I recently read an article on being a thankful parent of twins.
The American Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend and being thankful is a common theme throughout the internet these days.
There were a several areas where our experiences differed as the article was written from a mother's perspective but all in all it pretty well nailed down my feelings too.
The author mentioned many things that twins share including their birthdays.
One major difference of our situation to the article is that our guys do NOT share the same birthday.
T was born before midnight on April 17 and B was delivered after midnight on April 18.
It's not a common thing for twins but one that we have been very happy about.
For their whole lives we have strived to highlight the boys' individuality.
We haven't dressed them alike or tried to make them appear the same as many parents of multiples do.
They're not the same.
They are their own person and having different birthdays is another fantastic way to show that.
To this day I still have people that are surprised when I tell them even though the boys look alike, they are very different in many many ways.
It's funny but when the boys were babies I had someone argue with me that they were not twins because of having different birthdays.
Needless to say I didn't bother arguing very long with that kind of logic. I just left that chap to think as he wishes.
One point mentioned that twins have a special bond even though they will inevitable squabble with each other.
Man, do I ever understand this one.
Sometimes the bickering makes me crazy and I can't ever imagine that they will EVER stop going at each other.
Then they do something awesome like make a funny video together as they did this past weekend which shows me that when they DO settle in and work together they can do magic.
Another great example is when they both go down into their music room to play together.
T on the piano and B on the drums.
Unfortunately these sessions usually only last for a couple of minutes before artistic differences put an end to the sessions but for those few minutes that they actually sit and play music together it's amazing.
I recall a guy that I worked with in Ontario who is a twin.
When our boys were babies I talked to him about being a twin. I naturally assumed that he and his brother are best friends and said so.
I was floored when he told me that he hates his brother.
He told me that when they were kids they would fight and hit each other so hard that they would make each other pee blood.
Now I'm betting with certainty that this is a rare example of a twin dynamic.
I wonder how their parents feel about these guys hating each other so much?
The very thought of that makes me feel sick to my stomach.
I am going to put that away and feel comfortable that my boys will never feel that way.
The article referred to a multiple birth being short and sweet and getting two babies at once. I'm pretty sure that Cheryl may not agree with the short and sweet point.
She went full term with our guys.
They were delivered naturally.
T was 7 pounds 9 ounces and B was 8 pounds 11 ounces.
Those who know about this will understand what she went through.
The delivery room was so full of people it was almost difficult to move.
There was a medical team for each baby as well as for Cheryl.
I'd like to say again right here that another thing that I am very thankful for is that I am a guy and will never have to go through what the ladies do. Lol.
The article referred to twins sharing private jokes and often even a special language with each other.
I love this one. It's totally true.
One thing my sons have between them is the way they call each other. It's hard to describe here but I'll just say that it's unique.
Ever since our sons were small I have repeatedly told them that friends will probably come and go throughout their whole lives. Unfortunately girlfriends and companions likely will as well.
Even Cheryl and I will be gone one day.
But, the constant thay will always have throughout anything and everything for their whole lives will be each other.
For that they should always be as I am.
Very thankful.
Stay well,
Tim
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
This Says It All
This is the passage that I read today at the New Maryland Remembrance Day service.
It's quite short but to me it says everything.
Councilor McCaie-Burke read the same passage in French.
In Memoriam read by Councillors Tim Scammell & Gisèle McCaie-Burke
“With pride and gratitude we remember our Comrades who, serving in the Canadian and Allied Armed Forces, made the supreme sacrifice for Sovereign and Country. Others of our Comrades we remember with deep affection who, since their return to Canada, have been called to Higher Service.”
It was raining a fair amount and was chilly but thankfully it wasn't very windy as the forecast had called for.
This was the last service that I read as a Councillor. For a while anyway.
I was very impressed by the large number of people who ignored the elements to attend.
We will not forget those who served and sacrificed for us.
Stay well,
Tim
It's quite short but to me it says everything.
Councilor McCaie-Burke read the same passage in French.
