Waiting for the plane

What I was really trying to do was take a photo of the people behind her. But she started the squirm and to make a small scene.

Now we sit and make up lives and destinayions for our fellow travelers. Who is taking the flight to Chicago?and who will head to Thunder Bay.  It's all so obvious. Sometimes you really can judge a book by its cover.

Webster's & Tew's

The Falls

Websters Falls

The witch's hut

Dundas Valley

And right here our fun changed.  As we walked closer to Tew's Falls, we encountered two dogs.  Both wet and both off leash.  Suma was on leash.  So, these two moronic wet dogs (one springer spaniel, one a black lab) decided it would be fun to tease the dog on leash and get her p'd and make her tangle her leash around her kid, *mila*.  Normally I would tsk the owners and move on my way saying "Oh, don't worry.  We're okay."  Because, we were okay.  Really okay.  But what wasn't okay was that a little kid of about 2 years old was on a small narrow bridge, with no railings.  He could have been easily knocked over by the chaotic mutt and mutt that were chasing my on-leash dog.  The mother of the boy started to yell at the child, blaming him for wandering out in front of me and he could have been knocked into the creek by me.  Wait a second.  I think it's the dogs that you have to worry about.  Not the responsible mother walking with her daughter carefully across the bridge with her LEASHED dog.  So, I approached a few of these sheepish people that sat on the bridge.  Each one didn't know who owned the dog.  Weren't they together?  They all sat so intimately on this tiny bridge.  There had to be a dozen of them.  Finally, I found the owners and asked them to kindly leash their dogs as someone is going to get hurt.  

Then I felt guilty.  And then I had no more oomph.  It was time to go home.

But first, let's look at the falls....

Tew's Falls

gratuitous tree shot at Tew's Falls





signed, the willow

As Shallow as a Wading Pool

Tonight as I opened up my mail I began my usual "feeling sorry for myself" hour of the night.  Until I opened up my birthday card from my mother. 

So, yes Mom, I received your great card and your wonderful gift.

Now to describe my hour of self-wallowing.  I sat there and began to day dream about the countertop, sink and tap that I would "need" in my bathroom to fit into my status symbol world.  I opened another bill and changed the address over the phone for this biller with a fellow in a third world country, where English was obviously rehearsed and not even a secondary language for him.  I was frustrated and not feeling the least bit sorry for someone who obviously worked in a boiler room.  There were voices in the background, they weren't happy voices.  And then I opened up my mother's card.  Inside she gave me the gift of giving to those less fortunate.  A health check up for 5 children and vitamins for a year for 5 children.  You too can help the hungry.....Food For the Hungry.  I promise to not feel sorry for myself because my sink and tap are not in vogue.  I promise to feel more for those who actually do need a sink with clean water flowing from it.  After all, avocado green isn't as bad as an infectious disease is it?

signed, the willow

It Hurts To Be Away From The Wild Things

On rainy days such as this, I like think and create and imagine.  Today *Mila* and I have been doing just that.  In between the mountain of phone calls and paperwork I have sitting inside of my wee brain, we've been tubing, "you tubing" that is.  I can't help but wonder about the new movie 'Where the Wild Things Are' and wonder what Maurice Sendak, author of the "Wild Things" book, is thinking to himself. 

There are a few creative imaginations in this world that I have carried forward from my childhood.  The imaginations that make you feel comforted in sadness and rain.  Mr. Sendak's creativity and imagination has carried my family through a very weak period. 

You see, we lost our own Wild Thing to Where the Wild Things Are.  He never sailed back.  As hard as that is, sometimes I can't help but wonder what our Wild Thing is up to with those yellow eyed monsters from the pages of Sendak's book.  I have a dog-eared copy that the Wild Thing's big brother gave me.  It was new when he gave it to me and we've loved and cherished that book just like we did 30 odd years ago.  *Mila* learned to read it as one of her first reads and I love the layout, the illustration and the emotion in the story.  It can be interpreted in so many ways by so many generations.  For us, the book has personal meaning, and I try to take the sadness away from the book each time I read it. 

While the movie is released into theatres today, my eyes are welled up with tears.  I can't bear to go to it and sit in a dark theatre with boxes of Kleenex.  I have to wait until it's released on DVD so I can watch my very own copy over and over and over. 

