As the Clock Counts Down

This morning you would have thought it was spring here if it hadn't been for the temperature and the snow covered mountains in the distance. The sun was shining and Lucy was dancing to go out. I grabbed my camera and we headed out to the doggie park on the dikes in Steveston. I could not think of a better way to finish 2007 than with a day out side with my best friend and constant companion doing what we both love to do. She of course loves to run and play and I love to take photos. Mother nature could not have co-operated more. The sun glinted off the snow on the mountains and the bare trees looked elegant and stately against the deep blue sky. As we wandered the path I happened to look up and see what I thought at first was a Blue Heron's nest till I looked at the tree across from it and saw a pair of Eagles sitting like a comfy old married couple in the sunshine. Can't you just hear them chatting about the coming of spring and the possibilities of little ones in the nest! Don't they look peaceful and happy?
While I wandered in the sunshine snapping pictures I thought about the past year that seemed to see my life in turmoil from beginning to end. I realized that there were far more good things that happened than bad. I think that may have been a first for me. However, it is not the great year that my friend who is into Astrology predicted for me either. That I will be chatting with him about while he makes his predictions for me this year! Some of the things I have enjoyed most this year were hiking on Gambier Island and my winter trip to Montreal with my daughter Karen. And the many day trips with Lucy to take pictures brought me great joy and periods of relaxation when life was so stressful here.
I have to say though that many days just sitting down at the computer and reading some of the posts and comments by the friends I have on here gave moments of badly needed laughter and I found strength in the companionship of the people on here. It is a strange world that we create here on the world wide web! I find myself thinking about someone's struggle and I realize that my day isn't so bad after all and some days it is just nice knowing that someone in a different country in a different time zone is keeping their fingers crossed and saying their prayers for me.
I hope that 2008 brings all of you great joy and good health, and that you find yourselves surrounded everyday by friends and family who love you and just like that Eagle couple may you find peace and serenity in all areas of your life.
**I have put up a flikr badge with today's pictures.

Christmas Memories

It has been snowing all day long here. Not the nice white puffy kind, but the dark wet dreary kind and except for walking Lucy I have not ventured out all day. It is quite a relief actually as we have been on the go with family and friends for days on end. I started cleaning up some Christmas ornaments and putting them away when I came upon a box of my old Christmas toys from when I was a child. I took them one by one out of the box and looked at each one of them marveling at how much they meant to me as a child. They are just little tiny dolls. Some of them have movable eyes and some don't. Some dressed Christmas outfits and some not. Every year when I was a child the decorations would go up and then there was my little Christmas doll collection that I would play with and rearrange under the tree a hundred times before Christmas day. Then on Christmas day they would be abandoned for new brighter, bigger and better toys. Funny these little dolls have survived all these years and yet I can't even remember the other toys.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas eve we awoke to a beautiful sunny day and Lucy and I went for a long walk in the canyon to get our heads cleared for the festivities ahead. It was supposed to tire Lucy out, but unfortunately it only seemed to make her more excited. It always amazes me how the animals seem to pick up on the holiday excitement! In the late afternoon I went to Legion to help serve a free Christmas dinner for those in need in our community and it was really great to see people having such a good time with their children especially knowing that may be the only thing some of those children will ever get this Christmas. It made me think back to a few of our Christmas celebrations and I realized that except for one very bleak year when we had absolutely nothing we have been very blessed.
Sometime while we were out the fat old guy in red pajama's paid us an early visit and left lots of goodies under our non-existent tree! As it appeared we had already passed the naughty or nice test we decided to toast the old guy with a wee drop of Christmas cheer leaving us all giddy with laughter and saying to hell with waiting till Christmas morning we ripped open our gifts at midnight. All of us got some really nice things and I especially feel spoiled. There were so many nice things, but one of my favorite's was the gift certificate for a Whale watching trip in the spring that my daughters gave me. As well Ray gave me a new office chair because as he put it "I can't stand to see you sitting in that old broken down lopsided thing you call a chair. He declared that I should put it out at the curb and let the neighbors have a good laugh. My daughters whole heartedly agreed with that , but I am very attached to that old chair and I may hide it in the basement! However I will agree that the new one is better for my back!

My friend Frances always spoils me rotten at Christmas as I so enjoy it. She sent me chocolate and earings and a necklace and jammies and so many lovely things. Every year I look forward to her gift because I know it is always sent with love. I hope she knows she is loved very much in return.
Today we take my aunt out for dinner to the hotel and then we are off to the movies for the evening.

I hope that what ever all of you are doing today that you have a safe and happy holiday.

Goodmorning - I Think!

The big night has come and gone!
Everyone had a rousing good time including me.
I was so tired I slept late.
My feet hurt and I am not going to the office to clean up till I have had at least 4 cups of coffee!

Whew!

