My Mom

Mary Raechel (Chalifoux) McGuire

April 17, 1934 - November 14, 2006

Paris fashions

Y'know my sister, Brenda, owns Raya, a groovy clothing store on the Drive? So when we were in Paris, we were keeping an eye out for fashion trends to help her keep up to date.

I have always enjoyed Vancouver's casual style, but seeing so many well-dressed, well-groomed Parisians made me wonder if there isn't room for a little less Goretex and a few more blazers in the local wardrobe.

The key question would be: If I stop wearing all knits, who is going to do my ironing?

I'm pretty sure that's the dilemma these three were discussing.

Zion says

Our friend's son (Jascha, 14) and daughter (Zion, 12) were over this evening, at Noah's invitation. Zion tells this story (paraphrase).

I have never been so embarrassed! We were playing Simon Says, and Jascha says, "Simon says, do obeisance."

So I said, "Jascha! C'mon. What does 'obeisance' mean?"

Then I looked down, and Noah was kneeling on the floor with his arms stretched out towards Jascha. "C'mon Zion. You're supposed to bow."

My baby's growing up

A few weeks ago, Steve pointed out to me that Noah had a loose tooth. I'm such a sap, I almost cried. And last evening, while we were at a movie, Noah gave his tooth a final wiggle et voila, it came out.

These waypoints sometimes give me premonitions of future days when Noah doesn't want a hug from Mama, wants me to drop him a block from his destination, and when the longest conversation he'll want to share is to ask, "Can I borrow the car?"

One tooth, one emotional trauma.

Out of office replies

Someone sent me these in an email, and I just couldn't let them just languish in my 'archive' folder.

Best Out of Office Auto Replies:

1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.
   
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
   
3. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from holiday on November 5. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
   
4. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
   
5. I've run away to join a different circus.

-------

And since I'm in a sharing mood, go check out 'Monk-e-mail' (click the link in the sidebar). Steve and I gutted ourselves recording a birthday message for friends. I think it's most fun for the sender, so go dress a monkey and send someone a goofy message. You'll like it.

The cupboard is bare

Donations to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank are at an all-time low. Yikes. While they've normally raised around $150K by this time of the year, they've only raised $22K this year.

Scary.

Especially since I had Noah, the thought of hungry children breaks my heart. (See, I'm tearing up just writing this.)

The food bank can turn a dollar’s cash donation into three dollar’s worth of food through bulk discounts and corporate matching.

If you donate only $10, that's like a $30 donation of food for a family. And $20 makes $60, and so on, and so on...

I'm an arts major; you do the math.

Jardins de Versailles

One of my favourite days in France was spent walking around Versailles with David and Jen.

We had a picnic of bread, cheese and wine (but of course) under the trees, and Steve was much moved by the experience.

I enjoyed this series of shots Steve took, because with the aid of the zoom function, they give you an idea of what it would be like if one could actually walk on any of the grass throughout the grounds, which, of course, one couldn't.

While I played paparazzi to the garden's bees. . .

David and Jen passed the time en garde. (I wish I could post the video of their fencing match, ending with Jen's near puncture and dramatic response.)

I am not particularly interested in classical statuary, but as Versailles is practically over run with hunks of marble, I felt compelled to represent that. This tortured soul called to me.

FMS setback

We left Paris on Wednesday. On the following Saturday, David (Steve's brother) & Jen (Dave's darling) were going to an art opening. Guess who else was invited?

I'll bet Johnny loves karaoke.

FMS

I was planning to share the exciting news that I've finally booked our tickets to Paris, but the process pushed me to reveal to you that I have a behavioural disorder called FMS. My friend, Alison discussed her symptoms with me a few years ago, and I was able to self-diagnose.

