Ricky

When I first saw the facebook post, I thought it must be a mistake.  But no.  Ricky has died of COVID-19.  How is this possible?  It showed up on a friend's post, and I convinced myself for a second that it was another Ricky, but I can now see his photo.  After clicking a link I see Global News has an article.  

https://globalnews.ca/news/7485069/edmonton-man-coronavirus-death-social-media-covid/

I can't read this now.  I can't think about this now.  There's so much to do.  I'm not sure how to process this at all.  Later, later.

Time to Art!

Jaclyn's hit a prime birthday!  Where does the time go?  

To celebrate, waffles and pancakes and art!  

Breakfast for dinner?!  Peanut butter and blueberries?!  

Yes, James, birthdays are magical!  

After the delicious meal, people were ready to clean up and do some art.  Well, except for me and James.  My allergies were acting up, and he was ready to run.    

  

 

Catherine took us outside.  James did laps and I tried not to be too uncomfortable.  Ugh, pregnancy and seasonal allergies are not fun together. 

 

Back inside -- the dining table had been transformed into a group crafting / art area.  People were drawing, painting, sculpting... I was so impressed with the level of talent.  

Catherine managed to get James to sit still and draw / colour for a bit.  

But not for long!  

Happy birthday, Jaclyn.  Thanks again for inviting us to celebrate with you.  

(Get things) Moving Sale

"Whatever the counter-offer -- take it!"*

Dad and Mom didn't want me to host a garage sale -- they just wanted me to get rid of things / give it away.  But, sometimes you can't even give things away (e.g. perfectly good box spring and mattress).

Anyway, I also had Catherine, who's awesome and over the week prior cleaned and rearrange everything, and just made it work!  I was so grateful and impressed.  I think she could/should do it as a business ("Arrange and run your successful garage sale!").

The morning of, Paul and James pitched in too.  Paul placed out the signage (reused from the sale with Erica... which did make a few neighbours wonder if we were moving away).  James with um... rearranging things?  We kept him around long enough for him to get an offer on his guitar, which thankfully he didn't take.  But then with him at my parents, I was able to really get serious about getting things out of the house  (Oh, you're interested in X, I think I have some in the basement...) and posting some of our nicer items on kijiji as advertising.  

Catherine and Clint held the fort throughout.  Paul and I dipped in and out.  

It was less party and hangout atmosphere than last time.  But we did get to know Clint a bit better.  He's so good!  At first I thought he was just great at sales and selling, but then it became clear: he's just really nice and likes / is interested in people.  Someone would be looking at one of his antique chairs, and then all of sudden he was walking over to their car to look the person's self-published book on minor league hockey. 

Anyway, though I sold most items / volume (thanks Claudia, Chris, and Steph for visiting and buying things), Clint made the most money (quality over quantity).  

At the end of it, Catherine took a trunkful of stuff away to charity, and says she'll be back later in the week to take away more.  Thanks so much, Cath - you just might save me from my hoarding ways.  :P    

* What my Dad told me he left on my voice mail... which I never got.  So now someone else has a recording of my Dad yelling advice in Cantonese.
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Update: Unfortunately, someone decided to complain about my car being parked too close to the intersection (not parked in garage because of sale), and I got a ticket!  So money-wise, net zero.  Ugh.  

Great Crepes! Earth Day

Chris, who's this who got married in 2017?  And, who's the kid?  :P

So, we managed to honour the Earth in one way today: we took a walk outside!

But not before having a nice big breakfast brunch.

James and I were spoiled with freshly whipped up crepes (Chris, Claudia, and Steph slaving at the hobs).  Though truth be told - James and I were pretty happy with just eating all those delicious fillings.

(Below:
1. Crepe Pig
2. Cucumbers are hard
3. Chocolate sauce? Yes.)

Chris (still planning out hosting Sunday Brunches) got us to brainstorming about other food ideas.  Crepes were certainly scalable, but I'm partial to a pancake.  Both, seemed to be similar, but not quite as awesome as his favourite Sri Lankan street food: hoppers (a version here).  Though I suspect (like crepes) it's almost all down to the delicious fillings.

(Below: Stare down!)

Eating in Sri Lanka takes us into stories about being the only white person in the whole room.  I've not experienced it.  I half wonder if it's the other side of the coin of how I felt when I was in Hong Kong...

(Right: See it's a chair and a drum!)

Chris had laughed at me when I bundled James (and myself) up for the walk in "the woods".  But see there (below): icebergs!  Vindicated!

 (Below: BASH, BASH!)

(Above Left: Nothing happier than a boy with a stick.  / Above Right: Anyone home?) 

(Below: Our beautiful hosts)

And since we were in the neighbourhood, we drop in on Celina and Theresa.  They were studying and cleaning up, and definitely up for a giggle break.

(Above: The sleepy Shaolin monk that I think looks a lot like *someone*)

I drop off James for his nap and head home for my own cleaning session.

Life can be really nice.

Dionne's Herb Garden

James and I went to the garden club meeting.  I was a little worried since there were so many mosquitoes about, but James was good, settling down under the mosquito netting, and I used Dionne's herbal mosquito repellent.  Onward for the tour! 


Amongst the towers of sunflowers (they help take the metals out of the soil) there was milk thistle, Campanula (can cut down and it just spreads and spreads), Skullcap, and California poppies. 

Members (Erica) seemed most interested in the ones that had calming and sleeping benefits.

Once dark, we headed inside for the meeting and enjoyed lilac cordial with pretty floating ice cubes of calendula and violas (all homemade from flowers in her garden).


We talked about:

- Building bee hotels in the future
- the plant exchanges happening on the weekend

- The Open Farm Days at Northlands - Margaret continues to recommend the tours.  Hopefully it'll still be around next year for others in the club to partake.

