Tax Time

The more you earn, the less you keep,
And now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to take,
If the tax-collector hasn't got it before I wake.
~Ogden Nash

I tried to file my income tax today. I had all my information ready including the number Revenue Canada sent so I could file on-line. I got into the Quicken Tax program that Merv had uploaded on our computer and proceeded to fill in the forms. I couldn't do it. No matter how many times I read the help screens, I just couldn't figure out how to claim my self-employed income. It shouldn't be this hard.

Tomorrow Claudia will be coming to clean the house. Among her many talents, Claudia works at H & R Block where she does the taxes for people like me. She will know what to do. In exchange for tax advice, I will make her a nice necklace. She looks at my new pieces whenever I make them and has long wanted something special for herself. She has her skills, I have mine. On April 30, hers count for a lot more. Last I heard, Revenue Canada won't let me pay in pearls.

Dora

"A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk." ~ O.A. Battista

The expected rain did not materialize on the weekend. It was beautiful on Saturday and a bit gray yesterday but there was no rain. Today the sun is shining and the air is warm. I was out strolling in the mild weather at 6:30 this morning. Brian and Geraldine are away this week and I promised to look after Dora for two days at the end of the week but their plans for her care from their departure on Sunday until Thursday afternoon unexpectedly fell through on Saturday night so Dora came to spend the week with us. She is an easy pup, content so long as she is with us, curled up at my side as I write this blog.

Walking Dora is an adventure. I've spoken to neighbours I've never more than said hello to as they eye me suspiciously wondering why Dora is prancing at the end of the leash in my hand. Dora walks down the street, sniffing every few feet, marking her path and straining at the leash in an effort to chase every bird or squirrel she sees. Yesterday I took her to see my mom. Dora spotted another dog which was just smaller than a pony and she was ready to go after him, all ten pounds of her. His owners laughed at the growling white ball of fluff that constitutes Dora.

I thought I would have Jacob home for this whole week before he starts work a week from today but it looks like it isn't going to turn out that way. Stan could use a hand at the lake so Jacob will be heading to Havelock on Wednesday. That gives us just two days to get him ready for work so I will be taking him shopping for some business clothes sometime in the next two days. Merv has a busy week too with commitments for three evenings. I also have evening commitments so Dora will be spending a couple of evenings with Aunt Cath.

Enjoy this last week of April.

First Job, Next Job

“Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.” - Drew Carey

It is a big day for the Gillson men. After nineteen years with what is now Unity Life, Merv resigned. It was a tough decision for him but he has been less than happy this past year following the merger of Unity Life with Foresters. I think the company took it for granted that the nice guy who works so hard and does so well wouldn’t ever have the audacity to quit no matter how badly they treated him. Big mistake. There are other companies that can clearly see what a great catch Merv is, and one of them caught him.

I remember Merv’s first day of work at Unity. In those days it was called Toronto Mutual Life. It was February 1, 1991. I was three months pregnant. Merv told his new boss that he would need to take a bit of time off in August when the baby arrived. While he was having that meeting, I was at my office having chest pains. A discussion with my doctor on the phone in the early afternoon resulted in a trip to the emergency room at Mt. Sinai. I didn’t want to bother Merv on his first day so my assistant went with me to the hospital. After a few hours she called Merv to let him know where I was and to suggest he make his way to Mr. Sinai after work. Needless to say, I was fine.

Jacob, who was the subject of so much discussion that day, went off this morning to his first job interview. He looked so handsome in his black suit and pink shirt. I heard his alarm go off at 6:30 this morning and when I got up to be sure he hadn’t slept through it, he was already in the shower. He came downstairs with his dress shoes and his shoe polishing kit in hand and asked for a little advice on technique. I made him tea and we sat and talked at the kitchen table.

A few hours later he came home, reported that things had gone well and he hoped to hear from Rogers by early next week. We went out together to get a bite of lunch and run a few errands. While we were sitting in Sierra Grill, his phone buzzed. The woman from Rogers’ H.R. department was calling to make an offer. Jacob starts his new job a week from Monday.

Tonight we will celebrate the success of both Gillson men. Jonathan came home from school yesterday so he will join us tonight for dinner. I’m not sure as yet where I will take everyone but I will, most assuredly, be the proudest woman in the restaurant.

