The Water Festival

I took Wednesday off work and joined up with Cameron's and a few other classes for a trip to the Peterborough Zoo. The Children's Water Festival was on and so we spent the day there. Now, I'll admit that I thought Water Festival meant sprinklers, buckets and playing in the wet stuff. For that reason, I couldn't figure out why they weren't supposed to bring their towels and swimsuits. Well. Turns out, the Water Festival is an annual event, teaching kids (and their mums) about conservation, pollution, natural habitats and all things water. It was great and, quite honestly, I learned a lot! And, I got to hang out with Cameron and five really nice buddies all day.

We wandered around, visiting several booths throughout the morning. We learned how to identify some native frogs, turtles and snakes, then visited a demonstation that involved toilets - regular and low flush. Wow! What a difference. Same with the showers set up in the parking lot with regular and low flow shower heads. There were a couple of guys there who work for the City. They had a cut-away fire hydrant hooked up and showed how they work. There are 2100 hydrants in Peterborough alone! Then the kids went across the pathway, readied themselves, the water was turned on and in no-time-flat, they were soaked. Fully clothed, no less (although I did suggest they remove their shoes and socks first). Perfect day for a cool soak, too, as it's been so unseasonably hot.

After lunch we headed out for more. We arrived at 'the hill' and the guys wanted to take their turn rolling down it.  Well, our timing was perfect and the next thing you know, the guys joined the host of CHEX TV's 5 o'clock show rolling down hill...on camera!

If you skip to the 6:40 mark, you'll see them in the background. Cammy's the one in the bright green soccer shirt rolling sideways down the hill until he klunes the show's host in the head as she rolls by. And there's Aaron and Brent, Duncan and Ben and Jon, down at the bottom pumping his arms triumphantly in the air. And check out the performance by some grade 2 students from St. Alphonsus at the 3:15 mark. How fun is this water festival! 

The boys will be holding an autograph session at school on Monday.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm Dreaming of a White New Year

It's been one mild fall in these parts, let me tell you. Mother Nature has provided a couple little snowfalls - enough to turn the ground white but not enough for excited kids to run a toboggan down a hill. Until Tuesday. 

We did wake up to a barely white Christmas and then the snow melted through the day. Tuesday made up for it all. The snow started around lunchtime and continued through the day and night. By Wednesday we were looking at about half a foot of the white stuff.

Paul pulled the sleds down from the rafters in the garage yesterday and the kids finally got to have their fun. Down the hill they'd slide then up the hill they'd climb. Over and over as dogs ran excitedly about them.

Come on; throw the frisbee, throw the frisbee...

We've had an extra dog in our midst lately. Genny, a German short-haired pointer, is with us for a few weeks while her people bask in the warmth of the Sunshine State and hang out with a mouse called Mickey. Not a bad way to spend Christmas. 'Though, I still think I'll take the snow over the sand this time of year.

With all those missing teeth, the wind tends to whistle through the gaps.

I'm happy to report that we had a very local side of beef delivered this morning. Usually we get the year's supply around August and were beginning to worry that they had reduced the size of the herd and we may not make the cut, so to speak. Turns out some people wanted to give beef as gifts for Christmas so they went into the butcher in December. We're well stocked once again. Amazing what you can find in the bottom of the freezer when you're forced to go through it. "Hey! I remember that sale!"

Right now bread is baking and I think I see an Apple Betty in our future. Brother Enos is coming over today along with Dad and Elizabeth. Wouldn't want to disappoint Enos.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(Yep, that's shorts they're wearing! Beauty weather!!)

Crash

After hugs and kisses this morning (for those that aren't too cool for that kinda thing), the kids boarded the school bus and I waved to them as they started away. Then I headed into work.

Sometime just before 10, the Principal of our school called. Uh-oh. She assured me it was nothing serious, but the kids had arrived at school about half an hour late because of a minor mishap on the bus. Turns out our bus and another passed each other on one of our narrow country roads and their mirrors knicked each other. Well, that led to our bus driver's window cracking but not breaking. Nonetheless, it wasn't safe to drive so another bus had to be called out. 

That wasn't the reason for the call, though. Nolan was upset and had a bit of a sore neck...in the front. Not being in the medical profession or up on all the technicalities of the body, I wasn't about to diagnose but I thought whip lash was in the back of the neck. I spoke with him and we decided I'd pick him up.

When I arrived at the school, I found him on the couch in the front hall with, none other than his big brother Cameron. I got the story from Cammy (although I'm still not clear on it) and we decided we'd all go home and start fresh tomorrow. The Principal assured me she'd let Ri know that Cammy was going home too and off we went.

