Spilling Out!

Watching them Grow & The Seeds You Sow (video)

2010-10-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Closed Gate

2010-08-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

unlatch the padlock
throw off the heavy chain
that binds my gate so tightly closed
so that I may freely
Invite you in
to share
all that I have seen
for I have seen beauty
that knows no bounds
enter and behold
my story -
everyone’s story
who has ever passed
through this threshold
and witnessed
strong billowy white clouds sailing in a brilliant blue sky
a gigantic orange globe of fire sink in seconds beneath the horizon
while giraffes graze the lush green grasses
and gazelles hurdle by

Mother of Invention

(Can't recall the blogger friend that gave me this pic a long time ago!! Sorry! I'll think of it!)

Outi's Garden Gate!

2010-08-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

open gate

garden gate
beckoning us
with its thick lush vines
offering sustenance
tempting our palates
the winding stone path
peaks our interest
with wonder
at the infinite possibilities
that lie ahead -
beyond its curves
clematis cling to trellis
trailing their vines
pretty porcelain pots
clayed contrast
of indigo
and geranium
jeweled in their custom setting
red currants abound
behind bushes
offering the vitality
of rubies round
tomatoes ripe
waiting to share
their succulence
and even the tangled vines
twist and turn their beauty

Ruth Lowe
Aug. 2010

I Can See Summer!

2010-05-20T05:22:00.000-07:00

Hello anyone out there! Hope you are all well. Some of my favourite blogger friends have left this scene as have I...mostly. Long time no blog. I swam and sang all winter. The seasons go round & round. The world has come alive and we are enjoying an unusual 29C sunny day!

Some bird or squirrel ransacked this house!

Spring tension has already burst forth and heading towards summer!

Huge flowers on these Jolly Jump-ups this year!

Good to the last drop of rain!

Lilac Lady!!

Till next time..

Always Trying to Catch Up!!

2010-02-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

Wow! I haven't posted for a long time! We had an extremely busy December with the usual Christmas bustle which seemed to just carry into January! We saw so many various people that by the time the holidays were over, we just wanted to cocoon.

My husband did some X-Country ski races in the beginning of Feb. so I tagged along and will be doing that again this coming weekend. I swim almost every day during the week, have choir practices for 2 different choirs on Tues. Thurs. evenings, and go in to help at school on Wed. mornings. I can't seem to get everything done I want to or even have to....I mean like just keeping up with the tidying, cleaning, laundry, newspaper reading, pleasure reading and fitting in some interesting or simply entertaining TV shows. Oh yes, I confess that I have discovered Face Book and spend a fair bit of time on that over the day! Maybe I have traded off the time I used to spend blogging with FB. It is interesting but I need to cut down the time spent there. I do really miss keeping up with the people I have met here, though.

How do people do all this plus work full time? I am retired and should be able to accomplish more. It gets me down and then I get down on myself. I have to realize though, that with the health conditions that I deal with, there are just times when I lack energy and speed and don't accomplish much. I need to keep this in perspective and just be thankful for what I can still do and never mind the timelines or compare myself with what others accomplish.

Mother of Invention, trying to do more time management!

Christmas Is Coming!

2009-12-20T12:06:00.001-08:00

I love all my decorations and everything about Christmas! Okay - maybe not the frenzied shopping and trying to wrap everything on time! But I do love the look of Christmas. So do my cats! Here's Mooky getting into a bag for the nth time! My home made trifle made with pistachio pudding to make it more festive! I have fun decorating the old pump organ in a theme of angels and reindeer. We have outdoor lights on our arbour and around 5:10 p.m., this is what it looks like. I love the look of tranquility they give at that silent time of day when life is winding down for the evening.....

Hope you are enjoying thie festivities of the season, whatever they are for you. Take (or is that make?) time to paise and reflect on the beauty of the time.

Winter Seems to Be Here!

2009-12-11T05:32:00.000-08:00

We've had our first snow and my husband has already been cross-country skiing 4 times...so I guess that means winter has arrived!! BRRR! This morning it's -17C with the wind chill! Yes, now we talk about temperatures in wind chill terms...another sign that the season has turned over from fall to winter. Christmas lights are up outside and a few of our halls are decked. It's definitely coming soon. Shopping is almost done!! Office brunch is happening this Sunday. My 2 choir concerts are also here! Time is clipping along and I'm trying not to get stressed. How about you?

This frigid day calls for chile!

Remembrance Day 2009

2009-11-11T16:05:00.000-08:00

When my dad found out he was being posted overseas in two weeks, he married my mom. This happened in the same way for many couples of that time.

He was a pilot and flew Lancaster and Halifax Bomber on many missions. Dad has told us many tales of his time in the RCAF Squadron 429. At age 90, dressed in his airforce jacket deccprated with his wings and medals, I am sure he will be thinking of the many and varied experiences he had during the war years tomorrow on Remembrance Day.

His flight crew. He is bottom left.

Once again, thanks for fighting Dad. You are one brave hero of mine.

He wrote the following:

Remembrance Day

Crippled, bent, alone he stays
upon a bench.
No more he plays with children there
upon the square.
It hurts too much for him to bend
to let the small ones condescend
to hear the story
of his glory.
Many years ago they said
as he lay still upon a bed
"You can bet
We won’t forget.
"Have we forgotten then so soon
the ones who lived that afternoon
the shelling stopped
and war was not?
Remembering those who died in trench,
forget not him upon the bench.
When passing by give him a break
and stop, and smile and gently shake
his withered hand,
He’ll understand.

Doug Williams

The Look of Fall!

2009-10-29T19:49:00.001-07:00

Our ranch!

Mookie surveying the landscape!

Of course she always scratches on her favourite post.

The wind will blow most of these leaves off this maple tomorrow!

Mooky scouting for falling leaves!

Looking down from the balcony off the summer bedroom.

A maple leaf fell onto a burning bush!

A Canadian classic! These maple cream sandwich cookies just had to be displayed in my new maple leaf dish! How Canadian, eh??!!

Proud to be Canadian!

A Shot in the Dark?

2009-10-22T05:34:00.000-07:00

Big Question!

Are you getting the two flu shots this year?

Here in Canada, we have the regular flu shot and the H1N1 flu shot available in the coming weeks. All the info is so confusing! Which to get first? What factors to consider? I am in a high risk group just because I am a diabetic with a heart condition so I'm pretty sure I want both shots at some point.

News on the radio tells me I should be getting H1N1 first in the next week or so, but my clinic is only giving it to people over 65 right now, with the regular flu shot not available till January. Isn't that kind of late? These details seem to change daily and vary from place to place.

The flu shots are a bit hard on me because my arm usually gets really sore for a few days which curtails my swimming for almost a week......X 2 this year!

What is happening in your part of the world?

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-10-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

This upcoming weekend is the Traditional Canadian Thanksgiving. I am hosting a feast for 16 members of my family..... and what a magnificent feast and fun get-together it shall be!

On the menu: 22 pound Turkey, home made cranberry sauce,bread stuffing in crock pots,mashed potatoes, whipped squash, velvety gravy, cabbage salad, dinner rolls,AND home made apple,grape, and pumpkin pie, coffee, tea for dessert! The wine will be flowing freely, provided by my 90-year-old father!

My place is all decorated; outside and inside. I just love decorating for a special dinner at my house!

Cheers and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Facts

In Canada, Thanksgiving is a three-day weekend (although some provinces observe a four day weekend, Friday–Monday). Traditional Thanksgiving meals prominently feature turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes, though Canada's multicultural heritage has seen many families infuse this traditional meal with elements of their traditional ethnic foods.

As a liturgical festival, the Canadian Thanksgiving corresponds to the European harvest festival, during which churches are adorned with cornucopias, pumpkins, corn, wheat sheaves and other harvest bounty. English and other European harvest hymns are customarily sung on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, along with scriptural lections derived from biblical stories relating to the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot.

While the actual Thanksgiving holiday occurs on a Monday, Canadian families might eat their Thanksgiving meal on any day of the three day weekend. The holiday can also be a time for weekend getaways for couples to observe the autumn leaves, spend one last weekend at their summer homes, or participate in various outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing and hunting.
History of Thanksgiving in Canada

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been futilely attempting to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did, however, establish a settlement in Canada. In the year 1578, Frobisher held a formal ceremony in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This event is widely considered to be the first Canadian Thanksgiving, and the first official Thanksgiving to occur in North America. More settlers arrived and continued the ceremonial tradition initiated by Frobisher, who was eventually knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him — Frobisher Bay now known as Iqualuit.

It should be noted that the 1578 ceremony was not the first Thanksgiving as defined by First Nations tradition. Long before the time of Martin Frobisher, it was traditional in many First Nations cultures to offer an official giving of thanks during autumnal gatherings. In Haudenasonee culture, Thanksgiving is a prayer recited to honor "the three sisters" (i.e., beans, corn and squash) during the fall harvest.

Source: Wikipedia.org

Soup Line!

2009-09-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have redeemed myself from the strung-out-on-spaghetti squash episode! Witness this fabulous exhibition of my home made turkey soup, and as always, I have made enough to feed all of the nearest army base! (I HAVE NEVER LIVED DOWN THIS FAMILY JOKE OF ALWAYS COOKING TOO MUCH!)

SO WHO WANTS TO COME FOR SOUP?!!)

Anybody Ever Do This ?!

2009-09-18T20:29:00.001-07:00

This was the squash we had for dinner tonight! That's right, we ate it anyway.....at least it was good and hot!! It took awhile to clean up but at first all I could do was stare at it....and then I reached for my camera - it was the old blogger in me!!

To Hell With The Bell!

2009-09-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

School officially started on Tues. of this week but not for the old retirees! We got together at one teacher's cottage for a great lunch and day at the beach. We call this annual celebration, "To Hell With The Bell!" I love that name! We had so much fun. I'm lucky to have these neat babes to hang out with and meet on a monthly basis, but the first one in September is special.

