I Wish You Enough

[from my email files.  I have taken the liberty of adding a custom made graphic that is © by me but do not know the author of the inspirational piece so have marked it as author unknown.]

---- 

Recently I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.'

The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'

They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'

'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'..

'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.

'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'

He began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone...' He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

He then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.

Only if you wish, send this to the people you will never forget and remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you. If you don't send it to anyone it may mean that you are in such a hurry that you have forgotten your friends.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE....

To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH.

-----
Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Attack of the Hawk

Attack of the Hawk

May 19, 2010

Animal behaviour interests me so quiet observation is necessary to decipher exactly what the goals are of the behaviour.  We were sitting enjoying a morning coffee at the vacation house when I noticed a hawk perched on the lamp post across the road.  Well I just had to get pictures of a hawk because they are rather impressive birds.  All of a sudden this little bird about the size of a blue jay landed then proceeded to torment the hawk.  It would dive and squawk at the hawk that seemed to take little notice.  When the hawk finally flew off the little bird was in hot pursuit!  We've documented aggressive bird behaviour before but in this case there seemed to be no reason for it.  I watched this happen a couple of mornings then the next morning the hawk flew over with it's catch clasped tightly in its talons.  All of a sudden it dawned on me what the little bird was doing as I watched the little bird continue attacking the hawk with it's prey.  By attacking the hawk there was a good chance it would drop any fresh catch giving the little bird and easy catch.  Now that seems like a rather smart thing to do!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Wordless Wednesday - Babbling Brook

Babbling Brook

May 19, 2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Rainbow After the Storm

Rainbow

May 17, 2010

Setting up the vacation home meant multiple shopping trips so after lunch we headed out to do a bit more shopping.  This trip involved four major stops, ducking rain.  At the first stop we were just finishing up when it became quite apparent from inside the building that the storm had hit full force.  We took our time checking out then had to wait almost 10 minutes for the pelting rain to let up enough so my husband could run for the car.  We loaded then headed to the next stop where again it pelted, and the third then finally the fourth stop.  We were wet and tired.  Driving along we spotted a gorgeous rainbow that in many ways was a reward for trying to shop in such conditions.  Isn't it gorgeous?

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Lucy Goes On Vacation

Lucy on Vacation

 May 23, 2010

Our GPS aka Lucy went on vacation with us.  She was a huge help at navigating us around the various areas we needed to get to while keeping us from getting lost.  She even notifies us in advance if a traffic light has a camera not that we are the type to run red lights but it is a nice feature.  She also notifies us if our speed is too high for the area.  In some areas only a couple of miles over the speed limit could result in a traffic ticket so flashing a warning to draw attention that we're a couple of miles over is nice.  It's easy to go over by  a couple of miles too if you are following traffic.  At any rate it was lovely having Lucy along!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Beautiful Sunshine

Last week was spent partly on vacation and part at home still somewhat in vacation mode.  The common them was the beautiful sunshine.  We left the sunny south to arrive home in the sunny north with temperatures close to what they were while we were on vacation.  Yesterday we ended the week with a day spent mainly enjoying the sun while getting a bit of work done in the yards and gardens.  It was just a wonderful day!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

One of the Weirdest Places I've Blogged

Blogging

May 20, 2010 

I kid you not this is exactly where I was blogging from the evening a week ago Thursday.  The bathtub made for a rather nice back rest although the floor was a little hard so my toosh kept drifting off to sleep.  Why would I do this?  The better question is why wouldn't I.  Now there is a very valid reason for blogging from this location.  We had arranged to have the carpets cleaned in the vacation house.  The appointment was for between 1 pm and 3 pm.  The carpet cleaner called about 2:30 pm to say he was running late and would it be ok if he came around 4 pm which in reality ended up being 4:30 pm.  All of the livingroom furniture was crammed into the kitchen and the way the technician hooked up the modem I couldn't connect up outside.  I think we'll have to get a router for wireless use throughout the house but that's another story.  Anyway after the carpet cleaner was finished we slipped down to the clubhouse for dinner then my husband dropped me off so he could play cards with the guys. 

I promptly connected up the computer with the cords protected from the wet carpet and set about blogging in the little bathroom.  It wasn't as if there were many other options as even the patio doors to the lanai were blocked.  When my husband returned he got quite the chuckle!  He managed to get several incriminating photos as well.  So there you have the weirdest place I've ever blogged but my blogging days are far from over so I might come up with another one or two weird places to blog :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Our Vacation Home

Our Vacation Home

May 19, 2010

We have just returned from spending a couple of weeks at our new vacation home.  The house was bought strictly from the pictures based on location.  We are quite pleased with the condition and of course location doesn't get much better.  I'm sure we will create a lot of wonderful memories here!  I will be posting more about our vacation home on my homemaking, cooking, and gardening blogs if you are interested in any further information as well as inside views or the garden.  Now when I talk about our vacation home you have a good visual of what I'm talking about.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Elvis Presley - Viva Las Vegas

I've been an Elvis Presley fan since being knee high to a grasshopper.  Over the years we have collected his singles that we play on our old juke box and many of his albums.  Here is one of my favourite Elvis Presley songs.  Enjoy :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Wordless Wednesday - Ditch Grass Blowing in the Wind

