Tatiana's Wanderings

Ayler and Hiero surprisingly called me at 10:20 AM, which is how I discovered that my phone was still on from last night, but that was a good thing in this case! This time, I was prepared with the light on AND my reading glasses very nearby! They wanted to call since we only talked for a very short time yesterday - I said that was nice and thanked them! We discussed a 300-piece Thomas Ravensburger puzzle, Hiero building something, Ayler playing a long piano piece for me, Ayler thinking that Beckett misses me (he probably doesn't understand why I can't come and play), Beckett saying "Goo Mah / Auntie / Yeah" into the phone, and Ayler wanting to play piano a lot. He doesn't want to disturb the downstairs neighbors, so I reminded him about the soft pedal. When they asked me what I ate for breakfast, I lied and said "oatmeal and a granola bar" as I hadn't eaten yet. Turns out they "also" had oatmeal, haha! Good choice!

I reminded Ayler to protect Beckett when he goes on the couch by either blocking him or holding his hands. He said that they play with the red and yellow stuffed dragon, asked me if I knew what "Didibug" and "Didibop" were (interesting - LADYBUG!), and said that they go outside instead of going to church. Hiero wanted Beckett to repeat "John Horgan / Kennedy Stewart / Justin Trudeau" for me, but no dice! Beckett just said my name into the phone, which is good. Harmony asked how I was doing, so I told her about Pathways closing because of the coronavirus pandemic. I also asked about her parents, who are both being cautious. Told her that Dad had texted me asking about my food situation - I was like "NO, DON'T COME HERE!" Harmony said that Mom was more upset about missing the sales than the special senior hour for grocery shopping, of course! That was interesting and good to talk to them.


Mathias Jakshitz and Theressa Jakshitz have a tombstone?!

Jon said he'd be home this afternoon since Harmony would be going to a school meeting, but I could still come by if I wanted. The last time I was around when she went to a meeting, Beckett was quite upset! I went anyway, of course. After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 3:15 on a 407 to help with the kids. Since I'd just missed a 3 at Marine Drive, I went into Tim Horton's to see if they had those new Dream Doughnuts: no Strawberry Confetti, but yes to Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Truffle. They didn't look that great relative to the ads, but nothing ever does!

I had to wait for six rings before Harmony answered the buzzer, but that was fine. A few minutes later, I told Beckett that I would be right with him after I washed my hands... Wet Wipes only do so much against sticky doughnut crumbs! Harmony said "yes, please - thank you!" Hey, I've heard about the coronavirus too, and so has Ayler, apparently. He says he heard on the news today that the BC patient is in Burnaby ("so not here in Vancouver, but close"), while Hiero wondered what we'd do if Beckett died from it. You can get very sick and possibly die, we told them, but Harmony kept it simple and said that she'd keep them safe and we should all wash our hands.

Ayler and Hiero thought it was funny to encourage Beckett to go to the printer, and also to take Beckett's balls away from him, but he got way more upset over this than Harmony leaving for her meeting. ("MINE!" followed by lots of crying) I was there to give him hugs and a small kiss, telling them that it wasn't funny. Jon did come home a little earlier than 6, and took over dinner duties. Beckett called the Pho noodles "noo-noo," and called the treads on Grandma Joan's slipper socks "boh-boh" - very funny! Ayler asked about school, of course, and wanted me to listen to his piano. Beckett said "help" to me a lot (and wanted me to help put on the yellow "sunglasses" that were missing a lens - Hiero said they were pirate sunglasses), said "bye bye" to me a lot (maybe when I was walking to my bag and then to my coat so he could see the fur and buttons - but I didn't leave), and walked over to show Jon various things like his blocks.

Later, Beckett went to the window to see the "boh-boh" outside and point at all the lights. He also used the blue ruler to "hide" and wanted me to do the same with his toy balls - I just pretended to most of the time. Then he said "HIT YOUR BUTT!" in Cantonese - Uncle Joe taught him that one because it's funny to hear a little toddler say so! Hiero made a "lightsaber" out of a plastic sticker sheet, and a "gun" out of the magnetic rods and balls, and wanted me to say "gun" - I don't know about that one. He also 'teleported" into me, which was NOT fun!

Ayler took out his red-and-yellow stuffed dragon toy... he remembered that I'd given it to him! Beckett seemed to like it as per Hiero - he even said a very close approximation of "dragon" and grinned when he showed it to me! I should tell him that Auntie is a dragon, haha! He also said "monkey" for his stacking blocks, "dog" for his dog book, and "apple" for the Creation story with Adam and Eve in the children's Bible stories book. He's LEARNING VOCABULARY plus CONTEXT! I left at 7:40 (not at 7:30, thereby missing my window of time to get the 7:42 Marine Drive Station bus with the heavy bag of stuff from Mom and Dad) after waiting a few minutes for Jon to finish something while it was the bedtime routine, but not before Hiero called me a "blah blah person" - RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL! I got home at 9:10 on a 407, having to finish a text message to Paulo first.


