A Place to Belong

We just got back from a week at Amherst Shore. May at the shore...a first for me but not a last. In spite of less than perfect weather I really enjoyed the trip. It is so different to go there and not be surrounded by the usual friends and family. It was peaceful and quiet. Still the same beautiful place with the same smells and sights I have loved my entire life. I felt at home. After so many months of not feeling at home where I live, it was so nice to go to the shore and belong somewhere. It was nice to go into the cottage and have it smell just like I remember and to see all of our familiar things and look forward to another summer with the family. I look out the windows and see the things I have looked at for years and open the windows and smell the fresh air and the freshly cut grass. I can go to Craigs and walk in and be a familiar face and see familiar faces and chat about the winter and the upcoming summer. Oh, to feel connected is so welcome.

I realized on this trip ,especially, that this place and the farmhouse when it is finished will be our family home. We don't and won't live in a place anymore where the kids all grew up and where we have a history. No place except the shore. It will always be in our family and it is where no matter where we all go in life we will always have this place to belong. It makes it so much more important to finish the farmhouse and make it our home for the summer.

Back home...in Mississauga, it was even good to be in our house. Slowly I am warming up to living here. Not that I haven't liked it but I am feeling a little more comfortable here and have a few things to look forward to doing around here. I have plenty to keep me busy until it is time to go back to the shore. I think I will really like spring turning into summer up here. So far I am thrilled with my yard and discovering all the new plants that I have never been able to grow in the south. I really never liked gardening because I associated it with lots of sweat and bugs. Not so up here, it is so nice to go outside and feel the velvet air and breath easily. I think gardening up here will be very rewarding, the colors are so bright and things just grow so nicely here. Such a variety to choose from too, I have even planted a few herbs and lettuces. A first for me, the non gardener.

Italy!

After 2 years of planning, the trip to Italy finally happened. It was worth the wait and was everything and more than we had expected. We left Toronto on April 20 and returned on May 4. Two glorious weeks of good friends, beautiful places, perfect weather and too much food and wine. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate 30 years of marriage.

With 22 good friends from Columbus, Ga we started our trip in Tuscany. We visited Siena, Pienza, Florence, and Montepulciano from our first base in Chianciano Terme. From there we went to Assisi by way of Perugia, sampling some yummy chocolate on the way and looking out the windows with anticipation. Assisi was inspiring. St. Francis is inspiring. What a beautiful place filled with history. Our hotel was a highlight with it's views and terraces which our group took full advantage of at night. There was a very long drive to the Amalfi Coast but we stopped for a break in Pompeii. Amazing. Each stop was more and more beautiful. The Amalfi Coast with it's blue water and steep rugged coastline was very different from Tuscany's rolling hills and vineyards. Another hotel with a terrace on the top and this one had a view to take your breath away. We again took full advantage of it for happy hour! Our trip ended in Rome, a city that has so much to offer that around every corner there is something to enjoy. I could go on much longer singing the praises of each of these places and still never do them justice. How can you describe something that has survived since before the time of Christ? How can you describe the beauty of so many churches filled with frescos and history? How do you describe spending 10 days with some of the best friends we will ever have? It was a perfect trip.

Back home, the flowers are blooming and there is life all around. This may well be the longest spring I will ever experience. It was spring in Italy, then spring in Switzerland and now it is spring in Toronto. I like having a spring that lasts 2 months!

spring is here!

Spring is here! Double digit temperatures and green grass. I have never appreciated the onset of spring more than I do this year. I do remember seeing things start to green up and bloom in Georgia but never the stark contrast of seasons like we have had here. The snow and the green grass are really opposites. It was so nice to drive around town today with my sunroof open and the breeze blowing. The signs of nature are popping up all over the place. Trees are budding, grass is getting greener and the tulips and crocus are popping up everywhere. I sure do hope I'm here to enjoy their debute.
With the birth of Daniel, new life is everywhere. Plus....my arm is healing and my knee is healing so my body is coming to life again as well.

It's a Boy!

Daniel Thomas Lee was born April 5, 2008. He weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 21.5 inches long. He has blonde hair and blue eyes and is absolutely beautiful! Our first grandson and he was named after both of his grandfathers. All is well with the world.

