American Welcome Mat Out?

Well, our neighbors (notice the spelling in their honour) to the South must be adding a few expletive deletives before 'Canadian' these days....and it has nothing to do with the fact that their 30-year shopping spree has ended! Nope--it's more likely directly related to the Canuck Poop Machines (CPMs) that have started heading in their direction!

The past week must be really close to the prime migration period because the CPMs have been flying by, at all hours, honking their little hearts out. I'm not a particularly light sleeper but I've been woken out of a sound sleep at 2 a.m. to the sound of a flock of CPMs heading over my house on their way to Virginia Beach or Miami....and being really excited about the trip. I mean, the only thing they make more of than poop is noise.

The Americans aren't as gooshie as we are about these birds, and in fact are just plain fed up with them. I mean, who but we Canadians could revere an animal that craps 2 lbs of green stuff a day! What nobody has told us is that the CPMs have come back from the brink of extinction (?), are now a full-blown nuisance, and taste good.

Yes, they are cute. They even border on beautiful but enough is enough! Now that I'm retired, it's my turn to sit on some of those warm southern beaches in January and February and I don't want to have to bring a CPM scooper to make room for my blanket. Wait a minute....has anyone invented one of those yet?

My new bumper sticker reads..."Save a Mallard--Shoot a Canada Goose".

Fall is always busy...gardens to clean up, patio furniture to put away, pool to close, etc. Years ago, when Wayne was still in the military, we were often just getting settled in a new house and community and wondering what winter was going to be like in this part of the country. Now that we've been settled for 20-plus years, it means gardens to clean up, and yadda yadda, but it's become a way to measure the passage of time. The spring is so wonderful and fresh; the summer is fun and too short and then fall arrives in a glorious blaze of colour. But before the last leaf falls, we have rehashed the entire previous year and what we did, trips we took, weddings we attended, birthdays that were memorable and cottage parties that will be part of this Christmas' video extravaganza. It's not even close to New Year's yet, but we've marked the best part of the year as 'done'.

This year, our Autumn conversations have been about the arrival of the new RV (aka The LuvMasheen) which Wayne and I have enjoyed so much, the inches Ty has grown, Kevin & Kate's new house, Tim and Kim's new house, and yes, Colin and Jennifer's new house (which we share a back yard with), and the last big Corkum wedding--Colin and Jen. Once the wedding is over, it's time to start planning our 3-month winter trip to Mexico and all states warm and sunny, not to mention preparations for Xmas.

It has been, and will continue to be, a very busy year. Since I retired in January I've had to keep an agenda book which rivals anything I every had when I worked. Oh yea, there is still lots of time for an afternoon nap, or a day off taking pictures, but I'm never bored and love the busy life we lead. It includes time with Ty in Toronto or a weekend at the cottage with the cousins or a quick trip to Vermont in the LuvMasheen. I stay up late, get up early, go like hell all day. It's doesn't get any better than this!