Blog Police

Some Say Weeds
June 4, 2009

In my daily jaunts through the blogosphere I come across many interesting blogs. Quite often I will stop and read or even make notes of something about the design I liked that might work with one of my own blogs. This morning I came across a blog entry on I Love/Hate America, a blog that I have visited before. Her recent post which is now closed to comments was the inspiration for today's blog post. She mentioned feeling she could not be herself on her own blog, getting annoyed and upset about comments left, always posting on schedule, not posting just for the sake of posting, some complaining about her pictures and the blog police. I think every blogger out there can empathize with this blogger's feelings!

The only real blog police I have come across were the narrow minded owner and moderators over at Entrecard. They thought they could dictate content and design of blogs in their system. Well that worked out well as the decent bloggers left in droves leaving them a splog (spam blog) haven. The only folks that can actually police you are your blog host if you are doing something illegal. That's it!

With respect to my own blogs:

If I thought I could not be myself I would certainly not be blogging! They are my blogs, my rules, my values and my views through my eyes. My blogs are a reflection of me, what I believe in, where I've been, where I'm going and what's important to me. If I'm not happy blogging then you are either going to hear about it in a rant or I simply won't blog. Blogging is always and should always be about the blogger! I determine content, design, colours and tone of the blog.

I always encourage comments and while they are moderated as most bloggers do unless they are blatant spam or purposely nasty, they are approved. Here is the problem with comments. Some people under the cloak of anonymity feel they can say whatever they want. They feel they can criticize to high heaven and sometimes it has nothing to do with the post itself! Sometimes it is little more than a personal attack likely because the comment felt compelled to lash out at someone because he or she was having a bad hair day. I had one criticize the colours I chose for my cooking blog without even knowing why those colours were important. I had another tell me that with such good content it's a pity I didn't use a spelling and grammar checker. Now in the comment regarding colour my attitude was "oh well, c'est la vie" but in the comment about spelling and grammar I thought "ok, time to proof read a bit more carefully". Comments can be constructive or destructive but they are just that. I don't let them get to me but at the same time if someone feels compelled to leave a nasty or personal attack comment I don't feel compelled to pass it along to my readers!

Blogger came up with scheduling blog posts which is really a fantastic tool when used properly. I use this feature if I know I'm going to be away for an extended period of time and for certain special posts that run on the same day each week like Wordless Wednesday posts. Other than that I really feel that blog posts should be spontaneous. Something catches your eye as you're surfing, blog about it. It's the right now, in the moment that makes blogging fun and interesting. To blog simply to blog is what blogging is all about. I can't tell you how many times I have taken a picture then spontaneously blogged about it.

Pictures are a wonderful addition to any blog and they are a reflection of the blogger. How dare anyone ever criticize a picture a blogger has put on their blog? True it might not be something you like but it is something the blogger liked. There was something about that picture that even for a brief moment caught the attention of the blogger enough to include it in the post. It doesn't matter whether you see the relevance it matters that the blogger saw the relevance.

With respect to the blog police:

You have no authority over blogs so don't even bother trying. You can leave a comment and I may or may not consider it. In fact I may or may not publish it. If you think you can do a better job, set up your own blog and do it! In the meantime quit trying to force your views about what a blog should be on other bloggers.


Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Behind the Scenes of Blogging

Promising Skies
June 4, 2009

This past week I've spent working on my blogs behind the scenes tweaking some of the code. The biggest change I made was adding meta tags. This is code that tells the search engine bots what the blog is about by adding a description and keywords. Sounds easy, doesn't it? It turns out that there are character limits for each of the meta tags. If they are too long search engines will ignore or ban your blog. The meta tag for description must be worded properly, under 150 characters and cannot be just a list of keywords. The meta tag for keywords must be under 874 although you should use considerably less than that with no keyword repeated more than 3 times. Trade and brand names should not be used in your keyword tag unless you own them. Keyword spamming or using keywords that have nothing to do with your blog will get your blog banned from some search engines. I used an online meta tag analyzer to make sure my tags were correct. With that done I stumbled upon a site that explained back links, why they are important and how to check them.

Back links are those links coming into your blog from other websites or blogs. Ideally you want more back links than out going links on your blog. You get back links by leaving comments on other blogs or in forums and groups. You also get back links when your blog is referenced by another blog or you are added to their blogroll. However, I quickly learned that there are dos and don'ts for both back linking and out going links. Out going links should not go to a site that has been blacklisted by one or more search engines. Some out going links should have the 'rel=#nofollow' to tell the search engines not to check that link but you have be careful with using this as what it can also tell the search engines is you don't trust that link. There is also indication that one major search engine is going to start treating nofollow differently penalizing those who use it too much. This isn't much of a problem for my blogs but for someone writing a 'make money' blog there are some links you definitely should not use. Some back links cannot be controlled as anyone can add a link for your blog on their blog. Search engines understand that. You can control your back links with respect to which blogs and forums you comment on so choose these wisely. These types of comments must not be comment spam simply to get a back link!