FMS (the Fear of Missing Something) manifests itself in many ways, including:

1. an inability to put down a book once you've started it
2. a compulsion to read through the entire menu despite having seen your favourite dish on the first page
3. an inability to leave any social situation, even a deadly-boring party, because you think that the moment you leave: (a) Johnny Depp will arrive, (b) people will start dancing, (c) the host will break out their karaoke machine
4. a compulsion to check every store in the mall even though you've found something you like in the first store because you might find something: (a) cheaper, (b) that will go with everything you already own or (c) that will make you look thinner.
5. an inability to book an airline ticket a month in advance because you're sure a seat sale will be announced the day after you book

So here we are, flights booked 8 days before we depart for Paris. It's a good thing Steve's brother, David, lives there or I'd now have to spend a week not booking accommodation.

And unless I have a strong need to procrastinate, this will be my last post until we return since I've now got to spend the next week shopping, grooming and packing.

29 in Imperial years

Happy birthday to me! Okay, so it was September 8, but this is pretty close. And since I get to celebrate 'birth week' every year, and 'birth month' on the big years, this is still technically birth week.

We went out for sushi, sushi, sushi and a movie on the 8th, and on Saturday we had dinner at my sister, Robin's. Fun times had by all.

And in honour of Steve's 40th (in July), our 20th anniversary, and my birthday, we're going to Paris. As in France. Next week.

I guess I should book tickets.

Guess what?

Guess what happened 20 years ago today?

Here's a hint.





















And there's more to the romantic tale.

Our first date: Grad '83














And they called it preppie love.

Weekend to End Breast Cancer

Sixty kilometres, 2,100 walkers, $5.5 million.

That’s how I spent my weekend -- The Weekend to End Breast Cancer. And I’m sorry if this seems long, but I couldn’t boil the whole event into a smaller package.

Going into the weekend, I thought the main point and the hardest part was the fundraising. But my experience this weekend, and my sore feet today, are telling me something different.

Walking so far, with so many other women (and a few men) was . . .

I’ve sat for five minutes trying to think of the right word, knowing it sounds artificial and cheesy to say it was ‘amazing’ or ‘inspiring.’

It was hard. It was hard to get up off the grass at kilometre 30, knowing there were five more kilometres to walk. It was hard to get out of bed at 5:30 Sunday morning to walk another 25 km.

It was hard to watch a teenage girl stop walking at kilometre 55, step off the sidewalk and collapse onto the grass, crying and shaking her head.

But it was a relief to see a volunteer crew member pull up almost immediately to offer a ride in his motorcycle sidecar if she decided she couldn’t get up again.

It was fun to hoot and laugh with the volunteers who stood at the roadside dancing in elaborate costumes, ‘high-fiveing’ every walker who went past. And it was nice to accept a cold drink or a candy from residents standing along the route, cheering us on.

And it was funny to notice that most walkers spent a lot of extra time at the refreshment station run by 20+ male firefighters.

And honestly, it was painful to walk the last five km with muscle cramps and wickedly sore feet.

So my team members and I made the only sensible decision we could. We signed up for next year's walk.

You might think the aching muscles and sore feet would make me determined not to walk again. But they’ve just made me determined to train a little harder, stretch a little longer, weigh a little less, and try a different running shoe.

And I feel a little self-conscious saying this, and I know it sounds totally cheesy, but even if it dooms me to a career writing for ‘Chicken Soup for the Walking Soul,’ I really do mean it.

If my feeling a little pain means raising more money for better diagnostics and treatment, and that means someone fighting breast cancer experiences a little less pain, then okay. I can do that.


So this is a huge ‘thank you’ to those who donated to the cause, who supported me and our team while we were fundraising and training, and when we were walking this weekend. And this is a reminder to those who haven’t yet donated to click this link.

And this is invitation to you to walk with us next year. We start training in September.

Pictures to follow.

Station identification

I have no energy or wit for a perky post about what's going on in my life these days. Consider this the coloured bars that fill the screen after a station goes off the air for the day.

I'll see you when I've been re-energized.

