I am blessed

I have wonderful friends, and that makes me truly blessed. I have so sadly neglected my friends this past 6 months and yet they are there for me. I have gone to them in distress, and needing help with different things, and there has never been any hesitation. There have been messages of encouragement, phone calls, and deeds of kindness through this very emotional trying time. Thank you all. It means so much to know people care.


Wanna hear a snippet of conversation between Christopher Robin and Pooh?



"If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart; I'll stay there forever."


My friends have made me feel just that. They have kept me in their hearts, and that is very comforting. Thank you.


Want to see what I mean?...My birthday is coming up..( and NO this is not a hint!!) It falls hot on the heels of Christmas and usually everyone is so busy with all the festivities, it always touches me when I get remembered with gifts and cards and good wishes. Wanna see what I have been given this week?...and it isn't even my birthday yet!




This photo does not even come close to doing these wonderful, crisp, white linen hand towels justice. They are embroidered with a ribbon of holly ( I love holly!) I have them hanging on the bar at the bottom of my medicine chest in the bathroom. Love them!

Again my photography skills are lacking. I over exposed this photo, but just look at this precious miniature porcelaine tea set and tiny book of friendship quotes.
Is this not just the cutest? My grandaughters will be thrilled with this on their next visit.






Oh dear! Pardon my dust, but just look at this wonderful pottery mug from a precious English friend of mine. It has a little infuser "thingy" dish inside the mug for loose tea. And if I prefer to use a tea bag, well then I have the little dish beside it for the tea bag. Doesn't it just make you want to go put the kettle on and have a cuppa tea? You know I think I just might do that, but before I go I am going to leave you with another photo of a jolly fellow. He is the night light in my bathroom; not sure if you can see it or not but he has springy little bells on his top hat and a wonderful happy smile. Ta ta.
EDIT: I just went to make tea and realized that the little dish is also a lid to keep my tea piping hot while steeping. DUH! Don't mind me I was having a senior moment; I really did know that; honest!

Not a Christmas post, but it will make you smile...

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0 wedding entrance 33 million hits

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs evian commercial 27 million hits

I was reading yesterday about some of the most popular hits on youtube...of course most of you have seen the one of Susan Boyle in Britains Got Talent, but have you seen these. Of the 5 most popular videos,these came in #3 and # 5. Guaranteed to make you smile. Post a comment and let me know what you think.

Stirring Up Memories In The Kitchen

Man! It's cold outside this morning...but warm in my kitchen. I am making meat pies...again. Tourtiere actually. I made a batch for Mom before I left Ontario, and while that is a good thing; there are no meat pies in MY freezer. Now Mr. O really doesn't mind if I have no present for him under the tree, but no meat pies for Christmas, is another thing altogether! I heard so much about his Mom's meat pies , when we were first married that I went on a search for "THE" perfect meat pie recipe. Well Canadian Living, Bless their hearts, published this recipe many years ago and after trying it and getting the Mr. O seal of approval it has been my old stand-by. ( I know it measures up because when I made them and served them to Mr. O's father, he said they were the best! ...just like his Mom made them!) What is it about mom's cooking?

Now just to show you how old this magazine is, you might notice the price up in the right hand corner... .39cents! If you click on the pic and enlarge it you may even be able to make out the date under the letters "V I" in Living. It would seem I am a creature of habit, because even though I have another copy elsewhere, this is what I pull out of my recipe collection each year. The pages are getting quite shabby and un-readable in some places, and I never try to make it from memory, but just having this old magazine on my counter seems to be the "secret ingredient".

It is not very "Christmas-sy" around here, because as some of you may know, Mr. O and I are leaving in just 5 more sleeps to drive back to Ont. to spend Christmas with Mom; so I have not done any decorating or preparing for the festivities. Honestly, what was the point?

That being said, smelling my meat pies cooking and listening to seasonal music has stirred up a few memories of Christmas Past.

After they are finished I will make my "traditional" peanut brittle and that will be the extent of my Christmas baking. ...well maybe just a small batch of scotch cookies; but just a small batch mind you! Do you feel the Merry yet?

Bonne Appetit and Happy Holidays.

Joie de Vivre

I have just recently become aware of a book that I would like to own. It is Joie de Vivre by Robert Arbor and Katherine Whiteside. Let me show you a little of what is written on the inside flap of the book.

"When it comes to making the most out of life, nobody does it better than the French. Now, with Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style For Every Day Living, and inspired fusion of art, style and easy-to-implement ideas, anyone can feel like they spent a weekend in the French countryside, no matter where they live.

Renowned restauranteur Robert Arbor puts a refreshing emphasis on simplicity and accessibility ..."

