Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Photos, visitation, catholics, walking to school. It's SHORTER!!!

Beth over at Books Etc. suggested an online photo album type thing, and it was the kick in the pants I needed to get going on it, so you will see two new features....the grandparents would murder me, and I think the husband too if I had photos up of the kids and us, we aren't featured. Lots of boats though....The elder daughter thinks too many. I will grant I am more enamoured of them than most of you. I've also put in links to two cruiser's blogs if you want to look at still more boat pics, and Bahamas scenes.

The visitation for my father in law was yesterday, and we heard about it by e-mail. It seems to have gone fairly smoothly, and many people came by. More than they had expected, which is always comforting. They had put up lots of pictures of him and the family, and it all seems to have been as OK as these things can be. The priest who administered the last rights spoke, as did one of my sisters in law. Now the big worry is my Mother in Law who seems to be going downhill faster than before.

My Mom has a theory that guys who were brought up Catholic are simply more caring and thoughtful people. Now this may be because my father was brought up Catholic, my sister's husband was, and so was my husband. All in different nations interestingly. My father maintains that they were just the same as all the other guys, but it was only the protestant girls that you had a hope of getting anywhere with, so you had to one up the protestant guys and put up a nice front. Sounds a little like those you date and those you marry, except in my family they all married them you date.

My brother-in-law sensibly stayed out of the conversation, and my husband wasn't there. There are some interesting things about the lapsed Catholics in my family that provide humour to those of us around them. My father for instance was completely hilarious while walking the halls of my all girl dorm in university. Guys were there all the time, they stayed over night, the whole deal...not a Catholic college, and the fire drills at night were truly hysterical. My Dad however clearly thought that either the mother superior was going to appear and give him the belt, or the hand of GOD was going to come down and scythe him in two, and I don't think he has believed since he was 5. I giggled every time he looked over his shoulder.

My husband admits he was telling our daughters off the other day in town, next door to the main church, in front of the manse in fact. (Where the priest lives) Well there he is, letting the kids have it, in English, when out comes the priest...instantly the husband apologizes, although I am not sure why. Nor is he. He even blushed and looked sheepish when he told the story on himself. Nothing like the sight of the priest in his collar to bring out feelings of guilt in a good Catholic boy. Or an erring one for that matter.

Kids decided that they were going to walk themselves home from school today, and have done so twice. Although I have told them that I want to pick them up some of the time or else I cannot use them to get to know some of the people in this town. Kids must have some purpose, if only as a ticket in to the society. Well, other than being wonderful and delightful and a ton of fun.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

AWESOME! First comment! I'm No. 1! I'm No. 1!

(Sorry. I'm just not No. 1 very often. I get pretty excited.)

Anyway, I found your post hilarious, mostly because I would have acted JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER. And I liked this line: "the hand of GOD was going to come down and scythe him in two."

oreneta said...

Oh, DD, You're ALWAYS no. 1

Miss Kim said...

Great post!
Our kids also grew up as expats and when they finally finished high school and flew the coop back to Canada our friends reminded us that we were ourselves now old enough to make our own friends rather than having to make them through the kids friends at school!
It is honestly a little harder to make friends without your kids around.

Angel said...

I hate funerals. I've been to far too many lately.

"The hand of god" huh? I love that!

I want to go to the Bahamas!!!!! More pictures!!!

oreneta said...

Traveller: It is so true, kids can be such a ticket into a community, although I think it also differs enormously depending on where you are. We travelled through parts of the UK and through parts of Turkey with the eldest when she was 6 months old. The reception was RADICALLY different. You would think we smelled bad in the UK, or were carriers of the plague, in Turkey, she would be taken from us and shown around by anyone, including young guys with large weaponry and police or army uniforms. One time in the airport in Turkey, my husband went into the washroom, leaving me with the baby. When he came back, she was gone. A cop, about 26 years old, marginally shaven and with a big ole machine gun type job had come over, ooochy coochy coooed at her, taken her from me, and walked over to his buddies, who were ALL cooing and tickling and making goofey faces at her by the time my husband arrived.

Spain is pretty kid friendly, but the Turks were amazing.

Beth: Funerals are just miserable. 'nuff said.

The Bahamas are sooooo beautiful. It is one of the very best places in the world to go cruising, but you've got to like looking at the water. Not to hard there for me, it is so dazzling.

Beth said...

Glad to see you're doing the photo thing. On our recent mini-vacation we went to the Bahamas. Beautiful.
And you're so right about kids being our ticket into society. We met so many of our friends via that whole public school experience.

Beth said...

I don't know if the link below will work (it's huge and I don't think it fits in the comment space) but thought you might be interested in the front page article of today's Globe and Mail. (You can always just try www.theglobeandmail.com)

The article is about multiculturalism, diversity,etc. - your "hot" topic right now.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070112.wximmigrant12/BNStory/National/home

oreneta said...

Beth: Can I pry and ask which Island you went too? I could picture you there. Lucky lucky lucky.

How did the party go?

Thanks for the link, I'm going to post it, with credit to you of course.

Beth said...

We were on Paradise Island - but not at that over-the-top Las Vegas type hotel (I forget it's name). We stayed at the Riu Hotel (???)

As for the party - check my blog. Right now I'm checking blog buddies - the sick boy/man is still asleep.

Hope that Globe link works.

oreneta said...

Beth: Atlantis is the really big one, it is quite something...did you go through the aquarium they have there? We never paid for the tunnels, but the part that is free is cool enough.... Walked through the casino too, that is so weird.

Paradise island is great. Did you go to Potters Cay under the bridge? I bet there were boats we know anchored there.... It must have been wonderful. Did you go snorkelling?

You don't have to answer all this, I am mostly reminissing and feeling homesick thinking about it. Wish I'd known, we know some great little restaurants....

Must have been maaaaahvelous.

Nomad said...

Hi there!!

Love the catholic commentary...

I guess lack of membership does not absolve guilt...

TBG case in point.

LOVE the word scythe...

Great post.

oreneta said...

Nomad; You did marry one too didn't you....

Thanks.