In Memoriam read by Councillors Tim Scammell & Gisèle McCaie-Burke
“With pride and gratitude we remember our Comrades who, serving in the Canadian and Allied Armed Forces, made the supreme sacrifice for Sovereign and Country. Others of our Comrades we remember with deep affection who, since their return to Canada, have been called to Higher Service.”
It was raining a fair amount and was chilly but thankfully it wasn't very windy as the forecast had called for.
This was the last service that I read as a Councillor. For a while anyway.
I was very impressed by the large number of people who ignored the elements to attend.
We will not forget those who served and sacrificed for us.
Stay well,
Tim
Monday, October 24, 2011
Yep, this ticks me off
Ever since the United States changed the rules for Canadians to cross the border I had intended to get myself an updated passport.
One day someone mentioned something called a "Nexus" card which is supposed to be like a passport for travel between Canada and the US and was cheaper than a passport.
Several months ago I looked into it and decided to go for it.
I filled out the online application and waited for the initial application approval. When that was completed a few weeks later I went online to book an appointment for my interview at one of the border crossing locations listed.
The Houlton, Maine location was the closest to me a short distance from Woodstock, NB.
I work in Woodstock. It would have been convenient to book the appointment on a workday and take my lunch hour for it but it worked out the closest appointment fell during the week that I had booked vacation time.
Oh well.
On the day of my interview B and I headed out fairly early for the 1 1/4 hour drive to the Houlton customs office for my interview. B wanted to come along for the ride to keep me company.
I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and helpful the young lady at the front desk was.
I was equally impressed by the friendliness of the officer who conducted the actual interview too. He was quite easy going and the interview went very well.
At the end he asked me if B was there for an interview too. He told me that kids under 18 can get a Nexus card for free if a parent has one.
That's a pretty sweet deal. Additionally, once my guys have cards they can use them as official photo ID.
When I got home I headed to the web site and filled out the initial applications for both boys.
We were hoping that perhaps we could have the process done in decent time and be able to hop over to Maine for a day trip while it was still summer but as it worked out the initial conditional approval didn't arrive until almost a month and a half later.
From there I needed to go to the web site and book an appointment for their interviews.
We preferred not to have the boys miss any school so I booked them for their next school professional development day on October 21.
Over the next few weeks we assembled what we needed for the interviews.
The problem we had was that we couldn't find T's birth certificate anywhere in the house. I still don't have a clue where it could be.
We tore the house apart looking for it with no luck.
On October 16th I went to the Government of Ontario web site to see what could be done to get T a replacement certificate.
At this point I didn't even know if this was possible but happily found out that replacing it was very easy and only cost $35.
I completed the transaction. A message came up stating that the replacement birth certificate should arrive within 15 days or so.
Unfortunately our appointment was only 5 days away and it wouldn't arrive in time for that.
I was wondering if there was anything else that we could use for T for his proof of citizenship.
If there was no other option I would have to reschedule the boys for a different day. I didn't want to take separate trips all the way to Houlton for this. That would be a waste of time and wasted gas.
I tried several times to contact the Houlton office to ask but every time I tried to call that day the line was busy.
I had an appointment not too far away from there that afternoon so I took an early lunch to drop by and speak to someone in person.
I told the man at the desk my predicament and asked what my options were.
There was nothing else that we could use. It had to be his birth certificate.
When I mentioned that a replacement was on its way, the man told me that the officer could conduct the full interview for T and once the new birth certificate arrived I could head over so they could scan it to complete the process for T.
How sweet is that? That was perfect.
We could still do it on the boys' day off.
A couple of days later I called the Nexus place again to confirm that it would still be okay to drop off T's birth certificate later and that I didn't have to have it with me.
The man on the phone was the same one that I had spoken to when I was there and he confirmed what he had told me before.
Great. We were all set.
On October 21 the boys and I headed out fairly early for Houlton to make sure we got there in time for the 9:30 interviews.
When we entered the man at the desk was the same from my last visit and when I called a few days prior.
I gave him everything we had for both boys and he took it over to the officer who was to do the interviews.
I found out that the person who conducts the actual interviews is a US customs officer.
