Celebration Fridays - It's All About the People

My Father-in-Law turns 80 next week.  We'll be heading down to Windsor for the big party on Sunday. 

When I told my boss I needed the day off and why, he reacted as though this would be a mere duty visit.  I explained that, no indeed, I really love my Dad-in-law and I'm so, so happy we'll be celebrating together.  With a whole bunch of other people that I'll be really happy to see.

Sartre said "Hell is other people."  Of course, he also thought he was being chased through the streets of Paris by giant lobsters, so how much credibility can you give him?

In my world, it's the other people (along with the occasional dog or cat and their ilk), that make life worth living.  Nothing else matters.

So who will you be celebrating this weekend?

Celebration Fridays - The Last Twelve Drops

The leaves are dropping here in Southern Ontario.  And we've had some cold, wet days.  Summer is definitely on the wane.

So I take it as a moral imperative to spend every sunny afternoon that comes our way at this time of year out on a patio somewhere, snacking and drinking wine.  The fact that winter's coming demands nothing less.

Alan and I did just that last Sunday evening.  Our work week was over, the late afternoon sun was warm and Foster's still had tables outside.  Perfect.  A warm memory for the cold months to come.

The last twelve drops, you ask?  My dad-in-law's friend Mary told us about a study that reported that on average, the "empty" wine bottle has twelve drops remaining.  It's as though the person who opened it has decided that "nearly empty" is the same as "empty", given up and moved on.

But it's not.  Just like "summer's nearly over" is not the same as "summer's over".  The difference may be small.  The difference may only be a few hours, or a few drops or a few last precious anything.

Celebrated properly, those few remaining whatever's can make some wonderful memories.

So this weekend, I will be celebrating the last twelve drops.  You?

Celebrating Possibility

It's Celebration Friday time again.  And this week, I'm celebrating possibility - in all its many guises.

We started work over at our new apartment on Tuesday.  I can't bear to post the pictures again.  You can see the story here.

But as we dig out and clean up and start in with a fresh coat of paint, I find myself dreaming of the possibilities of this apartment we were never going to move into.

And as we make the transition from our life as small-business owners to.... well, whatever it is our life will make the transition to, I am again taken with the notion of possibility.

It's what gets us out of bed in the morning, what entices us to take that next step, whether it's big or small.  I think it's what coaxes people to become parents.  And parents of one child to become parents of two.  Or eight (hi, Kim!).  All that potential.  All those possibilities.

And I know, maybe better than some, that not all possibilities fulfill their promise.  That some dreams can go completely and utterly wrong.

But here I am, dreaming again....

How about you?  What will you be celebrating this weekend?

 

Celebration Fridays - The No-Excuses Dinner Party

We are living in temporary digs right now without benefit of a dining room. 

Gasp!  Horror! 

We could use that as an excuse not to do any entertaining for the short time we're here, but my Scottish boyfriend is in town (no, it's OK, Alan's totally cool with it).

So the other night, we pulled out all the stops and hosted a sit-down dinner for seven.

At the kitchen table.  Which is in the kitchen.  Where all the cooking happens.  Four lovely courses.

Here's how it looked before our guests arrived.  I didn't crop the picture at all because I want to show you exactly what we're working with.

We turned the lights down low, lit a bunch of candles and settled in to have a good time.

Here's the first course.

After that, as happens when you sit down with a tableful of seniors, the drinking got completely out of hand and I forgot to take any more pictures. 

We ate and drank and told scandalous stories and no one seemed to mind that we were sitting in the kitchen of a very temporary rental and not someplace permanent and perfect.

And that, really, is the whole point of this story.  Live, people!  Set up your dinner parties on your scratched and dented kitchen table.  Serve your food off of mismatched china.  Buy the cheap wine if you can't afford better.  But for heaven's sake, don't miss the opportunity to spend time enjoying food and conversation with the people you love. 

End of sermon.

You say you want to know more about my Scottish boyfriend?  He's 98 years old and knows a thing or two about living every moment to its full potential. 

He's also married....

Celebration Fridays - Nature's Bounty

I have been wanting to see where the wonderful food in our CSA basket comes from for awhile now. 

Douglass St. Christian said he'd be happy to take me along sometime when he and his friend, Maxine were picking it up.  We made our arrangements and yesterday was the day.

And what a perfect day for a visit to the farm it was!  Bright and sunny.  Warm but with a slight breeze that warned, "This won't last.  Best enjoy it while you can!"

We arrived, in a convoy of two cars, at James and Elvina's farm, near Millbank, around noon.  I was able to take a few pictures of the garden.

I get a little dizzy just thinking of all the work that goes into this!

Then it was time to load the baskets into the cars - half into Douglass's and half into Maxine's.  (As the number of subscribers increased, Douglass wondered if he should invest in a van for transporting the baskets, but decided that if he and Maxine both had hatch-backs, they could get the job done with far less environmental impact than a great big van.  I like that they thought it through.)