Ditch Grass Blowing in the Wind

April 30, 2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-201

Telemarketer Vs Leslie Nielson

I have often thought of humorous value to telemarketing after getting one of those precious [sic] calls.  If you're going for the humour value then wasting their time is the key goal since time is money especially in the telemarketing business.  Leslie Nielson is just hilarious in his approach to dealing with a telemarketer.  The poor girl was definitely getting confused.  He actually managed to waste 5.49 minutes of her time which is rather impressive.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

In Celebration of Victoria Day & Queen Elizabeth's Birthday

Have a happy, safe and fun filled Victoria Day weekend.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - A Different Perspective

Sometimes in life a different perspective is most welcomed.  A lot of times this comes in the form of a vacation.  It's funny how slowing down a bit while enjoying different scenery changes your perspective on problems of all sizes but not only problems.  This past week I have been enjoying a bit of a paradyme shift.  Without all the pressures of the normal environment a vacation frees up the mind to deal with problems sometimes in a refreshing way.  So I am enjoying seeing things through a different perspective.  What a nice blessing.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Toxic People

A little over a year ago I was contacted by an individual claiming to be a long lost family relative.  Now this really was different than the spam emails I like to poke fun at.  When I failed to welcome this person with open arms the person turned very nasty.  I have done a lot of genealogy research on my family so I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt this person was lying about being related but you know there is always that little bit of doubt as to what if so I decided to hear this person out.  Obviously this person had and continues to have an agenda beyond my scope of comprehension when it comes to genealogy.  Very quickly, actually within a week this person started making demands of me then accused me of not being interested in her.  Umm, excuse me why should I be interested in a person who is so entwined in lies about their past they don't have a clue at all?  So when I failed to jump for joy at finding this long lost relative that I have nothing to offer and she has nothing to offer me [let's face it we are biologically unrelated strangers joined only through the psychotic mind of someone who wants something that isn't] she sent a lovely John Doe letter.  That only took 5 weeks!  That is where everything should have ended but now this psycho cannot even follow through with her John Doe letter to the point she is now stalking me on Twitter.  So I blocked her so she can't see any of my updates but somehow she is still managing to get through with very snotty, rude comments about how her life is so much better than mine mixed with name calling and derogatory comments.  She doesn't even flipping know me! Here is my one and only very snotty, rude comment about this person if they are reading this which I know they are - You are one seriously, pathetic person who needs professional help immediately.  I feel very sorry for you!  Ok now I've said that I am moving on but will be taking a few legal steps to get this misguided individual to back it of NOW!  Depending on my mood she may also get awarded the special donkey award!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

A Telemarketing Nightmare

Anyone who has followed this blog knows my extreme dislike bordering on hatred for telemarketers.  If you have been following this blog you will also know we have a special phone system at home to deal with these types of call.  Our land line was hooked up at our vacation house so we bought a cheaper phone set figuring we don't need a lot of bells and whistles since anyone important knows how to reach us via cell phone so the land line is really for convenience when here.  I set up the system in the late evening.  I kid you not the very first call was from a telemarketer!  This is a brand new land line so I was not amused.  When the second telemarketer call came through I was less amused.  By the third I was getting testy and by the fourth my Canadian humour kicked into full gear.  This poor enterprising telemarketer aka fourth victim  asked for me by name then went into their script at a point where they asked which did we prefer Master Card or Visa to which I replied cash.  Hey it's the truth but my gosh did this ever throw the telemarketer off especially after a bit of spluttering trying to clarify what credit card I preferred.  I calmly told them I prefer a paid off credit card.  It would appear that wasn't the anser they were looking for so they came back with choose either Master Card or Visa.  I said cash again.  Well it went back and forth like this for a good 10 minutes but heck I was bored and had nothing better to do while waiting for my husband to return from golf so I figure what the heck telemarketer amusement is better than nothing and the best part is I wrote at least one blog post while talking to the telemarketer so it wasn't like my time was totally wasted.  I honestly never did find out what the guy was selling because over the 10 minute period we couldn't get past the cash thing AND I didn't even have to mention the ethics of credit either which is likely a good thing for him because that would have stretched out the call a heck of a lot longer.  I'm hoping he calls back tomorrow, say right about that time I'm a bit bored and need some entertaining :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

How Spam Originates

Have you ever wondered how spam originates?  How do spammers get your email address in the first place?  Well that is quite a simple answer.  Every time you fill out an online form that includes your email address the address goes onto that company's or website's email list.  At some point some of these companies and websites sell their email lists to Mr. Spammer, a pimply faced adolescent loner with coke bottle glasses who's only source of attention is his mommy's ISP notifying her of the latest complaint against her account.  And that's how spam originates.

----- Original Message ----
From: strewn
To: xxxxx@yahoo.co.jp; xxxxx@sussex.ac.uk; xxxxx@mymail.net; xxxxx@allenfg.com
Sent: Wed, May 5, 2010 11:39:58 AM
Subject: business mailing lists

Here's a list package on sale this week only:

Criminal Attorneys - 142,906 total records, 99,857 emails
USA Lawyers Database - 269,787 records with 235,244 emails
Financial Planners Database - 148,857 records all with emails
Finance and Money Professionals Database - 116,568 records all with emails

All complete lists above: $299

There are more list packages also available for consumer, healthcare, business and more. Contact me here for more info or to get samples: Sammie.Poe@newbusinesshorizon.co.cc
---

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Wordless Wednesday - Pink Blossoms

Pink Blossoms

April 30, 2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Who is Jack Schitt?

