When Darin and Devon got married in 2014 we were living in Alberta and I hadn’t started this blog. We rolled into town, helped a little, went to the wedding and rolled back out of town. However Jordan, our number 2 son, and his fiancée, Elizabeth, became engaged in 2017 and then got married in 2018, and we were all involved in wedding preparations for almost that whole year. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. We went to check out the venues for the ceremony and the reception. We enjoyed tasting the caterers’ offerings and although I was unable to make the appointment where the wedding dress was chosen, I was there for the first fitting. I was at the bachelorette party, which was a lot of fun but I would have preferred a tea shoppe tour instead of a winery one!

The week of the wedding was hectic. Our first daughter-in-law was in the wedding party so between hair, lash and nail appointments I had our grandson for a few extra days. And of course, there were all the preparations we had to make, along with our regular commitments. We had decided to stay in Richmond, near the reception venue, along with many of the other wedding guests. Dale came home early on Wednesday, picked me and Ari up and took us to the hotel. While I unpacked Dale took Ari to the hotel pool. Of course there wasn’t really enough time to do this, but Dale had in his head that they were going swimming, which would have been a good idea if he hadn’t worked until 3:00, so they went anyway. After getting Ari dressed again, we headed out into traffic to get to the ceremony venue. Of course the traffic worked against us and we were late. I took Ari out of his car seat as soon as we got there and Dale got in line to pay for parking, because of course, the park was busy too. Ari and I ran to the pavilion where his parents were waiting for him. As soon as Dale arrived the rehearsal started. It was fun, emotional and tiring as Ari decided to run around.

After the rehearsal came the rehearsal dinner. Everyone left the park to head back towards the hotel. The restaurant was close by. Of course, we had to stop to pick up a few things, which made us late for the dinner. We parked back at the hotel and hot-footed it to the restaurant, which was just a couple of blocks away. When we got there we couldn’t figure out how to get in. The restaurant was in another hotel, but it was closed for renovations. It was running out of the banquet rooms upstairs. So we backtracked to the hotel lobby and took the elevator to the second floor. Of course everyone was waiting for us, as the groom’s parents are the hosts of the dinner. We quickly ordered a couple of drinks for ourselves and several appies for the table. We repeated that, drinks for us and appies for the table, several times. We weren’t the first to leave, but we didn’t stay long. We retraced our steps to our hotel and fell into bed.

Thankfully, Thursday was a wedding off-day. We went for breakfast, did a little shopping and then went back to the hotel to wait for my sister and her family to arrive. Dale decided to try on his tuxedo, and thank goodness he did. The jacket didn’t fit. The closest outlet of the store we had rented it from was in Burnaby. Dale would be in rush-hour traffic to get there. He rushed out and I sat down to wait. After a while I decided to go out to the vending machines. As I opened the door I saw my sister, my brother-in-law and niece heading towards the elevator. I left the search for treats and went with them to their room upstairs. We had a great visit, waiting for Dale. When he got there we visited a little more and then went downstairs to the pub for dinner. As we were finishing up, the bride’s attendants and family arrived and then the groom’s friends. So we settled back in with drinks and introduced everyone to everyone else. It got loud and I could feel my throat getting sore. We said good night earlier than most and went to our room.

The wedding day dawned bright and early. I got up at 7:40 because I was getting my hair and make-up done with the bridal party upstairs in one of the penthouse suites. I was the first to arrive but soon the room was bustling with make-up artists, a hair stylist and excited young girls oohing and ahhing over the beautiful white dress hanging from the ceiling. It got even busier when the photographer and videographers arrived. My biggest concern was how to keep my look fresh until the wedding at 2:00!

Of course the time flew and soon I was back in our room getting dressed. Jordan and Elizabeth sent a present down to the room for us and the photographer and videographers got some great emotional pictures of us reading the card and opening the gift. The groomsmen were in our room so we helped with ties and cuff links before dressing Ari. Then the limo arrived and we drove to the ceremony venue.

We waited outside, helping to greet the guests as they arrived. I got quite emotional seeing our old friends who came to celebrate with us. Soon everyone was inside and the venue wedding coordinator lined us up to start the ceremony. As the music started Dale and I took a deep breath and walked in. Everything was perfect. After the wedding we took pictures and then the bride’s parents and Dale and I got into one of the limos to go to the reception. Arranging this was a great idea as we all had time to decompress from the busyness and emotion of the morning and afternoon and re-energize for the reception.

When we got to the reception venue everyone was already there, enjoying the sunshine. The outside bar was open and the charcuterie trays were a big hit. We mingled and then sat to visit with some dear friends. Just before the bridal party arrived we went into the venue and helped people find their seats. The evening flew by. Dinner was delicious, the speeches were funny and touching and the bride and groom were so clearly happy and deeply in love. Although we had the venue until 2 am, most people left around 11:00 pm. We did a quick check of things and organized the taking of the gifts but left the rest to the decorator, the real clean-up of the venue was part of her service. We called a cab and took the short ride back to the hotel.

