Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Another one bites the dust


Farewell sweet Oreo - we hardly knew ye. Well, if we are being honest, we knew ye for 4 years which is about twice the life span of an ordinary hamster. You did well my friend. Lived a long and happy life in your little critter habitat. Enjoyed a good run in your ball. Ate your fill of nibbles.
Oh - you loved a good baby carrot!
Just last week you escaped and we caught you running free in the hallway! One last shot at freedom, eh
It surely wasn't your only adventure. You ran away many a time.
Remember when we found you behind the dresser in our room - cat watching from one end and dog watching from the other
Just on Monday I pulled you from the evil jaws of Cookie the cat - she wanted to eat you so badly.
Were you trying to spare us the trauma of finding your stiff little body stuck in the tunnel......such a good hamster.
Sammy will miss you - however, you should know that he wants to replace you immediately with a more substantial guinea pig. Just saying. Its not a long mourning period for tiny rodents.
Farewell Oreo....good hamster......good hamster....

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Godless Heathens


Well, Uncle George's funeral was a rousing success. Graveside in the blistering heat, it was punctuated by the odd "moo" from the cow's across the highway as if to say "Goodbye old dude on the tractor".
You see, the cows would have know my Uncle George....turns out when they took his license away a decade ago and he could no longer drive his ginormous car, he began driving either his ride on mower or his tractor to "downtown" Embro to the restaurant (in Embro-ese pronounced "restrunt") for pie and coffee every day - rain, shine or snow storm. Ah, Uncle George!
After the burial of his ashes we moved the party to the super tiny basement of the Knox United Church, only 3 blocks away.
We sat with my family and drank juice/punch from fragile tea cups and ate dainties. It was only 11am - I prefer my lunch before my dessert (as my Aunt Lois, aged 81, loudly pointed out a dozen times).
The kids asked a million questions.
Weird questions.
Sunday school - what is that?
What are these (prayer books)
Why are all those pictures there (they are the elders of the church)
WHY DO I HAVE TO BE QUIET?
It wasn't until about a half hour into this that we realized our 10 and 13 year old boys have never been inside a church before (discounting the black light theatre performance at Bramalea Baptist).
I suppose I should just be grateful that neither of them burst into flames when they entered (i.e. neither is the anti-Christ).

But it was weird. I never realized that we have never not once not at all gone to church.
We aren't religious but we aren't against it either.
Is it weird to go to church just to see if your kids like it?
What about making them go with Grandma?
Or do we just not bother?
I decided not to go to church after I went to Sunday school (Grandma took me til she died) for years and joined the church in my teens (on my own since no one else in my family went). I decided I didn't like the feeling I got there.
Later, Wayne and I talked about church and religion and decided we didn't want to go just to go because we thought we had to.
I worry that by not teaching my kids about religion and the bible and church that I am letting them make uneducated decisions.
But hey - at least they aren't the anti-Christ.....right? That's something....right?