Tagged by Lorelei

Okay - I did Drowsey's and now I am doing Lorelei's tag. I want them both to know I will get even!

1. Where is your cell phone? somewhere in this house.... I will phone myself to find it before I go to work.
2. Your significant other? What is that?
3. Your hair? Everywhere I have three cats and a sheep/dog lab cross. We can make several wigs every week with the hair off the floor.
4. Your daughter? Works for Liberals - need I say more! (translate Liberals as right wing a**holes)
5. Your son? Never happened.
6. Your favorite thing? Photography
7. Your dream last night? I dreamed I never had to work ever again!
8. Your favorite drink? Jones Cola Black Cherry Coke! HEY JONES CEO'S are you listening??
9. Your goal?Try all 218 flavors at Mario's Gelato
10. The room you’re in? Kitchen/office
11. Your church? Nature
12. Your fear? That I will have to mow the lawn this weekend
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Out of the city
14. Where were you last night? Shopping for groceries
15. What you’re not? Patient
16. Muffins? Love them rarely eat them
17. One of your wish list items? Have enough money to buy a house one day.
18. Where you grew up? Sunshine Coast
19. The last thing you did? Le the dog out to the back yard
20. What are you wearing? blue jean capri's, green sweat shirt & flip flops.
21. Your TV? News & Amazing Race
22. Your pets? Three cats & one loveable extremely spoiled sheep dog/lab cross
23. Your computer? Hewlett Packard
24. Your life? Love my daughters, love my animals, passionate about the rights of the less fortunate.
25. Your mood? Content
26. Missing someone? My Parents and sister
27. Your car? Honda Civic
28. Something you’re not wearing? makeup (never do)
29. Favorite store? Maurice's -- but I'm too old now to wear anything from it
30. Your summer? Boring but busy
31. Like(love) someone? Hubby, and Vin Diesel
32. Your favorite color? Pumpkin orange
33. Last time you laughed? Constantly laughing
34. Last time you cried? Last night as I was finishing my book, These is my Words
35. Who will repost this? Probably no one since most of my readers don't have blogs. Maybe Marvin and Heather will.

Awarded & Tagged!

Last week Drowsey awarded me the Arte-Y-Pico award and tagged me at the same time! Just like Drowsey to give with one hand and take away with another. The tag was to post five unspectacular things about myself. (now you understand why it took me so long to get it done

Rules ...

1. Link the person(s) who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 5 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 5 bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they’ve been tagged.

Diffictult though it maybe I did manage to come up with 5 unspectacular things about myself!

1. I love Nando's Chicken and will eat it till I burst if allowed to!
2. I turned 29 this July ( okay so I lie about my age)
3. I chew gum chronically and that could be why my fillings fell out!
4. I am totally addicted to Jone's Cola's Cherry Coke and am mad as hell that they quit producing it!
5. I love stuffed animals

The five specatacular blogging friends I pass this award and Tag on to are:

1. Blogsdon
2. K-9 Mom
3. Nervus Rex
4. A Stellar Life
5. Crazy Cath

Camera Critters #16

My favorite Meme! Visit Camera Critters for more Great Critter pictures!

Sky Watch Friday!

Here on the west coast we have such beautiful sunsets in the summer and fall.
Check out Sky Watch blog for more sky watch photos from around the world.

Canadians vs Yakima

Yep went to the ball game. Canadians lost!

Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Folk Fest & Protest

It was fun in the sun for me this weekend. I went to the Folk Festival for the first time in my life! I have always wanted to partake in this music filled weekend, but could either never find the time or the money. This year the ticket was a freebie and I made the time.

The folk fest has been going on for more years than I can remember. The music was great, but the whole feeling of the Folk Fest seems to be what keeps people coming back year after year. It takes people back to their youth and the good ole hippy days. Sitting under the sun, getting stoned and grooving to music. We did not stay till the evening when I am sure the air would have been pungent with good ole BC bud! Instead we headed down to the heart of the city. Down to the waterfront where the rich and powerful PNWER group were meeting to discuss the fate of us little people. They claim they are bringing in new security measures to speed up the flow of traffic through the border when the Olympics happen yet there was no representation from the Border Guards there? Tech Cominco was there & Conoco was there although what makes them specialists in border traffic is beyond me. They have not been elected nor have the people been consulted about the decisions they are making. They want to unify and merge Canada, USA & Mexico. They want our countries to be so similar that soon we will be one. Of course the USA as usual controls the agenda in most of these meetings. They have the most to gain - Canada.

The meeting this week was taking place at the BayShore Hotel right on the harbour and for two hours our group of protestors disrupted the peace and quiet of the garden party reception they were having. For two hours our group banged pots and chanted to let them know that WE are the people and that WE are the voice of democracy and WE want our say in how our countries are run. It was noisy and very disruptive to the hotel. The police were out in exagerated numbers given the fact that half the group were elderly and there were even some disabled people there. However, the police for the most part were patient and did little more than stand guard.

