Daydreaming about what I'm going to do once the weather finally decides to get nice doesn't help the fact that it is cold and rainy outside right now. In May.
But it does help the time go by faster.
And since I have the shades closed on my classroom windows, I can't actually see if it's still raining outside. I can pretend it's sunny and warm. I can pretend I'm getting ready to go camping with my cousins and aunts and uncles. I can pretend I'm getting ready to make the drive to Rural Valley, Pennsylvania to visit my extended family for the reunions. I can pretend I am enjoying a cold beer on a sunny patio.
Those are the only three things I want to do this year, once the weather gets warmer. It would be even greater if the above mentioned patio was in Toronto, because damn I miss that city. I miss the people and the pubs and even the public transportation. Every time we go up there, we find one more reason why Toronto is so great. Most of the time in Toronto is spent walking, which is always a good thing. Most of the time it's walking to a patio or a restaurant or a market. Sometimes it's walking to a cool unheard of shop. Toronto in the summer is amazing: People everywhere, street vendors and performers, open patios, even the random celebrity spotting takes place. But the problem is no matter how much I love Toronto, it's so bloody expensive to visit.
Going to the reunions and going camping is pretty inexpensive.
I pay for gas and beer and my share of food and that's it. The piece of land that my family has their sheds and trailers set up for camp is basically in the middle of nowhere, and I love it. It's just us and the animals. And we eat like kings and queens: meat on the grill or in the smoker, fresh veggies cooked over the fire... it's impossible to go hungry. I love being surrounded by family. I may not seem like the type that enjoys having large family gatherings or whatever, but I do. I don't get to see my extended family as much as I'd like, so going to the reunions is always a treat for me. Plus, many of my mom's aunts and uncles are getting up in age, so I like to visit with them and listen to their stories and what-not, because you never know how much time they have left. We have two reunions: one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Many of my cousins don't understand why we have 2 if it's basically the same people that show up for both. (Technically it is two separate reunions. One for my grandmother's mother's side and one for my grandmother's father's side.) My thought is: why drive all the way down there just for one meal? Some people drive between 6 and 12 hours to get to Rural Valley. Many of them won't travel if it was just a four or five hour get-together.
And besides, it's family, why would anyone ever want to reduce the amount of time spent with grandmothers and great aunts and uncles and second and third cousins?
There is of course a hundred other things I would love to do this spring and summer, but I'd like to save some money and I'd like to work as much as I can. This past winter has been horrible in the cash-flow department.
So from my vantage point it looks like the sun is trying to peek through my blinds. Could that mean that writing this blog has changed the weather from lifeless to radiant?
Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes..!
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