a weekend of firsts

Grandbaby's First Tractor Ride
July 6, 2008

It was a weekend filled with friends, family and fun! We were supposed to go out to dinner with friends Friday night but cancelled because I was still groggy from a medical test that morning. The kids with oldest grandbaby arrived Friday in time for dinner. Little Miss Sunshine was so excited to see boats yelling out bo and pointing every time a boat went by. Birds are called chi chis because that is the name of her babysitter's bird. Planes are called apane. Well were were in stitches watching her excitement between the boats, birds and planes while we enjoyed a bit of nice weather on the dock. Two new phrases are dat my mommy and dat my daddy. A sing song hi and bye complete with waving followed by blowing a kiss brought a lot of smiles. One of the cutest jesters she makes is mimicking the raised arm and snapping fingers to get a child's attention when taking a picture. Every time she spots the camera she makes the jester then waits patiently for her photo shoot. Talk about adorable!

Saturday afternoon we went for a boat ride. Grandbaby was excited but that wasn't enough to prevent the sleepies :) We couldn't believe she slept through noise of our boat as well as the noise from other water traffic. The go fast boats make a horrendous amount of noise! We anchored at our favourite swimming spot. It has a lovely sandy beach that is perfect for wading to. Many fellow boaters bring picnics including small barbeques to enjoy on the shore. We enjoyed a few snacks in the boat watching as she tried to take in all the new sights. Saturday night we enjoyed a nice family outing at a relatives for a barbeque and fireworks. Their property is quite large with a hill some distance from the house overlooking a huge pond. They set the fireworks off from the hill so it was quite an impressive display!

We spent Sunday morning by the water being a bit lazy. After lunch the kids took grandbaby to another relative's farm for her very first tractor ride. She is way up in the tractor pictured above and gosh did she ever enjoy herself! The kids brought her back to stay with us for the evening while they went to a concert. Everything was going along nicely until about 8 o'clock when she picked up her little stuffed lion and blanket then went to the stairs. The poor little mite must have thought mommy and daddy were upstairs! She turned around said bye, waved then blew us a kiss and headed up the stairs. Grandpa picked her up but she wasn't having none of that! Grandma's idea of a calming bath was anything but! Changed into cute little pink pajamas, she snuggled up to Grandpa while he rocked her in the sunporch finally drifting off to sleep. Oh I should mention that she flatly refuses to sleep in any crib! She insists on sleeping on the floor which is fine at her house but if you've read this blog you will also have read about our friendly centipedes so Grandpa laid her on the love seat where she slept until mommy and daddy arrived. They loaded everything in thing in their new Honda Pilot to make the long journey home.

It was a weekend well spent :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008

Happy Canada Day

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008

death certificates

Wake
May 10. 2007

The spring has been wet and stormy so unfortunately we are not doing as much boating. I had high hopes this week but each day the humidity built leading to unsettled weather in the late afternoon and evenings. Today was no different and even though it hasn't stormed yet it likely will. The air cooled a bit so we cleaned up one of the garden beds. The wet between high humidity and bugs has really put a damper on garden work as well slowing the refinishing of the kitchen cabinet doors. We are hoping to get a bit of work done this weekend since it is our holiday weekend.

All but one of the death certificates I ordered a couple of weeks ago have arrived. Now folks do a lot of complaining about government services but I have to tell you the Office of the Registrar General for Ontario is very nice to deal with and their service is usually well under the two week mark. I go fill out their forms online here, make the payment then wait for the certificates to arrive. The only thing I really don't like is ordering a birth certificate for someone like my great grandmother requires I prove they are deceased meaning I need their death certificate. By default I have to order the death certificate first, photocopy that and send the photocopy back to them as a second step when ordering the birth certificate. Essentially what this forces you to do is order both the death and birth certificates even if you have other proof of the death. A search before ordering a certificate is $15 within 5 years but in most cases if you are fairly certain this really isn't necessary. So each person without a search ends up costing at least $22 for the death certificate, $45 for the birth certificate and $22 for the marriage certificate. These are documents you definitely want for your parents, grandparents and greatgrandparents. Earlier than 1869 you have to go to church records and between 1869 and about 1875 some records might not be available. They are primary sources created at the time of the event so these are must have pieces of documentations for your direct lines.

There is a lot of information on these documents some of which you have to read between the lines as in addresses. At the time the document was made that was the address which may or may not agree with other records. Each piece of information on the document gives a clue. Birth dates and dates of death are confirmed with these documents but even then there can be errors on the documents. Little tid bits that by them selves mean little but end up being one more stepping stone to finding more information. Sometimes as with these certificates the cause of death is not notes. I really would have liked to know that. But now more questions are apparent and that is what each of these documents will do, some more than others.

I'm off searching while I wait for the next set of documents to arrive...

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008

Storm Clouds
June 21, 2008

The weather has been very unsettled here so we have been seeing a lot of severe storms. It's either wet and cold or very humid and hot with threatening weather. We aren't getting a lot of work done outside and the work has slowed in the kitchen because of high humidity levels interfering with painting and staining in the garage. This picture shows a bit of the furies we have been under. Yes we had a horrid storm with these clouds.

The recent vacation in Las Vegus was a bit different in that I was under the weather for most of it. After we checked out the final day we went made a final stop at The O'rlean's. I was on sensory overload so decided to check out the cinema on the second level. For $7.50 I treated myself to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I seriously enjoyed both the movie and the down time from all the extra sensory stimulation! I won't give any secretes away but this really is a must see movie. There are a lot of overtones and similarities from the Harry Potter movies but if you haven't seen those then it's no problem. If you've seen them then it is more of a "this is familiar but different" type of thing. However, there are many similar aspects that I will go into detail in a later post so as to not spoil it for anyone who has not seen the Harry Potter and Narnia movies. Still this movie is well worth watching and quite enjoyable.

My husband taking an idea from one of our kids who frequents the movie theatres suggested we go to a movie last weekend. We stopped for dinner at A&W which has a special meaning to us as that is where we met although not that one. And the teen burgers don't taste quite the same but that same beautiful smile is on the other side of the table. We saw Get Smart. I won't ruin it for you but if you liked the old version of Get Smart you will love this movie. It really is a must see! The night was absolutely gorgeous with a nostalgic meal followed by a movie. The drive was nice as well. We chatted about nothing in particular just really enjoying each other's company.

We have decided this type of outing is something we would like to do at least once a month. We really aren't into eating a lot of fast food so I suggested we eat at home then go to the movies. It's now become a discussion between whether we eat at our favourite fish and chip place first or eat at home with eating at home coming out ahead. That's fine with me :) Now all I have to do is convince my husband he really doesn't need that bucket of popcorn even if it is in a souvenir bucket.

