Alms For A New Day

It's getting so that

I don't recognize the girl

in my mirror

Telephone rings
fingers fly filling pages
notes for next story

children mourn days

before hum-filled house reigned with 

laptop burning vision

a paycheque- my dues

recognition won in alms

A New Day Begins

Saturday's Email of the Week - Time to Breathe

Saturday's Email of the Week

My week has been a whirlwind of activity. With two new clients, plus a few other existing clients, I have had to learn how to better utilize my time management skills. Hmm, yeah. Have to say that they have sucked so far this week. Up late most nights and crossed eyed in the morning over coffee. What with a "Meet the Teacher" night thrown in mid week, a PA day at the end of the week and a house full of guests expected for the weekend, I feel like I have not had a minute for me at all. We still made it to swimming lessons, ergo a dip in the pool for me too, but my aquatics class was vetoed due to eye appointments for the girls. Always at the bottom of the list it would appear.

I don't mean to sound like I am complaining though. I am thrilled to have new clients. In fact thrilled to be able to say I have clients at all! Last year at this time, I was blogging away for myself like mad, half-heartedly blogging for a baby boutique and doing some basic PR work for a friend's blog talk radio show. Better than nothing, but not like this year. Can I tell you a secret? I even had business cards printed out a while back, as it looked like I just might have need of them. And oh boy, I have! Well, I have given them out to friends, family and a few other souls, but still!

So before the rooster crows morning, I will leave you with a brief look at what my week has looked like via my inbox.

"you okay?" - SL


"send along the info about this story you mentioned" - DC

"Can I drop off your wood about 1:30?" - CM


"retweeted to 729 followers" - AI


"Check out my stuff" - MC


"today i am in a very awkward state. i could use a word or two from a friend. my love to y'all in an attempt not to hate." - JT


"I'll get back to you on time, but dinner first would be fun" - CA 


"Let me know so I can present the idea to the board" - ME 


"A new device named "home" logged into your Facebook account"


