First Stop on the Author Trail

The audience shifted in their seats. Excitement crackled round the room and filled the air with expectation. Gentle murmurs were heard in anticipation of the stories to come. A throat was cleared. A chair scraped.

Then silence...

This was it. It was my first stop on the author tour.

"Allow me to introduce...
        Rylie's Mom!"

*~~~*

Isn't this how all famous authors get their start? They get ten minutes of fame on the kindergarten circuit before fading into oblivion once again. Well if this was it for me, I went out with a blaze of glory that included take home gifts of personalized fan mail in the form of cheetah pictures by all my baby's classmates. Plus,  they hung on every word of my African tales, with eyes like saucers on the gory details.

And darn it all, it felt good! 

Heck, I even managed that riveting account in 55 words (in case you didn't notice), so go tell G-Man & see what he has to say! Any bets it will be something about a Kick-Ass weekend? ☺

CT2T6KNGN4JC

Friday the 13th

With a siren in the not too far distance, the school bell rang. I thought nothing of it, although the bell seemed to be early. A quick look at my watch confirmed this, but the children were gone by the time I looked up. All of them. With doors swinging shut behind them. Firmly. Only tracks remained in the fresh snow to urge me to get on with the day before it got too sloppy to drive in.

An hour later and I was glued to the radio. I desperately scanned the local twitter feed for news.

"Code Yellow - School is on holding pattern"

     ~LOCKDOWN~

and my babies inside

my life! my God.

"40-something year old male, possibly armed, over a dozen police vehicles surrounding the scene. Refusing to communicate."

This scene so close to my babies' school that they are locked in for safety. But what safety did I have from the panic that threatened to overwhelm? Tears, friends and prayer. For several excruciating hours. Walking round, and round, and round again, wearing grooves in the floor. Leaving a trail of fear behind me, only to stumble upon it on my next tour around the kitchen.

"Have a tea for your nerves."

"Breathe"

Distractions that didn't work, because I didn't want them to. All I wanted was for it to end. And end now.

And it did. Safely and without harm to anyone, aside from 600 some-odd parent's nerves, plus teachers and their loved ones. Ten hours worth of stand-off. This on Friday the 13th. This after 5 bank robberies in a single day this week, a Hell's Angel biker shot (and 3 others injured), plus several rub 'n tugs torched. This after a full moon that has obviously made my part of the world go a lot too crazy.

Is it Friday yet? Can I call it a day? Can I sign out on life for this week?

My babies lie in their beds sleeping, unruffled by the events of the day. They were curious why I showed up early to sign them out. And why other kids were leaving too. They wondered why I cried all the way home and hugged them fierce once the door was locked. They thought it was a hoot to start the weekend early. Movies, popcorn, pizza and a fire? Sweet!

Sweet; the feel of my life blood tucked under my arms, as we snuggled in our blanket cocoon with blinds drawn to keep out the world.

Breathe. Remember to breathe. Remember that tomorrow is a new day and this one is now done.

Happy for Christmas

I am happy for Christmas. 

I love you. 

I am thankful for Mommy. 

I am happy for my parents. They are good to me. 

I love Taryn and Grandma

and I know I would have Grandpa Paul

as my friend.

I love the Christmas tree.

I know the Christmas tree is nice.

I am friendly to my family, which is nice to people 

And with these immortal words by my youngest, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May you find peace and joy on this lovely day. I hope to find a little round belly attached to my smile, as I celebrate the season with turkey and all the trimmings amongst family. Bless you all!

Saturday's Email of the Week: Dreaming of a White Christmas

Saturday's Email of the Week

Twas the night before Christmas
and I've still lots to do
So I'll leave you with comics
while I vacuum & mop too.

The cookies are baked
and presents, well mostly wrapped
Next, onto the bedroom
where fresh sheets shall be slapped.

As time, it is fading
I cannot stay long
but I wish you holiday greetings
and hope good health keeps you strong

Now back to my turmoil
and the basement of horror
but Santa bells will soon free me
from any more work tomorrow.

Merry Christmas my friends!

I fear that the only snow I will see this Christmas is the snow in these cartoons

So, while I can't get the kids to make some of these crazy snowmen

I am sure I can keep them busy doing something

Here's hoping your holidays 

are merry and bright

Love

Katherine

Nickel Dreams

sweet nickel dreams

beneath thine pillow's head

oh breathless love

Introducing...

When I Caught a Firefly

On a day filled with lots of camping

Spirits and darkness is falling down

And fireflies are out

I see a firefly

Fluttering about

I run and run

I feel a breeze

I try to catch a firefly

I run. I jump.

I clap my hands.

I feel a tickle

I caught a firefly!

I tell my Mom.

She does not believe me.

I show my Mom.

