Weeds and Reads

In yesterday's Winnipeg Free Press, there was a beautiful picture of an adorable couple who, on June 6th, will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary: June 6, 1938 - 2008! It's amazing, but 70 years isn't even close to the record set last year by an English couple: they set the world record by celebrating their 80th wedding anniversary in 2005. (The secret to their success? Never go to sleep on an argument.) If Steve and I were to celebrate our 80th wedding anniversary, we'd have to live until 2089, or have tied the knot er... 20 years ago. Or more. 2089! What will life be like then... I can't imagine. Wait! Of course I can: Jetsons electrono-world with Star Trek beam-me-up-Scotty technology for almost anything - travel, food, communication... you name it. Either that or a gloomsday doomsday struggle between polarized superpowers for money and power - of people, their minds, resources... I prefer the Jetsons cartoon version.

I have to admit that I am loving Winnipeg. I don't know if Russia did this to me or if I'm finally coming to appreciate this prairie town. Or if it's because I haven't been downtown yet or if it's because it's May/June and the weather is warm and sunny but not too hot, and the mosquitos and bugs are still in their bug pods. BUT! I am loving it. Our house is great, and progress is slowly being made. This weekend I attacked the overgrown-with-weeds garden: the retaining walls are rotting and need to be replaced, and the weeds.... ick. I can't say that I have ever done that much weeding in my life - the depth and breadth of the roots of some of these weeds was amazing. And shocking. So were all of the worms and grubs and creepies and crawlies that I pulled up. Though I'd like to say that I did more work around here today, I didn't. The weeds were a tough business, and after yesterday's all-day beach vball tournament (and the almost all night party that followed) weeding and errands were all I could muster the energy (and focus) for. I've been looking forward to starting Siri Hustvedt's The Sorrows of an American for quite some time - her book What I Loved is one of my all time favourites, so ... I'm off to read. Yum.