Thank you Spike Jonze for bringing this story to life.  I'm sure that you've done a wonderful, tasteful job and thank you and thanks to Maurice Sendak for the reminder.  The reminder to put our imaginations to work and share our vision with the world, no matter how crazy it may seem.  'Where the Wild Things Are' was a banned book.  To those 'diots who banned the book:  You Just Don't Get It!

Oh and for my brother's sake, "Trailer Park Boys:  Countdown To Liquor Day" opens tonight as well.

signed, the willow

Overheard in the Bush

There is a fable in the land of Sioux Lookout that if you drink the water of Pelican Lake, you will always return to Pelican Lake.

And here is the proof:

Pelican Lake

Pelican Lake

Pelican Lake


I'm having trouble getting away from you Pelican Lake.

And now for something completely different.

A true story. Overheard in the bushes with some blueberry picking going on.

A couple from Sioux Lookout were out doing some berry picking when out of nowhere a dude walks along and strikes up a conversation. Remember, this is the middle of nowhere, just outside of Sioux Lookout. The couple are from Sioux Lookout or, as we'll refer to it here, SL. Ready? Set. Go!

Green Bay Dude (retells the story of his life): I'm from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Do you know where that is?

SL man (speaking in perfect English): Of course we do.

Green Bay Dude: Where are y'all from?

SL man and woman: Sioux Lookout.

Green Bay Dude: Never heard of it.

SL man: Well, you're in Sioux Lookout right now. How did you get here?

The SL man has to now describe Sioux Lookout to Green Bay Dude.

Green Bay Dude: Oh! SOO Lookout. Y'all must be French! I didn't understand the accent.

And then off he went, on his merry way, through the backroads of Blueberry country in Sioux Lookout. Imagine the tales he will tell his countrymen about the French people he met in the bushes of Soo Lookout! By the way Wisconsin Dude, the language spoken to you in the bushes of Sioux Lookout was in fact ENGLISH. It is derived from the country of ENGLAND and spoken in Canada as a legitimate language. It has not been bastardized into the "American" language spoken by y'all that does not include the phrase "eh", eh?

signed, the willow

My Water Friends

In case you were wondering if your summer could get any more depressing, I'm here to tell you that "YES IT CAN~!"

Here is the reason why. It's a documentary called "The Cove" and the dolphins need your help. Please sign this petition endorsed by 'Heroes' Hayden Panettiere. She certainly proves to be a role model, if not a hero. A part of me doesn't want to witness this film. While the other part of me says that this is my passion: saving marine life. I don't know why I didn't study marine biology. I suppose attending a University on the Canadian Prairies played a major role in that decision. Anyhow, so what the filmmakers want you to know is that there is hunt on dolphins. These mammals are slaughtered in a cruel manner and sent to grocery markets in Japan and labeled as whale meat (like that's any better). What can you do? I don't know what we can do, but I can guarantee, we will do something.







If you need a reason to be a vegetarian, this just might be yours. *Steve* sent me this link and I sent him this in return. We reciprocate a lot in our marriage. "Sharkwater" is another film with a similar message. It involves the human 'need' for shark finning. Much the same as removing the tusks of an elephant. Senseless and inhumane.

With a box of tissues near by I can't bear the anger and frustration that this damage causes to our fellow living members of our planet. Please, please, please sign a petition. Write a letter. Do something. One action to save one living thing. The power of the e-signature can be mightier than the spear.

signed, the willow

Disconcerted

Is that a good word for today? Heck, yeah. Is it right to feel a little disappointed with the world now and again? There is so much going on out there and we all tend to get wrapped up in our trivial day-to-day operations. There is something festering inside of me. A little worry. A little insignificant person who is making themselves present and significant. I've decided that my actions speak to being a "bigger person" as some would say. But I hate not having everyone like me. In the past I tended to time my relationships to a specific limit where I wouldn't allow anyone to get any closer than they could. I kept them at bay for fear that they would find fault in me and not like me or hate me. Those intense feelings are often too much. When I meet other intense people with intense feelings, those time limits are abolished.

That's why a good bow around your neck and a tummy rub cures all pains.

