Buttons

"I could see no reason why used tram tickets, bits of driftwood, buttons and old junk from attics and rubbish heaps should not serve well as materials for paintings; they suited the purpose just as well as factory-made paints... It is possible to cry out using bits of old rubbish, and that's what I did, gluing and nailing them together." - Kurt Schwitters

I've been thinking about all the stuff I've accumulated over the course of my adult years.  I do have the penchant for saving small trinkets, scraps of ribbon and pretty paper, old buttons and baubles.  When I'm tucking them away, I'm sure some day I'll find a use for them.  A couple of weeks ago, I rounded up the odd buttons that have been scattered among various boxes and drawers and decided to try and figure out what they could become.  I don't sew.  Some of them are really very pretty.  Looking at them I recalled what garments they either came off of (if I dispose of something I take the buttons off before I put it in the garbage) or what garment they came with as the extra button.  I thought about the obscenely expensive green maternity suit that I bought when I was expecting Jacob and about the beautiful black sweater I had which was fastened by a single rhinestone button.  Playing with the buttons, sorting them and trying them in various combinations gave me an idea.  The buttons are jewellery and might have new lives as bracelets and necklaces.

I called my sister Nancy and asked if she had any buttons she would like to contribute to my inventory.  She brought me three boxes.  Nancy is the keeper of the family buttons accumulated over the course of much of the last century by my grandmother, Aunt Nora and Aunt Sadie.  In one of the boxes Nan brought, was a collection of pearl buttons that had once been Aunt Sadie's.  Nancy made me promise that they would stay in the family if indeed they found their way into a new life as jewels.

For a couple of weeks, I've tried to make my button jewellery idea work.  Every attempt failed - until today.  Today my friend Dale came over for our semi-annual play day.  A couple of times a year, Dale and I spend a few hours doing crafts.  She teaches me something and I teach her something.  It's a good system.  Perhaps because it was such a fun time, with no expectations and full freedom to experiment without any pressure to produce, the pieces came together.  My button jewellery designs moved from concept to completion.  Aunt Sadie's pearl buttons are in a single bracelet.  It's quite lovely.  A button from my maternity suit is now one of several terrific buttons on an art-deco-style bracelet.  I have a couple of other pieces in progress, one a bracelet of variously coloured abalone shell buttons, the other a grouping of interesting brass buttons.  Unfortunately, I too soon lost the daylight and my old eyes no longer allow me to do the fine work in artificial light.  I will finish them in the morning before my client meeting.  It won't take me long.

I've really enjoyed this experiment.  I think I'm going to dig out some of the other trinkets and scraps I've held on to these many years and try to breathe new life and purpose into them too.

G Whiz

"Baseball is like driving, it's the one who gets home safely that counts."  - Tommy Lasorda

Another rite of passage.  Another success.  Today Jacob passed his G license test.  The G test is the last in Ontario's graduated licensing program.  Last month, Jacob took the test for the first time without success, but this morning he nailed it.

 

As the test was scheduled for 8:30 this morning in Guelph, I booked myself into the Delta to ensure Jacob would have adequate practice time last night and this morning.  He was in stress overload last night so we had a bite to eat and I convinced him to just go home and go to bed so he might face this morning with a clearer head.  And that's what he did.  While he rested, I went back to the hotel and made the women's table gifts for our Newfoundland-themed Christmas Eve dinner.  Earlier in the day before heading to Guelph, I managed to find some faceted labradorite beads at a bead store on Queen Street.  I tucked my beading supplies into my bag in case I found myself unable to sleep and in need of a relaxing activity.  There's nothing like beading to get me to my Zen space.

When I finally finished the gifts around midnight, I decided to settle into bed.  But sleep was not to be.  I got a call from one of Jacob's friends who needed a shoulder to cry on.  By one o'clock I was struggling to stay awake.  At long last he settled down and was ready to go to sleep too.  I managed a couple of fitful hours before I got up and made my way to Jacob's before the sun rose. 

Jacob was nervous about the test but in control of the situation.  It was glimpsing that confidence this morning that made me know he would have a successful result today.  I am very proud.

