Living in Aurora, Town of Aurora, Ontario » Story

An Earthquake Rattled Ontario & Aurora Again, It’s A Beautiful Morning Somewhere

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Sat, 18 May 2013 03:00:41 +0000

Yes we had an earthquake in Ontario. I have been tracking and usually we have one per year. I am starting to loose numbers of how many I have experienced in the past. This seems like a regular event now, at least once a year.

I remember my first one during early years working for someone else in Bolton, Ontario. My whole desk and computer monitor shook in front of me and I didn’t even know that that was the earthquake.

Merlin’s Hollow Garden, Town of Aurora, Ontario

Today later in the day from the news I heard that there were two in Ontario, one at 9:43 am at 5.1 (originated from Quebec) and ten minutes later another one at much smaller scale.

I experienced the earlier one. I was standing and sorting through my CD cabinet when suddenly the house became noisy but not normal noisy. Also Matthew’s birthday left over balloons were moving around, making interesting noise and that felt creepy. I guess the wave was strong enough to actually disturb the balloon weights.

I went to the kitchen and the chandelier was still moving and there was no wind in the house. Conclusion then – that must have been an earthquake and I was right.

I also experienced something else today.

Today was a beautiful morning. I arrived Newmarket downtown at ten o’clock for the Tai Chi class. Interesting enough soon as I arrived the Newmarket downtown I was greeted with ‘Good Morning‘ from a total stranger and as I passed a man sitting on the bench who was warming up in the sun said to me ‘It’s a beautiful morning‘. ‘Yes in deed, it is‘ – I replied.

I thought of something later, this is the downtown our town Aurora needs.

Southlake Regional Hospital Emergency Room, A Comment Hard To Absorb

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:51:15 +0000

I couldn’t wait until Friday to see our family doctor. There was definitely something wrong and Matthew wasn’t getting any better. Swollen glands, soar throat and mild temperature were few of the symptoms. To back track, while sleeping Matthew started to make snoring sounds.

It all started on Tuesday night, coincidentally a day after we brought him to the local splash pad at the Town Park. His breathing got worsen by Wednesday night. He was breathing through the mouth with swollen glands and soar throat.

Splash Pad, Town Park, Aurora

We arrived at the emergency around four o’clock afternoon on Thursday.

As usual warmly welcomed and immediately walked into a triage for interview as there was nobody in line before us. It is amazing how quickly the emergency areas are cleared these days just enough to fool you that your wait time will be short.

A wishful thinking. Perhaps, this type of action up front is beneficial as you are not sitting in the waiting room full of unknown bugs hovering around you.

At the triage we were questioned. I listed all the symptoms and I told them that what concerned me most was the snoring sound he makes when he sleeps. I can hear him when I am in another room. It concerns me because he is definitely not getting a good night sleep to heal.

Now this comment got me thinking and someone tell me if the hospital professional should actually throw comment such that ‘Or may be YOU are not getting enough sleep?‘. I elaborated further, ‘No not me, it just hurts me seeing him sleeping like that‘.

So throughout most of the night on Tuesday and Wednesday I spent by Matthew’s bed listening to his breathing. Second night wasn’t any better because he was also running mild fever.

May be it was a joke from the lady who checked Matthew’s weight, measured his temperature and heartbeat. May be it is a way triage nurses make their time more optimistic because it is kind of sad place to visit with all the worries around.

But when you see your child sick and are exhaused from all the worry and lack of sleep, having someone joking that I am selfish and that I brought my child to the emerge to ensure I can go back faster to my beauty sleep.

This didn’t sit well with me. I wonder what respond I would get if I joked like that about them? I probably be admitted to the Exit Zone.

We left emergency around eight o’clock that evening. Matthew was diagnosed with strep throat (bacterial infection of the throat).

This time we waited in the Yellow Zone and not in the Fast Track zone. It would be nice if someone explained to us what’s the difference, but it seems like everyone sitting at the hall waiting patiently for their turn eventually had their own definition figured out.

