Favorite Son

Simmy was outside weeding the flower bed when the next door neighbor pulled up the driveway.
As he got out, Simmy turned and said hello. She noticed that he looked much too tired for a man his age.
"Did you just get home from work?" Simmy asked.
"No. I was driving 'Grandma' to the grocery store." 'Grandma' is his mother and his childrens' grandmother.
"You're a good man, 'Bright Fame.'"
"I'm her favorite son," he spoke candidly and gently.
"And a hard road it was to get there, I'm sure," Simmy said, thinking of all the times he had driven his mother to the store so she wouldn't have to take the bus.
"Yah," he said quietly, with eyebrows raised and head down, likely also thinking of the errands he had run for her and all the love he had given in practical form.
"Well, I guess that's how you got to be the favorite," Simmy acknowledged.
As he went into the house to catch a nap, Simmy had a happy feeling to be so privileged to have good neighbors.

Room for Healing

It took a little more than a week but the outdoor gazebo, commonly referred to as the healing room, was spruced up with a fresh coat of paint and brand new screens. Even the floor got a new colour called 'Shakespeare.' 
It was cold on Victoria Day so Simmy made soup for dinner. As she was busy chopping up vegetables, her cellphone beeped rapidly letting her know that there were a few messages coming in. Before she could even wash her hands to respond, it beeped again. She opened the message and it read like this...
'Just so you know, I never got back with 'Hill Star.' I didn't mean to upset you before I left, but I can't just jump back into being a dad. I love you, but if its too hard to be physical, I would like it if we could at least still be friends.'
Simmy was shaking her head trying to figure out what this 'Dear Romance Designer' message could mean... when she got another text...
'Sorry... Wrong number... Oops :)'

Simmy remembered the title of Sunday Speecher... 'Healthy Relationships...'
"I'm going to have to listen to that when it comes up on the website... here's a guy who needs to hear it too... maybe I'll send him a text with the web address when it gets posted...
Maybe the Bard of Romance can turn tragicomedies into more comedy and less tragedy.
Here are a few people who need to experience the healing room to get the tragic out of the comedies.
Sigh!

Painting Dorian Gray

Simmy went out to find paint for the shed and the gazebo and the trim around the windows of the house and the trim... and the gazebo floor.
The first place she looked was in the mistints. The names given to paint often inspire thought,... she thought.
Hmm, 'Dorian Gray,' a character in a novel by Oscar Wilde, is an intriguing option. Now, there was a man who made some bad decisions in his life... good thing it's just a novel.
Gerard, the paint man, approached Simmy to see if she needed any paint 'shaken.'
After choosing a lot of mistints and asking Gerard if she could just pour them all together so they would make up enough to paint the shed... she just 'happened to' mention that her lot backed the 'Asia Pacific Gateway' project and then said, "I want my shed to look 'nice' against that mammoth concrete wall that they'll be erecting. I want a strong colour contrast to the concrete."
"Those walls are going to get painted," he replied.
"What?" Simmy growled.
"Umm, we got the contract for painting all of those. They'll be putting a colour on called 'Sandstone.'
"Well, what colour is that?" Simmy was not being very cordial.
Gerard tried hard to find a paint chip but, alas, he couldn't find one so he pointed out a 'sort of like' colour on the paint chip wall.
"Good thing I decided to paint the shed a darker colour. It should look good on that background. What is your accent?" Simmy was never shy to ask personal questions.
"Well, I was born in England but I've lived here most of my life," said Gerard.
"Your accent sounds a little like watered down Scottish. Oh, that might not be a compliment to you," Simmy grimaced and Gerard, with his George Clooney eyes, just grunted and tallied up her purchases.

Dovetailed Self- esteem

Repainting a post and beam gazebo is more work than you could imagine. Get out the paint brush and put away the paint roller. In the land of painting, it's all 'cutting.'
Romance Designer was still smiling at the good news her neighbor had given her a few days ago... about a year ago, she had been having a neighborly chat and as she listened to all the 'good works' that young 'Defender' was putting her hand to, Romance Designer had said, "You should enter her in the Dove Self- Esteem contest. Just write in and tell them about your daughter 'fund-raising to buy a cow for Africa' and tell them all about her trials having to deal with the meanness of people who tell her how she would be prettier if she lost some weight...
"Only 12 girls get picked throughout all of Canada," 'Defender' Mom said doubtfully.
"Apply," said Romance Designer.
Once year later...
"Guess what!" 'Defender' Mom said with slightly more confidence than a year ago, "Lexi was chosen to be one of the 12 girls for that 'Dove' campaign. We're going to Toronto for a photo shoot this May."
"That is wonderful!"
As the paintbrush covered the dovetailed hand- cut joints with fresh white paint, Romance Designer smiled with satisfaction, 'Any nobody can be a somebody someday! Sometimes it just takes the joint effort of good, solid dovetailed people to resist being pulled apart by the mean comments of insecure and small- hearted people.'
With a happy hum, Romance Designer lifted her paint brush in Maestro form.      

'Girls' Night Out'

Well, I got to choose what 'flavour' of icing I wanted for the Mother's Day cupcake.
I picked lemon frosting... lovely J did a fine job of this fluffy concoction. Little bits of lemon zest were sprinkled throughout and complimented the pink lemonade cupcake to perfection.

'Girls Night Out' Chardonnay paired well with the roasted chicken dinner, complete with greek salad, roasted potatoes served with butter, real bacon bits and garden chives. Oh, and don't forget the broccoli with cheddar sauce that was made by lovely K.
Gift certificates for a greenhouse, a car wash and a 'paint' store lined up in French White perfection.
Lovely sigh!
A wonderful Happy Mother's Day!

Lamp Lighter

So... I find myself getting a little excited at the prospect of having a recently vacated room available to me for... a work room, a quilting room, a separate office, a home show room...
Wow!
Youngest construction son has only had one sleep out of the nest and look at his crazy mother making plans.
The lamps in this photo belong to his fiance. She purchased one and I quickly asked if she wanted the mate before it was snatched up. 'HomeSense' can be non-sense if you can't make a decision quickly.
For a very non- traditional person, I decided to make a tradition of... buying a lamp for each son, well, alright, let's face it... the women got to choose the lamp... when my sons' get married.
There is something so 'homey' about lamp light. It sets the mood for a room. It puddles light into a dark corner.
Lamp light warms a room.
So, with the permission of gorgeous J who is marring handsome J, I took a picture of these lamps with 'kelly green' lampshades before they make their way to the apartment.
I can go visit the lamps when they get settled in.