Once home, we had some lunch and then it was decided we'd go for a walk to town. We hooked Rosie up to her leash and set out. Once in town, I gave the boys some money while Rosalita and I waited outside the General Store. They paid for their purchase, rejoined us and we headed back to the trail. I've long figured that candy's good for the soul and turns out Laffy Taffy cures whip lash...in the front. 

When we arrived home, there was a message on the phone. The bus company wanted to make sure that the boys were okay and to let me know that Riley and another girl had been very helpful keeping the kids quiet and helping them off the bus. They let the school know, too, how helpful she was. Her ma's pretty proud. 

We're looking at about 4 degrees tonight and a good chance of frost, so after supper we went out, collected any somewhat ripe tomatoes and then covered the plants. Fingers crossed, we get a bit more time before we see a killing frost. 

That Danged Ragweed

It's that time of year when some suffer the wrath of Mother Nature. The majority of us in this household are lucky but poor Riley gets hit every year. Seasonal allergies. The ragweed's out in force and her poor nose is running but she refuses to take medicine to help her through. We tried a homeopathic mixture back in the spring, taken once a week for several weeks and that seemed to help with the pollen but she's back to square one. Good thing we're well stocked in kleenex.

Ri, cutting the grass, with a box of kleenex on her lap.

Raspberry Season

Paul and I sat down to watch the news this past Tuesday evening to catch up on the day's events and find out the forecast for the week ahead. We're on holidays right now and the weather has been absolutely glorious...beautiful sunny days with no end in sight. Wednesday looked like it would cool down a bit with a break in the humidity and no chance of rain 'til Monday, so I decided that would be the day to go up to Buckhorn to pick raspberries. Riley had even agreed to come along. Without much prodding. Not sure what was up there 'cause her forehead wasn't even warm. Must have been something internal.

Wednesday morning dawned bright and beautiful. The humidity had broken and it was the perfect day to do a little work outside (like berry picking is work). We took the scenic route 'cause, well, there is no other route and arrived mid-morning. Ri took one basket, I grabbed another and we combed the bushes for bright red berries. Oh. It was wonderful. The birds were chirping, Ri and I chatted and laughed, joked and picked. Even the ominous dark cloud to the north didn't feel threatening. After all, there was no rain in the forecast until Monday.

Ooooh. Berry scary.  heh-heh-heh

We had about two-and-a-half baskets filled when the wind picked up. Looking skyward, we noticed that the ominous dark cloud was right above us and then, the cloud opened up and the downpour began. We ran to a row of trees and joined the other folks who had probably watched the same weather forecast that we had - you know, that one that said there was no chance of rain 'til Monday. Ten minutes later (maybe it was only five; it seemed like fifteen), the ominous dark cloud passed and we emerged from our pathetic little shelter completely soaked to the skin. Talk about drowned rats. I thought it was hilarious; Ri, on the other hand, had straightened her hair to come picking ( *rolls eyes* ) and was therefore unimpressed. We walked back to our raspberries, which at this point were looking ever so clean and water-logged, and topped up the third basket. Since I had no plans to make jam this year - Cameron has kicked his daily raspberry-jam-sandwich-habit and won't go near them now - we called it a day and went back to the weigh-in station. The woman at the till was kind enough to deduct some of the weight due to the water (on the berries, not us), she added in the flat of pre-picked strawberries (pick-your-own season ended a week ago), I paid up and Ri and I hauled our treasure to the van. We drove home with the heat on.

The dehydrated treasure

The next two nights, the dehydrator hummed and we put away six jars of dried raspberries and two strawberries. Then I hid them from the three 'mice' who can't be trusted near them.

There's been no rain since.

  

Alumni Day

The boys finished their lacrosse for the season, both playing in the Alumni Day finals. Nolan's 9:30 game was followed by the awards ceremony where he and his teammates received their trophies...

Awards were handed out by Lakers Alumni

and then posed for a final group shot...

Proud boys

Then it was back to the arena for Cameron's 3 o'clock game. The opposing team was down to just 8 players, including their goalie, so Cammy and some of his teammates were loaned to them throughout the second and third periods. I noticed that none of the Blue team playing for the Green team, scored on their shifts.  :-)

Happy with his Lakers Lacrosse stainless steel water bottle.

Wow! Just, Wow!!

The Pedal for Hope campaign is wrapping up at school and, as of this writing, the kids have raised just shy of a whopping $19,000! Cameron handed in $540 in pledges today and, thanks to that stylish hair cut he received, was responsible for bringing in another $70 in on-line donations (made by a couple of my blogging buddies, I might add). You guys are all awesome.

So, time for a shout-out to all of you who were kind enough to give to pediatric cancer research...

