Between the Lines

How can I love you when you did not hold me?
You gave me life
How can I love you when you left me to wander?
You brushed my hair one hundred times at night
How can I love you when you did not protect me?
You had supper on the table every night
How can I love you when you did not support me?
You gave up your dreams to raise me
How can I love you when you did not wipe my tears?
You told me that my father adored me and admired me
How can I love you when you destroyed my art?
You have thanked me for teaching you how to be happy
How can I love you when you mocked my dreams?
You are proud of the woman I have become
How can I love you when you betrayed my secrets?
You love my children unconditionally
How can I love you when you told me I did not matter?
You told me I was an exceptional mother
How can I love you when you still don’t listen to me?
You are happy that I have a good life

I can love you because I can read between the lines.

I have been...

I have been…
So nice
A cunt
Lovely
A bitch
Beautiful
A raving tyrannical bitch
Like the Virgin Mary
A sweetie
Stupid
Brilliant
Stupid
Kind
Your soul-mate
Too skinny
Tall
Too tall
Cold hearted
An angel
Crass
Your Principessa
A bitch in heat
One tough bitch
Cruel
The most beautiful woman who loves nature
Fucked up
Mommy dog
Just like Jesus
Wise
Mommy big woman
Mommy cat
Annoying
Yes, and an amazing woman

Puppy Love (on the Fringe)

I brought Coyote along as my date to the Ottawa Fringe Festival Media Launch, and I was soon abandoned by him when he sniffed out this beauty. Click!, went his camera.


I am not sure if it was her colourful flowery bodice, or the high pitched sounds that she emitted when she performed that tickled his doggy fancy.

Miss Shoshinz, (who told Coyote her name was Yanome*) will be performing at the Ottawa Fringe Festival all week.

*Was the admiration mutual?

Time Traveler Caught in 2010 Picture

Did you read about the time traveler caught in a 1940 picture?

Imagine my delight when I caught this time traveler in my 2010 picture.

Good Grief Too

I suspect that this will be the most photographed wall by Ottawa bloggers in the next few hours.

My picture did not turn out, but Robin's did.

You see the person in the picture? We struck up a conversation.

I found out that he is new to Ottawa, and he has a blog. I welcomed him to the Ottawa blog scene, and asked where he is from.

He's from a small northern town. And, well, it turns out he knows my brother and grew up with my step-nephew.

Good grief, it's a small world.

Des Clips

When I was a single parent, Papa, who was a practical man, showed his concern and love by giving me useful gifts.

Sometimes it was tools, other times groceries, or cleaning supplies.

One time he brought me an old cedar picnic table that we'd had when I was growing up.

"It's funny," I said to him after setting it up in the yard, "I remember the table and seats as much wider."

He tilted his head to one side, his eyes narrowed slightly, "Well, it was. Damned thing wouldn't fit in the car, so I trimmed off the ends."

One of my favorite gifts was a plain, dark beige metal box that he gave me at arms length while smiling mischievously, "Guess what's in the box?"


"Clips?" I suggested.

"Yes! Open it." He never questioned how I knew he'd brought me (binder) clips. We called them by their french name, "Des clips."

Of course I still have them. I was pleasantly surprised to discover, when I started blogging, that I am not the only one out there who likes, uses, or creates with clips.

My favourite use for binder clips will always be the bed sheet forts that the boys and I would build using clips to secure the half dozen or more sheets to tables and chairs - hours of fun.

Mural, Mural on the Wall

I took this picture in November of 2008

And this one on the same wall in October of 2009

I can't wait to see what next year will bring.

Friendly Trickster

I do a double take and re-read his sign.

At first I did what I am sure he expects most people to do. I read, Help fight homophobia.

"I love your sign," I tell him, and he uncovers his face for a better picture.

He has friendly trickster eyes, and his smile is engaging.

"Did you know that there is a $55 fine for panhandling?" He asks.

No, I didn't.

"Yup, there is. But, the cops were nice to me one night. They told me to go across the River to panhandle - they don't fine you there."

He pauses and then he laughs, "Ya, but they forgot to mention that they put you in jail."

Mystery of Life

I've been carrying this little blue sphere (see photo) in my pocket for three days.

Every once in a while I pluck it out, marvel at its shininess, and then gently bounce it in my hand to feel its weight.



Someone left it where I was sure to find it. I don't know who - it's a mystery of life. I like mysteries of life.

But, it's not just any shiny blue sphere. It's a bearing ball.* I love bearing balls as much as I love marbles - well maybe a bit more.

*I usually call them ball-bearings, but Wikipedia corrected me.

GRRRRRuesome Couple

In a recent email Zoom asked me, "By the way, the zombie walk was lovely. Was Erratic Genius there this year?"

Last year Zoom walked right up to Erratic Genius and took his picture without recognizing him. Not even when he growled at her, "Brains, brains, brains!"

Yes, Zoom, he was there again this year.

Warning! Picture of pestilent face ahead.

Erratic Genius

Pin-Up Girl

GRRRRruesome Couple

Can you guess what kind of zombies they were?

Corny Jack-O'-Lanterns

Remember this stalk of corn? Well, it grew jack-o'-lanterns.

I can't wait to see what it grows in December ...

