Winnipeg's Gone Wacky - Winnipeg Free Press
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Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Christmas in September
For about the past ten years my family on my father's side has been getting together annually for a Christmas gathering of INTENSE PROPORTION! My Dad was one of nine children - and so now our aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children, spouses, et cetera have added up to more people than can fit in any one person's house - or yard, for that matter.
We gather in Dugald where my uncle lives and use the community centre to have dinner, and visit. It's a great time - lots of kids, a baby once in a while if we're lucky, and the best part of the whole deal is I meet a new relative just about every time we gather.
The part of this get-together that I enjoy the most is the fact that we have extended the word ' family ' to mean , anyone that is important to us. We have had neighbours come to this party, ex-wives, adopted children of ex-wives, former cellmates of adopted children's ex-wives, you name it, they've attended Dugald Christmas.
I also love our ' Garage Sale Silent Auction', that essentially funds our party for the following year. Everyone brings a few things they aren't using anymore, or something they picked up cheap once and somehow never quite used, and the incredibly organized women put it out on tables in clever groupings like social prizes, then we all buy tickets to win our relatives' old stuff. It's awesome; one year I got a set of ear cuffs. If you can figure out what these are for, you are doing better than me. My kids love to bid on their old toys that I was trying to shuffle along to the next cousin. I've passed on many an adorable but impossible outfit that I was trying to get my kid to wear this way - that mini jean jacket? Off to the next kid!
I have the most incredible assortment of aunties who have this zest for life that only comes with age and loss - they are wise and make a killer potato salad. I love every single one of them, and save a special extra hug for my Auntie Elsie, who next year turns 65. Elsie grew up in the Portage Institution, having been born with cerebral palsy which made it difficult for my grandparents to look after her, especially with so many other children. No one expected she'd ever care for herself. Well, for over 30 years now, she has supported herself and lived independently, and is one of Winnipeg's biggest sport fans. She's pretty inspirational, and somehow manages to remember all the kids' birthdays and find little gifts for them. She has a knack for making others feel special.
So why have the party in September? Simply, life is busy. December is chockfull for most people, between school concerts, work parties and shopping and preparation for the season, then adding inclement weather, we have decided not to keep gathering at ACTUAL Christmas time. So forgive me, I know it's 25 Celcius ( ABOVE, not BELOW), but I need to go find my patchwork Christmas sweater now. I wonder if it goes with these shorts?
Ho Ho Holy cow I'm hot.
We gather in Dugald where my uncle lives and use the community centre to have dinner, and visit. It's a great time - lots of kids, a baby once in a while if we're lucky, and the best part of the whole deal is I meet a new relative just about every time we gather.
The part of this get-together that I enjoy the most is the fact that we have extended the word ' family ' to mean , anyone that is important to us. We have had neighbours come to this party, ex-wives, adopted children of ex-wives, former cellmates of adopted children's ex-wives, you name it, they've attended Dugald Christmas.
I also love our ' Garage Sale Silent Auction', that essentially funds our party for the following year. Everyone brings a few things they aren't using anymore, or something they picked up cheap once and somehow never quite used, and the incredibly organized women put it out on tables in clever groupings like social prizes, then we all buy tickets to win our relatives' old stuff. It's awesome; one year I got a set of ear cuffs. If you can figure out what these are for, you are doing better than me. My kids love to bid on their old toys that I was trying to shuffle along to the next cousin. I've passed on many an adorable but impossible outfit that I was trying to get my kid to wear this way - that mini jean jacket? Off to the next kid!
I have the most incredible assortment of aunties who have this zest for life that only comes with age and loss - they are wise and make a killer potato salad. I love every single one of them, and save a special extra hug for my Auntie Elsie, who next year turns 65. Elsie grew up in the Portage Institution, having been born with cerebral palsy which made it difficult for my grandparents to look after her, especially with so many other children. No one expected she'd ever care for herself. Well, for over 30 years now, she has supported herself and lived independently, and is one of Winnipeg's biggest sport fans. She's pretty inspirational, and somehow manages to remember all the kids' birthdays and find little gifts for them. She has a knack for making others feel special.
