Aggressive Tooth Brushing...wah??

Ever notice gaps in your understanding of life? That is when you suddenly discover something that it seems everyone else knew about but you somehow missed? Does this happen to everyone?

Here are a couple of occasions when I have been merrily going through life only to find certain information was kept hidden from me for years.

The Beavers: I went through life, right up until my mid-30s, thinking that Beavers were the size of large rats. I'd seen them on TV, knew they built complex dams and gnawed down trees. I knew all of that. I just assumed they worked in large groups and that building a dam involved an awful lot of teamwork, as did the gnawing through the trunks of small trees. I knew they were a huge part of the early fur trade in Canada...I just assumed that many, many pelts were sewn together to make a coats etc. I made all the facts fit into my incorrect assumption which did not change for many years. Interesting. It only changed when, in conversation, I mentioned something about how many beavers hunters would have to collect in order to trade and make something. "Hang on," said the person I was talking to (finally cluing in), "how big do you think beavers are?" 
Me: "Errr...about the size of large rats...aren't they?"
Him: "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Cue beaver paradigm shift.

Defrosting chicken breasts: you can thaw chicken under warm running water or put it in warm water. It will defrost really quickly. Obvious!! But I didn't find this out until someone mentioned it a few years ago. Admittedly, I was a vegetarian for many years. But still, I was leaving the chicken out until it had completely defrosted...it was taking ages. I had to change recipes and find alternatives because the chicken breast wasn't defrosted in time. Why didn't I know the warm water thing?

And here's a new one...

Aggressive Tooth Brushing. It's really bad. It can do this to your teeth. (Not my tooth, incidentally)

And once your gums have receded they are GONE FOREVER. No amount of crying and retro-active laid back brushing is going to get them back. If you want them back you have to have a soft tissue skin graft or something. What the???? Does everyone else know this? If so, why didn't anyone mention it? Why hasn't one single dentist in all my 40 years of going to the dentist, ever said anything. "Brush regularly, floss every day...oh...and never brush aggressively with abrasive toothpaste". Is that so hard? (A while back I was using toothpaste that actually had what seemed like grit in it!) I have always brushed aggressively...I thought you were supposed to. I discovered this information, by accident, the other day. I noticed that the gum of one of my front incisors (that is capped) was receding. "Ugh," I thought to myself, "better brush it harder." Then later I decided to consult Dr. Google. Hey presto...there was the culprit: "Aggressive tooth brushing!" Seems it's common knowledge. But I never heard of it. For goodness sake! Using too much toothpaste, especially whitening toothpaste, or toothpaste with baking soda, (yeah...the type I've used for years) and using a firm toothbrush basically wears down your teeth and gums and causes permanent damage. Talk about closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

This is further evidence, as if any were needed, that we are regularly abducted by aliens. It is during these abductions that we miss out on bits and pieces of common knowledge. When we are put back on earth there are small pieces of information missing from our consciousness. Obvious, isn't it?

A Mouse Tail

 

 After picking up the kids from school the other day, I said we'd go for a walk and head to the local pet store to buy some chews for the gerbils. Bronwyn said I'd read her mind...or rather that her 'lucky penny' (whatever that is) was obviously working. Apparently, she was going to ask if we could go to the pet store because she was intent on buying a small mouse, a cat toy. She told me that a few other girls in the class had these 'pets' on their desks. It reminded me of the icons we put on our desks as kids; troll dolls, fruit pencil toppers etc.

I suppose this stuff just carries on from one generation to the next. River reluctantly accompanied us, dragging his feet. Usually he enjoys stores, any store, but he hadn't been to this pet store before and without a previous visit or some visual to help he had trouble knowing where we were going. Of course, once we were there he busied himself taking items off the shelves and carefully putting them back...over and over. Bronwyn and I selected some chews for the gerbils and then moved to the the cat section where Bronwyn selected a mouse toy.

