Scenic Tour

Southernmost Point Marker
January 16, 2008

The total number of pictures taken during our entire vacation was 640 so I have plenty for scapbooking. We loaded up on sunscreen, doned on our hats then took a scenic tour of Key West on the scooter stopping to take many pictures and check out the many interesting shops. The sun was bright sending warm kisses over our bare skin. What a treat for us to be wearing shorts and sandals this time of year! Just to give you a visual, my husband has this classic summer look of Hawaiian shirt paired with short that sometimes don't match the shirt, Birkenstock sandals and straw hat. This is the way he looks from the time the snow melts until the snow flies with the exception of special events like weddings or funerals or when golfing where the sandals are replaced by golf shoes. He has a closet full of these kind of shirts and well over a couple of dozen straw hats in various shapes and colours. His straw hat of choice for the trip was similar to this one but turned up at the back. I was dressed in striped capri, a sleeveless shell topped with a 3/4 sleeve blouse, sandals and sun visor. We likely looked rather funny on the bright red scooter as my husband is quite tall so there wasn't a lot of room on the scooter for me. And I don't think anyone thought we were tourists either with the camera constantly ready to snap a shot ;)

We toured the entire perimeter of the island which is about 2 miles by 4 miles. There was a light breeze that grew stronger as we neared the southernmost point of the continental United States. It's only 90 miles from Cuba closer that I thought. By the time we reached the point my husband hat had to be held in place then finally removed. The wind was quite strong! To the right of the fence, not show is the Naval Air Station Key West (NASKW). The air base is located within a National Marine Sanctuary and as such a large component is integration with the environmental concerns of the Florida Keys eco-system. We arrived back at Captain Tony's Saloon in time to meet with our tour guides for a walking tour highlighting Jimmy Buffet.

Captain Tony's Saloon is a rather interesting place, one to be expanded up on in tomorrow's entry so please check back.

Key West Chickens

Key West Chickens
January 16, 2008

As mentioned in the past couple of entries, we were introduced to Key West chickens during our visit to Key West. These birds are protected under the Key West Bird Sanctuary and Preserve so allowed to roam freely on the island. Tourists find them charming, quaint and photogenic. Locals find them annoying pests because of their droppings and crowing. Somewhere in between a few enterprising individuals saw a market for souvenirs depicting the Key West chicken for tourists to take home to remember the island while the locals still mutter their dislike. We heard of many enterprising ways to rid one's yard of these birds.

The chickens were originally brought to Key West in the mid 1800's for food and cock fights by Cuban immigrants. They were released and became feral so their descendants are now found throughout the island. There are no natural predators for the chickens so their population is continuing to rise. The current estimation is about 2,000 chickens and given the size of the island is only 2 miles by 4 miles that's a lot of chickens. They are protected by city ordinance and you cannot lure, entice, seize, molest or tease these birds. The penalty for do so could end up with jail time. However, a permit can be obtained for the destruction of birds that become obnoxious or destructive. The city of Key West employed an official chicken catcher to trap and transport 900 wild chickens at $20 each but local chicken lovers foiled his plans. Recently there has been the concern over avian flu so the days of the Key West chicken free rein may be numbered. That remains to be seen. In the mean time the island is divided between the chicken lovers and the chicken haters. A good site that captures both sides of the controversy is The Great Key West Chicken Debate!.

Lazy Thoughts

This is a photo of the second story veranda of Cypress House in Key West. If you look towards the far end of the second photo you will see the two wicker rocking chairs and chest outside our room. The swing porch and more wicker furniture is outside of the other room that shares the veranda. Sitting swinging lazily on the porch swing, lazy thoughts wafted in and out of my mind. It was very, very relaxing! I am now effectively hooked on porch swings so will be trying to fit one in at home. It won't be on a porch but it will be very similar.The long end of the veranda fronts onto Caroline Street while the short end fronts onto Simonton Street. Now both of these are very busy streets so I do have to mention that you will hear sounds from the streets however we heard nothing from Duval Street a short block away.

The Key West chickens will wake you early in the morning but we only heard them once at the inn so there aren't many nearby. These are protected birds in Key West that folks like us (tourists) find very interesting and novel yet folks that live in Key West view the birds as pests. I'll post a picture of them tomorrow. We heard several novel ways of ridding one's property of these birds without leaving any incriminating evidence. The ice cube in a sling shot was quite a good one that according to the source works quite well. Another comment was that when the next hurricane hit the chickens would be left to their own devices. All kidding aside these birds are a protected species so as much as I understand that the locals aren't fond of them there are fines for harming them or their nesting sites. The birds do add a certain uniqueness to the island that can't be disputed.

Five Stars

Front Gardens Cypress House
January 15, 2007

I mentioned we stayed at Cypress House in Key West in yesterday's entry. This historical must stay at Conch Mansion built in 1888 bed & breakfast is on the corner of Simonton and Caroline Streets in Key West a block from Duval Street. We stayed in The Blue room (Room 5) the original master bedroom of the main house. The romantic room is painted pale blue and has the most amazing painted scenery on the ceiling! The adjoining bathroom is a lavish 14' x 14', large enough to make most people wanting to renovate their home baths. Two doors lead from the room onto the large second story veranda with lots of comfortable wicker furniture and a porch swing. The photo was taken from the veranda looking down on the lush front gardens. More lush, tropical gardens surround Cypress House, Simonton House and the pool area turning the property into a tropical oasis. I'm telling you I was just itching to talk gardening with our wonderful host Dave the innkeeper. Ben, Gabi and Lady Bug gave a warm welcome and love to be petted. A continental breakfast was served daily and it is quite good. Happy Hour from 6 to 7 pm was on the patio beside the pool. There were free snacks and drinks combined with a lot of laughter and chatter as guests got to meet each other.

Back Homeside

Flying Over the Mountains
January 15, 2008

We are back safe and sound no thanks to last night's weather from our winter vacation. I didn't say much about it because there were a lot of things going on and my recent health problems threatened to cancel the trip. We were scheduled to fly out January 15^th but only got the clear to travel for me with restrictions on the 11^th. So I best let you know what we've been doing for the last ten days.

