Friday Faces (and maybe some help?)

Here's hoping these friday pansy faces will brighten your weekend.

And, if anyone would care to give their opinion as to why some of these flowers are so clear and others just wouldn't focus, in the exact same conditions, I would love to know why.

Superstitions?

1. Black Cats: In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a black, female cat. Christians, wanting to rid society of all traces of other religions, convinced the ignorant that black cats were demons in disguise and should thus be destroyed. In the process, they also destroyed the kindly ladies who cared for the cats, believing them to be witches. Being demons, a black cat crossing your path would create a barrier of evil, cutting you off from God and blocking the entrance to heaven.

2. It's bad luck to walk under a ladder: A leaning ladder forms a triangle with the wall and ground. Triangles represent the Holy Trinity, and violating the Trinity by breaking it (walking through it) would put you in league with the devil himself. Considering what Christians did to those who were considered to be in league with the devil, it's hardly surprising that leaning ladders were avoided at all cost.

Bearing that in mind, this is Blue, my completely black except for a tuft of white on his chest cat. I don't let him roam outside because the rural area I live in is full of wild animals which might prey on him. So I built a fairly large enclosed pen for him and my other cat, Possum, which Blue absolutely loves being in.

And this is one of my projects, I want to take down this old TV antenna and turn it into a flagpole with maybe a little circular garden around it, or white landscape rock, or whatever. It doesn't matter right now. In any case, I put the ladder up to take it down, thinking, "I know I can, I know I can, I know I can", but I couldn't, because I am afraid of heights. I can't ask my older son to get it down, because already has a collar around his neck from a fall. I asked my younger son, but he couldn't find the right bit for the screwdriver. I asked my husband, but he hasn't gotten around to it yet. (You know how that goes!)

So there the ladder stands. And right under it I walked as I brought Blue inside, holding that black cat. I think I really need to watch what I do for the next little while, because I'm not really superstitious, but there's no point in tempting fate, is there?

Thank-you for Asking

Yesterday Trevor asked if we could go to the beach.
I said, not today, but maybe tomorrow we can.

We used to live 15 minutes away, now it's double that
(I know, big deal)
But the kids were little then,
One summer we went almost every day
Now its been a few years since we were last there.

The small beach has changed a little
The firepits are gone,
And so are the few aspen trees that provided a little shade

But the essence was the same
The smell of the water
The heat of the sand
The prickly grass beyond the sand

And the feeling of family & togetherness
That doesn't come as often
When your boys are teenagers.

So Trevor,
Thank-you for asking
And we'll do it again soon!

Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.
Peter Drucker

The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right.
- William Safire

You will be confronted with questions every day that test your morals … Think carefully and, for your sake, do the right thing, not the easy thing.- Tyco International CEO Dennis Kozlowski, commencement speech at Saint Anselm College. He was indicted for tax evasion 17 days later.


Its all fine and dandy, but its not always so easy!!

Go Fly a Kite!!

I love the wind.
I love to walk in the wind.
Last night was "blustery"
To say the least.
I took Monty for a stroll,
and,
upon returning home,
Monty & I beheld a strange sight.

My husband was attempting to fly
my mosquito tent!
Or so it seemed.
Monty took one look and thought
"What fun!!"
And pumped his puppy legs over to help

I thought
"What fun"
And had a serious internal debate
over whether to run for my camera,
or run over to help.

Because,

In reality,

He was attempting to anchor my tent
back to the ground
from where the wind had lifted the pegs right out

He was holding a corner rope,
trying to pound in a peg with his foot,
And trying to keep Monty from attacking the "kite"
All at the same time.
Who says men can't multi-task...if they really try??

Since it is my tent,
I figured I'd better go help
Cause if he saw me with my camera,
He was liable to let the thing fly
With the two of us it didn't take long
To gather up the blown away chairs
and anchor it firmly back where it belonged,

But it was funny
While it lasted!

On a Summer Sunday

If I could only hold on to this day,
Make it last just a little longer,
Enjoy the moment
For a few extra hours.