"LAUGH!!!!!" - BL


"Register before September 23rd" - LSBC


"Would you consider writing a press release" - MC


"My goodness! I'm speechless for once. Thank you so so so so much." - SP


"I hope all is well" - CM

I like that last one. How about one more that put a smile on my face from BL. I hope you all have a great weekend and find time to stop and smell the roses! I sure am going to try (after I vacuum the house, wash the sheets on the beds, mop the floor, buy some groceries, clean the counters and put away the salsa that I canned a few days ago). Agggghhhhhh!

~~~

 The couple were 85 years old and had been married for sixty years.
Though they were far from rich, they managed to get by because they
watched their pennies.

Though not young, they were both in very good health, largely due to the
wife's insistence on healthy foods and exercise for the last decade..

One day, their good health didn't help when they went on a rare vacation
and their plane crashed, sending them off to Heaven.

They reached the pearly gates, and St.. Peter escorted them inside. He
took them to a beautiful mansion, furnished in gold and fine silks, with
a fully stocked kitchen and a waterfall in the master bath. A maid could
be seen hanging their favourite clothes in the closet.

They gasped in astonishment when he said, 'Welcome to Heaven. This will
be your home now.'

The old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost. 'Why,
nothing,' Peter replied, 'remember, this is your reward in Heaven..'

The old man looked out the window and right there he saw a championship
golf course, finer and more beautiful than any ever built on Earth.

'What are the greens fees?,' grumbled the old man.

'This is heaven,' St. Peter replied. 'You can play for free, every day.'

Next they went to the clubhouse and saw the lavish buffet lunch, with
every imaginable cuisine laid out before them, from seafood to steaks to
exotic deserts, free flowing beverages.

'Don't even ask,' said St. Peter to the man.. This is Heaven, it is all
free for you to enjoy.'

The old man looked around and glanced nervously at his wife.
'Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods and the
decaffeinated tea?' he asked.

'That's the best part,' St. Peter replied, 'You can eat and drink as
much as you like of whatever you like and you will never get fat or
sick. This is Heaven!'

The old man pushed, 'No gym to work out at?'

'Not unless you want to,' was the answer.

'No testing my sugar or blood pressure or....'

'Never again. All you do here is enjoy yourself.'

The old man glared at his wife and said, 'You and your fucking Bran
Flakes.

We could have been here ten years ago!'

Saturday's Email of the Week: Reaping the Rewards

Saturday's Email of the Week

Happy Saturday all!

I have to be honest with you. This week was not what I expected at all. I don't know quite what I was expecting, but I was riding off of saying goodbye to my friends/teachers from daycare, losing a client and finally losing my babysitter. To say the least, I was not in a very good mood. Kind of glum in fact. I had a big internal pout on and thought about crying into my shoes. 

Instead, I bought mulch and gardened. Mother Nature has a way of taking all your ills and whisking them away, while you toil in the dirt. At least that is how it works for me. A little meditation if you will, as I imagine things growing here, flowers blooming there and edible bits popping up in the lawn (yes, clover, violets and dandelions are all edible!). I am in the moment while debating terra firma and the rest of the world disappears. 

On Saturday last, I pulled every plant out of a small garden and rearranged it freshly and nice. It all started with a peony that refused to bloom. People say that they are particular about their depth - too deep or too shallow and they will not bloom (YUP!). So I uprooted it (to show it what for), set it aside, then debated where to replant it. That lead to the day lilies coming out, the balloon flowers moving to the front, irises being added into the mix and wishing adieu to the transcendentia. I can't always visualize so well, so I just pulled them all out, added in some new and divided the others to replant elsewhere. By the time I was done, it looked much better, but all the existing mulch had either been turned under or ran for the hills while I wasn't otherwise engaged with staring blankly at the blank slate of dirt that I had created. 

So with plants newly arranged, I headed out to the closest big box store on Monday and purchase me 6 more bags of mulch to disperse hither and yon. Most in the 'new' garden, but a bunch in places where divisions found new homes as well. I might have been just hiding from responsibility just a little bit, but at that point I didn't care. My internal pout felt pretty comfortably in place and I used the full moon as another excellent reason to indulge my escapist whims. I have to say, by the time I was done, it looked pretty darn good too. 

Eventually I could not ignore the clock any more though. I might have been down a client, but there was still work to do and only so many hours left before I would have to pick the kids up from school. Plus we were expecting friends for dinner. They always come with wine and sympathetic ears, so I kept that thought in mind and plodded through the rest of the afternoon.

Well, wouldn't you know, but they brought good news in tow! At a Car-Free Festival, I had met a woman who was a friend/business associate to my dear friend. They had chatty chatted about me in my absence, and lo and behold, the woman is in need of some social media help. By mid-week, we had a coffee date and I had a new client in my roster! Not only that, but another friend of mine contacted me the same day asking about this "social media thing" and wondering if there was a reason to get into it as a small business person. He showed up at my house with coffee in hand and left with a promise from me that we would start him out on a new path too! Two new clients on the same day!