We stayed at a motel with park and fly the night before our flight to Fort Lauderdale. The picture above was one of the very few I could take from the plane window because of cloud cover. It was warm but cloudy when we landed after an uneventful flight. Oh wait a minute, the real funny point was when this guy aka Mr. Important came into the bar where we were eating breakfast. It was a morning flight and since my husband insists on being at the airport three hours before boarding any source of amusement helped to pass the time. Now get this, Mr. Important came in with another guy who seemed quite normal and he very pleasantly listened to Mr. Important talk on his cell phone for the majority of the time they were in the bar. Mr. Important pulls out his cell phone immediately and proceeded to tell everyone within listening distance via his cell phone how security took away his $100 cologne, toothpaste, soap and deodorant. Why? Apparently Mr. Important can't follow airport security rules! Now this just struck my funny bone because the more this guy went on about it, the madder he got to the point he was going to go give security a piece of his mine. Ya right, that would help [get him tossed out of the airport]. I dang near snorted coffee out my nostrils at this one! Guess what [drum roll please] I can mimic him much to the amusement of fellow passengers which means I have a bit more talent than I thought. Anyway, we did see him board and were thankful he wasn't sitting behind us but the humour he left behind will be shared :)

Ok, so back to what I was talking about. We arrived in Fort Lauderdale then took a shuttle to pick up a sweet little red convertible then we headed to Key West. It was a pleasant drive despite what we had heard. This is the first trip that besides the night before flying wasn't a motel trip. We stayed at the historical Cypress House only a couple of blocks from Duval Street. Seriously this is a must stay at bread and breakfast, one I will be expanding upon. Talk about a beautiful area! We even rented a scooter to get around. Now Key West is laid back but it could seriously tire you out. We had a lot of fun there and are already planning our next visit. We learned about the Conch Republic, the endangered Key deer and the lovely Key West chickens. We enjoyed a Jimmy Buffet tour much embellished by our tour guides and enjoyed our share of rum. Then we were off to No Name Key where we visited with my husband's aunt and uncle. They cut us a coconut from their own trees along with some star fruit. I was down right determined to get that coconut home and through Canadian customs AND I did :)

From No Name Key we travelled back to Fort Lauderdale. There we rented a condo which really is a wonderful way to go. It was on the ocean so the view was quite lovely and we could see the inter-coastal view as well. It had laundry and cooking facilities so I took advantage of cooking breakfasts. If you want to read more about what we ate and cooked in Fort Lauderdale check out my cooking blog. We even had a one day in where we lounged in our pj's between the patio and tv in the name of football! Compared to Key West, Fort Lauderdale was really low keyed with little traveling and more homelike. I'll talk more here on this as I really enjoyed going the condo route.

We arrived at the airport for our 3 HR Tour . Hey, I still had a sense of humour and what the heck. Aside from a really nasty [few adjectives added here] waitress at Nathan's Famous at the airport. Now apparently Nathan's Famous does not take responsibility for there employees and their nastiness towards paying customers but you can try to contact them here. Not that that will do a lot of good but if I were you I would definitely boycott Nathan's for lack of service, poor quality and failure to respond to complaints. I will be blogging about this issue as it unfolds. But corporate office is already working on that one. Did you know, one negative comment on a blog can really have an huge impact? Blogs have a bit more influence that some think and one negative experience can really get the word out. In the meantime, be sure not to let Sonija serve you. Honestly, she really does not know what food service is all about. So good or bad you will hear me blog about it and really this girl is more than two thumbs down and needs to be fired for poor customer relations and a down right piss poor attitude.

Ok, so I've done my rant, that was the bad. We hooked up with a couple from Australia while waiting. They were really a fun couple waiting for their delayed plane as well. We will keep in touch. The plane was about an hour late boarding but it seemed to be a rather uneventful flight even though the stewardess said it was a rough landing. I was dressed in cold weather clothes because I am always cold but my husband was in his trademark shorts, sandals and Hawaiian shirt. He quickly had to change with the almost 2 inches of snow. Travel home was horrid! It took almost 4 hours to get home something that would normally take us about 2 hours. So there you have it in a nutshell. We had a lovely time and came home to very cold weather so stay tuned for what we did in between.

Reality hits and I'm off for tests tomorrow but in the meantime I'm relaxed and we have sun here today turning the lawn to a thousand diamonds. Life is good!

On Vacation

January 14 - 24, 2007

Wordless Wednesday - February Flowers

February Flowers
February 2, 2008

Not so Good

Autumn Days
September 28, 2007

It has been an extremely eventful week, some good but most not so good. We are on the final countdown to leaving on our winter vacation. So I've been focusing on genealogy and packing. Tuesday I noticed something wasn't quite right so called my doctor duly noting the problem. I did not like what I heard but went in anyway. This has been a problem since the week before Christmas but with so much going on it was rather easy to gloss over. Yesterday my doctor sent me for ultra sound that I have to admit is so much nicer when you are not expecting. As of 1:30 pm yesterday our vacation plans were within a hair of being cancelled. So the end result from something I thought was benign was "probable problem" with "medication" (just what I need) and rather strict restrictions on our travel plans and other activities. Plus I have to go back for more tests the day we get back. So I'm not out of the woods yet but at least I can go. I'm not a happy camper and I will tell you this has been one heck of a wake-up call! Honestly, I eat quite healthy, am reasonably active, live a fair healthy lifestyle SO apparently I did not choose my parents very well. Dang it all, my husband could easily survive on junk food. I'm very particular about what I eat. Who has the cholesterol problem? ME! Despite the pain I got my 30 minute walk in today. Ok, enough about my problems.

We got the phone call that one of our good friends was in a traffic accident Tuesday. He was driving a Toyota (aka coffin on wheels) when he hit a deer. Now my husband hit a deer several years ago and it totaled the car. That car was considerably bigger than a Toyota so even the thoughts give me shudders. Our friend is in intensive care at the trauma centre. He is scheduled for surgery early this upcoming week but they are having a difficult time stabilizing him. The prognosis is dismal at best. We will be cutting our vacation short if we get a call from his wife to say things have worsened. He's way too young!