[from my email files, oldie but goodie]

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WHO IS JACK SCHITT? For some time many of us have wondered just who is Jack Schitt? We find ourselves at a loss when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt'

Well, thanks to my genealogy efforts, you can now respond in an intellectual way.
 Jack Schitt is the only son of Awe Schitt.
Awe Schitt, the fertilizer magnate, who married O. Schitt, the owner of Needeep N. Schitt. Inc.
They had one son, Jack. In turn, Jack Schitt married Noe Schitt. The deeply religious couple produced six children: Holie Schitt, Giva Schitt, Fulla Schitt, Bull Schitt, and the twins Deep Schitt and Dip Schitt.  Against her parents' objections, Deep Schitt married Dumb Schitt, a high school dropout. After being married 15 years, Jack and Noe Schitt divorced. Noe Schitt later married Ted Sherlock, and because her kids were living with them, she wanted to keep her previous name. She was then known as Noe Schitt Sherlock.... Meanwhile, Dip Schitt married Loda Schitt, and they produced a son with a rather nervous disposition named Chicken Schitt. Two of the other six children, Fulla Schitt and Giva Schitt, were inseparable throughout childhood and subsequently married the Happens brothers in a dual ceremony.The wedding announcement in the newspaper announced the Schitt-Happens nuptials. The Schitt-Happens children were Dawg, Byrd, and Horse. Bull Schitt, the prodigal son, left home to tour the world. He recently returned from Italy with his new Italian bride, Pisa Schitt. Now when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt', you can correct them.

Sincerely, Crock O. Schit

-----

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Telemarketer Prank

As you know telemarketers are not my favourite people. Oh sure they are likely quite lovely people when they aren't calling people at inconvenient times to sell them something they don't want.  The Canadian Police Association conducts a telemarketing campaign a few times throughout the year.  I haven't heard of the Cops for Kid's program in the schools but they usually call to ask us to sponsor a less fortunate child to go to the circus.  I wouldn't be a bit surprised if I've talked to the telemarketer in the video.  The Canadian Police Association telemarketers are every bit as annoying as any other telemarketer so thanks to our phone system with built-in call block we no longer get phone calls from them.  Here's how a couple of pranksters deal with a call from the Canadian Police Association.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Blog Your Blessings Sunday -

This past week has been a mish mash of excitement, change and experimentation so I have really been enjoying being in the moment.  On the change front we replaced all of the rented satellite tv receivers with purchased ones that will save us the rental fees each month.  Four of the receivers were bought from a friend who was changing providers.  The fifth receiver that actually counts as 2 receivers is an HD PVR.  I really like the idea that I can now record programs I want to see then watch them when I want to without having to be there and it still works if the power goes out.  We could record before with the VCR but half the time I would forget to set it for recording.  Any power disruption would result in no recording.  Then we enrolled the the peaksaver® program through HydroOne.  The technican came out this week to install the free Honeywell UtilityPRO™ touchscreen programmable demad control thermostat ($250 value) replacing the horrible programmable thermostat that was put in when we replaced the central air conditioning.  Oh and we did or I should say the guys we hired did a major ripout of a couple of old garden beds we started ripping out in the fall.  The change is unbelievable!  We now have a blank slate in those areas to recreate garden beds the way we want them.  This is definitely exciting!  On the excitement front we have a couple of things in the works that are very exciting but they will have to remain a secret for a week or so yet.  I promise I will be blogging about both of them.  On the experimentation front I have been doing a fair amount of experimenting in the kitchen.  This is always fun and exciting.  Each of the changes, moments of excitment and experimentation were blesssings much enjoyed!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Old Farm Relic

Old Farm Relic

May 12, 2010

Each year we buy a cow (beef on the hoof) then a friend of ours raises it until it is ready to go to the abattoir.   Most years we split the meat with three other couples but this year we decided to keep half ourselves.  Last Wednesday we took a road trip to pick up our bulk meat purchase.  It was a nice, sunny but chilly, windy spring day just perfect for a jaunt in the country.  Scattered throughout the countryside are old farm relics now used as lawn accents standing as a reminder of quieter and gentler times.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

My Husband Surprised Me With Flowers

Flower Bouquet 

May 10, 2010

My husband has the uncanny knack of knowing just what I need sometimes.  I'm telling you he is one of the best there is!  The house issue is now basically in limbo with us having to make a decision whether to sell or not.  It has quickly become quite a dilemma.  There are pros and cons with respect to moving and in hind sight we listed the house way too soon.  Anyway my husband came home with a love bouquet of flowers.  Not only did they make me smile they brightened the room :) 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Like Chalk Art on Asphalt

Chalk Prints

May 9, 2010

The kids came home for Mother's Day.  I am always amazed as how much I notice the little changes in the grandbabies.   I was still writing in the driveway with sidewalk chalk to greet the two little one when they pulled in.  Oldest grandbaby who definitely is not a baby anymore by any stretch of the imagination loves sidewalk chalk.  Oh sure Grandma is encouraging a future graffiti artist.  Anyway when they arrived oldest grandbaby immediately wanted  to know where Papa was.  I replied Papa would be home around 2 and since the weather was cool and it was lunch time we'd have lunch first then decorate the driveway when Papa got home.  We had a nice lunch  and just when we were finishing Papa arrived home a good hour ahead of scedule.  Oldest grandbaby was elated!  A few thumps up the stairs, jacket on along with the cutest rain boots you've ever seen (hey Mommy has good taste) saw oldest grandbaby out the door with the bucket of sidewalk chalked held tightly.  Papa and oldest grandbaby spent quite some time out there drawing all kinds of neat thing in our driveway.  Jo Jo joined them to add a bit of creative drawings.  I went out to take a few pictures.  Our driveway way the belle of the neighbourhoood!