He called B and I over to do the interview. I had to answer most of the questions since I am the boys' guardian.
It was pretty clear from the beginning that this dude was not as friendly or easy going as the one who interviewed me.
He hardly looked at us and was rather abrupt and snarky at times.
No matter, we breezed through the process in a few minutes.
He took B's picture for the card and that was that.
Then it came time for T's application.
He asked me where T's birth certificate was. I told him that we had misplaced the original but a replacement was being mailed from Ontario and that I would drop by as soon as it arrived.
He said that I would have to reschedule T's appointment when I had his birth certificate.
I mentioned that I was told that we could do the interview without it and I would be certain to bring it when we received it.
Nope, he said. I had to reschedule. There was no other way.
Talk about feeling like being kicked in the stomach.
I didn't pursue it any further. It wouldn't have done any good if I did.
We went back over to the main desk area where the first guy was and I told him what the other officer had said.
He just looked at me.
There was no "Geez, I guess I was mistaken. Sorry about that pal."
Nothing.
I said that I would call and make a new appointment.
As we drove away I was so frickin angry.
T seemed resigned to the facts and took it in stride. Much better than I did.
How could one person who works there tell us something, TWICE, and be wrong like that??
Don't you think they should be on the same page to avoid this?
Anyway you get the point. I was steamed. I won't go on about it any more.
Guess what arrived at the house that afternoon? Yep, the replacement birth certificate was delivered by courier only 5 days after I ordered it.
I've booked a new appointment for T's interview.
Wish us luck.
Stay well,
Tim
One day someone mentioned something called a "Nexus" card which is supposed to be like a passport for travel between Canada and the US and was cheaper than a passport.
Several months ago I looked into it and decided to go for it.
I filled out the online application and waited for the initial application approval. When that was completed a few weeks later I went online to book an appointment for my interview at one of the border crossing locations listed.
The Houlton, Maine location was the closest to me a short distance from Woodstock, NB.
I work in Woodstock. It would have been convenient to book the appointment on a workday and take my lunch hour for it but it worked out the closest appointment fell during the week that I had booked vacation time.
Oh well.
On the day of my interview B and I headed out fairly early for the 1 1/4 hour drive to the Houlton customs office for my interview. B wanted to come along for the ride to keep me company.
I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and helpful the young lady at the front desk was.
I was equally impressed by the friendliness of the officer who conducted the actual interview too. He was quite easy going and the interview went very well.
At the end he asked me if B was there for an interview too. He told me that kids under 18 can get a Nexus card for free if a parent has one.
That's a pretty sweet deal. Additionally, once my guys have cards they can use them as official photo ID.
When I got home I headed to the web site and filled out the initial applications for both boys.
We were hoping that perhaps we could have the process done in decent time and be able to hop over to Maine for a day trip while it was still summer but as it worked out the initial conditional approval didn't arrive until almost a month and a half later.
From there I needed to go to the web site and book an appointment for their interviews.
We preferred not to have the boys miss any school so I booked them for their next school professional development day on October 21.
Over the next few weeks we assembled what we needed for the interviews.
The problem we had was that we couldn't find T's birth certificate anywhere in the house. I still don't have a clue where it could be.
We tore the house apart looking for it with no luck.
On October 16th I went to the Government of Ontario web site to see what could be done to get T a replacement certificate.
At this point I didn't even know if this was possible but happily found out that replacing it was very easy and only cost $35.
I completed the transaction. A message came up stating that the replacement birth certificate should arrive within 15 days or so.
Unfortunately our appointment was only 5 days away and it wouldn't arrive in time for that.
I was wondering if there was anything else that we could use for T for his proof of citizenship.
If there was no other option I would have to reschedule the boys for a different day. I didn't want to take separate trips all the way to Houlton for this. That would be a waste of time and wasted gas.
I tried several times to contact the Houlton office to ask but every time I tried to call that day the line was busy.
I had an appointment not too far away from there that afternoon so I took an early lunch to drop by and speak to someone in person.
