The Zoo In You

I have fond memories of Lincoln Park Zoo.

Every time we went to visit my grandparents, we went to the zoo.

They had huge turtles small children could ride or at least sit on.

Once there was a baboon inside a crate cage with a sign telling people the baboon was a boxing baboon and to stay away from the cage.

Kids don't read and as I was looking at the baboon this young boy put his nose against the grill outside the cage. It took the baboon no time at all to put his fist through the bars right into his nose.

The boy flew about about two feet backwards.

I was a kid and so do not remember if the boy was ok because a lot of people surrounded him, but I do remember the punch because it showed no mercy.

It was a knock out punch.

Then we walked and took a picture of me sitting on a stuffed black bear.

This was the first time I was able to actually feel what bear fur feels like.
I still remember the thrill I got out of it.

Our Granby Zoo in Quebec, did not have stuffed animals to touch but we did have a bear with half a tongue.

This bear just stood by the cage rails with mouth wide open exposing yellow teeth and a blue tongue waiting for peanuts.

The peanut machine was conveniently right there and we would throw in our quarters to feed this bear which made the kids laugh so hard, parents and even strangers would help out just to watch them.

There is nothing like the innocent laughter of children and these echo in my mind to this day.

Today people are lucky to be able to capture their children and put it on you tube for everyone to enjoy and you have to say Thanks:)

for letting the world enjoy your blessing.

Have a great day!

what do polar bears eat for breakfast? Snow flakes

Where do fish get their money? River banks

What do you get when you cross an elephant with a fish? Swimming trunks

1000 Years Of Peace

These Olive trees, plants of Peace, grow for 1000 years and guess what.... there is a person growing them on Pender Island right here in British Columbia. I believe the tree doesn't have to be big before it bears fruit.
and it is also good to prune like a Japanese Bonsai, so the trunk widens while the tree stays the size you want it to be.
For our lifetime it can be grown in a box and taken in every winter.

Olives are very healthy for you and they were known to nourish people right off the tree, when food was scarce. They contain iron, fiber ,copper, vit E,are anti inflamatory, function as an antihistamine, fights allergies, fights high blood pressure reduces cardiovascular disease,
aids the respiratory system, nervous system, musculoskeletal system, immune system, and digestive system.

So this in itself is a tree worth considering keeping at your side and now we know they do not just have to grow in a certain climate. We can winter them in our garage.

AND .........we use olives as a topping for PIZZA lol

YES! for Pizza!!

Not only do we get excellent olive oil from them but gardening is very good for the spiritual as well as psychological well being of a human,
cause then, we can sit and joke about it too.


What do you call it when worms take over the world? Global Worming.

The research assistant couldn't experiment with plants because he hadn't botany.

What does the letter "A" have in common with a flower? They both have bees coming after them.

What do you get when you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by the diameter? Pumpkin Pi.

What do you call a country where people drive only pink cars? A pink carnation.

New gardeners learn by trowel and error. (hardy har har)

Have a great day!

And Then there were 4

The baskets keep coming since I have left over thread and this one was made last night.
lol

Try Cooking Day.

I really do not like cooking.

I like eating but I can do without pots and pans to scrub.

Although every one volunteers to eat, no one volunteers to clean up and if they cook, well the disasters around the counters and stove they leave behind is enough to make you want to cry.

I look at peoples homes and always wonder how they live in their spotless kitchens.

And why do you need a modern kitchen if it is only for show?

I know many people have two kitchens, one for show and one for the actual messy cooking of sauces, frying, baking.

I personally would love a kitchen outside on the patio which can be hosed down daily down a drain into the sewer. This would be my ideal kitchen and it could also have a franklin stove or a wood fire place which could be used to make excellent pizza.

I so seldom make blintze's or potato latkes or cheese knishes.

but once in a while I get into the mood and go all out.

We used to have excellent Jewish bakeries on St Lawrence street and the cooking was to die for.

The bagels were the best in the world and once you get used to the best, its hard to go to Safeway or the Superstore and buy bagels which except for the doughnut shape, do not taste like what bagels should.

In College I had a job working at a Jewish Senior Citizens Home.

The cook ,was an older woman and a very generous one at that.

She made the best food for these somewhat particular people.

Sometimes I felt sorry for her because she had varicose veins causing her a lot of pain and eventually she had to stop working but her food????????

How can any one live without cheese knishes the way she made them, I don't know. lol

Then in Miami, we found a place called Rascals, which also had the best seafood breakfast anyone could want, along with bagels and lox.

Each table also got a basket full of different baked goods which you could not eat after the big breakfast, so you took it home.

Needless to say, the place was always full and at times there would be lineup going round the block, mostly old people.

Can you imagine old people, standing in line ups?

It had to be worth it although there was nothing fancy about the place.

At lunch they served home made turkey legs with boiled potatoes and veggies. The turkey leg was big and at that time, one plate cost $ 5.00 US. So an old couple shared one plate between them since they do not eat much, plus they took home the basket of baked buns with them for later.

The public at that time was not children friendly, so when we came in with our son they would make faces as if to say Oh my God! Noise. lol

We got our son a space gun.

When you shot it, it made a noise like someone blowing bubbles into a glass, through a straw.

We were sitting eating and my son took out his gun and pushed the trigger. It kept going and going and going until the whole restaurant stopped and began looking at our table.

It made us feel uncomfortable to see every one stop eating and looking like that but then they burst out laughing.

One man explained that they thought my son was blowing bubbles into a glass and when he didn't stop, they wondered where he got his air? lol

That space gun became a popular item in that restaurant as everyone wanted to have a look at it.