So Bronwyn got her mouse home and made a little house for it out of an empty smoked oyster box.

She took it to school the following day. When I met her after school, she seemed quite downcast. "No one liked my mouse." she said, forlornly. One girl had said it wasn't as 'real' as her mouse. Another had commented that the 'house' Bronwyn had made for it was "weird". Admittedly, she is a little under-the-weather (and sensitive at the best of times), but as we sat huddled on one of the playground benches, and she held her little mouse house, I felt an acute pang of love and pathos. And then I glanced over at River, who was involved in his usual solitary walk around the playground while the other kids chase and laugh around him in groups. School is not an easy place. There was one girl in particular who had upset Bronwyn, perhaps the girl who first started the mouse-on-the-desk thing. "She's a glamour girl," said Bronwyn, "she really likes clothes and boys" (later she described a 'glamour' girl as a girl who is fancy in the way she dresses and acts and wants boys to be attracted to her)...yes, they are 7 and 8 year olds! I saw the girl and, without being able to define what it was about her, I knew what Bronwyn was describing. I said school was full of so many different types of people all in one place and that she would come across girls like that all the way through school, that she just had to ignore them (stupid advice, really). The important thing, I said, was that she liked her mouse. But clearly that wasn't the most important thing to Bronwyn.

I never thought of 7 being a 'difficult' age (I suppose they all have their moments), but perhaps it is. It struck me that Bronwyn had got a mouse and made a nest for it; she'd taken it to school no doubt in an effort to join in and be social. But it didn't turn out the way she thought it would. I'd cooo-ed and said how cute the mouse was and the little home she'd made for it. It is cute. But the other kids don't feel that way. It's as if she is being forced to discard her cute, small-child, habits or risk the mocking of school friends who are older or maturing differently. And it is causing confusion and sadness in her. Schools are the scourge of innocence. The more experience I have with them...and let's not forget I am a teacher, the less I like about them. And I believe the kids go to a great school; by school standards. If I didn't need to work and make money then I would home school both of them. The argument about socializing kids cuts no ice with me. What social skills? How to be bullied, or bully? or change yourself to please others? How to hide anything that is not deemed, at some point in time by some random person who happens to be popular, to be cool? There is no point saying to a kid (unless they happen to be popular) "just be yourself". School is a minefield of differing expectations. The hardest thing of all is 'being yourself'. The stronger pull is to be like everyone else...assimilate into a majority. Bronwyn has a strong personality, but I wonder if she will withstand the pressure to conform. Will she drop the astronomy that she loves and adapt herself to what she believes will make her popular with the other girls...the girls who dictate what it is to be cool and popular. I am encouraged that she is still taking her mouse to school and sitting it on her desk, regardless of what the other girls said.

Catching up...

Here are some pics of things we've got up to recently.

I learned to ski! Well...let's just say I can get down a not-too steep hill with skis on my feet. No points for style, that's for sure. But it's a start. I went to Seymour Mountain with my friend Helen (who kindly lent me some of her ski stuff and guided me through the process). It was a lot of fun. If I'd realised just how much fun it was, I would have done it years (and years) ago.

On the 'slopes'...the flat bit

 I went once again on my own to Grouse Mountain. Quite scary, but I was proud of myself for going. When I first moved to Vancouver I would look across at the mountains; in particular at Grouse Mountain and the ski run that is most visible called, 'The Cut'. It felt great to actually ski down the hill. The scenery was absolutely fantastic. A breathtakingly beautiful day that completely showed the  mountains and the coastline at its best. When I say 'ski', I use that term loosely. Mostly, I was going down with not much clue as to what I was doing, but trying to do it a lot slower. Still a lot of fun and I felt proud of myself for going.

The beautiful view from "The Cut"

From the chair life...spectacular!

