HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY EVERYONE!

I didn't hear if Wiarton Willie found his shadow today or not. However the way the forecast looks, we are going to have very cold temperatures, right across Canada.
It was lovely and mild here today, although we had a few sprinkles in the morning. The news said that just a few miles from here, they had a real snow storm. Funny how the mountains and the sea can make a big difference weatherwise.

We walked a block to a restaurant, a "greasy spoon", that we often pass by and always say, we should try it out of a breakfast of bacon and eggs. But it had closed it's doors so we walked to the closest place, because that's when the rain started, and ended up at a coffee shop instead. So, we had a muffin and coffee instead. I wanted bacon and eggs, because...my diet starts on Monday!

We came home and I was wanting to go to the afternoon movie, but Tom wasn't in the mood, especially for a violent one like "No Country For Old Men", so I went off to the mall instead to find some different makeup!! I hate this brown!!! It makes my eyes look red as if I was crying and I've added eyebrows, which I never had before and I look like Lucy Arnez with her surprised face! EWW GAWD!! So, I went in seach of Chemical Free, or organic makeup. Not an easy chore!! I wish, I wish, I could walk in to Shoppers Market and just buy makeup like everyone else, but this darn contact dermatitis drives me nuts! It's only on my eyes!! I swear I'm adopted!!! Why is it only me that this stuff happens too in our family? Gosh, I could make a long list of our noticable differences!!

I've had luck with The Body Shop stuff before (they don't make blue either anymore), so I got a darker brown, with some other colours that I'll try tomorrow morning. By night time tomorrow, I'll likely have scabs around my eyes!! A woman at the Whole Foods make-up counter gave me a card of her friends, that does over makeup and on the card she's called a Transformation Artist!!

Wow!!! That would be fun to go to!! I'm a little skeptical about going though, because this friend of hers looked kind of butch! So, I'm not sure who I was talking to! She had NO make up on either!

Tom didn't want to come with me, so I drove him nuts with the cell phone...well, he drove me nuts too!! Every 10 mins or so we'd call each other with some stupid comment, and I'd be standing alone in the mall giggling and lauging into the phone. (Just like everyone else at the mall!) So, really, he did come with me, only not physically! Gosh, I miss my pals at home!!!! Honestly, though, it was fun!

We had meatloaf sandwiches for supper and boy was that recipe ever good!! This one stuck together instead of falling all over the place like mine usually do.

We have a wedding to go to in June! Tom's daughter Meredith and fiance Dave are tying the knot. Meredith becomes an instant step mother to two teenage girls! I don't envy her that!!

This is Meredith and Dave! Cute eh? Dave has his beautiful home on the market and Meredith just put her lovely and artful home on the market as well. She just finished getting it decorated the way she wanted it and then life changed for them. They have another house picked out and wow, is it a beauty!! First they have to sell the ones they live in now! Speaking of step mothers....I'm hers!!

I'm very lucky to be adopted into this wonderful family. I have a son now too!! Always wanted a son and his name is Martin and he's only a few years younger then me! I love to tease him and tell him to make sure he doesn't go out without clean underwear and all the things that moms say to sons. Martin's wife, Joan, is a real fun person. Very quick witted and great sense of humour and a heart as big as can be and made of gold. Not a great picture but all I can find at the moment. I have step grandchildren too.

This is Ed and his wife Kim. TJ, sure is looking them over eh? Both really nice people!

I can't believe I don't have a picture of Toms Grandaughter Heather and husband Kevin. Heather is expecting a baby in the Spring and everyone is looking forward to that. I'll have to show you Heather and Kevin another time.

Well, I have many books to read, so I'm going to leave you with this little poem for all you Ontario people, which seems so appropriate right now. Be safe in the snow!!

Canadian Poem
It's winter in Canada
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At twenty-five below.
Oh, how I love Canada
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And you nose gets frozen shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Canada
'Cause I'm frozen to the ground!!

Whatzzzz UP!!

