British Columbia Bloggers......

Insomnia can be a good thing....that's what I have to keep telling myself when I find myself wide awake at four in the morning. Yup trying to find the silver lining....well I think I have. Seeing as I wasn't sleeping yet again, I decided I would get a head start on checking in on my blog friends. Many of the folks I visit are three or more hours ahead of me so chances are they have already made their posts for the day.....or a least something new is to be out there.

This morning I thought I would venture off onto a different path. If you have ever looked at my sidebar you might have noticed a badge there that says Wet Coast Women. It is a link to a site that was started by a blogger in Vancouver by the name of Crunchycarpet. Now Crunchy is a very creative blogger and has a lot to say.....and she has her own personal blog, but she also saw that there was a niche out there for other westcoast bloggers.....so she canvassed some of her regular local blog friends and inquired if there would be an interest to have a site specific to westcoast blogger...well I guess there was.....because before you knew it Crunchy had gone ahead and designed a website specific to westcoast bloggers....primarily BC bloggers and launched the WetCoast Women. Now this site has something for everyone. It has forums for book lovers, people trying to lose weight,business, mom's, wedding planning you name it you can pretty much find it there.....and then of course there is the blog roll for lack of a better word..that shows all the bloggers who visit the site and you can link to their sites from there.

So this morning that is what I did. As a result I came across some fabulous blogs. One such blog is PowellRiverBooks. What a gem of a find. These folks are living the life I can only dream of. Well that is if you have a passion for the great outdoors. It would appear that there are no limits for these folks. They own and operate PowellRiverBooks and have published a set of books about all the things there are to do in Powell River. The pictures and the stories Margy shares on her blog are wonderful. I love to get on my ATV when ever I can, so being able to read about some of their adventures and places they have seen just makes me want to get out there all the more. Then today I came across Margy's post about their cabin which is on a floating dock in the most spectacular spot...truly a sight to behold. The long and short of it, it has left me speechless and yearning to get out for an adventure. It's been a long winter and with spring just around the corner what better time to get out there and explore what is in our own back yard. If you get a chance stop by their blog I am most certain you won't be disappointed.

Humour Thursday.....

Yes folks it's that time of the week again, where I throw all caution to the wind and put humour out there for all to enjoy.......well at least I hope you enjoy them....You know what I find funny about this one.....I can't remember if I have posted it before on Humour Thursday or not......LOL!

Well there you have....I hope you all have a wonderful day...and that you put a smile on someone's face today.....cheers!

What is this world coming to....

My friend TC as I mentioned in my previous post, gave me an award and in his description of my blog he mentioned that my blog is not political. He would be correct. I try not to bring politics into this arena, but with that being said, I do get very passionate about certain issues. My primary passion being health care. Then sometimes something comes along and I just feel the need to voice my opinion, which of course I know can run me into some trouble...but because I feel so passionate about this issue I find it necessary to share....and truly would appreciate hearing from others on this topic.

Awhile back I was surfing the net and came across a site that sells the Mp3 taser. Have you heard of them? I was shocked (no pun intended)when I read about them. I thought dear god what has this world come to that we now figure we need our Mp3's to have taser capabilities. What ever happened to the purpose of just listening to music? I have read where some people joked about these tasers and how they would use them. Don't these people realize that they have a potentially lethal weapon in their hands? How can they joke about it? It's not a joking matter.....unless of course you don't value life.....and if you feel so adamant that you have to have a taser Mp3 player then you better been darn sure you know how to use it and the responsibility that goes along with owning one.

When I read things like this I wonder if they have ever heard of the dangers of taser or about the case here in British Columbia where a traveller was tased by police(trained professionals)and died as a result of the taser Vancouver International airport. It makes me wonder if people realize the amount of energy that is emitted from these things. I think not. When I think of tasers I think of what it is like when I have to defibrillate a patient. It's the same concept...you can ultimately change the way in which the heart sends it's electrical impulses...in some cases like taser(stun gun) they can cause the heart to stop. Now here we have some companies selling these things to average Joe public.

These tasers as I mentioned were initially brought in for law enforcement use. Rather than the police officer having to draw his or her gun, they could use the taser to subdue the assailant. This of course is after the officers have had many hours of training and have a solid concept and understanding of the impact the taser can have on the human body, and in what circumstances they are to be used.

So now some company in it's infinite wisdom figures they want to sell it to the general public. Here's a site that shows the taser being demonstrated Crave.cnet . This to me is just wrong. Then you have them talking about the lovely leopard print or hot pink cases they can come in, totally disregarding the whole purpose of the taser...oh gee I have to have a hot pink case to match my outfit while I tase someone...please..give me a break.

