to the lake...

This is family weekend number one. We're off to the lake to do the annual campout with Dale's side. The menu has been planned for a month, and I didn't do it, so that might give you some idea of the calibre of camping we're going for!

Just to save a bit of headache, I decided to take the kayak out last night. We can put the kayak on top of the van, hitch up the trailer and put the bikes on the back of it (yes, we do look like geeks, but hey, we can get everything there in one trip that way.) However, this camping spot is unique - I can't move the van much, which makes unloading the kayak tougher.

So, with a quick call to ask permission (we're not allowed to arrive before noon today - the grandparents want to make sure everything is "just so") we went to the lake.

Well, first the kids went wading. Fine. Then they got their pants a bit wet. Oh well. Then they went in up to their necks.

Twits.

Anyway, now I have a load of laundry on the line (grandpa's shirts included) to add to everything else I wanted to get done today.

I'm not entirely sure if the children are put on the earth to make me crazy, but it is working! The only bonus is that since Dale has his own sprayer this year, and won't have to haul water for the neighbour, I should actually have him there for the whole weekend.

Or else.

conversations with a seven & five year old

It is time for summer. The kids are squirrelly. They do not sleep. They do not think. They do not listen. It is time for a break.

I realized this as I had a sweet little conversation with Jo just now:

"So, Jo, what happens if I catch you reading tonight?"
"I can't go to school tomorrow. There will be no school for me."

Um, huh? The consequence for reading is truancy?

Jo was up reading until about midnight last night, and we had a horrible time at swimming (lack of listening skills), so there is reason behind the tirade. That, and it is only a half day tomorrow, filled with fun and frolicking.

But perhaps summer "vacation" is necessary, if only to regain perspective on *why* the girls need to go to school...

And, just now, my dear darling five year old informed me that:

"the constellation of my dreams says that I will dream of a big monster. And, I can't change that."
"Change the story, Char, you can do that."
"No, only my thinking can do that. Not my constellation"
"Char, go to bed."

Which is proof that they are not thinking, and are put on this earth to confuse me.
I'm going to go eat ice cream now. Always worked for my dad, so perhaps it will work for me.

still here

Wow. These last few days have been...hectic, to say the least. And these are the quiet ones. Tomorrow, Wednesday, I have 6 separate scheduled events on my calendar. Thursday I have four, as I have had to drop two due to conflicting times. Friday - just four, but one of them happens to take all weekend.

Monday should have been fine, but I ended up on a parts run to Brandon immediately following swimming. This after I finally managed to mow the house lawn/scout fields/water the garden/remove the last of the frost protectors and do the usual trips to various fields to help Dale move about.

Today, I took Charli to school, where I was "asked" to put my name down to bring a fruit tray or a dessert for Thursday's BBQ (one of the events that I won't actually be at, as I'm going to run with Jo during that time period.) Then I ran downtown (had no prior intention of shopping right then, but had to catch Nat while she was in) to order said fruit tray and all the produce necessary for this weekend's camp. And double check that there was nice lettuce for tomorrow's salad I have to make for the rink.

Then I booted home to scout fields (hour and a half job), got off the quad, got on the tractor, drove it home, started mowing, got called by the neighbour to get a part on the return trip to Shoal Lake, had the tractor choose to not start again, swore extremely loudly and profoundly, hopped in my car, and returned to get groceries/part/Charli.

Didn't even get through the grocery store before I was called for one more thing (defoamer). Got all the chores accomplished there, then drove home (quickly) to deliver defoamer. Checked the water tank - it was empty. Called neighbour to meet at well to deliver part, put Charli in the water truck, started out for well. Haven't hauled water before, but new part that I'd picked up Monday had caused lots of trouble during morning (Dale had lost time), so was just trying to make things a bit more efficient.

Got water hauled, put Charli in front of Discovery Kids with a bowl of cereal (her lunch), ran out to continue mowing. Completed mowing, drove Dale to quad, Dale drove quad across field, I picked him up, drove home, he went spraying, I got showered. Now 3 p.m. - off to swimming. Grabbed a caramilk (my lunch) and forgot to brush hair. Remember after picking up seven year old and going to the post office...

