Ω~Epistles from Nutopia~Ω

My Politics

2010-05-27T12:46:00.001-04:00

Just so you know... I have not blocked out the excesses of the previous Liberal governments. I know what they have and have not done. I listen to both sides, via CTV news, CBC news, the Montreal Gazette and other political sources that gather such info. Sure, I could rattle off several ethical embarrassing faux-pas the present Conservative government has been caught up in, but what use would that be. Those who see no evil there, will still see no evil. Those who want to cast aspersions on the opposition will always have damning ammunition to to fire off in all directions.
I don't think I am unique in my level of interest of what is going on in MY country. I know there are extremists in both ends of the spectrum. I suppose, for me, it is more about the big picture of how I see MY Canada. I do not see myself as an extremest.
I feel any party who is in power too long, tends to take advantage of questionable situations and at times throw ethics to the wind... Politicians are complicated. That is not an excuse for unsavory activities. Not all the members of any party are guilty and not all are innocent. What is important is what gets done in the areas people feel are most important to their quality of life. Sure we do not want what gets done to involve patronage, graft or nepotism. Unfortunately, the facts, at times have proved otherwise. I think this sucks! The only thing I can do about dicey politicians is vote them out, write letters and sulk.
What do I think is important to my quality of life? First off the economy = jobs and job training. If most of the folks are able to work, then there is money to spend, taxes are paid and all sorts of programs are able to be put into place, infrastructure maintained and so on... Next is health care... Canadian style, government run with all it's foibles and glitches, excluding greedy insurance companies who are only interested in bottom line. Then it is education. To me, this means pay teachers more. The future of our children depend on these people. Those are my tops.. next come, not in any sort of order: environment, Canadian identity issues, including the arts, telecommunications, Afghanistan, G8 spending! (good lord)
My personal opinion of our present Prime Minister, I think, reflects the thoughts of many Canadians. He is sorta creepy and he does behave like a despot. He will bear no criticism on any level, so he has built a cone of silence around him. Reminds me of the story - The Emperor's New Clothes.
In my opinion, Canadians did not fall so freely into recession the past two years because our banks very clearly did not allowed the same practices here as there were allowed in the U.S. Granted the Harper government did implement a vast plan to infuse the economy with more money because we were affected by what DID happen in the U.S. to some degree. He was right to do this. It was a good thing and it worked. Any government in power would have implemented the same measures. Only the Liberals would have been a tad more, shall I say, Liberal and the N.D.P. more so.
He is also guilty of removing funds from areas that, to me, he should have let be. The result being, we are losing some ephemeral but necessary ability to BE Canadians. It is not easy to be who we are living next to .... well you know. Harper does identify with the far right in the U.S. and that, to me is crazy creepy.
I do not mind that Canadians are in Afghanistan. I do mind that our troops are directly in the line of fire. Since 2002, 146 members of the Canadian Forces have been killed serving in the Afghanistan mission. Four Canadian civilians have also been killed, including one diplomat, one journalist and two aid workers.
For decades, since the Pearson years, Canadian forces have been known as peacekeepers, not fighters on the front lines. I would not mind if our troops returned to that sort of mission.
Some folks choose to like or not like a person based on their political stance. How crazy is that? I like or not like a person based on how they treat me, how kind they are, how loving they are. Again, in my opinion, I think there are loving, kind, compassionate folks in all political camps. If I agree to disagree, please do not take it personally. We are all headed for the same dirt farm and eventually cosmic dust.
It is really how we identify/empathize with the daily doo-doo anyone has to contend with at any given moment that verifies to me, we are connected in so many ways, it boggles the mind.

Namaste - and keep dancing!

Posted via web from Epistles From My Nutopia

Amazing Grace or Not!

2010-05-24T11:44:00.001-04:00

Actually, to me, all that was missing was that song. Oh... what am I commenting on? LOST, of course. Yes, I was among the zillions of folks watching this 6 year long epic about a bunch of folks who ALL DIED. Where was Melinda? Isn't she the character(Ghost Whisperer) who tells LOST ghosts to go into the LIGHT. She did that already. I forget what season she has to wander around a field finding LOST ghosts and telling them, "Look for the light and just GO". Her writers must have already figured LOST out and were giving us a BIG hint.
I remember watching the first few shows and actually postulating to Frank that no one could have survived that horrific crash. They MUST be all dead, but for some wacky TV reason were trapped in a zone not unlike the biblical spots referred to as Limbo and or Purgatory. Dante would have SO approved.
So for 6 years the ghosts/souls had to connect OR not, find love, give love, forgive and be forgiven. They were all issue driven, carrying a huge amount of baggage which would be indicative of every single human being living now.
Granted, there were many questions left unanswered. It was a modern day Odyssey, made for the masses, filled with defining choices we all connected with from time to time. We saw good and bad consequences, much joy, sadness, anger, bewilderment, and love. We lived the choices, felt the emotional roller-coaster of each character. We rejoiced at redemption and nodded in agreement when justice (to us) was dealt in agonizing brutality.
The things left hanging are there for us to ponder soulfully. Ben must forgive HIMSELF before he can enter the light.
It was an interesting ride. I was not very surprised to see them all come together to feel the communal love that is necessary for all of us to experience. We are all connected. That may sound trite, but our lives here and now are a reflection of the journey the LOST souls took.

Do not forget to dance, dude!

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Wandering the Garden Center

2010-04-09T17:57:00.001-04:00

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Economic Stimulus

2009-10-20T13:41:00.001-04:00

Sometime this year, we taxpayers may again receive an Economic Stimulus payment.

This is a very exciting new program. I will explain it using the Q and A format:

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus payment?
A. It is money that the federal gov ernment will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?
A. From taxpayers.

Q.. So the government is giving me back my own money?
A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?
A. Shut up.

Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the US economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:

* If you spend the stimulus money at Wal-Mart, the money will go to China
* If you spend it on gasoline, your money will go to the Arabs.
* If you purchase a computer, it will go to India
* If you purchase fruit and vegetables, it will go to Mexico , Honduras and Guatemala .
* If you buy a car, it will go to Japan .
* If you purchase useless stuff, it will go to Taiwan .
* If you pay your credit cards off, or buy stock, it will go to management bonuses and they will hide it offshore.

Instead, keep the money in America by:

1 ; spending it at yard sales, or
2 going to ball games, or
3 spending it on prostitutes, or
4 beer or
5 tattoos.

(These are the only American businesses still operating in the US .)

***
I'm going to go to a ball game with a tattooed prostitute that I met at a yard sale, and drink beer! Yay!

Posted via web from Epistles From My Nutopia

All in all, life is good

2009-09-14T22:25:00.001-04:00

I don't have a lot of balls in the air at the moment. Just letting the sun shinny days meld into one another. There is an important football game starting now and that is why, I am still at my computer after dinner. I was told there was nothing on BUT football so my presence was not required. I sure hope Tom Brady doesn't injure another important body part.

I cut my own hair yesterday. I use 3 mirrors strategically placed in the bathroom to see what I am doing. It usually happens in stages. I make the main cut one day and live with it a little. Then based on how I think it is wearing, I make adjustments. I am good at the layers style but I still tend to chop too much from the sides. Oh well, guess the back will be getting more attention in a few days. Jaime wants me to just go to the darn hairdresser. I am frugal, so putting out $25. + tip is painful for me.

We bought new electric convection base board heaters and Frank installed them yesterday. First he had to take out the old ones, paint the wall, prime first and make sure all the wiring was in good condition. During the last several decades, we have heated primarily with the wood stove. I am so done with that. The dust, the bugs and the coughing are just parts of the reasons I begged to let the stove take a break and only use it if the power goes off.

Second morning of senior exercise today. At this point, it is just enough. I feel the stretching and pulling is exactly what I need. I will, in time, get my mo-jo moving and take my own stuff to a different level. Not only in aerobics, but in contemplation as well. Dancing starts Wednesday evening. The location has been moved to a rec center way over yonder through a lot of narrow twisting roads that are apt to have deer and moose leaping into view at every turn. I hope Frank doesn't decide it's not too annoying to drive there. He likes the twisty roads fine, but not in the pitch dark.

I'm still knitting dishcloths but I am thinking that it would be fun to tackle something a bit more adventurous. I want to make a big cozy baby blanket for the new wee one. I am going to have to ask around to find someone who can explain the pattern directions in a way that I can understand. Plus a hands on demonstration would be useful to get me started in the right direction. I think there should be at least one woman at exercise class who would be willing to teach me....if i ask nicely.

No big drama, no outrageous point of view, just the daily hoo-humm from moi. Life is unfolding as it should, for this 60 yr old woman who still feels a LOT younger.

Keep dancing

Posted via web from Epistles From My Nutopia

Healthcare in Canada

2009-08-17T12:40:00.001-04:00

Healthcare in Canada

Introduction
Canada is the second largest country in the world, with a population nearing 32 million. The country has a government-funded, national healthcare system based on the Canadian Health Act. The principles of this law are to provide a health service that is universally available to permanent residents, is without income barriers, has comprehensive coverage, is portable within Canada and elsewhere, and is administered publicly.
The Federal Government, through the taxpayer, subsidizes the health system, though each province is responsible for its own healthcare system.

Overview of healthcare in Canada
Canadian provinces and territories are responsible for administering their own healthcare plans. Each must provide their residents with prepaid cover for all necessary medical services. These include financing, planning, providing medical care, hospital care, public healthcare, and dispensing prescriptions. Cover for dental treatment, optometric services, prescription drugs, hearing aids, and home care vary per province and territory.
Health policies, under the Canadian Health Act, are portable primarily within Canada, while a partial reimbursement is available for treatment outside the country. This system is made possible by funds from the federal government as well as the provincial and territorial governments. Personal and corporate income taxes are the main source of revenue, while some provinces charge residents an annual healthcare premium based on their yearly income.

Access to the healthcare system
Canada, as a whole, provides a free, basic, healthcare system for its citizens and all legal residents. This usually includes access to a family doctor and emergency care or basic hospital treatment. Some provinces like Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario charge their residents healthcare tax for this very purpose. The Canadian Health Act of 1984 states that prescription drugs and supplies are provided free in hospitals, most of the time. This is dependant on you staying in the hospital as an in-patient.
Costs begin to accumulate when you are no longer staying in the hospital and begin purchasing your own prescription drugs and medical supplies. Specialist drugs can be very expensive for one course of treatment, while other medical services such as physiotherapy, massage therapy, chiropractic treatments and dental treatment are not covered.
If you work in the country, your employer may offer you a package that includes cover for prescription drugs, up to 80% of the cost, and services like physiotherapy and chiropractic treatment. Again, qualifications for free services vary in each province. If you are not satisfied with your benefits package, or would like to improve it, you can purchase your own insurance policy.

Challenges with Canadian healthcare
The quality of healthcare varies from province to province. In the rural communities and those further up north, healthcare is a step behind its southern counterparts. As such, there are concerns about discrepancies in the level of government funding and the overall quality of the healthcare being offered.
The Canadian Healthcare Association has pointed out several areas in the healthcare system that need to be improved. These include overall healthcare funding, patient waiting times, the improvement of medical technology, shortages in personnel, home and long-term care. The major issue in all of these is the level of waiting times among patients to see specialists, undergo elective surgery, or get diagnostic tests. According to the Fraser Institute, waiting times have increased from 13.1 weeks in 1999 to 17.9 weeks in 2004. Crowded emergency rooms are an indication of the severity of this problem.
There has also been the occurrence of a "brain drain" in the healthcare profession. This is where nurses leave the country to seek greener pastures in the United States, which can result in a shortage of personnel. Incidents of negligence, or errors in treatment, have also raised concerns about Canada’s healthcare system.

The brighter side of Canadian healthcare
In 2004, the federal government and the provinces came up with a C$41-billion (US$34.2-billion), 10-year agreement aimed at improving Canada's healthcare system. A major part of this agreement is an attempt to reduce waiting times; a “Wait Times Reduction Fund” has been drafted in order to allow provinces to hire more healthcare professionals, increase their capacity, clear backlogs, and increase ambulatory and community care programs. The provinces are ready to set targets for acceptable wait times and will establish a common set of criteria to gauge wait times across Canada.

The bottom line with Canadian healthcare
Overall, Canadians are generally satisfied with the standards of living in the country; this includes the state of their healthcare. A Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health, carried out in 2002-2003 by Statistics Canada and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, stated that 87% of Canadians are “somewhat” to “very satisfied” with their healthcare services. The evaluation criterion on health was based on personal safety, quality and availability of hospitals, medical care and medical supplies. Despite the difficulties, the healthcare system bodes well for Canadian residents and expatriates.

via allianzworldwidecare.com

Posted via web from Epistles From My Nutopia

Has it really been forty years?

2009-08-15T17:29:00.001-04:00

Me at 19

Taking a few to have my tomato samich. A lot of talk about Woodstock this weekend. People are waxing nostalgic about the best rock concert evah.
I did not attend, although I know at least one person, Dave Galfand, who did. I was 20 and had not even smoked a joint. There was plenty of press about the concert saying that it may well be a big riot due to all the drugs that were expected. The thought did not impress me at all. Huge crowds of hopped up hippies all bent on having a mind blowing time just scared the crap outta me. I was happy to go down to the local watering hole and dance the night away after sipping a few beers or maybe a Harvey-Wall-Banger. I was kinda prissy in my attitude to those who smoked up. Concerts I had attended up to that point were Harry Belafonte and Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot.
Things changed for me a lot the next two years. I don't remember seeing the movie about Woodstock, but I must have at some point. I started to identify with the generation I was part of instead of some bogus generation my parents had invented. I wore my skirts very short, much to the chagrin of my knee hating mother. Pot and a few other substances were experimented with. Nothing I ever got hooked on. It was entertainment similar to having a few drinks. I embroidered all over my jeans. Wearing a bra was optional. After leaving home, a one room apartment became my new refuge. There was a boy who stayed with me more often than not. When my mother found out, I was disowned. My banishment lasted till the boy and I broke up. It was about that time I experienced a form of sexual harassment, although I had no clue what it was. My supervisor, who was a married man with a child, wanted to take me out. I knew what he had in mind. No way I was going to be another notch on his slimy belt. Shortly after that, he fired me.
Had to move and so shared another very small apartment with a good girl friend. We were both living on unemployment insurance but had enough to buy beer and have a good time. It was about that time in 70 that I met Frank. He was lead guitar in a 5 man band called Euphoria. I moved in with him and the band. By this time he had proposed and given me a ring. He talked to my dad and all was on the up and up although my mother was pissed at me for living with a man without the benefit of clergy. Oh well!
In August of '69, Frank and his other band mates were playing a gig in southern Quebec. It was just a small jaunt over to Woodstock. He told me, the guys suggested they smuggle him across the border to see the concert. Being a draft dodger, he would have none of it.
He would stay in Canada till he was a Canadian citizen and Jimmy Carter pardoned all the dodgers.
Do I feel like I missed out on a special moment in time by not attending Woodstock? Nah, not really. I have been to many great concerts in the years since. One regret was not ever seeing Hendrix. Oh well!

Keep Dancing!

Posted via web from Epistles From My Nutopia

Main blog of the day - today that is - Thursday, 23 of July, 2009

2009-07-23T12:57:00.001-04:00

(my recent adventures in knitting - 3 dishcloths and 1 bib)

Here I am using my gmail to post to all my blog places. I think I got the hang of it. After all, it is so very important that all the places I frequent have an updated and current input from moi. It is fairly quiet today. The recycling truck has been bye and left our large container in the middle of the driveway as per usual. I have not one but 2 annoying house-flies walking around on the window in front of me. Where did I leave that swatter?   How the hell did they get in?

I can tell by the way the wind is blowing the leaves that it will rain later as they predicted. Oh joy! I am going to make a pasta sauce later today. Yes, this is looking more like a mind dump of sorts than anything that actually resembles some sort of opinion or complaint about politicians or about some God awful personal catastrophe that has occurred. No, nothing like that in any way. Just the daily junk that seems to fill the moments in between the moments.

I want to go here: Eco-museum. I have convinced Jaime that it would be a fun place for all of us to visit with Hannah. Plus I could take a bunch of neeto photos of animals that have not become roadkill.   It is not that expensive. A great first step, sort of zoo, of local animals. The next step would be: Parc Safari , although I think Hannah needs to be a bit older to fully appreciate the scope that big game have to offer.

I am watching: Torchwood: Children Of Earth 5 night series about an impending alien invasion. The occasional man kissing man is an added bonus that makes Frank gag - I just giggle.