Sitting outside in my yard
One chair for my butt,one for my feetAnd one to spare, in case my son comes by
to sit for a few moments

What am I hearing?
The chirping of my budgies, enjoying the fresh air
The breeze blowing throught the "whispering aspen", which surround our house
The rythmic boing boing boing of the trampoline
The occasional tinkle of the windchimes
The background hum of the odd vehicle on the nearby highway.

Its a perfect summer day
Sunny, with enough clouds & breeze
to make sitting in the sun
bearable.

I even dared to haul my bikini top out of storage
where its been for a few years
I couldn't figure out why it would "sit" properly
(I had it upside down!)

So here I sit,
Bikini top and all
Working my cross-stitch,
Enjoying the moment.,

Its Friday!!!!!

Hooray for Friday
I've been watching the clock
It's finally after noon
Haven't felt much like working all day
But have forced myself to do some things that
have dealines.

I was getting frustrated, hot, and cranky,
And yes, it is PMS.
Deal with it, world.

I went to make an iced latte,
And sip it outside
Sit with my husband, playing with the dog.

There's a wind,
Its mostly cloudy, just a thin layer.
Perfect weather to be outside
To hell with work.





My gardens are lacking colour
All except for this oneAs, with the economic crunch we all face,
I didn't want to buy a lot of colourful annuals this spring.

But now the nursery,
Within walking distance
(if you walk empty-handed)
Has everything 30% off.
So over I go.

Should've taken my camera
Didn't think of it till just now.
Anyways, got a flat full of
pinks, reds, purples, and a splash of yellow.

To my delightful surpise,
There was a "freebie" table
Mostly with cauliflowers,
Which aren't gonna grow unless you have a green house
And who wants to grow vegetables anyways?
Boring!
But there were a few red snapdragons,
And some kind of vines,
I added them to my wagon
And off I went.

So now, I have an hour and a half
Free Time
And I will be
On my knees
Stinking like mosquito spray
Puhing the puppy out of my way
Maybe getting sweaty
And enjoying myself.

I'll show the improved gardens another day.

What else could a gal ask for??

The Omniscient Mom

My kids must think I know everything
Where would they get that idea?




"Mom....where's my work-pants?"
"In your closet"
"No they're not"
"You have to open your eyes when you look"
".............Oh........."

"Mom...where's the remote?"
"Under the middle cushion on the right hand side"
"Oh."

"Mom, where's the keys to the garage?"
"In the bottom of the shoe bin"
"Oh."

My cell-phone rings.
"Mom...where's the dishcloth?"
"In the laundry, get a clean one"
"From where?"
"The cupboard above the dryer."
"Oh."

My friend hands me the phone...its for you.
"Mom.....where's that movie you rented?"
"In the DVD player."
"Oh"

"Mom...where's your wallet
"In the car."
"Oh."
"..............Wait a second......
why do you need my wallet?"



credits herehere

Celebrating 100

Sandy K has issued a challenge to celebrate her 100th post. We are invited to write about the number 100. (Oh boy, the way I'm going I'll have to write about the 100 spelling errors I'm making as I write this!) Anyhow, at first I thought ...100...what can I possible write about 100?. So I thought I'd see how many things of 100 I could find in my yard:
100 logs ready for the winter, 100 purple geraniums, 100 wild strawberries in a bed of 100 landscape rocks, 100 aspen leaves attacked by leaf miner surrounded by healthy leaves.

Then I thought...what an idiot I am! What does 100 mean to me?? It means my hometown, my wonderful hometown where I want to live all my days even if I make it to 100!
Our town was created during the mid 1880's gold rush. Miners poured into the area following the news of gold in the Cariboo. A wagon road was created to manage the traffic, from Lillooet on the Fraser River to Barkerville, through Bridge Creek House, which was then renamed 100 Mile House because it was 100 miles from Lillooet, or Mile 0.
We boast a population of around 1,900, but the population of the surrounding rural areas (of which I am part of) & unincorporated "towns" which call 100 Mile House home is closer to 17,000.
We are an 3,050 feet (930 metres) above sea level, and do have some harsh winters where the average temperature is -15 celsius, but can go -40 or lower for days at a time.