Garden Gnome
©2006 - 2008

Primus Canada
2008

I've decided to award those folks that really tick me off if only to give them the credit where credit is due. I created a special award called the Donkey Award. These will only be awarded to the top donkeys and trust me you really have to work at this one. You must be a total and obnoxious pain in the keester to even be considered.

A couple of posts back I wrote about a very irritating telemarketer. That call wasn't bad enough, it has been followed through with at least two calls daily since the initial call five days ago! The number always comes up as 123-456-7890 and when I answer the same person starts into the sales pitch which signals me to hang up. Well today, despite having one of the worst sinus headache I've had in quite sometime that has resulted in me be nauseous and walking crooked all day I decided to play along. What the heck my day couldn't get much worse. Oh I should mention everyone in the neighbourhood decided today was a good day to cut their lawns pumping all that great pollen back into the air to fuel my pounding sinuses. Well, really it was only three but it might as well had been everyone!

Ok so back to the telemarketer. Five days later and she could still not pronounce my last name! As promised, the telemarketer in this case was from Primus Canada. What is really funny is when you go to their website they have what is called "Telemarketer Guard" to stop unwanted telemarketing calls. Excuse me Primus but I didn't want your telemarketing call but I guess I would have to subscribe to your service to get you to stop pestering me. I guess it is ok for them to spam my phone service whether I want it or not. You know the phone service we pay money for so we can keep in contact with friends and family NOT as your personal advertising board. I was actually quite pleasant and let the girl get on with her sale. At each pause I politely said "I'm not interested in switching long distance carriers." at which point she would continue. I only had to repeat that sentence five times over the next 10 minutes. After that call I went online and got the contact information for Primus which I should mention is not easy to locate. I called their number and had to jump through a lot of hoops. Finally 10 minutes later (yep another 10 minutes) I got a human! I calmly told them what has been happening and that I would like our telephone number removed from their system immediately at which time after asking for my name and telephone number she wanted my address! What so they can spam my mailbox as well? Heck next she likely would have asked for my email address and all information in my address book!

Primus Canada has hands down won the Donkey Award for 2008! Seriously I doubt anyone is going to be able to top them but if they do I will award another since I'm in a generous mood of rewarding those who really deserve it. I reserve the right to disclose all donkeys as I see fit :)

Please Note: Primus Canada, you could be the only long distance service in Canada or worldwide and there is no way I would ever sign up for your service just based on your wonderful spamming telemarketing! Thanks for your warning (hic sales pitch) and you have a great day.


Garden Gnome
©2007

unbelievable!

Have you ever come across something that just baffles your mind? See I could ponder something like in the photo but the ones that really get me going is there is just the unbelievable factor. Here's one for you. Oh my gosh you have got to check this eBay auction out! Ian Usher aged 44 is auctioning off his life! Check it out here. The current bid is $2,200,600.00. Basically he is auctioning everything in his life including friends and job with the promise he will leave with only the clothes on his back and his identity. All I can say is Wow! Well, actually I could say more but I'm too busy laughing.

Can your really sell off your life? Personally, my life isn't as good as some but it is a lot better than others and for the most part I'm pretty much happy with it. I would consider selling off the centipede portion but hey that's just me being testy before the coffee kicks in. Selling my friends off (essentially what he is doing but only those part of his life package) would never occur to me because they really are worth a lot more to me than anyone could ever give me in terms of money. The material things well heck I could replace if I really wanted. Seriously, all I can say is Wow!

So now I know you can sell your life on eBay, I'm heading right over there to make a listing. Obviously I am going to need some pretty flashy videos but I think You Tube will work nicely for this purpose. But I only want to sell off portions of my life like the pissy parts. Up for bid will be all those things that really irritate me (aka telemarketers) but trust me my computer will not be part of the deal. No family, friends or home will be part of the deal either. My hubby could possibly be part of the deal (just kidding!) but I would want a lot to compensate for the many, many years of house training I have done and since I have no desire to retrain another, he's likely not going to be part any deal. A pocket puppy as an incentive could sway me a bit but I think I'll keep the hubby. Let's see I kind of like our vehicles except the maybe the "I'm not going to start if (insert it's issue here) because of issues and it does have a lot of issues! The tow bill for this vehicle will be gladly included. The boat will not be included but two tv's that need a box shortly are included. The house or property is not part of the deal but the repair and taxes are. The buyer will assume full responsibility of both as well as snow removal. Oh and the buyer gets all the centipedes and sinus headaches because I really don't want them but they could be of use to the buyer. I'm thinking my listing should bring at least $1,000,000.00 considering the offer that Ian has.

Did I ever tell you about the bridge I am planning to auction off ;)

Garden Gnome
©2007

Recent Blessings

Majestic Palms
Las Vegas Valley
May 21, 2008

Although I have been talking about my blessings, it has been awhile since I did an actual Blog Your Blessing Sunday entry. If you have been following this blog you will already have seen several entries regarding our recent vacation in Las Vegas. We are very fortunate to even afford to be able to take a vacation both in terms of finances and time. Getting a break from normal routines makes it possible to look at daily life events in a whole new perspective. Suddenly those little irritants melt away and larger problems are easier to deal with. At the same time a break can make you appreciate those relationships and material possessions you do have. This is especially true when vacationing in a place like Las Vegas with vivid contrasts in every facet of it's existence. It's a city that ecologically shouldn't exist filled with obvious excesses yet lacking in essential resources. Residents and visitors filled with hopes and dreams of striking it rich are a marked contrast to those down on their luck. Vacations are lovely blessings. Returning home to be surrounded by the love of family and friends is a greater blessing!

Picture Comments: For me this photo is total eye candy! I don't know what it is about palm trees but I love them. They are tall, reaching to the heavens yet sway gracefully in the wind.

Have a blessing filled week,

Garden Gnome
©2007

telemarketers!

Peony
June 16, 2008

I'm sitting cuddled in a fleece blanket feeling rather warm and cozy just nicely getting into the latest Corrie episode. David is out on his little duff but not really because Audrey (his grandmother) has taken him in. Sarah and Jason brought Bethany home from the hospital. Sarah wants nothing to do with David but Bethany gives him a hug, quite pleased to see him not knowing it was him that caused her to be in the hospital. David is slunking away to his grandmother house when...

... a very lovely telemarketer decided that would be the perfect time to bug the snot out of me. See now they only do this when they know I am relaxing, enjoying the moment and I would have to get up to answer the phone. So I answer the phone to get a "Hello, is the Mrs [husband's first name][grotesquely mispronounced surname?]" I corrected the last name and replied yes to which the sales pitch started with a "Mrs [even worse mispronunciation] blah blah blah" to which I simply snapped. Ok this person is trying to sell me telephone service above and beyond what Bell offers YET cannot get my last name correct? Well that sure builds confidence in their service for me! The problem is once they start the sell they don't come up for air so the first pause about 5 minutes later I politely said "Excuse me, twice you have mispronounced my surname, you've called me during my favourite show which is the dinner hour for most people and please do not call me again until you can say my surname properly. Have a nice night." Yes, I was rude as I could have simply hung up while she was still talking but that too would have been rude.