Dorito, Enos, Oma & Opa, Grandma & Grandpa, Shane, Darlene, Marlene, Mrs. B, Aunt Marian, Aunt Margaret, Rob & Amy, Cammy & Nolan, Kathy, Jeff, Lizzy, Bob, Shelley, Tracey, Rick, Larry and to my blogging buddies, Cheryl and Sharon. You've all made Cameron one proud little man. And you've touched my heart more than you can know. Thank you.

Thank you!  Merci!  (It is a french immersion school, after all)

Please, check out the school website for the latest. Wow.

Bzzzzz

I put in about half an hour at work this morning before I grabbed my jacket and headed back out the door. I had a meeting to attend. With a bit of a kick in my step, I walked across the parking lot. "Hmmm," I thought, "the truck has an odd lean to it." As I stepped around the back end I glanced toward the front tire. Flatter than a pancake. Crap. Well, I had no time for such annoyances, so I went back into the office and asked a coworker if she'd mind driving me to the school. She threw me her keys, warned me about the state of her van (it was immaculate compared to the truck) and waved me on my way.

After parking down the road, I walked up to the entrance and met brother Enos. As it was cold and drizzly, we waited inside for a bit. The bell rang, kids gathered in their classes, O Canada played out over the PA, announcements were made and then the mass exodus to the front steps. Kids, teachers, staff, Principal and members of the community (including Paul who had just shown up) gathered outside to greet the special guests that were minutes away. Someone started the wave and everyone joined in. Then, the sirens...

...and the Cops for Cancer team, with members from the Peterborough Lakefield Police, OPP and RCMP, arrived. A loud cheer went up and the 2011 Pedal for Hope was underway. 

After lots of high fives, the team parked their bikes, we all gathered in the gym and the party began. A beach ball appeared and bounced around the room while loud music rocked the place.  Soon, things settled down and introductions were made. A video was shown explaining why the team pedals 1000km every spring and thanking all the kids, from 50 schools, who helped them reach the million dollar mark in 2010. Messages of congratulations from Dion Phaneuf, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jordan Staal who'd played junior hockey with the Petes were included. 

Then it was time for head shaves and ponytail donations.

Cammy and his buddy Nate getting buzzed right down to the wood

A couple of the cops kicked things off with a shave and about twenty kids donated their hair. 

What have I agreed to?

Finishing touches then off to get a Pedal for Hope ball cap.

More buzz cuts on the stage while Cammy shows off his cueball

A few more games and then the ice cream eating contest. Five to a team, girls against the guys. In the video shown earlier, three players from the Canadian women's hockey team noted that girls rule. The ladies-ice-cream-eating-team didn't disappoint...including Riley who had somehow made the cut.

Things rapped up with one final song. The kids jumped to their feet and, along with the members of the Pedal for Hope team, everyone danced to Cha Cha Slide. Well, everyone but Enos, Paul and me because we'd never heard of it before. We're so not cool.

Oh, and as of this morning, Cameron has raised $510 for pediatric cancer. Yea Cammy!! And thanks to all of you who have donated to support him. Woooo!

As for the truck, the tire's been replaced (it was beyond fixing) and it runs like a charm. Paul was fairly soaked to the skin, lying on the pavement in the downpour, changing the tire. I, being the devoted partner that I am, was only slightly less soaked, as I stood in the rain offering moral support. Might have cracked a joke here and there too. It's what I know.


 
AC DC it's not, but it is kinda catchy, y'all.

***

You can read more about the Pedal for Hope, here.

******

UPDATED APRIL 22ND:

I've been asked how people can help out. If you'd like to make an online donation (no pressure), please follow the link below. It's the Westmount PS Pedal for Hope fundraiser page through the Canadian Cancer Society:

http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR/CopsforCancer/COPS_ON_?team_id=248919&pg=team&fr_id=9734

Then click on 'make a donation' by the flashing red "100%+".


You can also follow the in-school progress here:

http://www.westmountpublicschool.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=browse&id=114425&pageid=180
  
And THANK YOU!

Team #3

Cameron's not the most aggressive boy. In some ways, that's a good thing and it's one of the reasons that he and curling are a good match. But when it comes to team sports, it can be a hindrance. The last two summers, he spent a week each at lacrosse camp. After the first summer, he didn't seem to care if he ever played again. The following year, he went out again, grew more confident, came to like it and advised us that he was going to play on a team. Nolan decided he would too. So, a couple months ago, I signed them.

Shirt and stick for signing up

House league started tonight for the novice teams. That would be Cammy.

