I have a day off! Was supposed to go across town to Anna’s this aft to spend the night, as we’re leaving very early in the morning on our road trip. But since she has to come east anyway, she’s offered to pick me up at 6 a.m. tomorrow. So I have a whole unexpected day here. And so I am writing to you.

Much to say — some joy, some frustration. First, Elijah’s grad. Graduating from Grade 8 with pomp and circumstance was not a thing when I was in school — though I’d hardly know anyway, as I was in different schools moving around from Paris to Halifax to Ottawa. But it’s a big thing now. Just arriving at the school and seeing all those once-goofy boys looking solemn and a bit uncomfortable in dark suits and ties, the girls in fancy dresses and makeup — so moving. Eli looked very handsome, especially as the tallest boy in his class. He was however his usual monosyllabic self. His dad came, and we both had to help Eli tie his tie, which didn’t come easily as it has been some time for me, and maybe a brand new experience for Thomas. But we got it.

The gym was hot and packed, and I of course wept with pride in my country, as it looked like just about every nation on earth was represented in that gym, certainly every continent except perhaps Antarctica. In the row in front of me was a Nepalese family in traditional garb, with an elderly grandmother who could have been standing on a street in Kathmandu. The kids sported every shade of skin colour, and a few were obviously testing gender norms. It was wonderful. Some first names: Rufta, Seben, Ajish, An Jie, Woedan, Natnal (one of Eli’s besties), Mayank, Dolker, Ege, Deniz, Kowsar, Yangla, Ngawang, Jesarela. Kelly.

Lots of prizes awarded, none to my grandson who flies under the radar and puts in the least possible effort, except at sports. But he’s popular with both kids and teachers, described as a quiet leader, and has many friends; that’s what matters. He and his buddies washed windows in the ‘hood to raise money to buy a gift for their teacher Mr. Antwi, whom they adored — an air fryer, so he can make snacks in the classroom.

These pictures say it all — taken in the exact same spot. How does this happen?

On the other hand, the very next night, a very different experience. Here is what I posted on FB:

“BAD REVIEW ALERT: I love Paul Simon’s music so was happy to buy tickets to his concert at the very-hard-to-get-to RBC Amphitheatre, even though, surprise #1, the tickets were in American dollars. Ticketmaster, perhaps you haven’t noticed, this is in fact Canada. Then, the concert was in the open air, a chilly evening and supposed to thunderstorm, but they confiscated umbrellas at the gate.

And then, as thousands sat shivering, Paul Simon came on and told us the first half, about thirty-three minutes, was one long song, (the song cycle from his latest record, Seven Psalms) then a break, then the second half would be hits. Who takes an intermission at a rock concert? Paul McCartney plays for nearly three hours without a break! Simon began, slow quiet introspective songs we could neither hear nor understand, as it grew darker and the rainclouds gathered, people on all sides chatting, the man next to me playing games on his phone. To subject us to that was unforgivable. Perhaps in a small indoor venue, it might have been nice, although truly all the songs sounded the same. But in a huge outdoor venue it was a complete waste of time, an ego trip. I read later there’ve been numerous critiques saying the same thing: the psalms are not suitable for big outdoor venues. He knew that but played them anyway. There were other musicians on stage but in darkness; we could not see them.

Finally it ended. The thought of hanging around through an intermission to hear Call Me Al or America or Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes in the rain – no. We left. He’s one of the great songwriters of the twentieth century, but I advise you – if you’re tempted to see him outdoors, do not. Extremely disappointing, and for me a waste of a lot of good Canadian money.”

What was wonderful was being there with Sam, who felt exactly the same way.

We are both people who are plotting our escape even before we enter a situation; I always buy theatre tickets on an aisle so I can bolt and almost always leave parties early. Don’t know why, but it’s a trait he and I share. As soon as Simon started mumbling and droning, we turned to each other and began to laugh, and we continued laughing, although I was also furious. We were happy to leave after the set, despite the wasted expense. A friend who’s a huge Simon fan wrote that he didn’t last much longer; he too couldn’t hear and was hugely disappointed.

Makes Macca look even better, if that’s possible. So generous, so much energy and fun, and lights and camera shining on his bandmates as well as him.

So today I will sort out my life. On Wednesday I was feeling so sick, I actually went to Shopper’s and bought a Covid test, but no — some other kind of bug. Instead I bought zinc and megadosed on vitamins and felt better next day, thank heavens, and again today. For some reason, this spring and now summer smells the best of any season I can remember. Everywhere I go, or in the morning when I open the back door, these beautiful smells envelope me — jasmine, honeysuckle, roses. A blessing.

And blessings and happy summer to you.