Ty's Bathtime

We left the snow and cold in Ottawa on Friday and arrived in Toronto to find green grass and mild temperatures--hardly a flake of snow to be seen. It's been much milder in Ottawa this year; the temperature hasn't been in the minus 20s very often, and the proof is that the canal has been closed to skaters more often than open. There is still lots of snow but certainly not the huge piles of my childhood memories.

It's only been a month since we've seen our little man, Ty, but he's grown and changed as only babies can in such a short time. He's just about 3 months old and is a big bundle of smiles and giggles. He's clearly developing a personality and has destinct sounds to indicate how he's feeling or what he wants and his Mommy & Daddy are really tuned in to the differences between those sounds. He crys when he's hungry (don't we all), he gives a quick, high pitched screech when he's mad or impatient (and that's not very often) and has another level of cry to let them know he's tired. He's an angel and although we knew he had started smiling and had found his voice, we weren't prepared for the endless, big, gummy grins he lavished on us with only a tiny bit of coaxing. Ty is a happy and contented baby--I'm sure it's because he has happy and contented parents. We watched him have his bath this morning and it's difficult to describe the absolute beauty of a slippery, fragrant, happy baby in the bath. It brought back memories of other baths, a long, long time ago and other baby boys smelling of Johnson's shampoo. It was often the best part of an otherwise hectic day. I still cherish those memories.

We headed back home today and made a spontaneous stop in Oxford Mills (near Kemptville) to have lunch. We found a wonderful restaurant--The Brigadoon--which has fantastic food, an historic atmosphere and even a resident ghost! It was built in approximately 1852 and was originally a general store and went on to be used as a post office and antique shop. The restaurant has an extensive wine list and the entire upper floor has been reburbished and is used for weddings, anniversaries or other special occasions. Afternoon tea is also served there so I expect we'll make the 1/2 hr drive back regularly to try some of their many specialties.

This is a busy, busy week as we leave for Puerto Vallarta on Friday and lots of things to do before we go. We've never been to Mexico and look forward to seeing the sun..but no boots or coats. I'm looking forward to taking lots of photos and experiencing another new culture.

The Snow Blowers Club

Strange country we live in! Yesterday we broke records for high temperatures in Dec. Today, it's almost a record snowfall. We were supposed to make the 5+ hr trip to Toronto to visit with our new grandson, Ty, but a look at the weather and the forecast, forced us to cancel the trip. Very disappointing but we'll try again next week. Despite the inconvenience of being 'snowed in', it was so beautiful outside. The snowflakes were huge and each tree branch balanced a 2-4 inch snow-rider along it's back. At some point today, the trees will rain down miniature avalanches with even the most softest of breezes.

The "Snowblower Club" will be out in full force soon. There are four houses in a small circle wherein live four retired men to who have perfected the art of removing snow. At the same moment, they receive an unseen, unheard message from someone, somewhere and generally bundle themselves and launch outdoors within seconds of one another. I still haven't figured out how they do it...our phone doesn't ring and he doesn't call anyone, yet all four machines fire up within minutes and the quiet is broken by the grinding and puffing of their mini-zambonies. At the same unspoken moment, the men put these machines in 'neutral', gather in the middle of the street for a ten-minute discussion, and then pull down toques, yank up gloves, and return to their own niches to finish their respective areas. The first couple of times I witnessed this phenomenon, I thought it was cute. Now, I'm thinking it may be an unofficial street club that monitors the snowfall, trades snowblower techniques, and discusses 'who knows' what else. After the last major snow dump, the men decided it was well past time to collectively complain to the city about the quality of work from the city snow removal company and they burned the phone lines to City Hall. When the large plow made it's way down the street after the next storm, all four men were standing at the end of their driveway, machines fired up and ready to take away the unasked for addition they expected to have pushed into the space they had just cleared. The plow driver obviously knew the white haired gents meant business and stopped his plow, got out of his huge cab, and made the ultimate gesture. "How do you want me to do tackle this boys?", he said. There were smiles all around...all is forgiven...and mugs of hot coffee (with a toddie of rum?) suddenly appear. Our little corner of the street has been a sight to behold ever since.

Today is a day to turn on the fireplace, watch old B&W movies on television, and marvel at the wonders of nature I see...through the window...on my way back and forth from the refridgerator.

What an extraordinary age we live in! Last week I was wondering just what the heck a 'blogger' was and now I'm one...sort of...we'll see how it goes. I'm trying to spend some time looking at other blogs to see what people post. There are a few very sick people out there! At my age and time of life, I don't have enough time, energy, or inclination left to flush that mental toilet for everyone to view...and really, who cares?

For family and friends who DO care where I am travelling, what I might be seeing, and what sights are impressing me, this is where they will see it. It's my blog and if I think it's interesting, I'm putting it here...kind of like an open e-mail to the world.

My promise....I won't embarrass anyone and I'll re-read every blog 5x to be sure I've kept that promise. It may take me a while to get this set up so tune in again soon...and often.