So with my head spinning by the end of the week, I look forward to a new start next week with fresh clients, new and very different topics, and an upgraded schedule to set my days. I am excited for the challenge, nervous about how I will handle it, but ready to face the day. Perhaps my reward for tending to Mother Nature's patch was a little helping hand in the fate department? I am going to take that as a yes and head into the weekend with a smile on my face and a much lighter heart. And with that I leave you with a little light-hearted humour to go out into your day with. 

Daddy, how was I born? 


A little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy, how was I born?' The father answers, 'Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat roomon Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, and googled each other. There your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button ,nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said: Scroll down...You'll love this 

.......

......

.....

....

...

..

.

\/

...... 'You got Male!

Whistle While You Work

Wednesday,
and I am typing so much
that my arms feel tender by lunch.
I rest and stretch
with a smile
on my
face.

Now,

there are emails

to respond to. Stat!

Attempts to keep up with

requests and questions

from new clients

 in the wings?

Time

last week

overflowing

with doubt and

what-ifs

of 

quality

Time

This week

full of opportunity

and the potential

to make my 

personal

splash!

()

What's Going on Wednesday

I feel like I have been away forever. I went to New York last weekend and was completely disconnected from the world wide web the whole time I was gone. I left Thursday, returned late Sunday and didn't get the shakes once (unlike the university students at the University of Maryland that went through varying stages of withdrawal symptoms during a 24 hr social media-free experiment). Ha, in your face social media!

and yes, I have been right back at it ever since.
sigh...

Not here though. And I miss you! I miss you all out there in bloggy-land! I have checked in on some of you, but my own voice has been silent. I played catchup with work, and wrote articles about the aftermath of a thunderstorm cleanup, the heat wave rolling across North America and the best bathing suits to wear to the beach to beat the heat, and even delved into the joys and mysteries of coconut milk! Fascinating stuff that you should all check out and comment on ;)

But I feel like I owe myself a stint of writing too. Maybe that is because I also met up with my newly formed writing group tonight. Perhaps you agree though?

I did post a few haiku on twitter, that I will share with you again here if you missed them.

Butterfly flits by

Birds chirp, chirp, chirp hello

A break in the rain

Sunshine dreams

Offered up on ruffled leaf

My rain drop's gift

and how about a new one,

cloudless blue skies

looking cool and inviting

bake everything

Plus, I did a little gardening - trim a little here, pull weeds out of the lawn there, and snap a few pictures of the newest things that are blooming;

Fairy overseeing the garden

Columbine

My favourite discovery today though, was this absolutely stunning iris! It is so ruffly and delicate. Makes me just sigh with the beauty of it...

Iris

And you? What have you been up to? Written any good poetry, prose, songs? Taken any shocking, stunning, stimulating pictures? Painted, sketched, designed any good artwork?  Tell me what's going on!

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!

An End in Sight

It was over. There would be no recommendations from Kylie. I was not good enough. Not a surprise by any stretch with our formal and distant relationship that never had a chance from the start. It was closure none-the-less though. I was thanked and advised that my services would no longer be necessary. I was not cut out to be an overland truck courier. This news was shared with me in Nairobi, Kenya - the end of the line.

Instead of being depressed by the change in plans, I was oddly pleased. It had been terribly obvious that Kylie and Angus had never thought much of me. While I had tried to make up for my first gaff five weeks earlier, of arriving late on departure day from Harare, I must admit my efforts were never top-notch. I had been a backpacker too long and used to living on my own time-line, with my own agenda. Male attentions at our various stops had led me to too much drink. It had been doomed from the start, and I suspect that I had hastened my demise despite myself. Processing the change in a little take-away over chapati and tea, I managed to find the bright spot in my failure. I was in a new country to explore!

The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. It did me no good to dwell on my dismissal, so instead I looked to the future. I had paid $40US to get a traveller’s visa into Kenya and planned to put that visa to good use.  A little town on the coast by the name of Lamu tickled my fancy, as did a little more exploring of Nairobi. I would need to find alternate accommodations once my former passengers returned from the Serengeti as well. While I still benefitted from a roof over my head compliments of Phoenix, that luxury would be withdrawn post-haste. I would get a chance to say a proper goodbye to the friendly faces that I had got to know over the span of the trip though. While my tour guide trainers had never blossomed into dear friends, I did have the pleasure of having a lot of fun with Di, Tanya, Cathi, Dave, Adrian, Mette and Camille. I was happy to exchange addresses with these passengers that I had felt more comfortable with than any of the overland crew that I worked with or met from Zimbabwe to Kenya. The life of an overland truck courier was just not for me.

With a light and free heart, I wished overlanding adieu and thrilled at the adventures that now sprung forth, as I resumed my life as a backpacker once again. With my birthday mere days away and the knowledge that I would face it alone, I decided that I would celebrate my 23rd birthday in style. Friendly locals planted the seeds of strength in me, and I bought myself a bottle of red wine, a new camera and a ticket on a safari to the Masai Mara. Happy birthday to me!

Good Friday

Happy Good Friday!

In Canada it is a Stat holiday, so I shall not be going to work today.  Yippee!

Wait!

I work from home.

I still have two articles that have to get written before heading out of town.