He, Nolan and I arrived at the arena just after 5 and found his changeroom. Unfortunately, there was no #13 jersey (like his favourite hockey player, Mike Cammalleri) but there was a #31. So, he tried it on...and swam in it. Lucky for him, though, #12 was available (that being my favourite player, Jarome Iginla; Cammy's not impressed).

That's Cammy - #12 - rushing by in a blur.

After suiting up, he went out, took part in some drills with his team and then they had a scrimmage with the yellow team. His buddy Aaron is on the yellow team. At one point, Cammy got the ball in his own end, was checked by another player and lost the ball. By the look on his face, he wasn't expecting the hit (neither was I, for that matter), but he hung in there and kept after it. Given a little more time - games are two nights a week - he'll gain confidence and do just fine. Nolan and the paperweights start Saturday. 

The Origami King

In the last week, Cameron has become le roi de l'origami. One of the guys I work with is leaving and, wouldn't you know it, new business cards had recently been printed for him. Cammy scored heavily. He's been making jumping frogs all week and giving them to his friends at school. His teacher thought they were really cute early on but has since banned them. Turns out they like to hop during class. Ah well, c'est dommage. (She probably had more than that to say but I don't know those words in French.)

Army of frogs (and friends) that escaped the confiscation

Origami dragon trying to escape the wind and rain.

(Dorito - we all want to thank you for the instruction book! Well, except for Cammy's teacher.)

The Water's Fine

Do you remember this time last year? No? Well, take a look here. No doubt about it, last April was exceptional. Warm, warm, warm. Fast forward to 2011 and Environment Canada has predicted a cooler than normal spring. They definitely called that right. It may not be warm enough for swimsuits, but that's not gonna keep winter-weary kids and their dogs from playing in the water.

Snow's almost gone

Where's the ball?

Basking in the sun

Yep, life is good.

A Delicate Operation

Nolan will be six at the end of this month and still has all his baby teeth. Until today, that is. He's had a loose one for a few weeks now but wasn't prepared to part with it just yet. Earlier, Paul noticed that the adult tooth was starting to poke through in front of it. (We tend toward crooked teeth in this family.) Well, a push here, a wiggle there and with a little help from Dad...

...out pops the tooth...

That wasn't so bad. Guess we should expect a visit from a certain fairy tonight.

While We Wait For The Bus

The kids have discovered a new pastime as they wait for the bus in the morning - the obstacle course that sits out at the road and is made entirely of wood.

"Hey Nolan! Time me!"

"Watch Mum, I'm quick!"

"Cameron. Move." (Older sisters aren't quite as enthusiastic towards younger brothers.)

Great fun.

Now, how to ask Dad to leave some of the logs for play. Surely we don't need that much firewood.

Nolan shared a little story with us at the supper table last night. Earlier in the day at school he tripped his buddy Nick and yelled, "April Fools!" After I composed myself - bit of a laughing fit - we explained that tripping someone isn't really an April Fools prank. Apparently it was an accident but he wanted to take part in the spirit of the day.

From The Fur Trade To Discovery

Ri and her grade 6 classmates boarded the bus at school yesterday morning for their trip back in time. They're spending three days and two nights re-enacting the fur trade up at Camp Kawartha. How cool is that? Yesterday's schedule had them splitting into three groups. While one lot tried flint and steel and bow drill fire-making in the tepee, another took on the role of Voyageurs and participated in a timed canoe portage. (I'm guessing there's not much water involved as the lakes are still frozen. Maybe they're working in a polar bear plunge while they're at it? Brrr.) The third bunch was to learn basic map reading skills which they would need for Tuesday's adventure. Then they'd switch up so that everyone had a chance to participate in each activity. Before bed, a night hike was planned.

Today was a bright beautiful day with the temperature hitting around 0. After breakfast, the kids were to learn more about the formation of the North West Company and then take part in a fur trade at the Camp. After lunch, more trading and then a get-together for the results of the trade and a discussion on the impact of the Fur Trade. Tonight, a campfire was planned with traditional games, music and dancing.

Wednesday morning, they will pack up their cabins, have breakfast, play a survival game (herbivores, omnivores and carnivores - Riley's an elk), lunch and then load their gear back onto the bus, take their seats and enjoy the short trip back to the school.

While Ri's been away, Rosie's been wondering where the heck she is. She sat for a good while last night, positioned with her butt on one stair and her front paws one step below, waiting and watching. The boys were happy to have her take turns sleeping with them for a change.

Around 7:30 tonight, Paul's alarm went off. Turns out he had it set so that we wouldn't miss the fly-over of the International Space Station and the Shuttle, Discovery. The four of us pulled on our boots and bundled up in coats and mitts and traipsed outside. The starry sky was perfectly clear and we had no trouble spotting the space travelers. I've included a picture of the fly-by. As you can no doubt see, the Space Station had already passed through the frame but Discovery wasn't far behind...

