blogging

Regina: Do You Want a Toy with That?


Note to self: a healthy husband and a well-rested child travel better.

“Nice,” was husband’s comment about my note. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m loaded up on pharmaceuticals. I’m fine.”

But his throat is raw and the heavy walkers overhead kept us all from experiencing restful sleep and consequently, we were all a touch prickly this morning.

Coffee, tea, pastry, a nap for the wee one and a couple of hours of putting road behind us and by the time we hit Regina, we were our usual well-oiled traveling machine.

Normally Subway is our only food stop when we travel. Totally my fault. The greasiness, ingredients never to be named and the basic “meat”eaters society in which we live make chain restaurants and fast food chains a none possibility.

On the last trip we allowed Katy a Happy Meal however because the child simply can’t be expected to survive on tuna subs or pickles/lettuce subs. And I have come to see the wisdom of the “toy included” meal when traveling. A kid trapped in a car seat for 8 to 10 hours a day needs something to look forward to, and a Happy Meal toy is good for 45 minutes of novel entertainment. It’s not like when I was kid and had the back seat plus the back of the station wagon in which to spread out.

The toy of the moment in the burger kingdom are replicas of the characters from the animated movie, Kung Fu Panda. Middle daughter, Jordan, took Katy to see it the other night and gave her the Tiger, which flips. It is important to note that the toys are “action” figures. Tiger, I have been told since, needed a companion. I saw the wisdom of this early on in our trip and decided that perhaps a whole hour of fun could be eked out of getting Tiger a “friend”.

We found a McDonald’s on Albert Street as we arrived and dutifully wasted gas in the drive-thru for the meal only to discover as we rounded the corner of the building that it was toyless.

“Do you really need the toy?” Rob asked smallest daughter.

So I took the offending box back inside and made an inquiry of a young drone behind the counter.

“Don’t these come with toys?”

“We stopped putting them in,” was his reply.

I think he expected me to meekly accept this lame and completely nonsensical reason and simply walk away chastened, but I am certain the look on my face told him otherwise. I mean, who the hell buys a Happy Meal for the food?

He handed me a toy.

Snake, which does nothing whereas Tiger flips and hangs by its tail, has joined us now for the duration of our trip and, if she is lucky, beyond. Between the meal and the Ku Fung paraphernalia, Rob and I enjoyed a good two hours worth of whine and other calm shattering incident free travel.

One Happy Meal? $5.84 (CAN)

Confronting Teenage Service Worker? Truly my pleasure

Satisfied and Silent Child? Priceless, people.

Hitting the Road


So the last time I made this trip it was in reverse, driving from Des Moines, Iowa to Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Because Katy and I were road novices, Rob broke up the trip. We left on a Wednesday evening and stayed at a hotel about an hour away. This way we’d said goodbye to the house and would start the trip a bit “fresher”. We crossed the border on Saturday and stayed that night in Regina, Saskatchewan where I met my mother in law, Gerry, for the first time. It’s also where we met Rob’s sister, Lice Widow. The journey ended with our new home on Sunday evening. I think it may have been solstice or pretty close.

This evening we are heading in the opposite direction with Northeast Iowa as our destination. Just four hours tonight and crossing the border Saturday morning and then heading to Minot. Minot to the Minneapolis area Sunday. Monday to my folks. And yes, this is much abbreviated. We aren’t road virgins anymore.

I may “live” blog over the weekend. Depends on the scenery. The flora, fauna and natives you run across on a road trip can make for interesting blog fodder. 

I have a new short story I am working on and it might distract me. It’s terribly sad. So sad that it made me cry while I was working on the beginning the other night. I am stuck in post-apocalyptic themes. Not cheery and it was only yesterday that the reason for it hit me quite squarely during my morning run.

It’s about surviving. 

On the day after – when it’s obvious that you are still alive and will be for a while – you get up, survey the wreckage and get on with whatever it is you have to do.

Anyway, it’s a really sad story. Even Rob couldn’t believe I was writing something so sad.

Regardless, I will be blogging over the “holiday” though  playdate mommy today remarked that it didn’t seem as though we were going to have much of a holiday.

We’ll see.

Dear Readers


My dearest Readers,

Let me apologize for my lack of comment response of late (and blog commenting too), I have been lax. No excuses, but between end of the school year, the upcoming Iowa trip, the 23 year old moving back home, my dad’s recent difficulties, my brother’s latest “episodes” and beating the excess exposition to death in the short story that has the best chance of being published in print I have had yet – I am a bit busy.

Add to that the fact that now everyone but Rob (knock very hard on any nearby wood for me please) has been down with a virus in the last week and a half.

And I am not asking for sympathy. We all have busy lives, but I am the blogger who is falling down on the job. You, my readers, have been fantastic. I truly appreciate the support and of the last few days especially.

Just to update everyone:

I am nearly done with my revision. Like most writers, I am having difficulty cutting the excess, but I feel confident I will have a revised draft to send back to the magazine on Friday and then fingers crossed, okay?

My father is a tad better after the last two days of fright. He is, however, having to use his O2 most of the time and this is not a good sign despite what my mom and sister think.

My brother is even crazier (is that kind or politically correct? It is accurate though) than I thought. I managed to get in touch with my ex-sister in law and have a much better picture of what is going on. I don’t envy her. You would think that being an ex would make you less responsible but that is only when children aren’t involved which is a lesson to us all really – be careful whom you breed with. But, she tells me he is okay physically and that she will try to talk him into going into the hospital.

I am not overjoyed to be heading back to Iowa. Aside from the sogginess there, we will be leaving behind my favorite time of year here in Alberta. It’s not exactly summer but unspring is definitely behind us, and I wouldn’t call it “white nights” but there is something wonderful about sunset at 10:30 at night and then spying the moon at noon. By the time we return the days will already be getting shorter again. Okay not by much but I will notice.

I will blog over the upcoming holiday. I simply cannot not write. So I hope to be updating more on my dad.

I also have a few things to say in light of Rob and my one year wedding anniversary coming up and there will of course be flood related topics because – let’s face it – how can one visit a disaster area and not have a few things to say.

Finally, I just want to say again how much I appreciate you guys. Even you nameless anonymous readers (who it probably wouldn’t kill to post a comment here and there).

Happy Hump Day all! Don’t forget about the Hump Day Hmm. Check it out. Give it a try.

Annie