She gasps

“You did!” she said.

I tell my friends

My Daughter's hand at poetry

Momma's so proud ♥

firefly's flicker

is no match 

for the light in your eyes

~

Saturday's Email of the Week: Memories...

Saturday's Email of the Week

Its Saturday! Not quite back to quiet boring Saturdays just yet though, I am afraid. It will be a busy day today, but a good one. We are celebrating my littlest baby's 5th birthday today! There will be ice cream cake, glow-in-the-dark bowling, stinky shoes and a gaggle of kids hopped up on sugar and adrenaline driving me crazy! But I won't have to clean up the mess afterwards, so I am ready to go! The house will have to be cleaned though, as my sister will be in town for the festivities, but it makes for a good excuse to pull out the vacuum. Now, off to climb on and zoom we go! 


Happy Saturday all! Here's your bit of humour and history lesson for the week:

***

Have you ever wondered  why our great grandparents all had such fond  memories of their youth?

Well... I'm  surprised they remembered anything at all  !!!

Forget Tums &  Tylenol.

Forget Aleve &  Benedryl. 
Look at the cool  stuff they had back then!

A bottle of Bayer's   'Heroin'. Between 1890 and  1910 heroin was sold as a non-addictive  substitute for morphine..
It was also used  to treat children suffering with a strong cough.
And not once did my grandmother offer me  Metcalfe Coca Wine when we went to her place for dinner!

Coca Wine, anyone? Metcalf's Coca Wine  was one of a  huge variety of wines with  cocaine on the market. Everybody used to say  that it would make you happy and it would also  work as a medicinal  treatment. 

Mariani  Wine.Mariani wine (1875)  was the most  famous Coca wine of it's  time. Pope Leo XIII used to carry one  bottle with him all the time. He awarded Angelo  Mariani (the producer) with a Vatican gold  medal.

Maltine.Produced by the  Maltine Manufacturing Company of New York . It  was suggested that you should take a full glass  with or after every meal. Children should only  take half a glass.



A  paperweight:
A paperweight  promoting C.F. Boehringer & Soehne (  Mannheim , Germany ). They were proud of being  the biggest producers in the world of products  containing Quinine and Cocaine. 

Opium for   Asthma:At 40% alcohol plus  3 grams of opium per tablet. It didn't cure  you... but you didn't care!

Cocaine Tablets   (1900).All stage actors,  singers, teachers and preachers had to have them  for a maximum performance. Great to 'smooth' the  voice.

Cocaine drops for  toothache.Very popular for  children in 1885. Not only did they relieve the  pain, they made the children very happy!


Opium for  newborns.I'm sure this would  make them sleep well.  (not only the Opium,  but also the 46% alcohol)




It's no wonder they  were called, "The Good Old  Days".

>From cradle to  grave... everyone was STONED  !!!

A Change in Plans

Mini Rock Hoppers

I realize that it is Monday. I should have jetted off to Africa to continue my saga. I have left you hanging, as I climbed up into the cab of another truck. What happened next? Well... I feel bad about it, but you are going to have to wait a little longer to see. It can't be helped. I spent almost four hours driving home from my sister's house (in what should have been a two-hour drive). I am still sluggish with tryptophan from the turkey, plus from chasing those four delightful kids you see up there around. So I am pooped and am going to bed.

I apologize, but thought perhaps I would share a video from a band that I am going to be going to see this coming weekend with Me. Haven't seen a concert in a while and I am stoked! So here is a little Iron & Wine for you to enjoy. I will have to get some writing done later, but right now its bedtime. Happy Thanksgiving Canada! Happy Columbus Day US!

Hello pillows. I hear you calling! I am on my way...

The Dark Path...

I can faintly see shapes littering the path ahead of me. Eyes seem to peer through the gloom watching my every step. Is it too late? Should I turn back now?

Noo!

It is playtime at my house this morning, as I pen a Sunday 160 for Monkey Man. Go visit him and see what else is on offer this week. If you dare...

Tuesday Trackbacks

Heck, I forgot to share photos from the recent wedding I went to. For shame! And today was Tuesday, not Monday, and I still did not fly across the pond for my regular traipse through Africa. What is going on here? Can I blame it on late summer fun and road trips. Why not! Well, despite the late hour I can rectify at least one of my lapses, I suppose. This evening I will strut my stuff here in a photo walk from the wedding day. Enjoy!

Last week was a busy week for me writing wise, but this week might be a more sedate. I slammed out about nine articles, wrote a little poetry and still had a few letters in me by the end of the week. This week not so much so far. With it being a short week, I will have to play catch up as well. And both my babies started school this morning, so I have just not been feeling the words flowing oh so nicely. We all have days like that though. 