All of my blogs have a lot of images but the search engines don't see the actual image so the image content does not get indexed. To get the search engines to index the image content I found out you have to use the alt"" portion in the image code. For example in the image above I changed the alt"" to alt"Promising Skies sunset". Now the image content will be indexed so if someone searches for sunset this image will be included in the search results.

Looking back over the last few day, I learned an awful lot about search engines! There are a surprising number of search engines each with their own way of evaluating your content. Your blog may appear as number 1 or on page 1 on one search engine yet on another may not appear until page 3. The ever present concern over page rank (PR) is Google specific so while it tells you how your blog is viewed by their bots, it says nothing as to how other search engines see your blog. Without meta tags the chances of search engine bots finding you are greatly reduced. You increase your chances of being viewed by search engine bots if you submit your blog to them. That is an invite for their bots to crawl your blog content and index it. I also found out that you get more attention from the search engines by regularly adding content to your blog but changing your template too often will get you less attention. Tweaking your template is better than doing a dramatic overhaul of your template. The best you can do is have good meta tags, submit your blog to search engines and keep creating good content on a regular basis. Once you've done all this focus on having fun blogging!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

So You Want More Traffic to Your Blog?

Blogging is not quite as easy as it seems. Getting traffic to you blog is critical and it involves a fair amount of work. There are a few key components that any blogger who is in it for the long run needs to consider aside of content and design both of which are critical to the success of your blog. Your personality as in you the author must be first and it must shine. Let your readers see both the good and the bad but especially with a personal blog if you are talking about the bad take the humorous approach. All the content and personality will not do you a lot of good if you don't get your blog indexed in the search engines!

Wednesday afternoon I got close and personal with search engine optimization (SEO) for my blogs. I found out a lot about SEO! First you need to add meta tags to your blogs. You can have excellent content but the search engines don't see your blog the way bloggers or your readers do. What the meta tags do is say hey here I am much like a beacon in the dark guiding the way. They guide search engines to your blog. Meta tags must be formatted properly and there are guidelines as far as properly formatting (here). I used a couple of online tools to help me with the SEO:

• Wordtracker - will help you find good key words for your meta tags
• Scrub the Web - a free meta tag analyzer and you can submit to 10 search engines
  

A few notes on using key words. Do not spam! No keyword should be used more than 3 times. If you do some search engines will ban blog. Don't use keywords that pertain to your blog! Sure you can add a lot of key words and I don't need to explain this but trust me the search engines don't like the bait and switch technique. They will ban your blog meaning you get no traffic from them. Don't use trademark protected words! That is a sure fire way to get banned from the largest search engine and you really don't want that. Constantly monitor your keywords! From time to time you will need to update your meta tags.

Be warned after you have added your meta tags and submitted to search engines it can take up to 10 weeks for your blog to be indexed. Do a search of free search engine submissions and continue submitting your blog. Do the same thing with directories but remember it will take time for your blog to be indexed. Just keep adding your blog every chance you get!

Ok, now with my meta tags in place and submitted to search engines there are a couple of ways to go. I chose to ping my blogs first. Pinging is another beacon that says here I am! If you don't regularly ping you are losing the prospect of gaining new traffic. I used Ping My Blog but there are other ping services out there. Essentially you should ping your blog after each update or at least once weekly. What a ping does is sends a message to critical blogging sources like directories and search engines to say I'm alive, well and still blogging. Regular pinging means more traffic to your blog!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday - Yellow Roses

Yellow Roses
June 4, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Dear Mr Google

Evening Moonrise
June 4, 2009

As many of you know I author five blogs. Since their inception they have continuously been modified and updated not only with respect to regular blog posts but also their over all design. The over all design involves the background, header, any titles, fonts and layout. All of my blogs use original graphics that I have made myself for the purpose of blogging. They help set the mood for my blogs. In addition to that all of my blogs have several as in almost every post original pictures I have taken myself or images I have created as part of my post. In addition to the design I try to provide quality content. Why does any of this matter?

In the world of blogging there is something called PR (page rank). That's determined by Google and it determines where you are in Google's search engin. It does fluctuate depending on the age of your blog and how you are maintaining it. Apparently a lot of bloggers are seeing their PR cut due to the new algorithim Google is using. So here lies the rant. In the last PR update Google saw fit to cut the PR on this blog and Canadian Perspective. They left the other blogs alone having decreased my gardening blog in their last update. Now this is despite regular updates, using appropriate keywords, creating what I feel are nice layouts and creating backlinks. So here is my open letter to them.

Dear Mr Google

I work hard to keep my blogs updated with good content displayed on what I feel are rather pleasing templates. Take a look at my side bar. See that Adsense listed there? Well that makes you money of which you give me a mere pittance despite me doing all the work. How fair is that? Cutting my PR means less traffic to this blog which ultimately means less money to you. Now I know the piddly little bit of money you make off of my blogs don't really matter to you in the big picture. Heck you already have enough money so you really don't need any more. So maybe I should just use my own form of PR for you and just eliminate those ads from my blogs. I'm sure my readers won't mind in the least!

Sincerely,

Garden Gnome


Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

A Little Monday Humour

I hope this cute video brings a little chuckle.