You will be send to the Yellow Zone when nurses at the triage don’t know what is wrong with you. Nurses will fast track you if you have obvious symptoms, like broken bone.

Next day, that is Friday, we visited our family doctor. He confirmed strep throat but said that Matthew’s case is severe one and we were advised to keep close eye on him for the next forty eight hours. If the antibiotic does not work the infection can enter his bloodstream.

And there goes my beauty sleep again for the next forty eight hours (a sarcastic remark).

I Always Wanted To Be St. Nick, I Am Santa Mommy Now, Future In Jeopardy

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:59:19 +0000

Remembering Christmas … I always wanted to be St. Nick. When I was 12 years old I said what the heck, no body will know that I am a girl under the red suit. So I did. In 1983 St. Nick arrived for the first time at our home for my sister (7 years old) and my brother (2 years old).

Many years passed by and in 2006 I was back again knocking at the doors. I spent two weeks before Christmas hand sawing my Santa suit and I putted into a good use that year and the following year. In 2008 and 2009 I took maternity leave; however, I was back on the job Christmas 2010 and 2011.

Santa I, 2006

In 2010 Matthew was about 2.5 years old. He understood the concept of Christmas and knew that Santa will bring presents to him. He was ready for Santa to show up at our door.

Santa ‘I’ arrived on the Christmas Eve. I knocked at the door. I came in and delivered his presents. He stood there and studied me, and of course was holding on to Daddy. I said something to him and instead answering to me Matthew started to look around, Mommy? – he asked. He was looking for me. Oops he recognized my voice. I guess next year I will have to be a silent Santa.

Christmas 2011. This year we were celebrating Christmas Eve at my parents in Mississauga. Since Matthew wrote letter to Santa for the black Nintendo DS I thought it would be fun to bring this letter with me and show him that I got it. At 3, Matthew somehow thought himself to draw faces and been drawing them everywhere. Sometimes he adds extra hair and if you lucky you will get a brain.

Letter To Santa From Matthew, 2011

So I arrived once again at the door. Matthew was happy to see Santa, surprised to see the letter and would not take eyes of me. He studied me once again from head to toe. I only released few ho-ho-hoes, but remained silent for the rest of the time.

Another mission accomplished, so I thought.

I left the room and as quickly as possible I changed back to Mommy. I came back and looks like everyone was busy laughing at me not even knowing I arrived.

I stood at the entrance. My eyes met Matthew’s eyes from across the room, and to my surprise I heard him say ‘Oh, it was Mommy‘. Oops he noticed the Santa eye-glasses I forgot to swap. When I came back up again he was busy opening his present and forgot all about.

I guess next year I will have to make Santa suit for Daddy.

Scary Scary Night, A Bit Of Ghost Today

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 05:43:13 +0000

Halloween, and why not a bit of ghost story for you today. Trick or treat, scary houses, hunted forest and spirit walks – all here in our Aurora. So I thought I will join the wagon and tell my scary story.

I am sure everyone has a story to tell about, I call, the unknown. It is unknown to me and I don’t want to know what it is. Feelings are strange, and it scares me. I don’t like it. For now I prefer the real people, yet the unknown sometimes likes to hang around me.

I am not sure if this is best story to tell, but this is the only one I have that pertains to Aurora and good for Halloween.

July 29, 2011 few days before the Petch House was going to taken apart I dropped by the place to see the progress. I made many visits to the site, especially before its final moments before restoration. That day was interesting one. It was a nice and comfortable day. I didn’t take many pictures as during my previous visits. For some reason I just wanted to be there. I think I developed personal attachment to this house. I felt it.

Around 11:25 am I started to head for home. I was about 0.5 km away from the Petch house and pulled over. I have decided to take just a few more pictures of the house before its new journey that was sitting alone in the field, and I did.

Later that afternoon I downloaded and reviewed all the pictures. A mysterious streak of gray on the left top corner of the photo appeared on one of the images when I was quickly viewing them. I went back and examined, but I couldn’t tell what it was. It got me thinking how it got there.