So, we pay X amount of dollars for phone service. Hello telemarketers, that is our money paying for phone service to call those folks we need or want to call. At the same time we don't mind family and friends calling us. That's why they have our phone number. If I wanted to be sold something I could go shopping all by myself, turn on network television or go online. Guess what? Anything I find would likely be cheaper than what you are trying to sell me because it would be sold directly to me instead of having to pay you the telemarketer, a commission. Having a telephone number does not give you the telemarketer the right to contact me. So next time you call please give me your home phone number so I can call you just as you are enjoying one of your favourite television shows or better yet just as you get into a nice hot tub of water. Wait a minute perhaps I should call you about 3 am when I can't sleep so am up doing genealogy research and just need someone to talk to even though I can't say your last name.

Telemarketers! They are the bane of today's world. They are the reason call block and call display exist. They know it which is why they use numbers like 123-456-7890 like this one did. Seriously that is the number that came up on the call display.

Here's fair warning to all telemarketers out there calling our house.

You are on my dime using a service we pay good money for. I'm not answering that phone for any reason unless you have an identifiable phone number. If you are a telemarketer my rate for listening to your sales pitch $5.00 deposit then $1.50 per minute payable in advance. Mispronouncing my surname costs an additional $20. Mispronoucing my given name will cost you $100. Misspelling either will cost you an additional $150. Trying to sell me any coverage or service I already have and am happy with (ei. hubby, electricity, phone, natural gas) has a surcharge of $50. Oh and I don't need any funeral coverage either since that's going to be someone else's problem when I dead and we have a fire pit so problem solved. I take PayPal and cash, no cheques please. I require your first name, last name (please spell it correctly and speak clearly into the mic so I can repeat it if needed), your address, your first born and the times most likely to inconvenience you when I call. If you don't have a first born, please refrain from calling until you do have one. Kindly make all arrangements through my online site (just google for it). Once you have your confirmation number please call between the hours of 10 and 11 am Tuesday and I will work you into my schedule between 2 and 3 pm sometime within the following two years on a Thursday. I reserve the right to call block you at any time and post your phone number online so that you can get a lot of attention from lonely folk wanting to talk to someone. I reserve the right to totally lamblast your company online for spamming my telephone line and wasting my time even if the only reason is I'm just feeling a bit pissy. I can be bribed with gourmet food but my husband prefers golf green fees. High amounts of money or a tank of gas may work as well again payable in advance but that does not guarantee a sale. Just chock it up to the price of doing business and the cost is tax deductible anyway. You have a very lovely day and I look forward to your call - not really, I'm just playing with your mind but at least I will finally be getting paid to do so!

Garden Gnome
©2007

the elusive search

Breathless
June 15, 2008

I'm seriously out of sorts. About 2 weeks after buying this house last year, one of our kids moved in with us through no fault on their part but due to waiting for the proper paperwork for a visa to move to the US. So my husband and I have never really adjusted to being in this house just the two of us. All of a sudden there is no one to share those little ups and downs of the day with. There's no spontaneous chit chat. The house is so quiet not that there was any noticeable noise before but rather the awareness someone else was in the house.

A week ago last Saturday our soon to be newest family member made the long journey here. After a couple of days they made their way to Montreal for the final hoop to jump through at least to get into the US. Now there are hoops to jump through to be able to get back into Canada but that is another story. After arriving back here they settled in awaiting the coveted visa that arrived early Monday morning. In the meantime I pulled out my genealogy binders. It's always good to have a diversion when stressed.

I'm at a pulling my hair out stage in a couple of lines. It is really bothering me because I know the information is there just that I must be looking in the wrong places. I'm not one to settle on using only internet resources either. I want the primary source aka the person was living at the time of the event and signed or there is a trusted signature at the time of the event. That means a lot of leg work and traveling as well as costs.

I opened up the binders while slightly cursing under my breath then typed in the name and did a small google not expecting to find anything. This time however, I found someone looking for information on the same person but they had one little tid bit that I didn't. It really was a minor tid bit and one that could easily be over looked but I decided to follow through. This would mean some serious leg work so in the meantime I ordered the death records for four grandparents. In Ontario you have to prove the person is dead before ordering the birth records so essentially at $22 per long form each you order the death record (here) which can be quite revealing. Then you order the birth record at $35 each and send them back a photocopy of the same death record they sent you along with a guarantee contact. So you are basically spending $57 per person for birth and death records but if you do a search before ordering any certificate tack on an additional $15. Of course the prudent genealogy researcher is going to get the marriage records as well at another $22. Are you seeing a trend here yet? Serious genealogy research is expensive. Thinking back to these 4 individuals and a total cost for information from the Office of the Registrar will cost me $158 without the expense of gas for traveling to take photos of the tombstones assuming there are tombstones which is always a crap shoot. But when I look at how much money I have already spent on these two couples ranging from ordering microfilm, traveling, getting records like wills and oh so much more, well I really don't even think I could come close to estimating the costs. I once thought about $1000 per person in my database of almost 7,000 people but now I'm thinking it is a lot more than that. But it's only a hobby!

Wrong! It an obsession as the soon to be newest member of the family found out. The question was "will you ever be finished?" The immediate answer was "No". I am at the stage where back-ups of my database and photocopies of all written work are kept off site in a safety deposit box. On site everything is backed up on three computers, three flash drives, several CDs with written work being kept in a fireproof safe unless being worked on along with two flash drives and the CDs. Sound anal? If it does see the second last sentence of the last paragraph then do the math.

Now I'm not so patiently waiting for more records to arrive :)

Garden Gnome
©2007

Skies on Fire
June 15, 2008

Anyone who has followed this blog will know I am a die hard Coronation Street fan. I'm sorry but life does stop when Corrie is on. Thanks to satellite television I can watch it a few times through the evening or all of the weeks episodes Sunday morning. The current story line involves David Platt a seriously "love to hate" teenager. What he did (and I did miss the episode just before) was to put street drugs into the head of a doll of Bethany's. Bethany is the very young child of Sarah, David's sister born when Sarah was a young teenager. Gail, Sarah and David's mother but I think they have different fathers because David's father is Martin (a male nurse) got mixed up with Richard Hillman who tried to kill all of them by drowning but only ended up killing himself. Ok, so Richard was a little messed up but in the aftermath he left a lot of damage. However, David had a lot of hangups before this tragic event. He had found a diary by his grandmother indicating that she had stopped his abortion well really the writing was on the wall. Anyway back to the plot, Bethany is now in the hospital in intensive care although yesterday she came out of her seizures. This really is a kid in trouble. Audrey, Gail's mom and David's grandmother is against Gail kicking David out, the only real set of balls Gail has displayed since I've been watching Corrie and has now said David can move in with her. Bad news, Audrey!