Swimming -good. Seven year old takes half hour to shower, husband calls one more time, cell phone dies (poor thing, overworked the battery), beg cashier to use phone, call husband, he needs gas for the pump. Race home, get gas for the pump, drive to field, drive home, start supper.

Thank goodness children can cook. We ate pretty well, considering. And now, to do the dishes, sweep the floor and get ready to start it all over tomorrow.

At least tomorrow supper is planned - we're at a farewell party in between soccer practice/swimming lessons/soccer games and all I have to do is pay $5 per person. I can manage that - best idea I've heard all day!

supergirly

It occurs to me that perhaps I'm not as girly as I should be.

My favourite pants right now? Dickies Work pants. Comfy, fit well, can't kill them. Favourite shoes? Steel toed size 4 hikers. Didn't know they made them - they're fabulous! Favourite tool? My new chainsaw. That is a lovely thing, that. Talk about independence! I can cut wood for my fire pit! I can break trail through the railroad right of way to go hiking on.

Housework? Meh. Yeah, it needs done. I'll get it done too, but I had to go for a nice long walk this evening with my kids to push bush. I need to organize the monumental stash of fabric "and stuff" that I have just acquired. But I suspect that will actually happen when I have a permanent place to put it.

Vacuuming? I'd rather mow the lawn, thanks.

Yes, I like to sew. I enjoy knitting. Both very feminine pursuits. I love to garden, which can also be considered girly. However, on the scale I'm doing it, I find it is a physically demanding job and I'm pretty sure that perspiration is still not girly, even in 2008.

I enjoy the freedom of crop scouting (and the solitude - no tv, no kids, only the cell phone to bug me). That is a gender neutral activity, but when you add the motorcycle or the ATV to it, it skews to the masculine.

Camping, fishing, hiking, kayaking - all the ways I would love to spend my spare time. Again, a little bit butch? I like to fix things. That is truly satisfying. Which would be the reason behind the pink tools. Yet somehow, not quite a traditional female job.

It doesn't matter, I suppose. I have nice enough feet that I can wear peep toed shoes, I just have to scrub the dirty skin off. Jewellery is wasted on me - I wear my hoops, my wedding band and my watch. I can't explain my affinity for dresses, other than their comfort factor. If it were socially acceptable, I'd work in them. People do look at you funny when you're riding the lawn mower in a wrap dress, however.

My farmer tan is mostly undeveloped this year, but I expect it will come along nicely if it ever warms up.

Oh well, I'm pretty self sufficient, which is a good thing. Both daughters are very girly, but they tag along when mom is doing her hobbies. And they do benefit - they have wiener roasts whenever it is fit to do so, they have a hiking trail, they get fabric scraps to make their own Barbie clothes and they enjoy their self-feed garden all summer long.

So, I might not be supergirly, but I enjoy what I do. I guess that is what really matters.

pause

This weekend has been...weird. The phone, not ringing too much. The work was stopped by rain. My aunt & uncle showed up to visit, so we had to slow down a bit and actually stay home.

Yup, the calm before the storm.

The visit went well. Next weekend, Guide Camp. We start swimming lessons this week. Char's nursery school grad is this week, Jo has a farewell party to go to, there are 3 soccer games (plus practices), I have to cook twice for the rink and Jo has to go to the dentist. And, we're still spraying.

Hmm. I'd better apologize ahead of time for not writing my blog/phoning anyone/actually communicating. Maybe next week will be better?

blue sticky stuff

Today is laundry day. I'm doing beds, which is getting to be quite the terrifying experience - I never know what I'm going to find when I strip Jo's bed. And the problem is, I can't just wait for her to do it - I do the beds whenever the weather is favourable, which is almost never on the weekends.

When I pulled her pillow case off this morning, I dumped out
- cereal. Dry, fortunately
- 2 books
- her diary
- beads
- pebbles
- other assorted detritus.