We are very much a western community, with forestry as our main industry,
surrounded by cattle ranches

and hundreds of lakes, which attract fisherman from all over.

So, to sum it up, 100 means, to me, home.
(And I do apologize for the "hurried" look, but I am in a hurry, and my internet is running super slow, so I am getting more than a little frustrated. One of the joys of rural living!)

Children of the 80's

I was adding to an old scrapbook of mine
Which in itself I should feature on of these days,
When I came across this.
Its kinda long, even though I cut parts out, but if you were born between 1965 & 1977
You will really identify with it.

"I am a child of the 70's & 80's.

When I got home from school I played Atari 2600.
I spent hours playing Frogger, and I never did beat Asteroids.

Then I watched Scooby Doo. Daphne was a goddess, and I thought Shaggy was
smoking something synthetic in the back of the Mystery Machine. I HATED Scrappy!


I never beat Rubik's cube, unless you count taking off the stickers,
or breaking it apart & putting it back together.

I got up on Saturday mornings and watched Hanna-Barbara cartoons.
In between Jabberjaw and Thundarr the Barbarian I would watch
Schoolhouse Rock (Conjunction Junction, what's your function?)

On Friday night Daisy Duke was my idol, and Bo Duke was my future husband.
Did your dad turn from mild-mannered Bill Bixby into the Incredible Hulk
when he got upset?

I watched Indiana Jones save the Ark of Covenant,
Marty go Back to the Future, and Bill Murray form the Ghostbusters.

Ronald Reagan was cool, Gorbachev was the guy who built McDonalds in Moscow.
During family vacations we collected Muppet Movie glasses, and found creative uses for Connect Four pieces.

I listened to John Cougar Mellencamp sing about Pink Houses and Jack & Diane.

I drank Dr. Pepper. I'm a Pepper you're a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too? Shasta was for losers. Tab was a labratory accident.
Orange Juice wasn't just for breakfast anymore. Bacon had to move over for something leaner.

My mom put a thousand Twinkies in my Flintstones lunchbox, and our world was the backyard and it was all you needed.

With your pink portable tape player Debbie Gibson sang back up to you. Everyone wanted a skirt like the material girl and a glove like Michael Jackson. When we were older we were going to be amazing breakdancers.

Today, we are the ones who sing along with Bruce Springsteen and the Bangles and have no idea why. We subscribe to the Retro Channel and watch the A-Team and Knight Rider, and laugh with the Cosby Show and Family Ties.
"What you talkin'about Willis?"

We hold strong affection for the Muppets and Care Bears, and why did they take Smurfs off the air? After School Specials were about cigarettes and step-families. The Polka Dot Door was nothing like Barney. Why couldn't we all be in Romper Room, and not just in the mirror?

We are the ones who still read Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume.

The backdoor was never locked and mom served only the red Kool-Aid. You never drank the New Coke.

Entertainment was cheap and lasted for hours. The Sit'n'Spin always made you dizzy, but never made you stop. Big Wheels were the ultimate driving vehicles, and if you couldn't fishtail one, you weren't worthy of driving it. Bicycles were made to see who could make the longest skid mark in the street, and we all practiced for the roller derby.

In your Underoos you were Wonder Woman, Spider Man, or R2D2. Pogoballs were dangerous weapons and Double Dutch was a feat only the class goddess could master.

We didn't start the fire Billy Joel.

There was always that one field that could be used for baseball, football, soccer, or just a place to hang out. That was my Field of Dreams Mr. Costner. We could trick or treat at night without fear of being killed. We loved orange race tracks, until our mother realized she could smack us with them.

We collected Cabbage Patch kids and baseball cards, and stuck our favourite players in our spokes to make them flip.

Going to get a Happy Meal on Saturday was worth waiting the other six days of the week.

"Hey my mom will take if your mom picks up!"

This was our generation....and we had way more fun than today's kids who spend all summer at their XBox 360's while texting their buddies next door.

Wildflower Friday (ok, I made that one up!)