I'm asking all my internet friends and anyone reading this blog to please send healing thoughts and prayers to our friend. He really needs it now as does his family. Let him know there are many out there thinking about him now and during his (will be) long recovery. Pray that his family will have the strength to help in this process. Please, please even if you don't believe send healing thoughts! Let them enfold him, hold him, heal him. Let him know how much he is loved and needed not only by those here now but also by those to come. Please...

Pondering

Sunset from Kitchen Window
January 3, 2008

I have to be the first to say we are so very, very blessed to live where we do. This is a typical view from my kitchen window many nights. Washing a few larger pots and pans couldn't be more pleasant!

I let things bother me more than I should. I know that and yet it happens especially with genealogy. Last night in the wee hours of the morning worried about medical tests to be faced today I poured over the ships manifests images. It would have been so nice to have my great great grandparents reveal themselves. They didn't. My eyes were getting very tired yet I couldn't sleep then I came upon an entry. This was a family from England - father 41, mother 38 and children 19, 16, 15, 13,11,4, 3 and 3 months. In perfect script beside their names was the notation "to be deported". That meant the family was going back to England but to what? Not only had they travelled 7 days to get to Quebec they would have to travel 7 days back to England with nothing to go to. They had already given up their home, their jobs (if they had them), sold off most of their possessions so they wouldn't have to move them and raise money for the trip, and likely spent the last penny they had to buy tickets for the family to go to Canada. Once there all the hopes and dreams were dashed! I can't help but wonder what happened to them and I couldn't help shedding a tear knowing full well that things likely did not turn out "peachy keen" for this family.

Back to the search...

Persistence Pays

Roses
January 5, 2008

My husband surprised me with a bouquet of roses so I'm sharing their beauty with you. These vividly coloured roses found a place in the centre of the dining table bringing the room to life. What a contrast they provided against the greyness of the past few days. He always has such good taste :)

A lot of information can be gathered from one source even if that source is only two lines! Yesterday after a few days of searching through ship manifests I found my great grandparents! They travelled from their home in Leicester, England to Liverpool, England some 151.16 km northwest as the crow flies. The departed on June 18th 1909 aboard the Empress of Ireland owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway. There were a total of 1189 passengers. The SS Contract Ticket number is given. [A clue for searching antique shops.] No British Bonus was paid to the steamship booking agent. They arrived in Quebec on June 25, 1909 at 2:30 pm with twenty dollars in cash. His and hers occupations in England were given. This was already known but one more piece of confirmation. My great grandfather continued that occupation in Ontario however the ship's manifest indicates their final destination was to his father's. They settled in that community and remained there until their deaths (confirmed information). His father's occupation in Ontario is given something I already knew but this confirmed it. What isn't known is if my great grandfather worked for a brief time with his father (likely) and I'm assuming they lived with his parents until they were settled. She did not continue in her occupation in Ontario but rather set about having a family but from the date of the birth of their first child, they waited to get settled. The religion was listed as Church of England (Anglican) for both and that remained the same in Ontario for my great great grandfather. Some of the children and my great great grandmother converted to Baptist. I'm not sure why but in due time this information will be uncovered as well. So this record gave me new information as well as confirming information already known.

This record did not uncover the reason for immigration but knowing the underlying dynamics of English families I can say that my great grandparents immigrated because my great great grandparents had already immigrated. What I don't know is the exact date or ship by great great grandparents arrived on nor do I know why they immigrated or why they chose the area they did in Ontario to settle. So I'm now going through the ship manifests for the approximate year of immigration based on my great great grandfather's obituary notice. That means I will have to check the year before and the year after if I don't find them but all indication points to 1907 as the year of immigration. Hopefully when I find the record there will be some indication as to why they immigrated to Canada. Again I can make educated guesses based on information collected but I'm looking for actual proof.

I ordered the war records for two of my great uncles from another line on Monday. Apparently there can be a lot of great information including letters home in these records. My great great grandparents [noted above], a different line had two sons who served in WWI. One was reported missing but was later found in a French hospital. So when we get back from vacation, I will order both of their records as well. There should be some pretty interesting information some of which will provide more clues. And so the search continues...

The Search Continues

Snow on Fields
January 1, 2008

January holds the promise of a new year ready to fill with love, laughter and memories. For the most part it is cold and dreary perfect for indoor activities. This is the time of year I swing into high gear for genealogy research and will continue at this pace with the exception of our winter vacation until planting time. Don't get me wrong as genealogy is always on my mine but this is the time of year to attack those brick walls from a fresh perspective. Sometimes what is needed especially with research is to step away. December is such a busy month that it provides a bit of a break from thinking about my elusive ancestors.

Most of the time in January will be spent doing online research at Ancestry.com, the PRDH and Library and Archives Canada. Most of the research involves visually scanning microfilmed records not online family trees that at best are usually full of errors. I tend to keep very odd hours and get little sleep. The frustration level increases each time I draw a blank on one of my brick walls. In terms of genealogy, a brick wall is where you get to a person on one of your lines and suddenly you are at a standstill. There are no leads other than perhaps the name and the time frame. It is as if that person never existed! At the moment I have two brick walls of concern. One couple is my third great grandparents and the other my fourth great grandparents. What is frustrating about both is they were both French and Catholic. Anyone doing genealogy knows you can't get much better than that for records. Even more frustrating is I can trace down from the founding ancestor of my third great grandparents and upwards from me to my third great grandparents. And I've only been searching for the past six years for information on this one couple. The only thing I'm missing is the connecting generation. But I uncovered a very minute lead on my fourth great grandfather so perhaps it will lead to something.