Pictured are oldest grandbaby's chalkprints.  Aside of the doctor and parents I was the first to hold this very precious little one.  I can't believe how time has flown.  Seriously all the babishness is gone and yet like the one that went before will always be my baby.  In front of me stands a little one more than willing to gives hugs and kisses yet assert authority and buck the system.  There is definitely a strong streak of defiance mixed with even stronger respect.  I gave oldest grandbaby a huge huge then cuddled youngest grandbaby enjoying the baby that still was while memories of my baby now a parent flooded through me and all was well.  I saw what we worked so hard for coming full circle in our grandbabies nourished by what we taught out kids. And life is good :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Wordless Wednesday - Hidden Pond

Hidden Pond

April 30, 2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Mother's Day Flowers

Calla Lily

My husband surprised me with a beautiful potted Calla Lily for Mother's Day.  It has long been a tradition here that rather than being gifted with flowers potted plants are preferred.  The gorgeous lilies will thrive indoors through the winter but will enjoy being outdoors in the nicer weather when danger of frost is gone.  Aren't they beautiful?

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

It's Time for Your Monday Chuckle of the Day!

Monday's always get a bad rap because quite frankly that when all the little, annoying problems seem to happen.  It doesn't help the perception either by being overtired from a weekend of fun.  Now if this cute little video does brighten your Monday blues nothing will!  Enjoy the chuckle and remember problems are easier dealt with if you can smile :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!  Today I celebrate Mother's Day in two ways.  First I was very, very blessed to know the love and nurturing of two mothers.  Their love will follow and guide me for the rest of my life.  Secondly I was extremely blessed to become a mother to my own children who continue to the chain of love passed on to them.  Becoming a mother is one of the best things I ever did in my life second only to becoming a wife.  It is true once a mother always a mother :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Mothers vs Teenage Daughters

Waiting in an airport can be a rather interesting adventure.  Quite often my husband and I will make up stories about people we see but other times we seriously have to bite our tongues to keep from bursting out laughing.  I love to people watch whenever we travel so as a mother can totally relate to Jeanne Robertson's recap of an airport argument between mother and teenage daughter over a boy.  Enjoy the chuckle :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

My New TheraShoe® Trainers

My New Shoes

May 5, 2010

A couple of nights ago we decided to do a little bit of shopping before stopping for dinner.  Notice the little bit?  We don't shop for the sake of shopping so unless we have a reason to shop we don't.  We currently have a bit of an ant problem so after several attempts at natural control we finally broke down and decided to pick up HotShot®, a highly effective insect control with residual effects up to 9 months.  We discovered this product when doing a knock down for centipedes when we moved here in 2007 and haven't had to use it since then.  In the meantime, we will continue looking for the ant nest to eliminate it.  So that was our main reason for shopping.  We decided that we each would buy something to wear for the summer at the same time.

I haven't gone through my summer clothes yet so don't know what I need but I'll tell you I always need shoes!  I found a pair of TheraShoe® trainers.  I'm seldom wear trainers but have decided I need a couple of pairs if I want to do more walking on a daily basis, part of my plan towarde increased fitness.  I had seen these and similar style by other brands on television.  They reminded me of the wonderful Earth Shoes we bought back in the early 1980's.  Earth Shoes had a heel was lower than the toe called a negative heel that was meant to promote proper alignment of the spine when walking.  Earth Shoes were pricey but we each managed to buy 2 pairs that saw a lot of use.  Oh how I wish we had bought a few more pairs as those were some of the best we've ever had!

Fast forward to my new purchase.  TheraShoe® shoes have a certified impact reduction system by the Academy of Therapeutic Footware.  They are designed to help improve posture, exercise core glute and leg muscles, reduce shock to back, hips, knees, and feet as well as help improve gait when walking.  They have a rocker sole which is not a new concept as I have a couple of pairs of shoes with rocker soles that are just delightful to walk in.  The rocker soles on the TheraShoe® is a bit thicker and more pronounced.  I tried them on in the store and oh gosh they did feel ever so comfortable!  Here comes a leaner, more fit Garden Gnome :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

I'm In The Money!

There are days that I simply cannot wait to open up my spam folder.  Oh the delights that one little folder holds for me!  Heck just this week alone several long lost relatives had the bad misfortune of passing on without spending their millions of dollars leaving all of their estate to moi their only living relative.  Just in case all this new found money wouldn't be quite enough I was issued this great ATM Card details as follows for no particular reason other than I'm a nice person.  All I have to do is reply to the email will all my full information and the card is mine.  What do you think the chances are of me replying?

