This is how it has been so far:
1. Yesterday was an 'earned day off' for me, so after dropping the boys at the bus to the tournament in Saskatoon, I spent an hour visiting my mom, went downtown to get folios for soccer photos and got the info I needed about printing trader cards, and then went to
my favorite greenhouse (actually, I love all greenhouses, but Holes is truly my fave) for bedding plants.
2. The girls played a pretty darned good soccer game against a very physical team and ended up tying it.
3. I spent the first half of my day working on the T & I photos (ready to go to print), planting my bedding plants, doing some general yard clean up and working up a sweat, as it is a glorious, hot weekend. Did a bit of kid driving too.
4. The girls played another good game and came away with a decisive win this afternoon.
5. I finished the vacuuming and the bathroom cleaning.
And just at dusk, a really large porcupine walked into the yard. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he is not eating my new, beautiful bedding plants!
The yard, and most neighborhoods, smell amazing right now. Flowering fruit trees are in bloom,
lilacs are in bloom, there is an amazing feast for the senses happening.
Last night, at 3:45 a.m., a young coyote howled and I swear it was right under my bedroom window! So as I sit here now and listen to the hum of the traffic on Henday, I recognize that it is background hum, and that the wildlife and stars and tranquility are here still. They have changed, and will change again, but can still be enjoyed. I know that this noise is different than the noise and light pollution of 225.
FWIW, the EMSA admin has decided that Dale and Tim have no grounds for appeal. So, they have spent their $ to have a voice and have been shut out once again. If, by chance, you read this and have children playing soccer on an EMSA based team, I urge you to ask questions, think about how your registration fees are spent and about how the soccer experience for your child should be. It is time for a change; unfortunately there is no means of voting with your feet in this case. There is no alternative to EMSA if your child plays community soccer. Realize that Mario Charpentier, President of EMSA, is also a paid administrator. Read the bylaws, look to see if petitions or plebiscites are available to you. Ask how many years each of the zone directors has been involved. Ask if maybe some new perspectives are needed. Find some means of generating a change of guard at EMSA. Then maybe the whole soccer hierarchy in Edmonton can be changed as well.
