Fruits of my labour

Success!

I ate the first vegetable from my garden this morning.... a tender, young radish..... oh so yummy.

This is something that I have wanted for some time -- to enjoy puttering in the garden. And you know what? I think I may be there! I find myself looking for excuses to go out there to pluck the little weeds (and they are little because I am doing it so often). I am enjoying the watering and watching the changes happen day by day. The excitement of the veggie plot has leaked over to the other parts of the yard too, I find myself walking my old, reel lawnmower around, pinching the herbs, deadheading the flowers and genuinely enjoying the whole thing.

It is a personal breakthrough that I am very happy with, and I hope it continues with me the rest of my days on this good green earth.

(Now if I could really get a love for exercise, then I would be set up for a happy old age!)

Treasure Hunt

Here it is, a patch of clovers that has MANY four-leafers in it.... do you see them?

And even a six-leafer!

What is that sound? A different bird call on the marsh (and there are a lot of them to hear...).

Oh -- there it is!

Did the step just move a bit..... nope just a lovely sun-worshipper enjoying the heat.

Not hard to find a sweet treat here! The nectar of this flower is particularly delicious.... I love nature!

Word of the day

I learned a new word today:

E N D O D O N T I S T [n] a dentist specializing in diseases of the dental pulp and nerve. Examines, diagnoses, and treats diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting vitality of teeth.

sigh......

Steve had another appointment at the dentist today. Half a day spent in a waiting room. More Xrays, more appointments made. oh yes and the new word... we need to see an Endodontist too.

So far the bill is at $500. Still no guarantees that the tooth will bond with his head. The ligaments and surrounding bone were pretty mashed up, so it may be months or even years before we can be sure. (!) The top tooth next to the knocked out one sustained some injury, but he says if we keep the swelling down, it MAY come back to life. And the other front tooth has some ligament damage, so time will tell there too.

There is some good news though! The bottom teeth do not look broken as first feared! The Endodontist will be examining the Xrays to determine how much can be done surgically to improve his chances.

Honestly I feel like throwing up from the extreme stress and complexity of it all.

(I know I am not supposed to say this, but it's going to be SO EXPENSIVE!)

PS:::::

The Endotontist wants to do something called an "open and medicate" early next week. So I googled the procedure...

It's very invasive!

According to the Endodontist group for traumatic injuries the best chance for the procedure to be most affective was if it's done within a week of the accident and the tooth was reinserted within an hour of it being broken out. (Unfortunately the tooth was not reinserted nearly that fast and was not transported ideally either, and to make it worse, this operation will be taking place 10 days after the accident!)

If the tooth stays, it will mean repeat root surgeries and, almost certainly, the overall tooth health will be poor for the the rest of his life, always monitored.

We will follow through with the one surgery and then think seriously about what happens next. We want Steve involved in the decision making (it's his smile). I would hate to put him through this over and over again only for it to fail or look ugly.

So my husband and I have an extremely tough decision. Is it worth depleting our emergency fund on the slight chance he may keep his front tooth? Or should we save that money up for when he is grown to get a proper, permanent prosthetic tooth?

PPS::::

Well we can relax a little!!!!

(And we will have to thank T's bosses)

It turns out that a blow to the head that knocks out a tooth is considered MEDICAL!!!!! So we are 100% covered with T's extended medical!!!! This includes the specialist! All we need to do is make sure the dentist that initially treated him fills out a "predetermination" including details of the accident and estimate of work needed including the tooth numbers and surfaces (whatever that means).

HOORAY for the husband's coverage!!!!!

Now it is simply a fight for the tooth, not a fight to stay out debt too!

Follow Up on the Tooth

Yesterday we returned to the "scene of the crime" so Steve could show us what happened.

The little maniac had rolled down the top flight of stairs, then misjudged his speed as he approached the second flight, and had to JUMP them!!!! (That set he is sitting on in this picture is the set he jumped!)

He actually landed the jump!