----- Original Message ----

From: frankly white
Sent: Thu, April 29, 2010 6:17:10 AM
Subject: CODE

The ATM CARD payment center, has been mandated to issue out an ATM CARD value of {900,000 USD},to you, which you can use to withdraw your money in any ATM machine in any part of the world.,For more information’s and directives. Note that because of impostors,we hareby issued you our CODE OF CONDUCT,which is (ATM-900). For him verification purpose.

NAME:frankly white
E-mai: atmdelivery19@hotmail.com"

(SEE BELOW)
CODE OF CONDUCT.............
NAME IN FULL...............
DATE OF BIRTH...............
AGE........................
SEX..........................
MARITIAL STATUS.............
HOME ADDRESS................
NATIONALITY.................
COUNTRY......................
OCCUPATION...........
POSITION...............
OFFICE ADDRESS...............
TEL.........................
MOBILE......................
DECLARATION....I.................do hereby declare that the information given above,
is correct to the best of my knowledge and believe the same to be true.

Regards,

-----


Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Wordless Wednesday - Lone Tulip in Bloom

Lone Tulip in Bloom

April 28, 2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Golfer's Christening

While browsing through YouTube I discovered Jeanne Robertson.  She is an amazing funny comedian who proves you don't have to resort to foul language or bathroom humour.  I quite enjoyed this short video of her describing the golfer's christening.  I hope you enjoy it as well.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

But Everyone Uses Facebook

Facebook is a social networking site that allows users to connect with friends and family.  There are a lot of privacy issues surround Facebook with each new update they do disclosing more information about their users that the users might not necessarily like.  A lot of countries with stronger privacy laws including Canada are constantly on the outlook for Facebook breaching the civic rights of their citizen.  A few years ago I signed up for Facebook but never used the account.  As the privacy issues came to light I went back to tweak my settings and continue to check from time to time.  Contrary to some beliefs that you should always use your real name online, I did not.  Now I'm glad I did not especially with the concerns the privacy watchdogs are expressing.  They have every reason for concern!  Some social networks along with Google especially with their introduction of Street Maps are slowly pecking away at our privacy.  That may be perfectly acceptable in the US but not so in other countries. 
 
Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Blog Your Blessing Sunday - April Showers

According to weather predictions for our area it is supposed to be a rather dry spring.  After a winter of below average snowfall this is not the best news.  April was not a wet as it could have been but when it rained we seemed to get a fair amount at a time.  Over all it was a dryer April here so how that affects local farmers and home gardeners remains to be seen.  For now every shower we get is a true blessing!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Meet Our New Lucy

Last October I posted about Lucy.  I should explain a bit further Lucy is a GPS we borrowed from one of our kids for a road trip.  My husband who refuses to use metric if at all possible set the GPS up in miles and the voice to a British accent similar to what you would hear on Coronation Street.  We promptly named her Lucy then burst into fits of laughter when my husband started talking back to her.  As road trips go it was one of the most enjoyable as there wasn't so much as one flare-up over my inability to read a road map.  Even when we went off the route to do a bit of site seeing Lucy got us right back to where we were supposed to be.  It was amazing how easy getting around city streets for site seeing and other points of interest was simply by adding in the desired address.  After borrowing Lucy a few times we finally broke down and bought our own Lucy.

Our Lucy is a TOMTOM GO 630 with US and Canada maps, emergency menu, voice address input, spoken street names and several other great features.  Lucy has a few additional features the old Lucy didn't have so it will be interesting discovering how they work.  At any rate our next road trip out of familiar territory will be a lot easier with Lucy.  Expect to hear more about Lucy in the future.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

A Letter From Oldest Grandbaby

Oldest Grandbaby sent Papa and I a very, very special package.  Inside there was a hand drawn picture for each of us along real Canadian maple cream cookies.  Pictured is  my picture and it is funny that for a little one I can really see the message.  See there is the purple brush for Grandma's long hair and Grandma's purse that always has a treat or two for Grandbabies.  The yellow "V" is for Grandma's vest that is worn almost year round.  All of the colours except purple are in Grandma's colourful purse the Grandbabies love including the green that is close to the same green of my favourite water bottle.  But Grandma sees something more in this very special picture.  She sees the love and the trust of a little one shining through.  Isn't it just the most beautiful picture you have ever seen?  I certainly think it is :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Don't Send a Man to the Grocery Store!

A few days ago I received an email with a link to the following video.   Being a foodie with a husband who has been sent to the grocery store with a list the sender likely thought I would be able to relate.  Well heck yes!  I laughed so hard I cried while mental images of her description of the events as the unfolded kept popping up.  Jeanne Robertson is one amazingly funny comedian so watch for a few more clips from her in the future.  In the meantime I hope you get a good chuckle out of the video.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Wordless Wednesday - Willow Bark

Willow Bark
April 1, 2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Honey, You've Got Mail!

