Bit of this and that....

As the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland would say....."I'm late I'm late for a very important date". For me that is my date with the tax man....here it is the 29th of March and I still haven't been in to submit my tax returns...urgh! I am anticipating a refund but still, I get all nervous about it, don't know why, just anything to do with the government gets me on edge.

So today I must gather all of my receipts and off to the accountant I must go!

On a much more pleasant note, on Tuesday I received the most wonderful little gift in the mail from my dear blog friend Pea. Pea was celebrating her blogs 1st year anniversary. In doing so she wanted to have a little contest. Well I won 3rd prize, and here is what I won.

Isn't that lovely! That little vase can be used as a candle holder, and I thought the card was just so pretty, that's a keeper. Thank you so much Pea for the lovely gift!

But I must run things to do and places to be and another night shift awaits me. Cheers all and Happy Thursday all!

Just a quickie......

Just a quick note....I am running late....dang. Have to make sure I make it to work on time today. I generally am early but this morning I have to make a quick stop on my way to work. Speaking of work. I had a call from my work yesterday asking me if I wouldn't mind orientating a new RN. Orientate and new RN.....of course I would. Wow more staff.....I would orientate a dog if he had the skills to do what we do. But seriously, we currently are short staff 2 full time lines and one part time line and are in desperate need of casual workers as well. So finding someone to come work is fabulous. With summer coming up we are always short handed as staff are taking vacation. It's a never ending issue right now. We are always under staff. There just aren't enough of us out there. I have worked more overtime this year already than I did all of last year, and it wasn't looking like there was going to be any reprieve in sight. With the recent Spring break a couple of the staff had their holidays interrupted because management couldn't fill their need. That's awful as I know they have tried but from a employee stand point when you can't get your vacation when you ask really sucks. It's like why on earth do I work full time if I can't get my vacation? Then at the end of the year they say use your vacation up or we will have to pay you out. Oh it is all so frustrating. Those of you who are nurse out there know exactly what I am talking about.

Anyhow, I am happy, we are getting new staff. Hip Hip hooray!

Have a grand day all!

Monday Monday .....la da

Some of you who have been asking about the address change....well....I actually was going to delete my blog completely until my husband convinced me that wasn't a good idea....it was he who suggested getting a new address. To answer your question I will ask a question....why would anyone change their address? Is it because they just want a new name? Someone stole your name? Or is it because people you don't want to read it have access to it? Are you looking for anonymity? Your answer to any of those is most probably the same as mine. But it is done now and I am glad you have found me. I am still Smalltown RN at a Place I Call home......so with that being said.....

My eldest and youngest daughters were here this weekend. Oh did we have fun. Saturday after picking eldest daughter up at the ferry we went shopping.....then came home and baked some cookies.... chewy double chocolate chip with white chocolate cookies....oh my god were they good...we made 4 dozen and they are almost all gone. Isn't chocolate chip cookies a breakfast item? Anyhow, after baking and lazing for a bit, we went and rented movies. Saturday night....cookies and movies.....life is good.

Sunday comes and the sun decides to shine. Husband has been working hard to make sure the quads are up and running. They are, so we decide to venture out...all of us....Yahoo! We head off down the road to this trail. We get to the head of the trail and find this...it's more than a puddle...miny lake....anyhow we have to go through it to get further onto the trail.....we do...I am driving and youngest daughter is with me......the water comes up almost to the top of the wheel wells.....it was a blast....we got soaked.....then we came to this part of the trail that the rain had washed more of the trail away. Below are pictures....last year....my eldest daughter and her boyfriend ended up going off the side of this trail but it wasn't as bad as it is this year.....she was a little frightened....but it was all good.

That's eldest daughter standing....and youngest daughter and I coming to the part of the trail....you see how it's worn away!...It's narrower than it looks.

Youngest daughter is looking over suggesting I let husband drive the quad over....I think we could have done it...but I let him take over that part.