Garden Gnome
©2007

reflecting on life changes

Mute Swan Cygnets
June 12, 2008

A family of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) have been visiting us each evening. If you have been following this blog you will know these swans are one of my favourite photo opportunities. They are simply magnificent water fowl, gracefully gliding over the water or flying overhead. Mute swans mate for life. Like many males of other species the drake is quite protective and can be aggressive if it perceives harm towards its mate or cygnets. This couple is likely the same couple that visited last year as they know which docks to stop at for a free meal. They really are quite trusting as well even letting me get close to the babies and take pictures. This years clutch is two male cygnets (grey) and one female (white). They are just so adorable!

Yesterday I sat on the dock waiting for their visit. I really needed a bit of down time to reflect the coming changes in our lives. After a much awaited and very complicated process one of our kids made the final trip to Montreal for the interview last week then returned home to wait for the coveted visa to arrive. Knowing it would likely arrive this morning, I was very emotional last night. Letting go of one of your kids regardless of their age is always a hard thing to do. As the swans approached I noticed one of the male cygnets was missing. Momma swan wasn't carrying it either. It was a poignant moment intensifying how I felt. I sat for quite some time after they left listening to the comforting sounds of the water.

Garden Gnome
©2007

Las Vegas Valley

Las Vegas Valley
May 20, 2008

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!

Pictured is part of the Las Vegas valley. When visiting Las Vegas there is so much more to do than just gamble. I highly recommend renting a vehicle when in Las Vegas for two reasons. First, Las Vegas is in a desert and the casinos especially on the strip are spread out meaning a lot of walking in the hot sun if you don't rent a vehicle. Second, renting a vehicle gives you the opportunity to explore the Las Vegas valley, a must see. Las Vegas lies in a valley so you can see the surrounding mountains from any direction. Driving up through them is a wonderful way to get away from all the glitz and noise. Nearby is the Hover Dam where you can take a tour, Mount Charleston and the Valley of Fire aptly named because when the sun hits the valley it does look like it is on fire. Even touring down the strip or hitting the outlying casinos is a nice drive. We have driven through residential areas as well just enjoying the scenery.

Garden Gnome
©2007

we're off to see the Wizard

Wizard of Oz Slot Machine
Four Queens
May 19, 2008

Las Vegas is definitely the place to go to play the newest slot machines. When I first discovered multi-line video slots it was there. They were 9 lines at 5¢ or 1¢ per line so a $20 bill went a long way towards entertaining me. Over the years the number of lines has increased from 9 to 30 or more with multiple amounts bet per line of 10 coins or more. Don't be fooled though as a penny machine can pay of big especially the progressives but at the same time you can still lose a lot of money in a slot machine. The thing about penny slot machines is psychologically you think it's only a penny a line but consider a 30 line machine bet at 10 pennies per line is $3 per spin and more if you play the optional bonus feature on some machines. To put that in perspective your $20 bill now gets you 6.67 spins or less than 5 minutes if you don't get any winning lines.

The multi-line video slots are set up so that certain spins trigger a bonus. Let's face it the only reason to play these machines is to get the bonus feature.

Each year we go to Las Vegas I discover a slot machine I really enjoy playing and by all means there is no point playing a slot machine unless you enjoy it. It started with Reel 'Em In then moved onto the Adam's Family, Monsters and I Dream of Genie. I never really got into Wheel of Fortune. A couple of year's ago my ultimate favourite was the Beverly Hillbilly slot machines followed by Goldfish (WMS Gaming). The Adam's Family slot machines are few and far between now as are the I Dream of Genie and Beverly Hillbilly machines. The Las Vegas Club still has a bank of Beverly Hillbilly slots but I'll bet by next year's trip they will be gone.

My favourite this year was the Wizard of Oz slot machines (WMS Gaming) that have sensory technology in the gaming chair seat (not pictured) and Bose speakers in the head rest and machine for surround sound! The gaming chair vibrates as well. To get a brief overview of this amazing slot machine click the link then watch the video. It is a 30 line penny machine with upto 10 times per line bet. There are a three main bonuses if you get the Emerald City symbol on reels 1, 3 and 5. Choose a symbol to get the Flying Monkey bonus, Emerald City bonus or a set amount of win. In the Flying Monkey bonus the monkeys fly in and turn various symbols to wild so the win can be substantial. In the Emerald City bonus you collect emeralds looking for the tin man, scarecrow, lion or Dorothy. If you click an emerald that uncovers one of these characters you then have to choose between 2 symbols. If you click the right one, once you get to the Emerald City an extra bonus will play in the top screen. However, if you are unlucky you will end up clicking an emerald that says Emerald City and go directly there . On that screen there will be five choices, one of which will be character granted. At worse you end up with a low bonus reward but if you find one or more characters along the way you can end up with a fairly nice reward. At the same time Glenda the good witch appears from time to time. The reels will giggle then a large sphere will float in from either side with Glenda inside. She turns some of the reels wild anywhere from 1 to 3 reels so you can get really nice payoffs this way.

Now what is really funny about this is I already posted how I was terrified of the Wizard of Oz movie as a child and I don't even think I've seen it as an adult in its entirety. Seriously those monkeys really did me in not to mention the wicked witch! Despite those this machine triggering some of those feelings especially the monkeys, I still really enjoyed this slot machine and played it daily during our trip. It was a good paying machine as well with my payouts being an average $60 profit per day. Not bad for a penny machine :)

I might just have to watch the Wizard of Oz now...

Garden Gnome
©2007

celebrity gnome

The Roaming Gnome
May 19, 2008

The neat thing about Las Vegas aside of all the glitter and noise is you never know when you are going to run into a celebrity so do be sure to always dress right to the bling. Bling is for those who don't know and I didn't until this trip, your jewelry. In Las Vegas that means big is better so if you like big rocks on your fingers this is the place to be but I'm digressing. We were doing a little road trip to see the new Palazzo so I dressed in my finest denim shorts with love shell (sleeveless top) paired with dressy flat sandles. My bling consisted of my normal jewelry, nothing special and as always my trusty camera. Well imagine my excitement when coming up the esculators at the Venetian who did I run into but The Roaming Gnome! In case you haven't heard he is the current most famous gnome although other gnomes are not fond of his roaming nature. After our photo shoot and a bit of friendly conversation I headed on down to make friends with the Blue Man Group. I tell you bling is good but a camera is better :)

Garden Gnome
©2007

he said, she said

Defending the Caveman Poster
Showroom at Golden Nugget
May 17, 2008

There are so many shows to choose from when in Las Vegas. A group of us decided to take in Defending the Caveman at the Golden Nugget. Ticket prices were $54.98 for the evening show and are available to purchase in advance here. Purchasing ahead is a nice way to have larger priced entertainment planned for ahead of time however we never buy entertainment tickets ahead of time as in before leaving home. The reason for this is if my husband gets onto a hot table and is winning then he won't want to walk away from the table. You always ride a hot table or even a hot slot machine until it goes cold! Drink prices for this show were horrendous at $7 compared to the same drink bought at an on site bar for $3 or free when gambling so needless to say we did not purchase drinks. The show itself is live comedy presenting the differences between men and women while explaining the evolutionary reasons why these differences exist performed by Kevin Burke. A good synopsis and video clip of this can be found on YouTube here. I found the show quite funny. In humour there is always an element of truth and Kevin Burke combines a good element of truth with humour. This is a good show to see when in Las Vegas.

