Crazy Weather!

It has been a crazy weather week. Come to think of it - it has been a just plain crazy week all the way, but the weather topped it all. This week we have seen snow and I mean SNOW - large fluffy flakes coming down. Then we have seen beautiful sunshine a couple of hours later only to wake up the next day to the sound of hail pounding on the windows. Yesterday was a mix of everything. In the morning I took Lucy to the Canyon and it was warm and a little over cast. By late afternoon dark clouds had moved in and the rain had started and a few hours later the hail was pounding down. This morning you would never have known. The morning was sunny and beautiful and only got better and warmer as the day progressed.

Lucy and I went for a walk through Elgin Park in South Surrey and it was lovely. The birds were everywhere. I love Spring when the birds come out and like this. They seemed to be everywhere and of every shape and description. I have never been good on names of different types of birds, but it makes me smile to hear them singing at the top of their lungs on days like this. I hope this means that spring, with flowers blooming and leaves on the trees is not far behind.

HOW TO BE HAPPY

1. Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple
things.

2. Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone
has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to
make the laughter outweigh the tears.

3. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be
protected from misfortune that befalls other people.

4. You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.

5. Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.

6. Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.

7. Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than real
ones.

8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy, enmity, grudges.
Avoid people who make you unhappy.

9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.

10. Don't hold post-mortems. Don't spend your time brooding over sorrows or
mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.

11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.

12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.


-Robert Louis Stevenson-

A Story For You

A Terrifying Night

The pot-holed driveway stretched before me. I could hardly wait to get in the house and into a warm bed. It seemed like an eternity since I left the comfort and safety of my friend’s house. In reality it was only about half an hour, but walking alone down that dirt road, nothing but bush on both sides, and a sliver of moon making the shadows look ominous; I thought I would never make it. I should be getting used to this by now.

It had all started a few months ago when I arrived home from school one Friday to find a note left by my parents. It said, “Gone away, feed the dogs.” It didn’t tell me where they had gone or when they would be back. The first weekend was the worst. What were the rules? Could I stay up all night, eat what I want, or go out with my friends all weekend? For the first few hours I thought it was great until I realized that this house was really a prison for a 13-year-old child left alone. Three miles from the local town, the weather beaten farm house sat almost half a mile off the main road and the nearest neighbors almost a mile away. The only way to get anywhere was to walk and leave for home before it got dark to spend a lonely evening home or risk the long walk in the dark. My freedom had quickly turned to boredom and loneliness. This weekend I decided to take the chance and visit a friend.

The driveway loomed ahead of me and I was feeling more nervous. On the left side of the drive was an unused pasture with tall grass. Every step I took on that driveway I was convinced that someone or something was following me. Trying to talk myself out of this nonsense I told myself over and over again that it was just the wind or maybe some deer feasting on the rich grass in the pasture to my left. Still my heart was beating hard as I kept telling myself over and over again, “Just a few more steps”, once past the pasture I could not hear the rustling so much and I began to relax and chastised myself for being such a baby. My eyes spotted the old rusted Austin sitting on blocks in the field to my right and I knew I was almost to the house. Then I saw it I could not believe my eyes. Terror flooded my body. My heart quit beating and my legs turned to jelly. Just beyond the Austin was a light. My brain was screaming that it couldn’t be! My family owned ten acres of land and only one acre was cleared. Everything else was forest. I crouched down trying desperately to melt into the driveway and praying my silhouette would not show in the moon light. Half crawling half racing the rest of the way, I flew up the stairs and struggled with shaky hands to unlock the door. Once inside I slammed the door, flipping on both locks. Not daring to turn on the lights, I felt my way to the kitchen drawer, grabbed the meat cleaver for a weapon and raced to the upstairs window that over looked the driveway. The light was barely visible from here. Terrified, and not knowing what do, I sat on the floor in front of the window and prepared to wait out the night. Exhaustion overtook me.

The rising sun woke me. Stiff and sore from my night on the floor I anxiously searched the forest looking for the light I had seen the night before. Frightened, but buoyed by the daylight I made my way cautiously down the driveway to where I had seen the light. I began to laugh as much from relief as from my stupidity. Last night, tired and frightened I had totally forgotten about the pump house at the edge of the forest and the light my father had just installed there.