Later I took a walk on the waterfront that this hotel fronts. Then I drove home through the poorest address in Canada - East Vancouver! It was a full day.

*** I have posted some pictures of the day on the sidebar.

Camera Critters #15

This is an old picture, but one of my favorites. This baby seal was on the shore in Sechelt, BC.
Take a look at all the other Camera Critter postings at Camera Critters.

Sky Watch Friday!

PTSD

How terribly sad. Joseph Dwyer, the US Medic, who once won the hearts of everyone when he was shown rescuing an injured Iraqi boy who had been caught in crossfire has died of an overdose. He was suffering the ravages of PTSD from his time in combat and unable to cope with the trauma. He was only 31 years old. For some the war never ends.

Maybe by SARK

Maybe we are building a new world
Maybe we'll paint marshmallows purple,
Or Free Circus elephants

Maybe we'll ride
On chocolate merry-go-rounds,
Or make tennis shoes for camels.

Maybe we'll find a child who feels
Unsafe at home and take her out of there right away.

Maybe we'll mail so many letters to God,
That everything gets all healed up.

Maybe we'll mail so many letters to God,
That everythign gets all healed up.

Maybe we'll mail so many letters to God,
That everything gets all healed up.

Maybe we'll take all the mean people,
And use them to full up the ozone hole.

Maybe when we see a sign that says
"Drawbridge', we'll get out and do a lovely bridge sketch.

Maybe we will make airplaines
Out of the same material that the "Black Box" is made of.
Maybe we'll live in real communities,
Equal for everyone.
Maybe 100% of the people will vote,
And start a new world.
Maybe everbody is an
Angel, God, Animal, naturea, all rolled into one bundle
Of nerve and tissue, lip and bone.
Maybe we'll stop fighting
And trying to be right.
Maybe there will be nap rooms everywhere,
And cars will run on kisses.
Maybe dreams are real
Maybe all the homeless
will move onto all the golf courses.
Maybe schools are filled with imagination,
And prisons have nutritious food and spiritual programs.

Maybe we are all free,
Safe and well loved.
Maye we all want the same things. Maybe we all love everyone.
by S.A.R.K.

Some days all I can do is dream.

Morgentaler gets The Order Of Canada

Amid much controversy Dr. Henry Morgentaler is awarded The Order of Canada. This is the highest civilian honor that is given in this country and Dr. Morgentaler's award has created a firestorm of controversy.

For those who don't know Dr. Morgentaler fought for women to have the right to choose what happens to their body. That included the right to end a pregnancy and in 1969 Dr. Morgentaler, a Montreal doctor, opened the first abortion clinic in Canada. Until Dr. Morgentaler's historic battle many women lost their lives to back door butchers who used dirty instruments in dirty back rooms to have an unwanted pregnancy terminated because it was illegal to have an abortion in Canada. Some women ,in extreme desperation, attempted to abort themselves with coat hangers. Many women died in the process.

Many have come forward to criticize Michaelle Jean, the Governor General of Canada, for awarding this to what they deem "a murderer". Not the least of these critics is the Catholic church. In particular Father Lucien Larre, himself a winner of the Order of Canada, has sent his back. Father Larre claims that people find Dr. Morgentaler's stand on abortion repugnant and that Dr. Morgentaler's pro abortion stand has divided the country and not unified it which he feels is important.

It strikes me that the Catholic church is very hypocritical. Given the fact that the church has been hit with numerous lawsuits over it's treatment of children in residential schools in Canada as well as having numerous priest charged with sexual assault of children in their parishes one would think they would heed the words "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones". Father Larre should take particular notice of this since in 1989 he was found guilty of two counts of physically abusing children at the Bosco Youth Centres in Saskatchewan that he helped found.

I am not a pro-abortionist, but I do think that women should have the right to choose what to do with their own bodies and this should be a matter between themselves, their doctors and their God. It really is not the business of the Catholic church or Father Larre.

Change Can Be Good

As I am sure most of you noticed my blog was looking a little pale in the last week or so. That paleness was not a new design by me, but rather a glitch in my other template which I could not fix. So I found a new one. It needs a little tweaking still, but at least it is no longer bland.

Camera Critters #14

Well it is a lovely Saturday here on the west coast and I am getting ready to spend the day out walking in the woods with Miss Lucy and then off for a belated Birthday dinner at the Boat House. YUM! I can hardly wait.

For Camera Critters #14 Here is a photo of my favorite bird. I spend a lot of time trying to get good photos of these big fellas and they grudgingly oblige me on occasion.



