Daily Diary - Mount Forest

November 23, 2005

Wednesday. I left about 10:30 this morning to drive to Mt. Forest. It was lunch time when I arrived. We didn’t do too much today. I fell asleep on the couch after dinner. We went to bed around 11:00.

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November 24, 2005

Thursday. It snowed last night, Ms J. A lot. We woke this morning to find about ten cm of light, fluffy snow on everything. It was really pretty. The storm continued after breakfast as Dad and I started the snowblower and cleaned out the driveway.


Snowblowers make Life easier in Winter.

We were nearly finished when the snowblower ran out of gas. I pushed the heavy machine into the garage and turned to fetch the gas can. As I turned, the pocket of my coat caught on the handle of the snowblower and ripped my coat.

“That’s OK,” Dad said. “Mum will fix it.”

When it comes to sewing, Ms J, my mum can fix anything. Shirts, trousers, bedspreads and pillow cases. And winter coats.

After lunch, Dad said, “Let’s make some muffins. C’mon boy. Help your dear ol’ dad make some muffins. Or do you want to make some cookies?”

Mum was preparing for a church bazaar and she needed some candy to take for the sale.

“Why don’t you make some peanut brittle?” she asked. “I’ll take it to the church.”

Dad feigned outrage.

“The church? Like hell you will! If Dale and I make peanut brittle, we won’t be sharing it with the G.D. church.”

He didn’t use the abbreviation, Ms Journal. He used the full expression. It hurt my ears a little to hear him say the “GD” church. He was trying to bother Mum and me. We didn’t react to it though.

“Fine then,” Mum said. “Make two batches. I’ll take one to the church and we’ll keep the other here.

Dad was OK with that idea, so that’s what we did. We made “Microwave Peanut Brittle.” It was delicious!

After supper, Dad and I washed the dishes while Mum sewed my torn coat. It looks brand new again.


Mum in her sewing room. See the reflective stripes on my coat?

I was planning to come home this afternoon, but the weather was not good at all. Snow squalls and gusty winds continued all day. Better safe than sorry. I’ll stay with Mum and Dad.

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November 24, 2005

I was hoping to collect Meagan Friday afternoon. While Mum and Dad watched television, I called Kelly last night to ask if I could pick up my girl after school.

“Well, no,” said Kelly. “Not really. We’re moving this weekend, eh? We’re moving to Norval.”

And she talked. And talked. And talked. She talked about Maxine. (Still in a home in Guelph.) She talked about Dan. (Still working at the drugstore. Still disrespectful of his mother.) And she talked about Meagan. (Not doing so well in school. And very resentful of Tim. Don’t tell me what to do. You’re not my father!) And about their dogs. (They’re not coming with them when they move. Too noisy. Leave messes all over the house.)

Kelly talked for nearly an hour on Dad’s phone bill. I tried a few times to tell her good-bye, but she ignored me and kept on talking. Kelly is very verbose when she’s nervous. I get the feeling that Kelly knows she hasn’t been living very well lately and she’s embarrassed by it.

She spoke at length about Dan.

“He’s not allowed to use the phone. My phone bill was $600. last month from him phoning Maxine twenty times a day.”

My phone bill is about $70. Ms J -- For a month.

“I’m really getting fed up with him,” she continued. “I told him he has to give me a copy of his work schedule. He told me he was going to work one day last week and the drugstore called here looking for him. I don’t know where he was, but he wasn’t at work.”

“I told him he and Maxine can stay with us for three months after the baby’s born. I’ll watch to see if they’re caring for it or not. And I called the Children’s Aid Society. They’ll be calling on him as well. Surprise visits. They’ve got three months to find a place of their own, Dale. I don’t want them with us. It’s just too stressful. I want to spend more time with Meagan and Emily. I don’t want Meagan to end up like Dan. Or like Maxine and pregnant at seventeen.”

There are some things, Ms J, that don’t need to be spoken. Mum says Kelly wants me to be afraid. She wants me to share her stress. No thank you, Kelly. I don’t want your crazy Life.

Snow squalls continued intermittently today. It would have been unwise to set out on treacherous roads, so I spent another night at Mum’s. It was the right thing to do. It was still snowing hard when we went to bed. Big, fat snowflakes.

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November 25, 2005

Friday. I’m home, Ms J.

I left Mum’s right after lunch.


Cleaning off the car before the trip home. I hated to leave.


Still cloudy. Snowing off and on.

The roads were snowy and icy. Driving was stressful for the first half of the journey. I saw cars and trucks in the ditch. Police and tow trucks displayed flashing lights at a few locations. I drove slowly and carefully.


Here comes the plough! He's going north. I'm going south.

“Phone us as soon as you get home,” Dad told me. “So we’ll know you’re safe.”


Stopped for coffee and gas. 81.2 cents per litre.

My route took me right past Kelly’s new home in the tiny hamlet of Norval, so I stopped there to look at the place. Tim was there with Baby Emily. They were waiting for the gas company to arrive and turn on the gas. Tim saw me and opened the door and called to me.

“Hey Dale! C’mon up and have a look at the place. It’s pretty empty right now, but we’ll be moving in on Sunday.”

I went up the stairs and in the door. It’s quite large, their new place. It’s a shit hole, but it’s a large shit hole. Scratched and filthy hardwood floors. Yellow nicotine stains on the walls and ceiling fans. Cracks in walls and ceilings. Chipped paint. The smell of stale cigarette smoke.

Tim was excited to show it to me.

“Huge, eh?” he bragged.

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s um, really er … big, Tim. It’s huge.”

He took me upstairs to show me the bedrooms.

“Huge rooms, eh?”

“Yeah,” I repeated. “Huge.”

Kelly is good at making a house a home. She’ll get things sorted out there. She’ll make it quite nice.

I wonder if there are any kids Meagan’s age who live nearby. I wonder how and where she’ll go to school. And I wonder how Dan will get to work. It’s about a twenty-five minute drive to the drugstore in Acton.

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