12:39 a.m. - 2003-08-06
Ups and Downs
Just after I finished writing last night, the sky lit up. Sheet lightning - purple infused with incandescent white. Thunderous rumblings. Then the rains came - it poured. We opened all the doors and windows and just enjoyed the scent of clean earth and the feel of cool air. Bliss. Lasted for an hour or more. Puddles near the windows, but well worth it. Don't know who is praying or who is listening, but gracias.
This morning not so hot. I needed to get into my computer so I could tie up some loose ends before sending the stuff Elections Canada wants back tout suite, s'il tu plait! (Now!) First the computer crashed and had to be nursed back to health. Once it was resuscitated the printer gave up the ghost. Pulled my youngest out of bed to help.
Glad I raised him so well. He handled my mini tantrum like a pro - and no I don't have them very often, too much energy wasted. I've already explained to EC that I hate having the assignment hanging over my head too. Notwithstanding that I don't get paid unless all the pieces are received by them, I still resent being forced to sign off on an unnecessary expenditure of $50,000. I thought by deliberately not accepting a paycheque, it might make the strongest statement possible, since they know what my financial status is. I guess not. Kind of like a hunger strike in a jail run by anorexics I think.
Anyway, my son finally figured out what was wrong with the beast and fixed it - some part or other was sticking to some other part. Got the last of the paper printed and packed it up. Grabbed some cash so I could do the grocery shopping and walked out the back door.
Seemed as though some little imp was having a slow day though. When I was crossing the parking lot toward the post office, an elderly gentleman approached and asked for directions to Prairie Winds Park. He'd got turned around when he drove into the community and just couldn't find a reference point that made sense to him. All he needed to do was drive out the nearest exit of the parking lot, turn left and follow the road until he could see the big sign with the parks' name on it and tennis courts near the main entrance. He kept wanting to refer back to the turn where he'd gotten lost in the first place and have me describe the route from there. When I tried that, he really got confused. I was trying to be patient and to take the time needed to be sure he understood, but I knew the post van would be at the post office in half an hour and I didn't want to miss having my parcel go out today. Finally got him sorted out.
Walked into the drugstore - post office at the back - and found a huge line up. It was mid afternoon on a Tuesday for pete's sake - why weren't all these people at work? Turned out that it was one of those days where all the members of several families decided to go together to see their parcels safely off. With new Canadians, who don't have English as a first language, it's a good strategy since they work as a group to figure out what is being said. Doesn't work well in narrow aisles in a retail outlet though. Especially when some arrive much later in the process and stride to the front of the line to join their family with even more mysterious and complex mailing issues for the clerks to deal with. In some cultures the women aren't given very much money at any time, so the purchase is paid for with pennies, nickles, and dimes carefully counted out. I can empathise with that one because I've been that strapped for cash too. It was just that the timing was lousy. Anyway, finally got that all straightened out.
Bought what I needed to feed my men and arrived home an hour after I left. Just finished getting everything put away ensuring Miss Kitty and her tribe got a clean litter box and kibble as their treat. Looked around at the paper flung from one end of the room to the other and the sink full of dishes thinking I'd tackle them next, when a knock came at the door. We unhooked the doorbell years ago because of some of the boys' friends penchant for ringing at all hours. I like the peace so much I've kept it that way. Thought I could scare anyone off with the attire I had on, so I answered the door on a whim.
Turned out to be the first mom I had met as a volunteer when we first moved into this community. We'd done a lot of good work together until her family moved out of town about 12 years ago. Her three children were the same age as my three oldest, so we spent the next several hours catching up on everyone's lives. She asked me to come stay with them up north in the fall and I think I will take her up on it. We share a love of the same type of books and similar interests in complementary medicine, so we'll have a lot to talk about to catch up each other's adventures in those areas too. The day was sort of a roller coaster, but it ended up well.
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