Head or Tails Tuesday

The Theme for this week is "Proud"

When I first saw the topic I wasn't sure what to write about, but it didn't take long for me to recognize there are lot of things in my life that make me Proud.....

• I am proud to be the mother of three lovely,charming,caring and good natured daughters.....
• I am proud to be the step mom to two pretty special, outgoing and energetic boys
• I am proud of my husband who has such an amazingly creative mind, I am proud of how he has overcome many adversities that have crossed his path...I am proud to call myself his wife....
• I am proud to be a sister,sister-in-law, aunty and great aunty

• I am a very proud Canadian

I see that I am on a roll here....but I think you get the idea....there are many things in my life that make me proud.

So what makes you proud? If you would like to join in on the fun please check out

Skittle's Place for all of the instructions.

Happy Sunday........

Well I think my photos of yesterday for the photo hunt were a bit to graphic for some and for that I apologize. So today I will make it a bit lighter....actually a lot lighter...

These are photos from around my smalltown......you can click on the photo to enlarge.

Life is a pure flame, and we live by an invisible sun within us.

~Sir Thomas Brown~

Happy Sunday all!!

Saturday Scavenger Photo Hunt

This week's Theme is Technology

When I first started thinking of this theme I immediately started thinking about the technological advancement that have been made in in some many areas. Once such area is in the medial field. The advancement that been made in diagnostics and surgical areas is amazing.
the machines like the MRI, the CT scan PET Scans, Haida scan, endoscopic diagnostics, and laproscopic surgeries have all been achieved in our lifetime

My husband over the past 2 years experienced first hand the changes in technology... First it was for his shoulder. Warning some of these photos may not be suitable for those that are weak in the stomach.

This is my hubbies shoulder first day post op. Technology is such that they were able to insert a tube into his wound which was attached to an apparatus that delivered pain medication continually for the first 48 hours.This is what the wound looked like 7 days post op. Notice the two staples one in front and one in the back. Those were the result of a laporascopic procedure being done. That's where the scope entered his shoulder. Unfortunately for my hubby the damage was to severe so they ended up opening his shoulder. However, technology was such that it at least provided an opportunity to attempt a less invasive procedure.

Warning these next photos are not for those with weak stomachs.
Last spring my husband had to have repair to his bicep. There was an infection he had to undergo two surgeries. The first photo is very graphic.....


This is his bicep they had to open it up and leave it open for two days in order to drain it. They then went in and debrided the wound again..

After the second surgery they put in that drain to drain any further excess fluid.....

This is his wound post op day 4, the drain is out, and it is healing well....thanks to technology.

IF you would like to join in on the fun please check out. tnchick for all of the instructions. Happy Hunting all!!

Give Aways

In visiting some of my blog friends I have come across a few bloggers who are having give aways just in time for Christmas....so if you are one who likes to participate in give aways and meet new bloggers this is a great way to do it.....

Elaine At Home with Elaine is giving away vintage paper. Elaine has a lovely blog all decked out for the Christmas season.

Pat over is having a giveaway to celebrate her 400th blog post as well as her second blogiversary...this gorgeous Lenox Teapot!! Click on the button below to bring you there to enter.Mille Fiori Favoriti

Now with the American Thanksgiving behind us Christmas preparations are in full swing. I generally don't think of decorating until the first weekend in December but now with only having two days off a week I don't feel like I will have much preparation time. I think I am going to put up my lights, and decorations on the weekend but not the tree. My girls will be coming on the 12th of December for a visit so I think we will do the tree then. I am kinda of excited. I won't play any Christmas music until December first...I'm a bit of a stickler about that one.

Funny I am already feeling a tad stressed about not having one darn gift bought, any baking done nothing. One blogger brought to my attention that there are only 28 days till Christmas, well my goodness if that didn't but the fire under me. I know I will get it all done,but I will have to use my spare time wisely. Geesh....can we stop the clock just for a moment.

Happy Day all!!

Home for the Holidays......