I told the man at the desk my predicament and asked what my options were.
There was nothing else that we could use. It had to be his birth certificate.
When I mentioned that a replacement was on its way, the man told me that the officer could conduct the full interview for T and once the new birth certificate arrived I could head over so they could scan it to complete the process for T.
How sweet is that? That was perfect.
We could still do it on the boys' day off.
A couple of days later I called the Nexus place again to confirm that it would still be okay to drop off T's birth certificate later and that I didn't have to have it with me.
The man on the phone was the same one that I had spoken to when I was there and he confirmed what he had told me before.
Great. We were all set.
On October 21 the boys and I headed out fairly early for Houlton to make sure we got there in time for the 9:30 interviews.
When we entered the man at the desk was the same from my last visit and when I called a few days prior.
I gave him everything we had for both boys and he took it over to the officer who was to do the interviews.
I found out that the person who conducts the actual interviews is a US customs officer.
He called B and I over to do the interview. I had to answer most of the questions since I am the boys' guardian.
It was pretty clear from the beginning that this dude was not as friendly or easy going as the one who interviewed me.
He hardly looked at us and was rather abrupt and snarky at times.
No matter, we breezed through the process in a few minutes.
He took B's picture for the card and that was that.
Then it came time for T's application.
He asked me where T's birth certificate was. I told him that we had misplaced the original but a replacement was being mailed from Ontario and that I would drop by as soon as it arrived.
He said that I would have to reschedule T's appointment when I had his birth certificate.
I mentioned that I was told that we could do the interview without it and I would be certain to bring it when we received it.
Nope, he said. I had to reschedule. There was no other way.
Talk about feeling like being kicked in the stomach.
I didn't pursue it any further. It wouldn't have done any good if I did.
We went back over to the main desk area where the first guy was and I told him what the other officer had said.
He just looked at me.
There was no "Geez, I guess I was mistaken. Sorry about that pal."
Nothing.
I said that I would call and make a new appointment.
As we drove away I was so frickin angry.
T seemed resigned to the facts and took it in stride. Much better than I did.
How could one person who works there tell us something, TWICE, and be wrong like that??
Don't you think they should be on the same page to avoid this?
Anyway you get the point. I was steamed. I won't go on about it any more.
Guess what arrived at the house that afternoon? Yep, the replacement birth certificate was delivered by courier only 5 days after I ordered it.
I've booked a new appointment for T's interview.
Wish us luck.
Stay well,
Tim
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Short and Sweet
I know many bloggers don't like to quote or refer to newspapers or other media sources but I make exceptions when I'm the one being written about.
I don't think the Gleaner would mind since I have praise for them in this post.
A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Heather McLaughlin of the Daily Gleaner to talk about my last blog. She had a couple of questions about my decision to not seek re-election in the spring.
We spoke for a few minutes and I left it to fate to see how it would play out.
(You recall that in the past some news sources have taken my words and I haven't always come out looking so well.)
I was very pleased when I saw this in the Gleaner on Monday October 10.
Heather did a very nice job of keeping the details of our conversation short and sweet to which I am thankful.
Here is a link to it.
Gleaner article
If for some reason the link above doesn't work I have copied and pasted it here as well.
Scammell won't reoffer
Published Monday October 10th, 2011
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
New Maryland Coun. Tim Scammell says he has decided not to reoffer when municipal elections roll around next spring.
Scammell said he's enjoyed his experience on council.
"I would encourage anyone to offer themselves for public office, but I really recommend that they evaluate the time commitment and determine if it fits into their lives or not," Scammell said.
The married father of twin boys, who will be 14 by the time May elections roll around, said he wants to spend more time with them during their teenage years.
Scammell said he wanted to make his intentions known early so that anyone interested in running in the next municipal election has a headstart.
"I know of a couple of guys who have expressed their interest in it and if they do, it will be great. It would be an awesome council if they got on," he said.
Scammell said he'd be happy to share his thoughts with any candidates who want to know what the job of councillor entails, and he's not ruling out a return to local politics if the timing is right.
This appeared in the Comments section on the web version of the story.