The past few days I have been trying to find the ship my great grandparents and great great grandparents came from England on. [These are not related to the grandparents mentioned in the last paragraph.] I already have a lot of information on them but still haven't found the ship. According to the information I have my great grandparents married in England then emigrated to Canada arriving at their final destination in June of 1909. Well that narrows it down a bit considering in 1909 there were 203 arrivals from England. Each ship's manifest lists the names of the passengers and crew. For each manifest there can be upwards of 40 or more images to scan through in the hopes of finding your ancestors. That means scanning upwards of 8,000 images! The writing and quality are not the best at times but it is better than going through rolls of microfilm at the Archives and printing at home is a lot cheaper. If you would like to see a sample of what these records look like click here. That means massive eye strain from long hours in front of a computer screen viewing images with the full knowledge that perhaps the date is off by a year either way that could mean visually scanning upwards of another 16,000 images and I still might not find them.

Seriously my eyes look like I've been crying as the lids are swollen coupled with allergy shiners accented by lack of sleep circles. I should look right purdy by the time we leave for vacation. The good news is we are meeting up with some of my husband's relatives aka genealogy mecca :) My family knows I'm alive because I still cook for them and occasionally do the happy dance having found a new clue or the really excited, yelling "I found it". My husband stands in total awe that the blob aka his wife who is so engrossed in genealogy can actually show signs of life over a "name" or some other "clue". And so it goes, the search continues...

Canadian Geese

Canadian Geese
January 2, 2008

The new year has started peacefully surrounded by family, friends and nature. It hold all the promise of a great year ready to unfold all of its wonderment. The Canadian geese have been visiting us lately. They make a lot of noise but it is rather interesting watching their interactions. It is a rather large flock with only about a quarter of it being shown in the photo. Yesterday they were visiting while it was snowing. Such a pretty picture!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Wordless Wednesday - Snow on Boxwoods

Snow on Boxwoods
January 2, 2008

Happy New Year

Welcome 2008

Blog Your Blessings 2007

On this last Sunday on 2007 I can't help but reflect on our multitude of blessings over the year. It has been a year of turmoil, disruption and chaos all buffered each step of the way with a multitude of blessings. Some have been more discrete than others but all the same blessings. Each have been appreciated, valued and in some way we have learned from them.

I have to say one of my biggest blessing throughout this year has been my husband. Sometimes I can't even remember a time without him being there. He is just always there through thick and thin. Sorry guys but women go through this phase that guys just have to understand and he does. But he's been doing the understanding thing well before. He mellows me out sometimes having to play the role of the Energizer bunny but he is always there.

We started 2007 with a beautiful new grandbaby. We have had the great honour and privilege of watching her develop her own personality. She has mellowed us in ways only grandparents can understand. At the same time I've watched my own baby adjust to the new role of becoming a parent. It's not always as easy as it seems. But with the guidance of those who went before I'm confident these parents will do just fine.

One of our kids is waiting to immigrate to the US to get married. It's been stressful on one end but has been a true blessing for us. It's wonderful getting to know your child as an adult, to be able to enjoy their company. We are enjoying each and every moment!

This year we moved to the home that we will likely remain in until our kids cart us off to a home or worse. I can't begin to even put into words what this house means. The move was very stressful but well worth it. It is so peaceful both indoors and out that when combined with the beautiful view simply can't be beat. I honestly feel like a different person.

We've been blessed with the most awesome family and friends that you could ever imagine! Boy did they do overtime this year. Honestly we never would have got through this year without the blessings they bestowed on us. They mean so much to us! We have a beautiful roof over our heads and an abundance of food in the house. We have been very blessed in this regard. What some might not realize is we talk to our kids almost daily. There are very few days that go by that we don't speak with them. The pictures go back and forth by email as well. Such a close relationship is one of those blessings that is hard to describe but in many ways it is one of the most important.

Now I would be remiss not to mention the many blessings my online friends have brought. Those who visit my blogs, leave comments on my blogs and to my family and friends who visit my blogs daily. I'm blessed that anyone even thinks my blogs are worth reading. To have people from all over that visit daily is mind boggling so thank-you so much!

So many blessings!

Taking a Breather

Frost
December 26, 2007

Our Christmas celebrations were wonderfully filled with family and lots of love. All the hustle and bustle paid off so we were able to avoid the last minute shopping thing. It was a lower keyed Christmas as far as gift giving with more gifts geared towards a need instead of a want. Just the way it should be. Grandbaby who is officially a year old kept us in stitches mimicking every move. Soon to be born grandbaby was anxious to get into the action so booted poor Mom several times and decided that high under the ribcage was a perfect place to be most of the time. We enjoyed a lot of good food as well. It was a most excellent Christmas!

The thing about the Christmas holiday season is it merges with the New Year's celebrations so for us there is usually something going on almost daily. We awoke on Boxing Day to a heavy fog that settled on the trees to form a nice layer of frost. It definitely was a photo opportunity! Now Boxing Day is apparently the day to shop but for us it is a "do nothing" day. That's kind of a misnomer but really it is a day we don't go anywhere unless absolutely necessary which it rarely is. We spend the day in pj's, check out our presents and welcome anyone who stops by. Meals consist of left overs so it is a pretty laid back day.

I was gifted with MacFamily Tree, a genealogy program for Mac so I played with it for awhile. My main genealogy program is Legacy but it is Windows based so I have to reboot in Windows. With MacFamily Tree I imported the gedcom then can use that to check the dates, names etc while doing online searches on Mac something I can't do with Legacy because the Windows partion isn't allowed online due to security concerns. MacFamily Tree has some very nice features. I was also gifted with a 500 GB external hard drive for the Mac. Two of my kids helped set it up and showed me how to use it. Trust me between genealogy, pictures, Photoshop and scrapbooking I'll be able to fill that drive in no time flat. My kids knowing this helped me do a bit of computer housekeeping.

I took a breather today. It has been so busy the past few months I haven't done near as much genealogy as I should be doing and I'm lagging in learning more about Photoshop. The snowglobe from my last post and the soon to be posted New Year's post are my own creations using Photoshop then ImageReady to turn into animations. I've come a long way from this time last year! I'm now using Photoshop for digital scrapbooking so this morning I took the time to work through another tutorial for a reflection technique. This afternoon I turned my attention to genealogy once again chipping away at the brick walls. I uncovered one key little bit of information that may end up being nothing but it might be just what I need to crack that one line. So I'm pretty excited. It's always about the hunt with genealogy. Uncovering that one little key is a feeling that can't be described!