DRAT!

Anyone got any knowledge about kickboxing? Cucumbers?

Oh well. Back at ‘er, I guess.

If you have anything to say in 55 words, go see G-Man. He is usually a pretty funny guy and doesn't ask for much to play along with his Flash Friday. Try it, its fun! 

Working for a Living

Life on the truck was still an uncertainty. I had been shown some paperwork, but wasn’t exactly feeling the love from Kylie and Angus. We were in Dar es Salaam and I had the dubious pleasure of sanding and painting equipment for the truck. All of our passengers had trundled off to Zanzibar. I would have loved to go, but was reminded that this was a working trip. There would be time in the future for fun again, but for right now, I was earning my keep.

Yes, I had the fun pleasure of varnishing a table in Chitemba, while the passengers went to climb Livingstonia. I scraped sand mats with a wire brush in Karonga, and painted truck pieces and stools. While it felt good to actually physically work, it also added to a feeling of loneliness that I couldn’t shake. No matter how much black and white paint I slopped around, I could not forget my former travelling companion Brett’s smiling face. Despite singing a little fast on my beleaguered walkman, Bob Marley’s crooning voice in my ear didn’t help either. My labours  left me  with too much time to reflect.

Before we arrived in Dar es Salaam, we got to see the beauty of the Tanzanian countryside though. As soon as we left the Malawian border behind, the scenery changed. We went from the lush beaches of Lake Malawi, to tea plantations that stretched to mountainous backgrounds. They were generously interspersed with stately banana palms. It made for gorgeous green valleys  that filled my vision as far as I could see.  

Shortly after entering Tanzania, we made our first bush camp of the five-week tour. It was mild enough to sleep outside and I woke to the stars. While it was wondrous to look up at them and watch the sky lighten, I could not stop the tear that slid off my cheek. Brett had been the one to appreciate sunrises. Without him by my side I felt adrift and oh so lonesome. My dream of living and working on the African continent seemed hollow without a friend in the world to share it with. My birthday steadily approached and a tiny flame of hope burned that perhaps I would bump into Brett again. The reality of the path I had taken made it unlikely though.

Our second day on the road in Tanzania, the landscape changed from vibrant green to dry yellow. Mealie patches and dry grasses dominated the landscape now and despite our proximity to the equator, you could tell that it was winter. The changing leaves were nothing in comparison to the brilliance of Canada’s Autumn displays, but we did not have the mud huts that leant the reminder that I was far from home. I was definitely in Africa.

The excitement of reaching Dar es Salaam, while great for the group, was less so for me. Once the gang was gone, we gathered supplies for the truck and ourselves, then set out for a camp outside of town called Silver Sands. Melancholy followed me, as a sad song by UB40 and the loss of a lover of a character in my book, left me in tears. I allowed the tears to come, as I missed friends and family, and even finally allowed some tears for my long-lost relationship from the beginning of my trip. There was no one to talk to about my loneliness though, so I shook it off and returned to the present. The present held more truck maintenance that saw me scraping paint off of cupboards till break time. I was then left to catch up in my journal and read.

The hours became painful though, and intermixed with a desire to explore the city of Dar es Salaam, I wished to see the only friendly faces I knew, that of our passengers. They would return in a few days. Our reunion would be short-lived though, as we would only explore the city for a day, before it would be time to head off to Arusha. From there, they would go to the Serengeti. I would be headed for Nairobi though and the end of my training trip.  The word was that I had a trip lined up for another 5-week Overland from Nairobi to Harare. I still had to get my evaluation though. That would happen in Nairobi. 

Sweet Promises

It is late, but night-time holds the only hours left.
These days are suddenly filled to overflowing.
My hours, requested hither & yon,
fly from me. I offer willingly
knowing that the bills
will now get paid
and I might get
that fresh
haircut
yet.

The Visitor

Stumbling in
with a fearful grin.
Will they show smiles
or toss me out to snow piles?

Why soever do I doubt
my fain erstwhile clout
for hugs did abound
& remembrances astound

dear friends counted true
time no match for you
inquiries honest thought
and sincerity truly bought

This passage marches on
and workmates, some gone,
but delightful none the same
despite leaving the repair game.

For they were mates by
punch-clocks cry.
Yet friends of mine
those forever I find.

$$$

Hey-

I can just barely squeak this under the wire

I am going to link this up to One Shot Wednesday

and perhaps do a little more visiting tomorrow.

for everything, there is a home

Early this fine morning
excitement wakened me
I still had need of coffee,
but planned renos were growing

dashing out the door
my kids dumped hence;
with aunty whence
we to the Ikea store.

We dallied in the bedroom
We doddled down the hall,
but in the office – stall…
For my new desk… there… consume!

$$$

Playing along at G-Man's Friday Flash 55.
I bought a new desk & am creating a new office space for me. Very exciting! Now I will have a work space all my own to plunk away at all my loverly posties. yippee!

Ramp it up

   Life has been hectic as of late. Run, run, run. My littlest one will be celebrating with her first real live birthday party this weekend. Last year the celebrations were cancelled due to H1N1 scares. Bummer! So for birthday number four, we are gathering up a gaggle of kids to run amok at the Children's Museum. Original thoughts had been to go to a local farm where they have hay rides, pedal cars, animals, pumpkins and more, but the weather looked ominous, so plans changed. 

