Well, here we are. The last day of 2009. I'm not too sure what to make of the significance of this fact, but it's a Blue (Full) Moon today. There will be a lot of revellers out bringing in the New Year so be careful out there.
I think 2009 was a pretty good year. We became first-time grandparents on the 21st of April and couldn't be more proud of our grandson and his parents.
As a family, we have survived the recession and avoided the H1N1 virus. On top of that, the New York Yankees won the World Series, the 'Riders were this close to winning the Grey Cup and a movie was shot in our home town as "Rust" was shot in Kipling early in 2009. Yeah, I'd say it was an above average year, for me anyway.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Poem
Merry Christmas everyone!
Here's a little Christmas poem I've thrown together for you.
Random Thoughts-71
Dec 20-2009
Three Kings, shepherds and a babe in the manger.
The Eastern star and presents from strangers.
Carols and fruitcakes, poinsettias and holly,
And the chubby little guy so happy and jolly.
Christmas traditions that began years ago,
We follow and add to each year as we go.
Mistletoe, stockings and the nativity scene
Houses decorated in bright red and green.
The Grinch and the reindeer and Christmas cards too.
Candy canes and eggnog, to name just a few.
Now a new Christmas tradition we can add to them all
Is the latest tradition of the trip to the mall.
We could have started earlier to avoid the frustration
If it hadn’t have been for that procrastination.
Our time’s running out because we’ve delayed
So this rushed shopping trip just has to be made.
We’ll scream to the city and jump into the fray
And hope to get it done in one single day.
We brave the cold weather and the traffic so thick
And there’s no way at all that it’s going to be quick.
The parking lot’s jammed and the stores are all too
But we join in the lineups ‘cause there’s nothing we can do.
Now I’m off with a load of some gifts that we bought
But I’ve lost the damned car in this huge parking lot!
Yes, we will all meet up later, that’s what we will do,
But why would you pick the crowded food court zoo?
Now, we’re all back together comparing our lists
And because of the rushing there will be something that’s missed.
But we’ll take what we’ve got, we must get out of here
That’s about all we can take until this time next year.
But despite all the trappings of the trip to the mall
It will usually turn out to be not bad at all.
With the right attitude and a smile on your face
It can sometimes be good to be in the Rat Race.
Too many are alone at this time of year
So we should take all we can from all Christmas cheer.
From the Hubbard Family to you and yours. Merry Christmas!
Here's a little Christmas poem I've thrown together for you.
Random Thoughts-71
Dec 20-2009
Three Kings, shepherds and a babe in the manger.
The Eastern star and presents from strangers.
Carols and fruitcakes, poinsettias and holly,
And the chubby little guy so happy and jolly.
Christmas traditions that began years ago,
We follow and add to each year as we go.
Mistletoe, stockings and the nativity scene
Houses decorated in bright red and green.
The Grinch and the reindeer and Christmas cards too.
Candy canes and eggnog, to name just a few.
Now a new Christmas tradition we can add to them all
Is the latest tradition of the trip to the mall.
We could have started earlier to avoid the frustration
If it hadn’t have been for that procrastination.
Our time’s running out because we’ve delayed
So this rushed shopping trip just has to be made.
We’ll scream to the city and jump into the fray
And hope to get it done in one single day.
We brave the cold weather and the traffic so thick
And there’s no way at all that it’s going to be quick.
The parking lot’s jammed and the stores are all too
But we join in the lineups ‘cause there’s nothing we can do.
Now I’m off with a load of some gifts that we bought
But I’ve lost the damned car in this huge parking lot!
Yes, we will all meet up later, that’s what we will do,
But why would you pick the crowded food court zoo?
Now, we’re all back together comparing our lists
And because of the rushing there will be something that’s missed.
But we’ll take what we’ve got, we must get out of here
That’s about all we can take until this time next year.
But despite all the trappings of the trip to the mall
It will usually turn out to be not bad at all.