BUT unfortunately as the shocks compressed from the rather severe drop, his face came forward, and to make matters worse, his foot slipped off a pedal.... kabloooie tooth meets handlebar with enough force to knock it from his head and put a nice dent in the metal too.

Good news is that splint the dental surgeon put in makes his face look much tidier...... now only the tooth would take, please, oh please, oh please....

The squeamish should look away

Seriously.....

Don't go any farther if blood offends or frightens you....


I got a phonecall as I was preparing dinner.... the call no mother ever wants to get. "Your son has been in an accident I am bringing him to your house right now, please be ready to meet me in your front yard".

And he is delivered to me, a bloody mess. His shirt and pants covered with his own blood, his hands covering his face, overflowing with blood. The man explains that its his teeth.

The man was good, he told me to go get an ice pack and some dark towels.

The neighbour rushed up and volunteered to take care of the younger son while we were gone.
The man says "I'd forget about urgent care, head straight for the emergency room".
A quick note scribbled to my husband where we were heading, and we were off.
On the way Stevie explains in mumbled words what happened. He was riding down some stairs and got going too fast, so when he hit the bottom, his face smashed into the handlebars.

(All I could think was thank goodness he hadn't gotten hit by a car!)

My whole body is shaking as we are stopped by roadwork, and heavy traffic.... CAN'T EVERYONE SEE THIS IS AN EMERGENCY?!

We get there and the hospital is quick to look at him. No concussion, no other broken bones, just the ones holding in the tooth..... then the man shows up with the tooth!
Next stop the dental surgeon on call the next town up island... back in the car with the tooth and my bloody kid.

The Dentist was very fast.... he says Steve has a 10-20% chance of keeping the tooth, and the bone is broken and he may have killed a couple of other roots. Best case scenario the teeth all live and he has a follow up root canal or 2, worst case scenario, he gets some false teeth.

That's not strawberry syrup or ketchup....

He looks like a zombie movie extra

I shiver at the thought of it!!!!!!! Poor guy and he never cried, not once.

(shudder)

teahouse

Garden Bliss

Welcome to my garden baby beets...

baby zucchini plants...

And all you baby radishes...

May you grow big and strong!

Walking the Dog -- not the yo-yo trick

Sometimes I feel inspired to walk the dog up to the school to pick up the boys... but trudging up hill (all the way) with him hyperactively yarding at the leash, barking at everything that moves, is NOT relaxing...

BUT with a little planning,
and leaving extra time,
I can go the L O N G way around by way of the trails (around the marsh and up to the backside of the school). All I need to do is walk a block in the wrong direction to get to the trail, then I can let him off leash to run like a maniac back and forth, up and down the path, crashing in and out of the bushes and peeing every few yards.... no barking, no pulling and he gets a great work out while I get to enjoy the views!

I even find some flowers that I have never seen before:

And meet little friends:

And stop to enjoy the poetic diversity that can find root on a stump:

And see the joy that glows from some colours of Green:

Take in the beauty that can present itself in a patch of sunlight:

This time there was a BIG crashing in the bushes that made the dog's hackles stand up, and he looked like he wasn't sure whether he should take chase or take flight! But, I will assume it was a deer, racoon or beaver, and not a black bear this time.... aren't they supposed to smell bad? No harm, no foul and I just tucked it into the pleasant surprises along the way and carried on.

The best part is that by the time we get to the school, I have reached a happy Zen-like place and the dog is worn out enough that he no longer pulls nor barks on the leash the rest of the way home.... It's win-win!

DECLUTTERING part V: I thought the BOOKS were hard!

Parting with books was stressful at first, then I remembered that I can always take them out of the library if I needed to re-read them.... problem solved!

NOW I look at my shoes...... the above photo is JUST the shoes that do not require socks, there are also 2 pairs of foam clogs, my running shoes (new and garden), my waterproof leather hikers, my lace-up hiking boots, my deck shoes, the rock climbers, the stretchy comfy Sketchers, the black dainty runners, my steel-toe work shoes, my cute "fur" lined winter boots, my dressy long boots (x2), my ugly snow boots, my gumboots, my dressy bootlets (x2), my new Italian lace-up boots AND, of course, my motoX boots.