Enjoy!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

BYBS - Wonder of Youth

The past week has been relaxing, peaceful and uneventful. The underlying blessing through the week has been the wonder of youth. It's spring and we are surrounded by youth from new little seedlings to the wonderful little ducklings quietly nesting under our bushes. We have baby bunnies, baby robins and baby Morning doves. The swans visit us daily with the cutest, fluffy little cygnets. As if that wasn't enough parents of oldest and youngest grandbabies visited this weekend. Oh my gosh!

The small hills in our yard that the lawn service hates are a total source of amusement for oldest grandbaby. "Come on Poppa, up the hill" over and over! The water traffic took on a whole new perspective. Those pesky stones Grandma and Poppa are trying to get rid of made a resounding "plonk" when oldest grandbaby tossed them delightfully into the water then melted into fits of laughter. And so the weekend went with us re-discovering the world through the eyes of a toddler. What a beautiful blessing!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Shortest Letter to the Editor

[from my email files]

*****

"The NHL obviously fears that if Hamilton gets a professional hockey team, Toronto will want one too."

Ed Shannon, Toronto , The Globe And Mail, May 9, 2009

*****

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

The Walk

The Pond
June 4, 2009

The past week or so has been rather peacefully enjoyable and uneventful. My husband is feeling much better, the kids and grandbabies are all happy and healthy, the weather is cool but nice and I feel great. Seriously the most excitement I had was opening a seldom used online email inbox to find 200 spam messages! While this makes for wonderful day to day living, it doesn't provide much fodder for blogging! I decided to take a walk last evening and as always taking the digital camera with me. We live in a gorgeous location on the Great Lakes waterway so there are always lots of beautiful photo opportunities so the camera is pretty much joined at the hip.

As I walked, I stopped several times to take pictures of interest including this pretty picture of a small nearby pond. If you look close towards the far end there are wild lily pads in bloom. Unfortunately the close-up pictures of the pretty yellow blooms came out blurry so I'll have to try again. I managed to get several great pictures that will provide something to blog about. At the same time the walk provided some nice, relaxing exercise. When I got back home, I sat on the dock until the mosquitoes came out then made my way to the sunporch where I sat enjoying the sunset and sounds of the water. It was really a lovely way to end the day!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday - Ontario Countryside

Ontario Countryside
May 30, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

First Boating Trip of 2009

The Wake May 31, 2009

Sunday afternoon my husband went down to wash and clean up the boat. I didn't go as I needed a bit of peace and quiet so it was a surprise when he called telling me to lock up the house and go to the dock. He called from the boat! I managed to get a few great shots as he pulled up to the dock. A lot of people get great pictures from their boats but quite often don't get a picture of their own boat as it's cruising through the water so that was rather nice. I climbed into the boat and we were off on a slow putz. Despite being cooler and windy earlier in the day, the sun was bright and warm. It was a very pleasant outing!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Weekend Visitors

Weekend Visitors
May 30, 2009

Meet our weekend visitors. Aren't they adorable? Our first year we got to know a family of Mute swans (Cygnus olor) who visited our dock daily. When we first met them they had 3 cygnets, two males and a female. As the second summer drew to a close only one cygnet remained. Mute swans mate for life and care for their young through the second year. When the young swans leave, the couple has another clutch. This year's clutch is 2 cygnets although it could have been more. It is quite funny as the male (cob) and female (pen) swans are quite tamed. They come close enough we could pet them if we wanted to and unless we made a sudden or threatening move, I'm sure they would let us. We always feed them a whole grain bread and lettuce. Some feed them dry dog food but that is too high in protein and can cause malnutrition in Mute swans. A mixture of poultry layer pellets and cracked corn can also be used as a feed.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Ducklings

Duck Egg
May 29, 2009

This is the second spring that we've had a nesting pair of Mallard Ducks but I suspect they have been nesting here for quite some time. The ducklings have hatched! Pictured is the remains of one of the six egg shells. The nest is tucked well under the bushes close to the water protecting the babies from harm. I didn't want to intrude to far so as to stress the mom. Shortly I will be able to get pictures of the little ones!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday - Left the Nest

Left the Nest
May 26, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Tulips
May 16, 2009

I love taking walks with oldest grandbaby! Through her eyes I see things anew, through the eyes of a toddler. It is so refreshing! During our last visit to the kids oldest grandbaby and I took a short walk both of us sporting digital cameras. Now this was really a hoot! We made several stops to talk pictures along the way while we enjoyed each others company. I taught the finer art of blowing dandelion puffs and when that didn't work a small hand making the fluff dance in the air brought fits of laughter from grandbaby.

It's funny how fast the little ones grow! There is nothing left of the babyishness in oldest grandbaby. In it's place is a determined little one almost too old for the age. It amazes me some of the things she is capable of doing like working her Daddy's iPhone including playing games on it. Her mind is a little sponge catching everything and missing nothing. It's such a priceless time!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

BYBS - Health Care

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the rally to help save the smaller Ontario hospitals (here). The smaller communities and rural areas in Ontario have a doctor shortage that has forced some residents who cannot get a family doctor to rely on the closest emergency rooms. We live in a rural area but are amongst the lucky one who do have a regular family doctor. Last week we were very blessed to have the closest emergency room open! Closing this emergency room would have meant a considerably longer drive just to be able to get help. So I am very, very grateful that for the time being the closest emergency room is to be left open. Whether this reprieve continues remains to be seen. The reality is many people just like us are facing emergency room closures that will put lives at risk.