   As if on queue, a thunder clap rings out. crrraaaaBOOOOMM! Yes, looking out my window the rain streams down to make all those colourful leaves wet, soggy and heavy as hell when it comes time to rake. Oh well, another days project. Today, I have been kept busy with the domestic duties of picking up groceries (yeah farmer's market!), collecting more stuff for loot bags, working on some of the new tasks assigned by my Mompreneur boss, and of course laundry and vacuuming. 

    The computer cacked out on me, so I vacuumed the couch and changed the laundry while it re-booted. As has seemed to be the case as of late, now I need to fly again. There was going to be some wonderful thoughts swirled around in here, but if I am late to pick the kids up from school I will be sent to the principal's office. Ack! So I apologize for my infrequent posts that have not been inspired, but with a short work week, it just isn't all going to get done.  The sun has reappeared in time for me to head out, so I bid you adieu.

The crooked tree waves goodbye!

The Snake Bit Me

I just rolled out of bed. It is noonish.
   yawwnnnn....

Before you punish me with an abusive tirade on my slothfulness, I will add that I had only returned to bed around 10 o'clock. That after a night spent holding long, golden locks out of the line of fire over a toilet bowl. Oh, and also developing a dainty little blister on my thumb from trying to play plumber at 4am. I don't know if it is me that just doesn't have the knack with a snake (or toilet auger as the packaging states) or me that is an idiot to self-diagnose toilet issues, or me with a God complex that thinks she can do anything, that is at fault here. Apparently it doesn't matter, as the one thing I can do is laundry and the pile was quite large this morning. sigh... Full of towels used to mop the floor, splattered rugs and bedskirts and all the sheets off of another bed that was soaked through with pee. That announcement came at 7:30am, after I had finally fallen asleep at 6:30 praying that my daughter would not wake and splatter me with ... ugh never mind

So I am tired and wondering why the world seems to be pushing me so hard. I am not a plumber or doctor, roofer or general contractor (other issues that need tending to in my house- don't ask). It seems that I am being asked to step up to the plate to decide what I want to be though. My daughter will recover from her night of woe, but my money tree is quaking in fear as I tally the expenditures that are all imminent. I think that I might have to break down and push myself harder than I would like right about now. The world is pushing for action. An honest to goodness full-time job has been something I have been trying to avoid, but I feel that I have lost my battle. 

house 3 - Mama 0

damn

=============================================

P.S. Over a quick beer with my neighbour to get the run-down on which plants my girls need to water while she is away, I was reminded of the fact that another neighbour is a retired plumber. Oh. Yeah. Right. And another is a contractor. Really? Hunh. It looks like I shall be wandering the neighbourhood this weekend with a cooler full of adult bevereages and blank cheques inquiring if anyone has a moment to help a friend in need...

I'm in the money!

   Ok, I am just going to share a little secret here. I am so excited! I have another small, wee little job. I had a meeting this morning and it looks like some computer work is coming my way. Change is good (ohm!) and this will fill a few more hours of my week. The challenge will be to multi-task a wee smidge more, but baby steps I can do. It will have me at the computer, versus the paint brush, but I am already familiar here in the world wide web. I cannot really say much more about it right now unfortunately. It is too fresh a concept and I have to wrap my head around it a little more. I have to let the newness sink in; "Let it marinate", as a friend likes to say. Suffice it to say that my newest paying gig will have a dribble more money coming in (and NO I don't have to disrobe or anything crazy like that to do it!), which in the long run enables me to stay home a while longer with my darling babies. All about the kiddos, right! I wish you a prosperous Wednesday. I have some quick research to do, then off to let the world's troubles slide off my back onto the yoga mat. Peace to you...

New Music

Well, I am just thrilled to have found some new music, compliments of Blogger. I was browsing through a few sites and found a band that just tickles my fancy. Iron and Wine is acoustic folk I guess. Very melodic and beautiful. It feels like it caresses the soul and makes the heart a little lighter. I am really grooving on it. It fits in with my jazz, blues movement as of late. Very cool.

So I have paint gracing my knuckles this evening. This makes me happy. I am working for a friend again this fall. She makes hand-crafted animal-inspired knick-knack things (clocks, menorahs, Christmas ornaments, etc.). I get to paint messy messy and chat with others. Oh, and get a few bucks at the end of it. A bonus at Christmas time. It gives my brain a break from some of the things it usually gnaws at and this is also a good thing. I find that I come home and don't worry about my usual frets. They are losing their power at the moment and I appreciate that. I hope that the power continues. So looking at my hands and seeing paint lets me know I am moving forward in a positive way. Ahh, lovely.

Hey, there is a smile flitting across my face... Nice :)

Trying to go through life looking for new meaning is just plain old hard work. I get up in the morning and think "Maybe today is the day that inspiration will reach out and hand me a new life path to tread on". I keep hoping that divine inspiration will find me and graciously lead me to where I ought to be. I tentatively peek through newspapers and in new web sites I come across. It has happened in the past. Maybe it will happen again.

Or maybe I will have to sit down and work at it. Perhaps I will actually have to contact a career counsellor and figure out the path in front of me. I might have to actually dig the path and pave it with more than just wishes and dreams. Watch out resume! I might just brush you off and creak open the closet to find work apparel. Anyone need a helper? I can garden, and run errands, and am flexible ...