 You may have to squint.
 

Doth The Moon Shine That Night We Play Our Play?

As I look to the heavens, I see no sign of a moon but the stars sure did shine tonight.

Finally, after months of practice, initially during recesses and more recently on Saturday's and after school, the curtain rose for Riley and her fellow thespians. Tonight the school gymnasium was transformed into a 16th century forest as the Drama Club presented Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Riley, my stage-loving goofball, portrayed Tom Snout, the tinker who plays Wall in the play-within-a-play. Home with the flu, she had missed the final dress rehearsal on Tuesday but thankfully has fully recovered and, knock on wood, none of the rest of us have come down with anything. I had worried a little today, as my stomach turned from time to time, that the bug had found its next victim. I couldn't miss the play. However, once we were seated and the lights had dimmed, my tummy miraculously recovered. Ri may not get butterflies, but I sure as heck do.

The kids put on a fabulous show. And let me tell you, if I come away understanding what happened in a Shakespearean tale, they must have done a fine job. (If it wasn't for Coles Notes in highschool, my marks in English would have been considerably lower.) 

Tonight Peterborough, tomorrow...Stratford...

"In the same interlude it doth befall, that I, one Snout by name, present a Wall"

(Look how she towers over the older boys. Awww.)

Fries and Snow

Ri's been working hard at school. (Math? Don't be silly.) The drama dept will be presenting Shakespeare's A Mid-Summer Night's Dream in March and rehearsals have moved from the mini-variety at recess to full-scale on Saturdays. Yesterday, Paul took her into town and dropped her off for her two-and-a-half hour gig and then did his running around. He even got a snazzy hair cut out of the deal. As she was finishing up there, the boys and I loaded into the truck and made the short trek to the ski hill for Cameron's lesson.

A Local Ski-bum

We waited for his instructor, Jesse, reminded Cammy not to have fun (and more importantly, not to smile) and then Nolie and I wandered into the chalet. Nolan pretty much had one thing on his mind - fries and gravy. We made a beeline to the cafeteria lineup, ordered lunch (I went for the egg salad on a pita and a hot chocolate) and found ourselves a sunny seat by the window to enjoy our meal.

Mmmm. Fries and gravy. Life is good.

After the lesson, we met Cammy, returned his rentals and rushed home. We had a busy afternoon ahead of us as we headed west to...

After-School Skating

Nolan and I arrived home with some daylight to spare so we dashed into the house and Nolan yelled out, "Who wants to go skating?" Big grins crept across his older siblings' faces and then, "I do!" We gathered up skates and helmets, toques and mitts, hockey sticks and ball, then grabbed the shovel and made our way to the rink.

There's a plastic lawn chair that resides, both summer and winter, back there. Patiently it sat, waiting for its first customer to be laced up. Ri, then Cameron and then Nolan all took a seat as I tied up their skates. And then off they went. What a difference a year makes.

I managed to get a little more of the rink shoveled as the kids showed off their skills. Twilight set in and I found myself looking out for coyotes as I added snow to the pile. A little paranoid, maybe, but the tracks in the snow don't lie. As darkness neared and the skates came off, the boys played a quick game of hockey. "He shoots, he scores!" I heard several times, as the crowd went wild. The big league may have their all-star game but they've got nothing on us. This weekend, I think we'll have our own little hockey tournament. The first annual all-rats game. Go team!

First winter skate

Scurry! Far!!

Heh, heh. A little curling humour, there.

The kids are back in Little Rocks for the winter, so we're spending our Sunday mornings at the curling rink. Not a bad way to pass a couple hours. The coffee's cheap, the hot chocolate is free and I get some reading done. Not much, mind you, as I have one eye on the action most of the time. Wouldn't want to miss Riley making a takeout or Cammy acing a throw for shot rock. 

Today was picture day, so Enos' friend, the mole, braved the slippery roads and came out to take individual pictures and a few group shots. Poor guy was out with his band last night playing a few bars and raising money for Cystic Fibrosis. He didn't remember much after midnight, arrived home in a cab around four and was at the curling club just after ten. What a trooper. Last I heard, he was heading home to his couch.

Cammy's been moved up to the regulation rocks. The coach took the best of the lot and has been working with them with the big rocks. Unfortunately, they weigh about the same as Cammy (well, it sure seems like it, anyway) and he's struggling. He asked to go back to the little rocks after break today and the smile returned to his face. It's all about having fun, after all.

Sweep!

Hurry! Hard!