Then last week Mark took the day off and we went back up to Grouse. Not quite the same. Blizzard conditions; wind and snow whipping across our faces. The fresh snow was built up so that I found it difficult to do anything at first and was quite dismayed. I kept getting stuck and spent quite a bit of the first part of the trip inspecting the snow up close. Eventually the middle section flattened out a bit and I was able to get in some practice. Mark is a good skier...but was very patient!

View from the chair lift...a week later

 

Mark on 'The Cut"...no view this time

We had a couple of snowy days in the city, but it quickly melted. It is always beautiful while it lasts; the city and beaches transformed by the white blanket and the sunshine.

A snowy walk to school

A trip to the Museum of Anthropology on a rainy Sunday is something I really enjoy doing. The kids love it and, aside from trying to pull River out of the displays, it works out well for us. And it is wonderful to be immersed in all of the Native Art. There was a reel-to-reel recording of an old, perhaps no longer spoken, Native language. River was transfixed by it, as he is all recording devices.

Listening

I went to the symphony with my sister; Mahler #2 (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra). It was very moving and beautiful, but by far the most beautiful part comes at the end when the choir joins in. We had to ward off a giggle-fit; you know, the ones you get in places where you know that you CAN NOT possibly have a giggle fit. My shoulders shook as I silently tried to think of terrible things that would distract me from the quiet joke Trini had made. Not easy. Also, for the first time in years, I went to a real, actual play...an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot". I accompanied our friend, Kyle, to the Fredrick Wood Theatre at UBC. I was a bit worried at first when I saw on the programme that the play was 3 and a half hours long...but it really moved along and was incredibly entertaining. I miss going to plays.

River got an attack of bloody headlice. More combing and laundry...(the laundry...the laundry!). I think we have killed them, until the next outbreak.

Oh...a great weekend in Whistler with my Wendy and other writing buddies. Wendy has a great condo there and invited us to join her...thanks Wendy! We didn't get as much writing done as we planned (I was only there overnight), but it was great to meet up. The plan is to go for longer next year and actually get some stuff done. I took the greyhound bus up to Whistler. It was a beautiful clear day and I thoroughly enjoyed the bus ride; relaxed and lost in thought. I think I'd do the bus-ride again...just go there and back and sit and stare out the window. Write-ins with Wendy are continuing and I think it is well worth doing.

Beautiful views just near Wendy's place in Whistler Creekside

 Also...I have been working on a knitting/dyeing project with Helen. I tried different home-based dyes but the results have not been very satisfactory. Got to try it out again.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot. I GOT A JOB!!! I am going to be working part-time at the preschool located at Bronwyn's school. It is not particularly well paid, but there are a lot of fringe benefits, including not needing childcare. Childcare is an issue; expensive and also River needs extra support in any childcare situation. I know that eventually I will have to cross that bridge, but for now I think this job will work out well. It is a bridge between being a stay-at-home-mum and whatever it is that I do next. I am excited to start working again.

So there we are...a bit of catch up. A bit boring, I know. But sometimes it is all you can do to try and get stuff down.

Things that make you go "Ugh!"

Ugh! number 1: Head-lice. Hello, I am a nasty insect that looks like a mini cockroach and I live in your scalp, sucking on your blood, and laying tiny sticky eggs all over your hair that will turn into other head lice. But just to make you feel better you can tell your friends that I prefer clean hair. The last thing we want is to make our home in dirty...errr...lice-ridden hair. That clean hair thing did not make me feel better as a kid...and nothing has changed. It makes no sense...

After trekking across 'miles' of hair to search and conquer other 'planets' (aka heads), the worn out headlice and his pregnant wife and their kids finally reach the scalp of a new place. It's not quite what they expected; garbage everywhere, gangs of unsavoury headlice hanging around greasy unwashed follicles; smoking and drinking.