Fifty Shades of Grey Cup

"When we Canadians look at the Grey Cup, we see far more than a gleaming football trophy; we see a reflection of ourselves" - Stephen Brunt 

In spite of neither of us being big football fans, Merv and I headed downtown yesterday to attend the Sun Life Grey Cup Party.  It was a chance to meet some football players and see the Grey Cup up close.  There was even a draw for two pairs of tickets to attend the game and a couple of chances to carry the cup along the parade route.  We didn't win.

We did have a lot of fun though.  I was entertained looking at the array of people headed downtown on the subway in the afternoon.  Young and old, the subway was packed with Grey Cup revellers of all types.  There were a lot of painted blue faces and a lot of expensive Argos jackets.  Some people were wearing their game tickets on lanyards around their necks.  The excitement was palpable.

At the Sun Life party, we met Hamilton Tiger Cats player Kevin Eiben who graciously signed an autograph for Jacob and posed for a picture with me.  A little later, Merv and I each had our photos taken with former Argos great, Doug Flutie.  Doug most graciously signed my Sun Life Grey Cup t-shirt, also for Jacob.  We each received a gift bag courtesy of Sun Life with a shirt, hat, noisemaker and a package of cocoa.

When the Grey Cup  parade reached our party, a couple of lucky draw winners took possession of it and carried it along the parade route towards the Rogers Centre.  Immediately after they left, the management of Sun Life presented a five million dollar cheque to the University Health Network for diabetes prevention and treatment.

All in all, it was a fun afternoon.  We were home in time to watch the pre-game interviews and the kick-off.  We even watched the first half of the game and the half-time show.  I didn't tune in again until shortly before the end of the game.  It was an exciting night for Toronto.  The win gave our city a much needed boost.  Little did I know a second boost was coming this morning with the ouster of Mayor Rob Ford.  As of the evening news tonight, he is vowing to appeal this morning's ruling and fight to keep his seat.  I hope with some time to reflect, he will decide instead to be honourable, take his medicine and step aside.  If he wants to teach the high school football team he coaches, a valuable lesson in life, he would do well to demonstrate how to be a gracious loser.

That's Who

"Who are you
Who who who who
Who are you
Who who who who"
- Lyrics from "Who Are You" by The Who

Part of the British themed anniversary gift I gave Merv for our anniversary in August, was a pair of tickets to see The Who at the Air Canada Centre last night.  The concert was part of the Quadrophenia tour, the second of The Who's rock operas.  The Who was preceded  by an opening act called "Vintage Trouble" which did a more than respectable job of warming up the audience.  The lead singer seemed to be channelling James Brown.

It wasn't until shortly before The Who took the stage that our seat mates took their place.  I don't tend to have much luck with seat mates.  I swear somehow the universe conspires to put the largest person in the place in the seat next to me.  Last night was no exception.  The man occupying the adjacent seat was at least 6'6" tall and he seemed almost that wide.  He was in and out of the seats several times, making runs for beer and refreshments.  On his first foray back from the beer stand, while I was watching the band, I didn't see him coming.  Rather than excusing himself and allowing me an opportunity to stand and give him space, he barged through, stepping hard on my foot with the full force of his 300 pounds.  This morning, I have two purple toes.

The Who performed without breaks for two-and-a-half hours.  When they finished Quadrophenia, they sang a few of their old songs.  At that point the whole audience was on its feet, including the hulk next to me.  When he started swinging his arms, I began to feel completely intimidated so I sat down.  I didn't see the stage again until the very last song.

I was amazed by the energy of the band.  Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are in their late sixties now.  They can still sing and still play.  My only note for an improved performance would be for Roger Daltery - Roger, you are sixty eight years old, please button up your shirt.  Other than that, their performance was flawless.  All in all, it was a good night.

Ceasefire

"War may sometimes be a necessary evil.  But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good.  We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children."  - Jimmy Carter

Along with much of the rest of the world, I've been holding my breath the last couple of weeks while I've watched events unfold in the Middle East.  It was with relief that I received the news yesterday that the Israelis and the Palestinians of Gaza had agreed to a ceasefire. Let's hope it holds.  I was bemused this morning by the headline in today's Toronto Star:  "Both sides claim victory in ceasefire".  It's a well done mediation that makes both sides think they've won.

