I took the Wee Ladies out to a friend's place yesterday in the country where it is quiet with the exception of the chatty chickadees. The Wee Ladies stood around the bird feeders as the birds swooped and flew around our heads like acrobatic stunt planes. Their wings made the sound of buzzing propellers. It was so tranquil and peaceful and I think about those same moments I shared with my Dad.

We used to sit outside in the snow with sunflower seeds in our perched hands. He taught me how to be still. We would sit and wait a long time until the friendly chickadees would trust us enough to sit and take a meal from our hands or just whiz by and take a break on the top of our toques before setting off again for more dips and dives through the cedar trees.

This lesson goes far beyond feeding the birds. He taught me to how to be still at the right times so I would learn to appreciate what was around me. I learned how to stop and look around, listen and think clearly, thanks to him. This is something I try hard to instill in the Wee Ladies, especially EvieG. Patience is something I value highly in life and sometimes I feel like patience rules Hubby and I as we settle into our new life here and wait for projects and jobs to take shape.

I firmly believe everything happens for a reason as tough as some of those things may be.

As time marches on, I feel myself growing into him more as I hear him loud and clear in my own voice when talking to the Wee Ladies. I hear myself repeating things he told me, or sharing views that he shared with me. I am teaching the Wee Ladies in the same way he taught me. We go out and follow the deer tracks and talk about it as we go. We stop along the way and listen to the wind race through the branches in the woods. We talk about nature as we see it.

14 years may have passed but I still feel like his influence is just as strong as it was when he was here in real time. I will share things about him with the Wee Ladies so that they feel as if they have some connection with my father, their grandfather. I will tell them what he would think or even what he might say about a particular subject.

He was a strong force in our lives. He still is. And he continues to be an important force in the lives of the Wee Ladies.

All's I'm sayin's all.

PS February's Who's DDM is up! You can click here to go and check it out. Have a good weekend!

EvieG: Mom, when is the next winter Olympics going to be?

DDM: Well, 4 years from now. There is a Winter Olympics, then a Summer Olympics in 2 years, and then 2 more years after that is the Winter Olympics again. They take turns every 2 years.

EvieG: Oh. But why don't they have it every year?

DDM: You know, it takes a lot of time and money to plan for all of the events and for all of the athletes to train (just guessing here, not an Olympic expert).

EvieG: But why don't they have Spring and Fall Olympics?

DDM: Well, they group the sports into the ones you do in the winter time like skiing, skating, and hockey and the ones you do in the summer, like running, swimming, and rowing.

EvieG: I think they should have Olympics every season. I know what I would do for the Spring Olympics.

DDM: Oh ya? What's that?

EvieG: Watching the rain fall.

I burst out laughing. I explained that watching the rain is sometimes about all you can do in the Spring on certain days.

And where is the sport in that? Lifting the remote control.

All's I'm sayin's all.

We started with a cocktail at our place followed by some Thai food and then some simulated fun. We had some other friends with us and I am not sure what they thought of the lot of us carrying on the way we were.

The after dinner spot was a place that has simulated golf, the Wii, karaoke, a bar, and a pool table. Hubby and his boys went to shoot some golf balls at a screen while Auntie Lisa and I took the karaoke machine for a spin. I was overwhelmed by the selections. I didn't even know where to start. This was way better than singing in the van and I have been getting some decent mileage on my vocal cords lately with Sirius' Classic Vinyl station. We began with Holiday by Madonna, followed by some Mamma Mia, Sweet Caroline, Mr. Brightside, Peace Train, Wind Beneath My Wings, and Wanted Dead or Alive. Quite a variety, really. I wondered why we were the only patrons left in the place. I heard Hubby howling in the back.

It was so much fun. I haven't done the karaoke thing since high school. And it is amazing how well you think you are singing after you have had a few cocktails. I thought I was better than Bette Midler. And in my mind, Brandon Flowers would have asked me to record a duet with him for sure.

By the end of our night (which was only 11) we had to call a cab. We tried for a half hour to get through to a cab company but the weekends are busy here in our town and no one was available. The owner of the bar asked to drive us home. There were too many of us and since we didn't live too far away, I offered to run.

It was one of the coldest nights of the winter to date, I had no hat and no mittens just because I was too excited leaving the house for the evening and forgot. The owner took our other friends home, the further distance. Auntie Lisa and Hubby held each other up all the way home and Paul and I ran. We ran. And I laughed the entire way. Guffawed. The hilarious thing was that we didn't even feel the cold. We ran by a couple all bundled up and they told us to keep warm. We hollered, "Doing that right now! Staying warm!" They were the ones catching our cold breeze as we blew by. I felt like I was in school again finding my way home after a night of debauchery. I haven't done that in a very long time.

We arrived safely and out of breath. Hubby and Auntie Lisa were a little bit behind us and Hubby had the money for the babysitter. Her parents were waiting for her and she left without her pay. I felt horrible. I dropped her money off in a sealed envelope at school this morning. I am sure the office staff are not used to cash transactions coming through the door for babysitters.

Hubby was in a world of hurt yesterday. But he did say that he had a great time. I am glad he did. He deserved a good night out. Even if it meant walking home comfortably numb in minus 25 degree weather.