Merry Christmas 2007

The Countdown

Purple Martin House
December 16, 2007

Snowy days give lots of photo opportunities so I like keeping the camera handy. The snow coming over the water provided a lovely backdrop for the snow laden cedars. The Purple Martin house was an added bonus to the gardens. It needs a few minor repairs. Unfortunately, this bird house has been taken over by sparrows but I didn't have the heart to clean it out before the weather turned cold. This will be a job in the spring to get the bird house in condition for attracting Purple Martins.

We are on the countdown for holiday prep work today. I finished up my baking yesterday so while the oven was cleaning I started the spit & shine process. This afternoon we are going to an extended family event for a short time then my husband and I are taking a breather. We are eating out and will be enjoying a concert by one of my favourite performers this evening. A couple of the kids and grandbaby will be here when we get home tonight. Another couple will be arriving in the morning. The morning will be quite busy as we finish the prep for a large family get together we are hosting in the afternoon. Several will still be here after the main event leading to a smaller get together for dinner and visiting. Monday will be quite busy with last minute prep for our family Christmas meal. Normally we have it Christmas day but a couple of our kids has to be at three events that day so I suggested holding our dinner the night before so we can eat out Christmas meal as a family. Christmas Eve will be spent visiting with our kids after dinner and taking in Midnight Mass. All the kids will be here Christmas morning with most staying for the day so that will mean another large meal for dinner but also Christmas breakfast. I love Christmas breakfast and we go all out so I'll write more on that later. We will still have a full house for a few days after Christmas with family but we also have those that just stop in for a visit so it is a rather laid back time. So I think things are pretty much ready to meet the seasonal demands. Now the fun starts :)

Crisis Days

Darke-eyed Junco
(Junco hyemalis)
December 19, 2007

Some days are just destined to be disasters. So it is today. My whole mistake this morning was waking up but given the alternative, that was likely a good thing. We spent a good portion of yesterday shopping which added nothing to my mood since there is still a lot of prep work and cooking to do before the weekend. I ended up picking up a couple of pre-made things for entertaining which really bummed me out as I take great pride in serving homemade foods from scratch. However, I'm getting down to a time crunch so need a couple of cheater items (miniature cinnamon rolls, refrigerator crescent rolls). The crescent rolls are for a veggie pizza appetizer and I simply don't have the time or patience to test out recipes to find a suitable substitute. Two projects that are important to me to have finished before Sunday are at a complete stand still. At the moment I'm emotionally numb and physically hurting so my creativity level is at an all time low! But enough about that. It's a beautiful day so I'm going to make the most of it.

Hopefully the bright sunshine and the antics of the Juncos will lift my spirits as I immerse myself in cooking today. There has been a lot of activity at the feeders this morning. The blue jays made their morning rounds as did the cardinals. Both have such vivid colours and the blue jays' personalities always make me smile. Today, smiling is a good thing! One smile leads to another and soon the my mood will lift.

BTW, if you've read this blog for any length of time you will know I'm a Corrie fan (Coronation Street). I watch it everyday during the week. Well it wasn't on last night because of a special but there is a back to back tonight. One whole hour of Corry is a sure mood lifter! Anyway it really looks like things are looking a lot bleaker for Tracey now that Dedre is starting to see the light. And then there is our Lee Ann. I would not have figured her for her new profession. She is such a pretty girl who is going to find out that this choice will bring nothing but heartache down the road. Tsk, tsk!

Wordless Wednesday - Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal
(Cardinalis cardinalis)
December 18, 2007

On the Bird Front

Sharp Shinned Hawk
December 16, 2007

One of the things I love about living on the water is the ever changing scenery. Each day the view differs and brings something new to ponder. The mute swans visited today as did a large flock of Canadian geese. I puttered in the kitchen while watching them dive for food. There's a group of what I think are Bufflehead ducks out there now but I'm not trecking through the snow to get a closer look since I still haven't found my boots that somehow got lost in the move.

A Sharp Shinned Hawk visited our gardens Sunday. This is quite a welcomed honour as it is a good indicator a good balance has been reached. Predator species like the "sharpie" help to keep the rodent (mice, voles) in check as well as discourage grackles and cowbirds. I can tell when he is nearby as the feeders are suddenly vacated and all becomes still as they smaller birds flee to the safety of the conifers. The normal flittering and twittering in the conifers comes to an instant halt. It is impressive on many levels!

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Winter Storm

Winter Wonderland
December 16, 2007

Family has always been one of my cherished blessings. Knowing the kids would be traveling in snow storm last night really put me ill at ease. I was very relieved to get that phone call to say they were home safe and sound. Over night the storm turned everything to a winter wonderland. The thick blanket of snow was quite pretty despite the dull, heavy grey skies threatening more to come.

The water has taken on a cold, bluish grey cast and the snow is still coming down. The winds have picked up causing drifting. The visibility is greatly reduced as well so it is not the time to be out on the roads. As I went about taking pictures of the storm from the warmth and safety of our home, I was reminded how lucky I was to be able to enjoy such beauty. Even though the sun wasn't shining to reveal the multitude of snow diamonds, the view was still spectacular.

Our pantry is very well stocked so there is no need to go out for anything. I've spent the day so far cooking and doing a bit of catch-up for the holidays. The storm is not supposed to let up until tomorrow morning so my husband will work from home instead of going into the office. The electricity has so far remained on unlike our previous house where the power would have been out several times by now with this type of storm. The ability to stay tucked safely in our home during this storm is a blessing that I'm very thankful for.

Icy Waters

Icy Waters
February 28, 2007

We are under a storm advisory warning from Environment Canada. A near crippling snow storm is fast approaching. By tomorrow night we should see upwards of 35 cm of snow. We are all set except the expectant kids (see ticker above) are down, traveling home tonight so of course the protective Mommy mode has kicked in. I will be doing the pacing thing until I know they are home safe and sound. I should mention we felt soon-to-be second grandbaby kick today! I affectionately referred to grandbaby as Herman but grandbaby's Mommy wasn't too keen on that name. Go figure! Hermy is a perfectly acceptable name for any baby, male or female.