Random stuff from Mom and Dad: A thin brown Mondi sweater with yellow diamonds, a thin brown Mondi sweater VEST with yellow diamonds, a random white undershirt with an actual bra built in it in a clean produce bag, Ragu Tomato and Basil light pasta sauce which expires in October 2021, more Ontrue green tea roasted seaweed x3, and more toiletries inside a Ziploc bag...

Two plastic shower caps, Kandesn Spa shampoo by Sunrider, a white scrunchie only suitable for a toddler, a Paul Mitchell refreshing citrus facial bar, three Q-Tips inside some plastic, a useless LONDON DRUGS blue circle thing, 40 mL of Agraria San Francisco lemon verbena conditioner, blue Chateau de Chine shampoo, 24 mL of Crabtree and Evelyn lavender verbena shampoo, 24 mL of Crabtree and Evelyn lavender verbena conditioner, Princess Cruises Lotus Spa aloe vera moisturizing lip balm x2, a black toothbrush with a toothbrush cover, 22 mL of Ognnx Lacoupe argan oil complex shampoo x3, and 22 mL of Lacoupe argan oil complex conditioner x2.

A silver Gem hand ground nail clipper, another unbranded silver nail clipper with a nail file, Smart Shield serious sun protection aloe vera lip balm, four more Q-Tips and four makeup wipes inside some plastic (do people use Q-Tips to apply makeup?), a white hairbrush / comb in one, a blue microwavable eye mask with instructions inside plastic, a white Dr. Fresh Turbo Power battery-powered toothbrush with a free Duracell battery, and a small Princess Cruises Lotus Spa linen mist bottle.

50 mL of L'Occitane verbena shower gel, a LaRoche Posay Nutritic lip balm (47 mL), 22 mL of Be Better macadamia nut shampoo, three more Q-Tips and three cotton balls inside some plastic, sampler Oral-B floss from the dentist, a tiny yellow tube of Vichy SPF 45 sheer lotion with Bare Skin Feel, 2 grams of Super Dry Superior Dessicant with a warning on it (??), Chinese Glyso-Derm lip balm with Vitamin E, 50 mL of Crabtree and Evelyn iris bath and shower gel, a 5 mL Avène Canada soothing moisture mask in a tiny tube, 22 mL of Nourish Green Tea hydrating conditioner, and a white travel toothbrush inside a green plastic cover.


Hunt's Snack Pack: Banana Cream Pie pudding cups!




NEW from Tim Horton's: Dream Doughnuts! Chocolate Truffle, Strawberry Confetti, and Dulce de Leche!




Tim Horton's Dream Doughnuts: They didn't have Strawberry Confetti, so I ordered Chocolate Truffle and Dulce De Leche instead.




RIP, Don't Argue pizzeria...




Beef stew with carrots and Pho noodles!




Red and yellow dragon stuffed toy! I gave it to Ayler originally because he is also a BABY DRAGON, but now Beckett likes it too. He knows the word "dragon," and grinned when he told me what it was!




Tomato and Basil light Ragu pasta sauce!

I had to do laundry today on the THIRD FLOOR, and had to go back down to my suite to grab actual cash money! UGH! The Canucks played Edmonton tonight at 7, and won 5-2!


Mushroom soup!




What did the buffalo say to his son when he left for college? "Bison."




Julie M. sent this ENTER SANDMAN lullaby to me! Son: "Daddy, I can't sleep." Me: "Don't worry, son. I'll sing you a lullaby, Hush, little baby, don't say a word, and never mind that noise you heard. It's just the beasts under your bed.... In your closet and IN YOUR HEAD! EXIT LIGHT! ENTER NIGHT!"

Dad picked me up at about 2:15, having dropped Ayler off at Brooke's already. I opted just to carry the bag of stuff Mom wanted him to give to me, listening to him say that Mom wanted to make sure I was okay. Yeah, that would be fine most of the time for sure. The centre / hub for autism was all the way near the airport in a huge building with long hallways. I didn't mind going in because it was so hot outside! Watched Ayler do a puzzle for the last bit of his session, and he apparently liked his obstacle course times. He's all about the times! I texted Jon once we got into Vancouver (the bridge traffic was misleading), and we got there in reasonable time. When I reminded Ayler to be quiet, he basically said that I had to do that too - I know, but you need the reminder more than I do. Then again, it turned out that Beckett hadn't slept at ALL!

Beckett climbed on me - which I guess is his way of saying hi - and laughed at the popping toy and my putting the soccer ball on top of my head, which guaranteed him more climbing time because he wanted to get it to toss around. Hiero said that if we wore our Canucks hockey stick shirts at the same time, we could be twins - he is right. Ayler wanted to refer to himself in the third person a lot, wanted to know what "calling someone out" was when it referred to these teens at the kiddy playground on their equipment, and said that he had big plans for Grade 2: biting his food in half so that nobody would steal it, hahaha! I said that nobody would really want his germs, anyway. When we went to the park, Beckett finally fell asleep, so Harmony told me about their Parksville trip: missed ferry connections, the beach not being suitable for Beckett because of broken glass and stuff, and the goats on the roof.