They were amazed at what they made for kids and probably would be looking to buy something like it for their grandchildren. lol

So ....people who didn't like kids....began to like kids again lol

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Potato Plus Latkes

• 1 pound potatoes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Latkes-104406#ixzz1e6OkWyib

To mine I added garlic , white pepper, shredded cheese of choice, 1 carrot and a cup of flour.

I spooned mine into an olive oil greased pyrex tray and placed them into the oven at 400 degrees and baked till slightly browned.
They turned out great!

-----------------------------------------------
Spinach Mushroom Potato Soup

Today I took out a small can of mushroom soup. I put it into a medium sized pot of boiling water to which I added some chicken broth.

I used an electric chopper to puree more fresh mushrooms, spinach, small tomato and 5 cold medium boiled potatoes.
I put it on medium heat and stirred it. Then I chopped some shallots and added them also to the pot along with a few spoons of sour creme.

Salt garlic and pepper seasonings to taste
and the soup tastes fantastic.
Almost like a hot vichyssoise,
except it's NOT. lol

The reason I made it all puree is because it is soo good to come inside from the cold and drink a nice, hot, cup of soup. For the kids it's better than a snack with all the vegetables you may want to put into it.

It's the best way to make kids eat spinach
without knowing it.
---------------------------------------------------------
Now what's this about Pizza not being healthy food?

Pizza is very healthy. You do not need a thick crust and it is full of onions, green peppers, any kind of meat, be it chicken, minced beef, pork, tomatoes, mushrooms,ham, cheese etc....
You name it , you can put on pizza. It can be all vegetarian if it needs to be.

Kids need cheese for their bones and teeth especially if their diet is not good at home.
I think Pizza is a very healthy meal for school lunches

Yes!! for pizza at school.

Well the dishwasher is packed after washing everything by hand and I am not cooking anymore stuff today. lol

Have a Great Day!

One Two Three baskets

Now I have three baskets to put things in.

I think that's enough baskets lol
http://www.designsponge.com/2009/07/mini-crochet-baskets.html

The weather is very chilly today and wet. I think there is snow up hill although by my house we do not have anything.

I don't know how my son will play soccer today.

What do you call a bunch of crocheters working by the side of the road?

Answer: A chain gang!

2. What did the little crocheter dress up as for Halloween?

Answer: Captain Hook, of course!

3. What happened to the cat who ate a ball of yarn?

Answer: She had mittens!

4. Why do spiders spin webs?

Answer: No one's ever taught them to crochet!

5. What do you call the steps it takes to learn to crochet?
Answer: A chain of events!

Have a great day!

Crochet Bread Basket

This is another easy project to do in an evening .

I find making crochet baskets to be quite handy since they can be all sizes for bread, fruit,peanuts, chips etc....

They look good on a table , are washable and fold so you can put them away till you need them as part of your table accessories.

I made this one big but if you want smaller ones then you can make more than one in one evening. This one still needs a few ribbons to weave around it for decoration.

It's a nice way to watch TV at night while being creative.

They make nice gifts too.

Have a great day!

Shoulder Warmers

These were great projects cause they only took a day to make .

One day...... one item.

I used bernat and red heart thread and 5.5 crochet hook.

Now I can keep my shoulders warm.

My son likes the gray one made in boucle thread.The finished product
looks like a faux persian fur.

When my son puts it on, he looks like a knight with broad shoulders.

He likes it and can't wait to wear it over his jacket when he goes out.

The other two are girly so they are for me. lol

Well I had enough crocheting for a while till the next inspiration hits me and I know it will cause this is like a drug once you get into it. There are so many nice things out there on line, that are so pretty you want to try making them. Before you know it you have a whole set of things you want to make and it will take you a lifetime and there will still be more stuff.

But it keeps your mind healthy and happy once the project is finished. Before you know it you have a collection of stuff you would not otherwise have.

Have a great day!

Scarf Head Band Hand Warmers

This was another easy project and took no time at all since the scarf is narrow.

The head band is not big either so everything took about a day to make.

Now I am all set to go out into the wild country. lol

I am thinking to maybe find some red fleecy material and sew it into the head band and the hand warmers to make it extra warm.

In BC you need to layer because if you don't , one minute it's cold and another it's hot.

As you can see I am making my own Christmas presents.

During the year I always buy things when I see them on special thinking they would be good for someone or other. I wrap them, put a name for who it is and put them away and by Christmas time I forget myself, what is inside the boxes.

When it comes time to open gifts, I am surprised, just as much as the kids ,who don't know what's inside their boxes.

It's as if I see them for the very first time and that it really was Santa who left them under the tree.

Talk about being kookie. lol

Every year we have the same conversation about whether or not Santa exists.

The kids tell me there is no Santa and I always feel bad because then I tell them well if you don't believe, he won't come.

He wants to be appreciated for his kindness and his special spirit.

Seeing they won't get gifts, the kids come around and change their minds into believing in Santa at Christmas.

I sure miss those times now that they are all grown up.

My favorite Christmas was when my parents put me to bed, did up the tree, put presents under it and then pretended to go to bed. They blasted the radio and I jumped a foot high into the air in my bed and we all came running into the hallway. My parents pretended to be mad at me for blasting the radio and I kept rubbing my eyes and telling them I didn't do it.

Then we'd discover the tree with the presents and the magic of Christmas filled the air.

My eyes grew big thinking Santa did an awful lot of work to put up such a gorgeous tree and presents just for me.

