The Fall Guy

Yikes! Has it really been two months since my last post? A busy autumn it has been. Below are the highlights, but first a health update:

This past week was my tri-monthly checkup with Dr. O’Sullivan at Princess Margaret Hospital. After a quick physical examination he announced there were no signs of anything that concerned him, but it was nevertheless time for my annual CT scan with a chest x-ray thrown in at no extra cost. Both were also done this week and I’m scheduled to return on November 25 to discuss the results.

This will hopefully bring me peace of mind if not peace of neck. Schlepping a heavy backpack around and endless hours of hunching over a laptop have not been kind to the ol’ neck muscles. It’s been a season of spasms. As such, I’m looking forward to getting back to the comforting embrace of scarves and turtle necks.

Not today, though—it’s a warm and beautiful November afternoon and, in fact, it has been a rather mild fall. Here is what I’ve been doing with it:

It’s (Not) All Academic

There remains just over a month left of the academic term in my master’s program. Although my full-time student teaching doesn’t begin until January, I’ve nevertheless been enjoying my weekly visits to the grade 5/6 classroom. Better still, I was invited to join the class camping trip to Sandbanks Provincial Park back in September. There was a misty rain when we arrived, but we lucked out with mild temperatures and sunshine for the two days following. Our tents stayed dry and our spirits high as we enjoyed campfire songs, marsh exploration, and playing on the sand dunes.

The whole trip was an excellent way to engage the students in their biodiversity unit and build a sense of community. Given my part-time presence in the classroom until January, I was especially grateful for this chance to get to know the kids outside of the school.


Niece to See Ya!

Late September also involved a trip to Harriston where good things came in threes: Jeanette’s birthday, our niece MacKenzie’s birthday, and the Harriston Fall Fair. Jeanette preferred to keep the first item a low key affair, but Mackenzie was more than happy to hog the spotlight. Here’s a self-portrait of the two-year-old princess in her birthday boa:

Andy Warhol couldn’t have made her more iconic.

Meanwhile, I got to shine as well when I joined Jeanette’s Dad as he drove the Harriston Motors tow truck in the town parade.

I tell you, if you ever need a self-esteem boost, you can do worse than being in a parade as crowds of people smile and wave at you. You can’t even hear them say to each other “who the heck is that?” It was a memorable ride for me, but Jeanette and Mackenzie likely preferred their spins on the midway rides later that evening. Who else gets a parade and tilt-a-whirls on their birthday weekend?

A Gran Day Out

And speaking of birthday girls, this fall was also marked by another memorable milestone: my grandmother’s 90th birthday! Mom decided to mark the occasion by throwing a family bash in Georgetown. Although the party wasn’t a surprise, much of the family in attendance was: my sister flew in from Halifax (unbeknownst to even me) and Mom’s brother Bruce and family (sans Cousin Lisa, who, like Jeanette was stuck working) traveled up from Tennessee. It was especially good to see Uncle Bruce looking (and sounding) so healthy as he recently underwent surgery on his tongue for… oral cancer! We commiserated about the misery of such procedures but agreed to be thankful for how quickly the mouth heals. We’re both lucky to be able to wish Gran a happy birthday verbally! Not to be outdone, Mom’s verbal birthday greeting stole the show: her playful poem offered insightful highlights into the life of Gran.

The birthday girl was all smiles and it’s safe to say a good time was had by all. I’m assuming plans are already underway for her 100th birthday bash.


That’s it for now and likely all I’ll have time to post until late December. Things at school promise to ramp up steadily until my final assignment deadline in the middle of next month and then there’s the usual holiday madness. I hope everyone is enjoying a fabulous fall and I look forward to catching up with each of you… eventually!