When the snow melts

The big news lately is about the big melt. More accurately, what the big melt leaves behind. Never having experienced this amount of snow, or the melting season, I find all of this very curious. Apparently, everyone in Toronto is concerned about all the trash that is being exposed when the snow is melting. I definitely see what they mean too. Cigarette butts, garbage, leaves, and tons of mud and sand are sitting in the streets and on the sidewalks. Lovely. A regular column in the paper is a picture of the most disgusting street scene and the plea for the city to clean it up. Usually, the city is on the ball and does clean it up quickly, a good thing. The difference is remarkable. I guess it will take a while to recover from the winter. There are signs every day though that we will recover and that the real spring is right around the corner.
I am looking forward to the blossoming of trees and the flowers popping up from the ground. The grass is green under all that snow and the crocus and tulips are just waiting to show their faces. The days are sunny and it is light until 8pm. I think I will like the spring and summer and all the hours of daylight.

Spring?? is here!

Well, I think there are a few uniquely Canadian signs that spring is here. First one is the "running of the maple syrup". Yes folks, it is really an event up here. All over the newspaper there are articles of people strapping on their snow shoes to go and get some of that famous maple syrup. Actually, it sounds like a lot of fun, and yummy too. Of course, being from the south, we think Aunt Jemima invented maple syrup and never knew your could just go out to a tree and get it yourself. Is there any real maple in the stuff we get at the store anyway? Guess we will have to get some "fresh" maple syrup this year!

The other sign that spring is here is the Brier. Sponsored by Tim Horton's! Who else? The Brier, for those of you from south of the US/Canadian border is the men's curling championship. Don't you feel smarter already? We had the pleasure of joining friends for dinner and to watch the Brier on Sunday evening. They were getting us back for making them watch the Super Bowl. Dinner was fabulous!!! And we did see the end of the curling. Ontario lost unfortunately. Our friend knew some of the players personally. Can't say I knew anyone playing in the Super Bowl personally. Riveting game and an enjoyable evening. I really am a sports junkie!

Spring is officially here according to the calendar. I just hope that Mother Nature listens up and things get a little more like spring. The "big melt" is on these days. I think we had a whole week of temps above freezing during the day. The mountains of snow are down to hills of snow and no snow at all in some places. I can see spots of grass in my back yard, it really must be spring. The unfortunate thing about being above freezing though is that the precipitation takes the form of rain now and not snow. Snow is much prettier, I think. I see tulips in the stores and people are getting a little antsy for spring so it must be time! Bring it on! I can't wait to see the first blooms of the next season.

Travel as Therapy

Over the last few weeks we have been out of town every weekend. This was all planned before the skiing accident. "To go or not to go?", that is the question. I made it to and from Rachel's shower and felt much better when I got home, maybe another road trip will help just as much.
TJ and I went to New York City to meet friends of ours from our Columbus,GA days. It has become an annual thing and so much fun! We got to see "Wicked" on Broadway. Excellent! Ate out and had great food and wine. We did a walking tour of Greenwich Village food places and restaurants. So informative and yummy. My walking was labored but I pushed myself and tried to keep up with Rick, aka Speedy. I could not keep up. It was great to be in above freezing temps with no snow or ice anywhere to be seen! We all had a great visit and have vowed to do this next year too.
Back home and TJ is going to Montreal for work. He asked if I wanted to go. Since I have not been anywhere lately! OK, I am such a fool. We head to Montreal for a couple of days, with the dogs in tow. They were so happy! Talk about snow! Our friends who we stayed with have even more snow than we do. They also have 3 dogs of their own, so there were 5 dogs at their house. They got along surprisingly well too. Montreal seems like a very nice city and I think I would love to visit again in warmer weather, in better health so I can do some sightseeing and shopping. I am tired of being on the road though and the thought of going home and just repacking is not making me happy. The only think that makes the next trip worth the trouble is sun and warmer weather!

Home for a day and then off the San Diego! What a LONG flight from over here. The palm trees, sunshine and warm air were sooo worth it. We were surrounded by Canadians at the Buffalo airport who were fleeing the tundra for March break. I was glad to be one of them. I definitely understand the need for "March Break" now. We had a beautiful visit with Kirk and Mary Kate. MK gave me some much needed physical therapy help for the arm and the knee. I trust her and hope this all helps.

Back home and here for a while! It feels good to unpack and do laundry and watch the snow melt. We missed a monster snow storm while we were gone. Yippee! Now the big melt is on. It could take a month for all the snow to go away though. Everyone here is hoping we set the all time record for snow in a winter. Only 9 cm. to go.

In retrospect....it was good to be forced to travel. I think if I had sat around here and tried to get well I would have gone crazy first and might not have healed as quickly as I am. Still not 100% but it has only been 4 weeks. Taking your mind off the pain and inconvenience is helpful. It doesn't hurt to be surrounded by family and friends either. Now we are home until the grand baby arrives. Time to do some stuff around here and regroup for the next adventure. Who knew life would be such an adventure when we got here? Maybe a little too much of an adventure, eh?