Where Has this Week Gone?

         
          I checked my blog this evening and noticed that I have not written for over a week.  That is  long time...and so much has happened. Since last writing our family have had one leaving, five coming, and sadly, the death of our grand dog.

          The leaving was my brother-in-law.  He is feeling much better and decided to try to live on his own for awhile.  He had been here for just over six months.  He left here at the beginning of the March Break and is now living independently and closer to other family members and his friends. I am so happy for him that he feels well enough to be on his own and thankful to have had time to get to know him better.

          The five coming were our son, his wife, their son, their dog, and our daughter.  They arrived near the end of the March Break and we shared some precious family moments.  Some pictures were taken and memories made.  Our grandson is now eight months old and constantly on the move. Such a pleasure!  Our daughter's last visit home was five months ago, during the Canadian Thanksgiving.

           Dakota, a ten year old beagle belonging to my daughter-in-law, became very ill during the March Break.  After her visit to the lake, she returned home, and shortly thereafter, died peacefully.  It was heartbreaking for the whole family, but as my son's text said, "She is now in dog heaven and no longer in pain." 

          I am thankful for the time I have had with our family over the past few weeks. 

The Next Generations

Helping Out in the Kitchen!

Dakota- may she rest in peace.

Until next time,

Bee Rich

 

March- A Positive Break

A puzzle completed by my daughter-in-law during their last visit.

          We are already half-way through the March Break.  The weather has been warm and mostly sunny.  The snow on the ground and the ice on the lake are melting.  Spring is definitely in the air.
          So far, it has been an up and down week. 

          Up- lots of visits with family, neighbours and friends- coffee, lunch, tea, lots of sharing
          Down- my mother was not feeling well
          Up- she is now feeling better
          Down- one of our grand dogs was very ill
          Up- she is now feeling better
          Down-Clarke is not feeling well
          Up- Tomorrow we will stop in at a clinic that might help him feel better soon
          Down- I have been feeling a little down and out lately, while worrying about my loved ones
          Up- I have time to write and already feeling better!

Lessons Learned:

"This, too, shall pass."
                           -my mom

“But you will admit that it is a very good thing to be alive.”   
                            - Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz

“If you see the world and yourself through a lens smudged by negativity then you’ll find much misery. If you look outwards and inwards through lens brightened by positivity you’ll find much to be happy and appreciative about.”
                             - Henrik Edberg, The 7 Timeless Habits of Happiness

“When things go wrong, don't go with them.”   
                             -Elvis Presley

"Life is too short to worry too long."
                             -Bee Rich

Until next time,

Bee

Or you could just tell them to Be Quiet!

March Break is Here!

          It is the beginning of the March Break here in Ontario.  Today was a good one.  Intermediate class, nine great students, calm, and productive...
         
          The stretch ahead is a long one.  One weekend + five days + one weekend = March Break
         
What to do?
         
So much!

• haircut and colour
• weather watching
• course work
• lunch with my brother
• trip to Toronto,
• prepare for an interview
• more spring cleaning
• visit with children and grandson
• catch up with friends
• read a book or two, or three

          One of my second cousins in the States posted this quote on Facebook:

Let's just say, "I'm flexible."

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Spring Ahead?

Note to Self- This is IMPORTANT!

           Today is a dirty day.  It is grey and rainy. The temperature is hovering around 14 degrees C.  It is pleasantly balmy but very wet and muddy.  I have been home for two days with a headache- not sure if it is weather related or what, but I needed some time to decompress, finish a few assignments for the course I am taking, and clean the house. 
           A big project is going on in our crawl space.  My hubby has been working on providing support for the joists so that when we walk on the floor, it would not bounce and create weird noises.  I think it would be easier if we both lost a few pounds, by my better half is determined to do the job.  About two weeks ago, we crawled around and measured the space to decide the placement of the support posts. Yesterday we hired a man to come in and help pour concrete for the support posts.  Next week our two adult children will be here to help hoist the beams atop the support posts.  Hopefully, this will solve the problem of the weird noises in our home. 
           Teaching is going well.  I have had many calls for Intermediate classes all over the board, which is fine with me.  Interestingly, today one of the authors of the Hall Dennis Report died.  Mr. Dennis was a strong supporter of Living and Learning, a document that I studied at university.  It recommended that we do away with rote learning and corporal punishment in our schools.          
          Spring Break is just around the corner!  Tomorrow is the last teaching day and then there is a week long vacation.  I will be covering in another Intermediate class and I am thinking that it should be fun.  Several of the students will be away on a ski trip.  I am wondering how many of the others will actually show up.  No matter, who is there will be there and I will do the job at hand.  Looking forward to a week of no course and no teaching. 
          Perhaps I will have time once again to write.
          Oh, and I heard today that the time springs ahead this weekend.  That means one less hour of sleep on Saturday night.  This is the first time we have been in the country with the early advent of Daylight Savings Time. It does feel like Spring is in the air!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

The Book of Awesome!

          Today was a good day.  I taught in an Intermediate classroom (grade 7 and 8) in a nearby school.  It was not my first time there, but it was the best.  The students were respectful, worked hard, and began to share with me some of their personal interests. 
         
          My favourite moment of the day was when one young man brought up a book he was reading.  It was called The Book of Awesome.  So, I googled the book and found this youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_HkH8huuzA
         
          What is really nice is that the author apparently writes a blog.  It can be found at http://1000awesomethings.com/ 

          Now, inspired by a student's suggestion, I have a new book to order and a new blog to read.

          We all need a little awesome in our lives.  I am wishing you an incredible (and awesome) weekend!


Until next time,


Bee Rich

Winter Hangs On

          I am counting down the days before I see our two adult children together once again.  Sometime in the middle of March, during the March Break, my daughter and son (along with his wife and son) will be arriving at our home for a brief visit.  The purpose of their travel?  They will be heading in to Ottawa for a Leafs vs Sens hockey game.  The tickets to the game, along with free babysitting by Grandma and Grandpa, were gifts to our lovely offspring for Christmas, 2011. 
          The reasons for my anticipation are many.  The last time I saw our daughter in person was over the Thanksgiving weekend in October.  She lives in Scotland. I cannot wait to see her in her new Leafs jersey.
          It was mid-January when I was at our son's place.  Another trip was planned this past weekend, but the wintry weather kept us at home.  In the meantime, they have worked very hard on renovations and recently put their house up for sale. If you are interested in buying a house in Guelph, here is the link:

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=11621152&PidKey=1211242762

They have their eye on another home located closer to their work.  Here's hoping that their dreams come true.  I cannot wait to see them and their gorgeous son, who will be almost 8 months old.

          Winter rages on here.  Today I drove for several hours in a snowstorm to get to a job that was cancelled at the last minute.  The good part of this trek was I was able to navigate the roads with my Jeep four wheel drive. The other good news is that the Weather Network is forecasting temperatures near 10 degrees C. by next Wednesday. 

         For today, I will be content to remain near home, have lunch with the neighbours, work on my course, and then curl up with a good book!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Fact of Life :) !