I don't know what the solution is to the conflict that has gone on for so many years between the Israelis and their Arab neighbours.  I can't even pretend that I understand all the root causes of the conflict or the multi-faceted history of how the Middle East got to be the unholy mess it is today.  But I do know that somehow, in some way, the whole world needs a solution to this conflict.  Every flare-up of tensions there, sends the rest of us into angst. 

I do know the solution can't be war.  Even the victors don't win in a war.  The Israelis need to feel safe.  The Palestinians need to feel hopeful.  A lasting peace is going to require that both sides feel like winners.  I'll keep praying.

Tension

"The name's Bond.  James Bond." - 007 in every James Bond movie

I spent the best part of Saturday cleaning the kitchen cupboards and eliminating all traces of evidence that we've been visited again by mice.  The prospect of the clean up kept me from sleeping for much of Friday night.  It was truly terrifying for me to go through the cupboards, not knowing what I would find.  I realized it was unlikely any mice would be running around in the cupboards in the middle of the day or when I was making so much noise but my severe rodent phobia is not rational.  I know I'm bigger than they are and they're not going to hurt me but it's not about that.  By the fourth hour of cleaning and trying to stuff every crevice with steel wool, I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to slip a drop or two of Baileys into my coffee. 

As I was cleaning the last cupboard, Merv asked if I'd like to go see the new James Bond movie, Skyfall.  As soon as I was done, I raced upstairs to wash up and change my clothes.  Luckily, Merv bought our tickets on-line.  Even then, we were at the back of a very long line of ticket holders waiting to get into the theatre.  We were able to grab a couple of really good seats.  The movie was excellent, suspenseful and intense.  I was captivated from beginning to end. When it was finally over, I was spent.  Between mouse clean up and James Bond, it's a wonder I didn't have a heart attack.

The week promises to be busy with appointments and work.  Whatever surprises it brings, I hope there won't be any rodents involved.

Lucky Seven

I have heard there are troubles of
   more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat.  I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have
   troubles with me!
~Dr. Seuss

My darling friend Sara just sent me a text to wish me a happy anniversary.  As my wedding anniversary is in August, I didn't know what she was talking about.  How I let this day dawn without realizing it's meaning is beyond me.  Today is my cancer-free anniversary.  Seven years.  A gift from God.  I am grateful beyond measure.

Of Mice and Son

"When the mice laugh at the cat, there is a hole nearby." - Nigerian Proverb

I started my day with a text message from Jacob.  He is having roommate and girlfriend trouble and he's at his wits end.  Unfortunately, what he really needs to do is move out of the house he has been living in the past three years.  When he started dating one of his roommates last term, he knew it could get complicated and messy.  I don't think he realized just how complicated and messy it would get.  Suffice it to say, another of his roommates hasn't handled the romance well.  She has made it her personal mission to make Jacob and Courtney miserable.  And she has succeeded.  He is so unhappy that after speaking with him this morning, I spent an hour looking for housing alternatives that I could suggest to him.  Though decent, temporary housing is expensive, I'm prepared to move him this weekend if need be and to keep him there until we can figure out a better alternative for next term.  In the interim, I've suggested he might have a couple of straightforward conversations with some friends and at the very least do a reality check with the help of more objective views. 

Hearing that he is so unhappy, was a tough start to my day because if he's unhappy, I'm unhappy.  It's taking all my strength to stop from getting in my car, and setting his roommate straight.  How dare she hurt my baby.  I won't do it but I want to.  I know that it's in his best interest to work this out for himself and that my role is limited to giving my best advice only when asked.  It's hard.