In case the angle isn't quite obvious, she's lifting her left leg waiting for the belly rub of a lifetime. Noogie, noogie, noogie SUMA!

signed, the willow

Stop Eating my Friends!

Dear Pig Friends,

For a long time now I see you pass by in trucks that carry you to be slaughtered and every time a tear falls on my cheek as I wonder how senseless it is to take your defenseless sweet pink body and slaughter it to oblivion for some pulled pork sandwiches. The rotten flesh to be carted back down the highway for recycling and poured into some dog food creation or god knows what.

Well, hello. Now all of a sudden it has become apparent that pigs carry disease. A virus that is deadly to humans and now people everywhere don't want to eat you, be near you or even think about you. Good. Things happen on this planet for a reason. I'm not going to give you poor little piggies the God speech. You'll read my blog and be able to tell that I don't always capitalize the word god (see above) and sometimes I do believe *Steve* when he says that aliens planted life on the planet and come back to visit every so often for an anal probe or too to even up the score. See, this earth planet of ours is a closed system, it is finite. What we do here stays here and it never disappears. When we get decide to act carelessly on this planet and treat the world as if it were infinite pumping piggy poop out left, right and centre, we get what we deserve. A swine flu.

If you care enough to read more about my piggy friends and want to make a difference by limiting your bacon intake for a little while or longer, please read about this Factory Hog farm in Tewksbury, Delaware. No relation to our fine Olympic swimmer, Mark Tewksbury, who now hosts "How Things are Made" on the Discovery Channel and once shook my mother's hand.

signed, the willow

Oh Great, My Earth Day Bitching Has Begun!

In walking home through the mailbox jungle this morning after a windy, but relaxing, walk with Suma I have to say thank you to the kind and considerate neighbours who cleaned up the brush, the garbage, the slew of Timmy's cups and made a beautiful path fashioned of stepping stones and crushed rock. Think to yourself that if something is continually driving you crazy, how can you make it better? Guess they did and "If you can't beat 'em join 'em".

Now, what can we do about the lazy man on the corner with 2 newspapers in his driveway, a pile of trash on his boulevard responsibility and that darn plastic bag stuck in his tree. It is not a flag, buddy. Take it down!

signed, the willow

Big Bugs & Bad Water

While I didn't get any of my own photos of the big backyard monsters at the RBG, I can say that *Mila* got her fill running around with her playdate at the RBG. If for some reason you are visiting my blog and the Backyard Monster link is now defunct, I encourage you to visit the www.rbg.ca website. Read about Project Paradise: restoring a freshwater marsh back to its natural self-sustaining ability. Very inspiring.

On the topic of water, nature, and a clean planet, I have to bring up No-Impact Man's blog post yesterday. I have to say that these images of cruddy oceans filled with bits of plastic are really burning into my brain. I was up last night tossing and turning worrying about what we (really, plastic consumers) have done to our planet with plastic. I made *Mila* touch kitchen items made from plastic. OK, so I am getting off topic. His post is more about the issue of bottled water and the new documentary "Tapped". Cannot wait to see this film. My parents are scared of what they might see on Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", this may make them really tremble. The saddest part of it all, plastic can save an economy and destroy a planet. Someone said to me that their mother always said "Plastic will ruin us". That mother was ahead of her time. It is destroying us.

signed, the willow

Just Minding my Own Business when....

...all of a sudden some babe threw some lemons in my face. Okay, don't take me so literally. Not real lemons. It's a metaphor. This time I'm going to make lemonade from my lemons.

Hey! Why are there vacuum cleaner parts in the background of all my pictures? If you're really observant you will notice my vacuum sleeps on the couch so that my dog doesn't.

signed, the willow

Should Canada's Military Really Worry about a 3 a.m. FOX Broadcast?