Contentment

"The art of contentment is the recognition that the most satisfying and the most dependably refreshing experiences of life lie not in great things but in little. The rarity of happiness among those who achieved much is evidence that achievement is not in itself the assurance of a happy life. The great,like the humble, may have to find their satisfaction in the same plain things."
- Edgar A. Collard

Jacob is home. The weather is spectacular. My much awaited copy of "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest has arrived. Life is good.

It did indeed take two cars to get Jacob's gear home from school. Merv and I haven't been able to figure out how that happened. We took Jacob to school in September with just Merv's SUV. Considering that I brought home a packed car when I picked him up for Easter weekend, and we filled Merv's SUV on Easter Sunday when we brought Jacob back to school, we can't account for why we couldn't do it with just Merv's SUV. Must have some scientific basis related to the laws of expansion. Doesn't matter. He's home. I would have taken a moving van if I had to.

We finally met Tyler, the friend with whom Jacob will be sharing a house come September. Tyler's parents bought a house near the university and have rented it out to Jacob and two girls. The rental price came in a little higher than I anticipated but I don't really care. Jacob won't have to suffer his tiny residence bed in his tiny residence room (which he calls his petrie dish in his jail cell) any longer. He will be happy. I will be happy.

When we got home from Guelph today, we presented him with the titanium watch we bought for him when we were in Aruba. We saved it to give him to honour his achievement in completing his studies this year. We couldn't be prouder of what he has accomplished, how he has conducted himself or the fine man he has become. He seemed very surprised and a little overwhelmed by the gift - especially when he took it out of the box and it adjusted itself to the correct time. It is connected to a satellite and run on solar power. Much to my amazement, the watch came with a CD on how to use it. I can't imagine what all the buttons and dials do on the watch. No doubt Jacob won't even need the CD to figure it all out.

Tonight I will settle in with my new book and my son at my side. For the next four months, I will sleep each night with the peace of knowing he will be asleep in the room across the hall.

Unfolding

"God is the experience of looking at a tree and saying, "Ah!"
- Joseph Campbell

The ravine behind our house is green. I've been watching the trees bud for a couple of weeks now but this morning I woke up and the leaves have unfolded. I love the colour of leaves when they first unfurl. They are vibrant - more lime than emerald. The leaves don't stay that colour so I'm savouring these days. The sun is bright, the stream behind our house is running and the foliage is still sparse enough that I can see the animals running through the ravine.

If I was a painter, I would have taken my paints and brushes out this afternoon and tried to capture the hope and beauty of the changing landscape, but the painting gene didn't get to me. So instead I took out my beads and pearls today and worked at creating a painting with stones. A couple of months ago I bought some lovely freshwater pearls that happen to be the colour of the leaves in the ravine. Today they became a twisted four-strand necklace. I also made some pink pearl earrings and a pair of taupe teardrop pearl earrings. I have a couple of silent auction commitments coming up. I made a three-strand necklace in crystal, black onyx and white freshwater pearls for Willow's Eat-to-the-Beat. I will donate some other pieces for the event as well but I'm not sure which as yet. I've also promised a piece for a silent auction at a fundraiser for C.A.R.D. That event is coming up in the next couple of months so I need to figure out what I'm doing for them fairly soon.

Tomorrow, Merv and I will travel in separate cars to pick up Jacob from school. I can't figure out how he acquired so much stuff that we need two cars to get it home but I'm more than happy to accommodate. In the next few days, all the kids will be headed home. John got back on the weekend. Jonathan gets home on Thursday. Sasha's and Wen Hao's arrivals are imminent. It will be great to have the kids home but there will be challenges too. I'm sure I will have to remind myself that Jacob is an adult now and has had no need to be accountable for his whereabouts since last fall so probably isn't going to want to be accountable now. While I am thrilled about having all the kids back, I will be advising them that the Clarinda Drive Hotel no longer comes with maid service. I'm happy to feed them but the time has come for them to clean up after themselves. Seems like a fair trade off to me.

The More Things Change

“Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends.” - Rosanne Cash

They are all still beautiful - in fact more beautiful than when we were last together twenty years ago. There are a few more pounds (for some but not all) and a few new wrinkles but, if anything, it made them more beautiful. They have a comfort in their skins that I didn't see before. A confidence in their essential selves. They are smarter and wiser.