Oh and last night, the 2nd season rerun of CBC's 9:00 pm The Tudors.   "As he seeks the annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII appoints himself the head of the Church of England. Anne Boleyn insists that Henry remove Queen Katherine from the Court". We don't watch it during the reg season so we have something to watch now. Plus I knit while it is on.

Wonder what will happen next? Oh, it is history and well documented - but the acting is good and Henry VIII is cute, if you like that type. I think we have watched a few movies about all this in the past little while. I was sure I had seen this season already, but no, apparently not.

The cats are all doing well. Max has lost more weight but is still eating and even acting sorta kittenish. The tumor in his snout seems to have shrunk and the inside of his mouth looks less inflamed. I hope it doesn't hurt him too much. We are feeding him wet food which we whirl in the food processor with more water to make it even easier to lap up.

August is looming and with it brings a hope that summer will appear. Usually, August says, "It's over, a few last vestiges of heat with hardly any bugs". Most around here are thinking that since last summer was a wash out, what is up with this summer doing the same thing. Oh! Brilliant idea - that would be the climate rearranging itself, so get ready for a bumpy ride. Jet stream is no behaving. Why? Because there is more melting at the North Pole.

Not been swimming in the lake or a pool yet. So there you have it. Do not forget to:

KEEP DANCING!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Lachute Flea Market - July 21, 2009

2009-07-22T11:39:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was beautiful. Sunny and hot. The way the weather has been lately, getting one good day in five is a bonus. Luckily for the Flea Market, it was also the beginning of the construction holiday. This means all construction, province wide, is halted for two weeks. It is also a time when other folks take their two weeks vacation. The flea market was buzzing with activity. Lots and lots of people on a Staycation.

I had to pay $2 to park. Bonus was, it was a shady spot. I had no money to spend but my daughter came with a pocket full of cash. She was looking for little glass knobs for the dresser she bought for Hannah's big girl room. She looks at all the quilts and collects little jugs. Old wood boxes are another fascination.

I just wanted to take a bunch of photos. As I went through the shots I took, I noticed a few interesting rear ends and a pair of very cellulited legs. A table filled with very primitive folk art sculpture got 2 views. Hope you enjoy the day's results.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Life Lessons

2009-07-07T10:57:00.001-04:00

This is something we should all read at least once a week
Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
      Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words. In five years,
      will this matter?

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone
      else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

And I would personally like to add one more:

46. Never jump into relationships. Learn to live with yourself first, know who you are and love yourself. Only     then can you have a relationship with someone else.

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Morin Heights Art Show 2009

2009-07-04T17:41:00.001-04:00

This is for anyone who lives within a 50 mile radius of Morin Heights, QC Canada - Lots of local artists displaying a wide range of creations.

Wine and cheese will be part of the yummy goodies to be served.

This is the site: http://artsmorinheights-ivil.tripod.com/id3.html

Browse through the various artist's works and web sites to get a flavor for the upcoming show.

Posted via web from Epistling's Posterous

Owl for Phyllis

2009-07-02T15:48:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, I met Jaime at the flea market. She and I had a few things in mind as we wondered the lanes that contained many old and new articles. I didn't take any photos of my day there for some unknown reason. I guess I was more intent on the looking.

Anyway, we did find 2 Owls carved a-la-primitive by someone named Lacasse. He also does fish that are painted fun colors. I was looking for a substantial Owl to put as a marker for my mother's ashes.

I picked the one above and it is now in place. He is very primitive. I think my mom would approve. He looks great there, sitting quietly observing the passerby's. She collected Owls of all sorts. She was interested in all the things that the symbolism of Owls represented.

Since I nestled him in his spot, Frank has not noticed he is even there. I won't be saying "boo" till he actually mentions Mr. Tuto. The other little occupant of my little garden is Coug:

----------------------------------------------------------

Owls symbolize wisdom, the ability to see things that are hidden, stealth, swiftness, darkness, freedom, dreams, shape-shifting, secrets, omens, clairvoyance, astral projection, magick, deception, observation, total truth, night, death and misfortune. They are connected to the Underworld and the Moon. They are connected to The Goddess in general, as well as Athena, Mari, Lilith, Anath, Gwynn ap Nudd, Blodeuwedd, Yama and Cailleach.

Barn Owl: Barn owls are the ones who see without seeing and hear without hearing; the ones who can hear what is not spoken and ones that see things without physical sight.

Source: http://www.askyewolfe.com/symbolism-owl.html

Owls can symbolize silence.

More:

Global Reverence for the Owl

The owl is deeply connected with magic, shamanism and heightened senses throughout the ages. Some have thought of the owl as a “cat with wings” as they share similar characteristics of personality.

Middle and Far East

In some middle and far eastern cultures, the owl is a sacred guardian of the afterlife, ruler of the night, a seer and keeper of souls transitioning from one plane of existence to another.

Ancient Greece

The ancient Greeks attributed the owl to Athena, goddess of wisdom and foresight. This symbol was used on Greek coins and therefore also became associated with wealth.

America

Native Americans attributed owls with wisdom and sacred knowledge. The shaman would call upon Owl medicine for insight into the truth of ill-intent. Plains Indians wore owl feathers to protect against evil spirits.

Africa

West African and Aboriginal Australian cultures also saw the owl as a messenger of secrets, and companions to medicine people.

Europe

In the celtic tradition, the owl (cailleach-oidhche), represents wisdom, clairvoyance, stealth, initiation, change and detachment. Always aware of its surroundings, the owl uses intuition courageously, with insight into hidden truth, and a guide between earth creatures and Underworld deities.

During medieval times in Europe, owls were believed to be witches and wizards, shapeshifters in disguise.

Summary of Owl Attributes

The owl is still considered a witch's companion, sharing unique spiritual communication between them, and even sharing the same secret powers of the night. Today, the owl is often used as a symbol for education, and used as a graduation mascot.

Many cultures have associated the following attributes to the owl:

intelligence, brilliance, wisdom, power, knowledge
intuition, messages, mysticism, mystery, unconscious, silent observation independence, protection, bravery, transition, longevity, reincarnation

If You Are Drawn to the Owl

The owl’s gift of heightened senses enables it to see through deception, external appearances and illusion and to discover hidden truths.

If you are drawn to owls or owl symbolism, you may have this same ability to uncover secrets. People may feel uneasy around you, as if you are able to see through pretense. The owl also teaches us to acknowledge the dark side of our personality, and in that darkness we may find food for growth.

If people do not speak words that reflect the truth of their actions and motives, owl medicine (as referred to by aboriginal cultures) will guide you with vision and inner knowing to reveal the truth. The owl puts an end to doubt and offers vision and clarity of the truth of events, people or circumstances in your life.

source: http://www.macrameowl.com/html/owl_symbolism.html

---------------------

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
    In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
    Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
    And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
      What a beautiful Pussy you are,
          You are,
          You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
    How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
    But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
    To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
    With a ring at the end of his nose,
          His nose,
          His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
    Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
    By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
    Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
    They danced by the light of the moon,
          The moon,
          The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

by: Edward Lear

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Inukshuk

2009-06-11T14:54:00.002-04:00

Inukshuk - a Garden Project

There is something very mystical and alluring about an Inukshuk. These incredible pieces of art are not just piles of stones but figures holding spirit, sacred meaning and direction.

Wonderment brought study of the figure, increased intrigue, sparking a further interest. What are they all about?

The word “Inukshuk”(pronounced In-OOK-Shook) literally translates into “stone man that points the way”. The rocks erected in the image of man were erected by the Inuit and stand along Canada's most northern shores.Inukshuks are stone cairns that were erected by Inuit at important locations throughout the barrens of the Arctic to serve as guideposts or markers. They were also erected to help guide in the herding of caribou during their annual migration towards where they could be more easily hunted by the ancient Inuit.

The Inukshuk is given as a gift today, to symbolize our dependence on each other and to remind us of the value of strong relationships. If a single stone is removed from an Inukshuk, the structure becomes weaker and so too is each individual in a team necessary for its strength.

Build your very own Inukshuk

Every Inuksuk is distinctive and unique as no two stones are the same and because crafted by hand. An Inuksuk can be a variety of sizes from small to large; where single stones and rocks are stacked and balanced on top of each other; boulders placed in a pile; or flat stones stacked.

To start out you should collect a bunch of rocks. I enjoy collecting rocks on walks in the wilderness, especially along creeks and rivers.. Most of the rocks or stones should have some flat surfaces. The easiest rocks to work with will have two flat surfaces on opposite sides of the rock (top and bottom).
Start balancing the rocks on top of each other. At this point, your main goal is learning about balancing the rocks and finding combinations that work well together. If two rocks just won't balance, try turning them over. Often just moving the rock a little bit can make a difference.
Decide where you want your finished inuksuk to stand, and start building.

Ideas:

If you're making a small one for inside the house, you may want to build it once to see how the rocks balance. Then re-build it using glue. It won't be a true inuksuk, but it will be much safer!

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Toast

2009-06-08T10:25:00.001-04:00

(looks like George Harrison)

The handwriting in on the wall. Humans will be going extinct. We were an interesting experiment that lacked the foresight to make it in the long haul. We will not have lived even as long as the dinosaur. The up side of all this - the planet will survive. She may go through some tough times again - all hot and all cold or all toxic but in the end she will come out of it purged of humans. Maybe a few places will be a tad radioactive for a bit longer.

As our solar system moves out from the main galactic arm, we will be more distant from any supposed last minute rescue from another race that may be out there watching as we cook, freeze and gasp.

When the earth recovers in several hundred thousand years, will she have enough time to evolve another sapient being? Not likely. The sun will fizzle out before anything has a chance to count to 3.

How much longer do we have? Good question. I think it will get real bad for us real soon. Should we calling this part of history the "End Times"? Whatever!

Now the hard questions of how should I personally prepare for these tough times? Plus, I am 60 so I may be around for perhaps the next 25-30 yrs. How ugly will things get in that time? Do I need to travel to all four corners of the planet to get MY fill of her majesty and beauty? Nahh - I can see it all on my wide screen tv, minus the annoying shots. Should I sell everything and move as far away from civilization so as not to perhaps come face to face with sickness, greed, lawlessness, insurrection and madness? Nahh - what would be the point? Do I give into my baser nature and float away binging on the seven deadly sins? Nahh - mostly because I hate hangovers and feeling all used up.

The thing is, I have NOW. I could be squished by a semi later today on my way to Montreal. So I will ponder what is important to me and go from there. Family is my priority. Making the most of the time we all have together. Laughing, sharing, holding and loving will be my reason to continue. I will treat others with the same reverence I would have for any endangered species. We (humans) climbed out of the ooze to accomplish such amazing feats. We know we are more. Will that 'more' continue? The romantic in me says,"YES" !

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Earth 2100 - A Review *****

2009-06-03T12:10:00.001-04:00

Watched this last night on ABC. - LINK - One hour and fifteen minutes of doom and gloom. The last 15 minutes was the flip side or how it could be IF this planet got it together and focused on dealing intelligently with the climate changes that will be happening come hell or high water. There will be hell and there will be high water - either or.

If you missed it and do wish to take it in, you can view it on the website. It depicts the kind of place this planet may be for our grand kids and kids if you have little ones. That is if we continue to bury our heads in the sand and think this land of plenty will continue on indefinitely. It will not.

At 60, I can maybe count on about 30 more years. If I make it to 2045, I will be perplexed.(reality) I have often wondered what it would be like far off into the future. Granted, in the past, the scenarios offered never lived up to expectations. So why should we believe what they are telling us now? Lots of experts from many different fields offer their best guess based on the direction things are going now. Not a pretty picture. Then they say, but wait - if we (the planet/governments) get on the same page, the next 50 yrs will be a lot different.

We are on the brink. We cannot sing while Rome burns. We must react immediately or the future for our descendants (if they survive) will be a return to the Dark Ages that will make the Old Dark Ages look nostalgic.

Can we do the hard work in front of us? We must. Will it be cheap and easy? Not at all. Will it possibly get worse before it gets better? Maybe. Is change hard? Oh yeah!

To me this show is part of a bigger picture. The media must use it's vast potential to persuade and educate. Should we consider it a form of brainwashing similar to what happened after Pearl Harbor - YES - the planet was at WAR. This is the same thing - we are fighting to change an ideology of consumption to a ideology of reverence for the planet.

There will be many more shows like this one. Telling us the tough facts, telling us it will cost, telling us to buckle down. No matter what happens politically, the climate is about to show us Mother Nature is not amused with what we are doing.

Anyway - that is just my humble opinion. We recycle, we drive fuel efficiently, we compost. We eat less meat than we did. I have never bought cases of bottled water! All our lights are energy saving. I click off the power bar at the end of the day. If asked to do more in hopes that it will make a difference, we will.

Less IS more!

Keep dancing a new step!

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Mike And The Mechanics - Living Years

2009-05-31T11:17:00.001-04:00

Mike And The Mechanics - Living Years

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Bless this Mess

2009-05-30T16:08:00.002-04:00

I have been remiss. Not blogged as much as I usually do. No earth shattering excuse, just the reg doo-dahh going on. Events in the blogasphere worth noting: Multiply has done an upgrade of sorts, although my server has not pushed it through to moi. Yahoo 360 has announced the bitter end is at hand. From the looks of it, it will be rather half-arsed and is doomed to peter out. It will be known as yahoo zilch. I have already moved my contents to what I was told will be my new yahoo profile. Then I closed it all up. What happened in Yahoo 360 stays in Yahoo 360.

Regarding Twitter... it is still interesting to me. Not going to go above 100 peeps that I will follow. From time to time will check in to see if who I follow is also following me. It is not like face book at all. I use the Face to connect to family only, plus a very few others who are Face worthy. I prefer to blog at Multiply and use this to insert my blogs at word press and blog spot plus spamming this URL from Twitter. I like to use monentile to send out a photo or 3. I think the music apps that allow one to Twit are fun.

I don't have a blackberry or an Ipod. The cell we do use is for rare usages and does not have a camera. We are ZOOMERS with an attitude against new devices that relieve you of living in the NOW. The now is in the house because the black flies are vile. F. managed to get the flats planted in the barrels and rock garden. I still have to re pot the herbs and buy the cherry tomato plants. Was thinking about peppers plant too. Somehow, knowing that the belladonna family does cause inflammation gives me pause about any of it. Would rather grow spinach or lettuce... humm maybe I can in a small way.

Going to town hall meeting on Monday to raise a little hell about some folks who rent their home out by the week. As you can imagine, it is not cool at all. Tenants have no respect for the community or the environment. Not sure exactly what will be accomplished, but if the powers that be see a bunch of angry residence maybe they will actually do something. The cynic in me says they will just answer us with the usual yaddda yaddda yaddda.

No plans to anything extravagant this summer other than just enjoying the lake, swim a little, listen to the loons and spend time with the grandchild. Up date on neighbour that had the stroke. She is recouping day by day. Still unable to talk or move right side. Ya just never know what is gonna happen. Remain grateful for the little time we have to spend above ground. We will all be dead a very long time.

Such an up thought.. haha. Again my dark humor rises to the top.

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Review: Terminator Salvation

2009-05-23T12:06:00.001-04:00

Just so you know, I usually pick movies I know I am going to like. Being a sci-fi fan and someone who has seen all the Terminator series, plus watched the Sarah Conner Chronicles since aired, taking in this long-awaited Terminator was a no brainer. We went to a matinee. The theater was one third filled.

It was very LOUD. Very fast moving with nary a dull moment. Lots of shooting and explosions. The MACHINES were terrifyingly mind blowing. Needless to say, all this sped up my heart rate and had me writhing and stomping in my seat. I think I even raised my arms above my head and screamed a least 4 times. I am not the least bit passive while watching any movie.

How was the story, you ask? I won't give it away. It all makes sense in the big picture which is how J.C. (!) goes about setting up the next story of how he will be born. He does get help from an unlikely source. I suppose it will be received well although the 'story' is not as strong as I would have liked. It does suffice for the genre of loud, shooting, explosive, science fiction films

How was the acting, you ask? All believable since I was jumping around in my seat so much. The actors emoted and grimaced, howled and stared off into space, argued and flirted as well as should be expected given the amounts of money they were all paid. Not a lot of dialogue all of which was delivered in the same apocalyptic manner.

How were the FX, you ask? Amazing, we even get to see Arnie as he looked back in the day. All in all, the Sky Net future is one scary place for humans to try and eek out an existence running in abject terror from bad, bad contraptions.