With the right attitude and a smile on your face
It can sometimes be good to be in the Rat Race.
Too many are alone at this time of year
So we should take all we can from all Christmas cheer.
From the Hubbard Family to you and yours. Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Random Thoughts-70
November 30, 2009
Do you recall the article I wrote a few weeks back about how November really didn’t have anything to offer? I mentioned a couple of November events that were coming up but I had completely forgotten about the CFL playoffs! I know! How embarrassing! How can any rabid Canadian sports fan actually call himself a fan if he can’t even remember which month the Grey Cup is played in? Sheesh.
November, please accept my humble apology. You will not be considered a blah month ever again in my books. Especially when our Saskatchewan Roughriders played in three of the most memorable and thrilling football games that we ‘Rider Priders have seen back-to-back-to-back since, perhaps, the seventies.
First, we beat the hated Stampeders to finish first in the West Division for the first time since 1976. Then, “déjà vu all over again”, we beat the Stampeders, AGAIN, to win the Western Division Championship! (Pinch me this can’t be happening!!) Then, we win the Grey Cup. But wait! Hold on a second. You can’t be serious?! A WHAT? How many men? C’mon, we were this close…But, alas, it was not to be.
Even though our underdog ‘Riders weren’t supposed to get a playoff birth this season and Darian Durant wasn’t supposed to be a starting quarterback and the reigning Grey Cup Champion Stampeders were supposed to kick our butts all over the place and a bunch of “Canadian” receivers weren’t good enough and then the Alouettes were supposed to kick our butts too…we prevailed. Right down to the last second of the championship game. Yes, it was ours, albeit for only a nano-second, but it was OURS! And everybody knew it. And, yes I know, that’s small consolation, for it will not be the Saskatchewan Roughriders names that they will be engraving on the Grey Cup this year.
Now, back to that article I wrote a few weeks ago. In that article I recall requesting, or commanding, November to be a nice month…and it worked. Well, I can’t take all the credit, what with barometric pressures and oceanic temperatures and whatnot, but what the heck, it worked didn’t it. Our November weather was beautiful!
I recall another time, in one of my articles, when I had made a request for some ugly weather to ease my guilty conscious while watching hours and hours of hockey playoffs and…voila...it happened! Coincidence? I’m starting to wonder.
(Keep in mind that these aren’t wishes. I keep my wishes for family health, lottery tickets, more wishes and such).
I’m not exactly sure if these coincidences only work with weather but I’m going to make a request here anyway. I’m requesting a Grey Cup victory for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2010. A real victory, one where they write the names on the cup and everything. Just to make up for the almost one. Is that too much to ask?
“There is no substitute for victory.”-General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964).
November 30, 2009
Do you recall the article I wrote a few weeks back about how November really didn’t have anything to offer? I mentioned a couple of November events that were coming up but I had completely forgotten about the CFL playoffs! I know! How embarrassing! How can any rabid Canadian sports fan actually call himself a fan if he can’t even remember which month the Grey Cup is played in? Sheesh.
November, please accept my humble apology. You will not be considered a blah month ever again in my books. Especially when our Saskatchewan Roughriders played in three of the most memorable and thrilling football games that we ‘Rider Priders have seen back-to-back-to-back since, perhaps, the seventies.
First, we beat the hated Stampeders to finish first in the West Division for the first time since 1976. Then, “déjà vu all over again”, we beat the Stampeders, AGAIN, to win the Western Division Championship! (Pinch me this can’t be happening!!) Then, we win the Grey Cup. But wait! Hold on a second. You can’t be serious?! A WHAT? How many men? C’mon, we were this close…But, alas, it was not to be.