Unfortunately, my day deteriorated from there when I opened the cupboard under the kitchen sink to find evidence of mice.  The exterminator was here within a half hour.  He tells me it is a minor infestation, very new and limited to the cupboard under the sink and the adjacent cupboards containing cleaning products and pots and pans.  In consideration of the severity of my rodent phobia, there is no such thing to me as a minor infestation.  When we last had this problem, three years ago, Merv caulked the wall between the garage and the house.  Some inspection this morning showed that some of that caulking had been pulled away.  He promises me he will redo it this weekend.  I will empty all the kitchen cupboards, sterilize them and seal all the spaces around the pipes and hope that I can sleep again sometime in the next month or two.  No guarantees.  The exterminator laid all the bait boxes out and is confident that should take care of the problem.  But I'm nervous.  If worse comes to worse, I'll be looking for temporary accomodation for me too.

Four More Years

"We are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states." - Barack Obama in his victory speech last night

It was as engaging and suspenseful as an action thriller, though considerably longer. Neither  CNN's Wolf Blizer nor Anderson Cooper were quite as enthralling as Denzel Washington, but John King at the magic wall certainly captured my full attention.  Red states, blue states, political pundits, voter analysis at the most intricate level, races with hair-thin margins that kept switching from blue to red and back - by the time CNN called it for Obama, I was a nervous wreck.  I really wanted to go to bed at that point, but the last time I went to bed immediately following the CNN call was the night I went to bed believing that Al Gore had beaten George Bush.  Actually, I still believe that but I digress. I wanted to be sure I wasn't going to wake up this morning and hear that they had changed their minds.

I dozed a bit in the half hour before Mitt Romney made his concession speech which was short and I thought a little sad.  I'm not a Mitt fan but I felt a bit sorry for him.  I don't think it occurred to Mr. Romney that he might actually lose the election because he thought God was on his side.

It was an electrified Barack Obama who finally took the stage to make his victory speech. Not known as a great orator, Mr. Obama outdid himself last night.  He spoke with passion, emotion and conviction.  He held out an olive branch to Mr. Romney and the Republican party.  It was a wonderful speech to witness.

Today I have been listening to the pundits already talking about the trouble Mr. Obama will have in getting anything done in these next four years.  Many Republicans are claiming the President didn't get a mandate last night.  I don't really know how they can believe that, given that he was re-elected and ahead in the popular vote.  I hope in the days and weeks to come, our American neighbours find a way to put the rancor and divisiveness behind them.  If not, it's going to be a long four years.

Vegas Rules

"There's just no quiet in Vegas." - Barry Manilow

Last February at my dear friend Colleen's birthday party, a group of women decided in a fanciful conversation that it would be fun to take a trip to Las Vegas - no kids, no partners.  I am writing this blog on the plane, headed home from a very fun, but very exhausting trip with four delightful women.  Though there was a time when we thought we would be a larger group, it ended up being Colleen, her sister Jocelyn, sister-in-law Christine, dearest childhood friend Janine and me.  We five range in age from 37 to 57, Christine being the former and I the latter.  Christine is an oncologist, Janine a neo-natal nurse, Colleen an accountant, Jocelyn a business woman and I, of course, an HR consultant.  Janine lives in Ottawa.  Christine lives in Vancouver.  At first blush, it would seem that we do not share much in common, but we are women and women somehow always seem to find the commonalities in our lives.  To start, we are all mothers and though our children range in age from four to twenty-two, we all love them and worry about them.  We never ran out of conversation.  We laughed a lot.  Shopped a lot.  Ate a lot.  And considering none of us is much of a drinker - drank a lot.  We shared clothes, and makeup and stories.  We spent an afternoon at Macy's making Janine over from head to toe in the earnest hope that at the end of the day, she would see what a beautiful woman she is.  Cristine bought Loubitan shoes, giving me a great vicarious thrill.  Colleen bought a beautiful dress to wear at her partner's Christmas party.  We all wish we could be there to see his reaction when she emerges in that dress.  We all treated ourselves to a new outfit or two and we all shopped for our kids.

What we didn't do much of, was sleep.  We started our days in the early morning and ended them in the early morning.  We went to a couple of shows and shared a couple of great dinners.  We gambled a little, sat at the pool a little, and talked, and talked, and talked.  The fanciful notion of another long weekend together next year arose in our conversation.  Another four days in Vegas would be great by me.