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/terminator-salvation/extended-trailer http://terminatorsalvation.warnerbros.com/ http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/terminatorsalvation/

Chistian Bale rips someone a new one:

Terminator Salvation - Main ThemeTrailer: ===Nine Inch Nails - The Day The Whole World Went Away===..::Terminator Salvation - Theme Song::..(LOUD)

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Saw this little bird

2009-05-21T17:12:00.002-04:00

This little bird landed in the tree outside my window yesterday. He didn't stay long but left me wondering just what he was. I did a quick search but it was not in my zone...so I asked a friend and he suggested it was the Baltimore Oriole.
Apparently at the very edge of his northern range. How cool is that?

Went dancing last night. The Viennese Waltz is not for us. Frank gets dizzy watching birds circle so the 1-2-3 twirl was 1-2-3 hurl. We were not the only ones who didn't want to lose their dinner. We did end up doing the tang-o which I rather like.

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Mother's Day Photo

2009-05-11T10:22:00.001-04:00

via epistling.multiply.com

Here we are, Jaime, Ana, Hannah and yours truly. We had a wonderful day. The men cooked dinner for us and we just sat back and enjoyed the late afternoon and evening. Ana laughed, sang and was so in the moment she even forgot what her son looked like. When he walked back in the room, it all came back. She will be 91 next month.

In this photo, Bernie is standing behind Frank,(taking the shot) making funny faces at Hannah to get her to laugh.

It was my idea to take this little generational "MOM" shot. Why do men grumble at such a prospect? I even saw some eye rolling!!

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Star Trek Review

2009-05-09T16:59:00.001-04:00

Simply the best. All you Trekkie fans out there will not be the least bit disappointed with how Abrams brings all our favorite characters of long ago to delight us yet again with superb flow.

Scotty and Bones would be honored by how the amazing their characters were brought back to life. I did miss seeing Bill Schatner in some small walk on roll but maybe that will be another time.

The FX did not take over so the story was what drove the whole thing. I am sure we will see these guys again, taking us on new adventures in distant space. Next one I predict will involve the Klingons.

Live long and prosper

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A good day for.....

2009-05-06T11:15:00.001-04:00

via epistling.multiply.com

Yeah, it is raining here too. Things are beginning to green up and the maple buds are turning into miniature leaves. Geese are still honking their way north. I managed to get my seeds in little seed trays yesterday. I sure hope something sprouts in about 10-15 days. By that time, the threat of frost will be gone All I will have to battle will be the dreaded hoards of black flies. Frank will erect the screen room on the deck so I can re pot in relative safety.

I do plan on buying some plants: cherry tomato, green pepper, rosemary, parsley, thyme, mint and basil. I am growing some sort of flowering bean plants. They will go downstairs, off the deck, encouraged to climb on the trellis. I have several sunflower seeds in as well. The squirrels will have a blast waiting to eat all the seeds come fall. That is if everything germinates according to plan. Often I just get a seed trays full of mold.

We are in semi austerity this time of year so spending money is frowned on. Neither of us really like to garden. We muddle around putting in that and this hoping it will take so the yard looks presentable. He mows the green stuff that grows so it resembles a lawn of sorts. He does toss grass seeds around to fill in the dead places that look sad. We plant begonias in half barrels and parts of the rock garden to fill it out. Day lilies are stuck in a few places as well. I don't have any rose bushes but I would love to have scads of Shasta daisies and black eyes Susan's. I need to get seeds to scatter. We also set up the compost bin. I feel better being able to recycle all that kitchen stuff that used to get tossed with the reg garbage.

I bought a new Hosta for the rock garden plus I am giving a Forsythia plant to Jaime for her 10th wedding anniversary on Friday. Hard to believe it's been 10 years. Where has the time gone?

The plan is to see Star Trek at a matinee, then go over to babysit while they go to the 7:00 pm showing. We are all big Star Trek fans. Not crazy fans although we do appreciate the saga and all the lore that goes with.

We have dancing tonight. Just so you know, our dancing is NOTHING like dancing with the stars. I am lucky if Frank remembers how to lead me from one week to the next. We do have a lot of fun. We laugh a great deal. I nearly peed my pants last week, he has me laughing so hard. He was making comments to me about the couple next to us. He is 6'3" and she is 5'2" - he is all legs, like John Cleese. At one point we looked over and I swear he looked like he was high stepping through tall grass pulling his little Fraulein with him. It was the Cha-Cha!

Apparently Twitter has an attention span of about a month. About the time it takes to lay a bunch of hatch-lings. I am keeping my twits under a 100 so as not to get totally confused. They are talking to the Twit guys on the View today.

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Old Farts - Laughing

2009-05-05T10:26:00.001-04:00

We have this:

I decided to buy it for the bedroom so he can turn on and off the light without too much grumbling. Well, it does do that and a lot more. For some unknown reason, it will just turn on responding to such sounds as laughing or coughing. Other times, it turns on just to let us know it is still working. We laugh a lot at the funny times it just goes on. Then we have to clap it off again which isn't as simple as getting the silly thing to go on. I have had to clap a lot, laughing and trying to get the clap at just the right pitch. Sore hands can happen.

Anyway, I found a clapper owner on a TV show we watch - "Fringe"

Walter has a clapper too! In one scene he was asked to turn off all the lights in his lab. A look of shear delight over came him as he clapped all the lights off. Frank and I dissolved in fits of laughter since we knew exactly what he had. Walter is the best character on that show. He gets the best lines because he plays a person who is just this side of being insane, in a good way....

I suppose we are a bit insane too. After all who admits to owning The Clapper??!!

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REALLY not making a fuss

2009-05-03T10:22:00.001-04:00

However, I am freaked out. Today, Frank and I were at the local community center, with a few of his painting. A craft fair of sorts. Several other area residence were there as well.

A neighbour who lives up the street from us was there too, selling her sister's jams. Just after lunch, she started to feel weird. She is 50 and in excellent shape, not fat and not skinny. Walks every day and works full time in Montreal. She began to lose feeling on the right side of her body and slur her words. We called 911. We knew she was having a stroke. They arrived in about 20 minutes, the time it takes to get from Lachute to Lakefield. By the time they got there, she was not understanding simple questions and had become mute. They took her to St Jerome and we heard later she was then transferred to Nero Institute in Montreal. She was just selling jam.

Please say a prayer for Corinne - she is a really nice lady. Things do not look good.

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Ha

2009-04-30T11:16:00.001-04:00

My (Swine) Flu Strategy Apr 30, '09 11:07 AM
for everyone

Also doubles as a great sunscreen... just wear a hat and cotton gloves and you are off to the petri dish of social interaction without the distance.

I will eat pork!

via epistling.multiply.com

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- The Brits Have It Right!

2009-04-29T16:07:00.001-04:00

via zusiqu.multiply.com

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I Can't Make a Fuss

2009-04-28T12:25:00.001-04:00

Even though, I have pain that indicates to me, I am not taking care of my one and only body as I should, I still feel blessed to wake up every morning and smell the coffee.

Hearing the cats tap-tap-tap on the door cause they want me to get up and stroke them is reason enough to bellow at them to move the frak away from the frakin door and scatter their fur in huge clumps all over the living room while we sleep. This is not such a big deal.

Spring means ant invasion time again. Carpenter ants are rather disconcerting because I know they have a Mike Holmes complex somewhere in my wooden abode. It also means I have to really be fastidious about any crumbs or droplets of yummy items that attract the evil black crunchy marauders. The poison is out and they have been feasting on it. Again, not such a big deal.

It is raining. A nice rain that is seeping deep into the forest and giving all the dried out leaves a good soaking. I am not so worried that the neighbours we have who have been burning their trash in an open fire pit won't send a burning ember up and into the forest and burn half the lower Laurentians into a crispy hunk of coal. Not a big deal, especially after I call 911 on them and have the fire guys arrive and give them a huge fine for burning without a permit.

We are down to the last 5 months before Frank makes the big decision. Meanwhile, he is ALL about the short list. I even allowed him to test drive a Matrix with me in the car yesterday. He talks about it non-stop. At least he is talking to me. At least he still finds time to hug and kiss me when his male prerogative is pestering him. This is a big deal - I do recommend Astrioglide for those ladies past menopause or if you have a big deal to deal with .. just sayin.

Pig flu - Oh this could be a huge deal. I do trust that the powers that be, will nail down a vaccine super quick. Because we are fortunate and live where we do, most of us will get that shot and most of us will not get the flu. We will take precautions, washing hands etc.. so by and large, it will fizzle out in short time.

I have been procrastinating. I need to sand and paint a dear little wooden table and chair set I found at the flea market for Hannah. I have to get a slew of photos printed so I can work on the 2 scrapbooks I bought at Costco recently. I need to dig out my summer clothes and stash my winter togs. And I need to get out all the seeds I bought and get them planted indoors so by the end of May we can plant outside. I have big plans about the seeds. I just hope all will germinate and not die off. Not a big deal, really.

I am blessed. Making a fuss about stuff I cannot control is pointless. And the stuff I can control is all about doing the do.

Keep dancing!

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By George, I think I did it!

2009-04-23T14:07:00.001-04:00

Oh - this is cool - can send as many as I can cram in here and it just goes. Yes that is my rather messy desk in my lil'computer room.

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Earth Day April 22, 2009 - Daily walk

2009-04-22T17:31:00.001-04:00

Today between 2 and 3, Frank and I went for our usual walk. The place is the same, however the view is always changing.

It was a bit nippy, my hands got cold and we climbed down a steep embankment to get some closer shots of the water flowing from one lake to the other. I don't much like negotiating tricky rocks and slippy grass. No mishaps to report, I even found a nice wrought iron magazine holder that someone had not wanted and left at the end of their driveway.

Saw a few birds and squirrels and there is still some ice left on Lake Solar. Heard today that a lot of rivers world wide are lower than usual. All due to that darn Global Warming.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. Spring has come, but it still lays hidden beneath the leaf litter. There are NO black flies to contend with and the scent of freshness blows the old nasty bits of winter right out of your head.

I am rejoicing for so many reasons. Life is good.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Within You - Without You

2009-04-02T13:07:00.001-04:00

We were talking
about the space between us all
and people who hide themselves
behind a wall of illusion
never glimpse the truth
then it's far too late
when they pass away

We were talking
about the love we all could share
When we find it
to try our best to hold it there
with our love, with our love
we could save the world
if they only knew

Try to realize it's all within yourself
no one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small
and life flows on within you and without you

We were talking
about the love that's gone so cold
and the people who gain the world
and lose their soul
They don't know, they can't see
Are you one of them

When you've seen beyond yourself
then you may find
peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come
when you see we're all one
and life flows on within you and without you

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Build an Arc - Tuesday Diversion, of sorts

2009-03-31T16:00:00.001-04:00

There is this guy in Holland who built an Ark. Just think about it. This is a Dutch guy. OK.. maybe I AM being unkind. Fact is, we all know the Dutch are just weird! Granted the Netherlands will sure to be flooded in a few decades with the poles melting and all. And then there is his hope that his building it will somehow inspire a Christian revival ! Just what is he smoking?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
copy/pasted story:

The massive central door in the side of Noah’s Ark was opened for the first crowd of curious townsfolk to behold the wonder. Of course, it’s only a half-sized replica of the biblical Ark , built by Dutch Creationist Johan Huibers as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible.

The ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide. That’s two-thirds the length of a football field and as high as a three-story house.

Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals greet visitors as they arrive in the main hold. A contractor by trade, Huibers built the ark of cedar and pine. Biblical scholars debate exactly what the wood used by Noah would have been. Huibers did the work mostly with his own hands, using modern tools and with occasional help from his son Roy.

Huibers, a Christian man, said he hopes the project will renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands, where church going has fallen dramatically in the past 50 years.

Mr Huibers spent nearly two years building the ark. He began building in May 2005, after he dreamed of the Netherlands being flooded.

“In February 1992, I had a dream that Holland will become flooded. The next day, I found a book about Noah’s Ark in the local bookshop, and since then, my dream has been to build the ark,” he said.

All and any comments on this story are welcome. And for those of you who remember I added this:

and this

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Regarding My Loss of Blog Focus

2009-03-26T15:05:00.001-04:00

I have been reading - really, well all the ones that I can get to. Mostly, I have been exploring and searching for family roots. As mentioned before, I have found a huge whack of cousins - 3rd and 4th in Seattle. My Geni tree is growing bigger day by day. I was able to search the cemetery files for Catholics buried on the mountain (Mt. Royal) Montreal's huge planting place.

I want to place my mother's ashes with her parents on the mountain and needed to find the plot number plus what the costs would be. It will cost $410.00 to inter her ashes. My share of that will be $136.00 which I can now cover due to my upcoming monthly pension.

I have protestant relatives on the mountain as well, although finding more in depth info on them would cost me $5.00 a head. I suppose I could visit in person to do the search myself. That way, my records could be updated and revised. Frank will be off work soon and we could make a fun excursion to the cemetery for a fact finding trip.

I just got a fantastic email from a 3rd cousin this morning. She lives in Maryland so who knows, we may even find an excuse to visit. She has information on my great great grandparents who lived in Manchester, England. So far, we have the potential to make roots go as far as, not only the British Isles, but France, Germany and Russia. Plus it can encompass 3 religions. The German/Russians are Jewish on my son-in-law's side. Then there is the Spanish connection via Cuba. If I could dig deep enough into the Cuban genealogy branch, I think we could come up with intermarriage between indigenous people and perhaps Africans too. The only part of the planet missing would be Asian - both near and far although I am sure the Jewish roots could be traced to the middle east.

In the grand scheme, it is not really a big deal. It only goes to confirm what I already know. We are all connected. I do wish I had letters and diaries of the long departed to read through and see what their day to day was like and what thoughts they found gripping.

Maybe I could collaborate with my cousins and write a book.

In the meantime - Keep dancing!

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Done In By 23 Months

2009-02-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

We picked her up Friday, late afternoon. Belted her in, with large bag and gate in trunk, we headed back to our nest. After slaving most of the morning on a delicious home made mac and cheese, she took one bite and pronounced a distinct NO.

I ate mine is a daze. What to feed this child? OK.. bread and cheese was. Some applesauce made it down the gullet. Since I like cooking and not making tidy, she soon found all the untidy bits that were perilous. Scrambling, I found high places to stash the dangers. Picking up, putting down, again and again. Changing and chasing, up and down. Gates falling, crying, laughing, fussy, mad. No, Grama, up Grama, downstairs Grama... garble, garble Grama. Cat growl, cat meow, cat running away. Oh and dog too, to feed and tell to sit, back off and step on, fall over. Cripes... no profanity, sushhhh... giggle at everything. Oh, I feel old!

Milk to drink before bed, oh sweet chair to sit. Jammies, diaper, story, singing, calming down. In bed, asleep at 8. Time to watch Terminator - kill me now, please. Will she sleep the night? Monitor the sounds, the swishing machine is on. Ten-thirty, a squack, a cry... I am all snuggled in. Get up? No. She clicks the swisher and there is baby quiet. No sound till, 4:30. Yes, fitful sleep I had, listening to device that broadcasts a blanket slide.(back in the day, this was SO not necessary) A whimper, a protest, a moaning, whineing cry. Get up, yikes, I gotta pee. Listening... all is quiet again. Ahhh... yipee. Back to sleep, sure. Six-thirty, Frank slips out of bed to get coffee and leave. Very quietly. Oops, hark, she talks, Grama? Grama are you? Grama come? Oh well, the day begins. Change very large load of Smelly! Gooey! Poop ! That was fun.

Now, up and feeling pretty good. What to eat, or what will she eat?? Cereal, milk, encore Grama.. OK, more till all gets shoved away. Offer yogurt, toast.... no, no! Finding crayons and paper.. time for mine. Coffee, toast, yogurt to down. Do not forget old lady supplements - hoping they will kick in at some point and enable the enfeebled. Deluded dream of woman pushing hard at 60. I usually just go by the seat of my pants. This needs a different approach. Get her busy and then get her tired. That's the ticket. Fill the basin in the sink with just warm, soapy water - add plastic items, glasses, ladles, cups and spoons. This is toddler heaven. Doing what she calls - vashing deeches. My big idea to add used coffee grounds to the water. Sweet delight - the feeling of dark bits. Fingers and hands are prunes.