Easter Weekend Bonus!

I had a great Easter weekend. On Thursday night my daughter came home from Calgary for Easter. She has been a training course for the last three weeks. It was good to see her and we all went out for the evening. On Friday I had tickets to the Opera and it was lovely. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra played and the Kitsilano women's and men's choir sang. I had never been to an opera and I found this to be very relaxing and beautiful.
On Saturday we went out as a family to the Fraser Heritage Park and had some fun walking the trails and then took Lucy for a swim at Kilby. On the way home we took $20.00 each and went to the sorry excuse that passes for a casino in Abbotsford Mission. The deal is nobody in our party spends more than their $20.00 and if they win the quit and share with the rest of us. I won $110.00 so everyone was very happy with me.
On Sunday I took my Aunt some flowers and spent a couple of hours with her. I then came home and helped my daughter get ready to fly back to Calgary this morning.
Today when I came home from taking Lucy out there was a message on my post from someone named Crazy Cath I had never heard from before. I followed the links to discover that Nervus Rex had awarded me the E for Excellence blog award I was so stunned that some one actually likes the stuff I throw up here when I have time. Thank you so much for that!

The Rules: By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you agree to award it to 10 more people whose blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10. You deserve this! Feel free to recognize blogs that have already received this award.

Drowsey Monkey

GT281

Faerie Kat

Great Minds Think Like Me

Musings

And because without Miss Lucy I would have little to blog about some days she got to choose some friends also:


Maggie & Mitch


The Zoo Crew

Ambers Diary

Fred Follies


Herbiesphere




I hope that everyone had a great Easter and got to spend it with people they love.

Make a Wish Meme

Drowsey tagged me with a Make a Wish Meme . She wished for the 37 million that I wanted so I was left with looking for a new wish.


The Rules

1. Think about what it is that you want more than anything, what your heart's desire and fondest wish is, and what it is that you would wish for if you were to see the above wishing star flame across the night sky.

2. Right click and SAVE the blank graphic below.

3. Use a graphics program of your choice and place your wish on this picture:4. Post the Make A Wish Meme and your wishing star on your blog along with these rules.

5. Tag as many people as you like so that there can be wishing stars all across the Blogosphere and ask them to please link back to me so that I can see what wishes others have made and share those wishes with others.


So, here's my wish:
I am going to tag:

A Stellarlife

Great Minds Think Like Me

Happy Easter

Picture taken at Fraser River Heritage Park, Mission BC

The Iraq War Five Years Today

4,000 American Soldiers have lost their lives.

90,000 Iraqi Citizens have lost their lives.

The Catz YOUYOU tag Challenge

A while back you might remember I challenged GT281 to a meme Digging in the Closet tag. He in turn promised to get even, but had to leave us for a few days to, in his words, get his plumbing fixed??? Well HE'S BAAA CKKK! And I always knew I would pay the price for peaking into GT281's dirty closet. He has challenged me to the YOUYOU tag... the rules - HUH of course there are none. Afterall this is GT281we are talking about. The guy who talks to Martians and prattles on in gibberish. However, I will try and answer his silly questions with dignity and intelligence as is my way.

The Catz YOUYOU tag………

1…when you have to get a perm for your fuzzy orange head,,
do you go to the hair saloon or just put your finger in a
light socket?...
First - I no longer have orange hair- maybe you should be checking out some of my more recent pictures OR quit wearing those Martian sunglasses they don't suit you any way!
Second - I NEVER get a perm. That must be some other old lady's blog you are thinking about!

2…when you paint your toenails bright pink,, what type of
Cheetos corn puffs do you use to keep your toes apart,,
crunchy or regular?...

I AM CANADIAN! I do not use Cheetos to keep my toes apart I use little tiny fish called eulchons. Their little tails flapping helps create a breeze that makes the polish dry faster. If you would like to try it I could send you some.

3…how many Canadian loonies can you put up your nose?...
I never shove loonies up my nose, but if your retailers don't quit cheating me on those loonies every time I come to your country I may shove a few of them... well I shan't say ... after all I am a lady you know.