All's I'm sayin's all.

While I was in Toronto visiting Auntie Lisa back in December, I lost my debit card. This was nothing out of the ordinary. I had lost it before. I usually put it in my pocket and use as needed when I have the Wee Ladies with me. Taking my purse is risky. I would likely lose that too, so I simplify by reducing the chances of leaving my purse in a store and just take the card.

When I got home, I looked briefly in my purse. I did not see it sticking out of my wallet. I didn't see it in the zipped section with the lip gloss. And it wasn't mixed in with the gas and dry cleaning receipts. I searched my coat pockets. And my jeans that I had just removed from the washing machine. Nothing. Crap.

I took the second trip to the bank branch in the last 3 months. They hooked me up with another temporary card and I waited to get my new new shiny card.

It came and all was well for a while.

This past weekend I went to buy ski poles for EvieG because she is conquering all the big hills now. I used my debit card. DENIED. I tried again and selected the other account. DENIED. I was confused. I had just used it to buy a birthday gift for a friend of EvieG's. Freaking slightly, thinking someone has cleared me out of my last few dollars, I went home and told Hubby. Everything appeared normal online. I forgot about it, figuring it was just a glitch in the systems. I concluded it was something with the chip on the card.

I tried to make another purchase the following day. Again DENIED.

What?What?What?

This was getting humiliating. I was now that person the store clerks look at and think- She shouldn't be buying anything. She is maxed out. She has a spending problem. I felt my face turn red with embarrassment. Pull out the VISA again.

When I returned home, I immediately dialed up our customer service representative at the bank. They diligently looked into my problem, making sure there was no fraudulent activity on my card or at the last place I used it (the toy store?). They asked me a series of questions including my secret password, which I had forgotten. Typical.

Then he left the line for a couple of minutes. I waited patiently, folding underwear and matching socks. He came back and asked me to tell him some number at the bottom of my card, which I did. He then solved the mystery. He politely reminded me that I had reported a lost card. He went on to tell me that I received and activated a new one. I agreed with everything he was telling me. He then concluded that I had been trying to use my lost card.

I was using the lost card. The card that had been in my wallet the entire time. Right beside the new new one.

I had to call the bank to realize that I had lost my mind. Thanks to the guy at the bank for solving that problem for me.

All's I'm sayin's all.

Spark Plug is a pack-rat at the ripe old age of almost 4. There is stuff everywhere in her room and anywhere she collects her trinkets. She places her special pieces in their rightful spot. She knows exactly where everything is and belongs. And she even has her footwear ordered according to function.

She has photos lining her bedside table, along with her toothbrush which she refuses to keep among the others in the bathroom that belong to the rest of us plebes. She has flowers, fresh and fake, a self-decorated hand-held mirror, art work, and a piggy bank. There is a table cloth under it all to make it look authentic. A baby blanket is the surface on which all of these treasures rest.

She has her hot pink Tender Tootsies beside her bed. She also has her slippers that make noise for when she is feeling fancy. She then has her pair of 'nighttime slippers' which are Tinkerbell foot covers she got for Christmas and she puts them on as she tucks into bed each night. Downstairs she has her snow boots, of course. And her running shoes for the gymnasium at the Y. But also- her sparkly flip flops. She keeps these in her swim bag for the Y to wear to and from the pool.

This kid cracks me up. She knows exactly where and how she wants everything. She thinks about and executes her plans. She goes through my MIL's place and takes whatever she is allowed to take. After our last visit, Spark Plug came home with a giant plastic bag full of necklaces, framed photos, stuffed animals to add to the already enormous zoo along the side of her bed, toy bird feeder, Tinkerbell plastic cup and plate, and on and on. And it all gets placed.

I don't even bother tidying her bedside table. There's no point. She would just put everything back where it was before. She fiddles with it so much, I doubt there would be any dust collecting on it.

When I accidentally forget to hide the art work at the bottom of the recycling bin, she throws a fit and takes it out again. I apologize, claim my ignorance, and slyly wait for her to forget about it again, snatch it up and bury it for good. If I didn't recycle anything or occasionally pitch out the broken jewellery, we wouldn't be able to move in here.

I can't even imagine what this is going to mature into.

Yes, I can. A fussy, anal, picky, pack-rat who will have every surface covered. With her Jimmy Choos and clothing arranged by colour, function, and season.

All's I'm sayin's all.

I know it is almost the end of the month. I wrote it the first couple of days into the new year.

Given what has happened in Haiti, I have taken the time to try and explain things like fresh food and water, housing and living conditions to EvieG and how disasters can strike and change the lives of millions. I am trying to show her that there are many people in the world who are living through horrific tragedy and who are simply trying to survive. I don't know how much she can comprehend but I figure it is worthwhile explaining.

The next question is trying to be proactive. By donating to the cause is one way, but I am often thinking to myself, how else can we help or how can she see the realities and struggles that people are faced with everyday around the world? This will be something I explore as the Wee Ladies get older.

It is so easy to carry on with our days with our kids. I have been thinking a lot about how the people in Haiti are coping. I realize that in our global village, we are all neighbours and we all can do something to help in times of need.

All's I'm sayin's all.