They are calling for possible power outages with this storm. This is something that has always bothered me since we first bought our first home that heated by a magic button that controlled a thing called a furnace. Now mind you we were coming from using wood heat meaning if the power went out, we still had heat and a means for cooking. Plus, the wood heat was a nice, warm to the bone heat not like the new fangled furnace! The furnace was easy. Just press the button and on came the heat. It was natural gas but the fan is electrical. If the power goes out the furnace will work unless electronic ignite but the fan won't work meaning no heat. So one of my primary concerns has been finding a way to secure heat in the event we lost power during the winter. Ok so fast forward to this house. It too is heated by forced air but unlike our last house with its "oh there is a cloud in the sky" power outages this house is really stable as far as electricity. We also have a natural gas fireplace that my husband is sure will work even if the electricity is out. We haven't tested this but he said it is the same type of ignition clicker that the outdoor grill has so will work without electricity. I know, we should have tested this theory before any threat of winter storms but we didn't. Other than that we are very well prepared. So now we wait.

The kids have left on their way to a smaller Christmas party. They will be on the roads heading towards home about 8:30 pm. The snow has started here but is still really light. Once we hear they are home safely we can relax and snuggle down while we watch the world around us turn into a winter wonderland.

Golden Glow

Golden Glow
December 8, 2007

The winter skies are giving lovely photo opportunities. The kids along with second grandbaby are on their way home. They should arrive anytime. I have homemade pizza dough ready for the oven and made peanut brittle for when they get here. We are quite excited!

We are under an Environment Canada storm advisory. It doesn't matter much for ourselves as we will simply do a couple of days in but the kids are planning traveling late tomorrow night right in the midst of the storm. Those plans may have to change! I worry with them on the road like that in nasty weather. The bottom line is your driving skills mean absolutely nothing if the other driver is under par. You can be dead right when driving!

Christmas Shopping

The Field
December 5, 2007

It's that time of year when there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. We are still working on getting all the Christmas lights and decorations up. This is proving to be a bit of a challenge because we really don't know what we want for this house for Christmas decorating. Lights and decorations that worked at the last house just aren't working here so we have to come up with a new plan. The weather has turned cold with bouts of freezing rain making outdoor decorating rather unpleasant. Even the indoor Christmas lights and decorations don't seem to fit here. Then there is the beautiful fieldstone fireplace with stone mantle that is begging to have stockings hanging but I haven't figured out a way to hang them.

I am not a shopper even at the best of times but this time of year, I really hate shopping! So I tend to put it off as long as possible. Any number of excuses will work for me just as long as I can avoid the stores. Yesterday I was frustrated with the Christmas decorating progress so went shopping. The day before I had broke a dinner plate so needed to pick up a setting for 8 and since I'm getting bored with the ones I have now it provided a bit of an incentive. On my list of things to by were Christmas stockings, extension cords, dishes, LED Christmas lights, a long grocery list and a few gifts. My husband dropped me off at my first stop intending to meet me at my second stop then go grocery shopping. I finished shopping at the first stop with a lot of goodies then stopped to say hello to friends next door. I was shocked to hear the news that he was recovering from a recent stroke! We had not heard the news. After a short visit with assurances he was on the mend I walked to the next destination. That shopping went well and I was in the process of ordering grandbaby's birthday cake when my husband caught up with me. Yes I know I should make the cake myself but the party is going to be a large one two days before Christmas and I'm already tuckered out. It was getting late so we decided to fore go grocery shopping as I could do it today. Wrong, it's lightly snowing and it's cold so I'm staying indoors other than filling the bird feeders.

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - A Great Weekend

We've had so many wonderful blessings the past week it is hard to know where to begin. We are in the holiday prep mode so had the carpets cleaned on Wednesday. Since they were drying it gave us the opportunity to do a bit of Christmas shopping. I've been back and forth on the phone with one of my kids (always enjoyable) then got the news another of my kids was flying to Winnipeg for a 60 hr shoot. This is a major project for a young but very, very talented graphic designer who has already made a remarkable mark on the advertising/publishing community. We are very proud of this newest achievement! A true blessing indeed!

This weekend my husband was hosting his monthly games night. The kids were down with grandbaby. In the meantime the dear plumber who was installing the clean-out between the house and want to eliminate our wonderful flooding problem was supposed to come Thursday but then couldn't come until Saturday. The guys were outside in rather frigid weather all day helping the plumber and despite threatening forecasts, the weather co-operated. Another blessing!

Saturday night we were surrounded by a wonderful group of guys, our kids and grandbaby. What a wonderful time we had! I watch grandbaby during these events while being a good hostess which involves cooking. Grandbaby loves being in the kitchen especially the cupboards but the eye teeth are popping through. Grandbaby decided that Grandma was the comfort zone. Baby snuggles and being able to comfort a baby who needs it is a true blessing.

This morning we woke to freezing rain so the kids packed up early to travel home. Two car loads and I'm telling you I worried every minute until I got their one ringers. Thank-you angels! I was so exhausted since the guys didn't stop playing cards until about 6:30 this morning. We had to be at a Christmas party at lunchtime so keeping the eyelids open was a real challenge. It was a wonderfully laid back party with good food and fellowship. Afterwards we stopped at very good friends' house to chit chat and warm up with hot tea. It was so relaxing and a lovely way to end the weekend. As we travelled home I couldn't help but thinking how blessed we are.

What better blessings could we ask for? We were surrounded by family and good friends. Our kids are mainly settled, happy and healthy. They bring us love, joy, support and always amazement!