Imagine this scenario....you have just come from the gym....your Mp3 taser is in your gym bag...you throw your bag onto the chair and go for you shower. Your son, daughter yells at you from another room and asks if they can get something from you bag. You shout out sure completely forgetting what is in your bag.... and off they go....they start searching your bag...and come across you Mp3 player...cool....being inquisitive teenager they want to check out mom or dads newest gadget.....oh and what is this button for....and before your know it.....you have an unconscious teenager on the floor.

Now, some may say I am blowing thing out of proportion....but it will happen, ....you can bet your life on it. Look at all those unnecessary deaths and injuries of children playing with guns that were left loaded, unattended...or even locked up but they knew how to get the key. A taser is no different than a gun if put into the wrong hands, the outcome can be identical, if you think they are different I think you are sadly mistaken.

I for the life of me can not think of one situation where I would feel I needed a taser Mp3 player, and I hope to god I never have to.

Mentoring......

I received the above award from one of my longtime blogging friend TomCat or TC from Politics Plus . Now for those of you who know TC know he is very passionate about the current presidential election and in tune with the political arena. I consider it such an honour to receive this from him. I wouldn't consider myself a mentor in the blogosphere, but I have been a mentor in my personal life. I am told this award is to acknowledge those in the blogging world that encourage others to continue to blog and provide guidance and just generally be a mentor. So with that being said I would like to pass this on to a blogger who I happen to think is both a mentor and an inspiration, I think she demonstrates mentoring in the truest sense of the word.

Jeni is an avid blogger and is very inquisitive. Jeni just recently went from dial up to ADSL and is a force to be reckoned with...she is like a kid in a candy store....even with all the research this lady does on line she is never to busy to answer questions, and has always encouraged me to continue to blog when I thought I didn't want to do it anymore. So Jeni thank you and this one is for you. Cheers!

Birding and the Comox Valley

What a complete and full day I had. Sunday morning I was up before dawn. Suffering from insomina has its bonuses.

I was able to practise my piano early....whilts I was practising I couldn't help but notice the quail, stellar jays, chickadees, white-breasted nuthatch and of course the robin all on grass pecking at the ground. It was gorgeous...but as luck would have it...just as I had finished taking a picture of the sun coming through the trees my batteries died......so into the charge they went and no battery to take any pictures at the moment.

It was a cool morning....the frost was heavy on the ground...and the sun started to warm the trees and they began to steam....it was wonderful...the dew drops dripping off of the branches...yes nature in it's glory.I had been visiting one of my blog friends Janet at Life in Westcliffethis morning,she is an avid photographer and birder....she has a glorious picture of a bird I had never seen before but is indigenious to my area, but at highter elevations...this got the bird bug into me....today was an absolutely gorgeous day...the sun was shining....the temperature actually got into the double digits 11 celcius...warmer in other areas....it was a perfect day to go outdoors and find some new birds.

Our destination northwest, towards the Comox Valley along the old Island highway. It is a wonderful drive which follows the shoreline....so most of the birds we saw were shoreline birds.

We made our first stop just a few moments from our home....it was the mouth of the Big Qualicum River.....during spawning season eagles are abundant....that wasn't the case today...it was actually fairly quite....

Ducks are plentiful here....we saw two Kingfishers diving for food....difficult to capture on film...we needed our telephoto lens....we then got back into my truck and continued north to one of our favourite spots...Nile Creek.....there was not much wildlife ...but the view of Mount Arrowsmith was spectacular....

Nile Creek with Mount Arrowsmith in the background.....

Mount Arrowsmith

After a brief stay..we got back into the vehicle and continue north....next stop....Fanny Bay....

This is a Bufflehead.....if you click on the picture I think you can get a close up....Another Bufflehead....again if you click on the picture I think you can get a close up......We made our way up the Comox Valley, and on our way home just ahead is the Comox Glacier....you can take airplane rides up there to get airial view...it truly is spectacular...and today it was just in your face.....amazing....

The next photos were taken at a place called Royston Wreck....it's old ships that were sunk and is a favourite site for divers....the wildlife here is amazing and so is the view......

Cormarants perched on a pilon

Although it had been a wonderfully bright and warm day...being by the waters edge you got a bit of a chill....it was time to start heading home. On our way up the valley we had seen two graceful Blue Herons...but with there not being anywhere to stop we weren't able to catch a photo....hubby really wanted to get a photo for me to post....so we went back the way we came....but this time....there were no herons to be seen.....maybe next time.

