Back in the Saddle Again

Today is my first day on my shiny new bicycle.

Three weeks ago my bicycle was stolen out of my back yard. But it took a couple of days for the thief to actually register. It had been a post Midnight Madness, post new dog kind of week...one where logic, emotion and action didn't exactly have paths of intersection...so I wasn't positive I hadn't left it somewhere and had just forgotten.

And then I wasn't exactly upset about it either. I hated that bike.

Years ago I had a bike I really liked. But it was an older off road style and it bugged my husband it was so clunky. So for our anniversary that year he bought me a new sleek one. But in August he had had only the dregs of the season to choose from. For a start, the one he chose only had a male seat. The gears were noisy no matter how much I adjusted them. And none of my accessories fit. But honestly it was the dull black and grey paint that bothered me the most.

So now I have a beautiful two-tone blue bicycle. The gears are as smooth as butter. It can fit my mirror, rack and bottle holder. And I'm back in the saddle again.

19 more days....

...till the kids head back to school. Technically it's 18 days and 23 hours and 15 minutes but I'm too spent to count the seconds.

My summers start off with the best intentions. We were going to get out and explore the city. Get really physical. Stay away from the from the TV. Typical of every year.

So now it's the third week of August and wonder what stops me. Well first the kids want to sleep. There is only so much force you can apply to a 250lb 6'3" teenager. The attitude flaming off my hormonal daughter is even worse. Then to keep them occupied I find I'm running one here to friends, having another one's friends over.

Then I do have work to do. Both at home and at my business so I always feel like I'm playing catch up. There's additional work in cleaning up after four kids. No one is on the same eating schedule so family suppers are on hold until September.

My bike was stolen a couple of weeks ago so I've become dependent on my car again.

So now the challenge is to get some quality time into the last two weeks without killing my kids.

Ode to Algonquin

 

I said goodbye to my true love,

Algonquin bound this morn.

He seemed to have packed all the essentials,

including my own first born.

 

He said goodbye in the dawn light,

Off to paddle and grunt in the rain.

To burp, sit and fart at his leisure,

And to show all the bears he's got game.

 

Oh I shall miss my truelove,

And his socks upon the floor.

But at heart I'm a true opportunist,

Bring the coolers, the party's at four.

The Puppy has Arrived

For sixteen years of parenthood I've resisted dog ownership. I knew that no matter what promises my children made, I would be the one looking after it. So on top of all my regular and seasonal jobs and responsibilities I'd have to add another.

My husband and I did make compromises. We tried fish (a ton of work), birds (kids were allergic to the feathers), hamsters (they only live so long), a rabbit (a wonderful pet) and a snake (not cheap). But last December our third child asked us out for coffee on a Sunday morning.

He wanted a dog. He laid out his plan carefully. What he was prepared to do, how he would care for the dog, training schedule etc. Actually pretty impressive for an 11 year old.

And of course my husband and I took the bait. Between the love for our son and our pride in his presentation how could we say no? We did have a number of conditions, most importantly was his allergies. It would have to be a non-shedding breed…and one that we could afford. The dog would only be allowed in certain areas of our home. And he would have to take a couple of dogs for test-drives to show us how serious he was.

By the end of January we (my son and I) had a breed, Golden Doodle but it took us until June to convince my husband to put the money down. Our puppy was born June 16^th and Aug 14 was the arranged pick-up day.

Last week we went for a peek at our dog (a female) when much to our shock and excitement we were informed she was okay to go home. It seems her mother weaned the litter early and puppies had had their shots already since the males were leaving early. So I was alone with four excited kids to make the decision to bring her home. I needed to find a bank and get the money. I needed a box to bring her home in, I needed to call my husband and get the house ready…all the while wondering if she was too young to come home.

I'll tell you it was like an early unplanned labour. We had nothing ready. I spent the next two days in a daze of puppy proofing the house and toilet training.

She is one beautiful dog. Great temperament, fun, happy. And most of all she appears to love us as much as we love her.