Happy Birthday Mackenzie! She stares at me with unnerving focus. I know she doesn’t understand the words, but she really looks like she is trying to figure me out. I look away sheepishly. I love infants, and a birthday party for a one year old is just too good to pass up. They have such a nonchalant way of enjoying themselves. A handful of cake frosting feels smooth and silky, tastes sweet and sticky, and is a great hair mousse.

We flew up to Ottawa this past weekend to see Mackenzie’s first birthday, and visit with a dear friend we miss terribly. Judith is not technically family, but we consider her our “ma.” We have only seen her grand-daughter and Lani in Little Rock, and we had been meaning to get to Canada for a while. When the opportunity came up to knock out three things on our wish-list, we couldn’t resist.

The first night was just Joel and I, so we took some advice from the concierge to head toward the fashionable Byward Market for dinner. We had asked about indian or mediterranean food, so we were whisked off in a cab to a really nice place. Yea, we wanted a buffet. We walked around a little more, finally coming to a cute japanese place. We sat down and ate our fill of sushi rolls, and then walked all around the market area. It is a really quaint part of town that reminded me of the Little Rock River Market all grown up. There were restaurants lined up, with produce stands hawking spices and goods from all corners of the globe. Most were closed, though. We crashed early and barely wanted to move the next day. The only thing that got us moving was the prospect of a day with Judith.

We met Judith for an official tourist day. We walked up and down the river, seeing the parliment buildings, peace tower, and ending up at the art museum. It was the perfect day for it, and we left echoes of laughter and recounted stories all allong the way. We bought little stuff all along the way, and those small trinkets will remind us of the great time we had together every time they catch our eye.

Then, it was dinnertime with the family. Mark’s parents were in for the festivities, so it was one big family dinner. We listened to childhood stories, drank some wine, and watched Mackenzie play in the yellow icing. She doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so that was pretty anti-climatic. However, the frosted hair was worth the wait. Then there was Mark and his daughter’s antics. He would snort and strain, and Mackenzie would follow right along with her little puckered lips and wrinkled nose. Too cute not to laugh at.

The next day was all about getting ready for the party. Judith took us to a local icon, Tim Horton’s, for breakfast. It is the Krispy Kreme of Canada, and well worth the wait at the door. Then, off to their place for a quick present exchange, and birthday party setup. Friends arrived right on time, with a few people delayed because their baby was still asleep. That was a day of men in the dining room talking about American sports, and wives and children playing in the living room with the new toys. It was a blur of toddlers, youngsters, cats, and potato chips.

We were the last to leave, but we were leaving for another country. It was so much fun to be there to help out, hear the Canadian accent, and enjoy the local customs that we will certainly want to come back. Just shopping in their grocery stores was too much fun. Mackenzie, maybe we will help you celebrate your 18 month milestone!

I haven’t even picked out a Halloween costume, and it has already snowed. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for winter weather as long as all the trappings come along with it, like hot chocolate, warm muffins, and snuggly pajamas. We only got about a quarter of an inch, and it was gone in about an hour. Oddly, I felt like I was right back home in Arkansas.

Having winter temps set in so soon certainly suprised my Muscadine vines. The trees have lost their leaves, but the vines were still growing strong. I brought them in when the snow started, and I tried to find a good place for them. It looks like I will have to move some stuff around to give them room at a window, but it may be a good idea to do it now before they lose all their leaves. They may just like it inside.

I do hate that the great seasonal vegetables are lost in the big city. We only get the decorative pumpkins that have no meat under the skin, and these multi-colored and warty gourds. Where are the fat acorn, turban, and butternut squash? I really missed the orchard fresh peaches and thick artichokes. The seasons are lost in the grocery stores.

Now that the temperatures are dropping and I have not tried on my winter coat in a few years, it may be a good idea to make sure it still fits. If I am going to be eating potatoes, cherries, grapes, and string beans all year long, I need to be sure I can keep all that goodness wrapped up and warm.

This past weekend was the Fouth of July, and we are getting a new appreciation for staying at home. Everywhere we go, traffic, crowds, and delays make us question our ideas of fun activities. We recently decided to check out the beaches on the lake. We were prepared for crowds on the beach, but we had not considered the auxiliary stuff. Traffic was brutal trying to get down there. Finding a place to park was crazy, and there were people everywhere. The beach was crowded, with vollyball players and sunbathers. Pik-nikers were spread out all over the banks in the shade of the Locust trees. Small grills smoked their simple fare as families of all nationalities tossed balls, threw frisbees, and chased their kids.

We finally got to the sandy beach after walking along the bank. There was a fenced beach just for dog owners to throw things into the water and have their pets bound off and fetch it back in a splashing frenzy. Looking beyond the froth of woofs and waves, we could see the rest of the beach was filled with people. Oddly, nobody was in the water. The beach was too crowded for it not to spill into the water. We later heard that the water had failed bacterial testing, so swimming was not allowed.

Traffic was just as bad driving away as it was on the way in. Once we broke away from the confines of blocks and traffic lights for the expressway to the ‘burbs, we were ready to get home and just hang out on our own. It sounds like fun to go to glamorous places like the beach on the edge of the city, but it turns into quite another thing when you are circling like buzzards waiting for a parking spot to open up. Don’t get me wrong, we still love it here, but we have a newly found appreciation for the suburban life.