Now I don't know about you, but any book that can make me feel like I have spent a weekend in the French countryside is a definite candidate for my library.

I looked up the term "joie de vivre" and here is what the dictionary has to say;

joie de vivre (zhwa de vi-vre) n. hearty or carefree enjoyment of life.

[French: joie,joy+de,of+vivre,living.]

Sometimes we get so bogged down with things in life we fail to feel or express that "joie de vivre". I am afraid I have been guilty of that lately. Even though it has been a long hard road this last 5 months there have been many things to be joyful about. I have met so many wonderful and caring people. I have come to appreciate good health. I have been fortunate enough to be able to be in Ont. to help where needed. (If I had a young family at home this would not have been an option for me) My family and friends have been very supportive of and to me. I could go on, but you get the idea. Attitude is so important, and I am really going to work on mine. It seems I have been behind on so many things lately and playing "catch-up" for quite some time, so I am going to get a jumpstart on all you people who make a new resolution each January and beat you to the punch. I am going to make that my "mantra". I may need some help, or reminding from time to time, ...I am counting on you.

I am on the lookout for this book...however a thought just struck me, that this book claims to be able to "make you feel like you have spent a weekend in the French countryside." How do I know what it feels like to have actually spent a weekend in the French countryside? So here's my plan; gonna look for the book, and read it, gonna see how it makes me feel, then I am gonna have to book a trip to France and do a little research. I mean we can't have this guy making claims of his book that are just not true...

Attitudes are contagious; is yours worth catching?

How do you spell relief?

H-O-M-E !!! ...and the stories I could tell you...

tunnel lights

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I am hoping it is not an on-coming train. I hate to be such a pessimist, but ... we had to take mom back to the hospital at 4:00 a.m. Friday with vomiting and nose bleeds and dehydration. She is doing much better though and will possibly be coming home to morrow. I am sure I don't need to tell you that she was not too happy with us for calling the ambulance, but under the circumstances we thought it best. A kink in the bowel caused the nausea and vomiting and of course the nose bleeds from the 2 blood thinners she is on. Dehydration because she could not keep anything down. I just spoke to her though and had a good chin wag with the consulting physician and hopefully that is all behind us. So mom is coming home and the really big news...Mr. O. has booked me a ticket home and because he is away next week on business, we will meet up at the Toronto airport and drive home together from Moncton. I am coming home! Home...sigh...just the sound of it is encouraging. I will only be home for 21 days before we return for Christmas, but that's ok. Next trip Mr. O comes with me, as well as our middle grand daughter; and our son and family will meet us here. We will all spend Christmas with Mom and now here's the really good news; I am only staying a week and I will be going home with Mr. O. and Alexa. Mom does not know I will be here for Christmas...sh-h-h it's a surprise. In a perfect world our #1 child and her family could be with us, but hey! ...in a pefect world I wouldn't have been here anyway; at least not under these circumstances. I am coming home!

There is a place

a place where I long to be;

a place where I am not.

a place that I love;

a place where someone who is very special to me is living alone right now.

a place where I keep my stuff;

a place I want to return to.

a place called home;

my home.

Marathon Tales...his goal was to finish.

Well it's over; after many gruelling hours of training during which we experienced a "less than desirable summer", from a rainy June, to an extremely hot,humid August; through days on end of rain! I guess it was only fitting that this marathon be run in, shall we say "trying" weather conditions. We were up at 5 a.m. to get ready, and when Georges laced on his sneakers in the motel room, that was to be the last time they were dry for the day. What a day!



It rained, so hard Saturday and Sunday morning, we thought the organizers just might postpone things til later in the day, but no such luck, so we headed out to the University to stand about waiting for the starting gun with another approximately 1500 runners; (about 150 of them running the marathon). There was so much water; water was coming up out of the storm drains, and there were small (and large) lakes of water everywhere. ...and the wind! The weather network said 25km winds gusting to more at times. ( I had some short videos to show conditions, but seem to have trouble loading them)

This next picture was about 32 km into the race at the bottom of a long hill heading directly into the wind coming off the marsh...brutal!

This was one of the exits at Connaught(I think) heading toward the University. Closed obviously...I was looking at what I thought were rivers that turned out to be streets...very messy driving and running!

However he did it...5 hours and 2 min. A little longer than expected because of the weather, but he finished; and that was the goal. I was in tears at the finish line and one of the organizers said to me is that your husband, and when I nodded yes, she gave me his medal and said,"maybe you would like to put this on his neck". Very emotional moment...for both of us.

Then we went over to the CEPs building for a bit of nourishment, and a massage before showering and heading home.

