Seven Quick Takes Friday

--1--

Don Draper (Mad Men) pushed me over the edge this week.  I have wanted to be sympathetic and overlook his rather obvious character flaws.  He seems to have had some hard past that we should all care about and be sympathetic, but he and Betty are robotic and just going through the marriage motions.

That being said, what I wouldn't give for a wardrobe (and body) like Joan's.

--2--

Michael had his second lesson in his crash course in bass trombone this week, and is loving it.  He came out of his hour-long lesson saying that it had flown by, how he wished it was an hour and a half or two hours, and how great his teacher is.  This morning, he sat in on Jazz Band at school and actually got some playing time in, even though the music was new, so he's picking things up.

--3--

I am starting to wonder if a couple of my ancestors were British Home Children.  There is a fellow with the same name and birth year as one of my great-grandfathers who came to Canada in the early 1870s.  The surname is unusual so I am fairly certain that this is the right individual.  He has about the right birth year, was 14 at the time, and came with a group of Home Children.  My great-grandmother came to Canada at around age 15 from Scotland, on her own.  I haven't tracked down her travel records yet, but I know the dates from Census records that recorded age and year of immigration.  These two eventually married in Calgary in 1899.  I am actively working on following this up.

--4--

Michael went back to the dermatologist to have his stitch taken out on Tuesday.  There's a very tiny scar, but even better, the mole was declared benign so there's no further follow-up required.

--5--

I'm a regular reader of The Art of Manliness blog (don't smirk).  Seriously.  I live with three men now and it helps me understand them, and sometimes I have been known to pass on a few posts that might be edifying for one or more of them.

But sometimes a post speaks to me.  Such as this one titled Go Small or Go Home:  The Art of Minimalism.  I've been keeping it in my feed reader and for a few days and have now bookmarked it. A great piece, it has quotes to ponder, some stories, and then a terrific list of principles at the end.  Go there and read it.

--6--

Maybe I am naive, but the construction collusion scandal breaking in Montreal is shocking.

--7--

We have a fireplace of sorts, the kind that is really a metal box built into the wall.  At some point, it had glass doors but one of the previous owners of the house removed them.  We had the chimney cleaned and inspected last year and we're good to go....we just need to get some kind of screen to put in front of it.  I'm really craving a nice fire these cool autumn days, so I'll be scouring local stores to find something suitable.  Maybe one of the architectural antiques places would have something?

A special shout-out to Company Girls dropping by today for coffee!