Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A new language

I think I will invent a language from those anti spam words that keep popping up on everyone's comment page.  Eloishin, toequish... those are verbs or nouns?

In other news, the ash appears to be settling, we may fly after all. *cautious skippy dance*

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

You're flying where??

That's right, boys and girls, I had just booked my irrevocable tickets when KABLOOIE! Grimsvotn decided to pop her cogs, spewing ash across the north of Europe, particularly Manchester airport. Naturally. So we are in a 'wait and see' flight pattern, making arrangements as if all will be well, and wondering what will happen if it isn't. *sigh*


In other news, Hubby had a wonderful weekend, including watching our daughter's bf race at Mosport and watching a Jays game for FREE!, just 7 rows from the net behind the  batter.


Girls can click for girly info. Boys, just don't go there.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Lunch leads to Insanity

Normally, I would say: Envy me, I get to eat with my parents 4 days a week.
But this week, they're on the Cabbage Soup Diet.  Come onnnnnn, I'm hungry!  Yesterday, I forgot to bring extra food, so it was a very lean day.  Today I remembered to bring some hummus that I'd made with fava beans instead of chick peas, and some Ryvita crackers.  However, in the car at lunch I realised my food was still in the office fridge. Doh!
Lunch was pretty good, a small bowl of tomato-based cabbage soup, 4 melba toast, a tossed salad, fruit for dessert (mango, strawberries, apple slices, and grapes) and I had some brown sugar-blueberry-flax cookies.
Back at the office, it occurs to me at 2.45 that I've got food squirrelled away in the fridge! Score! But by now I am HUNGRY. So I not only get out the hummus and Ryvita's, I grab the apricot jam as well! First I spread the apricot jam on the Ryvita, then a heavy layer of hummus.  It was very tasty.
Don't tell Mum! And especially don't tell Dad! Shhhhhhhhh!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Nano in the summer!

Hey Hey Writers!  Nano has heard and responded to your needs... if you find it too daunting to try to write a novel in November, now you can write in the summer instead! Or you can write twice a year! O rapturous day!

www.nanowrimo.org  for details.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Garden!

I have started my garden and it is four times bigger than last year. Don't get excited.. last year was my first year with vegetables, so my garden was the size of a rectangular laundry basket.  My daughter's bf asked my why did I bother? But I said I wanted to fail small at first... :D  
This year it's about 4'x4' in the north east corner of my back yard.  It gets the best sun there and good water from the drain pipe.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Small Town events

We had a lovely (mostly) ladies luncheon yesterday for CFUW-N.  Our speaker was Carol Off, and her topic was how laughter and tears unite us.  She was well received; we had a great time as we do whenever we get together, and one of our student bursary winners also won a signed copy of Carol's book, Bitter Chocolate
As the new editor of our newsletter, I was running about taking pictures of all the happenings [but I didn't get a press badge. :( ]




There were several municipal councillors in attendance, so as I was leaving, I was able to call a greeting to one of them who had previously spoken to our club.   This morning at our Friday morning managerial coffee meeting at 66 King St East, who should walk in but same said councillor!  I jokingly asked if she was stalking me, but she said, No, we just both hang out in the same great places!


Way to go, Miriam!  [And such a beautiful name.]

Thursday, May 12, 2011

CFUW and Carol Off

Don'tcha love it when you expect a good time at an event, and instead it's amazing?!


We just had our fundraising luncheon for Canadian Federation of University Women, and we had Carol Off from CBC's 'As it happens' for our guest speaker.  She was wonderful... I cried through half of it as she discussed women she had met in war torn places, and their love, generosity, and strength.
[Pause for tissues]  Here I am, tearing up again at how little separates us from women in such situations, and how blessed we are that we don't generally have to deal with the terrors of war.


What we have to deal with are the elements that start war: pride, envy, fear, hate, jealousy.  These need to be carefully monitored and, through education and love, we can stem these feelings that cause conflict.  They must first be stemmed in the home, between spouses and between siblings. In ever increasing outward circles, we must reach out to the hurting in order to prevent the boil-like pain that can erupt into poisonous situations.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Abe Lincoln's poetry - wut?

So, apparently, Abe Lincoln wrote poetry. Who knew?   This poem I like, not because of the Bear Hunt it details, but how the last bit describes man's conceit.


The Bear Hunt




fice - a nervous belligerent little mongrel dog


Thank you to 'Written not with Ink" for sharing this info!