Garden Gnome
©2007

I need one...

Rhinestone White Tiger
The Shoppes at The Palazzo, Las Vegas
May 19, 2008

I spotted this lovely rhinestone studded white tiger at The Shoppes at The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino. He was rather impressive in all his glittery shininess. I was quite prepared to bring him home but my husband did not agree he was worth $25,000. Yep folks, that's $25,000! We would likely would have had to pay for the extra weight to bring him home on the plane and then those fine folks guarding our border would have charged an entrance fee (13 %). Still if put in the right spot in the family room this tiger would have amused the grandbabies for a several years as they picked out the rhinestones ;)

A few points to ponder on this tiger:

• I wonder how many rhinestones it took? That would be a good party game guessing providing we could get someone to count in the first place.
• How long would it have taken the artist to stud this tiger with rhinestones?
• Why?

I'm heading on over to eBay right now and getting a large lot of clear rhinestones. Then I'm going to get a large squeeze bottle of craft glue. Armed with these two supplies and a pair of tweezers I'm going to find me a gnome looking to be glitterized to join Travelocity's Roaming Gnome (whom I had the great pleasure of meeting in Las Vegas and getting my picture taken with him this trip) in his quest to wander the world. I figure a few hours spent gluing on rhinestones will easily get me $25,000 on eBay. Hey, it can happen because anything is possible with eBay :)

Garden Gnome
©2007

Sam's Town Casino

Sunset Stampede, Mystic Falls Park
Sam's Town Casino, Las Vegas
May 16, 2008

Sam's Town Casino is one of my favourites. The Mystic Falls Park lies within the central atrium. This is a pleasant spot to wander in or sit a spell. There is a bar if you want to sit a bit longer. The animated animals make you believe they are real and nothing is more specatular than when the Sunset Stampede errupts. It is most impressive at night but is still well worth seeing anytime. The water shoots eight stories into the air as the animals comes to life. For a few short moments it is easy to belief all this is real. I took several video so I hope the short one above gives you a bit of an idea of this wonderful and free show.

Garden Gnome
©2007

The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk
South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada
May 16, 2008

The South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa is located in the southwestern portion of the Las Vegas valley, a few minutes from the Las Vegas strip. There is a 16 screen movie complex and a bowling alley in this casino which brings me to make a few comments on Las Vegas itself. Quite often when we talk of our Las Vegas trips the comment "I'm not much of a gambler so wouldn't go there." is made. The beauty of Las Vegas is you could enjoy a lovely vacation there without ever gambling a penny! Each casino has some type of attraction usually free of charge and many have additional paid attractions ranging from a token charge to about the $20 range. Simply wandering through the casinos with impressive decors could keep you busy. The larger casinos on the strip have indoor malls that are a must see with store facades and ceilings so realistic you will think you are strolling along a busy street. Scattered through the malls you will see mimes, live entertainment (wandering chorus groups, mimes and much more), amazing waterfalls and fountains and more eye candy than you can imagine. There are beautiful atriums to wander through some with wildlife or simulated wildlife (post coming soon). Then there is no end to the Las Vegas shows starting for as low as free entry with the purchase of a drink (about $7) to quite expensive with a variety of topics and themes. Some casinos like the Hard Rock have a multitude of memorabilia like outfits worn by music stars while others have museums dedicated to specific stars and even the history of Las Vegas. You can wander down to see the absolutely amazing light shows at the Fremont Street Experience (post coming soon) with four different ones nightly shown on the hour starting at 9 pm. While waiting for the next light show you can stop and watch artists as they work, listen to street musicians, listen to live bands at one of three locations and if you are lucky there will be special attractions like the dirt bikes I posted about previously. All this wonderful entertainment is free! A drive down the Las Vegas strip is a must especially at night. It is very impress so be sure to take your time and take lots of pictures. If you want a bit of time away from all the glitz and noise, a trip to the Hover Dam or Valley of Fire or Mount Charleston is highly recommended from personal experience.

I would be remiss to not include a few tips to enhance your Las Vegas vacation. Do as much prep work online as possible including checking your bags at the airport, car rental (seriously a must!), hotel reservations and research what attractions you would like to see. Make sure you buy a current copy of the American Casino Guide (no affiliation with). This book will cost you $16.95 but it is chock full of two-for-one meal coupons, coupons for freebies, show discounts and a lot more. This book will pay for itself if you only use one coupon but when you see what there is it will save you a lot more! A rough estimate of our savings using this book for our recent trip is about $300 and we didn't push it. Make sure you get a player's card for each casino you gamble at. Many offer sign-up freebies.

So, back to the Incredible Hulk. This massive statue greets visitors to the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa. My husband is above average height aka quite tall yet looked short compared to this statue. The picture of the two together was priceless!

Garden Gnome
©2007

fish

Indoor Fish Tank
Silverton Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
May 15, 2008

Each casino in Las Vegas has some type of attraction. When you walk in the doors of the Silverton you are greeted with a huge floor to ceiling aquarium stocked with an amazing variety of fish. The day we visited one of the care takers in full scuba gear was in the tank. It was an impressive sight! This video is rather short at about 20 seconds but will give you an idea of the fish tank. Enjoy!

Garden Gnome
©2007

only in Las Vegas

Dirt Bike Stunt
Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas
May 15, 2008

We like staying in the old downtown section of Las Vegas, usually at the Four Queens Hotel & Casino. They always treat us nice. Their service is always friendly, the rooms clean and the casino a lot of fun to be in. The nice thing about staying downtown is I feel comfortable walking to other downtown casinos under the cooling canopy of the Fremont Street Experience and watchful eye of security. You can't walk along the FSE without seeing one or more security personnel either walking or on bicycles and while you still need to use common sense, it's a nice feeling that they are there to help with any problems. Transients (street people) are common but are left to go about their business providing they don't bother others. Each morning of this trip I sat on the patio of the Krispykreme Doughnuts at Fitz Casino & Hotel (formerly called the Fitzgeralds). They offer free Wi-Fi for their customers so I was able to keep up a few of my online activities while enjoying a cup of coffee. It was a pleasant way to greet the day as well as do a little people watching and let me tell you, Las Vegas is a perfect place to people watch!