We are used to getting telemarketer calls aka phone spamming and email spam but imagine our surprise when my husband received a letter from Malaysia!  Since we know no one in Malaysia it came as a great surprise that he was being contacted by Francis Lee who is an Account Manager with United Overseas Bank of Malaysia.  Well that fancy title certainly got our attention!  Apparently one of my husband's long lost relatives had the misfortune of dying in Malaysia without having the chance to spend his or her's fairly large sum of money.  We really do feel bad about this as we always make it a priority to attend any weddings, funerals and those types of special events.  Had we know we would have been there!  Unfortunately we find out this way through Francis Lee who certainly does have my husband's best interests at heart.  He wants to get my husband's long lost relatives savings to my husband.  Isn't that so sweet of him?  My husband needs to email him at francisllee@aol.com to get the information how to proceed to get this substantial windfall.

And you dear readers are in luck today as you get 2 pictures instead of one.  Here is a scan of the actual letter and the envelope it came in:

For those wondering, no my husband did not fall for this glorified spam.  Instead the letter and envelope was scanned then turned over to the local police department.  These types of letters do get through occasionally and the really sad thing about some people will ultimately fall for this scam thinking it is real. Turning this type of communication over to the police is one way to help prevent others from being scammed.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

How to respond to a telemarketer - The Seinfeld Way

If you have been following this blog you will know one of my biggest and I do mean biggest pet peeves is telemarketers.  My view is they are actually stealing from the telephone service we pay for.  My newest way of dealing with them is call block by simply running their phone number through Google then if it comes up as a telemarketer they get added to my call block list.    However, here is a funny video clip of the way Seinfeld deals with telemarketers.  Enjoy the chuckle :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Blog Your Blessing Sunday - The Joy of Knitting

I have been knitting since I was knee high to a grasshopper.  It's one of those hobbies that I enjoy so much that there is always a couple of projects on the go in my knitting basket and another in my travel knitting bag.  This past week I have been working on a few knitting projects so surprisingly I've managed to work knitting into multi-tasking at the computer when blogging.  I'm finding that the knitting is helping me fine tune some of the blogging topics I want to share.  So knitting and the shear joy of knitting has been the predominant blessing this week.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

McDonald's Big Mac Commercial (circa 1970's)

Some commercials catch on so well they become classics.  So it was with this McDonald's Big Mac commercial (circa 1970's).  Enjoy a blast from the past :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

A Major Typo Oopsy!

An Australian publisher (Penguin Group Australia) is reprinting 7,000 cookbooks over a recipe for pasta with "salt and freshly ground black people."  The typo was in the "Pasta Bible" recipe for spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto.  According to Bob Sessions the head of publishing this a silly mistake the proofreader should have caught.  He said they will replace the book for any buyer "small-minded enough" to complain.  Reprinting will cost 20,000 Australian dollars ($18,500).

Let's see here Bob Sessions thinks anyone complaining is "small minded"?  A reasonable person knows this is a typo or was it a blatant attempt at racism by the proofreader?  Perhaps the proofreader is trying to get the message out that race relations at Penguin Group Australia are not what they appear?  Perhaps Sessions should have paid his proofreader a bit more money ;)  Oh inquiring minds want to know more about this story!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Earth Day 2010

Today celebrates Earth Day 2010, a special day meant to bring awareness to environmental concerns and living in an eco-friendly manner.  So many people are planning special events or planning to attend special events celebrating Earth Day.  We have no special plans because we try to celebrate Earth Day every day.  I am making an Earth Day cake so that should be rather interesting :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Wordless Wednesday - Shades of Red

Shades of Red
March 25, 2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Backyard Birdwatching

Blue Jay

April 18, 2010

It seems like spring is rather odd this year.  We've had a few unseasonably warm days hitting into the mid 20's C feeling much more like summer than spring then within a day or two back to frost threatening.  I don't think spring has been as dry as predicted here but it has been drier.  We're seeing more of the smaller birds frequenting the yards as well.  Pictured is one of our friendly blue jays posing pretty for the camera.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

BYBS - Spring Unfolding

This past week saw spring unfolding with new delights in the gardens daily.  The mallards have returned to nest so are frequenting the yards and dock.  A younger pair of mallards has joined them so we may have two nests this year.  The wild rabbits have been frolicking about as well.  In all it was a wonderfully pleasant week in the gardens.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia

A few nights ago I cuddled up on the couch to watch Julie & Julia.  As a foodie I've been wanting to see this movie since I first saw the commercials.  This movie is based the book by Julie Powell, a frustrated New York bureaucrat who wants to be a writer.  Julie challengers herself to cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year, and to blog about it. The goal was to prepare 524 recipes in 365 days, introducing a new generation to the magic of French cooking.  Julia Child is portrayed by Meryl Streep and Julie Powell is portrayed by Amy Adams.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Julie & Julia.  Amy Adams was simply delightful at every point and as a blogger myself I could really relate to how she felt about blogging and comments on her blog.  As a foodie I could also share her joy at getting a recipe to turn out the way it should while shedding a little tear when they didn't.  I doubt that Meryl Streep could put on a bad performance if she tried!  Her portrayl of Julia Child in this movie was superb.  She captured the nuances of Julia Child's character and mannerisms to perfection.  I won't add any spoilers here.  This was an excellent movie that has made it to my list of DVDs to add to my movie collection.   It will be a movie much like the Harry Potter movies that I watch over and over.