On Saturday morning we straightened out the tuxedo bits and pieces and then went for a quiet breakfast. It had been a busy, emotional few days and we really needed the time alone to reflect on everything. Back at home we put things away and then got ready for Ari’s second birthday party, which we were hosting on Sunday. So, we had one day of quiet before heading back into the family fray. I joke, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

So, it’s 8:30 am on a sunny Tuesday. I am sitting in our local Starbucks, on a tall chair by the window, looking out over the gardens at city hall. There is a song with a funky beat playing. The two young men sitting at the table beside me are drinking coffee and sharing something on one of their phones. Of course there are coffee making sounds – the whoosh of the steam, the grinding of the beans and the shout-outs of the baristas as the drinks are completed. It’s a typical morning at a typical Starbucks.

So, enquiring readers, I know just what you are thinking, especially if you really know me. Why would I be sitting in a Starbucks at 8:30, just a block or so from my house instead of in my house where the tea is free, there are no distracting sounds and I can write my blog on the comfort of my couch? The title of this post is a clue. I’m here because one of the frigging smoke detectors at our house is chirping. Wait, you say, this has happened before and you’ve dealt with it. Why didn’t you deal with it this morning? Well, let me explain.

I woke up the first time around 6:30. Dale was already out of bed. After checking my phone for the time, I snuggled back into the covers. That’s what you do when you’re retired and it’s 6:30 in the morning and you have no pressing plans. Then at about 7:45 I was startled awake. What was that? I sat up and listened. Nothing. I was about to snuggle back down when I heard it again. The stupid, horrible, annoying smoke detector at the top of the stairs was chirping. Of course, it chirped just as I opened the bedroom door, scaring the crap out of me. I jumped, swore and went back into the bedroom to get my phone. I texted Dale and then went downstairs to get the shop vac. If you’ve been following along with my smoke detector adventures, dear reader, you know that sometimes vacuuming the dust off the detector works, but not this time. I updated Dale by text and started getting dressed. He called to tell me to go buy another Nest Protect smoke detector and he would be home at noon to install it. I finished getting ready, made the bed and got the hell out of Dodge. Which brings me to this Starbucks, waiting for Best Buy to open, so I can buy a smoke detector that doesn’t chirp, because it has an app that tells you the battery is getting low.

I’m beginning to believe in signs. Yesterday I was at the Kia dealership and the fire alarm went off a couple of times. It didn’t chirp, it full out alarmed. And no one batted an eye. So I just sat there too, through the several alarms and I didn’t bat an eye. But it was a sign, a harbinger, that a smoke detector event was going to happen.

I’ve always worried about the detector at the top of the stairs. It is very poorly placed. It’s not right at the top of the stairs where it can be safely dealt with from the landing. No, it’s on the ceiling of the stairwell, about three stairs down. The last time we changed the battery in it, less than a year ago by the way, Dale had to lean the ladder on the bannister so it reached all the way across the stairs to the opposite wall, then get on it while I held it off the bannister. Later today we’ll be repeating that scenario, while we install a smart detector, one that interfaces with “the cloud”, sends messages to my phone that it will be running a test shortly, and emails me once a month to tell me how it’s functioning.

The Starbucks has been steadily busy. I did take advantage of a lull to move from the tall table along the window to a regular table by the window. I should get going, to let someone else sit in my spot, but Best Buy doesn’t open until 10:00 and the guy at the table by the door has been here longer than me and no one’s hurrying him along. And I still have half a big cup of tea left. On an entirely different riff, who decided on the names for the sizes of drinks at Starbucks? “Tall” is the smallest size and “Grande” is a medium. Not very self explanatory, but I guess small, medium and large isn’t cool enough for Starbucks. But I digress…

See, this is why I don’t get up early. The mall, and therefore Best Buy, doesn’t open until 10. Safeway is open so I could go grocery shopping, and I guess I could go for a walk or something stupid like that, but really, there’s not much to do when one has to flee one’s home. Oh my god, listen to me. Last night we watched the news and we saw people fleeing their homes because of hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, floods and fires. And here I am, moaning about a stupid chirping smoke detector.

I was in a great play, “Everything I Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten”, years ago, one of the first things I did in Port Alberni. It was a series of scenes, most of them monologues, about life. Dale’s favourite scene was about how life is a series of problems or inconveniences and the important thing is to know the difference between them. “A hole in the roof is an inconvenience, no roof is a problem. A lump in your oatmeal and a lump in your breast are not the same thing.” We have a shorthand communication now, based on that scene. Problem? Nope, just an inconvenience. So, as I sit here, in a warm Starbucks, typing a blog post on my iPad using free wifi, drinking a grande English Breakfast tea, with an amazing view of a garden and the clear blue sky above it, I need some perspective. In a couple of hours, for about a hundred dollars, my inconvenience will be solved, an inconvenience that isn’t really all that bad in the great scheme of life. But, really, how many other people have these misadventures with smoke detectors?

The guy at the table near the door just left. Is that a sign that I should move along? My tea is cold and I’ve been parked for over an hour in a 30 minute parking spot. I should go home, check on the situation, use the bathroom and leave again. Wish me luck!