Last night, Jo complained that the fun-tak she had left on her lightswitch cover had disappeared. I thought I had taken that ball and added it to the large one I keep by my desk, but maybe not...

Somehow, I missed the wad of fun-tak in the pillow case. And the beads stuck to the pillowcase with the aforementioned fun-tak.

I use fun-tak as a stress ball - don't even know I'm doing it. It is relaxing like play-doh, but much easier to explain away when it sits next to the printer/on the printer/on my desk/on the counter...Some days though, it seems like it is everywhere. I use it a lot to hang up the artworks created by the younger set, and they seem to each have their stash of recycled stuff. Not usually a big deal, but sometimes I find it in the carpets (nasty) or on the bottom of slippers (really annoying when you stick to the floor).

I did not know that you could put it through a washing machine, however. I hope I never do that again - most of the residue seems to have come off the pillow case, I think.

I'm not worried though, 'cause now I have two stress balls - one is just a bit cleaner.

camping in the driveway

Today was one of those indecisive kind of days. Will it rain, or not? Will we get something done, or not? It was really too wet to garden, Dale did get some spraying done this evening, which was an unexpected surprise, and I tried to clean the camper.

Ever tried to rub grease off of mystery fabric? The stuff brushes up like hair if you use a stiff brush, a plastic one is completely ineffective and grease cleaner just makes it mat up like fur. I ended up using all three, then shaving the hair/fur off with a combination of paring knife, safety razor and razor blade.

I'm not even sure if it is even any cleaner! Dale says it smells cleaner (uh, that would be the bleach I used on the melamine surfaces or the ammonia on the floor) but there is no consensus on the tent cleanliness. I suppose that really doesn't matter - it is, by definition, a tent. So, it will, inevitably, be full of sand/grease/grime/dirt etc.

As soon as Dale brought the trailer up for me, he had two little "helpers" running around to try to set the thing up. Jo has now graduated to "velcro" while Char is still on "mats & cushions". I knew we weren't going to get away with setting up, cleaning & putting down, so now we are trying to move things out to the camper in preparation for the first sleep out of the year.

I took the girls for a drive today, just up to Lake Audy. Wanted to see how it looked, despite the National park rules that won't allow our little boat in the water. We'll have to take the kayak or the grandparents' boat, but maybe we'll get fishing there this summer.

In the meantime, I'll just be camping in the driveway. I'll be checking my e-mail if you need me...

putting on makeup to mow the lawn

One of the interesting things about my life is the lack of daily routine. I have a daily routine, it is just self-imposed. Usually, I wake up with the kids and get the eldest off to school, then check in on the finances, markets, weather and news online, then I get onto my daily tasks.

Most days that involves going to town at some point during the day. I do try to make myself a bit presentable to go get the mail/go to soccer practice/buy groceries/get parts etc. My hair needs work, I realize, so I'm often wearing it in a pony tail. With the wind this spring, that is an extremely practical hairdo. But, it does make me look a little severe. And, when you add the requisite jeans, sensible shoes and t-shirt (and most days, 2 jackets), my fashion sense is a bit...lacking.

So, I spend an extra two minutes on my face when I get dressed. Not much, I know, but just enough to throw on a bit of colour. Now some days, that really helps me feel better. Not sure if that makes me shallow, or overly picky about my appearance, or just colourful. But, it has become more of a habit.

However, some days, like today, when the routine gets thrown completely off by a kind husband who goes to town for me because he needs parts anyway, I end up putting on lipstick to mow the lawn. Which is just a bit crazy, like me and my life.

cold and slow

The sarcastic people among you are probably thinking "what else is new? She's always cold and slow"

You're right. It's just extra bad today because I was out on the bike (yes, the motorbike) all morning scouting fields. My quad is in the shop - needs a new "stator" or something behind the flywheel. This is highly inconvenient, as this is one of the weeks that I have to scout fields. And, if you check out the weather, you will note that as soon as the crop is close to ready to spray, it is nasty cold, windy and rainy. That is just the way it is. Every year.