My parents were strict but they sure made a lot of special events for me to remember all my life and this was one of them. lol

Sometimes the movie

http://www.carygrant.net/reviews/room.html

Room for One More with Cary Grant , comes to mind , cause it is also about a family who went out of their way for their children.

It was a very touching movie. They had a growing daughter who needed a special dress for the school dance and after acquiring one, her escort was not allowed to go cause his Mom did not like the little girl being an orphan, so she went with her Dad.

The little boy they took in with the legs problem , worked very hard walking in metal braces, in freezing weather, to become the top Scout, made his parents very proud of him.

They don't make movies like that anymore and families have changed a lot too.

Well these are very special memories I carry with me and probably this is why I like to make things today . Hobbies are great things to have as learning tools.

carving a rose out of vegetables

Have a great day!

Morning Shoulder Warmer

This was a very easy project in that it only took a day to make.

With the chilly weather, something like this to put over a jacket or just over the shoulders in the morning or evening is quite comfy.

It took 2 x 5 oz balls of the paton mixed color thread and some of the yellow red heart thread for the trimming.

--------------------

Thanks giving Gourd Candles for the table

It's So Nice.

Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition ?


As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Canadians with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of Canadian labor. Maybe this year will be different. Maybe this year Canadians will give the gift of genuine concern for other Canadians. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by Canadians hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local Canadian hair salon or barber? Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, Canadian owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the dollars on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Canadian with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the Canadian working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day. My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running. OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theater. Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of lights, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining Canadian pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about us, encouraging Canadian small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Canadians, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine. THIS is the new Canadian Christmas tradition.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?

Have a great day!

Fly White Dove Fly

I listen to these songs and I can't help but feel that
our time , growing up was the greatest time.

We stood and fought for peace and love.
We wore flowers in our hair and tried going back to nature.

I enjoyed getting dressed in long frilly skirts and going down town for shopping and watching all the young people gather to watch White Rabbit being performed in Place Ville Marie.

So many groups came to Montreal at that time. It was a vibrant place to live and I remember how much I loved our Mayor Drapeau. He was known as the little Napoleon who loved his city to the point of threatening to separate from Quebec, if they pushed things on him he did not like .

He brought Expo 67, saw to it we had an under ground metro system. Place Des Arts had the best entertainers. We had the greatest hockey games and life was just thriving in the city at that time. Montreal was growing and growing big internationally. I think it was the best city in the whole country and the whole world , it being MY town. lol

It was a aspecial era, when people were caught between the old and the new. No where on earth could you walk and smell the smells and feel the people, the vibrancy and the life like it was in those days.

I remember going to the old flea markets and they were full of war memorabilia: water Canteens, gas masks, boots, uniforms , rifles, bicycles, old farm equipment, you name it they had it.
It was so interesting and I would touch each item and wonder who it belonged to, who died and what did the item have to tell us about itself.
The farmers bazaars brought in live animals and we could by by the bushel or bag, anything you wanted. It was so much fun to shop this way as opposed to today going to a pristine store.

We went to the baker for bread and his factory made all kind of bread and buns. We watched as the huge machines turned and kneaded the dough for the day and he had little white kittens running around . The place was spotless with wood floors and high ceilings.
On the roof he kept two german shepherd dogs who were guard dogs and watched how we entered and left.

OK It was also a time when drugs were big.
Hiding behind drugs was not a good thing and I am glad I never did that.
In fact I was a little too young to really understand the problem in Vietnam.
We just had a lot of draft dodgers running across the border to Canada and we welcomed them.
We all cried for Kennedy getting shot but I did not understand what was going on to make it so important that he needed to be shot for it.

It was a time when Quebec was having its' own quiet revolution. The French blamed the English for not giving them jobs and forcing them to speak English regard less of the fact most English kids learned French. They did not learn anything at school except religion.

So little time was spent doing languages, science and math required to get a job. Of course they turned it into something political and even with so many changes, today they still try to stir the pot.
For a long time I saw signs of Nazism in the eyes of the leaders. They wanted to take over through patriotism and then do some ethnic cleansing.
I am not sure that part of it is over, to this day. It just might not be in the interest of all the immigrants living there, to help separate Quebec from Canada. Today did these leaders stay in Quebec or leave to live in other parts of the world?

My books consisted of reading philosophy , Shakespeares' tragedies, books on Nazi Germany, The Gulag, Stalin, Hiroshima, China changing to communism and lots of classical /romance novels. I would spend hours on my balcony on a bench my Dad made, reading ,with a bushel of McKintosh Apples beside me. They were and still are, the best apples.
I had such a thirst to learn but not to express myself as I was not too sure I knew everything and questioning the superiority of others was not a good thing to do in those days.

I remember wanting to see War and Peace so bad but knew getting permission from my parents would not be easy and I had to go twice because it was too long as an 8 hour movie. They had to cut it in two sessions.
I was not allowed to go alone, so I had to ask a friend and she was grounded . Her parents allowed her to go with me because they knew I never got into trouble. So...........
This is how you get into trouble.

I got to the movie theater and she shows up with her friends and tells me they want to go clubbing instead. I told her we are supposed to go to the movies. She was too young for clubs anyway.

Well ended up they went their way and I was supposed to turn around and go home because I was not allowed into a dark movie theater alone.
I decided to go to the movies and when I got home I was interrogated by my parents to make sure I saw the movie.
After they saw I did, they didn't think to ask me about my friend and thankfully I did not have to lie.
I was not very happy with my friend though.
I did go to see the next part of the movie but I don't remember if I went with anyone. Maybe my parents assumed I went with her. lol or maybe I got someone else to go with me.
Had they found out I was alone, I would have been in a pickle for sure.