Bon appétit!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Butterfly on Siberian Squill

Butterfly on Siberian Squill
April 2, 2010

We visited the grandbabies over the Easter weekend. Oldest grandbaby and I took our cameras out to take a few pictures. Between their house and the neighbours house there was a huge patch of Siberian Squill so we stopped to enjoy their beauty. A small butterfly flitted around the flowers then landed just long enough for me to get this picture.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Barking Roe Deer

This cute video of a roe deer barking at a cat was shot in Scotland in 2007. To catch this on video is amazing in that the photographer had to be at the right place, at the right time and have the camera ready. From experience I know that takes a bit of luck! Anyway this really is cute and you just can't help but giggle a bit. Enjoy!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Willow

The Willow
March 18, 2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Origins of a Couple of Common Sayings

[from my email files] A lot of familiar sayings have their roots in days gone by. Here's the explanation for four common sayings and how they came about.

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Prisoners were taken to the gallows (after a fair trial of course) to be hung.

The horse drawn dray, carting the prisoner was accompanied by an armed guard,

Who would stop the dray outside the pub and ask the prisoner if he would like ''ONE LAST DRINK''.

If he said YES it was referred to as "ONE FOR THE ROAD"

If he declined, that prisoner was "ON THE WAGON"

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They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor". But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot they "Didn't have a pot to Piss in" & were the lowest of the low.
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Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Sun in Willow

Sun in Willow
April 1, 2010

Spring has definitely sprung in our little corner of the world. I was amazed that March came in like a lamb and left like a lamb! The spring is predicted to be warm and dry here which is not good news after a mild winter with below average snowfall. A few days ago I grabbed the camera to look for signs of spring in the gardens. The sun was peeking through the willow giving an interesting effect.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

BYBS - Springtime

Spring is just such a gorgeous time of the year! As our little corner of the world awakens from it's sleepy winter's nap I can't help but marvel at the beauty. Spring holds the hope of new life and what's to come for the following year. What a blessing it is to simply be able to enjoy spring as it unfolds into summer.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Dog Attacks Cop Car

Apparently Winston, a pit bull mix was not happy with Officer Clayton Holmes, a Chattanooga Police officer, who was running radar at 1410 Workman Road on Sunday night. Winston attacked the patrol car . Police cited the owners for having "potentially-dangerous dog." and March 25, 2010 a Hamilton County judge released Winston back into the care of his owners. Winston has to wear a tag declaring that he is "potentially dangerous." and has been ordered to obedience and "good canine citizen" classes. So far his accomplices have not be cited or fined which hardly seems fair. Anyway, you be the judge after watching this short video.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Where Shall We Eat??

[from my email files, I added the clip art which wasn't in the original email.]

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The Restaurant

A group of 40 year old girlfriends discussed where they should meet for dinner.
Finally it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the waiters there had tight pants and nice buns.

10 years later at 50 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at
the Ocean View restaurant because the food there was very good and the wine selection was good also.

10 years later at 60 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at
the Ocean View restaurant because they could eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant had a beautiful view of the ocean.

10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the restaurant was wheel chair accessible and they even had an elevator.

10 years later, at 80 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because they had never been there before.
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Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

I'm Sorry But I Don't Feel Obligated

It seems to me the people expect a lot more of others and when the expectations are not met they get a bit huffy. I'm sorry but I simply do not feel obligated to share anything I've paid for including services regardless whether someone doesn't like it or not. I don't feel I should have to drop and run to answer the door or the phone just because. Our house is for sale so the other day someone rang the doorbell and I was busy so didn't answer. My property, my choice and my right. The next thing I knew there was a couple walking around our back yard and when I asked them what they were doing they said just checking out the property. Then he said 'well I did ring the doorbell and got no answer' as if I was obligated to answer the door. Let's see the last time I looked a For Sale sign on your property is not an open invitation for someone to trespass. Can we say rude? You want to see the property go through our agent! The very same day I got a phone call from someone clearly upset that our answering machine does not take messages. Too bad! I hung up on them then blocked their number. The audacity of some people simply amazes me! How dare they think they have the right to intrude on my space then turn around and rudely tell me what to do in my space as if they think I have some obligation to them. Here's a clue, I own them nothing!

Here's a few things I don't feel obligated to do or even make any excuses for not doing:

• answer the door - Sorry anyone on our property technically is trespassing unless invited. That include those trying to scam us into switching gas providers and trying to save our souls. I'm a bit more lenient towards kiddies doing fundraisers and trick-or-treating. We pay the property taxes and the mortgage so I will answer the door if and when I choose to do so. Please note that me not answering the door does not give you the right to wander throughout our property as you choose as should be duly noted by the skulls strategically placed around the yard as a warning against trespassing.
  
• answer the phone - We pay a fairly hefty fee for phone service which means a 5 minute telemarker call is costing me money. I feel no obligation to deal with telemarkers. I do feel quite justified blocking telemarketers phone calls and sharing those phone numbers online so others can block them as well. In fact if you catch me at the wrong time I may even invite all my followers on Twitter to give you a call to let you know how they are today. Any phone call that begins 'And how are we today' is going to an automatic recommendation for repeating kindergarten. I also feel no obligation to turn my answering machine on or even return calls I don't want to although if I like the caller there's a better chance I will call back. Despite some beliefs the phone is not fair game for anyone to call anytime they want. I also don't fee obligated to give out our phone number. You should see some of the looks over that one. That can be a whole entertaining conversation in itself as someone tries to find out why you don't have a phone. The funny part is they ask for your phone number to which I reply I don't have one. Notice I said I don't have a phone number not that I didn't have a phone.
  