Change plan... whisper in ear. Lets go for a walk. Eyes bright, diaper changed down the stairs. The Dog is doing his - oh yeah, oh yeah - going out dance, all over the place... ha-ha-ha-ha.. tongue lolling. Snowsuit, boots, mittens, hat and scarf. Now she is getting hot, clawing at the door. Me - boots, coat, hat, gloves, scarf (it is cold out there) and camera, we get out the door with dog on leash - pulling hard. I let him go before he pulls me down, lift and carry the bundled one down the outside stairs. The dog is leaping and bounding all over.. eating snow. Hannah and I, hand in hand, head down the driveway. I'm thinking, how far should we walk. No, I do not have the stroller or the sled. I am in way over my head. The dog is hurling himslef down the road. Car in distance slows, I call, he comes and sits. Grab up his leash again. Dog in one hand and Hannah in the other we set out. Stopping, here and there. Blue jays chiding me, in the distance. I am insane to try this, am I not? We do need the air, the exercise, the fun.. we march on. Oh Oh, a dog and his owner are off in the distance. Finnagin is frantic to make a new friend. Hannh sits in snow bank and I hold dog with both arms, shouting ... sitsitsit , darn dog. He sits, we wait till stranger dog vanishes off. Good. Continue the trek to the lake. Snow is crunchy, lumps in the road attract small boots to crush. Answers the cheeky birds.... Tweeeet, tweeet.. burdie!

Down another hill, slowly, lifting up to see the lake....See, see, see, - yes.. the lake is frozen, all covered in ice and snow. In the summer, all the snow is gone and you and I will go swimming in the lake and see some fish and play in the sand. Nods. Time to turn around. No way she will go back up the hill. Scoop her up and the 3 of us, this time, I tell Finn to pull me. Ahhh... plod plod plod.... to the top.

The way home is punctuated by long pauses and just staring. "Come on.. come on.. time to have some lunch and I hear Bunny calling you". Crumples to the road.

Utters with a smile, "going doh, doh".. Yeah right.. that's what did in the Donners.

Scooping up.. carrying.. and holding dog. Puff, phant... Ok.. now you are going to walk. Nope, more crumpling. Humm.."I hear bunny calling for you". Up she gets, and me holding bunched up snowsuit at the back of her shoulders... we part walk, part puppet along the road. The homestretch hill. Scoop up again and lumber up to the driveway. My plan - have her help me make lunch (thinking she will eat what she makes) eat, have milk and get her down for afternoon nap at 1:00.

Exacution: Keen to help, mad at me for not allowing her too close to the stove while the eggs get scrambled. She takes 3 mouthfulls and that is all. I fake her out with a bread chaser. Most is eaten.

Next on list.. change, milk and nap. Goes smoothly without too many false starts. Ahh... blessed quiet, time for ME to take a nap bearing in mind, I must get up at 3 and put frozen chicken in the oven so it's ready for dinner at 6.. I have already done taters, carrots and onions that will cook with. Please Mr. Sandman, let me sleep for just an hour.

Someone is coming in the door and I am nude in bed. Yikes.. "WHO IS IT?"

"It's us" Jaime says.

I call back. "Give me a minute, I was trying to take a nap"

Hurl the clothes back on. Bernie is perched in front of the upstairs tv watchin... HOCKEY! Jaime wants a shower. I have to de-glog the drain first... ewww... so that's all my hair.. sheesh.

Put the bird in. Oh they want tea and a snack. My 'mom is a slave' - personna takes over and I putter and do. Make everyone happy... ya, ya, that's me. Frank comes home and he makes me a rum and coke. yumm.

Hannah wakes up at about 3:45 and they take over. I still have this meal to serve, clean up after. Table set, dishes warming, all the taters and veges in bowls, stuffing too. Cut up chicken, plate and sit down. The males are finished and staring at the empty plate before I can add the gravy. Laughter and talk.. I recount the night and day. They are relieved she was such an excellent child. I think they will let her come back. I did an adequate job of filling in for them.

They all leave before 7. I stagger to my lazy-boy. I am immobile. Then when I have to make a pit stop, I discover my body will not unbend from the sitting position. Ibuprofen is called for. I know this is the beginning of many aches and lots of joint pain. I am a great martyr. Lights out at 10 all snuggled in. I wake a few times, still conscious of that deep down used up feeling that only comes if you have been on a 5 day bender. How could such a tiny little person do this to me?

Realization: I need to get into better shape if I plan on having her here again. The next time, she could very well kill me.

Who and What I love

2009-02-14T16:55:00.000-05:00

Starting with the people and proceeding onto the stuff.

All the people: My husband, my daughters, grand daughter, son in law, brothers, sisters in law, nieces, nephews, grand niece, aunt, cousin, neighbours and freinds who have been around for the last 30 yrs. Friends out west who were here long ago. Even the dead, like my mom and dad, grandparents, uncles, aunts and others who are just dim memories but still need to be loved by the living. Plus I love my cats.... Penny and Max and all the ones we had before, Chang, Rocky and Cato.

I WEBBY love all of my internet friends. I KNOW the connections are valuable to all of us on a variety of levels. The out-put of kindness, sharing, support and feedback is, all about the LOVE..

Now the stuff:
Food: Gotta start here - Chocolate, coffee, ice cream, cake, fresh bread, bagels, sticky-buns, maple syrup, pancakes, scrambled and poached eggs, cinnamon/sugar on toast, roast lamb, pork, beef, chicken, turkey, duck.
Lasagna, pesto with fresh pasta, snails, Chinese food, pizza, curried dishes, Mexican food, Italian food, French food, mint jelly. I love Cuban food - black beans, plantains, yucca, Cuban sandwiches and so on. Avocados. Have you guessed it? I love just about everything, except liver and beets. Not crazy bout raw fish either.

More stuff:
My comfy bed with the memory foam topper an pillow.
The complete dark and quiet at night.
How coffee smells early in the morning.
The dappled morning light filtering through the trees out my side window.
Dancing
Raindrops on roses - are you paying attention?
Smiles, hugs and kisses
My cameras.. the flip and the canon = taking photos
My computer+ high speed internet - vortex to the rest of the planet
Driving alone listening to R&R and singing along
Birds - even the crows and jays who are nasty.
Loons making that loon sound at dusk
The idea that I will get back to Ireland one day.
Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter
Pussy willows
Daisies
Opening presents
Satin
Silk
TV
Movies
Cuddling
Getting take out
Getting taken out
Meeting new people - ahh.. hellooooo!
Reading
Writing
Watching my grand daughter do anything.
__________________________

I could go on... loving day in and day out.. I happen to love life

Discovery re: Aunt Hildelisa

2009-02-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

Feels like I have been on a quest. I now know she did have a will and if she left all her worldly goods to Gomez, 'there ain't a derned thang we can do bout it'.

I found 14 different folders filed in family court. One had a designation of WILL. I was not able to view this since it must be sealed.

I called the lawyer who seems to have put all this legal stuff in motion, to get more info from him. I left a message in his voice mail. I hope he calls me back.

I had also sent emails to the Archdioceses of Miami inquiring about a funeral and burial according to catholic tradition. He is doing some digging and will get back to me.

It will be good to finely let this go. I got a tad OCD about getting to the bottom of it all. I must forgive Hildelisa for not considering her family in the will and I must forgive Gomez for not reaching out to us when she became too compromised to remain in her home alone. And then for tossing all her belongings into the dumpster after she passed, family photos and all.

We are the ones who will make sure her name is remembered, we will pray for her soul, we will have a mass said. Even though, she was not an integral part of little clan, knowing who and what her story was will be part of our family memories.

So if any of you out there who are rolling in dough, want to leave me in your will, please, you have my permission to do so. And those of you who roll dough, sent me a bun.

Keep dancing!

Gastro or Cold Virus?

2009-01-07T19:06:00.000-05:00

Since I didn't barf, had only mild queasiness, with body aches, some pooitis and no appetite at all, I got to pondering the pros and cons of getting either sickness.

Most of us hate to hurl, so if you can get by with only a few gags or one visit to the great white phone it isn't too bad of a deal. Having stuff leave us through the other end can get tense if you don't time the dash to the throne well. It can all last about 24 hours of feeling really crappy followed by 48 hours of feeling less crappy . Worst case scenario, it lasts a max of 72 hours and the bonus is, you scurry to the scale to notice you have lost at least 5 lbs.

Ginger ale, at room temp through a straw is recommended as the liquid of choice. Then Jello and perhaps some toast or crackers. Definitely no coffee but mint tea seems to help. Do not forget the pain killers for the achy back, legs, feet, neck and head. Advise the others that you wish to be left alone and checked in on from time to time to see if they can bring you something. A bedroom equipped with a TV is a must.

On the other hand.. a Cold Virus - is a lot more inconvenient and has a lot more symptoms that really piss me off. Starting with the sore or scratchy throat that sends us in a furry of gargling with a warm salt water solution. Then the attack of the creeping crud begins. You know that feeling of the mucus (either yellow or green) invading your sinuses and chest. You wheeze, gakk, hork and sneeze morning, noon and night. You cannot breathe and your lips turn into parched logs. The outside of your tender nose looks like a tomato, the inside is raw, wet and begging to be picked at 2am in the morning since becoming a dried out, crusty booger nest. Your box of tissues has fallen behind the bed to be lost among the dust bunnies. It is pitch black, you pick and flick. You hope it doesn't land in your slippers.

Now you notice every member of the family is wearing a surgical mask and approaches you wearing latex gloves. They can be seen using Lysol wipes on all surface you come in contact with .. even your footsteps.

You are officially persona non grata. Only the cat will sit within a 10 foot radius of you. That is till you have a coughing fit, then they use the tiny sharp points of their launching rear feet to leap over your shoulder and off your head. Ouch! You reach up to find your skull is bleeding - a lot - and is that kitty litter stuck in the wound?

A lot of people resort to this for the sticky, snizzles:

Not only is it so very attractive, it also is a known cause of red eye. By this time, you are frantically dialing your doctor to get some drugs to knock this 'so-and-so' OUT. The cheeky, cheery receptionist advises you your doctor is vacationing on a tropical island and if your symptoms don't lessen in two weeks or 10 to 18 days, a visit to the emergency room might help. You hang up weeping. You fall into bed and cough up a lung, sneeze out brain matter that leaves your ears ringing for 20 minutes. You take OTC preparations till you start to go numb. You sip warm liquids, suck sweet lozenges, inhale eucalyptus preparations from a large pot on the stove. You want to eat but food tastes like cardboard. You are turning into a Harpy. Hair is askew, skin is ashen and you smell like you have been used hard and put away wet.

Your boss calls. He can tell you are sick by the timber of your voice. That tale tell inability to breathe and talk are a dead give away. You calmly tell him that coming to work now will only spread this bird flu to every other member of his precious team. He laughs saying, "maybe, but I can't get it, so as long as I am here, so must you". You are silent. It dawns on you, he was the one who gave this cold to you in the first place. Jeez, it must have been that tonsil reaching kiss he gave you at the Christmas party. You hear someone screaming. It stops after you are led away to bed. Was that you screaming? Nah!

So what would you rather have.. a poopy/barfy gastro that lasts 48 hours and leaves you hankering for buffet or a simple cold virus?

Christmas Review

2009-01-05T16:01:00.001-05:00

Now that we have a few photos of the events, I decided to do my review of our big day. In the photo above, is Hannah, wearing a red velvet dress made by Ana over 31 Christmases ago. It was one of two I had saved, neigh all these years, just in case I had a grand daughter who might want to wear it. She loved it, can't you tell. It has pockets. Jaime took this the day we went to Wal*Mart to get her Christmas photo done.

The one above is her opening presents at my house. She has a baseball glove on her head. she wasn't exactly sure what to do with it, since her daddy could not be there. He had come down with a gastro on Christmas Day and stayed home in bed, moaning.

I this one she is noticing how Satin is eying the neck bone she is happily enjoying. At this point, everyone ws sitting down but the turkey was still in the oven. I had miscalculated the timing, but the neck was ready for the hungry child as a pre-dinner treat.

I had mentioned that I was going to brine the turkey and cook it breast down. I did this for both turkeys using a large sip lock plastic bag. The brine solution not only contained salt but lemons, oranges, onions and garlic plus some herbs. I don't have a photo of the birds. I was madly dashing around my small galley kitchen trying to get all the food hot and served at the same time. Of course I had help. My sis in law, Carole was fantastic but watcher her carve up a turkey breast, left handed still makes me cringe. My knives are super sharp!

I forgot the party crackers that Jaime had given me only a few hours earlier. They will come in handy next Christmas. The turkey tasted amazing and was amazingly moist. We ate most of both birds in one sitting. Desserts came out and more oinking sounds.

I gave some leftovers to the kids and threw all the bones into a large container then into the freezer. Yesterday, I made the best turkey soup eveaaahh!

There are a few photos of me. I am wearing my Christmas apron and a silly red chef hat. These, you will not be seeing. Hopefully, I didn't scare the rest of the family as much as I frightened myself.

Christmas night, Jaime and Hannah slept over here. My brother, sis in law plus Jessica and dogs (2) all went to my neighbours home down the street. Bless her for opening up her empty bed rooms for my extended family.

After Christmas, I came down with the gastro and then Frank came down with it on the 30th. We did nothing for New Years and were in bed asleep before 11. It is what it is. I don't mind not having an event or party to attend. I knew where all my loved ones were. I felt happy to be. And I am still.

Keep dancing!

Happy NOW year

2008-12-31T14:11:00.000-05:00

I am having a hard time reflecting, casting my thoughts back or forward, for that matter. As you have noticed, this morning, I have been laughing and posting a few of the giggles that, I hope you can appreciate as much as I have.

When it comes to thinking about all of you, I get all tingly. I am blessed with an array of simply amazing blog connections. You have touched me in ways that defy description, made me laugh and brought new understanding of the human condition into my heart.

Of course I wish all of you good health, kindness and contentment in the coming year. May you find your bliss. May you experience the NOW every waking hour. As for making resolutions, living in the NOW will make all of those obsolete. Loving yourself NOW will keep you doing exactly what you need to be doing.

NAMASTE

The Day Before Friday

2008-12-11T15:32:00.002-05:00

Well, after a long in between season, he was called back to work. Thank you. The reasons to be thankful about his return to work include getting a salary that will go toward paying the bills we have amassed the last several months. I got up to kiss him goodbye and offer the suggestion that he take it easy his first day back because coming home with a body full of woe would not be any fun at all. I am sure he will be shoveling lots and lots of snow plus going up and down stairs. His arms, legs and feet will be mighty sore. Bonus is, it is a nice day, no snow falling and the temp is bearable.

The time he was off this last fall was pretty good, all in all. We worked together on several projects to get the old homestead in ship shape. We really got along great. Our new phrase of, “lets make an agreement” has been a boon to the whole communication factor. Of course, anyone can say ‘ no’, to a proposal and then it is not taken personally but discussed in a calm manner without getting all flippy.

I got to see the grandchild a reasonable amount of times. I can still take him to work and use the car the rest of the day for galavanting around as long as I don’t spend any money. The price of gas has gone down, not sure how long it will last but the recession is partly responsible for a more friendly gas price.

Today, I got up thinking all I would get done. In fact, I have not tackled one thing, even the dishes which remain soaking in the sink as I type. I need to color my hair, change the sheets, tidy up the bathroom, unclutter the dining room table and remove a thin film of dust that seems to be clinging to all the usrfaces. Oh and I should at the very least make a list of baking to be done and pre cooking of x-mas dinner dishes. Dinner tonight is all set.. chicken pot pie and broccoli.

I saw Anderson Cooper on Regis & Kelly this morning. I like him. He has a special on tonight with him swimming with Great White Sharks. You go, Anderson!

I saw a desk I would love to get my hands on at the local thrift store yesterday. It would need delivering.. I hope I can convince him that it would be perfect for here and find a way to get it home.

I have been lurking around Twitter today, searching and going where the wind blows me. Oh and I paid a visit to my old chat room - wow. Nothing has changed and it has been well over a year since I was there.

We made it to dancing last night and we learned the Rhumba - was sort of a boring Cha-Cha. Next week we are to bring some snacks - sodas for a night of just dance.

I am going to enter a few contests. The one at Ellen’s looks good.. my chances are slim to none but it is fun to dream.

Look at the time.. humm should I take a nap?

KEEP DANCING!

Wednesday Humph

2008-12-03T16:10:00.000-05:00

That title is about indignation. This isn't anything most of you will understand because you are south of the boarder so I won't go into vast details. It is about OUR political situation happening in OUR Parliament right NOW. Just sickens me to see my prime minister displaying his arrogant stupidity to the world for all to see.