Georges was not among the first to finish, actually closer to the last, but he did reach the goal he strived for, and to me that was worthy of recognition. I had this gift waiting for him; engraved with a few sentiments among which said, " My goal was to finish."

Inside the card: Congratulations! First you dreamed it, then believed it, then achieved it! I am so proud of you.

Phew! I am glad that is over...running marathons is hard on a person(s)

89 hours ... Sunday to Wednesday

Do you know what I did in the last 89 hours? Drove to Dundalk Ont. (1508 km) and back to Bathurst (1508 km) for a total of 3016 km. In between we also made 3 return trips to Hanover 63.7 km each way for a total of 382.2 km; ( one for the viewing/wake; one for a trip to the church to practice a song with the musicians; and one for the funeral of a very dear friend) That makes a total of 3398.2 km. In between the wake, the practicing and attending one of the most touching tributes to a dearly loved husband, father, preacher and friend, we did all the other little things you do in a day...read stories to your grandchildren, taking them to McDonalds; packing and unpacking; eating, showering etc, going for a walk, visiting with family and friends; oh yeah and grabbing a bit of shut eye. It has been a full few days. Good to be home.
Want to see what I did in the daylight hours in the car when I wasn't driving? I finished these

and I started this

Hm-mmm warm wool socks and a cozy mohair shawl...do you see a trend here...do you suppose cold weather is approaching?

What a lovely day!

Glorious sunshine, fall colors, a slight breeze. Have I mentioned how good it is to be home?


Breakfast was yummy; coffee in my favorite mug, a toasted bagel with cream cheese and a wonderful imported french marmalade from a quaint little shop I visited this summer. Not only that but it is a 6 point breakfast according to WW, so that makes it even better. Now if I can just be as diligent for the remainder of the day...

I had to smile when I read this...

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing," Pooh said.

I can so relate, because I of course am a bear of very little willpower. Have a great day!

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

I love old movies...especially when they are as good as "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner". The film is wonderful because it was the last film made by one of Hollywood's greatest duos, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Having Sidney Poitier rounding out the cast didn't hurt either.

This film was made while Spencer Tracy was dying. He had to put his entire salary in escrow in order for the film company to allow him to do the film.So why did Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy agree to do this film, without immediate payment? Well, because it's a film about forbidden love, about a well-to-do young white woman falling in love with a black doctor...it's a film about loving someone no matter what society thinks, or what the rules are. (probably a little difficult for todays young people to imagine the scandal of an inter-racial marriage)

This is something Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn knew a great deal about. What makes this film outstanding is, by the end of the film you realize, Kate and Spencer are not even acting they are relaying their feelings about each other, through the film. Once you catch that, the drama of the final few scenes is just unparalleled and Spencer's final speech, about his love for Kate (Christina), can drive even the most twisted soul to tears. If you watch Kate's face when Spencer recites the line, 'screw what the rest of the world thinks about your love'...those are real tears. Watch Spencer Tracey as he paces back and forth on the terrace near the end of the film. He realizes he is about to begin one of the last scenes he will ever film.

I am not sure how many times I have seen this movie, but just thinking about it today makes me want to watch it again... I really should buy a copy, I have rented it so many times.

Now don't groan, but this is not really what I was planning on posting about when I wrote the title to this blog...I looked out today just before supper and was quite surprised to see a dinner guest. An uninvited dinner guest. A guest who had to prepare his own supper and was certainly not welcome at my table...a black and white guest (this is what started the whole old movie thing) Take a peek...and no I am not predjudiced but there are some things I just can't tolerate. I have however chosen to be quite passive with my guest and hope that if I ignore him he will leave...

4310

4310 doesn't mean much to others, but to me it spells HOME. It is good to be home! Pics are a bit blurry and I apologize for that, but somehow it is fitting, because that is what my summer has been...a bit of a blur. It seems I wait all winter for spring to come so we can move down to the cottage and yet this year I could hardly wait to move home...for one thing I spent so little time there and when I did the weather was downright nasty...so yes we are home and glad to be here. Here amongst the boxes and bags and suitcases waiting to be unloaded and put away. It is a bigger job than you might think, because even though the house has been empty for the last 5 months, the dust and cobwebs still acumulate, so I am trying to clean and wipe things down before putting things away. It is a lot of work, but you know it is very therapeutic too..getting re-acquainted with all my "stuff" again. It is a good feeling being home. Yup! ...I think I am going to like it here...think I'll stay!