Barb: "Kev, I'm sorry but I can't' stay here. Look at this place, it's filthy! Me and the kids are not staying here a minute longer. And no way I'm laying more eggs here...no way. I wouldn't bring up a gnat in a place like this! I'm beginning to think my mother was right about you! She warned me, but would I listen? Oh no. And look where it's got me. I bumped into Debs the other day on the school desk...remember her?...well, her and Gary are living on this beautiful clean head. It's got everything; fresh blood, nice clean dark roots, great safe areas of scalp where the kids can play. If you had any kind of ambition and got off your arse then maybe we could move somewhere like that."

Kev: "Well, the lads down at the 'Dandruff and Itch' were saying that this head is really up and coming and that we should get in now....we can clean it up a bit...right? At least we have each other..."

Slap!


Head-lice decided to take up residence in Bronwyn's mass of thick, long, beautiful hair. I had to use the 'special' shampoo and then comb it all out with the 'special' comb. I had to do this twice. Supposively, the 'special' shampoo/cleanser kills them on contact. Apparently not. I found a couple of live ones the next day (shudder). Apparently, the head-lice hadn't got the message about the shampoo...and were resistant. So we tried another shampoo that essentially dissolves them. Goodbye bugs. Hello endless loads of laundry.

Ugh: Seagulls! A pleasant trip to Granville Island with River was marred when a seagull did this to my LIP!

River and I were just going out to the boardwalk area behind the Public Market. We were munching on pieces of cheese bun. A few seconds after we got out I noticed very large seagulls shrieking and flapping uncomfortably close to us. You could feel the air displaced by their huge wings. A few seconds later and one swooped down to River's head; wings flapped around his head and claws pulled his hair. River froze, scared, "Hurt head!" he exclaimed. I immediately started towards him in order to grab him and get him back inside to safety. The gulls were still hovering close by. I put the last piece of my bun in my mouth as I moved towards River and suddenly a gull dived down at my face and tried to get the piece of bread...from my mouth. It's beak bruised and cut my lip. At first my lip just felt bruised and was really burning, but then I put my hand to my mouth and noticed there was blood coming out. Bastard! It didn't get the bread though..ha ha! I quickly collected River, who was still cowering and complaining about his 'hurt head', and we scurried back to the market. There are stupid people who feed gulls and pigeons. Gulls are big aggressive birds that are not in danger of starving!

ETA:  I shall return with a bag of breadcrumbs and a flamethrower!

Ugh: Drunk men in pubs! My sister and I were enjoying a pint at my local the other night when we were approached by an older (older than us anyway) drunk guy; glassy eyed and slurring his speech. He had already sent over a couple of shots that we didn't ask for, nor want. He blathered on about this and that in an attempt to appear charming. "Are you two schisterss....or 'schisterss'" was his stunning opener. He proceeded to tell me he was a barber and that, though I was a 'handsome' woman, I needed to change my hair. Drunk men should not approach women enjoying a quiet drink....ever; the chances of saying something stupid and making yourself seem like a pathetic loser are way too high. Later the same evening a small child threw a large candy cane Christmas tree ornament that hit me. Nice. To be fair, I don't think he was actually aiming at me. The waitress actually took 10% of our bill as recompense for the assaults.  On the way home I startled a skunk...but fortunately it didn't spray. I'm wondering if I should change my hair. Maybe he has a point.

Merry, Happy, Xmas, New Year, Valentine, Easter etc. etc.

BIG time lapse in blogging. A multitude of reasons, none of which I will blog about. Happy New Year 2012! We had a relatively good Christmas, not without its difficult moments. Trini and Lorne came over for Christmas dinner (this year we bought a delicious organic turkey pie from Aphrodites to save on cooking). It was a fun day. River loved Christmas this year; the lights, the tree, all the decorations and, of course, the presents! This was the first year that he took an active role in opening his presents...and everyone elses. "Ohhh, I love it!" he exclaimed when he opened the sandwich toaster that my sister and her husband had got for Mark and I. The main thing for him was the actual opening of the wrapping paper! It was great to see him so involved. Bronwyn had fun too. She still believes in Santa, even though I have, in preparation for the inevitable, expressed some doubts. She has proof apparently; a rusty bell that she found by the Christmas tree last year. No one knows how it got there (true!). Some pics:

Christmas morning

What was left of Rudolph's carrot

Diva!