Anyway, that is all about that. I need to get the decorations out today and sort through the things I will be giving to Jaime for her child- proof tree this year. All her ornaments are made of glass and all mine are not. Since my tree is small all I need are about 20 and she can have the rest. I am thinking Hannah will love to examine all the ornaments so they need to be unbreakable. They are going to the tree farm on Saturday to pick and cut down a tree. I will take photos.

Jessica is still hunting for a job. She has had several interviews and is going for more. Her b/f is still making sure she has what she needs.

Here is a link to some baking stuff that looks interesting:
Holiday Baking Guide

~~~~~~~~~
Keep Dancing!

Kicking the Worry Habit

2008-12-01T12:00:00.003-05:00

Saw this and wanted to share with those who follow me here. Yes, it is a copy/paste but it is worth reading because we all worry about stuff, and we all know worrying is pointless but get trapped in a cycle that is hard to break. This offers some helpful suggestions to gently remove that habit.

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

—Matthew 6:34

“I have learned to pay attention to right now. The precise moment I was in was always the only safe place for me.”

—Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

The Worry Habit - by Susan K. Rowland

The first item of clutter in our spirits is the “Worry Habit.”

Unlike the “List Habit”…there is no upside to the “Worry Habit.” Still, it’s very easy to kick this habit. All we have to do is learn to stay in the present moment. But how are we to do that when we have so many issues about our pasts and concerns about our futures? Well, we have to stop worrying about them.

Worry and living in the present are integrally related.

Generally, when we are living in the present, not the past or future, we find it easier not to worry.

The past cannot be changed. It can be overcome, and it can be forgiven, but it cannot change. We will explore forgiveness in the next two chapters.

The future has not happened yet; therefore, it is not real.

Still, the future can be changed by our actions. Sometimes we think that justifies worrying about the future, but worry is not an action. It will not change the future. Only positive action in the present moment will affect the future. God alone knows exactly how our present actions will affect our futures, so, again, it is useless to worry about it.

The Trouble with the Future

C.S. Lewis discussed this human inclination to worry about the future in his book, The Screwtape Letters (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001). The premise of this book is a series of letters from one devil to another about how to “secure” the soul of a certain human being (the “patient”) and get him condemned to hell. The older, wiser devil writing the letters advises his younger protégé to encourage the “patient” to think about the future. “In a word, the future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time—for the past is frozen and no longer flows, and the present is all lit up with eternal rays.... Hence nearly all vices are rooted in the future.”

Kind of makes you want to stop worrying about the future, doesn’t it? It is true, isn’t it, that worry leads to sin. We worry that God will not provide for us, so we become dishonest in our finances or we neglect our families to spend time at the office.

We worry that we will never be loved, so we get involved with the wrong people. We worry, and we give our soul’s enemy a chance to move in on us.

Have you ever noticed that when you worry about the future, you cannot imagine God being there, solving the problem, bringing you through? Yet, time and time again, God does just that. Why don’t we picture God’s help when we worry? Because when we worry, we go ahead of God into a godless non-reality. God is not there in our worried imaginings; God is only in reality, in the eternal present. When our future becomes the present, God will be there.

Most of our worries have to do with the future. Even when we dwell on the past, the context is usually how it will affect our future. We worry about how we will cope with life if such-and-such happens. What if one of the children gets hurt? What if I lose my job? What if someone dies? The answer to all these questions is, “Just fine if it happens, because God will be with me.” If we insist on worrying, on going ahead of God into some dreadful scenario of the future, we are on our own. God cannot help us. God only gives us the strength to deal with present trials while we are actually experiencing them in reality.

Even when we are not worrying about the future, we often try to escape the present because we are in pain. This may be healthy to a certain extent. Immersing oneself in a good book or movie or having a daydream session are acceptable ways to relieve stress. Still, the very best way to deal with present pain is to face it squarely. We must ask ourselves, especially when we are in mental anguish, “Am I okay right now, right this moment?”

Often, we are. We can breathe, and we can do the deep breathing exercise in chapter three to prove it. We can ask God to help us shut down the disturbing images flitting through our minds.

The great majority of things we fear never come to pass. The rest we are able to deal with because we are strong people and God is always with us in our troubles. Think of some of the trials you have gone through and how God helped you. Could you have imagined what really happened? Did you foresee the strength God gave you, the people who helped or the comfort you felt? Of course not. Our fears never seem to include God’s provision for the moment. Their only subject matter is the terrible thing we may go through all by ourselves. They are not reality.

This present moment is where God is. C.S. Lewis wrote that the present “is all lit up with eternal rays.” When and if troubles happen, the present is where we get the strength to deal with them. The present moment is the only one that touches eternity, the only reality.

The writer of Ecclesiastes says there is “a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (3:4). Do we miss the “dancing” times because we are busy worrying about the “mourning” times that may or may not happen? Let’s not miss the dance because we are not paying attention to the present

Weekend Roundup

2008-11-26T11:05:00.001-05:00

OK.. it's late Monday afternoon which seems to be the time I decide to blog about this or that. (had to save this to draft and continue it on Tuesday morning) It is long and windy!

I was out most of the day and when we got in, we had to watch the new 2 hour season opener of "24". Plus I needed to rest my back as it was really not all that good.

I am going to work backwards since that is easier to do instead of starting at a place that is kinda vague now. All the pain meds, plus the muscle relaxers and of course the sleeping pills do tend to make a lot of stuff all meld into one glob. Forgot to mention the 4 glasses of Sangria that floated my way yesterday.

Today(Monday) was a slow start since I had to drag myself out of bed whimpering in pain. Monday is the day I take my bone pill and have to wait half an hour before I ingest anything else. So I applied the ice pack for 15 minutes and then the magic heat bag, watch a little morning TV. Frank gets up, makes the coffee and the buzzer goes off. I take some pain meds, make breakfast and keep changing the hot with the cold. Eat and get dressed, out the door on the way to the hospital to get the x-ray.

The new highway from Grenville to Lachute has at last been finished so it only takes us 30 minutes to get to Hawksbury. Getting the x-ray was a breeze, now all I need to do is wait till my doc gets the results and gives me a call.. a week to ten days.

I am wondering how long I can stay in this semi-stupor from all the muscle relaxants I am taking every 4 hours. Off to have a nice lunch.. yumm a western omelet. Back to Lachute to see Ana and do a few errands. Then we head on home.

So on Sunday, I awoke at my daughter's, climb up the stairs from the basement bed and greet my adorable one. She sees me and says, "Gama"! What a great way to start the day. We have to get ready to be on the road to the west island by noon. There are two football games that must be watched and my x-sis in law has a new big screen. We arrive to warmth and great smells. The dinner tonight will be a choice of 3 different lasagnas.

Anyway, we have to eat some lunch first which is a big platter filled with all sorts of yummy things to put on warm crusty bread. The reason for the family get together is my niece's 21st birthday. She and her b/f aren't there just yet so I have a wonderful time yakking with my x-sis in law her b/f and my 14 yr old nephew. Hannah is really taking center stage doing all sorts of too cute to be believed things.

My younger brother won't be attending this party. He has not called me since just after my mother died 2 years ago. We all figure he has decided to disown his siblings and his nieces and nephews.

Hannah goes down for her nap and the earnest football watching commences. The first game is American football. The Pats win and so they then gear up for the Canadian football game. My niece arrives along with some other family members - more food is served and wine happens. Lots of talking and laughing. Hannah gets up and we have more fun playing with her. Old toys belonging to my niece and nephew are pulled out. As you can imagine, there is a lot of squealing. Miniature dogs, rabbits, gerbils, and turtles are examined and lined up for inspection. Cars are zoomed around the floor.

Meanwhile the grups are organizing the main course. I set out the napkins and cutlery in a box, we are eating a-la-knee. The food will be placed on the table and everyone must dig in and find a spot to sit. Along with the pasta dishes, we had Cesar salad and big toasted chunks of garlic french bread.

After the gang had all satiated themselves, watching the Grey Cup was the main focus for all the males. We all assembled in the TV room. Little Hannah had 3 dogs of various sizes to play with. Her Finnegan, Tracy the house dog and Bijou, another visitor. She was so funny. Bernie had her throwing her arms in the air and shouting touch-down. The ham in her really came out. We had her saying the names of every person in the room. Pierre is a hard one to say. When they left, I figured she would conk out on the drive home. Apparently she didn't. We left and took Jessica home. Oh, our home team did not win the cup but it was a good fight right to the bitter end.

Saturday was my babysitting and sleep over date with Hannah. Frank dropped me off just before lunch. Hannah's main occupation that whole day before and after naps was pouring a handful of tiny white pebbles from one play container to another. I was witnessing toddler physics in action. It may seem to a lot of you a mundane and boring thing to watch, but believe me, this activity was a "hoot". I guess this reaction comes along with the mantel of gamma. Jaime and Bernie had a wedding to attend.

The bride is a very dear friend who she has been close to since kindergarten. Sarah is a nurse and she married a doctor. This is the couple who expedited Jaime's Chron's diagnosis last year. I am forever thankful that they saw the red flags in her symptoms and get her to the best specialist in the field.

Hannah and I spent a lovely time together. She went down to sleep without much fuss. I am a very lucky Gamma indeed.

I forgot to mention we had the most wonderfully-delicious birthday cake, after all what is a party without CAKE!

Hannah did the dancing!

It is snowing now and has been most of the night. We have a good 8-10 cm on the deck. This is a GOOD thing. Frank needs to get back to work. The more snow we get, the sooner Avila (ski hill) opens up an he can start earning money again, since I still have more Christmas shopping to do. Apparently there are bargains galore out there and A'h needs to get me some!

Recent photo of my precious one.. notice how short her bang are. Actually, no shorter than mine were at the same age. Her words are coming fast and furious. Even the French ones. I must convince Frank to speak to her only in Spanish.

Seven Random things about Moi

2008-11-20T16:47:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by Jill and so here are 7 things about me:

1) I sucked my thumb till I was 10 and never had to wear braces.
2) I was so skinny as a little kid, my grandmother made my mom get some special stuff so my appetite would improve.
3) I learned about the facts of life (sex) when I was in grade 3, not from my mother but an older girl who was a family friend. I ended up asking my mother in a round about way, if it was all true.
4) My hair was curly my whole life, till I went through menopause, then it went fairly straight.
5) I told my OB that I would die if I had twins when he suggested it. So he didn't, till I was in my ninth month. Then when they were 10 days old, I hemorrhaged and nearly did die.
6) I'm dyslexic.
7) Right now, I think I have a ruptured disk in my lower back. Seeing the doc tomorrow.

The photo is my family as a little girl. My parents, Phyllis and Walter plus my two brothers, Peter the older one and Stephen the younger one. Recently, I went back to my old home and knocked on the door. The lady who bought it from us was still living there. She let me in and I got to see what changes had been made over the years.

I will probably blog about this, including photos, in the future.

In the NOW

2008-11-05T14:56:00.002-05:00

"Children are natural Zen masters; their world is brand new in each and every moment."~John Bradshaw

She is holding a half ripe cherry tomato in her hand. She is staring at the plant from which it came. She is not sure if she should pick some of the green ones. Her serious expression of rapt thought ponders the important stuff of her day. Little does she know how thoroughly she has captured my heart. She caught me watching her the other day and her eyes did the coy sideways shift. Her silly dada taught her to say "Boo"! What laughter that has brought.

I wonder if my grand mothers felt the same range of emotions for me, as a child, as I do each time I see her or think about her. I find myself reflecting on my own dear mother who adored all her grandchildren.

I can remember climbing the stairs at my Gram's apartment and hurling myself into her arms, eating green jello and plunking on her piano. I can also remember the heat from the wood cook stove at my Nannie's on cold fall nights when I was so lucky as to have a sleep over. She would tuck me in on my side of her big bed, then put a chair with a huge pillow beside it just in case I wiggled out. We talked about a lot of things in the time she was alive. Thinking back, I realize I forgot to ask her so many things I would like to know now.

The wind is blowing in a snow storm tonight. We are all snug as bugs waiting to see the splendor of white tomorrow morning. I will take photos. Jack Frost will be blanketing the pumpkins on the steps.

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." ~Dale Carnegie

Keep Dancing!

Monday

2008-09-29T11:31:00.003-04:00

Actually, Mondays aren't such a drag. At least not here. Today, we begin the pantry/laundry room fix. I don't say renovation because it isn't. The fridge sticks out too much into the kitchen and I want him to cut the wall so it can be moved back. I will be giving up space in the laundry area, so we have to reconfigure the space. Then after that is fixed, we must remove all the pantry items, sort through it all and toss a lot out. After that, he must build the pantry cupboard we bought, install it, restock the shelves and build additional shelving for the other stuff I plan on storing in there, like the small appliances - mixer, griller and bread machine. The washer/drier are staying in place but the area surrounding them needs fixing too.

So that's the plan. It will be mostly Frank doing the real fix with me commenting on stuff and pointing a lot. I will be required to throw stuff out and clean in the nooks and crannies that have not seen the light of day in 1/4 of a century. Oh, that sounds bad. No, I won't have to dispose of mouse remains, maybe a few spider shells and dusty webs is all.

The bedroom is all done. I will be composing another blog about that including photos of the done deal. Jaime was here yesterday to critique my decorating choices and she thought it was good but the duvet cover I picked has no connection to the wall color and I need to get some annoying pillows that tie it all in. Oh, and a new rug that has the same wall color in as wall.

Anyway, I have not been as bloganitious lately. Lots still to do and lots got done. I will be hosting Canadian Thanksgiving here in 2 weeks so I want the house all ship shape for the company that is coming.

Regarding all the financial upheavals lately, I sure hope all my American bloggers are not going to suffer unduly from the terrible events. It is awful and very scary. We are in uncharted territory so anything can happen. I have been having disaster dreams the last few nights, so I guess my subconscious is trying to process the situation for me in a very odd way.

The dancing is going into week 3 and I am having a blast. Frank is not complaining too much and is happy to see me so happy. Remember the adage -

"When the Mama is happy, everyone is happy"

Regarding Paul Newman. He was a true mensch. I have loved him from afar for years and years. I will continue to love him. May he rest in peace.

Keep Dancing

Is It Raining?

2008-09-14T12:40:00.003-04:00

It is here. And I am guessing it is where you are too, if you are in the path of Ike. I do hope my friends who were directly affected by this huge storm are safe and dry.

Today, the 2 of us are off to the kids to watch football. I don't really watch. I will be reading and perhaps playing with Hannah plus getting dinner organized. I made a turkey vegetable casserole and a carrot cake to bring along. If we come with food, we know they will let us in.

The photo below is my lil'sweetie doing some finger painting. I am guessing this will be her abstract phase. Wonder if putting them on Ebay will fetch any cash?
Have a great day doing what you love.

Keep Dancing!

Declaration re the Bla bla bla

2008-09-03T17:32:00.001-04:00

I have decided not to make any more comments on the elections, yours, ours and theirs. I love you all for caring so much about issues that are important.

My blogs and comments will continue to be filled with the minutia of this or that.

I am doing the "Wishy-Washy Blog Cop-Out" maneuver (WWBCO) - feel free to use it yourself. This is my country's flag.

KEEP DANCING

Plain Ole' Friday

2008-08-22T20:51:00.000-04:00

I guess I have not been a good blogger of late. True, both Frank and I have been felled with an awful cold virus that has left us wandering around coughing, sneezing and hacking. Sleeping in different rooms so that the nocturnal sessions don't disturb the other will be ending soon. I had a great sleep last night and the coughing/nose blowing is lessening.

Update on other things: Jessica has started a new job, this time she is teaching 4 yr. olds in a daycare setting. Her first week has gone well. She has also decided to stay on her meds. I am overjoyed - in the moment. A job, taking her meds plus the relationship that is on and off is on yet again. Although she isn't talking to me about it. Just as well, because we might end up shouting.

I talked to Jaime today. She was reading in the hammock situated in her back yard. Hannah was asleep. She begins teaching the 3rd grade on Tuesday. She has been away from teaching for 2 yrs and is feeling a little trepidatious about getting back to the teacher thing. See it is not only moms and kids who get queasy before school starts. Teacher do too.

The kids she will have, are the same group she taught in Kindergarten 2 yrs ago so she knows them and they know her. She is in the same school and the old lousy principal has been replaced by a wonderful new woman who can delegate. She is feeling nervous. I had to remind her that being a teacher was her bliss. So she has never taught the 3rd grade, it will be a new adventure. She thanked me for the positive pep talk. I know she will get her mind all sorted out. She understand the idea of doing things as they happen rather than fretting about the unknown. My plan is to volunteer a few days a week in her class to help her with the kids that have special needs.

She has a doctors appointment on Monday and I will be staying over to be there for Hannah early in the morning. I have not seen them in 2 looong weeks due to the virus we had. I think Jaime has pretty much gotten over the anxiety of putting Hannah in day care. The adjustment has gone well and Hannah loves her caregiver.

Frank is feeling better, so much so he has begun rebuilding the wall of ill plumbing. We decided to do it in bead board with a white-wash. I am thinking of painting all my furniture white too. I want new bedding - blue and white toile, with drapes to match. It will make the bedroom more of MY boudoir, which in the long run is how I do want it to be. A sanctuary of peace and mature romance with lots of blue and white candles to add to the mystique. Maybe a touch of burgundy as the punch color.

Remembering A Moment Captured In Time

2008-05-23T09:44:00.001-04:00

This photo was taken 53 years ago. Wow - doing that math blew me away. Phyllis, my mom was 36, Walter, my dad was 37 and Peter, my older brother was 11. Steve, my little brother was 2 and not included here.
As you can see, I am wearing my First Communion dress so this was that day or my confirmation. I can still remember Cardinal Leger confirming me. I thought I would emerge from the church and all the secrets of the universe would be mine. The catechism classes all said so. I was just as bewildered after as before. Maybe being blond was the determining factor. I was supposed be wearing white shoes, but my mother refused to buy white and I had pink ones. The grief I endured from my teacher still haunts me so much so, I don't have a shoe obsession to contend with at all.