Back Home Again

We've actually been home for a week, but I have been -- I was going to say 'fighting a cold', but the reality is I just lay down and let it do its thing. Go, germs, go. I found lying on the couch, unwashed, to be the order of the week.

But it's off to the paying job tomorrow, so I'll have to shower before noon in that new reality. I need a word to convey my lack of enthusiasm tempered with resignation. How about 'shrug'.

I think we needed to schedule a week of holidays to recuperate from the vacation. In 13 days, we drove about 5000 km, I got two good nights' sleep and read NONE of the five books I took with me. We hit Williams Lake, Prince George, Edmonton, Valemount & Robson Meadows campground. We saw four parents, three brothers, one sister, two cousins, and four nieces & nephews. We took one niece and one nephew camping and embarked on a 14 km, three-generation hike. (Steve carried children for about 5 km.)

I think I'm fully justified in getting totally sick and doing little more than reclining. I did make the time to finish Pride and Prejudice. Though I'm not sure that counts as productivity since I've read it before.

Tom's boiling the kettle for a cuppa, so I'm off to find a strategic position to engage in full sloth, and be able to balance a hot cup. Wish me luck.

Deadline driven

I was going to start with "I love deadlines." But that's not strictly true. I love completing tasks and being able to tick them off my 'to do' list, and that seems only to happen when I have a deadline.

My current deadline is this Friday when we start our holidays.

(For all you criminals scouring the internet for such mentions, I'll warn you now that we own an old TV, no stereo, a somewhat aged computer, and our music collection consists largely of cassettes we bought in the 90s and titles such as "Wee Sing and Play". Oh, and our nephew will be moving in while we're gone, not to mention that our tenant is hyper-vigilant.)

So before we go, we have to clear up the chaos under which our yard is obscured (this involved an extensive sub-list), get the many, many plants I wintersowed into the ground (except for those I've promised to others), and complete three writing jobs.

Plus, I've decided to sleep a little (this to be started once this post is complete).

We (mostly Steve) worked like dogs Saturday and Sunday, and got the yard closer to a zen-like state: plants planted, delivered to Brenda, or arranged for easy watering; got 6 kids to Sunday School; went out for a Father's Day lunch, and I completed one of the writing projects. Oh! And I walked 10K with my Weekend to End Breast Cancer Team.

So now all that's left to do is write a fact sheet about drinking water and a press release, get all the laundry done so we have clothes to pack, have the house nice and clean for nephew Tom (use new vacuum!!), lace up for a couple of 6K walks, do a volunteer shift at the thrift store, and ultimately address my obsession with parentheses.

Fundraiser success

You know that I usually really enjoy hosting a garage sale. And now I know that adding a plant sale to the work of a garage sale just makes it too much stress and work at once. But the positive side is that we raised about $1,000, and netted about $800 after paying for the hall, supplies, etc.

We had tons of much-appreciated help in Aaron, Debra, James, Jeremy, Joshua, Linda, Wendell, Abby, Ed, Zion, Brenda, Bev, Henry, Melanie, Keziah and Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve (since he did the work of 10 in picking up truckloads of donations, organizing our garage so they'd fit, transporting plants & boxes to the sale, working the sale, then transporting truckloads of leftovers to the Burnaby Hospice Society Thrift Store, then driving across town to return the borrowed truck).

I'm too tired to be clever and witty. And I really am supposed to be working.

Deja back pain

The eloquence of Devo.

"I am so tired. How long can this go on?"

My house is a frightening mess because instead of vacuuming and doing dishes, I've been out preparing for the plant sale. Today, Robin and I divided a gazillion iris rhizomes and potted up half-a-gajillion Chameleon plants. (It changes colour depending on how much sunlight it gets.)

Instead of doing laundry (which is now more difficult because the dryer isn't working), I'm potting up Asters and Chamomile.

And instead of cleaning the bathroom, I'm tidying up all the pots, bags of soil, and trays of plants, (not to mention dropping a table on my toe) so my backyard doesn't look incredibly chaotic, just cluttered.

