The March Fool Writes on April 1

I celebrated Earth Day evening with Julie, Pat, Mike and Pat's mom, Giselle. It was my first visit to their new home and I brought housewarming gifts that reminded us that we don't need to use energy to stay warm: wine, homemade bread, candles and candle sticks. We had a wonderful fondue by candlelight and noticed that we were the only people with our lights out. The house kitty corner across the street was ablaze and the stretch limo parked outside left no doubt as to the eco-consciousness of the owners.

Afterwards we walked back to Tammy and Carlos' house and took all the dogs for the bedtime walk. The snowbanks are caving in so that they curl like ocean breakers over the sidewalks. Everywhere, that is, except in front of Tammy and Carlos' place. Their next door nighbour's house is on low ground and the melt is forcing water in his front door, so he is shoveling his yard onto the street.

Rasputin's

Sunday I went out walking with Sarah and our dogs and then later drove back into town to go to Rasputin's where Jan Andrews was reading from The Stone Book. I spent the night at Tammy's.

In the morning we awoke to heavy snow. When I brushed off my car I discovered a gift under the windshield wiper blade. A $42 ticket for parking on the street overnight. I guess he had a quota and had to fill it before April Fool's Day.

I shoved it in my pack and went off to the Riverside where I was fitted with some strange apparatuses. (apparati?) One looks like two joined rings that will serve to buddytape my fingers together so that the damaged one doesn't get caught on things. Once I am used to that I will move to the second one which is like a two finger ring. It can pull them closer together. If I like these then I will have silver rings made that will look like the joined rings but will hold my fingers as close together as the single one. And, if I like that I will have them made in gold so that they will match my other jewellery and my deformity will look really pretty. (Yeah, right.) The occupational therapist also created a new night splint so that the finger will not grow more gnarled than it is.

I had arranged to meet Liz for an early lunch so after running an errand, I met her at Bridgehead. Bridgeheads are magnets for young mothers with SUVs of strollers. Every time I meet a friend at one I have to make my way through an obstacle course and then talk above the wailing. This time the babies settled down before we became hoarse from shouting.

I wish I hadn't visited the washroom. On the floor was a used condom (a disgruntled customer sending a message to the young mothers?) I told the young woman at the cash who sent her young male colleague to deal with it. When Liz left the table to get us water, she had to ask the young man for water glasses. He had to wash his hands first. Thank goodness for that.

By the time I picked up Kenya and headed back up to the hills, the trip had cost me a total of just under $200, and the only lasting evidence that I had spent that much were the mounting of two prints and the memory of a story. My car and I, with help from the City of Hull and the Ottawa Hospital Parking Authority, had consumed the other $130.