I was a little white dove in my flower painted frilly skirt.
I was spreading my wings to fly.
It felt good to feel the freedom and be a part of a time
when we were soo vocal about universal peace and love

Have a great day.

Hand In A Hand

We all want to feel safe.

Safety is one of our key issues in life.
We spend a lot of time dedicating laws to safety.

We look to our leaders for safety and we also look to God.
We would like him to hold our hand in times of woe so we are not alone.
We trust him to keep us safe and warm and loved as children, look up into our eyes
for safety and direction.

As adults, we have some measure of power to see to it that children are safe
but children are children. It takes only one split second to make a fatal mistake.

As children ourselves, we too make mistakes and are prone to fatal flaws.

As we blame our selves and each other for not doing enough to protect our children, we also blame God for not protecting man from his fatal flaws.

We do not realize that in order to grow and learn, we must do things without knowing the end result.
We fought for this freedom to learn, so we could grow and obtain knowledge.
So when mistakes are made, who is it exactly that is to blame?

Is it the parent?
Is it society?
Is it God?

We are born into a new world eager to learn.
Our first steps end up with bumps and bruises but we learn.
And with each step we learn more.
We are taught safety skills so that we can even extend into unknown territories, knowing how to think, so as not to perish.
To ride a motorcycle,for example, requires one to learn how. If not , one may not know how to stop or change gears and end up flying off a cliff. ( I know cause I did it lol)

But what if this road to knowledge was stopped?
What if we were told we cannot learn any more?
Then, if we try to go into domains we know nothing about or how to learn about it,
our end could be inevitable.

My Mother used to say God protects them who protect themselves.
Don't go jumping off of cliffs unless you know how to fly.
So we experiment and learn how to fly in airplanes, on kites, with parachutes, and rockets. lol

So what you know, is important .
It relates to how you see yourself, which in turn relates to how you see others.

If you see yourself as a good person, you see good in others.
If you see yourself trustworthy, honest, hard working, reliable, you see this in others.

It is all a question of perspective in life.

If you do not see these values in yourself, you will not see it in others.

If you do not see it in others, you alienate yourself from holding the hand,
which could make a difference in your life.

Have a great day.

We Remember and Thank the Men Who Served and Love Our Nation

11 - 11 - 11

Today we remember the men and women who served our nation

With great pride and honor they laid down their lives

They fought for duration

of freedom

For their children , love, husbands and wives.

Oh Dem Golden Slippers

This was a jovial song my Mom liked a lot and she'd walk around the house singing it till we all caught the bug and joined her. It was an easy song to remember because it only had two main chorus lines lol.
I got the lyrics at this web site.

http://www.stephen-foster-songs.de/amsong35.htm

Oh, my golden slippers am alaid away, Kase I don’t ’spect to wear ’em till my weddin’day, And my long tail’d coat, dat I loved so well, I will wear up in de chariot in de morn; And my long white robe dat I boought last June, I’m gwine to git changed kase it fits too soon, And de ole gray hoss dat I used to drive, I will hitch him to de chariot in de morn. Chorus: Oh, dem golden slippers! Oh, dem golden slippers! Golden slippers I’m gwine to wear, bekase dey look so neat; Oh, dem golden slippers! Oh, dem golden slippers! Golden slippers Ise gwine to wear, to walk de golden street. 2. Oh my ole banjo hangs on de wall, Kase it ain’t been tuned since way last fall, But de darks all say we will hab a good time, When we ride up in de chariot in de morn; Dar’s ole Brudder Ben and Sister Luce, Dey will telegraph de news to Uncle Bacco Juice, What a great camp meetin’ dere will be dat day, When we ride up in de chariot in de morn. Chorus: 3. So, it’s good-bye, chidren, I will have to go, Whar de rain don’t fall or de Wind don’t blow, And yer ulster coats, why, yer will not need, When yer ride up in de chariot in de morn; But yer golden slippers must be nice and clean, And yer age must be just sweet sixteen, And yer white kid gloves yer will have to wear, When yer ride up in de chariot in de morn. Chorus:

When my Mom reposed, she was sweet sixteen in her heart.
She always loved golden slippers, music, singing and dancing.

I remember her dressing up to go to bed each night.
She would put on a nice neglige, fix her hair and make up.
Special care was taken with her lipstick.

I'd ask her why she did this every night when other people washed their faces, curled their hair and put creme on . lol
Her answer would be, that if she died during the night, she didn't want people to find her in disarray.
I could never understand how she could sleep at night thinking she might not wake up.
During the day she would curl her hair, creme her face and wear shorts to do house work.
After everything was done, she again adorned herself. I asked her what would she do if she died during the day in her curlers and without her lipstick lol.
She said she would feel it before it happened unlike at night, when she was deep asleep.
That was my Mom. When I was old enough, I took over doing her hair.
She was lucky cause I gave her good perms and knew how to style her hair the way she liked it.

I haven't heard this song in a long time so I thought I'd put it into my blog in her memory.

Funny how things pop up into your brain.
lol


================================================

Here's something interesting.

I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball
biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor
with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared. The next year I
filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I
saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well. It worked at a
picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the
children's swing area, and the standing water nearby.

