pit with landscaping fabric to keep soil from leeching through and began adding the stones...

...then attached the new surround by drilling three holes in the foundation on each side and hammering in anchors (I had to do this first before adding any more stones in order to give myself enough room to work). Time to attach the metal well surround to the foundation? About fifteen minutes. That's all it would have taken when the house was built to avoid this. C'est la vie...

And here we are, all done! I shouldn't need to do anything again apart from keeping it free from leaves and other debris.

When I was finished I went around to all three wells and used an industrial vacuum cleaner to suck out all the stones the builder put inside the drain pipes. The thinking at the time the house was built was that the stones would prevent debris from clogging the pipes, however they also decrease the efficiency of drainage. So I sucked out as much as I could and capped each one with landscaping fabric. This will allow water to get through while keeping everything else out.

In total it took me about seven hours straight working time between Saturday and Sunday. I enjoy doing work like this around the house and find it very rewarding. How was your weekend, more relaxing I hope?

Secret Sunday

2012-05-06T10:59:00.000-04:00

here

Time now for the 109th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.

Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...

Threads (poem)

2012-05-03T05:55:00.002-04:00

Threads

Could we but give our souls a voice

Loud enough for those who doubt to hear

We'd sing of summersongs within our hearts

Hearing them echo in return.

But soft words

Sometimes become weapons

Turned against us by those we hold dear

We watch our worlds crash around us,

Left to sweep up the pieces.

The threads that keep us together are thin

Woven in strands of fate and chance

A web which bends in the breeze

But is rarely strong enough

To hold against a fleeting wind.

Yet fleeting winds and fleeting moments

Are all we have

And all we cling to.

Forever hopeful

That those moments

Will never end.

Expecting- (A Guest Post)

2012-04-30T21:23:00.000-04:00

I'm very happy to be bringing you this. There's something about pregnancy and motherhood that I've always been drawn to, for me there's nothing more incredible or beautiful than a woman's ability to give and nurture life. Some time ago I had the privilege of being able to share my friend Joy's story and I've been given a chance like this again.

I met Rebecca two years ago through a mutual blogging friend and along the way I've watched her children Anthony and Molly grow. I've never felt the desire to have a son or daughter of my own but she's helped me see what it means to be a parent, what it is to love a child as only a mother can. It's been an amazing look inside a woman's heart and mind and I've enjoyed every moment of it. She's now pregnant with a third and I'm beyond excited for her and her husband, Sam.

Becca thanks so much for taking the time to write this, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it...

You know, it's really hard when your head is telling you one thing and your heart is telling you another. My husband and I discussed having a third child for two years. Two years my head told me no. Two years my heart screamed yes. I remember saying over and over again that I didn't think I could ever forgive myself if we didn't at least try for a third child. All my life I've followed my head. Why can't I for once follow my heart?

On August 19th, 2011 I had my IUD removed. I remember on the morning of September 9th I woke up and just had this most wonderful feeling. I took a pregnancy test and then got into the shower. I told myself I would wait until my shower was over to look at the results. HA! I got 3 minutes in then had to peek. I jumped out of the shower with shampoo still in my hair and ran outside to where my husband was, towel falling off me, with the biggest shit eating grin on my face. I'll never forget that moment. We had gotten pregnant on August 28th, 9 days after my IUD removal. I think the Lord must have approved of me following my heart.

A few weeks into my pregnancy it was feared I was losing the baby. That was the scariest, most horrific situation I have ever experienced. All I could do was pray. What we thought was a miscarriage turned out to be a subchorionic hemorrhage. I was relieved my baby was still with us and cried on the ultrasound table when I saw the heartbeat, but the news of a subchorionic hemorrhage itself brought dangers of a miscarriage. For months I dealt with light to heavy (sometimes even passing large clots), on and off again bleeding. I would go a week or more without anything and would always think, "Maybe that's the end of the bleeding and I'm in the clear!" only to have the bleeding return and last for days. I was fearful. Always fearful. At any moment I thought I would lose the life I so desperately wanted to bring into this world. I tried my best to keep a smile on my face and have faith that everything would work out the way it should. Finally, at 24 weeks, my bleeding stopped and did not return again. The relief that washed over me is indescribable. If interested, you can go to: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/404971-overview for more information on subchorionic hemorrhages.

Timothy Thomas (It's a boy!!) is a strong one. I'm so very thankful to have gotten through that rough time in my pregnancy and to still be carrying a little boy who make his presence known with painful kicks to my ribs and an ever expanding belly. I'm now quickly approaching my due date of May 20th and excitedly preparing for a natural home birth. I can't wait to see my little one's face and tell him just how much his Mama's heart wanted him.

Come by my blog: http://onlyamamaknows.blogspot.com/ and read all about my home birth preparations and help me await the arrival of Timothy!