Good Lord, it's Feb. already! Where does the time go?? My sister, Roxanne, sent me some very old pictures of our family right back from around 1942. I wasn't born yet of course, but some of the pictures were a few years younger!!! They went up to about the 60's era. Great fun to look at them and zoom in and get a closer look at how young we all were. Even the background with the old wild florel wallpaper and those old couches. The buggy's as they were called then, now called baby carriages, were old with big wheels, not to mention the old cars in the background. We were all dressed so well, and our Mom aways dressed so pretty with lovely clothes and hats. Some were of us all camping and Dad standing in a bathing suit, and what a terrific build he had.

left to right: This is Dorothy, my cousin, that grew up to be a nurse. She was always so pretty.

Mike my brother, who had flaming red hair as I did, inherited from our maternial grandmother is now retired.Mom, was beautiful, very gentle and a very loving mother. She's holding me, all wrapped up and snuggly. Irene is my aunt,who I often mention on here. She and I were very close growing up and still remain that way. We've had lots of fun through the years.

More family pictures. Thats my brother and my Father, both Policemen.

My brother Mike, John (now deceased) and my loving sister Roxanne, and myself.

Okay, enough of these old pictures for now!

Thanks to all you who are sending me messages on this Blog. It's amazing who I hear from and also encourage me to keep it up. It's so much fun to hear from you and so appreciated.

Today, we went to our Doctor in Horseshoe Bay. What a fantastic fellow he is. He looks like a hippie with long hair in pony tail and old plaid workshirts outside his jeans. But he's great and also has such a warm and caring personality. What doctor give's a warm and caring hug, when you leave his office. He's very genuine and so very likable. Tom had to get a form signed for his driver's licence, now that he's turning 80 on Feb. 9th. He past the test and all is well with his health. Tom sure doesn't look his age, and I'm so proud of him. He's just a joy to be with!

Wow....a mosquito, just landed on my screen!!! Can summer be on it's way or did he hitch a ride in our suitcase from Hawaii???

I see on the weather that Ontario is getting hit hard with weather today. I hope everyone is home safe and sound. I worry about my grandson who is 18 and now driving and it being Friday night and....well....you know how kids are. You just never stop worrying for the rest of your life, if either a parent or grandparent if all is well.

On the way home from the doctor's we went to the Library to return my unread books and was told that all the books I had ordered on hold, came in at once!!! OHHHH noooo, how will I read them all??? Here's the list I have just a couple of weeks to read!

1. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory (Saw a girl very engrossed in this book on the cruise. I asked if it was good and she said "VERY!" So, I had to have that one!

2. The Lizard Cage, by Karen Connelly. This one I read a review about and I love stories about life in a prison in 3rd world countries. Looks good!!

3.The Assassin's Song by M.G. Vassanji. A sort of saga from a two time Giller Prize winner, that I've read his books before and enjoyed. So, had to grab this one too!

4. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig. I thought it might be interesting, as I loved Gone With the Wind. So, it went into my book bag also.

5./Sacred Games, by Vikram Chandra. This is a big, thick book!! The description of the book in the fly, sounded really good, and for some reason, I seem drawn to these books about India lately. Always such a different and astonishing and poverished life they have and so much crookness always going on!

6.Rush Home Road, by Lori Lansens. This just said 'National Bestseller" and also looked interesting, so it was the last one to fill up my bag with no more room to spare.

I'd love to go to the movie tomorrow to see No Country for Old Men, or something like that! I hear it's a sit on the edge of your seat movie and very good! So many things to do and not enough time to do it!!! Then Survivor and some good programs start...oh nooo!!

Monday, my diet starts, and I'm going to join the fitness center with a trainer and also do laps at the pool and so, now that I've told everyone about this rather late resolution for the year, I better do good, eh? I hope to go at least 3 times a week! So, give me some encouragement or give me hell if I don't report that I've done good on what I said I'd do!!!

Well, I've got some reading to do, and the cat is bugging me to come and have a bath!! He has a schedule and I'm lousing it up, I think!

Picture of the day: This is my Moms family in order of age, however, there are three other children missing from the picture. One had died as a baby. The other two just weren't there, at the time I guess. My Grandfather and Grandmother and my Mom and one of my missing uncles, were born in Ireland. My mom is the third one in from the back. My Grandfather died when I was two and honestly, I have one memory of him even at that young age. I can't remember what we had for breakfast, but I remember that!!!

What To Write About??