Happy Couple's 1st dance

So the night of the wedding, we ate, danced and made merry. There were hors d'oeuvres, much wine being poured, succulent main courses, dessert, more wine, a dessert table, late night sandwiches, more drinks, and of course movies under the table for the kids. Gotta love portable DVD players. 

I fear that my eyes are about to cross though, so must go to bed. If I don't get my beauty sleep, no amount of makeup can improve my kisser. I go from the belle of the ball, as seen above to more like this self-portrait below. NO ONE WANTS TO SEE THAT! Ha! Fare thee well & good night all.

Where's my coffee?

Chicken à la Lino Without You

The last bite of chicken lies
wet on the floor,
growing colder as
we throw barbed taunts,
defiant challenges
with our eyes.

Seconds tick by...
I bubble,
broiling up
like the
congealed mass
on yesterday's linoleum.

Fire burns bright
in indignation
"How could you do that?"
Dead poultry don't tell no tales.
Neither does your daughter.
And flung chicken makes me miss you even more.

There is a new poetry hangout in town by the name of d'Verse ~Poet's Pub. Tonight they are hosting Meeting  the Bar: Critique and Craft with a big theme, namely big topics, ie. death, life, grief, suffering, etc., but the suggestion is to come at it from a less than blatantly direct angle. The thrust of the night is to offer honest, helpful and informative critiques of other poets work. I read a few pieces and am going to explore a few more before hitting the hay, but thought I would add a poem of my own.

You tell me the theme. If you can't get it, that lets me know that more work is needed. I welcome your two cents worth. Thanks for visiting!

The Tickle Dance

Sitting in bed between them, they beg me to read this one and then that.

   “Read Mulberry Bush,” they squeal.

Okay. First one,  then the other.

   “Here we go round the mulberry bush. One step, two step, tickle you under there!”

Laughter fills my ears and heart.

   “Yes you can have a sleepover again.”

Smiles.

My blissfully sleeping angels have made my evening complete.

Happy Friday 55 my friends.

Love and Some Verses

 ~ while Iron and Wine say it best, I will add some of my own visions of love today ~

husband
You let me snuggle

icy toes resting on calves

and I sleep smiling

doves
sweet warmth underfoot

promises of tomorrow

future round and cool

ruffled feathers envelop

until doting mate takes o'er

children

laughing eyes light on

my stooped visage uncurling-  

run screeching to arms

held straight with a back born fresh

now with love's sweet compromise  

My Crabby Apple

Crab Apple is beginning to bloom

crabby appled kid
wreaked havoc on moods again
tears dispel thin peace 
forgiveness placed at table
eaten cold, but served with love

Saturday's Email of the Week: A Smorgasbord

I have to say that it was a bit of a slow week for interesting emails. A gazillion recipes, lots of comment stream on Linked In, a few cutesy emails, but nothing that made me roll on the ground laughing or inhale sharply at the shock of it. Oh well, they can't all be banner weeks I guess. Perhaps I will just present you with a smorgasbord of images and snippets from my week via my life-line to the outer world - email. I hope you have a fabulous Saturday!

So on Thursday the kids and I went for dinner, then hit Canadian Tire to pick up a new inner tube for T's bike. We wandered around and as we were in the exercise-type aisles, I also picked up a step-counter.  The kids were gung-ho to buy some hand weights as well, but I managed to convince them out of them.

Why a step counter, you ask? Well, I have to admit that I fear all of this writing stuff might be a bit of a detriment to my waistline. I missed my weekly yoga class and didn't feel like I managed to squeeze in quite enough activity to make up for it. All the surfing I do just doesn't amount to quite enough calories burned I suspect.

So on Friday I strapped on the step counter, left my laptop behind and hit my gardens for a little fresh air and slugging of mulch. My shoulders got a mite rosy from my exertions, but my mood was elevated. By the time the kids came home I had burned off 150 calories, according to my new toy! While the girls ran naked through the sprinkler (first time this year!), I lovingly planted a few new specimens that we picked up from the garden centre on the way home. Yes, I love my gardens!

The forecast now calls for rain for the near future, so I stayed late into the evening to feel the grass between my toes. A discovery that our rhubarb was coming ready was cause to celebrate, so a bundle was picked. I think that perhaps tomorrow I can make use of one of those recipes that came in last week;

Aunt Norma's Rhubarb Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with paper cups.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla and buttermilk with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix by hand just until blended. Stir in the rhubarb and walnuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling almost to the top. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, white sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of this mixture on top of each muffin.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes before removing.

I will let you know how they turn out! 

For now I will leave you with a cute little poem that resonated with me from the week. I am sure I have read it before, and probably you have too, but it made me smile to re-read. Maybe I will vacuum and work on that sticky floor tomorrow after the muffins go into the oven...

