A Walk Down (My Imagination) Memory Lane

A Sunday drive to Okotoks yielded not only a deeper longing to live there and have a barn with horses and a sprawling house where my family could come and stay with me all at once but I found this amazing truck and had to stop to take pictures. It was 30,000 miles on it, it’s a 1948 and has sat in a barn in Sask for 30 years. Its $1800. About $30,000 to restore but its practically rust-free. I can get you the phone number if you want to buy it ....

I couldn’t help but let my mind wander and imagine the stories the truck could tell me. I wonder how many good crops it saw, how many stressful days and drives through the field with the owner wondering how he was going to make it.


I wonder if there were more happy times than sad times, more fruitful times than not and I wonder how many kids learned to drive in it; how many took it for joy rides through the pastures, or if it was the main transportation on any first dates to drive ins or A&W’s? I wonder if a new bride and groom drove away to start their life together in this then beautiful, shiny truck?

I wonder how much it cost to purchase and how hard the owner had to work to acquire it ...

I love old things and love to hear the stories surrounding them.

The Tower - In Various Forms of my Boredom

No internet at my place has several draw-backs, one of which I will showcase below.

I get bored. Very bored.


And tool around with my fake Photoshop.

(this is the view of the Calgary Tower from the Streetlight trailer), in normal, non-altered view.



This is the tower if there were actually high-rises and the Tower itself in 1898.



This is the Tower if you lived in Blues Mills and peeked through the blinds (if you had blinds)everytime a car drove by your house.

This is the Tower if you thought the Fresh Breath strip you used was actually acid.

This is the Tower if Calgary ever flooded, which isn`t took far off the target after this non-summer.

This is the Tower if there was some freak accident of nature and the sun was high in the sky at dusk ...

Dontcha feel smarter just reading this post (my question mark doesn`t work, weird, i know! so just say the word post in a slighter higher pitched voice to simulate a question mark)

Later faithful readers

LeeLeeM

Putting Faces to Faces

Don`t worry - I got permission from these kids - so don`t be thinking I`m exploitn` and stuff.
And ìf I sound preachy, thats not where my heart is, but I think its important sometimes to bring awareness to such things as homeless children. I`m not talking about the following kids in particular, though they may look like your typical little mouthy street kid who heckles you when they walk by - they ALL have their horrendous stories. Stories that make you gasp, make you tear up, give you goose bumps and fill you with understanding at their sometimes, lets say, less than desirable behaviour.

Theres one girl that comes to the truck each week and she is pregnant for the third time, other oldest two are in foster care and last week, her mother showed up with her. What the heck ... So she has little to no chance of making it in life given her start. And her `middle`is that to be initiated into this co-ed gang she was part of, she had to be gang-raped by 14 guys. I can`t even begin to begin imagining what that child must feel everyday.

I`d seen this kid (in the wacky jacket) earlier in the day in Kensington just wandering around in the middle of the day.

Do you know that some of them are so abused that its easier to live on the streets and get gang-raped and beat up, and live a life of theft and prostitution because its easier than being at home.

Pez. I don`t know her real name. Or her real eye color. Red contacts. Freakiest thing I`d ever seen.

Volunteer Dan. Source of entertainment, strong arm in controlling the kids, biker, leather jacket wearing bad-ass big hearted guy.

Dinner. Cooked entirely by me. Poor kids.

Eating area of the trailer

Sitting area upstairs (with leopard print cushions - Marias touches are everywhere here)

Lianne and Ryan preparing for the onslaught of kids.

Volunteer Sean. A good Nova Scotia boy. Such a gentle soul.

I just wanted to put a face to a face - so when you see a ratty dressed, dirty kid wandering the streets, just smile and be kind and know their story is far worse than yours.

Peace

QUOTABLES

Cool Quotes I`d like to share from the book The Alchemist: (great read)

One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving

In reference to being in pursuit of your dreams: Every second of the search is a second`s encounter with God and with Eternity.

Be careful what you say – Life might be listening.

Back Up North (Kinda) For the Weekend

I went to Edmonton again, this time in my truck. I wanted to open it up so bad, really didn`t want to encounter them there coppers. And they were everywhere. Though the two lane highway in the middle of the day (I got to leave at 1pm, remember?) was so busy and slow, I went about 100 the entire way. Sorta bummed.

I stayed at my friend Carol`s place (remember, we worked at the Dept of Health together, and left together) both nights. I went up to take a course given by the Alberta Carpenters Union, I am calling it Plan B, because job security is apparently a thing of the past, I`m going to keep my options open and get as much as possible done in case of another lay-off. I am scarred and literally terrified of being laid off again – its an unpleasant trend in my life.

But I`m a spaz and got lost (shocking, I know) and was an hour late for the course. So I finally show up and enter a room full of men.

No females. All testosterone.

Natch. Story of my life.

And my spot had been taken so I couldn`t attend. I was pretty mad, but whatever, I made the best of it. I went back to Carols and fell asleep. Haha.