Friends arrived later the same day as our arrival. A couple of the girls and I decided to mosey on down to the Las Vegas Club near the end of the FSE. It's the only casino we saw this trip that still had the Beverly Hillbilly slot machines, one of my favourites from a few years back. There are three versions of these machines but the Las Vegas Club only has the Bubblin' Crude and The Clampett's Cash. Almost directly in from of the Las Vegas Club door was this huge metal mesh ball. I had seen it earlier and wondered what it was for. This time there was a crowd gathering and I could hear the noise of dirt bikes so I put two and two together. We got there just in time to see the warm up then watch as one bike entered the ball to do stunts. By the time this free show was over there were three riders inside the ball! The video of the three riders is a little over a minute long but well worth watching. Only in Las Vegas can you stumble upon such interesting and free entertainment!

Garden Gnome
©2007

our destination

McCarran International Airport
Las Vegas, Nevada
May 13, 2008

We arrived at our vacation destination of Las Vegas, Nevada on May 13, 2008. Las Vegas is one of our favourite vacation destinations. We've made the trip almost yearly for the past fifteen years and it always amazes me how much it changes within a year. One of our first stops after picking up the rental car is at the Klondike Hotel & Casino. This little locals casino was shown on Vegas Vacation with Chevy Chase (a must watch movie before each trip) although the actual name was never mentioned. There was 10 cent roulette, 10 cent black jack and they actually played war! Smoke hung in a thick cloud and the chairs did not beckon sitting on. Still it was like a good luck charm. Unfortunately the familiar red western style building with yellow lettering was no more. And so it was...

Why Las Vegas? I could answer with a why not but I won't. Seriously we love the place even though I detest the environmental impact the city has. It's a city smack in the middle of a desert! Deserts are not wastelands as they have both flora and fauna indigenous to the region. This means that suburbs with their nice little chemically dependent green carpets do not belong in the desert. The city finally woke up to that fact and is now encouraging the residents to use natural landscaping or artificial turf. The city is growing at a rate of about 5,000 people per month! It doesn't matter that the valley can't support all that growth especially with supplying water, it continues to grow. Transients make their way to Las Vegas because at least there they don't have to worry about blustery cold weather only blistery hot heat. Tourists flock there daily by the thousands.

The thing about Las Vegas is the city is really anything you want it to be. More than any other city in the world it embraces and welcomes change. Nothing stays the same. There is no history other than what is written because as soon as any building out lives its usefulness, down it goes to make way for the latest and greatest. There is glitter, noise and lights everywhere sure to over stimulate even the calmest of people. Tables groan under the weight of over filled plates combined with a lot of beverages all to the not so quiet lull of ringing, jingling slot machines. Your brain is so busy trying to process the copious amount of stimuli it simply can't focus on any personal thoughts or problems. There is no end to the visual, auditory and olfactory stimuli either. It is a constant 24/7/365 thing. The only time that I can remember in our travels there where things stopped was a 1 minute of darkness on the strip in honour of Frank Sinatra's death. Even in that the eerie darkness became another stimulus.

It is the ultimate in escape vacations!

Garden Gnome
©2007

back homeside

View from Plane
May 13, 2008

As you know we've been away on our spring vacation. Unlike previous vacation plans I did not disclose our departure date, destination or our return date and that was for personal reasons. Ok, I really want to expand on this one for my valued and loyal readers but I can't because of at least one problem reader. We are home now after a much needed and very wonderful vacation of which I will be posting about in the next few posts so will give the destination and some details.

I was excited to test out the new iPod Touch for this vacation because it meant when I wanted a bit of down time I could go online. I couldn't get it to work at the first airport but once at our destination then at the airport when leaving I had no problems. The only downside is I am now seriously addicted to Krispykreme rich brew coffee. That is your first clue that our destination was within North America. I'm not much of a doughnut eater but that coffee was most excellent! I liked that the iPod Touch allowed me to stay in touch thanks to their free Wi-Fi service and I was able to find other Wi-Fi hot spots where we were. I went online before leaving then printed off a set of free Wi-Fi locations for our destination. What I really liked with the iPod Touch was the size! It isn't much bigger than a deck of cards but only a quarter thick so was very easy to keep on me all the time. I was able to keep up with a few entrecards and replying but composing a post was horrid at best so I'm going to have to work on this one.

It was a rather different vacation. Friends of ours met up with us the day of our arrival but their hearts were not into the trip. Then I got sick and that kind of dragged on. Sis in law joined us so that was a real blast. The weather soared to over 100ºF for at least three days which meant I ended up with heat effects as well. So it was a funky trip but we still had a wonderful time. And we always do. Honestly any time I can spend with my husband is a good time. Laughter and good company, that's what it's all about :)

Garden Gnome
©2007

the wall

Wall Composition
May 9, 2008

I'm not going to disclose the meaning of this composition. All I'm going to say is I really love Photoshop! Those who know me well will likely be able to decipher it. My husband could tell you the meaning right off the bat as could likely my kids. Quiet reflection may reveal the meaning behind...not likely but maybe.

Garden Gnome
©2007

Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories

My Beloved Childhood Books
Volumes 1-6 (1950 - 1962)

When I was growing up reading and lady-like activities like needlework was encouraged. Playing with dolls was not. In fact I had very little in the way of toys but I had lots and lots of books! I can't ever remember a time where I did not have books. Books have always fascinated me. I could travel the world and learn about things I like would never see in my lifetime. Books were my friends. I preferred them to television and even as a young child my reading preferences tended to be geared towards non-fiction. My childhood love of books continued into childhood. I have a extensive and always expanding library. The nice thing is this love was passed onto our children who are now passing it on to their children.

Pictured is my beloved set of Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories. The inside cover of each book has my name written in my Mom's handwriting. When I say Mom I am referring to the wonder woman who raised me (more on Mother's Day 2008 entry). She was well into her 50's when I came to be but she was a good Mom and I miss her dearly. You might remember these stories from a large, blue table top book in your doctor's office. I think some doctor's offices still have copies. I have volumes 1 through 6, written by Arthur S. Maxwell (1896 - 1970) and published between 1950 and 1962 although the original stories were first published in 1924. While I didn't know it at the time, the stories within were to teach good Christian values. The stories not only teach morals they sooth your soul much the same as chicken noodle soup soothes the body when not feeling well. As you can see from their covers, these books have been well used. I read them cover to cover many times while I was growing up then when I had children I shared those same stories with them. Now his stories will be passed on to our grandchildren as they cuddle on our laps. These much beloved books are a way of melding my past with future generations. I hope they will love the stories as much as I did and still do.