I realized that we had officially become settled in just the other day. It was time to mop. I don’t mind household chores, but mopping this apartment is a different thing. With hardwood and tile floors throughout, every room needs mopping. Now I know it is not a technically challenging duty, but trying to negotiate a clumsy mop around all the furniture legs was not as easy as I had initially figured. Plus, having to change the mop water a couple of times did not endear the task very much.

Now that we have gotten settled in, it is time for us to go places. This last weekend was busy for both of us, but we were off in different directions this time. Joel was back in Little Rock for his big conference, trade show, and annual meeting. He was worn thin trying to get all the last minute details in line, but he managed to make everything happen without putting out an eye or having to bury any evidence. He flew down, picked up my car that we had stored with a dear friend, and drove it back up here when the convention ended. Needless to say, he needed a day or two off before driving all the way back, but he made it just fine.

I have been sitting with a Zen group downtown, and they held a short Sesshin (Meditation retreat) up in Evanston. It started Thursday night and went through Sunday morning. Even though it was not particlarly long, the sitting was no less brutal than any other retreat I have taken. They do everything the Japanese way, despite the lack of a single Asian in the group. They also incorporate other practices that I found fascinating. Brush calligraphy (Shodo) is a clear way to demonstrate the focus and naturalness of a mind. Using the same three character phrase for everyone, the brush strokes from each person became something of a signature of the mind. The Roshi described the places where confusion and disorientation in the work were apparent, but he also pointed out where good technique and freedom of movement adds energy to the piece. This feedback is clear and undeniable, and analyzing the works in front of the group permits everyone an opportunity to learn from the examples and mistakes of others. This also made a great souvenir.

Joel is off to work tomorrow for his first day, which will be spent in training. I suppose I will just sit around and eat bon-bons while the soaps and talk shows slowly calcify my brain. Hmmm, still sounds better than working. I need to get tired of this soon, but it doesn’t seem to be happening.

Big truck full of stuff we couldn’t part with, his Explorer on a trailor, and twelve hours with a cat in the cab. Then, four floors of up, up, and up. Don’t wonder why we haven’t kept this updated. We are just now catching our breath, getting Internet, and trying to get the gas turned on. Let me start with the day we arrived…

We were dead by the time the trip ended. We were actually gone by 4:30am as planned, and we started hitting traffic just outside Chicago after twelve hours. We were so close, and now we had to wait. We just wanted to get out of that truck! Yet, we still had to mess with the U-Haul place to get the Explorer off the trailor before they closed. Driving and riding in the moving van wore us out, but the biggest toll was taken on the cat. As many of you know, she keeps a hectic schedule napping in various places around the apartment. In the cab, there was no possible way she could get a moment’s shut eye without being jarred awake by bumpy roads or channel changes on the radio. She tried, trust me. It was fruitless. Eventually, she became hypnotized and delirious. She just sat there, between her daddies, falling asleep and getting jarred back awake. I knew the feeling, but I had to laugh.

We hauled a few things up the stairs to be able to sleep and take a shower. I barely remember collapsing into bed. We both woke up bright and early to forage for food nearby, which was a breeze. We started moving a few things in ourselves, and we were making excellent progress. We got to a logical stopping point, and was ready for a breather, but the movers show up an hour early. Any other time, I would be glad for that. Not so much right then. Jamocha immediately hid under the covers and did not come out for the rest of the morning.

We got the entire truck unloaded and up the stairs in two hours. We were done by 11:30am. We take the truck back to U-Haul, and have breakfast, again. I get a call from Comcast between my coffee and French Toast. He wants to come over now, instead of the arranged 2pm appointment. What is up with all these early birds? I explain that it will be a couple of hours before I have a computer working, and we need to stick to the original appointment. We eat and get back to the apartment, and we are feeling the burn. I get a computer and the TV setup for the cable guy to install video and Internet. Long ordeal ensues, and I end up with television but no Internet. Maybe I will tell that story next post…

We discover the gas is not on, and try to call the gas company to make arrangements. Automated hell and stupid wait times follow. I try to establish service online, by driving to a nearby coffee shop with Internet access. I complete a huge web form, with all my personal secrets, and hit submit. The result page tells me that the system is being upgraded, and someone will call me in five days. Five days. That is FIVE DAYS. I can pay instantly, but nobody is going to do any thing about turning my service on for a week. They could at least have told me BEFORE I filled out the form that it would take a week. I might have held on the phone for an hour if I knew it would take FIVE DAYS for someone to check their email.

We have a microwave and no Internet. You can imagine how lost I was. Joel comes to the rescue. Apparently, some time ago, they started making a frozen entree called TV Dinners. I had to read the box it came in for instructions. There were no recipe ideas or serving suggestions like I am accustomed. Apparently they are meant to be eaten as is, and that is a shame. Know I know that TV stands for Taste Vacant. I had no idea they could grow vegetables that tasted like nothing. Even after a hearty pinch of salt, it just tasted salty. The next night, we ordered Pizza. We might be broke from the move, but there is no reason to suffer bad meals for it.