Where Does Time Go

This little boy was born in 79. He is all grown up with his own little girl and all I see is this little guy who used to ride beds across rooms as if they were horses or cars

A real gentleman, he used to emulate his Dad, shook hands with clients, read newspapers and demanded to have a brief case to take to school so he looked like a business man.

He collected cars and knew every one by heart.

He needed the whole collection of super men, star wars, etc...whatever was the in thing at that time and everything seemed to be 19.99 .

I compared this to my second son who only saw balls and his heart pitter pattered over which 99 cent ball he could have. I watched him and thought, you can have 19.99 worth son. lol

Sasha grew up loving to take things apart to see how they were made and it is no wonder he got into building and fixing computers today.

We got him a Nintendo in Canada and told him not to plug it in in Singapore because it needed to have a part to change the voltage on the machine. He agreed and early the next morning there was a huge explosion. My husband and I jumped out of bed and we both understood what happened.

He plugged it in.

We rushed down to find a very upset child but thankfully alive with all his fingers and his toes.
One day he went to school and met a girl with the name Sasha and stubbornly refused to be called that name again, so we had to resort to his real name Alex. This was a beginning when a baby changed to a youth with tons of things on his mind.

Alex was well travelled . But it was not easy for him cause we moved a lot and he had to make and lose friends every year. He was compensated by being kept busy doing other things. He learned Mandarin which he now forgot, studied Taek kwondo do, tennis, saxaphone, scuba diving, surf sailing, raised fish in tanks and made sure he had time to visit grama to pick beans from her garden. Then in Vancouver he took up horseback riding which he enjoyed a lot.

I remember one morning he ran into our room yelling Mommy Mommy! We have the same eyes. Look! Same white!. Apparently he wondered why we both had different eye colors and it bothered him till he found a solution to his query and after that, it didn't bother him anymore. lol
But the girls didn't care. He was Mr Bedroom eyes to them lol Bothe my boys were born with long eyelashes.

Time sure does fly . Grama and Grandpa are gone and so is my little boy who decided to move far away to what could be for his Dad and I, a different planet.

He dug in roots and is raising his own little spunky gal and history will repeat itself.

Such is life.

One day you have tons to do and then it all changes and life as you knew it

disappears .

You are left with fond memories of the babes you raised and loved, pictures, and freedom to be the person you began to be in your 20's, with a grown up vocabulary lol

My husband isn't asked any more "what does the cow say?"

and the kids are correcting you, when you do not say a word properly. lol

For a change it's nice to give payback and use lingo which makes them tink

they were raised by a retard who doesn't know nutin.

It's not nutin Mom. It's nothing.
and the sentence structure is wrong. It's I don't know anything.
Speak properly.lol

Some how it's ok for them to use today's lingo with their friends but for you to use yours is definitely uncool .

I tell them both, if it's ok for you to be you,

then it's ok for Dad and me to be ourselves too. lol

Have a great day :)

I Am the Love that Dare Not Speak Its' Name

What is hell?
Dostoyevsky wrote that it is the suffering of being unable to love.

We see today, societies trying to prevail in the meaning of love.
We show it through wars trying to protect those who have no protection against evil.
We try through sending various missions to aid those who are hungry and sick.
We try through showing patience to those with who we do not agree, giving them time to earn our trust.

Many believe in a good society where people can live in peace while keeping their views, ideas and individuality.

They play with words like freedom saying people are free to do what they want as long as they don't hurt anyone.
Trouble is we can't do much without hurting or offending another and another is offended easier and easier these days as opposed to before when people would shrug and go about their business.
And yet between them lie those who work against love.
They know love to be financial gain to obtain power over everything and every one.
To be able to fell one person after another brings these people personal joy.
They say it is nothing personal. It is just business.
They have more than enough to feed their families and give them a good life many times over but this is not enough.They want more and more and more.
The poor have issues of survival and this in itself brings them to do unlawful and un brotherly acts of behavior.

Bob Dylan explained, you can't be wise and in love at the same time.

John Dryden explained love as
a passion
Which kindles honor into noble acts.

A purple robe he wore, o'erwrought with gold
With the device of a great snake, whose breath

• Was a fiery flame: which when I did behold
  I fell a-weeping and I cried, "Sweet youth,
  Tell me why, sad and sighing, thou dost rove
  These pleasant realms? I pray thee speak me sooth
  What is thy name?" He said, "My name is Love."
  Then straight the first did turn himself to me
  And cried, "He lieth, for his name is Shame,
  But I am Love, and I was wont to be
  Alone in this fair garden, till he came
  Unasked by night; I am true Love, I fill
  The hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame."
  Then sighing said the other, "Have thy will,
  "I am the Love that dare not speak its name."

I watched a documentary on Syria the other day.
President Bashar took over after his Father and brother died. He is a doctor and tried to open up the country but the Baath Party objected and clamped down.From what I understand,
they killed and tortured children and then told people to make more to replace them with or give them their wives and they will make them for them. So the people took to the streets to protest.

Dictators ruling these countries, like Saddam Hussein, call their people animals and use religion to keep them where animals belong.
They tell the free countries, you do not know what you have unleashed.

In the Soviet Union, men put down their arms, when Mothers came to the soldiers and told them to reflect on what they were doing. They were killing their own people, Mothers, Fathers, brothers and sisters.
This in itself is a sin. Killing and torturing children is a major unforgivable sin.
To do this in the name of peace and love and to say you put God first, is unforgivable.We are all brothers and sisters because we all come from the same one mother.

God would never ask or demand man do this to his own people for any reason because of this. Eve was allowed to live as was Adam and they both were thrown out of paradise putting them both on the same footing.