Our last night at the cottage the weather was amazing. It had been sunny for most of the day and then right after supper the wind started picking up and a squall moved through. Wild, wild winds and the water was amazingly rough, with heavy rains and even before the rain stopped completely the sun broke through...really dramatic weather and light show...it was almost like there were extremely bright spotlights shining in designated areas and then it would move to another spot. Here are a few pics. They don't really do it justice, but thought I would share. (clicking on any of the pictures will enlarge themand make for better viewing...but you probably already knew that )It was a grand send off.

Oh..and the roses? They were an anniversary gift from my dear sweet husband. Mr O really is so thoughtful...sigh

This one is really worth a closer view...

Gross!..not for the faint of heart.

We are surely headed into the "fright season". I know that because of some of the creatures that I see around home. While I was home getting a few things done this week, this is the fellow who greeted me in the carport. Guess he thought that because we hadn't been around for awhile he had squatter's rights...well think again buddy! Call the spider police if you must, but I am not about to share my abode with the likes of this fella...now if he was just passing through I may have considered wishing him God Speed and left him journey on,; but oh no this guy had moved in and had started wrapping my place in his warm "blanket"! I told you this would be gross...well let's just say he won't be spooking any of the little trick or treaters this halloween season. enough said!

Did I say I needed inspiration?

Well I found it! If you ever need to be inspired to quilt, just go to a local quilt guild meeting and hang around long enough for the show and tell part of the meeting. I have not been at a guild meeting since May '09, so being amongst a group of about 60 very prolific quilters can be more than inspiring; it can be downright intimidating. What a wonderful array of projects...from moose and fish and flower wall hangings, to embroidered duckies on baby quilts, to wonderful totes to full bed quilts and on and on. I almost hate to go to bed and waste valuable quilting time. We had a block demo, draws for prizes, a snack and even got to shop for fabric at garage sale prices! I mean what more can a girl ask for? Yup, I say support your local quilt guild.
It was so nice to see everyone after such a long time away...I missed you guys!

I did it!

I finished one item off my list. Now mind you it is just one of many, but it was so nice to be able to write DONE beside one thing listed in my sewing basket at the sidebar on this blog. ( I would love to know how to just put a check mark, but that will come in time)

Anyway I received this quilt back from Cynthia ( my long arm quilting friend) on the 16th of July. My intention was to have it bound and ready to give to Mr. O for his birthday on the 22nd of July. When I arrived home from picking up the quilt there was a message on my machine that Mom was in a car accident and so the quilt binding was put on hold...well I finished it last night! Mr. O was snoozing on the couch, and when I finished the last stitch I got up and covered him with his quilt and whispered...Happy Birthday. Talk about a belated gift!

Yay me!! I was looking for inspiration, well this would be it...finishing a project. Makes me want to get to work on finishing another, but alas not today. Busy day today...gotta make a trip into "the city" run some errands, got a mountain of laundry to tend to, and then I get to go to guild meeting tonight. Sure will be nice to see all my quilting buddies.

Want to see my finished quilt? Well here it is. I had Cynthia quilt it in an oak leaf and acorn pattern; sort of felt good with the color pallette I had used. She did a great job and I can hardly wait to pass along another to her. Well, got to run. Ta ta,





P.S. I forgot to mention my next project. See this picture below? See that hole in the quilt? See the dark brown around the edge of the hole? Sort of looks like a cigarette burn eh? Well that's because it is! Now the person who did this shall remain nameless, and I know she feels terrible about it, but probably not as bad as I do...me being a non-smoker, this is a particularily bitter pill to swallow. This is a quilt I made and gave to my brother Gary for his fiftieth birthday. He absolutely loves this quilt; he thinks it is just perfect; I know better, but I'm not gonna tell him. I'm not gonna tell him that someone burned his quilt while he was in hospital either. What I am gonna do is try to repair it...wish me luck.



This is what it looked like "pre-burn" ...sigh

It's Raining

“The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It is raining, really hard...I don't like rain. However it is a good day to stay in and finish a quilt that should have been finished long ago. Pictures to follow...

I need to be inspired...

I am back home again...tired, and ...well, just tired I guess. Mom is doing so much better, and it was a very busy 4 weeks away. There was so much to tend to. I am home for 4 weeks and then off again, but I really need to make some good use of my home time. It is going to be a busy month; Georges and I have an Anniversary coming up...our 39th! and we have to pack up the cottage and move home the weekend after Thanksgiving, and then we are off to Moncton the weekend of the 25th for the Moncton Marathon; Georges to run and me to cheer him on.