Beautiful boy!

With auntie Trini

Mi babbies

Christmas merriment!

You may not remember that we had offered a major bribe Bronwyn in order for her to take sedative and get tons of work done on her teeth, only to discover that she loves Demerol and was fine getting the work done. She had to have additional work the day before Christmas Eve. We hummed and hahhed about what to get, all the while cursing our hasty bribe. I discouraged a Wii player as I could see it would be yet another thing that would require ME to do something. I foresaw that I would be roped into playing a bunch of tedious games....no thanks. I'm aiming for a less-is-more style of parenting. Then we were trying to decide between gerbils and fish. For some reason Mark and I thought fish would be easier and look better. Wrong, wrong, WRONG. In ignorance, we went out and bought a starter tropical fish tank and all the accessories. Ka-ching!...$140! Then we discovered that the stand for the aquarium (which would weigh about 100lbs when full) would cost an additional $100! That is before we purchased any fish. Then there were ph balances, bacteria levels, algae build up, gravel cleaning, ratios of fish...we panicked. We have problems with 'pet commitment'.  "Let's cut our losses, sell the fish gear, and get gerbils!" I said. What were we thinking??? So if you're interested in starting a aquarium look no further than here. We will give you a good deal. So we now have two new resident gerbils; Scorpion and Cactus. Bronwyn adores them. More on them later.

The birthday bash.

River's birthday party was a lot of fun (and exhausting)! He was engaged and really enjoyed having kids over to celebrate. My friend, Michelle, made a fantastic 'garbage truck' birthday cake for him. It was as delicious as it was fantastic to look at! Now and then River was a little overwhelmed by the noise (note to self: do not by noise-makers), but he participated in all the games and was really excited by all the attention. He has also talked about his birthday and answered questions about it. It was a real hit. And I can set up some play dates for him...fantastic! Here are a few pics:

The fabulous garbage-truck cake

Birthday boy!

Pass the parcel...always a hit!

Time for cake

Make a wish!

Yep, they're all for you!

Present opening time!

A wonderful new truck from Aunty Trini and Uncle Lorne

Happy Birthday River!

Wow...hard to believe. Our sweet, beautiful, funny, smart boy turns 5 today! On Sunday he is going to have a birthday party and we have invited a few of his classmates. The first time he will party with is peers...a milestone for a kid with autism!

Urban Fair?

No go for Bronwyn at the dentist today. Her cold prevented her from having the treatment, so it was postponed. In preparation for the sedative she was not allowed to eat or drink past midnight. Seeing she goes to bed around 8:00pm that meant she was extremely hungry by the time we left the dentist around 9:00am this morning. The dentist office is situated above Urban Fare in Yaletown. Urban Fare is a grocery store that thinks it is Harrods Food Hall. A little more care is taken over the decor...but essentially it is just a grocery store. It caters to the Vancouver Urbanite; a professional family of 4 living in a 500sq ft condo; a professional couple living in a 300sq ft condo with a tiny dog that wears jewellery and little shoes; a single professional living in a cupboard. People pay a lot to live in Vancouver's hottest and fastest growing urban neighbourhood, and they demand to pay more for their commodities, goddammit! They want the exact same groceries that other "lesser" grocery stores sell, but these should be displayed in a style generally agreed to be more aesthetically pleasing (a mixture of rustic old-world, and modern utility), they should cost 20% more, and be labelled "gourmet". What's the point in buying an over-priced condo and taking out a massive line of credit if you don't get to pay more for everything you buy???   