This Christmas business is hard work! Tomorrow is my our open house at our office and I have worked on it for a couple of weeks. We have a ton of food coming and several businesses in the area have given us gift certificates to use for a draw. We use the draw to get people to bring food and toys for the Food bank and Christmas bureau. Last year we collected about 400 lbs of food and almost 50 gifts. So it is an important occasion and it spreads a lot of good will in the community. However it has been exhausting organizing that on top of the regular work. Tomorrow I will have an office full of volunteers though so the day should go smoothly. Huh -fat chance! I am planning on having a good time however.
Lucy is missing her time with me and I have no time to take pictures of her in her Christmas attire. Shhh don't tell her, but I did go and get her a bed fit for a princess for her Christmas present.

I have been too tired at night to even think about posting much and tonight is no exception, but I found this Christmas funny that I wanted to share.For some very strange reason this just cracked me up.

I hope that every one is having a great deal of fun with Christmas and not getting too stressed out. Remember the reason for the season!
Cheers!

Everyone Knows at Least One....

horses ass!

Way to Go Girls!

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, While both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.
Therefore according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY one of them from Rudolph to Blitzen had to be a girl.
We should have known only WOMEN would be able to drag a fat-ass man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

Being too tired and too busy to post anything of my own making I thought I would give you all a Christmas chuckle.

Remembering the Reason for the Season!

This
Christmas
end a quarrel.
Share a treasure.
Seek out a forgotten
friend. Write a love letter.
Dismiss suspicion and replace
it with trust. Give a soft answer.
Encourage youth. Manifest loyalty in
word and deed. Keep a promise. Find time.
Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen.
Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand.
Flout envy. Examine your demands on others. Think
first of someone else. Appreciate. Be kind. Be gentle.
Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Learn to love yourself.
Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express
gratitude. Go to church. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart
of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of each moment.

Speak your love.
Speak it again.

O N L Y L O V E
P R E V A I L S

I have no idea who wrote this , but every year I drag this out when things get hectic and crazy. I need to remind myself that there is a purpose in the season. Reading this always makes me stop and think about those around me. I hope that it does the same for some of you experiencing the same maddness that Christmas always seems to bring.
Remember to be good to yourself and stop and give a loved one a hug, say a kind word to a neighbor, remember a friend who is struggling.

Well Look !

Lucy and I are a cartoon couple!

I got this at the Surrey Chamber reception and I just took a good look at it. The guy did me a favor - knocked off about 20 years I would say! I think I want to be a cartoon forever!

Holy Moly!

Where on earth does the time go?! I feel as though the weekend should be just starting instead of over!

So... a little recap of my week and weekend.
Wednesday the boss lady took us all to the Surrey Board of Trade Christmas reception at the Sheraton Hotel. The theme was Christmas in India and as this was a reception not a dinner they actually served butter chicken on skewers along with pakoras and tandoori chicken - delicious! Not to mention the free crantini's in martini glasses that had lights in the stems!
Thursday I went to the US for a couple of hours of shopping and didn't get much of anything as they are charging too much for exchange so next time I will get US currency before I go. Yeah I know guys it is hard to take the fact that our dollar is worth that much, but really it is so get over it!
Friday we had our constituency Christmas dinner and dance. It was a lot of good fun. Here is my good friend Ray cuddling up to my boss. I think the Tie AND the hat was little over kill Ray!

Saturday was a lovely sunny day, but cold. Lucy and I headed to the canyon for a wonderful hour and a half walk. The fragrance of the trees on a crisp winter day and the sounds of the creek grumbling its way down to the bog was so relaxing and as there was little time for walking Lucy this past week she was exhuberant to be out there with me. I should have taken the camera, but I promised myself that Sunday I would take the girl and go some place beautiful and shoot pictures. Then in the afternoon I drove all the way over to my friend Diane Thorne's office in Maillardville to visit her at her open house. Then I picked up my Aunt, hooked up with my daughter and took Auntie to dinner. I feel so bad asI have not had time to see her for weeks.

Here she is with a big smile almost 87 years old.! God I hope I do that well when I am her age! I told her to get her dancing shoes on as we are taking her to the Executive hotel for Christmas dinner!
Last night I collapsed into bed over joyed at the thought of a morning with Lucy snapping pictures, but she and I woke up to freezing cold and snow (GROAN). We did not get much snow, but it was nasty weather. Dark and cloudy and really really cold so we settled on another walk in the canyon and a car ride to the shopping center.
Tonight I brought out the decorations and started doing a little of that. Believe me this year a little will have to do.
In between all of those things I have been wrapping and mailing parcels and trying to write out Christmas cards and now Sunday night is here and I have a 6 am Monday morning to face. I will be so glad when Santa finally gets on that damn sleigh of his and we can get this ho ho ho stuff behind us for another year.

Oh yes and looky what the Canadian government came through with for me. Thank you Mr. Harper if things get rough here in Canada (and I am quite sure if you get re elected things will get tough)I can now get on a plane and fly to some other country.
I have come to the conclusion that passports don' t mean that you are a good person, it just means that you haven't gotten caught yet!