Sunday evening was spent chillin again....watching more movies....and studying with youngest daughter....she is studying for a science test.....the heart, respiratory and ciculatory system....I think I can handle this one.

We were up early to get the girls to the ferry, they are gone now....I am sad.....but they just called and made it home safe and sound......

Happy Monday all!

Saturday's Photo Scavenger Hunt

This weeks theme is something "Empty"

An Empty Beach in Qualicum......unheard of!!!

Happy hunting all!

The Thinking Blogger Award

As I mentioned on Tuesday I was awarded a "Thinking Bloggers Award" by Curmudgeon. This is also a meme. Having had the award bestowed upon me, I must pass it on to 5 others who I feel blogs make me think.

Now that is a tough one. All blogs make me think. I think about the author of the blog and their motivation for writing what they did. Then there are blogs that challenge me intellectually and spiritually. Other blogs get me all riled up about social issues and medical issues. And some just get me thinking "what if?". But the rules of the meme is that I can only chose 5, so here they are:

1. TomCat at Politics Plus Tomcat's blog focuses primarily on US politics and currently the Bush administration. But he has been doing this series on Religon which really gets me thinking and challenges my tolerance and behaviours towards other cultures. His blog is certainly worth a visit.

2. Cathy at Cathy's Rants and Ramblings" Now here is a spunky lady. My gosh the medical ailments this woman has had to endure and yet she still finds the strength to be a advocate for promoting good and safe health care. She challenges us to think about the governments position on medicare, about vaccines, and lifestyle choices that impact our lives. Cathy is currently doing a series on Cervical Cancer in conjunction with promoting, educating and encouraging females to research the HPV vaccine. Please go read her blog, I don't think you will be disappointed.

3. Janet C. at Life in Westcliffe I enjoy visiting Janet's site as she is a lady who is living life to the fullest and appreciating the environment around her. One of Janet's passions is saving the environment. She is living proof. She recycles, her home is designed to be as energy efficient as possible, she is taking courses on gardening at 8000 ft. in order to minimize waste and to use household waste products as composting material. She is also an avid photographer and some of her moon photos are amazing. If you are at all interested in the environment I think you won't be disappointed in paying her a visit.

4. OncRN talks about life as an oncology RN and the environment in which she works. The challenges she is faced with on a daily basis at work. the death of a patient. And how she thinks the world should be a different place when she leaves work after one of her patients has just passed away. I love reading her blog, she always gets me thinking about me own attitude at work. How do I respond to patients and their families. Am I compassionate and I helping the family process what is going on. Her posts have brought me to tears at times. If you go visit just make sure you have a box of Kleenex handy.

5. Susie at Susie's Space has such a warm, and welcoming blog. You can just feel the love she has for her family. She often takes us down trips on memory lane and events that were important to her. One of her regular posts is her Sunday blessings. In her Sunday blessings Susie tells us about all the things she is thankful for and how she feels blessed by this. She gets me thinking about my life and all the things I am thankful for and should remember to thank those people in my life that help make that happen. If you just need a good pick me up go over to Susie's Space.

So there you have it. My choices. That wasn't easy at all. Now what you must do is copy the award put it on your blog pick 5 blogs and post them on your blog. Congratulations to you all! Thank you for allowing me into your world and for teaching me something every day!

Happy Tuesday!

Hello all. I just want to thank you all for your wonderful comments over the past week. Wow you folks are all so super. Yup last week was a fun filled week and busy. We spoke with the boys last evening and they had just arrived in Toronto and were on their way home to Dundas. They sounded cheerful. They informed us that it was cold back there so I said "what no T-shirts?" Nope winter coats and toques.

I have a lot of catching up to do with visiting you all. So I an going to keep this short. Thank you again and Happy Tuesday to you all!

In my absent of checking my blog regulary and with bloggers I have found that I have won 3rd prize in PEA's Anniversay give away. PEA is celebrating her 1 year anniversary with blogging and did a give away and I won a prize! Thank you PEA!