Actually, they do have some "specialty" items that looked very tempting. I was drooling over the displays of  handmade chocolates and cookies and ogling the treats in the deli while providing Bronwyn with a running commentary on how delicious or how amazing this or that looked. Bronwyn tagged along and then finally said, in desperation, "Can I just eat something?" Oh yeah...she was hungry. So she chose 3 tiny organic "gourmet" iced-donuts that tasted like cardboard. (I could have bought 10 Timbits for the price of one doughnut). One was iced with chocolate, one with raspberry and one with maple syrup. There was also one topped with lavender (!?) flavoured icing. That just sounded wrong. But what do I know?

While we sat in the cafe area and ate the doughnuts, I happened to notice 3 women occupying a nearby table and "eating" breakfast. They were probably in their 40's, slim, and dressed smart/casual. I was quite hungry myself and couldn't help noticing as I walked past their table (and stared at their food) that they had all ordered a full breakfast only to leave all their fried breakfast potatoes and toast on their plates. What? Who would do such a thing? It makes no sense. Don't order potatoes then...don't order a big breakfast. It took all my strength to resist saying, "Are you gonna eat that?" I hate wasted food. But I remembered where I was and simply stared longingly. In my ideal world you will be able to ask people if they are going to eat the rest of their food and, if not, they will gladly give it to you.

I suspect that woman #1 decided to leave her potatoes because she's watching her figure and we all know that carbohydrates are from the devil. She might be worried that if she eats her pile of potatoes she'll get fat and unattractive and subsequently shunned by the Yaletown community. The second woman, not to be outdone, probably looked over and thought, "Shit, she's not eating her potatoes. Well then, neither will I. In fact, I'm not going to eat my toast either...ha ha!" And I'm sure the third woman, who was a little heavier than the other two, thought, "Bitches! I could eat all your potatoes AND my own. But I'm just going to take 3 sips of my water, push the food around my plate and not eat any of it...ha! And when I get home I'll bury my face in a tub of green tea, lavender soy ice-cream!"

So lazy...

Should have gone for a run today...but instead...I didn't. It is really cold out and I blow-dried my hair this morning so it was just right. It will not be just right any more if I go for a run. Those are my pathetic excuses not to exercise. Shameful! So I will go on the weekend and then promise, promise..that I'll get back on track next week. Since I had to stop Jazzercise I have not really done a lot. Or at least I have not had a good routine of regular cardiac/weights exercise. My core has become weak and as we all know....IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CORE, PEOPLE!

Last weekend I took myself off in the van for a solitary weekend of camping. The rain fell in a near constant torrent and it was very cold. Mostly I sat in the warm van, wrapped up in a sleeping bag, and read. I did attempt a hike...but after my hands and feet went numb and it felt like there were pokers being jammed in my ears, I gave up and scurried back to the van.  I read "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes. I really enjoyed it. Although I would recommend it, I won't say anything about it because I have a way of talking about books that makes people NOT want to read them. So take my word (and the word of the Manbooker judges) that it's a good book. It was a very relaxing trip, although for some reason, perhaps the rain, the cold, the early onset of darkness, I felt more isolated on this trip. And there were other people around. I caught glimpses of hooded, waterproof covered figures with hunched shoulders and heads bent low, wandering around with no particular direction, like zombies. Maybe they were zombies...which would explain my slight sense of unease. And the flat tire I discovered on Sunday morning! And the chilling screams and groans, and sound of tearing flesh, that woke me in the middle of the night! Okay, I made that bit up. But I was greeted on Sunday morning by a flat tire! That bloody van has got it in for me. Thank goodness for BCAA. But I should learn to change a tire, I suppose. Thank goodness for BCAA so that I don't have to! A couple of pics...rounding of the season nicely. It was actually quite beautiful with everything draped and carpeted in gold.