For years we watch as country after country suffers, continuing to fight for something we are born with.........freedom.
No man has a right, to do unto another, the atrocities committed every day, to deny the right to think, to learn, to progress and to enjoy the gift of life given to him by God.

Only God has the right to take back life when the time is right and he asks no mans' help for this. He has his own army of Angels to do this job .

God is LOVE and man.....
well judging by how we live by fear, hunger for power, guns and war............is not.

We ask our Canadian people, if God should be kept in our National Anthem and people still believe we should. Therein lies the HOPE that as we come closer to God, we will come closer to knowing what LOVE exactly is and means.

Have a beautiful day.

The Lighter Side of Life

(click to enlarge)

These cats are as comfortable in a box as they would be hanging from a tree limb.

So nice to be a lazy cat lol

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The Frenchman boasted, “Last week when my wife and I had sex, I rubbed her body all over with butter. We then made passionate love and she screamed for 10 minutes!”

Then an Italian man said, “Well, last week my wife and I also had sex. I rubbed her body all over with olive oil. We made love, and she screamed for over six hours!”

The Frenchman was stunned.

He asked, “What could you have possibly done to make your wife scream for six hours?”

The Italian said, ”I wiped my hands on the bedspread.”

7 Days in May

What a great Movie with Burt Lancaster Kirk Douglas and Ava Gardner.
Not only did president Kennedy want it made, to show what can happen in every and any country in the world and does, but it is a movie people should see once in a while, to remind us that freedom, is not a word to toss around lightly.

In the hands of freedom, lies a great responsibility and it will always find enemies.

The real question lies in balance.

It is important to understand the meaning of the word freedom and how it relates to other things, like self disciplining yourself, to respect the rights of others, who are also free.

This word applies not only to self governing nations but to the people themselves, in the behavior they show towards both their friends and enemies.

Public schools would benefit from teaching the children the relevance of this word, as it pertains to issues of bullying and self expression kids are prone to at this early time in their lives.

Freedom implicates the word honour, which is not a word we hear often today.

Used to be, a gentlemans' word reflected upon his personal honor as a human being and as a man in society.
You wore this honor with pride, as you walked through life
People knew and saw you, for who you were.

This is a great movie.

Have a great Day!!!

--------------------------------------------

Joey prepared a pasta dish for a dinner party he was giving. In his haste, however, he forgot to refrigerate the spaghetti sauce, and it sat on the counter all day. He was worried about spoilage, but it was too late to cook up another batch. He called the local Poison Control Center and voiced his concern. They advised Stumpy to boil the sauce again.

That night, the phone rang during dinner, and a guest volunteered to answer it. Joey's face dropped as the guest called out, "It's the Poison Control Center. They want to know how the spaghetti sauce turned out."

The Table

I think we are so lucky to have two Thanks givings to celebrate on the North American Continent.
To prepare a table as beautiful as some of these women have done, is in itself, a feast to the eyes.
People are blessed with imagination and enriched by color and self expression.

If every home was given daily thanks, the way we do on Thanks giving Day, then
every home would be a blessing to come home to.

A home is a cherished sacred place and not just real estate the way it is being treated today.
This is where people dig in and raise families, create stability and make memories.

Its not a place to be trashed by banks and lawyers and we as a nation, continent of people, must object to the creation of empty homes towns and cities because of some corporations counting dollars somewhere, not caring about the value of lives for whom this was all created for and which they are destroying.
This continent is about building, not foreclosing.

Especially during these hard times, an act of kindness goes a long way.

When you walk the road with an open heart,
no evil can touch you.
Your heart, is the Thanksgiving table
enriched by color, expressing the love
you want shared with the world.

Have a great Day!
---------------------------

Some awful Jokes.

A Greek and an Italian

A Greek and Italian were sitting in a Starbuck's one day discussing who had the superior culture. Over triple lattes the Greek guy says, "Well, we have the Parthenon." Arching his eyebrows, the Italian replies, "We have the Coliseum." The Greek retorts, "We Greeks gave birth to advanced mathematics." The Italian, nodding agreement, says, "But we built the Roman Empire." And so on and so on until the Greek comes up with what he thinks will end the discussion. With a flourish of finality he says, "We invented sex!" The Italian replies, "That is true, but it was the Italians who introduced it to women!"

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Migrating to Australia


A Chinese man decides to retire and move to Australia after 50 years of living in Shanghai.

He bought a small piece of land . A few days after moving in, the friendly Aussie neighbor decides to go across and welcome the new guy to the region. He goes next door but on his way up the drive-way he sees the Chinese man running around his front yard chasing about 10 hens.
Not wanting to interrupt these 'Chinese customs', he decides to put the welcome on hold for the day.

The next day, he decides to try again, but just as he is about to knock on the front door, he looks through the window and sees the Chinese man urinate into a glass and then drink it. Not wanting to interrupt another 'Chinese custom', he decides to put the welcome on hold for yet another day.

A day later he decides to give it one last go, but on his way next door, he sees the Chinese man leading a bull down the driveway,...pause, ....and then put his left ear next to the bull's butt.

The Aussie bloke can't handle this, so he goes up to the Chinese man and says, 'Jeez Mate, what the hell is it with your Chinese customs?
I come over to welcome you to the neighborhood, and see you running around the yard after hens.The next day you are pissing in a glass and drinking it, and then today you have your head so close to that bull's butt, it could just about shit on you.'

The Chinese man is very taken back and says, 'Sorry sir, you no understand, these no ... Chinese customs I doing, these Australian Customs.