"But Tim, you are the one who should be running for Mayor! If anyone can get some GOOD things happening for the village, it would be YOU. Too bad the younger blood and voices are being chased out. Wish you would really stay on!"
A Reader, Fredericton on 10/10/11 11:02:10 AM ADT
I appreciated this and replied to it.
"Thank-you very much for the kind words and confidence A Reader. I appreciate it more than I can tell you.
Please don't feel that I'm being chased out though. I don't feel that way.
I plan on staying involved with Village matters and would like to remain on at least one of the committees that I'm presently on if the upcoming Mayor and Council will permit.
It wasn't an easy decision to make but it's the right one for now.
However, in 2016 my sons will be 18 and most likely quite independent of their dear old dad.
That may be a good time to consider seeking office again. (If the voters would have me).
Thanks again.
Tim"
Tim Scammell, New Maryland on 11/10/11 12:05:38 PM ADT
I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by what A Reader said.
My pal Charles posted my last blog on his blog site and I was stunned by the level of nastiness that spilled out of the comments section.
If that venom was left here I would not allow them to be posted but Charles censors very little on his blog.
I won't bother repeating them here but I was saddened that there are people who could look at what I had written and blast me for it.
I've blown it off now thanks to good words from good friends who put it in perspective.
Anyhoo, now I carry on with the last few months of my term on New Maryland Council.
There's some busy times ahead with the upcoming budget and the new year coming.
Carry on.
Stay well,
Tim
I don't think the Gleaner would mind since I have praise for them in this post.
A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Heather McLaughlin of the Daily Gleaner to talk about my last blog. She had a couple of questions about my decision to not seek re-election in the spring.
We spoke for a few minutes and I left it to fate to see how it would play out.
(You recall that in the past some news sources have taken my words and I haven't always come out looking so well.)
I was very pleased when I saw this in the Gleaner on Monday October 10.
Heather did a very nice job of keeping the details of our conversation short and sweet to which I am thankful.
Here is a link to it.
Gleaner article
If for some reason the link above doesn't work I have copied and pasted it here as well.
Scammell won't reoffer
Published Monday October 10th, 2011
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
New Maryland Coun. Tim Scammell says he has decided not to reoffer when municipal elections roll around next spring.
Scammell said he's enjoyed his experience on council.
"I would encourage anyone to offer themselves for public office, but I really recommend that they evaluate the time commitment and determine if it fits into their lives or not," Scammell said.
The married father of twin boys, who will be 14 by the time May elections roll around, said he wants to spend more time with them during their teenage years.
Scammell said he wanted to make his intentions known early so that anyone interested in running in the next municipal election has a headstart.
"I know of a couple of guys who have expressed their interest in it and if they do, it will be great. It would be an awesome council if they got on," he said.
Scammell said he'd be happy to share his thoughts with any candidates who want to know what the job of councillor entails, and he's not ruling out a return to local politics if the timing is right.
This appeared in the Comments section on the web version of the story.
"But Tim, you are the one who should be running for Mayor! If anyone can get some GOOD things happening for the village, it would be YOU. Too bad the younger blood and voices are being chased out. Wish you would really stay on!"
A Reader, Fredericton on 10/10/11 11:02:10 AM ADT
I appreciated this and replied to it.
"Thank-you very much for the kind words and confidence A Reader. I appreciate it more than I can tell you.
Please don't feel that I'm being chased out though. I don't feel that way.
I plan on staying involved with Village matters and would like to remain on at least one of the committees that I'm presently on if the upcoming Mayor and Council will permit.
It wasn't an easy decision to make but it's the right one for now.
However, in 2016 my sons will be 18 and most likely quite independent of their dear old dad.
That may be a good time to consider seeking office again. (If the voters would have me).
Thanks again.
Tim"
Tim Scammell, New Maryland on 11/10/11 12:05:38 PM ADT
I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by what A Reader said.
My pal Charles posted my last blog on his blog site and I was stunned by the level of nastiness that spilled out of the comments section.