I need to feed my creative side though...whether it be knitting, sewing, writing or whatever. I just need a little inspiration. I have to say I just finished reading several posts from Holly's Blog and I felt the urge to go and "create". It is rather late and I am tired(read lazy) but hopefully the urge will still be there tomorrow. I have been wanting to make something using recycled glassware all summer and it still hasn't happened. I was introduced to Glass Garden Totems this summer while in Ohio and I have been gathering all kinds of glassware to "build" something....

Here is a sample of one that I saw while away. Wouldn't it make a lovely birdbath in a flowerbed?

Maybe I will sleep on it...............

In a Nutshell

I arrived to see Mom sitting in a chair and waiting for me. Since my arrival here on Thursday, so many things have happened, that I will probably miss a thing or two but here is what I remember in a nutshell...
she is talking; she started eating and drinking thickened liquids and the feeding tube was removed; she is walking with assistance; moved from ICU; trach was removed; stitches removed too; catheter removed today; eating solid foods yesterday and today; starting to complain about being in hospital too long...I think that means she is feeling better. Today was not such a good day, but hey they can't all be good ones. Hoping tomorrow dawns brighter...Happy Wednesday!

Close your eyes...

...well not yet, or you won't be able to read what I am saying, but what I want you to do is close your eyes and conjure up a picture in your mind of what a gypsy might look like. You probably

imagined something like this eh...

and you would be half right.

gyp·sy [ jípsee ] somebody with nomadic lifestyle: somebody who has a nomadic or unconventional lifestyle

HOWEVER...this is what others may look like.....

That would be me...Gypsy Wendy (with good gypsy friend)

I am on the move again...leaving for Ont. in the morning. Hope to report good news when I arrive. Hope to be back before the snow flies....sigh

Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?

I may have just dated myself, but how many remember everybody's favorite telephone operator, Ernestine?(snort, snort)

Well I had an operator hook me up to a pretty important caller yesterday...you'll never guess who....My mom!

They capped her trach, and she tolerated that very well, so I was allowed to talk to her on the phone! Pretty amazing when you think that less than 2 weeks ago it was not looking too positive. I have only been home 12 days and when I left Mom was still very "out". They had tried several times to wake her from the sedation and she just was not responding...and the few times she responded, her pressure was so bad they had to re-sedate. So although talking does not seem like a big thing..it is pretty HUGE in our books.

She has also been moved from ICU to the Critical care unit of the hospital; 6 weeks in ICU is a serious thing, and we were told that the longer she stayed on a ventilator, the less chance she would have of breathing on her own, but guess what??? she has been breathing on her own for 6 days now so that is a HUGELY positive step too.

Thanks to all of you who sent support by way of your prayers, positive thoughts, phone calls and e-mails. It meant a lot!

They are going to do a swallowing assessment today(not quite sure what that all entails) and see how that goes.

Although I am really not looking forward to going away again, I am anxious to see Mom and all the improvements she has made.

Laundry time

Yup! The laundry won out.

But while I'm gone check this out. Awesome, awesome harmony!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NEU6Xf7lM ever heard of Kurt Neilson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoswNnsaECM&feature=related again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0HmPrshi-U this kid is amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2F2knitwits%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2Fsearch%3Fupdated%2Dmin%3D2008%2D01%2D01T00%253A00%253A00%2D08%253A00%26updated%2Dmax%3D2009%2D01%2D01T00%253A00%253A00%2D08%253A00%26max&feature=player_embedded stand by me!!!

You may have to stop the music on this blog, so you can hear the other stuff properly, but trust me it is worth a listen.

What to do, what to do?

What a quandary I find myself in today. Do laundry, or stay home and sew...do laundry?..stay home and sew?..seems like a no brainer right?

However, after a week of company I find myself with 3 sets of bedding and various other "unmentionables" awaiting their turn in the "Maytag".

Laundry means packing up and heading to the Bathurst laundramat.

Sewing means sitting at my beloved sewing machine and sewing away while enjoying a view of the water, fishermen, birds etc.etc.

Like I said, seems like a no brainer.

I know it will be a nail biter, but tune in later to see what transpires...will she do the conscientious thing, or succumb to her frivolous side?

A good day...

If you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one.~Cavett Robert

Imagine you are in your mid 70's. Every day is precious when you have come to realize how quickly time passes; how quickly your children have grown; how quickly your life can change, even when it seems nothing much is happening.
Imagine that all you have ever wanted is to have your children back with you and enjoy just being together. Now imagine that what you want has happened..all four of your "babies" are with you; but imagine this...you don't remember it! Not one day of those 33 days when your children were there, holding your hand, adjusting your pillow, straightening your blankets, combing your hair , sitting by your side do you recall. Not one....

See why this quote caught my eye?
Enjoy your day, even if it is an "ordinary" one.