Road Trip in Michigan

Maneuvers
December 5, 2007

We had all the carpets cleaned bright and early yesterday morning. ''Tis the season for the spit and polish. When the cleaners were finished we headed out for a little Christmas shopping to allow a bit of drying time for the carpets. We go by this little airport quite often. Usually it is smaller aircraft landing or taking off but this time there was military helicopter doing landing maneuvers. We were able to get stopped on the side of the road to take a few pictures. Talk about a photo opportunity. It was quite impressive!

Wordless Wednesday - Footprints in the Sand

Footprints in the Sand
September 5, 2003

Ontario Weather

Highway Conditions
December 2, 2007

We've had a couple of weeks dealing with plumbing problems that have resulted in our furnace room being flooded several times. It has been most frustrating but we are keeping a sense of humour. So when the opportunity to travel to visit a couple of our kids with spouses and grandbaby presented itself, I was quite excited. We headed out just after lunch time Saturday into the threatening skies but the roads remained dry so we made good time arriving at our first stop mid-afternoon. We were on babysitting duty for the evening so grandbaby helped me make a lovely loaf of raisin bread for Sunday's breakfast. The kids went to a Christmas party but were home early enough for us to watch Ocean's 13. By then it had already started snowing.

I forgot how early babies wake up and being an early riser myself normally this wouldn't be a problem except I woke with a horrid sinus attack. I should have expected it given the unsettled weather conditions but it really knocked me on the seat of my pants. Grandbaby, now age 11 months, was up bright and early getting stuffed into a really cute snow suit ready to go play in the 20 cm of snow. I managed to get a couple of good pictures from the window! They cleaned off all the cars but by the time they were coming in the freezing rain had started. So on came the weather channel and my husband made the executive decision to head home during daylight hours. This was disappointing as we were supposed to be traveling to another kid and spouse's house. They are expecting and while we have the first ultra sound pictures and talk a lot on the phone I haven't seen the little baby bulge yet. Anyway we quickly packed up and headed out.

Both of us were dressed in flannel pants for comfort but put the suitcase inside just in case we needed extra clothes. We knew it was going to be a long drive home and it was. The view pictured pretty much sums up the entire ride home except it did get a lot foggier as the temperature rose. Traffic was down to a stand still three times and very slow several times so the trip ended up taking a little over four hours in comparison to a normal trip of just under two and a half hours. The closer we got to home the cloudier it got and by the time we arrived home the rain was coming down in buckets.

We unloaded the car then checked the temporary pump. Welcome home, the furnace room was flooded once again!

Monday Funnies - The Shoe on the Other Foot

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen. "Careful," he said, "CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!" The wife stared at him. "What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?" The husband calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving."

Monday Funnies - Eco-friendly :)

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Love

The ability to love, give love and share love has to be one of the greatest blessings and yet one that is not always appreciated and goes unnoticed so many times. It surrounds us but is often very subtle. I'm reminded daily of how very blessed I am to have a family to love and one that loves me in return. It's an unconditional love, giving and taking, always growing!

Today I watched one of my kids bid a tearful goodbye to their significant other, soon to be spouse. My heart broke for both of them. They will not see each other in person again until mid January. They are waiting for the necessary paperwork so our kid can legally enter the US at which time they will wed. Immigrating to the US is not as easy as it would appear even with the intentions of getting married. So far they have been waiting since July. We've watch their love grow and become stronger despite the obstacles. At the same time our love has grown as we've supported them. We've had the opportunity to get to know the soon to be newest member of our family. We are very blessed that they have allowed us to share this chapter of their lives.

Hot Flashes :)

It's time for a little humour and in case anyone is wondering, I can find a lot of humour in my own life. It's not exactly like I'm a spring chicken but I'm young at heart so that counts and it's not like I'm exactly old neither as I haven't hit that four score and something mark yet. The current source of humour here is known as hot flashes. Hey you had to figure that eventually that topic or some reference to it would come up. I am a little concerned when walking to the car on these chilly mornings surrounded by a cloud of steam of my very own production and that's while wearing a t-shirt and shorts! It's discerning to see our house is surrounded by fog when the neighbouring houses are nice and clear with no fog in sight. Seriously I am just "this close" to becoming a nudist and then I would still be too hot. Yep, I can just see the looks on my kids face when they show up seeing me in my birthday suit, stretch marks and all! They would just roll their eyes and give that look "Mom's on a new kick." while silently wondering how long before it passes. Now that's a good question because I'm wondering how long hot flashes last myself. Seriously they can't last longer than a year or so, can they? Well if they are going to last for any length of time, I'll best make the most of them. They are too good to pass up!

Why I love hot flashes:

• No heat is required in the house ever. Trust me I can produce enough heat to heat the house in a blizzard and then some!
• I now have a beautiful, glistening glow. It comes and goes but hey it is cheaper than make-up.
• Sleeping is simply an option freeing up more time for playing online! Who needs sleep anyway?
  
• I'm saving a lot of time and energy on cooking food by strapping pouches of food to my waist during the day. By dinner time the food is nicely steamed ready to eat!
• They are cheaper than either a sauna or hot tube and just as beneficial.
• Grandma (aka me) makes a good slip and slide :)
  
• I'm my own de-wrinkler - clothes and otherwise and I work reasonably well near curtains too.
  
• My husband is thrilled I can pop corn on my tummy while watching tv.
  
• Border patrol has classified me as a hot spot! They hover over our house to the point I'm going to need a tin foil hat but that would hold the heat in :(
  
• I love saying "Honestly officer, there is only me in the car." as they eye up the steamed windows while I'm sitting in the parking lot.
• They taught me a new game - "Covers on, Covers off".
  
• My husband has to put on the fog lights just to get out of our driveway. Thanks to me, he knows those lights work!

Stay tuned for a wonderful side effect of hot flashes called mood swings. Apparently, mood swings are a bit more noticeable to those other than me. They don't bother me in the least so I'll have to get the opinions of others to post a follow-up.