The long awaited Halifax Life Girls Reunion lived up to my hopes for the evening. Colleen arrived first, stunningly beautiful, full of life and ready to share her story. Cecilia came next, the baby of our group (though she and Colleen are actually the same age but Colleen was already a married lady in those days so she seemed older). Cecilia kept her lovely figure over the years but somehow managed to add a husband, a daughter and an MBA. Next arrived Julie, who looks like she has been frozen in time, her face unchanged by the years but with a calm demeanor she didn't project in her youth. To complete our group, Gail arrived, clad in jeans and dripping with her stunning jewels, full of the same joy and spirit which she has carried always. Suddenly, the years melted away. Some preliminary catching up conversation about parents and siblings, children, husbands and milestones was shared over a bottle of champagne and some nibbles on the deck. Then we headed off to Oliver and Bonaccini for dinner.

As I tell this story, I realize it may be hard to believe. But within moments of sitting in the restaurant, Gail raised the topic of our last group conversation and we picked it up from where we left off. It was, of course, about sex though I won't share any of the details. By the end of our evening, we had discussed men and menopause, kids and sex education, transitioning to empty nests, loss and love.

Julie and Gail opted to go home after dinner but Colleen and Cecilia returned to my place for cake and more conversation. By eleven o'clock fatigue was becoming evident and they took their leave. We hugged goodbye and I settled in for a couple of hours of thinking before I would make my way to bed. I love these women. And even though it has been so many years since they were a part of my regular life, I miss them.

Champagne Occasions

"I only drink Champagne when I'm happy, and when I'm sad. sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. when I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty." - Lily Bollinger

I've had a very busy few days which provided a number of occasions to indulge in my beverage of choice. Merv left for San Antonio on Saturday morning while I enjoyed the weekend at Cath's lake house with Cath and Stan and our friends Brian and Geraldine. It was a quiet but enjoyable weekend punctuated with numerous games of cards, an afternoon of beading, lots of good food and enjoyable conversation and a considerable number of alcoholic beverages.

Last night I hosted the final moms dinner of the 2009/2010 academic year. Judy, Nancy, Antoinette, Samia and Pona all joined. Only Josee was missing from the evening. The preparation of dinner did present a few challenges. Samia called on Monday night to let me know she would not be joining us. But somehow when I was buying our main course yesterday afternoon, I decided to buy six portions of salmon in case she changed her mind and came after all. When she arrived on my front porch, I was really glad I had. My guests were scheduled to arrive around six o'clock and I planned my dinner to be served at seven. Judy arrived shortly after eight as I was putting dinner on the table - my sweet potatoes being slightly over-baked and my fish unable to wait any longer. Antoinette didn't arrive until well after nine. Unfortunately, Pona's eyesight has now deteriorated to the point that she needed to be served her food and helped with navigating her cutlery as well as being taken to the bathroom and helped to her chair, up and down the stairs etc. She is a wonderful woman and it hurts me greatly to see that she now faces this great obstacle but she is uncomplaining and seems to be managing with grace. I think she had a good time last night. I hope everyone did. I certainly enjoyed myself. And there was champagne.

Tomorrow night I will greet my guests for the Halifax Life Girls Reunion with a good bottle of Moet & Chandon. I'm excited to see them all, and a little bit nervous. It's been a long time. I expect Merv will arrive while we are enjoying our reintroduction. I've made a dinner reservation at a local restaurant for seven-thirty. If the weather is warm we will enjoy our champagne on the deck. I'm sure it will be a great evening. I'll be back with a full report on Friday.

Disappointment at Chapters

"My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter." ~Thomas Helm

A couple of days ago I finished reading The Girl Who Played With Fire, the second book in Steig Larsson's trilogy. I couldn't wait to pick up the third book but time got away from me yesterday and I didn't have a chance to go out and buy it. I put it on my agenda for first thing today. I'm going to Cath's lake house on the weekend and I intended to take the book along (unless of course I finished it before Friday). This morning I did some work and then headed off to Chapters. Try as I might, I couldn't find the book. A search through the computer revealed that The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest isn't being released until May 25. I was so disappointed. I spent a half hour in the store trying to find something else that caught my interest. For some reason the pickings seemed slim but I did pick up Luanne Rice's The Geometry of Sisters and James Frey's Bright Shiny Morning.

When I got to the cash register, I mentioned to the sales clerk that I was disappointed at having to wait until May 25 to buy the book I was coveting. He told me the book has been published and released all over the world - just not yet in North America. That of course sparked me to think about whether I know someone who will be in Europe in the next few weeks who could pick up the book for me but I was unable to come up with a name. It didn't take me long to realize that I don't need someone to go to Europe and get it for me, I only need to order it from the U.K. site of Amazon. Mere moments later, I secured a copy of the book which is now winging its way to Toronto. Unfortunately, it will take a couple of weeks to get here, but at least I won't have to wait until May 25. Amazingly, even including shipping costs, it cost me less than half of what it would cost me to pre-order it from Chapters.