And got to spend the evening with the Flynn grandkids – Hayley and Faith – and took them to McDonalds where they spent most of their time in the playroom. They are so flippin`cute, I had a super time with them.

(sweet little Faith)

(Haley Hope)

Sunday was spent with the Edmonton Mathesons – Gerry, Betty and Merilee. And after a rainy drive, I was happy to be home safe and sound.

Some Much Needed Mom Time

I made a quick trip to Edmonton to see Mom – less than 24 hours quick. She was on a shopping excursion and failed to let her middle kid know that she was a mere 3 hours away. So I jumped in the Wave and headed North. (whether or not she wanted ... heehee)

She`s so cute- she had a welcome gift for me – an Elizabeth Arden handbag filled with Bath and Body Works stuff and a really pretty body lotion from EA. We had a blast, good alone time. Went to church with her on Sunday. That was weird, it`d been a long time since I`d been to one of her church services. But amazingly enough, I knew a bunch of people there. Well, one of them didn`t remember me (downside to being old) He is a kid bro to friends of mine from my teenage years in church. And my old landlord and his wife from Vancouver were there visiting – the famous Stanley Wells and his sweet little wifey Vera. Neither have changed. HAHA Vera told me that she found a poem I`d written her when I moved back home. I turned scarlet when she told me in front of a group of people. Oh man,,, I`m still laughing in horror at what I possibly could`ve written in the wisdom of my 20 years on this earth. She loves it though and kept it all these years (15 –eeks). And another couple who were part of my church friends in Vancouver lives there now. Super weird to see them.

(Vera and I - I totally didn`t crop or edit these pics. sorry)

OH! I saw Sharon Blackie and got the coveted ``Darlin`, you `re bee-ooutiful`. Yup – waited for it like a little puppy expecting a treat. And inwardly said``Yesssssss, while bringing my preverbal arm in a `before Jersey Shore` fist pump. My female Cape Breton readers know how I feel.

(mom and sharon)

Upcoming Events

I have a secret to share with you in a few weeks … I`m so excited and have been waiting for over a year for it . Circumstances last year led me to cancelling it altogether. I`ll keep you posted.

Ode to an Old Friend

Dear “ The Wave”,

Its time to say goodbye and its with ambivalent feelings that I do so. I am forever grateful to you in so many ways and in so many situations. I am grateful first of all to your registered owners, my parents, who so generously relinquished you to my care in March of 09 when I decided to move from the slower pace you were used to with mom at your controls, to the busyness and craziness of Calgary where you were a necessary component; where relying on ‘two feet and a heartbeat’ or the loser cruiser would prove to be difficult , annoying, and not conducive to a happy social life.

We’ve travelled Canada’s most dangerous highway together twice, well, really , four times. And in those two trips to Calgary and back, we cheated death on several occasions through white out conditions, congested traffic travelling at bat-out-of-hell speeds, and while 18 wheelers loaded with anything from vehicles to logs would whizz by us, no doubt not even realizing that we were there: let alone that your driver was hanging on with both white knucked, tightly gripped hands, sweating and simultaneously chanting “I’m going to die, I’m going to die” and frantically praying to God that we’d survive this round, no doubt making random and ridiculous promises if prayers were answered.

You didn’t even mind when I loaded you up with rubbermaid bins and stuffed you full of my life, or what was left of my worldly possessions and drove the 10 hours to Calgary to start my next chapter.

We bombed around Calgary, many times wondering where the heck I was and I wonder how many kilometers were tacked on, lost and driving around in circles (or more accurately, squares) trying to navigate the maze of one way streets in downtown Cowtown.

We were like Bonnie and Clyde, (minus the crime part)
Sonny and Cher,
Peanut Butter and Jelly.

You get the picture, I really liked you.

I must admit though, (now that you’re gone and will never read this blog post) that I wasn’t entirely always satisfied that you weren’t a bigger, flashier, more socially acceptable car, nor was I always proud to be your driver. I thought that sometimes I was too cool for you; but in reality, I wasn’t. And the very fact that I thought I was made me the opposite. You were practical and cute, small and efficient and I could parallel park you any-where!

You got me safely to and from many places; you got me through two Alberta winters, one of which we soldiered through the untamed streets of the NE, where they don’t plow in hopes of Chinooks coming through and melting the enormous snowbanks and ruts that accrue.

Remember that time the Chinooks weren’t “like they used to be” and they didn’t melt the snow? And you had to pretend you were a snowmobile. Yeah, that was awesome, wasn’t it?

And remember when the snow didn’t melt until May, and then we had two more snowstorms? Yeah, that really kicked some serious mood-altering butt too.

But I kept winter tires on you and we made a great team and Dad’s skid control training (since I was 7) came in handy and I relearned how to winter drive like I was going up the Mountain Road in Blues Mills.

