Women....

     Monday, again, already? Where did last week disappear to? I'm a little scattered today so I apologize if this is a little all over the place. It's been a busy weekend.

     Friday was the memorial mass, so time with my not quite in laws. Even though a sad occasion, I did get to meet more of them and had a good time. Too bad they are all an hours drive north of me, almost two by transit.

     Saturday was running errands in the morning, a quick trip through Peterborough following up on something I promised a relative in Australia. Then three and a half more hours in the car driving back to the farm.

     Sunday was a small gathering of the clan, only about a hundred of us, getting together to celebrate my grandmother's 85th birthday. Lots of fun, not anywhere near enough time, epic camera fails on both cameras, then back in the car for the four and a half hour drive back to the city.

My grandmother with her children

Sorry for the over all crappiness of the picture,

hopefully I can wrangle a better copy some where.

    An entire weekend spent in the car. Not a single speeding ticket. I'm tired. Driving even remotely close to the speed limit is very taxing, just sayin'.

     Small announcement, maybe question, maybe explanation. I'm not really sure what is going on but a number of my comments on other blogs are not publishing. Now, at first I thought maybe they had been removed, not a big deal. Not everyone shares my high opinion of myself. But I've been getting these weird cross scripting errors and a comment on my cousin's blog disappeared. She would flat out tell me I was a tool or if the comment had been deleted by accident. She's good like that. Just letting you know I haven't reverted to my lurker ways.

     So back to Monday, Listicles, Stasha and women. That's our topic this week, in honour of International Woman's Day last Thursday. Back tracking just a little, here is part B of last week's topic, explaining the contortionist thing, and here is my Women's Day rant.

     Moving forward, women, ten things I know about women. Do I know ten things? Let's see.

10 A woman's place is in the kitchen. Unless of course you need them in the hay field, the barn, cutting wood, the garden, baling hay, ploughing ...

9 Diamonds are a girl's best friend. Unless of course you're my Mom, then those pretty, sparkly, colourless stones better be surrounding emeralds, sapphires, opals or rubies. BTW you should see the rock my aunt Marilyn got for her wedding this past Valentine's Day. Some serious bling. Well done Terry, now you've raised the bar for all the rest of us.

8 Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. Nick names, all bets are off there. Calling my aunt Deborah, Deb Bra Less will indeed end up causing you a world of hurt so yes, you can start crying right now.

7 Women are waiting for their knight in shining armour to ride up on their white horse... Unless it's my Mom, aunt Deb, cousin Mindy, aunt Susan, cousin Sherry cuz it's a beautiful day, the trail is calling and you just better be able to keep your seat, I'm not wasting all day waiting for you.

6 A woman should always greet her husband with her hair and makeup done. Unless of course you're going to the hay field, the barn, cutting wood, the garden, baling hay, ploughing ...

5 Women have no head for business. News to my aunts Marlyn and Marilyn and my cousin Sherry who all are/were successful business owners or my aunt Barb who is the resident financial wizard we all lean on.

4 Women are the weaker sex. Make sure you eat your Wheaties before you say that around my female relatives. Be prepared to be dusting yourself off and picking up your teeth and battered pride. They don't stand for that kind of nonsense, you won't either.

3 Women aren't technically minded. Thanks aunt Karen for explaining I needed to push the button on my camera all the way down so it actually took a picture and not just  auto focused. My camera wasn't in fact broken or defective.

2 Women lie around all day watching soap operas and eating bon bons. Unless they're in the hay field, the barn, cutting wood, the garden, baling hay, ploughing ...

1 Women endure. That is really the only thing I do know.

     Both my grandmothers raised eleven kids on working farms. Their twelve daughters have shaped my life from the time I was born. I have been surrounded by strong, capable women my entire life. They have survived everything life threw at them and prospered. 

     From my grandmothers unending patience, my aunt Jean's quiet grace, my aunts Marlyn, Rita, Janice and Jean's (other Jean) infectious laughter,  to my aunt Barb's ever welcoming hospitality, all of these women have contributed in ways small and large to the person I am today. Ladies, I salute you. I don't say it often enough, I'd be lost with out you.

     I have two requests today, to send along good thoughts. The first to my cousin Mindy. She's having a baby tomorrow, her first, on my grandmother's actual birthday. How cool is that. Let's see that makes 34, 35, 37 great grand children? And 8 grandchildren who haven't even started yet. Told you I came from a big family.

Mindy and Doug

One more sleep, then never again LOL

     The second is to Jennifer. She could use all the support, prayers and positive thoughts we can muster right now. Her courage and strength amaze me.

     Swing by Stasha's and see what everyone else has to say about women.