Have a great happy and safe weekend!

Sky Watch

Thanks to Crazy Cath for letting me know about this and Wiggers World for hosting Friday's Sky Watch. Here is my photo of Harrision Lake, sky and mountains that I took a few weeks ago.

Great Birthday Week!

My Birthday Bouquet

I have had a busy week having fun! Yes I still had to go to work unfortunately. It was my birthday on Tuesday and even though I started the morning out in the dentists chair the day was beautiful. It was sunny and warm and Miss Lucy and I went for a picnic with a friend. The girls at the office got me a beautiful card and brought in butter chicken for lunch. I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my friends in England my daughters are planning a weekend party for me and I also was given a round trip plane ticket to Quebec City for September when I take my holidays. You can not beat that!

Last night I was given free tickets to Theatre Under the Stars at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park and my daughters, Miss Lucy and I saw "Annie Get Your Guns". The setting there is always beautiful and was especially so because of the eagles flying over head. I was so mad at myself that I did not take my camera. I would have gotten some really good shots. The play was wonderful. The singing and costuming as always was great. There is something so nice in being able to sit on the lawn with bunches of people and be entertained in this way. One of the benefits of living in this city. The only spoiler for the evening was the temperature which dipped drastically yesterday and made it a chilly evening.

I am now gearing up for a great weekend in the sun and party time! Drinks with co-workers tonight and birthday party this Saturday and hopefully a day in the sun at the beach with Miss Lucy on Sunday!

Camera Critters #13 - Canada's National Symbol!

As all of you know I love nature and I also love photography so finding Camera Critters meme has been right up my alley. This week I was going to post my picture of a baby seal that I took up the coast, but instead I went for a walk tonight in Foreshore Park with a friend and look what waddled past me! Looks like a big rat at first glance......

But it is Canada's national symbol.... the Canadian Beaver!

HAPPY JULY 4TH AMERICA!

Stand Down May 1st At West Coast Ports

During my weekend trip to the island I had the chance to chat with union workers from around the province. It is a great way to keep in touch with how things are going with the labor movement in the province as well as around the world. One person there told me about an event that never made it in to the main stream news papers. Dockworkers in the US took May 1st off to protest the war in Iraq shutting down 29 west coast ports! The protest included Los Angeles and Long Beach. These ports alone handle about 40% of the imported goods arriving in the US each year. The shut down idled ships, shut down cranes, stopped the movement of thousands of big rigs and containers. Yet we heard not a word of this in the major Canadian newspapers.
"We are supporting the troops and telling politicians in Washington that it's time to end the war in Iraq" union President Bob McEllrath said in a press release. Yet here in Canada apparently the press chose not to print a line of Bob's press release.
To my brothers and sisters to the south who stand together and stand firm in their belief in the labor movement and in ending injustice I applaud you!
To the Canadian press... where were you?

Mine Worker's Memorial - Cumberland

Saturday morning saw me climbing out of bed at 3:30 AM to catch up with some friends and go to Cumberland on Vancouver Island for the Mine Worker's Memorial Day. Until that morning I had no idea of that the history of mining on the island was so rich.

Mining in BC really began with coal mines on Vancouver Island and it was one of the most dangerous occupations. The mining industry killed over 295 miners over the years. Forced to work in appalling conditions the miners began to organize and eventually involved National, International and local unions.

Ginger Goodwin, originally from Scotland was a mine worker and supporter of unionized labor and socialism. Like many miners in his time he developed lung disease and was exempt from the conscription until the war began to run out of soldiers and his exemption was overturned. Knowing this was a death sentence he fled into the woods around Cumberland where he was tracked down and shot by the RCMP in 1918. With the debate raging on about whether his death was accidental or deliberate the miners and union workers raised him to martyr status and today this memorial takes place at his grave site.

Happy Canada Day!

Canada's Prayer
by Chris Robertson

I'm dreaming of Canada tonight.
A country where mountains and hopes touch the sky
A country where an ocean of kindness fills all hearts
A country where ideas are a forest of wisdom
Oh God let me wake up in Canada!

I'm dreaming of Canada tonight.
A country where compassion is as tall as a Douglas fir
A country where understanding is as deep as a great lake
A country where confidence grows like grain
Oh God let me wake up in Canada!

I'm dreaming of Canada tonight.
A country where happiness flows like the water of a river
A country where love is a breath of fresh air
A country where peace covers the land like snow
Oh God, please let me wake up in Canada, tonight...


© Copyright 1997

**Canada’s Prayer was written by Chris Robertson. Chris Robertson was the first person in history to travel from bottom of mainland Canada 6,520 kilometres to the top under their own power. Enroute he challenged over 5 million Canadians to make Canada better by answering the question: “What will you do in your life to make Canada a better country than when you found it?”