4…how many liters of hot wax does it take to remove the hair
from your legs?...
Again... why would I take all that natural warm furry stuff off my legs in the middle of a Canadian winter??

5…how many frozen cat fillets are in your freezer right now?...
Alas ... I am all out of cat fillets as it is not the season for them and good cat is hard to find and keep these days. You should know that.

6…how many chocolate éclairs have you eaten at one time?...
8?,, 12?,, 20?,, over 50?...
Ooohhh now you have me... I must confess 50 doesn't even get close!

7…have you stopped saving your earwax in masons jars?...
Why would I stop saving my earwax in a mason jar? What ever would I use to make candles with next winter?

8…what is the square root of PI ?...
You crazy Yanks - what will you think of next - Pies arn't square they are round everyone knows that. Unless of course your President has made a law declaring round pies too high a security risk now.

Heather Mills gets 48 Million

Heather Mills McCartney got 48 million total. A far cry from what she was trying to milk her ex-hubby for and I am sure far more than Paul McCartney wanted to pay proving that stamping your FOOT in public doesn't always work even for the rich. In his ruling the judge stated that Heather Mills evidence was "inconsistent, inaccurate" and "less than candid". In other words she is a liar as well as a tart!
I don't usually weigh in on these kind of topics as I think that the whole star break-up crack-up scene is obscene. It really is about people with more money than character as a rule. In this case I think that Heather Mills is a vindictive money grubbing hag. If I were him I would consider it money well spent to be rid of her. And for everyone's sake I hope that we have seen the last of her too.
Now go ahead and ask me how I really feel.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

AN OLD IRISH BLESSING!

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

This post is a little for me because I am Irish (yes I confess I am) and lot for GT281. I could think of nothing better to send him as a get well card than this. I know that where ever he is he will feel so much better for having seen this and being given plenty of ammunition for when he is able to torment me again! So here you go GT281 and I hope you feel better and don't bust a stitch laughing!

Don't send a lame St. Patrick's Day eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Weeks End Update!

I have spent the better part of this past week recuperating some energy after the Kick Up Your Heels and Loosen Your Corset fund raiser I did last Sunday. I spent the better part of the week prior to it on the phones selling tickets and helping finalize the last details. It was a lot of fun and most people seemed to enjoy themselves and that is what counts. We are already planning for next year. Who knows maybe it will be called Kick up Your Heels, Loosen your Corset and Take it All Off! Could be interesting! We had a professional photographer and she has not gotten the pictures to us yet. When she does I will post a few.
This weekend I played with Lucy and my daughter. We went to the beach in the late afternoon yesterday and let Miss Lucy start her fishing season. After all it will be officially Spring next week and soon it will be summer and that is her favorite time of the year! Today we took her out to Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission and she had a ball chasing her ball and playing with my daughter. All too soon the weekend is over and it is time to get ready for another week of work.

Golden Sunset Over Vancouver

I don't go into the city very often anymore. In fact I avoid it most of the time. Too crowded and too noisy. I really hate all the noise, but sometimes it works out that there is something happening that takes me there. Last night my daughter asked me to meet her down on Granville Street for dinner. She took me to a really neat Korean Barbeque place where they have the barbeque in the middle of your table. Turns out it is more fun to grill your own food in their restaurant than it is at home.

After dinner while my daughter attended to an appointment I walked part way across the Granville street bridge to take in the evening sunset. It was quite unique. The sky was stormy and there was a cold wind blowing, but on the west side the sun was setting, and on the east side there was just enough sun to give a golden hue to the buildings and boats in False Creek
The city had begun to slow for the evening so the noise was not too bad and the view certainly made up for it. Even the seagulls were enjoying the sunset as they settled on the roof tops for the night.

No Dogs Off Leash; Feel Free To Have Sex!

