Sunday, May 01, 2005

Weekend Activities and Thoughts

'cause I can't think in anything but point form:

1. Andrew took the whole weekend off. I picked him up at work on Friday night at 8pm. We missed an art opening because he was delayed, but that's ok. THIS IS THE FIRST WEEKEND HE HAS TAKEN OFF SINCE HE TOOK OVER THE BUSINESS AT THE FIRST OF MARCH!!!!!!

2. We had breakfast at Cora's on Saturday morning with Andrew's parents. Andrew's dad and I are of the same mind when it comes to sweet things: The more, the merrier. I've never known another guy to order and eat an entire waffle at Coras, except him.

3. This is for JAK: I bought a cold frame at LEE VALLEY!!!!! It's totally cool. You're going to be soooooo jealous. (Damn you for making me want to plant a garden!!!) Oh, and I bought two reference books: "Tomatoes love Carrots" and "Roses love Garlic" - it's about using companion gardening to deter pests! My inner environmentalist does not like pesticides.

4. Andrew and I cleaned our basement on Saturday afternoon. We've got two big piles of crap: The Big Pile of Yard Sale Crap, and The Big Pile of Crap To Go To The Studio. Once the crap is gone, we'll have a crap free basement!!!

Question for the knitters: Is it fair to charge $$ for a big nasty bag of Boa yarn? Should I put it in the yard sale to some unsuspecting sucker or should I dump it? I would burn it, but it would probably create its own hole in the ozone layer.

5. Andrew and I rented some intellectual entertainment last night. We got home and pulled our love seats together and made this little "cave" for ourselves. We piled on the blankets, I had my knitting, and we ate hummus and artichoke dip on pitas. Wanna know what we rented? The Kids In The Hall. I did Chicken Lady impressions all evening. She wasn't on the season we rented, but Cathy and Kathy were! Hee hee... It was the episode where they talked about "Tanya" sleeping her way to the middle.

6. We busted up our house:

a. One of the love seats was too close to the French door. I leaned over to put my glass on the table behind me and heard a crunch. The bottom corner pane broke. Whoops.

b. The kitchen sink stopped draining this afternoon. Andrew attacked it with: a plunger, the plumber's snake, a coat hanger and a stream of muttered expletives. It is now draining again. I got to clean up the nasty black sludge that came up the drain when the plunger was in use. Happy times.

7. We went over for dessert at Andrew's sister's house tonight. (Pumpkin spice cheesecake - mmmmmm....) Pippin was there with lots of smooches. I taught my youngest nephew, Ben, how to sing a different version of the Spiderm*n song. "Is he strong? No he's not, he's got radioactive snot...." I apologized to my SIL later in the evening when we could hear him practically yodelling it from upstairs. She vowed to teach similar songs to our offspring when the time comes.

8. Reasons I love having Andrew around:
a. He fixed the sink.
b. He put the rack on my bicycle.
c. He helped me organize the big nasty basement.
d. He drifted off while watching a movie this morning and did that little twitchy thing.
e. He toots and then exclaimes that we must have "barking spiders".
f. Lots of hugs.
g. He's watching Desperate Housewives while I'm typing in here and he's saying that the women aren't that pretty.
h. Lots of smooches.
i. His laugh.
j. He keeps me sane.



April 30th

Yesterday it was 8 years since my mom died. I can't believe it has been that long. When you lose someone close to you people try to tell you that it'll get easier. It's not always easy to be without them, but it does get easier to remember the good things about that last year with my mom. Like how her friends surrounded her and were with her whenever my dad or my brother or I needed a break. Like how people in our community that we never suspected would drop in did just that and left behind the nicest feelings. Like how she showed me how to make bread from scratch and her famous cream of broccoli soup that year. Like how we had serious talks about life and not so serious talks about life.

I have this photo of the two of us from that year. It's when she was in the midst of chemotherapy. It was taken on her 53rd birthday. She's as bald as an 8 ball and we're sitting on the couch. I've got my arm around her and she's smiling this "Isn't this ridiculous?" smile. One of her friends saw the photo in my room and protested it once. She thought my mom wouldn't have liked it. I lit into her and said that I did not see my mother as sick in that photo. My mother looks like a fighter in that photo. She was fighting to stay with her family. I think she looks more beautiful in that photo than any other I have of the two of us.

Happy 8 years in Heaven, Mom. Thanks for the sunsets.

8 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry, Minou - your comment was on my earlier version of this post that I thought I had deleted and then rewrote.
    I tried to delete your huh? comment but it doesn't seem to want to go away.

    Those of you reading the comments - Minou isn't an insensitive dog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous12:06 a.m.

    Steph, oh, your mom... I feel the need to feed you chocolate now. What a lovely post.

    And the boa? SELL IT for top dollar. Yup. Someone will buy it, guaranteed!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous12:39 a.m.

    Now I'm crying AGAIN!!!!! Geez for someone with no big emotional issues , and I am NOT PMSING I sure have been crying alot this weekend. I am having a lovely weekend not one horrible thing has happened (besides work) but I keep crying. I cried over a vinyl cafe story last night.. now this.. UGH when will it end......

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  5. Happy 8 years in Heaven indeed - and Thank you for Stephy :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous11:49 a.m.

    The people at work are going to think I'm completely over the edge crying in my office all the time.

    The missing never goes away. And in some way I hope it never does. My dad also died eight years ago (in January) and he is still a huge presence in my life.

    Glad you and Andrew had some time together -- even if it had to involve black sink gunk!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous8:16 p.m.

    We have a duck in our house instead of barking spiders... hehe

    That is such a sweet tribute to your mom- made me tear up. I can't imagine how hard that must be...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous11:34 a.m.

    Regarding the "big nasty bag of Boa yarn": I will take it! Please, please, please.

    I'm too poor to buy it. Too poor to have even a budgeted amount to take to the yarn shop in Gaspereau - let alone double it. But it IS nice there isn't it?

    And I'll even come to pick it up - to save on postal fees - as long as you are within driving distance of Halifax.

    I have my fingers crossed waiting for your answer.

    Please, please, please,
    Janey

    ReplyDelete

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