Nicky started back to school at UBC Okanagan, and Luke is happily working away in Alberta.  Denis has started a program by distance education from Royal Roads University, so everyone appears to have their own special purpose.  I’ve been living in a strange netherworld of denying what I know to be my destiny.  To repress the thought of putting 6,000 fruitcakes into their individual little boxes, I drove down to Osoyoos on Wednesday to spend the day with my mom and Gerry.

As I’ve said many times before, I don’t think there’s a more beautiful place than the south Okanagan.  The Valley is so narrow there that the highway skirts the fruit-laden orchards.  One could just as easily be in Italy.  Turning off Highway 97 onto the little road I’ve known since the day I was born always lifts my spirits.  I park in front of mom’s house and walk in to the thrilled delight of little Schwartzie, the psychotic poodle.

On the drive home I realized I’d managed to spend an entire day away from the many things I’m supposed to be doing.  Oh well.  As I recall, even though I felt sick with fear and exhaustion, I did manage to get all of my orders out last season.  I had just somehow hoped that something different would happen to me this year.  I had envisioned baking slowly away day by day, packaging as I went along.

Instead, I decided to read endlessly throughout January and February, taking a nice trip to Nicaragua for a bit of R and R to boot.  Spring found me developing the new Okanagan Fruit and Rum Bars, and as that was way more fun than baking, I concentrated on marketing those.  By summer Marilyn and I had indeed started baking in earnest, but here it is my High Season, and as I said last week, I am halfway to my goal.

And it is imperative that I reach that goal, as once again the kind people of CBC Radio’s Sounds Like Canada show shone a spotlight on my business.  On Friday, the producer was summarizing the business series for the new host, and a clip from my interview was played!  As people continue to hear about my fruitcakes, they will certainly feel a compulsion to order.  You know what they say, “Continual dripping wears away the stone.”

As my baby boy will be 22 next week, and is far away in Alberta, I sent a bunch of things via his girlfriend.  She left yesterday as she plans to attend SAIT in Calgary.  So I, the Sainted Mother, made white chocolate chunk cookies.  Then, I met Michelle at Winner’s and we also went to a store called Spare Parts, reported as being cool by Nicky.  We picked out an assortment of clothes, then got what is apparently de rigueur, a Nixon brand watch (?).  And did you know that digital is very, very uncool?  I thank God that I have the children to keep me in the loop.