So why have the party in September? Simply, life is busy. December is chockfull for most people, between school concerts, work parties and shopping and preparation for the season, then adding inclement weather, we have decided not to keep gathering at ACTUAL Christmas time. So forgive me, I know it's 25 Celcius ( ABOVE, not BELOW), but I need to go find my patchwork Christmas sweater now. I wonder if it goes with these shorts?
Ho Ho Holy cow I'm hot.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Moonlight Madness Burlesque
I'm happy to announce our upcoming show :
Thursday October 29, 2009 at The Academy Bar ( Osborne & Stradbrook)
Moonlight Madness Burlesque shows feature a vaudeville style variety of oldtyme burlesque striptease, comedy, music and theatrical acts!
October's show features Miss La Muse, Heather ' Stella Starlight' Witherden, Mia Star Van Leeuwen & more acts TBA!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Amish Children in a Modern World
I am raising my children Amish - giving them chores, putting them to bed at 8 pm.
I don't care that they are tweens/teens, they need sleep !
Sleepovers are the devil's work IMHO
Who wants to help me groom the horses?
I don't care that they are tweens/teens, they need sleep !
Sleepovers are the devil's work IMHO
Who wants to help me groom the horses?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Lordy Lordy Look Who's -
Where does the time go?
My 41st birthday is creeping up on me like an ill-fitting nylon skirt.
This entire year has been the epitome of three steps forward, two steps back.
Speaking of steps, I am hitting the treadmill this morning to clear my head - and my Type 2 diabetes.
Talk to you in a bit, listen to this with me while I ' wog' (walk/jog)
CRANK IT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXlIIgLIqM
My 41st birthday is creeping up on me like an ill-fitting nylon skirt.
This entire year has been the epitome of three steps forward, two steps back.
Speaking of steps, I am hitting the treadmill this morning to clear my head - and my Type 2 diabetes.
Talk to you in a bit, listen to this with me while I ' wog' (walk/jog)
CRANK IT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXlIIgLIqM
Friday, June 27, 2008
I Hate The Red River Ex
I am a snob.
I hate the Red River Ex.
I hate the scrubby looking carnies.
I hate the fourteen year old girls with daisy duke shorts hanging onto their twenty year old gap toothed boyfriends.
I hate paying four dollars for a glorified slurpee and six dollars for a hamburger.I hate the rigged 'games of chance'.
I hate the gate admission that means even if I do nothing else, I have just paid to watch the freaks that remind me how much of a snob I am.
I hate that it reminds me that I was the girl who sneered at the smoking patio girls in high school, quite confident that my life was going to be better than theirs because I was so smart.
I hate that I was obviously right in that assertion.
I hate seeing 35 year old grandmothers.
I hate seeing formerly famous bands having to force out one more show to pay off their debts.
I only like one thing, and that's seeing the little dogs jump thru hoops and go up ramps - I have the feeling they are the smartest animals at the Ex.
I hate the Red River Ex.
I hate the scrubby looking carnies.
I hate the fourteen year old girls with daisy duke shorts hanging onto their twenty year old gap toothed boyfriends.
I hate paying four dollars for a glorified slurpee and six dollars for a hamburger.I hate the rigged 'games of chance'.
I hate the gate admission that means even if I do nothing else, I have just paid to watch the freaks that remind me how much of a snob I am.
I hate that it reminds me that I was the girl who sneered at the smoking patio girls in high school, quite confident that my life was going to be better than theirs because I was so smart.
I hate that I was obviously right in that assertion.
I hate seeing 35 year old grandmothers.
I hate seeing formerly famous bands having to force out one more show to pay off their debts.
I only like one thing, and that's seeing the little dogs jump thru hoops and go up ramps - I have the feeling they are the smartest animals at the Ex.
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