If that venom was left here I would not allow them to be posted but Charles censors very little on his blog.
I won't bother repeating them here but I was saddened that there are people who could look at what I had written and blast me for it.
I've blown it off now thanks to good words from good friends who put it in perspective.
Anyhoo, now I carry on with the last few months of my term on New Maryland Council.
There's some busy times ahead with the upcoming budget and the new year coming.
Carry on.
Stay well,
Tim
Monday, September 26, 2011
It's been interesting, Thanks
To many this isn't news since I made this decision several weeks ago.
I haven't kept it a secret but I figured that I should say something publicly.
There's no better place to do so than right here where people can see it.
This decision has actually been brewing in my mind for a pretty long time.
In my July 21st post I referred to the Council meeting of that week.
Specifically a member of the public who showed up and was somewhat annoying.
What I didn't mention was that to be at that Council meeting I had to leave my sons' baseball game in the second inning.
As I sat in the meeting listening to that gentleman a nagging thought in my head was saying "I am missing my boys' baseball game for this".
That wasn't the first time I had heard that thought.
I'll admit that I've been pretty lucky in my term on Council as far as schedule conflicts. Usually these things have worked out pretty well.
However, there have been several occasions that I have missed a game due to a meeting.
I won't blame New Maryland Council for all that I've missed.
I missed T's very first hockey goal several years ago to be at a meeting of NBSCETT Council. I was the president at the time. (I'm not currently involved with NBSCETT Council.)
I still feel the sting of that day.
I remember clearly when my cell phone rang during the meeting. I excused myself to take the call.
It was T calling to tell me that he scored his very first goal that day.
I was so damn proud of him and announced it to everyone at the meeting that my son had scored his first goal.
An awesome feeling and a terrible feeling at the same time.
I wasn't there when he scored the goal.
Honestly, I don't know how my boys feel when I wave goodbye to them while they are on the ball diamond or hockey rink in the middle of a game.
If you were to ask them they would probably tell you that it's okay and no big deal but I'm not sure that would be the whole truth.
Do you know why I think this? Because of the bad feeling I have in my stomach as I am waving goodbye to them while they are in the middle of a game.
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love watching my sons in anything that they are involved in.
That's no surprise. Any decent parent has that feeling.
My sons will be 14 years old next year when the municipal election comes along.
If I were to run for a Council position and win, that would mean another 4 year term on New Maryland Council.
At the end of that 4 years my boys will be 18 years old.
I'm not trying to predict the future but I'm thinking that by the time my sons are 18 years old they may not have as much time in their lives for baseball, hockey and activities as they do right now.
The next few years in my sons' lives are going to be pretty special ones.
My being there with them may be important for them.
It will be critical to me.
So, I've made up my mind that I will not be running for a position on New Maryland Council in the upcoming election.
I'm not saying that I will never run again though.
I plan to stay on at least one of the committees that I am on right now.
Perhaps in a few years when the boys have grown up and have lives that are mainly independent of my own I'll decide to jump into the fray again.
I'm not leaving the game. I just want to sit on the bench for a while.
Thanks for putting me in Coach.
Stay well,
Tim
I haven't kept it a secret but I figured that I should say something publicly.
There's no better place to do so than right here where people can see it.
This decision has actually been brewing in my mind for a pretty long time.
In my July 21st post I referred to the Council meeting of that week.
Specifically a member of the public who showed up and was somewhat annoying.
What I didn't mention was that to be at that Council meeting I had to leave my sons' baseball game in the second inning.
As I sat in the meeting listening to that gentleman a nagging thought in my head was saying "I am missing my boys' baseball game for this".
That wasn't the first time I had heard that thought.
I'll admit that I've been pretty lucky in my term on Council as far as schedule conflicts. Usually these things have worked out pretty well.
However, there have been several occasions that I have missed a game due to a meeting.
I won't blame New Maryland Council for all that I've missed.
I missed T's very first hockey goal several years ago to be at a meeting of NBSCETT Council. I was the president at the time. (I'm not currently involved with NBSCETT Council.)
I still feel the sting of that day.