Drama-Free Friendship Manifesto

Recently read Renegademamma's post "THE NO-BULLSHIT, NO-DRAMA FRIENDSHIP MANIFESTO" (from apocalypse mamma?) -- I laughed and became even more thankful for the drama-free friendships I've been blessed with in my adult life.

But things change, and these are trying times, I've become one of the worst flakes ever and I know that's frustrating... but I also have faith my friends and I (whether mothers or not) will be there for each other when it matters.  

So, I'm lifting this straight off from Renegademamma's "THE NO-BULLSHIT, NO-DRAMA FRIENDSHIP MANIFESTO to make my Drama-Free Friendship Manifesto (an understanding that makes friendship easier).  

P.S. I love you!  And I'm not calling you a flake (or a mother)!

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My Drama-Free Friendship Manifesto is basically The No-Bullshit, No-Drama Friendship Manifesto with #23 struck out (I don't hate them and I can't guarantee I won't give parenting advice, though I'll try), #12 gender neutralised, "child" and "children" removed when not applicable, and again, not calling you a flake or a mother!  Thanks again, Renegademamma for writing this: 

1. I will not get on your case for not texting me back in a timely manner.
2. I will not get on your case for not calling me back in a timely manner.
3. This is because I will soon be the one not calling and texting you back in a timely manner.
4. If you tell me you’re going to call me back “in a few minutes” I understand I may not hear from you for 3 days.
5. I know this is not because you don’t love me.
6. If I need you for real, I will harangue and harass you until you acknowledge me. This process includes, but is not limited to: calling, texting and emailing (repeatedly), instant messaging, tweeting, tagging on Instagram, showing up on doorsteps, actually leaving voicemails (!) and/or contacting spouses.
7. This will not annoy you because you know you’re a fucking flake.
8. This will not annoy me because I know I’m a fucking flake.
9. If you don’t RSVP to my kid’s birthday party for 3 weeks then call the morning of the event and say “Uh, yeah, um, sorry, but can we come?” I’m not going to express profound irritation through a suppressed sigh and deep pause, rather I’m gonna be like “Yeah that’s cool, but do you have any candles? I forgot the effing candles.”
10. And I’m going to be happy you came, because we’re friends.
11. When my kids are acting like shitheads and you’re like “Hey child, No.” I won’t get all righteously indignant. Instead I’ll look at you in gratefulness for dealing with the little bastards so I don’t have to.
12. When you get pissed at your husband, I will agree he is the most sorry d-bag to ever walk the planet and we shall plan for the day when we live on an all-female commune with organic produce, llamas and wool spinning-wheels. And redwood trees. And the ocean.
13. Even if you’re clearly the asshole.
14. When you swear in front of my kids I won’t care. Because obviously.
15. The dinners you make uniformly blow my mind.
16. Whoever has the youngest (or worst behaving child) at the moment gets to make decisions. We all understand that children are often foul, insane little creatures and it needn’t even be mentioned that we DON’T BLAME YOU.
17. Maybe your house is clean. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe who gives a rat’s ass?
18. When I say something stupid that could be conveyed as insulting or whatever, you’re not going to get all overly sensitive and weird, calling mutual friends and psycho-analyzing what, exactly, my problem is (probably going back to childhood), rather you’re going to call me out on it and then I’m going to apologize and we’re going to move on, LIKE ADULTS, because occasionally adults say stupid shit, the end.
19. When you say something stupid, I’ll either do number 18 or, and I know this is revolutionary, I’LL LET IT GO.
20. We tell each other the truth (except the asshole part when fighting with domestic life partners).
21. When my jeans are sagging, you’re going to lovingly take me shopping. Or you’re going to not notice. These are the only two options.
22. The only time I’m going to one-up you is to prove I’ve screwed up worse than the time you’re currently feeling terribly about.
23. I will not give helpful parenting advice. You will not give helpful parenting advice. WE ALL HATE THE MOM WITH HELPFUL PARENTING ADVICE.
24. I understand that “on time” means “not as late as I usually am.”
25. When our conversation gets interrupted nineteen hundred and forty seven times by one kid or another and that thing I was going to say that was so funny and interesting is forgotten entirely, I won’t get hurt feelings.
26. When I borrow a baby item, don’t return it, then, 2 years later, when you ask for it back and I’m like “Yeah I don’t think we have that anymore,” you’re like “oh okay” but then, 4 months later, when I find it in a bin in my garage, you’re like “It’s cool.”
27. Because we’re both fucking flakes, except when it matters.

And we’ll know when it matters, because WE ARE FRIENDS.

Tour and Tea

Margaret's Garden Club tea meeting started off with a garden tour.  Well, actually, it started with some members fawning over James (and Paul :P). 

It wasn't too cold or too hot and the rain didn't come. 

James seemed content enough sitting in the car seat stroller with the occasional friendly face poking in (mostly Audrey -- she's a well experienced auntie). 

I could focus then on Margaret's garden.  This time (a month earlier than last year), the kale was a little less monstrous and a different set of flowers were in bloom. 

(Left: James dressed in gifts from the Garden Club ladies.)


Happy bees buzzed around.  We checked out some native beauties (milkweed, blanket flower) in the far far back -- no space is wasted, flowers and plants right into the alley!

We retired to the front yard for tea and discussed upcoming events: The tour of Wilf Maul's acreage is on!  Also of interest is Alberta Open Farm Days at Northlands on Aug.21st.  There will be farm tours, demonstrations of honey harvesting, and talks on beekeeping, keeping chickens, and backyard farming.

During the actual meeting part, James fell asleep.  The mosquito cover from Jasmine did a great job for him... I had to rely on Erica watching my back.