we had a little holiday.

we went to Grandmaman and Grandpapa’s house for the Canada Day long weekend. Oscar went to see Grandmaman ride in the Canada Day parade, on a horse-drawn float (yes, Oscar’s grandparents live in the 1800s. or a very small town. you pick your preferred version of the story). Oscar petted the horse’s nose, and then snatched his hand away, rapt but cautious. Oscar toddled and rolled in dandelion fluff, and played by the sea, and dragged a heavy blue bocce ball around the lawn for half an hour like his own pet rock. Oscar decided he likes cake, and doesn’t like lobster – clearly, he is my child after all – and got a ride on his first tricycle, and was enthralled by the little Oscar-size cottage and train Grandpapa built down by the beach, his own personal wonderland. he was quizzical about the grainy sand, and timid about all the friendly great-aunties and uncles, and if he’d been allowed to stay up for the bonfire he’d probably have loved it, but mommy & daddy had to enjoy it on his behalf instead. there was a lot of smiling, all a terribly picturesque time.

go ahead. ask to see the photos.

erm…yes. one little problem.

i am sad to report that our camera is currently on hiatus, its battery as a doornail. it’s one of those finicky camera-charger combos that has to sit in a little shoe to charge, and the little man-bit of the charger no longer seems to light the fire of the camera’s lady parts, so to speak. i couple them ’til they click, whispering suggestively all the while, but the camera’s little blue light remains unlit, alas. even when i wiggle them together like Barbies doing the nasty. seeing as the warranty has expired, i fear the rest of Oscar’s childhood will go tragically undocumented unless somebody invents a Viagra for electronic appliances. if any of you have connections with the fine people at hp Photosmart, i encourage you to tell them of our plight. and tell them that like, i know it happens to everyone…but seriously? i don’t want to be this involved in my camera’s intimate interiors. next time, i’m buying something with a simple, straightforward plug.

and by next time, i probably mean next week.

but in the meantime, i offer these lovely artistic renderings of our vacation at the seaside…Oscar at the sea
o at seayeh, who needs cameras anyway? though O may wonder someday why exactly he didn’t have a nose in childhood…

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while we were away creating memories and fodder for great art, though, the world did not stop.

there was more bounty. my online girlfriend, Ms. Redneck Mommy – i know, i know, she’s everybody‘s online girlfriend, she’s an incorrigible flirt – flicked her sticky fingers wand and dropped a Rockin’ Girl Blogger award upon me. which, um, rocks, even though any non-hand-drawn picture of me would point out how the word “girl” becomes more of a stretch all the time. but i like my pretty new button, however i have to squeeze to get it over my hips, and have decided to continue stretching its use of the word “girl” by passing it along to a fine blogger who happens to be technically even further from girlhood than myself, but who rocks most indubitably. Mary, come on down. glad you’re out here adding your voice to the chorus.

and still more. the lovely Jen from Playgroups are No Place for Children nominated this for A Perfect Post for June. it was for sweet/salty Kate‘s Liam, and for Finn, but mostly for all of us who in moments find ourselves cotton-mouthed and stuck for words. the funny thing is, i don’t have words to tell Jen how much it meant that she chose that post, because it was something i’ve been struggling to say for a long time. but i am grateful for the honour.

and lastly…the struggles that sometimes leave us all not knowing what to say go on even though i go away for the weekend. Whymommy‘s gearing up to start chemo with great courage and positivity, and the Team Whymommy badge on the ever-filling sidebar is a sign of solidarity and support. i think Thordora would kick my ass if i started a Team Thor, but…she needs a little love too, these days. mental illness is as real and as debilitating and often as life threatening as physical illness, and so much harder to talk about, to drag out of the closet. but she’s fighting too. so lend her a thought where you can, or a word, and some hope. ’cause things, these days, are tough all over.

thus endeth the public service announcements for today, friends. tune in next week when you’ll hear Miss Bonnie say “how in god’s name do i draw a horse, anyway?!?”