*                    *                       *                    *                         *

So after checking at home, I went to Best Buy and then grocery shopping. When I got back home Dale was already there. I held the ladder while he removed the old smoke detector, swearing at it every time it chirped. Once it was down he turned the power back on, got the wifi up and running and then installed the Nest Protect. After two noisy tests, we were done. It was very easy to set up the connection between the Nest Protect on the main level with the new one on the stairwell.

It’s the afternoon now and I’m back on the couch, finishing up this blog, confident that there will be no more chirping to interrupt my life. There are still regular smoke detectors in the entryway and in the garage but they are easy to reach should the batteries need to be changed. Hey, does that mean I won’t ever have to write about smoke detectors ever again? Well, that calls for a happy dance image!

Several years ago we took a trip to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. It was wonderful. Everything about it was great. We loved the scenery, the food and the people. Basically, we loved everything. We even loved the tour of Louisbourg we took during the tail end of a tropical storm that had made its way up the coast. We didn’t have great weather the whole time we were there but the trip was still amazing. We even fantasized about moving there, buying an old house and fixing it up. But then we remembered the winter weather “ back east” and we backed off on that dream. But the trip did make us think about visiting Newfoundland.

So, we’ve been reading up on Newfoundland. The province has a great tourism site. We spent hours on our iPads, checking out the itineraries the site suggests. We researched flights and talked about the best time to go. We went to NS, NB and PEI at the end of June. It wasn’t the best time to go. Many of the attractions weren’t up and running, and as I’ve already mentioned, the weather wasn’t great. So, we settled on August for our trip to Newfoundland, and we started planning in earnest.

All of the sites say that Newfoundland is a desired location and you should book everything before you go, as the resources on the island are limited. We read stories about people who couldn’t get rental cars or who couldn’t find accommodation. So, we took all the information we had and planned a two-week vacation. We would start in St. John’s, work our way up to L’Anse aux Meadows and then go back to St. John’s. There aren’t many alternative routes, and so we would be revisiting many of the same towns on the way back. With the route planned, we started looking at accommodations.

Well, the people online weren’t kidding. Some of the inns and B and B’s showed no availability in August of next year. Now, we realize that not all of the vacancies are posted online, but it did tell us that if we left it too long, we might have to scramble to find lodging. The rooms on the north of the island were going faster than Dale could look them up. He’d be looking on a site at an available room only to have it suddenly be booked by someone else. He got up, got his credit card and we started looking in earnest. He’d be booking one site while I checked out accommodations in other locations on other sites. Thank goodness for iPads!

So, we have booked accommodations in St. John’s (one at the beginning of the trip and a different one at the end), in St. Anthony (which is the town closest to L’Anse aux Meadows) and in Rocky Harbour (in the Gros Morne National Park). We were unable to book anything in Gander. All of the accommodations there have not yet released their availability for August 2019. We expect those dates will become available soon, as July 2019 bookings were possible.

We are excited about the trip. There aren’t any direct flights, well, there are flights that stop enroute but we don’t have to get off the plane,so that’s kind of direct. However we do it, it’ll be a long flight. It will be nice not to have to go through American security and to buy things in Canadian dollars. Packing will be interesting. All the sites say to forget fancy clothes; pack warm,waterproof items that can be layered on and off as needed. Well, we have a year to get what we need.

I’ve already typed up our itinerary, with a calendar to show where we’ll be on any given day. Some of the drives between location are long, over 5 hours, but others are short so we should be able to get in a lot of sightseeing. We should definitely see picturesque harbours, brightly painted houses and Vikings. We may see puffins and whales. I don’t think we’ll see icebergs. When next I write about this trip, the photos will be ones we’ve taken, not stock ones from the internet.

Something funny happened the day after we booked. I got a call from Newfoundland. The man on the phone was concerned that the online booking site had doubled booked a room. His inn was full and he couldn’t honour our reservation. I said we had booked for 2019. He checked again, and yes, it was for next year. He was relieved. He apologized and he said he would see us next year. Yes, yes he will. I wonder if he’ll remember the phone call.

On the weekend we were around some interesting people.

1. The two couples at the table beside us on the fireworks dinner cruise – First of all, only one of the couples was married. The other two were brother and sister. The sister introduced herself as soon as we sat down. We discovered where we were all from and then the conversation lagged. Dale got up to get us a drink and I smiled at them, saying I hoped they enjoyed the dinner and the fireworks. Then I busied myself looking for something in my purse. We didn’t have much more to do with them until the sister needed to get up to go to the bathroom. She had a lot of keys on a strap around her waist. It was pulling down her pants. As she was facing her table when she got up, no one there could see it and tell her. When she walked away, a good portion of her bright blue underpants were visible. The dinner didn’t start as soon as the boat left the dock and they complained loudly about that. They called over a young woman who was working and asked if they could be the first table to go up to the buffet. The woman said she wasn’t in charge but they could go up early if there was a medical need. Of course there wasn’t a medical reason, but they did go up and get some buns and butter, and then complained that the buns weren’t fresh and the butter was too hard. And wouldn’t you know it, we were called to go up and get our dinner before they were. We went outside to watch the fireworks and when we came back in, the brother was still sitting at the table.When his sister came in along with the other couple she asked why he hadn’t gone out. He said he didn’t like fireworks. What? He was on a fireworks dinner cruise! She said he didn’t miss anything because most of the fireworks were red and yellow, they weren’t very colourful. Sigh. They were the first ones off the boat. Complaining the whole way, I’m sure.