Miss Maunier was my first grade teacher, she was a spinster who should never have taught 6 yr old's. She was cruel and nasty. Actually pulled an earring our of a child's ear - it was pierced. She made me feel like a total dummy because I could not figure out what prayer was said on which bead on the rosary. I had ever childhood illness in first grade and missed a lot of school. Apparently, all the important stuff.
Looking back, I realize I must have been dyslexic. In those days, it was not recognized and the kids were all lumped in the 'slow' bunch or just flighty. Don't you love that word - 'flighty'? I could spell out loud but not on paper. And forget about mental math. I must be extra flighty.
They promoted me to second grade and I could not read, forget about adding and my printing skills were non-existent. In those days, my mother had to deal with my dad who was drinking a lot. So, worrying about my homework assignments was not on her to do list.
She was a very smart lady and thought all the school stuff should be as easy for us as it was for her. Sadly, both Peter and I were not so inclined. Plus we did feel the tension going on in the house when dad went on a toot.
I had wonderful teachers in grades 2-7. The best being Miss Ranger in grade 4 and 6. She also taught me math (or tried to) in grade 9. I was delighted to find that the daughter of my Latin teacher is a blog friend here. Latin never took either along with French. I did learn to read, after I became interested in books as a way to escape. My penmanship was always dismal. Even today, I have a hard time deciphering my shopping lists.
Peter is one of my best friends today and we talk often on the phone. He misses our parents painfully but we laugh together about all the funny things we remember back in the day. Some tough times interspersed with many moments of joy as you see in the smiles in the photo.

Remember - keep dancing!

Visiting with daughter

2008-05-17T13:14:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, we visited and did some babysitting. Jaime and Bernie wanted to see a movie so we came over in the late afternoon, bbq some burgers and dogs and then off they went. I got Hannah changed, gave her a lovely warm bottle of milk, read her a story and got her down for the night. Here are some recent photos of myprecious lump -

Look I found some "no-name floppy stuff"

Ohh, I see - sheesh, what do you call this ?

Has she been eating DIRT?.. Is that nose RUNNING?

Slerping some H20 on Granpa's knee

Rev. Fr. Fernando Suarez

2008-05-12T10:47:00.002-04:00

This man looks like the real deal. There is a small section in my local paper (Montreal Gazette) that deals with religion. In Sunday' paper, this man got a small write-up, outlining where he came from, what he did and does and some other interesting facts that led me to do a bit of research on just who he is and what he is reported to be able to do. I won't go on and on or copy paste bits from his web site. I will put it here for you to read through if you are so inclined.
http://www.fatherfernando.com/aboutfr.shtml
I don't think it matters what particular faith you adhere to or not, to me what he is doing has to do with something we humble humans cannot hope to understand or decipher. To know that it is happening is enough. Why he was given this gift is also a mystery. Jesus shows his love for us. That is all we do know.
On the web site there is a section where you can send a prayer request. I sent a few. There are many forms of healing that all of us can benefit from.
I hope some of you find HOPE in this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jv1al7OTX0

Happy Mom's Day

2008-05-11T09:31:00.001-04:00

For all of us who have and will toil in the trenches

Save time and water - do both at once!

Getting my Relax On for Mom's Day

2008-05-10T14:57:00.001-04:00

It has a been a busy week. Jaime needed me to watch Hannah for 2 days while she got some tests done at the hospital. Looking after Hannah is sheer joy. She is jibber-jabbing and running around like a drunken sailor.
Yesterday, we went to Costco and let her cruise the up and down the isles. It was a perfect place for her to roam.. with me close behind. The stuff on the shelves was safe from her little hands since everything is in prepackaged in 10 packs that are impossible to remove unless you are the Hulk.
I did not get time to find a photo for PP this week. I did take this photo of Hannah eating her lunch yesterday and then I cropped it to zoom in on her amazing lashes which are very gossamer. She is examining the yogurt lid while her lips hold in a big mouthful of pink yumminess. Yes, those lashes are red, just like her hair. Jaime had the exact same lashes only they were dark and very curly.
The weather is lovely, and the last of that big chunk of glacier on our lawn is now a small patch of dirty slush. Birds are zipping and doo-dawing/tweeting all over. The town even ran the big sweeper down the street to push accumulated sand to the sides of the road. Spring is taking off. The local garden centers are brimming with new crops of plant-able shrubs/annuals/perennials and greenery. It is still to early up here to actually plant anything - I wish had a little greenhouse to store them till the threat of frost is over.
So the plans for MOM'S DAY are as follows... Frank makes me breakfast, we pick up Ana and head out to Jaime's. The boys will be grilling chicken breasts and other fix-ens for our stress/work free lunch. Need to mention how blessed I am to be a mom and a grama. The things I do for them gives me joy.
Today, I plan on doing my regular Saturday stuff. Paper reading and a few other important activities. My computer is still behaving like a petulant child taking forever in the not speed I am paying for. Sheesh!
In case you are wondering about the rash (ewww) I was dealing with - well I did see my dermatologist on Tuesday and told me I have an inflamed case seborrhic keratoses. He can fix the inflamed part but the other bits are here to stay unless I pay mucho bucks to get each one removed. Apparently, it is an inherited skin condition that usually pops up after the age of 50. The fun part is that they can grow anywhere. No amount of body cream can halt finding more and more. It can look like that character from Deep Space 9 - Jadzia Dax who was a Trill. I am thinking of bathing in Porcelana.

Wishing all the new and veteran MOMS out there a wonderful day tomorrow. Hope you are able to put your feet up, sip your beverage of choice and get spoiled from your loving children.

Do not forget to DANCE!

Magical

2008-05-01T14:13:00.001-04:00

Of course I didn't take this photo. I think this is magical - I can find my exact location on the planet with an amazing camera in the sky and get a photo that I can save. So that's what I did today... cheated and used Google's technology to get my MAGICAL shot.

It is so very cool that I can go to any place on the planet and see all sorts of amazing things. Not in a stalking way, but in a curious way.. I spend time researching all the geography of the general areas that you all live from New York city to the outback in Australia.

As you can see, I live near some lakes. There are lots and lots of trees. The lakes do have fish, but I have never gone fishing. My little house is waaaay down there among all those trees. It is quiet, the air is clean and there are no buses zooming past my door. There are animals living wild in the woods. Deer, moose, fox, coyote, wolf, skunk, raccoon, squirrel, rabbit and plenty of birds, big and small. I hear geese in the spring and fall flying over and many spend the night on the lakes. In the spring, like now, you can hear a dull roar coming from the small dam that separates the 2 lakes as the water surges through the small spillway.

I hear the call of the loon at dusk. I have heard far off in the distance the rutting sounds deer make. And at times, I have heard home alarms that go off. Our neighbours are hardly ever there so the sounds of life coming from several hundred meters away aren't a bother. They play Greek music and have outdoor parties with yummy whole lambs roasted on a spit.

Living here is also magical - just wanted to share.

Police capture runaway African lion in Quebec

2008-05-01T14:09:00.000-04:00

We heard this story yesterday and then this morning it was reported they had found Boomer the 6 month old African lion. This is his photo.. he is so cute, don't you just one of your own? How big would that litter box have to be and then there is the issue of feeding him large chunks of meat? What was this guy thinking? How did he get a lion anyway? Sooner or later this animal won't be so easy to manage. I am just happy they didn't have to shoot the poor fellow.

This the home he lives in... wow.. not any bigger than my place... How DO I get me a lion?

This is the story as reported on our local CTV:

Updated Thu. May. 1 2008 8:13 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A runaway African lion has been captured after police in Quebec carried out a frantic search for the animal.

The lion, dubbed "Boomer" by his owner, disappeared Tuesday night from its pen on a native reserve near Maniwaki.

The six-month-old cat, which the owner says is domesticated, was caught by police officers at 12:45 a.m. on Thursday after a woman reported seeing it walking along Highway 105, and an officer responded to the call.

"Sure enough he went over there, he seen it, found it and more or less controlled it, contained it and put it in the back seat of our police car and brought it to our office," Kitigan Zibi police chief Gord McGregor told CTV's Canada AM.

The 70-kilogram animal, which stands about four feet tall, was described as terrified and weak by police who managed to lure it into a cage.

McGregor said the animal was not aggressive and no one was injured during the capture.

"He was more evasive," he said. "But the officer was able to get him to come to him and was able to tie a rope around him along with the help of a couple of officers from Surete de Quebec, was able to put him in the back seat of this car."

Boomer is reportedly being kept in a jail cell at the local police station.

The owner of the cat, Stanley Dumas Whiteduck -- says it is between one and two years old and is not dangerous.

Whiteduck, who reportedly brought the animal to the community two days before it escaped, had been helping with the search.

McGregor said he isn't sure yet whether Whiteduck will be charged.

"We're investigating the matter right now so we can't say at the moment right now if there's going to be any charges," he said. "It's something new to us, it's nothing we've ever seen before so we're goping to be researching the matter first."

Police brought in helicopters to perform an aerial search for Boomer and 20 officers spread out to cover a 20-square kilometre wooded area, before the tip came in.

Residents of the sparsely populated area were beginning to fear the cat could become desperate if it remained on the loose much longer.

"We don't know what this animal will do eventually when it gets hungry. That's the fear," Jean-Guy Whiteduck, a former chief of the Kitigan Zibi reserve about two hours north of Ottawa, told CTV before the capture.

So thats it folks... I am just shaking my head here wondering what in the blazes that guy was thinking!!!!

Blog from yesterday

2008-04-27T17:45:00.002-04:00

The drink of choice is Vodka and fizzy-cranberry. It is yummy. Today I have done mostly what I do day in and day out except when I am at my daughter's.

What did I do? Hang out here, read any number of blogs and made some comments that I do hope were appreciated. I did a couple loads of laundry. I read the paper, which is where I found that neeto link I posted and then I made us lunch. I decided on what dinner will be and he is making it now since he knows getting me up off my kiester might be dangerous to his health. I am not sure if he is all that pleased that he is making dinner. I hear a few long winded sighs. Must be an ego thing which I choose to ignore. Where has the romance gone? - Oh I know.. it was consumed in a cacophony of farts and belches. How QUAINT

The Canadians play game 2 tonight against the Flyer's. For argument's sake, I hope they (habs) win. A winning hockey team is supposed be cool. I don't care one puck.

We, I mean he figured out how we (he) plan to baby proof the deck so Hannah won't fall off/through. It will cost just over $100.00 to buy the wood needed. He will put it all together. He has a plan. We are going out tomorrow to get all the stuff - wood, screws and hardware.

A lot of above ground pools were destroyed by the nasty weather we had here. Thankfully, Jaime's pool survived. If it has fallen apart, they would have spent more time over here... OH well!

We still have black-fly season to endure...in keeping with Polecats blog today, combined with the urge to make up a word.. I have penned the following new word for general usage: blackfreshetfly which means... the winter run off water is wonderfully creating exquisite conditions for a huge(bumper) crop of blood sucking black-flies. Oh joy!

Dinner is served;... pasta a la shrimp - keep dancing

Recent photo of my lil'sweetie and her Bunny... he is her go-to friend - even gets to sleep with her.

Hannah's Birthday Party

2008-03-19T14:06:00.008-04:00

Yes, the party was a great success. Loading the videos was not. I sent
a link to this site which didn't open the party vids but instead linked to a
video I had with Enya singing. Nice but not what you expected. Soooo
sorry.

Just so you know I have not given up and not thrown in the
towel. I will be working on it again today and sending all of you a new
link to see all the videos of Hannah opening her gifts as well as the happy
birthday singing, cake cutting. Plus her glee at getting her FIRST dose of
cake. She tends to be a picky eater but the cake was slurped in and
applied to her face not to mention the bits that flew off and landed in the
dog's mouth.

Needless to say our Princess loves cake.

Again, thanks for your patience, you all know the saying, "Anything that can go wrong, will"! Marty, I hope you can laugh along with me on this. You know how busy I am here (hehe) It's ALL about attitude and I have learned to giggle at the spit balls life sends.

Link to Photobucket

Grandaughter smiles

2008-03-06T10:03:00.008-05:00

Just a few recent pics of my lil'sweetie.

(above)Here she is pushing her little car, (I bought it for her - early b-day gift)the songs and words are all in French. She will be going to a French day care in Sept, so hearing the language is all good. (below) Finnegan is always around getting in licks and positions himself under her high-chair at meals.

If you look closely, you can see a tooth on the top just breaking in - both top ones came in before the bottom.

Gentle Finnegan sits here on his bed for a quick rest before he runs away from Hannah who chases him all over. He has even lost weight from all the activity.
She is just getting over her first cold.. runny nose goes on and on...

Jeff Healey - R.I.P.

2008-03-05T15:15:00.000-05:00

SEE THE LIGHT

Frank and I were among the lucky to have seen and heard Jeff. It was many years ago when he was just getting well known. I am saddened by his loss.

Steve Ray and he played together and I imagine he was there to welcome him home.

This is his official web site and you may leave a message to express your condolences.

http://www.jeffhealey.com/home.htm

He must be dancing!

Is it Friday already

2008-02-08T18:22:00.000-05:00

I have been bad. Well not exactly bad but not committing to the blog mentality is my kind of bad. After multiply ate up my last attempt at a wordy blog, I have felt un-wordy. Sort of inward pondering. And now it's Friday and everyone is getting ready for the weekend and all that it entails.

So you may ask, what the heck have I been doing? Listening to music, watching TV, trying to decide what to eat for any particular meal and keeping the fire going, watching the snow fall, talking on the phone. I should have been doing laundry and cleaning the house but that has no appeal to me at all.

Mostly I have been digesting the reality of Jaime's illness. Jaime has Crohn's. Luckily it was diagnosed quickly and she has an excellent doctor - Dr Gary Wild. He is head of the Gastro department at the Montreal General Hospital. He spoke to her on Monday and gave her all the information she could digest at the time. She only has inflamation in 2 areas of her upper G.I. tract so he put her on a drug called Endtocort. It is a steroid that goes directly to the inflamed parts to calm it down then it is processed out via her liver. I am so thankful to her friend, Sarah, who she has known since kindergarten and is now an emerg. rm. triage nurse for getting her the very best care on an amazing fast track. It also helps that Sarah's b/f is a doctor in the emergency room too.
It is a big deal to all of us who love her. A big deal because she has to be on medication for the rest of her life, her next pregnancy won't be as idyllic as her first one. She won't be able to nurse for as long either. She must get out of her own head - I know what she needs to do - contemplate - but she isn't ready to listen or hear me. The idea of yoga was even a hard sell. Eventually, she realized it might help.... duhhh!!! I even found a woman who is near to her and has an ongoing course in progress. The cost is $11. per session which Jaime feels she cannot afford at this time. You moms out there understand what I am saying. And I suppose the dads do too. We just want to use all our experience and knowledge to make everything OK for our kids. I also sent her a link to the John Main site. I know meditation/contemplation plus some yoga would go miles and miles to ease her worry and possibly get her into remission. This is all it takes:
A Primer on Christian Meditation

Christian Meditation is a method of contemplative prayer accessible to all by its simplicity, yet whose discipline enables experienced pray-ers to advance in their configuration to Christ through daily faithfulness. The following is a short primer in the John Main method of Christian Meditation.

Begin by settling into a peaceful and quiet place of prayer, where you may be undisturbed for 30 minutes. Find a body posture where you are comfortable, yet not prone to nod off, keeping your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. Empty your mind of all thoughts by focusing your attention upon the sacred silence in which you are to meet the living God. The following is a prayer to express this attitude:

Heavenly Father, Open my heart to the silent presence of the Spirit of your Son.
Lead me into that mysterious silence where your love is received by all who call.
MARANATHA -- Come, Lord Jesus. Begin repeating to yourself this one word (often called a mantra): "MA-RA-NA-THA", keeping the accent equally on each syllable. Do this throughout the time of prayer, which is usually 30 minutes, twice a day.
Whenever you find thoughts or images coming to your mind, return to the mantra. If you are distracted from this repetition, gently return to it as soon as you are aware you have been distracted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

BTW Hannah is doing fantastically - crawling and crusing, finding the stairs today and got up to the first landing where the powder room is. It is gate building time and grandpa needs to get into gear. Only thing - she doesn't like to eat much other than green beans and broccoli a bit of fruit and cheerioes. Her not eating is a huge source of stress on Jaime as well. I have noticed lots of poop so she must not be starving herself.
This song is dedicated to my daughter. Karen Carpenter and her story touched Jaime so much that she watched the movie about her life 7 times. We all got so worried about Jaime's weight loss and indeed anorexia can become part of her illness. She is on her meds and eating without pain. Taking it one day at a time in the NOW

Were you wondering?

2008-01-22T17:30:00.000-05:00

Maybe not but then again I wonder some times what all of you are doing and what you are thinking or imagining. Are you at work, at home or some other place where people are hunched over their comps in hushed, concentrated urgency. Are your feet cold, are you tired, hungry, frazzled, happy, nervous, sad or numb? Do you have a headache a sore knee, hip or back. Did you take your vitamins today or any meds you need to make it through?

I am sitting at my improvised computer table, looking out the window at the snow falling gently through the trees, the washing machine sloshing in the background. My feet are cold. I need to eat something for lunch but I don't much feel like figuring out what I want. Maybe a PBJ samich will stave off the hungriness. I am worried about my daughter, cause that's what moms do. Nothing has been figured out yet so we are marking time till the doctor tells her what she must do and where to go to get the stuff to do. Not sure what specialist she will be seeing. So all of us are worried. Saying prayers to calm and reassure. Hoping that whatever it is, we all deal with it well.

I have opened a tubie to Pink Floyd's "Time" and have it cranked up as high as it can go. The sounds of the washing machine are mixing with it nicely. I like PF and today I am acting like a teenager with a new single, playing it again and again... letting the vibrations zinggggg me over and over. I love how the guitar riffs tickle my backbone. How at places, the small hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I get a rush. If I play it enough, I will end up singing along... don't worry no one else is here to hear me. I think I have played it 7 times already.