Took the van to "Big O" a fun-filled tire changing place on Broadway. I had to wait over an hour because people are doing the winter-tire changeover...and "winterizing" their vehicles. I didn't know I would have to wait that long. I was scared to ask the tire-changing men; they looked cold and fed up and nothing like the people in this ad...the last thing they wanted to do was to answer a question. And they had no intention of smiling. It was: bring your car in...shut your mouth...wait for us to do the f$$king tires...then pay us and piss off! But that was just my impression and I didn't hold it against them, they did a great job. Incidentally, it's 20mins per car. What a task; changing car tires day in and day out...in the freezing cold. To be fair, I was informed that when there isn't a line-up of 20 cars and it's not sub-zero temps then things are way more pleasant for everyone involved. Understandable.

Bronwyn back at the dentist tomorrow for more sedation and treatment. She has a cold and is congested so she may not be able to have it done. She will be very disappointed she doesn't get her "medicine".

The dentist chair...

Bronwyn had to take a return trip to the dentist last weekend; a new pediatric dentist. Apparently, she has weak teeth or something like that. The dentist didn't come out and say that, she just came out and said she needed: 2 extractions, 5 fillings, one tooth capped, sealants and spacers. You don't have to be an expert to understand that the short version for that is "expensive". Even with extended health 'benefits' to cover part of it, dental work here is outrageously expensive. So I put two and two together and came to the conclusion that she has weak teeth. She eats no more candy than the next kid and brushes every day. Still, there we have it. This time last year I took her to our regular dentist to have a rotten tooth pulled. Not fun. I was not keen to relive that experience times 100! The dentist gave us the options: general anaesthetic or sedation. General anaesthetic seemed a good idea until we thought it through and realised we were not comfortable with putting her under. (Mark, who has never received general anaesthetic in his life, has a morbid fear of being put to sleep). We decided to convince her to have sedation and offered a very hefty bribe....a Wii player! As it turns out she actually preferred sedation (she was afraid a general would make her puke...a bigger fear it turns out, than the needle). So it was a kind of wasted bribe. Damn it, I hate when that happens.Now we're on the hook for a Wii player (hopefully, Craigslist will be fruitful).

Off to the dentist at a stupidly early time...8:00am. Soon after we arrived, we were led to a little back room containing a small couch and a table. A portable DVD player was on the table. Bronwyn was given the sedative and...a lolly(!) and we settled in to watch G-Force and wait for the 'medicine' to take effect.

I was noting things down in my journal and Bronwyn asked if she could write in it. Here is what she wrote:

Translation:

'I'm at the dentist write now just about to get my teeth pulled out wich will not be fun and I got mummy and kitty with me and I am allso waching a movie right now it's called G Force. It's about Guine pigs and one mean hamster that's berly in the movie. There's allso a mole and one of the guine pigs has a mohock. There in a pet shop right now the girl one just got taken by a little hummen girl and this is what she did: put lipstick on her lips and nail polish on her nales and a crown on her head and the girl allso put a dress on her body.'

__________________________________________________ (after about half an hour of sedative)

'here I am again. I just drank some medasin at the dentast and this is how I feel. I feel like I'm flying and I'm also really tired and really drowsy and allso a bit dizzy and I see to mummys sort of and I feel sort of weard. I'm allso sitting in a room thats really really small and I can't eat eany food or drink eany water and I allso got a lollypop. the dentist might be comeing right now    wate achaly I don't think she's comeing. I am sitting on a couch right now.' (taken to the dentist chair)

__________________________________________________

'latter in the day. I just got my teeth pulled out. It  was fun!'

"Is this real life?"

Afterwards she told me how much she liked the "medicine" (a mix that includes Demerol).
"Can we get some of that medicine for home?" she asked.

Me: "No, unfortunately not, otherwise mummy would have it stockpiled in the medicine cabinet."

All in all it was a positive experience. She was very drowsy and very relaxed: high, I guess you could call it. Of course we have to go back for the rest of the work...and now she is actually looking forward to it! A keen journal-er, the recipient of an abundance of dental work, a penchant for drugs...it seems the apple does not fall to far from the tree!