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;

They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils

Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,

Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough

Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what

The vacuum just sucked up...

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'

And get their answer when a little

Voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

The Gods Proclaim that my Work Day is Done

Twitter is over capacity. Blogger was down for over 20 hours yesterday. I am missing my latest post and really don't feel like re-writing it. It was a book review and I would like to include it here though, so just might have to. Sorry Book Thief!

What is going on in the web this week? I think that the God's are trying to tell me to get back outside and keep playing in the fresh air before the rains come. The forecast is for rain from now till eternity. Lovely.

So perhaps I will see how many more steps I can add into my day (I bought a step-counter to see how inactive I really am -Fat girl here I come!). We are supposed to take 10,000 steps a day (see an article I wrote about it here) and I am in the 3400 range right about now. I don't think I will make it today at this rate. That scares me for how inert I probably really am. Loving the life of a writer, but my butt certainly won't.

I am going to head back out into the yard. I spent the morning edging a walkway, garden and curb, as well as spreading some of the mulch around that I recently had delivered. If I want to beat that rain, I better act quick though.

Oops, I almost forgot that I have to pick my kids up though! Darn. I mean goody!! :) Maybe I can convince them that playing with mulch is a lot of fun! Oh boy! Or I can bribe them with a freezie. Now that's the ticket! 

Have a great weekend all!

Friday Stories

“Get your pajamas on NOW please,” I say for the third time. My voice is starting to rise. One is naked. The other is fully clothed. Titters follow me down the hall, as I walk away.

“There she is!” 

Done.

And the other, finally done as well.

“Teeth!” I cry.

Now my favourite part. 

“Storytime!” 

"It's Pumpkin Time" by Zoe Hall

*^^^^^*

What stories can you tell in 55 words? Go tell G-Man and see what he has to say about them.

Together

Tall and strident

you lean into me as strength

I support our days

~

Mother and child
entwined from our shared roots bound
softly caressed love
~

lovers dipped in ink

choose shadows from their soul's heart

paint pictures as one

It's 3 o'clock and Daddy's Nowhere to be Found

It’s 3 o’clock in the morning and you are wrenched from sleep by the distinct sound of your child whimpering from their room. You dash down the hall, only to find you’re too late and not only have a child to soothe, but a mess to clean up. This is the start of a potentially long day. We’ve all been there, and it doesn’t shape up into anything pleasant, but what about if Daddy is nowhere to be found?

If you are a single parent with another child to tend to, and start your day like this, then life might be a wee bit miserable for the day. And while it might not bring much comfort, you are not alone. According to Statistics Canada’s 2006 records, 15.9 % of all families in Canada were lone-parent families. That’s 1,414,060 single-parent families within our borders[1]. There’s a lot of potential for a logistical nightmare, if those families tending to an ailing child, also have to provide for other children as well. With brains racing through the previously planned activities of the day, such as shuttling children to school, or getting to that big game, what do you do with your sick child that has their head hung in the toilet?

---

[1] 2006 Census – Statistics Canada

Well in my case, I hold the garbage can for my little girl's head, and pray that the bug doesn't spread beyond her. It is one thing to have an ill child, but to follow one sick child with another, or even to fall pray to illness myself, makes life more than tricky. I don't want to go down that road. I am hoping for blue skies in my tomorrow, but we shall see.

Today I begged a favour from a neighbour to watch the poor pasty girl and ran the other to school, then hunkered down for the day. I managed to still be productive between bouts of dry heaves, by working on this article (see beginning of it above) for the class that I had to cancel this evening. Laundry got done, but the icky smells in the house made that a priority, so I don't claim to be a superhero there. I kept a water glass filled and held hair out of the line of fire. I was here to help, but was mostly helpless to stop the ills of the day. It had to run its course.

Now I am tired. My sleep was interrupted and the flow of my day was far from ideal. My child was ill and I sat back and watched, offering what little support I could. I feel melancholy and alone at the end of this day. I have supports, but these are the days when I miss the normal that "you" have. You two parent families. You single parent families that can call the missing parent back into the fold for crisis. You are blessed and I hope you cherish that. I survived, but am reminded of my loss again. Damn lonely day.

I am going to lay my weary body to bed. Kiss your children. Tell your partner you love them. Let's all hold the world a little closer in our hearts today.Tomorrow is a new day.

Sleep!

Bathtime

Bedtime

Storytime

Kisstime

Hugtime

Sleeptime

Time yet to play

Time yet for song

Time yet to count

Time yet to read

Time yet for yawns

Time to protest

Time to

Sleep!

~

I am willing the children to let go of the weekend and ease into sleep. It is Sunday and I want to finish my last assignment for the week before heading to bed myself. 

Happy Sunday 160 to Monkey Man and all of you.