Well I hope you enjoyed the trip with us.....hope you all had a fantastic day.....

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

This past week I started on something that I have wanted to do for a very long time.
About four years ago I bought my girlfriends electric piano. I bought it with the intention of my youngest daughter taking lessons. That never happend. Oh the kids when they come over would play a silly tune or something....but there it sat...holding ornaments and collecting dust.

I don't know why I didn't start to play. I guess I figured it was to hard. Learning all the notes and all the classical stuff. I didn't want to do that. I just wanted to be able to play a tune.

So this week I started surfing the net looking for some free and easy piano lessons. After much searching I came across a site that offered the first 5 lessons for free, with the music and instructions that you could down load. I thought, what have I got to lose, except maybe wasting a little bit of paper...which if things didn't turn out I could recycle for scrap paper.

Well I printed off the first lesson. Finding center "C" position and numbering the keys via my fingers C,2,3,4,5 they get you to familiarize yourself with the keys....and by the end of lesson one you realize that if you can find and understand C position the rest falls into place. They seem to stress not to look at your hands but rather at the music. This seemed to come naturally to me...I guess it's all the years of typing that I have had....once you know the position of the keys it's not so bad. On to lesson two. Lesson two was Getting ready to Play. In this lesson I actually learn't a song. Guess what it was......did you guess.....Mary had a little lamb. They then introduce me to learning more marks and pauses and breaks, and gradually they change those numbers into notes...Treble Clef and G, Quarter Rests, D,E and F and by the end of lesson two I can play the beginning of Ode to Joy!

Who would have thunk.....little old me being able to learn the piano all on her own. In only 2 1/2 days I am able to play Mary has a little Lamb and Ode to Joy. Hmmmm patting myself on the shoulder proudly. I am really excited and encouraged to continue. I figure I can practise at least a half hour a day. The piano is situated in the room that I can look out the window and see all the birds, it's bright and relaxing and so far it's fun....I guess it's because I want to do it....I don't have my mom telling me to practise. Who knows maybe by my birthday day I can play a real song...or better yet I will learn some Christmas songs.

I realize there is still so much for me to learn....I mean I am only going onto lesson three....it looks like I will be learning about chords next.....now that should be interesting....wish me luck.....Happy Weekend all!

Saturday Scavenger Photo Hunt

It's Saturday Photo Hunt and today's Theme is "Wooden"

Being the bird lover that I am....here is a photo of a woodpecker, pecking on some wood outside our house....

And here's a wild turkey standing on a "Wooden" fence in the woods door the road from us.

Here are some quail in my yard outside my "wooden" shed and wood pile......

Stellar Jay, perched on the bird feeders which is attached to my "wooden" shed next to the wood pile.An eagle sittinng on a branch in the "woods" at the hatchery down the road from us.

The "Wooden" suspension bridge that I just crossed....

The arbutus tree.....the only tree that sheds it's bark...

This piece of "wood" reminded me of a baby elephant.....what does it look like to you?

If you would like to join in the fun please check out

tnchick for all of the instructions. Happy Hunting all!

Humour Thursday

It's Humour Thursday.....so here's my little bit of humour for this week....if you have some humour you would like to share....let me know and I will make a list of all who want to participate.....Happy Humour Thursday to you all!!!

Redneck Overalls

"You know you're a redneck when"

1. You take your dog for a walk and you both use the same tree.
2. You can entertain yourself for more than 15 minutes with a fly swatter.
3. Your boat has not left the driveway in 15 years.
4. You burn your yard rather than mow it.
5. You think "The Nutcracker" is a vice on the work bench.6. The Salvation Army declines your furniture.
7. You offer to give someone the shirt off your back and they don't want it.
8. You have the local taxidermist on speed dial.
9. You come back from the dump with more than you took.
10. You keep a can of Raid on the kitchen table.
11. Your wife can climb a tree faster than your cat.
12. Your grandmother has "ammo" on her Christmas list.
13. You keep flea and tick soap in the shower.
14. You've been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.
15. You go to the stock car races and don't need a program.
16. You know how many bales of hay your car will hold.
17. You have a rag for a gas cap.
18. Your house doesn't have curtains, but your truck does.
19. You wonder how service stations keep their restrooms so clean.
20. You can spit without opening your mouth.
21. You consider your license plate personalized because your father made it.
22. Your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.
23. You have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say "Cool Whip" on the side.
24. The biggest city you've ever been to is Wal-Mart.
25. Your working TV sits on top of your non-working TV.
26. You've used your ironing board as a buffet table.
27. A tornado hits your neighbourhood and does $100,000 worth of improvements.
28. You've used a toilet brush to scratch your back.
29. You missed your 5th grade graduation because you were on jury duty.
30. You think fast food is hitting a deer at 65.