I took four photos in 2 seconds with my Canon 7D, and the second photo showed the streak. I tried to reason. May be some kind of light distortion. May be bug flew by. May be airplane left smoke behind (flying club near by). May be dirt on my lens. May be wind blew something. May be it was my hair. No I had it secured in the pony tail.

None of the above made sense. Oh well I will never know I thought. That afternoon I left it to be as an unsolved mystery.

Petch House

Something There, Petch House

I would never thought of this being a some kind of ghost photographed but when things were kind of strange later … it left me with some scary conclusions.

Hours later, the same night about 2 am in the morning Matthew woke up scared. He started to move strangely, pushing something away from his body. Screamed for light to be put on. Kept crying and when stopped to cry he was pushing something away from his body again. He was stiff, spooked and not himself.

He definitely wanted it to go away. I was getting getting spooked myself, and my husband was in ‘just let me sleep please‘.

Last time I saw him like that was when his grandfather passed away when he was only three months old. That day for about 10 minutes he was crying on and off, stiff, spooked and not himself too. I could not snuggle him at all.

It happened again. This time he was older and was feeling or seeing something. Looking beyond us. We all moved to another room. He kept pushing away something again. We tried to go under covers as it was kind of cold but he was moving so much that we just decided to wait it out. We left the lights on and were like that for good 45 minutes until he finally relaxed, snuggled and in a nick of time he went to sleep.

It never happened again since then. Just that one night. Coincidentally it was hours apart between ‘something on the photo‘ and when Matthew got the nightmare. Children sometimes sens more than us adults, and may be he did.

But what? I don’t know. May be it was nothing and may be it was something. I will leaver readers to decided.

Happy Halloween!

THE AURORAN Newspaper Youngest Reader

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 20:33:41 +0000

The inspiration to write this post today came from reading Christopher Watt’s latest post, Weekly Inspiration : the little engine that could. My post has nothing to do with little engines, but is relates to how wonderful the little minds are. Sitting side by side, we finished our breakfast – eggs, toast and cucumber. Then I moved on with reading The Auroran and Matthew moved on to play with his iron man figurines. Still side by side.

At some point I reminded him that today is his birthday, ‘you are 2 years old and 11 months‘. He smiled, and asked if we can have some cup cakes. I smiled back, and we both moved on with our things. I continued to read and he continued to play. At some point I whispered, ‘we can have some pretend happy birthday cake and sing happy birthday song‘.

McKenzie Marsh Boardwalk

Few minutes passed …

– ‘Mommy look look what’s say here‘ – Matthew asked suddenly. – ‘Mommy look PLAY‘ – Matthew confirmed again while looking at The Auroran newspaper.

I realized that Matthew was reading over my shoulder. – ‘Show me where is the PLAY‘ – I asked. – ‘Here‘ – and he pointed at the PAY word. – ‘Oh yes, but Matthew, it reads PAY, there is no L in here‘ – he listened as I explained. – ‘See, it says Town will pay all legal bills to late Dec.‘ – I read for him as he continued to listen. – ‘You know what Pay means, you pay with Master Card for things you buy.‘ – I said and he nodded.

We moved again. Matthew continued to play with his toys, and I continued to read The Auroran, and when I got to the page nine and was reading an article by Scott Johnston, I realized again that Matthew was reading over my shoulder.

– ‘Mommy look PLAY says over there‘ – he stated. – ‘Matthew you are so right, yes it says Play here‘ – he smiled and nodded his head as I confirmed. – ‘Here Matthew, it reads as follows Theatre’s latest is a play within a play‘ – he smiled, and moved on with his playing.

Not even three years old and he is motivated to learn how to read. I guess there will be no pretend happy birthday cake today. We are going to celebrate and indulge on the healthy oatmeal apple chocolate muffins, and we did. Matthew is also a great helper.

It is a real fun to be a parent.