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I entirely forgot to mention that my Mum would be in town...hence, no updating. Sorry for the inconvenience. Mum was, indeed, here for a visit. It coincided nicely with Mother's Day, and in celebration we joined Amy and her parents on a trip to St. Jacob's. It's a smallish city in southern Ontario, with a large Mennonite population living around it. There's a huge farmer's market (who knew that Mennonite farmers raised herds of Betty Boop tea sets and cheap electronics?) and scads of little knick-knack shops (shoppes) so it's an odd combination of authentic charm and tourist trap. An authentically charming tourist trap. If you know Wisconsin, think Cedarburg. Both moms are gardeners, so they spent a lot of time looking at plants.  I'm sure both were tempted by this lovely Mother's Day Special...what mother wouldn't want to wear one of these?  Amy's and mine, it seems. Luckily they were similarly uninterested in these creepy stuffed children.  I can see that they're meant to be pouting kids, or kids counting for hide and seek. But lined up against the car they look like a tiny-tot gang that's about to be handcuffed en masse. Amy and I have not inherited our mothers' shopping genes. We pooped out about half-way through, preferring to position ourselves on the bench that every store had outside. These are shoppes thatte knowe...Daddes and kiddes do not enjoy shopping as much as Mommes do.  Nevertheless, we did have fun and it was nice to see our mums having a good time. The following day, after church, my mum and I went to the Toronto Islands.  We walked the island, ate at a nice little restaurant, and explored the tiny houses that belong to the NIMBY's (or is it NOMI's? Not On My Island...) who live there. It's an odd bunch of Utopians who make the islands their home. They need to be reminded at regular intervals that the island does not belong to them, and that they can't fence off their neighbourhood or bar mainlanders from visiting. I agree with them that the island is a culture and environment worth saving, but they do get a bit fanatic about it.  On Monday we went to Casa Loma, a huge castle-like palace that sits on Toronto's bluffs. We about killed ourselves, or at least our feet, tromping about the miles (kilometres) of hallways and acres of rooms...but it's a very neat place.   And today, far too early in the morning, Mum went back to Wisconsin. Arriving home, I did the only thing possible...slept like a rock for three hours. |