I was watching a American newscast yesterday and one of the topics discussed were store closures on Thanksgiving. I can't remember exactly which state it was but I know it was an eastern state. Anyhow, the debate was that some retailers are allowed to stay open i.e. Drug stores and other stores are not i.e. Department stores. So they took the question to the street and ask the average person what they thought.

It turns out that most people would like the option of being able to shop on Thanksgiving if they so chose. I guess I wouldn't argue with that. One of the major issues against not wanting the stores open is that they felt workers should have an opportunity to spend a day with their families....I don't think you can argue with that either so how do we find a balance?

We hear so much about the decline in the family unit. Families not spending enough time together. Again, I can't argue that. We see that statistically that there is a huge increase in children spending more time at home alone with electronics as their babysitter resulting in an increase childhood obesity being on the increase(I will save that for another post).

Being a person who works in the health care environment which operates 24/7, I know first hand what it is like working on a holiday and not being able to be with your family. Personally I think it sucks. When my children were little I worked casual(although I worked full-time hours) I was able to schedule my hours that would limit my time away from my children. I didn't want my work dictating when I can spend time with my children. I did my share of working Christmas Eve night shifts, or Mother's Day, Easter and many of the statutory holidays, but the two holidays I just would not work was Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Those days were and still are very important to me, and personally I don't care what they paid me I wouldn't work those days.

Now that my children are older I have become more flexible. I still haven't worked Christmas or Thanksgiving I certainly would not even consider going shopping on Thanksgiving nor Christmas or Boxing Day.

So I ask you, how do we as a society find balance between the business market prospering and workers being able to spend time with family on these holidays.

Happy................

Today is my darling middle daughter's 21st Birthday. I can't believe she is that old and how quickly time has flown.

I remember my mom telling me that in England where she grew up, your 21st birthday was a big celebration. The family would have a huge party and often one of the gifts you would receive was a key. I know it was to represent entering into adulthood and opening the door but I could remember the other significance so I looked it and here is what I found......

The Key

The handing over of the birthday key is a 21st tradition, symbolising the freedom to open new doors and accept new responsibilities. You can get a fresh key cut and put it in a nice presentation box or have one set in a necklace. Some people do the birthday cake in the shape of a key.

I remember getting a key for my 21st birthday. My sister Eileen gave it to me. I treasured that key. When my eldest daughter turned 21 I passed it on to her and I hope she will pass it on to her children if and when that time comes.

So here's to my darling daughter and I wish all the happiness in the world!!!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving for my friends just south of me. I want to wish them all a very Happy Thanksgiving and that you have an opportunity to spend it with those you love!

This week's H orT theme is "SOFT"



The first thing I thought of when I thought of soft was the softness of a baby's skin. This picture is of my Great nephew and his mommy........


Here he is having a nice "Soft" cuddle with his mommy


And finally here he is having fun on his nice "Soft" blanket....

If you would like to join in on the fun please check out. Skittle's Place for all the instructions.

Happy Tuesday all!!!

When you least expect it.....

Isn't life funny. Sometimes when you least expect something someone comes along and does something absolutely nice just becasue. Today was one of those days. Today hubby and I had been out doing some errands....one such errands was going for groceries. While standing in line hubby excused himself, said he was going to the truck to let our dog Bert out for a bit of a walk. As I am departing the store with the buggy full of groceries he says he has to go and make a pit stop. That's fine, I actually didn't expect him to help load the vehicle with the groceries as he has been suffering terribly with a bad back.

Anyhow, I get the truck loaded and keep an eye out in my rear view window for him, anticipating that I will back up and pick him up. I spot him coming out of the mall and I start to reverse and make my way to him.....he is carrying something in his hand. It's covered in plastic....oh what have you gone and done I think to myself. Did he just go and buy me and unexpected Christmas ornament or something? Well he gets into the truck and of course he passes the parcel to me. I take the cover off and what do I see but the most gorgeous bouquet of red roses, 2 dozen to be
exact. Needless to say I started to cry.