Garden Gnome
©2007

The Garden Gnome :)

A couple of months ago I clicked on a link to Entrecard on another blog. Unlike other traffic generating websites, Entrecard uses a system of credit currency where you earn credits by dropping your entrecard (an online form of a business card) on other members blogs. They in return can choose to visit your blog or not. Credits earned may be used to advertise on other blogs or they can be used to run special events like contests or giveaways on your blog. They can also be transferred to other members as a reward or just to say thank-you. The biggest difference is that unlike other traffic generating websites, credits earned through Entrecard can be bought or sold, so they do have a cash value.

Each blog must have a unique email address associated with that blog. To date, I have two blogs active on Entrecard. Each blog is allowed a 300 maximum daily drop. I created icons to be used as my entrecards for each of my blogs and one for my Epinions link. I tried to keep them similar so if you see any of these icons while are surfing you will immediately recognize them as mine. Clicking the icon will bring you to the associated site. So if you stumple upon one of my icons, please click and leave a message to say hi.

For those of you who don't know, my nick name Garden Gnome came from one of my kids after affectionately patting me on the head and telling me I looked like a garden gnome! The nick name stuck. The avatar on my profile is a picture of Gnameless, one of my gnomes, At present, I have fourteen gnomes, all with names. Some are outdoor gnomes while others are indoor gnomes. I also have a few fairies, smurfs and pixies but only one troll who only appears at Christmas along with a few elves.

All of my blogs have the common themes of family and friends, love of nature and good food yet each are unique in their own way. They were created as a way of sharing what is important to me. In many ways when combined they have become somewhat of a personal diary. Family is my priority so while I may blog my opinions and occasionally a minor rant you won't see inappropriate material. All are family oriented so even little ones can enjoy them. I'm a very visual person so you will see a lot of photos, video clips and that type of thing. Most of the photos and images are either taken or created by me. So a bit about my bogs:

Garden Gnome Wanderings was my first large scale blog, created on April 25, 2006. At that time I had five raised beds and small greenhouse, planted using the square foot gardening method. I also had traditional flower beds and grew in containers. Blogging about my gardening experiences became a way of sharing the ups and downs of gardening. It also became a learning experience for me. This blog has evolved to include environmental issues and more detailed write-ups about various plants and garden visitors. We moved last year so I'm in the process of re-organizing gardens, while re-establishing vegetable and herb beds as well as learning about what is here.
Mom's Cafe Home Cooking was created April 28, 2006 as a natural extension to my gardening blog. With gardening comes excess produce so I do a lot of home food preserving, mainly canning and freezing but also drying and curing. I like to cook and I like putting good, healthy food on the family table. This blog really features my cooking style and how I do things in the kitchen. The food is very much a down home, country style of cooking and while I like to experiment with new ingredients, you won't find a lot of gourmet here. What you will find is good food mingled with my thoughts and something I feel important is the economics of food preparation especially when it comes to canning. Entries include but are not limited to recipes, opinions, methods, tips, appliances and so much more but the main focus is on cooking.

My Journey (this blog) was created September 19, 2006 as a way of sharing things that didn't fit into either cooking or gardening. Just about any topic I find interesting that day is fair game. Most Sundays are a Blog Your Blessings (BYBS) post, the brainchild of BluePanther, so please stop by and say hi. Thanks to him I've met some very nice bloggers. For quite some time Mondays were reserved for funnies and Wednesdays were wordless but 2008 saw that changing a bit although both still appear from time to time. The change was not deliberate but more of my sometimers kicking in. I have a lot of fun with this blog simply because I talk about anything and everything!
Garden Gnome at Home went online December 10, 2006 at the request of an online friend. This blog highlights some of the things I do as a homemaker. It also highlights crafts and hobbies as well as problems we encounter being home owners. Posts tend to follow what I'm doing then and if I feel others will be interested. Photos, tips and methods are included. This is more of a how to blog but not always. Some of the topics featured include: gardening, cooking, scrapbooking, knitting, sewing, crocheting, decorating and much more. There is a strong environmental component as well with energy efficiency playing a large part in some posts.

I joined Epinions on October 18,2006. Why? I have a lot of opinions on the products that I use. I try to be very fair and very detailed with any of my ratings as any product will have both pros and cons. What you will find are products I've use and rated according to performance. Disclosure: I am compensated for my opinions but that doesn't affect my ratings for products and/or services. I basically tell you what it is based on my experience.

Now you have met all my icons so be sure to stop by and say hello!

Garden Gnome
©2007

hide-aways

Lilacs
May 11, 2006

Lilacs have to be one of my fondest childhood memories. We had three lilac trees. One was the same colour as that pictured, another a pale bluish purple and the last was white. The pinky purple was my absolute favourite especially when in bloom. That was my tree! I couldn't wait for spring to see it in bloom. Then to the dismay of my Mom as climbing trees wasn't very ladylike, I would climb up to find my favourite sitting spot while breathing in their sweet fragrance. Years of trimming had formed a perfect sitting cradle complete with a couple of stumps just perfect for small feet to boost their way up to that special spot. Most times I brought a book with me and later the much cherished Kodak instamatic camera. Embraced by the leafy bows and hidden from view, I spent many a summer afternoon shielded from the heat while enjoying a good book.

My lilacs are just starting to blossom here reminding me of days gone by...

Garden Gnome
©2007

when I grow up

"A slideshow of the lovely Mrs. Shirley Jane Temple Black, with pictures from 1929 to 2006, set to her song "When I Grow Up."

Look closely at 1:14, it's Shirley strolling across the MGM lot with Clark Gable, Mickey Rooney, and Judy Garland. And she's hugging Dakota Fanning at 1:12."

by lastsafeplace from YouTube

Garden Gnome
©2007

Shirley Temple Black (1928 - )

When I was young one of the things I looked forward to was watching Shirley Temple movies Sunday afternoons. My other favourite was The Wonderful of Disney but was terrified of The Wizard of Oz. Back then we didn't watch a lot of television not because we only had four channels through the arial but because there were so many other kid things to do outside. My Mom looked forward to watching Bonanza and The Big Valley. Every Sunday night the television was tuned to The Lawrence Welk Show.

Bill Bojangles Robinson and Shirley Temple
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms
1938

I have remained a Shirley Temple Black fan over the years collecting memorabilia include all of her movies in various formats. As DVDs of her movies came out, I collected those as well even though I have them in VHS. Many of the old movies have been colourized but I have to admit I prefer the black and white versions. Our television was a black and white so that's the way I remember them. Original paper doll cut-out books, colbalt blue bowls and cups, news clippings, collector dolls and other collector items along with her award winning autobiography Child Star joined my collection years ago. I'm always on the look-out to add more to my collection. Thanks to YouTube I have discovered some lovely video clips so will be enjoying them as well.