'What do you mean mate', says the Aussie, 'Those aren't Australian customs.'

'Yes they are; man at travel agent tell me', replied the Chinese man, 'He say to become a true Australian, I must learn to....chase chicks,

....get piss drunk, and....listen to bull-shit'!

Don't Just Smell the Flowers. Live Life!

Listening to the news today makes it difficult to keep your composure.
What a crazy world we live in.
9/11 lead to wars we did not need. I mean, we just needed Bin Laden right? Got side tracked there. Now global warming. Asteroids flying close to our planet, tsunamis. Nations still clawing for oil. Where is all this going and where will it end? Will our greed for oil lead to a planet imploding into a black hole? Did it happen before?

And then we see nature and how beautiful it is blooming around us, innocent and unaware of the battles taking place to keep it there.
It makes me wonder . Is there another such a battle going on for man, we do not know about?
Good vs Evil. Life over death?
I know we fight between ourselves but is there more?
Is there a pleasant surprise waiting for our salvation or will we forever reign in purgatory?
Always wondering, always fearing, always wanting.

I feast my eyes on the world and want to live realizing that this gift is not mine to demand or command. It will be what it will be.
But then, is what we know as life, only a dream?
Learning about such things as a cyber world and parallel universes, anything is possible.
All we need is to have faith that in the end, it is all as it should be.

All I keep thinking is, if disasters are to happen, let them happen far into the future, when my eyes can't see and my heart can't feel. When my children do not need to suffer.

We've been blessed for many years. Now we have other problems like population control and food production, things we were warned about in high school but landed on deaf ears.

Time is endless but it is something we can't buy
when it's needed.

------------------------------------------

Italian Inventions

Francis and Isabella were having their usual battle of the sexes. "Italian men are all stupid," screamed Isabella "Oh, yeah?" yelled her husband. "I'll have you know it was an Italian man who invented the toilet seat!" "And I'll have you know," said his wife, "it was an Italian woman who thought of putting a hole in it!"

-------------------------------------------------
Wanna Lose weight?

Here's how. lol



Have a Great Day!

pizza -----oh amore

Sunday dinner at Nonna's

The table was set with everyday dishes. It doesn't matter if they don't match. They're clean; what more do you want?

All the utensils go on the right side of the plate and the napkin goes on the left.

A clean kitchen towel was put at Nonna's & Papa's plates because they won't use napkins.

Homemade wine and bottles of 7-UP are on the table.

First course, Antipasto... Change plates.

Second course, macaroni. All pasta was called macaroni... Change plates.

Third course, roast beef, potatoes and vegetables... Change plates.

THEN, and only then - NEVER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEAL would you eat the salad drenched in homemade oil & vinegar dressing... Change plates.

Next course, fruit & nuts - in the shell - on paper plates because you ran out of the real ones.

Last was coffee with anisette espresso for Nonna, 'American' coffee for the rest - with hard cookies (biscotti) to dunk in the coffee.

The kids would go out to play.

The men would go lay down. They slept so soundly that you could do brain surgery on them without anesthesia.

The women cleaned the kitchen.

We got screamed at by Mom or Nonna, and half of the sentences were English, the other half Italian.
-----------------------------------------------------

Ate All the Candy

watsa matta fo you?

T H E I T A L I A N G R A N D M O T H E R

An Italian grandmother is giving directions to her grown grandson who is coming to visit with his wife.

"You comma to de front door of the apartmenta. I am inna apartmenta 301.

There issa bigga panel at the front door. With you elbow, pusha button 301.

I will buzza you in. Come inside, the elevator is on the right. Get in, and with you elbow, pusha 3.

When you get out, I'mma on the left. With you elbow, hit my doorbell."

"Grandma, that sounds easy, but, why am I hitting all these buttons with my elbow?

"What . . . .. .. You coming empty handed?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wise Italian Grandfather

Why Italian Fathers and Grandfathers pass their handguns down through the family.

An old Italian man is dying. He calls his grandson to his bedside, Guido, I wan' you lissina me. I wan' you to take-a my chrome plated ....38 revolver so you will always remember me."

"But grandpa, I really don't like guns. How about you leave me your Rolex watch instead?"

"You lissina me, boy. Somma day you gonna be runna da business, you gonna have a beautiful wife, lotsa money, a big-a home and maybe a couple of bambinos. "
"Somma day you gonna come-a home and maybe finda you wife inna bed with another man. "Whatta you gonna do then? Pointa to you watch and say, ‘time's up’ ? “

Have a great day!

OOPS One More Fat Lady Postcard

This is another fat woman postcard I found at home and kept cause it was funny.
I think it's the last one.

We talk about the fun in traveling,then we wonder why we are getting fat because when we travel we eat and drink more.

This woman is sitting talking about travel broadening one, to a skinny person who might be just as knowledgeable but watches her food intake.

I have to admit unless it's a business trip, vacation tends to let you loosen your belt quite a bit and then you pay for it when you get back home.lol

But then it also depends on what type of job you have.

I remember watching the Galloping Gourmet who was such a funny Chef.
Everything he made he put wine in it.
He always had a red nose and gained so much weight he had to stop the show so he could look after himself, lose weight and stop drinking.
When he did his show without the booze, it wasn't as funny anymore.
I Love Lucy
also did shows pretending she was drunk and she was a real class act because she did not drink.

So did Red Skelton.

As opposed to before, when every movie had some one smoking a cigarette, today we have shows, especially with women, who are seen to always be drinking.
There has to be a lot of booze they say, for people to have fun.