So I am cold, and moving slow. I am still sitting in my long undies and other layers in front of the computer, thinking I might make myself a cup of tea. The only thing that is not good, but saving me from being colder is that the crops are moving incredibly slowly. It is too cold. I truly hope the whole summer isn't like this. I haven't bothered scouting all of the fields yet, because they just aren't close to ready. Joelle had "Hawaiian Day" at school today - she went in shorts and a pareo - I wonder if she's a popsicle yet.

I don't think I would have been any warmer on the quad, but at least it has racks and things that I can strap my extra layers to. Not that I don't already look pretty much hilarious in my workboots, jeans, windshirt & red windbreaker jacket, sunglasses and beany helmet; especially riding the Honda 80 at walking speed. However, when I have my quad I don't have to pick my machine back up every single time the wind blows it over. Yes, I use the kickstand and fortunately, the bike is small and relatively light, but still, it's really frustrating when it falls down in the dirt.

And I was getting tired of having to kickstart the thing - neutral is a small gap between gears that I can only attain if I reach down with my hand and move the toeshifter just so. But at least I know where the clutch is now. For the longest time I wouldn't ride the bike if I could help it, as it has to be in neutral to start if one doesn't use the clutch. And I didn't know about the clutch (or had conveniently forgotten - not entirely sure who is at fault here, teacher or student.) Stalling was a major disaster when I rode the bike that way. Everyone who has ever ridden a motorbike gets a big kick out of me learning to ride without a clutch. I'm a very useful person to have around when you need a giggle.

But, I didn't wipe out, even though skinny tires in soft fields are pretty much a recipe for disaster. And Dale is off now to pick up chemical - he can spray tomorrow if it stops raining. And he's picking me up another jacket from Sears - not that he knows about my latest addition to my sweater and jacket collection. Maybe, if it ever warms up, I'll stop feeling the craving for a new jacket...

June...already?

I have known since March that June was going to be hell month. What I'm having trouble believing is that it is here already.

It goes without saying that this month is busy - we're
-doing soccer pretty much daily until the 20th,
-I'm taking first aid (again),
-school is silly with field trips and fun days and picnics and all the other filler activities that happen in June,
-we hope to pick up swimming lessons as soon as the pool opens (so the 16th to the 27th),
-Guide/Brownie Camp is happening, here, again
-windups for school, soccer and Guides all need to happen
-my aunt & uncle are coming for a visit, with stuff that they're leaving here
-we should be doing excavation & demolition to get ready for the summer construction
-all the crops need scouted and sprayed
and of course, the kids are pestering to go camping/fishing/anywhere.

I'm not sure if any month is quiet any more - I skipped one meeting when Mom & Dad were here and have ended up being secretary for that committee. Another committee is trying to organize a meeting - I get to be secretary for that one too, especially if I can't make it. Sometime the skating rink will have their meeting, which will lead to a skating club meeting, and I know I have two sets of books to get to audit.

I wonder where I'm supposed to squeeze that full-time job in? I'll just be really glad to get my laundry room cleaned out (yes, it will happen, somehow), perhaps I'll get that new GST number dealt with this quarter, and if I'm really lucky, I'll get the garden weeded. I find it so amazing that any mom can get anything done - I'm so exhausted climbing into bed, and my idea of luxury is making it there by 11:30.

I was thinking of reading a book called "The Ten Year Nap" about professional type women who took a break from their careers to have their kids. But then I realized that I don't read anything that I haven't read before because I haven't got the time. And, I'd have to buy a copy, which always leads to a bulk order from Chapters (and an hour or two in front of the computer trying to remember what else I need to get.)

I still read, it just happens to be Agatha Christie that I read in snippets in the sauna. The books are destroyed afterwards from the heat, of course, but I think the most pathetic part is that I can re-read mystery stories. Is that an extension of mommy amnesia? Will it ever get better?

Or is that the reason why I'm so over-programmed? Perhaps if I remembered how busy I was all year long, I would be able to rationalize more time off...

Maybe next year. I need to go make supper, again.