Personal

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A Familial Weekend

It’s been a pretty lazy weekend. The most exhausting thing I did was battle the throngs at Canadian Tire Saturday morning to pick up a 50% off ($27) 300 watt inverter with USB ports for Moya. Now, I’m keeping an eye out for sales on 12V deep cycle batteries.

My sister-in-law told me to come over at some point this weekend to see the house she and my brother bought last fall. So I walked over there Saturday afternoon and ended up spending a couple of hours helping these new parents with their chores. Sis-in-law was horrified, but I told that that’s what aunts do and that since I have more experience being an aunt than she has being a mother, she should just go along with it. 🙂

I had the house to myself today and didn’t really know how to spend the day. I had to sit around and wait for Vidéotron to come effect some repairs, but the guy was here first thing, which left me a full day to fill. My grand-mother had left her sunglasses here the other night, so I decided to call her in the early afternoon to see if she’d be up for a visitor.

As it turned out, one of my aunts called to wish my step-mother a happy birthday and mentioned that she was heading to the cinema and then dinner with my grand-mother. So there went my grand plan for the afternoon. I mentioned that grand-maman’s sunglasses were here and my aunt said they’d swing buy to pick them up shortly.

I had just sat down with my katakana workbook when the doorbell rang. I handed the sunglasses to my aunt and she asked if I wanted to go out with them. If so, I had five minutes to get ready! I ran downstairs for footwear and my purse, locked up the house, and headed out to the car.

En route, I learned that we were going to see Les Adieux à la reine (Farewell, My Queen), a movie about the last days of French queen Marie Antoinette told from the point of view of the servants. I know a lot about this period of history, but not from this perspective. The movie is based on a novel and the protagonist did not exist, but it was still a fascinating and wonderful movie. I especially liked that although it was a period film, it felt contemporary.

After, we couldn’t make up our mind about where to go to dinner. Of all the options around the cinema, only one really appealed to me so I suggested Casey’s. We all had a nice dinner including dessert and excellent coffee.

As our meal was wrapping up, my aunt realised that she’d lost an earring. So after eating, we decided to retrace our steps in the hopes of finding it. We wound up back in the same parking spot at the cinema and, lo and behold, there was the earring under the car in the next spot, undamaged! Talk about lucky!

So it’s been a lovely, relaxing weekend at my end. I hope that the week ahead is very busy with work!

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Hanging Out in the Garage

I just spent an hour in the garage with my brood. I just set up a chair, sat down with my iPad, and next thing I knew, I had a purring black cat snuggled in for a nap on my lap. Neelix was happy with a cuddle at departure and arrival.

That my tabby is okay with life in the garage is no surprise; he is completely unflappable. But that Tabitha hasn’t been hiding except for the one time I went in with my mother is very surprising. The garage obviously feels safe to her.

I’m amused that I put her favourite blanket in a dark, hidden corner and that either she or Neelix pulled it out and arranged it right smack in the middle of the garage floor. Even though she can’t stand her brother, I’ve caught both of them happily snuggled on that blanket. Cats, I’ll never understand them. 🙂

 

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Wow, Haven’t Done That In About 13 Years

A clash of schedules this evening found me babysitting for a half hour! My brother and sister-in-law landed breathlessly with my nephew with about five minutes notice to me. I joked, “Are you sure you trust me with your boy?” and sis-in-law replied sarcastically, “I’m so worried!” It’s nice to be trusted. 🙂

Youngest Nephew is about five months old and a very happy baby with bright blue eyes. We had a fun time playing with his toys and watching the squirrels play on the front lawn. He was a little overdue for a nap, so when he started fussing I took him for a walk about the house and he just settled happily into my arms.

There is nothing like a happy, cooing baby. And the smell! What is it about that baby smell, huh?

No, I have no interest in having my own. Being an aunt is awesome: you get to have fun, but can hand the baby back when you’ve had your fill. 😉

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The Meaning of ‘Moya’

My toad’s name, Moya, comes from a character in my favourite sci-fi show, Farscape. Moya is a living ship, a biomechanical lifeform with a soul.

This show is about an astronaut who gets shot through a wormhole into another galaxy into a new and amazing life aboard Moya. My favourite line from the show is from the intro and is one that I quote to folks who just don’t get my lifestyle.

You’ll never know the wonders I’ve seen.

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So Glad I Made It

Tonight was the big family party that was the reason why I needed to get back to Canada when I did. I would have really missed out on something special. I had a great time and got to see most of my extended family. It will be nice to catch up with everyone over the summer. There are lots of new babies to cuddle and houses to visit!