So with this I bid Adieu, with fondness and nostalgia – you were with me during a very important time in my life . You’ve heard me sing a lot and loud (and terrible) (eeks sorry !), You’ve heard me cry both happy tears and sad tears, and empty tears and lonesome tears and never told anyone what I mess I was. You were there on Hwy 63 when I decided that my life as it was , wasn’t working out for me, and I committed whole heartedly to return to God and whatever that step entailed. You were used for the greater good when you drove Mustard Seed people to church and delivered me and random others clothing donations to the Seed. You were my freedom and couldn’t have done this part of my journey without you and I’m glad it was you along for the ride … Just ask the photo radar guys, they know more than anyone just how along for the ride you were.

I’m going to miss you and your mild inability to make it to 6o going uphill in an acceptable timeframe, but you’re so cute that if you had cheeks, I’d seriously squeeze them.

I hope you find a nice, new home with nice people who will appreciate you as much as I do.

Good Luck and Peace out Homie!

Out With the Old, In With the New

Sorry - pix are first - can`t figure Blogger out sometimes!
Above is Marshall, my salesguy. He was World`s strongest man 4 years in a row. At his peak, his neck was the size of my waist!
.... if my waist was 24 inches, that is ....


There she is ... I love her. Why are vehicles girls

My friend Natalie came along for the ``delivery``

Its mine ... all mine ... wait - and TD Bank`s. (forgot that little detail)

Yup – I done gone and got myself a Ford Truck. Now, where’d I put my piece of straw and Toby Keith CD?

Well, its an SUV, but I call it a truck. Sounds cooler (and it’s a truck chassis (I think so anyway))
The lease on my sweet little rickety Wave was up and it was time to move on to bigger and safer pastures. I got my job on Thursday, bought a car ruck on Saturday. No room to breathe financially, but I’ve done the math (I can hear my siblings laughing from here: me and math in the same sentence is a laugh out loud moment) and I can do this!

I bought a Ford Escape. She’s beautiful and I named her a name I can’t tell you because it started out as a joke and stuck …

Here’s how it all went down: I walked into the Ford dealership on a Friday afternoon after work like I owned the place. I had my most expensive jeans on. Rolled up with flipflops just to show them that I was a classy chick, but casual and confident enough to be chilled out. BAHAHA if they only knew how broke and clueless I was /am! With my big ass sunglasses, I looked like a woman you just wouldn’t mess with. Then of course, I unarmed them with my charm and sunny disposition … (again, cue the BAHAHA)

Marshall was the salesman up next and the poor soul, his Friday afternoon came to a crashing halt. I asked tonnes of questions, called Dad twice to ask his opinion, looked at a few options in the used lot then on to the new stuff.

I’m not going to bore you with the mundane (warning: oxymoron in progress)

But I went shopping more on Saturday morning to Kia, test drove a Forte and for some reason I didn’t want it. Even though it was 0% financing, same with the Nissan Versa I drove. I didn`t want a car. I wanted an SUV. I have for years. Not only an SUV, but a Ford Escape.
So I went back to Ford on Saturday afternoon and told them what Nissan and Kia were offering me and told them “sell me this Escape,( but on my terms my silence said).

AND I GOT IT!. Don’t know where the kahunas came from all of a sudden, but I totally wheeled and dealed on my own. Poor Dad, had to field my panicky phone calls and rabid questioning and second guessing.

My truck is very plain jane, but I got a good, safe, new (under warranty) high off the ground vehicle with the basics that I need. I`m super happy with it. Payments are completely manageable, insurance is super cheap, (upside of being old) and fuel economy is ridiculously spectacular. I almost get better mileage with this than the Wave.

I returned the car without hassle, said goodbye to it, cute little thing it is. But I`m way cuter in my Escape. Isn`t that what matters?

Just Sayin`

Good News at Last

Long time no blog and not due to lack of action! Its been a month (ish) since my last entry and instead of my usual long-winded posts consisting of a expansive span of time, I will break it up into individual pieces. Hopefully this will keep the rambling to a minimum.

I tend to personify the expression “She could talk a cat off a fish truck”.

So moving into the first adventure after Ash and Dave’s (most amazing wedding party ever) wedding:

I won’t give all the details because they are too well , detailed , and at this point in time, moot. But I was offered full time hours at my company.

I was over the moon.

It’d been a really tough week racked with indecision, anxiety and full on fear for my future. I am on probation for a month, meaning, Ì`m still with the temp agency. That month is up riiiight about now and as far as I can tell, they’re going to keep me.

Many prayers are being answered, thanks to those who kept me in their thoughts.

And I am absolutely loving it there. It certainly isn’t what I want to be doing, but it’s truly the most amazing place I’ve ever worked in my life.

Don’t get me started, I won’t stop.

Ask me sometime if you’re interested in how amazing my workplace is. I’ll tell you this part now: The office shuts down at 1 on Fridays, phones go to the answering machine and we’re free to go home … or hang around and have a bbq, or play pool, or foozball, or darts, or Wii …. Yup. It pretty much rocks my socks!!