~~~~~~~~~

TIME - lyrics

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time has gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say

BREATHE REPRISE
Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
When I come home cold and tired
It’s good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells.
~~~~~

Is there a magic spell? What spell do I want or need? Would I recognize the spell if I heard it? Incantation that would do what? EXACTLY!

We go to the nursing home at least twice a week to see Frank's mom. I have been going to the nursing home for so long now - watching and listening, smelling and smiling, crying and laughing, talking and holding. "As time goes by" - that's a song too. It creeps up on you, days go and then you wake up realizing there is some new affliction to deal with. CHIT- is that the tolling of the iron bell? Another saying. " make hay while the sun shines"

One of my favorite songs is "Young at Heart" - yes that is an old fart song that maybe a lot of you have never heard. Sinatra and Como have great renditions. The one here is sung by Dean. Kinda cute. I heard one by George Burns that was priceless.

Did I give you a bit of musical whiplash, taking you from FLOYD to FRANK & DEAN? hehe - that's me.

All this, to come back to my familiar but much repeated phrase:

KEEP DANCING!

Jan blahs

2008-01-08T10:50:00.000-05:00

I am with daughter and Hannah today. Jaime is not feeling well at
all. She has lost another 6 lbs in a month. She is having night
sweats, stomach cramps, loss of appetite and general fatigue. She did see
her doctor for the results of her blood tests and everything was normal , except
she is a bit anemic. Iron was prescribed. I also gave her some
multi-B complex to take along with her reg vitamins.

She is also kinda anxious cause Hannah isn't sleeping through the night,
waking at 3 and needing to be nursed. It is taking a lot out of her. The
idea of quitting nursing is scary for her. She good friend has convinced
to start giving her some formula. She actually suggested quitting nursing
altogether but Jaime hates that idea. So, after some soul searching and some
reassurance from me, she has decided to cut down the nursing to twice a day and
formula the rest of the time. Hopefully, the evening bottle will hold her
through the night. She wants to be able to nurse her first thing in the
morning. She is having a lot of anxiety about this and the prospect of returning to work. I keep reassuring her in my best mom way. I know if she gets to an OK place the baby will be fine too.
The other anxiety Jaime is buying into is Hannah's picky eating. Everyone knows the sorts of things some parents will resort to in order to get kids to eat. And we all know it's folly. They will eat when they are good and ready. Easier said than done. Another reason I think she needs to get 3 bottles of formula into her. It's so frustrating for parents (grandparents) at times. We DO have a vast amount of experience to draw on, even if at times our memories of particular things gets a bit dim, so you would think our kids would listen... not gonna happen... out come the books - at least 6 really thick ones that have ALL the answers. What do I know?
I have learned to bite my tongue and let her other mom friends help her out. Then I smile and say.. why not give that a try. Can't hurt all the while hugging and patting saying, not to worry, you are a wonderful mother, Hannah is doing great. Then the tears and her saying "but why isn't she sleeping through the night"? Good grief - the sleep thing is critical for Jaime, she has always needed at least 8 hours to function. That is one of the reasons she decided NOT to be a lawyer. She is napping now and I will get her to nap again this afternoon.
Hannah is actually doing really well. Not crawling but elbowing her way across the floor. I play a game with her, flip on her back and sing... we're going to learn to crawl..... over and over all the while trying to bend her knees so she gets used to the motion. She like to stiff-leg me and I tickle her to get her to draw them up... much laughter goes along with this as she tries to roll off.
One thing I do remember about 30 yrs ago was the naps I took whenever I could. Housework did suffer, but what the heck. I know I was run down too, nursing and bottling twins. I did gain my weight back - it took a while but now I can safely say - I am wonderfully overweight and wish I could breastfeed to loose my old lady fat. Can women past menopause become wet-nurses? Would be grand. I don't think the hubs would be all that thrilled. (hehe)

Below is a recent video of Hannah and "skinny" Jaime as we call her - seeing Santa just before Christmas - sorry for poor sound - it was in the local town hall basement and there were hoards of kids and parents all talking at once in English and French.

Before, during and after

2007-12-27T17:32:00.000-05:00

Hannah looking up at her first Christmas Tree

Phewf, all done. Where should I begin? I think I ate an elephant and can't figure out where I started. Oh, yeah - let's begin on Friday 21st, the kids (Jaime, Bernie & Hannah) came over after dinner to sleep overnight so they could get up and go skiing on Saturday 22nd morning. The tree was all decorated plus I had put all the other Chukchi's in appropriate places. I had not wrapped any gifts.

Frank was able to get a 40% discount on their ski tickets, so that was a big plus. They had a great time skiing and I had loads of fun babysitting Hannah. While they were gone and Hannah was napping, I was able to wrap all the gifts. Thanks be.. .. for gift bags. Jaime nursed Hannah and got her down for the afternoon nap.

My brother, sis in law and the 2 dogs arrived around 2:30. More stuff under the tree.. whoopee... and then waiting on Hannah to wake up for more baby fun.

The kids left just before Frank got in and that was when the rum came out. Dinner was just a small bit of salmon with rice and salad. We didn't get too crazy and everyone was in bed at a reasonable hour after getting caught up on everything.

Organizing the dogs and cats is always a tricky dance. Spencer(Sheltie #1) is the old male and quite deaf. He will just bark that high pitched yelp that makes your heart leap into your mouth. Satin (Sheltie #2) is the younger female. She is just plain stupid or retarded and will not listen to anyone. They both want to eat anything that is around, including the cat crunches. We have to gate the stairs to keep the Shelties from sneaking down to gobble, gobble. Anyway, the whole dog rigmarole of leashing, going out, coming in, feeding, keeping from going in verboten places is part of the stress that gets doled out. I guess it bugs me on some level although I have never expressed the dismay to my brother. Then they wonder why I am all up-tight. Sheesh, orchestrating breakfast, lunch and dinner, keeping the ice frozen for drinks, the soft drinks fizzy, the wood stove from smoking, the cats fed, the kitchen duty updated after each meal, and herding the herding dogs away from or to wherever is a hair pulling job. Granted they are the ones doing the dog stuff BUT after they eat the cats breakfast 2 days in a row cause THEY forgot to close the gate can really grate. (breathing)

Sunday 23rd- Off to an early start, packing up what needs to be so we can eat tourtiere for dinner at Jaime's. A few stops first, to the nursing home to see Ana, then the grocery store and a quick bite of Hot-dog steamee/french-fries at Valentines. The dogs stayed home. (thank God). Of course, we had to get to Jaime's in time for the game. My brother had decided to root for Miami, just to be contrary and get Bernie peeved. The Pats did win so the hype is building even more.

Monday 24th: I had to think hard to remember all this : I cooked, ha-ha. I pre-made the mashed taters and the sweet-tater/carrot dishes. That was after a slow morning eating and yammering, doing some quick clean-ups and a much needed shower. I don't remember what we ate - I am an old fart! We all got a bit pazooed and made phone calls to family and friends. Oh, and we played a game called "Things". Frank went to bed early since he had to work on Xmas day.

Tuesday 25th: Yes, I did at one time get up at sparrow fart on Christmas day, but not today. Got up to the sounds of the dogs being taken out for their morning promenade. My task for the morning was to get the stuffing made, and have the bird all ready to get in the oven by 12:30. Sis in law was already in my kitchen making her broccoli dish when I made my appearance. So eating a bun and sipping my coffee, I tried to relax. My kitchen is a small narrow galley and really not good if there are 2 women with large back-sides bumping into each other. Oh, well...... we both managed and I got the bird in the oven at the right time.

The kids were picking Ana up from the nursing home and they were arriving just before lunch which was a bunch of appetizers/chips and a shrimp ring. Frank was expected home after 2PM. My other daughter and her BF arrived just after he did. We waited for the baby to wake up from her nap before opening the presents.

My brother put on the Santa Hat and the fun began. Everyone was thrilled with their loot - especially my brother who got a very high tek wine bottle opener. Hannah got dollies, books, clothes, and more toys. I gave her a little doll that laugh if poked in the tummy, says Mama, Papa if you squeeze rt hand and hello, bye bye on the left hand. My most thrilling gift was a set of tri-pods, one very small and a telescoping one that fits in a nifty carrying case.

The table was set and I started in on feeding the masses. When the turkey came out, in went the other dishes that required heating. Timing is everything and I must admit to becoming a bit stressed in cases like this. Of course all the others could see my stress level reaching ever higher and offered to pour me a drink, which made me even more vexed cause I WAS NOT DRINKING. What is the deal with getting someone to un-stress by plying them with booze when they are tyring to get all the food hot at once served and sitting down with a sigh to say grace? I have been known to snort and growl if poked at times like that.

Where was I? Ohh.... after dinner relaxing (ha) - cleaning up, doing dishes, running the washer, putting food away.... blah blah...blahhhh

Wednesday 26th: Boxing day - gather up all the bones plus other stuff and make a dash to Jaime's where I made turkey soup for us and others while the men watched hockey! At least I had Hannah to play with and she made her first WAVE at me. You cannot imagine the look on her face when she put it together... humm... what is gramma doing with her hand? Can I do that too? Lift arm.. yes... move it up and down... see gramma's eyes bug right out of her face and watch her jump up and down. I can do that just by waving my arm at her.. WOW!

Home for dinner of leftovers and cookies. Lights out by 10.

Thursday 27th: Up at 6:30 to see my bro and sis in law off back to Oakville and Frank off to work. Rest of day just doing anything I want. The news today is disturbing. Bhutto's death/murder will have many repercussions. Remember to pray for PEACE.

"Lord soften the hearts of those who would create terror. Bring compassion and understanding to these souls. Help them to overcome the feelings of hate that cause the world to darken. Keep the light of your love ever present. Amen"

Keep Dancing!

Dumb question retort

2007-12-13T11:48:00.000-05:00

The next time someone asks you a dumb question wouldn't you like to respond like this?.....

Yesterday I was buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for Athena the wonder dog at Wal-mart and was about to check out. A woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had... an elephant? So since I'm retired, with little to do, on impulse, I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina Diet again. Although I probably shouldn't, because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry and that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.

(I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's ass and a car hit us both.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard!

WAL-MART won't let me shop there anymore!!!

Christmas Tree Farm

2007-12-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

Here is how babies get suited up, in these here parts. The one on the right is Hannah the other little cutie, in an identical snowsuit is Ava, Hannah's best buddy. Both new little families went to pick out and bring home Christmas trees fom a place near here. Ava is almost 12 months old and Hannah will be 9 months on the 20th. Jaime and Alona (Ava's mom) are best friends. Both women met while teaching elementary school together.

We took Hannah to Wal*Mart today to have her Christmas photo done. What a riot. The only smile we managed to coax out of her was a-la Mona Lisa. Tried everything to get her to giggle. She just looked at us all and thought we were all nuts. She did look cute in her red dress with white tights/red shoes and a tiny red bow snapped to about 40 strands of hair on the top of her head. When we get them, I will scan it in for you to enjoy.

This other photo is self explanatory: Just in case you are wondering what she is eating - blueberries!

Some Fun

2007-12-08T09:02:00.000-05:00

Charming Jill has tagged me. I must, using my middle name, describe
myself. My middle name is Lynne, so here goes:

L - This is a no-brainer - I am LOVING. Ask anyone who knows
me. I must admit to being a people pleaser and sometimes go a bit overboard to bring
smiles. How you may wonder does this loving nature express itself?
One cannot be loving without forgiveness, compassion and kindness. I
meditate with those in mind hoping the results are evident.

Y - Young at heart - I can be a bit goofy at times. I still bring
that child in me to most everything I do. The old body may not buy into my
antics. The ouchy back, gimpy knee and carpel tunnel wrist do
give a reality check on a regular basis. However I believe it is my thinking
that trumps the ouchies.

N - Nurturing - I believe my calling was to be a mom. If
circumstances had been different I would had more children after my twins were
about 3 or 4. I stayed at home to raise my girls and then after they were
in high school, worked as a nanny for 5 years. Now that I am a gramma, the best is yet to
come.

N- Naughty - Sorry but I cannot give you any details. The best thing to do is use your imagination

E - Embraceable - I give great HUGS so I tend to get a lot of hugs back.
Plus I pack a lot of extras in my hugs.

Re: the photo, (above)yes that is moi circa 1950. Bangs have come and gone over the years. I have them again but not quite as short. Baby Barb or as my mom and dad would call me Boo and Bahbah kind of looks like baby Hannah. A few differences - her hair which isn't much right now but is a lovely shade of auburn. (thanks to her dad)

Here she is (below) with Jaime. (my daughter) Could not resist getting this photo in - notice the Pat's shirt on Hannah. Tomorrow she will be wearing an official jersey with "Brady" on the back. Bernie purchased it over American Thanksgiving. It is huge on her, more like a dress. We expect she will be wearing it till she is 4.

Sure hope that little bit O'me brought a smile to your face.

Jolly Jumping kind of day

2007-11-05T14:46:00.000-05:00

I have inserted a short vids of sweet Hannah -(just over 2 min long) I was visiting
today and after feeding her lunch we decided to let her jump a little. I was on
the floor so I could be at her level, while shooting the vid. She makes me laugh a lot. All while feeding her today, she was making funny little whispering sounds to herself, almost carrying on a one sided conversation. We have also noticed that she is working her hands. I think the baby sign must be part of her self talk now. Enjoy!

Hannah's Halloween Pics/vid

2007-11-02T11:32:00.001-04:00

Here she is wearing a little pumpkin thingee - the one below is
a little Giraffe costume

The foods Jaime does allow her to eat are: fruits and
veges, some chicken and turkey. No candy, no cookies, nothing that may
induce an allergic reaction. Up to this point, she has not had 1 cold or
virus and no upset tummies. She weighs 15½ lbs. and is 27 inches
long. When she got her shot this week, only the slightest peep was
made. He will also be getting a flu-shot in the next few weeks as
well.

She is still nursing with the occasional bottle of formula in
case mom is unavailable, which doesn't happen often. Recently, she has been
testing the limits of her voice and we expect a flock of parrots to land in the
front yard. Jaime has decided not to go back to her teaching position till
April at which time I will be Gramma - "on duty". Hannah will be
going to day-care officially in Sept '08.

Jaime feels great most of the time as long as she is able to get
at least 7 hours sleep. including naps in the afternoon. The night time
sleeping is still a little rough - going between 5 and 7 hours between nursings. They will be going down to the Boston area for American Thanksgiving. Bernie's family will all be there to play with Hannah Florence. She is the newest edition to the big clan, so as you can image, gets lots of attention.

I feel so blessed to have this new person to love. She BEAMS at me whenever I enter the house. I call her my lil'Beamer. The baby-signing is progressing well, she does not sign yet but is very interested in all the hand movements. I expect she will be making the sign for milk very soon, followed by the one for grandma!

The short vid is chatting about her first non-Halloween, no
trick or treat and no candy. Yes that is me and G - Pa in the background
cackling and commenting. The dog is Finnegan, who is the lick er of hands
and seeker of Cheerios under the High Chair.

Taking refuge

2007-10-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

I will be spending time backing up my 360° - Not happy bout it but it seems that is what must be done.

Hannah Banana

2007-08-17T15:02:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am hangin out with her!

Taking a Break

2007-08-13T16:18:00.000-04:00

Just letting anyone who knows me here that I am taking a break from the blog world. I need to do a lot of things around here. The baby's christening is next month and the after celebration will be here. People are staying over so I must get the house all ship-shape. Plus Frank only has about 3 more weeks of regular work for the season.

I gotta pull away cause when he is home, we work best as a team. I will not abondon this or Taste buds - I will be cooking things and taking phots which I will post there.