Garden Gnome
©2007

Sparkling Waters
May 4, 2008

Dear Readers, when we go on vacation you are used to seeing the "'puter on vacation" image. This time I decided to do two things differently. Thanks to Blogger's new scheduling option, I've worked quite hard to give you several scheduled posts for reading during my absence. That means I created several posts before leaving but have each scheduled to go online on different dates. By the time you read this post, we will be on our way. The main theme for this vacation series is childhood memories but there are a couple that do not fit into that category. Through these posts you will learn a few tidbits about me. Some you may find interesting and others not so. I hope you enjoy them. The second difference is as a new owner of an iPod Touch I will be able to stay in touch with blog comments, emails and may even make a blog post while away. Although I won't be online much, this will be a nice change for when I want a little personal down time. The iPod Touch will be a lot easier to travel with than the laptop as well.

I'll disclose more about our vacation through later posts. Take care and enjoy,

Garden Gnome
©2007

Happy Mother's Day

Garden Gnome
©2007

life is like that

Folks send me some rather interesting emails, some of them containing jokes or laughter that fit into the "life is like that" category where somehow my funny bone just takes over. Here is one I recently received that gave me a chuckle while vivid images floated through my mind. Honestly I could easily see this happening! As a little person lover (gnomes, dwarfs, fairies, smurfs, etc) please be assured the following is in fun.

Officer, this is how the fight started...

I rear-ended the car in front of me. I admit that. It was my fault.

So, we both pull over to the side of the road, and slowly the driver of the
car I hit gets out of his car. . and you know how you just-get-sooo-stressed... and life...
sometimes life seems like... well suddenly funny?

Well, the driver of the car I hit is a DWARF! He gets out of his car and
I get out of my car.

He is frowning and scowling and he storms over to me in that cute little wobble walk and he gets right up close at me he looks up in my face and says, "I AM NOT HAPPY!"

And I swear I don't know what possessed me, officer, but I look down at him and I
said, "Well, if you're not Happy..............................which one are you?"

. . . . and that's when the fight started...

Garden Gnome
©2007

paradyme shift

The Messenger
April 28, 2008

Last week was trouble with a capital T with a stress level high enough to make the most patient person turn the air blue. It all started quite innocently with me taking a walk about the gardens. As always my camera was safely tucked in my hand because you never know when a photo opportunity will arise. Spotting the beautiful blooms on this bush, I just had to take a picture. The bush sits in front of one of the lower level windows, the only one with a window well. The reason for the well is that is were they put a sewer clean-out. There is the window well sat a good portion of the red jello I had flushed down the toilet! Silly me put the cap back on the clean-out and ran a load of laundry resulting in a bit of a water blow-up in the upper level washroom and a window well full of soapy . Well it was all down hill from there. A flurry of phone calls got the plumber and backhoe operator out. More frantic phones were made to get line locates before digging. With the prospect of being with indoor toilets, laundry or bath facilities we had to make quick temporary arrangements. Adding to the stress was the prep work of two larger get togethers we were hosting Saturday. The first one was to great our newest grandbaby into our expanding family (54 expected), followed by a family dinner and finally my husband's poker games (30 - 35 expected). On top of that I was forced into a rather difficult decision that left me both hurt and saddened but in my heart I know it was the right decision. Just when I thought I was at my breaking point, something amazing happened. My sense of humour as warped as it can be kicked in. A sense of humour can be a huge blessing and so it was for me last week.

Every time I looked in the mirror I gave myself a quick smile. I made sure to get my daily 30 minutes of walking in even though I didn't feel like it. I went out of my way to find something, anything to make me smile or laugh. Instead of my normal HGTV or FoodNetwork watching I purposely turned to the comedy shows. I even decided to research a bit on an Apple product (iPod Touch) on of my kids recommended instead of a new PDA, not that I was seriously considering updating. Every time something negative happens I forced myself to take 10 deep breaths while chanting this too shall pass. By the time the kids with grandbabies in tow arrived I was in a right chipper mood.

My family brings me great deal joy. They are my most cherished blessing! Oldest grandbaby (16 months) is a true treasure much like one of her parents aka both (one biological, one through marriage) our pride and joys. Now oldest grandbaby discovered youngest grandbaby (1 month) who I think looks like the parent who married into the family but who is very much considered one of out kids but others think the baby looks like our kid. Little Miss Sunshine (oldest) is used to being the one and only so it was interesting when grandpa held the youngest and the oldest insisted on being up on his lap as well. She snuggled up to grandpa then every once in awhile would plant a soft kiss on the baby, something she has just learned. Talk about adorable! Grandma's camera was in high gear. Then when grandma held the baby all of a sudden grandma's lap was the place to be for the oldest. We ended up with a lot of precious, precious pictures! I couldn't help but being a bit saddened at the thought that this too shall pass and yet marvel at watching these two little ones, each their own personalities and blossoming surrounded by an abundance of love.

PS, the iPod Touch is now en route so I will be able to blog a bit while on vacation. I post about both shortly. Oh and the boat is down with this year's maiden journey enjoyed yesterday.

Garden Gnome
©2007

bizzare

The Head
May 1, 2008

When we moved here last year, I had little idea that we would encounter hidden bizarreness. On first sight the massive fireplace and and beautiful tongue and groove panels ceilings sporting large beams combined with matching wainscoting in most of the lower level meant love at first sight. Set on a beautiful park-like setting with overflowing gardens and backing onto the water sealed the deal. Hidden throughout the house and lurking in the gardens was what I can best describe as being bizarre and that's coming from someone who prides herself in having a gnome empire!

We seriously hauled out two truck loads of very weird almost scary garden decorations last summer. The gnomes in their wisdom declared the findings bad karma. Not one of them were in one piece. There was the dinosaur missing a good portion of his top half, small statues missing arms or legs or heads and similar type items including the tombstone I posted about shortly after moving in. Seriously the former owner either had a very warped sense of humour and/or had issues! My poor gnomes were all in a tither at the scary findings.

Yesterday we were clearing out a garden bed as in eliminating it. Just when we thought we had found all the strange ones out pops The Head pictured above along with more of his garden mates. He actually is intact with all apparent parts. The toothy grin sent me into fits of laughter! Considering by that time we were into day four of sewer problems meaning no indoor toilets or showers, that grin just smacked of a gotcha. Then it hit my funny bone and I started laughing. After all the week's upsets, a belly rolling laugh was just the perfect stress buster. Laughter is good for the soul regardless of how it comes about :)

Garden Gnome
©2007