Even though our underdog ‘Riders weren’t supposed to get a playoff birth this season and Darian Durant wasn’t supposed to be a starting quarterback and the reigning Grey Cup Champion Stampeders were supposed to kick our butts all over the place and a bunch of “Canadian” receivers weren’t good enough and then the Alouettes were supposed to kick our butts too…we prevailed. Right down to the last second of the championship game. Yes, it was ours, albeit for only a nano-second, but it was OURS! And everybody knew it. And, yes I know, that’s small consolation, for it will not be the Saskatchewan Roughriders names that they will be engraving on the Grey Cup this year.
Now, back to that article I wrote a few weeks ago. In that article I recall requesting, or commanding, November to be a nice month…and it worked. Well, I can’t take all the credit, what with barometric pressures and oceanic temperatures and whatnot, but what the heck, it worked didn’t it. Our November weather was beautiful!
I recall another time, in one of my articles, when I had made a request for some ugly weather to ease my guilty conscious while watching hours and hours of hockey playoffs and…voila...it happened! Coincidence? I’m starting to wonder.
(Keep in mind that these aren’t wishes. I keep my wishes for family health, lottery tickets, more wishes and such).
I’m not exactly sure if these coincidences only work with weather but I’m going to make a request here anyway. I’m requesting a Grey Cup victory for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2010. A real victory, one where they write the names on the cup and everything. Just to make up for the almost one. Is that too much to ask?
“There is no substitute for victory.”-General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964).
Random Thoughts-69
November 16, 2009
I am not sure if I was thinking that I was still playing “Name That Tune” or if my head and body aches were reminding me that I wasn’t twenty years old anymore, but as I was waking up the day after the 23rd Annual Dale Blackstock Memorial Hockey Tournament I couldn’t get the Garth Brooks’ song “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” out of my head.
I was absolutely sure that I was still playing the “Name That Tune” game when the next song to register in my brain was “HELP” by the Beatles. Then, as I slowly realized where I was, the tune changed to the old Marty Robbins’ hit “Cool Clear Water.” Which, by the way, I was in desperate need of.
A new ingredient to an old formula worked to perfection last Saturday night as the old rink lobby was filled with people who had gathered for the annual hockey tournament and then were entertained by Lyle Kapell and Nick Windjack’s hosting of the “Name That Tune” game.
While the usual dressing room antics reunited friends and family members together, many for the twenty-third time, the new wrinkle kept the people at the arena and drew some other community members in as well.
I will admit, though, that as the tournament was nearing I wasn’t approaching it with nearly the same enthusiasm as I have in the past. Oh, I was looking forward to reuniting with many of the guys that I have been hanging out and playing sports with since the ‘70s and I was even kind of looking forward to throwing on the old skates, but it was Sunday morning that I was scared of.
I know my friends and, worse, I know myself. I’ve been in this situation too many times to not know what was going to happen. And, sure enough, as per usual, too smart-too late, but then again, sacrifices have to be made.
The hockey, the camaraderie and the wobbly pops helped to overcome the realization that there was going to be a long recovery.
This tournament is a very special event. Over the years, it has raised a lot of money for the arena while providing an avenue for old friends to reacquaint and new friendships to be formed.
Personally, I would like to thank the Blackstock family, Linus in particular, for continuing this legacy. Rink Management, the user groups and all the volunteers are to be commended for, once again, providing a lot of people with a lot of great memories to be relived year after year.
“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”-George Burns (1896-1996).
November 16, 2009
I am not sure if I was thinking that I was still playing “Name That Tune” or if my head and body aches were reminding me that I wasn’t twenty years old anymore, but as I was waking up the day after the 23rd Annual Dale Blackstock Memorial Hockey Tournament I couldn’t get the Garth Brooks’ song “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” out of my head.
I was absolutely sure that I was still playing the “Name That Tune” game when the next song to register in my brain was “HELP” by the Beatles. Then, as I slowly realized where I was, the tune changed to the old Marty Robbins’ hit “Cool Clear Water.” Which, by the way, I was in desperate need of.
A new ingredient to an old formula worked to perfection last Saturday night as the old rink lobby was filled with people who had gathered for the annual hockey tournament and then were entertained by Lyle Kapell and Nick Windjack’s hosting of the “Name That Tune” game.