Then there is Curmudgeon who bestowed upon me the Thinking blogger Award. This is also a meme. Which I must award 5 other bloggers with the award. Blogs that make me think. This is going to be very hard. As I told Curmudge there are so many blogs out there that make me think about me, about life, about the world and our surroundings. But I will do my best to come up with just 5 and I will hopefully have it posted by the weekend.

It's Raining It's Pouring.......

And that is about how I feel on the inside. The boys left yesterday, and I feel this void inside me. It is raining on the inside.

Although we managed to fill our days while they were here and spend as much time as possible being together, it just wasn't enough. I don't know if it would ever be enough.

Our last couple of days were fun. On Friday we went skiing. The weather was overcast and depending on what lift we went on, the conditions changed dramatically. I skied mostly with eldest son as youngest son was not feeling confident enough to venture onto the chair lift. He did however, make one attempt. He was not happy about it. But I told him how proud we were of him for making the attempt and that he never even fell. My last run of the day was with eldest son, he is a boarder and I down hill. I challenged him to come down a black diamond run with me. He wanted to say no, but I convinced him that I wouldn't expect him to do something I wouldn't be willing to try myself. He did it!!! I was so proud of him. I know he was happy with himself as well. He pushed his envelope.

Friday evening was spent at home, with eldest son and I getting our butts kicked yet again from Husband and youngest son in Trivial Pursuit. Dang!!!!

Saturday brought about more yard work. Eldest son helped out. It was eldest son who taught me how to use the chain saw! Husband decided it was time to pulled down another tree. So that meant more chopping and hauling of tree to the bonfire pit. I tell you, I keep this up and I won't have to go to the gym!

Saturday evening Papa and Nana aka FIL and MIL took us out for dinner. It was to a quaint place that has opened in our little community. It was very nice. Husband was able to get beef, which made him happy, as we don't eat beef at home. I was able to get a lovely chicken sovlaki with a greek salad. It was youngest sons appetite that amazed me. For an appetizer he had mussels done in a wonderful tomato garlic based sauce and then a bacon cheese burger with fries! After dinner we went back to Nana and Papa's and played......you guessed it Trivial Pursuit, guess who won? Yup, right again, husband youngest son and Nana. We had the lead for most of the game, but then something happened and well the rest is history.

Although it was difficult making my good byes to the boys the calming fact was knowing they will be back. I don't like to rush time, but I can hardly wait for the summer!

Happy Monday all!

Update on my week with the boys...

Oh let me start off by saying I am so frustrated!!! Urgh!!. I had just spent considerable amount of time making a post this morning. I was just at the point of previewing it, when I scrolled to the top and found half of my post gone. Yes gone! What the heck! Stay calm I tell myself. Save what you have and step away from the computer. And that is exactly what I did.

I was telling you all about my adventures with the boys thus far. Maybe I was to long winded and that was blogs way of telling me keep it simple.

As I told you the boys arrived Monday night. I worked so Tuesday was my first day with them. Being exhausted post night shift I did manage to get a couple of hours of sleep. I got up, did some house chores and then headed outside. The boys had been busy entertaining themselves on the quad. My quad has been acting up so husband was busy working on it. The weather was pleasant still a bit of a chill in the air but the sun was trying to come through. I decided I would start clearing some of the over grown area between his parents place and ours. We have a path the we use to access their place but it is getting a bit over grown. So after about 4 hours of chopping, raking, and clearing I decide to call it a day. The boys had been helpful in gathering the brush and weeds and throwing it on the soon to be bonfire. I decide we need to go to town and get a few things and get the boys a treat. They both get themselves a bag of candy at the grocery store. We leave there and go and get a few videos. It was going to be movie night.