A little of this and that...

I want to start this post off with a huge Thank you to Skittle's aka Barb for all of her encouragement and patiences with helping me understand html, and posts and all kinds of stuff. She truly is very talented when it comes to all this blog stuff. Skittle's thank you so very much, and if any of you are looking for some quick "How do I" Skittle has a whole section on her sidebar dedicated to "how do I". Check it out, it's awesome and very easy to follow.

Secondly, I want to bring to your attention a new blog I started. I have posted a link on my sidebar but here it is for you as well Crohn's & Colitis(IBD). I started this blog because I have recently been diagnosised with Ulcerative Colitis, and I realized how little people know or understand about the disease. I don't want to use my main blog for this as I believe it warrants a blog of it's own. I want to use it as a forum for those that want to learn more about the disease, to be able to ask questions and I will attempt to provide sites that will provide additional information. I will talk about nurtition, medications, signs and symptoms, diagnostic procedures and what ever anyone else would like to discuss. So please feel free to drop in leave me a message and I will attempt to answers it, and if I can't I shall provide you with site or information that I believe will help answer your questions. I dedicate this blog to those out there that suffer from Inflammatory Bowel Disease(IBD).

Wishing you all good health......cheers

Take the test.....

You Are a Kinetic Learner



You learn best by doing, and you have a talent for complicated, physical tasks.
You excel at athletics, drama, and fixing things.
You would be an excellent Olympic athlete - or a Broadway star!

What's Your Learning Style?

You know there is actually a lot of truth to this one. I do love my sports and I try to lead a very active lifestyle. I love theater and was in drama in high school and one of the jobs I was told that I would be good at would be a television producer or stage director. I can be a very driven individual, my only limitation is myself.

What Mary Anne Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Again there is a lot of truth in this....both the good and the bad...this really pretty much describes me....I never really thought of myself as being irresposnible but I guess there is a component of that in most of us.

Heads or Tails Tuesday....

Well today's theme is "P" or anything that starts with the letter "P". I am feeling rather blah today which brings to mind 2 specific "P's" for me.

PATIENCE and POSITIVE THOUGTHS

My hubby says I am not a very patient person. In my personal life I guess I am not. I think my professional life has sucked the patience out of me. There have been many times in my professional career that I have wanted to say some choice words to some patients but because I know they are unwell and in most cases are trying I must learn to have Patience. So by the time I get home and have to deal with life on a personal level, I feel like all my patience has been zapped right out of me. It's like when I am at work everyone wants everything now or yesterday, trying to deal with someone who is vomitting and generally feeling unwell and then a family member for another patient wants you right while you are in the middle of tending to someone else...it's like they expect you to drop everything and be there for them right then and there....so I dig into my patience bag and pull out the biggests patience tool I can muster up and politely tell them that I am in the middle of something and I will be with them as soon as I can.

In my professional life I feel like everyone wants something from me now and it is expected that I will prvide and meet their needs. So I think, if this happens to me in my professional life why can't I expect things now in my personal life......it' doesn't happen that way. My mom was a great one for saying Rome wasn't created in a day.

Positive Thoughts:

It's been hard these past few weeks to stay positive. With my shoulder aka back injury, and trying to be supportive and as helpful to hubby as I can be with his recovery from his shoulder surgery, and now my colitis acting up.... I am just spent. I try to look at each day as a new day, with bright opportunities. Maybe today I tell myself my back aka shoulder won't hurt.....maybe today my tummy will settle down....today I will go for a walk and drink in all the beauty that my little world around me has to offer. Maybe today I won't get so upset over little things. Maybe today I will see the light at the end of the tunnel....maybe today I won't be so irritable from the medications they have me on....maybe today I won't feel so sorry for myself and be thankful for everything I have been blessed with. Yes maybe today I will be more Positive!

If you wold like to join in on the Heads or Tails fun please check out Skittle's Place for all of the instructions.

Hope you all have a great day!!!

Our day in Victoria....

Well we did opt to make the drive to Victoria last evening, and it was a good thing as it turns out the pass was closed due to fog and motor vehicle accidents this morning.....so had we waited we might not have made it through.