While the usual dressing room antics reunited friends and family members together, many for the twenty-third time, the new wrinkle kept the people at the arena and drew some other community members in as well.
I will admit, though, that as the tournament was nearing I wasn’t approaching it with nearly the same enthusiasm as I have in the past. Oh, I was looking forward to reuniting with many of the guys that I have been hanging out and playing sports with since the ‘70s and I was even kind of looking forward to throwing on the old skates, but it was Sunday morning that I was scared of.
I know my friends and, worse, I know myself. I’ve been in this situation too many times to not know what was going to happen. And, sure enough, as per usual, too smart-too late, but then again, sacrifices have to be made.
The hockey, the camaraderie and the wobbly pops helped to overcome the realization that there was going to be a long recovery.
This tournament is a very special event. Over the years, it has raised a lot of money for the arena while providing an avenue for old friends to reacquaint and new friendships to be formed.
Personally, I would like to thank the Blackstock family, Linus in particular, for continuing this legacy. Rink Management, the user groups and all the volunteers are to be commended for, once again, providing a lot of people with a lot of great memories to be relived year after year.
“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”-George Burns (1896-1996).
Random Thoughts-68
November 2, 2009
Until now, I never really had a problem with October. I thought it was always kind of a nice month. It’s colourful at the beginning and usually the weather is very comfortable for a game of football or a late game of golf, then, of course, October finishes with Halloween.
Good old “All Hallow’s Eve”, when you can dress up in a costume and go door to door and people put candy into your pillow case, or bag or plastic pumpkin for no other reason except that you yelled “TRICK OR TREAT”. I know! What could be better?
Then of course, every year in October, they crown a new World Series Champion. Well, technically, they drag it into November, now, so the greedy owners and TV execs and advertisers can milk more money out of the general public to pay the grossly overpaid players, but still, it was and will always remain “The October Classic.”
October usually brought the end of harvest (I said, usually, sorry farmers!) and October brings our Canadian version of Thanksgiving. Fresh pumpkin pies, new sweet Macintosh apples, sweet potatoes and so many more great seasonal dishes are at their tastiest during October.
Having said all of that, I was never so happy to see an October go by in my life as I was the gloomy 2009 version. According to the Weather Network, Broadview is supposed to average 167 hours of sunlight in the month of October. What did we get? Ten or twelve or something? Whatever it was it was the longest gloomiest October that I can remember. It was so rainy and gloomy that our solar lights wouldn’t even come on by the 31st. Seriously, I’m not kidding!
Although, I’ve never been to her place, I don’t think that Mother Nature has our human calendar on her wall to go by, but it seemed to me that as soon as November’s page turned up the sun came out. Coincidence? I think not.
I’ve never been a big fan of November, though. All you’ve got is Remembrance Day and the Blackstock Hockey Tournament. Okay, a couple of football games when the Americans decide it’s time to be thankful, but other than that, not too much to look forward to.
Perhaps this year will be different. Maybe November’s getting off on the right foot. We’ve had two, yes, count ‘em up, two sunny days in a row now. (I’m writing this on Monday night so there was yesterday and today). And the weather guys promise us that we’ll be seeing the thermometer rise to12C by the time this paper hits your mailbox. I certainly hope so.
There’s way too much crop still in the field and my vitamin D levels are already dangerously low and we still might have six months of winter to go! So c’mon now November, we’re counting on you to show us that you can be a worthy month, too. Do it for me. Do it for all of us.
“Weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society—things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed.”-E.B. White (1899-1985)
November 2, 2009
Until now, I never really had a problem with October. I thought it was always kind of a nice month. It’s colourful at the beginning and usually the weather is very comfortable for a game of football or a late game of golf, then, of course, October finishes with Halloween.