So while the rest of the world was asleep, some American moron who calls himself a tv host of the Fox News show "Red Eye" insulted the Canadian military on the eve of the death of 4 of our Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. Alongside him were 4 panelists who also insulted the Canadian police force (who are not all mounted on horseback by the way! Nor are they all members of the RCMP!), Canadian weather, Canadian intelligence and well all things Canadian. Have you seen this guy who calls himself Greg Gutfeld? It is so obvious that these morons are "comedians" and want to call attention to themselves. This is all they could come up with. What these particular Americans were either not aware of, or forgot to mention was Canada is cleaning up their bloody mess that they abandoned in Afghanistan. Canada has lost more soldiers in Afghanistan than any other allied country. And this whole war was once again brought to us by the Americans. Remember George W Bush? While Obama's shiny image is currently blinding the rest of the American public, some are still fighting for George's fear and greed of the black gold, Iraqi tea.

They have outraged the Canadian general public. We are ready to take a hakapik (and I use that term very cautiously during a time where Canada allows a seal hunt to proceed in record numbers - no, we aren't perfect in Canada) to all of these Yanks who have decided that they are the "most powerful nation in the Universe". Really? Have they been to the ends of the Universe? No and if they did, they'd probably perish the life of a few Canadians in one of their space shuttles to do the dastardly deed for them. Hmm, America, remember when you run out of oil resources - we have some north of you. And, America, remember how we still have trees? Oh yeah, USA, we also have an economy that is only slightly tanking and explicitly not as corrupt as the country who brought us Bernie Madoff. In perspective, FOX is, in fact, the network who provided us with a blue flashing tail attached to a hockey puck to teach their nation how to WATCH hockey. While the Canadians were actually playing the sport.

signed, the Canadian Willow

p.s. In a more promising moment for the Canadians & Americans living in harmony, Brad Pitt will appear on Mike Holmes' show "Holmes in New Orleans". Now, why can't we all live in peace? Perhaps we need the Hollywood looks of Brad Pitt and the contractor skills of Mike Holmes to get along.

If I yelled "NO" at you, would you listen?

You might think that I am starting off this blog entry about yelling at your five year old. Not true. For one, my child is still on the brink of five and for two, I don't need to yell at her unless she walks into traffic (and yes, even the most brilliant children get distracted and do this)! I have for a long time had an issue with saying NO to people and confronting them. On most, if not all, occasions it has caused me duress and even heartache. When you feel too much it can become a detriment.

Recently I was mentioned at a meeting that they would enlist me for my services. I wasn't there and of course found out through the tight little grapevine that I was volunteered for a position I knew nothing about. When I tried to say no in my polite way of saying "Well, I can't do this part and I could do that part" it wasn't regarded. Next thing I knew I was getting my husband involved and I had hoped that I wouldn't have to make up a terrible excuse about the whole thing. So, I came right out and said "no"....and now I wait to see what will come of it. Will my no be discounted? Will they hear only what they want to hear? I think we all know what will happen then.

Then this little school incident happened yesterday. *Mila* came home in tears as some boy in her class took ownership of her artwork and took it home. Okay, I know it's Junior Kindergarten and I explained to her that she needs to put her name on things. But the little boy lied about it and *Mila* needed my power as a parent to defend her. She was clearly upset about it and so I did something I thought would be more difficult. I confronted the boy's mother. She basically discounted it and thought it was funny that he would lie. Almost as if it were clever. It wasn't. It hurt a little girl's feelings and he's lying! Why are you letting your kid lie? Now, I know you're probably thinking to yourself "How the Hell do you know that your kid is telling the truth?" Here is how I know...I've spent many days in that classroom with the kids and I know that the little boy will lie about the most foolish of things. Not sure why he does it. Maybe to gain attention. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe I'm doing what I should do, which is to stick up for my child. And maybe my daughter will now witness what I have known for many years, some people JUST DON'T GET IT!

signed, the willow

All of my ideas, gone, stolen! ARRRGH!

