Canada Day - Visiting Past Haunts

While I expect most people flocked to the beach or community parks to celebrate Canada's 144th birthday, we loaded up the truck and headed for the woods to bike through the woodlot that once belonged hubby's grandfather ...and later his father. It was the first time we had been back since the land was sold several years ago. We spent 2 1/2 bumpy hours biking over roads that never existed when the land was in the family, as well as older over grown roads that were there since his grandfather's days. The scape has changed enough over the years that we could not find old familiar landmarks.

Ready to go.

My old circa 1940's Schwinn  Corvette bike

survived yet again

another rough ride.

.

When the family worked the woodlot

there was still a market for 

natural Christmas trees. 
Now everyone wants a pruned tree like these.

Exploring an over grown road.

Stopping for lunch.

The house I was born in

... in what was then my parents bedroom

...upper left hand window.

The house has change hands many times since I left 

over 35 years ago 

and it's good to see that some work

is being done on it now.

What used to be my grandparents house

...a mansion compared to the one

I grew up in.

The old church hubby went to as a child

...and carved his initials into the pew.
Our eldest daughter was baptized in this church. 

It is now being demolished

...or being taken apart so it can be moved.

An old dilapidated one room school house

hubby's dad attended as a boy.

A visit with hubby's Mom.

...and with my Mom and Dad.

HONOR THY NAME

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Marisa - pronounced ma-REES-ah

I have a beautiful name. I didn’t always think this, but as I grow older I appreciate more and more its uniqueness. As a child I hated my name. I hated that other kids couldn’t pronounce it, hence I earned the nick name “Meecie,” or “Meece”, as my father continued to call me until he passed away when I was 40.

I hated that every time I got off the school bus at the end of the day, I was taunted with “Meecie Mouse, get in your house,” by the other kids.


I hated that there was no one who shared my name, and I longed for a more common name, like Julie or Katie or Linda…any damn name but Marisa, although I see the name Marisa popping up quite often in recent years.


I hated that all throughout school my teachers continued to call me
Ma-riss-sa and I had to correct them over and over again until they finally got it right, only to repeat the process all over again when a new school year meant a new teacher.

As an adult, I just gave up and for the most part ignored it when people miss-pronounced my name, especially those whom I was unlikely to meet again, but I have began lately to assert myself and not settle for being called by any other name.

My name was bestowed on me by my mother, not at birth, but at some later date. On my birth certificate and baptismal certificate, I was registered as “Marcia,” but for reasons of her own my mother started to call me Marisa. It was the only name I knew until I turned 16 and needed my birth certificate to apply for my beginner’s licence.

I’m not sure how my name change came about. One theory is that my mother read my name in a book after my birth and liked it so much she started using it. Another is that she wanted to name me Marisa from the start but bowed to pressure from her mother-in-law to choose a more acceptable name. I will never know. It is just one more of many questions I wish I had asked my mother when I had the chance.

Is it any wonder I have an identity complex. It made for a lot of confusion, remembering what name to sign on documents, to the point I had my name legally changed to what I had grown up with, Marisa, a name I now love and plan to keep. Perhaps some day it will be passed down to a future grandchild or great-grandchild.


The meaning of the name Marisa is - Sea Of Bitterness
The origin of the name Marisa is Italian

The meaning of my name, Sea Of Bitterness, is not a true depiction of my character or nature. I am not a sea of bitterness... a kiddie pool maybe from time to time, but most certainly not an ocean.