• answer email - I pay for my internet access and while I do welcome electronic communication I feel no obligation to reply to unsolicitated email (aka spam), rude email, or any other rude or obnoxious online behaviour. I do reserve the right to report such actions to your ISP.
  
• answer online questions - I participate in several online forums. My rule is just because you ask me a question especially one that is entirely none of your business does not mean I feel obligated to reply. No one needs to know what colour my skivies are or all the details of my birthing experience although I will gladly tell that, just not what the secret ingredient is in one of my signature dishes. If I told I would have to kill that person to keep the ingredient secret and that just seems like too much time and effort for me. If I don't answer the question within a day that means I actually have a life or have decided not to answe it. Either way, move on.
  
• give an explanation or excuse as to why I don't feel obligated - It goes without saying.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Wordless Wednesday - In Flight

In Flight
January 8, 2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Golf Poem

It's nearing that time of year when those so inclined will be out chasing that silly little ball. Every golfer know you have good days and bad days but always fun days. Here's a cute golf poem from my email files.
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[from my email files]

In My Hand I Hold A Ball,
White And Dimpled, Rather Small.
Oh, How Bland It Does Appear,
This Harmless Looking Little Sphere.

By Its Size I Could Not Guess,
The Awesome Strength It Does Possess.
But Since I Fell Beneath Its Spell,
I've Wandered Through The Fires Of Hell.

My Life Has Not Been Quite The Same,
Since I Chose To Play This Stupid Game.
It Rules My Mind For Hours On End,
A Fortune It Has Made Me Spend.

It Has Made Me Yell, Curse And Cry,
I Hate Myself And Want To Die.
It Promises A Thing Called Par,
If I Can Hit It Straight And Far.

To Master Such A Tiny Ball,
Should Not Be Very Hard At All.
But My Desires The Ball Refuses,
And Does Exactly As It Chooses.

It Hooks And Slices, Dribbles And Dies,
And Even Disappears Before My Eyes.
Often It Will Have A Whim,
To Hit A Tree Or Take A Swim.

With Miles Of Grass On Which To Land,
It Finds A Tiny Patch Of Sand.
Then Has Me Offering Up My Soul,
If Only It Would Find The Hole.

It's Made Me Whimper Like A Pup,
And Swear That I Will Give It Up.
And Take To Drink To Ease My Sorrow,
But The Ball Knows .... I'll Be Back Tomorrow.

-author unknown

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Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

RMR: Frozen Fries

A growing concern being expressed throughout North America and some European countries is the increasing obesity rates amongst the youth. It is quickly becoming an epidemic! One of the biggest problems with obesity is the health complications such as diabetes and coronary problems. A precipitating factor has been the sheer amount of fried foods and fast foods our young people eat. Here is a video by Rick Mercer highlighting the issue. Enjoy :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Happy Easter

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

When they got there, the disaster was clear...

[from my email files. Please keep those great emails coming!]

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When they got there, the disaster was clear.

The aircraft was totally destroyed with only a burned hulkvleft smoldering in a tree line that bordered a farm. The top cop and his men entered the smoking mess but could find no remains of anyone, including the Premier. They spotted a lone farmer plowing a field not too far away as if nothing at all happened. They hurried over to the man's tractor.

"Hank," the cop yelled, panting and out of breath.

"Did you see this terrible accident happen?"

"Yep. Sure did."

The farmer mumbled unconcernedly, cutting off his motor.

"Do you realize that is the airplane of the Premier of Ontario ?"

"Yep."

"Were there any survivors?"

"Nope. They's all kilt straight out" the farmer answered. "I done buried them all myself. Took me most of the morning.."

" Premier McGuinty is dead?" the mountie shouted.

"Well," the farmer grumbled, restarting his tractor. "He kept a-saying he wasn't ... but you know what a liar he is."

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Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Late Spring Ice

Late Spring Ice
March 21, 2010

Mid-March we experienced a week of unseasonable warm temperatures. It was quite delightful! Then it turned cold again with winds from the North. Waters that had been clear were suddenly filled with ice that was quickly forming ice jams. Ice jams from along the Great Lakes waterways cause the secondary and tertiary waterways to back-up as they can't drain properly. This puts communities along these smaller waterways at risk for flooding. The Canadian and US Coast Guards in an attempt to prevent flooding conditions co-operatively work overtime to prevent ice jams and when an ice jam does form as it so quickly can they work round the clock without break to get the ice jam to release. It is always and interesting time along the Great Lakes waterways this time of year!

Pictured is an ice jam forming. By the time I was able to get this picture the Coast Guards were in full force trying to release a 15 mile long ice jam to get things moving again. Unfortunately things worsened overnight as more ice backed up so the next day they were still working overtime trying to get the ice to move. Late that afternoon as the weather turned to freezing rain and even cooler temperatures I watched the US Coast Guard ice cutter slowly made it's way through the thickening ice I was reminded once again how very quickly the Great Lakes water conditions can change.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Thought for the Day

[from my email files. Keep all the great emails coming :) ]

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Thought for the day:

Women are Angels
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly.........on a broomstick...
We're flexible like that ....

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Garden Gnome
©2006-2010