On the topic of health care, there is the myth that Canada has socialized health care. Access to health care is available to all Canadian citizens. Whether they are close enough or have the means to access that health care is another issue which is why keeping the emergency rooms of these small hospitals is so important. Now in many cases medications are required. That is not covered under the access to health care. There are provincial plans for low income, senior citizens, those on social assistance and those aboriginals living on reserves. If you have a provincial drug plan there is a deductible that you need to meet before they pay for the drug. The provincial drug plans only cover an approved list of drugs so if the drug required is not on the list you are out of luck if you do not have the money to pay for the prescription. Unfortunately so many Canadians who have recently lost their jobs will not be able to afford prescriptions and may not be able to wait for the approval time for provincial drug plans. That means they simply have to go without the necessary drugs. We do not have prescription coverage of any kind. I feel very blessed to be fortunate enough that we have had both the ability and foresight to budget for an emergency fund for prescription costs.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

A Sad Ending

Reflections
May 16, 2009

Several years back when our kids were pre-teens a little girl in the Detroit area went missing. At the time I followed the story of this little one. Unfortunately the outcome was not good. I cried for the family then was horrified when it later came out that the mother had been involved. I'm sorry that is just not something I can understand! Mothers and fathers are supposed to protect their children from harm. I know that just the sheer act of giving birth to a child does not make you a parent but the instinct to protect your child from harm begins for most the moment you find out you are expecting.

Once again I have been following the story of little Victoria (Tori) Stafford who was 8 years old when she was abducted in Woodstock, Ontario on April 8, 2009. Again the outcome is the worst case scenerio. Two individuals are now in custody with the 28 year old male charged with abduction and murder while the 18 female charged with abduction and accessory to murder. There is some indication her charge will be updated to murder as well even though she is helping police in locating Tori's remains.

I've been very active in trying to get the word out to bring this little girl home. Because of that I have refrained from passing judgement against the parents of Tori. I'm sorry, the following is going to sound very harsh but it echos what others have already been saying and it is my gut feeling.


Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday - Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink
May 7, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Springtime

Spring Blossoms
May 10, 2009

Spring is a wondrous time that always signifies renewal not only for our surrounding environment but also the spirit. There's the new growth combined with cleaning off winter's grime. There's the anticipation of warmer weather to come. It is officially spring here even though it is still unseasonably cool. The cooler, wet spring has slowed progress in the gardens. Yesterday we woke to a good coating of frost. I acted on the previous day's frost warning so all my plants were protected so had very little frost damage.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Online Help

Tulipia tarda
March 26, 2009

I just love the power of the internet! Today with the help of online friends I managed to identify a very pretty plant in our garden (more here). Pictured is the illusive Tulipia tarda, a lovely dwarf tulip species. Now I can move on to identifying a few other plant species lurking in my garden. There are several simply because the previous owner kept planting and planting and planting. That means we are onto year two of ripping out plants that never should have been planted in the first place.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday - Spring Beauty

Spring Beauty
May 7, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Duct Tape Babysitter

Oh come on, I can hear the chuckle :)

PS. the picture has been making its way around online. I'm not sure who took it.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

My Commentary on the Tamil Protests

I had a great spammers post idea for today but decided to address the Tamil protest in Toronto instead. If you haven't been following the various Tamil protest they have been holding rallies in front of the United States Consulate on University Avenue in Toronto. At times their numbers have actually delayed and/or prevented people from getting to out patient clinics at the hospitals. They have disrupted traffic in the downtown core of Toronto for several days. Yesterday almost 2,000 Tamil protesters decided it would be a great idea to close down the Gardiner for 6 hours because they want Canadian government action to stop the genocide/civil war against Tamils in Sri Lanka. It took more than 5 hours to clear the backlog due to this closure. Public safety was clearly endangered. Today they continue to disrupt traffic.

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Canadian government just sent $3M dollars for humanitarian aid for the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka. That's $3M that could have been used to keep our local hospitals open. That's $3M that could have used in Canada to help those who are very much hurting from the recession. That's $3M that could have been used to help the Canadian homeless situation. That's $3M of our hard earned tax dollars that we pay to our Canadian government on our behalf. They are even resorting to calling anyone who doesn't support their cause a racist! Enough!

