The Saturday Cent

It was time to wash that grey right out of my hair. I was way past due getting my hair done and since I was going out with my husband Saturday night (we were going to Roy Thompson Hall to watch the Wizard of Oz and listen to the TSO play the musical score) I wanted that grey gone.

I had a hair appointment Saturday morning. As I got out of my car, right beside it was a 1975 penny.

As a side note, the presentation of the movie with the TSO was great. The live score added to the enjoyment of the movie. When I bought the tickets, the box office girl said that attendees were encouraged to dress up and so I did.  I wanted to go as Glinda but wound up going as the Wicked Witch of the West. Many in the audience were dressed up. The row in front of us had two members of the Lollipop Guild, Poppies, the yellow brick road, the Wicked Witch of the East (yes, the one that had the house fall on her - could tell by her striped socks that curled at the end). Behind me sat the Lion and the Scarecrow. Many of the musicians were also dressed up. It was fun night.

I don't mind Mondays

I've whined plenty about Mondays. Yes, they are rough. The alarm does seem louder on Monday's then any other week day but... enough with the whining.

On my morning walk from Union Station to my office, I pass a parking lot. The parking lot is on the corner of Front Street and Simcoe. On the Front Street sidewalk, near a lamp post I found a dirt covered 2008 penny. That's how my day started - one cent richer.

My daughter, who is away at university, decided at the last minute to come Saturday night. She got off the bus and as it drove away, she realized that her laundry bag was on the bus. On my lunch hour, I walked to Union Station Lost and found to see if her bag was turned in. Unfortunately it wasn't yet. A form was filled out and the Lost and Found Lady told me that sometimes it takes up to three business days for stuff to turn up.

On my way back to the office, I found Canadian Tire money - five cents to be exact on Bay Street (west side), north of Front, south of Wellington. There is no Canadian Tire in the vicinity so not really sure how that folded paper fake money found it's way to Bay Street.

Just before home time, the Lost and Found Lady called me to say the bag showed up. Guess I'll be taking another lunch time walk to Union Station again tomorrow.

Bonus at the grocery store

I try to get most of my grocery shopping done Friday nights. Friday's are usually less busy than any day on the weekend and I don't like grocery shopping during the week unless I have to. Actually, I don't like grocery shopping but it's a necessary evil.

Normally, I go into the store, put my quarter into the cart and off I shop. I guess grocery stores figure that if people have to put a quarter in the cart, they'll return it to the cart-return area to get that quarter back. Even though it's a token amount of money, it's the principal of getting your money back and grocery carts aren't left all over the parking lot.

Well this past Friday, someone has left their grocery cart in the parking lot, not far from where I parked my car. This abandoned cart wasn't far from the cart return area so I figured it was quarterless.  I went to grab it and much to my delight it had a quarter. The former user was either in a hurry or too lazy to walk the cart back to the return area. It wasn't til I was done shopping, returned it to it's spot and retrieved my bonus. The quarter was a 2005, very new looking quarter.

Two days in one

I was sick most of last week - spent two days in bed and didn't venture out very much so my opportunity to find any lost coins was slim. Went to see a doctor who prescribed me some antibiotics. I wasn't 100% on Friday but better and returned to work. When I was leaving my office building on Friday, hustling to the GO station, I found a 1997 penny. It was pretty shiny and new looking, not at all what you'd expect a 14 year old penny to look like. The penny was on the north side of front street, just east of the CBC building but west of the WSIB building. It was near an entrance to a concourse.

I am a the Breakfast Coordinator for the Writers and Editors Network. We have breakfast meetings the third Saturday of every month. We have a guest speaker at every meeting - topics vary, depending on the speaker. This meeting's guest speaker was fiction crime writer DJ McIntoch who was quite enjoyable. After the meetings, we have our board meeting which lasted quite long this week - many agenda items to get through. 


When I was finally free of my duties and was walking to my car, I found a 2001 penny in the parking lot. This 10 year penny was as not shiny as the 14 year old penny I found the day before. 

So close but yet so far

I take a night course Tuesday nights. I walk from my day job to the college. It's a quick 15 minute walk and so far I've been lucky weather wise. It's been a pleasant stroll.  I'm a quick walker but have learned to slow down - gives me less time to kill between end of my job and the beginning of class.

There's a on church on the corner of King and Simcoe that I pass enrounte to my class. My daughter called as I was passing the church so I stopped in front of the church to talk to her. She was quite upset. Seems there was a squirrel in our pool (must have slipped in when my dog was chasing it around). My daughter got the squirrel out and it was still breathing but then it passed away. She was upset at herself, wishing she had come to its rescue earlier.

While I stood and consoled her, I noticed a penny on the other side of the iron gate surrounding the church. It was too far for me to reach and the wrong side was down so I didn't see the date.

As for the poor squirrel, it's got a burial spot in my backyard. Apparently the service was lovely.

Tuesday's Penny

Today was an absolute gorgeous autumn day. Started off cloudy but in the afternoon, the sun came out and the temperature was a balmy 15. Loved it. Couldn't have asked for a nicer day.

Tuesday nights I also have my night class - grammar.  So I left my office and headed east on King Street. I decided I needed to visit the Winners on Front Street before my class so when I hit Yonge Street, I decided to head south.

There were a couple of suits in front of me, walking just that little bit too slow for me so when the light turned green, I bypassed them only to have to stop and pick up the penny on the south side of Yonge and Wellington. It was a 2009 fairly shiny Canadian penny.

Country Road

This past weekend was my annual girls weekend away. Three of my friends and I escape our families for a weekend of fun and frolic. We've been doing this for many years and will hopefully continue this tradition until old age. When I owned a cottage we stayed there. We've also stayed at one of my friend's brother's cottage or we've rented.

This year, we stayed at a cottage on Morrison Lake in Muskoka, near Gravenhurst. This cottage was more like a house then a cottage - it had everything an urbanite would want up north - satellite t.v., Internet, DVD, some kind of playstation, dishwasher, two bathrooms complete with shower, tub and of course toilet and sink, a beachy shoreline and a fire pit. The beds and sofa were quite comfy and the dishwasher a must.

Arrival day was Friday - cold and rainy, Saturday - sunny but cold with a cold wind and Sunday was rainy was warm.

The wind died down Saturday night so we were able to enjoy a nice bon fire complete with roasting sausages (debrizina to be exact). The night was crystal clear. That's what we miss with city dwelling - all those magnificent stars in the sky.

Sunday, Susan and I went for an after breakfast stroll. There was plenty of blue sky and the sun trying to poke through when we left but the clouds moved in fast and it started to drizzle on us. We were walking on Southwood Road where I spotted a penny in front of someone's mailbox. It must have been there for while. It looks like it's weathered many a winter. The year is very hard to make out.

If I ever figure out how to upload the photos stored on my phone, I will post the lovely photo I took of Southwood Road.