It was a pleasant enough drive. My truck drove very well. We had managed to get a special rate at one of the hotels dowtown which was offering a bed and breakfast rate. Hubby has been suffering from a terrible cold and wasn't up for doing much of anything last evening, so after dinner we retired early.

This morning we were up at the crack of dawn....so we decided to take advantage of the pool, jacuzzi and sauna that the hotel had to offer. It was lovely. After the hot tub and swim, it was off for an early breakfast. Hubby had some business he wanted to take care of while we were in town so after breakfast we checked out of the hotel and took care of some business.

After that we still had a couple of hours to kill before my appointment, so we decided that we would take a stroll along the beach and just enjoy some of the sights.

I didn't get much information from the nuerosurgeon, he couldn't access my current CT scan so he arranged for me to have another one,which I had today while I was in Victoria. He is going to arrange for me to see a neurologist who I think is going to do some nerve studies....so it's still in the investigative stage right now....sounds like we will have to make another trip down to Victoria, but that's ok....the weather is improving and if it turns out to be as pleasant as a time as this trip I won't mind.

Sunday, Sunday.......

Yesterday was a much more relaxing day. After the world wind visit from family, it was nice to just chill. The sun decided to rear its wonderful head yesterday. After the rain and wind of Friday, yesterday was a very pleasant surprise.

It was one of those clear and crisp spring mornings. Youngest daughter and I decided that we had to get out and go for a walk. Trails around here are plentiful. There is a shop in my local town that publishes walking trails and yesterday I thought youngest and I would take a nice brisk walk along one of those trails. I found one of the roads that were to lead us to the head of the trail but not the other. Looking at this as an adventure I decided that it didn't really matter we wouldn't get lost. The only determining factor was how far we wanted to walk...so I decided I would put on my pedometer. We headed out. A lovely northeasterly breeze blew on our backs, but the warmth of the sun kept us invigorated that and the fact that we were walking at a quick march pace. We chatted about everything. Youngest daughter will be entering grade 11 next year and has been working on her course selection. She is strongly contemplating getting into a science program. At this point she is not sure if she wants to go into medicine become a nurse or ultrasound tech...it doesn’t really matter...she is just determined to get her sciences in high school and get right into university. Good for you kiddo. She is also very active with grass hockey starting up again soon and cheerleading competitions in full swing. It was just so nice just being with her, chatting about life, what she wants, where she's at. It was one of those times I will always treasure.

Well time passes and so do the kilometers when you are so engrossed in lively conversation. We were heading back to the vehicle when I asked youngest how far she thought we had walked....she said....oh maybe 1 km....I laughed....I said how about 6.37 km....(don't ask me where I came up with that number I just did). Anyhow, we get back to the truck and I look at the pedometer....we had walked 5.75 km.....she commented on how it didn't feel like that at all....and I said nothing like good company and conversation to make the kilometers fly by.

No visit with any of my girls would be complete unless we made a stop to a couple of the local boutiques that we love. So after our walk we ventured into town and checked out the latest wears at the boutiques. Of course this time of year they are doing some major clear out of the winter stuff....but it was more of a looky loo kinda afternoon.We arrived home and youngest wanted to go over to the in-laws to see the new puppies. The in-laws breed Yorkshire Terriers. They do have to be one of the cutest puppy breeds I have seen. They change so much in such a short period of time. When these puppies are little they remind me of little rottwilers. Very dark and short hair...and then as they grow so does the hair, which eventually changes colour to a sandy gold/grey colour, but they seem to stay dark for a very long time. Youngest just loves the puppies....she cuddled them for a couple of hours....just laid on the couch with the remaining two puppies just playing on her chest.

Aren't they the cutest little puppies?

Now onto a completely different topic. Peppylady has presented me with an award:

I thought that was very sweet. I try to make my blog and the way I blog heartfelt....so to get this award was very touching.....thank you Peppylady! Tomorrow I have to make the long trek down to Victoria to see the nuerosurgeon. The timing couldn't be better. My shoulder aka back and extremities have been killing me. I haven't been able to do my running and hence the walking but even that hurts. It will be nice to get some answers...or at least a plan.Hubby and I haven't decided whether we are going to venture down there this evening or get up really early tomorrow morning and make the 3 hr drive....I think we are going to play it by ear today....see how I feel. We have to take youngest to the ferry today which then puts us almost half way into our drive to Victoria....so I am kinda of leaning towards continuing on southward and maybe make an evening of it in Victoria and then tomorrow morning we can have a leisurely morning as my appointment isn't until 11:30.

So there you have it, my weekend in review.....I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful Sunday....and catch up with you all later......cheers!