The reality of the situation and while I do empathize with the Tamil plight is Canada cannot intervene and has no way of being able to enforce any sanctions against Sri Lanka. The Canadian government has no legal jurisdiction in Sri Lanka. So far Canadians have been very tolerant of the Tamil protests not only in Toronto but in other major cities BUT our patience is wearing thin! Last night the illegal seizure of the Gardiner was the straw that broke the camel's back. Occupying a Canadian road or highway is such a fashion is illegal regardless of the cause! Each and every participant in this seizure should have been arrested and removed. They definitely should be investigated for putting their children in harms way. I believe that is called endangering the welfare of a minor that is also a chargeable offense. As newer immigrants they rely heavily on our Canadian welfare system without contributing to our tax base YET are at the moment costing us thousands of dollars over these protests. Don't forget the Tamils support the LTTE a know terrorist group. Yet when the Tigers were doing the killing and maiming over the 26 yr old war the Tamils had no complaints. It's only since the Sri Lanka government started winning the war that now the Tamils in Canada complain! Like as if blood is not already on their hands? They came here as refugees wave their Tiger flags NOT Canadian flags even though they are supposed to be Canadian YET have no problem holding a city as hostage. It is our tax dollars they are wasting!

Here's what I'm thinking. I'm sick and tired of our tax dollars being wasted and diverted out of Canada. I'm sick and tired of our tax dollars being wasted with our men in blue and mounted police trying to congenially keep the peace over illegal protests. I think what we need is a huge group of like minded folks to get together and shut down every single highway in Canada! Unfortunately that is not the Canadian way to get things done.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

BYBS - Flowers

The past week was a stressful one yet throughout the difficulties one blessing helped me keep things in perspective. Flowers became the blessing theme for the week both indoors and outdoors. I cannot imagine my life without flowers! Flowers ask nothing of you, make no demands and yet give so much. Even the flowers on plants some consider as weeds are beautiful. I can't recall ever seeing an ugly flower!

My husband surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of bright flowers to brighten the family room. A variety of narcissus, crocuses and crabapple blooms brightened the gardens. The Vinca major, Lamiums and Sweet Woodruff are blooming as are a couple of smaller flowering bushes. The lilac bushes are just starting to bloom. I discovered two new large patches of beautiful but unidentified flowers. One has bright yellow flowers with pale tips that are about 3 inch diameter. The other similar flowers that appear to be a double bloom in white with pink streaks. Both are very pretty and there appears to be a fair amount of the same plants that are not mature enough to bloom yet. The lily of the valley are up but not in full bloom yet. Even the few cheery dandelions were enough to bring a smile!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Random Act of Kindness

Bright Smiles
May 1, 2009

My husband surprised me with a bouquet of beautiful, bright flowers last week to cheer me up. What a sweetheart! I have very much appreciated their cheery colours. The last couple of weeks have been both emotionally and physically draining. Each time I felt my stress level rise, I stopped and took a few deep breaths while enjoying my flowers. Complicating things was another horrid sinus attack that lasted a little over 4 days exasperated by the damp, rainy weather. Honestly these attacks are so bad that sleep is not much of an option! I've had to make an extra effort to not let my worsening mood affect my husband or the kids.

Yesterday morning as it clouded up I could feel pressure and pain in my sinuses again not even a full 2 days after the attack had subsided! By mid-afternoon the internet signal was going up and down! So this morning I was up early hoping to get some serious blogging done. I had one picture edited and was just getting ready to re-size and save when the power went out! I powered everything back up just in time to see the television sat was down meaning the internet would be going down as well. A couple of seconds later the power went out again. So I took the hint, smiled at my flowers and climbed back into bed!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday - Victoria (Tori) Stafford

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

This is a 5th grade math problem. This is not a trick question. This is a real math problem so don't say that the bus doesn't have legs.

There are 7 girls in a bus. Each girl has 7 backpacks. In each backpack, there are 7 big cats. For every big cat, there are 7 little cats.

The bus driver is not in the bus at this time.

Question:
How many legs are there in the bus?

See if you can get the right answer. Leave your answer as a comment!!!


Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday - Majestic Beauty

Majestic Beauty
April 4, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Deserata

Deserata

Go placidy amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and agressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism

Be yourself, especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it transcends time and space.

Take kindly to the councel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome disipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labours and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be careful. Take care.
Strive to be happy.

Found in Old St. Paul's Church, Baltimore ~ circa. 1692. The author is unknown.

----
Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

BYBS - The Power of the Internet

This past week it dawned on me that something I take for granted really is a blessing. I'm so used to having internet access at home and with the growing availability of wireless finding internet access (for laptop/iPod Touch). This week I used the internet for two very important causes and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to do so.

First, little 8 yr old Victoria Stafford was abducted on April 8 in Woodstock, ON and she is still missing. Two of my blogs show the Canadian Amber Alert for her. I don't know her but just felt in my heart I had to do more and what that meant to me is to use both this blog and twitter to get the word out. I made a post about her (here) and make three to four tweets daily on twitter. In some small way hopefully this will help spread the word of this missing little girl and bring her home safely.

Second, many rural hospitals in Ontario, Canada are under threat of full or partial closure. This would present a huge hardship and possible death for rural residents of Ontario. Already, many living in Ontario do not have a regular doctor so have no choice but to use emergency room services at times. Rural areas in Ontario are particularly hard hit even in the best of times but even worse during winter driving conditions. Personally I know from recent experience that drive to the emergency room can extremely stressful especially if you have to travel double the distance to get to the closest one. So when a good friend sent me the information on Help Save Our Local Hospitals rally, I turned to both blogging and twitter to help spread the word. I posted the rally info here and try to get out three or four tweets on twitter daily.