I really didn't know I had SO MANY SHOES!!!! Most of them have a unique purpose, a special function or unique style that makes them hard to part with..... and there is no library for shoes that I can go to once I have editted!

So far, I think I can pare down the cutsey shoes.... the little black sling backs that are treacherously slippery and a bit on the tight size, for example. The adorable pink suede heels that I have had for a year... (let's see.... I have worn them proudly around the house a ton of times, but only once out in public because, though the heel height is perfect, as soon as my feet start to swell from walking, they become REALLY tight, REALLY fast). I think the copper coloured, sequined flats with the silk ankle ribbon have to go. I wore them last year, but I think maybe they just aren't "me".

There. That's THREE pairs. Oh this is so hard to do!

What about these brown, leather, Italian made, 100% leather, loafer-style shoes? Sure they are made for skinnier feet than mine, but the quality of construction and timeless styling is really excellent! If I hadn't found them at a thrift store I would never have been able to afford such fine shoes.... (same goes for the PRADA bootlets, but they aren't going anywhere for sure)!

Do I need 2 pairs of long black dress boots? They are both REALLY comfortable, but one has better grips than the other..... hmmm..... nope, I don't need 2!

Okay I don't need 3 pairs of thong flip-flops, I can bring that down to 2 (one for the back door, one for the front door).

AN EASY ONE!!! The dress shoes I wore as my sister's bridesmade. Sure they are cute and dressy (and black) but they are a bit too cute for my business suits and too fancy for my casual clothes... phew.

SEVEN! Okay, now the movies.....

This is just the kids movies.... there is another cabinet in our bedroom, more in the familyroom, and even some stashed in my office. The lure of cheap entertainment! (And a shopaholic grandma) It's hard to beleive I got rid of a HUGE box of movies already! I sent the younger ones and more girly ones to my neighbour with the baby girl. Of the remaining ones, many are watched frequently, but some are just garbage, so I will cull visciously.

Another weekend of wheels

First things First.... T's dad just got himself the most BEAUTIFUL machine I have every laid eyes on! It's big, shiny and amazingly good shape for a ten year old bike..... I was drooling and gawking at the fine sculptural details all over it!!!! Pretty pretty pretty.....

Next came the BMX club's open house, the weather was ideal and though Steve was in a MISERABLE mood, I forced him to go out. It was worth the fight, the event was terrific fun for the boys. Apparently 100 kids participated, but it just was so well organized that it didn't seem crazy at all.

Each age group was put into their own "moto"s, and each moto raced 3 times, the points earned for finishing place is added up to figure out who comes in first, second, third, etc, for each age.
It was fun to watch and moved fairly quickly considering there were 12 motos and all ages from 2 years to grown up!

After the dust settled (literally), the awards were given out. Despite Steve's crankiness and lack of genuine effort, he placed 5th out of the 12 year olds. His attitude improved over the practice laps and he seemed okay with the whole scene by the end of the last race..... he got a pretty trophy for his efforts (seen on his handlebars)...

Cameron was enthusiastic from the start and his efforts were rewarded with a 2nd place trophy in his age category! WooHoo!! (He is so proud of it, that he tried to sleep with it like a teddy bear!).... so I guess they are hooked, and we will be joining the club. 2 nights a week we will be at the track cheering our little ones on to healthy exercise and friendly competition.

Mother's day was much quieter. I got taken out for breakfast in my cute little convertible! And the kids each made me an adorable gift, (I love those guys). Being a mom is very nice sometimes, lots of hugs and kisses all day, and I got to hang out and read half a novel in peace during the day! T hooked up a fancy irrigation system for my new garden bed.... now my veggies have every reason to thrive!

The PLAN

Some of these plants already exist.... some are going to be babies from seed!

