a funeral

Went downtown for the funeral of Jack Layton today.   I felt the urge to participate in a small way, just to be part of the event as his casket was taken from City Hall to Roy Thompson Hall for the funeral service. 

He was my Member of Parliament, but I didn't vote for him last time - I supported a friend who was running for the Green Party.  But I have voted for his party in the past, and apart from a symbolic vote for the Greens, I probably would have supported him.  And I admired so much that he changed his methods over time, became less confrontational, rising above mudslinging and attack politics to campaign on a positive message.  His contribution to the quality of my city when he was a City Councillor was huge too.

One thing I found very strange about the whole thing was the applause and even a few cheers as the hearse came by.  And the eulogies during the funeral ceremony got standing ovations!!  I guess people wanted to find a way to express what they felt about the man, what he had meant to them, the good concrete things he accomplished over his political career.

Rest in peace Jack.

Letting go

One of my challenges in life is a tendancy to purchase sale items that are close to but not quite what I wanted.  Perhaps an inherited trait from my very frugal mother, or an issue with my sense of selfworth.  Whatever, the result is usually a purchase that ends up as clutter.

I need to let go of some of these purchases and projects, hopefully to make room for better things in my life.

Yesterday I was looking at unfinished knitting projects, and I realized I have been working on two pale green cardigans.  I did not particularly say to myself "I could get a lot of wear from a pale green cardigan"  or "pale green fits in with my wardrobe, let's add more".  No, the wool was on sale in both cases.  Sweater one is too small and rather rough (purchased on line so no feel test).  I was going to reknit it larger, but why spend the time when it is a duplicate of sweater two?

The pattern of diamonds and crosses is very cool though. 

Sweater two is a nicer wool silk blend purchased at a store closing sale.  Right now it fits better, although I still want to change the back neck line.  Ripping out a couple of inches is better than ripping out an entire body. 

I intend to complete a couple more works in progress before I start anything else.  And I will be more deliberate when choosing my next knittng project.  Pick a colour and style that will work for me, even if I have to pay full price for the materials.

Black Cat Appreciation Day

Charlie playing with his toy troll.

He's got plush fur like a Gund toy.

Audra watching the kittens from a safe place.  My gleaming black panther cat.

Millie on the cat tower.

She's got a bit of white, but is mostly black so I'll post her picture today with my all black guys.

My summer vacation

Spent a week at my mother's cottage in Haliburton.  We had good weather, the lake water was really warm this year, so we went swimming every day. 

 This is down at the dock area, the cottage is up above this area.

 My mother on what is left of our dock.  She's going to be 90 next year, but is in good shape except for her eyesight.

This shows the stairs up to the cottage - 42 steps total!  My father built a seat for a rest half way up.  Rory is heading up.  He didn't go in the water, but came down with us.

This is the sleeping cabin - just enough space for a suitcase and a double bed.

This is a sunrise shot from the cottage deck.  I love getting up early and listening to the birds wake up.

Kitchen sink view

Yes, this is it!  Not much to look at - my neighbour's wall.  But that's part of the price I pay for having a house that's 6 km from where I work in downtown Toronto.

If I lean left and look right, I can see their deck and say hi when Ray is bbq'ing.

Just to have a bit of nature, I have a beefsteak begonia and an interesting rock.  In this shot you can see my glass tile backsplash, my splurge when I did the kitchen.