I have to tell you that I have had so many ideas. So many. And I never act on them in time. Instead, I tell my ideas to my confidantes, who then in turn relay them to their confidantes, and so on....until some of these confidantes turn out to be spies for Hollywood! I could have co-written the screenplay for Mean Girls with Tina Fey. And now there is this show called "The Ex List". It's got such a sappy plot, I mean really. This girl goes to a fortune teller who tells her that she will get married within the year or she'll never ever get married. When she asks the seer who it is she'll marry, she's told it is someone she already had a relationship with. So she starts wracking her brain to figure out WHICH ex-boyfriend it will be. This is clearly a girl who loves to rattle off names of old beaus and their faults. But she reacquaints with them and finds some spark all over again. Could HE be the one? Or what about HIM? Um, okay. This is totally something I should have written!!! What is the matter with me? This was clearly my creative outlet to talk about each ex-boyfriend of mine and all their rattle-trap cars, their hair-brained schemes, and overall their general lack of etiquette. Since *Steve*, my husband, is clearly sick of all these stories - would he have watched my show if he was sipping a mai tai in the pool I bought him with my Hollywood dollars? I bet he would.

signed, the willow (someone's ex-girlfriend)

P.S. Check out what this creative artist decided to do with her Jerkface Collection

Guilty as Charged

This is *Steve* on the ferry. It has nothing to do with this blog post at all. I just felt like giving him the photo opp.

Why is it that we are quick to pick up the phone when there is a problem with a bill?

No one ever calls Mastercard and says "Thank you so much for sending me my bill on time! And I love the pretty colours you choose to print with your premium ink on my mega-weight paper bill! Yippeee!"

Or, on the flip side, we are quick to give someone a dirty look if they slow down and allow construction workers to finish their job so they don't have to back out of the way of traffic and get the slow-sign-waving-dude over to wave his sign STOP at the cars. Really now, buddy? Did you honestly think for one second that I had a momentary lapse of womanhood and couldn't understand what to do on the road when it was all like gravel and stuff and the yellow lines were all, like, missing and such? Or did you think that I might be trying to save your life in case that backhoe drove over your toe? Gimme some credit, I'm from the bush where the roads are gravel and lines don't exist. But we do actually stop our cars when mighty machines back out into traffic in front of us as a courtesy. Look it up, it is a word of ancient English: pronounced (Cur-ta-see).

sighed, the willow

A Different Spin

If I told you that 50 years from now the human race would be obsolete, would you believe me? If I told you that we may just be 1 billion less than we are today with heartache and no hope for our future, would you believe me?

Maybe you should.

A reader of mine directed me to this free e-book about parenting, called 'Endangered'. It's not a how-to book and it's not just for parents to read. It's about our future and the generation we are rearing in our ugly monster world. Most importantly it's about the indifference that parents are taking towards their children. We drop them off at day-cares and expect perfect strangers to raise them the same way we would. Although this stranger is barely making minimum wage and can only give so much care dividing her attention among many. We plunk them in front of TV or the internet or games and we expect them to act quietly as small adults and we don't tolerate the violence that they learn from said media. What are we doing to our future? Don't even get me started on the urge to drop pills into their tiny mouths and calm them down. Calm them down to the point of numbness.

In visiting our local Provincial Park this week, we noticed 2 groups of children. These were large groups. In fact, so large that they were separated into sub-groups of 4. They were there for an outing to learn about nature. Something I don't have to teach my offspring as it's second nature to her and she's been through the nature centre so many times that she can now read the species names of the animals inLatin, backwards. One child was alone in the reptile room with us and she was about *Mila's* age. She wanted us to see the wiggling snake. I could barely understand her. But *Mila* and I smiled at her and listened patiently. *Mila* was a bit upset with who she belonged to. Where was her mother? Her mind was racing. Who is looking after this girl? In a flash of a white shirt, a large arm grabbed the girl "OLIVIA!" and whisked her off to the next room with a multitude of other drones to see the honeybees. *Mila* looked at me puzzled. What could I say? "They're here with their daycare." "DAYCARE?", she questioned me. The woman didn't even make eye contact with her, me or *Mila*. She just grabbed her like a dog that got loose from the yard. Yes and so we decided to observe rather than judge that day.

I watched these kids jump like chimpanzees through the play barn. *Mila* approached each familiar obstacle with grace, intelligence and a sense of caution. Sure she's a kid and she can act like a kid too. But in a room full of monkeys, you tend to let the monkeys take over. Next we watched these children toss their wrappers around the park as if it were the doorsteps of Somalia. What is going on? Are we really letting our children do this to our planet? I overheard another mother there with her two small children: "I want you to hold on to your garbage until we get home where you can put it in our blue box." Why don't all parents and caregivers say this? We generally don't announce it, but we practice it. And more often than not, I find myself picking up at least 3 beverage containers and 2 chip bags where ever we roam. Can't we all just pick up a little? It's not hard. I realize that sometimes it is gross and requires us to wear gloves, have a gas mask and toxic waste barrels. It's not hard to pick up a pop can and dispose of it - CARRY IT TO A GARBAGE CAN - if you can't hold it all the way to a blue bin.