So a novel written in Sweden and translated into English is now enroute to Canada from England. The world is very small.

An Afternoon in Chinatown

"I will be watching you and if I find that you are trying to corrupt my first born child, I will bring you down, baby. I will bring you down to Chinatown." - Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents

Nan needed to make a run to Chinatown today to pick up a pound of lavender she ordered from a natural foods shop on Baldwin Street so I accompanied her for the trip. She thought the store was at the corner of Baldwin and Spadina but it was in fact a full four blocks east of Spadina so we had a bit of a hike from where I parked in Kensington market. I don't ever recall walking on that part of Baldwin. It's a pretty cool area once you get past the residential part. There are lots of little restaurants and funky little shops.

It started to rain around the time we got to the shop so we ducked in quickly, picked up the lavender and then stopped at a small cafe for lunch. We each ordered a lunch salad and soon realized we should have split one. The salads were huge but delicious. Once the rain subsided we headed back toward the car, stopping in many little shops on Spadina in search of bargains and treasures. Other than having to hold my breath as I pass each grocery store to avoid the smell of stinky dried fish, I love shopping in Chinatown. There are so many treasures to buy at next to nothing prices - wicker baskets and little silk boxes, beaded purses and colourful pashminas. I didn't buy much today, just a couple of packages of napkins and a couple of pairs of baby booties to put in my gift cupboard but I could have spent hundreds of dollars. I saw some really special teapots and some great dishes - some of which may still end up in Jacob's new kitchen in Guelph. I also saw beautiful wooden spoons, ladles made from hollowed gourds and intricately carved chopsticks. I don't need any of those things but I'm filing away their location in the event I think of someone to buy them for.

When Jacob was in his early teens and was drawn to all things Oriental, he and I would often spend a summer afternoon exploring the shops in Chinatown. He found many things - paintings, jade statues and wood carvings which he purchased with his long saved birthday or Christmas money. All of those items still decorate his room or sit on shelves in the family room or hang on the walls downstairs. It's been a long time since we spent an afternoon strolling Chinatown but I'm betting this summer, I can entice him to spend an afternoon with me looking for new treasures to fill the spaces in the house he'll inhabit in the fall.

Happy Easter

"Twas Easter-Sunday. The full-blossomed trees Filled all the air with fragrance and with joy." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It has been an incredibly beautiful Easter weekend, in fact the most beautiful I can recall. The sun has been bright and the air warm. We were able to sit on the deck on Good Friday and enjoy drinks and appetizers right until the time I served dinner. Good Friday was a great day spent in the company of family and friends, and though Gail, Marg and Bob weren't with us and were missed, Marg and Bob called from Istanbul which filled some of the void.

Yesterday was another lovely day. Merv and I again enjoyed time on the deck while the house filled up with Jacob's friends. I served the kids a simple meal of lasagna and cabbage rolls which they gobbled up in minutes. I was admittedly a bit tired from cooking for eleven the day before and didn't have another elaborate meal in me. It was really great to see all the kids, though none of them look like kids anymore. They are so mature now, socially and physically. I've seen the boys over the year and watch their transformation into men, but Lindsay, Emily and Sara also came over yesterday and while I've seen Sara a fair bit, it was the first time I've seen Lindsay or Emily in ages. All three have matured into beautiful, gracious women.

Today we had Easter brunch at Cath's where we enjoyed our meal in the garden. It was wonderful. Normally Cath would make Easter dinner but she very kindly altered her Easter routine to accommodate Jacob's need to return to school this afternoon. Unfortunately, the University of Guelph is not granting a holiday for Easter Monday. Tomorrow Jacob begins his last week of classes for this academic year. In seventeen days, Merv and I will make the drive back to Guelph to pick up Jacob and all his possessions for his return home for the summer. It seems we all survived the trials of first year with a better than passing grades on our report cards.

The coming week is wide open for me. I have no scheduled work commitments save a board meeting on Tuesday night. It's been a long time since I've been without commitments. I'm planning to just enjoy the time for as long as it lasts. I'm reading the second book in a trilogy by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. If the week stays quiet, I might get to the end of the third book. If you are looking for a great read, start with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo . Stieg Larsson died right after he finished the third book in the trilogy so this is a series to savour - there won't be any more.

Enjoy your week.