2. The lady who drank too much on the fireworks dinner cruise – There was a gap between dinner and the fireworks. We went outside and enjoyed the view. It was cooler and it was nice to get up and move around. Not everyone did that. One woman clearly used the time to get drunk. She came outside just before the fireworks. She was staggering, the wine in her wineglass sloshing from side to side. She was loudly complimenting the view, telling us we were all lucky to be living in the most beautiful city in the world. Her male partner corralled her back inside. We didn’t hear from her until after the fireworks. But when the boat’s lights came back on there was a large spill of red wine on the deck. When we were going back in there were a lot of boats around us. She hollered at all of them, especially when she saw people drinking. She said she wanted people like that on her boat, most of us were “uptight stick in the muds”. Yup. Because cool people get drunk and obnoxious on dinner cruises.

3. The ladies who came at the last minute to the Pride Parade and squeezed in front of us – We try to get to where we are going in a timely fashion, especially if we don’t have assigned seats. We’ve been to enough Pride Parades to know that the route fills up quickly. This year we got a spot in the shade behind a traffic barricade. We settled in and started playing Scrabble on our iPads. Then, as the Dykes on Bikes opened the parade, two women squeezed in front of us, between my chair and the power pole I was up against. They effectively blocked my view, except for what would pass directly in front of me. They were German tourists. I thought maybe they knew one of the dykes on a bike, so I waited to see if they would move. Nope. So I said something. The lady closest to me apologized and moved back. The other one, who was directly in front of the pole, balancing on the curb, did not but I could see past her. During the parade the two of them pushed forward trying to get every free thing that was being handed out. The pole lady sometimes went out onto the street to get things from the parade people. Really? I didn’t know temporary tattoos and cheap plastic beads were desirable souvenirs. However, they were horrified when someone pressed condoms in their hands. They dropped them and when I picked them up to give them back, they shook their heads and tucked their hands behind their backs. The young men around us were happy to get the extras. About halfway through the parade, people walked along and stood in front of her. She complained as the limited room she was in became even smaller. And they blocked her access to the stuff. She seemed miffed and then complained to them. Of course, no one took notice of her. Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it?

4. The young girls singing songs behind us – Every float in the Pride Parade had music blaring. Some of the songs were ones we weren’t familiar with, but some were oldies that everyone enjoyed. Dale was surprised that I knew the choruses of some of the more recent songs, but come on, who doesn’t know “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift and “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga? Dale apparently. Anyway, the girls standing behind my chair knew all the songs and they sang out joyously. And then came “Dancing Queen”. Well, I knew that song before those girls were born. They might be fans now because of the movie but I was an original dancing queen. So, I let it rip. I sang out and those girls were pleasantly surprised. Yeah, bitches. Sometimes old ladies rock, well, disco. So there.

5. The couple from New York at the table behind us at breakfast – On the morning of the Pride Parade we checked out and then just went to the hotel restaurant for a quick breakfast. We sat outside and shortly after we sat down, another couple came out. The server took our breakfast drink order and then went to their table. They each ordered “ cawfee”. I smiled and repeated it under my breath. The server brought the coffees and then the gentleman ordered a Caesar. When the server brought it he said he was going home so he wouldn’t be getting real Canadian Caesars back home. The server laughed and said she loved New York. They were a little chagrined, as they had said they had been trying to talk Canadian. The server said she heard their accent right away, as she had studied it in acting classes. Yup, we’re definitely Hollywood North, all servers are aspiring actors. And really, can someone from New York really hide their accent and speak “Canadian”. Nope.

This past weekend we made our annual trip into the city for the long weekend. On Friday Dale drove to work and he took our luggage with him. I took the SkyTrain into the city, getting off at the Granville Station. It was a leisurely walk from there to our hotel. I got into the lobby and checked my phone. There was a text from Dale. He was involved with a situation at work and would be a little late. No problem. I walked to a nearby coffee shop and had a cup of tea and a slice of lemon loaf. I sat in the window and did a little people watching and read my Kindle. It was a pleasant way to waste an hour. My tea was almost gone when Dale texted again to say he was still hung up at work and would be a while. I called the restaurant we had planned to visit and cancelled our reservation, then I walked back to the hotel. I checked in and went up to the room. Later I walked to a grocery store to get some milk so I could make my own cup of tea, the room had a kitchen area. When Dale finally arrived our second choice for dinner was closed so we hit the hotel restaurant and had some appies and a drink. Dale vented about work while we ate.