It has become a generation that is now surprised if parents stay together, as their own never did. When a Father is a father and is a part of the lives of his children, it's an anamoly. When a parent quits their job to stay home and raise their family, they are shunned and regaled as a martyr. How dare they give up work? A career is far more important than the life of a child???? Is it? I beg to differ. A career will always be there. A child is only child for so long.

signed, the willow

The View From Here

On Thursday morning, Lady of the Lake woke up to this at 6 a.m.

On that same Thursday morning, Willow Of The Wood woke up (at 6 a.m.) to this (at 7 a.m.).

Let's go back to that lake again.....

Then this came along and perturbed the Lady of the Lake with it's noise and the ripples that would cause the waves to kiss her toes at the shoreline.

And Willow Of the Wood?

Yes, she gets a "Johnny-on-the-spot" within earshot behind her house. Yep. And it faces her when she washes dishes, wakes up and looks out her bedroom window, runs on the treadmill, sits on her new deck, picks up dog poo in the backyard, eats her dinner and teaches *Mila* how to read. Oh and she looooves how there is no hand washing going on in there, but there is newspaper reading! Only men would think that it would be perfectly acceptable to take a newspaper into the porta-potty with them. Thank you "Mighty Machine Men". Lady of the Lake, your lake is calling the Willow's name and she's coming over!!!!

signed, the willow

The Line Nazi

That would be me. The "line Nazi". I am desperately trying to use life's little lessons to teach *Mila* about standing in line. She needs this vital skill for the next 13 years of school that she will be attending.

This week, we went to IKEA for our necessary shopping (ahem! LUNs are necessary) and when we stopped off for a hot dog, our lesson this week would begin. So, as *Mila* reached in the fridge behind us for an apple juice...this very large (non-Swedish) woman bonked her in the head with her extremely rude ass, while she walked right in front of us and stood by the cashier. This woman was not only budding in front of me and *Mila*, but the lady with her son behind us. I couldn't stand it. I've been working hard on teaching her to take her turn and this woman just cut us off! We were standing there waiting patiently for our turn and she was now going to take it away from us. Nuh-huh! Gulp, I swallowed and then she turned to us and said "Oh, I suppose it was your turn before me. Go ahead. Go ahead. You were obviously here before me."

"Um, yes and the lady behind us was here before you as well." I said. I think I saw my life flash before my eyes when I spoke to this large Amazonian.

She didn't reply. She just stared at me blankly. She really did cut us off on purpose with the intent of taking our turn.

So I said it again "The lady behind me was here before you as well."

"Oh, I know that", she uttered in her man-voice. "Life is too short to worry about cutting people off in line."

WHAT THE HELL? Was she speaking of herself or of me? She was the one cutting people off. What is going on? Is this the upside down version of the world I once belonged in?

"Well", I snickered, "I suppose I am the Line Nazi, aren't I?"

She completely ignored my comment. I suppose it wasn't politically correct, nor in her conversational English. She now began to talk to herself, "I hope I can make it to Waterdown in just 12 minutes. Maybe I should just skip the hot dogs all together." I wanted to glare her down at this point. We came down from Waterdown and if she expects to drive back up that hill in under 12 minutes, I'd hate to be the car in front of her....she now will be the tailgater that I love to hate.

Unfortunately, the lady behind me didn't know the history behind the hot dog line fight and let the Amazonian go in front of her! OH MAN! No lady, you aren't supposed to let her go first. So the Amazonian now took 19 hot dogs with her to the condiment kiosk and started to squirt ketchup and mustard all over IKEA (Keeping IKEA clean keeps the prices low, hello!).

Did I mention that I think this woman came from what I like to call "The Land of the Dull and the Ignorant"? Yes, there is such a land. And now there will be a label on my blog with such, thanks to her!

signed, the willow