We got home in time for more playing and dinner - yum, noodles and rice with ground beef and tomato topping! I held Beckett when he wanted to bang away on the piano, made sure he was safe when he was playing with the soccer ball on the couch, and generally had fun with him. Ayler said that he could eat seven bowls of congee at Congee Noodle House - I don't think so! Next week will be crazy for sure, but Tuesdays should work for me from now on if swimming lessons are Mondays.

Ayler was able to transpose songs into a minor key, which is good! Managed to text White Eric about this weekend - he says the wedding starts at 12:30 or 12:45, but he'll have to pick me up an hour early at 11:30. Still earlier than I thought, I guess. I would have been home a LOT sooner had the 3 Main NOT decided to stop at 41st for six minutes or more! Passengers have connections to make and places to go! (I even left the house at 7:45 or so after listening to Ayler read a book) I FINALLY got home at 9:20 on a 407... I swear I'm taking the 3 Downtown, 9, and then the train / bus from Broadway!


Random stuff from Mom and Dad: Three random pairs of green and white ankle socks, 11 Princess Cruises ballpoint pens that largely DON'T WORK (what's the point in saving me money, exactly?), Aloe Vera combination hair and body wash, 21 Bye Polar candies, two Princess Cruises chocolate squares, two old red chocolate hearts from Valentine's Day, Twinings Tea UK (Jasmine) Green Tea x13, Bigelow Tea Cozy Chamomile x5, Bigelow Tea Darjeeling x1, Bigelow Tea Orange and Spice x1, Bigelow Tea Earl Grey x3, Bigelow Tea Lemon Lift x2, Bigelow Tea Plantation Mint x2, Princess Cruises Lotus Spa conditioner, 200 ruled sheets of Hilroy writing paper, a pair of +3 red reading glasses from Japan, SportKwik fingertip moistener (???), Princess Cruises Lotus Spa Linen Mist, Princess Cruises Lotus Spa Sisal Mitt, Japan Airlines red headphones, a maroon COLOR WALLET, Tim Hortons green tea x1, Traditional Medicinals Echinacea Plus tea x4, a random teabag of random tea leaves, and a Tazo Tea Earl Grey x1.


Kitty Sanchez to Michael Bluth in ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: "Eyes up here, Michael..."

It is COFFEE TIME since I got up at 7:30 AM!


From Wesley: A toilet Roto Wipe! Say goodbye to costly toilet paper, and say hello to rug burns on your anus.

A sick Jon asked me this morning if I still wanted to make it to his place since his student had cancelled yet another Monday lesson (which I did), and then wanted to know if I could make it on Thursday from 3:30-4:30 since Harmony is working then instead of next Monday because she wants to spend time with Hiero on his actual birthday. Sure, I guess so! BYE WEEK, AHOY! After (MORE) COFFEE TIME, I left at 3:30 to make it to Jon's at 4-ish. The kids were eating and playing with puzzles, but seemed excited about school and new stickers. Ayler had drawn a purple house with lots and lots of floors, Hiero wanted to read a book with lots of flaps with me, Ayler asked a lot of questions about math and why Keith was sick ("he can't be sick in the summer!"), Ayler asked if he could have my fruity beer (NO!), and Ayler practiced his writing and told me that I should know better how to write because I'm an adult. I also passed that message on to Steph, haha.

Ayler asked whether people had gone to heaven if they were born in 1961 or 1948 (or 1914 or 1918) / whether people were still alive if they were born in 462 A.D. or 1018, Hiero loved his bulldozer, and we had gummy cars / curry stew / dumplings / sausage / (coconut) water for dinner. Randal had apparently cancelled too, maybe because of his dad. More playtime for me! Ayler wanted to take my hat off - I said no, which doesn't mean that he gets to say yes! We also talked about seeing his special Gr. 3 buddy Ethan on Thursdays depending on the class schedule, eating old marshmallows from a school craft (NO!), San Francisco in March, falling asleep on the bus, being tired, "Baby Baloo," Hillcrest, the pizza dinner on Sunday, seeing them again on Thursday, and my not staying later than 7 because I had to do some shopping before I got home.

Then I went to London Drugs for a Hilroy notebook since some paper towel got on the whiteout on the cover, a bubble mailer envelope, some hand sanitizer x2 (one of which will have to be returned because I can't figure out how to open it...), desperately-needed Softsoap hand soap refills x2 (juicy cucumber and crisp melon / vanilla brown sugar), and desperately-needed Silk almond milk. No thanks to the cashier commenting on EVERYTHING ("this is so heavy! why did you buy this?!"), I barely made it out the door in plenty of time to catch the 407 and get home at 8:30. Ugh!

Random stuff from Mom and Dad: a brown Tika sweater vest and a Ziploc bag full of Werther's Originals and other hard candies.


From Julie M. and Pinterest: Visual Anatomy Limited chocolates! They're anatomically correct!




From Krista and Pundora: Don't use a big word when a singularly unloquacious and diminutive linguistic expression will satisfactorily accomplish the contemporary necessity.




A chicken horror show! They have to watch a chicken cooking in the rotisserie!