Snow in April

Good grief but we got a lot of snow! We have mounds of it but I think what actually fell was close to a foot. My front porch is nearly 2 feet deep! The cats are meowing to go out but they stick their nose out the door and turn around to run back into the house! They are so spoiled.

I chugged my way in to Calgary yesterday and had lots of fun at our presentation. By the time we were done the snow had melted on the roads so they drive home was easy until I got to town. There had been no plowing either in town or on the country roads. Not impressed. I still don’t see any action this morning. They are going to rely on the weather to take it away. Oh joy. I can imagine what my drive will be like tomorrow morning. I’m planning to drive to Calgary the whole month of April so this should be a stressful month for me. Still hoping to get one of the unassigned parking spots, which we find out about April 11^th. Everyone, have your fingers crossed for me.

Today is housekeeping day. I’ve been trying to slate on weekend per month for thorough cleaning but I seem to get bogged down in details. I can remember when my dad would get into these frenetic cleaning spurts, about once very five years, and he’d put all 6 of us kids into action. It was hell. We absolutely hated it and when the day was over the house looked worse than when he had started. My mother would get so mad! I don’t know what got him started because my mother was and immaculate housekeeper. Maybe he just wanted to be “involved”. Who knows, but we all would rather he WASN’T.

And forget back talking or even muttering under one’s breath. You didn’t dare do anything like that. My father was a very loud guy, he had a big voice and sometimes we’d think we got smacked but actually it was just the yelling. I’m chuckling as I think about it now but I know my siblings don’t appreciate the memories the same way as I do. I guess I was just a tougher kid emotionally than they were. I don’t feel scarred by my upbringing; in fact I appreciate the way I was brought up. The most powerful memory I have of my childhood and teen years is that we were loved and protected. I would say we were overprotected to an almost unreasonable level (as I’ve written before). During my teen years i would often think that I was being treated unfairly but I believe that is classic teen angst. Right now we are reading “The Secret Daughter” for book club and Asha’s behaviour at 16 is very typical. I’m surprised that the mother Somer as a paediatrician isn’t coping better with her child. Very dysfunctional.

Well, I better start going into “Mode Dad” and get the show on the road. I wonder if I should start yelling at Erik to get out of bed and do his part? No, better not. He will freak out!

Jeanette just called to say she is going over to see Stanley and will skype from there.