Just yesterday I happened to switch on Chelsea Lately and she told every one, that the only time people could have fun is when they are boozed up.

I found it ironic cause, I might be wrong, but no one seemed drunk, on her comedy show.
Or were they?
No one is drunk on the Just for Laughs Show or Comedy Central.
Seinfeld is funny and we laugh and enjoy his act without booze.
In fact we watch and enjoy these shows over and over without an ounce of alcohol.

Craig Fergusen is a recovered alcoholic and he seems to have a great time entertaining without booze and lives to remember the next day, what he did, as opposed to life being a blur.

What is the point, if life goes by and you don't see or remember it?
The same goes for marijuana.
People take it to make life go away and then they find everything funny and say :"Wow, this is cool.
Let's have some more." not realizing that if you need a crutch to be happy, something you are doing is not right.

When I was in Malaysia, I got the same kind of feeling standing in the middle of a quiet forest, where there was absolute silence.
It was literally mind blowing and this is where I learned that people need this, more than the other.

I don't know. No matter what you do, you have to know your limits.
Travel sure does broaden ones' knowledge......
if you can remember it. lol

Have a Great Day!

I Swallowed a Fly

Has there ever been a time when you've swallowed a fly?

My Mom always used to tell the kids, close your mouth or you'll swallow a fly.
Sleeping at night with your mouth open? That's a risk.

Swallowing a fly could also mean when you say or do something you wish you didn't.
Another way to say it is putting your foot in your mouth.

I loved this story because this woman swallowed a fly but didn't learn her lesson.
She kept swallowing larger and larger things until she burst, teaching people and kids, once again, that Mom's are right. Swallowing flies have consequences.

Is it no wonder why this is such a popular story.
So many people can relate to it.

Now looking back I have to ask when did I swallow a fly?

I remember swallowing mosquitoes driving my motor boat and a few times when the car window was open, a few managed to fly in.

It's amazing how they get right to the back of your throat and force themselves to be swallowed by an automatic reaction of the larynx whereby you begin coughing to get it out because you don't know what you swallowed.

Putting ones foot in ones mouth is terribly embarrassing and trying to cover up by smoothing it over, leads into more and more lies.
I am a very bad liar because my face gives it away before the lie gets out of my mouth.
It's like I have LIAR written on my forehead where every one could see it.

So I can't swallow a fly without people knowing about it.
This makes me not as much fun to be with, as say another person, who doesn't have to search far in his pocket, to find words and stories. to off set the lie he/she began in the first place.
These are very talented people and all we can do is wait and see how much they can swallow before they burst and die. lol
As we all know, nothing lasts forever and lies usually catch up to you, especially when you tell so many of them your mind gets confused.

I enjoyed this story. It's not just for kids. lol

Have a fun day!

Men Want to Know but are Afraid to Ask.

Now I wonder where her Charlie is?

Is he swimming? lol

You always see small men with big women. Maybe they started out the same size but eventually the women always win out where weight gain is concerned.

It just seems easier to do for a woman than for a man.

I guess its because they are the nurturers or were the nurturers until womens' lib took over.

It reminds me of the song, I don't want her you can have her she's too fat for me.

Girls....small men are cool.

They are the real men.

Charlie here, has a great gal to love him.

No matter what the weather,

small men seem to know a good thing when they see it.

They know when push comes to shove this girl won't let him drown.

Men want to know but are afraid to ask.
Ask not what she can't do.
Ask what she can

Have a great day!

Why Women Don't Drown

I found this post card and think I have one similar if not the same one , somewhere.

I found it funny because it's so true.

The fact of the matter is ..fat floats.

So if any well endowed ladies out there, who don't know how to swim, have a fear of drowning,

this post card should eliminate this fear.

Women are very lucky.

They can lie flat on their backs in the pool, read a good book and use their bosoms to hold refreshments, with no trouble at all.

Most men will not be able to perform such a feat if their life depended on it. lol

Also we have lungs which help us float , if we have air in them.

So filling ones' lungs full of air helps you stay a float.

One may need a few more weights on a belt if plans are made to go scuba diving, but think how fast one will surface when the time comes to do so. lol

Women Don't Drown.

For this reason women should think of a career in life saving.

When all these men have run out of hot air,

it's a loving, good woman, who comes to the rescue. lol

Have fun while you can and enjoy life.

Have a great day!

Lost and Caught

click to enlarge

They say when you love someone you must let him/ her go and if he /she comes back to you, then he/she belongs to you

I'd say this lady has things going her way

lol

This is a very old post card I love.

I love the face of the stringy fella, as he is falling into the apron.

And She looks only too happy to catch him.

By the look on his face, he would rather fall on the ground than be caught by her.

What rotten luck but lol.

There is a plaque on the mountain

It looks like a map of the mountain.

Have a great day.

Trust /Love between Man and Beast

I found this video to be so sweet.
Animals are so loving and have so much good will.
To think this seal took a risk to befriend this woman and do her no harm
is incredible.

-------------------------------------

Our teacher asked us what our favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried chicken." She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else in the class laughed. My parents told me to always be truthful and honest, and I am. Fried chicken is my favorite animal. I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably a member of PETA. He said they love animals very much. I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office. I told him what happened, and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do it again.

The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was. I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, just like she'd asked the other children. So I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken. She sent me back to the principal's office again. He laughed, and told me not to do it again. I don't understand. My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.

Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most. I told her, "Colonel Sanders." Guess where I am now? ...