Man on the run

The last thing we expected to encounter while holidaying at my mother's farm in South Western Ontario was a fugitive on the loose. A man who has killed three people and has since gone into hiding...or fled farther afield, the authorities are not sure and/or are not saying.

The manhunt has resulted in one sleepless night for my mother — with her daughter and granddaughter whom she sees twice yearly newly arrived to the farm, the last thing she expected was a threat to their safety — and friends and neighbours reputedly outfitting their homes with locks, dead bolts, alarm systems and additional outdoor lighting. Oh, yes, and my inlaws calling to inquire if we're okay.

This is a rural community. Residents don't typically lock their houses up tight when they venture into town for supplies. Nor do they always remove keys from ignitions; after all, you never know when you'll need to take the pickup over to the North field. When I was child we didn't lock the doors at night, neither when we were out, nor when we were sleeping within. And only when our beat-up old car was stolen from its shady spot near the road, did my father decide it was time to lock up the vehicles and drive shed at night. Still, the doors to the house remained unlocked. Now I see my mother locking up before we go to bed and can't help but mourn the loss of innocence.

However, I think it's time. The world has changed. After all, back in the city I wouldn't dream of leaving the house without first locking the doors and putting on the alarm. And either my husband or I check that all is secure before we retire for the evening. It doesn't take a fugitive to make us vigilant. It's just something we do.

Mika and the Pussycat Dolls

Recently I caught on to Mika. Somehow the files destined for my MP3 cell phone found their way to my daughter's Ipod. At first she protested: "What's this music?" "Is it Mommy's?" As in, yuck, gross. Then, a little later: "Lollipop...hmmm. Grace Kelly. I like it!"

Otherwise I am oblivious to what she listens to...I have no objections to her bonding with her father over music. Fortunately, they are content to leave me, with some exceptions, blissfully stuck in the eighties.

However, recently I became enamoured of the Pussycat Dolls' Buttonz tune. Kassie had a friend over. At supper, seated around the butcher's block in the kitchen, hungrily consuming chicken nuggets and french fries (sometimes nutrition gets tossed out the window), they decided to play the same tune on their Ipods at precisely the same instant. Get, ready, get set, go. Then they proceeded to sing along, both of them off-key, until they dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Kids are kute.

Construction site

We are repairing our front porch, which was sadly in danger of collapse.

It actually looks pretty good here. Appearances are deceiving.

Below is the work-in-progress. This photo was taken a week or so ago. Yesterday, before the rain started, we actually got proper steps. The ones in the photo are makeshift only, provided after we grew fed up with entering the house through the garage and garden.

The back garden is very small and was actually a welcome sight after working all day indoors. However, I didn't fancy climbing the fence, small as it is (in a pencil skirt it's harder than it looks), when I neglected to take the garage door opener with me. Below is a photo taken last week from the side door of the garage.

Catching up

So what have I been up to since the spring when I stopped blogging? It wasn't travelling; we didn't even go away during March break, for pity's sake. Nor was it a new romance, as I'm a happily wedded woman. Not a new baby. Mine is 10 now and alarmingly close to independence (or so she tells me, when it suits her).

A few things did occur during the interim worthy of blogging about, including:

• The dozen manuals I wrote and updated...maybe more, as I've lost count...installation guides, end-user guides, online help, webpages.
• Our 14th wedding anniversary...correct me if I'm wrong, Johnny...it feels like only yesterday.
• The visitors who came to stay with us: an old friend who currently calls Vancouver home, and my sister who lives in Sarnia, Ontario.
• Kassie's triumphs: Finishing Grade 4 and passing her Royal Academy of Dance ballet exam. She also treated us to her drama club's final production, her ballet recital, and to yet another dance show courtesy of her recent two-week dance camp at McGill University's Camp Artemusik.
• The publication of my critique partner's first novel. Way to go, India! And news that another writing buddy is about to find her works in print.
• Laser eye surgery to prevent retinal detachment...yeah, not so nice as the others but at least it's done.
• The renovation of our front porch, which is a work-in-progress still and resulted in the tearing of my favourite Teenflo skirt when I was forced to climb the fence to get into the house.
• Great books I've read, including In The Company Of The Courtesan by Sarah Dunant, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, and, most recently (as in today), Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Funny how most of these titles are Young Adult novels.

Of course, the above is by no means a comprehensive list. I may add more later or, better yet, blog about events as they happen. There's a novel concept.

Still here...

Despite evidence to the contrary, I am still alive and kicking. Look for an update soon.