Well, as amazing as it is....I can't think what to write tonight. I'm totally blank! Do I hear everyone cheering?
Hmmm, what did we do today that I can tell you about. Ohhh, I know....Lisa, you will be very pleased and thrilled to know this!! Remember the piece of advice you gave me when I got married? You were worried that you wouldn't be around to remind me of this important thing, and I'd go around looking like a fool! Well, I spotted that one hair that alway show's up every few months growing out of my chin! Gosh, where does it come from, it seems to sprout up overnight!
Everytime I see it and pluck it out, I think of how relieved you will be, that your mother doesn't have a beard.
Another surprising thing that will amaze everyone is I've given up that blue liner and mascara!! Finally!! I've been wearing it for years! Because of allergies, I can only wear two different brands and those brands have discontinued their blue! That should have been a hint to me sooner, eh?
When I ask for them, the girls in the store would look at me and my 1970's blue and sigh, and say....ohhh no, we haven't had that color for ages! Then they tell me I should be wearing brown, as the blue makes the veins in my eyes pop out!!! That did it!! I'm a brown person now!
I've jumped into another era.....called growing old gracefully.
Tomorrow, Tom and I have Doctor appointments and I'm taking another plunge to change myself. He'll sign the forms that I'm fit to get a trainer and work my rear end off at a gym! I'm pumped about going again, it's the just getting out of a nice warm bed and getting there! I'll work out and then swim laps and then do the that horrible thing that starts with a D, that every one is familiar with! YUK! By the way....as I write this, I'm eating chocolate covered almonds!! But, I've got until Monday! Ya just can't start a diet any other day of the week....right???
Maybe I'll get Tom back swimming laps too. He's such a good swimmer, while I plod along like an old horse with my head held up above the water. I just can't put my face in! But boy, can I float like a boat!! As someone once said to me, that I'd have been such an asset if I'd been on the Titanic. Everyone would just have to hang on to me!! Think of the lives I could have saved!
Enough of moaning about me, let's get more cheerful! Our snow is gone!! Take that Lisa!!! Tom and I went to Tim Horton's for lunch today! Mmmmm, love that coffee!! Then to the Spa place that sold me the makeup....$35.00 for a damn liner stick and a mascara....robbery! Then to buy ONLY eggs, but ended up with three bags of other stuff!! Then home to make a meatloaf, that turned out delicious. Made it with that instant stuffing mix for chicken and for once it all stuck together when I sliced it. It will make sandwiches tomorrow!!
Well, this is entirely just to boring to write and I know everyone must be yawning and my counter won't be moving if I soon don't come up with more interesting material! I'll work on it!!!
Until then...I'm going to try and get interested in a new book.

Picture of the day: I've always loved this picture of my grandsons Matt and Brad, sleeping in the car. The next picture was taken of the same boys about two years ago.

Cute eh!!

OHHHH NOOO,IT NEVER SNOWS IN VANCOUVER

That's what I was told when I moved to Vancouver from snowy Belleville, but we've had this darn white stuff for the last few days. I wrote earlier about the beautiful snow globe, that I felt I was looking at through the patio door. Soft, huge big, beautiful flakes and I think I mentioned, that it was melting as it hit the ground. What I didn't know, that if failed to quit snowing and it began to eventually accumulate. It was horrible out there but not as bad as what they got in other parts of Vancouver. Lot's of accidents and school closures, and major incidents caused by the snow and ice. The weather report is that it's going to continue for a day or so. It's turned to rain out there now, but as it cools at night it can become quite slippery. It's so hilly out here, that many vehicles, including buses couldn't make it up the steep inclines, which caused many people to miss work. Then there was a problem with the trains as well, so all in all, when it snows in Vancouver, it's a major event.

But all across Canada, there are extreme temperatures! Calgary is experiencing 40 below's. We people who grew up in Northern Ontario, know what that's like! Remember how cold that was! How the snow would crunch with every step and you could hear big cracks on the ice on the Bay as the surface would expand. I can remember being out on the ice in our ice-fishing hut and it would be 40 or 50 below and all of a sudden a huge and very scary huge crack ,would break the silence of concentrating on catching fish. It was enough to get the heart pumping fast to warm you right up!! The smoke coming out of the chimneys in our homes, from our furnaces constantly running, would blow the smoke in great plumes, straight up in the air. Our faces would get so cold when exposed to the air that it was like an "ice cream headache". Our legs would feel numb to the touch! Remember how we would brag, how living in Northern Ontario was the BEST!! I guess, we we're young then and either really did love it, or just didn't know the difference of our Southern climate neighbours temperatures of 2 below at the lowest!

