I need some colour in my life today

Pucci is calling , drawing me in. Creative colour makes me happy. I need that today. Maybe I'll stop for a while at this store window. Mesmerizing. I feel its pull.

The Life of a Shoplifter as seen through the eyes of a Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Worker!

Finally, a shoplifter was caught in the act. I have watched many people shoplift from my post at the LCBO. While standing beside my Christmas Kettle, I have a great deal of time on my hands to observe those shoplifters and their various tactics. It was only a couple of weeks ago that the LCBO hired two security guards for the holiday rush at the store where I ring my bell!! Today, shoplifters are extremely bold and are not put off by the security guards. They will even drop change in my kettle and say Merry Christmas as they walk out of the store, bottles clanging under their coat!! Alas, one was stopped in his tracks last night. Lesson learned. Shoplifter no more. Changing the act of shoplifting one at a time. I will keep on ringing my bell for the Christmas Kettle Campaign and will continue to smile in the face of every shoplifter!

Gravity

I'll blame it on gravity. Leaning over the desk to say hello to "C" (another autistic student of mine) I suddenly realized drool was cascading from my mouth onto the floor. Looking up at "C" I said, without really expecting him to understand, "oops, I just drooled!" He stopped what he was doing, looked me in the eye with his charming smile, took his finger and wiped the remains of the drool from the corner of my mouth, then went back to what he was doing!!! I couldn't believe he showed care in this way! He has us fooled! He knows more than he is letting on! Actually, I have discovered his abilities are great. The key is trying to break his cycle of laziness and show him how his abilities can empower his life! We are making progress. Baby steps.

A Not so Good Blast from the Past- Part 2

I found this pic of me waitressing at MBC, December 1991. Here is one of the infamous aprons I loved so much!!:)

Only in Canada, eh!

I was working today for the Salvation Army's Christmas Kettle Campaign up at the LCBO. The benefit of this post for me is to be able to people watch! ( no, it is not the discount off the wine!!:)) I LOVE people watching! Many observations and conclusions can be drawn about the life people lead.

Today the cutest little boy slowly and carefully walked in holding tightly, with both hands, to a large Tim Horton's coffee. No parent was in sight. He smiled up at me and then continued walking into the store. Finally, his father emerged carrying his baby sister - with no shoes on! I overheard their conversation which went something like this:

Father: " Please give me my coffee."
Son proceeds to take a drink.
Father: " No, don't drink that...it's my coffee."
Father still struggling to put baby in the cart.
Son proceeds to take another drink of dad's coffee.
Father: "No, don't drink that again...please give me my coffee now."
Son: "But we are supposed to share with others."
Father: "Yes, but that is Daddy's coffee...please give it to me."
Son finally gives dad his Tim Horton's double double and climbs into the cart with his baby sister.
Dad takes a sip, smiled and says, "mmmm."

Only in Canada!!:)

"still life" art class gone bad

Imagine my horror when I walked into my “still life” art class and saw a 70 year old naked lady, blessed with flaccid, triple E -sized breasts and long, flowing, straggly, gray hair, standing on a raised platform in the middle of the room.

A small group of budding artists had already assembled their easels eager to start. Still confused as I was instructed to walk over to the cupboard and take out an easel, I decided I better find the teacher and make sure I was in the right class. Sure enough my name was at the bottom of the class list marked, “paid in full.” My teacher looked up at me, smiled and said, “welcome to the life drawing class.” “Life drawing,” I inquired, “not still life?” At that moment I knew I was in for an experience like no other!

Eventually, I was able to look past the naked model called Ellen and focus on honing my drawing skills. This was the first drawing class I had ever taken, so my teacher was patient with me and offered some excellent pointers. One of which was extremely helpful: “draw what you see not what you think you see.” I found my fellow artists, especially the Orlando Bloom look-a-like, supportive and encouraging. I was thoroughly enjoying the class until..... week three.

Model Ellen was gone and replaced by model David, not to be confused with Michaelangelo’s David. He horrified me more than model Ellen. It was model David’s first gig as a life drawing model, so he was nervous. I guess I should have been less critical of him. In preparation, he had greased his entire toned, naked body and made certain his muscles were armed and dangerous. He carried a whip in his hands. I guess he thought he was modeling for a Hugh Hefner spread, not the life drawing class at the R.S. McLaughlin Art Gallery. Since I was able to look past model Ellen’s nakedness I figured it would be the same for model David. Why was the front of him always pointing in my direction – no pun intended? Unfortunately, I never got used to model David. Maybe, if he didn’t try to hit on me after each class. The Orlando Bloom look-a-like artist rescued me one evening from model David’s advances. Grateful I pondered, “why can’t he be our model?”

In spite of everything, I was proud of the work I accomplished and resolved to definitely sign up for another “still life” art class in the future.




Model Ellen and Model David

A "Yarn" About One of My Favourite Students who has Autism

"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise...O Lord you have searched me and you know me...you perceive my thoughts from afar...before a word is on my tongue you know it completely O Lord...for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb...my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth...your eyes saw my unformed body...I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 8:2; Psalm 139: 1-16)


Yesterday at school as my sweet "D" climbed onto my lap to sing her favourite Sunday School song (" I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery, I may never fly o'er the enemy, but I'm in the Lord's army, yes sir...." -- it's a good thing I know the song from my Sunday School days!! She likes it when I bounce her on my lap for the "ride in the cavalry" part!), I couldn't help but wonder how her little mind works. She loves to play with these coloured ,connecting blocks and will group them ALWAYS in four- never more, never less - always alternating only TWO colours. She loves to take hold of our hands and look at our bulging veins. She always takes off both shoes and her right sock - almost always leaves the left sock on - then rolls up the pant leg on her right side. She loves to write the colours of the Crayola crayons on paper, then outline each word in the colour she just wrote. She especially loves to write "burgundy" and "magenta." When she gets to the blue -green Crayola, she always writes the word, "fiz." She groups her Crayola crayons in a certain order - not by colours. Even though I don't understand her little idiosyncrasies, God does. He created her inmost being...He knows her thoughts from afar...before a word comes out of her lips, He knows it. He knows her. She makes sense to Him. I believe God created the "special ones" in this world to teach us how to live. Even in that moment when my sweet "D" climbed down from my lap and gently told me to "F-Off" :)