I remember clearly when my cell phone rang during the meeting. I excused myself to take the call.
It was T calling to tell me that he scored his very first goal that day.
I was so damn proud of him and announced it to everyone at the meeting that my son had scored his first goal.
An awesome feeling and a terrible feeling at the same time.
I wasn't there when he scored the goal.
Honestly, I don't know how my boys feel when I wave goodbye to them while they are on the ball diamond or hockey rink in the middle of a game.
If you were to ask them they would probably tell you that it's okay and no big deal but I'm not sure that would be the whole truth.
Do you know why I think this? Because of the bad feeling I have in my stomach as I am waving goodbye to them while they are in the middle of a game.
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love watching my sons in anything that they are involved in.
That's no surprise. Any decent parent has that feeling.
My sons will be 14 years old next year when the municipal election comes along.
If I were to run for a Council position and win, that would mean another 4 year term on New Maryland Council.
At the end of that 4 years my boys will be 18 years old.
I'm not trying to predict the future but I'm thinking that by the time my sons are 18 years old they may not have as much time in their lives for baseball, hockey and activities as they do right now.
The next few years in my sons' lives are going to be pretty special ones.
My being there with them may be important for them.
It will be critical to me.
So, I've made up my mind that I will not be running for a position on New Maryland Council in the upcoming election.
I'm not saying that I will never run again though.
I plan to stay on at least one of the committees that I am on right now.
Perhaps in a few years when the boys have grown up and have lives that are mainly independent of my own I'll decide to jump into the fray again.
I'm not leaving the game. I just want to sit on the bench for a while.
Thanks for putting me in Coach.
Stay well,
Tim
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Where to start...
Geez. It gets to be so long between posts and there are so many things in my head that I would love to talk about.
If I tried to I would be typing for days.
I guess I'll start with baseball.
In my last post I referred to the boys' upcoming year end baseball tournament that weekend.
If you go back a year in this blog you'll see that the boys took gold in the tournament by beating Minto and the kid with the rocket arm.
What worked in our favour was that we had several strong pitchers and we saved my son B for the last game to seal it up.
The Minto team on the other hand, only had a couple of good pitchers but the rocket kid was their strength.
Last year he was used in Friday and Saturday's games and when it came down to the final game he couldn't play for as much of the game as if he didn't pitch at all.
This year was a different story, thanks to Mother Nature.
The tournament started pretty well the same as last year with our lads walking over the competition for the first 2 days assuring their spot in the final game on Sunday.
As we expected, the same team from Minto was going to be the other team. Just like last year.
Our coaches had the same strategy and worked it out so that we would use my other son T and the others to pitch and save B for Sunday's final game.
If he didn't pitch at all in any other game he was clear to pitch up to the maximum 85 pitches in the final game.
If he was called in to pitch in any of the other games it would mean that his pitch limit would be reduced by half since there was not enough time to rest between games.
Our advantage against Minto would be that the rocket kid would have been used either Friday or Saturday and would be limited to how many he could throw on Sunday.
B was not used Friday or Saturday and was clear for Sunday.
This is where Mother Nature came in and messed it up for us.
Sunday was rained out so the Final game was postponed until Tuesday night.
Great.
All of the pitchers on boths teams had enough rest and could throw up to 85 pitches in the game.
It turned out that that other kid held our guys back and our bats did not produce results.
B did a very good job on the mound but I'm sorry to say that it was not enough.
I don't want to seem like I'm blaming but there were some plays in our field that were rather sloppy and put us behind.
Minto's offence isn't the strongest but they didn't make the errors that we did that day.
Plus, without hits we couldn't get runs back.
I'm proud of our guys for the effort but Minto deserved that game.
Some people don't understand how a team may not be overjoyed at still winning a silver medal.
Looking at the guys in the photo above it doesn't look like they were overjoyed about it, does it?
In all fairness to them that picture was taken immediately after the game when they were still stinging.
I'm glad to say that within an hour or so they all seemed to be back to good spirits and feeling much better.
Look at it this way. They were the second best team in the entire league for 2011. That's pretty darn good.