Too often we hear about the negative of the internet rather than the positive. The internet reaches people world wide and therein lies the power of the internet. I think it is such a blessing that in some small way I can use this power to get the word out about both these very important events. In even in some small way, I hope it is helping.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Help Save Our Local Hospitals

[Important information from my email files. Please support the cause.]



ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29th, JOIN THE GIANT HOSPITAL RALLY AT QUEEN’S PARK & HELP SAVE OUR LOCAL HOSPITALS!!

GET ON THE BUS!!!

This past Saturday, concerned citizens from communities across Ontario showed their anger and frustration over local hospital cuts and closures by waging protests outside the offices of their local MPPs. From Sudbury to Niagara Region, protesters’ rallying cries were the same: Save Our Local Hospitals: Hospital Cuts Threaten Our Health! This is a critical time in the fight to protect local hospital services, and as these protesters recognize, the future of health care in Ontario really does rest in our hands. This is the time to make the government aware that you will not stand idly by and let them put your health, and the health of your loved ones, at risk.

A strong and visible challenge to the provincial government’s hospital restructuring plans will be the only thing that will change the government’s current direction.
Together, we can stop the cuts and closures!!

On Wednesday, April 29th, we will continue our quest to stop the cuts with a MASS RALLY at Queen’s Park, in Toronto at 11:30am:

Thousands of people from cities and towns across Ontario facing major hospital cuts or closures are joining in solidarity to demand that McGuinty protect our local hospitals.

The legislature will be in session--
This is our chance to make McGuinty listen to the concerns of our communities!

The rally has been called by the Town of Fort Erie, working in alliance with municipalities across Ontario. The Ontario Health Coalition and local Health Coalitions across Ontario are supporting this important endeavour.

We have about 40 buses already booked, and we want to increase that number substantially--
If you can help arrange buses, carpools, and/or can help get a group together, we want to hear from you.
Please contact us at 416-441-2502 or at ohc@sympatico.ca.

People in TORONTO: Please join in solidarity with us at Queen’s Park. Your hospital services are being threatened too!!

**PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SEAT IN ADVANCE (where applicable)!**

BUSES WILL BE LEAVING FROM:

St. Catharines:
Buses leave St. Catharines at 9:30am from CAW Local 199 (124 Bunting Rd.),
returning by 3pm.To reserve a seat, contact Sue at 905-932-1646 or Susan at suzanha@yahoo.ca.

Strathroy:
Buses leave Strathroy at 8am from Food Basics at Kenwick Plaza (Front/Head Streets)
returning by 5pm. To reserve a seat, contact Joyce at 519-245-3633 or Sandra at 519-245-8829.

Wallaceburg:
Buses will leave Wallaceburg at 7am SHARP from the Sobey’s parking lot,
returning by 5pm. To reserve a seat on the bus, contact Shirley at 519-677-4474.

Hamilton:
Buses leave Hamilton at 9:45am from Limeridge Mall: corner of Upper Wentworth St (across
from the Legion Hall and near The Bay), returning by 3pm. To reserve a seat, contact Nancy at 905-385-1933.

Welland:
Buses leave Welland at 9am from Welland Market Square and will be back by 3pm.
To reserve a seat on the bus, call Fiona at 905-788-0756.

Sarnia:
Buses leave Sarnia at 7am from the north municipal parking lot at Centennial Park (across from
Stokes By The Bay) To reserve a seat, contact Arlene at 519-542-1895. A $10 reservation fee is required.

Petrolia:
Buses leave Petrolia at 7:15am from the parking lot across from the VPP, returning by 5pm.
To reserve a seat on the bus, contact Helen at 519-882-0357. A $10 reservation fee is required.

Belleville:
Buses leave Belleville at 8:30am from the Quinte Mall, behind the Shell Station/Denny’s, returning by 4pm.
To reserve a seat on the bus, contact Michael at 613-968-5550.

Port Colborne:
Buses leave Port Colborne at 8:30am from West Side Arena on Hwy 58, returning by 3pm.
To reserve a seat on the bus, contact Pat at 905-835-8249.

Picton:
Contact Barb at 613-476-4097 for information about the bus leaving from Picton & to reserve a seat.

Fort Erie:
Buses leave Fort Erie at 8:30am from the Leisureplex (1 Municipal Centre Dr.), returning by 3pm.
To reserve a seat, contact Al at 905-871-1600 x2543.

Trenton:
Buses leave Trenton at 7:45am from the Holiday Inn parking lot, returning by 5pm.
For more information, visit www.city.quintewest.on.ca

Rally together your friends, your families, your neighbours, and your coworkers, because the reality is, that when we get sick or have a health emergency, each and every one of us counts on there being a hospital close by that is able to help us in our time of need.

---
Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Help Find a Little Girl

[Note: This is one of the very posts on this blog that have more than one picture but I feel it is very important. Please read and help spread the word!]