The next morning we went to a little cafe, le Petit Belge, I had passed on my way to the grocery store the night before. We had to wait about 10 minutes but we were soon sitting inside at a little table. Dale had a chai latte and I got my usual cup of tea. It came in a beautifully decorated little metal teapot. Our breakfasts were amazing. I had a plain waffle with maple syrup with side of bacon and potatoes and Dale had the salmon Benny, on waffles! We will definitely have breakfast there again.

Later in the day we took a little ferry to Granville Island. It was very busy. We walked through the public market but didn’t buy anything. After a while we went to the Net Loft where it was less busy. We found a table and had lunch. Dale had a very hot curry and I had a delicious pad Thai. On our way back to the little ferry dock we stopped and bought some chocolates. We had to wait quite a while for the ferry. It was hot but not unbearably so. There was a lot to see on the water – paddle boarders and kayakers and boats, so the wait didn’t seem too long.

This year we decided to do something different for the fireworks. Dale booked us on a dinner cruise. We walked to the site of the old casino and boarded “The Queen of Diamonds”. We had a table by the window. The people at the table beside us were already seated. We introduced ourselves and chatted a little before Dale went to get us a drink. The cruise started at 7:30 and dinner was served once we were out of the busy part of English Bay. After dinner we went out onto the bow of the boat to enjoy the evening air. The scenery was spectacular. As night fell we headed back towards the city. We had dessert while standing at our spot on the port side of the bow. It was chocolate fondue, with fruit and little cream puffs, delicious. Just before 10:00 the boat stopped opposite English Bay. A few test fireworks went up, and then the show started. There was a slight problem with the sound system on the boat and we missed a bit of simulcast music. But it was soon remedied and we were able to enjoy the full effect of the fireworks set to music. It was a great way to see the fireworks. Not too crowded and no one standing in front of us. We had a great time.

In the morning we had a quick breakfast at our hotel before we went to find a spot on the Pride parade route. We got set up behind some barricades at the corner of Nicola and Robson. We played Scrabble while we waited. Just as the parade started two women pushed their way between my chair and the post I was up against. They effectively blocked the view of everyone else who was already there. When there was a break in the parade, I told one of the women she was in the way. She moved but her friend didn’t. As the parade went on her friend found it very uncomfortable and awkward to stand there, but as the crowd grew she couldn’t move. She seemed irritated. Then when someone stood in front of her, she complained. I know how she felt.

The parade was wonderful, as always. I was very pleased to see our Prime Minister walking in it. He was well protected but was able to stop and pose for photos. Every year I am amazed by the indefatigable Hedy Fry, the Liberal MLA for Vancouver Centre. She dresses up and dances the whole parade route. She’s an amazing woman, google her.

The Honourable Hedy Fry

We had a great time in the city. As I’ve said before, I’d live there if we could, but we can’t. So we’ll be happy living here, with the option of hopping on the SkyTrain to be there in less than an hour when we want.

Okay, I have to get something off my chest, actually a few somethings, so here you go.

There is a post making the rounds on Facebook about illegal immigration being like having to welcome a criminal into your house. The analogy is that these people enter into the country illegally, like breaking into our house, then not only do we have to let them stay in our house, we have to feed, clothe and educate them. Well, here’s another analogy. A family from another town is banging on your front door. Their town has been ransacked by marauding groups of thugs and their crops have been devastated by years of drought. They tried to stay but when the earthquake hit their house fell down and they had no way to protect their children. So they walked, mostly at night to get to your town, and now it’s pouring rain and they are tired, hungry and desperate. Open your damn doors. These people wouldn’t be going to where they don’t know the language, where they don’t know anyone, where they don’t know how they’ll support themselves and their family if they weren’t sure that staying where they were wasn’t an option. And when they finally get to their destination, hoping to get in as refugees, the rules have changed. Most of the immigrants who come work hard and integrate quickly into society. So when you post that video clip, read the messages that go along with it. And if you really believe that immigrants are choosing what happens to them because they are choosing to come illegally, well, I think you need to re-examine your humanity. We, and the US, are incredibly privileged to be living in a country where war hasn’t directly affected our people and lands. Most of us have lives infinitely better than the people travelling hundreds, if not thousands, of miles trying to escape what they are leaving behind. There’s a poem called “Home” by Warsan Shire, google it. One quote making the rounds from it is this: “no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land”. I’ll be posting that on Facebook when I’m finished here. Canada is a country of immigrants, most of us came here from someplace else. In fact, for most of us we only have to go back two or three generations to get to the immigrant in your family tree. That’s why you have to buy the premium version of Ancestry.ca if you want to document your family history. And we shouldn’t worry about poor immigrants taking our jobs, most of the time they’re doing the jobs we don’t want to do. We should be more worried about the corporations and companies who bypass the visa system to bring in overseas people to fill high-paying positions that Canadians are qualified to do.

