Senseless

 

This time it is meant quite literally. I've had a stupid head cold for the better part of a week and seem to have blown away my sense of smell. I can't smell a thing. I have experienced this before and I know it will return. Meanwhile I amuse myself reflecting on how my perceptions change without my sniffer functioning. 

I forget how much we rely on the nose working in the background to guide us in the everyday. I can usually tell when dinner is ready or coffee is brewed by the smell. I have to be aware of lighting a candle as I won't have the smokey, waxy smell to remind me to blow it out. Bagels toasting for too long are not noticed and rescued. Is my deodorant working? How bad is my breath? I have no idea, except if people start backing away.

It does have it's advantages. Garbage duty? Bring it on!  Pick me to chop onions or walk through the perfume department without a care in the world.  Hmmm, small comfort really.  I'd rather have the smell most of the time.

Taste has changed too. Aside from the tongue basic senses (sweet, salty, bitter and sour for your science class review), everything tastes much the same. I compliment meals by remarking on the amazing texture. Fine wine subtleties are lost on me so pass the Baby Duck.  No, please don't.  I do have to draw the line somewhere!

I'll be glad to have the sense back to normal.  It's like a dimension in my experiences is missing.  Sometimes we have to lose what we take for granted to recognize how important it is to us.  Perhaps I will splurge on the lotion tissues for the noble nose to show my appreciation.

Time capsule on wheels

It pays to clean out the car. $4.78 to be exact, and the big score - a $20 bill! Now how did I lose that? It probably happened sometime between rushing from the grocery store and picking the kids from school one typical day.

The car is being cleared out of all its treasures because we are trading it in today for a new one. I've had my trusty red Vibe for almost a decade now, driving 190 000 km of local errands and family trips. Along with those adventures comes some of the stuff that gets crammed between the seats or tucked into seat pockets.

Blury picture of car crap

Owen was 5 and Laura was 3 when we got this car. It has seen us through playdates, grandparent visits, cousin farm trips and camping adventures. There have been blizzard rides with windshield wipers batting the snow away as I crept through the drifts as well as make-shift umbrellas under the hatch after a soggy soccer game. Cooling off in it after trips to the beach under the blasting air conditioner vents has helped soothe cranky kids on a July day.

The stash is like a moving time capsule, a memory box of moments in time that this car has seen with us in it. Old maps, seaglass, shells and Solarcaine remind me of our road trip to PEI a few summers ago. Kids music CDs, melted crayons and McDonald's toys tell tales about long rides to visit family and friends. Now why is there a Bismuth pack there? Oh yes... I may have been possibly hung over a bit after a weekend with friends. Brochures and schedules to kid events as I was taxi-mom around town. All pieces of my time with the kids as they grew from toddlers to today.

Zee Vibe in her natural winter habitat

Sure she has her bumps and scratches from her adventures but 'Vibey' never let us down. There have been so many smiles over the miles and endless love in those car seats. May our next car be half as amazing.

 

Thankful

There is this sense of peace you get when you let go of the tension, the weight, the fear you have been carrying, even though you have been in denial that you have been shouldering it. That is how I am feeling now.

Laura had surgery on Friday. It wasn't major, just some adjustments really, to repair the hole in her ear drum and release her tongue-tie. She is fine and is back to her usual self already. I am not surprised. She is a resilient kid, full of a quiet determination that shall serve her well no matter what the obstacle.

The procedures were elective. She could have gone on alright without them. Maybe that's why I was so anxious. It was my call to make. Did I need to put her through this?  A general anesthetic?  A degree of risk?  What if something went wrong?  So I spent much of my Thursday in a bit of a fog, random morbid thoughts of what-ifs and is-this-the last-time-I-get-to worries going through my head.  Reason won over my fears but I carried the weight. 

Friday rolled around and Laura was so good.  Yes, she was anxious at times.  The staff at CHEO are amazing and know all about how to work with kids and their anxious parents.  I love CHEO.  I love her doctor.  The surgery went quickly and well.  I am so thankful.


CHEO Teddy Bear Picnic photo from Citizen
ottawacitizen.com

Dinner fail, again

I opened my fridge, looking for something to will me to make it for dinner tonight.  The fridge is full but there is nothing to eat.  Both a parenting and cooking fail moment.  My random thoughts?

Do potato chips count as a vegetable or grain product?  Why are there chips in the fridge anyway?  I don't even want to know what's in that container at the back.  We did pasta last night so that is out.  Too cold to barbecue something.  Hmmm.  One kid won't eat eggs so an omelet won't work.  Salad, yes!  That's a good idea... in theory... but the lettuce is getting old and I don't do icky lettuce.  Cheese..  Maybe there's something I can do with cheese...  Um, no, not that cheese.  What exactly was I on when I bought buttermilk?  Did I have a Martha moment of baking fantasies at the store?  Seriously! 

On it goes.  I settled for fish and chips with frozen veg.  Thrilling.  They ate it and it wasn't Halloween candy.  So I suppose it isn't a real fail but I need to get some planning and fridge cleaning in this week.  I obviously can't leave dinner to inspiration.  It just doesn't end well. 


This is NOT my fridge... I'm jealous

Wordless Wednesday - Simon's Cat

My cat was 'helping' me write today so I thought this might be appropriate.  Mrrrowww?!

Almost an Amber

The first thing my sister said when I was talking to her on the phone this afternoon was that she was, "MUCH better now that K is home safe."

It turns out that K did not get off her school bus.  No one noticed her get on, including her brothers.  The bus driver hadn't seen her and there were no kids left at school.  Not knowing is so scary.  The wheels went quickly into motion, the school and bus company were doing all the right things.  The oldest brother calmed my sister while younger prayed.

And then it was over.  K had been on the bus, slumped down and involved so deeply in her book that she missed her stop and hadn't noticed people looking for her.  Innocent mistake with serious consequences.

I am processing this whole surreal event now.  I can't quite do it and will not allow the worst to come to mind.  But there is innocence lost.  For K for sure, but for me too.  I always am so optimistic.  I have enough happy endings in my life to believe in the good of people and of the unseen hand making everything work out right.  What if...?  I can't go there.

I know this will effect the way I parent a bit.  I have not focused much attention on those 'street smart' skills for my two, letting them just be kids.  I have issues with some of those messages based on fear, but it is time that I make sure my kids know better how to help themselves and make the good choices.  They deserve that confidence on their way to becoming independent.

That's for tomorrow. Tonight I am so thankful my niece is fine.  Tonight I have a very clear perspective on what matters.  They are so precious.

Seeking Warmth

It's official.  The first flakes of winter are falling, the wind is picking up and it is time to accept that winter is on its way.  Today I am thinking about what is actually nice about the arrival of the season. Top 5 right now?

• Sitting by the fireplace.  It's gas which lacks some of the charm from the wood burning type, but it is convenient and warm.  I put in on most evenings and curl up nearby. 

• Sipping hot coffee.  OK, so I do this year-round but it brings even more comfort in the chilly weather.  The trick is to cut myself off after 5 cups or so, which doesn't always happen.

• Home made squash-apple soup.  Yum!  This stuff warms me inside and out with the flavour and smell.  A definite cold weather staple.

• Fuzzy socks.  My popsicle toes appreciate the comfort and it makes me smile. 

• Warm thoughts of hotter times.  Las Vegas, Caribbean, cottages, summer... plenty of memories to keep me smiling and remembering the times I felt too hot. 

So bring it on winter!  I'm ready for you!  ... sort of.  I'd better find my boots, Where's my toque? Do I really have to shovel that?