ETA: I should add that I was very impressed with the pediatric dentist, Dr. Anita Gartner at Tot2Teen dental office in Yaletown.  She was great with Bronwyn and explained everything that was happening. I sat right beside her as she did the dental work (something I couldn't have done a few years ago...ugh!).

Taking River to the dentist for dental work in the future is going to be a whole different challenge and I suspect we'll be back with Dr. Gartner. His last check up was okay...but he wouldn't let them clean his teeth at all:

River at the dentist: "No way!"

So that's why...

Skipping

by Robert Morgan

A carburetor skips, and rocks
will skip along the surface of
a pond. A fugitive will skip
the country if he can, and crooks
will skip the payment of their debts.
And one can walk content or run
with joy across a summer field.
But why omitting steps is such
a sign of pleasure's hard to say,
as if the gap and shift, the quick
eliding interruption of
a stride, reflects the shiver jolt,
releasing dance; accentuates,
as heart is said to skip a beat,
the lift, arrhythmic, breathless gasp
and rush and reach of crossing first
one threshold then another in
the vivid hop from foot to foot,
the hurrying toward and with delight.

"Skipping" by Robert Morgan, from Terroir. © Penguin, 2011.

I haven't posted a poem in a while, but I read this on the Writer's Almanac the other day.

River skips everywhere and so do many kids. It is wonderful to watch him skipping happily down street. I love how this poem captures that joyful action.

I want to ride my bicycle...

Last week I got it into my head to ride the approximately 50km from Vancouver to Lighthouse Park and back. I have often gazed across at Lighthouse Park from the Spanish Bank/Arcadia Beach shore and wondered how long it would take to bike there (without thinking that I actually would bike there). But I wanted to do something different on a Sunday, something that would take some time and that would be a to challenge myself. "Bike to Lighthouse Park!" I said to myself. It's far but there are quite a few bike paths...and so on Sunday that is what I did.

Stanley Park

A beautiful crisp and sunny Fall day; the perfect day for a ride. And it was a wonderful ride. It took me about 1hr and 45mins of riding to get there (I stopped for coffee at a cute place called the 'The Bakehouse' in Dunderave, West Vancouver). The most difficult, or arduous, part of the journey was the Stanley Park causeway; a long, slow climb to Lion's Gate Bridge.

On the bridge, heading to West Van

Looking East from Lion's Gate Bridge

The last part of Marine Drive, towards Lighthouse Park, is also a slow climb and a very narrow (sometimes scary) road to cycle. But I made it.

Beautiful trails

I walked through a trail (Arbutus Trail, I think) and found myself at Eagle Point, a perfect place to sit quietly, look out over to Vancouver and rest. It was warm and sunny by this time and so I spent some time sitting and thinking.

A beautiful place to sit with a fabulous view

The ride back took about the same time. It was pretty easy going really, aside from the actual distance. The toughest part of the way back was the climb up the first half of Lion's Gate Bridge, but once I reached the top I could basically free-wheel all the way to the end of Stanley Park. There and back I bike past Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park and along the seawall to the Burrard Street bridge. Most of the route consists of bike lanes and paths, with most of the paths being scenic and well away from the busy roads, which is fabulous and way different than I expected.

Lion's Gate from the West Van. seawall

I was a little sore, but mainly because I slipped on a rock and landed on my hip. As well, yesterday, my "iffy" shoulder (the one I previously had calcified tendonitis in) was acting up and I think it could have been due to the ride. Still, I really enjoyed the ride. Lighthouse Park is so beautiful and such a wonderful place to sit on a sunny day. I felt great to have done the ride. Go me..where to next?!

Heading to Stanley Park and home

I could sing of your love forever...

 This has been River's favourite song for a while now. He learned it at preschool and it took him a while to articulate the words so that I could understand and Google them. It's a Christian song...but I hear it's also a kindergarten favourite. He sings it out loud, swaying his head...pitch perfect. And right now, for me, it is River's song. And I hope he could sing of our love forever; beautiful, precious, joyful boy..