Victoria (Tori) Stafford
abducted in Woodstock, Ontario April 8, 2009

Today, I would like to draw your attention to the Amber Alert on this blog. By now if you are Canadian especially living in Ontario you will have heard the story of how Victoria (Tori) Stafford was last seen leaving her school with an unknown woman on April 8, 2009. Little Tori Stafford is 8 years old. At the time the police were hesitant to rule this an abduction but have since ammended the ruling from missing to abducted. The police have made a couple of public press releases and the OPP have taken over as the lead for the intensified search for Tori. Her mother Tara McDonald talks to the press daily at 1:00 PM. She is also active on Facebook in an attempt to get the word out in the hopes of finding Tori. There have been several candlelight vigils for Tori. Purple (Tori's favourite colour) balloons were released in Woodstock in show of support for Tori and the family. A website has been started for Tori to keep those interested in up to date information (click here). If you are on twitter, please follow me (click here) as I'm trying to make up to date tweets as they happen throughout the day. If you read any tweets on twitter including mine regarding Victoria (Tori) Stafford please re-tweet!

Please if you have any information on the whereabouts of little Victoria Stafford please contact:

Oxford Community Police 519-421-2800
Woodstock Police Department 519-537-2323
Crime Stoppers (anonymous) 1-800-222-TIPS

Video of Tori and the search for her safe return:



Composite picture of woman seen with Tori when she disappeared (story here):


Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday - Canadian Geese

Canadian Geese
April 2, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Why Parents Drink

[Here's a good from my email inbox files.]

A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed to 'Dad.' With the worst premonition he opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter.

Dear Dad:

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you.

I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice.

But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercing, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it' s not only the passion...Dad she's pregnant.

Stacy said that we will be very happy.

She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children.

Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy.

In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better. She deserves it.

Don't worry Dad. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself.

Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.

Love, Your Son John

PS. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Tommy's house.

I Just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than a Report card That's in my center desk drawer.

I love you.
Call me when it's safe to come home.

[I know my kids would have pulled this if they had thought about it :)]

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

The Ultimate in Recycling

Have you ever wished you had a better way to use those pesky pop cans? Putting them into the blue box then carting it to the road for collection seems like such a waste when these cans can be put to good use. Pictured is another photo from my email inbox that illustrates just how useful those pop cans can be. [This is not my photo so I cannot take credit for it.] Ladies and gentlemen, now is the time to be saving up all those pop cans so you too can create one of these gorgeous holiday season icons :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

BYBS - We All Need a Tree

Here is a great message from my email files, very fitting for Blog Your Blessings Sunday. Please click on the tree.



Have a great week!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Spring Cleaning

I started spring cleaning in the house last week so in my spare time have been blogging. It has come to my attention that my Yahoo inbox is now sitting at 8, 432 email messages while our personal email account inbox has 1097 messages with 302 unread. In reality the personal email account is much worse because some messages are automatically filtered into folders. So yours truly is going to be spending a bit of time doing some inbox spring cleaning. And what does this mean for you? Well, I am so glad you asked! It means I will be sharing some of those neat little tid bits that come into my inbox and I squirrel them away just in case they would come in handy. The important thing is each one I share with you means one more purge from my inbox. I hope you enjoy these little gems of wisdom, humour or whatever else they may be.

Hmm, at this rate I could make a whole new blog based on the contents from my inbox!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

TGIF - Live Long Enough to be a Problem for Your Kids :)

I just love opening my email inboxes each day. There's always a surprise of some sort :) This photo was included in a recent email so I can't take credit for it. I do think it is rather cute and could easily see either my husband or myself doing such a thing just for a laugh! We already play Ma and Pa Kettle Go to the Big City when we visit the kids so this would just up the ante a bit - LOL!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Grandma's Train Ride

I stayed at the kids for a couple of days after the baby was born then decided to come home to give them a bit of private family bonding time. I feel it is important for the Mom, Dad and any sibs to have a few days by themselves just to get to know the newest member of the family and to get into their own routine. Instead of them driving me part way home where we would meet up with my husband for the rest of the journey home, I thought it would be easiest for all if I took the train. The kids took me to the train station and waited until the train arrived so oldest grandbaby could wave goodbye. All was fine until she realized the train took Grandma away!

I always have my digital camera close by so riding the train was no different. I so enjoy riding the train too! There is the swaying and the hypnotic noise that just is relaxing but the real treat for me is snapping pictures of what seems like a whole different world. It gives me ample time for reflection and pondering. Here's one of the short videos I took to email oldest grandbaby. It's nothing fancy but will give her a bit different perspective.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday - Crocuses

Grandbaby's Crocuses
March 28, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

A Family of Foodies

Red Lobster Seafood Platter
March 21, 2009

It just dawned on me that readers of this blog seldom get to see pictures of food, unlike my cooking blog where food pictures are the norm with most posts. On the Saturday that I went down to stay at the home of oldest grandbaby we met the kids at a Red Lobster for dinner. I thought I would share a picture from that meal just to get your mouth watering ... LOL!