I will be lurking around and maybe making a few comments here and there. Take care, be good to each other and keep dancing.

What Hannah is thinking

2007-08-04T19:05:00.000-04:00

Not sure if you can make it out; Guess who loves you?

Hannah in Pools

2007-08-01T18:55:00.000-04:00

People who steal ideas

2007-07-29T19:45:00.000-04:00

Sheesh.. I have never seen such blatent scrounging as what I just witnessed. This is about 360°.. so it has some context. I saw something on a persons blog.. interesting and thought provoking. There was a comment by a woman I have on my blog, she said this is very very interesing and she liked it --- zap.. she stole it .. swooop, font and everything and reposted it onto her blog!!! She went to utube and found a different version of the song with flashing colors that sorta detracts from the notion of just hearing the words sung. I am ranting cause there is no one else who give a darn.. I spose that is just how it goes.

Be careful what you put out there, cause the sneaky scoopers will suck it up.

Pictures of Hannah and her parents

2007-07-22T15:01:00.000-04:00

A Bit of Corn

2007-07-22T13:36:00.000-04:00

I am sure this has gone around and around for a while. I am loathe to email my friends with this kind of corny stuff. So instead, I will post here, what I think is kinda cool. Now you don't have to forward it to
anyone although if it strikes a cord with you, please feel free. It is
called:

SISTERS

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day,
drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

"Don't forget your Sisters," she
advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need
Sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them."

"Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women... your
girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. "You'll need other women. Women always do."

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the
couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her
Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their
mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life. After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.

BUT.........
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how
many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or come in and carry you out. Girlfriends,
daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful. I just did.

Do it anyway

2007-07-05T12:40:00.000-04:00

The Paradoxical Commandments

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
© 1968, 2001 Kent M. Keith

Posted this just cause... we often do stuff and get no recognition and let our EGO's tell us we aren't important or worthy because others didn't say so. It just ain't so.

Yesterday at the Flea Market

2007-07-04T12:18:00.001-04:00

This old guy was just strummin away. I wanted to get the Llama and the donkeys but he seemed more interesting. It was hard to see what I was shooting as the sun was causing too much glare to see my little view finder. After he stopped he said, "That will be $10." My reponse, "yeah, right" (haha)

My daughter bargained with a guy and got 2 hand made quilts for 30 bucks. She was thrilled. We had the baby with us and she was perfect. Fell asleep for most of the meandering.
Here are a few photos that depict the "old" stuff that is available and can be bargained for if you are in the mood.

Glow

2007-06-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

We lost the power during the night for about 2 hours. It was pitch black and quiet except for the sound of a mouse in the wall behind the bed. It came on again during the blackout for 3 minutes, just long enough for a quick visit to the
loo. It went off while I was on my way back to bed. We have a flashlight handy and I knew where it was. I groped around to locate it.
Looking out the window, I could see an intermittent flashing, the only light source beaming off and on in the total black. A little firefly had settled down on the screen and was blinking. I went to the window to see if there were anymore flashers flying around in the night. Nope, he/she was the only one. One lonely firefly on my screen waiting for his/her brilliant glow to attract another of her/her kind so they could fly off beaming in unison.

Father and Daughter

2007-06-19T14:55:00.000-04:00

Here are Hannah and her dad just taken a few days ago. On Wednesday she will be 3 months old. Notice the top she is wearing has a little squirrel on it. Ironic if nothing else. She isn't quite sleeping throuh the night and is still in the cradle beside my daughter's bed. She will soon be too large to fit in it and will have to graduate to the crip which is in her own room. The deal is, there is only A/C in the mommy/daddy room and she will get too hot in her room all by her lonesome. Apart from that, she is doing all the things an infant does. She likes looking at her hands and even sticks the right one in her mouth a lot. Babbeling and telling us stories in baby talk are among her accomplishments.

Wierd, eh - that this never bothered my parents when we all lived in that 3 story cottage without any A/C at all. I think our summers were just as hot and uncomfortable. I can remember some pretty hot and sticky nights. Even here, we didn't have A/C till just a few years ago.

So what happened on Father's Day? - We went off to my daugher's for the day. We brought Ana with us and had a fun lunch together. My other daughter, Jess, who supposta come was apparently too hung over to catch the bus. She didn't even calher father to say happy dad's day. We were not impressed. She called last night to say,"happy day"!.. kinda late if you ask me.

We are planning a family party next Sunday for my MIL's 89th birthday. Two juicy chickens in the grill. Jess says she will be coming. Don't hold your breath.

Since I am blogging in 2 places, I have to feel my way about. I have been surfing around the different spots and found some pretty interesting things. Apparently, Face Book is making a huge impact with lots of people. My SIL has one and they - daughter- are totally blown away by the scads of old school chums they have reconnected with. I think it is most popular with the 25-35 age group. Plus it can be a bit sneaky - if you don't look carefully they email everyone in your address book to make a connection. Now that is freaky.

No-name Squirrel

2007-06-14T16:33:00.001-04:00

Seven-thirty am, peeking out the front door, I see something all curled up in the deck. Get the glasses on for a closer look. OK, so it isn't a pine cone, it is a baby red squirrel. I look all around to see if I could spy the mom lurking in the bushes eager to fetch this wayward baby to a new and improved nest. Nothing is in sight, I call out, "mother squirrel, your baby is here, come and get it before the jays find it or the dingos ( attempt at humor).

As you have probably guessed, I have a rather soft heart. I figure I should just leave it there for the time being and check again in a while just in case the mom is frantically searching for this missing baby. I come in and proceed with the morning stuff to do. Cereal, juice, vitamins and coffee. My little voice is talking to me saying, "you can't just let the darn thing expire". What can I do or who can I call to get some advice.

I log on to the Web and do a quick google on saving baby squirrels - I find a place that send me to another place that gives me a phone # for an animal rehab center not all that far away. I call her and she tells me that I could bring the baby to her. Oh great, I don't have the car today. I have read the instructions on how to warm the baby and then rehydrate it. I need an eye dropper. Damn where would I have an eyedropper?

I decide to put the baby in a box - I tear up some old sheets and microwave the heat-able bag I have for sour muscles. I remove the fleas and bugs that have been crawling on it and put it in the box on top of the sheets and warm bag.

Based on what the info on the net tells me this baby is about 4 weeks old. Not all that cute and we sure all know what a darn pain in the butt these critters can be, chitt-chitt-chattering just outside our windows first thing on Saturday morning when all we want to do is sleep in.

Anyway I am copy/pasting the link here SQUIRREL RESCUE info about saving this little baby so you know what I am going to try and do. Just getting it warm and drinking some liquid is my next task. If it survives the night, I may drive it to the rehab center to be looked after and then released. I hope I am doing the right thing. Frank is gonna have a cow, but in the end he knows what a softie I am and loves me for it. Ohh he will grumble and bluster and complain about spending $ on gas to get there. I hope I can convinve him it will make me pleased to save the squirrel and he will lose hubby points of he balks too hard.

Update: it died. He must have lived about 2 more hours in the little box, but I didn't find an eyedropper and make that solution in time. Mother nature knows best. I am glad I didn't give him a name. Something I usually do to anything alive I come across. Ohh, well, I hope the other little critters are OK. They now have 1 less in the nest to compete with for mother squirrels milk.

doing the dew

2007-06-13T17:53:00.000-04:00

Not a lot to say, been at my daughters the last 2 days helping with her new baby.

Life at yahoo 360° is getting strange. A lot of drama that I am in no way a part of but I see how it is affecting a few people. It is sad to see the community feeling fray at the edges. I blogged about it on my reg blog, just saying that peace of mind is worth more than a damg blog. Anyway, I think missy knows what I am talking about. I am not abondoning 360° but I will not be commenting on the blogs that are all in a tizzy. Enough said.

Summer is really here, the sun, heat are here to stay. I hope I can get my little tomato plants to bare fruit. The herbs are fine and I love using them in my salads, marinads and other dishes. Nice day again tomorrow, and I will be staying here. I have some chores to catch up on and I need to do some cooking.

We are going to a BBQ at the nursing home Ana is living in on Friday. The kids and the baby are coming along too. Should be fun. Today, I shopped for a new outfit to wear and I happily found something that fits me that I like. I have it hidden in my b-room, the money man here is touchy when it comes to my spending. He usually dosn't have any probs with my purchases. All three items were on sale and under $20 each.

Oh well that is all for tonight - sweet dreams everyone and KEEP DANCING

My cute little Pattootie

2007-06-06T18:03:00.000-04:00

This is my new Grandaughter, Hannah. Simply the best thing since sliced bread. She makes me happy to think about her. I had no idea what a profound impact this little girl child would have on my existance. Words do fail me. And I am good with words. I will post other photos of my cutie as she gets more red hair and starts to look more like her blonde gramma.

Fig Tree plus

2007-05-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

I merged 2 elements using microsoft picture it and nerophotosnap. I found this quote from a book and wanted to merge it with a fig tree. What do you think?

Monday morning -

2007-05-28T08:53:00.000-04:00

Just up about an hour ago. The sun is shinning and the birds are twittering up a storm. Frank, the cats and I have all been fed so here I am once again seeing what is going on in the blog world and the www in general. Looking through the window, which is just beside my computer, I can see that the rain of the last two days has really turned everything a new spring green. The fern fiddle heads have sprouted at least 6 inches and I can see the delicate baby fronds still curled dripping with dew.

I must thank Missy for including me in her blog spot about cooking. I hope my contributions taste as good to you as they do to me. I will try not to bug her too much about her national food - "Vegemite". My husband tried this interesting spread about 10 years ago and all he could say is he, figured it was exactly what crude oil must taste like.

Regarding this blog spot - it is the only other blog place I will maintain. I have an MSN space which is devoted totally to my husband's art work but the writing part is non-existent. I will also be trying out some photo experiments using the different photo manipulation programs I have. I prefer the quick and easy approach since my learning technique works best with a hands on approach from a teacher. I know that won't be happening since there are no courses on photo shopping being offered in my area. I suppose I could learn in an on line course but I just get too frustrated and give up.

Anyway, maintaining 360° and blog spot is about all I can safely spend time on. This summer I plan to be spending a lot of time with my daughter, who is just a new mother. Of course this makes me a new grandmother and being with my girls will be the preferred choice of lazy summer things to do. I do hope to take plenty of photos and will be ready to experiment with them as I go along.

Going a bit nuts here today

2007-05-26T19:34:00.000-04:00

Feels like I have escaped from an insane asylum. I suppose 360° has become kinda boring and I needed to BREAK OUT of my regular stuff. Not sure where this particular path is going but it sure is fun and at least it has the old gray matter all raved up - is there a spellcheck in here?

Blogging about blogging from one who is addicted

2007-05-26T16:29:00.000-04:00

#2 - Not so Alien

Since I am a member of a group that considers themselves addicted to this from of communication what I have to reveal won't be too earth shattering, or alien to others of that ilk.

How you may wonder is my addiction manifested? Being slightly OCD sure helps to get ones arse into the puter room and power up ye old compulsion. As I noted in a previous blog - it has evolved into a fairly complicated mind drama.

Now, of course you are wondering if my addiction has any affects/effects on those who rely on me to provide them with female companionship or womanly duties. Only to the degree that HE ( Frank) allows himself to be vexed by my tip-tip-tapping away on the puter for hours at a time. Let me add, he (Frank) and I have been at this dance for a very long time. When married 35 yrs, one needs to take a chill pill to deal with the nonsense that pops up.

We both have expectations and boundaries which are always being refined depending on the circumstances. And believe me, he is also OCD and I must lovingly put up with all of his addictions and compulsions. I am still searching for his "talk-off" button. (Lord give me peace). HE lovingly puts up with my OCD most of the time. (she who must be obeyed)

So, needless to say, but I am saying it anyway, when it comes to my blogging here on a regular basis, I am the only one who is the “decider” on what and when I blog. I can go for days or weeks at a time without so much as a word or blather on and on day in and day out to the vast nose picking masses out there who give a hoot. If there is a pressing matter to attend to, a child or pet needs my attention, I am there in a flash. We go places together, visit people, and shop at the regular spots couples go. Plus some days are better for doing much more funner things, if you catch my drift.

We have come to an understanding about my computer time. I do cook meals and do laundry/housework, water the flowers, clean closets, make important phone calls to friends and family to gab for way too long about all the mundane OCD stuff that fill our, oh so exciting days. Evenings are our together time, usually spent zoning out in front of the big screen. HE cooks too, does laundry, scoops poop, yard work and many other "manly" tasks that I simply refuse to do. So he has a lot of other things to occupy his time and doesn't need to pester me.

Some of you are new to the blog mentality and thus are at a loss as to how to or how not to. The key is to decide for you what is important. A little, a little more or a lot done daily, weekly, bi-weekly or here and there at times when the mood strikes is worth thinking about. Work out the time spent communing on the puter/blog with the real people who matter - your lover, spouse, family and friends. We are here; some do leave and find other addictions to occupy their time but in the grand scheme this is just meant for fun. We have the ability to choose and we need to weigh the consequences carefully before going into ninja mode over a darn blog. I would say this mind set also applies to the world of chat which I must admit I was thoroughly enthralled in for too long and it did cause some difficulties. Life is better now and I do see the forest for the trees.

Heres wishing all the American 360°ers out there, a safe, fun, yummy Memorial Day spent with those who you love and love you back. I will be having BBQ at my daughters and visiting with her mom-in-law who is coming into town from Boston.

Remember, we Canadians honor our fallen war dead and military on Nov 11. So up here, in the great white north, it is a regular weekend like always.(would Yahoo please provide a Canadian Flag to wave)

Things Aren't Always As They Seem

2005-06-16T15:05:00.000-04:00

Things Aren't Always As They Seem
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.
The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.
As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.
When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.
When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.
"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.
"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."
"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."
Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later...

Truth

2005-03-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.
~M. Scott Peck

2005-03-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

Surrender

If We Only Understood

2005-03-08T10:26:00.000-05:00

Could we but draw back the curtains

That surround each other's lives,

See the naked heart and spirit,

Know what spur the action gives;

Often we should find it better,

Purer than we judge we should;

We should love each other better,

If we only understood.

Could we judge all deeds by motives

See the good and bad within,

Often we should love the sinner

All the while we loathe the sin;

Ah! we judge each other harshly,

Knowing not life's hidden force;

Knowing not the fount of action Is less turbid at its source--

Seeing not amid the evil

All the golden grain of good;

And we would love each other better.

If we only understood.

Source: Anonymous