So, another baseball season is done.
Yesterday I signed up the boys for the upcoming hockey season.
The leaves on the trees have started changing colours like crazy this week.
Before long the snow will be here and the seemingly eternal Canadian winter will be upon us.
But we have hockey.
Bring it on. :)
Stay well,
Tim
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Wait! What Summer?
I can't believe it.
When we were driving home from Moncton the other day I glanced over at some trees near the highway and saw a whole lot of leaves that were already changing colour.
For crying out loud. There are still 2 weeks left in August! The boys are still on summer vacation.
I have to say that this summer has been one of the more disappointing ones in terms of the weather.
The sun would be out on days that we had nothing in particular going on but many days that the boys had a baseball game the rain would blast down and ruin everything.
What's worse is that on a few occasions it rained like crazy in the morning and stopped by midday.
By then it was too late to try and prepare the ball field for a game that night even if it could dry out enough to play a game.
Last night was supposed to be their last regular season game before the end of year tournament this weekend. But, it poured rain yesterday morning and the game was cancelled.
That sucks. We have all been very disappointed when this has happened.
As you know, we love our baseball and I REALLY look forward to watching my guys play.
On top of this, there were 2 games that we were supposed to play that were cancelled because they couldn't find an umpire!
How sad is that?
I'm ashamed to say this but there were a couple of times that I had to leave when the game was in progress in order to be at Council related meetings.
In fact, do you recall my last post? The one about that idiot spouting off at Council about what he felt was the right way to build a road?
That was one of those nights that I had left the boys' ball game to be at that meeting.
I didn't mention this in the last post but what was going through my head when that goof was talking (apart from wanting to tell him where the door was, and for him to use it right away) was that I was sitting there listening to that rubbish while my sons were playing baseball.
And that really ticked me off. The straw that broke the camel's back and provided me with some clarity, if you will.
I guess I'm mentioning this so that the blog I will be posting in the near future won't come as a real surprise to anyone reading it.
A couple of people already know what's coming but I'll leave it at that for now.
For now I'm going to cross my fingers that the weather decides to be nice to us this weekend so that we can at least have a decent conclusion to the lads' ball season.
Stay well,
Tim
When we were driving home from Moncton the other day I glanced over at some trees near the highway and saw a whole lot of leaves that were already changing colour.
For crying out loud. There are still 2 weeks left in August! The boys are still on summer vacation.
I have to say that this summer has been one of the more disappointing ones in terms of the weather.
The sun would be out on days that we had nothing in particular going on but many days that the boys had a baseball game the rain would blast down and ruin everything.
What's worse is that on a few occasions it rained like crazy in the morning and stopped by midday.
By then it was too late to try and prepare the ball field for a game that night even if it could dry out enough to play a game.
Last night was supposed to be their last regular season game before the end of year tournament this weekend. But, it poured rain yesterday morning and the game was cancelled.
That sucks. We have all been very disappointed when this has happened.
As you know, we love our baseball and I REALLY look forward to watching my guys play.
On top of this, there were 2 games that we were supposed to play that were cancelled because they couldn't find an umpire!
How sad is that?
I'm ashamed to say this but there were a couple of times that I had to leave when the game was in progress in order to be at Council related meetings.
In fact, do you recall my last post? The one about that idiot spouting off at Council about what he felt was the right way to build a road?
That was one of those nights that I had left the boys' ball game to be at that meeting.
I didn't mention this in the last post but what was going through my head when that goof was talking (apart from wanting to tell him where the door was, and for him to use it right away) was that I was sitting there listening to that rubbish while my sons were playing baseball.
And that really ticked me off. The straw that broke the camel's back and provided me with some clarity, if you will.
I guess I'm mentioning this so that the blog I will be posting in the near future won't come as a real surprise to anyone reading it.
A couple of people already know what's coming but I'll leave it at that for now.
For now I'm going to cross my fingers that the weather decides to be nice to us this weekend so that we can at least have a decent conclusion to the lads' ball season.
Stay well,
Tim
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