The Saga continues....................

I have no idea how the backend of the volunteer situation works the Pan-Am. I know it must be complex, but I tell you - my patience levels are being severely tested.

On Saturday morning, I accepted the position. Now what????   Well - I went onto the Facebook page and was told to wait as I would be contacted via e-mail or the volunteer web page.  On Sunday morning, I noticed that the link for the training was up.  I clicked on it and attempted to sign in with my volunteer sign-in information.  NO GO.   I tried several iterations in the event that something got messed up.  Nope - the training system didn't even recognize my e-mail and I ended up messing up my log-in to the volunteer web page (which is now fixed!)

Back to the Facebook page where someone suggested I call the volunteer office.  I did (On Sunday) but this is the message I got "Our office hours are MONDAY - Friday".   Seriously - I was about to lose it at that point. Maybe this was a test to see if I had the patience to be a volunteer????   Then someone clued in that I had NOT received the e-mail that provided me with the password and user ID to the training site.  You think that IMPORTANT detail could be on the link page!!!!!   Saying WAIT for an e-mail with this information.

So now I am back to waiting for that e-mail to come.  By the time I get the e-mail (up to two days but supposedly things are being fast tracked?????), and do the training, then get a uniform together and get an assignment - well the games will be over.  My biggest thing is why are they still asking for volunteers when the games are already on and those volunteer schedules should have been set weeks ago???????


How many of you are participating in some form of the Row by Row Experience???  I think the name should be changed to the Row by Row FRENZY!!!!   I am going to try and post some BIZARRE stories of what people have done - I am hearing rumours that some people have gone to GREAT lengths to collect rows and plates.

Let's just say that is NOT just the quilters that are into this.  NOPE - my neighbour, Rhonda, offered to do some shopping for me on her recent trip out west.  Was there anything in the cities she was visiting????   Immediately, I went to the appropriate web sites, looked up the information and forwarded it to her.  Look what I found in my mail box yesterday.

Goodies from Rhonda!!!

I think they must have had a great time - out quilt shop hopping and RIDING BIKES around Stanley Park!!!!  Oh yes - the world is being converted to CRAZY QUILTERS ON BIKES - one person at a time!!!!!


Thank you so much Rhonda - your story is going in with the rest of them!!!!


On that note - I have to get out of here - it is Monday and I am off to do some hand stitching. I am behind in getting those bindings done. Hope to finish one more today - then 4 more to go - three by the weekend???  I doubt that.

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!

Pan - Am Games

Should I keep you in suspense about the PAN-AM games????  I decided to ACCEPT the position. That way I am at least IN the system and we can work out dates from there.  And the venue (Hamilton) is reasonably close to me.   I must say that when I finally got home last night after dinner that I was VERY DISAPPOINTED to have no further information.  The group on Facebook says they are fast tracking all the volunteer staffing now - DUH - the games have begun and in two weeks it will be all over except the PARA PAN-AM.  Fast track?   They better fast track FAST or  - well -   it is craziness.

However I talked to a friend who is volunteering and has been for a week - she is driving delegates all over Southern Ontario and she is having a blast!!!!   So it might be worth it to stick around and see what happens.  No changes made to the plane ticket yet, but it is very possible.  I am playing the waiting game.    I am just ticked at the process.

Apparently there were volunteers who were offered a job and then refused it because it wasn't the venue they wanted or it was too far away. Others have left because the shifts were too long, they didn't like the food.  PLEASE - you are volunteering at a very special event.  For some - it may be once in a lifetime.  Oh well - I wil try to keep quiet about it now.  I am "in the system". Let's just wait and see what happens.


I am so far behind in posting pictures of the classes that have taken place in the last two weeks.  I have one more class next week and then I will try and get them all up.  Hey - I still have two posts from PEI that never went up.  And people need inspiration about things to write about???   Not a problem here!

However I have to tell you about yesterday.  Right after my class, I had to zip home.  I had about 15 minutes to get changed and head off on my bike.  Another community ride - we were starting at City Hall which is 10.9 KM from my house.  I grabbed everything, slathered on the sun screen and I was off.  I really really needed to get to Lens Mill in Toronto to get the rest of the missing binding for the girlie John Deere quilts, but there just wasn't time before or after my class (trust me I checked the tiimes of the store opening) so I will have to go back this week.

There is no question - the more you ride in the city, the more fun it is. And doesn't seem so scary!!!!   The Burnamthorpe trail is awesome. I could ride on the road, but I truly think it is faster on the trail and then you don't have traffic to worry about. So I zip down to Burnamthorpe and ride all the way to City Hall. 30 minutes!!!!!   Seriously - you can't beat that - OK - so when I wasn't waiting for a street light - I was flying along that trail!