There is something about receiving something just because......those to me are the best gifts ever......Aren't they just lovely!!!!

I can't believe it is almost the end of November. As for many the fall is often a very busy time. With back to school,Thanksgivng and preparations for Christmas. Well before I can even start to think of Christmas I have 5 birthdays I have to tend to. One such birthday is that of my youngest daughter. She celebrated her 17th birthday at the end of last month. I travelled to the mainland to celebrate it with her. I was staying at my sister's place so I had my girls all come over to celebrate. I made dinner and we celebrated with cake and fun. One of my other sisters was able to join us so it was a lovely evening of just the ladies.

Here's me with my three daughters. Youngest of course is the middle cutting the cake. A good time was had by all.

This week we celebrate my middle daughters 21st birthday. She is getting spoilt. Her very good friend is treating her to a weekend in Vegas for her birthday. Oh my goodness! I don't ever remember my friends doing anything like that for birthdays. But it seems to be the way with both my eldest daughters....they rent limos, hotel suites, houseboats, you name it and they go all out....no wonder they never have any money....but boy do they ever have a good time. This will be middle daughters first time to Vegas and she is really excited needless to say. They are hoping to catch a show while they are there. Will see....I think party and pool side is more of what they have in mind. Anyhow, I really hope she and her girlfriends all have a wonderful time.

Here's wishing you all a fantastic week ahead!!!

Camera Critters

Hubby and I were out on our inaugural boating trip when we decided to go to Ford Cove on Hornby Island. Ford Cover is a very quaint little place and very picturesque. These little critters we spotted on the Beach ....there was quite a display of them....I think what caught my eye with these starfish, was their vibrant and contrasting colours...

If you would like to join in on the fun....please check out Misty Musings for all of the instructions....Happy Sunday!!!

Saturday Scavenger Photo Hunt

Well here's another meme I haven't played in a long time. It's Saturday Scavenger Photo Hunt....this weeks theme is "Birds" Yipee for me, I love birds.....if you would like to join in on the fun please check out...tnchick for the instructions.

These photos are a small sampling of some of the birds that have visited my property....

Purple finch
American Golden Finch

Great Blue Heron seen in the tree at the top of my driveway

In this small clip you can a Fox sparrow, Golden Crowned Sparrows, and you can hear a woodpecker in the background.....I hope you enjoy it. Happy Hunting!!

Head or Tails Tuesday

This weeks theme is Autumn Memory...................

One of the first things I recall about a fall memory is when I was a little girl going to school and the smell of apples and pears in my lunch bag...there was just something about that smell. Then came the smell of burning leaves after the hours of raking the leaves in the yard.

The wonderful colours of fall. The leaves turning to vibrant hue of yellows, orange and reds. The great times rolling in the mountains of raked leaves. The wonderful walks in the cool crisp fall morning air.

When my girls were little we would go for walks and collect leaves. We would bring their favourite leaves home and with my supervision we would press leaves in between two pieces of wax paper and then once they had melted together we would cut them into shapes and tape them to the windows. We loved to decorate for the fall, with garlands and gourds, harvest smelling candles, and of course the smell of baking.

With fall came canning. The girls would help me can beets, onions, and pickles. When we had the plum tree and rhubarb patch we made a lot of jams. Oh yes and let's not forget the berry picking and canning and freezing.

With fall we have Thanksgiving and Halloween, again a time for decorating and festivities. Two of my girls have birthdays in the fall, so along with all the other fall events birthday celebration are high on the list of things to celebrate and prepare for.

With fall, comes the storms. The winds really pick up in the fall and we have lots of power outages. But what I love is being close to the ocean and watching the waves come crashing in, the seagulls and eagles catching the wind and soaring high in the sky.

Here is a pictroal representation of what autumn is to me.....

Samples of canning, and pumpkin breadMaking an autumn apron for my daughter......