The news tonight, reported a story of a young father in ( I think Winnipeg on an Indian reservation),who was drunk and began walking a short distance to a relatives not realizing until the next morning, he had taken his 1 year old and 3 year old children, dressed only in t-shirts and diapers with him. They found the father during the night wandering around with hyperthermia and drunk and got him to the hospital, but he never mentioned his children were still out in the cold somewhere until the next day when he sobered up.Of course they were found dead!! What a sad story, but I seem to remember stories like that, even someone we knew but I can't recall now who it was that had a similar story. Sad to hear!! Maybe Australia had something when they named Canada a dangerous place to visit with extreme temperatures!

We went out this afternoon to pay some hefty bills, like car and house insurance...ouch! We were in BCAA where we also booked our cruises, so stopped to talk to Helen our travel agent. She's so wonderful and fun to talk to. She talks very quickly and at first I had to really focus on what she was saying! It takes awhile anymore for someone talking as fast as she does, for it to hit my ears and get to my brain and for me to comprehend what she said! But, I've gotten use to her now. We inquired about some trips, but just INQUIRED!! We are afraid what the tax man will want from us first!! Damn old tax man!!! I hate him!

I was suppose to go out tonight to a Red Hat dinner, but when we got home, our neighbour on the first floor (we are on 7th floor), was having a problem with a flood coming from her toilet! She had a problem about 3 weeks ago and called a plumber when a metal piece of the toilet had malfunctioned or just rusted out, and she had a big flood. The plumber replaced it with a plastic piece instead of copper, but apparently it broke the next day and when she flushed the water wouldn't stop coming out of the toilet. She had just put down beautiful wood floors about 6 months ago and the water went under the floor, lifting the wood. The plumber admitted his mistake and is going to cover the expense of replacing the floor. He was to replace the floor this week. Today when we came home, she was in a panic because when she flushed the toilet, all of a sudden this mass of floods came floating up around her bottom. Hilarious yes, especially with jokes about now having her own bidet! She wasn't amused after all her problems!! Apparently, what the problem was, someone in the condo above her was using way too much detergent in either the clothes washer or the dishwasher. So, we helped mop and mop and console her, while we waited for the plumber....again!!

So, back to the beginning of this paragraph....I was suppose to go to a Red Hat dinner! After all that excitement, I was just too tired to go anywhere.

So, that's my day! Everyday is an adventure! I love every minute of it too!!

Thanks everyone who leaves a comment at the bottom of my rambles. It's so much fun to get them and read them and know someone I least expect to be reading my blog, actually is!! It only takes a second to leave a little note so please take that second for me. Sure appreciate it!

Picture of the day:

Does anyone remember this famous picture that was on the cover of "Life" magazine? It's massively tall! It's in San Diego, right by the port where our ship landed.

This is also in San Diego, right by the Port, and it's an unfinished tribute to Bob Home and his contribute to entertaining the troops for so many years. I couldn't get any closer with the digital camera. I'm taking my 35mm Canon on the next trip with the big zoom. It's just so heavy to carry, but worth it!

HAPPY 39TH BIRTHDAY TO ERIN

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday, dear ERIN

Happy Birthday to you!!

This is my youngest of two daughters, ERIN who today, January 29th turns 39 years old!!! Which makes me feel REALLY old!!

I wish you a great day Erin, and get lots of Happy Birthday wishes from friends and family and even lots of great presents and of course a huge birthday cake!! Are you taking the day off work and just relaxing and doing what you feel like doing, or is it back to the grind as always?

Here's a few more fun pictures of Erin. I wish I had all my family photo's here, and then we could all have a chuckle at some great ones taken as she was growing up to the beauty she is now.

This is Peter, her husband, Erin (cute eh!), Sarah, and Erica

Erin is quite an artist and great at sketching.

A few summers ago, Erin and Pete decide to go tubing! I wish I had all the pictures here to show you. We stood on the shore and killed ourselves laughing as the tube tipped over and over , throwing them around and into the water.

Here they go!!!

Hang on!!!

Oh, if I only had the pictures of the upsets and the bumps and the throwing out of the tube!!