The weather was perfect! You can bet we weren't thinking of all those years we were handing out notebooks and going over classroom rules!

A Few Holiday Pics

2009-08-27T20:01:00.001-07:00

While canoeing, we saw a Cardinal plant.

Having dinner overhanging the river!

Storm brewing!

Me!

Muskoka chairs posing!

The last of the wild raspberries!

Sunrise

Typical cottage country shot of White Pine.

It was nice to get away for a week!

The Summer That Isn't!

2009-07-09T04:40:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say that this has been a typical hot, sunny summer but it clearly isn't the case. I'm afraid the pattern has already been set and we can't seem to shake it. Every morning, I eagerly anticipate looking at the two week forecast, hoping for a different story but my session always ends in disappointment.

I am going to my sister's cottage this Sat. for a few days but I am probably not going to brave the colder than usual water; I am a self-confessed wimp when it comes to that!

Well, we can always go canoeing and furtively chase the loons with my camera. I wait all year to hear their lovely laughter and mournful cries. This is the best place to hear them any time of the day or night. I am really looking forward to that! The picture here is the best one yet and I rather doubt I will top that but it is always fun to try.

Maybe I will get a close-up of a blue heron as well.

My sisters and I will have a great time in spite of the weather and we always manage to keep up non-stop conversation. We can actually be quite hilarious at times! The little town is full of cool shops with interesting things, typical of a cottage area. Something to do on a rainy day! The meals will be splendid too and hopwfully, we can eat out on the deck.

I'm getting excited! Hope everyone else is having a great summer and please....send any hot sunny weather to us!

Cutting Some Rug?

2009-05-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

DON'T ever do this: Put down a little scatter mat for your cats to use by the fireplace WITHOUT putting an under pad underneath first!

Two weeks ago I did this and came sailing into the room and slid onto the floor, tearing some ligaments in what was already my bad knee. I also badly sprained my ankle. The last 2 weeks have been nothing but icing, putting my leg up on my Lazy Girl chair, reading, and hobbling around with a cane. My cats haven't even noticed my pain, of course!

The one good thing is that I have read many good books: Nicholas Sparks', Dear John, Wally Lamb's, She's Come Undone, and the best one, The Book of Negroes which I am half way through now.

I've had lots of time to practice my choir concert songs, one of which is a duet I'm singing, JT's version of "You've Got a Friend". I'm singing the pretty higher harmony part. Hope we do it well this Sat.!!

Up here , lilacs are just out and lily of the valley too! It is actually going to be 28C today and that's unseasonably warm but we'll take it! I'm so on my deck!

Same Old, Same Old!

2009-04-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hey there!

Just thought I'd do a check-in after a long snowy winter! Man, am I glad we're officially into spring!

Well, it must be spring because my husband has hung up his skis after competing well in about five major ski races and the bike has been out a few times. We've had our first thunderstorm. All kinds of tulips and daffs are up, and our forsythia is out. I've been out on my upper deck already and we've had several barbecues and we have already been sleeping in the summer bedroom!

I have continued to sing in two choirs as well as do a Gr. 4 reading and writing program every Tues. morning. Swimming has become almost a daily routine at 9:00 a.m. and I feel fairly good. I may even try out my mountain bike to see if my one sore knee can take it. That would be such a bonus! (Now, if I can only avoid the swine flu!)

I am so enjoying the spring and looking forward to the summer.

So what have you all been doing?

Have a happy, hopeful spring!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-02T06:41:00.001-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/Holiday Season and here's wishing you a very Happy 2009.

Ours was a very busy season and I'm kind of glad it's over and we can get back to a regular routine of more sleep and less stress.

My parents celebrated their 65th on Dec. 15th. They have had an amazing marriage and are lucky beyond most people's wildest dreams. I think they look pretty darn good for 87 (mom) and 89!

Socks loved Christmas!

As did Mooky! She claimed this present!

I really think that I'll blog less in 2009 as I just have too many other areas in my life that I'm not covering as well as I should be. Thanks for reading my blog and commenting and I'll try to get around to yours every so often.

Mother of Invention

Birthday/Christmas

2008-12-22T04:52:00.000-08:00

Today's my 55th birthday! I can hardly believe I have lived that long. I feel more like 35 in my mind....my body on the other hand, feels much older. Too many health issues and aches and pains!

I've not found time to read many blogs this fall and perhaps I'll do more when the cocooning season is upon us for the long winter months ahead. Just wanted to say to everyone, Have a fabulous holiday season! Enjoy your family and friends and try not to get too stressed!

Mooky Goes To The Dentist!

2008-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my 4 year-old cat, Mooky, had her 2 canine teeth plus 3 other teeth extracted. She apparently has bad gum disease and was in discomfort while eating. We'll never know whether this was really needed and just a money grab-scam by the vets, but I guess we have to trust them...to the tune of $560.

She came home quite drowsy and later, wobbly on her feet. She also was leaking urine for awhile. The vet gave her a needle for anti-biotic that will last 2 weeks, plus a needle for pain. We have to continue giving her liquid oral pain meds for 4 days. Mooky has switched to soft food, needless to say!

Her usual habit of rubbing her cheeks on everything has been slightly curtailed...that is to say, she starts to do it and then quickly realizes that it hurts so stops....but then continues to do this over and over again ! Such is the way of strongly ingrained habits of animals!

Poor Mooks!

2008-11-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving if you're celebrating that today. Now it's on to Christmas and all that goes with that. I have actually got a few prexents bought already!

Here's something I got today and sent on to some people:

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy (not forward) this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you......Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift bags! My hands can no long do the wrapping thing.

2. Real tree or Artificial? One of each…We have a Balsam or Fraser Fir given to us each year from Somerville’s, a real beauty! This year I have an artificial for upstairs.

3. When do you put up the tree? First week in Dec. hopefully for the artificial, about Dec. 18th for the other….it has to last till Jan. 4rth for the office brunch!

4. When do you take the tree down? Likely Jan. 9th.

5. Do you like eggnog? Love it but can’t indulge too much and never with rum.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My pink stuffed pug dog, Floppy, which was a great pajama bag! Wish I still had him! Betsy Wetsy and Thumbelina dolls were up there too!

7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad

8. Easiest person to buy for? Myself!!! HA! any females actually.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? A wee plastic one that Dave gave his mom when he was 7! AW!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Real live cards. I love looking at and choosing cards!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Boy’s Clipper flannel pajamas that my Grandma got by mistake! I actually tried to pee out of the fly!!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Tie between A Christmas Carol (Alistair Simms) and Charlie Brown’s Christmas.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Right after Christmas at the sales and I shop for gifts all year long and put them away in the Gift Section of my attic!! I get surprised the next year when I re-discover what I bought and had forgotten!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? YES, a few times but they were good ones!

. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Marzipan Squares and shortbreads!

16. Lights on the tree? I LOVE lights, especially the mini-white ones. My house is full of them..

17. Favorite Christmas song? Coventry Carol and Mary Did You Know (Google it and listen to Kenny Rogers sing it! http://www.gospel-disco-network.co.uk/mary%20did%20you%20know.htm

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Near home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? No. Only 5.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star when we were kids but now an angel that lights up.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning ..stockings first, then presents after breakfast.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crowded malls…I avoid them by going early.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? White lights, wine colour and ivory,

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Gotta be traditional Turkey

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A big deep narrow salad bowl that you can toss salad in with bowls to match!

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? People who are not too busy….I don’t expect too many will.

World Diabetes Day

2008-11-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Today is World Diabetes day in honour of Dr. Frederick Banting's birthday. He is the man who discovered insulin and my personal hero. His birth place is quite near me and it is finally being restored after being saved from a developer's greedy clutches.

Today, across the world, there are places lighting up in blue to honour Banting, and to express unity and hope for a cure for this world pandemic.

Here is the letter I wrote which got published in a special Legacy magazine all about Sir Frederick Banting:

What the Discovery of Insulin Means to Me

To put it quite simply, the discovery of insulin has given me 42 more years of life on this great earth. Banting is definitely one of my heroes along with the co-discoverers.

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (Insulin Dependent) at age 13 and was actually in a coma for a few days before the insulin did its magic. I was in the hospital for three months, recovering from my ordeal. The road has not always been smooth, dealing with this condition. I have developed many of the complications associated with diabetes but at the same time, I feel blessed.

Because of the discovery of insulin, I have had the opportunity to grow up through the teenage years, work at a summer camp for children with diabetes for 7 years, achieve a university education to become a teacher who has taught for 30 years, and I was lucky to have met and been married to a wonderful person for 28 years. I was also able to watch my sisters’ children grow up and marry. The many friends I’ve made over the years are precious and my wide circle of friends is quite amazing.

In my eyes, all this has been made possible because of the discovery of insulin. It is important that we continue to praise this Canadian discovery through the Restoration of the Banting Homestead. I say thanks every time I even drive by the sign on the road!

The cost of the restoration of the Banting Homestead? $600, 000.

Cost of the gift to me of insulin? Priceless.

I went to the old homestead if Sir Frederick Banting and I felt amazingly connected to him as I walked the very ground he walked as a young boy.

Here's to you on your birthday Dr. Banting. You will always be my hero!

Remembrance Day

2008-11-10T06:17:00.000-08:00

You've probably all read this. I've posted this poem the last two years on Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day) and I think it warrants yet another read. Every Remembrance Day, I realise even more, how very proud I am of my dad.

On this Remembrance Day, 2007, I share with all of you a poem written by a very special person; my father.

He risked his life while carrying out his duty to his country and flying a Lancaster Bomber during World War 2.

He is now 89 and still gets together with his flight crew once a year. His rear gunner just died.

Last year he went down to Trenton to see the unveiling of the Halifax Bomber.