Wednesday we thought was going to be our quad day but it doesn't happen either. The boys ride the one quad but we don't want them going to far. They still manage to have fun. I decide to get back at clearing some of the over grown brush on the back 40. I was talking to father in law and telling him how I would like to see two particular trees come down. Next thing I know, there is husband and the two trees are down. Great, more work. The boys and I and grandpa start hauling away the huge branches and chopping them down so we can put them on the bonfire. Husband teaches the boys how to use the small chain saw so they can busy themselves chopping off the branches. While they chop I drag and carry the stumps and huge pieces of tree. Just call me Helga. The boys laugh grandpa teases. I tell them I am in training for the Russian Female Olympic weightlifting team.....He he....NOT! Oh I have been so sore. Found muscles I didn't even know I had.

Thursday comes. Day off from yard work. We decided we were going to go bowling and then go visit the Horne Lake Caves. Off to bowling we go. It starts out all fine until youngest son gets upset about not being very good. We kept trying to tell him we were only here for fun just take his time and do what he feels comfortable with. He decides to quit and starts to cry. I was not impressed. But we decide that we are not going to let his mood affect the day. We play another game. Such form. That's husband on the right and eldest son on the bottom.







We finish with the bowling and head out to the caves. The caves are really neat, but what we didn't count on was the caves being so wet. Oh did I mention, that in order to get to the cave we have to walk across a suspension bridge? I hate bridges.


The water that you saw running out of the cave above, runs down this mountain side into the Qualicum River which then runs into Horne Lake. After our tour of the caves and a little adventure we decide to make our way home.

These are some of the mountains surrounding the lake. Husband being the stone man that he is always appreciate stone formation. So hence we had to get a picture of these mountains.

It is a dirt logging road we have to travel. At one point Husband motions to me to stop the car and pull over. I pull over and what do we see before our eyes, but the biggest turkey vulture. Husband tries to get some shots but he didn't have the tripod. He goes to get the tripod and of course the bird moves. These are massive birds with 6 foot wing span. Amazing. Unfortunately, we didn't' get a clear enough photo to share.

Another point of nature which I really appreciate are the Arbutus trees. We don't have Arbutus trees on the mainland. They are the most interesting tree. In the winter they shed their bark and their trunks become this beautiful orange rusty colour.

Aren't they cool? Well I think they are. Anyhow, we make our way home. It is homemade halibut fish nuggets and fries. While husband makes the fish nuggets I prepare the fries for the oven, and then make the lasagna for Friday nights dinner. I figure after a day of skiing I don't think I am going to want to be cooking anything. So we finish dinner and decided it is board game time. Junior trivial pursuit is the game of choice. It's not that easy. It's like that new show "So you think you are smarter than a 5th Grader". NOT!!! Husband and youngest son win. Urgh! I just kept getting my butt kicked all day! Feeling a little out numbered here. Ah well no worries, I will get them on the the slopes.

The boys are back in town!!!!

Yes, it's true and it is a very happy day for hubby and myself. The boys arrive today. Actually, as I type this hubby and grand-dad are on their way to go pick them up! So excited. We haven't seen them since the summer, this visit is long over due.

The boys unfortunately live withe their mother back in Ontario. That's a long story. But there they are. We get to have them with us every summer for at least 6 weeks and then we get them alternate Christmas and Spring break. It's a long time to go without seeing them.

The boys as you gathered are my husbands boys from his first marriage. But they are my boys as well. I can't stand calling them my step-sons. To me they are my boys....oops our boys. I have always treated them as though they were my own. The bonus to me is that I didn't have to go through the pregnancies!

They are high spirited lovely guys......we only have a week with them...but boy are we going to make the most of it. I have to work nights tonight, but I will forgo sleep tomorrow in order for us to start our adventures.

We are thinking of taking them quading up the mountain trails pack a lunch and just have some off road fun. Then we are thinking of going skiing sometime this week....skating and then swimming. But most importantly just hangin together catching up on stuff.

Oh yes, the Boys are back in town!!!!

So I might not be blogging for a few days....going to be hanging with the men in my life!