Okay, I don't know how Drowsey missed this one.
Amsterdam has legalized public sex in Vondel park one of the city's most famous parks, but promised to clamp down on dog owners who let their pets walk there without a leash. The park has over ten million visitors a year and I think with this announcement the crowds just might double. That will be a lot of friggin in that grass so I doubt there will be much room for doggie doo.
I can just hear the family chit chat on Saturday night.... "Anka it is supposed to be a lovely warm day tomorrow I think we should take the kids to the park for a Sunday family picnic... what do you think dear? "Why Hans what a wonderful idea lets get there early so little Elsa can see a little foreplay." "I just hope those dirty little dogs aren't running around scaring her this time."
The world has become a very strange place.

International Women's Day

International Women's day has been ongoing since the 1900's. Women were beginning to enter the work force in greater numbers, but were traditionally segregated into textiles, manufacturing and domestic work. Not surprisingly the working conditions and pay were deplorable. In the western world our struggle seems to have been centered around equality with men in education, work and community. However for women in other cultures just being seen as having some worth is still a great accomplishment.
Some times I feel that women have really made great strides from when I was a young women struggling to feed and clothe myself, however when I see how few women are able to get elected in our country and how the media still treats women in positions of power differently than men I wonder if this battle will ever end. Not until we have an equal number of women in positions of power making decisions and helping to craft laws of justice will we be able to say we are equal.
For all the women around the world today who are marching in solidarity with your sisters around the world I urge you to teach your family, your community and your country to treat you as your deserve to be treated. Until we insist on equality in all areas of our lives it will not happen. We need first to know, understand and treat ourselves as worthy. I urge my fellow sisters to stand tall today and treat yourself as the most important person in your world.

"The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race."
—Susan B. Anthony

The Eagle

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Pictures taken at the Blaine Marine Park, Blaine Washington

Wiser Lake Washington USA

I paid a trip to my friends across the border today and took this picture of Wiser Lake

Banning Trans Fats ?

Gordon Campbell, our premier, is planning on banning restaurants from serving trans fats. That would mean that Wendy's Baconater burger would be banned in BC. The baconater has two hamburger patties and six strips of bacon and is a popular burger especially with the guys.
I think we are going too far. When is it right for our government to decide what I can and can not eat. I understand that obesity is a real problem for our own health and for our over burdened health care system. I also agree that we need to make sure that our schools offer health foods to our children, but where does it stop? Do they get to come into your house and ban you from eating a bacon and egg sandwich with a large slice of Canadian Cheddar? Will we be forced to stand in the cold and wet behind a tree to pig out on a burger and fries when we have a bad day? Will they stop our grocery carts at the store and check for contraband?

Pretty soon we will be able to buy a BC doobie easier than a BC Burger!

Happy Birthday Hula Hoop!

This day in 1948 the hula hoop was first manufactured for mass sale by a company called Wham-o., but has been around since the 1300 when it first came to Britain and was made out of wood.
I can still remember having hula hoop contests with my friends and family when I was a kid. I could spin the hoop for hours with out getting tired of it. Today I still own one with full intentions of using it for exercise purposes (yeah sure). It sits in a corner of my living room looking lonely. I think it was one of the greatest toys they ever made so I am not surprised that it's popularity has lasted all these years.

Did you know:

• Japan once banned the hula hoop because the rotating hip action seems indecent.
• On June 4, 2005, Australian Kareena Oates set a Guinness world record for hula hooping - with 100 hoops for three full revolutions.
• 101 hoops were spun by Alesya Goulevich of Belarus on June 11, 2006
• 105 hoops were spun by Jin Linlin of China on October 28, 2007.
• The world record for the largest Hula Hoop (by circumference) spun was set by American Ashrita Furman at 51.5 feet on June 1, 2007.

I think I might just challenge someone to a hooping contest - anyone interested?

Sunset At Crescent Beach

I worked most of the weekend. However Saturday late afternoon was warm and sunny so Lucy and I went to the beach for some late afternoon picture taking and stayed for the glorious sunset. Later tired and happy from an hour or two of picture taking I came home and watched the movie "Rendition". Movies that are based on these kinds of truths disturb me and I must say I spent Sunday in a pensive mood. For me the question is what can I do about the terrible human rights violations that are occurring around the world and that most of us seem so silent about?
I have no answers - do you?

There is a new flickr badge on the left with more pictures if yo u are interested.