With love,
Mama Hauck

(PS: Becca is a photographer and has been taking her own maternity photos. The pictures shown here are copyright of her business Lynn Elizabeth Photography. )

Secret Sunday (and a request for a friend)

2012-04-29T18:12:00.000-04:00

I'd like to ask a favour of anyone reading please. A fellow blogger recently lost her brother, he was only twenty-two. I can't imagine what she and her family have been going through, but if you could take a minute to pass a few words of condolence and encouragement on to Jamie I'm hoping it will help a bit. She's a beautiful girl, an amazing person and I know she's been hurting. You can link to her here. Thank you so much.

Time now for the 108th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.

Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...

Paris- A Love Affair

2012-04-28T12:11:00.000-04:00

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Paris. The very word quickens my heart. My mind resonates with memories of nights long since passed, when as a young man of twenty-two I ventured into the heart of a city that would quickly find her way into mine. I sauntered through parks watching young lovers embrace on ornate benches, and lost myself in the buzz of Montmartre with its myriad coloured artists' canvasses. I followed the smell of fresh-baked goods emanating from tiny patisseries and carried down narrow cobblestoned streets. Through it all found myself completely surrendering to her. I never saw it coming.

here

Sunlit storefronts gave way to shadowed corridors as I made my trek to the top of the city. And from the heights of Sacre Couer, with dusk settling upon her rooftops and Let It Be ringing out from wine-stained lips of teenagers young enough to still believe, I watched that innocence gently slip from her shoulders. Paris by day is a lady; cosmopolitan, playful, free-spirited. By night she’s a lover who lays herself bare, wraps herself around you and seductively draws you in. A woman who invites you to take her in your arms and dance away the hours ’til the first rays of daybreak.

here

She spoke to me in hushed tones, the sound of instruments wafting from distant clubs and lounges. I felt the passion of this city echoed through ten thousand heartbeats coming together as one. And from my vantage point, awash in the charms of the sublime symphony unfolding before me, I closed my eyes and wondered if I’d ever be the same again.

* This post was inspired by my dear friend Amber at Amber's Mouthwash, after she wrote about her own love affair with Paris. It's beautifully written, check it out here .

(PS: I purposely waited two days before re-reading her post, and found it interesting to see some of the similarities in our experiences).

Secret Sunday

2012-04-22T15:37:00.001-04:00

I'm still riding a high from our CN Tower stair climb yesterday in support of WWF. I'll be posting about it in a bit, we couldn't take cameras with us but I think I'll be able to pull some from their website.

Time now for the 107th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.

Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...

Twenty Five Questions

2012-04-20T15:23:00.000-04:00

WHICH IS BETTER:

1. Lips Or Eyes : eyes. LOOOVE eyes!

2. Hugs Or Kisses: I'm a very huggy person but kisses all the way

3. Taller Or Shorter: shorter

4. Older Or Younger: younger definitely

5. Romantic Or Spontaneous : Spontaneously romantic

6. Nice Stomach Or Nice Arms: stomach. I know a flat stomach is hard for women to attain and I understand that, but it's oh-so sexy. A little paunch is cute too. :)

7. Sensitive Or Loud: sensitive. I don't like loud people but I do like someone with strong opinions even if I don't agree with them. Long as it's not forced on me.

8. Hook-up Or Relationship: in reality? relationship. Fantasy? hook-up

9. Trouble Maker Or Hesitant: trouble-maker. I tend to ask questions first then wonder if they were appropriate later. Fortunately it's hardly ever got me into trouble.

HAVE YOU EVER :

10. Kissed A Stranger: yes

11. Drank Hard Liquor: yes

12. Lost Glasses/Contacts: I’ve lost dozens of pairs of cheap sunglasses. The pair of expensive driving glasses I have were finally replaced after 24 years.

13. Kiss On First Date: yup, usually a peck on the cheek if anything

14. Broke Someone's Heart: yes, not intentionally

15. Broke Your Own Heart: I suppose, by falling for people who were unattainable

16. Been Arrested: no, could have been though.

17. Turned Someone Down: yes

18. Cried When Someone Died: almost always

19. Fallen For A Friend: haven't we all?

FIRSTS:

20. First Surgery: pretty minor (in-grown toenail, can't remember how old I was)

21. First Piercing: none

22. First Best Friend: Tutun Mookerjeah (probably didn't spell it right) from early early grade school

23. First Sport You Joined: T-ball. I also played soccer at school and took tennis lessons

24. First Vacation: Nova Scotia. Drove down with friends of the family (rednecks) in their full-size van with all the kids. It was hellish.

25. Do You Have A Crush On Someone: yes a few. I'm married, not dead!

Secret Sunday

2012-04-15T18:10:00.000-04:00

Okay everyone it's time for the 106th round of Secret Sunday, a chance to anonymously share secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.

All are valid.

Here's how it works:

1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.

2) Post a secret or fantasy anonymously. It can be from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can post as many as you're comfortable with. I don't plan to censor content or language.

3) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. Let me know and I'll follow along.

And now to it...