Looks like Erin had enough!!!

Ouch!! Get me out of here!!

Isn't she lovely and no sign of bruising...YET!

So Erin, my darling, have a wonderful birthday. I will be thinking of you and will call you later.

Love from Mom, Tom, TJ, and Batman

Monday, Monday, can't trust that day..

Why can't I trust Monday....beats me, the name just popped into my head. It's a nice song too!

Today was an uneventful day, not much to write about. The repair man was here at 9am to fix the heat in the bathroom. We weren't getting any! Somehow the valve got shut off, but it's throwing out the heat now! We had the whole building's heat supply shut off about a month ago before Christmas and of course it got really cold right then. A new furnace and hot water tanks were being put in. It's nice and cosy here now.

We went for a little walk with the dog, and then read awhile, then Tom took me out to an Italian restaurant which was delicious. I had lasagna, something Tom hates. He said it's all they made in the Firehall and he got so sick of it. That and roast beef!! Two things I love of course.

Then we went to the Library to see if any good books have been dropped off during the evening hours, but it was poor pickings. I have so many holds on books that I want to read, that if they all come in together, I'll sure have my nose between the covers....book covers that is!

I just started watching that show "When All The Woman Left Town" Interesting so far, but Batman is meowing, as he usually does this time of night for me to come to have my bath. He has waited beside the bathtub, while I lay in the hot water and read, since the day I got him. He hates our routine out of whack!!

Tomorrow, I'm going to start writing little things about family and friends. Someone will be the star of the blog for the day, pictures and all. You may not know each other now, but you will soon! I just wish I had my albums here and not in Ontario. So, if you don't want to be mentioned on the blog (first name only! ),send me an email to not do it. I'll respect that!!

Hopefully it will be fun!!

Picture of the day:

Happy Hour before dinner on the Volendam (I think the guy in the chair sitting beside Tom, had been being happy for quite a few before dinner!!

Sunday in a Snow Globe

I feel like my view from the window is like looking into a snow globe. These big, huge and beautiful flakes are falling heavily over all I can see, and it's just lovely and rare to see where we live in this part of Vancouver. Why didn't it snow like this when I was walking home from the mall, just 10 minutes ago!! I was enjoying my walk and this would have made it perfect. I love walking in fallen leaves and also in huge flakes of soft white snow. Somehow it makes me feel so warm and all is wonderful with the world in those moments. However it's gone as soon as it hits the ground and that too is GOOD!! Love to see it fall, love more to see it disappear, unless, I've had a few drinks and in a crazy mood to make snow angels!!

Tom and I went over to the North Side of Park Royal Mall. Apparently it was the first Mall built in Canada! There is the South side of Park Royal on the other side of the road. So a road runs between them both with overpasses to each side. Park Royal is about 1/2 mile away, so within walking distance. Sundays are such lazy days and I had to get out and do something, so talked Tom into looking around The Bay store. I found so many nice things that fit and were cheap, but came out empy handed. I just have NO place to hold anymore clothes. Gosh, I wish I had these clothes when I was working!! I have some nice things but wear the same old comfy things and walk around like a bum!

We stopped and had a coffee and I was commenting to Tom, how I didn't spend a thing!! He commented back that we weren't out of the mall yet!!! Well, he was right!! I bought a pair of sun glasses in London Drugs. I love London Drugs....a store not in Ontario. They have everything in there and always something different. I even by-passed the marshmello choc. hearts out on display, which are my favourite.

Tom drove the car home and I walked the dog. It felt good to walk and enjoy the air. So, this is the end of my blog for today. I'm heading off to read now. Not too interesting eh! I'll try and do better next week, and will continue as long as the counter continues to climb. Sure a good way to keep in touch!! Keep watching and reading...the address for this blog is about you and me....so you may be my on my mind and on the blog anytime. However, you are ALL always on my mind, and in my heart!

Oh dear...what will I watch on TV tonight, now that the Amazing Race is over? Whoever is interested in the Survivor Pool better soon get in touch with me or Bill. Time is running out!!

Picture of the day: This is some of my RED HAT SOCIETY pals. I'm hiding in there too.

We have some fun times and have a dinner out the end of this month. I'll have to dig out some other picture's I have on disc and show you some other events we've had. This was a Christmas party.