Small Town news

Thank God I live in a town where this is newsworthy:

POLICE CONCERNED ABOUT LARGE AMOUNT OF GRAFFITI

For the past several weeks, Cobourg police have been receiving complaints about graffiti being spray painted on signs, utility boxes, building and vehicles.
Most of the incidents are occurring in the west end of town. The coloured paints are often spelling the same words, syllables and numbers.  [Those would be called 'tags']
Anyone caught spray painting graffiti would be facing charges of mischief.

:D  What are your small-town moments?

Terrible Shocks

Have you ever had a moment of sudden horrifying shock?  It makes you weak for a bit, as if your internal gyroscope got bounced against the walls instead of staying suspended.
I was reading A Story on facebook, and the names sounded sooo familiar... I started to get queasy.  Their faces jumped out of the photograph and I was transported - back in time and place until I was in their living room long ago, laughing with them and my husband. It was way too late for parents who need to get up with their kids in the morning, and who have to be in class themselves, but life is short, so we lived it.  It was smoky and close, and we were so connected to each other.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Grass is growing!

My lawn is starting to look like the savannah; I keep expecting lions (or Michael Caine) to show up. Looks like I'm going to have to follow suit on my speedy neighbour and get the lawn mower out and prepped. Sigh! This means I have to rake out my gardens too! At least I have already purchased the leaf bags.  There are zillions of birch twigs (some not so twiggy!) all over my back lawn from the last wind storm as well.  As I was picking them up (and getting overwhelmed), I thought, "just pick up one at a time  - soon they'll all be gathered!" 
Then it hit me- that is what Jesus must have felt like when He told His disciples, the harvest is great, but the workers are few!
He couldn't stand the thought that even one of us would be left behind, excluded from all the blessings of heaven. There are so many who haven't yet heard (or seen in action) the love of Christ, and the simplicity of following His Way.  I was reading II Corinthians last night and one verse especially stuck with me: II Cor 11:3- 3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II%20cor%2011:3&version=KJV]
We have complicated things! It truly is simplicity - Lean on Him, give Him all your cares, worries and sorrows; take up His joy, peace and love. What a deal! Go from exclusion to closeness with the Father! He loves us!  Let's dance and sing about it! Like daffodils and birch trees!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

A crazy day in Canada

So we voted the exact same guy back in, but this time [just to spice things up], we changed the opposition party to the guy who sides with the bully of the day.
Because a party needs to have a certain number of seats to be 'official', The Green Party was completely blocked out of the Candidates Debate, and this year the news did not even report her tour stops or any news about them! It's pretty bad when you deliver news to the paper and they don't print it.  But try to hide something and WHAMMY! there they are in force.
Perhaps Elizabeth May should start skulking from place to place in a beige trenchcoat and fedora...

Apparently, Mr Harper has plans to legislate whether women can have abortions or whether gay people can get married.  First let me say that I don't support either of those things for myself, which is why I didn't marry a woman, or have an abortion. (I had mental moments where I was considering it - the abortion, that is.)  I believe that love and compassion will stop abortion faster than legislation, which just drives it underground and makes for big messes and loss of life.
I also believe that God loves all of us, and wants us all to have a Father-child relationship with Him.  The Bible lists homosexual acts as sin. It also lists acts of fornication and adultery (with the same punishments). Can you imagine what society would be like today if all who had unmarried sex were ostracized, bullied, and shamed the way gays are treated?  Pretty sick picture.  Pretty sad representation of the love of God.  Christians are called to ambassadors of God and ministers of reconciliation (of sinners to God).  We are supposed to act in true humility, fully aware of how much we have each been forgiven.  Maybe it's just me, but I think we've messed up something awful and need a 'do-over'.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Call Brad Paisley! I found a tick!

How nasty is it to find a tick crawling on you? Erghghghghghg!!!  What do you know about this little critter?
He was about the diameter of a pencil eraser, very flat, and un-killable! I had to send him for a swim in the porcelain pool to get him out of my house.  Fortunately, I caught him before he had a chance to latch on, so I don't think I'm in danger of Lyme disease (although I have a sore throat today - I'm sure that is from being exposed to more smoke than usual). 


I suspect that he got in one of three ways: on my dog, who roams freely in tall grass;  on me! while walking said dog; or on my son who was at a bonfire the other night. The little beasties are known carriers of Lyme disease, which if not treated early, can become extremely debilitating.