Hey, folks, it's me, April! As I told you in the "Pets" letter, Mom and Dad are having their yearly "Mexico" retreat. And for once, I am glad they always exclude me from their vacations. Guess what happened? Mike just got a call. Mom and Dad are, at this very moment, in a Mexican hospital, being treated for the swine flu you keep hearing about in the news. And apparently, Mom is very indignant about the whole thing. She can't believe she, a Canadian, has caught this "foreigner bug."
Something I meant to explain in my "pets" letter, where I told you I'd be going to Manitoba for the summer if "Mom and Dad agreed." Back in Feb, Aunt Bev bought me plane tickets as soon as I got my acceptance from Guelph. But she made the tactical error of having them sent to the TTH, and Dad opened the envelope (I guess that's better than Mom opening them and insisting there's no one named April). He got "miffed" at his sister for making those plans without consulting with him, so he made a big thing about how he has to "think about it" and let me know if I can spend the summer there. Though I think this is pretty much for show, since I'm not even living in his train house anymore.
Meredith had a school assignment, where she had to write her own little picture book. Hers was called "Crazy Grandma." When she showed it to Mike, he actually cried. This really freaked out Meredith, and I ended up taking her and Robin to the playground for a change of scene. We ran into a school friend of Merrie's, a girl named Wendy, and they right away went into a make-believe game that was so complicated I lost track of what they were doing almost right away. That was just what Merrie needed, I think. Robin was just happy riding around and around on the merry-go-round.
You already know I'm counting down the days until school is over. Just this month and part of next. Phew--it's close but still feels pretty far away. By the way, Eva is going to UToronto in the fall, but she's not choosing a major yet. Duncan found a program at Barbados Tech: Certificate in Travel Administration for Sporting Event Franchises." Can you believe it? Becky and Gerald are both planning to focus on the music thing, but Gerald's parents are pressuring him to go to university after taking a year off. He is looking into studying music at McGill. Luis is finishing his first year at University of Ottawa, but we've mostly lost touch with him. I guess he was pretty much a "band" friend.
I've been watching lots of Dog Whisperer on DVD and trying to undo the damage Mom has done on poor Edgar. It does reassure me when Cesar Millan says that dogs are all about what's happening now and they don't dwell on the past. I'm working on teaching Meredith and Robin how to be pack leaders! Exercise, discipline, and affection. :)
Next weekend, Stacey and I are helping out at a benefit for the farm sanctuary. It's a silent auction. Mike says he'll contribute signed copies of his books. It was such a nice gesture that I feel kind of guilty about the fact that I couldn't bring myself to get past the first chapter of either book!
Liz is in the "very very pregnant" part of her pregnancy and now has a bombshell she's dealing with (see her letter to find out what I'm talking about). I still really haven't processed the whole thing--my gut response is "my condolences" to this "new" family member.
Anyway, that's about all I've got to tell you at the moment. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in my "grad" month, and the end will be much more in sight. Yay.
April