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Who doesn't love Friday? No matter how much you love your job,  on the fifth day, it's time to recharge those batteries. You need to clear out a mind full of detritus left over from a productive week and fill it with distractions. So, no offence to the bosses you love, or to the job you do, but getting through this day tends to preoccupy thoughts. I saw a quote from James Johnson about Friday that just made me smile on this particular one. I share it here, with no disrespect of course to the bosses I love and the job I enjoy. "If my boss knew how unproductive I am on Fridays, he wouldn't want me here either." Reading it to my colleagues prompted a good bit of chuckling around the office. Good workers though we might be, satisfied as we are in our workplace, we often joke about what happens to us on Fridays. Though we get along quite well, there's an ebullience on the final workday that doesn't quite exist at any other time. Full of giddy cheerful

June is here and with it all the goodness of summer without the bad. Temperatures are warming but the humidity is held at bay. There is a plethora of birds serenading us from treetops and in gardens, yet the mosquitoes presence is still somewhat subtle.  Flowerbeds are full of promise, just a hint of the aesthetic perfection we will soon behold. Conversely, the weeds aren't winning. Yet. There is much to celebrate in June. Summer will officially arrive. It's the traditional month for brides to take their ceremonious stroll down the aisle. And a quick look at a calendar of special events and holidays will reveal that many organizations have selected June as a good month for fundraising campaigns and to promote  their causes. From A-Z there's a diverse cross-section of interests represented. Some, such as National Scoliosis Month,  raise awareness of health issues.  Those similar to Great Outdoors Month and National Oceans Month hope to raise environmental consciousness

They're always held on lovely, warm days. Even if we're experiencing a damp spring, it's been my experience that you can count on the sun  beaming for this particular event.  No matter the month, no matter the geographic location. And so, while the weather exemplifies all that's good about the season,  dozens, or occasionally hundreds of people, mash themselves into a stuffy, hot auditorium, where for a few hours they  sit through one of the most boring ceremonies there is.  Sweat pores from every pore as they fidget and fight against dozing off.  Yet, upon their countenances are ear-to-ear grins. Inside, hearts swell with pride. It's graduation. No matter the level of education obtained, from kindergarten to university, Moms and Dads are positively beaming over the achievement. It's  the end result of the guidance and nurturing that goes hand in hand with parenting. Yet, there's no doubt that the pride is not directed inward, not to the notion that

Until our local board of education decided in its infinite wisdom that closing a full school in a community was okay, I had an elementary school in my backyard. It was a front-row seat to all of the action. When my own children attended,  they would often stop by the fence at recess if they saw me outside to have a little chat, excitedly updating me on some bit of news or gossip.  Hanging out at the clothesline, I would laugh when I heard our exuberant youngest making himself known, or saw his bubbly older sister dancing across the playground. It didn't take long to become familiar with the routine and the people. I came to know a lot of things. Sports and games changed with the seasons and I soon knew who the natural athletes were among the students.  Even after my children no longer attended, I knew when special events were happening since the cars were parked right up to my driveway. I knew what songs the band was practising, especially when the gym doors were opened dur

Another glorious weekend is behind us. Temperatures and humidity soared so it felt as if we'd been immersed in a steam bath. The air was close, the sun was hot.  It seemed like a muggy July afternoon. And it was on this day that I decided the time had come to dig out some under-performing hydrangeas and replant. No points for brilliance here. The best part of the experience was a leisurely tour around a nursery to select some plants to fill what would soon be empty spaces. A lovely butterfly flitted around from bloom to blossom guiding me in my search, while a dragonfly danced along above me. Then I was home again. Under hot, blazing sun I stuck spade in scorched, tough earth, all the while questioning my sanity. Frustration over how the gardens had been looking was enough though to drive me forward, though. I chugged water and wiped my brow while digging, prying, pulling and working with dogged determination.  After 2 1/2 hours the task was complete and I, replete with s