SUNDAY Hare scramble

We got up at 5am Sunday to get ready for a field trip to Sooke to participate in a dirt biking event called a "Hare Scramble". It is essentially a cross country race in tight trails where everyone takes off at the same time (very entertaining when the horn goes off). It is not a spectator sport, as only the start and the finish are anywhere within sight.

Sooke is a long haul from where we live, it took a while to get there and then the next challenge of finding the event site. The instructions were ambiguous and the site not well marked. But a while down dusty, dirty logging roads and we found the trailer that marked the event headquarters.

We were practically the first ones there, so we got a fine parking spot. It was basically a gravel pit that attached to a whole network of trails that had been marked for the event. The boys passed the time braaapp-ing up and down the pit, avoiding the steady stream of pick-up trucks coming in and the accompanying bikes, dogs and kids.

At 11:00 the kid's race happened (yes, that's 6 hours after we dragged our sorry butts out of bed). Steve was haywire and kept hyper-focusing on going FAST, so he kept falling. But he still got 4TH, which completely surprised him (he thought he did terrible). They even gave him a trophy....seen here sitting on his seat.... very cute.

Cammy was just happy to finish, he was the youngest rider, and the only one behind him was a little girl (that honestly looked kind of scared of her bike).

The adult event wasn't until 1:00 pm, and the time in between was pretty boring for me, there was no concession (thank goodness I packed snacks), no contact with the rest of the world, just TONNES of dirtbikes, trucks and people milling around in the sand and dirt getting ready for the race. (Trust me, having the option to duck out and have coffee with my friends would have been very very welcome!).

BUT, It was fun watching T take off in the intermediate class at about 1:15. They had them sit at the starting line with their bikes all in a clump, engines off, sitting BACKWARDS on their seats! So when the horn went off they had to dismount, kick start their bikes then take off. What a gong show! It separates the men from the boys at how calmly they could handle the pressure and timing. T was about 6th off the line (I was so proud!). Since it is a X-country race, he was not visible for long. Meanwhile, the kids just buzzed around and around and around on their bikes, and I sat in our lawn chair, reading and people-watching...

THREE HOURS later, T still had not showed up. I watched bike after bike roll across the finish line, and my husband was not to be seen! I know he is a great rider, so I was pretty worried. He did come in -- eventually. He had a flat tire about 10 minutes into the 30km race, poor guy. He was pretty at peace with the whole thing (that surprised me). He'd had a LONG time to find peace with it!!!

Just as we headed for the truck, the skies opened up and we got soaked!!!! Anyway we were one of the last folks to leave, it was well after dinner, and we were all beat, dirty and tired.

But you know what? It was a GOOD day!

Veggie Garden

Now I just need SOIL!

Decluttering Part VI: Banking

I thought to myself.... "Boy I have too many things going on in my wallet! Too many statements and numbers to keep track of -- Where can I trim?"

So today I closed an account that I started after my great-aunt died several years ago. That account served me well. I fixed up my house, paid off my old car, bought a cheap truck (and a few toys), put a downstroke on my mortgage and -- best of all -- it sent me to Italy with my friends! All while being a no-fee account and earning decent interest.

Sounds perfect, right? So many happy memories and wonderful experiences came from that account! (But I am fooling myself, because all of that came from my thoughtful aunt's tragic loss, not the account). I closed it because I simply don't use it anymore, the majority of that money has served it's purpose and moved on to other hands.... I even had to call and unfreeze it once back in December, it had been dormant so long. The money that is left will pad my emergency saving account -- at my regular bank, instead of the virtual bank. Dealing with a bank with no branch was strange and not quite my style. It suited dealing with a "passed on" distant relative's money perfectly (not tangable), but not day to day reality somehow.

The decision that closing the account was the right thing to do was solidified in my attempt to contact a living person on the phone. SIXTEEN number card FIVE number phone PIN (which is different from my SEVEN number online PIN..... so I had NO idea what it was!), listening and choosing from a list of menu options, and a few million personal questions to verify my identity -- and THEN I was able to get down to business (after being on hold for the next available representative). I would have rather driven to a branch and showed some ID.

I wonder where else I can slim my account number handling?