How lucky I am to still have this amazing man in my life.

Thanks for fighting, Dad.

Remembrance Day

Crippled, bent, alone he stays
upon a bench.
No more he plays with children there
upon the square.
It hurts too much for him to bend
to let the small ones condescend
to hear the story
of his glory.
Many years ago they said
as he lay still upon a bed
"You can bet
We won’t forget."
Have we forgotten then so soon
the ones who lived that afternoon
the shelling stopped
and war was not?
Remembering those who died in trench,
forget not him upon the bench.
When passing by give him a break
and stop, and smile and gently shake
his withered hand.
He’ll understand.

By Douglas E. Williams
November 1976
Copyright

Rapid Change and The Indecisiveness of Weather!

2008-11-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

What a difference a day makes!!

Today, I took the coffee maker from the summer bedroom down to the kitchen. There will still be a few nights where it will stay around 0 or above but I 'm guessing we will have to make the official move into the winter bedroom within the next week. There comes a time when it is redundant (and not economical!) to turn on the heater at night!

We've already put some Christmas lights up on the new deck and the arbor in the back yard so my mind is straying from summer wishes to anticipation of the holiday season. So please, someone just tell me to just give it up already!

Hallowe'en!

2008-11-01T06:49:00.001-07:00

Our Hallowe'en day was a beuty 17C and sunny and the evening was perfect for all the little kiddies going trick-or-treating.

I don't have a clue how to take pictures at night but here they are! Since when did people get into carving multiple pumpkins? My dad only ever carved one simple grinning face....and it was the best. But now people really get into it and decorate like crazy. They even have orange and purple outdoor lights.

Love how my camera caught the ghost flying by!!

This is such a cool effect that happened unexpectedly when I selected the night time button in hopes of getting a clearer picture! HA!

Yesterday, I dressed up as a Russian style witch and read, "Bony Legs to the Gr. 3's at my school. Then, I sang several songs with my guitar. I so miss that part of teaching!

Hope you all had a fun Hallowe'en!

Rollercoaster Weather!

2008-10-29T04:20:00.000-07:00

I love this Burning Bush!

The sun behind these leaves let me capture the venation of these beauties.

Button, button, who's got the button? (Remember that birthday party game?) These old Black-eyed Susans are jailed for the winter!

A small window of time left before winter really sets in. We got more snow last night!

Brown Hall of Flame. Roll out the Brown carpet?

So many flats, so little time! My husband still has plants unplanted!! I try to stop him from going back to the plant places but to no avail! He needs to join Plantaholics Anonymous!

Why the long face? I love the angle of light this time of year that forms such long afternoon shadows!

I'll post today's snow soon! You just can't keep up with the rapid changes in weather these days. One night we're in the summer bedroom, the next we leave the outer frigid zone for warmer climes of our winter refuge!

Poetry Friday - Sixth Sense!

2008-10-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

Mona says this is the Sixth Sense today for Poetry.

Here's one take on it anyway:

for one split second
you know the scene
and swear that all
has already been

seen it before

it's nothing new

eerie vibes

this deja vu

a fleeting sense

of what once was

it makes you think

that all one does

is echoed from

a long time past

contrived just as

the die is cast

this tapestry

of life it weaves

a constant thread

that never leaves

connecting us

to all there is

and ties us to

the world that's His

First Taste Of Winter!

2008-10-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had our first wet snow of the season! It was blowing and flurrying for about 3 hours but luckily everything melted today! I am not ready for winter at all. Someone said The Farmer's Almanac predicted that this winter would be worse than last year. UGH! We did move in from the summer bedroom last night and tonight but it may warm up enough over the weekend to steal a few more nights there! Any more snow happening out there in your part of the world?

Poetry Friday - TASTE!

2008-10-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

Mona's given us the Taste test!

damn those taste buds,

the evil sweet ones

they're not my "buds" at all!

I'd rather they not hang out with me ever!

they lead me into temptation

it's the Garden all over again

but it ain't, "How do you like them apples?"

and I can't just stop at one prophetic bite.....

it's

"try this delicious-to-die-for

devil's food chocolate cake

with seven-minute boiled icing"

(yeah, the devil made me do it alright!)

why don't I crave some low carb crunchy cream cheese on celery?

or even some dry saltine crackers?

(I used to lick the salt off first!

oh, just put me out to pasture near the salt lick...

but that's a tale of a different tongue!)

no, it's gotta be the sweetest, most decadent, dessertiest food

just to wreak havoc with my Type 1

insulin dependency addiction thing

which has me shooting up

copious amounts

of the Banting drug

(God Bless him!)

to try and chase down the mother lode of sugar

as a cheetah runs down an antelope

on the dessert plate of the Savannah

only to O.D.

and have to consume even more

in this manic game of sugary charades

until the yo-yo effect

leaves me spinning off my axis,

spent

and cursing

my finely-honed

sense of taste!

(Curse you, Mona, I'm craving that cake now!!!)

Thanksgiving at My House

2008-10-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

I love fall and all the decorations that go with it. This year, I have even more to decorate with the addition. It's hard to believe that one year ago, the new room was just getting framed!

We were blessed with an amazing warm sunny weekend for Canadian Thanksgiving. I am glad that we have it in early fall when the actual event of harvest has just taken place, and the beauty of fall abounds. Take a tour of my my place and smell that turkey cooking!

I am so thankful for all I have in my life; wonderful family and friends, a really nice home with plentiful food, and a beautiful, peaceful country in which to live.

Happy Fall everyone!

Poetry Friday- Touch

2008-10-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

The Healing Touch- A re-post for Mona.

I am lucky to live in a house in which my husband practises as a Chiropractor, alongside Registered Massage Therapists and support staff. These people work closely together towards the common goal of making people better. They are warm, sincere, and truly giving of themselves to others. This piece is just one person's perspective of these wonderful people. I have heard countless complimentary things about them over the years.

In The House of Healing

A stable force is in my home,

Constant, reliable, dependable,

Peacefully permeating the porous walls,

A friendly feeling of well-being,

Positive energy,

A surging power of trust,

Genuine, gentle, caring spirits,

Selflessly offering skill-honed hands,

Passing on The Healing Touch.

And this feeling steadily and evenly emanates

From its source,

Reaching me, as I rest

On the other side of the wall,

Totally relaxed, eyes closed,

Having received their Gift.

Mother of Invention, looking forward to my next treatment.

Poetry Friday - SMELL!

2008-10-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

Mona sniffed this one out!

Ode to The Ole Olfactory Glands!

Good Smell, Bad Smell or ....
Smells That Entice And Those Not So Nice!

turkey roasting,
almonds toasting
I'd have to say,
fresh cut hay
a beautiful rose
is a gift to my nose
beef a’stewing,
coffee brewing
lilacs in spring,
make my heart sing
an apple pie baking,
is mine for the taking!
chocolate in the air
and I am so there!

gag me with liver
and I’m all a’quiver
the aroma of fish
is not what I wish
nothing so ripe
as a freshly-pooped “diap”
an open sewer
or sheep manure
onions so rotten
cat food forgotten
make my day
with male cat spray
what’s really bold
is citrus fruit mold
deli meat gone bad
is really sad
putrefied meat
ain’t a treat

so as you can tell
I’ve a keen sense of smell!

Poetry...SATURDAY?!

2008-09-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

Mona gave the word for all to HEAR!

Hear YE! Hear YE!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen,

Lend me your ears!

(they've got to be better than mine!)

Do your ears hang low do they....

Listen up! Ecoutez!

Hear me out....

Do you hear what I hear?

A startling cry pierced my ears....

or was that the jeweller in the mall?

"Speak up, don't you mumble...."

(James Taylor said it best.)

Damned hearing aids get tangled in my hair

and earrings,

trying to tear them out too quickly

as the jet's engines

roar to life down the runway

and no one warned me!

Why, yesterday, it was only a mere robin

in that distant tree

that was annoying me,

assaulting my sensitized ear drums

with his grating chirp!

Gotta get the set volume turned down on these babies...

But that does seem rather redundant,

doncha think?!!

Ears to ya!

Mother of Invention, who will never quite get used to wearing the cursed things!

One Last Kick At Summer!

2008-09-25T05:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to our friend's cottage. We have gone there for about 16 years and it is usually in July but this year we just couldn't get our schedules together till now.

I learned that you can enjoy a cottage just as much in early fall as you can in the heat of July. We slept well during the crisp night and enjoyed the fireplace all the more, not to mention our coffee!
We went canoeing and kayaking, and really appreciated the bright warm sun....once we took off our canoeing gloves! I caught a few early and anxious maple leaves tinged with red...always exciting!
Dave went for a long bike ride and a run, followed by a swim...but as you can glean from the photo, he was a little reluctant!

Fall and friends, you can't beat that!

Poetry Friday- Sight

2008-09-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

Mona sensed this one....

Sight
Set your sights on it

Set them high

You're out of sight, man!

You were a sight for sore eyes.
(what does that mean anyway?
will it help your eyes that are sore feel better

or make them more sore?
always got that mixed up!)
Hindsight is always 20/20
so why did I still need glasses yesterday?!
Love is blind....
until it slams some people with its near-sightedness...
maybe love should come with a prescription for glasses
just in case the the eyes grow dim
("my eyes are dim, I can not see,
I have not brought my specs with me...")
but then, what's up with the rose-coloured glasses?
better to be clearly focused on now
with neither the microscope
nor the magnifying glass-
a fine balance

A Texan Wedding!

2008-09-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hi y'all!

Just blew in from Texas last night with Ike behind us! We actually got spared the big stuff down there for the wedding with just wind and rain but there was an anxiety element for sure in out hotel which was full of evacuees from Houston and Galveston. All TV's were on the Weather Net. and we were fully expecting power outages. Funny that when we came home late last night, we had no power due to high winds. Ironically, we had the flashlights for Ike in our suitcases so had to get those out as went in the house!