Breaking bread together has always been a very important part of our family. The end result has been we are all pretty much foodies! I am pleased to say that both oldest and second grandchildren have all the makings of foodies as well. I'm sure our newest grandbaby will be a foodies too :)


Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday

Fire in the Sky
March 18, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

BYBS - Newest Grandbaby

Newest Grandbaby
b. April 2, 2009

As many of you know I have been away from home for the past two weeks awaiting the arrival of newest grandbaby. It was a blessing to be able to welcome this little darling into the world. He is very much loved and cherished by his Mommy, Daddy, big sister and extended family members.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Back Home

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'm back homeside. I am exhausted so tomorrow's BYBS post might be a bit later in the day especially since we are entertaining tonight. I just need to get through tonight :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Baby Coming Home

My how times have changed!  The baby is not even 24 hours old yet but Daddy and oldest grandbaby left to go pick up Mommy and baby from the hospital.  He was being circumcised this morning.  They sure don't keep the Moms and babies in the hospital like they used to!  I can remember being in for a full week with my first baby under the premise that new Moms needed bed rest.  Now they have the Moms up and walking about as soon after delivery as possible!  My husband had to wear a mask and gown when around the baby and the baby slept in the nursery.  Special clothing is no longer required and the baby sleeps in the Mom's room.  One of the biggest changes is the Moms are expected to bring a package of diapers and clothing for the baby as the hospitals no longer supply that.   One good change is parents can no longer take the baby home without a CSA approved and properly installed car seat.  Gone are the days where the baby can ride home on Mom's lap.  I think this change is wonderful!  

Our vehicles do not move until the seat belts are fastened and I'm a real stickler about that!  Did you know that police stations across Canada will show you how to properly install the car seat if you ask?  They also hold free car seat clinics where you can even get help with the installation so there is no excuse to not have a properly installed car seat!  Remember the car seats are protecting one of our most precious resources!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Baby (5)

Baby Aiden entered the world at 10:18 AM weighing in at 9 lb 3 oz and 23 inches long.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Baby (4)

The kids called.  It's epidural time!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Baby (3)

It's now 5:16 AM.  I tried going back to bed but my mind is racing.  I tried turning on the tv but can't figure out how to so I'm blogging in between pacing.  Several years ago, a year and two days after having our first baby, I was in the same position.  Less than three hours of getting to the hospital even though the original plan was to go for a Tim Horton's long john aka preggy craving of the day we ended up with the most beautiful baby girl you have ever seen.  She was so very tiny and very, very red with a massive amount of dark hair.  It's funny they say a lot of hair causes heart burn but I had none with this little one.  For the first four months of her life, she never stopped crying unless she actually passed out.  The colic was horrid!  Then one day there was silence and I seriously thought something was wrong.  When I rushed to the crib I found a happy giggling baby and she's had a smile on her face ever since :)  

Over the years we watched our little girl grow to be a very accomplished woman.   She is intelligent, loving and kind!  In 2000 she married her high school sweetheart and so our family grew.  A little over two years ago we made the journey here to welcome oldest grandbaby into our lives.  It had been a very difficult time to get to that point and even then we knew it would be the only grandbaby for them so it was a very, very special yet bittersweet moment.  But mother nature in her ultimate wisdom listened to that longing and surprise, surprise granted the wish of another baby to hold, nurture and love.  It's been a long struggle for this little miracle baby!

On this day as our youngest grandbaby takes the journey into the world I want to be there to hold my baby, to tell her everything is going to be ok, wipe away the tears and share the joy.  Instead I will be looking into the face that is the spitting image of her mother, watching yet another Dora if I can figure out how to get the tv to turn on and waiting for my husband to arrive.  I know this is helping immensely since they know oldest grandbaby is safe and sound so can focus on the little one coming.  In the meantime there will likely be at least one melt down because that's what toddlers do.  Grandma deals with melt downs a bit differently which causes oldest grandbaby to get this puzzled look on her face as if to say "hey, why aren't you paying attention to me?"  Now get this, yesterday she said "granma, granma, granma, tention!"  It was too funny!  Grandpa will arrive then if it looks like baby is taking a bit longer we'll go for coffee.  Oldest grandbaby likes to pretend to drink coffee and that will keep her attention a bit better than waiting in the hospital.    By then it should be time to visit mommy and hopefully baby -----.  We will soon be able to hold the new baby with all the hopes and dreams of yet another chapter of our lives...

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Baby (2)

The kids just called from the hospital.  They checked her in. She's a little over 4 cm dilated so depending on how it goes it could either be a long day or not.  Second babies usually go a bit faster but it's no guarantee.  I'm hoping it will go fast just because she has been so uncomfortable for the last couple of weeks.  I called my husband who will be coming down in a few hours as there is no real point of rushing.  I'm going back to bed for a bit more sleep before oldest grandbaby gets up.  Trust me when that little whirlwind is awake nothing stands still!  By then I should know more.  Stay tuned.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Baby (1)

This will likely be a busy day for posts.  The kids left at 3:46 AM for the hospital.  I'm waiting for the call to say it's a go before calling everyone else.  Baby is coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Wordless Wednesday

Evening Splendor
March 18, 2009

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009