My first experience on that trail, I almost ditched the bike a couple of times because I wasn't sure where the flat edge of the curb was. Well DUH - if you look for the painted lines for the pedestrian crossings - that is where the flat edge of the curb is!!!  It is just that sometimes the cross walk is not quite at the corner and sometimes it is.  Once I got that figured out and the light was in my favour - I could zip along there no problem.

Then we grouped up and we were on our way to the Hershey Center to watch the judo at the Pan-Am games.   There are bike trails and bike lanes all over the City of Missisauga.  What can I say!   These community rides have been an eye operner for me!   I had no idea.  If you live in the City and own a bike - why not come out and try one of the rides?????   I believe all are under 20 KM so they are very doable for anyone and there is always free ice cream or some form of refreshment at the end .  The other committee members have done a SUPERB job of organizing the events. If you want to check out the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee web site - here it is.  If you want to know when the next community ride is and where - check out this page.

Heading over the 403 on McGlaughlin

My pace slowed down considerably once I was with the group and I ride at the end or up and down the line.  So many people just wander out into the road.  They FORGET there are cars on the road.  I don't know how I am going to ever drill that into their heads. Then they wonder why car drivers get upset!!!!

Arriving at Hershey Center

Everything was well organized at Hershey Center.  The parking lot wasn't full - not at all. The arena wasn't full either but a good number of spectators.  When you buy a ticket to an event - you get public transit and there were survey takers out there with their iPads gathering information.  Other than we had to walk 100 M through the "bus" pick up area as the organizers didn't want us on the road where the buses were, everything went smooth.

I think the event lasted two hours. Now I know NOTHING about judo. So Dorothy and I made it up!!   We spectulated why one person won, how points were accummulated, etc.  We found the women to be way more agressive than the men.   I am glad it worked out that I could go on this ride and that I could get into the event.

Judo competition

They often had a match on both mats

The crowd went wild whenever a Canadian come up!!!!


Then the ride back home - we took a different route home but in no time we were back at City Hall and enjoying a smoothie from Second Cup.  


Stats from the bike ride - total of 37  KM




I saw a lady on the ride who I knew and she knew me. But we could NOT place each other.  So bizarre and I really knew her.  Then during the event - Susan remembered.  Our kids went to the same homebased day care!!!!!   How cool is that.  So we had a good chat about what our kids are doing now - all grown up and off doing this and that.  Susan is still friends with Mary Lou (the baby sitter).  I hope we have a chance to get together!!!!

Now for the backyard update!!!!   That Mother Robin is SMART.   As soon as I see little beaks in the nest - she shoves them back down so by the time I get the other lens on the camera - they are out of sight!!!!!   BUT I managed to get this picture and cropped it down.   See that little beak - yelling "MOM - I'm HUNGRY!!!!!"

Baby bird beak

 What will I do for entertain when the birds are gone?????


The last couple of mornings the raccoons have been out in full force so today I brought my camera. We happened upon a group of two adults and about three babies.  When they heard us coming, the signal was sent out and they all hustled to a tree, but didn't necessary climb it.  Just waiting to see what was going to happen.

My girls are getting too old to chase stuff and honestly - I don't think they were aware or they just said "hey - it's too hot to chase - we don't care about the raccoons"

Mommy raccoon peeaking around the tree

Two babies climbing a tree

See the little baby up the tree.  "Is this far enough Mom???"   His mom was at the bottom of the tree

I will take my other lens next time and try to get some close ups!!!!!



I just love the pond now that it is fixed.  Three waterfalls and they are noisy!!!!!   But without clambering over the rocks - I am supposed to get those weeds out.  Yeh right!!!!

The three waterfalls

Yesterday I found my long lost twin.  We must have been seperated at birth!   I have been chatting with Connie who lives in the US. We are trading a license plate. She mentioned that she got it from her Husqvarna Viking dealer.  Oh my - what machine did she have????   Turns out she has the same sewing machine that I have had for years - the Designer I that requires you to use FLOPPING DISKS to do the embroidery. Neither of us upgraded the machine to use USB. Then we both bought new machines - the SAME machine - well hers is a Ruby Royale and mine is a Ruby Deluxe (the older model).  I got a good laugh about that.  Good morning Connie!!!!!!

I have so much to do today - I almost want to go back to bed instead of being an adult and facing the challenges.  But the most important thing on the agenda is to do some grocery shopping. There is NOTHING to eat in the house - no milk, no bread and god forbid that someone else would offer to pick up that stuff!!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!