Fabulous wedding weekend! We were there by noon on Fri. and hung out in the hot sun by the pool for a bit before the pool party BBQ at my niece's condo. Neat idea so that everyone could meet and mingle with the same folks we'd be seeing at all the events and in the hotel. The wedding took place at a heritage site similar to our Black Creek Pioneer Village and the church was small and quaint. (You can see my dad waving from the doorway in one of the pics to come!) They had a stringed quartet playing at the front. The vows had a comical tone when they included to "help with the cleaning" in both of their vows! Wise move inclusion!

The reception was at a downtown Dallas Art Centre and the dancing after the wonderful meal,was the big hit. Mom and dad were seen on the dance floor often, and not only for the old swing tunes either! The wedding cake topper was the best; Karen, the hockey queen with our flag and Pete, the golf guy with the US flag.
We had a wedding brunch the next morning at the hotel where afterwards, everyone was reluctant to break the magic bubble of the whole weekend with good-byes. By now, we felt we all knew each other. It was neat for my whole family to be on a plane together, having just spent the entire weekend at the same places. I am sure it is a once-in-a-lifetime event for us and will be treasured by all.

(My pics aren't great but I just wanted to share what I have. I seriously need lessons!)

Then, I got to finally meet a real live blogger! I constantly read about all you bloggers meeting up with each other and here I am stuck in far away Canada. I don't travel much at all. What were the chances that I'd ever be going to any city where any of you lived? It turns out that Steve, at Bullet Holes In The Mail Box, lives in Texas. It was a busy weekend so we only got to meet at the airport for a short time but we'll do at least a cup of coffee next time!

Upper Decking It!

2008-09-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is the new deck! You get to it by going through our winter bedroom into the summer bedroom, out the door onto the covered balcony and step up onto it as you can see here. It goes the whole width of the back of the house and we are truly

in the trees!

In the morning I make coffee in the summer room and take it out to the deck to watch the sun rise. I have great "alone" time up there.

I'm going to be spending a lot of time here I can tell! I'd better set up the coffee maker now so we will wake up to the
sounds and smell of java jivingI'm going to be spending a lot of time here I can tell! I'd better set up the coffee maker now so we will wake up to the sounds and smell of java jiving!

The Mixed Bag of Results!

2008-09-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

I've e-mailed this to some friends and I thought I'd just post it here for anyone who happens to follow my blog.

The angiogram procedure itself went well with no problems such as bleeding etc. It’s pretty amazing really that I wasn’t even given a sedative, only a local freezing (he said sorry for the ouch but it was not even as bothersome as my insulin needles!) and I’m talking to him the whole 20 min. while he’s “tickling” my heart as he put it. It feels like a butterfly when it’s in the left auricle! You get a huge heat rush from your head to thighs when they shoot in the contrast agent (dye) so they can take pics…and I was quick to tell him that just in case any male patients wanted to know, this felt just like a huge hot flash….X 20! (Except for the sensation of peeing your pants which I had yesterday!!)

Bottom line results….kinda mixed…

Good news part:

My actual heart muscle is in the top category 1 for a strong pumper and having no damage.
My cholesterol is really excellent
I don’t need a bypass (phew!) at this point…

I’m just to continue with my same meds and manage symptoms of angina with nitro spray.

Not so wonderful part:

There were several smaller arteries that were anywhere from 70%-90% blocked but the main artery was only (! Ha!) 50% and they don’t do any bypasses until it’s 70%. So I have some more time before the huge surgery. I see him in 6 months. I only need to do 20-30 min. of moderate walking or swimming per day…that is supposedly enough, although I’d love to be able to do what I was doing before.

And, of course, there’s the sugar to control, which is the main reason my arteries are blocked. The ever-elusive sugar. It is almost impossible for me to have under great control but it is better. The whole huge Mash-type unit yesterday (and I presume every day) was filled with mostly diabetics, albeit all older than me. This condition does ugly things to your insides and it is mostly the straying from low to high sugar that contributes to the coating and sticking to the arteries. I truly hope there is a cure for diabetes some day for it has certainly had its way with me in many areas.

Really Fabulous Part: !!!

He said I should go to Dallas on the 13th to my niece’s wedding!
Even though my insurance will not cover anything related to my heart, he told me that even though I’m a higher risk than most people, that he didn’t really think I was in danger of having a huge episode in the near future. It is only for 3 days. Let’s hope he’s right. I’m not a huge risk taker, but come on, in the big Casino of My Life, surely I can be granted 3 days episode free!??

We are lucky to have our health care system, such as it is and as much as we always complain about it. What I saw yesterday sure fostered my “faith in the process” type thing. The place ran like a well-oiled machine and the level of care was excellent. I was surrounded by happy upbeat people. In fact, with all my dealings with the various hospitals and doctors I have had, I have always found them to be excellent.

I have sincere gratitude for my many blessings in life; a wonderful caring, understanding husband, a close-knit loving family, (the best ever!) and fabulous friendships with so many people it is hard to believe. I thank my Creator several times a day actually….and most recently from the new upper deck in the trees where I am closer to the Universe!

Thanks to you all for always being so thoughtful and supportive of me.

I’m just taking it easy for the next few days…..and then I'm packing for Dallas!!!

More Serenity

2008-08-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

Thundering Grande Chute Falls on the way to our cabins.....but when we get there, I love the peace and quiet. Hardly any other camps around.

The view from lying down on my bed!

Plenty of firewood!

The boat house and outhouse! Only the men use it...we use the pink toilet inside the cook cabin!

A plethora of wild flowers around the cabins by the water....so pristeen!

The Cook cabin is so neat and very well equipped with hot running water from the pump and propane tank.

The old bridge has seen better days and now no cars can cross, only ATV's. But it's so classic and scenic!

A great sunset every night. And a loon who we hadn't heard all week, finally started calling on the last night. It was eerie and very unusual as I'd never heard it call so many times at so many intervals during the night. I'm taking it as a good omen because I love loons and had missed him. Good vibes from nature and the Universe and all that..

Mother of Invention, still savouring my memories.

Summer at The Cabins

2008-08-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Just came back and thought I'd post a bit about my vacation. It was just what I needed to gather some strength and peace in order to face my ordeal next week. (see last post) I love this place. One can be so in touch with nature and its creator. It is a great place to pray if you do that or just communicate your thankfulness for all your blessings to the universe while trying to absorb some of its energy.

We drive 6 hours to get to this point and then it takes 1 1/2 hours to drive 26 km on really rough logging roads. They were worse this year because of all the rain and there were ruts on both sides of the road to negotiate.

You can count on running into a few tress or logs across the road and we always bring a chainsaw.

The cook camp where we eat and actually have indoor facilities! PINK toilet and sink!! So we don't really rough it that much.

Just like a pioneer kitchen. It is so handy to have all the pots and pans hanging and the cupboards open.

The sleep camp where we all have our own little beds.

And a great wood stove to keep us toasty on cool nights and mornings!

Only a few fishing cabins around and this year no one was using them...ultimate quiet!

These hills are part of The Laurentian Mountains of Quebec.

Dave caught a pretty big pike which was really hanging on by his teeth to the little pickerel he had caught first!

A perfect evening for fishing!

I never tire of this vista at sunset....

My sisters with me in the middle...and Dave...up in the bush with three crazy ladies! Poor guy!!

Me, drenched after being out in a thunderstorm!

Till next year.....

I wish I could bottle that place and the feeling I get from being there to use throughout the year so I could de-stress and completely chill. I'm going to have to look at these pictures a lot and pretend!

Mother of Invention, trying to stay relaxed and chilled....

Matters of the Heart

2008-08-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Some of you already know that I am dealing with a scary health issue now and I thank you so much for your encouraging thoughts. I am having an angiogram on Sept. 4 and possibly a bypass of some sort some time after that. My recent stress test showed there was not enough blood flow to the heart and I was very winded just after the first two parts. I have already had a minor heart attack after which they put in a stent. I am so hoping for the best, but mostly the strength to deal with what lies ahead.

I am making my annual trek up to my favourite log cabins to fish, canoe and swim but I am taking it very easy as we are 1 1/2 hours away from a hospital. I hope I can forget about my ordeal to come for awhile and just enjoy nature and the company of my husband and two sisters, the three closest people to me in the world.

I'm putting up some various summer pics.

My dad and mom with me, daughter #3.

Me at my parents' place between our famous 150 year-old Twin Oaks!

My dad who turned 89! He had a quadruple bypass at age 69....twenty years ain't bad.

Dad, give me some of your "Life Force". I so need it now.

Our place looking down the yard.

Further back towards the river.

Hope to see you all soon after I get back!

Summer Cottage!

2008-07-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

I just came back after spending a week at a cottage. Man, I could really get in the cottage mode all summer!

I love the western exposure because of all the great shots you get at sunset.

Nothing to get up for except the good coffee! From left, my sister, Joan, my sister, Gail, and MOI. Morning Beach Babes!??? Hags??!!

A beautiful sandy beach literally right at your doorstep makes swimming and boating so easy!

An old mahogany boat they restored called, "Mr. Sub"! (They found it sunk to the bottom of a bay!)

Ah! Me...a dock babe!

We went to hear my brother-in-law sing on the porch of a resort nearby. Left to right: Me, Gail, Joan.

Bill, the one who plays guitar and sings harmony on the song I wrote and sing on this blog!

I love our yearly sister-fest at the cottage!

No Huge Updates

2008-07-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all your visits and hope you're all faring well.

Here I am at my choir's end of the year pot luck. I've been eating far too much at all the lunch, coffee, and dinner get-togethers I've been having. Bad news because I still can't exercise by walking or biking due to painful knees. This is really trying my patience. I am still attempting to swim, using mostly arms, every week day.