Good old “All Hallow’s Eve”, when you can dress up in a costume and go door to door and people put candy into your pillow case, or bag or plastic pumpkin for no other reason except that you yelled “TRICK OR TREAT”. I know! What could be better?
Then of course, every year in October, they crown a new World Series Champion. Well, technically, they drag it into November, now, so the greedy owners and TV execs and advertisers can milk more money out of the general public to pay the grossly overpaid players, but still, it was and will always remain “The October Classic.”
October usually brought the end of harvest (I said, usually, sorry farmers!) and October brings our Canadian version of Thanksgiving. Fresh pumpkin pies, new sweet Macintosh apples, sweet potatoes and so many more great seasonal dishes are at their tastiest during October.
Having said all of that, I was never so happy to see an October go by in my life as I was the gloomy 2009 version. According to the Weather Network, Broadview is supposed to average 167 hours of sunlight in the month of October. What did we get? Ten or twelve or something? Whatever it was it was the longest gloomiest October that I can remember. It was so rainy and gloomy that our solar lights wouldn’t even come on by the 31st. Seriously, I’m not kidding!
Although, I’ve never been to her place, I don’t think that Mother Nature has our human calendar on her wall to go by, but it seemed to me that as soon as November’s page turned up the sun came out. Coincidence? I think not.
I’ve never been a big fan of November, though. All you’ve got is Remembrance Day and the Blackstock Hockey Tournament. Okay, a couple of football games when the Americans decide it’s time to be thankful, but other than that, not too much to look forward to.
Perhaps this year will be different. Maybe November’s getting off on the right foot. We’ve had two, yes, count ‘em up, two sunny days in a row now. (I’m writing this on Monday night so there was yesterday and today). And the weather guys promise us that we’ll be seeing the thermometer rise to12C by the time this paper hits your mailbox. I certainly hope so.
There’s way too much crop still in the field and my vitamin D levels are already dangerously low and we still might have six months of winter to go! So c’mon now November, we’re counting on you to show us that you can be a worthy month, too. Do it for me. Do it for all of us.
“Weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society—things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed.”-E.B. White (1899-1985)
Random Thoughts-67
October 18, 2009
You know, three years have already passed since Kipling hosted “Saskatchewan’s Biggest Housewarming Party” celebrating Kyle MacDonald’s final trade from one red paperclip to a house. On that wild Labour Day Weekend in 2006 our son Nolan earned his role in Corbin Bernsen’s “Donna on Demand” movie as part of the trades that Kyle used to get his house.
If for some reason one of you reading this isn’t aware of the whole thing you can still log on to One Red Paper Clip.com and catch up, or you can buy Kyle’s book.
Coincidently, and totally lost in all of the brouhaha, was the fact that it was our 25th wedding anniversary on that weekend, too. Turns out, the timing couldn’t have been better. With a lot of our friends and family gathered around for the weekend, it was nice to be able to share the magic moments with so many people. It took our family a long time to come down from that cloud!
The filming had wrapped up and, to my knowledge, all of the final editing was completed before the end of 2007. So why would it take so long to finally get the finished product out to the public? My short and accurate answer is…I don’t know. And I’m not a Hollywood producer, either, but I am sure that they have their reasons.
One of the reasons may be that the content of “Donna on Demand” is pretty racy. Lots of swearing, some nudity and some violence with a killer twist at the end. Corbin himself has said that after he had spent some time in “wholesome” Kipling, “Donna” wasn’t the kind of movie that he would have used as his first choice for the winning role but the trade had been completed before he had even heard of Kipling.
The bottom line is that the movie is out now and available on DVD. And, yes, of course, there’s a twist. Or two. In order to get the movie you have to order it on the donnaondemand.com website. But wait! There’s more! By entering Nolan’s coupon code (NH1234) you will receive $2.00 off of the purchase price.
That’s it you ask?
Of course not!! There’s still more! For every DVD sold, with Nolan’s coupon code entered, he receives $3.00 from the sale of the movie!
Big deal you say?