The temporary shelters after a wind storm......
The crazy storms on the west coast of the Island...the is a photo of the search and rescue boat doing a training session....I'd love to be on the bow of that boat....yahoo!!!

Anyhow, those are memories of Autumn to me....

If you would like to join in on the fun please check out Skittles Place for all of the instructions.

Camera Critters....

It was near the end of a glorious fishing day when we came upon this wonderful sight...these guys were right up next to our boat. There were about 30 of them.....just simply amazing....we were breathless.....These are Pacific White-sided Dolphins.....

If you would like to join in on the fun please check out Misty's Musings for all of the instructions!

Happy Sunday to you all!

Is this what it takes......

Do you remember the athlete Kareem Abdul- Jabbar? It appears that Mr.Abdul-Jabbar has been diagnosed with a rare cancer "chronic myeloid leukemia." Rare in deed. When I heard of his diagnosis a shudder went through my body. I have only heard of two other people with this disease, although I am sure that there are many more. One of the people was a patient I cared for and the other was my sister.

A Rare cancer indeed, you could imagine back in 2002 when my sister was diagnosed that we were all shocked and in disbelief. This cancer when detected generally is found in the male population and males in their 60's to 70's. My sister for obvious reason did not seem to fit this group. This disease in the simplest of terms is a disease that effects the bone marrow where blood cells are made. Her diagnosis was detected from a simple blood test. This test discovered she had what they called Myelodasplastic Syndrome. The first and only chance my sister had for survival at that time was to undergo chemotherapy and then a bone marrow transplant. Her first obstacle was trying to find a bone marrow match. Needless to say that every member in my family wanted to be a donor. It was my sister Kathleen who ended up being a perfect match. How extremely fortunate for my sister Eileen, as finding an exact match can be very difficult and time consuming...something that she didn't have. My sister Eileen underwent the transplant and spent 8 weeks in an isolation room as they had to wipe out her immune system and then hope that the bone marrow would take.

Eileen and I in September 2002, just before she started her treatments

It was December 2002 Eileen was given the go ahead to be released from hospital. She was in great spirits. She celebrated a wonderful Christmas with her family and was surround by so much love.This was taken in the later part of January 2003....She makes bald beautiful!

January 2003, she took a turn for the worst Her platelet counts were falling at alarming rates. She required platelet transfusions every other day. We all took turns taking her to those appointments. She endured so much. She tried all kinds of treatments. But it wasn't to be. My dear sister lost her battle to MDS on March 4th 2003 just, 7 months after being diagnosed and a month shy of her 50th birthday.

This photo was taken just a month before her passing....

So the other day when the news broke about Kareem, it was my husband who drew the comparison of Kareem and my sister to my attention. There are many forms of MDS which they seem to rate at low and high risk. My sister fell into the high risk category.

Since my sisters passing, my family has entered a family team in a walk called "Light the Night" walk for Lymphoma and Leukemia. This walk took place just last month. Our team ended up in the top 10 fundraising groups and my brother was in the top 5 fundraisers. My dear sister may be gone but never forgotten. The Light the Night for Lymphoma and Leukemia is not only a walk to raise money for research but a walk to draw "light" to this devastating disease. Now with Mr. Jabbar's diagnosis, maybe this might draw more attention to this rare disease and provide education and encourage more research into this disease.

I wish Kareem all the best in his journey for good health and hope he continues to have strength and courage to keep this disease at bay and to keep it in the public forefront.

Dreams.......

Lately I have been having very vivid dreams. Those kind of dreams that when you awake you wonder if it was really a dream or did you actually experience it.