As we were loading up the cars, Elvina came out to see us.  I was introduced and we had a bit of a chat.  She knows the names of all of her subscribers and asked how Alan's baking plans were coming along.

We talked a bit about the garden and how much she enjoys working in it, even though it's pretty hectic this time of year.  She told me that she spends all day Wednesday picking, cleaning and sorting the produce, packing it into the baskets (26 yesterday) and storing them in the cold box.  Amazing.

With the visit over, it was time to head home.  Stopping, of course, along the way at country markets, a bakery, a local farm.  We said hello to a few of the locals.

And just enjoyed the day.

Once home, the baskets were unloaded from the cars and put on the porch, ready for pick-up.  Then the three of us sat down for a cup of tea and a chat.  Maxine told me that, since she started doing this, she hasn't had to buy any food in supermarkets.  She has the CSA basket in the summer, the Farmer's Market in the winter, as well as some local farmers that she knows.

Simon Shek

It's just so much better than this....

 

Celebration Fridays - Limits, Anyone?

Every time we move (fourteen times in twenty-five years, so far), I decide not to allow any more stuff into our lives.  I mean, look at that garage....

It's loud threats and pipe dreams, mostly, but I usually manage to cut one category out of our buying repertoire with each move.

So far, we've agreed never to buy jewelry, CD's, or DVD's.  This move, I gave up buying magazines.  They're just such a pain in the neck to deal with once you're done reading them.

Does this mean we've given up music, movies or information?  Nope.  We rent, go online or to the library.  And that's where the limits come in. 

The selection  of movies from our local library is eclectic, to say the least.  We have seen things that no one has ever heard of.  And we never really know, when we bring it home, if it's going to charm us or put us to sleep.  So far, the charmers far exceed the snores.

And while it might be easier, in the short term, to just order a movie we really want to see, it's actually more fun to wait and see if it will turn up at the library.  It just seems like more of a game that way.

And when I'm really tempted, I just think of the next Moving Day and how it might just be a little easier without all those extras to pack.

Of course, it's not just Moving Day that motivates me.  It's also the fact that these limits free up time and space and money for the things that really matter to me, like going out for dinner with good friends, as we'll be doing this evening.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  I hope you find something cool to celebrate!

 

Celebration Fridays - Pay it Forward

Awhile ago, I decided to participate in Pay It Forward on Heloise Bottomley's beautiful blog, My Imperfect Garden.  The deal was that the first three people to leave a comment would receive a handmade gift, sometime in the next year.  And once it arrived, they would have to pay it forward to three commenters on their blog.  And so on....

In the midst of moving and settling in and changing jobs, I stopped in at the post office and found this.

Is there anything better than a gift in the mail when you're all stressed out?

It was beautifully wrapped (I may need to rethink my "chuck it in a gift bag and present it with a smile" policy...)

And inside....

And now I'm dreaming of my own Imperfect Garden at the new house next summer.

Thank you so much, Heloise!

And now it's time to pay it forward.  The first three people to leave a comment will receive a gift from me..... sometime in the next year.

And if you don't normally participate in blog games, believe me when I tell you, this one? Is totally fun!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  I hope you find much to celebrate!

Celebration Fridays - The Unexpected Bonus

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       eyeliam

I was back at the dairy this week.  And, while it's not beating me up as much as it did the first time around, I was still delighted when the owner announced at 11:00 this morning that we were all caught up on the week and could go home early.

The unexpected bonus.  It's the penny on the sidewalk.  The cheque you didn't know was coming in the mail.  The card from a friend, just because.  Drinks on the house.

It can make your day, or start your weekend early.

Have a great weekend, everyone, and may all your surprises be pleasant!

 

Celebration Fridays - Change is the New Same

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                             Brent and MariLynn

After nearly four months on the market (an eternity by our standards), we have sold our building.  The deal closes on August 15.  And once again, our lives are in complete upheaval. 

We don't know where we'll be living, at least in the near future.  We don't know where Alan will be baking (the search starts almost immediately).  We don't really know what we'll be doing, in fact.

If it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm so not.  I'm excited!  There are so many possibilities right now.  And I love that feeling.  Some might say that I'm addicted to it.

But Alan is the same way, and since we don't have the responsibility of children, we are free to indulge our whims.

There is fresh air blowing through our lives today.  And it feels wonderful.

What are you celebrating this weekend?  I hope it has you fizzing with excitement!

Celebration Fridays - Let's Get Stuck

You make your plans.  You take steps to implement them.  When it all comes together, it's going to be great!  And then...

From BOMBMAN's Flickrstream

 

...NOTHING!  You just can't move forward.  You are well and truly stuck. 

We've all been there.  Some of us (ahem) are there right now.  It's annoying.  Frustrating beyond belief.  But you can only scream and throw things for so long (trust me). 