Buy Nothing Day 2007

Today is Buy Nothing Day in North America. The event is also celebrated in the United Kingdom on November 24 this year. Buy Nothing Day began in 1992 in Canada as an initiative by Ted Dave. He was working in the advertising world and wanted to perform an act against the constant appeal to over consume. His motto was: Enough is enough! Buy Nothing Day highlights the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The developed countries constitute 20 % of the world's population yet they are consuming over 80% of the world's natural resources. This causes a disproportion level of environmental damage and an unfair distribution of wealth. Buy Nothing Day is meant to raise the consumer consciousness in the hopes of encouraging a life long commitment to consuming less, recycling more and challenge companies to clean up and be fair. The idea has been adopted by several countries with Buy Nothing Day activities in at least thirteen countries this year. Participation is easy. Simply buy nothing the entire day. You can also organize an event, hang a poster in your window, blog about it and tell others.

Buy Nothing Day is a good time to reflect on what you buy and how it impacts the environment and developing countries. We've all heard of brand loyalty but does that company really deserve your loyalty? Sure they might produce the product you want but at what cost? Do they have a firm environmental policy in place? Do they pay their workers a fair salary? How do they treat their workers? How do they produce their goods? Are they producing toxic waste during production? Are they using cheap labour in developing countries where the workers are not protected? What about packaging? Are you buying the product because of advertising or because you really need it? Advertisers want us to believe we have to have the product. After all, that is their job. What aren't they telling us? There are so many questions!

This is a great day to write that letter to telling them why you won't be buying their product because of . So please spread the word. Hang a poster. Write a letter. Blog about it. Talk about it. Participate by not shopping!

Wordless Wednesday - Mallard Duck Visit

Mallard Ducks
Nov. 18, 2007

Monday Funnies - Lemonade

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Many Blessings

To participate in Blog Your Blessings Sunday click here.

Last week was slow paced and pleasant despite a couple of dreary, cold weather days. I busied myself with a couple of winterizing projects. The wind was quite strong a few times but that was a blessing for helping me detect drafts. This house is quite solid so there isn't near as much sealing or winterizing needed as our last house. In fact the house is so well sealed and insulated we have not raised the thermostat higher than 19º C (67ºF) and that was only for a couple of hours as I had a chill. Right now 18ºC (65ºF) is a comfortable setting. This unexpected bonus is a nice, much appreciated blessing as well.

Thursday was busy as I got the call to pick up our half of pig, another blessing that came about from a farmer giving up pig farming so the price was well below market value. Since moving here, my second chest freezer is smaller than what I had at our last house. It is new and energy efficient though and it has forced me to be more conscious of my freezer space, all blessings. That meant I had to do some freezer reorganizing as well as get things ready for the weekend. It also meant I had a few pieces of meat to do a bit of canning with as well but that would have to wait until after the weekend.

Then it happened, every drain in the lower level backed up Friday night! Just perfect when Saturday was my husband's monthly poker game that we host and the kids with grandbaby would be home. We thought we had the problem solved only to discover the furnace room flooded Saturday morning! We figured out the pump was not pumping the water/sewage from the reservoir up and out but if we unplugged the pump and switch then plugged it back in it worked (would need repeating until we could repair), another blessing. So my husband used the some of the kitty litter I had for my door snakes to soak the water and odour and we got on with our entertainment plans.

I watched grandbaby (a real blessing!) while making various appetizers for the crowd. What a little sweetheart! Grandbaby is walking now which is really cute but I have to tell you this little one can climb stairs faster than Grandma can. I'm really tuckered out but in a good way.

My husband cleaned out the furnace room this afternoon preparing for the needed repair. Unfortunately a few things had to be discarded. The rest of the kitty litter was spread out to soak up all the water so that will be scooped up later this afternoon. This was a good reminder (a blessing) to keep a large bag of kitty litter on hand and install a water alarm. It's important for anyone with sump pumps and even more important in cases as ours where sewage water could be involved.

So all in all last week was good and even in the midst of problems there were blessing.

Wordless Wednesday - Geese at Sunset

Geese at Sunset
October 21, 2007

Remembrance Day 2007

My Great Uncle

[updated 12:oo pm]: Did you go to a Remembrance Day Service? If not, why? What could possibly be your excuse for not going? Give me your best shot. I will tell you now that unless you were infirmed or deceased, you as a Canadian have no excuse for not attending! You have no excuse for not showing your respect for our fallen soldiers and those still battling for our freedom. Sorry, you do not have an excuse! It doesn't matter if it is drizzling, snowy, pouring rain, in the midst of a blizzard or so cold your toes freeze while standing at the ceremony.

This year is the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 9-14, 1917). At least four of my ancestors fought in WWI and two of them were at Vimy Ridge. I grew up in a home were all family members were involved in one way or another in the military. Just about every one of the male members and some of the female members of my biological family (different from home I grew up in) were in the military. My European ancestors were fighting wars from the time they landed in Quebec, my English ancestors under British rule and my native ancestors well before then. All these efforts have made Canada the country it is today. I know my family stories, how the wars affected our family and yet time over time again, our family has enlisted defending our country. Our chests have been inflated at the honours, deflated at picking up the pieces and our hearts have been broken at burying our dead. Men barely out of their teens, still babies themselves buried. They had no excuse but gave freely with their lives.

What possible reason could you have for not paying respect?

Do You See the Baby?

If you can't see the baby in the picture, don't give up.
It's really cool when it actually appears.
This is not a joke and ~ NO ~ Nothing is going to jump out at you!

You have to have an open mind.
Don't look for a Baby, and you will see the Baby!

Once you see it you won't see anything else!!!

This is so cool. Do you see the baby?

author unknown, image source unknown
If you know the author or image source, please let me know so I can acknowledge accordingly.

Wordless Wednesday - Sunset Through the Clouds

Sunset Through the Clouds
November 5, 2007

Monday Funnies - Growth Hormone

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - The Miracle of Life

Grandbaby
ETA April 5, 2008

What better blessing to celebrate than the miracle of life. We are closely watching the development of this little wonder sharing the milestones in vitro and sharing the hopes and dreams. It is a true blessing to share this with our kids as everyone prepares to welcome a new bundle of joy into our lives. Once again our family is growing. This little one like those before him or her will be surrounded with a lot of love and supported unconditionally by family.