We're going to my sister's cottage for a week this coming Sat. July 12, which is also our 28th wedding anniversary! My other sister and her husband will be there so that will be so much fun. We all get along quite well.

I have been having all kinds of company for lunch, dinners etc. since our reno/remodel is done. It allows us so much more space and not to worry if it rains! The big oak cover over the fireplace acts as a bar type structure!

My soon to be 89-year-old dad on Father's Day!

The new room has a cottage-lodge feel to it so people tell us.

Looking back from the windows to the other side of the room and looking into the dining room. I just love the brick!

And now we get to look out at all this!

We resurrected the old pillar and cement slabs to keep the old look. This is what the original front entrance looked like before we made it my husband's office.

We still need to grow grass and do some landscaping. AND..we're building a deck on the roof of the addition!! You'll get to it through the summer bedroom balcony door! Can't wait to have coffee up there!

But what a change in nine months!

2008-06-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

Reporting in!

Just to let you know how things are going......Here's me trying out that stick you put on the end of a camera so you can hold out you arm and take a picture of yourself!! Not too bad actually!

My knees are still hurting even though I've been wearing a brace for two weeks and I just got my right index finger shot with cortisone yesterday so it is still a bit sore. I'm still swimming instead of walking. I really miss urban poling . I have a stress test on a treadmill on Aug. 12 which will be hard on my knees if they're not in better shape by then. I've tried poling a bit but then my knees and foot hurt. Can't win! I'll just stick to swimming mostly.

My two choirs are over for the summer and so is my volunteer work at the school. I should have more time to read books now! I'm reading all of Rabbi Harold Kushner's books right now and I love the way he thinks.

The reno is mostly done with a few finish-up things to do on the outside...like steps for the porch and the deck to be built on the upper level on the roof of the addition. I am so going to love spending time up there! There's even an outside plug for music or a coffee machine!! Or lights!

There is plenty of yard work to do and we've hired two kids to help do some on the weekends and for some of the summer.

I'll post pictures soon of the inside and outside. Have to stop typing now since it hurts and I'm getting a hot flash!!!
HA!

Hope you're all doing fine! Thanks for all your supportive comments.

MOI

Taking A Break

2008-05-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to find the time to get around and read all your blogs and I'm feeling guilty but at the same time, my interest is waning and I really need to spend more time doing other things. I do things ever so slowly with limited dexterity in my hands. I just got two huge shots of cortisone in my index and middle finger on Fri. and I still can hardly move them they are so painful and swollen. In a few weeks I get some in my right hand. I sure hope they work to alleviate the condition called, "trigger finger". I have had about forty shots in the last 20 years in various fingers and the period of time for which they remain effective has grown less and less.

You should see me trying to prepare meals and get dressed! I have to attempt all I do a few times before I'm even passably successful at it. It is very frustrating and I have to leave extra time for everything I do in life.

I may do a post periodically and even pay you the odd visit, but for the next while, however long that may be, I can no longer put the full effort into this blogging thing. I hate not being able to do your best so it is just easier to pull back for now. Visiting blogs has become at times, a little like a chore that I never get done well. As a teacher, I don't like this feeling! I like to have a list that I check off when the items are completed but with the many blogs I have come to visit, it has become almost impossible for me to keep up.

So I apologize to all of you. I mostly want to thank you for visiting, commenting, and supporting me and the life I lead. I will really miss your comments but it is not fair if one can't reciprocate as much.

Keep up the great blogging spirit!

Poetry Friday: DOG

2008-05-08T04:33:00.000-07:00

Gary, the Potter gave the word.... or was it Penny's?!!

DOG

man's best friend

you faithfully follow me around

and around

inevitably ending up at the food bowl

chowing down Purina dry kibble

(Hairball Remedy?!)

not-so-silently-sipping

(or is that slurping ?)

from the gargantuan water bow

the kind you feed cattle from

and are heated in the frigid barn

those large innocent eyes

(how do you get your eyeliner so straight?)

I fall for every time

as you implore me

to give you a treat

having done no trick whatsoever

except the one you just pulled on me

you continue to whine

until I scratch all your favourite places

your behind rises

to meet the hand stroking it

your hind legs now fully extended

you wind in and out of my legs
getting underfoot

making it impossible

to negotiate the stairs in this house

suddenly you fix your stare at the ceiling

for fifteen minutes

I follow it and see the tiniest of ladybugs

slowly trekking across the light fixture

you BEG

to be let out at the back

and in two minutes dash in the front

always on the wrong side of the door

I try to stealthily slip away

under your radar to the mailbox

smugly I sneak a look behind me

only to find you prancing towards me

across the parking lot

heeding not my commands

to GO HOME!

you smother me with unconditional love

and yet can be moody and aloof

a real contradiction in terms-

you dog in cat's clothing!

If I could add whiskers, I would and it kinda looks like the shape of Socks!

Dedicated to Socks, who thinks she's a dog sometimes!

(That stupid ladybug keeps her occupied for hours!!)

The Spring Look

2008-05-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

It's been raining a lot...I love this invention!

From the roof of the new addition. There will be a deck built on top of this soon...I hope!

The only thing I have in my garden are these Jolly Jump-ups!

And these Pansies waiting their turn. I love the juxtaposition of the construction mess and the flowers!

It's still looking like a construction zone and Mooky has been making a daily inspection since last September!

An rubbing her scent on all the builder's stuff just to let him know who REALLY owns the place!

At least it's always colourful at the Florist next door to us!

I caught this big guy feasting hungrily upon their Bleeding Hearts!

The White Trillium is Ontario's emblem and they're in full bloom now.

I have just forgotten what these are called but they add such beautiful rich colour to a spring garden.

The old Hyacinthe! A Classic!

A Great Practice Teaching Memory!

2008-05-02T03:04:00.000-07:00

The word "eye" must be in here for Mona's word for the day!

Looking For Mr. Craig

All the way to the high school, on my first day of student practice teaching, I tried to envision my associate teacher and the inevitable meeting that would soon follow. I only knew from his phone call on Friday that he was Mr. James Craig, who spoke quickly, precisely and with a faint trace of an English accent. He was also the Head of the English Department. I would most certainly have to be on my toes throughout this two-week assignment!

Upon my arrival at the school office, naturally, no one knew of Mr. Craig’s whereabouts. I was then directed to the staff room where I could settle my edgy nerves with a strong cup of coffee, after I had donated my fifty cents to the beloved coffee club, of course! They sent all of us there when they really didn’t want us hanging around, biting our nails.

So I shakily grabbed a cup of java and set out to roam the halls in search of the one that was to be my inspiration to teach high school English.
Every male staff member I passed in the hall looked like a possible candidate for my Mr. Craig.

A tall, lean, handsome man strode out of a doorway and down the hall in front of me. My eyes were fixed on his broad shoulders and my heart leaped. How could I concentrate on Grade Eleven lessons on Wordsworth with such an attractive man watching my every move?
I relaxed as he turned in a door marked, "Mr. Martin: Geography".

Then, I noticed a big, burly, bearded man walking towards me and I imagined him reading volumes of Shakespeare while smoking a pipe. In a gruff voice he grunted some form of greeting and I felt sure that this was my destined mentor. I stammered an awkward, "Good Morning" and was relieved to see him enter the Science Lab.

Around the corner, I encountered a man of medium stature, shining eyes, and a very warm empathetic smile. His greeting was so friendly; I was happily convinced that this Mr. Craig indeed knew I was his charge for the next two weeks. But I was disappointed to see him headed towards the History and Politics wing.

Finally, I ended up back at the staff room and reluctantly went inside. My eyes swept the room, taking in the entire scene at once. People were chatting and laughing. Some were teasing others about sipping coffee without having paid into the fund jar. Someone commented offhandedly, that this was the cursed week those student teachers came. Another groaned in reply that she would likely have to re-teach all her lessons. No one acknowledged my presence whatsoever.

By this point, I was feeling so uncomfortable I gladly paid my money for another refill in my cup. With trembling hands, I fixed my coffee and pushed my way through the saloon-type doors of the kitchenette. Strangely, I felt some resistance from the other side. I immediately came face to face with an impeccably well-dressed man with short, dark hair and coffee all over his immaculate pinstriped suit. I gaped at him in horror!

Good morning, Mr. Craig!

Mother of Invention, glad that stage of my life is over!

Wacky Weather!

2008-04-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

This happened a few days ago and now we're into a cool rainy period. I thought the juxtaposition of winter and spring in this shot showed perfectly what is our Crazy Canadian weather! Some will tell you that if you don't like the weather here, either just wait 15 minutes or go look in your BACK yard!

Things have turned green in a short time thought and some of the golf courses are open. It can still be miserable when the wind is up and it's cloudy. UNCRATE the sun please!!

You could write a little verse about this picture...I should.....maybe later!
But you go ahead!

People In Our Lives

2008-04-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

I once knew someone who was distressed over the fact that he had never found the perfect life partner "to go the distance" and that he never had or would have someone to travel the road with to the end. It got me thinking whether in the big scheme, this mattered.

Together Alone

some people walk together over the long journey
with one person
perhaps even a soul-mate

some walk with many

sharing parallel paths for awhile
facing each one in its chosen place
that is special to just those two
while it belongs to them
on no path do we need to measure its distance
but rather the happiness that flows
when we share
the precious,
sometimes simple things in our lives
with one another
-diving in synchronized pairs
swimmers in the same sea
meeting again further down the road
filing in and out of those lives
that really matter
this cycle confuses some
may sadden others –
and it should not,
for in the end
we all file out alone
and when our search here is over
we all join again
in The Together Place

Mother of Invention, still pondering this at times...

2008-04-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

This is an ode to the yearly Tim Horton's Coffee roll-up-the -rim-to-win contest written about a day a few years back that still haunts me!

Haunted By Horton's!

The Unrolled Rim!