Happy Hanukkah!

It is Hanukkah for our Jewish friends and neighbors. I thought I would shmooze about some interesting facts about this Jewish Holiday.

• In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" means "dedication.

• Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (which is November-December on the Gregorian calendar).

• The holiday commemorates the re dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews' 165 B.C.E. victory over the Hellenist Syrians. Antiochus, the Greek King of Syria, outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods.

I am such a schmuck and it is so shmaltzy, but here is what I knew about Hanukkah before tonight:

• They make and eat lots of potato latkes and cheese blintzes
  

I am so meshugah!

Shalom

Paris Hilton Wants to Be A Mother!

Now that is scary!

Wet Coast Foot Wear!

Need I say more?!

What Next? Frogs or Locust?

Yesterday we had about 6 inches of snow in the driveway. It did not quit snowing most of the day before and all day yesterday. However late yesterday afternoon it all changed around and the snow turned to rain and right now it is raining so hard that the roads are flooded and some highways are closed! The weather man told us this would happen, but me ever the skeptic thought that was ridiculous and chose to shovel my driveway instead of waiting for it to be washed away like the rest of my neighbors. I will just tell everyone I needed the exercise.

The weekend snow fall gave me a much needed break as all the functions I was to go to were canceled and I spent most of th weekend getting caught up on housework and some office stuff. However yesterday, despite the snow, I spent part of the day outside with Lucy. Lucy as you can imagine loves the snow and her favorite game in the snow is snow soccer!

Later in the afternoon we went to the Canyon with my friend Chris and his dog Kiera. It was like walking through a fairy land with all the trees covered in snow. The branches were so loaded down it covered the path and if I had not been there many times I would have easily lost my way. I took the camera, but the weather was so nasty I did not get very good pictures as I was afraid to expose my camera for any length of time. I fell several times and came home soaking wet!
Today we are supposed to have winds of 80k to go along with the floods!

Only 22 Shopping Days Till Christmas!

That's what I heard on the radio today as I was getting ready to attack the snow that was piling up in my drive way for the last two days. So armed with my neighbors snow shovel in one hand and Lucy on a lead in the other I headed out to the front driveway. It was freezing out there and I was miserable. I hate the cold here in the lower mainland. It is so damp that it goes right through you. That made me think of another news article that had come out this week. A recent survey found that by a conservative estimate there are 10,580 people in our province homeless! It is shocking really. I could not imagine being out in this cold all day long looking for a place to lay my head come evening time. As well another study this past month says that we have the highest rate of child poverty in the country! Can you believe that 21% of children in BC live in poverty and the numbers are growing. Even with 22 more shopping days to go I doubt that these children will be getting much for Christmas this year. This puts Christmas and the season of greed a little more into perspective and I have a few suggestions for having a great Christmas while giving others one too!

• Ask your children what they are giving this year instead of what they are wanting to get.
  
• Volunteer as a family for a soup kitchen or homeless shelter
• Invite the neighbors in for coffee and cookies and ask them to bring a food item for the local food bank.
  
• If you know of a family that is struggling this Christmas invite them for dinner over the holidays. Make extra and pack up the left overs for them to take home with them.
  
• Adopt a family and get the whole family involved in creating a great Christmas for a needy family in your community. Most social agencies have lists of needy families.
  
• Give tickets to a special Christmas performance to someone who couldn't otherwise afford to go.
  

I am sure there are dozens more things that could be added to the list and you guys will come up with some unique ones just for your community. Then when the season is over write your MLA and Premier Campbell and ask them what is going on? Demand that they take some action to increase affordable housing in the Province and to find out why so many children in our province are going to school hungry everyday.

It's That Time of Year!

Every year Christmas begins for me when I get Frances gifts from England. I never open them till Christmas day, but almost every year she sends me a stuffie that isn't wrapped and it is like getting a hug from England. Last year it was Sir Humphrey Hug and he sits on my desk in his own rocking chair. I only have to look at him to feel better about my day. This year she has sent me a beautiful soft cuddly elephant with a heart that says "I Love You Loads"! I am not sure if Frances knows about my love of elephants. When I was a little girl I had a stuffed Elephant. I called him BoBo and I never put him down. I lost him for a few decades and then about ten years ago he was returned to me. He was thread bare and even more battered than I remembered, but he was BoBo. I put him away because I was afraid that he would just crumple away if he was touched too much. I have always resisted buying a new one because it wouldn't seem the same somehow. However this elephant can fill the boots of BoBo!
So now it is official the start of the Christmas season! I have presents to wrap and cards to write and today it is snowing so that seems like a good day to get started.

Good news! My camera is back in time for Christmas and if the lens button will stay on through the holidays I will consider that a break! As for that passport.... it appears to be shuffling from one bureaucrats desk to another still!