Well, that felt good. On to topic two. I was just shouting swear words at the TV because a conservative talk show host (on a show with other, non-conservative hosts because if it was a show with just a conservative host I wouldn’t be watching it) made the outrageous claim that health care is too expensive to give to everyone in the US and if the health care system was so great in Canada, why do so many people, like the Snowbirds, come to the US to get operations? After I calmed down, I thought how ridiculous that claim was. Our neighbours who travel a lot are no longer going to the US because they can’t afford to pay the health insurance they need if they go there. They are healthy septuagenarians who each only take one medication a day. They are well-to-do but they can’t afford the premiums. Snowbirds hope like hell they don’t need medical care while they’re down there, and they have to buy health insurance at a hefty price to go. Yes, some people do go to the US for medical care, but not many. An old friend tells a story about his dad who had a heart attack while on a golfing vacation in California. It was cheaper to send an ambulance jet with a doctor and paramedics down there to bring him home than it was to leave him in the hospital. Dale was in a hockey tournament in a small American city years ago.  A Canadian player broke his leg. The ambulance crew wouldn’t load him until the charge on his credit card cleared. The same thing happened at the hospital. When I had my second son, a young American woman was in hospital also giving birth. It was cheaper to pay the full cost in Canada than to have her child in the hospital in her hometown. A friend’s daughter had open heart surgery as a child. If they had been in the US they’d still be paying off the bill. I could go on, but that’s enough.

Other topics that you don’t want to get me started on:

• gun control – no one needs an automatic weapon, or a handgun for that matter
• immunizations – they save lives, and the study linking autism and immunization has been fully discredited, stop using it
• climate change – is real, and no jobs are worth the damage coal does to our environment, and alternative energy research, development and implementation could provide many safe jobs
• recycling and water conservation – do your part, little things matter so limit your plastic usage, take reusable bags to the grocery store, let your grass go brown in the summer and don’t let the tap run when you’re brushing your teeth
• gender equality and gay rights, which are human rights – good, people are people, love is love
• homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism, body shaming, ageism, white supremacy – bad
• guaranteed basic wage, subsidized or free daycare, libraries, the arts in education, the sciences in education, free internet, paid parental leave, free symphonies in the park, inexpensive transit – all good
• the good old days weren’t all that good, we were too young and naive to realize the bad things going on around us – were the good old days when only white men could vote? Or when women died from backstreet abortions? Or when water fountains, restaurants, hotels, schools, hell, just about everything was segregated? We can’t go backwards people, and we shouldn’t want to.
• if you don’t believe in gay marriage, don’t marry a gay person; if you think abortion is wrong, don’t have one, but your beliefs and morality don’t override mine
• freedom of religion – good, but it means everyone is free to have, or not have, their own belief system, and that might not be yours so don’t complain and say we’ve declared war on your holidays when we allow others to celebrate theirs
• facts are facts, there is no such thing as alternative facts, those are opinions, but facts outweigh opinions because water will boil at 100 degrees C even if you are of the opinion that it won’t
• public education – please fund it fully and respect teachers and education assistants, after all, you leave your children in their care for at least five hours a day
• with information so readily available to us now, we really need to listen and think critically, we need to fact-check using reliable sources and there are still many reliable sources out there
• free speech doesn’t mean you can say anything you want, and the press isn’t bad, however, when the “News” has to make money, the information they report may reflect who pays them or who buys what their sponsors sell – see the previous point
• Why do we follow so many American systems and trends when there are other countries doing so much more and doing it so much better? Check the US rankings on just about anything, other than overt patriotism and belief in conspiracies, and they’ll be way down the list.
• Social media is like everything else. It can be good or bad, depending on how it’s used. Just remember, if it hits the net, it’s forever. So think before you post that picture.
• The earth is not flat, the moon landings were not faked, JFK and Elvis are not alive, megalodon does not roam the depths of the ocean, rising to chomp tour boats in half and if aliens walk among us I hope they’re trying to figure out a way to get us to the Star Trek level of humanity quickly!

There’s probably more I could add but I think I’m good now.

I had Ari for the whole day today. My son dropped him off before he went to work, which meant I was up at 6:30, dressed and ready for the day by 6:45, which is way out of my normal routine. I had time to make toast and tea for breakfast before the boys arrived. Not only was I looking after him all day but today was Ari’s first swimming lesson. It’s a good thing I love him, because I had to put on a swimsuit and take my bebe into the pool with all the young mothers in the class. Suffice it to say that I was easily 30 years older and 50 pounds heavier than they were.

We were a little early for the class and I had to hold Ari back from the water, but just before the class started we hopped in, along with all the others in the class. It was fun. First we sang a song as we bobbed the little ones up and down in the water. Then we were instructed to hold our little swimmers under the arms, facing us as we backed up in the water, creating a slipstream so their legs went out behind them. We were supposed to blow bubbles in the water and encourage the kids to do the same. Ari was a little bigger than the other kids and I had trouble keeping his feet off me and he didn’t blow bubbles. As well, the water got quite shallow as we came out of the lazy river part of the pool and it was very hard for me to maintain my balance in a crouched position, moving backwards. I was not the most graceful person in the pool and I was having trouble with my suit. The top was riding up and the bottoms were riding down. So I had to manoeuvre Ari with one hand while I made myself presentable with the other. Believe me, no one wanted to see what I was putting out there! Thankfully I was able to do it while still in a crouched position.