My region of the world....the "Cariboo" region of BC, is full of beauty.
At this time of year the wildflowers bring a rainbow of colour to the forests.
I wanted to share them with you, because yeah, I'm proud of where I live!

A few of them I just learned the names of now, after living here for 20 years! The Balsam Root has had me puzzled ever since we moved here. All of these pictures, except the daisies,and the dogwood were taken in the forest on our property, those I got from flickr, but they do grow on our property as well:

Tiger Lilies


Wild roses - rosehips


Indian Paintbrush


Oxeye Daisies


Lupines


Deltoid Balsam Root (my camera wouldn't cooperate on the fuzzy close-up...sorry!)


Yarrow


American Vetch


Dwarf Dogwood (The regular sized dogwood is my province's flower)


I tricked my son into walking with me & my camera.....

Thanks for bearing with me and my showcase!!

Return of a Good Friend

I never knew how much you meant 'till you were gone
And now you're back

I apologize for ignoring you
There were times when I did not recognize
your full potential
Did not see you
for all you truly are
I know better now

I've missed you so
What did I ever do before I had you
Life did not have the same meaning
Beauty was not seen with the same eyes
Now beauty again, is everywhere

Thank-you for returning to me
None the worse for the wear
Even better than before



My Camera!!

Mosaic Monday...Cherries & Cheese

Okay, I'll bite into the mosaic monday theme. Even though its almost noon & I haven't accomplished anything yet.


I love cheese
I love cherries
Cherries & Cheese....not really the first combination that comes to mind with either of those great foods.

But there's a method to my madness.
A theory I need to share.
A revolutionary way to fine dining

If you eat a huge bowlful of cherries, you'll soon be running to the bathroom
If you eat a big plate of assorted cheeses, you won't be needing the bathroom for a long time.

My hypothesis, therefore, is as follows:

1 or more bowlfuls of cherries & 1 or more plates of cheese = a well balanced meal!!

Help me, I'm melting!

Today is one of those hazy summer days when the entire outdoors feels like your bathroom after a hot shower.
When you can see the moisture in the air.
When you need to soak yourself and your dog with the hose
Just to stay sane.

Its one of those days when you thank god that someone thought to invent the blender.
You rummage through your fridge to find whatever looks good.
Hmmm....there's seven strawberries left, might as well use those up.
Some cranberry yogurt...why not?
Blackberries would go great, but they don't grow here.
Grab the vanilla ice cream, can't make it without that.
Off to the pantry....let's see...
Orange drink powder, coconut,
And a banana for good measure.

Pour it all in,
Give it a whirl,
Pour it in a frosty glass
Plunk in a straw,
And there you have it -

The Hot'n Hazy Summer Delight!!

Photo credits Kiwi & Strawberry Smoothie - setting up, 2. Jumbo-size strawberries, 3. Honey vanilla ice cream, 4. Coconuts">here

Gung-Ho!

Do you ever hear about an idea
any idea at all
and think, I want to do that!!

Or read about something
that looks like so much fun,
so interesting
and immerse yourself in finding out
all you can
so you can do it too?

I'm like that
I have so many projects,
yet to begin, on the go,
not so many completed projects.

There's just so much I want to do..
Even as I write this,
I look at that first picture and think
how cool is that....
a string of lights,
one for each idea!

I was reading the "Idiot's Guide to Scrapbooking
I'm not really an idiot
(in that regard anyways)
but I was looking for new ideas.
I got so many ideas....
I can't wait for weekend.

But I also want to make
three cross-stitch stockings
by christmas
I'm only just now finishing one
and the year is half over

I want to paint the garage,
Cream with a silhouette mural of a
forest scene on the doors

I want to take down our old TV antenna
And turn it into a flagpole,
with a little circular garden around it
That was supposed to be done by Canada Day!

I want to make a book of all the cards we got
when our sons were born...
eons ago!

I have half a dozen manuscripts begun
I really want to publish a book.

And there's all the knitting projects
I want to make.

I sure hope I live to be 100
And be able to say
I did it all..
And I did it...
My Way!