SAD face - BIG SAD face

GRRRRRRRRRRR   -

 I am so TORN

 I am so DISAPPOINTED

 I am so TICKED!!!!!!




I applied to be a volunteer at the Pan-Am/Para Pan-Am Games MONTHs ago. I don't even remember when I applied.  There was an application to fill out online and then at some point, I had to do an on-line video interview which was very weird, but once you used to the format it was OK. And it was hard to be happy and animated when you had to keep your head in this little window on the screen.

I think I had selected that I would be a good Team Lead or something to that effect.  I purposely did not book vacation plans  hoping that I would get selected.  I joined the Facebook group for the volunteers and people were getting notices and I got nothing.   The bulk of people had notices months and months ago, some offers kept trickling in.

Opening day approached and I heard of a couple of people that I personally know who got selected - Wendy and Joanne.  Yes - I was jealous!  I so wanted to be a volunteer.

Open day arrives and I finally booked my plane ticket for vacation (two days ago). And GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!!!!   Yes - yesterday I got notification for a position.  I am TICKED to say the least.

Volunteer Assignment

It is be an event host at the CIBC Hamilton Soccer Stadium!!!!!!      I am not sure what I am going to do at this moment. I have a day to decide.  But what ticks me off - is that the soccer starts TODAY.  Surely they knew who and what they needed BEFORE yesterday???????

There is a LOT about the volunteer  thing that ticks me off.  Just bear with me as I vent because otherwise I'm going to explode with my frustration.

They expected EVERYONE to put their entire summer on hold in the hopes that they would be chosen.  We were supposed to just be happy knowing that we had applied and MAY be selected????     MANY MANY people from other countries (who had to find lodging and transportation) were accepted yet they could not take people from their own city?????  And the number of people who bowed out of volunteering at the last minute - I am TICKED!!!!!!!!  

Here I am as a flipping over responsible person and I get asked at the last minute to volunteer.  Oh yes - the young ones didn't pan out - so let's go up the age scale.   I bet I could out last MANY of those young people.  Can you tell I am TICKED??????

I don't know what to do - as the date approached, I said that if they offered me something, I would not take it out of principal and I SHOULD have opted out once that ticket was booked, but I completely forgot about doing that.   Now that the offer is on the table - well.......................      And I can't just shove the vacation back by one week as there were plans on the other side of the vacation.   GRRRRRRRR - this is why I hate planning stuff.


Calm........................    breath.........................  one........................two..........................three.............



Well here is an update on the backyard situation.
Here is Mommy robin - she is feeding the BABIES!!!!!!    Yes - there are two of them I think.  She is very protective of them to say the least.   She was feeding them and by the time I got the camera - she had shoved them back into the bottom of the nest. So cute to see their big beaks - that is all I saw.

Mommy Robin feeding the babies

She has even shoved them into the side of the nest so that you can't see them.   That little white thing is part of the baby bird.

The nest with baby birds

We have had some major problems with our pond.  First the ground has softened and a couple of the rocks were threatening to fall in. While I was away, they came and shored up the edge of the pond and broke up a couple of the rocks so they are pretty stable (I hope!)

Then we had a major leak.  We have had this problem all last year and we ignored it.  Let's just say our water bill was up a tad as we kept topping up the pond so the pump wouldn't run dry.  I thought the leak would be in the liner.  Nope - we had some pond leak specialists come in and they found the leak was around the skimmer.  The waterfall has not been running for weeks and they came yesterday and got everything back up and running.  So nice to hear the water at night with the windows open.  I MUST get my butt to the gazebo to read. I have missed the water when I was out there this past week. Let's just say that there have been issues for a couple of years - I am basing that on how LOUD and how fast the water is running now.

The pond

But look how much the plants have grown in the pond.  No danger of a dead pond at our house.  That pond really needs a good cleaning out.  Trying to keep the weeds under control in the backyard - it isn't easy but I am making  head way. Time to get more mulch down.  I guess I'll do that in the spring now. What I really really must do is schedule TWO days in April to get the garden in shape for the summer.  Mulch, bring out all the nice things that I have purchased to put on the fence so I can enjoy them all summer. Clean out the shed.

My problem????   That damn sewing  machine (or cutting mat) beckons me and I am lost for the day!!!!!


Well - I have quite the story to tell you about how I spent yesterday Rowing and Hopping across Ontario.  Let's just say that I had to fill up with gas TWICE in one day.


I have a class to teach this morning and if all goes well - I will be part of the PAN-AM game today but not as a volunteer - well yes in a sort of way.


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!