Maybe so, but listen. Nolan is going to donate $1.00 from his take of every DVD sold and donate it to The Camp Easter Seal Foundation!
Howz that sound? What a deal! What are you waiting for? Hurry now and get your copy of Nolan’s first Hollywood movie while donating to a very worthy cause; all in the same transaction! Can’t get any better than that!
Once again, to order your movie-go to donnaondemand.com, enter your coupon code (NH1234) and…voila! It’ll come right to your mailbox. It’s that simple.
“So, you followed up your TV career with a couple of crappy movies. So what!? You made some money!”-Ned Palmer (Nolan’s character) to Ben Corbin (Corbin’s character).-Donna On Demand-2009.
October 18, 2009
You know, three years have already passed since Kipling hosted “Saskatchewan’s Biggest Housewarming Party” celebrating Kyle MacDonald’s final trade from one red paperclip to a house. On that wild Labour Day Weekend in 2006 our son Nolan earned his role in Corbin Bernsen’s “Donna on Demand” movie as part of the trades that Kyle used to get his house.
If for some reason one of you reading this isn’t aware of the whole thing you can still log on to One Red Paper Clip.com and catch up, or you can buy Kyle’s book.
Coincidently, and totally lost in all of the brouhaha, was the fact that it was our 25th wedding anniversary on that weekend, too. Turns out, the timing couldn’t have been better. With a lot of our friends and family gathered around for the weekend, it was nice to be able to share the magic moments with so many people. It took our family a long time to come down from that cloud!
The filming had wrapped up and, to my knowledge, all of the final editing was completed before the end of 2007. So why would it take so long to finally get the finished product out to the public? My short and accurate answer is…I don’t know. And I’m not a Hollywood producer, either, but I am sure that they have their reasons.
One of the reasons may be that the content of “Donna on Demand” is pretty racy. Lots of swearing, some nudity and some violence with a killer twist at the end. Corbin himself has said that after he had spent some time in “wholesome” Kipling, “Donna” wasn’t the kind of movie that he would have used as his first choice for the winning role but the trade had been completed before he had even heard of Kipling.
The bottom line is that the movie is out now and available on DVD. And, yes, of course, there’s a twist. Or two. In order to get the movie you have to order it on the donnaondemand.com website. But wait! There’s more! By entering Nolan’s coupon code (NH1234) you will receive $2.00 off of the purchase price.
That’s it you ask?
Of course not!! There’s still more! For every DVD sold, with Nolan’s coupon code entered, he receives $3.00 from the sale of the movie!
Big deal you say?
Maybe so, but listen. Nolan is going to donate $1.00 from his take of every DVD sold and donate it to The Camp Easter Seal Foundation!
Howz that sound? What a deal! What are you waiting for? Hurry now and get your copy of Nolan’s first Hollywood movie while donating to a very worthy cause; all in the same transaction! Can’t get any better than that!
Once again, to order your movie-go to donnaondemand.com, enter your coupon code (NH1234) and…voila! It’ll come right to your mailbox. It’s that simple.
“So, you followed up your TV career with a couple of crappy movies. So what!? You made some money!”-Ned Palmer (Nolan’s character) to Ben Corbin (Corbin’s character).-Donna On Demand-2009.
Random Thoughts-66
October 5, 2009
We had managed to put off the inevitable for about as long as we could possibly stand it. You remember, don’t you? How procrastination is nasty business? Sure, putting something off always seems like a good idea at the time, but when you really think about it, and if you would have just rolled up your sleeves and got to it, it usually isn’t as big a deal as you thought it would be in the first place.
Whether you’re putting off telling your spouse about the dint in their car, or hanging the Christmas lights, or asking for directions, or finally getting around to 2004’s spring cleaning, after all is said and done, you will look back and say, “that wasn’t so bad now was it, why didn’t I do that earlier?” Every freaking time!