And all that adds up to another marathon session, and renewed back pain. I'm out of my mind.

But it'll all be over (at least for this year) after next Saturday, June 10, with our Fabulous Fundraising Flea Market. Come one, come all.

Pincushion

Did you know that if you spend 10+ hours in the garden without a break, you risk painful reminders of exactly where your iliocostalis, rhomboid & trapezius muscles are located?

The physiotherapist suggested that pacing myself would be a better strategy; the massage therapist offered the advice that a bit of stretching might have been helpful; and today, the doctor who was carefully poking me full of accupuncture needles just shook his head.

I hadn't tried accupuncture before today. It was a bit odd taking a cross-eyed look at the needle protruding from my face, but my favourite part was watching Dr. Frame untangle what looked like tiny jumper cables, which he then hooked up to the needles on my back. I must have left my lights on.

Hmm. I just realized there's no conclusion to this story.

P.S. I walked 6 km last Thursday & 15 km on Saturday, with no negative affect on my knees or leg muscles. Phew.

Feeling festive

CBC rocks. Rocks, rocks, rocks.

On Friday, I was listening as I worked, and CBC was talking about all the festivals, markets and fun events being held this long weekend. Then they said, "And the next four listeners to email..."

So I clicked over to my email...

"...on the coast at CBC.ca..."

I typed that in.

"...with 'Children's Festival' in the re: line..."

I take direction well, so did as instructed.

"...will win four tickets to the Children's Festival."

I hit send.

Ten minutes later, CBC called. Noah, Steve and I* rocked out the evening with Fred Penner, Robert Munsch, 'Sharon, keep ya hair on', 'Everybody's in the band' & Ranganiketan.

As if there weren't enough good reasons to listen to CBC.

*We tried to bring Shonna, but she was out running errands. Seems to me an obvious message from the cell phone gods.


P.S. Steve's putting Noah down for his nap right now, and I just went in to give him a "nap-nap" kiss. I was making silly sounds in Noah's ear and he seemed to be ignoring me. Then he turns to Steve and says, "Daddy, I think I hear a pig."

Garage sales and other adventures

Oh, oh, oh. What a good week it's been. Later this week, I'll update you on the other good stuff, but today it's 'stop the presses' for a garage sale bulletin.

On Saturday, all other priorities were set firmly aside so I could attend the Queens Park neighbourhood garage sale. This is the second year I've spent the morning wandering the lovely streets of New Westminster's nicest neighbourhood, browsing through some of the 90+ sales.

It's such a great community event, wandering around, chatting people up, buying lemonade and cookies from budding entrepreneurs and, of course, finding all sorts of great deals.

My sister-in-law, Tarra, and I towed Noah's wagon for a couple of hours, then Steve joined us and emptied the wagon's contents into the car. Steve made repeated excursions back to the car to store too-large items, thus reinforcing his princeliness.

And thanks to my brother, Bruce, bringing his lovely digital camera (and of course, his wife Tarra, my shopping companion) I have photographic evidence of most of my buys. Technical difficulties will prevent your seeing the round wrought-iron-framed mirror that will hang in my entry way, my forgetfulness the lovely flowering shrub, and the fact that I gave them away before I took photos, the chili-patterned mugs I got for Robin.

Here are a few of the more photogenic purchases.



Heart-shaped candy dish - 50 cents













Magician's jacket and velvet cape - $2
(Cute little boy not purchased at garage sale. Cost me two years of sanity and $55K/year, but recently appraised as well worth the price.)















Three videos and four CDs - $10














Soft, pink poncho for my niece - 50 cents

































Three stainless bowls, in which to display pre-chopped ingredients, ready to be added to recipes - 50 cents

Two chrome Umbra towel rails (desperately needed for my bathroom) - $8

Spending the day bargain hunting with two of my favourite people - priceless.