The Labour day long weekend traditionally heralds the end of summer on the east coast. Now we can look forward to the tail end of hurricanes cum tropical storms cum slightly rainy days for the next little while.

My in-laws have arrived and there’s nothing to do. The typical touristy type areas are closed for the holidays. It’s raining and the fog is thick so most of the pretty walking trails in parks and along the harbour will be deserted (not bad) and the visibility is next to non-existent (very bad).

We’ve spent the last few days in hospital, so I’m behind at work and we’re behind in household chores, etc. The immaculate domicile is starting to look a bit like the mouse house. I’m finally feeling a little bit at home!

We often take our friends and neighbours for granted. I’m sure it’s not intentional. We’re just so used to them being around that we forget the mutual dependance nature of the relationship.

Nothing changes your view of friends or family faster than an emergency or long term terminal illness. It’s amazing who will step out from the woodwork and into the spotlight to assist on an almost daily basis. It’s equally amazing how many who you have assisted in the past will slide back into the shadows after mouthing the expected platitudes and offers of assistance but who have no intention of actually providing any assistance.

People you’d always considered casual acqaintences – those who you’d speak to over a backyard fence, but never spend any additional time with – will arrive at your doorstep with a fully cooked meal on a bad day when you couldn’t imagine trying to get a meal together. They will drive to airports in the middle of night to bring returning family members home. They mow your lawn when doing their own so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to get around to it when there’s free time. They are amazing, wonderful people who you often forget to acknowledge and without whom you couldn’t survive. Saying “thank you” just doesn’t seem to be enough.

Colour me bitter, amazed, grateful, confused, sad, lonely and tired today.

Technorati Tags: friends, nature of friendship

Like everyone else in the world, I’m full of likes and dislikes. I love owning a house, but I hate doing all the standard housework and gardening. I’m fortunate in that my hubby still loves me enough to pull weeds and do laundry when it needs to be done. Granted, there are trade offs in order to keep him happy enough to do these menial chores, but it’s worth it.

However, time spent at home is a whole other situation. My mom isn’t willing to trade a new PS2 game for letting me skip out on doing the dishes and can’t be bribed with beer to let me sit on the back porch while she weeds the garden. Instead I’m developing dish pan hands and have dirt under my fingernails. My parents garden (and yard) is about 10x the size of the tiny area we have at home. While one half of this family is battling little weed piles in the front and back of the yard, the other (that would be me) is pulling weeds from multiple flower gardens and a vegetable patch larger than our entire back yard! After the weeding there are tomato plants to be tied to stakes, slugs to be chased off, fertilizing and turning of the earth to be completed. It’s a continuing cycle of work to be done just to eat fresh veggies – whichever ones have survived being picked over by the groundhog, birds, skunks, etc.

I think I know who has the best end of the deal. I’m expecting my two little front gardens and the backyard dirt patch to be completely fixed and beautiful by the time I get home!

I’ve also noticed that it’s much easier to pass off dishes duty when you’re just loading a dishwasher as opposed to doing them in a sink. I know when we were growing up, dad always said he didn’t need a dishwasher because the house came equipped with two of them (my sister and I). Since we left home years ago it’s just not true anymore. At least I don’t have anyone fighting with me over who will wash and who is drying. When it come to dishes, I prefer to wash and hate to dry. No sister at home means no fighting – I can wash and leave the dishes in the rack to dry.

I’m thrilled to be home and will happily stay until they throw me out but despite my many travels, I’ve never missed home and the hubby so much as I have these past 2 weeks.

Technorati Tags: gardening, housework

You know, I have some pretty cool friends who often have some of the most amazing and off-the-wall ideas. Consider Nikki’s IM message for the last few days:

“What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it’s all about?”

On the surface, it might seem to be a silly comment. If you really sit down and think about “life, the universe and everything”, who’s to say that she isn’t on to something? Unlike religion, the Hokey Pokey isn’t some far off concept. We can see it, dance it, sing it, etc. It’s as real as the rays of the sun shining off a lake, or the wind blowing through poppies.

Better yet, the Hokey Pokey evokes memories of a simpler time. At it’s most basic, the Hokey Pokey is all about (children) singing and dancing for the sake of having fun. There is no real winner or loser. There is no “us” against “them”. It just is.

As we become adults, we often put away childish things. Perhaps that’s why there’s so much angst, worry and pain in adulthood. We’ve forgotten how to have fun for the sake of fun alone. We’ve forgotten how to laugh loudly no matter who’s paying attention..

Technorati Tags: hokey pokey, reflections, adulthood