I am obsessed by this! I can’t stop thinking about it! I am in the re-training process of Roll up the Rim to Win and sadly, I have forgotten to play the game once already. (And everyone knows you can’t win if you don’t play!)

The image of that empty cup with its rim still intact, sitting at the top of that small wastebasket in the hallway at school is indelibly etched in my mind. Unthinkingly, amidst the excitement of the last day before March Break, I tossed a winner - and you’ll never convince me otherwise. In my mind, it is the car for certain, well okay, maybe a bike. No lousy biscuit to be sure!

Let’s face it – usually your efforts rolling up the rim (inevitably by your teeth) are rewarded with that annoying, "Re-essayer S.V.P." for which the English translation is (and I’ve even got my Gr. 13 French!) "You Are A Loser!" This is not a good way to start your day and does nada for your self-esteem!

I will no doubt have to succumb to the irresistible urge to peer into that same wastebasket as I pass it in the hallway on the way into my room on Monday. And by the way, if you see our custodian driving a fabulous brand new car into our parking lot, you’ll know she unrolled the Grande "Gagner L’auto Magnifique!" on MY cup!

Mother of Invention, still getting nauseous every time I think about it!!!

Foiled Plans!

2008-04-16T12:34:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know the stupid thing I did to my brand new self-clean over, I put an aluminum foil liner in the bottom and it got melded on to the bottom the first time I used it. Nothing would work to get it off.

The foil saga turned out well...the part is only $30 and they're sending it
up to by Fri.!! Meanwhile, don't you think we could put the old
bottom plate in an art exhibit and make about $4000 on it?!!! It could be
titled, "Foiled Plans"!

I'm going to send it to a local arts curator for fun and ask if
she could get it displayed at our art centre in a show show! Maybe people could see different things in it like foil Rorschach Ink Blot tests!
I can almost see it in one of those stories in the Toronto Star!! Once they found out it was just me being silly with my botched up new stove, it would have to be re-named, “Curses, Foiled Again!” Who knows? It could pay for my appliances!

What do you see in this picture?!!

Odds and Sods

2008-04-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

We lost a huge lilac this winter.

No snow to be seen!

But things sure look dull and grey...just like Mooky!

We better not be 10 bricks short of a load!! (Socks had to inspect them!)

Window sills waiting to happen.

Bet we have more spring yard clean-up to do than you do!!!

Goodbye to all things yucky! (Carpet!)

Wonder if we'll ever see the grass or eat at the picnic table this year?

BUT....I love my "new" "old" rustic cupboards!

Poetry Friday: Negative

2008-04-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

Mona's being negative today and I have licence to be as well, even though I don't like to be! Today, the glass is half-empty!

Stupidest thing I've ever done, bar none!

I put an aluminum foil sheet at the bottom of my one-week-old self-clean oven and when I used it, the foil got melded right to the bottom! Why didn't they tell me not to do that?! Why didn't I read those small print safety precautions??

Will this small patch of winter never disappear?!!

Will this reno never end??!!

Why am I so fat after this winter?!! NOTHING FITS!!

Why didn't I take piano lessons?!!

This isn't what I ordered!

I'm really bummed out and just want to be left alone...

Well that's as negative as I want to get today...unless you count that I still have really sore knees, can't exercise and have to get a huge brace for my knee, some physio and another skyline type x-ray...it's going to be a dull, rainy, cool weekend....my place is dusty as anything after this reno thing...we're not quite finished yet either...

(Man, I really can be negative when I try!)

Poetry Friday: AWAY

2008-04-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

Mona wishes she were far away so gave us the word!
This is dedicated to people who have ever had a monkey on their back at work or just hanging out wherever. Can you relate? Luckily, this is a distant memory for me!

STAY AWAY!

I can not seem to shake this horrible monkey off my back

Seems it loves to tell me about everything I lack!

Maybe even "lives" to tell would be the proper word

And I can make no sense of it because it's so absurd.

Seems that I am always in its perfect line of vision

This primate then can set to make an accurate incision!

The knife is deftly held and it slices very deep

And I am trying hard not to crumple in a heap.

But just when I get standing tall to get on with my day

The monkey gets a firmer grip and will not go away.

Sharpening the tool again for just another cut

It thinks it hasn't done enough so twists it in my gut.

I pull it out and wipe it off and throw it out the door,

Give monkey time to settle down and bother me no more.

It could be that I think it's there when it is really not,

And all those dreaded matters weren't as bad as I had thought.

So if a monkey's on your back, hang in a little longer,

It's sure to take a giant leap once you're a whole lot stronger.

Floor and Kitchen Reno

2008-04-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

***I just added today's updates with the floors.

The denim blue island....well, technically, it's a peninsula!

Good-bye to the old counter! We actually kept the old stainless steel sink because the builder said it's a better one than they make these days.

See what the scraped and verethaned old pine cupboards will look like!!

This is the living room with just one coat of straw paint and the oak floors all sanded, awaiting stain. I love the pocket oak glass doors! (That sander is darn noisy and has scared my cats away!)

This is looking towards the new room with an old pocket door we had. We decided to hinge it instead so you can see it open or closed. It swings from left to right. The old pump organ is going beside it to the left.

The after! Beauty job on the original oak.

HA! Below, is the very old maple kitchen floor. Man, does the floor guy have his work cut out for him! There is not much left of this floor to sand and there is even a spot where one nail shows. He is scraping a lot of it by hand. Then, we are mixing the stain (Early Puritan Pine) with the verethane to help cover the absorption problem.

The after! Lots of character where the flaws couldn't be sanded down any further!

Good-bye to the 28 year-old Admiral stove!! The 70's Almond Vintage so nicely adorned with the 1970 carpet! If you want it, ya gotta clean it! SEARS is taking it away for $15 when they deliver our new black smooth top.

Will this never get completely done? It started the 3rd week in September!

Poetry Friday: Surprise

2008-03-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Another surprise word from MONA

You've got what it takes

You satisfy my sweet tooth-

well any tooth really

You're a real Cracker Jack, you are

A SURPRISE in every package

Take me out to the ball game

I always wondered where the ring came from!

And now that I'm thinking about them....

Cracker Jack

the original box

caramel coated popcorn crunch

and peanuts

glued together with the sweetest cement

a veritable dentist's delight

"Toy Surprise Inside!"

Whad ya get?! Whad ya get?!!

Simple fare this week but it's the first image that came to mind and I still love it. I was always a sucker for a free prize inside cereal and gumball machines. I can't really remember anything great but I sent away for all kinds of stuff like a Koolaid jug, Tony The Tiger Socks with padded paws and his neckerchief,a Cheerios mug and bowl, a Mickey Mouse Club hat, a Crystal Light T-shirt, Jello molds, and I don't know what all. I still scout for cool free things.

What's the greatest free prize or send-away thing you ever got?

Droppin' In

2008-03-25T12:22:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter dinner and visit at my sister's old farmhouse. Now you can see that I get my love for antiques from her! The old furniture is from my grandmother's house originally.

She must not mind polishing the silver tea service!!

I love the old pioneer type kitchen!

Mini-Update

2008-03-18T05:23:00.001-07:00

Thanks, everyone. I will try to visit periodically...even if it's just lurking a little! (I never thought I'd say that!) I still do care about what's going on in everyone's life but I just need more time for mine and the things I need to do daily that I take so long to do. I am spending more time in our newly-renovated room where there is no computer. There is the gas fireplace to enjoy and the view of the outside world that we've never had before. My cats are slowly coming into the room more often to be with us so the cosiness beckons me.

The snow is finally melting and we are getting warmer daily temps, enough to get the maple sap running faster. It is a late start here for that. The muddy back yard is not something we're looking forward to cleaning up after the mess of the fall reno. We'd rather be getting the gardens going but that will have to take a back seat.

Within, the next few weeks, the kitchen counters,island,cupboards, floors, lighting and painting should all be done and new stove and dishwasher installed. FINALLY! Looking forward to "learning" how my new kitchen will work!

My health needs a spring tune-up! Sound familiar? I have gained some "winter weight" and need to take off 10 pounds. This is not an easy task for me. I have to take about 10 blood sugar tests a day, write down everything I eat, and the exercise I do. It totally consumes every hour of my life thinking about if I need to eat some carb and if I need to match it with insulin.

I have been trying to swim about 3-4 times a week in a salt water pool plus do some treadmill or nordic walking with poles twice a week. It is always dependent upon whether my knees and/or foot joints are painful or not. My downfall is that exercise makes me sore and HUNGRY! In order not to over-eat, I need to cut down my insulin prior to and after exercise which is the trickiest balancing act ever.

Looking forward to this coming Easter weekend when I'm visiting family. It is so early this year, it is the first year we've had snow decorations alongside the bunnies and eggs in the office!

Hope your spring tune-up is happening and if you celebrate Easter, have a happy one!

Blogged Up? Blogged Down?

2008-03-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

By this time of year, we are all wondering how much more we can take of the snow and cold temperatures. This has certainly been year of the snowstorm. They think the 1939 snowfall record will be broken in Toronto! We just had a major storm last weekend but the positive upswing was that we have started daylight saving as well. It seems amazing to see the bright sunshine a little higher in the sky and to have the sun set at 7:20 p.m.!

I have to apologize to all those bloggers whom I have not visited regularly for the last while but for some reason I just can't seem to stay seated at the computer and spend the amount of time I used to spend doing the blog thing. I don't know whether the whole experience is losing its appeal, if I have the winter blues, or if I just feel the need to do other things and simply can't fit in as much blog time. It is difficult for me to accomplish as much as other people can in the same time for various reasons. Maybe the Blogging Thing has run its course? Don't really know what will happen from here...