Sugar Pie

Isn't that the most beautiful pie you have ever seen?

It's a sugar pie - une tarte au sucre. I made it according to my maman's instructions with my great-grandmother's rolling pin. Oh, it was sweet heaven delicious.

Musicians of New Brunswick

I was rushing home, when I came across a group of friendly musicians.

They came as separate pairs to visit friends in Ottawa, connected and decided to play together. They are not a band, but rather two separate musical duos.

I didn't want to chat too long, since they had an audience and people seemed to be in a generous mood.

Their bluegrass music and sweet harmonies, and their hip grungy look sent me off in a happy humming mood.

Boys Don't Knit

I approach the gentleman sitting at a local café, and I ask him what he is knitting. He flashes me a kind smile, and as he shows me his knitting, he explains that he is working on his first sweater.

"I imagine that this must impress the women," I say hoping that he is not offended by my sexist comment. I quickly add that my understanding is that knitting used to be a male only occupation.

"Yes that is what I hear too. You know the expression quoted by feminists, take back the night? I like to say, that I am taking back the knit."

A Tail of a Whale

Leviathan: Watercolors of Whales from William Jardine’s The Naturalist’s Library

I get on the elevator, and I sigh. I am not smiling in my usual happy way.

I look at my elevator companion, and I see a elderly impish man. Plastered on his face is a shit eating grin.*

He has come down on the elevator, but he does not exit and he now goes up with me. Instantly he turns to me, "So, why is your hair long?"

I look at him, and my grumpiness fades, and I am smiling. "Because I love my hair long."

"And why do you have blue eyes?" His own black eyes reflect a tease.

"I don't have blue eyes, " I break out into a sincere laugh, and I feel happiness, "but my father had blue eyes."

I look down at his hands - he is holding an unfinished soapstone carving. He follows my gaze, "I carve things. This one is going to be a whale. Do you see the tail?"

"Yes. Can I take a picture?"

"It'll cost you five dollars."

"Ha! I'm not giving you money." He seems well off.

"A picture of my art is worth five dollars." His face is serious, but his eyes are laughing out loud.

I reach my floor, and I am in a fabulous mood now.

"See ya," I say as I leave the elevator.

"I'm rich you know!" And he laughs, as I watch him push the down button.

*Slang - a sly, knowing, or self-satisfied grin: somewhat vulgar
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.

Corny

I would expect to find a stone in a field of corn, but . . .

Well, you get the picture.

STELLAaaaaaaah!

Stella has a breakfast dilemma, so I prepared my favourite breakfast and took pictures to respond to her request for breakfast ideas.

The night before, I place in a pot:

• 1 cup of old fashioned oats,
• a few spoonfuls of nuts or seeds,
• a dash of cinnamon (optional), and
  
• water to cover everything to about a quarter inch past the dry ingredients.

I let the mix soak overnight. This cuts the cooking time from 20 minutes to 1 minute. (I also leave a bowl of frozen berries on the counter to thaw overnight.)

In the morning, I heat the mix of soaked oats and seeds on the stove. Once heated, I place the oatmeal, a splash of milk (cow, soy, rice, or other kind of your choice) in a bowl, and top it all with the thawed berries and a sprinkle of brown sugar or maple syrup.

I wash it all down with a cup of hot black Assam tea, and I am sorrensified until noon.

Fashion Tip: X Hides the Spots

Pin-Up Girl and Flower Child run up to the bathroom to get ready to go out. They're both so pretty, I find it confusing that they say they will need an hour and a half to get ready.

The bathroom door is open and I hear happy chatter and girlie giggles - I enjoy listening to them.

Pin-Up Girl comes over to my desk where I am sitting and procrastinating at blogging,"Woodsy, do you have medical tape?"

"Yes, I do. But why do you need it?" I worry that maybe one of them has poked themselves in the eye with the mascara brush (as I might do).

"Oh," sighs Pin-Up Girl, "I can't wear a bra with my new dress, so I need the tape in case of a wardrobe malfunction."

I give her the tape and continue to efficiently put off writing.

Then, I realize that I don't understand what she is going to do with the tape. Tape her dress to her bosom?

"Hey, Pin-Up Girl, why the tape?" I yell out.

"Oh, you know," she purrs back innocently, "gotta make little x's".

Darwin Salutes You

I watched as the fellow at the top of the ladder used a shovel to remove the metal siding from the house. He would pry, then pull, then awkwardly juggle the shovel and the large piece of loose siding, and then finally drop the siding below to the left of the ladder and almost on top of the fellow at the bottom of the ladder.


I cringed and wondered if I should say something Hey, guys, someone is going to get seriously hurt. But I knew I would have no influence, so I watched silently pondering what to do while I took pictures.


Then, to my relief, along came a city inspector in shining aviator glasses riding in a white car to rescue them from certain inclusion into the Darwin Awards.

Ice Cream Kisses

Pin-up Girl, the Erratic Genius and I demonstrate

Ice-cream kisses is a concept that the Word Wizard, the Erratic Genius and I came up with when they were little.

Instead of taking a bite out of each others ice-cream and risking cries of Hey, he took a huge bite or Gross he licked mine we would tap each ice-cream against the other to share a taste.

We still do it.