The next thing we did was to hold the kids under the arms again, but this time they were on their backs with their heads resting on one of our shoulders. I struggled a little with this as Ari resisted it. However, he was quite happy to let the instructor take him and he did it perfectly. Clearly the problem wasn’t with Ari. Then we went close to the edge of the pool and again, with our hands under their arms, we “swam” the kids to the edge, letting them grab onto it. Ari loved that. After a few back and forths, we sat the kids up on the edge and encouraged them to jump in. Ari wasn’t nervous at all but he needed my arms up out of the water, so he was jumping into my arms not into the water. Of course I dropped my arms as soon as he was in them so his body went into the water. I think we could have done that for a long time. The last thing we did was to let the kids walk around in the water in the very shallow part of the pool. Again, this was uncomfortable for me as I am not as agile and limber as I once was. But walking around bent over was worse so I figured it out. The instructor said the purpose of the lessons was to make sure the kids enjoyed the water and the pool, that there wasn’t much she could actually teach the kids to do. Well, Ari should be at the head of the class because he was good at everything, in spite of his Mimi and her shortcomings.

Ari wasn’t upset to leave and he cooperated well as I got him into his dry clothes. He was a little quick off the mark to leave so it was good I just had to throw a cover-up over my suit and follow him. When we got home I changed into dry clothes and he had a good lunch. He wasn’t the least bit tired. I was exhausted. My hair dried all wavy and poufy but I didn’t have any time to fix it. I was thankful to run a brush through it!

So, even if there wasn’t much for the kids to learn, I learned something very important. I need a better swimsuit, with a longer top and a higher waisted bottom. My old suit is fine for lounging around the pool or for slowly submerging into the water, but it isn’t fine for anything active. So when Ari was playing I checked out the website for Swimco, as they have a store in Coquitlam Centre. Guess what Mimi is doing tomorrow, after a sleep-in and a leisurely breakfast? And shopping for a new swimsuit will be only slightly less uncomfortable than wrestling with my old one in the pool.

Postscript – Well, it turns out shopping for a bathing suit wasn’t all that bad. I found two bottoms that were perfect and they were several sizes smaller than I thought they would be. I found a top that was on sale at Swimco, good thing because the bottoms were not on sale. And then I found another top at the Bay. Both were a size I haven’t worn in a while. Now, please don’t burst my “feeling good about bathing suit shopping and my body” bubble by telling me swimsuits should be a little smaller than your regular clothes because they get heavier and stretch a little in the water and that sizes have increased. Right now I’m riding a wave of body positivity and I don’t need your dose of reality bringing me down.

It’s easy to believe in

Eternity

When you’re flying high Inside a plane

Above the clouds.

There’s nothing.

Nothing.

In every direction,

Except, of course, when you look inside the plane.

But outside, there are only

Variations of white and gray.

While off in the distance

The rays of the sun

Have turned the whites and grays

Into shades of blue and pink on one side

Of the plane

And shades of yellow and orange on the other.

You see contours, fluffs, peaks.

Depths that could be miles or inches

But with no reference point,

It’s all meaningless.

Eternity.

Time.

Stretching in every direction,

Except, of course, when you look inside the plane.

Then there’s a break and looking down

You see roads and lights.

But where are we?

And when are we?

Has time moved us to some distant point?

Are we still here now?

Or are we earlier or later in time?

Is that single light in the valley below

The campfire of a prehistoric hunter keeping fears at bay?

Or of a gold prospector camping near his claim?

Or of a crashed spaceship pilot signalling her whereabouts?

Is that large cluster of lights

A medieval town with torches in the streets?

Or a bustling city run on electricity?

Or a thriving metropolis using technologies not yet dreamed of?

But with the next break

You see only mountain tops capped in more white.

With no signs of life.

Just ridge upon ridge,

Flanked by valley upon valley,

Untouched, it would seem by human hand or foot or tool.

From up here

It’s easy to believe in

Eternity.

Time stretching up and down.

Forward and back.

Round and round.

And us, a group of souls,

Believing our own realities,

Here inside the plane.

I wrote this poem on one of the trips we took. I didn’t have wifi so I couldn’t access my blog site. However, I was able to write it in a section of the site that I somehow accessed and then I forgot about it. Several days ago I found it but couldn’t get it to my site. I’m blaming the heat and being tired because today I just highlighted it, copied it and pasted it to my blog.

I used to write poetry all the time. Somewhere along the way I stopped, and I think I miss it. Clearly I was inspired on that flight, whenever it was. I hope inspiration will strike again. Or maybe I’ll use this as my inspiration and just start writing poetry again.