Here's something I wrote the first year I was blogging when I felt at loose ends:

All bloggers feel this way at times ....

getting de-blogged

takin’ a break

brain’s getting clogged

startin’ to ache

it ain’t no use

if no one reads

don’t have the juice

nowhere does it lead

why I need to share

don’t really know

and I try not to care

but then, where does it go

my ideas are sunk

right on the page

my writing’s defunct

locked in a cage

my words stay with me

static and still

and no one will see

the pages I fill

So,who knows, I may find some spark again!

Two Views

2008-03-03T05:05:00.000-08:00

Absolute Vanilla

posted this picture and wrote this about it with a somewhat sad tone. When I saw it, I pictured the possiblities of the open gate which inspired me, with her encouragement, to write and post my poem below. Go have a look and see how the same image evoked such a different take. I'd love to see what others might write about it...open or closed. Funny how I so wanted it to be open, that I actually made it open up in my mind's eye just for me!

the open gate

unlatch the padlock
throw off the heavy chain
that binds my gate so tightly closed
so that I may freely
invite you in
to share all that I have seen
for I have seen beauty that knows no bounds…..

enter and behold
my story -
everyone's story
who has ever passed
through this threshold
beyond the lazy vines
that creep and wrap themselves around me
and have been awestruck at the sight
of strong billowy white clouds sailing in a brilliant blue sky
and a gigantic orange globe of fire sink in seconds beneath the horizon –
I beckon you -
your own story awaits

Poetry Friday DANCE

2008-02-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

The Poetry word is DANCE. Thanks, Mona. This is a picture of an inukshuk I built on the shore of a river in my favourite summer vacation spots - our log cabins.

Look To My Inukshuk

prefer

familiar

road

but

sometimes

I wander and lose the road

or the road loses me

and i am so lost

trying to find my way home

looking for the arms

of an Inukshuk
(my inner Inuit folklore spirit)

to point the way

guiding signposts

small but pivotal

effecting the change i need

to bring me back to where I should be

is this the old road from which I strayed

or a new one?

I know not-

but when I sadly sense

that I am merely watching

from the periphery

everyone else dance their life's steps
I hope that an inukshuk
beckons me into the centre

of The Circle to share

my own Dance and perhaps
even join one of theirs ....

for awhile

***Blogger wouldn't let me separate the words to look like the legs at the bottom of this shape poem but you get the idea!

Cats on Tuesdays

2008-02-26T06:14:00.000-08:00

Gattina hosts Cats on Tuesdays so you can link here for more feline stories and photos.

Mooky has her own little chair but can't settle down. She is asking to go outside.

Mooky is the adventurer!

She doesn't mind all the snow!

She finds cool things to investigate.

Socks is the sucky home-body!

But she is a beauty with her distinctive white tipped tail! Socks has the typical nice calico disposition to match. She is so much more feminine than Mooky, always poses with poise!

The Village of Truths

2008-02-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

Mona passed the Poetry basket to Irrelephant, who tossed the word, "tatoo" for today.

The Village of Truths

I am the Chieftain of my own tribe

I speak my truths with the many voices residing in my village -

But you may never understand my truths

You may not even hear them or even recognize the voice with which I speak,

for your village may be far away from mine

and all you may see are lips moving

and all you may hear are the distant echoes of my tatoo

We all sing different songs,

dance different steps,

and drum different beats at our council ring fires….

But we must accept and respect each other’s truths
-the need that they be our own
and no one else’s

Mother of Invention, looking to my Truths, singing, dancing and drumming my own tatoo from my far away village.

Lunar Landscapes?

2008-02-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

Weird Swiss Cheese?

Bad acne?

Lunar landscape?

Kind of reminds me of a sunburn peeling.

No...

Look familiar?

Ever try to scrape off years of multi-layers of paint off pine furniture?

The Lone Mad Scraper trying to dip and strip.....and scrape, all in the name of restoring the old look of our kitchen to this 1921 vintage home. All part of this ongoing never ending reno!

It is a lot of work but it will look like a huge pine hutch from pioneer times when we're finished. You can see the interesting flour bin cupboards at the bottom right that pull out. The builder's wife has actually already done all the doors and they look fabulous....but if you want to know the truth, I'm kind of getting to like having no doors on the cupboards! It's pretty handy and reminds me of the open cupboards we have up at the cooking cabin of the fishing camp we go to each summer that I love so much. Well, at least we don't have to worry about mice here!

Cats On Tuesdays!

2008-02-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

Look at more funny felines at Gattina's.

Mooky, Queen of the Cat Condo!

It's way past my bedtime!

Sometimes it's hard to settle down! My stuffed cat riends are taking up too much room!

Aw, man! I need to get another cat condo!

Poetry Friday Time

2008-02-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

Mona says we have all the TIME in the world for poetry this Friday! The word was TIME.

time

measure it

tell it

make it

spend it

save it
waste it

count it

give it
bank it

lose it

clock it
kill it

change it

buy it

- we need to savour it

time

it ticks

it tocks

starts us

stops us

it travels

unravels

it changes us

rearranges us

it heals

reveals

it flies

it dies

it stands still

released in a pill

it charms us .....

but most of all alarms us!

Well, I had to stop there because I ran out of......well, you know!

Curiosity Trails!

2008-02-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

Cats On Tuesdays brought to you by Gattina.

Bad cat, Mooky! But you're too funny!

The guys doing the tile work on our reno hadn't been gone 3 minutes when Mooks decided to inspect their work! Well, walking on the tile wasn't too bad so she kept right on "mookying" into the bathroom and did a hasty turnaround! (Is this a four-point-paw turn?!) As usual, she left her mark, as cats will do in one form or another.

Price of the tiles? $150

Price of grout and glue? $50

Price of the labour? $400

Mooky, mucking around? PRICELESS!

P.S. UPDATE!

I gave the tile guys their morning smile today when I left this old place mat I found while cleaning under the sink! It's the first thing I thought of doing when I saw it and I just couldn't resist. They got such a kick out of it.....a first no doubt! Mooky made them banana bread for morning coffee break!

Now does this look like a bad kitty?

Natural Highs!

2008-02-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine started this list of experiences that give people a natural high. So many are such simple things it's almost ridiculous! Right now, I'm dealing with horrendous knee problems (tendonitis of the patella in one, and baker's cyst in the other) and I have to use a cane to get up and down stairs as well as just walk around first thing in the morning. I used to walk 2 miles a day! What I would give right now to be able to do this! Or even ride a bike or swim.....It would definitely be a high. My "stented heart" needs the exercise as does my diabetes. Anyone out there who is just being lazy and making excuses for not going out to exercise, please, just go do it for me.....and you.

1. Falling in love

2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.

3. A hot shower.

4. No lines at the supermarket.

5. A special glance.

6. Getting mail.

7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.

8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.

9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.

10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer

11. Milkshake (any flavor).

12. A bubble bath.

13. Giggling.

15. The beach.

16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.

17. Laughing at yourself.

18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you

19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.

20. Running through sprinklers.

21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.

22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.

23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS

24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.

25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.

26. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).

27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.

28. Playing with a new puppy.

29. Having someone play with your hair.

30. Sweet dreams.

31. Hot chocolate.

32. Road trips with friends.

33. Swinging on swings.

34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.

35. Making chocolate chip cookies.

36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.

37. Holding hands with someone you care about.

38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.

39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.

40. Watching the sunrise.

41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day. 42. Knowing that somebody misses you.

43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.

44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

45. Hearing a loon’s call!

46. Waking up and seeing your cat's big eyes looking at you.

47. Being at a hockey game and having your team play well and win their game.

Add one and Pass on These Natural Highs to anyone you wish!

Let Sleeping Cats....(and their owners).. Lie!

2008-02-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

Cats On Tuesdays is brought to you by Gattina. Go check other feines there!

Why do cats ...AND people look so sweet when they are sleeping? Even humans take to the floor in our house! Cats seem to gravitate to wherever you are napping. Maybe they think you're becoming part feline. Sometimes I think it would be an easier life! (Especially if the carpets are soft and the beds are many!)

Recovered Antiques!

2008-02-03T19:14:00.000-08:00

A few pics of our newly recovered antique pieces. The cranberry I love but I didn't expect the "Oyster" colour to be so white. I'm thinking at least one of them will go in a bedroom. I can just imagine if someone spilled wine or pasta sauce on one of these! Yikes!

The couch used to be an old horsehair and is actually the same colour as the red chair but looks a lot darker in this picture. My sister and I used to play Queen with this chair when it was at my Grandma's house. She had a special tapestry stepstool we'd use to get on it, pretending a servant was helping us!

Don't think any servants will be in attendance when these new pieces grace my house!

Poetry Friday: Birthday!

2008-02-01T07:44:00.000-08:00

Mona declares it's "birthday" day for poetry! I have two pieces.

The Birthday Boy!

My dad just celebrated 88
And man, his attitude is just so great

White cake in pink is his special request
Since that's what his mom made the best
The candles are lit and the lights go out
He loves the ceremony without a doubt!

Dad toasts himself with his coke and rum
At 88, there is nothing glum!
His body is healthy, he's as sharp as a tack
In his outlook on life,there is nothing to lack

This man has had an amazing life
In the depression enduring strife
Flying a plane throughout the war
When days he had might be no more

Maybe all this accounts for a lot
And this kind of thing just can't be taught
I so admire dad's brightness and zest
And at 88, it's still the best
He has within him a strong Life Force
And one that I can surely endorse

Would that we all had this special man's view
In each and every thing we do.

Here's to Birthdays!