Tolerance

A fellow blogger by the name of TomCat has a site he calls Politics Plus. He covers a variety of topics on the political arena in the US. Some of you may or may not agree with his positions on certain topics but he gets you thinking. He has been doing this series on The Political Right and Left on Religion. Some very thought provoking topics and discussions have ensued because of this topic. One such post had to do with Tolerance. I voiced my opinion on this topic, but having done that. I now find myself faced with something that I am finding terribly troubling, and would be interested in hearing your views on this topic.

In Province of Quebec the FIFA(Federation Internationale de Football Association) has ruled that a young Muslim girl could not wear her hijab while playing soccer. Their ruling is based on their Law #4 which outlines the safety of the players. This law allows the referee to use his or her discretion at the time to determine if it is safe to play. If the offender of the Law doesn't like the referee's' ruling they can take their complaint to the FIFA. You can read more here. The Muslim community are outraged at the FIFA's ruling and are seeking Human Rights Action. I am of mixed feeling on this topic. My first instinct is to agree with the ruling of the FIFA and I base this purely on the fact of personal safety for the girl playing the sport. I have seen my daughters play this game and I have watched how rough it can get out there. The referee makes all the girls take off any necklaces, earrings any jewelry in order to help minimize injury and checks their cleats and if the girls have long hair, their hair must be pulled back. Now I guess a girl could be pulled down by her ponytail but I don't see her getting choked by it as could be the case with the hijab.

Here is a scenario for you. The young girl is running up and down the field with her hijab and the ends of this head scarf are tucked safely into her jersey. She gets checked or tripped and falls and another player tumbles onto her the other player unbeknown to her gets up but the the Muslim girls hijab has gotten caught on the other girl, the girl runs thus choking the the young girl with her own head dress. Playing sports already have their inherent risk why would we want to increase the risk for possible injury? If we know that there is a potential for something to happen should we not be prudent in trying to prevent it? To me its like knowing a car seat will save your child, but you opt not to use one because you believe that it infringes on your child's freedom of being. Personal choice ...right? or wrong? Research has shown car seats save lives but people still chose not to put their child in one. So no one has died yet or been injured as a result of wearing a hijab during a sporting event. Is that what it would take to show that it is not safe?

It's not as though the FIFA just made up this rule, it has always been there. The team and the individual should have known the rules before she attempted to play or she should have sought clarification of the Law #4 before she started playing. Should the FIFA be forced to change their ruling to meet the needs of one Religious group? Should they be forced to over look the safety aspect in order to meet their needs? Are parents of the girls who wear the hijab going to fore go any law suit if their daughter is injured as a result of her wearing her hijab?

What do you think?

Saturday's Photo Scavenger Hunt

This weeks theme is Architecture...wow this is a hard one as there are so many wonderful architectural structures out there. So, I started thinking what in my photo library do I have that would fit the bill. This is what I came up with. My husband designs, cuts, fabricates and installs granite. In the picture below I think he did a fabulous job of marrying the architectural design of the home with his artistic flare with the design and installation of the fireplace.

Happy hunting all!

A little this and that...

Yesterday, after doing my post I went around visiting the folks who had left comments on my blog....my goodness that can be very time consuming. Fun and interesting but time consuming...everyone has all kinds of things going on in their lives...I get all wrapped up in their post and then read another...and before you know it...I had been blogging for 3 hrs...yes 3 hrs! And that was post night shift....oh my. I think I need help.

I always learn something while I am travelling the blog world....I was over at Janet C. place and she was talking about how she had taken a course on gardening at 8000 ft....and what she and her hubby do in order to conserve energy. Where Janet lives is very beautiful and picturesque. She is also a very good photographer and with her camera in hand she shares a little of her paradise with us. She has this picture of the moon which is just breath taking...if you get a chance go say hi.

Then I was over at crashdummie's place, and she was talking about "Life for Rent". About how she met up with an old buddy and how theirs lives have gone, and would she chose a different path if given the choice. This really got me thinking and my response to her was about goal setting.

