And the Oscar goes to...

I did not watch much of the Oscar Awards show last night so I missed the big mess up. Talk about fake news. La La Land,no we mean Moonlight. How awkward! I remember when as president of our Little League I screwed up the best pitcher trophy. We had two Donalds, both excellent pitchers and I mistakenly had the wrong Donald's name engraved on the trophy. I did not notice it until the moment I was presenting the trophy. The wrong Donald's father was a coach sitting right beside me and I could not just give it to the right Donald without addressing my mistake. Very awkward. I ended up giving a trophy to both of them and getting the real Donald his own trophy after the fact. I was mortified so I can only imagine how all of the people involved in the big screw up last night felt, besides Warren Beatty maybe who did not appear the least bit flustered. I know in the scheme of things making a mistake at the Oscars is so trivial and I must say if I ever stand on the stage and am mistakenly given the Giller and then have it immediately taken and given to the right person I will be slightly embarrassed but as they say " just happy to be nominated".

What Cleaning Is

Today was supposed to be a cleaning day. I made my extensive list and hoped to get through every room in the house. Very ambitious and I was nowhere near successful. I got through two; the laundry room and the den. I also went to get Eva at a sleepover and went to Sunny's 7th birthday party. I went across the river for Chinese food and had Caleb and Ashlie for supper. I also managed to get a lovely wood road walk in. So the rest of the list waits, possibly for tomorrow. As I was engaged in the little bit of cleaning I did get done, I thought about what cleaning is. I have said before that it is a form of worship. If that is the case I do not worship enough in that capacity. Let me expound on that thought. First of all I am not much of a cleaner. Now I do keep things relatively neat. I like order and I am quite particular about certain things. I ALWAYS make my bed. I keep my kitchen counters fairly clear and I don't have a lot of clutter. The worshipful aspect of cleaning is I believe the paying attention and being grateful for our blessings. I do not aspire to have expensive or showy things but I do enjoy the things I have. There are many items in my home that hold a lot of meaning and value to me. When I take the time to dust them, vacuum or sweep around them ,or rearrange them I am acknowledging and focusing on the gift of having them. Today for instance when I dusted the set of Willow tree figures Brianne and Chapin gave me some time ago I concentrated on the beauty of them. I also thought of the significance : a mother embracing her daughter, a father kneeling and hugging his son, two brothers hugging. These figures represent my family and they hold a special place on the windowsill in my den. I see them every day but do I really see them. Cleaning makes me take the time to see. We can get caught up sometimes and complain about having to clean. What a stupid thing to complain about really. Our homes and the possessions that need cleaning are blessings. I look ahead to more worship time tomorrow.

And Now the Snow

I asked for it. A few entries ago I was lamenting the ice cover and the lack of snow. Well we have snow now. Today is the fifth storm day I believe and a storm it is! Southern New Brunswick and most of Nova Scotia are closed for the day. My office window is closing in as the snow billows and falls . I will try later to trudge through the field a bit wearing my snowshoes. My Rav 4 is quickly becoming buried. Be careful what you wish for you say. Well I love the snow. Even the record breaking snowfall of 2015 didn't really bother me. I realize that is because I can stay home in my warm house and let the snow pile up around me. But really whether you like it or not it is falling. This is winter. Spring will come and these days will become stories we tell. Today as long as the power stays on I will enjoy the comfort of my office and keep writing. We will shovel out. Our driveway will get plowed. For those that must travel, stay safe. For those that must work to clear our roads, stay safe and thankyou!

Something From Nothing Part 2

In November I wrote about Caleb building something from nothing, a new home for Tess and the others. It occurred to me that I hadn't followed up on that and shown or written about the finished building. They were reluctant to go in it at first. Tess is a hearty breed and she does not mind the cold or snow. She is the queen of the pasture and the others pretty much do what she tells them. They now take shelter and get fed in there and have accepted it as home. The field beside the shed has been ice covered and treacherous for weeks but now has a good snow cover. According to the weather forecast it will have a deeper cover by tomorrow night. This morning however the sun is shining brightly. Again Caleb had a plan and carried it through, adding to the structures housing the animals on this farm. Watching from the sidelines I am filled with pride and contentment. I can not think of a better life than the one we have right here. This whole farm, our family and the life we have was indeed something we built from nothing. Just two crazy kids falling in love in grade nine and believing they could do what they set their minds to. I am so thankful that Caleb and Ashlie and Chapin and Brianne have that same belief.

I Don't Care for Football

It is a beautiful Monday morning. There is a light snow covering everything and the sun is shining brightly. There's a lot of football talk and Lady Gaga talk on FB. Personally I don't like football. What I did like about last night was seeing Burton, Ashlie and my boys wrapped up in watching it. After another enjoyable Sunday night supper we cleaned up, Bri went home to get an early night, four of us played Wizard and then everyone but me hunkered down to watch the Super bowl. I watched the Bushes being wheeled on to the field to do the coin toss and was given a short history of the Bush administration's failings by my youngest son. I saw a few commercials which in my opinion is the real entertainment value of the night. I did stay up until after half time. I must say Lady Gaga has energy and she is one of a kind. I will give her that much. The over the top extravagance and cost of the production doesn't sit right with me and the whole 'America the great' feel of the night leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I chose to go to bed, grab a book and escape thinking any deeper. I was robbed of my recliner and my control of the remote but I do enjoy seeing my family bond and connect rooting for the same team. ( I'm sorry they lost, I guess, although I really don't care)

Remembering Nadine

I only got to know Nadine for a short time in the whole scheme of things but every moment we had seems like it was crammed with years of getting to know each other. From the first introduction it was as if we had a strong connection. She allowed me to get to know her very quickly and got to know me as well. She welcomed my son into her home and her heart investing in him right from the start. We became a team watching our kids fall in love with each other. Little did we know that this bond was fleeting but would have to last a lifetime. The force that was Nadine left us physically but has never been far from our day to day since she left us eight years ago.Nadine adored her two daughters. She was present in all they did and her death left a hole of massive proportions. I have watched those two girls facing that huge loss every day the best way they knew how.I have always tried to support that difficult journey and have always been so thankful I was given the time to get to know Nadine and her girls so that I could bring knowing her to what I try to offer to their struggle. Ashlie calls me Mama White and I am honored by that but I never forget for one moment the Mama she is missing every moment. As I remember Nadine today I think of her words describing family; unconditional and committed.As we face another year without her I pledge my unconditional love and commitment to the beautiful girls she left behind.