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!!!!!!!