And then you just have to relax.  Let go of the plan and come up for air.  Look around, right where you are, in that tight little stuck place that you don't want to be, and enjoy the scenery. 

That's what I'll be doing this weekend.  Looking around me and enjoying the scenery, while I wait for the sheep to GET THE HELL OFF THE ROAD!!!!!!!!!

Hmmm... not quite there yet.  Perhaps a glass of wine would help.

How about you?

 

Celebrating The Road Taken

We went to a party on Monday to celebrate, among other things, a dear friend's decision to move to Canada fifty years ago.

And all I can say is, Whew!  I'm so glad she did!  Life would be considerably duller without Judith.

Which makes me think of all the choices, the little, unmarked decisions that have brought all the people I love into my life.  The decisions that allowed my life to be in the first place...

We sigh and moan a lot about The Road Not Taken.  The things we should have done, but didn't, the adventures we could have had, but missed.

This weekend, I feel like celebrating Life As It Is, with all the wonderful family and friends who have dropped into it, some so very accidentally.

How 'bout you?  What do you feel like toasting this week?

Celebration Fridays

from Atmantis' Flickrstream

I went to the theatre last week, to see The Music Man.

Normally, I avoid musical theatre.  I feel about it the way some people feel about clowns - it scares me half to death.  I can't help thinking, "What if real life were like this?"  You'd be afraid to start a conversation!

But a free ticket is a free ticket.  So I went.  And enjoyed it far more than I thought I would.  Having read the notes in the programme before it started, I paid extra attention to the music.  And found it clever.

The acting is wonderful and I really liked the sets - especially the little town on wheels that the characters move around themselves.

But this is Celebration Friday, and before I get too distracted by theatre reviews (though go see it, if you can), I'll tell you a little story.

Sitting next to me that night was an older couple.  He shook.  I'm thinking he had Parkinson's.  And he'd had a tracheotomy.  Obviously, life has been difficult for them lately.  But they were out.  At a musical.  And every time the music started, he'd tap his hand in time.  Which I thought was cool.

And then came the big love song.  And in the darkened theatre, I saw her reach over and take his hand...

So this Friday, I'm celebrating love.  And its power to endure.  And the way that endurance can make me want to cry, just a little.

How 'bout you?  What will you be celebrating?

 

Celebration Fridays

This weekend we will be celebrating the fact that, after a whole lot of work and stress, we were able to secure a mortgage. On the place we've been living in. That we're trying to sell.

And another week of unemployment for Barb.

We'll also mark the passing of my sister's dog, Hershey. He was a good little doggie and I miss him.

And finally, we'll be celebrating the fact that Fluffy, my computer, after three years of grudging service, has decided to take a break from all of that. Which is why I can't even post a picture of Hershey.

Have a good one, people. Celebrate whatever you can!

Celebration Friday

 

I had such a warm response to this post that I thought it might be nice to share the inevitabilities we're celebrating this week.

There are some glimmers of progress on various projects here.

We're also having our first official heatwave of the year.  And since I had my hot-weather haircut in anticipation of working at the dairy, for the first time in years I can face the prospect of an entire summer without a single case of Bozo Head.  Definitely worth toasting!

But then, summer makes me shallow.

How about you?  What will you be celebrating this weekend?

Celebrate the Inevitable

From Pasotraspaso's Flickrstream

We are in a state of flux here.

I've been to the states of Michigan, Ohio, Missouri and Texas and they're all fine states to be in.  Though, just a word of advice to Texas?  You could stand to lower the humidity a little, especially down Houston way.  Nobody likes to go through life looking like Bozo the Clown, is all I'm saying.

Where was I?  Oh, yeah, fine, fine states.  But not so much the state of flux.

In the past little while, our house hasn't sold, though we want it to.  Alan got a job, which is taking a bit of getting used to and I tried to get a job, but got a rejection letter, instead.  Could lead to moodiness.

But!  There are choices that can be made here.

You can bow down under the inevitable glitches and on-going wear and tear that life throws your way, or you can decide to CELEBRATE.  And that's what I choose to do.

From kk+'s Flickrstream

As a society, we celebrate the big things, usually.  The weddings, the milestone anniversaries, the birthdays.  But there's so much more!

Found your first wrinkle?  Head out for a night of dancing.

Didn't get that promotion?  You, my friend, deserve a big steak dinner with your biggest fans and supporters.

It's February?  Why do you think South was invented?

See what I mean?  Celebrate the inevitable!  It makes life way more fun.

And not just the big inevitables, either.  Every Monday morning, we get together for breakfast with friends (though lately, "we" has been more "I" since Alan has a job, poor man).  The occasion you ask?  Monday!  Breakfast! Friends!

Tuesdays we celebrate Fiona!  and Dinner!

Last night we went out for sushi.  Why?  The house hasn't sold!  Barb didn't get that job she wanted!  Time is grinding on!

We had a great time.  We feel much better.

So how about you?  What inevitabilities do you need to celebrate this week?