When I was in my late 30's, yes I know a bit late....but better late than never. I decided it was time that I really sat down and evaluated my life and set some goals for myself. I mean I had done so in the past but that was in my head. I had never really sat down and made of list of things I wanted to accomplish in my life. Like nursing, believe it or not I never really thought of myself being a nurse. I always thought it was a cool job. I think it had to do with all the Cherry Ame's books my sister use to read...Cherry Ame's Army nurse...Cherry Ame's Helps out....and then there was my neighbour who worked at the hospital just up the street from me....which who would have known that is where I too started my nursing career. Anyhow, my neighbour, gosh I remember her like it was yesterday. She would walk past our house in her very determined way...definitely a woman on a mission. She had that starched whiter than white nurses cap, the deep navy blue cape with red satin lining, the white dress and stocking and the military looking white nursing shoes. Oh she looked so impressive. I wanted to look like that. I became a nurse, but I never wore the hat and I know for certain I never looked like my neighbour or Florence for that matter. Now I mostly wear scrubs. But I digress.

Goals. So I was in my late 30's and one afternoon I was sitting at the kitchen table and with pen and paper I started to jotted things down. I broke it down into 2, 5 and 10 year goals. Things I wanted, things I wanted to do and achieve, personal growth and development stuff. I wrote it, I read it and re read it, folded it up and put it in my journal, where it is to this day. Funny thing is, I had forgotten about it until about 10 months ago. I went and pulled it out. Much to my surprise, I had accomplished many of the items on my list. Not sure how it happened but I did it. I have kept that list as there are still items that I want to achieve. But I think it is time to revisit it and update it. Isn't that what goal setting is all about?

What about you, have you ever sat down and made up a list of goals or even set goals? If you have, have you achieved them? Have you reevaluated your goals? If you set goals, how did you stick to your plan?

Happy Friday all!

It's Herring time.....

The other morning I posted pictures of the Sea lions and mentioned that the sea lions return when it is close to the herring fishery opening.

This morning on my way home from work I happened to glance out at the water and saw the boats starting out for the fishery. It was raining and rather miserable. Here are some pictures of the boats and their skiffs being towed behind. For those that don't know, the skiff's are used to bring in the herring.

As I was watching the ships, I noticed the seals following the boats, they were bobbing up and down. To fast for me to get a picture. They know where the food is going to be.

There's just something so soothing and calming about watching these boats go out. I have always loved the water and boating I guess that is way I am drawn to living so close to the sea.

After havng made this post, hubby had to go to town. He took the camera and now I just have to edit this post to include some of the photos he got. These photos show you the herring fishery in action as well I have included a little 40 sec. video he took with the camera so you can get a feel for the surroundings.

These are the skiffs I was talking about, you have to have your sea legs for this job.

These photos are taken just from shore in my town. Dark and dreary isn't it. Not sure I would want to be out there today.

herring fishery click here to view a 40sec. video.

Happy Tuesday!

The other day while hubby and I were sitting in our office he tells me there are quail outside our window. I love quail and have photographed them on many occasions. But there were also a number of European Starlings. I realize they are a very common bird, but it is their winter markings which I enjoyed so much.

European Starling

This is an excerpt taken from "Birds of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland" by Campbell-Bovey-Bezener. This bird was first introduced to New York in 1890. A very adaptable bird, it quickly expanded its range and is now common over most of North America. It is a wonderful mimic, it will readily incorporate not only parts of other birds' songs but also city noises, such as dog whistles and squeaky garage doors. This bird prefers to forage for insects in the well-cut grass of backyards, golf courses and city parks and often chooses to build its nest under the eaves of a house, in a lamppost or on a telephone pole. This bird is generally seen Jan-Feb and Sept. - Dec.

The Herring season is upon us and with that comes the Sea Lions. I have posted sea lions before, but yesterday whilst hubby and I were making a trip up to Courtenay we stopped at the side of the road and looked out at the log booms where the sea lions tend to make home.

These sea lions get huge between 2000 - 3000 lbs. You can hear their bark from a few kilometers away.

Hope you are all having a fantastic day! Happy Tuesday!