The other night was no exception. I dreamt I was in a trailer like cabin. It was located next to a river. It was welcoming and warm and brought good feelings. I was surrounded by familiar faces and faces I didn't know. When I awoke from this dream I could remember most of it and thought to myself that I should write it down. But as I attempt to do this now parts of the dream elude me. What I do recall was the fast running river. The water in the river was dirty and murky...in my dream I believed it was like that because of the current. Somehow I end up getting pushed into the river....I wasn't afraid....I remember hitting the water and almost touching the bottom....when I surfaced I shouted to those on shore that it was shallow and how I almost touched bottom. The next I remember was that I was floating down the river and then scrambling to get out....I awoke shortly there after. It was the part of being pushed into the dirty murky water that stayed in my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder if there was any significance to this. So I went to look it up in a dream interpretation book. This is what I found.....

To see muddy or dirty water in your dream, indicates that you are wallowing in your negative emotions. You may need to devote some time to clarify your mind and find internal peace. Alternatively, it suggests that your thinking/judgment is unclear and clouded. If you are immersed in muddy water, then it indicates that you are in over your head in a situation and are overwhelmed by your emotions.

And then I came across this interpretation of dirty water......

To fall into muddy water, is a sign that you will make many bitter mistakes, and will suffer poignant grief therefrom.

I am sure there are other interpretations of the dream primarily the dirty water. The first interpretation seems to fit. I did fall asleep the other night upset and confused about some personal issues, and hence I think that is where the muddy waters come into play. I do believe that our dreams in part are manifested by things we experience in reality. Issues that we tend to bury or worry us or thoughts that fill our mind during the day carry on in our dream world.

I have always been fascinated by dreams. As a child I had a recurring dream for years....I still remember parts of that dream to this day....but I no longer have that dream, and the reason for that I believe is due to the fact that I dealt with the issue that was causing me to have those dreams.

I know I dream in colour. I have dreamt of brightly painted rooms, ships and bright gowns. I have felt warmth and cold in my dreams. I have certainly had my share of what I call nightmares, primarily triggered by scary movies, but some have most certainly been triggered by the events that unfold during the day.

When I was looking up dream topics on the Internet I came across this and thought it as an interesting concept:

There are two kinds of dreams. There are dreams that we have while asleep and dreams that we have while we are awake. What is the connection between the two types? Both kinds of dreams are about the yearnings that are held deep inside us. Some of these desires are so secret that we dare not share them even with our closest friends. Those of us that dare to put our dreams down on paper are showing the courage and faith that they will come true. © Dream Poems from Family Friend Poem

" Oh Sleep! It is a gentle thing, Beloved from pole to pole" ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~

And so with that I shall go seek slumber and hope that my thoughts take me to far away places full of whimsical fancy.....til morrow....

Lest We Never Forget....

I am sitting here staring at a blank screen, thinking about things to write. I could always write about this terrible flu I have been dealing with for the past 12 days. This headache that is so intense that it makes having your tooth pulled without any freezing a joke. I should have stocks in McNeil Pharmaceutical. Speaking of which, I really wonder how my liver is making out after all this Tylenol I have had to ingest in order to keep these wretched headaches at bay?.
But no I won't go on about the flu....no I shall rise above that and find something more enlightening to talk about. Hmmmmmmm.


Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. A day in which we take a moment to remember those who have fought in wars in order that we may have the freedoms we so enjoy today. A few years ago I posted about how I had the honour and privilege of meeting a relative of the late Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, M.D.(1872-1918). I would like to share with you excerpts from that post I did back in 2006

"November the 11th. Remembrance Day in Canada and for my friends to the south of me it is Veteran's Day.

..... as a child I remember learning about the poem "In Flander's Field" it was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army. He was a surgeon attached to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade. He was a new doctor and he wrote about his experience as a field surgeon.

I remember reciting this poem every Remembrance Day and as a class we would draw and colour pictures of poppies, and tape them to the class windows. We often would have a visit to the class by a Veteran, who would share stories of the war with us.

Today thousands of veterans and families will gather to celebrate their loved ones lost in battle. We will dedicate a moment of silence in their remembrance. Our fellow country men and women who so bravely gave their lives so that we all my live in lands of peace and harmony.

I also think of our loved ones who are on current tour of duty and pray for their safe return home.

"IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields."

"Lest we never forget"