Ten Random Things

Right, so I'm jumping on the band wagon today and am doing this fun thing of Ten Random Things about Me!!  I don't know who started this trick, but I first saw it on Knitsofacto where Annie shared some randoms about herself a while back.  Today I read Amy's list on Love Made My Home, and felt inspired to do this with some free time I had this afternoon.  Here we go ...

1.  We don't do a lot of travelling (not by choice, but funds), but my husband and I took our two kids on a Mediterranean cruise two years ago visiting Spain, France, Croatia & Italy.  We were celebrating us both turning 50, our 25th wedding anniversary, our daughter heading off to university and our son graduating elementary school!!  We booked our cruise far in advance, and when the cruise lines offered discounts for last minute travelers, we got to upgrade our suite to one with a balcony (rather than just a port window).  I felt like a star for two weeks, and sat out on the balcony every morning & evening ... is there anything more luxurious than waving to people on shore as you sail out to sea?  I just loved being on the ship and pulling into port at 5:00 am when a town was just waking up.  I loved the entire experience actually and hope to travel to Europe again!

Male Red-winged Blackbird

2.  I don't have a middle name, nor do my sisters, although my brother got both of my grandfathers' names.  Sometimes I wish I had a different name than Wendy.  One of my college profs said I looked like a "Wendy", and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

3.  I like my tea & coffee "hotter than the sun" with no sugar.  Once it stops scalding my mouth, it's not as enjoyable.  The first time I had an espresso was in Taormina, Sicily (cruise in #1) with a view of Mt. Etna in the distance.  Quite fitting I thought.  I don't think I'll ever have coffee as good as Italian coffee ... seriously.

4.  Early morning is my favourite time of the day.  In the summertime I get up extra early, make a hot tea and sit on the patio with my pup.  We listen to the birds singing and enjoy the peacefulness as the sun rises.  I do the same thing when we go camping ... it's how I spotted a moose walking through our campground one morning (camping, not at my house ... I wish!!).

Hermit Thrush passing through ;)

5.  My only true collections are bird feathers and rocks.  I collect little rocks wherever I go.  I have some from Mt. Etna and Pompeii now too, which are special.  I also like to find little bits of lost items in Algonquin Park ... railroad spikes from the disused railroad, hinges found in the forest(?), a trail marker that had fallen into the water on my favourite trail (Mizzi Lake Trail).  I have made little displays of my rocks, which I will show sometime ... that'll be a whole rockin' post ;)

6.  I never watch TV.  I keep up with the news on my laptop, but I sometimes feel out of the loop when people talk about their favourite shows or funny commercials.  Now I buy DVDs of shows if it looks like something I'll enjoy.  That's how I watched "Downton Abbey".

Female Red-winged Blackbird

7.  My daughter's boyfriend thinks I have an accent?!  He's not the first person to tell me this.  Everyone knows that Canadians don't have accents.  I say it's my country twang which I inherited from my mother.  Her brother and my brother both have the same affliction ;)

8.  My husband was the only boy I ever dated.  We've been married for 25 years and together for 30, so I guess that was ok.

9.  I want to live close to my children when they leave home.  I hope they don't live in distant places!  Although I enjoyed living a little distance away from my parents, the drive back and forth between our homes was (and still is) taxing .  My husband's parents live 4 hours away.  We rarely see them, and they didn't get to see our kids grow up.  I think that's a real shame.

Common Grackle

10.  I like to tease my kids with expressions I used to say as a kid ... "No Guff!!" and "Gee Whiz!"  They tell me to shut up (but it still makes them laugh).

Bonus! 11.  My eyes are grey/green with flecks of yellow, although a lot of people think they're brown.  They were blue until I was about 7 or 8, but then started to change.  My English high school teacher called them "mish mash".  I didn't like the description.  Oddly enough my dog had two blue eyes when he was a puppy, but then one changed to a tan colour and one remained blue.  Lots of people ask if he's blind.

L: Mourning Dove (photo taken by my son), R-top: White Capped Sparrow, R-bottom:  Hermit Thrush

Double Bonus!! 12.  I love living in Canada.  I used to wish I lived out in British Columbia because of the beautiful forests and mountains there.  Now my brother lives there, so I've been out there quite a few times.  When I was young, my BFF's family invited me to their cottage not far from Algonquin Park here in Ontario.  I fell in love with that area, and since then have enjoyed life in Ontario so much more.  I grew up in the countryside just below the Niagara Escarpment back when a little town called Milton was just that ... a little town ... with a few dirt roads outside of the main drag.  We spent many, many days trail riding with our horse along the Bruce Trail with our friends, and hiking and exploring caves in the limestone that is the escarpment.  My husband has always liked the idea of wintering in Arizona, but it doesn't thrill me at all, and I tell him to have a nice time.  I never want to leave this beautiful area, although my biggest wish is to move back to the country, surrounded by heavy forests with lots of rocks!!

I hope these things were random enough to keep your interest till the end, and thanks so much for stopping by today.

Wendy

Cody, Smudge, Squirrel