So it was at our house this past weekend. Yes, we had finally decided not to put off the 2004 spring edition of “THE BASEMENT CLEANING” any longer. I guess five-and-a-half years are enough!
Now, our basement isn’t the carpeted rumpus room with a spare bedroom, a half bath and some storage space like many people have. Don’t get me wrong, our basement was probably state of the art when it was built, but that was ninety years ago. Ours is basically one big storage unit with room for the boiler, washer and dryer.
It doesn’t help when both my wife and I hate to depart with almost anything! Old shoes, old costumes, old clothes, old books and especially anything that the kids used to have because it all seems to have such great sentimental value to us.
I even found a pair of skates that I had bought from D & S Sporting Goods (owned by Morley Dickie and Bill Salloum in Kipling) somewhere around 1977! Seriously! I guess you just never know when you’re going to need a worn out pair of twenty-two year old skates or something. I think I misted up a bit throwing those old skates onto the garbage pile in the truck.
And so it went. “What should we do with this?” “Pitch it!” “But…” PITCH IT!” “Okay”.
I made so many trips up and down those stairs that I didn’t feel guilty at all about throwing out the old exercising equipment. Who uses a “Stairmaster” anymore anyway?
Then, there we were, too many hours later looking at the beautifully clean basement. “That wasn’t so bad now was it?” “Yes!! It was!” But at least it’s done. Now we can move some of the stuff from the bedrooms down there!
My friend Lonnie Cameron has a saying about procrastination, sorry, but I can’t use it here. Ask him about it the next time you see him. I’ll use this one instead.
“Procrastination isn’t the problem, it’s the solution. So procrastinate now, don’t put it off.”- Ellen DeGeneres.
October 5, 2009
We had managed to put off the inevitable for about as long as we could possibly stand it. You remember, don’t you? How procrastination is nasty business? Sure, putting something off always seems like a good idea at the time, but when you really think about it, and if you would have just rolled up your sleeves and got to it, it usually isn’t as big a deal as you thought it would be in the first place.
Whether you’re putting off telling your spouse about the dint in their car, or hanging the Christmas lights, or asking for directions, or finally getting around to 2004’s spring cleaning, after all is said and done, you will look back and say, “that wasn’t so bad now was it, why didn’t I do that earlier?” Every freaking time!
So it was at our house this past weekend. Yes, we had finally decided not to put off the 2004 spring edition of “THE BASEMENT CLEANING” any longer. I guess five-and-a-half years are enough!
Now, our basement isn’t the carpeted rumpus room with a spare bedroom, a half bath and some storage space like many people have. Don’t get me wrong, our basement was probably state of the art when it was built, but that was ninety years ago. Ours is basically one big storage unit with room for the boiler, washer and dryer.
It doesn’t help when both my wife and I hate to depart with almost anything! Old shoes, old costumes, old clothes, old books and especially anything that the kids used to have because it all seems to have such great sentimental value to us.
I even found a pair of skates that I had bought from D & S Sporting Goods (owned by Morley Dickie and Bill Salloum in Kipling) somewhere around 1977! Seriously! I guess you just never know when you’re going to need a worn out pair of twenty-two year old skates or something. I think I misted up a bit throwing those old skates onto the garbage pile in the truck.
And so it went. “What should we do with this?” “Pitch it!” “But…” PITCH IT!” “Okay”.
I made so many trips up and down those stairs that I didn’t feel guilty at all about throwing out the old exercising equipment. Who uses a “Stairmaster” anymore anyway?
Then, there we were, too many hours later looking at the beautifully clean basement. “That wasn’t so bad now was it?” “Yes!! It was!” But at least it’s done. Now we can move some of the stuff from the bedrooms down there!
My friend Lonnie Cameron has a saying about procrastination, sorry, but I can’t use it here. Ask him about it the next time you see him. I’ll use this one instead.
“Procrastination isn’t the problem, it’s the solution. So procrastinate now, don’t put it off.”- Ellen DeGeneres.
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