Tonight I went on two bike rides, one in the morning with my daughter-in-law and grandson, and one in the evening with my husband. Things happened on both rides that made me unsettled enough to want to write about them, because they happen just about every time I ride my bike. Having said that, most people are great, but a small minority of people need a tune-up on their outside behaviour,

First of all, the paths that have been made throughout the city are two-way and designed for walking and biking. So, pay attention. If you walk alone, don’t walk down the middle of the path, and especially don’t do it wearing earbuds. People on bikes don’t know which way you’re going to move when they come up behind you. And if you walk with friends, please don’t stretch out across the walkway. People can’t pass you in either direction when you do that. And if you are chatting away, laughing and carrying on, you won’t hear the dinging of a bell telling you a bike is coming up behind you. So, pick a side and walk there. Walk with one earbud out. And if you’re walking with a bunch of friends, walk in pairs and if you feel like you’re missing out talking to someone, switch up partners during the walk. Be considerate of others out there, it’s not all about you.

Now if you have a dog… sigh… dogs. I love dogs. And I know dogs get people out and about and interacting with others. However, if you are out walking a dog, keep it on a leash. We have almost hit dogs that were meandering around the path. And I have seen people, including small children, almost knocked over by friendly big dogs who rush up to say hello. Keeping the leash short is important for another reason too. Yesterday a little dog on a very long leash took off across the path. I had my eye on it and was able to stop, but if I had been looking away, I would have ridden right into the leash. That could have been disastrous all around. And if your dog poops on the walk, pick it up, please. It’s the law and some of you out there are breaking it.

On the evening bike ride with my husband, our destination was the river. We found a spot and settled in. After several small moves, we found a great spot to sit. It was wonderful, sitting in the sun with the water rushing by. There was a young couple just down from us. They had sushi and beer. And after consuming them, they left their garbage behind, to the delight of the crows. A group of young men floating down the river threw their empty beer cans into the bushes. I don’t understand people like that. They are out enjoying nature but their actions are harming that nature. If you take something with you, take it back with you. It’s just common sense people, but as it has been pointed out by many people, common sense isn’t very common any more.

We are responsible bike riders. We have bells, lights and mirrors. We wear helmets. We ride carefully around people. We are constantly scanning our environment and are very aware of our surroundings. In an urban environment every one needs to be conscious of others as we all share a limited amount of space. As I said at the outset, most of you are great. The rest of you, come on, get with the program; the world may revolve around you at home but it doesn’t out in the real world.

The last two nights I’ve had the most amazing dreams, ones that not only stayed with me when I woke up but that flashed through my mind throughout the day.

In the first dream I was in a play, a farce, that was being directed by Meryl Streep. She was also in the show, playing my mother. She was doing a great job in both roles, well, duh, she’s Meryl Streep! There was one scene that I was having trouble with, I had to say that I didn’t want to end up like her. Even in my dream I knew that was a line that just wouldn’t fly. Who wouldn’t want to be exactly like Meryl Streep? I can’t remember how we finally got the scene to work, but I do remember other details. The stage was big enough to drive a car into, and Meryl wore a ruffled, pink gown. The audience loved the show. Even now I can see them, standing, applauding. What a great way to wake up, feeling the glow of a successful performance, with Meryl Streep holding my hand as we took our bows.

The dream the next night was just as vivid. I was in a castle with a whole bunch of my theatre friends but we were younger, in our twenties, and we were all gorgeous and fit and talented, oh, just like now, except for the younger part. Anyway, we were there at the invitation of a royal family. The very handsome prince would be arriving at the party being held in the evening. As often happens in dreams, I had no luggage. So, a friend took me in hand and led me through hallways and concealed doors, up and then down staircases to one of the Queen’s own dressers, a very campy man who pulled out dress after dress until he found the one that suited me the best. Once dressed, including jewelry and fantastic shoes, another friend then led me through the castle to the royal beauty salon where I got my hair styled, complete with a tiara, and my makeup done. As we moved through the castle, I saw all my other theatre friends enjoying themselves. As I passed by, one of them would put a glass of champagne in my hand, pop an appetizer in my mouth, or encourage me on. I can still see the intricate wallpaper and the amazing chandeliers. And I can still feel the camaraderie of all my theatre friends, past and present, and now wonderful it felt to be taken in hand by them to get ready to meet the prince. However, I can’t remember if I ever met him.

There are many ideas about what dreams are, and what they mean. There may be messages embedded in them, they may be signals from our unconscious mind, helping us to solve problems in our lives. Whatever, all I know is these dreams made me happy. I woke up happy and I smiled whenever I recalled them. Of course I can find connections to my life in them. I have been on the stage, and I hope to be there again. I see my theatre friends in concentrated bursts when we do shows and I miss them when the shows are over. They have dressed me and done my hair and make-up. I’ve been to parties and I met, and married my prince. Aww, that’s for you Dale.

Now, for the surreal parts. There have been a lot of ads and trailers for the new Mamma Mia movie, and they have contained images of Meryl Streep. The latest royal wedding was a few weeks ago and the new Duchess has been a staple discussion topic on talk shows. And, tweets from various Royal sites come across my feed often, yes, okay, I follow the Royals. So all my unconscious mind did was put stuff together. But what a great job it did. Well done you! Now, repeat again tonight please.