Birthday Parties in the 50's!
games
blindfolds
tied around Toni perms
spinning around
in our Sunday School dresses
crinolinesflouncing
pin the tail on the donkey
drop the clothespin in the milk bottle
bobbing for apples
presents
contain the excitement
of my first puppet -
a velveteen rabbit
I still have it
some doll clothes
new marbles
play doh
colouring books and new crayons
or pastels!
or a bath talcum powder mitt
pretend lipstick
Little Miss Cologne-
all nicely wrapped...the real way
with beautiful bows
by stay at home moms
sandwiches
egg, tuna, salmon
fresh mooshy white bread
with no crusts
cut in triangles
chocolate cake
with coins inside
wrapped in saran
7 minute boiled frosting
crystals of sugar
candles blown out
amidst kids singing
and clapping
home made pop
happy fizzy pills
to drop in water
in grape orange and cherry
party favours
small coloured candies
in pink plastic baskets
at each place setting
and balloons to take home
long or short-
savoured simplicity

Cats On Tues.

2008-01-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

Cats On Tuesdays is presented by Gattina at My Cats And Other Stories.

Please can I watch tv?

The show I want is right here....

Okay, I'll just sit here and be quiet....

Ah, it's starting! Purrfect! Are you making liver flavoured popcorn?

Ah, Mooky, you're such a sweetie! Cats add so much to our lives, don't they?!!!

Poetry Friday...NO!

2008-01-25T03:36:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the horrible spacing but Blogger won't edit the changes I want to make!!!!

NO to NO!

the word from Mona is simply "N-o"

I think really hard and nothing will flow

so much and so little at the very same time

I ponder and nothing will come to my mind

it's the word that depicts the terrible two's

the one kids utter when they do what they choose

the word we teach them to say to all drugs

in hopes that they'll listen and still give us hugs

the one that our young girls will say to all sex

when their strength is what we want them to flex

it's a hard one to say and a tough word to hear

and has even been cause for many a tear

a man with a ring would not want to get this

in response to proposal for long wedded bliss....

I can go no further I think I must stop

or this poem is surely to be a huge flop

I am having trouble racking my brain

ideas for verses are starting to drain

the word is expansive it'll take me all day

for the possible uses there is too much to say

so if Mona expects that a poem here will show

then I'm sorry my dear, but the answer is NO!

Cats On Tuesdays

2008-01-22T06:56:00.000-08:00

Cats On Tuesdays is brought to you by Gattina at My Cats And Funny Stories.

Mooky has to inspect the lumber that has arrived for our floor! It's tamarack which is a hard type of softwood. The builder has it in his own house and says it's durable and a whole lot cheaper than hardwood!

Oh no! I lost my toy mouse down the register! It just "registered" (HA!) with Mooky that she may never see this friend again! But she still continued to look for it afterwards as most cats do!

I'm not helping you strip wallpaper either! I've helped enough with my inspections!

Time to relax and roll around in my winter fat. Mooky is so chubby now she looks like a grub! If you threw her, she'd roll just like a ball I'm sure!

Poetry Friday Word: JUICE!

2008-01-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

Maggie is hosting this week for Mona and we all know what a juicy gal she is! I just had to offer you a choral chant I wrote for my Gr. 3 class a few years ago after we studied Dr. Seuss. The kids thought it was really cool and we performed it for the rest of the school in an assembly. Even the Gr. 8's told me they loved it! If there are any teachers or anyone at all who wants to use this, be my guest! Dr. Seuss would approve!

Tribute to Dr. Seuss! (Chant for Kids)

You were cool! You were loose!
You had the juice!
Yes, we’re talkin’ Dr. Seuss!
You had that Cat from the Hat comin’ back,
You had Sam I am, eating Green Eggs and Ham,
You had Horton Hatchin’ That Egg!
You had us thinkin’ The Thinks We Think,
The ABC’s that really please,
You made Who-ville rock,
And that Fox in the Sock,
You got us reading for the very first time,
And all because of your catchy rhyme!
The nonsense you wrote was full of fun
And in no time at all, the book was done.
Some words were big,
Some words were small,
We loved them so much
We read them all!
You sure had the juice, Dr. Seuss!
Your real name?
Ted Geisel
And we’re all glad we knew you well!
Keep cool,
Keep loose,
Dr. Seuss!

Copyright 2005

Cats On Tuesday!

2008-01-14T15:34:00.001-08:00

Gattina hosts this Cats on Tuesday so go visit her and all the other cat lovers and their famous felines!

Mooky loves a ring side seat and we can tell she's going to spend a lot of time looking out of our newly-added room at the back!

As part of the reno, they had to dig a huge hole in the basement for plumbing. Guess who discovered that?!! This is definitely an open unvitation to a cat!

Socks and Mooky hesitate to go outside on a snowy night.

And then, out she goes! We waste more heat waiting for their "Final Answer"!

Let sleeping cats lie! This is one of the rare times I found Socks (on the right) and Mooky sleeping so closely together!

*^_^
(=':'=)
(")_ (")Š

I don't know where I got the "drawing" above but I know I'd never figure out how to do it!

Memories of an Apron

2008-01-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Pauline, at Writing Down The Words, I wrote the first verse in her comments and then continued later. She got me thinking about an apron my mom had when I was a very young child and which conjured all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings! I wish I had a photo of it and no googled image could ever do it justice. It shall remain locked in my mind's eye I suppose....but maybe you can see it just a little!

yellow hooped apron

red strawberries all over

mom's baking cookies

I searched and clicked
and kept hoping to see it
around my mom's waist

her young face beaming
with the promise of baking
and a mother's love

I just googled it
what did I really expect
of course it's not there

it is in my mind's eye
always safely tucked away ...
precious memories

Mother of Invention, having a sudden yearning to bake cookies with my mom.

Funny Cats!

2008-01-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

I just had to do this! As a young child, I never had any pets and was always envious of stories about dressing up your cat in doll's clothes and taking them for a walk in the stroller. Well, this was as close as I could get to that!

This is my aunt's friend's cat who apparently is toilet trained! Think of all the money she's saved from not buying kitty litter!

My cat, Soot, waiting for his friends to call! I always wanted to send this picture in to a phone company (Bell Canada) for their ad campaign, especially the one that said, "Get the long distance feeling, Reach out and touch"!

Reno Update

2008-01-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

I can't wait till this fire place is hooked up and we have another wicked snowstorm! (Mooky wants her place by the fire too!)

Here's lookin' at you!

As you can see, Mooky approves! She can hardly wait to get a seat by the window!

A bathroom where the old porch was. I love all the bricks inside!

It's coming along!!

Drywall is all done and painters are coming soon to talk about colours. Oh Boy! We're also picking out the 9 pot lights for the ceiling and 5 light fixtures for the walls.

The Year Behind and Ahead!

2007-12-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

2007 held a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

My health has had ups and downs but for the most part I have continued to try hard to gain better health and maintain an attitude of Hope.

We have started a really exciting renovation which should be done by the end of March!

No family members or pets passed away. With parents 88 years of age this is a real bonus to have just spent another Christmas with everyone present.

My husband's chiropractic business is fairly stable and he earns extra income by teaching neurology at a school for Registered Massage Therapy.

I continue to be able to volunteer in a Gr. 3 classroom at my school while on a leave until retirement. I love it!

We have had many wonderful get-togethers with so many friends, it's unbelievable! Those memories are precious to me.

Life has been pretty good to me on the whole.

No one knows what is in store for them in life. I look towards 2008 with the thought that I quite possibly may come upon new challenges that may be difficult, yet I know I can count on my husband to be fully supportive as always.

I truly wish that all of you will be blessed with a very Happy New Year!

Some Cute Christmas Shots

2007-12-28T20:58:00.000-08:00

We've been really good!

Yeah, remember all those mice we caught?!!

Christmas tires me out!

But it does have its sparkling moments.

Just give me some tissue paper and I'm happy!

I can't guess!

What was your sparkling moment this holiday season?!!

Light of Hope

2007-12-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

This is a shot I took on a whim of a night light I gave my sister-in-law and I love the way it turned out. It sums up my Christmas message or if you don't celebrate that, it can be the eternal hope for us all....The Light.

May we find The Light and be The Light..... and shine our Light for others.

Shine on!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

'Twas In The Moon of Winter Time

2007-12-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

In honour of my Solstice Birthday today, Dec. 22nd, I'm posting my favourite carol! I love pictures of the moon and deer. The bottom two I took outside my door.

The Huron Carol ('Twas In The Moon of Winter Time)

'Twas in the moon of wintertime when all the birds had fled
That mighty Gitchi Manitou sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim and wondering hunters heard the hymn,
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

Within a lodge of broken bark the tender babe was found;
A ragged robe of rabbit skin enwrapped his beauty round
But as the hunter braves drew nigh the angel song rang loud and high
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

The earliest moon of wintertime is not so round and fair
As was the ring of glory on the helpless infant there.
The chiefs from far before him knelt with gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

O children of the forest free, O seed of Manitou
The holy Child of earth and heaven is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant boy who brings you beauty peace and joy.
Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

Words: Jean de Brebeuf, ca. 1643; trans by Jesse Edgar Middleton, 1926
Music: French Canadian melody (tune name: Jesous Ahatonhia)

For several years when I taught Gr. 3 Native Peoples of Canada and Pioneers, we would enact this carol for the concert. We got away with the religious content because it was related to curriculum. Everyone, imcluding myself, would dress as pioneers or natives of The Huron Tribe and sing this as some children moved on the stage. We had a giant silver foil moon and four blue floodlights focused on the whole scene. The kids thought it was cool, especially when the electric guitar solo twanged. They all sang their hearts out and were really "in role".

It was eerily beautiful, and to this day it is my absolute favourite carol.

Still Unplugged!

2007-12-18T04:39:00.000-08:00

I'm still limited to the office computer so I still can't get around to visit. Bad timing since it's also the busiest time of year and we're so far behind...as in just got the tree done on the weekend!

We had Huge Snowstorm #3 all day Sunday! It's now at 2 1/2 feet and is beginning to be like the winters I remember from the 50's when I was a kid!

My knees are slowly getting better and I don't need the cane so much on stairs.

Hope you are all in the thick of preps for the season and anticipating the JOY!