July 31 - A Troubling Scene In The Garden, Likely Caused By The Same Marauder Who Flipped Over The Pond Pump

Alas, poor fig tree
Branch severed, green fruit scattered
Hope the duct tape works

July 30 - OK, Some People Might Have Wondered Why We Brought A Crying Baby To Thetis, But It All Worked Out Well

Perfect lake swimming
Rosetta sleeps, but next year
her toes will feel this

July 29 - In My Happy Place On A Sunny, Rambling Cycle

Work calls. But first: Ride
I tell myself: "One hour."
But it never is

July 28 - Settling Into A Very Nice Housesit

Our last guest heads home
Time to find the bird feeders
And eat all the beans

July 27 - First Day In Ages That I Woke Up Thinking I Didn't Have To Do Some Reunion-Related Task, Although That Wasn't Really True

Chow days fade to black
My slowed work cycle picks up
As families head home

July 26 - In Which Lori And I Sneak Away For A Real Conversation Before The Big Chinese Supper

Cousin, I've missed you
Reunions leave no talk time
Or this: I'm sorry

July 25 - Note To Self: You Can't Take A Bunch Of Children To Beacon Hill Park And Hope To Get Back To Supervise The Giant Romanian Supper

Ten kids on the bus
I stay calm, but unravel
over perogies

July 24 - The Sun Doesn't Shine But The Drizzle Just Adds Heart To Our Karaoke Night Songs

Turnout's down, but rain
can't stop mini-golf diehards
or repressed singers

July 23 - In Which We Ignore The Apartment Lounge Rule Of Maximum 30 People And Get The Party Started

The rumble of Chows
rises as the beer gets poured
We. Are. Family.

July 22 - On The Eve Of The Big Family Reunion, It's One Long Day Of Getting Things Done

Rise early and GO!
Lift, carry, run the errands
The Chows are coming

July 21 - The Perogy-Making Party Is A Smashing Success

So many flavours
of potatoes and cheese; we
are a factory

July 20 - I Speak To The Commonwealth Women And A Number Of Them Really Seem To Like It

Every now and then
I like basking in the glow
of a well-liked speech

July 19 - The Gang Of Five Packs Up The Shawnigan House And Heads Out For Several Hours Of Driving In The Worst Traffic On The Hottest Day

One last swim at dawn
The car overflows with boys
And many golf balls

July 18 - As Much As We Are Getting The Hang Of This Baby-Casting Business, I Know We Were All Relieved To See That Anesthetist Booting Toward Us With A Howling Rosie

One more scary day
But this time we are practised
From here, it's all up

July 17 - Still Trying To Figure Out How I Could Have Passed All These Years On The Island Without Discovering The Shawnigan Lake Quarry

Deep, turquoise waters
Crayfish scuttle at the edge
I dive for golf balls

July 16 - The Thunderous Sound Of Three Cranked-Up Boys Charging Around The Kinsol Trestle

Pity the hiker
who came here wanting silence
but instead found us

July 15 - Visitors Come From All Directions For A Day Of Sun And Lake-Swimming

And now we are 10
The guys head to the next bay
To test the platform

July 14 - Another Day In Paradise

There's talk of trestles
But the lake's so nice, we stay
Cheeks growing rosy

July 13 - The Guys Prove To Be Kayak Enthusiasts, And Owen In Particular

Can he go that far?
Always the question; in truth
the kid's intrepid

July 12 - It's Raining When We Arrive At The Shawnigan Cabin But We Don't Even Care

Our car overflows
Luggage, groceries, Owen
Lake house, here we come

July 11 - Grandson Hand-off At The Usual Nanaimo Halfway Point, With A Long Break For A Woodgrove Browse And A Teenburger Special

Owen is patient
while I shop for tops for Tai
He knows he'll swim soon

July 10 - I Suppose It's Not Surprising If The Baby Of Two Musicians Is Really Into Music At The Tender Age Of 10 Weeks

Rachelle plays a song
Rosetta laughs and leans in
Reaching for the keys

July 9 - While Intending To Go For A Cool, Easy Stroll, Mother, Daughter And Granddaughter Get Lost On A Rough Path Going Straight Up Mount Doug

How crazy were we
to stumble up this steep trail?
I creep down barefoot

July 8 - A Day Of Multiple Interviews With Special-Needs Families Remind Me Of Life's Cruel Whimsies

My task: Document
stories of wounded children
So much pain, yet hope

July 7 - The Latest Pixar Flick Turns Out To Be As Cry-Worthy As I'd Heard, Especially In Real-D

The child beside me
Sobs loudly over Sadness
No prob, kid. Me too

July 6 - A Family Trip To The Mother-Baby Store, Which Is Full Of Beautiful Baby Things That Feel Exploitively Priced

I sing "Muffin Man"
While Rachelle studies breast pumps
Really? That's the price?

July 5 - Another Housesit Finishes On A Day Hazy With The Smoke Of More Than 30 Wildfires

Theo looks wary
He's right: We are leaving him
The ramblers move on

July 4 - The Valley Contingent Arrives For A Visit And We Gather At Pebble Beach

Life's tensions give way
Icy waters and smooth stones
grown hot in the sun

July 3 - After Many False Starts And A Whole Lot Of Emails, A Few Old Workmates Gather. But Only A Few

I remember us
from another time, when we
liked each other more

July 2 - In Which We Take Advantage Of The Sunshine And Load Up Rachelle And Rosetta For An Afternoon At The Chinese Cemetery

This day is so hot
We flee to the water's edge
To chill in cold seas

July 1 - The Scene Downtown For The Fireworks

Drunk kids draped in flags
Mix with parents on blankets
Eyes skyward, we wait

June 30 - How I Look When I Arrive Very Late To Tour Jeneece Place, Having Seriously Miscalculated The Length Of The Bike Ride

Red-faced and flustered
Stammering apologies
Wishing I'd Googled

June 29 - One Of Those Days Where Everything Feels Just A Little Off And I Spend Too Much Time In Traffic

A day out of sync
Is best observed from behind
And left unnoted